diff --git a/anonymous_demo/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..62483adf1619b4f4a57b3179f4df91cbfa573fa9 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,5 @@ +__version__ = "1.0.0" + +__name__ = "anonymous_demo" + +from anonymous_demo.functional import TADCheckpointManager diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/README.MD b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/README.MD new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f503421b5f5e8e2a80cd172a6f6e56a39b0d9d08 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/README.MD @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +## This is the simple migration from ABSA-PyTorch under MIT license + +Project Address: https://github.com/songyouwei/ABSA-PyTorch \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..aed4fa323c2c8001593fdfdcd878a21718800167 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +from .models import * diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/dataset_utils/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/dataset_utils/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/dataset_utils/data_utils_for_inference.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/dataset_utils/data_utils_for_inference.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..61efbca84e6da24ae573d7ad991d1d639bfb1737 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/dataset_utils/data_utils_for_inference.py @@ -0,0 +1,121 @@ +import tqdm +from findfile import find_cwd_dir +from torch.utils.data import Dataset +from transformers import AutoTokenizer + + +class Tokenizer4Pretraining: + def __init__(self, max_seq_len, opt, **kwargs): + if kwargs.pop("offline", False): + self.tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + find_cwd_dir(opt.pretrained_bert.split("/")[-1]), + do_lower_case="uncased" in opt.pretrained_bert, + ) + else: + self.tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + opt.pretrained_bert, do_lower_case="uncased" in opt.pretrained_bert + ) + self.max_seq_len = max_seq_len + + def text_to_sequence(self, text, reverse=False, padding="post", truncating="post"): + return self.tokenizer.encode( + text, + truncation=True, + padding="max_length", + max_length=self.max_seq_len, + return_tensors="pt", + ) + + +class BERTTADDataset(Dataset): + def __init__(self, tokenizer, opt): + self.bert_baseline_input_colses = {"bert": ["text_bert_indices"]} + + self.tokenizer = tokenizer + self.opt = opt + self.all_data = [] + + def parse_sample(self, text): + return [text] + + def prepare_infer_sample(self, text: str, ignore_error): + self.process_data(self.parse_sample(text), ignore_error=ignore_error) + + def process_data(self, samples, ignore_error=True): + all_data = [] + if len(samples) > 100: + it = tqdm.tqdm( + samples, postfix="preparing text classification inference dataloader..." + ) + else: + it = samples + for text in it: + try: + # handle for empty lines in inference datasets + if text is None or "" == text.strip(): + raise RuntimeError("Invalid Input!") + + if "!ref!" in text: + text, _, labels = text.strip().partition("!ref!") + text = text.strip() + if labels.count(",") == 2: + label, is_adv, adv_train_label = labels.strip().split(",") + label, is_adv, adv_train_label = ( + label.strip(), + is_adv.strip(), + adv_train_label.strip(), + ) + elif labels.count(",") == 1: + label, is_adv = labels.strip().split(",") + label, is_adv = label.strip(), is_adv.strip() + adv_train_label = "-100" + elif labels.count(",") == 0: + label = labels.strip() + adv_train_label = "-100" + is_adv = "-100" + else: + label = "-100" + adv_train_label = "-100" + is_adv = "-100" + + label = int(label) + adv_train_label = int(adv_train_label) + is_adv = int(is_adv) + + else: + text = text.strip() + label = -100 + adv_train_label = -100 + is_adv = -100 + + text_indices = self.tokenizer.text_to_sequence("{}".format(text)) + + data = { + "text_bert_indices": text_indices[0], + "text_raw": text, + "label": label, + "adv_train_label": adv_train_label, + "is_adv": is_adv, + # 'label': self.opt.label_to_index.get(label, -100) if isinstance(label, str) else label, + # + # 'adv_train_label': self.opt.adv_train_label_to_index.get(adv_train_label, -100) if isinstance(adv_train_label, str) else adv_train_label, + # + # 'is_adv': self.opt.is_adv_to_index.get(is_adv, -100) if isinstance(is_adv, str) else is_adv, + } + + all_data.append(data) + + except Exception as e: + if ignore_error: + print("Ignore error while processing:", text) + else: + raise e + + self.all_data = all_data + return self.all_data + + def __getitem__(self, index): + return self.all_data[index] + + def __len__(self): + return len(self.all_data) diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..545af67791537e965198bd59daa679c9e5a54bab --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +from .tad_bert import TADBERT diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/tad_bert.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/tad_bert.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6d67a5bfcf3fdca6663e321bc5e53f37abcc9f28 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__bert__/models/tad_bert.py @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +import torch +import torch.nn as nn +from transformers.models.bert.modeling_bert import BertPooler + +from anonymous_demo.network.sa_encoder import Encoder + + +class TADBERT(nn.Module): + inputs = ["text_bert_indices"] + + def __init__(self, bert, opt): + super(TADBERT, self).__init__() + self.opt = opt + self.bert = bert + self.pooler = BertPooler(bert.config) + self.dense1 = nn.Linear(self.opt.hidden_dim, self.opt.class_dim) + self.dense2 = nn.Linear(self.opt.hidden_dim, self.opt.adv_det_dim) + self.dense3 = nn.Linear(self.opt.hidden_dim, self.opt.class_dim) + + self.encoder1 = Encoder(self.bert.config, opt=opt) + self.encoder2 = Encoder(self.bert.config, opt=opt) + self.encoder3 = Encoder(self.bert.config, opt=opt) + + def forward(self, inputs): + text_raw_indices = inputs[0] + last_hidden_state = self.bert(text_raw_indices)["last_hidden_state"] + + sent_logits = self.dense1(self.pooler(last_hidden_state)) + advdet_logits = self.dense2(self.pooler(last_hidden_state)) + adv_tr_logits = self.dense3(self.pooler(last_hidden_state)) + + att_score = torch.nn.functional.normalize( + last_hidden_state.abs().sum(dim=1, keepdim=False) + - last_hidden_state.abs().min(dim=1, keepdim=True)[0], + p=1, + dim=1, + ) + + outputs = { + "sent_logits": sent_logits, + "advdet_logits": advdet_logits, + "adv_tr_logits": adv_tr_logits, + "last_hidden_state": last_hidden_state, + "att_score": att_score, + } + return outputs diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/classic/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/models/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/models/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ddaeb91b26c4e4a9f2db85dfe16735e745074c90 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/models/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +import anonymous_demo.core.tad.classic.__bert__.models + + +class BERTTADModelList(list): + TADBERT = anonymous_demo.core.tad.classic.__bert__.TADBERT + + def __init__(self): + model_list = [self.TADBERT] + super().__init__(model_list) diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/prediction/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/prediction/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/core/tad/prediction/tad_classifier.py b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/prediction/tad_classifier.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7a7377931ed8f839c8800ab339fbf671a7a7036c --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/core/tad/prediction/tad_classifier.py @@ -0,0 +1,518 @@ +import json +import os +import pickle +import time + +import torch +import tqdm +from findfile import find_file, find_cwd_dir +from termcolor import colored + +from torch.utils.data import DataLoader +from transformers import ( + AutoTokenizer, + AutoModel, + AutoConfig, + DebertaV2ForMaskedLM, + RobertaForMaskedLM, + BertForMaskedLM, +) + +from ....functional.dataset.dataset_manager import detect_infer_dataset + +from ..models import BERTTADModelList +from ..classic.__bert__.dataset_utils.data_utils_for_inference import ( + BERTTADDataset, + Tokenizer4Pretraining, +) + +from ....utils.demo_utils import ( + print_args, + TransformerConnectionError, + get_device, + build_embedding_matrix, +) + + +def init_attacker(tad_classifier, defense): + try: + from textattack import Attacker + from textattack.attack_recipes import ( + BAEGarg2019, + PWWSRen2019, + TextFoolerJin2019, + PSOZang2020, + IGAWang2019, + GeneticAlgorithmAlzantot2018, + DeepWordBugGao2018, + ) + from textattack.datasets import Dataset + from textattack.models.wrappers import HuggingFaceModelWrapper + + class DemoModelWrapper(HuggingFaceModelWrapper): + def __init__(self, model): + self.model = model # pipeline = pipeline + + def __call__(self, text_inputs, **kwargs): + outputs = [] + for text_input in text_inputs: + raw_outputs = self.model.infer( + text_input, print_result=False, **kwargs + ) + outputs.append(raw_outputs["probs"]) + return outputs + + class SentAttacker: + def __init__(self, model, recipe_class=BAEGarg2019): + model = model + model_wrapper = DemoModelWrapper(model) + + recipe = recipe_class.build(model_wrapper) + + _dataset = [("", 0)] + _dataset = Dataset(_dataset) + + self.attacker = Attacker(recipe, _dataset) + + attackers = { + "bae": BAEGarg2019, + "pwws": PWWSRen2019, + "textfooler": TextFoolerJin2019, + "pso": PSOZang2020, + "iga": IGAWang2019, + "ga": GeneticAlgorithmAlzantot2018, + "wordbugger": DeepWordBugGao2018, + } + return SentAttacker(tad_classifier, attackers[defense]) + except Exception as e: + print("Original error:", e) + + +def get_mlm_and_tokenizer(text_classifier, config): + if isinstance(text_classifier, TADTextClassifier): + base_model = text_classifier.model.bert.base_model + else: + base_model = text_classifier.bert.base_model + pretrained_config = AutoConfig.from_pretrained(config.pretrained_bert) + if "deberta-v3" in config.pretrained_bert: + MLM = DebertaV2ForMaskedLM(pretrained_config) + MLM.deberta = base_model + elif "roberta" in config.pretrained_bert: + MLM = RobertaForMaskedLM(pretrained_config) + MLM.roberta = base_model + else: + MLM = BertForMaskedLM(pretrained_config) + MLM.bert = base_model + return MLM, AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(config.pretrained_bert) + + +class TADTextClassifier: + def __init__(self, model_arg=None, cal_perplexity=False, **kwargs): + """ + from_train_model: load inference model from trained model + """ + self.cal_perplexity = cal_perplexity + # load from a training + if not isinstance(model_arg, str): + print("Load text classifier from training") + self.model = model_arg[0] + self.opt = model_arg[1] + self.tokenizer = model_arg[2] + else: + try: + if "fine-tuned" in model_arg: + raise ValueError( + "Do not support to directly load a fine-tuned model, please load a .state_dict or .model instead!" + ) + print("Load text classifier from", model_arg) + state_dict_path = find_file( + model_arg, key=".state_dict", exclude_key=["__MACOSX"] + ) + model_path = find_file( + model_arg, key=".model", exclude_key=["__MACOSX"] + ) + tokenizer_path = find_file( + model_arg, key=".tokenizer", exclude_key=["__MACOSX"] + ) + config_path = find_file( + model_arg, key=".config", exclude_key=["__MACOSX"] + ) + + print("config: {}".format(config_path)) + print("state_dict: {}".format(state_dict_path)) + print("model: {}".format(model_path)) + print("tokenizer: {}".format(tokenizer_path)) + + with open(config_path, mode="rb") as f: + self.opt = pickle.load(f) + self.opt.device = get_device(kwargs.pop("auto_device", True))[0] + + if state_dict_path or model_path: + if hasattr(BERTTADModelList, self.opt.model.__name__): + if state_dict_path: + if kwargs.pop("offline", False): + self.bert = AutoModel.from_pretrained( + find_cwd_dir( + self.opt.pretrained_bert.split("/")[-1] + ) + ) + else: + self.bert = AutoModel.from_pretrained( + self.opt.pretrained_bert + ) + self.model = self.opt.model(self.bert, self.opt) + self.model.load_state_dict( + torch.load(state_dict_path, map_location="cpu") + ) + elif model_path: + self.model = torch.load(model_path, map_location="cpu") + + try: + self.tokenizer = Tokenizer4Pretraining( + max_seq_len=self.opt.max_seq_len, opt=self.opt, **kwargs + ) + except ValueError: + if tokenizer_path: + with open(tokenizer_path, mode="rb") as f: + self.tokenizer = pickle.load(f) + else: + raise TransformerConnectionError() + + except Exception as e: + raise RuntimeError( + "Exception: {} Fail to load the model from {}! ".format( + e, model_arg + ) + ) + + self.infer_dataloader = None + self.opt.eval_batch_size = kwargs.pop("eval_batch_size", 128) + + self.opt.initializer = self.opt.initializer + + if self.cal_perplexity: + try: + self.MLM, self.MLM_tokenizer = get_mlm_and_tokenizer(self, self.opt) + except Exception as e: + self.MLM, self.MLM_tokenizer = None, None + + self.to(self.opt.device) + + def to(self, device=None): + self.opt.device = device + self.model.to(device) + if hasattr(self, "MLM"): + self.MLM.to(self.opt.device) + + def cpu(self): + self.opt.device = "cpu" + self.model.to("cpu") + if hasattr(self, "MLM"): + self.MLM.to("cpu") + + def cuda(self, device="cuda:0"): + self.opt.device = device + self.model.to(device) + if hasattr(self, "MLM"): + self.MLM.to(device) + + def _log_write_args(self): + n_trainable_params, n_nontrainable_params = 0, 0 + for p in self.model.parameters(): + n_params = torch.prod(torch.tensor(p.shape)) + if p.requires_grad: + n_trainable_params += n_params + else: + n_nontrainable_params += n_params + print( + "n_trainable_params: {0}, n_nontrainable_params: {1}".format( + n_trainable_params, n_nontrainable_params + ) + ) + for arg in vars(self.opt): + if getattr(self.opt, arg) is not None: + print(">>> {0}: {1}".format(arg, getattr(self.opt, arg))) + + def batch_infer( + self, + target_file=None, + print_result=True, + save_result=False, + ignore_error=True, + defense: str = None, + ): + save_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "tad_text_classification.result.json") + + target_file = detect_infer_dataset(target_file, task="text_defense") + if not target_file: + raise FileNotFoundError("Can not find inference datasets!") + + if hasattr(BERTTADModelList, self.opt.model.__name__): + dataset = BERTTADDataset(tokenizer=self.tokenizer, opt=self.opt) + + dataset.prepare_infer_dataset(target_file, ignore_error=ignore_error) + self.infer_dataloader = DataLoader( + dataset=dataset, + batch_size=self.opt.eval_batch_size, + pin_memory=True, + shuffle=False, + ) + return self._infer( + save_path=save_path if save_result else None, + print_result=print_result, + defense=defense, + ) + + def infer( + self, + text: str = None, + print_result=True, + ignore_error=True, + defense: str = None, + ): + if hasattr(BERTTADModelList, self.opt.model.__name__): + dataset = BERTTADDataset(tokenizer=self.tokenizer, opt=self.opt) + + if text: + dataset.prepare_infer_sample(text, ignore_error=ignore_error) + else: + raise RuntimeError("Please specify your datasets path!") + self.infer_dataloader = DataLoader( + dataset=dataset, batch_size=self.opt.eval_batch_size, shuffle=False + ) + return self._infer(print_result=print_result, defense=defense)[0] + + def _infer(self, save_path=None, print_result=True, defense=None): + _params = filter(lambda p: p.requires_grad, self.model.parameters()) + + correct = {True: "Correct", False: "Wrong"} + results = [] + + with torch.no_grad(): + self.model.eval() + n_correct = 0 + n_labeled = 0 + + n_advdet_correct = 0 + n_advdet_labeled = 0 + if len(self.infer_dataloader.dataset) >= 100: + it = tqdm.tqdm(self.infer_dataloader, postfix="inferring...") + else: + it = self.infer_dataloader + for _, sample in enumerate(it): + inputs = [ + sample[col].to(self.opt.device) for col in self.opt.inputs_cols + ] + outputs = self.model(inputs) + logits, advdet_logits, adv_tr_logits = ( + outputs["sent_logits"], + outputs["advdet_logits"], + outputs["adv_tr_logits"], + ) + probs, advdet_probs, adv_tr_probs = ( + torch.softmax(logits, dim=-1), + torch.softmax(advdet_logits, dim=-1), + torch.softmax(adv_tr_logits, dim=-1), + ) + + for i, (prob, advdet_prob, adv_tr_prob) in enumerate( + zip(probs, advdet_probs, adv_tr_probs) + ): + text_raw = sample["text_raw"][i] + + pred_label = int(prob.argmax(axis=-1)) + pred_is_adv_label = int(advdet_prob.argmax(axis=-1)) + pred_adv_tr_label = int(adv_tr_prob.argmax(axis=-1)) + ref_label = ( + int(sample["label"][i]) + if int(sample["label"][i]) in self.opt.index_to_label + else "" + ) + ref_is_adv_label = ( + int(sample["is_adv"][i]) + if int(sample["is_adv"][i]) in self.opt.index_to_is_adv + else "" + ) + ref_adv_tr_label = ( + int(sample["adv_train_label"][i]) + if int(sample["adv_train_label"][i]) + in self.opt.index_to_adv_train_label + else "" + ) + + if self.cal_perplexity: + ids = self.MLM_tokenizer(text_raw, return_tensors="pt") + ids["labels"] = ids["input_ids"].clone() + ids = ids.to(self.opt.device) + loss = self.MLM(**ids)["loss"] + perplexity = float(torch.exp(loss / ids["input_ids"].size(1))) + else: + perplexity = "N.A." + + result = { + "text": text_raw, + "label": self.opt.index_to_label[pred_label], + "probs": prob.cpu().numpy(), + "confidence": float(max(prob)), + "ref_label": self.opt.index_to_label[ref_label] + if isinstance(ref_label, int) + else ref_label, + "ref_label_check": correct[pred_label == ref_label] + if ref_label != -100 + else "", + "is_fixed": False, + "is_adv_label": self.opt.index_to_is_adv[pred_is_adv_label], + "is_adv_probs": advdet_prob.cpu().numpy(), + "is_adv_confidence": float(max(advdet_prob)), + "ref_is_adv_label": self.opt.index_to_is_adv[ref_is_adv_label] + if isinstance(ref_is_adv_label, int) + else ref_is_adv_label, + "ref_is_adv_check": correct[ + pred_is_adv_label == ref_is_adv_label + ] + if ref_is_adv_label != -100 + and isinstance(ref_is_adv_label, int) + else "", + "pred_adv_tr_label": self.opt.index_to_label[pred_adv_tr_label], + "ref_adv_tr_label": self.opt.index_to_label[ref_adv_tr_label], + "perplexity": perplexity, + } + if defense: + try: + if not hasattr(self, "sent_attacker"): + self.sent_attacker = init_attacker( + self, defense.lower() + ) + if result["is_adv_label"] == "1": + res = self.sent_attacker.attacker.simple_attack( + text_raw, int(result["label"]) + ) + new_infer_res = self.infer( + res.perturbed_result.attacked_text.text, + print_result=False, + ) + result["perturbed_label"] = result["label"] + result["label"] = new_infer_res["label"] + result["probs"] = new_infer_res["probs"] + result["ref_label_check"] = ( + correct[int(result["label"]) == ref_label] + if ref_label != -100 + else "" + ) + result[ + "restored_text" + ] = res.perturbed_result.attacked_text.text + result["is_fixed"] = True + else: + result["restored_text"] = "" + result["is_fixed"] = False + + except Exception as e: + print( + "Error:{}, try install TextAttack and tensorflow_text after 10 seconds...".format( + e + ) + ) + time.sleep(10) + raise RuntimeError("Installation done, please run again...") + + if ref_label != -100: + n_labeled += 1 + + if result["label"] == result["ref_label"]: + n_correct += 1 + + if ref_is_adv_label != -100: + n_advdet_labeled += 1 + if ref_is_adv_label == pred_is_adv_label: + n_advdet_correct += 1 + + results.append(result) + + try: + if print_result: + for ex_id, result in enumerate(results): + text_printing = result["text"][:] + text_info = "" + if result["label"] != "-100": + if not result["ref_label"]: + text_info += " -> ".format( + result["label"], + result["ref_label"], + result["confidence"], + ) + elif result["label"] == result["ref_label"]: + text_info += colored( + " -> ".format( + result["label"], + result["ref_label"], + result["confidence"], + ), + "green", + ) + else: + text_info += colored( + " -> ".format( + result["label"], + result["ref_label"], + result["confidence"], + ), + "red", + ) + + # AdvDet + if result["is_adv_label"] != "-100": + if not result["ref_is_adv_label"]: + text_info += " -> ".format( + result["is_adv_label"], + result["ref_is_adv_check"], + result["is_adv_confidence"], + ) + elif result["is_adv_label"] == result["ref_is_adv_label"]: + text_info += colored( + " -> ".format( + result["is_adv_label"], + result["ref_is_adv_label"], + result["is_adv_confidence"], + ), + "green", + ) + else: + text_info += colored( + " -> ".format( + result["is_adv_label"], + result["ref_is_adv_label"], + result["is_adv_confidence"], + ), + "red", + ) + text_printing += text_info + if self.cal_perplexity: + text_printing += colored( + " --> ".format(result["perplexity"]), + "yellow", + ) + print("Example {}: {}".format(ex_id, text_printing)) + if save_path: + with open(save_path, "w", encoding="utf8") as fout: + json.dump(str(results), fout, ensure_ascii=False) + print("inference result saved in: {}".format(save_path)) + except Exception as e: + print("Can not save result: {}, Exception: {}".format(text_raw, e)) + + if len(results) > 1: + print( + "CLS Acc:{}%".format(100 * n_correct / n_labeled if n_labeled else "") + ) + print( + "AdvDet Acc:{}%".format( + 100 * n_advdet_correct / n_advdet_labeled + if n_advdet_labeled + else "" + ) + ) + + return results + + def clear_input_samples(self): + self.dataset.all_data = [] diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f3e80fc337ce1b3984a5863cc0c90dc15b995d47 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +from anonymous_demo.functional.checkpoint.checkpoint_manager import TADCheckpointManager + +from anonymous_demo.functional.config import TADConfigManager diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c3a13c183ec72b10c0fb19e56067493f9499f92c --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +from .checkpoint_manager import TADCheckpointManager diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/checkpoint_manager.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/checkpoint_manager.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d203d4067e24f48ebfaf8e16b8cccb7051b25f42 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/checkpoint/checkpoint_manager.py @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +import os +from findfile import find_file + +from anonymous_demo.core.tad.prediction.tad_classifier import TADTextClassifier +from anonymous_demo.utils.demo_utils import retry + + +class CheckpointManager: + pass + + +class TADCheckpointManager(CheckpointManager): + @staticmethod + @retry + def get_tad_text_classifier(checkpoint: str = None, eval_batch_size=128, **kwargs): + tad_text_classifier = TADTextClassifier( + checkpoint, eval_batch_size=eval_batch_size, **kwargs + ) + return tad_text_classifier diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/config/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..61f02f3d18686406d2218d1b5219a8520e5517dd --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +from .tad_config_manager import TADConfigManager diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/config/config_manager.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/config_manager.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..08e736c2f4608201c78795174dd726774137498c --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/config_manager.py @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +from argparse import Namespace + +import torch + +one_shot_messages = set() + + +def config_check(args): + pass + + +class ConfigManager(Namespace): + def __init__(self, args=None, **kwargs): + """ + The ConfigManager is a subclass of argparse.Namespace and based on parameter dict and count the call-frequency of each parameter + :param args: A parameter dict + :param kwargs: Same param as Namespce + """ + if not args: + args = {} + super().__init__(**kwargs) + + if isinstance(args, Namespace): + self.args = vars(args) + self.args_call_count = {arg: 0 for arg in vars(args)} + else: + self.args = args + self.args_call_count = {arg: 0 for arg in args} + + def __getattribute__(self, arg_name): + if arg_name == "args" or arg_name == "args_call_count": + return super().__getattribute__(arg_name) + try: + value = super().__getattribute__("args")[arg_name] + args_call_count = super().__getattribute__("args_call_count") + args_call_count[arg_name] += 1 + super().__setattr__("args_call_count", args_call_count) + return value + + except Exception as e: + return super().__getattribute__(arg_name) + + def __setattr__(self, arg_name, value): + if arg_name == "args" or arg_name == "args_call_count": + super().__setattr__(arg_name, value) + return + try: + args = super().__getattribute__("args") + args[arg_name] = value + super().__setattr__("args", args) + args_call_count = super().__getattribute__("args_call_count") + + if arg_name in args_call_count: + # args_call_count[arg_name] += 1 + super().__setattr__("args_call_count", args_call_count) + + else: + args_call_count[arg_name] = 0 + super().__setattr__("args_call_count", args_call_count) + + except Exception as e: + super().__setattr__(arg_name, value) + + config_check(args) diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/config/tad_config_manager.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/tad_config_manager.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5aff34bcee103774dcf79f5ceacd91295694d037 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/config/tad_config_manager.py @@ -0,0 +1,229 @@ +import copy + +from anonymous_demo.functional.config.config_manager import ConfigManager +from anonymous_demo.core.tad.classic.__bert__.models import TADBERT + +_tad_config_template = { + "model": TADBERT, + "optimizer": "adamw", + "learning_rate": 0.00002, + "patience": 99999, + "pretrained_bert": "microsoft/mdeberta-v3-base", + "cache_dataset": True, + "warmup_step": -1, + "show_metric": False, + "max_seq_len": 80, + "dropout": 0, + "l2reg": 0.000001, + "num_epoch": 10, + "batch_size": 16, + "initializer": "xavier_uniform_", + "seed": 52, + "polarities_dim": 3, + "log_step": 10, + "evaluate_begin": 0, + "cross_validate_fold": -1, + "use_amp": False, + # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training +} + +_tad_config_base = { + "model": TADBERT, + "optimizer": "adamw", + "learning_rate": 0.00002, + "pretrained_bert": "microsoft/deberta-v3-base", + "cache_dataset": True, + "warmup_step": -1, + "show_metric": False, + "max_seq_len": 80, + "patience": 99999, + "dropout": 0, + "l2reg": 0.000001, + "num_epoch": 10, + "batch_size": 16, + "initializer": "xavier_uniform_", + "seed": 52, + "polarities_dim": 3, + "log_step": 10, + "evaluate_begin": 0, + "cross_validate_fold": -1 + # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training +} + +_tad_config_english = { + "model": TADBERT, + "optimizer": "adamw", + "learning_rate": 0.00002, + "patience": 99999, + "pretrained_bert": "microsoft/deberta-v3-base", + "cache_dataset": True, + "warmup_step": -1, + "show_metric": False, + "max_seq_len": 80, + "dropout": 0, + "l2reg": 0.000001, + "num_epoch": 10, + "batch_size": 16, + "initializer": "xavier_uniform_", + "seed": 52, + "polarities_dim": 3, + "log_step": 10, + "evaluate_begin": 0, + "cross_validate_fold": -1 + # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training +} + +_tad_config_multilingual = { + "model": TADBERT, + "optimizer": "adamw", + "learning_rate": 0.00002, + "patience": 99999, + "pretrained_bert": "microsoft/mdeberta-v3-base", + "cache_dataset": True, + "warmup_step": -1, + "show_metric": False, + "max_seq_len": 80, + "dropout": 0, + "l2reg": 0.000001, + "num_epoch": 10, + "batch_size": 16, + "initializer": "xavier_uniform_", + "seed": 52, + "polarities_dim": 3, + "log_step": 10, + "evaluate_begin": 0, + "cross_validate_fold": -1 + # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training +} + +_tad_config_chinese = { + "model": TADBERT, + "optimizer": "adamw", + "learning_rate": 0.00002, + "patience": 99999, + "cache_dataset": True, + "warmup_step": -1, + "show_metric": False, + "pretrained_bert": "bert-base-chinese", + "max_seq_len": 80, + "dropout": 0, + "l2reg": 0.000001, + "num_epoch": 10, + "batch_size": 16, + "initializer": "xavier_uniform_", + "seed": 52, + "polarities_dim": 3, + "log_step": 10, + "evaluate_begin": 0, + "cross_validate_fold": -1 + # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training +} + + +class TADConfigManager(ConfigManager): + def __init__(self, args, **kwargs): + """ + Available Params: {'model': BERT, + 'optimizer': "adamw", + 'learning_rate': 0.00002, + 'pretrained_bert': "roberta-base", + 'cache_dataset': True, + 'warmup_step': -1, + 'show_metric': False, + 'max_seq_len': 80, + 'patience': 99999, + 'dropout': 0, + 'l2reg': 0.000001, + 'num_epoch': 10, + 'batch_size': 16, + 'initializer': 'xavier_uniform_', + 'seed': {52, 25} + 'embed_dim': 768, + 'hidden_dim': 768, + 'polarities_dim': 3, + 'log_step': 10, + 'evaluate_begin': 0, + 'cross_validate_fold': -1 # split train and test datasets into 5 folds and repeat 3 training + } + :param args: + :param kwargs: + """ + super().__init__(args, **kwargs) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config(configType: str, newitem: dict): + if isinstance(newitem, dict): + if configType == "template": + _tad_config_template.update(newitem) + elif configType == "base": + _tad_config_base.update(newitem) + elif configType == "english": + _tad_config_english.update(newitem) + elif configType == "chinese": + _tad_config_chinese.update(newitem) + elif configType == "multilingual": + _tad_config_multilingual.update(newitem) + elif configType == "glove": + _tad_config_glove.update(newitem) + else: + raise ValueError( + "Wrong value of config type supplied, please use one from following type: template, base, english, chinese, multilingual, glove" + ) + else: + raise TypeError( + "Wrong type of new config item supplied, please use dict e.g.{'NewConfig': NewValue}" + ) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_template(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("template", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_base(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("base", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_english(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("english", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_chinese(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("chinese", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_multilingual(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("multilingual", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def set_tad_config_glove(newitem): + TADConfigManager.set_tad_config("glove", newitem) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_template() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_template) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_base() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_base) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_english() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_english) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_chinese() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_chinese) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_multilingual() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_multilingual) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) + + @staticmethod + def get_tad_config_glove() -> ConfigManager: + _tad_config_template.update(_tad_config_glove) + return TADConfigManager(copy.deepcopy(_tad_config_template)) diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..996ea27b28434bab17498d749b3fa8e4707f5027 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +from anonymous_demo.functional.dataset.dataset_manager import detect_infer_dataset diff --git a/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/dataset_manager.py b/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/dataset_manager.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..79ce5325ae18f1463e6b6bf85958d241cea84359 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/functional/dataset/dataset_manager.py @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +import os +from findfile import find_files, find_dir + +filter_key_words = [ + ".py", + ".md", + "readme", + "log", + "result", + "zip", + ".state_dict", + ".model", + ".png", + "acc_", + "f1_", + ".backup", + ".bak", +] + + +def detect_infer_dataset(dataset_path, task="apc"): + dataset_file = [] + if isinstance(dataset_path, str) and os.path.isfile(dataset_path): + dataset_file.append(dataset_path) + return dataset_file + + for d in dataset_path: + if not os.path.exists(d): + search_path = find_dir( + os.getcwd(), + [d, task, "dataset"], + exclude_key=filter_key_words, + disable_alert=False, + ) + dataset_file += find_files( + search_path, + [".inference", d], + exclude_key=["train."] + filter_key_words, + ) + else: + dataset_file += find_files( + d, [".inference", task], exclude_key=["train."] + filter_key_words + ) + + return dataset_file diff --git a/anonymous_demo/network/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/network/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/network/lcf_pooler.py b/anonymous_demo/network/lcf_pooler.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2647a13c91c894a8b04539a5f8f44914614b3a82 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/network/lcf_pooler.py @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +import numpy +import torch +import torch.nn as nn + + +class LCF_Pooler(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, config): + super().__init__() + self.config = config + self.dense = nn.Linear(config.hidden_size, config.hidden_size) + self.activation = nn.Tanh() + + def forward(self, hidden_states, lcf_vec): + device = hidden_states.device + lcf_vec = lcf_vec.detach().cpu().numpy() + + pooled_output = numpy.zeros( + (hidden_states.shape[0], hidden_states.shape[2]), dtype=numpy.float32 + ) + hidden_states = hidden_states.detach().cpu().numpy() + for i, vec in enumerate(lcf_vec): + lcf_ids = [j for j in range(len(vec)) if sum(vec[j] - 1.0) == 0] + pooled_output[i] = hidden_states[i][lcf_ids[len(lcf_ids) // 2]] + + pooled_output = torch.Tensor(pooled_output).to(device) + pooled_output = self.dense(pooled_output) + pooled_output = self.activation(pooled_output) + return pooled_output diff --git a/anonymous_demo/network/lsa.py b/anonymous_demo/network/lsa.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..48329f17cce940a04b7dddba73f57a1c65b8f340 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/network/lsa.py @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +import torch +from anonymous_demo.network.sa_encoder import Encoder +from torch import nn + + +class LSA(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, bert, opt): + super(LSA, self).__init__() + self.opt = opt + + self.encoder = Encoder(bert.config, opt) + self.encoder_left = Encoder(bert.config, opt) + self.encoder_right = Encoder(bert.config, opt) + self.linear_window_3h = nn.Linear(opt.embed_dim * 3, opt.embed_dim) + self.linear_window_2h = nn.Linear(opt.embed_dim * 2, opt.embed_dim) + self.eta1 = nn.Parameter(torch.tensor(self.opt.eta, dtype=torch.float)) + self.eta2 = nn.Parameter(torch.tensor(self.opt.eta, dtype=torch.float)) + + def forward( + self, + global_context_features, + spc_mask_vec, + lcf_matrix, + left_lcf_matrix, + right_lcf_matrix, + ): + masked_global_context_features = torch.mul( + spc_mask_vec, global_context_features + ) + + # # --------------------------------------------------- # + lcf_features = torch.mul(global_context_features, lcf_matrix) + lcf_features = self.encoder(lcf_features) + # # --------------------------------------------------- # + left_lcf_features = torch.mul(masked_global_context_features, left_lcf_matrix) + left_lcf_features = self.encoder_left(left_lcf_features) + # # --------------------------------------------------- # + right_lcf_features = torch.mul(masked_global_context_features, right_lcf_matrix) + right_lcf_features = self.encoder_right(right_lcf_features) + # # --------------------------------------------------- # + if "lr" == self.opt.window or "rl" == self.opt.window: + if self.eta1 <= 0 and self.opt.eta != -1: + torch.nn.init.uniform_(self.eta1) + print("reset eta1 to: {}".format(self.eta1.item())) + if self.eta2 <= 0 and self.opt.eta != -1: + torch.nn.init.uniform_(self.eta2) + print("reset eta2 to: {}".format(self.eta2.item())) + if self.opt.eta >= 0: + cat_features = torch.cat( + ( + lcf_features, + self.eta1 * left_lcf_features, + self.eta2 * right_lcf_features, + ), + -1, + ) + else: + cat_features = torch.cat( + (lcf_features, left_lcf_features, right_lcf_features), -1 + ) + sent_out = self.linear_window_3h(cat_features) + elif "l" == self.opt.window: + sent_out = self.linear_window_2h( + torch.cat((lcf_features, self.eta1 * left_lcf_features), -1) + ) + elif "r" == self.opt.window: + sent_out = self.linear_window_2h( + torch.cat((lcf_features, self.eta2 * right_lcf_features), -1) + ) + else: + raise KeyError("Invalid parameter:", self.opt.window) + + return sent_out diff --git a/anonymous_demo/network/sa_encoder.py b/anonymous_demo/network/sa_encoder.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0b5cca5350ff63f87dca730e7667ae029e012280 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/network/sa_encoder.py @@ -0,0 +1,199 @@ +import math + +import numpy as np +import torch +import torch.nn as nn + + +class BertSelfAttention(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, config): + super().__init__() + if config.hidden_size % config.num_attention_heads != 0 and not hasattr( + config, "embedding_size" + ): + raise ValueError( + f"The hidden size ({config.hidden_size}) is not a multiple of the number of attention " + f"heads ({config.num_attention_heads})" + ) + + self.num_attention_heads = config.num_attention_heads + self.attention_head_size = int(config.hidden_size / config.num_attention_heads) + self.all_head_size = self.num_attention_heads * self.attention_head_size + + self.query = nn.Linear(config.hidden_size, self.all_head_size) + self.key = nn.Linear(config.hidden_size, self.all_head_size) + self.value = nn.Linear(config.hidden_size, self.all_head_size) + + self.dropout = nn.Dropout( + config.attention_probs_dropout_prob + if hasattr(config, "attention_probs_dropout_prob") + else 0 + ) + self.position_embedding_type = getattr( + config, "position_embedding_type", "absolute" + ) + if ( + self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key" + or self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key_query" + ): + self.max_position_embeddings = config.max_position_embeddings + self.distance_embedding = nn.Embedding( + 2 * config.max_position_embeddings - 1, self.attention_head_size + ) + + self.is_decoder = config.is_decoder + + def transpose_for_scores(self, x): + new_x_shape = x.size()[:-1] + ( + self.num_attention_heads, + self.attention_head_size, + ) + x = x.view(*new_x_shape) + return x.permute(0, 2, 1, 3) + + def forward( + self, + hidden_states, + attention_mask=None, + head_mask=None, + encoder_hidden_states=None, + encoder_attention_mask=None, + past_key_value=None, + output_attentions=False, + ): + mixed_query_layer = self.query(hidden_states) + + # If this is instantiated as a cross-attention module, the keys + # and values come from an encoder; the attention mask needs to be + # such that the encoder's padding tokens are not attended to. + is_cross_attention = encoder_hidden_states is not None + + if is_cross_attention and past_key_value is not None: + # reuse k,v, cross_attentions + key_layer = past_key_value[0] + value_layer = past_key_value[1] + attention_mask = encoder_attention_mask + elif is_cross_attention: + key_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.key(encoder_hidden_states)) + value_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.value(encoder_hidden_states)) + attention_mask = encoder_attention_mask + elif past_key_value is not None: + key_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.key(hidden_states)) + value_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.value(hidden_states)) + key_layer = torch.cat([past_key_value[0], key_layer], dim=2) + value_layer = torch.cat([past_key_value[1], value_layer], dim=2) + else: + key_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.key(hidden_states)) + value_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(self.value(hidden_states)) + + query_layer = self.transpose_for_scores(mixed_query_layer) + + if self.is_decoder: + # if cross_attention save Tuple(torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor) of all cross attention key/value_states. + # Further calls to cross_attention layer can then reuse all cross-attention + # key/value_states (first "if" case) + # if uni-directional self-attention (decoder) save Tuple(torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor) of + # all previous decoder key/value_states. Further calls to uni-directional self-attention + # can concat previous decoder key/value_states to current projected key/value_states (third "elif" case) + # if encoder bi-directional self-attention `past_key_value` is always `None` + past_key_value = (key_layer, value_layer) + + # Take the dot product between "query" and "key" to get the raw attention scores. + attention_scores = torch.matmul(query_layer, key_layer.transpose(-1, -2)) + + if ( + self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key" + or self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key_query" + ): + seq_length = hidden_states.size()[1] + position_ids_l = torch.arange( + seq_length, dtype=torch.long, device=hidden_states.device + ).view(-1, 1) + position_ids_r = torch.arange( + seq_length, dtype=torch.long, device=hidden_states.device + ).view(1, -1) + distance = position_ids_l - position_ids_r + positional_embedding = self.distance_embedding( + distance + self.max_position_embeddings - 1 + ) + positional_embedding = positional_embedding.to( + dtype=query_layer.dtype + ) # fp16 compatibility + + if self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key": + relative_position_scores = torch.einsum( + "bhld,lrd->bhlr", query_layer, positional_embedding + ) + attention_scores = attention_scores + relative_position_scores + elif self.position_embedding_type == "relative_key_query": + relative_position_scores_query = torch.einsum( + "bhld,lrd->bhlr", query_layer, positional_embedding + ) + relative_position_scores_key = torch.einsum( + "bhrd,lrd->bhlr", key_layer, positional_embedding + ) + attention_scores = ( + attention_scores + + relative_position_scores_query + + relative_position_scores_key + ) + + attention_scores = attention_scores / math.sqrt(self.attention_head_size) + if attention_mask is not None: + # Apply the attention mask is (precomputed for all layers in BertModel forward() function) + attention_scores = attention_scores + attention_mask + + # Normalize the attention scores to probabilities. + attention_probs = nn.Softmax(dim=-1)(attention_scores) + + # This is actually dropping out entire tokens to attend to, which might + # seem a bit unusual, but is taken from the original Transformer paper. + attention_probs = self.dropout(attention_probs) + + # Mask heads if we want to + if head_mask is not None: + attention_probs = attention_probs * head_mask + + context_layer = torch.matmul(attention_probs, value_layer) + + context_layer = context_layer.permute(0, 2, 1, 3).contiguous() + new_context_layer_shape = context_layer.size()[:-2] + (self.all_head_size,) + context_layer = context_layer.view(*new_context_layer_shape) + + outputs = ( + (context_layer, attention_probs) if output_attentions else (context_layer,) + ) + + if self.is_decoder: + outputs = outputs + (past_key_value,) + return outputs + + +class Encoder(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, config, opt, layer_num=1): + super(Encoder, self).__init__() + self.opt = opt + self.config = config + self.encoder = nn.ModuleList( + [SelfAttention(config, opt) for _ in range(layer_num)] + ) + self.tanh = torch.nn.Tanh() + + def forward(self, x): + for i, enc in enumerate(self.encoder): + x = self.tanh(enc(x)[0]) + return x + + +class SelfAttention(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, config, opt): + super(SelfAttention, self).__init__() + self.opt = opt + self.config = config + self.SA = BertSelfAttention(config) + + def forward(self, inputs): + zero_vec = np.zeros((inputs.size(0), 1, 1, self.opt.max_seq_len)) + zero_tensor = torch.tensor(zero_vec).float().to(inputs.device) + SA_out = self.SA(inputs, zero_tensor) + return SA_out diff --git a/anonymous_demo/utils/__init__.py b/anonymous_demo/utils/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 diff --git a/anonymous_demo/utils/demo_utils.py b/anonymous_demo/utils/demo_utils.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1436522a6c68e9166d2b1af31f8903e43c6ead12 --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/utils/demo_utils.py @@ -0,0 +1,247 @@ +import json +import os +import pickle +import signal +import threading +import time +import zipfile + +import gdown +import numpy as np +import requests +import torch +import tqdm +from autocuda import auto_cuda, auto_cuda_name +from findfile import find_files, find_cwd_file, find_file +from termcolor import colored +from functools import wraps + +from update_checker import parse_version + +from anonymous_demo import __version__ + + +def save_args(config, save_path): + f = open(os.path.join(save_path), mode="w", encoding="utf8") + for arg in config.args: + if config.args_call_count[arg]: + f.write("{}: {}\n".format(arg, config.args[arg])) + f.close() + + +def print_args(config, logger=None, mode=0): + args = [key for key in sorted(config.args.keys())] + for arg in args: + if logger: + logger.info( + "{0}:{1}\t-->\tCalling Count:{2}".format( + arg, config.args[arg], config.args_call_count[arg] + ) + ) + else: + print( + "{0}:{1}\t-->\tCalling Count:{2}".format( + arg, config.args[arg], config.args_call_count[arg] + ) + ) + + +def check_and_fix_labels(label_set: set, label_name, all_data, opt): + if "-100" in label_set: + label_to_index = { + origin_label: int(idx) - 1 if origin_label != "-100" else -100 + for origin_label, idx in zip(sorted(label_set), range(len(label_set))) + } + index_to_label = { + int(idx) - 1 if origin_label != "-100" else -100: origin_label + for origin_label, idx in zip(sorted(label_set), range(len(label_set))) + } + else: + label_to_index = { + origin_label: int(idx) + for origin_label, idx in zip(sorted(label_set), range(len(label_set))) + } + index_to_label = { + int(idx): origin_label + for origin_label, idx in zip(sorted(label_set), range(len(label_set))) + } + if "index_to_label" not in opt.args: + opt.index_to_label = index_to_label + opt.label_to_index = label_to_index + + if opt.index_to_label != index_to_label: + opt.index_to_label.update(index_to_label) + opt.label_to_index.update(label_to_index) + num_label = {l: 0 for l in label_set} + num_label["Sum"] = len(all_data) + for item in all_data: + try: + num_label[item[label_name]] += 1 + item[label_name] = label_to_index[item[label_name]] + except Exception as e: + # print(e) + num_label[item.polarity] += 1 + item.polarity = label_to_index[item.polarity] + print("Dataset Label Details: {}".format(num_label)) + + +def check_and_fix_IOB_labels(label_map, opt): + index_to_IOB_label = { + int(label_map[origin_label]): origin_label for origin_label in label_map + } + opt.index_to_IOB_label = index_to_IOB_label + + +def get_device(auto_device): + if isinstance(auto_device, str) and auto_device == "allcuda": + device = "cuda" + elif isinstance(auto_device, str): + device = auto_device + elif isinstance(auto_device, bool): + device = auto_cuda() if auto_device else "cpu" + else: + device = auto_cuda() + try: + torch.device(device) + except RuntimeError as e: + print( + colored("Device assignment error: {}, redirect to CPU".format(e), "red") + ) + device = "cpu" + device_name = auto_cuda_name() + return device, device_name + + +def _load_word_vec(path, word2idx=None, embed_dim=300): + fin = open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8", newline="\n", errors="ignore") + word_vec = {} + for line in tqdm.tqdm(fin.readlines(), postfix="Loading embedding file..."): + tokens = line.rstrip().split() + word, vec = " ".join(tokens[:-embed_dim]), tokens[-embed_dim:] + if word in word2idx.keys(): + word_vec[word] = np.asarray(vec, dtype="float32") + return word_vec + + +def build_embedding_matrix(word2idx, embed_dim, dat_fname, opt): + if not os.path.exists("run"): + os.makedirs("run") + embed_matrix_path = "run/{}".format(os.path.join(opt.dataset_name, dat_fname)) + if os.path.exists(embed_matrix_path): + print( + colored( + "Loading cached embedding_matrix from {} (Please remove all cached files if there is any problem!)".format( + embed_matrix_path + ), + "green", + ) + ) + embedding_matrix = pickle.load(open(embed_matrix_path, "rb")) + else: + glove_path = prepare_glove840_embedding(embed_matrix_path) + embedding_matrix = np.zeros((len(word2idx) + 2, embed_dim)) + + word_vec = _load_word_vec(glove_path, word2idx=word2idx, embed_dim=embed_dim) + + for word, i in tqdm.tqdm( + word2idx.items(), + postfix=colored("Building embedding_matrix {}".format(dat_fname), "yellow"), + ): + vec = word_vec.get(word) + if vec is not None: + embedding_matrix[i] = vec + pickle.dump(embedding_matrix, open(embed_matrix_path, "wb")) + return embedding_matrix + + +def pad_and_truncate( + sequence, maxlen, dtype="int64", padding="post", truncating="post", value=0 +): + x = (np.ones(maxlen) * value).astype(dtype) + if truncating == "pre": + trunc = sequence[-maxlen:] + else: + trunc = sequence[:maxlen] + trunc = np.asarray(trunc, dtype=dtype) + if padding == "post": + x[: len(trunc)] = trunc + else: + x[-len(trunc) :] = trunc + return x + + +class TransformerConnectionError(ValueError): + def __init__(self): + pass + + +def retry(f): + @wraps(f) + def decorated(*args, **kwargs): + count = 5 + while count: + try: + return f(*args, **kwargs) + except ( + TransformerConnectionError, + requests.exceptions.RequestException, + requests.exceptions.ConnectionError, + requests.exceptions.HTTPError, + requests.exceptions.ConnectTimeout, + requests.exceptions.ProxyError, + requests.exceptions.SSLError, + requests.exceptions.BaseHTTPError, + ) as e: + print(colored("Training Exception: {}, will retry later".format(e))) + time.sleep(60) + count -= 1 + + return decorated + + +def save_json(dic, save_path): + if isinstance(dic, str): + dic = eval(dic) + with open(save_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f: + # f.write(str(dict)) + str_ = json.dumps(dic, ensure_ascii=False) + f.write(str_) + + +def load_json(save_path): + with open(save_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f: + data = f.readline().strip() + print(type(data), data) + dic = json.loads(data) + return dic + + +def init_optimizer(optimizer): + optimizers = { + "adadelta": torch.optim.Adadelta, # default lr=1.0 + "adagrad": torch.optim.Adagrad, # default lr=0.01 + "adam": torch.optim.Adam, # default lr=0.001 + "adamax": torch.optim.Adamax, # default lr=0.002 + "asgd": torch.optim.ASGD, # default lr=0.01 + "rmsprop": torch.optim.RMSprop, # default lr=0.01 + "sgd": torch.optim.SGD, + "adamw": torch.optim.AdamW, + torch.optim.Adadelta: torch.optim.Adadelta, # default lr=1.0 + torch.optim.Adagrad: torch.optim.Adagrad, # default lr=0.01 + torch.optim.Adam: torch.optim.Adam, # default lr=0.001 + torch.optim.Adamax: torch.optim.Adamax, # default lr=0.002 + torch.optim.ASGD: torch.optim.ASGD, # default lr=0.01 + torch.optim.RMSprop: torch.optim.RMSprop, # default lr=0.01 + torch.optim.SGD: torch.optim.SGD, + torch.optim.AdamW: torch.optim.AdamW, + } + if optimizer in optimizers: + return optimizers[optimizer] + elif hasattr(torch.optim, optimizer.__name__): + return optimizer + else: + raise KeyError( + "Unsupported optimizer: {}. Please use string or the optimizer objects in torch.optim as your optimizer".format( + optimizer + ) + ) diff --git a/anonymous_demo/utils/logger.py b/anonymous_demo/utils/logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fac52e991cabf3781261b95a03fccd76770f913e --- /dev/null +++ b/anonymous_demo/utils/logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +import logging +import os +import sys +import time + +import termcolor + +today = time.strftime("%Y%m%d %H%M%S", time.localtime(time.time())) + + +def get_logger(log_path, log_name="", log_type="training_log"): + if not log_path: + log_dir = os.path.join(log_path, "logs") + else: + log_dir = os.path.join(".", "logs") + + full_path = os.path.join(log_dir, log_name + "_" + today) + if not os.path.exists(full_path): + os.makedirs(full_path) + log_path = os.path.join(full_path, "{}.log".format(log_type)) + logger = logging.getLogger(log_name) + if not logger.handlers: + formatter = logging.Formatter("%(asctime)s %(levelname)s: %(message)s") + + file_handler = logging.FileHandler(log_path, encoding="utf8") + file_handler.setFormatter(formatter) + file_handler.setLevel(logging.INFO) + + console_handler = logging.StreamHandler(sys.stdout) + console_handler.formatter = formatter + console_handler.setLevel(logging.INFO) + + logger.addHandler(file_handler) + logger.addHandler(console_handler) + + logger.setLevel(logging.INFO) + + return logger diff --git a/checkpoints.zip b/checkpoints.zip new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..138f125a2b1d790ac550461a280a545cdbeca063 --- /dev/null +++ b/checkpoints.zip @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 +oid sha256:f77ae4a45785183900ee874cb318a16b0e2f173b31749a2555215aca93672f26 +size 2456834455 diff --git a/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.dev.dat b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.dev.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..baddb2c0cf219d24684fc9682035ca338c935902 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.dev.dat @@ -0,0 +1,872 @@ +one long string of cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 've ever entertained the notion of doing what the title of this film implies , what sex with strangers actually shows may put you off the idea forever . $LABEL$ 0 +k-19 exploits our substantial collective fear of nuclear holocaust to generate cheap hollywood tension . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's played in the most straight-faced fashion , with little humor to lighten things up . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a fabric of complex ideas here , and feelings that profoundly deepen them . $LABEL$ 1 +although laced with humor and a few fanciful touches , the film is a refreshingly serious look at young women . $LABEL$ 1 +it all feels like a monty python sketch gone horribly wrong . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a stunning lyrical work of considerable force and truth . $LABEL$ 1 +however it may please those who love movies that blare with pop songs , young science fiction fans will stomp away in disgust . $LABEL$ 0 +broomfield turns his distinctive ` blundering ' style into something that could really help clear up the case . $LABEL$ 1 +although german cooking does not come readily to mind when considering the world 's best cuisine , mostly martha could make deutchland a popular destination for hungry tourists . $LABEL$ 1 +a very well-made , funny and entertaining picture . $LABEL$ 1 +a valueless kiddie paean to pro basketball underwritten by the nba . $LABEL$ 0 +all the amped-up tony hawk-style stunts and thrashing rap-metal ca n't disguise the fact that , really , we 've been here , done that . $LABEL$ 0 +a swashbuckling tale of love , betrayal , revenge and above all , faith . $LABEL$ 1 +there ought to be a directing license , so that ed burns can have his revoked . $LABEL$ 0 +a rigorously structured and exquisitely filmed drama about a father and son connection that is a brief shooting star of love . $LABEL$ 1 +on this tricky topic , tadpole is very much a step in the right direction , with its blend of frankness , civility and compassion . $LABEL$ 1 +macdowell , whose wifty southern charm has anchored lighter affairs ... brings an absolutely riveting conviction to her role . $LABEL$ 1 +the jabs it employs are short , carefully placed and dead-center . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its title , punch-drunk love is never heavy-handed . $LABEL$ 1 +at once half-baked and overheated . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a shameless sham , calculated to cash in on the popularity of its stars . $LABEL$ 0 +jason x is positively anti-darwinian : nine sequels and 400 years later , the teens are none the wiser and jason still kills on auto-pilot . $LABEL$ 0 +people cinema at its finest . $LABEL$ 1 +` de niro ... is a veritable source of sincere passion that this hollywood contrivance orbits around . ' $LABEL$ 1 +if you believe any of this , i can make you a real deal on leftover enron stock that will double in value a week from friday . $LABEL$ 0 +candid and comfortable ; a film that deftly balances action and reflection as it lets you grasp and feel the passion others have for their work . $LABEL$ 1 +more romantic , more emotional and ultimately more satisfying than the teary-eyed original . $LABEL$ 1 +it offers little beyond the momentary joys of pretty and weightless intellectual entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a remarkably solid and subtly satirical tour de force . $LABEL$ 1 +coughs and sputters on its own postmodern conceit . $LABEL$ 0 +with virtually no interesting elements for an audience to focus on , chelsea walls is a triple-espresso endurance challenge . $LABEL$ 0 +lovely and poignant . $LABEL$ 1 +at times , the suspense is palpable , but by the end there 's a sense that the crux of the mystery hinges on a technicality that strains credulity and leaves the viewer haunted by the waste of potential . $LABEL$ 0 +... a boring parade of talking heads and technical gibberish that will do little to advance the linux cause . $LABEL$ 0 +paid in full is so stale , in fact , that its most vibrant scene is one that uses clips from brian de palma 's scarface . $LABEL$ 0 +american chai encourages rueful laughter at stereotypes only an indian-american would recognize . $LABEL$ 0 +visually imaginative , thematically instructive and thoroughly delightful , it takes us on a roller-coaster ride from innocence to experience without even a hint of that typical kiddie-flick sentimentality . $LABEL$ 1 +directed in a paint-by-numbers manner . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is dawn of the dead crossed with john carpenter 's ghosts of mars , with zombies not as ghoulish as the first and trains not as big as the second . $LABEL$ 0 +detox is ultimately a pointless endeavor . $LABEL$ 0 +despite all evidence to the contrary , this clunker has somehow managed to pose as an actual feature movie , the kind that charges full admission and gets hyped on tv and purports to amuse small children and ostensible adults . $LABEL$ 0 +so unremittingly awful that labeling it a dog probably constitutes cruelty to canines . $LABEL$ 0 +i just loved every minute of this film . $LABEL$ 1 +the film contains no good jokes , no good scenes , barely a moment when carvey 's saturday night live-honed mimicry rises above the level of embarrassment . $LABEL$ 0 +to say this was done better in wilder 's some like it hot is like saying the sun rises in the east . $LABEL$ 0 +the longer the movie goes , the worse it gets , but it 's actually pretty good in the first few minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +they should have called it gutterball . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a bit disappointing that it only manages to be decent instead of dead brilliant . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's a cheat . $LABEL$ 0 +the title not only describes its main characters , but the lazy people behind the camera as well . $LABEL$ 0 +i do n't think i laughed out loud once . $LABEL$ 0 +may reawaken discussion of the kennedy assassination but this fictional film looks made for cable rather than for the big screen . $LABEL$ 0 +taylor appears to have blown his entire budget on soundtrack rights and had nothing left over for jokes . $LABEL$ 0 +i am sorry that i was unable to get the full brunt of the comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie fails to live up to the sum of its parts . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just disappointingly superficial -- a movie that has all the elements necessary to be a fascinating , involving character study , but never does more than scratch the surface . $LABEL$ 0 +here 's yet another studio horror franchise mucking up its storyline with glitches casual fans could correct in their sleep . $LABEL$ 0 +for anyone unfamiliar with pentacostal practices in general and theatrical phenomenon of hell houses in particular , it 's an eye-opener . $LABEL$ 1 +if steven soderbergh 's ` solaris ' is a failure it is a glorious failure . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a wickedly subversive bent to the best parts of birthday girl . $LABEL$ 1 +while locals will get a kick out of spotting cleveland sites , the rest of the world will enjoy a fast-paced comedy with quirks that might make the award-winning coen brothers envious . $LABEL$ 1 +while -lrb- hill -rrb- has learned new tricks , the tricks alone are not enough to salvage this lifeless boxing film . $LABEL$ 0 +this is the sort of burly action flick where one coincidence pummels another , narrative necessity is a drunken roundhouse , and whatever passes for logic is a factor of the last plot device left standing . $LABEL$ 0 +the director knows how to apply textural gloss , but his portrait of sex-as-war is strictly sitcom . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- shapeless blob of desperate entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +dazzling in its complexity , disturbing for its extraordinary themes , the piano teacher is a film that defies categorisation . $LABEL$ 1 +an exhilarating futuristic thriller-noir , minority report twists the best of technology around a gripping story , delivering a riveting , pulse intensifying escapist adventure of the first order $LABEL$ 1 +this film seems thirsty for reflection , itself taking on adolescent qualities . $LABEL$ 0 +from the opening scenes , it 's clear that all about the benjamins is a totally formulaic movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it has all the excitement of eating oatmeal . $LABEL$ 0 +the most hopelessly monotonous film of the year , noteworthy only for the gimmick of being filmed as a single unbroken 87-minute take . $LABEL$ 0 +it all adds up to good fun . $LABEL$ 1 +`` the time machine '' is a movie that has no interest in itself . $LABEL$ 0 +something akin to a japanese alice through the looking glass , except that it seems to take itself far more seriously . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately feels empty and unsatisfying , like swallowing a communion wafer without the wine . $LABEL$ 0 +the moviegoing equivalent of going to a dinner party and being forced to watch the host and hostess 's home video of their baby 's birth . $LABEL$ 0 +a coarse and stupid gross-out . $LABEL$ 0 +cool ? $LABEL$ 1 +the film tunes into a grief that could lead a man across centuries . $LABEL$ 1 +a string of rehashed sight gags based in insipid vulgarity . $LABEL$ 0 +the weight of the piece , the unerring professionalism of the chilly production , and the fascination embedded in the lurid topic prove recommendation enough . $LABEL$ 1 +it appears that something has been lost in the translation to the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +the second coming of harry potter is a film far superior to its predecessor . $LABEL$ 1 +when leguizamo finally plugged an irritating character late in the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +as ` chick flicks ' go , this one is pretty miserable , resorting to string-pulling rather than legitimate character development and intelligent plotting . $LABEL$ 0 +despite the 2-d animation , the wild thornberrys movie makes for a surprisingly cinematic experience . $LABEL$ 1 +uses high comedy to evoke surprising poignance . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is what happens when you blow up small potatoes to 10 times their natural size , and it ai n't pretty . $LABEL$ 0 +an infectious cultural fable with a tasty balance of family drama and frenetic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +like being trapped at a perpetual frat party ... how can something so gross be so boring ? $LABEL$ 0 +feels too formulaic and too familiar to produce the transgressive thrills of early underground work . $LABEL$ 0 +a celebration of quirkiness , eccentricity , and certain individuals ' tendency to let it all hang out , and damn the consequences . $LABEL$ 1 +awesome creatures , breathtaking scenery , and epic battle scenes add up to another ` spectacular spectacle . ' $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- n utterly charming and hilarious film that reminded me of the best of the disney comedies from the 60s . $LABEL$ 1 +neither parker nor donovan is a typical romantic lead , but they bring a fresh , quirky charm to the formula . $LABEL$ 1 +seldahl 's barbara is a precise and moving portrait of someone whose world is turned upside down , first by passion and then by illness . $LABEL$ 1 +filmmakers who can deftly change moods are treasures and even marvels . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's surprising about full frontal is that despite its overt self-awareness , parts of the movie still manage to break past the artifice and thoroughly engage you . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a scattershot affair , but when it hits its mark it 's brilliant . $LABEL$ 1 +just as moving , uplifting and funny as ever . $LABEL$ 1 +the wild thornberrys movie is a jolly surprise . $LABEL$ 1 +exquisitely nuanced in mood tics and dialogue , this chamber drama is superbly acted by the deeply appealing veteran bouquet and the chilling but quite human berling . $LABEL$ 1 +this movie is maddening . $LABEL$ 0 +not since freddy got fingered has a major release been so painful to sit through . $LABEL$ 0 +not only is undercover brother as funny , if not more so , than both austin powers films , but it 's also one of the smarter , savvier spoofs to come along in some time . $LABEL$ 1 +another in-your-face wallow in the lower depths made by people who have never sung those blues . $LABEL$ 0 +that dogged good will of the parents and ` vain ' jia 's defoliation of ego , make the film touching despite some doldrums . $LABEL$ 1 +allows us to hope that nolan is poised to embark a major career as a commercial yet inventive filmmaker . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the most significant moviegoing pleasures of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +an occasionally funny , but overall limp , fish-out-of-water story . $LABEL$ 0 +what the film lacks in general focus it makes up for in compassion , as corcuera manages to find the seeds of hope in the form of collective action . $LABEL$ 1 +but it could have been worse . $LABEL$ 0 +a wildly inconsistent emotional experience . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's as if you 're watching a movie that was made in 1978 but not released then because it was so weak , and it has been unearthed and released now , when it has become even weaker . $LABEL$ 0 +we root for -lrb- clara and paul -rrb- , even like them , though perhaps it 's an emotion closer to pity . $LABEL$ 1 +if you dig on david mamet 's mind tricks ... rent this movie and enjoy ! $LABEL$ 1 +you wo n't like roger , but you will quickly recognize him . $LABEL$ 0 +delivers the same old same old , tarted up with latin flava and turned out by hollywood playas . $LABEL$ 0 +for starters , the story is just too slim . $LABEL$ 0 +the x potion gives the quickly named blossom , bubbles and buttercup supernatural powers that include extraordinary strength and laser-beam eyes , which unfortunately do n't enable them to discern flimsy screenplays . $LABEL$ 0 +my wife is an actress is an utterly charming french comedy that feels so american in sensibility and style it 's virtually its own hollywood remake . $LABEL$ 1 +an overemphatic , would-be wacky , ultimately tedious sex farce . $LABEL$ 0 +\/ but daphne , you 're too buff \/ fred thinks he 's tough \/ and velma - wow , you 've lost weight ! $LABEL$ 0 +feels haphazard , as if the writers mistakenly thought they could achieve an air of frantic spontaneity by simply tossing in lots of characters doing silly stuff and stirring the pot . $LABEL$ 0 +the piquant story needs more dramatic meat on its bones . $LABEL$ 0 +a difficult , absorbing film that manages to convey more substance despite its repetitions and inconsistencies than do most films than are far more pointed and clear . $LABEL$ 1 +an unwise amalgam of broadcast news and vibes . $LABEL$ 0 +a bloated gasbag thesis grotesquely impressed by its own gargantuan aura of self-importance ... $LABEL$ 0 +not the kind of film that will appeal to a mainstream american audience , but there is a certain charm about the film that makes it a suitable entry into the fest circuit . $LABEL$ 1 +a full world has been presented onscreen , not some series of carefully structured plot points building to a pat resolution . $LABEL$ 1 +fancy a real downer ? $LABEL$ 0 +a painfully funny ode to bad behavior . $LABEL$ 1 +featuring a dangerously seductive performance from the great daniel auteuil , `` sade '' covers the same period as kaufmann 's `` quills '' with more unsettlingly realistic results . $LABEL$ 1 +given how heavy-handed and portent-heavy it is , this could be the worst thing soderbergh has ever done . $LABEL$ 0 +has all the depth of a wading pool . $LABEL$ 0 +the fly-on-the-wall method used to document rural french school life is a refreshing departure from the now more prevalent technique of the docu-makers being a visible part of their work . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just filler . $LABEL$ 0 +a deep and meaningful film . $LABEL$ 1 +sit through this one , and you wo n't need a magic watch to stop time ; your dvd player will do it for you . $LABEL$ 0 +holden caulfield did it better . $LABEL$ 0 +the action switches between past and present , but the material link is too tenuous to anchor the emotional connections that purport to span a 125-year divide . $LABEL$ 0 +samira makhmalbaf 's new film blackboards is much like the ethos of a stream of consciousness , although , it 's unfortunate for the viewer that the thoughts and reflections coming through are torpid and banal $LABEL$ 0 +well-nigh unendurable ... though the picture strains to become cinematic poetry , it remains depressingly prosaic and dull . $LABEL$ 0 +there is no pleasure in watching a child suffer . $LABEL$ 0 +suffers from the lack of a compelling or comprehensible narrative . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- here 's only so much anyone can do with a florid , overplotted , anne rice rock 'n' roll vampire novel before the built-in silliness of the whole affair defeats them . $LABEL$ 0 +if the movie succeeds in instilling a wary sense of ` there but for the grace of god , ' it is far too self-conscious to draw you deeply into its world . $LABEL$ 0 +for movie lovers as well as opera lovers , tosca is a real treat . $LABEL$ 1 +the inspirational screenplay by mike rich covers a lot of ground , perhaps too much , but ties things together , neatly , by the end . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's performances are thrilling . $LABEL$ 1 +a fitfully amusing romp that , if nothing else , will appeal to fans of malcolm in the middle and its pubescent star , frankie muniz . $LABEL$ 1 +in all , this is a watchable movie that 's not quite the memorable experience it might have been . $LABEL$ 0 +affleck and jackson are good sparring partners . $LABEL$ 1 +it inspires a continuing and deeply satisfying awareness of the best movies as monumental ` picture shows . ' $LABEL$ 1 +... with `` the bourne identity '' we return to the more traditional action genre . $LABEL$ 1 +what the director ca n't do is make either of val kilmer 's two personas interesting or worth caring about . $LABEL$ 0 +holm ... embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- næs -rrb- directed the stage version of elling , and gets fine performances from his two leads who originated the characters on stage . $LABEL$ 1 +my big fat greek wedding uses stereotypes in a delightful blend of sweet romance and lovingly dished out humor . $LABEL$ 1 +if director michael dowse only superficially understands his characters , he does n't hold them in contempt . $LABEL$ 0 +whaley 's determination to immerse you in sheer , unrelenting wretchedness is exhausting . $LABEL$ 0 +at its best , queen is campy fun like the vincent price horror classics of the '60s . $LABEL$ 1 +moretti 's compelling anatomy of grief and the difficult process of adapting to loss . $LABEL$ 0 +a tv style murder mystery with a few big screen moments -lrb- including one that seems to be made for a different film altogether -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +the end result is a film that 's neither . $LABEL$ 0 +scorsese does n't give us a character worth giving a damn about . $LABEL$ 0 +an artful , intelligent film that stays within the confines of a well-established genre . $LABEL$ 1 +makes for a pretty unpleasant viewing experience . $LABEL$ 0 +travels a fascinating arc from hope and euphoria to reality and disillusionment . $LABEL$ 1 +altogether , this is successful as a film , while at the same time being a most touching reconsideration of the familiar masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +... an otherwise intense , twist-and-turn thriller that certainly should n't hurt talented young gaghan 's resume . $LABEL$ 1 +the story and structure are well-honed . $LABEL$ 1 +has a lot of the virtues of eastwood at his best . $LABEL$ 1 +do n't be fooled by the impressive cast list - eye see you is pure junk . $LABEL$ 0 +do not see this film . $LABEL$ 0 +a fast , funny , highly enjoyable movie . $LABEL$ 1 +this tenth feature is a big deal , indeed -- at least the third-best , and maybe even a notch above the previous runner-up , nicholas meyer 's star trek vi : the undiscovered country . $LABEL$ 1 +a rewarding work of art for only the most patient and challenge-hungry moviegoers . $LABEL$ 1 +due to some script weaknesses and the casting of the director 's brother , the film trails off into inconsequentiality . $LABEL$ 0 +a by-the-numbers effort that wo n't do much to enhance the franchise . $LABEL$ 0 +enormously entertaining for moviegoers of any age . $LABEL$ 1 +thanks to scott 's charismatic roger and eisenberg 's sweet nephew , roger dodger is one of the most compelling variations on in the company of men . $LABEL$ 1 +richard gere and diane lane put in fine performances as does french actor oliver martinez . $LABEL$ 1 +immersing us in the endlessly inventive , fiercely competitive world of hip-hop djs , the project is sensational and revelatory , even if scratching makes you itch . $LABEL$ 1 +a pleasant enough romance with intellectual underpinnings , the kind of movie that entertains even as it turns maddeningly predictable . $LABEL$ 1 +an important movie , a reminder of the power of film to move us and to make us examine our values . $LABEL$ 1 +griffiths proves she 's that rare luminary who continually raises the standard of her profession . $LABEL$ 1 +an entertaining , colorful , action-filled crime story with an intimate heart . $LABEL$ 1 +and that 's a big part of why we go to the movies . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie achieves as great an impact by keeping these thoughts hidden as ... -lrb- quills -rrb- did by showing them . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's welcome breeziness and some unbelievably hilarious moments -- most portraying the idiocy of the film industry -- make it mostly worth the trip . $LABEL$ 1 +it takes a strange kind of laziness to waste the talents of robert forster , anne meara , eugene levy , and reginald veljohnson all in the same movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a rarity among recent iranian films : it 's a comedy full of gentle humor that chides the absurdity of its protagonist 's plight . $LABEL$ 1 +while there 's something intrinsically funny about sir anthony hopkins saying ` get in the car , bitch , ' this jerry bruckheimer production has little else to offer $LABEL$ 1 +if your taste runs to ` difficult ' films you absolutely ca n't miss it . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's tone and pacing are off almost from the get-go . $LABEL$ 0 +the cold turkey would 've been a far better title . $LABEL$ 0 +it does nothing new with the old story , except to show fisticuffs in this sort of stop-go slow motion that makes the gang rumbles look like they 're being streamed over a 28k modem . $LABEL$ 0 +two hours fly by -- opera 's a pleasure when you do n't have to endure intermissions -- and even a novice to the form comes away exhilarated . $LABEL$ 1 +hit and miss as far as the comedy goes and a big ole ' miss in the way of story . $LABEL$ 0 +mcconaughey 's fun to watch , the dragons are okay , not much fire in the script . $LABEL$ 1 +a gorgeous , high-spirited musical from india that exquisitely blends music , dance , song , and high drama . $LABEL$ 1 +looks and feels like a project better suited for the small screen . $LABEL$ 0 +inside the film 's conflict-powered plot there is a decent moral trying to get out , but it 's not that , it 's the tension that keeps you in your seat . $LABEL$ 1 +its story may be a thousand years old , but why did it have to seem like it took another thousand to tell it to us ? $LABEL$ 0 +the best film about baseball to hit theaters since field of dreams . $LABEL$ 1 +the vitality of the actors keeps the intensity of the film high , even as the strafings blend together . $LABEL$ 1 +the film may appear naked in its narrative form ... but it goes deeper than that , to fundamental choices that include the complexity of the catholic doctrine $LABEL$ 1 +there are simply too many ideas floating around -- part farce , part sliding doors , part pop video -- and yet failing to exploit them . $LABEL$ 0 +overall very good for what it 's trying to do . $LABEL$ 1 +it haunts , horrifies , startles and fascinates ; it is impossible to look away . $LABEL$ 1 +sacrifices the value of its wealth of archival foot-age with its less-than-objective stance . $LABEL$ 0 +it showcases carvey 's talent for voices , but not nearly enough and not without taxing every drop of one 's patience to get to the good stuff . $LABEL$ 0 +escaping the studio , piccoli is warmly affecting and so is this adroitly minimalist movie . $LABEL$ 1 +the most compelling wiseman epic of recent years . $LABEL$ 1 +sam mendes has become valedictorian at the school for soft landings and easy ways out . $LABEL$ 0 +entertains by providing good , lively company . $LABEL$ 1 +just embarrassment and a vague sense of shame . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a much more emotional journey than what shyamalan has given us in his past two movies , and gibson , stepping in for bruce willis , is the perfect actor to take us on the trip . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's of the quality of a lesser harrison ford movie - six days , seven nights , maybe , or that dreadful sabrina remake . $LABEL$ 0 +there is n't nearly enough fun here , despite the presence of some appealing ingredients . $LABEL$ 0 +it takes talent to make a lifeless movie about the most heinous man who ever lived . $LABEL$ 0 +impostor has a handful of thrilling moments and a couple of good performances , but the movie does n't quite fly . $LABEL$ 0 +preaches to two completely different choirs at the same time , which is a pretty amazing accomplishment . $LABEL$ 1 +there are plot holes big enough for shamu the killer whale to swim through . $LABEL$ 0 +it takes a certain kind of horror movie to qualify as ` worse than expected , ' but ghost ship somehow manages to do exactly that . $LABEL$ 0 +manages to transcend the sex , drugs and show-tunes plot into something far richer . $LABEL$ 1 +a smart , witty follow-up . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not the ultimate depression-era gangster movie . $LABEL$ 0 +for all its impressive craftsmanship , and despite an overbearing series of third-act crescendos , lily chou-chou never really builds up a head of emotional steam . $LABEL$ 0 +anchored by friel and williams 's exceptional performances , the film 's power lies in its complexity . $LABEL$ 1 +without non-stop techno or the existential overtones of a kieslowski morality tale , maelström is just another winter sleepers . $LABEL$ 0 +the film tries too hard to be funny and tries too hard to be hip . $LABEL$ 0 +it just may inspire a few younger moviegoers to read stevenson 's book , which is a treasure in and of itself . $LABEL$ 1 +turns potentially forgettable formula into something strangely diverting . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's also , clearly , great fun . $LABEL$ 1 +oscar wilde 's masterpiece , the importance of being earnest , may be the best play of the 19th century . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's like watching a nightmare made flesh . $LABEL$ 0 +forced , familiar and thoroughly condescending . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to like a film about a guy who is utterly unlikeable , and shiner , starring michael caine as an aging british boxing promoter desperate for a taste of fame and fortune , is certainly that . $LABEL$ 0 +the mesmerizing performances of the leads keep the film grounded and keep the audience riveted . $LABEL$ 1 +belongs to daniel day-lewis as much as it belongs to martin scorsese ; it 's a memorable performance in a big , brassy , disturbing , unusual and highly successful film . $LABEL$ 1 +if the first men in black was money , the second is small change . $LABEL$ 0 +for the most part stevens glides through on some solid performances and witty dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's another video movie photographed like a film , with the bad lighting that 's often written off as indie film naturalism . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's somewhat clumsy and too lethargically paced -- but its story about a mysterious creature with psychic abilities offers a solid build-up , a terrific climax , and some nice chills along the way . $LABEL$ 0 +looking aristocratic , luminous yet careworn in jane hamilton 's exemplary costumes , rampling gives a performance that could not be improved upon . ' $LABEL$ 1 +thekids will probably stay amused at the kaleidoscope of big , colorful characters . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't mind having my heartstrings pulled , but do n't treat me like a fool . $LABEL$ 0 +an exquisitely crafted and acted tale . $LABEL$ 1 +not since tom cruise in risky business has an actor made such a strong impression in his underwear . $LABEL$ 1 +or doing last year 's taxes with your ex-wife . $LABEL$ 0 +scooby dooby doo \/ and shaggy too \/ you both look and sound great . $LABEL$ 1 +may be far from the best of the series , but it 's assured , wonderfully respectful of its past and thrilling enough to make it abundantly clear that this movie phenomenon has once again reinvented itself for a new generation . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those energetic surprises , an original that pleases almost everyone who sees it . $LABEL$ 1 +does n't offer much besides glib soullessness , raunchy language and a series of brutal set pieces ... that raise the bar on stylized screen violence . $LABEL$ 0 +movie fans , get ready to take off ... the other direction . $LABEL$ 0 +not only unfunny , but downright repellent . $LABEL$ 0 +for the most part , it 's a work of incendiary genius , steering clear of knee-jerk reactions and quick solutions . $LABEL$ 1 +seldom has a movie so closely matched the spirit of a man and his work . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll gasp appalled and laugh outraged and possibly , watching the spectacle of a promising young lad treading desperately in a nasty sea , shed an errant tear . $LABEL$ 1 +comes off like a rejected abc afterschool special , freshened up by the dunce of a screenwriting 101 class . $LABEL$ 0 +this flick is about as cool and crowd-pleasing as a documentary can get . $LABEL$ 1 +ramsay , as in ratcatcher , remains a filmmaker with an acid viewpoint and a real gift for teasing chilly poetry out of lives and settings that might otherwise seem drab and sordid . $LABEL$ 1 +if there 's one thing this world needs less of , it 's movies about college that are written and directed by people who could n't pass an entrance exam . $LABEL$ 0 +director of photography benoit delhomme shot the movie in delicious colors , and the costumes and sets are grand . $LABEL$ 1 +instead , he shows them the respect they are due . $LABEL$ 1 +... plot holes so large and obvious a marching band might as well be stomping through them in clown clothes , playing a college football fight song on untuned instruments . $LABEL$ 0 +a quiet treasure -- a film to be savored . $LABEL$ 1 +warm water under a red bridge is a quirky and poignant japanese film that explores the fascinating connections between women , water , nature , and sexuality . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's too self-important and plodding to be funny , and too clipped and abbreviated to be an epic . $LABEL$ 0 +few films capture so perfectly the hopes and dreams of little boys on baseball fields as well as the grown men who sit in the stands . $LABEL$ 1 +the lower your expectations , the more you 'll enjoy it . $LABEL$ 0 +yes , dull . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's pure pr hype . $LABEL$ 0 +it is great summer fun to watch arnold and his buddy gerald bounce off a quirky cast of characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a subtle and well-crafted -lrb- for the most part -rrb- chiller . $LABEL$ 1 +that is a compliment to kuras and miller . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the more intelligent children 's movies to hit theaters this year . $LABEL$ 1 +for the most part , director anne-sophie birot 's first feature is a sensitive , extraordinarily well-acted drama . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a beautiful madness . $LABEL$ 1 +stealing harvard is evidence that the farrelly bros. -- peter and bobby -- and their brand of screen comedy are wheezing to an end , along with green 's half-hearted movie career . $LABEL$ 0 +i sympathize with the plight of these families , but the movie does n't do a very good job conveying the issue at hand . $LABEL$ 0 +a giggle-inducing comedy with snappy dialogue and winning performances by an unlikely team of oscar-winners : susan sarandon and goldie hawn . $LABEL$ 1 +the words , ` frankly , my dear , i do n't give a damn , ' have never been more appropriate . $LABEL$ 0 +by getting myself wrapped up in the visuals and eccentricities of many of the characters , i found myself confused when it came time to get to the heart of the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +his healthy sense of satire is light and fun ... $LABEL$ 1 +a grimly competent and stolid and earnest military courtroom drama . $LABEL$ 1 +it moves quickly , adroitly , and without fuss ; it does n't give you time to reflect on the inanity -- and the cold war datedness -- of its premise . $LABEL$ 1 +part low rent godfather . $LABEL$ 0 +or emptying rat traps . $LABEL$ 0 +the special effects and many scenes of weightlessness look as good or better than in the original , while the oscar-winning sound and james horner 's rousing score make good use of the hefty audio system . $LABEL$ 1 +on the heels of the ring comes a similarly morose and humorless horror movie that , although flawed , is to be commended for its straight-ahead approach to creepiness . $LABEL$ 1 +harris commands the screen , using his frailty to suggest the ravages of a life of corruption and ruthlessness . $LABEL$ 1 +schaeffer has to find some hook on which to hang his persistently useless movies , and it might as well be the resuscitation of the middle-aged character . $LABEL$ 0 +offers much to enjoy ... and a lot to mull over in terms of love , loyalty and the nature of staying friends . $LABEL$ 1 +in execution , this clever idea is far less funny than the original , killers from space . $LABEL$ 0 +adults will wish the movie were less simplistic , obvious , clumsily plotted and shallowly characterized . $LABEL$ 0 +so unassuming and pure of heart , you ca n't help but warmly extend your arms and yell ` safe ! ' $LABEL$ 1 +professionally speaking , it 's tempting to jump ship in january to avoid ridiculous schlock like this shoddy suspense thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +this is not the undisputed worst boxing movie ever , but it 's certainly not a champion - the big loser is the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's another stale , kill-by-numbers flick , complete with blade-thin characters and terrible , pun-laden dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those pictures whose promising , if rather precious , premise is undercut by amateurish execution . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing 's at stake , just a twisty double-cross you can smell a mile away -- still , the derivative nine queens is lots of fun . $LABEL$ 1 +drops you into a dizzying , volatile , pressure-cooker of a situation that quickly snowballs out of control , while focusing on the what much more than the why . $LABEL$ 1 +while undisputed is n't exactly a high , it is a gripping , tidy little movie that takes mr. hill higher than he 's been in a while . $LABEL$ 1 +a delectable and intriguing thriller filled with surprises , read my lips is an original . $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't believe in itself , it has no sense of humor ... it 's just plain bored . $LABEL$ 0 +it seems to me the film is about the art of ripping people off without ever letting them consciously know you have done so $LABEL$ 0 +the story and the friendship proceeds in such a way that you 're watching a soap opera rather than a chronicle of the ups and downs that accompany lifelong friendships . $LABEL$ 0 +a warm , funny , engaging film . $LABEL$ 1 +uses sharp humor and insight into human nature to examine class conflict , adolescent yearning , the roots of friendship and sexual identity . $LABEL$ 1 +i thought my own watch had stopped keeping time as i slogged my way through clockstoppers . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- serry -rrb- wants to blend politics and drama , an admirable ambition . $LABEL$ 1 +with tightly organized efficiency , numerous flashbacks and a constant edge of tension , miller 's film is one of 2002 's involvingly adult surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +the emotions are raw and will strike a nerve with anyone who 's ever had family trauma . $LABEL$ 1 +there seems to be no clear path as to where the story 's going , or how long it 's going to take to get there . $LABEL$ 0 +aside from minor tinkering , this is the same movie you probably loved in 1994 , except that it looks even better . $LABEL$ 1 +by candidly detailing the politics involved in the creation of an extraordinary piece of music , -lrb- jones -rrb- calls our attention to the inherent conflict between commerce and creativity . $LABEL$ 1 +a breezy romantic comedy that has the punch of a good sitcom , while offering exceptionally well-detailed characters . $LABEL$ 1 +because of an unnecessary and clumsy last scene , ` swimfan ' left me with a very bad feeling . $LABEL$ 0 +exciting and direct , with ghost imagery that shows just enough to keep us on our toes . $LABEL$ 1 +a superbly acted and funny\/gritty fable of the humanizing of one woman at the hands of the unseen forces of fate . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's relatively simple plot and uncomplicated morality play well with the affable cast . $LABEL$ 1 +in a way , the film feels like a breath of fresh air , but only to those that allow it in . $LABEL$ 1 +green might want to hang onto that ski mask , as robbery may be the only way to pay for his next project . $LABEL$ 0 +the socio-histo-political treatise is told in earnest strides ... -lrb- and -rrb- personal illusion is deconstructed with poignancy . $LABEL$ 1 +a beguiling splash of pastel colors and prankish comedy from disney . $LABEL$ 1 +writer\/director joe carnahan 's grimy crime drama is a manual of precinct cliches , but it moves fast enough to cover its clunky dialogue and lapses in logic . $LABEL$ 1 +too restrained to be a freak show , too mercenary and obvious to be cerebral , too dull and pretentious to be engaging ... the isle defies an easy categorization . $LABEL$ 0 +based on a devilishly witty script by heather mcgowan and niels mueller , the film gets great laughs , but never at the expense of its characters $LABEL$ 1 +the format gets used best ... to capture the dizzying heights achieved by motocross and bmx riders , whose balletic hotdogging occasionally ends in bone-crushing screwups . $LABEL$ 1 +even in its most tedious scenes , russian ark is mesmerizing . $LABEL$ 1 +this surreal gilliam-esque film is also a troubling interpretation of ecclesiastes . $LABEL$ 1 +you wonder why enough was n't just a music video rather than a full-length movie . $LABEL$ 0 +funny but perilously slight . $LABEL$ 1 +chabrol has taken promising material for a black comedy and turned it instead into a somber chamber drama . $LABEL$ 0 +in the end , we are left with something like two ships passing in the night rather than any insights into gay love , chinese society or the price one pays for being dishonest . $LABEL$ 0 +this is wild surreal stuff , but brilliant and the camera just kind of sits there and lets you look at this and its like you 're going from one room to the next and none of them have any relation to the other . $LABEL$ 1 +fresnadillo 's dark and jolting images have a way of plying into your subconscious like the nightmare you had a week ago that wo n't go away . $LABEL$ 1 +` easily my choice for one of the year 's best films . ' $LABEL$ 1 +pumpkin takes an admirable look at the hypocrisy of political correctness , but it does so with such an uneven tone that you never know when humor ends and tragedy begins . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's so mediocre , despite the dynamic duo on the marquee , that we just ca n't get no satisfaction . $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's too long and too convoluted and it ends in a muddle . $LABEL$ 0 +no aspirations to social import inform the movie version . $LABEL$ 0 +outer-space buffs might love this film , but others will find its pleasures intermittent . $LABEL$ 0 +rarely has so much money delivered so little entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +so , too , is this comedy about mild culture clashing in today 's new delhi . $LABEL$ 1 +a subject like this should inspire reaction in its audience ; the pianist does not . $LABEL$ 0 +... routine , harmless diversion and little else . $LABEL$ 1 +not really bad so much as distasteful : we need kidnapping suspense dramas right now like we need doomsday thrillers . $LABEL$ 0 +blanchett 's performance confirms her power once again . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a winning ensemble comedy that shows canadians can put gentle laughs and equally gentle sentiments on the button , just as easily as their counterparts anywhere else in the world . $LABEL$ 1 +it ca n't decide if it wants to be a mystery\/thriller , a romance or a comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +while the ideas about techno-saturation are far from novel , they 're presented with a wry dark humor . $LABEL$ 1 +the iditarod lasts for days - this just felt like it did . $LABEL$ 0 +a warm but realistic meditation on friendship , family and affection . $LABEL$ 1 +the volatile dynamics of female friendship is the subject of this unhurried , low-key film that is so off-hollywood that it seems positively french in its rhythms and resonance . $LABEL$ 1 +this movie is something of an impostor itself , stretching and padding its material in a blur of dead ends and distracting camera work . $LABEL$ 0 +it can not be enjoyed , even on the level that one enjoys a bad slasher flick , primarily because it is dull . $LABEL$ 0 +sticky sweet sentimentality , clumsy plotting and a rosily myopic view of life in the wwii-era mississippi delta undermine this adaptation . $LABEL$ 0 +a film about a young man finding god that is accessible and touching to the marrow . $LABEL$ 1 +nonsensical , dull `` cyber-horror '' flick is a grim , hollow exercise in flat scares and bad acting . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine alan arkin being better than he is in this performance . $LABEL$ 1 +it proves quite compelling as an intense , brooding character study . $LABEL$ 1 +a romantic comedy enriched by a sharp eye for manners and mores . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing in waking up in reno ever inspired me to think of its inhabitants as anything more than markers in a screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +not since japanese filmmaker akira kurosawa 's ran have the savagery of combat and the specter of death been visualized with such operatic grandeur . $LABEL$ 1 +though only 60 minutes long , the film is packed with information and impressions . $LABEL$ 1 +the character of zigzag is not sufficiently developed to support a film constructed around him . $LABEL$ 0 +reggio 's continual visual barrage is absorbing as well as thought-provoking . $LABEL$ 1 +about a manga-like heroine who fights back at her abusers , it 's energetic and satisfying if not deep and psychological . $LABEL$ 1 +too much of it feels unfocused and underdeveloped . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , it 's not silly fun unless you enjoy really bad movies . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie understands like few others how the depth and breadth of emotional intimacy give the physical act all of its meaning and most of its pleasure . $LABEL$ 1 +in the end , the movie collapses on its shaky foundation despite the best efforts of director joe carnahan . $LABEL$ 0 +cq 's reflection of artists and the love of cinema-and-self suggests nothing less than a new voice that deserves to be considered as a possible successor to the best european directors . $LABEL$ 1 +jones ... does offer a brutal form of charisma . $LABEL$ 1 +it provides an honest look at a community striving to anchor itself in new grounds . $LABEL$ 1 +not an objectionable or dull film ; it merely lacks everything except good intentions . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a good script , good dialogue , funny even for adults . $LABEL$ 1 +the lion king was a roaring success when it was released eight years ago , but on imax it seems better , not just bigger . $LABEL$ 1 +kinnear does n't aim for our sympathy , but rather delivers a performance of striking skill and depth . $LABEL$ 1 +is the time really ripe for a warmed-over james bond adventure , with a village idiot as the 007 clone ? $LABEL$ 0 +wince-inducing dialogue , thrift-shop costumes , prosthetic makeup by silly putty and kmart blue-light-special effects all conspire to test trekkie loyalty . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a train wreck of an action film -- a stupefying attempt by the filmmakers to force-feed james bond into the mindless xxx mold and throw 40 years of cinematic history down the toilet in favor of bright flashes and loud bangs . $LABEL$ 0 +you really have to wonder how on earth anyone , anywhere could have thought they 'd make audiences guffaw with a script as utterly diabolical as this . $LABEL$ 0 +a quiet , pure , elliptical film $LABEL$ 1 +harrison 's flowers puts its heart in the right place , but its brains are in no particular place at all . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a work by an artist so in control of both his medium and his message that he can improvise like a jazzman . $LABEL$ 1 +no screen fantasy-adventure in recent memory has the showmanship of clones ' last 45 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the evocative aesthetics evincing the hollow state of modern love life , the film never percolates beyond a monotonous whine . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's difficult to imagine the process that produced such a script , but here 's guessing that spray cheese and underarm noises played a crucial role . $LABEL$ 0 +building slowly and subtly , the film , sporting a breezy spontaneity and realistically drawn characterizations , develops into a significant character study that is both moving and wise . $LABEL$ 1 +overall the film feels like a low-budget tv pilot that could not find a buyer to play it on the tube . $LABEL$ 0 +this is human comedy at its most amusing , interesting and confirming . $LABEL$ 1 +the band 's courage in the face of official repression is inspiring , especially for aging hippies -lrb- this one included -rrb- . $LABEL$ 1 +this movie seems to have been written using mad-libs . $LABEL$ 0 +thanks to haynes ' absolute control of the film 's mood , and buoyed by three terrific performances , far from heaven actually pulls off this stylistic juggling act . $LABEL$ 1 +more whiny downer than corruscating commentary . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is powerful , accessible and funny . $LABEL$ 1 +a good piece of work more often than not . $LABEL$ 1 +there has always been something likable about the marquis de sade . $LABEL$ 1 +in exactly 89 minutes , most of which passed as slowly as if i 'd been sitting naked on an igloo , formula 51 sank from quirky to jerky to utter turkey . $LABEL$ 0 +care deftly captures the wonder and menace of growing up , but he never really embraces the joy of fuhrman 's destructive escapism or the grace-in-rebellion found by his characters . $LABEL$ 0 +the reality of the new live-action pinocchio he directed , cowrote and starred in borders on the grotesque . $LABEL$ 0 +the chateau cleverly probes the cross-cultural differences between gauls and yanks . $LABEL$ 1 +i can take infantile humor ... but this is the sort of infantile that makes you wonder about changing the director and writer 's diapers . $LABEL$ 0 +... the film suffers from a lack of humor -lrb- something needed to balance out the violence -rrb- ... $LABEL$ 0 +a working class `` us vs. them '' opera that leaves no heartstring untugged and no liberal cause unplundered . $LABEL$ 1 +so refreshingly incisive is grant that for the first time he 'll probably appeal more to guys than to their girlfriends who drag them to this movie for the hugh factor . $LABEL$ 1 +with the exception of some fleetingly amusing improvisations by cedric the entertainer as perry 's boss , there is n't a redeeming moment here . $LABEL$ 0 +majidi is an unconventional storyteller , capable of finding beauty in the most depressing places . $LABEL$ 1 +the vivid lead performances sustain interest and empathy , but the journey is far more interesting than the final destination . $LABEL$ 1 +martin and barbara are complex characters -- sometimes tender , sometimes angry -- and the delicate performances by sven wollter and viveka seldahl make their hopes and frustrations vivid . $LABEL$ 1 +all that 's missing is the spontaneity , originality and delight . $LABEL$ 0 +it confirms fincher 's status as a film maker who artfully bends technical know-how to the service of psychological insight . $LABEL$ 1 +dense with characters and contains some thrilling moments . $LABEL$ 1 +good film , but very glum . $LABEL$ 1 +nine queens is not only than a frighteningly capable debut and genre piece , but also a snapshot of a dangerous political situation on the verge of coming to a head . $LABEL$ 1 +when the film ended , i felt tired and drained and wanted to lie on my own deathbed for a while . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot convolutions ultimately add up to nothing more than jerking the audience 's chain . $LABEL$ 0 +a solid examination of the male midlife crisis . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- d -rrb- oes n't bother being as cloying or preachy as equivalent evangelical christian movies -- maybe the filmmakers know that the likely audience will already be among the faithful . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- grant 's -rrb- bumbling magic takes over the film , and it turns out to be another winning star vehicle . $LABEL$ 1 +a poignant and compelling story about relationships , food of love takes us on a bumpy but satisfying journey of the heart . $LABEL$ 1 +a better title , for all concerned , might be swept under the rug . $LABEL$ 0 +this nickleby thing might have more homosexual undertones than an eddie murphy film . $LABEL$ 0 +a marvel like none you 've seen . $LABEL$ 1 +the affectionate loopiness that once seemed congenital to demme 's perspective has a tough time emerging from between the badly dated cutesy-pie mystery scenario and the newfangled hollywood post-production effects . $LABEL$ 0 +leigh 's film is full of memorable performances from top to bottom . $LABEL$ 1 +manages to be sweet and wickedly satisfying at the same time . $LABEL$ 1 +the film will play equally well on both the standard and giant screens . $LABEL$ 1 +determined to be fun , and bouncy , with energetic musicals , the humor did n't quite engage this adult . $LABEL$ 0 +the last 20 minutes are somewhat redeeming , but most of the movie is the same teenage american road-trip drek we 've seen before - only this time you have to read the fart jokes $LABEL$ 0 +whether you like rap music or loathe it , you ca n't deny either the tragic loss of two young men in the prime of their talent or the power of this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +all-in-all , the film is an enjoyable and frankly told tale of a people who live among us , but not necessarily with us . $LABEL$ 1 +feature debuter d.j. caruso directs a crack ensemble cast , bringing screenwriter tony gayton 's narcotics noir to life . $LABEL$ 1 +serving sara does n't serve up a whole lot of laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +my reaction in a word : disappointment . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's hackneyed message is not helped by the thin characterizations , nonexistent plot and pretentious visual style . $LABEL$ 0 +very psychoanalytical -- provocatively so -- and also refreshingly literary . $LABEL$ 1 +the experience of going to a film festival is a rewarding one ; the experiencing of sampling one through this movie is not . $LABEL$ 0 +with rabbit-proof fence , noyce has tailored an epic tale into a lean , economical movie . $LABEL$ 1 +even horror fans will most likely not find what they 're seeking with trouble every day ; the movie lacks both thrills and humor . $LABEL$ 0 +this piece of channel 5 grade trash is , quite frankly , an insult to the intelligence of the true genre enthusiast . $LABEL$ 0 +add yet another hat to a talented head , clooney 's a good director . $LABEL$ 1 +as unseemly as its title suggests . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is n't just hilarious : it 's witty and inventive , too , and in hindsight , it is n't even all that dumb . $LABEL$ 1 +among the year 's most intriguing explorations of alientation . $LABEL$ 1 +the sort of film that makes me miss hitchcock , but also feel optimistic that there 's hope for popular cinema yet . $LABEL$ 1 +the primitive force of this film seems to bubble up from the vast collective memory of the combatants . $LABEL$ 1 +the terrific and bewilderingly underrated campbell scott gives a star performance that is nothing short of mesmerizing . $LABEL$ 1 +and if you 're not nearly moved to tears by a couple of scenes , you 've got ice water in your veins . $LABEL$ 1 +a lean , deftly shot , well-acted , weirdly retro thriller that recalls a raft of '60s and '70s european-set spy pictures . $LABEL$ 1 +the magic of the film lies not in the mysterious spring but in the richness of its performances . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- lawrence bounces -rrb- all over the stage , dancing , running , sweating , mopping his face and generally displaying the wacky talent that brought him fame in the first place . $LABEL$ 1 +what distinguishes time of favor from countless other thrillers is its underlying concern with the consequences of words and with the complicated emotions fueling terrorist acts . $LABEL$ 1 +crackerjack entertainment -- nonstop romance , music , suspense and action . $LABEL$ 1 +with its dogged hollywood naturalism and the inexorable passage of its characters toward sainthood , windtalkers is nothing but a sticky-sweet soap . $LABEL$ 0 +in its best moments , resembles a bad high school production of grease , without benefit of song . $LABEL$ 0 +... designed to provide a mix of smiles and tears , `` crossroads '' instead provokes a handful of unintentional howlers and numerous yawns . $LABEL$ 0 +worth watching for dong jie 's performance -- and for the way it documents a culture in the throes of rapid change . $LABEL$ 1 +if you are an actor who can relate to the search for inner peace by dramatically depicting the lives of others onstage , then esther 's story is a compelling quest for truth . $LABEL$ 1 +unlike the speedy wham-bam effect of most hollywood offerings , character development -- and more importantly , character empathy -- is at the heart of italian for beginners . $LABEL$ 1 +stultifyingly , dumbfoundingly , mind-numbingly bad . $LABEL$ 0 +`` mostly martha '' is a bright , light modern day family parable that wears its heart on its sleeve for all to see . $LABEL$ 1 +no telegraphing is too obvious or simplistic for this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +writer-director 's mehta 's effort has tons of charm and the whimsy is in the mixture , the intoxicating masala , of cultures and film genres . $LABEL$ 1 +... takes the beauty of baseball and melds it with a story that could touch anyone regardless of their familiarity with the sport $LABEL$ 1 +one of the smartest takes on singles culture i 've seen in a long time . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not original , and , robbed of the element of surprise , it does n't have any huge laughs in its story of irresponsible cops who love to play pranks . $LABEL$ 0 +this re-do is so dumb and so exploitative in its violence that , ironically , it becomes everything that the rather clumsy original was railing against . $LABEL$ 0 +to call the other side of heaven `` appalling '' would be to underestimate just how dangerous entertainments like it can be . $LABEL$ 0 +it has charm to spare , and unlike many romantic comedies , it does not alienate either gender in the audience . $LABEL$ 1 +a great ensemble cast ca n't lift this heartfelt enterprise out of the familiar . $LABEL$ 0 +lapaglia 's ability to convey grief and hope works with weaver 's sensitive reactions to make this a two-actor master class . $LABEL$ 1 +my thoughts were focused on the characters . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's slow -- very , very slow . $LABEL$ 0 +though it 's become almost redundant to say so , major kudos go to leigh for actually casting people who look working-class . $LABEL$ 1 +should have been someone else - $LABEL$ 0 +it 's so good that its relentless , polished wit can withstand not only inept school productions , but even oliver parker 's movie adaptation . $LABEL$ 1 +it feels like an after-school special gussied up with some fancy special effects , and watching its rote plot points connect is about as exciting as gazing at an egg timer for 93 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +indifferently implausible popcorn programmer of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +even the finest chef ca n't make a hotdog into anything more than a hotdog , and robert de niro ca n't make this movie anything more than a trashy cop buddy comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's fascinating to see how bettany and mcdowell play off each other . $LABEL$ 1 +teen movies have really hit the skids . $LABEL$ 0 +stephen rea , aidan quinn , and alan bates play desmond 's legal eagles , and when joined by brosnan , the sight of this grandiloquent quartet lolling in pretty irish settings is a pleasant enough thing , ` tis . $LABEL$ 1 +even on those rare occasions when the narrator stops yammering , miller 's hand often feels unsure . $LABEL$ 0 +every time you look , sweet home alabama is taking another bummer of a wrong turn . $LABEL$ 0 +it gets onto the screen just about as much of the novella as one could reasonably expect , and is engrossing and moving in its own right . $LABEL$ 1 +a poignant , artfully crafted meditation on mortality . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best films of the year with its exploration of the obstacles to happiness faced by five contemporary individuals ... a psychological masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +no sophomore slump for director sam mendes , who segues from oscar winner to oscar-winning potential with a smooth sleight of hand . $LABEL$ 1 +even if you do n't think -lrb- kissinger 's -rrb- any more guilty of criminal activity than most contemporary statesmen , he 'd sure make a courtroom trial great fun to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +... a story we have n't seen on the big screen before , and it 's a story that we as americans , and human beings , should know . $LABEL$ 1 +irwin is a man with enough charisma and audacity to carry a dozen films , but this particular result is ultimately held back from being something greater . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of a hyperbolic beat-charged urban western , it 's an unpretentious , sociologically pointed slice of life . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's few ideas are stretched to the point of evaporation ; the whole central section is one big chase that seems to have no goal and no urgency . $LABEL$ 0 +though perry and hurley make inspiring efforts to breathe life into the disjointed , haphazard script by jay scherick and david ronn , neither the actors nor director reginald hudlin can make it more than fitfully entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +woody allen 's latest is an ambling , broad comedy about all there is to love -- and hate -- about the movie biz . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's too much falseness to the second half , and what began as an intriguing look at youth fizzles into a dull , ridiculous attempt at heart-tugging . $LABEL$ 0 +as a first-time director , paxton has tapped something in himself as an actor that provides frailty with its dark soul . $LABEL$ 1 +a gripping movie , played with performances that are all understated and touching . $LABEL$ 1 +too slow , too long and too little happens . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like a volatile and overlong w magazine fashion spread . $LABEL$ 0 +attempts by this ensemble film to impart a message are so heavy-handed that they instead pummel the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a demented kitsch mess -lrb- although the smeary digital video does match the muddled narrative -rrb- , but it 's savvy about celebrity and has more guts and energy than much of what will open this year . $LABEL$ 1 +bleakly funny , its characters all the more touching for refusing to pity or memorialize themselves . $LABEL$ 1 +it is amusing , and that 's all it needs to be . $LABEL$ 1 +the characters are interesting and often very creatively constructed from figure to backstory . $LABEL$ 1 +a taut psychological thriller that does n't waste a moment of its two-hour running time . $LABEL$ 1 +... is an arthritic attempt at directing by callie khouri . $LABEL$ 0 +michael gerbosi 's script is economically packed with telling scenes . $LABEL$ 1 +light years \/ several warp speeds \/ levels and levels of dilithium crystals better than the pitiful insurrection . $LABEL$ 1 +what was once original has been co-opted so frequently that it now seems pedestrian . $LABEL$ 0 +at a time when half the so-called real movies are little more than live-action cartoons , it 's refreshing to see a cartoon that knows what it is , and knows the form 's history . $LABEL$ 1 +at the very least , if you do n't know anything about derrida when you walk into the theater , you wo n't know much more when you leave . $LABEL$ 0 +partway through watching this saccharine , easter-egg-colored concoction , you realize that it is made up of three episodes of a rejected tv show . $LABEL$ 0 +bennett 's naturalistic performance speaks volumes more truth than any ` reality ' show , and anybody contemplating their own drastic life changes should watch some body first . $LABEL$ 1 +jose campanella delivers a loosely autobiographical story brushed with sentimentality but brimming with gentle humor , bittersweet pathos , and lyric moments that linger like snapshots of memory . $LABEL$ 1 +... mafia , rap stars and hood rats butt their ugly heads in a regurgitation of cinematic violence that gives brutal birth to an unlikely , but likable , hero . ' $LABEL$ 1 +i got a headache watching this meaningless downer . $LABEL$ 0 +montias ... pumps a lot of energy into his nicely nuanced narrative and surrounds himself with a cast of quirky -- but not stereotyped -- street characters . $LABEL$ 1 +slapstick buffoonery can tickle many a preschooler 's fancy , but when it costs a family of four about $ 40 to see a film in theaters , why spend money on a dog like this when you can rent a pedigree instead ? $LABEL$ 0 +his comedy premises are often hackneyed or just plain crude , calculated to provoke shocked laughter , without following up on a deeper level . $LABEL$ 0 +big fat waste of time . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not that kung pow is n't funny some of the time -- it just is n't any funnier than bad martial arts movies are all by themselves , without all oedekerk 's impish augmentation . $LABEL$ 0 +a delightful coming-of-age story . $LABEL$ 1 +binoche makes it interesting trying to find out . $LABEL$ 1 +the humor is forced and heavy-handed , and occasionally simply unpleasant . $LABEL$ 0 +... a fun little timewaster , helped especially by the cool presence of jean reno . $LABEL$ 1 +prurient playthings aside , there 's little to love about this english trifle . $LABEL$ 0 +the old-world - meets-new mesh is incarnated in the movie 's soundtrack , a joyful effusion of disco bollywood that , by the end of monsoon wedding , sent my spirit soaring out of the theater . $LABEL$ 1 +as surreal as a dream and as detailed as a photograph , as visually dexterous as it is at times imaginatively overwhelming . $LABEL$ 1 +director uwe boll and the actors provide scant reason to care in this crude '70s throwback . $LABEL$ 0 +the continued good chemistry between carmen and juni is what keeps this slightly disappointing sequel going , with enough amusing banter -- blessedly curse-free -- to keep both kids and parents entertained . $LABEL$ 1 +puts a human face on a land most westerners are unfamiliar with . $LABEL$ 1 +unflinchingly bleak and desperate $LABEL$ 0 +the heavy-handed film is almost laughable as a consequence . $LABEL$ 0 +it has the charm of the original american road movies , feasting on the gorgeous , ramshackle landscape of the filmmaker 's motherland . $LABEL$ 1 +works hard to establish rounded characters , but then has nothing fresh or particularly interesting to say about them . $LABEL$ 0 +verbinski implements every hack-artist trick to give us the ooky-spookies . $LABEL$ 0 +uncommonly stylish but equally silly ... the picture fails to generate much suspense , nor does it ask searching enough questions to justify its pretensions . $LABEL$ 0 +as vulgar as it is banal . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm just too bored to care . $LABEL$ 0 +i had to look away - this was god awful . $LABEL$ 0 +a dumb movie with dumb characters doing dumb things and you have to be really dumb not to see where this is going . $LABEL$ 0 +what really makes it special is that it pulls us into its world , gives us a hero whose suffering and triumphs we can share , surrounds him with interesting characters and sends us out of the theater feeling we 've shared a great adventure . $LABEL$ 1 +of course , by more objective measurements it 's still quite bad . $LABEL$ 0 +for this reason and this reason only -- the power of its own steadfast , hoity-toity convictions -- chelsea walls deserves a medal . $LABEL$ 1 +scores no points for originality , wit , or intelligence . $LABEL$ 0 +though moonlight mile is replete with acclaimed actors and actresses and tackles a subject that 's potentially moving , the movie is too predictable and too self-conscious to reach a level of high drama . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a charming and often affecting journey . $LABEL$ 1 +nervous breakdowns are not entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a story of two misfits who do n't stand a chance alone , but together they are magnificent . $LABEL$ 1 +atom egoyan has conjured up a multilayered work that tackles any number of fascinating issues $LABEL$ 1 +as the latest bid in the tv-to-movie franchise game , i spy makes its big-screen entry with little of the nervy originality of its groundbreaking small-screen progenitor . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's one of those baseball pictures where the hero is stoic , the wife is patient , the kids are as cute as all get-out and the odds against success are long enough to intimidate , but short enough to make a dream seem possible . $LABEL$ 1 +no way i can believe this load of junk . $LABEL$ 0 +we know the plot 's a little crazy , but it held my interest from start to finish . $LABEL$ 1 +will amuse and provoke adventurous adults in specialty venues . $LABEL$ 1 +another one of those estrogen overdose movies like `` divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood , '' except that the writing , acting and character development are a lot better . $LABEL$ 1 +byler reveals his characters in a way that intrigues and even fascinates us , and he never reduces the situation to simple melodrama . $LABEL$ 1 +the humor is n't as sharp , the effects not as innovative , nor the story as imaginative as in the original . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of hiding pinocchio from critics , miramax should have hidden it from everyone . $LABEL$ 0 +a moody , multi-dimensional love story and sci-fi mystery , solaris is a thought-provoking , haunting film that allows the seeds of the imagination to germinate . $LABEL$ 1 +offers very little genuine romance and even fewer laughs ... a sad sitcom of a movie , largely devoid of charm . $LABEL$ 0 +it haunts you , you ca n't forget it , you admire its conception and are able to resolve some of the confusions you had while watching it . $LABEL$ 1 +sometimes seems less like storytelling than something the otherwise compelling director needed to get off his chest . $LABEL$ 0 +as a rumor of angels reveals itself to be a sudsy tub of supernatural hokum , not even ms. redgrave 's noblest efforts can redeem it from hopeless sentimentality . $LABEL$ 0 +almost gags on its own gore . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is quiet , threatening and unforgettable . $LABEL$ 1 +... the movie is just a plain old monster . $LABEL$ 0 +sustains its dreamlike glide through a succession of cheesy coincidences and voluptuous cheap effects , not the least of which is rebecca romijn-stamos . $LABEL$ 0 +displaying about equal amounts of naiveté , passion and talent , beneath clouds establishes sen as a filmmaker of considerable potential . $LABEL$ 1 +it provides the grand , intelligent entertainment of a superior cast playing smart people amid a compelling plot . $LABEL$ 1 +a strangely compelling and brilliantly acted psychological drama . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'll bet the video game is a lot more fun than the film . $LABEL$ 0 +every nanosecond of the the new guy reminds you that you could be doing something else far more pleasurable . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's accumulated force still feels like an ugly knot tightening in your stomach . $LABEL$ 0 +a broad , melodramatic estrogen opera that 's pretty toxic in its own right . $LABEL$ 0 +minority report is exactly what the title indicates , a report . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie , directed by mick jackson , leaves no cliche unturned , from the predictable plot to the characters straight out of central casting . $LABEL$ 0 +like mike is a winner for kids , and no doubt a winner for lil bow wow , who can now add movies to the list of things he does well . $LABEL$ 1 +confirms the nagging suspicion that ethan hawke would be even worse behind the camera than he is in front of it . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- e -rrb- ventually , every idea in this film is flushed down the latrine of heroism . $LABEL$ 0 +this riveting world war ii moral suspense story deals with the shadow side of american culture : racial prejudice in its ugly and diverse forms . $LABEL$ 0 +first-time writer-director serry shows a remarkable gift for storytelling with this moving , effective little film . $LABEL$ 1 +while it 's genuinely cool to hear characters talk about early rap records -lrb- sugar hill gang , etc. -rrb- , the constant referencing of hip-hop arcana can alienate even the savviest audiences . $LABEL$ 0 +the far future may be awesome to consider , but from period detail to matters of the heart , this film is most transporting when it stays put in the past . $LABEL$ 1 +combining quick-cut editing and a blaring heavy metal much of the time , beck seems to be under the illusion that he 's shooting the latest system of a down video . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's no emotional pulse to solaris . $LABEL$ 0 +the best that can be said about the work here of scottish director ritchie ... is that he obviously does n't have his heart in it . $LABEL$ 0 +does paint some memorable images ... , but makhmalbaf keeps her distance from the characters $LABEL$ 1 +rare birds has more than enough charm to make it memorable . $LABEL$ 1 +generally , clockstoppers will fulfill your wildest fantasies about being a different kind of time traveler , while happily killing 94 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +dull , lifeless , and amateurishly assembled . $LABEL$ 0 +the quality of the art combined with the humor and intelligence of the script allow the filmmakers to present the biblical message of forgiveness without it ever becoming preachy or syrupy . $LABEL$ 1 +very bad . $LABEL$ 0 +having had the good sense to cast actors who are , generally speaking , adored by the movie-going public , khouri then gets terrific performances from them all . $LABEL$ 1 +a woman 's pic directed with resonance by ilya chaiken . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. tsai is a very original artist in his medium , and what time is it there ? $LABEL$ 1 +for each chuckle there are at least 10 complete misses , many coming from the amazingly lifelike tara reid , whose acting skills are comparable to a cardboard cutout . $LABEL$ 0 +a by-the-numbers patient\/doctor pic that covers all the usual ground $LABEL$ 0 +a lackluster , unessential sequel to the classic disney adaptation of j.m. barrie 's peter pan . $LABEL$ 0 +why make a documentary about these marginal historical figures ? $LABEL$ 0 +burns never really harnesses to full effect the energetic cast . $LABEL$ 0 +oh come on . $LABEL$ 0 +even with a green mohawk and a sheet of fire-red flame tattoos covering his shoulder , however , kilmer seems to be posing , rather than acting . $LABEL$ 0 +its well of thorn and vinegar -lrb- and simple humanity -rrb- has long been plundered by similar works featuring the insight and punch this picture so conspicuously lacks . $LABEL$ 0 +the notion that bombing buildings is the funniest thing in the world goes entirely unexamined in this startlingly unfunny comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +at its worst , it implodes in a series of very bad special effects . $LABEL$ 0 +and the lesson , in the end , is nothing new . $LABEL$ 0 +... plays like somebody spliced random moments of a chris rock routine into what is otherwise a cliche-riddled but self-serious spy thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +a misogynistic piece of filth that attempts to pass itself off as hip , young adult entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +slick piece of cross-promotion . $LABEL$ 1 +sade is an engaging look at the controversial eponymous and fiercely atheistic hero . $LABEL$ 1 +deliriously funny , fast and loose , accessible to the uninitiated , and full of surprises $LABEL$ 1 +a literate presentation that wonderfully weaves a murderous event in 1873 with murderous rage in 2002 . $LABEL$ 1 +for the first time in years , de niro digs deep emotionally , perhaps because he 's been stirred by the powerful work of his co-stars . $LABEL$ 1 +birthday girl is an amusing joy ride , with some surprisingly violent moments . $LABEL$ 1 +a tender , witty , captivating film about friendship , love , memory , trust and loyalty . $LABEL$ 1 +while its careful pace and seemingly opaque story may not satisfy every moviegoer 's appetite , the film 's final scene is soaringly , transparently moving . $LABEL$ 1 +... turns so unforgivably trite in its last 10 minutes that anyone without a fortified sweet tooth will likely go into sugar shock . $LABEL$ 0 +excessive , profane , packed with cartoonish violence and comic-strip characters . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're hard up for raunchy college humor , this is your ticket right here . $LABEL$ 1 +davis ... is so enamored of her own creation that she ca n't see how insufferable the character is . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's great escapist fun that recreates a place and time that will never happen again . $LABEL$ 1 +dazzles with its fully-written characters , its determined stylishness -lrb- which always relates to characters and story -rrb- and johnny dankworth 's best soundtrack in years . $LABEL$ 1 +highbrow self-appointed guardians of culture need not apply , but those who loved cool as ice have at last found a worthy follow-up . $LABEL$ 1 +once -lrb- kim -rrb- begins to overplay the shock tactics and bait-and-tackle metaphors , you may decide it 's too high a price to pay for a shimmering picture postcard . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- his beguiling belgian fable , very much its own droll and delicate little film , has some touching things to say about what is important in life and why . $LABEL$ 1 +too often , the viewer is n't reacting to humor so much as they are wincing back in repugnance . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's refreshing to see a girl-power movie that does n't feel it has to prove anything . $LABEL$ 1 +bogdanovich tantalizes by offering a peep show into the lives of the era 's creme de la celluloid . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a cookie-cutter movie , a cut-and-paste job . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a grab bag of genres that do n't add up to a whole lot of sense . $LABEL$ 0 +fun , flip and terribly hip bit of cinematic entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +just one bad idea after another . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a lovely film with lovely performances by buy and accorsi . $LABEL$ 1 +the script kicks in , and mr. hartley 's distended pace and foot-dragging rhythms follow . $LABEL$ 0 +does little more than play an innocuous game of fill-in - the-blanks with a tragic past . $LABEL$ 0 +a hamfisted romantic comedy that makes our girl the hapless facilitator of an extended cheap shot across the mason-dixon line . $LABEL$ 0 +like watching a dress rehearsal the week before the show goes up : everything 's in place but something 's just a little off-kilter . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a buggy drag . $LABEL$ 0 +yakusho and shimizu ... create engaging characterizations in imamura 's lively and enjoyable cultural mix . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a bad thing when a movie has about as much substance as its end credits blooper reel . $LABEL$ 0 +there is nothing outstanding about this film , but it is good enough and will likely be appreciated most by sailors and folks who know their way around a submarine . $LABEL$ 1 +a synthesis of cliches and absurdities that seems positively decadent in its cinematic flash and emptiness . $LABEL$ 0 +very special effects , brilliantly bold colors and heightened reality ca n't hide the giant achilles ' heel in `` stuart little 2 `` : there 's just no story , folks . $LABEL$ 0 +manages to show life in all of its banality when the intention is quite the opposite . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's about following your dreams , no matter what your parents think . $LABEL$ 1 +the very definition of the ` small ' movie , but it is a good stepping stone for director sprecher . $LABEL$ 1 +one from the heart . $LABEL$ 1 +and when you 're talking about a slapstick comedy , that 's a pretty big problem . $LABEL$ 0 +this is so bad . $LABEL$ 0 +so devoid of any kind of intelligible story that it makes films like xxx and collateral damage seem like thoughtful treatises $LABEL$ 0 +ahhhh ... revenge is sweet ! $LABEL$ 1 +against all odds in heaven and hell , it creeped me out just fine . $LABEL$ 1 +the entire movie is about a boring , sad man being boring and sad . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's one heck of a character study -- not of hearst or davies but of the unique relationship between them . $LABEL$ 1 +the structure the film takes may find matt damon and ben affleck once again looking for residuals as this officially completes a good will hunting trilogy that was never planned . $LABEL$ 1 +whether writer-director anne fontaine 's film is a ghost story , an account of a nervous breakdown , a trip down memory lane , all three or none of the above , it is as seductive as it is haunting . $LABEL$ 1 +the man from elysian fields is a cold , bliss-less work that groans along thinking itself some important comment on how life throws us some beguiling curves . $LABEL$ 0 +the draw -lrb- for `` big bad love '' -rrb- is a solid performance by arliss howard . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the more irritating cartoons you will see this , or any , year . $LABEL$ 0 +basically a static series of semi-improvised -lrb- and semi-coherent -rrb- raps between the stars . $LABEL$ 0 +for all its technical virtuosity , the film is so mired in juvenile and near-xenophobic pedagogy that it 's enough to make one pine for the day when godard can no longer handle the rigors of filmmaking . $LABEL$ 0 +a very long movie , dull in stretches , with entirely too much focus on meal preparation and igloo construction . $LABEL$ 0 +there is very little dread or apprehension , and though i like the creepy ideas , they are not executed with anything more than perfunctory skill . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's fun lite . $LABEL$ 1 +a big , gorgeous , sprawling swashbuckler that delivers its diversions in grand , uncomplicated fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +the overall effect is less like a children 's movie than a recruitment film for future hollywood sellouts . $LABEL$ 0 +trite , banal , cliched , mostly inoffensive . $LABEL$ 0 +so much facile technique , such cute ideas , so little movie . $LABEL$ 1 +chilling , well-acted , and finely directed : david jacobson 's dahmer . $LABEL$ 1 +visually rather stunning , but ultimately a handsome-looking bore , the true creativity would have been to hide treasure planet entirely and completely reimagine it . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that successfully crushes a best selling novel into a timeframe that mandates that you avoid the godzilla sized soda . $LABEL$ 1 +once the 50 year old benigni appears as the title character , we find ourselves longing for the block of wood to come back . $LABEL$ 0 +but taken as a stylish and energetic one-shot , the queen of the damned can not be said to suck . $LABEL$ 1 +at least one scene is so disgusting that viewers may be hard pressed to retain their lunch . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie has an infectious exuberance that will engage anyone with a passing interest in the skate\/surf culture , the l.a. beach scene and the imaginative -lrb- and sometimes illegal -rrb- ways kids can make a playground out of the refuse of adults . $LABEL$ 1 +corpus collosum -- while undeniably interesting -- wore out its welcome well before the end credits rolled about 45 minutes in . $LABEL$ 0 +this illuminating documentary transcends our preconceived vision of the holy land and its inhabitants , revealing the human complexities beneath . $LABEL$ 1 +trademark american triteness and simplicity are tossed out the window with the intelligent french drama that deftly explores the difficult relationship between a father and son . $LABEL$ 1 +villeneuve spends too much time wallowing in bibi 's generic angst -lrb- there are a lot of shots of her gazing out windows -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +what is 100 % missing here is a script of even the most elemental literacy , an inkling of genuine wit , and anything resembling acting . $LABEL$ 0 +as the two leads , lathan and diggs are charming and have chemistry both as friends and lovers . $LABEL$ 1 +like leon , it 's frustrating and still oddly likable . $LABEL$ 1 +if you can stomach the rough content , it 's worth checking out for the performances alone . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's really only one good idea in this movie , but the director runs with it and presents it with an unforgettable visual panache . $LABEL$ 1 +and that leaves a hole in the center of the salton sea . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's ... tremendous energy from the cast , a sense of playfulness and excitement that seems appropriate . $LABEL$ 1 +director andrew niccol ... demonstrates a wry understanding of the quirks of fame . $LABEL$ 1 +try as i may , i ca n't think of a single good reason to see this movie , even though everyone in my group extemporaneously shouted , ` thank you ! ' $LABEL$ 0 +shaky close-ups of turkey-on-rolls , stubbly chins , liver spots , red noses and the filmmakers new bobbed do draw easy chuckles but lead nowhere . $LABEL$ 0 +utterly lacking in charm , wit and invention , roberto benigni 's pinocchio is an astonishingly bad film . $LABEL$ 0 +further proof that the epicenter of cool , beautiful , thought-provoking foreign cinema is smack-dab in the middle of dubya 's axis of evil . $LABEL$ 1 +but what are adults doing in the theater at all ? $LABEL$ 0 +miller is playing so free with emotions , and the fact that children are hostages to fortune , that he makes the audience hostage to his swaggering affectation of seriousness . $LABEL$ 1 +the piece plays as well as it does thanks in large measure to anspaugh 's three lead actresses . $LABEL$ 1 +what better message than ` love thyself ' could young women of any size receive ? $LABEL$ 1 +if you enjoy more thoughtful comedies with interesting conflicted characters ; this one is for you . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's like every bad idea that 's ever gone into an after-school special compiled in one place , minus those daytime programs ' slickness and sophistication -lrb- and who knew they even had any ? -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is beautiful to behold and engages one in a sense of epic struggle -- inner and outer -- that 's all too rare in hollywood 's hastier productions . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not enough here to justify the almost two hours . $LABEL$ 0 +although huppert 's intensity and focus has a raw exhilaration about it , the piano teacher is anything but fun . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing is sacred in this gut-buster . $LABEL$ 0 +a tender , heartfelt family drama . $LABEL$ 1 +... nothing scary here except for some awful acting and lame special effects . $LABEL$ 0 +it made me want to wrench my eyes out of my head and toss them at the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +but the power of these -lrb- subjects -rrb- is obscured by the majority of the film that shows a stationary camera on a subject that could be mistaken for giving a public oration , rather than contributing to a film 's narrative . $LABEL$ 0 +suffocated by its fussy script and uptight characters , this musty adaptation is all the more annoying since it 's been packaged and sold back to us by hollywood . $LABEL$ 0 +reign of fire looks as if it was made without much thought -- and is best watched that way . $LABEL$ 1 +the acting , costumes , music , cinematography and sound are all astounding given the production 's austere locales . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't even madonna 's swept away . $LABEL$ 0 +a coda in every sense , the pinochet case splits time between a minute-by-minute account of the british court 's extradition chess game and the regime 's talking-head survivors . $LABEL$ 1 +brilliantly explores the conflict between following one 's heart and following the demands of tradition . $LABEL$ 1 +like you could n't smell this turkey rotting from miles away . $LABEL$ 0 +involves two mysteries -- one it gives away and the other featuring such badly drawn characters that its outcome hardly matters . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'd have to say the star and director are the big problems here . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- director -rrb- o'fallon manages to put some lovely pictures up on the big screen , but his skill at telling a story -- he also contributed to the screenplay -- falls short . $LABEL$ 0 +the problem with this film is that it lacks focus . $LABEL$ 0 +on the whole , the movie lacks wit , feeling and believability to compensate for its incessant coarseness and banality . $LABEL$ 0 +... a magnificent drama well worth tracking down . $LABEL$ 1 +perceptive in its vision of nascent industrialized world politics as a new art form , but far too clunky , didactic and saddled with scenes that seem simply an ill fit for this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +for all the writhing and wailing , tears , rage and opium overdoses , there 's no sense of actual passion being washed away in love 's dissolution . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an offbeat treat that pokes fun at the democratic exercise while also examining its significance for those who take part . $LABEL$ 1 +old-form moviemaking at its best . $LABEL$ 1 +a sometimes tedious film . $LABEL$ 0 +a gorgeous , witty , seductive movie . $LABEL$ 1 +moody , heartbreaking , and filmed in a natural , unforced style that makes its characters seem entirely convincing even when its script is not . $LABEL$ 1 +a nightmare date with a half-formed wit done a great disservice by a lack of critical distance and a sad trust in liberal arts college bumper sticker platitudes . $LABEL$ 0 +late marriage 's stiffness is unlikely to demonstrate the emotional clout to sweep u.s. viewers off their feet . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that reminds us of just how exciting and satisfying the fantasy cinema can be when it 's approached with imagination and flair . $LABEL$ 1 +but it still jingles in the pocket . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the chemistry between the women and the droll scene-stealing wit and wolfish pessimism of anna chancellor that makes this `` two weddings and a funeral '' fun . $LABEL$ 1 +it all drags on so interminably it 's like watching a miserable relationship unfold in real time . $LABEL$ 0 +it wants to tweak them with a taste of tangy new humor . $LABEL$ 1 +an unclassifiably awful study in self - and audience-abuse . $LABEL$ 0 +comes ... uncomfortably close to coasting in the treads of the bicycle thief . $LABEL$ 0 +you do n't have to know about music to appreciate the film 's easygoing blend of comedy and romance . $LABEL$ 1 +the film makes a fatal mistake : it asks us to care about a young man whose only apparent virtue is that he is not quite as unpleasant as some of the people in his life . $LABEL$ 0 +it will grip even viewers who are n't interested in rap , as it cuts to the heart of american society in an unnerving way . $LABEL$ 1 +challenging , intermittently engrossing and unflaggingly creative . $LABEL$ 1 +expect the same-old , lame-old slasher nonsense , just with different scenery . $LABEL$ 0 +tries to add some spice to its quirky sentiments but the taste is all too familiar . $LABEL$ 0 +while the resident evil games may have set new standards for thrills , suspense , and gore for video games , the movie really only succeeds in the third of these . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully observed , miraculously unsentimental comedy-drama . $LABEL$ 1 +a solid film ... but more conscientious than it is truly stirring . $LABEL$ 1 +stealing harvard aspires to comedic grand larceny but stands convicted of nothing more than petty theft of your time . $LABEL$ 0 +good old-fashioned slash-and-hack is back ! $LABEL$ 1 +a movie with a real anarchic flair . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's one pussy-ass world when even killer-thrillers revolve around group therapy sessions . $LABEL$ 0 +characters still need to function according to some set of believable and comprehensible impulses , no matter how many drugs they do or how much artistic license avary employs . $LABEL$ 0 +a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard 's finest work . $LABEL$ 1 +far more imaginative and ambitious than the trivial , cash-in features nickelodeon has made from its other animated tv series . $LABEL$ 1 +pumpkin means to be an outrageous dark satire on fraternity life , but its ambitions far exceed the abilities of writer adam larson broder and his co-director , tony r. abrams , in their feature debut . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's too bad that the helping hand he uses to stir his ingredients is also a heavy one . $LABEL$ 0 +zhang ... has done an amazing job of getting realistic performances from his mainly nonprofessional cast . $LABEL$ 1 +without ever becoming didactic , director carlos carrera expertly weaves this novelistic story of entangled interrelationships and complex morality . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hampered by a lifetime-channel kind of plot and a lead actress who is out of her depth . $LABEL$ 0 +gives you the steady pulse of life in a beautiful city viewed through the eyes of a character who , in spite of tragic loss and increasing decrepitude , knows in his bones that he is one of the luckiest men alive . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- chaiken 's -rrb- talent lies in an evocative , accurate observation of a distinctive milieu and in the lively , convincing dialogue she creates for her characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a psychological thriller with a genuinely spooky premise and an above-average cast , actor bill paxton 's directing debut is a creepy slice of gothic rural americana . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's worth seeing just on the basis of the wisdom , and at times , the startling optimism , of the children . $LABEL$ 1 +dragonfly has no atmosphere , no tension -- nothing but costner , flailing away . $LABEL$ 0 +the film flat lines when it should peak and is more missed opportunity and trifle than dark , decadent truffle . $LABEL$ 0 +less dizzying than just dizzy , the jaunt is practically over before it begins . $LABEL$ 0 +a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- w -rrb- hile long on amiable monkeys and worthy environmentalism , jane goodall 's wild chimpanzees is short on the thrills the oversize medium demands . $LABEL$ 0 +intriguing documentary which is emotionally diluted by focusing on the story 's least interesting subject . $LABEL$ 1 +the son 's room is a triumph of gentility that earns its moments of pathos . $LABEL$ 1 +a disappointment for those who love alternate versions of the bard , particularly ones that involve deep fryers and hamburgers . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's clear the filmmakers were n't sure where they wanted their story to go , and even more clear that they lack the skills to get us to this undetermined destination . $LABEL$ 0 +... a hollow joke told by a cinematic gymnast having too much fun embellishing the misanthropic tale to actually engage it . $LABEL$ 0 +this time mr. burns is trying something in the martin scorsese street-realist mode , but his self-regarding sentimentality trips him up again . $LABEL$ 0 +manages to be both repulsively sadistic and mundane . $LABEL$ 0 +a simple , but gritty and well-acted ensemble drama that encompasses a potent metaphor for a country still dealing with its fascist past . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is beautifully mounted , but , more to the point , the issues are subtly presented , managing to walk a fine line with regard to the question of joan 's madness . $LABEL$ 1 +a sequel that 's much too big for its britches . $LABEL$ 0 +this is an egotistical endeavor from the daughter of horror director dario argento -lrb- a producer here -rrb- , but her raw performance and utter fearlessness make it strangely magnetic . $LABEL$ 1 +nicks , seemingly uncertain what 's going to make people laugh , runs the gamut from stale parody to raunchy sex gags to formula romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +it deserves to be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in the events shaping the world beyond their own horizons . $LABEL$ 1 +it treats women like idiots . $LABEL$ 0 +there are some wonderfully fresh moments that smooth the moral stiffness with human kindness and hopefulness . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is a gaudy bag of stale candy , something from a halloween that died . $LABEL$ 0 +an interesting story with a pertinent -lrb- cinematically unique -rrb- message , told fairly well and scored to perfection , i found myself struggling to put my finger on that elusive `` missing thing . '' $LABEL$ 1 +not far beneath the surface , this reconfigured tale asks disturbing questions about those things we expect from military epics . $LABEL$ 1 +an absurdist comedy about alienation , separation and loss . $LABEL$ 0 +the talented and clever robert rodriguez perhaps put a little too much heart into his first film and did n't reserve enough for his second . $LABEL$ 0 +hilariously inept and ridiculous . $LABEL$ 1 +vera 's three actors -- mollà , gil and bardem -- excel in insightful , empathetic performances . $LABEL$ 1 +for close to two hours the audience is forced to endure three terminally depressed , mostly inarticulate , hyper dysfunctional families for the price of one . $LABEL$ 0 +good car chases , great fight scenes , and a distinctive blend of european , american and asian influences . $LABEL$ 1 +the performances take the movie to a higher level . $LABEL$ 1 +some of their jokes work , but most fail miserably and in the end , pumpkin is far more offensive than it is funny . $LABEL$ 0 +chokes on its own depiction of upper-crust decorum . $LABEL$ 0 +if looking for a thrilling sci-fi cinematic ride , do n't settle for this imposter . $LABEL$ 0 +deadeningly dull , mired in convoluted melodrama , nonsensical jargon and stiff-upper-lip laboriousness . $LABEL$ 0 +collateral damage finally delivers the goods for schwarzenegger fans . $LABEL$ 1 +still , as a visual treat , the film is almost unsurpassed . $LABEL$ 1 +his last movie was poetically romantic and full of indelible images , but his latest has nothing going for it . $LABEL$ 0 +portentous and pretentious , the weight of water is appropriately titled , given the heavy-handedness of it drama . $LABEL$ 0 +the minor figures surrounding -lrb- bobby -rrb- ... form a gritty urban mosaic . $LABEL$ 1 +no one but a convict guilty of some truly heinous crime should have to sit through the master of disguise . $LABEL$ 0 +complete lack of originality , cleverness or even visible effort $LABEL$ 0 +it 's inoffensive , cheerful , built to inspire the young people , set to an unending soundtrack of beach party pop numbers and aside from its remarkable camerawork and awesome scenery , it 's about as exciting as a sunburn . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie does a good job of laying out some of the major issues that we encounter as we journey through life . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's enough melodrama in this magnolia primavera to make pta proud yet director muccino 's characters are less worthy of puccini than they are of daytime television . $LABEL$ 0 +zaidan 's script has barely enough plot to string the stunts together and not quite enough characterization to keep the faces straight . $LABEL$ 0 +not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved , and daniel radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as harry , but the film conjures the magic of author j.k. rowling 's books . $LABEL$ 1 +the best revenge may just be living well because this film , unlike other dumas adaptations , is far more likened to a treasure than a lengthy jail sentence . $LABEL$ 1 +too much of the humor falls flat . $LABEL$ 0 +falls neatly into the category of good stupid fun . $LABEL$ 1 +jaglom ... put -lrb- s -rrb- the audience in the privileged position of eavesdropping on his characters $LABEL$ 1 +every dance becomes about seduction , where backstabbing and betrayals are celebrated , and sex is currency . $LABEL$ 0 +velocity represents everything wrong with '' independent film '' as a commodified , sold-out concept on the american filmmaking scene . $LABEL$ 0 +hardly a masterpiece , but it introduces viewers to a good charitable enterprise and some interesting real people . $LABEL$ 1 +one of creepiest , scariest movies to come along in a long , long time , easily rivaling blair witch or the others . $LABEL$ 1 +it has its moments of swaggering camaraderie , but more often just feels generic , derivative and done to death . $LABEL$ 0 +the so-inept - it 's - surreal dubbing -lrb- featuring the voices of glenn close , regis philbin and breckin meyer -rrb- brings back memories of cheesy old godzilla flicks . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's everything you do n't go to the movies for . $LABEL$ 0 +mattei is tiresomely grave and long-winded , as if circularity itself indicated profundity . $LABEL$ 0 +pacino is brilliant as the sleep-deprived dormer , his increasing weariness as much existential as it is physical . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling spanish film about the withering effects of jealousy in the life of a young monarch whose sexual passion for her husband becomes an obsession . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's something auspicious , and daring , too , about the artistic instinct that pushes a majority-oriented director like steven spielberg to follow a.i. with this challenging report so liable to unnerve the majority . $LABEL$ 1 +bad . $LABEL$ 0 +an intriguing cinematic omnibus and round-robin that occasionally is more interesting in concept than in execution . $LABEL$ 1 +the subtle strength of `` elling '' is that it never loses touch with the reality of the grim situation . $LABEL$ 1 +not exactly the bees knees $LABEL$ 0 +audrey tatou has a knack for picking roles that magnify her outrageous charm , and in this literate french comedy , she 's as morning-glory exuberant as she was in amélie . $LABEL$ 1 +just not campy enough $LABEL$ 0 +a must-see for the david mamet enthusiast and for anyone who appreciates intelligent , stylish moviemaking . $LABEL$ 1 +a spellbinding african film about the modern condition of rootlessness , a state experienced by millions around the globe . $LABEL$ 1 +a cartoon that 's truly cinematic in scope , and a story that 's compelling and heartfelt -- even if the heart belongs to a big , four-legged herbivore . $LABEL$ 1 +you will emerge with a clearer view of how the gears of justice grind on and the death report comes to share airtime alongside the farm report . $LABEL$ 1 +an operatic , sprawling picture that 's entertainingly acted , magnificently shot and gripping enough to sustain most of its 170-minute length . $LABEL$ 1 +i 've always dreamed of attending cannes , but after seeing this film , it 's not that big a deal . $LABEL$ 0 +morton uses her face and her body language to bring us morvern 's soul , even though the character is almost completely deadpan . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely has leukemia looked so shimmering and benign . $LABEL$ 0 +we have n't seen such hilarity since say it is n't so ! $LABEL$ 1 +true tale of courage -- and complicity -- at auschwitz is a harrowing drama that tries to tell of the unspeakable . $LABEL$ 1 +how do you spell cliché ? $LABEL$ 0 +the script is n't very good ; not even someone as gifted as hoffman -lrb- the actor -rrb- can make it work . $LABEL$ 0 +a giggle a minute . $LABEL$ 1 +made with no discernible craft and monstrously sanctimonious in dealing with childhood loss . $LABEL$ 0 +the only excitement comes when the credits finally roll and you get to leave the theater . $LABEL$ 0 +maud and roland 's search for an unknowable past makes for a haunting literary detective story , but labute pulls off a neater trick in possession : he makes language sexy . $LABEL$ 1 +but this films lacks the passion required to sell the material . $LABEL$ 0 +vera 's technical prowess ends up selling his film short ; he smoothes over hard truths even as he uncovers them . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is based on truth and yet there is something about it that feels incomplete , as if the real story starts just around the corner . $LABEL$ 0 +corny , schmaltzy and predictable , but still manages to be kind of heartwarming , nonetheless . $LABEL$ 1 +huston nails both the glad-handing and the choking sense of hollow despair . $LABEL$ 1 +in an effort , i suspect , not to offend by appearing either too serious or too lighthearted , it offends by just being wishy-washy . $LABEL$ 0 +nelson 's brutally unsentimental approach ... sucks the humanity from the film , leaving behind an horrific but weirdly unemotional spectacle . $LABEL$ 0 +a sequence of ridiculous shoot - 'em - up scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +it seems like i have been waiting my whole life for this movie and now i ca n't wait for the sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +liotta put on 30 pounds for the role , and has completely transformed himself from his smooth , goodfellas image . $LABEL$ 1 +passable entertainment , but it 's the kind of motion picture that wo n't make much of a splash when it 's released , and will not be remembered long afterwards . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's made with deftly unsettling genre flair . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's dumb , but more importantly , it 's just not scary . $LABEL$ 0 +a study in shades of gray , offering itself up in subtle plot maneuvers ... $LABEL$ 1 +the tale of tok -lrb- andy lau -rrb- , a sleek sociopath on the trail of o -lrb- takashi sorimachi -rrb- , the most legendary of asian hitmen , is too scattershot to take hold . $LABEL$ 0 +something like scrubbing the toilet . $LABEL$ 0 +smart , provocative and blisteringly funny . $LABEL$ 1 +this one is definitely one to skip , even for horror movie fanatics . $LABEL$ 0 +charles ' entertaining film chronicles seinfeld 's return to stand-up comedy after the wrap of his legendary sitcom , alongside wannabe comic adams ' attempts to get his shot at the big time . $LABEL$ 1 +an effectively creepy , fear-inducing -lrb- not fear-reducing -rrb- film from japanese director hideo nakata , who takes the superstitious curse on chain letters and actually applies it . $LABEL$ 1 diff --git a/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.test.dat b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.test.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..023c12ae55bbe5600a4b31d59e4dc0f2f9347870 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.test.dat @@ -0,0 +1,1821 @@ +no movement , no yuks , not much of anything . $LABEL$ 0 +a gob of drivel so sickly sweet , even the eager consumers of moore 's pasteurized ditties will retch it up like rancid crème brûlée . $LABEL$ 0 +gangs of new york is an unapologetic mess , whose only saving grace is that it ends by blowing just about everything up . $LABEL$ 0 +we never really feel involved with the story , as all of its ideas remain just that : abstract ideas . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one of polanski 's best films . $LABEL$ 1 +take care of my cat offers a refreshingly different slice of asian cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +acting , particularly by tambor , almost makes `` never again '' worthwhile , but -lrb- writer\/director -rrb- schaeffer should follow his titular advice $LABEL$ 0 +the movie exists for its soccer action and its fine acting . $LABEL$ 1 +arnold 's jump from little screen to big will leave frowns on more than a few faces . $LABEL$ 0 +if this holiday movie is supposed to be a gift , somebody unwrapped it early , took out all the good stuff , and left behind the crap -lrb- literally -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +jason x has cheesy effects and a hoary plot , but its macabre , self-deprecating sense of humor makes up for a lot . $LABEL$ 1 +even as lame horror flicks go , this is lame . $LABEL$ 0 +oft-described as the antidote to american pie-type sex comedies , it actually has a bundle in common with them , as the film diffuses every opportunity for a breakthrough $LABEL$ 0 +though the violence is far less sadistic than usual , the film is typical miike : fast , furious and full of off-the-cuff imaginative flourishes . $LABEL$ 1 +when a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer , better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film , that 's a bad sign . $LABEL$ 0 +the passions aroused by the discord between old and new cultures are set against the strange , stark beauty of the mideast desert , so lovingly and perceptively filmed that you can almost taste the desiccated air . $LABEL$ 1 +if your senses have n't been dulled by slasher films and gorefests , if you 're a connoisseur of psychological horror , this is your ticket . $LABEL$ 1 +any one episode of the sopranos would send this ill-conceived folly to sleep with the fishes . $LABEL$ 0 +as conceived by mr. schaeffer , christopher and grace are little more than collections of quirky traits lifted from a screenwriter 's outline and thrown at actors charged with the impossible task of making them jell . $LABEL$ 0 +those who managed to avoid the deconstructionist theorizing of french philosopher jacques derrida in college can now take an 85-minute brush-up course with the documentary derrida . $LABEL$ 0 +most new movies have a bright sheen . $LABEL$ 1 +but what saves lives on the freeway does not necessarily make for persuasive viewing . $LABEL$ 0 +steve irwin 's method is ernest hemmingway at accelerated speed and volume . $LABEL$ 1 +nicely serves as an examination of a society in transition . $LABEL$ 1 +the film would work much better as a video installation in a museum , where viewers would be free to leave . $LABEL$ 0 +culkin exudes none of the charm or charisma that might keep a more general audience even vaguely interested in his bratty character . $LABEL$ 0 +the whole thing plays out with the drowsy heaviness of synchronized swimmer wearing a wool wetsuit . $LABEL$ 0 +not a cozy or ingratiating work , but it 's challenging , sometimes clever , and always interesting , and those are reasons enough to see it . $LABEL$ 1 +the premise for this kegger comedy probably sounded brilliant four six-packs and a pitcher of margaritas in , but the film must have been written ... in the thrall of a vicious hangover . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a pleasure to see seinfeld griping about the biz with buddies chris rock , garry shandling and colin quinn . $LABEL$ 1 +finally , a genre movie that delivers -- in a couple of genres , no less . $LABEL$ 1 +the low-budget full frontal was one of the year 's murkiest , intentionally obscure and self-indulgent pictures , and solaris is its big-budget brother . $LABEL$ 0 +exquisitely acted and masterfully if preciously interwoven ... -lrb- the film -rrb- addresses in a fascinating , intelligent manner the intermingling of race , politics and local commerce . $LABEL$ 1 +an enthralling , playful film that constantly frustrates our desire to know the ` truth ' about this man , while deconstructing the very format of the biography in a manner that derrida would doubtless give his blessing to . $LABEL$ 1 +as a singular character study , it 's perfect . $LABEL$ 1 +haneke challenges us to confront the reality of sexual aberration . $LABEL$ 1 +an experience so engrossing it is like being buried in a new environment . $LABEL$ 1 +all the performances are top notch and , once you get through the accents , all or nothing becomes an emotional , though still positive , wrench of a sit . $LABEL$ 1 +a cockamamie tone poem pitched precipitously between swoony lyricism and violent catastrophe ... the most aggressively nerve-wracking and screamingly neurotic romantic comedy in cinema history . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't have an i am sam clue . $LABEL$ 0 +zhang yimou delivers warm , genuine characters who lie not through dishonesty , but because they genuinely believe it 's the only way to bring happiness to their loved ones . $LABEL$ 1 +the pleasures of super troopers may be fleeting , but they 'll register strongly with anybody who still retains a soft spot for precollegiate humor . $LABEL$ 1 +the thrill is -lrb- long -rrb- gone . $LABEL$ 0 +much monkeyfun for all . $LABEL$ 1 +a dreary , incoherent , self-indulgent mess of a movie in which a bunch of pompous windbags drone on inanely for two hours ... a cacophony of pretentious , meaningless prattle . $LABEL$ 0 +much of the way , though , this is a refreshingly novel ride . $LABEL$ 1 +for the first time in several years , mr. allen has surpassed himself with the magic he 's spun with the hollywood empress of ms. leoni 's ellie . $LABEL$ 1 +one scarcely needs the subtitles to enjoy this colorful action farce . $LABEL$ 1 +as it abruptly crosscuts among the five friends , it fails to lend the characters ' individual stories enough dramatic resonance to make us care about them . $LABEL$ 0 +what might have been a predictably heartwarming tale is suffused with complexity . $LABEL$ 1 +with generic sets and b-grade special effects , jason is about as convincing on the sci-fi front as tv 's defunct cleopatra 2525 . $LABEL$ 0 +this is simply the most fun you 'll ever have with a documentary ! $LABEL$ 1 +it represents better-than-average movie-making that does n't demand a dumb , distracted audience . $LABEL$ 1 +... the sum of the parts equals largely a confused mediocrity . $LABEL$ 0 +it may be an easy swipe to take , but this barbershop just does n't make the cut . $LABEL$ 0 +the fact that the rookie is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays . $LABEL$ 1 +how on earth , or anywhere else , did director ron underwood manage to blow $ 100 million on this ? $LABEL$ 0 +for all its failed connections , divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood is nurturing , in a gauzy , dithering way . $LABEL$ 1 +as are its star , its attitude and its obliviousness . $LABEL$ 0 +sluggishly directed by episodic tv veteran joe zwick , it 's a sitcom without the snap-crackle . $LABEL$ 0 +a dream cast of solid female talent who build a seamless ensemble . $LABEL$ 1 +the plot is straight off the shelf , the performances are television - caliber and the message of providing solace through deception is a little creepy . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of accurately accounting a terrible true story , the film 's more determined to become the next texas chainsaw massacre . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is well shot and very tragic , and one to ponder after the credits roll . $LABEL$ 1 +it is ridiculous , of course ... but it is also refreshing , disarming , and just outright enjoyable despite its ridiculousness . $LABEL$ 1 +everything you loved about it in 1982 is still there , for everybody who wants to be a kid again , or show it to their own kids . $LABEL$ 1 +tadpole is a sophisticated , funny and good-natured treat , slight but a pleasure . $LABEL$ 1 +a turgid little history lesson , humourless and dull . $LABEL$ 0 +the cartoon that is n't really good enough to be on afternoon tv is now a movie that is n't really good enough to be in theaters . $LABEL$ 0 +a sensual performance from abbass buoys the flimsy story , but her inner journey is largely unexplored and we 're left wondering about this exotic-looking woman whose emotional depths are only hinted at . $LABEL$ 1 +a harmless and mildly amusing family comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +not ` terrible filmmaking ' bad , but more like , ' i once had a nightmare like this , and it 's now coming true ' bad . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that , rather than skip along the seine , more or less slogs its way through soggy paris , tongue uncomfortably in cheek . $LABEL$ 0 +it does succeed by following a feel-good formula with a winning style , and by offering its target audience of urban kids some welcome role models and optimism . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- schweiger is -rrb- talented and terribly charismatic , qualities essential to both movie stars and social anarchists . $LABEL$ 1 +a well acted and well intentioned snoozer . $LABEL$ 0 +serry does a fine job of capturing the climate of the times and , perhaps unwittingly , relating it to what is happening in america in 2002 . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its alleged youthful fire , xxx is no less subservient to bond 's tired formula of guns , girls and gadgets while brandishing a new action hero . $LABEL$ 0 +this cuddly sequel to the 1999 hit is a little more visually polished , a little funnier , and a little more madcap . $LABEL$ 1 +now it 's just tired . $LABEL$ 0 +not so much a movie as a picture book for the big screen . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's difficult to say whether the tuxedo is more boring or embarrassing -- i 'm prepared to call it a draw . $LABEL$ 0 +about as satisfying and predictable as the fare at your local drive through . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie succumbs to being nothing more than a formulaic chase in the dark . $LABEL$ 0 +as lo-fi as the special effects are , the folks who cobbled nemesis together indulge the force of humanity over hardware in a way that george lucas has long forgotten . $LABEL$ 1 +writer-director burger imaginatively fans the embers of a dormant national grief and curiosity that has calcified into chronic cynicism and fear . $LABEL$ 1 +truth to tell , if you 've seen more than half-a-dozen horror films , there 's nothing here you have n't seen before . $LABEL$ 0 +george , hire a real director and good writers for the next installment , please . $LABEL$ 0 +all these developments and challenges facing santa weigh down the plot so heavily that they drain all the film of its energy and needlessly strain credibility . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's so full of wrong choices that all you can do is shake your head in disbelief -- and worry about what classic oliver parker intends to mangle next time . $LABEL$ 0 +the film runs on equal parts of innocence and wisdom -- wisdom that comes with experience . $LABEL$ 1 +goyer 's screenplay and direction are thankfully understated , and he has drawn excellent performances from his cast . $LABEL$ 1 +reinforces the often forgotten fact of the world 's remarkably varying human population and mindset , and its capacity to heal using creative , natural and ancient antidotes . $LABEL$ 1 +abandons all pretense of creating historical context and waltzes off into a hectic soap about the ups and downs of the heavy breathing between the two artists . $LABEL$ 0 +if it tried to do anything more , it would fail and perhaps explode , but at this level of manic whimsy , it is just about right . $LABEL$ 1 +scores a few points for doing what it does with a dedicated and good-hearted professionalism . $LABEL$ 1 +director dirk shafer and co-writer greg hinton ride the dubious divide where gay porn reaches for serious drama . $LABEL$ 0 +without a strong script and energetic acting , dogma films can produce the same sleep-inducing effects as watching your neighbor 's home videos . $LABEL$ 0 +a frantic search for laughs , with a hit-to-miss ratio that does n't exactly favour the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +de niro may enjoy the same free ride from critics afforded to clint eastwood in the lazy bloodwork . $LABEL$ 0 +an intelligent fiction about learning through cultural clash . $LABEL$ 1 +greengrass has delivered an undoubted stylistic tour-de-force , and has managed elements such as sound and cinematography with skill $LABEL$ 1 +there 's something fundamental missing from this story : something or someone to care about . $LABEL$ 0 +at heart the movie is a deftly wrought suspense yarn whose richer shadings work as coloring rather than substance . $LABEL$ 1 +sometimes , nothing satisfies like old-fashioned swashbuckling . $LABEL$ 1 +enough similarities to gymkata and howie long 's firestorm that my fingernails instinctively crawled towards my long-suffering eyeballs . $LABEL$ 0 +despite what anyone believes about the goal of its makers , the show ... represents a spectacular piece of theater , and there 's no denying the talent of the creative forces behind it . $LABEL$ 1 +here 's a british flick gleefully unconcerned with plausibility , yet just as determined to entertain you . $LABEL$ 1 +a well-made and often lovely depiction of the mysteries of friendship . $LABEL$ 1 +if i spy were funny -lrb- enough -rrb- or exciting -lrb- enough -rrb- then it would be fairly simple to forgive the financial extortion it 's trying to reap from the moviegoing public . $LABEL$ 0 +a great ending does n't make up for a weak movie , and crazy as hell does n't even have a great ending . $LABEL$ 0 +demands too much of most viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +rare is the ` urban comedy ' that even attempts the insight and honesty of this disarming indie . $LABEL$ 1 +its lack of quality earns it a place alongside those other two recent dumas botch-jobs , the man in the iron mask and the musketeer . $LABEL$ 0 +a deviant topical comedy which is funny from start to finish . $LABEL$ 1 +arguably the year 's silliest and most incoherent movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie quickly drags on becoming boring and predictable . $LABEL$ 0 +while not as aggressively impressive as its american counterpart , `` in the bedroom , '' moretti 's film makes its own , quieter observations $LABEL$ 1 +imagine if you will a tony hawk skating video interspliced with footage from behind enemy lines and set to jersey shore techno . $LABEL$ 0 +a refreshingly authentic coming-of-age tale . $LABEL$ 1 +the smartest bonehead comedy of the summer . $LABEL$ 1 +u.s. audiences may find -lrb- attal and gainsbourg 's -rrb- unfamiliar personas give the film an intimate and quaint reality that is a little closer to human nature than what hollywood typically concocts . $LABEL$ 1 +escapism in its purest form . $LABEL$ 1 +the cast is uniformly excellent and relaxed . $LABEL$ 1 +works because , for the most part , it avoids the stupid cliches and formulaic potholes that befall its brethren . $LABEL$ 1 +sucking all the ` classic ' out of robert louis stevenson 's treasure island and filling the void with sci-fi video game graphics and disney-fied adolescent angst ... $LABEL$ 0 +audiences conditioned to getting weepy over saucer-eyed , downy-cheeked moppets and their empathetic caretakers will probably feel emotionally cheated by the film 's tart , sugar-free wit . $LABEL$ 0 +despite some gulps the film is a fuzzy huggy . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing debases a concept comedy quite like the grinding of bad ideas , and showtime is crammed full of them . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an example of sophisticated , challenging filmmaking that stands , despite its noticeable lack of emotional heft , in welcome contrast to the indulgent dead-end experimentation of the director 's previous full frontal . $LABEL$ 1 +even if britney spears is really cute , her movie is really bad . $LABEL$ 0 +the backyard battles you staged with your green plastic army men were more exciting and almost certainly made more sense . $LABEL$ 0 +the ring just left me cold and wet like i was out in the seattle drizzle without rainwear . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot is very clever , but boyd weighs it down with too many characters and events , all intertwined and far too complicated to keep track of . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's one of the saddest films i have ever seen that still manages to be uplifting but not overly sentimental . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's all pretty cynical and condescending , too . $LABEL$ 0 +it takes this never-ending confusion and hatred , puts a human face on it , evokes shame among all who are party to it and even promotes understanding . $LABEL$ 1 +barely goes beyond comic book status . $LABEL$ 0 +even if you ca n't pronounce `` gyro '' correctly , you 'll appreciate much of vardalos ' humor , which transcends ethnic boundaries . $LABEL$ 1 +borrows from so many literary and cinematic sources that this future world feels absolutely deja vu . $LABEL$ 0 +once again , director jackson strikes a rewarding balance between emotion on the human scale and action\/effects on the spectacular scale . $LABEL$ 1 +as adapted by kevin molony from simon leys ' novel `` the death of napoleon '' and directed by alan taylor , napoleon 's journey is interesting but his parisian rebirth is stillborn $LABEL$ 0 +not everything works , but the average is higher than in mary and most other recent comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +it smacks of purely commercial motivation , with no great love for the original . $LABEL$ 0 +a fairly by-the-books blend of action and romance with sprinklings of intentional and unintentional comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +a dreary rip-off of goodfellas that serves as a muddled and offensive cautionary tale for hispanic americans . $LABEL$ 0 +sits uneasily as a horror picture ... but finds surprising depth in its look at the binds of a small family . $LABEL$ 1 +lacking gravitas , macdowell is a placeholder for grief , and ergo this sloppy drama is an empty vessel . $LABEL$ 0 +an impressive debut for first-time writer-director mark romanek , especially considering his background is in music video . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's push-the-limits teen comedy , the type written by people who ca n't come up with legitimate funny , and it 's used so extensively that good bits are hopelessly overshadowed . $LABEL$ 0 +the story and characters are nowhere near gripping enough . $LABEL$ 0 +ridiculous . $LABEL$ 0 +no. . $LABEL$ 0 +if it seems like a minor miracle that its septuagenarian star is young enough to be the nonagenarian filmmaker 's son , more incredible still are the clear-eyed boldness and quiet irony with which actor and director take on life 's urgent questions . $LABEL$ 1 +a long-winded and stagy session of romantic contrivances that never really gels like the shrewd feminist fairy tale it could have been . $LABEL$ 0 +a film so tedious that it is impossible to care whether that boast is true or not . $LABEL$ 0 +and in this regard , on guard delivers . $LABEL$ 1 +something the true film buff will enjoy . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is solemn and horrifying , yet strangely detached . $LABEL$ 0 +a gentle , compassionate drama about grief and healing . $LABEL$ 1 +the story itself is uninteresting , and the songs are painfully undistinguished : they might be giants ' so to be one of us may be the most tuneless tune ever composed . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the cinematic equivalent of a good page-turner , and even if it 's nonsense , its claws dig surprisingly deep . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is something quite fresh and delightful . $LABEL$ 1 +if you love motown music , you 'll love this documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's solid and affecting and exactly as thought-provoking as it should be . $LABEL$ 1 +you have to pay attention to follow all the stories , but they 're each interesting . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- wendigo is -rrb- why we go to the cinema : to be fed through the eye , the heart , the mind . $LABEL$ 1 +lovingly choreographed bloodshed taking place in a pristine movie neverland , basically . $LABEL$ 1 +a thoughtful , moving piece that faces difficult issues with honesty and beauty . $LABEL$ 1 +for a film about two mismatched buddies , crystal and de niro share little screen time and even less chemistry . $LABEL$ 0 +spousal abuse is a major problem in contemporary society , but the film reduces this domestic tragedy to florid melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +frida 's artistic brilliance is undeniable -- it 's among the most breathtakingly designed films i 've ever seen . $LABEL$ 1 +i hate this movie $LABEL$ 0 +not so much funny as aggressively sitcom-cute , it 's full of throwaway one-liners , not-quite jokes , and a determined tv amiability that allen personifies . $LABEL$ 0 +the film overcomes the regular minefield of coming-of-age cliches with potent doses of honesty and sensitivity . $LABEL$ 1 +like dickens with his passages , mcgrath crafts quite moving scenes throughout his resolutely dramatic variation on the novel . $LABEL$ 1 +city by the sea is the cinematic equivalent of defensive driving : it 's careful , conscientious and makes no major mistakes . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's both a necessary political work and a fascinating documentary ... $LABEL$ 1 +this insightful , oscar-nominated documentary , in which children on both sides of the ever-escalating conflict have their say away from watchful parental eyes , gives peace yet another chance . $LABEL$ 1 +this film is so slick , superficial and trend-hoppy , that it 's easy to imagine that a new software program spit out the screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +too much of this well-acted but dangerously slow thriller feels like a preamble to a bigger , more complicated story , one that never materializes . $LABEL$ 0 +so young , so smart , such talent , such a wise \*\*\* . $LABEL$ 1 +resourceful and ingenious entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +` enigma ' is a good name for a movie this delibrately obtuse and unapproachable . $LABEL$ 0 +rain is a small treasure , enveloping the viewer in a literal and spiritual torpor that is anything but cathartic . $LABEL$ 1 +this romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime england , and ably captures the speech patterns , moral codes and ideals of the 1940s . $LABEL$ 1 +reggio falls victim to relying on the very digital technology that he fervently scorns , creating a meandering , inarticulate and ultimately disappointing film . $LABEL$ 0 +a masterpiece four years in the making . $LABEL$ 1 +`` an entire film about researchers quietly reading dusty old letters . '' $LABEL$ 0 +in adobo , ethnicity is not just the spice , but at the heart of more universal concerns . $LABEL$ 1 +do we really need a 77-minute film to tell us exactly why a romantic relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman does n't work ? $LABEL$ 0 +this self-infatuated goofball is far from the only thing wrong with the clumsy comedy stealing harvard , but he 's the most obvious one . $LABEL$ 0 +the film often achieves a mesmerizing poetry . $LABEL$ 1 +a triumph , relentless and beautiful in its downbeat darkness . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's biggest offense is its complete and utter lack of tension . $LABEL$ 0 +digital-video documentary about stand-up comedians is a great glimpse into a very different world . $LABEL$ 1 +impresses you with its open-endedness and surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +the smug , oily demeanor that donovan adopts throughout the stupidly named pipe dream is just repulsive . $LABEL$ 0 +her delivery and timing are flawless . $LABEL$ 1 +if high crimes were any more generic it would have a universal product code instead of a title . $LABEL$ 0 +almost every scene in this film is a gem that could stand alone , a perfectly realized observation of mood , behavior and intent . $LABEL$ 1 +when it 's on dry land , though , this surfer-girl melodrama starts gasping like a beached grouper . $LABEL$ 0 +like a tone-deaf singer at a benefit concert , john q. is a bad movie appearing on behalf of a good cause . $LABEL$ 0 +boring we did n't . $LABEL$ 0 +a spunky , original take on a theme that will resonate with singles of many ages . $LABEL$ 1 +undercover brother does n't go far enough . $LABEL$ 0 +moot point . $LABEL$ 0 +let 's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line : stay home . $LABEL$ 0 +as green-guts monster movies go , it 's a beaut . $LABEL$ 1 +elling , portrayed with quiet fastidiousness by per christian ellefsen , is a truly singular character , one whose frailties are only slightly magnified versions of the ones that vex nearly everyone . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is full of fine performances , led by josef bierbichler as brecht and monica bleibtreu as helene weigel , his wife . $LABEL$ 1 +münch 's genuine insight makes the film 's occasional overindulgence forgivable . $LABEL$ 1 +the sum of all fears is almost impossible to follow -- and there 's something cringe-inducing about seeing an american football stadium nuked as pop entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +all but the most persnickety preteens should enjoy this nonthreatening but thrilling adventure . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem , it is with most of these things , is the script . $LABEL$ 0 +beyond a handful of mildly amusing lines ... there just is n't much to laugh at . $LABEL$ 0 +this miserable excuse of a movie runs on empty , believing flatbush machismo will get it through . $LABEL$ 0 +for the first two-thirds of this sparklingly inventive and artful , always fast and furious tale , kids will go happily along for the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +neither funny nor suspenseful nor particularly well-drawn . $LABEL$ 0 +a compendium of solondz 's own worst instincts in under 90 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +all i can say is fuhgeddaboutit . $LABEL$ 0 +biggie and tupac is so single-mindedly daring , it puts far more polished documentaries to shame . $LABEL$ 1 +anyone who can count to five -lrb- the film 's target market ? -rrb- $LABEL$ 0 +warmed-over tarantino by way of wannabe elmore leonard . $LABEL$ 0 +an endearingly offbeat romantic comedy with a great meet-cute gimmick . $LABEL$ 1 +emerges as something rare , an issue movie that 's so honest and keenly observed that it does n't feel like one . $LABEL$ 1 +sharp , lively , funny and ultimately sobering film . $LABEL$ 1 +shainberg weaves a carefully balanced scenario that is controlled by neither character , is weirdly sympathetic to both and manages to be tender and darkly comic . $LABEL$ 1 +thirty years ago , it would have been groundbreaking . $LABEL$ 0 +it is a comedy that 's not very funny and an action movie that is not very thrilling -lrb- and an uneasy alliance , at that -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , as a writer , mr. montias is n't nearly as good to his crew as he is as a director or actor . $LABEL$ 0 +a long-winded , predictable scenario . $LABEL$ 0 +invincible is a wonderful movie . $LABEL$ 1 +earns its laughs from stock redneck ` types ' and from the many , many moments when we recognize even without the elizabethan prose , the play behind the thing . $LABEL$ 1 +a smart , sweet and playful romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +a moody horror\/thriller elevated by deft staging and the director 's well-known narrative gamesmanship . $LABEL$ 1 +a dreadful live-action movie . $LABEL$ 0 +s personal revelations regarding what the shop means in the big picture , iconic characters gambol fluidly through the story , with charming results . $LABEL$ 1 +for the most part , i spy was an amusing lark that will probably rank as one of murphy 's better performances in one of his lesser-praised movies . $LABEL$ 1 +though the controversial korean filmmaker 's latest effort is not for all tastes , it offers gorgeous imagery , effective performances , and an increasingly unsettling sense of foreboding . $LABEL$ 1 +well worth the time . $LABEL$ 1 +they felt like the same movie to me . $LABEL$ 0 +witty , touching and well paced . $LABEL$ 1 +i would have preferred a transfer down the hall to mr. holland 's class for the music , or to robin williams 's lecture so i could listen to a teacher with humor , passion , and verve . $LABEL$ 0 +this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998 's whatever . $LABEL$ 1 +absorbing and disturbing -- perhaps more disturbing than originally intended -- but a little clarity would have gone a long way . $LABEL$ 0 +good movie . $LABEL$ 1 +i whole-heartedly recommend that everyone see this movie -- for its historical significance alone . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's badly acted , blandly directed , and could have been scripted by someone who just graduated from elementary school . $LABEL$ 0 +but what spectacular sizzle it is ! $LABEL$ 1 +stephen earnhart 's homespun documentary mule skinner blues has nothing but love for its posse of trailer park denizens . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a sly wink to the others without becoming a postmodern joke , made creepy by its `` men in a sardine can '' warped logic . $LABEL$ 1 +a cop story that understands the medium amazingly well . $LABEL$ 1 +taken individually or collectively , the stories never add up to as much as they promise . $LABEL$ 0 +when she speaks , her creepy egyptian demigod voice is as computer processed and overproduced as it was in her music . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the greatest romantic comedies of the past decade . $LABEL$ 1 +the plot grinds on with yawn-provoking dullness . $LABEL$ 0 +an amusing , breezily apolitical documentary about life on the campaign trail . $LABEL$ 1 +time changer may not be the most memorable cinema session but its profound self-evaluation message about our fragile existence and the absence of spiritual guidance should at least invade an abundance of mindsets $LABEL$ 1 +a very witty take on change , risk and romance , and the film uses humour to make its points about acceptance and growth . $LABEL$ 1 +... the last time i saw a theater full of people constantly checking their watches was during my sats . $LABEL$ 0 +these are lives worth watching , paths worth following . $LABEL$ 1 +static , repetitive , muddy and blurry , hey arnold ! $LABEL$ 0 +this is a throwaway , junk-food movie whose rap soundtrack was better tended to than the film itself . $LABEL$ 0 +the wwii drama is well plotted , visually striking and filled with enjoyably complex characters who are never what they first appear . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that is a portrait of grace in an imperfect world . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately the project comes across as clinical , detached , uninvolving , possibly prompting audience members to wonder , ` what 's the point ? ' $LABEL$ 0 +the best movie of its kind since ` brazil . ' $LABEL$ 1 +davis has filled out his cast with appealing fresh faces . $LABEL$ 1 +it might be tempting to regard mr. andrew and his collaborators as oddballs , but mr. earnhart 's quizzical , charming movie allows us to see them , finally , as artists . $LABEL$ 1 +sadly , hewitt 's forte is leaning forward while wearing low-cut gowns , not making snappy comebacks . $LABEL$ 0 +so what is the point ? $LABEL$ 0 +the issue of faith is not explored very deeply $LABEL$ 0 +my oh my , is this an invigorating , electric movie . $LABEL$ 1 +director ferzan ozpetek creates an interesting dynamic with the members of this group , who live in the same apartment building . $LABEL$ 1 +i kept thinking over and over again , ' i should be enjoying this . ' $LABEL$ 0 +do n't expect any surprises in this checklist of teamwork cliches ... $LABEL$ 0 +i saw knockaround guys yesterday , and already the details have faded like photographs from the spanish-american war ... it 's so unmemorable that it turned my ballpoint notes to invisible ink . $LABEL$ 0 +the stunning , dreamlike visuals will impress even those viewers who have little patience for euro-film pretension . $LABEL$ 1 +an eccentric little comic\/thriller deeply in love with its own quirky personality . $LABEL$ 1 +my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts . $LABEL$ 1 +egoyan 's movie is too complicated to sustain involvement , and , if you 'll excuse a little critical heresy , too intellectually ambitious . $LABEL$ 0 +will grab your children by the imagination and amaze them and amuse them . $LABEL$ 1 +a chaotic panorama that 's too busy flying a lot of metaphoric flags . $LABEL$ 0 +the overall feel of the film is pretty cheesy , but there 's still a real sense that the star trek tradition has been honored as best it can , given the embarrassing script and weak direction . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one for the ages . $LABEL$ 1 +the animated subplot keenly depicts the inner struggles of our adolescent heroes - insecure , uncontrolled , and intense . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling , moving film that respects its audience and its source material . $LABEL$ 1 +the talents of the actors helps `` moonlight mile '' rise above its heart-on-its-sleeve writing . $LABEL$ 1 +as elegantly crafted as it often is , anderson 's movie is essentially a one-trick pony that , hampered by an undeveloped script , ultimately pulls up lame . $LABEL$ 0 +all the characters are stereotypes , and their interaction is numbingly predictable . $LABEL$ 0 +day is not a great bond movie , but it is a good bond movie , which still makes it much better than your typical bond knock-offs . $LABEL$ 1 +the tug-of-war at the core of beijing bicycle becomes weighed down with agonizing contrivances , overheated pathos and long , wistful gazes . $LABEL$ 0 +quick : who wants to see a comedy about shoddy airport security ? $LABEL$ 0 +by the end , i was looking for something hard with which to bludgeon myself unconscious . $LABEL$ 0 +the only element of suspense is whether the movie will change titles or distributors again before the closing credits roll . $LABEL$ 0 +this clever caper movie has twists worthy of david mamet and is enormous fun for thinking audiences . $LABEL$ 1 +most of crush is a clever and captivating romantic comedy with a welcome pinch of tartness . $LABEL$ 1 +makmalbaf follows a resolutely realistic path in this uncompromising insight into the harsh existence of the kurdish refugees of iran 's borderlands . $LABEL$ 1 +despite a blue-chip cast and a provocative title , writer-director peter mattei 's first feature microwaves dull leftover romantic motifs basted in faux-contemporary gravy . $LABEL$ 0 +well-written , nicely acted and beautifully shot and scored , the film works on several levels , openly questioning social mores while ensnaring the audience with its emotional pull . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't a narrative film -- i do n't know if it 's possible to make a narrative film about september 11th , though i 'm sure some will try -- but it 's as close as anyone has dared to come . $LABEL$ 1 +christians sensitive to a reductionist view of their lord as a luv-spreading dr. feelgood or omnipotent slacker will feel vastly more affronted than secularists , who might even praise god for delivering such an instant camp classic . $LABEL$ 1 +a clever blend of fact and fiction . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's plenty of style in guillermo del toro 's sequel to the 1998 hit but why do we need 117 minutes to tell a tale that simply ca n't sustain more than 90 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +the writers , director wally wolodarsky , and all the actors should start their own coeducational fraternity : kappa rho alpha phi . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers skillfully evoke the sense of menace that nature holds for many urban dwellers . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's best to avoid imprisonment with the dull , nerdy folks that inhabit cherish . $LABEL$ 0 +based on a david leavitt story , the film shares that writer 's usual blend of observant cleverness , too-facile coincidence and slightly noxious preciousness . $LABEL$ 0 +pray 's film works well and will appeal even to those who are n't too familiar with turntablism . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's drained of life in an attempt to be sober and educational , and yet it 's so devoid of realism that its lack of whistles and bells just makes it obnoxious and stiff . $LABEL$ 0 +to the film 's credit , the acting is fresh and unselfconscious , and munch is a marvel of reality versus sappy sentiment . $LABEL$ 1 +why come up with something even quasi-original , when you can pillage from shirley jackson , richard matheson ... and puke up something like rose red ? $LABEL$ 0 +an absorbing trip into the minds and motivations of people under stress as well as a keen , unsentimental look at variations on the theme of motherhood . $LABEL$ 1 +though a bit of a patchwork in script and production , a glossy , rich green , environment almost makes the picture work . $LABEL$ 1 +well-shot but badly written tale set in a future ravaged by dragons . $LABEL$ 0 +outrageousness is all plympton seemed to be going for this time . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a vastness implied in metropolis that is just breathtaking . $LABEL$ 1 +a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a happy throwback to the time when cartoons were cinema 's most idiosyncratic form instead of one of its most predictable . $LABEL$ 1 +newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg . $LABEL$ 1 +vividly conveys both the pitfalls and the pleasures of over-the-top love . $LABEL$ 1 +formula 51 is so trite that even yu 's high-energy action stylings ca n't break through the stupor . $LABEL$ 0 +when your leading ladies are a couple of screen-eating dominatrixes like goldie hawn and susan sarandon at their raunchy best , even hokum goes down easily . $LABEL$ 1 +flaccid drama and exasperatingly slow journey . $LABEL$ 0 +too silly to be frightening , too stolid to be funny , it projects the same lazy affability as its nominal star , david arquette . $LABEL$ 0 +overall , the film misses the brilliance of jelinek 's novel by some way . $LABEL$ 0 +an incredibly low-rent danish film , it brings a group of people together in a sweet and charming way , if a little convenient $LABEL$ 1 +the film meant well in its horse tale about freedom , but was n't able to reach the heart because it was too overbearing . $LABEL$ 0 +occasionally funny , always very colorful and enjoyably overblown in the traditional almodóvar style . $LABEL$ 1 +high crimes miscasts nearly every leading character . $LABEL$ 0 +pretty darn good , despite its smarty-pants aura . $LABEL$ 1 +a mixed bag of a comedy that ca n't really be described as out of this world . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults , as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- an -rrb- hilarious romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +both deeply weird and charmingly dear . $LABEL$ 1 +the ill-conceived modern-day ending falls flat where it should deliver a moral punch . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie has lots of dancing and fabulous music . $LABEL$ 1 +what you would end up with if you took orwell , bradbury , kafka , george lucas and the wachowski brothers and threw them into a blender . $LABEL$ 1 +a hip ride into hyper-time , clockstoppers is a lively and enjoyable adventure for all ages at any time . $LABEL$ 1 +it risks seeming slow and pretentious , because it thinks the gamble is worth the promise . $LABEL$ 0 +occasionally melodramatic , it 's also extremely effective . $LABEL$ 1 +a very stylish but ultimately extremely silly tale ... a slick piece of nonsense but nothing more . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's really yet another anemic and formulaic lethal weapon-derived buddy-cop movie , trying to pass off its lack of imagination as hip knowingness . $LABEL$ 0 +an enjoyably half-wit remake of the venerable italian comedy big deal on madonna street . $LABEL$ 1 +rainy days and movies about the disintegration of families always get me down . $LABEL$ 0 +the second chapter of the harry potter series is even more magical than the first and simply the best family film of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard not to feel you 've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's one of the most honest films ever made about hollywood . $LABEL$ 1 +where last time jokes flowed out of cho 's life story , which provided an engrossing dramatic through line , here the comedian hides behind obviously constructed routines . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- but it 's -rrb- worth recommending because of two marvelous performances by michael caine and brendan fraser . $LABEL$ 1 +there is a kind of attentive concern that hoffman brings to his characters , as if he has been giving them private lessons , and now it is time for their first public recital . $LABEL$ 1 +philip k. dick must be turning in his grave , along with my stomach . $LABEL$ 0 +its characters are thinner than cardboard -- or even comic-book paper . $LABEL$ 0 +fine acting but there is no sense of connecting the dots , just dots . $LABEL$ 0 +theology aside , why put someone who ultimately does n't learn at the center of a kids ' story ? $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's quiet affirmation of neighborhood values gives it an honest , lived-in glow . $LABEL$ 1 +it might as well have been problem child iv . $LABEL$ 0 +feels like one of those contrived , only-in - hollywood productions where name actors deliver big performances created for the sole purpose of generating oscar talk . $LABEL$ 0 +good ol' urban legend stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's greatest asset is how much it 's not just another connect-the-dots , spy-on-the-run picture . $LABEL$ 1 +home alone goes hollywood , a funny premise until the kids start pulling off stunts not even steven spielberg would know how to do . $LABEL$ 0 +if it 's possible for a sequel to outshine the original , then sl2 does just that . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those rare , exhilarating cinematic delights that gets even better in hindsight , as you mull over its every nuance in your mind . $LABEL$ 1 +sunshine state lacks the kind of dynamic that limbo offers , and in some ways is a rather indulgent piece . $LABEL$ 0 +painful to watch , but viewers willing to take a chance will be rewarded with two of the year 's most accomplished and riveting film performances . $LABEL$ 1 +do not , under any circumstances , consider taking a child younger than middle school age to this wallow in crude humor . $LABEL$ 0 +he simply presents his point of view that ayurveda works . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its surface frenzy , high crimes should be charged with loitering -- so much on view , so little to offer . $LABEL$ 0 +like a marathon runner trying to finish a race , you need a constant influx of liquid just to get through it . $LABEL$ 0 +it took 19 predecessors to get this ? $LABEL$ 0 +... perhaps the heaviest , most joyless movie ever made about giant dragons taking over the world . $LABEL$ 0 +while surprisingly sincere , this average little story is adorned with some awesome action photography and surfing . $LABEL$ 1 +an endlessly fascinating , landmark movie that is as bold as anything the cinema has seen in years . $LABEL$ 1 +begins as a promising meditation on one of america 's most durable obsessions but winds up as a slender cinematic stunt . $LABEL$ 0 +a yarn that respects the marvel version without becoming ensnared by it . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- howard -rrb- so good as leon barlow ... that he hardly seems to be acting . $LABEL$ 1 +the tug of war that ensues is as much a snapshot of modern china in microcosm as it is a crash course in movie mythology . $LABEL$ 1 +but in its child-centered , claustrophobic context , it can be just as frightening and disturbing -- even punishing . $LABEL$ 0 +the whole cast looks to be having so much fun with the slapstick antics and silly street patois , tossing around obscure expressions like bellini and mullinski , that the compact 86 minutes breezes by . $LABEL$ 1 +though ganesh is successful in a midlevel sort of way , there 's nothing so striking or fascinating or metaphorically significant about his career as to rate two hours of our attention . $LABEL$ 0 +the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you ca n't wait to see what they do next . $LABEL$ 1 +reggio 's trippy , ambitious downer can also sometimes come across like nothing more than a glorified nike ad . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- fessenden -rrb- is much more into ambiguity and creating mood than he is for on screen thrills $LABEL$ 1 +if you can get past the fantastical aspects and harsh realities of `` the isle '' you 'll get a sock-you-in-the-eye flick that is a visual tour-de-force and a story that is unlike any you will likely see anywhere else . $LABEL$ 1 +jacquot 's tosca is a treat . $LABEL$ 1 +you 're better off staying home and watching the x-files . $LABEL$ 0 +the drama is played out with such aching beauty and truth that it brings tears to your eyes . $LABEL$ 1 +the sequel has turned completely and irrevocably bizarre to the point of utter nonsense . $LABEL$ 0 +divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood may not be exactly divine , but it 's definitely -- defiantly -- ya ya , what with all of those terrific songs and spirited performances . $LABEL$ 1 +the subject of swinging still seems ripe for a documentary -- just not this one . $LABEL$ 0 +the principals in this cast are all fine , but bishop and stevenson are standouts . $LABEL$ 1 +but it offers plenty to ponder and chew on as its unusual relationship slowly unfolds . $LABEL$ 1 +the ending is a cop-out . $LABEL$ 0 +the makers of divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood should offer a free ticket -lrb- second prize , of course , two free tickets -rrb- to anyone who can locate a genuinely honest moment in their movie . $LABEL$ 0 +no , it 's not nearly as good as any of its influences . $LABEL$ 0 +but he loses his focus when he concentrates on any single person . $LABEL$ 0 +bullock 's complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film $LABEL$ 0 +say this for the soundtrack , it drowns out the lousy dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +all ends well , sort of , but the frenzied comic moments never click . $LABEL$ 0 +proves that a movie about goodness is not the same thing as a good movie . $LABEL$ 0 +workmanlike , maybe , but still a film with all the elements that made the other three great , scary times at the movies . $LABEL$ 1 +this formulaic chiller will do little to boost stallone 's career . $LABEL$ 0 +like the film 's almost anthropologically detailed realization of early - '80s suburbia , it 's significant without being overstated . $LABEL$ 1 +accuracy and realism are terrific , but if your film becomes boring , and your dialogue is n't smart , then you need to use more poetic license . $LABEL$ 0 +elling really is about a couple of crazy guys , and it 's therapeutic to laugh along with them . $LABEL$ 1 +... too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film . $LABEL$ 0 +a boring , formulaic mix of serial killers and stalk 'n' slash . $LABEL$ 0 +a refreshing korean film about five female high school friends who face an uphill battle when they try to take their relationships into deeper waters . $LABEL$ 1 +hu and liu offer natural , matter-of-fact performances that glint with sorrow , longing and love . $LABEL$ 1 +the kids often appear to be reading the lines and are incapable of conveying any emotion . $LABEL$ 0 +just one more collection of penis , breast and flatulence gags in search of a story . $LABEL$ 0 +not a bad journey at all . $LABEL$ 1 +has a shambling charm ... a cheerfully inconsequential diversion . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's 45-minute running time stops shy of overkill , though viewers may be more exhausted than the athletes onscreen . $LABEL$ 0 +collateral damage is , despite its alleged provocation post-9 \/ 11 , an antique , in the end . $LABEL$ 0 +even those of a single digit age will be able to recognize that this story is too goofy ... even for disney . $LABEL$ 0 +bubba ho-tep is a wonderful film with a bravura lead performance by bruce campbell that does n't deserve to leave the building until everyone is aware of it . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is as far as you can get from racy , to the point where it almost stops the blood flow to your brain ; it has a dull , costumey feel . $LABEL$ 0 +hilarious , touching and wonderfully dyspeptic . $LABEL$ 1 +it is a film that will have people walking out halfway through , will encourage others to stand up and applaud , and will , undoubtedly , leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come . $LABEL$ 1 +a cumbersome and cliche-ridden movie greased with every emotional device known to man . $LABEL$ 0 +a comprehensive and provocative film -- one that pushes the boundaries of biography , and challenges its audience . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the authenticity of the trappings , the film is overblown in its plotting , hackneyed in its dialogue and anachronistic in its style . $LABEL$ 0 +the character is too forced and overwritten to be funny or believable much of the time , and clayburgh does n't always improve the over-the-top mix . $LABEL$ 0 +this version incarnates the prophetic book in a way even its exacting author might admire . $LABEL$ 1 +herzog is obviously looking for a moral to his fable , but the notion that a strong , unified showing among germany and eastern european jews might have changed 20th-century history is undermined by ahola 's inadequate performance . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances are so leaden , michael rymer 's direction is so bloodless and the dialogue is so corny that the audience laughs out loud . $LABEL$ 0 +a thoughtful , provocative , insistently humanizing film . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie bounces all over the map . $LABEL$ 0 +a frustrating combination of strained humor and heavy-handed sentimentality . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's traditional moviemaking all the way , but it 's done with a lot of careful period attention as well as some very welcome wit . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's as close as we 'll ever come to looking through a photographer 's viewfinder as he works . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is all a little lit crit 101 , but it 's extremely well played and often very funny . $LABEL$ 1 +de oliveira creates an emotionally rich , poetically plump and visually fulsome , but never showy , film whose bittersweet themes are reinforced and brilliantly personified by michel piccoli . $LABEL$ 1 +funny and , at times , poignant , the film from director george hickenlooper all takes place in pasadena , `` a city where people still read . '' $LABEL$ 1 +too loud , too long and too frantic by half , die another day suggests that the bond franchise has run into a creative wall that 007 can not fly over , tunnel under or barrel through . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is itself a sort of cinematic high crime , one that brings military courtroom dramas down very , very low . $LABEL$ 0 +fuller would surely have called this gutsy and at times exhilarating movie a great yarn . $LABEL$ 1 +a long slog for anyone but the most committed pokemon fan . $LABEL$ 0 +though avary has done his best to make something out of ellis ' nothing novel , in the end , his rules is barely worth following . $LABEL$ 0 +this idea has lost its originality ... and neither star appears very excited at rehashing what was basically a one-joke picture . $LABEL$ 0 +little more than a frothy vanity project . $LABEL$ 0 +a depressing confirmation of everything those of us who do n't object to the description `` unelected '' have suspected all along : george w. bush is an incurious , uncharismatic , overgrown frat boy with a mean streak a mile wide . $LABEL$ 0 +an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st. petersburg 's hermitage museum . $LABEL$ 1 +the new guy does have a heart . $LABEL$ 1 +screenwriters scott abbott and michael petroni have turned rice 's complex akasha into a cartoon monster . $LABEL$ 0 +nolan bravely treads where few american films dare to delve -- into the world of ambivalence and ambiguity ... $LABEL$ 1 +few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness . $LABEL$ 1 +i did n't laugh at the ongoing efforts of cube , and his skinny buddy mike epps , to make like laurel and hardy 'n the hood . $LABEL$ 0 +the streets , shot by cinematographer michael ballhaus , may be as authentic as they are mean , but it is nearly impossible to care about what happens on them . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're looking for comedy to be served up , better look elsewhere . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie makes absolutely no sense . $LABEL$ 0 +it extends the writings of jean genet and john rechy , the films of fassbinder , perhaps even the nocturnal works of goya . $LABEL$ 1 +edited and shot with a syncopated style mimicking the work of his subjects , pray turns the idea of the documentary on its head , making it rousing , invigorating fun lacking any mtv puffery . $LABEL$ 1 +this ecologically minded , wildlife friendly film teaches good ethics while entertaining with its unconventionally wacky but loving family $LABEL$ 1 +almost everything else is wan . $LABEL$ 0 +as hugh grant says repeatedly throughout the movie , ` lovely ! $LABEL$ 1 +it never fails to engage us . $LABEL$ 1 +only an epic documentary could get it all down , and spike lee 's jim brown : all american at long last gives its subject a movie worthy of his talents . $LABEL$ 1 +shadyac shoots his film like an m. night shyamalan movie , and he frequently maintains the same snail 's pace ; he just forgot to add any genuine tension . $LABEL$ 0 +waydowntown is by no means a perfect film , but its boasts a huge charm factor and smacks of originality . $LABEL$ 1 +i complain all the time about seeing the same ideas repeated in films over and over again , but the bourne identity proves that a fresh take is always possible . $LABEL$ 1 +the stupidest , most insulting movie of 2002 's first quarter . $LABEL$ 0 +no more . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- newton -rrb- wanders through charlie completely unaware she needs to show some presence and star quality . $LABEL$ 0 +i did n't believe for a moment in these villains or their plot . $LABEL$ 0 +a tale of horror and revenge that is nearly perfect in its relentless descent to the depths of one man 's tortured soul . $LABEL$ 1 +an original gem about an obsession with time . $LABEL$ 1 +she lists ingredients , but never mixes and stirs . $LABEL$ 0 +none of this violates the letter of behan 's book , but missing is its spirit , its ribald , full-throated humor . $LABEL$ 0 +a journey through memory , a celebration of living , and a sobering rumination on fatality , classism , and ignorance . $LABEL$ 1 +this is art paying homage to art . $LABEL$ 1 +happily for mr. chin -- though unhappily for his subjects -- the invisible hand of the marketplace wrote a script that no human screenwriter could have hoped to match . $LABEL$ 1 +makes s&m seem very romantic , and maggie gyllenhaal is a delight . $LABEL$ 1 +like most bond outings in recent years , some of the stunts are so outlandish that they border on being cartoonlike . $LABEL$ 0 +it has the courage to wonder about big questions with sincerity and devotion . $LABEL$ 1 +in the second half of the film , frei 's control loosens in direct proportion to the amount of screen time he gives nachtwey for self-analysis . $LABEL$ 0 +the year 's happiest surprise , a movie that deals with a real subject in an always surprising way . $LABEL$ 1 +an intelligent , moving and invigorating film . $LABEL$ 1 +daring , mesmerizing and exceedingly hard to forget . $LABEL$ 1 +... as the story congeals you feel the pieces of the star wars saga falling into place in a way that makes your spine tingle with revelation and excitement . $LABEL$ 1 +never -lrb- sinks -rrb- into exploitation . $LABEL$ 1 +leaves you with a knot in your stomach , its power is undercut by its own head-banging obviousness . $LABEL$ 0 +the cast is so low-wattage that none of the characters comes off as big ... and the setting remains indistinct . $LABEL$ 0 +a splendid entertainment , young in spirit but accomplished in all aspects with the fullness of spirit and sense of ease that comes only with experience . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard not to be seduced by -lrb- witherspoon 's -rrb- charisma , even in this run-of-the-mill vehicle , because this girl knows how to drive it to the max . $LABEL$ 1 +glib , satirical documentary that fudges facts , makes facile points and engages in the cinematic equivalent of tabloid journalism . $LABEL$ 0 +with the film 's striking ending , one realizes that we have a long way to go before we fully understand all the sexual permutations involved . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll have more fun setting fire to yourself in the parking lot . $LABEL$ 0 +foster nails the role , giving a tight , focused performance illuminated by shards of feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +it dares to be a little different , and that shading is what makes it worthwhile . $LABEL$ 1 +fear dot com is so rambling and disconnected it never builds any suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +tuck everlasting achieves a delicate balance of romantic innocence and philosophical depth . $LABEL$ 1 +this is carion 's debut feature but his script and direction hums with a confidence that many spend entire careers trying to reach . $LABEL$ 1 +an elegant , exquisitely modulated psychological thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +stars matthew perry and elizabeth hurley illicit more than a chuckle , and more jokes land than crash , but ultimately serving sara does n't distinguish itself from the herd . $LABEL$ 0 +hey , who else needs a shower ? $LABEL$ 0 +but even a hero can stumble sometimes . $LABEL$ 0 +the tone shifts abruptly from tense to celebratory to soppy . $LABEL$ 0 +moore 's performance impresses almost as much as her work with haynes in 1995 's safe . $LABEL$ 1 +not even the hanson brothers can save it $LABEL$ 0 +a picture that extols the virtues of comradeship and community in a spunky , spirited fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad , but thanks to some lovely comedic moments and several fine performances , it 's not a total loss . $LABEL$ 1 +his characters are engaging , intimate and the dialogue is realistic and greatly moving . $LABEL$ 1 +now trimmed by about 20 minutes , this lavish three-year-old production has enough grandeur and scale to satisfy as grown-up escapism . $LABEL$ 1 +an imaginative comedy\/thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +technically , the film is about as interesting as an insurance commercial . $LABEL$ 0 +the only thing in pauline and paulette that you have n't seen before is a scene featuring a football field-sized oriental rug crafted out of millions of vibrant flowers . $LABEL$ 0 +offers enough playful fun to entertain the preschool set while embracing a wholesome attitude . $LABEL$ 1 +there are times when a rumor of angels plays like an extended episode of touched by an angel -- a little too much dancing , a few too many weeping scenes -- but i liked its heart and its spirit . $LABEL$ 1 +for anyone who grew up on disney 's 1950 treasure island , or remembers the 1934 victor fleming classic , this one feels like an impostor . $LABEL$ 0 +... an inviting piece of film . $LABEL$ 1 +... a big , baggy , sprawling carnival of a movie , stretching out before us with little rhyme or reason . $LABEL$ 0 +flashy , pretentious and as impenetrable as morvern 's thick , working-class scottish accent . $LABEL$ 0 +maudlin and melodramatic we expected . $LABEL$ 0 +shocking only in that it reveals the filmmaker 's bottomless pit of self-absorption . $LABEL$ 0 +the visuals alone make metropolis worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +uncertain in tone ... a garbled exercise in sexual politics , a junior varsity short cuts by way of very bad things . $LABEL$ 0 +a waste of good performances . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those movies where you walk out of the theater not feeling cheated exactly , but feeling pandered to , which , in the end , might be all the more infuriating . $LABEL$ 0 +a bit of an unwieldy mess . $LABEL$ 0 +the picture , scored by a perversely cheerful marcus miller accordion\/harmonica\/banjo abomination , is a monument to bad in all its florid variety . $LABEL$ 0 +julia is played with exasperating blandness by laura regan . $LABEL$ 0 +a romantic comedy that operates by the rules of its own self-contained universe . $LABEL$ 1 +liman , of swingers and go , makes his big-budget action film debut something of a clunker as he delivers a long , low-heat chase , interrupted by a middling car chase . $LABEL$ 0 +a triumph of art direction over narrative , but what art direction ! $LABEL$ 1 +propelled not by characters but by caricatures . $LABEL$ 0 +never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man . $LABEL$ 0 +here 's a self-congratulatory 3d imax rah-rah . $LABEL$ 0 +every bit as bogus as most disney live action family movies are -- no real plot , no real conflict , no real point . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most haunting , viciously honest coming-of-age films in recent memory . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has just enough of everything -- re-enactments , archival footage , talking-head interviews -- and the music is simply sublime . $LABEL$ 1 +i like the new footage and still love the old stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +i weep for the future when a good portion of the respected critical community in this country consider blue crush to be an intelligent film about young women . $LABEL$ 0 +without september 11 , collateral damage would have been just another bad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +gollum 's ` performance ' is incredible ! $LABEL$ 1 +superior genre storytelling , which gets under our skin simply by crossing the nuclear line . $LABEL$ 1 +there are films that try the patience of even the most cinema-besotted critic -- and this was one of them . $LABEL$ 0 +an unabashedly schmaltzy and thoroughly enjoyable true story . $LABEL$ 1 +if this dud had been made in the '70s , it would have been called the hills have antlers and played for about three weeks in drive-ins . $LABEL$ 0 +a deliciously mordant , bitter black comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +a sophomoric exploration of ` life problems ' most people solved long ago -- or at least got tired of hearing people kvetch about . $LABEL$ 0 +flavorful and romantic , you could call this how martha got her groove back -- assuming , that is , she ever had one to begin with . $LABEL$ 1 +director rob marshall went out gunning to make a great one . $LABEL$ 1 +lanie 's professional success means she must be a failure at life , because she 's driven by ambition and does n't know how to have fun . $LABEL$ 0 +it almost plays like solaris , but with guns and jokes . $LABEL$ 1 +kwan makes the mix-and - match metaphors intriguing , while lulling us into torpor with his cultivated allergy to action . $LABEL$ 0 +you could nap for an hour and not miss a thing . $LABEL$ 0 +the tenderness of the piece is still intact . $LABEL$ 1 +these people would n't know subtle characterization if it put on a giant furry monster costume and then gave them a lapdance . $LABEL$ 0 +a graceless , witless attempt at mating some like it hot with the wwii espionage thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +the impact of the armenian genocide is diluted by too much stage business in the modern day . $LABEL$ 0 +while undercover brother is definitely one for the masses , it 's also full of sharp , smart satire . $LABEL$ 1 +visits spy-movie territory like a novel you ca n't put down , examines a footnote to history seldom brought to light on the screen , and keeps you guessing from first frame to last . $LABEL$ 1 +it suggests the wide-ranging effects of media manipulation , from the kind of reporting that is done by the supposedly liberal media ... to the intimate and ultimately tragic heartache of maverick individuals like hatfield and hicks . $LABEL$ 1 +this warm and gentle romantic comedy has enough interesting characters to fill several movies , and its ample charms should win over the most hard-hearted cynics . $LABEL$ 1 +half of it is composed of snappy patter and pseudo-sophisticated cultural observations , while the remainder ... would be more at home on a daytime television serial . $LABEL$ 0 +though howard demonstrates a great eye as a director , this southern gothic drama is sadly a tough sit , with an undeveloped narrative and enough flashbacks and heavy-handed metaphors to choke a horse -- or at least slow him down to a canter . $LABEL$ 0 +a tough go , but leigh 's depth and rigor , and his skill at inspiring accomplished portrayals that are all the more impressive for their lack of showiness , offsets to a notable degree the film 's often-mined and despairing milieu . $LABEL$ 1 +at first , the sight of a blind man directing a film is hilarious , but as the film goes on , the joke wears thin . $LABEL$ 0 +a charming romantic comedy that is by far the lightest dogme film and among the most enjoyable . $LABEL$ 1 +while the isle is both preposterous and thoroughly misogynistic , its vistas are incredibly beautiful to look at . $LABEL$ 1 +denis and co-writer michele petin 's impeccable screenplay penetrates with a rawness that that is both unflinching and tantalizing . $LABEL$ 1 +expect to be reminded of other , better films , especially seven , which director william malone slavishly copies . $LABEL$ 0 +lathan and diggs have considerable personal charm , and their screen rapport makes the old story seem new . $LABEL$ 1 +the reason this picture works better than its predecessors is that myers is no longer simply spoofing the mini-mod-madness of '60s spy movies . $LABEL$ 1 +he has not learnt that storytelling is what the movies are about . $LABEL$ 0 +an intelligent , earnest , intimate film that drops the ball only when it pauses for blunt exposition to make sure you 're getting its metaphysical point . $LABEL$ 1 +majidi 's poetic love story is a ravishing consciousness-raiser , if a bit draggy at times . $LABEL$ 1 +westfeldt and juergensen exude a chemistry and comfort level that 's both saucy and endearing . $LABEL$ 1 +quite funny for the type of movie it is ... $LABEL$ 1 +run , do n't walk , to see this barbed and bracing comedy on the big screen . $LABEL$ 1 +matthew mcconaughey tries , and fails , to control the screen with swaggering machismo and over-the-top lunacy . $LABEL$ 0 +a predictable and stereotypical little b-movie . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm not suggesting that you actually see it , unless you 're the kind of person who has seen every wim wenders film of the '70s . $LABEL$ 0 +dialogue-heavy and too cerebral for its own good -- or , at any rate , too cerebral for its racy subject matter . $LABEL$ 0 +when it 's all wet , blue crush is highly enjoyable . $LABEL$ 1 +a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race . $LABEL$ 1 +usually when i get this much syrup , i like pancakes to go with it . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. wedge and mr. saldanha handle the mix of verbal jokes and slapstick well . $LABEL$ 1 +longley has constructed a remarkably coherent , horrifically vivid snapshot of those turbulent days . $LABEL$ 1 +a slick , well-oiled machine , exquisitely polished and upholstered . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is mesmerizing -- filled with menace and squalor . $LABEL$ 1 +do n't plan on the perfect ending , but sweet home alabama hits the mark with critics who escaped from a small town life . $LABEL$ 1 +a stunning piece of visual poetry that will , hopefully , be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in australia 's film history . $LABEL$ 1 +too timid to bring a sense of closure to an ugly chapter of the twentieth century . $LABEL$ 0 +plays less like a coming-of-age romance than an infomercial . $LABEL$ 0 +all that -lrb- powerpuff girls -rrb- charm is present in the movie , but it 's spread too thin . $LABEL$ 0 +jirí hubac 's script is a gem . $LABEL$ 1 +as -lrb- the characters -rrb- get more depressed , the story gets more tiresome , especially as it continues to mount a conspicuous effort to be profound . $LABEL$ 0 +even when foreign directors ... borrow stuff from hollywood , they invariably shake up the formula and make it more interesting . $LABEL$ 1 +feels like six different movies fighting each other for attention . $LABEL$ 0 +this bold and lyrical first feature from raja amari expands the pat notion that middle-aged women just wanna have fun into a rousing treatise of sensual empowerment . $LABEL$ 1 +often gruelling and heartbreaking to witness , but seldahl and wollter 's sterling performances raise this far above the level of the usual maudlin disease movie . $LABEL$ 1 +a mix of velocity and idiocy , this ruinous remake lacks the brawn -- and the brains -- of the 1970s original . $LABEL$ 0 +cantet perfectly captures the hotel lobbies , two-lane highways , and roadside cafes that permeate vincent 's days $LABEL$ 1 +friday after next has the same problem that next friday did -- it 's called where 's chris tucker when you need him ? $LABEL$ 0 +extremely confusing . $LABEL$ 0 +well-intentioned though it may be , its soap-opera morality tales have the antiseptic , preprogrammed feel of an after-school special . $LABEL$ 0 +but fans should have fun meeting a brand-new pokemon called celebi . $LABEL$ 1 +son of the bride may be a good half-hour too long but comes replete with a flattering sense of mystery and quietness . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's laughing at us . $LABEL$ 0 +like most sequels , it takes what worked last time , repeats it and adds more characters , more stunts , more stuff in attempt to camouflage its sameness . $LABEL$ 0 +this film 's relationship to actual tension is the same as what christmas-tree flocking in a spray can is to actual snow : a poor -- if durable -- imitation . $LABEL$ 0 +helmer devito ... attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics , payola , vice , murder , kids ' tv and revenge . $LABEL$ 0 +the humor is hinged on the belief that knees in the crotch , elbows in the face and spit in the eye are inherently funny . $LABEL$ 0 +4 friends , 2 couples , 2000 miles , and all the pabst blue ribbon beer they can drink - it 's the ultimate redneck road-trip . $LABEL$ 1 +still , i 'm not quite sure what the point is ... $LABEL$ 0 +has it ever been possible to say that williams has truly inhabited a character ? $LABEL$ 0 +after that , it just gets stupid and maudlin . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , heartbreak hospital wants to convey the same kind of haughtiness in its own sketchy material but this territory has already been explored previously with better aplomb and sardonic wit . $LABEL$ 0 +by the end of no such thing the audience , like beatrice , has a watchful affection for the monster . $LABEL$ 1 +a baffling misfire , and possibly the weakest movie -lrb- woody allen -rrb- has made in the last twenty years . $LABEL$ 0 +the production values are up there . $LABEL$ 1 +rates an ` e ' for effort -- and a ` b ' for boring . $LABEL$ 0 +the pianist is a fine valedictory work for polanski , made richer by his own experiences , making his other movies somehow richer in the bargain . $LABEL$ 1 +being author wells ' great-grandson , you 'd think filmmaker simon wells would have more reverence for the material . $LABEL$ 0 +a modest and messy metaphysical thriller offering more questions than answers . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the best film of the year so far , the benchmark against which all other best picture contenders should be measured . $LABEL$ 1 +smith 's approach is never to tease , except gently and in that way that makes us consider our own eccentricities and how they are expressed through our homes . $LABEL$ 1 +a shambles of a movie -- visually unattractive , unbearably loud and utterly silly ... its hilarity is completely unintentional . $LABEL$ 0 +its direction , its script , and weaver 's performance as a vaguely discontented woman of substance make for a mildly entertaining 77 minutes , if that 's what you 're in the mood for . $LABEL$ 1 +it is so refreshing to see robin williams turn 180 degrees from the string of insultingly innocuous and sappy fiascoes he 's been making for the last several years . $LABEL$ 1 +`` collateral damage '' goes by the numbers and reps decent action entertainment -- until the silly showdown ending that forces the viewer to totally suspend disbelief $LABEL$ 0 +still , this thing feels flimsy and ephemeral . $LABEL$ 0 +a blessed gift to film geeks and historians . $LABEL$ 1 +what jackson has accomplished here is amazing on a technical level . $LABEL$ 1 +it should be mentioned that the set design and interiors of the haunted vessel are more than effectively creepy and moodily lit . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no denying the physically spectacular qualities of the film ... or the emotional integrity of the performances . $LABEL$ 1 +whether you 're moved and love it , or bored or frustrated by the film , you 'll still feel something . $LABEL$ 1 +a psychologically rich and suspenseful moral thriller with a stellar performance by al pacino . $LABEL$ 1 +an absorbing , slice-of-depression life that touches nerves and rings true . $LABEL$ 1 +moderately involving despite bargain-basement photography and hackneyed romance . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a film well worth seeing , talking and singing heads and all . $LABEL$ 1 +what was subtle and mystifying in the novella is now broad and farcical . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot is so predictable and sentimental that viewers are likely to lose interest before sandrine and her goats walk off into the sunset . $LABEL$ 0 +roger michell , who did an appealing job directing persuasion and notting hill in england , gets too artsy in his american debut . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe it 's asking too much , but if a movie is truly going to inspire me , i want a little more than this . $LABEL$ 0 +... there are enough moments of heartbreaking honesty to keep one glued to the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +i loved it ! $LABEL$ 1 +brilliant ! ' $LABEL$ 1 +some studio pizazz might have helped . $LABEL$ 0 +it will come as no surprise that the movie is n't scary . $LABEL$ 0 +all the well-meaningness in the world ca n't erase the fact that the believer feels like a 12-step program for the jewish nazi . $LABEL$ 0 +a grim , flat and boring werewolf movie that refuses to develop an energy level . $LABEL$ 0 +a hideous , confusing spectacle , one that may well put the nail in the coffin of any future rice adaptations . $LABEL$ 0 +as tweedy talks about canning his stockbroker and repairing his pool , you yearn for a few airborne tv sets or nude groupies on the nod to liven things up . $LABEL$ 0 +cedar takes a very open-minded approach to this sensitive material , showing impressive control , both visually and in the writing . $LABEL$ 1 +you can practically smell the patchouli oil . $LABEL$ 0 +cute , funny , heartwarming digitally animated feature film with plenty of slapstick humor for the kids , lots of in-jokes for the adults and heart enough for everyone . $LABEL$ 1 +what full frontal lacks in thematic coherence it largely makes up for as loosey-goosey , experimental entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +mark me down as a non-believer in werewolf films that are not serious and rely on stupidity as a substitute for humor . $LABEL$ 0 +maguire is a surprisingly effective peter\/spider-man . $LABEL$ 1 +windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live . $LABEL$ 1 +for its seriousness , high literary aspirations and stunning acting , the film can only be applauded . $LABEL$ 1 +so clichéd that , at one point , they literally upset an apple cart . $LABEL$ 0 +a byzantine melodrama that stimulates the higher brain functions as well as the libido . $LABEL$ 1 +cho 's fearless in picking apart human foibles , not afraid to lay her life bare in front of an audience . $LABEL$ 1 +about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream . $LABEL$ 1 +... an unimaginative , nasty , glibly cynical piece of work . $LABEL$ 0 +... in this incarnation its fizz is infectious . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just incredibly dull . $LABEL$ 0 +genuinely touching because it 's realistic about all kinds of love . $LABEL$ 1 +nicolas philibert observes life inside a one-room schoolhouse in northern france in his documentary to be and to have , easily one of the best films of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's rare to find a film that dazzles the eye , challenges the brain , and satisfies our lust for fast-paced action , but minority report delivers all that and a whole lot more . $LABEL$ 1 +a charming , quirky and leisurely paced scottish comedy -- except with an outrageous central gimmick that could have been a reject from monty python 's meaning of life . $LABEL$ 1 +a graceful , contemplative film that gradually and artfully draws us into a world where the personal and the political get fatally intertwined . $LABEL$ 1 +what will , most likely , turn out to be the most repellent movie of 2002 . $LABEL$ 0 +a little too pat for its own good . $LABEL$ 0 +the story is familiar from its many predecessors ; like them , it eventually culminates in the not-exactly - stunning insight that crime does n't pay . $LABEL$ 0 +even legends like alfred hitchcock and john huston occasionally directed trifles ... so it 's no surprise to see a world-class filmmaker like zhang yimou behind the camera for a yarn that 's ultimately rather inconsequential . $LABEL$ 0 +if nothing else , this movie introduces a promising , unusual kind of psychological horror . $LABEL$ 1 +a sermonizing and lifeless paean to teenage dullards . $LABEL$ 0 +for all its highfalutin title and corkscrew narrative , the movie turns out to be not much more than a shaggy human tale . $LABEL$ 0 +had anyone here done anything remotely intelligent , we all could have stopped watching long ago . $LABEL$ 0 +a teasing drama whose relentless good-deed\/bad-deed reversals are just interesting enough to make a sinner like me pray for an even more interesting , less symmetrical , less obviously cross-shaped creation . $LABEL$ 1 +there is not a character in the movie with a shred of plausibility , not an event that is believable , not a confrontation that is not staged , not a moment that is not false . $LABEL$ 0 +bad company leaves a bad taste , not only because of its bad-luck timing , but also the staleness of its script . $LABEL$ 0 +mckay deflates his piece of puffery with a sour cliche and heavy doses of mean-spiritedness $LABEL$ 0 +ethan hawke has always fancied himself the bastard child of the beatnik generation and it 's all over his chelsea walls . $LABEL$ 0 +the film might have been more satisfying if it had , in fact , been fleshed out a little more instead of going for easy smiles . $LABEL$ 0 +an unbelievably fun film just a leading man away from perfection . $LABEL$ 1 +extremely dumb . $LABEL$ 0 +flotsam in the sea of moviemaking , not big enough for us to worry about it causing significant harm and not smelly enough to bother despising . $LABEL$ 0 +cliches are as thick as the cigarette smoke . $LABEL$ 0 +leave these flowers unpicked -- they 're dead on the vine . $LABEL$ 0 +when the plot kicks in , the film loses credibility . $LABEL$ 0 +may be spoofing an easy target -- those old ' 50 's giant creature features -- but ... it acknowledges and celebrates their cheesiness as the reason why people get a kick out of watching them today . $LABEL$ 1 +the unceasing sadism is so graphically excessive , the director just ends up exposing his own obsession . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine the james woods character from videodrome making a home movie of audrey rose and showing it to the kid from the sixth sense and you 've imagined the ring . $LABEL$ 0 +this film was made to get laughs from the slowest person in the audience -- just pure slapstick with lots of inane , inoffensive screaming and exaggerated facial expressions . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's so underwritten that you ca n't figure out just where the other characters , including ana 's father and grandfather , come down on the issue of ana 's future . $LABEL$ 0 +think of it as a sort of comfort food for the mind . $LABEL$ 1 +hilarious , acidic brit comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +an incredibly clever and superbly paced caper filled with scams within scams within scams . $LABEL$ 1 +myers never knows when to let a gag die ; thus , we 're subjected to one mind-numbingly lengthy riff on poo and pee jokes after another . $LABEL$ 0 +but watching huppert , a great actress tearing into a landmark role , is riveting . $LABEL$ 1 +a marvellous journey from childhood idealism to adolescent self-absorption . $LABEL$ 1 +whether seen on a 10-inch television screen or at your local multiplex , the edge-of-your-seat , educational antics of steve irwin are priceless entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +how did it ever get made ? $LABEL$ 0 +it is also , at times , curiously moving . $LABEL$ 1 +it is inspirational in characterizing how people from such diverse cultures share the same human and spiritual needs . $LABEL$ 1 +a candid and often fascinating documentary about a pentecostal church in dallas that assembles an elaborate haunted house each year to scare teenagers into attending services . $LABEL$ 1 +the invincible werner herzog is alive and well and living in la $LABEL$ 1 +worth the effort to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +everything that has to do with yvan and charlotte , and everything that has to do with yvan 's rambunctious , jewish sister and her non-jew husband , feels funny and true . $LABEL$ 1 +grant gets to display his cadness to perfection , but also to show acting range that may surprise some who thought light-hearted comedy was his forte . $LABEL$ 1 +just a bloody mess . $LABEL$ 0 +suffers from rambling , repetitive dialogue and the visual drabness endemic to digital video . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is often filled with a sense of pure wonderment and excitement not often seen in today 's cinema du sarcasm $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't think i 've been as entranced and appalled by an asian film since shinya tsukamoto 's iron man . $LABEL$ 1 +the powers team has fashioned a comedy with more laughs than many , no question . $LABEL$ 1 +anchored by a terrific performance by abbass , satin rouge shows that the idea of women 's self-actualization knows few continental divides . $LABEL$ 1 +kaufman creates an eerie sense of not only being there at the time of these events but the very night matthew was killed . $LABEL$ 1 +as an actor , the rock is aptly named . $LABEL$ 0 +thoughtful , provocative and entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +scene-by-scene , things happen , but you 'd be hard-pressed to say what or why . $LABEL$ 0 +at nearly three hours , the whole of safe conduct is less than the sum of its parts . $LABEL$ 0 +dawdles and drags when it should pop ; it does n't even have the virtue of enough mindless violence to break up the tedium of all its generational bonding . $LABEL$ 0 +places a slightly believable love triangle in a difficult-to-swallow setting , and then disappointingly moves the story into the realm of an improbable thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's not much more to this adaptation of the nick hornby novel than charm -- effortless , pleasurable , featherweight charm . $LABEL$ 1 +good for a few unintentional laughs , `` extreme ops '' was obviously made for the `` xxx '' crowd , people who enjoy mindless action without the benefit of decent acting , writing , and direction . $LABEL$ 0 +tim story 's not there yet - but ` barbershop ' shows he 's on his way . $LABEL$ 1 +a sports movie with action that 's exciting on the field and a story you care about off it . $LABEL$ 1 +those outside show business will enjoy a close look at people they do n't really want to know . $LABEL$ 1 +the values that have held the enterprise crew together through previous adventures and perils do so again-courage , self-sacrifice and patience under pressure . $LABEL$ 1 +what happened with pluto nash ? $LABEL$ 0 +notorious c.h.o. has oodles of vulgar highlights . $LABEL$ 0 +before long , the film starts playing like general hospital crossed with a saturday night live spoof of dog day afternoon . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just a silly black genre spoof . $LABEL$ 0 +as written by michael berg and michael j. wilson from a story by wilson , this relentless , all-wise-guys-all-the-time approach tries way too hard and gets tiring in no time at all . $LABEL$ 0 +in fessenden 's horror trilogy , this theme has proved important to him and is especially so in the finale . $LABEL$ 1 +splashes its drama all over the screen , subjecting its audience and characters to action that feels not only manufactured , but also so false you can see the filmmakers ' puppet strings . $LABEL$ 0 +offers that rare combination of entertainment and education . $LABEL$ 1 +romanek keeps the film constantly taut ... reflecting the character 's instability with a metaphorical visual style and an unnerving , heartbeat-like score . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the long running time , the pace never feels slack -- there 's no scene that screams `` bathroom break ! '' $LABEL$ 1 +greene delivers a typically solid performance in a role that is a bit of a departure from the noble characters he has played in the past , and he is matched by schweig , who carries the film on his broad , handsome shoulders . $LABEL$ 1 +moore 's complex and important film is also , believe it or not , immensely entertaining , a david and goliath story that 's still very much playing itself out . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no denying the elaborateness of the artist 's conceptions , nor his ability to depict them with outrageous elan , but really the whole series is so much pretentious nonsense , lavishly praised by those who equate obscurity with profundity . $LABEL$ 0 +as a belated nod to some neglected all-stars , standing in the shadows of motown is cultural history of the best kind : informative , revealing and richly entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +engagingly captures the maddening and magnetic ebb and flow of friendship . $LABEL$ 1 +eventually , it wins you over . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll be left with the sensation of having just witnessed a great performance and , perhaps , give in to the urge to get on your feet and shake it . $LABEL$ 1 +if we do n't demand a standard of quality for the art that we choose , we deserve the trash that we get . $LABEL$ 0 +the acting alone is worth the price of admission . $LABEL$ 1 +i admired this work a lot . $LABEL$ 1 +might have been better off as a documentary , with less of mr. eyre 's uninspired dramatics and more of his sense of observation and outrage . $LABEL$ 0 +it tries too hard , and overreaches the logic of its own world . $LABEL$ 0 +highlights are the terrific performances by christopher plummer , as the prime villain , and nathan lane as vincent crummles , the eccentric theater company manager . $LABEL$ 1 +bullock does a good job here of working against her natural likability . $LABEL$ 1 +the 3d images only enhance the film 's otherworldly quality , giving it a strange combo of you-are-there closeness with the disorienting unreality of the seemingly broken-down fourth wall of the movie screen . $LABEL$ 1 +this version 's no classic like its predecessor , but its pleasures are still plentiful . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's neither as romantic nor as thrilling as it should be . $LABEL$ 0 +if this is the danish idea of a good time , prospective tourists might want to consider a different destination -- some jolly country embroiled in a bloody civil war , perhaps . $LABEL$ 0 +but some unexpected zigs and zags help . $LABEL$ 1 +we can see the wheels turning , and we might resent it sometimes , but this is still a nice little picture , made by bright and friendly souls with a lot of good cheer . $LABEL$ 1 +it is not a mass-market entertainment but an uncompromising attempt by one artist to think about another . $LABEL$ 1 +an irresistible combination of a rousing good story set on a truly grand scale . $LABEL$ 1 +de niro and mcdormand give solid performances , but their screen time is sabotaged by the story 's inability to create interest . $LABEL$ 1 +the master of disaster - it 's a piece of dreck disguised as comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +as weber and weissman demonstrate with such insight and celebratory verve , the cockettes were n't as much about gender , sexual preference or political agitprop as they were simply a triumph of the indomitable human will to rebel , connect and create . $LABEL$ 1 +a psychological thriller with a smart script and an obsessive-compulsive 's attention to detail . $LABEL$ 1 +interacting eyeball-to-eyeball and toe-to-toe , hopkins and norton are a winning combination -- but fiennes steals ` red dragon ' right from under their noses . $LABEL$ 1 +what could and should have been biting and droll is instead a tepid waste of time and talent . $LABEL$ 0 +if you think that jennifer lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry ben affleck , wait till you see maid in manhattan . $LABEL$ 0 +a map of the inner rhythms of love and jealousy and sacrifice drawn with a master 's steady stroke . $LABEL$ 1 +there is n't a weak or careless performance amongst them . $LABEL$ 1 +the perfect film for those who like sick comedies that can be snide . $LABEL$ 1 +it virtually defines a comedy that 's strongly mediocre , with funny bits surfacing every once in a while . $LABEL$ 0 +the film benefits greatly from a less manic tone than its predecessor , as cho appears to have settled comfortably into her skin . $LABEL$ 1 +fans of nijinsky will savor every minute of cox 's work . $LABEL$ 1 +novak manages to capture a cruelly hilarious vein of black comedy in the situation with his cast of non-actors and a gritty , no-budget approach . $LABEL$ 1 +what really surprises about wisegirls is its low-key quality and genuine tenderness . $LABEL$ 1 +i enjoyed the ride -lrb- bumps and all -rrb- , creamy depth , and ultimate theme . $LABEL$ 1 +what you get with empire is a movie you 've seen many times before , repackaged as new material because there is a latino in the lead . $LABEL$ 0 +a very average science fiction film . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a great deal of sizzle and very little steak . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is like a series of beginnings and middles that never take off . $LABEL$ 0 +verbinski substitutes atmosphere for action , tedium for thrills . $LABEL$ 0 +no reason for anyone to invest their hard-earned bucks into a movie which obviously did n't invest much into itself either . $LABEL$ 0 +the charms of willful eccentricity , at least as evidenced by this latest cinematic essay , are beginning to wear a bit thin . $LABEL$ 0 +though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static . $LABEL$ 0 +we miss the quirky amazement that used to come along for an integral part of the ride . $LABEL$ 0 +complex , affecting and uniquely almodóvar , the film evokes strong emotions and pushes viewers to question their deepest notions of moral right and wrong . $LABEL$ 1 +a savvy exploration of paranoia and insecurity in america 's culture of fear . $LABEL$ 1 +while the mystery surrounding the nature of the boat 's malediction remains intriguing enough to sustain mild interest , the picture refuses to offer much accompanying sustenance in the way of characterization , humor or plain old popcorn fun . $LABEL$ 0 +theirs is a simple and heart-warming story , full of mirth that should charm all but the most cynical . $LABEL$ 1 +cho 's fans are sure to be entertained ; it 's only fair in the interest of full disclosure to say that -- on the basis of this film alone -- i 'm not one of them . $LABEL$ 0 +while it would be easy to give crush the new title of two weddings and a funeral , it 's a far more thoughtful film than any slice of hugh grant whimsy . $LABEL$ 1 +while benigni -lrb- who stars and co-wrote -rrb- seems to be having a wonderful time , he might be alone in that . $LABEL$ 0 +smith 's point is simple and obvious -- people 's homes are extensions of themselves , and particularly eccentric people have particularly eccentric living spaces -- but his subjects are charmers . $LABEL$ 1 +divertingly ridiculous , headbangingly noisy . $LABEL$ 0 +extremely boring . $LABEL$ 0 +an impossible romance , but we root for the patronized iranian lad . $LABEL$ 1 +i doubt anyone will remember the picture by the time christmas really rolls around , but maybe it 'll be on video by then . $LABEL$ 0 +eight crazy nights is a showcase for sandler 's many talents . $LABEL$ 1 +too lazy to take advantage of its semi-humorous premise . $LABEL$ 0 +if there 's a way to effectively teach kids about the dangers of drugs , i think it 's in projects like the -lrb- unfortunately r-rated -rrb- paid . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll be more entertained getting hit by a bus . $LABEL$ 0 +an enjoyable film for the family , amusing and cute for both adults and kids . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a glorious groove that leaves you wanting more . $LABEL$ 1 +there are touching moments in etoiles , but for the most part this is a dull , dour documentary on what ought to be a joyful or at least fascinating subject . $LABEL$ 0 +more honest about alzheimer 's disease , i think , than iris . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's at stake in this film is nothing more than an obsolete , if irritating , notion of class . $LABEL$ 0 +offensive in the way it exploits the hot-button issue of domestic abuse for cheap thrills and disgusting in the manner it repeatedly puts a small child in jeopardy , treating her as little more than a prop to be cruelly tormented . $LABEL$ 0 +some movies are like a tasty hors-d'oeuvre ; this one is a feast . $LABEL$ 1 +it would n't be my preferred way of spending 100 minutes or $ 7.00 . $LABEL$ 0 +you might not want to hang out with samantha , but you 'll probably see a bit of yourself in her unfinished story . $LABEL$ 1 +a monster combat thriller as impersonal in its relentlessness as the videogame series that inspired it . $LABEL$ 0 +effectively feeds our senses with the chilling sights and sounds from within the camp to create a completely numbing experience . $LABEL$ 1 +life is a crock -- or something like it . $LABEL$ 0 +a richly imagined and admirably mature work from a gifted director who definitely has something on his mind . $LABEL$ 1 +from spiritual rebirth to bruising defeat , vincent 's odyssey resonates in a profound way , comparable to the classic films of jean renoir . $LABEL$ 1 +is n't quite the equal of woo 's best earlier work , but it 's easily his finest american film ... comes close to recapturing the brilliance of his hong kong films . $LABEL$ 1 +the weight of water uses water as a metaphor for subconscious desire , but this leaky script barely stays afloat . $LABEL$ 0 +automatically pegs itself for the straight-to-video sci-fi rental shelf . $LABEL$ 0 +one minute , you think you 're watching a serious actioner ; the next , it 's as though clips from the pink panther strikes again and\/or sailor moon have been spliced in . $LABEL$ 0 +director benoit jacquot , making his first opera-to-film translation with tosca , conveys the heaving passion of puccini 's famous love-jealousy - murder-suicide fandango with great cinematic innovation . $LABEL$ 1 +a boring , wincingly cute and nauseatingly politically correct cartoon guaranteed to drive anyone much over age 4 screaming from the theater . $LABEL$ 0 +never quite transcends jokester status ... and the punchline does n't live up to barry 's dead-eyed , perfectly chilled delivery . $LABEL$ 0 +choppy editing and too many repetitive scenes spoil what could have been an important documentary about stand-up comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +makes an aborbing if arguable case for the man 's greatness . $LABEL$ 1 +an unsatisfying hybrid of blair witch and typical stalk-and-slash fare , where the most conservative protagonist is always the last one living . $LABEL$ 0 +the diversity of the artists represented , both in terms of style and ethnicity , prevents the proceedings from feeling repetitious , as does the appropriately brief 40-minute running time . $LABEL$ 1 +unfortunately , they 're sandwiched in between the most impossibly dry account of kahlo 's life imaginable . $LABEL$ 0 +this extremely unfunny film clocks in at 80 minutes , but feels twice as long . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's like a poem . $LABEL$ 1 +a strong first quarter , slightly less so second quarter , and average second half . $LABEL$ 0 +earnest but earthbound ... a slow , soggy , soporific , visually dank crime melodrama\/character study that would be more at home on the small screen but for its stellar cast . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's as flat as an open can of pop left sitting in the sun . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie far more cynical and lazy than anything a fictitious charlie kaufman might object to . $LABEL$ 0 +a sour , nasty offering . $LABEL$ 0 +everyone connected to this movie seems to be part of an insider clique , which tends to breed formulaic films rather than fresh ones . $LABEL$ 0 +this time kaufman 's imagination has failed him . $LABEL$ 0 +... breathes surprising new life into the familiar by amalgamating genres and adding true human complexity to its not-so-stock characters . ' $LABEL$ 1 +suggests puns about ingredients and soup and somebody being off their noodle , but let 's just say the ingredients do n't quite add up to a meal . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie has an avalanche of eye-popping visual effects . $LABEL$ 1 +this is junk food cinema at its greasiest . $LABEL$ 0 +clever , brutal and strangely soulful movie . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- director -rrb- byler may yet have a great movie in him , but charlotte sometimes is only half of one . $LABEL$ 0 +if you liked the 1982 film then , you 'll still like it now . $LABEL$ 1 +a miniscule little bleep on the film radar , but one that many more people should check out $LABEL$ 1 +shamelessly sappy and , worse , runs away from its own provocative theme . $LABEL$ 0 +choose your reaction : a. -rrb- that sure is funny ! $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the kind of movie that ends up festooning u.s. art house screens for no reason other than the fact that it 's in french -lrb- well , mostly -rrb- with english subtitles and is magically ` significant ' because of that . $LABEL$ 0 +droll caper-comedy remake of `` big deal on madonna street '' that 's a sly , amusing , laugh-filled little gem in which the ultimate `` bellini '' begins to look like a `` real kaputschnik . '' $LABEL$ 1 +call me a wimp , but i cried , not once , but three times in this animated sweet film . $LABEL$ 1 +japan 's premier stylist of sex and blood hits audiences with what may be his most demented film to date . $LABEL$ 1 +and if the hours wins ` best picture ' i just might . $LABEL$ 1 +another rent installment for the ian fleming estate . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of kicking off the intrigue and suspense and mystery of the whole thing , hart 's war , like the st. louis rams in the super bowl , waits until after halftime to get started . $LABEL$ 0 +murderous maids may well be the most comprehensive of these films and also strike closest to the truth . $LABEL$ 1 +some of seagal 's action pictures are guilty pleasures , but this one is so formulaic that it seems to be on auto-pilot . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the greatest family-oriented , fantasy-adventure movies ever . $LABEL$ 1 +for caine lovers only . $LABEL$ 0 +a trashy , exploitative , thoroughly unpleasant experience . $LABEL$ 0 +opens at a funeral , ends on the protagonist 's death bed and does n't get much livelier in the three hours in between . $LABEL$ 0 +... surprisingly inert for a movie in which the main character travels back and forth between epochs . $LABEL$ 0 +thrilling , provocative and darkly funny , this timely sci-fi mystery works on so many different levels that it not only invites , it demands repeated viewings . $LABEL$ 1 +farrell ... thankfully manages to outshine the role and successfully plays the foil to willis 's world-weary colonel . $LABEL$ 1 +that zhang would make such a strainingly cute film -- with a blind orphan at its center , no less -- indicates where his ambitions have wandered . $LABEL$ 1 +those who would follow haneke on his creepy explorations ... are rewarded by brutal , committed performances from huppert and magimel . $LABEL$ 1 +but it pays a price for its intricate intellectual gamesmanship . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating and fun film . $LABEL$ 1 +the use of cgi and digital ink-and-paint make the thing look really slick . $LABEL$ 1 +a sad , superior human comedy played out on the back roads of life . $LABEL$ 1 +the lack of opposing viewpoints soon grows tiresome -- the film feels more like a series of toasts at a testimonial dinner than a documentary . $LABEL$ 0 +wait for video -- and then do n't rent it . $LABEL$ 0 +remember when bond had more glamour than clamor ? $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- i -rrb- f you 've been to more than one indie flick in your life , chances are you 've already seen this kind of thing . $LABEL$ 0 +excellent acting and direction . $LABEL$ 1 +a tender and touching drama , based on the true story of a troubled african-american 's quest to come to terms with his origins , reveals the yearning we all have in our hearts for acceptance within the family circle . $LABEL$ 1 +a very funny movie . $LABEL$ 1 +ranks among willams ' best screen work . $LABEL$ 1 +you can feel the heat that ignites this gripping tale , and the humor and humanity that root it in feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +this may not have the dramatic gut-wrenching impact of other holocaust films , but it 's a compelling story , mainly because of the way it 's told by the people who were there . $LABEL$ 1 +these spiders can outrun a motorcycle and wrap a person in a sticky cocoon in seconds , but they fall short of being interesting or entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a terrific american sports movie and dennis quaid is its athletic heart . $LABEL$ 1 +there are weird resonances between actor and role here , and they 're not exactly flattering . $LABEL$ 0 +the fight scenes are fun , but it grows tedious . $LABEL$ 0 +considering the harsh locations and demanding stunts , this must have been a difficult shoot , but the movie proves rough going for the audience as well . $LABEL$ 0 +an idealistic love story that brings out the latent 15-year-old romantic in everyone . $LABEL$ 1 +what kids will discover is a new collectible . $LABEL$ 1 +could the whole plan here have been to produce something that makes fatal attraction look like a classic by comparison ? $LABEL$ 0 +even die-hard fans of japanese animation ... will find this one a challenge . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a brave attempt to tap into the heartbeat of the world , a salute to the universal language of rhythm and a zippy sampling of sounds . $LABEL$ 1 +ford deserves to be remembered at oscar time for crafting this wonderful portrait of a conflicted soldier . $LABEL$ 1 +that rara avis : the intelligent romantic comedy with actual ideas on its mind . $LABEL$ 1 +could the country bears really be as bad as its trailers ? $LABEL$ 0 +while mcfarlane 's animation lifts the film firmly above the level of other coming-of-age films ... it 's also so jarring that it 's hard to get back into the boys ' story . $LABEL$ 0 +when -lrb- de palma 's -rrb- bad , he 's really bad , and femme fatale ranks with the worst he has done . $LABEL$ 0 +behind the snow games and lovable siberian huskies -lrb- plus one sheep dog -rrb- , the picture hosts a parka-wrapped dose of heart . $LABEL$ 1 +a captivating cross-cultural comedy of manners . $LABEL$ 1 +hawke draws out the best from his large cast in beautifully articulated portrayals that are subtle and so expressive they can sustain the poetic flights in burdette 's dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +a deceivingly simple film , one that grows in power in retrospect . $LABEL$ 1 +dolgin and franco fashion a fascinating portrait of a vietnamese-born youngster who eagerly and easily assimilated as an all-american girl with a brand new name in southern tennessee . $LABEL$ 1 +look , this is a terrific flick replete with dazzling camera-work , dancing and music . $LABEL$ 1 +presents an astute appraisal of middle american musical torpor and the desperate struggle to escape it . $LABEL$ 1 +mocking them now is an exercise in pointlessness . $LABEL$ 0 +this is how you use special effects . $LABEL$ 1 +like its two predecessors , 1983 's koyaanisqatsi and 1988 's powaqqatsi , the cinematic collage naqoyqatsi could be the most navel-gazing film ever . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's most striking about this largely celebratory film ... is the sense of isolation that permeates these bastions of individuality in an ikea world . $LABEL$ 1 +he 's super spy ! $LABEL$ 1 +though the book runs only about 300 pages , it is so densely packed ... that even an ambitious adaptation and elaborate production like mr. schepisi 's seems skimpy and unclear . $LABEL$ 0 +i do n't know precisely what to make of steven soderbergh 's full frontal , though that did n't stop me from enjoying much of it . $LABEL$ 1 +has the feel of an unedited personal journal . $LABEL$ 0 +the film takes too long getting to the good stuff , then takes too long figuring out what to do next . $LABEL$ 0 +skip work to see it at the first opportunity . $LABEL$ 1 +ecks this one off your must-see list . $LABEL$ 0 +gosling provides an amazing performance that dwarfs everything else in the film . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie has very little to offer besides unintentional laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +ostensibly celebrates middle-aged girl power , even as it presents friendship between women as pathetic , dysfunctional and destructive . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie will reach far beyond its core demographic . $LABEL$ 1 +so many documentaries like this presuppose religious bigotry or zealous nuttiness of its antagonists , but family fundamentals displays a rare gift for unflinching impartiality . $LABEL$ 1 +smart science fiction for grown-ups , with only a few false steps along the way . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is one of the best examples of artful large format filmmaking you are likely to see anytime soon . $LABEL$ 1 +merely as a technical , logistical feat , russian ark marks a cinematic milestone . $LABEL$ 1 +but if it is indeed a duty of art to reflect life , than leigh has created a masterful piece of artistry right here . $LABEL$ 1 +not a movie but a live-action agitprop cartoon so shameless and coarse , it 's almost funny . $LABEL$ 0 +murder and mayhem of this sort quickly becomes monotonous . $LABEL$ 0 +even with all those rough edges safely sanded down , the american insomnia is still pretty darned good . $LABEL$ 1 +the reason we keep seeing the same movie with roughly the same people every year is because so many of us keep going and then , out of embarrassment or stupidity , not warning anyone . $LABEL$ 0 +there is not an ounce of honesty in the entire production . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that hollywood is n't laughing with us , folks . $LABEL$ 0 +gee , a second assassin shot kennedy ? $LABEL$ 0 +birot 's directorial debut -lrb- she co-wrote the script with christophe honoré -rrb- is n't so much bad as it is bland . $LABEL$ 0 +as bundy , michael reilly burke -lrb- octopus 2 : river of fear -rrb- has just the right amount of charisma and menace . $LABEL$ 1 +it feels like a community theater production of a great broadway play : even at its best , it will never hold a candle to the original . $LABEL$ 0 +scarlet diva has a voyeuristic tug , but all in all it 's a lot less sensational than it wants to be . $LABEL$ 0 +b. -rrb- that sure is pathetic ! $LABEL$ 0 +this pep-talk for faith , hope and charity does little to offend , but if saccharine earnestness were a crime , the film 's producers would be in the clink for life . $LABEL$ 0 +the director , steven shainberg , has succeeded by focusing intently on his characters , making them quirky individuals rather than figures of fun . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a decent glimpse into a time period , and an outcast , that is no longer accessible , but it does n't necessarily shed more light on its subject than the popular predecessor . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- u -rrb- nrelentingly stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +the film makes a tragic error by going on for too long , trying to mirror every subsequent event in chinese history : war , revolution , communism , etc. . $LABEL$ 0 +compelling as it is exotic , fast runner has a plot that rivals shakespeare for intrigue , treachery and murder . $LABEL$ 1 +renner 's performance as dahmer is unforgettable , deeply absorbing . $LABEL$ 1 +big fat liar is just futile silliness looking to tap into the kiddie sensibilities . $LABEL$ 0 +afraid to pitch into farce , yet only half-hearted in its spy mechanics , all the queen 's men is finally just one long drag . $LABEL$ 0 +a painfully leaden film destined for pre-dawn cable television slots . $LABEL$ 0 +it would be hard to think of a recent movie that has worked this hard to achieve this little fun . $LABEL$ 0 +a recipe for cinematic disaster ... part quentin tarantino , part guy ritchie , and part 1960s spy spoof , it 's all bad . $LABEL$ 0 +hands down the year 's most thought-provoking film . $LABEL$ 1 +the furious coherence that -lrb- deniro -rrb- brings to this part only underscores the fuzzy sentimentality of the movie itself , which feels , as it plods toward the end , less like a movie than like the filmed reading of a script in need of polishing . $LABEL$ 0 +you might not buy the ideas . $LABEL$ 0 +looks like a high school film project completed the day before it was due . $LABEL$ 0 +as shaky as the plot is , kaufman 's script is still memorable for some great one-liners . $LABEL$ 1 +not for everyone , but for those with whom it will connect , it 's a nice departure from standard moviegoing fare . $LABEL$ 1 +this road movie gives you emotional whiplash , and you 'll be glad you went along for the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +too stupid to be satire , too obviously hateful to be classified otherwise , frank novak 's irritating slice of lumpen life is as reliably soul-killing as its title is nearly meaningless . $LABEL$ 0 +at times , however , dogtown and z-boys lapses into an insider 's lingo and mindset that the uninitiated may find hard to follow , or care about . $LABEL$ 0 +a compelling journey ... and `` his best friend remembers '' is up there with the finest of specials . $LABEL$ 1 +a real movie , about real people , that gives us a rare glimpse into a culture most of us do n't know . $LABEL$ 1 +after seeing swept away , i feel sorry for madonna . $LABEL$ 0 +but buying into sham truths and routine `` indie '' filmmaking , freundlich has made just another safe movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a clutchy , indulgent and pretentious travelogue and diatribe against ... well , just stuff . $LABEL$ 0 +the vampire thriller blade ii starts off as a wild hoot and then sucks the blood out of its fun -- toward the end , you can feel your veins cringing from the workout . $LABEL$ 0 +what makes the movie a comedy is the way it avoids the more serious emotions involved . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not horrible , just horribly mediocre . $LABEL$ 0 +the title 's lameness should clue you in on how bad the movie is . $LABEL$ 0 +a gimmick in search of a movie : how to get carvey into as many silly costumes and deliver as many silly voices as possible , plot mechanics be damned . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing about it fits . $LABEL$ 0 +the makers have forsaken the entertaining elements of the original and , instead , rehash old jokes and leave any life at the doorstep . $LABEL$ 0 +ordinary melodrama that is heavy on religious symbols but wafer-thin on dramatic substance $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a good film -- not a classic , but odd , entertaining and authentic . $LABEL$ 1 +a bold and subversive film that cuts across the grain of what is popular and powerful in this high-tech age , speaking its truths with spellbinding imagery and the entrancing music of philip glass . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's rather like a lifetime special -- pleasant , sweet and forgettable . $LABEL$ 1 +must-see viewing for anyone involved in the high-tech industry . $LABEL$ 1 +does what a fine documentary does best : it extends a warm invitation into an unfamiliar world , then illuminates it fully and allows the larger implications of the journey to sink in unobtrusively . $LABEL$ 1 +when the first few villians are introduced as `` spider '' and `` snake '' you know you 're in for a real winner , creativity at its peak . $LABEL$ 0 +this is n't a `` friday '' worth waiting for . $LABEL$ 0 +maybe i found the proceedings a little bit too conventional . $LABEL$ 0 +even the unwatchable soapdish is more original . $LABEL$ 0 +a wildly funny prison caper . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not exactly a gourmet meal but the fare is fair , even coming from the drive-thru . $LABEL$ 1 +obvious politics and rudimentary animation reduce the chances that the appeal of hey arnold ! $LABEL$ 0 +nair stuffs the film with dancing , henna , ornamentation , and group song , but her narrative clichés and telegraphed episodes smell of old soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , the picture failed to capture me . $LABEL$ 0 +its save-the-planet message clashes with its crass marketing . $LABEL$ 0 +when a film is created solely because it 's a marketable product , soulless and ugly movies like this are the result . $LABEL$ 0 +often hilarious , well-shot and , importantly , entertaining , hell house is a fascinating document of an event that has to be seen to be believed . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's enough science to make it count as educational , and enough beauty to make it unforgettable . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's also heavy-handed and devotes too much time to bigoted views . $LABEL$ 0 +although very much like the first movie based on j.k. rowling 's phenomenal fantasy best sellers , this second go-round possesses a quite pleasing , headlong thrust and a likably delinquent attitude . $LABEL$ 1 +merchant effectively translates naipaul 's lively mix of characters from the page to screen . $LABEL$ 1 +others may find it migraine-inducing , despite moore 's attempts at whimsy and spoon feeding . $LABEL$ 0 +you 've seen them a million times . $LABEL$ 0 +the comic performances are all spot on , especially lee ross 's turn as ken . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing plot-wise is worth e-mailing home about . $LABEL$ 0 +message movie or an action-packed submarine spectacular ? $LABEL$ 1 +disney 's live-action division has a history of releasing cinematic flotsam , but this is one occasion when they have unearthed a rare gem . $LABEL$ 1 +first good , then bothersome . $LABEL$ 0 +adam sandler is to gary cooper what a gnat is to a racehorse . $LABEL$ 0 +even by dumb action-movie standards , ballistic : ecks vs. sever is a dumb action movie . $LABEL$ 0 +if no one singles out any of these performances as award-worthy , it 's only because we would expect nothing less from this bunch . $LABEL$ 1 +... watching this film nearly provoked me to take my own life . $LABEL$ 0 +but this time there 's some mold on the gold . $LABEL$ 0 +a model of what films like this should be like . $LABEL$ 1 +a soggy , cliche-bound epic-horror yarn that ends up being even dumber than its title . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- hose same extremes prevent us from taking its message seriously , and the stepford wives mentality does n't work in a modern context . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie for 11-year-old boys with sports dreams of their own and the preteen girls who worship lil ' bow wow . $LABEL$ 1 +aside from being the funniest movie of the year , simone , andrew niccol 's brilliant anti-hollywood satire , has a wickedly eccentric enchantment to it . $LABEL$ 1 +a fast-moving and remarkable film that appears destined to become a landmark in japanese animation . $LABEL$ 1 +a truly moving experience , and a perfect example of how art -- when done right -- can help heal , clarify , and comfort . $LABEL$ 1 +the hours is what movies are supposed to be ... $LABEL$ 1 +just another fish-out-of-water story that barely stays afloat . $LABEL$ 0 +when it really counts ... bloody sunday connects on a visceral level that transcends language . $LABEL$ 1 +... with the candy-like taste of it fading faster than 25-cent bubble gum , i realized this is a throwaway movie that wo n't stand the test of time . $LABEL$ 0 +a remarkable 179-minute meditation on the nature of revolution . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing more than a mediocre trifle . $LABEL$ 0 +full of profound , real-life moments that anyone can relate to , it deserves a wide audience . $LABEL$ 1 +you would be better off investing in the worthy emi recording that serves as the soundtrack , or the home video of the 1992 malfitano-domingo production . $LABEL$ 0 +audiences can be expected to suspend their disbelief only so far -- and that does not include the 5 o'clock shadow on the tall wooden kid as he skips off to school . $LABEL$ 0 +a perverse little truffle , dainty psychological terror on the outside with a creamy filling of familial jealousy and unrepentant domestic psychopathy . $LABEL$ 1 +as a randy film about sexy people in gorgeous places being pushed and pulled -lrb- literally and figuratively -rrb- by desire ... -lrb- sex and lucía -rrb- makes for an arousing good time . $LABEL$ 1 +a work of intricate elegance , literary lyricism and profound common sense . $LABEL$ 1 +solid , lump-in-the-throat family entertainment that derives its power by sticking to the facts . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its serious sense of purpose ... -lrb- it -rrb- finds a way to lay bare the tragedies of its setting with a good deal of warmth and humor . $LABEL$ 1 +far from perfect , but its heart is in the right place ... innocent and well-meaning . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its flaws , secretary stays in your head and makes you question your own firmly held positions . $LABEL$ 1 +the film hinges on its performances , and both leads are up to the task . $LABEL$ 1 +the irwins emerge unscathed , but the fictional footage is unconvincing and criminally badly acted . $LABEL$ 0 +it helps that the central performers are experienced actors , and that they know their roles so well . $LABEL$ 1 +the title trapped turns out to be a pretty fair description of how you feel while you 're watching this ultra-manipulative thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +the thriller side of this movie is falling flat , as the stalker does n't do much stalking , and no cop or lawyer grasps the concept of actually investigating the case . $LABEL$ 0 +as with too many studio pics , plot mechanics get in the way of what should be the lighter-than-air adventure . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an awfully derivative story . $LABEL$ 0 +now it 's a bad , embarrassing movie . $LABEL$ 0 +fails to bring as much to the table . $LABEL$ 0 +sturdy , entertaining period drama ... both caine and fraser have their moments . $LABEL$ 1 +focuses on joan 's raging hormones and sledgehammers the audience with spanish inquisitions about her `` madness '' so much that i became mad that i wasted 123 minutes and $ 9.50 on this 21st century torture device . $LABEL$ 0 +there are moments in this account of the life of artist frida kahlo that are among cinema 's finest this year . $LABEL$ 1 +dark , resonant , inventively detailed and packed with fleet turns of plot and a feast of visual amazement . $LABEL$ 1 +narc may not get an ` a ' for originality , but it wears its b-movie heritage like a badge of honor . $LABEL$ 1 +the story may not be new , but australian director john polson , making his american feature debut , jazzes it up adroitly . $LABEL$ 1 +i admired it , particularly that unexpected downer of an ending . $LABEL$ 1 +a tv episode inflated past its natural length . $LABEL$ 0 +zany , exuberantly irreverent animated space adventure . $LABEL$ 1 +the creaking , rusty ship makes a fine backdrop , but the ghosts ' haunting is routine . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not so much enjoyable to watch as it is enlightening to listen to new sides of a previous reality , and to visit with some of the people who were able to make an impact in the theater world . $LABEL$ 1 +celebrated at sundance , this slight comedy of manners has winning performances and a glossy , glib charm that 's hard to beat . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- davis -rrb- has a bright , chipper style that keeps things moving , while never quite managing to connect her wish-fulfilling characters to the human race . $LABEL$ 1 +enough trivializes an important crisis , reduces it to an almost comic embarrassment . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is an enjoyable family film -- pretty much aimed at any youngster who loves horses . $LABEL$ 1 +watching trouble every day , at least if you do n't know what 's coming , is like biting into what looks like a juicy , delicious plum on a hot summer day and coming away with your mouth full of rotten pulp and living worms . $LABEL$ 0 +rarely do films come along that are as intelligent , exuberant , and moving as monsoon wedding . $LABEL$ 1 +the laser-projected paintings provide a spell-casting beauty , while russell and dreyfus are a romantic pairing of hearts , preciously exposed as history corners them . $LABEL$ 1 +there are a few laughs and clever sight gags scattered about , but not enough to make this anything more than another big-budget bust . $LABEL$ 0 +a thoughtful look at a painful incident that made headlines in 1995 . $LABEL$ 1 +an intermittently pleasing but mostly routine effort . $LABEL$ 0 +the film has a few cute ideas and several modest chuckles but it is n't exactly kiddie-friendly ... alas , santa is more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho and the snowman -lrb- who never gets to play that flute -rrb- has all the charm of a meltdown . $LABEL$ 0 +marisa tomei is good , but just a kiss is just a mess . $LABEL$ 0 +as teen movies go , `` orange county '' is a refreshing change $LABEL$ 1 +attal mixes comedy with a serious exploration of ego and jealousy within a seemingly serene marriage . $LABEL$ 1 +with a story inspired by the tumultuous surroundings of los angeles , where feelings of marginalization loom for every dreamer with a burst bubble , the dogwalker has a few characters and ideas , but it never manages to put them on the same path . $LABEL$ 0 +a mostly tired retread of several other mob tales . $LABEL$ 0 +flaunts its quirky excesses like a new year 's eve drunk sporting a paper party hat . $LABEL$ 0 +lame , haphazard teen comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +somewhat blurred , but kinnear 's performance is razor sharp . $LABEL$ 1 +... fifty minutes of tedious adolescent melodramatics followed by thirty-five minutes of inflated nonsense . $LABEL$ 0 +no number of fantastic sets , extras , costumes and spectacular locales can disguise the emptiness at the center of the story . $LABEL$ 0 +a slick , skillful little horror film . $LABEL$ 1 +there are as many misses as hits , but ultimately , it finds humor in the foibles of human behavior , and it 's a welcome return to the roots of a genre that should depend on surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +more a load of enjoyable , conan-esque claptrap than the punishing , special-effects soul assaults the mummy pictures represent . $LABEL$ 1 +on the surface , it 's a lovers-on-the-run crime flick , but it has a lot in common with piesiewicz 's and kieslowski 's earlier work , films like the double life of veronique . $LABEL$ 1 +in the end , punch-drunk love is one of those films that i wanted to like much more than i actually did . $LABEL$ 0 +it helps that lil bow wow ... tones down his pint-sized gangsta act to play someone who resembles a real kid . $LABEL$ 1 +finds a way to tell a simple story , perhaps the simplest story of all , in a way that seems compelling and even original . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the supporting characters in eastwood films are weak , as are most of the subplots . $LABEL$ 0 +began life as a computer game , then morphed into a movie -- a bad one , of course . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a beautifully accomplished lyrical meditation on a bunch of despondent and vulnerable characters living in the renown chelsea hotel ... $LABEL$ 1 +much of what is meant to be ` inspirational ' and ` uplifting ' is simply distasteful to audiences not already sharing -lrb- the movie 's -rrb- mindset . $LABEL$ 0 +but based on cq , i 'll certainly be keeping an eye out for his next project . $LABEL$ 1 +disturbing and brilliant documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +chaotic , self-indulgent and remarkably ugly to look at , it 's ... like a series of pretentiously awful student films strung together into one feature-length horror . $LABEL$ 0 +windtalkers celebrates the human spirit and packs an emotional wallop . $LABEL$ 1 +what it lacks in originality it makes up for in intelligence and b-grade stylishness . $LABEL$ 1 +an exciting and involving rock music doc , a smart and satisfying look inside that tumultuous world . $LABEL$ 1 +the lack of pace kills it , although , in a movie about cancer , this might be apt . $LABEL$ 0 +alas , it 's neither . $LABEL$ 0 +... this movie has a glossy coat of action movie excess while remaining heartless at its core . $LABEL$ 0 +men in black ii has sequel-itis something fierce . $LABEL$ 0 +not too far below the gloss you can still feel director denis villeneuve 's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's astonishing . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that takes you inside the rhythms of its subject : you experience it as you watch . $LABEL$ 1 +a resonant tale of racism , revenge and retribution . $LABEL$ 1 +a mostly intelligent , engrossing and psychologically resonant suspenser . $LABEL$ 1 +between bedroom scenes , viewers may find themselves wishing they could roll over and take a nap . $LABEL$ 0 +the central story lacks punch . $LABEL$ 0 +not every animated film from disney will become a classic , but forgive me if i 've come to expect more from this studio than some 79-minute after-school `` cartoon '' . $LABEL$ 0 +a didactic and dull documentary glorifying software anarchy . $LABEL$ 0 +a well-made thriller with a certain level of intelligence and non-reactionary morality . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're like me , a sucker for a good old fashion romance and someone who shamelessly loves to eat , then mostly martha offers all the perfect ingredients to more than satisfy your appetite . $LABEL$ 1 +all in all , there 's only one thing to root for : expulsion for everyone . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's never a good sign when a film 's star spends the entirety of the film in a coma . $LABEL$ 0 +we need -lrb- moore 's -rrb- noisy , cocky energy , his passion and class consciousness ; we need his shticks , we need his stones . $LABEL$ 1 +roman coppola may never become the filmmaker his dad was , but heck -- few filmmakers will . $LABEL$ 1 +gets under the skin of a man who has just lost his wife . $LABEL$ 1 +national lampoon 's van wilder could be the worst thing to come out of national lampoon since class reunion $LABEL$ 0 +the acting by the over-25s lacks spark , with csokas particularly unconnected . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- broomfield -rrb- uncovers a story powerful enough to leave the screen sizzling with intrigue . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the kind of pigeonhole-resisting romp that hollywood too rarely provides . $LABEL$ 1 +has a plot full of twists upon knots ... and a nonstop parade of mock-tarantino scuzbag types that starts out clever but veers into overkill . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing provocative about this film save for the ways in which it studiously avoids provoking thought . $LABEL$ 0 +a gentle blend of present day testimonials , surviving footage of burstein and his family performing , historical archives , and telling stills . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- it 's -rrb- a prison soccer movie starring charismatic tough guy vinnie jones , but it had too much spitting for me to enjoy . $LABEL$ 0 +there are slow and repetitive parts , but it has just enough spice to keep it interesting . $LABEL$ 1 +rambles on in a disjointed , substandard fashion from one poorly executed action sequence to the next . $LABEL$ 0 +if this is satire , it 's the smug and self-congratulatory kind that lets the audience completely off the hook . $LABEL$ 0 +here , adrian lyne comes as close to profundity as he is likely to get . $LABEL$ 1 +jagger the actor is someone you want to see again . $LABEL$ 1 +the level of maturity displayed by this 33-year-old first-time feature director is astonishing , considering her inexperience and her subject matter . $LABEL$ 1 +murder by numbers is like a couple of mediocre tv-movie - of-the-week films clumsily stuck together . $LABEL$ 0 +but in imax 3-d , the clichés disappear into the vertiginous perspectives opened up by the photography . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's more scatological action in 8 crazy nights than a proctologist is apt to encounter in an entire career . $LABEL$ 0 +the two leads chomp considerably more scenery with their acting than fire-breathing monsters barbecue with their breath ... $LABEL$ 0 +... a roller-coaster ride of a movie $LABEL$ 1 +just like hearst 's enormous yacht , it 's slow and unwieldy and takes a long time to reach its destination . $LABEL$ 0 +tsai ming-liang has taken his trademark style and refined it to a crystalline point . $LABEL$ 1 +god help the poor woman if attal is this insecure in real life : his fictional yvan 's neuroses are aggravating enough to exhaust the patience of even the most understanding spouse . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is surprisingly well-directed by brett ratner , who keeps things moving well -- at least until the problematic third act . $LABEL$ 1 +the story feels more like a serious read , filled with heavy doses of always enticing sayles dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +the hours makes you examine your own life in much the same way its characters do , and the experience is profound . $LABEL$ 1 +hugh grant and sandra bullock are two such likeable actors . $LABEL$ 1 +in its ragged , cheap and unassuming way , the movie works . $LABEL$ 1 +while the film misfires at every level , the biggest downside is the paucity of laughter in what 's supposed to be a comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +i love the way that it took chances and really asks you to take these great leaps of faith and pays off . $LABEL$ 1 +lacks heart , depth and , most of all , purpose . $LABEL$ 0 +oedekerk wrote patch adams , for which he should not be forgiven . $LABEL$ 0 +with a story as bizarre and mysterious as this , you do n't want to be worrying about whether the ineffectual broomfield is going to have the courage to knock on that door . $LABEL$ 0 +marries the amateurishness of the blair witch project with the illogic of series 7 : the contenders to create a completely crass and forgettable movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's eventual success should be credited to dennis quaid , in fighting trim shape as an athlete as well as an actor $LABEL$ 1 +the actors do n't inhabit their roles -- they 're trapped by them , forced to change behavior in bizarre unjustified fashion and spout dialog that consists mostly of platitudes . $LABEL$ 0 +strong setup and ambitious goals fade as the film descends into unsophisticated scare tactics and b-film thuggery . $LABEL$ 0 +vile and tacky are the two best adjectives to describe ghost ship . $LABEL$ 0 +bow 's best moments are when he 's getting busy on the basketball court because that 's when he really scores . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie that tries to fuse the two ` woods ' but winds up a bolly-holly masala mess . $LABEL$ 0 +but that 's just the problem with it - the director has n't added enough of his own ingredients . $LABEL$ 0 +who knows what exactly godard is on about in this film , but his words and images do n't have to add up to mesmerize you . $LABEL$ 1 +it becomes gimmicky instead of compelling . $LABEL$ 0 +sets up a nice concept for its fiftysomething leading ladies , but fails loudly in execution . $LABEL$ 0 +undone by its overly complicated and derivative screenplay , the glacier-paced direction and the stereotypical characters . $LABEL$ 0 +some , like ballistic , arrive stillborn ... looking like the beaten , well-worn video box cover of seven years into the future . $LABEL$ 0 +the sort of movie that gives tastelessness a bad rap . $LABEL$ 0 +this time out , -lrb- sade -rrb- is an unsettlingly familiar figure -- in turns loyal and deceitful , responsible and reckless , idealistically selfless and coldly self-interested . $LABEL$ 0 +a pleasant romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +the director 's twitchy sketchbook style and adroit perspective shifts grow wearisome amid leaden pacing and indifferent craftsmanship -lrb- most notably wretched sound design -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +must be seen to be believed . $LABEL$ 1 +... a poignant and powerful narrative that reveals that reading writing and arithmetic are not the only subjects to learn in life . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a film brimming with detail and nuance and one that speaks volumes about the ability of the human spirit to find solace in events that could easily crush it forever . $LABEL$ 1 +birot is a competent enough filmmaker , but her story has nothing fresh or very exciting about it . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a minor comedy that tries to balance sweetness with coarseness , while it paints a sad picture of the singles scene . $LABEL$ 1 +it delivers some chills and sustained unease , but flounders in its quest for deeper meaning . $LABEL$ 0 +shot perhaps ` artistically ' with handheld cameras and apparently no movie lights by joaquin baca-asay , the low-budget production swings annoyingly between vertigo and opacity . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's painful . $LABEL$ 0 +a simple , sometimes maddeningly slow film that has just enough charm and good acting to make it interesting , but is ultimately pulled under by the pacing and lack of creativity within . $LABEL$ 0 +as blunt as it is in depicting child abuse , el bola is a movie steeped in an ambiguity that lends its conflicts a symbolic resonance . $LABEL$ 1 +morton is , as usual , brilliant . $LABEL$ 1 +the picture is a primer on what happens when lack of know-how mixes with lack of give-a-damn . $LABEL$ 0 +... a weak , manipulative , pencil-thin story that is miraculously able to entertain anyway . $LABEL$ 0 +what could have become just another cautionary fable is allowed to play out as a clever , charming tale -- as pleasantly in its own way as its self-dramatizing characters . $LABEL$ 1 +culkin , who 's in virtually every scene , shines as a young man who uses sarcastic lies like a shield . $LABEL$ 1 +for anyone who remembers the '60s or is interested in one man 's response to stroke , ram dass : fierce grace is worth seeking out . $LABEL$ 1 +falters when it takes itself too seriously and when it depends too heavily on its otherwise talented cast to clown in situations that are n't funny . $LABEL$ 0 +it wo n't be long before you 'll spy i spy at a video store near you . $LABEL$ 0 +an engaging overview of johnson 's eccentric career . $LABEL$ 1 +proof that a thriller can be sleekly shot , expertly cast , paced with crisp professionalism ... and still be a letdown if its twists and turns hold no more surprise than yesterday 's weather report . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie stays afloat thanks to its hallucinatory production design . $LABEL$ 1 +this goofy gangster yarn never really elevates itself from being yet another earnestly generic crime-busting comic vehicle -- a well-intentioned remake that shows some spunk and promise but fails to register as anything distinctive or daring $LABEL$ 0 +sorry , charlie $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a hoot and a half , and a great way for the american people to see what a candidate is like when he 's not giving the same 15-cent stump speech . $LABEL$ 1 +in scope , ambition and accomplishment , children of the century ... takes kurys ' career to a whole new level . $LABEL$ 1 +the sad thing about knockaround guys is its lame aspiration for grasping the coolness vibes when in fact the film is n't as flippant or slick as it thinks it is . $LABEL$ 0 +the more kevin costner rests on his pretty-boy laurels , the public is , regrettably , going to have tepid films like dragonfly tossed at them . $LABEL$ 0 +... -lrb- a -rrb- strained comedy that jettisons all opportunities for rock to make his mark by serving up the usual chaotic nonsense . $LABEL$ 0 +blessed with immense physical prowess he may well be , but ahola is simply not an actor . $LABEL$ 0 +another big , dumb action movie in the vein of xxx , the transporter is riddled with plot holes big enough for its titular hero to drive his sleek black bmw through . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing denis has made before , like beau travil and nenette et boni , could prepare us for this gory , perverted , sex-soaked riff on the cannibal genre . $LABEL$ 0 +led by griffin 's smartly nuanced performance and enthusiasm , the cast has a lot of fun with the material . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's frustrating to see these guys -- who are obviously pretty clever -- waste their talent on parodies of things they probably thought were funniest when they were high . $LABEL$ 0 +i watched the brainless insanity of no such thing with mounting disbelief . $LABEL$ 0 +the angst-ridden , affluent slacker characters are more grating than engaging . $LABEL$ 0 +he just wants them to be part of the action , the wallpaper of his chosen reality . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's ripe , enrapturing beauty will tempt those willing to probe its inscrutable mysteries . $LABEL$ 1 +like so many other allegedly scary movies , it gets so tangled up in the twist that it chokes the energy right out of the very audience it seeks to frighten . $LABEL$ 0 +is n't it great ? $LABEL$ 1 +enormously likable , partly because it is aware of its own grasp of the absurd . $LABEL$ 1 +this is as powerful a set of evidence as you 'll ever find of why art matters , and how it can resonate far beyond museum walls and through to the most painfully marginal lives . $LABEL$ 1 +guillen rarely gets beneath the surface of things . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is exhilarating to watch because sandler , liberated from the constraints of formula , reveals unexpected depths as an actor . $LABEL$ 1 +ranging from funny to shattering and featuring some of the year 's best acting , personal velocity gathers plenty of dramatic momentum . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is faithful to what one presumes are the book 's twin premises -- that we become who we are on the backs of our parents , but we have no idea who they were at our age ; and that time is a fleeting and precious commodity no matter how old you are . $LABEL$ 1 +some decent actors inflict big damage upon their reputations . $LABEL$ 0 +human nature talks the talk , but it fails to walk the silly walk that distinguishes the merely quirky from the surreal . $LABEL$ 0 +does n't amount to much of anything . $LABEL$ 0 +huppert gives erika a persona that is so intriguing that you find yourself staring hypnotically at her , trying to understand her and wondering if she 'll crack . $LABEL$ 1 +an exceedingly clever piece of cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +lead provocatuers testud and parmentier give superlative performances $LABEL$ 1 +apallingly absurd ... the chemistry or lack thereof between newton and wahlberg could turn an imax theater into a 9 '' black and white portable tv . $LABEL$ 0 +meandering , sub-aquatic mess : it 's so bad it 's good , but only if you slide in on a freebie . $LABEL$ 0 +rather quickly , the film falls into a soothing formula of brotherly conflict and reconciliation . $LABEL$ 1 +when the painted backdrops in a movie are more alive than its characters , you know you 're in trouble . $LABEL$ 0 +this overproduced and generally disappointing effort is n't likely to rouse the rush hour crowd . $LABEL$ 0 +having never been a huge fan of dickens ' 800-page novel , it surprised me how much pleasure i had watching mcgrath 's version . $LABEL$ 1 +the noble tradition of men in drag hits an all-time low in sorority boys , whose makers apparently believe that women 's clothing can cover up any deficiency in acting , writing or direction . $LABEL$ 0 +if you collected all the moments of coherent dialogue , they still would n't add up to the time required to boil a four - minute egg . $LABEL$ 0 +the problem with this film is that it 's forced to make its characters idiots in order to advance the plot . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's disappointing when filmmakers throw a few big-name actors and cameos at a hokey script . $LABEL$ 0 +the story is naturally poignant , but first-time screenwriter paul pender overloads it with sugary bits of business . $LABEL$ 0 +so lazy and slipshod it confuses the mere flashing of kinky soft-core imagery with naughty fun . $LABEL$ 0 +a love for films shines through each frame and the era is recreated with obvious affection , scored to perfection with some tasty boogaloo beats . $LABEL$ 1 +i tried to read the time on my watch . $LABEL$ 0 +writer\/director john mckay ignites some charming chemistry between kate and jed but , when he veers into sodden melodrama , punctuated by violins , it 's disastrous and kate 's jealous female friends become downright despicable . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie takes itself too seriously and , as a result , it makes for only intermittent fun . $LABEL$ 0 +i like frank the pug , though . $LABEL$ 1 +an overstuffed compendium of teen-catholic-movie dogma . $LABEL$ 0 +an involving true story of a chinese actor who takes up drugs and winds up in an institution -- acted mostly by the actual people involved . $LABEL$ 1 +nearly surreal , dabbling in french , this is no simple movie , and you 'll be taking a risk if you choose to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +would seem to have a lock on the title of ugliest movie of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +an incendiary , deeply thought-provoking look at one of the most peculiar -lrb- and peculiarly venomous -rrb- bigotries in our increasingly frightening theocracy $LABEL$ 1 +lee jeong-hyang tells it so lovingly and films it so beautifully that i could n't help being captivated by it . $LABEL$ 1 +the episodic film makes valid points about the depersonalization of modern life . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's almost impossible not to be moved by the movie 's depiction of sacrifice and its stirring epilogue in post-soviet russia . $LABEL$ 1 +though the film 's scenario is certainly not earthshaking , this depiction of fluctuating female sexuality has two winning lead performances and charm to spare . $LABEL$ 1 +kinnear gives a tremendous performance . $LABEL$ 1 +perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions . $LABEL$ 1 +dull , if not devoid of wit , this shaggy dog longs to frisk through the back alleys of history , but scarcely manages more than a modest , snoozy charm . $LABEL$ 0 +... both hokey and super-cool , and definitely not in a hurry , so sit back , relax and have a few laughs while the little ones get a fuzzy treat . ' $LABEL$ 1 +windtalkers blows this way and that , but there 's no mistaking the filmmaker in the tall grass , true to himself . $LABEL$ 1 +an intriguing and entertaining introduction to johnson . $LABEL$ 1 +ray liotta and jason patric do some of their best work in their underwritten roles , but do n't be fooled : nobody deserves any prizes here . $LABEL$ 0 +sushi for the connoisseurs of the macabre . $LABEL$ 0 +it further declares its director , zhang yang of shower , as a boldly experimental , contemporary stylist with a bright future . $LABEL$ 1 +the only way this supernatural snore-fest could give anyone a case of the frights is if they were put to sleep by the movie and had a nightmare . $LABEL$ 0 +although it bangs a very cliched drum at times , this crowd-pleaser 's fresh dialogue , energetic music , and good-natured spunk are often infectious . $LABEL$ 1 +claude miller airs out a tight plot with an easy pace and a focus on character drama over crime-film complications . $LABEL$ 1 +to imagine the life of harry potter as a martial arts adventure told by a lobotomized woody allen is to have some idea of the fate that lies in store for moviegoers lured to the mediocrity that is kung pow : enter the fist . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is just a big , gorgeous , mind-blowing , breath-taking mess . $LABEL$ 1 +daughter from danang is a film that should be seen by all , especially those who are n't aware of , or have forgotten about the unmentioned victims of war . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's also the year 's sweetest movie . $LABEL$ 1 +this is such a high-energy movie where the drumming and the marching are so excellent , who cares if the story 's a little weak . $LABEL$ 1 +a whole lot foul , freaky and funny . $LABEL$ 1 +there are a few stabs at absurdist comedy ... but mostly the humor is of the sweet , gentle and occasionally cloying kind that has become an iranian specialty . $LABEL$ 1 +for me , this opera is n't a favorite , so it 's a long time before the fat lady sings . $LABEL$ 0 +a 93-minute condensation of a 26-episode tv series , with all of the pitfalls of such you 'd expect . $LABEL$ 0 +and in truth , cruel as it may sound , he makes arnold schwarzenegger look like spencer tracy . $LABEL$ 0 +given that both movies expect us to root for convicted violent felons over those assigned to protect us from same , we need every bit of sympathy the cons can muster ; this time , there is n't much . $LABEL$ 0 +`` antwone fisher '' is an earnest , by-the-numbers effort by washington . $LABEL$ 1 +succeeds in providing a disquiet world the long-dreaded completion of the police academy series . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're not the target demographic ... this movie is one long chick-flick slog . $LABEL$ 0 +the actors are forced to grapple with hazy motivations that never come into focus . $LABEL$ 0 +the best you can say about it is it 's so uninspired , it barely gives one pause when considering some of the other dreck out there right now . $LABEL$ 0 +by presenting an impossible romance in an impossible world , pumpkin dares us to say why either is impossible -- which forces us to confront what 's possible and what we might do to make it so . $LABEL$ 1 +after making several adaptations of other writers ' work , armenian-canadian director atom egoyan broached an original treatment of a deeply personal subject . $LABEL$ 1 +all the necessary exposition prevents the picture from rising above your generic sand 'n' sandal adventure . $LABEL$ 0 +audiences will find no mention of political prisoners or persecutions that might paint the castro regime in less than saintly tones . $LABEL$ 0 +... just a big mess of a movie , full of images and events , but no tension or surprise . $LABEL$ 0 +i kept wishing i was watching a documentary about the wartime navajos and what they accomplished instead of all this specious hollywood hoo-ha . $LABEL$ 0 +the film delivers not just the full assault of reno 's immense wit and insight , but a time travel back to what it felt like during those unforgettably uncertain days . $LABEL$ 1 +one groan-inducing familiarity begets another . $LABEL$ 0 +john mctiernan 's botched remake may be subtler than norman jewison 's 1975 ultraviolent futuristic corporate-sports saga . $LABEL$ 0 +an earnest , heartrending look at the divide between religious fundamentalists and their gay relatives . $LABEL$ 1 +a pleasurably jacked-up piece of action moviemaking . $LABEL$ 1 +but an unwillingness to explore beyond the surfaces of her characters prevents nettelbeck 's film from coming together . $LABEL$ 0 +too clunky and too busy ribbing itself to be truly entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +the enormous comic potential of an oafish idiot impersonating an aristocrat remains sadly unrealized . $LABEL$ 0 +everywhere the camera looks there is something worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +the best thing the film does is to show us not only what that mind looks like , but how the creative process itself operates . $LABEL$ 1 +a modest pleasure that accomplishes its goals with ease and confidence . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best examples of how to treat a subject , you 're not fully aware is being examined , much like a photo of yourself you did n't know was being taken . $LABEL$ 1 +mixes likeable personalities , inventive photography and cutting , and wall-to-wall toe-tapping music to paint a picture of a subculture that is at once exhilarating , silly , perverse , hopeful and always fun . $LABEL$ 1 +but i was n't . $LABEL$ 0 +though of particular interest to students and enthusiast of international dance and world music , the film is designed to make viewers of all ages , cultural backgrounds and rhythmic ability want to get up and dance . $LABEL$ 1 +a silly , self-indulgent film about a silly , self-indulgent filmmaker . $LABEL$ 0 +most impressive , though , is the film 's open-ended finale that refuses to entirely close its characters ' emotional wounds . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a movie forged in the fires of chick flick hell . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's fairly self-aware in its dumbness . $LABEL$ 0 +credit must be given to harland williams , michael rosenbaum and barry watson , who inject far more good-natured spirit and talent into this project than it deserves $LABEL$ 1 +the piano teacher is the sort of movie that discourages american audiences from ever wanting to see another foreign film . $LABEL$ 0 +watching it is rather like viewing a long soap opera in which only the first episode was any good . $LABEL$ 0 +a simmering psychological drama in which the bursts of sudden violence are all the more startling for the slow buildup that has preceded them . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a disreputable air about the whole thing , and that 's what makes it irresistible . $LABEL$ 1 +a pleasant ramble through the sort of idoosyncratic terrain that errol morris has often dealt with ... it does possess a loose , lackadaisical charm . $LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the most visually stunning and thematically moving epics in recent memory , and in spite of numerous minor flaws , scorsese 's best in more than a decade . $LABEL$ 1 +for a good chunk of its running time , trapped is an effective and claustrophobic thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +full frontal is the antidote for soderbergh fans who think he 's gone too commercial since his two oscar nominated films in 2000 $LABEL$ 1 +even the imaginative gore ca n't hide the musty scent of todd farmer 's screenplay , which is a simple retread of the 1979 alien , with a plucky heroine battling a monster loose in a spaceship . $LABEL$ 0 +as if to prove a female director can make a movie with no soft edges , kathryn bigelow offers no sugar-coating or interludes of lightness . $LABEL$ 1 +the filmmakers juggle and juxtapose three story lines but fail to come up with one cogent point , unless it 's that life stinks , especially for sensitive married women who really love other women . $LABEL$ 0 +made by jackasses for jackasses . $LABEL$ 0 +if melville is creatively a great whale , this film is canned tuna . $LABEL$ 0 +pretentious editing ruins a potentially terrific flick . $LABEL$ 0 +topkapi this is not . $LABEL$ 0 +but he somehow pulls it off . $LABEL$ 1 +bartleby is a one-joke movie , and a bad joke at that . $LABEL$ 0 +it is risky , intelligent , romantic and rapturous from start to finish . $LABEL$ 1 +a worthwhile way to spend two hours . $LABEL$ 1 +never again swings between false sentiment and unfunny madcap comedy and , along the way , expects the audience to invest in the central relationship as some kind of marriage of true minds . $LABEL$ 0 +two generations within one family test boundaries in this intelligent and restrained coming-of-age drama . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- gai -rrb- comes closer to any actress i can remember to personifying independence in its purest and , yes , most intimidating form . $LABEL$ 1 +a broadly played , lowbrow comedy in which the cast delivers mildly amusing performances and no farm animals were injured by any of the gags . $LABEL$ 1 +filmmakers have to dig deep to sink this low . $LABEL$ 0 +then lower them a bit more . $LABEL$ 0 +i cry for i spy -- or i would if this latest and laziest imaginable of all vintage-tv spinoffs were capable of engendering an emotional response of any kind . $LABEL$ 0 +a very bad sign . $LABEL$ 0 +well , it does go on forever . $LABEL$ 0 +this is n't just the cliffsnotes version of nicholas nickleby , it 's the cliffsnotes with pages missing . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's all very cute , though not terribly funny if you 're more than six years old . $LABEL$ 1 +fortunately for all involved , this movie is likely to disappear as quickly as an ice cube thrown into a pot of boiling water . $LABEL$ 0 +guided more by intellect than heart , his story flattens instead of sharpens . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an old story , but a lively script , sharp acting and partially animated interludes make just a kiss seem minty fresh . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the kind of movie you ca n't quite recommend because it is all windup and not much of a pitch , yet you ca n't bring yourself to dislike it . $LABEL$ 0 +an excellent romp that boasts both a heart and a mind . $LABEL$ 1 +john leguizamo may be a dramatic actor -- just not in this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +tender yet lacerating and darkly funny fable . $LABEL$ 1 +this delicately observed story , deeply felt and masterfully stylized , is a triumph for its maverick director . $LABEL$ 1 +a generation x artifact , capturing a brief era of insanity in the sports arena that surely can not last . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's center will not hold . $LABEL$ 0 +it is far from the worst , thanks to the topical issues it raises , the performances of stewart and hardy , and that essential feature -- a decent full-on space battle . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's also stupider . $LABEL$ 0 +none of these characters resembles anyone you 've ever met in real life , unless you happen to know annoyingly self-involved people who speak in glib sentences that could have only come from the pen of a screenwriter . $LABEL$ 0 +sensitive , insightful and beautifully rendered film . $LABEL$ 1 +a bowel-curdling , heart-stopping recipe for terror . $LABEL$ 1 +although based on a real-life person , john , in the movie , is a rather dull person to be stuck with for two hours . $LABEL$ 0 +` abandon all hope , ye who enter here ' ... you should definitely let dante 's gloomy words be your guide . $LABEL$ 0 +an ultra-low-budget indie debut that smacks more of good intentions than talent . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's not enough to sustain the comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +fairly successful at faking some pretty cool stunts but a complete failure at trying to create some pretty cool characters . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is really not so much bad as bland . $LABEL$ 0 +schmaltzy and unfunny , adam sandler 's cartoon about hanukkah is numbingly bad , little nicky bad , 10 worst list bad . $LABEL$ 0 +a vivid cinematic portrait . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a refreshing change from the self-interest and paranoia that shape most american representations of castro . $LABEL$ 1 +the bourne identity is what summer screen escapism used to be in the decades when it was geared more to grownups . $LABEL$ 1 +it could change america , not only because it is full of necessary discussion points , but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +frenetic but not really funny . $LABEL$ 0 +sandra nettelbeck beautifully orchestrates the transformation of the chilly , neurotic , and self-absorbed martha as her heart begins to open . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a film that hinges on its casting , and glover really does n't fit the part . $LABEL$ 0 +ritchie 's treatment of the class reversal is majorly ham-fisted , from the repetitive manifestos that keep getting thrown in people 's faces to the fact amber is such a joke . $LABEL$ 0 +this is such a dazzlingly self-assured directorial debut that it 's hard to know what to praise first . $LABEL$ 1 +apparently kissing leads to suicide attempts and tragic deaths . $LABEL$ 0 +andy garcia enjoys one of his richest roles in years and mick jagger gives his best movie performance since , well , performance . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- anderson -rrb- uses a hit-or-miss aesthetic that hits often enough to keep the film entertaining even if none of it makes a lick of sense . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a startling film that gives you a fascinating , albeit depressing view of iranian rural life close to the iraqi border . $LABEL$ 1 +this film looks like it was produced in 1954 , shelved for 48 years , and repackaged for a 2002 audience . $LABEL$ 0 +dazzling and sugar-sweet , a blast of shallow magnificence that only sex , scandal , and a chorus line of dangerous damsels can deliver . $LABEL$ 1 +from the big giant titles of the opening credits to elmer bernstein 's perfectly melodic score , haynes gets just about everything right . $LABEL$ 1 +watching it is rather like an overlong visit from a large group of your relatives . $LABEL$ 0 +as the story moves inexorably through its seven day timeframe , the picture becomes increasingly mesmerizing . $LABEL$ 1 +working from elliott 's memoir , rohmer fashions the sort of delicate , articulate character - and - relationship study he 's favored for decades . $LABEL$ 1 +watching scarlet diva , one is poised for titillation , raw insight or both . $LABEL$ 1 +intended to be a comedy about relationships , this wretched work falls flat in just about every conceivable area . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- rare , beautiful film . $LABEL$ 1 +... the film falls back on the same old formula of teen sex , outrageous pranks and scenes designed to push the envelope of bad taste for laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +suffocated at conception by its munchausen-by-proxy mum . $LABEL$ 0 +while not all transitions to adulthood are so fraught , there 's much truth and no small amount of poetry in girls ca n't swim . $LABEL$ 1 +opens as promising as any war\/adventure film you 'll ever see and dissolves into a routine courtroom drama , better suited for a movie titled `` glory : a soldier 's story . '' $LABEL$ 0 +it 's -lrb- ricci 's -rrb- best work yet , this girl-woman who sincerely believes she can thwart the world 's misery with blind good will . $LABEL$ 1 +this may be the dumbest , sketchiest movie on record about an aspiring writer 's coming-of-age . $LABEL$ 0 +evokes a little of the fear that parents have for the possible futures of their children -- and the sometimes bad choices mothers and fathers make in the interests of doing them good . $LABEL$ 1 +as expected , sayles ' smart wordplay and clever plot contrivances are as sharp as ever , though they may be overshadowed by some strong performances . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad the former murphy brown does n't pop reese back . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's predictable , but it jumps through the expected hoops with style and even some depth . $LABEL$ 1 +george clooney proves he 's quite a talented director and sam rockwell shows us he 's a world-class actor with confessions of a dangerous mind . $LABEL$ 1 +... mesmerizing , an eye-opening tour of modern beijing culture in a journey of rebellion , retreat into oblivion and return . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is painfully authentic , and the performances of the young players are utterly convincing . $LABEL$ 1 +a potent allegorical love story . $LABEL$ 1 +provides an intriguing window into the imagination and hermetic analysis of todd solondz . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's endearing to hear madame d. refer to her husband as ` jackie ' -- and he does make for excellent company , not least as a self-conscious performer . $LABEL$ 1 +so few movies explore religion that it 's disappointing to see one reduce it to an idea that fits in a sampler . $LABEL$ 0 +needless to say , the dramatics that follow are utter hooey . $LABEL$ 0 +calling this movie brainless would be paying it a compliment : it 's more like entertainment for trolls . $LABEL$ 0 +it is a kickass , dense sci-fi action thriller hybrid that delivers and then some . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a movie -- and an album -- you wo n't want to miss . $LABEL$ 1 +now , if it only had a brain . $LABEL$ 0 +a budget affair that exposes the generally sad existence of the bedouins while providing a precious twinkle of insight into their lives . $LABEL$ 1 +like a south-of-the-border melrose place . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a bittersweet and lyrical mix of elements . $LABEL$ 1 +this series should have died long ago , but they keep bringing it back another day as punishment for paying money to see the last james bond movie . $LABEL$ 0 +fans of behan 's work and of irish movies in general will be rewarded by borstal boy . $LABEL$ 1 +everytime you think undercover brother has run out of steam , it finds a new way to surprise and amuse . $LABEL$ 1 +a startling and fresh examination of how the bike still remains an ambiguous icon in chinese society . $LABEL$ 1 +although it 's a bit smug and repetitive , this documentary engages your brain in a way few current films do . $LABEL$ 1 +watching haneke 's film is , aptly enough , a challenge and a punishment . $LABEL$ 0 +once the audience figure out what 's being said , the filmmaker 's relative passivity will make it tough for them to really care . $LABEL$ 0 +but like bruce springsteen 's gone-to-pot asbury park , new jersey , this sad-sack waste of a movie is a city of ruins . $LABEL$ 0 +stay clear of reminding yourself that it 's a `` true story '' and you 're likely to have one helluva time at the movies . $LABEL$ 1 +so routine , familiar and predictable , it raises the possibility that it wrote itself as a newly automated final draft computer program . $LABEL$ 0 +in the process , they demonstrate that there 's still a lot of life in hong kong cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +though mama takes a bit too long to find its rhythm and a third-act plot development is somewhat melodramatic , its ribald humor and touching nostalgia are sure to please anyone in search of a jules and jim for the new millennium . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's absolutely spooky how lillard channels the shagster right down to the original casey kasem-furnished voice . $LABEL$ 1 +like those to rome , all roads in the banger sisters inevitably lead to a joke about hawn 's breasts , which constantly threaten to upstage the woman sporting them . $LABEL$ 0 +a provocative movie about loss , anger , greed , jealousy , sickness and love . $LABEL$ 1 +its scenes and sensibility are all more than familiar , but it exudes a kind of nostalgic spy-movie charm and , at the same time , is so fresh and free of the usual thriller nonsense that it all seems to be happening for the first time . $LABEL$ 1 +a soggy , shapeless mess ... just a dumb excuse for a waterlogged equivalent of a haunted-house movie . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's an audience for it , but it could have been funnier and more innocent . $LABEL$ 0 +achieves a sort of filmic epiphany that revels in the true potential of the medium . $LABEL$ 1 +if you sometimes like to go to the movies to have fun , wasabi is a good place to start . $LABEL$ 1 +but hard-to-believe plot twists force the movie off track in its final half hour . $LABEL$ 0 +... always remains movingly genuine . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe it 's the star power of the cast or the redundant messages , but something aboul `` full frontal '' seems , well , contrived . $LABEL$ 0 +the situations and jokes are as predictable and as lowbrow as the endless pratfalls the boys take in their high heels . $LABEL$ 0 +schindler 's list it ai n't . $LABEL$ 0 +a compelling portrait of moral emptiness $LABEL$ 1 +let your silly childhood nostalgia slumber unmolested . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- superbly controlled , passionate adaptation of graham greene 's 1955 novel . $LABEL$ 1 +a refreshingly honest and ultimately touching tale of the sort of people usually ignored in contemporary american film . $LABEL$ 1 +no , it 's the repetition of said behavior , and so children of the century is more mindless love than mad , more grating and boring than anything else . $LABEL$ 0 +a comic gem with some serious sparkles . $LABEL$ 1 +desperately unfunny when it tries to makes us laugh and desperately unsuspenseful when it tries to make us jump out of our seats . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is a blast of educational energy , as bouncy animation and catchy songs escort you through the entire 85 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +a bravura exercise in emptiness . $LABEL$ 0 +this concoction , so bizarre to the adult mind , is actually a charming triumph where its intended under-12 audience is concerned . $LABEL$ 1 +this one 's weaker than most . $LABEL$ 0 +a lighthearted , feel-good film that embraces the time-honored truth that the most powerful thing in life is love . $LABEL$ 1 +the story bogs down in a mess of purposeless violence . $LABEL$ 0 +i spy is an embarrassment , a monotonous , disjointed jumble of borrowed plot points and situations . $LABEL$ 0 +a mawkish , implausible platonic romance that makes chaplin 's city lights seem dispassionate by comparison . $LABEL$ 0 +rich in detail , gorgeously shot and beautifully acted , les destinees is , in its quiet , epic way , daring , inventive and refreshingly unusual . $LABEL$ 1 +an offbeat , sometimes gross and surprisingly appealing animated film about the true meaning of the holidays . $LABEL$ 1 +another great ` what you do n't see ' is much more terrifying than what you do see thriller , coupled with some arresting effects , incandescent tones and stupendous performances $LABEL$ 1 +if you pitch your expectations at an all time low , you could do worse than this oddly cheerful -- but not particularly funny -- body-switching farce . $LABEL$ 0 +feels less like it 's about teenagers , than it was written by teenagers . $LABEL$ 0 +going to the website may be just as fun -lrb- and scary -rrb- as going to the film . $LABEL$ 0 +is this progress ? $LABEL$ 0 +for a shoot - 'em - up , ballistic is oddly lifeless . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the best of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +there are moments it can be heart-rending in an honest and unaffected -lrb- and gentle -rrb- way . $LABEL$ 1 +credibility levels are low and character development a non-starter . $LABEL$ 0 +looks awfully like one long tourist spot for a mississippi that may never have existed outside of a scriptwriter 's imagination . $LABEL$ 0 +a solidly seaworthy chiller . $LABEL$ 1 +when it comes to entertainment , children deserve better than pokemon 4ever . $LABEL$ 0 +if this is the resurrection of the halloween franchise , it would have been better off dead . $LABEL$ 0 +still , i thought it could have been more . $LABEL$ 0 +a recent favourite at sundance , this white-trash satire will inspire the affection of even those unlucky people who never owned a cassette of def leppard 's pyromania . $LABEL$ 1 +though it is by no means his best work , laissez-passer is a distinguished and distinctive effort by a bona-fide master , a fascinating film replete with rewards to be had by all willing to make the effort to reap them . $LABEL$ 1 +like mike does n't win any points for originality . $LABEL$ 0 +ms. fulford-wierzbicki is almost spooky in her sulky , calculating lolita turn . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie has a soft , percolating magic , a deadpan suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +legendary irish writer brendan behan 's memoir , borstal boy , has been given a loving screen transferral . $LABEL$ 1 +at times funny and at other times candidly revealing , it 's an intriguing look at two performers who put themselves out there because they love what they do . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's often faintly amusing , but the problems of the characters never become important to us , and the story never takes hold . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's amazingly perceptive in its subtle , supportive but unsentimental look at the marks family . $LABEL$ 1 +it uses an old-time formula , it 's not terribly original and it 's rather messy -- but you just have to love the big , dumb , happy movie my big fat greek wedding . $LABEL$ 1 +if you liked such movies as notting hill , four weddings and a funeral , bridget jones ' diary or high fidelity , then you wo n't want to miss about a boy . $LABEL$ 1 +katz uses archival footage , horrifying documents of lynchings , still photographs and charming old reel-to-reel recordings of meeropol entertaining his children to create his song history , but most powerful of all is the song itself $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- it 's -rrb- difficult to get beyond the overall blandness of american chai , despite its likable performances and refreshingly naive point of view . $LABEL$ 0 +a worthy tribute to a great humanitarian and her vibrant ` co-stars . ' $LABEL$ 1 +but as a movie , it 's a humorless , disjointed mess . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's next ? $LABEL$ 1 +frustratingly , dridi tells us nothing about el gallo other than what emerges through his music . $LABEL$ 0 +showtime is closer to slowtime . $LABEL$ 0 +tim allen is great in his role but never hogs the scenes from his fellow cast , as there are plenty of laughs and good lines for everyone in this comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +britney has been delivered to the big screen safe and sound , the way we like our 20-year-old superstar girls to travel on the fame freeway . $LABEL$ 1 +has little on its mind aside from scoring points with drag gags . $LABEL$ 0 +an enchanting spectacular for potter fans anxious to ride the hogwarts express toward a new year of magic and mischief . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a nicely detailed world of pawns , bishops and kings , of wagers in dingy backrooms or pristine forests . $LABEL$ 1 +a real clunker . $LABEL$ 0 +the film seems a dead weight . $LABEL$ 0 +the voices are fine as well . $LABEL$ 1 +it turns out to be a cut above the norm , thanks to some clever writing and sprightly acting . $LABEL$ 1 +an awkward and indigestible movie . $LABEL$ 0 +showtime is one of the hapless victims of the arrogant `` if we put together a wry white man and a chatty black man and give them guns , the movie will be funny '' syndrome . $LABEL$ 0 +a frisky and fresh romantic comedy exporing sexual politics and the challenges of friendships between women . $LABEL$ 1 +but the characters tend to be cliches whose lives are never fully explored . $LABEL$ 0 +as your relatives swap one mundane story after another , you begin to wonder if they are ever going to depart . $LABEL$ 0 +wasabi is slight fare indeed , with the entire project having the feel of something tossed off quickly -lrb- like one of hubert 's punches -rrb- , but it should go down smoothly enough with popcorn . $LABEL$ 1 +the film equivalent of a toy chest whose contents get scattered over the course of 80 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +go see it and enjoy . $LABEL$ 1 +her film is unrelentingly claustrophobic and unpleasant . $LABEL$ 0 +chicago is sophisticated , brash , sardonic , completely joyful in its execution . $LABEL$ 1 +obstacles are too easily overcome and there is n't much in the way of character development in the script . $LABEL$ 0 +a hysterical yet humorless disquisition on the thin line between sucking face and literally sucking face . $LABEL$ 0 +the cold and dreary weather is a perfect metaphor for the movie itself , which contains few laughs and not much drama . $LABEL$ 0 +on its own cinematic terms , it successfully showcases the passions of both the director and novelist byatt . $LABEL$ 1 +pryor lite , with half the demons , half the daring , much less talent , many fewer laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a terrific character study , a probe into the life of a complex man . $LABEL$ 1 +a romantic comedy , yes , but one with characters who think and talk about their goals , and are working on hard decisions . $LABEL$ 1 +any film featuring young children threatened by a terrorist bomb can no longer pass as mere entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +what parents will suspect is that they 're watching a 76-minute commercial . $LABEL$ 0 +do n't let your festive spirit go this far . $LABEL$ 0 +eastwood is an icon of moviemaking , one of the best actors , directors and producers around , responsible for some excellent work . $LABEL$ 1 +a historical epic with the courage of its convictions about both scope and detail . $LABEL$ 1 +a thinly veiled excuse for wilson to play his self-deprecating act against murphy 's well-honed prima donna shtick . $LABEL$ 0 +an epic of grandeur and scale that 's been decades gone from the popcorn pushing sound stages of hollywood . $LABEL$ 1 +preposterous and tedious , sonny is spiked with unintentional laughter that , unfortunately , occurs too infrequently to make the film even a guilty pleasure . $LABEL$ 0 +it will delight newcomers to the story and those who know it from bygone days . $LABEL$ 1 +the saturation bombing of reggio 's images and glass ' evocative music ... ultimately leaves viewers with the task of divining meaning . $LABEL$ 0 +as a witness to several greek-american weddings -- but , happily , a victim of none -- i can testify to the comparative accuracy of ms. vardalos ' memories and insights . $LABEL$ 1 +a wonderful character-based comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +k-19 may not hold a lot of water as a submarine epic , but it holds even less when it turns into an elegiacally soggy saving private ryanovich . $LABEL$ 0 +do n't waste your money . $LABEL$ 0 +dreary , highly annoying ... ` some body ' will appeal to no one . $LABEL$ 0 +just when the movie seems confident enough to handle subtlety , it dives into soapy bathos . $LABEL$ 0 +a carefully structured scream of consciousness that is tortured and unsettling -- but unquestionably alive . $LABEL$ 1 +punish the vehicle to adore the star . $LABEL$ 0 +reign of fire may be little more than another platter of reheated aliens , but it 's still pretty tasty . $LABEL$ 1 +thoughtful , even stinging at times , and lots of fun . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a humble effort , but spiced with wry humor and genuine pathos , especially between morgan and redgrave . $LABEL$ 1 +the editing is chaotic , the photography grainy and badly focused , the writing unintentionally hilarious , the direction unfocused , the performances as wooden . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie feels like it 's going to be great , and it carries on feeling that way for a long time , but takeoff just never happens . $LABEL$ 0 +an uneven but intriguing drama that is part homage and part remake of the italian masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +a sweet-natured reconsideration of one of san francisco 's most vital , if least widely recognized , creative fountainheads . $LABEL$ 1 +with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams writer\/director\/producer robert rodriguez has cobbled together a film that feels like a sugar high gone awry . $LABEL$ 0 +i found it slow , drab , and bordering on melodramatic . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- sen 's -rrb- soap opera-ish approach undermines his good intentions . $LABEL$ 0 +the stories here suffer from the chosen format . $LABEL$ 0 +... a cute and sometimes side-splittingly funny blend of legally blonde and drop dead gorgeous , starring piper perabo in what could be her breakthrough role . $LABEL$ 1 +offers a breath of the fresh air of true sophistication . $LABEL$ 1 +a pro-fat farce that overcomes much of its excessive moral baggage thanks to two appealing lead performances . $LABEL$ 1 +there is no entry portal in the rules of attraction , and i spent most of the movie feeling depressed by the shallow , selfish , greedy characters . $LABEL$ 0 +at the bottom rung of the series ' entries . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever eyre 's failings as a dramatist , he deserves credit for bringing audiences into this hard and bitter place . $LABEL$ 1 +the spark of special anime magic here is unmistakable and hard to resist . $LABEL$ 1 +despite apparent motives to the contrary , it ends up being , like -lrb- seinfeld 's -rrb- revered tv show , about pretty much nothing . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. parker has brilliantly updated his source and grasped its essence , composing a sorrowful and hilarious tone poem about alienated labor , or an absurdist workplace sitcom . $LABEL$ 1 +the transporter is as lively and as fun as it is unapologetically dumb $LABEL$ 1 +... too dull to enjoy . $LABEL$ 0 +this is cool , slick stuff , ready to quench the thirst of an audience that misses the summer blockbusters . $LABEL$ 1 +characters wander into predictably treacherous situations even though they should know better . $LABEL$ 0 +with a cast that includes some of the top actors working in independent film , lovely & amazing involves us because it is so incisive , so bleakly amusing about how we go about our lives . $LABEL$ 1 +... -lrb- like -rrb- channel surfing between the discovery channel and a late-night made-for-cable action movie . $LABEL$ 0 +i hated every minute of it . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a very fine movie -- go see it . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't my favorite in the series , still i enjoyed it enough to recommend . $LABEL$ 1 +a benign but forgettable sci-fi diversion . $LABEL$ 0 +a bigger holiday downer than your end-of-year 401 -lrb- k -rrb- statement . $LABEL$ 0 +godawful boring slug of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +provide -lrb- s -rrb- nail-biting suspense and credible characters without relying on technology-of-the-moment technique or pretentious dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +but like most rabbits , it seems to lack substance . $LABEL$ 0 +once you get into its rhythm ... the movie becomes a heady experience . $LABEL$ 1 +it is intensely personal and yet -- unlike quills -- deftly shows us the temper of the times . $LABEL$ 1 +just because it really happened to you , honey , does n't mean that it 's interesting to anyone else . $LABEL$ 0 +hayek is stunning as frida and ... a star-making project . $LABEL$ 1 +about as cutting-edge as pet rock : the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a quietly reflective and melancholy new zealand film about an eventful summer in a 13-year-old girl 's life . $LABEL$ 1 +an amazing and incendiary movie that dives straight into the rough waters of contradiction . $LABEL$ 1 +benefits from a strong performance from zhao , but it 's dong jie 's face you remember at the end . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a worthwhile tutorial in quantum physics and slash-dash $LABEL$ 1 +the acting is stiff , the story lacks all trace of wit , the sets look like they were borrowed from gilligan 's island -- and the cgi scooby might well be the worst special-effects creation of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +star wars is back in a major way . $LABEL$ 1 +unlike the nauseating fictions peddled by such ` have-yourself-a-happy-little-holocaust ' movies as life is beautiful and jakob the liar , the grey zone is honest enough to deny the possibility of hope in auschwitz . $LABEL$ 1 +director nalin pan does n't do much to weigh any arguments one way or the other . $LABEL$ 0 +the pivotal narrative point is so ripe the film ca n't help but go soft and stinky . $LABEL$ 0 +most of the action setups are incoherent . $LABEL$ 0 +compelling revenge thriller , though somewhat weakened by a miscast leading lady . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're not into the pokemon franchise , this fourth animated movie in four years wo n't convert you -- or even keep your eyes open . $LABEL$ 0 +in a normal screen process , these bromides would be barely enough to sustain an interstitial program on the discovery channel . $LABEL$ 0 +the only thing worse than your substandard , run-of-the-mill hollywood picture is an angst-ridden attempt to be profound . $LABEL$ 0 +winds up feeling like lots of other quirky movies that try to score hipness points with young adults . $LABEL$ 0 +an instant candidate for worst movie of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +a highly intriguing thriller , coupled with some ingenious plot devices and some lavishly built settings . . $LABEL$ 1 +director kapur is a filmmaker with a real flair for epic landscapes and adventure , and this is a better film than his earlier english-language movie , the overpraised elizabeth . $LABEL$ 1 +good actress . $LABEL$ 1 +an overblown clunker full of bad jokes , howling cliches and by-the-numbers action sequences . $LABEL$ 0 +i can only imagine one thing worse than kevin spacey trying on an irish accent , and that 's sultry linda fiorentino doing the same thing . $LABEL$ 0 +on the right track to something that 's creepy and effective ... it 's just going to take more than a man in a bullwinkle costume to get there . $LABEL$ 0 +if myers decides to make another austin powers movie , maybe he should just stick with austin and dr evil . $LABEL$ 0 +an atonal estrogen opera that demonizes feminism while gifting the most sympathetic male of the piece with a nice vomit bath at his wedding . $LABEL$ 0 +bad beyond belief and ridiculous beyond description . $LABEL$ 0 +however , it lacks grandeur and that epic quality often associated with stevenson 's tale as well as with earlier disney efforts . $LABEL$ 0 +a classy item by a legend who may have nothing left to prove but still has the chops and drive to show how its done . $LABEL$ 1 +it sounds sick and twisted , but the miracle of shainberg 's film is that it truly is romance $LABEL$ 1 +what could have been a neat little story about believing in yourself is swamped by heavy-handed melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +a very funny look at how another culture handles the process of courting and marriage . $LABEL$ 1 +instead , we just get messy anger , a movie as personal therapy . $LABEL$ 0 +like old myths and wonder tales spun afresh . $LABEL$ 1 +with danilo donati 's witty designs and dante spinotti 's luscious cinematography , this might have made a decent children 's movie -- if only benigni had n't insisted on casting himself in the title role . $LABEL$ 1 +nervy and sensitive , it taps into genuine artistic befuddlement , and at the same time presents a scathing indictment of what drives hollywood . $LABEL$ 1 +i regret to report that these ops are just not extreme enough . $LABEL$ 0 +i loved looking at this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +binoche and magimel are perfect in these roles . $LABEL$ 1 +doug liman , the director of bourne , directs the traffic well , gets a nice wintry look from his locations , absorbs us with the movie 's spycraft and uses damon 's ability to be focused and sincere . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's sharp , often mischievous sense of humor will catch some off guard ... $LABEL$ 1 +i wish i could say `` thank god it 's friday '' , but the truth of the matter is i was glad when it was over . $LABEL$ 0 +lauren ambrose comes alive under the attention from two strangers in town - with honest performances and realistic interaction between the characters , this is a coming-of-age story with a twist . $LABEL$ 1 +occasionally , in the course of reviewing art-house obscurities and slam-bam action flicks , a jaded critic smacks into something truly new . $LABEL$ 1 +`` men in black ii , '' has all the earmarks of a sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a raw and disturbing tale that took five years to make , and the trio 's absorbing narrative is a heart-wrenching showcase indeed . $LABEL$ 1 +yeah , these flicks are just that damn good . $LABEL$ 1 +a worthy entry into a very difficult genre . $LABEL$ 1 +soul is what 's lacking in every character in this movie and , subsequently , the movie itself . $LABEL$ 0 +majidi gets uniformly engaging performances from his largely amateur cast . $LABEL$ 1 +an impressive if flawed effort that indicates real talent . $LABEL$ 1 +the best way to hope for any chance of enjoying this film is by lowering your expectations . $LABEL$ 0 +still pretentious and filled with subtext , but entertaining enough at ` face value ' to recommend to anyone looking for something different . $LABEL$ 1 +woo 's fights have a distinct flair . $LABEL$ 1 +the only thing that could possibly make them less interesting than they already are is for them to get full montied into a scrappy , jovial team . $LABEL$ 0 +... has virtually no script at all ... $LABEL$ 0 +we are left with a superficial snapshot that , however engaging , is insufficiently enlightening and inviting . $LABEL$ 0 +why he was given free reign over this project -- he wrote , directed , starred and produced -- is beyond me . $LABEL$ 0 +gloriously goofy -lrb- and gory -rrb- midnight movie stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +the film makes a strong case for the importance of the musicians in creating the motown sound . $LABEL$ 1 +at its best , the good girl is a refreshingly adult take on adultery ... $LABEL$ 1 +nair does capture the complexity of a big family and its trials and tribulations ... $LABEL$ 1 +throwing caution to the wind with an invitation to the hedonist in us all , nair has constructed this motion picture in such a way that even the most cynical curmudgeon with find himself or herself smiling at one time or another . $LABEL$ 1 +although life or something like it is very much in the mold of feel-good movies , the cast and director stephen herek 's polished direction pour delightfully piquant wine from aged bottles . $LABEL$ 1 +at its best early on as it plays the culture clashes between the brothers . $LABEL$ 1 +the story ... is moldy and obvious . $LABEL$ 0 +scotland , pa. is a strangely drab romp . $LABEL$ 0 +better at putting you to sleep than a sound machine . $LABEL$ 0 +... one of the most ingenious and entertaining thrillers i 've seen in quite a long time . $LABEL$ 1 +denzel washington 's efforts are sunk by all the sanctimony . $LABEL$ 0 +despite a powerful portrayal by binoche , it 's a period romance that suffers from an overly deliberate pace and uneven narrative momentum . $LABEL$ 0 +she must have a very strong back . $LABEL$ 1 +we get some truly unique character studies and a cross-section of americana that hollywood could n't possibly fictionalize and be believed . $LABEL$ 1 +the story drifts so inexorably into cliches about tortured -lrb- and torturing -rrb- artists and consuming but impossible love that you ca n't help but become more disappointed as each overwrought new sequence plods on . $LABEL$ 0 +an utterly compelling ` who wrote it ' in which the reputation of the most famous author who ever lived comes into question . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of movie that used to be right at home at the saturday matinee , and it still is . $LABEL$ 1 +not sweet enough to liven up its predictable story and will leave even fans of hip-hop sorely disappointed . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- drumline -rrb- is entertaining for what it does , and admirable for what it does n't do . $LABEL$ 1 +the two leads are almost good enough to camouflage the dopey plot , but so much naturalistic small talk , delivered in almost muffled exchanges , eventually has a lulling effect . $LABEL$ 0 +despite a story predictable enough to make the sound of music play like a nail-biting thriller , its heart is so much in the right place it is difficult to get really peeved at it . $LABEL$ 1 +noyce 's film is contemplative and mournfully reflective . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the premise of a good story ... it wastes all its star power on cliched or meaningless roles . $LABEL$ 0 +succumbs to the same kind of maudlin , sentimental mysticism that mars the touched by an angel school of non-god spiritual-uplift movies . $LABEL$ 0 +watching beanie and his gang put together his slasher video from spare parts and borrowed materials is as much fun as it must have been for them to make it . $LABEL$ 1 +bears is bad . $LABEL$ 0 +any movie this boring should be required to have ushers in the theater that hand you a cup of coffee every few minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +a film of precious increments artfully camouflaged as everyday activities . $LABEL$ 1 +the inherent strength of the material as well as the integrity of the filmmakers gives this coming-of-age story restraint as well as warmth . $LABEL$ 1 +i just did n't care as much for the story . $LABEL$ 0 +very solid , very watchable first feature for director peter sheridan $LABEL$ 1 +while super troopers is above academy standards , its quintet of writers could still use some more schooling . $LABEL$ 0 +the overall effect is so completely inane that one would have to be mighty bored to even think of staying with this for more than , say , ten ... make that three minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +pumpkin sits in a patch somewhere between mirthless todd solondzian satire and callow student film . $LABEL$ 0 +if kaufman kept cameron diaz a prisoner in a cage with her ape , in his latest , he 'd have them mate . $LABEL$ 0 +still , it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental . $LABEL$ 0 +consider the title 's clunk-on-the-head that suggests the overtime someone put in to come up with an irritatingly unimaginative retread concept . $LABEL$ 0 +leave it to rohmer , now 82 , to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago . $LABEL$ 1 +sam jones became a very lucky filmmaker the day wilco got dropped from their record label , proving that one man 's ruin may be another 's fortune . $LABEL$ 1 +a minor picture with a major identity crisis -- it 's sort of true and it 's sort of bogus and it 's ho-hum all the way through . $LABEL$ 0 +a taut , intelligent psychological drama . $LABEL$ 1 +barney has created a tour de force that is weird , wacky and wonderful . $LABEL$ 1 +it settles for being merely grim . $LABEL$ 0 +a work of astonishing delicacy and force . $LABEL$ 1 +dark and disturbing , but also surprisingly funny . $LABEL$ 1 +a loving little film of considerable appeal . $LABEL$ 1 +watching the film is like reading a times portrait of grief that keeps shifting focus to the journalist who wrote it . $LABEL$ 0 +a free-for-all of half-baked thoughts , clumsily used visual tricks and self-indulgent actor moments . $LABEL$ 0 +the problem is n't that the movie hits so close to home so much as that it hits close to home while engaging in such silliness as that snake-down-the-throat business and the inevitable shot of schwarzenegger outrunning a fireball . $LABEL$ 0 +can see where this dumbed-down concoction is going . $LABEL$ 0 +parker holds true to wilde 's own vision of a pure comedy with absolutely no meaning , and no desire to be anything but a polished , sophisticated entertainment that is in love with its own cleverness . $LABEL$ 1 +these are names to remember , in order to avoid them in the future . $LABEL$ 0 +if somebody was bored and ... decided to make a dull , pretentious version of jesus ' son , they 'd come up with something like bart freundlich 's world traveler . $LABEL$ 0 +new best friend should n't have gone straight to video ; it should have gone straight to a mystery science theater 3000 video . $LABEL$ 0 +as a revenge thriller , the movie is serviceable , but it does n't really deliver the delicious guilty pleasure of the better film versions . $LABEL$ 0 +i was perplexed to watch it unfold with an astonishing lack of passion or uniqueness . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- director peter -rrb- jackson and his crew have so steeped themselves in the majesty of tolkien 's writing that every frame produces new joys , whether you 're a fan of the books or not . $LABEL$ 1 +... ambition is in short supply in the cinema , and egoyan tackles his themes and explores his characters ' crises with seriousness and compassion . $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't help that the director and cinematographer stephen kazmierski shoot on grungy video , giving the whole thing a dirty , tasteless feel . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- two -rrb- fairly dull -- contrasting and interlocking stories about miserable scandinavian settlers in 18th-century canada , and yuppie sailboaters in the here and now . $LABEL$ 0 +somewhere short of tremors on the modern b-scene : neither as funny nor as clever , though an agreeably unpretentious way to spend ninety minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +their film falters , however , in its adherence to the disney philosophy of required poignancy , a salute that i 'd hoped the movie would avoid . $LABEL$ 0 +the latest installment in the pokemon canon , pokemon 4ever is surprising less moldy and trite than the last two , likely because much of the japanese anime is set in a scenic forest where pokemon graze in peace . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's still worth a look . $LABEL$ 1 +jolie 's performance vanishes somewhere between her hair and her lips . $LABEL$ 0 +never engaging , utterly predictable and completely void of anything remotely interesting or suspenseful . $LABEL$ 0 +although trying to balance self-referential humor and a normal ol' slasher plot seemed like a decent endeavor , the result does n't fully satisfy either the die-hard jason fans or those who can take a good joke . $LABEL$ 0 +a pleasant enough movie , held together by skilled ensemble actors . $LABEL$ 1 +intriguing and beautiful film , but those of you who read the book are likely to be disappointed . $LABEL$ 1 +too close to phantom menace for comfort . $LABEL$ 0 +without heavy-handedness , dong provides perspective with his intelligent grasp of human foibles and contradictions . $LABEL$ 1 +somehow we 're meant to buy that this doting mother would shun her kids , travel to one of the most dangerous parts of the world , don fatigues and become g.i. jane . $LABEL$ 0 +marvelous , merry and , yes , melancholy film . $LABEL$ 1 +reinforces the talents of screenwriter charlie kaufman , creator of adaptation and being john malkovich . $LABEL$ 1 +the timing in nearly every scene seems a half beat off . $LABEL$ 0 +more than makes up for its mawkish posing by offering rousing spates of genuine feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +a woozy , roisterous , exhausting mess , and the off-beat casting of its two leads turns out to be as ill-starred as you might expect . $LABEL$ 0 +the story 's so preposterous that i did n't believe it for a second , despite the best efforts of everyone involved . $LABEL$ 0 +its underlying mythology is a hodgepodge of inconsistencies that pose the question : since when did dumb entertainment have to be this dumb ? $LABEL$ 0 +and forget about any attempt at a plot ! $LABEL$ 0 +watstein handily directs and edits around his screenplay 's sappier elements ... and sustains off the hook 's buildup with remarkable assuredness for a first-timer . $LABEL$ 1 +ice cube holds the film together with an engaging and warm performance ... $LABEL$ 1 +all this turns out to be neither funny nor provocative - only dull . $LABEL$ 0 +tom green just gives them a bad odor . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's obviously struck a responsive chord with many south koreans , and should work its magic in other parts of the world . $LABEL$ 1 +it has fun being grown up . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a great subject for a movie , but hollywood has squandered the opportunity , using it as a prop for warmed-over melodrama and the kind of choreographed mayhem that director john woo has built his career on . $LABEL$ 0 +children may not understand everything that happens -- i 'm not sure even miyazaki himself does -- but they will almost certainly be fascinated , and undoubtedly delighted . $LABEL$ 1 +a distant , even sterile , yet compulsively watchable look at the sordid life of hogan 's heroes star bob crane . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the type of movie best enjoyed by frat boys and college kids while sucking on the bong and downing one alcoholic beverage after another . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is a travesty of the genre and even as spoof takes itself too seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +the long-range appeal of `` minority report '' should transcend any awards it bags . $LABEL$ 1 +the film starts out as competent but unremarkable ... and gradually grows into something of considerable power . $LABEL$ 1 +ihops do n't pile on this much syrup . $LABEL$ 0 +a pleasant enough comedy that should have found a summer place . $LABEL$ 1 +the unique tug-of-war with viewer expectations is undeniable , if not a pleasure in its own right . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a particularly toxic little bonbon , palatable to only a chosen and very jaundiced few . $LABEL$ 0 +sound the trumpets : for the first time since desperately seeking susan , madonna does n't suck as an actress . $LABEL$ 1 +the truth is that the truth about charlie gets increasingly tiresome . $LABEL$ 0 +much-anticipated and ultimately lackluster movie . $LABEL$ 0 +disturbingly superficial in its approach to the material . $LABEL$ 0 +flat , but with a revelatory performance by michelle williams . $LABEL$ 0 +unless you are in dire need of a diesel fix , there is no real reason to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie gets muted and routine . $LABEL$ 0 +madonna still ca n't act a lick . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're not a prepubescent girl , you 'll be laughing at britney spears ' movie-starring debut whenever it does n't have you impatiently squinting at your watch . $LABEL$ 0 +some actors have so much charisma that you 'd be happy to listen to them reading the phone book . $LABEL$ 1 +energetic and boldly provocative . $LABEL$ 1 +not only does the movie fail to make us part of its reality , it fails the most basic relevancy test as well . $LABEL$ 0 +the kooky yet shadowy vision clooney sustains throughout is daring , inventive and impressive . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'd give real money to see the perpetrators of chicago torn apart by dingoes . $LABEL$ 0 +occasionally funny and consistently odd , and it works reasonably well as a star vehicle for zhao . $LABEL$ 1 +awkward but sincere and , ultimately , it wins you over . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole damn thing is ripe for the jerry springer crowd . $LABEL$ 0 +a lousy movie that 's not merely unwatchable , but also unlistenable . $LABEL$ 0 +flounders due to the general sense that no two people working on the production had exactly the same thing in mind . $LABEL$ 0 +with youthful high spirits , tautou remains captivating throughout michele 's religious and romantic quests , and she is backed by a likable cast . $LABEL$ 1 +if this is an example of the type of project that robert redford 's lab is willing to lend its imprimatur to , then perhaps it 's time to rethink independent films . $LABEL$ 0 +a great comedy filmmaker knows great comedy need n't always make us laugh . $LABEL$ 1 +while this film is not in the least surprising , it is still ultimately very satisfying . $LABEL$ 1 +remarkably accessible and affecting . $LABEL$ 1 +writhing under dialogue like ` you 're from two different worlds ' and ` tonight the maid is a lie and this , this is who you are , ' this schlock-filled fairy tale hits new depths of unoriginality and predictability . $LABEL$ 0 +this cheery , down-to-earth film is warm with the cozy feeling of relaxing around old friends . $LABEL$ 1 +plays as hollow catharsis , with lots of tears but very little in the way of insights . $LABEL$ 0 +will probably stay in the shadow of its two older , more accessible qatsi siblings . $LABEL$ 0 +credibility sinks into a mire of sentiment . $LABEL$ 0 +director brian levant , who never strays far from his sitcom roots , skates blithely from one implausible situation to another , pausing only to tie up loose ends with more bows than you 'll find on a french poodle . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to tell with all the crashing and banging where the salesmanship ends and the movie begins . $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's emotionally engrossing , too , thanks to strong , credible performances from the whole cast . $LABEL$ 1 +francophiles will snicker knowingly and you 'll want to slap them . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- plays -rrb- in broad outline as pandering middle-age buddy-comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +one hour photo is an intriguing snapshot of one man and his delusions ; it 's just too bad it does n't have more flashes of insight . $LABEL$ 0 +a one-trick pony whose few t&a bits still ca n't save itself from being unoriginal , unfunny and unrecommendable . $LABEL$ 0 +this examination of aquatic life off the shores of the baja california peninsula of mexico offers an engrossing way to demonstrate the virtues of the imax format . $LABEL$ 1 +an ungainly , comedy-deficient , b-movie rush job ... $LABEL$ 0 +will only satisfy those who ca n't tell the difference between the good , the bad and the ugly . $LABEL$ 0 +if this movie were a book , it would be a page-turner , you ca n't wait to see what happens next . $LABEL$ 1 +` dragonfly ' is a movie about a bus wreck that turns into a film wreck . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- villeneuve -rrb- seems to realize intuitively that even morality is reduced to an option by the ultimate mysteries of life and death . $LABEL$ 1 +rather , you 'll have to wrestle disbelief to the ground and then apply the chloroform-soaked handkerchief . $LABEL$ 0 +feel bad for king , who 's honestly trying , and schwartzman , who 's shot himself in the foot . $LABEL$ 0 +involving at times , but lapses quite casually into the absurd . $LABEL$ 0 +for benigni it was n't shakespeare whom he wanted to define his career with but pinocchio . $LABEL$ 1 +starts off with a bang , but then fizzles like a wet stick of dynamite at the very end . $LABEL$ 0 +together , tok and o orchestrate a buoyant , darkly funny dance of death . $LABEL$ 1 +de niro looks bored , murphy recycles murphy , and you mentally add showtime to the pile of hollywood dreck that represents nothing more than the art of the deal . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's real appeal wo n't be to clooney fans or adventure buffs , but to moviegoers who enjoy thinking about compelling questions with no easy answers . $LABEL$ 1 +guaranteed to move anyone who ever shook , rattled , or rolled . $LABEL$ 1 +unlike his directorial efforts , la femme nikita and the professional , the transporter lacks besson 's perspective as a storyteller . $LABEL$ 0 +at about 95 minutes , treasure planet maintains a brisk pace as it races through the familiar story . $LABEL$ 1 +this limp gender-bender-baller from a first-time director and rookie screenwriter steals wholesale from that 1982 's tootsie , forgetting only to retain a single laugh . $LABEL$ 0 +so stupid , so ill-conceived , so badly drawn , it created whole new levels of ugly . $LABEL$ 0 +there has been much puzzlement among critics about what the election symbolizes . $LABEL$ 0 +a masterful film from a master filmmaker , unique in its deceptive grimness , compelling in its fatalist worldview . $LABEL$ 1 +a great idea becomes a not-great movie . $LABEL$ 0 +an inspiring and heart-affecting film about the desperate attempts of vietnamese refugees living in u.s. relocation camps to keep their hopes alive in 1975 . $LABEL$ 1 +its over-reliance on genre conventions , character types and formulaic conflict resolutions crushes all the goodwill it otherwise develops . $LABEL$ 0 +demme 's loose approach kills the suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +harsh , effective documentary on life in the israeli-occupied palestinian territories . $LABEL$ 1 +steers turns in a snappy screenplay that curls at the edges ; it 's so clever you want to hate it . $LABEL$ 1 +this is what imax was made for : strap on a pair of 3-d goggles , shut out the real world , and take a vicarious voyage to the last frontier -- space . $LABEL$ 1 +but this costly dud is a far cry from either the book or the beloved film . $LABEL$ 0 +the essential problem in orange county is that , having created an unusually vivid set of characters worthy of its strong cast , the film flounders when it comes to giving them something to do . $LABEL$ 0 +... if you 're in a mind set for goofy comedy , the troopers will entertain with their gross outs , bawdy comedy and head games . $LABEL$ 1 +a work of the utmost subtlety and perception , it marks the outstanding feature debut of writer-director eric byler , who understands the power of the implicit and the virtues of simplicity and economy . $LABEL$ 1 +there are just enough twists in the tale to make it far more satisfying than almost any horror film in recent memory . $LABEL$ 1 +... hudlin is stuck trying to light a fire with soggy leaves . $LABEL$ 0 +... a haunting vision , with images that seem more like disturbing hallucinations . $LABEL$ 0 +consists of a plot and jokes done too often by people far more talented than ali g $LABEL$ 0 +a breezy , diverting , conventional , well-acted tale of two men locked in an ongoing game of cat-and-cat . $LABEL$ 1 +the premise is in extremely bad taste , and the film 's supposed insights are so poorly thought-out and substance-free that even a high school senior taking his or her first psychology class could dismiss them . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine a really bad community theater production of west side story without the songs . $LABEL$ 0 +smith profiles five extraordinary american homes , and because the owners seem fully aware of the uses and abuses of fame , it 's a pleasure to enjoy their eccentricities . $LABEL$ 1 +with its hints of a greater intelligence lurking somewhere , the ring makes its stupidity more than obvious . $LABEL$ 0 +an afterschool special without the courage of its convictions . $LABEL$ 0 +uneasy mishmash of styles and genres . $LABEL$ 0 +the period -- swinging london in the time of the mods and the rockers -- gets the once-over once again in gangster no. 1 , but falls apart long before the end . $LABEL$ 0 +earnest falls short of its ideal predecessor largely due to parker 's ill-advised meddling with the timeless source material . $LABEL$ 0 +tailored to entertain ! $LABEL$ 1 +in his debut as a film director , denzel washington delivers a lean and engaging work . $LABEL$ 1 +the scope of the silberstein family is large and we grow attached to their lives , full of strength , warmth and vitality . . $LABEL$ 1 +the tone is balanced , reflective and reasonable . $LABEL$ 1 +a real story about real people living their lives concerned about the future of an elderly , mentally handicapped family member . $LABEL$ 1 +if shayamalan wanted to tell a story about a man who loses his faith , why did n't he just do it , instead of using bad sci-fi as window dressing ? $LABEL$ 0 +the way coppola professes his love for movies -- both colorful pop junk and the classics that unequivocally qualify as art -- is giddily entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +an intimate , good-humored ethnic comedy like numerous others but cuts deeper than expected . $LABEL$ 1 +fans of the animated wildlife adventure show will be in warthog heaven ; others need not necessarily apply . $LABEL$ 1 +the story loses its bite in a last-minute happy ending that 's even less plausible than the rest of the picture . $LABEL$ 0 +it is interesting and fun to see goodall and her chimpanzees on the bigger-than-life screen . $LABEL$ 1 +branagh , in his most forceful non-shakespeare screen performance , grounds even the softest moments in the angry revolt of his wit . $LABEL$ 1 +a droll , well-acted , character-driven comedy with unexpected deposits of feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +the screenplay sabotages the movie 's strengths at almost every juncture . $LABEL$ 0 +a beautiful and haunting examination of the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the mundane horrors of the world . $LABEL$ 1 +he 'd create a movie better than this . $LABEL$ 0 +my response to the film is best described as lukewarm . $LABEL$ 0 +diane lane shines in unfaithful . $LABEL$ 1 +drags along in a dazed and enervated , drenched-in-the - past numbness . $LABEL$ 0 +thurman and lewis are hilarious throughout . $LABEL$ 1 +extreme oops - oops , ops , no matter how you spell it , it 's still a mistake to go see it . $LABEL$ 0 +an uneven film dealing with too many problems to be taken seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +ana is a vivid , vibrant individual and the movie 's focus upon her makes it successful and accessible . $LABEL$ 1 +... a polished and relatively sincere piece of escapism . $LABEL$ 1 +as an entertainment , the movie keeps you diverted and best of all , it lightens your wallet without leaving a sting . $LABEL$ 1 +aspires for the piquant but only really achieves a sort of ridiculous sourness . $LABEL$ 0 +chicago is , in many ways , an admirable achievement . $LABEL$ 1 +fisher has bared his soul and confronted his own shortcomings here in a way ... that feels very human and very true to life . $LABEL$ 1 +a charming yet poignant tale of the irrevocable ties that bind . $LABEL$ 1 +or some damn thing . $LABEL$ 0 +its mysteries are transparently obvious , and it 's too slowly paced to be a thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces ... are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a refreshing absence of cynicism in stuart little 2 -- quite a rarity , even in the family film market . $LABEL$ 1 +creepy but ultimately unsatisfying thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +without resorting to hyperbole , i can state that kissing jessica stein may be the best same-sex romance i have seen . $LABEL$ 1 +a sensitive and expertly acted crowd-pleaser that is n't above a little broad comedy and a few unabashedly sentimental tears . $LABEL$ 1 +the experience of watching blobby old-school cgi animation in this superlarge format is just surreal enough to be diverting . $LABEL$ 1 +... too slow , too boring , and occasionally annoying . $LABEL$ 0 +this is pretty dicey material . $LABEL$ 0 +the premise is overshadowed by the uberviolence of the clericks as this becomes just another kung-fu sci-fi movie with silly action sequences . $LABEL$ 0 +subversive , meditative , clinical and poetic , the piano teacher is a daring work of genius . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- hollywood sheen bedevils the film from the very beginning ... -lrb- but -rrb- lohman 's moist , deeply emotional eyes shine through this bogus veneer ... $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't do the original any particular dishonor , but neither does it exude any charm or personality . $LABEL$ 0 +... blade ii is more enjoyable than the original . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's suspension of disbelief and then there 's bad screenwriting ... this film packs a wallop of the latter . $LABEL$ 0 +an often-deadly boring , strange reading of a classic whose witty dialogue is treated with a baffling casual approach $LABEL$ 0 +the problem with concept films is that if the concept is a poor one , there 's no saving the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +safe conduct , however ambitious and well-intentioned , fails to hit the entertainment bull 's - eye . $LABEL$ 0 +a film made with as little wit , interest , and professionalism as artistically possible for a slummy hollywood caper flick . $LABEL$ 0 +but here 's the real damn : it is n't funny , either . $LABEL$ 0 diff --git a/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.train.dat b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.train.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6fb7e4b1cd2af81adc6bdb761ebbffb0d410ac6c --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/201.SST2/stsa.binary.train.dat @@ -0,0 +1,6920 @@ +a stirring , funny and finally transporting re-imagining of beauty and the beast and 1930s horror films $LABEL$ 1 +apparently reassembled from the cutting-room floor of any given daytime soap . $LABEL$ 0 +they presume their audience wo n't sit still for a sociology lesson , however entertainingly presented , so they trot out the conventional science-fiction elements of bug-eyed monsters and futuristic women in skimpy clothes . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce . $LABEL$ 1 +jonathan parker 's bartleby should have been the be-all-end-all of the modern-office anomie films . $LABEL$ 1 +campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful . $LABEL$ 1 +a fan film that for the uninitiated plays better on video with the sound turned down . $LABEL$ 0 +béart and berling are both superb , while huppert ... is magnificent . $LABEL$ 1 +a little less extreme than in the past , with longer exposition sequences between them , and with fewer gags to break the tedium . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is strictly routine . $LABEL$ 0 +a lyrical metaphor for cultural and personal self-discovery and a picaresque view of a little-remembered world . $LABEL$ 1 +the most repugnant adaptation of a classic text since roland joffé and demi moore 's the scarlet letter . $LABEL$ 0 +for something as splendid-looking as this particular film , the viewer expects something special but instead gets -lrb- sci-fi -rrb- rehash . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a stunning film , a one-of-a-kind tour de force . $LABEL$ 1 +may be more genial than ingenious , but it gets the job done . $LABEL$ 1 +there is a freedom to watching stunts that are this crude , this fast-paced and this insane . $LABEL$ 1 +if the tuxedo actually were a suit , it would fit chan like a $ 99 bargain-basement special . $LABEL$ 0 +as quiet , patient and tenacious as mr. lopez himself , who approaches his difficult , endless work with remarkable serenity and discipline . $LABEL$ 1 +final verdict : you 've seen it all before . $LABEL$ 0 +blue crush follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling . $LABEL$ 0 +you ... get a sense of good intentions derailed by a failure to seek and strike just the right tone . $LABEL$ 0 +a slick , engrossing melodrama . $LABEL$ 1 +a wretched movie that reduces the second world war to one man 's quest to find an old flame . $LABEL$ 0 +will undoubtedly play well in european markets , where mr. besson is a brand name , and in asia , where ms. shu is an institution , but american audiences will probably find it familiar and insufficiently cathartic . $LABEL$ 0 +lacks the inspiration of the original and has a bloated plot that stretches the running time about 10 minutes past a child 's interest and an adult 's patience . $LABEL$ 0 +the santa clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is moody , oozing , chilling and heart-warming all at once ... a twisting , unpredictable , cat-and-mouse thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad . $LABEL$ 0 +a strong first act and absolutely , inescapably gorgeous , skyscraper-trapeze motion of the amazing spider-man . $LABEL$ 1 +gooding offers a desperately ingratiating performance . $LABEL$ 0 +a well-intentioned effort that 's still too burdened by the actor 's offbeat sensibilities for the earnest emotional core to emerge with any degree of accessibility . $LABEL$ 0 +a fun ride . $LABEL$ 1 +an edgy thriller that delivers a surprising punch . $LABEL$ 1 +` what 's the russian word for wow !? ' $LABEL$ 1 +otto-sallies has a real filmmaker 's eye . $LABEL$ 1 +lurid and less than lucid work . $LABEL$ 0 +with its parade of almost perpetually wasted characters ... margarita feels like a hazy high that takes too long to shake . $LABEL$ 0 +i could just feel the screenwriter at every moment ` tap , tap , tap , tap , tapping away ' on this screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +overall , cletis tout is a winning comedy that excites the imagination and tickles the funny bone . $LABEL$ 1 +you live the mood rather than savour the story . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is so thoughtlessly assembled . $LABEL$ 1 +some body is a shaky , uncertain film that nevertheless touches a few raw nerves . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a very sincere work , but it would be better as a diary or documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +while american adobo has its heart -lrb- and its palate -rrb- in the right place , its brain is a little scattered -- ditsy , even . $LABEL$ 0 +unfolds with such a wallop of you-are-there immediacy that when the bullets start to fly , your first instinct is to duck . $LABEL$ 1 +and it 's a lousy one at that . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not too fast and not too slow . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's an entertaining movie , and the effects , boosted to the size of a downtown hotel , will all but take you to outer space . $LABEL$ 1 +it is as uncompromising as it is nonjudgmental , and makes clear that a prostitute can be as lonely and needy as any of the clients . $LABEL$ 1 +compellingly watchable . $LABEL$ 1 +despite some comic sparks , welcome to collinwood never catches fire . $LABEL$ 0 +though jackson does n't always succeed in integrating the characters in the foreground into the extraordinarily rich landscape , it must be said that he is an imaginative filmmaker who can see the forest for the trees . $LABEL$ 1 +not only does spider-man deliver , but i suspect it might deliver again and again . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's worth taking the kids to . $LABEL$ 1 +without shakespeare 's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish . $LABEL$ 0 +dense , exhilarating documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +... feels as if -lrb- there 's -rrb- a choke leash around your neck so director nick cassavetes can give it a good , hard yank whenever he wants you to feel something . $LABEL$ 0 +poignant if familiar story of a young person suspended between two cultures . $LABEL$ 1 +methodical , measured , and gently tedious in its comedy , secret ballot is a purposefully reductive movie -- which may be why it 's so successful at lodging itself in the brain . $LABEL$ 1 +though a touch too arthouse 101 in its poetic symbolism , heaven proves to be a good match of the sensibilities of two directors . $LABEL$ 1 +superbly photographed and staged by mendes with a series of riveting set pieces the likes of which mainstream audiences have rarely seen . $LABEL$ 1 +a metaphor for a modern-day urban china searching for its identity . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a square , sentimental drama that satisfies , as comfort food often can . $LABEL$ 1 +the wonderfully lush morvern callar is pure punk existentialism , and ms. ramsay and her co-writer , liana dognini , have dramatized the alan warner novel , which itself felt like an answer to irvine welsh 's book trainspotting . $LABEL$ 1 +admirers of director abel ferrara may be relieved that his latest feature , r xmas , marks a modest if encouraging return to form . $LABEL$ 1 +not once in the rush to save the day did i become very involved in the proceedings ; to me , it was just a matter of ` eh . ' $LABEL$ 0 +an ugly-duckling tale so hideously and clumsily told it feels accidental . $LABEL$ 0 +becomes a bit of a mishmash : a tearjerker that does n't and a thriller that wo n't . $LABEL$ 0 +could i have been more geeked when i heard that apollo 13 was going to be released in imax format ? $LABEL$ 1 +this is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker , but good actors , good poetry and good music help sustain it . $LABEL$ 1 +more successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine $LABEL$ 0 +cho 's timing is priceless . $LABEL$ 1 +criminal conspiracies and true romances move so easily across racial and cultural lines in the film that it makes my big fat greek wedding look like an apartheid drama . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's something to be said for a studio-produced film that never bothers to hand viewers a suitcase full of easy answers . $LABEL$ 1 +what elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill singles blender is its surreal sense of humor and technological finish . $LABEL$ 1 +nicholson 's understated performance is wonderful . $LABEL$ 1 +the filmmakers know how to please the eye , but it is not always the prettiest pictures that tell the best story . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's unfortunate that wallace , who wrote gibson 's braveheart as well as the recent pearl harbor , has such an irrepressible passion for sappy situations and dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder . $LABEL$ 0 +... a fascinating curiosity piece -- fascinating , that is , for about ten minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +over and over again . $LABEL$ 0 +nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure . $LABEL$ 1 +this bond film goes off the beaten path , not necessarily for the better . $LABEL$ 0 +... its solemn pretension prevents us from sharing the awe in which it holds itself . $LABEL$ 0 +the drama discloses almost nothing . $LABEL$ 0 +a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis . $LABEL$ 0 +isabelle huppert excels as the enigmatic mika and anna mouglalis is a stunning new young talent in one of chabrol 's most intense psychological mysteries . $LABEL$ 1 +like its parade of predecessors , this halloween is a gory slash-fest . $LABEL$ 1 +perhaps the best sports movie i 've ever seen . $LABEL$ 1 +this pathetic junk is barely an hour long . $LABEL$ 0 +ou 've got to love a disney pic with as little cleavage as this one has , and a heroine as feisty and principled as jane . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a gorgeous film - vivid with color , music and life . $LABEL$ 1 +playing a role of almost bergmanesque intensity ... bisset is both convincing and radiant . $LABEL$ 1 +the trappings of i spy are so familiar you might as well be watching a rerun . $LABEL$ 0 +it treats ana 's journey with honesty that is tragically rare in the depiction of young women in film . $LABEL$ 1 +leigh makes these lives count . $LABEL$ 1 +ambitious , unsettling psychodrama that takes full , chilling advantage of its rough-around-the-edges , low-budget constraints . $LABEL$ 1 +the woodman seems to have directly influenced this girl-meets-girl love story , but even more reassuring is how its makers actually seem to understand what made allen 's romantic comedies so pertinent and enduring . $LABEL$ 1 +i could n't recommend this film more . $LABEL$ 1 +an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn . $LABEL$ 0 +you can taste it , but there 's no fizz . $LABEL$ 0 +a reworking of die hard and cliffhanger but it 's nowhere near as exciting as either . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives . $LABEL$ 1 +it has more than a few moments that are insightful enough to be fondly remembered in the endlessly challenging maze of moviegoing . $LABEL$ 1 +why ? $LABEL$ 0 +and that is where ararat went astray . $LABEL$ 0 +vincent gallo is right at home in this french shocker playing his usual bad boy weirdo role . $LABEL$ 1 +clockstoppers is one of those crazy , mixed-up films that does n't know what it wants to be when it grows up . $LABEL$ 0 +sandra bullock , despite downplaying her good looks , carries a little too much ai n't - she-cute baggage into her lead role as a troubled and determined homicide cop to quite pull off the heavy stuff . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mostly a pleasure to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +its spirit of iconoclastic abandon -- however canned -- makes for unexpectedly giddy viewing . $LABEL$ 1 +a kilted jackson is an unsettling sight , and indicative of his , if you will , out-of-kilter character , who rambles aimlessly through ill-conceived action pieces . $LABEL$ 0 +i did n't find much fascination in the swinging . $LABEL$ 0 +this is no `` waterboy ! '' $LABEL$ 0 +but the nerve-raked acting , the crackle of lines , the impressive stagings of hardware , make for some robust and scary entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +baby-faced renner is eerily convincing as this bland blank of a man with unimaginable demons within . $LABEL$ 1 +the kind of primal storytelling that george lucas can only dream of . $LABEL$ 1 +uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +the irwins ' scenes are fascinating ; the movie as a whole is cheap junk and an insult to their death-defying efforts . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a frightful vanity film that , no doubt , pays off what debt miramax felt they owed to benigni . $LABEL$ 0 +he seems to want both , but succeeds in making neither . $LABEL$ 0 +by turns fanciful , grisly and engagingly quixotic . $LABEL$ 1 +the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages . $LABEL$ 1 +i 've never seen -lrb- a remake -rrb- do anything as stomach-turning as the way adam sandler 's new movie rapes , pillages and incinerates frank capra 's classic ... $LABEL$ 0 +those who want to be jolted out of their gourd should drop everything and run to ichi . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. deeds is , as comedy goes , very silly -- and in the best way . $LABEL$ 1 +this amiable picture talks tough , but it 's all bluster -- in the end it 's as sweet as greenfingers ... $LABEL$ 1 +my little eye is the best little `` horror '' movie i 've seen in years . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is a negligible work of manipulation , an exploitation piece doing its usual worst to guilt-trip parents . $LABEL$ 0 +it may ... work as a jaunt down memory lane for teens and young adults who grew up on televised scooby-doo shows or reruns . $LABEL$ 1 +suffers from a flat script and a low budget . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is well done , but slow . $LABEL$ 0 +the master of disguise is awful . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is one of the year 's best . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the year 's most weirdly engaging and unpredictable character pieces . $LABEL$ 1 +the direction occasionally rises to the level of marginal competence , but for most of the film it is hard to tell who is chasing who or why . $LABEL$ 0 +the three leads produce adequate performances , but what 's missing from this material is any depth of feeling . $LABEL$ 0 +`` looking for leonard '' just seems to kinda sit in neutral , hoping for a stiff wind to blow it uphill or something . $LABEL$ 0 +the most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters . $LABEL$ 0 +... one resurrection too many . $LABEL$ 0 +oh , look at that clever angle ! $LABEL$ 1 +no , i hate it . $LABEL$ 0 +for a long time the film succeeds with its dark , delicate treatment of these characters and its unerring respect for them . $LABEL$ 1 +the casting of raymond j. barry as the ` assassin ' greatly enhances the quality of neil burger 's impressive fake documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is like sitting in a downtown café , overhearing a bunch of typical late-twenty-somethings natter on about nothing , and desperately wishing you could change tables . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers want nothing else than to show us a good time , and in their cheap , b movie way , they succeed . $LABEL$ 1 +a rollicking ride , with jaw-dropping action sequences , striking villains , a gorgeous color palette , astounding technology , stirring music and a boffo last hour that leads up to a strangely sinister happy ending . $LABEL$ 1 +an hour and a half of joyful solo performance . $LABEL$ 1 +contrived pastiche of caper clichés . $LABEL$ 0 +a triumph , a film that hews out a world and carries us effortlessly from darkness to light . $LABEL$ 1 +steven soderbergh 's digital video experiment is a clever and cutting , quick and dirty look at modern living and movie life . $LABEL$ 1 +kinnear 's performance is a career-defining revelation . $LABEL$ 1 +not only a reminder of how they used to make movies , but also how they sometimes still can be made . $LABEL$ 1 +the dragons are the real stars of reign of fire and you wo n't be disappointed . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're over 25 , have an iq over 90 , and have a driver 's license , you should be able to find better entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +for devotees of french cinema , safe conduct is so rich with period minutiae it 's like dying and going to celluloid heaven . $LABEL$ 1 +scherfig , who has had a successful career in tv , tackles more than she can handle . $LABEL$ 0 +this sade is hardly a perverse , dangerous libertine and agitator -- which would have made for better drama . $LABEL$ 0 +by the end of the movie , you 're definitely convinced that these women are spectacular . $LABEL$ 1 +... a plotline that 's as lumpy as two-day old porridge ... the filmmakers ' paws , sad to say , were all over this `` un-bear-able '' project ! $LABEL$ 0 +the modern-day royals have nothing on these guys when it comes to scandals . $LABEL$ 0 +essentially `` fatal attraction '' remade for viewers who were in diapers when the original was released in 1987 . $LABEL$ 0 +it does n't really know or care about the characters , and uses them as markers for a series of preordained events . $LABEL$ 0 +` opening up ' the play more has partly closed it down . $LABEL$ 0 +even though it 's common knowledge that park and his founding partner , yong kang , lost kozmo in the end , you ca n't help but get caught up in the thrill of the company 's astonishing growth . $LABEL$ 1 +lots of effort and intelligence are on display but in execution it is all awkward , static , and lifeless rumblings . $LABEL$ 0 +every moment crackles with tension , and by the end of the flick , you 're on the edge of your seat . $LABEL$ 1 +the imax screen enhances the personal touch of manual animation . $LABEL$ 1 +coal is n't as easy to come by as it used to be and this would be a worthy substitute for naughty children 's stockings . $LABEL$ 0 +as pedestrian as they come . $LABEL$ 0 +why , you may ask , why should you buy the movie milk when the tv cow is free ? $LABEL$ 0 +sunk by way too much indulgence of scene-chewing , teeth-gnashing actorliness . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's fun for kids of any age . $LABEL$ 1 +raimi and his team could n't have done any better in bringing the story of spider-man to the big screen . $LABEL$ 1 +a colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a rip-roaring comedy action fest that 'll put hairs on your chest . $LABEL$ 1 +the premise of jason x is silly but strangely believable . $LABEL$ 1 +the modern-day characters are nowhere near as vivid as the 19th-century ones . $LABEL$ 0 +chelsea walls is a case of too many chefs fussing over too weak a recipe . $LABEL$ 0 +the cast ... keeps this pretty watchable , and casting mick jagger as director of the escort service was inspired . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- the kid 's -rrb- just too bratty for sympathy , and as the film grows to its finale , his little changes ring hollow . $LABEL$ 0 +contradicts everything we 've come to expect from movies nowadays . $LABEL$ 1 +there is little question that this is a serious work by an important director who has something new to say about how , in the flip-flop of courtship , we often reel in when we should be playing out . $LABEL$ 1 +the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal . $LABEL$ 0 +the solid filmmaking and convincing characters makes this a high water mark for this genre . $LABEL$ 1 +the kind of movie that comes along only occasionally , one so unconventional , gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away . $LABEL$ 1 +with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work . $LABEL$ 1 +funny , somber , absurd , and , finally , achingly sad , bartleby is a fine , understated piece of filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +every now and again , a movie comes along to remind us of how very bad a motion picture can truly be . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either . $LABEL$ 0 +schrader examines crane 's decline with unblinking candor . $LABEL$ 1 +that the e-graveyard holds as many good ideas as bad is the cold comfort that chin 's film serves up with style and empathy . $LABEL$ 1 +you would n't want to live waydowntown , but it is a hilarious place to visit . $LABEL$ 1 +the bai brothers have taken an small slice of history and opened it up for all of us to understand , and they 've told a nice little story in the process . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not one decent performance from the cast and not one clever line of dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +translation : ` we do n't need to try very hard . ' $LABEL$ 0 +return to never land is reliable , standard disney animated fare , with enough creative energy and wit to entertain all ages . $LABEL$ 1 +it sticks rigidly to the paradigm , rarely permitting its characters more than two obvious dimensions and repeatedly placing them in contrived , well-worn situations . $LABEL$ 0 +caine makes us watch as his character awakens to the notion that to be human is eventually to have to choose . $LABEL$ 1 +a captivating and intimate study about dying and loving ... $LABEL$ 1 +oversexed , at times overwrought comedy\/drama that offers little insight into the experience of being forty , female and single . $LABEL$ 0 +the world needs more filmmakers with passionate enthusiasms like martin scorsese . $LABEL$ 1 +the director seems to take an unseemly pleasure in -lrb- the characters ' -rrb- misery and at the same time to congratulate himself for having the guts to confront it . $LABEL$ 0 +the history is fascinating ; the action is dazzling . $LABEL$ 1 +the unexpected thing is that its dying , in this shower of black-and-white psychedelia , is quite beautiful . $LABEL$ 1 +i also believe that resident evil is not it . $LABEL$ 0 +offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film . $LABEL$ 1 +meeting , even exceeding expectations , it 's the best sequel since the empire strikes back ... a majestic achievement , an epic of astonishing grandeur and surprising emotional depth . $LABEL$ 1 +while general audiences might not come away with a greater knowledge of the facts of cuban music , they 'll be treated to an impressive and highly entertaining celebration of its sounds . $LABEL$ 1 +not only better than its predecessor , it may rate as the most magical and most fun family fare of this or any recent holiday season . $LABEL$ 1 +... may work as an addictive guilty pleasure but the material never overcomes its questionable satirical ambivalence . $LABEL$ 0 +death to smoochy tells a moldy-oldie , not-nearly - as-nasty - as-it - thinks-it-is joke . $LABEL$ 0 +spielberg 's picture is smarter and subtler than -lrb- total recall and blade runner -rrb- , although its plot may prove too convoluted for fun-seeking summer audiences . $LABEL$ 1 +hart 's war seems to want to be a character study , but apparently ca n't quite decide which character . $LABEL$ 0 +smaller numbered kidlets will enjoy . $LABEL$ 1 +offers no new insight on the matter , nor do its characters exactly spring to life . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm convinced i could keep a family of five blind , crippled , amish people alive in this situation better than these british soldiers do at keeping themselves kicking . $LABEL$ 0 +the connected stories of breitbart and hanussen are actually fascinating , but the filmmaking in invincible is such that the movie does not do them justice . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films . $LABEL$ 1 +these characters are so well established that the gang feels comfortable with taking insane liberties and doing the goofiest stuff out of left field , and i 'm all for that . $LABEL$ 1 +with a completely predictable plot , you 'll swear that you 've seen it all before , even if you 've never come within a mile of the longest yard . $LABEL$ 0 +the jokes are sophomoric , stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious . $LABEL$ 0 +cho 's latest comic set is n't as sharp or as fresh as i 'm the one that i want ... but it 's still damn funny stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s , but words do n't really do the era justice . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best looking and stylish animated movies in quite a while ... $LABEL$ 1 +light the candles , bring out the cake and do n't fret about the calories because there 's precious little substance in birthday girl -- it 's simply , and surprisingly , a nice , light treat . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's good , hard-edged stuff , violent and a bit exploitative but also nicely done , morally alert and street-smart . $LABEL$ 1 +sayles ... once again strands his superb performers in the same old story . $LABEL$ 0 +high crimes carries almost no organic intrigue as a government \/ marine\/legal mystery , and that 's because the movie serves up all of that stuff , nearly subliminally , as the old-hat province of male intrigue . $LABEL$ 0 +nicole kidman makes it a party worth attending . $LABEL$ 1 +bogdanovich puts history in perspective and , via kirsten dunst 's remarkable performance , he showcases davies as a young woman of great charm , generosity and diplomacy . $LABEL$ 1 +the gentle comic treatment of adolescent sturm und drang should please fans of chris fuhrman 's posthumously published cult novel . $LABEL$ 1 +shatner is probably the funniest person in the film , which gives you an idea just how bad it was . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's some outrageously creative action in the transporter ... -lrb- b -rrb- ut by the time frank parachutes down onto a moving truck , it 's just another cartoon with an unstoppable superman . $LABEL$ 0 +for those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , sex and lucia may well prove diverting enough . $LABEL$ 1 +it might be ` easier ' to watch on video at home , but that should n't stop die-hard french film connoisseurs from going out and enjoying the big-screen experience . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- reno -rrb- delivers a monologue that manages to incorporate both the horror and the absurdity of the situation in a well-balanced fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +rich in atmosphere of the post-war art world , it manages to instruct without reeking of research library dust . $LABEL$ 1 +more good than great but freeman and judd make it work . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's nice to see piscopo again after all these years , and chaykin and headly are priceless . $LABEL$ 1 +never again , while nothing special , is pleasant , diverting and modest -- definitely a step in the right direction . $LABEL$ 1 +if the last man were the last movie left on earth , there would be a toss-up between presiding over the end of cinema as we know it and another night of delightful hand shadows . $LABEL$ 0 +she is a lioness , protecting her cub , and he a reluctant villain , incapable of controlling his crew . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an interesting movie ! '' $LABEL$ 1 +it 's simply stupid , irrelevant and deeply , truly , bottomlessly cynical . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is almost completely lacking in suspense , surprise and consistent emotional conviction . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters are so generic and the plot so bland that even as rogue cia assassins working for chris cooper 's agency boss close in on the resourceful amnesiac , we do n't feel much for damon\/bourne or his predicament . $LABEL$ 0 +like a can of 2-day old coke . $LABEL$ 0 +this masterfully calibrated psychological thriller thrives on its taut performances and creepy atmosphere even if the screenplay falls somewhat short . $LABEL$ 1 +yes , i suppose it 's lovely that cal works out his issues with his dad and comes to terms with his picture-perfect life -- but world traveler gave me no reason to care , so i did n't . $LABEL$ 0 +that the film opens with maggots crawling on a dead dog is not an out of place metaphor . $LABEL$ 0 +if the plot seems a bit on the skinny side , that 's because panic room is interested in nothing more than sucking you in ... and making you sweat . $LABEL$ 1 +drumline ably captures the complicated relationships in a marching band . $LABEL$ 1 +the entire cast is first-rate , especially sorvino . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a drag how nettelbeck sees working women -- or at least this working woman -- for whom she shows little understanding . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing about this movie works . $LABEL$ 0 +a solidly entertaining little film . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- `` safe conduct '' -rrb- is a long movie at 163 minutes but it fills the time with drama , romance , tragedy , bravery , political intrigue , partisans and sabotage . $LABEL$ 1 +although mainstream american movies tend to exploit the familiar , every once in a while a film arrives from the margin that gives viewers a chance to learn , to grow , to travel . $LABEL$ 1 +a hit - and-miss affair , consistently amusing but not as outrageous or funny as cho may have intended or as imaginative as one might have hoped . $LABEL$ 0 +this is an exercise in chilling style , and twohy films the sub , inside and out , with an eye on preserving a sense of mystery . $LABEL$ 1 +hey everybody , wanna watch a movie in which a guy dressed as a children 's party clown gets violently gang-raped ? $LABEL$ 0 +it makes compelling , provocative and prescient viewing . $LABEL$ 1 +a flawed but engrossing thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +never comes together as a coherent whole . $LABEL$ 0 +a decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies . $LABEL$ 0 +what sets ms. birot 's film apart from others in the genre is a greater attention to the parents -- and particularly the fateful fathers -- in the emotional evolution of the two bewitched adolescents . $LABEL$ 1 +like most of jaglom 's films , some of it is honestly affecting , but more of it seems contrived and secondhand . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a wise and powerful tale of race and culture forcefully told , with superb performances throughout . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those terrific documentaries that collect a bunch of people who are enthusiastic about something and then figures out how to make us share their enthusiasm . $LABEL$ 1 +not only are the film 's sopranos gags incredibly dated and unfunny , they also demonstrate how desperate the makers of this ` we 're - doing-it-for - the-cash ' sequel were . $LABEL$ 0 +i have to admit that i am baffled by jason x. $LABEL$ 0 +the film gets close to the chimps the same way goodall did , with a serious minded patience , respect and affection . $LABEL$ 1 +a rip-off twice removed , modeled after -lrb- seagal 's -rrb- earlier copycat under siege , sometimes referred to as die hard on a boat . $LABEL$ 0 +ms. seigner and mr. serrault bring fresh , unforced naturalism to their characters . $LABEL$ 1 +that 's muy loco , but no more ridiculous than most of the rest of `` dragonfly . '' $LABEL$ 0 +but the movie that does n't really deliver for country music fans or for family audiences $LABEL$ 0 +if you answered yes , by all means enjoy the new guy . $LABEL$ 1 +generates an enormous feeling of empathy for its characters . $LABEL$ 1 +the low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love . $LABEL$ 1 +those prone to indignation need not apply ; those susceptible to blue hilarity , step right up . $LABEL$ 1 +an intriguing look at the french film industry during the german occupation ; its most delightful moments come when various characters express their quirky inner selves . $LABEL$ 1 +would make an excellent companion piece to the similarly themed ` the french lieutenant 's woman . ' $LABEL$ 1 +if you like quirky , odd movies and\/or the ironic , here 's a fun one . $LABEL$ 1 +no french people were harmed during the making of this movie , but they were insulted and the audience was put through torture for an hour and a half . $LABEL$ 0 +woody allen can write and deliver a one liner as well as anybody . $LABEL$ 1 +the most consistently funny of the austin powers films . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's both degrading and strangely liberating to see people working so hard at leading lives of sexy intrigue , only to be revealed by the dispassionate gantz brothers as ordinary , pasty lumpen . $LABEL$ 1 +paid in full is remarkably engaging despite being noticeably derivative of goodfellas and at least a half dozen other trouble-in-the-ghetto flicks . $LABEL$ 1 +the plot has a number of holes , and at times it 's simply baffling . $LABEL$ 0 +the redeeming feature of chan 's films has always been the action , but the stunts in the tuxedo seem tired and , what 's worse , routine . $LABEL$ 0 +amazingly lame . $LABEL$ 0 +not even felinni would know what to make of this italian freakshow . $LABEL$ 0 +garcía bernal and talancón are an immensely appealing couple , and even though their story is predictable , you 'll want things to work out . $LABEL$ 1 +-- but certainly hard to hate . $LABEL$ 1 +finely crafted , finely written , exquisitely performed $LABEL$ 1 +parker can not sustain the buoyant energy level of the film 's city beginnings into its country conclusion ' $LABEL$ 0 +the story is a rather simplistic one : grief drives her , love drives him , and a second chance to find love in the most unlikely place - it struck a chord in me . $LABEL$ 1 +a cockeyed shot all the way . $LABEL$ 0 +clare peploe 's airless movie adaptation could use a little american pie-like irreverence . $LABEL$ 0 +a woefully dull , redundant concept that bears more than a whiff of exploitation , despite iwai 's vaunted empathy . $LABEL$ 0 +a cutesy romantic tale with a twist . $LABEL$ 1 +about one in three gags in white 's intermittently wise script hits its mark ; the rest are padding unashamedly appropriated from the teen-exploitation playbook . $LABEL$ 0 +it plods along methodically , somehow under the assumption that its `` dead wife communicating from beyond the grave '' framework is even remotely new or interesting . $LABEL$ 0 +give credit to everyone from robinson down to the key grip that this bold move works . $LABEL$ 1 +enough said , except : film overboard ! $LABEL$ 0 +a suffocating rape-payback horror show that hinges on the subgenre 's most enabling victim ... and an ebullient affection for industrial-model meat freezers . $LABEL$ 1 +while we no longer possess the lack-of-attention span that we did at seventeen , we had no trouble sitting for blade ii . $LABEL$ 1 +a collage of clichés and a dim echo of allusions to other films . $LABEL$ 0 +combine the paranoid claustrophobia of a submarine movie with the unsettling spookiness of the supernatural -- why did n't hollywood think of this sooner ? $LABEL$ 1 +if damon and affleck attempt another project greenlight , next time out they might try paying less attention to the miniseries and more attention to the film it is about . $LABEL$ 0 +the screenplay by james eric , james horton and director peter o'fallon ... is so pat it makes your teeth hurt . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm giving it thumbs down due to the endlessly repetitive scenes of embarrassment . $LABEL$ 0 +not only does leblanc make one spectacularly ugly-looking broad , but he appears miserable throughout as he swaggers through his scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +an elegant work , food of love is as consistently engaging as it is revealing . $LABEL$ 1 +the pain , loneliness and insecurity of the screenwriting process are vividly and painfully brought to slovenly life in this self-deprecating , biting and witty feature written by charlie kaufman and his twin brother , donald , and directed by spike jonze . $LABEL$ 1 +... a weak and ineffective ghost story without a conclusion or pay off . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're a fan of the series you 'll love it and probably want to see it twice . $LABEL$ 1 +the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long . $LABEL$ 0 +suffers from a lack of clarity and audacity that a subject as monstrous and pathetic as dahmer demands . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not a motion picture ; it 's an utterly static picture . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's probably not easy to make such a worthless film ... $LABEL$ 0 +the film is bright and flashy in all the right ways . $LABEL$ 1 +a brisk , reverent , and subtly different sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +a macabre and very stylized swedish fillm about a modern city where all the religious and civic virtues that hold society in place are in tatters . $LABEL$ 1 +does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background . $LABEL$ 1 +a fascinating documentary that provides a rounded and revealing overview of this ancient holistic healing system $LABEL$ 1 +a cautionary tale about the folly of superficiality that is itself endlessly superficial . $LABEL$ 0 +quitting , however , manages just to be depressing , as the lead actor phones in his autobiographical performance . $LABEL$ 0 +i did go back and check out the last 10 minutes , but these were more repulsive than the first 30 or 40 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +in the end , the movie bogs down in insignificance , saying nothing about kennedy 's assassination and revealing nothing about the pathology it pretends to investigate . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's refreshing to see a movie that embraces its old-fashioned themes and in the process comes out looking like something wholly original . $LABEL$ 1 +it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes . $LABEL$ 1 +boomers and their kids will have a barrie good time . $LABEL$ 1 +wow . $LABEL$ 1 +if disney 's cinderella proved that ' a dream is a wish your heart makes , ' then cinderella ii proves that a nightmare is a wish a studio 's wallet makes . $LABEL$ 0 +been there , done that ... a thousand times already , and better . $LABEL$ 0 +an infuriating film . $LABEL$ 0 +a film with a great premise but only a great premise . $LABEL$ 1 +seagal ran out of movies years ago , and this is just the proof . $LABEL$ 0 +a backhanded ode to female camaraderie penned by a man who has little clue about either the nature of women or of friendship . $LABEL$ 0 +the fetid underbelly of fame has never looked uglier . $LABEL$ 0 +by halfway through this picture i was beginning to hate it , and , of course , feeling guilty for it ... then , miracle of miracles , the movie does a flip-flop . $LABEL$ 1 +soulless and -- even more damning -- virtually joyless , xxx achieves near virtuosity in its crapulence . $LABEL$ 0 +what the movie lacks in action it more than makes up for in drama , suspense , revenge , and romance . $LABEL$ 1 +sweet home alabama is n't going to win any academy awards , but this date-night diversion will definitely win some hearts . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a satisfying summer blockbuster and worth a look . $LABEL$ 1 +a party-hearty teen flick that scalds like acid . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is ... very funny as you peek at it through the fingers in front of your eyes . $LABEL$ 1 +while the story is better-focused than the incomprehensible anne rice novel it 's based upon , queen of the damned is a pointless , meandering celebration of the goth-vampire , tortured woe-is-me lifestyle . $LABEL$ 0 +originality ai n't on the menu , but there 's never a dull moment in the giant spider invasion comic chiller . $LABEL$ 1 +like mike is a slight and uninventive movie : like the exalted michael jordan referred to in the title , many can aspire but none can equal . $LABEL$ 0 +the cast , collectively a successful example of the lovable-loser protagonist , shows deft comic timing . $LABEL$ 1 +a grittily beautiful film that looks , sounds , and feels more like an extended , open-ended poem than a traditionally structured story . $LABEL$ 1 +strangely comes off as a kingdom more mild than wild . $LABEL$ 1 +a few hours after you 've seen it , you forget you 've been to the movies . $LABEL$ 0 +yet it 's not quite the genre-busting film it 's been hyped to be because it plays everything too safe . $LABEL$ 0 +the biggest problem with roger avary 's uproar against the mpaa is that , even in all its director 's cut glory , he 's made a film that 's barely shocking , barely interesting and most of all , barely anything . $LABEL$ 0 +peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience . $LABEL$ 1 +manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it . $LABEL$ 1 +the end result is like cold porridge with only the odd enjoyably chewy lump . $LABEL$ 0 +it shows that some studios firmly believe that people have lost the ability to think and will forgive any shoddy product as long as there 's a little girl-on-girl action . $LABEL$ 0 +despite a quieter middle section , involving aragorn 's dreams of arwen , this is even better than the fellowship . $LABEL$ 1 +that such a horrible movie could have sprung from such a great one is one of the year 's worst cinematic tragedies . $LABEL$ 0 +a fleet-footed and pleasingly upbeat family diversion . $LABEL$ 1 +australian filmmaker david flatman uses the huge-screen format to make an old-fashioned nature film that educates viewers with words and pictures while entertaining them . $LABEL$ 1 +`` mr. deeds '' is suitable summer entertainment that offers escapism without requiring a great deal of thought . $LABEL$ 1 +lame sweet home leaves no southern stereotype unturned . $LABEL$ 0 +rice is too pedestrian a filmmaker to bring any edge or personality to the rising place that would set it apart from other deep south stories . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's always disappointing when a documentary fails to live up to -- or offer any new insight into -- its chosen topic . $LABEL$ 0 +yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ... $LABEL$ 0 +you may be galled that you 've wasted nearly two hours of your own precious life with this silly little puddle of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. scorsese 's bravery and integrity in advancing this vision can hardly be underestimated . $LABEL$ 1 +more intellectually scary than dramatically involving . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is like a year late for tapping into our reality tv obsession , and even tardier for exploiting the novelty of the `` webcast . '' $LABEL$ 0 +fun and nimble . $LABEL$ 1 +when the casting call for this movie went out , it must have read ` seeking anyone with acting ambition but no sense of pride or shame . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is a desperate miscalculation . $LABEL$ 0 +what they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like a glossy melodrama that occasionally verges on camp . $LABEL$ 0 +what ultimately makes windtalkers a disappointment is the superficial way it deals with its story . $LABEL$ 0 +polanski has found the perfect material with which to address his own world war ii experience in his signature style . $LABEL$ 1 +the main story ... is compelling enough , but it 's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish . $LABEL$ 0 +the film boasts at least a few good ideas and features some decent performances , but the result is disappointing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's no surprise that as a director washington demands and receives excellent performances , from himself and from newcomer derek luke . $LABEL$ 1 +if mostly martha is mostly unsurprising , it 's still a sweet , even delectable diversion . $LABEL$ 1 +top-notch action powers this romantic drama . $LABEL$ 1 +roman polanski 's autobiographical gesture at redemption is better than ` shindler 's list ' - it is more than merely a holocaust movie . $LABEL$ 1 +an admitted egomaniac , evans is no hollywood villain , and yet this grating showcase almost makes you wish he 'd gone the way of don simpson . $LABEL$ 0 +confessions may not be a straightforward bio , nor does it offer much in the way of barris ' motivations , but the film is an oddly fascinating depiction of an architect of pop culture . $LABEL$ 1 +the inherent limitations of using a video game as the source material movie are once again made all too clear in this schlocky horror\/action hybrid . $LABEL$ 0 +takes a simple premise and carries it to unexpected heights . $LABEL$ 1 +` moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop , a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the film reminds me of a vastly improved germanic version of my big fat greek wedding -- with better characters , some genuine quirkiness and at least a measure of style . $LABEL$ 1 +the star who helped give a spark to `` chasing amy '' and `` changing lanes '' falls flat as thinking man cia agent jack ryan in this summer 's new action film , `` the sum of all fears . '' $LABEL$ 0 +a good film with a solid pedigree both in front of and , more specifically , behind the camera . $LABEL$ 1 +a marvelous performance by allison lohman as an identity-seeking foster child . $LABEL$ 1 +a slow-moving police-procedural thriller that takes its title all too literally . $LABEL$ 0 +since dahmer resorts to standard slasher flick thrills when it should be most in the mind of the killer , it misses a major opportunity to be truly revelatory about his psyche . $LABEL$ 0 +leigh is n't breaking new ground , but he knows how a daily grind can kill love . $LABEL$ 1 +the master of disguise represents adam sandler 's latest attempt to dumb down the universe . $LABEL$ 0 +i ca n't say this enough : this movie is about an adult male dressed in pink jammies . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- boldly stroked , luridly coloured , uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain . $LABEL$ 0 +once one experiences mr. haneke 's own sadistic tendencies toward his audience , one is left with a sour taste in one 's mouth , and little else . $LABEL$ 0 +with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine . $LABEL$ 1 +about schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't reach them , but the effort is gratefully received . $LABEL$ 1 +- i also wanted a little alien as a friend ! $LABEL$ 1 +the work of a filmmaker who has secrets buried at the heart of his story and knows how to take time revealing them . $LABEL$ 1 +for this sort of thing to work , we need agile performers , but the proficient , dull sorvino has no light touch , and rodan is out of his league . $LABEL$ 0 +juliette binoche 's sand is vivacious , but it 's hard to sense that powerhouse of 19th-century prose behind her childlike smile . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the storylines feel like time fillers between surf shots . $LABEL$ 0 +a powerful performance from mel gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an m-16 . $LABEL$ 1 +woody allen has really found his groove these days . $LABEL$ 1 +the screenwriters dig themselves in deeper every time they toss logic and science into what is essentially a `` dungeons and dragons '' fantasy with modern military weaponry ... $LABEL$ 0 +delirious fun . $LABEL$ 1 +what might have been acceptable on the printed page of iles ' book does not translate well to the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +ice cube is n't quite out of ripe screwball ideas , but friday after next spreads them pretty thin . $LABEL$ 0 +director david fincher and writer david koepp ca n't sustain it . $LABEL$ 0 +mckay shows crushingly little curiosity about , or is ill-equipped to examine , the interior lives of the characters in his film , much less incorporate them into his narrative . $LABEL$ 0 +what lifts the film high above run-of-the-filth gangster flicks is its refusal to recognise any of the signposts , as if discovering a way through to the bitter end without a map . $LABEL$ 1 +it gets the details of its time frame right but it completely misses its emotions . $LABEL$ 0 +entirely appropriately , the tale unfolds like a lazy summer afternoon and concludes with the crisp clarity of a fall dawn . $LABEL$ 1 +what we have is a character faced with the possibility that her life is meaningless , vapid and devoid of substance , in a movie that is definitely meaningless , vapid and devoid of substance . $LABEL$ 0 +with a cast of a-list brit actors , it is worth searching out . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's refreshing that someone understands the need for the bad boy ; diesel , with his brawny frame and cool , composed delivery , fits the bill perfectly . $LABEL$ 1 +for all of its insights into the dream world of teen life , and its electronic expression through cyber culture , the film gives no quarter to anyone seeking to pull a cohesive story out of its 2 1\/2 - hour running time . $LABEL$ 0 +with flashbulb editing as cover for the absence of narrative continuity , undisputed is nearly incoherent , an excuse to get to the closing bout ... by which time it 's impossible to care who wins . $LABEL$ 0 +clooney directs this film always keeping the balance between the fantastic and the believable ... $LABEL$ 1 +happy times maintains an appealing veneer without becoming too cute about it . $LABEL$ 1 +tv skit-com material fervently deposited on the big screen . $LABEL$ 0 +a compelling film . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's unhurried pace is actually one of its strengths . $LABEL$ 1 +it certainly wo n't win any awards in the plot department but it sets out with no pretensions and delivers big time . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the things that made the original men in black such a pleasure are still there . $LABEL$ 1 +cold , sterile and lacking any color or warmth . $LABEL$ 0 +a ` girls gone wild ' video for the boho art-house crowd , the burning sensation is n't a definitive counter-cultural document -- its makers are n't removed and inquisitive enough for that . $LABEL$ 0 +... the movie feels stitched together from stock situations and characters from other movies . $LABEL$ 0 +with an obvious rapport with her actors and a striking style behind the camera , hélène angel is definitely a director to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +a deft , delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph . $LABEL$ 1 +men in black ii achieves ultimate insignificance -- it 's the sci-fi comedy spectacle as whiffle-ball epic . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing to gain from watching they . $LABEL$ 0 +debut effort by `` project greenlight '' winner is sappy and amateurish . $LABEL$ 0 +your 20th outing shows off a lot of stamina and vitality , and get this , madonna 's cameo does n't suck ! $LABEL$ 1 +an absurdist spider web . $LABEL$ 0 +a journey that is as difficult for the audience to take as it is for the protagonist -- yet it 's potentially just as rewarding . $LABEL$ 1 +rather less than the sum of its underventilated père-fils confrontations . $LABEL$ 0 +an entertaining documentary that freshly considers arguments the bard 's immortal plays were written by somebody else . $LABEL$ 1 +stay away . $LABEL$ 0 +contrasting the original ringu with the current americanized adaptation is akin to comparing the evil dead with evil dead ii $LABEL$ 0 +skip this dreck , rent animal house and go back to the source . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully filmed and well acted ... but admittedly problematic in its narrative specifics . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're burnt out on it 's a wonderful life marathons and bored with a christmas carol , it might just be the movie you 're looking for . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's highlight is definitely its screenplay , both for the rhapsodic dialogue that jumps off the page , and for the memorable character creations . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie , like bartleby , is something of a stiff -- an extra-dry office comedy that seems twice as long as its 83 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's sort of a 21st century morality play with a latino hip hop beat . $LABEL$ 1 +should n't have been allowed to use the word `` new '' in its title , because there 's not an original character , siuation or joke in the entire movie . $LABEL$ 0 +decent but dull . $LABEL$ 0 +get out your pooper-scoopers . $LABEL$ 0 +humor in i spy is so anemic . $LABEL$ 0 +at least it 's a fairly impressive debut from the director , charles stone iii . $LABEL$ 1 +try as you might to resist , if you 've got a place in your heart for smokey robinson , this movie will worm its way there . $LABEL$ 1 +if the film has a problem , its shortness disappoints : you want the story to go on and on . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not a fresh idea at the core of this tale . $LABEL$ 0 +this film is so different from the apple and so striking that it can only encourage us to see samira makhmalbaf as a very distinctive sensibility , working to develop her own film language with conspicuous success . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a movie where the most notable observation is how long you 've been sitting still . $LABEL$ 0 +technically and artistically inept . $LABEL$ 0 +... overly melodramatic ... $LABEL$ 0 +trouble every day is a success in some sense , but it 's hard to like a film so cold and dead . $LABEL$ 0 +... stumbles over every cheap trick in the book trying to make the outrage come even easier . $LABEL$ 0 +in all the annals of the movies , few films have been this odd , inexplicable and unpleasant . $LABEL$ 0 +allen 's funniest and most likeable movie in years . $LABEL$ 1 +highly uneven and inconsistent ... margarita happy hour kinda resembles the el cheapo margaritas served within . $LABEL$ 0 +the effort is sincere and the results are honest , but the film is so bleak that it 's hardly watchable . $LABEL$ 0 +the scriptwriters are no less a menace to society than the film 's characters . $LABEL$ 0 +a big-budget\/all-star movie as unblinkingly pure as the hours is a distinct rarity , and an event . $LABEL$ 1 +an enormously entertaining movie , like nothing we 've ever seen before , and yet completely familiar . $LABEL$ 1 +even as the hero of the story rediscovers his passion in life , the mood remains oddly detached . $LABEL$ 0 +deepa mehta provides an accessible introduction as well as some intelligent observations on the success of bollywood in the western world . $LABEL$ 1 +a cheap scam put together by some cynical creeps at revolution studios and imagine entertainment to make the suckers out there surrender $ 9 and 93 minutes of unrecoverable life . $LABEL$ 0 +not once does it come close to being exciting . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a hellish , numbing experience to watch , and it does n't offer any insights that have n't been thoroughly debated in the media already , back in the dahmer heyday of the mid - '90s . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is hampered by its predictable plot and paper-thin supporting characters . $LABEL$ 0 +... standard guns versus martial arts cliche with little new added . $LABEL$ 1 +a noble failure . $LABEL$ 0 +much of what we see is horrible but it 's also undeniably exceedingly clever . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not a comedic moment in this romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +any rock pile will do for a set . $LABEL$ 0 +the hook is the drama within the drama , as an unsolved murder and an unresolved moral conflict jockey for the spotlight . $LABEL$ 1 +a muddle splashed with bloody beauty as vivid as any scorsese has ever given us . $LABEL$ 1 +marinated in clichés and mawkish dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie , a certain scene in particular , brought me uncomfortably close to losing my lunch . $LABEL$ 0 +in addition to gluing you to the edge of your seat , changing lanes is also a film of freshness , imagination and insight . $LABEL$ 1 +in the end , the film feels homogenized and a bit contrived , as if we 're looking back at a tattered and ugly past with rose-tinted glasses . $LABEL$ 0 +while the frequent allusions to gurus and doshas will strike some westerners as verging on mumbo-jumbo ... broad streaks of common sense emerge with unimpeachable clarity . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is hardly a masterpiece , but it does mark ms. bullock 's best work in some time . $LABEL$ 1 +unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you 're going to feel like you were n't invited to the party . $LABEL$ 0 +an energetic and engaging film that never pretends to be something it is n't . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling story of musical passion against governmental odds . $LABEL$ 1 +a rumor of angels does n't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness . $LABEL$ 0 +mindless yet impressively lean spinoff of last summer 's bloated effects fest the mummy returns . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's needed so badly but what is virtually absent here is either a saving dark humor or the feel of poetic tragedy . $LABEL$ 0 +stone seems to have a knack for wrapping the theater in a cold blanket of urban desperation . $LABEL$ 0 +` alice 's adventure through the looking glass and into zombie-land ' is filled with strange and wonderful creatures . $LABEL$ 1 +late marriage is an in-your-face family drama and black comedy that is filled with raw emotions conveying despair and love . $LABEL$ 1 +remember it . $LABEL$ 1 +thoroughly enjoyable . $LABEL$ 1 +begins like a docu-drama but builds its multi-character story with a flourish . $LABEL$ 1 +the best comedy concert movie i 've seen since cho 's previous concert comedy film , i 'm the one that i want , in 2000 . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll end up moved . $LABEL$ 1 +i 've yet to find an actual vietnam war combat movie actually produced by either the north or south vietnamese , but at least now we 've got something pretty damn close . $LABEL$ 1 +while it 's all quite tasteful to look at , the attention process tends to do a little fleeing of its own . $LABEL$ 0 +a visual spectacle full of stunning images and effects . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's always fascinating to watch marker the essayist at work . $LABEL$ 1 +the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun . $LABEL$ 1 +but even while his characters are acting horribly , he is always sympathetic . $LABEL$ 1 +narc is all menace and atmosphere . $LABEL$ 0 +there is simply not enough of interest onscreen to sustain its seventy-minute running time . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- stevens is -rrb- so stoked to make an important film about human infidelity and happenstance that he tosses a kitchen sink onto a story already overladen with plot conceits . $LABEL$ 0 +kurys seems intimidated by both her subject matter and the period trappings of this debut venture into the heritage business . $LABEL$ 0 +it dabbles all around , never gaining much momentum . $LABEL$ 0 +being unique does n't necessarily equate to being good , no matter how admirably the filmmakers have gone for broke . $LABEL$ 0 +that rare documentary that incorporates so much of human experience -- drama , conflict , tears and surprise -- that it transcends the normal divisions between fiction and nonfiction film . $LABEL$ 1 +hashiguchi covers this territory with wit and originality , suggesting that with his fourth feature -- the first to be released in the u.s. -- a major director is emerging in world cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +when -lrb- reno -rrb- lets her radical flag fly , taking angry potshots at george w. bush , henry kissinger , larry king , et al. , reno devolves into a laugh-free lecture . $LABEL$ 0 +never capitalizes on this concept and opts for the breezy and amateurish feel of an after school special on the subject of tolerance . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its visual virtuosity , ` naqoyqatsi ' is banal in its message and the choice of material to convey it . $LABEL$ 0 +while the filmmaking may be a bit disjointed , the subject matter is so fascinating that you wo n't care . $LABEL$ 1 +paul bettany is cool . $LABEL$ 1 +collateral damage is trash , but it earns extra points by acting as if it were n't . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's anchored by splendid performances from an honored screen veteran and a sparkling newcomer who instantly transform themselves into a believable mother\/daughter pair . $LABEL$ 1 +the one not-so-small problem with expecting is that the entire exercise has no real point . $LABEL$ 0 +when you 've got the wildly popular vin diesel in the equation , it adds up to big box office bucks all but guaranteed . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem with all of this : it 's not really funny . $LABEL$ 0 +one hour photo may seem disappointing in its generalities , but it 's the little nuances that perhaps had to escape from director mark romanek 's self-conscious scrutiny to happen , that finally get under your skin . $LABEL$ 0 +a modestly surprising movie . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's impossible to indulge the fanciful daydreams of janice beard -lrb- eileen walsh -rrb- when her real-life persona is so charmless and vacant . $LABEL$ 0 +as the movie traces mr. brown 's athletic exploits , it is impossible not to be awed by the power and grace of one of the greatest natural sportsmen of modern times . $LABEL$ 1 +to others , it will remind them that hong kong action cinema is still alive and kicking . $LABEL$ 1 +with tiny little jokes and nary an original idea , this sappy ethnic sleeper proves that not only blockbusters pollute the summer movie pool . $LABEL$ 0 +confuses its message with an ultimate desire to please , and contorting itself into an idea of expectation is the last thing any of these three actresses , nor their characters , deserve . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a fine , focused piece of work that reopens an interesting controversy and never succumbs to sensationalism . $LABEL$ 1 +a heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope . $LABEL$ 1 +this franchise has not spawned a single good film . $LABEL$ 0 +a taut , sobering film . $LABEL$ 1 +ear-splitting exercise in formula crash-and-bash action . $LABEL$ 0 +just about everyone involved here seems to be coasting . $LABEL$ 0 +what sets this romantic comedy apart from most hollywood romantic comedies is its low-key way of tackling what seems like done-to-death material . $LABEL$ 1 +claims to sort the bad guys from the good , which is its essential problem . $LABEL$ 0 +surprisingly , the film is a hilarious adventure and i shamelessly enjoyed it . $LABEL$ 1 +woo has as much right to make a huge action sequence as any director , but how long will filmmakers copy the `` saving private ryan '' battle scenes before realizing steven spielberg got it right the first time ? $LABEL$ 0 +although it starts off so bad that you feel like running out screaming , it eventually works its way up to merely bad rather than painfully awful . $LABEL$ 0 +makes 98 minutes feel like three hours . $LABEL$ 0 +the entire point of a shaggy dog story , of course , is that it goes nowhere , and this is classic nowheresville in every sense . $LABEL$ 0 +shame on writer\/director vicente aranda for making a florid biopic about mad queens , obsessive relationships , and rampant adultery so dull . $LABEL$ 0 +spinning a web of dazzling entertainment may be overstating it , but `` spider-man '' certainly delivers the goods . $LABEL$ 1 +like the hanks character , he 's a slow study : the action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed . $LABEL$ 0 +a poignant lyricism runs through balzac and the little chinese seamstress that transforms this story about love and culture into a cinematic poem . $LABEL$ 1 +... is funny in the way that makes you ache with sadness -lrb- the way chekhov is funny -rrb- , profound without ever being self-important , warm without ever succumbing to sentimentality . $LABEL$ 1 +paul bettany is good at being the ultra-violent gangster wannabe , but the movie is certainly not number 1 . $LABEL$ 0 +the verdict : two bodies and hardly a laugh between them . $LABEL$ 0 +in xxx , diesel is that rare creature -- an action hero with table manners , and one who proves that elegance is more than tattoo deep . $LABEL$ 1 +there is a strong directorial stamp on every frame of this stylish film that is able to visualize schizophrenia but is still confident enough to step back and look at the sick character with a sane eye . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's funny , as the old saying goes , because it 's true . $LABEL$ 1 +special p.o.v. camera mounts on bikes , skateboards , and motorcycles provide an intense experience when splashed across the immense imax screen . $LABEL$ 1 +taken outside the context of the current political climate -lrb- see : terrorists are more evil than ever ! -rrb- $LABEL$ 0 +a little weak -- and it is n't that funny . $LABEL$ 0 +writer-director ritchie reduces wertmuller 's social mores and politics to tiresome jargon . $LABEL$ 0 +a forceful drama of an alienated executive who re-invents himself . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those exceedingly rare films in which the talk alone is enough to keep us involved . $LABEL$ 1 +an almost unbearably morbid love story . $LABEL$ 0 +a mean-spirited film made by someone who surely read the catcher in the rye but clearly suffers from dyslexia $LABEL$ 0 +if they broke out into elaborate choreography , singing and finger snapping it might have held my attention , but as it stands i kept looking for the last exit from brooklyn . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls ... $LABEL$ 1 +implicitly acknowledges and celebrates the glorious chicanery and self-delusion of this most american of businesses , and for that reason it may be the most oddly honest hollywood document of all . $LABEL$ 1 +very well written and directed with brutal honesty and respect for its audience . $LABEL$ 1 +impostor is a step down for director gary fleder . $LABEL$ 0 +moving and vibrant . $LABEL$ 1 +jacquot 's strategy allows his cast the benefit of being able to give full performances ... while demonstrating vividly that the beauty and power of the opera reside primarily in the music itself . $LABEL$ 1 +hawn and sarandon form an acting bond that makes the banger sisters a fascinating character study with laughs to spare . $LABEL$ 1 +may puzzle his most ardent fans . $LABEL$ 0 +in other words , it 's badder than bad . $LABEL$ 0 +may prove to be -lrb- tsai 's -rrb- masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best , most understated performances of -lrb- jack nicholson 's -rrb- career . $LABEL$ 1 +after all , he took three minutes of dialogue , 30 seconds of plot and turned them into a 90-minute movie that feels five hours long . $LABEL$ 0 +the master of disguise falls under the category of ` should have been a sketch on saturday night live . ' $LABEL$ 0 +shows holmes has the screen presence to become a major-league leading lady , -lrb- but -rrb- the movie itself is an underachiever , a psychological mystery that takes its sweet time building to a climax that 's scarcely a surprise by the time it arrives . $LABEL$ 0 +but it was n't . $LABEL$ 0 +foster breathes life into a roll that could have otherwise been bland and run of the mill . $LABEL$ 1 +in old-fashioned screenwriting parlance , ms. shreve 's novel proved too difficult a text to ` lick , ' despite the efforts of a first-rate cast . $LABEL$ 0 +well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious . $LABEL$ 1 +a tired , predictable , bordering on offensive , waste of time , money and celluloid . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's no disguising this as one of the worst films of the summer . $LABEL$ 0 +frida is n't that much different from many a hollywood romance . $LABEL$ 0 +follows the original film virtually scene for scene and yet manages to bleed it almost completely dry of humor , verve and fun . $LABEL$ 0 +scott baio is turning in some delightful work on indie projects . $LABEL$ 1 +keenly observed and refreshingly natural , swimming gets the details right , from its promenade of barely clad bodies in myrtle beach , s.c. , to the adrenaline jolt of a sudden lunch rush at the diner . $LABEL$ 1 +like vardalos and corbett , who play their roles with vibrant charm , the film , directed by joel zwick , is heartfelt and hilarious in ways you ca n't fake . $LABEL$ 1 +a lame comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +deliberately and devotedly constructed , far from heaven is too picture postcard perfect , too neat and new pin-like , too obviously a recreation to resonate . $LABEL$ 1 +morvern rocks . $LABEL$ 1 +a positively thrilling combination of ethnography and all the intrigue , betrayal , deceit and murder of a shakespearean tragedy or a juicy soap opera . $LABEL$ 1 +when ` science fiction ' takes advantage of the fact that its intended audience has n't yet had much science , it does a disservice to the audience and to the genre . $LABEL$ 0 +illiterate , often inert sci-fi action thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +as janice , eileen walsh , an engaging , wide-eyed actress whose teeth are a little too big for her mouth , infuses the movie with much of its slender , glinting charm . $LABEL$ 1 +a film of quiet power . $LABEL$ 1 +overwrought , melodramatic bodice-ripper . $LABEL$ 0 +zhuangzhuang creates delicate balance of style , text , and subtext that 's so simple and precise that anything discordant would topple the balance , but against all odds , nothing does . $LABEL$ 1 +because the film deliberately lacks irony , it has a genuine dramatic impact ; it plays like a powerful 1957 drama we 've somehow never seen before . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a very valuable film ... $LABEL$ 1 +bad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +just when you think you are making sense of it , something happens that tells you there is no sense . $LABEL$ 0 +the rich performances by friel -- and especially williams , an american actress who becomes fully english -- round out the square edges . $LABEL$ 1 +the film rehashes several old themes and is capped with pointless extremes -- it 's insanely violent and very graphic . $LABEL$ 0 +an undistinguished attempt to make a classic theater piece cinematic . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's pauly shore awful . $LABEL$ 0 +, `` they 're out there ! '' $LABEL$ 1 +a sour attempt at making a farrelly brothers-style , down-and-dirty laugher for the female set . $LABEL$ 0 +what could have been right at home as a nifty plot line in steven soderbergh 's traffic fails to arrive at any satisfying destination . $LABEL$ 0 +oh , james ! $LABEL$ 1 +got some good , organic character work , lots of obvious political insights and little room for engaging , imaginative filmmaking in its nearly 2 1\/2 - hour , dissipated length . $LABEL$ 1 +an emotionally and spiritually compelling journey seen through the right eyes , with the right actors and with the kind of visual flair that shows what great cinema can really do . $LABEL$ 1 +an inept , tedious spoof of '70s kung fu pictures , it contains almost enough chuckles for a three-minute sketch , and no more . $LABEL$ 0 +a vivid , sometimes surreal , glimpse into the mysteries of human behavior . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's no accident that the accidental spy is a solid action pic that returns the martial arts master to top form . $LABEL$ 1 +a wild comedy that could only spring from the demented mind of the writer of being john malkovich . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's affecting , amusing , sad and reflective . $LABEL$ 1 +how can such a cold movie claim to express warmth and longing ? $LABEL$ 0 +the film did n't convince me that calvin jr. 's barbershop represents some sort of beacon of hope in the middle of chicago 's south side . $LABEL$ 0 +exciting documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +at its most basic , this cartoon adventure is that wind-in-the-hair exhilarating . $LABEL$ 1 +a winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s . $LABEL$ 1 +her film is like a beautiful food entrée that is n't heated properly , so that it ends up a bit cold and relatively flavorless . $LABEL$ 0 +the most excruciating 86 minutes one might sit through this summer that do not involve a dentist drill . $LABEL$ 0 +gives everyone something to shout about . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a setup so easy it borders on facile , but keeping the film from cheap-shot mediocrity is its crack cast . $LABEL$ 1 +the chateau is a risky venture that never quite goes where you expect and often surprises you with unexpected comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +deliciously mean-spirited and wryly observant . $LABEL$ 1 +as dumb and cheesy as they may be , the cartoons look almost shakespearean -- both in depth and breadth -- after watching this digital-effects-heavy , supposed family-friendly comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +though clearly well-intentioned , this cross-cultural soap opera is painfully formulaic and stilted . $LABEL$ 0 +jones has tackled a meaty subject and drawn engaging characters while peppering the pages with memorable zingers . $LABEL$ 1 +reassuring , retro uplifter . $LABEL$ 1 +the most brilliant work in this genre since the 1984 uncut version of sergio leone 's flawed but staggering once upon a time in america . $LABEL$ 1 +there are deeply religious and spiritual people in this world who would argue that entering a church , synagogue or temple does n't mean you have to check your brain at the door . $LABEL$ 1 +this is unusual , food-for-thought cinema that 's as entertaining as it is instructive . $LABEL$ 1 +much credit must be given to the water-camera operating team of don king , sonny miller , and michael stewart . $LABEL$ 1 +a sugar-coated rocky whose valuable messages are forgotten 10 minutes after the last trombone honks . $LABEL$ 0 +what begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +a painfully slow cliche-ridden film filled with more holes than clyde barrow 's car . $LABEL$ 0 +the best of the pierce brosnan james bond films to date . $LABEL$ 1 +drumline is -- the mere suggestion , albeit a visually compelling one , of a fully realized story . $LABEL$ 1 +to be influenced chiefly by humanity 's greatest shame , reality shows -- reality shows for god 's sake ! $LABEL$ 0 +take away the controversy , and it 's not much more watchable than a mexican soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +the audacity to view one of shakespeare 's better known tragedies as a dark comedy is , by itself , deserving of discussion . $LABEL$ 0 +the success of undercover brother is found in its ability to spoof both black and white stereotypes equally . $LABEL$ 1 +too damn weird to pass up , and for the blacklight crowd , way cheaper -lrb- and better -rrb- than pink floyd tickets . $LABEL$ 1 +you expect more from director michael apted -lrb- enigma -rrb- and screenwriter nicholas kazan -lrb- reversal of fortune -rrb- than this cliche pileup . $LABEL$ 0 +director jay russell weighs down his capricious fairy-tale with heavy sentiment and lightweight meaning . $LABEL$ 0 +a good-natured ensemble comedy that tries hard to make the most of a bumper cast , but never quite gets off the ground . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving and solidly entertaining comedy\/drama that should bolster director and co-writer juan josé campanella 's reputation in the united states . $LABEL$ 1 +everything is off . $LABEL$ 0 +working from a surprisingly sensitive script co-written by gianni romoli ... ozpetek avoids most of the pitfalls you 'd expect in such a potentially sudsy set-up . $LABEL$ 1 +pretend like your sat scores are below 120 and you might not notice the flaws . $LABEL$ 0 +mordantly funny and intimately knowing ... $LABEL$ 1 +i ca n't remember the last time i saw worse stunt editing or cheaper action movie production values than in extreme ops . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's tommy 's job to clean the peep booths surrounding her , and after viewing this one , you 'll feel like mopping up , too . $LABEL$ 0 +each of these stories has the potential for touched by an angel simplicity and sappiness , but thirteen conversations about one thing , for all its generosity and optimism , never resorts to easy feel-good sentiments . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's ... an underlying old world sexism to monday morning that undercuts its charm . $LABEL$ 0 +what a great shame that such a talented director as chen kaige has chosen to make his english-language debut with a film so poorly plotted and scripted . $LABEL$ 0 +i liked a lot of the smaller scenes . $LABEL$ 1 +some of the computer animation is handsome , and various amusing sidekicks add much-needed levity to the otherwise bleak tale , but overall the film never rises above mediocrity . $LABEL$ 0 +beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing can detract from the affection of that moral favorite : friends will be friends through thick and thin . $LABEL$ 1 +bring tissues . $LABEL$ 1 +an enthralling , entertaining feature . $LABEL$ 1 +as a director , paxton is surprisingly brilliant , deftly sewing together what could have been a confusing and horrifying vision into an intense and engrossing head-trip . $LABEL$ 1 +well-made but mush-hearted . $LABEL$ 1 +labute masterfully balances both traditional or modern stories together in a manner that one never overwhelms the other . $LABEL$ 1 +assured , glossy and shot through with brittle desperation . $LABEL$ 1 +a damn fine and a truly distinctive and a deeply pertinent film . $LABEL$ 1 +filmmaker stacy peralta has a flashy editing style that does n't always jell with sean penn 's monotone narration , but he respects the material without sentimentalizing it . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its promising cast of characters , big trouble remains a loosely tied series of vignettes which only prove that ` zany ' does n't necessarily mean ` funny . ' $LABEL$ 0 +a surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +... begins with promise , but runs aground after being snared in its own tangled plot . $LABEL$ 0 +although what time offers tsai 's usual style and themes , it has a more colorful , more playful tone than his other films . $LABEL$ 1 +a dull , inconsistent , dishonest female bonding picture . $LABEL$ 0 +a must-see for fans of thoughtful war films and those interested in the sights and sounds of battle . $LABEL$ 1 +with an unflappable air of decadent urbanity , everett remains a perfect wildean actor , and a relaxed firth displays impeccable comic skill . $LABEL$ 1 +by no means a slam-dunk and sure to ultimately disappoint the action fans who will be moved to the edge of their seats by the dynamic first act , it still comes off as a touching , transcendent love story . $LABEL$ 0 +it has that rare quality of being able to creep the living hell out of you ... $LABEL$ 1 +i encourage young and old alike to go see this unique and entertaining twist on the classic whale 's tale -- you wo n't be sorry ! $LABEL$ 1 +what goes on for the 110 minutes of `` panic room '' is a battle of witlessness between a not-so-bright mother and daughter and an even less capable trio of criminals . $LABEL$ 0 +in comparison to his earlier films it seems a disappointingly thin slice of lower-class london life ; despite the title ... amounts to surprisingly little . $LABEL$ 0 +the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few . $LABEL$ 0 +the master of disguise may have made a great saturday night live sketch , but a great movie it is not . $LABEL$ 0 +if we 're to slap protagonist genevieve leplouff because she 's french , do we have that same option to slap her creators because they 're clueless and inept ? $LABEL$ 0 +i 've had more interesting -- and , dare i say , thematically complex -- bowel movements than this long-on-the-shelf , point-and-shoot exercise in gimmicky crime drama . $LABEL$ 0 +i 've seen some bad singer-turned actors , but lil bow wow takes the cake . $LABEL$ 0 +`` nicholas nickleby '' is a perfect family film to take everyone to since there 's no new `` a christmas carol '' out in the theaters this year . $LABEL$ 1 +it wo n't hold up over the long haul , but in the moment , finch 's tale provides the forgettable pleasures of a saturday matinee . $LABEL$ 1 +was that movie nothing more than a tepid exercise in trotting out a formula that worked five years ago but has since lost its fizz ? $LABEL$ 0 +how good this film might be , depends if you believe that the shocking conclusion is too much of a plunge or not . $LABEL$ 1 +a cellophane-pop remake of the punk classic ladies and gentlemen , the fabulous stains ... crossroads is never much worse than bland or better than inconsequential . $LABEL$ 0 +pretty good little movie . $LABEL$ 1 +if nothing else , `` rollerball '' 2002 may go down in cinema history as the only movie ever in which the rest of the cast was outshined by ll cool j. $LABEL$ 0 +angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale . $LABEL$ 1 +nemesis suffers from a paunchy midsection , several plodding action sequences and a wickedly undramatic central theme . $LABEL$ 0 +even when he 's not at his most critically insightful , godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work . $LABEL$ 1 +the fascination comes in the power of the huston performance , which seems so larger than life and yet so fragile , and in the way the ivan character accepts the news of his illness so quickly but still finds himself unable to react . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- t -rrb- he film is never sure to make a clear point -- even if it seeks to rely on an ambiguous presentation . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie is about the worst thing chan has done in the united states . $LABEL$ 0 +amazing ! $LABEL$ 1 +the ya-ya 's have many secrets and one is - the books are better . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot 's contrivances are uncomfortably strained . $LABEL$ 0 +a thoroughly entertaining comedy that uses grant 's own twist of acidity to prevent itself from succumbing to its own bathos . $LABEL$ 1 +kids will love its fantasy and adventure , and grownups should appreciate its whimsical humor . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- allen 's -rrb- best works understand why snobbery is a better satiric target than middle-america diversions could ever be . $LABEL$ 1 +the stars may be college kids , but the subject matter is as adult as you can get : the temptations of the flesh are unleashed by a slightly crazed , overtly determined young woman and a one-night swim turns into an ocean of trouble . $LABEL$ 1 +we 've liked klein 's other work but rollerball left us cold . $LABEL$ 0 +both a grand tour through 300 hundred years of russian cultural identity and a stunning technical achievement . $LABEL$ 1 +a markedly inactive film , city is conversational bordering on confessional . $LABEL$ 0 +clever and unflinching in its comic barbs , slap her is a small but rewarding comedy that takes aim at contemporary southern adolescence and never lets up . $LABEL$ 1 +soderbergh , like kubrick before him , may not touch the planet 's skin , but understands the workings of its spirit . $LABEL$ 1 +there is no denying the power of polanski 's film ... $LABEL$ 1 +to be oblivious to the existence of this film would be very sweet indeed . $LABEL$ 0 +though it goes further than both , anyone who has seen the hunger or cat people will find little new here , but a tasty performance from vincent gallo lifts this tale of cannibal lust above the ordinary . $LABEL$ 1 +the beautifully choreographed kitchen ballet is simple but absorbing . $LABEL$ 1 +from the opening strains of the average white band 's `` pick up the pieces '' , you can feel the love . $LABEL$ 1 +empire ca n't make up its mind whether it wants to be a gangster flick or an art film . $LABEL$ 0 +the result is so tame that even slightly wised-up kids would quickly change the channel . $LABEL$ 0 +a penetrating , potent exploration of sanctimony , self-awareness , self-hatred and self-determination . $LABEL$ 1 +thirteen conversations about one thing lays out a narrative puzzle that interweaves individual stories , and , like a mobius strip , elliptically loops back to where it began . $LABEL$ 1 +director peter kosminsky gives these women a forum to demonstrate their acting ` chops ' and they take full advantage . $LABEL$ 1 +storytelling feels slight . $LABEL$ 0 +witty , vibrant , and intelligent . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its shortcomings , girls ca n't swim represents an engaging and intimate first feature by a talented director to watch , and it 's a worthy entry in the french coming-of-age genre . $LABEL$ 1 +interesting and thoroughly unfaithful version of carmen $LABEL$ 1 +thanks to a small star with big heart , this family film sequel is plenty of fun for all . $LABEL$ 1 +for most of the distance the picture provides a satisfyingly unsettling ride into the dark places of our national psyche . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a smart , funny look at an arcane area of popular culture , and if it is n't entirely persuasive , it does give exposure to some talented performers . $LABEL$ 1 +we get the comedy we settle for . $LABEL$ 0 +eerily accurate depiction of depression . $LABEL$ 0 +schrader aims to present an unflinching look at one man 's downfall , brought about by his lack of self-awareness . $LABEL$ 0 +feels like the work of someone who may indeed have finally aged past his prime ... and , perhaps more than he realizes , just wants to be liked by the people who can still give him work . $LABEL$ 0 +extraordinary debut from josh koury . $LABEL$ 1 +... a bland murder-on-campus yawner . $LABEL$ 0 +cannon 's confidence and laid-back good spirits are , with the drumming routines , among the film 's saving graces . $LABEL$ 1 +just like a splendid meal , red dragon satisfies -- from its ripe recipe , inspiring ingredients , certified cuisine and palatable presentation . $LABEL$ 1 +feels more like a rejected x-files episode than a credible account of a puzzling real-life happening . $LABEL$ 0 +features what is surely the funniest and most accurate depiction of writer 's block ever . $LABEL$ 1 +whenever it threatens to get bogged down in earnest dramaturgy , a stirring visual sequence like a surge through swirling rapids or a leap from pinnacle to pinnacle rouses us . $LABEL$ 1 +surprisingly powerful and universal . $LABEL$ 1 +the story has its redundancies , and the young actors , not very experienced , are sometimes inexpressive . $LABEL$ 0 +even murphy 's expert comic timing and famed charisma ca n't rescue this effort . $LABEL$ 0 +a captivating coming-of-age story that may also be the first narrative film to be truly informed by the wireless age . $LABEL$ 1 +an intelligent , multi-layered and profoundly humanist -lrb- not to mention gently political -rrb- meditation on the values of knowledge , education , and the affects of cultural and geographical displacement . $LABEL$ 1 +if hill is n't quite his generation 's don siegel -lrb- or robert aldrich -rrb- , it 's because there 's no discernible feeling beneath the chest hair ; it 's all bluster and cliché . $LABEL$ 0 +and neither do cliches , no matter how ` inside ' they are . $LABEL$ 0 +strictly a ` guy 's film ' in the worst sense of the expression . $LABEL$ 0 +a lightweight , uneven action comedy that freely mingles french , japanese and hollywood cultures . $LABEL$ 0 +irwin and his director never come up with an adequate reason why we should pay money for what we can get on television for free . $LABEL$ 0 +can you bear the laughter ? $LABEL$ 1 +`` abandon '' will leave you wanting to abandon the theater . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie fails to portray its literarily talented and notorious subject as anything much more than a dirty old man . $LABEL$ 0 +not as good as the full monty , but a really strong second effort . $LABEL$ 1 +asks what truth can be discerned from non-firsthand experience , and specifically questions cinema 's capability for recording truth . $LABEL$ 1 +audiences are advised to sit near the back and squint to avoid noticing some truly egregious lip-non-synching , but otherwise the production is suitably elegant . $LABEL$ 1 +... a solid , unassuming drama . $LABEL$ 1 +a formula family tearjerker told with a heavy irish brogue ... accentuating , rather than muting , the plot 's saccharine thrust . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark . $LABEL$ 1 +the holiday message of the 37-minute santa vs. the snowman leaves a lot to be desired . $LABEL$ 0 +a vile , incoherent mess ... a scummy ripoff of david cronenberg 's brilliant ` videodrome . ' $LABEL$ 0 +discursive but oddly riveting documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's most offensive is n't the waste of a good cast , but the film 's denial of sincere grief and mourning in favor of bogus spiritualism . $LABEL$ 0 +like a medium-grade network sitcom -- mostly inoffensive , fitfully amusing , but ultimately so weightless that a decent draft in the auditorium might blow it off the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +a little melodramatic , but with enough hope to keep you engaged . $LABEL$ 1 +not only is it a charming , funny and beautifully crafted import , it uses very little dialogue , making it relatively effortless to read and follow the action at the same time . $LABEL$ 1 +just about all of the film is confusing on one level or another , making ararat far more demanding than it needs to be . $LABEL$ 0 +though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem , there 's a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's touching and tender and proves that even in sorrow you can find humor . $LABEL$ 1 +collapses after 30 minutes into a slap-happy series of adolescent violence . $LABEL$ 0 +a spiffy animated feature about an unruly adolescent boy who is yearning for adventure and a chance to prove his worth . $LABEL$ 1 +payne constructs a hilarious ode to middle america and middle age with this unlikely odyssey , featuring a pathetic , endearing hero who is all too human . $LABEL$ 1 +a surprisingly flat retread , hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing . $LABEL$ 0 +fierce , glaring and unforgettable . $LABEL$ 1 +the film does n't show enough of the creative process or even of what was created for the non-fan to figure out what makes wilco a big deal . $LABEL$ 0 +there are laughs aplenty , and , as a bonus , viewers do n't have to worry about being subjected to farts , urine , feces , semen , or any of the other foul substances that have overrun modern-day comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe . $LABEL$ 1 +miller has crafted an intriguing story of maternal instincts and misguided acts of affection . $LABEL$ 1 +sometimes there are very , very good reasons for certain movies to be sealed in a jar and left on a remote shelf indefinitely . $LABEL$ 0 +an instantly forgettable snow-and-stuntwork extravaganza that likely will be upstaged by an avalanche of more appealing holiday-season product . $LABEL$ 0 +some movies suck you in despite their flaws , and heaven is one such beast . $LABEL$ 1 +with a `` spy kids '' sequel opening next week , why bother with a contemptible imitator starring a `` snl '' has-been acting like an 8-year-old channeling roberto benigni ? $LABEL$ 0 +muddled , melodramatic paranormal romance is an all-time low for kevin costner . $LABEL$ 0 +in a summer of clones , harvard man is something rare and riveting : a wild ride that relies on more than special effects . $LABEL$ 1 +so original in its base concept that you can not help but get caught up . $LABEL$ 1 +but even then , i 'd recommend waiting for dvd and just skipping straight to her scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +this new zealand coming-of-age movie is n't really about anything . $LABEL$ 0 +quitting offers piercing domestic drama with spikes of sly humor . $LABEL$ 1 +mama africa pretty much delivers on that promise . $LABEL$ 1 +we hate -lrb- madonna -rrb- within the film 's first five minutes , and she lacks the skill or presence to regain any ground . $LABEL$ 0 +much smarter and more attentive than it first sets out to be . $LABEL$ 1 +one regards reign of fire with awe . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's tough to tell which is in more abundant supply in this woefully hackneyed movie , directed by scott kalvert , about street gangs and turf wars in 1958 brooklyn -- stale cliches , gratuitous violence , or empty machismo . $LABEL$ 0 +the story is also as unoriginal as they come , already having been recycled more times than i 'd care to count . $LABEL$ 0 +you 've already seen city by the sea under a variety of titles , but it 's worth yet another visit . $LABEL$ 1 +in one scene , we get a stab at soccer hooliganism , a double-barreled rip-off of quentin tarantino 's climactic shootout -- and meat loaf explodes . $LABEL$ 0 +is the kind of movie that 's critic-proof , simply because it aims so low . $LABEL$ 0 +to the civilized mind , a movie like ballistic : ecks vs. sever is more of an ordeal than an amusement . $LABEL$ 0 +a different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know . $LABEL$ 1 +my precious new star wars movie is a lumbering , wheezy drag ... $LABEL$ 0 +a dull , simple-minded and stereotypical tale of drugs , death and mind-numbing indifference on the inner-city streets . $LABEL$ 0 +throw smoochy from the train ! $LABEL$ 0 +an alternately raucous and sappy ethnic sitcom ... you 'd be wise to send your regrets . $LABEL$ 0 +none of this is half as moving as the filmmakers seem to think . $LABEL$ 0 +the heedless impetuousness of youth is on full , irritating display in -lrb- this -rrb- meandering and pointless french coming-of-age import from writer-director anne-sophie birot . $LABEL$ 0 +a low-budget affair , tadpole was shot on digital video , and the images often look smeary and blurry , to the point of distraction . $LABEL$ 0 +irwin is so earnest that it 's hard to resist his pleas to spare wildlife and respect their environs . $LABEL$ 1 +a miraculous movie , i 'm going home is so slight , yet overflows with wisdom and emotion . $LABEL$ 1 +the story 's pathetic and the gags are puerile . . $LABEL$ 0 +showtime is n't particularly assaultive , but it can still make you feel that you never want to see another car chase , explosion or gunfight again . $LABEL$ 0 +by the final whistle you 're convinced that this mean machine was a decent tv outing that just does n't have big screen magic . $LABEL$ 0 +first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb . $LABEL$ 0 +and people make fun of me for liking showgirls . $LABEL$ 0 +... the story simply putters along looking for astute observations and coming up blank . $LABEL$ 0 +it has a caffeinated , sloppy brilliance , sparkling with ideas you wish had been developed with more care , but animated by an energy that puts the dutiful efforts of more disciplined grade-grubbers to shame . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse . $LABEL$ 1 +whether it 's the worst movie of 2002 , i ca n't say for sure : memories of rollerball have faded , and i skipped country bears . $LABEL$ 0 +children , christian or otherwise , deserve to hear the full story of jonah 's despair -- in all its agonizing , catch-22 glory -- even if they spend years trying to comprehend it . $LABEL$ 1 +muccino , who directed from his own screenplay , is a canny crowd pleaser , and the last kiss ... provides more than enough sentimental catharsis for a satisfying evening at the multiplex . $LABEL$ 1 +has a solid emotional impact . $LABEL$ 1 +dogtown is hollow , self-indulgent , and - worst of all - boring . $LABEL$ 0 +the sweetest thing leaves a bitter taste . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those films that seems tailor made to air on pay cable to offer some modest amusements when one has nothing else to watch . $LABEL$ 0 +has enough wit , energy and geniality to please not only the fanatical adherents on either side , but also people who know nothing about the subject and think they 're not interested . $LABEL$ 1 +lawrence should stick to his day job . $LABEL$ 0 +by turns numbingly dull-witted and disquietingly creepy . $LABEL$ 0 +buy is an accomplished actress , and this is a big , juicy role . $LABEL$ 1 +maid in manhattan proves that it 's easier to change the sheets than to change hackneyed concepts when it comes to dreaming up romantic comedies . $LABEL$ 0 +thought-provoking and stylish , if also somewhat hermetic . $LABEL$ 1 +a cleverly crafted but ultimately hollow mockumentary . $LABEL$ 0 +jacquot has filmed the opera exactly as the libretto directs , ideally capturing the opera 's drama and lyricism . $LABEL$ 1 +the misery of these people becomes just another voyeuristic spectacle , to be consumed and forgotten . $LABEL$ 0 +from a deceptively simple premise , this deeply moving french drama develops a startling story that works both as a detailed personal portrait and as a rather frightening examination of modern times . $LABEL$ 1 +unexpected , and often contradictory , truths emerge . $LABEL$ 1 +has the capability of effecting change and inspiring hope . $LABEL$ 1 +even if you 're an elvis person , you wo n't find anything to get excited about on this dvd . $LABEL$ 0 +together writer-director danny verete 's three tales comprise a powerful and reasonably fulfilling gestalt . $LABEL$ 1 +writer\/director walter hill is in his hypermasculine element here , once again able to inject some real vitality and even art into a pulpy concept that , in many other hands would be completely forgettable . $LABEL$ 1 +goldbacher draws on an elegant visual sense and a talent for easy , seductive pacing ... but she and writing partner laurence coriat do n't manage an equally assured narrative coinage . $LABEL$ 1 +the script is smart and dark - hallelujah for small favors . $LABEL$ 1 +even though we know the outcome , the seesawing of the general 's fate in the arguments of competing lawyers has the stomach-knotting suspense of a legal thriller , while the testimony of witnesses lends the film a resonant undertone of tragedy . $LABEL$ 1 +you 're not merely watching history , you 're engulfed by it . $LABEL$ 1 +i am more offended by his lack of faith in his audience than by anything on display here . $LABEL$ 0 +we 're drawn in by the dark luster . $LABEL$ 1 +the darker elements of misogyny and unprovoked violence suffocate the illumination created by the two daughters and the sparse instances of humor meant to shine through the gloomy film noir veil . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not a great monster movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a lovely , sad dance highlighted by kwan 's unique directing style . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's so downbeat and nearly humorless that it becomes a chore to sit through -- despite some first-rate performances by its lead . $LABEL$ 0 +the all-french cast is marveilleux . $LABEL$ 1 +if the title is a jeopardy question , then the answer might be `` how does steven seagal come across these days ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +the emperor 's club , ruthless in its own placid way , finds one of our most conservative and hidebound movie-making traditions and gives it new texture , new relevance , new reality . $LABEL$ 1 +that storytelling has value can not be denied . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole thing comes off like a particularly amateurish episode of bewitched that takes place during spring break . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to believe that something so short could be so flabby . $LABEL$ 0 +it establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout . $LABEL$ 1 +solondz may well be the only one laughing at his own joke $LABEL$ 0 +deep intelligence and a warm , enveloping affection breathe out of every frame . $LABEL$ 1 +swinging , the film makes it seem , is not a hobby that attracts the young and fit . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a reason why halftime is only fifteen minutes long . $LABEL$ 0 +winds up being both revelatory and narcissistic , achieving some honest insight into relationships that most high-concept films candy-coat with pat storylines , precious circumstances and beautiful stars . $LABEL$ 1 +in its own floundering way , it gets to you . $LABEL$ 1 +behind the glitz , hollywood is sordid and disgusting . $LABEL$ 0 +this mild-mannered farce , directed by one of its writers , john c. walsh , is corny in a way that bespeaks an expiration date passed a long time ago . $LABEL$ 0 +with very little to add beyond the dark visions already relayed by superb recent predecessors like swimming with sharks and the player , this latest skewering ... may put off insiders and outsiders alike . $LABEL$ 0 +significantly better than its 2002 children 's - movie competition . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an elegantly balanced movie -- every member of the ensemble has something fascinating to do -- that does n't reveal even a hint of artifice . $LABEL$ 1 +cox creates a fluid and mesmerizing sequence of images to match the words of nijinsky 's diaries . $LABEL$ 1 +with the exception of mccoist , the players do n't have a clue on the park . $LABEL$ 0 +no amount of good acting is enough to save oleander 's uninspired story . $LABEL$ 0 +everyone 's to blame here . $LABEL$ 0 +evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +an odd , haphazard , and inconsequential romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +... another example of how sandler is losing his touch . $LABEL$ 0 +an awful lot like one of -lrb- spears ' -rrb- music videos in content -- except that it goes on for at least 90 more minutes and , worse , that you have to pay if you want to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +stale and clichéd to a fault . $LABEL$ 0 +... built on the premise that middle-class arkansas consists of monster truck-loving good ol' boys and peroxide blond honeys whose worldly knowledge comes from tv reruns and supermarket tabloids . $LABEL$ 0 +zellweger 's whiny pouty-lipped poof faced and spindly attempt at playing an ingenue makes her nomination as best actress even more of a an a $LABEL$ 0 +holofcener rejects patent solutions to dramatize life 's messiness from inside out , in all its strange quirks . $LABEL$ 1 +i still want my money back . $LABEL$ 0 +no one involved , save dash , shows the slightest aptitude for acting , and the script , credited to director abdul malik abbott and ernest ` tron ' anderson , seems entirely improvised . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the kind of effectively creepy-scary thriller that has you fixating on a far corner of the screen at times because your nerves just ca n't take it any more . $LABEL$ 1 +narratively , trouble every day is a plodding mess . $LABEL$ 0 +well-done supernatural thriller with keen insights into parapsychological phenomena and the soulful nuances of the grieving process . $LABEL$ 1 +if there 's no art here , it 's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days . $LABEL$ 1 +the cumulative effect of watching this 65-minute trifle is rather like being trapped while some weird relative trots out the video he took of the family vacation to stonehenge . $LABEL$ 0 +its sheer dynamism is infectious . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is reasonably entertaining , though it begins to drag two-thirds through , when the melodramatic aspects start to overtake the comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +simultaneously heart-breaking and very funny , the last kiss is really all about performances . $LABEL$ 1 +start reading your scripts before signing that dotted line . $LABEL$ 0 +jackson and co have brought back the value and respect for the term epic cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +a pathetically inane and unimaginative cross between xxx and vertical limit . $LABEL$ 0 +max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve ... as far as art is concerned , it 's mission accomplished . $LABEL$ 1 +the power of shanghai ghetto , a documentary by dana janklowicz-mann and amir mann , rests in the voices of men and women , now in their 70s , who lived there in the 1940s . $LABEL$ 1 +` punch-drunk love is so convinced of its own brilliance that , if it were a person , you 'd want to smash its face in . ' $LABEL$ 0 +a sentimental mess that never rings true . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating case study of flower-power liberation -- and the price that was paid for it . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- janey -rrb- forgets about her other obligations , leading to a tragedy which is somehow guessable from the first few minutes , maybe because it echoes the by now intolerable morbidity of so many recent movies . $LABEL$ 0 +the only problem is that , by the end , no one in the audience or the film seems to really care . $LABEL$ 0 +a film without surprise geared toward maximum comfort and familiarity . $LABEL$ 0 +... although this idea is `` new '' the results are tired . $LABEL$ 0 +remarkable for its excellent storytelling , its economical , compressed characterisations and for its profound humanity , it 's an adventure story and history lesson all in one . $LABEL$ 1 +mike white 's deft combination of serious subject matter and dark , funny humor make `` the good girl '' a film worth watching . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that will be best appreciated by those willing to endure its extremely languorous rhythms , waiting for happiness is ultimately thoughtful without having much dramatic impact . $LABEL$ 1 +this may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a treat -- a delightful , witty , improbable romantic comedy with a zippy jazzy score ... grant and bullock make it look as though they are having so much fun . $LABEL$ 1 +the trouble is , its filmmakers run out of clever ideas and visual gags about halfway through . $LABEL$ 0 +even when crush departs from the 4w formula ... it feels like a glossy rehash . $LABEL$ 0 +nair does n't treat the issues lightly . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling motion picture that illustrates an american tragedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's that painful . $LABEL$ 0 +smart , sassy interpretation of the oscar wilde play . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's nothing more satisfying during a summer of event movies than a spy thriller like the bourne identity that 's packed with just as much intelligence as action . $LABEL$ 1 +though writer\/director bart freundlich 's film ultimately becomes a simplistic story about a dysfunctional parent-child relationship , it has some special qualities and the soulful gravity of crudup 's anchoring performance . $LABEL$ 1 +the early and middle passages are surprising in how much they engage and even touch us . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- cho 's face is -rrb- an amazing slapstick instrument , creating a scrapbook of living mug shots . $LABEL$ 1 +if ever such a dependable concept was botched in execution , this is it . $LABEL$ 0 +his -lrb- nelson 's -rrb- screenplay needs some serious re-working to show more of the dilemma , rather than have his characters stage shouting matches about it . $LABEL$ 0 +terminally brain dead production . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- grant -rrb- goes beyond his usual fluttering and stammering and captures the soul of a man in pain who gradually comes to recognize it and deal with it . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie suffers from two fatal ailments -- a dearth of vitality and a story that 's shapeless and uninflected . $LABEL$ 0 +bigelow handles the nuclear crisis sequences evenly but milks drama when she should be building suspense , and drags out too many scenes toward the end that should move quickly . $LABEL$ 0 +while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world . $LABEL$ 1 +one senses in world traveler and in his earlier film that freundlich bears a grievous but obscure complaint against fathers , and circles it obsessively , without making contact . $LABEL$ 0 +well-meant but unoriginal . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an effort to watch this movie , but it eventually pays off and is effective if you stick with it . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's burns ' visuals , characters and his punchy dialogue , not his plot , that carry waydowntown . $LABEL$ 1 +the real triumphs in igby come from philippe , who makes oliver far more interesting than the character 's lines would suggest , and sarandon , who could n't be better as a cruel but weirdly likable wasp matron . $LABEL$ 1 +the quiet american is n't a bad film , it 's just one that could easily wait for your pay per view dollar . $LABEL$ 0 +no. . $LABEL$ 0 +kapur weighs down the tale with bogus profundities . $LABEL$ 0 +my big fat greek wedding is that rare animal known as ' a perfect family film , ' because it 's about family . $LABEL$ 1 +even though many of these guys are less than adorable -lrb- their lamentations are pretty much self-centered -rrb- , there 's something vital about the movie . $LABEL$ 1 +while it may not add up to the sum of its parts , holofcener 's film offers just enough insight to keep it from being simpleminded , and the ensemble cast is engaging enough to keep you from shifting in your chair too often . $LABEL$ 1 +an ugly , revolting movie . $LABEL$ 0 +if you are into splatter movies , then you will probably have a reasonably good time with the salton sea . $LABEL$ 1 +the characterizations and dialogue lack depth or complexity , with the ironic exception of scooter . $LABEL$ 0 +shanghai ghetto may not be as dramatic as roman polanski 's the pianist , but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high . $LABEL$ 1 +but it 's hardly a necessary enterprise . $LABEL$ 0 +ratliff 's two previous titles , plutonium circus and purgatory county show his penchant for wry , contentious configurations , and this film is part of that delicate canon . $LABEL$ 1 +distinctly sub-par ... more likely to drown a viewer in boredom than to send any shivers down his spine . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a shame that the storyline and its underlying themes ... finally seem so impersonal or even shallow . $LABEL$ 0 +as it stands , crocodile hunter has the hurried , badly cobbled look of the 1959 godzilla , which combined scenes of a japanese monster flick with canned shots of raymond burr commenting on the monster 's path of destruction . $LABEL$ 0 +leigh succeeds in delivering a dramatic slap in the face that 's simultaneously painful and refreshing . $LABEL$ 1 +i liked the original short story but this movie , even at an hour and twenty-some minutes , it 's too long and it goes nowhere . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the kind of under-inspired , overblown enterprise that gives hollywood sequels a bad name . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it were n't true . $LABEL$ 0 +really does feel like a short stretched out to feature length . $LABEL$ 0 +a breezy blend of art , history , esoteric musings and philosophy . $LABEL$ 1 +unexpected moments of authentically impulsive humor are the hallmark of this bittersweet , uncommonly sincere movie that portrays the frank humanity of ... emotional recovery . $LABEL$ 1 +stands as a document of what it felt like to be a new yorker -- or , really , to be a human being -- in the weeks after 9\/11 . $LABEL$ 1 +my wife is an actress works as well as it does because -lrb- the leads -rrb- are such a companionable couple . $LABEL$ 1 +about schmidt is nicholson 's goofy , heartfelt , mesmerizing king lear . $LABEL$ 1 +a comedy that is warm , inviting , and surprising . $LABEL$ 1 +hatfield and hicks make the oddest of couples , and in this sense the movie becomes a study of the gambles of the publishing world , offering a case study that exists apart from all the movie 's political ramifications . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is so contrived , nonsensical and formulaic that , come to think of it , the day-old shelf would be a more appropriate location to store it . $LABEL$ 0 +this sensitive , smart , savvy , compelling coming-of-age drama delves into the passive-aggressive psychology of co-dependence and the struggle for self-esteem . $LABEL$ 1 +enigma looks great , has solid acting and a neat premise . $LABEL$ 1 +eventually , they will have a showdown , but , by then , your senses are as mushy as peas and you do n't care who fires the winning shot . $LABEL$ 0 +as warm as it is wise , deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer , providing an experience that is richer than anticipated . $LABEL$ 1 +godard 's ode to tackling life 's wonderment is a rambling and incoherent manifesto about the vagueness of topical excess ... in praise of love remains a ponderous and pretentious endeavor that 's unfocused and tediously exasperating . $LABEL$ 0 +this ready-made midnight movie probably wo n't stand the cold light of day , but under the right conditions , it 's goofy -lrb- if not entirely wholesome -rrb- fun . $LABEL$ 1 +hampered -- no , paralyzed -- by a self-indulgent script ... that aims for poetry and ends up sounding like satire . $LABEL$ 0 +although sensitive to a fault , it 's often overwritten , with a surfeit of weighty revelations , flowery dialogue , and nostalgia for the past and roads not taken . $LABEL$ 0 +several uninteresting , unlikeable people do bad things to and with each other in `` unfaithful . '' $LABEL$ 0 +... a low rate annie featuring some kid who ca n't act , only echoes of jordan , and weirdo actor crispin glover screwing things up old school . $LABEL$ 0 +this version does justice both to stevenson and to the sci-fi genre . $LABEL$ 1 +surprisingly , considering that baird is a former film editor , the movie is rather choppy . $LABEL$ 0 +directing with a sure and measured hand , -lrb- haneke -rrb- steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology . $LABEL$ 1 +... it was n't the subject matter that ultimately defeated the film ... it was the unfulfilling , incongruous , `` wait a second , did i miss something ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +wiseman is patient and uncompromising , letting his camera observe and record the lives of women torn apart by a legacy of abuse . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a compelling and horrifying story , and the laramie project is worthwhile for reminding us that this sort of thing does , in fact , still happen in america . $LABEL$ 1 +ub equally spoofs and celebrates the more outre aspects of ` black culture ' and the dorkier aspects of ` white culture , ' even as it points out how inseparable the two are . $LABEL$ 1 +full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature . $LABEL$ 0 +ultimately ... the movie is too heady for children , and too preachy for adults . $LABEL$ 0 +could n't someone take rob schneider and have him switch bodies with a funny person ? $LABEL$ 0 +in the wrong hands , i.e. peploe 's , it 's simply unbearable $LABEL$ 0 +what saves it ... and makes it one of the better video-game-based flicks , is that the film acknowledges upfront that the plot makes no sense , such that the lack of linearity is the point of emotional and moral departure for protagonist alice . $LABEL$ 1 +like an afterschool special with costumes by gianni versace , mad love looks better than it feels . $LABEL$ 0 +a strong script , powerful direction and splendid production design allows us to be transported into the life of wladyslaw szpilman , who is not only a pianist , but a good human being . $LABEL$ 1 +miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise , expertly plucking tension from quiet . $LABEL$ 1 +it has no affect on the kurds , but it wore me down . $LABEL$ 0 +the wanton slipperiness of \* corpus and its amiable jerking and reshaping of physical time and space would make it a great piece to watch with kids and use to introduce video as art . $LABEL$ 1 +the real star of this movie is the score , as in the songs translate well to film , and it 's really well directed . $LABEL$ 1 +instead of letting the laughs come as they may , lawrence unleashes his trademark misogyny -- er , comedy -- like a human volcano or an overflowing septic tank , take your pick . $LABEL$ 0 +this tuxedo ... should have been sent back to the tailor for some major alterations . $LABEL$ 0 +ever see one of those comedies that just seem like a bad idea from frame one ? $LABEL$ 0 +the film is impressive for the sights and sounds of the wondrous beats the world has to offer . $LABEL$ 1 +for most of its footage , the new thriller proves that director m. night shyamalan can weave an eerie spell and that mel gibson can gasp , shudder and even tremble without losing his machismo . $LABEL$ 1 +downright transparent is the script 's endless assault of embarrassingly ham-fisted sex jokes that reek of a script rewrite designed to garner the film a `` cooler '' pg-13 rating . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances are so overstated , the effect comes off as self-parody . $LABEL$ 0 +in terms of execution this movie is careless and unfocused . $LABEL$ 0 +the story ultimately takes hold and grips hard . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole movie is simply a lazy exercise in bad filmmaking that asks you to not only suspend your disbelief but your intelligence as well . $LABEL$ 0 +it puts washington , as honest working man john q. archibald , on a pedestal , then keeps lifting the pedestal higher . $LABEL$ 1 +i have not been this disappointed by a movie in a long time . $LABEL$ 0 +an alternately fascinating and frustrating documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +a directorial tour de force by bernard rose , ivans xtc . $LABEL$ 1 +unfortunately , one hour photo lives down to its title . $LABEL$ 0 +for a guy who has waited three years with breathless anticipation for a new hal hartley movie to pore over , no such thing is a big letdown . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully produced . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a series of foster homes and a fierce struggle to pull free from her dangerous and domineering mother 's hold over her . $LABEL$ 1 +lee 's achievement extends to his supple understanding of the role that brown played in american culture as an athlete , a movie star , and an image of black indomitability . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's definitely an improvement on the first blade , since it does n't take itself so deadly seriously . $LABEL$ 1 +yet this one makes up for in heart what it lacks in outright newness . $LABEL$ 1 +the most memorable moment was when green threw medical equipment at a window ; not because it was particularly funny , but because i had a serious urge to grab the old lady at the end of my aisle 's walker and toss it at the screen in frustration . $LABEL$ 0 +the premise of `` abandon '' holds promise , ... but its delivery is a complete mess . $LABEL$ 0 +shyamalan offers copious hints along the way -- myriad signs , if you will -- that beneath the familiar , funny surface is a far bigger , far more meaningful story than one in which little green men come to earth for harvesting purposes . $LABEL$ 1 +call me a cynic , but there 's something awfully deadly about any movie with a life-affirming message . $LABEL$ 0 +we started to wonder if ... some unpaid intern had just typed ` chris rock , ' ` anthony hopkins ' and ` terrorists ' into some univac-like script machine . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine that even very small children will be impressed by this tired retread . $LABEL$ 0 +the art direction is often exquisite , and the anthropomorphic animal characters are beautifully realized through clever makeup design , leaving one to hope that the eventual dvd release will offer subtitles and the original italian-language soundtrack . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem with movies about angels is they have a tendency to slip into hokum . $LABEL$ 0 +lazy filmmaking , with the director taking a hands-off approach when he should have shaped the story to show us why it 's compelling . $LABEL$ 0 +like smoke signals , the film is also imbued with strong themes of familial ties and spirituality that are powerful and moving without stooping to base melodrama $LABEL$ 1 +as with so many merchandised-to-the-max movies of this type , more time appears to have gone into recruiting the right bands for the playlist and the costuming of the stars than into the script , which has a handful of smart jokes and not much else . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's images give a backbone to the company and provide an emotional edge to its ultimate demise . $LABEL$ 1 +stuffed to the brim with ideas , american instigator michael moore 's film is a rambling examination of american gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition . $LABEL$ 1 +press the delete key . $LABEL$ 0 +... the kind of entertainment that parents love to have their kids see . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its visual panache and compelling supporting characters , the heart of the film rests in the relationship between sullivan and his son . $LABEL$ 1 +imamura has said that warm water under a red bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women . $LABEL$ 1 +a grating , emaciated flick . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's plotless , shapeless -- and yet , it must be admitted , not entirely humorless . $LABEL$ 0 +with a tone as variable as the cinematography , schaeffer 's film never settles into the light-footed enchantment the material needs , and the characters ' quirks and foibles never jell into charm . $LABEL$ 0 +a very slow , uneventful ride around a pretty tattered old carousel . $LABEL$ 0 +jackson is always watchable . $LABEL$ 1 +showtime is a fine-looking film with a bouncy score and a clutch of lively songs for deft punctuation . $LABEL$ 1 +mib ii is a movie that makes it possible for the viewer to doze off for a few minutes or make several runs to the concession stand and\/or restroom and not feel as if he or she has missed anything . $LABEL$ 0 +... bright , intelligent , and humanly funny film . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad kramer could n't make a guest appearance to liven things up . $LABEL$ 0 +300 years of russian history and culture compressed into an evanescent , seamless and sumptuous stream of consciousness . $LABEL$ 1 +the modern remake of dumas 's story is long on narrative and -lrb- too -rrb- short on action . $LABEL$ 0 +seagal is painfully foolish in trying to hold onto what 's left of his passe ' chopsocky glory . $LABEL$ 0 +the enjoyable undercover brother , a zany mix of saturday night live-style parody , '70s blaxploitation films and goofball action comedy gone wild , dishes out a ton of laughs that everyone can enjoy . $LABEL$ 1 +fantastic ! $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not a spark of new inspiration in it , just more of the same , done with noticeably less energy and imagination . $LABEL$ 0 +`` red dragon '' is entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +hoffman waits too long to turn his movie in an unexpected direction , and even then his tone retains a genteel , prep-school quality that feels dusty and leatherbound . $LABEL$ 0 +secretary is just too original to be ignored . $LABEL$ 1 +while cherish does n't completely survive its tonal transformation from dark comedy to suspense thriller , it 's got just enough charm and appealing character quirks to forgive that still serious problem . $LABEL$ 1 +the lack of naturalness makes everything seem self-consciously poetic and forced ... it 's a pity that -lrb- nelson 's -rrb- achievement does n't match his ambition . $LABEL$ 0 +graham greene 's novel of colonialism and empire is elevated by michael caine 's performance as a weary journalist in a changing world . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory . $LABEL$ 0 +my big fat greek wedding is not only the best date movie of the year , it 's also a -- dare i say it twice -- delightfully charming -- and totally american , i might add -- slice of comedic bliss . $LABEL$ 1 +an off-beat and fanciful film about the human need for monsters to blame for all that is amiss in the world . $LABEL$ 1 +this thing works on no level whatsoever for me . $LABEL$ 0 +a selection of scenes in search of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most gloriously unsubtle and adrenalized extreme shockers since the evil dead . $LABEL$ 1 +we do get the distinct impression that this franchise is drawing to a close . $LABEL$ 0 +an unholy mess , driven by the pathetic idea that if you shoot something on crummy-looking videotape , it must be labelled ` hip ' , ` innovative ' and ` realistic ' . $LABEL$ 0 +in the end , the weight of water comes to resemble the kind of soft-core twaddle you 'd expect to see on showtime 's ` red shoe diaries . ' $LABEL$ 0 +meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment . $LABEL$ 1 +even if the ring has a familiar ring , it 's still unusually crafty and intelligent for hollywood horror . $LABEL$ 1 +time is a beautiful film to watch , an interesting and at times captivating take on loss and loneliness . $LABEL$ 1 +a moving and weighty depiction of one family 's attempts to heal after the death of a child . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's replaced by some dramatic scenes that are jarring and deeply out of place in what could have -lrb- and probably should have -rrb- been a lighthearted comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +even if you do n't understand what on earth is going on , this is a movie that will stimulate hours of post viewing discussion , if only to be reminded of who did what to whom and why . $LABEL$ 1 +... watching it was painful . $LABEL$ 0 +mostly honest , this somber picture reveals itself slowly , intelligently , artfully . $LABEL$ 1 +the story line may be 127 years old , but el crimen del padre amaro ... could n't be more timely in its despairing vision of corruption within the catholic establishment . $LABEL$ 1 +wait to see it then . $LABEL$ 0 +unless there are zoning ordinances to protect your community from the dullest science fiction , impostor is opening today at a theater near you . $LABEL$ 0 +does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character 's story . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's supposed to be a romantic comedy - it suffers from too much norma rae and not enough pretty woman . $LABEL$ 0 +tries to work in the same vein as the brilliance of animal house but instead comes closer to the failure of the third revenge of the nerds sequel . $LABEL$ 0 +for those who pride themselves on sophisticated , discerning taste , this might not seem like the proper cup of tea , however it is almost guaranteed that even the stuffiest cinema goers will laugh their \*\*\* off for an hour-and-a-half . $LABEL$ 1 +a film with contemporary political resonance illustrated by a winning family story . $LABEL$ 1 +disney again ransacks its archives for a quick-buck sequel . $LABEL$ 0 +payami tries to raise some serious issues about iran 's electoral process , but the result is a film that 's about as subtle as a party political broadcast . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most incoherent features in recent memory . $LABEL$ 0 +a wry , affectionate delight . $LABEL$ 1 +brosnan gives a portrayal as solid and as perfect as his outstanding performance as bond in die another day . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem with the mayhem in formula 51 is not that it 's offensive , but that it 's boring . $LABEL$ 0 +a three-hour cinema master class . $LABEL$ 1 +a quirky comedy set in newfoundland that cleverly captures the dry wit that 's so prevalent on the rock . $LABEL$ 1 +may not be a breakthrough in filmmaking , but it is unwavering and arresting . $LABEL$ 1 +caruso sometimes descends into sub-tarantino cuteness ... but for the most part he makes sure the salton sea works the way a good noir should , keeping it tight and nasty . $LABEL$ 1 +the rest of the film ... is dudsville . $LABEL$ 0 +brutally honest and told with humor and poignancy , which makes its message resonate . $LABEL$ 1 +... a good film that must have baffled the folks in the marketing department . $LABEL$ 1 +director uwe boll and writer robert dean klein fail to generate any interest in an unsympathetic hero caught up in an intricate plot that while cleverly worked out , can not overcome blah characters . $LABEL$ 0 +the metaphors are provocative , but too often , the viewer is left puzzled by the mechanics of the delivery . $LABEL$ 0 +works better in the conception than it does in the execution ... winds up seeming just a little too clever . $LABEL$ 0 +wonderful fencing scenes and an exciting plot make this an eminently engrossing film . $LABEL$ 1 +a bold -lrb- and lovely -rrb- experiment that will almost certainly bore most audiences into their own brightly colored dreams . $LABEL$ 1 +a wonderfully warm human drama that remains vividly in memory long after viewing $LABEL$ 1 +if any of them list this ` credit ' on their resumes in the future , that 'll be much funnier than anything in the film ... $LABEL$ 0 +after you laugh once -lrb- maybe twice -rrb- , you will have completely forgotten the movie by the time you get back to your car in the parking lot . $LABEL$ 0 +the hanukkah spirit seems fried in pork . $LABEL$ 0 +there are plenty of scenes in frida that do work , but rarely do they involve the title character herself . $LABEL$ 1 +it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph . $LABEL$ 1 +4ever has the same sledgehammer appeal as pokemon videos , but it breathes more on the big screen and induces headaches more slowly . $LABEL$ 1 +a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 . $LABEL$ 1 +despite all the closed-door hanky-panky , the film is essentially juiceless . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's one long bore . $LABEL$ 0 +if you are curious to see the darker side of what 's going on with young tv actors -lrb- dawson leery did what ?!? -rrb- , or see some interesting storytelling devices , you might want to check it out , but there 's nothing very attractive about this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it has a dashing and resourceful hero ; a lisping , reptilian villain ; big fights ; big hair ; lavish period scenery ; and a story just complicated enough to let you bask in your own cleverness as you figure it out . $LABEL$ 1 +none of this is very original , and it is n't particularly funny . $LABEL$ 0 +ice age wo n't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and i 'm giving it a strong thumbs up . $LABEL$ 1 +a tasty masala . $LABEL$ 1 +but it does have one saving grace . $LABEL$ 1 +one ca n't deny its seriousness and quality . $LABEL$ 1 +piccoli gives a superb performance full of deep feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +it 'll keep you wide awake and ... very tense . $LABEL$ 1 +an empty , purposeless exercise . $LABEL$ 0 +too bad . $LABEL$ 0 +rich in shadowy metaphor and as sharp as a samurai sword , jiang wen 's devils on the doorstep is a wartime farce in the alternately comic and gut-wrenching style of joseph heller or kurt vonnegut . $LABEL$ 1 +can be classified as one of those ` alternate reality ' movies ... except that it would have worked so much better dealing in only one reality . $LABEL$ 0 +despite some strong performances , never rises above the level of a telanovela . $LABEL$ 0 +painfully padded . $LABEL$ 0 +the sum of all fears is remarkably fuddled about motives and context , which drains it of the dramatic substance that would shake us in our boots -lrb- or cinema seats -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +a diverse and astonishingly articulate cast of palestinian and israeli children . $LABEL$ 1 +highly recommended viewing for its courage , ideas , technical proficiency and great acting . $LABEL$ 1 +none of this is meaningful or memorable , but frosting is n't , either , and you would n't turn down a big bowl of that , would you ? $LABEL$ 1 +a gripping documentary that reveals how deep the antagonism lies in war-torn jerusalem . $LABEL$ 1 +i had a dream that a smart comedy would come along to rescue me from a summer of teen-driven , toilet-humor codswallop , and its name was earnest . $LABEL$ 1 +a delightful surprise because despite all the backstage drama , this is a movie that tells stories that work -- is charming , is moving , is funny and looks professional . $LABEL$ 1 +for all the wit and hoopla , festival in cannes offers rare insight into the structure of relationships . $LABEL$ 1 +every joke is repeated at least -- annoying , is n't it ? $LABEL$ 0 +` anyone with a passion for cinema , and indeed sex , should see it as soon as possible . ' $LABEL$ 1 +a refreshing change from the usual whoopee-cushion effort aimed at the youth market . $LABEL$ 1 +... an interesting slice of history . $LABEL$ 1 +for dance completists only . $LABEL$ 0 +it has the air of a surprisingly juvenile lark , a pop-influenced prank whose charms are immediately apparent and wear thin with repetition . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's uninteresting . $LABEL$ 0 +bray is completely at sea ; with nothing but a savage garden music video on his resume , he has no clue about making a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a tone poem of transgression . $LABEL$ 1 +seemingly a vehicle to showcase the canadian 's inane ramblings , stealing harvard is a smorgasbord of soliloquies about nothing delivered by the former mr. drew barrymore . $LABEL$ 0 +confusion is one of my least favourite emotions , especially when i have to put up with 146 minutes of it . $LABEL$ 0 +road to perdition does display greatness , and it 's worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately , sarah 's dedication to finding her husband seems more psychotic than romantic , and nothing in the movie makes a convincing case that one woman 's broken heart outweighs all the loss we witness . $LABEL$ 0 +an intense and effective film about loneliness and the chilly anonymity of the environments where so many of us spend so much of our time . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the worst movies of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +like a soft drink that 's been sitting open too long : it 's too much syrup and not enough fizz . $LABEL$ 0 +too bad writer-director adam rifkin situates it all in a plot as musty as one of the golden eagle 's carpets . $LABEL$ 0 +it has more in common with a fireworks display than a movie , which normally is expected to have characters and a storyline . $LABEL$ 0 +a captivatingly quirky hybrid of character portrait , romantic comedy and beat-the-clock thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +manages to delight without much of a story . $LABEL$ 1 +... an hour-and-a-half of inoffensive , unmemorable filler . $LABEL$ 0 +may take its sweet time to get wherever it 's going , but if you have the patience for it , you wo n't feel like it 's wasted yours . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately , the film never recovers from the clumsy cliché of the ugly american abroad , and the too-frosty exterior ms. paltrow employs to authenticate her british persona is another liability . $LABEL$ 0 +in the book-on-tape market , the film of `` the kid stays in the picture '' would be an abridged edition $LABEL$ 0 +it is bad , but certainly not without merit as entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +high crimes is a cinematic misdemeanor , a routine crime thriller remarkable only for its lack of logic and misuse of two fine actors , morgan freeman and ashley judd . $LABEL$ 0 +the project 's filmmakers forgot to include anything even halfway scary as they poorly rejigger fatal attraction into a high school setting . $LABEL$ 0 +a high-spirited buddy movie about the reunion of berlin anarchists who face arrest 15 years after their crime . $LABEL$ 1 +... one of the most entertaining monster movies in ages ... $LABEL$ 1 +an infinitely wittier version of the home alone formula . $LABEL$ 1 +devoid of any of the qualities that made the first film so special . $LABEL$ 0 +succeeds where its recent predecessor miserably fails because it demands that you suffer the dreadfulness of war from both sides . $LABEL$ 1 +fontaine masterfully creates a portrait of two strong men in conflict , inextricably entwined through family history , each seeing himself in the other , neither liking what he sees . $LABEL$ 1 +everyone 's insecure in lovely and amazing , a poignant and wryly amusing film about mothers , daughters and their relationships . $LABEL$ 1 +seemingly disgusted with the lazy material and the finished product 's unshapely look , director fisher stevens inexplicably dips key moments from the film in waking life water colors . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's also curious to note that this film , like the similarly ill-timed antitrust , is easily as bad at a fraction the budget . $LABEL$ 0 +do n't let the subtitles fool you ; the movie only proves that hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action . $LABEL$ 0 +the only type of lives this glossy comedy-drama resembles are ones in formulaic mainstream movies . $LABEL$ 0 +fulford-wierzbicki ... deftly captures the wise-beyond-her-years teen . $LABEL$ 1 +you see the movie and you think , zzzzzzzzz . $LABEL$ 0 +much of this slick and sprightly cgi feature is sufficiently funny to amuse even the most resolutely unreligious parents who escort their little ones to megaplex screenings . $LABEL$ 1 +a tightly directed , highly professional film that 's old-fashioned in all the best possible ways . $LABEL$ 1 +confessions is without a doubt a memorable directorial debut from king hunk . $LABEL$ 1 +best enjoyed as a work of fiction inspired by real-life events . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a heartfelt story ... it just is n't a very involving one . $LABEL$ 0 +schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film 's present with the playful paranoia of the film 's past . ' $LABEL$ 1 +george clooney , in his first directorial effort , presents this utterly ridiculous shaggy dog story as one of the most creative , energetic and original comedies to hit the screen in years . $LABEL$ 1 +` martin lawrence live ' is so self-pitying , i almost expected there to be a collection taken for the comedian at the end of the show . $LABEL$ 0 +the screenplay does too much meandering , norton has to recite bland police procedural details , fiennes wanders around in an attempt to seem weird and distanced , hopkins looks like a drag queen . $LABEL$ 0 +if oscar had a category called best bad film you thought was going to be really awful but was n't , guys would probably be duking it out with the queen of the damned for the honor . $LABEL$ 0 +anyone else who may , for whatever reason , be thinking about going to see this movie is hereby given fair warning . $LABEL$ 0 +i could n't help but feel the wasted potential of this slapstick comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +the latest vapid actor 's exercise to appropriate the structure of arthur schnitzler 's reigen . $LABEL$ 0 +majidi 's direction has never been smoother or more confident . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's only one way to kill michael myers for good : stop buying tickets to these movies . $LABEL$ 0 +fear permeates the whole of stortelling , todd solondz ' oftentimes funny , yet ultimately cowardly autocritique . $LABEL$ 1 +falsehoods pile up , undermining the movie 's reality and stifling its creator 's comic voice . $LABEL$ 0 +bland but harmless . $LABEL$ 0 +like leafing through an album of photos accompanied by the sketchiest of captions . $LABEL$ 0 +judd 's characters ought to pick up the durable best seller smart women , foolish choices for advice . $LABEL$ 0 +the criticism never rises above easy , cynical potshots at morally bankrupt characters ... $LABEL$ 0 +adolescents will be adequately served by the movie 's sophomoric blend of shenanigans and slapstick , although the more lascivious-minded might be disappointed in the relative modesty of a movie that sports a ` topless tutorial service . ' $LABEL$ 1 +about the best thing you could say about narc is that it 's a rock-solid little genre picture . $LABEL$ 1 +an unbelievably stupid film , though occasionally fun enough to make you forget its absurdity . $LABEL$ 0 +star\/producer salma hayek and director julie taymor have infused frida with a visual style unique and inherent to the titular character 's paintings and in the process created a masterful work of art of their own . $LABEL$ 1 +what -lrb- denis -rrb- accomplishes in his chilling , unnerving film is a double portrait of two young women whose lives were as claustrophic , suffocating and chilly as the attics to which they were inevitably consigned . $LABEL$ 1 +to build a feel-good fantasy around a vain dictator-madman is off-putting , to say the least , not to mention inappropriate and wildly undeserved . $LABEL$ 0 +a generic bloodbath that often becomes laughably unbearable when it is n't merely offensive . $LABEL$ 0 +judith and zaza 's extended bedroom sequence ... is so intimate and sensual and funny and psychologically self-revealing that it makes most of what passes for sex in the movies look like cheap hysterics . $LABEL$ 1 +with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of movie during which you want to bang your head on the seat in front of you , at its cluelessness , at its idiocy , at its utterly misplaced earnestness . $LABEL$ 0 +its appeal will probably limited to lds church members and undemanding armchair tourists . $LABEL$ 0 +the latest adam sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +the determination of pinochet 's victims to seek justice , and their often heartbreaking testimony , spoken directly into director patricio guzman 's camera , pack a powerful emotional wallop . $LABEL$ 1 +a beautiful , timeless and universal tale of heated passions -- jealousy , betrayal , forgiveness and murder . $LABEL$ 1 +hill looks to be going through the motions , beginning with the pale script . $LABEL$ 0 +who needs mind-bending drugs when they can see this , the final part of the ` qatsi ' trilogy , directed by godfrey reggio , with music by philip glass ? $LABEL$ 1 +disjointed parody . $LABEL$ 0 +typical animé , with cheapo animation -lrb- like saturday morning tv in the '60s -rrb- , a complex sword-and-sorcery plot and characters who all have big round eyes and japanese names . $LABEL$ 0 +you ca n't believe anyone would really buy this stuff . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot is nothing but boilerplate clichés from start to finish , and the script assumes that not only would subtlety be lost on the target audience , but that it 's also too stupid to realize that they 've already seen this exact same movie a hundred times $LABEL$ 0 +twenty years later , e.t. is still a cinematic touchstone . $LABEL$ 1 +angela gheorghiu as famous prima donna floria tosca , roberto alagna as her lover mario cavaradossi , and ruggero as the villainous , lecherous police chief scarpia , all sing beautifully and act adequately . $LABEL$ 1 +gondry 's direction is adequate ... but what gives human nature its unique feel is kaufman 's script . $LABEL$ 1 +though this rude and crude film does deliver a few gut-busting laughs , its digs at modern society are all things we 've seen before . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most exciting action films to come out of china in recent years . $LABEL$ 1 +glizty but formulaic and silly ... cagney 's ` top of the world ' has been replaced by the bottom of the barrel . $LABEL$ 0 +makes a joke out of car chases for an hour and then gives us half an hour of car chases . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- soulless , stupid sequel ... $LABEL$ 0 +with a large cast representing a broad cross-section , tavernier 's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of `` his girl friday , '' maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes . $LABEL$ 1 +unpretentious , charming , quirky , original $LABEL$ 1 +humorless , self-conscious art drivel , made without a glimmer of intelligence or invention . $LABEL$ 0 +told just proficiently enough to trounce its overly comfortable trappings . $LABEL$ 1 +if you have n't seen the film lately , you may be surprised at the variety of tones in spielberg 's work . $LABEL$ 1 +any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a thin notion , repetitively stretched out to feature length , awash in self-consciously flashy camera effects , droning house music and flat , flat dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +a dull , dumb and derivative horror film . $LABEL$ 0 +how about surprising us by trying something new ? $LABEL$ 0 +an energetic , violent movie with a momentum that never lets up . $LABEL$ 1 +even by the intentionally low standards of frat-boy humor , sorority boys is a bowser . $LABEL$ 0 +an affable but undernourished romantic comedy that fails to match the freshness of the actress-producer and writer 's previous collaboration , miss congeniality . $LABEL$ 0 +it really is a shame that more wo n't get an opportunity to embrace small , sweet ` evelyn . ' $LABEL$ 1 +caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely . $LABEL$ 1 +i found it slow , predictable and not very amusing . $LABEL$ 0 +see it . $LABEL$ 1 +as played by ryan gosling , danny is a frighteningly fascinating contradiction . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie spends more time with schneider than with newcomer mcadams , even though her performance is more interesting -lrb- and funnier -rrb- than his . $LABEL$ 0 +oh , and more entertaining , too . $LABEL$ 1 +the genius of the work speaks volumes , offering up a hallucinatory dreamscape that frustrates and captivates . $LABEL$ 1 +austin powers for the most part is extremely funny , the first part making up for any flaws that come later . $LABEL$ 1 +a worthy addition to the cinematic canon , which , at last count , numbered 52 different versions . $LABEL$ 1 +if you like blood , guts and crazy beasts stalking men with guns though ... you will likely enjoy this monster . $LABEL$ 1 +it is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see . $LABEL$ 0 +how inept is serving sara ? $LABEL$ 0 +a thoughtful , reverent portrait of what is essentially a subculture , with its own rules regarding love and family , governance and hierarchy . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- caine -rrb- proves once again he has n't lost his touch , bringing off a superb performance in an admittedly middling film . $LABEL$ 1 +a vibrant whirlwind of love , family and all that goes with it , my big fat greek wedding is a non-stop funny feast of warmth , colour and cringe . $LABEL$ 1 +the film , like jimmy 's routines , could use a few good laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely . $LABEL$ 1 +but once the falcon arrives in the skies above manhattan , the adventure is on red alert . $LABEL$ 1 +as antonia is assimilated into this newfangled community , the film settles in and becomes compulsively watchable in a guilty-pleasure , daytime-drama sort of fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't a new idea . $LABEL$ 0 +on a cutting room floor somewhere lies ... footage that might have made no such thing a trenchant , ironic cultural satire instead of a frustrating misfire . $LABEL$ 0 +that haynes can both maintain and dismantle the facades that his genre and his character construct is a wonderous accomplishment of veracity and narrative grace . $LABEL$ 1 +just bring on the battle bots , please ! $LABEL$ 1 +but first , you have to give the audience a reason to want to put for that effort $LABEL$ 0 +for all the dolorous trim , secretary is a genial romance that maintains a surprisingly buoyant tone throughout , notwithstanding some of the writers ' sporadic dips into pop freudianism . $LABEL$ 1 +a bright , inventive , thoroughly winning flight of revisionist fancy . $LABEL$ 1 +just about the surest bet for an all-around good time at the movies this summer . $LABEL$ 1 +those of you who are not an eighth grade girl will most likely doze off during this one . $LABEL$ 0 +a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel . $LABEL$ 0 +greg kinnear gives a mesmerizing performance as a full-fledged sex addict who is in complete denial about his obsessive behavior . $LABEL$ 1 +this action-thriller\/dark comedy is one of the most repellent things to pop up in a cinematic year already littered with celluloid garbage . $LABEL$ 0 +metaphors abound , but it is easy to take this film at face value and enjoy its slightly humorous and tender story . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is the equivalent of french hip-hop , which also seems to play on a 10-year delay . $LABEL$ 0 +a well-rounded tribute to a man whose achievements -- and complexities -- reached far beyond the end zone . $LABEL$ 1 +the film ... presents classic moral-condundrum drama : what would you have done to survive ? $LABEL$ 1 +both shrill and soporific , and because everything is repeated five or six times , it can seem tiresomely simpleminded . $LABEL$ 0 +a rich tale of our times , very well told with an appropriate minimum of means . $LABEL$ 1 +the action here is unusually tame , the characters are too simplistic to maintain interest , and the plot offers few surprises . $LABEL$ 0 +the four feathers has rewards , from the exoticism of its seas of sand to the fierce grandeur of its sweeping battle scenes . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but brooms is n't it . $LABEL$ 0 +i suspect that there are more interesting ways of dealing with the subject . $LABEL$ 0 +a very good film sits in the place where a masterpiece should be . $LABEL$ 1 +changing lanes is an anomaly for a hollywood movie ; it 's a well-written and occasionally challenging social drama that actually has something interesting to say . $LABEL$ 1 +... flat-out amusing , sometimes endearing and often fabulous , with a solid cast , noteworthy characters , delicious dialogue and a wide supply of effective sight gags . $LABEL$ 1 +passionate , irrational , long-suffering but cruel as a tarantula , helga figures prominently in this movie , and helps keep the proceedings as funny for grown-ups as for rugrats . $LABEL$ 1 +whenever you think you 've figured out late marriage , it throws you for a loop . $LABEL$ 1 +the story 's scope and pageantry are mesmerizing , and mr. day-lewis roars with leonine power . $LABEL$ 1 +one problem with the movie , directed by joel schumacher , is that it jams too many prefabricated story elements into the running time . $LABEL$ 0 +barely manages for but a few seconds over its seemingly eternal running time to pique your interest , your imagination , your empathy or anything , really , save your disgust and your indifference . $LABEL$ 0 +the story the movie tells is of brian de palma 's addiction to the junk-calorie suspense tropes that have all but ruined his career . $LABEL$ 0 +miyazaki has created such a vibrant , colorful world , it 's almost impossible not to be swept away by the sheer beauty of his images . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not a bad premise , just a bad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +when one hears harry shearer is going to make his debut as a film director , one would hope for the best $LABEL$ 1 +if you enjoy being rewarded by a script that assumes you are n't very bright , then blood work is for you . $LABEL$ 0 +great dragons ! $LABEL$ 1 +the powerful success of read my lips with such provocative material shows why , after only three films , director\/co-writer jacques audiard , though little known in this country , belongs in the very top rank of french filmmakers . $LABEL$ 1 +most fish stories are a little peculiar , but this is one that should be thrown back in the river . $LABEL$ 0 +a word of advice to the makers of the singles ward : celebrity cameos do not automatically equal laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +kinnear and dafoe give what may be the performances of their careers . $LABEL$ 1 +a pathetic exploitation film that tries to seem sincere , and just seems worse for the effort . $LABEL$ 0 +pratfalls aside , barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other . $LABEL$ 1 +`` one look at a girl in tight pants and big tits and you turn stupid ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie . $LABEL$ 1 +an unfortunate title for a film that has nothing endearing about it . $LABEL$ 0 +david spade as citizen kane ? $LABEL$ 0 +director tom dey demonstrated a knack for mixing action and idiosyncratic humor in his charming 2000 debut shanghai noon , but showtime 's uninspired send-up of tv cop show cliches mostly leaves him shooting blanks . $LABEL$ 1 +director george hickenlooper has had some success with documentaries , but here his sense of story and his juvenile camera movements smack of a film school undergrad , and his maudlin ending might not have gotten him into film school in the first place . $LABEL$ 0 +like kubrick , soderbergh is n't afraid to try any genre and to do it his own way . $LABEL$ 1 +the very definition of what critics have come to term an `` ambitious failure . '' $LABEL$ 0 +i can imagine this movie as a b & w british comedy , circa 1960 , with peter sellers , kenneth williams , et al. , but at this time , with this cast , this movie is hopeless . $LABEL$ 0 +at times auto focus feels so distant you might as well be watching it through a telescope . $LABEL$ 0 +a brutally dry satire of middle american numbness . $LABEL$ 0 +it is philosophy , illustrated through everyday events . $LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the year 's best films . $LABEL$ 1 +the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough . $LABEL$ 1 +sounding like arnold schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , -lrb- ahola -rrb- has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that does n't produce any real transformation . $LABEL$ 0 +the strength of the film lies in its two central performances by sven wollter as the stricken composer and viveka seldahl as his desperate violinist wife . $LABEL$ 1 +absorbing character study by andré turpin . $LABEL$ 1 +unfortunately , that 's precisely what arthur dong 's family fundamentals does . $LABEL$ 0 +instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions . $LABEL$ 1 +an odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the midwest that held my interest precisely because it did n't try to . $LABEL$ 1 +a headline-fresh thriller set among orthodox jews on the west bank , joseph cedar 's time of favor manages not only to find a compelling dramatic means of addressing a complex situation , it does so without compromising that complexity . $LABEL$ 1 +the way home is an ode to unconditional love and compassion garnered from years of seeing it all , a condition only the old are privy to , and ... often misconstrued as weakness . $LABEL$ 1 +a rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children 's television . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its lavish formalism and intellectual austerity , the film manages to keep you at the edge of your seat with its shape-shifting perils , political intrigue and brushes with calamity . $LABEL$ 1 +coppola 's directorial debut is an incredibly layered and stylistic film that , despite a fairly slow paced , almost humdrum approach to character development , still manages at least a decent attempt at meaningful cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +so we got ten little indians meets friday the 13th by way of clean and sober , filmed on the set of carpenter 's the thing and loaded with actors you 're most likely to find on the next inevitable incarnation of the love boat . $LABEL$ 0 +with its lackadaisical plotting and mindless action , all about the benjamins evokes the bottom tier of blaxploitation flicks from the 1970s . $LABEL$ 0 +among the many pleasures are the lively intelligence of the artists and their perceptiveness about their own situations . $LABEL$ 1 +a reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , spielberg knows how to tell us about people . $LABEL$ 1 +collapses under its own meager weight . $LABEL$ 0 +does n't deserve a passing grade -lrb- even on a curve -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +white oleander may leave you rolling your eyes in the dark , but that does n't mean you wo n't like looking at it . $LABEL$ 1 +at once disarmingly straightforward and strikingly devious . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're looking for a smart , nuanced look at de sade and what might have happened at picpus , sade is your film . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't blame eddie murphy but should n't owen wilson know a movie must have a story and a script ? $LABEL$ 0 +a manipulative feminist empowerment tale thinly posing as a serious drama about spousal abuse . $LABEL$ 0 +this in-depth study of important developments of the computer industry should make it required viewing in university computer science departments for years to come . $LABEL$ 1 +the script becomes lifeless and falls apart like a cheap lawn chair . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one of those war movies that focuses on human interaction rather than battle and action sequences ... and it 's all the stronger because of it . $LABEL$ 1 +so devoid of pleasure or sensuality that it can not even be dubbed hedonistic . $LABEL$ 0 +solondz is without doubt an artist of uncompromising vision , but that vision is beginning to feel , if not morally bankrupt , at least terribly monotonous . $LABEL$ 0 +here 's a case of two actors who do everything humanly possible to create characters who are sweet and believable , and are defeated by a screenplay that forces them into bizarre , implausible behavior . $LABEL$ 0 +`` catch me '' feels capable of charming the masses with star power , a pop-induced score and sentimental moments that have become a spielberg trademark . $LABEL$ 1 +`` solaris '' is a shapeless inconsequential move relying on the viewer to do most of the work . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- his slop does n't even have potential as a cult film , as it 's too loud to shout insults at the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +it reduces the complexities to bromides and slogans and it gets so preachy-keen and so tub-thumpingly loud it makes you feel like a chump just for sitting through it . $LABEL$ 0 +while solondz tries and tries hard , storytelling fails to provide much more insight than the inside column of a torn book jacket . $LABEL$ 0 +pacino and williams seem to keep upping the ante on each other , just as their characters do in the film . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't a movie ; it 's a symptom . $LABEL$ 0 +by the end you ca n't help but feel ` stoked . ' $LABEL$ 1 +half past dead is just such an achievement . $LABEL$ 1 +on its own , it 's not very interesting . $LABEL$ 0 +ignore the reputation , and ignore the film . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances of the children , untrained in acting , have an honesty and dignity that breaks your heart . $LABEL$ 1 +peter jackson has done the nearly impossible . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie enters a realm where few non-porn films venture , and comes across as darkly funny , energetic , and surprisingly gentle . $LABEL$ 1 +director chris wedge and screenwriters michael berg , michael j. wilson and peter ackerman create some episodes that rival vintage looney tunes for the most creative mayhem in a brief amount of time . $LABEL$ 1 +and it 's not that funny -- which is just generally insulting . $LABEL$ 0 +evokes the style and flash of the double-cross that made mamet 's `` house of games '' and last fall 's `` heist '' so much fun . $LABEL$ 1 +... the efforts of its star , kline , to lend some dignity to a dumb story are for naught . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most original american productions this year , you 'll find yourself remembering this refreshing visit to a sunshine state . $LABEL$ 1 +the more you think about the movie , the more you will probably like it . $LABEL$ 1 +some like it hot on the hardwood proves once again that a man in drag is not in and of himself funny . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a lot of tooth in roger dodger . $LABEL$ 1 +a brutal and funny work . $LABEL$ 1 +ramsay is clearly extraordinarily talented , and based on three short films and two features , here 's betting her third feature will be something to behold . $LABEL$ 1 +we never feel anything for these characters , and as a result the film is basically just a curiosity . $LABEL$ 0 +director shekhar kapur and screenwriters michael schiffer and hossein amini have tried hard to modernize and reconceptualize things , but the barriers finally prove to be too great . $LABEL$ 0 +melds derivative elements into something that is often quite rich and exciting , and always a beauty to behold . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's like going to a house party and watching the host defend himself against a frothing ex-girlfriend . $LABEL$ 0 +a great companion piece to other napoleon films . $LABEL$ 1 +it aimlessly and unsuccessfully attempts to fuse at least three dull plots into one good one . $LABEL$ 0 +however , it 's pleasant enough and its ecological , pro-wildlife sentiments are certainly welcome . $LABEL$ 1 +between bursts of automatic gunfire , the story offers a trenchant critique of capitalism . $LABEL$ 1 +kinnear ... gives his best screen performance with an oddly winning portrayal of one of life 's ultimate losers . $LABEL$ 1 +it has plenty of laughs . $LABEL$ 1 +beautifully crafted , engaging filmmaking that should attract upscale audiences hungry for quality and a nostalgic , twisty yarn that will keep them guessing . $LABEL$ 1 +but the problem with wendigo , for all its effective moments , is n't really one of resources . $LABEL$ 0 +transcends its agenda to deliver awe-inspiring , at times sublime , visuals and offer a fascinating glimpse into the subculture of extreme athletes whose derring-do puts the x into the games . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- denis ' -rrb- bare-bones narrative more closely resembles an outline for a '70s exploitation picture than the finished product . $LABEL$ 0 +snipes is both a snore and utter tripe . $LABEL$ 0 +the chateau has one very funny joke and a few other decent ones , but all it amounts to is a mildly funny , sometimes tedious , ultimately insignificant film . $LABEL$ 0 +not only is entry number twenty the worst of the brosnan bunch , it 's one of the worst of the entire franchise . $LABEL$ 0 +shot like a postcard and overacted with all the boozy self-indulgence that brings out the worst in otherwise talented actors ... $LABEL$ 0 +stephen earnhart 's documentary is a decomposition of healthy eccentric inspiration and ambition -- wearing a cloak of unsentimental , straightforward text -- when it 's really an exercise in gross romanticization of the delusional personality type . $LABEL$ 0 +77 minutes of pokemon may not last 4ever , it just seems like it does . $LABEL$ 0 +a colorful , vibrant introduction to a universal human impulse , lushly photographed and beautifully recorded . $LABEL$ 1 +a droll , bitchy frolic which pokes fun at the price of popularity and small-town pretension in the lone star state . $LABEL$ 0 +full of surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +whether or not ram dass proves as clear and reliable an authority on that as he was about inner consciousness , fierce grace reassures us that he will once again be an honest and loving one . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole thing 's fairly lame , making it par for the course for disney sequels . $LABEL$ 0 +vividly demonstrates that the director of such hollywood blockbusters as patriot games can still turn out a small , personal film with an emotional wallop . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best rock documentaries ever . $LABEL$ 1 +as david letterman and the onion have proven , the worst of tragedies can be fertile sources of humor , but lawrence has only a fleeting grasp of how to develop them . $LABEL$ 0 +somehow ms. griffiths and mr. pryce bring off this wild welsh whimsy . $LABEL$ 1 +if the film 's vision of sport as a secular religion is a bit cloying , its through-line of family and community is heartening in the same way that each season marks a new start . $LABEL$ 1 +while somewhat less than it might have been , the film is a good one , and you 've got to hand it to director george clooney for biting off such a big job the first time out . $LABEL$ 1 +if anything , the film is doing something of a public service -- shedding light on a group of extremely talented musicians who might otherwise go unnoticed and underappreciated by music fans . $LABEL$ 1 +boasting some of the most poorly staged and lit action in memory , impostor is as close as you can get to an imitation movie . $LABEL$ 0 +claude chabrol 's camera has a way of gently swaying back and forth as it cradles its characters , veiling tension beneath otherwise tender movements . $LABEL$ 1 +the crassness of this reactionary thriller is matched only by the ridiculousness of its premise . $LABEL$ 0 +anyone who welcomes a dash of the avant-garde fused with their humor should take pleasure in this crazed , joyous romp of a film . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's about as convincing as any other arnie musclefest , but has a little too much resonance with real world events and ultimately comes off as insultingly simplistic . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing more or less than an outright bodice-ripper -- it should have ditched the artsy pretensions and revelled in the entertaining shallows . $LABEL$ 0 +precocious smarter-than-thou wayward teen struggles to rebel against his oppressive , right-wing , propriety-obsessed family . $LABEL$ 1 +` unfaithful ' cheats on itself and retreats to comfortable territory . $LABEL$ 0 +yes , spirited away is a triumph of imagination , but it 's also a failure of storytelling . $LABEL$ 0 +much of the digitally altered footage appears jagged , as if filmed directly from a television monitor , while the extensive use of stock footage quickly becomes a tiresome cliché . $LABEL$ 0 +the fluid motion is astounding on any number of levels -- including the physical demands made on büttner -- and it implies in its wake the intractable , irreversible flow of history . $LABEL$ 1 +derailed by bad writing and possibly also by some of that extensive post-production reworking to aim the film at young males in the throes of their first full flush of testosterone . $LABEL$ 0 +i like it . $LABEL$ 1 +birot creates a drama with such a well-defined sense of place and age -- as in , 15 years old -- that the torments and angst become almost as operatic to us as they are to her characters . $LABEL$ 1 +` god help us , but capra and cooper are rolling over in their graves . ' $LABEL$ 0 +poignant japanese epic about adolescent anomie and heartbreak . $LABEL$ 1 +a little uneven to be the cat 's meow , but it 's good enough to be the purr . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- there 's -rrb- quite a bit of heart , as you would expect from the directors of the little mermaid and aladdin . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a hoot watching the rock chomp on jumbo ants , pull an arrow out of his back , and leap unscathed through raging fire ! $LABEL$ 1 +giggling at the absurdities and inconsistencies is part of the fun . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is insightful about kissinger 's background and history . $LABEL$ 1 +it makes me feel weird \/ thinking about all the bad things in the world \/ like puppies with broken legs \/ and butterflies that die \/ and movies starring pop queens $LABEL$ 0 +a brilliant , absurd collection of vignettes that , in their own idiosyncratic way , sum up the strange horror of life in the new millennium . $LABEL$ 1 +beautiful , cold , oddly colorful and just plain otherworldly , a freaky bit of art that 's there to scare while we delight in the images . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't a stand up and cheer flick ; it 's a sit down and ponder affair . $LABEL$ 1 +this story still seems timely and important . $LABEL$ 1 +a sloppy , amusing comedy that proceeds from a stunningly unoriginal premise . $LABEL$ 1 +jae-eun jeong 's take care of my cat brings a beguiling freshness to a coming-of-age story with such a buoyant , expressive flow of images that it emerges as another key contribution to the flowering of the south korean cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's appeal has a lot to do with the casting of juliette binoche as sand , who brings to the role her pale , dark beauty and characteristic warmth . $LABEL$ 1 +like the english patient and the unbearable lightness of being , the hours is one of those reputedly `` unfilmable '' novels that has bucked the odds to emerge as an exquisite motion picture in its own right . $LABEL$ 1 +the footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with suge knight are just two of the elements that will grab you . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- f -rrb- rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative , the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's bedeviled by labored writing and slack direction . $LABEL$ 0 +it is too bad that this likable movie is n't more accomplished . $LABEL$ 0 +quiet , adult and just about more stately than any contemporary movie this year ... a true study , a film with a questioning heart and mind that is n't afraid to admit it does n't have all the answers . $LABEL$ 1 +although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film . $LABEL$ 0 +you can not guess why the cast and crew did n't sign a pact to burn the negative and the script and pretend the whole thing never existed . $LABEL$ 0 +feel free to go get popcorn whenever he 's not onscreen . $LABEL$ 0 +definitely funny stuff , but it 's more of the ` laughing at ' variety than the ` laughing with . ' $LABEL$ 1 +... pray does n't have a passion for the material . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like an unbalanced mixture of graphic combat footage and almost saccharine domestic interludes that are pure hollywood . $LABEL$ 0 +the increasingly diverse french director has created a film that one can honestly describe as looking , sounding and simply feeling like no other film in recent history . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is a confusing melange of tones and styles , one moment a romantic trifle and the next a turgid drama . $LABEL$ 0 +lush and beautifully photographed -lrb- somebody suggested the stills might make a nice coffee table book -rrb- , but ultimately you 'll leave the theater wondering why these people mattered . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of using george and lucy 's most obvious differences to ignite sparks , lawrence desperately looks elsewhere , seizing on george 's haplessness and lucy 's personality tics . $LABEL$ 0 +it recycles every cliché about gays in what is essentially an extended soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the french film industry in years . $LABEL$ 1 +the piano teacher , like its title character , is repellantly out of control . $LABEL$ 0 +the basic premise is intriguing but quickly becomes distasteful and downright creepy . $LABEL$ 0 +it is ok for a movie to be something of a sitcom apparatus , if the lines work , the humor has point and the actors are humanly engaged . $LABEL$ 1 +too campy to work as straight drama and too violent and sordid to function as comedy , vulgar is , truly and thankfully , a one-of-a-kind work . $LABEL$ 0 +this romantic\/comedy asks the question how much souvlaki can you take before indigestion sets in . $LABEL$ 0 +visually breathtaking , viscerally exciting , and dramatically moving , it 's the very definition of epic adventure . $LABEL$ 1 +full frontal had no effect and elicited no sympathies for any of the characters . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is n't painfully bad , something to be ` fully experienced ' ; it 's just tediously bad , something to be fully forgotten . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 've the patience , there are great rewards here . $LABEL$ 1 +devolves into the derivative , leaning on badly-rendered cgi effects . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the type of film about growing up that we do n't see often enough these days : realistic , urgent , and not sugarcoated in the least . $LABEL$ 1 +remember back when thrillers actually thrilled ? $LABEL$ 0 +perhaps even the slc high command found writer-director mitch davis 's wall of kitsch hard going . $LABEL$ 0 +the acting is fine but the script is about as interesting as a recording of conversations at the wal-mart checkout line . $LABEL$ 0 +writer\/director alexander payne -lrb- election -rrb- and his co-writer jim taylor brilliantly employ their quirky and fearless ability to look american angst in the eye and end up laughing . $LABEL$ 1 +if you can push on through the slow spots , you 'll be rewarded with some fine acting . $LABEL$ 1 +chris columbus ' sequel is faster , livelier and a good deal funnier than his original . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the stuff that disney movies are made of . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's invigorating about it is that it does n't give a damn . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's makes a better travelogue than movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +been there , done that , liked it much better the first time around - when it was called the professional . $LABEL$ 0 +i have to admit i walked out of runteldat . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie so bad that it quickly enters the pantheon of wreckage that includes battlefield earth and showgirls . $LABEL$ 0 +-- but it makes for one of the most purely enjoyable and satisfying evenings at the movies i 've had in a while . $LABEL$ 1 +the unexplored story opportunities of `` punch-drunk love '' may have worked against the maker 's minimalist intent but it is an interesting exercise by talented writer\/director anderson . $LABEL$ 1 +there are now two signs that m. night shyamalan 's debut feature sucked up all he has to give to the mystic genres of cinema : unbreakable and signs . $LABEL$ 0 +if cinema had been around to capture the chaos of france in the 1790 's , one imagines the result would look like something like this . $LABEL$ 1 +this quiet , introspective and entertaining independent is worth seeking . $LABEL$ 1 +what little atmosphere is generated by the shadowy lighting , macabre sets , and endless rain is offset by the sheer ugliness of everything else . $LABEL$ 0 +what `` empire '' lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart . $LABEL$ 1 +the usual movie rah-rah , pleasantly and predictably delivered in low-key style by director michael apted and writer tom stoppard . $LABEL$ 1 +this starts off with a 1950 's doris day feel and it gets very ugly , very fast . $LABEL$ 0 +standing by yourself is haunting ... -lrb- it 's -rrb- what punk rock music used to be , and what the video medium could use more of : spirit , perception , conviction . $LABEL$ 1 +a lot like the imaginary sport it projects onto the screen -- loud , violent and mindless . $LABEL$ 0 +all in all , a great party . $LABEL$ 1 +a thriller with an edge -- which is to say that it does n't follow the stale , standard , connect-the-dots storyline which has become commonplace in movies that explore the seamy underbelly of the criminal world . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- seems -rrb- even more uselessly redundant and shamelessly money-grubbing than most third-rate horror sequels . $LABEL$ 0 +credit director ramsay for taking the sometimes improbable story and making it feel realistic . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a feel-bad ending for a depressing story that throws a bunch of hot-button items in the viewer 's face and asks to be seen as hip , winking social commentary . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- l -rrb- ame and unnecessary . $LABEL$ 0 +while centered on the life experiences of a particular theatrical family , this marvelous documentary touches -- ever so gracefully -- on the entire history of the yiddish theater , both in america and israel . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm not sure which will take longer to heal : the welt on johnny knoxville 's stomach from a riot-control projectile or my own tortured psyche . $LABEL$ 0 +... the kind of movie you see because the theater has air conditioning . $LABEL$ 0 +as hannibal would say , yes , ` it 's like having an old friend for dinner ' . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's bright , pristine style and bold colors make it as much fun as reading an oversized picture book before bedtime . $LABEL$ 1 +imagine kevin smith , the blasphemous bad boy of suburban jersey , if he were stripped of most of his budget and all of his sense of humor . $LABEL$ 0 +see scratch for the history , see scratch for the music , see scratch for a lesson in scratching , but , most of all , see it for the passion . $LABEL$ 1 +always destined to be measured against anthony asquith 's acclaimed 1952 screen adaptation . $LABEL$ 1 +try this obscenely bad dark comedy , so crass that it makes edward burns ' sidewalks of new york look like oscar wilde . $LABEL$ 0 +hoffman 's performance is authentic to the core of his being . $LABEL$ 1 +chicago offers much colorful eye candy , including the spectacle of gere in his dancing shoes , hoofing and crooning with the best of them . $LABEL$ 1 +the artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache . $LABEL$ 1 +the best movie in many a moon about the passions that sometimes fuel our best achievements and other times leave us stranded with nothing more than our lesser appetites . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing more than a widget cranked out on an assembly line to see if stupid americans will get a kick out of goofy brits with cute accents performing ages-old slapstick and unfunny tricks . $LABEL$ 0 +bad and baffling from the get-go . $LABEL$ 0 +the obnoxious special effects , the obligatory outbursts of flatulence and the incessant , so-five-minutes-ago pop music on the soundtrack overwhelm what is left of the scruffy , dopey old hanna-barbera charm . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers try to balance pointed , often incisive satire and unabashed sweetness , with results that are sometimes bracing , sometimes baffling and quite often , and in unexpected ways , touching . $LABEL$ 1 +harmless fun . $LABEL$ 1 +astonishingly skillful and moving ... it could become a historically significant work as well as a masterfully made one . $LABEL$ 1 +feeling to it , but like the 1920 's , the trip there is a great deal of fun . $LABEL$ 1 +unsurprisingly , the way this all works out makes the women look more like stereotypical caretakers and moral teachers , instead of serious athletes . $LABEL$ 0 +eight legged freaks is clever and funny , is amused by its special effects , and leaves you feeling like you 've seen a movie instead of an endless trailer . $LABEL$ 1 +the bottom line is the piece works brilliantly . $LABEL$ 1 +purposefully shocking in its eroticized gore , if unintentionally dull in its lack of poetic frissons . $LABEL$ 0 +tends to plod . $LABEL$ 0 +pleasant but not more than recycled jock piffle . $LABEL$ 0 +indeed , the more outrageous bits achieve a shock-you-into-laughter intensity of almost dadaist proportions . $LABEL$ 1 +the one-liners are snappy , the situations volatile and the comic opportunities richly rewarded . $LABEL$ 1 +stupid , infantile , redundant , sloppy , over-the-top , and amateurish . $LABEL$ 0 +the film grows on you . $LABEL$ 1 +though its story is only surface deep , the visuals and enveloping sounds of blue crush make this surprisingly decent flick worth a summertime look-see . $LABEL$ 1 +this chicago has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare . $LABEL$ 1 +first-time writer-director dylan kidd also has a good ear for dialogue , and the characters sound like real people . $LABEL$ 1 +a whale of a good time for both children and parents seeking christian-themed fun . $LABEL$ 1 +this odd , distant portuguese import more or less borrows from bad lieutenant and les vampires , and comes up with a kind of art-house gay porn film . $LABEL$ 0 +during the tuxedo 's 90 minutes of screen time , there is n't one true ` chan moment ' . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mildly sentimental , unabashedly consumerist ... studiously inoffensive and completely disposable . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like the old disease-of-the-week small-screen melodramas . $LABEL$ 0 +... pays tribute to heroes the way julia roberts hands out awards -- with phony humility barely camouflaging grotesque narcissism . $LABEL$ 0 +features fincher 's characteristically startling visual style and an almost palpable sense of intensity . $LABEL$ 1 +before long , you 're desperate for the evening to end . $LABEL$ 0 +watchable up until the point where the situations and the dialogue spin hopelessly out of control -- that is to say , when carol kane appears on the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +`` red dragon '' never cuts corners . $LABEL$ 1 +an ambitious movie that , like shiner 's organizing of the big fight , pulls off enough of its effects to make up for the ones that do n't come off . $LABEL$ 1 +although shot with little style , skins is heartfelt and achingly real . $LABEL$ 1 +it looks good , but it is essentially empty . $LABEL$ 0 +young everlyn sampi , as the courageous molly craig , simply radiates star-power potential in this remarkable and memorable film . $LABEL$ 1 +a knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite son of the bride . $LABEL$ 1 +sure , i hated myself in the morning . $LABEL$ 0 +but ticket-buyers with great expectations will wind up as glum as mr. de niro . $LABEL$ 0 +the film was produced by jerry bruckheimer and directed by joel schumacher , and reflects the worst of their shallow styles : wildly overproduced , inadequately motivated every step of the way and demographically targeted to please every one -lrb- and no one -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a great performance and a reminder of dickens ' grandeur . $LABEL$ 1 +not at all clear what it 's trying to say and even if it were -- i doubt it would be all that interesting . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events . $LABEL$ 0 +real women may have many agendas , but it also will win you over , in a big way . $LABEL$ 1 +what i saw , i enjoyed . $LABEL$ 1 +lazily and glumly settles into a most traditional , reserved kind of filmmaking . $LABEL$ 0 +it appears as if even the filmmakers did n't know what kind of movie they were making . $LABEL$ 0 +the dangerous lives of altar boys ' take on adolescence feels painfully true . $LABEL$ 1 +spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units . $LABEL$ 0 +at its best , this is grand-scale moviemaking for a larger-than-life figure , an artist who has been awarded mythic status in contemporary culture . $LABEL$ 1 +there are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it 's going to be a trip . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm not sure these words have ever been together in the same sentence : this erotic cannibal movie is boring . $LABEL$ 0 +maybe you 'll be lucky , and there 'll be a power outage during your screening so you can get your money back . $LABEL$ 0 +with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams , however , robert rodriguez adorns his family-film plot with an elegance and maturity that even most contemporary adult movies are lacking . $LABEL$ 1 +... unbearably lame . $LABEL$ 0 +certainly not a good movie , but it was n't horrible either . $LABEL$ 0 +where the film falters is in its tone . $LABEL$ 0 +this film biggest problem ? $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie that is what it is : a pleasant distraction , a friday night diversion , an excuse to eat popcorn . $LABEL$ 1 +the gags are often a stitch . $LABEL$ 1 +the complex , politically charged tapestry of contemporary chinese life this exciting new filmmaker has brought to the screen is like nothing we westerners have seen before . $LABEL$ 1 +the sinister inspiration that fuelled devito 's early work is confused in death to smoochy into something both ugly and mindless . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- shyamalan -rrb- continues to cut a swathe through mainstream hollywood , while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision . $LABEL$ 1 +as averse as i usually am to feel-good , follow-your-dream hollywood fantasies , this one got to me . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll know a star when you see one . $LABEL$ 1 +sorority boys , which is as bad at it is cruel , takes every potential laugh and stiletto-stomps the life out of it . $LABEL$ 0 +in between the icy stunts , the actors spout hilarious dialogue about following your dream and ` just letting the mountain tell you what to do . ' $LABEL$ 1 +this gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family . $LABEL$ 1 +horrible . $LABEL$ 0 +grating and tedious . $LABEL$ 0 +at three hours and with very little story or character development , there is plenty of room for editing , and a much shorter cut surely would have resulted in a smoother , more focused narrative without sacrificing any of the cultural intrigue . $LABEL$ 0 +better effects , better acting and a hilarious kenneth branagh . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's too interested in jerking off in all its byzantine incarnations to bother pleasuring its audience . $LABEL$ 0 +none of this so-called satire has any sting to it , as if woody is afraid of biting the hand that has finally , to some extent , warmed up to him . $LABEL$ 0 +a keep - 'em - guessing plot and an affectionate take on its screwed-up characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a prison comedy that never really busts out of its comfy little cell . $LABEL$ 0 +an elegant and sly deadpan comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +neither as scary-funny as tremors nor demented-funny as starship troopers , the movie is n't tough to take as long as you 've paid a matinee price . $LABEL$ 0 +the delicious trimmings ... arrive early and stay late , filling nearly every minute ... with a lighthearted glow , some impudent snickers , and a glorious dose of humankind 's liberating ability to triumph over a scrooge or two . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is a dud . $LABEL$ 0 +unfolds in a low-key , organic way that encourages you to accept it as life and go with its flow . $LABEL$ 1 +does n't do more than expand a tv show to movie length . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the best movies of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +by applying definition to both sides of the man , the picture realizes a fullness that does not negate the subject . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie turns out to be -lrb- assayas ' -rrb- homage to the gallic ` tradition of quality , ' in all its fusty squareness . $LABEL$ 0 +once the downward spiral comes to pass , auto focus bears out as your typical junkie opera ... $LABEL$ 0 +` butterfingered ' is the word for the big-fisted direction of jez butterworth , who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach . $LABEL$ 0 +cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +berry 's saucy , full-bodied performance gives this aging series a much needed kick , making `` die another day '' one of the most entertaining bonds in years $LABEL$ 1 +despite the film 's bizarre developments , hoffman keeps us riveted with every painful nuance , unexpected flashes of dark comedy and the character 's gripping humanity . $LABEL$ 1 +if you love reading and\/or poetry , then by all means check it out . $LABEL$ 1 +driven by a fantastic dual performance from ian holm ... the film is funny , insightfully human and a delightful lark for history buffs . $LABEL$ 1 +douglas mcgrath 's nicholas nickleby does dickens as it should be done cinematically . $LABEL$ 1 +diane lane 's sophisticated performance ca n't rescue adrian lyne 's unfaithful from its sleazy moralizing . $LABEL$ 0 +simply put , `` far from heaven '' is a masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +shot in rich , shadowy black-and-white , devils chronicles , with increasingly amused irony , the relationship between reluctant captors and befuddled captives . $LABEL$ 1 +mcgrath has deftly trimmed dickens ' wonderfully sprawling soap opera , the better to focus on the hero 's odyssey from cowering poverty to courage and happiness . $LABEL$ 1 +anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy . $LABEL$ 0 +a worthwhile documentary , whether you 're into rap or not , even if it may still leave you wanting more answers as the credits roll . $LABEL$ 1 +the original was n't a good movie but this remake makes it look like a masterpiece ! $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a fun adventure movie for kids -lrb- of all ages -rrb- that like adventure . $LABEL$ 1 +one sloughs one 's way through the mire of this alleged psychological thriller in search of purpose or even a plot . $LABEL$ 0 +limps along on a squirm-inducing fish-out-of-water formula that goes nowhere and goes there very , very slowly . $LABEL$ 0 +no amount of nostalgia for carvey 's glory days can disguise the fact that the new film is a lame kiddie flick and that carvey 's considerable talents are wasted in it . $LABEL$ 0 +consistently clever and suspenseful . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an ungainly movie , ill-fitting , with its elbows sticking out where the knees should be . $LABEL$ 0 +a real audience-pleaser that will strike a chord with anyone who 's ever waited in a doctor 's office , emergency room , hospital bed or insurance company office . $LABEL$ 1 +... if you , like me , think an action film disguised as a war tribute is disgusting to begin with , then you 're in for a painful ride . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're as happy listening to movies as you are watching them , and the slow parade of human frailty fascinates you , then you 're at the right film . $LABEL$ 1 +one funny popcorn flick . $LABEL$ 1 +bad company has one of the most moronic screenplays of the year , full of holes that will be obvious even to those who are n't looking for them . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year . $LABEL$ 0 +a gem of a romantic crime comedy that turns out to be clever , amusing and unpredictable . $LABEL$ 1 +smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise . $LABEL$ 1 +a charming , banter-filled comedy ... one of those airy cinematic bon bons whose aims -- and by extension , accomplishments -- seem deceptively slight on the surface . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's that rare family movie -- genuine and sweet without relying on animation or dumb humor . $LABEL$ 1 +hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mildly amusing , but i certainly ca n't recommend it . $LABEL$ 0 +this dreadfully earnest inversion of the concubine love triangle eschews the previous film 's historical panorama and roiling pathos for bug-eyed mugging and gay-niche condescension . $LABEL$ 0 +formula 51 promises a new kind of high but delivers the same old bad trip . $LABEL$ 0 +what madonna does here ca n't properly be called acting -- more accurately , it 's moving and it 's talking and it 's occasionally gesturing , sometimes all at once . $LABEL$ 0 +rifkin 's references are ... impeccable throughout . $LABEL$ 1 +the director explores all three sides of his story with a sensitivity and an inquisitiveness reminiscent of truffaut . $LABEL$ 1 +the fact that the ` best part ' of the movie comes from a 60-second homage to one of demme 's good films does n't bode well for the rest of it . $LABEL$ 0 +an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten . $LABEL$ 1 +an engaging , formulaic sports drama that carries a charge of genuine excitement . $LABEL$ 1 +something must have been lost in the translation . $LABEL$ 0 +witty , contemplative , and sublimely beautiful . $LABEL$ 1 +foster and whitaker are especially fine . $LABEL$ 1 +the lightest , most breezy movie steven spielberg has made in more than a decade . $LABEL$ 1 +if i want a real movie , i 'll buy the criterion dvd . $LABEL$ 0 +an earnest , roughshod document , it serves as a workable primer for the region 's recent history , and would make a terrific 10th-grade learning tool . $LABEL$ 1 +a conventional but heartwarming tale . $LABEL$ 1 +a sly female empowerment movie , although not in a way anyone would expect . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem is the needlessly poor quality of its archival prints and film footage . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's something unintentionally comic in the film 's drumbeat about authenticity , given the stale plot and pornographic way the film revels in swank apartments , clothes and parties . $LABEL$ 0 +strange occurrences build in the mind of the viewer and take on extreme urgency . $LABEL$ 1 +the formula is familiar but enjoyable . $LABEL$ 1 +its screenplay serves as auto-critique , and its clumsiness as its own most damning censure . $LABEL$ 0 +less an examination of neo-nazism than a probe into the nature of faith itself . $LABEL$ 1 +good performances and a realistic , non-exploitive approach make paid in full worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +just is n't as weird as it ought to be . $LABEL$ 0 +if you love the music , and i do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary ... $LABEL$ 1 +watching queen of the damned is like reading a research paper , with special effects tossed in . $LABEL$ 0 +stinks from start to finish , like a wet burlap sack of gloom . $LABEL$ 0 +the merchant-ivory team continues to systematically destroy everything we hold dear about cinema , only now it 's begun to split up so that it can do even more damage . $LABEL$ 0 +while there are times when the film 's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it does n't . $LABEL$ 1 +hugely accomplished slice of hitchcockian suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +exhibits the shallow sensationalism characteristic of soap opera ... more salacious telenovela than serious drama . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm sure there 's a teenage boy out there somewhere who 's dying for this kind of entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +why sit through a crummy , wannabe-hip crime comedy that refers incessantly to old movies , when you could just rent those movies instead , let alone seek out a respectable new one ? $LABEL$ 0 +a thoroughly awful movie -- dumb , narratively chaotic , visually sloppy ... a weird amalgam of ` the thing ' and a geriatric ` scream . ' $LABEL$ 0 +contains the humor , characterization , poignancy , and intelligence of a bad sitcom . $LABEL$ 0 +laughably , irredeemably awful . $LABEL$ 0 +one long , numbing action sequence made up mostly of routine stuff yuen has given us before . $LABEL$ 0 +together -lrb- time out and human resources -rrb- establish mr. cantet as france 's foremost cinematic poet of the workplace . $LABEL$ 1 +... a gleefully grungy , hilariously wicked black comedy ... $LABEL$ 1 +with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams , the spy kids franchise establishes itself as a durable part of the movie landscape : a james bond series for kids . $LABEL$ 1 +reno himself can take credit for most of the movie 's success . $LABEL$ 1 +outside of burger 's desire to make some kind of film , it 's really unclear why this project was undertaken $LABEL$ 0 +as for children , they wo n't enjoy the movie at all . $LABEL$ 0 +if you saw it on tv , you 'd probably turn it off , convinced that you had already seen that movie . $LABEL$ 0 +while it is interesting to witness the conflict from the palestinian side , longley 's film lacks balance ... and fails to put the struggle into meaningful historical context . $LABEL$ 0 +journalistically dubious , inept and often lethally dull . $LABEL$ 0 +brilliantly written and well-acted , yellow asphalt is an uncompromising film . $LABEL$ 1 +like mike is n't going to make box office money that makes michael jordan jealous , but it has some cute moments , funny scenes , and hits the target audience -lrb- young bow wow fans -rrb- - with nothing but net . $LABEL$ 1 +the gags that fly at such a furiously funny pace that the only rip off that we were aware of was the one we felt when the movie ended so damned soon . $LABEL$ 1 +while the path may be familiar , first-time director denzel washington and a top-notch cast manage to keep things interesting . $LABEL$ 1 +standing in the shadows of motown is the best kind of documentary , one that makes a depleted yesterday feel very much like a brand-new tomorrow . $LABEL$ 1 +a series of escapades demonstrating the adage that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander , some of which occasionally amuses but none of which amounts to much of a story . $LABEL$ 0 +j. lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie , although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear : she 's a pretty woman , but she 's no working girl . $LABEL$ 1 +this documentary is a dazzling , remarkably unpretentious reminder of what -lrb- evans -rrb- had , lost , and got back . $LABEL$ 1 +their work is fantastic . $LABEL$ 1 +much of the movie 's charm lies in the utter cuteness of stuart and margolo . $LABEL$ 1 +looks and feels like a low-budget hybrid of scarface or carlito 's way . $LABEL$ 0 +a profoundly stupid affair , populating its hackneyed and meanspirited storyline with cardboard characters and performers who value cash above credibility . $LABEL$ 0 +like its script , which nurses plot holes gaping enough to pilot an entire olympic swim team through , the characters in swimfan seem motivated by nothing short of dull , brain-deadening hangover . $LABEL$ 0 +do we really need the tiger beat version ? $LABEL$ 0 +if it 's unnerving suspense you 're after -- you 'll find it with ring , an indisputably spooky film ; with a screenplay to die for . $LABEL$ 1 +gosling creates a staggeringly compelling character , a young man whose sharp intellect is at the very root of his contradictory , self-hating , self-destructive ways . $LABEL$ 1 +a beautiful paean to a time long past . $LABEL$ 1 +an extremely funny , ultimately heartbreaking look at life in contemporary china . $LABEL$ 1 +sheds light on a subject few are familiar with , and makes you care about music you may not have heard before . $LABEL$ 1 +but for the most part , the weight of water comes off as a two-way time-switching myopic mystery that stalls in its lackluster gear of emotional blandness . $LABEL$ 0 +and diesel is n't the actor to save it . $LABEL$ 0 +a feeble tootsie knockoff . $LABEL$ 0 +see it for his performance if nothing else . $LABEL$ 1 +terrific casting and solid execution give all three stories life . $LABEL$ 1 +the skirmishes for power waged among victims and predators settle into an undistinguished rhythm of artificial suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +a thriller without a lot of thrills . $LABEL$ 0 +yet the act is still charming here . $LABEL$ 1 +far more enjoyable than its predecessor . $LABEL$ 1 +a moving essay about the specter of death , especially suicide . $LABEL$ 1 +phillip noyce and all of his actors -- as well as his cinematographer , christopher doyle -- understand the delicate forcefulness of greene 's prose , and it 's there on the screen in their version of the quiet american . $LABEL$ 1 +though it runs 163 minutes , safe conduct is anything but languorous . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of movie that you only need to watch for about thirty seconds before you say to yourself , ` ah , yes , here we have a bad , bad , bad movie . ' $LABEL$ 0 +even at its worst , it 's not half-bad . $LABEL$ 1 +... even if you 've never heard of chaplin , you 'll still be glued to the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +a long , dull procession of despair , set to cello music culled from a minimalist funeral . $LABEL$ 0 +the concert footage is stirring , the recording sessions are intriguing , and -- on the way to striking a blow for artistic integrity -- this quality band may pick up new admirers . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the dialogue made me want to pack raw dough in my ears . $LABEL$ 0 +queen of the damned is too long with too little going on . $LABEL$ 0 +it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains . $LABEL$ 1 +campanella 's competent direction and his excellent cast overcome the obstacles of a predictable outcome and a screenplay that glosses over rafael 's evolution . $LABEL$ 1 +schütte 's dramatic snapshot of the artist three days before his death offers an interesting bit of speculation as to the issues brecht faced as his life drew to a close . $LABEL$ 1 +would be an unendurable viewing experience for this ultra-provincial new yorker if 26-year-old reese witherspoon were not on hand to inject her pure fantasy character , melanie carmichael , with a massive infusion of old-fashioned hollywood magic . $LABEL$ 1 +a horror movie with seriously dumb characters , which somewhat dilutes the pleasure of watching them stalked by creepy-crawly bug things that live only in the darkness . $LABEL$ 0 +their parents would do well to cram earplugs in their ears and put pillowcases over their heads for 87 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +cloaks a familiar anti-feminist equation -lrb- career - kids = misery -rrb- in tiresome romantic-comedy duds . $LABEL$ 0 +naomi watts is terrific as rachel ; her petite frame and vulnerable persona emphasising her plight and isolation . $LABEL$ 1 +idiotic and ugly . $LABEL$ 0 +` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . ' $LABEL$ 1 +hard , endearing , caring , warm . $LABEL$ 1 +the major problem with windtalkers is that the bulk of the movie centers on the wrong character . $LABEL$ 0 +- greaseballs mob action-comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +writer and director otar iosseliani 's pleasant tale about a factory worker who escapes for a holiday in venice reveals how we all need a playful respite from the grind to refresh our souls . $LABEL$ 1 +a refreshingly realistic , affectation-free coming-of-age tale . $LABEL$ 1 +`` simone '' is a fun and funky look into an artificial creation in a world that thrives on artificiality . $LABEL$ 1 +supposedly , pokemon ca n't be killed , but pokemon 4ever practically assures that the pocket monster movie franchise is nearly ready to keel over . $LABEL$ 0 +the acting is amateurish , the cinematography is atrocious , the direction is clumsy , the writing is insipid and the violence is at once luridly graphic and laughably unconvincing . $LABEL$ 0 +you have to see it . $LABEL$ 1 +pray has really done his subject justice . $LABEL$ 1 +woody , what happened ? $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's also disappointing to a certain degree . $LABEL$ 0 +coarse , cliched and clunky , this trifling romantic comedy in which opposites attract for no better reason than that the screenplay demands it squanders the charms of stars hugh grant and sandra bullock . $LABEL$ 0 +bears about as much resemblance to the experiences of most battered women as spider-man does to the experiences of most teenagers . $LABEL$ 0 +at times a bit melodramatic and even a little dated -lrb- depending upon where you live -rrb- , ignorant fairies is still quite good-natured and not a bad way to spend an hour or two . $LABEL$ 1 +a boring masquerade ball where normally good actors , even kingsley , are made to look bad . $LABEL$ 0 +a semi-autobiographical film that 's so sloppily written and cast that you can not believe anyone more central to the creation of bugsy than the caterer had anything to do with it . $LABEL$ 0 +the skills of a calculus major at m.i.t. are required to balance all the formulaic equations in the long-winded heist comedy who is cletis tout ? $LABEL$ 0 +though there are entertaining and audacious moments , the movie 's wildly careening tone and an extremely flat lead performance do little to salvage this filmmaker 's flailing reputation . $LABEL$ 0 +efteriades gives the neighborhood -- scenery , vibe and all -- the cinematic equivalent of a big , tender hug . $LABEL$ 1 +two weeks notice has appeal beyond being a sandra bullock vehicle or a standard romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +could use a little more humanity , but it never lacks in eye-popping visuals . $LABEL$ 1 +the leads are natural and lovely , the pace is serene , the humor wry and sprightly . $LABEL$ 1 +offers big , fat , dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in . $LABEL$ 0 +hardly a film that comes along every day . $LABEL$ 1 +definitely worth 95 minutes of your time . $LABEL$ 1 +certainly the big finish was n't something galinsky and hawley could have planned for ... but part of being a good documentarian is being there when the rope snaps . $LABEL$ 1 +rollerball is as bad as you think , and worse than you can imagine . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's the plot , and a maddeningly insistent and repetitive piano score that made me want to scream . $LABEL$ 0 +it would be great to see this turd squashed under a truck , preferably a semi . $LABEL$ 0 +the pacing is deadly , the narration helps little and naipaul , a juicy writer , is negated . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . $LABEL$ 1 +this beautifully animated epic is never dull . $LABEL$ 1 +human nature , in short , is n't nearly as funny as it thinks it is ; neither is it as smart . $LABEL$ 0 +davis ... gets vivid performances from her cast and pulls off some deft ally mcbeal-style fantasy sequences . $LABEL$ 1 +even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities . $LABEL$ 0 +a mesmerizing cinematic poem from the first frame to the last . $LABEL$ 1 +the setting turns out to be more interesting than any of the character dramas , which never reach satisfying conclusions . $LABEL$ 0 +this painfully unfunny farce traffics in tired stereotypes and encumbers itself with complications ... that have no bearing on the story . $LABEL$ 0 +take nothing seriously and enjoy the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +it is different from others in its genre in that it is does not rely on dumb gags , anatomical humor , or character cliches ; it primarily relies on character to tell its story . $LABEL$ 1 +still rapturous after all these years , cinema paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love . $LABEL$ 1 +be patient with the lovely hush ! $LABEL$ 1 +the actors are simply too good , and the story too intriguing , for technical flaws to get in the way . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'd be lying if i said my ribcage did n't ache by the end of kung pow . $LABEL$ 1 +it may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made . $LABEL$ 1 +an entertaining , if ultimately minor , thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +and the reason for that is a self-aware , often self-mocking , intelligence . $LABEL$ 1 +whether jason x is this bad on purpose is never clear . $LABEL$ 0 +all comedy is subversive , but this unrelenting bleak insistence on opting out of any opportunity for finding meaning in relationships or work just becomes sad . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is concocted and carried out by folks worthy of scorn , and the nicest thing i can say is that i ca n't remember a single name responsible for it . $LABEL$ 0 +all too familiar ... basically the sort of cautionary tale that was old when ` angels with dirty faces ' appeared in 1938 . $LABEL$ 0 +seems like something american and european gay movies were doing 20 years ago . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a truly , truly bad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the way the roundelay of partners functions , and the interplay within partnerships and among partnerships and the general air of gator-bashing are consistently delightful . $LABEL$ 1 +what ` blade runner ' would 've looked like as a low-budget series on a uhf channel . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a difference between movies with the courage to go over the top and movies that do n't care about being stupid $LABEL$ 0 +an ebullient tunisian film about the startling transformation of a tradition-bound widow who is drawn into the exotic world of belly dancing . $LABEL$ 1 +a lovely film for the holiday season . $LABEL$ 1 +after one gets the feeling that the typical hollywood disregard for historical truth and realism is at work here , it 's a matter of finding entertainment in the experiences of zishe and the fiery presence of hanussen . $LABEL$ 1 +tadpole may be one of the most appealing movies ever made about an otherwise appalling , and downright creepy , subject -- a teenage boy in love with his stepmother . $LABEL$ 1 +a film centering on a traditional indian wedding in contemporary new delhi may not sound like specialized fare , but mira nair 's film is an absolute delight for all audiences . $LABEL$ 1 +the most amazing super-sized dosage of goofball stunts any `` jackass '' fan could want . $LABEL$ 1 +k-19 : the widowmaker is derivative , overlong , and bombastic -- yet surprisingly entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +every visual joke is milked , every set-up obvious and lengthy , every punchline predictable . $LABEL$ 0 +by that measure , it is a failure . $LABEL$ 0 +rather than real figures , elling and kjell bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the naïf 's encounter with the world . $LABEL$ 0 +seeing as the film lacks momentum and its position remains mostly undeterminable , the director 's experiment is a successful one . $LABEL$ 1 +... a pretentious mess ... $LABEL$ 0 +full of flatulence jokes and mild sexual references , kung pow ! $LABEL$ 0 +so mind-numbingly awful that you hope britney wo n't do it one more time , as far as movies are concerned . $LABEL$ 0 +laced with liberal doses of dark humor , gorgeous exterior photography , and a stable-full of solid performances , no such thing is a fascinating little tale . $LABEL$ 1 +in the new release of cinema paradiso , the tale has turned from sweet to bittersweet , and when the tears come during that final , beautiful scene , they finally feel absolutely earned . $LABEL$ 1 +remove spider-man the movie from its red herring surroundings and it 's apparent that this is one summer film that satisfies . $LABEL$ 1 +spectators will indeed sit open-mouthed before the screen , not screaming but yawning . $LABEL$ 0 +, the sum of all fears is simply a well-made and satisfying thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +what makes the movie special is its utter sincerity . $LABEL$ 1 +the thing just never gets off the ground . $LABEL$ 0 +after several scenes of this tacky nonsense , you 'll be wistful for the testosterone-charged wizardry of jerry bruckheimer productions , especially because half past dead is like the rock on a wal-mart budget . $LABEL$ 0 +the film oozes craft . $LABEL$ 1 +once the expectation of laughter has been quashed by whatever obscenity is at hand , even the funniest idea is n't funny . $LABEL$ 0 +funny , sexy , devastating and incurably romantic . $LABEL$ 1 +an ambitious , guilt-suffused melodrama crippled by poor casting . $LABEL$ 0 +this is an exercise not in biography but in hero worship . $LABEL$ 0 +the densest distillation of roberts ' movies ever made . $LABEL$ 0 +with this masterful , flawless film , -lrb- wang -rrb- emerges in the front ranks of china 's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers . $LABEL$ 1 +a live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze . $LABEL$ 1 +throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : so why is this so boring ? $LABEL$ 0 +the large-format film is well suited to capture these musicians in full regalia and the incredible imax sound system lets you feel the beat down to your toes . $LABEL$ 1 +a finely tuned mood piece , a model of menacing atmosphere . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's packed with adventure and a worthwhile environmental message , so it 's great for the kids . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad maggio could n't come up with a better script . $LABEL$ 0 +sensual , funny and , in the end , very touching . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie just for friday fans , critics be damned . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a fairy tale that comes from a renowned indian film culture that allows americans to finally revel in its splendor . $LABEL$ 1 +all mood and no movie . $LABEL$ 0 +will assuredly rank as one of the cleverest , most deceptively amusing comedies of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +a half-assed film . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's truly awful and heartbreaking subject matter , but one whose lessons are well worth revisiting as many times as possible . $LABEL$ 1 +the most ingenious film comedy since being john malkovich . $LABEL$ 1 +the cast is phenomenal , especially the women . $LABEL$ 1 +inventive , fun , intoxicatingly sexy , violent , self-indulgent and maddening . $LABEL$ 1 +much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors . $LABEL$ 1 +a chiller resolutely without chills . $LABEL$ 0 +the first hour is tedious though ford and neeson capably hold our interest , but its just not a thrilling movie . $LABEL$ 0 +and it is . $LABEL$ 1 +even when it drags , we are forced to reflect that its visual imagination is breathtaking $LABEL$ 1 +imperfect ? $LABEL$ 0 +this mess of a movie is nothing short of a travesty of a transvestite comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a baffling subplot involving smuggling drugs inside danish cows falls flat , and if you 're going to alter the bard 's ending , you 'd better have a good alternative . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's surely something wrong with a comedy where the only belly laughs come from the selection of outtakes tacked onto the end credits . $LABEL$ 0 +no , it 's not as single-minded as john carpenter 's original , but it 's sure a lot smarter and more unnerving than the sequels . $LABEL$ 1 +beating the austin powers films at their own game , this blaxploitation spoof downplays the raunch in favor of gags that rely on the strength of their own cleverness as opposed to the extent of their outrageousness . $LABEL$ 1 +viewers are asked so often to suspend belief that were it not for holm 's performance , the film would be a total washout . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's no palpable chemistry between lopez and male lead ralph fiennes , plus the script by working girl scribe kevin wade is workmanlike in the extreme . $LABEL$ 0 +- spy action flick with antonio banderas and lucy liu never comes together . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's already been too many of these films ... $LABEL$ 0 +we want the funk - and this movie 's got it . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- thoughtful , visually graceful work . $LABEL$ 1 +shows moments of promise but ultimately succumbs to cliches and pat storytelling . $LABEL$ 0 +like the rugrats movies , the wild thornberrys movie does n't offer much more than the series , but its emphasis on caring for animals and respecting other cultures is particularly welcome . $LABEL$ 1 +a waterlogged version of ` fatal attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set ... a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads . $LABEL$ 0 +the film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work . $LABEL$ 0 +the script manages the rare trick of seeming at once both refreshingly different and reassuringly familiar . $LABEL$ 1 +kudos to the most enchanting film of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +the engagingly primitive animated special effects contribute to a mood that 's sustained through the surprisingly somber conclusion . $LABEL$ 1 +by its modest , straight-ahead standards , undisputed scores a direct hit . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm guessing the director is a magician . $LABEL$ 1 +a dashing and absorbing outing with one of france 's most inventive directors . $LABEL$ 1 +it irritates and saddens me that martin lawrence 's latest vehicle can explode obnoxiously into 2,500 screens while something of bubba ho-tep 's clearly evident quality may end up languishing on a shelf somewhere . $LABEL$ 0 +that chirpy songbird britney spears has popped up with more mindless drivel . $LABEL$ 0 +none of the characters or plot-lines are fleshed-out enough to build any interest . $LABEL$ 0 +when all is said and done , she loves them to pieces -- and so , i trust , will you . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately too repellent to fully endear itself to american art house audiences , but it is notable for its stylistic austerity and forcefulness . $LABEL$ 0 +kids do n't mind crappy movies as much as adults , provided there 's lots of cute animals and clumsy people . $LABEL$ 0 +it forces you to watch people doing unpleasant things to each other and themselves , and it maintains a cool distance from its material that is deliberately unsettling . $LABEL$ 0 +wonder , hope and magic can never escape the heart of the boy when the right movie comes along , especially if it begins with the name of star wars $LABEL$ 1 +while the performances are often engaging , this loose collection of largely improvised numbers would probably have worked better as a one-hour tv documentary . $LABEL$ 0 +haneke 's script -lrb- from elfriede jelinek 's novel -rrb- is contrived , unmotivated , and psychologically unpersuasive , with an inconclusive ending . $LABEL$ 0 +there is only so much baked cardboard i need to chew . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is loaded with good intentions , but in his zeal to squeeze the action and our emotions into the all-too-familiar dramatic arc of the holocaust escape story , minac drains his movie of all individuality . $LABEL$ 0 +tully is worth a look for its true-to-life characters , its sensitive acting , its unadorned view of rural life and the subtle direction of first-timer hilary birmingham . $LABEL$ 1 +filmmaker tian zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power . $LABEL$ 1 +... a movie that , quite simply , should n't have been made . $LABEL$ 0 +the importance of being earnest , so thick with wit it plays like a reading from bartlett 's familiar quotations $LABEL$ 1 +five screenwriters are credited with the cliché-laden screenplay ; it seems as if each watered down the version of the one before . $LABEL$ 0 +director alfonso cuaron gets vivid , convincing performances from a fine cast , and generally keeps things going at a rapid pace , occasionally using an omniscient voice-over narrator in the manner of french new wave films . $LABEL$ 1 +... manages to deliver a fair bit of vampire fun . $LABEL$ 1 +guys say mean things and shoot a lot of bullets . $LABEL$ 0 +wewannour money back , actually . $LABEL$ 0 +more than anything else , kissing jessica stein injects freshness and spirit into the romantic comedy genre , which has been held hostage by generic scripts that seek to remake sleepless in seattle again and again . $LABEL$ 1 +when cowering and begging at the feet a scruffy giannini , madonna gives her best performance since abel ferrara had her beaten to a pulp in his dangerous game . $LABEL$ 1 +the sheer joy and pride they took in their work -- and in each other -- shines through every frame . $LABEL$ 1 +the cumulative effect of the movie is repulsive and depressing . $LABEL$ 0 +... digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations . $LABEL$ 1 +much of all about lily chou-chou is mesmerizing : some of its plaintiveness could make you weep . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a rollicking adventure for you and all your mateys , regardless of their ages . $LABEL$ 1 +an empty shell of an epic rather than the real deal . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- scherfig -rrb- has made a movie that will leave you wondering about the characters ' lives after the clever credits roll . $LABEL$ 1 +it may be a somewhat backhanded compliment to say that the film makes the viewer feel like the movie 's various victimized audience members after a while , but it also happens to be the movie 's most admirable quality $LABEL$ 1 +a delightful entree in the tradition of food movies . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- johnnie to and wai ka fai are -rrb- sure to find an enthusiastic audience among american action-adventure buffs , but the film 's interests may be too narrow to attract crossover viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +conceptually brilliant ... plays like a living-room war of the worlds , gaining most of its unsettling force from the suggested and the unknown . $LABEL$ 1 +this feature is about as necessary as a hole in the head $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- danny huston gives -rrb- an astounding performance that deftly , gradually reveals a real human soul buried beneath a spellbinding serpent 's smirk . $LABEL$ 1 +in addition to hoffman 's powerful acting clinic , this is that rare drama that offers a thoughtful and rewarding glimpse into the sort of heartache everyone has felt , or will feel someday . $LABEL$ 1 +this is n't exactly profound cinema , but it 's good-natured and sometimes quite funny . $LABEL$ 1 +hailed as a clever exercise in neo-hitchcockianism , this clever and very satisfying picture is more accurately chabrolian . $LABEL$ 1 +it leers , offering next to little insight into its intriguing subject . $LABEL$ 0 +a pleasant and engaging enough sit , but in trying to have the best of both worlds it ends up falling short as a whole . $LABEL$ 0 +touches smartly and wistfully on a number of themes , not least the notion that the marginal members of society ... might benefit from a helping hand and a friendly kick in the pants . $LABEL$ 1 +yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack ... and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable . $LABEL$ 1 +works , it 's thanks to huston 's revelatory performance . $LABEL$ 1 +ararat feels like a book report $LABEL$ 0 +the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice . $LABEL$ 0 +tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a shame the marvelous first 101 minutes have to be combined with the misconceived final 5 . $LABEL$ 0 +a surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of hollywood 's comic-book adaptations . $LABEL$ 1 +my advice is to skip the film and pick up the soundtrack . $LABEL$ 0 +audacious-impossible yet compelling ... $LABEL$ 1 +a quasi-documentary by french filmmaker karim dridi that celebrates the hardy spirit of cuban music . $LABEL$ 1 +family fare . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie resolutely avoids all the comic possibilities of its situation , and becomes one more dumb high school comedy about sex gags and prom dates . $LABEL$ 0 +one of recent memory 's most thoughtful films about art , ethics , and the cost of moral compromise . $LABEL$ 1 +even if you 're an agnostic carnivore , you can enjoy much of jonah simply , and gratefully , as laugh-out-loud lunacy with a pronounced monty pythonesque flavor . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best of a growing strain of daring films ... that argue that any sexual relationship that does n't hurt anyone and works for its participants is a relationship that is worthy of our respect . $LABEL$ 1 +set in a 1986 harlem that does n't look much like anywhere in new york . $LABEL$ 0 +in the spirit of the season , i assign one bright shining star to roberto benigni 's pinocchio -- but i guarantee that no wise men will be following after it . $LABEL$ 0 +evokes a palpable sense of disconnection , made all the more poignant by the incessant use of cell phones . $LABEL$ 1 +they crush each other under cars , throw each other out windows , electrocute and dismember their victims in full consciousness . $LABEL$ 0 +in addition to scoring high for originality of plot -- putting together familiar themes of family , forgiveness and love in a new way -- lilo & stitch has a number of other assets to commend it to movie audiences both innocent and jaded . $LABEL$ 1 +perhaps it 's cliche to call the film ` refreshing , ' but it is . $LABEL$ 1 +as predictable as the outcome of a globetrotters-generals game , juwanna mann is even more ludicrous than you 'd expect from the guy-in-a-dress genre , and a personal low for everyone involved . $LABEL$ 0 +almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . ' $LABEL$ 1 +a fantastically vital movie that manages to invest real humor , sensuality , and sympathy into a story about two adolescent boys . $LABEL$ 1 +... the story is far-flung , illogical , and plain stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +and lee seems just as expectant of an adoring , wide-smiling reception . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's all arty and jazzy and people sit and stare and turn away from one another instead of talking and it 's all about the silences and if you 're into that , have at it . $LABEL$ 0 +an old-fashioned drama of substance about a teacher 's slide down the slippery slope of dishonesty after an encounter with the rich and the powerful who have nothing but disdain for virtue . $LABEL$ 1 +another useless recycling of a brutal mid - '70s american sports movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the kind of movie that leaves vague impressions and a nasty aftertaste but little clear memory of its operational mechanics . $LABEL$ 0 +hartley adds enough quirky and satirical touches in the screenplay to keep the film entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +as literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children 's entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +this insufferable movie is meant to make you think about existential suffering . $LABEL$ 0 +goofy , nutty , consistently funny . $LABEL$ 1 +two big things are missing -- anything approaching a visceral kick , and anything approaching even a vague reason to sit through it all . $LABEL$ 0 +if `` lilo & stitch '' is n't the most edgy piece of disney animation to hit the silver screen , then this first film to use a watercolor background since `` dumbo '' certainly ranks as the most original in years . $LABEL$ 1 +while it has definite weaknesses -- like a rather unbelievable love interest and a meandering ending -- this '60s caper film is a riveting , brisk delight . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a talking head documentary , but a great one . $LABEL$ 1 +an extremely unpleasant film . $LABEL$ 0 +director juan jose campanella could have turned this into an argentine retread of `` iris '' or `` american beauty , '' but instead pulls a little from each film and creates something more beautiful than either of those films . $LABEL$ 1 +not good enough to pass for a litmus test of the generation gap and not bad enough to repulse any generation of its fans . $LABEL$ 0 +after seeing the film , i can tell you that there 's no other reason why anyone should bother remembering it . $LABEL$ 0 +it stars schticky chris rock and stolid anthony hopkins , who seem barely in the same movie . $LABEL$ 0 +merely -lrb- and literally -rrb- tosses around sex toys and offers half-hearted paeans to empowerment that are repeatedly undercut by the brutality of the jokes , most at women 's expense . $LABEL$ 0 +terrible . $LABEL$ 0 +throwing in everything except someone pulling the pin from a grenade with his teeth , windtalkers seems to have ransacked every old world war ii movie for overly familiar material . $LABEL$ 0 +chai 's structure and pacing are disconcertingly slack . $LABEL$ 0 +if you grew up on scooby -- you 'll love this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +enjoyably fast-moving , hard-hitting documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +if you come from a family that eats , meddles , argues , laughs , kibbitzes and fights together , then go see this delightful comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +the director mostly plays it straight , turning leys ' fable into a listless climb down the social ladder . $LABEL$ 0 +millions of dollars heaped upon a project of such vast proportions need to reap more rewards than spiffy bluescreen technique and stylish weaponry . $LABEL$ 0 +any film that does n't even in passing mention political prisoners , poverty and the boat loads of people who try to escape the country is less a documentary and more propaganda by way of a valentine sealed with a kiss . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's depressing to see how far herzog has fallen . $LABEL$ 0 +some episodes work , some do n't . $LABEL$ 0 +like its new england characters , most of whom wander about in thick clouds of denial , the movie eventually gets around to its real emotional business , striking deep chords of sadness . $LABEL$ 1 +all the more disquieting for its relatively gore-free allusions to the serial murders , but it falls down in its attempts to humanize its subject . $LABEL$ 0 +a film of empty , fetishistic violence in which murder is casual and fun . $LABEL$ 0 +for those in search of something different , wendigo is a genuinely bone-chilling tale . $LABEL$ 1 +disappointing in comparison to other recent war movies ... or any other john woo flick for that matter . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a familiar story , but one that is presented with great sympathy and intelligence . $LABEL$ 1 +becomes a fascinating study of isolation and frustration that successfully recreates both the physical setting and emotional tensions of the papin sisters . $LABEL$ 1 +murderous maids pulls no punches in its depiction of the lives of the papin sister and the events that led to their notorious rise to infamy ... $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not nearly as fresh or enjoyable as its predecessor , but there are enough high points to keep this from being a complete waste of time . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie does n't add anything fresh to the myth . $LABEL$ 0 +it is n't that stealing harvard is a horrible movie -- if only it were that grand a failure ! $LABEL$ 0 +the script falls back on too many tried-and-true shenanigans that hardly distinguish it from the next teen comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a rote exercise in both animation and storytelling . $LABEL$ 0 +in his latest effort , storytelling , solondz has finally made a movie that is n't just offensive -- it also happens to be good . $LABEL$ 1 +enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre . $LABEL$ 0 +a smart , sassy and exceptionally charming romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about . $LABEL$ 0 +reyes ' directorial debut has good things to offer , but ultimately it 's undone by a sloppy script $LABEL$ 0 +it wears its heart on the sleeve of its gaudy hawaiian shirt . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a spectacular performance - ahem , we hope it 's only acting . $LABEL$ 1 +... the film 's considered approach to its subject matter is too calm and thoughtful for agitprop , and the thinness of its characterizations makes it a failure as straight drama . ' $LABEL$ 0 +symbolically , warm water under a red bridge is a celebration of feminine energy , a tribute to the power of women to heal . $LABEL$ 1 +you come away from his film overwhelmed , hopeful and , perhaps paradoxically , illuminated . $LABEL$ 1 +equlibrium could pass for a thirteen-year-old 's book report on the totalitarian themes of 1984 and farenheit 451 . $LABEL$ 0 +a film of delicate interpersonal dances . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- westbrook -rrb- makes a wonderful subject for the camera . $LABEL$ 1 +cusack 's just brilliant in this . $LABEL$ 1 +what a bewilderingly brilliant and entertaining movie this is . $LABEL$ 1 +never lets go your emotions , taking them to surprising highs , sorrowful lows and hidden impulsive niches ... gorgeous , passionate , and at times uncommonly moving . $LABEL$ 1 +few films have captured the chaos of an urban conflagration with such fury , and audience members will leave feeling as shaken as nesbitt 's cooper looks when the bullets stop flying . $LABEL$ 1 +ferrara 's best film in years . $LABEL$ 1 +we have poignancy jostling against farce , thoughtful dialogue elbowed aside by one-liners , and a visual style that incorporates rotoscope animation for no apparent reason except , maybe , that it looks neat . $LABEL$ 0 +watching war photographer , you come to believe that nachtwey hates the wars he shows and empathizes with the victims he reveals . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'd be hard put to find a movie character more unattractive or odorous -lrb- than leon -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +what soured me on the santa clause 2 was that santa bumps up against 21st century reality so hard , it 's icky . $LABEL$ 0 +ash wednesday is not edward burns ' best film , but it is a good and ambitious film . $LABEL$ 1 +the lead actors share no chemistry or engaging charisma . $LABEL$ 0 +ms. phoenix is completely lacking in charm and charisma , and is unable to project either esther 's initial anomie or her eventual awakening . $LABEL$ 0 +when not wallowing in its characters ' frustrations , the movie is busy contriving false , sitcom-worthy solutions to their problems . $LABEL$ 0 +polished , well-structured film . $LABEL$ 1 +the laughs are as rare as snake foo yung . $LABEL$ 0 +an eloquent , reflective and beautifully acted meditation on both the profoundly devastating events of one year ago and the slow , painful healing process that has followed in their wake . $LABEL$ 1 +but there 's plenty to offend everyone ... $LABEL$ 0 +after that it becomes long and tedious like a classroom play in a college history course . $LABEL$ 0 +an exceptionally acted , quietly affecting cop drama . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best films i have ever seen , constantly pulling the rug from underneath us , seeing things from new sides , plunging deeper , getting more intense . $LABEL$ 1 +stitch is a bad mannered , ugly and destructive little \*\*\*\* . $LABEL$ 0 +an intelligently made -lrb- and beautifully edited -rrb- picture that at the very least has a spark of life to it -- more than you can say for plenty of movies that flow through the hollywood pipeline without a hitch . $LABEL$ 1 +charlie hunnam has the twinkling eyes , repressed smile and determined face needed to carry out a dickensian hero . $LABEL$ 1 +what should have been a painless time-killer becomes instead a grating endurance test . $LABEL$ 0 +the film has -lrb- its -rrb- moments , but they are few and far between . $LABEL$ 0 +if religious films are n't your bailiwick , stay away . $LABEL$ 0 +this enthralling documentary ... is at once playful and haunting , an in-depth portrait of an iconoclastic artist who was fundamentally unknowable even to his closest friends . $LABEL$ 1 +a wild , endearing , masterful documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +a dreadful day in irish history is given passionate , if somewhat flawed , treatment . $LABEL$ 1 +the april 2002 instalment of the american war for independence , complete with loads of cgi and bushels of violence , but not a drop of human blood . $LABEL$ 0 +if there was any doubt that peter o'fallon did n't have an original bone in his body , a rumor of angels should dispel it . $LABEL$ 0 +there is something in full frontal , i guess , about artifice and acting and how it distorts reality for people who make movies and watch them , but like most movie riddles , it works only if you have an interest in the characters you see . $LABEL$ 0 +a minor-league soccer remake of the longest yard . $LABEL$ 0 +` it 's painful to watch witherspoon 's talents wasting away inside unnecessary films like legally blonde and sweet home abomination , i mean , alabama . ' $LABEL$ 0 +it 's absolutely amazing how first-time director kevin donovan managed to find something new to add to the canon of chan . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's as raw and action-packed an experience as a ringside seat at a tough-man contest . $LABEL$ 1 +to me , it sounds like a cruel deception carried out by men of marginal intelligence , with reactionary ideas about women and a total lack of empathy . $LABEL$ 0 +you wo n't have any trouble getting kids to eat up these veggies . $LABEL$ 1 +too bland and fustily tasteful to be truly prurient . $LABEL$ 0 +it does n't work as either . $LABEL$ 0 +this one aims for the toilet and scores a direct hit . $LABEL$ 0 +in the name of an allegedly inspiring and easily marketable flick , the emperor 's club turns a blind eye to the very history it pretends to teach . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is undone by a filmmaking methodology that 's just experimental enough to alienate the mainstream audience while ringing cliched to hardened indie-heads . $LABEL$ 0 +two tedious acts light on great scares and a good surprise ending . $LABEL$ 1 +and your reward will be a thoughtful , emotional movie experience . $LABEL$ 1 +obvious . $LABEL$ 0 +`` birthday girl '' is an actor 's movie first and foremost . $LABEL$ 1 +the little girls understand , and mccracken knows that 's all that matters . $LABEL$ 1 +the pacing is often way off and there are too many bona fide groaners among too few laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +i liked it because it was so endlessly , grotesquely , inventive . $LABEL$ 1 +that , in itself , is extraordinary . $LABEL$ 1 +yes . $LABEL$ 1 +k-19 : the widowmaker is a great yarn . $LABEL$ 1 +and educational ! $LABEL$ 1 +an undeniably moving film to experience , and ultimately that 's what makes it worth a recommendation . $LABEL$ 1 +confessions is n't always coherent , but it 's sharply comic and surprisingly touching , so hold the gong . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has the thrown-together feel of a summer-camp talent show : hastily written , underrehearsed , arbitrarily plotted and filled with crude humor and vulgar innuendo . $LABEL$ 0 +sharp edges and a deep vein of sadness run through its otherwise comic narrative . $LABEL$ 1 +crush is so warm and fuzzy you might be able to forgive its mean-spirited second half . $LABEL$ 1 +strong filmmaking requires a clear sense of purpose , and in that oh-so-important category , the four feathers comes up short . $LABEL$ 0 +the best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and bertrand tavernier 's oft-brilliant safe conduct -lrb- `` laissez-passer '' -rrb- wears its heart on its sleeve . $LABEL$ 1 +i have returned from the beyond to warn you : this movie is 90 minutes long , and life is too short . $LABEL$ 0 +... despite lagging near the finish line , the movie runs a good race , one that will have you at the edge of your seat for long stretches . ' $LABEL$ 1 +witty and often surprising , a dark little morality tale disguised as a romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +they 're the unnamed , easily substitutable forces that serve as whatever terror the heroes of horror movies try to avoid . $LABEL$ 0 +watching these eccentrics is both inspiring and pure joy . $LABEL$ 1 +spain 's greatest star wattage does n't overcome the tumult of maudlin tragedy . $LABEL$ 0 +director jay russell stomps in hobnail boots over natalie babbitt 's gentle , endearing 1975 children 's novel . $LABEL$ 0 +colorful , energetic and sweetly whimsical ... the rare sequel that 's better than its predecessor . $LABEL$ 1 +... a pretentious and ultimately empty examination of a sick and evil woman . $LABEL$ 0 +a small movie with a big heart . $LABEL$ 1 +maggie g. makes an amazing breakthrough in her first starring role and eats up the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the movie is so deadly dull that watching the proverbial paint dry would be a welcome improvement . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- the cockettes -rrb- provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . ' $LABEL$ 1 +most thrillers send audiences out talking about specific scary scenes or startling moments ; `` frailty '' leaves us with the terrifying message that the real horror may be waiting for us at home . $LABEL$ 1 +the difference between cho and most comics is that her confidence in her material is merited . $LABEL$ 1 +this remake of lina wertmuller 's 1975 eroti-comedy might just be the biggest husband-and-wife disaster since john and bo derek made the ridiculous bolero . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- poorly executed comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +holland lets things peter out midway , but it 's notably better acted -- and far less crass - than some other recent efforts in the burgeoning genre of films about black urban professionals . $LABEL$ 1 +... rogers 's mouth never stops shut about the war between the sexes and how to win the battle . $LABEL$ 1 +lawrence plumbs personal tragedy and also the human comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +maintains your sympathy for this otherwise challenging soul by letting you share her one-room world for a while . $LABEL$ 1 +tends to pile too many `` serious issues '' on its plate at times , yet remains fairly light , always entertaining , and smartly written . $LABEL$ 1 +an inventive , absorbing movie that 's as hard to classify as it is hard to resist . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- russell -rrb- makes good b movies -lrb- the mask , the blob -rrb- , and the scorpion king more than ably meets those standards . $LABEL$ 1 +what little grace -lrb- rifkin 's -rrb- tale of precarious skid-row dignity achieves is pushed into the margins by predictable plotting and tiresome histrionics . $LABEL$ 0 +the last scenes of the film are anguished , bitter and truthful . $LABEL$ 1 +however sincere it may be , the rising place never quite justifies its own existence . $LABEL$ 0 +the whole thing feels like a ruse , a tactic to cover up the fact that the picture is constructed around a core of flimsy -- or , worse yet , nonexistent -- ideas . $LABEL$ 0 +supposedly authentic account of a historical event that 's far too tragic to merit such superficial treatment . $LABEL$ 0 +no laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +but the actors make this worth a peek . $LABEL$ 1 +a gem of a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole thing plays like a tired tyco ad . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's exactly the kind of movie toback 's detractors always accuse him of making . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. clooney , mr. kaufman and all their collaborators are entitled to take a deep bow for fashioning an engrossing entertainment out of an almost sure-fire prescription for a critical and commercial disaster . $LABEL$ 1 +it would be churlish to begrudge anyone for receiving whatever consolation that can be found in dragonfly , yet it is impossible to find the film anything but appalling , shamelessly manipulative and contrived , and totally lacking in conviction . $LABEL$ 0 +both deserve better . $LABEL$ 0 +between them , de niro and murphy make showtime the most savory and hilarious guilty pleasure of many a recent movie season . $LABEL$ 1 +upsetting and thought-provoking , the film has an odd purity that does n't bring you into the characters so much as it has you study them . $LABEL$ 1 +slap me , i saw this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +visually , ` santa clause 2 ' is wondrously creative . $LABEL$ 1 +a coming-of-age tale from new zealand whose boozy , languid air is balanced by a rich visual clarity and deeply felt performances across the board . $LABEL$ 1 +` it 's better to go in knowing full well what 's going to happen , but willing to let the earnestness of its execution and skill of its cast take you down a familiar road with a few twists . $LABEL$ 1 +a portrait of hell so shattering it 's impossible to shake . $LABEL$ 1 +hopelessly inane , humorless and under-inspired . $LABEL$ 0 +bogdanich is unashamedly pro-serbian and makes little attempt to give voice to the other side . $LABEL$ 0 +like a pack of dynamite sticks , built for controversy . $LABEL$ 0 +take any 12-year-old boy to see this picture , and he 'll be your slave for a year . $LABEL$ 1 +miyazaki 's nonstop images are so stunning , and his imagination so vivid , that the only possible complaint you could have about spirited away is that there is no rest period , no timeout . $LABEL$ 1 +stage director sam mendes showcases tom hanks as a depression era hit-man in this dark tale of revenge . $LABEL$ 1 +vereté has a whip-smart sense of narrative bluffs . $LABEL$ 1 +ponderous , plodding soap opera disguised as a feature film . $LABEL$ 0 +gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés . $LABEL$ 0 +director roger kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity . $LABEL$ 1 +a bittersweet contemporary comedy about benevolent deception , which , while it may not rival the filmmaker 's period pieces , is still very much worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +gorgeous to look at but insufferably tedious and turgid ... a curiously constricted epic . $LABEL$ 0 +then again , in a better movie , you might not have noticed . $LABEL$ 0 +a fairly enjoyable mixture of longest yard ... and the 1999 guy ritchie caper lock stock and two smoking barrels . $LABEL$ 1 +the re - enactments , however fascinating they may be as history , are too crude to serve the work especially well . $LABEL$ 0 +if a horror movie 's primary goal is to frighten and disturb , then they works spectacularly well ... a shiver-inducing , nerve-rattling ride . $LABEL$ 1 +oedekerk mugs mercilessly , and the genuinely funny jokes are few and far between . $LABEL$ 0 +often silly -- and gross -- but it 's rarely as moronic as some campus gross-out films . $LABEL$ 0 +spielberg 's first real masterpiece , it deserved all the hearts it won -- and wins still , 20 years later . $LABEL$ 1 +... unlike -lrb- scorsese 's mean streets -rrb- , ash wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot . $LABEL$ 0 +you may feel compelled to watch the film twice or pick up a book on the subject . $LABEL$ 1 +slow and ponderous , but rohmer 's drama builds to an intense indoor drama about compassion , sacrifice , and christian love in the face of political corruption . $LABEL$ 1 +sheridan 's take on the author 's schoolboy memoir ... is a rather toothless take on a hard young life . $LABEL$ 0 +godard has never made a more sheerly beautiful film than this unexpectedly moving meditation on love , history , memory , resistance and artistic transcendence . $LABEL$ 1 +under-rehearsed and lifeless $LABEL$ 0 +the film offers an intriguing what-if premise . $LABEL$ 1 +this 10th film in the series looks and feels tired . $LABEL$ 0 +you need n't be steeped in '50s sociology , pop culture or movie lore to appreciate the emotional depth of haynes ' work . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely have i seen a film so willing to champion the fallibility of the human heart . $LABEL$ 1 +a witty , low-key romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +what enlivens this film , beyond the astute direction of cardoso and beautifully detailed performances by all of the actors , is a note of defiance over social dictates . $LABEL$ 1 +a delightful little film that revels in its own simplicity , mostly martha will leave you with a smile on your face and a grumble in your stomach . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard to quibble with a flick boasting this many genuine cackles , but notorious c.h.o. still feels like a promising work-in-progress . $LABEL$ 1 +a shoddy male hip hop fantasy filled with guns , expensive cars , lots of naked women and rocawear clothing . $LABEL$ 0 +a strong and confident work which works so well for the first 89 minutes , but ends so horrendously confusing in the final two $LABEL$ 1 +even the hastily and amateurishly drawn animation can not engage . $LABEL$ 0 +with ` bowling for columbine , ' michael moore gives us the perfect starting point for a national conversation about guns , violence , and fear . $LABEL$ 1 +i liked it just enough . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the funniest american comedy since graffiti bridge . $LABEL$ 1 +after an uncertain start , murder hits and generally sustains a higher plateau with bullock 's memorable first interrogation of gosling . $LABEL$ 1 +although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell . $LABEL$ 1 +... a delicious crime drama on par with the slickest of mamet . $LABEL$ 1 +on top of a foundering performance , -lrb- madonna 's -rrb- denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag . $LABEL$ 0 +on the surface a silly comedy , scotland , pa would be forgettable if it were n't such a clever adaptation of the bard 's tragic play . $LABEL$ 1 +mostly works because of the universal themes , earnest performances ... and excellent use of music by india 's popular gulzar and jagjit singh . $LABEL$ 1 +about the only thing to give the movie points for is bravado -- to take an entirely stale concept and push it through the audience 's meat grinder one more time . $LABEL$ 0 +but the performances of pacino , williams , and swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through . $LABEL$ 1 +a boring , pretentious muddle that uses a sensational , real-life 19th-century crime as a metaphor for -- well , i 'm not exactly sure what -- and has all the dramatic weight of a raindrop . $LABEL$ 0 +far from heaven is a dazzling conceptual feat , but more than that , it 's a work of enthralling drama . $LABEL$ 1 +blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative . $LABEL$ 1 +the film desperately sinks further and further into comedy futility . $LABEL$ 0 +it almost feels as if the movie is more interested in entertaining itself than in amusing us . $LABEL$ 0 +a low-rent retread of the alien pictures . $LABEL$ 0 +it merely indulges in the worst elements of all of them . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's none of the happily-ever - after spangle of monsoon wedding in late marriage -- and that 's part of what makes dover kosashvili 's outstanding feature debut so potent . $LABEL$ 1 +the entire film is one big excuse to play one lewd scene after another . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating examination of the joyous , turbulent self-discovery made by a proper , middle-aged woman . $LABEL$ 1 +has an unmistakable , easy joie de vivre . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a rare window on an artistic collaboration . $LABEL$ 1 +report card : does n't live up to the exalted tagline - there 's definite room for improvement . $LABEL$ 0 +too intensely focused on the travails of being hal hartley to function as pastiche , no such thing is hartley 's least accessible screed yet . $LABEL$ 0 +a backstage must-see for true fans of comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's got the brawn , but not the brains . $LABEL$ 0 +lacks dramatic punch and depth . $LABEL$ 0 +it may be a no-brainer , but at least it 's a funny no-brainer . $LABEL$ 1 +like the excruciating end of days , collateral damage presents schwarzenegger as a tragic figure , but sympathy really belongs with any viewer forced to watch him try out so many complicated facial expressions . $LABEL$ 0 +a great cast and a wonderful but sometimes confusing flashback movie about growing up in a dysfunctional family . $LABEL$ 1 +ozpetek offers an aids subtext , skims over the realities of gay sex , and presents yet another tired old vision of the gay community as an all-inclusive world where uptight , middle class bores like antonia can feel good about themselves . $LABEL$ 0 +the leads are so unmemorable , despite several attempts at lengthy dialogue scenes , that one eventually resents having to inhale this gutter romancer 's secondhand material . $LABEL$ 0 +a relative letdown . $LABEL$ 0 +from its nauseating spinning credits sequence to a very talented but underutilized supporting cast , bartleby squanders as much as it gives out . $LABEL$ 0 +a realistically terrifying movie that puts another notch in the belt of the long list of renegade-cop tales . $LABEL$ 1 +brings an irresistible blend of warmth and humor and a consistent embracing humanity in the face of life 's harshness . $LABEL$ 1 +inconsequential road-and-buddy pic . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's been 13 months and 295 preview screenings since i last walked out on a movie , but resident evil really earned my indignant , preemptive departure . $LABEL$ 0 +the leanest and meanest of solondz 's misanthropic comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +about schmidt belongs to nicholson . $LABEL$ 1 +its metaphors are opaque enough to avoid didacticism , and the film succeeds as an emotionally accessible , almost mystical work . $LABEL$ 1 +starts as an intense political and psychological thriller but is sabotaged by ticking time bombs and other hollywood-action cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +even if it pushes its agenda too forcefully , this remains a film about something , one that attempts and often achieves a level of connection and concern . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is grossly contradictory in conveying its social message , if indeed there is one . $LABEL$ 0 +daringly perceptive , taut , piercing and feisty , biggie and tupac is undeniably subversive and involving in its bold presentation . $LABEL$ 1 +boyd 's screenplay -lrb- co-written with guardian hack nick davies -rrb- has a florid turn of phrase that owes more to guy ritchie than the bard of avon . $LABEL$ 0 +not about scares but a mood in which an ominous , pervasive , and unknown threat lurks just below the proceedings and adds an almost constant mindset of suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +this deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications . $LABEL$ 1 +i know that i 'll never listen to marvin gaye or the supremes the same way again $LABEL$ 1 +a big , loud , bang-the-drum bore . $LABEL$ 0 +horrendously amateurish filmmaking that is plainly dull and visually ugly when it is n't incomprehensible . $LABEL$ 0 +after collateral damage , you might imagine that most every aggrieved father cliché has been unturned . $LABEL$ 0 +predictable storyline and by-the-book scripting is all but washed away by sumptuous ocean visuals and the cinematic stylings of director john stockwell . $LABEL$ 1 +laugh-out-loud lines , adorably ditsy but heartfelt performances , and sparkling , bittersweet dialogue that cuts to the chase of the modern girl 's dilemma . $LABEL$ 1 +essentially a collection of bits -- and they 're all naughty . $LABEL$ 1 +you get the impression that writer and director burr steers knows the territory ... but his sense of humor has yet to lose the smug self-satisfaction usually associated with the better private schools . $LABEL$ 0 +ultimately engages less for its story of actorly existential despair than for its boundary-hopping formal innovations and glimpse into another kind of chinese ` cultural revolution . ' $LABEL$ 1 +happily , some things are immune to the folly of changing taste and attitude . $LABEL$ 1 +viewers will need all the luck they can muster just figuring out who 's who in this pretentious mess . $LABEL$ 0 +the viewer takes great pleasure in watching the resourceful molly stay a step ahead of her pursuers . $LABEL$ 1 +with we were soldiers , hollywood makes a valiant attempt to tell a story about the vietnam war before the pathology set in . $LABEL$ 1 +i just saw this movie ... well , it 's probably not accurate to call it a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the smarter offerings the horror genre has produced in recent memory , even if it 's far tamer than advertised . $LABEL$ 1 +a well-done film of a self-reflexive , philosophical nature . $LABEL$ 1 +still , it just sits there like a side dish no one ordered . $LABEL$ 0 +filmmakers dana janklowicz-mann and amir mann area headed east , far east , in retelling a historically significant , and personal , episode detailing how one international city welcomed tens of thousands of german jewish refugees while the world 's democracie $LABEL$ 1 +who , exactly , is fighting whom here ? $LABEL$ 0 +can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of jesse helms ' anti- castro rhetoric , which are included $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a lot to ask people to sit still for two hours and change watching such a character , especially when rendered in as flat and impassive a manner as phoenix 's . $LABEL$ 0 +in truth , it has all the heart of a porno flick -lrb- but none of the sheer lust -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +cherish would 've worked a lot better had it been a short film . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're looking for an intelligent movie in which you can release your pent up anger , enough is just the ticket you need . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe there 's a metaphor here , but figuring it out would n't make trouble every day any better . $LABEL$ 0 +a zippy 96 minutes of mediocre special effects , hoary dialogue , fluxing accents , and -- worst of all -- silly-looking morlocks . $LABEL$ 0 +every so often a film comes along that is so insanely stupid , so awful in so many ways that watching it leaves you giddy . $LABEL$ 0 +but it is entertaining on an inferior level . $LABEL$ 1 +plummer steals the show without resorting to camp as nicholas ' wounded and wounding uncle ralph . $LABEL$ 1 +evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a head-turner -- thoughtfully written , beautifully read and , finally , deeply humanizing . $LABEL$ 1 +as it is , it 's too long and unfocused . $LABEL$ 0 +this is not a classical dramatic animated feature , nor a hip , contemporary , in-jokey one . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm not a fan of the phrase ` life affirming ' because it usually means ` schmaltzy , ' but real women have curves truly is life affirming . $LABEL$ 1 +too much of storytelling moves away from solondz 's social critique , casting its audience as that of intellectual lector in contemplation of the auteur 's professional injuries . $LABEL$ 0 +charlotte sometimes is a gem . $LABEL$ 1 +australia : land beyond time is an enjoyable big movie primarily because australia is a weirdly beautiful place . $LABEL$ 1 +as immaculate as stuart little 2 is , it could be a lot better if it were , well , more adventurous . $LABEL$ 1 +further sad evidence that tom tykwer , director of the resonant and sense-spinning run lola run , has turned out to be a one-trick pony -- a maker of softheaded metaphysical claptrap . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- satisfying niblet . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a more fascinating look at the future than `` bladerunner '' and one of the most high-concept sci fi adventures attempted for the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +coupling disgracefully written dialogue with flailing bodily movements that substitute for acting , circuit is the awkwardly paced soap opera-ish story . $LABEL$ 0 +it rapidly develops into a gut-wrenching examination of the way cultural differences and emotional expectations collide . $LABEL$ 1 +you try to guess the order in which the kids in the house will be gored . $LABEL$ 0 +payne has created a beautiful canvas , and nicholson proves once again that he 's the best brush in the business . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- siegel -rrb- and co-writers lisa bazadona and grace woodard have relied too much on convention in creating the characters who surround frankie . $LABEL$ 0 +while the material is slight , the movie is better than you might think . $LABEL$ 1 +unambitious writing emerges in the movie , using a plot that could have come from an animated-movie screenwriting textbook . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's strength is n't in its details , but in the larger picture it paints - of a culture in conflict with itself , with the thin veneer of nationalism that covers our deepest , media-soaked fears . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't think most of the people who loved the 1989 paradiso will prefer this new version . $LABEL$ 0 +a sluggish pace and lack of genuine narrative hem the movie in every bit as much as life hems in the spirits of these young women . $LABEL$ 0 +broomfield 's style of journalism is hardly journalism at all , and even those with an avid interest in the subject will grow impatient . $LABEL$ 0 +mostly , -lrb- goldbacher -rrb- just lets her complicated characters be unruly , confusing and , through it all , human . $LABEL$ 1 +even with its $ 50-million us budget , pinocchio never quite achieves the feel of a fanciful motion picture . $LABEL$ 0 +adam sandler 's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt $LABEL$ 0 +a genuine mind-bender . $LABEL$ 1 +just as the recent argentine film son of the bride reminded us that a feel-good movie can still show real heart , time of favor presents us with an action movie that actually has a brain . $LABEL$ 1 +that frenetic spectacle -lrb- on the tv show -rrb- has usually been leavened by a charm that 's conspicuously missing from the girls ' big-screen blowout . $LABEL$ 0 +nonchalantly freaky and uncommonly pleasurable , warm water may well be the year 's best and most unpredictable comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +she 's all-powerful , a voice for a pop-cyber culture that feeds on her bjorkness . $LABEL$ 1 +qualities that were once amusing are becoming irritating . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos . $LABEL$ 1 +what a stiflingly unfunny and unoriginal mess this is ! $LABEL$ 0 +too stagey , talky -- and long -- for its own good . $LABEL$ 0 +as pure over-the-top trash , any john waters movie has it beat by a country mile . $LABEL$ 0 +a tasty appetizer that leaves you wanting more . $LABEL$ 1 +on its own staggeringly unoriginal terms , this gender-bending comedy is generally quite funny . $LABEL$ 1 +a clumsily manufactured exploitation flick , a style-free exercise in manipulation and mayhem . $LABEL$ 0 +it lacks the compassion , good-natured humor and the level of insight that made -lrb- eyre 's -rrb- first film something of a sleeper success . $LABEL$ 0 +personally , i 'd rather watch them on the animal planet . $LABEL$ 0 +as commander-in-chief of this film , bigelow demonstrates a breadth of vision and an attention to detail that propels her into the upper echelons of the directing world . $LABEL$ 1 +an annoying orgy of excess and exploitation that has no point and goes nowhere . $LABEL$ 0 +the art demands live viewing . $LABEL$ 1 +paul cox needed to show it . $LABEL$ 0 +astonishing ... -lrb- frames -rrb- profound ethical and philosophical questions in the form of dazzling pop entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +although the subject matter may still be too close to recent national events , the film works - mostly due to its superior cast of characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a stirring road movie . $LABEL$ 1 +bursting through the constraints of its source , this is one adapted - from-television movie that actually looks as if it belongs on the big screen . $LABEL$ 1 +even with all its botches , enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +the images lack contrast , are murky and are frequently too dark to be decipherable . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's real visual charge to the filmmaking , and a strong erotic spark to the most crucial lip-reading sequence . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're in the right b-movie frame of mind , it may just scare the pants off you . $LABEL$ 1 +city by the sea is a gritty police thriller with all the dysfunctional family dynamics one could wish for . $LABEL$ 1 +dismally dull sci-fi comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids . $LABEL$ 1 +executed with such gentle but insistent sincerity , with such good humor and appreciation of the daily grind that only the most hardhearted scrooge could fail to respond . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe he was reading the minds of the audience . $LABEL$ 1 +grenier is terrific , bringing an unforced , rapid-fire delivery to toback 's heidegger - and nietzsche-referencing dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +burns ' fifth beer-soaked film feels in almost every possible way -- from the writing and direction to the soggy performances -- tossed off . $LABEL$ 0 +less the sensational true-crime hell-jaunt purists might like and more experimental in its storytelling -lrb- though no less horrifying for it -rrb- . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not so much a movie as a joint promotion for the national basketball association and teenaged rap and adolescent poster-boy lil ' bow wow . $LABEL$ 0 +it labours as storytelling . $LABEL$ 0 +a first-class road movie that proves you can run away from home , but your ego and all your problems go with you . $LABEL$ 1 +the nonstop artifice ultimately proves tiresome , with the surface histrionics failing to compensate for the paper-thin characterizations and facile situations . $LABEL$ 0 +it makes me say the obvious : abandon all hope of a good movie ye who enter here . $LABEL$ 0 +festers in just such a dungpile that you 'd swear you were watching monkeys flinging their feces at you . $LABEL$ 0 +yes , i have given this movie a rating of zero . $LABEL$ 0 +a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together . $LABEL$ 1 +the locations go from stark desert to gorgeous beaches . $LABEL$ 1 +an acceptable way to pass a little over an hour with moviegoers ages 8-10 , but it 's unlikely to inspire anything more than a visit to mcdonald 's , let alone some savvy street activism . $LABEL$ 0 +those who are n't put off by the film 's austerity will find it more than capable of rewarding them . $LABEL$ 1 +has nothing good to speak about other than the fact that it is relatively short , tries its best to hide the fact that seagal 's overweight and out of shape . $LABEL$ 0 +like a three-ring circus , there are side stories aplenty -- none of them memorable . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating literary mystery story with multiple strands about the controversy of who really wrote shakespeare 's plays . $LABEL$ 1 +just too silly and sophomoric to ensnare its target audience . $LABEL$ 0 +... one of the more influential works of the ` korean new wave ' . $LABEL$ 1 +the closest thing to the experience of space travel $LABEL$ 1 +right now , they 're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination . $LABEL$ 0 +while easier to sit through than most of jaglom 's self-conscious and gratingly irritating films , it 's still tainted by cliches , painful improbability and murky points . $LABEL$ 0 +bon appétit ! $LABEL$ 1 +as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth . $LABEL$ 1 +boy , has this franchise ever run out of gas . $LABEL$ 0 +the film itself is about something very interesting and odd that would probably work better as a real documentary without the insinuation of mediocre acting or a fairly trite narrative . $LABEL$ 0 +two hours of junk . $LABEL$ 0 +this is absolutely and completely ridiculous and an insult to every family whose mother has suffered through the horrible pains of a death by cancer . $LABEL$ 0 +i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- d -rrb- espite its familiar subject matter , ice age is consistently amusing and engrossing ... $LABEL$ 1 +though its rather routine script is loaded with familiar situations , the movie has a cinematic fluidity and sense of intelligence that makes it work more than it probably should . $LABEL$ 1 +alternative medicine obviously has its merits ... but ayurveda does the field no favors . $LABEL$ 0 +a living testament to the power of the eccentric and the strange . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not as awful as some of the recent hollywood trip tripe ... but it 's far from a groundbreaking endeavor . $LABEL$ 0 +infidelity drama is nicely shot , well-edited and features a standout performance by diane lane . $LABEL$ 1 +a soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for nba properties . $LABEL$ 0 +talkiness is n't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark . $LABEL$ 0 +but the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate ` comedy ' scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +not so much farcical as sour . $LABEL$ 0 +like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery . $LABEL$ 0 +the material and the production itself are little more than routine . $LABEL$ 0 +aspires to the cracked lunacy of the adventures of buckaroo banzai , but thanks to an astonishingly witless script ends up more like the adventures of ford fairlane . $LABEL$ 0 +far more successful , if considerably less ambitious , than last year 's kubrick-meets-spielberg exercise . $LABEL$ 1 +when it 's this rich and luscious , who cares ? $LABEL$ 1 +informative , intriguing , observant , often touching ... gives a human face to what 's often discussed in purely abstract terms . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling pre-wwii drama with vivid characters and a warm , moving message . $LABEL$ 1 +a bizarre piece of work , with premise and dialogue at the level of kids ' television and plot threads as morose as teen pregnancy , rape and suspected murder $LABEL$ 0 +at best , cletis tout might inspire a trip to the video store -- in search of a better movie experience . $LABEL$ 0 +skip this turd and pick your nose instead because you 're sure to get more out of the latter experience . $LABEL$ 0 +what a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride . $LABEL$ 1 +unlike most surf movies , blue crush thrillingly uses modern technology to take the viewer inside the wave . $LABEL$ 1 +be forewarned , if you 're depressed about anything before watching this film , you may just end up trying to drown yourself in a lake afterwards . $LABEL$ 0 +it has become apparent that the franchise 's best years are long past . $LABEL$ 0 +it strikes hardest ... when it reminds you how pertinent its dynamics remain . $LABEL$ 1 +most consumers of lo mein and general tso 's chicken barely give a thought to the folks who prepare and deliver it , so , hopefully , this film will attach a human face to all those little steaming cartons . $LABEL$ 1 +even in terms of the low-grade cheese standards on which it operates , it never quite makes the grade as tawdry trash . $LABEL$ 0 +the nicest thing that can be said about stealing harvard -lrb- which might have been called freddy gets molested by a dog -rrb- is that it 's not as obnoxious as tom green 's freddie got fingered . $LABEL$ 0 +ill-considered , unholy hokum . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just merely very bad . $LABEL$ 0 +a flick about our infantilized culture that is n't entirely infantile . $LABEL$ 1 +rymer does n't trust laughs -- and does n't conjure proper respect for followers of the whole dead-undead genre , who deserve more from a vampire pic than a few shrieky special effects . $LABEL$ 0 +trying to make head or tail of the story in the hip-hop indie snipes is enough to give you brain strain -- and the pay-off is negligible . $LABEL$ 0 +the film does give a pretty good overall picture of the situation in laramie following the murder of matthew shepard . $LABEL$ 1 +this toothless dog , already on cable , loses all bite on the big screen . $LABEL$ 0 +this rich , bittersweet israeli documentary , about the life of song-and-dance-man pasach ` ke burstein and his family , transcends ethnic lines . $LABEL$ 1 +boll uses a lot of quick cutting and blurry step-printing to goose things up , but dopey dialogue and sometimes inadequate performances kill the effect . $LABEL$ 0 +this 90-minute dud could pass for mike tyson 's e ! $LABEL$ 0 +a generic family comedy unlikely to be appreciated by anyone outside the under-10 set . $LABEL$ 0 +an amateurish , quasi-improvised acting exercise shot on ugly digital video . $LABEL$ 0 +the very simple story seems too simple and the working out of the plot almost arbitrary . $LABEL$ 0 +the elements were all there but lack of a pyschological center knocks it flat . $LABEL$ 0 +exactly what its title implies : lusty , boisterous and utterly charming . $LABEL$ 1 +what remains is a variant of the nincompoop benigni persona , here a more annoying , though less angry version of the irresponsible sandlerian manchild , undercut by the voice of the star of road trip . $LABEL$ 0 +cherish is a dud -- a romantic comedy that 's not the least bit romantic and only mildly funny . $LABEL$ 0 +heartwarming here relies less on forced air than on petter næss ' delicate , clever direction ... and a wonderful , imaginative script by axel hellstenius . $LABEL$ 1 +let 's see , a haunted house , a haunted ship , what 's next ... ghost blimp ? $LABEL$ 0 +with its paint fights , motorized scooter chases and dewy-eyed sentiment , it 's a pretty listless collection of kid-movie clichés . $LABEL$ 0 +based on dave barry 's popular book of the same name , the movie benefits from having a real writer plot out all of the characters ' moves and overlapping story . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's missing is what we call the ` wow ' factor . $LABEL$ 0 +normally , rohmer 's talky films fascinate me , but when he moves his setting to the past , and relies on a historical text , he loses the richness of characterization that makes his films so memorable . $LABEL$ 0 +even if it is generally amusing from time to time , i spy has all the same problems the majority of action comedies have . $LABEL$ 0 +you watch for that sense of openness , the little surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +the urban landscapes are detailed down to the signs on the kiosks , and the color palette , with lots of somber blues and pinks , is dreamy and evocative . $LABEL$ 1 +the abiding impression , despite the mild hallucinogenic buzz , is of overwhelming waste -- the acres of haute couture ca n't quite conceal that there 's nothing resembling a spine here . $LABEL$ 0 +it throws quirky characters , odd situations , and off-kilter dialogue at us , all as if to say , `` look at this ! $LABEL$ 1 +alan and his fellow survivors are idiosyncratic enough to lift the movie above its playwriting 101 premise . $LABEL$ 1 +a film neither bitter nor sweet , neither romantic nor comedic , neither warm nor fuzzy . $LABEL$ 1 +of all the halloween 's , this is the most visually unappealing . $LABEL$ 0 +light , silly , photographed with colour and depth , and rather a good time . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's refreshing to see a romance this smart . $LABEL$ 1 +sodden and glum , even in those moments where it 's supposed to feel funny and light . $LABEL$ 0 +with nary a glimmer of self-knowledge , -lrb- crane -rrb- becomes more specimen than character -- and auto focus remains a chilly , clinical lab report . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing about the film -- with the possible exception of elizabeth hurley 's breasts -- is authentic . $LABEL$ 0 +a manically generous christmas vaudeville . $LABEL$ 1 +the powder blues and sun-splashed whites of tunis make an alluring backdrop for this sensuous and spirited tale of a prim widow who finds an unlikely release in belly-dancing clubs . $LABEL$ 1 +with dickens ' words and writer-director douglas mcgrath 's even-toned direction , a ripping good yarn is told . $LABEL$ 1 +i approached the usher and said that if she had to sit through it again , she should ask for a raise . $LABEL$ 0 +it makes you believe the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and believed in their small-budget film . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is enriched by an imaginatively mixed cast of antic spirits , headed by christopher plummer as the subtlest and most complexly evil uncle ralph i 've ever seen in the many film and stage adaptations of the work . $LABEL$ 1 +these three films form a remarkably cohesive whole , both visually and thematically , through their consistently sensitive and often exciting treatment of an ignored people . $LABEL$ 1 +smart and alert , thirteen conversations about one thing is a small gem . $LABEL$ 1 +insanely hilarious ! $LABEL$ 1 +... strips bible stores of the potential for sanctimoniousness , making them meaningful for both kids and church-wary adults . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just weirdness for the sake of weirdness , and where human nature should be ingratiating , it 's just grating . $LABEL$ 0 +its audacious ambitions sabotaged by pomposity , steven soderbergh 's space opera emerges as a numbingly dull experience . $LABEL$ 0 +it works its magic with such exuberance and passion that the film 's length becomes a part of its fun . $LABEL$ 1 +even if the enticing prospect of a lot of nubile young actors in a film about campus depravity did n't fade amid the deliberate , tiresome ugliness , it would be rendered tedious by avary 's failure to construct a story with even a trace of dramatic interest . $LABEL$ 0 +it goes on for too long and bogs down in a surfeit of characters and unnecessary subplots . $LABEL$ 0 +a feel-good movie that does n't give you enough to feel good about . $LABEL$ 0 +give shapiro , goldman , and bolado credit for good intentions , but there 's nothing here that they could n't have done in half an hour . $LABEL$ 0 +i was feeling this movie until it veered off too far into the exxon zone , and left me behind at the station looking for a return ticket to realism . $LABEL$ 0 +if the real-life story is genuinely inspirational , the movie stirs us as well . $LABEL$ 1 +disturbing . $LABEL$ 0 +the large-frame imax camera lends itself beautifully to filming the teeming life on the reefs , making this gorgeous film a must for everyone from junior scientists to grown-up fish lovers . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard to pity the ` plain ' girl who becomes a ravishing waif after applying a smear of lip-gloss . $LABEL$ 0 +why anyone who is not a character in this movie should care is beyond me . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's major and most devastating flaw is its reliance on formula , though , and it 's quite enough to lessen the overall impact the movie could have had . $LABEL$ 0 +it is depressing , ruthlessly pained and depraved , the movie equivalent of staring into an open wound . $LABEL$ 0 +as aimless as an old pickup skidding completely out of control on a long patch of black ice , the movie makes two hours feel like four . $LABEL$ 0 +a comedy-drama of nearly epic proportions rooted in a sincere performance by the title character undergoing midlife crisis . $LABEL$ 1 +... contains very few laughs and even less surprises . $LABEL$ 0 +a horrible , 99-minute stink bomb . $LABEL$ 0 +you can watch , giggle and get an adrenaline boost without feeling like you 've completely lowered your entertainment standards . $LABEL$ 1 +earnest and heartfelt but undernourished and plodding . $LABEL$ 1 +a dull , somnambulant exercise in pretension whose pervasive quiet is broken by frequent outbursts of violence and noise . $LABEL$ 0 +it is n't quite one of the worst movies of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +the film presents visceral and dangerously honest revelations about the men and machines behind the curtains of our planet . $LABEL$ 1 +handled correctly , wilde 's play is a masterpiece of elegant wit and artifice . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the best star trek movie in a long time . $LABEL$ 1 +a remarkably alluring film set in the constrictive eisenhower era about one suburban woman 's yearning in the face of a loss that shatters her cheery and tranquil suburban life . $LABEL$ 1 +instead of simply handling conventional material in a conventional way , secretary takes the most unexpected material and handles it in the most unexpected way . $LABEL$ 1 +a winning comedy with its wry observations about long-lived friendships and the ways in which we all lose track of ourselves by trying to please others . $LABEL$ 1 +writer-director randall wallace has bitten off more than he or anyone else could chew , and his movie veers like a drunken driver through heavy traffic . $LABEL$ 0 +like kissing jessica stein , amy 's orgasm has a key strength in its willingness to explore its principal characters with honesty , insight and humor . $LABEL$ 1 +an edifying glimpse into the wit and revolutionary spirit of these performers and their era . $LABEL$ 1 +starts promisingly but disintegrates into a dreary , humorless soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +the touch is generally light enough and the performances , for the most part , credible . $LABEL$ 1 +it is sentimental but feels free to offend , is analytical and then surrenders to the illogic of its characters , is about grief and yet permits laughter . $LABEL$ 1 +eight legged freaks wo n't join the pantheon of great monster\/science fiction flicks that we have come to love ... $LABEL$ 0 +howard and his co-stars all give committed performances , but they 're often undone by howard 's self-conscious attempts to find a ` literary ' filmmaking style to match his subject . $LABEL$ 0 +the actors must indeed be good to recite some of this laughable dialogue with a straight face . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's better suited for the history or biography channel , but there 's no arguing the tone of the movie - it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and questions on your mind . $LABEL$ 0 +a story which fails to rise above its disgusting source material . $LABEL$ 0 +belongs in the too-hot-for-tv direct-to-video\/dvd category , and this is why i have given it a one-star rating . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine a film that begins as a seven rip-off , only to switch to a mix of the shining , the thing , and any naked teenagers horror flick from the 1980s . $LABEL$ 0 +without a fresh infusion of creativity , 4ever is neither a promise nor a threat so much as wishful thinking . $LABEL$ 0 +this humbling little film , fueled by the light comedic work of zhao benshan and the delicate ways of dong jie , is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that ` they do n't make movies like they used to anymore . ' $LABEL$ 1 +what does n't this film have that an impressionable kid could n't stand to hear ? $LABEL$ 1 +stevens ' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls . $LABEL$ 1 +` in this poor remake of such a well loved classic , parker exposes the limitations of his skill and the basic flaws in his vision . ' $LABEL$ 0 +overall tomfoolery like this is a matter of taste . $LABEL$ 0 +a soap-opera quality twist in the last 20 minutes ... almost puts the kibosh on what is otherwise a sumptuous work of b-movie imagination . $LABEL$ 0 +the actors try hard but come off too amateurish and awkward . $LABEL$ 0 +occasionally loud and offensive , but more often , it simply lulls you into a gentle waking coma . $LABEL$ 0 +we 've seen it all before in one form or another , but director hoffman , with great help from kevin kline , makes us care about this latest reincarnation of the world 's greatest teacher . $LABEL$ 1 +easily the most thoughtful fictional examination of the root causes of anti-semitism ever seen on screen . $LABEL$ 1 +despite suffering a sense-of-humour failure , the man who wrote rocky does not deserve to go down with a ship as leaky as this . $LABEL$ 0 +about half of them are funny , a few are sexy and none are useful in telling the story , which is paper-thin and decidedly unoriginal . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is filled with humorous observations about the general absurdity of modern life as seen through the eyes outsiders , but deftly manages to avoid many of the condescending stereotypes that so often plague films dealing with the mentally ill . $LABEL$ 1 +impostor ca n't think of a thing to do with these characters except have them run through dark tunnels , fight off various anonymous attackers , and evade elaborate surveillance technologies . $LABEL$ 0 +a great script brought down by lousy direction . $LABEL$ 0 +new ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe exactly how bad it is . $LABEL$ 0 +rubbo runs through a remarkable amount of material in the film 's short 90 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +while this film has an ` a ' list cast and some strong supporting players , the tale -- like its central figure , vivi -- is just a little bit hard to love . $LABEL$ 0 +zoom ! $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a bad sign when you 're rooting for the film to hurry up and get to its subjects ' deaths just so the documentary will be over , but it 's indicative of how uncompelling the movie is unless it happens to cover your particular area of interest . $LABEL$ 0 +the creative animation work may not look as fully ` rendered ' as pixar 's industry standard , but it uses lighting effects and innovative backgrounds to an equally impressive degree . $LABEL$ 1 +every sequel you skip will be two hours gained . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine anybody ever being `` in the mood '' to view a movie as harrowing and painful as the grey zone , but it 's equally hard to imagine anybody being able to tear their eyes away from the screen once it 's started . $LABEL$ 1 +it gives devastating testimony to both people 's capacity for evil and their heroic capacity for good . $LABEL$ 1 +makes one thing abundantly clear . $LABEL$ 1 +cherry orchard is badly edited , often awkwardly directed and suffers from the addition of a wholly unnecessary pre-credit sequence designed to give some of the characters a ` back story . ' $LABEL$ 0 +too slick and manufactured to claim street credibility . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is full of charm . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not the least of afghan tragedies that this noble warlord would be consigned to the dustbin of history . $LABEL$ 0 +there are no special effects , and no hollywood endings . $LABEL$ 1 +while hollywood ending has its share of belly laughs -lrb- including a knockout of a closing line -rrb- , the movie winds up feeling like a great missed opportunity . $LABEL$ 0 +we admire this film for its harsh objectivity and refusal to seek our tears , our sympathies . $LABEL$ 1 +a funny and well-contructed black comedy where the old adage `` be careful what you wish for '' is given a full workout . $LABEL$ 1 +not a schlocky creature feature but something far more stylish and cerebral -- and , hence , more chillingly effective . $LABEL$ 1 +this movie ... does n't deserve the energy it takes to describe how bad it is . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old walt doodled steamboat willie . $LABEL$ 1 +after a while , hoffman 's quirks and mannerisms , particularly his penchant for tearing up on cue -- things that seem so real in small doses -- become annoying and artificial . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not like having a real film of nijinsky , but at least it 's better than that eponymous 1980 biopic that used soap in the places where the mysteries lingered . $LABEL$ 1 +the only surprise is that heavyweights joel silver and robert zemeckis agreed to produce this ; i assume the director has pictures of them cavorting in ladies ' underwear . $LABEL$ 0 +the overall feel is not unlike watching a glorified episode of `` 7th heaven . '' $LABEL$ 0 +... spellbinding fun and deliciously exploitative . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's next ? $LABEL$ 1 +in the end , there is n't much to it . $LABEL$ 0 +an allegory concerning the chronically mixed signals african american professionals get about overachieving could be intriguing , but the supernatural trappings only obscure the message . $LABEL$ 0 +an incredibly irritating comedy about thoroughly vacuous people ... manages to embody the worst excesses of nouvelle vague without any of its sense of fun or energy . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie itself is far from disappointing , offering an original take on courtroom movies , a few nifty twists that are so crucial to the genre and another first-rate performance by top-billed star bruce willis . $LABEL$ 1 +norton is magnetic as graham . $LABEL$ 1 +the year 's greatest adventure , and jackson 's limited but enthusiastic adaptation has made literature literal without killing its soul -- a feat any thinking person is bound to appreciate . $LABEL$ 1 +a remarkable movie with an unsatisfying ending , which is just the point . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. goyer 's loose , unaccountable direction is technically sophisticated in the worst way . $LABEL$ 0 +a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures . $LABEL$ 1 +a wonderful , ghastly film . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie weighs no more than a glass of flat champagne . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is flat . $LABEL$ 0 +stealing harvard will dip into your wallet , swipe 90 minutes of your time , and offer you precisely this in recompense : a few early laughs scattered around a plot as thin as it is repetitious . $LABEL$ 0 +shiner can certainly go the distance , but is n't world championship material $LABEL$ 1 +but windtalkers does n't beat that one , either . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- lee -rrb- treats his audience the same way that jim brown treats his women -- as dumb , credulous , unassuming , subordinate subjects . $LABEL$ 0 +the problem with antwone fisher is that it has a screenplay written by antwone fisher based on the book by antwone fisher . $LABEL$ 0 +whenever you think you 've seen the end of the movie , we cut to a new scene , which also appears to be the end . $LABEL$ 0 +a zinger-filled crowd-pleaser that open-minded elvis fans -lrb- but by no means all -rrb- will have fun with . $LABEL$ 1 +co-writer\/director jonathan parker 's attempts to fashion a brazil-like , hyper-real satire fall dreadfully short . $LABEL$ 0 +smart and fun , but far more witty than it is wise . $LABEL$ 1 +o fantasma is boldly , confidently orchestrated , aesthetically and sexually , and its impact is deeply and rightly disturbing . $LABEL$ 1 +a film about female friendship that men can embrace and women will talk about for hours . $LABEL$ 1 +` it looks good , sonny , but you missed the point . ' $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing remotely topical or sexy here . $LABEL$ 0 +fincher takes no apparent joy in making movies , and he gives none to the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +even after 90 minutes of playing opposite each other bullock and grant still look ill at ease sharing the same scene . $LABEL$ 0 +blood work is laughable in the solemnity with which it tries to pump life into overworked elements from eastwood 's dirty harry period . $LABEL$ 0 +the slapstick is labored , and the bigger setpieces flat . $LABEL$ 0 +the pool drowned me in boredom . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- sports -rrb- admirable energy , full-bodied characterizations and narrative urgency . $LABEL$ 1 +here is a vh1 behind the music special that has something a little more special behind it : music that did n't sell many records but helped change a nation . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's never dull and always looks good . $LABEL$ 1 +competently directed but terminally cute drama . $LABEL$ 1 +a sweet , tender sermon about a 12-year-old welsh boy more curious about god than girls , who learns that believing in something does matter . $LABEL$ 1 +loses its sense of humor in a vat of failed jokes , twitchy acting , and general boorishness . $LABEL$ 0 +in the era of the sopranos , it feels painfully redundant and inauthentic . $LABEL$ 0 +i will be . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's tough to be startled when you 're almost dozing . $LABEL$ 0 +represents the depths to which the girls-behaving-badly film has fallen . $LABEL$ 0 +an impenetrable and insufferable ball of pseudo-philosophic twaddle . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is an earnest try at beachcombing verismo , but it would be even more indistinct than it is were it not for the striking , quietly vulnerable personality of ms. ambrose . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the element of condescension , as the filmmakers look down on their working-class subjects from their lofty perch , that finally makes sex with strangers , which opens today in the new york metropolitan area , so distasteful . $LABEL$ 0 +a return to pure disney magic and is enjoyable family fare . $LABEL$ 1 +distances you by throwing out so many red herrings , so many false scares , that the genuine ones barely register . $LABEL$ 0 +the fact that it is n't very good is almost beside the point . $LABEL$ 0 +it takes you somewhere you 're not likely to have seen before , but beneath the exotic surface -lrb- and exotic dancing -rrb- it 's surprisingly old-fashioned . $LABEL$ 1 +bolstered by exceptional performances and a clear-eyed take on the economics of dealing and the pathology of ghetto fabulousness . $LABEL$ 1 +it is a happy , heady jumble of thought and storytelling , an insane comic undertaking that ultimately coheres into a sane and breathtakingly creative film . $LABEL$ 1 +perhaps the grossest movie ever made . $LABEL$ 0 +viveka seldahl and sven wollter will touch you to the core in a film you will never forget -- that you should never forget . $LABEL$ 1 +... instead go rent `` shakes the clown '' , a much funnier film with a similar theme and an equally great robin williams performance . $LABEL$ 0 +the documentary is much too conventional -- lots of boring talking heads , etc. -- to do the subject matter justice . $LABEL$ 0 +an engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing sticks , really , except a lingering creepiness one feels from being dragged through a sad , sordid universe of guns , drugs , avarice and damaged dreams . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's gamble to occasionally break up the live-action scenes with animated sequences pays off , as does its sensitive handling of some delicate subject matter . $LABEL$ 1 +the attempt to build up a pressure cooker of horrified awe emerges from the simple fact that the movie has virtually nothing to show . $LABEL$ 0 +wes craven 's presence is felt ; not the craven of ' a nightmare on elm street ' or ` the hills have eyes , ' but the sad schlock merchant of ` deadly friend . ' $LABEL$ 0 +but tongue-in-cheek preposterousness has always been part of for the most part wilde 's droll whimsy helps `` being earnest '' overcome its weaknesses and parker 's creative interference ... $LABEL$ 1 +as the princess , sorvino glides gracefully from male persona to female without missing a beat . $LABEL$ 1 +run for your lives ! $LABEL$ 0 +for every cheesy scene , though , there is a really cool bit -- the movie 's conception of a future-world holographic librarian -lrb- orlando jones -rrb- who knows everything and answers all questions , is visually smart , cleverly written , and nicely realized . $LABEL$ 1 +an impressive hybrid . $LABEL$ 1 +the chateau ... is less concerned with cultural and political issues than doting on its eccentric characters . $LABEL$ 0 +highly recommended as an engrossing story about a horrifying historical event and the elements which contributed to it . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- macdowell -rrb- ventures beyond her abilities several times here and reveals how bad an actress she is . $LABEL$ 0 +pap invested in undergraduate doubling subtexts and ridiculous stabs at existentialism reminding of the discovery of the wizard of god in the fifth trek flick . $LABEL$ 0 +the disjointed mess flows as naturally as jolie 's hideous yellow ` do . $LABEL$ 0 +he does this so well you do n't have the slightest difficulty accepting him in the role . $LABEL$ 1 +unless bob crane is someone of particular interest to you , this film 's impressive performances and adept direction are n't likely to leave a lasting impression . $LABEL$ 0 +a surprisingly funny movie . $LABEL$ 1 +drug abuse , infidelity and death are n't usually comedy fare , but turpin 's film allows us to chuckle through the angst . $LABEL$ 1 +a not-so-divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood with a hefty helping of re-fried green tomatoes . $LABEL$ 0 +allegiance to chekhov , which director michael cacoyannis displays with somber earnestness in the new adaptation of the cherry orchard , is a particularly vexing handicap . $LABEL$ 0 +not only a coming-of-age story and cautionary parable , but also a perfectly rendered period piece . $LABEL$ 1 +sparkling , often hilarious romantic jealousy comedy ... attal looks so much like a young robert deniro that it seems the film should instead be called ` my husband is travis bickle ' . $LABEL$ 1 +a harrowing account of a psychological breakdown . $LABEL$ 1 +a mature , deeply felt fantasy of a director 's travel through 300 years of russian history . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is a trove of delights . $LABEL$ 1 +the filmmakers needed more emphasis on the storytelling and less on the glamorous machine that thrusts the audience into a future they wo n't much care about . $LABEL$ 0 +but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell . $LABEL$ 1 +in his u.s. debut , mr. schnitzler proves himself a deft pace master and stylist . $LABEL$ 1 +yet another arnold vehicle that fails to make adequate use of his particular talents . $LABEL$ 0 +it will guarantee to have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face . $LABEL$ 1 +an uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , the grey zone does have a center , though a morbid one . $LABEL$ 0 +sweet gentle jesus , did the screenwriters just do a cut-and-paste of every bad action-movie line in history ? $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- sam 's -rrb- self-flagellation is more depressing than entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +dramas like this make it human . $LABEL$ 1 +although estela bravo 's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of cuban leader fidel castro , it 's still a guilty pleasure to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +but the cinematography is cloudy , the picture making becalmed . $LABEL$ 0 +this is christmas future for a lot of baby boomers . $LABEL$ 1 +this bracingly truthful antidote to hollywood teenage movies that slather clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty . $LABEL$ 1 +viva le resistance ! $LABEL$ 1 +some body smacks of exhibitionism more than it does cathartic truth telling . $LABEL$ 0 +plodding , peevish and gimmicky . $LABEL$ 0 +given too much time to consider the looseness of the piece , the picture begins to resemble the shapeless , grasping actors ' workshop that it is . $LABEL$ 0 +the ingenuity that parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of wilde himself . $LABEL$ 1 +nijinsky says , ' i know how to suffer ' and if you see this film you 'll know too . $LABEL$ 0 +frequent flurries of creative belly laughs and genuinely enthusiastic performances ... keep the movie slaloming through its hackneyed elements with enjoyable ease . $LABEL$ 1 +it will make you think twice about what might be going on inside each trailer park you drive past -- even if it chiefly inspires you to drive a little faster . $LABEL$ 1 +witless and utterly pointless . $LABEL$ 0 +fred schepisi 's film is paced at a speed that is slow to those of us in middle age and deathly slow to any teen . $LABEL$ 0 +may lack the pungent bite of its title , but it 's an enjoyable trifle nonetheless . $LABEL$ 1 +a rather brilliant little cult item : a pastiche of children 's entertainment , superhero comics , and japanese animation . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is a fierce dance of destruction . $LABEL$ 1 +the mark of a respectable summer blockbuster is one of two things : unadulterated thrills or genuine laughs . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard to care about a film that proposes as epic tragedy the plight of a callow rich boy who is forced to choose between his beautiful , self-satisfied 22-year-old girlfriend and an equally beautiful , self-satisfied 18-year-old mistress . $LABEL$ 0 +psychologically revealing . $LABEL$ 1 +if a big musical number like ` praise the lord , he 's the god of second chances ' does n't put you off , this will be an enjoyable choice for younger kids . $LABEL$ 1 +but seriously , folks , it does n't work . $LABEL$ 0 +i was trying to decide what annoyed me most about god is great ... i 'm not , and then i realized that i just did n't care . $LABEL$ 0 +and there 's an element of heartbreak to watching it now , with older and wiser eyes , because we know what will happen after greene 's story ends . $LABEL$ 1 +bluto blutarsky , we miss you . $LABEL$ 1 +crossroads feels like a teenybopper ed wood film , replete with the pubescent scandalous innuendo and the high-strung but flaccid drama . $LABEL$ 0 +do n't say you were n't warned . $LABEL$ 0 +hopkins , squarely fills the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +hashiguchi vividly captures the way young japanese live now , chafing against their culture 's manic mix of millennial brusqueness and undying , traditional politesse . $LABEL$ 1 +you leave the same way you came -- a few tasty morsels under your belt , but no new friends . $LABEL$ 0 +while it can be a bit repetitive , overall it 's an entertaining and informative documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +what makes the film special is the refreshingly unhibited enthusiasm that the people , in spite of clearly evident poverty and hardship , bring to their music . $LABEL$ 1 +this may be burns 's strongest film since the brothers mcmullen . $LABEL$ 1 +warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . $LABEL$ 1 +its director 's most substantial feature for some time . $LABEL$ 1 +a chilly , remote , emotionally distant piece ... so dull that its tagline should be : ` in space , no one can hear you snore . ' $LABEL$ 0 +leave it to john sayles to take on developers , the chamber of commerce , tourism , historical pageants , and commercialism all in the same movie ... without neglecting character development for even one minute . $LABEL$ 1 +`` extreme ops '' exceeds expectations . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's stylishly directed with verve ... $LABEL$ 1 +fans of critics ' darling band wilco will marvel at the sometimes murky , always brooding look of i am trying to break your heart . $LABEL$ 1 +its adult themes of familial separation and societal betrayal are head and shoulders above much of the director 's previous popcorn work . $LABEL$ 1 +chen films the resolutely downbeat smokers only with every indulgent , indie trick in the book . $LABEL$ 0 +the weird thing about the santa clause 2 , purportedly a children 's movie , is that there is nothing in it to engage children emotionally . $LABEL$ 0 +what -lrb- frei -rrb- gives us ... is a man who uses the damage of war -- far more often than the warfare itself -- to create the kind of art shots that fill gallery shows . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- hell is -rrb- looking down at your watch and realizing serving sara is n't even halfway through . $LABEL$ 0 +me no lika da accents so good , but i thoroughly enjoyed the love story . $LABEL$ 1 +director lee has a true cinematic knack , but it 's also nice to see a movie with its heart so thoroughly , unabashedly on its sleeve . $LABEL$ 1 +in other words , it 's just another sports drama\/character study . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing interesting in unfaithful whatsoever . $LABEL$ 0 +compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children . $LABEL$ 1 +worthy of the gong . $LABEL$ 0 +a pointed , often tender , examination of the pros and cons of unconditional love and familial duties . $LABEL$ 1 +more dutiful than enchanting ... terribly episodic and lacking the spark of imagination that might have made it an exhilarating treat . $LABEL$ 0 +the fourth `` pokemon '' is a diverting -- if predictable -- adventure suitable for a matinee , with a message that cautions children about disturbing the world 's delicate ecological balance . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is so packed with subplots involving the various silbersteins that it feels more like the pilot episode of a tv series than a feature film . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's both sitcomishly predictable and cloying in its attempts to be poignant . $LABEL$ 0 +the charming result is festival in cannes . $LABEL$ 1 +while the film is not entirely successful , it still manages to string together enough charming moments to work . $LABEL$ 1 +it is parochial , accessible to a chosen few , standoffish to everyone else , and smugly suggests a superior moral tone is more important than filmmaking skill $LABEL$ 0 +this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are . $LABEL$ 1 +she allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's maudlin focus on the young woman 's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of hollywood heart-string plucking . $LABEL$ 0 +plus , like i already mentioned ... it 's robert duvall ! $LABEL$ 1 +cinematic poetry showcases the city 's old-world charm before machines change nearly everything . $LABEL$ 1 +a sensitive , cultivated treatment of greene 's work as well as a remarkably faithful one . $LABEL$ 1 +the ring never lets you off the hook . $LABEL$ 1 +lan yu seems altogether too slight to be called any kind of masterpiece . $LABEL$ 0 +fails in making this character understandable , in getting under her skin , in exploring motivation ... well before the end , the film grows as dull as its characters , about whose fate it is hard to care . $LABEL$ 0 +uplifting , funny and wise . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has a laundry list of minor shortcomings , but the numerous scenes of gory mayhem are worth the price of admission ... if `` gory mayhem '' is your idea of a good time . $LABEL$ 1 +cold , pretentious , thoroughly dislikable study in sociopathy . $LABEL$ 0 +i stopped thinking about how good it all was , and started doing nothing but reacting to it - feeling a part of its grand locations , thinking urgently as the protagonists struggled , feeling at the mercy of its inventiveness , gasping at its visual delights . $LABEL$ 1 +the beauty of the piece is that it counts heart as important as humor . $LABEL$ 1 +a peculiar misfire that even tunney ca n't save . $LABEL$ 0 +fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough . $LABEL$ 1 +in painting an unabashedly romantic picture of a nation whose songs spring directly from the lives of the people , the movie exalts the marxian dream of honest working folk , with little to show for their labor , living harmoniously , joined in song . $LABEL$ 1 +witless , pointless , tasteless and idiotic . $LABEL$ 0 +a surprisingly ` solid ' achievement by director malcolm d. lee and writer john ridley . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem is that it is one that allows him to churn out one mediocre movie after another . $LABEL$ 0 +they kept much of the plot but jettisoned the stuff that would make this a moving experience for people who have n't read the book . $LABEL$ 0 +with a tighter editorial process and firmer direction this material could work , especially since the actresses in the lead roles are all more than competent , but as is , personal velocity seems to be idling in neutral . $LABEL$ 0 +more timely than its director could ever have dreamed , this quietly lyrical tale probes the ambiguous welcome extended by iran to the afghani refugees who streamed across its borders , desperate for work and food . $LABEL$ 1 +brings to a spectacular completion one of the most complex , generous and subversive artworks of the last decade . $LABEL$ 1 +a time machine , a journey back to your childhood , when cares melted away in the dark theater , and films had the ability to mesmerize , astonish and entertain . $LABEL$ 1 +it goes down easy , leaving virtually no aftertaste . $LABEL$ 1 +knockaround guys plays like a student film by two guys who desperately want to be quentin tarantino when they grow up . $LABEL$ 0 +a wildly erratic drama with sequences that make you wince in embarrassment and others , thanks to the actors , that are quite touching . $LABEL$ 1 +offers absolutely nothing i had n't already seen . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is a lumbering load of hokum but ... it 's at least watchable . $LABEL$ 0 +serving sara is little more than a mall movie designed to kill time . $LABEL$ 0 +a mawkish self-parody that plays like some weird masterpiece theater sketch with neither a point of view nor a compelling reason for being . $LABEL$ 0 +trapped presents a frightening and compelling ` what if ? ' $LABEL$ 1 +all right , so it 's not a brilliant piece of filmmaking , but it is a funny -lrb- sometimes hilarious -rrb- comedy with a deft sense of humor about itself , a playful spirit and a game cast . $LABEL$ 1 +a bland , obnoxious 88-minute infomercial for universal studios and its ancillary products . . . $LABEL$ 0 +henry bean 's thoughtful screenplay provides no easy answers , but offers a compelling investigation of faith versus intellect $LABEL$ 1 +not since ghostbusters has a film used manhattan 's architecture in such a gloriously goofy way . $LABEL$ 1 +... a triumph of emotionally and narratively complex filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +it may not be a huge cut of above the rest , but i enjoyed barbershop . $LABEL$ 1 +glazed with a tawdry b-movie scum . $LABEL$ 0 +the film occasionally tries the viewer 's patience with slow pacing and a main character who sometimes defies sympathy , but it ultimately satisfies with its moving story . $LABEL$ 1 +... familiar and predictable , and 4\/5ths of it might as well have come from a xerox machine rather than -lrb- writer-director -rrb- franc . $LABEL$ 0 +call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity . $LABEL$ 1 +this is as lax and limp a comedy as i 've seen in a while , a meander through worn-out material . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances of the four main actresses bring their characters to life . $LABEL$ 1 +neatly constructed thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +the emotion is impressively true for being so hot-blooded , and both leads are up to the task . $LABEL$ 1 +rife with the rueful , wry humor springing out of yiddish culture and language . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely , indeed almost never , is such high-wattage brainpower coupled with pitch-perfect acting and an exquisite , unfakable sense of cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +a lovably old-school hollywood confection . $LABEL$ 1 +it never quite makes it to the boiling point , but manages to sustain a good simmer for most of its running time . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the year 's best films , featuring an oscar-worthy performance by julianne moore . $LABEL$ 1 +why would anyone cast the magnificent jackie chan in a movie full of stunt doubles and special effects ? $LABEL$ 0 +it 's surprisingly bland despite the heavy doses of weird performances and direction . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're willing to have fun with it , you wo n't feel cheated by the high infidelity of unfaithful . $LABEL$ 1 +the script is a disaster , with cloying messages and irksome characters . $LABEL$ 0 +but it also comes with the laziness and arrogance of a thing that already knows it 's won . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's really so appealing about the characters is their resemblance to everyday children . $LABEL$ 1 +the bottom line , at least in my opinion , is imposter makes a better short story than it does a film . $LABEL$ 0 +wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too . $LABEL$ 1 +fails so fundamentally on every conventional level that it achieves some kind of goofy grandeur . $LABEL$ 0 +nohe has made a decent ` intro ' documentary , but he feels like a spectator and not a participant . $LABEL$ 0 +although no pastry is violated , this nasty comedy pokes fun at the same easy targets as other rowdy raunch-fests -- farts , boobs , unmentionables -- without much success . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is too amateurishly square to make the most of its own ironic implications . $LABEL$ 0 +even as i valiantly struggled to remain interested , or at least conscious , i could feel my eyelids ... getting ... very ... heavy ... $LABEL$ 0 +a mix of gritty realism , crisp storytelling and radiant compassion that effortlessly draws you in . $LABEL$ 1 +watching this gentle , mesmerizing portrait of a man coming to terms with time , you barely realize your mind is being blown . $LABEL$ 1 +hashiguchi uses the situation to evoke a japan bustling atop an undercurrent of loneliness and isolation . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its sincere acting , signs is just another unoriginal run of the mill sci-fi film with a flimsy ending and lots of hype . $LABEL$ 0 +making such a tragedy the backdrop to a love story risks trivializing it , though chouraqui no doubt intended the film to affirm love 's power to help people endure almost unimaginable horror . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a masterpeice . $LABEL$ 1 +incoherence reigns . $LABEL$ 0 +the drama was so uninspiring that even a story immersed in love , lust , and sin could n't keep my attention . $LABEL$ 0 +disreputable doings and exquisite trappings are dampened by a lackluster script and substandard performances . $LABEL$ 0 +works because reno does n't become smug or sanctimonious towards the audience . $LABEL$ 1 +it cooks conduct in a low , smoky and inviting sizzle . $LABEL$ 1 +wow , so who knew charles dickens could be so light-hearted ? $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- wonderfully loopy tale of love , longing , and voting . $LABEL$ 1 +... tara reid plays a college journalist , but she looks like the six-time winner of the miss hawaiian tropic pageant , so i do n't know what she 's doing in here ... $LABEL$ 0 +this film can only point the way -- but thank goodness for this signpost . $LABEL$ 1 +a major waste ... generic . $LABEL$ 0 +see it . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not just a feel-good movie , it 's a feel movie . $LABEL$ 1 +the problematic characters and overly convenient plot twists foul up shum 's good intentions . $LABEL$ 0 +tres greek writer and star nia vardalos has crafted here a worldly-wise and very funny script . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a film about the irksome , tiresome nature of complacency that remains utterly satisfied to remain the same throughout . $LABEL$ 0 +a deeply felt and vividly detailed story about newcomers in a strange new world . $LABEL$ 1 +really is a pan-american movie , with moments of genuine insight into the urban heart . $LABEL$ 1 +... plenty of warmth to go around , with music and laughter and the love of family . $LABEL$ 1 +this overlong infomercial , due out on video before month 's end , is tepid and tedious . $LABEL$ 0 +but how it washed out despite all of that is the project 's prime mystery . $LABEL$ 0 +the animated sequences are well done and perfectly constructed to convey a sense of childhood imagination and creating adventure out of angst . $LABEL$ 1 +this cinema verite speculation on the assassination of john f. kennedy may have been inspired by blair witch , but it takes its techniques into such fresh territory that the film never feels derivative . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- city -rrb- reminds us how realistically nuanced a robert de niro performance can be when he is not more lucratively engaged in the shameless self-caricature of ` analyze this ' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- and ` analyze that , ' promised -lrb- or threatened -rrb- for later this year . $LABEL$ 1 +fast and funny , an action cartoon that 's suspenseful enough for older kids but not too scary for the school-age crowd . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's so tedious that it makes you forgive every fake , dishonest , entertaining and , ultimately , more perceptive moment in bridget jones 's diary . $LABEL$ 0 +watching these two actors play against each other so intensely , but with restraint , is a treat . $LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the biggest disappointments of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +real-life strongman ahola lacks the charisma and ability to carry the film on his admittedly broad shoulders . $LABEL$ 0 +a mimetic approximation of better films like contempt and 8 1\/2 . $LABEL$ 0 +nettelbeck has crafted an engaging fantasy of flavours and emotions , one part romance novel , one part recipe book . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just hard to believe that a life like this can sound so dull . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a welcome lack of pretension about the film , which very simply sets out to entertain and ends up delivering in good measure . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's not a single jump-in-your-seat moment and believe it or not , jason actually takes a backseat in his own film to special effects . $LABEL$ 0 +as relationships shift , director robert j. siegel allows the characters to inhabit their world without cleaving to a narrative arc . $LABEL$ 1 +nicks sustains the level of exaggerated , stylized humor throughout by taking your expectations and twisting them just a bit . $LABEL$ 1 +here the love scenes all end in someone screaming . $LABEL$ 0 +a lot smarter than your average bond . $LABEL$ 1 +a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli\/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds . $LABEL$ 1 +enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +too many scenarios in which the hero might have an opportunity to triumphantly sermonize , and too few that allow us to wonder for ourselves if things will turn out okay . $LABEL$ 0 +kiarostami has crafted a deceptively casual ode to children and managed to convey a tiny sense of hope . $LABEL$ 1 +stale first act , scrooge story , blatant product placement , some very good comedic songs , strong finish , dumb fart jokes . $LABEL$ 0 +that rare film whose real-life basis is , in fact , so interesting that no embellishment is needed . $LABEL$ 1 +for more than two decades mr. nachtwey has traveled to places in the world devastated by war , famine and poverty and documented the cruelty and suffering he has found with an devastating , eloquent clarity . $LABEL$ 1 +in fact , it does n't even seem like she tried . $LABEL$ 0 +superb production values & christian bale 's charisma make up for a derivative plot . $LABEL$ 1 +visually striking and viscerally repellent . $LABEL$ 1 +though intrepid in exploring an attraction that crosses sexual identity , ozpetek falls short in showing us antonia 's true emotions ... but at the very least , his secret life will leave you thinking . $LABEL$ 1 +stealing harvard does n't care about cleverness , wit or any other kind of intelligent humor . $LABEL$ 0 +rarely has a film 's title served such dire warning . $LABEL$ 0 +dripping with cliche and bypassing no opportunity to trivialize the material . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an interesting effort -lrb- particularly for jfk conspiracy nuts -rrb- , and barry 's cold-fish act makes the experience worthwhile . $LABEL$ 1 +an unexpectedly sweet story of sisterhood . $LABEL$ 1 +just because a walk to remember is shrewd enough to activate girlish tear ducts does n't mean it 's good enough for our girls . $LABEL$ 0 +the explosion essentially ruined -- or , rather , overpowered -- the fiction of the movie for me . $LABEL$ 0 +the script is smart , not cloying . $LABEL$ 1 +its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche . $LABEL$ 0 +an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . ' $LABEL$ 1 +depicts the sorriest and most sordid of human behavior on the screen , then laughs at how clever it 's being . $LABEL$ 0 +on its icy face , the new film is a subzero version of monsters , inc. , without the latter 's imagination , visual charm or texture . $LABEL$ 0 +starts out mediocre , spirals downward , and thuds to the bottom of the pool with an utterly incompetent conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +michele is a such a brainless flibbertigibbet that it 's hard to take her spiritual quest at all seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +the film falls short on tension , eloquence , spiritual challenge -- things that have made the original new testament stories so compelling for 20 centuries . $LABEL$ 0 +the idea is more interesting than the screenplay , which lags badly in the middle and lurches between not-very-funny comedy , unconvincing dramatics and some last-minute action strongly reminiscent of run lola run . $LABEL$ 0 +if you are willing to do this , then you so crazy ! $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing exactly wrong here , but there 's not nearly enough that 's right . $LABEL$ 0 +kim ki-deok seems to have in mind an -lrb- emotionally at least -rrb- adolescent audience demanding regular shocks and bouts of barely defensible sexual violence to keep it interested . $LABEL$ 0 +amid the new populist comedies that underscore the importance of family tradition and familial community , one would be hard-pressed to find a movie with a bigger , fatter heart than barbershop . $LABEL$ 1 +brought to life on the big screen . $LABEL$ 1 +if it 's not entirely memorable , the movie is certainly easy to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +knows how to make our imagination wonder . $LABEL$ 1 +leaks treacle from every pore . $LABEL$ 0 +the saigon of 1952 is an uneasy mix of sensual delights and simmering violence , and the quiet american brings us right into the center of that world . $LABEL$ 1 +the actors are fantastic . $LABEL$ 1 +... a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs -- sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh . $LABEL$ 1 +... an enjoyably frothy ` date movie ' ... $LABEL$ 1 +neither the funniest film that eddie murphy nor robert de niro has ever made , showtime is nevertheless efficiently amusing for a good while . $LABEL$ 1 +awesome work : ineffable , elusive , yet inexplicably powerful $LABEL$ 1 +leaping from one arresting image to another , songs from the second floor has all the enjoyable randomness of a very lively dream and so manages to be compelling , amusing and unsettling at the same time . $LABEL$ 1 +intensely romantic , thought-provoking and even an engaging mystery . $LABEL$ 1 +faithful without being forceful , sad without being shrill , `` a walk to remember '' succeeds through sincerity . $LABEL$ 1 +a wildly entertaining scan of evans ' career . $LABEL$ 1 +does point the way for adventurous indian filmmakers toward a crossover into nonethnic markets . $LABEL$ 1 +schaeffer is n't in this film , which may be why it works as well as it does . $LABEL$ 1 +it is about irrational , unexplainable life and it seems so real because it does not attempt to filter out the complexity . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- breheny 's -rrb- lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- an -rrb- absorbing documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +if you open yourself up to mr. reggio 's theory of this imagery as the movie 's set ... it can impart an almost visceral sense of dislocation and change . $LABEL$ 1 +oscar caliber cast does n't live up to material $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine another director ever making his wife look so bad in a major movie . $LABEL$ 0 +has enough gun battles and throwaway humor to cover up the yawning chasm where the plot should be . $LABEL$ 0 +parris ' performance is credible and remarkably mature . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's sense of imagery gives it a terrible strength , but it 's propelled by the acting . $LABEL$ 1 +` stock up on silver bullets for director neil marshall 's intense freight train of a film . ' $LABEL$ 1 +the casting of von sydow ... is itself intacto 's luckiest stroke . $LABEL$ 1 +exhilarating , funny and fun . $LABEL$ 1 +bean drops the ball too many times ... hoping the nifty premise will create enough interest to make up for an unfocused screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +michael moore 's latest documentary about america 's thirst for violence is his best film yet ... $LABEL$ 1 +the tuxedo miscalculates badly by forcing the star to play second fiddle to the dull effects that allow the suit to come to life . $LABEL$ 0 +at the one-hour mark , herzog simply runs out of ideas and the pace turns positively leaden as the movie sputters to its inevitable tragic conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +nearly every attempt at humor here is doa . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a road-trip drama with too many wrong turns . $LABEL$ 0 +everything in maid in manhattan is exceedingly pleasant , designed not to offend . $LABEL$ 1 +ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with . $LABEL$ 1 +enigma is well-made , but it 's just too dry and too placid . $LABEL$ 0 +not quite as miraculous as its dreamworks makers would have you believe , but it more than adequately fills the eyes and stirs the emotions . $LABEL$ 1 +eight legged freaks falls flat as a spoof . $LABEL$ 0 +takes you by the face , strokes your cheeks and coos beseechingly at you : slow down , shake off your tensions and take this picture at its own breezy , distracted rhythms . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a long way from orwell 's dark , intelligent warning cry -lrb- 1984 -rrb- to the empty stud knockabout of equilibrium , and what once was conviction is now affectation . $LABEL$ 0 +short-story quaint , touchingly mending a child 's pain for his dead mother via communication with an old woman straight out of eudora welty . $LABEL$ 1 +smart , funny and just honest enough to provide the pleasures of a slightly naughty , just-above-average off - broadway play . $LABEL$ 1 +a photographic marvel of sorts , and it 's certainly an invaluable record of that special fishy community . $LABEL$ 1 +... while the humor aspects of ` jason x ' were far more entertaining than i had expected , everything else about the film tanks . $LABEL$ 0 +but not without cheesy fun factor . $LABEL$ 1 +tsai ming-liang 's witty , wistful new film , what time is it there ? $LABEL$ 1 +becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any plympton film : boring . $LABEL$ 0 +heavy with flabby rolls of typical toback machinations . $LABEL$ 0 +last orders nurtures the multi-layers of its characters , allowing us to remember that life 's ultimately a gamble and last orders are to be embraced . $LABEL$ 1 +the only thing i laughed at were the people who paid to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +the script , the gags , the characters are all direct-to-video stuff , and that 's where this film should have remained . $LABEL$ 0 +on the evidence before us , the answer is clear : not easily and , in the end , not well enough . $LABEL$ 0 +an awkwardly contrived exercise in magic realism . $LABEL$ 0 +each scene immediately succumbs to gravity and plummets to earth . $LABEL$ 0 +assayas ' ambitious , sometimes beautiful adaptation of jacques chardonne 's novel . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing but one relentlessly depressing situation after another for its entire running time , something that you could easily be dealing with right now in your lives . $LABEL$ 0 +the film just might turn on many people to opera , in general , an art form at once visceral and spiritual , wonderfully vulgar and sublimely lofty -- and as emotionally grand as life . $LABEL$ 1 +a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they 've rarely been given . $LABEL$ 1 +... hokey art house pretension . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately the story and the actors are served with a hack script . $LABEL$ 0 +and there 's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together . $LABEL$ 1 +told in scattered fashion , the movie only intermittently lives up to the stories and faces and music of the men who are its subject . $LABEL$ 0 +comes across as a fairly weak retooling . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the best films of the year with its exquisite acting , inventive screenplay , mesmerizing music , and many inimitable scenes of tenderness , loss , discontent , and yearning . $LABEL$ 1 +the big finish is a bit like getting all excited about a chocolate eclair and then biting into it and finding the filling missing . $LABEL$ 0 +as saccharine movies go , this is likely to cause massive cardiac arrest if taken in large doses . $LABEL$ 0 +the film was immensely enjoyable thanks to great performances by both steve buscemi and rosario dawson ... $LABEL$ 1 +it 's quite an achievement to set and shoot a movie at the cannes film festival and yet fail to capture its visual appeal or its atmosphere . $LABEL$ 0 +apparently designed as a reverie about memory and regret , but the only thing you 'll regret is remembering the experience of sitting through it . $LABEL$ 0 +it never rises to its clever what-if concept . $LABEL$ 0 +shallow , noisy and pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +demonstrates a vivid imagination and an impressive style that result in some terrific setpieces . $LABEL$ 1 +not a film for the faint of heart or conservative of spirit , but for the rest of us -- especially san francisco lovers -- it 's a spirited film and a must-see . $LABEL$ 1 +engages us in constant fits of laughter , until we find ourselves surprised at how much we care about the story , and end up walking out not only satisfied but also somewhat touched . $LABEL$ 1 +a clever script and skilled actors bring new energy to the familiar topic of office politics . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's probably worth catching solely on its visual merits . $LABEL$ 1 +an enjoyable feel-good family comedy regardless of race . $LABEL$ 1 +a handsome but unfulfilling suspense drama more suited to a quiet evening on pbs than a night out at an amc . $LABEL$ 0 +a fine production with splendid singing by angela gheorghiu , ruggero raimondi , and roberto alagna . $LABEL$ 1 +it may scream low budget , but this charmer has a spirit that can not be denied . $LABEL$ 1 +- style cross-country adventure ... it has sporadic bursts of liveliness , some so-so slapstick and a few ear-pleasing songs on its soundtrack . $LABEL$ 1 +a polished and vastly entertaining caper film that puts the sting back into the con . $LABEL$ 1 +do n't wait to see this terrific film with your kids -- if you do n't have kids borrow some . $LABEL$ 1 +could as easily have been called ` under siege 3 : in alcatraz ' ... a cinematic corpse that never springs to life . $LABEL$ 0 +cedar somewhat defuses this provocative theme by submerging it in a hoary love triangle . $LABEL$ 1 +is it a comedy ? $LABEL$ 0 +as is often the case with ambitious , eager first-time filmmakers , mr. murray , a prolific director of music videos , stuffs his debut with more plot than it can comfortably hold . $LABEL$ 0 +it does n't make for great cinema , but it is interesting to see where one 's imagination will lead when given the opportunity . $LABEL$ 0 +its and pieces of the hot chick are so hilarious , and schneider 's performance is so fine , it 's a real shame that so much of the movie -- again , as in the animal -- is a slapdash mess . $LABEL$ 0 +this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often . $LABEL$ 0 +both exuberantly romantic and serenely melancholy , what time is it there ? $LABEL$ 1 +... a series of tales told with the intricate preciseness of the best short story writing . $LABEL$ 1 +i walked away not really know who `` they '' were , what `` they '' looked like . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is genial but never inspired , and little about it will stay with you . $LABEL$ 0 +what happens when something goes bump in the night and nobody cares ? $LABEL$ 0 +long on twinkly-eyed close-ups and short on shame . $LABEL$ 0 +familiar but utterly delightful . $LABEL$ 1 +the chocolate factory without charlie . $LABEL$ 0 +may offend viewers not amused by the sick sense of humor . $LABEL$ 0 +steven spielberg brings us another masterpiece $LABEL$ 1 +it made me feel unclean , and i 'm the guy who liked there 's something about mary and both american pie movies . $LABEL$ 0 +complex , sinuously plotted and , somehow , off-puttingly cold . $LABEL$ 0 +a lot of the credit for the film 's winning tone must go to grant , who has n't lost a bit of the dry humor that first made audiences on both sides of the atlantic love him . $LABEL$ 1 +the rare imax movie that you 'll wish was longer than an hour . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're a comic fan , you ca n't miss it . $LABEL$ 1 +a marvel of production design . $LABEL$ 1 +from the choppy editing to the annoying score to ` special effects ' by way of replacing objects in a character 's hands below the camera line , `` besotted '' is misbegotten $LABEL$ 0 +a welcome relief from baseball movies that try too hard to be mythic , this one is a sweet and modest and ultimately winning story . $LABEL$ 1 +from both a great and a terrible story , mr. nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience . $LABEL$ 1 +consider it ` perfection . ' $LABEL$ 1 +affectionately reminds us that , in any language , the huge stuff in life can usually be traced back to the little things . $LABEL$ 1 +if the material is slight and admittedly manipulative , jacquot preserves tosca 's intoxicating ardor through his use of the camera . $LABEL$ 1 +like the tuck family themselves , this movie just goes on and on and on and on $LABEL$ 0 +it should be doing a lot of things , but does n't . $LABEL$ 0 +moretti ... is the rare common-man artist who 's wise enough to recognize that there are few things in this world more complex -- and , as it turns out , more fragile -- than happiness . $LABEL$ 1 +... irritating soul-searching garbage . $LABEL$ 0 +a humorless journey into a philosophical void . $LABEL$ 0 +none of this sounds promising and , indeed , the first half of sorority boys is as appalling as any ` comedy ' to ever spill from a projector 's lens . $LABEL$ 0 +you can drive right by it without noticing anything special , save for a few comic turns , intended and otherwise . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's thoroughly recycled plot and tiresome jokes ... drag the movie down . $LABEL$ 0 +the story gives ample opportunity for large-scale action and suspense , which director shekhar kapur supplies with tremendous skill . $LABEL$ 1 +were dylan thomas alive to witness first-time director ethan hawke 's strained chelsea walls , he might have been tempted to change his landmark poem to , ` do not go gentle into that good theatre . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the film ultimately offers nothing more than people in an urban jungle needing other people to survive ... $LABEL$ 0 +triple x is a double agent , and he 's one bad dude . $LABEL$ 1 +wanders all over the map thematically and stylistically , and borrows heavily from lynch , jeunet , and von trier while failing to find a spark of its own . $LABEL$ 0 +lyne 's latest , the erotic thriller unfaithful , further demonstrates just how far his storytelling skills have eroded . $LABEL$ 0 +a determined , ennui-hobbled slog that really does n't have much to say beyond the news flash that loneliness can make people act weird . $LABEL$ 0 +fails to satisfactorily exploit its gender politics , genre thrills or inherent humor . $LABEL$ 0 +jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness . $LABEL$ 1 +daughter from danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's captivating details are all in the performances , from foreman 's barking-mad taylor to thewlis 's smoothly sinister freddie and bettany\/mcdowell 's hard-eyed gangster . $LABEL$ 1 +quite frankly , i ca n't see why any actor of talent would ever work in a mcculloch production again if they looked at how this movie turned out . $LABEL$ 0 +a little more intensity and a little less charm would have saved this film a world of hurt . $LABEL$ 0 +a really good premise is frittered away in middle-of-the-road blandness . $LABEL$ 0 +a bit too eager to please . $LABEL$ 0 +sade achieves the near-impossible : it turns the marquis de sade into a dullard . $LABEL$ 0 +it seems impossible that an epic four-hour indian musical about a cricket game could be this good , but it is . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in trouble every day . $LABEL$ 1 +a piece of mildly entertaining , inoffensive fluff that drifts aimlessly for 90 minutes before lodging in the cracks of that ever-growing category : unembarrassing but unmemorable . $LABEL$ 0 +funny and also heartwarming without stooping to gooeyness . $LABEL$ 1 +this kiddie-oriented stinker is so bad that i even caught the gum stuck under my seat trying to sneak out of the theater $LABEL$ 0 +shreve 's graceful dual narrative gets clunky on the screen , and we keep getting torn away from the compelling historical tale to a less-compelling soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +the story passes time until it 's time for an absurd finale of twisted metal , fireballs and revenge . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine a scenario where bergman approaches swedish fatalism using gary larson 's far side humor $LABEL$ 1 +he 's not good with people . $LABEL$ 0 +big mistake . $LABEL$ 0 +aan opportunity wasted . $LABEL$ 0 +y tu mamá también is hilariously , gloriously alive , and quite often hotter than georgia asphalt . $LABEL$ 1 +rubbo 's humorously tendentious intervention into the who-wrote-shakespeare controversy . $LABEL$ 1 +it is quite a vision . $LABEL$ 1 +a stupid , derivative horror film that substitutes extreme gore for suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +the color sense of stuart little 2 is its most immediate and most obvious pleasure , but it would count for very little if the movie were n't as beautifully shaped and as delicately calibrated in tone as it is . $LABEL$ 1 +downbeat , period-perfect biopic hammers home a heavy-handed moralistic message . $LABEL$ 1 +less a study in madness or love than a study in schoolgirl obsession . $LABEL$ 0 +the pairing does sound promising in theory ... but their lack of chemistry makes eddie murphy and robert deniro in showtime look like old , familiar vaudeville partners . $LABEL$ 0 +you come away thinking not only that kate is n't very bright , but that she has n't been worth caring about and that maybe she , janine and molly -- an all-woman dysfunctional family -- deserve one another . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're looking for something new and hoping for something entertaining , you 're in luck . $LABEL$ 1 +a triumph of pure craft and passionate heart . $LABEL$ 1 +cool . $LABEL$ 1 +the film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery . $LABEL$ 1 +beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes . $LABEL$ 1 +morvern callar confirms lynne ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +guy gets girl , guy loses girl , audience falls asleep . $LABEL$ 0 +there are so few films about the plight of american indians in modern america that skins comes as a welcome , if downbeat , missive from a forgotten front . $LABEL$ 1 +depressingly thin and exhaustingly contrived . $LABEL$ 0 +bluer than the atlantic and more biologically detailed than an autopsy , the movie ... is , also , frequently hilarious . $LABEL$ 1 +bouquet gives a performance that is masterly . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's as sorry a mess as its director 's diabolical debut , mad cows . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a lot to recommend read my lips . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls $LABEL$ 0 +this submarine drama earns the right to be favorably compared to das boot . $LABEL$ 1 +the only question ... is to determine how well the schmaltz is manufactured -- to assess the quality of the manipulative engineering . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's impossible to even categorize this as a smutty guilty pleasure . $LABEL$ 0 +maintains your interest until the end and even leaves you with a few lingering animated thoughts . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie does n't think much of its characters , its protagonist , or of us . $LABEL$ 0 +britney spears ' phoniness is nothing compared to the movie 's contrived , lame screenplay and listless direction . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's progression into rambling incoherence gives new meaning to the phrase ` fatal script error . ' $LABEL$ 0 +devos and cassel have tremendous chemistry -- their sexual and romantic tension , while never really vocalized , is palpable . $LABEL$ 1 +... about as exciting to watch as two last-place basketball teams playing one another on the final day of the season . $LABEL$ 0 +terrific as nadia , a russian mail-order bride who comes to america speaking not a word of english , it 's kidman who holds the film together with a supremely kittenish performance that gradually accumulates more layers . $LABEL$ 1 +he fails . $LABEL$ 0 +this new movie version of the alexandre dumas classic is the stuff of high romance , brought off with considerable wit . $LABEL$ 1 +nicolas cage is n't the first actor to lead a group of talented friends astray , and this movie wo n't create a ruffle in what is already an erratic career . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's dark but has wonderfully funny moments ; you care about the characters ; and the action and special effects are first-rate . $LABEL$ 1 +jeong-hyang lee 's film is deceptively simple , deeply satisfying . $LABEL$ 1 +the bodily function jokes are about what you 'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +for a film about action , ultimate x is the gabbiest giant-screen movie ever , bogging down in a barrage of hype . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a solid movie about people whose lives are anything but . $LABEL$ 1 +one ca n't shake the feeling that crossroads is nothing more than an hour-and-a-half-long commercial for britney 's latest album . $LABEL$ 0 +visually engrossing , seldom hammy , honorably mexican and burns its kahlories with conviction . $LABEL$ 1 +high crimes steals so freely from other movies and combines enough disparate types of films that it ca n't help but engage an audience . $LABEL$ 1 +it makes even elizabeth hurley seem graceless and ugly . $LABEL$ 0 +if you can read the subtitles -lrb- the opera is sung in italian -rrb- and you like ` masterpiece theatre ' type costumes , you 'll enjoy this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +a terrifically entertaining specimen of spielbergian sci-fi . $LABEL$ 1 +simply a re-hash of the other seven films . $LABEL$ 0 +hmmm ... might i suggest that the wayward wooden one end it all by stuffing himself into an electric pencil sharpener ? $LABEL$ 0 +a playful iranian parable about openness , particularly the need for people of diverse political perspectives to get along despite their ideological differences . $LABEL$ 1 +death might be a release . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's messages are quite admirable , but the story is just too clichéd and too often strains credulity . $LABEL$ 0 +a live-action cartoon , a fast-moving and cheerfully simplistic 88 minutes of exaggerated action put together with the preteen boy in mind . $LABEL$ 1 +as ex-marine walter , who may or may not have shot kennedy , actor raymond j. barry is perfectly creepy and believable . $LABEL$ 1 +the production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating . $LABEL$ 1 +the result puts a human face on derrida , and makes one of the great minds of our times interesting and accessible to people who normally could n't care less . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is way too full of itself ; it 's stuffy and pretentious in a give-me-an-oscar kind of way . $LABEL$ 0 +according to the script , grant and bullock 's characters are made for each other . $LABEL$ 1 +the picture uses humor and a heartfelt conviction to tell a story about discovering your destination in life , but also acknowledging the places , and the people , from whence you came . $LABEL$ 1 +a perfect example of rancid , well-intentioned , but shamelessly manipulative movie making . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie version of a paint-by-numbers picture . $LABEL$ 0 +lux , now in her eighties , does a great combination act as narrator , jewish grandmother and subject -- taking us through a film that is part biography , part entertainment and part history . $LABEL$ 1 +a stylish but steady , and ultimately very satisfying , piece of character-driven storytelling . $LABEL$ 1 +the feature-length stretch ... strains the show 's concept . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters , cast in impossibly contrived situations , are totally estranged from reality . $LABEL$ 0 +a small independent film suffering from a severe case of hollywood-itis . $LABEL$ 0 +an exercise in cynicism every bit as ugly as the shabby digital photography and muddy sound . $LABEL$ 0 +ken russell would love this . $LABEL$ 1 +has all the scenic appeal of a cesspool . $LABEL$ 0 +they can and will turn on a dime from oddly humorous to tediously sentimental . $LABEL$ 1 +claire is a terrific role for someone like judd , who really ought to be playing villains . $LABEL$ 1 +kitschy , flashy , overlong soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +its message has merit and , in the hands of a brutally honest individual like prophet jack , might have made a point or two regarding life . $LABEL$ 0 +sex is one of those films that aims to confuse . $LABEL$ 0 +first-time director joão pedro rodrigues ' unwillingness to define his hero 's background or motivations becomes more and more frustrating as the film goes on . $LABEL$ 0 +salma goes native and she 's never been better in this colorful bio-pic of a mexican icon . $LABEL$ 1 +human nature is a goofball movie , in the way that malkovich was , but it tries too hard . $LABEL$ 1 +the asylum material is gripping , as are the scenes of jia with his family . $LABEL$ 1 +a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit wo n't be disappointed . $LABEL$ 1 +the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission . $LABEL$ 1 +it sounds like another clever if pointless excursion into the abyss , and that 's more or less how it plays out . $LABEL$ 0 +the film has the high-buffed gloss and high-octane jolts you expect of de palma , but what makes it transporting is that it 's also one of the smartest , most pleasurable expressions of pure movie love to come from an american director in years . $LABEL$ 1 +sly , sophisticated and surprising . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- kline 's -rrb- utterly convincing -- and deeply appealing -- as a noble teacher who embraces a strict moral code , and as a flawed human being who ca n't quite live up to it . $LABEL$ 1 +more trifle than triumph . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to believe these jokers are supposed to have pulled off four similar kidnappings before . $LABEL$ 0 +murphy and wilson actually make a pretty good team ... but the project surrounding them is distressingly rote . $LABEL$ 0 +the screenplay , co-written by director imogen kimmel , lacks the wit necessary to fully exploit the comic elements of the premise , making the proceedings more bizarre than actually amusing . $LABEL$ 0 +i hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness . $LABEL$ 1 +she may not be real , but the laughs are . $LABEL$ 1 +clumsy , obvious , preposterous , the movie will likely set the cause of woman warriors back decades . $LABEL$ 0 +a depressingly retrograde , ` post-feminist ' romantic comedy that takes an astonishingly condescending attitude toward women . $LABEL$ 0 +scherfig 's light-hearted profile of emotional desperation is achingly honest and delightfully cheeky . $LABEL$ 1 +you can sip your vintage wines and watch your merchant ivory productions ; i 'll settle for a nice cool glass of iced tea and a jerry bruckheimer flick any day of the week . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of movie where the big scene is a man shot out of a cannon into a vat of ice cream . $LABEL$ 0 +both garcia and jagger turn in perfectly executed and wonderfully sympathetic characters , who are alternately touching and funny . $LABEL$ 1 +many went to see the attraction for the sole reason that it was hot outside and there was air conditioning inside , and i do n't think that a.c. will help this movie one bit . $LABEL$ 0 +you 'll trudge out of the theater feeling as though you rode the zipper after eating a corn dog and an extra-large cotton candy . $LABEL$ 0 +crudup 's screen presence is the one thing that holds interest in the midst of a mushy , existential exploration of why men leave their families . $LABEL$ 1 +not everyone will welcome or accept the trials of henry kissinger as faithful portraiture , but few can argue that the debate it joins is a necessary and timely one . $LABEL$ 1 +by surrounding us with hyper-artificiality , haynes makes us see familiar issues , like racism and homophobia , in a fresh way . $LABEL$ 1 +... somehow manages to escape the shackles of its own clichés to be the best espionage picture to come out in weeks . $LABEL$ 1 +a highly spirited , imaginative kid 's movie that broaches neo-augustinian theology : is god stuck in heaven because he 's afraid of his best-known creation ? $LABEL$ 1 +alas , it 's the man that makes the clothes . $LABEL$ 1 +when the fire burns out , we 've only come face-to-face with a couple dragons and that 's where the film ultimately fails . $LABEL$ 0 +this often-hilarious farce manages to generate the belly laughs of lowbrow comedy without sacrificing its high-minded appeal . $LABEL$ 1 +the pianist is polanski 's best film . $LABEL$ 1 +you feel good , you feel sad , you feel pissed off , but in the end , you feel alive - which is what they did . $LABEL$ 1 +klein , charming in comedies like american pie and dead-on in election , delivers one of the saddest action hero performances ever witnessed . $LABEL$ 0 +from the dull , surreal ache of mortal awareness emerges a radiant character portrait . $LABEL$ 1 +utter mush ... conceited pap . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its hawaiian setting , the science-fiction trimmings and some moments of rowdy slapstick , the basic plot of `` lilo '' could have been pulled from a tear-stained vintage shirley temple script . $LABEL$ 0 +gooding is the energetic frontman , and it 's hard to resist his enthusiasm , even if the filmmakers come up with nothing original in the way of slapstick sequences . $LABEL$ 1 +... the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy . $LABEL$ 0 +just when you think that every possible angle has been exhausted by documentarians , another new film emerges with yet another remarkable yet shockingly little-known perspective . $LABEL$ 1 +think of it as gidget , only with muscles and a lot more smarts , but just as endearing and easy to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +grant carries the day with impeccable comic timing , raffish charm and piercing intellect . $LABEL$ 1 +a frustrating ` tweener ' -- too slick , contrived and exploitative for the art houses and too cynical , small and decadent for the malls . $LABEL$ 0 +predictably soulless techno-tripe . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers keep pushing the jokes at the expense of character until things fall apart . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's incredible the number of stories the holocaust has generated . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie keeps coming back to the achingly unfunny phonce and his several silly subplots . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's most improbable feat ? $LABEL$ 0 +the charm of revolution os is rather the way it introduces you to new , fervently held ideas and fanciful thinkers . $LABEL$ 1 +there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch . $LABEL$ 1 +there are some fairly unsettling scenes , but they never succeed in really rattling the viewer . $LABEL$ 0 +possibly the most irresponsible picture ever released by a major film studio . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters are paper thin and the plot is so cliched and contrived that it makes your least favorite james bond movie seem as cleverly plotted as the usual suspects . $LABEL$ 0 +a crisp psychological drama -lrb- and -rrb- a fascinating little thriller that would have been perfect for an old `` twilight zone '' episode . $LABEL$ 1 +there is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country . $LABEL$ 1 +time stands still in more ways that one in clockstoppers , a sci-fi thriller as lazy as it is interminable . $LABEL$ 0 +a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. spielberg and his company just want you to enjoy yourselves without feeling conned . $LABEL$ 1 +what the audience feels is exhaustion , from watching a movie that is dark -lrb- dark green , to be exact -rrb- , sour , bloody and mean . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. polanski is in his element here : alone , abandoned , but still consoled by his art , which is more than he has ever revealed before about the source of his spiritual survival . $LABEL$ 1 +a devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism . $LABEL$ 0 +it feels like very light errol morris , focusing on eccentricity but failing , ultimately , to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's full of cheesy dialogue , but great trashy fun that finally returns de palma to his pulpy thrillers of the early '80s . $LABEL$ 1 +diggs and lathan are among the chief reasons brown sugar is such a sweet and sexy film . $LABEL$ 1 +but this new jangle of noise , mayhem and stupidity must be a serious contender for the title . $LABEL$ 0 +darkly funny and frequently insightful . $LABEL$ 1 +formuliac , but fun . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's some good material in their story about a retail clerk wanting more out of life , but the movie too often spins its wheels with familiar situations and repetitive scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +damon brings the proper conviction to his role as -lrb- jason bourne -rrb- . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie does n't generate a lot of energy . $LABEL$ 0 +and yet , it still works . $LABEL$ 1 +it squanders chan 's uniqueness ; it could even be said to squander jennifer love hewitt ! $LABEL$ 0 +... a light , yet engrossing piece . $LABEL$ 1 +really quite funny . $LABEL$ 1 +pretty much sucks , but has a funny moment or two . $LABEL$ 0 +a singularly off-putting romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +diaz wears out her welcome in her most charmless performance $LABEL$ 0 +the actors improvise and scream their way around this movie directionless , lacking any of the rollicking dark humor so necessary to make this kind of idea work on screen . $LABEL$ 0 +the off-center humor is a constant , and the ensemble gives it a buoyant delivery . $LABEL$ 1 +nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here . $LABEL$ 0 +an eye-boggling blend of psychedelic devices , special effects and backgrounds , ` spy kids 2 ' is a visual treat for all audiences . $LABEL$ 1 +a lot of talent is wasted in this crass , low-wattage endeavor . $LABEL$ 0 +saddled with an unwieldy cast of characters and angles , but the payoff is powerful and revelatory . $LABEL$ 1 +an engaging criminal romp that will have viewers guessing just who 's being conned right up to the finale . $LABEL$ 1 +an engrossing portrait of uncompromising artists trying to create something original against the backdrop of a corporate music industry that only seems to care about the bottom line . $LABEL$ 1 +kaufman 's script is never especially clever and often is rather pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +it celebrates the group 's playful spark of nonconformity , glancing vividly back at what hibiscus grandly called his ` angels of light . ' $LABEL$ 1 +like coming into a long-running , well-written television series where you 've missed the first half-dozen episodes and probably wo n't see the next six . $LABEL$ 0 +its flame-like , roiling black-and-white inspires trembling and gratitude . $LABEL$ 1 +although it includes a fair share of dumb drug jokes and predictable slapstick , `` orange county '' is far funnier than it would seem to have any right to be . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- the film -rrb- tackles the topic of relationships in such a straightforward , emotionally honest manner that by the end , it 's impossible to ascertain whether the film is , at its core , deeply pessimistic or quietly hopeful . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is weighed down by supporting characters who are either too goodly , wise and knowing or downright comically evil . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a visual rorschach test and i must have failed . $LABEL$ 0 +an uncomfortable experience , but one as brave and challenging as you could possibly expect these days from american cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +the huskies are beautiful , the border collie is funny and the overall feeling is genial and decent . $LABEL$ 1 +charming and witty , it 's also somewhat clumsy . $LABEL$ 1 +amari has dressed up this little parable in a fairly irresistible package full of privileged moments and memorable performances . $LABEL$ 1 +with mcconaughey in an entirely irony-free zone and bale reduced mainly to batting his sensitive eyelids , there 's not enough intelligence , wit or innovation on the screen to attract and sustain an older crowd . $LABEL$ 0 +a vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish . $LABEL$ 1 +... an eerily suspenseful , deeply absorbing piece that works as a treatise on spirituality as well as a solid sci-fi thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +despite juliet stevenon 's attempt to bring cohesion to pamela 's emotional roller coaster life , it is not enough to give the film the substance it so desperately needs . $LABEL$ 0 +this film is an act of spiritual faith -- an eloquent , deeply felt meditation on the nature of compassion . $LABEL$ 1 +it all plays out ... like a high-end john hughes comedy , a kind of elder bueller 's time out . $LABEL$ 1 +what with all the blanket statements and dime-store ruminations on vanity , the worries of the rich and sudden wisdom , the film becomes a sermon for most of its running time . $LABEL$ 0 +wildly incompetent but brilliantly named half past dead -- or for seagal pessimists : totally past his prime . $LABEL$ 0 +those eternally devoted to the insanity of black will have an intermittently good time . $LABEL$ 1 +the pretensions -- and disposable story -- sink the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +she nearly glows with enthusiasm , sensuality and a conniving wit . $LABEL$ 1 +and for many of us , that 's good enough . $LABEL$ 1 +meyjes ... has done his homework and soaked up some jazzy new revisionist theories about the origins of nazi politics and aesthetics . $LABEL$ 1 +poetic , heartbreaking . $LABEL$ 1 +a memorable experience that , like many of his works , presents weighty issues colorfully wrapped up in his own idiosyncratic strain of kitschy goodwill . $LABEL$ 1 +as an actress , madonna is one helluva singer . $LABEL$ 1 +the script by vincent r. nebrida ... tries to cram too many ingredients into one small pot . $LABEL$ 0 +just as the lousy tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy guy ritchie imitation . $LABEL$ 0 +the direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by harris , phifer and cam ` ron seal the deal . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that will enthrall the whole family . $LABEL$ 1 +it just does n't have anything really interesting to say . $LABEL$ 0 +much of the lady and the duke is about quiet , decisive moments between members of the cultural elite as they determine how to proceed as the world implodes . $LABEL$ 1 +while you have to admit it 's semi-amusing to watch robert deniro belt out `` when you 're a jet , you 're a jet all the way , '' it 's equally distasteful to watch him sing the lyrics to `` tonight . '' $LABEL$ 0 +a quaint , romanticized rendering . $LABEL$ 1 +filmmakers david weissman and bill weber benefit enormously from the cockettes ' camera craziness -- not only did they film performances , but they did the same at home . $LABEL$ 1 +as chilling and fascinating as philippe mora 's modern hitler-study , snide and prejudice . $LABEL$ 1 +a little too ponderous to work as shallow entertainment , not remotely incisive enough to qualify as drama , monsoon wedding serves mostly to whet one 's appetite for the bollywood films . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that the less charitable might describe as a castrated cross between highlander and lolita . $LABEL$ 0 +seagal , who looks more like danny aiello these days , mumbles his way through the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a full experience , a love story and a murder mystery that expands into a meditation on the deep deceptions of innocence . $LABEL$ 1 +how do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any ? $LABEL$ 0 +fudges fact and fancy with such confidence that we feel as if we 're seeing something purer than the real thing . $LABEL$ 1 +the cast is top-notch and i predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over michael idemoto as michael . $LABEL$ 1 +sandra bullock and hugh grant make a great team , but this predictable romantic comedy should get a pink slip . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's all stitched together with energy , intelligence and verve , enhanced by a surplus of vintage archive footage . $LABEL$ 1 +so muddled , repetitive and ragged that it says far less about the horrifying historical reality than about the filmmaker 's characteristic style . $LABEL$ 0 +a faster paced family flick . $LABEL$ 1 +`` analyze that '' is one of those crass , contrived sequels that not only fails on its own , but makes you second-guess your affection for the original . $LABEL$ 0 +fairy-tale formula , serves as a paper skeleton for some very good acting , dialogue , comedy , direction and especially charm . $LABEL$ 1 +the quirky drama touches the heart and the funnybone thanks to the energetic and always surprising performance by rachel griffiths . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm sure the filmmakers found this a remarkable and novel concept , but anybody who has ever seen an independent film can report that it is instead a cheap cliché . $LABEL$ 0 +in its understanding , often funny way , it tells a story whose restatement is validated by the changing composition of the nation . $LABEL$ 1 +let 's issue a moratorium , effective immediately , on treacly films about inspirational prep-school professors and the children they so heartwarmingly motivate . $LABEL$ 1 +tiresomely derivative and hammily acted . $LABEL$ 0 +i walked away from this new version of e.t. just as i hoped i would -- with moist eyes . $LABEL$ 1 +what should have been a cutting hollywood satire is instead about as fresh as last week 's issue of variety . $LABEL$ 0 +the film does a solid job of slowly , steadily building up to the climactic burst of violence . $LABEL$ 1 +the heart of the film is a touching reflection on aging , suffering and the prospect of death . $LABEL$ 1 +the notion of deleting emotion from people , even in an advanced prozac nation , is so insanely dysfunctional that the rampantly designed equilibrium becomes a concept doofus . $LABEL$ 0 +puts to rest any thought that the german film industry can not make a delightful comedy centering on food . $LABEL$ 1 +with the dog days of august upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity . $LABEL$ 0 +no amount of arty theorizing -- the special effects are ` german-expressionist , ' according to the press notes -- can render it anything but laughable . $LABEL$ 0 +a well-executed spy-thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +lisa rinzler 's cinematography may be lovely , but love liza 's tale itself virtually collapses into an inhalant blackout , maintaining consciousness just long enough to achieve callow pretension . $LABEL$ 0 +the trailer is a riot . $LABEL$ 1 +this cloying , voices-from-the-other-side story is hell . $LABEL$ 0 +alas , getting there is not even half the interest . $LABEL$ 0 +a chilly , brooding but quietly resonant psychological study of domestic tension and unhappiness . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is somewhat satisfying -- it still comes from spielberg , who has never made anything that was n't at least watchable . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'll go out on a limb . $LABEL$ 1 +deflated ending aside , there 's much to recommend the film . $LABEL$ 1 +sheridan is painfully bad , a fourth-rate jim carrey who does n't understand the difference between dumb fun and just plain dumb . $LABEL$ 0 +as improbable as this premise may seem , abbass 's understated , shining performance offers us the sense that on some elemental level , lilia deeply wants to break free of her old life . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe leblanc thought , `` hey , the movie about the baseball-playing monkey was worse . '' $LABEL$ 0 +gives an intriguing twist to the french coming-of-age genre . $LABEL$ 1 +he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race . $LABEL$ 1 +escapes the precious trappings of most romantic comedies , infusing into the story very real , complicated emotions . $LABEL$ 1 +full of bland hotels , highways , parking lots , with some glimpses of nature and family warmth , time out is a discreet moan of despair about entrapment in the maze of modern life . $LABEL$ 0 +a naturally funny film , home movie makes you crave chris smith 's next movie . $LABEL$ 1 +director hoffman , his writer and kline 's agent should serve detention $LABEL$ 0 +the quirky and recessive charms of co-stars martin donovan and mary-louise parker help overcome the problematic script . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a mindless action flick with a twist -- far better suited to video-viewing than the multiplex . $LABEL$ 0 +as an entertainment destination for the general public , kung pow sets a new benchmark for lameness . $LABEL$ 0 +graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in american teen comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- allen -rrb- manages to breathe life into this somewhat tired premise . $LABEL$ 1 +the truth about charlie is that it 's a brazenly misguided project . $LABEL$ 0 +with little visible talent and no energy , colin hanks is in bad need of major acting lessons and maybe a little coffee . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie feel more like a non-stop cry for attention , than an attempt at any kind of satisfying entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +exhilarating but blatantly biased . $LABEL$ 1 +a mostly believable , refreshingly low-key and quietly inspirational little sports drama . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely , a movie is more than a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +how this one escaped the lifetime network i 'll never know . $LABEL$ 0 +to some eyes this will seem like a recycling of clichés , an assassin 's greatest hits . $LABEL$ 0 +less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is . $LABEL$ 0 +an achingly enthralling premise , the film is hindered by uneven dialogue and plot lapses . $LABEL$ 0 +the innate theatrics that provide its thrills and extreme emotions lose their luster when flattened onscreen . $LABEL$ 0 +a gentle and engrossing character study . $LABEL$ 1 +sluggish , tonally uneven . $LABEL$ 0 +ultimately , the film amounts to being lectured to by tech-geeks , if you 're up for that sort of thing . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is undone by anachronistic quick edits and occasional jarring glimpses of a modern theater audience watching the events unfold . $LABEL$ 0 +what could have easily become a cold , calculated exercise in postmodern pastiche winds up a powerful and deeply moving example of melodramatic moviemaking . $LABEL$ 1 +russell lacks the visual panache , the comic touch , and perhaps the budget of sommers 's title-bout features . $LABEL$ 0 +some remarkable achival film about how shanghai -lrb- of all places -rrb- served jews who escaped the holocaust . $LABEL$ 1 +`` interview '' loses its overall sense of mystery and becomes a tv episode rather than a documentary that you actually buy into . $LABEL$ 0 +an old-fashioned but emotionally stirring adventure tale of the kind they rarely make anymore . $LABEL$ 1 +intelligent and moving . $LABEL$ 1 +a bodice-ripper for intellectuals . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's fun , wispy , wise and surprisingly inoffensive for a film about a teen in love with his stepmom . $LABEL$ 1 +the narrator and the other characters try to convince us that acting transfigures esther , but she 's never seen speaking on stage ; one feels cheated , and esther seems to remain an unchanged dullard . $LABEL$ 0 +time out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term . $LABEL$ 1 +guilty of the worst sin of attributable to a movie like this : it 's not scary in the slightest . $LABEL$ 0 +peppering this urban study with references to norwegian folktales , villeneuve creates in maelstrom a world where the bizarre is credible and the real turns magical . $LABEL$ 1 +elling builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +kwan is a master of shadow , quietude , and room noise , and lan yu is a disarmingly lived-in movie . $LABEL$ 1 +maryam is a small film , but it offers large rewards . $LABEL$ 1 +ya-yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film . $LABEL$ 1 +a stylistic romp that 's always fun to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +you can tell almost immediately that welcome to collinwood is n't going to jell . $LABEL$ 0 +a shimmeringly lovely coming-of-age portrait , shot in artful , watery tones of blue , green and brown . $LABEL$ 1 +its impressive images of crematorium chimney fires and stacks of dead bodies are undermined by the movie 's presentation , which is way too stagy . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a heavy stench of ` been there , done that ' hanging over the film . $LABEL$ 0 +an affectionately goofy satire that 's unafraid to throw elbows when necessary ... $LABEL$ 1 +but never mind all that ; the boobs are fantasti $LABEL$ 1 +at every opportunity to do something clever , the film goes right over the edge and kills every sense of believability ... all you have left is a no-surprise series of explosions and violence while banderas looks like he 's not trying to laugh at how bad it $LABEL$ 0 +stress ` dumb . ' $LABEL$ 0 +katz 's documentary does n't have much panache , but with material this rich it does n't need it . $LABEL$ 1 +deadly dull , pointless meditation on losers in a gone-to-seed hotel . $LABEL$ 0 +huppert and girardot give performances of exceptional honesty . $LABEL$ 1 +where 's the movie here ? $LABEL$ 0 +an unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art , it 's an unhappy situation all around . $LABEL$ 0 +it does n't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that . $LABEL$ 0 +this makes minority report necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever . $LABEL$ 1 +if you really want to understand what this story is really all about , you 're far better served by the source material . $LABEL$ 0 +swimming is above all about a young woman 's face , and by casting an actress whose face projects that woman 's doubts and yearnings , it succeeds . $LABEL$ 1 +mattei 's underdeveloped effort here is nothing but a convenient conveyor belt of brooding personalities that parade about as if they were coming back from stock character camp -- a drowsy drama infatuated by its own pretentious self-examination . $LABEL$ 0 +` the war of the roses , ' trailer-trash style . $LABEL$ 0 +the powerpuff girls arrive on the big screen with their super-powers , their super-simple animation and their super-dooper-adorability intact . $LABEL$ 1 +originality is sorely lacking . $LABEL$ 0 +it trusts the story it sets out to tell . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has a kind of hard , cold effect . $LABEL$ 0 +strip it of all its excess debris , and you 'd have a 90-minute , four-star movie . $LABEL$ 1 +while there 's likely very little crossover appeal to those without much interest in the elizabethans -lrb- as well as rank frustration from those in the know about rubbo 's dumbed-down tactics -rrb- , much ado about something is an amicable endeavor . $LABEL$ 1 +did we really need a remake of `` charade ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +stevens has a flair for dialogue comedy , the film operates nicely off the element of surprise , and the large cast is solid . $LABEL$ 1 +the mystery of enigma is how a rich historical subject , combined with so much first-rate talent ... could have yielded such a flat , plodding picture . $LABEL$ 0 +all leather pants & augmented boobs , hawn is hilarious as she tries to resuscitate the fun-loving libertine lost somewhere inside the conservative , handbag-clutching sarandon . $LABEL$ 1 +throughout , mr. audiard 's direction is fluid and quick . $LABEL$ 1 +the observations of this social\/economic\/urban environment are canny and spiced with irony . $LABEL$ 1 +while insomnia is in many ways a conventional , even predictable remake , nolan 's penetrating undercurrent of cerebral and cinemantic flair lends -lrb- it -rrb- stimulating depth . $LABEL$ 1 +undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos . $LABEL$ 1 +... in the pile of useless actioners from mtv schmucks who do n't know how to tell a story for more than four minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +watching a brian depalma movie is like watching an alfred hitchcock movie after drinking twelve beers . $LABEL$ 0 +ian holm conquers france as an earthy napoleon $LABEL$ 1 +time out is as serious as a pink slip . $LABEL$ 0 +tykwer 's surface flash is n't just a poor fit with kieslowski 's lyrical pessimism ; it completely contradicts everything kieslowski 's work aspired to , including the condition of art . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- creates -rrb- the worst kind of mythologizing , the kind that sacrifices real heroism and abject suffering for melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +director tom shadyac and star kevin costner glumly mishandle the story 's promising premise of a physician who needs to heal himself . $LABEL$ 0 +a tremendous piece of work . $LABEL$ 1 +as an actor 's showcase , hart 's war has much to recommend it , even if the top-billed willis is not the most impressive player . $LABEL$ 1 +a pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of crystal and de niro . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's something poignant about an artist of 90-plus years taking the effort to share his impressions of life and loss and time and art with us . $LABEL$ 1 +our culture is headed down the toilet with the ferocity of a frozen burrito after an all-night tequila bender -- and i know this because i 've seen ` jackass : the movie . ' $LABEL$ 0 +moonlight mile does n't quite go the distance but the cast is impressive and they all give life to these broken characters who are trying to make their way through this tragedy . $LABEL$ 1 +american and european cinema has amassed a vast holocaust literature , but it is impossible to think of any film more challenging or depressing than the grey zone . $LABEL$ 0 +the script is too mainstream and the psychology too textbook to intrigue . $LABEL$ 0 +if you recognize zeus -lrb- the dog from snatch -rrb- it will make you wish you were at home watching that movie instead of in the theater watching this one . $LABEL$ 0 +wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many . $LABEL$ 1 +though nijinsky 's words grow increasingly disturbed , the film maintains a beguiling serenity and poise that make it accessible for a non-narrative feature . $LABEL$ 1 +parker updates the setting in an attempt to make the film relevant today , without fully understanding what it was that made the story relevant in the first place . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie may not have the highest production values you 've ever seen , but it 's the work of an artist , one whose view of america , history and the awkwardness of human life is generous and deep . $LABEL$ 1 +brings together some of the biggest names in japanese anime , with impressive results . $LABEL$ 1 +woefully pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +mattei so completely loses himself to the film 's circular structure to ever offer any insightful discourse on , well , love in the time of money . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- leigh -rrb- has a true talent for drawing wrenching performances from his actors -lrb- improvised over many months -rrb- and for conveying the way tiny acts of kindness make ordinary life survivable . $LABEL$ 1 +director douglas mcgrath takes on nickleby with all the halfhearted zeal of an 8th grade boy delving into required reading . $LABEL$ 0 +godard uses his characters -- if that 's not too glorified a term -- as art things , mouthpieces , visual motifs , blanks . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's plenty to enjoy -- in no small part thanks to lau . $LABEL$ 1 +gaping plot holes sink this ` sub ' - standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth . $LABEL$ 0 +no surprises . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is so bad it does n't improve upon the experience of staring at a blank screen . $LABEL$ 0 +a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact . $LABEL$ 1 +conforms itself with creating a game of ` who 's who ' ... where the characters ' moves are often more predictable than their consequences . $LABEL$ 0 +an effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence . $LABEL$ 1 +nights feels more like a quickie tv special than a feature film ... it 's not even a tv special you 'd bother watching past the second commercial break . $LABEL$ 0 +blue crush is as predictable as the tides . $LABEL$ 0 +we 're left with a story that tries to grab us , only to keep letting go at all the wrong moments . $LABEL$ 0 +the subtitled costume drama is set in a remote african empire before cell phones , guns , and the internal combustion engine , but the politics that thump through it are as timely as tomorrow . $LABEL$ 1 +with minimal imagination , you could restage the whole thing in your bathtub . $LABEL$ 0 +just consider what new best friend does not have , beginning with the minor omission of a screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of contriving a climactic hero 's death for the beloved-major - character-who-shall - remain-nameless , why not invite some genuine spontaneity into the film by having the evil aliens ' laser guns actually hit something for once ? $LABEL$ 0 +brown sugar signals director rick famuyiwa 's emergence as an articulate , grown-up voice in african-american cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +their computer-animated faces are very expressive . $LABEL$ 1 +not only is it hokey , manipulative and as bland as wonder bread dipped in milk , but it also does the absolute last thing we need hollywood doing to us : it preaches . $LABEL$ 0 +the acting is n't much better . $LABEL$ 0 +a powerful and telling story that examines forbidden love , racial tension , and other issues that are as valid today as they were in the 1950s . $LABEL$ 1 +another best of the year selection . $LABEL$ 1 +the film runs on a little longer than it needs to -- muccino either does n't notice when his story ends or just ca n't tear himself away from the characters -- but it 's smooth and professional . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just too bad the screenwriters eventually shoot themselves in the feet with cop flick cliches like an oily arms dealer , squad car pile-ups and the requisite screaming captain . $LABEL$ 0 +its one-sidedness ... flirts with propaganda . $LABEL$ 0 +the overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude . $LABEL$ 1 +the underworld urban angst is derivative of martin scorsese 's taxi driver and goodfellas , but this film speaks for itself . $LABEL$ 1 +` synthetic ' is the best description of this well-meaning , beautifully produced film that sacrifices its promise for a high-powered star pedigree . $LABEL$ 0 +the film proves unrelentingly grim -- and equally engrossing . $LABEL$ 1 +too clumsy in key moments ... to make a big splash . $LABEL$ 0 +a small gem of a movie that defies classification and is as thought-provoking as it is funny , scary and sad . $LABEL$ 1 +the château would have been benefited from a sharper , cleaner script before it went in front of the camera . $LABEL$ 0 +... quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks . $LABEL$ 1 +arliss howard 's ambitious , moving , and adventurous directorial debut , big bad love , meets so many of the challenges it poses for itself that one can forgive the film its flaws . $LABEL$ 1 +` the château is never quite able to overcome the cultural moat surrounding its ludicrous and contrived plot . ' $LABEL$ 0 +in that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting . $LABEL$ 0 +i am not generally a huge fan of cartoons derived from tv shows , but hey arnold ! $LABEL$ 1 +literary purists may not be pleased , but as far as mainstream matinee-style entertainment goes , it does a bang-up job of pleasing the crowds . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's rare to see a movie that takes such a speedy swan dive from `` promising '' to `` interesting '' to `` familiar '' before landing squarely on `` stupid '' . $LABEL$ 0 +a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs . $LABEL$ 1 +tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star . $LABEL$ 1 +the actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script 's bad ideas and awkwardness . $LABEL$ 1 +romething 's really wrong with this ricture ! $LABEL$ 0 +an uninspired preachy and clichéd war film . $LABEL$ 0 +el crimen del padre amaro would likely be most effective if used as a tool to rally anti-catholic protestors . $LABEL$ 0 +a processed comedy chop suey . $LABEL$ 0 +rouge is less about a superficial midlife crisis than it is about the need to stay in touch with your own skin , at 18 or 80 . $LABEL$ 1 +part of the charm of satin rouge is that it avoids the obvious with humour and lightness . $LABEL$ 1 +its story about a young chinese woman , ah na , who has come to new york city to replace past tragedy with the american dream is one that any art-house moviegoer is likely to find compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +great performances , stylish cinematography and a gritty feel help make gangster no. 1 a worthwhile moviegoing experience . $LABEL$ 1 +but that they are doing it is thought-provoking . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has a nearly terminal case of the cutes , and it 's neither as funny nor as charming as it thinks it is . $LABEL$ 0 +the screenplay flounders under the weight of too many story lines . $LABEL$ 0 +an improvement on the feeble examples of big-screen poke-mania that have preceded it . $LABEL$ 1 +manages to please its intended audience -- children -- without placing their parents in a coma-like state . $LABEL$ 1 +what starts off as a possible argentine american beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers . $LABEL$ 0 +serving sara should be served an eviction notice at every theater stuck with it . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's hard to understand is why anybody picked it up . $LABEL$ 0 +a winning and wildly fascinating work . $LABEL$ 1 +blue crush is so prolonged and boring it is n't even close to being the barn-burningly bad movie it promised it would be . $LABEL$ 0 +for once , a movie does not proclaim the truth about two love-struck somebodies , but permits them time and space to convince us of that all on their own . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- fincher 's -rrb- camera sense and assured pacing make it an above-average thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +but while the highly predictable narrative falls short , treasure planet is truly gorgeous to behold . $LABEL$ 1 +there must be an audience that enjoys the friday series , but i would n't be interested in knowing any of them personally . $LABEL$ 0 +some fine acting , but ultimately a movie with no reason for being . $LABEL$ 0 +and if you appreciate the one-sided theme to lawrence 's over-indulgent tirade , then knock yourself out and enjoy the big screen postcard that is a self-glorified martin lawrence lovefest . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's consistently funny , in an irresistible junior-high way , and consistently free of any gag that would force you to give it a millisecond of thought . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's definitely not made for kids or their parents , for that matter , and i think even fans of sandler 's comic taste may find it uninteresting . $LABEL$ 0 +things really get weird , though not particularly scary : the movie is all portent and no content . $LABEL$ 0 +a properly spooky film about the power of spirits to influence us whether we believe in them or not . $LABEL$ 1 +drawing on an irresistible , languid romanticism , byler reveals the ways in which a sultry evening or a beer-fueled afternoon in the sun can inspire even the most retiring heart to venture forth . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's absolutely no reason why blue crush , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is $LABEL$ 1 +mike leigh populates his movie with a wonderful ensemble cast of characters that bring the routine day to day struggles of the working class to life $LABEL$ 1 +contains a few big laughs but many more that graze the funny bone or miss it altogether , in part because the consciously dumbed-down approach wears thin . $LABEL$ 0 +transforms one of -lrb- shakespeare 's -rrb- deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +successfully blended satire , high camp and yet another sexual taboo into a really funny movie . $LABEL$ 1 +a sweet-tempered comedy that forgoes the knee-jerk misogyny that passes for humor in so many teenage comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +an elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication . $LABEL$ 1 +even better than the first one ! $LABEL$ 1 +i ca n't recommend it . $LABEL$ 0 +poor ben bratt could n't find stardom if mapquest emailed him point-to-point driving directions . $LABEL$ 0 +more of the same from taiwanese auteur tsai ming-liang , which is good news to anyone who 's fallen under the sweet , melancholy spell of this unique director 's previous films . $LABEL$ 1 +allen shows he can outgag any of those young whippersnappers making moving pictures today . $LABEL$ 1 +by-the-numbers yarn . $LABEL$ 0 +on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , the powerpuff girls is a fast , frenetic , funny , even punny 6 -- aimed specifically at a grade-school audience . $LABEL$ 1 +those who trek to the ` plex predisposed to like it probably will enjoy themselves . $LABEL$ 1 +an ambitious ` what if ? ' $LABEL$ 1 +when a movie has stuck around for this long , you know there 's something there . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing wrong with performances here , but the whiney characters bugged me . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a boring movie about a boring man , made watchable by a bravura performance from a consummate actor incapable of being boring . $LABEL$ 1 +a first-class , thoroughly involving b movie that effectively combines two surefire , beloved genres -- the prison flick and the fight film . $LABEL$ 1 +the lady and the duke is a smart , romantic drama that dares to depict the french revolution from the aristocrats ' perspective . $LABEL$ 1 +even if you 've seen `` stomp '' -lrb- the stage show -rrb- , you still have to see this ! $LABEL$ 1 +this familiar rise-and-fall tale is long on glamour and short on larger moralistic consequences , though it 's told with sharp ears and eyes for the tenor of the times . $LABEL$ 1 +the ensemble cast turns in a collectively stellar performance , and the writing is tight and truthful , full of funny situations and honest observations . $LABEL$ 1 +while not all that bad of a movie , it 's nowhere near as good as the original . $LABEL$ 0 +as broad and cartoonish as the screenplay is , there is an accuracy of observation in the work of the director , frank novak , that keeps the film grounded in an undeniable social realism . $LABEL$ 1 +its use of the thriller form to examine the labyrinthine ways in which people 's lives cross and change , buffeted by events seemingly out of their control , is intriguing , provocative stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +a less-than-thrilling thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +would 've been nice if the screenwriters had trusted audiences to understand a complex story , and left off the film 's predictable denouement . $LABEL$ 0 +the hard-to-predict and absolutely essential chemistry between the down-to-earth bullock and the nonchalant grant proves to be sensational , and everything meshes in this elegant entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +some of the most ravaging , gut-wrenching , frightening war scenes since `` saving private ryan '' have been recreated by john woo in this little-known story of native americans and their role in the second great war . $LABEL$ 1 +morton deserves an oscar nomination . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll just have your head in your hands wondering why lee 's character did n't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery . $LABEL$ 0 +by turns pretentious , fascinating , ludicrous , provocative and vainglorious . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's kind of sad that so many people put so much time and energy into this turkey . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- davis -rrb- wants to cause his audience an epiphany , yet he refuses to give us real situations and characters . $LABEL$ 0 +it all looks and plays like a $ 40 million version of a game you 're more likely to enjoy on a computer . $LABEL$ 0 +van wilder has a built-in audience , but only among those who are drying out from spring break and are still unconcerned about what they ingest . $LABEL$ 0 +forget the psychology 101 study of romantic obsession and just watch the procession of costumes in castles and this wo n't seem like such a bore . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's too harsh to work as a piece of storytelling , but as an intellectual exercise -- an unpleasant debate that 's been given the drive of a narrative and that 's been acted out -- the believer is nothing less than a provocative piece of work . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no excuse for following up a delightful , well-crafted family film with a computer-generated cold fish . $LABEL$ 0 +a very capable nailbiter . $LABEL$ 1 +one scene after another in this supposedly funny movie falls to the floor with a sickening thud . $LABEL$ 0 +a witty , whimsical feature debut . $LABEL$ 1 +`` -lrb- hopkins -rrb- does n't so much phone in his performance as fax it . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine . $LABEL$ 1 +no big whoop , nothing new to see , zero thrills , too many flashbacks and a choppy ending make for a bad film . $LABEL$ 0 +wedding feels a bit anachronistic . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's like rocky and bullwinkle on speed , but that 's neither completely enlightening , nor does it catch the intensity of the movie 's strangeness . $LABEL$ 0 +schepisi , aided by a cast that seems to include every top-notch british actor who did not appear in gosford park -lrb- as well as one , ms. mirren , who did -rrb- , has succeeded beyond all expectation . $LABEL$ 1 +this movie got me grinning . $LABEL$ 1 +a haunting tale of murder and mayhem . $LABEL$ 1 +weighted down with slow , uninvolving storytelling and flat acting . $LABEL$ 0 +me without you has a bracing truth that 's refreshing after the phoniness of female-bonding pictures like divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood . $LABEL$ 1 +consummate actor barry has done excellent work here . $LABEL$ 1 +a decent-enough nail-biter that stands a good chance of being the big hit franklin needs to stay afloat in hollywood . $LABEL$ 1 +... the plot weaves us into a complex web . $LABEL$ 1 +too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style . $LABEL$ 0 +the most opaque , self-indulgent and just plain goofy an excuse for a movie as you can imagine . $LABEL$ 0 +the scorpion king is more fun than conan the barbarian . $LABEL$ 1 +he has a great cast and a great idea . $LABEL$ 1 +`` sweet home alabama '' is what it is -- a nice , harmless date film ... $LABEL$ 1 +even when there are lulls , the emotions seem authentic , and the picture is so lovely toward the end ... you almost do n't notice the 129-minute running time . $LABEL$ 1 +diaz , applegate , blair and posey are suitably kooky which should appeal to women and they strip down often enough to keep men alert , if not amused . $LABEL$ 1 +sure , it 's contrived and predictable , but its performances are so well tuned that the film comes off winningly , even though it 's never as solid as you want it to be . $LABEL$ 1 +sadly , full frontal plays like the work of a dilettante . $LABEL$ 0 +runs on the pure adrenalin of pacino 's performance . $LABEL$ 1 +the tuxedo was n't just bad ; it was , as my friend david cross would call it , ` hungry-man portions of bad ' . $LABEL$ 0 +shyamalan takes a potentially trite and overused concept -lrb- aliens come to earth -rrb- and infuses it into a rustic , realistic , and altogether creepy tale of hidden invasion . $LABEL$ 1 +`` spider-man is better than any summer blockbuster we had to endure last summer , and hopefully , sets the tone for a summer of good stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is visually dazzling , the depicted events dramatic , funny and poignant . $LABEL$ 1 +... a complete shambles of a movie so sloppy , so uneven , so damn unpleasant that i ca n't believe any viewer , young or old , would have a good time here . $LABEL$ 0 +like many western action films , this thriller is too loud and thoroughly overbearing , but its heartfelt concern about north korea 's recent past and south korea 's future adds a much needed moral weight . $LABEL$ 1 +a charmer from belgium . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not only dull because we 've seen -lrb- eddie -rrb- murphy do the genial-rogue shtick to death , but because the plot is equally hackneyed . $LABEL$ 0 +even during the climactic hourlong cricket match , boredom never takes hold . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie that sends you out of the theater feeling like you 've actually spent time living in another community . $LABEL$ 1 +pipe dream does have its charms . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're part of her targeted audience , you 'll cheer . $LABEL$ 1 +crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since valley of the dolls . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's very beavis and butthead , yet always seems to elicit a chuckle . $LABEL$ 1 +solaris is rigid and evasive in ways that soderbergh 's best films , `` erin brockovich , '' `` out of sight '' and `` ocean 's eleven , '' never were . $LABEL$ 1 +a modestly made but profoundly moving documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +... grows decidedly flimsier with its many out-sized , out of character and logically porous action set pieces . $LABEL$ 0 +fessenden continues to do interesting work , and it would be nice to see what he could make with a decent budget . $LABEL$ 1 +as a feature-length film , it wears out its welcome as tryingly as the title character . $LABEL$ 0 +frank capra played this story straight . $LABEL$ 1 +control-alt-delete simone as quickly as possible $LABEL$ 0 +nevertheless , it still seems endless . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a persistent theatrical sentiment and a woozy quality to the manner of the storytelling , which undercuts the devastatingly telling impact of utter loss personified in the film 's simple title . $LABEL$ 0 +mel gibson fights the good fight in vietnam in director randall wallace 's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency . $LABEL$ 1 +for a film that 's being advertised as a comedy , sweet home alabama is n't as funny as you 'd hoped . $LABEL$ 0 +`` barbershop '' is a good-hearted ensemble comedy with a variety of quirky characters and an engaging story . $LABEL$ 1 +though lan yu lacks a sense of dramatic urgency , the film makes up for it with a pleasing verisimilitude . $LABEL$ 1 +this hastily mounted production exists only to capitalize on hopkins ' inclination to play hannibal lecter again , even though harris has no immediate inclination to provide a fourth book . $LABEL$ 0 +fortunately , elling never gets too cloying thanks to the actors ' perfect comic timing and sweet , genuine chemistry . $LABEL$ 1 +but it has an ambition to say something about its subjects , but not a willingness . $LABEL$ 0 +please , someone , stop eric schaeffer before he makes another film . $LABEL$ 0 +sheridan had a wonderful account to work from , but , curiously , he waters it down , turning grit and vulnerability into light reading . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its faults , gangs excels in spectacle and pacing . $LABEL$ 1 +a loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism ` urban drama . ' $LABEL$ 0 +lovingly photographed in the manner of a golden book sprung to life , stuart little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness . $LABEL$ 1 +provides a satisfactory overview of the bizarre world of extreme athletes as several daredevils express their own views . $LABEL$ 1 +flat , misguided comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's been done before but never so vividly or with so much passion . $LABEL$ 1 +berling and béart ... continue to impress , and isabelle huppert ... again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters . $LABEL$ 1 +serious movie-goers embarking upon this journey will find that the road to perdition leads to a satisfying destination . $LABEL$ 1 +this overproduced piece of dreck is shockingly bad and absolutely unnecessary . $LABEL$ 0 +there are moments of hilarity to be had . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard to imagine anyone managing to steal a movie not only from charismatic rising star jake gyllenhaal but also from accomplished oscar winners susan sarandon , dustin hoffman and holly hunter , yet newcomer ellen pompeo pulls off the feat with aplomb . $LABEL$ 1 +i never thought i 'd say this , but i 'd much rather watch teens poking their genitals into fruit pies ! $LABEL$ 0 +i suspect this is the kind of production that would have been funnier if the director had released the outtakes theatrically and used the film as a bonus feature on the dvd . $LABEL$ 0 +it offers a glimpse of the solomonic decision facing jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them . $LABEL$ 1 +the film jolts the laughs from the audience -- as if by cattle prod . $LABEL$ 1 +plodding , poorly written , murky and weakly acted , the picture feels as if everyone making it lost their movie mojo . $LABEL$ 0 +elegant , mannered and teasing . $LABEL$ 1 +... plays like a badly edited , 91-minute trailer -lrb- and -rrb- the director ca n't seem to get a coherent rhythm going . $LABEL$ 0 +there are flaws , but also stretches of impact and moments of awe ; we 're wrapped up in the characters , how they make their choices , and why . $LABEL$ 1 +by turns touching , raucously amusing , uncomfortable , and , yes , even sexy , never again is a welcome and heartwarming addition to the romantic comedy genre . $LABEL$ 1 +not the great american comedy , but if you liked the previous movies in the series , you 'll have a good time with this one too . $LABEL$ 1 +kapur 's contradictory feelings about his material result in a movie that works against itself . $LABEL$ 0 +but they fascinate in their recklessness . $LABEL$ 1 +a heartbreakingly thoughtful minor classic , the work of a genuine and singular artist . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an action movie with an action icon who 's been all but decommissioned . $LABEL$ 0 +worth catching for griffiths ' warm and winning central performance . $LABEL$ 1 +` cq may one day be fondly remembered as roman coppola 's brief pretentious period before going on to other films that actually tell a story worth caring about $LABEL$ 0 +who cares ? -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +neither revelatory nor truly edgy -- merely crassly flamboyant and comedically labored . $LABEL$ 0 +an unflinching , complex portrait of a modern israel that is rarely seen on-screen . $LABEL$ 1 +the first question to ask about bad company is why anthony hopkins is in it . $LABEL$ 0 +an intelligent romantic thriller of a very old-school kind of quality . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's difficult to feel anything much while watching this movie , beyond mild disturbance or detached pleasure at the acting . $LABEL$ 0 +a distinctly mixed bag , the occasional bursts of sharp writing alternating with lots of sloppiness and the obligatory moments of sentimental ooze . $LABEL$ 0 +a b-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget . $LABEL$ 1 +a fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction . $LABEL$ 1 +enjoyably dumb , sweet , and intermittently hilarious -- if you 've a taste for the quirky , steal a glimpse . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a great deal of corny dialogue and preposterous moments . $LABEL$ 0 +williams absolutely nails sy 's queasy infatuation and overall strangeness . $LABEL$ 1 +curiously , super troopers suffers because it does n't have enough vices to merit its 103-minute length . $LABEL$ 0 +as exciting as all this exoticism might sound to the typical pax viewer , the rest of us will be lulled into a coma . $LABEL$ 0 +watch barbershop again if you 're in need of a cube fix -- this is n't worth sitting through . $LABEL$ 0 +an awkwardly garish showcase that diverges from anything remotely probing or penetrating . $LABEL$ 0 +certain to be distasteful to children and adults alike , eight crazy nights is a total misfire . $LABEL$ 0 +i have n't laughed that hard in years ! $LABEL$ 1 +sorvino is delightful in the central role . $LABEL$ 1 +a gracious , eloquent film that by its end offers a ray of hope to the refugees able to look ahead and resist living in a past forever lost . $LABEL$ 1 +what a great way to spend 4 units of your day . $LABEL$ 1 +a passionately inquisitive film determined to uncover the truth and hopefully inspire action . $LABEL$ 1 +both a successful adaptation and an enjoyable film in its own right . $LABEL$ 1 +and vin diesel is the man . $LABEL$ 1 +just a kiss is a just a waste . $LABEL$ 0 +murder by numbers just does n't add up . $LABEL$ 0 +all three descriptions suit evelyn , a besotted and obvious drama that tells us nothing new . $LABEL$ 0 +this is popcorn movie fun with equal doses of action , cheese , ham and cheek -lrb- as well as a serious debt to the road warrior -rrb- , but it feels like unrealized potential $LABEL$ 1 +in death to smoochy , we do n't get williams ' usual tear and a smile , just sneers and bile , and the spectacle is nothing short of refreshing . $LABEL$ 1 +an uneven mix of dark satire and childhood awakening . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is about as humorous as watching your favorite pet get buried alive . $LABEL$ 0 +bears is even worse than i imagined a movie ever could be . $LABEL$ 0 +dramatically lackluster . $LABEL$ 0 +made eddie murphy a movie star and the man has n't aged a day . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an undeniably intriguing film from an adventurous young talent who finds his inspiration on the fringes of the american underground . $LABEL$ 1 +yes , mibii is rote work and predictable , but with a philosophical visual coming right at the end that extravagantly redeems it . $LABEL$ 1 +their contrast is neither dramatic nor comic -- it 's just a weird fizzle . $LABEL$ 0 +all the characters are clinically depressed and have abandoned their slim hopes and dreams . $LABEL$ 0 +tartakovsky 's team has some freakish powers of visual charm , but the five writers slip into the modern rut of narrative banality . $LABEL$ 0 +a gently funny , sweetly adventurous film that makes you feel genuinely good , that is to say , entirely unconned by false sentiment or sharp , overmanipulative hollywood practices . $LABEL$ 1 +tries too hard to be funny in a way that 's too loud , too goofy and too short of an attention span . $LABEL$ 0 +the obnoxious title character provides the drama that gives added clout to this doc . $LABEL$ 1 +you emerge dazed , confused as to whether you 've seen pornography or documentary . $LABEL$ 0 +lucy 's a dull girl , that 's all . $LABEL$ 0 +sensitive ensemble performances and good period reconstruction add up to a moving tragedy with some buoyant human moments . $LABEL$ 1 +directed without the expected flair or imagination by hong kong master john woo , windtalkers airs just about every cliche in the war movie compendium across its indulgent two-hour-and-fifteen-minute length . $LABEL$ 0 +it looks closely , insightfully at fragile , complex relationships . $LABEL$ 1 +the story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired . $LABEL$ 0 +is an inexpressible and drab wannabe looking for that exact niche . $LABEL$ 0 +the mothman prophecies , which is mostly a bore , seems to exist only for its climactic setpiece . $LABEL$ 0 +spirit is a visual treat , and it takes chances that are bold by studio standards , but it lacks a strong narrative . $LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the rarest kinds of films : a family-oriented non-disney film that is actually funny without hitting below the belt . $LABEL$ 1 +for almost the first two-thirds of martin scorsese 's 168-minute gangs of new york , i was entranced . $LABEL$ 1 +... a cheap , ludicrous attempt at serious horror . $LABEL$ 0 +an unremittingly ugly movie to look at , listen to , and think about , it is quite possibly the sturdiest example yet of why the dv revolution has cheapened the artistry of making a film . $LABEL$ 0 +enticing and often funny documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +but one thing 's for sure : it never comes close to being either funny or scary . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie eventually snaps under the strain of its plot contrivances and its need to reassure . $LABEL$ 0 +whereas oliver stone 's conspiracy thriller jfk was long , intricate , star-studded and visually flashy , interview with the assassin draws its considerable power from simplicity . $LABEL$ 1 +the komediant is a tale worth catching . $LABEL$ 1 +the holes in this film remain agape -- holes punched through by an inconsistent , meandering , and sometimes dry plot . $LABEL$ 0 +worth seeing just for weaver and lapaglia . $LABEL$ 1 +it follows the blair witch formula for an hour , in which we 're told something creepy and vague is in the works , and then it goes awry in the final 30 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +an encouraging effort from mccrudden $LABEL$ 1 +i was amused and entertained by the unfolding of bielinsky 's cleverly constructed scenario , and greatly impressed by the skill of the actors involved in the enterprise . $LABEL$ 1 +such master screenwriting comes courtesy of john pogue , the yale grad who previously gave us `` the skulls '' and last year 's `` rollerball . '' $LABEL$ 1 +initially gripping , eventually cloying pow drama . $LABEL$ 1 +this is not a jackie chan movie . $LABEL$ 0 +chamber of secrets will find millions of eager fans . $LABEL$ 1 +lacks the visual flair and bouncing bravado that characterizes better hip-hop clips and is content to recycle images and characters that were already tired 10 years ago . $LABEL$ 0 +a timid , soggy near miss . $LABEL$ 0 +a solidly constructed , entertaining thriller that stops short of true inspiration . $LABEL$ 1 +a quiet family drama with a little bit of romance and a dose of darkness . $LABEL$ 1 +smith examines the intimate , unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country . $LABEL$ 1 +i admire it and yet can not recommend it , because it overstays its natural running time . $LABEL$ 0 +thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic . $LABEL$ 0 +i can analyze this movie in three words : thumbs friggin ' down . $LABEL$ 0 +if only it were , well , funnier . $LABEL$ 0 +it is messy , uncouth , incomprehensible , vicious and absurd . $LABEL$ 0 +from its invitingly upbeat overture to its pathos-filled but ultimately life-affirming finale , martin is a masterfully conducted work . $LABEL$ 1 +charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past love story derisions . $LABEL$ 0 +kung pow seems like some futile concoction that was developed hastily after oedekerk and his fellow moviemakers got through crashing a college keg party . $LABEL$ 0 +its premise is smart , but the execution is pretty weary . $LABEL$ 0 +an engrossing iranian film about two itinerant teachers and some lost and desolate people they encounter in a place where war has savaged the lives and liberties of the poor and the dispossessed . $LABEL$ 1 +for those for whom the name woody allen was once a guarantee of something fresh , sometimes funny , and usually genuinely worthwhile , hollywood ending is a depressing experience $LABEL$ 0 +somewhere inside the mess that is world traveler , there is a mediocre movie trying to get out . $LABEL$ 0 +first and foremost ... the reason to go see `` blue crush '' is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings . $LABEL$ 1 +connoisseurs of chinese film will be pleased to discover that tian 's meticulous talent has not withered during his enforced hiatus . $LABEL$ 1 +gaunt , silver-haired and leonine , -lrb- harris -rrb- brings a tragic dimension and savage full-bodied wit and cunning to the aging sandeman . $LABEL$ 1 +left me with the visceral sensation of longing , lasting traces of charlotte 's web of desire and desperation . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem with the bread , my sweet is that it 's far too sentimental . $LABEL$ 0 +combines a comically dismal social realism with a farcically bawdy fantasy of redemption and regeneration . $LABEL$ 1 +loud , chaotic and largely unfunny . $LABEL$ 0 +the main characters are simply named the husband , the wife and the kidnapper , emphasizing the disappointingly generic nature of the entire effort . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie to forget $LABEL$ 0 +rife with nutty cliches and far too much dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +starts out with tremendous promise , introducing an intriguing and alluring premise , only to fall prey to a boatload of screenwriting cliches that sink it faster than a leaky freighter . $LABEL$ 0 +a raunchy and frequently hilarious follow-up to the gifted korean american stand-up 's i 'm the one that i want . $LABEL$ 1 +a completely spooky piece of business that gets under your skin and , some plot blips aside , stays there for the duration . $LABEL$ 1 +an artful yet depressing film that makes a melodramatic mountain out of the molehill of a missing bike . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie ends with outtakes in which most of the characters forget their lines and just utter ` uhhh , ' which is better than most of the writing in the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +if that does n't clue you in that something 's horribly wrong , nothing will . $LABEL$ 0 +this loud and thoroughly obnoxious comedy about a pair of squabbling working-class spouses is a deeply unpleasant experience . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not an easy one to review . $LABEL$ 0 +ultimately , in the history of the academy , people may be wondering what all that jazz was about `` chicago '' in 2002 . $LABEL$ 0 +the film has a terrific look and salma hayek has a feel for the character at all stages of her life . $LABEL$ 1 +what makes barbershop so likable , with all its flaws , is that it has none of the pushiness and decibel volume of most contemporary comedies . $LABEL$ 1 +this is for the most part a useless movie , even with a great director at the helm . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- reaches -rrb- wholly believable and heart-wrenching depths of despair . $LABEL$ 1 +the film fearlessly gets under the skin of the people involved ... this makes it not only a detailed historical document , but an engaging and moving portrait of a subculture . $LABEL$ 1 +for a movie about the power of poetry and passion , there is precious little of either . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , we 'd prefer a simple misfire . $LABEL$ 0 +... a true delight . $LABEL$ 1 +an awful snooze . $LABEL$ 0 +does n't really add up to much . $LABEL$ 0 +an interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama . $LABEL$ 1 +a new film from bill plympton , the animation master , is always welcome . $LABEL$ 1 +watching `` ending '' is too often like looking over the outdated clothes and plastic knickknacks at your neighbor 's garage sale . $LABEL$ 0 +cox offers plenty of glimpses at existing photos , but there are no movies of nijinsky , so instead the director treats us to an aimless hodgepodge . $LABEL$ 0 +its weighty themes are too grave for youngsters , but the story is too steeped in fairy tales and other childish things to appeal much to teenagers . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters . $LABEL$ 0 +leaves us wondering less about its ideas and more about its characterization of hitler and the contrived nature of its provocative conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +`` white oleander , '' the movie , is akin to a reader 's digest condensed version of the source material . $LABEL$ 0 +high drama , disney-style - a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky . $LABEL$ 1 +schnieder bounces around with limp wrists , wearing tight tummy tops and hip huggers , twirling his hair on his finger and assuming that 's enough to sustain laughs ... $LABEL$ 0 +a wonderfully speculative character study that made up for its rather slow beginning by drawing me into the picture . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the kind of movie that , aside from robert altman , spike lee , the coen brothers and a few others , our moviemakers do n't make often enough . $LABEL$ 1 +the action sequences are fun and reminiscent of combat scenes from the star wars series . $LABEL$ 1 +the work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who ca n't get out of his own way . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem is that van wilder does little that is actually funny with the material . $LABEL$ 0 +no cliche escapes the perfervid treatment of gang warfare called ces wild . $LABEL$ 0 +comes off like a bad imitation of the bard . $LABEL$ 0 +the sweetest thing leaves an awful sour taste . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a great american adventure and a wonderful film to bring to imax . $LABEL$ 1 +resembles a soft porn brian de palma pastiche . $LABEL$ 0 +a uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot . $LABEL$ 1 +the sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film . $LABEL$ 1 +hollywood has taken quite a nosedive from alfred hitchcock 's imaginative flight to shyamalan 's self-important summer fluff . $LABEL$ 0 +this is standard crime drama fare ... instantly forgettable and thoroughly dull . $LABEL$ 0 +eyre is on his way to becoming the american indian spike lee . $LABEL$ 1 +in questioning the election process , payami graphically illustrates the problems of fledgling democracies , but also the strength and sense of freedom the iranian people already possess , with or without access to the ballot box . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a scientific law to be discerned here that producers would be well to heed : mediocre movies start to drag as soon as the action speeds up ; when the explosions start , they fall to pieces . $LABEL$ 0 +borstal boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy . $LABEL$ 0 +so genial is the conceit , this is one of those rare pictures that you root for throughout , dearly hoping that the rich promise of the script will be realized on the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +the only entertainment you 'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles -- several of them . $LABEL$ 0 +the good girl is a film in which the talent is undeniable but the results are underwhelming . $LABEL$ 0 +more of the same old garbage hollywood has been trying to pass off as acceptable teen entertainment for some time now . $LABEL$ 0 +amazingly dopey . $LABEL$ 1 +the christ allegory does n't work because there is no foundation for it $LABEL$ 0 +romanek keeps adding flourishes -- artsy fantasy sequences -- that simply feel wrong . $LABEL$ 0 +combines improbable melodrama -lrb- gored bullfighters , comatose ballerinas -rrb- with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements , and yet at the end , we are undeniably touched . $LABEL$ 1 +you do n't need to be a hip-hop fan to appreciate scratch , and that 's the mark of a documentary that works . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm not sure which half of dragonfly is worse : the part where nothing 's happening , or the part where something 's happening , but it 's stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +writer\/director david caesar ladles on the local flavour with a hugely enjoyable film about changing times , clashing cultures and the pleasures of a well-made pizza . $LABEL$ 1 +the journey to the secret 's eventual discovery is a separate adventure , and thrill enough . $LABEL$ 1 +roman polanski directs the pianist like a surgeon mends a broken heart ; very meticulously but without any passion . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's soulful and unslick , and that 's apparently just what -lrb- aniston -rrb- has always needed to grow into a movie career . $LABEL$ 1 +like blended shades of lipstick , these components combine into one terrific story with lots of laughs . $LABEL$ 1 +devos delivers a perfect performance that captures the innocence and budding demons within a wallflower . $LABEL$ 1 +has lost some of the dramatic conviction that underlies the best of comedies ... $LABEL$ 0 +tells a fascinating , compelling story . $LABEL$ 1 +like a comedian who starts off promisingly but then proceeds to flop , comedian runs out of steam after a half hour . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those films where the characters inhabit that special annex of hell where adults behave like kids , children behave like adults and everyone screams at the top of their lungs no matter what the situation . $LABEL$ 0 +devotees of star trek ii : the wrath of khan will feel a nagging sense of deja vu , and the grandeur of the best next generation episodes is lacking . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully reclaiming the story of carmen and recreating it an in an african idiom . $LABEL$ 1 +the punch lines that miss , unfortunately , outnumber the hits by three-to-one . $LABEL$ 0 +michel piccoli 's moving performance is this films reason for being . $LABEL$ 1 +read my lips is to be viewed and treasured for its extraordinary intelligence and originality as well as its lyrical variations on the game of love . $LABEL$ 1 +those seeking a definitive account of eisenstein 's life would do better elsewhere . $LABEL$ 0 +yes , soar . $LABEL$ 1 +as banal as the telling may be -- and at times , all my loved ones more than flirts with kitsch -- the tale commands attention . $LABEL$ 1 +although frailty fits into a classic genre , in its script and execution it is a remarkably original work . $LABEL$ 1 +naipaul fans may be disappointed . $LABEL$ 0 +attal pushes too hard to make this a comedy or serious drama . $LABEL$ 0 +poignant and moving , a walk to remember is an inspirational love story , capturing the innocence and idealism of that first encounter . $LABEL$ 1 +in any case , i would recommend big bad love only to winger fans who have missed her since 1995 's forget paris . $LABEL$ 0 +... by the time it 's done with us , mira nair 's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over . $LABEL$ 1 +if there 's a heaven for bad movies , deuces wild is on its way . $LABEL$ 0 +a huge box-office hit in korea , shiri is a must for genre fans . $LABEL$ 1 +clint eastwood 's blood work is a lot like a well-made pb & j sandwich : familiar , fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises -- but still quite tasty and inviting all the same . $LABEL$ 1 +the thing about guys like evans is this : you 're never quite sure where self-promotion ends and the truth begins . $LABEL$ 0 +i found myself growing more and more frustrated and detached as vincent became more and more abhorrent . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's like an all-star salute to disney 's cheesy commercialism . $LABEL$ 0 +like a bad improvisation exercise , the superficially written characters ramble on tediously about their lives , loves and the art they 're struggling to create . $LABEL$ 0 +though her fans will assuredly have their funny bones tickled , others will find their humor-seeking dollars best spent elsewhere . $LABEL$ 0 +the first fatal attraction was vile enough . $LABEL$ 0 +a sentimental but entirely irresistible portrait of three aging sisters . $LABEL$ 1 +measured against practically any like-themed film other than its oscar-sweeping franchise predecessor the silence of the lambs , red dragon rates as an exceptional thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +and as with most late-night bull sessions , eventually the content is n't nearly as captivating as the rowdy participants think it is . $LABEL$ 0 +... a quietly introspective portrait of the self-esteem of employment and the shame of losing a job ... $LABEL$ 1 +garcia and the other actors help make the wobbly premise work . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just plain lurid when it is n't downright silly . $LABEL$ 0 +friday after next is the kind of film that could only be made by african-americans because of its broad racial insensitivity towards african-americans . $LABEL$ 0 +it is also beautifully acted . $LABEL$ 1 +this dubious product of a college-spawned -lrb- colgate u. -rrb- comedy ensemble known as broken lizard plays like a mix of cheech and chong and chips . $LABEL$ 0 +all three actresses are simply dazzling , particularly balk , who 's finally been given a part worthy of her considerable talents . $LABEL$ 1 +... a powerful sequel and one of the best films of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's about individual moments of mood , and an aimlessness that 's actually sort of amazing . $LABEL$ 1 +a gift to anyone who loves both dance and cinema $LABEL$ 1 +such a wildly uneven hit-and-miss enterprise , you ca n't help suspecting that it was improvised on a day-to-day basis during production . $LABEL$ 0 +the new film of anton chekhov 's the cherry orchard puts the ` ick ' in ` classic . ' $LABEL$ 0 +poor editing , bad bluescreen , and ultra-cheesy dialogue highlight the radical action . $LABEL$ 0 +if welles was unhappy at the prospect of the human race splitting in two , he probably would n't be too crazy with his great-grandson 's movie splitting up in pretty much the same way . $LABEL$ 0 +passions , obsessions , and loneliest dark spots are pushed to their most virtuous limits , lending the narrative an unusually surreal tone . $LABEL$ 1 +definitely a crowd-pleaser , but then , so was the roman colosseum . $LABEL$ 1 +this story of a determined woman 's courage to find her husband in a war zone offers winning performances and some effecting moments . $LABEL$ 1 +well made but uninvolving , bloodwork is n't a terrible movie , just a stultifyingly obvious one -- an unrewarding collar for a murder mystery . $LABEL$ 0 +... expands the horizons of boredom to the point of collapse , turning into a black hole of dullness , from which no interesting concept can escape . $LABEL$ 0 +as steamy as last week 's pork dumplings . $LABEL$ 0 +the story itself it mostly told through on-camera interviews with several survivors , whose riveting memories are rendered with such clarity that it 's as if it all happened only yesterday . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is clever , offbeat and even gritty enough to overcome my resistance . $LABEL$ 1 +another week , another gross-out college comedy -- ugh . $LABEL$ 0 +a laughable -- or rather , unlaughable -- excuse for a film . $LABEL$ 0 +too silly to take seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +low comedy does n't come much lower . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a very tasteful rock and roll movie . $LABEL$ 1 +meticulously mounted , exasperatingly well-behaved film , which ticks off kahlo 's lifetime milestones with the dutiful precision of a tax accountant . $LABEL$ 1 +davis ' candid , archly funny and deeply authentic take on intimate relationships comes to fruition in her sophomore effort . $LABEL$ 1 +a fast paced and suspenseful argentinian thriller about the shadow side of play . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately the , yes , snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary , like some sort of martha stewart decorating program run amok . $LABEL$ 0 +sewer rats could watch this movie and be so skeeved out that they 'd need a shower . $LABEL$ 0 +hard to resist . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's an excellent 90-minute film here ; unfortunately , it runs for 170 . $LABEL$ 0 +director carl franklin , so crisp and economical in one false move , bogs down in genre cliches here . $LABEL$ 1 +like a precious and finely cut diamond , magnificent to behold in its sparkling beauty yet in reality it 's one tough rock . $LABEL$ 1 +no cute factor here ... not that i mind ugly ; the problem is he has no character , loveable or otherwise . $LABEL$ 0 +suffers from its timid parsing of the barn-side target of sons trying to breach gaps in their relationships with their fathers . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a frankenstein-monster of a film that does n't know what it wants to be . $LABEL$ 0 +an incredibly narrow in-joke targeted to the tiniest segment of an already obscure demographic . $LABEL$ 0 +a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor . $LABEL$ 1 +... begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully . $LABEL$ 1 +the overall result is an intelligent , realistic portrayal of testing boundaries . $LABEL$ 1 +quaid is utterly fearless as the tortured husband living a painful lie , and moore wonderfully underplays the long-suffering heroine with an unflappable '50s dignity somewhere between jane wyman and june cleaver . $LABEL$ 1 +most of the problems with the film do n't derive from the screenplay , but rather the mediocre performances by most of the actors involved $LABEL$ 0 +a poignant comedy that offers food for thought . $LABEL$ 1 +deuces wild treads heavily into romeo and juliet\/west side story territory , where it plainly has no business going . $LABEL$ 0 +there is no psychology here , and no real narrative logic -- just a series of carefully choreographed atrocities , which become strangely impersonal and abstract . $LABEL$ 0 +secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +everything about it from the bland songs to the colorful but flat drawings is completely serviceable and quickly forgettable . $LABEL$ 0 +this fascinating experiment plays as more of a poetic than a strict reality , creating an intriguing species of artifice that gives the lady and the duke something of a theatrical air . $LABEL$ 1 +a few pieces of the film buzz and whir ; very little of it actually clicks . $LABEL$ 0 +ah-nuld 's action hero days might be over . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie has a script -lrb- by paul pender -rrb- made of wood , and it 's relentlessly folksy , a procession of stagy set pieces stacked with binary oppositions . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers ' eye for detail and the high standards of performance convey a strong sense of the girls ' environment . $LABEL$ 1 +it also shows how deeply felt emotions can draw people together across the walls that might otherwise separate them . $LABEL$ 1 +even accepting this in the right frame of mind can only provide it with so much leniency . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness . $LABEL$ 1 +they threw loads of money at an idea that should 've been so much more even if it was only made for teenage boys and wrestling fans . $LABEL$ 0 +- west coast rap wars , this modern mob music drama never fails to fascinate . $LABEL$ 1 +as part of mr. dong 's continuing exploration of homosexuality in america , family fundamentals is an earnest study in despair . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie more to be prescribed than recommended -- as visually bland as a dentist 's waiting room , complete with soothing muzak and a cushion of predictable narrative rhythms . $LABEL$ 0 +all in all , brown sugar is a satisfying well-made romantic comedy that 's both charming and well acted . $LABEL$ 1 +represents a worthy departure from the culture clash comedies that have marked an emerging indian american cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +so bland and utterly forgettable that it might as well have been titled generic jennifer lopez romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a comedy that swings and jostles to the rhythms of life . $LABEL$ 1 +a stylish thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +constantly touching , surprisingly funny , semi-surrealist exploration of the creative act . $LABEL$ 1 +birthday girl does n't try to surprise us with plot twists , but rather seems to enjoy its own transparency . $LABEL$ 1 +a poky and pseudo-serious exercise in sham actor workshops and an affected malaise . $LABEL$ 0 +that rare movie that works on any number of levels -- as a film of magic and whimsy for children , a heartfelt romance for teenagers and a compelling argument about death , both pro and con , for adults . $LABEL$ 1 +the universal theme of becoming a better person through love has never been filmed more irresistibly than in ` baran . ' $LABEL$ 1 +there 's got to be a more graceful way of portraying the devastation of this disease . $LABEL$ 0 +unfolds as one of the most politically audacious films of recent decades from any country , but especially from france . $LABEL$ 1 +the rock is destined to be the 21st century 's new `` conan '' and that he 's going to make a splash even greater than arnold schwarzenegger , jean-claud van damme or steven segal . $LABEL$ 1 +adults , other than the parents ... will be hard pressed to succumb to the call of the wild . $LABEL$ 0 +here , alas , it collapses like an overcooked soufflé . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like one long , meandering sketch inspired by the works of john waters and todd solondz , rather than a fully developed story . $LABEL$ 0 +snow dogs finds its humour in a black man getting humiliated by a pack of dogs who are smarter than him $LABEL$ 0 +before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy , steven shainberg 's adaptation of mary gaitskill 's harrowing short story ... is a brilliantly played , deeply unsettling experience . $LABEL$ 1 +... very funny , very enjoyable ... $LABEL$ 1 +the hackneyed story about an affluent damsel in distress who decides to fight her bully of a husband is simply too overdone . $LABEL$ 0 +... with the gifted pearce on hand to keep things on semi-stable ground dramatically , this retooled machine is ultimately effective enough at achieving the modest , crowd-pleasing goals it sets for itself . $LABEL$ 1 +much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there is n't much there here . $LABEL$ 0 +lathan and diggs carry the film with their charisma , and both exhibit sharp comic timing that makes the more hackneyed elements of the film easier to digest . $LABEL$ 1 +he has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a testament to de niro and director michael caton-jones that by movie 's end , we accept the characters and the film , flaws and all . $LABEL$ 1 +this method almost never fails him , and it works superbly here . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's technically sumptuous but also almost wildly alive . $LABEL$ 1 +a characteristically engorged and sloppy coming-of-age movie . $LABEL$ 0 +often likable , but just as often it 's meandering , low on energy , and too eager to be quirky at moments when a little old-fashioned storytelling would come in handy . $LABEL$ 1 +rob schneider 's infantile cross-dressing routines fill the hot chick , the latest gimmick from this unimaginative comedian . $LABEL$ 0 +... the tale of her passionate , tumultuous affair with musset unfolds as sand 's masculine persona , with its love of life and beauty , takes form . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even jason x ... look positively shakesperean by comparison . $LABEL$ 0 +a hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life . $LABEL$ 1 +an ugly , pointless , stupid movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating , unnerving examination of the delusions of one unstable man . $LABEL$ 1 +a smart little indie . $LABEL$ 1 +a big meal of cliches that the talented cast generally chokes on . $LABEL$ 0 +... what a banal bore the preachy circuit turns out to be $LABEL$ 0 +goes on and on to the point of nausea . $LABEL$ 0 +i have a new favorite musical -- and i 'm not even a fan of the genre $LABEL$ 1 +master of disguise runs for only 71 minutes and feels like three hours . $LABEL$ 0 +you 'll feel like you ate a reeses without the peanut butter ... ' $LABEL$ 0 +easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the surface attractions -- conrad l. hall 's cinematography will likely be nominated for an oscar next year -- there 's something impressive and yet lacking about everything . $LABEL$ 1 +broder 's screenplay is shallow , offensive and redundant , with pitifully few real laughs . $LABEL$ 0 +looks more like a travel-agency video targeted at people who like to ride bikes topless and roll in the mud than a worthwhile glimpse of independent-community guiding lights . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's why sex and lucia is so alluring . $LABEL$ 1 +after an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly , sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be , you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be . $LABEL$ 0 +nettelbeck ... has a pleasing way with a metaphor . $LABEL$ 1 +a puzzle whose pieces do not fit . $LABEL$ 0 +a bit of a downer and a little over-dramatic at times , but this is a beautiful film for people who like their romances to have that french realism . $LABEL$ 1 +after the first 10 minutes , which is worth seeing , the movie sinks into an abyss of clichés , depression and bad alternative music . $LABEL$ 0 +not everything in this ambitious comic escapade works , but coppola , along with his sister , sofia , is a real filmmaker . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's fun , but it 's a real howler . $LABEL$ 1 +even through its flaws , revolution # 9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film . $LABEL$ 1 +just the labour involved in creating the layered richness of the imagery in this chiaroscuro of madness and light is astonishing . $LABEL$ 1 +the case is a convincing one , and should give anyone with a conscience reason to pause . $LABEL$ 1 +no such thing breaks no new ground and treads old turf like a hippopotamus ballerina . $LABEL$ 0 +when twentysomething hotsies make movies about their lives , hard-driving narcissism is a given , but what a world we 'd live in if argento 's hollywood counterparts ... had this much imagination and nerve . $LABEL$ 1 +on its own , big trouble could be considered a funny little film . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- reynolds -rrb- takes a classic story , casts attractive and talented actors and uses a magnificent landscape to create a feature film that is wickedly fun to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're content with a clever pseudo-bio that manages to have a good time as it doles out pieces of the famous director 's life , eisenstein delivers . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of subject matter that could so easily have been fumbled by a lesser filmmaker , but ayres makes the right choices at every turn . $LABEL$ 1 +probes in a light-hearted way the romantic problems of individuals for whom the yearning for passion spells discontent . $LABEL$ 1 +it made me realize that we really have n't had a good cheesy b-movie playing in theaters since ... well ... since last week 's reign of fire . $LABEL$ 0 +ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of louis begley 's source novel -lrb- about schmidt -rrb- and an old payne screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +... once the true impact of the day unfolds , the power of this movie is undeniable . $LABEL$ 1 +this time , the hype is quieter , and while the movie is slightly less successful than the first , it 's still a rollicking good time for the most part . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing more than a stifling morality tale dressed up in peekaboo clothing . $LABEL$ 0 +this is the sort of low-grade dreck that usually goes straight to video -- with a lousy script , inept direction , pathetic acting , poorly dubbed dialogue and murky cinematography , complete with visible boom mikes . $LABEL$ 0 +every joke is repeated at least four times . $LABEL$ 0 +the gags , and the script , are a mixed bag . $LABEL$ 0 +and adults will at least have a dream image of the west to savor whenever the film 's lamer instincts are in the saddle . $LABEL$ 0 +the best film of the year 2002 . $LABEL$ 1 +blisteringly rude , scarily funny , sorrowfully sympathetic to the damage it surveys , the film has in kieran culkin a pitch-perfect holden . $LABEL$ 1 +the first shocking thing about sorority boys is that it 's actually watchable . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie i loved on first sight and , even more important , love in remembrance . $LABEL$ 1 +an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie full of grace and , ultimately , hope . $LABEL$ 1 +a documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary . $LABEL$ 0 +most haunting about `` fence '' is its conclusion , when we hear the ultimate fate of these girls and realize , much to our dismay , that this really did happen . $LABEL$ 1 +starts out ballsy and stylish but fails to keep it up and settles into clichés . $LABEL$ 0 +the film feels formulaic , its plot and pacing typical hollywood war-movie stuff , while the performances elicit more of a sense of deja vu than awe . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- i -rrb- t 's certainly laudable that the movie deals with hot-button issues in a comedic context , but barbershop is n't as funny as it should be . $LABEL$ 0 +but the second half of the movie really goes downhill . $LABEL$ 0 +a well paced and satisfying little drama that deserved better than a ` direct-to-video ' release . $LABEL$ 1 +this misty-eyed southern nostalgia piece , in treading the line between sappy and sanguine , winds up mired in tear-drenched quicksand . $LABEL$ 0 +the only fun part of the movie is playing the obvious game . $LABEL$ 0 +an inconsequential , barely there bit of piffle . $LABEL$ 0 +although fairly involving as far as it goes , the film does n't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up catholic or , really , anything . $LABEL$ 0 +an engrossing story that combines psychological drama , sociological reflection , and high-octane thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +a gripping drama . $LABEL$ 1 +it picked me up , swung me around , and dropped me back in my seat with more emotional force than any other recent film . $LABEL$ 1 +the pleasures that it does afford may be enough to keep many moviegoers occupied amidst some of the more serious-minded concerns of other year-end movies . $LABEL$ 1 +its inescapable absurdities are tantamount to insulting the intelligence of anyone who has n't been living under a rock -lrb- since sept. 11 -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +as i settled into my world war ii memories , i found myself strangely moved by even the corniest and most hackneyed contrivances . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie generates plot points with a degree of randomness usually achieved only by lottery drawing . $LABEL$ 0 +classic cinema served up with heart and humor $LABEL$ 1 +there may have been a good film in `` trouble every day , '' but it is not what is on the screen . $LABEL$ 0 +the result is an ` action film ' mired in stasis . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's because relatively nothing happens . $LABEL$ 0 +an authentically vague , but ultimately purposeless , study in total pandemonium . $LABEL$ 0 +but they do n't fit well together and neither is well told . $LABEL$ 0 +like most movies about the pitfalls of bad behavior ... circuit gets drawn into the party . $LABEL$ 0 +with dirty deeds , david caesar has stepped into the mainstream of filmmaking with an assurance worthy of international acclaim and with every cinematic tool well under his control -- driven by a natural sense for what works on screen . $LABEL$ 1 +oddly , the film is n't nearly as downbeat as it sounds , but strikes a tone that 's alternately melancholic , hopeful and strangely funny . $LABEL$ 1 +i 've never seen or heard anything quite like this film , and i recommend it for its originality alone . $LABEL$ 1 +when the movie mixes the cornpone and the cosa nostra , it finds a nice rhythm . $LABEL$ 1 +... there 's a choppy , surface-effect feeling to the whole enterprise . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's funny , touching , dramatically forceful , and beautifully shot . $LABEL$ 1 +a good documentary can make interesting a subject you thought would leave you cold . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a children 's film in the truest sense . $LABEL$ 1 +a very funny romantic comedy about two skittish new york middle-agers who stumble into a relationship and then struggle furiously with their fears and foibles . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie does such an excellent job of critiquing itself at every faltering half-step of its development that criticizing feels more like commiserating . $LABEL$ 0 +a solid , spooky entertainment worthy of the price of a ticket . $LABEL$ 1 +there are n't many conclusive answers in the film , but there is an interesting story of pointed personalities , courage , tragedy and the little guys vs. the big guys . $LABEL$ 1 +plays like a series of vignettes -- clips of a film that are still looking for a common through-line . $LABEL$ 0 +a film that begins with the everyday lives of naval personnel in san diego and ends with scenes so true and heartbreaking that tears welled up in my eyes both times i saw the film . $LABEL$ 1 +leigh is one of the rare directors who feels acting is the heart and soul of cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +sitting in the third row of the imax cinema at sydney 's darling harbour , but i sometimes felt as though i was in the tiny two seater plane that carried the giant camera around australia , sweeping and gliding , banking and hovering over some of the most not $LABEL$ 1 +it 's more enjoyable than i expected , though , and that 's because the laughs come from fairly basic comedic constructs . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's crafty , energetic and smart -- the kid is sort of like a fourteen-year old ferris bueller . $LABEL$ 1 +the film does n't have enough innovation or pizazz to attract teenagers , and it lacks the novel charm that made spy kids a surprising winner with both adults and younger audiences . $LABEL$ 0 +she boxes these women 's souls right open for us . $LABEL$ 1 +all the movie 's narrative gymnastics ca n't disguise the fact that it 's inauthentic at its core and that its story just is n't worth telling . $LABEL$ 0 +this is dicaprio 's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +though impostor deviously adopts the guise of a modern motion picture , it too is a bomb . $LABEL$ 0 +jolie gives it that extra little something that makes it worth checking out at theaters , especially if you 're in the mood for something more comfortable than challenging . $LABEL$ 1 +one key problem with these ardently christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out . $LABEL$ 0 +other than the slightly flawed -lrb- and fairly unbelievable -rrb- finale , everything else is top shelf . $LABEL$ 1 +a summer entertainment adults can see without feeling embarrassed , but it could have been more . $LABEL$ 1 +`` bad '' is the operative word for `` bad company , '' and i do n't mean that in a good way . $LABEL$ 0 +seriously , rent the disney version . $LABEL$ 0 +the immersive powers of the giant screen and its hyper-realistic images are put to perfect use in the breathtakingly beautiful outer-space documentary space station 3d . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's difficult to imagine that a more confused , less interesting and more sloppily made film could possibly come down the road in 2002 . $LABEL$ 0 +as they used to say in the 1950s sci-fi movies , signs is a tribute to shyamalan 's gifts , which are such that we 'll keep watching the skies for his next project . $LABEL$ 1 +the only pain you 'll feel as the credits roll is your stomach grumbling for some tasty grub . $LABEL$ 0 +in visual fertility treasure planet rivals the top japanese animations of recent vintage . $LABEL$ 1 +if you go , pack your knitting needles . $LABEL$ 0 +call me a cold-hearted curmudgeon for not being able to enjoy a mindless action movie , but i believe a movie can be mindless without being the peak of all things insipid . $LABEL$ 0 +assured , vital and well wrought , the film is , arguably , the most accomplished work to date from hong kong 's versatile stanley kwan . $LABEL$ 1 +notwithstanding my problem with the movie 's final half hour , i 'm going to recommend secretary , based on the wonderful acting clinic put on by spader and gyllenhaal , and also the unique way shainberg goes about telling what at heart is a sweet little girl - $LABEL$ 1 +the big ending surprise almost saves the movie . $LABEL$ 1 +an ill-conceived jumble that 's not scary , not smart and not engaging . $LABEL$ 0 +what we get in feardotcom is more like something from a bad clive barker movie . $LABEL$ 0 +too much of the movie feels contrived , as if the filmmakers were worried the story would n't work without all those gimmicks . $LABEL$ 0 +austin powers in goldmember is a cinematic car wreck , a catastrophic collision of tastelessness and gall that nevertheless will leave fans clamoring for another ride . $LABEL$ 0 +nair 's cast is so large it 's altman-esque , but she deftly spins the multiple stories in a vibrant and intoxicating fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- t -rrb- oo many of these gross out scenes ... $LABEL$ 0 +an original and highly cerebral examination of the psychopathic mind $LABEL$ 1 +when it comes out on video , then it 's the perfect cure for insomnia . $LABEL$ 0 +killing time , that 's all that 's going on here . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an experience in understanding a unique culture that is presented with universal appeal . $LABEL$ 1 +if you like peace , you 'll like promises . $LABEL$ 1 +the dialogue is very choppy and monosyllabic despite the fact that it is being dubbed . $LABEL$ 0 +a perfectly pleasant if slightly pokey comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +the performances are uniformly good . $LABEL$ 1 +it would n't matter so much that this arrogant richard pryor wannabe 's routine is offensive , puerile and unimaginatively foul-mouthed if it was at least funny . $LABEL$ 0 +if the film fails to fulfill its own ambitious goals , it nonetheless sustains interest during the long build-up of expository material . $LABEL$ 1 +murderous maids has a lot going for it , not least the brilliant performances by testud ... and parmentier . $LABEL$ 1 +... for all its social and political potential , state property does n't end up being very inspiring or insightful . $LABEL$ 0 +the search for redemption makes for a touching love story , mainly because blanchett and ribisi compellingly tap into a spiritual aspect of their characters ' suffering . $LABEL$ 1 +unwieldy contraption . $LABEL$ 0 +by and large this is mr. kilmer 's movie , and it 's his strongest performance since the doors . $LABEL$ 1 +a sub-formulaic slap in the face to seasonal cheer . $LABEL$ 0 +feral and uncomfortable . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- crushing disappointment . $LABEL$ 0 +i like my christmas movies with more elves and snow and less pimps and ho 's . $LABEL$ 0 +seems like someone going through the motions . $LABEL$ 0 +despite terrific special effects and funnier gags , harry potter and the chamber of secrets finds a way to make j.k. rowling 's marvelous series into a deadly bore . $LABEL$ 0 +fans of plympton 's shorts may marginally enjoy the film , but it is doubtful this listless feature will win him any new viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +... a thoughtful what-if for the heart as well as the mind . $LABEL$ 1 +the attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and , refreshingly , stays that way . $LABEL$ 1 +the production has been made with an enormous amount of affection , so we believe these characters love each other . $LABEL$ 1 +ramsay succeeds primarily with her typical blend of unsettling atmospherics , delivering a series of abrasive , stylized sequences that burn themselves upon the viewer 's memory . $LABEL$ 1 +` this movie sucks . ' $LABEL$ 0 +an ideal love story for those intolerant of the more common saccharine genre . $LABEL$ 1 +... a bland , pretentious mess . $LABEL$ 0 +the film never rises above a conventional , two dimension tale $LABEL$ 0 +alternately frustrating and rewarding . $LABEL$ 1 +... if it had been only half-an-hour long or a tv special , the humor would have been fast and furious -- at ninety minutes , it drags . $LABEL$ 0 +a superfluous sequel ... plagued by that old familiar feeling of ` let 's get this thing over with ' : everyone has shown up at the appointed time and place , but visible enthusiasm is mighty hard to find . $LABEL$ 0 +sets animation back 30 years , musicals back 40 years and judaism back at least 50 . $LABEL$ 0 +a listless and desultory affair . $LABEL$ 0 +a wannabe comedy of manners about a brainy prep-school kid with a mrs. robinson complex founders on its own preciousness -- and squanders its beautiful women . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing about them is attractive . $LABEL$ 0 +manages to be both hugely entertaining and uplifting . $LABEL$ 1 +vera has created a provocative , absorbing drama that reveals the curse of a self-hatred instilled by rigid social mores . $LABEL$ 1 +the performances are an absolute joy . $LABEL$ 1 +this seductive tease of a thriller gets the job done . $LABEL$ 1 +like all great films about a life you never knew existed , it offers much to absorb and even more to think about after the final frame . $LABEL$ 1 +it is a strength of a documentary to disregard available bias , especially as temptingly easy as it would have been with this premise . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's funny and human and really pretty damned wonderful , all at once . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- swimfan -rrb- falls victim to sloppy plotting , an insultingly unbelievable final act and a villainess who is too crazy to be interesting . $LABEL$ 0 +loosely speaking , we 're in all of me territory again , and , strictly speaking , schneider is no steve martin . $LABEL$ 0 +predictably melodramatic . $LABEL$ 0 +russian ark is a new treasure of the hermitage . $LABEL$ 1 +highly engaging . $LABEL$ 1 +antwone fisher certainly does the trick of making us care about its protagonist and celebrate his victories but , with few exceptions , it rarely stoops to cheap manipulation or corny conventions to do it . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole talking-animal thing is grisly . $LABEL$ 0 +the entire movie is so formulaic and forgettable that it 's hardly over before it begins to fade from memory . $LABEL$ 0 +more a gunfest than a rock concert . $LABEL$ 0 +if you can swallow its absurdities and crudities lagaan really is enormously good fun . $LABEL$ 1 +has its moments -- and almost as many subplots . $LABEL$ 1 +a derivative collection of horror and sci-fi cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's next ? $LABEL$ 1 +nelson 's intentions are good , but the end result does no justice to the story itself . $LABEL$ 0 +twohy 's a good yarn-spinner , and ultimately the story compels . $LABEL$ 1 +an enthralling aesthetic experience , one that 's steeped in mystery and a ravishing , baroque beauty . $LABEL$ 1 +aggressive self-glorification and a manipulative whitewash . $LABEL$ 0 +fails to convince the audience that these brats will ever be anything more than losers . $LABEL$ 0 +hatosy ... portrays young brendan with his usual intelligence and subtlety , not to mention a convincing brogue . $LABEL$ 1 +washington overcomes the script 's flaws and envelops the audience in his character 's anguish , anger and frustration . $LABEL$ 1 +mariah carey gives us another peek at some of the magic we saw in glitter here in wisegirls . $LABEL$ 1 +very stupid and annoying . $LABEL$ 0 +an empty exercise , a florid but ultimately vapid crime melodrama with lots of surface flash but little emotional resonance . $LABEL$ 0 +the script is a tired one , with few moments of joy rising above the stale material . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn . $LABEL$ 1 +make like the title and dodge this one . $LABEL$ 0 +often shocking but ultimately worthwhile exploration of motherhood and desperate mothers . $LABEL$ 1 +the lousy john q all but spits out denzel washington 's fine performance in the title role . $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's surprisingly harmless . $LABEL$ 1 +officially , it is twice as bestial but half as funny . $LABEL$ 0 +a film that suffers because of its many excesses . $LABEL$ 0 +a quietly moving look back at what it was to be iranian-american in 1979 . $LABEL$ 1 +the leads we are given here are simply too bland to be interesting . $LABEL$ 0 +staggers between flaccid satire and what is supposed to be madcap farce . $LABEL$ 0 +a distinctly minor effort that will be seen to better advantage on cable , especially considering its barely feature-length running time of one hour . $LABEL$ 0 +a competent , unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country . $LABEL$ 1 +functions as both a revealing look at the collaborative process and a timely , tongue-in-cheek profile of the corporate circus that is the recording industry in the current climate of mergers and downsizing . $LABEL$ 1 +reign of fire is hardly the most original fantasy film ever made -- beyond road warrior , it owes enormous debts to aliens and every previous dragon drama -- but that barely makes it any less entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +the comedy death to smoochy is a rancorous curiosity : a movie without an apparent audience . $LABEL$ 0 +turns a potentially interesting idea into an excruciating film school experience that plays better only for the film 's publicists or for people who take as many drugs as the film 's characters $LABEL$ 0 +one of those strained caper movies that 's hardly any fun to watch and begins to vaporize from your memory minutes after it ends . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's no denying that burns is a filmmaker with a bright future ahead of him . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that loses sight of its own story . $LABEL$ 0 +where tom green stages his gags as assaults on america 's knee-jerk moral sanctimony , jackass lacks aspirations of social upheaval . $LABEL$ 0 +these self-styled athletes have banged their brains into the ground so frequently and furiously , their capacity to explain themselves has gone the same way as their natural instinct for self-preservation . $LABEL$ 0 +a fascinating documentary about the long and eventful spiritual journey of the guru who helped launch the new age . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has the courage of its convictions and excellent performances on its side . $LABEL$ 1 +a loud , ugly , irritating movie without any of its satirical salvos hitting a discernible target . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's plenty to impress about e.t. $LABEL$ 1 +the pianist -lrb- is -rrb- a supremely hopeful cautionary tale of war 's madness remembered that we , today , can prevent its tragic waste of life . $LABEL$ 1 +topics that could make a sailor blush - but lots of laughs . $LABEL$ 1 +never decides whether it wants to be a black comedy , drama , melodrama or some combination of the three . $LABEL$ 0 +has the rare capability to soothe and break your heart with a single stroke . $LABEL$ 1 +a conventional , but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in ireland over a man 's right to raise his own children . $LABEL$ 1 +those 24-and-unders looking for their own caddyshack to adopt as a generational signpost may have to keep on looking . $LABEL$ 0 +sadly , ` garth ' has n't progressed as nicely as ` wayne . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the story of trouble every day ... is so sketchy it amounts to little more than preliminary notes for a science-fiction horror film , and the movie 's fragmentary narrative style makes piecing the story together frustrating difficult . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- he ideas of revolution # 9 are more compelling than the execution $LABEL$ 0 +most of the information has already appeared in one forum or another and , no matter how broomfield dresses it up , it tends to speculation , conspiracy theories or , at best , circumstantial evidence . $LABEL$ 0 +consider the film a celluloid litmus test for the intellectual and emotional pedigree of your date and a giant step backward for a director i admire . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine -lrb- if possible -rrb- a pasolini film without passion or politics , or an almodovar movie without beauty or humor , and you have some idea of the glum , numb experience of watching o fantasma . $LABEL$ 0 +just plain bad . $LABEL$ 0 +although it tries to be much more , it 's really just another major league . $LABEL$ 0 +when the screenwriter responsible for one of the worst movies of one year directs an equally miserable film the following year , you 'd have a hard time believing it was just coincidence . $LABEL$ 0 +the entire movie establishes a wonderfully creepy mood . $LABEL$ 1 +director elie chouraqui , who co-wrote the script , catches the chaotic horror of war , but why bother if you 're going to subjugate truth to the tear-jerking demands of soap opera ? $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie so insecure about its capacity to excite that it churns up not one but two flagrantly fake thunderstorms to underscore the action . $LABEL$ 0 +if i want music , i 'll buy the soundtrack . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie has the usual impossible stunts ... but it has just as many scenes that are lean and tough enough to fit in any modern action movie . $LABEL$ 1 +sometimes makes less sense than the bruckheimeresque american action flicks it emulates . $LABEL$ 0 +as a film director , labute continues to improve . $LABEL$ 1 +a dark comedy that goes for sick and demented humor simply to do so . $LABEL$ 0 +lazily directed by charles stone iii ... from a leaden script by matthew cirulnick and novelist thulani davis . $LABEL$ 0 +the dialogue is cumbersome , the simpering soundtrack and editing more so . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a film living far too much in its own head . $LABEL$ 0 +pascale bailly 's rom-com provides amélie 's audrey tautou with another fabuleux destin -- i.e. , a banal spiritual quest . $LABEL$ 0 +p.t. anderson understands the grandness of romance and how love is the great equalizer that can calm us of our daily ills and bring out joys in our lives that we never knew were possible . $LABEL$ 1 +imagine o. henry 's the gift of the magi relocated to the scuzzy underbelly of nyc 's drug scene . $LABEL$ 0 +i do n't know if frailty will turn bill paxton into an a-list director , but he can rest contentedly with the knowledge that he 's made at least one damn fine horror movie . $LABEL$ 1 +large budget notwithstanding , the movie is such a blip on the year 's radar screen that it 's tempting just to go with it for the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +`` frailty '' offers chills much like those that you get when sitting around a campfire around midnight , telling creepy stories to give each other the willies . $LABEL$ 1 +despite modest aspirations its occasional charms are not to be dismissed . $LABEL$ 1 +any reasonably creative eighth-grader could have written a more credible script , though with the same number of continuity errors . $LABEL$ 0 +go , girls , right down the reality drain . $LABEL$ 0 +staggeringly dreadful romance . $LABEL$ 0 +a smart , compelling drama . $LABEL$ 1 +thoughtless , random , superficial humour and a lot of very bad scouse accents $LABEL$ 0 +... there 's enough cool fun here to warm the hearts of animation enthusiasts of all ages . $LABEL$ 1 +deliciously slow . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem , amazingly enough , is the screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +offers an interesting look at the rapidly changing face of beijing . $LABEL$ 1 +... certainly an entertaining ride , despite many talky , slow scenes . $LABEL$ 1 +an escapist confection that 's pure entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +an amused indictment of jaglom 's own profession . $LABEL$ 1 +so aggressively cheery that pollyana would reach for a barf bag . $LABEL$ 0 +a worthy idea , but the uninspired scripts , acting and direction never rise above the level of an after-school tv special . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully shot , delicately scored and powered by a set of heartfelt performances , it 's a lyrical endeavour . $LABEL$ 1 +pompous and garbled . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale . $LABEL$ 0 +for all its problems ... the lady and the duke surprisingly manages never to grow boring ... which proves that rohmer still has a sense of his audience . $LABEL$ 1 +the salton sea has moments of inspired humour , though every scrap is of the darkest variety . $LABEL$ 1 +a touching , sophisticated film that almost seems like a documentary in the way it captures an italian immigrant family on the brink of major changes . $LABEL$ 1 +it is supremely unfunny and unentertaining to watch middle-age and older men drink to excess , piss on trees , b.s. one another and put on a show in drag . $LABEL$ 0 +a sleep-inducing thriller with a single twist that everyone except the characters in it can see coming a mile away . $LABEL$ 0 +cuba gooding jr. valiantly mugs his way through snow dogs , but even his boisterous energy fails to spark this leaden comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a sharp , amusing study of the cult of celebrity . $LABEL$ 1 +a culture-clash comedy that , in addition to being very funny , captures some of the discomfort and embarrassment of being a bumbling american in europe . $LABEL$ 1 +constantly slips from the grasp of its maker . $LABEL$ 0 +the leaping story line , shaped by director peter kosminsky into sharp slivers and cutting impressions , shows all the signs of rich detail condensed into a few evocative images and striking character traits . $LABEL$ 1 +an emotionally strong and politically potent piece of cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +that the real antwone fisher was able to overcome his personal obstacles and become a good man is a wonderful thing ; that he has been able to share his story so compellingly with us is a minor miracle . $LABEL$ 1 +what a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is . $LABEL$ 1 +simplistic , silly and tedious . $LABEL$ 0 +we just do n't really care too much about this love story . $LABEL$ 0 +writer\/director burr steers emphasizes the q in quirky , with mixed results . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's usually a bad sign when directors abandon their scripts and go where the moment takes them , but olympia , wash. , based filmmakers anne de marcken and marilyn freeman did just that and it 's what makes their project so interesting . $LABEL$ 1 +now here 's a sadistic bike flick that would have made vittorio de sica proud . $LABEL$ 1 +offers laughs and insight into one of the toughest ages a kid can go through . $LABEL$ 1 +for a film about explosions and death and spies , `` ballistic : ecks vs. sever '' seems as safe as a children 's film . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's up to -lrb- watts -rrb- to lend credibility to this strange scenario , and her presence succeeds in making us believe . $LABEL$ 1 +what makes this film special is serry 's ability to take what is essentially a contained family conflict and put it into a much larger historical context . $LABEL$ 1 +well , in some of those , the mother deer even dies . $LABEL$ 0 +... a solid , well-formed satire . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is small in scope , yet perfectly formed . $LABEL$ 1 +less than fresh . $LABEL$ 0 +those moviegoers who would automatically bypass a hip-hop documentary should give `` scratch '' a second look . $LABEL$ 1 +a 75-minute sample of puerile rubbish that is listless , witless , and devoid of anything resembling humor . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mired in a shabby script that piles layer upon layer of action man cliché atop wooden dialogue and a shifting tone that falls far short of the peculiarly moral amorality of -lrb- woo 's -rrb- best work . $LABEL$ 0 +using a stock plot , about a boy injects just enough freshness into the proceedings to provide an enjoyable 100 minutes in a movie theater . $LABEL$ 1 +old-fashioned but thoroughly satisfying entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +they just have problems , which are neither original nor are presented in convincing way . $LABEL$ 0 +mindless and boring martial arts and gunplay with too little excitement and zero compelling storyline . $LABEL$ 0 +an ingenious and often harrowing look at damaged people and how families can offer either despair or consolation . $LABEL$ 1 +below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished . $LABEL$ 1 +i think it was plato who said , ' i think , therefore i know better than to rush to the theatre for this one . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the soul-searching deliberateness of the film , although leavened nicely with dry absurdist wit , eventually becomes too heavy for the plot . $LABEL$ 0 +is n't it a bit early in his career for director barry sonnenfeld to do a homage to himself ? $LABEL$ 0 +this stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror . $LABEL$ 0 +chouraqui brings documentary-like credibility to the horrors of the killing field and the barbarism of ` ethnic cleansing . ' $LABEL$ 1 +it 's endlessly inventive , consistently intelligent and sickeningly savage . $LABEL$ 1 +white has n't developed characters so much as caricatures , one-dimensional buffoons that get him a few laughs but nothing else . $LABEL$ 0 +world traveler might not go anywhere new , or arrive anyplace special , but it 's certainly an honest attempt to get at something . $LABEL$ 1 +it is life affirming and heartbreaking , sweet without the decay factor , funny and sad . $LABEL$ 1 +witty dialog between realistic characters showing honest emotions . $LABEL$ 1 +hawke 's film , a boring , pretentious waste of nearly two hours , does n't tell you anything except that the chelsea hotel today is populated by whiny , pathetic , starving and untalented artistes . $LABEL$ 0 +gets bogged down by an overly sillified plot and stop-and-start pacing . $LABEL$ 0 +the lively appeal of the last kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +using an endearing cast , writer\/director dover kosashvili takes a slightly dark look at relationships , both sexual and kindred . $LABEL$ 1 +some body often looks like an episode of the tv show blind date , only less technically proficient and without the pop-up comments . $LABEL$ 0 +`` sorority boys '' was funnier , and that movie was pretty bad . $LABEL$ 0 +toes the fine line between cheese and earnestness remarkably well ; everything is delivered with such conviction that it 's hard not to be carried away . $LABEL$ 1 +silly stuff , all mixed up together like a term paper from a kid who ca n't quite distinguish one sci-fi work from another . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the filmmakers ' post-camp comprehension of what made old-time b movies good-bad that makes eight legged freaks a perfectly entertaining summer diversion . $LABEL$ 1 +and , there 's no way you wo n't be talking about the film once you exit the theater . $LABEL$ 1 +the rules of attraction gets us too drunk on the party favors to sober us up with the transparent attempts at moralizing . $LABEL$ 0 +his work with actors is particularly impressive . $LABEL$ 1 +unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling . $LABEL$ 1 +worthless , from its pseudo-rock-video opening to the idiocy of its last frames . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those films that started with a great premise and then just fell apart . $LABEL$ 0 +when you find yourself rooting for the monsters in a horror movie , you know the picture is in trouble . $LABEL$ 0 +a compelling , gut-clutching piece of advocacy cinema that carries you along in a torrent of emotion as it explores the awful complications of one terrifying day . $LABEL$ 1 +wishy-washy . $LABEL$ 0 +no one can doubt the filmmakers ' motives , but the guys still feels counterproductive . $LABEL$ 0 +it just goes to show , an intelligent person is n't necessarily an admirable storyteller . $LABEL$ 0 +moves in such odd plot directions and descends into such message-mongering moralism that its good qualities are obscured . $LABEL$ 0 +for those who like quirky , slightly strange french films , this is a must ! $LABEL$ 1 +too often , son of the bride becomes an exercise in trying to predict when a preordained `` big moment '' will occur and not `` if . '' $LABEL$ 0 +the mood , look and tone of the film fit the incredible storyline to a t. $LABEL$ 1 +a muddled limp biscuit of a movie , a vampire soap opera that does n't make much sense even on its own terms . $LABEL$ 0 +a certain sexiness underlines even the dullest tangents . $LABEL$ 1 +why `` they '' were here and what `` they '' wanted and quite honestly , i did n't care . $LABEL$ 0 +shallow . $LABEL$ 0 +a work of extraordinary journalism , but it is also a work of deft and subtle poetry . $LABEL$ 1 +but toback 's deranged immediacy makes it seem fresh again . $LABEL$ 1 +all three women deliver remarkable performances . $LABEL$ 1 +koury frighteningly and honestly exposes one teenager 's uncomfortable class resentment and , in turn , his self-inflicted retaliation . $LABEL$ 1 +off the hook is overlong and not well-acted , but credit writer-producer-director adam watstein with finishing it at all . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a subversive element to this disney cartoon , providing unexpected fizzability . $LABEL$ 1 +in an era where big stars and high production values are standard procedure , narc strikes a defiantly retro chord , and outpaces its contemporaries with daring and verve . $LABEL$ 1 +`` freaky friday , '' it 's not . $LABEL$ 0 +an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades $LABEL$ 0 +bolstered by an astonishing voice cast -lrb- excepting love hewitt -rrb- , an interesting racial tension , and a storyline that i have n't encountered since at least pete 's dragon . $LABEL$ 1 +while the now 72-year-old robert evans been slowed down by a stroke , he has at least one more story to tell : his own . $LABEL$ 1 +this is one baaaaaaaaad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +maggie smith as the ya-ya member with the o2-tank will absolutely crack you up with her crass , then gasp for gas , verbal deportment . $LABEL$ 1 +brims with passion : for words , for its eccentric , accident-prone characters , and for the crazy things that keep people going in this crazy life . $LABEL$ 1 +borrows from other movies like it in the most ordinary and obvious fashion . $LABEL$ 0 +appropriately cynical social commentary aside , # 9 never quite ignites . $LABEL$ 0 +the story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head . $LABEL$ 0 +this u-boat does n't have a captain . $LABEL$ 0 +spectacular in every sense of the word , even if you don ' t know an orc from a uruk-hai . $LABEL$ 1 +a different and emotionally reserved type of survival story -- a film less about refracting all of world war ii through the specific conditions of one man , and more about that man lost in its midst . $LABEL$ 1 +you will likely prefer to keep on watching . $LABEL$ 1 +a film that 's flawed and brilliant in equal measure . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's leaden and predictable , and laughs are lacking . $LABEL$ 0 +the importance of being earnest movie seems to be missing a great deal of the acerbic repartee of the play . '' $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a lovely , eerie film that casts an odd , rapt spell . $LABEL$ 1 +one fantastic -lrb- and educational -rrb- documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +the word that comes to mind , while watching eric rohmer 's tribute to a courageous scottish lady , is painterly . $LABEL$ 1 +a funny and touching film that is gorgeously acted by a british cast to rival gosford park 's . $LABEL$ 1 +he allows his cast members to make creative contributions to the story and dialogue . $LABEL$ 1 +an incoherent jumble of a film that 's rarely as entertaining as it could have been . $LABEL$ 0 +cho continues her exploration of the outer limits of raunch with considerable brio . $LABEL$ 1 +instead of panoramic sweep , kapur gives us episodic choppiness , undermining the story 's emotional thrust . $LABEL$ 0 +i love the robust middle of this picture . $LABEL$ 1 +for those of us who respond more strongly to storytelling than computer-generated effects , the new star wars installment has n't escaped the rut dug by the last one . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a diverting enough hour-and-a-half for the family audience . $LABEL$ 1 +intriguing and downright intoxicating . $LABEL$ 1 +a sharp satire of desperation and cinematic deception . $LABEL$ 1 +i still like moonlight mile , better judgment be damned . $LABEL$ 1 +a showcase for both the scenic splendor of the mountains and for legendary actor michel serrault , the film is less successful on other levels . $LABEL$ 1 +with an expressive face reminiscent of gong li and a vivid personality like zhang ziyi 's , dong stakes out the emotional heart of happy . $LABEL$ 1 +steve oedekerk is , alas , no woody allen . $LABEL$ 0 +george lucas returns as a visionary with a tale full of nuance and character dimension . $LABEL$ 1 +putting the primitive murderer inside a high-tech space station unleashes a pandora 's box of special effects that run the gamut from cheesy to cheesier to cheesiest . $LABEL$ 0 +with the cheesiest monsters this side of a horror spoof , which they is n't , it is more likely to induce sleep than fright . $LABEL$ 0 +though tom shadyac 's film kicks off spookily enough , around the halfway mark it takes an abrupt turn into glucose sentimentality and laughable contrivance . $LABEL$ 0 +`` auto focus '' works as an unusual biopic and document of male swingers in the playboy era $LABEL$ 1 +with jump cuts , fast editing and lots of pyrotechnics , yu clearly hopes to camouflage how bad his movie is . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most depressing movie-going experiences i can think of is to sit through about 90 minutes of a so-called ` comedy ' and not laugh once . $LABEL$ 0 +except it 's much , much better . $LABEL$ 1 +good fun , good action , good acting , good dialogue , good pace , good cinematography . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a sharp movie about otherwise dull subjects . $LABEL$ 1 +is that it 's a crime movie made by someone who obviously knows nothing about crime . $LABEL$ 0 +jason patric and ray liotta make for one splendidly cast pair . $LABEL$ 1 +its compelling mix of trial movie , escape movie and unexpected fable ensures the film never feels draggy . $LABEL$ 1 +insightfully written , delicately performed $LABEL$ 1 +shyamalan should stop trying to please his mom . $LABEL$ 0 +kung pow is oedekerk 's realization of his childhood dream to be in a martial-arts flick , and proves that sometimes the dreams of youth should remain just that . $LABEL$ 0 +wimps out by going for that pg-13 rating , so the more graphic violence is mostly off-screen and the sexuality is muted . $LABEL$ 0 +the directing and story are disjointed , flaws that have to be laid squarely on taylor 's doorstep . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's no lie -- big fat liar is a real charmer . $LABEL$ 1 +a gorgeously strange movie , heaven is deeply concerned with morality , but it refuses to spell things out for viewers . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll cry for your money back . $LABEL$ 0 +the package in which this fascinating -- and timely -- content comes wrapped is disappointingly generic . $LABEL$ 0 +a subtle , humorous , illuminating study of politics , power and social mobility . $LABEL$ 1 +i loved the look of this film . $LABEL$ 1 +this little film is so slovenly done , so primitive in technique , that it ca n't really be called animation . $LABEL$ 0 +another boorish movie from the i-heard-a-joke - at-a-frat-party school of screenwriting . $LABEL$ 0 +it has its faults , but it is a kind , unapologetic , sweetheart of a movie , and mandy moore leaves a positive impression . $LABEL$ 1 +a baffling mixed platter of gritty realism and magic realism with a hard-to-swallow premise . $LABEL$ 0 +the code talkers deserved better than a hollow tribute . $LABEL$ 0 +for proof of that on the cinematic front , look no further than this 20th anniversary edition of the film that spielberg calls , retrospectively , his most personal work yet . $LABEL$ 1 +a slam-bang extravaganza that is all about a wild-and-woolly , wall-to-wall good time . $LABEL$ 1 +what you expect is just what you get ... assuming the bar of expectations has n't been raised above sixth-grade height . $LABEL$ 0 +the campy results make mel brooks ' borscht belt schtick look sophisticated . $LABEL$ 1 +an entertainment so in love with its overinflated mythology that it no longer recognizes the needs of moviegoers for real characters and compelling plots . $LABEL$ 0 +two badly interlocked stories drowned by all too clever complexity . $LABEL$ 0 +aloof and lacks any real raw emotion , which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships . $LABEL$ 0 +while parker and co-writer catherine di napoli are faithful to melville 's plotline , they and a fully engaged supporting cast ... have made the old boy 's characters more quick-witted than any english lit major would have thought possible . $LABEL$ 1 +the aaa of action , xxx is a blast of adrenalin , rated eee for excitement . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's all surface psychodramatics . $LABEL$ 0 +comedian , like its subjects , delivers the goods and audiences will have a fun , no-frills ride . $LABEL$ 1 +it was only a matter of time before some savvy producer saw the potential success inherent in the mixture of bullock bubble and hugh goo . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's virtually impossible to like any of these despicable characters . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a sweet , laugh-a-minute crowd pleaser that lifts your spirits as well as the corners of your mouth . $LABEL$ 1 +scott delivers a terrific performance in this fascinating portrait of a modern lothario . $LABEL$ 1 +replacing john carpenter 's stylish tracking shots is degraded , handheld blair witch video-cam footage . $LABEL$ 0 +the film delivers what it promises : a look at the `` wild ride '' that ensues when brash young men set out to conquer the online world with laptops , cell phones and sketchy business plans . $LABEL$ 1 +it thankfully goes easy on the reel\/real world dichotomy that -lrb- jaglom -rrb- pursued with such enervating determination in venice\/venice . $LABEL$ 1 +a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them . $LABEL$ 0 +like showgirls and glitter , the most entertaining moments here are unintentional . $LABEL$ 0 +the story is predictable , the jokes are typical sandler fare , and the romance with ryder is puzzling . $LABEL$ 0 +mark pellington 's latest pop thriller is as kooky and overeager as it is spooky and subtly in love with myth . $LABEL$ 1 +no amount of burning , blasting , stabbing , and shooting can hide a weak script . $LABEL$ 0 +prepare to marvel again . $LABEL$ 1 +family togetherness takes a back seat to inter-family rivalry and workplace ambition ... whole subplots have no explanation or even plot relevance . $LABEL$ 0 +stiff and schmaltzy and clumsily directed . $LABEL$ 0 +troubling and powerful . $LABEL$ 1 +cassavetes thinks he 's making dog day afternoon with a cause , but all he 's done is to reduce everything he touches to a shrill , didactic cartoon . $LABEL$ 0 +` dragonfly ' dwells on crossing-over mumbo jumbo , manipulative sentimentality , and sappy dialogue . $LABEL$ 0 +a genuinely moving and wisely unsentimental drama . $LABEL$ 1 +amy and matthew have a bit of a phony relationship , but the film works in spite of it . $LABEL$ 1 +maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there 's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is . $LABEL$ 1 +nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction . $LABEL$ 1 +rock 's stand-up magic wanes . $LABEL$ 0 +a delightful , if minor , pastry of a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +a sexy , surprising romance ... idemoto and kim make a gorgeous pair ... their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger . $LABEL$ 1 +there are n't too many films that can be as simultaneously funny , offbeat and heartwarming -lrb- without a thick shmear of the goo , at least -rrb- , but `` elling '' manages to do all three quite well , making it one of the year 's most enjoyable releases . $LABEL$ 1 +plays like some corny television production from a bygone era $LABEL$ 0 +as a girl-meets-girl romantic comedy , kissing jessica steinis quirky , charming and often hilarious . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's like a drive-by . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's sweet . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the worst movies of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +like brosnan 's performance , evelyn comes from the heart . $LABEL$ 1 +though the film is well-intentioned , one could rent the original and get the same love story and parable . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- woo 's -rrb- most resonant film since the killer . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's rare that a movie can be as intelligent as this one is in every regard except its storyline ; everything that 's good is ultimately scuttled by a plot that 's just too boring and obvious . $LABEL$ 0 +this mistaken-identity picture is so film-culture referential that the final product is a ghost . $LABEL$ 0 +strange and beautiful film . $LABEL$ 1 +the histrionic muse still eludes madonna and , playing a charmless witch , she is merely a charmless witch . $LABEL$ 0 +the result , however well-intentioned , is ironically just the sort of disposable , kitchen-sink homage that illustrates why the whole is so often less than the sum of its parts in today 's hollywood . $LABEL$ 0 +the catch is that they 're stuck with a script that prevents them from firing on all cylinders . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those so-so films that could have been much better . $LABEL$ 0 +has all the complexity and realistic human behavior of an episode of general hospital . $LABEL$ 0 +as original and insightful as last week 's episode of behind the music . $LABEL$ 0 +marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +... this story gets sillier , not scarier , as it goes along ... $LABEL$ 0 +... most viewers will wish there had been more of the `` queen '' and less of the `` damned . '' $LABEL$ 0 +reveals how important our special talents can be when put in service of of others . $LABEL$ 1 +as a vehicle to savour binoche 's skill , the film is well worthwhile . $LABEL$ 1 +what saves this deeply affecting film from being merely a collection of wrenching cases is corcuera 's attention to detail . $LABEL$ 1 +steers , in his feature film debut , has created a brilliant motion picture . $LABEL$ 1 +it has a way of seeping into your consciousness , with lingering questions about what the film is really getting at . $LABEL$ 1 +the charms of the lead performances allow us to forget most of the film 's problems . $LABEL$ 1 +the pleasure of read my lips is like seeing a series of perfect black pearls clicking together to form a string . $LABEL$ 1 +insomnia loses points when it surrenders to a formulaic bang-bang , shoot-em-up scene at the conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +this would-be ` james bond for the extreme generation ' pic is one big , dumb action movie . $LABEL$ 0 +when it comes to the battle of hollywood vs. woo , it looks like woo 's a p.o.w. $LABEL$ 0 +evelyn may be based on a true and historically significant story , but the filmmakers have made every effort to disguise it as an unimaginative screenwriter 's invention . $LABEL$ 0 +characterisation has been sacrificed for the sake of spectacle . $LABEL$ 0 +it turns out to be smarter and more diabolical than you could have guessed at the beginning . $LABEL$ 1 +is significantly less charming than listening to a four-year-old with a taste for exaggeration recount his halloween trip to the haunted house . $LABEL$ 0 +an example of quiet , confident craftsmanship that tells a sweet , charming tale of intergalactic friendship . $LABEL$ 1 +cheap , vulgar dialogue and a plot that crawls along at a snail 's pace . $LABEL$ 0 +been there done that . $LABEL$ 0 +something has been lost in the translation ... another routine hollywood frightfest in which the slack execution italicizes the absurdity of the premise . $LABEL$ 0 +tense , terrific , sweaty-palmed fun . $LABEL$ 1 +despite some charm and heart , this quirky soccer import is forgettable $LABEL$ 0 +cuaron repeatedly , perversely undercuts the joie de vivre even as he creates it , giving the movie a mournful undercurrent that places the good-time shenanigans in welcome perspective . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its brooding quality , ash wednesday is suspenseful and ultimately unpredictable , with a sterling ensemble cast . $LABEL$ 1 +delivers the sexy razzle-dazzle that everyone , especially movie musical fans , has been hoping for . $LABEL$ 1 +-- that the ` true story ' by which all the queen 's men is allegedly `` inspired '' was a lot funnier and more deftly enacted than what 's been cobbled together onscreen . $LABEL$ 0 +you could hate it for the same reason . $LABEL$ 0 +a story about intelligent high school students that deals with first love sweetly but also seriously . $LABEL$ 1 +waydowntown may not be an important movie , or even a good one , but it provides a nice change of mindless pace in collision with the hot oscar season currently underway . $LABEL$ 1 +`` frailty '' starts out like a typical bible killer story , but it turns out to be significantly different -lrb- and better -rrb- than most films with this theme . $LABEL$ 1 +thanks to the château 's balance of whimsicality , narrative discipline and serious improvisation , almost every relationship and personality in the film yields surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +gaghan captures the half-lit , sometimes creepy intimacy of college dorm rooms , a subtlety that makes the silly , over-the-top coda especially disappointing . $LABEL$ 0 +julie davis is the kathie lee gifford of film directors , sadly proving once again ego does n't always go hand in hand with talent . $LABEL$ 0 +in the affable maid in manhattan , jennifer lopez 's most aggressive and most sincere attempt to take movies by storm , the diva shrewdly surrounds herself with a company of strictly a-list players . $LABEL$ 1 +elegantly produced and expressively performed , the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy . $LABEL$ 1 +dark and unrepentant , this excursion into the epicenter of percolating mental instability is not easily dismissed or forgotten . $LABEL$ 1 +solondz may be convinced that he has something significant to say , but he is n't talking a talk that appeals to me . $LABEL$ 0 +a beautifully shot but dull and ankle-deep ` epic . ' $LABEL$ 0 +stale , futile scenario . $LABEL$ 0 +a film in a class with spike lee 's masterful do the right thing . $LABEL$ 1 +in addition to sporting one of the worst titles in recent cinematic history , ballistic : ecks vs. sever also features terrible , banal dialogue ; convenient , hole-ridden plotting ; superficial characters and a rather dull , unimaginative car chase . $LABEL$ 0 +full of the kind of obnoxious chitchat that only self-aware neurotics engage in . $LABEL$ 0 +a simpler , leaner treatment would have been preferable ; after all , being about nothing is sometimes funnier than being about something . $LABEL$ 0 +a delightful stimulus for the optic nerves , so much that it 's forgivable that the plot feels like every other tale of a totalitarian tomorrow . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing but an episode of smackdown ! $LABEL$ 0 +for all the charm of kevin kline and a story that puts old-fashioned values under the microscope , there 's something creepy about this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +kirshner and monroe seem to be in a contest to see who can out-bad-act the other . $LABEL$ 0 +the only reason you should see this movie is if you have a case of masochism and an hour and a half to blow . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's pretentious in a way that verges on the amateurish . $LABEL$ 0 +a plodding teen remake that 's so mechanical you can smell the grease on the plot twists . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's drab . $LABEL$ 0 +... a delightfully unpredictable , hilarious comedy with wonderful performances that tug at your heart in ways that utterly transcend gender labels . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's so striking about jolie 's performance is that she never lets her character become a caricature -- not even with that radioactive hair . $LABEL$ 1 +in my own very humble opinion , in praise of love lacks even the most fragmented charms i have found in almost all of his previous works . $LABEL$ 0 +i 've never bought from telemarketers , but i bought this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back . $LABEL$ 1 +horrid little propaganda film with fascinating connections not only to the serbs themselves but also to a network of american right-wing extremists . $LABEL$ 1 +a sun-drenched masterpiece , part parlor game , part psychological case study , part droll social satire . $LABEL$ 1 +a thriller without thrills and a mystery devoid of urgent questions . $LABEL$ 0 +10 minutes into the film you 'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away . $LABEL$ 1 +an enjoyable above average summer diversion . $LABEL$ 1 +watching this film , what we feel is n't mainly suspense or excitement . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not going to be everyone 's bag of popcorn , but it definitely gives you something to chew on . $LABEL$ 1 +violent , vulgar and forgettably entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +like many such biographical melodramas , it suffers from the awkwardness that results from adhering to the messiness of true stories . $LABEL$ 0 +as a story of dramatic enlightenment , the screenplay by billy ray and terry george leaves something to be desired . $LABEL$ 0 +sometimes charming , sometimes infuriating , this argentinean ` dramedy ' succeeds mainly on the shoulders of its actors . $LABEL$ 1 +`` 13 conversations about one thing '' is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling . $LABEL$ 1 +a no-holds-barred cinematic treat . $LABEL$ 1 +plotless collection of moronic stunts is by far the worst movie of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +all in all , road to perdition is more in love with strangeness than excellence . $LABEL$ 1 +with all the sympathy , empathy and pity fogging up the screen ... his secret life enters the land of unintentional melodrama and tiresome love triangles . $LABEL$ 0 +like a fish that 's lived too long , austin powers in goldmember has some unnecessary parts and is kinda wrong in places . $LABEL$ 0 +adaptation 's success in engaging the audience in the travails of creating a screenplay is extraordinary . $LABEL$ 1 +canadian filmmaker gary burns ' inventive and mordantly humorous take on the soullessness of work in the city . $LABEL$ 1 +ultimately , `` mib ii '' succeeds due to its rapid-fire delivery and enough inspired levity that it ca n't be dismissed as mindless . $LABEL$ 1 +like the original , this version is raised a few notches above kiddie fantasy pablum by allen 's astringent wit . $LABEL$ 1 +tries so hard to be quirky and funny that the strain is all too evident . $LABEL$ 0 +the self-serious equilibrium makes its point too well ; a movie , like life , is n't much fun without the highs and lows . $LABEL$ 0 +a family film that contains some hefty thematic material on time , death , eternity , and what is needed to live a rich and full life . $LABEL$ 1 +a riveting profile of law enforcement , and a visceral , nasty journey into an urban hades . $LABEL$ 1 +by no means a great movie , but it is a refreshingly forthright one . $LABEL$ 1 +rewarding . $LABEL$ 1 +often hilarious . $LABEL$ 1 +shot largely in small rooms , the film has a gentle , unforced intimacy that never becomes claustrophobic . $LABEL$ 1 +i like all four of the lead actors a lot and they manage to squeeze a few laughs out of the material , but they 're treading water at best in this forgettable effort . $LABEL$ 1 +the adventure does n't contain half the excitement of balto , or quarter the fun of toy story 2 . $LABEL$ 0 +a very charming and funny movie . $LABEL$ 1 +nair 's attention to detail creates an impeccable sense of place , while thurman and lewis give what can easily be considered career-best performances . $LABEL$ 1 +... the maudlin way its story unfolds suggests a director fighting against the urge to sensationalize his material . $LABEL$ 0 +beware the quirky brit-com . $LABEL$ 0 +a sense of real magic , perhaps . $LABEL$ 1 +in theory , a middle-aged romance pairing clayburgh and tambor sounds promising , but in practice it 's something else altogether -- clownish and offensive and nothing at all like real life . $LABEL$ 0 +a tour de force of modern cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history . $LABEL$ 1 +it still feels like a prison stretch . $LABEL$ 0 +adams , with four scriptwriters , takes care with the characters , who are so believable that you feel what they feel . $LABEL$ 1 +he makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty . $LABEL$ 1 +this is historical filmmaking without the balm of right-thinking ideology , either liberal or conservative . $LABEL$ 1 +the direction , by george hickenlooper , has no snap to it , no wiseacre crackle or hard-bitten cynicism . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- smarter and much funnier version of the old police academy flicks . $LABEL$ 1 +her fans walked out muttering words like `` horrible '' and `` terrible , '' but had so much fun dissing the film that they did n't mind the ticket cost . $LABEL$ 0 +a supernatural mystery that does n't know whether it wants to be a suspenseful horror movie or a weepy melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +an impeccable study in perversity . $LABEL$ 1 +what sets it apart is the vision that taymor , the avant garde director of broadway 's the lion king and the film titus , brings . $LABEL$ 1 +offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere . $LABEL$ 1 +but the film itself is ultimately quite unengaging . $LABEL$ 0 +a sleep-inducingly slow-paced crime drama with clumsy dialogue , heavy-handed phoney-feeling sentiment , and an overly-familiar set of plot devices . $LABEL$ 0 +an awful movie that will only satisfy the most emotionally malleable of filmgoers . $LABEL$ 0 +i guess it just goes to show that if you give a filmmaker an unlimited amount of phony blood , nothing good can happen . $LABEL$ 0 +time of favor could have given audiences the time of day by concentrating on the elements of a revealing alienation among a culture of people who sadly are at hostile odds with one another through recklessness and retaliation . $LABEL$ 0 +a waste of fearless purity in the acting craft . $LABEL$ 0 +twenty years after its first release , e.t. remains the most wondrous of all hollywood fantasies -- and the apex of steven spielberg 's misunderstood career . $LABEL$ 1 +suffers from unlikable characters and a self-conscious sense of its own quirky hipness . $LABEL$ 0 +talky , artificial and opaque ... an interesting technical exercise , but a tedious picture . $LABEL$ 0 +filled with low-brow humor , gratuitous violence and a disturbing disregard for life . $LABEL$ 0 +the great pity is that those responsible did n't cut their losses -- and ours -- and retitle it the adventures of direct-to-video nash , and send it to its proper home . $LABEL$ 0 +beneath the uncanny , inevitable and seemingly shrewd facade of movie-biz farce ... lies a plot cobbled together from largely flat and uncreative moments . $LABEL$ 0 +more tiring than anything . $LABEL$ 0 +laconic and very stilted in its dialogue , this indie flick never found its audience , probably because it 's extremely hard to relate to any of the characters . $LABEL$ 0 +uzumaki 's interesting social parallel and defiant aesthetic seems a prostituted muse ... $LABEL$ 0 +a perceptive , good-natured movie . $LABEL$ 1 +maelstrom is strange and compelling , engrossing and different , a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're looking for a story , do n't bother . $LABEL$ 0 +reign of fire never comes close to recovering from its demented premise , but it does sustain an enjoyable level of ridiculousness . $LABEL$ 0 +if you ever wondered what it would be like to be smack in the middle of a war zone armed with nothing but a camera , this oscar-nominated documentary takes you there . $LABEL$ 1 +other than a mildly engaging central romance , hospital is sickly entertainment at best and mind-destroying cinematic pollution at worst . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is like scorsese 's mean streets redone by someone who ignored it in favor of old ` juvenile delinquent ' paperbacks with titles like leather warriors and switchblade sexpot . $LABEL$ 0 +like the chilled breath of oral storytelling frozen onto film . $LABEL$ 1 +captivates as it shows excess in business and pleasure , allowing us to find the small , human moments , and leaving off with a grand whimper . $LABEL$ 1 +gay or straight , kissing jessica stein is one of the greatest date movies in years . $LABEL$ 1 +he drags it back , single-handed . $LABEL$ 1 +translating complex characters from novels to the big screen is an impossible task but they are true to the essence of what it is to be ya-ya . $LABEL$ 1 +there is nothing funny in this every-joke-has - been-told-a - thousand-times - before movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a thoughtful and surprisingly affecting portrait of a screwed-up man who dared to mess with some powerful people , seen through the eyes of the idealistic kid who chooses to champion his ultimately losing cause . $LABEL$ 1 +reggio and glass put on an intoxicating show . $LABEL$ 1 +a rare and lightly entertaining look behind the curtain that separates comics from the people laughing in the crowd . $LABEL$ 1 +be prepared to cling to the edge of your seat , tense with suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +the mantra behind the project seems to have been ` it 's just a kids ' flick . ' $LABEL$ 0 +both heartbreaking and heartwarming ... just a simple fable done in an artless sytle , but it 's tremendously moving . $LABEL$ 1 +the series ' message about making the right choice in the face of tempting alternatives remains prominent , as do the girls ' amusing personalities . $LABEL$ 1 +the santa clause 2 's plot may sound like it was co-written by mattel executives and lobbyists for the tinsel industry . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's surprisingly decent , particularly for a tenth installment in a series . $LABEL$ 1 +true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation . $LABEL$ 0 +the piano teacher is not an easy film . $LABEL$ 0 +degenerates into hogwash . $LABEL$ 0 +absurdities and clichés accumulate like lint in a fat man 's navel . $LABEL$ 0 +those who are not acquainted with the author 's work , on the other hand , may fall fast asleep . $LABEL$ 0 +sex with strangers is fascinating ... $LABEL$ 1 +unlike trey parker , sandler does n't understand that the idea of exploiting molestation for laughs is funny , not actually exploiting it yourself . $LABEL$ 0 +byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle . $LABEL$ 1 +green ruins every single scene he 's in , and the film , while it 's not completely wreaked , is seriously compromised by that . $LABEL$ 0 +a minor film with major pleasures from portuguese master manoel de oliviera ... $LABEL$ 1 +stealing harvard ca n't even do that much . $LABEL$ 0 +leguizamo and jones are both excellent and the rest of the cast is uniformly superb . $LABEL$ 1 +if the predictability of bland comfort food appeals to you , then the film is a pleasant enough dish . $LABEL$ 0 +the story suffers a severe case of oversimplification , superficiality and silliness . $LABEL$ 0 +a technical triumph and an extraordinary bore . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters ... are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script . $LABEL$ 0 +neither quite a comedy nor a romance , more of an impish divertissement of themes that interest attal and gainsbourg -- they live together -- the film has a lot of charm . $LABEL$ 1 +likely to have decades of life as a classic movie franchise ? $LABEL$ 1 +what they see in each other also is difficult to fathom . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a fascinating film because there is no clear-cut hero and no all-out villain . $LABEL$ 1 +another trumpet blast that there may be a new mexican cinema a-bornin ' . ' $LABEL$ 1 +what might have been readily dismissed as the tiresome rant of an aging filmmaker still thumbing his nose at convention takes a surprising , subtle turn at the midway point . $LABEL$ 0 +expands the limits of what a film can be , taking us into the lives of women to whom we might not give a second look if we passed them on the street . $LABEL$ 1 +does not go far enough in its humor or stock ideas to stand out as particularly memorable or even all that funny . $LABEL$ 0 +despite the film 's shortcomings , the stories are quietly moving . $LABEL$ 1 +from blushing to gushing -- imamura squirts the screen in ` warm water under a red bridge ' $LABEL$ 1 +delight your senses and crash this wedding ! $LABEL$ 1 +the best thing i can say about this film is that i ca n't wait to see what the director does next . $LABEL$ 1 +... wallace is smart to vary the pitch of his movie , balancing deafening battle scenes with quieter domestic scenes of women back home receiving war department telegrams . $LABEL$ 1 +a true-blue delight . $LABEL$ 1 +about as enjoyable , i would imagine , as searching for a quarter in a giant pile of elephant feces ... positively dreadful . $LABEL$ 0 +it leaves little doubt that kidman has become one of our best actors . $LABEL$ 1 +what ensues are much blood-splattering , mass drug-induced bowel evacuations , and none-too-funny commentary on the cultural distinctions between americans and brits . $LABEL$ 0 +an enjoyable experience . $LABEL$ 1 +and they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor . $LABEL$ 1 +very much a home video , and so devoid of artifice and purpose that it appears not to have been edited at all . $LABEL$ 0 +no , even that 's too committed . $LABEL$ 0 +the entire movie is in need of a scented bath . $LABEL$ 0 +i spied with my little eye ... a mediocre collection of cookie-cutter action scenes and occasionally inspired dialogue bits $LABEL$ 0 +the hours , a delicately crafted film , is an impressive achievement in spite of a river of sadness that pours into every frame . $LABEL$ 1 +are we dealing with dreams , visions or being told what actually happened as if it were the third ending of clue ? $LABEL$ 0 +this movie is so bad , that it 's almost worth seeing because it 's so bad . $LABEL$ 0 +no better or worse than ` truth or consequences , n.m. ' or any other interchangeable actioner with imbecilic mafia toolbags botching a routine assignment in a western backwater . $LABEL$ 0 +well , this movie proves you wrong on both counts . $LABEL$ 0 +much of it is funny , but there are also some startling , surrealistic moments ... $LABEL$ 1 +those who are only mildly curious , i fear , will be put to sleep or bewildered by the artsy and often pointless visuals . $LABEL$ 0 +its engaging simplicity is driven by appealing leads . $LABEL$ 1 +theological matters aside , the movie is so clumsily sentimental and ineptly directed it may leave you speaking in tongues . $LABEL$ 0 +this 90-minute postmodern voyage was more diverting and thought-provoking than i 'd expected it to be . $LABEL$ 1 +ignoring that , he made swimfan anyway $LABEL$ 0 +we never truly come to care about the main characters and whether or not they 'll wind up together , and michele 's spiritual quest is neither amusing nor dramatic enough to sustain interest . $LABEL$ 0 +like schindler 's list , the grey zone attempts to be grandiloquent , but ends up merely pretentious -- in a grisly sort of way . $LABEL$ 0 +a touching drama about old age and grief with a tour de force performance by michel piccoli . $LABEL$ 1 +video games are more involving than this mess . $LABEL$ 0 +an obvious copy of one of the best films ever made , how could it not be ? $LABEL$ 0 +the plan to make enough into ` an inspiring tale of survival wrapped in the heart-pounding suspense of a stylish psychological thriller ' has flopped as surely as a soufflé gone wrong . $LABEL$ 0 +dog soldiers does n't transcend genre -- it embraces it , energizes it and takes big bloody chomps out of it . $LABEL$ 1 +third time 's the charm ... yeah , baby ! $LABEL$ 1 +weighty and ponderous but every bit as filling as the treat of the title . $LABEL$ 1 +makes the case for a strong education and good teachers being more valuable in the way they help increase an average student 's self-esteem , and not strictly in the knowledge imparted . $LABEL$ 1 +a giddy and provocative sexual romp that has something to say . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's not to like about a movie with a ` children 's ' song that includes the line ` my stepdad 's not mean , he 's just adjusting ' ? $LABEL$ 1 +equilibrium the movie , as opposed to the manifesto , is really , really stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +suffers from over-familiarity since hit-hungry british filmmakers have strip-mined the monty formula mercilessly since 1997 . $LABEL$ 0 +eventually arrives at its heart , as simple self-reflection meditation . $LABEL$ 1 +in a summer overrun with movies dominated by cgi aliens and super heroes , it revigorates the mind to see a feature that concentrates on people , a project in which the script and characters hold sway . $LABEL$ 1 +for most movies , 84 minutes is short , but this one feels like a life sentence . $LABEL$ 0 +what begins as a conventional thriller evolves into a gorgeously atmospheric meditation on life-changing chance encounters . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's rare for any movie to be as subtle and touching as the son 's room . $LABEL$ 1 +not as well-written as sexy beast , not as gloriously flippant as lock , stock and two smoking barrels , but stylish and moody and exceptionally well-acted . $LABEL$ 1 +spielberg 's realization of a near-future america is masterful . $LABEL$ 1 +amidst the action , the script carries arnold -lrb- and the viewers -rrb- into the forbidden zone of sympathizing with terrorist motivations by presenting the `` other side of the story . '' $LABEL$ 1 +as gory as the scenes of torture and self-mutilation may be , they are pitted against shimmering cinematography that lends the setting the ethereal beauty of an asian landscape painting . $LABEL$ 1 +jones has delivered a solidly entertaining and moving family drama . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- h -rrb- ad i suffered and bled on the hard ground of ia drang , i 'd want something a bit more complex than we were soldiers to be remembered by . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's sort of in-between , and it works . $LABEL$ 1 +he 's the scariest guy you 'll see all summer . $LABEL$ 1 +unfunny comedy with a lot of static set ups , not much camera movement , and most of the scenes take place indoors in formal settings with motionless characters . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie in which two not very absorbing characters are engaged in a romance you ca n't wait to see end . $LABEL$ 0 +a cultural wildcard experience : wacky , different , unusual , even nutty . $LABEL$ 1 +mediocre fable from burkina faso . $LABEL$ 0 +a hallmark film in an increasingly important film industry and worth the look . $LABEL$ 1 +the worst film of the year . $LABEL$ 0 +a funny , triumphant , and moving documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a spontaneity to the chateau , a sense of light-heartedness , that makes it attractive throughout . $LABEL$ 1 +in fact , it 's quite fun in places . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a barely tolerable slog over well-trod ground . $LABEL$ 0 +manipulative claptrap , a period-piece movie-of-the-week , plain old blarney ... take your pick . $LABEL$ 0 +not that any of us should be complaining when a film clocks in around 90 minutes these days , but the plotting here leaves a lot to be desired . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's crap on a leash -- far too polite to scale the lunatic heights of joe dante 's similarly styled gremlins . $LABEL$ 0 +hollywood ending is not show-stoppingly hilarious , but scathingly witty nonetheless . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's an exhilarating place to visit , this laboratory of laughter . $LABEL$ 1 +genuinely unnerving . $LABEL$ 1 +enriched by a strong and unforced supporting cast . $LABEL$ 1 +without any redeeming value whatsoever . $LABEL$ 0 +an intoxicating experience . $LABEL$ 1 +rock solid family fun out of the gates , extremely imaginative through out , but wanes in the middle $LABEL$ 1 +they cheapen the overall effect . $LABEL$ 0 +what results is the best performance from either in years . $LABEL$ 1 +s1m0ne 's satire is not subtle , but it is effective . $LABEL$ 1 +an already thin story boils down to surviving invaders seeking an existent anti-virus . $LABEL$ 0 +a confluence of kiddie entertainment , sophisticated wit and symbolic graphic design . $LABEL$ 1 +a period story about a catholic boy who tries to help a jewish friend get into heaven by sending the audience straight to hell . $LABEL$ 0 +a film that should be relegated to a dark video store corner is somehow making its way instead to theaters . $LABEL$ 0 +deliberately and skillfully uses ambiguity to suggest possibilities which imbue the theme with added depth and resonance . $LABEL$ 1 +and more than that , it 's an observant , unfussily poetic meditation about identity and alienation . $LABEL$ 1 +exploits -lrb- headbanger -rrb- stereotypes in good fun , while adding a bit of heart and unsettling subject matter . $LABEL$ 1 +resurrection has the dubious distinction of being a really bad imitation of the really bad blair witch project . $LABEL$ 0 +fluffy and disposible . $LABEL$ 0 +in its treatment of the dehumanizing and ego-destroying process of unemployment , time out offers an exploration that is more accurate than anything i have seen in an american film . $LABEL$ 1 +odd and weird . $LABEL$ 0 +the beauty of alexander payne 's ode to the everyman is in the details . $LABEL$ 1 +no matter how much he runs around and acts like a doofus , accepting a 50-year-old in the role is creepy in a michael jackson sort of way . $LABEL$ 0 +meyjes ' provocative film might be called an example of the haphazardness of evil . $LABEL$ 1 +can i admit xxx is as deep as a petri dish and as well-characterized as a telephone book but still say it was a guilty pleasure ? $LABEL$ 0 +a hugely rewarding experience that 's every bit as enlightening , insightful and entertaining as grant 's two best films -- four weddings and a funeral and bridget jones 's diary . $LABEL$ 1 +interview with the assassin is structured less as a documentary and more as a found relic , and as such the film has a difficult time shaking its blair witch project real-time roots . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mildly interesting to ponder the peculiar american style of justice that plays out here , but it 's so muddled and derivative that few will bother thinking it all through . $LABEL$ 0 +it appears to have been modeled on the worst revenge-of-the-nerds clichés the filmmakers could dredge up . $LABEL$ 0 +reign of fire has the disadvantage of also looking cheap . $LABEL$ 0 +to call this one an eventual cult classic would be an understatement , and woe is the horror fan who opts to overlook this goofily endearing and well-lensed gorefest . $LABEL$ 1 +a distinguished and thoughtful film , marked by acute writing and a host of splendid performances . $LABEL$ 1 +grant is n't cary and bullock is n't katherine . $LABEL$ 0 +a terrible adaptation of a play that only ever walked the delicate tightrope between farcical and loathsome . $LABEL$ 0 +not just unlikable . $LABEL$ 0 +a fresh-faced , big-hearted and frequently funny thrill ride for the kiddies , with enough eye candy and cheeky wit to keep parents away from the concession stand . ' $LABEL$ 1 +priggish , lethargically paced parable of renewal . $LABEL$ 0 +disgusting . $LABEL$ 0 +excruciatingly unfunny and pitifully unromantic . $LABEL$ 0 +films about loss , grief and recovery are pretty valuable these days . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- it 's -rrb- a clever thriller with enough unexpected twists to keep our interest . $LABEL$ 1 +as if drop dead gorgeous was n't enough , this equally derisive clunker is fixated on the spectacle of small-town competition . $LABEL$ 0 +but believe it or not , it 's one of the most beautiful , evocative works i 've seen . $LABEL$ 1 +real women have curves wears its empowerment on its sleeve but even its worst harangues are easy to swallow thanks to remarkable performances by ferrera and ontiveros . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's plot may be shallow , but you 've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots . $LABEL$ 1 +the two leads , nearly perfect in their roles , bring a heart and reality that buoy the film , and at times , elevate it to a superior crime movie . $LABEL$ 1 +mastering its formidable arithmetic of cameras and souls , group articulates a flood of emotion . $LABEL$ 1 +... a great , participatory spectator sport . ' $LABEL$ 1 +... really horrible drek . $LABEL$ 0 +wang xiaoshuai directs this intricately structured and well-realized drama that presents a fascinating glimpse of urban life and the class warfare that embroils two young men . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem is that the movie has no idea of it is serious or not . $LABEL$ 0 +a must for fans of british cinema , if only because so many titans of the industry are along for the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +but it 's hard to imagine a more generic effort in the genre . $LABEL$ 0 +what makes it worth watching is quaid 's performance . $LABEL$ 1 +snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like ` masterpiece ' and ` triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this . $LABEL$ 0 +... stale and uninspired . $LABEL$ 0 +hey , happy ! $LABEL$ 1 +perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , about schmidt instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness . $LABEL$ 1 +it reaffirms life as it looks in the face of death . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the humanizing stuff that will probably sink the film for anyone who does n't think about percentages all day long . $LABEL$ 0 +if the full monty was a freshman fluke , lucky break is -lrb- cattaneo -rrb- sophomore slump . $LABEL$ 0 +rarely does a film so graceless and devoid of merit as this one come along . $LABEL$ 0 +this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its brilliant touches , dragon loses its fire midway , nearly flickering out by its perfunctory conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +no , i love it ... hell , i dunno . $LABEL$ 1 +dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song . $LABEL$ 0 +baran is shockingly devoid of your typical majid majidi shoe-loving , crippled children . $LABEL$ 0 +khouri manages , with terrific flair , to keep the extremes of screwball farce and blood-curdling family intensity on one continuum . $LABEL$ 1 +as the movie dragged on , i thought i heard a mysterious voice , and felt myself powerfully drawn toward the light -- the light of the exit sign . $LABEL$ 0 +that 's its first sign of trouble . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is ingenious fun . $LABEL$ 1 +ah , yes , that would be me : fighting off the urge to doze . $LABEL$ 0 +a visually flashy but narratively opaque and emotionally vapid exercise in style and mystification . $LABEL$ 0 +until it goes off the rails in its final 10 or 15 minutes , wendigo , larry fessenden 's spooky new thriller , is a refreshingly smart and newfangled variation on several themes derived from far less sophisticated and knowing horror films . $LABEL$ 1 +you walk out of the good girl with mixed emotions -- disapproval of justine combined with a tinge of understanding for her actions . $LABEL$ 1 +hard-core slasher aficionados will find things to like ... but overall the halloween series has lost its edge . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the perfect star vehicle for grant , allowing him to finally move away from his usual bumbling , tongue-tied screen persona . $LABEL$ 1 +it grabs you in the dark and shakes you vigorously for its duration . $LABEL$ 1 +makes the same mistake as the music industry it criticizes , becoming so slick and watered-down it almost loses what made you love it in the first place . $LABEL$ 0 +tedious norwegian offering which somehow snagged an oscar nomination . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot twists give i am trying to break your heart an attraction it desperately needed . $LABEL$ 1 +breen 's script is sketchy with actorish notations on the margin of acting . $LABEL$ 0 +the film can depress you about life itself . $LABEL$ 0 +the slam-bang superheroics are kinetic enough to engross even the most antsy youngsters . $LABEL$ 1 +then you get another phone call warning you that if the video is n't back at blockbuster before midnight , you 're going to face frightening late fees . $LABEL$ 0 +its cast full of caffeinated comedy performances more than make up for its logical loopholes , which fly by so fast there 's no time to think about them anyway . $LABEL$ 1 +something for everyone . $LABEL$ 1 +the story is -- forgive me -- a little thin , and the filmmaking clumsy and rushed . $LABEL$ 0 +graphic sex may be what 's attracting audiences to unfaithful , but gripping performances by lane and gere are what will keep them awake . $LABEL$ 1 +feels shrill , simple and soapy . $LABEL$ 0 +bloody sunday has the grace to call for prevention rather than to place blame , making it one of the best war movies ever made . $LABEL$ 1 +it sucked . $LABEL$ 0 +will give many ministers and bible-study groups hours of material to discuss . $LABEL$ 1 +a light , engaging comedy that fumbles away almost all of its accumulated enjoyment with a crucial third act miscalculation . $LABEL$ 0 +a so-so , made-for-tv something posing as a real movie . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever heartwarming scene the impressively discreet filmmakers may have expected to record with their mini dv , they show a remarkable ability to document both sides of this emotional car-wreck . $LABEL$ 1 +skins has a desolate air , but eyre , a native american raised by white parents , manages to infuse the rocky path to sibling reconciliation with flashes of warmth and gentle humor . $LABEL$ 1 +an unencouraging threefold expansion on the former mtv series , accompanying the stunt-hungry dimwits in a random series of collected gags , pranks , pratfalls , dares , injuries , etc. . $LABEL$ 0 +a jumbled fantasy comedy that did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting , shooting or post-production stages . $LABEL$ 0 +the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished . $LABEL$ 1 +this thing is virtually unwatchable . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a beautiful , aching sadness to it all . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the kind of movie where people who have never picked a lock do so easily after a few tries and become expert fighters after a few weeks . $LABEL$ 0 +handsome and sophisticated approach to the workplace romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +schaefer 's ... determination to inject farcical raunch ... drowns out the promise of the romantic angle . $LABEL$ 0 +huppert 's show to steal and she makes a meal of it , channeling kathy baker 's creepy turn as the repressed mother on boston public just as much as 8 women 's augustine . $LABEL$ 1 +yet why it fails is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma . $LABEL$ 0 +may cause you to bite your tongue to keep from laughing at the ridiculous dialog or the oh-so convenient plot twists . $LABEL$ 0 +terry is a sort of geriatric dirty harry , which will please eastwood 's loyal fans -- and suits the story , wherein our hero must ride roughshod over incompetent cops to get his man . $LABEL$ 1 +costner 's warm-milk persona is just as ill-fitting as shadyac 's perfunctory directing chops , and some of the more overtly silly dialogue would sink laurence olivier . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is brilliant , really . $LABEL$ 1 +an oddity , to be sure , but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion . $LABEL$ 1 +the picture seems uncertain whether it wants to be an acidic all-male all about eve or a lush , swooning melodrama in the intermezzo strain . $LABEL$ 0 +there is truth here $LABEL$ 1 +kids who are into this thornberry stuff will probably be in wedgie heaven . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's easy to love robin tunney -- she 's pretty and she can act -- but it gets harder and harder to understand her choices . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just not very smart . $LABEL$ 0 +meandering and confusing . $LABEL$ 0 +there are just too many characters saying too many clever things and getting into too many pointless situations . $LABEL$ 0 +the film feels uncomfortably real , its language and locations bearing the unmistakable stamp of authority . $LABEL$ 1 +i 'm sure the filmmaker would disagree , but , honestly , i do n't see the point . $LABEL$ 0 +without -lrb- de niro -rrb- , city by the sea would slip under the waves . $LABEL$ 0 +great over-the-top moviemaking if you 're in a slap-happy mood . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. soderbergh 's direction and visual style struck me as unusually and unimpressively fussy and pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +if we sometimes need comforting fantasies about mental illness , we also need movies like tim mccann 's revolution no. 9 . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's something of the ultimate scorsese film , with all the stomach-turning violence , colorful new york gang lore and other hallmarks of his personal cinema painted on their largest-ever historical canvas . $LABEL$ 1 +too slow for a younger crowd , too shallow for an older one . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of building to a laugh riot we are left with a handful of disparate funny moments of no real consequence . $LABEL$ 0 +just another generic drama that has nothing going for it other than its exploitive array of obligatory cheap thrills . $LABEL$ 0 +williams creates a stunning , taxi driver-esque portrayal of a man teetering on the edge of sanity . $LABEL$ 1 +demme gets a lot of flavor and spice into his charade remake , but he ca n't disguise that he 's spiffing up leftovers that are n't so substantial or fresh . $LABEL$ 0 +but unless you 're an absolute raving star wars junkie , it is n't much fun . $LABEL$ 0 +promises is one film that 's truly deserving of its oscar nomination . $LABEL$ 1 +impossible as it may sound , this film 's heart is even more embracing than monty , if only because it accepts nasty behavior and severe flaws as part of the human condition . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's the brilliant surfing photography bringing you right inside the massive waves that lifts blue crush into one of the summer 's most pleasurable movies . $LABEL$ 1 +a powerful , inflammatory film about religion that dares to question an ancient faith , and about hatred that offers no easy , comfortable resolution . $LABEL$ 1 +fessenden has nurtured his metaphors at the expense of his narrative , but he does display an original talent . $LABEL$ 1 +to honestly address the flaws inherent in how medical aid is made available to american workers , a more balanced or fair portrayal of both sides will be needed . $LABEL$ 0 +halfway through , however , having sucked dry the undead action flick formula , blade ii mutates into a gross-out monster movie with effects that are more silly than scary . $LABEL$ 0 +the otherwise good-naturedness of mr. deeds , with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less - than-likely new york celebrities ... certainly raises the film above anything sandler 's been attached to before . $LABEL$ 1 +all the pieces fall together without much surprise , but little moments give it a boost . $LABEL$ 1 +to get at the root psychology of this film would require many sessions on the couch of dr. freud . $LABEL$ 0 +a remarkable film by bernard rose . $LABEL$ 1 +overly long and worshipful bio-doc . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the sweet cinderella story that `` pretty woman '' wanted to be . $LABEL$ 1 +a delicious , quirky movie with a terrific screenplay and fanciful direction by michael gondry . $LABEL$ 1 +it appears to have been made by people to whom the idea of narrative logic or cohesion is an entirely foreign concept . $LABEL$ 0 +a tone of rueful compassion ... reverberates throughout this film , whose meaning and impact is sadly heightened by current world events . $LABEL$ 1 +a mechanical action-comedy whose seeming purpose is to market the charismatic jackie chan to even younger audiences . $LABEL$ 0 +it desperately wants to be a wacky , screwball comedy , but the most screwy thing here is how so many talented people were convinced to waste their time . $LABEL$ 0 +both grant and hoult carry the movie because they are believable as people -- flawed , assured of the wrong things , and scared to admit how much they may really need the company of others . $LABEL$ 1 +i liked the movie , but i know i would have liked it more if it had just gone that one step further . $LABEL$ 1 +wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message . $LABEL$ 1 +the threat implied in the title pokémon 4ever is terrifying -- like locusts in a horde these things will keep coming . $LABEL$ 0 +flashy gadgets and whirling fight sequences may look cool , but they ca n't distract from the flawed support structure holding equilibrium up . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. wollter and ms. seldhal give strong and convincing performances , but neither reaches into the deepest recesses of the character to unearth the quaking essence of passion , grief and fear . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving story of determination and the human spirit . $LABEL$ 1 +there is greatness here . $LABEL$ 1 +lovely and amazing is holofcener 's deep , uncompromising curtsy to women she knows , and very likely is . $LABEL$ 1 +i liked this film a lot ... $LABEL$ 1 +demonstrates the unusual power of thoughtful , subjective filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +although the sequel has all the outward elements of the original , the first film 's lovely flakiness is gone , replaced by the forced funniness found in the dullest kiddie flicks . $LABEL$ 0 +but they lack their idol 's energy and passion for detail . $LABEL$ 0 +a screenplay more ingeniously constructed than `` memento '' $LABEL$ 1 +those with a modicum of patience will find in these characters ' foibles a timeless and unique perspective . $LABEL$ 1 +on that score , the film certainly does n't disappoint . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's vision of a white american zealously spreading a puritanical brand of christianity to south seas islanders is one only a true believer could relish . $LABEL$ 0 +it asks nothing of the audience other than to sit back and enjoy a couple of great actors hamming it up . $LABEL$ 1 +you can almost see mendes and company getting together before a single frame had been shot and collectively vowing , ` this is going to be something really good . ' $LABEL$ 1 +a negligible british comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +great fun both for sports aficionados and for ordinary louts whose idea of exercise is climbing the steps of a stadium-seat megaplex . $LABEL$ 1 +beautifully crafted and cooly unsettling ... recreates the atmosphere of the crime expertly . $LABEL$ 1 +, is a temporal inquiry that shoulders its philosophical burden lightly . $LABEL$ 1 +there has been a string of ensemble cast romances recently ... but peter mattei 's love in the time of money sets itself apart by forming a chain of relationships that come full circle to end on a positive -lrb- if tragic -rrb- note . $LABEL$ 1 +children and adults enamored of all things pokemon wo n't be disappointed . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll find yourself wishing that you and they were in another movie . $LABEL$ 0 +little more than a stylish exercise in revisionism whose point ... is no doubt true , but serves as a rather thin moral to such a knowing fable . $LABEL$ 0 +like edward norton in american history x , ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- delivers a magnetic performance . $LABEL$ 1 +despite bearing the paramount imprint , it 's a bargain-basement european pickup . $LABEL$ 0 +by the time you reach the finale , you 're likely wondering why you 've been watching all this strutting and posturing . $LABEL$ 0 +a predictable , manipulative stinker . $LABEL$ 0 +... post-september 11 , `` the sum of all fears '' seems more tacky and reprehensible , manipulating our collective fear without bestowing the subject with the intelligence or sincerity it unequivocally deserves . $LABEL$ 0 +a solid , psychological action film from hong kong . $LABEL$ 1 +a retread of material already thoroughly plumbed by martin scorsese . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a perfect show of respect to just one of those underrated professionals who deserve but rarely receive it . $LABEL$ 1 +a bad movie that happened to good actors . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like john le carré with a couple of burnt-out cylinders . $LABEL$ 0 +... a rather bland affair . $LABEL$ 0 +spielberg has managed to marry science fiction with film noir and action flicks with philosophical inquiry . $LABEL$ 1 +by the standards of knucklehead swill , the hot chick is pretty damned funny . $LABEL$ 1 +despite engaging offbeat touches , knockaround guys rarely seems interested in kicking around a raison d'etre that 's as fresh-faced as its young-guns cast . $LABEL$ 0 +as action-adventure , this space-based homage to robert louis stevenson 's treasure island fires on all plasma conduits . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's funny . $LABEL$ 1 +what an embarrassment . $LABEL$ 0 +i hate the feeling of having been slimed in the name of high art . $LABEL$ 0 +what makes esther kahn so demanding is that it progresses in such a low-key manner that it risks monotony . $LABEL$ 0 +that old adage about women being unknowable gets an exhilarating new interpretation in morvern callar . $LABEL$ 1 +without resorting to camp or parody , haynes -lrb- like sirk , but differently -rrb- has transformed the rhetoric of hollywood melodrama into something provocative , rich , and strange . $LABEL$ 1 +a thoroughly enjoyable , heartfelt coming-of-age comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a film tailor-made for those who when they were in high school would choose the cliff-notes over reading a full-length classic . $LABEL$ 0 +jacobi , the most fluent of actors , is given relatively dry material from nijinsky 's writings to perform , and the visuals , even erotically frank ones , become dullingly repetitive . $LABEL$ 0 +it just did n't mean much to me and played too skewed to ever get a hold on -lrb- or be entertained by -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +although largely a heavy-handed indictment of parental failings and the indifference of spanish social workers and legal system towards child abuse , the film retains ambiguities that make it well worth watching . $LABEL$ 1 +sweet home alabama certainly wo n't be remembered as one of -lrb- witherspoon 's -rrb- better films . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is all over the place , really . $LABEL$ 0 +has all the values of a straight-to-video movie , but because it has a bigger-name cast , it gets a full theatrical release . $LABEL$ 0 +... this is n't even a movie we can enjoy as mild escapism ; it is one in which fear and frustration are provoked to intolerable levels . $LABEL$ 0 +do n't even bother to rent this on video . $LABEL$ 0 +if only merchant paid more attention the story . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a glorious spectacle like those d.w. griffith made in the early days of silent film . $LABEL$ 1 +the colorful masseur wastes its time on mood rather than riding with the inherent absurdity of ganesh 's rise up the social ladder . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- painfully flat gross-out comedy ... $LABEL$ 0 +richly entertaining and suggestive of any number of metaphorical readings . $LABEL$ 1 +shunji iwai 's all about lily chou chou is a beautifully shot , but ultimately flawed film about growing up in japan . $LABEL$ 0 +it is not the first time that director sara sugarman stoops to having characters drop their pants for laughs and not the last time she fails to provoke them . $LABEL$ 0 +maybe not a classic , but a movie the kids will want to see over and over again . $LABEL$ 1 +hugely entertaining from start to finish , featuring a fall from grace that still leaves shockwaves , it will gratify anyone who has ever suspected hollywood of being overrun by corrupt and hedonistic weasels . $LABEL$ 1 +franco is an excellent choice for the walled-off but combustible hustler , but he does not give the transcendent performance sonny needs to overcome gaps in character development and story logic . $LABEL$ 0 +even though the film does n't manage to hit all of its marks , it 's still entertaining to watch the target practice . $LABEL$ 1 +fans of the modern day hong kong action film finally have the worthy successor to a better tomorrow and the killer which they have been patiently waiting for . $LABEL$ 1 +this is not an easy film . $LABEL$ 0 +a spooky yarn of demonic doings on the high seas that works better the less the brain is engaged . $LABEL$ 0 +some writer dude , i think his name was , uh , michael zaidan , was supposed to have like written the screenplay or something , but , dude , the only thing that i ever saw that was written down were the zeroes on my paycheck . $LABEL$ 0 +it challenges , this nervy oddity , like modern art should . $LABEL$ 1 +while obviously aimed at kids , the country bears ... should keep parents amused with its low groan-to-guffaw ratio . $LABEL$ 1 +the following things are not at all entertaining : the bad sound , the lack of climax and , worst of all , watching seinfeld -lrb- who is also one of the film 's producers -rrb- do everything he can to look like a good guy . $LABEL$ 0 +in its chicken heart , crush goes to absurd lengths to duck the very issues it raises . $LABEL$ 0 +a heady , biting , be-bop ride through nighttime manhattan , a loquacious videologue of the modern male and the lengths to which he 'll go to weave a protective cocoon around his own ego . $LABEL$ 1 +squandering his opportunity to make absurdist observations , burns gets caught up in the rush of slapstick thoroughfare . $LABEL$ 0 +skin of man gets a few cheap shocks from its kids-in-peril theatrics , but it also taps into the primal fears of young people trying to cope with the mysterious and brutal nature of adults . $LABEL$ 1 +as satisfyingly odd and intriguing a tale as it was a century and a half ago ... has a delightfully dour , deadpan tone and stylistic consistency . $LABEL$ 1 +elvira fans could hardly ask for more . $LABEL$ 1 +its simplicity puts an exclamation point on the fact that this is n't something to be taken seriously , but it also wrecks any chance of the movie rising above similar fare . $LABEL$ 0 +a coming-of-age film that avoids the cartoonish clichés and sneering humor of the genre as it provides a fresh view of an old type -- the uncertain girl on the brink of womanhood . $LABEL$ 1 +at times , it actually hurts to watch . $LABEL$ 0 +made me unintentionally famous -- as the queasy-stomached critic who staggered from the theater and blacked out in the lobby . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- taymor -rrb- utilizes the idea of making kahlo 's art a living , breathing part of the movie , often catapulting the artist into her own work . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those rare films that come by once in a while with flawless amounts of acting , direction , story and pace . $LABEL$ 1 +forget about one oscar nomination for julianne moore this year - she should get all five . $LABEL$ 1 +i like it . $LABEL$ 1 +philosophically , intellectually and logistically a mess . $LABEL$ 0 +while the humor is recognizably plympton , he has actually bothered to construct a real story this time . $LABEL$ 1 +although some viewers will not be able to stomach so much tongue-in-cheek weirdness , those who do will have found a cult favorite to enjoy for a lifetime . $LABEL$ 1 +a well-crafted letdown . $LABEL$ 0 +duvall is strong as always . $LABEL$ 1 +toward the end sum of all fears morphs into a mundane '70s disaster flick . $LABEL$ 0 +terrific performances , great to look at , and funny . $LABEL$ 1 +very well-written and very well-acted . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's a little violence and lots of sex in a bid to hold our attention , but it grows monotonous after a while , as do joan and philip 's repetitive arguments , schemes and treachery . $LABEL$ 0 +girlfriends are bad , wives are worse and babies are the kiss of death in this bitter italian comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +adrift , bentley and hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design . $LABEL$ 0 +muddled , simplistic and more than a little pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +morrissette has performed a difficult task indeed - he 's taken one of the world 's most fascinating stories and made it dull , lifeless , and irritating . $LABEL$ 0 +carrying this wafer-thin movie on his nimble shoulders , chan wades through putrid writing , direction and timing with a smile that says , ` if i stay positive , maybe i can channel one of my greatest pictures , drunken master . ' $LABEL$ 0 +nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one . $LABEL$ 1 +this latest installment of the horror film franchise that is apparently as invulnerable as its trademark villain has arrived for an incongruous summer playoff , demonstrating yet again that the era of the intelligent , well-made b movie is long gone . $LABEL$ 0 +and that makes all the difference . $LABEL$ 1 +robert harmon 's less-is-more approach delivers real bump-in - the-night chills -- his greatest triumph is keeping the creepy crawlies hidden in the film 's thick shadows . $LABEL$ 1 +... a sour little movie at its core ; an exploration of the emptiness that underlay the relentless gaiety of the 1920 's ... the film 's ending has a `` what was it all for ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +it 's good to see michael caine whipping out the dirty words and punching people in the stomach again . $LABEL$ 1 +slack and uninspired , and peopled mainly by characters so unsympathetic that you 're left with a sour taste in your mouth . $LABEL$ 0 +forgettable , if good-hearted , movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a riveting story well told . $LABEL$ 1 +for every articulate player , such as skateboarder tony hawk or bmx rider mat hoffman , are about a half dozen young turks angling to see how many times they can work the words `` radical '' or `` suck '' into a sentence . $LABEL$ 0 +a culture clash comedy only half as clever as it thinks it is . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a third-person story now , told by hollywood , and much more ordinary for it . $LABEL$ 0 +at 90 minutes this movie is short , but it feels much longer . $LABEL$ 0 +mckay seems embarrassed by his own invention and tries to rush through the intermediary passages , apparently hoping that the audience will not notice the glaring triteness of the plot device he has put in service . $LABEL$ 0 +the big-screen scooby makes the silly original cartoon seem smart and well-crafted in comparison . $LABEL$ 0 +the fact is that the screen is most alive when it seems most likely that broomfield 's interviewees , or even himself , will not be for much longer . $LABEL$ 1 +the script ? $LABEL$ 0 +nicole holofcener 's lovely and amazing , from her own screenplay , jumps to the head of the class of women 's films that manage to avoid the ghetto of sentimental chick-flicks by treating female follies with a satirical style . $LABEL$ 1 +likeable thanks to its cast , its cuisine and its quirky tunes . $LABEL$ 1 +borrows a bit from the classics `` wait until dark '' and `` extremities '' ... but in terms of its style , the movie is in a class by itself . $LABEL$ 1 +a pleasant piece of escapist entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +sweet and memorable film . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a movie you can trust . $LABEL$ 1 +whole stretches of the film may be incomprehensible to moviegoers not already clad in basic black . $LABEL$ 0 +impresses as a skillfully assembled , highly polished and professional adaptation ... just about as chilling and unsettling as ` manhunter ' was . $LABEL$ 1 +these guys seem great to knock back a beer with but they 're simply not funny performers . $LABEL$ 0 +there are a couple of things that elevate `` glory '' above most of its ilk , most notably the mere presence of duvall . $LABEL$ 1 +it is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band . $LABEL$ 1 +daily struggles and simple pleasures usurp the preaching message so that , by the time the credits roll across the pat ending , a warm , fuzzy feeling prevails . $LABEL$ 1 +many a parent and their teen -lrb- or preteen -rrb- kid could bond while watching a walk to remember . $LABEL$ 1 +the trials of henry kissinger is a remarkable piece of filmmaking ... because you get it . $LABEL$ 1 +though the film is static , its writer-director 's heart is in the right place , his plea for democracy and civic action laudable . $LABEL$ 1 +evelyn 's strong cast and surehanded direction make for a winning , heartwarming yarn . $LABEL$ 1 +... bibbidy-bobbidi-bland . $LABEL$ 0 +one thing 's for sure -- if george romero had directed this movie , it would n't have taken the protagonists a full hour to determine that in order to kill a zombie you must shoot it in the head . $LABEL$ 0 +and he allows a gawky actor like spall -- who could too easily become comic relief in any other film -- to reveal his impressively delicate range . $LABEL$ 1 +epps has neither the charisma nor the natural affability that has made tucker a star . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's rare to find a film to which the adjective ` gentle ' applies , but the word perfectly describes pauline & paulette . $LABEL$ 1 +` blue crush ' swims away with the sleeper movie of the summer award . $LABEL$ 1 +needed a little less bling-bling and a lot more romance . $LABEL$ 0 +it lets you brush up against the humanity of a psycho , without making him any less psycho . $LABEL$ 1 +but the movie 's narrative hook is way too muddled to be an effectively chilling guilty pleasure . $LABEL$ 0 +so fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy , confused , and totally disorientated . $LABEL$ 1 +despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances . $LABEL$ 1 +a film of ideas and wry comic mayhem . $LABEL$ 1 +effective in all its aspects , margarita happy hour represents an auspicious feature debut for chaiken . $LABEL$ 1 +goldmember has none of the visual wit of the previous pictures , and it looks as though jay roach directed the film from the back of a taxicab . $LABEL$ 0 +quietly engaging . $LABEL$ 1 +what could have been a daytime soap opera is actually a compelling look at a young woman 's tragic odyssey . $LABEL$ 1 +not completely loveable -- but what underdog movie since the bad news bears has been ? $LABEL$ 0 +a 94-minute travesty of unparalleled proportions , writer-director parker seems to go out of his way to turn the legendary wit 's classic mistaken identity farce into brutally labored and unfunny hokum . $LABEL$ 0 +what starts off as a satisfying kids flck becomes increasingly implausible as it races through contrived plot points . $LABEL$ 0 +the dirty jokes provide the funniest moments in this oddly sweet comedy about jokester highway patrolmen . $LABEL$ 1 +has none of the crackle of `` fatal attraction '' , `` 9 1\/2 weeks '' , or even `` indecent proposal '' , and feels more like lyne 's stolid remake of `` lolita '' . $LABEL$ 0 +a sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern china . $LABEL$ 1 +fathers and sons , and the uneasy bonds between them , rarely have received such a sophisticated and unsentimental treatment on the big screen as they do in this marvelous film . $LABEL$ 1 +as a director , eastwood is off his game -- there 's no real sense of suspense , and none of the plot ` surprises ' are really surprising . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's much tongue in cheek in the film and there 's no doubt the filmmaker is having fun with it all . $LABEL$ 1 +... `` bowling for columbine '' remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film ... $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a loathsome movie , it really is and it makes absolutely no sense . $LABEL$ 0 +phoned-in business as usual . $LABEL$ 0 +the only thing to fear about `` fear dot com '' is hitting your head on the theater seat in front of you when you doze off thirty minutes into the film . $LABEL$ 0 +blade ii merges bits and pieces from fighting games , wire fu , horror movies , mystery , james bond , wrestling , sci-fi and anime into one big bloody stew . $LABEL$ 1 +to the vast majority of more casual filmgoers , it will probably be a talky bore . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care . $LABEL$ 1 +bigelow offers some flashy twists and turns that occasionally fortify this turgid fable . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has the uncanny ability to right itself precisely when you think it 's in danger of going wrong . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a mystery how the movie could be released in this condition . $LABEL$ 0 +an unforgettable look at morality , family , and social expectation through the prism of that omnibus tradition called marriage . $LABEL$ 1 +a sad and rote exercise in milking a played-out idea -- a straight guy has to dress up in drag -- that shockingly manages to be even worse than its title would imply . $LABEL$ 0 +a funny film . $LABEL$ 1 +a gangster movie with the capacity to surprise . $LABEL$ 1 +a grand fart coming from a director beginning to resemble someone 's crazy french grandfather . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's possible that something hip and transgressive was being attempted here that stubbornly refused to gel , but the result is more puzzling than unsettling . $LABEL$ 0 +an entertaining , if somewhat standardized , action movie . $LABEL$ 1 +a generous , inspiring film that unfolds with grace and humor and gradually becomes a testament to faith . $LABEL$ 1 +eight legged freaks ? $LABEL$ 0 +malcolm mcdowell is cool . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie wavers between hallmark card sentimentality and goofy , life-affirming moments straight out of a cellular phone commercial . $LABEL$ 0 +as a thoughtful and unflinching examination of an alternative lifestyle , sex with strangers is a success . $LABEL$ 1 +a reality-snubbing hodgepodge . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- slummer . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a big idea , but the film itself is small and shriveled . $LABEL$ 0 +an engrossing portrait of a man whose engaging manner and flamboyant style made him a truly larger-than-life character . $LABEL$ 1 +sayles has a knack for casting , often resurrecting performers who rarely work in movies now ... and drawing flavorful performances from bland actors . $LABEL$ 1 +for all its violence , the movie is remarkably dull with only caine making much of an impression . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a finely written , superbly acted offbeat thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +at the end , when the now computerized yoda finally reveals his martial artistry , the film ascends to a kinetic life so teeming that even cranky adults may rediscover the quivering kid inside . $LABEL$ 1 +ferrara 's strongest and most touching movie of recent years . $LABEL$ 1 +... a cinematic disaster so inadvertently sidesplitting it 's worth the price of admission for the ridicule factor alone . $LABEL$ 0 +even if it made its original release date last fall , it would 've reeked of a been-there , done-that sameness . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , it 's also not very good . $LABEL$ 0 +the most wondrous love story in years , it is a great film . $LABEL$ 1 +too much power , not enough puff . $LABEL$ 0 +despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from kathryn bigelow , the weight of water is oppressively heavy . $LABEL$ 0 +finally , the french-produced `` read my lips '' is a movie that understands characters must come first . $LABEL$ 1 +even before it builds up to its insanely staged ballroom scene , in which 3000 actors appear in full regalia , it 's waltzed itself into the art film pantheon . $LABEL$ 1 +a film which presses familiar herzog tropes into the service of a limpid and conventional historical fiction , when really what we demand of the director is to be mesmerised . $LABEL$ 0 +the rare movie that 's as crisp and to the point as the novel on which it 's based . $LABEL$ 1 +here , common sense flies out the window , along with the hail of bullets , none of which ever seem to hit sascha . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- dong -rrb- makes a valiant effort to understand everyone 's point of view , and he does such a good job of it that family fundamentals gets you riled up . $LABEL$ 1 +once she lets her love depraved leads meet , -lrb- denis ' -rrb- story becomes a hopeless , unsatisfying muddle $LABEL$ 0 +nothing too deep or substantial . $LABEL$ 0 +but what is missing from it all is a moral . $LABEL$ 0 +splendidly illustrates the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity . $LABEL$ 1 +obvious , obnoxious and didactic burlesque . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's definitely a step in the right direction . $LABEL$ 1 +vaguely interesting , but it 's just too too much . $LABEL$ 0 +the film sounds like the stuff of lurid melodrama , but what makes it interesting as a character study is the fact that the story is told from paul 's perspective . $LABEL$ 1 +this one is a few bits funnier than malle 's dud , if only because the cast is so engagingly messing around like slob city reductions of damon runyon crooks . $LABEL$ 1 +the writing is clever and the cast is appealing . $LABEL$ 1 +although commentary on nachtwey is provided ... it 's the image that really tells the tale . $LABEL$ 1 +a nearly 21\/2 hours , the film is way too indulgent . $LABEL$ 0 +... unlikable , uninteresting , unfunny , and completely , utterly inept . $LABEL$ 0 +some of the visual flourishes are a little too obvious , but restrained and subtle storytelling , and fine performances make this delicate coming-of-age tale a treat . $LABEL$ 1 +but the talented cast alone will keep you watching , as will the fight scenes . $LABEL$ 1 +earnest , unsubtle and hollywood-predictable , green dragon is still a deeply moving effort to put a human face on the travail of thousands of vietnamese . $LABEL$ 1 +jeffrey tambor 's performance as the intelligent jazz-playing exterminator is oscar-worthy . $LABEL$ 1 +an overly familiar scenario is made fresh by an intelligent screenplay and gripping performances in this low-budget , video-shot , debut indie effort . $LABEL$ 1 +a clash between the artificial structure of the story and the more contemporary , naturalistic tone of the film ... $LABEL$ 0 +` christian bale 's quinn -lrb- is -rrb- a leather clad grunge-pirate with a hairdo like gandalf in a wind-tunnel and a simply astounding cor-blimey-luv-a-duck cockney accent . ' $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm not exactly sure what this movie thinks it is about . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a scorcher . $LABEL$ 1 +a real snooze . $LABEL$ 0 +like its title character , this nicholas nickleby finds itself in reduced circumstances -- and , also like its hero , it remains brightly optimistic , coming through in the end . $LABEL$ 1 +the kids in the audience at the preview screening seemed bored , cheering the pratfalls but little else ; their parents , wise folks that they are , read books . $LABEL$ 0 +partly a schmaltzy , by-the-numbers romantic comedy , partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless . $LABEL$ 0 +for its 100 minutes running time , you 'll wait in vain for a movie to happen . $LABEL$ 0 +a chronicle not only of one man 's quest to be president , but of how that man single-handedly turned a plane full of hard-bitten , cynical journalists into what was essentially , by campaign 's end , an extended publicity department . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie that harps on media-constructed ` issues ' like whether compromise is the death of self ... this orgasm -lrb- wo n't be an -rrb- exceedingly memorable one for most people . $LABEL$ 0 +fresnadillo has something serious to say about the ways in which extravagant chance can distort our perspective and throw us off the path of good sense . $LABEL$ 1 +this is not one of the movies you 'd want to watch if you only had a week to live . $LABEL$ 0 +but mainstream audiences will find little of interest in this film , which is often preachy and poorly acted . $LABEL$ 0 +at once subtle and visceral , the film never succumbs to the trap of the maudlin or tearful , offering instead with its unflinching gaze a measure of faith in the future . $LABEL$ 1 +lookin ' for sin , american-style ? $LABEL$ 0 +it drowns in sap . $LABEL$ 0 +laggard drama wending its way to an uninspired philosophical epiphany . $LABEL$ 0 +interminably bleak , to say nothing of boring . $LABEL$ 0 +believability was n't one of the film 's virtues . $LABEL$ 0 +filled with alexandre desplat 's haunting and sublime music , the movie completely transfixes the audience . $LABEL$ 1 +the four feathers is definitely horse feathers , but if you go in knowing that , you might have fun in this cinematic sandbox . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie attempts to mine laughs from a genre -- the gangster\/crime comedy -- that wore out its welcome with audiences several years ago , and its cutesy reliance on movie-specific cliches is n't exactly endearing . $LABEL$ 0 +steadfastly uncinematic but powerfully dramatic . $LABEL$ 1 +... del toro maintains a dark mood that makes the film seem like something to endure instead of enjoy . $LABEL$ 0 +this filmed tosca -- not the first , by the way -- is a pretty good job , if it 's filmed tosca that you want . $LABEL$ 1 +features one of the most affecting depictions of a love affair ever committed to film . $LABEL$ 1 +a journey spanning nearly three decades of bittersweet camaraderie and history , in which we feel that we truly know what makes holly and marina tick , and our hearts go out to them as both continue to negotiate their imperfect , love-hate relationship . $LABEL$ 1 +starts out strongly before quickly losing its focus , point and purpose in a mess of mixed messages , over-blown drama and bruce willis with a scar . $LABEL$ 0 +though an important political documentary , this does not really make the case the kissinger should be tried as a war criminal . $LABEL$ 0 +swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then . $LABEL$ 0 +although the film boils down to a lightweight story about matchmaking , the characters make italian for beginners worth the journey $LABEL$ 1 +even fans of ismail merchant 's work , i suspect , would have a hard time sitting through this one . $LABEL$ 0 +the high-concept scenario soon proves preposterous , the acting is robotically italicized , and truth-in-advertising hounds take note : there 's very little hustling on view . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's worse is that pelosi knows it . $LABEL$ 0 +a `` home alone '' film that is staged like `` rosemary 's baby , '' but is not as well-conceived as either of those films . $LABEL$ 0 +although made on a shoestring and unevenly acted , conjures a lynch-like vision of the rotting underbelly of middle america . $LABEL$ 0 +everything about girls ca n't swim , even its passages of sensitive observation , feels secondhand , familiar -- and not in a good way . $LABEL$ 0 +brian tufano 's handsome widescreen photography and paul grabowsky 's excellent music turn this fairly parochial melodrama into something really rather special . $LABEL$ 1 +it is definitely worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +a heroic tale of persistence that is sure to win viewers ' hearts . $LABEL$ 1 +will probably be one of those movies barely registering a blip on the radar screen of 2002 . $LABEL$ 0 +a bilingual charmer , just like the woman who inspired it $LABEL$ 1 +allen 's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal . $LABEL$ 1 +everybody loves a david and goliath story , and this one is told almost entirely from david 's point of view . $LABEL$ 1 +both lead performances are oscar-size . $LABEL$ 1 +as a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , spirit : stallion of the cimarron is a winner . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's super - violent , super-serious and super-stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +all the small moments and flashbacks do n't add up to much more than trite observations on the human condition . $LABEL$ 0 +elaborate special effects take centre screen , so that the human story is pushed to one side . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is ... determined to treat its characters , weak and strong , as fallible human beings , not caricatures , and to carefully delineate the cost of the inevitable conflicts between human urges and an institution concerned with self-preservation . $LABEL$ 1 +i found the movie as divided against itself as the dysfunctional family it portrays . $LABEL$ 0 +too daft by half ... but supremely good natured . $LABEL$ 1 +though frida is easier to swallow than julie taymor 's preposterous titus , the eye candy here lacks considerable brio . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is hard to dismiss -- moody , thoughtful , and lit by flashes of mordant humor . $LABEL$ 1 +the first five minutes will have you talking 'til the end of the year ! $LABEL$ 1 +... silly humbuggery ... $LABEL$ 0 +predecessors the mummy and the mummy returns stand as intellectual masterpieces next to the scorpion king . $LABEL$ 0 +worth a look by those on both sides of the issues , if only for the perspective it offers , one the public rarely sees . $LABEL$ 1 +it zips along with b-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special . $LABEL$ 1 +... too sappy for its own good . $LABEL$ 0 +this flat run at a hip-hop tootsie is so poorly paced you could fit all of pootie tang in between its punchlines . $LABEL$ 0 +no , i do n't know why steven seagal is considered a star , nor why he keeps being cast in action films when none of them are ever any good or make any money . $LABEL$ 0 +if s&m seems like a strange route to true love , maybe it is , but it 's to this film 's -lrb- and its makers ' -rrb- credit that we believe that that 's exactly what these two people need to find each other -- and themselves . $LABEL$ 1 +little is done to support the premise other than fling gags at it to see which ones shtick . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those decades-spanning historical epics that strives to be intimate and socially encompassing but fails to do justice to either effort in three hours of screen time . $LABEL$ 0 +the kind of sweet-and-sour insider movie that film buffs will eat up like so much gelati . $LABEL$ 1 +a huge disappointment coming , as it does , from filmmakers and performers of this calibre $LABEL$ 0 +for a film that 's being advertised as a comedy , sweet home alabama is n't as funny as you 'd hoped . $LABEL$ 0 +richard pryor mined his personal horrors and came up with a treasure chest of material , but lawrence gives us mostly fool 's gold . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie of riveting power and sadness . $LABEL$ 1 +robert john burke as the monster horns in and steals the show . $LABEL$ 1 +the new insomnia is a surprisingly faithful remake of its chilly predecessor , and when it does elect to head off in its own direction , it employs changes that fit it well rather than ones that were imposed for the sake of commercial sensibilities . $LABEL$ 1 +just offbeat enough to keep you interested without coming close to bowling you over . $LABEL$ 1 +written , flatly , by david kendall and directed , barely , by there 's something about mary co-writer ed decter . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a film with an idea buried somewhere inside its fabric , but never clearly seen or felt . $LABEL$ 0 +one can only assume that the jury who bestowed star hoffman 's brother gordy with the waldo salt screenwriting award at 2002 's sundance festival were honoring an attempt to do something different over actually pulling it off $LABEL$ 0 +seeks to transcend its genre with a curiously stylized , quasi-shakespearean portrait of pure misogynist evil . $LABEL$ 1 +not a stereotype is omitted nor a cliché left unsaid . $LABEL$ 0 +a smart , steamy mix of road movie , coming-of-age story and political satire . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's coherent , well shot , and tartly acted , but it wears you down like a dinner guest showing off his doctorate . $LABEL$ 0 +k-19 will not go down in the annals of cinema as one of the great submarine stories , but it is an engaging and exciting narrative of man confronting the demons of his own fear and paranoia . $LABEL$ 1 +a four star performance from kevin kline who unfortunately works with a two star script . $LABEL$ 1 +god bless crudup and his aversion to taking the easy hollywood road and cashing in on his movie-star gorgeousness . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a feel-good movie about which you can actually feel good . $LABEL$ 1 +if anything , see it for karen black , who camps up a storm as a fringe feminist conspiracy theorist named dirty dick . $LABEL$ 1 +watching the chemistry between freeman and judd , however , almost makes this movie worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +moonlight mile gives itself the freedom to feel contradictory things . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a movie that accomplishes so much that one viewing ca n't possibly be enough . $LABEL$ 1 +the film aims to be funny , uplifting and moving , sometimes all at once . $LABEL$ 1 +the film never gets over its own investment in conventional arrangements , in terms of love , age , gender , race , and class . $LABEL$ 0 +nicely combines the enigmatic features of ` memento ' with the hallucinatory drug culture of ` requiem for a dream . ' $LABEL$ 1 +sorvino makes the princess seem smug and cartoonish , and the film only really comes alive when poor hermocrates and leontine pathetically compare notes about their budding amours . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- stale retread of the '53 original . $LABEL$ 0 +more concerned with overall feelings , broader ideas , and open-ended questions than concrete story and definitive answers , soderbergh 's solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem . $LABEL$ 1 +alarms for duvall 's throbbing sincerity and his elderly propensity for patting people while he talks . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no point in extracting the bare bones of byatt 's plot for purposes of bland hollywood romance . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances are amiable and committed , and the comedy more often than not hits the bullseye . $LABEL$ 1 +zigzag might have been richer and more observant if it were less densely plotted . $LABEL$ 0 +to better understand why this did n't connect with me would require another viewing , and i wo n't be sitting through this one again ... that in itself is commentary enough . $LABEL$ 0 +is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience . $LABEL$ 0 +at some point , all this visual trickery stops being clever and devolves into flashy , vaguely silly overkill . $LABEL$ 0 +a ragbag of cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +overburdened with complicated plotting and banal dialogue $LABEL$ 0 +the picture runs a mere 84 minutes , but it 's no glance . $LABEL$ 1 +steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches . $LABEL$ 1 +niccol the filmmaker merges his collaborators ' symbolic images with his words , insinuating , for example , that in hollywood , only god speaks to the press $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a beautiful film , full of elaborate and twisted characters - and it 's also pretty funny . $LABEL$ 1 +the milieu is wholly unconvincing ... and the histrionics reach a truly annoying pitch . $LABEL$ 0 +the picture emerges as a surprisingly anemic disappointment . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever complaints i might have , i 'd take -lrb- its -rrb- earnest errors and hard-won rewards over the bombastic self-glorification of other feel-good fiascos like antwone fisher or the emperor 's club any time . $LABEL$ 1 +rice never clearly defines his characters or gives us a reason to care about them . $LABEL$ 0 +another entertaining romp from robert rodriguez . $LABEL$ 1 +but here 's a movie about it anyway . $LABEL$ 0 +if -lrb- jaglom 's -rrb- latest effort is not the director at his most sparkling , some of its repartee is still worth hearing . $LABEL$ 1 +i did n't smile . $LABEL$ 0 +the script by david koepp is perfectly serviceable and because he gives the story some soul ... he elevates the experience to a more mythic level . $LABEL$ 1 +kapur fails to give his audience a single character worth rooting for -lrb- or worth rooting against , for that matter -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a visual delight and a decent popcorn adventure , as long as you do n't try to look too deep into the story $LABEL$ 1 +befuddled in its characterizations as it begins to seem as long as the two year affair which is its subject $LABEL$ 0 +nothing more than an amiable but unfocused bagatelle that plays like a loosely-connected string of acting-workshop exercises . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's horribly depressing and not very well done . $LABEL$ 0 +now as a former gong show addict , i 'll admit it , my only complaint is that we did n't get more re-creations of all those famous moments from the show . $LABEL$ 1 +enough may pander to our basest desires for payback , but unlike many revenge fantasies , it ultimately delivers . $LABEL$ 1 +this is cruel , misanthropic stuff with only weak claims to surrealism and black comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a pale xerox of other , better crime movies . $LABEL$ 0 +strange it is , but delightfully so . $LABEL$ 1 +the story has little wit and no surprises . $LABEL$ 0 +crummy . $LABEL$ 0 +just another disjointed , fairly predictable psychological thriller . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a very funny , heartwarming film . $LABEL$ 1 +good-naturedly cornball sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +the french director has turned out nearly 21\/2 hours of unfocused , excruciatingly tedious cinema that , half an hour in , starts making water torture seem appealing . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's only in fairy tales that princesses that are married for political reason live happily ever after . $LABEL$ 0 +a small movie with a big impact . $LABEL$ 1 +the sort of picture in which , whenever one of the characters has some serious soul searching to do , they go to a picture-perfect beach during sunset . $LABEL$ 0 +crammed with incident , and bristles with passion and energy . $LABEL$ 1 +an intelligent and deeply felt work about impossible , irrevocable choices and the price of making them . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- gosling 's -rrb- combination of explosive physical energy and convincing intelligence helps create a complex , unpredictable character . $LABEL$ 1 +and it sees those relationships , including that between the son and his wife , and the wife and the father , and between the two brothers , with incredible subtlety and acumen . $LABEL$ 1 +in the new guy , even the bull gets recycled . $LABEL$ 0 +reggio and glass so rhapsodize cynicism , with repetition and languorous slo-mo sequences , that glass 's dirgelike score becomes a fang-baring lullaby . $LABEL$ 0 +marshall puts a suspenseful spin on standard horror flick formula . $LABEL$ 1 +there might be some sort of credible gender-provoking philosophy submerged here , but who the hell cares ? $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that 's held captive by mediocrity . $LABEL$ 0 +an admirable , sometimes exceptional film $LABEL$ 1 +this is a film that manages to find greatness in the hue of its drastic iconography . $LABEL$ 1 +a whole lot of fun and funny in the middle , though somewhat less hard-hitting at the start and finish . $LABEL$ 1 +... spiced with humor -lrb- ' i speak fluent flatula , ' advises denlopp after a rather , er , bubbly exchange with an alien deckhand -rrb- and witty updatings -lrb- silver 's parrot has been replaced with morph , a cute alien creature who mimics everyone and everything around -rrb- $LABEL$ 1 +has a customarily jovial air but a deficit of flim-flam inventiveness . $LABEL$ 0 +not all of the stories work and the ones that do are thin and scattered , but the film works well enough to make it worth watching . $LABEL$ 1 +a strangely stirring experience that finds warmth in the coldest environment and makes each crumb of emotional comfort feel like a 10-course banquet . $LABEL$ 1 +matthew lillard is born to play shaggy ! $LABEL$ 1 +a dark-as-pitch comedy that frequently veers into corny sentimentality , probably would not improve much after a therapeutic zap of shock treatment . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's lots of cool stuff packed into espn 's ultimate x. $LABEL$ 1 +the mothman prophecies is best when illustrating the demons bedevilling the modern masculine journey . $LABEL$ 1 +at its best , it 's black hawk down with more heart . $LABEL$ 1 +invigorating , surreal , and resonant with a rainbow of emotion . $LABEL$ 1 +a tired , unimaginative and derivative variation of that already-shallow genre . $LABEL$ 0 +patchy combination of soap opera , low-tech magic realism and , at times , ploddingly sociological commentary . $LABEL$ 0 +a solid cast , assured direction and complete lack of modern day irony . $LABEL$ 1 +rodriguez has the chops of a smart-aleck film school brat and the imagination of a big kid ... $LABEL$ 1 +a movie you observe , rather than one you enter into . $LABEL$ 0 +should have been worth cheering as a breakthrough but is devoid of wit and humor . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- barry -rrb- gives assassin a disquieting authority . $LABEL$ 1 +its plot and animation offer daytime tv serviceability , but little more . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving and important film . $LABEL$ 1 +these people are really going to love the piano teacher . $LABEL$ 1 +a disappointment for a movie that should have been the ultimate imax trip . $LABEL$ 0 +a portrait of alienation so perfect , it will certainly succeed in alienating most viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy . $LABEL$ 1 +`` cremaster 3 '' should come with the warning `` for serious film buffs only ! '' $LABEL$ 1 +what 's most refreshing about real women have curves is its unforced comedy-drama and its relaxed , natural-seeming actors . $LABEL$ 1 +surprisingly insightful $LABEL$ 1 +to those who have not read the book , the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last summer 's ` divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood , ' but that 's not saying much . $LABEL$ 1 +the director , with his fake backdrops and stately pacing , never settles on a consistent tone . $LABEL$ 0 +earnest yet curiously tepid and choppy recycling in which predictability is the only winner . $LABEL$ 0 +brash , intelligent and erotically perplexing , haneke 's portrait of an upper class austrian society and the suppression of its tucked away demons is uniquely felt with a sardonic jolt . $LABEL$ 1 +arguably the best script that besson has written in years . $LABEL$ 1 +it is most of the things costner movies are known for ; it 's sanctimonious , self-righteous and so eager to earn our love that you want to slap it . $LABEL$ 0 +pretend it 's a werewolf itself by avoiding eye contact and walking slowly away . $LABEL$ 0 +you can fire a torpedo through some of clancy 's holes , and the scripters do n't deserve any oscars . $LABEL$ 0 +truly terrible . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine acting that could be any flatter . $LABEL$ 0 +each scene drags , underscoring the obvious , and sentiment is slathered on top . $LABEL$ 0 +fluffy neo-noir hiding behind cutesy film references . $LABEL$ 0 +a special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of memento ... $LABEL$ 1 +one of the most genuinely sweet films to come along in quite some time . $LABEL$ 1 +a film really has to be exceptional to justify a three hour running time , and this is n't . $LABEL$ 0 +highly watchable stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +exceptionally well acted by diane lane and richard gere . $LABEL$ 1 +content merely to lionize its title character and exploit his anger - all for easy sanctimony , formulaic thrills and a ham-fisted sermon on the need for national health insurance . $LABEL$ 0 +a charming but slight comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +an unusually dry-eyed , even analytical approach to material that is generally played for maximum moisture . $LABEL$ 1 +a beyond-lame satire , teddy bears ' picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor . $LABEL$ 0 +it looks like an action movie , but it 's so poorly made , on all levels , that it does n't even qualify as a spoof of such . $LABEL$ 0 +but mostly it 's a work that , with humor , warmth , and intelligence , captures a life interestingly lived . $LABEL$ 1 +as an introduction to the man 's theories and influence , derrida is all but useless ; as a portrait of the artist as an endlessly inquisitive old man , however , it 's invaluable . $LABEL$ 1 +young hanks and fisk , who vaguely resemble their celebrity parents , bring fresh good looks and an ease in front of the camera to the work . $LABEL$ 1 +excellent performances from jacqueline bisset and martha plimpton grace this deeply touching melodrama . $LABEL$ 1 +the cast is spot on and the mood is laid back . $LABEL$ 1 +its generic villains lack any intrigue -lrb- other than their funny accents -rrb- and the action scenes are poorly delivered . $LABEL$ 0 +while bollywood\/hollywood will undoubtedly provide its keenest pleasures to those familiar with bombay musicals , it also has plenty for those -lrb- like me -rrb- who are n't . $LABEL$ 1 +has no reason to exist , other than to employ hollywood kids and people who owe favors to their famous parents . $LABEL$ 0 +in a big corner office in hell , satan is throwing up his hands in surrender , is firing his r&d people , and has decided he will just screen the master of disguise 24\/7 . $LABEL$ 0 +captures all the longing , anguish and ache , the confusing sexual messages and the wish to be a part of that elusive adult world . $LABEL$ 1 +in a movie full of surprises , the biggest is that secret ballot is a comedy , both gentle and biting . $LABEL$ 1 +deep down , i realized the harsh reality of my situation : i would leave the theater with a lower i.q. than when i had entered . $LABEL$ 0 +a chance to see three splendid actors turn a larky chase movie into an emotionally satisfying exploration of the very human need to be somebody , and to belong to somebody . $LABEL$ 1 +well cast and well directed - a powerful drama with enough sardonic wit to keep it from being maudlin . $LABEL$ 1 +an ambitiously naturalistic , albeit half-baked , drama about an abused , inner-city autistic teen . $LABEL$ 1 +it is just too bad the film 's story does not live up to its style . $LABEL$ 0 +a wild ride juiced with enough energy and excitement for at least three films . $LABEL$ 1 +a muted freak-out $LABEL$ 0 +lead actress gaï , she of the impossibly long limbs and sweetly conspiratorial smile , is a towering siren . $LABEL$ 1 +absolutely not . $LABEL$ 0 +by turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , laissez-passer has all the earmarks of french cinema at its best . $LABEL$ 1 +the cat 's meow marks a return to form for director peter bogdanovich ... $LABEL$ 1 +vibrantly colored and beautifully designed , metropolis is a feast for the eyes . $LABEL$ 1 +` stock up on silver bullets for director neil marshall 's intense freight train of a film . ' $LABEL$ 1 +at its best , which occurs often , michael moore 's bowling for columbine rekindles the muckraking , soul-searching spirit of the ` are we a sick society ? ' $LABEL$ 1 +in the real world , an actor this uncharismatically beautiful would have a résumé loaded with credits like `` girl in bar # 3 . '' $LABEL$ 0 +barney throws away the goodwill the first half of his movie generates by orchestrating a finale that is impenetrable and dull . $LABEL$ 0 +an indispensable peek at the art and the agony of making people laugh . $LABEL$ 1 +at 78 minutes it just zings along with vibrance and warmth . $LABEL$ 1 +the film , while not exactly assured in its execution , is notable for its sheer audacity and openness . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's sweet and fluffy at the time , but it may leave you feeling a little sticky and unsatisfied . $LABEL$ 0 +sayles has an eye for the ways people of different ethnicities talk to and about others outside the group . $LABEL$ 1 +the irony is that this film 's cast is uniformly superb ; their performances could have -- should have -- been allowed to stand on their own . $LABEL$ 1 +i admire the closing scenes of the film , which seem to ask whether our civilization offers a cure for vincent 's complaint . $LABEL$ 1 +a dreary movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a thriller whose style , structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story , you can not separate them . $LABEL$ 1 +cruel and inhuman cinematic punishment ... simultaneously degrades its characters , its stars and its audience . $LABEL$ 0 +you may think you have figured out the con and the players in this debut film by argentine director fabian bielinsky , but while you were thinking someone made off with your wallet . $LABEL$ 0 +the premise itself is just sooooo tired . $LABEL$ 0 +like any good romance , son of the bride , proves it 's never too late to learn . $LABEL$ 1 +the emotional overload of female angst irreparably drags the film down . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's undeniable enjoyment to be had from films crammed with movie references , but the fun wears thin -- then out -- when there 's nothing else happening . $LABEL$ 1 +an engrossing and grim portrait of hookers : what they think of themselves and their clients . $LABEL$ 1 +a lovely and beautifully photographed romance . $LABEL$ 1 +... while each moment of this broken character study is rich in emotional texture , the journey does n't really go anywhere . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's messages of tolerance and diversity are n't particularly original , but one ca n't help but be drawn in by the sympathetic characters . $LABEL$ 1 +aside from the fact that the film idiotically uses the website feardotcom.com or the improperly hammy performance from poor stephen rea , the film gets added disdain for the fact that it is nearly impossible to look at or understand . $LABEL$ 0 +i had more fun watching spy than i had with most of the big summer movies . $LABEL$ 1 +a simple tale of an unlikely friendship , but thanks to the gorgeous locales and exceptional lead performances , it has considerable charm . $LABEL$ 1 +no such thing is sort of a minimalist beauty and the beast , but in this case the beast should definitely get top billing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not particularly well made , but since i found myself howling more than cringing , i 'd say the film works . $LABEL$ 1 +aniston has at last decisively broken with her friends image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil . $LABEL$ 1 +... blade ii is still top-heavy with blazing guns , cheatfully filmed martial arts , disintegrating bloodsucker computer effects and jagged camera moves that serve no other purpose than to call attention to themselves . $LABEL$ 0 +every joke is repeated at least four times . $LABEL$ 0 +a smart and funny , albeit sometimes superficial , cautionary tale of a technology in search of an artist . $LABEL$ 1 +if you like an extreme action-packed film with a hint of humor , then triple x marks the spot . $LABEL$ 1 +stanley kwan has directed not only one of the best gay love stories ever made , but one of the best love stories of any stripe . $LABEL$ 1 +just about the best straight-up , old-school horror film of the last 15 years . $LABEL$ 1 +in the director 's cut , the film is not only a love song to the movies but it also is more fully an example of the kind of lush , all-enveloping movie experience it rhapsodizes . $LABEL$ 1 +samuel l. jackson is one of the best actors there is . $LABEL$ 1 +it does give a taste of the burning man ethos , an appealing blend of counter-cultural idealism and hedonistic creativity . $LABEL$ 1 +a plethora of engaging diatribes on the meaning of ` home , ' delivered in grand passion by the members of the various households . $LABEL$ 1 +an imponderably stilted and self-consciously arty movie . $LABEL$ 0 +this real-life hollywood fairy-tale is more engaging than the usual fantasies hollywood produces . $LABEL$ 1 +waiting for godard can be fruitful : ` in praise of love ' is the director 's epitaph for himself . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's all about anakin ... and the lustrous polished visuals rich in color and creativity and , of course , special effect . $LABEL$ 1 +solondz is so intent on hammering home his message that he forgets to make it entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +... pitiful , slapdash disaster . $LABEL$ 0 +the crap continues . $LABEL$ 0 +while the story 's undeniably hard to follow , iwai 's gorgeous visuals seduce . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a terrible movie in every regard , and utterly painful to watch . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a monumental achievement in practically every facet of inept filmmaking : joyless , idiotic , annoying , heavy-handed , visually atrocious , and often downright creepy . $LABEL$ 0 +a rock-solid gangster movie with a fair amount of suspense , intriguing characters and bizarre bank robberies , plus a heavy dose of father-and-son dynamics . $LABEL$ 1 +a terrific b movie -- in fact , the best in recent memory . $LABEL$ 1 +unfortunately , the experience of actually watching the movie is less compelling than the circumstances of its making . $LABEL$ 0 +i liked about schmidt a lot , but i have a feeling that i would have liked it much more if harry & tonto never existed . $LABEL$ 1 +what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film . $LABEL$ 0 +you may leave the theater with more questions than answers , but darned if your toes wo n't still be tapping . $LABEL$ 1 +nobody seems to have cared much about any aspect of it , from its cheesy screenplay to the grayish quality of its lighting to its last-minute , haphazard theatrical release . $LABEL$ 0 +as in aimless , arduous , and arbitrary . $LABEL$ 0 +aside from rohmer 's bold choices regarding point of view , the lady and the duke represents the filmmaker 's lifelong concern with formalist experimentation in cinematic art . $LABEL$ 1 +a fascinating glimpse into an insular world that gives the lie to many clichés and showcases a group of dedicated artists . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a poster movie , a mediocre tribute to films like them ! $LABEL$ 0 +there is no solace here , no entertainment value , merely a fierce lesson in where filmmaking can take us . $LABEL$ 0 +the graphic carnage and re-creation of war-torn croatia is uncomfortably timely , relevant , and sickeningly real . $LABEL$ 1 +the ingenious construction -lrb- adapted by david hare from michael cunningham 's novel -rrb- constantly flows forwards and back , weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism $LABEL$ 1 +the most horrific movie experience i 've had since `` ca n't stop the music . '' $LABEL$ 0 +but it also has many of the things that made the first one charming . $LABEL$ 1 +weaver and lapaglia are both excellent , in the kind of low-key way that allows us to forget that they are actually movie folk . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's never laugh-out-loud funny , but it is frequently amusing . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie in which laughter and self-exploitation merge into jolly soft-porn 'em powerment . ' $LABEL$ 1 +quite simply , a joy to watch and -- especially -- to listen to . $LABEL$ 1 +not to mention absolutely refreshed . $LABEL$ 1 +you can take the grandkids or the grandparents and never worry about anyone being bored ... audience is a sea of constant smiles and frequent laughter . $LABEL$ 1 +arteta paints a picture of lives lived in a state of quiet desperation . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no reason to miss interview with the assassin $LABEL$ 1 +i like this movie a lot . $LABEL$ 1 +comes off more like a misdemeanor , a flat , unconvincing drama that never catches fire . $LABEL$ 0 +close enough in spirit to its freewheeling trash-cinema roots to be a breath of fresh air . $LABEL$ 1 +while the transgressive trappings -lrb- especially the frank sex scenes -rrb- ensure that the film is never dull , rodrigues 's beast-within metaphor is ultimately rather silly and overwrought , making the ambiguous ending seem goofy rather than provocative . $LABEL$ 0 +blue crush has all the trappings of an energetic , extreme-sports adventure , but ends up more of a creaky `` pretty woman '' retread , with the emphasis on self-empowering schmaltz and big-wave surfing that gives pic its title an afterthought . $LABEL$ 0 +a man leaving the screening said the film was better than saving private ryan . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- strong piece of work . $LABEL$ 1 +daring and beautifully made . $LABEL$ 1 +a well-crafted film that is all the more remarkable because it achieves its emotional power and moments of revelation with restraint and a delicate ambiguity . $LABEL$ 1 +... hits every cliche we 've come to expect , including the assumption that `` crazy '' people are innocent , childlike and inherently funny . $LABEL$ 0 +slight but enjoyable documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +adam sandler 's eight crazy nights grows on you -- like a rash . $LABEL$ 0 +when compared to the usual , more somber festival entries , davis ' highly personal brand of romantic comedy is a tart , smart breath of fresh air that stands out from the pack even if the picture itself is somewhat problematic . $LABEL$ 1 +nicks and steinberg match their own creations for pure venality -- that 's giving it the old college try . $LABEL$ 0 +not even solondz 's thirst for controversy , sketchy characters and immature provocations can fully succeed at cheapening it . $LABEL$ 0 +and in a sense , that 's a liability . $LABEL$ 0 +the romance between the leads is n't as compelling or as believable as it should be . $LABEL$ 0 +hugh grant , who has a good line in charm , has never been more charming than in about a boy . $LABEL$ 1 +poignant and funny . $LABEL$ 1 +this is pure , exciting moviemaking . $LABEL$ 1 +never having seen the first two films in the series , i ca n't compare friday after next to them , but nothing would change the fact that what we have here is a load of clams left in the broiling sun for a good three days . $LABEL$ 0 +a straight-ahead thriller that never rises above superficiality . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's constant mood of melancholy and its unhurried narrative are masterfully controlled . $LABEL$ 1 +there are scenes of cinematic perfection that steal your heart away . $LABEL$ 1 +a low-key labor of love that strikes a very resonant chord . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those movies that catches you up in something bigger than yourself , namely , an archetypal desire to enjoy good trash every now and then . $LABEL$ 1 +an old-fashioned scary movie , one that relies on lingering terror punctuated by sudden shocks and not constant bloodshed punctuated by flying guts . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's an energy to y tu mamá también . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem with the film is whether these ambitions , laudable in themselves , justify a theatrical simulation of the death camp of auschwitz ii-birkenau . $LABEL$ 0 +the whole mess boils down to a transparently hypocritical work that feels as though it 's trying to set the women 's liberation movement back 20 years . ' $LABEL$ 0 +not even steven spielberg has dreamed up such blatant and sickening product placement in a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +miyazaki is one of world cinema 's most wondrously gifted artists and storytellers . $LABEL$ 1 +the paradiso 's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film 's final -lrb- restored -rrb- third ... emotionally belittle a cinema classic . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're down for a silly hack-and-slash flick , you can do no wrong with jason x. $LABEL$ 1 +all in all , an interesting look at the life of the campaign-trail press , especially ones that do n't really care for the candidate they 're forced to follow . $LABEL$ 1 +in the not-too-distant future , movies like ghost ship will be used as analgesic balm for overstimulated minds . $LABEL$ 0 +ryan gosling is , in a word , brilliant as the conflicted daniel . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't think so . $LABEL$ 0 +at best this is a film for the under-7 crowd . $LABEL$ 0 +a fresh , entertaining comedy that looks at relationships minus traditional gender roles . $LABEL$ 1 +poetry in motion captured on film . $LABEL$ 1 +parts of the film feel a bit too much like an infomercial for ram dass 's latest book aimed at the boomer demographic . $LABEL$ 0 +the script is a dim-witted pairing of teen-speak and animal gibberish . $LABEL$ 0 +almost peerlessly unsettling . $LABEL$ 0 +despite auteuil 's performance , it 's a rather listless amble down the middle of the road , where the thematic ironies are too obvious and the sexual politics too smug . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- ferrera -rrb- has the charisma of a young woman who knows how to hold the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +a solid and refined piece of moviemaking imbued with passion and attitude . $LABEL$ 1 +flamboyant in some movies and artfully restrained in others , 65-year-old jack nicholson could be looking at his 12th oscar nomination by proving that he 's now , more than ever , choosing his roles with the precision of the insurance actuary . $LABEL$ 1 +while this one gets off with a good natured warning , future lizard endeavors will need to adhere more closely to the laws of laughter $LABEL$ 0 +the hot topics of the plot are relegated to the background -- a welcome step forward from the sally jesse raphael atmosphere of films like philadelphia and american beauty . $LABEL$ 1 +daughter from danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds . $LABEL$ 0 +if not a home run , then at least a solid base hit . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a fine , old-fashioned-movie movie , which is to say it 's unburdened by pretensions to great artistic significance . $LABEL$ 1 +what it lacks in substance it makes up for in heart . $LABEL$ 1 +carrying off a spot-on scottish burr , duvall -lrb- also a producer -rrb- peels layers from this character that may well not have existed on paper . $LABEL$ 1 +there are enough throwaway references to faith and rainbows to plant smile-button faces on that segment of the populace that made a walk to remember a niche hit . $LABEL$ 1 +suffice to say its total promise is left slightly unfulfilled . $LABEL$ 0 +the picture 's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed . $LABEL$ 1 +walter hill 's undisputed is like a 1940s warner bros. . $LABEL$ 1 +parents beware ; this is downright movie penance . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever satire lucky break was aiming for , it certainly got lost in the `` soon-to-be-forgettable '' section of the quirky rip-off prison romp pile . $LABEL$ 0 +fred schepisi 's tale of four englishmen facing the prospect of their own mortality views youthful affluence not as a lost ideal but a starting point . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no energy . $LABEL$ 0 +starts off witty and sophisticated and you want to love it -- but filmmaker yvan attal quickly writes himself into a corner . $LABEL$ 0 +kosminsky ... puts enough salt into the wounds of the tortured and self-conscious material to make it sting . $LABEL$ 1 +a well made indieflick in need of some trims and a more chemistry between its stars . $LABEL$ 1 +seems based on ugly ideas instead of ugly behavior , as happiness was ... hence , storytelling is far more appealing . $LABEL$ 1 +alternates between deadpan comedy and heartbreaking loneliness and is n't afraid to provoke introspection in both its characters and its audience . $LABEL$ 1 +true to its title , it traps audiences in a series of relentlessly nasty situations that we would pay a considerable ransom not to be looking at . $LABEL$ 0 +with exquisite craftsmanship ... olivier assayas has fashioned an absorbing look at provincial bourgeois french society . $LABEL$ 1 +a hard look at one man 's occupational angst and its subsequent reinvention , a terrifying study of bourgeois desperation worthy of claude chabrol . $LABEL$ 1 +the ethos of the chelsea hotel may shape hawke 's artistic aspirations , but he has n't yet coordinated his own dv poetry with the beat he hears in his soul . $LABEL$ 0 +grant is certainly amusing , but the very hollowness of the character he plays keeps him at arms length $LABEL$ 0 +definitely in the guilty pleasure b-movie category , reign of fire is so incredibly inane that it is laughingly enjoyable . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not just the vampires that are damned in queen of the damned -- the viewers will feel they suffer the same fate . $LABEL$ 0 +as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine . $LABEL$ 1 +extremely bad . $LABEL$ 0 +although disney follows its standard formula in this animated adventure , it feels more forced than usual . $LABEL$ 0 +deserves a place of honor next to nanook as a landmark in film history . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's missing in murder by numbers is any real psychological grounding for the teens ' deviant behaviour . $LABEL$ 0 +any attempts at nuance given by the capable cast is drowned out by director jon purdy 's sledgehammer sap . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's lost the politics and the social observation and become just another situation romance about a couple of saps stuck in an inarticulate screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +cut through the layers of soap-opera emotion and you find a scathing portrayal of a powerful entity strangling the life out of the people who want to believe in it the most . $LABEL$ 1 +it made me want to get made-up and go see this movie with my sisters . $LABEL$ 1 +argento , at only 26 , brings a youthful , out-to-change-the-world aggressiveness to the project , as if she 's cut open a vein and bled the raw film stock . $LABEL$ 1 +as refreshing as a drink from a woodland stream . $LABEL$ 1 +... a sweetly affecting story about four sisters who are coping , in one way or another , with life 's endgame . $LABEL$ 1 +beautifully directed and convincingly acted . $LABEL$ 1 +it is an unstinting look at a collaboration between damaged people that may or may not qual $LABEL$ 1 +ritchie 's film is easier to swallow than wertmuller 's polemical allegory , but it 's self-defeatingly decorous . $LABEL$ 0 +the charm of the first movie is still there , and the story feels like the logical , unforced continuation of the careers of a pair of spy kids . $LABEL$ 1 +purports to be a hollywood satire but winds up as the kind of film that should be the target of something deeper and more engaging . $LABEL$ 0 +any enjoyment will be hinge from a personal threshold of watching sad but endearing characters do extremely unconventional things . $LABEL$ 1 +an undeniably gorgeous , terminally smitten document of a troubadour , his acolytes , and the triumph of his band . $LABEL$ 1 +halfway through the movie , the humor dwindles . $LABEL$ 0 +the magic -lrb- and original running time -rrb- of ace japanimator hayao miyazaki 's spirited away survives intact in bv 's re-voiced version . $LABEL$ 1 +michael moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining , self-aggrandizing , politically motivated documentary-making , and he 's got as potent a topic as ever here . $LABEL$ 1 +frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who , in spite of all that he 's witnessed , remains surprisingly idealistic , and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him . $LABEL$ 1 +predictable and cloying , though brown sugar is so earnest in its yearning for the days before rap went nihilistic that it summons more spirit and bite than your average formulaic romantic quadrangle . $LABEL$ 1 +sadly , though many of the actors throw off a spark or two when they first appear , they ca n't generate enough heat in this cold vacuum of a comedy to start a reaction . $LABEL$ 0 +such a bad movie that its luckiest viewers will be seated next to one of those ignorant pinheads who talk throughout the show . $LABEL$ 0 +a modest masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +neil burger here succeeded in ... making the mystery of four decades back the springboard for a more immediate mystery in the present . $LABEL$ 1 +and thanks to kline 's superbly nuanced performance , that pondering is highly pleasurable . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul . $LABEL$ 1 +shiri is an action film that delivers on the promise of excitement , but it also has a strong dramatic and emotional pull that gradually sneaks up on the audience . $LABEL$ 1 +seems content to dog-paddle in the mediocre end of the pool , and it 's a sad , sick sight . $LABEL$ 0 +takes a fresh and absorbing look at a figure whose legacy had begun to bronze . $LABEL$ 1 +but it does n't leave you with much . $LABEL$ 0 +the trick when watching godard is to catch the pitch of his poetics , savor the pleasure of his sounds and images , and ponder the historical , philosophical , and ethical issues that intersect with them . $LABEL$ 1 +broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +as the mediterranean sparkles , ` swept away ' sinks . $LABEL$ 0 +two-bit potboiler . $LABEL$ 0 +a poignant and gently humorous parable that loves its characters and communicates something rather beautiful about human nature . $LABEL$ 1 +a smart , provocative drama that does the nearly impossible : it gets under the skin of a man we only know as an evil , monstrous lunatic . $LABEL$ 1 +at once overly old-fashioned in its sudsy plotting and heavy-handed in its effort to modernize it with encomia to diversity and tolerance . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's just rather leaden and dull . $LABEL$ 0 +problem is , we have no idea what in creation is going on . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is a mess from start to finish . $LABEL$ 0 +its rawness and vitality give it considerable punch . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best inside-show-biz yarns ever . $LABEL$ 1 +but the feelings evoked in the film are lukewarm and quick to pass . $LABEL$ 0 +a burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at . $LABEL$ 1 +the best animated feature to hit theaters since beauty and the beast 11 years ago . $LABEL$ 1 +the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers . $LABEL$ 0 +scarcely worth a mention apart from reporting on the number of tumbleweeds blowing through the empty theatres graced with its company . $LABEL$ 0 +a beautifully observed character piece . $LABEL$ 1 +compared to his series of spectacular belly flops both on and off the screen , runteldat is something of a triumph . $LABEL$ 1 +as plain and pedestrian as catsup -- $LABEL$ 0 +some people march to the beat of a different drum , and if you ever wondered what kind of houses those people live in , this documentary takes a look at 5 alternative housing options . $LABEL$ 1 +that jack nicholson makes this man so watchable is a tribute not only to his craft , but to his legend . $LABEL$ 1 +with each of her three protagonists , miller eloquently captures the moment when a woman 's life , out of a deep-seated , emotional need , is about to turn onto a different path . $LABEL$ 1 +a college story that works even without vulgarity , sex scenes , and cussing ! $LABEL$ 1 +a loquacious and dreary piece of business . $LABEL$ 0 +behan 's memoir is great material for a film -- rowdy , brawny and lyrical in the best irish sense -- but sheridan has settled for a lugubrious romance . $LABEL$ 0 +a rather tired exercise in nostalgia . $LABEL$ 0 +` linklater fans , or pretentious types who want to appear avant-garde will suck up to this project ... ' $LABEL$ 0 +there 's little to recommend snow dogs , unless one considers cliched dialogue and perverse escapism a source of high hilarity . $LABEL$ 0 +one lousy movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's such a mechanical endeavor -lrb- that -rrb- it never bothers to question why somebody might devote time to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +a blair witch - style adventure that plays like a bad soap opera , with passable performances from everyone in the cast . $LABEL$ 0 +until its final minutes this is a perceptive study of two families in crisis -- and of two girls whose friendship is severely tested by bad luck and their own immaturity . $LABEL$ 0 +abandon spends 90 minutes trying figure out whether or not some cocky pseudo-intellectual kid has intentionally left college or was killed . $LABEL$ 0 +needs more impressionistic cinematography and exhilarating point-of-view shots and fewer slow-motion ` grandeur ' shots and quick-cut edits that often detract from the athleticism . $LABEL$ 0 +with the prospect of films like kangaroo jack about to burst across america 's winter movie screens it 's a pleasure to have a film like the hours as an alternative . $LABEL$ 1 +where this was lazy but enjoyable , a formula comedy redeemed by its stars , that is even lazier and far less enjoyable . $LABEL$ 0 +a highly watchable , giggly little story with a sweet edge to it . $LABEL$ 1 +skillfully weaves both the elements of the plot and a powerfully evocative mood combining heated sexuality with a haunting sense of malaise . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- soderbergh -rrb- tends to place most of the psychological and philosophical material in italics rather than trust an audience 's intelligence , and he creates an overall sense of brusqueness . $LABEL$ 0 +writer-director juan carlos fresnadillo makes a feature debut that is fully formed and remarkably assured . $LABEL$ 1 +the kind of film that leaves you scratching your head in amazement over the fact that so many talented people could participate in such an ill-advised and poorly executed idea . $LABEL$ 0 +each story is built on a potentially interesting idea , but the first two are ruined by amateurish writing and acting , while the third feels limited by its short running time . $LABEL$ 0 +sweetly sexy , funny and touching . $LABEL$ 1 +like all of egoyan 's work , ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious . $LABEL$ 1 +even if invincible is not quite the career peak that the pianist is for roman polanski , it demonstrates that werner herzog can still leave us with a sense of wonder at the diverse , marvelously twisted shapes history has taken . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is really closer to porn than a serious critique of what 's wrong with this increasingly pervasive aspect of gay culture . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie that starts out like heathers , then becomes bring it on , then becomes unwatchable . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a cool event for the whole family . $LABEL$ 1 +time literally stops on a dime in the tries-so-hard-to-be-cool `` clockstoppers , '' but that does n't mean it still wo n't feel like the longest 90 minutes of your movie-going life . $LABEL$ 0 +a beautiful , entertaining two hours . $LABEL$ 1 +though it pretends to expose the life of male hustlers , it 's exploitive without being insightful . $LABEL$ 0 +too long , and larded with exposition , this somber cop drama ultimately feels as flat as the scruffy sands of its titular community . $LABEL$ 0 +another love story in 2002 's remarkable procession of sweeping pictures that have reinvigorated the romance genre . $LABEL$ 1 +the chateau belongs to rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting french malapropisms ... is a nonstop hoot . $LABEL$ 1 +the story ... is inspiring , ironic , and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is . $LABEL$ 1 +love may have been in the air onscreen , but i certainly was n't feeling any of it . $LABEL$ 0 +this director 's cut -- which adds 51 minutes -- takes a great film and turns it into a mundane soap opera . $LABEL$ 0 +`` the dangerous lives of altar boys '' has flaws , but it also has humor and heart and very talented young actors $LABEL$ 1 +movies like high crimes flog the dead horse of surprise as if it were an obligation . $LABEL$ 0 +an amusing and unexpectedly insightful examination of sexual jealousy , resentment and the fine line between passion and pretence . $LABEL$ 1 +producer john penotti surveyed high school students ... and came back with the astonishing revelation that `` they wanted to see something that did n't talk down to them . '' $LABEL$ 1 +it 's just a movie that happens to have jackie chan in it . $LABEL$ 0 +what redeems the film is the cast , particularly the ya-yas themselves . $LABEL$ 1 +but what 's nice is that there 's a casual intelligence that permeates the script . $LABEL$ 1 +adam sandler 's 8 crazy nights is 75 wasted minutes of sandler as the voice-over hero in columbia pictures ' perverse idea of an animated holiday movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a mess . $LABEL$ 0 +the filmmakers wisely decided to let crocodile hunter steve irwin do what he does best , and fashion a story around him . $LABEL$ 1 +so purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it 's a fairly straightforward remake of hollywood comedies such as father of the bride . $LABEL$ 1 +talk to her is so darned assured , we have absolutely no idea who the main characters are until the film is well under way -- and yet it 's hard to stop watching . $LABEL$ 1 +a genuinely funny ensemble comedy that also asks its audience -- in a heartwarming , nonjudgmental kind of way -- to consider what we value in our daily lives . $LABEL$ 1 +after seeing ` analyze that , ' i feel better already . $LABEL$ 1 +mazel tov to a film about a family 's joyous life acting on the yiddish stage . $LABEL$ 1 +the characters are never more than sketches ... which leaves any true emotional connection or identification frustratingly out of reach . $LABEL$ 0 +reign of fire just might go down as one of the all-time great apocalypse movies . $LABEL$ 1 +though few will argue that it ranks with the best of herzog 's works , invincible shows he 's back in form , with an astoundingly rich film . $LABEL$ 1 +monte cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds . $LABEL$ 1 +it shows us a slice of life that 's very different from our own and yet instantly recognizable . $LABEL$ 1 +interesting both as a historical study and as a tragic love story . $LABEL$ 1 +what we have here is n't a disaster , exactly , but a very handsomely produced let-down . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a reason the studio did n't offer an advance screening . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a certain sense of experimentation and improvisation to this film that may not always work , but it is nevertheless compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +though it 's equally solipsistic in tone , the movie has enough vitality to justify the notion of creating a screen adaptation of evans ' saga of hollywood excess . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the worst films of 2002 . $LABEL$ 0 +lazy , miserable and smug . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- t -rrb- he script is n't up to the level of the direction , nor are the uneven performances by the cast members , who seem bound and determined to duplicate bela lugosi 's now-cliched vampire accent . $LABEL$ 0 +often demented in a good way , but it is an uneven film for the most part . $LABEL$ 0 +an animation landmark as monumental as disney 's 1937 breakthrough snow white and the seven dwarfs . $LABEL$ 1 +this thing is just garbage . $LABEL$ 0 +`` the road paved with good intentions leads to the video store '' $LABEL$ 1 +still , this flick is fun , and host to some truly excellent sequences . $LABEL$ 1 +a disoriented but occasionally disarming saga packed with moments out of an alice in wonderland adventure , a stalker thriller , and a condensed season of tv 's big brother . $LABEL$ 1 +like the world of his film , hartley created a monster but did n't know how to handle it . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's surprising is how well it holds up in an era in which computer-generated images are the norm . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a clear-eyed portrait of an intensely lived time , filled with nervous energy , moral ambiguity and great uncertainties . $LABEL$ 1 +the extent to which it succeeds is impressive . $LABEL$ 1 +proves a servicable world war ii drama that ca n't totally hide its contrivances , but it at least calls attention to a problem hollywood too long has ignored . $LABEL$ 1 +a fascinating , bombshell documentary that should shame americans , regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with kissinger . $LABEL$ 1 +never inspires more than an interested detachment . $LABEL$ 0 +a sharp and quick documentary that is funny and pithy , while illuminating an era of theatrical comedy that , while past , really is n't . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a smart movie that knows its classical music , knows its freud and knows its sade . $LABEL$ 1 +instead of trying to bust some blondes , -lrb- diggs -rrb- should be probing why a guy with his talent ended up in a movie this bad . $LABEL$ 0 +delivers roughly equal amounts of beautiful movement and inside information . $LABEL$ 1 +meyjes 's movie , like max rothman 's future , does not work . $LABEL$ 0 +a weird , arresting little ride . $LABEL$ 1 +but i had a lot of problems with this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's dull , spiritless , silly and monotonous : an ultra-loud blast of pointless mayhem , going nowhere fast . $LABEL$ 0 +the year 2002 has conjured up more coming-of-age stories than seem possible , but take care of my cat emerges as the very best of them . $LABEL$ 1 +nakata 's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects . $LABEL$ 1 +the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's a part of us that can not help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something . $LABEL$ 1 +but mr. polanski creates images even more haunting than those in mr. spielberg 's 1993 classic . $LABEL$ 1 +the performances are strong , though the subject matter demands acting that borders on hammy at times . $LABEL$ 1 +never does `` lilo & stitch '' reach the emotion or timelessness of disney 's great past , or even that of more recent successes such as `` mulan '' or `` tarzan . '' $LABEL$ 0 +a wild ride with eight boarders from venice beach that was a deserved co-winner of the audience award for documentaries at the sundance film festival . $LABEL$ 1 +the mushy finale turns john q into a movie-of-the-week tearjerker . $LABEL$ 1 +a venturesome , beautifully realized psychological mood piece that reveals its first-time feature director 's understanding of the expressive power of the camera . $LABEL$ 1 +that it 'll probably be the best and most mature comedy of the 2002 summer season speaks more of the season than the picture $LABEL$ 1 +my own minority report is that it stinks . $LABEL$ 0 +cage makes an unusual but pleasantly haunting debut behind the camera . $LABEL$ 1 +brosnan is more feral in this film than i 've seen him before and halle berry does her best to keep up with him . $LABEL$ 1 +ben kingsley is truly funny , playing a kind of ghandi gone bad . $LABEL$ 1 +frankly , it 's pretty stupid . $LABEL$ 0 +ozpetek 's effort has the scope and shape of an especially well-executed television movie . $LABEL$ 1 +too clever by about nine-tenths . $LABEL$ 1 +horns and halos benefits from serendipity but also reminds us of our own responsibility to question what is told as the truth . $LABEL$ 1 +a particularly joyless , and exceedingly dull , period coming-of-age tale . $LABEL$ 0 +an unorthodox little film noir organized crime story that includes one of the strangest love stories you will ever see . $LABEL$ 1 +watching the powerpuff girls movie , my mind kept returning to one anecdote for comparison : the cartoon in japan that gave people seizures . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no good answer to that one . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- while the last metro -rrb- was more melodramatic , confined to a single theater company and its strategies and deceptions , while tavernier is more concerned with the entire period of history . $LABEL$ 1 +cantet beautifully illuminates what it means sometimes to be inside looking out , and at other times outside looking in . $LABEL$ 1 +if you think it 's a riot to see rob schneider in a young woman 's clothes , then you 'll enjoy the hot chick . $LABEL$ 1 +with the same sort of good-natured fun found in films like tremors , eight legged freaks is prime escapist fare . $LABEL$ 1 +a bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points . $LABEL$ 0 +a non-mystery mystery . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's back-stabbing , inter-racial desire and , most importantly , singing and dancing . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's more repetition than creativity throughout the movie . $LABEL$ 0 +together , miller , kuras and the actresses make personal velocity into an intricate , intimate and intelligent journey . $LABEL$ 1 +i enjoyed the movie in a superficial way , while never sure what its purpose was . $LABEL$ 1 +fear dot com is more frustrating than a modem that disconnects every 10 seconds . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of a witty expose on the banality and hypocrisy of too much kid-vid , we get an ugly , mean-spirited lashing out by an adult who 's apparently been forced by his kids to watch too many barney videos . $LABEL$ 0 +feels like the work of an artist who is simply tired -- of fighting the same fights , of putting the weight of the world on his shoulders , of playing with narrative form . $LABEL$ 0 +it is very difficult to care about the character , and that is the central flaw of the film . $LABEL$ 0 +gangster no. 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults . $LABEL$ 1 +why did they deem it necessary to document all this emotional misery ? $LABEL$ 0 +no doubt the star and everyone else involved had their hearts in the right place . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- rises -rrb- above its oh-so-hollywood rejiggering and its conventional direction to give the film a soul and an unabashed sense of good old-fashioned escapism . $LABEL$ 1 +captures that perverse element of the kafkaesque where identity , overnight , is robbed and replaced with a persecuted `` other . '' $LABEL$ 1 +never once predictable . $LABEL$ 1 +the film does n't really care about the thousands of americans who die hideously , it cares about how ryan meets his future wife and makes his start at the cia . $LABEL$ 0 +offers a guilt-free trip into feel-good territory . $LABEL$ 1 +the filmmakers are playing to the big boys in new york and l.a. to that end , they mock the kind of folks they do n't understand , ones they figure the power-lunchers do n't care to understand , either . $LABEL$ 0 +i wish it would have just gone more over-the-top instead of trying to have it both ways . $LABEL$ 0 +the whole affair , true story or not , feels incredibly hokey ... -lrb- it -rrb- comes off like a hallmark commercial . $LABEL$ 0 +the structure is simple , but in its own way , rabbit-proof fence is a quest story as grand as the lord of the rings . $LABEL$ 1 +a puppy dog so desperate for attention it nearly breaks its little neck trying to perform entertaining tricks . $LABEL$ 0 +nice piece of work . $LABEL$ 1 +the events of the film are just so weird that i honestly never knew what the hell was coming next . $LABEL$ 0 +episode ii -- attack of the clones is a technological exercise that lacks juice and delight . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a dark , gritty , sometimes funny little gem . $LABEL$ 1 +though there 's a clarity of purpose and even-handedness to the film 's direction , the drama feels rigged and sluggish . $LABEL$ 0 +noyce 's greatest mistake is thinking that we needed sweeping , dramatic , hollywood moments to keep us $LABEL$ 0 +what emerges is an unsettling picture of childhood innocence combined with indoctrinated prejudice . $LABEL$ 1 +the 3-d vistas from orbit , with the space station suspended like a huge set of wind chimes over the great blue globe , are stanzas of breathtaking , awe-inspiring visual poetry . $LABEL$ 1 +cacoyannis ' vision is far less mature , interpreting the play as a call for pity and sympathy for anachronistic phantasms haunting the imagined glory of their own pasts . $LABEL$ 0 +jackie chan movies are a guilty pleasure - he 's easy to like and always leaves us laughing . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- gayton 's script -rrb- telegraphs every discovery and layers on the gloss of convenience . $LABEL$ 1 +i know i should n't have laughed , but hey , those farts got to my inner nine-year-old . $LABEL$ 1 +... has about 3\/4th the fun of its spry 2001 predecessor -- but it 's a rushed , slapdash , sequel-for-the-sake - of-a-sequel with less than half the plot and ingenuity . $LABEL$ 0 +there is a general air of exuberance in all about the benjamins that 's hard to resist . $LABEL$ 1 +plays like one of those conversations that comic book guy on `` the simpsons '' has . $LABEL$ 0 +dong never pushes for insights beyond the superficial tensions of the dynamic he 's dissecting , and the film settles too easily along the contours of expectation . $LABEL$ 0 +this charming but slight tale has warmth , wit and interesting characters compassionately portrayed . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie slides downhill as soon as macho action conventions assert themselves . $LABEL$ 0 +delightfully rendered $LABEL$ 1 +shows that jackie chan is getting older , and that 's something i would rather live in denial about $LABEL$ 0 +many insightful moments . $LABEL$ 1 +made to be jaglomized is the cannes film festival , the annual riviera spree of flesh , buzz , blab and money . $LABEL$ 0 +the performances are immaculate , with roussillon providing comic relief . $LABEL$ 1 +anyone not into high-tech splatterfests is advised to take the warning literally , and log on to something more user-friendly . $LABEL$ 0 +director claude chabrol has become the master of innuendo . $LABEL$ 1 +as comedic spotlights go , notorious c.h.o. hits all the verbal marks it should . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- tries -rrb- to parody a genre that 's already a joke in the united states . $LABEL$ 0 +they were afraid to show this movie to reviewers before its opening , afraid of the bad reviews they thought they 'd earn . $LABEL$ 0 +especially give credit to affleck . $LABEL$ 1 +a fragile framework upon which to hang broad , mildly fleshed-out characters that seem to have been conjured up only 10 minutes prior to filming . $LABEL$ 0 +and it marks him as one of the most interesting writer\/directors working today . $LABEL$ 1 +this picture is murder by numbers , and as easy to be bored by as your abc 's , despite a few whopping shootouts . $LABEL$ 0 +though jones and snipes are enthralling , the movie bogs down in rhetoric and cliché . $LABEL$ 0 +according to wendigo , ` nature ' loves the members of the upper class almost as much as they love themselves . $LABEL$ 1 +even a hardened voyeur would require the patience of job to get through this interminable , shapeless documentary about the swinging subculture . $LABEL$ 0 +it is refreshingly undogmatic about its characters . $LABEL$ 1 +a gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional , unlikable characters and hackneyed , threadbare comic setups . $LABEL$ 0 +a vibrant , colorful , semimusical rendition . $LABEL$ 1 +but as you watch the movie , you 're too interested to care . $LABEL$ 1 +a mediocre exercise in target demographics , unaware that it 's the butt of its own joke . $LABEL$ 0 +thumbs down . $LABEL$ 0 +while the story does seem pretty unbelievable at times , it 's awfully entertaining to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +at a time when we 've learned the hard way just how complex international terrorism is , collateral damage paints an absurdly simplistic picture . $LABEL$ 0 +upper west sidey exercise in narcissism and self-congratulation disguised as a tribute . $LABEL$ 0 +as a kind of colorful , dramatized pbs program , frida gets the job done . $LABEL$ 1 +an uneven look into a grim future that does n't come close to the level of intelligence and visual splendour that can be seen in other films based on philip k. dick stories . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- shyamalan -rrb- turns the goose-pimple genre on its empty head and fills it with spirit , purpose and emotionally bruised characters who add up to more than body count . $LABEL$ 1 +totally overwrought , deeply biased , and wholly designed to make you feel guilty about ignoring what the filmmakers clearly believe are the greatest musicians of all time . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's so much to look at in metropolis you hate to tear your eyes away from the images long enough to read the subtitles . $LABEL$ 1 +woody allen used to ridicule movies like hollywood ending . $LABEL$ 0 +lightweight but appealing . $LABEL$ 1 +there is nothing redeeming about this movie . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's infuriating about full frontal is that it 's too close to real life to make sense . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's seams may show ... but pellington gives `` mothman '' an irresistibly uncanny ambience that goes a long way toward keeping the picture compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +macdowell ... gives give a solid , anguished performance that eclipses nearly everything else she 's ever done . $LABEL$ 1 +director paul cox 's unorthodox , abstract approach to visualizing nijinsky 's diaries is both stimulating and demanding . $LABEL$ 1 +the sight of the spaceship on the launching pad is duly impressive in imax dimensions , as are shots of the astronauts floating in their cabins . $LABEL$ 1 +the unique niche of self-critical , behind-the-scenes navel-gazing kaufman has carved from orleans ' story and his own infinite insecurity is a work of outstanding originality . $LABEL$ 1 +the stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny . $LABEL$ 1 +lucas has in fact come closer than anyone could desire to the cheap , graceless , hackneyed sci-fi serials of the '30s and '40s . $LABEL$ 0 +a fine effort , an interesting topic , some intriguing characters and a sad ending . $LABEL$ 1 +`` ... something appears to have been lost in the translation this time . $LABEL$ 0 +featherweight romantic comedy has a few nice twists in a standard plot and the charisma of hugh grant and sandra bullock . $LABEL$ 1 +hypnotically dull , relentlessly downbeat , laughably predictable wail pitched to the cadence of a depressed fifteen-year-old 's suicidal poetry . $LABEL$ 0 +everything about the quiet american is good , except its timing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a smartly directed , grown-up film of ideas . $LABEL$ 1 +the bourne identity should n't be half as entertaining as it is , but director doug liman and his colleagues have managed to pack it with enough action to satisfy the boom-bam crowd without a huge sacrifice of character and mood . $LABEL$ 1 +once he starts learning to compromise with reality enough to become comparatively sane and healthy , the film becomes predictably conventional . $LABEL$ 0 +a touching , small-scale story of family responsibility and care in the community . $LABEL$ 1 +the gifted crudup has the perfect face to play a handsome blank yearning to find himself , and his cipherlike personality and bad behavior would play fine if the movie knew what to do with him . $LABEL$ 0 +an artsploitation movie with too much exploitation and too little art . $LABEL$ 0 +unless you 're a fanatic , the best advice is : ` scooby ' do n't . $LABEL$ 0 +nicole kidman evolved from star to superstar some time over the past year , which means that birthday girl is the kind of quirkily appealing minor movie she might not make for a while . $LABEL$ 1 +and the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's just something about watching a squad of psychopathic underdogs whale the tar out of unsuspecting lawmen that reaches across time and distance . $LABEL$ 1 +the script is high on squaddie banter , low on shocks . $LABEL$ 1 +go back to sleep . $LABEL$ 0 +this movie plays like an extended dialogue exercise in retard 101 . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's as if a bored cage spent the duration of the film 's shooting schedule waiting to scream : `` got aids yet ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +secret ballot is a funny , puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving . $LABEL$ 1 +a visionary marvel , but it 's lacking a depth in storytelling usually found in anime like this . $LABEL$ 0 +nair just does n't have the necessary self-control to guide a loose , poorly structured film through the pitfalls of incoherence and redundancy . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most slyly exquisite anti-adult movies ever made . $LABEL$ 1 +this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time . $LABEL$ 0 +happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music . $LABEL$ 1 +fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of the matrix . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever one makes of its political edge , this is beautiful filmmaking from one of french cinema 's master craftsmen . $LABEL$ 1 +jagger , stoppard and director michael apted ... deliver a riveting and surprisingly romantic ride . $LABEL$ 1 +banal and predictable . $LABEL$ 0 +takes a clunky tv-movie approach to detailing a chapter in the life of the celebrated irish playwright , poet and drinker . $LABEL$ 0 +the trashy teen-sleaze equivalent of showgirls . $LABEL$ 0 +best of all is garcia , who perfectly portrays the desperation of a very insecure man . $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain . $LABEL$ 0 +scooby-doo does n't know if it wants to be a retro-refitting exercise in campy recall for older fans or a silly , nickelodeon-esque kiddie flick . $LABEL$ 0 +a dramatic comedy as pleasantly dishonest and pat as any hollywood fluff . $LABEL$ 0 +unfunny and lacking any sense of commitment to or affection for its characters , the reginald hudlin comedy relies on toilet humor , ethnic slurs . $LABEL$ 0 +`` the best disney movie since the lion king '' $LABEL$ 1 +best indie of the year , so far . $LABEL$ 1 +feels less like a cousin to blade runner than like a bottom-feeder sequel in the escape from new york series . $LABEL$ 0 +it jumps around with little logic or continuity , presenting backstage bytes of information that never amount to a satisfying complete picture of this particular , anciently demanding métier . $LABEL$ 0 +simone is not a bad film . $LABEL$ 1 +a sexy , peculiar and always entertaining costume drama set in renaissance spain , and the fact that it 's based on true events somehow makes it all the more compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +as the sulking , moody male hustler in the title role , -lrb- franco -rrb- has all of dean 's mannerisms and self-indulgence , but none of his sweetness and vulnerability . $LABEL$ 0 +the first bond movie in ages that is n't fake fun . $LABEL$ 1 +the problem is that for the most part , the film is deadly dull . $LABEL$ 0 +for the rest of us , sitting through dahmer 's two hours amounts to little more than punishment . $LABEL$ 0 +the rollerball sequences feel sanitised and stagey . $LABEL$ 0 +ramsay and morton fill this character study with poetic force and buoyant feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is saved from are n't - kids-cute sentimentality by a warmth that is n't faked and a stately sense of composition . $LABEL$ 1 +death to smoochy is often very funny , but what 's even more remarkable is the integrity of devito 's misanthropic vision . $LABEL$ 1 +the only young people who possibly will enjoy it are infants ... who might be distracted by the movie 's quick movements and sounds . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's something fishy about a seasonal holiday kids ' movie ... that derives its moment of most convincing emotional gravity from a scene where santa gives gifts to grownups . $LABEL$ 0 +it collapses when mr. taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's also not smart or barbed enough for older viewers -- not everyone thinks poo-poo jokes are ` edgy . ' $LABEL$ 0 +it gives poor dana carvey nothing to do that is really funny , and then expects us to laugh because he acts so goofy all the time . $LABEL$ 0 +efficient , suitably anonymous chiller . $LABEL$ 1 +... stylistically , the movie is a disaster . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's mildly entertaining , especially if you find comfort in familiarity . $LABEL$ 1 +... a guiltless film for nice evening out . $LABEL$ 1 +what makes salton sea surprisingly engrossing is that caruso takes an atypically hypnotic approach to a world that 's often handled in fast-edit , hopped-up fashion . $LABEL$ 1 +an opportunity missed . $LABEL$ 0 +canada 's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the inuit people . $LABEL$ 1 +fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it . $LABEL$ 1 +dignified ceo 's meet at a rustic retreat and pee against a tree . $LABEL$ 0 +a creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man ... about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy . $LABEL$ 1 +the overall vibe is druggy and self-indulgent , like a spring-break orgy for pretentious arts majors . $LABEL$ 0 +the transporter bombards the viewer with so many explosions and side snap kicks that it ends up being surprisingly dull . $LABEL$ 0 +beneath the film 's obvious determination to shock at any cost lies considerable skill and determination , backed by sheer nerve . $LABEL$ 1 +perry 's good and his is an interesting character , but `` serving sara '' has n't much more to serve than silly fluff . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what i was expecting . $LABEL$ 0 +the sentimental script has problems , but the actors pick up the slack . $LABEL$ 1 +puts a refreshing and comical spin on the all-too-familiar saga of the contemporary single woman . $LABEL$ 1 +there are some laughs in this movie , but williams ' anarchy gets tiresome , the satire is weak . $LABEL$ 0 +boisterous , heartfelt comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's as if allen , at 66 , has stopped challenging himself . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters seem one-dimensional , and the film is superficial and will probably be of interest primarily to its target audience . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm sure mainstream audiences will be baffled , but , for those with at least a minimal appreciation of woolf and clarissa dalloway , the hours represents two of those well spent . $LABEL$ 1 +very amusing , not the usual route in a thriller , and the performances are odd and pixilated and sometimes both . $LABEL$ 1 +if festival in cannes nails hard - boiled hollywood argot with a bracingly nasty accuracy , much about the film , including some of its casting , is frustratingly unconvincing . $LABEL$ 0 +coral reef adventure is a heavyweight film that fights a good fight on behalf of the world 's endangered reefs -- and it lets the pictures do the punching . $LABEL$ 1 +but it could be , by its art and heart , a necessary one . $LABEL$ 1 +i wanted more . $LABEL$ 0 +the entire cast is extraordinarily good . $LABEL$ 1 +as if trying to grab a lump of play-doh , the harder that liman tries to squeeze his story , the more details slip out between his fingers . $LABEL$ 0 +a bracing , unblinking work that serves as a painful elegy and sobering cautionary tale . $LABEL$ 1 +a fine , rousing , g-rated family film , aimed mainly at little kids but with plenty of entertainment value to keep grown-ups from squirming in their seats . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's immensely ambitious , different than anything that 's been done before and amazingly successful in terms of what it 's trying to do . $LABEL$ 1 +... a pretentious mess ... $LABEL$ 0 +it sends you away a believer again and quite cheered at just that . $LABEL$ 1 +terminally bland , painfully slow and needlessly confusing ... the movie , shot on digital videotape rather than film , is frequently indecipherable . $LABEL$ 0 +a very depressing movie of many missed opportunities . $LABEL$ 0 +captures the raw comic energy of one of our most flamboyant female comics . $LABEL$ 1 +if the man from elysian fields is doomed by its smallness , it is also elevated by it -- the kind of movie that you enjoy more because you 're one of the lucky few who sought it out . $LABEL$ 1 +writer-director walter hill and co-writer david giler try to create characters out of the obvious cliches , but wind up using them as punching bags . $LABEL$ 0 +this wretchedly unfunny wannabe comedy is inane and awful - no doubt , it 's the worst movie i 've seen this summer . $LABEL$ 0 +in the process of trimming the movie to an expeditious 84 minutes , director roger kumble seems to have dumped a whole lot of plot in favor of ... outrageous gags . $LABEL$ 0 +singer\/composer bryan adams contributes a slew of songs -- a few potential hits , a few more simply intrusive to the story -- but the whole package certainly captures the intended , er , spirit of the piece . $LABEL$ 1 +does n't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded its debut at the sundance film festival two years ago . $LABEL$ 0 +this slender plot feels especially thin stretched over the nearly 80-minute running time . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's biggest shocks come from seeing former nymphette juliette lewis playing a salt-of-the-earth mommy named minnie and watching slim travel incognito in a ridiculous wig no respectable halloween costume shop would ever try to sell . $LABEL$ 0 +if you value your time and money , find an escape clause and avoid seeing this trite , predictable rehash . $LABEL$ 0 +boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun . $LABEL$ 1 +the jokes are flat , and the action looks fake . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a ripper of a yarn and i for one enjoyed the thrill of the chill . $LABEL$ 1 +weirdly , broomfield has compelling new material but he does n't unveil it until the end , after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car . $LABEL$ 0 +once folks started hanging out at the barbershop , they never wanted to leave . $LABEL$ 1 +choppy , overlong documentary about ` the lifestyle . ' $LABEL$ 0 +better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of jonathan swift . $LABEL$ 1 +the action quickly sinks into by-the-numbers territory . $LABEL$ 0 +ends up offering nothing more than the latest schwarzenegger or stallone flick would . $LABEL$ 0 +though there are many tense scenes in trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful . $LABEL$ 0 +the last kiss will probably never achieve the popularity of my big fat greek wedding , but its provocative central wedding sequence has far more impact . $LABEL$ 1 +low rent from frame one . $LABEL$ 0 +sheridan seems terrified of the book 's irreverent energy , and scotches most of its élan , humor , bile , and irony . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , carvey 's rubber-face routine is no match for the insipid script he has crafted with harris goldberg . $LABEL$ 0 +it may as well be called `` jar-jar binks : the movie . '' $LABEL$ 0 +over the years , hollywood has crafted a solid formula for successful animated movies , and ice age only improves on it , with terrific computer graphics , inventive action sequences and a droll sense of humor . $LABEL$ 1 +what one is left with , even after the most awful acts are committed , is an overwhelming sadness that feels as if it has made its way into your very bloodstream . $LABEL$ 1 +it hates its characters . $LABEL$ 0 +... an incredibly heavy-handed , manipulative dud that feels all too familiar . $LABEL$ 0 +with `` ichi the killer '' , takashi miike , japan 's wildest filmmaker gives us a crime fighter carrying more emotional baggage than batman ... $LABEL$ 0 +anyone who wants to start writing screenplays can just follow the same blueprint from hundreds of other films , sell it to the highest bidder and walk away without anyone truly knowing your identity . $LABEL$ 0 +comes off as a long , laborious whine , the bellyaching of a paranoid and unlikable man . $LABEL$ 0 +we do n't even like their characters . $LABEL$ 0 +just a collection of this and that -- whatever fills time -- with no unified whole . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters never change . $LABEL$ 0 +even kids deserve better . $LABEL$ 0 +while scorsese 's bold images and generally smart casting ensure that `` gangs '' is never lethargic , the movie is hindered by a central plot that 's peppered with false starts and populated by characters who are nearly impossible to care about . $LABEL$ 0 +once ice-t sticks his mug in the window of the couple 's bmw and begins haranguing the wife in bad stage dialogue , all credibility flies out the window . $LABEL$ 0 +this is more fascinating -- being real -- than anything seen on jerry springer . $LABEL$ 1 +into how long is this movie ? $LABEL$ 0 +the work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims . $LABEL$ 1 +think the lion king redone for horses , with fewer deliberate laughs , more inadvertent ones and stunningly trite songs by bryan adams , the world 's most generic rock star . $LABEL$ 0 +you 'll probably love it . $LABEL$ 1 +and for all the wrong reasons besides . $LABEL$ 0 +reminiscent of alfred hitchcock 's thrillers , most of the scary parts in ` signs ' occur while waiting for things to happen . $LABEL$ 1 +in his debut as a director , washington has a sure hand . $LABEL$ 1 +if you love him , you 'll like it . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's so fun about this silly , outrageous , ingenious thriller is the director 's talent . $LABEL$ 1 +i like that smith , he 's not making fun of these people , he 's not laughing at them . $LABEL$ 1 +the logic of it all will be greek to anyone not predisposed to the movie 's rude and crude humor . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's downfall is to substitute plot for personality . $LABEL$ 0 +so much about the film is loopy and ludicrous ... that it could have been a hoot in a bad-movie way if the laborious pacing and endless exposition had been tightened . $LABEL$ 0 +victor rosa is leguizamo 's best movie work so far , a subtle and richly internalized performance . $LABEL$ 1 +psychologically savvy . $LABEL$ 1 +a stirring tribute to the bravery and dedication of the world 's reporters who willingly walk into the nightmare of war not only to record the events for posterity , but to help us clearly see the world of our making . $LABEL$ 1 +a chilling movie without oppressive gore . $LABEL$ 1 +we assume he had a bad run in the market or a costly divorce , because there is no earthly reason other than money why this distinguished actor would stoop so low . $LABEL$ 0 +star trek was kind of terrific once , but now it is a copy of a copy of a copy . $LABEL$ 0 +several of steven soderbergh 's earlier films were hailed as the works of an artist . $LABEL$ 1 +the riveting performances by the incredibly flexible cast make love a joy to behold . $LABEL$ 1 +the most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from portugal . $LABEL$ 1 +a thoughtful movie , a movie that is concerned with souls and risk and schemes and the consequences of one 's actions . $LABEL$ 1 +the dramatic scenes are frequently unintentionally funny , and the action sequences -- clearly the main event -- are surprisingly uninvolving . $LABEL$ 0 +directed by kevin bray , whose crisp framing , edgy camera work , and wholesale ineptitude with acting , tone and pace very obviously mark him as a video helmer making his feature debut . $LABEL$ 1 +because the intelligence level of the characters must be low , very low , very very low , for the masquerade to work , the movie contains no wit , only labored gags . $LABEL$ 0 +viewers of barney 's crushingly self-indulgent spectacle will see nothing in it to match the ordeal of sitting through it . $LABEL$ 0 +they ought to be a whole lot scarier than they are in this tepid genre offering . $LABEL$ 0 +as it turns out , you can go home again . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones . $LABEL$ 1 +his work transcends the boy-meets-girl posturing of typical love stories . $LABEL$ 1 +writer \/ director m. night shyamalan 's ability to pull together easily accessible stories that resonate with profundity is undeniable . $LABEL$ 1 +fontaine 's direction , especially her agreeably startling use of close-ups and her grace with a moving camera , creates sheerly cinematic appeal . $LABEL$ 1 +what bubbles up out of john c. walsh 's pipe dream is the distinct and very welcome sense of watching intelligent people making a movie they might actually want to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +abysmally pathetic $LABEL$ 0 +instead of a balanced film that explains the zeitgeist that is the x games , we get a cinematic postcard that 's superficial and unrealized . $LABEL$ 0 +the issues are presented in such a lousy way , complete with some of the year 's -lrb- unintentionally -rrb- funniest moments , that it 's impossible to care . $LABEL$ 0 +blessed with two fine , nuanced lead performances . $LABEL$ 1 +it all unfolds predictably , and the adventures that happen along the way seem repetitive and designed to fill time , providing no real sense of suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +an exhilarating experience . $LABEL$ 1 +a dazzling dream of a documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films . $LABEL$ 1 +jones ... makes a great impression as the writer-director of this little $ 1.8 million charmer , which may not be cutting-edge indie filmmaking but has a huge heart . $LABEL$ 1 +in the disturbingly involving family dysfunctional drama how i killed my father , french director anne fontaine delivers an inspired portrait of male-ridden angst and the emotional blockage that accompanies this human condition $LABEL$ 1 +animated drivel meant to enhance the self-image of drooling idiots . $LABEL$ 0 +but rather , ` how can you charge money for this ? ' $LABEL$ 0 +`` austin powers in goldmember '' has the right stuff for silly summer entertainment and has enough laughs to sustain interest to the end . $LABEL$ 1 +not really a thriller so much as a movie for teens to laugh , groan and hiss at . $LABEL$ 0 +an erotic thriller that 's neither too erotic nor very thrilling , either . $LABEL$ 0 +family portrait of need , neurosis and nervy negativity is a rare treat that shows the promise of digital filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +the uneven movie does have its charms and its funny moments but not quite enough of them . $LABEL$ 0 +it manages to squeeze by on angelina jolie 's surprising flair for self-deprecating comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +demme finally succeeds in diminishing his stature from oscar-winning master to lowly studio hack . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm not sure which is worse : the poor acting by the ensemble cast , the flat dialogue by vincent r. nebrida or the gutless direction by laurice guillen . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an ambitious film , and as with all ambitious films , it has some problems . $LABEL$ 1 +like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film -lrb- at 80 minutes -rrb- is actually quite entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +the lousy lead performances ... keep the movie from ever reaching the comic heights it obviously desired . $LABEL$ 0 +medem may have disrobed most of the cast , leaving their bodies exposed , but the plot remains as guarded as a virgin with a chastity belt . $LABEL$ 0 +is it really an advantage to invest such subtlety and warmth in an animatronic bear when the humans are acting like puppets ? $LABEL$ 0 +art-house to the core , read my lips is a genre-curling crime story that revives the free-wheeling noir spirit of old french cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +madonna has made herself over so often now , there 's apparently nothing left to work with , sort of like michael jackson 's nose . $LABEL$ 0 +so exaggerated and broad that it comes off as annoying rather than charming . $LABEL$ 0 +... the story , like ravel 's bolero , builds to a crescendo that encompasses many more paths than we started with . $LABEL$ 1 +it has fun with the quirks of family life , but it also treats the subject with fondness and respect . $LABEL$ 1 +it should have stayed there . $LABEL$ 0 +well , it probably wo n't have you swinging from the trees hooting it 's praises , but it 's definitely worth taking a look . $LABEL$ 1 +bravo for history rewritten , and for the uncompromising knowledge that the highest power of all is the power of love . $LABEL$ 1 +what a pity ... that the material is so second-rate . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's that good . $LABEL$ 1 +a mischievous visual style and oodles of charm make ` cherish ' a very good -lrb- but not great -rrb- movie . $LABEL$ 1 +enthusiastically taking up the current teen movie concern with bodily functions , walt becker 's film pushes all the demographically appropriate comic buttons . $LABEL$ 1 +a truly wonderful tale combined with stunning animation . $LABEL$ 1 +directors brett morgen and nanette burstein have put together a bold biographical fantasia . $LABEL$ 1 +... a confusing drudgery . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a testament to the film 's considerable charm that it succeeds in entertaining , despite playing out like a feature-length sitcom replete with stereotypical familial quandaries . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- mess . $LABEL$ 0 +plays like a bad blend of an overripe episode of tv 's dawson 's creek and a recycled and dumbed-down version of love story . $LABEL$ 0 +black-and-white and unrealistic . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- lin chung 's -rrb- voice is rather unexceptional , even irritating -lrb- at least to this western ear -rrb- , making it awfully hard to buy the impetus for the complicated love triangle that develops between the three central characters . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not helpful to listen to extremist name-calling , regardless of whether you think kissinger was a calculating fiend or just a slippery self-promoter . $LABEL$ 0 +hardly an objective documentary , but it 's great cinematic polemic ... love moore or loathe him , you 've got to admire ... the intensity with which he 's willing to express his convictions . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is pretty funny now and then without in any way demeaning its subjects . $LABEL$ 1 +a lovely film ... elegant , witty and beneath a prim exterior unabashedly romantic ... hugely enjoyable in its own right though not really faithful to its source 's complexity . $LABEL$ 1 +a summary of the plot does n't quite do justice to the awfulness of the movie , for that comes through all too painfully in the execution . $LABEL$ 0 +taken as a whole , the tuxedo does n't add up to a whole lot . $LABEL$ 0 +good-looking but relentlessly lowbrow outing plays like clueless does south fork . $LABEL$ 0 +intimate and panoramic . $LABEL$ 1 +suffers from all the excesses of the genre . $LABEL$ 0 +hate it because it 's lousy . $LABEL$ 0 +this rather unfocused , all-over-the-map movie would be a lot better if it pared down its plots and characters to a few rather than dozens ... or if it were subtler ... or if it had a sense of humor . $LABEL$ 0 +big fat liar is little more than home alone raised to a new , self-deprecating level . $LABEL$ 0 +a doa dud from frame one . $LABEL$ 0 +why spend $ 9 on the same stuff you can get for a buck or so in that greasy little vidgame pit in the theater lobby ? $LABEL$ 0 +just the sort of lazy tearjerker that gives movies about ordinary folk a bad name . $LABEL$ 0 +`` home movie '' is a sweet treasure and something well worth your time . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's enough to watch huppert scheming , with her small , intelligent eyes as steady as any noir villain , and to enjoy the perfectly pitched web of tension that chabrol spins . $LABEL$ 1 +the bottom line with nemesis is the same as it has been with all the films in the series : fans will undoubtedly enjoy it , and the uncommitted need n't waste their time on it . $LABEL$ 1 +robinson 's web of suspense matches the page-turning frenzy that clancy creates . $LABEL$ 1 +... a hokey piece of nonsense that tries too hard to be emotional . $LABEL$ 0 +intelligent , caustic take on a great writer and dubious human being . $LABEL$ 1 +like its title character , esther kahn is unusual but unfortunately also irritating . $LABEL$ 0 +where janice beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment . $LABEL$ 1 +throws in enough clever and unexpected twists to make the formula feel fresh . $LABEL$ 1 +a fairly harmless but ultimately lifeless feature-length afterschool special . $LABEL$ 0 +i did n't laugh . $LABEL$ 0 +holm does his sly , intricate magic , and iben hjelje is entirely appealing as pumpkin . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the funniest motion pictures of the year , but ... also one of the most curiously depressing . $LABEL$ 1 +bielinsky is a filmmaker of impressive talent . $LABEL$ 1 +such a premise is ripe for all manner of lunacy , but kaufman and gondry rarely seem sure of where it should go . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is ultimately about as inspiring as a hallmark card . $LABEL$ 0 +the troubling thing about clockstoppers is that it does n't make any sense . $LABEL$ 0 +uneven performances and a spotty script add up to a biting satire that has no teeth . $LABEL$ 0 +even on its own ludicrous terms , the sum of all fears generates little narrative momentum , and invites unflattering comparisons to other installments in the ryan series . $LABEL$ 0 +boasts enough funny dialogue and sharp characterizations to be mildly amusing . $LABEL$ 1 +the most offensive thing about the movie is that hollywood expects people to pay to see it . $LABEL$ 0 +you do n't know whether to admire the film 's stately nature and call it classicism or be exasperated by a noticeable lack of pace . $LABEL$ 0 +the author 's devotees will probably find it fascinating ; others may find it baffling . $LABEL$ 0 +the tasteful little revision works wonders , enhancing the cultural and economic subtext , bringing richer meaning to the story 's morals . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his -- so perfect for a ballplayer . $LABEL$ 1 +often messy and frustrating , but very pleasing at its best moments , it 's very much like life itself . $LABEL$ 1 +in its dry and forceful way , it delivers the same message as jiri menzel 's closely watched trains and danis tanovic 's no man 's land . $LABEL$ 1 +sinks so low in a poorly played game of absurd plot twists , idiotic court maneuvers and stupid characters that even freeman ca n't save it . $LABEL$ 0 +this is the kind of movie that gets a quick release before real contenders arrive in september . $LABEL$ 0 +talk to her is not the perfect movie many have made it out to be , but it 's still quite worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's also built on a faulty premise , one it follows into melodrama and silliness . $LABEL$ 0 +shafer 's feature does n't offer much in terms of plot or acting . $LABEL$ 0 +in fact , even better . $LABEL$ 1 +feels familiar and tired . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is too impressed with its own solemn insights to work up much entertainment value . $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's worth the concentration . $LABEL$ 1 +a complex psychological drama about a father who returns to his son 's home after decades away . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's intimate camera work and searing performances pull us deep into the girls ' confusion and pain as they struggle tragically to comprehend the chasm of knowledge that 's opened between them . $LABEL$ 1 +humorous and heartfelt , douglas mcgrath 's version of ` nicholas nickleby ' left me feeling refreshed and hopeful . $LABEL$ 1 +what lee does so marvelously compelling is present brown as a catalyst for the struggle of black manhood in restrictive and chaotic america ... sketchy but nevertheless gripping portrait of jim brown , a celebrated wonder in the spotlight $LABEL$ 1 +one thing you have to give them credit for : the message of the movie is consistent with the messages espoused in the company 's previous video work . $LABEL$ 1 +is not so much a work of entertainment as it is a unique , well-crafted psychological study of grief . $LABEL$ 1 +brosnan 's finest non-bondish performance yet fails to overcome the film 's manipulative sentimentality and annoying stereotypes . $LABEL$ 0 +an even more predictable , cliche-ridden endeavor than its predecessor . $LABEL$ 0 +the storytelling may be ordinary , but the cast is one of those all-star reunions that fans of gosford park have come to assume is just another day of brit cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +catch it ... if you can ! $LABEL$ 1 +to say that this vapid vehicle is downright doltish and uneventful is just as obvious as telling a country skunk that he has severe body odor . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's not too much of anything . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most highly-praised disappointments i 've had the misfortune to watch in quite some time . $LABEL$ 0 +everything was as superficial as the forced new jersey lowbrow accent uma had . $LABEL$ 0 +the bard as black comedy -- willie would have loved it . $LABEL$ 1 +memorable for a peculiar malaise that renders its tension flaccid and , by extension , its surprises limp and its resolutions ritual . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party . $LABEL$ 1 +the performances are remarkable . $LABEL$ 1 +as much as i laughed throughout the movie , i can not mount a cogent defense of the film as entertainment , or even performance art , although the movie does leave you marveling at these guys ' superhuman capacity to withstand pain . $LABEL$ 1 +not a strike against yang 's similarly themed yi yi , but i found what time ? $LABEL$ 0 +everything that was right about blade is wrong in its sequel . $LABEL$ 0 +both a beautifully made nature film and a tribute to a woman whose passion for this region and its inhabitants still shines in her quiet blue eyes . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a shrewd and effective film from a director who understands how to create and sustain a mood . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- p -rrb- artnering murphy with robert de niro for the tv-cops comedy showtime would seem to be surefire casting . $LABEL$ 1 +i have a confession to make : i did n't particularly like e.t. the first time i saw it as a young boy . $LABEL$ 0 +a captivating new film . $LABEL$ 1 +it tends to remind one of a really solid woody allen film , with its excellent use of new york locales and sharp writing $LABEL$ 1 +you 'd have to be a most hard-hearted person not to be moved by this drama . $LABEL$ 1 +this is just lazy writing . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that will surely be profane , politically charged music to the ears of cho 's fans . $LABEL$ 1 +while the ensemble player who gained notice in guy ritchie 's lock , stock and two smoking barrels and snatch has the bod , he 's unlikely to become a household name on the basis of his first starring vehicle . $LABEL$ 0 +coppola has made a film of intoxicating atmosphere and little else . $LABEL$ 1 +is one of this year 's very best pictures . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the illusion of work is than actual work . $LABEL$ 1 +the strength of the film comes not from any cinematic razzle-dazzle but from its recovery of an historical episode that , in the simple telling , proves simultaneously harrowing and uplifting . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling french psychological drama examining the encounter of an aloof father and his chilly son after 20 years apart . $LABEL$ 1 +ong 's promising debut is a warm and well-told tale of one recent chinese immigrant 's experiences in new york city . $LABEL$ 1 +satisfyingly scarifying , fresh and old-fashioned at the same time . $LABEL$ 1 +trailer trash cinema so uncool the only thing missing is the `` gadzooks ! '' $LABEL$ 0 +wo n't be placed in the pantheon of the best of the swashbucklers but it is a whole lot of fun and you get to see the one of the world 's best actors , daniel auteuil , have a whale of a good time . $LABEL$ 1 +because the genre is well established , what makes the movie fresh is smart writing , skewed characters , and the title performance by kieran culkin . $LABEL$ 1 +more sophisticated and literate than such pictures usually are ... an amusing little catch . $LABEL$ 1 +i found the ring moderately absorbing , largely for its elegantly colorful look and sound . $LABEL$ 1 +a graceful , moving tribute to the courage of new york 's finest and a nicely understated expression of the grief shared by the nation at their sacrifice . $LABEL$ 1 +and it 's harder still to believe that anyone in his right mind would want to see the it . $LABEL$ 0 +contrived as this may sound , mr. rose 's updating works surprisingly well . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. deeds is not really a film as much as it is a loose collection of not-so-funny gags , scattered moments of lazy humor . $LABEL$ 0 +just a string of stale gags , with no good inside dope , and no particular bite . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's always enthralling . $LABEL$ 1 +one big blustery movie where nothing really happens . $LABEL$ 0 +one of those rare films that seems as though it was written for no one , but somehow manages to convince almost everyone that it was put on the screen , just for them . $LABEL$ 1 +diane lane works nothing short of a minor miracle in unfaithful . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the very best movies ever made about the life of moviemaking . $LABEL$ 1 +is many things -- stoner midnight flick , sci-fi deconstruction , gay fantasia -- but above all it 's a love story as sanguine as its title . $LABEL$ 1 +but if the essence of magic is its make-believe promise of life that soars above the material realm , this is the opposite of a truly magical movie . $LABEL$ 0 +a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +watching junk like this induces a kind of abstract guilt , as if you were paying dues for good books unread , fine music never heard . $LABEL$ 0 +an inuit masterpiece that will give you goosebumps as its uncanny tale of love , communal discord , and justice unfolds . $LABEL$ 1 +can be viewed as pure composition and form -- film as music $LABEL$ 1 +this is a remake by the numbers , linking a halfwit plot to a series of standup routines in which wilson and murphy show how funny they could have been in a more ambitious movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the jokes are telegraphed so far in advance they must have been lost in the mail . $LABEL$ 0 +a cruelly funny twist on teen comedy packed with inventive cinematic tricks and an ironically killer soundtrack $LABEL$ 1 +smarter than its commercials make it seem . $LABEL$ 1 +a reasonably entertaining sequel to 1994 's surprise family hit that may strain adult credibility . $LABEL$ 1 +could have been crisper and punchier , but it 's likely to please audiences who like movies that demand four hankies . $LABEL$ 1 +a french film with a more down-home flavor . $LABEL$ 1 +when a movie asks you to feel sorry for mick jagger 's sex life , it already has one strike against it . $LABEL$ 0 +an asian neo-realist treasure . $LABEL$ 1 +generic thriller junk . $LABEL$ 0 +an honest , sensitive story from a vietnamese point of view . $LABEL$ 1 +while some of the camera work is interesting , the film 's mid-to-low budget is betrayed by the surprisingly shoddy makeup work . $LABEL$ 0 +more than their unique residences , home movie is about the people who live in them , who have carved their own comfortable niche in the world and have been kind enough to share it . $LABEL$ 1 +apparently , romantic comedy with a fresh point of view just does n't figure in the present hollywood program . $LABEL$ 0 +thanks to confident filmmaking and a pair of fascinating performances , the way to that destination is a really special walk in the woods . $LABEL$ 1 +a compelling allegory about the last days of germany 's democratic weimar republic . $LABEL$ 1 +or maybe `` how will you feel after an 88-minute rip-off of the rock with action confined to slo-mo gun firing and random glass-shattering ? '' $LABEL$ 0 +it falls far short of poetry , but it 's not bad prose . $LABEL$ 1 +the things this movie tries to get the audience to buy just wo n't fly with most intelligent viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +sillier , cuter , and shorter than the first -lrb- as best i remember -rrb- , but still a very good time at the cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +by the time the surprise ending is revealed , interest can not be revived . $LABEL$ 0 +a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr. chicken . $LABEL$ 0 +a beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions . $LABEL$ 1 +scotland , pa is entirely too straight-faced to transcend its clever concept . $LABEL$ 0 +i firmly believe that a good video game movie is going to show up soon . $LABEL$ 1 +chaiken ably balances real-time rhythms with propulsive incident . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is about as deep as that sentiment . $LABEL$ 0 +brainless , but enjoyably over-the-top , the retro gang melodrama , deuces wild represents fifties teen-gang machismo in a way that borders on rough-trade homo-eroticism . $LABEL$ 0 +if you ever wanted to be an astronaut , this is the ultimate movie experience - it 's informative and breathtakingly spectacular . $LABEL$ 1 +even the digressions are funny . $LABEL$ 1 +and , thanks to the presence of ` the king , ' it also rocks . $LABEL$ 1 +in other words , about as bad a film you 're likely to see all year . $LABEL$ 0 +visually fascinating ... an often intense character study about fathers and sons , loyalty and duty . $LABEL$ 1 +as violent , profane and exploitative as the most offensive action flick you 've ever seen . $LABEL$ 0 +we 've seen the hippie-turned-yuppie plot before , but there 's an enthusiastic charm in fire that makes the formula fresh again . $LABEL$ 1 +gets better after foster leaves that little room . $LABEL$ 1 +compulsively watchable , no matter how degraded things get . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- evans is -rrb- a fascinating character , and deserves a better vehicle than this facetious smirk of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +the plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution . $LABEL$ 0 +this is rote spookiness , with nary an original idea -lrb- or role , or edit , or score , or anything , really -rrb- in sight , and the whole of the proceedings beg the question ` why ? ' $LABEL$ 0 +manages to be wholesome and subversive at the same time . $LABEL$ 1 +feels aimless for much of its running time , until late in the film when a tidal wave of plot arrives , leaving questions in its wake . $LABEL$ 0 +a few zingers aside , the writing is indifferent , and jordan brady 's direction is prosaic . $LABEL$ 0 +the corpse count ultimately overrides what little we learn along the way about vicarious redemption . $LABEL$ 0 +a wishy-washy melodramatic movie that shows us plenty of sturm und drung , but explains its characters ' decisions only unsatisfactorily . $LABEL$ 0 +a tired , unnecessary retread ... a stale copy of a picture that was n't all that great to begin with . $LABEL$ 0 +is n't as sharp as the original ... despite some visual virtues , ` blade ii ' just does n't cut it . $LABEL$ 0 +enigma lacks it . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. caine and mr. fraser are the whole show here , with their memorable and resourceful performances . $LABEL$ 1 +too bad none of it is funny . $LABEL$ 0 +overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances . $LABEL$ 1 +there 's no conversion effort , much of the writing is genuinely witty and both stars are appealing enough to probably have a good shot at a hollywood career , if they want one . $LABEL$ 1 +yet in its own aloof , unreachable way it 's so fascinating you wo n't be able to look away for a second . $LABEL$ 1 +this film puts wang at the forefront of china 's sixth generation of film makers . $LABEL$ 1 +a sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one 's mother . $LABEL$ 1 +like the full monty , this is sure to raise audience 's spirits and leave them singing long after the credits roll . $LABEL$ 1 +i have always appreciated a smartly written motion picture , and , whatever flaws igby goes down may possess , it is undeniably that . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- n -rrb- o matter how much good will the actors generate , showtime eventually folds under its own thinness . $LABEL$ 0 +not many movies have that kind of impact on me these days . $LABEL$ 1 +after sitting through this sloppy , made-for-movie comedy special , it makes me wonder if lawrence hates criticism so much that he refuses to evaluate his own work . $LABEL$ 0 +texan director george ratliff had unlimited access to families and church meetings , and he delivers fascinating psychological fare . $LABEL$ 1 +obviously , a lot of people wasted a lot of their time -lrb- including mine -rrb- on something very inconsequential . $LABEL$ 0 +should have gone straight to video . $LABEL$ 0 +maryam is more timely now than ever . $LABEL$ 1 +koepp 's screenplay is n't nearly surprising or clever enough to sustain a reasonable degree of suspense on its own . $LABEL$ 0 +it deserves to be seen everywhere . $LABEL$ 1 +a timely look back at civil disobedience , anti-war movements and the power of strong voices . $LABEL$ 1 +you do n't need to know your ice-t 's from your cool-j 's to realize that as far as these shootings are concerned , something is rotten in the state of california . $LABEL$ 0 +by turns very dark and very funny . $LABEL$ 1 +completely awful iranian drama ... as much fun as a grouchy ayatollah in a cold mosque . $LABEL$ 0 +suspend your disbelief here and now , or you 'll be shaking your head all the way to the credits . $LABEL$ 0 +nothing more than four or five mild chuckles surrounded by 86 minutes of overly-familiar and poorly-constructed comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +uneven but a lot of fun . $LABEL$ 1 +the satire is just too easy to be genuinely satisfying . $LABEL$ 0 +the biggest problem i have -lrb- other than the very sluggish pace -rrb- is we never really see her esther blossom as an actress , even though her talent is supposed to be growing . $LABEL$ 0 +... it 's as comprehensible as any dummies guide , something even non-techies can enjoy . $LABEL$ 1 +a zombie movie in every sense of the word -- mindless , lifeless , meandering , loud , painful , obnoxious . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- moore 's -rrb- better at fingering problems than finding solutions . $LABEL$ 0 +... fuses the events of her life with the imagery in her paintings so vividly that the artist 's work may take on a striking new significance for anyone who sees the film . $LABEL$ 1 +is there a group of more self-absorbed women than the mother and daughters featured in this film ? $LABEL$ 0 +there are cheesy backdrops , ridiculous action sequences , and many tired jokes about men in heels . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- green is -rrb- the comedy equivalent of saddam hussein , and i 'm just about ready to go to the u.n. and ask permission for a preemptive strike . $LABEL$ 0 +once again , director chris columbus takes a hat-in-hand approach to rowling that stifles creativity and allows the film to drag on for nearly three hours . $LABEL$ 0 +some of the characters die and others do n't , and the film pretends that those living have learned some sort of lesson , and , really , nobody in the viewing audience cares . $LABEL$ 0 +brave and sweetly rendered love story . $LABEL$ 1 +for decades we 've marveled at disney 's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world . $LABEL$ 1 +the level of acting elevates the material above pat inspirational status and gives it a sturdiness and solidity that we 've long associated with washington the actor . $LABEL$ 1 +while tattoo borrows heavily from both seven and the silence of the lambs , it manages to maintain both a level of sophisticated intrigue and human-scale characters that suck the audience in . $LABEL$ 1 +long before it 's over , you 'll be thinking of 51 ways to leave this loser . $LABEL$ 0 +the film belongs to the marvelous verdu , a sexy slip of an earth mother who mourns her tragedies in private and embraces life in public $LABEL$ 1 +a thought-provoking and often-funny drama about isolation . $LABEL$ 1 +bittersweet comedy\/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys . $LABEL$ 1 +the town has kind of an authentic feel , but each one of these people stand out and everybody else is in the background and it just seems manufactured to me and artificial . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a sincerely crafted picture that deserves to emerge from the traffic jam of holiday movies . $LABEL$ 1 +remarkable for its intelligence and intensity . $LABEL$ 1 +a complete waste of time . $LABEL$ 0 +should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike . $LABEL$ 1 +an intimate contemplation of two marvelously messy lives . $LABEL$ 1 +you never know where changing lanes is going to take you but it 's a heck of a ride . $LABEL$ 1 +resident evil is n't a product of its cinematic predecessors so much as an mtv , sugar hysteria , and playstation cocktail . $LABEL$ 0 +that works . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's most memorable about circuit is that it 's shot on digital video , whose tiny camera enables shafer to navigate spaces both large ... and small ... with considerable aplomb . $LABEL$ 1 +the journey is worth your time , especially if you have ellen pompeo sitting next to you for the ride . $LABEL$ 1 +a classy , sprightly spin on film . $LABEL$ 1 +frankly , it 's kind of insulting , both to men and women . $LABEL$ 0 +in addition to the overcooked , ham-fisted direction , which has all the actors reaching for the back row , the dialogue sounds like horrible poetry . $LABEL$ 0 +watching austin powers in goldmember is like binging on cotton candy . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing overly original , mind you , but solidly entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +it ends up being neither , and fails at both endeavors . $LABEL$ 0 +so putrid it is not worth the price of the match that should be used to burn every print of the film . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the finest , most humane and important holocaust movies ever made . $LABEL$ 1 +this fascinating look at israel in ferment feels as immediate as the latest news footage from gaza and , because of its heightened , well-shaped dramas , twice as powerful . $LABEL$ 1 +if villainous vampires are your cup of blood , blade 2 is definitely a cut above the rest . $LABEL$ 1 +if swimfan does catch on , it may be because teens are looking for something to make them laugh . $LABEL$ 0 +a shame that stealing harvard is too busy getting in its own way to be anything but frustrating , boring , and forgettable . $LABEL$ 0 +refreshing . $LABEL$ 1 +a clichéd and shallow cautionary tale about the hard-partying lives of gay men . $LABEL$ 0 +by the end of it all i sort of loved the people onscreen , even though i could not stand them . $LABEL$ 1 +the waterlogged script plumbs uncharted depths of stupidity , incoherence and sub-sophomoric sexual banter . $LABEL$ 0 +... a rich and intelligent film that uses its pulpy core conceit to probe questions of attraction and interdependence and how the heart accomodates practical needs . $LABEL$ 1 +while the film is competent , it 's also uninspired , lacking the real talent and wit to elevate it beyond its formula to the level of classic romantic comedy to which it aspires . $LABEL$ 0 +the locale ... remains far more interesting than the story at hand . $LABEL$ 0 +releasing a film with the word ` dog ' in its title in january lends itself to easy jokes and insults , and snow dogs deserves every single one of them . $LABEL$ 0 +alternating between facetious comic parody and pulp melodrama , this smart-aleck movie ... tosses around some intriguing questions about the difference between human and android life . $LABEL$ 1 +director todd solondz has made a movie about critical reaction to his two previous movies , and about his responsibility to the characters that he creates . $LABEL$ 1 +shankman ... and screenwriter karen janszen bungle their way through the narrative as if it were a series of bible parables and not an actual story . $LABEL$ 0 +cinematic poo . $LABEL$ 0 +she 's as rude and profane as ever , always hilarious and , most of the time , absolutely right in her stinging social observations . $LABEL$ 1 +i ca n't begin to tell you how tedious , how resolutely unamusing , how thoroughly unrewarding all of this is , and what a reckless squandering of four fine acting talents ... $LABEL$ 0 +buries an interesting storyline about morality and the choices we make underneath such a mountain of clichés and borrowed images that it might more accurately be titled mr. chips off the old block . $LABEL$ 0 +in an art film ! $LABEL$ 1 +presents a side of contemporary chinese life that many outsiders will be surprised to know exists , and does so with an artistry that also smacks of revelation . $LABEL$ 1 +after watching it , you can only love the players it brings to the fore for the gifted but no-nonsense human beings they are and for the still-inestimable contribution they have made to our shared history . $LABEL$ 1 +promises is a compelling piece that demonstrates just how well children can be trained to live out and carry on their parents ' anguish . $LABEL$ 1 +it is most remarkable not because of its epic scope , but because of the startling intimacy it achieves despite that breadth . $LABEL$ 1 +robin williams has thankfully ditched the saccharine sentimentality of bicentennial man in favour of an altogether darker side . $LABEL$ 1 +the sweetest thing is expressly for idiots who do n't care what kind of sewage they shovel into their mental gullets to simulate sustenance . $LABEL$ 0 +the film would have been more enjoyable had the balance shifted in favor of water-bound action over the land-based ` drama , ' but the emphasis on the latter leaves blue crush waterlogged . $LABEL$ 0 +tackles the difficult subject of grief and loss with such life-embracing spirit that the theme does n't drag an audience down . $LABEL$ 1 +a disaster of a drama , saved only by its winged assailants . $LABEL$ 0 +playfully profound ... and crazier than michael jackson on the top floor of a skyscraper nursery surrounded by open windows . $LABEL$ 1 +the story itself is actually quite vapid . $LABEL$ 0 +this orange has some juice , but it 's far from fresh-squeezed . $LABEL$ 0 +he does n't , however , deliver nearly enough of the show 's trademark style and flash . $LABEL$ 0 +no amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story . $LABEL$ 0 +the film has several strong performances . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing here seems as funny as it did in analyze this , not even joe viterelli as de niro 's right-hand goombah . $LABEL$ 0 +the wild thornberrys movie has all the sibling rivalry and general family chaos to which anyone can relate . $LABEL$ 1 +too predictably , in fact . $LABEL$ 0 +what makes how i killed my father compelling , besides its terrific performances , is fontaine 's willingness to wander into the dark areas of parent-child relationships without flinching . $LABEL$ 1 +it is that rare combination of bad writing , bad direction and bad acting -- the trifecta of badness . $LABEL$ 0 +japanese director shohei imamura 's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the more glaring signs of this movie 's servitude to its superstar is the way it skirts around any scenes that might have required genuine acting from ms. spears . $LABEL$ 0 +jaw-droppingly superficial , straining to get by on humor that is not even as daring as john ritter 's glory days on three 's company . $LABEL$ 0 +not too fancy , not too filling , not too fluffy , but definitely tasty and sweet . $LABEL$ 1 +a true pleasure . $LABEL$ 1 +lacks the spirit of the previous two , and makes all those jokes about hos and even more unmentionable subjects seem like mere splashing around in the muck . $LABEL$ 0 +if you go into the theater expecting a scary , action-packed chiller , you might soon be looking for a sign . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie of technical skill and rare depth of intellect and feeling . $LABEL$ 1 +i loved this film . $LABEL$ 1 +if this is cinema , i pledge allegiance to cagney and lacey . $LABEL$ 0 +could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ? $LABEL$ 0 +for the most part , it works beautifully as a movie without sacrificing the integrity of the opera . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's loud and boring ; watching it is like being trapped at a bad rock concert . $LABEL$ 0 +probably the best case for christianity since chesterton and lewis . $LABEL$ 1 +i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it . $LABEL$ 0 +this ill-conceived and expensive project winds up looking like a bunch of talented thesps slumming it . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one of mr. chabrol 's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny . $LABEL$ 1 +sparse but oddly compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +despite the opulent lushness of every scene , the characters never seem to match the power of their surroundings . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a powerful though flawed movie , guaranteed to put a lump in your throat while reaffirming washington as possibly the best actor working in movies today . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is virtually without context -- journalistic or historical . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- the film 's -rrb- taste for `` shock humor '' will wear thin on all but those weaned on the comedy of tom green and the farrelly brothers . $LABEL$ 0 +as a remake , it 's a pale imitation . $LABEL$ 0 +lan yu is a genuine love story , full of traditional layers of awakening and ripening and separation and recovery . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- washington 's -rrb- strong hand , keen eye , sweet spirit and good taste are reflected in almost every scene . $LABEL$ 1 +only about as sexy and dangerous as an actress in a role that reminds at every turn of elizabeth berkley 's flopping dolphin-gasm . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm left slightly disappointed that it did n't . $LABEL$ 0 +this is lightweight filmmaking , to be sure , but it 's pleasant enough -- and oozing with attractive men . $LABEL$ 1 +i was impressed by how many tit-for-tat retaliatory responses the filmmakers allow before pulling the plug on the conspirators and averting an american-russian armageddon . $LABEL$ 1 +entertaining enough , but nothing new $LABEL$ 0 +pure cinematic intoxication , a wildly inventive mixture of comedy and melodrama , tastelessness and swooning elegance . $LABEL$ 1 +changing lanes tries for more . $LABEL$ 1 +the predominantly amateur cast is painful to watch , so stilted and unconvincing are the performances . $LABEL$ 0 +the film exudes the urbane sweetness that woody allen seems to have bitterly forsaken . $LABEL$ 1 +ludicrous , but director carl franklin adds enough flourishes and freak-outs to make it entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +for his first attempt at film noir , spielberg presents a fascinating but flawed look at the near future . $LABEL$ 1 +a lively and engaging examination of how similar obsessions can dominate a family . $LABEL$ 1 +certainly the performances are worthwhile . $LABEL$ 1 +fifty years after the fact , the world 's political situation seems little different , and -lrb- director phillip -rrb- noyce brings out the allegory with remarkable skill . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't feel the least bit ashamed in admitting that my enjoyment came at the expense of seeing justice served , even if it 's a dish that 's best served cold . $LABEL$ 1 +the acting in pauline and paulette is good all round , but what really sets the film apart is debrauwer 's refusal to push the easy emotional buttons . $LABEL$ 1 +spectacularly beautiful , not to mention mysterious , sensual , emotionally intense , and replete with virtuoso throat-singing . $LABEL$ 1 +a weird and wonderful comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +smart and taut . $LABEL$ 1 +a non-britney person might survive a screening with little harm done , except maybe for the last 15 minutes , which are as maudlin as any after-school special you can imagine . $LABEL$ 0 +this is one of the outstanding thrillers of recent years . $LABEL$ 1 +in the end , the film is less the cheap thriller you 'd expect than it is a fairly revealing study of its two main characters -- damaged-goods people whose orbits will inevitably and dangerously collide . $LABEL$ 1 +a searing , epic treatment of a nationwide blight that seems to be , horrifyingly , ever on the rise . $LABEL$ 1 +every individual will see the movie through the prism of his or her own beliefs and prejudices , but the one thing most will take away is the sense that peace is possible . $LABEL$ 1 +an extraordinary dramatic experience . $LABEL$ 1 +piccoli 's performance is amazing , yes , but the symbols of loss and denial and life-at-arm 's - length in the film seem irritatingly transparent . $LABEL$ 0 +no film could possibly be more contemptuous of the single female population . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's clear why deuces wild , which was shot two years ago , has been gathering dust on mgm 's shelf . $LABEL$ 0 +drowning 's too good for this sucker . $LABEL$ 0 +if i could have looked into my future and saw how bad this movie was , i would go back and choose to skip it . $LABEL$ 0 +as inept as big-screen remakes of the avengers and the wild wild west . $LABEL$ 0 +everything -- even life on an aircraft carrier -- is sentimentalized . $LABEL$ 0 +a bittersweet film , simple in form but rich with human events . $LABEL$ 1 +a classic fairy tale that perfectly captures the wonders and worries of childhood in a way that few movies have ever approached . $LABEL$ 1 +directed with purpose and finesse by england 's roger mitchell , who handily makes the move from pleasing , relatively lightweight commercial fare such as notting hill to commercial fare with real thematic heft . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's an odd show , pregnant with moods , stillborn except as a harsh conceptual exercise . $LABEL$ 0 +cletis is playful but highly studied and dependent for its success on a patient viewer . $LABEL$ 1 +would benigni 's italian pinocchio have been any easier to sit through than this hastily dubbed disaster ? $LABEL$ 0 +this is a fudged opportunity of gigantic proportions -- a lunar mission with no signs of life . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's an admirable rigor to jimmy 's relentless anger , and to the script 's refusal of a happy ending , but as those monologues stretch on and on , you realize there 's no place for this story to go but down . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'll stay with the stage versions , however , which bite cleaner , and deeper . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a movie that ends with truckzilla , for cryin ' out loud . $LABEL$ 0 +chalk it up as the worst kind of hubristic folly . $LABEL$ 0 +the story , once it gets rolling , is nothing short of a great one . $LABEL$ 1 +they just do n't work in concert . $LABEL$ 0 +an unintentionally surreal kid 's picture ... in which actors in bad bear suits enact a sort of inter-species parody of a vh1 behind the music episode . $LABEL$ 0 +both damning and damned compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's not original enough . $LABEL$ 0 +apart from anything else , this is one of the best-sustained ideas i have ever seen on the screen . $LABEL$ 1 +the adventures of pluto nash is a whole lot of nada . $LABEL$ 0 +a meditation on faith and madness , frailty is blood-curdling stuff . $LABEL$ 1 +he 's one of the few ` cool ' actors who never seems aware of his own coolness . $LABEL$ 1 +this 100-minute movie only has about 25 minutes of decent material . $LABEL$ 0 +a serious movie with serious ideas . $LABEL$ 1 +attal 's hang-ups surrounding infidelity are so old-fashioned and , dare i say , outdated , it 's a wonder that he could n't have brought something fresher to the proceedings simply by accident . $LABEL$ 0 +plot , characters , drama , emotions , ideas -- all are irrelevant to the experience of seeing the scorpion king . $LABEL$ 0 +stripped almost entirely of such tools as nudity , profanity and violence , labute does manage to make a few points about modern man and his problematic quest for human connection . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's the cute frissons of discovery and humor between chaplin and kidman that keep this nicely wound clock not just ticking , but humming . $LABEL$ 1 +leave it to the french to truly capture the terrifying angst of the modern working man without turning the film into a cheap thriller , a dumb comedy or a sappy melodrama . $LABEL$ 1 +beautiful to watch and holds a certain charm . $LABEL$ 1 +campbell scott finds the ideal outlet for his flick-knife diction in the role of roger swanson . $LABEL$ 1 +then you 'd do well to check this one out because it 's straight up twin peaks action ... $LABEL$ 1 +that neither protagonist has a distinguishable condition hardly matters because both are just actory concoctions , defined by childlike dimness and a handful of quirks . $LABEL$ 0 +land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored . $LABEL$ 1 +barney 's ideas about creation and identity do n't really seem all that profound , at least by way of what can be gleaned from this three-hour endurance test built around an hour 's worth of actual material . $LABEL$ 0 +build some robots , haul 'em to the theatre with you for the late show , and put on your own mystery science theatre 3000 tribute to what is almost certainly going to go down as the worst -- and only -- killer website movie of this or any other year . $LABEL$ 0 +cineasts will revel in those visual in-jokes , as in the film 's verbal pokes at everything from the likes of miramax chief harvey weinstein 's bluff personal style to the stylistic rigors of denmark 's dogma movement . $LABEL$ 1 +bottom-rung new jack city wannabe . $LABEL$ 0 +despite the fact that this film was n't as bad as i thought it was going to be , it 's still not a good movie $LABEL$ 0 +but this time , the old mib label stands for milder is n't better . $LABEL$ 0 +forget the misleading title , what 's with the unexplained baboon cameo ? $LABEL$ 0 +it 's clotted with heavy-handed symbolism , dime-store psychology and endless scenic shots that make 105 minutes seem twice as long . $LABEL$ 0 +what 's surprising about this traditional thriller , moderately successful but not completely satisfying , is exactly how genteel and unsurprising the execution turns out to be . $LABEL$ 1 +yet another entry in the sentimental oh-those-wacky-brits genre that was ushered in by the full monty and is still straining to produce another smash hit . $LABEL$ 0 +every conceivable mistake a director could make in filming opera has been perpetrated here . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature\/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality . $LABEL$ 0 +a standard police-oriented drama that , were it not for de niro 's participation , would have likely wound up a tnt original . $LABEL$ 0 +with notorious c.h.o. cho proves she has the stuff to stand tall with pryor , carlin and murphy . $LABEL$ 1 +watching this film , one is left with the inescapable conclusion that hitchens ' obsession with kissinger is , at bottom , a sophisticated flower child 's desire to purge the world of the tooth and claw of human power . $LABEL$ 1 +e.t. works because its flabbergasting principals , 14-year-old robert macnaughton , 6-year-old drew barrymore and 10-year-old henry thomas , convince us of the existence of the wise , wizened visitor from a faraway planet . $LABEL$ 1 +yes , it 's as good as you remember . $LABEL$ 1 +for veggietales fans , this is more appetizing than a side dish of asparagus . $LABEL$ 1 +full of detail about the man and his country , and is well worth seeing . $LABEL$ 1 +little more than a well-mounted history lesson . $LABEL$ 0 +peter jackson and company once again dazzle and delight us , fulfilling practically every expectation either a longtime tolkien fan or a movie-going neophyte could want . $LABEL$ 1 +this tale has been told and retold ; the races and rackets change , but the song remains the same . $LABEL$ 0 +a joyous occasion $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- `` take care of my cat '' -rrb- is an honestly nice little film that takes us on an examination of young adult life in urban south korea through the hearts and minds of the five principals . $LABEL$ 1 +novak contemplates a heartland so overwhelmed by its lack of purpose that it seeks excitement in manufactured high drama . $LABEL$ 0 +one-of-a-kind near-masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +trying to figure out the rules of the country bear universe -- when are bears bears and when are they like humans , only hairier -- would tax einstein 's brain . $LABEL$ 0 +a thoroughly engaging , surprisingly touching british comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +you have no affinity for most of the characters . $LABEL$ 0 +its salient points are simultaneously buried , drowned and smothered in the excesses of writer-director roger avary . $LABEL$ 0 +whether or not you buy mr. broomfield 's findings , the film acquires an undeniable entertainment value as the slight , pale mr. broomfield continues to force himself on people and into situations that would make lesser men run for cover . $LABEL$ 1 +a relentless , bombastic and ultimately empty world war ii action flick . $LABEL$ 0 +charlotte sometimes is a brilliant movie . $LABEL$ 1 +move over bond ; this girl deserves a sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +an exceptionally dreary and overwrought bit of work , every bit as imperious as katzenberg 's the prince of egypt from 1998 . $LABEL$ 0 +for a story set at sea , ghost ship is pretty landbound , with its leaden acting , dull exposition and telegraphed ` surprises . ' $LABEL$ 0 +congrats disney on a job well done , i enjoyed it just as much ! $LABEL$ 1 +a muddy psychological thriller rife with miscalculations . $LABEL$ 0 +is it possible for a documentary to be utterly entranced by its subject and still show virtually no understanding of it ? $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a piece of handiwork that shows its indie tatters and self-conscious seams in places , but has some quietly moving moments and an intelligent subtlety . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's plot is almost entirely witless and inane , carrying every gag two or three times beyond its limit to sustain a laugh . $LABEL$ 0 +in between all the emotional seesawing , it 's hard to figure the depth of these two literary figures , and even the times in which they lived . $LABEL$ 0 +expect no major discoveries , nor any stylish sizzle , but the film sits with square conviction and touching good sense on the experience of its women . $LABEL$ 1 +an exit sign , that is . $LABEL$ 0 +beautifully crafted and brutally honest , promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of the middle east struggle and into the humanity of its people . $LABEL$ 1 +entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately ... dare i say , entertaining ! $LABEL$ 1 +just dreadful . $LABEL$ 0 +bill morrison 's decasia is uncompromising , difficult and unbearably beautiful . $LABEL$ 1 +a superlative b movie -- funny , sexy , and rousing . $LABEL$ 1 +the advantage of a postapocalyptic setting is that it can be made on the cheap . $LABEL$ 0 +yet another genre exercise , gangster no. 1 is as generic as its title . $LABEL$ 0 +before it collapses into exactly the kind of buddy cop comedy it set out to lampoon , anyway . $LABEL$ 0 +... while dark water is n't a complete wash -lrb- no pun intended -rrb- , watched side-by-side with ringu , it ultimately comes off as a pale successor . $LABEL$ 0 +plays out with a dogged and eventually winning squareness that would make it the darling of many a kids-and-family-oriented cable channel . $LABEL$ 1 +one feels the dimming of a certain ambition , but in its place a sweetness , clarity and emotional openness that recalls the classics of early italian neorealism . $LABEL$ 1 +the script 's judgment and sense of weight is way , way off . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its dry wit and compassion , the film suffers from a philosophical emptiness and maddeningly sedate pacing . $LABEL$ 0 +is a mess . $LABEL$ 0 +adroit but finally a trifle flat , mad love does n't galvanize its outrage the way , say , jane campion might have done , but at least it possesses some . $LABEL$ 0 +... quite endearing . $LABEL$ 1 +hip-hop prison thriller of stupefying absurdity . $LABEL$ 0 +a domestic melodrama with weak dialogue and biopic cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +a little better than sorcerer 's stone . $LABEL$ 1 +nothing short of wonderful with its ten-year-old female protagonist and its steadfast refusal to set up a dualistic battle between good and evil . $LABEL$ 1 +almost as offensive as `` freddy got fingered . '' $LABEL$ 0 +imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's no point of view , no contemporary interpretation of joan 's prefeminist plight , so we 're left thinking the only reason to make the movie is because present standards allow for plenty of nudity . $LABEL$ 0 +a listless sci-fi comedy in which eddie murphy deploys two guises and elaborate futuristic sets to no particularly memorable effect . $LABEL$ 0 +renner carries much of the film with a creepy and dead-on performance . $LABEL$ 1 +the film fits into a genre that has been overexposed , redolent of a thousand cliches , and yet remains uniquely itself , vibrant with originality . $LABEL$ 1 +the sequel plays out like a flimsy excuse to give blade fans another look at wesley snipes ' iconic hero doing battle with dozens of bad guys -- at once . $LABEL$ 0 +wendigo wants to be a monster movie for the art-house crowd , but it falls into the trap of pretention almost every time . $LABEL$ 0 +steven soderbergh does n't remake andrei tarkovsky 's solaris so much as distill it . $LABEL$ 0 +a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one . $LABEL$ 1 +if routine action and jokes like this are your cup of tea , then pay your $ 8 and get ready for the big shear . $LABEL$ 0 +tale will be all too familiar for anyone who 's seen george roy hill 's 1973 film , `` the sting . '' $LABEL$ 0 +warm and exotic . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's blatant derivativeness is one reason it 's so lackluster . $LABEL$ 0 +rehearsals are frequently more fascinating than the results . $LABEL$ 1 +like a grinning jack o ' lantern , its apparent glee is derived from a lobotomy , having had all its vital essence scooped out and discarded . $LABEL$ 0 +a dazzling thing to behold -- as long as you 're wearing the somewhat cumbersome 3d goggles the theater provides . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a wonderful , sobering , heart-felt drama . $LABEL$ 1 +here 's yet another cool crime movie that actually manages to bring something new into the mix . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those movies that make us pause and think of what we have given up to acquire the fast-paced contemporary society . $LABEL$ 1 +done in mostly by a weak script that ca n't support the epic treatment . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , kapur modernizes a.e.w. mason 's story to suit the sensibilities of a young american , a decision that plucks `` the four feathers '' bare . $LABEL$ 0 +uneven , self-conscious but often hilarious spoof . $LABEL$ 1 +deserving of its critical backlash and more . $LABEL$ 0 +do we really need another film that praises female self-sacrifice ? $LABEL$ 0 +more mature than fatal attraction , more complete than indecent proposal and more relevant than 9 1\/2 weeks , unfaithful is at once intimate and universal cinema . $LABEL$ 1 +the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing . $LABEL$ 1 +a battle between bug-eye theatre and dead-eye matinee . $LABEL$ 0 +like a tarantino movie with heart , alias betty is richly detailed , deftly executed and utterly absorbing . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's hard to say who might enjoy this , are there tolstoy groupies out there ? $LABEL$ 0 +this movie is to be cherished . $LABEL$ 1 +in all fairness , i must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed , fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks . $LABEL$ 1 +the screenplay is hugely overwritten , with tons and tons of dialogue -- most of it given to children . $LABEL$ 0 +entertains not so much because of its music or comic antics , but through the perverse pleasure of watching disney scrape the bottom of its own cracker barrel . $LABEL$ 0 +ryan gosling ... is at 22 a powerful young actor . $LABEL$ 1 +i am highly amused by the idea that we have come to a point in society where it has been deemed important enough to make a film in which someone has to be hired to portray richard dawson . $LABEL$ 1 +while this movie , by necessity , lacks fellowship 's heart , two towers outdoes its spectacle . $LABEL$ 1 +for those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed . $LABEL$ 1 +an absorbing and unsettling psychological drama . $LABEL$ 1 +like the best of godard 's movies ... it is visually ravishing , penetrating , impenetrable . $LABEL$ 1 +spare but quietly effective retelling . $LABEL$ 1 +the story that emerges has elements of romance , tragedy and even silent-movie comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +this is an insultingly inept and artificial examination of grief and its impacts upon the relationships of the survivors . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a strange film , one that was hard for me to warm up to . $LABEL$ 0 +a series of immaculately composed shots of patch adams quietly freaking out does not make for much of a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research . $LABEL$ 1 +all the queen 's men is a throwback war movie that fails on so many levels , it should pay reparations to viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +fessenden 's narrative is just as much about the ownership and redefinition of myth as it is about a domestic unit finding their way to joy . $LABEL$ 1 +the exclamation point seems to be the only bit of glee you 'll find in this dreary mess . $LABEL$ 0 +a banal , virulently unpleasant excuse for a romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +a must see for all sides of the political spectrum $LABEL$ 1 +the storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome . $LABEL$ 1 +skip the film and buy the philip glass soundtrack cd . $LABEL$ 0 +... unspeakably , unbearably dull , featuring reams of flatly delivered dialogue and a heroine who comes across as both shallow and dim-witted . $LABEL$ 0 +forages for audience sympathy like a temperamental child begging for attention , giving audiences no reason to truly care for its decrepit freaks beyond the promise of a reprieve from their incessant whining . $LABEL$ 0 +an action\/thriller of the finest kind , evoking memories of day of the jackal , the french connection , and heat . $LABEL$ 1 +beyond the cleverness , the weirdness and the pristine camerawork , one hour photo is a sobering meditation on why we take pictures . $LABEL$ 1 +the best part about `` gangs '' was daniel day-lewis . $LABEL$ 1 +... hypnotically dull . $LABEL$ 0 +we ca n't accuse kung pow for misfiring , since it is exactly what it wants to be : an atrociously , mind-numbingly , indescribably bad movie . $LABEL$ 0 +but then again , i hate myself most mornings . $LABEL$ 0 +although purportedly a study in modern alienation , it 's really little more than a particularly slanted , gay s\/m fantasy , enervating and deadeningly drawn-out . $LABEL$ 0 +it can be safely recommended as a video\/dvd babysitter . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie should jolt you out of your seat a couple of times , give you a few laughs , and leave you feeling like it was worth your seven bucks , even though it does turn out to be a bit of a cheat in the end . $LABEL$ 1 +part of the film 's cheeky charm comes from its vintage schmaltz . $LABEL$ 1 +a fun family movie that 's suitable for all ages -- a movie that will make you laugh , cry and realize , ` it 's never too late to believe in your dreams . ' $LABEL$ 1 +unlike most anime , whose most ardent fans outside japan seem to be introverted young men with fantasy fetishes , metropolis never seems hopelessly juvenile . $LABEL$ 1 +there is something that is so meditative and lyrical about babak payami 's boldly quirky iranian drama secret ballot ... a charming and evoking little ditty that manages to show the gentle and humane side of middle eastern world politics $LABEL$ 1 +it winds up moving in many directions as it searches -lrb- vainly , i think -rrb- for something fresh to say . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's as if de palma spent an hour setting a fancy table and then served up kraft macaroni and cheese . $LABEL$ 0 +with or without the sex , a wonderful tale of love and destiny , told well by a master storyteller $LABEL$ 1 +rifkin no doubt fancies himself something of a hubert selby jr. , but there is n't an ounce of honest poetry in his entire script ; it 's simply crude and unrelentingly exploitative . $LABEL$ 0 +but it will just as likely make you weep , and it will do so in a way that does n't make you feel like a sucker . $LABEL$ 1 +the acting is just fine , but there 's not enough substance here to sustain interest for the full 90 minutes , especially with the weak payoff . $LABEL$ 0 +romantic comedy and dogme 95 filmmaking may seem odd bedfellows , but they turn out to be delightfully compatible here . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie . $LABEL$ 0 +good , solid storytelling . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a treat watching shaw , a british stage icon , melting under the heat of phocion 's attentions . $LABEL$ 1 +the film does n't sustain its initial promise with a jarring , new-agey tone creeping into the second half $LABEL$ 0 +a smug and convoluted action-comedy that does n't allow an earnest moment to pass without reminding audiences that it 's only a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +um ... is n't that the basis for the entire plot ? $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- has -rrb- an immediacy and an intimacy that sucks you in and dares you not to believe it 's all true . $LABEL$ 1 +a deftly entertaining film , smartly played and smartly directed . $LABEL$ 1 +bogdanovich taps deep into the hearst mystique , entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal . $LABEL$ 1 +a terrible movie that some people will nevertheless find moving . $LABEL$ 0 +to blandly go where we went 8 movies ago ... $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's lack of personality permeates all its aspects -- from the tv movie-esque , affected child acting to the dullest irish pub scenes ever filmed . $LABEL$ 0 +craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters . $LABEL$ 1 +rosenthal -lrb- halloween ii -rrb- seems to have forgotten everything he ever knew about generating suspense . $LABEL$ 0 +but it 's defiantly and delightfully against the grain . $LABEL$ 1 +famuyiwa 's feature deals with its subject matter in a tasteful , intelligent manner , rather than forcing us to endure every plot contrivance that the cliché-riddled genre can offer . $LABEL$ 1 +` matrix ' - style massacres erupt throughout ... but the movie has a tougher time balancing its violence with kafka-inspired philosophy . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- toback 's -rrb- fondness for fancy split-screen , stuttering editing and pompous references to wittgenstein and kirkegaard ... blends uneasily with the titillating material . $LABEL$ 0 +at a time when commercialism has squeezed the life out of whatever idealism american moviemaking ever had , godfrey reggio 's career shines like a lonely beacon . $LABEL$ 1 +the type of dumbed-down exercise in stereotypes that gives the -lrb- teen comedy -rrb- genre a bad name . $LABEL$ 0 +elegant and eloquent -lrb- meditation -rrb- on death and that most elusive of passions , love . $LABEL$ 1 +weird . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- clooney 's -rrb- debut can be accused of being a bit undisciplined , but it has a tremendous , offbeat sense of style and humor that suggests he was influenced by some of the filmmakers who have directed him , especially the coen brothers and steven soderbergh . $LABEL$ 1 +pair that with really poor comedic writing ... and you 've got a huge mess . $LABEL$ 0 +the audience when i saw this one was chuckling at all the wrong times , and that 's a bad sign when they 're supposed to be having a collective heart attack . $LABEL$ 0 +nicholas nickleby celebrates the human spirit with such unrelenting dickensian decency that it turned me -lrb- horrors ! -rrb- $LABEL$ 1 +romanek 's themes are every bit as distinctive as his visuals . $LABEL$ 1 +no worse a film than breaking out , and breaking out was utterly charming . $LABEL$ 1 +scooby doo is surely everything its fans are hoping it will be , and in that sense is a movie that deserves recommendation . $LABEL$ 1 +a dim-witted and lazy spin-off of the animal planet documentary series , crocodile hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring . $LABEL$ 0 +... an airless , prepackaged julia roberts wannabe that stinks so badly of hard-sell image-mongering you 'll wonder if lopez 's publicist should share screenwriting credit . $LABEL$ 0 +will anyone who is n't a fangoria subscriber be excited that it has n't gone straight to video ? $LABEL$ 0 +your children will be occupied for 72 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +exciting and well-paced . $LABEL$ 1 +lasker 's canny , meditative script distances sex and love , as byron and luther ... realize they ca n't get no satisfaction without the latter . $LABEL$ 1 +like rudy yellow lodge , eyre needs to take a good sweat to clarify his cinematic vision before his next creation and remember the lessons of the trickster spider . $LABEL$ 0 +the amazing film work is so convincing that by movies ' end you 'll swear you are wet in some places and feel sand creeping in others . $LABEL$ 1 +femme fatale offers nothing more than a bait-and-switch that is beyond playing fair with the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +combines sharp comedy , old-fashioned monster movie atmospherics , and genuine heart to create a film that 's not merely about kicking undead \*\*\* , but also about dealing with regret and , ultimately , finding redemption . $LABEL$ 1 +just a bunch of good actors flailing around in a caper that 's neither original nor terribly funny . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie does its best to work us over , with second helpings of love , romance , tragedy , false dawns , real dawns , comic relief , two separate crises during marriage ceremonies , and the lush scenery of the cotswolds . $LABEL$ 1 +filled with honest performances and exceptional detail , baran is a gentle film with dramatic punch , a haunting ode to humanity . $LABEL$ 1 +rodriguez does a splendid job of racial profiling hollywood style -- casting excellent latin actors of all ages -- a trend long overdue . $LABEL$ 1 +takashi miike keeps pushing the envelope : ichi the killer $LABEL$ 1 +more likely to have you scratching your head than hiding under your seat . $LABEL$ 0 +fairly run-of-the-mill . $LABEL$ 0 +so could young romantics out on a date . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its flaws ... belinsky is still able to create an engaging story that keeps you guessing at almost every turn . $LABEL$ 1 +the secrets of time travel will have been discovered , indulged in and rejected as boring before i see this piece of crap again . $LABEL$ 0 +the script boasts some tart tv-insider humor , but the film has not a trace of humanity or empathy . $LABEL$ 0 +though it 's not very well shot or composed or edited , the score is too insistent and the dialogue is frequently overwrought and crudely literal , the film shatters you in waves . $LABEL$ 0 +satin rouge is not a new , or inventive , journey , but it 's encouraging to see a three-dimensional , average , middle-aged woman 's experience of self-discovery handled with such sensitivity . $LABEL$ 1 +due to stodgy , soap opera-ish dialogue , the rest of the cast comes across as stick figures reading lines from a teleprompter . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's so crammed with scenes and vistas and pretty moments that it 's left a few crucial things out , like character development and coherence . $LABEL$ 0 +a hypnotic cyber hymn and a cruel story of youth culture . $LABEL$ 1 +noyce has worked wonders with the material . $LABEL$ 1 +a sometimes incisive and sensitive portrait that is undercut by its awkward structure and a final veering toward melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +no thanks . $LABEL$ 0 +despite the predictable parent vs. child coming-of-age theme , first-class , natural acting and a look at `` the real americans '' make this a charmer . $LABEL$ 1 +delia , greta , and paula rank as three of the most multilayered and sympathetic female characters of the year . $LABEL$ 1 +action - mechanical . $LABEL$ 0 +another wholly unnecessary addition to the growing , moldering pile of , well , extreme stunt pictures . $LABEL$ 0 +this would have been better than the fiction it has concocted , and there still could have been room for the war scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a bad sign in a thriller when you instantly know whodunit . $LABEL$ 0 +while the production details are lavish , film has little insight into the historical period and its artists , particularly in how sand developed a notorious reputation . $LABEL$ 0 +although olivier assayas ' elegantly appointed period drama seems , at times , padded with incident in the way of a too-conscientious adaptation ... its three-hour running time plays closer to two . $LABEL$ 1 +the moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended . $LABEL$ 1 +a sleek advert for youthful anomie that never quite equals the sum of its pretensions . $LABEL$ 0 +overall , it 's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : god is love . $LABEL$ 1 +some movies were made for the big screen , some for the small screen , and some , like ballistic : ecks vs. sever , were made for the palm screen . $LABEL$ 0 +a confident , richly acted , emotionally devastating piece of work and 2002 's first great film $LABEL$ 1 +labute 's careful handling makes the material seem genuine rather than pandering . $LABEL$ 1 +the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product . $LABEL$ 0 +an inelegant combination of two unrelated shorts that falls far short of the director 's previous work in terms of both thematic content and narrative strength . $LABEL$ 0 +... a funny yet dark and seedy clash of cultures and generations . $LABEL$ 1 +as tricky and satisfying as any of david mamet 's airless cinematic shell games . $LABEL$ 1 +the story is smart and entirely charming in intent and execution . $LABEL$ 1 +the action clichés just pile up . $LABEL$ 0 +not only does the thoroughly formulaic film represent totally exemplify middle-of-the-road mainstream , it also represents glossy hollywood at its laziest . $LABEL$ 0 +a delicious and delicately funny look at the residents of a copenhagen neighborhood coping with the befuddling complications life tosses at them . $LABEL$ 1 +if ever a concept came handed down from the movie gods on a silver platter , this is it . $LABEL$ 1 +you may be captivated , as i was , by its moods , and by its subtly transformed star , and still wonder why paul thomas anderson ever had the inclination to make the most sincere and artful movie in which adam sandler will probably ever appear . $LABEL$ 1 +`` brown sugar '' admirably aspires to be more than another `` best man '' clone by weaving a theme throughout this funny film . $LABEL$ 1 +highlighted by a gritty style and an excellent cast , it 's better than one might expect when you look at the list of movies starring ice-t in a major role . $LABEL$ 1 +gently humorous and touching . $LABEL$ 1 +puportedly `` based on true events , '' a convolution of language that suggests it 's impossible to claim that it is `` based on a true story '' with a straight face . $LABEL$ 0 +vulgar is too optimistic a title . $LABEL$ 0 +`` the adventures of pluto nash '' is a big time stinker . $LABEL$ 0 +visually captivating . $LABEL$ 1 +as each of them searches for their place in the world , miller digs into their very minds to find an unblinking , flawed humanity . $LABEL$ 1 +writer-director stephen gaghan has made the near-fatal mistake of being what the english call ` too clever by half . ' $LABEL$ 0 +for the future , one hopes mr. plympton will find room for one more member of his little band , a professional screenwriter . $LABEL$ 0 +the story plays out slowly , but the characters are intriguing and realistic . $LABEL$ 1 +very predictable but still entertaining $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're not a fan , it might be like trying to eat brussels sprouts . $LABEL$ 0 +has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a `` 2 '' at the end of its title . $LABEL$ 1 +mr. deeds is sure to give you a lot of laughs in this simple , sweet and romantic comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it all seemed wasted like deniro 's once promising career and the once grand long beach boardwalk . $LABEL$ 0 +its gentle , touching story creeps into your heart . $LABEL$ 1 +armed with a game supporting cast , from the pitch-perfect forster to the always hilarious meara and levy , like mike shoots and scores , doing its namesake proud . $LABEL$ 1 +... works on some levels and is certainly worth seeing at least once . $LABEL$ 1 +a potentially good comic premise and excellent cast are terribly wasted . $LABEL$ 0 +a small gem from belgium . $LABEL$ 1 +the characters are complex and quirky , but entirely believable as the remarkable ensemble cast brings them to life . $LABEL$ 1 +worth a look as a curiosity . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 've got a house full of tots -- do n't worry , this will be on video long before they grow up and you can wait till then . $LABEL$ 0 +eddie murphy and owen wilson have a cute partnership in i spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good . $LABEL$ 0 +short and sweet , but also more than anything else slight ... tadpole pulls back from the consequences of its own actions and revelations . $LABEL$ 1 +poignant and delicately complex . $LABEL$ 1 +and we do n't avert our eyes for a moment . $LABEL$ 1 +simply and eloquently articulates the tangled feelings of particular new yorkers deeply touched by an unprecedented tragedy . $LABEL$ 1 +... could easily be called the best korean film of 2002 . $LABEL$ 1 +the title , alone , should scare any sane person away . $LABEL$ 0 +for all the time we spend with these people , we never really get inside of them . $LABEL$ 0 +it does n't matter that the film is less than 90 minutes . $LABEL$ 1 +the plot is paper-thin and the characters are n't interesting enough to watch them go about their daily activities for two whole hours . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is a hoot , and is just as good , if not better than much of what 's on saturday morning tv especially the pseudo-educational stuff we all ca n't stand . $LABEL$ 1 +the ending feels at odds with the rest of the film . $LABEL$ 1 +in the end there is one word that best describes this film : honest . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie barely makes sense , with its unbelievable naïveté and arbitrary flashbacks . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a quirky , off-beat project . $LABEL$ 1 +if you can get past the taboo subject matter , it will be well worth your time . $LABEL$ 1 +coy but exhilarating , with really solid performances by ving rhames and wesley snipes . $LABEL$ 1 +starts slowly , but adrien brody -- in the title role -- helps make the film 's conclusion powerful and satisfying . $LABEL$ 1 +feeble comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +no amount of blood and disintegrating vampire cadavers can obscure this movie 's lack of ideas . $LABEL$ 0 +... the good and different idea -lrb- of middle-aged romance -rrb- is not handled well and , except for the fine star performances , there is little else to recommend `` never again . '' $LABEL$ 0 +would that greengrass had gone a tad less for grit and a lot more for intelligibility . $LABEL$ 0 +sadly , as blood work proves , that was a long , long time ago . $LABEL$ 0 +the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles . $LABEL$ 1 +the first mistake , i suspect , is casting shatner as a legendary professor and kunis as a brilliant college student -- where 's pauly shore as the rocket scientist ? $LABEL$ 0 +wise and deadpan humorous . $LABEL$ 1 +twenty-three movies into a mostly magnificent directorial career , clint eastwood 's efficiently minimalist style finally has failed him . $LABEL$ 0 +boring and meandering . $LABEL$ 0 +while certainly more naturalistic than its australian counterpart , amari 's film falls short in building the drama of lilia 's journey . $LABEL$ 0 +make chan 's action sequences boring . $LABEL$ 0 +simply put , there should have been a more compelling excuse to pair susan sarandon and goldie hawn . $LABEL$ 0 +proves a lovely trifle that , unfortunately , is a little too in love with its own cuteness . $LABEL$ 0 +but its storytelling prowess and special effects are both listless . $LABEL$ 0 +an energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching -lrb- or turntablism -rrb- in particular . $LABEL$ 1 +screenwriter dan schneider and director shawn levy substitute volume and primary colors for humor and bite . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- ramsay -rrb- visually transforms the dreary expanse of dead-end distaste the characters inhabit into a poem of art , music and metaphor . $LABEL$ 1 +works as pretty contagious fun . $LABEL$ 1 +in the pianist , polanski is saying what he has long wanted to say , confronting the roots of his own preoccupations and obsessions , and he allows nothing to get in the way . $LABEL$ 1 +... liotta is put in an impossible spot because his character 's deceptions ultimately undo him and the believability of the entire scenario . $LABEL$ 0 +if there was ever a movie where the upbeat ending feels like a copout , this is the one . $LABEL$ 0 +... the cast portrays their cartoon counterparts well ... but quite frankly , scoob and shag do n't eat enough during the film . ' $LABEL$ 0 +the sheer dumbness of the plot -lrb- other than its one good idea -rrb- and the movie 's inescapable air of sleaziness get you down . $LABEL$ 0 +those who do n't entirely ` get ' godard 's distinctive discourse will still come away with a sense of his reserved but existential poignancy . $LABEL$ 1 +provides a very moving and revelatory footnote to the holocaust . $LABEL$ 1 +... there is enough originality in ` life ' to distance it from the pack of paint-by-number romantic comedies that so often end up on cinema screens . $LABEL$ 1 +raimi crafted a complicated hero who is a welcome relief from the usual two-dimensional offerings . $LABEL$ 1 +if you saw benigni 's pinocchio at a public park , you 'd grab your kids and run and then probably call the police . $LABEL$ 0 +it is dark , brooding and slow , and takes its central idea way too seriously . $LABEL$ 0 +it cuts to the core of what it actually means to face your fears , to be a girl in a world of boys , to be a boy truly in love with a girl , and to ride the big metaphorical wave that is life -- wherever it takes you . $LABEL$ 1 +an enjoyable , if occasionally flawed , experiment . $LABEL$ 1 +it is , however , a completely honest , open-hearted film that should appeal to anyone willing to succumb to it . $LABEL$ 1 +i do n't think this movie loves women at all . $LABEL$ 0 +american musical comedy as we know it would n't exist without the precedent of yiddish theater , whose jolly , fun-for-fun 's - sake communal spirit goes to the essence of broadway . $LABEL$ 1 +do n't judge this one too soon - it 's a dark , gritty story but it takes off in totally unexpected directions and keeps on going . $LABEL$ 1 +... -lrb- the film -rrb- works , due mostly to the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the screenplay . $LABEL$ 1 +features nonsensical and laughable plotting , wooden performances , ineptly directed action sequences and some of the worst dialogue in recent memory . $LABEL$ 0 +too smart to ignore but a little too smugly superior to like , this could be a movie that ends up slapping its target audience in the face by shooting itself in the foot . $LABEL$ 0 +the director 's many dodges and turns add up to little more than a screenful of gamesmanship that 's low on both suspense and payoff . $LABEL$ 0 +an invaluable historical document thanks to the filmmaker 's extraordinary access to massoud , whose charm , cultivation and devotion to his people are readily apparent . $LABEL$ 1 +... no charm , no laughs , no fun , no reason to watch . $LABEL$ 0 +thanks largely to williams , all the interesting developments are processed in 60 minutes -- the rest is just an overexposed waste of film . $LABEL$ 0 +what might have emerged as hilarious lunacy in the hands of woody allen or mel brooks -lrb- at least during their '70s heyday -rrb- comes across as lame and sophomoric in this debut indie feature . $LABEL$ 0 +it would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of oscar wilde 's classic satire . $LABEL$ 0 +jackass is a vulgar and cheap-looking version of candid camera staged for the marquis de sade set . $LABEL$ 0 +everyone should be able to appreciate the wonderful cinematography and naturalistic acting . $LABEL$ 1 +one well-timed explosion in a movie can be a knockout , but a hundred of them can be numbing . $LABEL$ 0 +where their heads were is anyone 's guess . $LABEL$ 0 +scotland looks wonderful , the fans are often funny fanatics , the showdown sure beats a bad day of golf . $LABEL$ 1 +the music makes a nice album , the food is enticing and italy beckons us all . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the best silly horror movies of recent memory , with some real shocks in store for unwary viewers . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is a very good viewing alternative for young women . $LABEL$ 1 +beautifully shot against the frozen winter landscapes of grenoble and geneva , the film unfolds with all the mounting tension of an expert thriller , until the tragedy beneath it all gradually reveals itself . $LABEL$ 1 +griffin & co. manage to be spectacularly outrageous . $LABEL$ 1 +it is hard not to be especially grateful for freedom after a film like this . $LABEL$ 1 +a well-put-together piece of urban satire . $LABEL$ 1 +too much of nemesis has a tired , talky feel . $LABEL$ 0 +pan nalin 's exposition is beautiful and mysterious , and the interviews that follow , with the practitioners of this ancient indian practice , are as subtle and as enigmatic . $LABEL$ 1 +given the fact that virtually no one is bound to show up at theatres for it , the project should have been made for the tube . $LABEL$ 0 +with more character development this might have been an eerie thriller ; with better payoffs , it could have been a thinking man 's monster movie . $LABEL$ 0 +an entertaining british hybrid of comedy , caper thrills and quirky romance . $LABEL$ 1 +but ... in trying to capture the novel 's deeper intimate resonances , the film has -- ironically - distanced us from the characters . $LABEL$ 0 +the modern master of the chase sequence returns with a chase to end all chases $LABEL$ 1 +queen of the damned as you might have guessed , makes sorry use of aaliyah in her one and only starring role -- she does little here but point at things that explode into flame . $LABEL$ 0 +a loud , witless mess that has none of the charm and little of the intrigue from the tv series . $LABEL$ 0 +a cartoon ? $LABEL$ 0 +a crass and insulting homage to great films like some like it hot and the john wayne classics . $LABEL$ 0 +the problem with `` xxx '' is that its own action is n't very effective . $LABEL$ 0 +` yes , that 's right : it 's forrest gump , angel of death . ' $LABEL$ 1 +with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story does n't have a single surprise up its sleeve . $LABEL$ 0 +... while certainly clever in spots , this too-long , spoofy update of shakespeare 's macbeth does n't sustain a high enough level of invention . $LABEL$ 0 +no new plot conceptions or environmental changes , just different bodies for sharp objects to rip through . $LABEL$ 0 +australian actor\/director john polson and award-winning english cinematographer giles nuttgens make a terrific effort at disguising the obvious with energy and innovation . $LABEL$ 1 +twohy knows how to inflate the mundane into the scarifying , and gets full mileage out of the rolling of a stray barrel or the unexpected blast of a phonograph record . $LABEL$ 1 +at once a testament to the divine calling of education and a demonstration of the painstaking process of imparting knowledge . $LABEL$ 1 +insufferably naive . $LABEL$ 0 +these are textbook lives of quiet desperation . $LABEL$ 0 +worth a salute just for trying to be more complex than your average film . $LABEL$ 1 +it excels because , unlike so many other hollywood movies of its ilk , it offers hope . $LABEL$ 1 +the fun of the movie is the chance it affords to watch jackson , who also served as executive producer , take his smooth , shrewd , powerful act abroad . $LABEL$ 1 +far too clever by half , howard 's film is really a series of strung-together moments , with all the spaces in between filled with fantasies , daydreams , memories and one fantastic visual trope after another . $LABEL$ 0 +serious and thoughtful . $LABEL$ 1 +soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film . $LABEL$ 1 +a remarkably insightful look at the backstage angst of the stand-up comic . $LABEL$ 1 +alternately hilarious and sad , aggravating and soulful , scathing and joyous . $LABEL$ 1 +this is the case of a pregnant premise being wasted by a script that takes few chances and manages to insult the intelligence of everyone in the audience . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's unlikely we 'll see a better thriller this year . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's provocative stuff , but the speculative effort is hampered by taylor 's cartoonish performance and the film 's ill-considered notion that hitler 's destiny was shaped by the most random of chances . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that ca n't get sufficient distance from leroy 's delusions to escape their maudlin influence . $LABEL$ 0 +though harris is affecting at times , he can not overcome the sense that pumpkin is a mere plot pawn for two directors with far less endearing disabilities . $LABEL$ 0 +schneidermeister ... makin ' a fool of himself ... losin ' his fan base ... $LABEL$ 0 +in this case zero . $LABEL$ 0 +the young stars are too cute ; the story and ensuing complications are too manipulative ; the message is too blatant ; the resolutions are too convenient . $LABEL$ 0 +the difference is that i truly enjoyed most of mostly martha while i ne $LABEL$ 1 +sexy and romantic . $LABEL$ 1 +by the time the plot grinds itself out in increasingly incoherent fashion , you might be wishing for a watch that makes time go faster rather than the other way around . $LABEL$ 0 +arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year $LABEL$ 1 +vividly conveys the passion , creativity , and fearlessness of one of mexico 's most colorful and controversial artists -- a captivating drama that will speak to the nonconformist in us all . $LABEL$ 1 +the concept is a hoot . $LABEL$ 1 +it may not be particularly innovative , but the film 's crisp , unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding . $LABEL$ 1 +in its own way , joshua is as blasphemous and nonsensical as a luis buñuel film without the latter 's attendant intelligence , poetry , passion , and genius . $LABEL$ 0 +perhaps a better celebration of these unfairly dismissed heroes would be a film that is n't this painfully forced , false and fabricated . $LABEL$ 0 +... you can be forgiven for realizing that you 've spent the past 20 minutes looking at your watch and waiting for frida to just die already . $LABEL$ 0 +the director , mark pellington , does a terrific job conjuring up a sinister , menacing atmosphere though unfortunately all the story gives us is flashing red lights , a rattling noise , and a bump on the head . $LABEL$ 1 +even if the naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm . $LABEL$ 1 +delivers more than its fair share of saucy hilarity . $LABEL$ 1 +if it were any more of a turkey , it would gobble in dolby digital stereo . $LABEL$ 0 +more intimate than spectacular , e.t. is carried less by wow factors than by its funny , moving yarn that holds up well after two decades . $LABEL$ 1 +i thought the relationships were wonderful , the comedy was funny , and the love ` real ' . $LABEL$ 1 +amid the shock and curiosity factors , the film is just a corny examination of a young actress trying to find her way . $LABEL$ 0 +wickedly funny , visually engrossing , never boring , this movie challenges us to think about the ways we consume pop culture . $LABEL$ 1 +the spaniel-eyed jean reno infuses hubert with a mixture of deadpan cool , wry humor and just the measure of tenderness required to give this comic slugfest some heart . $LABEL$ 1 +a film with almost as many delights for adults as there are for children and dog lovers . $LABEL$ 1 +a depraved , incoherent , instantly disposable piece of hackery . $LABEL$ 0 +the animation and game phenomenon that peaked about three years ago is actually dying a slow death , if the poor quality of pokemon 4 ever is any indication . $LABEL$ 0 +the camera soars above the globe in dazzling panoramic shots that make the most of the large-screen format , before swooping down on a string of exotic locales , scooping the whole world up in a joyous communal festival of rhythm . $LABEL$ 1 +what 's really sad is to see two academy award winning actresses -lrb- and one academy award winning actor -rrb- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's tv sitcom material at best . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- jackson and bledel -rrb- seem to have been picked not for their acting chops , but for their looks and appeal to the pre-teen crowd . $LABEL$ 0 +whatever the movie 's sentimental , hypocritical lessons about sexism , its true colors come out in various wet t-shirt and shower scenes . $LABEL$ 0 +piercingly affecting ... while clearly a manipulative film , emerges as powerful rather than cloying . $LABEL$ 1 +gussied up with so many distracting special effects and visual party tricks that it 's not clear whether we 're supposed to shriek or laugh . $LABEL$ 0 +if only it had the story to match . $LABEL$ 0 +`` frailty '' has been written so well , that even a simple `` goddammit ! '' $LABEL$ 1 +the pianist is the film roman polanski may have been born to make . $LABEL$ 1 +the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we 're touched by the film 's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport . $LABEL$ 1 +an excellent sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +the trouble with making this queen a thoroughly modern maiden is that it also makes her appear foolish and shallow rather than , as was more likely , a victim of mental illness . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team . $LABEL$ 1 +the story really has no place to go since simone is not real -- she ca n't provide any conflict . $LABEL$ 0 +both a detective story and a romance spiced with the intrigue of academic skullduggery and politics . $LABEL$ 1 +all the sensuality , all the eroticism of a good vampire tale has been , pardon the pun , sucked out and replaced by goth goofiness . $LABEL$ 0 +a quiet , disquieting triumph . $LABEL$ 1 +anyone who ever fantasized about space travel but ca n't afford the $ 20 million ticket to ride a russian rocket should catch this imax offering . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- carvey 's -rrb- characters are both overplayed and exaggerated , but then again , subtlety has never been his trademark . $LABEL$ 0 +if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances . $LABEL$ 0 +rashomon-for-dipsticks tale . $LABEL$ 0 +sleek and arty . $LABEL$ 1 +a terrific date movie , whatever your orientation . $LABEL$ 1 +the exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors . $LABEL$ 1 +it takes a really long , slow and dreary time to dope out what tuck everlasting is about . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's splash without the jokes . $LABEL$ 0 +even as it pays earnest homage to turntablists and beat jugglers , old schoolers and current innovators , scratch is great fun , full of the kind of energy it 's documenting . $LABEL$ 1 +you begin to long for the end credits as the desert does for rain . $LABEL$ 0 +a coming-of-age movie that hollywood would n't have the guts to make . $LABEL$ 1 +` possession , ' based on the book by a.s. byatt , demands that labute deal with the subject of love head-on ; trading in his cynicism for reverence and a little wit $LABEL$ 1 +did no one on the set have a sense of humor , or did they not have the nerve to speak up ? $LABEL$ 0 +cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude . $LABEL$ 0 +some of the most inventive silliness you are likely to witness in a movie theatre for some time . $LABEL$ 1 +the story is lacking any real emotional impact , and the plot is both contrived and cliched . $LABEL$ 0 +others , more attuned to the anarchist maxim that ` the urge to destroy is also a creative urge ' , or more willing to see with their own eyes , will find morrison 's iconoclastic uses of technology to be liberating . $LABEL$ 1 +an awfully good , achingly human picture . $LABEL$ 1 +but no. . $LABEL$ 0 +it never plays as dramatic even when dramatic things happen to people . $LABEL$ 0 +i have n't seen such self-amused trash since freddy got fingered . $LABEL$ 0 +a cross between blow and boyz n the hood , this movie strives to be more , but does n't quite get there . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a bad action movie because there 's no rooting interest and the spectacle is grotesque and boring . $LABEL$ 0 +provides the kind of ` laugh therapy ' i need from movie comedies -- offbeat humor , amusing characters , and a happy ending . $LABEL$ 1 +a prolonged extrusion of psychopathic pulp . $LABEL$ 0 +little action , almost no suspense or believable tension , one-dimensional characters up the wazoo and sets that can only be described as sci-fi generic . $LABEL$ 0 +director nancy savoca 's no-frills record of a show forged in still-raw emotions captures the unsettled tenor of that post 9-11 period far better than a more measured or polished production ever could . $LABEL$ 1 +despite its floating narrative , this is a remarkably accessible and haunting film . $LABEL$ 1 +the sum of all fears pretends to be a serious exploration of nuclear terrorism , but it 's really nothing more than warmed-over cold war paranoia . $LABEL$ 0 +the hypnotic imagery and fragmentary tale explore the connections between place and personal identity . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's fun , splashy and entertainingly nasty . $LABEL$ 1 +... the first 2\/3 of the film are incredibly captivating and insanely funny , thanks in part to interesting cinematic devices -lrb- cool visual backmasking -rrb- , a solid cast , and some wickedly sick and twisted humor ... $LABEL$ 1 +rather , pity anyone who sees this mishmash . $LABEL$ 0 +return to never land may be another shameless attempt by disney to rake in dough from baby boomer families , but it 's not half-bad . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing . $LABEL$ 1 +much like robin williams , death to smoochy has already reached its expiration date . $LABEL$ 0 +a pleasing , often-funny comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers . $LABEL$ 1 +good actors have a radar for juicy roles -- there 's a plethora of characters in this picture , and not one of them is flat . $LABEL$ 1 +after all , it 'll probably be in video stores by christmas , and it might just be better suited to a night in the living room than a night at the movies . $LABEL$ 0 +it concentrates far too much on the awkward interplay and utter lack of chemistry between chan and hewitt . $LABEL$ 0 +her performance moves between heartbreak and rebellion as she continually tries to accommodate to fit in and gain the unconditional love she seeks . $LABEL$ 1 +bad company . $LABEL$ 0 +so vivid a portrait of a woman consumed by lust and love and crushed by betrayal that it conjures up the intoxicating fumes and emotional ghosts of a freshly painted rembrandt . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 've grown tired of going where no man has gone before , but several movies have - take heart . $LABEL$ 1 +swiftly deteriorates into a terribly obvious melodrama and rough-hewn vanity project for lead actress andie macdowell . $LABEL$ 0 +almost everyone growing up believes their family must look like `` the addams family '' to everyone looking in ... `` my big fat greek wedding '' comes from the heart ... $LABEL$ 1 +an excruciating demonstration of the unsalvageability of a movie saddled with an amateurish screenplay . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its old-hat set-up and predictable plot , empire still has enough moments to keep it entertaining . $LABEL$ 1 +otherwise , this could be a passable date film . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- at least -rrb- moore is a real charmer . $LABEL$ 1 +leaves viewers out in the cold and undermines some phenomenal performances . $LABEL$ 0 +this rush to profits has created a predictably efficient piece of business notable largely for its overwhelming creepiness , for an eagerness to create images you wish you had n't seen , which , in this day and age , is of course the point . $LABEL$ 1 +the concept behind kung pow : enter the fist is hilarious . $LABEL$ 1 +by not averting his eyes , solondz forces us to consider the unthinkable , the unacceptable , the unmentionable . $LABEL$ 1 +... better described as a ghost story gone badly awry . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie itself appears to be running on hypertime in reverse as the truly funny bits get further and further apart . $LABEL$ 0 +does n't get the job done , running off the limited chemistry created by ralph fiennes and jennifer lopez . $LABEL$ 0 +tsai has a well-deserved reputation as one of the cinema world 's great visual stylists , and in this film , every shot enhances the excellent performances . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie that 's about as overbearing and over-the-top as the family it depicts . $LABEL$ 0 +a movie that both thrills the eye and , in its over-the-top way , touches the heart . $LABEL$ 1 +elegantly crafted but emotionally cold , a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to understand why anyone in his right mind would even think to make the attraction a movie . $LABEL$ 0 +sc2 is an autopilot hollywood concoction lacking in imagination and authentic christmas spirit , yet it 's geared toward an audience full of masters of both . $LABEL$ 0 +donovan ... squanders his main asset , jackie chan , and fumbles the vital action sequences . $LABEL$ 0 +this angst-ridden territory was covered earlier and much better in ordinary people . $LABEL$ 0 +in spite of featuring a script credited to no fewer than five writers , apparently nobody here bothered to check it twice . $LABEL$ 0 +as underwater ghost stories go , below casts its spooky net out into the atlantic ocean and spits it back , grizzled and charred , somewhere northwest of the bermuda triangle . $LABEL$ 0 +the most compelling performance of the year adds substantial depth to this shocking testament to anti-semitism and neo-fascism . $LABEL$ 1 +though this saga would be terrific to read about , it is dicey screen material that only a genius should touch . $LABEL$ 1 +a sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity . $LABEL$ 1 +despite slick production values and director roger michell 's tick-tock pacing , the final effect is like having two guys yelling in your face for two hours . $LABEL$ 0 +well , jason 's gone to manhattan and hell , i guess a space station in the year 2455 can be crossed off the list of ideas for the inevitable future sequels -lrb- hey , do n't shoot the messenger -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +like a veteran head cutter , barbershop is tuned in to its community . $LABEL$ 1 +brisk hack job . $LABEL$ 0 +thumbs up to paxton for not falling into the hollywood trap and making a vanity project with nothing new to offer . $LABEL$ 1 +performances all around are tops , with the two leads delivering oscar-caliber performances . $LABEL$ 1 +it does n't offer audiences any way of gripping what its point is , or even its attitude toward its subject . $LABEL$ 0 +miller comes at film with bracing intelligence and a vision both painterly and literary . $LABEL$ 1 +this odd , poetic road movie , spiked by jolts of pop music , pretty much takes place in morton 's ever-watchful gaze -- and it 's a tribute to the actress , and to her inventive director , that the journey is such a mesmerizing one . $LABEL$ 1 +as gamely as the movie tries to make sense of its title character , there remains a huge gap between the film 's creepy , clean-cut dahmer -lrb- jeremy renner -rrb- and fiendish acts that no amount of earnest textbook psychologizing can bridge . $LABEL$ 0 +as earnest as a community-college advertisement , american chai is enough to make you put away the guitar , sell the amp , and apply to medical school . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're not , you 'll still have a good time . '' $LABEL$ 1 +has a certain ghoulish fascination , and generates a fair amount of b-movie excitement . $LABEL$ 1 +although it lacks the detail of the book , the film does pack some serious suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- cuarón has -rrb- created a substantive movie out of several cliched movie structures : the road movie , the coming-of-age movie , and the teenage sex comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +and second , what 's with all the shooting ? $LABEL$ 0 +billy crystal and robert de niro sleepwalk through vulgarities in a sequel you can refuse . $LABEL$ 0 +shrewd but pointless . $LABEL$ 0 +the problems and characters it reveals are universal and involving , and the film itself -- as well its delightful cast -- is so breezy , pretty and gifted , it really won my heart . $LABEL$ 1 +proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they ca n't go wrong . $LABEL$ 1 +... wise and elegiac ... $LABEL$ 1 +though filmed partly in canada , paid in full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the reagan years . $LABEL$ 1 +not counting a few gross-out comedies i 've been trying to forget , this is the first film in a long time that made me want to bolt the theater in the first 10 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +all of the elements are in place for a great film noir , but director george hickenlooper 's approach to the material is too upbeat . $LABEL$ 0 +the overall fabric is hypnotic , and mr. mattei fosters moments of spontaneous intimacy . $LABEL$ 1 +friday after next is a lot more bluster than bite . $LABEL$ 0 +opera on film is never satisfactory . $LABEL$ 0 +nicole holofcenter , the insightful writer\/director responsible for this illuminating comedy does n't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully . $LABEL$ 1 +but , like silence , it 's a movie that gets under your skin . $LABEL$ 0 +gooding and coburn are both oscar winners , a fact which , as you watch them clumsily mugging their way through snow dogs , seems inconceivable . $LABEL$ 0 +loud , silly , stupid and pointless . $LABEL$ 0 +while it 's nothing we have n't seen before from murphy , i spy is still fun and enjoyable and so aggressively silly that it 's more than a worthwhile effort . $LABEL$ 1 +mctiernan 's remake may be lighter on its feet -- the sober-minded original was as graceful as a tap-dancing rhino -- but it is just as boring and as obvious . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're looking to rekindle the magic of the first film , you 'll need a stronger stomach than us . $LABEL$ 0 +an average b-movie with no aspirations to be anything more . $LABEL$ 0 +a film that plays things so nice 'n safe as to often play like a milquetoast movie of the week blown up for the big screen . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short . $LABEL$ 0 +only masochistic moviegoers need apply . $LABEL$ 0 +is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo , double-pistoled , ballistic-pyrotechnic hong kong action aesthetic ? $LABEL$ 0 +like shrek , spirit 's visual imagination reminds you of why animation is such a perfect medium for children , because of the way it allows the mind to enter and accept another world . $LABEL$ 1 +statham employs an accent that i think is supposed to be an attempt at hardass american but sometimes just lapses into unhidden british . $LABEL$ 0 +a yawn-provoking little farm melodrama . $LABEL$ 0 +for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian . $LABEL$ 0 +kicks off with an inauspicious premise , mopes through a dreary tract of virtually plotless meanderings and then ends with a whimper . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the greatest films i 've ever seen . $LABEL$ 1 +feels strangely hollow at its emotional core . $LABEL$ 0 +it gets old quickly . $LABEL$ 0 +feels less like a change in -lrb- herzog 's -rrb- personal policy than a half-hearted fluke . $LABEL$ 0 +exudes the fizz of a busby berkeley musical and the visceral excitement of a sports extravaganza . $LABEL$ 1 +good performances keep it from being a total rehash . $LABEL$ 1 +tsai convincingly paints a specifically urban sense of disassociation here . $LABEL$ 1 +he thinks the film is just as much a document about him as it is about the subject . $LABEL$ 0 +it all starts to smack of a hallmark hall of fame , with a few four letter words thrown in that are generally not heard on television . $LABEL$ 0 +some body will take you places you have n't been , and also places you have . $LABEL$ 1 +hollywood ending just is n't very funny . $LABEL$ 0 +a jaw-droppingly beautiful work that upends nearly every cliché of japanese animation while delivering a more than satisfactory amount of carnage . $LABEL$ 1 +but kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them . $LABEL$ 1 +` drumline ' shows a level of young , black manhood that is funny , touching , smart and complicated . $LABEL$ 1 +upper teens may get cynical . $LABEL$ 0 +welles groupie\/scholar peter bogdanovich took a long time to do it , but he 's finally provided his own broadside at publishing giant william randolph hearst . $LABEL$ 1 +the most brilliant and brutal uk crime film since jack carter went back to newcastle , the first half of gangster no. 1 drips with style and , at times , blood . $LABEL$ 1 +it might not be 1970s animation , but everything else about it is straight from the saturday morning cartoons -- a retread story , bad writing , and the same old silliness . $LABEL$ 0 +birthday girl lucks out with chaplin and kidman , who are capable of anteing up some movie star charisma when they need it to sell us on this twisted love story , but who can also negotiate the movie 's darker turns . $LABEL$ 1 +stay for the credits and see a devastating comic impersonation by dustin hoffman that is revelatory . $LABEL$ 1 +it is a likable story , told with competence . $LABEL$ 1 +a gushy episode of `` m \* a \* s \* h '' only this time from an asian perspective . $LABEL$ 0 +bread , my sweet has so many flaws it would be easy for critics to shred it . $LABEL$ 0 +a delightful romantic comedy with plenty of bite . $LABEL$ 1 +you 'll forget about it by monday , though , and if they 're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids . $LABEL$ 0 +a good thriller . $LABEL$ 1 +you could easily mistake it for a sketchy work-in-progress that was inexplicably rushed to the megaplexes before its time . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's hard to imagine any recent film , independent or otherwise , that makes as much of a mess as this one . $LABEL$ 0 +rumor , a muddled drama about coming to terms with death , feels impersonal , almost generic . $LABEL$ 0 +works on the whodunit level as its larger themes get lost in the murk of its own making $LABEL$ 0 +there 's nothing like love to give a movie a b-12 shot , and cq shimmers with it . $LABEL$ 1 +while not for every taste , this often very funny collegiate gross-out comedy goes a long way toward restoring the luster of the national lampoon film franchise , too long reduced to direct-to-video irrelevancy . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is not as terrible as the synergistic impulse that created it . $LABEL$ 0 +the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's petty thievery like this that puts flimsy flicks like this behind bars $LABEL$ 0 +... an adorably whimsical comedy that deserves more than a passing twinkle . $LABEL$ 1 +with or without ballast tanks , k-19 sinks to a harrison ford low . $LABEL$ 0 +mr. koshashvili is a director to watch . $LABEL$ 1 +about as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come . $LABEL$ 1 +but on the whole , you 're gonna like this movie . $LABEL$ 1 +we can tell what it is supposed to be , but ca n't really call it a work of art . $LABEL$ 0 +the art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and kurys ' direction is clever and insightful . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is delicately narrated by martin landau and directed with sensitivity and skill by dana janklowicz-mann . $LABEL$ 1 +sad nonsense , this . $LABEL$ 0 +every note rings false . $LABEL$ 0 +the evocative imagery and gentle , lapping rhythms of this film are infectious -- it gets under our skin and draws us in long before the plot kicks into gear . $LABEL$ 1 +succeeds as a well-made evocation of a subculture . $LABEL$ 1 +plunges you into a reality that is , more often then not , difficult and sad , and then , without sentimentalizing it or denying its brutality , transforms that reality into a lyrical and celebratory vision . $LABEL$ 1 +an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music . $LABEL$ 1 +the action scenes have all the suspense of a 20-car pileup , while the plot holes are big enough for a train car to drive through -- if kaos had n't blown them all up . $LABEL$ 0 +howard conjures the past via surrealist flourishes so overwrought you 'd swear he just stepped out of a buñuel retrospective . $LABEL$ 1 +eisenstein lacks considerable brio for a film about one of cinema 's directorial giants . $LABEL$ 0 +even if you do n't know the band or the album 's songs by heart , you will enjoy seeing how both evolve , and you will also learn a good deal about the state of the music business in the 21st century . $LABEL$ 1 +inherently caustic and oddly whimsical , the film chimes in on the grieving process and strangely draws the audience into the unexplainable pain and eccentricities that are attached to the concept of loss . $LABEL$ 1 +like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you 're over 100 . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's better than the phantom menace . $LABEL$ 1 +an effortlessly accomplished and richly resonant work . $LABEL$ 1 +broomfield is energized by volletta wallace 's maternal fury , her fearlessness , and because of that , his film crackles . $LABEL$ 1 +a fiercely clever and subtle film , capturing the precarious balance between the extravagant confidence of the exiled aristocracy and the cruel earnestness of the victorious revolutionaries . $LABEL$ 1 +this kind of hands-on storytelling is ultimately what makes shanghai ghetto move beyond a good , dry , reliable textbook and what allows it to rank with its worthy predecessors . $LABEL$ 1 +formulaic to the 51st power , more like . $LABEL$ 0 +when your subject is illusion versus reality , should n't the reality seem at least passably real ? $LABEL$ 0 +the results are far more alienating than involving . $LABEL$ 0 +these characters become wearisome . $LABEL$ 0 +it finds its moviegoing pleasures in the tiny events that could make a person who has lived her life half-asleep suddenly wake up and take notice . $LABEL$ 1 +i could have used my two hours better watching being john malkovich again . $LABEL$ 0 +comes across as a relic from a bygone era , and its convolutions ... feel silly rather than plausible . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is as padded as allen 's jelly belly . $LABEL$ 0 +the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin . $LABEL$ 0 +more busy than exciting , more frantic than involving , more chaotic than entertaining . $LABEL$ 0 +although ... visually striking and slickly staged , it 's also cold , grey , antiseptic and emotionally desiccated . $LABEL$ 0 +though in some ways similar to catherine breillat 's fat girl , rain is the far superior film . $LABEL$ 1 +you leave feeling like you 've endured a long workout without your pulse ever racing . $LABEL$ 0 +one-sided documentary offers simplistic explanations to a very complex situation . $LABEL$ 0 +instead , it 'll only put you to sleep . $LABEL$ 0 +the only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers . $LABEL$ 0 +a sensitive and astute first feature by anne-sophie birot . $LABEL$ 1 +the comedy is nonexistent . $LABEL$ 0 +a real winner -- smart , funny , subtle , and resonant . $LABEL$ 1 +... comes alive only when it switches gears to the sentimental . $LABEL$ 0 +an instance of an old dog not only learning but inventing a remarkable new trick . $LABEL$ 1 +romantic , riveting and handsomely animated . $LABEL$ 1 +try as you might to scrutinize the ethics of kaufman 's approach , somehow it all comes together to create a very compelling , sensitive , intelligent and almost cohesive piece of film entertainment . $LABEL$ 1 +every once in a while , a movie will come along that turns me into that annoying specimen of humanity that i usually dread encountering the most - the fanboy $LABEL$ 1 +spreads itself too thin , leaving these actors , as well as the members of the commune , short of profound characterizations $LABEL$ 0 +the acting , for the most part , is terrific , although the actors must struggle with the fact that they 're playing characters who sometimes feel more like literary conceits than flesh-and-blood humans . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- less a movie than -rrb- an appalling , odoriferous thing ... so rotten in almost every single facet of production that you 'll want to crawl up your own \*\*\* in embarrassment . $LABEL$ 0 +funny and touching . $LABEL$ 1 +an awkward hybrid of genres that just does n't work . $LABEL$ 0 +affirms the gifts of all involved , starting with spielberg and going right through the ranks of the players -- on-camera and off -- that he brings together . $LABEL$ 1 +a fifty car pileup of cliches . $LABEL$ 0 +will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the most unpleasant things the studio has ever produced . $LABEL$ 0 +a glib but bouncy bit of sixties-style slickness in which the hero might wind up caught but the audience gets pure escapism . $LABEL$ 1 +this one is not nearly as dreadful as expected . $LABEL$ 1 +the result is a powerful , naturally dramatic piece of low-budget filmmaking . $LABEL$ 1 +as a science fiction movie , `` minority report '' astounds . $LABEL$ 1 +does n't deliver a great story , nor is the action as gripping as in past seagal films . $LABEL$ 0 +chilling in its objective portrait of dreary , lost twenty-first century america . $LABEL$ 1 +the auteur 's ear for the way fears and slights are telegraphed in the most blithe exchanges gives the film its lingering tug . $LABEL$ 1 +a rehash of every gangster movie from the past decade . $LABEL$ 0 +shattering , devastating documentary on two maladjusted teens in a downward narcotized spiral . $LABEL$ 1 +the somber pacing and lack of dramatic fireworks make green dragon seem more like medicine than entertainment . $LABEL$ 0 +below is well below expectations . $LABEL$ 0 +a generic international version of a typical american horror film . $LABEL$ 0 +includes too much obvious padding . $LABEL$ 0 +at just over an hour , home movie will leave you wanting more , not to mention leaving you with some laughs and a smile on your face . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie 's ultimate point -- that everyone should be themselves -- is trite , but the screenwriter and director michel gondry restate it to the point of ridiculousness . $LABEL$ 0 +a fine documentary can be distinguished from a mediocre one by the better film 's ability to make its subject interesting to those who are n't part of its supposed target audience . $LABEL$ 1 +in the wake of saving private ryan , black hawk down and we were soldiers , you are likely to be as heartily sick of mayhem as cage 's war-weary marine . $LABEL$ 0 +peppered with witty dialogue and inventive moments . $LABEL$ 1 +-- is a crime that should be punishable by chainsaw . $LABEL$ 0 +whether or not you 're enlightened by any of derrida 's lectures on `` the other '' and `` the self , '' derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow . $LABEL$ 1 +the people in jessica are so recognizable and true that , as in real life , we 're never sure how things will work out . $LABEL$ 1 +parents may even find that it goes by quickly , because it has some of the funniest jokes of any movie this year , including those intended for adults . $LABEL$ 1 +a good music documentary , probably one of the best since the last waltz . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- gulpilil -rrb- is a commanding screen presence , and his character 's abundant humanism makes him the film 's moral compass . $LABEL$ 1 +the screenplay never lets us forget that bourne was once an amoral assassin just like the ones who are pursuing him ... there is never really a true `` us '' versus `` them '' . $LABEL$ 1 +an interesting look behind the scenes of chicago-based rock group wilco ... $LABEL$ 1 +the sword fighting is well done and auteuil is a goofy pleasure . $LABEL$ 1 +the only thing scary about feardotcom is that the filmmakers and studio are brazen enough to attempt to pass this stinker off as a scary movie . $LABEL$ 0 +munch 's screenplay is tenderly observant of his characters . $LABEL$ 1 +it has the requisite faux-urban vibe and hotter-two-years-ago rap and r&b names and references . $LABEL$ 0 +the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea . $LABEL$ 0 +a film of epic scale with an intimate feeling , a saga of the ups and downs of friendships . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie would seem less of a trifle if ms. sugarman followed through on her defiance of the saccharine . $LABEL$ 0 +mention `` solaris '' five years from now and i 'm sure those who saw it will have an opinion to share . $LABEL$ 1 +that ` alabama ' manages to be pleasant in spite of its predictability and occasional slowness is due primarily to the perkiness of witherspoon -lrb- who is always a joy to watch , even when her material is not first-rate -rrb- ... $LABEL$ 1 +pacino is the best he 's been in years and keener is marvelous . $LABEL$ 1 +much of the cast is stiff or just plain bad . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's excessively quirky and a little underconfident in its delivery , but otherwise this is the best ` old neighborhood ' project since christopher walken kinda romanced cyndi lauper in the opportunists . $LABEL$ 1 +busy urban comedy is clearly not zhang 's forte , his directorial touch is neither light nor magical enough to bring off this kind of whimsy . $LABEL$ 0 +imagine the cleanflicks version of ` love story , ' with ali macgraw 's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes . $LABEL$ 0 +extremely well acted by the four primary actors , this is a seriously intended movie that is not easily forgotten . $LABEL$ 1 +bound to appeal to women looking for a howlingly trashy time . $LABEL$ 1 +ms. hutchins is talented enough and charismatic enough to make us care about zelda 's ultimate fate . $LABEL$ 1 +such a fine idea for a film , and such a stultifying , lifeless execution . $LABEL$ 0 +return to neverland manages to straddle the line between another classic for the company and just another run-of-the-mill disney sequel intended for the home video market . $LABEL$ 0 +writer-director david jacobson and his star , jeremy renner , have made a remarkable film that explores the monster 's psychology not in order to excuse him but rather to demonstrate that his pathology evolved from human impulses that grew hideously twisted . $LABEL$ 1 +drama of temptation , salvation and good intentions is a thoughtful examination of faith , love and power . $LABEL$ 1 +oddly compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +feels at times like a giant commercial for universal studios , where much of the action takes place . $LABEL$ 0 +a small fortune in salaries and stunt cars might have been saved if the director , tom dey , had spliced together bits and pieces of midnight run and 48 hours -lrb- and , for that matter , shrek -rrb- . $LABEL$ 0 +strange , funny , twisted , brilliant and macabre . $LABEL$ 1 +shanghai ghetto , much stranger than any fiction , brings this unknown slice of history affectingly to life . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie that will thrill you , touch you and make you laugh as well . $LABEL$ 1 +though overall an overwhelmingly positive portrayal , the film does n't ignore the more problematic aspects of brown 's life . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own . $LABEL$ 0 +cool gadgets and creatures keep this fresh . $LABEL$ 1 +this is very much of a mixed bag , with enough negatives to outweigh the positives . $LABEL$ 0 +ringu is a disaster of a story , full of holes and completely lacking in chills . $LABEL$ 0 +while maintaining the appearance of clinical objectivity , this sad , occasionally horrifying but often inspiring film is among wiseman 's warmest . $LABEL$ 1 +but it would be better to wait for the video . $LABEL$ 0 +dreary tale of middle-class angst $LABEL$ 0 +though the aboriginal aspect lends the ending an extraordinary poignancy , and the story itself could be played out in any working class community in the nation . $LABEL$ 1 +the byplay and bickering between the now spy-savvy siblings , carmen -lrb- vega -rrb- and juni -lrb- sabara -rrb- cortez , anchor the film in a very real and amusing give-and-take . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful . $LABEL$ 1 +seen in that light , moonlight mile should strike a nerve in many . $LABEL$ 1 +to the filmmakers , ivan is a prince of a fellow , but he comes across as shallow and glib though not mean-spirited , and there 's no indication that he 's been responsible for putting together any movies of particular value or merit . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie 's something-borrowed construction feels less the product of loving , well integrated homage and more like a mere excuse for the wan , thinly sketched story . $LABEL$ 0 +none of birthday girl 's calculated events take us by surprise ... $LABEL$ 0 +there are many definitions of ` time waster ' but this movie must surely be one of them . $LABEL$ 0 +i can easily imagine benigni 's pinocchio becoming a christmas perennial . $LABEL$ 1 +this is rote drivel aimed at mom and dad 's wallet . $LABEL$ 0 +k 19 stays afloat as decent drama\/action flick $LABEL$ 1 +what more can be expected from a college comedy that 's target audience has n't graduated from junior high school ? $LABEL$ 0 +it 's quite diverting nonsense . $LABEL$ 0 +aggravating and tedious . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'm sorry to say that this should seal the deal - arnold is not , nor will he be , back . $LABEL$ 0 +a bittersweet drama about the limbo of grief and how truth-telling can open the door to liberation . $LABEL$ 1 +more precious than perspicacious $LABEL$ 1 +rarely does such high-profile talent serve such literate material . $LABEL$ 1 +a moving picture that does not move . $LABEL$ 0 +this ludicrous film is predictable at every turn . $LABEL$ 0 +just another combination of bad animation and mindless violence ... lacking the slightest bit of wit or charm . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- fiji diver rusi vulakoro and the married couple howard and michelle hall -rrb- show us the world they love and make us love it , too . $LABEL$ 1 +a fanciful drama about napoleon 's last years and his surprising discovery of love and humility . $LABEL$ 1 +the superior plotline is n't quite enough to drag along the dead -lrb- water -rrb- weight of the other . $LABEL$ 0 +... enthusiastically invokes the percussion rhythm , the brass soul and the sense of fierce competition that helps make great marching bands half the fun of college football games . $LABEL$ 1 +spy kids 2 also happens to be that rarity among sequels : it actually improves upon the original hit movie . $LABEL$ 1 +speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life . $LABEL$ 1 +audiard successfully maintains suspense on different levels throughout a film that is both gripping and compelling . $LABEL$ 1 +an unsettling , memorable cinematic experience that does its predecessors proud . $LABEL$ 1 +its almost too-spectacular coastal setting distracts slightly from an eccentric and good-naturedly aimless story . $LABEL$ 1 +a compassionate , moving portrait of an american -lrb- and an america -rrb- always reaching for something just outside his grasp . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- stephen -rrb- earnhart 's film is more about the optimism of a group of people who are struggling to give themselves a better lot in life than the ones they currently have . $LABEL$ 1 +adaptation is intricately constructed and in a strange way nails all of orlean 's themes without being a true adaptation of her book . $LABEL$ 1 +if you want a movie time trip , the 1960 version is a far smoother ride . $LABEL$ 0 +an older cad instructs a younger lad in zen and the art of getting laid in this prickly indie comedy of manners and misanthropy . $LABEL$ 1 +with amazing finesse , the film shadows heidi 's trip back to vietnam and the city where her mother , mai thi kim , still lives . $LABEL$ 1 +an occasionally interesting but mostly repetitive look at a slice of counterculture that might be best forgotten . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's an 88-minute highlight reel that 's 86 minutes too long . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- jeff 's -rrb- gorgeous , fluid compositions , underlined by neil finn and edmund mcwilliams 's melancholy music , are charged with metaphor , but rarely easy , obvious or self-indulgent . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a smart , solid , kinetically-charged spy flick worthy of a couple hours of summertime and a bucket of popcorn . $LABEL$ 1 +the film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully sung holiday carol . $LABEL$ 1 +the heat of the moment prevails . $LABEL$ 1 +a beautifully tooled action thriller about love and terrorism in korea . $LABEL$ 1 +return to never land is much more p.c. than the original version -lrb- no more racist portraits of indians , for instance -rrb- , but the excitement is missing . $LABEL$ 0 +the only thing `` swept away '' is the one hour and thirty-three minutes spent watching this waste of time . $LABEL$ 0 +the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain . $LABEL$ 1 +while the importance of being earnest offers opportunities for occasional smiles and chuckles , it does n't give us a reason to be in the theater beyond wilde 's wit and the actors ' performances . $LABEL$ 0 +contrived , awkward and filled with unintended laughs , the film shows signs that someone other than the director got into the editing room and tried to improve things by making the movie go faster . $LABEL$ 0 +broomfield reminds us that beneath the hype , the celebrity , the high life , the conspiracies and the mystery there were once a couple of bright young men -- promising , talented , charismatic and tragically doomed . $LABEL$ 1 +offers a persuasive look at a defeated but defiant nation in flux . $LABEL$ 1 +muccino seems to be exploring the idea of why human beings long for what they do n't have , and how this gets us in trouble . $LABEL$ 1 +this picture is mostly a lump of run-of-the-mill profanity sprinkled with a few remarks so geared toward engendering audience sympathy that you might think he was running for office -- or trying to win over a probation officer . $LABEL$ 0 +my wife is an actress has its moments in looking at the comic effects of jealousy . $LABEL$ 1 +a riveting documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +while i ca n't say it 's on par with the first one , stuart little 2 is a light , fun cheese puff of a movie . $LABEL$ 1 +so boring that even its target audience talked all the way through it . $LABEL$ 0 +sad to say -- it accurately reflects the rage and alienation that fuels the self-destructiveness of many young people . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's neither as sappy as big daddy nor as anarchic as happy gilmore or the waterboy , but it has its moments . $LABEL$ 1 +great character interaction . $LABEL$ 1 +louiso lets the movie dawdle in classic disaffected-indie-film mode , and brother hoffman 's script stumbles over a late-inning twist that just does n't make sense . $LABEL$ 0 +even bigger and more ambitious than the first installment , spy kids 2 looks as if it were made by a highly gifted 12-year-old instead of a grown man . $LABEL$ 0 +a meatier deeper beginning and\/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the `` a '' range , as is , it 's a very very strong `` b + . '' $LABEL$ 1 +funny in a sick , twisted sort of way . $LABEL$ 1 +trapped wo n't score points for political correctness , but it may cause parents a few sleepless hours -- a sign of its effectiveness . $LABEL$ 1 +nicks refuses to let slackers be seen as just another teen movie , which means he can be forgiven for frequently pandering to fans of the gross-out comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +but though he only scratches the surface , at least he provides a strong itch to explore more . $LABEL$ 1 +there are few things more frustrating to a film buff than seeing an otherwise good movie marred beyond redemption by a disastrous ending . $LABEL$ 0 +the film lapses too often into sugary sentiment and withholds delivery on the pell-mell pyrotechnics its punchy style promises . $LABEL$ 0 +birthday girl walks a tricky tightrope between being wickedly funny and just plain wicked . $LABEL$ 1 +potty-mouthed enough for pg-13 , yet not as hilariously raunchy as south park , this strangely schizo cartoon seems suited neither to kids or adults . $LABEL$ 0 +does n't add up to much . $LABEL$ 0 +while it is welcome to see a chinese film depict a homosexual relationship in a mature and frank fashion , lan yu never catches dramatic fire . $LABEL$ 0 +the movie is silly beyond comprehension , and even if it were n't silly , it would still be beyond comprehension . $LABEL$ 0 +despite its flaws , crazy as hell marks an encouraging new direction for la salle . $LABEL$ 1 +this film is too busy hitting all of its assigned marks to take on any life of its own . $LABEL$ 0 +one of the most plain , unimaginative romantic comedies i 've ever seen . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's tough to watch , but it 's a fantastic movie . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is well crafted , and well executed . $LABEL$ 1 +it all comes down to whether you can tolerate leon barlow . $LABEL$ 0 +90 punitive minutes of eardrum-dicing gunplay , screeching-metal smashups , and flaccid odd-couple sniping . $LABEL$ 0 +moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought . $LABEL$ 1 +a big fat pain . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie filled with unlikable , spiteful idiots ; whether or not their friendship is salvaged makes no difference in the least . $LABEL$ 0 +as giddy and whimsical and relevant today as it was 270 years ago . $LABEL$ 1 +while some will object to the idea of a vietnam picture with such a rah-rah , patriotic tone , soldiers ultimately achieves its main strategic objective : dramatizing the human cost of the conflict that came to define a generation . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a pedestrian , flat drama that screams out ` amateur ' in almost every frame . $LABEL$ 0 +hip-hop rarely comes alive as its own fire-breathing entity in this picture . $LABEL$ 0 +parts seem like they were lifted from terry gilliam 's subconscious , pressed through kafka 's meat grinder and into buñuel 's casings $LABEL$ 1 +it uses some of the figures from the real-life story to portray themselves in the film . $LABEL$ 1 +for casual moviegoers who stumble into rules expecting a slice of american pie hijinks starring the kid from dawson 's creek , they 'll probably run out screaming . $LABEL$ 0 +it could have been something special , but two things drag it down to mediocrity -- director clare peploe 's misunderstanding of marivaux 's rhythms , and mira sorvino 's limitations as a classical actress . $LABEL$ 0 +affable if not timeless , like mike raises some worthwhile themes while delivering a wholesome fantasy for kids . $LABEL$ 1 +slap her - she 's not funny ! $LABEL$ 0 +everything 's serious , poetic , earnest and -- sadly -- dull . $LABEL$ 0 +see clockstoppers if you have nothing better to do with 94 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +if you 're not fans of the adventues of steve and terri , you should avoid this like the dreaded king brown snake . $LABEL$ 0 +a psychic journey deep into the very fabric of iranian ... life . $LABEL$ 1 +an incredibly thoughtful , deeply meditative picture that neatly and effectively captures the debilitating grief felt in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks . $LABEL$ 1 +love liza is a festival film that would have been better off staying on the festival circuit . $LABEL$ 0 +this is an extraordinary film , not least because it is japanese and yet feels universal . $LABEL$ 1 +gaghan ... has thrown every suspenseful cliché in the book at this nonsensical story . $LABEL$ 0 +deuces wild is an encyclopedia of cliches that shoplifts shamelessly from farewell-to-innocence movies like the wanderers and a bronx tale without cribbing any of their intelligence . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's still terrible ! $LABEL$ 0 +it 's in the action scenes that things fall apart . $LABEL$ 0 +if ayurveda can help us return to a sane regimen of eating , sleeping and stress-reducing contemplation , it is clearly a good thing . $LABEL$ 1 +will certainly appeal to asian cult cinema fans and asiaphiles interested to see what all the fuss is about . $LABEL$ 1 +they 're just a couple of cops in copmovieland , these two , but in narc , they find new routes through a familiar neighborhood . $LABEL$ 1 +while dutifully pulling on heartstrings , directors dean deblois and chris sanders valiantly keep punching up the mix . $LABEL$ 1 +davis is funny , charming and quirky in her feature film acting debut as amy . $LABEL$ 1 +heartwarming and gently comic even as the film breaks your heart . $LABEL$ 1 +scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar . $LABEL$ 1 +barry convinces us he 's a dangerous , secretly unhinged guy who could easily have killed a president because it made him feel powerful . $LABEL$ 1 +an unsuccessful attempt at a movie of ideas . $LABEL$ 0 +this strenuously unfunny showtime deserves the hook . $LABEL$ 0 +stands as one of the year 's most intriguing movie experiences , letting its imagery speak for it while it forces you to ponder anew what a movie can be . $LABEL$ 1 +this story of unrequited love does n't sustain interest beyond the first half-hour . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a stale , overused cocktail using the same olives since 1962 as garnish . $LABEL$ 0 +in imax in short , it 's just as wonderful on the big screen . $LABEL$ 1 +sex ironically has little to do with the story , which becomes something about how lame it is to try and evade your responsibilities and that you should never , ever , leave a large dog alone with a toddler . $LABEL$ 0 +i 'd watch these two together again in a new york minute . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a film that 's destined to win a wide summer audience through word-of-mouth reviews and , not far down the line , to find a place among the studio 's animated classics . $LABEL$ 1 +continually challenges perceptions of guilt and innocence , of good guys and bad , and asks us whether a noble end can justify evil means . $LABEL$ 1 +he 's a better actor than a standup comedian . $LABEL$ 1 +so beautifully acted and directed , it 's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses . $LABEL$ 1 +he 's just a sad aristocrat in tattered finery , and the film seems as deflated as he does . $LABEL$ 0 +insomnia is one of the year 's best films and pacino gives one of his most daring , and complicated , performances . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's so badly made on every level that i 'm actually having a hard time believing people were paid to make it . $LABEL$ 0 +while not quite `` shrek '' or `` monsters , inc. '' , it 's not too bad . $LABEL$ 1 +a slight but sweet film . $LABEL$ 1 +my only wish is that celebi could take me back to a time before i saw this movie and i could just skip it . $LABEL$ 0 +one of these days hollywood will come up with an original idea for a teen movie , but until then there 's always these rehashes to feed to the younger generations . $LABEL$ 0 +an appalling ` ace ventura ' rip-off that somehow manages to bring together kevin pollak , former wrestler chyna and dolly parton . $LABEL$ 0 +a smart , arch and rather cold-blooded comedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it finds no way to entertain or inspire its viewers . $LABEL$ 0 +a powerful , chilling , and affecting study of one man 's dying fall . $LABEL$ 1 +the satire is unfocused , while the story goes nowhere . $LABEL$ 0 +the son of the bride 's humour is born out of an engaging storyline , which also is n't embarrassed to make you reach for the tissues . $LABEL$ 1 +an uneasy mix of run-of-the-mill raunchy humor and seemingly sincere personal reflection . $LABEL$ 0 +an uplifting , near-masterpiece . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's hero is a bore and his innocence soon becomes a questionable kind of inexcusable dumb innocence . $LABEL$ 0 +unlike lots of hollywood fluff , this has layered , well-developed characters and some surprises . $LABEL$ 1 +in his role of observer of the scene , lawrence sounds whiny and defensive , as if his life-altering experiences made him bitter and less mature . $LABEL$ 0 +boasts eye-catching art direction but has a forcefully quirky tone that quickly wears out its limited welcome . $LABEL$ 0 +pete 's screenplay manages to find that real natural , even-flowing tone that few movies are able to accomplish . $LABEL$ 1 +exploitative and largely devoid of the depth or sophistication that would make watching such a graphic treatment of the crimes bearable . $LABEL$ 0 +the humor and humanity of monsoon wedding are in perfect balance . $LABEL$ 1 +the gorgeously elaborate continuation of `` the lord of the rings '' trilogy is so huge that a column of words can not adequately describe co-writer\/director peter jackson 's expanded vision of j.r.r. tolkien 's middle-earth . $LABEL$ 1 +to paraphrase a line from another dickens ' novel , nicholas nickleby is too much like a fragment of an underdone potato . $LABEL$ 0 +lacks depth . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's as if solondz had two ideas for two movies , could n't really figure out how to flesh either out , so he just slopped ` em together here . $LABEL$ 0 +in the end , tuck everlasting falls victim to that everlasting conundrum experienced by every human who ever lived : too much to do , too little time to do it in . $LABEL$ 0 +this slight premise ... works because of the ideal casting of the masterful british actor ian holm as the aged napoleon . $LABEL$ 1 +rarely has sex on screen been so aggressively anti-erotic . $LABEL$ 0 +straightforward and old-fashioned in the best possible senses of both those words , possession is a movie that puts itself squarely in the service of the lovers who inhabit it . $LABEL$ 1 +though the story ... is hackneyed , the characters have a freshness and modesty that transcends their predicament . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's light on the chills and heavy on the atmospheric weirdness , and there are moments of jaw-droppingly odd behavior -- yet i found it weirdly appealing . $LABEL$ 1 +the first tunisian film i have ever seen , and it 's also probably the most good-hearted yet sensual entertainment i 'm likely to see all year . $LABEL$ 1 +anybody who enjoys quirky , fun , popcorn movies with a touch of silliness and a little bloodshed . $LABEL$ 1 +as the dominant christine , sylvie testud is icily brilliant . $LABEL$ 1 +the makers of mothman prophecies succeed in producing that most frightening of all movies -- a mediocre horror film too bad to be good and too good to be bad . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- devastatingly powerful and astonishingly vivid holocaust drama . $LABEL$ 1 +dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean . $LABEL$ 1 +it works well enough , since the thrills pop up frequently , and the dispatching of the cast is as often imaginative as it is gory . $LABEL$ 1 +-lrb- hayek -rrb- throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo . $LABEL$ 1 +the film 's needlessly opaque intro takes its doe-eyed crudup out of pre-9 \/ 11 new york and onto a cross-country road trip of the homeric kind . $LABEL$ 0 +the biggest problem with satin rouge is lilia herself . $LABEL$ 0 +the thought of watching this film with an audience full of teenagers fixating on its body humour and reinforcement of stereotypes -lrb- of which they 'll get plenty -rrb- fills me with revulsion . $LABEL$ 0 +captivates and shows how a skillful filmmaker can impart a message without bludgeoning the audience over the head . $LABEL$ 1 +jaglom offers the none-too-original premise that everyone involved with moviemaking is a con artist and a liar . $LABEL$ 0 +contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad . $LABEL$ 0 +one suspects that craven endorses they simply because this movie makes his own look much better by comparison . $LABEL$ 0 +the film 's final hour , where nearly all the previous unseen material resides , is unconvincing soap opera that tornatore was right to cut . $LABEL$ 0 +like its bizarre heroine , it irrigates our souls . $LABEL$ 1 +savvy director robert j. siegel and his co-writers keep the story subtle and us in suspense . $LABEL$ 1 +puts on airs of a hal hartley wannabe film -- without the vital comic ingredient of the hilarious writer-director himself . $LABEL$ 0 +the appeal of the vulgar , sexist , racist humour went over my head or -- considering just how low brow it is -- perhaps it snuck under my feet . $LABEL$ 0 +has the disjointed feel of a bunch of strung-together tv episodes . $LABEL$ 0 +while broomfield 's film does n't capture the effect of these tragic deaths on hip-hop culture , it succeeds as a powerful look at a failure of our justice system . $LABEL$ 1 +completely creatively stillborn and executed in a manner that i 'm not sure could be a single iota worse ... a soulless hunk of exploitative garbage . $LABEL$ 0 +... a vivid , thoughtful , unapologetically raw coming-of-age tale full of sex , drugs and rock 'n' roll . $LABEL$ 1 +a treat for its depiction on not giving up on dreams when you 're a struggling nobody . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's fitting that a movie as artificial and soulless as the country bears owes its genesis to an animatronic display at disneyland . $LABEL$ 0 +we do n't get paid enough to sit through crap like this . $LABEL$ 0 +feels like a cold old man going through the motions . $LABEL$ 0 +both an admirable reconstruction of terrible events , and a fitting memorial to the dead of that day , and of the thousands thereafter . $LABEL$ 1 +bravado kathy ! $LABEL$ 1 +execrable . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- seagal 's -rrb- strenuous attempt at a change in expression could very well clinch him this year 's razzie . $LABEL$ 0 +thoroughly awful . $LABEL$ 0 +the production values are of the highest and the performances attractive without being memorable . $LABEL$ 1 +starts as a tart little lemon drop of a movie and ends up as a bitter pill . $LABEL$ 0 +despite besson 's high-profile name being wasabi 's big selling point , there is no doubt that krawczyk deserves a huge amount of the credit for the film 's thoroughly winning tone . $LABEL$ 1 +often lingers just as long on the irrelevant as on the engaging , which gradually turns what time is it there ? $LABEL$ 0 +a sensitive , moving , brilliantly constructed work . $LABEL$ 1 +not exaggerated enough to be a parody of gross-out flicks , college flicks , or even flicks in general . $LABEL$ 0 +a high-minded snoozer . $LABEL$ 0 +bring on the sequel . $LABEL$ 1 +judging by those standards , ` scratch ' is a pretty decent little documentary . $LABEL$ 1 +a movie like the guys is why film criticism can be considered work . $LABEL$ 0 +pc stability notwithstanding , the film suffers from a simplistic narrative and a pat , fairy-tale conclusion . $LABEL$ 0 +an often watchable , though goofy and lurid , blast of a costume drama set in the late 15th century . $LABEL$ 1 +check your brain and your secret agent decoder ring at the door because you do n't want to think too much about what 's going on . $LABEL$ 0 +a seriocomic debut of extravagant promise by georgian-israeli director dover kosashvili . $LABEL$ 1 +as saccharine as it is disposable . $LABEL$ 0 +the film becomes an overwhelming pleasure , and you find yourself rooting for gai 's character to avoid the fate that has befallen every other carmen before her . $LABEL$ 1 +matters play out realistically if not always fairly . $LABEL$ 1 +as lively an account as seinfeld is deadpan . $LABEL$ 0 +it may not be a great piece of filmmaking , but its power comes from its soul 's - eye view of how well-meaning patronizing masked a social injustice , at least as represented by this case . $LABEL$ 1 +the only thing that distinguishes a randall wallace film from any other is the fact that there is nothing distinguishing in a randall wallace film . $LABEL$ 0 +contains all the substance of a twinkie -- easy to swallow , but scarcely nourishing . $LABEL$ 0 +cremaster 3 is at once a tough pill to swallow and a minor miracle of self-expression . $LABEL$ 1 +ver wiel 's desperate attempt at wit is lost , leaving the character of critical jim two-dimensional and pointless . $LABEL$ 0 +instead of hitting the audience over the head with a moral , schrader relies on subtle ironies and visual devices to convey point of view . $LABEL$ 1 +a sustained fest of self-congratulation between actor and director that leaves scant place for the viewer . $LABEL$ 0 +a lame romantic comedy about an unsympathetic character and someone who would not likely be so stupid as to get involved with her . $LABEL$ 0 +a much more successful translation than its most famous previous film adaptation , writer-director anthony friedman 's similarly updated 1970 british production . $LABEL$ 1 +hugh grant 's act is so consuming that sometimes it 's difficult to tell who the other actors in the movie are . $LABEL$ 1 +mendes still does n't quite know how to fill a frame . $LABEL$ 0 +but darned if it does n't also keep us riveted to our seats . $LABEL$ 1 +such an incomprehensible mess that it feels less like bad cinema than like being stuck in a dark pit having a nightmare about bad cinema . $LABEL$ 0 +there 's too much forced drama in this wildly uneven movie , about a young man 's battle with his inescapable past and uncertain future in a very shapable but largely unfulfilling present . $LABEL$ 0 +to call this film a lump of coal would only be to flatter it . $LABEL$ 0 +all of the filmmakers ' calculations ca n't rescue brown sugar from the curse of blandness . $LABEL$ 0 +intriguing and stylish . $LABEL$ 1 +a few nonbelievers may rethink their attitudes when they see the joy the characters take in this creed , but skeptics are n't likely to enter the theater . $LABEL$ 1 +mostly , shafer and co-writer gregory hinton lack a strong-minded viewpoint , or a sense of humor . $LABEL$ 0 +it should be interesting , it should be poignant , it turns out to be affected and boring . $LABEL$ 0 +when it 's not wallowing in hormonal melodrama , `` real women have curves '' is a sweet , honest , and enjoyable comedy-drama about a young woman who wants many things in life , but fears she 'll become her mother before she gets to fulfill her dreams . $LABEL$ 1 +cold , nervy and memorable . $LABEL$ 1 +first-timer john mckay is never able to pull it back on course . $LABEL$ 0 +you can practically hear george orwell turning over . $LABEL$ 0 +helmer hudlin tries to make a hip comedy , but his dependence on slapstick defeats the possibility of creating a more darkly edged tome . $LABEL$ 0 +passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly ... $LABEL$ 1 +eric schweig and graham greene both exude an air of dignity that 's perfect for the proud warrior that still lingers in the souls of these characters . $LABEL$ 1 +what jackson has done is proven that no amount of imagination , no creature , no fantasy story and no incredibly outlandish scenery $LABEL$ 0 +there is n't one moment in the film that surprises or delights . $LABEL$ 0 +spiderman rocks $LABEL$ 1 +the plot is plastered with one hollywood cliche after another , most of which involve precocious kids getting the better of obnoxious adults . $LABEL$ 0 +astonishing is n't the word -- neither is incompetent , incoherent or just plain crap . $LABEL$ 0 +you might want to take a reality check before you pay the full ticket price to see `` simone , '' and consider a dvd rental instead . $LABEL$ 0 +unfortunately , a cast of competent performers from movies , television and the theater are cast adrift in various new york city locations with no unifying rhythm or visual style . $LABEL$ 0 +kids five and up will be delighted with the fast , funny , and even touching story . $LABEL$ 1 +still , the updated dickensian sensibility of writer craig bartlett 's story is appealing . $LABEL$ 1 +waydowntown manages to nail the spirit-crushing ennui of denuded urban living without giving in to it . $LABEL$ 1 +he watches them as they float within the seas of their personalities . $LABEL$ 1 +hard as this may be to believe , here on earth , a surprisingly similar teen drama , was a better film . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's a funny little movie with clever dialogue and likeable characters . $LABEL$ 1 +this charming , thought-provoking new york fest of life and love has its rewards . $LABEL$ 1 +a full-frontal attack on audience patience . $LABEL$ 0 +... less a story than an inexplicable nightmare , right down to the population 's shrugging acceptance to each new horror . $LABEL$ 0 +this long and relentlessly saccharine film is a clear case of preaching to the converted . $LABEL$ 0 +the film is old-fashioned , occasionally charming and as subtle as boldface . $LABEL$ 1 +an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans . $LABEL$ 1 +a very well-meaning movie , and it will stand in future years as an eloquent memorial to the world trade center tragedy . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's pretty linear and only makeup-deep , but bogdanovich ties it together with efficiency and an affection for the period . $LABEL$ 1 +adaptation is simply brilliant . $LABEL$ 1 +a thought-provoking picture . $LABEL$ 1 +but arriving at a particularly dark moment in history , it offers flickering reminders of the ties that bind us . $LABEL$ 1 +director charles stone iii applies more detail to the film 's music than to the story line ; what 's best about drumline is its energy . $LABEL$ 1 +presents nothing special and , until the final act , nothing overtly disagreeable . $LABEL$ 0 +turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a ` very sneaky ' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing\/reappearing acts $LABEL$ 1 +director yu seems far more interested in gross-out humor than in showing us well-thought stunts or a car chase that we have n't seen 10,000 times . $LABEL$ 0 +average , at best , i 'm afraid . $LABEL$ 0 +this is a superior horror flick . $LABEL$ 1 +the cast delivers without sham the raw-nerved story . $LABEL$ 1 +all in all , it 's a pretty good execution of a story that 's a lot richer than the ones hollywood action screenwriters usually come up with on their own . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's got all the familiar bruckheimer elements , and schumacher does probably as good a job as anyone at bringing off the hopkins\/rock collision of acting styles and onscreen personas . $LABEL$ 1 +i felt trapped and with no obvious escape for the entire 100 minutes . $LABEL$ 0 +although i did n't hate this one , it 's not very good either . $LABEL$ 0 +cattaneo reworks the formula that made the full monty a smashing success ... but neglects to add the magic that made it all work . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving and not infrequently breathtaking film . $LABEL$ 1 +while the plot follows a predictable connect-the-dots course ... director john schultz colors the picture in some evocative shades . $LABEL$ 1 +anemic , pretentious . $LABEL$ 0 +with few respites , marshall keeps the energy humming , and his edits , unlike those in moulin rouge , are crisp and purposeful without overdoing it . $LABEL$ 1 +light-years ahead of paint-by-number american blockbusters like pearl harbor , at least artistically . $LABEL$ 1 +one of those unassuming films that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after you have left the theatre . $LABEL$ 1 +all of it works smoothly under the direction of spielberg , who does a convincing impersonation here of a director enjoying himself immensely . $LABEL$ 1 +a work that lacks both a purpose and a strong pulse . $LABEL$ 0 +a moving , if uneven , success . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's one thing to read about or rail against the ongoing - and unprecedented - construction project going on over our heads . $LABEL$ 0 +-lrb- a -rrb- real pleasure in its laid-back way . $LABEL$ 1 +feels like pieces a bunch of other , better movies slapped together . $LABEL$ 0 +has all the hallmarks of a movie designed strictly for children 's home video , a market so insatiable it absorbs all manner of lame entertainment , as long as 3-year-olds find it diverting . $LABEL$ 0 +... too contrived to be as naturally charming as it needs to be . $LABEL$ 0 +... in no way original , or even all that memorable , but as downtown saturday matinee brain candy , it does n't disappoint . $LABEL$ 1 +the 50-something lovebirds are too immature and unappealing to care about . $LABEL$ 0 +after a while , the only way for a reasonably intelligent person to get through the country bears is to ponder how a whole segment of pop-music history has been allowed to get wet , fuzzy and sticky . $LABEL$ 0 +a lot of fun , with an undeniable energy sparked by two actresses in their 50s working at the peak of their powers . $LABEL$ 1 +a breathtaking adventure for all ages , spirit tells its poignant and uplifting story in a stunning fusion of music and images . $LABEL$ 1 +this is a nicely handled affair , a film about human darkness but etched with a light -lrb- yet unsentimental -rrb- touch . $LABEL$ 1 +a bland animated sequel that hardly seems worth the effort . $LABEL$ 0 +unspeakable , of course , barely begins to describe the plot and its complications . $LABEL$ 0 +a limp eddie murphy vehicle that even he seems embarrassed to be part of . $LABEL$ 0 +the film sparkles with the the wisdom and humor of its subjects . $LABEL$ 1 +though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way k-19 jettisoned some crucial drama . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's ... worth the extra effort to see an artist , still committed to growth in his ninth decade , change while remaining true to his principles with a film whose very subject is , quite pointedly , about the peril of such efforts . $LABEL$ 1 +in auteil 's less dramatic but equally incisive performance , he 's a charismatic charmer likely to seduce and conquer . $LABEL$ 1 +how many more times will indie filmmakers subject us to boring , self-important stories of how horrible we are to ourselves and each other ? $LABEL$ 0 +this is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body , so original is its content , look , and style . $LABEL$ 1 +a much better documentary -- more revealing , more emotional and more surprising -- than its pedestrian english title would have you believe . $LABEL$ 1 +` if you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . ' $LABEL$ 1 +who knows , but it works under the direction of kevin reynolds . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's supposed to be post-feminist breezy but ends up as tedious as the chatter of parrots raised on oprah . $LABEL$ 0 +lacking substance and soul , crossroads comes up shorter than britney 's cutoffs . $LABEL$ 0 +simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it 's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship . $LABEL$ 1 +at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty . $LABEL$ 1 +a deliberative account of a lifestyle characterized by its surface-obsession -- one that typifies the delirium of post , pre , and extant stardom . $LABEL$ 1 +this is surely one of the most frantic , virulent and foul-natured christmas season pics ever delivered by a hollywood studio . $LABEL$ 0 +i simply ca n't recommend it enough . $LABEL$ 1 +it 's a glorified sitcom , and a long , unfunny one at that . $LABEL$ 0 +returning director rob minkoff ... and screenwriter bruce joel rubin ... have done a fine job of updating white 's dry wit to a new age . $LABEL$ 1 +with zoe clarke-williams 's lackluster thriller `` new best friend '' , who needs enemies ? $LABEL$ 0 +just send it to cranky . $LABEL$ 0 +it 's secondary to american psycho but still has claws enough to get inside you and stay there for a couple of hours . $LABEL$ 1 +one of the funnier movies in town . $LABEL$ 1 +a terrific insider look at the star-making machinery of tinseltown . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is amateurish , but it 's a minor treat . $LABEL$ 1 +it is n't scary . $LABEL$ 0 +a preposterous , prurient whodunit . $LABEL$ 0 +they are what makes it worth the trip to the theatre . $LABEL$ 1 +chan 's stunts are limited and so embellished by editing that there 's really not much of a sense of action or even action-comedy . $LABEL$ 0 +an average kid-empowerment fantasy with slightly above-average brains . $LABEL$ 1 +instead of making his own style , director marcus adams just copies from various sources -- good sources , bad mixture $LABEL$ 0 +the plot of the comeback curlers is n't very interesting actually , but what i like about men with brooms and what is kind of special is how the film knows what 's unique and quirky about canadians . $LABEL$ 1 +tambor and clayburgh make an appealing couple -- he 's understated and sardonic , she 's appealingly manic and energetic . $LABEL$ 1 +the movie is without intent . $LABEL$ 0 +the best thing about the movie is its personable , amusing cast . $LABEL$ 1 +here is a divine monument to a single man 's struggle to regain his life , his dignity and his music . $LABEL$ 1 +if you 're the kind of parent who enjoys intentionally introducing your kids to films which will cause loads of irreparable damage that years and years of costly analysis could never fix , i have just one word for you - -- decasia $LABEL$ 0 +all movie long , city by the sea swings from one approach to the other , but in the end , it stays in formula -- which is a waste of de niro , mcdormand and the other good actors in the cast . $LABEL$ 0 +painful , horrifying and oppressively tragic , this film should not be missed . $LABEL$ 1 +take care is nicely performed by a quintet of actresses , but nonetheless it drags during its 112-minute length . $LABEL$ 0 +the script covers huge , heavy topics in a bland , surfacey way that does n't offer any insight into why , for instance , good things happen to bad people . $LABEL$ 0 +a seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director kurt wimmer at the screenplay level . $LABEL$ 0 +a deliciously nonsensical comedy about a city coming apart at its seams . $LABEL$ 1 diff --git a/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.test.dat b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.test.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..22ecc677ccaef2fff09a81956b2c4456716f6136 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.test.dat @@ -0,0 +1,2000 @@ +Sorry. Someone has to say it. This really is/was a dull movie. Worthy perhaps, but dull nonetheless. I nearly cried with boredom when watching it. The acting is pretty dire, the story drawn out and predictable, the score and camera-work totally standard and unexciting. It's one of those movies you are not allowed to hate (becase it is about disabled people) but hate it I suspect nearly everyone does. It is interesting that critics have been so kind to this movie. I suppose they too are not allowed to be objective. This was made to win awards - which I remember it duly did. But it was neither interesting nor entertaining. I haven't seen the play so cannot compare.$LABEL$ 0 +Comparisons to the original series are inevitable. It's a shame Diana Rigg left the original show in the 1960's due to mistreatment on the part of the producers, and MacNee probably regretted this as much as any fan - there's no telling how long the show might have lasted otherwise. Linda Thorson was OK as a replacement and her episodes still retained almost all of the quality and aspects of the Rigg episodes - only the Rigg/Macnee chemistry was lacking. The New Avengers should have been left on the shelf - a declining Macnee, an annoying Purdey, and a who the hell is this guy Gambit. Also, the humor was forced and poor - granted I only watched a few of the episodes, because that was all I COULD watch, but I think I got the idea. Try as many might and do, it's nearly impossible to resurrect an old show as a new format or movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Meet Peter Houseman, rock star genetic professor at Virgina University. When he's not ballin' on the court he's blowing minds and dropping panties in his classroom lectures. Dr. Houseman is working on a serum that would allow the body to constantly regenerate cells allowing humans to become immortal. I'd want to be immortal too if I looked like Christian Bale and got the sweet female lovin that only VU can offer. An assortment of old and ugly university professors don't care for the popular Houseman and cut off funding for his project due to lack of results. This causes Peter to use himself as the guinea pig for his serum. Much to my amazement there are side effects and he, get this, metamorphoses! into something that is embedded into our genetic DNA that has been repressed for "millions of years". He also beds Dr. Mike's crush Sally after a whole day of knowing her. She has a son. His name is Tommy. He is an angry little boy.Metamorphosis isn't a terrible movie, just not a well produced one. The whole time I watched this I couldn't get past the fact that this was filmed in 1989. The look and feel of the movie is late seventies quality at the latest. It does not help that it's packaged along with 1970's movies as Metamorphosis is part of mill creek entertainment's 50 chilling classics. There is basically no film quality difference whatsoever. The final five minutes are pure bad movie cheese that actually, for me at least, save the movie from a lower rating. Pay attention to the computer terminology such as "cromosonic anomaly". No wonder Peter's experiment failed. Your computer can't spell! This is worthy of a view followed by a trip to your local tavern.$LABEL$ 0 +After enjoying this show for years, I use to dream of being able to see them all again and share them with my grandchildren. I am so happy to pay a small amount for the memories that I have found recorded on DVD. Florida was a caring mother with a loving hard working husband, one spoiled beautiful daughter and two sons as different as day and night. Michael, the baby son is a freedom walker and JJ is a clown. I know many Afro-Americans disliked this show, but I know many can relate and should have accepted it as it was. My heart was sad when I learned that Ester Rolle had passed. Tyler Perry is now the leading writer actor of today and I support his work, but not as much since he made such cruel mocking of Rolle in one of his plays. No one should have to hear ugly things about physical appearance. The show started getting less interesting when Daddy James died. It picked up a bit when Florida remarried, but slumped when she took an absence from the show. In all, the show was great and again I am pleased to own copies of part of my past. I do try to keep up with the work of the former stars of Good Times, and I must say, they are one group who has not been wiped up and down with rumors. I think children of today will enjoy this show and I have no problem sitting and watching with children. Congrats to the writer, crew, and stars for years of renewed memories of a time that I can once again enjoy without having to skip scenes.OK so I watch the shows over and over. Lately I have noticed thing that has made me rethink the series, but not dislike them. I think Florida was a bit harsh when it came to money that the children made. Not that the children did not need supervision, but it was done in a way that makes Florida's mothering different. The scenes where Florida had to speak about how other people were not very good looking bothers me now. When James was alive, the show made a big thing out of James wanting his own Fix-it shop, but never lived to see his family out of the projects, but Florida marries someone who owns a fix-it shop. A bit of a slap in the face to an actor who should have ended his time on Good Times showing that he accomplished all he strove for. Lastly, As I watch the shows, I see the series going in to overtime and being renamed "JJ". To be truthful, after James left everything mostly centered around JJ. Not a bad thing, just a noticeable thing. I would not trade my DVD's for any amount of money, but time, maturity and experience began to guide your eyes after a while.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm in awe! Wow, prepare to be blown away by the uncanny ways of the ninja. Watch them as they pounce, crawl along the ground (on their backs or stomachs) like a caterpillar, fly through the sky, climb buildings, hide and spring from trees, throw about ninja stars, role out blue welcome mats, disappear in smoke bombs, make a lot of swoosh noises with their blades and quickly sneaking or trotting about on their toes. What a sight! Really I could go on about the many traditional actions, but I'll be here all day. Oh not to forget we even get the legendary Chuck Connors popping up now and again, and watch him dispatch some ninjas with his shotgun with little ease. What class! What a badass! Anyhow the ultra-cheap 'Sakura Killers' is some stupid, but cheesy ninja action fun that only fanatics of the genre would get anything out of this shonky b-grade debacle.A genetic lab in America has a very important video that's stolen by a couple of ninjas. Two Americans are sent to Japan by the Colonel (Chuck Connors) to retrieve it.The opening of the feature sets it up nicely. Get ready for the laughs! Afterwards it slows down, but soon after the two main protagonists learns about the ninja and goes through the training it gets a head of steam as they break in costumes and fled after the stolen beta tape that contains a very important formula. This is when the violently swift action and aerobic marital arts really come in to play. It's not too shoddy either, (like the moronic script and daft performances). The final climatic showdown is very well done.In the slow stretches it has the two Americans (Mike Kelly and George Nicholas) looking in to the case, sharing brainless conversations and encountering some minor problems. What made me laugh was how the ninjas were put off by how brave and clever these two were. These were supposed to be professional killers? Director Dusty Nelson ('Effects (1989)') does an earnest job with what he had and plays it for what it is. He centres the on-screen activities around striking Taiwan locations. The score is a chintzy arrangement.$LABEL$ 0 +i found this Robin Williams vehicle mildly amusing at best.i guess you would call it a political satire of sorts.it's about a political talk show host/comedian who decides to run for president and unexpectedly wins.i found most of the humour dry myself,and Robin Williams is much more restrained and sedate than usual.i would say the movie is more of a drama than a comedy,with a bit of mystery and suspense.i think the dramatic parts worked better than the comedy parts,and the mystery and suspense aspect(though that's a small part of the movie)worked the best.still,i wouldn't rate this movie very high.for me,it was an OK waste of 2 hours,but nothing special.my best advice would be to catch it on TV/cable or rent it cheap first,before making a decision on whether to purchase.my vote for Man of The Year is a 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +What a muddled mess. I saw this with a friend a while ago and we both consider ourselves open-minded to the many wonders of cinema, but this sure isn't one of them.While there very well could be some good ideas/concepts and there are certainly some good performances (under the circumstances), it is all buried under random nonsense. Sir Anthony draws way too heavily from the same gene pool as Natural Born Killers, U Turn and similar films as far as the editing is concerned, or maybe he watched himself in Nixon for inspiration. Say what you want about David Lynch, but at least he more often than not has a method to the madness.His quote of stating that he made the film as a joke says it all. It's not worth your money, bandwidth or time.$LABEL$ 0 +When I saw this movie, circa 1979, it became the first movie that I ever walked out of in the middle. There is nothing worse than comedy that just misses being funny, and this misses every time (although I can't speak for the last 25 minutes of the movie). There was nothing original about any of the skits. While I enjoy racy humor where appropriate, these skits were needlessly vulgar. What was even more irritating was that this movie was advertised as "Robin William's first movie", capitalizing on his new found fame in the "Mork and Mindy" television series. Yet his role turned out to be so minor that you cannot even notice him on-screen.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been intrigued by this film for a while, in part because of the extremely high score here on IMDb -- a 9.0 average with over 300 votes gives it the highest rating of any accessible silent film! How had I not heard of this film before this website? Well, you can't always trust the ratings. This is actually a very good film, preserved quite well if the fine VHS transfer I rented is any indication -- excellent acting by the principals, especially William Haines as Brown, and good location work at Cambridge with some fine action footage in the climactic Harvard/Yale football game -- but the story must have seemed a hoary chestnut even in 1926. Obnoxious, self-centered and charismatic guy goes to school and gets put in his place, becoming in the process a caring, self-sacrificing friend; I doubt people in 1926 found much that was really exciting in the last few reels, the predictability factor is high. Still, it starts out very well, and is certainly deserving of being remembered, if not praised to the heavens. Maybe the previous 350 voters are mostly Harvard men...EDIT Now 600+ voters and the score has actually climbed to 9.2! Seriously, folks, there is ballot-stuffing going on here - I defy anybody to explain why this is a better film than "Metropolis" or "The General"!$LABEL$ 1 +JP3 lacks the Spielberg touch. It's an all-out assault on the senses featuring "in your face" dinosaurs. Watching this film was a bit like a roller coaster ride from hell. The script is lame; it simultaneously asks and then leaves too many questions unanswered. Also, we don't really get to appreciate the humans in the film for all they're worth. For example, William H. Macy is too great a talent to have to compete with dino-thugs for our attention. And Laura Dern was especially sympathetic in JP1; in this film, she's barely a blip on the radar screen.The whole JP3 experience was t o o m u c h. Too much noise, too many surprises, too many characters dying off, too much predictable, gratuitous violence. Word to the wise: vote yourself off this island.(I rated it a 3 for special effects; I took off the other 7 points for having absolutely no originality.)$LABEL$ 0 +I would rather have someone cut out my eyeballs with a razor blade than have to watch this movie again. I watched it from start to end thinking it couldn't get any worse....BUT IT DID. The writers and producers should be slapped for putting this kind of crap on television. The actors are ALL terrible. Get out of Hollywood you fools and go work at McDonalds sweeping the floors and emptying the trash. Anyone that thinks this movie is even remotely decent should be hung. They are an embarrassment to humanity. To think we have soldiers putting their lives on the line for anyone that produces this kind of inane garbage. Makes me embarrassed to say I'm an American.$LABEL$ 0 +Italian-born Eleonora has inherited from her deceased lover Karl, an ultra-modern and isolated house in the middle of the woods. It's winter and she meets the mysterious caretaker Leslie, who eventually ends up not only just looking after the house, but also that of Eleonora, as she tries to adapt to her new surroundings and a growing attraction between the pair.What was I expecting? A thriller indeed, but it wasn't quite so. That's just the advertising on the package for ya! I'm quite perplex about everything. The title, the story and the motivation. So how to classify it? Well, this wooden character drama is more a enigmatically moody romance bound-story of alienation, possession and dependence twisted into a complicatedly passionate relationship of two masked individuals. Co-writer (along with William Dafoe) and director Giada Colagrande's art-house film is just too clinical, distant and calculated with its mysteriously metaphoric story, which it leaves you questioning what does it all really mean… although when its sudden conclusion materialises, you'll thinking why should I actually care. What we go through feels aimless with ponderous exposition of dead air that focuses of insignificant details and images. Sterile dialogues can contributed to many awkward developments, but more so make for an leaden experience, as it never delves deep enough. Like it believes it does. The sexually salty activities filtered in just never convince and are far from erotic. They are kind of a bump in the already sluggish flow. The base of the plot makes for something interesting and fresh, but it's never fulfilling and I thought there'll be more to it then all of this dreary lingering. Colagrande's direction is professionally stylish and suitably gloomy to want she imagines, but everything feels like it's in slow motion and can get caught up admiring the same views. Most of the action stays at the one location… the house. Camera-work is potently taut, but the sullen musical score can get a bit ridiculous when it goes for some dramatically stabbing music cues that served little sense and purpose to the scenes. Giada Colagrande plays it sensually and William Dafoe sleep walks the part. He looks dog tired! While Seymour Cassel, pokes his head in now and then.Just where is it heading, is anyone's guess. Well, that's if you can wait around for it. I think I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, as it's definitely not what I was expecting from this Indie film.$LABEL$ 0 +This is my third comment here attempting to connect two legendary movie comedy teams: Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello. The connection here is the year 1940. That's the date that the former had their last movie from their longtime home studio of Hal Roach. I'll mention the significance of the latter later on. Besides being the last time Stan and Ollie worked at the Lot of Fun, it's also the final time they would appear with such familiar supporting players like Charlie Hall and James Finlayson who appeared in most of their films. It's also the last time Art Lloyd would serve as their cameraman and Marvin Hatley-who composed their theme song which would be known as "The Cuckoo Song (Dance of the Cuckoos)"-their score. And it would be the very last time Stan Laurel would be allowed to exercise complete creative control over what goes on film. If there is a more gag-laden structure than usual in this L & H film, it's nice to know most of those gags are indeed funny. That includes most of the sound and visual effects, the latter provided by longtime Roach staffer Roy Seawright. In this one, Ollie has "hornophobia" from working at a noisy horn factory so Dr. Finlayson prescribes going out to sea for his rest. Ollie doesn't like to go boating so Stan suggests they just rent one that's docked so they wouldn't have to go anywhere. After they find one they like, we find out that convict Nick Grainger (Richard Cramer) has just escaped...I'll stop there and say this was as good a finale for L & H's longtime home as one could hope for. It's hilarious mostly from beginning to end and knowing this would be their last for the man partly responsible for their teaming is indeed poignant when one thinks of it. Oh, and I have a couple more lasts to mention: it's the final film appearance of both Harry Bernard, who plays a harbor patrolman after years of encountering Stan and Ollie as a policeman, and that of Ben Turpin, the cross-eyed comic who was born in New Orleans which is a couple of hours away from my current hometown of Baton Rouge, whose second L & H appearance this was having previously "married" the boys in Our Wife. The latter performer especially has a genuine comic moment. All right, I mentioned 1940 being the year Stan and Ollie had their last movie released from Hal Roach Studios. It was also the first year that a comedy team, both born in the state of New Jersey, would make their first picture at what would be their home studio, Universal. The director of that movie would be the same one that guided L & H in The Flying Deuces the previous year. His name was A. Edward Sutherland. P.S. It was during this filming that script supervisor Virginia Lucille Jones had an accident involving a rolled-up carpet. That incident caused Oliver "Babe" Hardy to send her roses to her hospital room. They fell in love and married on March 7, 1940. It lasted until Babe's death in 1957.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, What a wonderful film-making! Mr. Im has done it, again!His last work, ChunHayang (2000) was a great film, but this one is even greater. Selected as an official feature film in the Canne Festival for the second time in a two-year row, this 66 years old director is getting better and better at what he is making of with a Korean culture.Simply, Chihwaseon is about a great Korean painter, '(Ohwon) JANG, Seung-Up' who was considered as a prodigy in the late Nineteenth century. The basic story of this film tells the life of Jang, Seung-up, and the historical background of his time. He was an orphan, but in his teens, he was picked up by a noble man, called, Kim, Byung-Moon. This Mr.Kim becomes a mentor of Jang as well as life-long friendship, and continues to support his great talent that he knew in the first place. With Jang's great effort and natural talent, his fame grows faster and faster as the strength of his country, Korea falls down.Jang's personality portrayed in the film is very complicated, and one of the best actors in Korea, Choi, Min-sik goes deep inside of Jang's soul. Suffering eyes reveal the struggle of a great artist's life. He is very serious sometimes, but all of sudden, he changes to a wild maniac. He drinks like an alcoholic, and sleeps with courtesans anytime. Even, he said in the movie, "without an alcohol and a woman, I can't draw. (An alcohol and women are my only inspirations)" In the peak of the fame, to develope his own style, he travels all around the country, and never gives up his pride as an artist for the authority or money. I don't want to give out every details, but I think you surely did get some ideas about the film.The most amazing thing about this film is a cinematography. It is just so breath-taking how they captured every beauty of landscapes. Yes, each scene is like a work of Jang's painting. And the script is perfect, too. It mainly deals a deeper meaning of what makes a true artist. For example, Kim advices to Jang in the movie that 'before one holds a paintbrush, one has to set an aim in life'. This is very moving and inspiring line, and there are many more.Go See this Film if you are going to be in the Canne Festival.Chihwasun will be the greatest film ever made that deals with the life of a painter in film history.$LABEL$ 1 +Dennis Hopper and JT Walsh steal the show here. Cage and Boyle are fine, but what gives this neo-noir its juice is Hopper's creepy, violent character and JT Walsh's sneakiness.A drifter gets mistaken for a hit-man, and tries to make a little dough out of it, but gets in over his head.I found a strange parallel in the opening scene of this movie, when Cage walks into a trailer in Wyoming to get drilling work, with the help of his buddy...and the opening scene in Brokeback Mountain, when the character does the same thing! But that's another story.Dennis Hopper is at his best here...cocky, one-step-ahead villainous, seething and explosively violent. JT Walsh (RIP) is also great as the man with a dark past, trying to live legitimately (well, almost).There are only 4 real characters of note here, with the exception of the hard-working deputy in the town of Red Rock, Wyoming. The first twist hits early on, and from there it's a nice neo-noir adventure in some sleepy little town. Satisfying. 8 pts.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of my all time favorites. It is so simple and sweet - definitely a chick flick romantic comedy. I really like a film full of good quotes and this has it... one of my favorites is when Albert Einstein says to Ed Walters "Are you thinking what I'm thinking" and Ed says "Now what are the odds of that happening!" In my opinion, a film is fabulous if you can watch it again and again and get the same amount of enjoyment out of it, and with this one, you can!! I also really enjoyed Walter M.s way of portraying Einstein. I think all the characters fit together really well and the story flows nicely. There are so many times that I find myself smiling right along with the film and quoting my favorite lines as I watch it! I would recommend this movie to anyone who has a heart and enjoys a feel-good romantic comedy now and then!$LABEL$ 1 +Oooooh man was I pleased I didn't miss this. I wanted to post this review as this episode in particular does what a certain recent movie did not. It pays true homage to the game DOOM. Its plot is different yes, and the characters are obviously set in an entirely different universe (obviously the doctor who universe) however the feel, the pace, the references and the location are perfect. And for all original Doom fans listen out for the door opening and closing sound effect, it was the icing on the cake for me.Please all doctor who and Doom fans alike, check this one out. its a gem!$LABEL$ 1 +A good film with--for its time--an intense, sprawling, rather dark story somewhat reminiscent of John Ford's "The Searchers" though not so brutal. The story starts fast and doesn't let up, with several scenes of really good dialog between (Stewart's) Jeff Webster, Ronda Castle and Sheriff Gannon. This film is in some ways reminiscent of "Bend of the River" (1952), also a Mann-Stewart work, but I found it far less sentimental and more interesting. There are a few caveats: a too-quickly wrapped up (and rather sentimental) ending; 24-year-old Corrine Calvert is not very convincing as a naive French teenager, and of course the film takes place in the Mythic West, a land of fable where the real laws of nations and physics don't apply. But these are trivial concerns. James Stewart is surprisingly good as a dark, disengaged man who thinks he cares for no one but himself, and the mountain scenery can't be beat. A fine Western costume drama.$LABEL$ 1 +Jean Claude Van Damme's movie career seems to have gone to hell in a handcart so how ironic to see him playing a character who meets the same fate in a literal manner at the very start of the movie ! It's also interesting to note how very , very similar the plots of his movies play out regardless of who the producer , director or screenwriter are . Van Damme usually plays a character who is living in France then due to a set of circumstances finds himself in another part of the globe where he has a brother who dies and it's up to Van Damme to get revenge helped by a character he's just met . Look at AWOL or LEGOINAIRRE or many other films that feature the headline " Starring Jean Claude Van Damme " and they all feature nearly the same type of story structure . This doesn't mean they're identical of course , just very similar and if you've seen one Van Damme movie you've basically seen them all . It's the same with MAXIMUM RISK$LABEL$ 0 +What can you say about a short little film filled with secondary actors and no "stars", with absolutely no bad performances, not one poorly delivered line of dialog, and with the cold violence on one hand being balanced by the warm "heart" of the protagonists in the story? It's a jewel, a diamond, a little valuable gem of a western that evokes the spirit and legend of the American West. A West not settled by grand heroes like Hickock or Cody or Masterson or Earp, but by the spread of the everyday man and woman, farmers and ranch hands, merchants and miners and lumbermen, whores and barkeeps, and entertainers of the day, some looking for riches, some for peace and quiet, some for religious freedom. It is, perhaps, a very spiritual story, though not promoting any particular religion, for even the non-Mormon cowboys portrayed by Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. act in kind and noble ways toward everybody in the story, regardless of religious affiliation and beliefs, and go out of their way to promote tolerance and charity when the wagon train comes upon the stranded medicine show people. And in true biblical fashion, like David and Goliath or Samson and the Philistines, they are the guardian angels sent to the wagon train who eventually have to go head to head with the evil incarnate Clegg clan, likening them to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and regretting what it is they have to do afterward. It's a sweet folkloric tale of the West that hits every target John Ford takes aim at.Nowadays I have a western Santa Claus whose red outfit is covered with a denim drover coat, whose red stocking cap is replaced by a brown Stetson, who carries a burlap bag of presents and a coil of rope. To my Santa I added a Winchester rifle with a sling to put on one of his shoulders and a Colt revolver to tuck into his waistband. When people at the office ask why my Santa has to carry guns, I simply reply, "Snakes!" After all, isn't the spirit of the Christmas season one where everybody should get what they deserve? Fifty five years later, especially post-911, the philosophies and attributes demonstrated by the characters and story of this movie are still as relevant today as they were back then.$LABEL$ 1 +I never thought a movie could make me regret the fact that I subscribe to the HBO service. Now I know better! Jack is usually one of my favorite actors but not even he could rescue this part. Not that he tried. Jack plays his usual Wiitches of Eastwick type character. Unfortunately it doesn't transfer over to the American southwest. He is about as believable a cowboy desperado as Pee Wee Herman. There is no edge to the performance and for that reason the comedy fails. He is almost to goofy. The remainder of the cast was worse. Timing in delivering lines is apparently something that the leading lady had not perfected as of 1978 and the others appeared to be just happy to be there. My recommendation to those of you interested in seeing this movie is that you save your valuable time for something like watching paint dry.$LABEL$ 0 +This was an interesting adaption of William Shakespeare's last known solo play but in my humble opinion, a terrible one. Jarman tries to change the personalities of the characters for a start. He makes Miranda seem insane after being stuck on the island for so long, Prospero is no different - a mix of madness and self-pity on his part. I could not imagine Shakespeare thinking his characters to be anything like the way Jarman portraits them.Caliban's appearance is maybe the only thing he got right, but then again, I was under the impression that Caliban was a tormented, deformed monster but turns out to be an insane rambling, northerner who is constantly cackling, not as I would have imagined him. Ferdinand makes a brief appearance, naked most the time and quiet.In fact, to the point I stopped watching this awful adaption, their had been so many lines cut from the play. If anything, I think Jarman was trying to re-write Shakespeare and include his own scenes most the time. So much text is cut out in the first part it makes it not a Shakespeare play, but a load of 70's melodramatic, preposterous rubbish.An attempt to interpret this play more realistically in the end, but this play was never a realistic one and it was made nothing like the text displays it to be.$LABEL$ 0 +If I was British, I would be embarrassed by this portrayal of incompetence. A protection agent of the Special Branch unable to defend herself against a sick, unarmed and untrained assailant? The Home Office sends a single "Science Adviser" to investigate a possible Level Four biohazard, and that "Advisor" doesn't have the sense to wear even a mask and gloves? Totally unprotected London police officers working side by side with technicians in full biohazard suits? The "Advisor" and his bodyguard bearding the lair of a sociopathic doctor experimenting on human subjects without any backup? Puh-leeze! One wonders whether the producers could not afford to hire any technical advisers or if, for some arcane reason, they consciously decided to portray the principals as hopelessly incompetent. Even my wife, who has no background in either medicine or law enforcement, was rolling her eyes in disbelief. After the first episode, I was discouraged; now that I have seen two episodes, I give up.$LABEL$ 0 +I grew up outside of Naila Germany(where they landed),every detail of the film was 100% authentic,the power lines that they flew over,the nosy neighbors,the grandmother telling the kids that they cant watch west German TV,etc..This movie brings back lots of good memories to those that are European,a great production from Disney...The same movie in German has Klaus Lowitsch and Gunter Meisner using their own voices for translating the English version into German...for the German version they also use Cookoo birds ,a bird that is native to Germany as background noise to let you know that you are in Germany..I showed this move to many of my German relative and they really liked this movie.(these people made made a prototype balloon which they had to give up because the materials that they used was too porous and the other 2 balloons that they used for the escape.The burner problem was solved when they turned the propane cylinders upside down.)$LABEL$ 1 +STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits Mike Atherton (Dudikoff) is peacefully making his way in the Wild West when he spots a group of men mistreating a lady. Being a gentleman, he naturally steps in and puts a stop to this and in doing so kills the son of a nasty enforcer. This is just the beginning of a all guns blazing battle to the finish from which there will be only one winner.M Dudikoff is an action star who's never truly managed to take off with me. Maybe I discovered him too late and after the other film I saw with him in it last Monday, The Human Shield, it was just another Dud (ha ha) added to the list. But I have a thing for westerns, being films that just sort of transport me to a different time and place and provide real escapist entertainment and with this Dudikoff has picked one of his better scripts, as his films go anyway.The film hits a few low points in the shape of a naff central villain, sounding like a blank Marlon Brando and some generally ropey acting from some of the cast, along with the obligatory cheap looking sets. But if, for some strange reason, your life ever depended on watching a Dudikoff film, this would be one of your best choices. ***$LABEL$ 1 +Have just seen the Australian premiere of Shower [Xizhao] at the Sydney Film Festival. The program notes said it was - A perfect delight -deftly made, touching, amusing, dramatic and poignantly meaningful. I couldn't agree more. I just hope the rest of the Festival films come up to this standard of entertainment and I look forward to seeing more Chinese films planned to be shown in Sydney in the coming months.$LABEL$ 1 +I do not fail to recognize Haneke's above-average film-making skills. For example, I appreciate his lingering on unremarkable-natural-day-lighted settings as a powerful way to force a strong sense of realism. However, regarding the content of this film, I am very sad to see that in the 21st century there is still an urge to pathologize domination-submission relations or feelings (and/or BDSM practices). The problem that the main character has with her mother is unbelievably topical as is the alienation and uncomprehension felt by Walter (I don't mean the frustration of a lover which is not loved back in the same way, which is understandable; I mean that he looks upon her as if she were crazy, or as if he was a monk, come on!). I mean D/s is not something new in the world and I think it is rather silly to treat the subject as if it were something "freakish" or pathological; it isn't. In general, films dealing with this subject are really lagging behind the times.So, for me, I feel that this film ends up being quite a programmatical film, worried with very outdated psicoanalitical theories (isn't it nearly embarrassing?), and that does not really relate with real-life lives and experiences of those engaged in D/s relationships (personal experience, forums, irc chatrooms even recent scholar studies will show this).$LABEL$ 0 +Spirit is a unique and original look at western life from the point of view of a wild horse, and native Americans. The film focuses on the friendships and perils that a wild horse, Spirit, encounters during his life.Very well done in the presentation, using the technology available today to deliver stunning visuals that are breathtaking in their depth and realism.The music is fantastic, with songs by Bryan Adams, and music by Hans Zimmer, who also was responsible for the extremely popular music from the 1994 Disney hit, The Lion King.The story is not very deep but the fact that it isn't quite as in-depth as some movies doesn't in my opinion detract from the film as a whole.An excellent film which I enjoyed immensely, and that is suitable for all the family. Not one to be missed. (10/10)$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably my favorite movie of all time. It is perfection in its storytelling. It will break your heart not because it's over sentimental but because you will truly feel every emotion these characters go through. You feel for Doggie because of the hopeless situation that existed for young girls in China at that time.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I'm even giving this movie a 4 is because it was made in to an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The horrible direction is only slightly overshadowed by the characters complete inability to act. The lead is an actor i have never seen in anything else and it shows. No chemistry with the love interest and so bland you almost don't care what happens to him. Dick Sargent was not convincing as a villain least of all this guy was suppose to be super evil...he was more annoying then anything. Peter Graves was the only person the movie that wasn't awful, his part was small and even he couldn't compensate for his co-stars lack of talent. In 2004 someone tried to make this mess all over again it was called The Island...I personally didn't see that movie but from what i understand its the same movie. If you want to laugh at this movie get the MST3k episode its really funny...full of bewitched and biography references it makes this movie finally watchable$LABEL$ 0 +This sitcom was a big crowd puller in the year 1984-1985.That was a time people could see deserted streets in most of the over crowded Indian cities whenever there were sitcom on Indian television screens. All this was the result of the setting up of television relay stations across the entire Indian nation. This was one of the essential elements of the modernization of Indian television network strategy adopted by the late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.It was also continued by her son Rajiv Gandhi. This series provided clean entertainment which a large majority of Indian television audience watched on their black and white television sets.A funny thing about this series is that it was sponsored by an indigenous company dealing in Ayurvedic products. A couple of days ago I caught sight of some episodes of this series but the overall laughter equation was missing. This goes on to prove that may be with the ever changing passage of time entertainment material lose their charm and hold over people's minds.$LABEL$ 1 +Iberia is nice to see on TV. But why see this in silver screen? Lot of dance and music. If you like classical music or modern dance this could be your date movie. But otherwise one and half hour is just too long time. If you like to see skillful dancing in silver screen it's better to see Bollywood movie. They know how to combine breath taking dancing to long movie. Director Carlos Saura knows how to shoot dancing from old experience. And time to time it's look really good. but when the movie is one and hour it should be at least most of time interesting. There are many kind of art not everything is bigger then life and this film is not too big.$LABEL$ 0 +Dick and Jane Harper (Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni) wind up on the unemployment line when the corporation Dick works for is caught in a corruption scandal, and after desperately and unsuccessfully trying to find jobs, the duo turns to crime in order to get them out of poverty.I've always been a fan of Jim Carrey. It's been awhile since he has made a straight up comedy. The last one was Bruce Almighty which was pretty good. He has proved that he can do serious dramas but comedy is his real element. Fun with Dick and Jane proves that he still has it. Even though the film was funny, it was still kind of disappointing. It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. It's worth watching once though unlike most of Carrey's movies, it doesn't have a good repeat value. Part of the problem is the script. I was surprised the script was weak since this is the same guy that made The Forty Year Old Virgin. Some of the jokes just fall flat and other times they seem to be trying too hard. If Jim Carrey wasn't in it, than the film would have been a lot worse.Next to Jim Carrey is Téa Leoni. She's an okay actress but she just isn't very funny. She doesn't match up well with Carrey and she seemed to be phoning in her performance. They should have gone with someone else. The supporting cast includes Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins and Aaron Michael Jenkins. The latter plays Billy Harper and he actually gives a decent performance. He wasn't as annoying as most child stars are. Alec Baldwin was okay and Richard Jenkins tried too hard to be funny. To be honest, I'm a little bias here. The film altogether was pretty average but I liked it more because of Jim Carrey's performance. Fans of Jim Carrey should enjoy it but that's about it. In the end, Fun with Dick and Jane is a fun way to spend 90 minutes but its not very memorable. Rating 6/10$LABEL$ 0 +To be honest, I had no idea what this movie was about when I started it. That's how I watch movies whenever possible. No preconception. I thought this was going to be a movie about stoners in the woods or something. I was wrong, kinda.Loaded was kind of boring at first but once it started to get going it really hooked me. I know the feeling of being sucked into something dangerous where you feel helpless but to do things that you do not want to do.Another user commented on how this movie was silly and implausible but I beg to differ. These kinds of things DO happen. I'm sorry but not everyone lives in a dream world where nothing bad can happen and crazy situations are "implausible". Really sorry but the reality of the WORLD is that they DO happen. The creator of this movie as well as the actors did a great job of portraying how things can just go bad and how people can make really bad choices. Sometimes things turn out good, sometimes they turn out bad and such is life.I highly recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably the best Royal Rumble in years.Match 1 sees Edge battle Shawn Michaels in a good but very long match. Next up one of the worst wrestlers on the roster - Heidenreich takes on The Undertaker in a boring casket match. Match number 3 sees Bradshaw defend his WWE title against Big Show and Kurt Angle in a surprisingly good contest. The next match up sees Triple H defending his 10th heavyweight title reign against Randy Orton in a great match up.Next up the Royal Rumble takes place in which 15 Raw superstars and 15 Smackdown! superstars hit the ring to try and win the rumble and face the champion whoever that may be at Wrestlemania 21. Highlights included Tough Enough 3 winner Daniel Puder getting his ass kicked by Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Hardcore Holly! All of the superstars beating the crap out of Muhammad Hassan, and Raw superstars vs Smackdown! superstars!Not a bad PPV at all.Edge vs HBK - 8/10 Taker vs Heidenreich - 4/10 JBL vs Angle vs Big Show - 7.5/10 Triple H vs Orton - 8.5/10 The Royal Rumble match - 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +ever watched. It deals so gently and subtly not only with Aids (which is only alluded) and gay life, but also with old age, dying and death. It's a deep and beautiful movie, (also visually), of a very special director. Highly recommanded1$LABEL$ 1 +I love Lucy, but this movie is so wretchedly bad that I was squirming in embarrassment for all concerned within the first ten minutes . . . and it just got worse from there. Lucille Ball's "singing" is downright painful and the attempts to make her appear more youthful through the use of soft focus had me reaching for my reading glasses. It's bombs like this that give bombs a bad name.$LABEL$ 0 +Merry madcaps in London stage a treasure hunt, with one young woman inadvertently fixing up her married politician father with a strong, independent lady-flier who's never been in love. Intriguing early vehicle for Katharine Hepburn, playing an Amelia Earhart-like aviatrix who's been too self-involved to give herself over to any man. The director (Dorothy Arzner) and the screenwriter (Zoe Akins, who adapted Gilbert Frankau's book) were obviously assigned to this project to get the female point of view, but why are all the old clichés kept intact like frozen artifacts? Billie Burke plays the type of simpering, weepy wife who takes to her bed when thing go wrong, and Hepburn's final scene is another bummer. A curious artifact, but not a classic for Kate-watchers. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen "Chasing the Dragon" several times and have enjoyed it each time. The acting was superb. This movie really makes you realize how one bad choice at a weak moment can change your life.$LABEL$ 1 +"Death Promise" is a lost 70's exploitation gem and deserves to be seen. Technically somewhat of a mess and boasting a stock of amateur New Yawk types, this film never bores. I highly recommend tracking this down. It's a hoot and a half.$LABEL$ 1 +As a true Elvis fan, this movie is a total embarrasment and the script is a disaster. The movie opens with the beautiful son "Stay Away" and the scenery of the Grand Canyon gives the viewer hope of something special. Elvis gets in the picture and his talent is wasted big time, especially on the rest of the featured songs. I sat through this movie twice, just to make sure it is a piece of junk!!! 1 out of 10!!!$LABEL$ 0 +It was only a matter of time that a spoof would be made of sports movies! And there are plenty of movies to be spotted which are made fun off. But the biggest problem I had was the fact that it stays with recognizing movies. The director and writers of "The Comebacks" somehow forget to get creative. While I must admit that I laughed at certain scenes,"The Comebacks" could have been so much funnier. The actors forget to deliver their lines seriously and have a straight face throughout the movie. A spoof demands this and that is the main reason why silly jokes work in movies like this. Because of the failure of the cast to do so the jokes never hit their mark. Some scenes take forever and normally in spoofs that doesn't have to be a problem. Take "Naked Gun" for instance. Their is always something happening on screen. In "The Comebacks" they didn't even bother to let stuff happening in the background. Only a couple of factors make this movie worth watching! It still is fun to spot the movies that are made fun off. And Jermaine Williams as Ipod. His parody on Cuba Gooding Jr. as Radio was hilarious! He seemed to be the only one in the cast to get the idea of what a spoof is about. Not entirely bad!$LABEL$ 0 +A visit by Hitler in Rome is the backdrop of this tender story of love, friendship, homosexuality and fascism. Sophia Loren plays the housewife and mother of six children who stays at home while her entire family go to the military parade in honor of Hitler and Mussolini. She has to stay at home since the family cannot afford a maid. She would have loved to go though as she along with the entire housing complex where she lives is an ardent admirer of Il Duce.There is one exception though. Across the yard sits Marcello Mastroianni on his chair contemplating suicide. The reason? He is homosexual and because of that has recently lost his job as a radio announcer. The film really takes off when these two people meet by chance. Mastroianni is in despair and badly in need of a friend. Loren, frustrated by her own cheating husband misunderstands Mastroianni and in a masterfully shot, directed and acted scene on the roof of the building complex offers her body to him only to be rejected. The initial chock is replaced soon afterwards by her hunger for this man, this anti fascist, this homosexual, this other world who is so willing to give her all that she longs for.This is a beautifully crafted movie with two of the most talented actors ever. Loren proves here that she is an actress of caliber when well directed. This is a simple but yet powerful film about fascism, love, ordinary people and most importantly the human condition. Despite its sad ending there is a glimpse of hope in the denouement, things will change, someone has understood.$LABEL$ 1 +Heard some good remarks about this film as being very gory and frightning, but it's neither. Obviously the screenwriter wanted to do a scary horror film but at the same time inject some teenage comedy for the young target audience. Scares and comedy seldomly result in good films, the same goes for MONSTER MAN.Not really funny, nor scary or overly enjoyable on ANY other level.Aproaching 39 years of age I've seen my share of horror movies. I have seen good ones and terrible ones, but the crop of films released these days are so frighteningly mediocre it bores me to watch 'em. The acceptance these days for bad films like this is what really annoys me. Let's face it, they produced a lot of crap in the 70's, 80's and 90's but they were regarded as such then as well. Today they're regarded as "good entertainment". - Bollocks!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie made me very angry. I wanted desperately to throttle the "scientists" and unseen film-makers during the course of it. Very, very painful to sit through. Sophomoric and pretentious in the worst way. The little good information on brain function/chemistry and quantum theory is lost in a sea of new agey horse sh*t. The worst offenders were the crack-pot charlatans Ramtha and Joseph Dispenza. Mr. Dispenza informs us that most people lead lives of mediocrity and clearly implies that he, on the other hand, is living on a higher plane. Even the ideas and attitudes that I basically agree with are presented in such a heavy handed, clumsy, superior, pretentious, preachy manner that I felt the desire to disavow them. I think that's what made me so angry, the fact that they've taken what are indeed profound aspects of established scientific thought and marred them with their new age hokum. Much of it is based around the fallacy of applying concepts of quantum theory to the macro world. Fittingly, the dramatized portions with Marlee Matlin are amateurish and cliché ridden.I would refer people instead to Bill Bryson's excellent survey of science: "A Brief History of Nearly Everything." There's plenty of profound wonder about life and the universe in the actual, established science.$LABEL$ 0 +What a surprise. A basic copycat of the comedy classic 'The Nutty Professor' only naughtier. Funny guy Tim Thomerson (who steals the show as Blinkin in Robin Hood-Men In Tights) is downright hilarious as the anal retentive Dr. Jekyll and the sex crazed Hyde. The one scene that is really funny is when Dr. Lanyon (Mark Blankfield) catches Jekyll in bed with his daughter and says: "how dare you take advantage of my innocent daughter." Jekyll replies, "but sir, I'm going ahead with the operation."Lanyon replies back, "oh. Well in that case fu** your brains out!!!"$LABEL$ 1 +I saw a test screening of Blurred recently, and I am surprised to say that it was actually pretty good! Its a film about different groups of kids, your hillbillies, your rich snobs, your typical teenage couple, plus two geeky guys and one post hippie babe. Together, but as separate storylines, each group is travelling to the Gold Coast for Schoolies Week. Australia has never had any problems writing comedy and Australia is never short or actors who can play comedy with subtlety and just the right amount on quirkiness. The cast is full of stellar Aussie actors with enormous talent and loads of screen presence. Keep your eyes on Craig Horner, a young graduate, who's optimism for a week long party gets lost in his friends shenanigans. Travis Cotten and Mark Priestly, who successfully tackle some tricky physical comedy as two bummed out bogans and Jessica Gower as a cutie but confused teen angsting about love. Veronika Sywak makes her film debut as every adolescent boys dream girl, and holds her own amongst an array of considerably more experienced performers. Look out for Matthew Newton, cleverly cast as a seedy limo driver. Fantastic Aussie$LABEL$ 1 +George Armstrong Custer is known through history as an inept General who led his rgiment to their death at the battle of Little Big Horn. "They Died with their boots on," paints a different picture of General Custer. In this movie he is portrayed as a Flamboyant soldier whose mistakes, and misdeeds are mostly ue to his love for adventure.Errol Flynn plays George Armstrong Custer who we first meet as an over confident recruit at West Point. Custer quickily distinguishes himself from other cadets as beeing a poor student who always seems to be in trouble. Somehow this never appears to bother Custer and only seems to confuse him as he genuinely does not know how he gets into such predicaments. In spite of his poor standing, he eventualy graduates and becomes an officer in the United States Army. Through an error, Custer receives a promotion in rank. Before this can be corrected, he leads a Union regiment into battle against the Confederates. His campaign is successful and Custer becomes an unlikely national hero. Custer returns to his hometown, marries his sweetheart, Libby who is played by Olivia De Havilland. Libby is a very supportive understanding wife who steadfastly stays by his side and follows him into the frontier as he assumes leadership of the Seventh Regiment of the Cavalry. Custer becomes a man of honor who strives to keep peace with the Native Americans. To prove his intentions, he enters into a treaty with Crazy Horse, the leader of the Sioux . When that treaty is jeopardized by a conspiracy to spread a false rumor of gold being found in the Black Hills, Custer sacrifices his own life as well as the lives of the men under his command to prevent the slaughter of thousands of innocent settlers.Errol Flynn dominates each scene in which he appears. He successfully portrays Custer as being flamboyant, arrogant, romantic and funny depending on the mood of the scene. Olivia De Havilland's depiction of Libby Bacon Custer as the love of his life lets us see his tender, more gentle side. The Chemistry between DeHavilland and Flynn, who had acted together in several other movies, is so smooth and it almost makes the viewer feel like they are playing themselves and not the parts of Custer and his wife. The other actors portrayals of their characters truly enhance the performances of Flynn and De Havilland. Anthony Quinn as Crazy Horse, Sidney Greenstreet as General Winfield Scott , Arthur Kennedy as Edward Sharp are among the other actors whose roles have made this movie entertaining.The reviewer would rate this a 4 star movie. While it is not historically accurate, it is very entertaining. The movie has a little bit of everything. It has adventure, comedy and romance, so it appeals to a large variety of audiences. The casting of the characters is excellent and the actors give believable performances which makes you forget it is largely based on fiction instead of fact. The reviewer especially likes that the Native Americans were not shown to be the bad guys but just showed them as wanting to protect their sacred land.$LABEL$ 1 +I LOVE Dr WHo SO much! I believe that David Tennant is the best Dr the show has ever had and Billie Piper the Best companion! I liked the way the Dr and Rose had such a connection and a great relationship and the Dr came close a few times to expressing his love for rose! It sadly came to an end after only 2 seasons. I will miss watching rose heaps and think that the show will not be the same without Rose! But David is still there to make me laugh and make me happy to watch him play this fantastic role! I rate this show 110% it is FANTASTIC! The graphics and monsters in this show are wonderful and every storyline is different but somewhat connected and i have actually learned somethings about love, the world and relationships from this show. Therefore it must be one of the most fantastic shows of all time!$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, first the good thing : If you saw the trailer then you know about 100% of the "scary/jumpy" moment of the movie. And yes, it's a good thing because you should just stick to the trailer and not go see the movie.I now understand why Sarah Michelle Gellar did not stay alive in that movie for very long, she did not want to associate her name with this production. I wish her the best for "The Return".You have to follow 3 different story in this movie, and they are all disconnected (in time and meaning) until the very end. And even then it's a very bad climax. And god forbid even open the door to another sequel.Yes, in this movie, "The Rage and Fury" is on the move. No need to visit the house anymore, just be close to someone who when inside and you're done. It's not a curse anymore it's kinda like a virus. Go inside the house, get scared, return back to USA and spread the joy in your apartment building.It's not that difficult to follow, but you just don't really care about anyone. The plot line is slim to none and you have many scene in this movie where you just laugh and shake your head... Milk anyone?? I saw Ju-On 2 at the Fantasia movie festival last summer, different story completely but much better than this dud. It's not a remake, but this time, maybe they should have simply done a remake....If you must see it, wait for the DVD.$LABEL$ 0 +"River's Edge" was one of the most disturbing films of 1986, and for a year that also saw "Blue Velvet", you know thats saying something. Viewed today its lost little of its power and remains much better than the overrated "Kids". The previews for "Kids" played it up to be an expose of the deterioration of the nation's youth. In reality, it was little more than an exploitation film based mostly around shock value. "River's Edge" was promoted as a teen exploitation flick but was in actuality much better. The only times it goes from being disturbing to distasteful is the constant image of the dead nude body. Outside of that, the film is thought-provoking and, for all its minor flaws, quite realistic.Keanu Reeves, known for being a particularly wooden performer, gives his best performance as a burned-out teenager. Ione Skye is equally sympathetic and likable. Dennis Hopper (on the comeback trail with this, "Blue Velvet", and "Hoosiers") gives a great performance as the creepy yet pathetic hippie generation leftover. Crispin Glover, while always entertaining to watch, seems a bit out of place as the manic stoner and leader of the group. The best performance however is definitely Daniel Roebuck. As the murderer John, Roebuck is frighteningly emotionless. Its a shame he didn't become a bigger star as hes a much better actor than Reeves.The film is overall fantastic and daring. Don't mistake this for another lame John Hughes clichéd high school flick such as "The Breakfast Club". This is a shocking piece of nihilism that resonates with the viewer. Fans of this movie are advised to check out a Canadian film from 1981 called "Out of the Blue", directed by Dennis Hopper. Its another shockingly bleak examination of the generation gap and, despite its obscurity, may have been an influence on "River's Edge". (7/10)$LABEL$ 1 +Although Humphrey Bogart got star billing in King Of The Underworld, I'm willing to bet he didn't thank Jack Warner for it. In fact this film was one hollow crown.King of the Underworld was supposedly a remake of the Paul Muni film, Dr. Socrates, but given Humphrey Bogart was in the cast, the character is written more like Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest. He even has an English writer along in the person of James Stephenson.Kay Francis and John Eldredge are a pair of married doctors and Eldredge pulls off a tricky bit of surgery on one of Bogart's henchmen. Bogey's a man who appreciates good work done on his behalf and gives Eldredge $500.00 and there's more where that came from if he plays his cards right. Eldredge who has a gambling problem sees a good way to get some undeclared income. But when he's killed in a raid on the gang's hideout, Francis is also thought to be involved by the law and the American Medical Association no matter how much she protests her innocence. It's no good and she and her aunt Jessie Busley move to a small town to get away from the notoriety.Of course the notoriety and Bogart and an itinerant Leslie Howard like writer in Stephenson all meet up with her again. But Kay is plucky and resourceful to say the least.Bogart's character was ridiculous, no wonder the poor guy was screaming for better parts. He's a gangster who both shoots down people without mercy and gives his henchmen hotfoots just for laughs. He's concerned about his image and therefore kidnaps writer Stephenson to ghost write his autobiography and of course confesses enough to burn him in all 48 states. And then let's Kay Francis completely outsmart him, hard to believe he was king of anything.Definitely one of the lesser works for either of the stars.$LABEL$ 0 +"Don't be greedy" sums up the depth of this movie. All the rest of the baloney is big budget window dressing. The movie rotates through hiding the ball annoyingly and revealing too much. None of the potentially interesting plot tangents are developed yet the trite ones are hashed and rehashed to excess.The charm of DD, as others have pointed out, was in the schizophrenia device,the humor woven into the fabric of the movie, and most importantly, the acting. There is enough wooden acting in The Box to attract a giant mound of martian termites.The biggest problem with suspending disbelief during this mess is the glaring question, "why would a technologically superior power capable of taking over the government need to do any testing at all?" Awful failure of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a fan of Columbo, especially on a rainy Saturday, and it was fun to see Oskar Werner after Fahrenheit 451, but this episode was very lacking. The original plot and plot twists were obvious and could be guessed way in advance, even years before the modern detective shows of today. But it was amusing to see the crazy couch patterns and "modern" electronics equipment and, of course, the mandatory suburbanite humor poking fun at modern art for sale. The high-tech home is a Jetson's or Disney version of Tomorrowland, and fun to think of writers inventing those "way-out gizmos".If its sunny outside, go play, as there are much better Columbo episodes. Still, we should be thankful for Cable TV that these episodes are being broadcast.$LABEL$ 0 +"COSBY," in my opinion, is a must-see CBS hit! I'm not sure if I've never seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. It's hard to say which one is my favorite. Also, I really loved the theme song. If you ask me, even though I liked everyone, it would have been nice if Madeline Kahn hadn't passed away during the show's run. Since that happened, I've always wondered what the show would have been like. Everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the costumes were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, even though it can be seen on TBS now, I strongly recommend you catch it just in case it goes off the air for good$LABEL$ 1 +Indian Directors have it tough, They have to compete with movies like "Laggan" where 11 henpecked,Castrated males defend their village and half of them are certifiable idiots. "Devdas", a hapless, fedar- festooned foreign return drinking to oblivion, with characters running in endless corridors oblivious to any one's feelings or sentiments-alas they live in an ornate squalor of red tapestry and pageantry. But to make a good movie, you have to tight-rope walk to appease the frontbenchers who are the quentessential gapers who are mesmerized with Split skirts and Dishum-Dishum fights preferably involving a nitwit "Bollywood" leading actor who is marginally handsome. So you can connect with a director who wants to tell a tale of Leonine village head who in own words "defending his Village" this is considered a violent movie or too masculine for a male audience. There are very few actors who can convey the anger and pathos like Nana Patekar (Narasimhan). Nana Patekar lets you in his courtyard and watch him beret and mock the Politician when his loyal admirers burst in laughter with every word of satire thrown at him, meanwhile his daughter is bathing his Grandson.This is as authentic a scene you can get in rural India. Nana Patekar is the essential actor who belongs to the old school of acting which is a disappearing breed in Hindi Films. The violence depicted is an intricate part of storytelling with Song&Dances thrown in for the gawkers without whom movies won't sell, a sad but true state of affairs. Faster this changes better for "Bollywood". All said and done this is one good Movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has a very simple yet clever premise - an unemployed man trying to steal from a convenience store, and the store clerk catches him in the act... the thief runs away with the store-clerk right after him. All the while, the store clerk is in trouble with a low-rank Yakuza chinpira (gangster). Along the chase for the thief, they catch the eye of the Yakuza who's been looking for the convenience store clerk. The story then moves into high gear in the form of a Tom & Jerry (cat & mouse), but is added with the dog chasing after the cat. The entire 2nd act of D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner (can be translate to English as "PINBALL RUNNERS") is about the chase, and the chase goes on & on to the point that by the end of the 2nd act, the bum forgets why he is running away, and the Yakuza don't remember which of the 2 guys he is chasing, nor does he remember why they're running away from him.Similar to SABU's later film POSTMAN BLUES, the bulk of the film is simply all chase and action, with plenty of physical comedy and dark humor injected to keep the audience engaged. What falls short is the ending, to which the chase stops when the three men run out of steam, and into one of the most chaotic Mexican stand-offs you'll see on film that looks almost as if Sabu was paying homage to Tony Scott's TRUE ROMANCE (written by Quentin Tarantino).$LABEL$ 1 +There are just so many things wrong with this movie.To begin with, the first twenty minutes of the film could have been compressed into just five or maybe ten. The overall movie is (mercifully) short already, but this could have been made up for by giving a little more attention to the Mean Lion (how did the miss a reference to "The Wiz" on that one?) and working his subplot a little more closely into the main plot. In short, the script had the seed of a good idea, but needed quite a bit of reworking.Second, it could have done without the crude humor. The original also had some that it could have done without, but at least there it was almost an afterthought -- here, flatulence and urination abound.Third, the show is a little too self-aware. The original series had that well enough, as did the first movie, but here it's just way, way too much. The Brendan Fraser in-jokes were just a bit over the top (and why no mention of the "new Ursula"?). Other gags with the Narrator, especially a couple of interactions near the end, also exceed good sense.Fourth, a bit more attention could have been given to the CGI work. In the first it was hard to tell that Shemp wasn't a real elephant (except by behavior, of course), but here the CGI stands out like a sore thumb. Ideally special effects should merely tell the story whether they're good or bad, and they at least do succeed on that count, so it's a relatively small problem, but it's still there.All that said, Christopher Showerman's performance as George is decent enough. It lacks Brendan Fraser's charm, but Christopher only really fails in that specific comparison -- he even managed to give George a bit of personal depth, which should have been a major foul in a Jay Ward-inspired movie but wasn't here. Julie Benz as the new Ursula surprised me as being even better than Leslie Mann in the original.Most other performances were pretty standard, not standing out in my mind as either good or bad.$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit I wasn't expecting much on this movie. I was surprised I truly enjoyed it as much as I did. The script wasn't oscar material, but it wasn't horrible either. The acting was great by Mark Wahlberg. Jennifer Aniston had a great supporting role, and looked lovely as ever. What made this movie for me was the music. If you do not like 80's glam metal or hair bands, then you probably wont like this movie. Its all about being a rockstar. Some cliche's were present, but didn't bring down the movie at all. I would recommend it to anyone who likes rock and roll and remember to Stand up and Shout!!! 8 of 10 for great acting and awesome music.Jason$LABEL$ 1 +As long as you can suffer it! If you like watching people waking up, getting up, getting dressed, having a shower, preparing dinner, watching each other, having sex in the dark, then going back to bed to sleep... if you like tacky flats, narrow bedrooms and kitchens, long minutes of silence.... if you like getting bored for two hours, feeling the thrill of "real intimate false art", then you will like it. But if you don't, just try to see a good movie, there are thousands. "As long as you are here", but do we want to stay? This German movie got the award of the Torino gay film festival: Italian journalists still don't understand why the jury took such a bad decision, as the festival presented lot of talented movies. Maybe to be nice with a German, as they don't often get awards? Well, "The Lives of Others" did... but this one is excellent but not gay. So maybe it is a question of fashion. Germans are they "in" again? No matter what? Or maybe only for a hustler's glance of some directors?$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film last night.And I'm worried I'm turning into one of those left-wing liberals they rightly make fun of in South Park. Because I found it hugely offensive. Am I being ridiculously sensitive? Firstly, there's the old staple that is America being the only country in the world that is physically capable of anything, ever.Secondly, and chillingly, there is the early meteor strike hitting some (unnamed – why do they need a name?) Asian country. The reaction to this is to look at it as a warning. As in "my god, imagine the tragedy that *could* happen". Because, you know, it happened to Asians. It might happen to white Americans, and *that* would be tragic.Then, later on, a bigger meteor hits Paris. Our cast on the ground are irritated, because this might mean our boys have less time than they thought. Not much upset in America. No mention that a lot of people have died.Then there's Michael Clarke Duncan. A wonderful actor, wasted. Never has a black man been so token. Among a team of hardcore drillers, his job seems to consist of standing in the back, occasionally saying "Hey, you da man." Really. Why did they even bring him? It's not like he's petite - he weighed down that shuttle for nothing! Not once does he lift a tool, steer a space ship or even help fix anything that blows up.Even if you ignore the Russian Cosmonaut (Peter Stormare, another great actor wasted in a pointless role), who seems drunk most of the time and hits things with spanners instead of fixing them because "Dat's how we do dese dings in Russia", it's pretty horrific.All cemented of course by the site of blond, blue-eyed American children all celebrating in corn fields at being saved and everything being all right. Because all the death and destruction to the rest of the world is irrelevant.You expect the bad script, the dodgy acting, the implausible plot (fat, middle aged men being trained in 12 days to be astronauts? Including one who appears to be retarded?). But I couldn't believe the racism and xenophobia implied in the film, and the callous disregard for the lives of anyone not corn-fed American.It's a chilling indictment of the attitude of a section of Western Society to the world.And it's a crappy film too.$LABEL$ 0 +If you ever have the chance to see Sandra Bernhard live in person, you better move on it sweetie. I saw her last year in Los Angeles at the opening of her Everything Bad and Beautiful tour and i still can't believe that i was in the first row, and lucky enough to experience such a phenomenal show. She is now in New York with the show and it coincides with the release of her groundbreaking stunner, "Without You I'm Nothing". We have lost Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Nina Simone, but Sandra is still with us. Patti Smith is missing in action, but not Sandra. Barbara Streisand continues to peep her head out once in awhile but Sandra more than makes up for where Babs leaves off. Okay, i want it known, Ms. Bernhard is a little of these influential entertainers and more. I really wanted to push this film because of its truth, honesty, humor, eclectic songs (ranging from Laura Nyro, Sylvester, Nina Simone, Prince), and a script that defines the decadence, joy, sadness, ups and downs of the 70's and 80's. It is my opinion that many (and i mean, MANY) comics have lifted, okay outright stolen, so much from this show if not from Sandra herself. I won't name names but come on, people, you and i know who they are. See, the thing is, Bernhard plays by her own rules. This movie shows, as does her live performances, that she is a performer who has stayed true to the old school of show business, as well as pushing forward. Her performances are reminiscent of smoky jazz clubs (during the time of Miles Davis,Coltrane,Monk), 70's TV shows, intimate cabaret acts and concerts that are reminiscent of everyone from Judy Garland to Joan Jett. Most comedians couldn't even touch where Sandra is coming from or going to. So, here i was, a year ago, watching Sandra at the Silent Movie Theater, in total awe and joy. I wanted to meet her after the show, give her something that meant something to me, that, hopefully would mean something to her. But i listen to my copy of Giving Til it Hurts, and just thank her in a prayer, of sorts for making me laugh, making me think, making me FEEL. You can't deny this lady's presence and you certainly cannot deny the talent that just rushes from the stage. She's still here, damn it, even after the release of Without You I'm Nothing, some 15 years ago. And she looks great, by the way. I know this firsthand, walking from the theater one audience member said to another, "She is SO FUNNY..and she still looks incredible!!! If you can't experience her live yet, please see this movie. As for me, I do hope that Sandra will see this. You've meant a heck of a lot to me, gotten me through some tough crazy times. If you can send me an email, please do. If not, knowing that you are still kicking it out and will continue to do so, is enough for me. Come on, people, give it up for the Lady!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one horror movie based TV show that gets it right. Friday the 13th the series had no connection to the movies. Poltergeist the legacy: I'm not so sure. It may have been loosely connected to the movies. It feels like they just throw a famous title on a show so fans will watch it.It shows Freddy being burned by the Elm street parents(in the 1st episode I believe) and the amount of parents were disappointing. With all the kids he targeted in the 1st 3 movies, you'd expect there to be more parents. But oh well.Freddy is basically the narrator for the show. He watches the actions of people in the real world sometimes getting involved somehow. Just like other anthology shows like Tales from the crypt, there's a supernatural or surprise ending twist involved.The acting lacks but believe it or not: the violence sometimes surpasses that of the movie. This show lasted a couple of seasons and was made around the time of the 4th movie. i heard it was canceled due to protesting parents. I watched a lot of R rated stuff as a kid, so its a shame parents had to ruin it for everyone. 4 more movies came after the series , so it wasn't a total loss.$LABEL$ 1 +Extremely interesting and intriguing movie. The similarities to David Lynch (who is even quoted literally by the presence of red curtains in the film) and the novels of Franz Kafka (the house keeper in this film is called Mrs. Grubach, as is the one in Der Prozess...) are clearly present but in this case are accompanied by clear references to the colonial past of Belgium in Africa. The exact content of the movie I can not clearly describe: this colonialism is an important part, as is the inability to cope with such a past, but the personal memories of the main character are a central issue as well, and his quest for social contact and love. These are the symbolic themes I deduced from the movie, but in fact they're no more than impressions.But even if you just try to follow the linear story without these symbolic backgrounds, you still will discover an extremely fascinating movie filled with splendid imagery (beautiful close ups of beatles, larvas and other nasty insects are alternated with great dream sequences and also the dark atmosphere lends the film extra style). Maybe you can say that I didn't quite 'get' the film, but I have been watching like hypnothised for 1.5 hour, deeply impressed by the visual quality and the fascinating mysteriosity.$LABEL$ 1 +Corbin Bernsen's sent letters to four criminal associates he's worked with in the past and it's a real intergenerational mix with Fred Gwynne, Lou Diamond Phillips, William Russ, and Ruben Blades. They're to meet him in this obscure Montana town and he doesn't explain why because he's then picked up by out of state police from New Jersey on a warrant. Of the criminal group that's been gathered together, they all know Bernsen, but don't know each other. A lot of comedy involved is them feeling each other out. As the oldest Gwynne though denying it kind of takes charge with the others grumbling, but going along. Especially when they figure out what Bernsen had in mind.As for Bernsen, he's got the good fortune to be picked up by a pair of bumblers in Ed O'Neill and Daniel Roebuck. He gets the drop on O'Neill and escapes.After that it's the four criminals trying to finish what Bernsen started and Bernsen getting away the police. In the intricately plotted screenplay, it's fascinating how both story lines keep intertwining with each other. Hoyt Axton as the local sheriff watches in amazement at what unfolds in his town.Disorganized Crime is a fabulously funny caper film by a bunch of players who seem mostly to have had a background in television or would soon. I can't say that anyone stood out in the cast they also seem to click so well together. Ironically none of these people are comedians per se, but they all exhibit a light comic touch that good directing brought out. Disorganized Crime is one very funny caper movie, the kind of film that well known pessimist Mr. Murphy would have written.$LABEL$ 1 +Almost missed it. While visiting friends in Philadelphia sometime in the early 1980`s, I was channel surfing after everyone else went to bed. It wasn`t just Bogart he was obsessed with; but rather the entire era of those old flicks those of my age know so well. Add to that a plot liken to The Maltese Falcon - where so many different characters were interacting with Sacchi - and you have a piece of art as far as I`m concerned. About ten years later it appeared on TV and I taped it. >$LABEL$ 1 +Another Channel 4 great canned long before it's time. Compelling acting from Phil Davis and the rest of the cast. Sexy, intelligent and funny. I remember watching it at the time and even then, asking around, no-one had really heard of it. But trying to find someone now who can recall it is even harder. Perhaps Channel 4 don't do their job well enough in drumming up the enthusiasm needed. Either that or the general public is too interested in the TV vomit that is Big Brother. I suspect the latter. Downloading of Garth Merengie's Dark Place prompted Channel 4 to release a DVD of that series. Let's hope the same can happen with North Square.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was one if not the best movie I've seen in the past year I highly recommend it it starts off as a very funny movie but as the film progress's turns into so much more. do yourself a favor and see this film. I saw a screener of this movie but I am going to buy it not only for myself but for several true film fans i have the unfortunate feeling this great film will be widely unrecognized as is the case with so many other non commercial films this is a comedic yet heart wrenching movie it will make you laugh it will make you cry it will make you think and yes you will think about it when its over and isn't that what a good movie is!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a perfectly watchable adventurous movie to watch, with a great cast and a good story, based on true events.It's interesting to note that the story of the movie is based on true events. It's above all for most part an adventurous story, with all of the usual ingredients you would expect from an adventurous movies set in an Arabic world. So, lots of sword fighting, good old fashioned honor, religion and a rich proud country. But the movie is also filled with humor, to make the movie a light and pleasant one to watch.The constant cutting back and forth between the Morocco plot involving Sean Connery and Candice Berger and the American plot line involving Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) wasn't the best possible approach in my opinion. The two things have totally different paces, totally different characters, it are just totally different worlds! Of course both story lines are connected and focuses on the same thing but the contrast between the two worlds is just too big to let it work out. It doesn't at all times make the movie feel connected and a bit disjointed. The American plot line is most of the time more political while the Morrocan plot line is purely adventurous and action filled. In the end you could perhaps even wonder what the whole point or Roosevelt in this movie was. Seem that John Milius is just a big admirer of him. Often the American plot line would take away most of the pace out of the far more interesting and more action filled fast paced Morrocan plot line. After all, John Milius always has been at his best as an action director.It isn't until halve way through that the movie fully gets on steam. The most- and largest scaled action of the movie then kicks in. Especially the large scale end battle does not disappoint. I wish the entire movie was like this. That way this movie would had also been a better known one, no doubt.The movie has a great Jerry Goldsmith musical score, that is perhaps way better known than the actual movie itself. The movie is also a good looking one with great production design and nice looking action and battle sequences in it. Appereantly the movie only costs $4,000,000 to make but that is really hard to believe, considering the settings and size of the movie. I mean John Milius his best known movie "Conan the Barbarian" cost about $20,000,000 to make but was a far more campy looking one and was less impressive on its scale.Quite funny to see an Arabic speak with a big fat Scottish accent but hey, it's Sean Connery so you just simply tend to accept this. He suits his role well. So does Candice Bergen. It's always hard for a female character to come across as believable and work out in a movie such as this one but she manages. Also John Huston plays a great role in this movie!A perfectly fine watchable movie!7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Funny how a studio thinks it can make a sequel to what was a classic Christmas story with an entirely new cast and expect it to float. Sure they used various actors for Batman, but in that instance Batman was a classic character before any of the actor donned his cape. In this instance you had a classic character in the blond headed horn rimmed glasses wearing Ralphy that wanted a red ryder bb gun for Christmas... Somehow we are supposed to forget him and accept another little boy that share no resemblance to the original... If I had not known it was a sequel I wouldn't have guessed it from the cast... except of course Charles Grodin tries so hard to imitate Darrin McGavin that your are constantly reminded that the original was far better...In the end it might have work if they had cast the movie better. They should have looked for look a likes or simply ignored the original and not tried to copy its look and feel. This one is just a cheap imitation. The Ralphy evokes no sympathy just a desire to seem his character shoot his eye out or die.$LABEL$ 0 +Proof, if ever proof were needed, that Hammer should have left their vampires firmly in the Victorian age. After all, vampirism is all about repressed sexuality, so the concept is irrelevant in 1972's London, with its thirty-something thesps pretending to be randy teenagers.Remember, by this time, Hammer was floundering badly. The public had tired of the drawing room horror of the 1950s and 60s, so the studio was trying everything to bring them back, including ample nudity (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, et al) and updating their characters - neither of which apparently worked as Hammer was pretty much resting in it grave just two years later. Shame ...But I still have a great fondness for the classic Hammer period from 1957-1965.$LABEL$ 0 +Baby boom was bad enough, basically making a series of every straight mans nightmare is worse. Yeah watched a few always made me feel better after a bad day, it reminded me it could be worse. Guy was rich successful, single(smart man), and dating celebs from singers to actresses, then his screw up of a cousin dumps his biggest mistake on him. In reality it would have been straight to foster care I'm sure, this was definitely a chic series. Oh and what's all the wining about the baby change, most the time it's probably a doll besides at that age it's nothing more than a prop anyways.Any case I'm glad it didn't last more than a year.$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to tell who this film is aimed at; the characterisation and style smacks of a "Children's ITV" series crossed with an Aussie soap, yet the subject matter, nudity, and language aims it at an older audience.The first half-hour has the heroine Justine philosophising about losing her virginity, and is excruciatingly embarrassing to anyone over 18. A complete rip-off of "Ferris Bueller", from the talking-at-the-camera bit down to the on-screen graphics.Her nerdy friend Chas brings her to a computer fair where an explosion during the use of a virtual reality machines turns her into a man. Or actually, creates a male alter-ego of her, called Jake. Don't look at me like that; I'm just relating it the way it was shown.After this the film is mildly amusing for a while; amongst all the drama-school mugging, only Rupert Penry-Jones brings a real comic touch to his woman-trapped-in-a-man's-body role of Jake. There's some funny scenes with Jake dealing with his new body, and new feelings; nothing you haven't seen before, but then in this film you'll clutch at anything that's entertaining.Unfortunately Justine and Jake meet up, and hilarious antics ensue (I wish), involving the owners of the virtuality machine who want to kidnap Jake in order to have sex with him, or examine him, or something. Anyway, it's just an excuse to fill an extra half hour with some explosions and car chases; for such a cheap looking movie, the explosions come often and loud, suggesting the money was spent in all the wrong places.In the end, the heroine realises she can't fall in love with herself, deletes her alter ego, and ends up in a one-night stand with the nerd to lose her virginity (this presumably is what is meant to pass for a happy ending in the 90s). But only after he removes his glasses and puts some hair gel and a leather jacket on; god forbid she actually have sex with someone who _looks_ like a nerd. Of course, this is a bit subversive - in these days of PC movies which tell you to love and be yourself, and that everyone is special in their own way, it's refreshingly reactionary to have a film which screams "CONFORM!" at you, and treats virgins and nerds with the contempt they deserve.The characterisation is simple dire; the nerd is very nerdy (room full of computers, thick glasses, social retardism, virginity, no leather jacket), there's a slut, she's very slutty (blonde, tight dresses, orange tan, vampy accompanying music), there's a jock, he's very... well, you get the picture. You can get away with this kind of characterisation in a broad comedy, but "Virtual Sexuality" isn't very funny. It's only mildly amusing in parts, and excruciating in others. It takes a lot for a woman as cute as Justine (played by Laura Fraser) to annoy me, but she manages it.Don't be fooled by the title; there's absolutely nothing erotic about the film, and it doesn't deal with the topics of how the new communications technologies are changing the way we view and acquire relationships (unless you actually think there _is_ a chance your PlayStation might blow up and change your sex).$LABEL$ 0 +This is a typical "perfect crime" thriller. A perfect crime is executed and the investigating police officer, ignoring all the clues, immediately knows who guilty is. The audience has to wait around the whole movie for the guilty to be caught. The result is like every single episode of "Columbo" or "murder she wrote". The director himself refers to the hackney story by showing the police officer watching an episode of Matlock! This story barely fills up 90 minutes but the director insists on using all 120 minutes filling with every cliche in the book. Skip this one, you are not missing anything.$LABEL$ 0 +Several years ago the Navy kept a studied distance away from the making of "Men of Honor," a film based on the experiences of the service's first black master chief diver's struggle to overcome virulent racism. Ever eager to support films showing our Navy's best side the U.S.S. Nimitz and two helicopter assault carriers, with supporting shore installations, were provided to complement this engrossing tale of a young sailor's battle with uncontrollable rage. Some of the movie was shot aboard the U.S.S. Belleau Wood.Antwone Fisher wrote the script for Denzel Washington's director's debut in which he stars as a Navy psychiatrist treating Fisher, played effectively and deeply by Derek Luke.Fisher is an obviously bright enlisted man assigned to the U.S.S. Belleau Wood (LHA-3), a front line helicopter assault platform. Fisher can't seem to avoid launching his own assaults at minimal provocation from his fellow enlisted men. Sent to the M.D. as part of a possible pre-separation proceeding, Fisher slowly opens up to the black psychiatrist, revealing an awful childhood of great neglect and shuddering brutality.The story develops as Fisher cautiously but increasingly trusts his doctor and gets the courage to pursue a love interest, an enlisted sailor named Cheryl, played by a stunningly beautiful Joy Bryant.Fisher reluctantly engages with the doctor by asking long simmering questions but soon realizes he must seek the answers, however painful, in order to grow and move away from conflict-seeking destructive behavior.While all the main characters are black, this story transcends race while unflinchingly showing the evil of exuberant religiosity and concomitant hypocrisy in foster family settings. Viola Davis, a versatile actress seen in a number of recent films, is a picture of sullen immorality but is nothing compared to foster mom, Mrs. Tate (Novella Nelson), who in short but searing scenes would earn - if it existed - the Oscar for gut-churning brutality.Films about patient-therapist interaction follow a certain predictability (all that transference and counter-transference stuff) but the earnestness of Fisher and his doctor/mentor is realistically gripping. It's a good story, well told. Period.While set in the Navy, "Antwone Fisher" is not in any real sense a service story as was "Men of Honor," an excellent movie that dealt with crushing racism directed against a real person. Nor is it truly a film about blacks. It's about surviving terrible childhood experiences and, as Fisher says, being able to proclaim in adulthood that the victim is still "standing tall." The persecutors shrink in size and significance as a brave and strong young man claims his right to a decent life with the aid of a caring doctor.My only quibble is that Washington is a lieutenant commander but is addressed as commander. With all the Navy support people listed in the end credits, someone should have told Director Washington that his character, like all naval officers below the rank of commander, is addressed as "Mister." Not a big criticism, is it? :)I don't know why this film is playing in so few theaters. It deserves wide distribution. Derek Luke may well get an Oscar nomination.8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +The working title was: "Don't Spank Baby". Wayne Crawford went on to become a successful producer, films like Valley Girl, Night of the Comet and others, even though he wasn't too terrific in this little Gem. And little known Abe Zwick should have gotten tons of work from this film but didn't. Filmed at Moberly Studios in Hollywood Florida, on the same lot the early Tarzan movies were filmed. This film is definitely for those who appreciate the abstract. The movie was originally shot with some nudity and much more graphic slasher scenes. For reasons only known to Tom Casey the Director, the bloody slasher scenes were given a tab of LSD, and the nudity was removed. Even though this version is worthy of a look for those so inclined, in my opinion, the original version would have packed the punch needed to make this a full on Slasher 70's Cult Classic.$LABEL$ 1 +I give the show a six because of the fact that the show was in fact a platform for Damon Wayans as the Cosby Show was for Bill Cosby, it dealt with a lot of issues with humor and I felt that it in fact tailored to getting a laugh as opposed to letting the jokes come from the character. Michael Kyle An interesting patriarch and a wisecracking person. He is PHENOMENAL in movies, but in the show he was there for the wisecrack and though I loved it, I felt that the laugh was more important than plausibility.Jay Kyle I have loved her since House Party and have enjoyed her in School Daze and Martin, this was a great role for her and she made a great choice in picking this sitcom to co-star in. I also feel that Jay and Michael were more like equals in the show but Jay was more the woman who fed her crazy husbands the lines and went along with his way of unorthodox discipline because she may have felt that it workedJr Just plain stupid, his character should have been well developed and even though he does have his moments of greatness, we are returned to the stupidity as if he learned nothing, which drives me nuts!!!!!!!! Not to mention that most of the situations (in episodes I've seen) seems to center around himClair The attractive sister who dated a Christian, I found her boyfriend's character to be more interesting than she was (she'd be better off sticking to movies, the writers should have done more to show her intelligence but it's not stereotypical enough)Kady Lovable and the youngest daughter. I think the writers established her character most on the show aside from the parents and FranklinFranklin I LOVE this character and I think they derived it from Smart Guy (T.J. Mowry) which only lasted one season. They did a great job of casting for this little genius (the effort would have been made if Jr would have been the smart one but show the down sides also)All in all, this sitcom is a wonderful thing and it's homage to the Cosby Show is well done, I love the show and wished it would have stayed on longer than that. I can't wait to see the series finale$LABEL$ 0 +I managed to see this at what I think was the second screening in the world, a few days after its opening at the Dublin International Film Festival. While I was attending another film two nights later at the same theater, I saw Brendan Gleeson, Paul Mercier and the rest of the cast & crew at another promotional screening of Studs.I have to say that I was bitterly disappointed with the film, I was by no means expecting a masterpiece, but what was presented to me, I believe lacked all the crucial elements of the genre it had set itself into. Before I continue, two things, I accept that some filmmakers like to subvert generic expectations, here this is simply not the case. Secondly, I know that it was based on a play (which I haven't read but have been informed that it isn't a shimmering piece of literature), but this does not excuse the massive narrative problems that permeate the film.My main problem with the film is the script, forget that it was based on a play, as a sports comedy it simply doesn't work, the down and out team are trying to win a football cup, few of the games are shown (when they are, it is very short) and we are not given any satisfaction due to any of their sporting achievements. Having read so far, you might assume that it is not a strict sports film but a psychological study of the relation between a "charlatan" of a manager and his hopeless team. It certainly does not achieve this, I'm not even sure if it was aiming to. Any attempt to shed light on the history of any of the characters is hackneyed and peripheral. Overall, I found the script lacking in many respects.I do think the performances and the music were good and technically, the film was well made. But aside from those points, which should be expected from any Irish film at this stage, I left the theater feeling very disappointed.My judgment may seem harsh but I do think there is some hope for a strong national Irish cinema in the near future and this simply does not back that argument. As Studs has become a recommended Dublin Cineworld film (I was part of the audience at that screening), most people would seem to be disagreeing with me, so that means you should probably make your own judgment of the film.$LABEL$ 0 +At it's core, this is a fairly typical revenge Western, heavy on the spaghetti, and if you follow it as such, the protagonist comes through successfully defeating the main villain. However there's so much going on that has no bearing on the story that you have to wonder what the film makers were thinking about. I'm referring to stuff like the way Miss Rosie's singing number just pops up out of nowhere and the boxing match in the middle of town. OK, they have a loose connection to the influence villain Mash Flanagan has, but why all of a sudden does he turn up with an alias - Mr. Donovan.On the flip side, I thought it was pretty innovative how the camera shot showing the wounded Wallach's view of the trail might have been filmed by someone with an actual bullet in his shoulder. And wasn't it great the way Donovan's girl uses the old headache routine when he gets a little frisky? Don't let me forget either the great stunt work by the gravel pit bad guys as Wallach guns them down as part of the finale.Still, there was one thing unaccounted for, and I kept waiting the entire movie for it. Whatever happened to that trio of hoods that Flanagan/Donovan hires near the start of the picture? You know, the guy Martel that a funeral parlor wanted to hire for his gun prowess, the devil's henchman Mitchell with the rifle, and the knife thrower Lincoln Tate. Each had a five thousand dollar bounty on his head, and they were supposed to protect Donovan from the guy who survived the massacre of the opening scene. They were never heard from again! I like to think that maybe Donovan just had them killed and kept the 15K all for himself.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen the 1973 movie Lost Horizons and read many of the reviews for this movie. I agree the move had many opportunities for improvement but unlike all those who are looking for the perfect movie with the perfect songs and the best acting, I was looking for something a bit different and this movie gave it to me. I watched this movie not as a critic but as a person looking for a little hope, a little cheer, a bit of a release from my everyday life, and this is what I got. You can be critical of the acting the singing, and dialog but that't not what I look for when I go to a movie. I look for a little release from my daily life, a little time where I can sit back and imagine a better life, where people love another and help another. It's a shame we can't we enjoy a movie for what it tells us and quit picking it apart like an English teacher reading a fifth grade essay. This may be very simplistic, but really, wouldn't it be nice.$LABEL$ 1 +You probably all already know this by now, but 5 additional episodes never aired can be viewed on ABC.com I've watched a lot of television over the years and this is possibly my favorite show, ever. It's a crime that this beautifully written and acted show was canceled. The actors that played Laura, Whit, Carlos, Mae, Damian, Anya and omg, Steven Caseman - are all incredible and so natural in those roles. Even the kids are great. Wonderful show. So sad that it's gone. Of course I wonder about the reasons it was canceled. There is no way I'll let myself believe that Ms. Moynahan's pregnancy had anything to do with it. It was in the perfect time slot in this market. I've watched all the episodes again on ABC.com - I hope they all come out on DVD some day. Thanks for reading.$LABEL$ 1 +Nick and Kelly are ready to be married but Travis (Kelly's dog) leads Nick to a strange blue wall that will change the honeymoon for Kelly. Richard Burgi and Susan Walters play Nick and Kelly and make a good couple. Nick loves to drink, smoke, and play pool with the fellas for fun but Nick suddenly abstains from this type of fun. Sex is the one thing that he loves because he wants a child. We find out that an alien race is dying and needs to interbreed with women from Earth to save their population. It becomes a battle of survival between humans and aliens with the dog population also being involved. A fine film.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie when it aired on Lifetime back in 2004. I have never seen it since then, but have thought of it often. It left such an impression on me I've been searching for it lately. I found it finally and realized it was made just for television. The movie is fabulous- filled with great writing and acting. William Petersen is perfect, as always. This movie left me speechless and in tears. It's a wonderful story of faith, love, and compassion. Does anybody know how I can obtain a copy of this movie for my home? Is that possible with television movies?? I really would love to see it again. This is a must-have among my collection!!$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe I was to young when I saw it. Perhaps I have not grown up with Grease and Elvis movies.I failed to get it. I get "black" comedy (Black Adder etc.). I get irony and spoofs. I don't get this one though.I made it a quest to find out the name of this movie (enlisting the help of people on usenet and the most excellent IMDb Message Boards) so it could be my first 1-pointer. Awful!$LABEL$ 0 +This is one seriously disturbed movie. Even Though the boys deserved some of what they got.....the sadistic gruesome executions were "slightly" over the top. The only character showing some conscience early in the hunt was killed off before he could offer some help to the sad plot.At the beginning of the movie, there looked to be some promise of a mediocre affair, but this was just a ploy to lull the viewers into a false sense of security, before the joy of what was to come. The only thing that could have saved the movie for me was if Jack Nicholson had jumped out of the bushes and yelled, "and, where is the batman?". Kim Basinger could have screamed. Now that would have been cool!$LABEL$ 0 +It's the 1980's and the teenagers are ready to party it up in a scary old house that is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Murder McGee. After mistakenly conjuring the dead through an unfinished conversation on an Ouija board, the kids are forced to fight to the death battling a vengeful ghost who possesses and kills all of their friends one by one. Sound familiar? It's supposed to. It's clearly marketed to pay homage to the classic 80's slashers with the tagline: "Excessive violence. Gratuitous nudity. Zero budget." Can't get enough; It's pure entertainment! I enjoyed the humor and the way it poked fun at all the horror cliché's, but at the same time embraced what was fun about movies from this time. There is something you get with this movie you never got with the old 80's slasher films though: good acting. The entire cast was very talented and you don't see that very much in any low budget flicks, recent or otherwise. There was a lot of chemistry between the characters. I was very entertained throughout the entire film, and I am fully convinced the writer/director and cast will go a long way in their separate careers. The script was very well written, and the dialogue flowed naturally.The effects were a bit amateur and the scenes were not lit well, but the fact that this movie admits on its cover there was practically NO BUDGET, I already know this going in. This film makes it simple to politely ignore its faults and just sit back and enjoy. Although this is not an Oscar award winning opus, it never claims to be, and props to that. It's a lot of fun. If you like slashers, you'll really appreciate this film. If you like blood and boobies, you'll appreciate it also.$LABEL$ 1 +What a crazy film!It lasts 12(!) hours and you don't understand who these people are and what are they doing!The main plot is about a bunch of clueless actors trying to bring on scene "Prometheus",but there are lots of sub-plots,like the disappearing of Thomas and a crazy guy looking for Monsieur Warok....what's the meaning of all this???$LABEL$ 1 +What about Dahmer's childhood?- The double hernia operation which is believed to have sparked off his obsession with the inner workings of the human body? What about "infinity land"? - The game he invented as a child which involved stick men being annihilated when they came too close to one another, suggesting that intimacy was the ultimate danger. What about the relationship between his parents, and the emotional problems of his mother that were far more relevant than just his own relationship with his father? His feelings of neglect when his brother was born? What about his fascination with insects and animals? How he would dissect roadkill and hang it up in the woods behind his home?What about focusing more on his cannibalism? And what about his parent's divorce? These are all things that should have been included in the film. Instead the film maker chose to give us a watered down 'snapshot' from a night or two in his life, and combine it with series of confusing and at times unnecessary flashbacks, to events that weren't even particularly relevant to our understanding of Dahmer.Why didn't the film maker show how Dahmer was interested in people as objects rather than people? He could have made this point many times, particularly in the scenes in which he drugs his victims whilst he has sex with them (which actually took place in a health club, not a night club). Instead he just shows him ramming away at them from behind.Whilst I appreciate there is only so much information you can cram into 90 minutes (or however long), but why spend such a large part of the film examining his relationship with Luis Pinet? (known as Rodney in this film). My only guess is that the director was trying to build up Pinet's character, to try and make us fear for or empathise with him, but this film is supposed to be about Jeffrey Dahmer, so why couldn't he have spend those forty five minutes on something else? If the scene and their relationship was important enough to warrant such time then fair enough, but it wasn't. The scene in which he kills Steven Hicks, his first victim, is a vital part of the Jeffrey Dahmer story because it was the first killing, and because of the effect that killing had on the rest of his life. Unfortunately the film doesn't explain that it was his first killing, or that he didn't kill again for nine years. We assume, because his hair style is different, and he is wearing glasses that this is a flashback, but to when? And why? What about the shrine he made in his sitting room towards the end of his career?-one of the most important clues we have towards understanding Dahmer and his motivations..Some people may find my need for accuracy in fact and detail a bit anal, but having studied Jeffrey Dahmer in depth, it is plain to see that this film has very little in common with the person he was and the crimes he committed. Why bother to spend the time making a film loosely based on Jeffrey Dahmer rather than tackle the real issues behind his descent into madness and the carnage that ensued?Finally, a film with subject matter as repellent as this should carry an 18 certificate, not a 15. We needed to see his perversion in more depth, to understand just how detached he was from the rest of us. That doesn't mean showing the drill actually entering Konerak Sinthasomphone's head for instance, but at least an indication of the amount of people he killed, and what his Modus Operandi was when actually killing. Anyone watching this film who doesn't know the story of Dahmer might come away thinking he had only killed a few people. He actually killed seventeen men.Aside from the facts and lack of depth, the film isn't all bad. There is some nice cinematography, and good performances from the two main characters. I'd like to see this done again by a film maker who has more knowledge, more energy, and a better reason for making the film in the first place.$LABEL$ 0 +If you like your sports movies to be about dignity and the best values then this'll work for you big time. Oversentimental in places? Sure, of course it is - and proud of it. It is the biggest and best ride in the Carnival and should be enjoyed as that. Big production values, simple telling, with creative shots: it is not complex, is a very nice and remarkably sweet film. It really feels like a labor of love from Bill Paxton; and I bet his son gets that.The build-up is slow enough to be enjoyed, the conflicts feisty, and the British vs. Americans handled with a degree of vaudevillian villainy, but the dignity between the two main transatlantic protagonists is always to the fore. I have minor gripes: the score wants to be James Horner but is too overblown, and there are too many close-ups, and panning shots for 2005, but if you want a straightforward, decent, and good-looking sports film then this is it.So here's the thing, and I feel like I know my film, but I actually liked it more than Seabiscuit: which is a better film, but Greatest Story is simply Disney at its core and hugely enjoyable! Thanks, Bill.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this a while back, during a massive martial arts movie phase. Although this certainly ain't the best, I do love this kind of film making, and there was a lot to keep me entertained in this one. Leung Kar Yan is one of my favorite martial arts stars, I always appreciate the fact that, whilst he lacked formal martial arts training, he usually gave a more than capable fighting performance. He also has a good beard. This movie has him in a good, heroic role and although he doesn't kick as much ass as in some of his other movies, he still acquits himself well. Early appearances from Cherie Chung and Chow Yun Fat are also nice too see, especially for the fact that Chow Yun Fat takes on the bad guys without his trademark gun play. He may not be a great fighter but he does OK. Eddy Ko is as great a bad guy as ever, he performs the same villainry as in many of his other films and does it great, as per usual. The fellow who plays Bu is good too, I don't recall his name, but he's in Magnificent Butcher too. Although the fighting isn't as good as other movies of the era, The postman fights back makes up for it with a lot of imagination, quality cinematography and a nicely quirky ambiance. There are some very nifty scenes, good characters and a good eclectic mixture of Hong Kong talents all coming together to decent effect. All in all, I would recommend this to kung fu and general Hong Kong action fans. It may not be a stylised classic like the Shaw Brothers films, or as crowd pleasing as Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, but it is rock solid entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +Another stinker from the PM Entertainment group, and thankfully one of their last.'Firetrap' is effectively a very low budgeted remake of 'The Towering Inferno' I don't mind Low budget B Movies as long as some effort is put into them - there is no effort whatsoever in 'Firetrap' is stars Dean'Superman'Cain, who is an absolutely terrible actor, seriously he has all the acting abilities of a porn star, but he turns out to be the best actor here and that's saying something, the rest are just a bunch of no hopers given the boot from various daytime soaps. The special FX are just rubbish, shots showing the burning building from the ground are among the worst I've ever seen, the fire looks like someone scribbled an orange pen at the front of the camera. on top of that there is not one character you actually root for - you hate everyone and hope they all die well before the 90 minutes are up.The script is embarrassing - The red herring's are signposted well in advance, someone else has mentioned this but 'The scene where the janitor fights off a blazing fire engulfing the building with his broom....hilarious, or same janitor going into a room marked 'Hazardous Material', Were these scenes supposed to be tongue-in-cheek? somehow I doubt itThe one good point and only one good point was there was a fair bit of action in amongst the daytime soap dramatics which kept my attention, but so little care was given to everything in the film, I can't recommend it - Watch 'The Towering Inferno' instead3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is great from start to finish about a group of med students that get together and literally kill each other by stopping their hearts and then revive themselves. They then research what happens from the "near death" experiences. As each one goes through the experience, they become haunted by their deepest fears that seem to materialize as reality. This ranges from dead kids with hockey sticks to dead fathers that seem to be upstairs.The cast is first rate and Oliver Platt is hilarious in one of the best roles of his career. I am not a big Keifer Sutherland fan but even he does an excellent job. This is a movie that I can watch over and over!$LABEL$ 1 +This has to be the most boring movie I ever sat through. It is dreary and drab, has no excitement, the acting by Hulce is terrible as Hulce cannot pull off the proper accent required for this film. The story is stupid and I sure wouldn't recommend this crap for anyone unless you want to die of boredom.$LABEL$ 0 +Yeah, unfortunately I came across the DVD of this and found that it was incredibly awful.First of all, the characters suck. I mean, come on, if some dork in an orange hat who calls himself 'Orange Sherbert' is the best creative idea these guys could come up for a character, then they should definitely not be in the film-making scene. Poor "costumes", bad "interviews", and basically there is not one "wrestler" on this whole disc with any shred of charisma.The "wrestling" in Splatter Rampage Wrestling is nothing more than these idiots gently and playfully bouncing together on a trampoline. They make sure to giggle together all the while, too, making the experience seem more like a toddler's playtime than a "wrestling deathmatch".Basically, Splatter Rampage Wrestling is a pretty lackluster Backyard Wrestling clone. Only, instead of blood, weapons, mayhem, and WRESTLING, we get a trampoline, giggling kids, TERRIBLE audio, and some guy called Orange Sherbert.Wrestling fan or not, avoid this DVD. It's awful.$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw this wonderfully filmed movie that captures the essence ofhigh-brow NYC, or any big city of mid-century America. The colors, thecars, the clothes and the coming of the Womens Movement. It reflects thecomf-cozy attitudes of relationships between men and women in thecorporate world. In some ways, things gave changed and in others, theyhaven't changed at all. Women still want what men have today, but theynow have all sorts of laws and equality mandates to get it for them. Inmy opinion, beautiful women will still THROW themselves at men inpursuit of thier goals! The laws we have now against harrassment andall, were passed by unattractive women who wanted an equal chance tocompete with prettier women who might be getting the positions soleybased on thier looks and puting out! The real competition isn't betweenmen and women, but women and women! I liked the look and feel of the movie but the world hasn't changed asfar as what real$LABEL$ 1 +Earlier today I got into an argument on why so many people complain about modern films in which I encountered a curious statement: "the character development in newer movies just isn't nearly as good or interesting as it used to be." Depending on the film(s) in question, this can be attributed to a number of things, sometimes generic special effects and plot-driven Hollywood garbage like War Of The Worlds, but in the case of over-the-top, uninteresting attempts at social commentary and a desperate struggle to put "art" back into cinema, it's movies like Dog Days that are to blame.I normally have a very high tolerance for movies, no matter how dull or pointless I find them (ranging from good, long ones like Andrei Rublev and Dogville, to ones I've considered painful to sit through a la Alpha Dog and Wild Wild West). I shut this movie off 45 minutes in, which is 30 minutes more than I actually should have. I wasn't interested in any of the characters whatsoever and found nothing substantial beyond a thin veil of unfocused pessimism. In an attempt to say something about the dregs of society, this film too easily falls into being self-indulgent, trite, and exploitative in a very sincere sense. Granted, I've seen many disturbing movies on the same subject, but there are so many better films out there about depressing, pathetic people (Happiness, Gummo, Kids, Salo, Storytelling, Irreversible) that actually contain characters of great emotional depth and personality. Dog Days had none more than an eighth grader's distaste for society, choosing to ignore any true intelligence about the way people actually are, and instead choosing to be a dull, awful, and hopelessly unoriginal attempt at a work of "art." This isn't a characterization of the unknown or a clever observation into the dregs of society, it's just boring and nothing worth caring about.$LABEL$ 0 +For those with access to the BBC or the CBC, this has proved to be spectacular. Like Battlestar Gallactica, this is a show rebuilt from the ground up. But in the case of Dr Who, they saved the best parts. I can't believe I am saying this but.. this is by far the best Dr Who. This has none of the cheap production values and sometimes slow plodding of the old show. The acting is quite good and there is a real sense of continuity and history. The new Doctor is easily the equal of the great Tom Baker, and the writer (former QAF lead) seems to have made even the minor characters come alive.I know...I'm gushing..but this should be on everyone sci-fi geeks list. I just don't know why it hasn't made its way here.. Whatever you do...if you ever loved Dr Who or sci-fi..see this!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Undoubtedly, the least among the Spaghetti Westerns I've been watching lately: basically a low-brow rip-off of Leone's THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) with three disparate characters outwitting one another (and occasionally forming shaky alliances) in their search for hidden gold. Leonard Maltin rated it a BOMB; while it's harmless enough, it's also totally routine and, fatally, the three main roles are stereotypes, that is to say, uninteresting: Eddie Byrnes is a bank employee with ideas regarding his consignment being transported by train; Gilbert Roland is the "legendary" but ageing Mexican bandit (his frequent lapses into Spanish when excited are quite corny!) who, apparently, is still irresistible to women; George Hilton as an enigmatic bounty hunter tries too hard to emulate Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name figure. Director Castellari - whom I saw at the Italian B-movie retrospective held during the 2004 Venice Film Festival, where he came off as the most pompous of the cult movie directors present! - shows little genuine feeling for the Western (on the strength of two above-average Franco Nero efforts in the genre, I ordered his collaboration with Castellari KEOMA [1976]...I'm keeping my fingers crossed now!) and the film's tongue-in-cheek approach is equally lamentable.$LABEL$ 0 +This is by far the worst and most stupid show I have ever seen on TV. It is almost physically painful to watch an adult (well in his twenties) doing nothing but torture and mock his parents, who always seem to have no clue what so ever about the stunts they are forced to endure by their dimwitted son and his equally stupid friends. Of course I know his parents are in on it, but I really hate how they always act like they are caught completely by surprise. It seems fake through and through. And I really hate the intro of the show, in which a voice over asks "Bam Margera, what WILL he think of next?!?!" (I think that's how it is, anyway), and Bam himself answers: "Whatever the f^*k I want!" - WOW! Bam is really a hell raiser - living at home with mum and dad! -of course the word "f^*k" is replaced with a tasteful beep, but we get the message. Bam is the real deal rebel - at least in his own eyes. Of course Bam and his posse of numb sculls aim at an audience of teenage boys, and of course it's a MTV show, but please, raise the bar a little. It's painfully predictable and stupid, and therefore nothing but boring.$LABEL$ 0 +Gorgeous Techicolor production telling the unusual tale of the romance between a woman of strong religious faith and a Trappist monk who has left his monastery, breaking his vows. The film opens at a convent in Europe, where a former student prays - a lonely beauty in black named Domini (Marlene Dietrich). She is advised by the Mother Superior to go to the desert and "find herself", and lose her grief over her father who has recently died. In the train car on the way into the Sahara she sits opposite a very, very troubled man (Charles Boyer) - our former monk. She's soon at a hotel near a palm-treed oasis where she again sees our mysterious troubled man as he is stumped over what to do when confronted by a very seductive dancing girl. Domini becomes friends with him, though knows nothing of his past - romance soon to follow.This film is sentimental, melodramatic, and different (in a way, almost surreal and even a bit campy) - I found it to be quite fun and entertaining. The photography in this is really interesting - it is full of extreme facial close-ups and beautiful color shots of caravans of horses crossing the desert, silhouetted figures against a sunset sky. Marlene Dietrich gives a nicely done, though restrained, performance here and looks gorgeous. Charles Boyer - not usually one of my favorites - is actually pretty good in this, I think the part sort of suits him and he looks quite young and handsome too. Basil Rathbone is fine here, except given very little to do. Another great orchestral score by Max Steiner helps keep the drama rolling - all in all, a very enjoyable film.$LABEL$ 1 +Rare and auspicious are the moments in film-making when greatness stands as a defining monument for the rest of the industry to measure themselves against and for us to immerse in that glorious moment.Some stories transcend their time and aspire to the lofty reaches of a classic and the stuff of legends. Throw in the refined skills of an ensemble cast of thespians who are at the very top of their game."Where has all the originality gone?" It is here, as this story and it's cast sashay through a plot and story that will not only educate but also entertain even the most seasoned of Shakespearean/action/love story connoisseurs.I cannot begin to imagine where the writers dreamed up this extraordinary tale. Where do geniuses get this kind of inspiration? I now have hope for mankind, knowing that this kind of talent still exists gives me hope that we will make it to the stars and beyond, perhaps to the very gates of heaven.I have, like others before me, dreamed of greatness. Though I did not write this movie I did see it and because of this movie's noble greatness, I feel as if I have been elevated to a higher level of being, a higher level of spiritual wholeness.It is no wonder this kind of glory eludes most of us. What would become of our world if we all could attain this level of magnificence? We would probably be consumed in a white fire of super-nova glory as we evolve into trans-dimensional spiritual beings capable of omnipotent creative power.The most important thing to know, with all your heart and the very essence of your being, is that "Tomcats" is nothing like what I have been talking about. "Tomcats" is the antithesis of all I mentioned. It could very well destroy our world. For as some reviewers rate a movie on a star system, i.e. 1 through 5 stars, or even zero stars, I'm going to rate "Tomcats" a black hole.I am willing to donate money to a cause that will put a stop to these kinds of atrocities that, as of late, seem to be running amuck at box offices. I'm not even adverse to the use of nuclear weapons. It must stop. How much more of this can we take before aliens from outer space come down here and blow up our planet because we have so many stupid, crass, vulgar, unimaginative, and degrading movies spewing out of Hollywood? I'm not even going to dignify this movie by mentioning anyone's name that starred or produced it. I'm not even going to waste my time describing the story, since we've seen it a ba-zillion times, and all of the past versions were at least a ga-zillion times better.By the way my head nearly imploded during this movie, but with supreme selfless effort and lots-o-luck I survived to warn the public. You have been warned.$LABEL$ 0 +An excellent debut movie for the the director of Batman Begins, comes the Following, a movie about a man who follows other people for inspiration of characters in stories he writes. One man he follows, he decides to go further and the man turns out to be more than he bargained for.Using a cast of non-actors and his uncle, writing directing producing and otherwise completely making this movie entirely on his own with almost no budget and produced independently, this movie is much more than you'd expect.For anyone who likes Memento and complex twists, turns, shocks, and messing around with time, this is definitely a movie for you.$LABEL$ 1 +Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Modine are a joy to watch in this screwball comedy. Alec Baldwin, who was an up and coming star when the film was made, is a hoot. Dean Stockwell, in a sendup of John Gotti, is hysterical. But Mercedes Ruehl, as the paranoid and over the top Connie steals the movie.Jonathan Demme, previously known for wacky comedies like "Something Wild" and "Melvin and Howard"-proves once again that he is a genius. I was not surprised at all when he went on to win the Oscar for directing "Silence of The Lambs." The performances he evokes from his actors in "Married" are inspired, and the audience is taken along for a wild and wooly ride.One of the cutest, most endearing films of the 80's, it stands head and shoulders above many of the satires of its era.$LABEL$ 1 +Here is the example of a film that was not well received when it was made, but whose standing seems to be raising in time. 'The Tenant' is quite an interesting work by Polanski, one of the first of his European exile. It is set in Paris, and as in so many other exile films the city, its streets, the Seine and especially the building where the action takes place play an important role. It is just that Polanski chooses his principal character not to be an American (as in 'Frantic' for example) but a Pole, as himself was when going West. There is actually a lot of personal commentary in this film, made at what must have been a time of crisis in the director's life, and the fact that he decided to play the lead role (and does it masterfully) may also be seen as some kind of exorcism.It's in a way a circular story. The hero named Trelkovsky rents an apartment in old Parisian building, inhabited by what seem to be first a well assorted team of grumpy old or just ridiculous neighbors. The previous tenant tried to commit suicide by jumping out of the window of the flat, and Trelkovsky has just the time to visit her in the hospital before she dies and meet there her young and beautiful friend Stella (a spectacled Isabelle Adjani in her first role after Truffaut's 'L'histoire d'Adele H.'). Soon the neighbors do not seem to be what they are, it's a conspiracy to make him crazy, or to make him enter the life and role of the dead girl. He fights, tries to run, enters the game and ends by entering the circle and slowly becoming her. The circle is closed.It's not the most believable story we may have seen or heard, but the strength of the film does not reside in the story but in the details of the psychology, in the slow degradation of the mental state of the hero, in the permanent balancing game between reality and delusion. To a certain extent it is not what happens on the screen that matters, but how it happens, reminding the classical 'Knife in the Water' made more than a decade before, at the end of the Polish period of Polanski. There are many details that are never explained, but then this is how mystery films must be and this is actually how life is sometimes. The feeling of claustrophobia slowly contaminates the viewer. Unfortunately some of the graphical details in the last part of the film are not too well executed and the English spoken dialogs (the film was made in English) almost neutralize the overall atmosphere. However, waiting for the final punch scene is very worth the patience.It's not the best film that Polanski made, yet has many good parts, it shows the hand and the style of the director, and was a significant step in the building of his career.$LABEL$ 1 +Although unusually in colour for a second string oater, the vivid clothes of the lead females fails to bring any life to the flatly directed screenplay. The "plot" revolves around the Youngers newly released on parole attempting to go straight but being pursued by a vengeful ex-Pinkerton man (a scenery chewing Fred Clark) and a femme fatale determined to involve them in her bank robbery schemes whether they want to or not. As Cole Younger, Wayne Morris is big and hunky enough but his " cool" demeanour and wooden acting skills undermine things. The standard of action is frankly, no better than a Gene Autry or Roy Rogers TV episode with Colt .45's that never need reloading and uncanny shooting skills that allow a horse rider to shoot from the hip and wound a man from at least 50 feet...oh dear...$LABEL$ 0 +The second official episode of the "Columbo" series ("Murder by the Book," filmed later, hit the airwaves first). Robert Culp, who would match wits with Peter Falk's detective in several future installments, is terrific as the short-tempered head of a sophisticated private detective agency who murders a client's wife when she refuses to cave-in to his blackmail schemes. The two stars are well-matched in this clever cat and mouse exercise that is one of the best in the series.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know where to begin. This movie feels a lot like one of those cheap Saturday morning kids shows that they used to make back in the late eighties early nineties. Sort of like Captain Power or the Power Rangers. It's full of bad digital overlays and really cheesy sounding "secret agencies" and villains.The acting is so bad that it's not even funny. The direction is terrible and there is little to now continuity. It seems as if someone just threw a bunch of scenes together and forgot that there was supposed to be a plot.Perhaps one of the most ridiculous scenes in the movie comes early on, when several villains plant an explosive device in an agents car. For some reason, even though the device is clearly stated as being "remote detonated" the bad guys decide to chase her down on their motorcycles as she drives away. This chase carries on. all the while with the bad guys doing ludicrous and completely pointless bike stunts. Standing up on the bikes, doing wheelies and so on. At one point, a crash happens and one of the attackers is thrown from his bike, we see the bike (clearly cgi) thrown over the agents car but the rider has vanished. Then, a few seconds later the rider and bike return...apparently unscathed by the crash. At this point even though the car has an explosive device planted in it, the attackers choose to shoot the agent while driving past, then blow up her car. Which was also clearly done with cgi. Sound confusing? It is, and so is the rest of the movie.I might point out that when I say cgi, we aren't talking about Lord Of The Rings type cgi here. We're talking the cheap cheesy Power Rangers type cgi, actually I think it would have been done better on Power Rangers.Why Savini and Todd did this movie I will never know, I can only assume they did for money, as a favor to someone or because they were blackmailed into it...probably the last one.$LABEL$ 0 +This is so exciting! After I saw "La Roue" this afternoon, a short, light-hearted little movie, I consider this one a real treat! This is absolutely delightful and one of the most charming pictures I saw this year. It is the more amazing since it is an early talkie and puts some great pictures of the 30's to shame due to its innovative use of sound in cinema. It's simply filled with music and an adorable mood that's really upbeat and, bottom line, it made me happy! Obviously it wouldn't be so difficult to retrieve the lottery ticket the male lead was looking for, but the pace is so exhilarating and the movie is so spectacularly entertaining that I didn't even think of it twice. The comedy is many times hilarious and I think it is even superior to the Marx Brothers, possibly the biggest comedic force of the time. This is rather perfect.$LABEL$ 1 +I have read the 28 most recent comments by various people regarding this movie and was surprised that no one mentioned the fact that the first victim, shown on the bed with the "missing eyelids", as the camera pans up and away from her face, blinks! Yes, BLINKS! I recorded it as it came on HBO this past weekend and when I saw this I literally had to replay it several times, focusing on one eye at a time to make sure that I was not seeing things! Of course, after that, it was hard to take the movie seriously although there were a few interesting and intense scenes with Julian Sands. Very disappointed and give it a 4 mostly due to the fact that the 1st victim blinks in one of the last frames as the camera pulls away from the body/face. Too bad.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst films I have *ever* seen! It is bad, even at TV Movie level standards. The plot is diabolically flawed, and the known names in this film are wasted on confused, uncertain characters. I don't know how the director managed to keep this excuse of a film together - it is that bad. Billed as a 'Psychological Horror Thriller' - it is certainly Horrific. There is nothing Thrilling about it. And it could do you Psychological damage! The initial opening scenes held such promise - a possible embarkation on whether the soul is just an aspect of the brain, but the utter shambles that followed the car-crash scene is beyond belief. No matter how hard you try, you couldn't care less about the characters. There are so many sprinkled ideas that the film is at best a collage of disconnected phrases from Chinese philosophers, and at worst the film would actually make you go Brain Dead!I have purchased over 300 films on DVD, and this is the FIRST one I'm going to get my money back on. STEER CLEAR.$LABEL$ 0 +More directors like Nacho Vigalondo need a greater outlet for their talents. 7:35 De la mañana is absolute genius. What Nacho is able to convey in 8 minutes takes some Hollywood directors hours of film to achieve. I watched this smiling, but feeling a little dirty and not in the sexual way. You sit and wonder how you should feel after watching this 8 min. nugget. I was entertained, but was disturbed at the same time. Not many people can do that in just 8 minutes. It starts off simple enough. A young women comes in for breakfast at her usual place. She sits down and someone starts singing. From there, the film takes you through so many different emotions all at once it is hard to describe. It is in black & white, but this helps with the feeling the film gives you.This film makes you want to know more about the characters, how they interacted previously and how the ending impacted their lives afterward. I guess it like the old saying,"Leave them wanting more", Nacho Vigalondo is able to do that. Watch this when you can. Show it to your friends and wonder how 8 minutes can be so much fun without taking off your clothes.$LABEL$ 1 +Every great gangster movie has under-currents of human drama. Don't expect an emotional story of guilt, retribution and despair from "Scarface". This is a tale of ferocious greed, corruption, and power. The darker side of the fabled "American Dream".Anybody complaining about the "cheesiness" of this film is missing the point. The superficial characters, cheesy music, and dated fashions further fuel the criticism of this life of diabolical excess. Nothing in the lives of these characters really matter, not on any human level at least. In fact the film practically borderlines satire, ironic considering all the gangsta rappers that were positively inspired by the lifestyle of Tony Montana.This isn't Brian DePalma's strongest directorial effort, it is occasionally excellent and well-handled (particularly the memorable finale), but frequently sinks to sloppy and misled. Thankfully, it is supported by a very strong script by Oliver Stone (probably good therapy for him, considering the coke habit he was tackling at the time). The themes are consistent, with the focus primarily on the life of Tony Montana, and the evolution of his character as he is consumed by greed and power. The dialogue is also excellent, see-sawing comfortably between humour and drama. There are many stand-out lines, which have since wormed their way into popular culture in one form or another.The cast help make it what it is as well, but this is really Pacino's film. One of his earlier less subtle performances (something much more common from him nowadays), this is a world entirely separate from Michael Corleone and Frank Serpico. Yet he is as watchable here as ever, in very entertaining (and intentionally over-the-top) form. It is hard to imagine another Tony Montana after seeing this film, in possibly one of the most mimicked performances ever. Pfeiffer stood out as dull and uncomfortable on first viewing, but I've come to realize how she plays out the part of the bored little wife. Not an exceptional effort, but unfairly misjudged. The supporting players are very good too, particularly Paul Shenar as the suave Alejandro Sosa.Powerful, occasionally humorous, sometimes shocking, and continually controversial. "Scarface" is one of the films of the eighties (whatever that might mean to you). An essential and accessible gangster flick, and a pop-culture landmark. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +THE worst movie I've ever seen, and I've seen allot. Acting is horrible, plot is awful, idea is terrible, and no research was done what's so ever! Ok, I admit, `Air Bud' was a pretty good movie, but not `Soccer Dog'. This "dog" is smaller than my cat! How can he possibly play soccer? Even for 10 years old kids it won't be a problem to kick the ball hard enough to brake the stupid dog in half! It's horrible, don't watch this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought the movie was sub-par. The acting was good but not great, the story was funny but did not come out that way. The director dropped the ball on this movie. It was not James (jim) or Tea. IMHO it was the music that killed it. There is a scene where things go down hill and Jonny Cash music is playing - man was that depressing (not funny) killed my mood. After that the movie could not recover. The deportation scene had potential funny situation, good acting good set up - I even smirked but the music again was unsuited to the scene. The music kept me from being pulled in to the movie.I say it had potential but was poorly done, i would even say rushed into final production. Kind of reminiscent of the prequel to the exorcist: the beginning. The theater release was good, I though so after watching it, but the movie release exorcist:dominion was a helluva lot better. Same story just different director. Same should be done here.$LABEL$ 0 +I have read and enjoyed many of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux mysteries. When I read 'In The Electric Mist With The Confederate Dead' was being filmed and Tommy Lee Jones was playing the lead, I was thrilled. After watching it last night, I ending up turning it off with about twenty minutes left, not wanting to see any more people shot or beaten up. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind blood and gore-I love 'The Untouchables' and 'The Godfather Trilogy'. Perhaps it was just that I had previously seen 'Birth' and 'What Just Happened' before watching this. I know that Burke's books are violent, lyrical, and especially in the case of 'In The Electric Mist', can be like the Cajun swamps he writes about, full of things that are never fully explained. In a book, that's fine. In a film, that's confusing. Many of the previous reviewers are also ardent admirers of Dave Robicheaux, which makes it more understandable that they really liked the movie. Or they are admirers of Bernard Tavernier or both. Even as a fan of all the actors (and especially Vince), I felt it was such a waste of their talents overall-they gave good performances in a film that didn't hold together. Now, I say this, having only seen the USA DVD and hoping that Tavernier's cut will make a huge difference. On the plus side: The soundtrack was wonderful. The scenes at Robicheaux's place were perfect-just as I imagined the bait shop to look like. Mary Steenburgen was excellent as Bootsie, as was Walter Breaux as Batist. If you read the books, you know why Robicheaux is an even-tempered person in the beginning of the film, and then starts whacking people with various instruments. Overall, I wish that they had filmed more of the 'Electric Mist and the Confederate Dead' and left out large portions of Robicheaux's methods of interrogation, explaining Elrod's gifts and his bond to Dave, as well as Dave's to the General. Then I wouldn't be feeling today as I did last night when I turned it off, "What just happened?"$LABEL$ 0 +It's New Year's eve, a cop-killer (in the form of, Laurence Fishburne) end up at a precinct that's closing down due till snow. When the people are layed siege on, cops have to team up with cons to survive. This re-make of the John Carpenter classic just had to add a few beyond stupid plot twists, take out all the tension, and add a horrid John Lequizamo to the cast, didn't it? The first film was thrilling, gritty, and a joy to watch. This one is more Hollywood, clichéd, and painful to behold. The only thing I took from this movie was OCD can be very annoying...VERY. The ending song is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad.My Grade: D- DVD Extras: Commentary by Richet, Demonaco and Jeffrey Silver; Delet scenes with optional commentary; 5 minute "Armed and Dangerous" featurette on the weapons expert; 7 and a half minute "behind Precinct Walls"; "Plan of Attack"; "The Assault Team"; 12 and a half minute behind the scenes featurette;, Trailers for "Unleashed", "White Noise", :Seed of Chucky" Miscelanious: I got this at Best Buy and it came with a bonus disc including the first 2 minutes of "Cry Wolf"; a 10 minute first look at "Unleashed"; the trailer for that film; and a Fuzion interview with John Leguizamo$LABEL$ 0 +this is what confuses me about critics and their opinion. i usually do take in, what the critics say about a film, on most occasions before i see a movie.however, i saw this one, without knowing anything about it. mainly because of the cast. kevin spacey and don cheadle are two of the most acclaimed and in my opinion best actors alive. and ryan gosling is on a fast escalating journey up there as well. his reality and humanity which he exudes in most of his portrayals, makes the audience truly believe in the character and whats happening to him.he's really my favourite actor of my generation. i've always found jena malone pretty cute,ever since donnie darko, and if she chooses to keep doing similar roles then heck i ain't complaining.back to my point. this movie really moved me. i believed it. the acting was top class. as one would expect. the actually movie left the audience with the ultimate aim of a good movie; reflection and pondering which ensues after the final credits roll. i think i must watch it again to decipher how this movie was critically mauled. i know that their reviews must be taken with a pinch of salt. at least i know now.$LABEL$ 1 +The film tells upon the title role,Danton(Gerard Depardieu),confronting against Robespierre(Wojciech Pszoniak) during the French revolution.The film is based on real deeds,they are the following: Danton(1759-1794) as lawyer participated in the overthrowing of the king Louis XVI and the proclamation of the Republic,being Minister of Justice in the Convention(1792)and founder of Cordeliers club.He proposed creation revolutionaries committees as the committee of public salvation which he presided but was substituted by Robespierre,starting a period of revolutionary dictatorship known ¨the Terror¨(1793). Besides in the film appear other historic personages as Camille Desmoulins(Patrice Chereau,now a famed filmmaker)Louis David,Saint Just(Jacobino),Tallien..The picture especially narrates the happenings surrounding the facing off of the principal figures,one-time partner revolution ,and posterior execution,although gives results a contemporary parable about the modern Poland,thus Danton is Lech Walesa and Robespierre is Wojciech Jaruzelski who was the Prime Minister imposed the martial law in Poland and with similar name than actor played Robespierre . Gerard Depardieu is excellent in the title character and magnificently portrayed, also in secondaries roles are awesome actors as the recently deceased Jacques Villeret(Dinner game,Crimen in paradise)and Angela Winkler(The tin drum). The motion picture is well directed by Andrzej Wajda ,considered the best Polish director.The flick will like to historical cinema buffs.$LABEL$ 1 +Of course the average "Sci-Fi" Battle Star Gallactica fan will hate this. That kind of makes me happy. I don't like those cheesy sci-fi shows especially Battle-star Gallactica and that is why I like this show.The creators of the show got a lot of heat for making this (the unconventional sci-fi way) and it was worth it. I read on Wiki that they wanted to appeal to everybody including women and not just sci-fi nerds.This is probably the most promising show since Lost. It has the most interesting, clever, and deepest script of any show in some time and it is truly unique.What I love most about the show is that it kind of plays out like a great Anime! From young teens running around shooting guns, to and extremely well balanced and complex script, to robots it reminds me of something that came from Japan except a little bit better (most Anime is too confusing).$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely the most thoughtful, spiritually deep, intense Hamlet ever done -- no other version comes close. Jacobi has the best understanding of the role of all the actors that have played it. Patrick Stewart's Claudius is ferocious and still sympathetic -- I particularly like the two doofuses playing Rosencranz and Guildenstern. Very feckless and yet sinister. Some might gripe about the need for a strong Ophelia -- she's not a strong person, that's the point, and Lalla Ward hits the proper nuances. Amazing. Simply Amazing -- every one of the more than two dozen times I've watched it.$LABEL$ 1 +Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renne Zelwigger. They are all horrible. Especially the star, Jude Law. It's directed by the same guy who did the english patient and its based on a best selling novel of a man risking all to get back to his lover but unlike the wonderful English pateint, this movie sucks. It is really bad.Worst dialogue ever. "But we've only know each other for a moment" "But they were a thousand moments, like diamonds in a bag"or "In some cultures you just have to say I marry you 3 times and you're married" lovey-dovey-"I marry you, I marry you, I marry you, I marry you..."I'm ashamed I sat through it all. the whole movie was awful, horrible....Ughh no words, I'm sick.1/10 (the one is for the really loud bullet sounds, the sound crew did a good job)$LABEL$ 0 +All I can do is laugh. Wow. I like Jim Wynorski's movies, I really do. I mean, Chopping Mall is a classic. But this, what happened to this guy? He used to make funny horror movies, that tried to be good. But this was hardly even funny...I mean, I guess it was, because I laughed. The villain is incredible. I mean, horrible CGI. It looks...terrible. And the movie has no gore, and no nudity as redeeming qualities. It is rated PG-13. A movie named "Bone Eater" you know won't be a blockbuster movie, you know it probably won't have a smart script. A movie like this may rely on gore...but no. It doesn't rely on anything really, it's just...crap. Check it out if you want to laugh, though. But don't expect a good movie. I hope Jim Wynorski goes back to movies like Chopping Mall and Ghoulies IV, because this and Komodo Vs. Cobra ain't cutting it.$LABEL$ 0 +I shall not waste my time writing anything much further about how every aspect of this film is indescribably bad. That has been done in great detail already, many times over. The 'plot' started out as a very uninspiring cockney wide-boy/gangster-by-numbers bore and very quickly descended into an utter shambles. Anybody who pretends that they can see some hidden masterpiece inside this awful mess is just kidding themselves. It is now 7 or 8 years since I watched it during its 1 week run at the cinema before it was pulled, yet it sticks in my mind for being easily the most terrible film I have ever seen.I am only making these comments, and indeed the only reason I went to see the film, is because of the amusing fact that my brother Eddie appeared in it as the second 'heavy' in the pub scene. It was his hands that thrust a zippo lighter towards Rhys Ifan's face in the bar in 'Russia' (it was actually filmed at the former Butlins holiday camp at Barry Island). My brother has absolutely no acting experience whatsoever - he had recently joined an extras' agency and this was his first part. Having seen the film, it appeared that nobody in it required any acting experience whatsoever.I remember there were about 8 people in the whole cinema - and this was just a couple of days after it had been released. I have never heard of an other film that was so unpopular and disappeared so fast - and rightly so. In case you were thinking of renting this film on DVD, I would advise you instead to put your two pound coins in a fire until they are red-hot, then jam them into your eye sockets. This will probably be a lot less painful than watching the film.$LABEL$ 0 +Diagnosis Murder has been shown on most Weekday afternoons on BBC1 since I used to watch it while ill from School a good 10 years ago - I know I shouldn't really enjoy it, in the same way I shouldn't enjoy 'Murder she Wrote' but I'm totally addicted to both and even have the DVD box-sets....OK I know that's sad!Dick Van Dyke carries the show as he stars as Dr.Mark Sloan a Doctor at Community General Hospital in L.A who is also a Police consultant for the L.A.P.D. - his son Steve (Barry van Dyke - Dick's real life son) is a Police Officer, who needs his father's help on very many Suspicious deaths. Along for the ride is Dr.Amanda Bentley (Victoria Bentley) the resident Pathologist at Community General and for the first couple of seasons you had Scott Baio playing Dr.Jack Stewart, who upped and left the series in 1995 hoping to go on to bigger and better things...he should have stayed where he was, he hasn't done anything of note since....and his only theatrical appearance for many years was in Baby Geniuses 2:Superbabies....Oh Dear!!!anyhow Dr.Jack Stewart was replaced by the younger Dr.Jesse Travis played by Charlie Schlatter who stepped into Baio's shoes pretty comfortably.The series is highly implausible but what Whodunit series isn't? (Murder she wrote - everywhere Jessica goes, someone ends up dead, or The underrated Father Dowling Mysteries about a Murder solving Priest with nun sidekick)The series was much lighter up until 1997 this is because it had a supporting cast that included the bumbling Hospital Manager Norman Briggs played by Michael Tucci along with Nurse & Mark's secretary Dolores played by Delores Hall, After 1997 both these characters were no longer included and the series became a grittier affair with a bigger looking budget, some episodes included far more action, one episode the entire Hospital is blown up.This was a family show For the Van Dyke's because as well as Dick's Son Barry, you also had Dick's Daughter And all his Grandchildren making an appearance in various episodes. As the series went on it got a bit silly, one episode I remember Dick van Dike plays his entire family, which was a bit out of the ordinary, but on the Whole 'Diagnosis Murder' was a really good TV show which had numerous good Guest Stars.Since this show finished in 2001, Dick & Barry have appeared together again in the 'MURDER 101' series of TV Movies made by The Hallmark Channel, pretty much following the same path, and still enjoyable. Dick who's now in his mid 80's doesn't seem to change a great deal, and looks as if he'll be working till the bitter end.TV SHOW **** OUT OF *****$LABEL$ 1 +A warning to potential viewers: if you are looking for an adaptation of the classic story "The Most Dangerous Game," look elsewhere. "Seven Women for Satan"only superficially addresses the original work by using the name of Zaroff and having said character murder people.Some of what follows might be considered by some to be spoilers. Or not.Boris Zaroff is played by writer/director Michel Lemoine. Whereas his ancestor hunted men because they were the only prey that were truly challenging, Boris' victims are usually in a position where they cannot defend themselves. The film rambles from scene to scene with a near-total lack of clarity. The director seems to have totally disregarded pacing and left the viewer with a suffocatingly dull film. A few individual scenes are mildly interesting (such as a torture rack sequence), but as a unit, the film fails to entertain. Viewers who are moreinterested in an assortment of attractive and semi-attractive actresses in various stages of undress might find the film watchable. Most will probably find their time is better spent watching Mentos commercials.In a side note, the DVD extras included a fair amount of information on the film's history. Apparently, it was banned for several years in its native France which pretty much ruined any chance it had for widespread distribution.$LABEL$ 0 +This is waaaaay to much.. so frustrating to watch.. I was waiting for the whole damn movie to end and to finally get some ANSWERS!!.. and what I've had in the end was nothing but a HUUUGE neon-sign question mark above my head!!!!! I haven't seen such a bad acting and such a nonsense movie in a long long time.. and what's bothering me is.. how come someone (an actor) read the script of such a bull!?#@ movie and say: OK, I'M IN!!! LET'S FILM THIS! This is horrible!!! THIS MOVIE SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS!!!!!! I just can't believe I've spent an hour and a half of my life on something like this!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This was the WORST Christmas movie I ever saw. I took my two small children to see this. It was the darkest, most dismal plot- family has no money, mom loses her job, father gets killed in the bank, bank robber steals family car with both kids in the back and after high speed chase, drives off the bridge and drowns them in the river. Mom is left all alone. No wonder her Christmas spririt is gone. Christmas angels do not rescue children that have drowned, and Santa does not bring back dead fathers! I thought this was the WORST message to send children. Better to tell them that there is NO Santa than show them a movie like this!!$LABEL$ 0 +This was excellent. Touching, action-packed, and perfect for Kurt Russel. I loved this movie, it deserves more than 5.3 or so stars. This movie is the story of an obsolete soldier who learns there is more to life than soldiering, and people who learn that there is a time for fighting, a need to defend. I cried, laughed and mostly sat in awe of this story. Good writing job for an action flick, and the plot was appropriate and fairly solid. The ending wasn't twisty, but it was still excellent. If you like escape from New York, or rooting for the underdog, this movie is for you. Not an undue amount of gore or violence, it was not difficult to watch in that respect. Something for everyone.$LABEL$ 1 +"Buffalo Bill, Hero of the Far West" director Mario Costa's unsavory Spaghetti western "The Beast" with Klaus Kinski could only have been produced in Europe. Hollywood would never dared to have made a western about a sexual predator on the prowl as the protagonist of a movie. Never mind that Kinski is ideally suited to the role of 'Crazy' Johnny. He plays an individual entirely without sympathy who is ironically dressed from head to toe in a white suit, pants, and hat. This low-budget oater has nothing appetizing about it. The typically breathtaking Spanish scenery around Almeria is nowhere in evidence. Instead, Costa and his director of photography Luciano Trasatti, who shot another Kinski western "And God Said to Cain," lensed this horse opera in rather mundane setting around Tor Caldara, Lazio, Italy and Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy. Nevertheless, "The Beast" qualifies as a Continental western because it deals with wholly unscrupulous characters and the action could be classified as film noir because the hero and heroine are trapped by intolerable circumstances that compel them to resort to criminal activities. Predictably, their well-laid plans backfire owing largely to the Kinski character. Indeed, the licentious Kinski character resembles a Wily E. Coyote type character. Consistently, he struggles to have sex with several beautiful women but either lawmen or outlaws frustrate each of his efforts. Ultimately, "The Beast" amounts to a tragic character study brimming with irony. The Stelvio Cipriani orchestral score sounds as if it were lifted by the Tony Anthony western "The Stranger Returns." The Mario Costa screenplay takes place on the western frontier between San Diego and Mexico that is being terrorized by a notorious Mexican bandit called Machete (Giovanni Pallavicino of "We Still Kill the Old Way") and his gang. They prey on the stagecoach and nobody is safe from their depredations. The first time that we see 'Crazy' Johnny Laster he pauses to refresh himself at a stream and spots a gorgeous looking woman washing clothes. He creeps up behind her and attacks her, but a bigger man armed with a rifle intervenes and he has to flee. He shows up in a nearby town and a snuff-snorting gunslinger recruits him to help ambush a wealthy man, Mr. Powers, on the trail and rob him. They wind up killing him and getting no money. Mr. Snuff-sniffer accidentally leaves his snuff box at the scene of the crime and the sheriff arrests on suspicion of murder. 'Crazy' shoots his accomplice from his hotel room so that he doesn't have to worry about being implicated in the crime.Meanwhile, a young couple in love are having trouble making their way in the world. Riccardo (Steven Tedd of "Requiem for a Bounty Killer") lives a Mexican couple on their ranch and helps them raise their real son Juan. In the village, Riccardo's lovely girlfriend Juanita (Gabriella Giorgelli of "Stranger in Sacramento") sings and dances in the cantina. Riccardo and Juanita plan to marry, but the last place that Juanita wants to settle down is on a dusty ranch. She dreams of living in the city, but life in the city requires more money than either Riccardo or she has. They team up with a blond outlaw name Glen (Paolo Casella of "Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead") and they plan to kidnap Mr. Power's daughter Nancy when she comes to get her inheritance. Glen makes the fatal mistake of enlisting 'Crazy' Johnny to help them because Glen knows that Johnny needs the money to get women.They abduct Powers' daughter and keep her at a remote cabin with Johnny standing guard over her. Meantime, Juanita masquerades as Powers' daughter and shows up in town to get the money from Powers' attorney Gary Pinkerton (Giuliano Raffaelli of "Blood and Black Lace"), but he grows suspicious because Juanita doesn't look anything like he remembered Nancy. Riccardo brandishes his six-gun and warns Pinkerton that they have kidnapped Nancy. Unfortunately for Riccardo and Juanita, Pinkerton can only lay his hands on $50-thousand because Machete has struck such fear into the hearts of everybody that the Powers' total inheritance cannot be shipped through the territory by stagecoach. Meanwhile, back at the cabin, horny Johnny tries to rape Nancy, but she outsmarts him, knows him out with a chair on the pretense of needing to be alone while she undresses. After she knocks him unconscious, she steals a buggy and drives it back to town. Johnny recovers, pursues her and murders her about the same time that Glen, Riccardo, Juanita, and Pinkerton meet him on the trail. They inform Johnny about the complications created by Machete's reign of terror and give him $12-thousand as his cut of the money. Pinkerton is aghast at the sight of Nancy's bloodstained corpse and threatens Johnny. Naturally, Johnny guns him down in cold blood on the spot.Things really begin to deteriorate as the law in San Diego sets out to capture Machete. Glen, Riccardo, and Juanita return to Mexico while Johnny attacks two women at a ranch and narrowly escapes getting caught. He rides to Mexico, finds a cantina whore and is going down on her when a bounty shoves a revolver in his face. Johnny confesses that he knows where they can find more money if they will release him. Machete's men follow up on Johnny's tip and capture Juanita. The villagers join Riccardo to attack Machete and Johnny rescues Juanita but she dies later on after a big shoot-out. Riccardo is left standing alone now. Machete and his men retaliated against his step parents, not only killing them but also little Juan. Everything that Riccardo and Juanita dreamed up having goes up in clouds of gun smoke for an unhappy ending. 'Crazy' Johnny dies and never gets to assuage his lust. If you think about Costa's uncompromising sagebrusher, "The Beast" emerges as an interesting character study and an exercise in film noir in a western setting where everybody is punished.$LABEL$ 1 +Everyone should totally see this movie! It's freaking scary, but doesn't resort to lame "jump-out-at-you-just-to-surprise-you-and-pass-it-off-as-scary" things. It really is great. See this freaking awesome movie!!! The director is Stanley Kubrick, easily the greatest director who ever lived. Every single one of his movies are masterpieces, including this one. The Shining is about this family that goes to a hotel in the Colorado Rockies as caretakers for the winters, and get snowed in. Well, the house is haunted. The kid is psychic. The husband is easily impacted by evil haunted hotels, and...well...HILARITY ENSUES!!!! Not really. It becomes this gripping thriller where stuff gets thrown at the viewer from all different directions, and it gets scary. Not just the classic, "Here's Johnny" scene. It's memorable, but can't speak for the whole movies. It's one of those things where words don't explain it adequately, and you just gotta see it. So go on Netflix, and get it! GEEEEEETTTTTTTT ITTTTTTTT!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +as a sequel,this is not a bad movie.i actually liked it better than the 1st one.i found it more entertaining.it seemed like it was shot documentary style.at first this bothered me,as i thought it just looked too low budget.but it grew on me,and it made the movie seem more authentic.this movie has more dry one liners than the original,which is a good thing,in my opinion.i do think at times they went a bit over the top with some of the scenes and the characters.it almost becomes a parody of itself,which may be the point.this movie at least has some suspense,which the 1st one did not have,in my view.it has some of the same great music from the original,which is great.the acting again was pretty decent for the most part,though like i said,some of it seemed over the top.i also felt that the movie loses a lot of momentum towards the end and there are a few minutes which seem really slow and just don't seem to flow,like the rest of the movie.overall,though,i thought this was a pretty sequel.my rating for "Return to Cabin by the Lake" is 7/10*$LABEL$ 1 +I've just seen this movie in a preview and I can only recommend to watch it. It was about 90 minutes long and when it was over I felt like it could go on for hours. The stories of the protagonists are so realistic and you feel really at home. The movie basically consists of dialogs but I wasn't bored a minute. 18 people of really different characters and each one of them acted out so well. I had to laugh, felt awkward, was sad and still felt happiness. All in all it is a movie that shows the different kinds of people in our society, the way they communicate and how love has changed and nowadays is handled as an economic thing. Dating becomes something that is similar to an audition. The whole audience loved it. So please watch it if there's a possibility. You'll love it!$LABEL$ 1 +This TV show is possibly the most pathetic display of crap on TV today. Horribly predictable, obscene usage of slow motion photography, cheesy story lines. Chuck Norris is an abomination who should never have been allowed to be filmed in anything. The way he chooses to make each episode into a public service announcement is really annoying. His acting sucks so bad that it makes a person cringe with embarrassment. I will give the series some credit though...it does get entertaining at times, but not enough for it make any difference. With all the negative points this series has, i still prefer it over reality TV, it can't really get any more worthless than that.$LABEL$ 0 +The first film ever made. Workers streaming from a factory, some cycling, most walking, moving right or left. Along with Melies, the Lumieres are both the starting point and the point of departure for cinema - with Melies begins narrative fiction, cinema, fantasy, artifice, spectacle; with the Lumieres pure, unadorned, observation. The truth. There are many intellectuals who regret the ossification of cinema from the latter into the tired formulae of the former.But consider this short again. There is nothing 'objective' about it. The film is full of action - a static, inhuman scene burst into life, activity, and the quiet harmony of the frame is ruptured, decentred from the back to right or left (but never, of course, the front, where the camera is). And yet the camera stands stock still, contains the energy, the possible subversion, subordinates it to its will. The cinematograph may be a revolutionary invention, but it will be used for conservative purposes - to map out the world, edit it, restrict it, limit it.worse is the historical reality of the film. These factory workers are Lumiere employees. The bosses are spying on their workers, the unseen eye regarding his faceless minions. The film therefore describes two types of imprisonment. Behind the gates, the workers are confined in their workplace. The opening of the gate seems to be an image of freedom, escape, but they face another wall, the fourth wall, further confining them. The first film is also the first example of CCTV surveillance, an image of unseen, all-seeing authority entrapping its servants. A frightening, all too prophetic movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Just kidding.Seeking greener pastures in the form of hustling in New York City, Jon Voight is young optimist Cowboy (almost Forest Gump-like) Joe Buck from Texas. It does not take long for the Big Apple to mercilessly swallow him and his ambitions whole and very soon Joe is the target of both the coldness of New Yorkers and cons from its street-thugs. Given his pure heart, he takes pity on one of these thugs, Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) and later moves in with him in his wreck of apartment and the two literally struggle to survive.While Midnight Comedy is labeled as a drama, it is best described as either a tragic comedy or a comedic tragedy in my opinion. It is above all a beautiful film that is stylish in capturing the contemporary hippie-vibe of the late 1960s with its mandatory dizzying Warhol-party cinematography and juxtaposing it with ultra-urban New York City. The film crams Cowboy Joe Buck somewhere in between, thereby emphasizing his out-of-place position. We feel for his struggle to fit in, but also to merely get enough money to feed Ratso Rizzo.Midnight Cowboy brought tears to my eyes as it is also rich in substance and projects a lot of heart. I imagine this film must have inspired both Forest Gump with its pure-hearted and out-of-place lead character and, to an extent, the Crocodile Dundee films as it deals with almost the exact same kind of humour - a contrast between country-cowboys and slick New York cosmopolitans. Very compelling and sensationally creative film that I highly recommend.8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a total bore. Entrapment is way better in all aspects, plot, acting, stunts, etc. Plus the soundtrack is one of the most annoying I've ever heard. I was close to muting the film just to shut it up. 3 out of 10 stars ***$LABEL$ 0 +This was an attempt toward a romantic comedy, and one which did not work. Although the film was cast in an interesting manner, the dismal script betrayed the best efforts of all. The director's fey mannerisms may have succeeded if he had adopted a point of view. It was embarrassing to watch William Baldwin and, in particular, Armin Muller-Stahl.$LABEL$ 0 +There are some redeeming qualities to this show. One is that the theme tune does have a decent melody. The show does have a nice premise. Also, I am probably in the minority, but I like Wanda. I like the fact she is caring, and is more a mother figure to Timmy. However, despite all this, I do not like this show, it isn't excrement but I do find it very annoying.I wouldn't say that it is the best animated show on Planet Earth. When I use that term for an animated TV show, I think of Peter Pan and the Pirates, I think of Darkwing Duck, I think of Scooby Doo and I think of Talespin. And I hope I am not the only one who really likes the Wild Thornberrys and resent the fact it gets poked fun at. Nor do I think Fairly Odd Parents is the worst animated show on Planet Earth. I accept it's annoying, and in some ways overrated, but it isn't the worst show on Nickolodean. That is Chalk Zone, god that show is unwatchable. But the worst animated show I've ever seen is Shaggy and Scooby Doo:Get a Clue, which is crudely animated, unfunny and frankly a disgrace.One thing I don't like about this show is the animation. The characters, forgive me if I offend, have very weird facial features, and a lot of the backgrounds are dull and lack the colour that make Spongebob Squarepants and Wild Thornberrys so nice to look at. The characters with the exception of Wanda I find very annoying. I can't believe such a talented voice actress like Tara Strong(aka. Charendoff) voiced Timmy. Timmy I don't find very likable as a lead character at all, he is annoying and sometimes patronising, and he is a poor decision maker as well. And his voice gets on my nerves. I actually like Strong but not in this show. Another annoying character is Cosmo, the supposedly funny character. Instead, his jokes are as unfunny as they could become. They are either a) contrived, or b) over familiar. Timmy's parents are awful characters, who don't give a toss about their son, and their personalities wear well thin.The story lines are very unoriginal on the most part, and I keep thinking, where have I seen this before. The episodes after the arrival of the baby I thought were unwatchable. Even worse is the scripts, very unfunny, childish, witless and suffer from a complete lack of energy.All in all, not the worst show ever, but pretty poor for an animation fan, and fairly uncomfortable to sit through. 3/10- there are redeeming qualities, and I completely understand if people like it. Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 0 +I like David Hamilton's artistic photographs of nude women at the border of womanhood, sometimes erotic, though never pornographic. Someone else liked them, too, because my David Hamilton books were stolen. In one book were seen a few pictures of a young boy, obviously nude, intimate with a young woman older than he, also nude. Though discrete, there was strong sexual connotation. New territory for David Hamilton which proved to be either stills from the movie Tendres Cousines or perhaps photos taken on set.The art of still photography unfortunately does not automatically translate to cinematography. Soft focus becomes out-of-focus and discrete angles become confusing, perhaps because, in motion, they cannot be considered. You either see it or miss it and there's no time to observe, to comprehend. The movie is supposed to be a farce, and funny things do happen, but it doesn't "hang together," perhaps because the story develops so slowly and one may wonder just what's going on. Eventually, the 14-year-old Julien has intercourse with his cousin, but it's soft core, with no genital contact shown on camera. Since it's a farce, we have a disappointing virgin and an embarrassing caught in the act gag and, having caught them, Julien's father even gives him a cigarette to complete the experience. In fairness, the film is in French and conforms to French cinematic forms, which may just be too subtle for most Americans even with English subtitles to help us Phillistines along.It's been suggested that this film is child pornography and that certainly results from today's climate where sexual exploitation of children is clearly a serious problem. Nobody in their right mind wants to endorse or appear to endorse the sexual abuse of children, so there's practically no room left for children to be seen in even the mildest erotic context without immediately activating alarms over sexual violence and exploitation. Guys will think "Lucky Julien!" even as they agree that sex and children in the movies is a "bad thing," all the while still wishing they could have been a Julien at that age. Women, too, may have similar thoughts, but all such considerations must be pushed out of one's conscious mind. Hysterically, the worst assumptions have become automatic and matters of children and sex are rigorously avoided. Too bad, since sexual awakening is a real human experience. Afer all, children do grow up and become sexual beings as Julien does. It's a fit literary subject, cinema included, but taboo under the threat of sexual violence against children. David Hamilton, I think, was taking a risk to make a movie on this topic even in 1980. He was somewhat successful at exploring this sensitive topic, and, unfortunately, we're unlikely to see better in the near future for fear of the child pornography label.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is an almost complete waste of time. I am studying the book for my English A level, and the film only contributes in one way, and that's getting across that the whole scenario is set in a rural idyll. The acting is wooden, the filmography is laughable, and the so called dramatic scenes in the film had the majority of my class (including me) snickering into their texts. The book, although not my favourite literary choice, is miles better than the film is, and the sound track is just plain irritating. Don't watch this film unless you are looking for a timeless, quality storyline transformed into mindless, media waste.$LABEL$ 0 +As Roger Corman has said in an interview, low-budget film-making enables film-makers to take chances on offbeat ideas. Well, you'd be hard pressed to find a film that thrives on the offbeat as mightily as George Barry's "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats".The film does have a back story to it, and it's an interesting one at that. I'll forgo relaying any sort of details so you can hear them for yourself if you take a chance on watching it. Suffice it to say, the title item of furniture has an insatiable hunger, consuming the unwary with a bubbling yellow foam that dissolves its victims like acid."Death Bed" is an eerie, haunting little flick that plays out its absurd premise in such a way that it transcends the usual assortment of schlock fare. It occupies its particular dream world in such a way that it was possible for me to take it seriously. It's a truly strange and unconventional horror flick. It dabbles in exploitative ingredients - there's some tasty dollops of female nudity - and yet is also art, albeit art with a completely skewed sensibility.The special effects are not too bad for a film with a microscopic budget, and Barry gives the film a good and atmospheric "midnight movie" quality. The acting from the cast is as uninspired as one could imagine, although Patrick Spence-Thomas lends a reasonable amount of gravitas as the artist / narrator, and one definite point of interest is seeing one familiar face on hand: future 'Boy Meets World' father William Russ!This film might not have even found the small cult following that it does have were it not for pirated copies making the rounds; this certainly has to rank as one of the instances where such a practice ultimately ended up helping the film - even if the exposure took years to take hold.If you have a taste for truly bizarre obscure items, "Death Bed" may be just what you've got in mind.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +If a copy of this movie fell into the wrong hands, the world would be in grave danger. I am a huge fan of "B" movies, and I have seen my share of bad ones, but there is not a letter in the alphabet that could adequately describe this rancid piece of solidified puke. This movie even surpasses the "so bad it's good" phase and goes straight on to the "so bad your world will seem a little less meaningful for having watched it" phase.It is hard to say what is more disturbing: .1. The fact that the people who wrote this thought their political satire (I use the term very, very, very loosely) was witty enough to film .2. They were able to find so many other people who agreed with them enough to work on this garbage for obviously little or no money .3. That someone actually thought it would be a good idea to pick this crap up for distribution on a horror anthology DVD.Were I a weaker man, I most likely would have jammed grapefruit spoons into my eyes and then blindly flung myself to my death in oncoming traffic after watching this. As it stands though, I live ,but I am forever scarred by the experience.$LABEL$ 0 +THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS :Although it was 5 years after the series ended and WB was currently working on Justice League, this animated movie is a welcome addition to the video library. Why? Well, if Mask of the Phantasm compliments the first 70 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and SubZero compliments the 15 episodes of the Adventures of Batman and Robin, then Mystery of the Batwoman compliments the final 24 episodes of the Gotham Knights version of Batman. Kevin Conroy once again delivers a voice over performance that is nothing short of excellence and perfection. I admit I was a bit leery when I heard about Batwoman and all I could think about were the old 50's comics of Batman. But I was blown away by the Batwoman character, her look, her costume (which I assumed inspired Bruce Wayne to create the costume on Batman Beyond)and the fact that this movie keeps you guessing who Batwoman is all the way through. If you want to know who Batwoman is, then buy or rent the DVD. Barbara Gordon makes a cameo appearance and I think the writers were trying to hint that Bruce and Barbara had something going on between them like they did in Batman Beyond. Tim Drake appears as Robin, but his role is a small one and sadly, there is no sign of or mention of Dick Grayson alias Nightwing, which leads me to believe he has established himself in Bludhaven (his city in the comics).Of the three suspects for Batwoman, my favorite is Kathy Duquesne, who looks an awful lot like Halle Berry. Kelly Ripa did a great job as one of the other suspects. When it comes to the villains, I'm glad the Penguin was one of them, but I did not like the fact that they replaced Paul Williams with David Ogden Stiers. Pengy just didn't sound right. Same thing goes for Robin. The new guy did okay, but just as I was starting to get used to Matt Valencia, they replaced him. It's interesting to note that Kevin Michael Richardson, who voices Carlton Duquesne is now the voice of the Joker in "The Batman" series. And we finally see what Rupert Thorne looks like revamped since he didn't show up in the Gotham Knights episodes. The late John Vernon will be missed. Although I enjoyed Henry Silva as the voice of Bane, if he had to be replaced, they got the right man in the form of Hector Elizondo. I only wish they could have used Two Face, Riddler, or the scary new version of the Scarecrow.The musical score and especially the soft sounding intro were superb. I wish that was on a soundtrack and I especially enjoyed the beautiful and talented Cherie in the Iceberg Lounge along with her song, Betcha Neva. While some feel that this movie is weaker than the Mask of the Phantasm and Subzero, I find it just as strong and enjoyable as the rest, plus like I said earlier, it's a full length movie based off the Gotham Knights version of Batman, which I think gives a good balance. I would at least recommend renting this DVD first before buying it for those who might be leery of this movie, but personally, it's well worth the purchase. I give Mystery of the Batwoman a 9.$LABEL$ 1 +" Now in India's sunny 'clime, where I use to spend my time as a soldier in the service of her Majesty the queen . . . " so goes the famous poem penned by Rudyard Kipling. This is the literal foundation upon which the movie "Gunga Din" is based. If you are fortunate enough to watch this legendary Classic, you will enjoy films the way they use to make them; for the sheer pleasure. Taken from the script of the established novelist and poet, this is a story of a humble Indian native named Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) who works as 'a regimental beasty' during the British occupation of India during the 18th century. His greatest wish is to become a soldier. The water boy is part of a British Calvary contingent threatened with death by a notorious blood cult of Kali called the 'Thuggee.' Three particular soldiers stand out in this company who are noted for their bravery and comradeship. First is handsome and debonair, Cary Grant playing Sgt. Archibald Cutter. Next is Victor McLaglen as courageous Sgt. MacChesney and finally there's flamboyant Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Sgt. Thomas Ballantine. All three and their fellow soldiers are surrounded by a hoard of mountain stranglers led by their fanatical leader called the 'Guru' (Eduardo Ciannelli). Amid the Chaos of war, is the brave water-boy who hopes to earn a place in the army by playing a bugle he found. A solid story for an old black and white film which needs little fanfare for anyone looking to enjoy a classic. ****$LABEL$ 1 +My husband and I enjoy The DoodleBops as much as our 8 month old baby does. We have bought him DVD's and CD's just so we can watch and listen to them ourselves. They are fun, energetic, and very entertaining. They encourage children to be active, share and care. They always have a positive message along with fun entertainment. Every time our son hears the theme song he quickly turns his head toward the television and starts bouncing up and down in excitement. Dee Dee is a wonderful singer, she has a great voice. Moe is a great dancer. I would recommend The DoodleBops to anyone with children. Our favorite song is The Bird Song. You just can not help but smile and want to dance when you hear it.$LABEL$ 1 +i've just read the most recent remarks about this movie and i would like to respond. you're probably not familiar with the original story of rap group N.W.A. which dates back to the beginning in 1988, in 1989 ice cube left the band to go solo and ultimately in 1991, the band breaking up when Dr.dre left. which led to a lot of beef starting with the departure of ice cube and dr.dre in 1991. this story was somewhat based on that.further more this movie was a 90 minute laughing spree, the way they explained the bootie juice song to be a political statement was hilarious. not to mention the "love song" tasty was hooking up. and when vanilla sherbert got his ass kicked, just like the record company executive is also hilarious and having they're managers getting shot every time too.people who didn't enjoy this movie probably didn't get it or were complete idiots, my opinion$LABEL$ 1 +IMDb forces reviewers to type a certain amount of lines, but all I really want to say is -- "This is an incredible film, and you can't consider yourself a film fan without having seen it." You ought to just trust me on this one and stop reading this review and get the movie and push play. But I have to type something. So, let me point out the following: (1) River's Edge contains what still may well rank as Crispin Glover's all-time funniest and best performance in a film, and if you have been following Crispin Glover at all, you know that that alone justifies giving it a 10. Funny lines galore.(2) River's Edge contains the second-most memorable performance of Dennis Hopper's career (other than the one in Blue Velvet), and it is really excellent. Dennis Hopper is really funny.(3) River's Edge contains the best performance of Keanu Reeves' career, and it is excellent. It was the role he was born to play. He has plenty of good lines, but one in particular is really really funny. Listen close when his character and the step-dad are talking to one another.Still the best stoner film, it is much more than just that. It tends to show up in the drama sections of film-rental stores, but if this is a drama, it's the funniest drama of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +What is most disturbing about this film is not that school killing sprees like the one depicted actually happen, but that the truth is they are carried out by teenagers like Cal and Andre...normal kids with normal families. By using a hand held camera technique a la Blair Witch, Ben Coccio succeeds in bringing us into the lives of two friends who have some issues with high school, although we aren't ever told exactly what is behind those issues. They seem to be typical -a lot of people hate high school, so what? A part of you just doesn't believe they will ever carry out the very well thought out massacre on Zero Day. The surveillance camera scenes in the school during the shooting are made all the more powerful for that reason. You can't believe it's really happening, and that it's really happened. The hand held camera technique also creates the illusion that this is not a scripted movie, a brilliant idea given the subject matter.$LABEL$ 1 +This was the best film I saw in the year 2000. The Cohen brothers have never let me down before, and they certainly didn't this time either.It's one of those rare movies these days - it's witty, intelligent and vastly entertaining. I left the cinema with a warmth in my heart. Of course, there's lot of Cohen stuff in there - odd characters and peculiar gadgets, well-developed plot and magic camerawork. But no Cohen film is resembling any other Cohen film, if you overlook the general quality of them, of course.The big surprise for me was that Clooney is so good. But the true master performance in this movie comes from Tim Blake-Nelson. But the rest of the cast is superb too.A film that is lightweight comedy with a musical touch that evolve it's story round rednecks and old time country music - dripping with wit and intelligence. Thats a very unlikely combination. But it's exactly what this picture is.$LABEL$ 1 +All Dogs Go To Heaven is a movie that I have always liked. When I was a kid, I used to watch this every other day. It is underrated if you look at its IMDb rating and the comments of many people in general. This isn't a bad movie like many say, it is a very good movie. This is good and your kids will probably like it. Even though it's rated G, some parents may find this to be a bit violent. It is actually a pretty dark story, where the dogs are similar to mobsters who are involved in gambling, extortion, and even cold blooded murder. The movie follows a dog named Charlie who had escaped from the pound, is killed by his old friend, goes to heaven, but ends up coming back to earth. Many younger kids watching this movie may feel as though they are watching a big kids movie. There are some scenes that may scare little kids, but I'm sure they'll do fine. Every time I watch this movie, it reminds me of when I was a little kid. I'm sure everyone has a movie that reminds them of when they were younger, this is the movie that makes me feel that way. The performances from Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise are great, and this is the last movie that a little girl named Judith Barsi was in. Unfortunately, she was killed at a young age, which is a shame because she had so much potential and didn't deserve what happened. Now that I know her story, I can't watch this movie the same way anymore because her voice sounds so sad. The animation in this movie is great, the voice work is great, and the story is good, but a little bit different from many other kids movies. This was popular at the time of its release, but was over shadowed by Disney's mega popular The Little Mermaid. This is a movie that isn't conceived as well by adults, but if you're a kid, or if you grew up with this movie as a kid, then I'm sure you will enjoy watching it.$LABEL$ 1 +This film tops the previous incarnation by a mile, taking everything to the next level. As always the JackAss guys are purely unbelievable, and I personally laughed harder in that theatre than I have in a long time. Like the first JackAss, this isn't so much a movie as an eighty minute long string of stunts and pranks. It is pure circus entertainment taken to the highest level. Essentially these guys are clowns, debasing themselves for the amusement of others. And its great. The shenanigans are so low, outrageous, and often disgusting that they transcend into a higher form of entertainment.You can't rate this along other movies, its in a class of its own. And it shines. Go and enjoy it for the pure spectacle that it is.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie easily falls into the category of laughable, if not beyond that to actually insulting. I mean in what alternate universe did the filmmakers and studios think that this film would play? From beginning to end we bombarded with Quaids overacting and ridiculous facial expressions, laying on the "im a loose cannon" act a little thick. Another picking point I had with the movie was the lack of a realistic story of events that would make you grow to connect to a character. I mean in one scene where Lewis is playing in a bar before making it big there is this over the top, just completely absurd bar fight that every citizen in town is apparently a part of. Then Lewis begins to play his rendition of "A whole lot of shaking'" and everyone immediately forgets their differences and begins dancing wildly as if its the most normal thing in the world. These kind of scenes, of which there are numerous, coupled with the lack of depth in any of the characters led me to actual laughter. So all in all this film is not worth viewing for anyone not interested in mocking a filmmaker and his actors decisions for an hour and a half.$LABEL$ 0 +Aside from the great movie METROPOLIS, this is about the oldest pure sci-fi movie. While at times the film is a bit preachy and the acting can be a bit broad, it is a great film for two reasons. First, it is extremely original in both style and content. Even in the 21st century, there are no films I can think of that are anything like it. Second, for its time, the special effects were absolutely incredible--using matte paintings, models and huge casts to create amazing scenes of both a post-apocalyptic world and a vast city of tomorrow. Sure, you could sit back and knock the film because, by today's standards, the effects are only so-so. But, you must appreciate that this was state of the art when the film came out in 1936 and it must have really amazed audiences. In many ways, the sets look highly reminiscent of the "modern cities" featured at the 1939 WORLD'S FAIR.I think the movie is also interesting because it seems torn by the question "are people really THAT stupid or are we destined for greatness?" The end result seems to be a little of both! How true!A final note: I saw this twice on TV and just a short time ago on video. All three times the sound and print quality stank--particularly the sound. If this is available on a DVD, hopefully it is a lot cleaner and will provide optional captioning. As the sound on the video kept cutting out, I really would have appreciated this!$LABEL$ 1 +"Baby Face" is a precode melodrama starring a very young Barbara Stanwyck, an almost unrecognizable George Brent, and Theresa Harris. It's about a girl who goes to the city to make good...or should I say make time. Stanwyck's father has been pimping her for one reason or another her whole life in dingy, depressed, filthy Erie, Pennsylvania. After her father dies, one older father type who knows what she's been through and truly cares about her future advises her to go to the big city and take advantage of opportunities there - and not the easy ones - and to take the high road in life. (Note that I saw the censored version and not the uncut - this part of the film was redone for the censors.) She and Chico (Harris) go to New York where Lily (nickname: Baby Face) decides the low road's a lot smoother and will get her where she wants to go a lot faster. In the movie's most famous scene, the camera moves us up the corporate ladder by taking us from floor to floor as Lily sleeps her way to the top. She finally corrals the big man himself and is able to quit her day job. Trouble follows, and she's soon involved in a huge scandal.Stanwyck wears lots of makeup and for most of the film is cool as a cucumber as she seduces one man after another with no regrets, and she's great at playing the innocent victim. In one scene, she sits staring at a king's ransom in jewels while wearing a black dress that looks like it's decorated with diamonds at the top. Then she asks Chico for another case, and that's filled with more jewelry, plus securities. All in a day's work.Theresa Harris was an interesting talent - she could be played down or glamorous, and was a talented singer and dancer as well. Here, she sings or hums the movie's theme, "St. Louis Woman" throughout. She worked in literally dozens of movies and is very good here as a friend of Stanwyck's, her best work being in the precode era. As a bizarre byproduct of the code, blacks were often given less to do in films after it was put in place.Precode films could be more sexually blatant and therefore, though they're 70+ years old, seem more modern. Even though these films didn't have to have moral endings, Baby Face learns her lessons - how like life it is after all. There were several endings of this film, all with the same message. The one I saw had an added scene, but apparently, there were two other endings that didn't pass the censors. (There wasn't a code but there were always censors.) At any rate, it's a neat surprise. "Baby Face" is an important film in movie history - a must see.$LABEL$ 1 +When I was seventeen I genuinely believed Elvis to be the king of rock and roll, and not only did I wish to see all 31 of his "character" movies, but it was my ambition to own them, too. What an exceptionally poor excuse for a seventeen-year-old I must have been. Thankfully sense prevailed and Live A Little, Love A Little is the only Elvis film I own.The spotlight has fallen on this one recently since a remixed version of top song A Little Less Conversation has been released as a single. (His first to reach the UK top ten in 22 years – his first UK No.1 in 25) Even when I was seventeen and in serious need of psychiatric help I realised that the songs for this movie weren't exactly first rate. However, A Little Less Conversation - rollnecks and 60s grooving aside - is a real standout. Finding a lesser-known song that only a relatively small few are aware of promoted into the mainstream produces a mixture of emotions. It's nice to finally see faith in a song vindicated, but it's also saddening to see the disintegration of your own private cult. (And what chauvinistic lyrics, too. Though what other Elvis song contains the word "procrastinate"?)But what really bothers me about this film is not A Little Less Conversation but the 84 minutes that surround it. Actually based on a novel (Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips - what kind of lame novel would that be?) this one sees a bored Elvis holed up with a "comedy" dog and a nympho. Within 90 seconds of meeting him, Michele Carey asks "would you like to make love to me?" Quite a fast mover by any standards I'm sure you'll agree.I do seem to recall that some of Elvis's early movies - most notably Jailhouse Rock and King Creole - weren't too bad, but this is just identikit hillbilly cobblers. Being fired from a newspaper job can lead to a five minute karate fight with a couple of gingernuts, causing a motorway pile up is good for a laugh, and models dress as pink mermaids. There's even a dream sequence for God's sake. Maybe the only dumb stereotype it doesn't conform to is in not having all that many songs. With just four to choose from, including the credits number, you're waiting an average of 22 minutes between tracks. Some movies would become vapid by having too many tunes, but here they might have helped to have numbed the pain. Of the remaining three tracks, then The Edge of Reality isn't actually that bad, though Elvis's dance to it must surely have been called "The Bear Trap".In one sense, for a PG certificate film from 1968 then this is shockingly high on sexual content. Sadly, however, with talking dogs, Middle America sitcom values and the stiffest dancing you'll ever see, Elvis's dignity is obliterated by this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, my goodness, am I disappointed. When I first heard news of a remake of Robert Wise's 1963 film, "The Haunting", I had a fear that it would be ruined by an abundance of summer-movie sized visual effects. But, deep down, I had faith. Surely, with such a talented cast intact...De Bont and company will not ruin a film, who's original was a fantastic and frightening movie that understood the delicate art of subtlety. Well, subtlety, where are you now!!?? My fears have manifested...a promising movie has gone wrong. Yes, Eugenio Zannetti's production design is jaw-dropping; the movie is wonderfully photographed; and composer Jerry Goldsmith can never EVER do wrong. But, the script puts it's fine actors to the test..asking them to deliver the kind of stilted dialogue that is only spoken in movies. In the end, the always wonderful Lili Taylor is the only performer to escape with some dignity...and that's just barely. But, the crime of all crimes is that the horror is shown to us. We can no longer use our imaginations, feel that horrible dread of fear of the unknown. No, we get some visual effects to SHOW US what we're supposed to be afraid of...and you know what? As wonderfully realized as they are...the visual effects come off as sort of silly. And the climax is a phantasmogoric mess...but things had gone terribly wrong long before that. Everything in The Haunting is overdone and overblown. I'm afraid there are no real thrills or creaks in this old haunted house monstrosity...only groans. Check out the original instead.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was terrible!I rented it not knowing what to expect.I watched the 1st 5 minutes and the movie and knew it was a bomb.The acting was bad and there was no plot.The monster is soooooo fake.It growls and its mouth doesnt move.Also why would they have a doctor playing a xylophone to kill the monster.Just plain bad don't even waste your time.(1 out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe I actually spent almost three hours of my life watching this. This must be one of the most unbelievable, predictable and cheesy television movies I have seen in a long time. I was hoping for some good special effects and action, instead I spent the entire time rolling my eyes and yelling "OH COME ON!!!", at the screen. The dialog is shallow and obvious, the acting strained at times and as the story moves along, isn't it just funny how EVERYTHING happens at the same time... Not to mention the obvious and nauseating ending... Now I've seen more than my share of disaster movies, I am a big fan actually, and think that often they can pull off completely unrealistic stuff as long as it's done in a fun way, but this is definitely not it. This is just an insult to intelligent viewers everywhere. What were they thinking when they made this movie?????$LABEL$ 0 +This show is good. I like the acting, funny bits and the cuteness of it. The actors, Lee Pace, Ann Friel... etc, they all did great in the show. The show started off great with its funny, illogical basic idea of bringing dead people back in the first series and honestly, as what people said, the first few episodes of the second series were a bit of a let down but it later came back looking good anyway. And now I really hate the fact that it's going to be cancelled. Why doesn't ABC just let it finish until the very end when all the episodes are already done?? I really wanna know how the story's going to be. I think it should be given a chance as there're still so many viewers who love it.$LABEL$ 1 +I do think Tom Hanks is a good actor. I enjoyed reading this book to my children when they were little. I was very disappointed in the movie. One character is totally annoying with a voice that gives me the feeling of fingernails on a chalkboard. There is a totally unnecessary train/roller coaster scene. There are some characters and scenes that seem scary for little children for whom this movie was made. The North Pole scenes with Santa and the elves could have been cute and charming. There was absolutely no warmth or charm to these scenes or characters. It usually doesn't work to make a short children's book into a feature film. This movie totally grates on my nerves.$LABEL$ 0 +Most of the other posts beat this movie up, and deservedly so. I've just got to chime in on the technical ineptness of the film makers. It would have been nice if the director had at least had lunch with someone who knew what a gun was, because he had no clue.SPOILERS AHEAD!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! Stupidity: Spec Ops team assembled from various military units whose members have never met each other before.Maybe two people in the unit had weapons that used the same magazines, parts, ammo, etc.The sniper school instructor uses a sub machine gun (pistol caliber) as opposed to a rifle which we would assume she would be more proficient with.One poor team member's night vision optics weigh more than the rifle does. You can tell when he handles it, that it is SERIOUSLY top heavy.The team leader sends out a team member to "challenge" the Skeleton Man when they first confront him. Challenge a 200 year old reanimated Native American skeleton with a long spear and an attitude riding an undead war horse with a severe nosebleed? I think not, Bubba.Bullets do not spark when they hit trees, Mr. Director. (a couple of people have already mentioned this.) The teams "air support" consists of a ubiquitous "black helicopter", only this one has a couple of sidewinder missiles slung underneath. Someone forgot to tell the helo crew that the Skeleton Man doesn't fly, and they are over the American heartland where there won't be any enemy aircraft. They should have carried some air to ground missiles instead.The helo's air to ground ordnance consists of a door gunner with a semi-auto AK-47(or 74?). Needless to say he only hits dirt. Should have brought a belt fed light machine gun.Door gunner later finds out that a grenade launcher is pretty useless as well.A wooden arrow from a freaking recurve bow does not down helicopters, Mr. Director.I pretty well could not take anymore after this point (about 30 minutes) and gave up. You seriously need a morphine drip to make it through this flick, it is just that painful.$LABEL$ 0 +My 10/10 rating is merely for the fun factor and assumes that you decided that you liked "Slaughter High" even before watching it. Yes, it's the typical revenge-several-years-after-a-dirty-prank story, but how can you not like some of the stuff that they pull here?! I couldn't have predicted that bathtub scene in a million years.OK, so maybe we could be cynical and say that this movie offers nothing new. Well, it doesn't pretend to. It's the sort of flick that the characters in "Scream" probably watched, and it contributed to their rules about how to survive a horror movie. After all, who doesn't like to watch people suffer for doing these things? Obviously, it's got sort of a reactionary undertone, as people get punished for doing what the '60s championed. But still, you gotta love this stuff! So, with apologies to Don McLean, this jester didn't sing for the king and queen!$LABEL$ 1 +Until I saw this special on HBO, I had never heard of Eddie Izzard. I sure am glad that I have now! He is one of the funniest comedians I have ever seen! Rarely has a comedian immersed himself so completely in his craft then Eddie. I could not stop laughing for the entire show. If you like to laugh you HAVE to see this special!$LABEL$ 1 +This film was Excellent, I thought that the original one was quiet mediocre. This one however got all the ingredients, a factory 1970 Hemi Challenger with 4 speed transmission that really shows that Mother Mopar knew how to build the best muscle cars! I was in Chrysler heaven every time Kowalski floored that big block Hemi, and he sure did that a lot :)$LABEL$ 1 +Everyone knows about this ''Zero Day'' event. What I think this movie did that Elephant did not is that they made us see how these guys were. They showed their life for about a year. Throughout the movie we get to like them, to laugh with them even though we totally know what they're gonna do. And THAT gives me the chills. Cause I felt guilty to be cheered by their comments, and I just thought Cal was a sweet guy. Even though I KNEW what was gonna happen you know? Even at the end of the movie when they were about to commit suicide and just deciding if they did it on the count of 3 or 4 I thought this was funny but still I was horrified to see their heads blown off. Of course I was. I got to like them. They were wicked, maybe, but I felt like they were really normal guys, that they didn't really realize it. But I knew they were.That's, IMO, the main force of this movie. It makes us realize that our friends, or relatives, or anyone, can be planning something crazy, and that we won't even notice it. This movie, as good as it was, made me feel bad. And that's why I can't go to sleep right now. There's still this little feeling in my stomach. Butterflies.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, now that all of the director/ productions company's friends and relations have posted their shill reviews after seeing this at various festivals, I guess it's time to show reviews written by people who actually paid 10 bucks to see it.Like the director's "Dear Jesse" (the only other one of his films I have seen), "Loggerheads" suffers from a lack of focus and too many ideas crammed into an indie budget. I swear, this guy might have better luck doing miniseries. I kept waiting for the various plot threads to come together, but they only intercepted at points blatantly forshadowed in a way obvious to all but the most dense viewer. It was like watching a season of Lifetime made-for-TV movies crammed into one, long (did I say LOOONG) sketch on the old "Carol Burnett" show. Maybe an enterprising male suitor could take his girlfriend to see this and then exclaim "Hey...remember all of the chick flicks we went to last year...the one about the adoptive mother...the one about the gay guy...the one about the Christian housewife. We went to THREE Chick Flicks last year; so now we have to go see Terminator 4!" I guess one has to do anything to cast a familiar actor to get funding, but what oh what is Bonnie Hunt doing in this flick? She isn't exactly known as a dramatic actress, and this attempted "performance" won't be sending Mr. Oscar to her door. I mean (speaking of Lifetime Original Movies), wasn't Valerie Bertinelli or Farah Fawcett available? Ms. Hunt has always come off to me as cold, maybe she should have played the other mom? I wish I would have chosen "Capote" to fill my weekly Gay-themed Indie Allowance..oh well, maybe next week. I think there is a good reason why Capote is playing at tons of theatres all over the NYC area and this one is playing at only one; let the distributors faith in this flick assure to to run in the opposite direction if you don't trust this review!$LABEL$ 0 +dont ever ever ever consider watching this sorry excuse for a film. the way it is shot, lit, acted etc. just doesn't make sense. it's all so bad it is difficult to watch. loads of clips are repeated beyond boredom. there seems to be no 'normal' person in the entire film and the existence of the 'outside world' is, well, it just doesn't exist. and why does that bald guy become invincible all of a sudden? this film is beyond stupidity. zero.$LABEL$ 0 +Judy Holliday struck gold in 1950 withe George Cukor's film version of "Born Yesterday," and from that point forward, her career consisted of trying to find material good enough to allow her to strike gold again.It never happened. In "It Should Happen to You" (I can't think of a blander title, by the way), Holliday does yet one more variation on the dumb blonde who's maybe not so dumb after all, but everything about this movie feels warmed over and half hearted. Even Jack Lemmon, in what I believe was his first film role, can't muster up enough energy to enliven this recycled comedy. The audience knows how the movie will end virtually from the beginning, so mostly it just sits around waiting for the film to catch up.Maybe if you're enamored of Holliday you'll enjoy this; otherwise I wouldn't bother.Grade: C$LABEL$ 0 +There is so much not to like about this show it's hard to know where to start. Unlikeable characters, horrible plot lines, terrible writing, AND terrible acting. Don't even get me started on the obnoxious theme music.On top of all that the show is out of touch with U.S. audiences due to the heavy Canadian references all throughout it. "Oh say Derek, will you be going to Queens College in the Fall! How have you bean? We should go oot." Granted, other shows are filmed in Canada for financial reasons like Stargate: Atlantis, but while those shows may have suffered from some annoyances (like Rodney calling a Z-P-M a "Zed-P-M") the show didn't focus on life in Canada.MTV is running Degrassi (another show based on the experiences of the Canadian teenager) during daytime hours when no one is watching to fill time (most teens are at school when it airs). I'd wager it's for the same reason. Shows that focus on teenage life in Canada don't translate well to a U.S. audience.This show should be canceled and the remaining masters burned in a furnace.$LABEL$ 0 +Genie (Zoe Trilling) arrives in Egypt to visit her hypocritical, bible-quoting archeologist father (William Finley) and attracts the attention of a group of cultists led by a descendant of the Marquis de Sade (Robert Englund). Englund also plays de Sade in flashbacks, ranting in his cell. Genie is led astray by Mohammed (Juliano Merr), who rides around naked on a horse and Sabina (Alona Kamhi), a bisexual who introduces her to opium smoking, which leads to a wild hallucination featuring topless harem dancers, a woman simulating oral sex on a snake, an orgy and her father preaching in the background! Meanwhile, black hooded cult members decapitate, gouge out eyeballs and slit throats. When Genie is slipped drugs in her tea, she imagines de Sade hanging from a cross, a gold-painted woman in a leafy g-string and herself bloody on a bed covered in snakes. It's all because she's the reincarnation of de Sade's lost love.This typically sleazy Harry Alan Towers production is redundant, seedy and pretty senseless, but the sets, costumes, cinematography and location work are all excellent and at least there's always something going on.Score: 3 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +The sign of a classic movie is that it ages like a fine red wine. This movie is no Cabarnet and certainly no Casablanca. I agree with the other reviewers that the children in the movie are an unfortunate mutation that now plagues us nightly in sit-coms and the dialogue is stilted and preachy. But let's look at the obsolete theme of the movie.With the passage of sixty plus years of history comes wisdom. Since Watch on the Rhine, author Lillian Hellman has been exposed as a Bidenesque plagiarist with her so called real-life story "Julia" from her book "Pentimento". As one of the most odious of a plethora of Western-based USSR apologists, it is obvious her theme in the play and movie was to stir America to action to save the bloody Soviet dictator Stalin and international communism from the fascists, who had just proved their military superiority in Spain.As one reviewer correctly noted, this is not a pro-American play and movie, as Lillian went to her grave an American-loathing communist. This film chronicles that familiar smug stupidity of the intellectual elites that made up the American Left then, just as now the full mooner Left of The Daily Kos and Michael Moore has bought into the conspiracy theories and once again given aid and comfort to those who would destroy America.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those movies that go out of print and are very expensive on eBay. This movie is a little-known, fairly amateurish flick that has the strong advantage of being the only movie that Shannon Doherty appears in multiple nude scenes (looking very seductive, I might add). It also has the minor advantage of being popular in the fetish Shannon Doherty and smoking fetish arenas. It's a fairly mediocre attempt at a horror/drama/whodunit movie. It tries a little misdirection, but you can see what's coming a mile away. Shannon does a decent job with her role, but the woman playing her sister is straight out of amateur-night, as is Shannon's husband character. Avoid, unless you're one of the groups I mention above. Now, let's hit eBay and see if we can unload this thing. 8)$LABEL$ 0 +Thunder Alley finds Fabian banned from NASCAR tracks after causing the death of another driver. Stanley Adams might want to put him on his team of racers, but the other drivers aren't for having him around.Desperate for employment Fabian hooks up with an auto stunt show owner Jan Murray who's paying him peanuts and trying to capitalize on Fabian's bad rep. He's got to take it, but Annette Funicello who's Murray's daughter provides another reason to stick around.The rest of the film is Fabian's struggle to get back to the NASCAR circuit while at the same time juggling both Annette and his current girl friend Diane McBain. Personally, I would have taken McBain, she has it all over Annette.Thunder Alley is helped by location shooting at the southern NASCAR tracks and good film footage of NASCAR racing. Not helped by a rather silly story which delves into the real reason for Fabian's problems and his rather unrealistic recovery from same.Still fans of NASCAR might go for this.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent performance. There still are good actors around! Also great directing and photography. Very true to Shakespear, and a 'must' for all Shakespear fans. Macbeth (Jason Connery) moved me to tears with his final monolog (out brief candle, out)He gave the sphere of moral decay and dark forces a human face, which makes it the more interesting. Helen Baxendale is a very credible lady Macbeth who can be very cheerfull at times and sometimes she just looks like a naughty girl, but deadly in her taste for blood and evil. If you love death and decay, and Shakespears lyrics... this is the one.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was so great! I am a teenager, and I and my friends all love the series, so it just goes to show that these movies draw attention to all age crowds. I recommend it to everyone. My favorite line in this movie is when Logan Bartholomew says: "rosy cheeks", when he is talking about his baby daughter. He is such a great actor, as well as Erin Cottrell. They pair up so well, and have such a great chemistry! I really hope that they can work again together. They are such attractive people, and are very good actors. I have finally found movies that are good to watch. Lately it has been hard for me to find movies that are good, and show good morals, and Christian values. But at the same time, these movies aren't cheesy.$LABEL$ 1 +Altered Species starts one Friday night in Los Angeles where Dr. Irwin (Guy Vieg) & his laboratory assistant Walter (Allen Lee Haff) are burning the midnight oil as they continue to try & perfect a revolutionary new drug called 'Rejenacyn'. As Walter tips the latest failed attempt down the sink the pipes leak the florescent green liquid into the basement where escaped lab rats begin to drink it... Five of Walter's friends, Alicia (Leah Rown in a very fetching outfit including some cool boots that she gets to stomp on a rat with), Gary (Richard Peterson), Burke (Derek Hofman), Frank (David Bradley) & Chelsea (Alexandra Townsend) decide that he has been working too hard & needs to get out so they plan to pick him up & party the night away. Back at the lab & the cleaner Douglas (Robert Broughton) has been attacked & killed by the now homicidal rats in the basement as Walter injects the latest batch of serum in a lab rat which breaks out of it's cage as it grows at an amazing rate. Walter's friends turn up but he can't leave while the rat is still missing so everyone helps him look for it. All six become potential rat food...Also known as Rodentz Altered Species was co-edited & directed by Miles Feldman & has very little to recommend it. The script by producer Serge Rodnunsky is poor & coupled together with the general shoddiness of the production as a whole Altered Species really is lame. For a start the character's are dumb, annoying & clichéd. Then there's the unoriginal plot with the mad scientist, the monster he has created, the isolated location, the stranded human cast & the obligatory final showdown between hero & monster. It's all here somewhere. Altered Species moves along at a fair pace which is just about the best thing I can say about it & thankfully doesn't last that long. It's basically your average run-of-the-mill killer mutant rat film & not a particularly good one at that either.Director Feldman films like a TV film & the whole thing is throughly bland & forgettable while some of the special effects & attack scenes leave a lot to be desired. For a start the CGI rats are awful, the attack sequences feature hand-held jerky camera movement & really quick edits to try & hide the fact that all the rats are just passively sitting there. At various points in Altered Species the rat cages need to shake because of the rats movement but you can clearly see all the rats just sitting there as someone shakes the cages off screen. The giant rat monster at the end looks pretty poor as it's just a guy in a dodgy suit. There are no scares, no tension or atmosphere & since when did basements contain bright neon lighting? There are one or two nice bits of gore here, someone has a nice big messy hole where their face used to be, there's a severed arm & decapitation, lots of rat bites, someone having their eyeball yanked out & a dead mutilated cat.Technically Altered Species is sub standard throughout. It takes place within the confines of one building, has cheap looking CGI effects & low production values. The acting isn't up to much but it isn't too bad & a special mention to Leah Rowan as Alicia as she's a bit of a babe & makes Altered Species just that little bit nicer & easier to watch...Altered Species isn't a particularly good film, in fact it's a pretty bad one but I suppose you could do worse. Not great but it might be worth a watch if your not too demanding & have nothing else to do.$LABEL$ 0 +The last film by underrated director Alberto De Martino ("The Antichrist", "The Killer is on the Phone") is a truly suspenseful but incomprehensibly neglected giallo, containing pretty much all the trademarks that makes this Italian horror sub genre so magnificent and addictive to the fans. There are some very disturbing themes (child abuse, phony priests…), loads of creepy moments, plot twists left & right, outstanding music and – last but not least – a handful of really sadistic murder scenes! Especially the opening sequence, which is some kind of prologue, is a powerful piece of horror! What is it about ordinary child dolls that make them so creepy? When the anonymous man, dressed up like a priest, assaulted a little girl and the broken head of her doll bounced down a flight of stairs, it really sent cold shivers through my spine! Years later, the young girl from the prologue is an adult woman bound to a wheelchair. She inherited a lot of money but uses her fortune to stimulate fellow handicapped people to practice sports and to remain positive-minded. She – Joanna – falls in love with her personal coach and they get married right away. Naturally, he's only after her money and starts terrorizing Joanna by making her relive the childhood trauma that crippled her. The repeated images of a sinister looking priest, guided by eerie tunes and a nursery rhyme, provide "Formula for a Murder" with a ton of genuine scares and Alberto De Martino's directing is very resolute. The acting is quite competent, with David Warbeck ("The Beyond", "The Black Cat") in a glorious greedy villain role. Due some plot holes and a lack of originality, this movie might not be able to compete with Italy's best horror efforts, but it definitely deserves more attention. Many formerly obscure and unknown Italian gialli received marvelous DVD-releases and, hopefully, "Formula for a Murder" will be given the same treatment really soon. In the meantime, good luck tracking this baby down!$LABEL$ 1 +Arguably this is a very good "sequel", better than the first live action film 101 Dalmatians. It has good dogs, good actors, good jokes and all right slapstick! Cruella DeVil, who has had some rather major therapy, is now a lover of dogs and very kind to them. Many, including Chloe Simon, owner of one of the dogs that Cruella once tried to kill, do not believe this. Others, like Kevin Shepherd (owner of 2nd Chance Dog Shelter) believe that she has changed. Meanwhile, Dipstick, with his mate, have given birth to three cute dalmatian puppies! Little Dipper, Domino and Oddball...Starring Eric Idle as Waddlesworth (the hilarious macaw), Glenn Close as Cruella herself and Gerard Depardieu as Le Pelt (another baddie, the name should give a clue), this is a good family film with excitement and lots more!! One downfall of this film is that is has a lot of painful slapstick, but not quite as excessive as the last film. This is also funnier than the last film.Enjoy "102 Dalmatians"! :-)$LABEL$ 1 +the reason why i gave this movie a 4 was for a couple reasons, but this movie was not that bad. first off, the editing i found too be pretty poor at times, the script(or what they had of one) was not very good, and if not for Nunzio La Bianca, the acting would have been crap. but all that aside(ha ha i know its like the whole movie) its not that bad for an extremely low ind. , low budget film. If they would have gotten more money, a little better actors(but these ones were intimidating so it was good) and a little more detailed script this movie would be terrific. Somebody has to tell me this guy was influenced A lot by the warriors by Walter hill. i mean this movie is exactly like it. anyone who has seen both those films will agree with me.$LABEL$ 0 +Imagine the worst thing that could ever possibly be conceived by human intellect. Now imagine something infinitely darker - I mean, worse, than that. Then multiply that by the quantity of the suckiness possessed by the Star Wars Holiday Special. This movie is by far worse than that."Dracula 3000: Infinite Darkness", starring such illustrious and reputable actors such as Coolio and Langley Kirkwood (as the film's "horrifying antagonist", Count ORLOCK) is equatable to eating one's own feces exclusively for one's entire life, condensed into approximately one hour and twenty minutes. To be frank, there is no way to approach a review of this cinematic tragedy - riddled with Communist propaganda, promotion of drug use, futuristic anachronisms, and quite possibly the worst special effects since the (original) "War of the Worlds".The hammer and the sickle of the Soviet Union can be seen proudly displayed throughout the dingy sets they dare call a spaceship. Lenin can be observed on several posters throughout the "film". And of course, religion has been abolished for two centuries by then. So they don't know who this "God" is, even though they have no reservations about using His name in vain. But of course, in the Socialist Republic of space (presided over by interstellar President Baker), death-stick like drugs are legalized and quite common. Yet handicap mobility seems even worse off than it is today (they don't even have a wheelchair ramp).Racial tension still festers throughout the galaxy in quite a familiar/predictable fashion. We receive great commentary on ethnic division through lines such as "is Dracula a brotha?", "us brothas gotta stick together", and "once you go black, you don't go back." Speaking of the token black characters, one is played by Coolio. Playing a stereotypical stoner, Coolio becomes possibly the most annoying and ridiculous vampire ever. Oh wait, SECOND most ridiculous vampire ever. That prized title goes to our friend COUNT ORLOCK, from PLANET TRANSYLVANIA, in the CARPATHIAN SYSTEM. These two make quite a pair, between Coolio's attempts to cripple a paraplegic, strange attempts at making high-pitched animal noises, a hairstyle 1004 years old, and GIGANTIC stretches of completely worthless dialogue; and Count Orlock's twenty dollar generic Halloween-style vampire costume, exploding coffins, or confusingly inane back story.One wonders if they did not simply give Coolio the opportunity to get "as high as a kite in space without gravity", let him interact with the other "actors", and just went from there.Count Orlock's motivations are also somewhat in question. Does he want "infinite darkness", as the film's subtitle would have you believe? Does he want to eat the crew? Or does he want *Coolio* to "kill them all"? Or does he desire to give handicapped people a chance in such an inhospitably future? It doesn't really matter, because none of this film's plot makes sense anyways.The highlight of this movie has to be it's ending. More for the fact that it means the movie is over than by any merit of the abrupt trainwreck of a climax they phone in before the credits. Instead of facing Count Orlock off in some sort of duel (the closest we get is a shot of Orlock flailing around at breakneck speeds in front of our protagonist, who dies shortly afterwards), our heroes beat him by cutting off his arm in an ordinary door. Orlock then proceeds to collapse, screeching in pain at a totally mundane yet understandably painful injury. This is by far the most fun you'll get from this movie. Watching a vampire's contorted face as he cries in pain will have you on the edge of your seat - with laughter. Almost worth the four bucks for that alone. Of course, right after that we're treated with one of the film's worst one-liners, the mandatory allusion to sex, and perhaps the most ABRUPT EXCUSE FOR AN ENDING *EVER*. They're driving into the sun, and their ship literally just blows up before they even come remotely close to impact. I think they just outdid the Wachowski bros. for the worst finale ever.I can only sleep at night because we know that a sequel is impossible. Secure in this fact, we can safely say that this is the WORST MOVIE EVER CREATED, and one which will never be exceeded in low quality, lower budget, and lower-est acting talent.$LABEL$ 0 +I like it because of my recent personal experience. Especially the ideas that everyone is free and that everything is finite. The characters in the firm did not really enjoy their "real" lives, but they did enjoy themselves, i.e. what they were. The movie did a good job making this simple day a good memory. A good memory includes not only romantic feelings about a beautiful stranger and a beautiful European city, but definitely about the deeper discussion about their values of life. Many movies are like this in terms of discussion of the definitions of life or love or relationships or current problems in life or some sort of those. Before Sunrise dealt with it in a nice way, which makes the viewer pause and think and adjust her breath and go on watching the film. Before Sunrise did not try to instill a specific thought into your head. It just encouraged you to think about some issues in daily life and gave you some alternative possibilities. This made the conversations between the characters interesting, not just typical whining complaints or flowing dumb ideas. You would be still thinking about those issues for yourself and curious about the next line of the story. The end was not quite important after all. You could got something out of it and feel something good or positive about yourself after the movie. Movies are supposed to be enjoyable. This is an enjoyable movie and worth of your time to watch it. I am on a journey too. The movie somehow represented some part of me and answered some of my questions.$LABEL$ 1 +If this movie were in production today it would probably have the christian right-wingers screaming 'child porn'. It is far from a great film, in fact it is rather pedestrian. However, if you have an imagination and a fond remembrance of youth and first love I recommend it.$LABEL$ 0 +I wish I knew what to make of a movie like this. It seems to be divided into two parts -- action sequences and personal dramas ashore. It follows Ashton Kutsher through survival swimmer school, guided by Master Chief Kevin Costner, then to Alaska where a couple of spectacular rescues take place, the last resulting in death.I must say that the scenes on the beach struck me as so stereotypical in so many ways that they should be barnacle encrusted. A typical bar room fight between Navy guys and Coast Guardsmen ("puddle pirates"). The experienced old timer Costner who is, as an elderly bar tender tells him, "married to the Coast Guard." The older chief who "keeps trying to prove to himself that he's still nineteen." The neglected ex wife ashore to whom Kostner pays a farewell visit. The seemingly sadistic demands placed on the swimmers by the instructors, all in pursuit of a loftier goal. The gifted young man hobbled by a troubled past.The problem is that we've seen it all before. If it's Kevin Costner here, it's Clint Eastwood or John Wayne or Lou Gosset Jr. or Vigo Mortenson or Robert DeNiro elsewhere. And the climactic scene has elements drawn shamelessly from "The Perfect Storm" and "Dead Calm." None of it is fresh and none of the old stereotyped characters and situations are handled with any originality.It works best as a kind of documentary of what goes on in the swimmer's school and what could happen afterward and even that's a little weak because we don't get much in the way of instruction. It's mostly personal conflict, romance, and tension about washing out.It's a shame because the U. S. Coast Guard is rather a noble outfit, its official mission being "the safety of lives and property at sea." In war time it is transferred to the Navy Department and serves in combat roles. In World War II, the Coast Guard even managed to have a Medal of Honor winner in its ranks.But, again, we don't learn much about that. We don't really learn much about anything. The film devolves into a succession of visual displays and not too much else. A disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh, how the critics fell all over themselves to praise their goldenboy Paul Schrader (author of Taxi Driver) when this movie came out. I never saw the qualities they were detecting when I watched this movie back in the day, so I re-viewed it, to see if I got it wrong. Mishima is extremely uninteresting. This is a chilly, unremarkable movie about an author living/working in a chilly abstruse culture. The flat reenactments don't hold your attention because they are emotionally adrift and stagy. And the rest of it just sits there being awful... with soldiers singing songs about the masculinity they pledge themselves to, hairsplitting about purity, the admiration of swords, etc.It must be a triumph when you learn you've landed Philip Glass; but then you have to get something out of him. Glasses score offers not a whit of distinction from his other work, nor does it provide the film any perceptible value. In 2010 it should be clear to anyone that Schrader squandered his career on work of no impact or importance (Cat People, AutoFocus, Light Sleeper, Patty Hearst, American Gigolo). He can bore you to pieces, and kill the momentum of a movie, quicker than anyone else. Schrader has made a resume full of lousy, amateurish films.$LABEL$ 0 +Could someone please explain to me the reason for making this movie? Sad is about all I can say; this movie took absolutely no direction and wound up with me shaking my head. What an awful waste of two hours. Noth should be ashamed of himself for taking money for this piece of garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +This so called movie is horrible! The actors cannot act. There is no plot. I believe they need to start from scratch and film again. I hope that they can correct the acting flaws in this movie. I would like to see the trailer after they shoot it again. Maybe there is hope for it. I am not out to hurt feelings but I believe high school kids can do a better job. The wardrobe could have been much better. Sorry, but this just did not do it for me. I normally enjoy the trailers from this site but... this one i cannot find entertaining. I hope they take criticism well because i believe they will get much much more from others in regards to this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, maybe there are parts of this film which require suspending belief a little but that doesn't take anything away from the film's charm and wonder. It was shown as part of our town's youth film festival and was the organising committee's favourite. Which is not surprising. The subject matter - coming together in a race-torn, though post-apartheid South Africa is highly topical and the treatment of the theme is inspirational. Of course, as the previous comment mentions the film does have its shortcomings, but the realism of the setting and the way the director treats his subject matter belies these shortcomings. I saw this with my wife and we returned the same evening with the children. A film to watch, meditate, discuss and act upon.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this in the movie theater when it came out, and the crowd was really into the movie which made the experience all the more fun. This is a great cast of characters, many big names in it, a few of which were not as recognized then as they are now. I think it's a great idea if you follow any of these actors, or have loved them in other movies, to add it to your watched list. Some of the scenes actually remind me of the type of well-done comedy as in The Birdcage or even The Clue, kind of odd spontaneous-appearing comedy, with some really professional delivery from these beloved actors. The movie did a great job at giving you some insight, perhaps even very realistic, into the culture of a daytime soap.$LABEL$ 1 +I have never seen a show as good as Full House. Full House puts all of the newer shows to shame, big time! Anyone who has never seen it, which I don't see how it is possible, should see it. It is a great show for anyone of any age. Full House will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will amaze you. True, some people feel that there are some "cheesy" aspects to the show, but, the positive aspects out weigh all of the "cheesy" aspects. Full House ran it's first episode on September 22, 1987 entitled "Our Very First Show" and ran it's last episode on May 23, 1995 entitled "Michelle Rides Again Part II".The plot of the show is very believable. Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) losses his wife, Pam, in an accident involving a drunk driver. Danny has his brother in law, Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), which is Pam's younger brother, and Danny also brings in his best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) to help him raise his three daughters. Danny's daughters are named DJ (Candice Cameron-Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen).Joey and Jesse plan on moving in with Danny and his three girls for a few months just to help out and end up living with them for eight years; which is the number of years the show ran for.The following is a short description of some of the characters and the actor/actress who played him/her: John Stamos (Jesse): John Stamos is a great actor. He plays Jesse. Jesse is a rock star waiting to get his big break. In Full House, John Stamos does a great job portraying his character. He looked and played music like his idol, Elvis Presley.Bob Saget (Danny): Bob Saget is also a great actor. He looses his wife in car accident involving a drunk driver. He has to raise three girls without a having the girl's Mother. Bob Saget does a great job portraying a single parent who works full time and still has time to raise his three girls.Dave Coulier (Joey): One word can describe Dave Coulier, funny. He is great. Playing the character of Joey was perfect for him. He does a great job playing the stand-up comedian waiting for his big break.Candice Cameron-Bure (DJ): She is a tremendous actress. She plays the oldest sister, DJ which is short for Donna Jo. She is one of the best actresses I have ever seen. Her acting ability in Full House was very believable.Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie): Two simple words can describe Jodie Sweetin, incredibly amazing! I wish I could say every thing that I would like to say about Jodie, but, I would use up the 1,000 word maximum just on her. She got her start in a kids show called Mother Goose Stories and when she came to Full House, she blew the audience's and creator's mind. Her great looks and absolutely amazing acting ability helped to make the show the success that it was. According to Dave Coulier, Jodie was supposed to be the star of the show. It was supposed to be where she was going to get her big break. Jodie, at five years old when the show first aired, could hit every line perfectly. She showed great enthusiasm. Most young kids can't do this. As you can probably guess, Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie) is my favorite character in Full House.Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Michelle): Great actress. Full House is where they got their start. They received the part of Michelle because they were the only babies who did not cry while in front of a camera.There are many more cast members that should be recognized. These are the original characters from when the show first went on the air in 1987.The only negative thing that I can say is how Full House became The Michelle Show towards the end. I think it was to focused on her towards the end. Especially when I think Jodie and Candice were much better at acting.Full House is a great show for everyone. It can teach you a lot. One of the biggest things it can teach you is that everyone can live a great life even if a tragedy, such as loosing a family member, occurs. Full House continues to attract new fans. With all this said, there is only a couple things left to say; Full House will never die, and, thank you, the cast of Full House, for giving everyone a show that they can enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +According to this masterpiece of film-making's script (pun intended), Charles Darwin was full of nonsense when he presented his evolution theory, because he made absolutely no mention of any alien intervention. For you see, aliens sent Chupacabras to the earth and they form the missing link in the evolution theory. However, the rest of the film clearly seems to emphasize that Chupacabras are a typically Puerto Rican phenomenon, so I don't really know where that fits in. Are they saying all Puerto Ricans are aliens? Whatever, it's all pretty irrelevant anyway. The only thing you need to memorize is that "El Chupacabre" is an utterly cheap and imbecilic amateur B-movie, lacking tension, character development and any form of style. Several duos of people are chasing this goat-munching monster (remotely resembling the midget version of the Pumpkinhead demon) through the streets and ghettos of an ugly city. We have an untalented dogcatcher and a nagging female novelist, a pair of obnoxious cops and the supposedly evil scientist with his dim-witted accomplice. Since they all are extremely incompetent in what they do, the monster can carelessly carry on devouring all the Latino immigrants of the neighborhood. The monster itself looks okay and the make-up effects on his victims' leftovers are acceptably gross and bloody. The acting performances are irredeemably awful and headache inducing. Particularly Eric Alegria is pitiable in his first and only lead role as the overly ambitious employee of Animal Control. Yes, it's an incredibly stupid film, but surely you have struggled yourself through worse and less amusing low-budget garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +Well I guess I know the answer to that question. For the MONEY! We have been so bombarded with Cat In The Hat advertising and merchandise that we almost believe there has to be something good about this movie. I admit, I thought the trailers looked bad, but I still had to give it a chance. Well I should have went with my instincts. It was a complete piece Hollywood trash. Once again proving that the average person can be programed into believing anything they say is good, must be good. Aside from the insulting fact that the film is only about 80 minutes long, it obviously started with a moth eaten script. It's chock full of failed attempts at senseless humor, and awful pastel sceneries. It jumps all over the universe with no destination nor direction. This is then compounded with, ............................yes I'll say it, BAD ACTING! I couldn't help but feel like I was watching "Coffee Talk" on SNL every time Mike Myers opened his mouth. Was the Cat intended to be a middle aged Jewish woman? Spencer Breslin and Dakota Fanning were no prize either, but Mr. Myers should disappear under a rock somewhere until he's ready to make another Austin Powers movie. F-, no stars, 0 on a scale of 1-10. Save your money!$LABEL$ 0 +Five minutes into this movie you realize that you have seen it all before. It is BOILER ROOM. It is THE FIRM. And it is THE DEVILS ADVOCATE. And there are NO new elements here. Except for the all-to-clear Bill Gates-allegory. Conpsiracies are always good stuff for movie-making, but why does it have to be so extreme ? Boiler room is a good movie, because it - for a while at least - seems realistic. In Antitrust everything is wrong. How realistic is it for example that your boss pay an impostor to be your girlfriend in order to make you work harder and control you ? I'd give it 1, but the soundtrack is OK, so 2/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've loved all of Cream's work, even as there is such a small and precious catalog of work to take hold. Even when they go for as long as twenty minutes with some of their songs (Spoonful and Toad off of Wheels of Fire are prime examples) still rock the socks off of more than half of any given rock act working today. This power to gel on stage is given one of the most anticipate rock band reunions ever with their Royal Albert Hall shows last year. They may have gotten older, as have their fans, but the energy is still there, with the great arrangements of classic blues songs as well as their own. The renditions of White Room, Badge, Politician, Spoonful, Sunshine of Your Love, not one seems to miss a beat. Clapton's solos have a formation that he sometimes doesn't have when on stage with his solo band. Ginger Baker, enough said. Jack Bruce is sturdy enough with his vocals still with a kind of power that Clapton could never get on his own. Bottom line, if you want to see what were the best shows you wish you had seen last year (well, some may have seen them), it's all on this DVD, with cool special features.$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched this movie at least ten times. I do not agree with the previous comments. This is a tongue in cheek movie and some of the acting is meant to be stilted. Men like Paul Cowley are few and far between, women like Linda, unfortunately, are a dime a dozen. The sad thing here is that although similiar relationships like this rarely lead to murder and frame ups, it is an all to familiar scenario. Boy worships girl, girl doesn't know he exists, they grow up, man sees woman he fantasized about down and out and rescues her. Bottom line, she never did love him-he came along at the right time and she used him. Thomas is excellent as the nerdy but adequate Paul. His portrayal is sensitive and touching. Madsen is perfect as the femme-fatale. What really moved me was the final scene. Paul says he eventually cried, but not for Linda, his wife, but for the unknown girl he had watched from a distance so many years ago..and longed for..and loved. And I loved the close-up of Thomas at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +Mardi Gras: Made in china is an excellent movie that depicts how two cultures have much in common but, are not even aware of the influence each society has on one another. David Redmon open your eyes and allows you to see how the workers in china manufactures beads that cost little to nothing and are sold in America for up to 20 dollars. When Redmon questions Americans about where these beads come from they had no clue and seemed dumb founded. When he told them that they are made in China for less then nothing with horrible pay and unacceptable working conditions, Americans seemed sad, hurt, and a little remorseful but didn't really seem that they would stop purchasing the beads after finding out the truth. When Redmon questioned the workers in china they did not know that Americans were wearing them over their necks and paid so much for these beads. The workers laughed at what the purpose was behind beads and couldn't believe it. This movie is a great film that gives us something to think about in other countries besides our own.M. Pitts$LABEL$ 1 +While I had wanted to se this film since the first time I watched the trailer, I was in for a deep surprise with this film. While some of the elements and actions of the characters seemed a little too ‘cartoonish,' the dark nature of the film really makes this a much different experience. Instead of the feel-good-happy-story, this film takes you in another direction that proves to be uplifting, but also disturbing. Most kids won't understand some of the darker moments in the film, which makes this film rather watchable for adults. I was also impressed with the cinematography, using animation and digital animation to create a seamless network of pans and tilts. The musical score was once again solid, proving Hans Zimmer is the go-to guy when it comes to animated scores, and I never thought I would say I actually enjoyed Brian Adams' music.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has some fatal flaws in it, how someone could walk through an open back door of a highly secure medical facility is unbelievable. Then this same person just walks around the facility and enters the Dr.'s office, is just bad writing or bad editing. Very very very predictable movie. I am not sure how this film got made, except it is was filmed in Canada, and probably received a government grant. I must say the person playing Aaron, Cory Monteith, did a good job.Unless you are really bored and there is nothing else to watch on television then I would say it will kill some time, but otherwise, it is a movie no actor would want on their resume.$LABEL$ 0 +I come to Pinjar from a completely different background than most of the other reviewers who have posted here. I'm relatively new to Bollywood films and was born and raised in the US. So I don't have a broad basis for comparing Pinjar to other Indian films. Luckily, no comparison is needed.Pinjar stands on its own as nothing less than a masterpiece.In one line I can tell you that Pinjar is one of the most important films to come out of any studio anywhere at any time. On a mass-appeal scale, it *could* have been the Indian equivalent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had it been adequately promoted in the US. This could very well have been the film that put Bollywood on the American map. The American movie-going public has a long-standing love affair with "Gone With the Wind", and while Pinjar doesn't borrow from that plot there are some passing similarities. Not the least of which is the whopping (by US standards) 183-minute run time.Set against the gritty backdrop of the India-Pakistan partition in 1947-48 is a compelling human drama of a young woman imprisoned by circumstances and thrust into troubles she had no hand in creating. Put into an untenable position, she somehow manages to not only survive, but to grow -- and even flourish.If the story is lacking in any way, it's in the exposition. Puro's (the protagonist) growth as a person would be better illustrated -- at least for western audiences unfamiliar with Indian culture -- if her character's "back story" were more fully developed in the early part of the film. But that would have stretched a 3-hour movie to 3 1/2 hours or perhaps even more. Because not one minute of the film is wasted, and none of what made it out of editing could really be cut for the sake of time. Better that the audience has to fill in some of what came before than to leave out any of what remains.I could use many words to describe Pinjar: "poignant", "disturbing", "compelling", "heart-wrenching" come to mind immediately. But "uplifting" is perhaps as apropos as any of those. Any story that points up the indomitability of the human spirit against the worst of odds has to be considered such. And Puro's triumph -- while possibly not immediately evident to those around her -- is no less than inspirational. For strength of story alone I cannot recommend this film highly enough.Equally inspiring is Urmila Matondkar's portrayal of Puro. All too often overlooked amid the bevy of younger, newer actresses, Urmila has the unique capability to deliver a completely credible character in any role she plays. She doesn't merely act Puro's part, she breathes life into the character. Manoj Bajpai's selection as Rashid was inspired. He manages something far too few Indian film heroes can: subtlety. His command of expression and nuance is essential to the role. He brings more menace to the early part of the film with his piercing stare than all of the sword-wielding rioters combined.If you only see one Bollywood film in your life, make it Pinjar.$LABEL$ 1 +I went into this movie hoping for an imaginative twist on the Second Coming. Boy, was I ever wrong. BBC are dullards at pacing a movie, total idiots at creating suspense, fools at building intensity. And this movie is no exception to the rule of how much BBC sucks.Ugh, the pacing and time-wasting laborious dialogue was just painful to sit through. The first 30 minutes felt like 2 hours. I kept looking down at my watch wondering when the pointless, monotonous drivel would end. They wasted a perfectly good actor in the lead role, because the material is so lazy, and sloppily, written. Everything that happens is just to kill time.Out of 155 minutes, only 15 minutes are interesting (the controversial ending). What a shame. Reading the plot summary is more interesting than watching the movie. The preaching, the "am I God" endless blah blah blah-ing, the dumb as doornails boring miracles... UGH.DO NOT WATCH THIS CRAP.$LABEL$ 0 +I knew this was headed for disaster after looking at the clock within 7 minutes of air time. The story line: Two people get married. They move into the wife's parents home. And husband doesn't get along with father-in-law-and if you haven't seen this plot before you probably have not watched TV for the last 15 years or so.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this film has to be one of the most moving, and heartbreaking films of recent times.The film basically starts off with a suicide in a school toilet. U don't see who it is, then from there it goes to the beginning of the day, and we get to know 6 characters, and they are going through some pretty heavy things, anyway eventually one of them will commit suicide.I've been teaching Physical Education in schools for 8 years now, and never in a film have I seen such an accurate portrayal of what 'really' goes on in school life.The film is shot beautifully, and sounds incredible.The ending is so shocking, and so what one would not expect, it is something that will haunt me for days to come. This is Definitely one to watch.I think the fact that the Director/Writer was in school only a few years ago is a major contributing factor to the raw honesty expressed in the film. The film is shot in two separate 'modes' if you will. Firstly there is the smooth observation style where we get to know the characters in their school environment as they go through their drama, but the stunning part of the film is in the interview sections, where we get to know the characters back stories, and their deepest, darkest thoughts.You keep wondering, who is it going to be (who commits suicide) and as the drama unfolds you keep changing your mind, until bam, it hits you in the face in the final five minutes. I am all over the place in my writing, but I've just seen it at a Media screening in Australia, and I am still in a bit of shock. It's one of the best Australian Films I have seen in recent years.$LABEL$ 1 +Hello Dave Burning Paradise is a film for anyone who likes Jackie Chan and Indiana Jones. The films main protagonist is most definitely the bastard son of these two strange fathers. As for the other characters well they are familiar transformations of similar action film stereotypes. Where this film is original is in the blending of the traditional Hong Kong movie style with the Hollywood action adventure. Sadly this has not been true of the films he has made in Hollywood.$LABEL$ 1 +Not for everyone, but I really like it. Nice ensemble cast, with nice contributions from better known players (like Stockard Channing) and strong eye candy (from Sheila Kelley). What really works is the bond between the three brothers! Try it, you'll smile a little.$LABEL$ 1 +The Commenter before me stated this movie is the worst that was ever forced upon him/her as a child. I have to say though that I loved this movie when was little and I still love it today. The movie has the best running theme of all-family togetherness. Considering the time period the movie was released I thought the movie was acted out well. I only wish I could still find a copy of it somewhere!! Of all the 1980's films I watched as a kid this was on of my favorites. I know I probably watched it at least once a week with my brother and my mom. I would definitely recommend it to anyone I know-or don't know. So if you do find a copy of it I suggest watching it! It's wonderful and heartwarming.$LABEL$ 1 +Can fake scenery ruin a picture? You wouldn't think so, but it actually for me in here. Listen, I have a lot of classic-era movies and I know pretty much what to except, such as the drivers steering immobile cars in front of a screen, etc. But a lot of that hokey business has to do with action scenes. To have fake scenery, fake mountains and flowers shot after shot as seen in "Brigadoon" gets insulting after awhile. As far as the music entertainment went, this is always subjective. What songs one person likes, another may not so that shouldn't be a big part of judging a film (whether someone likes the songs). I could blast this movie for its corny 1950 songs, dances, romances and characters but that was the '50s and a lot of people liked this sort of things. Musicals did very well in the '50s. Me, I liked the '30s and '40s with the great taps. By the '50s, tap was out and this new stuff - which I can stand - was it. Does that make this a lousy movie? No. It just makes one I didn't care for very muchDespite the good cast, good director and high expectations, this film bombed at the box office, and with me. I should have liked it more, being a dreamer myself and that's a nice part of this story. I am not the cynical type and a nice town and nice people making me feel good sounds awful appeal. Then why couldn't I connect with this film? Part of it also was the dancing. I don't care for the stuff that replaced tap dancing on screen. But - no - the thing really turned me off what that staging. There was no Scotland, no highlands, just a hokey- looking background to make it look that way and it turned me almost from the start. Score one point for today's realism where they "go on location" most of the time.$LABEL$ 0 +Gédéon and Jules Naudet wanted to film a documentary about rookie New York City firefighters. What they got was the only film footage inside the World Trade Center on September 11.Having worked with James Hanlon's ladder company before, Jules went with the captain to inspect and repair a gas leak, while Gédéon stayed at the firehouse in case anything interesting happened. An airplane flying low over the City distracted Jules, and he pointed the camera up, seconds before the plane crashed into Tower One.Jules asked the captain to follow him into the Towers. The first thing he saw was two people on fire, something he refused to film. He stayed on site for the next several hours, filming reactions of the firefighters and others who were there.The brothers Naudet took great care in not making the movie too violent, grizzly, and gory. But the language from the firefighters is a little coarse, and CBS showed a lot of balls airing it uncensored. The brothers Naudet mixed footage they filmed with one-on-one interviews so the firefighters could explain their thoughts and emotions during particular moments of the crisis. Unlike a feature film of similar title, most of the money from DVD sales go to 9/11-related charities. Very well made, emotional, moving, and completely devoid of political propaganda, is the best documentary of the sort to date.$LABEL$ 1 +The word honor should be erased from the vocabularies of all nations. It aggravates male dumbness and is responsible for the death of millions of innocent people. Anybody who does not agree should not care to continue reading this comment.As can be expected with these screenwriters, Yakuza is an engaging crime thriller with quite a lot of respect for the ethnical background against which it is acted out. Friends of gore and violence will not be disappointed either, but especially towards the end violence becomes somewhat pointless, redundant and downright silly. Contrary to other reviewers I found Robert Mitchum's performance not very good. This is an actor who definitely did not improve with age. He looks like a tired janitor (it does not go too well with the part), and his air of detachment which made him such an impressive screen presence in earlier years comes through as either confusion or lack of interest. Ken Takakura and Richard Jordan are very good as man of honor and young, intelligent, feeling thug respectively.The best way to stand this movie is seeing it as a tragic comedy. Things are set in motion by the Mitchum character's asking the Takakura character a favor based on wrong assumptions. The error quickly becomes evident, but the sense of honor demands they must not back off. So they start sneaking around, shooting in all directions, wielding swords and wrecking their friend's arty apartment (although the guy pleads with them „stop it, please" all through the corresponding fight). Bodies start piling up and the story ends with Mitchum's character making his point: If YOU give HIM YOUR little finger, I will give YOU MINE. Well, it's the least he can do, can't he? So he pulls out a knife, takes a resigned breath and starts sawing off said extremity (outside the frame, luckily). It was a moment which probably should have been solemn. It just made me laugh.The use of locations is very good in this movie. I particularly liked the scenes filmed in and around the International Conference Hall on Lake Takaragaike, an interesting futuristic building by architect Sachio Otani (the Kyoto protocol was signed there). To me the presentation of architecture seems better here than in Sydney Pollack's more recent documentary Sketches of Frank O. Gehry which is about architecture and nothing else.$LABEL$ 0 +Exceptionally bad! I don't expect much from Garcia since he is one of the most overrated actors today but Keaton really should have known this movie would suck and gotten out while he could (not that I'm especially fond of him but hey, he did batman).In one scene Keaton is transported to a hospital chained down and wearing a Hannibal Lecter kind of face mask when two attack dogs bark at him (dogs can sense evil you know (puke)) and Keaton growls back at them making them back off and whine with their tails between their legs. Did the movie turn comedy right there? Garcia makes a fool out of himself in an interrogation scene with dialogue only a complete retard could find plausible and the kid is too annoying to feel sorry for..If you are gonna make a movie with as poor a plot as this you need some charm, humour, some solid action. Take Die Hard for example which is great despite its rather crappy plot.Even though Keatons character was a joke i routed for him all the way. I wanted to see Garcia cry over his dead kid and Keaton sipping martinis on some paradise island, however! This movie makes for a good laugh.. Watch it with a witty friend and you can have some fun as this movie begs for wisecracks in almost every scene. All in all its an insult to one's intelligence and a huge waste of money. Greed made this movie and thank god it bit its own ass.$LABEL$ 0 +I used to LOVE this movie as a kid but, seeing it again 20+ years later, it actually sucks. Up The Academy might have been ahead of it's time back in 1980, but it has almost nothing to offer today! Movies like Caddyshack and Stripes hold-up much better today than this steaming dogpile. No T&A. No great jokes except for the one-liners we've all heard a million times by now.I recently bought the DVD in hopes that it would be the gem I remembered it being. Well, I was WAY off! The soundtrack had only 2-3 widely-recognizable hits (not the smash compilation others had mentioned) and the frequent voice-overs were terrible. The only thing that was interesting, to me, was predicting what the character's lines were before they said them. Yep, I watched this movie that much back then! The only reason I am writing this review is to give my two cents on why this movie should be forgotten, sorry to say. :($LABEL$ 0 +Even for the non-opera loving public the name CARMEN is immediately recognized as an opera by Bizet about a gypsy girl whose capricious loves destroy men. But as much as the opera is now considered a staple in every opera house repertoire, the real story of the wild gypsy lass as created by Prosper Mérimée in 1845 has never been told as well as in this cinematic version by the abundantly gifted Spanish director Vicente Aranda ('Juana la Loca AKA Mad Love','Amantes', 'If they tell you I fell', etc.). Incorporating the author of the novel as a main character seeking the story of Carmen from one of her lovers - José - provides just the right vantage for the story of this famous gypsy wild lady to be told. Carmen (the amazingly beautiful and talented Paz Vega) works in a cigar factory in Seville, a factory adjoining the military station where the very proper José (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is stationed. Carmen is tempestuous and in a fight instigated by a fellow factory worker bringing attention to the fact that Carmen is a gypsy, Carmen murders the co-worker and is arrested. José is physically attracted to the voluptuous Carmen and when Carmen flirts with him he consents to allow her to escape - his payback is the promise for a night of passion with Carmen. Carmen keeps her pact, providing José with his first sexual encounter, and José is doomed. His lack of military discipline results in his losing his rank and being imprisoned for a while, but at his release José encounters Carmen again, kills a fellow officer, and in fear runs off to the hills to live with the smugglers and gypsies that are Carmen's people. Many incidents occur to try the passionate bond between the lovers, but when Carmen's real husband is released from prison, destructive behaviors take over, behavior's that include Carmen's infatuation and affair with a bullfighter and the passion of Carmen and José comes to a tragic end. One factor that makes the story (as adapted for the screen by director Aranda and Joaquim Jordà move so well is the role that Prosper Mérimée (Jay Benedict) plays: his questioning of José completes the story that Bizet's opera only outlines. The acting is superb, the cinematography by Paco Femenia and the excellent musical score by José Nieto contribute enormously to the success of this very fine film. This is a must for lovers of the opera Carmen, and a splendid action drama for those viewers who admire historical pieces. Highly recommended. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +Said to be inspired from Disney's The Little Mermaid, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is Japanese animation master, Hayao Miyazaki's next big work after the well-received Spirited Away in 2001 and Howl's Moving Castle in 2004. In Ponyo, his signature style of animating fantasy realms and children characters are on display once again.Sosuke (Hiroki Doi), the boy lead in the film discovers a 'goldfish' trapped in a glass jar while playing by the seaside below the cliff. He stays with his mum, Lisa (Tomoko Yamaguchi) above and atop it. Sosuke shakes the jar forcefully to try and get the 'goldfish' out but the little 'goldfish' is stuck. He then tries to pull it out but it just cannot come loose. Sosuke then place the jar on the ground before smashing a small rock onto it, breaking it into pieces instantly while suffering a small cut on the finger. He then checks inquisitively to see if the 'goldfish' is still alive. As he observes it, the 'goldfish' reacts by licking the blood off his finger suddenly. Excited, Sosuke quickly rushes back to the house and put the 'goldfish' in a small bucket of water in hope that it will survive. It did and he named it 'Ponyo'(Yuria Nara).The above scene would signify what is to come for the remainder of the film. It is of the interactions between Sosuke and Ponyo. And it is one that Hayao Miyazaki did meticulously well in portraying. He must have a keen sense of observation and understanding of how children behave before he depicts this chemistry of communication between the two main characters. The behavior of the children would also extend into the rest of the film in their further encounters.The affection between Sosuke and Ponyo grew as the film progresses from the moment Sosuke brought Ponyo to school in Lisa's car. The best moment came when the two were reunited after a brief separation when Ponyo's father, Fujimoto (George Tokoro), a magical sea dweller recaptures the errant Ponyo before encapsulating her in a magic bubble with kind intention.Fujimoto who was once human has grown to refer humans with disgust for polluting the sea and stealing its life. But all Ponyo wants is to be human and be with Sosuke so for a second time she escapes, accidentally emptying his father's precious store of magical elixir into the sea, creating a storm of tidal waves and engulfing the small town in the process.What follows are the adventures of Sosuke and Ponyo in the flooded town.Is there a happily ever after in this one? Would true love prevail? You find out.Looking at the art in Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, there appears to be a deviation from Miyazaki's past works in terms of rendering. It looks unfamiliar because the environment apart from the characters at play in every scene is not colored in the usual fashion as in Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004). The aesthetical appeal is discounted from what appears to be color penciled drawings. The objects and characters are also not as detailed as before.This is peculiar if taken on face value but from the way the story is written and told, the possible explanation is that Miyazaki is allowing the audience to view the film with a child's tint, yet allowing the adults to reminisce on a Japan when they were younger. This move could have prevented prospective moviegoers, new to Miyazaki's work to see it. The trailer did nothing to promote Ponyo as well. Taking the case to Japan however would be a different story as Miyazaki's credential far than exceed any marketing technique.In summary though, the whole did not equal to its parts. Aside from Miyazaki's ability to cast vivacious and animated characters, the film lacks elements of thrill and wonder when measured against previous works, resulting in a deficit of big screen presence.The sparks of Ponyo and Sosuke failed to light up the film in a big way but moments of warmth, kindness, and love can still be found in recognizing the film as one that is not made for the kids, but of the kids who everyone is or once was.$LABEL$ 1 +One of my favorite Hartley movies. (As if there could be a "bad" one.) Although, this may be a bit more on the religious side of things than we would normally expect. Nonetheless, it still maintains that Hartley slant to which we've all become accustomed.First picture Jesus and Satan discussing their ideas, opinions, hopes and regrets about the impending end of civilization. Now imagine the entire conversation taking place over a few drinks in your neighborhood bar. And as an added conversational (not to mention visual) distraction, let's toss in PJ Harvey as the sultry companion (aka Magdelena) to Mr. Chist. Then, just for grins, in the background, an ever present Salvation Army Band (played by Yo La Tengo) to serve as an added diversion. The road to moral justification has never been such a pleasure.Quite possibly more questions than answers, but therein lies the fun. And Mr. Donovan is subdued brilliance, as always.$LABEL$ 1 +You could say that the actors will make a movie, but this clearly proves that statement wrong. Most of the characters in this film lack anything to hold on to. They play the part of cardboard cut outs being moved about in predictable and uninteresting ways. The story is very simple. It could be summed up in a few words, but I'll hold back in case anyone reading does want to see this film.I had to fast forward the parts where Jack showed us how to be an obnoxious eater. I'd have to say that 70% of this film revolved around cooking, eating, or getting ready to eat. Quite frankly, I'd rather not spend my time watching Jack chew noisily with an open mouth. Personally, I could have done without the footwear references and jokes that pepper the first half of the film too.Outside of my own personal dementia, the film really lacked anything worth it's time. There were countless scenes and camera shots that felt like it was dragging. When something happens, the reactions of the characters are vague and dry.Best not to look this one up.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had potential and I was willing to give it a try but there are so many timeline problems that are so obvious - it's hard to swallow being treated like such an idiot.Rise to Power is set in the late sixties. Carlito's Way is set in the mid to late seventies. For this movie to be realistic, it would have to be set in the fifties, if not the late forties.Rise to Power has no sign of Gail (Pennelope Ann Miller), no sign of Kleinfeld, no sign of Rolando that Carlito supposedly ran with in his "hey-day". None of the primary characters in the original film were in this movie. We're supposed to believe that Carlito met all these people in the span of a few years.Rise to Power ends with Carlito walking down the beach talking about retiring in paradise which is what he wanted to do in the original film. Also, the pre-quel creates the Rocco and Earl characters - what's supposed to happen with them since they are clearly not in Carlito's Way? It's also hard to understand how Carlito could have the relationship with the Italians he has in the original film watching the events of Rise to Power. Where are the Taglialucci's in this film? There is probably seven years between the two films and he spends five of them in prison. It's like trying to put a square plug into a round hole.It is obvious that no one was interested in telling a good story and that they were more interested in making some bucks by making an average gangster film and throwing a character called Carlito Brigante into the story. The film had some good moments but I think they would have been better off leaving this movie to stand by itself instead of trying to make it a prequel to Carlito's Way.If you feel determined to see this movie, the only advice I can give is to not think of the movie as a linear pre-quel. Think of it like the spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood's man with no name, in other words two movies that have the same character but aren't necessarily connected with each other.$LABEL$ 0 +I can still remember first seeing this on TV. I couldn't believe TVNZ let it on! I had to own it! A lot of the humor will be lost on non-NZ'ers, but give it a go! Since finishing the Back of the Y series Matt and Chris have gone on to bigger and better(?) things. NZ's greatest dare-devil stuntman, Randy Campbell has often appeared on the British TV series Balls of Steel. Yes, he still f^@ks up all his stunts because he is too drunk.Also the 'house band' Deja Voodoo have since released 2 albums, Brown Sabbath and Back in Brown. The band consists of members of the Back of the Y team and singles such as 'I Would Give You One of My Beers (But I've Only Got 6)' and 'You Weren't Even Born in The 80's' continue their humor.The South-By-Southwest film festival also featured their feature length film 'The Devil Made Me Do It' which will be released early 2008 in NZ.All up, if you don't find these guys funny then you can just F%^K OFF!!$LABEL$ 1 +I recently watched Caprica again and thought I might as well come and write up a review! I first saw this right after I saw the series finale of Battlestar Galactica ( Being a big drooling fan boy of the show left me clinging onto anything I could of the shows universe )so I didn't know what to expect...but I did come out with a smile though I must admit...The story starts off dramatically on planet of caprica and we are introduced with a variety of interesting characters...I won't give too much away but there is a dramatic event that dictates the course of the story but I suggest you watch this.Must say...Esai Morales is one hell of an actor he pulled off a young Joseph Adama...(father of the Admiral in Battlestar Galactica)I found his acting spot on and I could believe that he is the father of William Adama from BSG...Also Eric Stoltz fits his role precisely...! Special note it was good to see Polly Walker outside of Rome! Don't sit down and watch Caprica with the expectation of it being like Battlestar Galactica because the story line is pretty straight forward and anyone can watch it..without having to have see BSG!.This show is a well written drama for those who like there drama with a bit of a sci-fi kick!$LABEL$ 1 +Having seen the first ten episodes, I must say this show sucks. What bothers me the most, is that the show was shot in Canada. I know it's cheaper, but they should have shot it in California, so we could have had scenes in the desert. That would have been more true to the movie. The first scene where they are outside in another world is in the mountains, with lots of pinetrees where it looks cold. That does'nt feel very Egyptian. What worked so well in the movie was that it felt like you were in the ancient Egypt. Here it feels like they're running around fighting aliens in a Canadian forrest. And it's so lame that appaerantly, on other planets, the fall comes as well. You can see leaves on the ground in the forrests that all look like forrests outside Vancouver. It just makes the show even more unbelievable and dumb. And then there is Richard Dean Anderson. He is no Kurt Russel. Sure he does a decent job and he tries to copy Russels performance a little bit, but he is just not as cool as Russel. And not nearly as good an actor as Russel. And Russells way of playing O Neill, well he was much more cynical. Andersons O Neil, is way too soft. I liked it that Russels version just did'nt give a s*** and had no trouble detonating the bomb until the very end of the movie. Michael Shanks does a really good job as Jackson though taking over from James Spader.Teal'c is a really annoying character. He is Jaffa. Not a Jaffa. Just Jaffa. Aaaarrgh!! A former bodyguard of a pathetic Ra character, seen only in the pilot and in one other episode so far. Teal'c speaks talks and acts like a robot. I've seen better acting from Jean Claude Van Damme.And the fact that Teal'c and the Ra character and the people they saved in the movie, can speak English all of a sudden is also incredibly dumb. What made the aliens so scary in the movie was that they spoke an ancient language and were real monsters. As for the special effects, they are really good in the pilot. But the very rare effects in the actual show are badly done and looks cheap. Especially a planet they visit with crystals. It's so obvious they walk around on a soundstage with a badly made painting in the background. It's an insult to us viewers that they made it look so cheap. Especially when they could have made it in front of a bluescreen with cgi backgrounds. The X-files had better effects when they aired their first episodes in 1993. That was 4 years before SG-1 started. And they did'nt have the apparent two million dollar budget per episode, that SG-1 supposedly had. They must have spend all the money on catering. Because I don't see it on the screen. Incredibly boring and pointless show, that could have been great if they had shot the show in Hollywood with a bigger budget and better writers and better characters.$LABEL$ 0 +I kept waiting for the film to move me, inspire me, shock me, sadden me in some way but it stirred none of my emotions. It just meandered along to the end. None of the characters seemed very unique or complex, they just seemed like actors reciting their lines. I think it could have been a better movie if the characters expressed more emotion. The only one who did and was believable was the veteran and he probably committed suicide just to get out of the movie as soon as he could. It was a waste of talent, film, their time, and mine. If there is a message or meaning or genius in this story, it certainly is well-hidden or I am very dense, which I doubt.$LABEL$ 0 +As someone who lived through,and still remembers that decade vividly,if the actual '70s had been half this funny and (semi)normal,they would have been so much more enjoyable.Actual kids in that era did not act or behave anything close to as bright-eyed and normal as these kids did.The country's youth was still under the influence of the hippies and the drug culture all that '60s rebellion that it spawned,especially in the behavior department;the petulance,the smugness,the self-righteousness,the childishness,the unreasonableness of them - none of the characters exhibit any of that.Someone compared to "Happy Days",and I can see why:They were both sitcoms that take place 20 years before the current time they were broadcast,and they both offer only surface ,cliched depictions of the actual eras,not even close to the full scope of it,just showing the obvious things - the fashions,toys,music,contraptions,etc,and that's it.For those too young to remember,or weren't born then,trust me,the '70s weren't like that,any more than "Happy Days" were like the actual '50s,as "M*A*S*H*" didn't accurately portray life at a US Army medical base during the Korean War,etc.$LABEL$ 0 +So, every year there is at least one movie, that hasn't got any chance of being a box office success, because from the moment of production, even before one simple shot is filmed, everybody's picking on this movie... There is a long list of these kind of movies, and in the end, some are really bad (Battlefield Earth (2000)), some may have their flaws but are quite enjoyable (Catwoman (2004), Elektra (2005)) and then there are a few, which actually are really great for what they are, but no one admits! I mean, my gosh, just because the wide crowd does have to have a victim each year they can pick on, not everybody has to join them. So yeaaah, maybe those movies aren't perfect, but c'mon, how many movies are? Not every movie is supposed to be a new The Lord of the Rings! Not everybody will enjoy these movies, but I bet there are more than who admit they do. Hudson Hawk (1991), who is just hysterical funny, Color of Night (1994), which may not be Oscar-worthy, but is definitely a not dumb at all thriller with some nice twists, Swept Away (2002), which I thought is a great mix of sick humor and a beautiful romance, Gigli (2003), which was great entertainment with some really memorable lines and not badly acted at all from the former "Bennifer"-Couple, and this year it's "Basic Instinct 2"! Well, when I heard the rumors of a sequel to one of my favorite movies I was very sceptically, and although I really love Sharon Stone I stayed sceptically until I've finally seen this movie. And really, I was very positively surprised! I can't understand why it gets such a bad press and such a bad voting here. It never simply copies the original, it has a quite clever story, has tension, action, humor and the absolutely stunning Sharon Stone reprising the role of her life! With 47 years when shooting the movie she looks hotter than many stars in their 20s, but it's more than her being beautiful, it's brilliantly acted, with all her looks, her famous smile, the way she speaks and moves... from the very first frame she's in you can't take your eyes off of her. It's simply a pleasure to watch her as Catherine Tramell, and all of the other actors deliver solid performances, too! So I really can't see what's wrong with this movie... it has a dark, thrilling, sexy and gritty look, strong performances, and you never felt bored! Maybe the story isn't Oscar-caliber, but it never even tries to be! It's an entertainment-movie, and by this standard it absolutely delivers in my opinion! So give it a try!$LABEL$ 1 +A wallflower is tossed into the sea and dreams herself into a pirate fantasy as a damsel in love with a pirate's apprentice. Energetic and good-natured, perhaps, but a shoddy enterprise; a failed musical send-up of "The Pirates of Penzance" with a cheap, backlot feel, wan bubblegum songs and constant, leering overacting. Kristy McNichol's film career took a real hit after this, while leading man Christopher Atkins cannot get a grip of any particular emotion, his voice wobbling about in search of an appropriate tone. You have to wonder, if that's the best title they could come up with, what's the level of wit going to be in the actual script? The movie's "Grease"-like affection for musicals doesn't gel with its penchant for slapstick a la "Airplane!", although McNichol works overtime being effervescent and nearly makes the limp handling look endearing. For the most part, it is an embarrassment. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I have always been a huge fan of "Homicide: Life On The Street" so when I heard there was a reunion movie coming up, I couldn't wait.Let me just say, I was not disappointed at all. It was one of the most powerful 2 hours of television I've ever seen. It was great to see everyone back again, but the biggest pleasure of all was to have Andre Braugher back, because the relationship between Pembleton and Bayliss was always the strongest part of an all-together great show.$LABEL$ 1 +There are plenty of comments already posted saying exactly how I felt about this film so Ill keep it short."The Grinch" I thought was marvellous - Jim Carrey is a truly talented, physical comedian as well as being a versatile clever actor (in my opinion). Mike Myers on the other hand gets his laughs by being annoying. I used to like him very much in his "Waynes World" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer" days - but Ive never been fond of Austin Powers and "the Cat In The Hat" has just finished me off. This film was horrible - the gags were horrible! inappropriate for children not only in adult content but in the fact that some of them were so dated they havent amused anyone for 50 years! The plot was messy, messy, messy! Its a shame really because the children were very likeable as was "Mom". They probably could have picked a better villain than Alec Baldwin - but he could have pulled it off if it weren't for Myers ugly, revolting over-acted portrayal of the Cat.I mean - did Myers even glance at a script? Was one written? The other actors seemed to have one - but the Cat just seemed to be winging it!On the other hand I would like to mention that the sets and props were marvellous!!! But unfortunately they cant save this film.Poor Dr Seuss - the man was a genius! Dont ruin his reputation by adapting his work in a such a lazy, messy way!!!1/10$LABEL$ 0 +You know that this film is in SERIOUS trouble when the BEST acting job is the support role played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. While this was still relatively early in his career and he wasn't the best actor, compared to Brigitte Nielsen, he's Sir John Gielgud. In fact, this film proves that the only reason she got much of any attention were her boobs and because she was involved with the incredibly self-destructive football player, Mark Gastineau. So, instead of this being her "break out film", this and a Beverly Hills Cop movie mark about as high as she went in her one-note career. It was obvious, too, that the financing wizards gave up on this movie as well, because the supporting cast (aside from Arnold) is pretty lame and the script is dull, dull, dull. Fans looking for another CONAN movie would no doubt be very disappointed in this slow and uninvolving film.$LABEL$ 0 +I must agree with the very first comment: this movie sucks very, very hard. Despite having a very big B-list cast, the cover of this film (for those who aren't watching it on Comedy Central during a weekday which is probably the only exposure this film will ever get) tries to put the blame on Dangerfield but in reality is just a paycheck for every has-been comedian from the '80s. Randy Quaid? Check. Ed Begley, Jr? Check. The voice of Lisa Simpson? She can now say that Maximum Overdrive wasn't her only horrible flick: double check. And so many, many others.The saddest thing about this flick is that it was so lazily written with already-told jokes. Nothing about this movie outside of its existence is funny. You're better off watching paint dry. This is definitely direct-to-video scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel stuff that still believes in the old video adage: throw an old-time star on the cover and you'll get some money back off of the rental. Considering the days of video rental are changing, consider this one of the last examples of putting out garbage.The only use this movie has if you're having trouble falling asleep. It'll get you there.$LABEL$ 0 +I love Alec Guinness. And that's saying a lot after this film. Actually, he is not bad in it. He just seems to stand aside, be urbane and his usual delightful self, but invest nada. It is obvious the girl he is matched with is a featherweight, even as an inexperienced young French girl. Sir Alec wouldn't have chosen her when he was young and very obviously isn't too happy about it now.The interesting character is the brooding brother of the odd "Suzanne", another twit. "Donald" aspires to be a French Heathcliffe and I waited in vain for the source of his mystery. What deep dark secret was he hiding behind that forehead? Was he in love with the father's mistress? Why did he jerk Suzanne's hair when she plotted to bring the disparate parts of this turkey together on the country estate? Or perhaps he had simply had enough of her obnoxious acting.The film would have been charming with Guiness and the "older woman" reminiscing and seeing Paris together. THAT would have been a great story! Two lovely experienced people in a beautiful city after the destruction of World War II. Why didn't somebody come up with that? I suggest watching Alec Guiness in "The Card", a little known but worthwhile film.$LABEL$ 0 +John Leguizemo, a wonderful comic actor, is a New York Latino, able to get inside a myriad of characters, both male and female, to show the bizarre foibles of an ethnic group trying to cope in an alien culture. He is not, however, Italian. He doesn't look, think or behave Italian...Especially Sicilian or Calabrese, immigrant groups who live in Bensonhurst or Bayridge Brooklyn. Every scene in which he interacts with his "Gumbas" rings false, as though he'd wandered in from a college production of "West Side Story" while the other guys were doing a low-rent "Mean Streets". That's only one problem with this ill-conceived, mean-spirited flick. Spike blew this one big time. Btw, CBGBOMFUG means "Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gourmets [or possibly Gourmands] Ask Hilly Crystal who founded the club. $LABEL$ 0 +Hey HULU.com is playing the Elvira late night horror show on their site and this movie is their under the Name Monsteroid, good fun to watch Elvira comment on this Crappy movie ....Have Fun with bad movies. Anyways this movie really has very little value other than to see how bad the 70's were for horror flicks Bad Effects, Bad Dialog, just bad movie making. Avoid this unless you want to laugh at it. While you are at HULU check out the other movies that are their right now there is 10 episodes and some are pretty decent movies with good plots and production and you can watch a lot of them in 480p as long as you have a decent speed connection.$LABEL$ 0 +Easily one of the best Indian films ever. Granted, that's not saying much(I made this conclusion after a whopping 15 minutes of watching). But I can truly say that Fire is also one of the really beautiful and brilliant films I've seen.Beautiful because of its imagery. The best example I can give is the parallelism between the 2 female leads(Radha and Sita) and the characters of the same name in Hindu mythology. Sita, for example, is the wife of the revered Lord Ram. As legend goes, Ram subjugates his wife by making her walk through a Fire to prove her `purity.' Sita, in response, cries and leaves him, reuniting with her mother(the Earth). This story has all sort of crazy links to the stories of the 2 Indian women(Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi). The word `Fire' all of a sudden has many meanings - marriage, tradition, religion, motherhood, and probably a few others I didn't catch.Brilliant because of its social overtones. Many who were offended by the premise for this movie should in fact be first to see Fire(e.g. my mom, who actually loved it). Why? Because although Fire is an attack on tradition, it is also an attack on tradition. In other words, that is its strength, NOT its weakness. Traditional conservative social mores(whether Indian or Canadian or American or whatever) are useless if they enslave you. Gender roles and self-denial can both do this.These are the things I took with me after seeing Fire. Hats off to Deepa Mehta…$LABEL$ 1 +With rapid intercutting of scenes of insane people in an asylum, and montage/superimposition of images, and vague, interwoven narratives, this is a very hard movie to follow. Apparently a man (Masue Inoue) takes a job as a porter or janitor in an asylum so he can be near his imprisoned wife, and maybe to rescue her. But she's clearly mad, huddled on the floor, with a vacant expression much of the time and fear, misery, and confusion written on her face the rest of the time. The film-maker switches to her point of view sometimes, and we see vague images of her at the side of a pond drowning a baby, or clutching at a drowned child. She's tormented by something. When the point of view shifts to her or other mad folks, the filmmaker uses distorting lenses and such things, showing us what mad people see and then how they react. And the place is swarming with mad folks, laughing, hiding, and in one case dancing frenetically night and day. At one point the man tries to take his wife outside, but the night outside the door terrifies her and she runs back to her cell. Gradually the man slips into a nightmare in which he's interrupted in another attempt to steal her away, and he kills the doctor and many attendants, and all the while the mad folk laugh and applaud. When he wakes he is relieved, and mops the floor. Some fascinating shots of Japanes life, streets, buildings in the 1920s.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all I hate those moronic rappers, who could'nt act if they had a gun pressed against their foreheads. All they do is curse and shoot each other and acting like cliché'e version of gangsters.The movie doesn't take more than five minutes to explain what is going on before we're already at the warehouse There is not a single sympathetic character in this movie, except for the homeless guy, who is also the only one with half a brain.Bill Paxton and William Sadler are both hill billies and Sadlers character is just as much a villain as the gangsters. I did'nt like him right from the start.The movie is filled with pointless violence and Walter Hills specialty: people falling through windows with glass flying everywhere. There is pretty much no plot and it is a big problem when you root for no-one. Everybody dies, except from Paxton and the homeless guy and everybody get what they deserve.The only two black people that can act is the homeless guy and the junkie but they're actors by profession, not annoying ugly brain dead rappers.Stay away from this crap and watch 48 hours 1 and 2 instead. At lest they have characters you care about, a sense of humor and nothing but real actors in the cast.$LABEL$ 0 +Dick Tracy is one of my all time favorite films. I must admit to those that haven't seen it. You will either really love it or really hate it. It came out a year after the success of Batman. So everyone's expectations were so high that many were let down simply because the plot is so simple. But its based on a comic strip...what did you expect? Creatively, this movie is amazing! The sets, make-up, music, costumes, and the impressive acting make this film fantastic. The film has bloodless violence and no bad language - that's something rare these days. Directed, produced, and stars Warren Beatty as the ace crime fighter going up against Al Pacino's evil Big Boy Caprice and his mob of thugs. Madonna steals the show as the seductive Breathless Mahoney. This is one of the best characters Madonna has ever played. She has the best one liners I've heard! Madonna fans would love it! One of the coolest things about the film is that they only used seven colors to make it look like a comic strip. This film is truly a piece of artwork that is sadly overlooked by the public. To sum things up, this film brings out the child in all of us. It's a film that will leave you smiling at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought Besson's film managed to do without words what few films have been able to do with them; Capture true human emotions. The main character's struggles, triumphs, set backs, hopes and desires are all so honestly shown that you wonder if he is acting at all. The film has a low budget and is obviously made without the glitz and glamour afforded to most Hollywood productions but that minimalism is what allows this film to transcend the stereotypical Sci-Fi labeling and become a true drama. However calling this film solely a drama would take away from the fantastic post-apocalyptic plot. True this type of movie has been done been before but I think this one captures the joys and sorrows of that type of world possibly better than any other one does.$LABEL$ 1 +Where to begin, there's so much wrong and horrible about this movie I am not sure where to start. Okay, the two stooges who wrote this crapper. Joseph Green and Rex Carlton, first they couldn't make up their so-called minds for a name. My guess they split the difference, that's why the main title is BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, but the end screen says HEAD THAT WOULDN'T DIE. Neither one knows anything about the Medical profession. After all Doctors take oaths to "do no harm". Killing a woman for a head transplant would be considered "harm". Plus, a little thing called blood and tissue matching. Rejection would spell death for Jan in the pan. Plus who keeps a patch work monster. What medical school did Bill graduate from, FRANKENSTIEN UNIVERSITY? Old FU, or MAD SCIENTIST TECH? The monster had no name, that bugs the hell out of me. Plus, the brilliant surgeon Doctor Bill Cortner doesn't know how to keep a patient sedated? All and all a disaster of a movie, it's incredibly stupid and unwatchable, except on MST3K. I give it THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY.$LABEL$ 0 +... But it is also Minnie's and Pete's too! Yes, the grumpy captain may not look like Pete, but it is! Mickey and Minnie are the best characters, both of them are very sweet and likable. Interestingly, Minnie is more of a lady in this than what she usually is today and Mickey is less than considerate in this than he is now. Pete is still the same old meanie, but he looks a bit different. In this famous episode, on board a little steamboat, Mickey, Minnie and some side characters have a great deal of fun and a great deal of annoyances. Even in their first appearances, the three main characters are very developed. I quite like this episode, although overall I prefer the Mickey Mouse in the future. I like the animation, the steamboat and music theme, the clever gags - and of course, Mickey and Minnie! Like many early cartoons, this is very random, Walt came up with a very basic plot and just added gags to "gear" it along. There is also a parrot side character who is very annoying and rather unnecessary. These are the things I do not like about it. Another interesting thing about this episode, that a colour version has not been made for it (or if it has, I've never heard about it)! Anyone who just enjoys Mickey Mouse and Disney will enjoy this.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a slow moving story. No action. No crazy suspense. No abrupt surprises. If you cannot stand to see a movie about two people just talking and walking, about a story that develops slowly till the very end and about lovey-dovey romance, don't waste your time and money. On the other hand, if you're into dialog, masterful story telling, thought provoking ideas and finding true love in the fabric of life then this is your movie. I recommend you watch this movie when you are most alert, though, because the pace, the music and the overall tone of the movie can put you in a woolgathering mood. It's truly fantastic. I really mean that.Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are annoying with their mannerisms at times but, thankfully, the chemistry between the two makes the acting very natural, warm and tender. They act and feel each other out from the very beginning, making you feel as an intruder.In their conversations there are excellent commentaries on many subjects that will provoke thought and conversation between you and your partner. I thought it was too deep and too diverse for such young characters but I may be underestimating their intelligence. Still it did not ruin the movie.The overall story is very simple which I think gives the movie it's charm and ultimately it's power.BOTTOM LINE: The movie's flow is slow. The dialog is fascinating. The story builds gently, systematically and substantive. The build up to the finale is satisfying and in the end rewarding.$LABEL$ 1 +"twin peaks" and "blue velvet" have always been two of my favourite pieces of film-making, and even though past films by lynch have been slightly disappointing for me they have always been worth watching a number of times. to be pretentious, lynch can be like a good wine - he must be savoured and mulled over. but in the end you must make up your own mind about what you have seen, for lynch never gives you the full answers.many people will walk out of "mulholland drive" possibly wanting to throttle themselves over the mind-bending visual jigsaw puzzle that has just unfolded before them. but there is a twisted logic to this film, you just have to look for the clues. betty (naomi watts) arrives in hollywood, doe-eyed and in search of stardom. she then finds an amnesiac in her bathroom who has escaped from an attempted murder on mulholland drive. together they try to uncover the secrets behind the amnesiac's life. this all leads to a club called silencio, where a blue box will reveal all. and that is when the film throws everything out the window. people we thought we knew are entirely different people altogether... is it a dream? a reminiscence about life's previous escapades? you will either love this film or hate it. david lynch always draws such extreme reactions from his viewers. but as his universe itself is always about extremes, it is fitting that his films provoke such reactions.It is best to look at this film thematically, rather than as a straight-forward narrative. and appreciate the fact that lynch is a film-maker who will still let you draw your own conclusions. he has had many imitators as of late, particularly in "vanilla sky", where a mind-bending film decides to give you all the answers in the last rushed five minutes, and you will probably forget about that film as soon as you walk out of the cinema. mulholland drive will haunt you.$LABEL$ 1 +this is an adaptation of a Dirk Wittenborn book, which I did not read. young Finn Earl lives with his Mom Liz (Diane Lane) in a cramped lower East Side New York Apartment. he dreams of joining his Anthropologist father studying a fierce tribe in South America. Liz has boyfriends and does coke. when he is caught scoring coke for her, one of her customers (Liz is a legitimate masseuse) a rich Mr. Osborne bails her out in return for being his full time personal masseuse in his huge estate in New Jersey. They are driven there in a limo with her strung out lying in the back seat with her dress hitched way up and panties showing. (this and a few low-cut dress scenes is the only exploitation of Ms. Lane. some may be disappointed but I'm sorry she had to do all that stuff in "Unfaithful" to make the A-List. That lady has more talent in her little finger than Streep, Roberts, and Sally Field do in their entire BODIES and its time she was given her due.) when they arrive Finn makes friends with Osbornes grandson Bryce, and has a coming of age with his new girlfriend, granddaughter Maya. Liz meanwhile joins AA and dates an AA doctor. She miraculously cleans up instantly. Finn however does a lot of drugs along with sex with his new friends. Bryce seems like an OK guy but gets jealous when Osborne takes Finn on a hot air balloon race instead of him, and this leads to tragedy.the genius of the story, (and movie) is that they cut from the violent acts of the Fierce filthy rich Blysdale tribe to the Yanomano warriors. It's a little implausible though that when Liz finds out what happens to her son she merely demands action from Osborne and does not either contact the authorities or settle it Thelma and Louise style. there are elements of a Gothic Romance with a revelation by the village idiot. Also they do almost no plot or character development prior to the move to Blysdale. Liz, for instance, like Lane's Pearl Kantrowitz in "Walk on the Moon" had an unwanted pregnancy with Finn at 18 and felt trapped. This is in the book but not the movie. Still, these are minor shortcomings. The movie will be in full release 12/31/05 over a year after the original release date, and I just couldn't wait.There were lots of Red Carpet moments in the theater I saw the movie at, with almost the whole cast...except Diane Lane!! $#%#Q$ Director Dunne said she was off filming a movie. I know she didn't promise to be there, but I came from way out of town and it would have been such a thrill to see her in person. The movie is a definite Best Picture contender, as for acting?? Sutherland was quite good, and so was the boy who played Finn. Lane was magnificent as always, but I only recall one or two emotional scenes, when she catches Finn with drugs "lets get f****d up together mother and son" and with Osborne "your twisted grandson...". She would fare better with a supporting actress nod but it wont work that way. unless they give it to her for a "body of work."$LABEL$ 1 +Just picked this up on DVD and watched it again. I love the bright colors vs. dark imagery. Not a big Beatty fan, but this is an excellent popcorn movie. Pacino is astounding, as always, and well, this movie marked the period where Madonna was her absolute sexiest. I wish she had stuck with the "Breathless" look for a while longer. Charlie Korsmo's first really big role, other than "What about bob?". The makeup effects were cutting edge then and still hold up for the most part. Beautiful scenery and mood transport you directly into a comic strip environment. The cars, wardrobe, buildings, and even the streetlights et a great tone, not to mention the perfect lighting, although the scenes with a lot of red can get a tad annoying, as it tends to blur a little. Just wish Beatty had gotten the chance to make a sequel. All in all, a fun few hours.$LABEL$ 1 +What's fun about Barker's Nightbreed is that it's the story of a human on a rampage, a deadly threat to monsters everywhere. In this one, the monsters (the night breed of the title) are the "good" guys. It shares its sense of celebrating the different, the twisted, and the dark with the first Addams Family movie, and much of Tim Burton's work. It also has the goriness that one expects from a piece by Barker.Especially fun is the performance by Cronenberg as the truly evil human doctor who is bent on destroying the Nightbreed. As happens in most classic monster movies, the villagers surround the monsters' castle with torches and pitchforks. Only this time, the modern setting replaces the castle with an old mausoleum and the rustic "weapons" with guns and bombs. And this time the sympathy you felt when you saw Frankenstein's monster burned in the windmill is the very center of the movie.This isn't a masterpiece, and even Barker has done more interesting, and certainly more chilling, work. But it's pure fun, it looks great, and remains light without mocking itself. Worth a look!$LABEL$ 1 +I had read a few positive reviews of this film, and was truly surprised at how dreadful the whole thing was. Positioned as some cross between an AIDS-related story and some kind of "Ghost"/"Blithe Spirit" tale, this film can't always make it's mind up what it wants to be. Simon and Mark are a gay couple who have an "open" relationship - Simon is able to have anonymous (though safe) sex on the side when he wants. Mark is HIV+ and he and Simon don't seem to have a sex life anymore. When Mark dies, Simon - who has made a habit of shutting off his emotions after being rejected years ago by his father - tries to erase his memory and just get on with being a bachelor. Not that his behavior before Mark's death was much different. But Mark returns in ghostly form and foils his various trysts, while getting Simon to open up and admit his true feelings.Unfortunately, Simon is such a selfish SOB, it's impossible to feel any empathy toward him for most of the film. By the time he is supposed to be more sympathetic, it's too late to care. Mark, on the other hand, follows in Demi Moore's footsteps from "Ghost," by crying profusely throughout the movie. There is a bizarre switch in tone after Mark returns. Suddenly we get some lame attempts at humor, a la the TV show "Bewitched." But that doesn't last long. Once Simon's emotional health is at stake, the whole thing becomes increasingly mawkish, with amateurish attempts to jerk at your heartstrings. The finale, with a gold-plated muscle-boy angel guiding a tearful Mark to heaven while a chastened, grief-stricken Simon waves goodbye is just stupefying, chiefly because it isn't intentionally funny.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this movie more than several times, on TV. I ALWAYS watch it again...NEVER turning the channel. This movie is full of chilling surprises, and absolutely edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, without being overbearing or stupid. Helen Hunt's talent is magnificently shown in this movie! I recommend this movie to anyone!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I thoroughly enjoyed this true to form take on the Dick Tracy persona. This is a well done product that used modern technology to craft a imagery filled comic era story. If you are a fan of or recently watched some of the old Dick Tracy b&w movies then you're sure to get a kick out of this rendition. The pastel colors and larger than life characters rendered in a painstakingly authentic take on an era gone by is entertainment as it's meant to be. I personally find Madonna's musical element to be a major part of this film-the CD featuring her music from this movie is one I've listened to often over the years, it's just so well done and performed musically and tuned to that era. In my mind, Madonna's finest moment both on-screen but especially musically. This is sure to bring out the "kid" in you.$LABEL$ 1 +This is, per se, an above average film but why in the name of Bog was it made? It's impossible to treat it as a thing unto itself because it is an almost shot-for-shot remake of an Alfred Hitchcock classic of 1960. You can't watch it without the 1960 film nudging into your consciousness.What does the word "credit" mean? How can we credit Van Sandt and his associates with anything except deciding to use different actors, slightly different sets, and color?Anne Heche is attractive but lacks Janet Leigh's stolid determination to become a respectable middle-class woman. And Heche is younger than Leigh, who brought to her fruitless attempt to marry and settle down, the desperation of a woman facing forty. And Heche doesn't project anxiety the way Leigh did. The scene with the CHP officer looking in her car window illustrates the weakness in the role. In the original, the officer asks, "Is there something wrong?" Leigh: "Of course not. Am I acting as if something were wrong?" The officer hesitates before replying: "Well, frankly, yes." That exchange is omitted from the remake for the simple reason that Heche isn't nervous enough.The worst change, without a doubt, is the substitution of Vince Vaughn for Anthony Perkins. It may not be Vaughn's fault. Who could match Perkins in the role? Perkins is twitchy, bird-like, long-necked, cloaked in an externally charming exterior that masks an inner vacuum. His every move (eating candy corn, with his adam's apple bobbing) and every utterance, the faint laugh, the arid chuckle, is spot on. He just can't be improved upon. Vaughn brings to the role the presence of a short-haired beefy guy who was just discharged as a Lance Corporal from the U. S. Army. To suggest his psychosis all he can do is superimpose a maniacal giggle on top of what appears otherwise a perfectly normal Norman in speech and manner. (Unlike the original Norman, Vaughn doesn't even stumble over the word "fallacy" because it resembles "phallus".) He could be just hanging around the motel waiting to hear about his application for a football scholarship to UCLA.The direction deserves a few comments. I don't see what it adds to the story when we see Norman masturbating while peeping in on Anne Heche. I don't OBJECT to it. I wonder why it's there, just as I wonder why the rest of the movie is there.And, I suppose in order to impress us with how much color adds to the visual experience, Van Sant seems to have missed a bit of Hitchcock's more subtle stuff. Heche is given underwear of all different colors -- green, pink, orange, and -- mango? Is that a color? If so, what the hell color is it? Never mind. The point is that in the original, when the traveling camera first peeks through the window of the Phoenix hotel it captures Janet Leigh in bed wearing a pure white half slip and a white bra. Later, after she has stolen the money, we see her in her underwear again -- this time both her slip and bra are black. Tis a small thing, but Hitch's own.At that, the idea of shooting in color might not have been bad except that the black-and-white shooting of the original was superb. The color and odd lighting effects in this version turn the ordinary, dull, and subliminally ominous motel into something that looks like it belongs in the seedier part of Las Vegas.Most of all, the 1960 film was shocking in more ways than one. I can remember seeing it in a drive-in in San Diego and staring aghast at the screen when it became clear that the central character was actually DEAD -- half-way through the movie! Nothing like it had ever been done before.That murder in the shower, in both movies, was a big improvement over Robert Bloch's original novel, by the way, in which the author writes something like, "The murderer then entered the bathroom and cut off her head with a knife." I'm not making that up. Well, not entirely. Even here, Van Sant's movie gives us excess. There is more blood and more bare flesh. And where Hitchcock closed in first on the blood circling the bathtub drain and dissolved to Marian's blankly open eye, then pulled the camera back slowly to reveal her face, he rotated his camera from a slight tilt to the proper vertical, giving the viewer a sense of not just disbelief at the murder, but a dizzying disbelief. Van Sant doesn't tilt his camera a delicate 10 or 20 degrees as Hitchcock did. He practically twirls it on its axis.It won't do to call this a bow to Hitchcock because it's not. It's a pecuniary plundering of Hitchcock's material (already ripped off in "Psycho" I, II, III, IV, and "Psycho: The Beginning Years", and "Come Into My Parlor: Mrs. Bates' Revenge," and "Hand Me That Knife, Would You?: The TRUE story of Norman Bates.") A rehashing of and grinding away at truly original stuff, a crumenal act if not a criminal one. And that's not to mention the many homages in other films, especially the French, such as the notorious "ocean of boredom" scenes between Marcel Brulee and Jeanne Gateau in the much-admired "La Mere de la Nuit." (Maybe I'd better add that that last sentence is a terrible attempt at a parody of academic critics. And when a chicken's guts grind corn, it's a "crumenal" act. I won't go on except to say these gags, shabby as they are, are more fun than the movie.)So who was it made for? I'd have to guess. Kids who are too young to know about the original and who don't like movies in black and white? Kids who are hoping to see another ordinary slasher movie? Chimpanzees?$LABEL$ 0 +when discussing a movie titled 'snakes on a plane', we should point out early that the snakes are pretty darn important to the plot.what we have here are very bad cgi snakes that neither look nor move like real snakes. snakes are scary because they appear to be slimy, they crawl they slither. these snakes do nothing of the sort. they glide along like they would in a video game. they are cartoon snakes. i would go as far to say that even someone that had a major phobia against real snakes would not find these ones scarywhy on earth then would you want to include extreme close ups of these cgi failures? why not rely on suspense.. the whole 'less is more' ethic. or better still, why not just make them look good in the first place? and then maybe still use them sparinglytake one look at john carpenters 'the thing'. here we have real slime, and gore of eerie proportions. 20 years go by and we get this pile of stinking sfx crap 'snakes on a plane'. when are these people going to wake up and smell the coffee? special effects are going backwards!sure you could say.. but the movie is a joke, get it? sure i'm with that idea, but do it well! in addition to the above, this movie has crap dialogue. and the music and sound effects are not creepy or memorable in any way.i could handle every other actor being part of this movie, except for jackson. what was he doing there? the man who starred in pulp fiction 10 years ago. is this career progression? are you offering people value for money? no. i'd like to know what Tarantino thought when he was half way through this stinker of a moviethe current generation seem to have very low expectations. and Hollywood seems to be offering them just what they want. on leaving the cinema i saw a number of advertisements for some truly horrendous looking future releases including... DOA: dead or alive, (another) cgi animal film called 'flushed away', and another crap looking comedy named 'click'. in addition to that i saw some awful trailers, including one for (another) crap British horror/comedy. i've truly not seen the movie industry in a mess like this for a long timeexpect to see this movie for sale in the DVD bargain section for £1 in 6 months time. and if you're expecting to see a black comedy with tonnes of great looking snakes, and some bad ass cool dialogue coming from samuel l jacksons lips. forget it.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie looked like a walk-through for "Immoral Study". Most likely I never got much involved with the burning need of the female artist to immortalize male nudes and thus all that fuss about "Now, who drew this penis?!" sounded a bit gratuitous. Dialogues in this movie are rather dreadful, albeit visually this movie got its moments. I almost dig it when Tassi got into painting a mental picture but then movie weered back onto penises. Highly recommended to those who has not seen one in a while.$LABEL$ 1 +whereas the hard-boiled detective stories of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler have fitted to cinema like a fox in a chicken coop - indeed creating the definitively modern American genre and style in the process - those of what might be called Golden Age fiction have made barely any impression whatsoever. The problem with books like those of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers or S.S. Van Dine (on whose work this film is based), is that they are low on action or variety - whereas Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe traverse the mean streets of LA, working class tenements, bars, offices, wealthy mansions, and meet all sorts of exciting dangers and violence, Golden Age fiction is generally fixed in location, the scene of the murder, usually a lavish country house, and the action is limited to investigating clues and interviewing suspects. This is a very static procedure, plot reduced to puzzle.This, of course, is as much ideological as anything else, the Golden Age stories dealing with a society hostile to change and movement; the hard-boiled novels recording an urban reality increasingly moving away from a centre (both of authority, and of a city), dividing itself up into hostile, ever uncontrollable and lawless camps. Another major problem with Golden age fiction is character - because we cannot know the answer to the crime until the end, we cannot gain access to characters' motivations or emotions, being defined solely by their potential need to murder. The detective, unlike the anxious, prejudice-ridden private eyes, are simply there to be brilliant, and maybe a little eccentric.The problem with most films from Golden Age books is that they try to be period recreations of the Merchant Ivory/Jane Austen school, and end up looking silly. There have been successes, for example the radical reworkings of Ellery Queen and others by Claude Chabrol. In the English-speaking world, there have really only been two. The Alistair Sim classic, 'Green For Danger', works because it pushes the form almost into parody, while never betraying the integrity or interest of the mystery.Before that came Michael Curtiz's brilliant 'The Kennel Murder Case'. The narrative is pure Golden Age. A repulsive character is introduced who gives a number of potential suspects reason to kill him. He is duly murdered in a seemingly foolproof manner, indicating suicide, slumped in a locked room. The caricatured policemen fall hopelessly for the bait. It is up to Philo Vance, gentleman and amateur detective, neither old nor fat, to read the clues more insightfully, open the case out of the confines of the room, and eventually solve the case, the corpse being little more than the pretext for intellectual stimulation.What is interesting is not this detective plot - which can only ever be unsatisfying as all solutions are - although it is rarely less than entertaining, and full of comical bits of business. There isn't even really an attempt to 'subvert' the image of the perfect detective - there is one alarming scene where a brutal sergeant threatens to rough up a suspect, with no protest from Vance, but that's about it.What marks 'Kennel' as a classic is its modernity. Curtiz is not generally considered a great auteur, because he has no consistent themes or evidence of artistic development. But he was Hollywood's greatest craftsman, and he is on sensational form here. if the Golden Age detective story is mere puzzle, Curtiz takes this idea to is logical extreme, creating an abstract variation on his source, reducing narrative, character and location to geometry, a series of lines, from the beautiful art-deco sets to the glorious camera movements which suddenly break from a static composition , and, as they glide furiously at an angle, jolt the dead decor to life.This treatment is appropriate to a story that resolutely refuses realism, it is a pattern that turns the detective plot into a hall of mirrors, like the two central brothers, or the original crime itself, borrowed from an 'Unsolved Mysteries' book. This fantasy world of nasty rich men who collect Oriental relics (shades of 'The Moonstone'?), inscrutable Chinese servants, ex-cons turned butlers, dog-loving fops, Runyonesque cops, is the perfect habitat for Vance, a man who will drop a cruise to Europe on a fanciful hunch, who knows the social world of these people, and yet is tainted by his interest in crime and association with the police, or would be if he wasn't anything more than a thinking machine, William Powell, the greatest American comedian of the decade, bravely subsuming his idiosyncratic humanity.But if the treatment is rarefied, the climax is spectacularly brutal, involving vicious dogs and attempted murder. The police and the detective, supposed to be preventing crime, are guilty of inciting one.$LABEL$ 1 +Freebird is the perfect marriage of road trip comedy, gang caper, "stoner" film and feel-good British movie.It is the brilliant lead characters that set this movie apart from other films in this genre. Stars Phil Daniels, Gary Stretch and Geoff Bell have a great chemistry and make their characters hugely likable and realistic. The main story centres around their road trip from London to Wales, and the adventures and mishaps that occur along the way. This small film also has a great heart - it is not just for bike fans, as it bases around the character's relationships with each other including dreams and regrets, such as Gary Stretch's Fred longing for the family he left behind. The cinematography is also great - a love letter to the Welsh countryside as well as capturing the grittiness of London streets and typical pub life in the Welsh country towns.Stylish, slick, fantastic soundtrack, likable characters and funny storyline - I would recommend Freebird in a heartbeat!$LABEL$ 1 +'Sleight of Hand' is my favorite Rockford Files episode of the entire series. This episode shows a side of Jim Rockford that is usually ignored. To wit, Jim is genuinely in love with a beautiful woman and is shown as a father figure to her young daughter. The woman is recently divorced and she and Jim have recently returned from a weekend getaway along with the youngster. Through a strange turn of events, the woman is discovered missing after they return to her home.Rockford's recounting to his father, Rocky, of the events leading up to the woman's disappearance is reminiscent of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer series from an earlier era. After much brooding and reflection and with Rocky's encouragement, Jim stumbles upon the clue that sends him off investigating the disappearance with his usual steadfastness.Unfortunately, Jim's girlfriend, Karen, unwittingly witnessed some mafia activity while they stayed at the Buena Vista Inn. The crime bosses responded by killing Karen and substituting another woman into Jim's car. The imposter, ostensibly asleep in the back seat, made her exit immediately upon arrival at the home. A couple of cover up murders ensue and Jim proceeds to their solution while under suspicion of the L.A. police department even as warrants are issued for his arrest.This episode evokes more emotional reaction than all other Rockford Files episodes combined. James Garner as Jim Rockford is seen at his most vulnerable moment and yet he retains the presence of mind to pursue the case. This is personal for Jim Rockford. In this case, he is not hired to do a job but he is trying to recover his lost love to save her life. Unfortunately, this is not possible but Jim tries hard to sort out his feelings but it is apparent that he will not soon get over his hurt.Despite the appeal of the main story line, many key questions are raised but never answered in this episode. (1) What becomes of the young daughter of Jim's girlfriend? (2) What did Karen actually see at the hotel that made the mafia kill her? (3) How could Jim drive for hours with an imposter in his back seat without noticing this? (4) The daughter stated that "Mommy didn't come back with us". So why didn't the girl scream or cry when she noticed that her mother was absent for the hours long car ride? Regardless of these ambiguities, 'Sleight of Hand" is the Rockford Files episode which comes closest to being a tear jerker. The suspense is compelling and the story is told in a sensitive and vulnerable style which makes us feel Rockford's pain.$LABEL$ 1 +The martial arts movies got huge in the 60's in parts of Asia but with the growing popularity of the infamous Shaw Brothers films, America was bound to catch on. This movie was the first to be presented in America under the Warner Bros. label and it did in fact start a craze here that flooded the 70's with martial arts films. Many of the films to follow would pale in comparison but some were great and many like Enter The Dragon (which came out shortly after this one) became huge success stories and made superstars out of these fighters.Fast forward almost 40 years later and this movie still holds up. Most Shaw brothers films are as good today as they were back then and truth be told no films have been made in this genre to compete with those made by The Shaw Bros back in the day.I like to think Martial arts are like porn and nobody watches porn for the plot just the action, well same goes with M.A. films and most of them are just a bunch of great fights with little story, this one is an exception. It doesn't have an amazing story but there is one there.The main guy played by Lo Lieh actually stands out amongst karate film heroes. He never brags and he never fights just because he can, he is often seen as weak and less of a fighter than most, but when he must fight, he is damn well the greatest alive. I really loved this character. Many of the bad guys were memorable and the fight scenes were just presented so amazingly. Even a small role with Bolo Yeung can be seen as the huge Mongolian, and Bolo is in my top 5 as greatest martial artist film stars ever, he was also in the above mentioned Enter The Dragon.The production as I've said over and over is wonderful, you can't beat the Shaws, the direction was something unlike I have seen much in films of the 70's, the use of color was well placed and made this movie stand alone and rise above the others. When the light shines on Chi Hao's hands as he does the Iron Fist, its pure beauty.The music was superb as well. Martial arts films were to Asia what westerns were to Italy, two separate art forms with so much in common. The countries making these films had all genres but the Japanese films were what was making waves there as the spaghetti westerns were in Italy. With their many differences the styles of these two genres were neck and neck. As seen in movies like 5 Fingers Of Death, the fights were easily compared to Sergia Leoni cowboy stand offs, and the music tied the genres together so well. The music here borrowed a little from Ironside, but it was still very original.Many films were inspired by this one and when I watch it I can see everything from The Master Killer to Bloodsport having been influenced. The most obvious movie to have been influenced was Kill Bill, which to me is the greatest of all time. Many of the sets Quentin used are complete replicas of ones seen here and he used the music from this film, even though the music he used was the music borrowed from Ironside. And the fight scene at the end of Kill Bill vol. 1 with The Bride and O-Ren is at times exact in comparison to the fight with Chi Hao and the Japanese thug at the end of this movie.I have seen many martial arts films, a few even better, but this is a MUST-SEE for fans of the genre. You can't go wrong here. The movie starts off slow but 15-20 minutes into it it picks up and doesn't slow down.$LABEL$ 1 +This a wonderful sequel to the award winning Lonesome Dove miniseries in the 1980's. This sequel is perhaps, better than the original. It is definitely more family friendly. The language is more subdued. There is plenty of violence and one particular scene with Cherokee Jack is particularly gruesome. However, overall a great movie. The acting is superb. William Peterson is fantastic. Such a great dramatic actor with a quick sense of wit and comic timing. Jon Voight aptly fills Tommy Lee Jones' shoes as Captain Call. Ricky Shroder gives a great heart-filled performance as the young boy who grew up with no family to claim him. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the kind of film that might give you a nightmare, besides that it's a lot of fun.Hardware Wars is the only good spoof on Star Wars, other films like Spaceballs have failed. This is the only good spoof film I have ever seen, it doesn't rip-off Star Wars, it makes fun of it, and that's what spoofs are supposed to be.$LABEL$ 1 +****SPOILERS**** Buried under a mountain of medical bills and his funeral business not being able to dig him out from under them undertaker Vito Lucia, Tony Lo Bianco, came up with a plan to make a load of cash with the help of his two crooked pals Moon & Bo, Richard Lynch & Bill Hickman. Vito getting close with his boyhood friend Buddy Manucci, Roy Scheider, as a mob informer to win over Buddy's trust and have him tell Vito what's coming down on the streets of New York in regard to mob activities. Buddy is a cop who works in a sub rosa unite of the NYPD, the Seven Ups, that does things "their way" to clean up the streets of New York of criminals. Vito gets information from Buddy and makes it look to Buddy that he's really giving him tips about the mob and what it's up too and uses that information to tip off his hoodlum associates, Moon & Bo, to rip the mobsters off of their weekly take as well as kidnap top mob loan sharks and hold them for ransom.Everything is going well for Vito & Co. until the mob decides to retaliate and mistakenly grabs beats and kidnaps a member of the Seven Ups Ansel, Ken Kercheval,who was working undercover thinking he was one of the hoods who was kidnapping and ripping them off. Later Ansel was accidentally killed by Moon when he blasted out the trunk of the car that Ansel was locked in thinking that there was a suitcase full or cash, ransom, in it.Fast pace and exciting movie with that gritty and grimy photography of New York City that was so effective in the movie "The French Connection" which also stars both Roy Scheider & Tony Lo Bianco who are in this movie too. Incredible car chase that started in downtown Brooklyn and ended up in the wilds of New Jersey some 15 to 20 miles away with Buddy almost ending up decapitated for his heroic efforts. Roy Scheider who is not a big man is as tough and effective as any big action actor I can think off like Clint Eastwood would have been in the same movie. Scheider reminds me a lot of, he even looks a bit like him, former welterweight and middleweight champion Gene Fullmer who beat the great Sugar Ray Robinson for the middleweight championship back in 1957 and acts like him too in the movie : tough durable and destructive. Tony Lo Bianco is very good as Vito the undertaker the lowlife heel who plays off Buddy and the mob to the point that leads to Buddy's partner Ansel getting killed. Even though he's trash you can't in a way not help feeling sorry for Vito since he only wants the money he gets from the ripped offed mobsters to pay his sick wife's Rose's hospital and medical bills. Even the fact that Ansel was killed due to his actions Vito never wanted anybody to get hurt but like they say when you play with fire you end up getting burned. In the end Vito have a lot of explaining to do to the not so sympathetic and caring mobsters. The movie "The Seven Ups" has the late Bill Hickman doing the dangerous stunts with the car chases as well as act in the film. Hickman was also the stunt man in both great movies that had him doing the driving on the roads streets and highways of New York City and San Francisco "The French Connection" and "Bullitt".$LABEL$ 1 +I had completely forgotten about "Midnight Madness" until just now when I found it while surfing the IMDB. Now, it's all coming back to me....It was one of Naughton's first movies (as well as Fox's) and sharp-eyed connoisseurs will also pick out Kaplan (Henry from TV's "Alice"), Fiedler (he does the voice of Piglet in the "Winnie the Pooh" cartoons) and Blocker (son of Dan "Hoss" Blocker from TV's "Bonanza").But the two that stand out in my mind are Furst (from "Animal House") and the superdude himself - Eddie Deezen. Furst plays a baddie this time out and has one of the best scenes when he asks his dad, "Why can't you just accept me for who I am?" His dad looks over his obese, slovenly frame and gives a simple, one-word response - "Yuck!"And Deezen... well, he's a show in himself. As a latter-day Jerry Lewis he stumbles around, wades through mini-golf ponds, puts melon halves on his ears and ends up having Maggie Roswell fall for him. My hero.As for the film, it's typical early-'80s stupidity with college kids staying up after curfew and going on a city-wide scavenger hunt to prove which division of students is the best on campus: the jocks, the nerds, the rich kids, the feminists or the group made up of a little of each. Who wins? Who cares, you'll have a lot of fun watching Disney Pictures' first foray into PG territory before creating Touchstone Pictures.Seven stars. Catch "Midnight Madness" any way you can!Long live Leon!$LABEL$ 1 +I recently started to watch this show in syndication and find it a bit hit and miss. Some episodes are silly -- Doug is upset about some trivial/juvenile thing and acts stupid etc.Still, others are quite amusing, and sometimes touching. These include those episodes that face up to the complexities of the characters. For instance, the "juvenile overweight amiable guy marries sexy wife" theme is found in several sitcoms. (Carrie also has something about her, looks-wise. Not just a run of the mill sexy girl.) But, Carrie has an edge -- she might be nice on the eyes, but has a few too many personality traits not too far different than her father.And, she readily admits to it -- for instance, one episode revolves at her lack of desire to be nice to co-workers. I personally find her b*ness sexy, but you have to be the right sort of person to be able to live with that. Amiable Doug is a good match. And, deep down, see likes the simple things too. Maybe, not as much as Doug whose nirvana is watching TV and eating a big snack next to his big screen t.v., but no culture gal she. This lack of an overally sensitive side is one reason the two don't have children. Of course, the simple pleasures of a guy is nothing to sneer at either, and adds to the charm of the show. They live an ordinary working class sort of life in Queens -- it is realistic in that sense. And, overall, amusing and pleasant sitcom fare, esp. if you just want to relax. It gets a little tired at the end, so it's probably good it is ending. It had a good run. See also, Becker.$LABEL$ 1 +Being from eastern PA, right on the border of Northern New Jersey, I still get a feeling like this was a documentary more so than a movie. I have friends from New York and New Jersey and this film represents the kind of lifestyle that "still" exists today in lower income area's outside of the "Big City" lifestyle. If you have not seen this movie and ever wondered what REALLY goes on in the urban jungle, check this movie out. No really big name actors, its as if they just pulled these guys off the street and said act, which adds to the realism of the movie, the performances are FANTASTIC none the less! SEE THIS FILM!$LABEL$ 1 +For Romance's sake, as a married man. The following two films are recommended.1. Brief Encounter by David Lean (1945), UKWell, when a woman goes to a railway station, something may happen. And it happened! How she longed to be there, in a little tavern waiting for the man of her dreams. But she was married... the man was a stranger to the fantasizing woman2. Xiao Cheng Zhi Chun by Fei Mu (1948), ChinaWell, when a woman goes to the market to buy fish, grocery and medicine, passing through the ruins of an ancient wall in a small town, there is much to think about, about the melancholy of her life, her sick husband in self-pity and lack of future...Just when a jubilant young doctor arrived, something happened... the doctor was a high school honey of the fantasizing womanIn both movies, from great directors of UK and China, the passion vs restraint was so intense, yet in the end the intimate feelings had not developed into any physical contacts. That leaves you with a great after-taste, sniffing it intensely without biting it.$LABEL$ 1 +To judge a movie just for the landscapes,decor,costumes....it is just not right , you are missing the core : THE STORYA movie has to narrate something , to tell a story something that impress you . Yes , I was pleased by the sea , cliffs , clear water and all that but ... There is the plot ?They are more interesting movies with mad people , such as : FLIGHT OVER THE CUCKOO"S NEST...etc...etc. This one is about a crazy woman who is more attached to dogs than his children or his husband. Just a clear psychiatric case !!!! Nothing extraordinary.Unfortunately a waste of time . And there is all that rage coming from ? Fish smell ? Sea ?$LABEL$ 0 +Another one of those films you hear about from friends (...or read about on IMDb). Not many false notes in this one. I could see just about everything here actually happening to a young girl fleeing from a dead-end home town in Tennessee to Florida, with all her worldly possessions in an old beaten-up car.The heroine, Ruby, makes some false starts, but learns from them. I found myself wondering why, why didn't she lean a bit more on Mike's shoulder, but...she has her reasons, as it turns out.Just a fine film. The only thing I don't much like about it, I think, is the title.$LABEL$ 1 +At the heart of almost every truly great crime thriller is a carefully considered, methodically planned-out high stakes super-crime, which 9 times out of 10 is committed by a bunch of likable, grey-scale morality underdogs for who life isn't fair, for whom getting back at the man is, well, something worth cheering for. First-time screenwriter James V. Simpson's script for Armored gets this half right. He made extra-double-sure that we've got nothing but sympathy for the recently orphaned, Iraq war veteran Ty Hackett (Stomp the Yard's Columbus Short), who's about to have his house taken away by an evil bank (brother, I've been there). And he gave Ty a good family friend in Mike (Matt Dillon) who is super nice and gets him a job at the armored car company that he works at with Baines (Lawrence Fishbourne) and some weird French dude (Jean Reno). These guys like to have fun and play pranks, but they are also serious armored car guys too, so that means they carry guns and are tough.After a short while, as one theoretically watches Armored, one might start to think as I did, that maybe - just maybe - this is going to be some kind of awesome, tongue-in-cheek, cornball heist movie with some on-the-nose characterizations that move the story along its natural course, cranking up the personal stakes of all involved in hopes of unveiling a really, really clever plan with lots of potential 'holy sh*t' moments. I mean, the music alone is textbook heist-movie - gritty, edgy beats working overtime as we're treated to close-ups of characters who say things like "As a matter of fact I do," and "Are you crazy??" For 45 minutes or so, the movie had some serious genre-flick potential.Then things start to really stink. These dudes, these idiots, have no plan. There's no "Ok, here's what we're gonna do..." scene, no blueprints, no explosives, no black van or ski-masks (despite their 'test-run', as can be seen in a trailer). No, these guys are going to steal $42 million dollars from their own trucks (which are only being tracked by HOURLY contact over the radio, despite being equipped with some fancy, big-deal 'GPS technology'), and they aren't even going to sit down and discuss it. Hell, Mike only tells Ty about the plan the night before, which is completely ridiculous. But of course, Ty's got his house to think about so as long as Mike promises that 'no one will get hurt,' he's on board. Guess what, though. Somebody gets hurt. Why? Because, besides driving the trucks into an abandoned factory to hide the money, they have no plan. That was it. That was how far they thought things out. So, naturally, things start to unravel. These cats deserve everything they get for being so unprepared.This script, frankly, feels like it's like the product of some bad improv game: "Armored Car, robbed by its own guards...GO!" Despite some half-decent buildup that could have maybe taken the film in a few interesting directions, the story just completely falls apart, and pretty soon, NOTHING makes sense, or is even remotely plausible.When filmmakers don't have a cool "hook" for their heist, their characters seem stupid, and bungling. And when characters are stupid, and bungling, it's hard for an audience to invest in them, and their story. And when that happens, any suspense drains out the bottom of the movie, leaving a laughable, hollow husk.Skip it. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Looking at these reviews and seeing all these high ratings leave me to believe that large amounts of red corn syrup will please just about any brain dead idiot. This movie is beyond useless. All the cliché's of a slasher film without any substance. I am sure I could go in to details about the movie but why bother when you can sum it up? Obviously everyone wants Mandy Lane and she apparently wants none of the guys. Throughout the movie you will see this.When she stops being friends to the typical boy trapped in friend-zone loser, he goes ballistic and when she goes on a road trip to the middle of no where (of course) he begins to hunt them one by one. Sounds decent so far right? But what made this movie suck beyond belief is when you find out that not only is her loser friend the killer but she is as well.. The plan was beyond ridiculous. Lets together kill all our friends and then kill each other. They give no reason why they wanted to do this and given Mandy Lane's "Goody Too Shoes" demeanor it makes you scratch your head even more as to what is actually motivating these characters to do anything they are doing. It's sad.. this movie had lots of potential but the director or writer apparently can't relate to the audience in anyway.$LABEL$ 0 +Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite authors. Some truly wonderful movies have been made from his novels ("Far From the Madding Crowd," "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," "The Mayor of Casterbridge"), and I had high hopes for this one. The Hallmark-Hall-of-Fame-ification of "Return of the Native" totally wrecked it. The cast was terrific, the photography excellent, but the script was dismal and the direction positively ruinous. People walked up to people, said lines, walked away. A meager excitement developed when Clive Owen and Catherine Zeta Jones (very young, very beautiful) exchanged a bit of flesh-pressing, but even Clive, who is a superb actor, couldn't save it. It was awash with the usual Hallmark "romantic" strings background music and pretend bumpkins offering plot exposition, and what could have been dynamite turned out to be awful. The richness of the above three movies was commpletely absent.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not a Steve Carell fan however I like this movie about Dan, an advice columnist, who goes to his parents house for a stay with his kids and ends up falling in love with his brother's girlfriend. Its a story thats been told before, but not like this. There are simply too many little bits that make the film better than it should be. The cast is wonderful, and even if Carell is not my cup of tea, he is quite good as the widower who's suppose to know everything but finds that knowing is different than feeling and that sometimes life surprises you. At times witty and wise in the way that an annoying Hallmark card can be, the film still some how manages to grow on you and be something more than a run of the mill film. Worth a look see$LABEL$ 1 +A lush fantasy world with quirky characters and annoying 80's music. This epitomizes the 80's desire to rewrite fairy tales and make fun of how they work. Personally I liked Greensleeves and the other harsher characters. They had some of the more amusing lines.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this movie for 99 cents at K-mart several years back (along with "Hawken's Breed") figuring anything with Gabriel Byrne and Amanda Donahoe is surely worth that much. It wasn't. "Dark Obsession" (the title I bought it under) was a slight cut above "Hawken's Breed" (IMBD rated at 2.4), but not enough to allow me to even keep it in the house. I threw both movies in the trash.This thing fails on so many levels it's hard to narrow it down, but let's just say it's tawdry, incredible, boring, hedonistic, confusing and even at 100 minutes, way too long.I love Byrne as an actor, but this schlock really looks bad on his resume.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh it's so cool to watch a Silent Classic once in while! Director Vidor is simply delightful and even makes a lengthy (at least for 1928) cameo as himself. The story is about having success in life and the way it changes you. Marion Davies plays a girl that leaves its friends in a little comedy studio to be part of a larger "drama" studio. She becomes a big star and the consequences are she really alienates from the real world. For a moment she even denies her (poor) past! The cameos are simply hilarious, certainly the scene where the main character (Marion Davies) sees...Marion Davies in the studios and concludes she doesn't seem that special... It's got to be one of the first movie-in-the-movies here and for real freaks it's awesome to see the cameras and material from way back then. A must-see if you ask me!!$LABEL$ 1 +Farrah Fawcett gives an award nominated performance as an attempted rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. This movie not only makes you examine your own morals, it proves that Fawcett can excel as a serious actress both as a victim and victor.$LABEL$ 1 +Scary Movie 2 is definitely the worst of the 4 films, for there is not much of a plot , bad acting, pretty tedious and some really cheesy jokes. But. And this is a big but, there is one good actor, one good recurring joke, and a good beginning. The good actor being Tim Curry, the one good recurring joke is the creepy,weird butler with the disgusting hand who always does cringey but laugh worthy things. And the good beginning is the spoof of the Excorsist.The plot to Scary Movie 2 is the main characters from the original and a host of new characters along the way are invited to stay the night at a creepy old mansion, but will they survive the night? This film is not very good but if your bored you might as well watch it!$LABEL$ 0 +This film must have been quietly released on some other side of the world, perhaps even in English. Hopefully nobody understood a word, not there's anything to understand in this movie anyways! Haahaa! Call me a nut, but I think this is one of the best movies ever. Why would I come to that conclusion?? Because it's my national pasttime to sabotage horrible films and this one begs for it every other minute! Once I became a fan of Myster Science Theater 3000, I had no doubt in my mind they'd find it somewhere and use it. Sure enough! The version they acquired was entitled "Cave Dwellers" using some strange intro footage not even from the film itself (apparently, they were ashamed to use footage from their OWN film!). I can't say I recommend buying this film. Rather, I highly recommend getting the MST3K version. Sure to find it most anywhere MST3K DVD's are sold, don't miss out!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is stupid and i hate it!!! i turned it off before it reached half i hate this movie. Amitabh sucks in this movie i wanna throw eggs at the person who directed this movie. This movie is stupid and i hate it!!! i turned it off before it reached half i hate this movie. Amitabh sucks in this movie i wanna throw eggs at the person who directed this movie. This movie is stupid and i hate it!!! i turned it off before it reached half i hate this movie. Amitabh sucks in this movie i wanna throw eggs at the person who directed this movie. This movie is stupid and i hate it!!! i turned it off before it reached half i hate this movie. Amitabh sucks in this movie i wanna throw eggs at the person who directed this movie. This movie is stupid and i hate it!!! i turned it off before it reached half i hate this movie. Amitabh sucks in this movie i wanna throw eggs at the person who directed this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I was so excited to finally watch "Pulse" after receiving it from Amazon, and I have to say I was utterly disappointed. I perhaps think I was too hyped up. I had expectations set by its fans that simply couldn't be met. After loving other Asian horrors, I thought I knew this would find a place in my heart.The story was slow, painfully so. I am a diverse fan of horror. I love the brutal, bloody craziness of "The Devil's Rejects" and I love equally the steady, growing macabre of "A Tale of Two Sisters". "Pulse" offered little from either spectrum, sadly.Along with the sluggishness of the plot, it was also very muddled. I hadn't a clue why characters were doing what they were doing and how what they were doing would help their problem. It seemed as if the director spouted off the plot in a sentence or two and the rest was improf from our actors. Unlike "A Tale of Two Sisters", which also has a rather hard-to-follow plot line, "Pulse" clears up very little at the end and left me feeling frustrated, confused and uninterested in the characters' endeavors. My closing statement about the plot was its inconsistency. At first it seemed as if the story was about the ghost world overflowing and their medium of escaping is the Internet. That's a damn original idea. I like that. But as the plot drones on, plot-holes and unexplained happenings rearing their heads in, it seems the director switched to some apocalyptic tale (as evident by the ending) that just hasn't been clear enough throughout to execute.I realize the dreariness of the shots and the setting was intentional to make the viewer feel bleak and isolated, but the dullness of the movie was only intensified by the grainy, shadowy surroundings. I will admit there was a certain feel of surrealism with the movie, but that may have just been my attention waning in and out.The actions of some of the characters are a little bit ridiculous as well, and perhaps if I was more enthralled by the story I would've been able to suspend more disbelief but as well myself being unmotivated so too were some of the characters. Like I mentioned previously, the logic behind what certain characters did were absent and contributed to the incoherence of the plot. Perhaps it was a result of the plot's incoherence that the characters do questionable things. To be honest I don't really care.The acting was decent. Certainly nothing outstanding but nothing terrible either. No outliers to mention on either side of brilliant or plain awful.Now I'll stop sounding so sour and mention that there were a handful of creepy moments. One towards the end especially that if there were more like it throughout, I would've enjoyed this movie (almost) wholly. I thought whenever the website was shown it was pretty unsettling, as well as some of the ghostly encounters our two main characters face. The things that went on between these ghastly run-ins were just too lackluster, baffling and "WTF" for me to truly appreciate.Now for something pertaining to the DVD itself... Magnolia's release of "Pulse" comes with subtitles, yes, but the subtitles are off. They aren't said at the correct time of the character's speech. It may sound nit-picking but it bothered me a little and it may bother some others. I think this is the only North American release of the film though so you either have to deal or watch dubbing (NEVER WATCH DUBBING!!!) I tried to like the film, I really did. I WANTED this film to live up to the hype... but sadly, it fell flat for me. If you're looking for other creepy Asian cinema I can recommend you "Audition", "Shutter", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Strange Circus" and "Marebito" -- all of which are more my palette.$LABEL$ 0 +This is high-gloss soft-porn; a boring soap opera concentrating on one thing: sex. They actually made sex boring, sad to say, because I defy you to watch this casually and tell me what the storyline was. What this is, is an excuse for Kim Bassinger to show off her great body and for Mickey Rourke to smirk a lot. That's it. Rourke's smugness is so bad it's sickening and Bassinger, despite the great figure, looks cheap more than beautiful.Kudos to the photographer for some nice closeup shots and some wonderful color, but the story is so weak - no character development and no plot - it's unable to compensate. Let's face it: this movie was made for only reason - to titillate male viewers. On that level, it probably succeeded. If I recall, it's why I gave it a look being a fan of Bassinger's looks, but I actually expected a story, too.Those trying to pass this off as "arty" and something deeper than soft porn are only fooling themselves.$LABEL$ 0 +My Take: Makes use of its familiar plot with fine performances and a few genuine moments of excitement. The plot is familiar. An innocent man is framed for a plot to assassinate the President of the United States, the first traitor in the United States Secret Service. As his fellow secret-service agents pursue him, he tries to prove his innocence. Of course we know his innocent, and the real culprit is just around the corner, but I was still entertained by THE SENTINEL. In this time where thrillers are reduced to being too ludicrous and too abundant in action sequences, THE SENTINEL is a good lick-back to all those good old-fashioned political crime thriller. The familiar plot is elevated by neat thrilling sequences and terrific performances.Michael Douglas, the perfect man for the job, is long-running Secret Service agent Pete Garrison, who is framed for being part of a plot to assassinate the President. Former colleagues in the secret service (Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria) pursue Harrison while he tries to find out who is behind the possible assassination and the traitor in the Secret Service. This leads to a lot of chase scenes that, surprisingly (and thankfully), are never unbelievable. The screenplay also offers a subplot involving Garrison having an affair with the First Lady (played by Kim Basinger). This thankfully wasn't unnecessary like most subplots are to these kinds of films.The films director is Clark Johnson (S.W.A.T.) who manages to make the film look good. Although many have criticized it as "should have been a TV movie", I must disagree. Agreed, this is not a perfect film, and much of it is inspired from other action thrillers and political intrigues like IN THE LINE OF FIRE or an episode from the TV series 24 (which this film closely resembles when it comes to style and star Sutherland), but even so, this film takes its plot into serious heights and doesn't abandon even its smaller details. The performances are terrific (with a top-notch cast, its bound to be, even with the by-the-numbers script.All-in-all, I award it ***1/2, not perfect, but not far from it.Rating: ***1/2 out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure quite why I clicked "contains spoiler", because quite honestly there is not enough explanation ever given in the movie to know enough of what is supposed to be going on to spoil it.Visually it mostly delivers. Well, apart from some 80's throwback rubber-mask monsters. I'll say now that before watching this I had never seen the band Lordi, nor knew anything about them bar that they won Eurovision. Apparently the monsters in this are members of the band, pretty much in their stage personas. Whatever. Anyway, I didn't know this while watching. I just thought the monsters/demons were mostly passable. Just about.I'm almost sure there is a semi-coherent explanation behind what we see on-screen, but it may actually be better not to know it. It probably would actually have been incredibly lame come to think on it. The action keeps it rolling along pretty much well enough to keep the viewer mostly entertained, even if half the entertainment factor is joking about wtf is supposed to be happening in this movie exactly.I gave it a four mainly because I got a good laugh out of it, especially out of how it explains pretty much nothing. Must have been the mood I was in, but I found that hella funny for some reason. Then I look up the movie on the internet and find out that NOBODY knows what the hell it's supposed to be about. That amused me further, and raised my score an extra half point to a 4/10.It's not scary, or particularly coherent, but it's pretty nice visually and sonically. Overall, far from essential, but watchable. Don't expect too much and don't expect it to make any sense and it might entertain you if you are in the right mood.$LABEL$ 0 +I LOVED the Apprentice for the first two seasons.But now with season 5? (or is it 6?) things are getting just plain too tiring.I used to like the show, but its become Donald Trumps own ego fest. Granted its his company you'll be working for, but come on! some of the things says "You're FIRED" is just insulting.after watching the show, I would not want to work for him. not because he is arrogant, pompous or such. Its just that the show is unrealistic and the way he handles things makes me just squirm. Good Entertainment? YES, but tiring as the back stabbing gets so tiring.. its not team work, its not personal, its just business. watch your back jack.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't get me wrong - I love David Suchet as Poirot. I love the series as well as the movies but enough already re: Death On The Nile. Everyone has done this one! We know who dies. We know why they die. We know who the killer is. We know how it was done. So I say enough already! Mr. Suchet could have used that awesome talent in another one of Agatha Christie's novels. I will say that the acting by all the actors was superb. The sets were terrific and very realistic. I especially liked David Soul but I was surprised at how 'awful' he looked. I hope he doesn't look that way in 'real' life! I honestly can't remember from other movies whether the very end was the same. Somehow I don't think so. I thought that was a rather brilliant touch whether or not Ms. Christie wrote it that way. I would much rather have that ending then wasting away in prison!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is worse than "heaven's gate" or "plan 9 from outer space". Don't know why it got even one Oscar, it should have gotten a million raspberries, just like the audiences that either walked out or didn't show up in the first place. The Hospital was a first-rate financial failure, but I'm certain the elite classes of left-wing, gutter-mouthed intellectuals railed that the American public was far- too plebeian to appreciate biting social-commentary when they saw it, and on and on. George C Scott, in one of most-artless and embarrassing roles, along with aging sex-symbol Diana Rigg spend most of the movie trying to cuss in an increasingly-blasé manner as they push along a silly plot. Poor old George is impotent and is just crushed by the event, but after lots of dirty language between him and Rigg, he rapes her multiple times on lovely night in a filthy, crumbling NYC hospital that looks so disgusting that I wouldn't want a dying pet rat treated in it. There's also some sacrilegious junk-dialog tossed about hither and yon, laced with plenty of cussing as well. It ends by portraying the faulty notion that unusual stress without physical exertion always brings on cardiac arrest. Never want to see another minute of this awful movie again.$LABEL$ 0 +This is definitely a good movie unlike what other people are saying. Peline and I have both seen the movie 3x and the end is cheesy but that is part of the package... to experiment with death is the same as trying to defy it, so the movie is cool. For those who wish to see a classic Kevin Bacon movie, see this please. take care greeting from Istanbul. we will write 10 lines if you really want us 2 but we think it is a waste of time bye. The rest of this review should not be taken seriously because we just wrote it to fill the 10 line requirement (which is crazy) but we are kind people and will therefore adapt to the rules that are set out for us. So people watch this movie not because we wrote 10 lines, but because it is good. and by the way we wrote 12 lines!!$LABEL$ 1 +Cartoon Network seems to be desperate for ratings. Beginning with the cancellation of Samurai Jack, the network seemed hellbent on removing all the shows that made it so popular, such as the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, Dragonball Z, etc. When the ratings started to plummet, CN began putting up some pretty mediocre shows. Though Total Drama Island/Action and Chowder stand out because of their clever writing and audience-pleasing gimmicks, there are plenty of other shows that either terrible remakes (George of the Jungle) or rip offs of other shows, such as The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, where the title character acts just like Spongebob, and then there's Johnny Test, which is something of a replacement for Dexter's Laboratory, though it's much more of a sheer rip off than anything.The show's characters are clearly derived from Dexter's Lab, only this time the focus is on Johnny, a blonde (or fiery-haired) character who torments his twin sisters, Susan and Mary, who just HAPPEN to look just like Dexter, from the orange hair, to the glasses, the impossible technology. There is even a rival genius named Bling Bling Boy or Eugene, who appears to be sitting in for Mandark. Then there's Dookie, Johnny's best friend and talking dog, one of Dexter's...I mean, Susan and Mary's early experiments.Dexter's Laboratory was probably one of the best cartoons on television, with its simple, but effective art style, lovable main character, and episodes that don't seem to be a long drag. Johnny Test is a lot different. The art style here isn't nearly as eye-pleasing. In fact, it looks absolutely awful. The characters have motivations that make them really annoying or repulsive. Like how most of the series' episodes consist Johnny and Dookie's quest for havoc on the neighborhood girl Sissy, whom Johnny secretly likes, or the twins' obsession over a boy next door. Seeing these two geniuses swoon at the sight of abs and the fact that Johnny appears to be someone you would NEVER want to associate with, there is no real connection between the viewer and characters.One thing the series heavily exploits in its name is that Johnny is Susan and Mary's guinea pig for their experiments. These range from turning Johnny fat, ugly, monstrous, and even into a woman. The twins then help Johnny in whatever scheme he's planning in return for his services. Whenever there's an episode involving this kind of "win/win" deal, it usually comes undone at the seems and those that doesn't come completely off the rails never ends satisfyingly.The writing ranges from mediocre to horrid, however. The 'fat' episode constantly repeats "It's Phat with a PH. There's a difference, you know." which is a line that should never be repeated, especially when the episode seems to PROMOTE child obesity, with Johnny becoming a famous star with money and videogames just by becoming fat.Let's talk about how the show doesn't completely rip off Dexter's Lab. The show tosses in a lot of characters, from two Men-in-Black named Mr. Black and Mr. White, a military general who seems to need all his problems solved through Johnny and his sisters, and LOTS of super villains, though even here, the show again steals ideas for other sources, like a Mr. Freeze teenage clone, an evil cat with a butler who wants cats to rule over man (like the evil talking cat from Powerpuff Girls), a bumbling maniac mastermind, a trio of evil skater 'dudes' and even a Mole Man, which is probably the most cliché villain in the media.To top it all off, alongside its ugly animation and unlikeable characters, the voice acting is either passable (like the voices for Mr. Black and Mr. White) to just plain ear-splitting (Johnny, Dookie, and just about every villain in the show). The theme song seems to be the only catchy thing to this show, but then it was redone just a few episodes with a band that just ruined it.So in the end, Johnny Test is not a good cartoon. Its horrible references and jokes about teen culture will dismantle little children's interest in the show, while its bright coloring, ripped-off characters, and dragging episodes will ruin the experience for teens. It's just another one of those crappy shows that Cartoon Network is over-promoting to trick people to watching it (like MTV toward rap). If you need a show that will satisfy your children for a half hour, you'd better stick to Spongebob, because Johnny Test is more of a "test" of patience than anything else.$LABEL$ 0 +Let me start by saying that I consider myself to be one of the more (most!)open-minded movie-viewers...Movies are my passion, and I am a big regular at my local cult-movie-rental-place...I also feel the need to add that they often ask ME for advice about movies whenever I get there, and i never seem to be able to leave the place without having had an elaborate discussion or exchange of ideas about what is going on in the cult-movie-area...I love to rent strange stuff, and that is exactly why this movie was recommended by one of the guys at the cult-movie-video-place.He told me he thought I had to see this, and since the cover said something about it being a movie with a Jodorowsky(one of my favorites!)atmosphere, I rented it.The vote I gave here is not really fair, because I did not think it was awful, I just did not know how to rate it otherwise. A question mark would have been more appropriate...This is the first and only film that literally made me sick to my stomach: I actually felt physically ill! Am I the only one whose stomach literally turned? Still I did not want to turn it off, or maybe I just couldn't because I was fascinated in a nasty way...I do not ever wanna see this movie again.Not awful,a 1 as I said.Just not my cup of tea(or wodka for that matter)...$LABEL$ 0 +This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen in the cinema!! Could not wait for it to end. To make matters worse it is given a 12A certificate so you do not see anyone getting shot, just bodies slumping to the ground, even Babban getting killed was cut out!!! Too many scenes were cut to bring in the younger viewers as I think the makers knew it would flop disastrously!! Amitabhs acting was great but that 'Basanti' wannabe and the other idiot who plays Devgans mate can't even act. Devgan was wasted!!I would not watch this for free again and I advise all others who read this to do just the same YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!$LABEL$ 0 +I think that Gost'ya Iz Buduschego is one of the best Russians minis for teens. I think i were near 6-8 parts of the movie. "One boy form 6th grade found a time machine in the old house where nobody lived. And he goes to the 21st century, just 100 years in future. In future he meat pirates, they tried to steal a "milafon" - machine to read minds and a story started..." Soundtrack for that movie was very popular in Soviet Union. Everybody loved that movie which was on TV every year.$LABEL$ 1 +I really like the show!! As a part of Greek Life, I can say that some things are over-exaggerated, but overall it's still pretty damn funny.Rusty is a likable lead character, his roommate is HILARIOUS and the entire cast is entertaining in their own rights. I like that it focuses on individual situations as well as interpersonal relations with the organizations.This show covers it all, and they do it without cursing or anything else that bad (how else could it be on ABC Family?).My favorites are Cappie (of course), Rusty's roommate and pretty much all of Kappa Tau. This show is a great launch pad for them and I'm excited to see what doors this opens. Please renew this show next summer, ABC Family. Like I said, love love LOVE it!!$LABEL$ 1 +Bloody awful! There's just no other way to put it. In fact, it's **SO** bad that the only reason I'm wasting words on this is to warn off other reasonable viewers who want to be intelligently entertained. You'll lose I.Q. points watching this. Come to think of it, it's not even suitable for mindless viewing because of the irritation factor. There's no guilty pleasure in watching something this incompetent.Reasons to avoid it:1) Horribly scientifically inaccurate, to the point where this isn't sci-fi anymore, it's just mindnumbingly sloppy, lazy fantasy.2) It sports FX that are cheesy beyond belief. Not even cheesy-kitsch that's a wink and a nod, like vintage Doctor Who, but just cheap and shoddy to the point of being insulting. The FX are so bad they're not even laughable. They spent about a dollar-fifty on this, not more.3) The direction is so weak and mindless that the only way the actors could make it through to the end of shooting without becoming terminally depressed was to sleepwalk through their roles, although Catherine McCormack made some effort anyway, probably on principle and despite the director. Moreover, this isn't Peter Hyams's only bad film: his flubs vastly outnumber any barely salvageable ones, of which Timecop was the last such, and that was 15 years before this writing. he's had nothing halfway decent since (End Of Days was just as slapdash, Arnold was the only draw, and he needed much firmer direction than Hyams provided). Hyams just keeps making it more and more pointless for anyone to consider giving him more work.And finally,4) Ray Bradbury's stories deserve far better treatment than this. Refusing to watch this film sends that message, not that Hollywood is particularly listening.Watch at your own risk. If you do and it turns you off movies altogether, you've only yourself (and Hyams) to blame because you've been more than adequately warned.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, i can and will be very short. This is a wrong-balanced, non-convincing film that could have been a little bit better. The script seems to not know which way to go ... from funny to cliche-wise serious... it's a bit silly. That plus too much sentences we have heard before "the hacker is in florida, or no, he is in madrid, no he is in ... , he is screwing the signal". 4 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +I just have to comment on this movie because I gave it a 4 rating, and in my opinion that's pretty high for a softporn smut movie. The actual plot is kind of hokey (who would expect otherwise) but Hafron is so incredibly funny, and he delivers everything in a cyborgish voice so it's easy for him. Whoever wrote the script had some wit definitely! I must have laughed out loud ten times, and that's not a reason anyone would pick up this movie. The only softporn movie I've seen which had any merit other than beautiful women (and believe me, Emmanuelle is drop dead gorgeous...just look at the cover!)Any movie that can entertain me considering how poor the plot was and how bad the acting is, also considering the movie wasn't made to artistically entertain, so to speak, it gets at least a four in my book. I mean, who wouldn't watch this before Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot?$LABEL$ 0 +Everything this film tried to do is done better - and superbly in "Run Lola Run". The Red Haired Hip Cutie, the critical deadline(s), The Lover in jeopardy, and the "Crime Pays-Sometimes" message. BUT, unlike "Lola", it just isn't believable or well put together. It is a labored knock off that might have worked for me if I had seen it before "Lola" - but it pales in comparison. Yes! The Falling Beetle was nice! But that was about the only surprise in the film. Do yourself a favor and see the Real McCoy - (And the REAL hip Red Head!) - in Run Lola Run!$LABEL$ 0 +Nice way to relax. I am packing my suitcase now so I can go and be with Caroline Munroe. Phony monsters and scenery make for 89 minutes of harmless fun. Something you can enjoy with your family and not be offended.$LABEL$ 1 +A lovely old - fashioned thriller coming on like a cross between Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch,"Red Rock West" follows the misadventures of injured veteran unemployed oil worker Mr N.Cage as his luck turns from bad to worse after he ends up with an empty gas tank and barely enough money for a cup of coffee in a one ute town in the back of beyond. It has been established right from the start that Mr Cage might be down but he is not out,and he might be broke but he will not steal,not even in his present dire circumstances.Consequently when he is mistaken by Mr J.T. Walsh for the man he has commissioned to murder his wife,Mr Cage calls on the wife to warn her of her husband's intentions.In turn she,in the person of Miss L.F.Boyle, offers him even more money to murder Mr Walsh.Mr Cage decides to leave whilst he is still in front but as he is driving out of town he hits a man in the road.Tempted as he might be to drive on,he takes the man to hospital,where it turns out he has been shot.Mr Cage is detained by the Deputies who call the sheriff who turns out to be Mr J.T.Walsh. Events take a further complicated turn when,escaping from custody,Mr.Cage narrowly avoids being run over by the real hit-man on his way to fulfill his commission.About now you might be forgiven for thinking "enough already",but as it happens on the screen it seems a completely logical turn of events,the narrative flow of the movie at this point seeming unstoppable. Mr D.Hopper is comfortably cast as the hired killer,like Mr Cage a USMC veteran.This little piece of serendipity keeps Mr Cage alive long enough out-think the murderous trio and survive,a little more battered but still unbowed. It is a tribute to everybody involved that what sounds on paper remarkably like a piece of nonsense is in fact a tense exceptionally well made picture with fine performances all round. "Red Rock West" is a movie - lover's movie.Within five minutes you know you are going somewhere you've been before on plenty of occasions,but you'll be very happy during the trip.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the true story of the great pianist and jazz singer/legend Ray Charles (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Jamie Foxx). He was born in a poor African American-town, and he went blind at 7 years old, but with his skills of touch and hearing, this is what would later in life would lead him to stardom. By the 1960's he had accomplished his dream, and selling records in millions, and leading the charts with songs and albums. But the story also showed his downfalls, including the separation from his wife and child, because of his affair with a band member , his drug and alcohol use, and going to prison because of this. Also starring Regina King as Margie Hendricks, Kerry Washington as Della Bea Robinson, Clifton Powell as Jeff Brown, Harry J. Lennix as Joe Adams, Bokeem Woodbine as Fathead Newman, Aunjanue Ellis as Mary Ann Fisher, Sharon Warren as Aretha Robinson, C.J. Sanders as Young Ray Robinson, Curtis Armstrong as Ahmet Ertegun and Richard Schiff as Jerry Wexler. It is a great story with a great singer impression, the songs, including Hit the Road Jack, are the highlights. It won the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing, and it was nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Director for Taylor Hackford, Best Editing and Best Motion Picture of the Year, it won the BAFTA for Best Sound, and it was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Craig Armstrong and Best Original Screenplay, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. It was number 99 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +The story of "A Woman From Nowhere" is rather simple and pretty much adapted right out of a Eastwood Spaghetti Western: A mysterious stranger comes into a lawless town run by a kingpin and starts shooting up the place. Even the opening credits and music have that spaghetti feel: Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone would be proud. The really interesting twists are that the stranger is a beautiful (!) woman, Saki (Ryoko Yonekura) on a Harley, and the location is in a town somewhere in Japan.In this actioner, there's a considerable amount of gunplay, some of it good, some predictable, and other spots somewhat hokey, but it's a whole lot of fun. Ryoko handles her guns with believability and aplomb and gives the thugs their due. It wasn't much of an acting challenge for her as it was a physical challenge, but she handled things very well. She shows her acting skills much more as Otsu in the NHK drama, "Musashi."I'd highly recommend film if you're a Ryoko Yonekura fan (which I adoringly am) and/or a "girls with guns" movie fan and it does hold up to repeated viewings. To me, there's something eminently and inexplicably appealing about "girls with guns" movies like "La Femme Nikita" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight." And to have a gorgeous gal like Ryoko starring in it as well is just gobs of icing on the cake.$LABEL$ 1 +Has there ever been an Angel of Death like MIMSY FARMER in Barbet Schroeder's 1960s heroin opus? Sort of Jean Seberg with a hypodermic. Pink Floyd score. Despite some ultimately insignificant weaknesses, a classic, shamelessly ripped off by Erich Segal/Noel Black for their inept JENNIFER ON MY MIND (1971), although Tippy Walker, playing a similar character, is herself very junkie-appealing in the latter mess. MORE, though, is terrific, a great 60s drug movie and, simply, an important document of its time. Very much a cult film so join the cult.No American movie then, as far as I can remember, charts the same territory. MIMSY's an astonishing archetype, elevating this into mythic realms. Not for the faint-hearted. Great sex scenes too.$LABEL$ 1 +Fascinating movie, based on a true story, about an Australian woman, Lindy Chamberlain (Meryl Streep) accused of killing her baby daughter. She insists that a dingo took her baby, but the story is highly suspicious. The film is actually about the media circus that took place around the case, the way Australians interpreted what was presented in the media, and the lynch mob mentality that ultimately led to the woman's conviction, based on barely any hard evidence. I love films that question the media, and also films that take a hard look on how people are railroaded by the justice system. I've always thought that juries ought to be showed 12 Angry Men before they go through with their duties. It's not, as has often been said, a liberal movie, but a clinical look at how we as human beings interpret events based so much on our prejudices and a desire for revenge. A Cry in the Dark is likewise clinical. Schepisi is careful not to make the film at all melodramatic. Some may find the film boring or dry, but I found it engaging.$LABEL$ 1 +I admit that the majority of this film was uninspired,but i was still entertained. It has a wonderful sense of frenetic energy,above average music,and the women in the film fiercely defend themselves,there's no prissies here. I can think of dozens of other films that were way worse,at least this one had an intriguing plotline along with some social commentary.They allude to how the military deals with viral epidemics,destroy everything in sight,even if it means the people you're supposed to be saving.Also, how dangerous martial law can be since at that point democracy ceases to exist. Fulci seemed to attempt to combine his earlier work(zombie,beyond,gates of hell)in an effort to somehow improve on them.He failed,but definitely not miserably,like a number of people would have you think.I have a soft spot for zombie films, so i admit that i'm somewhat biased when it comes to reviewing them.All i'm saying is that this movie is good for one time around,if there wasn't so much descension in the making of this film(fulci quit and bruno(i can hack with the best of them)mattei took over)it could have been much better and more focused.It's going to stay in my collection as fulci's zombie swan song.One surprising note, is that there is a scene in zombie 3 that cemetery man actually ripped off,i couldn't believe it myself,check it out you'll be surprised.$LABEL$ 0 +The most striking feature about this well acted film, is the almost surrealimages of the era and time it was shot it. I could sense the time and moments were stark and very real. Even the language was so well chosen. It's all too often when colloquialisms of today's world are carelessly used in movies aboutanother time and place$LABEL$ 1 +Harvey Keital's best performance so far the new century. Very nicely photographed, a beautiful snap-shot of pre-Castro Cuba. The story revolves around the nephew of a local minor crime boss who develops a friendship with an American with Hollywood connections. It's really about the moment when a boy awakens to the fact that the small circle of people he knows actually live in a much larger, much more complex world that he doesn't yet understand.the script is strong and filled with humor, the direction is crisp. Over all, a really professional job that fits in well with the tradition of Latin American cinema. The one weakness is the decision to shoot in sync-sound English rather than Spanish - probably to improve sales in the US. Unfortunately, this just makes the film a little less convincing. But if you can see beyond this, you will find a heartfelt trip to another world. Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an interesting true story of Archie Grey Owl, Who dreamed of being an Indiain when he was a child until the age of 17 he was born in England then moved to Canada where he was adotped by Indiains and he writes collums in magazines and he wrote a book that caugt the attention of millions the book was of his life. But at the end he told his wife that he was not a real Indiain and she was fine with it and he died at the age of 43 two years after he went back into the wildness.$LABEL$ 1 +This one and "Her Pilgrim Soul" are two of my favorite episodes in this new version of Twilight Zone. As I mentioned in my comment on the new series, there's something lacking in this new series. Maybe they emphasize too much the lesson that has to be learned. It's a little bit more mawkish and sentimental than Serling's version. However, this episode can be considered as quite sentimental too. I think the appeal is that no matter what they do, the lovers can never unite. I remember I wasn't surprised by the Korean movie "Il Mare" (later remade into "The Lake House". I think it's because I saw this episode first so it ruined the impact of the later film.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a very daring film for it's day. It could even be described as soft-core porn for the silent era. It was a talkie, but dialog was extremely limited, and in German. One did not need it anyway.The young (19) Hedy Lamarr gets trapped in a loveless marriage to an obsessive (stereotype?) German and after a short time in a marriage that was apparently never consummated, returns home to her father.In a famous and funny scene, she decides to go skinny dipping one morning when her horse is distracted by another. She is then forced to run across a field chasing after it, as she left her clothing on the horse. An engineer retrieves her horse and returns her clothing - after getting an eyeful.They sit for a while and, in a zen moment, he presents her with a flower with a bee sitting on top. This is where she thinks back to her honeymoon and the actions of her husband and an insect. She knows this man is different.She returns home and eventually seeks out our young fellow, and finds the ecstasy she was denied. You can use your imagine here, but his head disappears from view and we see her writhing with pleasure. Since he never got undressed, you can imagine... Certainly, an homage to women by the director Gustav Machatý, and a shock to 1933 audiences.The only thing that mars this beautifully filmed movie is the excessive guilt, and a strange ending.$LABEL$ 1 +i didn't like this movie.to me,it didn't make much sense.it was hard to figure out what was really happening.i also didn't think it was scary.i did however,think it was silly,even absurd,but not in a good way.Radha Mitchell is the main character in the movie,which cam out in 2003.She was also,coincidently in 2006's "Silent Hill"which i hated.it too i found confusing and pointless."Visitors" isn't as bad,but i think it is certainly below average.there is just nothing special about it.the script is just too muddled and there are things in the movie which don't need to be there,in my opinion.I think Radha Mitchell is probably a good actress,if she has more to work with.my vote for "Visitors" is 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This movie's full title is "Waqt: Race Against Time". That's a race no one can ever win, but you can certainly cut your losing margin by not wasting any of your precious "waqt" on this bakvaas. This movie was clumsy and manipulative in a way that made K3G look honest. It strained my credulity too far. It was ridiculously stupid in its storyline, and deserves to be mocked for it.It's not quite as awful as Baghban or Black, but this movie has nothing to recommend it. Stupid, pointless, with a ridiculously OTT performance by Amitji. The central "plot" is another nasty example of the crudely manipulative propaganda that infests so many "family" BW films. If my father, who raised me, and who I love dearly, treated me like Big B did Akshay, I'd shoot him myself. To say nothing of the trivialising of terminal illness.$LABEL$ 0 +ExCUSE me, but my tongue was TOO in my cheek when we filmed this piece o' poop. As the evil sister with hair that Mommy Dearest would envy, I did my very best to channel Tim Curry in Rocky Horror. I'm sad that this did not come across... Ah well, a friend compared it to a 'rock bottom budget SHOWGIRLS' with a white hot spoon.' I'll have to be content with that. What amazes me is no one mentioned the endless (and dull) wet T-shirt contest. It is seriously the longest wet T-shirt contest in cinema history. And the only one where the contestants were wearing industrial strength cotton-polyester shirts that defied all efforts to get them wet and translucent. And didn't anyone catch the director's cameo as the dude on the payphone interrupted by our hero? With the line 'are we filming yet?" clearly audible? Jeez, this is bad movie heaven for REAL aficionados...$LABEL$ 0 +I don't hand out "ones" often, but if there was ever a film that deserved this sort of attention, it's "Gas!" This is self-indulgent crap that reaches for some of the ambiance of M*A*S*H and falls completely flat on its face in the attempt.I see what Corman was going for - Malcolm Marmorstein and Elliott Gould tried to reproduce Gould's deathless role in the original movie version of M*A*S*H with a similar plot (in the movie "Whiffs" - look it up here in IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073891/ for more information).Marmorstein and Gould got closer to the brass ring with "Whiffs" than Corman did with "Gas!" but didn't quite get there. Neither one of those films even got close to the success of M*A*S*H.What's wrong with "Gas!"? What isn't? No one comes close to really acting at a level above junior high school theatrics. The production values stink. Someone else here mentioned the magically regenerating headlights on a getaway car, and there's more of that lack of attention to detail. Nothing works the way it's supposed to in this film, and nobody cares."Gas!" actually put me to sleep. It's not a sure cure for insomnia, but really close. On the Cinematic Sleep Induction scale, "Gas!" falls somewhere between "Last Year at Marienbad" and George Clooney's remake of "Solaris" (which itself was remarkable for being more boring than the Mosfilm original, despite that studio's seeming unfamiliarity with the idea of keeping the audience's attention by judicious editing).Judicious editing would have decimated "Gas!" to about twenty minutes. The result would be pointless, but no more so than the original film.Certain films are so bad that they have a compelling quality that makes them worth watching anyway. This isn't one of them. Don't waste your time. It's not even amusingly bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Awful, awful, awful...I loved the original film. It was funny, charming, and had heart... this piece of junk has NONE of those things.Reused jokes from the original film, stupid plots, bad animation, different voices (with the exception of Kronk and Yzma) that sound NOTHING like the ones in the original (especially Pacha... *shudder*).The characters are off model, the animation is flat and boring, it's just a bad job all around.And why is Kuzco a jerk again? I thought he had reformed... but since when are these TV spin offs loyal to the original *rolls eyes*.I'm sorry, but there is nothing redeemable about this... at all.Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +If Family Guy offends you or you simply don't get the humor, unfortunately this show is making fun of you and the masses of overly religious, dull, and politically correct people in America. So put your morals aside and have fun with this show. FG is a hilarious mind opener on the reality of today's society. Whoever said this show is for a young immature audience is very mistaken. With all the references to old movies and politics 10-80 years ago, I couldn't imagine any young immature kid finding this funny. Family Guy is definitely for a mature open-minded audience who are not afraid to criticize American society. Hats off to Seth and the whole crew who were able to make this show happen.$LABEL$ 1 +Disney's done it again. The company that made "Mr. Magoo" and "George of the Jungle" has made another movie that barely resembles the cartoon on which it is based, and keeps none of the spirit of the original."Inspector Gadget" was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a young one, and for a movie of it to exist may have been a dream come true back then. Now that that movie does exist, I was severely disappointed, even outraged.First we have the characters.Gadget himself has the gadgets that made him such a fun character in the original cartoon (with well-done special effects accompanying them), and he even has some of the naivete of the original Gadget, but he is now more competent and is expected to solve the crime himself while Penny and Brain just watch.Penny has little to do; while she played a major role in the cartoon, discovering the crime and halting it, and occasionally getting captured by the MAD agents, now she is simply introduced and then forgotten, although she does at least sneak into Claw's base.Claw is the movie's version of Dr. Claw, who was a rather sinister, raspy-voiced man who wore metallic gloves and sat in his chair, his face hidden from view, as he stroked his cat and oversaw various crimes. Now he is simply a man with a claw for a hand, with no mystery behind the character.Brain and Mad Cat exist in the movie, but are rather insignificant to it.Even small parts of the cartoon aren't spared in this butchering. The famous expression "Wowsers!" was mysteriously changed to "Wowser", and Gadget's Gadgetmobile now looks different and talks.There is even product endorsements everywhere. Why is "Yahoo!" advertised on a sign? Why does the Gadgetmobile have buttons for M&M's or Skittles?Fans of the cartoon will hate it, others might will likely find the movie below par, and when all is said and done, this movie is another attempt to make some quick bucks off another old show.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is one of the masterpieces from Mr. Antonioni. It is about youth, distraction, happiness, alienation, materialism, honor, corruption. And it is like everything else from great Italian director -true art.$LABEL$ 1 +My wife and I both remembered this film being a lot better than it is. When we rented it last weekend, we wondered if we were watching the same movie we had seen 22 years or so ago. We both agreed that we were probably remembering the TV series, which, in its one-hour segments, was compelled to actually wrap up plot lines. This movie leaves many loose threads, as has been mentioned by others here... basically every main character's story line is left unresolved.Gotta like the title song, though.$LABEL$ 0 +The first time I watched Cold Case was after it had run for about a year on Danish television. At the time it came to the TV it nearly drowned in 4 or 5 other American crime shows aired roughly the same time.I saw it and I was bored to death. The substandard actors with the self righteous faces and morals were a pain in the behind. The entire premise that so much money was given a team of investigators to solve murders dating back 10-20-30 or even 60 years seems so unlikely.The time is also a factor as they only have 50-60 min to tell the story which means that they get a break through just in the nick of time to solve the case and bring justice to surviving family members, if they are still alive. This combined with the "personal" problems and relations of the investigators which there HAS to be time for leaves the show a complete lackluster.I give it a 2-star rating because of the music i the end which is really the only reason for watching it....which you then of course won't do as that is TOO lame a reason for watching this crap.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie from a local library without having any prior knowledge of the book it is based on or the movie itself, purely based on the chance that it's one of those rare, overlooked gems that one can discover from time to time and really enjoy.Unfortunately this is not one of those movies. I am not sure if this is a movie driven by sentimentality or worse, deliberate agenda, but certain elements of it made it impossible to immerse. It is supposed to portray a struggling immigrant worker community which tries to cope with the difficult realities of their life. That is a fine premise and it could have made for a gripping story, but the execution just made me alternate between getting annoyed and amused at the ridiculousness of it.Here we have a community of simple farm workers who migrated to the US in search of employment and who get used and abused repeatedly by evil white men. And when I say evil - I mean EVIL. All white people in this movie are sinful, racist, sadistic, abusive devils whose sole purpose in life is sexual depravity intertwined with exploiting the poor immigrants. It would be a sad story if it wasn't so unintentionally grotesque and therefore hilarious.The portrayal of the immigrants is also a poster-worthy example of exaggeration except that it goes in the opposite direction. The immigrants are saintly, clean and could serve as ointment for boo-boos and ouies the world over. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw these "field workers" presumably digging in the ditches all day with their notoriously clean clothes and chiseled hair cuts from a top notch hair salon. A little restraint and a more unbiased hand at the helm could have made this a much better movie evoking some intended emotion rather than sarcastic snickers.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Chilling" directed by Deland Nuse and Jack A.Sunseri is one of the worst zombie flicks I have ever seen.Why Linda Blair("The Exorcist","Witchery")appeared in this stinker is beyond me.The plot is really dumb:the frozen bodies at a cryogenic lab are revived after lightening strikes and turned into cannibalistic zombies.The characters are completely one-dimensional and stupid,the zombies look horrible and there is no gore.Avoid this cheap piece of trash like the plague.My rating:1 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I was watching TV one day with a friend and we caught the last twenty minutes of "Going Bananas." Believe me when I say it was enough to get a good judgment of the film. The first scene that I saw was the monkey, the kid, the fat guy, and the black guy who looked like Dave Chappelle, flying around in a crop duster thousands of feet in the air. While everyone else was solemn about the journey, the monkey seemed to be on some kind of drug binge where he kept shouting something that resembled the English word faster. They then landed on a twenty yard long dock in Africa. After a heart felt goodbye where the monkey cried (Hahahaha), the "villains" of the film appeared. They were tearing complete ass in their vintage Cadillac when the evil monkey took an Air Jordan leap form the dock onto the boat that was sailing away a clean 40 yards away and made them sink their beautiful car into the Pacific Ocean. After seeing this film, I have a new purpose in life; to find the midget who played the monkey and stab him in the eye with a fountain pen.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Saint Takes Over" stars George Sanders as Simon Templar, aka "The Saint" in this 1940 entry into the series. It also stars Wendy Barrie, Jonathan Hale and Paul Guilfoyle. On board ship en route to the U.S., The Saint meets and tries to make time with a woman (Wendy Barrie) who gives him the brushoff. Simon is coming to New York to help Inspector Fernack, now thoroughly discredited due to a gangster frame-up; $50,000 was found in his home. The gangster, Rocky (Roland Drew), of course, was found not guilty at trial, and he and his fellow mobsters pay the bill for the frame and attorney representation - $90,000 in total. Today you need that to defend yourself against a parking ticket. This was a murder rap.Rocky sends his bodyguard, Pearly Gates (Guilfoyle) to the lawyer's house to steal the $90,000 from the safe. The attorney catches him red-handed and sends him back to his boss with a message. Seconds later, he's dead. Rocky meets a similar fate. And on and on - who's killing this group of gangsters? The Saint has to get one of them to talk so that Fernack can be cleared - can he get to anyone before they're murdered? The woman he met on board ship reappears and figures prominently in the case.Few actors have a way with a line like George Sanders, and his dry wit, good looks, smooth voice and depth as an actor suit Simon Templar perfectly. Paul Guilfoyle provides some humor as the nervous, milk drinking Pearly Gates, and Jonathan Hale is great as the sometimes exasperated but worried sick Inspector Fernack. Wendy Barrie, who appeared in many Saint episodes, is very good as the woman who captures Simon's heart.Very enjoyable.$LABEL$ 1 +The film of Artemisia may be considered treason, or as true artistic license. Which might one aver?In documented history, Artemisia Gentileschi was subjected to the thumbscrew, and still affirmed that she was r***ed, as Mary Garrard and Gloria Steinem have eloquently affirmed.In the movie, under a different torture, she refused to condemn her lover/violator.How may a movie deviate so much from received history, yet still inform the human heart?The answer is not so hard to find. In the movie, the director and cast had filled a gaping hole in the historical record, with the power of imagination.That led to a conclusion that differs from the record.So be it. I find _both_ the record and the movie to be compelling.In both the movie and (it seems) in history, Artemisia was a painter, before all else.For that vision, framed in ravishing (sic) film composition, I am truly grateful.Seldom have I seen a movie that so compelled my eyes.David Broadhurst$LABEL$ 1 +I'm trying to picture the pitch for Dark Angel. "I'm thinking Matrix, I'm thinking Bladerunner, I'm thinking that chick that plays Faith in Angel, wearing shiny black leather - or some chick just like her, leave that one with us. Only - get this! - we'll do it without any plot, dialogue, character, decent action or budget, just some loud bangs and a hot chick in shiny black leather straddling a big throbbing bike. Fanboys dig loud bangs and hot chicks in shiny black leather straddling big throbbing bikes, right?"Flashy, shallow, dreary, formulaic, passionless, tedious, dull, dumb, humourless, desultory, barely competent. Live action anime without any action, or indeed any life. SF just the way Joe Fanboy likes it, in fact. :($LABEL$ 0 +At the beginning of 'Loggerheads', we're introduced to three pairs of seemingly unrelated characters. To make matters even more confusing, we're informed (via titles on the screen) that the action is taking place in three separate time lines (between the years 1999 and 2001). It takes a great deal of time but eventually we come to see how the three pairs are related: Mark Austin, a young man in his 20s, gay and HIV 1 is estranged from his conservative parents, Elizabeth and Rev. Robert Austin. Mark is now a drifter and arrives in Kure Beach, North Carolina, a seaside town, where he meets George (sensitively played by Michael Kelly), a gay motel owner and they eventually become involved with each other. Meanwhile, Mark's birth mother, Grace (played by Bonnie Hunt) has come to the point in her life where she has decided to find the son she gave up for adoption when she was 17. Similarly, Mark's adoptive mother, also has decided to track her estranged son as she misses him (despite the misgivings of her homophobic minister husband).'Loggerheads' we're told is based on a true story and that perhaps is its Achilles Heel. Director/Writer Tim Kirkman tries too hard to create scenes fraught with dramatic tension where there is very little to be found. Take Mark and George—they're both sensitive souls who have little to disagree about. There's some slight tension when Grace faces off against an Adoption Agency Director who is forbidden by law to give her any information about her lost son as well as a slight conflict with her mother who denies that she disapproved of her when she became pregnant as a teenager. No sparks fly either between Elizabeth and Robert since the good Reverend has adamantly insisted from the beginning that he has no intention of reconciling with his son. 'Loggerheads' is similar to 'Brokeback Mountain' in that the gay couple are the good guys and the straight males (for example, the Kure Beach cop and the Reverend) are the baddies. The biggest letdown of the movie is that there is no interaction (and hence no dramatic conflict) between Mark and either one of his 'mothers'. Mark is already dead before either the birth or adoptive mother has a chance to reconcile with him. Kirkman's theme is both a plea for tolerance and an exhortation for family members to express their heartfelt feelings before it's too late! Kirkman's sentiments are for the most part well-intentioned but they do not make for good drama. Loggerheads moves along at a snail's pace without providing any new revelations (or suspense) regarding such topics as AIDS, Adoption and Homophobia. Ultimately 'Loggerheads' fails due to a lack of originality.$LABEL$ 0 +Will and Ted's Bodacious journey is an existential trip through themes of mortality, religion, time, Heaven and Hell, man's quest for fame and his fears of the body being overcome by a soulless machine. It is the most intelligent work of fiction since Paradise Lost and references many great past works of art- Dante, Iron Maiden, Virgil, Shakespeare. This time the dudes are a famous rock band having travelled through time collecting icons from the past- Napolean, Joan Of Ark (Noah's wife), Oscar Wilde, and Charles Darwin. They took the skills they learned from each of these people, abducted a couple of Princesses, and finally learned to play their guitars and write hit songs. These songs teach the world to love again and war, hunger, evil are vanquished for eternity. We fast forward into the distant future where an evil dictator who despises good music called Simon Cow-Al wants to rule the world. He eats Rooshus (the cool guy from the first film who helps Bill Playboy Esquire and Ted Theodore Alvin) and gains the power to send two cyborgs back in time. The cyborgs are living tissue over metal exoskeleton and coated in mimetic poly alloy allowing them the survive the turmoil of time travel, and they can imitate anything they sample by physical contact. It is their job to Kill the good Biff and Fred and take over their lives by making terrible music that no-one could like. By doing this they will change the world forever- Gryll and Jed's music will never be made leaving a world of war, famine, and hatred, and more annoyingly, bland boy/girl group pop music. There is a startling twist as the good guys actually are killed and they have to work out a way to save the world, themselves, and their wives from the evil Dopplebangers inhabiting their bodies.Penelope Spheerhead shows her knowledge of both youth culture and real culture by mixing modern day music and phrases with post modern sets and artistic references, and seeks to teach us all something by delving into our very psyche to show us ourselves. She presents the nightmares which faced the late 80s teen in a society which had abandoned them and beckons us to dissect the post structuralist jingoism, self love, and malaise of the time. Charging us with a belief that we can indeed change the world it is an inspiring message, but in order to achieve such dreams we must traverse and indeed face our nightmares. To overcome is to succeed, to defeat Death is the first step in truly living and not merely surviving. In the words of Kenneth Reeves- 'Wow!' Best Scene: For a fun game- see how many songs, bands, and albums cover references you can spot throughout the film. There are at least 6.$LABEL$ 1 +This film caught me off guard when it started out in a Cafe located in Arizona and a Richard Grieco,(Rex),"Dead Easy",'04, decides to have something to eat and gets all hot and bothered over a very hot, sexy waitress. While Rex steps out of the Cafe, he sees a State Trooper and asks him,"ARE YOU FAST?" and then all hell breaks loose in more ways than one. Nancy Allen (Maggie Hewitt),"Dressed to Kill,",'80, is a TV reporter and is always looking for a news scoop to broadcast. Maggie winds up in a hot tub and Rex comes a calling on her to tell her he wants a show down, Western style, with the local top cop in town. This is a different film, however, Nancy Allen and Richard Grieco are the only two actors who help this picture TOGETHER!$LABEL$ 1 +Similar to "On the Town," this musical about sailors on shore leave falls short of the later classic in terms of pacing and the quality of the songs, but it has its own charms. Kelly has three fabulous dance routines: one with Jerry the cartoon mouse of "Tom and Jerry" fame, one with a little girl, and a fantasy sequence where he is a Spanish lover determined to reach his lady on a high balcony. Sinatra, playing Kelly's shy, inexperienced buddy, and Grayson, the woman who serves as the love interest for both men, do most of the singing. Iturbi provides some fine piano playing. At nearly two and half hours, it is a bit too long for a light musical but it doesn't drag.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't understand the people here. The film is neither as good as as bad as some people say here. Except for De Kok the acting is OK. The problem with the film is mainly the script. The characters are not believable. The sex is done okay, but the psychology behind the people makes very little sense. The film doesn't look good, but what do you expect? The film was shot for very little money on video. Off course then it doesn't look as good as a normal film, duh! The one thing I do agree on is that the music is bad. Sounds like a cheap soft erotic film from the '80's. The film is not good, okay, but you have to give some credit for pulling this of without any money.$LABEL$ 0 +After dipping his toes in the giallo pool with the masterful film "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh" (1971), director Sergio Martino followed up that same year with what turns out to be another twisty suspense thriller, "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail." Like his earlier effort, this one stars handsome macho dude George Hilton, who would go on to star in Martino's Satanic/giallo hybrid "All the Colors of the Dark" the following year. "Scorpion's Tail" also features the actors Luigi Pistilli and Anita Strindberg, who would go on to portray an unhappy couple (to put it mildly!) in Martino's "Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key" (1972). (I just love that title!) I suppose Edwige Fenech was busy the month they shot this! Anyway, this film boasts the stylish direction that Martino fans would expect, as well as a twisty plot, some finely done murder set pieces, and beautiful Athenian location shooting. The story this time concerns an insurance investigator (Hilton) and a journalist (Strindberg, here looking like Farrah Fawcett's prettier, smarter sister) who become embroiled in a series of grisly murders following a plane crash and the inheritance of $1 million by a beautiful widow. I really thought I had this picture figured out halfway through, but I was dead wrong. Although the plot does make perfect sense in this giallo, I may have to watch the film again to fully appreciate all its subtleties. Highlights of the picture, for me, were Anita's cat-and-mouse struggle with the killer at the end, a particularly suspenseful house break-in, and a nifty fight atop a tiled roof; lots of good action bursts in this movie! The fine folks at No Shame are to be thanked for still another great-looking DVD, with nice subtitling and interesting extras. Whotta great outfit it's turned out to be, in its ongoing quest to bring these lost Italian gems back from oblivion.$LABEL$ 1 +Forget depth of meaning, leave your logic at the door, and have a great time with this maniacally funny, totally absurdist, ultra-campy live-action "cartoon". MYSTERY MEN is a send-up of every superhero flick you've ever seen, but its unlikely super-wannabes are so interesting, varied, and well-cast that they are memorable characters in their own right. Dark humor, downright silliness, bona fide action, and even a touching moment or two, combine to make this comic fantasy about lovable losers a true winner. The comedic talents of the actors playing the Mystery Men -- including one Mystery Woman -- are a perfect foil for Wes Studi as what can only be described as a bargain-basement Yoda, and Geoffrey Rush as one of the most off-the-wall (and bizarrely charming) villains ever to walk off the pages of a Dark Horse comic book and onto the big screen. Get ready to laugh, cheer, and say "huh?" more than once.... enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +Alright, we start in the office of a shrink, and apparently not a very good one. The main hero from the first Jack Frost is in the shrinks office blurting out random rhymes about Jack Frost. Gee, alright my brother is yelling ''Turn it off!''. Anyway, back to the crappy movie.The shrink has his speaker phone on and is letting his secretary and her friends listen in on this heroic insane sheriff. I suppose he is supposed to be the hero from the first movie, but he looks nothing like him!. Yadda yadda yadda, they laugh at the poor sheriff, yadda yadda. Now some people are digging up the anti-frozed snowman, yadda yadda, now we're in a lab with some type of doctor people.. I don't quite see how this has to do anything, but their poking the anti-freeze/Evil killer mutant snowman with needles, heating it, shocking it, adding strange and bizarre chemicals to it, the whole nine yards. Nothing. Alright, they give up and leave it in a fish tank. One of the doctors leaves his coffee on the top of the tank. The janitor walks in, cleans stuff, bumps the fishtank and the coffee spills the tank which makes Jack alive.Behold the power of mocha! Now somehow he is in..uh.. i believe the Bahamas... but it looked more like Hawaii.. But it couldn't be Hawaii! Unless they spent all of their budget on the dang air plane tickets. Bah.. I wont spoil the rest of this rotten movie, so you'll have to rent it and watch it your self... Er... i wouldn't suggest doing so though.... Sheesh..$LABEL$ 0 +I have watched this show for a while, only because of my cousins, and I HATE IT! First, the girls dress in the same style clothes, and they have the same first letter in their names. (Come on, I could to better than that!) Then the villains (spare me), first we have a monkey with part of his (little) brain showing, then we have a (gay) version of the devil, a pink hillbilly, a gang green gang (whit is ironic, that's their name) a spoiled princess (once again, ironic, that's 'her' name) among others. I have also found that there is no male hero in the show. (Not that I'm sexist or anything...) I'd rather watch Sailor Moon, it's much better than this. If someone else wants to watch the show in the room that you're in, find a way to break the television. Believe me, it'll save you a half hour of torture.Rating: I'm giving this just what it deserves, a 1 out of 10. Whatever you do, DO NOT WATCH THIS!$LABEL$ 0 +Quite simply, Goldeneye is the single greatest N64 game to date. The learning curve is just about perfect, and you'll still be playing it with your friends months on, as the multiplayer mode is nothing short of exceptional.The system for acquiring cheats for once requires some degree of skill, rather than simply knowing which buttons to press, and the challenge of Aztec on 00 agent level is astonishing.All in all - it's the best game I've ever played on the N64$LABEL$ 1 +This film is shockingly underrated on IMDb. Like so many films, this isn't Shawshank. But it's a reasonably good, if predictable, dance competition / personal growth film. If you want to spend an hour and a half watching a sort of 8 Mile for a female step dancer, than I think you'll like it.Judging from the IMDb ratings, my guess is that this movie was approaching the top 250, and was "vote bombed" with many 1s, as happens to so many films that aren't about the mob, don't have special effects, or include non-white or non-straight characters.It's an American film, but it's not a US film. Set mostly in Toronto the cues are subtle, and some audiences may think it's set entirely in the US just because the final competition is in the border city of Detroit.I liked the music. I liked the dance (but not convinced it's worth $50,000 ... but what do I know). The characters were easy on the eyes.I do agree the title sucks. I don't remember anyone in the film saying those words, and it should have an "s". (No, it's not a foreign language).There's not a lot to hate about this film (and let's be honest, a vote of 1 means you hated it) so I can only assume that it's an expression of hate for the kind of people in it, and that's sad.$LABEL$ 1 +Well the main reason I tuned in to watch this film is because it was done by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame. However as soon as the film started the laughs started erupting from my belly. From the subtle gestures towards a joke, to the blatant toilet humour throughout, along with a constant reliance on some very witty innuendo. This film could ruin event he sternest mans poker face, let alone his poker underwear. Some of the funniest blink and you'll miss it jokes ever portrayed in Hollywood, along with constant critique of themselves thrown into the bargain.I just goes to show that not only is Trey Parker adept at writing he's not too shabby at the old acting game either. I was surprised with the amount that I was absorbed in this film. However I'm quite worried that it is not available to buy over the internet, here in the UK. Sort it out boys!I am, and will continue to show it to all my friends annoyingly pointing out the funny bits, and occasionally snorting into my lager. All in all an excellent film if you are a fan of unnecessary comedy. However if you have no sense of humour about silly or rude things steer well clear! However I'm sure the inclusion of Jenny McCarthy and Jasmine Bleeth could have you gurgling past those prejudices.$LABEL$ 1 +I picked up TRAN SCAN from the library and brought it home. We have considered taking a trip out east and thought it would give us a feel of what it was like. The film was a total waste of time, if I went out to buy it I would call it TRAN SCAM when I saw that it costs $49.The DVD ran for 8 minutes and showed a roller coaster ride across Canada with my stomach feeling ill as they went up and down and around curve with the film at high speed.There was a lot of footage they probably shot on this and you would think that they could have made a better product. If I would of done this project I would of provided more footage, paused on road signs to let people know where they were and linger in places to view the scenery. To make a film like this it should of been 60 to 90min. Oh yes the case said it was in stereo, the whole film was a hissing sound from sped up car sound, thet could of at least put some music to it.If you want a good cross Canada film watch The railrodder / National Film Board of Canada starring Buster keaton (the one of the last film he made) in this comical film Buster Keaton gets on to a railway trackspeeder in Nova Scotia and travels to British Columbia$LABEL$ 0 +Interesting story about a soldier in a war who misses out on saving the life of a young girl from the enemy and is haunted by this event, even though he did save many other captive children. The film flashes a head and this soldier is now a teacher in a high school that is managed mostly by policemen patrolling the hallways, bathrooms and even class rooms. In other words, the High School is a prison and most of the kids pay very little attention to their teachers or principal. Dolph Lundgren,(Sam Decker) plays the soldier/school teacher and decides he is going to quit teaching and go into another field. However, the principal asks him to have a Detention Class as his last duty as a teacher. It is at this point in the film when all Hell breaks loose and the story becomes a complete BOMB. Try to enjoy it, if you decided to View IT !$LABEL$ 0 +This movie will not sit well with some, but it is a must view. I am glad someone finally brought up for discussion the realities of HOW African American couples worked to make a name in communities and how many of them felt trying to stay there as "other" African Americans moved in.(Minor Spoilers)This little Showtime film is almost like a Spike Lee Joint...you have an African American male (Danny Glover) who worked his way HARD through the traditionally white law profession positions in the 1970's. Like ANY American, he moved his family to be compatable with his upwardly mobile status but forgot, there was still alot of problems going on. The only African Americans in the neighborhood at the time was the maids. One owning a home? Wow.Then the blending in began. His wife (Whoopi Goldberg) is told to "get involved" so she does what all the other women in her neighborhood do. And just when the man thinks he and his family are "in", right next door comes another African American who got in because they won the "lotto" (Mo'nique), and in his eyes and he wants nothing to do with them for he doesn't want the neighborhood to think they are alike. He, of course is of a better calibre, his new neighbor is "ghetto" not an shouldn't be there! Who's got a problem now?What this film shows you is the great pains it takes for this family to fit in, and how they lose themselves in the process. It makes you question where does racism begin and end...and with whom. It shows how no matter what colour you are and how much money you have, you can still shut yourself off from the real world and helping those around you. It also shows how these African American children, when "blending in" neighborhoods such as these fall into the trap of changing themselves to suit the culture (complete with blonde hair and blue eyes, mind you!) around them. They laugh along with the jokes, not knowing they ARE the joke and not knowing..why.But overall, this film is about 'people'. No matter what race you are, this film gets into how terrible you can be towards your neighbor and toward each other...all for the sake of fitting in..all because you feel you have more money than others, so that automatically makes you better -- and you forget the struggles you had and those coming up behind you.Again, NOT for everyone. But take a look and judge for yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +The Animatrix: A Detective Story is very well planned and has a great storyline to go with it. Carrie-Anne Moss plays Trinity in this animated cartoon. I really like the 'Private Detective' ideas created by the Director.$LABEL$ 1 +Leslie Nielsen hits rock bottom with this absolutely horrible comedy that is the worst mainstream film that I have ever seen. There is nothing to like about this film, as it is essentially a one-joke film, and the joke isn't all that funny. How many times are we supposed to laugh at an almost blind man making a fool out of himself? That's not funny, that's just pitiful. Nielsen seriously needs to start refusing some of these pathetic scripts, and Stanley Tong needs to stick to making Jackie Chan films, because it doesn't get much worse than this.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a fascinating look at creole culture and society that few African Americans are aware. My own two children are by products of a paternal grandmother whose father was a member of the gens de couleur libre and a black skin woman whose parents were ex-slaves. He married outside of and against his culture and was cut off from all of his family except for one sister who took pity on her brothers plight; raising 8 children during the great depression of 1929; providing the family with food whenever she could. Of course she clandestinely aided this family fearing for her own ex-communication. My daughter was fascinated by the movie. We have made it a part of our library.$LABEL$ 1 +A cheesy, compellingly awful (and NOT in a fun way) C Grade movie. Everything shouts 'amateur', from the crumby script (bizarre premises, limited coherence and predictable endings; the turgid lighting, sound and hand-held wobbly camera angles; the coy and passe sexual inneundo and references; the patchy and unbelievable dialgoue to the Z rate acting. I saw it on DVD and kept hoping Edward Wood would pop out. All is forgiven - your Worst Films are works of art, and more coherent than this twaddle.But still, preferable to the warbling 'Every night in my dreams I hear you' - are you sure the Titanic crew weren't involved in this on the side?$LABEL$ 0 +How i deserved to watch this crap??? Worst ever. The acting was awful, when i read that this was a comedy i expected at least to smile, once - or twice, but.... If you are wiling to loose hour and a half of your lives, this is the right movie. I recommend just look in a wall or something, anything else but watch this "film". Yoy can even watch a documentary (if you are a guy) about pregnant women, i guarantee it will be more entertaining :)The actor in this one (i forgot his name) is not that bad, and i am surprised how hi accepted the role. Anyway "I want someone to eat cheese with" is the right film if you want to punish someone.$LABEL$ 0 +This wonderful film has never failed to move me. The colour, convincing cast, and stunning scenery all make big contributions. This production, unlike the later remake by Carlton, is more impressionistic, and presented more from the children's own perspective. It focusses on certain episodes from E. Nesbit's charming story rather than trying to make a somewhat more documentary "warts-and-all" style that Carlton adopts. Above all, the superb musical score of the late Johnny Douglas underpins the story throughout, adding extra emotional depth. The net result is a truly formidable combination of sensory experiences that cumulatively present the poignant story of "The Railway Children".One uncomfortable factor for the viewer to ponder throughout this film is how things have changed since those times - and in many ways, for the worse! Yes, maybe many of us no longer have to use outside toilets and travel in horse-drawn carts, but what about the quality of life in general? Consider the foul-mouthed celebrities who now "grace" our TV screens. Their language is now apparently considered perfectly acceptable. Consider, too, the fragile "here today, gone tomorrow" aspects of so many of today's "partnerships" plus all the single mothers - whatever happened to that institution called "marriage", when people accepted each others' flaws but still remained together, loving their children? These details add extra piquancy when watching this marvellous film.I hope that, as generations pass, children will still be able to enjoy this film. Not to mention certain adults!$LABEL$ 1 +but Thomas Ian Griffith just doesn't have the polish that a big bucks actor has, granted this was made 5+ years ago. Some of the humorous lines could have been timed to make this not only action, but comedy. And how do you get KC out of Katia Koslovska anyhow? Plummer's character was so corny, he would have fit better in a Bullwinkle toon. Personally, if action flicks are going to show skin -- I'd have liked to have seen equal time between female/male, otherwise don't show any.$LABEL$ 0 +The untold origin of the Lone Ranger. It shows who he was and how and why he became the Ranger.Legendary bomb. The idea was not a bad one--reinvent and introduce the Lone Ranger for 1980s audiences. Right off the bat though there were problems. The studio ordered Clayton Moore (the original Ranger) to stop appearing anywhere as the Lone Ranger. It led to a nasty little battle that made headlines. I know of people who refused to see the film because of how Moore was treated. Also they hired the awesomely untalented Klinton Spilsbury to play the Ranger. Spilsbury was very handsome and muscular but had absolutely no charisma and just couldn't act. In fact his whole vocal performance was redubbed by another actor! Also his off screen antics (public drunkenness and beating people up) didn't help matters. Acting aside, the script is dull and slow. Also the Ranger himself doesn't show up until an HOUR in! There were some complaints at the time that the movie was too violent for a PG. However I don't think it was that bad.There are a few (very few) things done right here--the photography was truly beautiful; Michael Horse was excellent as Tonto; Christopher Lloyd is lots of fun as the villain and when the Lone Ranger finally shows up (with the William Tell Overture booming from the soundtrack) it's really rousing. But, all in all, this is a boring and terrible attempt to bring back the Lone Ranger. It's easy to see why this bombed. A 4--mostly for the photography.$LABEL$ 0 +I am shocked and amazed to find reviews short of miserable for this horrible film. I rented this "movie" or feces, whatever you wish to call it, with several friends and after thirty minutes we had to stop watching. Just listening to the dialog left a horrible taste of sour milk in my mouth. This film was about as intelligent as an ass pimple.I hope I never see that bra-less, raggedy Anne look alike (Julianne Nicholson) again.It was like watching the most putrid pilot for a sitcom that will never make it to television, but instead of being a quick but painful 30 minutes( all I could bare)this was an excruciating 90 minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is not that good at all.Its pretty stupid, pretty annoying, and very poorly done.I really only saw this film was because one of my friends said they hated this film.Although I didn't hate it as much as them, I still found it to be a pretty bad film.The only thing that is remotely good about this was that it was a little entertaining at times, and also I feel that if it had been done a little better it would have been equally okay.What I mean by a little better is that if it had been totally recast, not have had it looked like it had been shot for a film festival, and if the script had been improved it would have been a okay slasher film.Instead it isn't but instead what it is now, a crappy film.The acting is atrocious I felt as if I was watching a couple of teens act for like a Halloween show or Thrill ride or something.The kills are pretty cheap(as is the film itself), and basically everything else is low-class.Overall this film really is bad and you wouldn't be missing out on anything if you decided to skip this film.3.8 out of 10 stars$LABEL$ 0 +This film was amazing. It had an original concept (that of a vampire movie meets Yakuza mob film). It is a humorous and yet highly dramatic and tragic movie about friendship, love, immortality, death, and happiness, and comments subtelly on society. On the part of Gackt Camui, the role of Sho was excellently delivered, and HYDE was surprisingly good for his first film as the tortured yet humorous vampire, Kei. I also laughed and cried at the happy-go-lucky character, Toshi, who grew up with Sho. I loved each and every second of this this film, especially moments such as the funny Cigarette scene, the fighting scenes, and most of all, the heartrenching ending.$LABEL$ 1 +Kabei: Our Mother (2008) is a poetic and sublime beauty from Japan. A real weeper! I had heard great reviews for the film and rented it from Netflix. Am I glad I did! In many ways this film reminded me of the old style of Japanese classic film-making from the 1940's and 1950's that I've come to love so much, such as seen in Yasujiro Ozu pictures -- the title credits even begin in the same way, with the Japanese letters (characters) in red against neutral color burlap material. I immediately thought: this director loves Ozu. The same style was used too: mostly indoor sets with only a few outdoor scenes. Even a couple of "pillow shots", as Roger Ebert calls them. The strength of the film is built on the love of the characters for one another.The story follows the lives of a Japanese family before, and during, and after, World War Two. The mother takes care of her growing girls the best she can after the father (a University professor) is arrested for anti-war sympathies. He's never freed and only has a few brief meetings with his wife in prison before he dies of starvation and disease. Meanwhile a former student of the professor comes by often to help take care of the mother and two girls. He begins to fall in love with the mother and is a substitute father for the two girls. But war starts and he's drafted and they have to say an abrupt farewell. Will they ever express their love for one another? Will he ever return from the war? There is so much heart and gentle spirit in the performance of the lead actress, Sayuri Yoshinaga. She's almost a Madonna type, she's so beautiful! Big soulful eyes and flawless skin. The actor who plays the student is phenomenal as well: his name is Tadanobu Asano. What a sensitive performance. There is no macho in him at all; he's gentle and kind. I'd certainly love to see both of these two in other movies. I think I'll check to see what's available for them. The two little child actresses are wonderful too.The film is just released on NTSC DVD for American audiences, with very easy to read English subtitles. I gave it a 10 out of 10 on the IMDb. I cried almost as much as with the Japanese film classic Twenty-Four Eyes (1954). Don't miss this film!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on my local cable system under the title of 'Beyond Redemption'. I was searching for new material to watch, since most of the reruns one Saturday morning didn't interest me. I've always been a fan of Andrew McCarthy and Michael Ironside, so I chose this movie. I was pleasantly surprised.Personally, I enjoyed the film. Rich Roesing, who posted a comment about the film being spoiled for him by seeing scenes from the movie on the back of a video rental box, are well justified. I did not have the disappointment of knowing beforehand anything about the film. This led me to rate the movie higher than the average score listed on the page.I like suspense movies, and this one was no exception. The movie kept me guessing until the very end. I was surprised by the ending!The moments of reflection and remembrance of past experiences by the main character during the film only added to the suspense. His reactions to those remembrances gave the film a sense of the humanitarian, yet conflictual, side of police work. The struggle with his faith is also a welcome addition.If you like suspense films, but also like films that expound on the character's feeling, personal inflection side, this film is for you.Should you find this movie on your local cable or satellite system's guide, watch it!However, if you are looking for a rental video, follow Rich Roesing's advice and have someone get the video for you before watching it.$LABEL$ 1 +I am not even willing to vote a single star for this crap but IMDb does't have zero as rating option... worst movie i have ever watched.. Story of the movie 1. Predator ship crashes on earth 2. One alien and some face huggers are released and they start killing humans. 3. One predator arrives on earth and he starts killing aliens and humans. 4. Then one human jet drops a bomb and kills human, aliens and predator. 5. Some humans find the shoulder canon of the predator. 6. The End Directors should consider refunding money back to the viewers. If still you want to watch this movie, download from some torrent site and say thanks to me for saving you money.. all the movie has been filmed in some dark corner of the earth, you see just dark shadows even in action scenes.. too much violence.. I didn't expect it from a fox movie$LABEL$ 0 +If you like Jamie Foxx,(Alvin Sanders),"Date From Hell",'01, you will love his acting as a guy who never gets an even break in life and winds up messing around with Shrimp, (Jumbo Size) and at the same time lots of gold bars. Alvin Sanders has plenty of FBI eyes watching him and winds up getting hit by a brick in the jaw, and David Morse,(Edgar Clenteen), "Hack" '02 TV Series, decides to zero in on poor Alvin and use him as a so called Fish Hook to attract the criminals. There is lots of laughs, drama, cold blood killings and excellent film locations and plenty of expensive cars being sent to the Junk Yard. Jamie Foxx and David Morse were outstanding actors in this film and it was great entertainment through out the entire picture.$LABEL$ 1 +Germans think smirking is funny (just like Americans think mumbling is sexy and that women with English accents are acting). I had to cross my eyes whenever the screen was filled yet again with a giant close-up of a smirking face. One of those 'housewife hacks corporate mainframe' tales where she defrauds a bank by tapping a few random keys on her home PC which is connected only to a power socket. The director obviously loves the rather large leading lady. Can't say I share his feelings. There's quite a funny bit when the entire family sit in front of the television chanting tonelessly along with the adverts. Apparently this review needs to be one line longer so here it is.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this stage show when it was broadcast on PBS in 1983. I was involved in local theatre at the time and had seen some pretty incredible stuff out of the Dell Arte Players, but Bill Irwin floored me.I was most impressed at how a man of his size (he's quite tall and beefy) could fold himself up into a small box without so much as a pause for adjustment and move across the stage at a dead run without even a whisper of sound from his feet if he chose not to make any noise.Most amazing for me, though, in this performance, was the way he rose to his feet during the jack-in-the-box / marionette piece. Those who saw this show will recall that when he climbed from the box and collapsed to the floor with his body limp and limbs akimbo, he "pulled" himself up by the top of his head as if by a string, and rose not just to his feet, but to a full ballet point—and did it in one fluid, seemingly effortless motion. Just consider the strength, grace, balance and focus such a series of movements must take in order to accomplish them the way he did! Add to his physical prowess his strong and believable characterization skills, and there lies a consummate actor / performer. My jaw dropped at the movement and my heart broke at the portrayal of a puppet who is determined to be more than just a lifeless thing in a box.As to the unfortunate (yes—"tragic" would be a better word) unavailability of this piece in home media form, I have noticed that much of PBS' works are not available on tape or DVD. Sometimes, PBS shows will be available for direct purchase from them for a limited time immediately following a broadcast, but they seldom stay on the market for long. There are exceptions, of course, but these are mainly the science and history documentaries; rarely does an arts piece remain in print for long—assuming it ever made it into VHS / DVD to begin with. I don't know why this should be so; certainly, PBS could use the income from home media marketing of their shows, but they don't take advantage of it much. This is a shame. There are many things I've watched on PBS that I wish to own, but pieces such as "The Regard of Flight" are, I'm afraid, a one-shot, once in a lifetime treat, never to be repeated on PBS again and never to be available for home media purchase. That really sucks. I'm lucky to have caught it when I did.Oh, yeah—our local library did get a copy of "The Regard of Flight." And yes—it was stolen.$LABEL$ 1 +Ya. That is what I think. Sure it was still a great show with John in it but I personally think that it is way better without.I love having C.J. and Grandpa living at the house because they are so funny together.When John was still around I really didn't laugh as much as I do now.It is too bad that no more are being made. ( I don't think...) because I would love to see some new material.My favorite character must be Rory. poor Rory is almost always left out. It is always about Bridget or Carrie. WHAT ABOUT RORY!!!??? Honestly this is a great show and to any one who has never watched it you must go and watch it. I almost guarantee you will laugh. well even chuckle.$LABEL$ 1 +Both Robert Duvall and Glenn Close played their roles with such believability, I simply cried. Glenn Close's role as Ruth, showed her wanting to deal with the situation, but she was under the domination of her husband. "Let him think about what he did," Robert Duvall's character, Joe, said staunchly. The story depicted a rural family dealing with an accidental death of a son by his brother, called "The Stone Boy," meaning he was so distraught and overwhelmed by what he did, he became emotionally paralyzed. Then towards the end when Jason Presson's character, Arnold, let it all out to a stranger, I was so broken hearted for him, that I actually thought of some of the terrible things that I did in my life. I personalized and identified with his character. Frederick Forrest's and Gail Youngs' roles, did NOT add not much to the film. I thought of Frederick Forrest, who played Ruth's antagonistic, womanizing brother, Andy, as a jerk who did nothing to try to help the situation. His wife, Lou, played by Gail Youngs, acted like a crazy-lady smacking Arnold around out of frustration with her own problems without pity and blaming him for her troubles. I could NOT really feel sorry for these two. Though Lou tried to keep her marriage together, she was unsuccessful. Both did NOT deal with their problems effectively. They really did NOTHING for the film and were totally ridiculous. Wilfred Brimley's minor role as the grandfather was, touching for he was the only character that showed Arnold any attention. I felt his role should have been elaborated. The players were just doing what they felt was adequate and sufficient. However, I really liked the ending so much, I actually smiled and cried tears of joy. I felt good. The Hillermans were a family again. I actually wanted to be a part of this family. They were so realistic.$LABEL$ 1 +That is the only question I am left with. Why did this movie suck so much when it had such a great cast? Why was the writing so bad, it left the audience completely unconnected with the characters? Why did it not make any sense at all? Why did the studio take a perfectly good premise and "Hollywood" the hell out of it when all it needed was good, smart story telling? Why? I never understand why movies that start out good turn into a pile of crap by the time they're released. I hope for the sake of Freeman an Spacey, who are Oscar WINNERS, that this never is released to the big screens in America.As someone that holds a Bachelors Degree in Journalism, the whole story is just utterly laughable. I just...think the script had potential, but the execution turned it into a cliché, and an awful one at that. Just. No.$LABEL$ 0 +I was wondering what possessed the organizers of the Victoria Film Festival to include this film in their program. I guess they must have agreed with the others who have reviewed this film. I, on the other hand, consider it the worst film I have ever seen. It starts with a bad script, full of holes, and dialog so unlikely it's embarrassing. Ideas are introduced, then dropped with no development. The acting left me totally cold and uninvolved. The set decoration was appropriate for the time, but a decorator's nightmare. The only way the characters could love this house is if their previous homes had been ghastly. The attic looked as if the items had been thrown in for the scene with no attempt to create the look of a real attic that has been filling with junk over the years. The photography was leaden and lacking in variety. Save your money for something worthwhile.$LABEL$ 0 +Actress Patty Duke wrote an insightful, funny, rough-hewn book about her career as an actress, her crazy-quilt love-life, and her manic depressive episodes and suicide attempts which almost put her away for good. With this rich material to draw from (and Patty playing herself in the final act), one would think a crack TV-director like Gilbert Cates could bring it all together on film, but "Call Me Anna" is a pale shadow of Duke's autobiography. For those who haven't read the book, the sketchy narrative (leaping forward in time) isn't absorbing, we are never allowed to get our bearings with what's happening, and the production seems stunted by a low budget. The actors are miscast, and the value of having Duke herself finally appear does not pay off--the film's phony reality is so thick at this point that Patty can't bring stability to the scenario. It appears as if the producers were sincere enough (and consciousness-minded) to anxiously steer the film towards Duke's ultimate diagnosis and mental freedom, but they left out many dramatic opportunities in the process.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie on t.v. this afternoon and I can't see how anyone can sit through this piece of trash. It's not funny at all and it takes your I.Q. down a few notches. I know this movie is for kids, but that doesn't mean the writers should take their intelligence for granted. I bet that writers were sitting around a large wooden table and figured that a) The word "poop" equals big laugh. b) A four foot tall kid can dunk on a ten foot tall basketball net. c) Kids should always fight kidnappers armed with guns because the kidnappers will fall for anything and d) 3 months of karate training is all you need to beat up so-called "ninjas" with swords. One good thing I can say about this movie is it contains the weakest suburban "gang" in the world that couldn't scare anybody. Maybe the guys at MST3K could use this movie for a good laugh. Don't bother with this lame-ass excuse for a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +"Rush in Rio" is, no doubt, one of the most exciting DVDs I have purchased. Although I am a biased Rush fan of almost 20 years, I found this performance to be flawless. The music is heavy and sharp (which sounds great on any surround sound system), the band is energetic, the crowd has a constant smile... it's like they were able to capture every concert I've been to. For any Rush fan, this DVD is a must; if anything, just to see the "Boys in Brazil" documentary (which reveals the travels of this rather isolated, personal band). For any non-Rush fan, this DVD is an enjoyable concert. Rush fans know the talent of these three Canadians. We have rather firmly stood by them for years. I've shown this DVD (or portions of it, anyway) to those who have never heard of Rush, or those who think Rush is less than good because they do not appeal to the pessimistic masses of rock (i.e., sex, drugs, and a drunken frenzy). The bottom line is this DVD is worth every penny and more than worth the time to view it.$LABEL$ 1 +Interesting, fast-paced and amusing.I'm not one of those people who watches loads and loads of television. I stumbled across this show while home sick with a bad case of the flu one day, and was immediately hooked. I developed quite a crush on John Burke. Both he and Claire did an amazing job of hosting the show together. You could really tell that they both loved their jobs.The super-collector segments were excellent. I found myself interested in things I had never previously given a single thought to.What I would really like to know is: Whatever happened to Jack the dog? Did one of the hosts adopt him?$LABEL$ 1 +While watching this movie, I came up with a script for a movie, called "The Making of 10 Items or Less":Producer: I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, we can get Morgan Freeman!Writer: That's great! But what's the bad news?Producer: We can only afford to hire him for one day. I guess we'll have to get someone else.Writer: So we hire him for one day. A movie is an hour and a half long. A work day is eight hours long. I fail to see a problem.Producer: But... he'll have to spend time getting into character.Writer: So we have him play a character who is essentially himself.Producer: But he'll still need to understand his motivation and all that. You're not saying we have him play a big-name actor that's doing a low-budget movie, are you?Writer: Why not?Producer: That's ridiculous! But fine, at least we'll have Morgan Freeman in our movie. And I guess we have to set the movie in Los Angeles too.Writer: Of course.Producer: This script is a load of crap. We'd better make money on this. Just in case, have Morgan Freeman's character plug Wal-Mart or Target or one of those stores, so at least someone will want to sell the DVDs.Writer: Sure thing!Producer: Wait a second... what's this about a tiny bodega with a "ten items or less" express lane?Writer: Oh, I guess that is pretty weird. But we can't change the title now!I doubt my script actually bears much resemblance to reality, but then neither did "10 Items or Less". This is a case of good acting, but bad writing, and I hate to see it happen. When watching an independent movie, you expect it to try to convey some sort of message. I think they might have been trying for the tired old "don't let anything hold you back" message that has been done to death in much better films. In any case, with "10 Items or Less", the only message I got was "Look! Look at Morgan Freeman!"$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is supposed to take place in Milford NJ. I know the house that it is based on as well as the person. As you see at the end of themovie, she was killed in the world trade center incident. I know that, because I was one of the police officers that helped with the identification of her remains. (She was the only one in our area lost). The nudity in the movie went a bit far. I am not a prude but the actors could have filmed the scene with the two woman without actually showing the whole thing. This movie is in poor taste and I cannot see how her family would give there blessing to it. This is an insult to the person whom it is based on.$LABEL$ 0 +As everyone knows, nobody can play Scarlett O'Hara like Vivien Leigh, and nobody can play Rhett Butler like Clark Gable. All others pale in comparison, and Timothy Dalton and Joanne Whalley are no exceptions. One thing that I really couldn't get past was that Joanne has BROWN eyes. The green eyes were the most enhancing feature of Scarlett's good looks, and in this sequel she has been stripped of those.The movie, as well as the book, had several lulls in it. The new characters weren't all that memorable, and I found myself forgetting who was who. I felt as though her going to Ireland did absolutely nothing whatsoever. It could be that I'm only 11, but I saw no change in her attitude until the last say, 10 minutes when Rhett told her she had grown up. If Rhett hadn't told her that, I would have never guessed that there was any change in her attitude. She really loved Cat, her baby. She likes this child best because she had it with Rhett, her only loved husband. Still, if you've read Gone With The Wind, you would see that children make no difference in Scarlett's world. Quite frankly, it seemed to me like there was way too much going on without Rhett. All anybody cares about is whether or not Rhett and Scarlett get back together, and Scarlett took way too long to get to that. It is virtually nothing compared to Gone With The Wind, but then again what isn't? If you have read the novel, you will like that better than the movie.I would watch it, just because it is the sequel to Gone With The Wind, regardless of whether or not it's worthwhile. It may not satisfy you entirely, but it will get you some of the way there.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen this film since it came out in the mid 70s, but I do recall it as being a very realistic portrayal of the music business ( right up there with Paul Simons "One Trick Pony " ..another vastly underrated film IMO )Harvey Keitel does an excellent job as a producer caught between the music he believes in , and the commercial "tripe" the record company "suits" want him to work with.Since I spent my entire career in the music business as a composer /arranger /producer, I can really vouch for the verisimilitude this film possesses. If it should ever come out on DVD uncut, I'd buy it!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm just throwing in this review to show that I'm not crazy -- I like a lot of Wynorski's work -- Deathstalker 2, Chopping Mall, Against the Law are fast-paced and highly enjoyable -- just to prove I'm not blind, I have to mention this, along with some Shannon Tweed "Body Chemistry 3 or 4 or something", are the lousy ones -- I've got nothing against drawn-out sex sequences, but Julie Strain's breasts are so unnatural looking you can't help but stare at them - which may be the desired effect but I didn't enjoy staring at them -- and several members of this cast seem depressed or disinterested -- The "erotic thriller" was the worst thing to happen to low-budget flicks ever, and thank God that their day has more-or-less done.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought it was an excellent movie. Gary Cole played the role of a military man who feels trapped and unhappy with his wife who fakes his death fabulously! Over all, I thought the movie was great, definitely not a boring plot line! It's sad to say, but I think lots of men might feel this way. I think he should have just gotten a divorce and asked to be transferred instead of the extreme he went to, but he felt there was no other way out so he faked his death. I thought it was neat that Cole's real-life wife played the wife he was unhappy with in the movie. I think what the guy did was alittle extreme, but the movie was great nonetheless! Definitely recommend it!$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, the plot is predictable; yes, there are a few plot holes; yes, it has a made-for-TV quality; and yes, Britney Spears "wrote" the book with obvious self-promotion.But forget all of that... this movie is fun.Fun in an After School Special sort-of-way, but fun nevertheless.Virginia Madsen as the mother does a great job... so good that I'm going to start watching for her movies. She reminded me of Diane Lane for all the good reasons.The rest of the cast does a fine job, too. If I was a casting agent, I'd be scouting some of these young actors.The production values are above usual TV standards and the music was really great... better than several big-budget movies I've seen.If you're in the mood for German noir this movie isn't for you. If you want a safe, fun and underrated movie, this is a good one. It's one you could show to your 10 year old daughter but enjoy it yourself too.$LABEL$ 1 +Unfortunately, this movie does no credit whatsoever to the original. Nicholas Cage, fairly wooden as far as actors go, imbues the screen with a range of skill from, non-plussed to over the top. The supporting cast is no better.The plot stays much the same as the original in terms of scene progression but is far worse. Not enough detail is given to allow the audience to by into what is being sold. It turns out it's just a bill of poor goods. Disbelief cannot be suspended, nor can a befit of a doubt be given. The only saving aspect of this film is that it is highly visual, as the medium requires, and whomever scouted the location should be commended.There was much laughter in the audience and multiple boos, literally, at the end.Disappointed! Wait for the original to come on television, pour a whiskey and enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +Rachael Ray appeals to viewers of all ages and backgrounds, beginner cooks or "seasoned" veterans. You'll be dazzled with a variegated presentation of delectable yet time-efficient dishes, jazzed up with her unique brand of spunk and candor. Most importantly, this hip chic keeps her audience drawn in by stimulating all five senses. Let me explain. Her program provides enlightenment to your visual sense, auditory sense, and sense of feeling through a rich, luminous ambient backdrop, light-hearted, casual, yet engaging topics, eye-pleasing, appetite wrenching meals, and her hearty smile and laugh, which will simmer down anyone's nerves.(Sense of smell and taste are rewarded when you test out the recipes in your own kitchen and among your own family and friends). Check out her show guys.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the French and Belgians doing what they do best. It's quirky, visually inventive, exhilarating and emotionally challenging storytelling. Director Jaco van Dormael takes us into the world of Georges, a Down's Syndrome sufferer and his quest for a meaningful relationship with someone, just anyone. This is not done in a patronising way but with a great sense of fun and also honesty. Georges' interplay with corporate management guru, Harry is dazzlingly handled - shifting from comedy to tragedy back to comedy again with breathtaking ease.The Eighth Day puts similar Hollywood fare like Barry Levinson's Oscar winning Rain Man or Robert Zemeckis's Forrest Gump well and truly in the shade. At times, it evokes the humour of Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with shades of Dennis Potter thrown in for good measure.As the emotionally blunted and desperately lonely yuppie, Harry, Daniel Auteuil turns in yet another sublime performance. But it is matched by the brilliant Pascal Duquenne as Georges. It's a movie with uniformly strong performances and so many, memorable set pieces - the shoe shop scene, car showroom scene, George's dance to Genesis's 'Jesus He Knows Me,' the conference scene, the fireworks scene. If you haven't seen it, there's only one thing to do. Just rent it or attend a screening at a retro cinema near you and see what you've been missing. Better still, buy this movie. Sheer genius.....$LABEL$ 1 +"Memoirs of a Geisha" is a visually stunning melodrama that seems more like a camp, drag queen satire than anything to do with real people.The first half of the film defensively keeps insisting that geishas are neither prostitutes nor concubines, that they are the embodiment of traditional Japanese beauty. But other than one breathtaking dance, the rest of the movie degenerates into "Pretty Baby" in Storyville territory, or at least Vashti and Esther in the Purim story, as all the women's efforts at art and artifice are about entertaining much, much older, drunken boorish men. Maybe it is Japanese culture that is being prostituted, and not just to the American louts after World War II.Perhaps it's the strain of speaking in English, but Ziyi Zhang shows barely little of the great flare she demonstrated in "House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)" and "Hero (Ying xiong)." Michelle Yeoh occasionally gets to project a glimmer of her assured performance in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)." Only Li Gong shows any real life. Otherwise, I kept picturing Charles Ludlam in various roles, or even Cillian Murphy, as in kabuki theater, particularly as the plot dragged down in cat fight after cat fight.The supposed love story has zero chemistry, mostly due to the age differences, and I mostly felt sorry for Ken Watanabe and hoped his Hollywood pay check compensated for his loss of dignity as the mysterious "Chairman." I remember more emotion in "Portrait of Jennie" as the young girl is anxious to grow up into Jennifer Jones to please Joseph Cotton.We see brief glimpses of reality when the geishas pose with regular women as photographic attractions, and as an ageless Ziyi Zhang lives out the war years in a very colorful kimono dying operation. The finale has little sense of normality.The score includes many chopped up traditional melodies, with cello by Yo Yo Ma and violin by Yitzhack Pearlman instead of traditional instrumentation, that are beautiful to listen to in accompaniment to the lovely cinematography, as long as one completely ignores the plot and stiff acting.As my mind wandered, I wondered how the great Japanese directors of samurai movies would have dealt with this story, which probably would have been more formal, but a lot more emotional.$LABEL$ 0 +It is hard to imagine two actors of such class and experience as Michael Caine and Michael Gambon getting involved in such an embarrassingly inept film. The responsibility for this ill-judged production has to be down to the writer, Neil Jordan and director, Conor McPherson. I doubt I've seen such a bad film with such good credits in a long time. The comedian, Dylan Moran, who made his mark as the irritable and incompetent bookshop owner in the TV sitcom, Blackbooks, turns in much the same routine here, except with such excess and lack of comedic control as to leave one squirming. It is easy to see how the story could have been made to work, for the situation is an interesting one and loaded with comic potential. A classical actor (Caine) tries to rip off the mob (Gambon and co) with the aide of a bumbling wannabe colleague (Moran), with predictable results. It could have and should have been good. Sadly, it was not to be.$LABEL$ 0 +Original Claymation Rudolph: Pretty good. Original Frosty cartoon: Needs a little work, but could be worse. But Frosty and Rudolph together on the Fourth of July? C'mon! Give me a BREAK!!! This was one movie that shouldn't have been made. It was bad. It didn't really go for any holiday in particular, except July 4. That made it especially bad since Frosty and Rudolph are usually associated with the Christmas season. And any movie can be ruined by too much singing. The frequent songs made this movie seem a lot longer than it really was. The movie tried mixing two familiar Chirstmastime characters with an American traditional holiday (which almost seems to "limit" it to America), too many pointless songs, and a lousy plotline. The result? A bad movie that can't really be watched at any time of year. I would suggest you forgo this movie even if you like Frosty and Rudolph.$LABEL$ 0 +No wonder most of the cast wished they never made this movie. It's just plain ridiculous and embarrassing to watch. Bad actors reading cheesy lines while shiny classic showroom cars continuously circle a diner that looks more like a Disneyland attraction. Students fist-fight with the deranged principal as he tries to stop them from setting fire to a bronze civil war statue. The Watts riots with a cast of...ugh...10?? Dermot Mulroney tries not to gag while he makes out with a Mary Hartman look-alike with the most annoying smile since 'Mr. Sardonicus'. Noah Wyle reads Bob Dylan lyrics to the wicked teacher with a swinging pointer and very bad face lift. Drunken virgin Rick Schroder sits in a kiddie rocket on his last night before entering the service. Silly, giggling school girls dress up in leopard stretch pants and walk on the set of 'Shindig', sing horribly off key, and actually make it big in the music business. And who wrote this compelling dialog?: "I'm going to Burkley and wear flowers in my hair"...."I think I found someone to buy Stick's woody!"...."These people are 'animals'!" "These people are my 'family'! as the Shirelles sing "Mama Said". Oh brother, What a mess. This is like a 'Reefer Madness' of the 60's except it's not even funny.$LABEL$ 0 +absolutely nothing about this movie is funny, interesting, or relevant. besides two characters getting together at the end, nothing is ever resolved, and there is no plot. and by the way, what is the deal with the cover of the dvd? it has a female ass in daisy duke shorts... where was that scene in the movie? no one ever wore daisy dukes in this film! surprisingly enough, almost all of the acting in this film is good, and jack black plays a full song (could be a tenacious d track... don't know though)... those are the only redeeming values, though. overall, it's just a waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +Producer Joel Schumacher who also directed "Phone Booth",'02, and many other great films showed in great detail how no one person can really be trained to be a killing machine with out destroying their own personalities and the real fears that a person has to face when going into COMBAT!! Colin Farrell(Roland Bozz),"Intermission",'03, gave one of his best performances and actually carried this entire picture on his back. Matthew Davis(Jim Paxton),"Blue Crush",'02, gave a great supporting role and Shea Whigham(Pvt.Wilson),"All The Real Girls",'03, showed his true acting skills in the role that he played. There was two brief scenes where the soldiers were able to find some hot romance on a short leave in the local town and had to pay for their love and sexual desires. One Army Veteran instructor from Viet Nam told the soldiers how to really torture the enemy by using electrical wires in all the wrong places on a human male body. Enjoyable and entertaining film to view.$LABEL$ 1 +Nicely and intelligently played by the two young girls, Mischa Barton as Frankie, and Ingrid Uribe as Hazel, although the plot is rather a stretch of the imagination. Young Hazel running for mayor seems out of place, to be honest.While the acting is well done by all concerned the movie tends to lack a genuine atmosphere of drama. Perhaps we've grown to expect gritty reality in movies, rather like comparing Pollyanna to How Green Was My Valley! Never mind, each of them are good in their own way.I do admire Joan Plowright even if her role is somewhat subdued here. Middle of the road entertainment well suited for younger viewers, and how nice at times to be exposed to fine classical music which is almost a rarity!I find this movie to be a welcomed change as it reflects quieter, thoughtful values for the growing up years, and no violence thank goodness. A warm family film to enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +Having recently seen Grindhouse, I was browsing in Video USA looking for some movies that might have played in real grindhouse theatres in downtown areas during the '70s. The Hong Kong action flick Five Fingers of Death seemed just such a picture. The cartoon-like sound effects and the quick jump cuts seemed a little distracting at first but after a while I was so involved in the story and the characters I didn't care. Parts of the music score sounded like the "Ironside" TV theme song that was subsequently used in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. Some scenes involving the hero's fiancé seemed to border on parody but they were so brief that they didn't ruin the film. The most exciting parts involve the tournament and some revenge segments after that. Well worth seeing for kung fu fans!$LABEL$ 1 +An absolute classic !! The direction is flawless , the acting is just superb. Words fall short for this great work. The most definitive movie on Mumbai Police. This movie has stood the test of times.Om Puri gives a stellar performance, Smita Patil no less. All the actors have done their best and the movie races on thrilling you at every moment. This movie shakes your whole being badly and forces you to rethink about many issues that confront our society.This is the story of a cop (Om Puri ) who starts out in his career as a honest man but ultimately degenerates into a killer. The first attempt in Bollywood to get behind the scenes and expose the depressing truth about Mumbai cops. Kudos to Nihalani !! After this movie a slew of Bollywood movies got released that exposed the criminal-politician-police nexus. Thus this movie was truly a trend setter. This trend dominated the Hindi movie scene for more than a decade. This movie was a moderate box office hit. A must-see for discerning movie fans.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this movie was excellent. Jon Foster is one of my top favorite actors, he was perfect as Micheal Skakel. I found everything about it to be great, acting, costumes, production, directing, photography, script and music, etc.Spoilers Coming Up! You Have Been Warned!Martha Moxley, who they had tell the story in the movie was bludgeoned to death by her violent troubled neighbor Micheal Skakel. Micheal did this out of jealousy of his brother Tommy when Martha rejected him and took Tommy instead. Thankfully though, they caught him years later and he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Although, I think he should have been sentenced to "natural life" without the possibility of parole.Kudos to the cast, crew and filmmakers. Two thumbs way up.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a watchable movie, but plot was a little weak and most of the jokes were from some of Rodney's earlier movies. With that said, it was worth the time to watch. I gave this a 5 out of 10. So basically, its one of those movies that you do not go out of your way to see, but if you find it on the tube, take a chance.$LABEL$ 0 +Not even Bob Hope, escorted by a raft of fine character actors, can save this poorly written attempt at wartime comedy, as his patented timing has little which which to work. The plot involves a Hollywood film star named Don Bolton (Hope), and his attempt to evade military service at the beginning of World War II, followed by his enlistment by mistake in a confused attempt to court a colonel's daughter (Dorothy Lamour). Bolton's agent, played by Lynne Overman, and his assistant, portrayed by Eddie Bracken, enlist with him and the three are involved in various escapades regarding training exercises, filmed in the Malibu, California, hills. Paramount budgeted handsomely for this effort, employing some of its top specialists, but direction by the usually reliable David Butler was flaccid, and this must be attributed to a missing comedic element in the scenario. A shift toward the end of the film to create an opportunity for heroism by Bolton is still-born with poor stunt work and camera action in evidence. Oddly, Lynne Overman is given the best lines and this veteran master of the sneer does very well by them. Dorothy Lamour looks lovely and acts nicely, as well, and it is ever a delight to see and hear Clarence Kolb, as her father, whose voice is unique on screen or radio, but there is little they can do to save this film, cursed as it is with an error in script assignment.$LABEL$ 0 +From the start, you know this is a Sam Sherman film more than an Al Adamson film because as the credits roll, "A Sam Sherman Production" appears in letters as big as the title credit. Not only that, Mr. Sherman co-wrote the screenplay and it was his idea to use Bob Livingstone, a washed-up, 69 year old Western star of the old Hollywood era to be his male lead in a picture that Sherman thought would capitalize on the recent success of "Swinging Stewardesses". Now why would you want to have a wrinkled old man as your male lead in what is supposed to be a soft-core exploitation feature? It defies explanation, but that is Sam Sherman for you. His obsession with old Hollywood colored a lot of his films for Independent International Pictures, and he and Al Adamson frequently tried to get has-been actors for their films (e.g. J. Carrol Naish, Russ Tamblyn, Lon Chaney Jr.,etc.). But Bob Livingstone? Tell me the drive-in demographic knew who this '40's second-rater was; it's ridiculous! But then again, "Naughty Stewardesses" was a successful picture for them, so we can't just write this off as a Sherman fiasco. Still, by any aesthetic standard, it's an incoherent mess. Al Adamson wanted out of this picture, and it is easy to see why. First off, it has no genre focus at all and drifts around from super soft core (tits and ass/simulated sex only) to a kidnapping thriller (shades of Steckler's "Rat Pfink and Boo Boo"!) In between, we get subjected to painfully boring sequences of the stewardesses traipsing around Vegas to the hackneyed music of Sparrow, or Richard Smedley and Connie Hoffmann on a photo shoot in San Francisco. Worst of all, we get Bob Livingstone as a Jack LaLanne wannabe in a blue jumpsuit trying to be sexy...gag! (Thankfully, his big sex scene with Connie Hoffmann was deleted, but you can catch him slurping on her titties on the DVD in the Special Features section. Creepy.) This is a terrible, terrible movie, but I'll give it three stars for Gary Graver's photography and out of sympathy to Connie Hoffmann for having to make it with "Wrinkles" Livingstone. "Naughty Stewardesses" is for Al Adamson completists and/or scholars of exploitation film as Sam Sherman's commentary offers vital inside info. All others, BEWARE.$LABEL$ 0 +The next-to-last episode aired of the original Star Trek series is an interesting, sometimes melancholy installment that proves the show was still exploring its characters even at this point in the third season; though flawed, 'All Our Yesterdays' has its moments and overall a moody, compelling feel to it. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to a planet, assuming they are arriving in the nick of time to save or at least give some warning to whatever populace is there, since the planet's sun is due to explode within hours. But as it turns out, the people there are all too aware of the planet's fate, and using a kind of time travel device, have escaped into the past. Each person has been able to choose the time and place in the past where he or she would like to live at a 'library,' run by an elderly man named Mr. Atoz. Atoz assumes the three men are looking for a past to live in as well, and shows them various periods from which they can choose on viewers. There is some rather forced confusion at the start of the episode, with lines like:McCoy- Where did they go? Atoz- Wherever they wanted to.The misunderstanding could be cleared up rather easily, but for plot purposes, it isn't, and soon Kirk finds himself transported back to a period resembling 18th Century England, while Spock and McCoy are sent to an ice age, 5000 years in the planet's past. From here, the main focus is on Spock and his relationship with a woman exiled to this time by a tyrant as punishment. Spock begins acting increasingly emotional, showing anger toward McCoy and deep affection for Zarabeth, the woman. He eventually realizes that he is reverting back to the primitive emotional state of his ancestors on Vulcan, 5000 years ago. Kirk makes his way back to the library first, and finally convinces Mr. Atoz they don't belong in his planet's history. Spock and McCoy return just before it's too late, leaving Zarabeth behind; the Enterprise beams the three up and speeds away as the sun explodes, destroying the planet. The interaction between Spock and Zarabeth provides this episode's most memorable moments, though Kirk's adventure into the 'English' past is amusing. All in all, a very decent latter-day Star Trek outing.$LABEL$ 1 +This Spaghetti Western uses three American lead actors which takes away a little of the typical spaghetti aura. The plot is about an amnesty that the governor of New Mexico gives to all willing criminals to provide them a chance to start a new life. Usually this kind of opportunity is limited to past events but in this film it seems more like a licence to kill because even new crimes (like e.g. threatening the governor) are forgiven. The story is an endless chain of killings where nearly every character has only the purpose to deliver more carcasses. Only the few leads have stamina. Clay McCord is haunted by nightmares related to a childhood event where unsurprisingly he killed a lot of people. In the middle of the everlasting mayhem this kind of reflections lack credibility. Compared with similar films like e.g. BANDIDOS none of the characters in this film was likable for me.Apart of the weak content which targets certain customers this film is well shot, sets are somewhat detailed and the acting is average. 4 / 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Better than the typical made-for-tv movie, INVITATION TO HELL is blessed with excellent casting (Urich, Lucci, Cassidy, McCarthy, pre-Murphy Brown Joe Regalbuto, Soleil Moon-Frye) and a high concept update to the familiar Faustian plot. Urich is likable as always and Lucci is particularly fetching and devilishly over the top in the mother of all femme fatale roles. Kind of a hybrid version of STEPFORD WIVES and THEY LIVE, the movie commits early to its apocalyptic Miltonesque vision and horror fans will likely not have many complaints until the soppy, maudlin denoument. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Not even worth watching this tacky spoiler ruins everything about 'Annie'. The characters seem almost cheapened by the poorly written storyline and they low quality feeling to the production. It was very clearly made for TV, yet if I found it on my television, I would flick it straight over. The children in the film do an alright job, yet the adults acting is unbelievable and so the movie fails to really draw you in. This film lacked the music/dance numbers thats made the original brilliant and truly does take the shine of the Annie we all love. Johnson, as Annie is at times annoying and over acted..you cannot convince yourself that she truly is Annie. The differences in character appearance continued to irritate me throughout the duration of the film. Sad to say this sequel was a total flop.$LABEL$ 0 +Culled from the real life exploits of Chuck Connors and Steve Brodie in 1890s New York, "The Bowery" is high energy and good natured.But be warned: Casual racial epithets flow off the tongues of Wallace Beery and little Jackie Cooper. The very first shot might be startling. This is true to the time it was set and the time it was made. And it also speaks to the diversity of population in that neck of the woods. It certainly adds to the gritty flavor of the atmosphere.Beery as Connors is the blustering thunder at the center of the action, a loud-mouth saloon keeper with his own fire brigade. And he has a soft spot for ornery orphan Cooper. Raft as Brodie is Connors' slicker, better looking rival in almost every endeavor. Brodie could never turn down a dare and loved attention, leading up to a jump off the Brooklyn Bridge (it is still debated whether he actually jumped or used a dummy).Beery is as bombastic as ever with a put-on Irish-American accent. He is just the gruff sort of character to draw children, cats and ladies in distress. This is possibly the most boisterous character Raft ever played, and he even gets to throw in a little dancing (as well as a show of leg). And again he mistakes the leading lady (lovely Fay Wray) for a prostitute. Cooper is as tough as either of them, though he gets a chance to turn on the tears.The highlight isn't the jump off the bridge but a no-holds-barred fistfight between Connors and Brodie that in closeup looks like a real brawl between the principals. It's sure someone bruised more than an ego.$LABEL$ 1 +any movie that has a line of dialogue that goes something like this...."Judy's getting ready for her date, Butthole!" has to be good! I found this on DVD unrated, unedited and was pleasantly surprised, a lot of hard work was put into making this movie. I actually enjoyed this more that a lot of 80s movies I have seen. Great addition to my movie collection.The buildup was great, sets up the scares for the rest of the movie. Loved the GORE and the T&A. I never thought eyeballs being gouged out would look like popping boils, the color of the eye splatter was gross! I keep thinking that "Rog" looked like Tiger Woods but more black, anyone agree?$LABEL$ 1 +Geez, another Lifetime movie, but once again isn't exactly the worst movie in the world, but far from the best. I think the main problem is that it's pretty obvious who is responsible for what, and it's generally fairly predictable. Worse yet, some of the flashbacks ended up being confusing, and the viewer is left wondering "Okay, how much am I supposed to care?" One thing I did like is that the movie goes to show you that it's never THAT simple as "the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad", and sometimes it IS evil vs evil rather than good vs evil. Hadley didn't do what she did out of a sense of justice, she did it because she considered herself entitled to a job for being family, AND to eliminate the competition. As for Alicia, it simply proves that a victim isn't always a good person. Some of them really do "have it coming", even if "it" was a painful, horrible death. "The Burning Bed" is a great example of this, but the difference is that the vile man in "The Burning Bed" got exactly what he deserved. But, did Alicia "have it coming"? Some will say that she did, but others don't agree, and the law generally doesn't either.As for acting, it's a mixed bag. Some do a good job, like Mia, but others just came across as indifferent to their roles. They were mostly wooden or simply not convincing. The music was pretty cool though and some of the scenes are nice and steamy, especially if you like girl/girl action. The movie isn't badly shot at all, but given its glaring weaknesses, the strengths are in background, unfortunately.I've heard rumors of a sequel, but given the years, I doubt it'll happen. But, I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel suddenly appeared. If Alicia is as EVIL, conniving and horrible as people say, then I don't think she'll be thinking, "YAY! I woke up from a coma! Oh, Hadley was responsible? Oh! That's okay! I totally forgive her and want the charges dropped!" No way Hadley would be in jail for long anyway, if she even does any time since no murder actually happened. Anyway, worth checking out at least once!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has so many wonderful elements to it! The debut performance of Reese Witherspoon is, of course, marvelous, but so too is her chemistry with Jason London. The score is remarkable, breezy and pure. James Newton Howard enhances the quality of any film he composes for tenfold. He also seems to have a knack for lost-days-of-youth movies, be sure to catch his score for the recent "Peter Pan" and the haunting Gothic music of "The Village." I first saw this film at about 13 or 14 and now I don't just cry at the ending, I shed a tear or two for the nostalgia. Show this movie to your daughters. It will end up becoming a lifetime comfort film.$LABEL$ 1 +Lynn Hollister, a small-town lawyer, travels to the nearby big city on business connected with the death of his friend Johnny. (Yes, Lynn is a man despite the feminine-sounding Christian name. Were the scriptwriters trying to make a snide reference to the fact that John Wayne's birth name was "Marion"?) Hollister at first believes Johnny's death to have been an accident, but soon realises that Johnny was murdered. Further investigations reveal a web of corruption, criminality and election rigging connected to Boss Cameron, the leading light in city 's political machine.That sounds like the plot of a gritty crime thriller, possibly made in the film noir style which was starting to become popular in 1941. It isn't. "A Man Betrayed", despite its theme, is more like a light romantic comedy than a crime drama. Hollister falls in love with Cameron's attractive daughter Sabra, and the film then concentrates as much on their resulting romance as on the suspense elements.This film might just have worked if it had been made as a straightforward serious drama. One reviewer states that John Wayne is not at all believable as a lawyer, but he couldn't play a cowboy in every movie, and a tough crusading lawyer taking on the forces of organised crime would probably have been well within his compass. Where I do agree with that reviewer is when he says that Wayne was no Cary Grant impersonator. Romantic comedy just wasn't up his street. One of the weaknesses of the studio system is that actors could be required to play any part their bosses demanded of them, regardless of whether it was up their street or not, and as Wayne was one of the few major stars working for Republic Pictures they doubtless wanted to get as much mileage out of him as they could.That said, not even Cary Grant himself could have made "A Man Betrayed" work as a comedy. That's not a reflection on his comic talents; it's a reflection on the total lack of amusing material in this film. I doubt if anyone, no matter how well developed their sense of humour might be, could find anything to laugh at in it. The film's light-hearted tone doesn't make it a successful comedy; it just prevents it from being taken seriously as anything else. This is one of those films that are neither fish nor flesh nor fowl nor good red herring. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Usual awful movie... I'll not bother you about the synopsis, just put together The Core, Armageddon, an evil-planner Military Officer and one or two Solve-All Nukes and you'll have the movie, if I can call it that way. Seriously, nukes in this kind of movies are more useful than Swiss Army Knives: the Big One is approaching? Nuke some places and it's over... A tornado wants to destroy "Insert important city name here"? Nuke "Insert another important city here"... A volcano is erupting? Nuke it! A nuke is near to go off? Nuke it! Coffee is cold? Nuke it! You didn't like Transformers? Nuke yourself, but I can't assure this will fix things...In the end, how many more movies like this can be made before they start copying one another? I doubt there are still many things to blow up with a nuke...$LABEL$ 0 +Love this little film, that reminds me somewhat of the original Japanese gem, SHALL WE DANCE? (not the overblown Gere/Jlo remake...) Luckily I found it and taped it when it was showing on a STARZ Promo Weekend, because as far as I know, it's not available on DVD. I'll watch just about anything with Yancy Butler (anyone remember the short-lived TV series MANN AND MACHINE ???) in it, and she positively shines in this. She does a dance routine to a disco song that is verrrryyyyyy HOT!! Loved all the other characters in it, especially the ones played by Patrick Stewart and Leslie Caron (where's she been all these years?). This is one of those films that I take out from time to time and always come away smiling after watching it. Recommended highly!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I must say, when I saw this film at a 6.5 on this site, I figured it was well worth a view. I was sorely disappointed. From nearly the opening scene, it is obvious the two supposed FBI agents are, in fact, the killers. Could they have made it any more obvious? If that is the intended "twist" in this film, that's pretty sad. While Pullman and Ormond are excellent actors, even their talent is no match for a reprehensibly bad script. Pullman adeptly acts the part of a sociopathic killer... and that's the problem. There is no switch from "I'm playing FBI guy!" to "I just killed 12 people and boy, are my arms tired." You can't blame the actors... the story fails in far more ways than one.From the onset of the film, however, I was certain I was wrong, that no director/writer would ever be so blatantly obvious about a plot "twist." Ormond and Pullman must just be acting strangely in order to divert the viewer's attention from the real killers, I thought... which gave the film's makers far too much credit. I should have followed my instincts and turned off the movie before it even made it past the 15-minute mark.To Lynch's credit, she did manage to interject many things that make a good film: sex, violence, humor, and well-trained actors. Too bad they were in the wrong configuration. Hopefully Pell James can recover from this role... I found her performance particularly impressive, as the stunning drug addict-turned would-be savior. She should have rewritten the role so the "crack whore" would win.Those people who have compared this film to Natural Born Killers, take note: Tarantino made the characters of Mickey and Mallory reprehensible, yet sympathetic. The artistry of that film far overpowers the gore, and this is not seen once in Surveillance. Surveillance only wishes it were Natural Born Killers... in fact, it has wet dreams about being even a fraction of what that film was. Folks who haven't seen Surveillance... stick to something with a little more intelligence. Like Camp Rock.$LABEL$ 0 +If Saura hadn't done anything like this before, Iberia would be a milestone. Now it still deserves inclusion to honor a great director and a great cinematic conservator of Spanish culture, but he has done a lot like this before, and though we can applaud the riches he has given us, we have to pick and choose favorites and high points among similar films which include Blood Wedding (1981), Carmen (1983), El Amore Brujo (1986), Sevillanas (1992), Salomé (2002) and Tango (1998). I would choose Saura's 1995 Flamenco as his most unique and potent cultural document, next to which Iberia pales.Iberia is conceived as a series of interpretations of the music of Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz (1860-1909) and in particular his "Iberia" suite for piano. Isaac Albéniz was a great contributor to the externalization of Spanish musical culture -- its re-formatting for a non-Spanish audience. He moved to France in his early thirties and was influenced by French composers. His "Iberia" suite is an imaginative synthesis of Spanish folk music with the styles of Liszt, Dukas and d'Indy. He traveled around performing his compositions, which are a kind of beautiful standardization of Spanish rhythms and melodies, not as homogenized as Ravel's Bolero but moving in that direction. Naturally, the Spanish have repossessed Albéniz, and in Iberia, the performers reinterpret his compositions in terms of various more ethnic and regional dances and styles. But the source is a tamed and diluted form of Spanish musical and dance culture compared to the echt Spanishness of pure flamenco. Flamenco, coming out of the region of Andalusia, is a deeply felt amalgam of gitane, Hispano-Arabic, and Jewish cultures. Iberia simply is the peninsula comprising Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar; the very concept is more diluted. Saura's Flamenco is an unstoppably intense ethnic mix of music, singing, dancing and that peacock manner of noble preening that is the essence of Spanish style, the way a man and a woman carries himself or herself with pride verging on arrogance and elegance and panache -- even bullfights and the moves of the torero are full of it -- in a series of electric sequences without introduction or conclusion; they just are. Saura always emphasized the staginess of his collaborations with choreographer Antonio Gades and other artists. In his 1995 Flamenco he dropped any pretense of a story and simply has singers, musicians, and dancers move on and off a big sound stage with nice lighting and screens, flats, and mirrors arranged by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, another of the Spanish filmmaker's important collaborators. The beginnings and endings of sequences in Flamenco are often rough, but atmospheric, marked only by the rumble and rustle of shuffling feet and a mixture of voices. Sometimes the film keeps feeding when a performance is over and you see the dancer bend over, sigh, or laugh; or somebody just unexpectedly says something. In Flamenco more than any of Saura's other musical films it's the rapt, intense interaction of singers and dancers and rhythmically clapping participant observers shouting impulsive olé's that is the "story" and creates the magic. Because Saura has truly made magic, and perhaps best so when he dropped any sort of conventional story.Iberia is in a similar style to some of Saura's purest musical films: no narration, no dialogue, only brief titles to indicate the type of song or the region, beginning with a pianist playing Albeniz's music and gradually moving to a series of dance sequences and a little singing. In flamenco music, the fundamental element is the unaccompanied voice, and that voice is the most unmistakable and unique contribution to world music. It relates to other songs in other ethnicities, but nothing quite equals its raw raucous unique ugly-beautiful cry that defies you to do anything but listen to it with the closest attention. Then comes the clapping and the foot stomping, and then the dancing, combined with the other elements. There is only one flamenco song in Iberia. If you love Saura's Flamenco, you'll want to see Iberia, but you'll be a bit disappointed. The style is there; some of the great voices and dancing and music are there. But Iberia's source and conception doom it to a lesser degree of power and make it a less rich and intense cultural experience.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie gave me recurring nightmares, with Alan Rickman's voice representing an omnipotent, insidious, fascist ruler. The scariest movie I have ever seen - psychological terror more powerful than anything any "horror" movie has ever achieved. Alan Rickman's voice will always represent to me the power and terror of a totalitarian state, reminiscent of Orwell's 1984. This movie describes to those who don't care the reality of a large part of current world governments. This film is disturbing, but in a way that everyone should watch it - it's a description of a reality that no one should ever have to experience, but so many do.$LABEL$ 1 +Feature of early 21 century cinema of lets pit different evil creatures and bad guys against each other. We haven't seen stuff like this since Godzilla v King Kong and the like. Always sounds great on paper when you're splicing up and in a haze of the good stuff you have an inspired idea and see the whole playing out before you like Beethoven's symphonies. Then you come to writing it. Great ideas like all vampires are female. Ergo hot, seductive deadly but in a way I want to perish sort of way. And all zombies are men. well thats what men are like to a woman just after shes been dumped or cheated on right? So it all looks good up to actually making it. Then the rot starts to set in. Mosters have fight. Nothing much happens. Another fight. Philosophical noodling and cods wallop. Eureka we've found how to win. Big fight again and the End. Sounds great doesn't it? If it was made an indie company it would be great. But this is Hollywood with the eye on the bucks: gloss instead of what the fans want. It all could have been gore soaked beautiful.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is perfect for families to watch together. It is a great film and it deserves more credit. The special effects are stunning and spectacular. Everyone who has children should share this with theirs.$LABEL$ 1 +First let me be honest. I did not watch all this movie. I watched the first five minutes and when i realized that I had nearly fallen to sleep i decided that I may as well fast forward and see if it got any more interesting later on... It didn't. This film is just a collection of lame attempts to make a story which is already uninteresting and badly told into something that it would never become: a decent horror movie. Because I feel it is important to say that even a movie with poor special effects can still be good if it is well made. This film isn't and will only put you into a deep sleep if you attempt to watch it. Lastly I feel it is important to say that I think this movie is in the publicdomain so if you feel that you must absolutely watch it than a littlesearch on the internet will surely show you a place where you won't need to pay to watch this pile of cinematographic dung.$LABEL$ 0 +Some guys think that sniper is not good because of the action part of it was not good enough. Well, if you regard it as an action movie, this view point could be quite true as the action part of this movive is not actually exciting. However, I think this is a psychological drama rather than an action one.The movie mainly told us about the inside of two snipers who definitely had different personalities and different experiences. Tomas Beccket , who was a veteran and had 74 confirmed kills, looked as if he was cold-hearted. However, after Beccket showed his day dream of Montana, we can clearly see his softness inside. It was the cruel war and his partners' sacrifice that made Beccket become so called cold-hearted.Millar, on the contrary, was a new comer, a green hand, and was even not qualified as a sniper. Billy Zane did quite well to show millar's hesitation and fear when he first tried to "put a bullet through one's heart"(as what Beccket said). What he thought about the actuall suicide mission was that it could be easily accomplished and then he could safely get back and receive the award.These two guys were quite different in their personalities and I think that the movie had successfully showed the difference and the impact they had to each other due to the difference in their personalities. These two snipers quarreled, suspected each other and finally come to an understanding by the communication and by what they had done to help even to save the other.Sniper isn't a good action movie but a good psychological one.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, it's over the top, yes it's a bit clichéd and yes, Constance Marie is a total babe and worthy of seeing again and again! The jokes and gags might get old and repetitive after a while but the show's still fun to watch. Since it's a family show the humour is toned down and the writers have incorporated family values and ideals in between the gags.George Lopez is funny. Don't take him seriously and the show's a winner. I'm sure he didn't intend his character to be serious or a paragon of virtue. His outbursts and shouts of glee are hilarious...I do have to say that the one big, dark, bitter spot is Benny. I hate the character...so much so that anytime she's on for more than 30 seconds I mute the TV just so I don't have to hear her. There is nothing funny about her dialogue or her jokes. As a mother she has to be the worst out there and I am just shocked and surprised that George, as the character, would stand by such a deplorable person for so long.Even so anytime I get ticked off at seeing Benny I think to myself: seeing her is a lot better than having to watch the Bill Engvall Show. Now there's a bad sitcom...$LABEL$ 1 +I give this movie a ONE, for it is truly an awful movie. Sound track of the DVD is so bad, it actually hurts my ear. But the vision, no matter how disjointed, does show something really fancy in the Italian society. I will not go into detail what actually was so shocking , but the various incidents are absolutely abnormal. So for the kink value, i give it one.Otherwise, the video, photography, acting of the adults actors /actresses are simply substandard, a practical jock to people who love foreign movies.Roberto, the main character, has full spectrum of emotions but exaggerated to the point of being unbelievable.however, the children in the movie are mostly 3/4 years old, and they are genuine and the movie provides glimpse of the Italian life..$LABEL$ 0 +When I fist watched the movie, I said to myself, "so a film can be made like this." Wong Kar Wai's gorgeous poetic love story captured me throughout and even after the film. I must admit this is one of the best love movies, maybe the best of all, I have ever watched. The content and the form overlaps perfectly. As watching the secret love we see the characters in bounded frames that limits their movements as well as their feelings. Beautiful camera angles and the lighting makes the feelings and the blues even touchable. I want to congratulate Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee for their fantastic cinematography which creates the mood for love. Also the music defines the sadness of the love which plays along the beautiful slow motion frames and shows the characters in despairing moods. And of course the performances of the actors which makes the love so real. Eventually, all the elements in the film combined in a perfect way under the direction of WKW and give the audience the feeling called love.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an astounding film. As well as showing actual footage of key events in the failed coup to oust Chavez, we are given the background picture which describes a class-divided society. Many of the rich, it appears, have a choice with the people's democratic choice, and are willing to use the military for regime change. 'Be careful what you say in front of your servants' is a revealing comment. The head of the country's biggest oil company appoints himself as the new president, with US backing, and these young Irish film makers have it all on camera. A great film to educate young people about democracy. We see transparent documentation of how media can be manipulated, and force used, in the interests of big business, against the interests of the democratic wishes of the people. Riveting stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this at "Dances with Films", and it was awesome. I really felt for Jake. Talk about adding insult to injury! Not only are your parents getting divorced, but there's a monster after you. It was both heartfelt and scary -- there were several moments where the audience screamed in genuine fright. It kind of reminded me of a Japanese horror film, except that the story was actually good.And that's what separated "Jake's Closet" from the usual indy film pabulum -- an excellent script with compelling characters. Also, by mixing elements of the horror film with family drama, the movie gets the best out of both genres, and avoids the clichés of both.If it's not coming out in theaters, definitely get the DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +Ahh, the dull t.v. shows and pilots that were slammed together in the 70's to make equally dull t.v. movies! Some examples would be Riding With Death(the most hysterically cheesy of the lot), Stranded in Space(confusing and uninteresting), San Francisco International(horribly dull and unbelievably confusing), and this turgid bit of Quinn Martin glamor. Shot in Hawaii(although you wouldn't know it from the outside shots), it's apparently a failed pilot for a lame spy show. The real problem is that you don;'t like most of the characters, including the drab main character Diamond Head, who seemed half asleep for the entire movie; his boss 'Aunt Mary', who had a really weird delivery of his lines and shellacked white hair as well as the a tan that looked like it had been stuccoed on; Diamnd Head's girlfriend/fellow agent(hell, I can't even remember her name) a skinny, wooden woman with a flat way of speaking that is just not sexy or interesting; and the singing sidekick Zulu(again, i can't remember his character's name)who wasn't bad in small doses. The most interesting person in the whole production was Ian McShane, who sucked as a bad guy but still proved his acting chops. Alothugh the make-up jobs this so-called 'chameleon' used to disguise himself were just laughable. I have absolutely no idea what he was doing or what he was trying to steal from the lab that caused him to dress as a South American Dictator cum American General. Nor do I care. The plot simply wasn't interesting enough to hold your attention for even ten minutes at a time, let alone the hour and a half or so it goes on. Just call this one - Hawaii Five No!$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen this movie about 6 or 7 times, and it truly gets funnier every time. Perhaps what I enjoy most is the tired character paradigms that the movie offers us: the somber all-American male protagonist, his blonde girlfriend, the theater nerd with glasses, a brunette girl, the antagonistic jock, and brunette girl #2. However, we're then presented with two magician martial arts experts with mullets driving a convertible. If anyone can explain that, please contact me. Among other highlights are Bobby Johnston's portrayal of the jock character, Dell, and his trademark line, "That's why I keep her around." In watching Johnston's performance, it comes as no surprise that his career quickly descended into the realm of soft-core porn. (SPOILER) Also, after multiple viewings, I STILL have absolutely no idea what that big demon at the end says at any point; it's just electronically muffled noises. Oh well, that's probably for the better. And lastly, why are all the demons so slippery? Is wet skin scarier? It certainly didn't help in this film.$LABEL$ 0 +River Queen's sound recordist should have been fired, in this day and age there is no excuse for poor recording on the set. Mumbling voices was the end result, and the cinematography was average to fair at best. The story had potential and I feel sorry for the overseas actors who must have known they were on a turkey shoot while they were filming. Its obvious that the movie was suffering from el cheapo budget syndrome, and the scene where Temuera is procreating inside the house while a battle rages outside is just too stupid for words. I noticed a few shortcuts taken on the Maori protocol side of things, but this was probably due to movie length time restraints etc. All in all I wasn't impressed with this movie, the Whanganui river has many beautiful spots but this movie gives us a cold, drab and claustrophobic image, with none of the beauty. The movie needed more sunshine and better camera angles, less on screen confusion, better sound recording, and more thought needed to be put into what the movie goers would be seeing on the big screen. Hats off to all involved though for completing what must have been a very difficult shoo. I have the utmost appreciation for anyone who can make a feature film, sadly I did not enjoy this one.$LABEL$ 0 +My definition of a great movie is if you want to continue to see it over again. This movie for some reason strikes a cord in me even though the scenes with Scott Glenn still make me winch; I watch it over and over again and love the music!$LABEL$ 1 +Alexander Nevsky is a series of superb sequences of cinematic opera that pass from pastoral to lamentation and end in a triumphal cantata. The story takes place in 1242. Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nikolai Cherkasov) defeats the Teutonic Knights in a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus.The film is a splendid historical pageant which shows director Sergei Eisenstein at his most inventively pictorial, and climaxes in a superb battle sequence using music instead of natural sounds. Several films have scenes strongly influenced by the Battle of Lake Peipus, including Doctor Zhivago (1965), Mulan (1998), and King Arthur (2004). Alexander Nevsky was kept out of circulation due to changing political winds, and then enshrined as perhaps the most influential Soviet-made historical film.$LABEL$ 1 +This early B entry into the patriotic category slapped a gorgeous young Gene Tierney on the ads and posters, but you have to wait a good time before you glimpse her, riding in a Hollywoodized camel train. Previously, we've set up George Sanders and Bruce Cabot in the desert as guys who barely get along, but must rally in the face of attack. I've seen Sanders as so many enjoyable cads that it was fun to witness a rare good guy turn. However, Bruce Cabot's allure is pretty much a mystery to me - he's base and unsubtle in comparison, but I've always felt he'd just emerged, smiling, from under a car, covered in grease and a sixth grade education. Some people like 'em that way, as did Gene's gypsy queen character. This is an action adventure filler, tho, and just as we've been warned of invading locals with guns, ready to sabotage and attack the Brits in their land, there is a final gun battle in which we must lose a main character for the good of all. This feature requires nothing more than your barest attention on a Saturday afternoon, a programmer that made whatever else it was paired with better. It was almost more interesting identifying the great supporting cast and a surprise appearance by Dorothy Dandridge in one of her first roles. A two or two and a half stars out of five.-MDM$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched the 30th Anniversary edition of Blazing Saddles, one of my all time Favorites!! The TV Pilot for Black Bart stunk. The plot was non-existent and the acting was not good. It was obviously an attempt to profit off of the success of Blazing Saddles and there have been TV shows that have succeeded in doing take-offs of big movies, but this one would never have worked. Considering that for so many years TV would not even play the farting noises when they televised the movie, it is inconceivable that they thought they could put a show on TV with the "N" word thrown around. On the other hand, I enjoyed seeing a lot of familiar faces!!! There were quite a few actors/actresses that I recognized from other shows over the years. I had to write down all the names and do a few searches. That was fun. I was arguing with my mother if Steve Landesberg was from Barney Miller or Mash. I won! :)$LABEL$ 0 +i thought id check this film out as I'm currently making a film about a mysterious box, therefore it would be great to see how this film took and developed the idea of a mysterious and unexpected box.before going to the cinema i had a high expectation of this film. with actresses, like Cameron diaz you would expect the acting especially hers to be great. the acting was a sort of let down for the film, the characters accents changed throughout the film it made it unbelievable.the whole idea of a weird box that can make your dreams come true but destroy others is such a brilliant story but i feel the director let it down, this film had potential it could of been a lot lot better than it was.this film had no middle to it. it was too confusing and needed a steady storyline. nobody wants to go into the cinema and come out thinking what have i just watched 'i didn't get it at all,' sometimes it can be exciting and make people want to watch it again, but this film made people want to never ever want to hear of the film again. throughout watching i noticed that half the audience had left before the ending. i feel every single person had been let down watching this film because of the high expectations and how slow parts of the film was.lets put the bad points to one side... i did like however the scene where the son is in the bathroom at the end. it was unexpected, it reminded me of a horror movie and the way it was put together made me imagine it and how devastating and scary it would of been to be in that position. the lighting and the effects made it look excellent, this scene looked slightly more 1990's than the 1970's that this film is supposed to be.this film was confusing because it had so many different bits to it. parts that you would expect to be sumned up at the end where everything comes clear but it didn't, it totally went against an audiences expectations, even though leaving the film on a cliff hanger, not giving the audience a reason why things happen could work and do really well, but this one didn't, it was a creative, different unusual film i thought, it had potential could of been better, disappointed didn't enjoy it, wouldn't buy it on DVD to be honest.$LABEL$ 0 +So let me start off by saying that I saw this movie as part of a bargain. I was really bored one fine 1997 day and so I biked over to the movie rental store. I asked the clerk what the worst movie he had in stock was. Without hesitation he walked me over to "Lucky Stiff." He told me that he'd waive the $1 rental fee (he said it would be wrong to charge more) if I promised to watch the whole movie. So watch it I did, for free...This movie is terrible. God-Awful even. I don't need to go into plot details, read the other reviews. The jokes make no sense. The acting was terrible. I know it was supposed to be a comedy, but the stupidity of the main character was exhausting. You might try to watch it as something to laugh at, but it's so bad that it isn't even funny in that way. Avoid!$LABEL$ 0 +seriously people need to lighten up and just accept that funny is funny, and this movie is f**king hilarious. Better than the first and Knoxville really grew a pair for this film and did way more crazier stunts then the first. If Ebert and Roper(not saying that I'm a huge fan of theirs) can look past the pure idiocy of this film enough to give it 2 thumbs up then i think other people can to. I wasn't sure what to expect from this but i was floored and it is rare when a sequel is better than the original. This new one I believe exceeds the first big time. so do what i did,just relax kick back try not to barf at some points and laugh your ass off.$LABEL$ 1 +As a long-standing Barbra fan, any posting like this will be biased. That aside, this film ranks as a classic. It has it's flaws (emphasized in other postings), but gives a glimpse of a time (late 70s) that will never be there again, and is fascinating to watch unfold on screen.Streisand fought hard to make this movie her own. I don't think she was ever satisfied. But it gives her fans a new Barbra (for the time) with LIVE singing, a young fresh appearance, and some very heavy-duty acting.The story is rough, but exciting, and holds your interest throughout. The extended one frame "finale" is hard for most non-Barbra fans to sit through, but it speaks volumes to those who admire her talent.$LABEL$ 1 +I use "Princess Raccoon" (to give the film its not-quite accurate English title) as a litmus test for my friends' sense of humour. It either leaves them cold and baffled - as it clearly did several other commentators on this site - or results in doubled-up laughter, unassailably huge grins and occasional gasps of admiration.The laughter comes from the film's consummate mixture of parodies in contemporary style. Targets include a bouquet of Japanese and Western classical stage drama forms, from Kabuki to Late Shakespearian and Spanish renaissance Christian fantasy; the naff vacuity of the modern American and European musical, as witness a host of random tap- and rap- dance songs and some very funny banal lyrics, all choreographed with loving "amateur" cliché; Japanese anime and samurai live-action clichés; portentous Buddhist ritual; and the overweening sweetness of Viennese operetta. I've not laughed out loud so much at this type of film since Ken Russell's outrageous musical deconstruction in "The Boyfriend".The grins come from the clever textual subversion of the Japanese legend, told in a traditional 5-act structure reminiscent of the plays of the 17th century master Chikamatsu. As in his work the narrative is advanced in a mixture of song, recitative, high-flown poetry and low comedy relief - here the pot-broiling of the incompetent ninja, Ostrich, by peasants under the illusion that he is a tanuki-raccoon in human guise. All of this somehow does hang together, and even more remarkably does manage to engage the watcher's emotions through the welter of cultural references.In truth "Princess Raccoon" wears its pan-cultural garb with alluring lightness, and that's where the gasps of astonishment come in. Visually - again, as with Russell's masterpiece - the film is a treat, a riot of colour with its digitised backdrops of classical Japanese images from screens and prints, over-the-top costumes and stage sets, mixed with some breathtaking live action sequences in summer fields and seashores. You'll love it or loathe it, but there's no point castigating chalk for being cheese; and "Princess Raccoon" stands, first and foremost, as a wickedly funny as well as affectionate put-down of our contemporary cultural vacuity, in both East and West. Bravo!$LABEL$ 1 +This film plays like a demented episode of VH1's "Where Are They Now", or "Behind The Music". In the first half of the movie (that depict his "glory days") Abbie Hoffman is unintentionally portrayed as a sort of delusional rock star. You know the kind; the poseur lead singer, the pretty boy, who didn't write any of the music, doesn't have a clue, but gets all the glory for nothing and chicks for free. Consequently he takes his success for granted, abuses it, and ultimately destroys it along with himself. Indeed Hoffman's glory days ended abruptly when he was busted for dealing cocaine, skipped bail, and went into hiding. The second part of the movie deals with that time in hiding. In it we see Hoffman as a pathetic crybaby endlessly blaming everyone, anyone, but himself for his downfall. Eventually the times pass him by completely; and he can never to come to grips with that. How sad. THE END. End credits roll and OH NO! We learn that Abbie Hoffman eventually committed suicide in 1989.I'm sure this is not the image the filmmakers intended for Hoffman in making this movie. Given that Tom Hayden and Gerald Lefcourt were involved, I'm sure they intended this film as some kind of homage to the life of a man who was after all, an icon of the 60's and of the Left's anti-war movement. In this they have failed miserably. The film presents Abbie Hoffman as a mindless caricature. We are never told about what drives him. How did he arrive at his views? How did he manage to capture the imagination of a whole generation? How did he organize such a vast movement? Why at the height of his fame did he get involved in dealing cocaine? Why? Who knows, and since the filmmakers don't seem to, ultimately who cares?$LABEL$ 0 +If you've seen the trailer for this movie, you pretty much know what to expect, because what you see here is what you get. And even if you haven't seen the previews, it won't take you long to pick up on what you're in for-- specifically, a good time and plenty of laughs-- from this clever satire of `Reality TV' shows and `Buddy Cop' movies, `Showtime,' directed by Tom Dey, starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy. Mitch Preston (De Niro) is a detective with the L.A.P.D., and he's good at what he does; but working a case one night, things suddenly go south when another cop, Trey Sellars (Murphy), inadvertently intervenes, a television news crew shows up and Mitch loses his cool, which results in a lawsuit by the television station that's going to cost the department some big bucks. Except that they may be able to get around it, thanks to Chase Renzi (Rene Russo), who works for the station and likes what she sees in Mitch-- enough to pitch an idea to her boss for a `Reality' cop show, that would feature none other than Mitch Preston, whom Chase sees as a real life `Dirty Harry.' Her boss likes the idea and gives Chase the green light. Now all she has to do is convince Mitch to participate, which shouldn't be too hard, since the station has agreed to drop the lawsuit if he will do the show. But Mitch is a cop, not an actor, and he wants nothing to do with any of it-- that is until he has a heart-to-heart with his boss, Captain Winship (Frankie Faison), who puts Mitch's future into succinct perspective for him. And just like that, the show is on. Oh, yes, there's one more thing; for the show, Mitch is going to need a partner. And who do you suppose they're going to come up with for that? Let's put it this way: Trey Sellars is more than one of the usual suspects. This is Dey's second film as a director, his first being `Shanghai Noon,'-- also a comedy-- and he's definitely showing a penchant for the genre. From the opening frames he establishes a pace that keeps the story moving right along, and he allows his stars to make the most of their respective talents and personal strengths, including their impeccable timing. With stars like De Niro and Murphy, Dey, of course, had a leg up on this project to begin with, but he's the one who keeps it on track, demonstrating that he knows what works, achieving just the right blend of physical comedy and action, and employing the subtleties of the dialogue to great effect. There isn't a more natural actor in the business than De Niro, and he steps into Mitch's skin like he was born to it. And after years of doing hard-edge, cutting drama (in which he turned in one remarkable performance after another), with such films as `Analyze This,' `Meet the Parents' and now this one, he has firmly established his proficiency for doing comedy, as well. Mitch is not an especially complex character; he is, in fact, something of an `ordinary' guy, but therein lies the challenge for the actor-- to make him believable, to make him seem like the guy who could be your neighbor and just another member of the community. And on all counts, De Niro succeeds. He's Mitch, the guy you run into at the grocery store or the bank, or say `good morning' to on your way to work; who likes to watch the game on TV and has a life, just like you and me, who happens to make his living by being a cop. It's the character Mitch has to be to make this film work, because it makes the `ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances' angle credible. It's one of those role-- and work-- that is often wrongly dismissed out-of-hand, because it looks so easy; and, of course, this is what makes De Niro so exceptional-- he does make it look easy, and he does it with facility. As Trey Sellars, Eddie Murphy turns in a winning performance, as well, and it's a role that fits him like the proverbial glove. Trey is a cop, but also an aspiring actor-- and a bad one-- and it gives Murphy the opportunity to play on the over-exuberant side of his personality (reigned in enough by Dey, however, to keep him from soaring over-the-top into Jim Carrey territory), which works perfectly for this character and this film. From his melodramatic take on a part during an audition, to his throwing out of one-liners-- delivered by looking directly into the camera (which as far as he's concerned isn't even there) while filming the `reality' show-- Murphy's a riot. And he has a chemistry with De Niro that really clicks (which is not unexpected, as this is another of De Niro's many talents; his ability to connect with and bring out the best in his co-stars, all of whom-- evidence will support-- are better at their craft after having worked with him, including the likes of Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken and Ed Harris, just to name a few). Most importantly, this is a part that allows Murphy to excel at what he does best, and he certainly makes the most of it. Russo makes the most of her role as Chase, too, a character who isn't much of a stretch artistically, but whom she presents delightfully, with a strong, believable performance. And William Shatner (playing himself) absolutely steals a couple of scenes as the director of the show. The supporting cast includes Drena De Niro (Annie), Pedro Damian (Vargas) and James Roday (Camera Man). Well crafted and delivered, `Showtime' is a comedy that's exactly what it is meant to be: Pure entertainment that provides plenty of laughs and a pleasant couple of hours that will have you chuckling for some time after. It's the magic of the movies. 8/10. $LABEL$ 1 +The movie was a pleasure to watch if you are a fan of the Stooges. The story is told from the point of view of Moe Howard and his relationships with his brothers Shemp and Jerome (Curly) Howard, also the life long friendship with Larry Fine. The movie deals mostly with the off camera high points and pit falls of the Stooges multi decade career. The casting director and makeup artist did a fair job of finding actors who resembled the famous ensemble. The actor who plays "Curly" Howard did a fine job of portraying the on camera antics of the most beloved Stooge. A must see for any fan of Three Stooges shorts.$LABEL$ 0 +Louis Sachar's compelling children's classic is about as Disney as Freddy Krueger. It's got murder, racism, facial disfigurement and killer lizards.Tightly plotted, it's a multi-layered, interlinking story that spans history to reveal Stanley's own heritage and the secret behind the holes. It races from Latvia's lush greenness to the pock-marked Camp Green Lake (hint: there's no lake and no green).Disney's first success is re-creating the novel's environments so convincingly - the set design is superb and without gloss. The other plus is in the casting. Rising star Shia LaBeouf (Charlie's Angels 2, Project Greenlight) might not be the fat boy of the book, but his attitude is right and he's far from the usual clean-cut hero. The rest of the cast is filled out equally well, from Patricia Arquette as the Frontier school marm-turned-bank robber to Henry Winkler as Stanley's dad. The downside is the pop soundtrack - pure marketing department - and having the sentiment turned up to full volume at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +If your idea of entertainment is watching graphic footage of people being run over by cars (you get to see a woman passing under the front wheel, being twisted as the car passes over her before she goes under the back wheel -- and they show it twice in case you missed it the first time) then this is the documentary for you. Admitedly I didn't watch any more of this very disturbing piece of voyeurism, but that was enough for me. Maybe the rest is even better.I wonder how long it's going to take for television networks to start showing slush movies. Perhaps game shows based on self-mutilation might be nice.I already know that there are disturbed people in the world and that horrible things happen. I don't need to see the proof on the TV masquerading as entertainment.$LABEL$ 0 +I've rarely been as annoyed by a leading performance as I was by Ali McGraw's in this movie. God is she bothersome or what?! She says everything in the same tone and is horrible, so horrible in fact that, by contrast, Ryan O'Neal is brilliant. There is not much of a story. He's rich, she's wooden, they both have to Sacrifice A Lot for Love. His father is Stonewall Jackson, hers is called by his first name, in case you didn't notice the Difference in The Two of Them that They Overcame in the Name of Love. The Oscar nominations for this movie indicate it had to have been a bad year. John Marley is fine as Wooden's father, but a Supporting Nomination? At least Ali didn't win. I still think Katharine Ross should have played Jennifer, but then again, if it were up to me, Katharine Ross would have been in a lot more movies. She's certainly a better actress than McGraw. I didn't even cry when she got sick, never occured to me to even feel sad. It was nice to see Tommy Lee Jones looking like he was about 15, and the score is good. But this one is so old by now it has a beard a mile long, and the sin of that is its not that old, but it feels it.$LABEL$ 0 +A group of heirs to a mysterious old mansion find out that they have to live in it as part of a clause in the will or be disinherited, but they soon find out of its history of everybody whom had lived there before them having either died in weird accidents or having had killed each other.You've seen it all before, and this one is too low-budget and slow paced to be scary, and doesn't have any real surprises in the climax. No special effects or gore to speak of, in fact the only really amusing thing about the whole film is the quality of the English dubbing, which at times is as bad as a cheap martial arts movie.3 out of 10, pretty low in the pecking order of 80's haunted house movies.$LABEL$ 0 +I gave this a four purely out of its historical context. It was considered lost for many years until it popped up out of the blue on Showtime in the early nineties.Moe is the straight man and Larry and Curly act as a duo. Spade Cooley has a couple of numbers. I guess it had something to do with working on a ranch. I'm not quite sure because the plot was so minimal nothing really sticks in my memory. I vaguely remember it being a western musical comedy. Even the Stooge's seem to be going through the motions. Overall there's nothing much really to recommend here.If you're not a Stooge fan then don't bother. If you are a Stooge fan, then stick with the shorts.$LABEL$ 0 +This really is a great film. Full of love and humor, it compels the audience to really care about the characters and participate in their journey. Michael Parness managed to assemble a great cast of top players, a minor miracle for a first film. No doubt, they were moved to help him tell this beautiful story. David Krumoltz carries the film with his understated intensity and honesty. Natasha Lyonne is unpredictable, exasperating, and yet totally lovable as Grace. Also a great turn by Karen Black (great to see her on the screen again) as Grace's crazed but sympathetic mother. There is cutting wit throughout, allowing us the relief of laughter when faced with life's pain. The acting is impeccable, the editing tight, the direction inspired, and the music creates a fitting backdrop of mood. Given the present-day Hollywood Blockbuster craze, full of big budgets, big names, car crashes and special effects, 'Max & Grace' is a refreshing departure. Give yourself a treat and see this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Best around the middle, when most characters get horny and go after someone they haven't had before. It is around this point that we get to see Susan Sarandon's majestic breasts (even if through a veil). Strangely enough, Beverly D'Angelo who isn't shy about nudity doesn't show any at all, while Aida Turturro – of all people – does. On the other end of the spectrum, the less said about Walken playing a homosexual the better. The film itself has little plot; the dialogs from the theater play and the "normal" dialogs cross over often and that's not the sort of thing I'd consider a good idea. Life in the theater: who cares? Occasionally the dialog has something going for it, but the film drags in stretches.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie shows life in northern Cameroon from the perspective of a young French girl, France Dalens, whose father is an official for the colonial (French) government, and whose family is one of the few white families around. It gives a sense of what life was like both for the colonists and for the natives with whom they associated. It's a sense consistent with another movie I've seen about Africa in a similar time period (Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001)), but I have no way of knowing how realistic or typical it is. It's not just an impression -- things do happen in the movie -- but the plot is understated. The viewer is left to draw his own conclusions rather than having the filmmakers' forced upon him, although the framing of the story as a flashback from the woman's visit to south-western Cameroon as an adult provides some perspective.$LABEL$ 1 +How good is this film? Apparently, good enough that they plan to remake it in 2011. Jean-Pierre Melville, who gave us Le doulos and The Good Thief, wrote and directed this film.The film is almost a silent. These are men of few words, preferring to let their actions speak for them. They live by a code that governs their every move.There are some great actors in this film - Alain Delon (The Leopard), Yves Montand (Jean de Florette, Let's Make Love), and Gian Maria Volonte (El Indio from A Fistful of Dollars & A Few Dollars More). The film does not shine on them; they are along for the ride that Melville has for them. Melville makes the film; they make it better.You see Melville's work in the Ocean films, but they just get the idea. The can't make it work like he did. A great loss in the seventies, but his work remains for our pleasure.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was excellent, save for some of the scenes with Esposito. I enjoyed how it brought together every detective on the series, and wrapped up some plotlines that were never resolved during the series (thanks to NBC...). It was great to see Pembleton and Bayliss together at their most human, and most basic persons. Braugher and Secor did a great job, but as usual will get overlooked. It hurt to see that this was the end of Homicide. Memories, tapes, and reruns on CourtTV just aren't the same as watching it come on every Friday. But the movie did its job and did it very well, presenting a great depiction of life after Al retired, and the family relationship that existed between the unit. I enjoyed this a lot.$LABEL$ 1 +It could be easy to complain about the quality of this movie (you don't have to throw cartloads of money at a movie to make it good, nor will it guarantee that it is worth watching) but I think that is totally missing the point. If your expecting fast cars, T&A or a movie that will spell itself out for you then don't watch this, you'll be disappointed and dumbfounded.This movie was thoroughly enjoyable, kept us on the edge of our seats and made us really think. The writer obviously put a lot of thought and research behind this movie and it shows through the end, just remember to keep an open mind.Note: the school scenes were all filmed at McMaster University and most of the rest was done in Toronto.$LABEL$ 1 +this animated Inspector Gadget movie is pretty lame.the story is very weak,and there is little action.most of the characters are given little to nothing to do.the movie is mildly entertaining at best,but really doesn't go any where and is pointless.it's watchable but only just and is nowhere near the calibre of the animated TV show from the 80's.it's not a movie that bears repeat viewing,at least in my mind.it's only about 74 minutes long including credits,so i guess that's a good thing.unlike in the TV show,the characters are not worth rooting for here.in the show,you wanted Inspector Gadget to save the day,but there,who really cares?anyway,that's just my opinion.for me Inspector Gadget's Last Case is a disappointing 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +They make everything too easy in this film. It sort of reminded me of Indiana Jones where he hides on the outside of a submarine during an ocean crossing. Everybody knows everything that's going on, it's just real easy to get anyplace you want in the White House. I don't even know why I watched half of it. Because I like Charlie Sheen and Donald Sutherland. I expect the usual ability to dodge bullets from every angle, and be able to run faster than a motorcycle (usually it's faster than a car in a garage or a allyway). It was silly, mostly, and I didn't even know then had a ten-story elevator in the White House. Anyway, anything conspiratorial is always interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +I have great memories of this movie...I was only 12 when it was released and it scared the bejesus out of me. I really miss my bejesus...Zombies, graveyards, mausoleums, how can you go wrong? It's like Phantasm's retarded cousin.This movie was released 1 year before the PG-13 rating was instituted.I submit that One Dark Night is the GORIEST PG movie (not scariest, mind you) that has ever been released.Can anyone come up with a gorier pick?(FYI: I don't consider Poltergeist to be gorier...scarier, yes. But not gorier...)$LABEL$ 1 +Well, basically, the movie blows! It's Blair Witch meets Sean Penn's ill conceived fantasy about going to Iraq to show the world what the "War on Terror" is really about. The script sounds like it was written by 8th grader (no offense to 8th graders); the two main actors over-act the entire film; they used the wrong kind of camera and the wrong type of film(not that i know anything about those things--but it just didn't look like real documentaries I've watched), and worst of all Christian Johnson took a great idea and made it suck. It reminded me of the time I tried to draw a picture of my dog and ended up with a really bad stick figure looking thing that looked more like a giant turd. I'd rather watch the Blair Witch VIII, than sit through that again.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, I've sure seen quite a bit of Kelli McCarty this summer. I didn't know this woman made so many softcore flicks in the past three years. It's like seeing a future softcore star blossom in front of me, much like Michelle Hall did a couple of years ago."Passion's Peak" is the third quality softcore flick I've seen Kelli McCarty in, with "Girl for Girl" and "House of Love" being the others. "Desire and Deception" was okay, but it wasn't spectacular. There's spoilers in this review, so read only if you want to.The story begins with Christina (Kelli McCarty) heading out of the big city and to the mountains. She has inherited a house from her dear departed grandmother and plans to turn it into a mountain lodge. Before she can even set her things down, some woman named Kim (uncredited in this film, but quite the aggressive one) begins booking guests to stay there. Now she has to get the house into shape quickly--in comes Chip (Bobby Johnston), a childhood friend, to the rescue. Chip helps her get the house in workable condition. She hires two local slackers to work in her lodge--Chip's sister Bait (Samantha McConnell) and her sex buddy Hank.Now the guests start coming. The first to arrive are Eric and Linda (Flower), two stereotypical money-first lawyers. Linda and Eric get into a huge argument during a dinner party halfway through the film which leads to their breakup; sad stuff there. Next, there's romance novelist Sophia, played by B-movie goddess Monique Parent. She's using that silly alias Scarlet Johansing again, and she's got a very professional look this time--with blonde hair, of course. It wouldn't be Monique if she didn't have at least one scene where she plays with herself--and she obliges, during one of Eric and Linda's sex scenes.James and Shene (Devinn Lane--yes, the porn star Devinn Lane) show up for a little weekend getaway as well. Unbeknownst to Shene, James and Christina have quite a history. James and Christina used to date, but Christina broke it off to head to this mountain lodge. James comes up to the lodge to get Christina back, but his plan backfires. Christina spills the beans to Shene, which causes Shene to walk out on him and down to the local bar to strip for the locals. Shene ends up in the sleeping bag of the now-single Eric, and they leave together. Bait realizes she wants something more than just sex with Hank, and Christine finds true love with Chip, with Sophia soaking it all in and writing it into her next romance novel. In fact....if you ask me, this whole movie played out like a romance novel. I don't know if the screenwriter was going for that effect, but I sure got that impression. Sophia had some of the best lines in this film, playing up the idea that this is a live-action romance novel. She seems to enjoy all the fighting and backstabbing going on.Now to the sex. There was a fair amount of it, and it was the usual bump-and grind stuff. Monique did her fair share of moaning in her two sex scenes. This film was tapeworthy, and the story will actually keep the audience somewhat interested in between the sex scenes.Women: A- (Monique was simply Monique. Out of all the softcore actresses I've seen over the years, she's the best at acting, in my opinion. She can really act and be sexy, which is why she's holding on to the #1 position in my Skinemax Top 10. Kelli McCarty is better at doing softcore films than she is on the soap opera "Passions"; I don't know why she's not doing more of these. Flower was merely background scenery for the most part in a limited role. Samantha McConnell continues to impress me, and Devinn Lane is yet another hardcore actress crossing over into the softcore realm and doing a halfway decent job at it.)Sex: B (It was good, but not awe-inspiring spectacular. Plenty of moaning. Don't watch the R-rated version, trust me....most of the good stuff is taken out. My grade is for the uncut version.)Story: B (A solid storyline which throws in a contrived "Ooh, the building inspector's gonna shut us down" subplot toward the end which messes up things. The underlying story between Christina and James was nice, and Sophia's dialogue, full of the metaphors and imagery usually found in romance novels, was a nice touch.)Overall: B+ (I found this movie to be quite entertaining. It's not a surefire Softcore Hall-Of-Famer like "Girl for Girl" is, but it's a respectable addition to the Skinemax collection.)$LABEL$ 1 +This is the most energetic and entertaining ten minutes of film >I've seen in a long time. As a film student at NYU, where this >short has been screened several times, I salute Jim Cox for his >astute sense of style and pace for our generation. I'm sure >I'll see his name later on the big screen. Hopefully this short >will find a market on TV or somewhere, so this inspiring work >can get the wide distribution it des$LABEL$ 1 +I wouldn't say this totally sucked, but if it wasn't for Netflix I wouldn't even have this in my house. Steve Martin's eccentric president of a chain of health food stores falls flat. He's just not funny. He's another in a LONG slew of SNL rejects that can only find work whoring themselves to the next SNL movie. The birthing coach with the Elmer Fudd lisp is about as funny as it is original. Amy Poehler simply goes through the same motions she would for a 7 minute SNL skit which is about as funny as SNL lately. The only thing going for this movie is that Tina Fey is easy on the eyes. The ending was predictable as soon as you heard her character couldn't get pregnant. The subject matter could have opened up to other comedic attempts, but it seems to simple simmer along, not really entertaining or creating laughs.$LABEL$ 0 +'The Hills Eyes II', one of the most pointless and blatantly stupid sequels to come around in some time, is 90 minutes of incompetent film making at its finest. Or worst, however you choose to look at it. While 2006's 'Hills' remake was one of the year's best, and truly frightening, horror films, this sequel takes every spark out of what made that such an accomplishment. Part 2 never gets off the ground, and neither does its mind numbing dialogue. Worst of all, it's not that scary.2006's remake followed a family who find themselves in the middle of the New Mexico desert, deserted, and one by one being picked off by deranged and sadistic hill people. People who, as a result of the military testing the atomic bomb on their land years ago, have become who they are. Surviving off travelers who wander into the region. The sequel puts audiences in the same desert, now occupied by the military as they covertly investigate the hills and what might have happened to that poor family. When a group of military trainees are brought to the campsite, they find it deserted with no signs of life. A grim reality soon befalls them, as they come to the realization that they're not alone. And the bloody fate that was handed to many before them will soon become their destiny.It doesn't take a genius to realize that 'Hills' has no legitimate reason to exist. But because last year's remake was received well both at the box office and by critics, it came to no surprise that a sequel would be rushed into production while there's still money to be earned. There's no rhyme or reason to it this time around, just an unbelievable and ridiculous set-up to pave the way for thoughtless characters, unoriginal killings, a non-existent story, and slipping interest. Originally, director Alexander Aja made Craven's cult classic into a remake that was a unique and thoroughly disturbing experience. One that gruesomely crossed the line on more than one occasions. Its frank display of violence, sadistic torture, well-rounded characterization, and white-knuckled suspense were all effectively used to shock and repulse audiences. The second time around, it's rehashed hand-me-downs. There's no style, no grit. It tries to build up tension by dismembering bodies, when all it really does is make for a been there, done that kind film, where even the gore seems tame compared to more recent bloodbaths.It's a sad state of affairs when deformed mutants who capture women for breeding purposes fails to keep your attention. It's a bore, nothing more. 'Hills' has no bite. Despite a jump or two here and there, there's nothing very scary about this by-the-numbers horror flick. It feels like something you'd see on the Sci-Fi channel, only with some F-bombs, a blood splatter here and there, a rape, and a graphic birth scene that's more gross than shocking. It's cheap. And with 'Hills', you reap what you sew. With no effort given, you can't expect anything in return.Replacing Aja with Martin Weisz as director was the film's first big mistake, all he does is drain the film of any sort of emotional resonance. But even more shocking is the uncharacteristically bad script penned by Wes Craven and his son, Jonathan Craven. You ask, how bad could it possibly be? This is the kind of dialogue that makes any comparison look like Shakespeare. Craven has had his fair share of clunkers in the past, but I'd never expect something like this from him. It's so unintentionally funny, you have to wonder, is Craven playing a joke on this? Or did he dump this one on his son after the studio payed him off? The film's characters are one-dimensional talking heads with no emotions or common sense. The acting is just as bad. The only character who may win you over is 'Napoleon' Napoli, the scrawny kid who doesn't fit in with the others. Even the deranged and instinct-driven villains, who we might have found some favor with in the deepest of our thoughts a year ago, are met with indifferent. You don't hate them, you don't like them. You honestly couldn't care less. Just like this movie.Even if you were giddy with fear during 'The Hills Have Eyes', as I was, you'll have a tough time finding anything to enjoy in this piece of garbage. It's as generic as generic gets, and there's absolutely nothing here we haven't seen done many times already. I can't express this enough, avoid 'The Hills Have Eyes II' like the plague. It's frightless, unoriginal, frantic, and a bore. Stick to the remake or Craven's original vision. Because if you don't walk out after the first thirty minutes, don't say I didn't warn you.$LABEL$ 0 +Hamlet is by far my favorite of all of Shakespeare's works. Branaugh is one heck of an actor. His portrayal of this was just amazing. His soliloquies were breathtaking. For as long as it was it is rare for a film to hold my interest, however I was engrossed in this particular piece. I recommend this to anyone both fan of Shakespeare and those not so much. This has everything the modern world looks for in its films: murder, betrayal, and deceit. Not to knock Mel Gibson's version, but Branaughs touches the whole work. This leaves no stone unturned. When you finish the film it will feel as if you read the play yourself. Um how you say "two thumbs up".$LABEL$ 1 +Joline (Heather Graham) sets out after her husband Carl (Luke Wilson) who disappeared to clear his head about himself and their marriage. Joline, who is committed to their marriage starts her journey to find Carl, yet on the way discovers a lot about herself. On her trip she encounters a bountiful of interesting characters who unknowingly help her find her way.In my eyes this is a classical road movie, which moves just at the right pace (some viewers may find it too slow). Throughout the movie it keeps its humorous note while Joline responds to the craziness of the world around her with a warm, knowing, sometimes sad smile. All actresses and actors give wonderful performances and the musical score is immaculate. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +The summary line is some men's wet dream for the ideal woman ... ;o) Seriously though, back to the movie, which has classic cinema written all over it (pun intended and quite literally shown in the picture, too as you'll see)! How could someone make a silent movie in this year and age? It's not completely silent for once (take the music for instance). With great cinematography is the answer. And it's no wonder that it did win prizes (as another user stated) in this area! But it's also sometimes it's downfall. Although the pictures are great, it sometimes delves too much in them instead of moving forward (plot and time wise). If you can cope with that, than you'll enjoy it even more than me. I haven't told you anything about the story, but I'll never do that, because I don't want to spoiler anything for you ...$LABEL$ 1 +'Deliverance' is a brilliant condensed epic of a group of thoroughly modern men who embark on a canoe trip to briefly commune with nature, and instead have to fight for their sanity, their lives, and perhaps even their souls. The film has aged well. Despite being made in the early Seventies, it certainly doesn't look particularly dated. It still possesses a visceral punch and iconic status as a dramatic post-'Death of the Sixties' philosophical-and-cultural shock vehicle. There are very few films with similar conceits that can compare favourably to it, although the legendary Sam Peckinpah's stuff would have to be up there. Yes, there has been considerable debate and discussion about the film's most confronting scene (which I won't expand upon here) - and undoubtedly one of the most confronting scenes in the entire history of the cinematic medium - but what surprises about this film is how achingly beautiful it is at times. This seems to be generally overlooked (yet in retrospect quite understandably so). The cinematography that captures the essence of the vanishing, fragile river wilderness is often absolutely stunning, and it counterbalances the film as, in a moment of brief madness, we the viewers - along with the characters themselves - are plunged into unrelenting nightmare. 'Deliverance's narrative is fittingly lean and sinewy, and it is surprising how quickly events unfold from point of establishment, through to crisis, and aftermath. It all takes place very quickly, which lends a sense of very real urgency to the film. The setting is established effectively through the opening credits. The characters are all well-drawn despite limited time spent on back story. We know just enough about them to know them for the kind of man they are, like them and ultimately fear for them when all goes to hell. The conflict and violence within the movie seems to erupt out of nowhere, with a frightening lack of logic. This is author James Dickey's theme - that any prevailing romanticism about the nature of Man's perceived inherent 'goodness' can only wilt and die when his barely suppressed animal instincts come to the fore. There are no demons or bogeymen here. The predatory hillbillies - as the film's central villains - are merely crude, terrifyingly amoral cousins of our protagonists. They shock because their evil is petty and tangible. The film has no peripheral characters. All reflect something about the weaknesses and uncertainties of urbanised Homo Sapiens in the latter 20th century, and all are very real and recognisable. Burt Reynolds is wonderful in this movie as the gung-ho and almost fatally over-confident Survivalist, Lewis, and it is a shame to think that he really couldn't recapture his brief moment of dramatic glory throughout the rest of his still sputtering up-and-down career ('Boogie Nights' excluded, perhaps). Trust me, if your are not a Reynolds fan, you WILL be impressed with his performance here. John Voight is his usual effortlessly accomplished self, and Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox both make significant contributions. This is simply a great quartet of actors. To conclude, I must speculate as to if and when 'Deliverance' author James Dickey's 'To the White Sea' will be made. For those that enjoyed (?) this film, TTWS is a similarly harrowing tale of an American Air Force pilot's struggle for survival after being shot down over the Japanese mainland during WW2. It's more of the typically bleak existentialism and primordial savagery that is Dickey's trademark, but it has all the makings of a truly spectacular, poetic cinematic experience. There was the suggestion a few years ago that the Coen brothers might be producing it, but that eventually came to nothing. Being an avid Coen-o-phile it disappoints me to think what might have been had they gotten the green light on TTWS, rather than their last couple of relatively undistinguished efforts. Returning to 'Deliverance', it's impossible to imagine a movie of such honest, unnerving brutality being made in these times, and that is pretty shameful. We, the cinema-going public, are all the poorer for this.$LABEL$ 1 +By strange coincidence I've started to watch this move straight after Brice de Nice and the good thing was that not many movies could be worst than Brice de Nice, so I was really looking forward for something better which would make me forget this horrible flop.Unfortunately OSS-117 again left me disappointed - I don't know, maybe it's just problem with translations, but since "Diner de Cons" I haven't seen ANY French comedy that I would call really good. Even when I look at the reviews on IMDb only people from France are giving the OSS-117 high notes...For me this movie didn't really work - in some parts is as funny as real Bond movies, in others jokes were a little bit too predictable or too corny.$LABEL$ 0 +I am so angry to the point i normally down make reviews with spoilers but in this case I'll make an exception.The first scenes of this movies are weak and then when they get to the meat and potatoes of the movie it sucks. This is one movie were i rooted for the bad guys because the captain-save-the-day was unbelievable and there was no connection to him or nothing to make you like him. The lead actor gave the weakest performance and Laurence Fishburne or Matt Dillon couldn't even save this movie. Sometime there are eye openers or great moments in a film that may not be that great..this movie has none. If you are looking for a movie to see in the meantime while nothing peeked your interest...don't choose this one..save your money.$LABEL$ 0 +OH MY GOD.. THE WORST SH*T I'VE EVER SEEN -this is the main thought which came into my mind right after watching the movie. And I really do not understand anybody with opposite myth. Though, maybe the idea was good but the effect miserable. I especially mean the role of H. Graham. What was that??? In my opinion it has destroyed all positive intentions of producers. The character was played in affected and annoying way. Every time she appears it reminds that you' re watching a movie and is destroying a spirit of the moment, then whole movie because the most time what you can see there are her stupid faces with more stupid attempts to create the emotion. TERRIBLE, don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was made by a bunch of white guys that went to school together. Well there's nothing wrong with that, except it looks like it was made by a bunch of white guys that went to school together. 90 percent of the cast are white males about same age. It's almost like watching a bunch of guys at boys camp who turned the camera on themselves. The movie has no plot. It simply repeats the same action of blood bath after blood bath. There are some funny scenes and comedic bits. But they don't redeem the flat monotony.The graphic cartoon scenes are used to cover the stuff that was obviously beyond their budget or resources to do, and not done very well at that. Anything that can't be done with white guys running around on the beach covered in blood is done with cheap animation.I went to see this film after seeing the trailer, which makes it look like a Tarrentino piece. Well, the trailer scenes are as good as they ever get. Ther rest of it just repeats the same kind of mundane, inane comedy. It works at times, but it gets boring after the same stuff comes at you over and over. It's more like a string of Satuday Night Live skits than a movie. It's a hit-you-over-the-head-with-it kind of comedy. I can see where the story idea is intriguing. But, in this film post apocalyptic America is much like Medevil England. In fact Wheatlry says the story ideas came from that era. He plans to make a Part 2. I guess he thinks he's Tarrentino or maybe doing a parody thing.At the opening in LA, Wheatley mentioned he will bring back pretty much the same cast in part 2. He was asked if he might consider a more diverse cast in the next one, to which he replied, well yea, sure.$LABEL$ 0 +DON'T EVEN TRY to figure out the logic of this story. But do ride along with 10-year-old Gus on the most bizarre road trip ever witnessed. More weird characters and implausible situations than a Twin Peaks reunion! Nothing makes sense, yet it's impossible to stop watching Motorama! Now, where can I find that 'R'????$LABEL$ 1 +Don't get fooled with all the big names like Burt Reynolds,James Woods and Anne Archer. They are just glorified extra's. Their scenes were probably filmed in one day or so. Whatever their motives for being in this movie, if you have an actor like James Woods you better make good use of him. To me this is a sign of bad direction through and through. The plot itself wasn't that bad. And the acting from most of the actors was above average. Cuba Gooding Jr. however was terrible. He was so unbelievable that I almost laughed at his dramatic scenes. And since this was meant as a serious movie that can't be a good thing. The action scenes were not bad,but they lacked that special punch to make it more exciting. Again better direction was needed. Also the pacing was wrong for a movie like this. It took the main character almost half an hour to get in action. For an action thriller of only 90 minutes that is far too slow. The only redeeming factor is Angie Harmon. She does her best to make it all work. Too bad the director left her hanging. Yes,this movie could have been much better with a great director. Andy Cheng is far too inexperienced as a director to pull it off. And for an action/stunt coordinator of his caliber you'd expect at least more exciting action scenes. Don't waste your time with this one. Avoid!$LABEL$ 0 +I was really looking forward to this movie based on the previews and press it received, but after viewing it I was terribly disappointed. Slums is a totally unfunny film mixed with a Todd Solondz type of disturbing family reality sans Todd's brand of humor. The story drags along and each scene is worse than the last. Maybe I missed the point, but if this film is an example of every girl's growing up experience I am glad to be a man.$LABEL$ 0 +The monster will look very familiar to you. So will the rest of the film, if you've seen a half-dozen of these teenagers-trapped-in-the-woods movies. Okay, so they're not teenagers, this time, but they may as well be. Three couples decide it might be a good idea to check out a nearly-abandoned ghost town, in hopes of finding the gold that people were killed over a scant century-and-a-half before. You'd think that with a title like "Miner's Massacre" some interesting things might happen. They don't. In fact, only about 1/10 of the film actually takes place in the mine. I had envisioned teams of terrified miners scampering for their lives in the cavernous confines of their workplace, praying that Black Lung Disease would get them before The Grim Reaper exacted his grisly revenge, but instead I got terrestrial twenty-somethings fornicating--and, in one case, defecating--in the woods, a gang of morons with a collective I.Q. that would have difficulty pulling a plastic ring out of a box of Cracker Jacks, much less a buried treasure from an abandoned mine. No suspense, no scares, and plenty of embarrassing performances give this turkey a 3 for nudity.$LABEL$ 0 +I just got the DVD for Hardware Wars, in a shiny new package, looking irresistable. Stuck it in my DVD player to find a slew of extra fun stuff. The extra content on the DVD is even longer than the movie. For those of you that have (shame!) never seen Hardware Wars, it one fantastically silly Star Wars spoof (of Episode IV, of course). Household appliances (such as irons, toasters, vacuums, and a waffle maker) stand in for Ty-fighters, X-wings, R2D2, and the death star. Instead of Princess Leia, we have Princess Ann-Droid, complete with Cinnabon hairdo. You get the point, I'm sure. Mad silliness, and a fun ride for any Star Wars geek (like me!)Now, the DVD - wow! A director's commentary where he basically goes off on the movie, making fun of himself and the project throughout. An interview with Fosselius on Creature Features (remember that?!) and hilarious "director's cut" and "foreign version" of the movie (all jokes of course). Anyway, this is great. I loved Hardware Wars in the theater, and am so glad for having the DVD in my collection - wedged in between MST3K: the movie and Thumb Wars!$LABEL$ 1 +Before the regular comments, my main curiosity about THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG is that while there's a running time listed on IMDb of 94 minutes, the DVD from Wellspring Media in the United States runs 88 minutes. Any input on this is appreciated!Two friends with very rough lives take on the road for an adventure. What they wind up in is just that, with one accidentally shooting a girl and the two escaping by foot into the countryside. Rather than just a big chase, the film is complicated by the the daft and rather childlike Spike behaving inappropriately, and clutching his boom box like a teddy bear. Some viewers may dislike the story based solely upon the character Spike, but without a bit of frustration added to the story, the film would have been too easy. You'll notice the way the more stable character Heaton refers to Spike as "big man" in contrast to Spike's "kid out of control" attitude and behavior. Frankly, I too was aggravated by Spike's ridiculous actions, especially the spray can sniffing, but in a desperate situation it's apparent someone of his mentality would choose an temporary escape. But, Heaton was there to keep things in check up until things get way over his head as well.Kenny Glenaan as Heaton is a marvel, and after a while I quit wondering why in the heck he would want to pick Spike up from prison and continue a friendship, due to Glenaan's great performance. After all, there are many many reasons during their run that would be a good idea for Heaton to just ditch Spike and try to save himself. I suppose Heaton felt like a protective older brother to Spike, and the loyalty between the two is hard to break -- until things get too desperate.While some of the cinematography is indeed artsy, it does offer more flavor to story instead of just shots of the men running through the wilderness. The beautiful landscapes, rain, and vast gray skies offer a somber tone that increases the feel of the tragic circumstances. The score is unusual as well, and the use of Public Image Ltd.'s song "This Is Not A Love Song" and as the title of the film is quite smart.Overall, it's understandable if you don't care for THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG as it's focused on two contrasting personalities escaping from another man determined to hunt them down (played by a cool, quiet David Bradley). It's not big-budget action entertainment. For the rest of us that enjoy seeking out something minimal and dramatic, it's time worthwhile spent, and it DOES offer some extremely tense moments that have you holding your breath a bit.I'm really enjoying the films coming out of Scotland recently, with the likes of this one, Dog Soldiers, and The Devil's Tattoo. I'm also a bit thankful for the subtitles offered on this DVD, as the accents are sometimes lightning fast and difficult for some viewers like me to understand. Frustrating, dark, and often tense, THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG is very tragic yet engrossing storytelling.$LABEL$ 1 +I rarely watch short films as they only seem to be on late night television and are not publicised enough for me to know which short films are worth while. As The Room is an extra feature on The Hitcher DVD, it gave me a wonderful opportunity to witness a high quality short with Rutger Hauer in excellent form.Artistically shot in black and white, The Room explores a man's obsession with a room he passed by in the early stages of adulthood and is expressed in a documentary/ interview style. The dialogue is very poetic, typical of a man expressing his feelings for a woman, but is also juxtaposed with ramblings and occasional deficiencies in fluency. This adds great realism and depth to Hauer's performance who is perfect as an eccentric man with most of his life behind him.The piano music that Harry (Hauer) hears from the room is constantly in the background and enhances the touching atmosphere of the film and intensifies the feelings of sadness expressed by Hauer.Hauer proves he is more than just a psychotic Hollywood bad guy with this role and perfectly displays his more sensitive side. Mattijn Hartemink is also effective in the flashback scenes as young Harry with a silent role. He shows how affected he is by the music and his disappointment when it goes away.The ending is prophetic and leaves you in a reflective mood longer than many feature length films. A very good effort.$LABEL$ 1 +I know it sounds crazy but yes, I am a huge fan of House Party 1 and 2 (and proud of it!!). I hated part 3, and then here comes part 4. I was like are you kidding me with this? Kid 'n Play are nowhere to be found in this movie, and that would've been okay, had they not foolishly entitled the movie House Party 4, as if it was in any way, shape, form, or fashion related to its predecessors. Every time this movie comes on late at night on USA, I shoot my TV with a rifle. Quite frankly, it really is just that atrocious. *hurling*As the only remaining fan of Kid 'n Play that will actually admit to being a fan (tee hee hee), I was appalled. Remember that stupid little boy group Immature? They snuck their way into House Party 3. Okay, fine and well but how can part 4 be just about them and nothing else and it also seems like they're not even the same kids from part 3. *confused!!!!* House Party fans: do yourself a favor and stick to House Party 1 and 2 and Class Act. Beyond that, everything else is ridiculous.$LABEL$ 0 +Walter Matthau and George Burns were a famous vaudeville comedy act, Lewis and Clark, who haven't spoken in over 10 years. Burns retired and Matthau took it personally and has held a grudge ever since. Such is the premise of this hilarious Neil Simon play made into a movie. Of course, what makes it so good is Matthau and Burns in their prime, and the material is funnier than anything you can find today. Richard Benjamin shines as Matthau's nephew and agent. There's even old clips of actual stars of the golden era to get you into the groove of the film, and character actor Fritz Feld starts it all off with a "pop." Rosetta LaNoire, who started out in the 30s in theater with Orson Welles and later was Grandma on "Family Matters," is great in a small role.The only problem I had with it (and maybe I'm being too picky and/or serious) is the way Matthau treats Burns when they first meet. Granted, he's had a lot of resentment festering in all these years, but some of the things he does would be considered rude or just plain bad manners taken out of context. Also, I'm used to seeing Matthau act that way in other movies, but not to George Burns. And, Matthau's bellowing tends to get a little old. All in all, if you need a consistently funny film to help and forget your troubles, put in "The Sunshine Boys." They'll lift your spirits and make you think of a simpler time and way of life.Benjamin: "You have to slide it." Matthau: "Wait, wait. I think you have to slide it."$LABEL$ 1 +George & Mildred - The Movie lacks the talents of its TV writer John Mortimer who brings the close quarter cut and thrust of George's class war with the Fourmiles alive.The plot is cut from standard spin-off cloth - hit-man/mistaken identity - and has as little tension as there are laughs. The producers should have taken a leaf from Rising Damp, (also 1980)which was also bought to the big screen after the TV series demise, and kept much of the story in familiar setting.Yootha Joyce died in 1980 but she should not be remembered for this creaking piece of work encumbered as she was by her illness. Mildred lacks the sharpness of her TV incarnation; cutting asides and withering looks largely directed at Georges lack of libido. George's sputtering incredulity also gets lost in the more expansive sets. This is not to say that they were much to shout about. The budget for this movies looks pathetically small; a restaurant they go to is clearly a new semi-starched house with some Christmas lights adorning the front door.For fans of 70's British comedy or those who just want to revisit an old TV companion from their youth this film can add nothing to the experience and they should just stick to the first four TV series out now on DVD.$LABEL$ 0 +Loved this movie, what a hoot. Rupert and Julie are great together with Rupert being almost poker faced against Julie's animation, which worked well. Laura did a good job as the overbearing mother.Julie of course is marvellous as usual. While this movie will keep you laughing most of the time it also has a poignant side to it as it unravels the secrets in the lives of the main characters. Interesting that it was entitled Driving Lessons as this might lead you to believe this is the main feature of the movie which directly it is not though it certainly could be seen as "Ben" finally being in the driving seat in his own life. Like most things that are funny in life there is always the sad side and there are some moving moments in this movie. Very enjoyable movie and well worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie took me by surprise. I first saw it more than 10 years ago, and it stays with me still. It's got it's just plain boring points, and I, personally, would have ended it differently- this has not in the least bit discouraged me from watching it over and over and recommending it to others. The acting is _fantastic_. The cast and director do an amazing job with the script, and anyone who likes 'different' movies, who has the patience to sit and say, "What the hell is this?", and allow themselves to be drawn in should give this film a chance. If you just want Alan Rickman to be goofy or to see things explode this is not the movie for you.$LABEL$ 1 +A story of obsessive love pushed to its limits and of a lovely swan whose beauty is the very ticket to her own premature demise. Placed at the beginning of talkies, PRIX DE BEAUTE walks a thin line in being a full-on silent film -- which is still is at heart -- and flirting with sound and sound effects. The effect is a little irritating for anyone coming into this film because the recorded audio is extremely tinny and just doesn't help it at all. Hearing sound stage conversation edited over the beginning sequence which takes place in a beach, for example, is as part of the movie as the actress who dubs Louise Brooks' dialog and in doing so robs the audience of a fine performance. Other than that, the movie rolls along more or less well, with little jumps in continuity here and there -- something quite common in films from this era -- and has that vague sped up feel typical of silents. In a way, this is an experiment of a movie, and closer to the style of Sergei Eisenstein in visual presentation and near-intimate closeups that elevate it from what would be a more pedestrian level. Louise Brooks here plays a character less flapper than what she was known for: she's a stenographer who on a lark decides to enter a beauty contest despite the furious opposition of her extremely smothering boyfriend. Her role is quite Thirties and contemporary for its time; the last of the flapper/Jazz Baby roles were being shown on screen and now, with the onset of female independence, women as professionals were being represented in film. That Brooks's character decides to leave her boyfriend (even if she does "reconcile" with him later) is also a little ahead of her time. However, her character's fatal flaw is its willing to believe what isn't there -- that her boyfriend wants her to succeed -- and this is what leads to her end at the movie theatre. This final sequence looks like something straight out of Hitchcock in its heightened suspense (seen in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH) and cuts from Brooks, her image on screen, and the murderous boyfriend. Even more dramatic is the placement of the still singing "live" Brooks with the now dead one -- a chilling effect to a chilling, powerful movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not a kung fu movie. This is a comedy about kung fu. And if, before making this film, Sammo Hung hadn't spent some time watching films by the great French comic filmmaker Jaques Tati (i.ie., e.g., esp. Jour de fête), he is certainly on the same wave length.Personally, I think Tati's films are hilarious; but they're not to all tastes. Some have told me that they loathe his work. I've never figured out why, but I think it's because the character that Tati usually plays himself is so totally dead pan, so unaffected by the events around him (which he is usually causing) that many miss the more subtle comic bits happening around him.At any rate, Tati's main shtick - or at least his best known - is to take a pretentiously upright petite bourgeoisie with 19th century sensibilities and drop him into 20th century France where he must confront a society that is largely defined by the gradual eroding of those sensibilities. He usually has serious difficulties with little things like record players or radios. He's a hazard in a car, but the world's no safer when he rides a bicycle. But through it all, he never loses his aplomb, which is derived from his inner recognition that the nineteenth century was more interesting than the 20th overall.In a similar fashion, the character Sammo Hung himself plays is a country boy come to the big city of Hong Kong, utterly convinced that what makes the city interesting is that Bruce Lee made kung fu movies there. This gets him into trouble in small ways, since he takes in stride happenstance which would never be noticed in a small town but which are deemed inappropriate in a big city - such as the moment when he appears to be urinating in the street, A cop stops him, only to discover that Hung is actually just squeezing water out of his shirt, soaked during an accidental dip in the bay. What's interesting about this gag is why it is Hung doesn't understand what the cop's fuss is all about - in a country town, as long as no one's looking, if you gotta go you gotta go. In other words, Hung is not really urinating in the street - but he certainly would - and what's the problem officer? Of course Hung's obsession with Bruce Lee also gets him into big troubles as well. He beats a gang of thugs who have refused to pay his restaurant-owner uncle. Of course, in a Bruce Lee movie, the thugs would be considered trounced, and they would have learned their lesson. But in Hung's Hong Kong, reality unfortunately prevails, and the thugs return when he's not around, to trounce his uncle.Of course, Hung finally triumphs in the end, just as Tati always did. Characters like this must always triumph (at least in comedy) because they are completely innocent, and as such, despite their comic missteps and misunderstandings, they really represent what is best in the humans we admire and wish to be. We don't really want to be Bruce Lee (who has to experience the loss of all of his friends before he gets a chance to beat the bad-guy), we, in our own innocence, really want a world where Lee's heroics are possible.Unfortunately, that world only exists on film."Ah, but what if...?" - and in that question we find Sammo Hung at his comic best.$LABEL$ 1 +Two days after seeing this thing, I'm still in agony over HAVING seen it. It's so bad, you have to wonder how anyone could write this tripe, much less allow it to be loose on the general public. Stilted acting, a leading man who looks like he's sleepwalking, and Alison Eastwood embarrassing herself. The action is indicative of low budget movie making, which means it is painfully bad. The plot? Well, if you were 6 years old, then you could have written this movie. Simplistic, idealistic, and just plain lame.$LABEL$ 0 +Note: This should probably be read only after watching the film.It is very rare to find a documentary or movie that focuses on the loser. Deep Water does just this, making it one of the most thought provoking films in a very long time. It does not provide us with a hero to look up to, but rather an anti-hero who forces us to look into ourselves.The film is about a group of men who attempt to sail around the globe, singlehandedly, and without stopping. Only one makes it, several die, one decides not to return home, each of them on a psychological journey intriguing enough to merit entire films for themselves. Yet the most interesting is Donald Crowhurst, or rather the way that he is portrayed by the filmmakers and our reactions to him as viewers.By any standards this man should be considered a despicable character, yet why is he depicted so heroically? Why are we so sympathetic to him? From the beginning he made all of the wrong choices. He risked his family financially to get the boat, he left at a more dangerous time to get more publicity, he ignored all of the warnings despite his lack of experience, he chose to lie instead of admitting defeat, these choices snowball until the inevitable and final one: suicide. All for what? A place in history? A feeling of accomplishment? Perhaps. What is important to consider is whether this mans situation was inevitable.Each individual must ask himself if his natural human drive for fame and accomplishment would bring him to such recklessness, and I believe that examining your own reaction to Crowhurst's story will offer at least some answer to that question.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1984, The Karate Kid had some charm to it, even if it was little more than a poor man's Rocky. Alas, producer Jerry Weintraub failed to realize it was best to leave the story at the point where it had ended, and convinced Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita to make an extra effort to turn the film into a trilogy. Part III was the definitive low in the franchise, yet someone must have thought the series still had some potential. What other explanation could there possibly be for the existence of The Next Karate Kid?Wait a minute. Next? Yep, Macchio's gone (at least he was smart enough to stop eventually), and his replacement is Hilary Swank (!), playing a troubled teenager (what else?) named Julie Pierce. Now, the girl has family issues. She also gets in trouble at school. Said school has a sadistic gym teacher (Michael Ironside). As it turns out, though, one of his students is actually a nice guy, and Julie falls for him. This gets her in bigger trouble than before, of course. Lucky for her, she is currently living with Mr. Miyagi (Morita), an old friend of her grandfather who happens to know how to get back at the bad guys.All those factors ad up to seven clichés, and that's just a generic plot summary - imagine what the detailed scenes must be like! From beginning to end, The Next Karate Kid is a tired, flat and dull marathon of idiotic lines and set-ups. Swank does, thankfully, have the likes of Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby to redeem this disaster, but why did Morita accept to come back? He may have received an Oscar nomination for the first movie, and was quite enjoyable in the sequels, but has nothing to speak for him here - even the revival of the "wax on, wax off" gag is stillborn. As for Ironside, he is slightly better than Martin Kove and Thomas Ian Griffith in Part III, but that's hardly a stretch.So, is this picture really that awful? Not exactly. There is one sequence that manages to achieve a weird beauty, but when the best bit in the whole film involves a group of Asian monks dancing as they hear pop music for the first time in their lives, it doesn't qualify as a recommendation to see the rest.$LABEL$ 0 +I was on a mission to watch Uwe Boll movies to see if they were really as bad as all that. The first one I saw, BloodRayne, was not a complete loss. I liked it more than most people, and actually rated it a 4 out of 10. Next up was the first House of the Dead movie. Now THAT was horrifically bad. I could stand watching ten minutes of it, and fast-forwarding a bit, and that was it. I could see where it was going and I didn't need to see any more of it in order to rate it a just 1 out of 10.But I had access to the sequel, too (which however is not by Uwe Boll, but, mysteriously, written by the same guys who so incompetently wrote the first one), and since it got a higher rating at IMDb than the original, I thought I'd give it a chance. And I actually managed to watch all of it. It started out with some funny references and cool lines (like how the president got his orders from the vice-president!), and acting-wise it is light-years better than the first. Here we have cool muchachas like the ultra-hot Emmanuelle Vaugier, whose coolness is in league with Carrie-Anne Moss, Claudia Black and Evangeline Lilly. Man, I hope some Matrix-style movie comes along for her sometime. And the always delectable, super-aerobicized Victoria Pratt. I love athletic women. And, there was also Nadine Velazquez (Catalina on "My Name Is Earl"), who performed quite well.The story wasn't much, and the action wasn't great, either, and the ending was a disappointment, as they didn't succeed in their mission. Oh well, at least the two mains survived. Guess that's some small victory, too.Good cast, but a pretty bad movie. The actors make it watchable, but there's no real substance there.3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is made for persons with IQ lower than 80. The jokes in the show are so lame. If you are on a deserted island and you do not have anything to do you will be better than to watch this garbage.... You will hate their accent their behavior and all the stupid jokes and pranks they try to perform...It really pisses me of that viewers gave Reba 6.7 on their voting...Sure i knew there are some people with IQ lower than 80 but what i did not know that there are so many of them! So people if you got to read this I hope that you will never ever download or buy this peace of garbage... I know it is not the place for his but i wish to recommend one much better mini-series 'Scrubs'$LABEL$ 0 +I suppose that today this film has relevance because it was an early Sofia Loren film. She was 19 years old when the film was made in 1953.I viewed this film because I wanted to see some of Sofia Loren's early work. I was surprised when she came on camera having had her skin bronzed over in brown makeup to resemble an Ethiopian princess. Surely, today, this would have been viewed as a slur and to be avoided in movie making. It actually became annoying watching Ms. Loren in skin color paint throughout the film.Yes, this film would have been better made if the real opera singers had made this movie. Then, the singing and the actual facial gestures of the real artists would have been apparent. I discount the comments by others about whether the real opera singers are older and heavier in weight.As beautiful as Ms. Loren was at age 19 and still is today, the film would have been better received as though it were being performed on the stage. After all, we don't see beautiful young people on stage with "old opera singers" back stage singing from behind the curtain! Do not discount the success of using heavy-weight opera singers. One only has to refer to the most artistically produced television commercial for the J. G. Wentworth Company with the opera singers on stage singing so professionally the praises of the company's product. This is one of the best and entertaining TV commercials produced to date.The quality of the movie print also makes this production of a somewhat lesser quality. The color ink has faded much and that can not be helped.To improve this film on DVD the production company should add English language subtitles so that we, who do not speak Italian, can know what the lyrics are saying. It would help the story and teach it more than the narrator giving 30 seconds of introduction to the scenes.Watch this film not because of the story of Aida nor the fact that this is an opera. Aside from Ms. Sofia Loren none of her co-actors are known nor remembered by this writer. Instead, watch this movie if you are a fan of Ms. Loren and wish to see her at age 19 -- no matter what the production is.Larry from Illinois$LABEL$ 0 +Flawlessly directed, written, performed, and filmed, this quiet and unpretentious Danish film is an example of cinema at its best, and if a person exists who can watch BABETTE'S FEAST without being touched at a very fundamental level, they are a person I do not care to know.The story is quite simple. In the 1800s, two elderly maiden ladies (Birgitte Federspiel and Bodil Kjer) reside in remote Jutland, where they have sacrificed their lives, romantic possibilities, and personal happiness in order to continue their long-dead father's religious ministry to the small flock he served. One of the women's youthful admirers sends to them a Frenchwoman, Babette (Stéphane Audran), whose husband and son have been killed in France and who has fled her homeland lest she meet the same fate. Although they do not really require her services, the sisters engage her as maid and cook--and as the years pass her cleverness and tireless efforts on their behalf enables the aging congregation to remain together and the sisters to live in more comfort than they had imagined; indeed, the entire village admires and depends upon her.One day, however, Babette receives a letter: she has won a lottery and is now, by village standards, a wealthy woman. Knowing that her new wealth will mean her return to France, the sisters grant her wish that she be allowed to prepare a truly French meal for them and the members of their tiny congregation. The meal and the evening it is served is indeed a night to remember--but not for reasons that might be expected, for Babette's feast proves to be food for both body and soul, and is ultimately her gift of love to the women who took her in and the villagers who have been so kind to her.The film is extraordinary in every way, meticulous in detail yet not overpowering in its presentation of them. As the film progresses, we come to love the characters in both their simple devotion to God and their all-too-human frailties, and the scenes in which Babette prepares her feast and in which the meal is consumed are powerful, beautiful, and incredibly memorable. There have been several films that have used food as a metaphor for love, but none approach the simple artistry and beauty of BABETTE'S FEAST, which reminds us of all the good things about humanity and which proves food for both body and soul. Highly, highly recommended.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer$LABEL$ 1 +if they gave me the option of negative numbers I'd use it. This movie was truly god-awful. I went into the theaters expecting it to be horrible, and it somehow managed to exceed my expectations.The script was weak, the acting was painful. I wanted to walk out but my friend was driving and wanted to get her moneys worth, I think we were both disappointed.The growing of the breasts when the girls got their super power and changing of the hair color was just wrong. Eddie Izzard just seemed wrong for the part of super villain, he came off as oddly weak and silly. Jenny Johnsons (Uma Thurman) came off as psychotic and strange, as did Matt's (Luke Wilson) friend Vaughn (Rainn Wilson.$LABEL$ 0 +A number of posters have commented on the unsatisfactory conclusion. This is always a problem with long, complex dramas. Crime is essentially banal, so the pay off is always anti-climactic, whilst detailed exposition detracts from the human drama. The writer has used a number of clever devices to try and get round this, but has not been entirely successful. Answers to precisely what happened and why may have been supplied, but if so they are well buried. The viewer inevitably feels a little cheated.But in a sense this is unimportant. The drama was never about the crime, or even the investigation, it was about the impact of events on the lives of those involved; the family, the investigators, the witnesses, the press. And as such it was gripping. The writing was a significant cut above the run of the mill for prime-time drama, and the performances uniformly good. In an ensemble piece it is invidious to focus on individuals, but Penelope Wilton deserves special mention for an extraordinary tour de force as the mother-wife-daughter, and Janet McTeer was in cracking form as a hard-bitten old cop.One of the most interesting aspects of the drama is the handling of race, as the elephant in the room that no-one is prepared to mention. Subtle, powerful stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +What ever happened to shows with united parental figures? The parents in this show are nearly as irresponsible as the children. Instead of punishing the youngest child for being manipulative, they let her get away with murder. They can't ever agree on a course of action when it comes to dealing with the children, and instead they do nothing. Yeah, great plan. Just ignore their behavior because they're "cute." This show tells the already manipulative preteens that watch it that the "divide and conquer" technique is the best way to get their parents to "cave." The oldest children are constantly running amok and getting themselves into all sorts of impossible situations, but there are no consequences for their actions. Yeah, great television all right.$LABEL$ 0 +as i said in the other comment this is one of the best teen movies of all time,and one of my personal favorites. to me this movie is the second best teen movie of all time. second only to the breakfast club. the last american virgin is also maybe the most honest teen movie of all time. it's underrated,and pretty much an unknown movie to a lot of people. it comes on TBS maybe once a year,but sometimes longer. the first half of this movie is a sex comedy with a few honest scenes. then the second half is pure honest,and most of the time serious. with only a few comic scenes. in my opinion this is the best soundtrack of all time. i've never heard this many great songs in one movie before. there are 4 love songs in this movie that i think are some of the best love songs in history. the movie is about a pizza boy named gary who is a virgin. hes in high school who has a couple of best friends. his two friends are sex-sarved teens. the first half of the movie is pretty much sexual misadventures. that are very funny. gary is major in love with the new girl in school. he later finds out that his best friend is going out with her. he also cheats on the side. you can feel the love gary has for this girl very much. you can feel it even more in the second half. gary's friend turns out to be a creep. but his other friend is pretty cool. the movie shows how mean people can be. you can relate to a lot of this movie. the plot sounds like your typcial teen sex comedy. but it's so much more than that. it's a very honest movie. it's also very 80ish which i love. if you love the 80's or grew-up in the 80's,rent this movie. but there may be some people that don't like the 80's,but still may like this movie. i first saw this movie back in 1987 i think. it's very entertaining,and very funny. it combines very touching moments with very funny moments. it's an underrated gem! i have the movie. i love it! i give the last american virgin ***1/2 out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +After watching the first 20mn of Blanche(sorry I couldn't take more of it), I have now confirmed she does not. Basically, this "movie" is an insult to the real french actors participating in this farcical piece of junk. It starts from a concept successfully used in French comedies ("Deux heures moins le quart avant Jesus Christ", "La Folie des Grandeurs",...): a historical movie with anachronic tone / dialogues. This can give brilliant results if supported by brilliant actors and a "finesse" of direction avoiding the dreaded "heavy comedy" stigma.Unfortunately, the horsey-faced Lou Doillon ruins everything and Blanche, instead of a comedy, just turns into an horror movie. Horror to cinephiles who want to be puzzled and shocked watching fine actors such as Decaune, Zem or Rochefort struggling in the middle of this gaudy burlesque kitchy-prissy farce.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the weakest of the series, not much of a plot and a rather odd-looking Wallace. But it's still pretty good, considering. A sign of greater things to come!6/10$LABEL$ 0 +Delightful film directed by some of the best directors in the industry today. The film is also casting some of the great actors of our time, not just from France but from everywhere.My favorite segments:14th arrondissement: Carol (Margo Martindale), from Denver, comes to Paris to learn French and also to make a sense of her life.Montmartre: there was probably not a better way to start this movie than with this segment on romantic Paris.Loin du 16ème: an image of Paris that we are better aware of since the riots in the Cités. Ana (Catalina Sandino Moreno) spends more time taking care of somebody else's kid (she's a nanny) than of her own.Quartier Latin: so much fun to see Gérard Depardieu as the "tenancier de bar" with Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara discussing their divorce.Tour Eiffel: don't tell me you didn't like those mimes!Tuileries: such a treat to see Steve Buscemi as the tourist who's making high-contact (a no- no) with a girl in the Metro.Parc Monceau: Nick Nolte is great. Ludivine Sagnier also.I've spend 3 days in Paris in 2004 and this movie makes me want to go back!Seen in Barcelona (another great city), at the Verdi, on March 18th, 2007.84/100 (***)$LABEL$ 1 +OK another film bought by me and Joe Swatman. OK this isn't the worst film i've reviewed this week but it still sucked royaly. we had a lot of fun watching this piece of crap.The Monster Jigsaw is a mish mash of all these dysfunctional students ideas, u just know ur in for trouble when someone equips him with a buzzsaw and a sawed of shotgun, the film wasn't as gory as we hoped, i mean on of the deaths is a heart attack. Again i think the acting sucks, sum of the actors must be porn stars and one get into her undies for what ever reason. The absolute worst part is the ending, it leaves it open for a bit of a Jigsaw 2 but thats never gunna happen lets face it.My ratings:funny 4/100 mock (how much fun we had mocking it) 73/100 acting 8/100 generally 12/100$LABEL$ 0 +cool flick. enjoyable to watch. hope to see more from Fred Carpenter soon. i really like the location setting with all the new york references. it was interesting the way it all unfolds in the end. the suspense factor was effective and the acting, though kept simple, was also effective in portraying the characters. there are a bunch of neat little tricks incorporated into this film that make all the better. i think the supporting actress did a great job in her role. the casting and directing in this film seem to be sewn together seamlessly and the quality of the shooting is quite impressive. the movie is not without its soft moments either, which gives it a nice sense of balance.$LABEL$ 1 +This film can be judged from three viewpoints: as history, as a profile of Amin, as a fictional thriller. It fails as history, it mentions in passing the coup that threw out Obote, the expulsion of the Asians, and has the Entebbe hi-jack as background, but not in any chronologically consistent time frame. As a profile of Amin it may have been interesting, because Forest Whitaker is incredibly good, and if this was a better film, he would get an Oscar. (He got it - which proves the Oscar voters don't watch the films they vote on.) It ignores relevant historical episodes in the novel, which observed Amin and the history of Uganda from the point of view of the doctor. It tells instead the fictitious story of the Scots doctor and his impossible love life from the point of view of Amin. But the story told is the one incident that Amin was probably innocent of. As a fictional thriller, there is no plot to hold it together. The beginning is taut - it takes cinematic liberties with the novel, but sets up the story. The character of the doctor is well-defined, but becomes lost in the second half of the film which suffers as a result.Why the doctor decides to stay in Kampala is badly explained - seduced by power? Why he befriends no-one is strange. The character of the friend in the novel has been lost because the Scotsman has the affair instead of the black doctor - a ludicrous entanglement which does not seem even faintly believable, but allows the writers of the film to show the ferocity of Amin close at hand. The Man called Horse bit at the end is risible. Finally in 1971, Uganda drove on the left, not right, the number plates were three letters and two or three numbers - and where are the Equator tusks?! In short - if you've never heard of Amin, you may want to spend two hours watching this film to appreciate Forest Whitaker's acting, but the last hour will bore you to confusion. If you know Uganda or have read the book - don't see the film - it will only depress you. And if you want to know why the doctor was so foolhardy - he wasn't.$LABEL$ 0 +Eytan Fox did it again : move the viewer's heart in a modest story taking place in an overwhelming mess. The movie also succeeds in describing so perfectly and subtly the atmosphere of the incredible city that is Tel Aviv.I was there a month ago and it is all there : the lifestyle, the relationships, the heart-beating city, the mess, the chock of utopian mindsets in the most light-hearted, blithe and oblivious megalopolis ever.Strongly recommend: it is a voyage for the heart and the mind, with an interesting perspective to the Israelo-Palestinian conflict.Nota Bene: There is central gay plot in the movie. If you do not think you are too gay-friendly, be prepared to be challenged and finally see it as "just love". (and don't worry: the chick is hot too!)$LABEL$ 1 +I personally found this movie to be terrible, first it was hardly objective, and provided one side of the debate. The only people who were presented as the side saying he did exist being a bunch of people coming from a Billy Grahm Revival. Secondly it deviated heavily from its supposed topic did Jesus (Yeshua) exist, to talking about how violent Christianity is, and showing scenes from Mel Gibsons "The Passion". In the end it has the director con his former Principal of a Conservative Private School into being interviewed, and attempts to trap him about teaching the kids there faith. Oh and also the Techno Music just made the film harder to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +This documentary attempts comedy, but never quite gets there for me. Camp? Ehn, maybe. The more apt word that everyone will agree on -- and have a hard time avoiding in any review -- is kitsch. It dripped kitsch. It was as if the film makers had worried their viewers would take the movie too seriously, and so they bent over backwards to insert kitsch and proclaim, "We're joking around here! See???"In short, I felt it was trying too hard. For example, the sock puppets that introduced each scene were (to me) annoying when I'm sure they were meant to be amusing -- or at least (ahem) kitsch-ey.Do not, however, avoid this movie based on my complaints. Just be ready to revel in kitsch rather than having it thrust at you unprepared. If you're interested in lighthearted fare, you could do far, far worse. At the very least, the facts surrounding the rise and fall of the Bakers make this interesting and worth a view. At best, gaggles of like minded kitsch lovers will hoot and holler over choice bits throughout the film.$LABEL$ 0 +Being an unrelenting non-stop over-the-top explosive melodrama, this movie is one of the worst action flicks ever produced, and utterly unbelievable in every way. The pace is constantly fever-pitched, and all the action and the actors are gripped by total hysteria. It is nigh unwatchable, and a stain - nay, a blotch - on the careers of everyone involved.The wildly exaggerated attempt at excitement undermines itself, resulting in a movie where you just go "Come on!" all the time. The setting and the events are impossible to take even remotely seriously. I can only rate this abomination a 1 out of 10.If you want to see a good asteroid movie, see Deep Impact, which is intense, sensitive and thoroughly engrossing. Everything Armageddon is not.$LABEL$ 0 +DO NOT WATCH THIS SAD EXCUSE FOR A FILM. I have wasted time and money on this and am pretty p**sed off about it.The acting is comparable with high school plays. The script is shocking. There is no plot. Twenty minutes from the end (which I believe I should be rewarded for reaching) I had a headache from all the screaming, crying and wailing the five girls make.The majority of the violence is (rare for a film nowadays) suggested rather than graphically depicted but I found the characters so damn irritating that I wanted to see them, and indeed every single person involved in the making of this piece of s**t, die in the most horrible ways possible.I spend ten more minutes of my life saving you from a very poor 100 minutes of yours. Don't do it.$LABEL$ 0 +Boring children's fantasy that gives Joan Plowright star billing but little to do. Sappy kids pursue their dreams. Frankie wants to be a ballerina and a baseball player (yuk) while best-friend Hazel runs for mayor---she's 13! Totally pedestrian in every way, plus the added disadvantage of syrupy performances by the girls as well as the baseball boys. Certainly a lesser effort for Showtime---no limits?$LABEL$ 0 +Intruder in the Dust (1949) Dir: Clarence Brown Production: MGMExcellent 'Southern Gothic' tale, adapted from the Faulkner novel, about a black man, accused of the murder of a white man, who asks a young white boy he has befriended to help him prove his innocence. Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez) is something of an anomaly in this small town. He's a black man who owns the land he lives on and doesn't think much of the diseased social order that mostly keeps the peace here and in many similar small towns. So when Lucas is found holding a gun over the dead body of Vinson Gowrie, shot in the back no less, young Chick Mallison (Claude Jarman) (who Lucas once saved after Chick fell through the ice while hunting on his land) fears that the town finally has the chance to "make Lucas a n*****." Arrested, and with a very real chance of being lynched before the night is through, Lucas reaches out to Chick for help, as the only person he knows "not cluttered with notions". Chick asks his Uncle John, a lawyer, to defend Lucas and while the man is initially bothered by his own notions he agrees and they race against the gathering mob to save Lucas' life.The film has an uncommon frankness for its time and is mostly free of moralizing. The lawyer character has a tendency to speak incredibly self-aware dialogue that sounds mostly like something from the printed page, but it has minimal impact on the tone. That's a credit to the rich characterization of everyone else. Juano Hernandez, who had mostly appeared in Oscar Micheaux films, is superb as the proud Lucas. Porter Hall as the murdered man's father, in maybe the best role I've ever seen him in, and Elizabeth Patterson as a plucky old lady sympathetic to Lucas' case, standout in support roles. The setting is perfectly realized. It is actually filmed in Oxford, Mississippi, Faulkner's hometown. Brown also uses the crowd in an effective way, it's always an anonymous mob against a single person (like Lucas when he's arrested or John when he's going up to his office), that is very threatening. Or the grotesquerie of the whole town gathering at the jailhouse to witness the lynching like it was a parade. Of note is an absolutely riveting scene when Chick and his friend Aleck go evidence gathering in a cemetery. Robert Surtees (THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO, BEN-HUR) shot the picture. *** 1/2 out of 4$LABEL$ 1 +i say the domino principle is an enormously underappreciated film.anyone who has taken the time to investigate our contemporary history of conspiracies;jfk, rfk, mlk,g.wallace and in fact numerous others can only draw the conclusion that the author of the domino principle really knew what he was talking about.roy tucker could be lee harvey oswald or james earl ray or sirhan sirhan or arthur bremer maybe even john hinkley or timothy mcveigh.to mention a few.the conspiracy scenario involving spies, big business and political assassinations is not really a fiction but an ominous part of our convoluted existential history.god help us,but the domino principle is more fact than fantasy.if this causes a little loss of sleep, maybe it should.don't take my word for it,investigate for yourselves.$LABEL$ 1 +Ok, first of all, I am a huge zombie movie fan. I loved all of Romero's flicks and thoroughly enjoyed the re-make of Dawn of the Dead. So when I had heard every single critic railing this movie I was still optimistic. I mean, critics hated Resident Evil, and while it may not be a particularly great film, I enjoyed it if not for the fact that it was just a fun zombie shoot-em up with a half decent plot. This however, is pure crap. Terrible dialogue, half-assed plot, and video game scenes inserted into the film. Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea. The only thing about this movie (I use the term loosely) that I enjoyed was Jurgen Prochnow as Captain Kirk (Ugh). While his name throws originality out the window, you can see in his performance that he knows he's in a god awful film and he might as well make the best of it. Everyone else acts as if they're doing Shakespeare. And very badly I might add. Basically the only reason anyone should see this monstrosity is if you a.) Are a huge zombie buff and must see every zombie flick made or b.) Like to play MST3K, the home game. See it with friends and be prepared for tons of unintentional laughs.$LABEL$ 0 +This is not the stuff of soap-operas but the sort of conundrums that real people face in real life. A testament to the ensemble and director for the powerful story-telling of fallible characters trying to cope but not quite succeeding.$LABEL$ 1 +Far more sprightly, and less stage and set bound than Gene Saks' previous efforts Barefoot in the Park(67) and The Odd Couple (68), Cactus Flower is not a work of art, but compared to most of the tired farces from the 60's like The Apartment, How to Murder Your Wife, Goodbye Charlie, A Guide for the Marrried Man, Divorce, American Style, Any Wednesday, Kiss Me Stupid, Boys Night Out, it's a masterpiece. Director Saks and writer I.A.L. Diamond have effectively "opened up" Abe Burrows' Broadway hit, and the film benefits greatly from New York City location shooting and excellent performances from Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn. Bergman is charming, looks great, and demonstrates a flair for comedy. Hawn in her Oscar winning role has never been better or more appealing. Matthau is OK though it's hard to believe that Hawn's character would be so enamored of him. And in retrospect, Hawn's attempted suicide at the start of the film is out of character and unbelievable. Nonetheless, the film has a plausible farcical set up, and once it gets going it generates laugh. Rick Lenz, Jack Weston, Eve Bruce, and Vito Scotti provide good support. The film is likable and fun, and Hawn and Bergman make you care.$LABEL$ 1 +''The Sentinel'' is one of the best horror movies already made in the movie's Industry! I think it is very scary as very few movies actually are. Alison Parker is a model with some fame. She dates a lawyer called Michael Lerman, and has as a best friend, another model called Jennifer. Everything was great in her life, until she decides to live alone for some time and rents a beautiful and old apartment.The problem are her neighbors, who are very, VERY strange. Suddenly Alison starts to have health problems and faints with frequency; She also remembers some painful facts about her past that makes her have nightmares or illusions. But everything has a reason, and it has to do with the new house she is living...I personally find ''The Sentinel'' a very creepy movie, and along with ''The Exorcist'' they are two of the scariest movies I already watched. When we discover that Alison's house is only occupied by the priest and herself my blood froze! It's also horrible to see that she needs to become blind in the end of the movie in order to be the new sentinel to keep the monsters away from our world.$LABEL$ 1 +The first murder scene is one of the best murders in film history(almost as good as the shower scene in Psycho) and the acting by Robert Walker is fantastic.A psychopath involved with tennis star in exchange murders.That´s the story and overall this film is very good but theres one problem:why dosen´t Guy Haines go to the cop in the first place.4/5$LABEL$ 1 +Its hard to make heads or tails of this film. Unless you're well oiled and in the mood to mock, don't view Santa Claus. It mixes Santa, Satan, Merlin, and moralizing in a most unappetizing way. It certainly is not for fretful children.$LABEL$ 0 +I put this second version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" to my Top 10 Hitchcock movies. Together with "Frenzy", it's probably the most argued film among the fans of Hitchcock. I consider it far better than, say, "Rebecca", which has gained unreasonably much appreciation.The film contains many ingenious scenes (most of them have been mentioned in other reviews), but that's something to be expected from Hitchcock. It takes almost half an hour until things really start to happen, but that time is used for preparing the following happenings, which are full of intriguing suspense.If you can ignore the clumsy rear projections, the only weakness of this film is the main villain, played by Bernard Miles, who is a rather flat and undeveloped character. Luckily, there is a creepy assassin in the form of Reggie Nalder. And Hank, the little boy, isn't as irritating as most kids in old movies.$LABEL$ 1 +A truly disturbed, cannibalistic psychopath, John(Gary Kent, under the pseudonym Michael Brody) who lives in a cave, stalks campers who make the unfortunate mistake of backpacking in his wilderness. Steve(Dean Russell)and his buddy Charlie(John Batis)get into a playful argument with their wives, Sharon(Tomi Barrett, the late real-life wife of Gary Kent))& Teddi(Ann Wilkinson)over surviving in the woods camping by themselves. To prove a point, the gals decide to head for the wilderness out of Los Angeles for a camping trip disturbing their partners to the point that they soon follow afterward. Falling prey to John, Teddi is soon killed as Sharon runs for her life as the men arrive late to the wilderness due to their truck's overheating. Afraid, tired, and paranoid, Sharon receives some very unusual assistance..John's ghost children! That's right, John's children remain in the wilderness, ghostly apparitions which spy on those who exist in the woods, taking a special liking to Sharon, helping guide her to safety and her friends. Meanwhile, Steve and Charlie soon find shelter from a down pour and the darkness of night in the very cave where John lives. Cooking over a burning fire, the meat simmering is actually from Charlie's wife, Teddi! Unknowingly Charlie eats from the meat when offered by John who finds the outsiders inside his dwelling place! Anyway, soon, worried about their wives, Steve and Charlie set out to find them as morning breaks. Meanwhile, John goes a hunting, with Charlie, Steve, and Sharon in a fight for survival. When Steve suffers a compound fracture stumbling between two massive rocks over a flowing river, he will be handicapped only increasing such an already nightmare scenario, with Sharon following her ghostly young friends to potential safety..they even, at one point, plead with their father to not kill her. Charlie, unfortunately, doesn't have such friends.Director Donald Jones(..who also wrote it and went broke funding the film)smartly shoots the film in such a breathtaking, gorgeous location in the Sequoia National Park, in California, where those gargantuan trees tower to great heights, and I basically watch backwoods slashers for this very purpose. For some strange reason, I didn't particularly find Jones' direction of the setting very atmospheric..the dread was missing, although there are some rather disturbing attacks by John using his knife(..shot in a clever way, Jones' camera suggests more than what is actually on screen, yet, somehow, still achieves that gasp at what John is doing to victims). Within such a picturesque landscape, to see innocents preyed upon by a maniac, that kind of increases the terror. City folk attempting to spend a nice few days in a different place, to smell the clean, fresh air, enjoy the sights of a lovely view, only to find themselves stalked by a creepy predator with a very intimidating knife. Providing the back-story to why John is the monster he is, Jones allows us to witness his memory flashback in discovering his wife's adultery and reacting accordingly(..she is also a ghost in the wilderness looking for her children, wishing to punish them for "being naughty")killing both her and the lover in bed(..a refrigerator repairman). The children, sad and depressed committed suicide and now "haunt" the wilderness, still interacting with their pa or whoever they so choose. I realize such a novelty as ghost children in a backwoods slasher is unique and appreciated by some, but I found the idea rather hokey and too silly to take serious. They do help our heroine escape a few potentially dangerous situations, but it was awfully hard for me to keep from giggling uncontrollably. The music I found hideously 80's and the performances aren't mind-blowing. I mean I could react to the situation they were in, because it is indeed quite terrifying to find yourselves in an unfamiliar and hostile territory being hunted by someone who knows the area so well. I think the film is similar in many ways to DON'T GO INTO THE WOODS..ALONE!, except that THE FOREST has the aforementioned ghost children(..their voices echo when talking to Sharon, their father, or each other). Gary Kent looks like a filthy George Lucas, with tattered clothes, and humanity lost. As I mentioned above, the violence isn't as grisly as what is suggested because director Jones is able to effectively cut away from a great deal of knife penetration, yet the way he stages the set pieces leave you rather unsettled(..such as Teddi's murder, the violence mostly silhouetted on the surface of a nearby huge stone formation, her pleas for John to stop and, once stabbed several times, attempts to crawl away from her predator only to be finished off;a hanging corpse John is skinning). I've seen better and worse of this type of slasher film, it's rather mediocre, at best, with some effectively shot scenery. I don't really think it's particularly memorable, for the exception of the ghost children.$LABEL$ 0 +There were a lot of dumb teenage getting sex movies of the 80s and a lot of slasher flicks but there were only a handful that were made with thought, made you laugh and captured the time period right; this was one of them. Cage is Hillarious, so is Forman who from her bio unfortuatley has dissapeared from the Hollywood limelight. I'd love to see this released on DVD with in a special version with commentaries by Cage and Forman. Wishful thinking, I know. Ever want to plan a true 80s movie weekend, rent this, Sure Thing and 16 candles and Breakfast Club. It will take you back to a "Totally Rad" time which it seemed at the time, was a lot more simple. Memo to studios: Time to release the DVD!$LABEL$ 1 +Before I saw this movie I believed there were two kinds of bad cinema. (1) Your average, completely uninspired fare (i.e. "Constantine"), and (2) the work that is charmingly bad, or so-bad-it's good (a la "Manos The Hands of Fate"). Now that I've seen "Dr. Gore" I know there is a third kind of bad movie: the utter crap sandwich. That will be irrevocably tattooed on your memory. A work that is mind-bendingly execrable. Anathema.I have hated certain films before, but I've never hated a film so much that my loathing reached its thresh-hold and became SELF loathing! Have you seen a movie that not only makes you regret losing the hour you spent watching it, but makes you grieve for another hour after that? Mystery Science Theatre disciples beware, this is soul-sucking cinema. Go Rent "Circle of Iron" or "The Killer Shrews" instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I have no idea what on earth, or beyond, could have possibly made Sam Mraovich believe that this would have been a worthy project to undertake. Ben & Arthur is one of the worst movies ever made. In fact, I see no reason why it should not be at #1 on the Bottom 100. For although I have not seen, for example, SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (#5 at the time of this publication), I would venture to guess that that film is considerably better than this oozing wound, because even in its vapid dismalness at least Baby Geniuses 2 was professionally made. By contrast, everything, and I do mean everything, in this film is completely unprofessional.The movie is intended to be an attack on the Christian Right's supposed bigotry and hatred toward gays. And I do emphasize "intended." Not only does it completely and utterly fail at its purpose, it also leaves an ugly scar. Instead of creating a compelling and realistic portrait of a gay couple's struggle against a society that largely opposes them, it creates tired, crass stereotypes of each party involved. Ben and Arthur, the namesake couple, are portrayed as two crude, sex-starved, and hopelessly romantic cardboard cutouts who marry when the laws change to allow them to do so. This meets with the opposition of Ben's brother Victor, a Christian minister who, like all Christians (as this movie would have us believe), is loud, prying, stupid, and violent. He tries to kill Ben and Arthur after his associations with them get him kicked out of the ministry. Just like in real life. And if you think that's dreadful (it is), you haven't seen it all.The actors (?) here manage to completely destroy any vestige of credibility in this movie by saying their lines as if they were narrating a YouTube home comedy video. But not even Daniel Day-Lewis and Marlon Brando as the title characters could have saved this clunker, for there would still be the matter of the completely inane and laugh-inducing dialogue that fills every minute of the movie. Every scene has at least one awkward or misplaced quote. For example, in one scene, Victor tries to complain about not being able to have nieces or nephews because of his brother's homosexuality. But instead of portraying this idea clearly, he spits out the stupid, utterly confusing, whiny-sounding line, "You know what, I'm never going to have any nieces or nephews, okay, because you're so F***ED UP!"Even more glaring is the complete lack of production values. Yes, I know this ain't The Dark Knight, but even amateur film makers should know some basics about special effects and editing. For example, six dots of red cake dye do not suffice for realistic bullet wounds. People do not teleport across a room between takes. And objects do not fall FORWARD when shot! Do not waste your money on Ben & Arthur. I don't care if you're 7, 17, or 107. I don't care if you're gay, straight, bi, or undecided. I don't care if you're "just curious." I don't care what pathetic reason you may have to be tempted to buy this dung-heap. Stay away, far away. This movie's only redeeming quality is its ability to be used as a Frisbee.$LABEL$ 0 +We have high expectations with this one . . . because its Zombi 3 the official sequel to Zombi 2 and directed by Lucio Fulci . . . however . . . its co-directed by Bruno Mattei (from Night of the Zombies) and not written by Dardino Sachetti but by Claudio Fagrasso (Night of the Zombies) and its shot in the Phillimines like Night of the Zombies and resembles Night of the Zombies (Hell of the Living Dead) a lot. as a result its more like a companion to Hell of the Living Dead than Zombi 2. Fabrazio DeAngelis who produced Zombi 2 and its editor Tomassi (?) and efx gianetto De Rossi gave Zombi 2 its magic . . . Zombi 3 is not magical . . . its like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the peanut-butter. But over the years, I've grown to accept Zombi 3. I could swear I saw a version where a soldier was bitten on the arm and went to the hotel room . . . there was a senseless Fulci-cut and the Mattei/Fulci-cut is the one on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film alone, in the dark, and it was full moon outside! I didn't do it in purpose, it just happened in this way. So all the elements were there for this film to scare the hell out of me!! Well, it didn't, in fact i wanted to shut off the DVD player after only 8 minutes, but i thought come on give it a chance, unfortunately i did. The acting was awful, the only one with some decent acting was Samaire Armstrong. The plot is not original, if you are a horror fan then it is just the same stuff you have seen many times before. Some scenes didn't make sense at all, and you just get the feeling that the director wanted to make the movie longer! The monster was the biggest disappointment of the movie. The (scary) scenes looked like they belong to a horror movie from the 80s when there was not enough technology, yet some good movies were made back then! I was surprised to see the name of a major production company at the beginning of the movie, i thought couldn't they put some money in this and make it decent?!! I couldn't agree more with the ratings that the movie got, it is also my rating for it, 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Another well done moral ambiguity pieces where the anti-hero makes it hard to decide who to root for.If nothing else "The Beguiled" silenced anyone who said there were no good parts for actresses in movies-at least in 1971. There were four excellent parts for actresses in this film and all were well cast and well executed.Pamelyn Ferdin did a fine job as Amy and would go on to play "Wanda June". This must have been the first time an adult male box office star shared an extended kiss with a twelve-year-old girl on camera, wonder if there was much controversy about this at the time. It was probably Polanski's favorite scene. Given the fate of Amy's turtle "Randolph", it is no surprise that Ferdin grew up to be a hardcore animal rights activist.Geraldine Page was likewise excellent, playing a complex character with just the right amount of restraint. It is interesting that she died just three days after Elizabeth Hartman committed suicide (throwing herself through a fifth floor window) as they had also worked together in "You're a Big Boy Now".Hartman (who looks like she could be Blair Brown's sister) was wonderful as Edwina and should have gotten an Oscar (no other performance was even close that year), but given what we now know about her you wonder just how much of her performance was a studied effort and how much just came from inside her. Edwina shows such raw pain it is difficult to watch. Like Marilyn Monroe's incredible performance in "The Misfits", the viewer is probably seeing a whole lot of her own demons in the character she is playing.Finally there is Jo Ann Harris who is stunningly perfect as the flirty Carol. For my money Harris was the sexiest actress of the 1970's, combining sensuality with intelligence and humor. She was the best reason to watch the "Most Wanted" television series and the only reason to watch "Wild Wild West Revisited". Hard to believe that someone who could bring all that to the screen never became a big star.$LABEL$ 1 +A fascinating relic of the turbulent cultural/political aura of the late 60s (taking in the class struggle as well) which, ironically, in view of its outdated and occasionally embarrassing conservative views, makes full use of the permissiveness that prevailed for a while in mainstream cinema and which came about as a direct result of the liberal attitude it purports to criticize! Norman Wexler's incisive Oscar-nominated script is superbly enacted by Peter Boyle (in a powerhouse performance) who manages to make his garrulous, down-to-earth yet hypocritical and opportunistic character (with a barely-disguised fascist streak which comes to the fore in the remarkable violent conclusion) likable, even admirable; indeed, he comes across uncannily like a flabbier version of the young Marlon Brando! Similar to other generation gap movies of its era like TAKING OFF (1971) and HARDCORE (1978) but also nihilistic vigilante films like DEATH WISH (1974) and TAXI DRIVER (1976) - interestingly enough, two of these also feature Boyle - JOE ultimately emerges as an engrossing and powerful drama which could have been a masterpiece if it had had a more experienced director at the helm...$LABEL$ 1 +Considering it's basically low-budget cast, this is a surprisingly good flick about the life and death of rock pioneer Buddy Holly. Gary Busey stars as Holly, who was one of the first to use an electric guitar for pretty much all his music. Backed up by his Crickets, Holly had a string of hits and became a bona fide star before his death in a plane crash along with Richie Valens and The Big Bopper. The film follows his rise to stardom, marriage to his sweetheart and eventual death. I like this film and believe that you will too. Charles Martin Smith also does a great job in this film.$LABEL$ 1 +what a refreshing change from the PG movies that have teen girls jumping in and out of bed, young high school boys counting how many girls they can "hook up" with, kids drinking, doing drugs, etc., etc., etc. Carl Hiaasen has written so many books that are enjoyable but hardly classic literature. but he has finally written something that Middle School kids WANT to read. And this movie sends a message to kids that maybe they can make a difference, that maybe their voices can be heard. Filmed in South Florida, the scenery is beautiful and natural and REAL. Who cares if its predictable, and a little corny. So was FREE WILLY and look how well that did. This is a good family movie..........a rare breed.$LABEL$ 1 +The way i found out about this movie was when i watched American pie 2, at the start it had a trailer for Ali G indahouse, i watched the trailer and it just forced me to buy the DVD, it looked incredibly funny! so the next day, i went to my local store and picked it up for £3.99 (Bargain!). The film is about Ali G, who is a "gangster" of the west staines massive crew, who's rivals are the east staines massive crew. Ali has a "Cub Scout" pack of children where he teaches them how to survive in the "ghetto" by teaching them how to swear and steal cars, after Ali finds out the government are stopping the money coming to the leisure centre where Ali teaches the kids, he runs for MP for staines and overthrows another MP in his attempts to get rid of the leisure centre to make room for an airport in staines. Throughout the film there are laughs aplenty as Ali gets up to some crazy stuff! Borat makes an appearance for a few seconds in the film too, this is a definite must watch film for all you Sacha Baron Cohen fans out there!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a brilliant series along the same lines of Simpsons. Following a family as they go through life and problems etc. Slightly less realistic than Simpsons, talking baby and dog anyone? Family Guy goes where SImpsons or Futurama dares not, reaching past into the sicker jokes and more racy gags. And believe me, it works! Almost all the gags hit the mark and they'll have you in stitches(especially the random, frequent flashbacks!) When my brother first showed me this I wasn't hooked but after a few episodes I was hooked. You will be 2. 10/10 for a truly brilliant show. COngrats to Seth Macfarlane for bringing this show to life. :)$LABEL$ 1 +"I hate those stories that begin with a funeral, but I'm afraid this one begins the day we buried George. Not that we buried him. In the interests of the environment we had him incinerated." So speaks Elizabeth (Judi Dench), George's widow. She's led a comfortable, predictable life with George. She has two grown children and a 12-year-old grandchild. But when she was 15 and in school, in the midst of World War II, she played the sax at night in an all-girl (almost all-girl) band called The Blonde Bombshells. The 'almost" was because the drummer was Patrick, a charming rogue who had no desire to fight and possibly be killed. With a yellow wig, a long red dress and makeup, Patrick looked almost as good as the others. One afternoon after the funeral, Elizabeth finds herself in the attic of her home playing the sax she had put away. She used to practice, but only when George was out of the house on the golf course. Then two things happen. Her granddaughter, amazed at how good Elizabeth is, starts talking about how the Blonde Bombshells could be reunited and play at her school dance. Then Elizabeth encounters Patrick (Ian Holm), now just as much an aging oldster as Elizabeth, and just as much attracted to her as he was more than 50 years ago. (He also was attracted to all the other members of the Bombshells. The roses that would appear on his bass drum had a special meaning that attested to his affection.) Well, why not see if the other band members can be located, and why not give it a shot for a reunion performance at her granddaughter's school? Why not? One member of the band is gaga. One is dead. One is in jail. One has found salvation with the Salvation Army. One they can find no trace of. One is last known to be in the States. One is a professional singer and has no intention of doing a school gig, even for a reunion. But one by one Elizabeth and Patrick bring together the surviving members of the Bombshells. We don't know if enough of them can be found. The rehearsals more often than not turn into off-key shambles. While they do this, we share Elizabeth's flashbacks of what life was like when she and Patrick were young in war-time London, playing in the band while the bombs were falling. As terrible as it was, it was the most exciting time of their lives. When the night of Elizabeth's granddaughter's dance arrives, of course, the Blonde Bombshells, filled with jitters and renewed friendship, blow the youngsters away. Afterwards, Elizabeth informs us that the Bombshells are continuing to play at gigs, and that she and Patrick have no plans to get married...but see nothing wrong with a little fooling around. This is sentimental hogwash, expertly done, and not bad at all. What makes it work are the skill and charm of Judi Dench and Ian Holm. When I hear the term, "warm-hearted comedy," I usually cringe unless the actors are first-rate. Dench and Holm are wonders to watch as they take something as light-weight and predictable as this script and turn it into something that charms us. Then there's the "old broad" gambit that's fun if you remember the old broads. Among the Blonde Bombshells are Leslie Caron, Joan Sims, Olympia Dukakis, Billie Whitelaw and Cleo Laine. Laine sings three numbers and almost over-balances the production. She is so strong and unique a jazz talent that while she's singing the program nearly becomes the Cleo Laine Show. Another attractive feature is the number of great WWII songs played in strong swing.$LABEL$ 1 +Pretentious claptrap, updating Herman Melville (!), about a young man's vaguely incestuous relationship with his aristocratic mother getting transferred to his long-lost sister who has been raised by gypsies. Or something like that – not that anyone really cares to unravel its multi-layered plot decked out with pornographic sex scenes, pseudo-symbolic imagery (the siblings swimming in a river of blood) and other bizarre touches (a gypsy child repeatedly insults passers-by in the street until she is anonymously beaten to death, the deafening music of a rock group utilized in the demolition of old buildings). Considering the source material and the presence of Catherine Deneuve (who at least gets to bathe in the nude), I was expecting a lot more from this one; apparently, there's an even longer TV version of POLA X out there…$LABEL$ 0 +i would give this movie an 8.5 or a 9. I thought it was just straight up hilarious i don't know how you could not think this movie was funny but the only thing that disappointed me was that there was alittle bit too much gross stuff because personally i think when they fly off of bikes and stuff like that is much funnier but I'm sure there are people that think the other things are very funny so that is not my desicion but anyways great movie go see it and after that you should definitely go buy it also if you do not like this movie that is fine because I'm sure there are many people who think that this movie shows how downgrading our society is or whatever this is just my personal opinion and you have yours. also the jackass box set is definitely something worth downloading or buying or whatever you do to get your videos$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this flick on the big screen as a kid and loved it -- cheeziness and all. Recently, I found a copy on video and checked it out again. Badly made, sure... schlocky fun, most definitely. It still packs an entertaining punch. It's much more fun than the dull Disney version ("Alive"). The only thing "Alive" did better were the special effects. If you're a lover of B-movies, I highly recommend "Survive", not to mention all the other Rene Cardona Jnr movies... and the Mexican wrestling flicks made by his father (Rene Cardona Snr). "Survive" is long overdue for DVD special edition treatment. Are you listening, all you kind folk, at Anchor Bay...?$LABEL$ 1 +I was surprised, that ''The Secret Fury'' was an enjoyable good film...... Probably because, I didn't have any expectations for this movie..... Though, the film does have it's plot holes..... I would say, that you couldn't guess who was behind the whole scheme, until the very end of the movie..... At first, I thought, it was Robert Ryan, using the same method, like ''Gaslight'' where husband tries to drive his wife mad, but I was wrong...... The main problem, with the movie is, they drive at a whole other direction, which gave no clues at the beginning...... I thought, Robert Ryan & Claudette Colbert carried their parts well...... Plus, Vivian Vance, a fine character actress, who steals scenes in this one...... Those who like movies, that keeps you guessing, will like this one......$LABEL$ 1 +I never attended the midnight showing of a movie before "Dick Tracy" came out.I still have the "t-shirt ticket" I had to wear to get admitted to the showing around here somewhere and, like that shirt, "Dick Tracy" has stuck with me ever since.If you've seen the movie, the sharp visuals, bright primary colors and strong characters have no doubt been etched into your brain. It's a wonder to behold.As director/star/co-writer/producer, Beatty knows what works in a film and shows it here, taking a familiar American icon and re-creating him for a whole new era. Still set in the '30s, "Tracy" has a kind of timeless quality like all good films do. I've lost track of how many times I've watched "Tracy" and I still catch something new every time I do.The others are all top notch, starting with Pacino's Big Boy Caprice (a reminder that he can do comedy with the best of them), even Madonna's Breathless Mahoney is a relevation in that under the right environment, she can act (GASP!). But there's still such themes touched on as the necessity of family, keeping true to one's self, good versus evil, even Machiavellian themes are explored. Odd for a comic strip film, but hey, it works.All in all, "Dick Tracy" is a classic unto itself. Compared with other films of this decade, it makes a strong statement. It's a good, strong film that doesn't depend on blood, violence, profanity or nudity to make its point. There's a lesson to be learned here.Ten stars. Great Scott!$LABEL$ 1 +"The Triumph of Love" doesn't triumph over anything. It is a plodding, ponderous, 4 hours of torture. Actually it's a little less than 2 hours long, it just seemed much longer. It pains me to even think about the amateurish performances of such fine actors as Ben Kingsley and Fiona Shaw. The supporting players are not quite as awful. Maybe they were trying to be so over the top, so as to be clownish, but, if so, I didn't see it that way. Mira Sorvino doesn't make an impression one way or the other. She(he)'s just there. My guess is, the play of the same name, written by Marivaux some 270 or so years ago, is much better. It couldn't be any worse. Clare Peploe, the writer and director of this movie, was inspired by a recent production of the play. I don't know what she was thinking when she created this bomb. Maybe it all got lost in the translation.$LABEL$ 0 +Hungary can't make any good movies. Fact. This is a great example of that.First of all the term "plot" does not exist in this movie. It's seriously weak. Even tho a lot of people would argue with me on that. Sure, it's about a taboo, but that's about it. There are endless possibilities, which could have been really great, if used, but they nearly skipped everything. I think the whole movie is just an excuse to show pictures, which are the only decent things in this whole pile of awfulness.The acting is just plain shitty. There aren't many lines, so you would think that the actors have great facial expressions or mimicking abilities, but no. In fact, 86% of the time, they suck. And that's when they don't say anything. If they say even a single word, you'll start tilting your head, saying: "That's damn unrealistic". But than again, this is partly the fault of the writing. There's also no emotion in most of the dialogs.The editing is sometimes OK, but most of the time illogical and just worsens the whole picture. It could have given an emotional push, yet it seems the editing in here is all about putting cuts after each other.Someone please explain it to me, why critics say this movie is a masterpiece. Calling this an "Art" isn't gonna make it better. Sorry Mundruczo, but you failed. Live with it. Even tho you probably won't care about my or any other guys opinion scarifying your "child".$LABEL$ 0 +Saboteur was one of the few Hitchcocks I had yet to discover and I was less than half-overwhelmed. The French title "La Cinquième colonne" (i.e. The Fifth Column, a very evocative phrase for underground spying and sabotage organizations) set my expectations quite high as did the images of the finale on top of the Statue of Liberty.Basically Saboteur is as much light-hearted as were The 39 steps (note this is another evocative phrase, even McGuffin as a title) but it lacks most of the humor (so the characters are rather down to earth) and it's definitely not as fast paced. As a chase movie across the USA from LA to NY Saboteur drags its feet from sequence to sequence. The sequence at the villain's lovely ranch? Lovely ranch, lovely villain but pretty tame on the whole, it doesn't really add up to nothing. The meeting with the blind man, the mixing with Circus people, the Soda City sequence, the NY ball sequence? They fall flat, bringing in more characters with very little added suspense value.One big problem I can point out is the relationship between the leads Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane which is not building up as with Robert Donat and Madeleine Caroll in The 39 steps. Hence the whole narrative structure is floating, depending on the addition of new scenes. And new scenes only bring us nearer the end since it's not clear if the hook is the hero's escape from the police, from the villains or his action to stop the plotted sabotages. In The 39 steps it was clearly scripted as 1/escaping from the police (so you know the hero can't just go to the police) then 2/running for his life and after the villains to prove his innocence.If you want a better Hitchcock from the 40s wartime propaganda I would advise you to chose Foreign Correspondant over Saboteur. They are both chase movies with a catchy finale, well really a gripping one and not just sightseeing in Foreign Correspondant as well as beautifully efficient scenes (the umbrella crowd, the tulip fields, the strange mills...).$LABEL$ 0 +For the most part, I considered this movie unworthy of a comment, but the last 10 minutes prompted me to write one. You see, right then we learn (SPOILERS...if they can be called that) that the Devil's emissary has no chance of properly preparing the domination of the world by his master, because he is not skilled at martial arts! "Prosatanos" has been lying in a hole for centuries, waiting for "human greed" to release him, only to be defeated in a simple one-on-one match against 54-year-old former karate champion Chuck Norris! Imagine what would have happened to him if he had taken on Jackie Chan... (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +Stylish, thought provoking, cool and gripping – just four aspects of a film that will long remain in the thoughts of this viewer.Slow-paced it may be at the beginning but the director beguiles with beautiful camera work, sophisticated compositions and elegant editing. The unfolding of the story, not so much the narrative line but the revelation of the characters' inner selves, is masterful.Olivia Magnani, who plays Sophia, the hotel receptionist, who finally breaks down the icy reserve of former consiglierie Titta di Girolami (Tony Servillo) is coolly beautiful and reveals hidden depths and personal honesty in her brief but profound relationship with Girolami.The disgraced Mafia middle-man, forced to live out an empty life, tormented by insomnia, in a Swiss hotel, becomes caught up in the similarly empty lives of the refined older couple who formerly owned the hotel but are now forced to live there as residents after the husband gambled away their resources years earlier. The husband is constantly dreaming about recovering his lost wealth and making a grand statement to the world. His wife realises this is but a pipe dream. This nicely counterpoints the resignation of Girolami who sees no way out and does not seek one.The fleeting love affair between Girolami and Sophia has consequences that no one could have foreseen. It enables him to escape his prison without bars but to pay a huge price that he willingly accepts and in doing so provides redemption for the older couple.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a horror story alright. But perhaps not as you know it. The real monsters in this flick are humans. While the monsters, are human and prey. As weird as that may sound I see this as "Monsters Inc" for horror film fans.Sure, the effects are of a std horror film, the monsters are there as in any monster based film, the gore is there as well, there even is a slasher in the shape of Dr Decker (played by David Cronenberg; I see flash of Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane in Batman Begins here - or is it the other way round?). And it is Decker &c who are the bad guys. The monsters want mainly to mind their own business, warding off intrusive humans more or less misguided, wanting to join there society.By the end of the film you actually grow to like the quite little monsters (and the dog) - not perhaps what you had expected from the first few scenes....$LABEL$ 1 +Once upon a time, in Sweden, there was a poor Salvation Army sister. At death's door, she requests, "Send for David Holm!" But, Victor Sjöström (as David Holm) cannot be located, because he is spending New Year's Eve in a graveyard, with his drinking buddies. Dying Sister Astrid Holm (as Edit) wants to see if praying for Mr. Sjöström's soul, over the past year, has produced any results; arguably, it has not. In the graveyard, Sjöström tells the story of "The Phantom Carriage", which he heard from his dead friend Tore Svennberg (as Georges). According to legend, the last person to die in each year must pick up the souls of all the dead people, until being relieved next New Year's Eve...Director Sjöström, whose lead performance is very strong, combines with photographer Julius Jaenzon to create a visually appealing film. The great "double exposure" effect is used frequently, but never seems overdone; and, it doesn't make the film's other dramatic highlights any less memorable (for example, Sjöström's tearing of his sewn coat and axing of the door). A Selma Lagerlöf story probably wasn't one you could, or would want to, tamper with in the 1920s - which may, or may not be, why the ending of this film is a letdown. And, unlike similar spiritual stories, it's difficult to suspend your disbelief, if you think too carefully about what is really happening in "Körkarlen".******* Körkarlen (1/1/21) Victor Sjöström ~ Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg$LABEL$ 1 +"Nazarin" directed by Luis Bunuel presents an extraordinary view of religion in Mexico. As written by the director and Julio Alejandro, his notable collaborator, this was a film that put Mexican cinema in the international map after receiving the Grand Prix in Cannes that year. It's a disturbing film because Mr. Bunuel delves deep into what's wrong with the church.Nazarin, by all reckoning, is a saint. This young priest is seen living a life of poverty in a seedy pension of a city. He doesn't have enough for himself, but he doesn't mind parting with a coin when a beggar appears by his window asking for help. At the same time, he takes into his small room a prostitute that has been hurt in a fight with another woman. Andara, the woman repays his kindness by burning the room and the whole building! Nazarin is seen taking to the countryside begging for food. Andara and Beatriz, two prostitutes from his old town follow him. Nazarin's life parallels that of Jesus. In fact, this saintly figure makes a case for humility.Of course,Mr. Bunuel had no religion in mind when he and Mr. Alejandro took it upon themselves to create this film. It's ironic how Spain welcomed him after this film was released because they saw it as showing Christian qualities, when in reality, this is an acerbic satire on the catholic church and its ministers.Francisco Rabal, the Spanish actor, makes a wonderful Nazarin. This was one of his best roles. Mr. Rabal worked extensively in his native country, but also in Mexico and Argentina. Rita Macedo, as Andara, is also excellent. Marga Lopez also makes a valuable contribution with her portrayal of Beatriz.A great film by one of the cinema's master film makers: Luis Bunuel.$LABEL$ 1 +there are three kinds of bad films - the cheap, the boring, and the tasteless. the only really bad movies are boring and tasteless. boring films are just, well, boring - if you don't leave quickly enough, you fall asleep.tasteless films actually have their defenders; but the fact remains that they are masturbatory aids for very sick people.only the cheap bad films are really funny, because the filmmakers wanted to make their films so desperately, they way-over-reached beyond their abilities and available resources.Bo Derek is just naturally boring and tasteless; fortunately, fate and a lack of funds and skill redeem her by making her seem cheap as well. this film is hilarious and it may well be the last really funny-bad film ever made.i first saw this in a theater, may god forgive me; i was laughing so hard i was rolling off my seat, and so too with most of the rest of the audience.it's clear that Derek and her husband-promoter, conceived of this film as, partly, a satire; unfortunately, the dereks clearly lacked any of the necessary resources to pull that off; consequently, the 'satirical' element comes off as some school-girl's impression of some gay young man's impression of frank gorshin's impression of the riddler in batman trying to pretend he's robin - it doesn't fly over our heads, it has no clue where any human head might be.on the other hand, there are some supposedly serious moments in this film - it is supposed to be an action film, remember - that are so astoundingly cheesy, one wonders if someone squirted spoiled milk in one's eye.as for Derek's infamous tendency to reveal her breasts - i can't imagine a less erotic nudity photographic display, she is so weird looking with those broad shoulders, i can't imagine what any one ever saw in her.as for the plot - such as it is - well, it isn't; Derek chases around Africa, and god alone knows why. then her father - Harris - pretends to act in some maniacal puppet-show, and then of course there's the hunk'o'Tarzan that seems to have wondered in from advertisement without knowing that the subject's changed - probably because he hasn't seen a script - apparently no one has.negligible camera work, shoddy editing - if it weren't for the 3-way with the chimp, the film would be unbearable -as it is, it's a real hoot.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, if you have a couple hours to waste, or if you just really hate your life, I would say watch this movie. If anything it's good for a few laughs. Not only do you have obese, topless natives, but also special effects so bad they are probably outlawed in most states. Seriuosly, the rating of 'PG' is pretty humorous too, once you see the Native Porn Extravaganza. I wouldn't give this movie to my retarded nephew. You couldn't even show this to Iraqi prisoners without violating the Geneva Convention. The plot is sketchy, and cliché, and dumb, and stupid. The acting is horrible, and the ending is so painful to watch I actually began pouring salt into my eye just to take my mind off of the idiocy filling my TV screen.$LABEL$ 0 +I was shocked there were 18 pages of good reviews. This has to be one of the worst movies especially considering it was recommended. Must admit that comedies are not my favorite genre, but this movie made it worst in that it tried so hard to be clever that it made me squirm to watch it.The concept of the movie is comparable to audition week on American Idol. You watch because people are so blind to their shortcomings. But we knew this movie didn't have bad actors. So how funny would it be to have good singers try to convince they shouldn't get anywhere near an American Idol tryout? It would be pointless as this movie was.The use of improv is over-rated. We've all been in that setting where a group of friends get on a roll and everyone is cracking up with tears in the their eyes. I feel that is improv. Improv can't be turned on just because the camera is rolling as this film proves. If you like that Drew Carey hosted show of improv, you'll probably like this film.Overall the jokes were poor, the improv was sophomoric, and the over-acting by Guest and company was campy...and those are my compliments of this drivel. If a guy playing a trumpet AND the kettle drum at the same time is funny to you, fine. For me, I prefer more heady stuff like "I Love Lucy" or "Hee-Haw".But remember, I think SNL lost its humor in the 1980's, so maybe you'll like this G-rated humor. I kept waiting for a person to identify himself as the zoo keeper and then tell us there was no zoo in town. That's the humor you can expect.My only wish was that I could give this a minus rating.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst movie I have ever seen. A movie that is about a stupid looking monster from the ocean that threatens a small town which has to be filled with the dumbest people on earth.SPOILERS IF YOU EVEN CAREThey can't even kill the damn thing by the end of the movie. The movie ends and they're like, "Well, some day we'll have to kill it."Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +The Japenese sense of pacing, editing and musical score must be different than American tastes, but surely this movie could have been so much more with a little more post production work.Someone in Hollywood needs to re-make this movie and I think it would be a big hit. The story is interesting and creepy. There's something about the edges of the city, gritty policemen, earthquakes, sanitariums and mysterious saltwater killings that is enough to be captivating. However, this story has to make just a little bit of sense and maybe be about 40 minutes shorter.I do have to say that the "sixth-sense" effect was in full force in this movie, and that was evident from the very beginning.As it stands, only the die-hard Japanese film lovers should bother seeing this oh-so-boring movie.$LABEL$ 0 +What a disappointment!This film seemed to be trying to copy 'cutting edge' comedy but the direction and the script was sloppy, sickly and sentimental in the worst film tradition. Jack Black's acting/role was self-indulgent and self-regarding... and the other characters were equally unmasking and uninteresting. The soundtrack was tedious. We are ( WERE) fans of Black but none of us did more than mange a forced titter for the duration. Why did he feel he needed to make this mistake?We will not watch another of his films without reading reviews more carefully first!!Was he drunk when he read the script before signing up for this drivel?$LABEL$ 0 +I can't quite say that "Jerry Springer:Ringmaster" is the worst film I have ever seen. The film would be better off if it were, because at least the worst film I've ever seen, (Prom Night II) interested me enough for me to hate it. My only reaction after leaving the theatre happened when I looked up at the clock and discovered that only 90 minutes had passed. It had seemed much more like years. It is an endless repetition of poor people, (or what Jerry Springer seems to believe poor people are), screwing each other, hitting each other, insulting each other, and then repeating the process with the same attention to duty the rest of us use when shampooing. The plot, which covers how a group of stupid people mangle their lives badly enough to provide grist for the Jerry Springer mill, advances solely because of the idiocy of the characters. This makes it impossible to care what happens to them. It never mattered to me whether they got on the show, or what they said, or who slept with whom. Maybe I'm not supposed to care about them. Maybe I'm supposed to look at them as some kind of comic type-- to see their outrageous behavior as inherently funny. Too bad it isn't. The humor is not outrageous. It's innocuous. It's predictable. Humor has to have something behind it, some kind of painful irony or life experience, in order to function. Scatology is not wit. An example. A mother catches her daughter and her husband in bed. To take revenge she marches across the trailer park and gives oral sex to her daughter's boyfriend. Since I was over the shock of Jerry Springer's show a long time ago, I had the same reaction I had to Andrew Dice Clay's obscene nursery rhymes; not laughter, just yawning. Lastly, I found Springer's pose as a populist tiresome and unconvincing. If he really were an advocate of the poor, he would bring on a single mom from Bed-Sty to talk about trying to raise her kids in New York City on $12,000 a year. Or, failing that, he would at least give the participants of his shows a cut of his profits. Jerry Springer gets millions for his shows, his movie, his book and videos. His guests just get round trip air fare, hotel accommodations, and a chance to humiliate themselves. If he liked poor people so much, he'd give them at least some of the money they earn for him. It appears that Springer wanted to make this movie to grab some legitimacy for himself. Jeez, with all his fine work, you'd think he'd have earned our respect already. Anyway, the film is weak and boring. It doesn't even succeed at being offensive. If you want to have a better evening, videotape a bug zapper for a night and then watch that.$LABEL$ 0 +Jackie Chan name is synonomus to stunts. This movie never let you down.The opening best chase scene and last roll down scene from the pole is so risky than one wonder ,if he knows the meaning of fear.This movie comes very close to Jackie's best which is PROJECT A.But the main difference being that PROJECT A contains three stars where as in this movie Jackie carries the film entirely on his shoulders.This is perhaps the main reason that this movie made jackie an biggest martial arts star followed by Bruce Lee.The film has nice comic touches too. What makes this film work is Jakie's ability to show his venerable side which his in contract to the typical martial arts action hero.This movie was followed by a sequel which was good but was quite tame in comparison to its predecessor.$LABEL$ 1 +Ants are shown in cartoons as being able to carry away chicken legs, watermellons, people, etc. This may be an admirable characteristic because ants carry the film Phase IV. This is not because they want to, but because they have to.The movie opens with a narrator cryptically explaining that some cosmic event has come over the earth, and that a fellow scientist has been working on the effect this disturbance has on the ant population. The movie is broken up in segments; the first part after the cosmic event is Phase I, and so on until the end of the movie, which is Phase IV.What is Phase IV? Who knows? We don't get to see that part; presumably it has something to do with the bonding of one of the scientists studying the ants and a girl who lived in the area. The girl, who looks like a cross between Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler, is mad at the ants because they killed her horse, but except for one angry outburst, goes around the biodome with a blank ("Clueless"?) look.These ants are pretty smart; or the scientists are rather dumb. I'll give credit to the ants. Why? Anything that usually ruins my picnics that can then build reflecting towers, blow up trucks, and adapts to poison with the greatest of ease gets my vote for being the smarter species, at least in this movie.Sterno says stomp on this anthill.$LABEL$ 0 +This is sweet. The actress who played the nurse with the gonzongas is the same actress who plays Elvira mistress of the dark. Another little tidbit is the actress who played the nurse who would give her wedding ring was the landlord lady of Roy Munsin in King Pin. This is most glorious story ever to be told. It should sell more copies than the bible. My parents played a part in suggesting the release of this movie to a local movie theater. The movie ran for a week and we were one of 4 families to see it. The lady who gave the go ahead (friend of the family) was let go by the theater. I was 3 years old. I have burned through 4 copies on VHS and finally had it converted to DVD. It's beautiful.$LABEL$ 1 +to communicate in film essential things of life - like what is life, does it have a meaning? - is sheer impossible. Of course possible answers to these questions are demonstrated in every film (story), but communication needs a direct appeal to consciousness. This happens if the input from the senses overrules the "input" from our mind, i.e. our thoughts. Few directors know how to communicate essential things. Tarkovsky, is one. His "Stalker" shows images of existence, communicates life as it shows itself and yet escapes your mind. I think De Zee and De Graaff do the same.$LABEL$ 1 +0.5/10. This movie has absolutely nothing good about it. The acting is among the worst I have ever seen, what is really amazing is that EVERYONE is awful, not just a few here and there, everyone. The direction is a joke, the low budget is hopelessly evident, the score is awful, I wouldn't say the movie was edited, brutally chopped would be a more appropriate phrase. It combines serial killings, voodoo and tarot cards. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. It is not scary at all, the special effects are hopelessly lame. laughably bad throughout. The writing was appallingly bad. The cinematography is real cheap looking, and very grainy sometimes, and the camera-work is dreadful. Again, what really does the movie in is how badly all the actors are. Cheesy.$LABEL$ 0 +After watching the trailer I was surprised this movie never made it into theaters, so I ordered the BluRay. I had a great time watching it and have to say that this movie is better than some major animation movies out there. Of course, it has its flaws but I can still really recommend it. The animation is well done, very entertaining and unique and the story kept me watching it all the way to the end. Some of the backdrops are just drop-dead gorgeous and you can see the French talent behind it. I thought that Forest Whitaker's performance feels a bit lifeless but that is how the character Lian-Chu is depicted in this movie. So overall, thumbs up, I liked it a lot and I hope it is successful enough for all the studios involved to continue making great movies like this. I would recommend to give it a chance and be surprised how great a movie can be with such a small budget. Hektor alone is worth watching the movie since some of his moments are Stitch-like hilarious.$LABEL$ 1 +You can give JMS and the boys a pass on this one because they were at the beginning of their series and on a small budget, but the movie is still sub-par. Dont get me wrong, B5 the series is by far the best TV series ever, but if i was an exec seeing this movie, i wouldnt have ordered the series. I dont like O'Hare as an actor, the costumes are silly, and there are tons of cliches. The same can be said for most of the first season (with the exception of Babylon Squared and Survivors); Bruce immediately put a fire into the series and it went on to be an amazing spectacle. If you are a B5 fan and havent seen this movie, see it. If you arent a B5 fan, dont...you wont want to watch the series.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow. This movie bored the pants off me when I saw it. Bland, pointless and unmoving.Apparently, Ash and co. can travel through time with the help of "The Spirit of the Forest" ('Princess Mononoke' much??) There, they meet a dorky kid named Sam, and the "plot" begins.So Tom (Ash) and Huck (Sam) get high with nature, become hippies and try to free Celebi (the "Spirit") from some weirdo hunter guy. I don't even know what else went on. It all went by in a blur. Ash's friends were hardly in it, and all the fight scenes were boring.After saving the day, Ash and his infamous friends, must return to their time, while watching Sam float away with Celebi (that scene was just creepy. O-O;) Then, after returning to their time, Ash learns that his new friend is actually his rival's grandpa. And I think that's it. Pretty retarded isn't it? If you love your children, you won't expose them to this. (1 out of 10.)$LABEL$ 0 +"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR" That's what I said when I was told that Blockbuster got a new movie in called Snakes on a Train. Okay, maybe that's not exactly what I said, but you get the point. I didn't need to know who was in the movie, or anything else. All I knew was that I am renting this movie.I probably should have asked what it was about though. In retrospect, I don't know if I would have really wanted to watch a movie about a Mayan curse that causes a woman to give internal birth to snakes and have them spit out of her mouth. Nor would I want to see a movie that features a guy who looks strangely enough like a pedophilic version of Leif Garrett.Anyways, while the curse might be interesting on some levels (well, maybe not), there was still promise of these annoying characters getting eaten or at the very least, killed by snakes. So I was willing to sit through the first hour of very little happening other than a Texas Ranger forcing a girl into a nice little titty grope so she can keep her cocaine, or the Hispanic shaman that likes to occasionally stab people. But then, all hell broke loose, and the girl started to spit out more and more snakes.*SPOILER ALERT* So everything's going well at the end, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that some of these snakes all of the sudden turned out to be 25 feet long. After all, people are getting eaten, so it's all good. But then all of the sudden, and I'm not going to tell you how because that would ruin the best part, one of the snakes is about 300 feet long. Then it proceeds to squeeze and devour the train, with all the graphic artistry of Serpentaur from the old GI Joe cartoons. Unfortunately, I could not make a Nemesis Enforcer connection with this movie. Anyways, so you would think that a snake that big, who ate a train, would be pretty unstoppable. Well not if you know your Mayan voodoo rocks and have the ability to summon tornadoes from heaven. Yeah, that's all I'll say about that.In short, this movie is bad. Really bad to the point where you might be numb after watching this, or your brain might hurt. I didn't give this a one, because no matter how stupid it was, it still wasn't as bad as Date Movie. So if you like camp or badly constructed B horror movies, this is the one for you. If you think this will actually be cool like its bigger, more infamous brethren, just walk away from the box if you see it. And I'll leave you with a quote from the movie that should basically sum it all up."Snakes can't get on a train!" Because that's just silly. Not like they make stops or anything....$LABEL$ 0 +I'm disappointed at the lack of posts on this surprising and effective little film. Jordi Mollà, probably best known for his role as Diego in Ted Demme's "Blow" Writes, directs, and stars.I won't give away any plot points, as the movie (at least for me) was very exciting having not known anything about it.. If you have a netflix account, or have access to a video store that would carry it...I highly recommend it. It's a crazy, fun, and sometimes very thought provoking creation.Mollà's direction is *quite* impressive and shows a lot of promise.Unpredictable, with amazing imagery and a great lead performance spoken in beautiful Spanish "No somos nadie" (God is on Air) is an amazing film you can show off to your friends.SEE IT.$LABEL$ 1 +This is easily the worst Ridley Scott film. Ridley Scott is a wonderful director. But this film is a black mark on his career. Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, both totally miscast in an overaggressive film about a girl going to the army. Very stupid. And there is never one scene that is convincing in any way. It is really not difficult to make a film such as this. Everything the crew makes could have been an idea of just anybody. The writers didn't have much inspiration either; many foolish dialogs that made no sense at all; and some brainless action. I strongly recommend to stay away from this rubbish. I hope that the many talented persons involved in this project realize this type of film does not deserve their attention, and that in the future they will work on more honorable and more intelligent movies than this useless mess.$LABEL$ 0 +Enjoyed catching this film on very late late late TV and it kept my interest through out the entire picture. This wonderful creepy, yet mysterious looking English home, with evil looking decorations and weired furniture and rooms that make you wonder just why anyone would want to rent this home or even own it. There are four(4)Tales concerning this house, and each resident of the home meets with all kinds of problems. You will notice the beautiful lake and pond around the home and also the sweet singing of birds, but don't let that fool you, there is horror all over the place. Peter Cushing,"Black Jack",'80 gives a great performance as one of the person's living in the home and even Christopher Lee,"Curse of the Crimson Altar",68 and his little daughter, Chloe Franks,(Jane Reid) make a wonderful exciting story together, his daughter for some reason loves to read WITCHCRAFT BOOKS! If you love creepy, horrible and mysterious films, with lots of surprises, this is the FILM FOR YOU!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Elfriede Jelinek, not quite a household name yet, is a winner of the Nobel prize for literature. Her novel spawned a film that won second prize at Cannes and top prizes for the male and female leads. Am I a dinosaur in matters of aesthetic appreciation or has art become so debased that anything goes?'Gobble, gobble' is the favoured orthographic representation in Britain of the bubbling noise made by a turkey. In the film world a turkey is a monumental flop as measured by box office receipts or critical reception. 'Gobble, gobble' and The Piano Teacher are perfect partners.The embarrassing awfulness of this widely praised film cannot be overstated. It begins very badly, as if made to annoy the viewer. Credits interrupt inconsequential scenes for more than 11 minutes. We are introduced to Professor Erika Kohut, apparently the alter ego of the accoladed authoress, a stony professor of piano. She lives with her husky and domineering mum. Dad is an institutionalised madman who dies unseen during what passes for the action.Reviewing The Piano Teacher is difficult, beyond registering its unpleasantness. What we see in the film (and might read in the book, for all I know) is a tawdry, exploitative, nonsensical tale of an emotional pendulum that swings hither and thither without moving on.Erika, whose name is minimally used, is initially shown as a person with intense musical sensitivity but otherwise totally repressed. Not quite, because there's a handbags at two paces scene with her gravelly-voiced maman early on that ends with profuse apologies. If a reviewer has to (yawn) extract a leitmotif (why not use a pretentious word when a simpler one would do), Elrika's violently alternating moods would be it.A young hunk, Walter, studying to become a 'low voltage' engineer, whatever that is, and playing ice hockey in his few leisure moments, is also a talented pianist. He encounters Elrika at an old-fashioned recital in a luxury apartment in what may or may not be Paris. In the glib fashion of so much art, he immediately falls in love and starts to 'cherchez la femme'.Repressed Erika has a liking for hardcore pornography, shown briefly but graphically for a few seconds while she sniffs a tissue taken from the waste basket in the private booth where she watches.Walter performs a brilliant audition and is grudgingly accepted as a private student by Erika, whose teaching style is characterised by remoteness, hostility, discouragement and humiliation.He soon declares his love and before long pursues Erika into the Ladies where they engage in mild hanky panky and incomplete oral sex. Erika retains control over her lovesick swain. She promises to send him a letter of instruction for further pleasurable exchanges.In the meantime, chillingly jealous because of Walter's kindness to a nervous student who is literally having the shits before a rehearsal for some future concert, Erika fills the student's coat pocket with broken glass, causing severe lacerations to those delicate piano-playing hands.The next big scene (by-passing the genital self-mutilation, etc) has Walter turning up at the apartment Erika shares with her mother. Erika want to be humiliated, bound, slapped, etc. Sensible Walter is, for the moment, repulsed and marches off into the night.At this point there's still nearly an hour to go. The viewer can only fear the worst. Erika tracks down Walter to the skating rink where he does his ice hockey practice. They retire to a back room. Lusty Wally is unable to resist the hands tugging at his trousers. His 'baby gravy' is soon expelled with other stomach contents. Ho hum.Repulsed but hooked, perhaps desirous of revenge for the insult so recently barfed on the floor, Walter returns to Erika's apartment. Can you guess what happens now? It's not very deep or difficult. Yes, he becomes a brute while Erika becomes a victim. One moment he's locking maman in her room and slapping Erika, the next he's kicking her in the face, having sex with her and renewing his declarations of love. Am I being unfair in this summary? Watch the film if you want, but I'd advise you not to.Anyone can see eternity in a grain of sand if they're in the right mood. I could expatiate at the challenging depiction of human relationships conveyed by this film if I wanted. But I 'prefer not to', because this is a cheap and nasty film that appeals to base instincts and says nothing.I'm supposed to say that parentally repressed Erika longs for love, ineffectively seeks it in pornography, inappropriately rejects it when it literally appears, pink and throbbing, under her nose, belatedly realises that she doesn't like being hurt, blah, blah, blah.The world has, for reasons not explained, stunted her. She apparently makes a monster out of someone who appeared superficially loving - but surely we all know that any man is potentially a violent rapist, because that's his essential nature however much he tries to tell himself and the world otherwise.At the end, if you have the patience to be there, there's a small twist. Before going to the final scene, where she's due to perform as a substitute for the underwear-soiling student with the lacerated hands, Erika packs a knife in her handbag. For Walter?Yes, you're ahead of me. She stabs herself in a none life-threatening area and leaves. Roll credits.If this earned the second prize at Cannes, just how bad were the rest of the entries?$LABEL$ 0 +Dear Mr Dante, Dude, seriously... the title of the show is "Masters of Horror". And be that as it may, it is supposed to be an opportunity to show of your horror chops, to show the world why you deserve to be called a "master" of the genre. Appearantly you misunderstood the exercise. Appearantly you thought it was your opportunity (or worse, your duty) to educate the American public on your political beliefs. And your attempt comes off as disgusting, overbearing, and above all preachy.The only reason ANYONE marked your short as a high score is because their political views match yours and they are the type of people that don't mind having that sort of politics shoved down their throat.I, on the other hand, don't give a damn what you believe, they believe, or I believe... I just want such obvious (not subtle) and unfunny (not satire) messages out of my horror. And while there were certainly other "Masters of Horror" that were big time disappointments or where I was just generally confused why that director (william malone?) would be considered a genre "master"... yours fails far beyond the rest for just missing the entire point of the series.So next time... can you please just keep your preachy politics to yourself?$LABEL$ 0 +This "clever" film was originally a Japanese film. And while I assume that original film was pretty bad, it was made a good bit worse when American-International Films hacked the film to pieces and inserted American-made segments to fool the audience. Now unless your audience is made of total idiots, it becomes painfully obvious that this was done--and done with little finesse or care about the final product. The bottom line is that you have a lot of clearly Japanese scenes and then clearly American scenes where the film looks quite different. Plus, the American scenes really are meaningless and consist of two different groups of people at meetings just talking about Gamera--the evil flying turtle! And although this is a fire-breathing, flying and destructive monster, there is practically no energy because I assume the actors were just embarrassed by being in this wretched film--in particular, film veterans Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker. They both just looked tired and ill-at-ease for being there.Now as for the monster, it's not quite the standard Godzilla-like creature. Seeing a giant fanged turtle retract his head and limbs and begin spinning through the air like a missile is hilarious. On the other hand, the crappy model planes, destructible balsa buildings and power plant are, as usual, in this film and come as no surprise. Plus an odd Japanese monster movie cliché is included that will frankly annoy most non-Japanese audience members, and that is the "adorable and precocious little boy who loves the monster and believes in him". Yeah, right. Well, just like in GODZILLA VERSUS THE SMOG MONSTER and several other films, you've got this annoying creep cheering on the monster, though unlike later incarnations of Godzilla, Gamera is NOT a good guy and it turns out in the end the kid is just an idiot! Silly, exceptional poor special effects that could be done better by the average seven year-old, bad acting, meaningless American clips and occasionally horrid voice dubbing make this a wretched film. Oddly, while most will surely hate this film (and that stupid kid), there is a small and very vocal minority that love these films and compare them to Bergman and Kurosawa. Don't believe them--this IS a terrible film!FYI--Apparently due to his terrific stage presence, Gamera was featured in several more films in the 60s as well as some recent incarnations. None of these change the central fact that he is a fire-breathing flying turtle or that the movies are really, really lame.$LABEL$ 0 +Former private eye-turned-security guard ditches his latest droning job and is immediately offered a chance to return to his previous profession. His assignment: to tail a mysterious French woman newly arrived in California...and apparently wanted by suit-and-tie racketeers. Unsuccessful attempt to update the film noir genre, without enough sting or wit (or involving plot dynamics) in the screenplay. Director and co-scenarist Paul Magwood (who later claimed the picture was edited without his involvement) doesn't give off the impression of having high regard for the '40s films his "Chandler" was borne from; his nostalgia is appropriately rumpled, but also bitter-tinged and somewhat indifferent. The handling is curiously, commendably low-keyed, and Warren Oates is well-cast as this '70s variant on the 'private dick' archetype, but the movie doesn't have any snap. Nice to see Leslie Caron and Gloria Grahame in the cast--though neither has much to do, and Caron's hot-and-cold running character is exasperating throughout. Vivid cinematography by Alan Stensvold, nice location shooting, but it fails to come to any kind of a boil. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +When I was kid back in the 1970s a local theatre had Children's Matinees every Saturday and Sunday afternoon (anybody remember those?). They showed this thing one year around Christmas time. Me and some friends went to see it. I expected a cool Santa Claus movie. What I got was a terribly dubbed (you can tell) and truly creepy movie.Something about Santa Claus and Merlin the Magician (don't ask me what those two are doing in the same movie) fighting Satan (some joker in a silly devil costume complete with horns!). The images had me cringing in my seat. I always found Santa spooky to begin with so that didn't help. The guy in the Satan suit didn't help. But what REALLY horrified me were the wooden rein deers that pulled Santa's sled. When he wound them up and the creepy sound they made and the movements--I remember having nightmares about those things! All these years later I still remember walking out of that theatre more than a little disturbed by what I saw. My friends were sort of frightened by it too. I just saw an ad for it on TV and ALL those nightmares came roaring back. This is a creepy, disturbing little Christmas film that will probably scare the pants off any little kid who sees it. Avoid this one--unless you really want to punish your kids. This gets a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Last Hard Men" is a typical western for the 70's. Most of them seem to be inspired by Sam Peckinpah. Also this one, but Director Andrew McLaglan is a John Ford Pupil and this can be obviously shown in many scenes. IMO the beginning is very good. In a certain way McLaglan wanted to show the audience a travel from the civilization to the wilderness. In the third part there are some illogical flaws and I complain a bit about Charlton Heston. He has to play an old ex-lawman named Sam Burgade but he is in a fantastic physical shape. I never got the feeling that he really has problems to climb on a horse or on a rock. For me he didn't looks very motivated as he usual do in most of his epic movies. Same goes to the beautiful Barbara Hershey who is playing the sheriff's daughter. Maybe both had troubles with the director or were unhappy with their roles. Hershey and Coburn are not showing their best but they are still good. If the scriptwriter had John Wayne in their mind as Sam Burgade? Also Michael Parks as modern sheriff is a bit underused in his role. On the other Hand there is James Coburn as outlaw Zach Provo. Coburn is a really great villain in this one. He is portraying the bad guy between maniac hate and cleverness. His role and his acting is the best of the movie.Landscapes and Shootouts are terrific. The shootings scenes are bloody and the violence looks realistic. Zach Provo and his gang had some gory and violent scenes. What I miss is the typical western action in the middle of the movie. I would have appreciated a bank robbery or something similar. Overall it's an entertaining western flick. Not a great movie but above the average because of a great Coburn, a very good beginning and some gory and violent scenes.$LABEL$ 1 +A bit of Trivia b/c I can't figure out how to submit Trivia: In the backdrop of this performance, one of the images isGeorge Serat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" painting (seen best in chapter 18), this painting is the subject of a Sonheim musical Sunday in the Park with George.A bit of Trivia b/c I can't figure out how to submit Trivia: In the backdrop of this performance, one of the images isGeorge Serat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" painting (seen best in chapter 18), this painting is the subject of a Sonheim musical Sunday in the Park with George.$LABEL$ 1 +This was one of the shows that I wanted to follow-up on. But, I'd just couldn't bring myself on devoting my time to this show. To have a show that centers on the topic of politics, you really need a strong plot with twists and turns to enhance the mood of the show, something like "The West Wing" or "Commander-in-Chief." Rob Lowe was OK, but actors like Kyle Chandler just couldn't act (he was awful in "Early Edition"). It was a pain to sit through this show. With its lack of suspense, urgency, and characters who can actually act, I just had to give up on this show and am glad it was canceled so I would have nothing more to miss.Grade D-$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie as a child and i am longing to see it again. has it survived? I discount the 1980 version entirely as being fluff. I am sure that there are many that don't feel it is necessary to preserve these films. It is so unfortunate to discover a lost gem after it is gone. Young people today don't realize the hallucinatory quality and the impact on one's life a film seen in early youth can have in later life. This film, "the blue lagoon" had that effect on me. How many of us have wished to find ourselves in a place removed of the fears and chaos of the modern world. This was an idyllic story of a boy and girl castaway on a tropical island. there are troubles to be sure but in the end they fall in love and the have a baby. Life should be so simple and beautiful.$LABEL$ 1 +To call this film a disaster will be an understatement. I don't even know where to begin! I have questions though, and lots of them. I would like to know who conceived of this script? Who gave them money to make this film? Who was in charge of casting and costuming? They should all be sued! I saw this film in my local library's catalog and I thought "Hey! great!" I had just seen the two FOG movies that Hollywood had produced and then realised that Bollywood had a version. Unbeknowst to me, that it would turn out to be a total and utter crap-fest! Dhund - the fog, is a film about four friends (actually just one of them but you should know that there are four friends), one of them is a beauty queen (played by India's 1st Mrs. World, Aditi Govitrikar) and the director spares no expense at letting you know this. The script even claims that she (the character's name is Simran) has Aishwarya Rai eyes, Kareena Kapoor lips and Rani Mukherjee hair. Feel free to barf if you want to, at least at this point you haven't seen the film, unlike poor me. :*(Anyway, Simran receives a death threat one day from one of the contestants' uncle, who tells her to drop out of the contest so that his niece would have a better chance of winning, but Simran's boyfriend doesn't allow her to do this and thus she participates in the pageant and wins. This causes the crack-cocaine-sniffing uncle of her former college classmate Tanya to come after her. But with the help of her cousin Kajal, Simran drowns the culprit and they enlist both their boyfriends in the task of getting rid of the body. It's tough but they eventually get around to doing it.In a scene that borrows from Hollywood's film Diabolique, the pool where the dead body is hidden is drained only to reveal that the body is missing and this begins a conundrum of Whodunit and Where-is-it? By the time the film is over, the film successful steals scenes from 'I know what you did last summer, I still know, Scream 1, Scream 2, Scream 3, Murder she wrote episodes and not to mention, Columbo and Scooby Doo'! Shameless, I tell ya!Inconsistencies and problems within the film include but are not limited to: 1. A scantily clad Simran answers phone-calls three times from her would-be-killer, the camera shows her drop the phone off the hook yet the phone is able to ring again each time and she picks it up to answer. 2. Tanya tries to kill herself because she doesn't win the beauty contest? WTF? Even Aishwarya Rai who is ten time more beautiful did not attempt suicide when she didn't win Miss India!3. In the pool scene, the kids who come to retrieve the ball that has fallen into the pool conveniently disappear as soon as the police arrive. And the ball disappears too. 4. The cliché blue contacts lenses of the killer change from blue to brown in the drowning scene, yet when his corpse surfaces again, his eyes are blue. 5. Nobody who dies in the film is mourned (strange, especially for Indian society).6. When Vikram jumps into the dirty murky pool, an underwater camera shows us his actions and miraculously the pool is transformed to Olympic size and is clean and clear as day. 7. Sexy belly-dancer performs a pseudo-orgasm drenched song and dance number about coming of age. That would have been cool for some bachelor party, but they were celebrating Simran's pageant win! Hello!!!! 8. Kunal, Sameer, Simran and Kajal can neither dance nor Lip Synch properly. But don't blame them, just accept that there was no choreographer for the dance numbers.9. Nothing within the film was choreographed, it was like they just told the actors to show up and do whatever the want. 10. The film played out like there was no script. Either that or the director was high and drunk when filming this junk!11. When Simran's picture was published without her consent in a magazine, she flew to the police headquarters to have the photographers arrested, yet she receives death threats and never bothers to alert the police.Just to mention a few of course. This film was a painful experience for me and I advise everyone to skip it by all means necessary and possible. Bollywood should be terribly ashamed of this kind of film-making.$LABEL$ 0 +I'll admit that I liked the first one, and was really looking forward to the sequel.I was let down. Sure the special effects were technically amazing -- but they weren't believable looking. It looked more like a cartoon. Alright, I admit to liking 80% of the chase scene -- but the fight with all the Mr Smiths? It was too obviously animated.I can accept all of that. What I can't accept is that the non-action parts were crap. Every time Morpheus opened his mouth, I knew I was in for a speech that went on forever and signified nothing.I was also disappointed with the little plot that did exist. What this movie did was tell us that there was no truth in the first movie (except about the existence of the matrix). This movie was a little like seeing the episode of DALLAS where you find out that the entire previous season was a dream.Ugh! I want my $7.00 back!$LABEL$ 0 +The clever marketeer is he is, Jess Franco naturally also cashed in on the huge temporarily success of psychedelic spy movies like Mario Bava's ultimately sensational "Danger: Diabolik!". Franco is the ideal man to shoot a similar film, as he could freely insert as much sleaze, kitschy scenery and absurdly grotesque plot twists as he wanted to. And he partially understood this very well, as "The Girl from Rio" revolves on a man-hating organization, led by a funky dressed lesbo, that plots to turn all men into obedient slaves! Unfortunately (for them, at least), the diabolical plans conflict with the daily business of a feared crime syndicate boss, played by George Sanders. All the right ingredients are well-presented, yet this is a surprisingly weak and unsatisfying adventure movie. The plot is rich on imagination, but seemingly only on paper, as the action is quite tame. The film is also very colorful...but not too bright and especially shocking was the total lack of vicious sex. There's a bit of nudity, sure, but too few according to normal Franco standards. All the characters are sick in the head, so the least I expected (or hoped for) were more perverted undertones or frenzied themes. Franco obviously had a bigger budget as usual to work with, and I must say he spends that money well on more convincing set pieces and talented cast members. Particularly the veteran actor George Sanders ("Village of the Damned", "Psychomania") is one of the best players ever to appear in a Franco production. Too bad even he can't save "The Girl from Rio" from being a huge letdown. A legendary Euro-smut filmmaker like Jess Franco could and should have done more with this concept. Shame, shame, shame...$LABEL$ 0 +IF you love movies about fruity dudes who prance around with a top hats and canes while spouting off random line of poetry while stabbing their victims then this is the movie for you!!If you like movies where it looks like the whole thing was shot with a camcorder, and when people get disemboweled their internal organs are made out of baked ziti an marinara sauce this movie is even more for you!! And if you simply love movies where the acting and dialogue sucks so much that it makes you feel dead inside, then for God's sake run to the video store right now and buy this movie right now!!! Hurry go before it sells out!$LABEL$ 0 +In spite of having some exciting (and daring) sequences, NBTN just never gets going. There are exploding boats, hat pin murders, mass suicides, pathologists with body parts, and all sorts of classic mystery/horror scenes, but they're interspersed with extended periods of pure exposition. Everybody in the movie looks bored. This is a shame because many of the sequences would be considered daring at the time this was filmed.Add to this the "too-proper" Brit characters and you feel like you've drifted into a Sherlock Holmes movie.Finally, the cinematography is very ordinary. There are lots of opportunities for beautiful shots of of the countryside, or complex shots of someone being pulled into a huge bonfire, but the whole thing is unimaginative and dull.Definitely only for Lee and Cushing fans.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the most interesting things is that this 1988 film is highly touted as an `in-name only' sequel. There's nothing wrong with that except this: The return of Chevy Chase as Ty Webb. This connects the viewer to this character (from the original Caddyshack in 1980,) and makes fans thinking or wanting Caddyshack II to be similar to the first one.There are rumors that Rodney Dangerfield was supposed to return. He carried a big part of the first film, so his return would have put Caddyshack 2 over the top. Jackie Mason is the `new' Rodney for this movie and does a decent job, even though their comic deliveries are way different. Dan Aykroyd was great but not in the film enough. He should have been involved to the tune of how much screen time Bill Murray got in the first one. Robert Stack (Airplane!) was good in the `new' Ted Knight/Villian role. (We miss you, Ted!) Danny Noonan should have been back. So many others could have returned to show us what happened to their characters eight years later. Bushwood should not have undergone the total makeover it did. Instead, the characters involved, rather than the club itself, should have been the main focus like they were in the first one. When you watch this film, keep in mind that it isn't a major sequel and you may think it's another good or bad eighties comedy. Fans of the first should see it but don't be shocked when the comparisons between the original and Part II are so far apart.$LABEL$ 1 +I should explain that as far as this trend goes for ripping off Asian horror movies, this Shutter is a head above The Grudge, and Dark Water, while still not achieving the same amount of atmospheric creepiness that The Ring establishes.Still though movies, like life, don't exist in a vacuum and are therefore up for comparison to other suspense/thriller/horror movies. Honestly, I'm not writing a lengthy synopsis here and will say that this movie attempts to rely on music induced "startle" scares rather than atmosphere and the "ghost" itself really isn't that remarkable. The plot is pretty basic and predictable and isn't anything to write home about either. While there are a few suspenseful scenes that border on creatively scary, most of the movie is pretty vanilla. If you enjoyed The Grudge and it's ilk then you might enjoy this.Grade: C-$LABEL$ 0 +This film comes as the ultimate disappointment in Tsai Ming-Liang for me. It oozes laziness from its every frame. So I'm not going to analyse it thoroughly either. But some observations:1. If the premise is drought, why we get to see city landscapes with blooming green trees? I wonder if that was supposed to mean something in the metaphorical context of the film (in which thirst notifies the craving for intimacy, and watermelon the trivial substitute, sex). Or it is only a matter of lousy film-making, not giving a damn about being coherent.2. We don't get to know what had happened to the porn actress, why she is unconscious or, presumably, dead. It seems a question of no importance as long as the message of supreme alienation is successfully (=bombastically) delivered, but in retrospect, her inert body proves to be a cheap dramaturgical gimmick, a pretext – just as gratuitous and exploitative as the activity it is employed in.3. Nothing is expressed in this movie that Antonioni hadn't expressed better 40 years ago – and without needlessly humiliating his actors.4. The musical numbers (recycled from 'The Hole') felt like a secondary-schooler's idea of artistic counterpointing, executed on that very secondary-school level of skill. If that was the point, the point sucked.$LABEL$ 0 +Every James Bond movie has its own set of rules. Just like every Indiana Jones movie has ITS own set of rules. And the fact that screenwriters don't break these rules maintains the integrity of the characters. With a completely unnecessary plot twist, the integrity of both Ocean films plummets somewhere between Airplane 2 and a Roadrunner cartoon.Imagine what would happen, while teetering on the rope bridge outside of the Temple of Doom, if Indy told Shorty and Willie not to worry because throughout the entire first two movies he's secretly had super powers and can fly them both to safety.Entertaining? Sure, for a Roadrunner cartoon. But Spielberg would never have done that because it would have destroyed the integrity of the film. More importantly, it would have ANGERED the audience. They'd already sat on the edge of their seats through 3 hours worth of Indiana Jones movies and they were counting on Indiana to get them off that bridge in a believable way. If he were to fly off? People would have walked out of the theaters the same way people did during Ocean's 12.SPOILERS1. Julia Roberts'character, Tess, infiltrates a museum by disguising herself as...Julia Roberts?!? A clever twist? By breaking the fourth wall three hours after we've been introduced to these characters? Is this the Naked Gun 33 and 1/3? It's a textbook example of how a cheap laugh can ruin an entire film. But wait...just in case you haven't walked out yet...2. The suspense builds throughout the last hour of the movie -- how will they pull off the heist -- there are only 10...8...5...2 DAYS LEFT! And then in the last 12 minutes of the film, the ONLY entertaining part of this movie, we see that the heist was made days earlier and took Matt Damon all of 30 seconds to pull off. The past 10 days? A complete waste of your time.BACK TO INDIANA JONES ON THE ROPE BRIDGE..."Just relax, Willie! I stole the REAL stones back about a month ago! Besides, I convinced them you were Kate Capshaw!"If you haven't already seen it, cut your losses and go see the Polar Express. I don't want to ruin the ending for you, but there really is a Santa Claus. Most importantly, you won't feel cheated leaving the theater.$LABEL$ 0 +Bhagam Bhag was a waste of money and time big time! I wonder y Govinda did this movie? Govinda...dude...m your big fan, u have to make right decisions now in choosing movie? i wonder he had any role in that movie.Govinda's role could be given to Johnny Lever. Akshay Kumar steals the show here! Akshay...dud u rock! u have created space in everybody's heart all over the world! Lara Dutta, Tansuhree ....u guys deserve better. Paresh Rawal is good at his witty! overall there were few scene where i laughed...otherwise i was just wondering "y the hell did Priyadarshan made such a stupid movie?" Anyways, lets wait and watch upcoming movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was terrible! My friend and I were so bored by it we fast forwarded through the last half of the movie just to see what happened. It's the typical sports thing, she either wins or she loses. The only remotely interesting thing was when the one guy refers to someone as a Veg-e-tab-le. That will be a line my friend and I bring up for years to come reminding us of this colossal cheesy cliche waste of time$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie because the DVD cover made it look like it was going to be a ridiculous college comedy like van wilder or animal house. I took it to my friend house to watch for movie night. We ended up stopping it 15 minutes into the film, and watched Copper Mountain instead. I don't know if any of you have seen Copper Mountain, but it isn't great either. However, I would have to say that the Alan Thick Jim Carrey Duo made it a more enjoyable watch.I later finished Puddle Cruiser. This movie was slow and the humor was forced. This movie reminded me of some stinkers that I saw in some of my earlier production classes in college. I was left wondering "was this the film that enabled Broken Lizard to make Supertroopers?" Also how could this movie suck so bad? Supertroopers was good and Club Dread was decent. Don't see this movie!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has made me upset! When I think of Cat in the hat. Im thinking of cat in the hat books. You know, the one from a few years back that parents read to thier children. Well, I though that this movie would be a lot like that! But much to my suprise was nothing like the books! Insted it is more like young adult humor movie. In one part cat is talking to a gardening tool (hoe) cat talks to it like it is his hoe (agin adult humor). the naming of his car I all so though was a little untastful for a kids movie. under the rating you'll find: mild cude humor and some double-entendres. I think in short this means adult humor. I wish I could return this movie! wal-mart said they wouldn't because the movie has been opened. If you are thinking about buying this I suggest that maybe rent before you buy.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie has lot of downsides and thats all i could see. it is painfully long and awfully directed. i could see whole audience getting impatient and waiting for it to end. run time is way over 3 hrs which could have been edited to less then 2 hrs.transition between stories is average. most people confessed being on seating expecting something better to come out.its funny only in pockets. ambitious project and a below par execution. govinda does a fair job, anil kapoor disappointed me, rest we as expected. if u r expecting anything close to babel or love actually then its no where close.$LABEL$ 0 +Stalingrad is a terrific movie, well acted and directed, and rather down to earth in it's approach to the various bizarre aspects of warfare and it's politics. This is, together with "Das Boot" one of the best war movies (together with the Finnish "Vinterkriget" ("The Winter War", in English, I believe)). It depicts the ordeals of some of the German soldiers that fought --- and died --- in and around Stalingrad during World War 2. No big time heroics, no over bearing emotional fuzziness, only the fear of every day death in war. The mood of the movie is similar to the one in "Das Boot", and that should give you some hints on what to expect, I guess. So, if you enjoy realistic, non-Hollywoodish, war movies: Rent it, buy it, just make sure you see it! Finally, a film buff's note: for some of the previous reviewers information, I only want to add that "Stalingrad" isn't directed by Wolfgang Petersen (who made "Das Boot")!$LABEL$ 1 +Having grown up in New Jersey and having spent many a day and night on the gritty streets of New York in the 1970's, watching a film like "The Seven-Ups", or its kindred spirit, "The French Connection", always evokes fond memories of a time and place which, for some, might have been NYC's darkest hour, but which for me, in my early twenties, was always one fun-filled adventure after another. I truly miss those times. As one reviewer remarked, "This film very aptly captures the stark, cold, matter-of-fact feel of the NYC winter season, while keenly exposing the underbelly of the region's infamous underworld of crime and policing. A great snapshot of a place and a time and a culture.". A spot-on characterization of both the film and the city. The stellar attributes of this film -- the plot, the cast, the characters, and of course, the car chase -- are amply described in many of the reviews here, so I won't go into that except to say that one of my favorite moments occurs during the car chase, when the camera focuses on Richard Lynch riding shotgun to the maniacal Bill Hickman. The look of horror on Richard Lynch's face, along with the defensive gestures, are so out-of-character for an actor much better known as a source of terror rather than an object of it, that it is actually comical to watch. I get a chuckle out of it every time.$LABEL$ 1 +Out of the 600 or so Spaghetti Westerns made this has got to be in the top twenty somewhere. Can not believe this hasn't received any reviews! Gemma is excellent in this. Van Johnson is good too though his dubbed voice is a little off killter but that's the charm of the Italian style. Beautiful photography and some excellently staged action. All the supporting characters are well played. The severity of the racist streak in the bad guys is pretty tough even by todays standards which creates an emotional depth to Gemmas character in some of the situations that take place. Absolutely FANTASTIC score by Luis Bacalov. See this is in the wonderful Wide screen DVD from Japan. A spaghetti must have.$LABEL$ 1 +Yet another British romantic comedy which audiences all over the world seem to have a ravenous appetite for. This feeble effort is an unintentional parody of the genre - all the classic clichéd scenes are here from ridiculously elaborate misunderstandings to running after departing trains to declare one's love. The characters are one-dimensional caricatures save for Love-Hewitt who manages to bring some cohesion to the film. Things threaten to spiral out of control in the plausibility department as the film progresses; our good-natured suspension of belief finally comes crashing down during the preposterous ending. If you're looking for a Bridget Jones, Notting Hill kind of experience you won't find it here.$LABEL$ 0 +I've read some of the comments about this film and can only surmise that some people are easily entertained. This movie is nothing. It's so badly written, directed and acted that it barely makes an impression. The characters speak in cliche-ridden dialogue and the situations are completely implausible. While that might make this campy and fun, it doesn't because everything is so lifeless the film becomes dull. It's as if Lee Rose decided to write a drama about a woman struggling with her sexuality but then she either wasn't allowed by studio execs to give the story some true-to-life gusto or didn't have the cojones. This movie could go in the enyclopedia as the standard-issue bad Lifetime TV movie.$LABEL$ 0 +For some reason I just didn't like it at all and felt embarrassed about how bad it was since I bought it and watched it with my family. All of us hated it with a passion. It's a nice enough kids' movie, maybe in the year it came out. However, think about it: an outdated kids' movie? What's the point? Kids do not generally like to watch such old movies anyway, and I don't see what adults are supposed to get out of this movie at all.Some kids' movies (like Mary Poppins or Wizard of Oz) can be enjoyed even now, but Time Bandits is totally outdated. For your reference, and I think applicable in this case, I also did not like Dr Strangelove or Spinal Tap at all. So, if you disagree with me on those similarly outdated movies, you might like Time Bandits.There is also a horrible case of overacting as I recall from the 'bad guys'. Think of the two stupid 'bad pirates' in the Pirates of the C. movies, except in Time Bandits they are not even remotely funny.Anyway, I warned you, that's all I can do. People that rate this movie high must have liked it from many years ago. If you have not seen it before, then don't bother watching it now.$LABEL$ 0 +When a movie of a book seems pointless and incomprehensible, the cause can invariably be found in the book: either it was pointless to start with, or the point is one not easily conveyed to film, or the movie missed the point, which is the most frequent of these results, and the easiest to happen, especially when the point is one not easily defined. The book "Morvern Callar" has a point; every reader of the book must have felt this, and felt as if he had gotten it; but I suspect most of them could not state it in words. I'm not sure I can, myself, but perhaps it comes to this, or something like it: Things come, things go, such is life, but we carry on; or at any rate some of us--people like Morvern--do. No doubt a more erudite critic could construct a more adequate definition. But the important fact is that there is a point--possibly the sum of the entire story is the point--and that this would have been the main thing to keep in view, and to carry over, in adapting the story to film. The maker of this film evidently missed the point, and doesn't substitute one of her own; and so the film is about nothing.This is not the usual complaint of a book-lover that his favorite text has been violated. The merit of the book is something I conceded grudgingly: in reading it I found it a bloody nuisance, and an occasion for kicking the author in the pants and getting him in to finish the job properly. The narrative is supposed to be the work of the half-educated Morvern, but that illusion is constantly dispelled by a dozen different types of literary effect, as if the author were poking at her with his pen; there are inconsistencies of style and tone, as if different sections had been composed at different times; and any conclusions I could reach about Morvern had to remain tentative because it was uncertain which implications the author intended and which he did not: for instance, despite Morvern's own self-characterization as a raver, am I wrong that in the end she remains essentially a working-class Scots girl, and beneath her wrapping of music downloads not so different from those of generations past? In any case, despite my irritation at the author, I couldn't deny that his book stuck with me; and what I couldn't get out of my head was his character's attitude, her angle on the world, which was almost as vivid as a Goya portrait. Morvern is the kind of person who's always encountering situations at once rather comic and rather horrible; occasionally she invites them but more often they land on her, like flies, so that much of her life consists of a kind of gauche but graceful slogging-through, unconsciously practical and unconsciously philosophical--and that doesn't begin to describe it idiosyncratically enough. The complex of incidents and of Morvern's responses to them are the substance of the book, and its achievement, in exposing a cross-section of existence it would be difficult to illuminate otherwise; for all my dislike of the book, I can see this.The Morvern just described is not the Morvern of the movie; or if it is, most of her is kept offscreen. An actress who might have been a good fit for the character, had she been the right age at the right time, is Angharad Rees, from the old TV series "Poldark". Samantha Morton, then, would seem like good casting: she's rather the same sort of actress, and in one of her earlier movies, "Jesus' Son", she played a girl who with a few adjustments could have been turned into this one. Unfortunately, as the film turned out, she doesn't have the character from the book to play. For one thing, the book is one that, if it is to be dramatized, virtually cries out for monologues by the main character to the audience; without her comments, her perspective, her voice, the story loses most of its meaning. It has lost more of it in that the adaptor has expurgated it of its comic and horrible elements: the most memorable incidents from the book are curtailed before they turn grotty, and so Morvern's responses (whether of amusement or distaste, depending on her mood) are missing too, and the incidents no longer have a reason for being in the story. In short, the filmmaker chose for some reason to turn a brisk, edgy serio-comic novel into a genteel art TV film, and chose as her typical image one of Ms. Morton languishing in a artistically shaded melancholy; as if the outing Morvern signs up for were a tour of the Stations of the Cross. This isn't at all what the book, or the Morvern of the book, was about. For another thing, the Morvern of the movie isn't Scottish (the actress said in an interview she hadn't had time to study up the accent), and she ought to be: it's important that she, her family, and her mates are all from a single place. And finally the film is missing the end of the story: Morvern's spending all she has and coming home to icy darkness: it's winter, the dam has frozen, the power has gone out, and the pub is dark. Minus this, and minus all of the rest, what's left is a failed art film, a dead film, about a subject whose strength lay precisely in her refusal, or native inability, ever to give in to being dead.$LABEL$ 0 +I cheer for films that fill in subject matter gaps in world cinema. So after watching the trailer for "Water Lilies," I expected to like this film because I thought I'd stumbled on something unique: a movie that honestly portrays teen lesbian love - sort of a female version of "Beautiful Thing." The main characters are young French women 15 years old. Marie is slender, reticent and pretty in a tomboyish way; Floriane is outgoing, athletic and beautiful; and Anne is loyal, pudgy and behaviorally immature. The erotic interrelationship between Marie and Floriane is always simmering in this movie, if not at the surface, then just below it. "Water Lilies," however, is not about the dawning of lesbian love upon two teens; it is about sexual frustration, suffering, ennui, teens working at cross-purposes and - in at least two instances - joyless, mechanical sex. It also proves that screenwriters and film-makers mar their own creations when they become too manipulative.In the extra features on the "Lord of the Flies" DVD, director Peter Brook says, "French cynicism starts with the arousal of sex," meaning the French regard children as angels while they regard adolescents and adults with a pervasive cynicism. Part of the downfall of this film is film-maker Celine Sciamma has gulped a mighty dose of this cynicism."Where is the joy?" I asked myself while watching this film. Yes, first love can be painful and frustrating, but it can also be joyful and triumphantly erotic in a fresh, life-affirming way. These positive aspects are missing from this movie; there is no balance.Organically, this movie wants to be a poignant celebration of first love. But Sciamma is too impressed with her own cynicism and cleverness and ruins the film. First, what is the point of showing only the plump girl nude? I know there is an established tradition of tasteful teen nudity in European cinema, as evidenced by films like "The Slingshot; The Rascals; The Devil, Probably; The Little Thief; Murmur of the Heart; Friends; Beau Pere" and "Europa, Europa"; but this instance is a petty authorial intrusion - "See, audience, I can make a film where I show only the unattractive person nude." Either no nudity or evenly distributed nudity would've been an honest way to go.There is a scene in a club where Floriane and Marie are dancing. What follows next is not just Floriane cynically manipulating Marie; it is film-maker Sciamma cynically manipulating her audience.Perhaps the biggest betrayal of authenticity and organic honesty takes place when Floriane warns Marie she's about to request something that is "not normal." Marie understandably asks, "Who cares about being normal?" Then Sciamma plays false with her audience and the hurtling momentum of the movie, because Floriane's request is a phony, derivative and substitute question - not the authentic, heartfelt question the movie, Marie's character and the viewers who've invested their time deserve. Here are also two moments which clank falsely on the viewer's nerves: 1) Since when do the French - of all people - take baths wearing bathing suits, and with a turtle to boot? 2) What teen - of any nationality - would chomp down on an apple core that's been thrown in the garbage in order to get a taste of the beloved's mouth?The three main actresses are promising and, if they find better vehicles for their talents, may become excellent actors. Louise Blachere (Anne) is the best actress in terms of technique and could have a successful career in supporting roles. Adele Haenel (Floriane) could become a leading lady, or a bombshell, or both. Pauline Acquart (Marie) possesses an intensity and magnetism which are unmistakable. In the future, she could play everything from an emotionally crippled librarian to a mysteriously sensual seductress to a reluctant politician riding a meteoric rise in acclaim.All in all, "Water Lilies" was very disappointing. Will an honest film-maker please make an authentic movie about two young women falling in love! No - not necessarily for the sake of this middle-aged guy - but so young lesbian girls can have something of quality they can watch and identify with. And yes, to fill a subject matter gap in world cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +This is definitely a touching movie, and a great expression of Charles Darwins personal struggle. The movie is not only about his struggle to get his book "the origin of Species" published, but also his relationship with his oldest daughter. His daughter was at start the only person in his family to approve of his views, something that she as well had to pay for. Een more than him at times.Now, this is not an evolutionary propaganda film, as a matter of fact I think it managed to stay very neutral. A hard thing to do in my opinion. of course it does not condone the way the characters was treated by the church, quite the opposite actually. If you need me to use the big words to shed light on this film; it will be liked by deists and atheists alike, but goes away from theism. The movie talks about evolution, and that's it.Paul Bettany as Charles Darwin was incredible. Of course we all may think of Darwin as that old man with the funny beard, but this movie centers around the man in his late 20's, early 30's. Jennifer Connelly (Emma Darwin) is great as always, but the actor who impressed me was Martha West as Annie Darwin, Darwins daughter. Definitely on of the best child actors of the decade. The story is about Darwin and his daughter, and it is beautifully acted.Except for a few jumps in time that was momentarily confusing, the production of this film is pretty flawless. Some scenes were Darwin observes nature is just marvelous, and is almost like taken out of a high production National geographic documentary.I must admit though, I'm not quite sure of why they chose "Creation" as the title. I doubt it is an irony, the movie is too respectful for that. Well, I'm sure there's a meaning too it, just don't let it scare you away. I give this movie a 9/10. This is truly a great tribute to Charles Darwin, and please give it a chance.$LABEL$ 1 +Very disturbing, but expertly crafted & scripted and intelligently directed with a good eye for color and detail. Mary Beth Hurt, Sandy Dennis, and especially Randy Quaid are unusually good. The story centers around a young boy (Bryan Madorsky) wondering where all the leftovers they eat every night comes from. His parents (Hurt, Quaid) strange behavior causes the school psychiatrist (Dennis) to get involved. It is a gruesome cannibal movie. But it's not bad. If you like Hannibal, you'll love this. If you don't like Parents, stay away from the film. Just giving advice to Cannibal Lover and Haters.Rated R for Strong Adult Themes and Graphic Violence.$LABEL$ 0 +Given that Dylan Thomas is an icon of modern Anglophone poetry I expected a movie that would be prone to a hagiography of the subject. On the contrary the poet is presented as sexually irresponsible, a drunkard, a bad father, a lier and a hypocrite and perhaps a coward. Of course one could argue that all those things are an advantage when some one is an artist and especially a poet since one of the purposes of art is to subvert the standards of conventional morality but still I do not thing that a positive role model could crop up from such a bundle of personality traits. Any way I found the other male hero of the story Captain Cillic a more endearing character. The two female roles were played by actresses Knigtley and Miller and were truly charming especially the first when she performed songs in slim outfit to inspire bombarded Londoners during WW2. Another good point is the role that sexual jealousy plays even in relatively progressive milieus that think that age-old conventions can easily be surpassed.The atmosphere of the Blitz was also convincing as well as the portrayal of the distinct outlooks among people who have experienced war as opposed to those who talk about it theorizing on it's possible political outcomes.I think one would recommend such a movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Cool action - yeah the premise has been done - but not this way - that's the trick. hey folks - SHOCK - it's an X-File.To me - it's cool that Scully/Mulder have almost no scenes together -- they have to adapt, rely on each other's intrinsic sense about what's really going on - and each other's adaptation skills. They read into each other's moves and get the job done.... (sort of).Oh yeah --- really good acting -- do these people get paid to do this? Or- a slow day when the convenience store doesn't call them into work. (hey - Duchovny - where's the day-old donuts?? Malcolm - get to school...)$LABEL$ 1 +Probably one of the worst movies ever made, I'm still trying to figure if it was meant to be fun, but for sure I had no fun at all. Maybe the movie lost something during the english-italian translation, dunno, for sure I miss the guts to watch it again in original version.My rate for it 2/10, and I feel like I'm being pretty generous (let's say 1 point is for Liv cause she's a nice babe, and the other point is for those decent actors that got trapped into a worthless, useless and pathetic movie)Take CareAlex$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably one of Brian De Palma's best known movies but it isn't his best. Body Double, The Fury and Carrie are better movies but this movie is better than Blow Out and Obsession. De Palma is very influenced by Hitchcock and this movie is a take off on Psycho. Angie Dickinson is a bored housewife who is thinking of having an affair and after her psychiatrist, played by Michael Caine, turns down an offer, Dickinson meets a man in a art gallery and she winds up sleeping with him. After this point it's best you don't know what happens but there is a murder and Nancy Allen is a call girl who gets a look at the killer. Dennis Franz is the detective on the case who really doesn't trust Allen and she has to find the killer herself. It's a pretty good movie but isn't one of De Palma's best.$LABEL$ 1 +I was living Rawlins when this movie was made and I got lucky enough to be able to work on it. Both as an extra and with Eddie Surkin on special effects. It was fun to see all the behind the scene workings, from the Barbedwire coming alive to the Electric chair up through the wardens office floor. Also it was a lot of fun getting to meet all the actors, from Viggo to Tiny. Also the gate that was cut into the prison wall for the movie was and still is called "Disney Gate" by locals. If anybody is interested and is ever in Rawlins, most of the movies sets are still in place and can be seen during the self guided tour. It was a lot of fun working for and with R. Harlin and wished I had a chance to do it again.$LABEL$ 1 +It is unbelievable that a script as cliché and completely absurd could make any screen even the small one. The dialogue in this movie makes Catwoman seem like a high culture classic. Billy Zane plays the bad ass harmonica playing, Elvis impersonating, gunslinging, martial arts master who gambles on the life of a down-an-out former football player turned gambling addict played by the winner of NBC's craptastic show "Next Action Star." His performance is as cold as ice and not in a cool way. The "film" takes place in Vegas, and since people play poker there the writers felt it was a perfect setting for a movie about a guy trying to survive 24 hours against an omnipresent, wealthy gambler who has offered his target $2.4 million if he can make it through the day. And so the hunt ensues. A hunt reeking with unimpressive explosions, construction yard settings, shoddy cinematography, and one-liners containing the word "bet" or "gamble." The female winner is also tossed in the mix, but for what reason I have no idea. Oh but don't worry "NAS" fans the losers make their memorable cameos as well. The surprise ending will knock your socks off if you love predictability or plagiarism. Joel Silver should reevaluate his decision to sell out even more. I wish he could give me those two hours of my life back.$LABEL$ 0 +I was also disappointed with this movie. For starters, the things that happen to him don't seem too terrible to me (Sorry male chauvinist PoV). As is pointedly said by one of the lady captors: "Most men would _pay_ to be in your position". To which he replies "But this is not _my_ choice". OK, OK, fair point, so how bad was it really? Please let us know. But now the kicker: He does not let _anyone_ know, until after the movie-end (unseen). Not his girlfriend, not is mentor, not the police, not anyone. In stead, he comes up with the brilliant plan of f*ck*ng every girl he knows, so he may recognize the tattoo (or something) of one of his captors. I thought he'd just had enough unpleasant sex during the 12 days of his captivity? Isn't it time to take a little break from all that? For me, his, to put it mildly, ill advised actions broke the "suspension of disbelief" of the movie. I took out a book while watching the last half hour out of the corner of my eye.$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed this documentary about Kenny and Spencer's attempt to pitch "The Dawn". Was a great look at how outsiders try to get to the inside to make it big. The story was put together well and organized in an interesting manner that made the film flow well. Certainly worth a watch. My only complaint is that their appeared to be no closure. Perhaps that is part of the point. We expect it but in reality that is not what happened (or usually happens).The film is also a great way to see the personality of Kenny and Spencer outside of their Canadian television show. You can see a bit of what is yet to come. I look forward to a chance to see The Papal Chase.$LABEL$ 1 +There is a reason why Jay Leno himself will not acknowledge this film. It consistently ranks as one of the worst films of all time. The acting is horrible, the script lacks direction and the director himself doesn't seem sure on which way to take this film. "A buddy film," "an action/comedy," "mystery." Seems half way through, he gives up, and is just along for the ride. Jay Leno and Pat Morita are talented and dedicated performers. It is a shame that they wasted their time and gifts making this mess of a movie. Jay Leno and Pat Morita prior to involving themselves with this, had spent years pounding out their crafts on the Hollywood circuit. Mr. Morita had already been a star in his own right, acting steadily since the mid 1960s as the star of such cult TV and movie classics as "Happy Days," and the dismal but affable "Mr. T and Tina." And won the hearts of America with his roles in the powerful film, "Midway," "The Karate Kid," and a host of others. Mr. Leno can been seen on TV shows dating back to the mid 70s. And was a top performer in the comedy clubs of America. He can be seen in countless TV spots and in major films. It is a shame, that they agreed to be seen with this nonsense.$LABEL$ 0 +Well-made but basically dreary low-life melodrama which, according to the accompanying interview with lead Isabelle Huppert, writer/director Pialat infused with a good deal of autobiographical detail; given the mainly unsympathetic characters involved, it doesn't do him any compliments - and he does seem to have been a troubled man, as Huppert also says that Pialat often disappeared for days on end during the shoot! The acting is uniformly excellent, however; despite their relatively young age, Huppert and co-star Gerard Depardieu (as the title character!) were already at the forefront of modern French stars - a status which, with varying degrees of success, they both still hold to this day.I have 3 more of Pialat's films in my "VHS To Watch" pile, albeit all in French without English Subtitles; due to this fact but also LOULOU'S oppressive realism - in spite of its undeniable artistic merit - I can't say that I'm in any particular hurry to check them out now...$LABEL$ 1 +I read Schneebaum's book (same title as this film) when it was first published and was deeply moved by his ability to see through the many ways of "otherness" (his own and the people of the Amazon with whom he lived and loved) to a way of living a decent life. His subsequent books were not as powerful, but showed his continuing quest. His description of his sexual relations with the men of the tribe was way ahead of its time in the early 60's, but his honesty and openness about it were welcome. This movie beautifully conveys both the quirkiness and generosity of the man, but also provides a glimpse into the inevitable destruction of innocence (which is not a morally positive term, in this case) that occurs when "civilized" men intrude on traditional societies. Even so, Schneebaum himself has moved into a kind of higher innocence that suggests the possibility of saving humanity from its own destructiveness.$LABEL$ 1 +John Carradine, John Ireland, and Faith Domergue who as players all saw better days in better films got together for this Grade G horror film about life imitating art in a mysterious mansion.For Carradine it was in those last two decades of his career that he appeared in anything on the theory it was better to keep working no matter what you did and get those paychecks coming in. With that magnificent sonorous voice of his, Carradine was always in great demand for horror pictures and the man did not discriminate in the least in what he appeared in.He plays the caretaker of an old Gothic mansion who movie director John Ireland has rented for his latest low budget slasher film. It's even got a graveyard, but with a missing occupant. Faith Domergue is Ireland's aging star and Carole Wells is the young ingenue.In the last twenty minutes or so most of the cast winds up dead that aren't dead already. The script is so incoherent I'm still trying to figure out the point. I won't waste any more gray matter on it.$LABEL$ 0 +When I first heard that the subject matter for Checking Out was a self orchestrated suicide party, my first thought was how morbid, tasteless and then a comedy on top of that. I was skeptical. But I was dead wrong. I totally loved it. The cast, the funny one liners and especially the surprise ending. Suicide is a delicate issue, but it was handled very well. Comical yes, but tender where it needed to be. Checking Out also deals with other common issues that I believe a lot of families can relate with and it does with tact and humor. I highly recommend Checking Out. A MUST SEE. I look forward to its release to the public.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie seemed like it was going to be better than it ended up being. The cinematography is good, the acting seemed solid, the dialogue wasn't too stiff... but then about twenty minutes in there's this long scene with a Doctor who you know is actually a patient at the asylum pretending to be a Doctor - and it just goes south from there.On top of that, the demon is about the silliest looking hellspawn since the Godzilla-looking thing in Curse of the Demon. There's also some odd demon worshippers who wear masks that look like the exploding teens from the beginning of Logan's Run.In the end, the cinematography couldn't save this movie. Despite some pretty solid performances by the actors, the story just doesn't go anywhere. I think "Hellbored" would have been a better title for this.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the worse surfing movies I've ever seen. This movie is so bad I don't know where to begin-- Okay, let's start with the premise - some dude from the mainland who barely knows how to surf travels to Hawaii and enters a big wave contest which he more or less expects to win. A good analogy for those who don't surf would be a that of a grossly overweight chain smoker slapping on a pairs of running shoes and entering the LA Marathon with expectations of winning. No way! And, the contest is held on The North Shore which conjures up images of 15+ foot waves, but contest day the waves are maybe 6 foot. The acting? What acting? If you must see this woof see it on TV, don't waste your money renting it. If you want to see a pretty good surfing movie - granted it is flawed, but that's another story - rent Big Wednesday.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie made me feel as if I had missed some important scenes from the very beginning. There were continuity errors and plots that stopped as abruptly as they started. I was very disappointed because I love Whoopi Goldberg & Danny Glover, in addition to that have always trusted & respected Danny Glovers taste in his choice of roles, "Grand Canyon" for example. I just could not finish this movie, after what seemed an eternity, but was probably just a little over an hour; we had to turn it off. There was no comedy, there was nothing about the characters to make you empathize or sympathize with them, there was no evoking of emotion at all regarding this movie and the clips of their past were poorly edited, confusing, and unnecessary. What could have been a great idea for a movie, even as a drama & not a comedy (although I think a comedy in this situation would have been better, because I love to watch white people freak out & start acting like complete idiots, it makes me laugh) became a waste of my $1 credit at the video store.$LABEL$ 0 +This has got to be the funniest movie I have seen in forever. Chritopher Guest is truly talented. He has a gift for humor. I almost died laughing. Actually, when I saw this in theaters, I considered walking out because the movie was so dumb. But it is dumb in a good way. It is funny-dumb. And this is a really good combination. You will be laughing from start to end.This mockumentary style film follows an array of characters all competing at the Kennel Club Dog Show. The cast includes Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, John Michael Higgens, Michael McKean, Larry Miller, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge and tons more. This is a truly funny movie that will have everyone laughing. Someone born without a personality would laugh at this film. It is presented in widescreen to give the image that you are viewing an actual documentary and that is probably what adds to the hilarity. BEST IN SHOW: 5/5.$LABEL$ 1 +We watched this on "The Wonderful World of Disney" on ABC last night, and I came to the conclusion that things must be tighter there at "the Mouse" than usual. Since this movie only runs 74 minutes, and they had to pad it out to 2 hours of broadcast television time, they had, and I'm not making this up, commercial breaks that lasted 6 to 7 minutes. And during these commercial breaks, they had another advertisement in the guise of a "TV show" hosted by the oh-so-annoying Kelly Rippa that loudly proclaimed the magical wonders of "Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True".Again and again, break after break, Disney took time out of the real movie to tell us, the loyal viewers, that we needed to get a copy of the sequel. Thank you, Disney, for doing us the service of creating a sequel to your beloved gem of a movie.Anyway, all this commercialism and cash-register-ringing made it a difficult task to get into the actual movie of "Cinderella", because by the time the commercials were over, I had forgotten where the story had left off.But of course, the original "Cinderella" still maintains its magic, and the story is still a good one, though we've all seen it countless times. It's a shame they had to cheapen it with all the marketing for what looks to be a lame follow-up.$LABEL$ 1 +Anderson's animation easily rivals that of Pixar and goes well beyond most anything I've ever seen Disney do. While some say the story is a bit too abstract, I find it a thought-provoking and refreshing change from the exaggerated characters and bumbling animals typically found in animated shorts. It's an interplanetary version of CASTAWAY! Anyone who has left the safe harbor of home and gone off to a lonely, frightening place by themselves, will readily identify with this forlorn microbe. Excellent work, Mr. Anderson!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those movies that I watch every time it's on not because I like it, but because it's so bad I can't take my eyes off it (like "Battlefield Earth" or "3000 Miles to Graceland"). The first time I watched I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to laugh and didn't get my chance until about 3/4 of the way through the movie when they strip the harassing cops to their undies and handcuff them in the park in a unflattering position. Beyond that, the jokes aren't funny, the characters aren't funny, their mishaps and missteps aren't funny...add it up, it's not a very funny movie! Not even at a slapstick level! And what's with the reggae soundtrack? It's a movie about two white garbagemen and the music is all reggae. Seems out of place, don't it? If you like a good trainwreck, this is for you. If you like a good comedy, look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember when skateboarding had it's rebirth in the 70s. I begged my parents for money to by a second-hand skateboard from a friend. It was a piece of junk, complete with clay wheels and everything. I also remember reading Skateboarder Magazine and being both completely impressed and totally terrified of the Dogtown crew. Skating never became a way of life for me, but in some ways it has always been a part of my life, whether it is using a board for transportation or just having a bunch of friends that skate.This film is a brilliant documentary of the real birth of modern day skating. Watching this crew turn skating from the flat boring hobby it was into the vertical lifestyle it has become had me sitting slack-jawed for 90 minutes. It's amazing that enough footage from this period still exists to have created this film, and thank god for that. The footage is brilliant. It gave me the feeling of watching an old Buster Keaton film: I've seen some of the tricks Keaton did repeated countless times in other films since then, but when you go back and see the first person to perform that trick it's amazing that, not only were they the first person to try it successfully, but that they lived through it and made it seem effortless. That's the feeling this film gave me. Yeah, I've seen people skate pools before, but to watch the FIRST people skating pools and inventing the tricks that eventually became the basics of modern skating is like watching the facade of the house fall on Keaton, leaving him standing safely in the frame of a window. It's absolutely brilliant to watch something that, up until that point, had never been tried before, but since, has been tried by almost everyone.This film is beautiful to watch and incredible to listen to. The soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard in a film. This is a film that will appeal to people whether they like skating or not. I've talked to a couple of friends of mine who made their girlfriends sit through this film after heavy protest, and they all said that their girlfriends were mesmerized by the end of the film and loved it as much as they did. As for the previous comments on this board that complain about the film being too self congratulatory, I think that's an unfair disparagement. I liked seeing these guys get excited about their past. They created something that influenced their sport and changed it forever. They have the right to pat themselves on the back. They were stars for doing what they loved to do. Most of these guys/girls never achieved the staggering success Tony Hawk enjoys today, but that kind of success wasn't available to skaters then. Sure, they had some success, but more importantly, they have been able to live a life doing what they love to do, and, as we see in the end, almost all of them still surf, skate or work in the surf/skate industry. How many of us can say that we have been able to live our lives and have been successful by breaking all the rules and doing what we love to do? They can. My hat's off to the Dogtown and Z-Boys for being themselves and changing the world of skateboarding forever.$LABEL$ 1 +Well every scene so perfectly presented. Never before had I seen such a movie that has meaning in almost every scene.Well while I was watching this movie I remembered watching "Amilie". Amilie is also a similar kind of movie with more fun and fantasy touch. These movies are both based on a same plot line. But both of them are Perfectly perfect in there own way and being able to create a world of their own.Red is able to provoke lots of thoughts in people about destiny and dejavu s. And I am still thinking about it.The story is great and the ending is a bit funny. I was laughing in the end scene. Well funny how this three movie Red White and Blue are connected.All in all a great work of art. A work of a masterman.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +I really dislike both Shrek films. (Since their both "PG" and have words in them I would never say myself, so I disliked them.)But when it comes to "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," which I just barely watched for the first time last month, I became a fan of animated films, other than Pixar. ***Spoilers ahead*** In "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," a horse foal is born and eventually becomes the leader of his heard. One night, he sees a strange light in the distance, and he sets off toward it. This action eventually leads to his capture, and several more things. Throughout the movie, we hear a narration. It's through the thoughts of Spirit, though the horses never talk. This is what makes the movie so goo. They (the movie makers) recored real horses to do the sounds the horses made; none of those sounds were made by humans.Spirit meets Rain, a beautiful mare, and Little Creek, a native-American, who owns Rain. Little Creek later frees Spirit and Rain, they go running home.I have never been a big fan of Brian Adams, but I intend to buy the soundtrack to this film in the near future. Watch this film, and you won't regret it. My Score: 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Turkish-German director Faith Akın ("Head-On" & "The Edge of Heaven") follows German musician and "Head-On" soundtrack composer Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten to Istanbul for this documentary which delves into the modern music scene of the city from arabesque to indie rock and was screened out of competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.Alexander Hacke makes for an amiable guide as he travels around Istanbul with a mobile recording studio and a microphone in hand where he runs into and records the likes of classic rocker Erkin Koray, rapper Ceza, Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan, Arabesque singer Orhan Gencebay and pop star Sezen Aksu as well as rock bands Baba Zula, Duman and Replikas.The director has pulled together a diverse collection of popular performers and ground-breaking acts from what was at the time a highly competitive short-list to give an eclectic account of modern Turkish music as seen from the streets of its cultural capital which will enchant and entertain even if at times it seems a little rushed and unfocused."Music can reveal to you everything about a place."$LABEL$ 1 +If you ever visited Shenandoah Acres as a child and wondered, could there be a worse vacation spot in the world? Well, you could have watched this movie and had your answer. Flavia (a.k.a. Fistula) Macintyre's dude ranch is often frequented by business casual Gordon, at least since resident water witch, Jessica, was 13. But Jessica can find much more than fresh spring water with that divining rod – buried "tray-shure," lost jewelry, dead bodies, even a talisman that will keep her from dressing like a slut and raising drinks with a phony beat and a Suzanne Pleshette look-alike while hypnotized by a disembodied head. Evil, evil evil.$LABEL$ 0 +What The Bleep Do We Know is a deluded and haphazard look at the mysteries of the universe. We are presented with a parade of apparent experts (none of whom are named) who ramble and pontificate in a thoroughly unscientific manner. Their interviews are chopped up into aggravatingly small segments and dispersed throughout some flashy cgi and banal mini-plots.The film pilfers themes from science, philosophy, theology and politics, minces them together without any regard for accuracy, and then somehow extracts a few prosaic and absurd conclusions. We are led to believe that quantum physics is telling us the purpose of our existence, and any other difficult to answer question the film-makers would like to point their finger at.It is riddled errors and logical non-sequiturs. How did we start at quantum mechanics and end up with this pseudo-scientific spirituality and mysticism? It's like saying 'two plus two equals four, therefore I can move objects with my mind'.There is nothing original in this film, and almost nothing that is accurate. Any discriminating viewer will be annoyed by heavy-handed editing, intrusive and pointless special effects and general lack of substance. Educated viewers will be frustrated to tears by the violence done to science and every other subject this film touches on.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was much better than I expected. ++++ Jean Peters actually does a passable job as a pirate and does decent work in her sword fights. (To the extent she may have a double doing the action, it's hard to tell...but Peters herself obviously is doing a good deal of it, and doing it well.) ++++ With a good and serious script, this could have been an excellent film. But it's basically cheesy. Still entertaining however. ++++ Not up to a regular Jacques Tournier film, but definitely above a regular Jean Peters film. Color is typical of this '50s time period, ie. too garish and not realistic. The actors for Blackbeard and her first mate and the drunken doctor were good. Louis Jordan was a bit weak. I don't think Debra Paget was right either. But certainly Jean Peters and Debra Paget were probably the two best looking female stars in the '50s.$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoy this film. It is a look back in time when this nation was truly at risk from nations who either attacked or delared war on us,i.e., the Japanese and Germans. Robert Cummings and Pricilla Lane were excellent in the lead roles. The supporting cast... Otto Kruger, Alan Baxter, Clem Bevins, and Norman Lloyd were also outstanding. The direction, pace, and finale held and continue to hold my interest. So much so, that I bought my own copy. Thank goodness for Turner Classic Movies, they show so many of the truly classic films, including this one.Robert Cummings was certainly no light weight as an actor and although I am a great fan of Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea, two of my favorite actors, who were first offered the lead role, I don't see what they would have brought to the role that would have surpassed Bob Cummings' performance.This is a film that I enjoy watching repeatingly and urge others to view.$LABEL$ 1 +Cult of the Cobra is now available on DVD in a pristine print that does full justice to whatever merits it has as a movie. Unfortunately, that is not saying much.It has a competent cast of second-rankers that acquit themselves as well as could be expected under the circumstances. It is efficiently directed, entirely on sound stages and standing sets on the studio backlot. It looks OK, but is ponderously over-plotted and at a scant 80 minutes it is still heavily padded.For example, the double cobra attack on the first of the GIs was surely one attack too many.The business about Julia choosing to marry Pete rather than Tom never amounts to anything. Tom immediately falls in love with Lisa and she never has any reason to be jealous of Julia (nor is she).Julia's 'feminine intuition' is introduced as if it is going to lead to an important plot development, but it doesn't. Similarly, Pete's investigation into cobra cults and the suspicion that briefly falls on Tom serve no purpose other than to fill up screen time.These are just symptoms of the underlying problem. The movie is structured like a mystery but it isn't. As soon as the curse is pronounced we know exactly where the story is heading, so the characters are left painstakingly uncovering what we already know.The ending is particularly lame. Julia is menaced purely by accident. Lisa has no reason to want to kill her - she just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Tom turns up in the nick of time to save her, it is not even clear whether she was threatened at all. He then simply disposes of the cobra in the way any of the previous victims might have done.It is such an inconsequential little pipsqueak of a story that I found myself wondering how on earth it had been pitched to the studio heads. Then it occurred to me. Someone said: "Those Val Lewton movies were very successful over at RKO, so why don't we make one like that?"Cult of the Cobra is clearly modelled on Cat People: mysterious, troubled, shape-shifting woman falls in love with the hero, is apparently frigid, kills people, arouses the suspicions of the hero's woman friend and dies at the end. But 'modelled on' doesn't mean 'as good as' - by a wide margin. It copies, but doesn't understand what it is copying.It is obviously trying for the low-key, suggestive Lewton style, but this approach doesn't follow through into the story. Lisa is no Irene. She is meant to be strange and mysterious but there is no mystery about her. We get a glimpse of her after the first attack in Asia, so immediately recognise her when she turns up in New York. There is never any doubt about her purpose. Neither is there any ambiguity about whether of not she actually turns into a snake.Then again, during her nocturnal prowling we get, not one, but two attempts at 'buses'. Neither come off, because the director doesn't understand what makes a 'bus' work and, in any case, they happen to the stalker, not the person being stalked.These faint echoes of Cat People give Cult of the Cobra whatever small distinction it might have, but they only draw attention to the yawning gulf between the original and the imitation.Plagiarism may be the sincerest form of flattery, but I doubt if Lewton or Tourneur were particularly flattered when this tepid little time-passer came out.$LABEL$ 0 +Every time I see Nicole I like her more. I love a movie like this. A woman you just won't give up on, but she keeps breaking your heart. First movie I remember seeing like this was Of Human Bondage, the Kim Novak - Laurence Harvey version. The beefs about the correctness of the Russian spoken in this film are petty, it was good enough to fool me or anybody else who can't speak Russian, I'm sure. Funny how people miss the point. The no-goodnik Russian guys were well cast too. Finally, I have to tip my hat to Ben Chaplin, as somebody else noted, he plays a sap with great dignity, and there was definitely some heat between him and Nicole. To think, guys get PAID for that, mind-blowing.$LABEL$ 1 +My Young Auntie is unique in a lot of ways. First this is Hui Ya-Hung's (Kara Hui) first action film. Second She was actually doing the fight scenes after having a surgery done to her a few days before filming. Third this movie is off the chain.The movie starts out with Wang Lung Wei trying to take the inheritance from his brother. His brother then has Kara to marry him so Wang can't take the treasure. The story is pretty good leading everything to it's rightful place.In comes the action, what can I say that hasn't already been said for movies like this, or Disciples of the 36th Chambers, The Victim, or even the Magnificent Butcher. The fight scenes are what sales movie, and this one won't have any problem doing so. Liu Chia Liang and Wang Lung Wei engaged in a fight that you have to see to believe. Why have these two men not fought each other more is beyond me.I don't want to spoil anything really, but you have to see My Young Auntie to get the full blast of excitement. My only gripe is that Yuen Tak was not used as broad as he was used in 3 Evil Masters, or even Invincible Pole Fighter (8 Diagram Pole Fighter) to excellent must see movies. 9.2/10$LABEL$ 1 +What do I say about such an absolutely beautiful film? I saw this at the Atlanta, Georgia Dragoncon considering that this is my main town. I am very much a sci-fi aficionado and enjoy action type films. I happened to be up all night and was about ready to call it a day when I noticed this film playing in the morning. This is not a sci-fi nor action film of any sort. Let me just start out by saying that I am not a fan of Witchblade nor of Eric Etebari, having watched a few episodes(his performance in that seemed stale and robotic). But he managed to really win me over in this performance. I mean really win me over. Having seen Cellular, I did not think there was much in the way of acting for this guy. But his performance as Kasadya was simply amazing. He was exceedingly convincing as the evil demon. But there was so much in depth detail to this character it absolutely amazed me. I later looked it up online and found that Eric won the Best Actor award which is well deserved considering its the best of his career and gained my respect. Now I keep reading about the fx of this and production of this project and let me just say that I did not pay attention to them (sorry Brian). They were very nicely done but I was even more impressed with the story - which I think was even more his goal(Seeing films like Godzilla with huge effects just really turned me off). I could not sleep after this film thinking it over and over again in my head. The situation of an abusive family is never an easy one. I showed the trailer to my friend online and she almost cried because it affected her so having lived with abuse. This is one film that I think about constantly and would highly recommend.$LABEL$ 1 +Great western I hear you all say! Brilliant first effort! Well I'm not sure what film you all watched but it must have been a different one to the one I saw. Great westerns or indeed good films of any genre have characters you can believe in and this film had none! The acting was poor to say the least and I couldn't care less about any of the characters, making the whole film pointless. the story was too big for the makers and perhaps they should try their hand at making straight to TV low budget rubbish like you see on those "FACT OR FICTION" programmes on sci-fi.Please, if you are looking for a good film, a great western or even just an enjoyable hour and a half, please look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +I chose "Dead Creatures" because I thought it was a zombies movie just like "28 days" or so... but not at all. It isn't even a horror movie. Nothing happens, except for a group of women that seem to have been infected by a strange virus that make her to eat human flesh in order to survive. That plot gives rise to a series of disgusting scenes of cannibalism...Very VERY BAD MOVIE.*My rate: 2/10------------------------------------$LABEL$ 0 +horrible! All i can say is that is movie was horrible. I came to watch this movie half expecting some good acting. All i got was a horrible movie. This movie deserved to stay on the cutting room floor. I do not recommend this movie to anybody. I have seen better porformances by the actors.$LABEL$ 0 +The Bone Collector is set in New York City & starts as one of the world's foremost criminologist's & crime scene experts Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) is involved in an accident which leaves him a bedridden quadriplegic. Jump forward four years & Alan (Gary Swanson) & his wife Lindsay Rubin (Olivia Birkelund) are kidnapped, soon after New York cop Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) is called to a crime scene & finds the buried & mutilated body of Alan. Amelia notices some unusual crime scene evidence & makes a note of it which impresses Rhyme when he is asked to work on the case, he quickly realises the evidence are in fact cryptic clues to the whereabouts of Lindsay. Having cracked the clues the cops get there too late to save her but this is just the beginning as a sadistic serial killer continues to kill & leave forensic clues for Rhyme & the police...Directed by Phillip Noyce I watched The Bone Collector last night & I have to say it's one of the worst big budget post The Silence of the Lambs (1991) & Se7en (1995) serial killer thrillers I have seen, in fact it makes Friday the 13th (1980) look sophisticated & realistic! The script by Jeremy Iacone was based on the book by Jeffery Deaver & is so poor on so many levels I hardly know where to begin. For a start it takes itself deadly seriously & that makes all the other flaws seem twice as bad. The character's are truly awful & I didn't believe any of them were actual human beings. First we have Lincoln Rhyme who is paralysed from the neck down & there's just not a lot the script can do with him, in fact he quite literally can't do anything but lie in bed for the whole film. He is seemingly impressed with Amelia because she stopped a train & thought a fresh footprint near a murdered person might be of relevance, I'm not being funny here but wouldn't any cop realise a footprint near a murder victim might be of some relevance? Why is he so impressed with her? Then there's Capatin Cheney who is not only unlikable & shouts at everyone for no apparent reason but is so incompetent that he failed to connect several murders committed in a short space of time where each victim had sections of flesh & skin surgically removed from their bodies, how exactly did this guy get to be a police Captain? Then there's the killer whose motives are less than plausible, are you trying to tell me they devised an intricate plan to murder at least seven people because they spent six years in jail for something they actually did? If they wanted revenge on Rhyme why did they kill all those other people who had no connection to anything, I could maybe just about buy someone wanting revenge against the guy who put them away but not to kill several other people who have no connection to themselves, the intended target Rhyme anything else. Also after devising an intricate plan to kill these people & get away with it they suddenly turn into the most stupid person in history as despite holding a large knife & being able to walk & use their arms they are actually defeated & nearly killed by a quadriplegic who has no movement in his body below his neck! How did that happen? I should also mention Amelia who is a terrible character, she actually buys her own camera to take crime scene photo's & shoots rats for no apparent reason.Besides some of the worst written character's ever the story & plot isn't much better We never find out why the killer is using The Bone Collector book as inspiration We never find out why the killer was taking strips of flesh from his victims. It's never explained why a rookie cop like Amelia is allowed to enter crime scenes even before the proper forensic teams. There is no reason given for why the killer chooses his victims. Also the killers clues are a little obscure aren't they? I mean a bloody animal bone & shaved rat hair? Logically how does someone go from a bone & rat hair to the exact pinpoint location of the next victim & has the whole of New York to choose from? There's some nonsense about a bird that sits on Rhymes window ledge which is just totally random & at almost two hours The Bone Collector is really slow going. There is so much wrong with The Bone Collector & it all comes down to one of the worst scripts ever, it's atrocious on all levels & has zero credibility. Apparently Angelina Jolie has stated that she shot nude scenes for this film but they were cut because they were felt to be too distracting.With a supposed budget of about $48,000,000 The Bone Collector is well made with good production values & that Hollywood gloss about it. I also must add right now that I think Angelina Jolie gives one of the worst performances I have ever seen, I think she is absolutely terrible in this. Denzel Washington just sort of lies there really, Queen Latifah is awful & even Michael Rooker can't do much as he is stuck with a clichéd & one dimensional character.The Bone Collector has to be one of the worst Hollywood films I have seen in a while, I saw it for free on telly last night & I still feel cheated & ripped-off. There are just so many things to poke holes at it's silly, embarrassingly awful or should that be awfully embarrassing? Works either way to be honest...$LABEL$ 0 +If you take the movie for what it is worth, you won't be disappointed. If you think Murray is supposed to win an Oscar for his performance and that is the type of movie you are expecting, don't bother. It was funny when I saw it in 1979 and hasn't lost its charm. Good clean fun for the kids and mindless entertainment for the older folks. The story line is simple and easy to follow. Murray has done better, but this is his first film. The movie reminds me of a time when we didn't need blood and guts to be entertained. Morty is the head dunce and plays the part perfect. The other counselors are typical revved up teens looking to have fun during the summer. One nice thing about this movie, it has a message.$LABEL$ 1 +I have not seen each and every one of Chan´s movies, but this is for sure the best one I have seen so far.The story in it self is nothing special really, so I won´t go deeper into that. What makes it special is the stunts, the fighting, the good acting, the warm sense of humor. The movie has a raging tempo all the way through and you are just stunned seeing it. All the cool stunts (of course made by Jackie himself)makes you want jump around in the couch and scream. It´s just awesome! Even my mom was impressed by this cool movie when she saw it.I know this Police Story can be a bit hard to get a hold of, at least it is here in Sweden. But I can assure you, it´s worth a try.$LABEL$ 1 +I found it real shocking at first to see William Shakespeare's love masterpiece reworked into a gory, violent and kinky sensual movie adaptation. But after you watched it once, it sort of grows on you when you watch it the second and third times, as you come over the shock and start appreciating the movie on its own merits - solid acting, good dialogue, nice sequencing and choreography, not-too-bad soundtrack and some of the (special) effects that go on. Oh, and also the ending. What a riot!$LABEL$ 1 +The main character, Pharaon, has suffered a loss of his wife and child in the pre-film past. He deals with with by just shutting down emotionally. Too long a movie, too much time spent on Pharaon's inexpressive face, too much "road time" (one of the banes of TV: filling time with moving cars, trains, etc.) Long scenes of him doing trivial - sometimes totally inexplicable, nonsensically trivial - actions with neither reason or emotion. His best friends Joseph and Domino are not much more, their relationship based on sex (this film perhaps gives new meaning to the phrase "gratuitous sex"); Domino and Pharaon's mother are the two characters who display some emotion, but not much. It is hard to tell with all the characters in this movie: is it indifferent acting, indifferent writing, or simply indifferent characters portrayed by good writing and good acting. Characters in this film talk very little to anyone; it's little wonder their emotionally isolated, which is all the more bizarre because it's clear they live in a neighborhood where the people are friendly and know each other.$LABEL$ 0 +A Blair Witch-War Movie that is as much of a letdown as Bwitch was! The title says it all, save your money and your time and spend it on a good movie such as "Once Upon a Time in America", "The Shawshank Redemption" or "Enemy at the Gates" (if you want to watch a GREAT "war" movie) etc.This movie, if it were a baseball team and the Major Leagues were the pinnacle and Single A was the rookies, then this movie was High school ball. It was filmed as if it were a High school drama club filming with their daddy's old camera. Sure they went into a hostile area (to make a film) but I don't call that brave, around here we call that plain stupid! This is a pass all the way! Now go watch it and then you tell me what you think.$LABEL$ 0 +Six-shooter, Tunnel Sergeant, Dr. Death, Pinhead, Cyclops, and Blade help the young Andre Toulon take out Sutek's Egyption henchman in the best sequel this series has seen.Retro Puppet Master is atmospheric with many sets, quality acting and some fun puppet FX. What it lacks in gore, it makes up for with an interesting well-paced plot.Best Quote: Dr. Death: "Don't you know, my friends? Smell the sulfur, see the smoke..."This is easily the best Dave DeCoteau film I've seen. The actors do a more-than-credible job: Jack Donner as "Azfel" turns in an inspired performance, and the young Toulon does well with the puppets. Oh, and the ring-needle is cool.John Massari's score is a nice symphonic take on the original Puppet Master tunes by Richard Band, keeping the movie playful and eerie. It's rare for a Full Moon score to actually add something to a film, and this one does.Unfortunately, Dave Allen didn't seem to be affordable enough for Band and Co. in the late-90's and beyond, so all of the puppet action is done rod and string. There's no stop motion such as the famous and funny scene in the original where Pinhead's looking for his pinhead. And, of course, as with all of the Full Moon fare of this time period, RPM was shot in and around Castel Studios in Bucharest, so most of the bit parts were cast to Romanians: hearing their "Parisian" accents was a bit annoying.All in all, this is probably one of the top-10 Full Moon films. It's certainly the most inventive of the Puppet Master sequels.$LABEL$ 1 +Screen treatment of the comedic Broadway success "The Gay Divorce" (a title which was considered too scandalous for American moviegoers, though it was used in the U.K.) concerns a man and woman (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) meeting under embarrassing circumstances while she's in the process of divorcing her spouse; they dance, argue, make up, dance, argue some more and dance some more. Betty Grable is very appealing in a brief bit (singing and dancing in the number "Let's K-nock K-nees" with overtly sissified Edward Everett Horton), but the star-couple looks distressed and unhappy throughout. The surroundings are screwball-sophisticated yet the characters are not more than one-dimensional. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I was shocked to learn that Jimmy Caan has left this show, does anyone know why? I regard James as one of the all-time greats and wasn't surprised he ended up on TV, which can be better than the crap you see on the big screen. The stories are slick and the camera faster than a speeding bullet! Mustn't forget the rest of the cast: James, Vanessa(yum!)Nikki, Molly, Josh, Mitch.. Also,can anyone tell me why on earth there's a crap theme tune on the DVD sets, but Elvis's JXL remix of A Little Less Conversation is used on the initial NBC broadcasts?? Does it not make sense to use a tune that you would associate with the gambling mecca of America for DVD releases??$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this feature as part of the Asian American Film Festival in New York and was horrified by the graphic, sado-masochistic, child pornography that I witnessed. The story line is hidden beneath way too many graphic sex scenes - and, not one is in the least bit erotic - sick is the more the feeling. The director seemed to be going for shock value rather the exploring the various levels of why these characters are like this. See it if you can stomach it - I still have flashbacks.$LABEL$ 0 +For anyone who has ever sought happiness, "Half Empty" is a must-see. This original cross- cultural musical comedy has hilarious numbers, which make "The Producers" seem boringly staid. Writer Bob Patterson puts his soul into sharing his thoughts on life, wisdom and happiness, even scribbling inspirational comments on index cards as his girlfriend spills her heart out, ending their relationship. When his book on happiness, "North Star" finds zero success in the States, his publishers send him to Germany for a book signing tour. While explaining their decision to Bob, the boardroom erupts into a rousing song which would make Monty Python proud. From his arrival in Hamburg, Bob's complete ignorance of the German language leaves him at a distinct disadvantage. However, he soldiers on, impervious of his hosts true feelings towards him, until a wildly devoted fan arrives and changes everyone's reaction toward him.The original songs propel the film, often describing the subtext of the story in side-splitting precision. The cast, led by Robert Peters, exhibit an immaculately dry sense of humor and inhabit their characters as if they were not acting. See it for: A case study of how good intentions are totally irrelevant; How merciless Americans abroad are viewed; How little reason it takes to burst into song, and, above all, For a silly, entertaining, unconventional laugh.$LABEL$ 1 +This cowardly and offensive film had me intrigued to begin with. The characters are the familiar dispossessed young males frequently to be seen hanging around bored in a sea side town. Robert is an outsider but he has his music which could have been his soul. Instead Clay makes Robert into a freak who embarks on a journey into cannabis and ecstasy and getting in with the wrong crowd. Clay seems to believe in "reefer madness" and Robert ends the film as a homicidal rapist. One wonders how much experience of real life this young director has. No one can save poor Robert. Clay leaves us with the message that young British men are out of control. A very unsubtle link is made to the Iraqi insurgents; during the needlessly graphic rape we are subjected to explosions and images of war. The film shows male peer group extremism pushed to it's limits. The young bombers in London draw a parallel with Clay's hateful depiction of modern male. Clay implies that men simply cannot help themselves from inflicting terrible acts of violence. It is a wonder the British film industry allows money to be invested in films which advocate such divisive propaganda, when in London we are still reeling from the recent attacks. This is Clay's first film, I would be delighted if it is his last.$LABEL$ 0 +This is by far one the most boring movies I've ever seen! And if you don't believe me go ahead and watch it for yourself.The movie starts of slow, the storyline makes no sense at all. People fighting doesn't make any sense. I could not make sense of what they were talking during the movie (in most cases I didn't even bother) It does nothing to keep you watching the movie, the only plus point would be the cinematography. New Zealand looks awesome. Everything else just plain sucks.The actors try their best to keep us awake, but unfortunately you will go to sleep instead.Do us all a favor, even if this gets on "On Demand", Don't WATCH IT!$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the few movies I watched twice in the theatre. I really love this movie for its atmosphere and its telling of the life of tragic hero Esteban Trueba. He makes so many mistakes but gets a chance for redemption. Isn't this a rather consoling thought?When I watched it for the first time, I thought that after the won election, the movie would be over - I didn't know the book. So boy was I wrong when the dramatic climax was still to come! I was literally swept away by the sheer power of the last half hour of the film.Many people here utterly dislike this movie. I cannot understand that one single bit. Maybe those who read the book first are - as often with screen adaptations of novels - simply disappointed that so many things have remained untold, unseen, unexplained. But as a movie telling a touching story - the story of a family, the rise and fall of a man, the deep compassion of a woman, the strength of love and the insanity of hate (and conservatism) - this movie is simply splendid! Furthermore, the soundtrack is incredibly good and the cast is wonderful as well - especially Winona Ryder and Jeremy Irons.So definitely one of those films that cinema was invented for!$LABEL$ 1 +D.W. Griffith could have made any film he wanted to after the enormous financial success of 'The Birth of a Nation'; he chose to make the most technically ambitious film to that date, 'Intolerance.' He took a risk with such innovations in film montage and form, and the well-known financial train wreck resulted. Buster Keaton doesn't take that kind of a risk with 'Three Ages,' a parody of 'Intolerance.' This is Keaton's first feature-length film of his own (he only acted in 'The Saphead'). He had the fallback plan of dividing the three episodes in this film into three separate shorts, which Griffith did do with 'Intolerance.' Keaton didn't have to. Chaplin had already succeeded with feature-length comedies, so if Keaton was taking a risk here, it was completely calculated.Chaplin had already done a parody of another film, too, with 'Burlesque on Carmen' (1915). Keaton appears to allude to that film, as well. The wrestling scene in the Ancient Rome episode references the swordfight that turns into a wrestling match in Chaplin's film. The comical distance from the plot of both scenes is the same, too. Furthermore, Chaplin's film imitated the glossy style of DeMille's 'Carmen,' and Chaplin's film seemed a tribute to that film. Keaton doesn't attempt the radical editing, narrative structure or monumental nature in his parody, but it seems respectful of 'Intolerance' nonetheless. At least, the stories aren't told completely straightforward as in other post-'Intolerance' films, such as Dreyer's 'Leaves from Satan's Book' (Blade af Satans bog, 1921) and Fritz Lang's 'Destiny' (Der Müde Tod, 1921). There is some mild jumping back and forth between episodes.Where Keaton did take risks, however, is in his physical, daredevil comedy. That's Keaton unintentionally failing to jump across buildings in the modern episode. Reportedly, he was convinced to alter the scene rather than attempt the jump again. And, it wasn't just Keaton who took risks; the anachronistic baseball gag, for example, was rather dangerous. Thus, although in a different way, Keaton, like Griffith, took risks with his big film. And, I think they both succeeded.$LABEL$ 1 +Sorry, folks, but all of you that say this is a great documentary... and that award it won at Sundance... well, you've all been duped. I've heard for a few years how I had to see this documentary and I finally watched it. Maybe in 1999, when it came out, and reality TV didn't have such a dominant presence in the industry, this movie would have seemed entertaining. But Mike and Mark are so obviously playing themselves, Mike and Mark. At times they are funny and some of the lines seem off the cuff, but mostly they do not ring true. They are the reality version of Jay and Silent Bob. Yes the people are real, they are not actors, but it's put on, it's exaggeration of themselves, and it's so obvious that it's hard to believe so many people think it's the real deal. I wasn't fooled so it was actually a tad boring. Mildly amusing, but not missing much if you miss it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an epic film about the unification of the ancient kingdoms of China in the third century BC. What makes it interesting is the tragic downfall of the king and all the palace intrigue going on around him. It reminded me a bit of "King Lear" and some of the other Shakespeare plays.The king starts out with noble ambitions, to unify the kingdoms under one ruler and to stop all the quarrelling so that the people can prosper and lead better lives. He and his childhood sweetheart, played beautifully by Li Gong, concoct a scheme whereby she pretends to go into exile in a rival kingdom in order to recruit an assassin to kill the king, thus giving him a pretext to go to war. But while she's away, the king becomes sadistic in his lust for power and goes on a killing spree.There are numerous side plots that keep the action going. There is the Marquis, who pretends to be stupid and foppish but who's really very clever and wants to become king himself. He fathers two children with the king's mother and manages to keep it secret for years. Then there is the Prime Minister, a political rival to the king, who turns out to really be his father. The assassin is a complex character himself. An adept swordsman and killer, he is undergoing a reformation when the king's lover comes to recruit him. He wants nothing more with killing, but is eventually won over by Li Gong (who wouldn't be?) when he sees how cruel and vicious the king has become.Some spectacular cinematography, especially the battle scenes that are carried out on a grand scale - like they used to say, a cast of thousands, literally. The acting is OK, nothing special. It's the story that's interesting, though at over two and a half hours, it pushes the limit.Definitely worth viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, if you're a woman who's got aggression issues, you might like this movie. Hate your significant other? This movie is for you. For the guys, it will be a bag of laughs.It's sad when former award winning actresses have to do cut rate movies.The only really good part is the last 10 seconds. Even that was a load of cheese.My wife is picking the worst movies lately. This is what you get (I) for letting my wife pick movies based on reading reviews on movie rental sites.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe it's the dubbing, or maybe it's the endless scenes of people crying, moaning or otherwise carrying on, but I found Europa '51 to be one of the most overwrought (and therefore annoying) films I've ever seen. The film starts out promisingly if familiarly, as mom Ingrid Bergman is too busy to spend time with her spoiled brat of a son (Sandro Franchina). Whilst mummy and daddy (bland Alexander Knox) entertain their guests at a dinner party, the youngster tries to kill himself, setting in motion a life changing series of events that find Bergman spending time showering compassion on the poor and needy. Spurred on by Communist newspaper editor Andrea (Ettore Giannini), she soon spends more time with the downtrodden than she does with her husband, who soon locks her up in an insane asylum for her troubles. Bergman plays the saint role to the hilt, echoing her 1948 role as Joan of Arc, and Rossellini does a fantastic job of lighting and filming her to best effect. Unfortunately, the script pounds its point home with ham-fisted subtlety, as Andrea and Mom take turns declaiming Marxist and Christian platitudes. By the final tear soaked scene, I had had more than my fill of these tiresome characters. A real step down for Rossellini as he stepped away from neo-realism and further embraced the mythical and mystical themes of 1950's Flowers of St. Francis.$LABEL$ 0 +......this film is pretty awful, the only thing stopping me from giving it a rating of 1 was the fact that I unfortunately have seen worse.The jungle music, juttering demons, and fluorescent UV style blood/teeth/eyes give it that "awful" look, and the script is dire.....this film is more like a test to see how long you can last before giving up on it. It's also predictable but not in a good way. Nothing this film does is in a good way. I watched it 10 minutes ago and thought I would rant a bit so there you are. (oh and the acting doesn't let the film down, it's also terrible)$LABEL$ 0 +The worst movie I've ever seen in my life. From the amateur directing to the porn-quality acting, it looks like a home movie somebody decided to shoot becuase they had nothing else to do with their time.Unless you have no hope left in life, absolutely avoid this crap.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to be honest and say I bought this movie, not because of the content, but because David Cubitt is in it; I know ... shallow, or what? - but, come on, Mr Cubitt is a fantastic actor to put it mildly.I really didn't know what to expect from watching this movie, I'd read the other write up, and those on other sites but I have to say I was drawn into the world of the brothers almost from the get go. David Cubitt as Theo, and Colm Feore as Ryan are so believable as the two estranged brothers, the film moves through their relationship as they start to try getting to know each other again after their fathers death. The scene where Theo finds out Ryan is gay was played brilliantly, he literally walks in on a scene and tries to leave without Ryan noticing - which of course he has.The film has been very well researched and is therefore incredibly sad, moving, uplifting and a celebration of life in parts. I came away from this feeling sad at what Ryan went through but also with the knowledge that he was given hope and unconditional love by the ex drug addict brother Theo. I agree with the other reviewer who finds the scene where Theo says he will be a father moving, and I'd go a little further to say I actually vocalised my thoughts at Ryan when he cruelly says to Theo 'What makes you think you can be a father' and Theo says simply 'You.' Theo walks away then, but that small exchange of dialogue speaks volumes to the almost self pitying aspect of Ryan who is brought up sharply by the simple retort.A brilliantly conceived movie on all counts, the acting, directing, writing etc are all so well done. I can't really find anything else to say about this movie, except to say that it is very hard dealing with the death of a loved one but this is done superbly, to the infinite degree. The respect for the subject matter and the outpouring of love (without being contrite and mawkish) speaks volumes in this rather selfish world we live in today. Well done to all concerned.Not many movies bring me to tears and give me pause to think about life in general, and also to be glad for all the things I have and not be sad for the things I don't, but this movie did, it was unbelievably uplifting considering the subject matter.$LABEL$ 1 +Seems to have been made as a vehicle for W.C. Fields and Carol Dempster and they dominate it. Fields already has his film character well developed. Carol Dempster seems to dance through the film and her acting reminds me of Mary Pickford, who also worked a long time under D.W. Griffith. Typical of later Griffith films technically.Later remade as Poppy (the original title) with Fields in the same role.$LABEL$ 1 +You know Jason, you know Freddy, and you know Leatherface. Now, get ready for: The Safety Pin Killer! That's right, in Killer Workout, a dumb slasher movie if I've ever seen one, the unseen murderer dispatches his (or her?) victims with an oversized, novelty safety pin. It is an odd choice to be sure, the kind of thing that deserves an explanation. Naturally, the movie never even attempts to clarify where the killer acquired such a thing.As the title suggests, an aerobics gym is under siege by a mad killer and everyone is a suspect. In fact, the movie gives so few clues as to the identity of the killer, just about everyone in the movie is a potential murderer until they get killed. And since just about everyone but the killer winds up dead, it's really just process of elimination. Oddly, while the entire name cast is killed off, the aerobics classes continue in earnest. In fact, nothing is capable of stopping the dancing. While three men are murdered in the next room, the workout goes on. Death isn't even a factor; one character dies, but is still seen prominently in the later workout sessions. Director David Prior knew what he was doing when named the movie Killer Workout and not Logical Workout.Cop chases, explosive tanning beds, and hundreds of shots of women's exposed flesh are thrown in for good measure. Much like the woman caught in the tanning bed, I felt very uncomfortable by the end of Killer Workout. Finally, thankfully, THE END flashed on the screen. What happened next? You got it, shots of the women working out. Not even the end of the movie can stop them!$LABEL$ 0 +While on vacation on Northern Australia, Gracie (Diana Glenn), her husband Adam (Andy Rodoreda) and her younger sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) decide to take the Blackwater Barry tour in the swamp for fishing. Their guide Jim (Ben Oxenbould) uses a small motor boat and takes the tourist along the river to a remote spot. When they stop, they are attacked by a huge crocodile that capsizes their boat and immediately kills Jim. The three survivors climb a tree and when they realize that help would never come to rescue them, they decide to try to find a way out of their sheltered location. However, in the muddy water, their boat is flipped and the crocodile stalks the trio under the water."Black Water" is a tense, realistic and dramatic low-budget movie and in accordance with the warning in the beginning, based on a true event. The acting of the unknown Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody and Andy Rodoreda is top-notch, giving credibility to this simple but scary story. There are many similarities between this movie and "Prey", but in different environments. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Medo Profundo" ("Deep Fear")$LABEL$ 1 +2 stars, and I'm being generous. (minor spoilers) Look, this is a low budget zombie movie set in gangland Oakland. As the plot goes, a scientist wants to bring his dead brother back to life after being killed in a drive-by.The main problem with this movie: what zombies?! All the "zombies" do is growl (which doesn't sound even remotely scary) and drip fake red blood from their mouths! No scary eyes, no decaying flesh, just a bunch of people growling pathetically and running around like idiots.The cover is also misleading. There are only about 6 zombies in the whole film, so it's not like the whole "hood" is plagued with zombies or anything, it's just a few, and is contained in no time.The acting actually is so bad it's hilarious. No one can act at all in this movie (except maybe one of the gang members) and it really seems like a bunch of friends got together, decided to cast their family, and made a movie one weekend.Final note: since when do Doctors wear tracksuits?! Skip this one, please!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had the biggest advertising campaign any movie ever had in Russia. "Epic movie about Russian culture", "Great saga of Russian spirit", endless articles and interviews. For me this movie was the biggest disappointment. The main character played by Oleg Menshikov is a stupid immature boy ready to set up his comrades because of a woman who doesn't even look like a lady. What is there to admire? In the first part of the movie the story doesn't develop at all. People's festival scenes look like boasting about Russian audacity.I respect Mr. Mikhalkov for his previous works both as actor and director, but this movie just demonstrates his ambitions to be considered the "Tzar" of Russian cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +Ms Patty Duke's story about her life and struggles with manic depression were just like my life struggles. I saw myself acting out just like her. I was so amazed at the similarities of our lives to include the sexual abuse that we both endured as children.I saw the movie when it first premiered in 1990 and I have loved this movie so much. Anyone who has struggled with manic depression could get so much from this movie. Never mind about if it showed her awards or what they were for. That is not the issue here. The issue is how Ms Duke had an illness and fought to survive it and overcame. Ms. Duke has much to be proud of in her accomplishments with her struggles for survival of a disease that often leaves many victims without hope.Unless a person has struggled with this illness personally they don't know the hell they have to live with. The movie to me was a success because it showed the real issues and how a person who is depressed and manic acts. It was so real...so, so, real. It was like watching myself up there on screen.I wish I could thank Ms. Patty Duke in person for having the courage to let the public know about her illness. Bocka$LABEL$ 1 +The industry dropped the ball on this. The trailer does not do the movie justice and when this opened it was on a hand full of screens. Had people had an opportunity to see this, work of mouth would have made it very successful. The 2 lead actresses each give great emotional performances that really draw you in to the story and especially the characters. I checked this out based on the rave recommendation Richard Roeper or (Ebert and Roeper) in his book. An example of a great film that never got fully released except on a few screens. Which gave it no chance to be seen. Some movies go to video quickly because they aren't that good. This is Oscar worthy and it's a tragedy on many levels that most will never even hear of it. Maybe via word of mouth it will gain a following on DVD or cable. If you haven't see this movie you should. Great performances of the 2 lead actresses make this movie. It could have just been another formulaic teen movie after school special but instead it stands up well to other note worthy films. Girl Interrupted comes to mind. If you like that you will like this. Both girls are in one amazing emotional scene after another without coming off as melodramatic. Even though Alicia is angry and Deanna is crying through most of the movie it is done is such a real way that they do not come off as stereotypical characters or as melodramatic. The movie will move you in many scenes and if you are an aspiring actor use these real performances as your school. Erica is even better in this than in Traffic. I hope both of these actors get more roles that utilize their talents as well and let them shine. See this movie and if you like, recommend to friends so it doesn't get lost among all the blockbuster crap that comes out every year. This movie was buried while Spiderman 2 tops records. What kind of word are we living in? AGHhh. So to make the world right again see this and recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +Friz Freleng's 'All Abir-r-r-d' is one of the best Sylvester and Tweety cartoons. Unlike the many repetitive cartoons in the series which simply transplant the same tired gags to a new setting, 'All Abir-r-r-d' makes the most of its concept. Tweety and Sylvester are domestic pets who are being sent unattended across country by train. With both a watchful official and a vicious bulldog to deal with, Sylvester has his work cut out. The Sylvester and Tweety cartoons always benefited from some extra participants and 'All Abir-r-r-d' is a good example of how much these additional characters help. Although they are not especially memorable creations, they throw some more obstacles in Sylvester's path and make for a more interesting battle. This early Sylvester and Tweety short presses many of the right buttons and, while Tweety is often particularly irritating with his forced cuteness, there's some deliciously violent antics between Sylvester and the dog, culminating in a surprisingly brutal climax which is unfortunately marred by a final unfunny non-quip by Tweety.$LABEL$ 1 +...but it's still an entertaining TV movie. The transposition to the Civil War makes a nice change of pace, and adds a few subtexts (such as Ariel's servitude to Prosper/Prospero) that you might not otherwise see. Thankfully, they didn't try to make it a mini-series: at 90 minutes, it's just about right.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say this is better than most SyFy outings, but that isn't saying much.The plot is that someone buys a game that is made from the bones and skin of a dead witch from the Spanish Inquisition (and nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!) He and his friends play the game, only to be interrupted halfway through when the friend who went on the beer run is killed in a way that the game predicted.What then follows are a series of kills that are typical for a movie like this, or any of the Final Destination movies. It has the puzzle at the end and the interesting subplot with the cop who wants the game to bring back his family... but otherwise, it's just a mess.$LABEL$ 0 +Awful movie. It's a shame that a few of Flanders's top actors and actresses made such a lamentably poor film.There is barely something changed since the first movie and the TV series: same actors, same prototype characters, same scenario (emotional complications, the team under emotional pressure but everything turn out tip-top after a predictable grand finale). Another constant fact in the work of Jan Verheyen is the exaggerated product placement (company logo's on the team's shirt and along side the pitch OK but two times a commercial (by one of the characters) about an internet provider is just over the top.Meanwhile, rumour has it about the making of a second series for Flanders commercial TV station 'VTM' (coincidental or not, the station where Jan Verheyen is programmation manager since a few months)To conclude ... and the golden raspberry award for worst foreign movie goes to ... Team Spirit 2$LABEL$ 0 +Dirty Dancing one of my MOST favorite movies. I've only watched it two times on ABC because I haven't had the chance to buy it or rent it from Blockbuster. I had no idea Jennifer Grey was 27 at the time she made the movie, because she was very convincing as a teenager. Compared to some women in Hollywood she has a very flat chest, which is why I was fooled so easily about her age. So both physically and emotionally, Grey pulls off playing a teen very well. I also loved the dancing--who WOULDN'T? Both times I've watched Dirty Dancing, I keep wanting to look up dance classes. I also love the soundtrack, and I do recognize some of the songs from when I was eight or nine. I would LOVE to be able to watch this in my drama class, and I'm going to ask my teacher at some point if there's any part of the movie he can use for educational purposes. It's much better than the stuff he made us watch last year. And the ending was absolutely FANTASTIC. That's one of the best moments in the film.I can't believe I'm looking forward to the first day back to school because of Dirty Dancing! Who could ask for a better influence from a movie with that sort of title?$LABEL$ 1 +Ulises is a literature teacher that arrives to a coastal town. There, he will fell in love to Martina, the most beautiful girl in town. They will start a torrid romance which will end in the tragic death of Ulises at the sea. Some years later, Martina has married to Sierra, the richest man in town and lives a quiet happy live surrounded by money. One day, the apparition of Ulises will make her passion to rise up and act without thinking the consequences. The plot is quite absurd and none of the actors plays a decent part. IN addition, three quarters of the film are sexual acts, which, still being well filmed, are quite tiring, as we want to see More development of the story. It is just a bad Bigas Luna's film, with lots of sex, no argument and stupid characters everywhere.$LABEL$ 0 +"MY WIFE AND KIDS," in my opinion, is an absolute ABC classic! I haven't seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. There are many episodes that I enjoyed. One of them was where Junior (George O. Gore II) got his driver's license. If you want to know why, you'll have to have seen it for yourself. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the costumes were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, even though it can be seen in syndication now, I strongly recommend you catch it just in case it goes off the air for good.$LABEL$ 1 +A Must See!Excellent positive African-American Love Story. This movie had reminded me of watching the old black and white movies with my dad. More true to life characters looking for love, being in love, and loosing it. Old story fresh view. Larenz Tate was so Cary Grant in style as the character may have been in a clumsey situation, but the actor kept him from looking silly and like a cardboard cut out. Nia Long has always been a favorite of mine she is sweet even when she is tough, almost like a Kathrine Hepburn. This is one of his best work and showing that he is better than always playing an angry black manThis movie is a classic, superb acting, well written, a real love story set in Chicago, what more can you ask for?SuperB Black Love StoryAmsterdam, Holland$LABEL$ 1 +I really hope that Concorde/New Horizons wasn't trying to make a serious horror, or even action movie when they made Carnosaur 3. The movie is flat-out silly from start to finish. Even the humor in C3 is funny because it's bad. Definitely a high water mark in the 'So Bad it's Good' genre. If you enjoy the very worst of the worst, this is for you.$LABEL$ 0 +This documentary was my first introduction to Peak Oil theory. A fascinating concept that has a lot of frightening consequences if it turns out to be correct. I had absolutely no idea that the effects of oil depletion would come so soon, it literally took my breath away. This movie will probably open your eyes as to how strongly the American way of life is dependent on the "abundance of cheap oil" - a term used throughout the film. A lot of the topics are plain common sense, and they don't go into a huge amount of depth about any of them. But you've probably never put all the pieces together like this movie does. The interviews with the authors and energy experts are all very interesting. I don't think this film is meant to scare people. It's merely meant to inform people about what to expect in the years ahead, and maybe to encourage you to think twice about commuting 100miles to work and leaving your lights on all day long.After watching this film I was no longer able to look at the cars and buses zooming by quite the same. Great documentary, everyone should see it.$LABEL$ 1 +This film proves that the "commercial" cinema ,or else,the Hollywood movies are in a serious crisis.There is absolutely no reason that this movie should have been produced apart from the fact that somebody expected success based on Shaquille's name.There is no worth referring to the plot :it is a bit more perplexed than a knot.What else?The screen is somewhat dim,O'Neal is a bad actor but Francis Capra is even worse.Rating: 1 / 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Some people are born with mourning souls with their song sung singularly until they encounter another soul as tortured and/or as bitterly sweetly beautiful as their own and an unusual magic happens. YOU ARE ALONE is a brutally honest look into two tortured souls that intertwine for a moment of understanding and oneness only to be torn apart by the differences in the oneness between they're pain. Death is explored figuratively and literally. It is what happens when ones soul is dead or similarly too alive, too awake to reality. It is the life NOT which you imagined behind the eyes of passer-by's. This film explores the aching pain in us all, the frown beneath the cheery facade, the ache below. The ugly instinctual animalistic thoughts and acts become honest and matter of fact and then Bechard sprinkles a dash of unexpected innocence and beauty into the mix knowing both linger in us all. Bechard, the writer, is a expert observer of the human condition and because of his non judgmental attitude presents life in a light we often shield our eyes from but yearn to see and understand. He, as director, focuses on the nuances of the actors spirit that shines through the character they're playing to the actors own personal familiarity with the emotions brought on by each situation. This is the most accurately written and directed character portrayal of a man and woman's experience together I have encountered as of yet, even though the two characters encounter is probably not the "normal" encounter.The soundtrack encapsulates in each songs lyrics what the characters would let their hearts spill out if able and strong enough. It is each characters real voice sung through the beauty, pain, talent, and emotional intelligence of emerging indie artists ready to explode onto the alternative music market. The perfect soundtrack for those of us with issues - those of us who admit that we have issues and those of us that hide it.I always enjoy exploring the darker sides of life with Mr. Bechard's both fascinatingly creative and realistic view of life and the characters that revolve within it.$LABEL$ 1 +Corky Romano has to be one of the most jaw dropping and horrific "comedy's" ever made.While the sometimes amusing Chris Kattan who pulled off a very funny performance in the hilarious 'Undercover Brother' his character in Corky is so stupid and so unfunny-which is a shame since the premise is a wonderful idea. To bad they ran out of them when they got to page 3 on the script.$LABEL$ 0 +(Question) What do you call 100 film critics buried up to their necks in sand? (Answer) A good start. Well, I don't know Peter Mattei from Adam but if he is the budding auteur his filmography suggests, "Love in the Time of Money" is a "good start". A classy shoot with whimsical music box style music, this flick looks at a chain of tenuous relationships as it moves from person A to person B to person C...etc...and back again ending with persons A & B in carousel fashion. The film gently probes the unhappy circumstances of nine people with finely rendered shadings beginning and ending with a street whore and her client. The downside of this film is the lack of a story which may have something to do with the many critical slams it received. I watched the behemoth "Angels in America" last night and was bored at the end while this little concatenation of character studies kept me spell bound. Use caution. I may be the only person who really liked this flick. (B)$LABEL$ 1 +Luchino Visconti has become famous to the world after his marvelous production THE LEOPARD. Movie fans got to know the style of the director who introduced himself as one among the post war new realists, an aristocrat who developed his individual free thinking and, consequently, expressed them as an artist. However, when applied to this movie, MORTE A VENEZIA based upon the novel by Thomas Mann, it's a slightly different story.The entire film is, at first view, so unique, so psychological and so much influenced by the various thoughts of an artist (both director and main character Gustav von Aschenbach) that it seems to be "unwatchable" for many viewers. Therefore, such opinions about the movie rose as being "too slow", "unendurable" or "endless boredom". Why? The reason seems to lie in a significant view widespread nowadays: "GOOD MOVIE IS PARALLEL TO FLAWLESS ACTION." Here, it would be appropriate to say: "GOOD MOVIE IS PARALLEL TO NO ACTION." As a matter of fact, everyone would be able to say one sentence about the whole movie's content and that would suffice. All that we find in MORTE A VENEZIA has a sense of vague reality filled with both profoundity and shallowness that appear to be significant for the sake of each single moment. And it is so when we notice the psychedelic scenes in Venice, when we see Gustav at the railroad station, when we are supplied with his intensely emotional memories. The insight into his decaying mind is sometimes so intense that the only way for the viewer to go on watching the film is to do his/her best to feel and experience rather than see and think. All is doomed to fade, to wither like flowers on meadow when their time comes. In other words, all has a sense of loss and death without many events or even dialogs. As a result, it is quite unlikely that you will get the idea of the movie after a single viewing. It must be seen more than twice with the mind that is constantly open. If you'll like it or not...that's a different story, very personal one.The artistic values are the factor that is noticeable at first sight and stays with us throughout. Beauty as something very meaningful for the main character that appears to come and leave; rest as something he's heading for so badly and which comes to him in the most unexpected way; feeling that he finds in a teenage boy who appears as a model of all the dreams and desires, as a forbidden fruit of homosexual lust which vanishes. The costume designer Piero Tosi does a splendid job in this movie. Through lots of wonderful wardrobe he supplies us with a very realistic view of 1911 when the action takes place. The cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis provides us with a terrific visual experience that can be called a real feast for the eyes. And in the background comes Gustav Mahler's music, the composer whose life inspired Thomas Mann to introduce the character. The performances are top notch, particularly from Dirk Bogart as the main character, Gustav von Aschenbach, who wants a rest after hard artistic job and vainly attempts to find it in crowded Venice. For the majority of the film, we have a great insight into his thoughts, feelings and acts of anger, exhaust and despair. Though sometimes depressing, he keeps us on the right track till the end not losing hope for the less tragic end... Tadzio (Bjorn Andersen) depicts the model of decadent homosexual desire but also a model of beauty and purity that appears to last pretty short... "Adieu Tadzio, it was all too short" says the main character. A great, though very controversial, job is done by Mark Burns as a sort of "super ego" Alfred with whom Gustav polemics about such ideals as beauty, justice, hope, human dignity. For Alfred, beauty belongs to the senses. How Freudian, yet how dangerous the idea might be! And ever present in artistic Italian movies of the time, Silvana Mangano - here as an elegant lady from Poland, Tadzio's mother.Memorable moments indeed constitute the movie's strong points; yet, not all viewers will find them unforgettable. They, similarly to the whole odd movie, require much effort to get onto the right track in director's individual ego and within the four walls of his psyche. Among such scenes, I consider the beach sequence pretty important, particularly the way Gustav observes Tadzio. The physical distance accurately represents the lack of courage to come closer... I also appreciate the shots when Gustav is sitting in the gondola and the city's view moves in the background - how memorably that may raise existential thoughts of transfer. Aren't we, people, a sort of "passangers" in the world, in the journey that life is.In the end, I must tell you one important thing. I had found MORTE A VENEZIA extremely weird until I started to look deeper at what the director is really trying to convey. Then, every scene turned out to be meaningful in its interpretation with which you don't have to agree (I hardly agree with anything the main character does) but you should at least tolerate this as something the author badly wanted to say. Listen to his voice, allow him for a few words in one page of reality...Therefore, there is a long way towards understanding the film since not many movies like that were being made in 1971 and are being made now. Paradoxically, it seems that we are all bound to have the right feelings about this film in the long run similarly to that we are all bound to experience once a strange, unavoidable, usually unexpected reality that death is... 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +French director Jean Rollin isn't exactly known for great films, and this confusing mess is one of the reasons why. One of the most confusing things about this production is the title. For a director who is well known for directing erotic films about lesbian vampires; you would expect a film with the word 'nude' in the title to be a particularly bare-breasted one; but in fact, there's not a lot of nudity here at all. Instead of erotic lesbian vampires with no clothes on; we've got a cumbersome plot about a man who wants to unlock the secret to immortality, a young woman whose affliction might hold the key and a suicide cult, who don't get to do much. The film starts off promisingly with a sequence that sees a young girl carried off by a mysterious bunch of people in masks under the watchful eye of a young French man, who also happens to be the son of a man of importance. Through his investigation, he soon discovers that this woman is not just a normal lady, and as he delves deeper into the cult; he discovers that cannot be killed by bullets, drinks blood and can't go out in daylight...sounds like a clear cut case of vampirism to me.Jean Rollin keeps the fantasy atmosphere going throughout the film, but it fails to be interesting because the plot is so badly executed. It is possible to keep up with what's going on, but only because there's so many other films that follow similar plots to this one. The director seems to know that he's messed up the plotting too, as the climax is basically an excuse to explain the film to the audience. There is a twist thrown in at the end also; but the film would have been better without it. I guess this was Jean Rollin's attempt to be a little original, but it comes off as a ham-fisted attempt at such, rather than a logical continuation of the story. The cinematography is fairly neat, with lots of the plot taking place in suitably Gothic locations. The girls on board complete what is a pretty picture, and what Rollin's film lacks in logic and consistency, it somewhat makes up for in style. In the film's defence, it was made in 1969; which somewhat explains the lack of shocks but I can't recommend this movie as it doesn't have much about it that is worth taking note of.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a big fan of Ludlum's work, and of the Covert-one books, and I had often thought how incredible they would be made into a film. Imagine my excitement, then, on learning that such a movie actually existed! The 'Hades Factor' being the first in the series seemed an obvious place to start.From the outset the film was disappointing. Simple elements from the film such as Griffin's first meeting with Smith are needlessly different from the book, and much less exhilarating. Several characters are poorly cast, too. For starters Dorff is woeful as Smith. Not a bad actor, just an incredibly bad choice as he is far too soft, and fails to exhibit many of the features that are definitive of John Smith.Re-naming, re-assignment and even omission of certain characters further degrades this film. For example the removal of Victor Tremont and the entire back-story of the virus, including the involvement of VAXHAM makes the entire point to the film somewhat hazy. Marty Zellerbach is a very large part of the book, and in the seat he takes vary much a back seat (not to mention that the film character shares nothing in common with the character in the book) is another big mistake.Rachel Russel is presumably supposed to be Randi Russel from the book. Not only is she supposed to be the sister of Sophie Amsden (should be called Sophia Russel) but she is also supposed to work from the CIA, NOT "Covert-one". Which brings me to my final point, and I think one of the most important. COVERT-ONE doesn't even exist at this point! Not until the second book of the series is Covert-One devised by the president as a preventative measure against further biological terrorism.To be honest I could go on all day. In short - if you like the books and want to see a good adaptation, I'm afraid you'll be bitterly disappointed. Even as an action movie it is thoroughly average, mainly due to very lack-luster editing and poor effects. The bumbled story line and dull-as-ditch-water script are the final nails in the very cheap coffin of this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is absolutely appalling and awful. It's not low budget, it's a no budget film that makes Ed Wood's movies look like art. The acting is abysmal but sets and props are worse then anything I have ever seen. An ordinary subway train is used to transport people to the evil zone of killer mutants, Woddy Strode has one bullet and the fight scenes are shot in a disused gravel pit. There is sadism as you would expect from an 80s Italian video nasty. No talent was used to make this film. And the female love interest has a huge bhind- Italian taste maybe. Even for 80s Italian standards this film is pretty damn awful but I guess it came out at a time when there weren't so many films available on video or viewers weren't really discerning. This piece of crap has no entertainment value whatsoever and it's not even funny, just boring and extremely cheap. It's actually and insult to the most stupid audience. I just wonder how on earth an actor like Woody Strode ended up ia a turkey like this?$LABEL$ 0 +**SPOILERS** Highly charge police drama about a serial killer loose in and around the small town of Riverside Wisconsin. Who's being tracked down by the local police using policewoman Gina Pulasky, Helen Hunt,as an undercover decoy to catch him. Nothing new in this made for TV movie that you haven't seen before but the depth of the acting and screenplay is unusually good and brings out a lot about not only the killer but the policewoman's, as well as her fellow policeman lover, state of mind.Having been put under psychiatric care after shooting an armed and unstable assailant, who attacked her partner with a rifle. Officer Palusky is given the task to go undercover to get close to murder suspect Kayle Timler, Steven Webber. After he was positively identified by the little girl Sahsa, Kim Kluznick,who saw him not far from where little Timmy Curtis was found stabbed, 18 times, to death the next day.Getting a job at the Mr. "C" Diner where Tim works Gina gets to become very friendly with him and later tells him, in order to get Tim to open up, about him possibly being the serial murderer that she once killed in a hit-and-run accident a 79 year old woman. Tim who is said to have a genius IQ doesn't seem to pick up on Gina's attempt to trap him even when he later sees her at a bowling alley with her fellow cops spending a night out. Playing some weird cat and mouse game with her Tim at one point get's Gina, at knife point, to admit that she's wired. But Gina tells him that she was forced to do it by the police to get a break and an early release from prison. Besides Tim's instability and criminal actions we find out that Gina isn't all there as well.She seems to be suffering from her being rejected by her father who left her, with a drunk and abusing mother, as a young girl that's effecting her work as an undercover policewoman. There's also the fact that Gina's lover policeman Will McCaid (Jeff Fahey), who's estranged from his wife and two kids, who's also on the serial murder case is too overprotective of her. That causes Gina to almost blow her cover and that has her later being taken off her assignment. Put back on undercover duty by her boss Capt. Cheney (Dan Conway), over the objections of Officer McCaid, after another young boy, 12 year-old Davy Marish,was found murdered Gina finally get's herself together and gets Tim to admit that he's the person who's responsible for the string of murders in the area. Gina does it by having a hidden tape recorder that she replaced the one that she gave to him to show how honest she is, hidden on her.The movie "In the Company of Darkness" wasn't really that exceptional but the acting by Helen Hunt Jeff Fahey and especially Steven Webber was. It was these high caliber performances that lifted the film well above the average made for TV movie were used to seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit that by moments I had to laugh at how bad that movie was... But the laughs were too few and since this whole thing was in no way a parody, it felt more like an insult to the viewer's intelligence. The worst acting I have ever seen from any of these people...$LABEL$ 0 +/* slight spoilers */Way back, before Evangelion was made, before Hideaki Anno was an idol and household name for many anime fans, and before Gainax had reached the status of fanfavorite, Gunbuster was made. With only Wings of Honneamise made by Gainax at that time, and the famous Otakon shorts or course, Gunbuster had some tough acts to follow up. It didn't make it easier on itself by picking out a genre that was already done countless times before, space opera.Luckily, Gainax decided to put it out as a six-part OAV (direct to video) series. This allows the series to have a bigger scope than would have been possible if it was made into a film. This also prevents it from becoming too boring and overly long, with lots of pointless battles and filler along the way. Besides that, they made some effort to stay clear from the tested space opera mechanics used in Macross or Gundam, and many other popular space operas.For one, the shows starts out pretty light, with Noriko in the Okinawa High School for mechapiloting. Noriko is the daughter of a respected ship commander who died in battle, when she was still a little kid. This makes her life at the academy quite hard, as some of her fellow classmates start to suspect that Noriko is favored by the professors. The first episode is pretty much a comedy drama, with a very tight focus on the characters and setting of the school. Things quickly change when the threat of an alien invasion is announced, and Noriko and Kazumi (best girl in class) are chosen to help the assembled fleet out.The middle bulk of Gunbuster leaves our female lead in space, focusing on both personal drama and action. A couple more characters are introduced, and parts of Noriko's past are dragged up again. Besides that, the alien threat becomes more imminent every minute, and the Gunbuster, mankind's final hope, is presented. Smart as writer Okada was, he incorporated the principles of time dilation, to spice things up a bit. In short, time moves slower for those who travel at the speed of light. This means that Noriko can be part of a war that takes almost a century to complete. Also the dramatic aspect of this is accentuated, when Noriko sees her friends again on her return to base, who have aged considerably more than her. The science might not be perfect, but it's presented in a pretty believable way, with even some SD science theatre shorts in between the episodes, where Noriko, Kazumi and their coach give a short description of the scientific principles used in the series.The animation, for a series made in the 80s, is definitely good. The designs are retro 80s style of course, but it has it's charm. Animation is fluent enough and the character designs are nice, although the costumes do betraysome of the fanservice fascination Gainax will later exploit to the fullest. The mechas throughout the shows are pretty cool too, with the Gunbuster as the ultimate killing machine, strong and vast. The last episode was entirely done in black and white. While it's generally believed (but not confirmed) that this was done for budget reasons, it lends a whole different atmosphere to the series, which is suited perfectly for the latter part.The music is very typical space opera fair. Too bombastic in places, very generic, and definitely not worth buying. It does fit the series for the most part, but it can become quite annoying at times. Tanaka is not really a famous composer, and the only other respectable series he's worked on is Dragon Half. If you think 80s anime music, you will know what to expect.As the series progresses, the focus slowly shifts from drama to space opera to epic battle, but in such a way the viewer will hardly notice this. Step by step the drama will be toned down, and the battles will take the front row. Neither aspect is ever left completely out though. With the last episode in sight, Noriko and crew are fighting for the further existence of human kind, and with the last battle in sight, certain questions are presented to the audience, concerning to position of the human race in the galaxy, and how far it can go to guarantee self-preservation. While they are never answered later on, they still present some interesting food for thought. The last episode is very epic, with a nice, but quite predictable ending, though not all endings should contain numerous outlandish twists of course. Again, it fits the series.Gunbuster may sound like your average space opera anime at first, with alien invasions, huge battles, and some personal drama, and for the bigger part, it is. But it is done exceptionally well for a change. Instead of going for a steady mix of former elements, six episodes long, Gunbuster presents us a change from small scale drama to large scale epic heroism. Along the way we meet with some various interesting and well fleshed-out characters, which mutual relationships changing heavily due to the time dilation phenomenon. The show is very tightly written, although it does tend to slip up at some points. Overly dramatic occurrences and too cheesy mecha attacks could have been easily avoided. Overall, the trip Gunbuster takes you on is a very relaxed, sometimes sad, sometimes heroic one. It might not have shattered the boundaries and limits of the space opera genre, but at least it bend them a little. Highly enjoyable anime classic, but not without flaws.***/*****$LABEL$ 1 +Well, the movie did turn out a lot better than i expected. It's not boring and it's not unoriginal. It's really not a silly romantic comedy. The situations the characters put themselves in are very unusual, of course, we're still talking about a movie, but the main characters are indeed plausible. Donald is, of course, an exaggeration, but he's just a pawn in the movie, a means to prove something. The ending isn't one of those ridiculously happy, always the same, moral containing pieces of crap you can usually see in movies of the genre. I genuinely liked it and i'm hard to please when it comes to this particular genre of movies. It's worth a watch. Besides, it's better directed than other movies, the story line always stands up, the characters themselves stand up. And they do not experience this miraculous change and love is not revealed to them like a holly god given artifact, yada, yada. At the end of it all you actually see yourself going through it all, the movie makes you feel something, you may even learn a thing or two. It's not the usual hope-producing, tissue moistening idiocy. It's a good movie, not a consolation prize for teary women around the world.$LABEL$ 1 +1st watched 1/1/2003 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Henri Verneuil): Sober drama about a well-to-do Doctor who gets into trouble carrying on a relationship with a younger woman, whom his family brings in to live with them, as well as being married to another in the same household. His searching for happiness is not clear, but they do bring out the reason for his unhappiness rather well by displaying the overbearing trait of the females in his wife's line. Well played, but predictable drama.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw "Night of the Demons 2" first before I saw "Night of the Demons". Unfortunately, my old Blockbuster thought it was a good idea to have the sequel, but no first one. Looney, huh? Now, I think all horror fans need this movie. It's like McDonald's, you know it's bad for you and you'd rather have The Cheesecake Facotory(or whatever pricier restaurant you prefer), but you can't help but just wanting the cheap stuff.Night of the Demons has it all: your innocent, sexy, goes by the rules chicka-dee, your token black guy, that surprisingly doesn't get killed. You're slutty girl, you're slutty guy, you're dark girl or guy, the goof ball, the cheesy settings of a haunted house, bad acting, and lots of unnecessary nudity. Isn't this stuff great? I mean, I know deep down in my heart of movies that this was pretty bad, but it was a good bad for horror movies. Horror fans should enjoy and dig in!8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Not the worst movie I've seen but definitely not very good either. I myself am a paintball player, used to play airball a lot and going from woods to airball is quite a large change. The movie portrays similar qualitys First of all the movie starts off with this team that apparently is trying to shoot this "Phantom" guy or whatever, they appear to be a professional team and wear jerseys and shoot mags, autocockers. One guy sporting a bushy. Not much wrong with the movie but more how it's perceived it was very cheesy. A bunch of kids who are the good guys are woodsball players who don't appear to have much money and have dreams of getting "better guns". Another team constantly picks on them and insults them because they play woods and blah blah blah The phantom helps these woodsball kids out and trains them and all this crap, he gets them to play airball and basically defeats all the teams including the "professionals".So what exactly is wrong with the movie? Well the budget is a huge thing, a paintball movie WOULDN'T be bad but the budget is pretty low and the movie feels like it was done by an amateur. There are no big names in this film and the acting is very cheesy. The perception of paintball is pretty bad too. They seem to imply that everyone is going to speedball and all this other crap. It just was a lousy movie in my opinion and doesn't give a real perception what paintball is. To be honest real paintball isn't all buddy like, it's a lot of cussing and bonus balling not "respect" and playing by the rules. Don't watch this movie and then expect to go to a field screaming "4 is 1!!"$LABEL$ 0 +Hardcastle and McCormick is an excellent TV show. Yes, it is predictable much like The Dukes of Hazzard, Hunter, The A-Team, etc etc etc.This show is just good clean television. The relationship between Hardcastle and McCormick is quite amusing. They often take jabs at each other several times an episode, which adds a great deal of humor to the show. It contains several car chases in almost every episode, but, who doesn't enjoy a good car chase? Especially with the Coyote! I only wish they made clean television like this today I highly recommend this!$LABEL$ 1 +When this film was released I dismissed as being lightweight pop nonsense. That was a mistake. After repeated viewings and seeing a documentary of the making of DIRTY DANCING, discovering the depth of this film certainly increases its appeal.DIRTY DANCING is a film about change. The evolving nature of relationships within the family, the changes in one's view of the world during their coming of age, etc. The story takes place during August of 1963, the final weeks of the last summer of innocence for the American people. The many personal changes experienced by the characters reflect the many changes in American society that would be marked by the Kennedy assassinations and Vietnam.Female movie go'ers adored this film and repeated trips to the movie houses made it the world's most successful dance movie. As a male I find the romantic pairing of ultimate stud Patrick Swayze with very plain Jennifer Grey very hard to accept. This would be fatal for most romantic dramas, and it also may have create the intense dislike expressed by most male reviewers.The film's soundtrack found #1 status before the release of the movie. To this day it is nearly impossible to attend a wedding reception without hearing a DIRTY DANCING song.Near the midpoint of the film Baby's mother wakes up and asks Baby's father, "Is anything wrong?"Baby's father, the anti-change family member, attempts to keep all that is happening a secret. He tells his wife to go back to sleep. However, resist as one can, change is unstopable. DIRTY DANCING is the story of one person waking up just at the final moments of our country's last sleep in innocence.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a poorly written and badly directed short film, pure and simple. What is interesting and keep me watching, to some extent, was the production values. Shot on video it appears, with a bad script and bad direction, one would think it would also have horrible production value. That is what the viewer expects when they watch a film that is terrible and shot on video. BUT Not in this case, they spent some money and it shows. It keep me very mildly interested to see what was coming next, just to see!Probably the worst short film I have seen that looked big budget hollywood even though it was shot on some sort of video format.Instead of spending the sum of money they must have spent for some rather impressive set design, it would have been nicer to see a better executed story with some good direction. But then again how can we expect new filmmakers to do this when even hollywood won't.$LABEL$ 0 +I had long wanted to watch this romantic drama (with a WWII setting) and, now that I have, all I can say is that it's a veritable masterpiece of Russian cinema! Soviet films are known for their overzealous propagandist approach but, thankfully, this one's free of such emphasis - with the interest firmly on the central tragic romance between a promising artist and a vivacious girl, doomed by the outbreak of war for which he gladly volunteers but from which he'll never return. The girl (a remarkable performance from Tatyana Samojlova) is also loved by the young man's cousin and, when she doesn't receive word from her boyfriend, gives in to the latter and marries him. He, however, is an aspiring concert pianist bitter about the war having curtailed his chances for success and, knowing too that the girl's still devoted to the soldier, begins to neglect her. Finally, word reaches the girl of her loved one's death but, by the end of the film, she has learnt to accept this as a sacrifice to their native country and is content to live with her memories of him.The film features some truly amazing camera-work which makes extremely judicious use of the screen space and, by frequently adopting tracking, tilted and high or low angle shots, renders great power to the unfolding emotional drama. Individual sequences are equally impressive - two in particular: the stunning scene, frenetically edited and sped-up to boot, in which the girl saves an abandoned boy from being trampled by a truck; and the young man's premature demise in an unfortunate incident at the front, undoubtedly one of the best of its kind I've ever watched (with the sun moving away from him, symbolizing the life that's seeping out of his body, as he imagines the wedding day he'll never have!). Also notable, however, is the scene where the girl goes to look for her parents in her home that's been hopelessly devastated during an air raid; as is her final violent capitulation to the concert pianist - which she tries to resist by repeatedly slapping him in the face - taking place during a later air raid and making particularly effective use of a set of billowing curtains!Disappointingly, the R1 DVD of this outstanding film is a bare-bones affair (the RusCiCo edition features a few supplements but, being an export, tends to be heavily overpriced and hard to track down to boot!); Criterion released it in conjunction with another war-themed Russian classic, BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (1959) - which my pal at the local DVD rental outlet has told me is forthcoming... The only other film I've watched from this director is the Arctic epic THE RED TENT (1969; albeit via the much-shorter U.S.-release version!), a star-studded international production based on true events; given the unmistakable artistic quality of THE CRANES ARE FLYING, I regret missing out now on his famous documentary I AM CUBA (1964) a number of times when I was in Hollywood late last year: apart from receiving a one-week theatrical run, it was shown more than once on TV accompanied by a feature-length "Making Of"!!$LABEL$ 1 +In my opinion, October Sky is one of the best movies of 1999...It totally has everything an emotional drama movie would need, like, wonderful story and good character interactions. October Sky will remain in heart for as long as I can remember, and I just have to say a very special thanks to those who have created this film.$LABEL$ 1 +The only good thing about this unfunny dreck is that I didn't have to pay for it. I saw it for free at college. And if a college student can't find humor in something that was free, it's hopeless.Stale acting and poor jokes cannot be masked by an excellent, yet bewildering set design (that goes out of its way to market Volkswagon Beetles). I don't know what Michaels Myers was doing in this movie, but I have never seen anything more depressing. This was nothing more than a blatant effort to capitalize on the previous success of the Grinch (which has its opponents, but I enjoyed it very much). It's difficult not to sit through this failure and wonder what better projects were passed over to fund it.You want a funny Seuss adaptation? Go with the Grinch.$LABEL$ 0 +Many movies try to take universal themes and make a comedy; but few will rise to the occasion like "Checking Out." The movie is brilliant. The dialogue is well written and true to form. The acting is absolutely prima. Peter Falk has given a truly great performance - as an actor; as an actor. He is able to carry the cast to greatness. Another great performance is given by Laura San Giacomo. She is such an intriguing actress. Her performances take one by surprise. She delivers no matter what role she is asked to give - from wacko in Stephen King's "The Stand" to her television performances. However, "Checking Out" allows her to shine. It is a role she is meant to play. The film is brilliantly directed by Jeff Hare. He was able to bring out the best in his cast and his direction - in every aspect - made the film a wonderful treasure. Jeff Hare was able to make a difficult theme laughable and yet profound. He gives us an up close and personal look at why indie films need to be made. The directors knowledge of his cast and script are extended to the finished film. The results are superb.Hopefully, it will be made available to large audiences because this is one you won't want to miss. It has the potential of being the sleeper hit of 2005 - in the fashion of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I'm not a firefighter, but I'm in some kind of para-firefighting unit (the guys who get called if an earthquake hits and the real firefighters need more people for SAR), so I had some training and simulation but I have no real-life experience.But still, there are some points one notices as totally unbelievable. I can understand that they removed the mouth/nose-pieces of the masks and that there is not enough smoke, because the public would otherwise see nothing. But some things defy logic: - No second mask attached to the oxygen. How the hell do you want to rescue people trough the smoke without one? - Rappelling people. No, it's not done like that. I'd be screaming too if somebody hitched a rope around me in that fashion and hung me from a building. If I could scream, that is, and not pass out from want of air because the rope squeezes my lungs. The second time when they're abseiling Jack it's better but still weird.- "Aim high". No, you bloody don't. You always fight fire from as low as possible. You don't fight want to sprinkle flames, you'll want to extinguish the fire, and that's below the flames.- No discipline. They're running around like chicken. And they shout all the time, instead of using radio, and keeping discipline.- No tactics. Why don't they work in teams of at least two? You still can get separated, but it takes much more than if everyone just scurries around alone in search for victims.- Do they really enter buildings without bringing water? I Europe, firefighters would never enter a burning building without.- Firefighters on the roof. WTF do they think they're doing there without security lines or water? - Exploding rooms. Wood and brick does not "explode suddenly".The better points are actually camaraderie and the other non-firefighting parts of the movie. It's a lot of kitsch, but that's alright. I'll give it a point for this.$LABEL$ 0 +I was really looking forward to this movie but sadly it didn't live up to expectation.A good movie has the audience identifying/empathising/sympathising with the main actor. Unfortunately this was very hard to do with Samantha Morton.The storyline seemed very disjointed and didn't flow as it should/could have done.Keifer Sutherland appeared to be little more than window dressing and made me wonder why he agreed to play what appeared to be a bit part. Beautiful scenery and the acting of Tem Morrison and Cliff Curtis was about the only plus.Maybe by being a kiwi I set the bar higher for locally made films. Maybe the change of director/ supposedly hard to work with main actor has biased my opinion.Maybe I'm just trying to make excuses for a movie which could have been great.A lot of maybes which still does not explain why this movie just lacked anything special.It could have been great, it wasn't.$LABEL$ 0 +In what will probably find itself on my list of Fuller's best movies (that is, once I see more of them that just this and Shock Corridor), Pickup on South Street is a film noir where the femme fatale, as well as the male protagonist, are not the stereotypical ones in the genre. Like most of his other works, Fuller injects his own experiences and the sense of New York style that is usually absent in the Hollywood noirs. On a small budget- at least for the likes of Darryl F. Zanuck- Fuller and his actors create personas that are likable even in such a dark atmosphere. The good guys are basically the ones who won't get violent with you even as they're looking for an extra buck. Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, and Thelma Ritter are all terrific in the lead parts. Widmark is one only a few actors I can think of who could've really pulled off this character. He's a little like Bugs Bunny, as he can be a wise-ass who is a little sneaky. On the other hand, the character of Skip McCoy does have a set of values in his life. He doesn't go into other people's affairs, and doesn't try and care about much of the working world outside of his little shack on the river, after being sent away for three years. He slips up, unbeknownst to him, when he pickpockets a woman (Peters) on the train, and lifts an item that's under the eye of the Government. It may have some secrets that could make him a lot of money. But at what cost is the centerpiece of the film, as it involves stoolie Moe (Ritter is one of the finest, and most believable, character actors from the period), the woman's ex (a volatile Kiley), and the police department.Aside from the thematic elements, which are told with a keen dramatic, journalistic style (as was Fuller's previous position, along with boxer), the dialog is fresh and involving. There's a spontaneity in many of Fuller's camera moves. And what a third act. This is a lean, tight film-noir that is worth checking out even if you're not familiar with Fuller (it's comparatively less bizarre than some of his later works).$LABEL$ 1 +I.Q., in my opinion, is a sweet, charming, and hilarious romantic comedy about finding the right person for you. If you ask me, James (Stephen Fry) really was a dull guy. To me, Ed (Tim Robbins) was more suited for Catherine (Meg Ryan) than James was. Anyway, everyone involved in this film did an absolutely outstanding job. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this sweet, charming, and hilarious romantic comedy about finding the right person for you to any Tim Robbins or Meg Ryan fan who hasn't seen it. You're in for lots of laughter, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +Another vast conspiracy movie that tries to blame the US government and the Armed Forces (especially the Army) for every disaster since the Great Flood. Anyone who has ever served time in the US military can see how bogus this film is. Uniforms, equipment, sets, and mannerisms are all wrong. (And of course, all Senior Officers are either corrupt criminals or total idiots.) Blatant propaganda with no attempt at objectivity. Most of the theories presented have been disproven over the past few years. Uses every cliche', rumor, and Urban Legend from the Gulf-all are presented as gospel. (The truth is, no one knows for sure why some GW vets are sick and others are healthy as horses.) PS This is not new. War is NOT fun and I know WWII, Korean, and Viet Nam vets with some pretty serious ailments, too. (And the government has the responsibility to take care of all of them.) Sensationalistic movies like this will not solve the problem!$LABEL$ 0 +...here comes the Romeo Division to change the paradigm.Let me just say that I was BLOWN AWAY by this short film. I saw it, randomly, when I was in Boston at a film festival and I have thanked god for it every day since. I really, truly believe I was part of a happening, like reading a Tarantino script before any else did or seeing the first screening of Mean Streets.I am not sure what festival the short is headed to next or what the creative team has on tap for future products, but I so hope I can be there for it.Again, a truly incredible piece of film making.$LABEL$ 1 +I am not familiar with the producer's other works, but this movie is a piece of crap. I never saw the MST3K version, but I can tell you, Mike and the Bots probably didn't save it. I love a grade-z movie as much as the next bad movie fan, but this was almost unwatchable.There was no credit for who did the voice of "The Dark One". Sounded a bit like Patrick Stewart at times.A group of high school students who found a junk super-8 camera in the trash heap could make a better movie than that.$LABEL$ 0 +I was too young to remmeber when I first saw this movie. But I saw it for like the second time about 7 years ago. My sister told me I had to see it. Now my whole family has it memorized. We quote it at least once a day. I absolutly love this movie.I still laugh after all this time. Sure, it's about a really, really drunk millionare that is irresponsible. The whole point is that he still has the humanity lost in the others that we see in the movie. And that he is willing to give it all up for love. I highly recomend this movie to anyone who wants a laugh. A lot of laughs. Its hallarious, sweet, and if your a movie buff, it will truely change your idea of "Funny". Watch it with a group of your friends or your family and I promise, you will never have nothing to talk about ever again with some Authur lines in your head. It will make you laugh for years to come.It is really hard, in my family, to find a movie that everyone likes. But this movie, I feel, made us closer. And I know it will do the same for you!!$LABEL$ 1 +The timing of this film being released could not be better, particularly in light of all the turmoil in this world today. The film is a heartwarming, endearing and witty a piece. If you have siblings and still have parents alive, this will hit home well for the viewer. If you've lost your parents, then it will touch you deeply. The laughs come frequently, the ensemble cast works very well together and are believable. This film is intelligently written and the lines that come from each of the actors make the viewer laugh out loud frequently. There are moments that will bring tears to your eyes as well. I would recommend this film to anyone who respects the importantce of family and can follow an intelligent film.$LABEL$ 1 +I completely understand the historical significance of Rocketship X-M, but that doesn't make it a good movie. To begin with, the plot (or what there is of it) is dull and lifeless. Five astronauts blast off for the moon – they get knocked off course and end up on Mars (huh?) – cavemen-looking Martians throw rocks at them – they return to Earth and meet a fiery death – The End. Believe it or not, but this pithy plot description makes it sound much more interesting than it really is. To make matters worse, John Emery's character, Dr. Karl Eckstrom, feels it necessary to give long drawn out speeches on everything from the nature of man to the dangers of nuclear weapons. It's just a thrill-a-minute (sarcasm intended).Looking back at Rocketship X-M almost 60 years later, I would call the portrayal of women funny if it weren't all so sad and misguided. There are a number of examples I could cite, but there's one exchange of dialogue just after take-off between the male chauvinist pilot Floyd (played by the irritating, plastic-haired Lloyd Bridges) and Dr. Lisa Van Horn (the only female crewmember and the constant object of Floyd's often creepy attention) that illustrates the film's attitudes toward women quite nicely: • Floyd: "I've been wondering, how did a girl like you get mixed up in a thing like this in the first place." • Dr. Van Horn: "I suppose you think that women should only cook and sew and bear children." • Floyd: "Isn't that enough?" I think Floyd should have stayed behind with the cavemen!$LABEL$ 0 +For Estoninans Finland sometimes seems like a land of dreams. A land where many of us want to go and work there or start a business. Find love, start a new life etc. But... Aku Louhimies has made this brilliant piece which shows that everything is not so good in Finland as well. That Finland can be just as Paha maa (The Bad Land) than any other country. It shows that people there can be just as miserable in their lives than we in everywhere else. That sometimes there's nothing good. This movie nicely shows why Finland is one of the top suicidal countries. It's not easy to live in North. Cold climate changes us. I've become more and more attracted to Finnish movies and this one is very good. The acting is great as well. Jasper Pääkkönnen has become one of the top Finnish stars. Beware of the sex scene (if you have little children) and a little depression that might come afterwards the movie! 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This, in my opinion, is a very poor movie that advertises Arnold Schwarzenegger as starring (despite him being the co-star) only to sell more copies. Obviously taking influence from the similarly themed ‘Conan' movies, this film fails to prove as enjoyable and eventually fails to entertain at all.Bridgette Neilsen stars as Sonja, a beautiful woman who has been given unbelievable strength by a ghostly figure after her village was pillaged, her family killed and she herself raped by the soldiers of Queen Gedran (Sandahl Bergman). Gedran is a tyrant Queen who wants control over the barbaric world and seeks out a talisman protected by Sonja's sister to do it. After discovering what has happened Sonja sets out for revenge and at the same time she must save the world from the wrath of Gedran. Kalidor (Schwarzenegger), the master of the talisman, sets out to protect her whether she wants him there or not.The first major problem with this movie is the beginning. The events leading up to the point where Sonja receives her powers could have easily made a good ten to fifteen minutes of enjoyable film. However, the beginnings are rushed into what seems like a quick one-minute `Previously on….' segment from a television show. Had they actually made these events part of the story and cut out some of the filler later on they may have been able to start redeeming this movie but unfortunately they didn't (I wonder why director Richard Fleischer has only currently directed two movies since Red Sonja).This film also features some of the most annoying characters in history like Tarn (Ernie Reyes Jr.) who is a stupid character and just adds an over abundance of camp to the movie, which sometimes works but in this case fails miserably. He was quite obviously written into the movie for some comic relief but with the overall absurdity of the film anyway this was another costly mistake for ‘Red Sonja'.For all it's faults there were some good fight scenes involving both Neilsen and Arnie which are worth noting but these are nowhere enough to save this turkey. The acting is about as good as it gets for movies of this quality and even Arnie didn't seem too bothered about his performance. I don't recommend this film at all; to me it's a waste of an hour and a half. My rating for ‘Red Sonja' – 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Samuel Fuller brings his customary playful and stylish direction to this seedy, pulpy story and manages to create one of the undiscovered gems of 1950s cinema.Richard Widmark plays a petty thief tough guy (a role he perfected over the course of many movies), who snatches a young lady's (Jean Peters) wallet on a New York subway and with it a piece of much-wanted microfilm. This is 1953, so of course the microfilm is property of Commie spies who will stop at nothing to get it back. When the girl shows up at Widmark's waterfront shack, sent by an abusive boyfriend to reclaim the film, Widmark senses the opportunity to shake her and her "comrades" down for big money. The plot thickens, people start dying, and Widmark and Peters fall in love.Fuller handles the love story clumsily, but more from a sense of indifference than bad writing or direction. It's as if he included a love story under duress, and so made it intentionally unbelievable, as love stories so frequently were and still are in Hollywood films. Peters gives a remarkable performance as a tough New Yawk cookie, part gangster moll and part damsel in distress. When violence occurs against her, we genuinely care about her well being, and it's typical of Fuller's renegade, ahead-of-his-time style that a happy ending is not necessarily a foregone conclusion.But the ultimate success of "Pickup on South Street" rests squarely on the world-weary shoulders of Thelma Ritter, who plays Moe, a feisty lady who makes money any way she can, whether that be selling neckties or acting as a police informant. Ritter gives the performance of her career; in a breathtaking monologue, she conveys without ever directly addressing it the entire sad trajectory of her character's life, and the hopelessness she feels waking up every morning to a world of struggle, crime and hardship. It's as if every character Ritter ever played converges for one brief instant to give vent to all of the emotions they weren't given a chance to vent in those other movies. The scene is the highlight of Fuller's film, and a highlight of 50s cinema, period.Grade: A+$LABEL$ 1 +I'm surprised that anyone involved with the production of this series would actually admit responsibility. The script is so unfunny it must have been written by someone who failed the entrance exam for the Canadian Comedy Writers' Union (and that's saying something!). Get out your binoculars if you want, but there's nothing resembling a joke in sight. Ronnie Corbett must have been flat broke to demean himself with this rubbish. The rest of the cast are so lacking in any kind of acting or comedic ability I'm amazed it lasted past the first episode - correction, past the auditions. All I can say to those who are amused by it is that they must be very easily entertained. And it's obvious that the production costs must have been all of ₤100 per episode. And just in case anyone thinks I'm commenting as a foreigner who is unfamiliar with English humour, I must add that I am indeed English.$LABEL$ 0 +I really liked Get Shorty, but this movie was completely disappointing as a sequel. First of all, Travolta does not in any way resemble the Chili Palmer from Get Shorty. He merely half-assed this performance as he has done in all of his more recent movies. He totally isn't smooth or have the mobster presence about him that makes you kinda root for him throughout the movie. It just seems like Travolta rolled out of bed and decided he was good to go for acting in this movie. The plot just wasn't exciting or clever, there really aren't any highlights that happen, the only thing that resembled entertainment was watching Christina Millian perform and The Rock was funny. But anyways, long story short, this movie was trash and I had to force myself just to get through it.$LABEL$ 0 +A powerful movie that has recovered much of its meaning in this second half of 2007 after the new desperate movements of the Burmese people against their tyrants. I felt a complex mix of feelings about the people there, something like compassion and admiration at the same time, together with a bit of rage because I feel that no one, neither the countries of the world, nor themselves, is doing anything effective to end this shame. I think these feelings became directly from the movie, and that they were intended when it was made, so it is a successful movie. The desire for peace, the quest for enlightenment, the respect for life sometimes leads to subjugation. In fact it is the Buddhist Burmese culture who has left the doors wide opens to their dictators. But, how can you feel angry about these poor people?$LABEL$ 1 +Long before Terri Schiavo brought the issue of living as a "vegetable" to the public view, "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" dealt with it. Alan Bates plays Bri, a schoolteacher whose daughter is almost completely brindled. He and his wife Sheila (Janet Suzman) try all sorts of dark humor to try and get on with their lives, but they can't escape the facts. At one point, they even consider euthanasia. The question circling them and their friends is: what will ever become of this predicament? With this movie, Alan Bates continued his streak of really good movies, preceded by "Zorba the Greek", "The King of Hearts" and "The Fixer". We can safely say that he will be sadly missed.$LABEL$ 1 +Dire! Dismal! Awful! Laughable! Disappointing!Right, your trapped in "The Cave" with several "hard" Men and a Woman or two, your being systematically killed by "Something" and you STILL don't get to hear ANY naughty Grown Up words!!! A 15 Cert' here in England, and you could tell!The Egos of the "Macho Men" was just too much, pass the bucket I'm going to be sick.This movie should never be exposed to daylight and ironically, be kept in the darkest, deepest hole in the ground and be forgotten forever. I have a feeling that this description isn't the first time to pop its his head from a hole in the ground.Just like the film The Cube, it looked like a good concept but was just let down at the last post by, well its self.This Comment contains Spoilers alright, its called The Cave.Thanks Bruce.$LABEL$ 0 +I rated this movie a 1 since the plot is so unbelievable unbelievable. Judge for yourself. Be warned, the following will not only give away the plot, but will also spoil your appetite for watching the movie.A computer virus, designed by a frustrated nerd, sends out a code through television screens and computer monitors. When the code - in the form of light - enters the eye it can access the 'electrical system' of your body. What it does is forcing the body cells into excretion of calcium. Within seconds after infection the patient reaches for his neck, develops tunnel vision, his skin will turn white of the calcium, after which he falls and his hand and scull will crack in a cloud of chalk. This virus is very intelligent. When it finds out that a blind computer expert is trying to disassemble the code with a braille output device - operated by hands - the device is set on a very high voltage, which causes severe burning wounds on the skin of the expert's head. The virus also senses aggression against remote controls and the keyboard of an ATM. Fortunately it could be stopped by throwing over outdated desktop pc's in a rack and electrocuting the nerd with his back on a broken computer and his feet in some spilled water.Oh dear...$LABEL$ 0 +The sequel that no one asked for to the movie no one wanted. There are obviously too many flaws with this movie to name here, so I'll just concentrate on the acting. Miles O'Keefe would have been better suited to play the spritely Asian sidekick Thong, mainly because he would then have no dialogue. Lisa Foster delivers her lines displaying one emotion, dullness. Charles Borremel brings life to his part by pausing every five words. And finally the flamboyant, John Saxon-type guy......no comment is needed.See "Conan the Barbarian" if you need to, but don't waste your time with this low-budget loser.$LABEL$ 0 +This DVD set is the complete widescreen 15-episode run of "Surface", a television show made by Universal in 2006. The full running time is 10 hours and 34 minutes plus a few bonus features (deleted scenes, cast interviews, special effects featurette). This was a relatively high budget show and much of the budget makes it to the screen in the form of quality production design and special effects. Unfortunately 10+ hours is a lot of time and as typically happens with this type of stuff, the overall quality begins to fall off in the later episodes. I found the first 7 episodes (Discs 1 and 2) extremely engaging and the remainder a disappointment. "Surface" was produced, written and directed by Josh and Jonas Pate; and it appears that they were surprised by the success of the series and unable to cobble together enough good subsequent material as they rushed to fill the order for additional episodes. It even looks like additional writers were brought in for the later episodes because the characters (who were already the weakest part of the series) lack consistency with the way they were played in the early episodes. The series was canceled and although the last episode provides a conclusion of sorts there are still a lot of things left hanging. It is basically a science fiction story about genetically created dragons; sort of a television blend of "Jurassic Park" and "ET". The story begins as a puzzle as a crew-less Navy sub is found adrift at sea, boaters on a Texas lake are sucked into whirlpool, a lighthouse in Africa is destroyed by a huge monster, etc. etc. And as long as things stay this vague there is a fair amount of tension and suspense. A human element is introduced in the form of three American families, one on each coast and one on the Gulf of Mexico. Laura Daughterty (Lake Bell) is a California marine biologist who discovers a strange creature rising from an undersea thermal vent on the ocean floor. Rich Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson) is diving with his younger brother in the gulf when a similar creature drags his brother away (never to be seen again). Miles Bennett (Carter Jenkins) is a Wilmington teenager who finds some strange eggs floating in the ocean. He takes one home where it hatches into an "ET" type dragon. He will spend the rest of the series trying to hide his strange pet from his family and from the local authorities. These dragons may look like lizards but they are more like indestructible electric eels, firing electromagnetic pulses, causing lightning strikes, emptying the sea of fish, and reproducing like a bunch of randy rabbits when they find an undersea thermal vent of boiling water. As long as it's uncertain whether or not they're intelligent, extraterrestrial, or harmless the premise is interesting. Once you begin to suspect their origin it all gets very tired and predictable. Jay R. Ferguson (a staggeringly bad actor in the tradition of David Hasselhoff) essentially plays the Richard Dreyfuss character from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", so you know that with a better actor and a better director it could have been an interesting character. You will grow to hate this character more with each episode. Unfortunately what starts out as three parallel story lines is soon condensed into two as Ferguson and Bell (a low-budget version of Sandra Bullock) are soon paired up and involved in a series of moronic adventures almost as improbable as the stuff "Jason Bourne" gets himself into. You expect plot holes and the need to suspend disbelief in this type of show (that can even be part of the fun) but their adventures are not just totally implausible, they are utterly and completely boring. There are three consecutive episodes that feature Ferguson and Bell together in a submersible that will have you longing for the excitement of an all-day actuarial conference. Jenkins (Miles) is the strongest member of the cast and the segments with his pet dragon (Nimrod) are inter-cut often enough with the boring Ferguson-Bell stuff to keep you watching. And these segments benefit from the presence of gorgeous Leighton Meester (of recent "Gossip Girl" fame) as his sister Savannah. Apparently the producers picked up on the importance of this to their "teenage boy" target audience and the one positive thing they did with the later episodes of the series was to introduce Linsey Godrey (Caitlin) as a "first love" interest for Miles. So as Savannah's screen time decreases Catlin is gradually phased in. In retrospect they needed a third storyline to keep viewers sufficiently engaged and it would have been better to limit the adult melodrama in favor of a second group of young actors. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.$LABEL$ 1 +Another winner from that 50s , 60s era that I love so much for the comedic value they give with each viewing these days .Corman never lets you down with these films , they take themselves seriously and they have very low budgets , a recipe for good watching for sure . Ed Nelson a very competent actor got started with Corman as well as many other favorites who show up in Superman and many of the westerns of the day . The costume is pretty bad and the sound of the alien speaking , well the reverb was a little off but thats the beauty of it . Film making for the love of it , not looking for perfection just digging the action of doing it , it comes thru . These films are a fun time ! Even better is the MST3K version !!$LABEL$ 0 +Well, the first thing I saw after looking at the DVD box was "Best Screenplay" and thought this would be a good rental. WOW, was I mistaken! I'm sure at one time there was a good movie in here, but after the incredibly poor acting and "video game" production values, this ends up looking like Tron's retarded half-brother. The first scene sets up the overall atmosphere of the entire movie. Five minutes into it, you'll be asking yourself, "What the Hell am i watching?", and it will just snowball from there. An awful soundtrack that makes every song sound like Rob Zombie's "Dragula" rounds out this miserable piece of crap into a laughably bad movie. On a side note, #3 most romantic quote in a movie - "I think you're the final destination."$LABEL$ 0 +Certainly expected more after seeing the cast list, but WOW!I think a first time director could have done a better job with this project, and the fact that a veteran like John Buechler made it, puzzles me to no end. Somehow, the budget allowed them to secure a bevy of D-List actors, whom they succeeded in embarrassing for an hour and a half. The unknown actors were just plain awful, less Steve Wastell who does a decent job as Axl. The story is so bad, that it really needs no mention. The overall production value seems standard, with some above average camera work, if you can make it through the God-Awful "slo-mo" scenes and the painful "person on fire" sequences. I knew it would be dumb, I just had no idea how dumb, and unfortunately it's time spent that can never be returned to me. I suppose if you enjoy really bad "B" films, this might work for you, but if you value any story at all, this one is simply dreadful... A complete waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +Watched this as a late TV movie last night purely by chance. The blurb for the film said something to the effect of mother stays with daughter and goes on romantic journey, as I tuned in there's the carpenter hard at work on a new conservatory - played by Daniel Craig no less - so the plot was immediately apparent.It turns out that eponymous mother's carpenter love interest is also the daughter's boyfriend, so there's trouble brewing and not too many surprises. But I'd been caught by Anne Reid's compelling performance and I was hooked. The direction allows her plenty of space for staring into mirrors and adjusting scarves, when she exudes sadness.The sex scenes were fascinating and taboo-breaking. Shouldn't older women's bodies remain covered up? Not here and we're treated to a delicious reawakening in the Mother's sexuality. Even more startling are the drawings she's made that (SPOILER!) once discovered confirm her daughter's suspicion that something's going on here.Cathryn Bradshaw as the daughter didn't convince me quite as much as the rest of the cast, but that could be me. With her waves of pre-Raph locks I kept expecting to see Julia Sawahla, whose more intense face would have suited the confrontations better to my mind. Bradshaw has a rounder happier face that didn't carry the anger that emerges as the film progresses.The ending is weak. If the goodbyes for Mother as she leaves in disgrace are so indifferent then perhaps we could see some close-ups of those waving goodbye and see something of their individual reasons. Whatever she's done, she's a recently bereaved widow leaving for the lonely home she shared with her husband for 30 years, and I found the lack of sympathy jarring. For a film so full of emotion (and be warned it's like opening champagne, you'll never get the lid back on) the ending is a cold contradiction.$LABEL$ 1 +What the heck was this. Somebody obviously read Stephen King and Sartre in the same semester. We get existential angst mixed in with cheap horror. There were moments that were disturbing but each one was canceled out by horrible music, CGI, or acting.The problem with weird narratives like this is that it feels lazy. Even David Lynch's work feels like that at times, and just like his interesting shows and movies it runs far far too long. And sadly this is only 98 minutes.The cast was attractive, and that is about the limit to this. I suppose it touches on feelings of adolescents and the fear of loneliness we all have, but just doesn't make the characters likable enough for us to care about their fates...whatever they were. The final scene leaves the whole thing ambiguous.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an incredibly compelling story, told with great simplicity and grace. The story itself is the object of the film, although the scenery is beautiful. The acting is understated, even superbly so, for the characters themselves come through in all of their eccentric simplicity.This piece of art will likely not be appreciated by those who view movies "casually", without due attention. It takes work to be brought into the story, but once you become involved the captivation is complete!$LABEL$ 1 +this movie has NO plot. it was SUPPOSED to be that a guy moves in with his grandma, and everyone thinks hes a loser and he has to redeem himself. but what happens after everyone finds out who he's living with? they have a big pot party at grandma's house. the climax of the movie didn't even relate to the rest of it. that whole plot was introduced within minutes of the movie's end. i can see how it COULD have related to the supposed story - that Grandma's VG skills redeem him - but that just wasn't there. However, the movie was funny as hell and clearly relied heavily on the jokes. "Her pussy smells like the great depression" "He just sucked his first titty...yeah for 13 hours" "It's for you...i think it's the Devil"$LABEL$ 0 +i just happened to stumble on this film channel surfing. my first reaction was, 'oh god not again!'. it's so hip to play a retard these days it has become pretentious and frankly despicable. for some reason, though, i stayed and watched it 'til the end. maybe it was my faith in the actors, hoping they'd give me something to cheer about.and surely, ken and helena can act. also, the movie progresses into something better towards the end and actually does make a point.helena bonham carter also surprised me with her character. jane has a mean side that she uses to keep distance and repel pity. then again she has a soft side that's just looking for love. the only thing that surprised me even more was branagh's character...this was a triumph of acting, the movie itself is nothing unique.see if you are an acting student...if you're looking for pure entertainment you can skip this one. it's sean penn serious! oh my, that was a bit harsh it does feature a couple jokes...not for escapists though.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this at the premiere in MelbourneIt is shallow, two-dimensional, unaffecting and, hard to believe given the subject matter, boring. The actors are passable, but they didn't have much to work with given the very plodding and unimpressive script. For those who might have worried that Ned Kelly would be over-intellectualised, you can take comfort in the fact that this telling of the story is utterly without any literary depth at all, told entirely on the surface and full of central casting standards. However, it doesn't work as a popcorn film either. Its pacing is too off-kilter and its craft is too lacking to satisfy even on the level of a mundane actioner.I very much doubt Gregor Jordan could sit back and say to himself "this is the best I could have done with the material".Ned Kelly is a fascinating figure, and equally so is the national response to him. Possibly folk genius, possibly class warrior, possibly psychopath and probably all these things, he has dominated Australian true mythology for over 120 years. Once again, his story has failed miserably on the big screen.Such is life.$LABEL$ 0 +The Box is a film with great potential, but the makers totally misused that potential. The film seemed to take for ever, because of the boring family dinners and scenes about school and job-dialogs between the action. Those scenes could and must be deleted in my opinion to keep up the tensity and thrill. The philosophy of human free will has potential and seems to referring to the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), but we find ourselves regretfully struck with magic and nosebleeds, were even Harry Potter would flunked his class with!Probably the best part was that moment when Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz)has been shot to death, by her loving and caring husband as an act of human free will. I wonder how Hobbes would react if he could...$LABEL$ 0 +I question the motive of the creators of this fictional account of the BTK killer's motives. Are they attempting to portray animal rights activists as sick monsters? Who is responsible for this? Don't they think the people involved with this monster are hurting enough? What a blatant disrespect and exploitation of the victims! It was like a personality experiment: What disturbs you more, the slaughterhouse or the human murders? They used actual names of some of the victims....this movie was hideous, disrespectful and insulting! The creators of this movie used this tragedy for their own agenda! People need to awaken and redraw the line!$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to know what to make of this weird little Aussie crime flick - on the one hand, it's an enjoyable little film with a great sense of humour; but on the other, it just lacks a certain something that ensures the film never reaches above it's boundary that keeps it trapped within the merely 'interesting' territory. That being said, Two Hands is a well plotted film that excellently juggles several stories at the same time, which allows several small climaxes throughout the movie, and that in turn helps to stop the film becoming boring. The absurdity of the goings-on, the thick Australian accents and the bizarre set of characters all help to ensure that the film entertains also. The plot follows the story of a young doorman who thinks he'll go on to bigger things after accepting a job from the local kingpin. He doesn't; the job only lands him in trouble when he fancies a swim and stupidly leaves ten grand on the beach, which is promptly stolen by a couple of kids who have the time of their lives on a shopping spree. However, all is not rosy for our hero; who must find the money or face the consequences...The film is made up of a cast of unknowns; at least, it was back in 1999, as nowadays Heath Ledger is something of a name. He doesn't impress too much here, however, as his performance is mostly of the one-note variety and he doesn't make for a very compelling lead. He fits the movie in that he's Australian and looks naive; but beyond that, he's not the best lead I've ever seen in a movie. If you ask me, Bryan Brown gave the best performance here. He might not have a great deal of screen time, but he steals every scene he's in and it's him that provides the movie with a lot of its humour. He's got nothing to do with the best sequence, however, which takes place in the form of probably the most hilarious bank robbery ever caught on film. On the whole, I can recommend this film to people that enjoy quirky crime films; as the weirdness is plentiful, and the way that events take a turn for the bizarre is enjoyable; but if you're not a fan of this sort of film, I can't really say that Two Hands will float your boat. It's not a must see, but if it's your thing and you get a chance to see it...you probably wont completely regret it.$LABEL$ 1 +The characters were alive and interesting, the plot was excellently paced, the pyro effects were masterfully accomplished, and it takes a basic love triangle story and tosses in a science-fiction element into it. I could identify with many of the characters and their motivations made logical rational sense in the framework of the story.The camera-work was great, the audio clear and accurate, the background music perfectly chosen for effect, the singing firemen a nice talented memorable oddity, the sets brilliantly crafted, and the special effects performed with a skilled talent.I am a tad puzzled how an entire mini-carnival in a chain-store's parking lot could be powered by one single lamppost outlet. That seems impossible to say the least. The fight between the brothers near the end of the movie was brilliant though. Having Jim Varney in a non-clown role was a wonderful touch too as played the semi-serious role of a carny very well.$LABEL$ 1 +Unlike Tinseltown's version of HELLO, DOLLY!, Jay Presson Allen's screen adaptation of Ira Levin's hit Broadway thriller couldn't wait for it's stage incarnation to shutter before putting it up on the silver screen, so producers wisely decided to make the most of it's lengthy White Way run! The film's opening and closing scenes are shot inside New York's intimate Music Box Theater where DEATHTRAP played for nearly five years. Even the film's final fadeout on the theatre marquee is a version of the stageplay's famous logo. (Although marketeers decided to go with a more fun Rubik's Cube icon for the movie.)Now on a low-priced DVD release, DEATHTRAP seems just as fresh and inventinve as ever. The cast is just right (better than their stage counterparts) and location scouts should be applauded for finding a suitably spooky house for our "one room, two act thriller" to take place in. Opened up in surprisingly simple and innovative ways, director Sidney Lumet wisely tags any "new" material onto the beginning and end of the film and leaves Levin's wickedly twisty center alone.The film's last scene is a major Hollywood departure from the boards, and slightly undermines one of Levin's plot points from earlier in the film [Helga (about a dagger): "Will be used by another woman BECAUSE of play."]. Like Robert Altman's THE PLAYER, however, our new finale helps the film fold in on itself once again and blurs the lines between stage, screen, and (could it be?) real life!$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** What's going on here ?Barbara Hershey, looking decidedly unsexy - as if she'd stolen her granny's spare wig - puts in an unconvincing performance as a woman who kills the wife of a man she has had an affair with 'in self defence' after hitting her forty odd times with an axe.Like Lizzy Borden, she is acquitted but after the most unconvincing argument ever presented to a jury by the representative of a supposedly 'innocent' defendant I have ever seen.Lizzy Borden took an axe and gave her father forty whacks When she saw what she'd done - she pleaded self defenceI don't think soI find the defendants guilty of screening an unconvincing portrayal and have no alternative but to award this film a sentence of 4 out of 10 (which would have been lower but for the previous good behaviour of some of those involved)$LABEL$ 0 +A FROLICS OF YOUTH Short Subject.A teenager, embarrassed by his fear of dogs, runs away from home. The abandoned spaniel he finds helps to change his mind.PARDON MY PUPS is an enjoyable little film, with Shirley Temple stealing all her scenes as the hero's lively kid sister. The opening gag - dealing with bedwetting - is in poor taste, but is quickly forgotten. Highlight: the climactic fisticuffs, which look impressively realistic.Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.$LABEL$ 1 +I cannot believe that they managed to spend US$17million on this film. Spectacularly bad acting, egregious scripting and effects that you could do on your average PC, unbelievable plot contrivances...a reporter who can get an inexperienced stewardess a major job at the UN? What? Not only that, but the message of this film is so unsubtle that you come out feeling as if they've tried to batter you over the head with a full size crucifix. All this movie will do will preach to the choir and make everyone else laugh at such a ridiculous waste of money. If the makers of this film really wanted to sway people to christianity and show what it means to truly believe, they would have used the money to help people truly in need. Now, /that/ might have swayed some people into actually listening to them.$LABEL$ 0 +No wonder that the historian Ian Kershaw, author of the groundbreaking Hitler biography, who originally was the scientific consultant for this TV film, dissociated himself from it. The film is historically just too incorrect. The mistakes start right away when Hitler`s father Alois dies at home, while in reality he died in a pub. In the film, Hitler moves from Vienna to Munich in 1914, while in reality he actually moved to Munich in 1913. I could go on endlessly. Hitler`s childhood and youth are portrayed way too short, which makes it quite difficult for historically uninformed people to understand the character of this frustrated neurotic man. Important persons of the early time of the party, like Hitler`s fatherly friend Dietrich Eckart or the party "philosopher" Alfred Rosenberg are totally missing. The characterization of Ernst Hanfstaengl is very problematic. In the film he is portrayed as a noble character who almost despises Hitler. The script obviously follows Hanfstaengl`s own gloss over view of himself which he gave in his biography after the war. In fact, Hanfstaengl was an anti-semite and was crazy about his "Fuehrer". But the biggest problem of the film is the portrayal of Hitler himself. He is characterized as someone who is constantly unfriendly,has neither charisma nor charm and constantly orders everybody around. After watching the film, one wonders, how such a disgusting person ever was able to get any followers. Since we all know, what an evil criminal Hitler was, naturally every scriptwriter is tempted to portray Hitler as totally disgusting and uncharismatic. But facts is, that in private he could be quite charming and entertaining. His comrades didn`t follow him because he constantly yelled at them, but because they liked this strange man. Beyond all those historical mistakes, the film is well made, the actors are first class, the location shots and the production design give a believable impression of the era.$LABEL$ 0 +If you haven't already seen this movie of Mary-Kate and Ashley's, then all I can say is: "What Are You Waiting For!?". This is yet another terrific and wonderful movie by the fraternal twins that we all know and love so much! It's fun, romantic, exciting and absolutely breath-taking (scenery-wise)! Of course; as always, Mary-Kate and Ashley are the main scenery here anyway! Would any true fan want it any other way? Of course not! Anyway; it's a great movie in every sense of the word, so if you haven't already seen it then you just have to now! I mean right now too! So what are you waiting for? I promise that you won't be disappointed! Sincerely, Rick Morris$LABEL$ 1 +I have always been a fan of David Lynch and with this film Lynch proved to critics that he has the talent, style, and artistic integrity to make films outside of the surreal aura that he's become known for in the past decade. As much as the film is G-rated, it's pure Lynch in style, pacing, and tone. The film moves at a masterfully hypnotic pace and is filled with scenes of genuine emotion and power.The cinematography is terrific, as is to be expected from a Lynch film, and the transitional montage sequences are breathtaking. It's also very refreshing to see a film where the characters are all friendly, kindhearted folk and not unmotivated characters that are clearly labeled as being either "good" or "evil".Richard Farnsworth turns in a beautiful performance as do the rest of the cast, most notably Sissy Spacek in an endearing performance as his daugher, and Harry Dean Stanton in a small but infinitely crucial role.With this film, David Lynch proved to critics that he could make a powerful moving motion picture just like he did in the 80's with 'Blue Velvet' and 'The Elephant Man'. Critics seemed to lose faith in the past decade after he produced such surreal films as 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' and 'Lost Highway' but with this film he showed that there was method to FWWM and LH, and it looks as if critics finally caught on with his recent film 'Mulholland Drive', considering the high praise it's received and the Oscar nomination for Lynch.'Straight Story' is to me one of the most moving motion pictures I've ever seen. It's a loving story about family, friendship, and the kindness of strangers. I would highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +Rita Hayworth is right there where she should be - as a "Cover Girl" in this 1944 Technicolor film also starring Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers, Eve Arden, Lee Bowman, and Otto Kruger. Rita plays a beautiful showgirl, Rusty, working at a small club owned by the man she loves, Danny (Kelly). Each Friday they go out for oysters with Genius (Silvers), the club comedian. They all hate oysters, but they're looking for a pearl. When they find one, all three of them will have good luck, they believe.Rusty auditions and wins the role of cover girl for a magazine - she starts off ahead of the other contestants because the magazine owner (Kruger) sees a resemblance between Rusty and the girl he once loved, who turns out to be Rusty's grandmother. Once she becomes the cover girl, the world opens up for her and her dreams of appearing on Broadway come true. Danny wants her to have her success, but at the same time realizes he's lost her."Cover Girl" has exuberant dance numbers and songs by Jerome Kern, with Rita dubbed by Martha Mears. Rita is at her best playing both Rusty in the present and her grandmother in the past. For such a sexy, desirable, gorgeous woman, she was apparently very insecure and always under the thumb of domineering men. None of this ever showed on screen, nor did the fact that she didn't want to be a movie star. She is one of the true goddesses and brought everything she did to life. Gene Kelly is in a serious role here, but gets plenty of chances to dance and sing. Phil Silvers is very amiable and funny as the in-house comic and best friend.This is a very good movie with no dull spots. The only problem I had is the idea that Rusty has to choose between a successful career and the man she loves. When supermodel Jinx Falkenberg, who plays herself in the film, speaks of getting married, she's warned by her boss not to, that she's too necessary to the modeling business. We're not told if Rusty continues with her career or goes back to work at Danny's - but all signs seemed to point toward the Brooklyn club. Why couldn't she have had both? Nevertheless, you can't beat "Cover Girl" for top entertainment, beautiful color, lovely music, great energy, fine performances, and its most fabulous asset, the glorious Rita Hayworth.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an early one from the boys, but some people may not be satisfied with this one like all the others. I found it to be different somehow than the your average Stooge slapstick. It was more funny for it's jokes rather than the poke in the eye or slap. Watch for a hilarious part when Larry grabs the stethoscope from Moe and sings into it. Moe gives him a good smack. That part made me crack up for a good ten minutes. Another hit for the Stooges.$LABEL$ 1 +The Ma & Pa Kettle characters were highly popular AND controversial. The films that featured their brood paved the way for television sitcoms that came after it and sought to emulate its winning formula. One obvious reference is 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' where the new home was bought with oil money, not having been won in a contest. You could even say the 1980s sitcom 'Newhart' borrows its idea of backwards rural characters from this series. Still, I wonder if Betty Macdonald, the Washington-based author who created these characters, didn't do more harm than good. Her portrayal of hillbilly characters makes them the butt of many jokes in terms of their alleged sloppiness and laziness. (The real life family that Macdonald based the Kettles upon, successfully sued...claiming they had been ridiculed and humiliated with these less-than-flattering references). Sure, it's comedy and the situations bring us a great many laughs and fun moments...and political correctness as we know it today did not exist in the 1940s and 1950s. But I think Macdonald could've still written these characters more sensibly and Universal International could've had its scriptwriters show them on screen with more dignity (there's such a thing as good taste). The more realistic moments are when the oldest son Tom is ashamed of his rural heritage but learns to accept his parents and siblings for who they are. For their part, the Kettles have to realize that they don't exactly fit into a modern world. That's not a joke...that's a sober truth.$LABEL$ 1 +I was about 14 years old as I saw the musical version of Lost Horizon. I loved the film so much as well as the songs that I went several times to the cinema to see it again and again. My mother bought the LP and I learnt the songs off by heart, just as I did with "The sound of Music" (which people hardly know in Austria). I think the problem with some of these self-appointed critics who's comments get published is that they don't have a romantic soul and didn't see the film through the eyes of a young teenager. Maybe he is an Ingrid Bergman fan but I was happy with Liv Ullman. Could Ingrid Bergman sing and dance? What was so great about her? Perhaps the critic did n't appreciate it because he needed new glasses or contact lenses since he sees a close resemblance between Liv Ullman and Bill Clinton. It was the idea and story behind the film, the philosophy, which was the most important and interesting factor and a musical in colour just made it more entertaining and enjoyable without damaging the intellectually appealing aspects. It's a shame that many other films with so called great actors and actresses with unimportant themes / stories are utterly boring in comparison.$LABEL$ 1 +This early sci-fi masterwork by Herbert George Wells with music by Arthur Bliss is a powerful piece of film-making. Adapted from Wells' somewhat different work by the author, it presents a look at the human future with the subject of periods of war as versus periods of 'peace'. The structure is that after a contrasted-pair of episodes of normalcy and gathering clouds of war, the script allows the war to happen. Two families, the Cabells and the Passworthys disagree about what may happen; Passworthy takes a hopeful view of civilization's "automatic" progress; Cabell is the thinker, the doubter. Their city Everytown--obviously London-- becomes wrecked by a war featuring tanks, a magnificent war march by Bliss, and the end of civilization. The second portion finds people living in the wreckage of what had been the city under a "Boss", played with bravura by Ralph Richardson, whose woman, lovely Margaretta Scott, is as fascinating a dreamer as he is a concrete-bound dictator type. He is trying to rebuild old WWI airplanes so he can attack a nearby hill tribe to complete his petty kingdom; a young scientist complains about having his work continually interrupted demands for planes--etc.--everlastingly; this is Wells' comment on war versus progress. The survivors are subject to a plague called "The Wandering Sickness" also. Enter a modern flying machine piloted by the Cabell of the first section of the film, now part of Wings Over the World, an International Scientists' Coalition, who are planning to end warfare forever. This flight-suited modernist has fascinating conversations with the Boss and his woman, their attraction being evident; then Boss sends up his aircraft against them, the Scientists come with huge numbers of planes and drop the "Gas of Peace" onto the ruins of Everytown. Only the Boss dies, fighting too hard against the pacifying. The film then shows ore being mined and by slow steps being made into the girders of a magnificent new futuristic city of towers. In section three, a future Cabell argues with a future Passworthy over the morality of human science. Passworthy wonders if they have a right to send men to the Moon; Cabell champions man's right to advancement and the need to expand his horizons. The son of Passworthy and Cabell's daughter, are the astronauts being sent. Theotocopulos, a religious-minded Luddite, makes a fiery speech on a huge screen in the city's Forum and leads an attack on the 'space gun' that is to fire the new rocket free of Earth's gravity. The climax of the plot is the firing of the space gun successfully; the denouement and ending is a speech by Cabell praising worth and science that is universally considered to be the most profound defense of the mind ever penned. "It is all the universe--or nothing!" Cabell tells Passworthy. "Which shall it be?" As Cabell, Raymond Massey gives perhaps his greatest screen performance; he is thoughtful, compassionate, and reasonable, a true scientist. As the rabble-rouser who wants to end the Age of Science, Cedric Hardwicke is perfect and powerful. Edward Chapman playing Passworthy does admirably impersonating the voice of convention and fear. The storyline is logical, frequently beautiful and always interesting. Given the near-extinction of mankind, the idea of a civilization run by rebuilder scientists is rendered plausible and credible to the viewer. This is a triumph for the director, William Cameron Menzies, for Bliss and for all concerned. Listen to the dialogue with someone you love; within its constructed limits, this is a thinking man's drama debating two possible human futures--progress or its reactionary opposite.$LABEL$ 1 +Slayer starts in the South American rain forest where Captain Hawk (Casper Van Dien) & his men are attacked by a bunch of Vampires, they barely manage to escape with their lives. Jump forward six months later & Hawk is called to see Colonel Weaver (Lynda Carter) who informs him there has been other reported sightings of Vampires & that his ex-wife & her Goddaughter Dr. Laurie Williams (Jennifer O'Dell) has gone out there on an expedition to study beetles, worried she ask's Hawk to take a squad of soldiers back to South America & officially provide back up to Captain Grieves (Kevin Grevioux) & his men while at the same time unofficially look for Laurie & not get killed by the Vampires who have decided to venture out of the caves & into the civilised World...Edited, written & directed by Kevin VanHook this is yet another poorly made Sci-Fi Channel original which just isn't very good in any respect. The humourless script has nothing going for it as far as I could see, it's one of those modern Vampire films which decides to pick & choose the 'traditional' Vampire film lore rules it wants to use like these Vampires can be killed with stakes through the heart & have fangs but at the same time can freely walk around in sunlight & they don't sleep in coffins. The film moves along at a reasonable pace but it's all very dull, bland & lifeless. The story is poor & just rather stupid, the character's are terrible, the dialogue is forgettable & there's very little here to recommend. Slayer also tries to have some sort of ecological message as the head Vampire claims they are only starting to kill human beings because of their systematic destruction of the rain forest where they have lived in secret for centuries, unfortunately there's no conviction there & is more like a throwaway line to fill the time than a serious statement. There isn't enough exploitation content & is a rather unsatisfying way to spend 90 minutes of your time. The makers don't even do anything with the jungle setting, hell I didn't expect Predator (1987) but I hoped for a bit more than this.Director VanHook has made several horror films all of which I have seen have been equally poor, I'm sorry but he does nothing here & turns in a throughly forgettable looking & feeling film. There's no atmosphere or tension & as for genuine scares forget about it. The gore is restrained, there are some bitten necks & a bit of spraying blood but it's nothing we haven't seen before or has much impact. There's also a huge Vampire monster creature at the end but it doesn't look that impressive & it gets itself killed far too easily.With a supposed budget of about $2,000,000 this actually had a decent sized amount of money spent on it but it's still a rubbish film, it's reasonably well made but nothing special or memorable. The acting sucks, I'm sorry but that's the way I saw it.Slayer is yet another poor, stupid & boring made-for-TV Sci-Fi Channel rubbish that I simply can't recommend. Not to be confused with the rather fine one time British 'Video Nasty' gore film The Slayer (1982) which is 100 times better than this so track that down & watch that instead.$LABEL$ 0 +It's difficult to put into words the almost seething hatred I have of this film. But I'll try:Every other word was an expletive, the sex scenes were uncomfortable, drugs were rampant and stereotyping was beyond the norm, if not offensive to Italian-Americans.I'm not saying the acting was terrible, because Leguizamo, Sorvino, Brody, Espisito et. al, performed well. But...almost every character in the film I despised. Not since The Bonfire of the Vanities have I disliked every character on screen.$LABEL$ 0 +There are some movies you just know they are going to be bad from frame one. Even if you were totally oblivious of Ed Wood's work, one look at that commentator from "Plan 9 from outer space" and you just KNOW you are not gonna see the next cinematic masterpiece. Just like that, when I saw the first shot of Uwe Bolls masterpiece "House of Dead", with that guy sitting at the front of the house starting his introduction while trying desperately to sound like he just arrived from Sin City, I knew I'm in for a helluva ride.So, the movie starts like this - first the lead character says that everybody else is going to die. You know, to keep you wandering. Then he starts introducing the rest of the characters with lines like "Karma..thinks she's Foxy Brown" or "Alicia..my ex.. we broke up recently.. I had to study and she had to fence". No, I'm not kidding.Anyway, this bunch of 20-somethings who couldn't act their way out of a wet paper-bag are going to the "Rave of the century", rave in question being a few tents, a port-a-potty and a shoddy stage located on small island in the middle of the Pacific. Our gang missed the ferry, but thankfully will find a way to get there, the way being a fisher-boat ran by Kirk (Cpt Kirk? Get it? Man, whoever wrote this script is a genius) and his sidekick who is a bastard child of Simpsons' Cpt McAllister and that hook killer who knows what you did last summer.To make the long story short, the gang gets to the island, finds nobody there except some bloody T-shirts and then decide to run the hell away from there. No wait, they do not, they actually get all happy and like cos there's free booze.With that scene the movie hits rock bottom and then against all odds proceeds to go further downhill. Some guys in rubber suits start running around, there is some screaming and shooting, our gang goes to some house to meet some other gang, they go out of the house, meet Cpt Kirk and some police woman (who between them have about 500 pounds of weapons) and then decide to go back to the house. Somewhere along the line they transform into a S.W.A.T. team, enter the Matrix, the rubber-suit guys start multiplying like bacteria and I start to cry because I actually paid to see this. To add insult to the injury, every few minutes there are shots from the video game this crap is based on and there is a cute game-over cut-scene for a few characters when they die.I seriously hate this movie. It doesn't even fit in that famed "So bad it's good" category. It's just plain bad. The script is bad, the zombies are awful, there is no tension, lines are bad, actors are bad.. the list just goes on.You will probably want to see this movie just because of its reputation of being awful. Don't. There are bad movies that deserve to be watched. This is not one of them.$LABEL$ 0 +The final installment in the action thriller franchise is just that probably the hardest hitting of the three films. It goes further to play the anti-Bond theme. Bourne doesn't like what he is doing and wants to know about his blurry past. Everything about this film hits it on the nail from the cinematography to choreography/stunt work to the script to acting.The film starts out in a flurry as Bourne is running from the Moscow police. The story seems to pick up right where the first film left off. Or does it? The time is a little muddled here, but we get the fact that Bourne is remembering things. A sudden flashback while trying to clean himself up nearly gets him caught, but he makes it and doesn't kill anyone. They aren't his target. From there we get more of the intrigue of his past with a new player, Noah Vosen, who seems to know everything about Bourne and will protect it at all costs. Pamela Landy is back as well as Nicky Parsons who seems to have a past with Bourne as well.The cinematography is in your face following tight on practically everything. The car chase is even more intense if that seems possible than the ones from the first two. And the veteran cast chasing Bourne is superb with a nice part by Albert Finney. It also has slight political overtones in relationship to rendition and other government policies, but that is minor and integrated very well within the plot. All in all this is the best of the trilogy conclusions this year, if not the best action trilogy ever.$LABEL$ 1 +Joe Don Baker is an alright to good actor in small roles here and there...he was alright in Goldeneye and made a pretty good Bond villan in The Living Daylights and has appeared in various other movies. One thing he can't do is carry a movie as the lead, which he is in this extremely bad revenge movie set in Malta. Joe Don's partner is killed so he kills the killer's brother and escorts the killer to Italy, but some guys cause the plane to set down in Malta and the killer gets away. The rest of the movie is seeing Joe Don chase the killer here and there, Joe Don getting taken into custody various times, Joe Don torturing a bartendar and being interrupted and so on. The movie is quite bad and you won't find yourself exactly pulling for Joe Don's character. You will be amazed at how many times Joe Don the hero gets taken out by one punch and how incompetent he proves to be. The crowning part of the movie comes when Joe Don chases the killer all over Malta with the killer in a priest robe and then they get in boats and he chases them all around Malta. This movie also features one of the worst closing lines to end a movie ever.$LABEL$ 0 +The brilliant thing about Withnail & I is that it captures that not long left college and life could go either way moment along with all its other finery. Freebird is something for those who probably never considered higher education and just went straight to work aged 15/16. I know some of the broad sheets stuck the knife into this film when it came out in Cinemas but i saw it at a packed house in Hailsham and everybody seemed to really enjoy it. I grew up in the forest of Dean and this took me straight back to my mushrooming and dope days (had some great mates - hate to think what they're all up to now - probably running the local council). I've watched it a couple of times on DVD and already i see the film as an old mate that will stay forever as part of my collection (how can i like this film and the Dambusters - doesn't seem right somehow) I certainly edge towards the second half of this film and i think the social interacting scenes with the locals are brilliantly done. I like the mix of the three lead characters and there really is some lovely writing in here along with some very quotable lines and dare i say a good smattering of integrity. I have tried to obtain the soundtrack, but it has not been released (shame, as it's a corker). Someone told me it was originally a stage play, not quite sure how that worked but i'm sure it was fun. I liked the little Shakespearian touches/references that seem to crop up throughout the film (also spotted the Dylan Thomas ref as well) and like all little gems, there will always be little things to discover like the final scene giving a nod to Easyrider as they start they're next journey. All in all a genuinely unpretentious piece of film making (love it!)$LABEL$ 1 +Cool idea... botched writing, botched directing, botched editing, botched acting. Sorta makes me wish I could play God and strike everyone involved in making this film with several bolts of lightning.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw the film and am very pleased to see a film so different in character and story to the stupid,mainstream American major productions. Its a film with a background interesting for young as much as all age- groups. Contrary to certain reviews the audience seems to split my evaluation as the film is very successful wherever yet exploited worldwide. For example in Netherlands is was ranked number 3 . 0 statements must be respected but one should expect such to be guided on a fact basis. If you have the chance view the film and enjoy it.$LABEL$ 1 +Jafar Panahi's comedy-drama "Offside" portrays some women trying to enter a Tehran sports arena from which women are banned. The official reason: lots of foul language, and the soccer players have their legs showing. But of course, it's really a case of sexism. So, most of the movie consists of mild comic relief as the women try to ask the men serious questions about why women are banned from the stadium, and one woman even comes up with her own scheme to defy the men.As I understand, all of Jafar Panahi's movies (this one included) are banned in Iran. The real tragedy is that the CIA's 1953 overthrow of the prime minister and subsequent backing of the brutal shah gave Ayatollah Khomeini an excuse to use his narrow interpretation of the Koran to establish a chauvinistic society, and that George W. Bush's current policy towards Iran gives Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an excuse to act the cowboy and tighten censorship.Above all, this is a neat look at people coming up with ways to challenge the system. Not a great movie, but worth seeing. Considering that all Jafar Panahi's movies are banned, I wonder how he's able to even make them.$LABEL$ 1 +Just ONCE, I would like to see Koontz's work given to a decent screenwriter, director, and producer! JUST ONCE!This is a good attempt by Jean LeClerc and Chris Sarandon, and an even better attempt by Victoria Tennant, but everything else is pure unadulterated garbage. The screenwriter should be shot for bastardizing Koontz's work this way and the director...please.The story is a well-written story, but the screenplay is quite dull, unbelievable and horribly executed. The only elements which work are the performances by LeClerc, Sarandon, and Tennant.On a personal note, I really wanted this to work. I adore Koontz's novels, but they have never given them the attention, backing, and talent they deserve. If they put the same money into Koontz's work that they shovel by the barrels-full into King's, Koontz would quickly rise above. But alas! Without powerful people who believe in his work, I fear he will never get the chance.As an adaptation to the novel, this movie was a total suck-fest. As a stand alone movie, it wasn't that bad, though extremely weak in many places with huge plot holes and terrible, stiff, unprofessional dialog which never should have made it to the final cut. This movie failed miserably to live up to its potential. Had they followed the original work by Koontz, a bit more closely, and invested a decent amount of production money, this could have been a far better endeavor.However, all I can manage to see in this, is how good it could have been, and wasn't.It rates a 4.3/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie makes several mistakes. a few American actors in Spain , and the Spanish actors speaking English. the 'spaniards' English is OK, but the way the acting is performed it makes it all quite annoying. the dialog through the whole script is very weak; it may have been a Spanish script but translated incorrectly, who knows and who cares. i can only assume that these are famous Spanish actors forced into the English language , they may be good, but not in this flop. you will figure out the movie within the first 5 minutes, thats how pathetic it is. then the rest is just bad . lots of waste of time, lots of UN-necessary plots. Oh did i mention one of the Baldwins' is in this.$LABEL$ 0 +I only saw IPHIGENIA once, almost 30 years ago, but it has haunted me since.One sequence particularly stays in mind, and could only have been fashioned by a great director, as Michael Cacoyanis undoubtedly is.The context: the weight of history and a mighty army and fleet all lie on King Agamemnon's shoulders. An act of sacrilege has becalmed the seas, endangering his great expedition to Troy. He is told he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to Apollo in order to gain the winds for the sails of the Thousand Ships. He initially resists, but comes around, and tricks his wife Clytemenstra to bring their daughter to the Greek camp in order to marry the greatest of all warriors, Achilles.Clytemnestra and Iphigenia arrive, find out about the sacrifice, and rage to the gods for protection and vengeance. Meanwhile, the proud Achilles discovers that his name has been used in this fraudulent, dishonorable way. He climbs a hill to tell Iphigenia that he will protect her.The shot: The camera circles the two young people, without looking directly at each other. They bemoan their fate, and the weakness of men that deceive their loved ones and lust for war. Suddenly, they gaze at each other and, for one moment, we feel both their power and beauty, and the unstated--except by the camera--irony that in another time, another place, they perhaps could love each other and be married. It is a sharp and sad epiphany that lasts only for an instant.What direction! What camera! What storytelling!$LABEL$ 1 +Got this off of usenet, so I wasn't prepared for the heavy (and I do mean EXCEPTIONALLY heavy) religious theme. Not that I'm one of Satan's disciples or anything, but it was very heavy handed.On top of that, the acting stunk. It might be because they had to get good little boys to play bad little boys, but it didn't work.There was some pretty cool filmmaking involved, so any fan of directorial style might want to check it out, but be ready with the fast forward buttons.There was some sloppiness to the editing. In particular, a black Mustang (probably a representation of Satan?) squares off against a white 240Z. Wheels spin, camera changes, and whattya know, that white 240Z is transmogrified into a white Civic.I gave up early on, so I can't vouch for the moral impact of it. But I would like to point out that this sort of film is totally preaching to the choir. If the director/writer/producer was trying to bring religion to the unwashed streetracing masses, they went about it all wrong. I think I'd rather watch an adult diaper commercial than listen to a steely-gazed bible thumper rant about Jesus' dying for us. Yawn.$LABEL$ 0 +this documentary is founded on sponge cake as soon as you put any REAL evidence on it the integrity slowly sinks into a big pile of crap for example Bart Sibrel claims they must have had multiple lighting sources because the shadows appear to be crossing if this were the case wouldn't there be two or more shadows for each object when Apollo 11 went through the van Allan radiation belts they spent 30 Min's there not the 90 Min's claimed in the documentary and they received a dose of radiation more equivalent to that of an an x ray.seriously do some research learn what really happened don't let this pile of crap of a documentary mold your opinion of what really happened$LABEL$ 0 +So 'Thinner'... Yep.. This Steven Bachman (read Steven King) yarn about a man who gets his just desserts from a Gypsy Elder who he just killed, The story itself is there, no doubt about it, but I don't know why I didn't enjoy it more than I could have. I guess what really distracted me was the actors. I mean, who's the lead? Robert John Burke? Who's he? And fer crying out loud, can someone please stop hiring Joseph Mantegna for every Italian Mafioso role there ever is? And while we're at it, does every Mafioso have to have a pasta cooking Italian mother? The only good acting job done here is under 10 pounds of makeup, Michael Constantine as the Gypsy elder. He's pretty good. But the rest, I make you all, "better actors..."$LABEL$ 0 +Very Cliched. Quite corny. Acting gets worse as the show goes on. Don't believe anything that folks say about the "realism" that this movie is supposed to portray. It's just a shoot'em up. Interesting twist in that the VC sieging the base were given a human face and weren't portrayed as evil incarnate.$LABEL$ 0 +'It's easy to kill a monster, but it's hard to kill a human being.'Set in St. Thomas Housing Project and Angola Prison in New Orleans, "Dead Man Walking" is the true story of Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon), a Louisiana nun Sister who befriended Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), a murderer and a rapist bound for a lethal injection machine for killing a teenage couple… Sister Helen agrees to help the convict and to remain with him till the end—an act never before attempted by a woman… At their first meeting, Poncelet swears to the nun that his accomplice was the one who shot both of the kids and pleads her help for a new trial in order to convince the pardon board hearing to spare his life… The film challenges the audience to actually give some thought to the human consequences of the death penalty, but gives voice to angry bereaved parents whose kids were shot, stabbed, raped, and left in the woods to die alone… As Poncelet's execution looms closer and closer, his character is seen deceptively complex, harboring doubts about the rightness of what they were doing to him… In one moment, we hear him sensitive asking for a lie detector test to let his mother know that he is innocent, in another we see him furious playing the victim, blaming the government, drugs, blacks, the kids for being there… Poncelet never understood that he has robbed the Percys and the Delacroixs so much, giving them nothing but sorrow… They are never going to see their children again, never going to hold them, to love them, to laugh with them… In the scenes leading up to his execution, the death-row inmate drops his terrible facade and reveals his identity… Luckily both Sarandon and Penn are here exceptional—carrying out successfully an exquisite, tangible harmony of souls… When Sarandon was looking at Penn, she was projecting compassionate eyes brimming with tears… She asks him to visualize her as he dies— ''I want the last thing you see in this world to be the face of love''—in that moment, we truly believed that she'll be the face of love for him…$LABEL$ 1 +Like Ishtar and King of Comedy, other great, misunderstood comedies, Envy has great performances by two actors playing essentially, losers (may be too harsh a word, I will call them suburban under-achievers).This film was a dark comedy gem, and I'm not sure what people expect. I relish seeing a major studio comedy that isn't filled with obvious humor, and I believe that the small moments in this movie make it worthwhile. The look on Stiller's face when he sees the dog doo disappear for the first time captures a moment, a moment that most people should be able to recognize in themselves. Yes, it was a fairly simple story, but it examined the root of envy in a really interesting way. There were a lot of great scenes (the J-Man's decrepit "cabin by the lake", Corky's unceremonious burial, Weitz's wife role, and Walken's J-Man -- all great stuff.I can't stand people that get on IMDb and mercilessly trash films when they have absolutely no idea what it takes to make one. I will take Envy over almost any of the top ten grossing comedies of the year (save Napoleon Dynamite.) It's wittier, wackier, and an offbeat, enjoyable gem.Remember this people; Most times, Popular doesn't equal Good.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is good. It's not the best of the great CG kung fu flicks but its pretty good. First thing first, the story is actually good. The whole idea of gods vs fallen gods type deal with super powers is pretty cool. My problem is theres too many characters! It got very confusing when they switched scenes! The special effects were INCREDIBLE! The fighting scenes were very fast paced and complex. This movie practically all computer generated. The acting is superb, as always expected from such high profile players. Ekin Cheng makes an excellent protagonist, loner character. Zhang Ziyi did nothing for me in this movie. I thought she would have a bigger part but she did one fight scene and a whole lot of yapping. The bad guy, the whole skull army and the whole blood cloud thing is very frightening. The music is also excellent. To me this story deserve at least a mini-series and not just ONE movie. Theres too much story to cram in 2 hours. Maybe if there was a book or something, I would be able to keep up with all the characters and the details. This movie sacrifices story integrity for action. I reccomend Storm Riders over this any day.$LABEL$ 1 +Very good drama about a young girl who attempts to unravel a series of horrible crimes. She enlists the aid of a police cadet, and they begin running down a series of clues which lead to a traveling carny worker with a long police record. An ending which is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a well-made documentary on the exciting world of Indy Car racing. The photography is simply outstanding. The scene were Mario Andretti drives the old racing roadster down the New England street lined with the ancient maples, leaves blown to the side by the speed of the car, is incredible. The film does lose some of its beauty on the small screen but if you like watching cars driven to their limit you should see this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Leon was fantastic as always, this time playing Little Richard in his early years. The movie showed a fully fleshed out Little Richard without neglecting to fill the show with lots of great music. My only complaint is that the ending was a little abrupt - I was hoping for a 2-parter!$LABEL$ 1 +All the criticisms of this movie are quite valid! It is pretty boring, and filled with all kinds of pointless ridiculous stuff. A couple exchanging nods over their "good grub." A medium shot of a desk as a phone rings until someone finally comes, sits down, and answers it at a pretty leisurely pace. Quadruple-takes or more when people look at things. Solitary banjo-tuning and playing, taking a break for a beer. Telling a joke to a fawn, about a big-mouthed frog trying to learn what to feed its babies, complete with many big-mouthed expressions (which are needed for the weak punchline). The sharing of cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches on oatmeal bread, which to the squeamish become unpalatable when there's talk of people burned in a fire. Lots of seemingly stock-footage close-up shots of animals, birds, insects, and spiders in the woods.The movie starts with a forest fire, then at least a couple decades later some people in those same woods get killed by an axe. The killer evidently wasn't too satisfied by the axe he stole, and kills other people with other weapons of opportunity or his bare hands.If it's true that the movie in the version available on the out-of-print videotape is cut, perhaps if there's a lot of footage that was cut, it deserves another look on DVD. Otherwise, it's simply not very interesting, and would probably try the patience of even the most hardcore outdoors-slasher fan.$LABEL$ 0 +A young man named Court is loved by everyone. His painful bloody death brings everyone closer. You can find other symbols and allusions throughout the movie. Whether predictable or not, and irrespective of ecclesiastical beliefs, this is a moving story, full of milieu and sensuality.One other thing, someone mentioned that his fate was so quick that it didn't seem plausible. But the elements for this are set up subtly. Note what his mom says about bringing his lunch out to the field. Note how he is holding the steering wheel and his gloves. He is sweaty and operating dangerous equipment. To this day, tractors are pretty dangerous.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't often go out of my way to write comments, but for this I had to, just to warn anyone that might think that by watching this they will see a comedy. This doesn't come close. While the premise (change in colour/gender/whatever) is bad enough (and has been done, better, many times before)the actual transformation of two black guys into two white girls is one of the least convincing transformations ever put on screen. It would be bad enough if all that was required by the script was a change to white chicks. However the Wayans brothers are required to disguise themselves as two specific white women. As you will have guessed by now, they fail completely. I have seen drag queens without makeup make more convincing women than these two do with the best special effects and make-up people that Hollywood can provide. Its appalling. Add to the mix a basketball player built like a building, terrible dialogue and more plot holes than a golf course and this film hits a new personal low. And I like bad movies! Avoid like the plague.$LABEL$ 0 +STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning David (Johnathon Schaech) and Tish (Lori Heuring) are a couple in Budapest, on business commitments and staying at a luxury hotel. One night, they meet an attractive woman at a nightclub and invite her back to their place, where they end up in a threesome. All is well, until David receives some negatives in the mail and he and Tish end up being blackmailed. But when some people involved in the deception are found murdered, things get messy and they are forced to enter the seedy underground world of pornography and hardcore bondage to track down the woman who may hold the key to everything.Whereas the original film dealt with the concept of snuff films, this straight to DVD sequel deals with the more wholesome (!!!) theme of threesomes and sleazy sex. It plays like a porn film, a cheap piece of titillation with plenty of hot T/A action going on. If this sounds like your idea of a good film, you'll probably like it, but you'd probably be more at home in a porn shop than a video store.This tries to copy the original film's dark and voyeuristic feel, but while it does a pretty good job of this, it still can't hold up to that of the original's. It has an apathetic story, with a dodgy narrative flow. And compared to Cage, Schaech comes across as interminably wooden.Better than I thought it'd be, I suppose, and better than your average one of these DVD direct sequels that seem to be coming out a lot these days, but really, haven't we seen enough? **$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is very underrated. It's highly imaginative, creative and clever. It's just plain fun and in my opinion this film tops the first one. But the film was forgotten when it first came out, and became even more overlooked as the years passed. "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" also bombed at the box office, whereas the first one was a pretty good hit and very popular. I think the problem may be that this film was just released a couple years too late. In 1991, Bill and Ted already seemed "so '80s". Even though the '80s were only a couple years ago back at that time, the landscape of the music and style for kids had changed so radically with gangsta rap, hip hop, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, grunge and the Seattle sound. Bill and Ted with their Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen and Guns N' Roses music along with their '80s style seemed so out of place and very outdated in '91, and I think that's one BIG reason the film bombed at the box office. Nobody but surfers were still saying stuff like "excellent!" and "bogus!" in 1991. "Gremlins 2" which also came out in the early '90s suffered a similar fate of being a good film that bombed at the box office because it was too associated with the '80s. The transition from the '80s to the '90s was a much faster change then now with the '90s and '00s. 1991 was nothing like 1988 or 1989, whereas right now, 2002 and last year 2001 still looks/looked like 1995 or 1996.If only "Excellent Adventure" which was made in 1988, was released THAT YEAR instead of 1989, and "Bogus Journey" was made quickly and released in 1989, then it too would have probably been just as wildly received as the first.$LABEL$ 1 +A solid, if unremarkable film. Matthau, as Einstein, was wonderful. My favorite part, and the only thing that would make me go out of my way to see this again, was the wonderful scene with the physicists playing badmitton, I loved the sweaters and the conversation while they waited for Robbins to retrieve the birdie.$LABEL$ 1 +I very much enjoyed watching this film. I taped it while watching so that i could review it later. I actually enjoyed the second viewing more since i was able to absorb more of the clever dialog between Natalie and Adam, the 2 main characters. I thought the way this story evolved was very thought provoking. I got very intrigued with how Natalie was going to interact with her daughter's friends , at first it seemed that she was going to spew a lot of animosity but once she started interacting more pleasantly i had to see how this visit was going to unfold. i wasn't disappointed . Gradually the secrets that Sara kept from her mother started to reveal a daughter who was not so perfect, a flawed human being like most of us who wanted her freedom from a domineering mother who thought she knew her daughter but unfortunately had to learn in a very painful manner that sometimes to really love someone you have to give them their freedom. The viewers who stuck with this film to the end saw a very touching performance from Diane Keaton (who is always wonderful, even in some of her less well received films-think Town and Country). The closing scene of Diane Keaton driving home was well worth waiting for, revealing that anyone who loves another human being has got to learn that we have to live our own lives, we love others but don't own them and ultimately we have to let go. It's a hard lesson but well worth contemplating now and then.Thank you CBS for this broadcast,it was worth the long wait.$LABEL$ 1 +I couldn't believe my eyes when I watched Nuremberg yesterday on Dutch television. It starts very slowly, the backgrounds of the Nuremberg trials become clear step by step, the Germans have a funny English accent, but then, suddenly, in the last few minutes of the first part of the series, the audience gets to see the most shocking, horrific footage I have ever seen.It is important that people get to see such footage (although I absolutely don't agree with people stating that there is no minimum age at which children can be exposed to this kind of material), but in this film it was completely ridiculous. It was purely meant to improve the impact of an ordinary TV series. It was meant to shock the audience which is very cheap and unbelievably easy. In stead of trying to move us with well-done scenes, inspiring dialogue or interesting viewpoint's, the audience is being tortured with horrible images of skin-and-bones camp inmates. It doesn't show any respect for the victims of the holocaust.I'm very angry.$LABEL$ 0 +Some people have the ability to use only 3 neurons, one for eating, one for breathing and the other one for s**ting... This is not a movie for them... But for those who enjoy using the brain... the whole movie is a metaphor, everything is there for a purpose, every single detail, the coffee mug, the red couch, everything... is a underestimated masterpiece... It is hilarious, is raw and totally realistic, that's how we actually interact.... it is a royal comedy... total causality...Just hang on, don't let the first scene shock you..... hang on... and enjoy the show....$LABEL$ 1 +After seeing the film version of Heart Of Darkness, I feel as if I wasted 100 minutes of my life. Though the book was not my favorite, I was very disappointed to see how poorly Nicolas Roeg portrayed the story. Despite the fact that he left out many bits of important information, the cast just did not seem to fit their roles and the whole film seemed vastly emotionless. The book depicts vivid scenery and detail that are completely disregarded in the movie. You'd think a director would be able to fit 76 pages of a book into a film of at least an hour and a half. The differences completely changed the story for me. For example, when the character of Kurtz's fiancée is nonchalant to the fact that Kurtz has died, it completely modifies the ending the book had given. Not to mention the sets and scenery used in the film were not nearly as beautiful as they were described. It sincerely feels as if Roeg was filming another story with references from Heart Of Darkness embedded in it. If you watch the movie without knowing the title or expecting it to be anything like Joseph Conrad's tale, you may find it good. Though I thought the camera work was poor and the cast unfitting, it is a captivating story all the same. However, if you are looking for a good movie version of the famous classic story, don't look for it in Roeg's film.$LABEL$ 0 +CAMILLE 2000 Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (Panavision)Sound format: MonoWhilst visiting Rome, an amorous nobleman (Nino Castelnuovo) falls in love with a beautiful young libertine (Daniele Gaubert), but their unlikely romance is opposed by Castelnuovo's wealthy father (Massimo Serato), and Fate deals a tragic blow...A sexed-up love story for the swinging Sixties, adapted from a literary source (Alexandre Dumas' 'La Dame aux Camelias') by screenwriter Michael DeForrest, and directed with freewheeling flair by Radley Metzger who, along with the likes of Russ Meyer and Joe Sarno, is credited with redefining the parameters of 'Adult' cinema throughout the 1960's and 70's. Using the scope format for the last time in his career, Metzger's exploration of 'la dolce vita' is rich in visual excess (note the emphasis on reflective surfaces, for example), though the film's sexual candor seems alarmingly coy by modern standards. Production values are handsome throughout, and the performances are engaging and humane (Castelnuovo and Gaubert are particularly memorable), despite weak post-sync dubbing. Though set in an unspecified future, Enrico Sabbatini's wacked-out set designs locate the movie firmly within its period, and Piero Piccioni's 'wah-wah' music score has become something of a cult item amongst exploitation devotees. Ultimately, CAMILLE 2000 is an acquired taste, but fans of this director's elegant softcore erotica won't be disappointed. Next up for Metzger was THE LICKERISH QUARTET (1970), which many consider his best film.$LABEL$ 0 +This film moved me at age 39 in the same way that all the footage and coverage of Dogtown affected me when I was 13. For all of those who criticized the self promotion of the Z boys interviewed, they have the last laugh on you. That was their whole deal, "we're better than all of you and here's why....(insert footage of the smoothest pool carve imaginable)" This was a film to tell their story and that was their story whether you like it or not. It was THEIR opinion of their skating that mattered..... not yours or mine. I thought the film captured their attitude and influence exactly as I remembered it in the 70's. The reality is that they DID revolutionize skateboarding, they WERE the impetus behind extreme sports and they DID inject a cultural paradigm that reached into every corner of americana. This movie gave rebirth to images of Bertleman on a wave and Alva and Jay Adams ripping up the coping that WAS the California Dream to an entire culture of young american teenagers that just wanted to have fun and get rad! As I watched this film I realized that it was these images that I lived with every day until I was old enough to move out and back down to So Cal after my family had moved to Nor Cal when I was five. Until I could get back, my buddies and I built and thrashed ramp after ramp, searched for every empty pool possible and mimicked everything Stecyk covered about these guys. We are all educated and have family's and careers now but this film reminds me who I was at that age and why I still surf. This is an inspired film that anyone who has an interest in pop culture, extreme sports, the 70's or even just good documentary film making will enjoy completely. Whenever it comes on cable I can't change the channel. Kudos to Stacy Peralta for making a beautiful piece of art!$LABEL$ 1 +If this is supposed to be the black experience, let me out at either the front or back door.A mama's boy one day sees 2 young hoods walk by and from then on it's all down hill for him. Angela Bassett, the one shining grace in this film, plays his over protective, religious mother. Despite her anger at how his life has turned, by the middle of the picture, she really decides to accept this. She allows his friends to come in and suddenly it's all right to use the profanity as long as it's not in front of the children.This is a sad state of affairs regarding gangster rap. You knew where this film was heading.I literally laughed out loud when at the end, when Bassett is accompanying her son's body for burial, she states that while his life had been cut short at age 24, he had become a man. What man? He had been a convicted criminal, wrote the most atrocious rap music with constant vulgarity,and scorned society. That scene in the classroom where he tells a teacher that as a sanitation worker, he will earn more than the teacher is a perfect example of what goes on in our schools. The complete and utter lack of respect for the teacher.The east coast, west coast gang rap rivalry is never fully explained. All we see are guns blazing.A terrible picture doing nothing to prevent gang violence. What horrible role models are these rap singers and their foul music. The African American community should take umbrage at their very being. Who was this classless fat slob who portrayed Biggie? He made Rerun from the old television show look thin by comparison. I know it was the streets of Bedford Stuyvesant that changed this chubby little boy into the vulgar monster that he was. What a sorry state of affairs when this is called motion picture entertainment.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not going to comb over TLPS's obvious peterbogdanovichian flaws. Instead, I shall take a look at the positive aspects of this overrated celluloid pygmy of a film.1. Peter Bogdanovich managed to make a movie that can be endured in its entirety. This fact alone places the movie high up above and all the way up to the top of his lame filmography.2. Bogdanovich had shown how amazingly generous some lucky boyfriends can be, by sharing Cybill Shepherd's (his then-gal) fabulous body and breasts with his male audience - and not just on one but on two occasions. Brava! The unquestionable highlights of this cinematic festa del siesta.3. TLPS has barely a scene without stereotypical country music doodling in the background. (Peter tried to make the obvious point that the movie is set in America's Deep South (as if it weren't bleedin' obvious) so he hammered that point on and on and on...) How is this an advantage, you might ask? Well, when the movie finally ends and the monotonous country music finally ceases massaging your tired ear-drums, you start experiencing a strange exhilaration: "The movie's finally over!" It's pure joy.4. The movie gives all women who look like Cloris Leachman hope. Hope that they, too, may one day snatch a much younger and maybe even good-looking boyfriend.5. Cloris Leachman's biography (which I realize isn't technically a part of TLPS) gives hope to all women that look like that, that they too may one day win a Miss Chicago beauty pageant. (Provided they have enough money to bribe the jury with.)(You think I'm joking abut Cloris having won a beauty pageant, huh? Well, check out her bio and then we'll see who laughs last...) 6. The movie was shot in black and white which spared us the sight of Cloris Leachman's face in its original, natural non-glory.$LABEL$ 0 +Bean, Kevin & Perry, UK TV creations that have made successful transitions onto the BIG screen. Now its Ali G's turn and I m afraid to say this is not one of them!Ali has always been obscene but funny with it. This film was extremley sick and not funny at all. Scenes involving bestiality, gay sex and paedophilia should not be portrayed for entertainment's sake.Ali G In Da House is rubbish and deserves making very little money.1 out 10$LABEL$ 0 +The Wayward Cloud is a frustrating film to watch. Infuriatingly enigmatic, it treats each shot like a work of art. You get the impression that the composition of each shot has been designed and prepared with a degree of exquisite care that borders on obsession; Expressing how far cinema has progressed since the very first films were cranked out in the nineteenth century and mimicking their construction, the camera here hardly ever moves – apart from during the camp and colourful musical numbers. Ambient noise is kept to a minimum and barely a word is spoken. This curious but effective device forces the audience to focus their attention on visual stimuli alone so that, even as the story progresses at a snail-like pace we feel ourselves becoming immersed. Unfortunately, for me at least, this immersion begins to unravel somewhere around the hour mark. I began to feel as if the film was challenging me to keep watching while becoming more difficult as the minutes dragged so that the mere act of watching became a battle of wills.Had the content of this film not been as sexual as it is it would no doubt been even more obscure to Western audiences. As it is, there's an abundance of female nudity and an act of sexual abuse on an unconscious (or possibly dead) woman that is so repugnant that, while it may speak volumes about the degradation to which pornography subjects both men and women (the users and the used) it is so over-zealous in the manner in which it chooses to make its point as to effectively render it ineffective. Of course the worst and most enthusiastic participants of the explosion in available pornographic content will seek this film out for all the wrong reasons and watch it with their sticky finger on the fast-forward button of the remote.For all its problems, the film is definitely a stayer, and the more you think about it the more sense certain aspects of it seem to make. Ironically, for a film in which so little happens, the viewer would probably be proportionately rewarded by watching a second or even third time. For me, however, once was enough…$LABEL$ 0 +Olivier Gruner stars as Jacques a foreign exchange college student who takes on and single handedly wipes out a Mexican street gang in this obnoxious and racist film which is so horrible that it's laughable. Bad acting, bad plot and bad fight choreography make Angel Town a Turkey.$LABEL$ 0 +The story is extremely unique.It's about these 2 pilots saving Earth from alien beings but they have to use a special speed that makes everything around them age rapidly.The whole series is about the pilots dealing with the loss of time,friends,and mentors.The ending COULD have been fantastic.It started to end on a total down note and leave a real mark but instead ended on a super happy Disney note and annoyed me VERY bad.The animation is decent for 89 but can't compare to nowadays.I have also heard many complain about the cheesiness of the nudity.I actually found it to be somewhat decent.The nudity for the most part was warranted except in episode 2 where there was an excess.Overall it deserves a look but the ending keeps it from being a classic.$LABEL$ 1 +For anyone craving a remake of 1989's Slaves of New York. What are there, seven of you? Here it is... was.This undercooked movie has studiously vapid characters (Well they're club-kids, ya big jerk!) that are in holding patterns. The big question seems to be, just how long can a young adult remain juvenile? It took three people to write this 'story'? Good god, it was easier to come up with Citizen Kane. Rather than take viewers back, this movie should just embarrass anyone who was a scene-ster in the early 90s.The idea that a fifty year old woman envies a bunch of self-absorbed kids from a different era is the world as only self-absorbed, twenty-somethings could imagine it. The odd sidebar about library work is not the sub-plot one expects from the equivalent of Parker Posey's Breakin 2: Electric Bugaloo. Her "I'm serious about graduate school!" while a stripper grinds on her is hysterical. Posey's shtick is always amusing, but there are projects that are beneath her. I was asleep before it crossed the 40 minute mark.$LABEL$ 0 +If you have seen very less films, this might be a big one for you. If you have seen lot of films, this is a joke. The acting of real heroes is portrayed very badly. Not to mention, there are songs, there are lot of flashbacks, and most importantly, the fighting scenes are stupidily performed. New characters, good direction, would have done a better job, but since it contains all the bollywood heros/heroines, you can predict whats going to happen next. You do not feel sad when something happens, the emotions they protray is terrible, mainly because we have seen this actor in 1000 other hindi movies. It suppose to be a realistic movie, but it fails to show. There are times you wondering, you have thousands of army vehical filled with soldiers moving and the pakistanis are bombing at them and none of their bomb hits them. Are the pakis really bad at aiming or the director made them look stupid? There were only a few characters acting that was very good, but as far it is concerned with plot, action, it is poorly directed. This movie could have been short if they took out songs, flashbacks, stick to the point.$LABEL$ 0 +"Don't Torture a Duckling" is one of the coolest Italian horror films I've ever seen, and I've seen my share. To call it a giallo is a little misleading because it's not really a typical murder mystery. It's more of a straight horror movie.Complete with one of the most brutal and gory scenes ever in a movie this old, Fulci's twisting and turning film oozes with a creepy ambiance and an old school Italian feel. The setting is perfect: an old Italian village. The music is ridiculously perfect. The finale is genuine and original.After seeing "Don't Torture a Duckling" you really have to wonder how Fulci's later stuff got so off beat. I like all his stuff, but he strayed. Maybe he figured he already did it...Because with this film, he hits the bullseye.I'd recommend this film to anyone who thinks that Dario Argento owns the giallo genre. Fulci beats him with this one. 10 out of 10, kids.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is so stupid that I want my $2.99 back that I paid for!! First this movie starts off with a bunch of wooden actor geeks with fill in talent like they got picked off the street somewhere because the "real" actors either did not show up because of the laughable script or they just couldn't get anybody desperate enough to do this movie! The music in this movie is enough to put you to sleep, flute music made for faerie's dancing in the wilderness wouldn't even be good enough for this movie! And the guy dressed up as Satan looks like he's all dressed up in a K-Mart Halloween special costume! There are no dead scenes except a few lame scenes. When I saw what the terrible killers looked like in those bath robes with Nosferatu faces I just laughed! This is what the whole town is supposed to be running away from once a year! This movie is one of the worst demonic movies I have ever seen. Avoid this one!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is funny and sad enough I think that it is kinda true. If you love Office Space then you will love this movie because it is another Mike Judge hit, but it is nothing like Office Space. I told every one to see this movie. I only wish that it would have been in more theaters so it would have gotten the recognition it deserved. I love this movie and would love to see more from Mike Judge. Luke Wilson is also what makes this movie what it is. I am so glad that I will not be alive in the year 2505, because if this movie turns out to be true we are all in for a lot of trouble. I just hope more people see this movie because I know that they will fall in love with it too.$LABEL$ 1 +Posh Spice Victoria Beckham and her alleged new adventures after just moving to LA for work purposes (footballer hubby David is now a Galaxy LA player after his transfer from Real Madrid) was originally going to be a full series,but was thankfully abridged to just one hour or so.But even in this form,it is still numbingly interminable.Like virtually all 'reality' TV shows,most of the incident comes across as blatantly faked,with the programme itself even admitting that Posh's newly appointed personal assistant is an actress.An Ugly-Betty lookalike,we hear some lamely written and performed banter early on(with an obvious joke about Becks' apparent dalliance with a previous,and rather more glamorous PA Rebecca Loos,though her name is not mentioned) with further sequences involving a fake blow-up doll to trick the paparazzi and hopeless attempts to pitch a baseball.This could have been more entertaining if all had acknowledged it was a piece of fluff,and had an actress or impersonator in the lead role.Talented impressionist Ronni Ancona would've been perfect and is better at being Posh than Posh herself is,and if this more sensible decision had been taken,much more fun and amusement would've ensued.Sadly,we are left with the real thing here (Ms Ancona may have rejected the script as too weak anyway),and although there are odd scattered attempts at self-deprecation and irony,it never remotely works because of prior info of La Beckham's considerable wealth beforehand,and her non-ability at delivering would-be jokes;despite the intentions to send up her image,Mrs Beckham comes across as a shallow egotist,and her weak one-liners don't persuade us she has any humorous self-awareness.I suspect that if a more realistic fly-on-the-wall documentary approach had been taken,namely Posh walking down any street in LA and being totally ignored (instead of the frantic,staged scenes of mild hysteria on show here), and associates making unscripted jibes about the previously mentioned Ms Loos,this would've made marginally better TV,but being sycophantic PR material,the bony one herself would never allow such events to happen.Having said that,the later scenes where she made a special appearance at the baseball stadium where she was indifferently presented in front of an uninterested crowd show it will be tough times ahead if she wants to make it big in Hollywood.Her colleague Scary Spice (aka Mel Brown) also found it impossible to make it big residing in the movie capital despite her affair (which was not consummated) with big name Eddie Murphy.The Spice Girls were of course a massively successful bubblegum pop group in the mid 1990's,more so in their native Britain but still popular briefly in other countries,including the US.They were certainly good fun at their peak of glory (1997) when there seemed to be a glorious period of optimism in the UK with Cool Britannia and a New Labour government which The Spice Girls seemed to sum up better then anyone else at the time,even if it was somewhat manufactured.But they were never outstanding musical or singing talents,and UK optimism seemed to fade rapidly later that year (the starting point was arguably the tragic death of Princess Diana),as did The Spices' themselves.Their presence on the music and entertainment scene soon became repetitive and obvious,and if they had all quietly moved out of the public eye permanently with dignity to enjoy their fortunes, then we would have all had pleasant memories encrypted on our mind without any guilt.Unfortunately,the emergence of the hideous 'celebrity' culture in the UK towards the start of the millennium has put paid to those imaginings,and we have all suffered thousands,if not millions of stories about the Spices since,Posh being the worst offender,with the rest of her colleagues not too far behind.It was recently announced that there will be a reunion tour soon,which is baffling as they have never gone away and they certainly don't require any additions to their swelling bank accounts.Maybe it's because two of them are struggling single mothers,perhaps?Good,it's soon time for Becks' adventures on a revelatory documentary next,I can hardly wait.............Rating:2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +"... the beat is too strong ... we're deaf mutants now--like them", Rex Voorhas OrmineI am surprised that this movie has been uniformly bashed. Let me be the first to actually discuss the virtues of "The Beat" and why YOU MUST SEE THIS FILM NOW.Make no mistake, this movie is cheesy and "bad" in the conventional sense: the story is preposterous, the poetry is silly, and the acting is inconsistent.But these are the film's CHARMS--all of these ingredients form the recipe for one of the most UNDERAPPRECIATED CHEEZY FILMS of the 80's.If the reference to "deaf mutants" didn't pique your interest, then perhaps this will: What kind of name is "Rex Voorhas Ormine", anyway? It is such an unusual name (for North American audiences) that I said to myself, "even the names of the characters in this friggin' movie are firggin' silly."Well, "The Beat" is so fabulously cheezy that the "meaning" and "symbolism" behind "Rex Voorhas Ormine" is revealed not-too-subtly by Bart Waxman (the misguided guidance counselor you love to hate). I won't spoil the revelation behind Rex's name, but please don't get too excited, O.K.?Overall, the acting is inconsistent (John Savage--who plays the "concerned teacher" Mr. Ellsworth is pretty good, as is the fellow playing Bart Waxman, but the rest of the cast are unconvincing). That said, the acting does NOT detract from the film. Why? There is a SINCERITY in each of the actors' performances that makes the characters they play endearing. So although the performances may suck, you are still left with the impression that the actors are really trying to do their best. As a result, the actors' sincerity succeeds where their acting fails (which is quite often).The homage to "beat poetry" in this film is bad, bad, bad. But this is a good, good, good thing when it comes to entertainment. Would you actually enjoy "better quality" or "more respectable" poetry--especially in a film like this?Folks, that would be BORING (think about the droll they made us read in high school--sanitized to avoid "corrupting the youth", politically conservative and devoid of any critical analysis, etc.) Even if you don't like poetry or "arty" movies (with all of the "intellectual" posturing that implies), you most certainly can (and should) appreciate LUDICROUS POETRY in a WANNABE ART FILM!!!! How could you not enjoy the following?"do you remember the roar of the dinosaur? a woman's scotty craps on the floor bad scotty bad, oh the woman's so sad she washes her hands and then waits by the door today, yeah--today!"Yes, that is an example of some of the remarkable poetry liberally sprinkled throughout "The Beat." But what about the story, you ask?Well, the story is preposterous. But then again, that is the beauty of this film. Apart from some cliches, stereotypes, and predictable plot points, there are enough genuinely unique elements to the plot/story to keep things interesting. Who is Rex? Where did he come from? What the heck is he talking about? Deaf mutants? Illiterate angels? Do Billy and Kate REALLY understand what Rex is saying? Is the audience supposed to understand Rex and his poetry posse? (I've seen the movie several times and I still haven't figured everything out.)Will bad poetry and high school talent shows really END GANG VIOLENCE?I guarantee that you have never seen anything quite like "The Beat"--a perfect combination of brilliantly bad poetry, mediocre-yet-sincere acting, and a "mythopoetics conquers gang violence" storyline that has YET TO BE RIVALLED BY ANY FILM EVER MADE.Bonus for fans of classic NYC hardcore: The Cro-Mags make a rare film appearance as the "Iron Skulls" and it's a hoot to see them perform several songs. I wish they included more concert footage, but maybe that will be an "extra" included on the "collector's edition" DVD I fantasize about.$LABEL$ 1 +Is it a good idea to use live animals for department store window displays?No, and here's why....In "Hare Conditioned" the sale that Bugs is helping promote is over and the store manager (Nelson) is transferring him to a new department: taxidermy. Naturally, Bugs objects and the fun begins.using nearly every department in the store (children's wear, sports, shoes, costumes, women's nightgowns - don't ask.), Bugs comes out on top at every turn, even referring to the manager as "The Great GilderSNEEZE". Even when trapped in the confines of an elevator, Bugs makes the best of the situation.Director Jones is on top of his pictorial game as always, as are Blanc (as Bugs, natch) and Nelson (the manager - who DOES sound like radio mainstay Gildersleeves - go ask your grand-parents).And a sage word of advice: when confronted by a fuzzy-looking woman wanting to try on bathroom slippers, always check her ears.Ten stars for "Hare Conditioner", the best argument yet for animal labor laws.$LABEL$ 1 +Classe Tous Risques (The Big Risk) is a French gangster movie that doesn't try for style. That's why it has style. Because the movie is so underplayed and so matter-of-fact, it becomes more and more involving. And because Abel Davos is played by Lino Ventura, we wind up emotionally invested in this taciturn, tough killer who loves his wife and kids, has an encounter with customs agents on the shore near Nice at night that neither he nor we expect, and who proves just as willing to shoot a cop or a betrayer with as little emotion as flicking off a bit of lint. We first meet Davos in Italy with his wife and their two small boys, one about 9 and one 4. "This man was Abel Davos, sentenced to death in absentia," we're told. "On the run for years, he had watched his resources dwindle, even as his anxiety kept him on the move. With the Italian police closing in each day, France was again his best bet. Maybe he'd been forgotten." Davos was a top gangster in Paris who took care of his friends. That was several years ago. A heist to give him money to return to France goes very wrong. Now he's hiding out with his two kids. He calls his friends in Paris to help him out. He and his kids need to get from Nice to Paris but the police are hunting him and they've set up roadblocks. For Davos' two best friends, time has passed and they've moved on. They don't want to put themselves at risk, and for what? Obligation gives may to caution. So they hire a young thief, Eric Stark (Jean- Paul Belmondo), to pick up Davos and the children in an ambulance, then to drive to Paris with Davos heavily bandaged and the children hidden. We're on a journey where Davos' options are increasingly limited, where he must find ways to have his children cared for, where he realizes there are no more ties of friendship, where betrayal seems likely, and where quite possibly his only friend left is Eric Stark. This somewhat cynical movie works so well because it does its job without fussing about. There are no trench coats with pulled-up collars, no toying with the melodrama of the gangster code so many French directors have loved. Classe tous Risques gives us Abel Davos, a man who once was somebody, who now is sliding down to be nobody, and who reacts with violence and resignation. Lino Ventura dominates the movie, yet when he is paired with Jean-Paul Belmondo a curious chemistry happens. Ventura as Davos is grim and worried about caring for his sons. He is humiliated by his situation. He is a tough man who sees killing someone, if needed, as just part of the business he's in. Belmondo as the young thief who initially is sent to be an expendable driver and winds up being a friend to count on, provides the brightness that keeps the movie from being just one more ride down the elevator. Belmondo was 27 and looks younger. His unlikely star power as a lead actor -- broken nose, under-slung jaw -- shines right off the screen. He makes Erik a match for Ventura when they share a scene. And Belmondo's scenes with Liliane (Sandra Milo), the young woman who becomes his girl friend, radiate charm and good-natured sex appeal. The ending is bittersweet fate, and without a stylistic posture in sight. We hear Davos say, "Abel's gone. There's nothing left." It would be well worth watching Classe tous Risques to learn what he means. There are many fine French gangster films. I'd place this one right there with Touchez Pas au Grisbi and Bob le Flambeur. To see one of Lino Ventura's finest performances, watch Army of Shadows.$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone witness to our justice system - or lack thereof will find this film truly satisfying. There weren't too many shades of gray with regard to characters or plot. Virtually every character in this film epitomized what is best and worst about our society. The popularity of this film is probably due to the fact that most of us at one time or another have had to deal with scumbags along with the namby-pamby, lily-livered, melee-mouthed bureaucrats that empower them in the name of "political correctness". The performances across the board were compelling. I sympathized with the rape victim - while at the same, found it gratifying to see her wipe the smug, vicious arrogance off the faces of her former attackers. In particular, I found the dyke one of the ugliest characters in all of the films I've seen, so it was nice to see her former victim shut her mouth for good. The lead rapist and psychopath was equally ugly, so it was only fitting that Dirty Harry himself offed him in a loud grotesque fashion in the end. This was the only sequel in the dirty Harry saga that equaled the first.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film at the Rotterdam Festival, as did presumably all the other voters. The Director was present and seemed to have worked very hard and be very committed to the project, which I think explains the above average reception and mark it got. It's most similar to a feature length episode of Aussie kids favourite "Round the Twist" but it takes itself too seriously to have even that redeeming feature. The movie in itself is maybe worth seeing if you're trying to do a cinematic world tour visiting all UN member states, as I can't think of another Fijian movie but overall it was generic, poorly acted (albeit by an amateur cast) and prey to the subaltern mentality. The moral of the story seemed to be that native islanders will try and screw each other over, but as long as there is an essentially decent white governor to step in, all problems can be solved (by leaving the island).$LABEL$ 0 +this is a classic American movie in combination with comedy, romance & dream. you may say:' there have been lots of these kind of films already. but just believe me, you'll find this a good one because it's well directed, scripted and played. Amanda Bynes's just crazily amazing! she's humor, cute & charming both inside & outside the screen. she's the MAN indeed!!! the message i get from it is to pursue your own fairy tale. what i mean by'fairy tale' is not the one with prince & princess, but indicates 'faith'. namely, it tells us to hold your faith, dream & things that make you regret for your whole life if you don't do that. one of those movies you can't miss out in your life.$LABEL$ 1 +by the way it looks at the other comments made, it seems that a lot of people did not get the point to the flick. It is not centered around zombies, as a matter of fact they are not zombies at all, they are a device regenerated by the wizard to scare the girls to death, his main focus is on Meg Tilly, who he wants to help him finish the job that he died while doing in the first place, and what you get is a great flick with an awesome ending, it is hard to find on video, but every once in a while it shows up on HBO or Cinamax, check it out, I gave it a 10 and highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +If you decide to watch Wild Rebels, don't expect anything deep and meaningful. If you're looking for a film that explores the relationships and structure of a motorcycle gang, Wild Rebels is the wrong movie. If you're looking for an expose on the breakdown of the American educational system and the problem of juvenile delinquency, Wild Rebels is the wrong movie. If you're looking for a movie that examines how undermanned rural police departments are when facing a well-financed, well-organized gang, Wild Rebels is the wrong movie. But if you're looking for an absurd movie filled with scene after scene of unintentional humor, horrendous acting, a paper-thin plot, and community theater style production values, Wild Rebels is the right movie.Wild Rebels is the story of a down-on-his-luck stock-car driver named Rod Tillman (Steve Alaimo). After a fiery crash (which Rod walks away from completely unscathed despite having only a cotton pants and a London Fog style jacket for protection), Rod decides to give it up. With no plan for his future other than to wander aimless through the back-roads of the South, he stumbles on the Satan's Angels motorcycle gang (a gang being three of the stupidest guys to ever zip up a leather jacket and a woman they seem to share). This group of hoodlums spends their time terrorizing a rural town in Florida by committing such atrocities as stealing a newspaper from a neighbor's mailbox. These bumbling idiots need someone to act as their driver during some larger crimes they have planned. Apparently, these three Einsteins can only drive vehicles with two tires, not four. So they recruit Rod to perform feats of daring that only an experienced stunt driver would be capable of like keeping the car in the middle of a gravel road during a low-speed chase. Eventually, they hold-up a bank, get into the aforementioned low-speed chase, and have the lamest gun battle with the police ever put on film. I could go on forever, but you get the idea.I hate the term "so bad it's good", but that seems to aptly describe Wild Rebels.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was sooooooo good! It was hilarious! There are so many jokes that you can just watch the movie over and over and not get tired of it. John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson were awesome as Pete Hogwallop and Delmar! I love those guys! I love the adventures they went on, too. I definitely recommend this movie.Also, the music in this movie is terrific! I love singing along with all of the songs!$LABEL$ 1 +Roy Thinnes and Joan Hackett are superb in this 1970 melodrama. The lush settings, the haunting music, and plot twists make it a truly interesting film. I had seen it when it first came out on TV. Once more it aired when I had a VCR, but I did not have a chance to tape it. Would love it on VHS if someone has a copy. Apart from the suspense (which is worked in beautifully) I feel the story is unique, and is pretty much true to the book, MRS. MAITLAND'S AFFAIR by Margaret Lynn. I would say that it was one of the greatly overlooked best films of the 1970's out of movies made for TV. I have given the film a number #10 rating, because it is done with so much originality. There is a true pathos and air of romance which has the viewer sympathizing with the culprit.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a stunning movie. Raw and sublimely moving. It felt like a very gripping, intelligent stage play (but without the overly theatrical feeling one actually gets from watching people on a stage) which plays on everyone's terror of a white lie escalating to monstrous consequences. All of the main players are mesmerising. Tom Wilkinson broke my heart at the end... and everyone else's judging by the amount of fumbling for hankies and hands going up to faces among males and females alike. Julian Fellowes has triumphed again. He's a national treasure. Gosford Park, Vanity Fair, Mary Poppins... and now this. Can he do no wrong?! GO AND SEE IT! This is a film for real grown-ups.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the great movies of the 80s in MY collection that I think about all the time. The Running Man is one of Arnold`s best and most different films even to this day and when I first saw The Running Man I was so excited to see a movie like this. I just adore all of the fights and this is truly a special movie. It also has Jesse Ventura, the legendary Professor Toru Tanaka, Sven-Ole Thorsen, the beautiful Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Kurt Fuller, Richard Dawson, and Thomas Rosales Jr. who seems to always like death in his movies because he has been killed in such films as Universal Solder, The Lost World, Robo Cop 2, Predator 2, and among others. All Arnold fans should love this film from the beginning to the end because its action packed, star filled, and its one its one of Arnold`s best to date!$LABEL$ 1 +What can you possibly say? This is the uncut hardcore, musical Alice! It works too with a large energetic cast seemingly enjoying themselves to the hilt and whilst one could wish for a re-mastered version, I guess we are lucky to even have this video transfer. Pretty much a delight throughout. There are a couple of slightly off moments but this could have been embarrassing all through and it certainly is not. It also could have been and today would have been too camp. No, a very fine effort that is amusing, tuneful and just sexy enough. Fine performances particularly the Kristine DeBell in the lead and was that an unaccredited Richard Prior as the prone Knight being vigorously (if discreetly) ridden?$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this late one night on cable. At the time I didn't know that the girl billed as "Shannon Wilsey" was actually porn star Savannah, but she was so beautiful (and got naked so often, thank God) that I actually sat through this brain-rotting drivel. I like cheesy flicks as much as the next guy--more than the next guy, actually--but this was way beyond cheesy and more into rancid. The truly annoying overacting by the mad scientist and the director's, writers' and special effects people's virtually total incompetence detracts from the gratuitous nudity that is the movie's only saving grace. Savannah, before she turned into the plasticized Barbie Doll she became as a porn queen, is really interesting to watch--she's drop-dead gorgeous, bursts into uncontrollable giggling at times, glances off-camera and laughs and just generally seems to be having a really good time, which is more than can be said for the audience. For even though Savannah and her colleagues spend a fair amount of this picture naked, it still can't hide the fact that this is an incredibly stupid, badly made and annoying movie. If you know someone who has it on video, or if it comes on cable some night, check it out, but don't waste your money on a rental.$LABEL$ 0 +Child death and horror movies will always remain a sensitive & controversial combination and therefore it is my personal opinion that every movie that shows the courage to revolve on this topic should receive some extra attention from horror fans. Of course, like in the case of "Wicked Little Things", controversial themes don't always guarantee a good film. Despite the potentially interesting plot, the atmospheric setting and the involvement of video-nasty director J.S. Cardone ("The Slayer"), this is an uninspired and cliché-ridden film that couldn't offer a single fright or shock. After losing their husband and father, the remaining Tunny women (mother Karen and her daughters Sarah and Emma) move to a small and remote Pennsylvanian mountain town where they inherited an old, ramshackle mansion. Their new home is dangerously close to the old mine ruins where dozens of innocent children tragically lost their lives in 1913. Strange things start to happen, like young Emma befriending an (imaginary?) girl who used to live in their house, and the eerie locals seem to keep secrets from Karen and her daughters. Quickly turns out that the undead children still leave their mine-graves at night to seek vengeance on the descendants of the mine's owner Mr. Carlton, who was responsible for their deaths. "Wicked Little Things" is rather tame and extremely predictable. The script shamelessly serves one dreadful cliché after the other, like car wheels stuck in the mud at crucial times, malfunctioning flashlights and horridly broken dolls. There's very little suspense, even less gore and the make-up effects are disappointingly weak. The zombified children don't look menacing at all. Actually, they all look like miniature versions of Marilyn Manson, with their black outfits, pale faces and dark eyes. The excitement-free finale is stupid and just as derivative as the rest of this pointless production. Lori Heuring is thoroughly unimpressive in her leading role as the mother, but Scout Taylor-Compton (currently a big star thanks to the "Halloween" remake) and young Chloe Moretz are adequate as the daughters.$LABEL$ 0 +The Outsiders is undoubtedly a classic Australian TV series. Well defined characters, tight scripts, varied and interesting locales, great guest stars and a filmic ambiance all combined to make this series a special one.Sadly, Andrew Keir has passed on & Sascha Hehn from Germany does not appear (unfortunately) to have enjoyed small screen success in his native country. The ABC has repeated the series many times yet a DVD release is yet to happen.The series is one which is timeless. It is as likely to strike a resonant chord with viewers today as it did in its own day. Come on ABC...release The Outsiders on DVD!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I had no idea this movie was produced by "WWE". Wrestling is lame enough. Why did they have to soil their name further by making a movie as crappy as this one was?? I found it to be a complete disappointment. If i had of known this movie was going to be as stupid as it was, I would have stayed home and done something more entertaining. Sure, I'll give them the credit of the cool effects; but the killer didn't seem as scary as he could have been. He lacked a number of things. But I'll let you point them out for yourselves. The plot was a great idea, just could have been done in a much better way. Maybe in the future, WWE will stick to its moronic wrestling and stay out of the film industry..$LABEL$ 0 +I remember watching this is its original airing in 1962 as a five or six year old and REALLY enjoying this. I recently had the opportunity to watch it again, for the first time since then, as it was aired on "Walt Disney Presents" on the Disney Channel. I'd forgotten most of it, and some of it was geared towards kids, but it was still enjoyable. I can't wait to show it to my niece and nephews.$LABEL$ 1 +***Comments contain spoilers*** I was barely holding on to this show as appointment TV when they started the annoying music under EVERY SCENE, when Don Epps was averaging almost a shooting per case, when the very nasally Diane Farr was obviously pregnant (but we weren't to notice) and when Colby was a f*****g TRIPLE agent. But now, in tonight's episode,David is trapped with a paranoid, nut job who is an OBVIOUS amateur with a gun, in an elevator and....HE CAN'T DISARM HIM. A trained, experienced field agent who has been 1st through the door many times and is experienced in hand-to-hand fighting, CAN'T TAKE OUT A NUT JOB. Not when said nut job blinks, looks away, drops his head, closes his eyes; not even when he looks up at the fiber optic wire wriggling around the ceiling like a stripper on a pole for 20 seconds.Then the scene came that let me know that as much as I enjoy learning from the chubby, frumpish but very charming Charles Epps and his sexy sidekick/love interest Amita, my Friday nights will be better spent otherwise engaged. Don gives David the "distress word" that is the code for "The s**t is about to go down"; David is ready, they kill the lights, drop the elevator, startle the nut job and......David CANNOT DISARM/KILL/BEAT INTO SUBMISSION THE NUT JOB. The bad guy ends up with BOTH GUNS, David ends up SHOT.I'm done. Hope the NUMB3RS are fun.$LABEL$ 0 +Superb film with no actual spoken dialogue which enhances the level of suspense. The whole approach gives a completely different twist to a war film.Well worth watching again if only it could be found. I saw it perhaps 20 or so years ago. - Fantastic!$LABEL$ 1 +With such a promising cast and a director that I have heard great things about, I was utterly disappointed by this film. It started off with signs of a great epic gangster tale and turned into a completely muddled mess with many unanswered questions and some completely ridiculous and pointless scenes.(and yes I did watch the full length version). I love Robert DeNiro and as usual he did a fine acting job, but in all his other gangster films, no matter how many people he kills, I always still had respect for his character, but in this movie he was a lowlife drug-addict, rapist with no care for anyone but himself. Also, James Woods, another fine actor, had some completely ridiculous scenes written for him. I thought the parts where Robert DeNiro called him crazy and he flipped out came completely out of left-field and towards the end the writers just throw in this random comment about how his father died in a nut house and that's why James Woods didn't like being called crazy. So much was left undeveloped in this movie. Also, we never find out who the men are in the beginning that are trying to kill Noodles and we never find out more about Joe Pesci's character. It seems that the writers threw together about five different stories and never fully explained any of them. The only redeeming quality of the film was the story when the characters were young kids. The story ran smoothly in this part of the movie and the kids did a great acting job. Overall, I was thoroughly disappointed by this movie and I don't see how anyone can even compare this to the Godfather 1 and 2, or even Goodfellas. I am sad that I wasted four hours of my life watching this film$LABEL$ 0 +I've almost forever been against the inclusion of songs in a movie. My belief was that the quality of the film would automatically be improved if only those extremely annoying songs would be axed. However, things have quickly changed after watching that horrible Black (no songs) & this movie, Page 3 (plenty of songs). While Black was weak to an extreme, Page 3 delivers a gripping story with some strong acting & good direction. The songs were almost incidental & blended in almost seamlessly with the film. There certainly weren't any women getting sprayed with water for no apparent reason from mysterious water sources while gyrating wildly on the streets at night.I was pleasantly surprised with the bold and unabashed approach used by the director. There was no glossing over of anything and almost every scene was completely believable.I'd recommend this films for Hindi-speaking people with at least a slight understanding of Mumbai life. The former because the English subtitling was below par and contained many errors which, at times, completely reversed the meaning of the actual statement. The latter because you'll definitely appreciate the accuracy of the depiction once you've lived it yourself.I'd definitely rank this as a work worthy of international recognition. The scenes with the gossiping drivers was a nice touch and it served simultaneously as a source of genuine humour as well as another perspective on the whole mishmash. The movie does fall short in a few places though, where the characters sometimes say the most inexplicable things which detract from the overall direction of the film.I also thought that a couple of the sadder scenes were not done very well. It was a touch amusing to watch, rather than arouse any feelings of sadness & the whole scene tended to come across as a bit foolish. These are minor issues though, because the film, on the whole, is truly a rare treat to watch.Overall, it's a cynical, pessimistic outlook and a refreshing one at that! Actors, not 'heroes' - that's the key. A chance to glimpse believable human beings in an extraordinary setting - everyday life. A behind-the-scenes look at the extent of the depravity and a rare ray of hope for Indian cinema.8/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Check out the first 20 minutes even though the suspense hasn't yet kicked in. We get a pretty good look at super-secret Los Alamos just a few years after the big bomb test that helped end WWII. Except for the tight security, it looks unthreatening enough. Note how it's a TV repairman, an obvious regular guy, who takes us through security. Once through, it's like any-town-USA, nice homes, quiet streets, kids going to school, and a family TV on the blink. Later on we see little Tommy and little Peggy frolicking along streets lined with impressive looking facilities separated by locked gates. The movie appears to be saying, "Okay, we're tough, only because we have to be. But, basically, we're still just folks."Now, I expect that was a comforting message to Cold War audiences still not used to government's "dooms-day" research. It's a clear effort at popular reassurance. The one darker note is when Tommy's mother (Clarke) worries about her son's mental state. He doesn't say, "When I grow up"; instead, it's, "If I grow up". That note of doubt not only reflects a Los Alamos reality, but also a national one that in 1952 had just seen footage of the apocalyptic H-bomb. Note too, how professionally FBI agents are portrayed, a standard feature of McCarthy era fare. When brute force is needed, it's not they, but private citizen Gene Barry who thrashes out the information—an early version, I suppose, of modern era "rendition".Once the kidnapping occurs, the suspense doesn't let up. The intrigue is nicely handled with colorful LA locations that keep us guessing. The climactic scenes around the cliff dwellings may not be plausible as a hiding place, but the view of northern New Mexico is great. Then too, the ancient stone apartments amount to one of the more exotic backdrops of the decade. Note also the extensive use of the police helicopter just coming into use as a law enforcement tool. Among an otherwise subdued cast, Nancy Gates remains a sparkling presence as teacher Ellen Haskell. Never Hollywood glamorous, she was still a fine unsung actress and winning personality. I also expect this was one of director Hopper's more successful movie efforts, and though people have since gotten used to the nuclear threat, the movie remains a revealing and riveting document of its time.$LABEL$ 1 +Just Before Dawn came out during the golden days of the slasher film. The backwoods slasher pretty much started with films like Friday the 13th, The Burning, and Madman. Just Before Dawn is a step ahead of the typical backwoods slasher flick. The cinematography is gorgeous. The acting is top notch. The heroine of the film is not your typical 'final girl'.Constance is a 'woods' girl, but when it comes down to the primal instinct of survival, she's a step behind. Not until it comes to saving the life of her and her boyfriend, does the primal notion of survival kick in. There's a subtle transition that gradually focuses on the final girls hidden sexuality - coinciding that alongside her will to survive.Just Before Dawn isn't for everyone, but for the slasher fan, it's as close to perfect as you can get. The killer(s) are very menacing - Almost like it's a game to maim and murder anyone who crosses their territory. The end scene is a bit off kilter. For the first time viewer, it may be a little shocking. I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of the backwoods slasher. Even non-slasher fans will find something to like about it. The setting is eerie and makes one feel uneasy. The death sequences aren't particularly gory, but I'm not sure the film needed gore. See it!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a trio of tales, "Shakti", "Devi", and "Kali", about an experimental commune (or some such thing) called the Taylor-Eriksson group, which took people on journeys inside themselves and into the realm of the unknown, and left a bit of damage here and there, I'd say. Many years later some of that damage is still lurking and waiting for the right moment to show itself. Shakti tells the tale of a woman whose husband died mysteriously, in fact, he was torn apart, and the suspect was a man that may not have existed. Seems this woman is able to project some inner demon, or so finds out the sister of the man who was killed when she attempts to talk to this woman while posing as a reporter. Devi tells the tale of a young man who wants to "jump out of his skin". He's a skinhead, a speed freak, and is sent to see a psychiatrist who just happens to be a former member of this commune, which results in the good doctor helping the young man to realize his desire. This is probably the best of the three segments. Kali tells the tale of a healer, who attempts to "heal" this woman who was a part of this commune and lets loose some kind of demon that has lived in this woman, but one wonders if he did it or if SHE loosed it because it could not survive in her any longer. All three of these tales are pretty creepy and suspenseful because you're never really sure what to expect, and the premise and the settings are so unlike those of conventional horror films that it adds to the strangeness. This has a sort of low-budget look and feel to it but it also manages to conjure up a pretty creepy atmosphere throughout, much to its credit. I watched this with my mouth hanging open a good portion of the time and when the real scares (and gore) came it hit pretty hard. I found this to be a very interesting and disturbing film and liked it a lot. A good little find, this one, I'd give it 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +What's up with this movie? Does Mr. Lyne and his writers think that a sado-masochistic fling between two screwed up Yuppies can carry a feature length movie? Maybe if it had some comedic elements (which is doesn't, at least intentionally), or there were some additional dramatic elements (which there are not), or maybe if it was hardcore. No, it's simply the history of the affair; a chronology of a bunch of R-rated trysts. Ho-hum, who cares? "Nine ½ Weeks" deserves every Razzie nomination it got. It's a loser.And by the way, what's up with Roger Ebert and his rave review? Where was his head back in 1986?$LABEL$ 0 +Wow! This film is truly awful. I can't imagine how anyone could have read this badly written script and given it the greenlight. The cast is uniformly second rate with some truly horrendous performances from virtually all of the cast. The story is disjointed, fragmented and incoherent. The telling, leaden and predictable. No wit, no charm, no humour. Not sexy in the least. The characters remain as flat as the proverbial pancake. There's also a strong current of misogyny which became increasingly hard to stomach as the film went on. When your lead (Carrell) is unfunny and unappealing it's uphill from there. Despite it's phony turn-around ending where love triumphs over lust I was left with a sick feeling in my stomach. If this is what passes for humour and social comment then we're definitely doomed.$LABEL$ 0 +After watching John preform this one of a kind show, I had to share.....It was really something to watch a grown man portray himself as a child. I like the fact that with every character he "became," you could picture what they looked like. It is more entertaining when you can understand the individual. "Freak" is what real "stand up" should be. John is REAL talent.$LABEL$ 1 +Because of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike they had to shoot this episode in 3 days. It's pretty much crap, consisting of repeat cut + pasted clips from Season 2 and was described by its writer, Maurice Hurley as "terrible, just terrible." Why the producers couldn't just wait to shoot something decent who knows. I'm guessing because of the strike the production ran out of money and could only release a flashback episode or maybe Roddenberry was too sick at the time to be able to veto this half-assery. This episode also marks the final appearance of Diana Muldaur (Dr. Katherine Pulaski) on the series.$LABEL$ 0 +The film was apparently spawned from an idea one of the writers had when he 'saw' one of his creations in a supermarket. The inhabitants of Royston Vasey head into 'our' world to persuade the writers not to stop writing about them and thus destroy their world.If that sounds a bit too serious, don't be put off. Within the first few minutes we get: Bernice (the vile female vicar) letting rip at an unfortunate penitent during confession; Chinnery (the vet who inadvertently destroys every animal he touches) attempting to collect semen from a giraffe; Mickey (thick beyond belief) being, ah, thick; and Tubbs (inbred sister-wife and local shopkeeper) being sweet as ever - but still disgusting.Some of the regular characters are missing, but a new idea by the Gents introduces some 16th-Century characters - and we have the Gents themselves in the action too. If you're new to The League of Gentlemen, this is an easy introduction and a lot of fun. If you're a long-standing fan, this has everything you've come to expect - including the joys of Jeremy Dyson spotting.All told, it's got the same faintly surreal humour that's the hallmark of the series, plus some moments of quite touching 'introspection'. Herr Lipp, for example, maintains a gentle dignity on learning that he's regarded by his creators as a 'one-joke character'. While most of the characters stay as they are, some develop in unexpected ways that are perfectly natural when they happen.This film is a 'swan song' for Royston Vasey, but it's also a showcase for the Gents who prove that (gasp!) they can write other stuff - and it can be very funny. (But you knew that anyway.)$LABEL$ 1 +Here's one more beauty in the string of beautiful films directed by Eytan Fox. The movie presents the story of star-crossed lovers (one Israeli, one Palestinian)in modern Tel Aviv. The film's effectiveness comes not only from its depiction of cross-ethnic conflict, but of conflicts personal and political within ethnic groups as well. For example, there's a telling moment when one of the secondary characters, openly gay, is visited in the hospital by his boyfriend who brings him flowers and tries to kiss him in front of his visiting family, and suddenly we see a wave of awkward discomfort wash through the room. Clearly the young man is not as open as he seems, and the family not as accepting as he might want them to be, while the boyfriend is confused and rejected. A good deal of complexity is packed into a fleeting moment. As we know from Yossi & Jagger, Fox is a master at efficiently packing emotional and psychological complexity into brief sequences. The film is also effective for the even-handed way it presents the mutual brutalities that Israelies and Palestinians inflict on each other. If you're not heartless, you'll cry through the last third of the movie. Though the plot is melodramatic, it's so intelligently written and acted that it reminds us of how satisfying good melodrama can be.$LABEL$ 1 +Stephen J. Cannell apparently decided a few years ago that he would broaden his horizons and dabble in horror. The result, "Dead Above Ground", is an abysmal piece of junk. Now, had I noticed his name in association with THIS particular film I'd have put it back but no, I didn't have my glasses on and therefore I missed it, damn, I really do need to bring those with me while video shopping. First question would be, who the heck is the target audience for this? It's almost like a "scary" kids movie, but then again there's topless babes and some gore and some bad words spouted here and there. The main characters are so cute that you want to see someone, anyone, go after them with farm implements of SOME kind. Seems that a guy opens a bed and breakfast that has a checkered past, a child-murdering witch that collected children's teeth lived there. Probably something the real estate agent failed to mention. Of course now in the modern day there's a little girls ghost around to warn the real-live little girl that now lives there that something bad is going to happen. It does, and there's also two Bubbas that were squatting on that property when the new owner took over so they're out for revenge too. This whole thing has the feel of some made-for-cable junk that's for the kids at Halloween except for, of course, the things that aren't suitable for little kids, so not only is this mediocre, it's confused, too. A big boo and hiss to Anchor Bay for putting this out too, considering their usual track record with fine releases this is a new low. The UK gets a Phantasm Box Set, we get "The Tooth Fairy". Hardly seems fair. 1 out of 10, absolute garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw "Caddyshack II" when I was ten and I mostly laughed because of the horse scene. I should have realized that the movie was as empty as...I can't come up with a good comparison. It's stupid and not even really funny. The cast members from the original who chose not to star in this made probably the best choices that they ever made in rejecting this; why, oh why, did Chevy Chase return?! And how on earth did Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon and Dan Aykroyd get involved in this swill?! I bet that every person who had his/her name even remotely attached to this junk (e.g., the caterer) is ashamed beyond redemption. So, all in all, it's beyond dreadful, terrible, and everything such. Avoid it like you would the Ebola virus.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of my all time favorite movies, PERIOD. I can't think of another movie that combines so many nice movie qualities like this one does. This flick has it all: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Good vs. Bad and even some Romance (without even an innocent "peck" on the cheek between the Pazu and Sheeta). Maybe best of all, you don't have to be in Mensa to "get it" and enjoy the movie like you do with some of Miyazaki's other movies (I don't know about you, but I watch movies to take a break from thinking). This is just a flat-out enjoyable movie that everyone will like, so do yourself a favor and go buy it. The only sour note is the American Dubbing. I found Vander-Geek to be just plain annoying. But all is not lost, the original Japanese version is on the two-disc set and it rocks! Who cares if you can't understand spoken Japanese? If you can read at a second-grade level then watch the original Japanese recording with English subtitles. You won't regret it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is funny and painful at the same time. The "Cinemagic" almost gave me a seizure. Despite what they imply, "Cinemagic" is not some innovative technical procedure. It was "developed" as the result of an accident, and they used it because it disguised the fact that their "monsters" were so stupid-looking. I also don't think it's a coincidence that the writer is Sid "Pink".This movie is good for a laugh, if you are really looking for a movie made in 9 days on 200,000 dollars. It is entertaining; at least I can say that about it. The bat/rat/spider is the highlight.$LABEL$ 0 +An enjoyable movie, without a doubt, and very evocative of both its era and that very particular stage in any boy's 'rites of passage'. But I have to say that having read the very positive comments here, I was a bit disappointed. The period was captured, but the plot was desperately thin. The whole thing revolves around the most egregious bit of miscasting in the history of school plays. The idea that quack quack would ever be chosen to play not only one of only three star turns, but a philanderer, is risible. And without that, nada. The sub-plots bore no relation that I could see to the main plot - all of them could be removed in their entirety without in any way affecting the main story - which surely suggests a fundamental flaw. When all your sub-plots look like padding, you know a central idea is being stretched beyond its limits. Nevertheless, it's a benign movie with its heart in the right place, there are some fine performances, and you just get the feeling that everyone involved felt deflated at the final 'cut!' That good feeling permeates the film. And that has to count for something. A flawed really quite good movie. 7 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I've just revisited this fondly remembered bit of cinematic madness from my early days, and must urge you to beg steal or borrow it.The story begins with a duel between a righteous Shaolin priest and our villain Abbot White, needless to say, Abbot White kicks Buddhist ass, and wages his campaign against Shaolin unhindered with the aid of his new ninja allies (a golden clad one who fights with a gold ring, a black clad one who fights with a spear, and my favourite; one who fights with a pair of knives who can disappear and reappear as a flying carpet). The rest of the story concerns the training of the disciples of the Shaolin monks killed by Abbot white, one of whom is Alexander Lo Rei. Whilst we are treated to the punishing training sequences the two young avengers must go through to learn the Shaolin Finger Jab technique needed to defeat Abbot White's invincible armour technique, we see some of the ways our villain keeps in shape...mostly using Taoist magic to extract the blood from naked ladies. We all know how this is going to end, but it's the psychedelic trip in between that we're here for. In conclusion, this is a good example of what Taiwan was doing when Hong Kong was getting sick of martial arts movies, and that is making more and more outrageous martial arts movies. This movie is very well choreographed, has some nudity, some gore and enough balls to the wall gimickry to keep even the most jaded viewer entertained. Visit your local Beewise today!$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit that I went into Fever Pitch with low expectations. It's no huge revelation for me to say that Jimmy Fallon's last movie (Taxi) was Catwomanly bad, and the trailers for Fever Pitch were all right but didn't mesmerize me. I was already preparing some cheesy baseball puns for my review..."I like Jimmy Fallon, but Taxi was strike one in his movie career. Well, now we've got steeeeee-riiiiiike twoooooooo! One more strike, and it's back to SNL!" or "Buy yourself some peanuts and cracker jacks, but don't buy tickets to Fever Pitch. You'll walk out of the theater and never go back!" Then the movie had to go and be way more entertaining than I was expecting. But hey, I couldn't let my puns go to waste, right? Another reason I thought I wouldn't care for the movie is that I hate the Boston Red Sox. My whole family hates 'em. The mere mention of Pedro Martinez' name sends me running to the bathroom. Oh man, hold on......All right, I'm back. Anyway, my mom, who is a St. Louis Cardinals fan, still believes the World Series was rigged last year. She refuses to believe the Sox won it legitimately. But I'm man enough to admit that Fever Pitch caused me to sympathize, albeit only slightly, with the plight of Red Sox fans.Anybody who has a passion for sports will be able to relate to this movie on some level. Unless you have a favorite sports team you can't fully understand the extreme highs and lows that a fan such as Fallon's Ben can go through. There's nothing quite so fresh as the smell of a new season and nothing quite so smooth as a clean slate. Well, figuratively speaking. It's the joy of being a sports fan. "Wait 'til next year," becomes your mantra, your motto, your prayer - and Fever Pitch effectively captures that essence.I love the fact that the movie takes a fictional story and throws it against the real-life backdrop of the Red Sox' improbable World Series run last year. I don't love it so much that I want to marry it, but you know what I mean. I expected this to be handled in a fairly cheesy manner, and while some of the humor is a little silly, it's actually pretty realistic.You see, Ben's uncle took him to his first Red Sox game when he was 7 years old, and when he died he left Ben his two season tickets. Ben hasn't missed a game in 23 years. At the beginning of each season he has a draft day where he and his friends get together to figure out who gets to go to which games with him. He makes everybody dance for the Yankees games and whenever somebody complains he threatens them with tickets for the games with the Royals (sorry Mr. Shade) and the Devil Rays. It's a very good scene, and it works so well because I actually know of people who do the "ticket draft day." I also must admit that I can relate to when Ben goes to dinner with Lindsey and her parents. The Red Sox are playing a road game, but instead of watching it live on TV Ben decides to tape it. One of the most dangerous things in life is taping a game and then being in public and trying to avoid hearing the result. Been there. It's a very tense and scary situation. Weeeeeell, Ben enters the danger zone when a guy shows up at the restaurant and mentions watching the game. Ben immediately covers his ears and starts shrieking like a banshee so as not to hear the outcome. Lindsey is embarrassed, and her parents don't know what to think. Yeah, sports fans can be weird, I don't deny it. But it's real.Now if you're expecting the crude, edgy stuff that the Farrelly brothers are known for then you could be disappointed. They do have their moments though, like when Ben says he likes how Lindsey sometimes talks out of the side of her mouth "like an adorable stroke victim," but overall this is definitely a softer, more romantic side that the bros are putting on display.That's not to say that the movie ever gets way too sappy. Thankfully, when the sap starts to ooze a bit, the Farrellys know when to pull away. A romantic moment with Lindsey jumping on the field and running over to Ben to declare her undying love for him turns into Ben sincerely replying, "You've gotta tell me about the outfield. Is it spongy?" Jimmy Fallon proves that with the right material he can handle himself well on the big screen, and Drew Barrymore remains a constant source of romantic comedy charm. Fever Pitch is just good, solid entertainment that takes a somewhat fresh look at the romantic comedy genre. It's a movie that guys and gals can both relate to. Particularly the guys who practice sports fanaticism at some point during the year and the ladies who must deal with 'em.Now if the Red Sox fans could please shut up about the "Curse of the Bambino" I would appreciate it. My Memphis Tigers have NEVER won the NCAA basketball championship, so I officially declare my plight greater than yours.THE GIST Fans of Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, romantic comedy, the Red Sox, baseball, or sports fanaticism in general should consider giving Fever Pitch a look. I wouldn't go out of my way to rush and see it at the first available time, but it'll make a great matinée.Rating: 3.25 (out of 5)$LABEL$ 1 +Will Spanner (David Byrnes, the fifth actor to play the role in the series) stumbles onto another bizarre case, this time involving vampires rather than the usual witches, warlocks & demons (he's at the hospital to check on his friend's son who got hurt in a hit and run when they wheel a girl who's been attacked by a vamp in). He brings in Detectve Lutz to help out with the case which revolves around a clandestine vampire organization trying to get a business merger to go through to let them legally own all the blood banks in the world or some such nonsense.The plot of this movie pretty much takes a backseat to the nudity & simulated sex scenes. (As is to be expected from this series, i guess). So complaining about the lack of good acting, or compelling plot-line, or even convincing characters, I suspect, would fall on deaf ears. If you're watching this film, you don't care about such 'frivolities' and just want some 'action'. Sadly on that front the film fails as well. All the woman are attractive enough but the way the scenes are filmed are just atrocious. Making this more or less an exercise in futility in every conceivable way.Eye Candy: Both Kimberly Blair & April Breneman show everything; Ashlie Rhey shows full- frontal; Aline Kassman & Mai-Lis Holmes only shows their breastsMy Grade: D$LABEL$ 0 +The 3rd and in my view the best of the Blackadder series.The only downside is that there is no Lord Percy who was the funniest character from the previous series but Hugh Laurie's Prince Regent is suitably madcap laugh a line.As a package it's quality through and through with convincing regency sets, superb cutting sarcasm and little bits of the wacky, the 'macbeth' actors standing out and Prince Georges 'lucky us' chicken impression, and the missing words from Dr Johnson's dictionary.Few comedies have been quite as both clever as they are funny, okay the odd lame observation or line gets in but mostly it's a scream.$LABEL$ 1 +About the spoiler warning? It's not "may contain", it -does- contain spoilers. Readers beware. Okay, first I need it to be known that I'm not bashing the actors. They're just working with what they're given. The problem was the script. It was horrendous. There was NOTHING believable about it at all. Sure, when you have a movie based on a murderous hitchhiker, there's going to be the bad mistake here and there that puts you in the terribly horrific, movie-worthy situation. But these girls just made stupid decision after stupid decision. The only girl smart enough to ever try and call the police was the girl added towards the end because he'd already killed one and hit another with a car. Speaking of hitting her with a car...why the hell did she try and outrun a truck rather than run to the side like a normal person? Also, does the one who wrote the script honest to god believe cops are not going to investigate a door covered in blood? Frankly, it wasn't suspenseful either. The only suspense I was feeling was the frustration at just how retarded the girls were. Well, this rant has gone on way longer than I meant to for such a bad movie, so I won't bother to touch on the end besides the fact it's unrealistic and lame.$LABEL$ 0 +When they killed off John Amos's character they killed the show. He was the vital part of the info structure. You had a story of an inner city family's struggling to make it the best way they knew how. They were poor, they were black, and they were living proof that if you have Jesus and your family that nothing is too hard. Sure James would lose jobs and JJ would fail in school but the family always managed to find a way. James was the strong male role model that earned the income and disciplined the children. Florida was the strong lady that would everyone including James when he needed a shoulder to cry on or hug to make it. The kids had personalities and input which made them important as a family unit. Their neighbor Willona was also a key element because she represented not only a friend but some dear enough to be family. Things were bright, gritty, funny, and honest until they changed the course of the program. James dies and JJ took over the show. Flo was still mom, Thelma was blossoming into a lady and Michael was still the militant midget but JJ was the show. We were expected to believe that the family with no father or prominent bread winner was going to be able to stay in the apartment. I guess James's paycheck didn't do much for the family. They were only threatened with eviction because they said they were moving and not because no one in the house was working. I know that JJ, Flo, Thelma and even Michael eventually got jobs but come on here be for real. James worked so much that you could feel for him but the others weren't realistic at all and that's a shame.JJ was the comic relief but I felt the show need substance. It's OK to be funny but they had a chance to show a real family and what it took to survive in the real world and they threw it all away on a few laughs. Michael's character almost disappeared while the rest of the cast slipped into the shadows of the JJ Evan's show. I mean really, here was a guy that was failing in school, he kept getting laid off, and he painted for money in about two episodes. James had always been there to encourage his talent but Flo and the rest of the family didn't seem to care.Why did it take him so long to understand that painting was what he was meant to do? He could have sold painting's on the street or worked for people that print billboards and cards. (He did but something went wrong with that.) Why did he not make it and why did the others give up on their dreams? I'll tell you why, it was because they didn't have a father in their life to care and to cheer them on and their mother stopped being their to support their dreams. The show stopped teaching us about growing, building and learning and started teaching us about gimmicks and catch phrases. They should have kept James. If any show needed a father it was that one.$LABEL$ 0 +Esther Kahn is a young Jewish woman living in an overcrowded, Jewish Ghetto in 19th century England. She is surrounded by looming, oppressive, dreary, featureless, worn brick architecture, narrow sidewalks and streets, blacked out windows, and hordes of black-and-brown jacketed crowds.She lives in a tiny apartment with her large family whom operate a clothes shop within the apartment. As child, she worked, had no privacy, wore colourless clothing, shared a bed, and remained silent to avert the mockery of her mother and siblings who ridiculed her for mimicking them out of boredom.As a young woman, her life remains the same - she has no privacy, lives in a state of mental and physical hebetude and lethargy and inertia, exudes a blank, featureless expression, is clothed in plain, unremarkable clothing, and is continuously oppressed and dwarfed by the grey, mundane, massively imposing buildings, and narrow streets, and narrow hallways, and narrow doorways, and her loud-mouthed mother and siblings, and the prosaic, banal lifestyle of her family.Her only form of mental escape is the Yiddish theatre. Sitting in the balcony, front row, leaning over the rail, there is a vast space between her mind and the stage, a space that enables her to breathe, think, feel, and yearn.Yet despite the freedom of thought the open stage provides for Esther, her face and body remain torpidly somnolent, impassive, dispassionate.The plain and common looking Summer Phoenix brilliantly conveys Esther's emotionless demeanour - Summer/Esther does not convey any desire to want anything or anticipate anything.After an unusual explosive confrontation with her mother, Esther finally decides to break free from the bleak life she is trapped in.She is eventually cast in minor parts in a few stage plays, and meets Nathan Quellen, portrayed by quintessential British actor Ian Holm, who commences to teach Esther the technical skill of acting.From this point forward, Esther begins a grueling dual journey of learning how to act and learning how to feel.She begins experiencing emotions she never felt before, and she begins gaining the experience she needs to fully comprehend and wield the technical aspects of acting.Nathan walks her across the stage through the physical and emotional steps of surprise, hesitancy, anger, disgust, self-loathing, etc; she then begins walking through those emotions in her personal life.There are three truths, Nathan tells her - the truth of how a character reacts, the truth of how the actor would react, and the truth that a character and actor are not the same person.These technical steps and three truths slowly deconstruct Esther's defenses and lead her to two edifying experiences in the denouement of the film which mark the beginning of her freedom of thought, movement, and emotion.Esther Kahn is a technically challenging film to watch because of its odd and narrow camera shots, lackluster photo direction which conveys the realistic lackluster setting of the Ghetto, and Summer Phoenix's characterless and insipid and unappealing portrayal which brilliantly conveys Kahn's mental and physical hebetude and lethargy and lackluster nature.A must-see film for people who want to learn the technical craft of acting, and for people who appreciate minimalistic films and character studies.$LABEL$ 1 +Has anyone noticed that James Earl Jones is the waiter who is serving when Hagarty's wife reveals that she is pregnant while they are at the restaurant next to the lake. I watched this movie on a video that I had taped off of the television. When I watched this scene I thought I recognized the voice of Jones when the "waiter" laughed at the end. I rewound the tape then slowly stepped through that part as the camera pulled back and showed the waiter. Listen closely as the waiter laughs when Hagarty looks up and tells him that they are going to have a baby, then watch closely or slow down the scene when the camera shows the waiter, albeit, quickly.$LABEL$ 1 +Well then. I just watched an crap-load of movies--all with varying degrees of quality. I wasn't too sure about which one I wanted to review first. Then it hit me like a sack-a-rats: Rodentz. Warn people about Rodentz. This monstrosity stars nobody and is painfully dull to sit through. And it's about mutant rats killing people. Yeah... real freaking' original. "Food of the Gods," or "Willard" anyone? Those were better than this, and that doesn't say much...**POSSIBLE SPOILER**Okay here's the story: Inna laboratory the scientist and his plucky assistant are experimenting on rats and their laboratory is in a crappy neighborhood and crappy building and the plucky assistant's moronic friends show up drunk and everyone becomes food for the crazed rats and just about everybody dies and, oh yeah, there's one giant rat that looks crappy, but it gets killed, the end. There, all in once sentence! Spoiler, you say? Ppfff!! I beg to differ! The second we all realize that there's a giant rat, we all know it's gonna die eventually!!**END SPOILER**Here's the breakdown:The Good: --Well, I watched it for free, but for everyone else... hmmm, no. There's nothing good here. Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help: --Um... well. the gore was decent. --Very average cinematography. --CG rats not as bad as they could've been in some shots...The Bad: --...and in other shots, the CG rats were pathetically cheap-looking. Look, if your film has a low budget, maybe you shouldn't rely on CG. Lesson to take to heart. --The acting is extremely poor.--The characters are beyond uninteresting--we have a mish-mash of clichés and none of them are even done that well. --Booooooooooooring.--Been done before--plenty of times. --Stupid story, just stupid.--Giant rat looks like fat man in poorly conceived bear costume--that was kind of funny--but not funny enough to give this film any worth.--Retarded, unrealistic, and boring dialog. --All the college student rat chow people are drinking Tequila from huge plastic milk jugs--and yet they don't appear to be drunk for anything longer than a few seconds. Way to stick with continuity, guys.The Ugly: --This film is bad. Simply terrible. Worse than you might imagine. It's not even laughably bad like, for instance, "Scarecrow" (2002) or "House of the Dead." Now those movies are crap you can enjoy. Even if they do make you stupider.Memorable Scene: --The lame action-movie ending, complete with uninjured heroes and explosion. Because it didn't feel at all like the rest of this monstrosity--but still sucked.Acting: 2/10 Story: 1/10 Atmosphere: 2/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Character Development: 0/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 4/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 1/10 (I was tending to my son occasionally during the film, so I may have missed it, but was supposedly in there) Violence/Gore: 4/10 Dialogue: 2/10 Music: 1/10 (average for the time) Writing: 1/10 Direction: 2/10Cheesiness: 7/10 Crappiness: 9/10Overall: 1/10Watch it only if you love rat and vermin-based horror films. Wait... Check that. Don't watch it. It's crap.(www.ResidentHazard.com)$LABEL$ 0 +Spoiler begin The movie focuses on three friends, Samantha (Summer Phoenix), Chris (Nick Stahl), and Owen (Aaron Paul). The movie starts out with Sam and Owen as the drug addicts, and Chris, the track star, as the one who takes care of them. As things get increasingly worse at home for Chris, he asks Sam what the drug is like. Sam is out of rehab and sober by this point and tells him it makes everything better. Chris then catches up with Owen and they start using. It takes chris two times till he is a " full time member". After some trouble with a dealer and a confession to Sam, she gets in again. So begins the downward spiral for them. Chris od's when he breaks a promise to Sam (I want some of the movie to be a surprise). He dies, Sam gets in to college to be an Architect, and Owen gets arrested. so ends the storySpoiler ends. minor spoilers throughoutNick stahl is amazing. He will have an Oscar one day. His portrayal of Chris was Heartbreaking. He was the only one that felt real in the movie as far as drug use goes. Aaron Paul who played Owen acted as if he were on speed not heroin. Summer Phoenix was fine, she is talented but what can i say Nick Stahl stole the movie. His drugged eyes, his slow movements, everything was perfect. The writers needed to show withdrawls in the movie. That is a main reason why people don't want to quit. Other then that there are hilarious scenes (the mall scene, and the Backstreet boy scene,man Stahl nailed the reactions right on the head.), Touching, sad scenes (Like the scene between Sam and Chris in her bedroom after he gets beat up, i bawled, and the park scene.). It was realistic too. Like S am using again when Chris wanted to flush the drug down the toilet, and Chris using again after he goes to Own's, even though he had been clean for two weeks, the pull was too strong. it is all realistic. Watch the movie for a great cast, great music, and a semi- truthful account of drug addiction.$LABEL$ 1 +Whoever cast this movie was a genius, every character in it is perfect for their part, and they all do an absolutely excellent job in their parts. This is a good glimpse of what life was before & during the civil war, the difference between the wealthy, the average whites, and the black people. The story gives you some insights as to the real issues of the era, and the difficulties that were inherent in everyday living back in those days. The storyline is compelling, and the drama keeps your attention through the entire movie. There are characters you will fall in love with, there are characters you will hate, and you will find yourself emotionally involved.Both my wife and I loved it, and we will watch it again in a few years, I'm sure.$LABEL$ 1 +A BDSM "sub-culture" of Los Angeles serves as backdrop for this low budget and shabbily constructed mess, plainly a vanity piece for its top-billed player, Celia Xavier, who also produces and scripts while performing a dual role as twin sisters Vanessa and Celia. A question soon develops as to whether or not some rather immoderate camera, lighting and editing pyrotechnics can ever reach a point of connection to a weak and often incoherent narrative that will not be taken seriously by a sensate viewer. Celia is employed as a highly motivated probation officer for the County of Los Angeles, while her evil natured twin has become an iconic figure within her fetishistic world largely because of erotic performances upon CD-ROMS, but when disaster befalls "Mistress Vanessa", virtuous Celia, determined to unearth her sister's vicious attacker, begins a new job as a "sex slave" at the private Castle Club where the specialty of the house is a "dungeon party". Two FBI field agents (whose deployment to the Vanessa case is ostensibly required due to her involvement with internet BDSM sites), in addition to a Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective, are assigned to investigate the crime, while endeavouring to provide security for Celia whose enthusiastic performance in her new vocation is avidly enough regarded by her customers as to have created conditions of personal danger for her. Flaws in logic and continuity abound, such as a homicide being allocated to L.A.P.D.'s Operations-South Bureau, a region of the metropolis that is far removed from the setting of the film. Direction is unfocused and not aided by erratic post-production editing and sound reproduction. The mentioned photographic gymnastics culminate with a batty montage near the movie's end of prior footage that is but tangentially referent to the scenario. One solid acting turn appears among this slag: Stan Abe as a zealous FBI agent.$LABEL$ 0 +NIGHTS IN RODANTHE brings back to the screen two talented actors in Diane Lane and Richard Gere in a simply beautiful story of a man and a woman hungry for something more in their lives than they have at present. The chemistry between Lane and Gere is magical from the first scene in the film to their last embrace. The locations, beauty of their attraction for one another when it unfolds when they first meet, and the story that follows, and as they begin to know each other with the attraction they feel towards each other is real, is romance that is projected to an audience with tender care. James Franco in another micro role is just the right casting, and the elegance of Lane in combination with the beach house, is a true Fall 2008 film to remember forever, as was THE NOTEBOOK.$LABEL$ 1 +WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERSThere's a parallel universe out there where Gone In 60 Seconds is a dark, edgy, controversial independent movie. Unfortunately in this dimension Gone... is a flashy, vacuous, testosterone-fuelled moronfest starring Nicolas Cage.For reasons not really worth getting into, he and his large number of cronies have four days to steal fifty expensive cars, only one of which has an alarm. This crew consists of the guy with the funny-shaped ears who's rumoured to be the new Superman; a guy who conducted electricity in The X-Files; an ex-professional footballer and two token black men.Their enemies are cops, rival car thieves and Bilborough from Cracker, his Manchester accent suitably flattened and broadened for American audiences who are now used to that sort of thing since Daphne in Frasier. There's also Angelina Jolie, who gets no character; save to be a receptacle to men's sexual desires. She and Cage are supposed to be old flames, which is odd, as they never have anything approaching a normal conversation in all of the film's overlong 135m running time.In fact, characterisation is so poor that whenever anyone has a "moment" a violin plays in the background to accentuate the "emotion". It's no spoiler to reveal that Vinnie Jones (who recreates his famous Paul Gasgoine "hand ball" manoeuvre and is quite menacing when silent) only gets one line; not because his inability to speak is integral to the plot but because his eloquent summing up of the film's dubious morality after appearing mute the whole way through is funny. Allegedly. After he struggles through it in his "not-quite-acting-but-it'll-do" London drawl, Cage quips "I always thought you were from Long Island". My ribs, as you might imagine, were well and truly tickled.In fact humour is the most undeveloped aspect, from the tactless comedy policeman to the two token black characters. This sees the biggest aspect of Hollywood take hold; why is it that a black man cannot appear in a major motion picture without being constantly aware of his skin tone and endlessly refer to it? The younger man, who, like the elder, jive-talks for the whole duration, proclaims: "us black people don't like the cold ... we're tropical people". He then goes on to express an urge to smoke a joint and watch Roots. He is, of course, parodying the image of black people, but how funny is that? His older counterpart cannot speak without referring to himself, and thereby his colour, in third person. "My black ass" this, "my black ass" that. Does anyone know any black people who actually speak like that? Thought not.The film's soundtrack is played almost non-stop and with increasing volume, some of the tracks - especially Apollo 440's "Don't Stop The Rock" - so loud they're actually more audible than the sound effects and dialogue. The surroundsound system even separates the two to such a degree that it makes them sound like two different films running together. No background music concept here, it's the aural equivalent of trying to watch a film while someone at the back of the cinema has their stereo turned up full blast. "Keep that music down, young man!"This isn't the worst film in the world and in many ways I enjoyed it. It's just that it's predictable, lazy and witless, with minimal effort in its construction. Apparently box office expectations are considerably down for this movie. After being force-fed junk for several years it appears the general public are starting to wake up to the fact.$LABEL$ 0 +It's very true that this film defies convention by not spelling out the plot for the viewer. While some may have a problem with having to figure it out for themselves, I embrace "Uzumaki" for its irreverence. There is a PLOT, it's just that it may not be immediately accessible to a lazy viewer. This is a film that invites numerous interpretations, as all great art does - however, this film is also very entertaining, making it a rare film experience. It's simultaneously provocative and fun.$LABEL$ 1 +Here are some examples of Pat Robertsons dubiously claimed "relatively good track record" on predictionsIn his widely reported comments from the January 2 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, during which he predicted that there would be "very serious terrorist attacks" and "mass killing" in the United States in the "second half" of 2007, host Pat Robertson boasted that he had "a relatively good track record" on earlier predictions. But a review of Robertson's 2006 New Year's predictions undermines that claim. He predicted, for example, that:* "President Bush is going to strengthen." WRONG* "The fall elections will be inconclusive, but the outcome of the war and the success of the economy will leave the Republicans in charge." WRONG* "The war in Iraq is going to come to a successful conclusion. We'll begin withdrawing troops before the end of this year." WAY WRONGFurther, as a January 3 Associated Press article reported, Robertson has a history of making dubious predictions:The broadcaster predicted in January 2004 that President Bush would easily win re-election. Bush won 51% of the vote that fall, beating Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. WRONGIn 2005, Robertson predicted that Bush would have victory after victory in his second term. He said Social Security reform proposals would be approved WRONG YET AGAIN! He claims to speak directly with god... If so god has quite the sense of humor watching Pat make a fool of himself again and again..$LABEL$ 0 +So, what's the reason? Is there some sort of vendetta against this AWESOME show or somebody involved therein? Why would the best show I've seen in years be canceled? I'm addicted. I saw this show on randomly last fall, and immediately loved it, and watched it every week. Then it went away, and I tried to Tivo it, but it wasn't being aired. So I forgot about it for awhile, until I found the episodes on ABC's website. Now I want MORE. I agree with everybody else - with the rest of the junk on TV today, it was refreshing to see something as well-rounded and developed as this. I watch Boston Legal for my eccentric-comedic fix, and House for my intellectual-mystery-jackass fix. My wife loves Grey's Anatomy for its "realism", and I do love/hate the show, but it could not be farther from real for me. WAY too much drama. Everything that can go wrong, does. But for once, there's a drama that's REALLY real. Real people, real problems. Sure, there are some extremes like a former gangster turned good, girl running from the mob, etc., but these people (especially in NYC) are really out there, and I relate to each and every one of them. I can't seem to get enough. I just hope that ABC will get their heads out of their bean-counting butts and continue this show. Get some respect for having a QUALITY drama out there. This could be one of the best shows of all time. If somebody will just let it.$LABEL$ 1 +In Where The Sidewalk Ends, Otto Preminger reunites Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, surely in hopes of recapturing the magic of his Laura. But they're wildly dissimilar films, set in different strata of New York (not to mention at opposite poles of the noir universe). A fine mist of the Gothic hovers over the upscale Manhattan of Laura, with its erotic obsession and faint whiff of necrophilia; Where The Sidewalk Ends is pure urban soot and grit befouling a town of basement apartments, steam rooms and parking garages.But it's every bit as fine a movie as its revered forerunner, and dyed-in-the-wool noir (Laura, by contrast, one of the clutch of films from 1944 which the French first dubbed `noir,' was still very much a sophisticated murder mystery). Daylight enters only on very temporary sufferance, and director of photography Joseph LaShelle makes the most of the alleys and brownstones, the docks and the El. This is quintessential big-city - specifically Big Apple - noir, like several others from the bumper crop of 1950, like Side Street and Sleeping City and The Tattooed Stranger and Edge of Doom.As the movie opens, police detective Dana Andrews is on the carpet for his brutal ways, particularly his vendetta towards crime boss Gary Merrill (whom we learn was set up in business by Andrews' ne'er-do-well father). When an out-of-towner is stabbed to death at a floating crap game operated by Merrill, the hair-trigger Andrews roughs up a witness, causing him a fatal crack to the skull (exacerbated by a steel plate installed in the veteran's head). Realizing that his job's already on the line, Andrews dumps the body in the river after making it look like the suspect had taken a powder.Of course, that's far from an end to it. The corpse is discovered, his estranged wife turns out to be Tierney, and all the evidence starts to turn toward her father (Tom Tully), a hack driver who happened not only to have been cruising the same mean streets the night of the murder but to have ample reason to want his abusive son-in-law dead. But the embittered loner Andrews finds in Tierney a summons to his better nature; he tries to exonerate her father while still keeping his own involvement in the whole sordid business a secret....Not so epigrammatic as Laura, the script for Where The Sidewalk Ends (by Ben Hecht) shows a pungency of its own (in a second dressing-down, his superior tells Andrews, `Look at you - all bunged up like a barrelhouse fag').But while Laura spread its attention over half a dozen characters, here Andrews is all but the sole focus (even Tierney's role is far less central than her half-spectral Laura). And Andrews may never have excelled his performance here. It's tight-lipped and taciturn, but never more eloquent than when his face is silently registering the anguish to which his own obstinacy has brought him. He's a pent-up sufferer who can find release only through the safety-valve of violence (he even lashes out against his loyal partner, Bert Freed). To be sure, he finds too swift a road to redemption though the agency of his beautiful co-star. But that was the style of the times, and a sweetened-up ending does little to undermine this New York story of violence, corruption and urban entanglements.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the movies having made significant influence on me as a person. The sound tracks are best and the performance is excellent. Just a great movie for ever, to time limit, just for the entire live, you must have in your collection! This is one of the movies having made significant influence on me as a person. The sound tracks are best and the performance is excellent. Just a great movie for ever, to time limit, just for the entire live, you must have in your collection! This is one of the movies having made significant influence on me as a person. The sound tracks are best and the performance is excellent. Just a great movie for ever, to time limit, just for the entire live, you must have in your collection!$LABEL$ 1 +Contains spoilers. The British director J. Lee Thompson made some excellent films, notably 'Ice Cold in Alex' and 'Cape Fear', but 'Country Dance' is one of his more curious offerings. The story is set among the upper classes of rural Scotland, and details the strange triangular relationship between Sir Charles Ferguson, an eccentric aristocratic landowner, his sister Hilary, and Hilary's estranged husband Douglas, who is hoping for a reconciliation with her. We learn that during his career as an Army officer, Charles was regarded as having 'low moral fibre'. This appears to have been an accurate diagnosis of his condition; throughout the film he displays an attitude of gloomy disillusionment with the world, and his main sources of emotional support seem to be Hilary and his whisky bottle. The film ends with his committal to an upper-class lunatic asylum. Peter O'Toole was, when he was at his best as in 'Lawrence of Arabia', one of Britain's leading actors, but the quality of his work was very uneven, and 'Country Dance' is not one of his better films. He overacts frantically, making Charles into a caricature of the useless inbred aristocrat, as though he were auditioning for a part in the Monty Python 'Upper-Class Twit of the Year' sketch. Susannah York as Hilary and Michael Craig as Douglas are rather better, but there is no really outstanding acting performance in the film. There is also little in the way of coherent plot, beyond the tale of Charles's inexorable downward slide.The main problem with the film, however, is neither the acting nor the plot, but rather that of the Theme That Dare Not Speak Its Name. There are half-hearted hints of an incestuous relationship between Charles and Hilary, or at least of an incestuous attraction towards her on his part, and that his dislike of Douglas is motivated by sexual jealousy. Unfortunately, even in the swinging sixties and early seventies (the date of the film is variously given as either 1969 or 1970) there was a limit to what the British Board of Film Censors was willing to allow, and a film with an explicitly incestuous theme was definitely off-limits. (The American title for the film was 'Brotherly Love', but this was not used in Britain; was it too suggestive for the liking of the BBFC?) These hints are therefore never developed and we never get to see what motivates Charles or what has caused his moral collapse, resulting in a hollow film with a hole at its centre. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was an impressive one. My first experience with a foreign film, it was neither too long, nor too complex. I myself enjoyed the subtitles; and the plot was surprisingly fresh. The story of an adult son visiting his elderly father and retarded brother after a long separation appeared cliched at first, but it proved to be very touching and realistic. There was also some subtle humor so as not to depress or bore the audience.$LABEL$ 1 +"Idiocracy" is the latest film to come from Mike "Office Space" Judge, and it certainly follows a similar theme of that film in the fact that it is an observation of stupidity and how mediocrity can overcome adversity... relatively speaking. It is a story about Joe Bauer (Luke Wilson), who is, quite literally, the most average guy in existence. Joe, and a prostitute named Rita (Maya Rudolph), become the test subjects for a military project of a hibernation chamber. They were to remain suspended for only one year, but due to lack of oversight, Joe and Rita are forgotten about and accidentally wake up 500 years in the future.Here's the scary part: This film explains, in a very realistic and plausible way, how the entire population of 2505 became absolutely retarded. With no natural predators, the evolution of the human species does not necessarily favor the quickest, smartest, and strongest people for progression of genes... just the people who breed the most. Unfortunately, those people happen to be welfare-sucking, trailer trash idiots who breed like rabbits. This abundant reproduction of the stupid people has caused an adverse effect on societal growth and now Joe and Rita are the two smartest human beings on the face of the planet. If it helps, imagine the entire population as just a hybrid of rednecks, jocks, cholos and hoochies. Seeing this nightmarish dystopia, Joe learns of and attempts to track down a time machine to see if he and Rita can get back to when they came from, and that's basically the whole plot.But despite how one-dimensional I may make it sound, this movie is higher brow than you can fathom. Nuances are everywhere and anyone can see glimpses (warning signs, if you will) of modern day dumb-ciety permeating facets of everyday life and turning it into the train wreck on display in "Idiocracy." The film has some truly awesome showcases of realistic retardedness put on a pedestal. I don't want to give anything away and ruin jokes for you, but let's just say that it is pretty thorough. I can see how some would say that it is just a lot of toilet humor, but it, odd as it may seem, has a purpose; to show how dumb and crass these people are.This film, unfortunately, is destined to see the same fate as its predecessor, "Office Space"; no one will see it in theaters, but everyone will brag about discovering this awesome/funny movie when it comes out on video. My only complaint for the film would be that the flow of the narrative sometimes gets broken so they can do a Hitchhiker's-Guide-to-the-Galaxy type exposition on how things got to be where they are, but it is a necessary evil and is implemented better here. Other than that, good characters, funny jokes, and better-than-average social commentary wrapped up in a funny bow.Final Note: If seeing our youth becoming gang-banger wanna-be's, acting like redneck/ ghetto trash and being proud of it... if you are educated and cultured in anyway and can see how our country is spiraling out of control into an abyss of stupidity, for god sakes, watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I should say, "the only film related to club/dj/electronic music and raves...that ravers respect".Seriously now. It's a gloriously fun, fast paced and fairly accurate portrayal of the night of a raver. Albeit, its in a club, its in Wales and its somewhat dated. The film leaves out some of the sketchier elements of club life, but doesn't disassociate from them altogether. It presents a idyllic yet serious portrayal of the ups and downs of the characters lives.At the core of the film, and the best element of Justin Kerrigan's script, is the characters, eccentric, unique yet completely understandable and accessible. This film simple would not work and be infinitely less entertaining were it not for Jip, Koop, Nina, Moff and Lulu. Viewers can deny the political and social implications of the subtext of Human Traffic as a drug film, Trainspotting wannabe, important peg in British youth culture circa 90's, BUT....they can't deny that these are engaging characters.It's frantic, its brutally honest, it's sobering, it's over the top, but its a great comedy. Raves are a complex thing, so are the drugs that are taken at these events, so are the people you will encounter. But from someone who has gone to parties, become jaded and still goes...Human Traffic is the best snapshot that could be taken of the subculture. Just whatever you do, avoid "Groove" as its the antithesis of all that is good about Human Traffic.$LABEL$ 1 +I was 16 when I first saw the movie, and it has always been a HUGE favorite of mine. Of course, you can't deny the appeal of Kristofferson in the movie - HOW FINE IS THAT MAN???????????? Sheesh. He still is. He's the bad boy every woman secretly wants. His acting is flawless. He played a drunk/druggie only the way someone who really had gone through it could - and he had - in '76 he finally got on the wagon, so it was all very real.The music is GREAT and even though in later years I thought Streisand was somewhat not the right person for him in a physical beauty sense, I think it's more a problem for male viewers than female. Us gals are just looking at Kris - and naturally the guys are looking at the female interest - my husband cannot watch the movie b/c of her - he doesn't like her looks. But I did make him sit through just the red Ferrari scene on the road towards the end just so he could see how well done it was - the camera work was so perfect and you were totally in the car with him with the music blasting - you should have seen it on my 50" plasma - WOW!!!! And lastly, the transfer quality was GREAT - anamorphic widescreen and really clear with great color and very low noise except for dark areas which is normal for all film.Brought back some great memories of my mom and I loving this movie together, I bought a copy for her for Christmas. Would have loved to watch it together with her last night.I have tried to sit through the original with Judy Garland, but I guess seeing this one first, I just can't get into the earlier era. Watching all the concert footage in the '76 version was so much like what I was living at the time.I am working my way through the commentary by Streisand, but she seems to only talk about herself and the songs, so far she has barely even mentioned Kris or details about scenes in the movie. Her voice sounds EXACTLY the same now as then.Check it out, if you grew up in the same era as me (born in 1960) you will love it.Wendy$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't at all think of it this way, but my friend said the first thing he thought when he heard the title "Midnight Cowboy" was a gay porno. At that point, all I had known of it was the reference made to it in that "Seinfeld" episode with Jerry trying to get Kramer to Florida on that bus and Kramer's all sick and with a nosebleed.The movie was great, and surprisingly upbeat and not all pissy pretentious pessimistic like some movies I can't even remember because they're all crap.The plot basically consisted of a naive young cowboy Joe Buck going to New York trying to be a hustler (a male prostitute, basically), thinking it'll be easy pickings, only to hit the brick wall hard when a woman ends up hustling HIM, charging him for their sexual encounter.Then he meets Enrico Salvatore Rizzo, called "Ratso" by everyone and the cute gay guys who make fun of him all the time. You think of him as a scoundrel, but a lovable one (like Han Solo or Lando Calrissian) and surprisingly he and Joe become friends, and the movie is so sweet and heartwarming watching them being friendlier and such and such. Rizzo reveals himself to actually be a sad, pitiable man who's very sick, and very depressed and self-conscious, hates being called "Ratso" and wants to go to Florida, where he thinks life will be much better and all his problems resolved, and he'll learn to be a cook and be famous there.It's heartwarming watching Joe do all that he does to get them both down to Florida, along with many hilarious moments (like Ratso trying to steal food at that hippie party, and getting caught by the woman who says "Gee, well, you know, it's free. You don't have to steal it." and he says "Well if it's free then I ain't stealin' it", and that classic moment completely unscripted and unscheduled where Hoffman almost gets hit by that Taxi, and screams "Hey, I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!"), and the acting is so believable, you'd never believe Joe Buck would grow up to be the distinguished and respected actor Jon Voight, and Ratso Rizzo would grow up to be the legendary and beloved Dustin Hoffman. It's not the first time they've worked together in lead roles, but the chemistry is so thick and intense.Then there's the sad part that I believe is quite an overstatement to call it "depressing". Ratso Rizzo is falling apart all throughout the movie, can barely walk, barely eat, coughs a lot, is sick, and reaches a head-point on the bus on its way to Florida. He's hurting badly, and only miles away from Miami, he finally dies on the bus. The bus driver reassures everyone that nothing's wrong, and continues on. Sad, but not in the kind of way that'd make you go home and cry and mope around miserably as though you've just lost your dog of 13 years.All in all, great movie. And the soundtrack pretty much consists just of "Everybody's Talking'" played all throughout the movie at appropriate times. An odd move, but a great one, as the song is good and fits in with the tone of the movie perfectly. Go see it, it's great, go buy it$LABEL$ 1 +Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, both of whom are sadly missed, proved once again that they were a team dedicated to their craft of bringing hilarious moments to the screen. This film is just another example of this.This time out they play two brothers-in-law who land on a ship as dance instructors on board.Of course, their boss is a perfectionist and miserable person named Gil Godwin who just enjoys harassing these boys. It's hilarious how Lemmon gives a quick lesson in dancing to Matthau and how the latter dances a riotous rumba with the boat's owner Rue McLanahan.Too bad that fellow dance instructors Hal Linden and Donald O'Connor are given so little to do but their parts call for that. Matthau falls for Dyan Cannon, on board with her fellow gold-digging mother, the usual outrageous Elaine Stritch. Unknown to them, Matthau has no money either. The widower Lemmon falls for Gloria De Haven, looking lovelier than ever.The film belongs to Matthau and Lemmon and will serve as a further tribute to their illustrious careers.$LABEL$ 1 +University Professor Justin Thorne (Jimmy Smits) has got it made. A good-looking, sophisticated teacher, with a loving wife and two adorable children. He plays the saxophone, owns an expensive car and his students love and respect him. But when temptation calls, in the form of one of his bright, pretty, sexy and willing students, Jennifer Carter (Naomi Watts), he foolishly gives in. The next day, he is being charged with her rape, and his perfect life could be forever ruined.When we see an American actor in Australian film, we know we are not in for a masterpiece. But even viewed with low expectations, "Gross Misconduct" is a huge flop. Based on a play with a rather unimaginative title and then adapted into a reasonably enjoyable book, it fails to engage, convince or even remotely interest its audience on a most fundamental level. The script is awkward and unconvincing; the acting is, for most part, not much better. Watts gives an acceptable performance, demonstrating for one of the first times on screen her emotion rawness, but she is the only good thing about the film, which seems almost like even it can't wait to be over.The direction is not horrible or distracting in anyway, but it is just painfully mediocre. Apart from the afore-mentioned Naomi Watts, who could be forgiven, seeing as this was early in her career, the acting is wooden and gets steadily worse over the course of the movie. The usually reliable Jimmy Smits doesn't seem to have been trying in this one, and who could really blame him? All these small failures, however, only add to the film's ultimate fatal flaw, which is that the focus is entirely in the wrong place. Any empathy for the characters or interest in the outcome is lost in a sea of what is basically soft-core entertainment of an adult kind. By the end, audiences will probably be bored, tired and wishing they'd done something else with their ninety minutes. Unless you just want to see Naomi get naked 4 or 5 times, you could definitely afford to give this nonevent film a miss.$LABEL$ 0 +I cried my heart out, watching this movie. I have never suffered from any eating disorder, but I think this must be a very true picture.Alison Lohman is excellent! She expresses these feelings amazingly well. My teenage years came back to me so vividly. Anyone who has gone through difficult times as a child or teenager will be able to relate to this movie. I recommend you all to see it!The music is great too - I've now discovered Diana Lorden.I'm also looking forward to seeing Alison Lohman in White Oléander, because I am positive she is perfectly suited for the role as Agnes.$LABEL$ 1 +The people who don't like this movie seem to have some academic vendetta against it -- those of us who don't hold the original can totally enjoy it.My husband who had never seen the original said "I don't want to see a girly movie." I assured him that "the women" is just a great movie, not a girl movie. He had a great time. He was very glad to have gone and enjoyed it more than the "boy" movie we saw the day before "burn after reading." SPOILER: I even think the new ending is better. Maybe not quite as fun, but it was beautiful. At first I couldn't understand why they had made certain changes to the plotbut when I got the end and Debra Messing gives birth and brings the first male into the movie, I cried. That's one thing to love about men – they are our sons.$LABEL$ 1 +The only way we survived this stinker was by continually making fun of its stupidity. Funny thing is none of the audience around us seemed to mind--we all joined in.This movie is soooo bad, its only potential is to become a midnight cult movie that people can invent lines and throw popcorn at.$LABEL$ 0 +definitely needed a little work in season 2. Such as the Virus between Max and Logan, and Ames White along with his ancient, super cult. During season two, however, the only thing that kept me watching was to see if Max and Logan would ever get rid of the nasty virus infecting Max. Very good drama in season two. But of course like all TV shows, if there's something a little wrong with it, the broadcasting company takes it off the air. I was seriously hoping for a third and final season. Season 2 leaves you hanging, unless you read the books by Max Allan Collins, then you will know what happens.Dark Angel should be put back on the air for one more season even though it might cost a lot just to get all the original actors again. since Jessica Alba's carrier sky rocketed after the show. If that would be the case, then there should be a movie to complete it. just like the show Firefly, which of course FOX canceled as well.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great film for pure entertainment, nothing more and nothing less. It's enjoyable, and a vaguely feel-good movie.A minor, but nonetheless irritating thing about the movie is that we don't know why Justine and Chas broke up. Okay, most first relationships don't work for one reason or another, but they more or less seemed like a nice couple.In a nutshell, it's worth a watch to escape reality.$LABEL$ 1 +First off, to give you some idea of my taste in movies...2007 Comedies I enjoyed: Superbad, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, Blades Of Glory 2007 Comedies I hated: Evan Almighty, The Brothers Solomon, Good Luck ChuckI should have followed my first instinct and turned off "Hot Rod" after I got to about the 20 minute mark. I knew by that point that this movie would not make me laugh once. The script is absolutely brutal - I have no idea how this monstrosity managed to crack 6 on IMDb. Any one older than 10 years old who enjoyed this must be some kind of mental defective.This doesn't come close to anything with Will Farrell and it's clear that Andy Samberg can't carry anything longer than a 5 to 10 minute sketch on YouTube or SNL. I don't know how they roped Ian McShane and Isla Fisher into doing this movie... they must have owed favors or something. I came in knowing that it would be a dumb movie, but I thought it would at least be funny. I didn't so much as smirk.I don't normally comment on movies at IMDb, but this was so awful, I just had to warn people. This is only the 4th movie I've seen that I've felt compelled to rate 1/10.$LABEL$ 0 +After the general, a film that romanticized the life of Dublin gangster the general to such heroic proportions that it made the average Dublin person sick, along come Kevin and his attempted portrayal of Mr. Lynch or martin Cahill, aka the general, the acting is so bad that this crime drama becomes a comedy for the native Dub, and a tragedy for the Kevin Spacey fan. in short, is the movie worth a look.... No, unless u like bad acting with hilarious 'proper Irish accents, ah sure to be sure to be sure'. The story is ripped off from the commercially successful 'The General' which, despite is glorification of a well known Dublin animal in Martin Cahill is still worth a look, on a domestic scale because it shows real working class Dublin, and on an international scale because of he true Irish acting and killer cast, including John Voight. All in all, 'Ordinary Decent Criminal' is anything but a decent film. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +When the US entered World War I, the government forced Hollywood to churn out propaganda films. THE LITTLE American is probably the best of the lot because it stars Mary Pickford.Pickford plays a young woman torn between two men: Jack Holt (German) and Raymond Hatton (French), but her decision is delayed because of the war as both men enlist.When the ship Pickford is sailing on is sunk by the Germans (think Lusitania) because it is carrying munitions, Pickford has a great scene as she stands on the lifeboat and yells at the German commander. Later on, of course, she runs into both Holt and Hatton when she is being held as a war prisoner at a château.Director Cecil B. DeMille provides one truly great scene in this film as Pickford and Holt are wandering through a bombed-out village. They pass a destroyed church of which only one wall remains standing. Against the wall is a very large crucifix. As they stand and watch, the wall collapses but the Jesus figure remains, suspended in mid air. It's a very surreal moment in a film that is otherwise very straightforward and un-artsy.Pickford is, as always, a pleasure to watch. She was always a very natural actress who avoided the arm-waving histrionics many other actors of the day used. She's also very very pretty. Holt is very good here in a leading-man role. Hatton is OK. Among the list of name actors in "extra" parts are Wallace Beery, Ramon Novarro, Colleen Moore, Ben Alexander, Hobart Bosworth, Norman Kerry, Walter Long, James Neill, and Edythe Chapman.Not a great film, but interesting to see US propaganda at work.$LABEL$ 1 +"Black Water" is one of the most tense films I have viewed in a long time. The story moves fast as it follows three tourists (all great actors) into a swamp on a tour with a butch tour guide on a small boat. Soon after dropping anchor in a remote area of the swamp, they are flipped over by something huge in the water.Hastily, the three manage to make it into a tall tree nearby as they realize that a crocodile has attacked them. Throughout the next two days, they have to desperately try to escape from the crocodile's evil watchful eye, and he doesn't seem to want to go away. The movie drags just a tad bit, but what can you expect from the setting and the limited budget? It's so much better than "Primeval" and other recent crocodile/ underwater predator thrillers. The tension is heavy, and all three leads give terrific performances. Truly chilling, this movie struck a deep chord of claustrophobic fear in me. Apparently based on true events.$LABEL$ 1 +Im hoping this was made before Half Past Dead and Exit Wounds because it was rubbish, Seagal wasnt to blame it was down to the crap directing when the few action scenes took place. The plot was also confusing and basically just felt rushed out, maybe it was shelved and released to capitalise on Seagals newer films??3/10He's not through yet, bring on Under Siege 3 and loose some weight!$LABEL$ 0 +"Imagine if you could bring things back to life with just one touch" As soon as I first heard that, my attention was locked on the Trailer, And after the First Episode I found my self in love with this show. A Modern day Fairy Tale that Brings my Spirits up and Holds my attention throughout the entire show. I think the Acting and Casting is just perfect, Each Character brings Something Unique to the show that adds to it's perfection. Even the one time Villains manage to overflow with A Unique sense, From the Bee Man to the Guy who can Swallow Kittens, they never seem to let me down. And the Deaths that would Normally lead to a Depressing Moment often end up being Purely Comical (Such as an Exploding Scratch & Sniff book)Even with the large amount of Crime shows we have now a days, Daisies is one of the few that really stands out from the rest, Being not just a Mystery but a love story, Comedy and a Fairy Tale with a hint of Drama all baked into one Wonderful pie.....err show.What really shocked me was the fact that it was on ABC, For Years I never had a reason to turn to ABC, But this brought me back each week with a Smile on my face. It was as if Pushing Daisies Brought ABC back to life for me. But just like that, after two seasons, A few Awards, A Large Fan Base and 1 Responses from Critics the show has been dropped. It seems as though Ned has Touched ABC again and forever killed it for me. I will always be a fan of this show though, And I Recommend this to anyone who likes a lot of talking and a lot of love from the shows they watch.$LABEL$ 1 +Filmed less than a year after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the subject matter was fresh in the minds of the cast, the director and the audience. Most of the cast are actual soldiers and officers just back from the war. The Soviet army cooperated quite a bit during filming, which is odd. The Afghan intervention was a bloody and pointless war in which even the generals had forgotten the reasons for the bloodshed. This film shows the tension and the cruelty of military life, the emotional atrophy experienced by the troops and the pain that convulsed a small nation torn by war and civil-war.There is no lack of powerful scenes. One of the first is footage of steel coffins being loaded onto a transport bound for the USSR. Solders go about their work while an officer calmly ticks off the destinations: Moscow, Rostov, Donetsk, The Baltic. An earlier comment describes the last scene with Maj. Bandura as illogical. It is perfectly logical and in the spirit of the film: the only human relationship Bandura maintained was with the Afghan family which he accidentally kills in the assault. Having lost his only buffer against the senselessness of the war, Bandura turns his back on the boy(and his gun) in resignation to his fate.I particularly liked the last scene: a flock of MI-28s rising over the mountains as the voice of a pilot yells: "Uhodim! Uhodim rebyata! (We're leaving! Boys, we're leaving!) in a tone of sincere relief.Afhanskii Izlom is an excellent film - brutally honest and as unholliwood as they come.$LABEL$ 1 +Bathebo, you big dope.This is the WORST piece of crap I've seen in a long time. I have just stumbled onto it on late night TV and it is painful to watch. Really painful. How does something like this get made?? Horrible, horrible, horrible! OOOOOO ..... The toilet is flushing by itself again! Scary toilet! Scary toilet! Scary toilet! 1992 doesn't seem like that long ago to me, but watching this makes it seem like 1952. I mean its horrible. Please don't waste your time on the drivel!Scary old black man telling them not to build the pool in the yard. Scary! Scary! How does this stuff get MADE???$LABEL$ 0 +I opted to watch this film for one reason and one reason alone...Samuel L. Jackson. I happen to like him, a lot. I had seen no previews or trailers for this overlooked film, so went into it with no real expectations.Jackson didn't disappoint as Lazarus, a down-on-his-luck blues man in the Deep South, and delivered perhaps his most powerful performance ever, including playing and singing a number of excellent blues tunes. But the real surprise here was Christina Ricci, at best a vapid airhead in real life, who took the role of the sexually-abused town tramp Rae and made her a believable, almost even likable character. Watching the decidedly non-sexual relationship evolve between Lazarus and Rae was simply amazing.Justin Timberlake, pop star turned wanna-be actor, should go back to causing "wardrobe malfunctions" and prancing around a pop stage. His mostly forced performance was distracting, at best, from the real story here.This movie is raw, gritty, and at times quite "in your face". Not everyone will like it. Those that do, however, will be quickly moving it to the top of their favorites list.$LABEL$ 1 +when i saw the movie at first i thought that it was boring because nothing was happening but when all the scary things started to happen like when church dies and is brought back to life and also gage and his mom die and there idiot dad has to bring them back to life even though he nows the warnings and ignores Jud.this is not Steven kings best work. i thought that his best work was the shining. i don't think that people who see this movie and comment on how awful it was are wrong because all they think is that what were they thinking. as if that person can do a better job in making a horror flick. i mean making the gage evil and how he kills Jud is genius. making the most innocent most unsuspecting character into one of the killers is cool. people who didn't like the movie are dumb because all it is a scary movie and nothing all. don't expect something from a movie that it isn't. it still in a general area wasn't that good. i still recommend people to watch the movie$LABEL$ 1 +Iam a Big fan of Mr Ram Gopal Varma but i could not believe that he made this movie. i was really disappointed.Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag doesn't come anywhere close to the real Sholay. It does not leave a lasting impression on a viewer. Ram Gopal Varma fails to create chemistry between the characters . There is no camaraderie between Heero(Ajay Devgan) and Raj(Prashant raj). There are hardly any scenes with more than two people in the frame together. The sequence outside the courtroom with Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal face off is remarkable. Amitabh Bachchan should not have done this movie. Ajay and Sushmita sen was trying their best but no use. Rajpal Yadav's voice modulation - ineffective and rather pointless. Mohanlal did full justice and proved it again that acting is all about facial expression and body language. Rest of the cast was below expectation. The comedy situation which was adapted from the original sholay fall flat in this movie.Ram Gopal Varma could have worked upon the script but because of the controversies surrounded against the movie he messed up and just for the sake of making he made this Aag. But there is no fire.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film in the theater when it first came out, I'm sorry to say, and it was one of only a few films I have ever wanted to walk out of early. I didn't have a problem with the drug content and I could see how this cautionary tale could have been powerful. The problem was, the film-maker, working with James Woods and Sean Young, drew two of the least lovable characters I have ever seen on film. I hated this pair and couldn't have cared less if they sunk straight to the inevitable bottom. Their was not one surprise in this film. Every turn of events was so painfully obvious that I felt I could have written the script myself; although I like to think I would have done a better job. I subsequently heard nightmarish stories about the incidents on the set between Sean Young and James Woods along the lines of some sort of stalking events. It made me wonder if the terrible acting arose out of some bad feelings and dysfunction. Anyway, I refer to The Boost as the worst film I've ever paid money to see.$LABEL$ 0 +Most of the feedback I've heard concerning Meatball Machine has been pretty mixed. A couple even saying that they think "it sucked". Well, to those people I say, get some f@ckin imagination and go f@ck yourself. This was a very entertaining flick.The story starts with this mechanical bug which attacks and somehow transforms its hosts into these Gwar-costume looking, deathbots called Necroborgs. Eventually you learn that these mechanical bugs also attach a little parasite onto you, which then is able to control your actions due to hot-wiring your nervous system. Unfortunately for two love-seeking lonely young adults, they happen to cross paths with the mechanical bug, and before you know it transformations are taking place and blood is being splattered. Is there a way to stop the transformation? Maybe a way to stop this mechanical bug threat? Why do the Necroborgs fight one another? Do the two desperate singles get to express their feelings for one another and do the nasty? Only one way to find out.Going into Meatball Machine I was kinda wary due to the mixed reactions, but it turned out being a great surprise. A few unanswered questions, some average acting at times and a slightly confusing ending are the only weak points I can think of. From the anime feel to it, to the parasites becoming little characters themselves and even to the low budget feel, this movie hits the right mark much more than it misses. With a ever-developing story that's interesting enough to keep oneself asking questions throughout mixed with the cool make-up effects and blood splatter, this is one flick fans of bizarro/horror/Tetsuo/splatter fans should check out. 8 outta 10$LABEL$ 1 +The book "The Railway Children" is a children's book published in 1906 by Edith Nesbit, an early British socialist who had very strong views about the importance of family values for the upbringing of children, and the story it told was presumably intended to be contemporary. Somewhat surprisingly, it seems to retain a significant appeal for today's children a hundred years later.A film adaptation of an Edwardian classic children's story with the principal roles those of the children, does not sound very exciting to most film-goers in this day and age. But a really great performance by Jenny Agutter who (near the start of her long and distinguished acting career) played the part of the oldest girl Roberta (Bobby), combined with remarkable work by the script-writer and director Lionel Jeffries and outstanding photography by Arthur Ibbetson, have made this a film that is still not to be missed, and one which most of its viewers find quite memorable. It is remarkable that this book, set in the year 1905, was filmed five times between 1951 and 2000, (four of them by the BBC for British television), and all of these versions are not only still greatly admired but also very highly regarded (something that user comments on this database will confirm), even though this may seem almost inconceivable for a nostalgic period story designed to appeal primarily to children. Since I have not seen the four BBC TV versions, these comments relate exclusively to the 1970 film version produced for showing in cinemas. Unlike most films of children's books, 'The Railway Children' may appeal more to adults than to children. The structure of family life has changed so much in the last century that many children may feel totally lost by the way in which it is depicted in the film, whereas many older adults may find it has a considerable nostalgic appeal. Perhaps compensating for this, the children featured in the film are full of life and vitality, whilst the adult characters although well rounded tend to mostly be 'stuffed shirts'. The story is a mature one, which deals with love, support and encouragement, it is not only timeless but capable of appealing to all ages. It can fairly be described as sentimental and more than a little idealised, but it is never in any way mawkish, and that rarely justified adjective 'uplifting' fits it like a glove.Spoiler Ahead.The film starts with its upper middle class Edwardian family celebrating Christmas in a comfortable and fairly spacious London home when two unexpected visitors call and take Father (who is a senior government officer) away with them. Mother has to move to a very small cottage alongside the railway in a remote part of Yorkshire and the children gradually build a new life mainly associated with the railway and the few trains that pass. This life proves quite eventful in small ways and the elder daughter Bobby grows up rapidly as she takes over more responsibilities from her mother. At one point she averts an accident to the train when her sharp eyes spot that a landslide has created a natural hazard. Father's story is never given much emphasis, but he is never forgotten and it gradually becomes apparent that he is incarcerated and suspected of treason. Finally these suspicions are cleared up (we are not told how or why) and he reappears unexpectedly at the local station to rejoin his family.For many years this film was not available in any home video format in North America, but Anchor Bay created a DVD from it three years ago, so they clearly recognised that this quite simple film has not yet lost its appeal. For anyone who has not got one already, I would very strongly recommend rushing out to buy a copy of this DVD whilst it is still available - you would be most unlikely to be disappointed unless you have become totally cynical, or your minimum requirements for a film include buckets of blood and/or intense sex scenes.$LABEL$ 1 +I really liked the movie 'The Emporer's New Groove', but watching this was like coming home and seeing your wife having "relations" with a llama. Seriously, this movie was bad. It's like Club Dread after Super Troopers. I am supposed to write 10 lines, but I don't even know what else to say. I laughed a couple of times, but only because I was drinking. A movie like that should at least be funny when your drunk. It was not. Maybe llamas are just funny and regular cartoon people aren't. Either way, just stick with The Emporer's New Groove if you want a funny, cartoon, llama-themed movie. Line 10 is this line right here.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a truly great film, with excellent direction. The core plot element, the painting of mila's ass is captivating. I really can't express in words just how much I enjoyed watching Mila getting her ass painted repeatedly.Connor$LABEL$ 1 +I know that was a goofy movie, but I enjoyed it immensely. It's one of the experiences that make me smile when someone says "Bill Murray." I almost always like movies involving the underdog, and this movie has more underdogs than you can count. It's overall a kind movie--some of the adults are not wrapped tightly, but the laughter is accepting rather than brutal like so many teen movies these days. The rich kids across the lake take a beating, but no one I know minded at all. I never went to camp, but I did some things that were somewhat parallel and most of the "bits" and tricks ran true. They were even understated at times, but I'm sure that was an accident.The cast performed well, with Bill Murray showing hints of what he would become. It's not Groundhog Day or Broken Flowers, but, hey, a good goofy laugh should be appreciated these days, but then...it just doesn't matter...............................$LABEL$ 1 +This is a rip-roaring British comedy movie and one that i could watch over and over again without growing tired. Peter Ustinov has never performed in a bad role and this is no exception, particularly with his dry wit but very clever master plan. Karl Malden has always been an admirer of mine since he starred in 'Streets of San Francisco'. I believe that Maggie Smith is the real star of this film though, appearing to be so inept at everything she tries to do but in truth is so switched on, particularly at the end when she informs everyone that she has invested so much money that she has discovered whilst laundering his clothes. One thing does concern me though, could someone please tell me why i cannot purchase this on either DVD or VHS format in the UK, could someone please assist?$LABEL$ 1 +Andie McDowell is beautiful as the 40-ish woman whose late start at a serious relationship leads her to a considerably younger man and a subsequenet falling-out with 2 long-time best girldfriends.Seeing a gigolo/gold-digger in the sincere young man, the "girl-friends", dead-set on terminating this "silly relationship", go over and beyond the call of duty in "helping out" their friend (who obviously is blinded by this gigolo's tricky game".A short succession of situations is absolutely ridiculous. Far fetched no longer covers it. Without these unbelievable scenes, there may have been hope for a sweet love story. Instead, all the viewer is left with is an involuntary shaking of head -- these things just don't happen! Without giving away cliff-hanger details, I warn the viewer of having high expectations for this film; most (like me) will be very disappointed. On a scale of 1 to 10, this one ranks a weak 4 with me. There is much better material out there. This one isn't worth your time.$LABEL$ 0 +While a 9 might seem like an unusually high score for such a slight film, however, compared to the hundreds and hundreds of series detective films from the 1930s and 40s, this is among the very best and also compares very favorably to Powell's later "Thin Man" films. Now this does NOT mean that the film is that similar to the Thin Man movies, as THE KENNEL MURDER CASE is not a comedy but more a traditional mystery-detective film. Now you'd think that not having Nora Charles or Asta or a traditional comic sidekick (something found in practically all series detective films) along for fun would be a detriment, but I didn't miss them at all because this was such an exceptionally well-written film--having a genuinely interesting case as well as uniformly excellent performances by all.The film begins at the dog show and is called The KENNEL Murder Case, though this Philo Vance film actually spends little of the time at the dog show and dogs are not a super-important part of the film. Instead, a thoroughly hated man is killed and left in a completely sealed room--an idea repeated in quite a few other detective films (such as CRIME DOCTOR'S STRANGEST CASE). However, how all this is explained seems pretty credible and fit together very well--keeping my interest throughout. I sure wish other detective films of the day had as intelligently written plots and exceptional acting as this one. This one is definitely a keeper.$LABEL$ 1 +In the Citadel film series book The Films of Gene Kelly, Anchors Aweigh is described as a kingpin of a musical. I sure can't do better than that. It's such an important film in both the careers of Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Kathryn Grayson didn't do too badly with this either.Louis B. Mayer had lent Gene Kelly out to Columbia where Harry Cohn had an inspiration to let Kelly choreograph his own numbers and because of it, Cover Girl became a classic. So if Mayer didn't learn a lesson, producer Joe Pasternak did and allowed Kelly artistic control. When Anchors Aweigh was finished, Fred Astaire at last had a dancing rival for monarch of cinema dance.The main number everyone talks about with Gene Kelly here is the dance with Jerry Mouse. Originally Kelly wanted to do the number with Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, but Disney wasn't lending Mickey out to nobody. Mickey would have to wait until Who Framed Roger Rabbit to do an outside film. Not to worry because MGM had it's own animated rodent one half the team of Tom and Jerry.Kelly as dancer always strived to do something new and different on screen as did Fred Astaire. For the next dozen years, these two were allowed all kinds of artistic control and were praised for their work even if the films themselves weren't up to snuff. It was like each inspired the other to bigger and better creativity, Kelly for MGM, Astaire for MGM and any number of other studios. In Anchors Aweigh, Kelly got Sinatra to dance a bit. In fact Frank Sinatra always gave credit to Gene Kelly for showing him how musicals should be done as he gave credit to both Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift for their help in earning him is Oscar for From Here to Eternity.When Frank Sinatra had half of his contract bought from RKO by MGM he insisted on a little artistic creativity on his own. He'd become friends with the songwriting team of Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn. In his autobiography Sammy Cahn tells about how Sinatra insisted that they write his songs for this film. Louis B. Mayer gave in and the team wrote some really fine ballads for him to sing. One of my favorite Sinatra numbers comes from Anchors Aweigh, I Fall in Love Too Easily. Frank sings it accompanying himself on the piano at an empty Hollywood Bowl. It's Sinatra at his best. With Jule Styne and later with Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn richly earned the title of having put more song lyrics in Frank Sinatra's mouth than any other person. They were lifetime friends and Cahn always credited Sinatra with this milestone boost in his career.On a bet Styne and Cahn said they could write a song just using a chromatic scale. They proved it in Anchors Aweigh when Kathryn Grayson put her soprano to work on All of a Sudden My Heart Sings. She also did some classical numbers.Here singing in fact is the basis of the plot. Two sailors on leave through a combination of circumstances meet up with Kathryn Grayson and her orphaned nephew Dean Stockwell. Trying to fix her up with Sinatra, Kelly says he can get her an audition with Jose Iturbi. They spend the film trying to accomplish just that. My only disappointment in Anchors Aweigh was that Pamela Britton, who plays the waitress 'Brooklyn' never got a number herself. She had gotten rave reviews from her performance as Meg Brockie in Brigadoon on Broadway and that's what brought her to Hollywood. I have a suspicion she had a number that was cut and somewhere in MGM's vaults it might still be.Anchors Aweigh is a great example of why musicals just aren't made any more. All that creative talent was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer. If you had to pay market value for it, the cost might retire some third world country's debt.But the film results would be extraordinary.$LABEL$ 1 +It was once suggested by Pauline Kael, never a fan, that Cassavetes thought not like a director, but like an actor. What Kael meant was his supposed lack of sophistication as a filmmaker; to take that comparison further, to me, it never feels like Cassavetes is directing himself in a film, it feels like Cassavetes implanting himself inside his own creation, like Orson Welles. Cassavetes is just as much of a genius as Welles, but far more important as a true artist (as opposed to a technician or rhetorician). This is like a cross between Italian passion (though Cassavetes was actually Greek) and Scandinavian introversion. Never before have inner demons been so exposed physically.It's about the mystery of becoming, performing, and acting. Like a haunted Skip James record, it's got the echoes of ghosts all around. Rowlands' breakdowns, which are stupefying and almost operatic, surprising coming from Cassavetes, are accompanied by a jumpy, unsettling piano. Who is this dead girl? The metaphysical possibilities are endless, and it's amazing to find this kind of thing in a Cassavetes film, just the overt display of intelligence (there is also a brief bit of voice-over at the beginning). But then, he always was intelligent, he just never flapped it around for easy praise. This is not "Adaptation"; here, the blending of reality and fiction and drama is not to show cleverness but to show the inner turmoil and confusion it creates.There's so much going on. The pure, joyous love when Rowlands greets her doorman; the horror when she beats herself up... The scene where the girl talks about how she devoted her life to art and to music is one of the most effective demonstrations of understanding what it means to be a fan of someone. You can see some roots of this in "A Star Is Born," and Almodovar borrowed from it for "All About My Mother." I think the ending is a little bit of a disappointment because of the laughing fits, but the preparation leading up to it is almost sickening. (You can shoot me, but I think the alcoholism, despite its urgency in many of the scenes, is a relatively small point about the film.)It's a living, breathing thing, and it feels like a process: it could go any direction at any time. Like "Taste of Cherry," we are reminded that "you must never forget this is only a play." Yet it is dangerous: when Rowlands says that line, is it great drama? How will the audience take it? Is she being reflexive or does she just not care? Her (character's) breakdowns are incorporated into the performances, and ultimately the film, in such a way that it's like witnessing a female James Dean. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Once when I was in college and we had an international fair, the Russian section had a Soviet-era poster saying "Ne boltay!", meaning "Don't gossip!". I "translated" it for the "generation" of TV watchers as "Don't be Gladys Kravitz!" (in reference to the nosy neighbor on "Bewitched").However, when you see the result of gossip in the Pvt. Snafu short "Rumors", you see that it's not quite a laughing matter. In this case, the perpetually witless soldier overhears something about bombing and immediately assumes that the Axis Powers have attacked the United States. So, he tells it to someone, who tells someone else, who tells someone else, and it continues. As in "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming", the story gets blown more and more out of proportion each time, so that when it gets back to Snafu...well, you know what I mean! Yes, it's mostly WWII propaganda - complete with a derogatory term for the Japanese - but I have to say that the Pvt. Snafu shorts were actually quite funny. Of course, since they had Dr. Seuss writing and Mel Blanc providing the voices, it's no surprise that these came out rather cool. Worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +As Dr. Alan Feinstone, Corbin Bernsen turns a marvelously deranged performance in "The Dentist".With his already obsessive compulsive tendencies in high gear, the IRS hounding him, and a very suspicious acting wife; Dr. Alan Feinstone is losing his sanity more and more each day.When the Doc indeed does realize that his wife is having an affair with the local pool boy, it sets off a string of events that lead to torture, murder, ant total mayhem! "The Dentist" is a solid film! Bernsen makes the character of Dr. Feinstone relatable and hateable at the same time. Even though he is completely out of his gourd, the audience will still feel sympathy towards him. That my friends.....is damn good acting.A nice solid cast of supporting actors round out this gem of a film. Excellent direction, good killings and gore, and effective pacing will keep you entertained throughout the movies run.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!$LABEL$ 1 +The Sarah Silverman program is ... better than those other shows. No laugh tracks, no painful jokes, just a program. The Sarah Silverman program. If you're like me, and you love comedy, this is probably a show for you.Sarah Silverman brings out-there-funny, and right-here-funny to the table with ease. A mix of different styles, which makes for its own.This program isn't something you want to start a compare war with, seeing as how it has absolutely nothing to do with them (other shows). This show is its own entity, and i think most comedy heads will like it just fine.Go watch and see.$LABEL$ 1 +I had to write a review for this film after I saw it last night and read some of the comments of people trying to classify the displeasure of this film go down to wfmitchell's post)). I don't fit any any of those classification. The other classification that needs to be on the list is 5) people didn't like this movie because it was not good. I found the film to be booring and forced. My wife picked it for us to see because she is a huge Kidman fan and she also likes Jude Law.Speaking of Law, it took a long time and a huge amount of suspension of belief for me to believe his southern accent. I can't help but wonder if they didn't make his character less talkative on purpose so we would't have to hear that tortured accent so much.As far as the movie, it took a long time for it to get interesting (about 1 or 1.5 hours), and then fell flat in it's ending. What was interesting, is that I did not know that this film was directed by Minghella. About 40 minutes into the movie, I asked my wife "this isn't going to be another English Patient is it?" It absolutely was.As far as the battle scenes. I'm trying to think of a word to describe the opening battle scene, but I think the most descriptive word that accurately describes it is simply "dumb". It was forced, it was unbelievable, it was silly and it was dumb. (After the battle I looked at my wife and asked "was that just dumb?" to which she vigorously nodded her head).The only bright point in the film was the performance of Zellweger. The role was a bit over acted like any decent comedy relief role, but it worked. From her speech pattern, her walk, her mannerisms and esp. her little quips (my favorite: "If you want to get 3 feet up a bull's ass all you have to do is listen to sweethearts talk to each other"), she was able to create an almost cartoon-like character who did her job extremely well.I simply did not like this movie and I have to wonder about the kind of people who do say they like it (or the English Patient for that matter). I suspect you could categorize them in one category: 1) Soap opera fans$LABEL$ 0 +Unspeakably discombobulated turkey, a mix of anti-Nazi musical (!!), pre-war Americana and Agatha Christie whodunit spoof with one big, big problem: it's deadly unfunny. Besides the single-digit I.Q. plot and dialog, the most amazing aspect of "Lady..." is the berserk casting. Gene Wilder (star AND co-writer) tries hard at it all: he plays a romantic lead (with his looks!! and his age!! he and Woody Allen should start a club for clueless, mirrorless ageing comedians), and he tries to be moving and funny and poignant and smart, and tries to sing and dance, and succeeds in NONE!! A looong shot from his good old days with Mel Brooks.For a while I thought I was having a myopia fit, because everybody in the movie keeps saying Cherry Jones is this pretty hot chick, and that Michael Cumpsty is this impossibly handsome stallion!! The guy who plays Claire Bloom's male secretary is a bespectacled balding thin actor as sexy as a chair and is the object of passion of the two leading ladies!! Mike Starr's over-the-top acting as the most incompetent, phoniest cop you EVER saw deserves to rank among the 10 most abhorrent performances in recent film history. The saddest note is to see wonderful Claire Bloom and Barbara Sukowa completely miscast and offensively wasted. At least I hope both stars payed their bills back home (and subsequently fired their agents) with this flop. No wonder acting prodigy Sukowa returned to Germany after she saw what Hollywood had in store for her!!If you want to see how to accomplish a really bad film out of a really bad script with a berserk casting director, study this one - otherwise stay away!!! - 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +DD films were damn corny, damn stupid and had a plot which seemed wafer thin but those days they was a plot at leastThis film isn't just a comedy but a mix of melodrama, romance everythingEvery drama scene is blown out of proportionThe comedy is funny but corny too Yet the film keeps you entertained, those days Govinda films were loud, crass yet they had some funny moments people enjoyedDavid Dhawan does a okay job Music is okayGovinda acts well in comedy and drama Karisma is decent in parts and annoys in parts Kader is as usual Gulshan, Prem Chopra are typecast Shakti is hilarious$LABEL$ 0 +Enjoyable movie although I think it had the potential to be even better if it had more depth to it. It is a mystery halfway through the film as to knowing why Elly is such a recluse. Then, when we are finally given an explanation going back to her childhood there still isn't much detail. Perhaps had they shown flashbacks or something.Anyway, it is still a good movie that I'd watch again. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is marvelous movie, about a soul of Ale. This is a journey to Ale's heart. I found it fascinating. The director did a great job. He makes the scenes talk. Especially on the silent scenes. The window of Ale is a great one. An the scenes when he lies in bed are one of the best directed scenes I have seen. Apart from directing. It has been a quite time I did not watch a movie about a soul. As a philosopher I can say that, this film proves that the age does not matter about your soul. So as Ale's soul. As living in Turkey I do not care about the other side of NY. This is a universal scene you can see everywhere in the world. As to my opinion more universal than every other thing. Do not miss this film. Otherwise you will miss a great thing about a soul. If you have one. Baris.Sentuna$LABEL$ 1 +A strong woman oriented subject after long, director Krishna Vamsi's Shakti- The Power, the Desi version of the Hollywood hit Not Without My Daughter is actress Sridevi's first home-production. A story about a woman's fight against harsh injustice.The story of the film revolves around Nandini (Karisma Kapoor) who lives in Canada with her two uncles (Tiku Talsania, Jaspal Bhatti). There she meets Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor), falls in love with him and they soon marry. Their family is complete when Nandini has a boy, Raja (Master Jai Gidwani). But their happiness is short lived, as the news of Shekhar's ailing mother (Deepti Naval)makes them leave their perfect life in Canada and come to India. And that's when the problems start. From the moment they reachIndia, both are shocked to see the pollution and the vast throngs of people everywhere. They take a crowded train to reach Shekhar's village and when they finally reach the station, they have to catch a long bus drive to his village. The filthy sweaty bus combined with the uncertain terrain makes it a never-ending drive. And unfortunately for them, a frenzied mob that beat Shekhar out of shape for no fault of his attacks their bus. Fortunately, they get shot dead just in time before they can further harm him. After that, they drive to the handing Havel where Shekhar''s father, Narsimha (Nana Patekar) lives with his wife (Deepti Naval). Nandani realized that her father-in-law is in command as soon as she enters the place, but her only solace is her mother-in-law's warm welcome.Living there, Nandini learns of her father-in-laws tyrannical behavior and realizes that ruthless killing is a way of life for him. The day she sees her father-in-law teach her son to throw a bomb, she loses it and lashes out against him, insisting to Shekhar that they move back to Canada. But terror strikes again when Shekhar is murdered one day, leaving a broken down Nandini alone with her son in this strange land where she is harrowed by a cruel father-in-law. Her fight against this man to save her son is what makes up the climax of this emotional heart-wrenching film.What sets apart Shakti from most films being made off late is also the rural setting of the movie. The only drawback is Ismail Darbar''s music, which fails to rise above the script. The only saving grace is the sexy item number Ishq Kameena, which has been composed by Anu Malik. Another pat for the director comes because he has extracted some splendid performances from his cast. Karisma Kapoor is the life of the film and has given a moving performance as a helpless mother. She is sure to win awards for this heated portrayal. Second is actor Nana Patekar who is back with a bang with this film. His uncouth mannerisms suit him to the hilt and he's shown his versatility once again with this role. Sanjay Kapoor is the surprise packet of the film with a sincere and effective portrayal that stands up against both the other actors. Deepti Naval too is in top form and her Pr-climax showdown with Nana is praiseworthy. Shahrukh's cameo provides the lighter moments and surely he's been pulled in to get the required star value. Though his role was not really required, he's done it well. Overall, Shakti is a far superior film than most churned out these days and the Pr-release hype is sure to get it a good opening. Shakti is sure to get the critics and audience thumps up. So what if the film needs to be desperately trimmed by at least 2 reels to better the impact. Shakti still has the power to go on without a hitch!$LABEL$ 1 +Set during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, this story has all the suspense of a good cold war book or movie as a multinational group of foreigners attempt to smuggle Jason Robards out of Hungary into Austria. However, three things complement the story, making this an extremely good movie.First, the actors use the actual languages of their roles. The Russian soldiers speak only Russian; the Hungarians only Hungarian; the Germans only German, except to the minimal extent to tell the story. Since Debra Kerr is English, she speaks only English, and, of course, Yul Brynner and a few others essential to the story also speak heavily accented English. As a result, the empathy of the audience to the travelers becomes paramount. The viewer shares all the confusion and suspense of being involved in an illicit border crossing when he/she cannot understand any of the languages spoken around them. Very powerful feelings are aroused in the audience, and notwithstanding the heavy use of foreign languages, the audience is never at a loss for following the film. No subtitles are necessary.Second. I was in Hungary in 1995, and I'm telling you, this movie has it right on. From the gypsy music overpowering the dinner meal to the underground caverns in the buildings where much of the action takes place to the village scenes, the realism is incredible. If I didn't eat in the actual restaurant in the movie, I ate at its double. I thought that I actually walked down the main street in that village. (Actually, the film was shot in Austria).Third, and most important, this movie reunites Deberah Kerr and Yul Brynner (after The King and I) and the magnetism between them as the story unfolds is nothing short of Oscar qualified. Of course, Yul already received an Oscar for playing that relationship, so the Acadamy wasn't going to give him another one, but that is the quality of the film. Don't miss this one.$LABEL$ 1 +Who could have thought a non-disabled actor could act so realistically and immensely powerfully as a disabled person in a film? Probably someone. But no-one, truly no-one, could ever compare their expectations with the amazingly emotive and powerful performance given by the two actors in this film.Michael (Steven Robertson) lives in a home for disabled people. He has Cerebral Paulsy, and as shown to us right at the beginning, he has huge trouble communicating. So it truly is a lifeline when fellow disabled member Rory (James McAvoy) who can speak normally, understands him. Thus starts off a friendship that relies mainly on (ironically enough) communication.In a hilarious scene, they manage to move out of the home into their own. After Rory had been rejected, good hearted Michael put forward an application to move into his own house. Rory, who already had a bad name with the "judges", was to be his interpreter.But troubles soon come about. They begin good-heartedly stalking a girl who they met in a pub a while back, wanting her to be their assistant to do the little things that matter. She at first is reluctant; she does not know these men, but seems they could be harmless; so strikes up another friendship, but not necessarily a good one...As well as being poignant, however, this film really does rely on the actors. But that isn't a bad thing. For a non disabled actor, you see Rory, though he can communicate properly, frustrated at the way he's completely dependant on other people, and has no real life of his own. But the real star for me is Steven Robertson. He acts with such emotion, yearning to fit in and sadness/happiness, that really sees him win over the whole entire film.Excellent.Overall: 5 out of 5$LABEL$ 1 +It has said that The Movies and Baseball both thrived during The Great Depression. It appears that the grim realities of a Nation caught up in the aftermath of this Economic Disaster created a need for occasional relief for the populace. A temporary escape could be found in the on going soap opera that is Baseball.Likewise, an occasional excursion of 2 or 3 hours into the darkened auditoriums of the Cinema. The presence of a Radio in just about everyone's house hold kept Depression Era America at once attuned to World's Events and provided many a Drama and (especially) Comedy Shows for a pleasant interlude from harsh reality.The literature of the time also flourished at all levels. The juvenile reading habits helped to create the Comic Book as we know it, what with all the fantastic characters and super exciting adventures. But the Comic Book just did not magically appear, all fully developed with all the colorful 4 color pages, all by itself. There were mediums that were ancestral to them. Obviously,the Newspaper Comic Strip was one parent, providing the visual/narrative method of story telling.The other direct ancestor was the Pulp Magazine. The inexpensive, prose story publications that carried a great deal of stories of the same adventure characters in on going, though not necessarily serialized, tales. The pulp medium had been around for some decades and introduced us to Edgar Rice Borrough's TARZAN and Johnston McCulley's ZORRO. The 1930's brought forth a bumper crop as feature characters like THE SHADOW, THE AVENGER, G8's BATTLE ACES and THE SPIDER,MASTER of MEN all found their way to the news stands, among many others.One other was DOC SAVAGE, a full-blooded super hero of the written story; the covers of the pulps had perhaps, the only "picture" of the hero. Possessing extraordinary strength, super keen senses and a protean genius class intellect, Doc was the prototype Super Hero.He also assembled 5 of his former Army Buddies into a small, free lancing team of adventurers. Each of them was an expert in a given field. So we had a top rated: Chemist, Lawyer, Construction Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geologist-Archaeologist-Paleontologist, etc.The Doc Savage stories were very popular in the 1930's and '40's, and were published into the middle '50's. Then they went into a hiatus for a good 12-15 years. Then the brainstorm came about to repackage the old novels in new "container", the paperback book. A fresh look to the cover art was introduced, featuring a highly stylized series of paintings of a very muscular Doc, with a perpetually ripped shirt.The re-introduction proved to be highly successful, with the publication of a title a month (and for a while more). Soon, there was a rumor of a Doc Savage movie! But when, by what Producer? Well, the venerable "Man of Bronze" was back on the news stands for over 10 years before any real project got put together. It was veteran Stop-action Animator and Producer of top Special Effects films, Geoprge Pal, who did the film along with Warner Brothers.When DOC SAVAGE, MAN OF BRONZE arrived in the Movie Houses, it boasted of a well casted team of actors, albeit a largely "No Name" as far familiarity with the viewers. With former Tarzan of TV,Ron Ely's nearly perfect casting in the lead, up and coming Beauty of a Starlette, Pamela Hensley in the female lead and veteran character Paul Wexler (as the villainous, Captain Seas); no other name would have been recognized. And, just maybe that was a plus in this case.The story does a fine job of both getting most of the audience acquainted with the incredible group and at the same time get a plot going. Use of narration, by Paul Frees, and short film clips are the method pursued to move the introduction along to the main body of the story.From the very start, there are hints that this story will go with the same sort of manufactured "Camp" humor as the Batman TV series. Some really great looking early scenes involving Doc and the whole crew doing their individual specialties are thrown toward humor by the Paul Frees narration and the unexpected, unlikely outcomes. (For Example, an experiment of Doc's with a miniature rocket/missile turns out to be part of a method of catching fish, a small one at that.) The whole story unfolds like that, hitting the viewer with a little 'Camp' every so often, as to keep reminding us not to take it too seriously. We are also puzzled about Mr. George Pal's being the Producer(his last). He who had been so well known for Special Effects, surely a factor that could be put to good use in a sci-fi action setting of the Pulp Character's world.I can remember seeing it quite vividly. Mrs. Ryan (Deanna) was in the Hospital, just having given birth to our 2nd child, Michelle(08/14/75). Our older girl, Jennifer, was visiting her Grandmother, so after visiting hours were over in the Maternity Ward, it was straight over to the old Marquette Theatre, 63rd & Kedzie, here in Chicago.Having seen it and being a guy with a good familiarity with Doc, I was sort of let down by the final product. I could accept a little of this 'Camp' business, but would not have objected if Mr.Pal would have seen fit to let it all hang out and have some real neat Dinosaurs and Volcanoes to give it all a little more Pulp/Comic/Serial type excitement.And yet, the cast, headed-up by Mr. Ely and the others, made the whole film likable, if not lovable. The sets and locations were, as far as we can see, very much like those of a '30's serial or adventure flick which would be enjoyable to about anyone.And maybe that's just what they were trying for with this DOC SAVAGE, MAN of BRONZE.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, brother...after hearing about this ridiculous film for umpteen years all I can think of is that old Peggy Lee song.."Is that all there is??" ...I was just an early teen when this smoked fish hit the U.S. I was too young to get in the theater (although I did manage to sneak into "Goodbye Columbus"). Then a screening at a local film museum beckoned - Finally I could see this film, except now I was as old as my parents were when they schlepped to see it!!The ONLY reason this film was not condemned to the anonymous sands of time was because of the obscenity case sparked by its U.S. release. MILLIONS of people flocked to this stinker, thinking they were going to see a sex film...Instead, they got lots of closeups of gnarly, repulsive Swedes, on-street interviews in bland shopping malls, asinie political pretension...and feeble who-cares simulated sex scenes with saggy, pale actors.Cultural icon, holy grail, historic artifact..whatever this thing was, shred it, burn it, then stuff the ashes in a lead box!Elite esthetes still scrape to find value in its boring pseudo revolutionary political spewings..But if it weren't for the censorship scandal, it would have been ignored, then forgotten.Instead, the "I Am Blank, Blank" rhythymed title was repeated endlessly for years as a titilation for porno films (I am Curious, Lavender - for gay films, I Am Curious, Black - for blaxploitation films, etc..) and every ten years or so the thing rises from the dead, to be viewed by a new generation of suckers who want to see that "naughty sex film" that "revolutionized the film industry"...Yeesh, avoid like the plague..Or if you MUST see it - rent the video and fast forward to the "dirty" parts, just to get it over with.$LABEL$ 0 +Big spoiler right here: this film is B!A!D! But enjoy, it's good bad.Bugged is the kind of film you can't believe exists, with dialog, plotting, and direction so ineptly handled that Uncle Ned's Carlsbad Cavern home video looks like an IMAX experience. Since it's a Troma flick, there's plenty of gross-out gore on tap, but its even sillier than usual.Most of the production money seems to have gone into buying soda and sandwiches for cast and crew. The brilliant dialog is best summed up in the immortal, "%@#$! What was that?" which is second only to the oft screamed, "Now what?"Any knowledge of how people act in a desperate situation is alien to Ronald Armstrong, the writer/director. When one of the friends is found being eaten alive by a grasshopper/termite/chiapet thing, Armstrong has the survivors immediately making time with cute, but dumb-as-a-doorknob, "Divine." While she's being hit on, Divine is cooking up a big steaming pot of a rat-poison/oatmeal mixture on the stove, stirring, smiling, stirring, smiling, never falling over dead from the fumes!The killer bugs are as frightening as piñatas, which they too closely resemble. The effects used to move them include dragging them across tile floors real fast with their legs dragging behind.The highlight for the film would probably have been the house blowing up, but they were either out of cash or never had any, so instead of seeing even a miniature go up in flames, they simply let the screen go black (eat you heart out ILM).The cast is virtually all black. How can the NAACP consistently censor something truly funny like Amos and Andy (which depicts characters certainly no less similiar than those on 99% of all white comedy shows), but says nary a peep about something like Bugged. Oh well, it's best they don't know about how demeaning this film is to all involved (as it would be if it were played by any single ethnic group, frankly). Before they put the kabosh on Bugged, get some friends together and get ready for the Plan 9 of Bug Exterminator movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Fantastic movie! One of the best film noir movies ever made. Bad guys, bad girls, a jewel heist, a twisted morality, a kidnapping, everything is here. Jean Servais has a face that would make Bogart proud and the rest of the cast is is full of character actors who seem to to know they're onto something good. Get some popcorn and have a great time.$LABEL$ 1 +I have been a Jodie Foster fan ever since we were both kids, from her Disney years. I loved her tomboy antics in films like Candleshoe."Foxes" was such a huge departure from all of that.Where other young female actors of that era turned to sexual puerility disguised as comedy ("Little Darlings", anyone?), Jodie went for a depressing and tragic tale of teens dragged to their demise by the powerful allure of temptation and addiction.This was not Disney. This was not Porky's. This was not "Halloweed". This was a dark & powerful story of the destruction of young lives. Sadly it's a tale that still plays out on a daily basis all over the country, this film could be replayed (with a current soundtrack) and still be wholly relevant.It's not the best film ever made, it is tired at some parts, not all the performances are particularly outstanding. But Jodie Foster continued to show her chops as a real adult actor (a trend started when she was very young in Taxi Driver).7 out of 10 Barky$LABEL$ 1 +It's hard to top this movie in several ways. Everything works really well here; the casting, acting, script, and cinematography are all first-rate. For the moviegoer, it's a moving, violent story of love and human redemption. For the film critic, there's plenty of sharp technique and technical merit. There are some tactical blunders, and as has been discussed on the boards, the ending lacks realism if one is rigorously formal with the CIA agent training angle. However, I took the ending as being more moving due to the fact that rather than pursue the CIA agent's pragmatic approach, Creasy basically commends his soul to the Ultimate without considering the consequences. Like Jesus Himself, Creasy becomes superhuman through his sacrifice, whether it actually makes pragmatic sense or not. In any case, I appreciated the fact that Creasy dispenses with conventional bourgeois morality and just caps the bad guys one by one in his methodical quest for justice, which actually results in redemption both for himself and the innocent. In any case, this film is very much worth watching if you're at all attracted to the genre. An excellent soundtrack, great writing, flawless casting, and solid performances across the board make this a top-100 (or better) film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was bad. This movie was horrible. The acting was bad. The setting was unrealistic. The story was absurd: A comet that appears once in eons is set to appear one night. Most of the world's population decided to watch this comet. Then, the next morning everyone but a select few of people has been turned to dust from the comet's radiation. People's clothes are still intact, there are plants which are still alive, but the people were turned to dust. No bones, nothing. Thats ridiculous. How can radiation incinerate people but leave their clothes and other biological substances intact?Even better, the comet mutated some people into zombie flesh eating monsters. Their makeup would not have even looked frightening to a newborn child. The Insane Clown Posse scare me more...and they're supposed to look stupid.Then there were the survivors. People who had been surrounded by steel when the comet passed were spared from zombie-dom and death. How can steel block a comet's radiation that supposedly incinerates people in their tracks?Equally insulting is the 60's horror music playing in the background through parts of the movie, or the 80's hair rock which serves no purpose in the film and makes you want to shoot your television.The stupidest part of the movie, however, are the characters it focuses on: two Valley Girls and Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager. These three characters were totally unrealistic. Who would go looting the day after an apocalypse with flesh eating mutants running everywhere? There were four 5 minute horror scenes in the entire movie, and most of them were dreams. In between these scenes is unsophisticated dialog which makes South Park seem intelligent. The silence in between the elementary dialog was painful. I could have made a better movie with four monkeys and a bag of Cheetos. Don't see this movie, ever.$LABEL$ 0 +The concept: show 4 families of diverse ethnicities in the Fairfax District of L.A. preparing for the family get-together at Thanksgiving. I loved Soul Food and How to Make an American Quilt {I think there's a law that Alfre Woodard has to be in all these movies) which similarly offered a pastiche of family traditions, and was prepared for a treat. Instead, I felt tricked. They trot out about 40+ characters, and all but two are one-note cliches with no finesse whatsoever. The writers and director should spend a few more years learning about life and learn how loving people of different generations actually do relate. Instead, you have a bunch of a**holes getting together on Turkey Day to act like extra-obnoxious a**holes. Now, to an extent, this is what Thanksgiving is all about. But, not this misguidedly. And why bother having Julianne Marguiles, then giving her absolutely nothing to do. This was a chore to get through, and Mercedes Ruehl is a standout, but I give it a 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +The various nudity scenes that other reviewers referred to are poorly done and a body double was obviously used. If Ms. Pacula was reluctant to do the scenes herself perhaps she should have turned down the role offer.Otherwise the movie was not any worse than other typical Canadian movies. As other reviewers have pointed out Canadian movies are generally poorly written and lack entertainment value, which is what most movies watchers are hoping to get. Perhaps Canadian movie producers are consciously trying to "de-commercialize" their movies but they have forgotten a very important thing - movies by definition are a commercial thing....$LABEL$ 0 +The movie is a very good movie.one of the best from Yash raj films.The direction is incredible.The screenplay is brilliant.The story is excellent.It tells about Rahul who is obssed of Kiran his college friend.He is a full blown psycho doing things like talking to his mother on a phone(anyway she died 15 years back) etc.Kiran is engaged to Sunil.Rahul does everything so he can get her.He even trys to kill Sunil but he survives it.He even goes to the place where they are going to their honeymoon.The movie is every nes delight.Shahrukh is superb,Juhi is fairly good,Sunny is average,Anupham is okay and so is Tanvi,Dalip did good.The movie belongs to Srk.The dialogues are brilliant(Shahrukh ones and a lot if not the overacting and comedy)."Jaadu Teri Nazar" and "Tu Mere Samne" are absolutely melodious tracks.$LABEL$ 1 +Actor Herman José plays the role of a football of a soccer entrepreneur that acquires the pass of two African players and tries to sell them for very little money to the rival club of the Benfica (club of its heart),FC Porto, therefore these players did not play well, and it wanted that the FC Port was wronged with this. But what happens is that these two players after all are good and FC Porto sell them for much money to a foreign club, making a good business. The film, for a small country as Portugal, without great antecedents in great films, is a very good and funny comedy, showing all the rivalry that exists between North/South of Portugal (FC Porto/Benfica). Highly recommended$LABEL$ 1 +Planet Earth has suffered a terrible environmental disaster so humanity now survives underground split in to different religious cults . What caused the catastrophe ? I have no idea ? why is humanity split in to different ecclesiastical factions ? I have no idea . Since the surface of the Earth can no longer support human life how are the humans able to grow crops in order to feed the population ? I have no idea . What sort of producer thought this screenplay deserved to receive funding ? I have no idea SHEPHERD is one of these films that creeps up late at night on cable channels . The sort of film where you consult the IMBb to see if it has any merits . The number of people who've commentated on SHEPHERD on this page hasn't yet reached double figures and this is a film that was released nine years ago . Perhaps the people who have never seen it are the lucky ones ? As for the rest of the plot it's very routine . Grumpy former cop Boris Dakota whose wife and child died several years previously meets a woman and her child and it's up to him to save their lives , almost like a futuristic western . Throw in a former wrestler who now runs the God channel , a fascist Christian bloke who's trying to snuff out Boris , a ventriloquist , some T&A for the sake of it and you've got a mess of a film . I guess after seeing this Neil Marshall's DOOMSDAY is possibly a masterwork of cinema in comparison$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a pleasant surprise because I didn't expect much. I didn't know that some of the actors have since become bigger stars in major pix. While moving on to the Matrix is not a plus in my book (hated it), I'm sure it's a career plus for Hugo. James Purefoy is great in this and Jennifer Ehle sweet and wonderful. It seemed sometimes like a Carnaby street romp 30 years later but I enjoyed the thrift shop Janis Joplin clothes mixed up with the modern mindsets of sexual and gender blur. The real estate agent who has an erotic relationship with his listings is loads of fun. The Iron John mens' group meetings are a bit dated but I still loved them. It's a social satire sex comedy in the best way and reminds me a bit of the old "Carry On" movies. The British know how to do sex comedy and it's an old tradition, unlike the United States which is too prudish to really understand that sex is funny.$LABEL$ 1 +The cast is excellent, the acting good, the plot interesting, the evolvement full of suspense...but it is hard to cram all those elements into a film that is barely 80 minutes long. If more time was taken to develop the plot and subplots, it would have a much better effect. Another 30 minutes of substance would have made this a very good film rather then just a good one.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit to enjoying bad movies. I love them I watch all of them. Horror especially. My friends and I all gather after a hard week at school and work, rent some crazy tapes, order a pizza and have a blast. This one had a great box, so I was expecting less than usual.The story is about a housing project that is built over a nuclear facility that has had the above-ground layers bulldozed, and the other underground layers are simply covered up. The inhabitants of this neighborrhood find the covered up facility when some kids fall into a hole inside a cave. This wakes up some zombies.From this point on, it's chunk-city. The gore effects and action never stop until the end credits roll.OK, it's not great art, but this one, with its in-joke dialogue and over-the-top gruesome stuff was our favorite of the evening. Actually, it was one of the best "party tapes" I have ever had the pleasure of watching. And you could tell it was done on no money, with a bunch of crazy people. There are hundreds of zombies, and the Director looks like Brendan Frazer (he has a cameo) and it is just a wild trip.$LABEL$ 1 +The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team! This is a good Three Stooges short. It funny and its cast includes Christine McIntyre,Symona Boniface, Gino Corrado, Fred Kelsey, Sam Flint, Chester Conklin, Theodore Lorch, Lynton Brent, Judy Malcolm, Vernon Dent, John Tyrrell, Heinie Conklin, and Bess Flowers. The Stooges performed very well in this short! I recommend this one!$LABEL$ 1 +Dorothy Stratten is the only reason to watch this unfunny sci-fi spoof, and her appearance is a disappointment. Though she has the title role, her screentime is limited, and she only speaks a few lines of dialogue. If you're not a Stratten fan, pass this one up.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was terrible. The plot sucked, the acting was bad, the editing was inept and this movie makes me want to poke my eyes out. I wish I had the time I spent watching this movie back. The balloon scene was stupid, the Mormon jokes are really old, the soundtrack sucked, I saw no chemistry between the two leads, it's full of stereotypes, stupid local "celeb" cameo's..most noted was Del "I'm going to drive as fast as I want to.." computer idiot. What is worst is that these actors had to play themselves on the spiritual side and even they screwed that up. This movie help create a long line of lackluster efforts to mainstream LDS beliefs into Hollywood. I.E. The RM, Church ball, etc. etc. I would forgo watching this movie and instead run head first into a brick wall. You will be more entertained than watching this poor excuse for a show.$LABEL$ 0 +Let's start by the simple lines. From the viewer's side, there a couple of good "director details", some points of view at the movie scenes that are nice. The special effects are good enough, a good acting/good scenery also. But the story is way too simple. It shows how a elite Army bomb squad unit lives, acts and sometimes dies. It shows the drama of living in war. In my movie experience as a serious action movie "addicted" guy, I missed that click that gets my eyes and mind stuck on the screen. One of the things that need to be present in a movie in order to I consider it a good one is the ability of immerse the viewer in the movie reality and time. It didn't happened to me. I stayed "conscious", for the entire movie.Honestly speaking, I think that this movie gained its place in fame based on the "subconscious" appeal of American patriotism, a healthy and genuine feeling, but not the adequate use as a movie fame generator. More than a movie about war, it grows its popularity based on that.A simple thought: if this was a world war II or I movie, only changing time, with everything remained the same, would it be this awarded? Sure not. Why? Because there are great ones that elevate the bar way to high.Compared against its rivals in the Oscars, I don't think that all of the prizes it won are correctly awarded.$LABEL$ 0 +Terrible...just terrible. Probably the worst film I have ever seen. And I did see some pretty bad pictures, throughout the years. The sound sucks so does the quality of the picture, the direction, the acting...etc, etc. The only good shoots( meaning funny, because they're so bad ) are the special effects. Overall there are about 5 minutes worth of laughs. The rest of the flick gives you brain damage.$LABEL$ 0 +This very forced attempt to fuse Robert Altman and Quentin Tarantino (who is wildly overrated himself) is neither informative nor entertaining. The character development is arbitrary and unbelievable -- especially in the final scene of the thugs and the little boy, as other reviewers have noted. Also, a couple of humorous moments aside, the film is not as funny (black humor or otherwise) as the director seems to think it is.$LABEL$ 0 +There are other movies about boarding schools and the antics of the students and staff, but "The Belles of St. Trinian's" towers above them all! The plot has been thoroughly summarized by other posters, so I won't cover the same ground. I just want to say that it's a shame that it's FINALLY out on DVD, but in a format that can't be used in the U.S.! :-( Enjoy, fellow fans in New Zealand and Australia! And if anyone reading this has any pull in such matters, PLEASE help get it released on DVD with Region 1 encoding! Also, is it possible to be notified via e-mail when (I won't say "if") it is released on DVD in the United States? Thanks!$LABEL$ 1 +Bad sequels.....this one's a real one! When the first movie was very very bad, you have to be fool to make a sequel.....Worse actors, worse scenario,worse special effects,worse movie!!! This is history! Bad history! I give it 0 and a half (for laughs) out of *****.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a fan of both actors/singers especially Gackt and when I first discover this movie and watch the trailer,I just think this is a silly one.After a long waiting time,I watched it at last and here's my comment...I consider everyone knows the storyline and not going to mention about it,instead of it my first applause goes to acting,generally that Japanese movies hasn't got brilliant and acting.Yet in MoonChild's all cast is simply wonderful and got into it,especially Gackt reflects his characters emotions and changes pretty well,I like many of his scenes both dramatic and humorous ones,as for HYDE part,his acting is good but he deliberately staying in background as an actor,respectively as his character do,throughout the movie.I didn't like some cinematography especially lighting and some colors but due to small budget,it still has brilliant moments,but the real jewel of the film is story.It has some cheesy moments but it's OK for me,and the friendship theme of the movie is really well developed and touching at sometimes,on the other hand story points out a cruel world which no ones life guaranteed and with some memorable death scenes it reflects this theme to the visuals.An interesting note aside,this movie has some similarities with excellent vampire movie Interwiew with the Vampire which is also played by the most beautiful(not handsome,beautiful)actors of American cinema,actually Moon Child is somehow can be seen as brother with Interwiew,yet original on it's own.Only problem that MoonChild is it's a bit slow sometimes,I'm a Japanese movie fan and I used to that but it's not change MoonChild has some useless scenes or characters.But all in all;this movie is really good and very emotional sometimes,as for actors/singers duo I hope to see their other movies in future,and I recommend this to everyone who likes vampire-action-sci-fiction and romance films 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +VIVAH is in my book THE BEST MOVIE OF 2006 ! PERIOD !!. In my book it is one of the best 100 movies EVER MADE IN Bollywood. Its sad that this movie doesn't have that many reviews and isn't having that much popularity. VIVAH is once again a true achievement from a director who DOES it again. After HAHK and Maine Pyar Kiya Sooraj has once again pulled off a brilliant one VIVAH. This is the most simple and cute movies that I've seen this year. After seeing Don 2 which was CRAP and later Dhoom 2 which even beat Don in that matter, I finally see a movie which is so close to my heart and my culture.I don't know why Bollywood is moving away from the beautiful culture which we have and are making Hollywood remake style crap movies like Dhoom 2 and don. The story is beautiful and relates much to the Indian system of Arranged marriage which I too would like to be a part of. Our system which teaches us to obey elders, follow them and of course obey their thoughts is so brilliantly shown in this movie!. Of course there isn't any force in choosing your life partner and it should be a brief meeting between the couple and its up to them to decide as it is brilliantly shown in this movie. Coming back to the movie.....VIVAH is a story of Journey between the beautiful period of Engagement and marriage. The phase where the guy meets the girl !....Both understand each other ..Both try to assess if they could love each other for Seven generations (as our system says) and the various which occur during marriages.Amrita Rao is brilliant in the movie.......Shahid is OK.....and Alok Nath and Anupam Kher are awesome !! The songs are BRILLIANT. ! I especially like the HAMARI SHAADI MAIN HAFTE REH GYE CHAAR and Do Anjaane Ajnabi ......Overall A MUST SEE for anyone who still believes in the Indian culture and tradition and I certainly do !.Go see this movie......I just have to say one word.......BLISS !.$LABEL$ 1 +This infamous ending to Koen Wauters' career came to my attention through the 'Night of Bad Taste'. Judging by the comment index i wasn't the first and i am not to be the last person in Western Europe to learn that this musician (undoubtedly one of the best on our contemporary pop scene, even the Dutch agree on that) tried to be an actor. Whether he should have made the attempt or not cannot be judged. In 'Intensive Care' he's quite likable, but he seems to be uncomfortable with the flick in which he is participating. No one can blame him. It deserves its ranking in Verheyen's Hall of Fame by all means & standards. The story of the Murderous Maniac Who is Supposed To Have Died In An Accident But Is Alive And Wrathful has been told dozens of times before, and even without original twists a director can deliver a more than mediocre story through innovative settings and cinematography. IC contents itself with a hospital wing and a couple of middle class houses. The pace is dull. The tension looses the last bit of its credibility to the musical score, for every appearance of the murderer is accompagnied by a tedious menacing melody, followed by orchestral outbursts during the murders, which or largely suggested and in any case as bloodless as a small budget can make them. The sex scene is gratuitous but not in the least appealing. The couple from Amsterdamned could have made it work, though. While dealing with the couple subject : the whole subplot between Wauters and the girl does not work. A more effective emotional connection could have been established on screen if they had just been fellow victims-to-be, who loosen their nerves halfway through physical intercourse. I will not even grant the other cast members the dignity of a mentioning, for they should all have been chopped up into tiny greasy pieces. As a matter of fact, most of them do. The ones i recall where obvious for the genre : a pretty nurse and two cops. Hence, in a slasher, the cavalry only comes in time to need rescue itself. The (anti-) hero has to take out the villain, mostly through clever thinking, for former red berets don't often get parts in these films; they might overcome the illusion of invincibility that surrounds the killer. Translated to the events, Wauters kills the doctor and saves the dame in distress. No people, i am not finished. This is not how the story goes. Wauters makes his heroic attempt but gets beaten up with a fury that comes close to "A Clockwork Orange", so it is up to the girl to pick up the driller killer act and pierce through the doctors brains. Though this method ensures the killer's death more than the usual rounds of 9mm bullets, the doctor survives in order to enable IC to reach the 80 min mark.I should have made my point by now. Intensive Care is a bad movie, which can only be enjoyed by Bad Taste lovers, who can verify Verheyen's catchy statements and make some up for themselves and that way try to sit through it. For example, the (unintended) parody value of the doctor's clown mask (Halloween) and the final confrontation in the park (the chase at the end of Friday the 13th).However, let me conclude by giving an overview by a few measly elements which give IC a little credit. George Kennedy is not one of them. All he has to do is endure a horrible monologue by a fellow doctor/French actor and look horrified when they let him go down in flames in order to tag his big name on a stand-in. He could have played his Naked Gun part again, to end up as beef, but with a longer screen time. The finale may be one of them. I had never seen a maniac being brought down by launching fireworks into his guts in order to crush him against a flexible fence. It is good for a laugh.Name one good truly point about Intensive Care ... Koen Wauters learned his lesson and devoted himself entirely to his musical career. It makes me wonder how many editions of the Paris-Dakar race he has to abort before coming to his senses.$LABEL$ 0 +Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober) is a disciple of Satan / serial killer who possesses the "First Power": even after being captured by detective Russell Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips) and executed in the gas chamber, he is able to move his spirit from body to body and continue to murder at will. With the help of attractive psychic Tess Seaton (Tracy Griffith, Melanie G.'s half-sister) he attempts to stop Channing.This concept probably had some possibilities, I think, but ultimately "The First Power" suffers from routine scripting and film-making. This is nothing we haven't seen before, sometimes done better. There is nothing about this movie to distinguish it from other supernatural horror thrillers. More to the point, it's not very thrilling and it certainly isn't scary. Phillips is a hard sell as a tough-as-nails, cynical cop stereotype, and Griffith doesn't seem to be trying very hard; best cast member is probably the distinctively featured Kober, doing his best to be supremely creepy.The climax is rather silly and the ending very weak.Not really even acceptable enough to rate as an average film of its kind, therefore:4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Don't get me wrong, the movie is beautiful, the shots are stunning, and the material is dramatic. However, it was a big disappointment and I actually left very angry at what Disney had done.BBC's Planet Earth was all of the above and more. It was subtle. It had an overall feeling of balance and showed the full circle of life and death. There was tragedy and triumph, loss and gain. It was balanced.Disney's edit of Earth is none of this. They tried to make it a movie us Americans would talk about. They made it DRAMATIC. They put an over the top musical score there to frighten us. They made predators evil. They made WALRUSES evil. They showed every encounter as negative. It tried to be suspenseful and succeeded, but at the expense of the lesson of balance. The movie was an hour and a half of negative portrayal and only about 10 minutes of positive.I am all for preventing global warning, but this was over the top political and environmental junk.That's another thing, I went to see it on the big screen, but was disappointed in the picture quality. It looked better on my TV at home.If you want to see something like this and get the whole picture, go out and buy, rent, or borrow the BBC's Planet Earth series. It is better lessons, better sound, and (if you have Blu-Ray)better picture quality.$LABEL$ 0 +I went to Crooked Earth to see a piece of New Zealand. What I found was a badly scripted and badly acted echo of the people I know.Great moments between characters – including many of Temuera Morrison and Lawrences Makoares scenes together – were often ruined by long and wordy monologues that the actors were forced to stumble through. Beautiful and ill-fitting phrases rattled away from Lawrence in particular as if he were the new Maori Messiah at his pulpit of beer crates.When watching any film with Maori actors, I've found that I can always pick a half dozen characters that remind me of someone in my life. With Crooked Earth I struggled to find one key character that rung true for the entire two hours. Most – including Wiremu and Peka – wound up saying or doing things that I didn't understand and couldn't connect with. By the end of the movie the writer had succeeded in alienating the audience where the Maori weren't able to relate to it and the Pakeha were therefore given license to dismiss it. My feeling is that the movies message – or at least the main one of several that was being lobbed at the audience – is important enough to avoid using character extremities. Unfortunately, no one who read the script before it was filmed thought to pass this piece of advice on.The soundtrack was invasive, and, as irritating as that horrible `bing-bong' noise that they laced through `Eyes Wide Shut'. The audience was not so subtly auto-cued to laugh, cry or be angry when the music changed. It reminded me of Darth Vader's entrance music in Star Wars: obvious and mildly amusing.I think that there are some people out there that might enjoy this film. It's funny in parts, has a fair amount of action and has some really powerful scenes. Calvin Tuteao and Quentin Hita did bang up jobs as well. As a whole though, I didn't enjoy the experience as much as I know I should have. Barb Wire, Speed 2, The Island of Dr Moreau and Crooked Earth look like they're going to be Tem's quartet of crap.$LABEL$ 0 +An apt description by Spock of an all-powerful fop into whose clutches fall the crew of the Enterprise. This was one sector of space our starship should have avoided: first Sulu & Kirk simply disappear off the bridge; a landing party follows them to the surface of an unknown planet and encounter Trelane, a seemingly aristocratic man dressed in attire from an Earth of many centuries past. But he demonstrates abilities of someone or something far beyond human and doesn't register on McCoy's medical tricorder. The officers manage to escape back to the ship but, like some bad cosmic penny, Trelane keeps popping up. He brings them all back, including some female companionship, to continue his games. The dilemma now takes on elements of 'The Most Dangerous Game' out in space and there's an exasperating, even infuriating aspect to the crew's utter helplessness before such unbridled power.What really makes this a great episode is the memorable performance by guest star Campbell as the overpowering but not all-knowing alien. His character is obviously an early version of Q, who was introduced 20 years later in the pilot for the TNG series. Trelane's confrontation scene with Spock stands out among all the strange drama which unfolds. As usual, Kirk quickly begins to look for possible weaknesses in his new nemesis, despite being quite outmatched. The answers to exactly what or who Trelane is are right in front of us the whole time so, when we do learn the truth, it makes complete sense in view of Campbell's pitch-perfect acting. He indulges himself constantly, preening before some unknown audience, remarking on things with a flair which is infectious but not quite right - we can't quite pin it down at first, but there's something missing here. Every few minutes, his tone becomes sinister and the crew now appears to be in serious danger. In a way, you can't take your eyes off him, always waiting to see what he does next. Actor John de Lancie captured that similar tone as Q on the Next Generation series.$LABEL$ 1 +Going into this movie I knew two things about it. I knew that it was a real extreme flick, and I knew that it was somewhat artsy. Both appeal to me in their own right, but when placed together it can be something truly unique. And this was damn right, without a doubt, unique. Like I said above, it is an artsy film. The way they used some intense sound, it reminded me a lot of an Aronofsky film. Visually I haven't seen anything like it. The cinematography and lighting were done very well. The movie seriously uses visuals and sounds better than anything I've seen in a while. Especially when you consider the experience these young filmmakers had (couple 20 year olds), you really have to take your hat off to them.The movie isn't easy to describe or even discuss. There isn't an actual story….you could say it revolves around the right and left side of the brain and how they control your life…I think. It's four segments, or four ideas brought alive through visual and auditory extremes. There is some talking hear and there, but it's mostly a non-speaking film.The first segment is the shortest and it revolves a naked body and an eyeball. Try and guess what happens….wrong. The second segment is my favorite. It involves a brother and a sister (who looks a little like Sarah Silverman, but with bigger boobs). The brother is crazy and the sister is somewhat of a whore. I would say this is the most extreme of all the segments, and the most well made. The gore effects in this one were great. The third segment revolves around a bunch of naked people sexing it up with mother earth. It's probably considered the weakest of the bunch, but still is smart and well made. The fourth segment is probably the strongest of the film and I'd also say the deepest. For myself I'll have to view this a couple times to understand what's truly being said. I know that it tackles Christianity in a way that would most likely make your mother feint or throw up….give it a try.Subconscious Cruelty was recommended to me and I'm proud to say this is now in my movie collection. It's extreme, violent, gory, very sexual and surprisingly pretty damn thought provoking. The next line I'm about to say has been used in almost every review I've read for this film. "This movie is not for everyone." Now ain't that the truth. If you're into extreme films and/or you're just a lover of film that wants to see something different….check this out. 8 1/2 outta 10$LABEL$ 1 +After seeing this film I complained to my local cinema about the quality of the sound-track or whether the cinema sound system may be faulty. For at least the first half of the film it is extremely difficult to understand what anyone is saying because of the background 20's music and the scratchiness of the sound-track. I was ready to blame the cinema equipment but not so - it was the Director.I was told the subject of my complaint was an essential part of the making of the film. The music and the sound was supposed to be distorted to create a very disturbing effect within the film. These days, directors will go to many lengths to make their film unique. Unfortunately, no matter where or how you see that film the sound score will be the same.So apart from the historical inaccuracies of this film (which you can find out for yourself elsewhere) the sound-track distortions are in themselves a good reason to give this film a miss. You will only hear the distorted scratchiness of the sound-track and certainly not a cat's meow.$LABEL$ 0 +If this film doesn't at least be selected for an oscar nominee for best foreign film I'm going to stop waking at nights watching the event. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson has proven that money isn't the key to making a good movie but originality. Out of a cold country comes a warm but thought-provoking film of a mentally ill man and his struggle against an insane world. After an insight like this, you question whether or not the man is crazy or the world he lives in.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a fantastically funny footie film. Why won't they show it again? Tim Healy was superb, as were all the players. Direction was inspired, and some of the gags were matchless. The sloping pitch had me on the floor. Show it again, ITV, so I can video it!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Pretty incoherent movie about a man who belonged to and left a 1960s superficially hippie religious cult, who fights them sixteen years later. The man has a child with one of the other cultists, who during a raid by the police is hidden away, and taken by another man named Hawk who lives in a small cabin by the river. The cult kills some of its followers or some of the people in town. It's hard to keep track of who characters are, or what time period the scenes are supposed to be taking place. The leader gets paroled sixteen years later (I got that from the box - I missed the amount of time in the movie). Nobody is made to look any older, not noticeably, anyway.One murder is done with a large circular logging saw, others are done with knives or a crossbow. I never heard the title character's name mentioned in the movie, but he's the one who overacts the most, hooting and hollering.The movie is patched together pretty poorly, with voice-over helping (not much) to explain what is going on. Some of the sound effects were pretty bad. A man is getting punched, and we hear the sound of a whip cracking. A woman fires a gun, and we don't hear it fire, but hear a ricochet instead! It doesn't seem to have been done for comical effect.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this by mistake. I thought, after a cursory examination of the box, that this was a time-travel/sci-fi story. Instead, it's a "Christian" story, and I suppose is fairly typical example. If you are sold on the message you probably will overlook the awkwardness of the plot/acting/etc., but I found it rather painful. I have to admit that I'm bothered by the rewriting of history in this story. It paints the 1890's as some sort of paradise of family values and morality (a character is aghast that 5% of marriages end in divorce!), but it overlooks very unsavory sides of this "highly moral" society (rigid racial, sexual, and social discrimination were widespread, for instance). And at one point the hero complains to a clothing store owner about things that sound not all that different than the complaints of some Iranian leaders about women's clothing styles (as reported in a recent WSJ).Overall, thought, I suppose that it's the sort of thing you'll like if you like this sort of thing, and it's certainly wholesome...$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great short. i think every voice is done by jason steele. (you can only just barely tell if you've heard his normal voice though, so don't worry about them sounding the same. they don't.) its about 15 minutes long.edward the spatula is fighting the war against spoons and he meets some weird people. in fact, everyone he knows seem pretty crazy. "edward!" "general peterson, we have to get you to a medical unit!" "no, I'm not gonna make it edward." "dont talk like that, I'm sure you'll be fine." "im a goner edward, and you know it. before i go-" "yes?" "can i just have... one kiss?" "umm, no." "come on, just one, small, peck on the lips?" "im walking away now sir."there's gonna be movie pretty soon. the date for that is in September, but its probably gonna get pushed back.$LABEL$ 1 +I have no idea how a Texan (the director, Douglas McGrath) and the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow ever pulled this off but seeing this again will remind you what all the fuss about Ms. Paltrow was in the first place! I had long since gone off the woman and still feel she is rather dull in her Oscar-winning "Shakespeare In Love" performance but she gets all the beats right here--she is nigh on perfect as Emma Woodhouse. She may have won her Oscar for Shakespeare but she should be remembered for this.Of course, she's surrounded by a great supporting cast including Toni Collette, Greta Scacchi, Juliette Stevenson et al...Jeremy Northam is very appealing as the love interest, even if the script wallows a bit in his declaration of love to Paltrow (in the process, allowing all of the tension to drain out of their relationship); several years on, Ewan's hair is a little easier to take than it was in '96 and, personally, I find puckish Alan Cumming a grating presence in anything nowadays. But the standout is, without a doubt, Sophie Thompson (sister of Emma Thompson, daughter of Phyllida Law) as Miss Bates; what this version needs is a scene where Emma reconciles with Miss Bates, as she is the character to whose fate we are drawn. The film is worth watching (again even) for her performance alone.All in all, this has aged wonderfully with charm to spare and more than enough subtlety to sort out the British class system. Well worth a rental (because its unlikely that Paltrow will ever be this good again--but we'll always have Emma).$LABEL$ 1 +I saw a great clip of this film, which I'll talk about later, and then the cast list, and thought I might as well give it a go. Basically, a down-on-his-luck bartender, Randy (Matt Dillon), his cocky cousin Carl Harding (Paul Reiser) and murder investigation Detective Dehling (John Goodman) all have something in common, they have seen the girl of their dreams (whether married or not), and they would do anything to please and be with her, even die. All three met/saw her "one night at McCool's", the bar that Randy worked at, they have no knowledge of each other, but all three cannot stop thinking of Femme Fetale Jewel Valentine (The Lord of the Rings' Liv Tyler). All three are telling their stories to someone they hope will listen to their pretty intense and revealing stories, Randy talks to hit-man Mr. Burmeister (Michael Douglas, who co-produced the film), Carl to psychologist/psychiatrist Dr. Green (Reba McEntire) and Dehling to priest Father Jimmy (Richard Jenkins). They confess all details of what they have been willing to do, their sexual contact with her, and eventually they are all brought together in one place, all intent on being with her, and all involved with the final shootout that leaves one dead, one running away (and eventually dying) and one stunned, and the unexpected guy she chooses (but at the same time obvious, cos it's sex-obsessed Douglas). Also starring Andrew Dice Clay as Utah/Elmo and Sandy Martin as Bingo Vendor Woman. If I had to pick a favourite moment, it would definitely be what was mentioned at number 11 along with Cool Hand Luke on The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments, where Tyler copycats the woman washing the car with suds all over herself, and in front of Goodman, very sexy! Apart from that, not the most memorable film. Okay!$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this video because I like Malta and this movie was filmed in its entirety there. Very disappointing, since it fails to catch any of the flavor or beauty of the island - just the hot, dry, and barren elements. The movie was dull, boring, completely incoherent from beginning to end, pretentious, and devoid of any conceivable plot. You had to be a psychic to follow the plot line, or lack thereof. It had its moments, sure; but so does going to the dentist.In short, I'd much rather endure another colonoscophy before viewing this horrible mess again. It was so bad, I actually couldn't fall asleep. There are quite a few "Eurotrash" movies out there that were obviously made without adult supervision. This is one of them. On the bright side, who is Nadia Cassini? Never before have I seen a more beautiful set of legs. She is the one saving grace of this movie.Disturbing, too, was the cruel boar hunt depicted in the closing credits. A boar that was released on someone's property (Malta has very few native mammals; all of them small - rats, bats, etc.) and then set upon by dogs before it was shot. Oh, well - go visit Malta anyway despite this film - it's a beautiful, colorful island; rich in history and lots of fun.$LABEL$ 0 +The music and Laurence Olivier's sombre delivery set the tone perfectly for this outstanding documentary. This is still a must see for WW II buffs, descendants of the participants of that conflict, politicians who think things always go their way when they extend their foreign policy via the deck of an aircraft carrier (did you hear that George Bush?) and anyone else curious or needing to know the whys whos and hows of some aspect of that conflict. The 26 episodes are roughly in chronological order but can be seen out of sequence since they are more or less self contained. There is bound to be new insight for the new viewer because of the sheer volume presented. Actual footage of the battles is interspersed with interviews of those involved in the stories. Many of the interviews are with second line authorities, that is, support personnel to the main characters, privates, captains, secretaries, eyewitnesses and the like. You get a real upfront taste of what war is all about.I am presently watching the DVD version of the original television documentary. I strongly recommend this over the worn out, gaptoothed, overpriced VHS offerings available on eBay. I paid $120 Cdn for five 2-sided DVD discs. This new release includes bonus material and is in full screen mode. The menus are easy to follow, there is first a choice of which episode you want to view and then after selecting that you are given the option of various chapters in the episode or to play the whole episode. It is understandable with such a comprehensive presentation there is a tiny amount more of navigation in the menu but the impact of what you will see is not diminished after 30 years, nay, after 60 years since the war finished.I remember watching the first broadcast on the Buffalo PBS station just before moving from London in 1975 and wishing right from that time that I could have a copy. Now my wish has finally come true.See this documentary. Tell your friends. Buy a copy for your library. Remember and honour the sacrifices and challenges overcome by those from America, Russia, Britain, Canada and all the other nations and peoples involved in the final victory. What an eye opener.$LABEL$ 1 +Flatliners has all the ingredients of a good Joel Schumacher film - intelligent, youthful characters, stunning cinematography, a gripping story, and excellent performances. It's escapist fun but it's done very well and resonates with a positive spiritual message despite the unnerving precedings.Schumacher has a knack for spotting talented young actors, and all of the main five here have gone on to greater things (see the cast list). Their believable performances help to raise this movie well above average. Kiefer Sutherland shines in his egotistical med-student role.The cinematography really stimulates the right side of the brain, which is what I love about Schumacher; his use of light and location create images that stick. A disturbing nightmarish atmosphere is created which unsettles you while you watch the film and haunts you when you go to bed - reminded me of The Lost Boys.This is a film that takes an awesome premise - curious students want to find out what's after death, and successfully follows it through into a scary, gripping tale of redemption. One of Schumacher's best; highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +i have had this movie, in the back of my head sense i saw it. i have wanted to tell people about it time and again, but never remembered. now i found it. now finally, i can tell people precisely what the absolute worst, most crappy movie i have ever seen in my entire life, bar none is.this movie is complete trash, and is unfit for a garbage dump. all prints and other copy's of this movie should be rounded up loaded into a large rocket, and launched into the sun. only the purifying heat and pressure of the sun might be able to purify the materials this movie is stored on, so that they can be useful to the universe again.i like movies. i like bad movies. and yes this is an opinion. but this movie was pure trash, filth, and excrement of some beast that should never be seen let alone named by man.i would rather watch a Uwe Boll Movie marathon than watch this movie. and i hate Uwe Boll's films.$LABEL$ 0 +Films belonging to the "film noir" genre usually contain similar elements: a "deus ex machina" plot twist that drives the main character headlong into bedlam, a pretty but psychotic girl, a handsome but psychotic thug, lots of money, lots of brutality, and usually a denouement in the desert. Think "High Sierra" or "White Heat."There is plenty of hard-boiled bad film noir out there. But when film noir is good, you can't take your eyes off the train wreck of human lives.It is this latter tradition that "Blind Spot" belongs to. The film follows Danny Alton, a troubled teenager (superbly played with depth, grace, emotional integrity and downright plaintiveness by James Franco, who throws himself completely into this role) who has fallen in love with the rough-edged streetkid, Darcy.From the beginning, you know this is going to be bad.Darcy invites Danny to his house. But the house is empty and for sale, and a bloody check for thousands of dollars is on the floor. Danny is robbed of his clothing and possessions, but uses the check to track down the suicidal April -- Darcy's other lover. When they reach Darcy's real home, they find Wayne -- a thug hunting Darcy down for the money he's stolen. Together, the three manage to locate Darcy in a dusty, run-down motel in the desert. But that's only the beginning of the tale, as plastic explosives, drugs, gun-running, a creepy funeral home, bisexual assassins and a lonely half-finished house in the desert bring events to an explosive head in an alley outside a tattoo parlor in Los Angeles.This film contains some of the best noir cinematography I have seen in years. In one scene, Danny races on foot through the desert to the half-finished house in the desert where he believes Darcy may have been taken that evening by mobsters. A very long shot with sharp lighting effects shows Danny -- arms and legs flailing, palpable fear etched on his face (visible even at this distance), dust cloud trailing behind him as the wind whips in his direction -- racing across the desert flats toward the house. The loneliness, the desperation, the despair Danny feels is shocking depicted. There are many such scenes in this film, wonderfully crafted by the experienced Maximo Munzi. This is Oscar-winning material.The editing, too, is just astounding. The film contains little moments where the characters gain insight into themselves or their situation. Bits of time, where memory and feeling come flooding back. At these times, quick montages of images flash across the screen. This is superb editing by director-writer-editor Stephan Woloszczuk. In one early montage, Danny describes the wondrous feelings he has now that Darcy has entered his life. Quick images of Danny's diary flash across the screen: the words "4 life," "lucky" and "safe" stop momentarily, while page upon page of words, the contents of a human heart, race across the screen -- out of focus, too quick to read. It's like the flood of emotion Danny himself feels.The flood of images reveals something else about this film: Just how beautiful Nathaniel Waters' production design is. Darcy's quonset-hut home is the perfect match of high-tech and slob (a tribute to the attentiveness of set decorator Kimberly Foster). The stunning desert house scene is just outright creepy. The ruined motel where Darcy hides out can be found in any abandoned small town in America. The creepy (and astoundingly lit) funeral home where the plot takes a horrific turn mixes starkness with the pall of death hanging over the entire film. (It's too bad the film's lighting director is not credited.) This film has a superb production design, one that enhances every single frame and every actor's performance.That's the fourth element of this film which makes it grab you and hold on to you: The acting. James Franco is a superb actor. Even in "Spider-Man" -- where he was given practically nothing to do -- Franco showed that he understands human emotion like no other actor of his generation. He's no pretty-boy coasting on his good looks like Brad Pitt. Franco portrays deep emotion with full force. His performances contain pure human heart. Consider the scene in the phone booth outside the funeral home, where Danny collapses after telling April and Wayne that Darcy is dead. Lesser actors couldn't carry off the complete emotional breakdown of a human being. Franco does.Shawn Montgomery, in her first film, simply blows you away with her performance as the suicidal April. Deeply in love with Darcy, suffering from massive depression after having to bury alone her unborn child (after the fetus spontaneously aborts) in a perfume box in the woods, her life of luxury and perfection now a shambles: April is one of the best-drawn characters on film that I have ever seen. While Danny's relationship to Darcy is slowly teased out during the film, April's nervous breakdown is revealed only to the audience. Neither Danny nor Wayne seem particularly interested in her as a human being. April's despair when she realizes Danny has also been Darcy's lover is poignant and potent, even if it is truncated by the character's complete inability to feel any emotion for very long now. Montgomery brings to April a pathos that puts your heart through the wringer.Mark Patrick Gleason is given the hardest job in the film: Having to make something human and real out of the thug, Wayne. At first, Wayne is simply one of any number of violent, foul-mouthed, obsessed drug-pushers/gun-runners that appears in any number of films (from "Kindergarten Cop" to "Beverly Hills Cop 2"). Gleason does very well with what he's given, but he doesn't quite get to where you feel much for Wayne. It's difficult to say whether this is Gleason's problem or the material's. There is one moment -- where Wayne (who is Darcy's brother, although neither Danny nor April know this) reads Danny's diary and realizes the sexual and emotional link between the two men -- where you just know that Wayne is going to go homophobic on Danny's ass. But the explosion never comes. (Thank god! Trite plots are death to film noir.) Once the revelation about the siblings comes at the film's end, the audience is fairly astounded to realize the depth of love and compassion Wayne truly felt for Darcy -- so deep that Wayne accepted Danny's homosexual love for his bisexual brother. But this all happens off-screen. Gleason is never given a chance to act out Wayne's feelings. It must have been very frustrating for the performer.The story is rather inventive, although the smuggling device seen at the end of the film is likely to remind viewers of "Diamonds Are Forever" (yes, James Bond). A traditional narrative voice-over (which proves Franco is as great a voice talent as he is a physical actor) provides terrific atmosphere, although it does tend to flow over into schmaltz a few times toward the end of the film (providing some unintentional laughter). Terrific locales play key visual roles in the film. Kudos to the location scout for finding such astounding buildings! The end of the film struck me as a bit rushed; not pat, but a little too firm for my film noir tastes.Now, I've seen audiences either hate or love "Blind Spot." Modern film audiences, exposed to the most extreme brutality and violence, often have little appreciation for the subtleties of film noir. My suggestion is to take a small group of friends who don't see despair, emotional collapse, desperation or depression as laughable. Take them to a small theater, where they can glory in the spectacle of the film's vision, but where their viewing won't be ruined by a crowd of people who won't recognize good film noir. Get them some popcorn (trust me, they'll be so engrossed they won't finish it), get them a soda, and let them be overwhelmed. Go some place bright and cheery afterward, to wash the grime and awfullness out of your soul. Because this film is so good at making you feel, you'll need that restorative.$LABEL$ 1 +It's great how this movie pulls you along. I had honest laughs. Don't care that it's low budget cause the thing works for me. To be honest my wife didn't really go for it in the same way but she prefers a different type of film. She did admit though that it was very creative and well put together and probably all on a shoe string. These characters who's lives are strange and troubled give me something to relate to in my own world. Just keep going and be who you are. Dreams are what you make of them. In watching this movie a second and third time I realized that there are some hidden moments that passed by me on the first time through. What can I say, I like my fun with some complexity. Anyway liked it. Hope to see more.$LABEL$ 1 +i rented this when it came out on video cassette in 1995. After rewatching it again,my idea about it hasn't changed much.i was an adult then and i'm still an adult now!lolThe illogical elements mentioned by other reviewers didn't bother me. This isn't a documentary,it's a fantasy story where animals can talk!While i didn't care for much of the songs,i liked the one at the end of the picture where it's sang by barry manilow and another person.Some people seem to make an excuse for it's primitive animation by saying that CGI wasn't used often in animated features but let's not forget that THE LION KING was released about a year earlier and that packed possibly more excellence than any animated feature that came before it!!But i think it's pretty fair to say that THE PEBBLE AND THE PINGOIN was made on the cheap while THE LION KING wasn't....The high points for me in 1995 as well as today is the suspense generated by the few dangerous(mostly) underwater chase scenes.i also liked the opening scene which takes place on a music notes page and a little bit of the love story. But most of the time,the story dragged on and was boring.Worth a look if you like animation but if you're an adult and not a risk taker,go get another Walt Disney production instead of this!$LABEL$ 0 +The NSA, CIA, FBI, FSB and all other snoop agency in the world should watch this movie to gain information as to how to spy on people. (as MST3k Commentary states it..."Sanata has the dirt on every! Santa's Tentacles reach far and wide! There is no hiding from the Klaus Organization")From telescopes that can spy over millions of miles to ears that can hear everything. Its amazing that the CIA doesn't have Santa on the payroll. Satan's dance routine is hilarious. Pitch...he is so useless.The cheese factor in of this movie is tremendous. Very low budget but so fun to watch. I recommend watching the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 version for even more laughs.You even get a laugh at the missfortune of the good kids.I give this a 1 for production quality and a 10 for pure cheese and fun factor.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst films I have seen in a while.The problem is that it doesn't know whether it wants to be an intelligent political film, 'artistic' or an exercise is eroticism. As a result it fails on all accounts.The acting is atrocious, the narration off putting and the supposed symbolism pointless.Klaus Kinski is probably the best thing about this film but that isn't a good thing. Sure he has an intense and 'unique' look but ultimately he can't actually act. Just look at how he reacts when his mistress leaves....Really don't watch this film, some say it needs repeat viewings I say one is too many.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. It had it all--music, stories, a talking squirrel, and chuckling daisies. I wanted to be one of those hippie chicks singing and swinging on a swing. I'm 35 and I grew up in South Jersey, but we got three New York channels with our cable hook-up, and I think it was on Channel 11. They just don't make shows like this anymore (I know that makes me sound really old), and it blows my mind that I grew up with only 9 channels on our TV, but I could always find something cool to watch. I've only talked to one other person who actually heard of and watched this show. She's three years younger than me, and she grew up in North Jersey. I would love to see this series on DVD, so I could show it to my 5 year old daughter, and she could see what silly (but great) stuff her mom used to watch! I just found a VHS tape of a few episodes, and a music CD from the show on ebay, and I bought them right up, even though they were a little pricey. I can't wait to get them to re-live the great memories!$LABEL$ 1 +No more corned beef and cabbage for her!This little romantic comedy clips along from scene to scene with a few exotic twists (some imaginary scenes and a costume party). All of this is centered around the wife of the husband(s) who is looking to break out of the doldrums, played by Gloria Swanson (she is twenty here!). Both the leading men have a natural air that is convincing and of course Swanson is perfect in all kinds of moods, from frivolous to worried to hopeful. Behind all the games and apparent lightheartedness is that old serious problem of staying in love and not straying in love. There's a little corniness, but director DeMille is on top of keeping it snappy and believable in all. As with many films from this period, the subtitles do not just tell what they are saying (or thinking) but often give a kind of philosophical insight, as if to justify the tragedy (or raciness). And there is that higher purpose here, probably better without the instructional text, but it's part of the narrative style, and it's kind of quaint. If you are looking for visual or formal amazement, you won't find it here. But as a story, well acted, and filmed with precision and economy, it's really a great example. The events might not come as a total surprise, but it's such a modern love story, set almost a hundred years ago, it's a gas. And did I saw Swanson was perfect?$LABEL$ 1 +When Liv Ullman's character says, "I feel like I'm in someone else's dream and they're going to be ashamed when they wake up," she is referring not only to being an unwilling player in society's war games, she is referring to being an ignorant participant in life itself. At the film's end, when she says that she had a dream that she had a child and she was trying to take care of it, but she forgot something else, the implication is that she has forgotten what she has learned in the war she's just survived, that like her own mother before her, she will be unable to pass on any vital lessons to her own child. And, therefore, the cycle of the shame of ignorance will continue...ad infinitum...$LABEL$ 1 +Big Bad Ralph is also on the not so squeazy truck commercials, and can be found at numerous brothels around Melbourne any given night.Terrible Film by the way, wasn't shocking just bad, uninterestingThe main guy was in charge of the metal section on countdown , and was the lead bouncer at a gay night club in Melbourne.I dunno who the women where? probably pros's that Ralph knew?No story of interest, its one of those fast forward jobsPlease look up Big Bad Ralph at brothels around Melbournehes famous in them.i wish i could give 0/10 but ill give it 1. Only cos i cant give 0$LABEL$ 0 +"Gone With The Wind" is one of the most overrated movies in history. It is a film loved by mothers, grandmothers, and shut-ins who go to the movies once every five years. As a zombie movie, it blows. There isn't a shambling corpse in sight, and it's terribly light in the gore department. "Zombie 3", on the other hand, is big on shambling corpses and quite generous with its blood-spilling -- therefore, it is better than "Gone With the Wind". It is also not overrated. Most reviewers are under no delusions that it is rubbish. It is, however, not boring rubbish. After a terrorist steals a virus, he drops it while being pursued by a helicopter, and the chemicals leak into the ground. The terrorist, who has been exposed to the nasty concoction, hides in a hotel room where he slowly morphs into a flesh-eating zombie. One of his first victim's is a cleaning lady. Once she's bitten, Lucio Fulci's brand of hell breaks loose. As usual for a Fulci flick, the acting is atrocious, the storyline is riddled with plot holes, and the gore is plentiful. Turns out the film was directed by Fulci and Bruno Mattei, so that explains its rather schizophrenic nature. It is badly shot, too, poorly edited, and the sound design is flat. Still, it is saved by its gleeful adherence to the goriest of murders and its impatient pacing. Definitely worth picking up if you're an undead completest. Or don't like "Gone With The Wind", undoubtedly the worst zombie movie of all time.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie "The Cave" has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. There was no plot, no story-line, and the lighting was terrible. For most of the movie, I was unable to make sense of the scenery as it was being highlighted by flashlights. The persistent 'grey' spaces throughout the movie were irksome. The only scene that really came through clearly was in the cavern lit by what appeared to be a bad simulation of the conditions to be found in Hell. All in all, the movie was not really worth watching. If the producers cannot come up with something better than this, they should find another occupation. The underwater scenes were particularly awful, being mostly made up of bubbles and flashlights, with the occasional look at the actors. In summation, a really awful movie with bad lighting, extraneous flashes throughout.$LABEL$ 0 +Filmmakers made a rather boring everyman's story look interesting and complex by focusing on his wife back at home. At the same time, we're exposed to a truly original, existential French loner. The film is more than a documentary. Hardly ever do I feel that I've experienced something that's accidentally profound, which makes it all the more profound.Film has visually interesting interior moments. Absolutely loved the journey the filmmakers took me on. (Quite a lot of Europeans in the credits). Hopefully, PBS will screen this so that it reaches a wider audience in the USA.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this movie a whole dozen times and it's awesome. But the only thing with it was that in the beginning, there was too much talk of who's going out with who. I think that it would be interesting to do a remake of it. But on the official site, they said that they will not be making a remake of it because so many people have gotten saved when viewing it. What's even happened to Patty Dunning now? She is a pretty good actress. She has done several other movies in the 70s and 80s, but we haven't heard from her since. I know for sure about Thom Rachford, who plays Jerry, works for Accounting at RD Films. But overall, I have to say that the series itself is like Left Behind gone old school.$LABEL$ 1 +As someone who has both read the novel and seen the film, I have a different take on why the film was such a flop. First, any comparisons between novel and film are purely superficial. They are two different animals.The novel is probably intended as a satire, but it arrives as a cross between tragedy and polemic instead. Any comedic elements such as those which later formed the stylistic basis of the film version are merely incidental to the author's uniformly cynical thrust. And lest the omnipresent white suit of the author fool you into thinking this is another Mark Twain, think again. A more apt literary precedent would be the spectre of Ambrose Bierce in a top hat and tails. Tom Wolfe is equal parts clown and hack, more celebrity than author, always looking for new grist for his self-absorbed mill. It is therefore no wonder that the excellent production skills and direction lavished on the making of the film were doomed from the start. Unlike true satire, which translates very well into film, polemics are grounded not in universally accessible observations on some form or other of human behavior, but in a single-minded attack on specific people -- whether real or fictional straw men -- who have somehow earned the wrath of the writer. Any effort to create a successful filmed story or narrative from such a beginning must have a clean start, free of the writer's influence or interference.Having said that, I too find fault with the casting. It is not merely that incompetents like Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith fail to measure up, but that real talents like Tom Hanks, F. Murray Abraham, and Morgan Freeman are either totally wasted or given roles that are mere caricatures.There is enough topical material here for a truly great film satire, but it fails to come even close.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe we don't have that 70's show anymore. I have all 8 seasons of that 70's show!! I absolutely Love It!! I lay in the bed every night and watch several episodes before I go to sleep. At the end of a long busy day it's nice to kick back and have a great laugh before you go to sleep. I was so sad they took the show off air... at least we still have the re-runs!! I am hoping and praying they will come back with at least a reunion...Like maybe when Donna finishes college and we finally get to see her and Eric get married!!!! Wouldn't that be awesome!!! It would be even better if they would continue it for several years!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is not what one would term a happy tale. The titled leading character (Edmund Purdom as THE Egyptian) does not get the gal - although he does (?) evidently get the 'last' word, the otherwise principal tragic figure (Michael Wilding as the politically myopic Pharaoh) ends up tragically, and the wrong guy – even if it is Victor Mature, winds up winning-all the marbles. Peter Ustinov possibly had gotten the best part (Kafka) and arguably may have stolen some if not most of the movie except for top-billed Jean Simmons as the somewhat brighter-than–average barmaid (Merit) whom just possibly has more on the ball – intellectually and spiritually, than all of the rest of them put together.The brooding and pessimistic Sinuhe the physician (…that's Purdom) is portrayed as a dark, cynical, tortured soul whom spends the entire plot – his lifetime, seeking the meaning of 'Life.' (Btw, and to paraphrase John Lennon, 'Life' is what happens while you're making other plans.) Pardon the lack of philosophical depth in the prior parenthetic comment, but eventually the plot unfolds to reveal just that ! And speaking philosophically, as if things aren't morose and negative enough, John Carradine (…as the un-named grave robber) pops-up in a cameo role in the middle of the flick espousing that 'Life' basically is meaningless and is only worth living as a poor alternative to the eventual ultimate disappointment.So here we are over 200 words in and I haven't really had a kind word, so why the heck did I rate it so high ? Well there is a lot of Shakespherian tragedy and bunch of moral worth in it. There's ethical contrasts, true friendships, true & unrequited (almost) love, and - despite limitations of 50s production capabilities, it is very well (sound) staged, pleasing both the eye and ear, and very well/evenly paced . The acting is, for the most part, uniformly very good – given it's a 50s costume drama, and the interactions are believable right down to the characters' fatal flaws - which abound, and in that doing justice to the best of Greek tragedy.There is some redemption, Sinuhe does discover and embrace his son – played by Tommy Retigg whom, despite Ustinov's best efforts, really needed Lassie to pull it off. A couple of other 'misguided' souls get their just desserts … the 'foreign' fleshpot Nefer (Bella Darvi) – apparently in Egypt on a carnal exploitation work-study visa, whom earlier cruelly even mercilessly spurned Sinuhe -\and\- the dyke'ish Princess Baketamon (Gene Tierney as Pharoah Wilding's sister) whom knew a deep dark secret about Sinuhe's ancestry, and then tried to use it to set him against his friend, her brother the Pharaoh – nice people, huh.Purdom's performance is actually something to behold. He carries off the dirge well enough that somewhere before the end of the pix you want to smack him across the puss, grab him by the lapels, and say "look dummy pull yourself together, the glass ain't half empty it's half full !" …and then finding that you're personally disappointed in Horemheb - truly Sinuhe's best friend, (Victor Mature as Pharoah's Top Soldier) for himself having that flaw in his character that prevents him succeeding at doing something positive.I wonder if the secret to the whole movie is that it very quickly achieves and then sustains the necessary "suspension of disbelief" and early on gets you understanding and worrying about the characters, caring to the point that you really feel sorry for them and their missed chances at happiness; a happiness that otherwise wasn't all that far from their grasp.…can't understand why this one isn't already out on DVD and hope that gets corrected soon.$LABEL$ 1 +This is my favorite Renoir from the Fifties. It's the story of how Henri Danglard built and launched the Moulin Rouge nightclub; we see the workmen blasting at the site to get construction underway, and the training of the dancers. Finally, the giddiness of opening night and the long sequence of cancan dancing. Financial problems and the ego displays of the performers are described.Gabin is in great form as the easy-going Danglard--see him deal humorously with Nini's violent boyfriend. Gianni Esposito is moving as the wistful Prince who is courting Nini. Maria Felix, with that amazon's body, is imposing as the egotistical Lola, Danglard's first lover. Finally Françoise Arnoul as Nini the washing girl who ends up dancing for Danglard, and becoming his girl, is just stunning; her loveliness and pert charm will win you over.A bonus: we get Edith Piaf, Patachou, André Claveau and other stars in cameos playing the stars of a century ago who ruled over the Moulin rouge.$LABEL$ 1 +Guys and Dolls has to be one of my favorite musical movies ever. It is a very fun movie to watch and nothing more. it embodies what people have forgotten about musicals-musicals were made to entertain, not to to preach. Nowadays we have Rent and Chicago which are great musicals and good movies but they fail to bring us solid entertainment with no strings attached. The only thing that bothered me in the movie was Marlon Brando, the guy can't sing! It was very annoying to listen to him sing and talk when I couldn't understand him. If it weren't for Marlon I would have given this 10 stars. Guys and Dolls provides old-fashioned entertainment that we rarely get these days. Watch it to have a good time!!$LABEL$ 1 +I know we shouldn't expect much from a low-budget indie film. But the idea behind it is sound: an attempt to open America's eyes to the cozy relationship between the government, and the journalists that are supposed to be keeping an eye out against it. But somehow the documentary aspect of it, takes away from its drama. The protests during the 2004 Republican convention in New York were not that compelling to make a documentary about it. Those kinds of compelling protests belong to the era of the 1960's.It would have been better to stick to a drama format. Perhaps a slow build-up where the young journalist's eyes are gradually opened up to the conspiracy.$LABEL$ 0 +How did this become a blockbuster? Dear God I don't know where to start why this movie sucked too much. The movie was predictable & there was no originality. The only thing I can admire is the acting of some characters. The movie was too bright, they should have done something with the lighting, eg. making the environment more darker. The make up on certain dead characters made this movie look like a 1970 horror flick. This is 2006! People don't get scared by other people wearing heavy make up. Most of the horror scenes we're taken from other Hollywood or Asian horror movies. Total rip off! This is why I don't watch tagalog movies. The only reason why so many people "screamed" while watching this movie is because of conformity. How many times do we have to copy scenes from The Ring and improvise it that instead of the girl coming out of the TV, its now coming from the window next door? No matter how you put it, ITS STILL A RIP OFF. If you want a good horror movie, go watch the 50 best horror movie listed on this website.$LABEL$ 0 +Silly Disney film about a college student who accidentally discovers a potion that makes things invisible. Not a bad idea and some of the special effects are pretty good. Still, the script is VERY bad...all the jokes flop and the acting is lousy. Everybody's trying to be funny and they're not. A real boring, stupid Disney film. But it was fun seeing Kurt Russell so young.$LABEL$ 0 +We've all played Halo and Socom and GTA and Resi etc. but none of them can stand up to GE007. The game itself is great. I have literally burned out my N64 playing this great game, along with Zelda OOT. This game along alone built the mold that is essential for all modern shooters. on top of that the multi-player is great. The Story mode itself is worth playing a hundred times over and more. Its a great game for when your board and you want to just shoot up some people and there are endless unlock ables. (cheats, Aztec, Egyptian, god knows how many Multiplayer charries, and the three difficulties as well as the famous '007' difficulty Our modern games are great but when you sit down and play this game you get a certain feeling that few other games can give you. And with the Online capabilities of newer shooting games we rarely see this old two on two death match style. and when we do its no where near as good as this games. And when you get bored of the story, there are endless mysteries, glitches and easter eggs to be found and taken advantage of. This is definitely one of the greatest shooting games of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +Autobiography of founder of zoo in NYC starts out by being very cute and would be great family movie if it stayed there. however we get more and more involved with reality as gorilla grows up to be a wild thing not easily amenable to his "mother's" wishes - this might scare younger children, esp. scenes where Buddy tries to injure Gertrude. rather quick resolution at the end. below average.$LABEL$ 0 +Sony Pictures Classics, I'm looking at you! Sony's got the rights to Harry records -- you need to distribute the film and you'll get radically increased sales of his back catalog! Anyhow, this is a great study of a fascinating musician, woefully underknown, full of great stories, greater music, and it could have been 3 hours longer and I'd have loved it even more. Saw it at the American Cinemateque Mods & Rockers Festival at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, where it played to a packed house. They were turning people away at the door! I went to many of the Mods & Rockers festival films, and let me assure you that no other film came even close to selling out, let alone turning people away. See it in the theatre, buy the DVD, and make sure some slow-on-the-uptake company [*cough SONY cough*] picks it up ASAP!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the latter half of this movie about a year ago and was very happy to finally find it available on DVD. Recently, I watched several of the reality series on PBS about ranching, etc. None of them came as close to telling the story as this movie does. Based on REAL reality, pulling no punches, bleak, happy, tragic and enlightening, this is a movie that should be shown to students or to anyone interested in early frontier life. Fine acting on the part of both Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell add to an well done script. The opening credit states that it was done though funds supplied through the National Endowment for the Humanities. If this is the kind of product taxes could go to I would be happy to see more. I highly recommend it and would encourage people to tell a friend if you have seen it and enjoyed the film.$LABEL$ 1 +Secret Sunshine (2007) is famous for its awards at the Festival de Cannes in 2007 and other film festivals. Jeon-Do Yeon, who played the newly widowed Shin-ae, won the best actress trophy at the 60th Cannes festival. Secret Sunshine was also a winner of best feature film and Jeon-Do Yeon received a best actress nod from Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In addition, this movie won the best film awards in virtually all Korean film festivals. Masterfully written and directed, and uniquely photographed, Secret Sunshine expressed the hope and salvation that can be found when life is painful because of continuous tragedy. This film also talked about the forgiveness of God and people. Lee Chang Dong, director and writer of this movie, said in an interview, "In a vast sense, I wanted to express what love is and this movie could be a melodrama in a sense. Without love, we can't talk about hope and salvation." Lee acknowledged that Secret Sunshine had no apparent genre. This movie is not a movie about religion, but it drew attention from many Christians in Korea because there were a lot of Christian elements in the movie.The turning point in Secret Sunshine comes when Jun, Shin-ae's son, is kidnapped and killed. The kidnapper asks for money because he presumes that since she can buy land, she must be rich. Her lie causes much sorrow.Shin-ae becomes a church-goer and wants to forgive the murderer. She decides to visit her son's murderer in prison and forgive him. Jong-chan, Shin-ae's guy friend, says, "Just forgive in your heart. Do you have to go to the prison?" Her church fellows cheer for her and say they will pray for her. Her pastor agrees with what she wants to do. That is a sad moment because it is too early for her to do an action. The result of the meeting with the murderer is another turning point in Shin-ae's life. The murderer says with a peaceful smile that he has already been forgiven by God. This sparks anger in her toward God. She says, "How could You forgive the man before I forgive?" She begins to fight against God. She looks up to the sky and proclaims, "I won't lose to You." She becomes a snare, her heart is a trap, and her hands are chains. It is more bitter than death. She becomes crazier and crazier and is sent to a mental hospital. On the day Shin-ae is discharged from the hospital, she goes to a beauty shop and sees a familiar face. The daughter of her son's murderer works in the shop and cuts her hair. The murderer's daughter has helped kidnapped Shin-ae's son. While she cuts Shin-ae's hair, the protagonist can't understand what's going on and gets out of the shop quickly.It is difficult not to talk about Jong-chan in the movie. Jong-chan does his best to be by Shin-ae's side. Although Shin-ae doesn't care about him at all, he is beside her all the time. Shin-ae leaves church quickly, but Jong-chan, who started attending church because of Shin-ae, stays there because he feels peace with God. Lee Chang-dong, the director of Secret Sunshine, says that Jong-chan is like Milyang( secret sunshine), the rural city or vice versa. He seems to "be too secular and frivolous, but he is always two steps behind her and takes care of her. Milyang is like him." Mr. Lee adds, "Someone joked that Jong-chan could be an angel. I think that he could be the angel. Who knows? We can't say for sure that there is no angel." If there is a person like Jong-chan who forever accompanies his lover's twists and turns, we can defend ourselves against the overpowered. The life of Shin-ae is full of meaninglessness. Her husband died after he cheated on her, and her only son was killed cruelly by a murderer after she moved to her husband's hometown. And her soul was damaged because she learned Christianity in a wrong way—and that makes her crazy, literally. It is too easy to say that her life is filled with meaninglessness. Does she still have hope in her life? Can she find meaning in her life? The final scene gives us hope. Shin-ae tries to cut her hair by herself: we walk our life's journey by ourselves. She, however, realizes that it is hard to do it by herself, and we know that we can't do everything by ourselves. We see Jong-chan holding the mirror for her while she cuts her hair. That's her hope. She has Jong-chan beside her and he is willing to help her in whatever situation she is. As I mentioned earlier, Jong-chan is like an angel for her. If we feel that an angel is always beside and behind us, we can find joy in life even though we face adversity in our lives. Secret Sunshine was a hot topic of conversation in Korea. It is like Da Vinci Code. While Da Vinci Code helps us discuss the early church history, Secret Sunshine prompts us to deal with life's messiness and find meaning when life seems unbearable. With a shallow interpretation of the movie, people misunderstand Christianity and its theology. With a deeper interpretation, this movie will help us see beneath the surface. Some people say they quit attending church worship service after they watched Secret Sunshine, and Lee Chang-dong responds by saying, "They were already anti-Christ before they watched this movie. Secret Sunshine is a life story of a woman and we can interpret our life through Shin-ae's life.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie features roaches as super flesh eating killers. This may have been the first movie where roaches were the primary killers, though not the first movie where roaches are killers. "Damnation Alley" featured a scene with killer cockroaches and "Creepshow" had a story that had them. In this one they are the star. Not as good as it could have been this one doesn't have all that many kills in them. I could be wrong on that point, however, because I have not seen this one in quite some time. The roaches have gone killer and this very strange research lady is in town to study them. Yes, she is quite strange as at one point she has her hand in a box on the killer roaches and she is like "They are biting my hand", and she says this in almost a state of ecstasy. There is also one super big roach near the end of this one, like in so many insect films. Not a great movie, but worth checking out on a night you are bored out of your mind.$LABEL$ 0 +Dragon Fighter is the first Sci-Fi Channel (although I guess it's now called Syfy?) original movie I have ever seen. But I have seen one or two others since, and I can tell you that they were stupid, but this one really scrapes the bottom of the barrel. The CGI is done poorly, the acting is bad, the script is ridiculous, and what happens at the very end is unexpected and out of place (if you have seen Dragon Fighter, you probably know what I mean; I didn't want to put a spoiler in my review). Plus, there was this one musical tune that was used in pretty much every single dangerous sequence. That was really stupid; they just played it over and over. And it's definitely not original; I know I've heard that somewhere before (I just can't remember where). This is one to avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +This film has a brilliant soundtrack and superb acting from some pretty unknown faces. I especially like the welsh docklands bad boy characters in it who strut around like American rappers acting tough. The banter between Jip and Koop is brilliant they come across as being best mates almost as if it were true in real life. I have experienced some of the things in this film and let me tell you first hand these folks ain't acting (especially the seen with Jip and Koop talking and snorting coke). Danny Dyer is priceless as Moff the 'party prescription' dealer and has the funniest lines in the film..."I'm happiest when i'm off my pickle feeling the music, you get me.... yeaahhh! I knew you wouldn't let me down, I knew it!!!"$LABEL$ 1 +Warning: This review contains a spoiler. Wow. Almost impressively bad. Note I said, "almost". This is nothing more than lots of random scenes strung together in a loose attempt at a story. The protagonists (you CANNOT call them "heroes") shoot innocent bystanders for their food, and also rob same for similar reasons. There's also tons of homoeroticism, which was a turnoff for me. (SPOILER: It seems as if the villainess (who only is topless and not naked as other reviews claim) gets killed early on, but miraculously recovers, adding another 70 minutes of audience-torture.) I can't shake the feeling that animal abuse occurred numerous times in this cinematic abomination. If you're in a MST3K mood, you might find this watchable, but for the most part you can forget it. Go rent the original Conan DVD instead.$LABEL$ 0 +i saw this movie the first seconds the voice of T.R. took me on to the journey - well i disliked the big glued thumbs in the beginning, but the absurd humor it and the gordious looks of both sissy actors - i do not know who played the young her - but she was great and so was uma!!! -the two other people who where in the cinema went out after about half an hour, i was with a friend - and it is always a test to watch a movie i like good with one of my friends - and, we both enjoyed it too the maximum - hilarious laughs - sadness about the "realistic police- normalos" . both of us fans of T.Robbins books...i found it well done - thought, that Robbins would also approve, though i do not have an idea if he likes the film or not...i would love to see the cut out stuff - i heard that gus v. sand had to take out lots of scenes because of the first-time viewers (or the producers???) well still it is an artistic movie. much too short though... it is one of my all time favorites - and i am aware of it that the majority of people can't stand that kind of movie and assume that people who enjoy that films are whatever they think .......what a pity. hopefully there will come the day that there will be a DVD with the full material - hoping to see more of crispian, keanu - expecting to see her baby and allif you have the chance to see it, think twice, and enjoy it if you made the choice to watch ... m$LABEL$ 1 +I have just watched the movie for the first time. I wanted to watch it as I like Drew Barrymore and wanted to see one of her early movies. The movie is about a girl (played by young and beautiful Drew Barrymore), who moves from NYC to LA in order to get over her recently troubled loss. Short after moving to a guy who falls in love with her, it becomes obvious that she has an evil twin=doppelganger, who haunts her.The movie is quite poor and lousy. Both the dialogs and the acting make the film not really worth seeing it. Summing up it is just something for the fans of Drew Barrymore.$LABEL$ 0 +I had not seen this movie since the late '80s and decided to pick up the VHS version of it. The plot is very slow, and the actors almost seem robotic in this breakdance flick. The music, hip hop/freestyle artists and the breakdancing scenes are what make this movie special. The breakdancing is actually better in this movie than in "Breakin'", but I have to say that "Breakin' 1&2" carry the energy & excitement to the screen a lot better. It's a movie I will keep in my library, but it's not a movie that I can watch over & over again, just once in a blue moon.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is full of pseudo deep thoughtfulness and it's cloying in its writerly-ness, that includes a canned ham voice-over and some unbelievable dialogue. Dialogue that is tinny and tone deaf the way Spike sometimes (not always) is when writing "certain" characters. For those that like nonsense films like Pieces of April and One Hour Photo, this is another one for you.That said, this comment is nothing against Ryan Gosling who has shown his awesome chops in The Believer. A film that proves that movies are a director's medium, and when a movie is rotten it's fair to say the fault lies there and not in the actors.$LABEL$ 0 +I was prepared to laugh throughout this movie like a Mystery Science Theater experiment, but it was just boring. It appears that the producers had many biker enthusiast friends, and from there casually decided to make a movie. It is frequently unwatchable. Lots of footage of the bikers riding on a dirt road, with the same music played repeatedly. Unfortunately, Renee Harmon is barely in the movie. Harmon probably would have livened things up. Perhaps she had other commitments the day this was filmed.Of course, the bikers terrorize a small town. Fights, murder, a cowardly cop, a goofy mechanic, etc. One of the bikers always wears a football helmet, a weak attempt to distinguish him from all the other outlaws.The script has nothing to offer. One scene features a biker assaulting a woman, yelling in the lady's face "You're all the same! You're all the same!". We come back to the scene a minute later and he again declares "You're all the same!". Couldn't the writer think of something more creative to say??At the end the good guys have killed the bad guys. We also learn that the wedding between middle-aged mechanic Joe and young Susie has been canceled. Susie is going away to college, and we abruptly learn that Joe's wedding is still on (but with a different bride). End.$LABEL$ 0 +enjoyed the movie and efficient Confucian crime drama, the old order survives the threat posed by a brash young greedy man, no doubt representing modern society. I thought the final scene was strange and could not understand if we were to believe that big D was being punished for being greedy or it was part of the plan a long. I loved the scene and for once in a Chinese movie, the violence was not a choreographed martial arts fest. On thing that always amuses me about HK films is that the main influence the British seem to have had is to introduce 'yes sir' and 'sorry' into the local language and its amusing that long after we have gone, they are still there.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to agree with some of the other comments and even go a step further. Nothing about this film worked, absolutely nothing. Delmar our central character makes the decision to become a surrogate mother in order to earn enough money to buy a restaurant but along the way fall for a wise ex-jailbird. At the same time her friend Hortense is trying to get her lawyer boyfriend to finally marry her. She also happens to be sleeping with Marlon who is desperately in love with her. Then there's Delmar's brother Jethro who gets involved with a former coke addict, Missy who reveals she was sexually abused by her adopted father. On the sidelines we also have the eccentricmother who has an assortment of equally odd friends, one of whom dies on the couch at the beginning of the film. So far so good but after introducing these characters and story lines addressing life, death, grief and love in the first half, the film simply loses direction. If the writer had only selected one or two characters and allowed us to follow their stories maybe things would have been fine but equal screen time is given to all with the result that no one story or character is fully developed. For instance, why does Delmar think she will be able to hand over her child in exchange for money, especially when the prospective parents are a creepy bigoted lawyer and his semi alcoholic and depressed wife? Why is Hortense so desperate to marry a man who is a jerk and clearly doesn't love her? How is it Missy manages to kick her coke habit overnight? Is Jethro regularly drawn to women with overwhelming problems, or is Missy the exception? Has Delmar and Jethro's mother always been on the eccentric side, or is it a more recent development? Why is Jethro so keen on Cadillacs that he has one in the middle of his living room? Why did Moses spend years in prison for stealing a car, a relatively minor crime? How does Delmar manage to end up giving birth to Moses' baby when there is no suggestion that they ever had sex? These questions are posed in the screenplay but sadly are never answered. I can only assume they were answered in the original novel and that is why the writer felt the need to include it all in the script. Big mistake. Losing several subplots especially the Hortense and Marlon story, which adds nothing to the overall film, would have tightened things considerably and allowed more time to develop the Delmar, Jethro and Moses characters who are clearly more central to the plot and underlying themes than anyone else. Add to that the most pedestrian directing style seen outside of the average soap opera and the result is a huge missed opportunity for all, including Jorja Fox who does her best to rise above the material. I'm not surprised that this appears to have been the director's last film as this effort shows no evidence of a visual style or ability to tell a moving and intelligent story.$LABEL$ 0 +What a surprising treat to come across on late television. Had I only read a brief plot rundown on a television listing before seeing the movie, I would have passed. The idea of a movie about a hit-man-seeing-a shrink-wanting-to leave-the-business-and-falling-in-love....sounds trite. But the film works. From the start of the movie, it's clear the man carries a weight on his shoulders, before he even says a word. The look and feel of the film is perfect. dark, but not obnoxiously so.Aside from the hit-man family aspect which provides a touch of surrealism, Macy's character grapples with his marriage, and his father's control. Macy shows a repressed sadness, and his bedtime talks with his young son are amazing. The young boy shows acting skills well beyond his years, and the interaction between the father and son is so very natural, personal and loving.This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, and I can't believe I came across it by accident on late night television.$LABEL$ 1 +I simply cannot believe the number of people comparing this favourably with the first film. It moved me to leave this comment! This is just an obvious attempt to cash-in on the success of the first film. The dialogue is appalling and nothing like as authentic or compelling as the original film.The storyline is ridiculous, the portrayal of the French police laughable and the characterisation of Doyle a mile away from the first film.How many drug bosses do you think go down to the docks in person to see a shipment come in? The ease at which Doyle finds his guy is just pathetic. Like all the French Police were just drinking coffee until Doyle turns up from America and does some REAL police work. What a joke. Try going to a foreign city and unearthing the biggest crims in the place with a travel map and some tourist pamphlets. Pathetic. A truly awful sequel, anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a poor film. It certainly belongs in the how not to make a feature film category. Story, direction, acting and style are all flat as a pancake. Story consists of five – yes five – football matches spread out over the film's duration, each one more boringly filmed than the last, as a dysfunctional amateur football team go from strength to strength. That's it, that's the plot. It's hard to know who this film is aimed at. It's too banal for football fans and there's nothing in it for teens nor grown-ups. There's nothing in it for women either, there isn't even a single female character. It's dreariness wears you down as the team play game after game after game after game after game. The story, such as it is, dialogue and mannerisms seem lifted from a bygone Ireland, with all the actors spouting cod theatrical Dublin accents. It doesn't have to be seen to be believed. Avoid at all costs. Can someone give me back my 90 minutes. High point the credits at the end, low point too numerous to mention. Brendan Gleeson is in this film.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't care what anyone says, this movie is hilarious! It combines the bleak seriousness of Threads with an anarchic blend of alternative comedy, and the results are a severely dark, but outrageously funny satire on the brinkmanship policies of both the Western and Eastern blocs at the time. You gotta give the filmmakers credit for even attempting to top the real life lunacy of "Duck and cover" or "Protect and survive"!Imagine someone made a movie based on the Dead Kennedys track 'Kinky Sex Makes The World Go Round', and you're pretty close to Whoops! Apocalypse. Add Rik Mayall on top form as an insanely OTT SAS commander and you've got it exactly. A worthy companion piece to Dr Strangelove, and that's saying something.$LABEL$ 0 +This film did entertain me with lots of laughs at the actors who kept the film moving along in all types of crazy directions. If you like suggestive language and sexy looking gals they were all in the picture and gals and guys all looking burned out before they even graduate from high school. There is one scene where the teenagers drive their car into a very fake deer and then proceed to throw it out into a lake or ocean, which is repeated over and over again. There is no horror to this film except the word Horrible for the entire picture and Arnold who plays a plastic cop is really one sick character. Please don't waste your time viewing this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Jack Black can usually make me snicker simply by breathing, but in this movie...Besides the direction, writing, lack of plot, constant mugging (aided and abetted by constant straight-on camera shots), and a .050 joke batting average, it was still an utter waste of time. The idea sounds promising, but what potential there was gets wasted with an utter lack of comedy and some of the worst direction I've seen this side of you-tube.I kept hearing that this film portrayed Mexicans very negatively. While that's no doubt true, I really don't think this movie is meant to be racist. I think that's it's more a result of a "creative" team desperately trying to find something funny in this mess. You can almost hear them crying out from behind the camera: "Hey look, it's an ugly Mexican! Laugh, people! Please, for the love of all things tenacious, LAUGH!"But put the racism charges aside. When you get down to it, it's anyone who plunked down good money and time to watch this pile of leftover refried beans that should be offended, IMO.$LABEL$ 0 +Generally, it's difficult to rate these cut-&-paste films. Some of the segments can be quite good while others bring down the rating of the overall product. In this one, for instance, the all-girl scene in the Doctor's office was quite exciting...one of the best in this viewer's (limited) viewing history. Then there's Asia's segment... the lady is always entertaining. And the story that binds the whole together was an interesting concept. The swap scene that closes out the offering ain't bad either. Technically, the production values are fairly high. Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +This slick and gritty film consistently delivers. It's one of Frankenheimer's best and most underrated films and it's easily the best Elmore Leonard adaptation to date (and if you are scratching your head thinking "but I loved GET SHORTY" you need to be punched in the face). In my opinion, no one captures the "feel" for Leonard's characters better then John Glover in 52 PICK-UP. The relocation of the story from Detroit (novel) to Hollywood (film) elevates the story's sleaze factor to amazing heights. Be a man, have a few beers and watch this movie. For reference purposes my favorite Leonard books are: Swag, Rum Punch, Cat Chaser, City Primeval, and 52 Pick-Up. My favorite Frankenheimer films include SECONDS and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. I also have a real special place in my cold, movie heart for DEAD BANG and BLACK Sunday.$LABEL$ 1 +It's dreadful, but ...Cat Stevens fans are given the opportunity to see the woman who inspired the lovely song "Lady D'Arbanville" on his album "Mona Bone Jakon", before Cat turned into a fatwa-supporting religious zealot.$LABEL$ 0 +Just saw this movie yesterday night and I almost cried. No, it wasn't because it got me utterly petrified, no. It was absolutely HORRENDOUS! Sometimes, you see movies that make you wonder what will become of the human race in the near future - this movie is one of those. It's as though the writer, actors, director, et al, just came together and copied and pasted scenes of their favorite horror flicks, zipped it all together and said "hey, here's Satan's whip!!!" After seeing this movie, I could not help but be tormented by the sight of people whom call themselves "actors"; waltzing around like they're some kind of talented artistic interpreters... do not be fooled they suck! Don't bother wasting your time or money!!!$LABEL$ 0 +It's not a big film. The acting is not amazing (some sub charterers are even played badly), The film is not beautiful in any sense. Nothing really inventive or new. If you like big films, this one is not for you. yet it has a big - REALLY BIG plus on the story. Larry's story works, because we know this story from our own lives. The girl we didn't ask to a date, the test we've failed, the friend we let down, are all in our history. This movie works, because it touch it, It's a great story because it's a small one. It's the life we all have, with regrets we all have, and yet the message hits: every life we could have lived would have had their downside. The first time I watched it, I was 15. It was shown in a party at my school. 16 years later, I keep reflecting on it every once in a while, and every time I see it, it puts a smile on my face. Watch it. It will do you good. You'll be happier with what you have.$LABEL$ 1 +Tom is about to tuck into a delicious Jerry sandwich when a huge bird of prey swoops down and flies off with his snack. Not at all happy with having his sarnie stolen right from under his nose, Tom takes off in hot pursuit, determined to retrieve his mousy morsel.As much as I love Tom and Jerry, I have got to say that this one is a bit of a stinker: the story is rather mundane; it introduces a badly conceived peripheral character that lacks charm; and it flogs the old 'dress the cartoon character up as a woman' gag to death.In my opinion, 'Flirty Birdy' rivals 'Fraidy Cat' and 'Mouse in Manhattan' for the title of weakest Tom and Jerry caper thus far.$LABEL$ 0 +"What Alice Found" is the greatest movie that nobody's ever heard of! I underestimated it when I heard of it, and I though that it would all sex, no plot, and just really stupid, but in reality, it was really good. They say all indie movies suck, but this one, and "Napoleon Dynamite" didn't suck. I asked my friend, who'd seen it before I did, and she said that Alice has all these three-ways, and you see all this nudity, but no, there is no three-way that I remember, and little nudity. The movie did have a point, and it taught me never trust hitchhikers. I liked that in the end, they got Alice a little dolphin In the end, on her way to Flordia. I totally suggest seeing this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +'Dead Letter Office' is a low-budget film about a couple of employees of the Australian postal service, struggling to rebuild their damaged lives. Unfortunately, the acting is poor and the links between the characters' past misfortunes and present mindsets are clumsily and over-schematically represented. What's most disappointing of all, however, is the portrayal is life in the office of the film's title: there's no mechanisation whatsoever, and it's quite impossible to ascertain what any of the staff really do for a living. Granted, part of the plot is that the office is threatened with closure, but this sort of office surely closed in the 1930s, if it ever truly existed. It's a shame, as the film's overall tone is poignant and wry, and there's some promise in the scenario: but few of the details convince. Overall, it feels the work of someone who hasn't actually experienced much of real life; a student film, with a concept and an outline, but sadly little else.$LABEL$ 0 +*** SPOILERS***One of the worst films I've seen since last years "The Village." An insult to anyone of any intelligence at all. Poorly written and astonishingly contrived. Nobody, especially in Los Angeles talks the way these characters do. No subtly at all. If the point of this film is to say that "we all have a little bit of bigotry in us" he does a horrible job of stating the obvious. Not only was his point clearly base, but every character in this film was AMAZINGLY STUPID. The car jacking scene almost made me walk out, along with the rescue and oh lets not forget the WHITE off DUTY Rookie COP picking up a hitchhiking black thug and... I could go on and on. Awful, just awful.$LABEL$ 0 +Last night I got to see an early preview screener of Prozac Nation. Because I love everything that Christina Ricci does I was very excited at first, but as the movie continued I started to wonder where it was going. Based on a true story, it is simply about Christina Ricci's character and her struggle with depression, drugs, friends and family as you can probably tell from the title. In my opinion this movie moved too fast, and it was way too dramatic. I would say there was a dramatic moment every five minutes, and the movie moved through her life extremely fast, and this left no room for us to connect with Christina Ricci's character. Christina Ricci's performance was fantastic as always but Jessica Lange stood out throughout the whole movie, and I believe this movie's success will be all because of her and Christina Ricci. I would rate this 4 out of 10 and I would suggest you rent this one or read the books by Elizabeth Wurtzel they are good and definitely worth checking out.$LABEL$ 0 +Closet Land is a nasty piece of work with superb actors. Nothing more (or less) happens in the movie besides the unending abuse of an attractive woman prisoner by a sadistic police official. The setting is minimalist. This might be considered soft core S&M porn because the drama is devoid of all reference points such as time, place, and political context. Since what happens is cut adrift in a fantasy futuristic environment, the abuse becomes purely personal. The pornographic aspects are justified by being a warning about the evils of totalitarian government, but because there is no real context for the torture of this young woman, we come away disturbed but having learned nothing.What is the point? That torture exists in the world? That abusing prisoners is bad? That dictatorships abuse innocent people? We know that already. Closet Land has echoes of such works as Darkness At Noon and Ionesco's Rhinoceros, but both those works were made by competent artists whose work had historical context and depth of meaning. This work is amateurish and the dialogue sophomoric. A definite thumbs down.$LABEL$ 0 +The pilot of Enterprise has one thing that has been lacking since the original Star Trek: A dose of realistic, flawed personalities. The Utopian characters of the Next Generation got tiring, they were so noble as to be unbelievable. I also like the sub-plot that humans are bitter toward the Vulcans. Its funny seeing them as pretentious snobs. It makes me look forward to seeing when the humans become the dominant race between the two, though I don't think it would work in the time frame of the show. The only negatives that jumped out at me were the "quick cut off the ending at 2 hours" feel of the end, which is common among many of the Trek shows. The second was the shameless dig for ratings by a couple of senselessly sexy scenes. It was out of place, a good science fiction show should be able to stand on its own without trying to pad the pre-teen audience with some skin. But its not my job to make the show profitable, so oh well.Lets see how the next episode does.$LABEL$ 1 +Julia (Kristina Copeland) travels with her husband Steven Harris (Steven Man) and their baby son Alex to spend a couple of days with her family in Savage Island, an island of their own. The couple expects to resolve their issues along the weekend in the remote island. While waiting for the boat, Julia and Steven meet two weird men in the harbor, and when her brother Peter (Brendan Beiser) arrives, he explains that a family of hillbilly squatters is living in the island. The reckless Peter smoke pot while driving the truck in the night and turns the headlight off to show off; however, he accidentally runs over the young son of the Savage's family, but in the dark he believes he has hit an animal. Later, the Savage family claims Alex as a compensation for their lost son. The Young family does not accept the trade, and they initiate a deadly war between families."Savage Island" is a very low-budget movie, with a stupid screenplay, amateurish cinematography but surprisingly good acting. The flawed story is totally absurd, and there are many unbelievable situations. For example, how could two men leave two women with the baby alone in the road during the night with the menace of the deranged family? The logical procedure would be going immediately to the continent and bringing police force to rescue Peter. Then the Young family vanishes; Julia and Steven leave their car in the continent and their house and friends, and nobody chases them? Peter calls his sister Julia of Alex when he arrives with the boat in the beginning. There are so many flaws in this flick that I could spend many lines writing about this subject. I believe this film was filmed with a home video camera so awful the images are. The good cast deserved a better material to work. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "Ilha de Sangue" ("Island of Blood")$LABEL$ 0 +If you're looking for a Hollywood action packed kid-flick with the common bad language and violence this may not be the film to sit down for. If you're on the other hand interested in watching a film with youre children that has actually some values like showing the importance of friendship and truth this is the film to watch. Looking at the program guide this is obviously what millions of other viewers have found. Not many low-budget independent films have ever been aired as much as Mr. Atlas. The film is actually very funny as well as warm hearted and shows some beautiful locations masterfully captured by the sharp eye of the obvious brilliant cinematographer Suki Medencevic. Also if you're interested in looking at a muscular fellow with good looks the ladies can get an eye full. Let's support those who make good childrens film buy buying their videos and watching their products on TV. Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +Directed by the duo Yudai Yamaguchi (Battlefield Baseball) and Jun'ichi Yamamoto "Meatball Machine" is apparently a remake of Yamamoto's 1999 movie with the same name. I doubt I'll ever get a chance to see the original so I'll just stick commenting on this one. First of what is "Meatball Machine" ? A simple in noway pretentious low budget industrial splatter flick packed with great make up effects and gore. It's not something you'll end up writing books about but it's nevertheless entertaining if you dig this type of cinema."Meatball Machine" follows the well known plot. Boy loves girl but is too afraid to ask her on a date. Boy finally meets girl. Girl gets infected by a parasitic alien creature that turns her into a homicidal cyborg. Boy, in turn does also transform into said thing, and goes on a quest to save his love. Will he succeed? Who gives a damn, as long as there is carnage and death I'm satisfied.The plot is simple, relatively clichéd but it does it's job well enough setting the movie's course straight forward into a bloody confrontation between the two leading characters. There is a subplot focusing on how the parasite that infected the girl came into to their lives. And yes it too luckily shows more violence. I'm happy. Acting is what you would expect from a no budget splatter film. It's not exactly painful for the ears but it's not exactly good either.The movie's main attraction besides the violence and gore (like I haven't mentioned that enough already) are the cyborg designs. Done by Keita Amemiya who's work in creating outlandish creatures and costumes for both movies and video-games is well known. The necroborgs as they are called in "Meatball Machine" look stunningly detailed. Without the usage of CGI Amemiya's designs are a breathtaking fusion of flesh and metal, painfully awesome in their appearance. Able to transforms various parts of the body into cool weaponry such as saws, rocket launchers, blood-firing shotguns and so on and so on. Though you can easily recognize the cheapness of the film, necroborgs are A-movie class."Meatball Machine" is "Tetsuo The Iron Man" mixed up with "Alien" all done in low budget and extra ketchup mode. It's an immensely entertaining film that disregards modern special effects and proves that the splatter genre is still alive and kicking.$LABEL$ 1 +Bridges's drama about a reporter who discovers some flaws in the safety precautions taken at a nuclear powerplant is directed well and a pretty interesting film from the late 70s. Its not amazing, but its solid, the acting is pretty good especially Jack lemmon, but Douglas and Fonda were good too. It was a pretty good screenplay and Bridges's direction was solid and suitable. This is definitely not one of the best films of the 70s, but its one of the better ones. A good early Michael Douglas film and Lemmon in his prime.--- IMDb Rating: 7.2, my rating:, so in simple words, solid but not amazing... thats what this film is, solid but not amazing 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I really like this show. That is why I was disappointed to learn recently that George Lopez is a racist, and that he fired Masiela Lusha off the show, simply because he discovered that she wasn't a Latino emigrant, but was an emigrant from Albania. I learned this from people on the show. She was really one of the better parts of the show, and thus, to learn that even among those who you would think would be sensitive to racism, that they can also hate someone, just because of the country where they were born, is really disappointing. I really like this show. That is why I was disappointed to learn recently that George Lopez is a racist, and that he fired Masiela Lusha off the show, simply because he discovered that she wasn't a Latino emigrant, but was an emigrant from Albania. I learned this from people on the show. She was really one of the better parts of the show, and thus, to learn that even among those who you would think would be sensitive to racism, that they can also hate someone, just because of the country where they were born, is really disappointing.$LABEL$ 1 +Jamie Foxx does a fine job of impersonating the famous blues/soul/country singer Ray Charles. To the film's credit, it shows both the good and the bad regarding Charles' character and the choices he made, both personally and professionally.This is a slick-looking film that provides you with a rich feel of the periods in which the story takes place. Not only does it look good, it sounds good. I only wish there was more music in here. When it's inserted, it's fabulous but there isn't enough of it. Assuming, at least for review purposes, that the story was true, I was impressed and disappointed with Charles, meaning the story left some memorable impressions since I'm writing this 16 months after viewing it. Main impressions include:GOOD - Re-living Ray's immense talent and his foresight to step out and take chances musically, such as going "country" for awhile. The man had supreme confidence in himself but didn't come across as arrogant about it. Also memorable was showing him beating his heroin addiction - with no help! That's just amazing.BAD - I also remember through this film how easily hooked Ray got in the first place and disappointed he was so unfaithful to his wife. A really sad comment was that his wife was more upset with him for missing his kid's Little League games than she was for all the cheating he was doing on her, even fathering a child with a member of his singing group.The only negative I had with the filmmakers was the overemphasis of his problems being blamed on one early childhood event, the accidental death of his brother. That tragedy was used as cop-out for all Ray's misdoings as an adult, which is another example of a culture in which people refuse to take responsibility for their actions.Note: There is an extended version with the DVD but word has it that it is so poorly edited that it's not worth watching, so stick with the "theatrical version."$LABEL$ 1 +It was all over with the slashers around 88 so it was time for the cheesy rip offs of those older movies. The Brain is well done, the script reminded me of Videodrome but then in a more cheesy way as said before. The acting can go through with it. But it's the effects that makes you laugh, the so called Brain is really a turkey and the blood is never shown. The opening sequence is what makes this movie worth watching, the hallucinations are really nicely done and reminded me of Nightmare on Elm Street, remember the telephone coming alive.... Some how you keep watching this flick, waiting what is happening next. It's viewable for all freaks out there cause there isn't any gore in it and as said the blood isn't there neither but there is nudity for the perverts. I have seen worser movies than this one, only wished they had made it bloodier...$LABEL$ 0 +This (very) low-budget film is fun if you're a John Krasinski fan, but is otherwise disappointing. At least it was short, so I didn't feel like I had wasted too much of my time. John's scenes are funny enough, but the attempted 'deep' scenes with Lacey Chabert are pretty nauseating. It starts off seeming like it could be a funny movie, but some of the characters are just so outlandish while the others are far too serious that it just falls flat. Don't get me started on the ending. It was totally implausible and didn't even fit with the rest of the movie. I will say that I wasn't bored, though, which is why I rated it above a three. Fans of John Krasinski will enjoy seeing him with a bandanna and stockings around his head, and eating Cheez-Its. Oh, and make sure to check out John's deleted scenes, they're better than some that were actually included in the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +1- Stephen Baldwin doesn't care about his involvement in Stephen Baldwin vehicles.2- The acting in any Stephen Baldwin vehicle ranges from horrible to mildly passable.3- Writers don't write Stephen Baldwin vehicles, children do.4- Most of the Stephen Baldwin vehicles revolve around one genre- the Actionless Action genre. It basically consists of crappy action sequences made with little to no effort whatsoever. 5- The director doesn't care about Stephen Baldwin vehicles; he passes his job to an orangutan from time to time.And now you know.$LABEL$ 0 +After 30+ years of hiatus, once again I immerse myself in the mist of uplifting melancholy. The cold, slow-paced and existential treatment of this crime story comes from a different world, Melville's world, where darkness is pure enlightenment.$LABEL$ 1 +This was among the STUPIDEST and PREACHIEST of the anti-nuke films out of the 1980s.The idea that a kid and a basketball star could "change the world" is pretty far-fetched, given how many "children's peace marches" and "celebrity protests" there were and ARE.But the idea that the Soviet Union would agree to a TOTAL nuclear disarmament, because some apparatchik kids learned of a "silent protest" in the West, is ludicrous.What ended the Cold War? America's tough, dare I say "Reaganesque" stance and the internal failures of socialism. It was NOT the peace marches, the "die-ins" or films like "Amazing Grace & Chuck", "Miracle Mile", or "Testament".$LABEL$ 0 +It didn't take too long after Halloween had kicked off the slasher boom for the category to be cursed by continuous mediocrity. As early as 1983 the genre was already struggling to release more than three decent offerings per year and by '88 the stalk and slash flick had become pretty much the whipping boy of horror cinema. By that time major studios were all aware that repeating the tired formula was no longer a lucrative direction, which left it up to independent and mostly inexperienced filmmakers to continue the legacy that John Carpenter had created. Although there was still an impressive number of features hitting shelves in 88, most of them were weakly produced and taken as a whole they were eminently unappealing. With that said there were a couple of gems amongst the rubble. Scott Spiegel's Intruder in its uncut form was a superb gross out classic, whilst Evil Dead Trap proved that the cycle had not yet completely run out of style and panache. William Lustig's Maniac Cop was successful enough to launch a franchise and two years later Dead Girls and Mirage proved to be the last beguiling breaths of life in the ailing category.It was the continual release of schlock like Berserker, Blood Lake and Rush Week that cursed the slasher movie to eight years of obscurity. It finally took the big budgeted flamboyance of Wes Craven's Scream to provide the necessary resuscitation. Having not heard anything about Demon Warrior before I came across it unexpectedly, I instantly assumed that it was part of the low brow trash that led to the downfall of the slasher phase. But with that said the movie boasts an intriguing premise that sits comfortably beside Scalps and Camping Del Terrore as another welcome addition to the Native-American influenced catalogue.A truck pulls up on a woodland road and out step two laughably dramatised rednecks. The hillbilly lumberjacks are only on screen for around for ten seconds and then they are murdered by an unseen menace. Next we meet a troupe of five young adults that are heading to the same location for a spot of shotgun-target-practice on some of the local wildlife. The area is owned by Neil Willard and has been passed down through three generations of his family. His Grandfather stole the land from an Indian medicine man that was rumoured to have left a curse on the property. According to legend, every ten years a Demon Warrior with an extreme hatred for mankind stalks the forest reaping revenge on those he deems responsible for the pilfering of the tribe's home. It wouldn't be much fun if those myths were a falsehood, so regular as clockwork a maniacal assassin turns up with a taste for blood. Will the kids be able to stop this phantom killer…?Demon Warrior is best described as a bigger budgeted (but still woefully cheap) re-imaging of Fred Olen Ray's Scalps. The bogeymen from both films are virtually identical and the director even throws in a scalping sequence to confirm my suspicions. Things start promisingly with some crisp Friday the 13th-style first-person cinematography and a couple of shock-jolts that were composed with finesse by director Frank Patterson. Thomas Callaway did a good job with the photography and the tribal-drum score makes a refreshing change from the more traditional late-eighties synthesizer rubbish. Flourishes of suspense are juxtaposed with a couple of credible directorial embellishments and there are even a few attempts at humour. The killer looked successfully creepy in demon attire and the inclusion of a bow and arrow as the main murder weapon was a deft touch from the director.Fred Olen Ray's notorious slasher was notable for its stark and credibly unsettling atmosphere. Unfortunately despite being produced on twice the budget, Demon Warrior never comes close to the film that it so desperately emulates. Rumor has it that the majority of the actors were drafted from the Texas Baylor University and were not even paid for their inclusion in the feature, so of course it goes without saying that the dramatics are appropriately abysmal. I especially enjoyed the hilarious John Langione – an 'Italian' Native American (don't ask) that portrays about as much emotion as the trees in the forest that surrounded him. Warrior started with some credible glimpses of panache from the director that actually led me to believe that this could be a welcome inclusion to the slasher index. Unfortunately, the poisonous cocktail of heinous acting and an ending plucked directly from stupidsville seriously changed the initial plan I had in mind for a rating. It's a shame that the dramatics were so scraped from the bottom of the thespian barrel, because at times Demon Warrior showed flashes of potential.All in all, Patterson's movie is a mixed bag of ideas – some of them were good, but mostly they were staggeringly mediocre. Because this was released at a time when the slasher genre had been watered down to avoid the scissor happy censors, there's really no gore worth mentioning. Even the scalping sequence is relatively tame compared to Olen Ray's graphic depiction. Demon Warrior has the odd moment of credibility, but not often enough to warrant a purchase. Not as bad as the aforementioned Berserker, Blood Lake et al, but not really THAT good either…..$LABEL$ 0 +What a delightful movie. The characters were not only lively but alive, mirroring real every day life and strife within a family. Each character brought a unique personality to the story that the audience could easily associate with someone they know within their own family or circle of close friends.The story has a true-to-life flow that the viewer can assimilate into and be part of the drama, the laughter and tears as the plot of the movie develops. The script does a good job of capturing the common emotions, actions and reactions of the characters to conflict, opinion, and resolve.Not an epic, but it is a very nice movie to watch with loved ones. Plenty of knowing head nods and 'ahhh' moments to share and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +This appalling piece of tripe was (conveniently) loosely based on a true story that involved two family members of mine (played by Jack Thompson and Jacqueline Mackenzie).This film is offensive; besides the fact that it wasn't a particular good film anyway, it does not in any way capture what it was like to lose such a close family member and completely omits those who were really affected by the true-life tragedy.As for the director; he managed to cash in on a family's misfortune for the price of a Porsche.If I could have given this a zero I would have.Avoid this film at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +I wish I could say that this show was unusual in it's banality,but it is usual in every way.It has the dumb husband,his smarter but boring and conventional wife, along with the idiotic sidekick for "comic" relief-it sorely needs it.Stale predictable jokes, with even more predictable reactions from the laughtrack, punctuate this noxious mental narcotic's nauseatingly unimaginative plot lines to leave me either physically ill, or in a deep sleep more resembling that of an induced coma. But it might be on for a while yet because it gives the average American a personage to which they can truly identify.A "regular" guy just like you and me.I live in the southern U.S, so to me this show is just the opposite of escapism.Down here, that obnoxious character is everywhere, in some form or another.Seeing him on television is brutal overkill.$LABEL$ 0 +With all the "Adult" innuendos in todays family movies its nice to see one where you don't have to worry about that and can just sit back and enjoy a family with your kids. Yes, this movie might have a few swear-words (there's that time where Knox swears, but they don't let you hear the full words), but for the most part this movie is truly as clean as they come (and that's including movies from back in the day). Not only that, its very enjoyable, one of my favorites, and just a great clean and fun movie to watch with the family.The only thing I have against this movie is that it is too short and I wish there could be more of some of the memorable parts that are in it, I'm not going to mention them because I don't want any spoilers here.All in all nicely done and a great movie to watch; so go out and get the kids, make some cookies, and watch this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +Basically this is a pale shadow of High Fidelity, which was a witty and wonderfully acted film with several truly winning character turns. Watching the Detectives has none of that.The premise of a video store geek swept off his feet by a quirky mystery woman is a good one but is never fully or adequately explored, thanks to a very weak script and the miscasting of the leads, not to mention the lack of any real visual story-telling style. I mean, this film is centered around MOVIES, yet is itself incredibly uncinematic! That's a major failing right there.But the main problem is we simply don't care about the main characters because the script and the actors (Murphy and Liu) fail to make them true or sympathetic in any real way. So the film just becomes a series of episodes involving two people who seem, well, not terribly interesting.Oh, yeah, another thing: For a romantic comedy? It's not funny. And the romance isn't terribly romantic, either.So avoid it. Even at its 90-something minute running time it's just not worth sitting through...$LABEL$ 0 +After viewing "Still Life", a short film directed by Jon Knautz, I was genuinely excited for his feature film debut, "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer". "Still Life" had perfectly captured the essence and feel of an episode of "The Twilight Zone" and I was eager to see what Knautz could do when taking on the horror-comedy genre. The campy nature of the name and promotional materials suggested something along the lines of "Evil Dead" or "Army of Darkness"; a fun, gory, 80's style horror flick with lots of monsters. While that was what Knautz was going for, he utterly fails at capturing any of the fun or entertainment value these movies had.The problem with "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" is that it completely lacks an understanding of what made these horror-comedies, that it tries to evoke, so great in the first place. Two-thirds of the running time is primarily devoted to the film's hero, Jack Brooks, a plumber and college student, as he goes to class and attempts to deal with his uncontrollable bursts of anger. There's nary a monster in sight for the greater part of the film, barely even a drop of blood or the slightest attempt at anything horror-related. Even if "Evil Dead" or "Dead Alive" had subsequent amounts of the gore cut out, they'd still be entertaining. "Jack Brooks" isn't. It's plain boring, which is the worst thing a film of this nature can be. Jack Brooks himself is not all that interesting, at least not enough to warrant the amount of screen time he's given. All one needs to know about him is revealed in the films first ten minutes and from that point on, whenever he's not beating the pulp out of a monster (and he rarely does), he's not worth watching. The movie goes nowhere, following him around on psychiatric sessions and scuffles with classmates.Eventually things do pick up. Jack Brooks battles a few monsters, some heads are crushed, a few humans are slaughtered, and then it's over. Just like that. All within the span of about fifteen minutes. It is a good fifteen minutes. The monsters are all fairly inventive (and done entirely in camera) and there's some great gore gags (the best being a zombies head crushed in), but after sitting through seventy-five minutes of pure tedium, fifteen minutes just isn't going to cut it.That's really all there is to it. I could ramble on about the acting which is fairly well done (especially horror icon Robert Englund in a non-traditional role) and how the creature prosthetics are a nice throwback to the days when films didn't use CGI, but it really doesn't matter. "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" is utterly boring and while Jon Knautz obviously does have the talent to create a good film (once again, the last fifteen minutes are killer and "Still Life" was amazing – check it out), "Jack Brooks" completely misses the mark. It has its successes (acting, make-up), but those don't change the fact that it's not very entertaining at all. The screening I caught this at had the director and cast in attendance. One piece of information I picked up was that a sequel was in development and that this time, it would focus more on fighting monsters as opposed to "the creation of a hero". My advice: skip this one and wait for the sequel.$LABEL$ 0 +Cinderella....I hadn't watched this film for about five years the last time i saw it. The magic remains. There is something that definitely contains that storybook feel, the songs entertain and the secondary character's all please. The villains in the form of step sisters are perfectly evil and vile. Then there is the most magical of all Disney, the mice making the dress and well you know the rest. To sum up the four of the Disney princess movies are all great but this is a charming magical experience, watch and enjoy. Oh and of course, Cinderella is wonderful as the main character in the movie.If you think about it Disney movies can really lost their charm. With Elene Wood and others the movie has such a feel to it, you simply can't help but smileThey say the moral of this story is that dreams come true. Of course in the real world some are believers others are hoper's. In this film it's even more the magical when her rainbow comes smiling. And of course the rest is...Cinderella$LABEL$ 1 +When I first looked at the back of the cover of this film, it seemed like me and my friends could be looking forward to 82 memorable minutes. And it certainly was memorable. Puckoon was the kind of movie where you keep asking yourself how this was possible. How it was possible that it was released on DVD at all. Out of all of the movies available at the video rental store that night...we might just have picked the worst. And yes, they had Tomb Raider. Absolutely nothing in this movie amused me even slightly. Who came up with the idea that it would be funny if the narrator could change the story by suggestions from the main character? Out of all the stupid things you can totally ruin a movie with, this is now my favourite. The character Foggerty, the village idiot, played by Nickolas Grace is the most annoying character since they started making movies in color. If there is one single movie that you definately not should see this year, please let it be Puckoon, cause I don't think it can be any worse. I still wonder if this just might have been the worst way I have spent my money, and take my word for that I have made many lousy purchases over the years.$LABEL$ 0 +I went into this film with expectations, from the hype, that it would be insightful and uplifting. Certainly something more than a cheap promotional for the band "Wilco."Instead we get a lot of moping and whining about "the process," a dishonorable and no doubt one-sided portrayal of one band members who was kicked out by the prima donna lead singer/songwriter, a gut-wrenching confession by the fallen member's friend -- for like 18 years -- saying the "friendship had run its course," and this whiny, uncompelling story about how one record label "hurt their feelings" by dumping them, only so that the band could immediately get 50 offers from other labels (oh, the tension...not!) They tried their best to make it look like it was a strain, but I suspect it was all smoke and mirrors to generate a tragedy that didn't exist. This doesn't even take into account the long stretches where we get many of their newest songs shoved at us in full without any storyline, insight or even a decent job at cinematography. The strained attempts at emotional sincerity or reasonable perspective on life made me sick to watch.From the film, this band sounds like a bunch of vile little babies who poke around to find a voice they don't have and think they're some kind of guardians for the art of music, which they most definitely are not. And I thought the music sucked, and I couldn't even understand the lyrics due to the mumbling style of the lead singer.I give it a 2/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen enough of both Little Richard in interviews and in performances and enough of poor Leon pigeonholed into these 50s/60s musical bio pics to know that Leon was not the right actor for this role. Leon was so right as David Ruffin in The Temptations, but fails utterly to capture the essence of Little Richard in this film. Actor Miguel Núñez who played Little Richard in "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" was a much more suitable choice, having pulled off the musician's powerful but effeminate persona. If the performances are unconvincing then the film will be as well. And this is what has happened here. Glossed over or missed entirely are LR's forays into homosexuality and voyeurism. What "The Temptations" did so well in capturing the rise of the group, warts and all, this film misses by a wide mark.What is going on with director Robert Townsend who started off so well with "The Hollywood Shuffle"? He's a talented, funny guy but hasn't delivered anything near that first effort.$LABEL$ 0 +as with many of Wong's films, a lot of people find them to be boring and confusing. Well i like them and i like this film too. I went out and rented it on dvd and i watched it 3 times. It is a very subtle movie that provides an intoxicating experience. for those who did not enjoy it...... you just wasted 2 hours of your life.... too bad...muhahahahaha.$LABEL$ 1 +I found 'Shuttle' an incredibly frustrating film to watch. It starts quite well and moves along briskly until the first 'injury' (which is a doozy). After that it becomes very lazy and underwritten as a story. It was the case of the plot driving the characters and not the characters driving the plot. If you hate film where you can't understand why characters do what they do, you will loathe 'Shuttle'. Particularly, the last act is odd and seems to occur in a world without common sense. Also at the end one of the characters confessed a past misdemeanor to her friend, rather than generating sympathy from the audience, most people started to giggle. This was probably because the 'heroines' of the story was a complete idiots. Finally there is an ending which just seems tacked on to be 'shocking' and comes from the horror cop-out school of 'people are bad, audience, so just accept it without any explanation'.'Shuttle' is neither good or bad, but mediocre. And annoying.$LABEL$ 0 +With Knightly and O'Tool as the leads, this film had good possibilities, and with McCallum as the bad guy after Knightly, maybe some tension. But they threw it all away on silly evening frill and then later on with maudlin war remnants. It was of course totally superficial, beautiful English country and seaside or not.The number one mistake was dumping Knightly so early on in the film, when she could easily have played someone a couple of years older, instead of choosing someone ten years older to play the part. They missed all the chances to have great conflict among the cast, and instead stupidly pulled at the easy and low-cost heartstring elements.$LABEL$ 0 +Bloody Birthday opens to a shot of Meadowvale General Hospital. There three babies are being born at precisely the same time during a total eclipse. A caption informs us that it is now 'Meadowvale, California June 1, 1980'. Two teenage lovers, Duke Benson (Ben Marley) and Annie Smith (Erica Hope) are getting down to business in an open grave. They hear noises and Duke investigates. Both Duke and Annie are murdered. Sheriff Jim Brody (Bert Kramer) is baffled and only has the handle of a child's skipping rope that Annie was holding, as a clue. Unfortunately before Sheriff Brody can solve the case his youngest daughter Debbie (Elizabeth Hoy) and two of her friends Curtis Taylor (Billy Jayne as Billy Jacoby) and Steven Seton (Andy Freeman) murder him. Just as they are finishing Sheriff Brody off another young boy from their class named Timmy Russel (K.C. Martel) turns up, the three killers are unaware of how much he saw. Soon after the incident Timmy plays with Steven and Curtis in a junkyard. Curtis locks Timmy into an old locker. Timmy manages to escape and tell his sister Joyce (Lori Lethin), but she doesn't believe him at first. The three children carry on their murder spree. Their strict teacher Miss Davis (Susan Strasberg) a lovemaking couple (John Avery and Sylvia Wright) in a van and Debbie's older sister Beverly (Julie Brown) are among their victims. Joyce begins to have her suspicions about Debbie, Curtis and Steven which makes her and Timmy a target for the evil trio. Will they be able to convince the authorities that these three innocent looking 10 year olds are really soulless killers?Co-written and directed by Ed Hunt I have an intense dislike for this film. I think it's absolutely awful and doesn't have a single enjoyable aspect to it's 83 minute running time. The script by Hunt and Barry Pearson gives us no explanation for the child killers motives beyond the solar eclipse that blocks out Saturn and therefore for some bizarre astrological reason these three children don't have any conscience, so these are the only children ever born during a total eclipse? If that is true why do they wait until just before their tenth birthday's before starting their killing spree? I guess it just suddenly kicks in, right? To it's credit it is reasonably well paced but I still found it incredibly boring and tedious to sit through. The film as a whole is very unexciting and predictable, the children are revealed as the killers within the first 10 minutes and as I've mentioned next to no motive is given. It's very silly at times, too. Check out the scene where Debbie stops Steven by throwing a bowl of water over him! The Sheriff's death is put down to him falling down some steps, yeah right the injuries suffered from that type of accident aren't going to be the same as if your beaten to death with a baseball bat like he was in reality, any competent Doctor or Pathologist would have spotted that within 5 seconds. There isn't a single drop of blood spilt in the entire film and all of the lame killings are dull and unimaginative. There is some out-of-place looking nudity as Debbie charges 25c to let boys peek through a hole while her sister Beverly strips. There is an early scene just after the 5 minute mark when Joyce walks from the kitchen to the living room and the boom mike is clearly visible at the top of the screen, not even a little bit of it the whole damn thing. The general incompetence continues throughout the film. The whole production is bland and instantly forgettable. The acting is poor throughout, those three kids are very annoying and got on my nerves right from the start and made sitting through this film even more of a chore, especially Curtis in his geeky over-sized glasses. I just hate this film really, simple as that. I can't think of a single good thing to say about it. Definitely one to avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +L'Auberge Espagnole is less funny and less interesting than any episode of Dobie Gillis. Where is their Bob Denver? Do they even have a Dwayne Hickman? A French man moves to Barcelona to attend classes. He moves in with some other students who are no more interesting than himself, and they do and say uninteresting things. This movie is unbelievably bland. The only bright spot was a pretty French girl who played a Belgian lesbian. She places her hands behind her head and reveals shaven underarms, not the usual tufts of dark, smelly hair. But bare armpits does not a good movie make. L'Emmerdeur was funny, so was La Cage aux Folles. L'Auberge Espagnole and Le Placard makes you wonder what is going wrong with French comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, the title "DAILY" is a LIE. Every "Daily Show" program opens with an on-screen visual of the date it was made, followed by a pause and the opening announce. On the many days when they are RE-RUNNING a Daily Show, they slip-cue the tape and OMIT the date and begin with the opening announce giving the false impression that the show is a new one. That's a lie. There is no mention of it being a rebroadcast. And that kind of crap is just a small indicator of how sneaky and deceptive this show is. Furthermore, it's only on 4 nights a week. That's not quite "daily" - meaning Monday through Friday - another shortcoming but one I am grateful for.It's sad to think that many clueless young people use this fake news program as their main, often only, news source. This leaves them woefully ignorant and much worse - badly misinformed.Although it leans liberal-left, politically, this show can be amusing at times. However, its veracity is low. Facts and information are often cleverly twisted to fit the writers' agendas. It's often hard to tell where the facts leave off and the fiction and comedy writing begin. The result is pre-digested, reinterpreted information designed to persuade and influence. This is called "PROPAGANDA".The remote interviews are heavily kluged in editing.It really loses me when it bashes God and Christians - which it does all too often. However, you'll never hear anything vaguely anti-Semitic.If Jon Stewart and company attacked anyone but Christians, it would be considered an offensive outrage. The names in the credits explain the source.$LABEL$ 0 +I do not envy Barry Levinson, Rachel Weisz, Ben Stiller or Jack Black for doing this film. It's, in one word, boring. Maybe the fact that is too predictable, the more-than-exploited Ben Stiller's loser role or the not-at-all funny scenes make this film just something to forget. Even Christopher Walken's appearance finishes in a pathetic way. I was very disappointed. I love Ben Stiller's acting. I loved it in most of his films, the last one I saw before this was Duplex with Drew Barrymore and was not that bad. About Jack Black... Well, apart from High Fidelity I've never seen him doing something good. What about School of Rock? Ooops, frightening.$LABEL$ 0 +Brainless film about two girls and some guys they meet in an airport getting on the wrong late night shuttle bus and ending up in a whole world of trouble. Great twists and turns are totally, and I do mean totally wasted, in a film with a plot so incredibly stupid as to defy description. What is going on in a general sense is okay, I mean the idea of a guy kidnapping unattended girls for nefarious purposes is a good one. The problem is that the details are so beyond belief that I would be shocked if you don't turn off the film in utter disbelief. Gee, a guy who is suppose to be taking you home doesn't go any of the ways you know, and you stay on the bus? It get worse from there, think of every bad choice and this film has the characters make it, even to the point where they could just walk away, but never do. Whats annoying is that some of the twists and turns might have worked if there was something intelligent before it, but there is almost no intelligence anywhere in this film. Okay, maybe there is, the end, the end is clever. The end is the sort of thing that should freak you out. it should be the "oh #$*@!!!!" moment and become a classic of horror cinema. Instead it just lies there among the stupid ruins of a stupid movie. One of the most brainless films of the year.$LABEL$ 0 +A lot is dated in this episode (just like most Twilight Zone episodes), such as the Woman's incredibly sexist military "uniform." And some things are so unbelievable, like the easy availability of clean water. Still, consider the year this was made and the time, and you quickly understand why this episode is so special as you watch. It has a nice sense of hope, something missing from a lot of Twilight Zones, as well as an interesting female character (despite the fact that she rarely speaks), something else rare on the Twilight Zone. "Two" is a great example of how the Twilight Zone, in just over 20 minutes, could pack more emotion and drama than most two hours movies today. And it's great to see two people who became American icons so early in their careers.$LABEL$ 1 +I think that Toy Soldiers is an excellent movie. It's one of the only movies that, aside from some well known actors, has an unknown cast that can actually act. In my opinion, the plot is captivating. It keeps your attention without having an outrageous story that couldn't possibly happen in real life. I think that everyone would enjoy this movie. Sean Astin always seems to pick the perfect movies to be in that showcase his talent. He's very underrated and doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. Other movies that he has been in other actors have been in the spotlight but this movie and Rudy really showcase him because he is the main character in both. I hope that he someday gets the accolades he deserves for his acting. If you want to see a great movie you need to check this one out and if you are a Sean Astin fan you will definitely like this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +All Boris Karloff fans will love this classic film, where Karloff is the castle physician and gives his patients excellent attention. Sir Ronald Burton,(Richard Greene), an eighteenth-century English adventurer, believes his two friends have been murdered by Count Von Bruno,(Stephen McNally) on his Black Forest estate. Arriving at Von Bruno's castle to accumulate evidence, Burton learns Von Bruno's unhappy wife Elga (Paula Corday),. and Dr. Meissen(Boris Karloff), the castle physician, are virtual prisoners. Suspecting Burton's motives, Von Bruno and Gargon (Lon Chaney Jr., ) a giant, mute scarred henchman, discover the Englishman was responsible for their being captured and tortured. You will definitely have to view this great Classic Karloff Film to enjoy the ending.$LABEL$ 1 +I will never get back the three hours of life this film has stolen from me.The film is basically a psychedelic drug trip disguised as an important creative process. I'd love to know what they were on when this film was being made.Its also the most historically-inaccurate film in existence; 2001 has come and gone without any of the events or predictions taking place.Characters are unlikeable, design is simplistic and everything just rambles on without any sense or logic to it.And the ending is probably the worst of it: its supposed to be thought-provoking but the only thought that entered my mind is "What the F$*K is going on?!" I'd say for anyone looking for serious entertainment purposes, AVOID this film at all cost and choose a sci-fi movie that ISN'T stuck up its own @$$.$LABEL$ 0 +Wonderful cast wasted on worthless script. Ten or so adults reunite at the summer camp they attended as juveniles. Could this ever happen in a million years? It's simply a fantasy, and a boring one at that. Do they become teenagers again? Do they reenact their pranks, games, good times? They may try but ultimately the answer is: No. Is there any intrigue? Any suspense? Horror? Comedy? None of the above. How anyone can be entertained by this drivel is beyond me. I wanted to like this movie; I tried to like this movie, but my brain refused.$LABEL$ 0 +** Warning - this post may contain spoilers **I only got a Gamecube in September 2005, and the first two games I bought were James Bond games, the decent Agent Under Fire and the dull Goldeneye Rogue Agent. The next game I planned to get was Everything or Nothing, because my friend told me that it was better than the two games I already had. I have to say, he was right. I bought this for a tenner in HMV, and when I got home, I slammed it in to my Cube and played it for hours on end. It was much better than my other two games, and there was a much better and more interesting storyline. Graphics were some of the best I have seen (but now that the XBOX 360 has come out, Farcry Instincts Predator has some of the best graphics known to man). The storyline was clever; mad man (Willem Dafoe, named as Nikolai Diavolo) and beautiful henchwoman (Heidi Klum, named as Katya Nadanova), try to destroy the world with tiny nanobots, which at the start of the game, you, James Bond, have to destroy on a train. The bad thing is that one of them is hidden in Katya's boobs. You then have to thwart their plans and save the world.The great thing about this game is that it actually has actors voicing the characters, such as Cleese voicing Q. There are 27 levels, some of them short and some of them pretty long and tricky.Gameplay - 10/10 Graphics - 9/10 Sound - 9/10 Replay value - 7/10 Multiplayer - 8/10I give this game a grand total of 90%$LABEL$ 1 +The movie takes place in a little Swedish town where everybody knows each other. Here Mia visits her parent for the birthday of her father, a which occasionally always have some kind of tragedy, the question is just what will it be this year, and you will be surprised... It is an extremely well composed movie, with a story which has a perfect balance of humor and seriousness, which is rarely seen. You get happy, you get hurt, and basically everything in between. Finally you can't help falling in love with Mia(if you are a boy I guess(the main actress)) She is an extremely well chosen actress, as a lot of the other actors/actresses.Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +Hilarious, clean, light-hearted, and quote-worthy. What else can you ask for in a film? This is my all-time, number one favorite movie. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of owning a blue van with flames and an observation bubble.The cliché characters in ridiculous situations are what make this film such great fun. The wonderful comedic chemistry between Stephen Furst (Harold) and Andy Tennant (Melio) make up most of my favorite parts of the movie. And who didn't love the hopeless awkwardness of Flynch? Don't forget the airport antics of Leon's cronies, dressed up as Hari Krishnas: dancing, chanting and playing the tambourine--unbeatable! The clues are genius, the locations are classic, and the plot is timeless.A word to the wise, if you didn't watch this film when you were little, it probably won't win a place in your heart today. But nevertheless give it a chance, you may find that "It doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't matter what you do, you've gotta play."$LABEL$ 1 +The plot - in the future when nearly all men have been killed by a Y-chromosome-targeting virus, a (hot) female genetic engineer 'creates' a man in a chem lab - is intriguing. Despite the somewhat promising premise, the movie falls flat in nearly every regard. The dialogue is laughable. The characters are paper thin. The exploration of a single-gender world is shallow. The worst part of the entire movie is the Asian detective who delivers lines so cheesy and contrived that you'll want to vomit.I can't imagine how on earth this trash got produced. Most of the movie is male bashing. "All men are violent." "All men rape women." "Men are only animals." All of the women - even the 'closet hetero cases' - seem to display anger toward-, fear of-, and hatred for men. If you want to see a sci-fi film something along the lines of this movie's premise, you'd do best to look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +My main criticism with the movie is the animation. I totally agree with everyone else it was very poor. Some of the characters seemed to have darker skin tones than they did in the first film, which is much better. Also the background colours looked rushed and somewhat static. It is also a shame that Michael J.Fox didn't voice Milo, he did such a good job, and James Arnold Taylor wasn't sure whether he was supposed to sound like Milo or Aladdin. I have also taken into consideration the lack of a good storyline. the third story was confusing and clumsily told, and the second story suffered from poor scripting. To make things worse, the first one I can't even remember, other than a fishing village being haunted or something like that. However, there was some nice music, and good voice talents from John Mahoney, Cree Summer, Clancy Brown and Tom Wilson, that saved the film from total disaster. All in all, a disappointing sequel to a surprisingly good film. 4/10 Bethany Cox.$LABEL$ 0 +The whole shorthand for supposedly being more aware in this weird time is that you are "Blue". The Blue State mentality. This is supposed to get us off the hook for what is/was happening during the last few years in our country (The USA). It doesn't get anyone off the hook but it makes us feel better, as though we aren't benefiting in any way from living here and getting all the good stuff that a US citizen gets just by being a US citizen. But I'm so sick of bitching about this. It doesn't do any good. I haven't taken much action lately and I wonder how many people have. Maybe I'm just down because my job was "outsourced" last month and now I'm looking for work in the shrinking tech support field where most of the jobs are quickly going to India and other places overseas. I'm thinking that soon it's not going to pay off to be a citizen here with the screwed up infrastructure and the shrinking job market and the obsession with war. These days it seems like anyone who speaks out gets jumped and questioned about there "patriotism". Anyway, back to this review: USA The Movie is an obscure DVD that makes me realize that some people have taken action, whether it's through politics, protesting or arts or media. The filmmaker is obviously passionate, knowledgeable, willing to go outside the norm, frustrated, unique, astute etc. I looked through the whole site that's linked to the DVD and got lost in all the articles, essays etc.that are there. The DVD does that too, has references to different times, views and historical points. Sometimes someone does something out there.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, it's been years since I last saw this movie. Watching it in 2008 is certainly different than watching it in 1986. Initially I didn't' think I would make it through the movie. Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) was so obnoxious, arrogant and disrespectful that I found it hard to watch him. He embodied every negative stereotype of Americans. If that wasn't bad enough, once the small American town's finest workers were shown the image only got worse. On the opposite spectrum the Japanese were presented as emotionless, robotic workaholics. The movie wasn't even all that funny, I only hung in there because of the nostalgic value of it. And I'm glad I continued the watch.Just like boxing, judges are swayed by how you finish the round. This movie went from about a three up to the seven I rated it because of the ending. The end was excellent. You always want a harmonious ending and this was just that. It was great that the town got to keep there jobs and keep the factory, but what was most special was the marriage between the Japanese customs and values and the American customs and values. It was a mediocre movie that ended on a high note.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is an impressionistic, poetic take on the immigrant experience, a reflective look at the turmoil and fear which might be associated with emigrating. These are aspects not often considered in movies about emigration to America in particular and to to any country more generally and the film vividly and convincingly depicts the nervousness and enthusiasm, if ignorance, that poor, illiterate Sicilian immigrants have in anticipation of their emigration to the United States. They have some fantastic, unrealistic notions about the United States which are disseminated on the trip over. One is that the rivers run with milk, an image which is depicted in the movie to poetic, impressionistic effect. The film is devoid of sound and the silence seems to reflect the uneasiness of the ignorance the locals have about life in America, or if not ignorance of it, a vision significantly colored with superstition and fantasy. That said, the movie depicts with jolting realism, the boat ride to the United States and the intake process which arrivals at Ellis Island had to undergo. The boat ride is imagined as rather dull which surely it was much of the time. The quarters in which the incoming residents sleep is depicted as extremely crowded with beds spaced four or five inches from one another and lacking much light, which it was surely the case below deck. Again, the film is not supplemented with undue music or excessively bright lighting and the effect is to create a fairly realistic imagining of what it was truly like for people emigrating to the United States. The villagers may not be worldly, but they are quite reasonable, and the interaction with the eldest of the emigrants, Fortunata (Aurora Quattrocchi) with the immigration officer who insists on particular results, are quite bittersweet inasmuch as they are not diluted or softened for the benefit of a syrupy conclusion and one sees the melding of the realism of Sicily with the extensive regulations which guide life in the United States.The immigrants and their story are very interesting and the combination of cold-eyed realism and the magical fantasy of peoples' imaginations make for a persuasive vision of the beliefs held by Sicilians, or any people, with little formal education moving to the United States. The acting is similarly barebones; it is not at all demonstrative or showy, but seems the more realistic for it. That said, all the main performers, in particular Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato), the clear leader of the group is excellent. While never smiling, his character's actions speak much louder and it is clear that (thankfully) the other members of the group, his two sons and the above mentioned elder Fortunata, the boys' grandmother, have faith in his leadership abilities and respect his clear leadership. Amato imbues his character with great decency and forthrightness and it is a testament to his abilities that his character appears so capable and confident while his character betrays very little emotion. One oddness of the film is a chance encounter with a mysterious Englishwoman (the excellent and fittingly mysterious Charlotte Gainsbourg) who speaks Italian and, during the entire film, we wonder why she is going to the United States or what connection she has to the otherwise unanimously Sicilian emigrant group. At the end, this is finally revealed and the revelation is done typically realistically and does not seem particularly melodramatic or showy. The film is directed by Emmanuel Crialese who has a firm grasp on the realistic, if sometimes superstitious world view his characters inhabit and presents it competently and confidently. It is in fact fantastically confident given how awkwardly the realism and superstition might have combined in the film. It is a worthy examination of the immigrant experience.$LABEL$ 1 +I never realized what a fabulous dancer Lana Turner was until I saw this movie. She was only 19 years old and gorgeous. What a pleasure to watch her dance with George Murphy. The story line was typical for its day but the dancing was really special. I never tire of watching Fred and Ginger but Lana Turner in this movie was just as terrific. I always thought of Lana as a so-so actress who tended to over act. She should have done more dancing and less of the Maddam X and Peyton Place roles. I had a new appreciation for her after seeing this movie and her wonderful dancing. Too bad the "Academy" doesn't give an "Oscar" for dancing.$LABEL$ 1 +There was nothing of value in the original movie, this one was even lamer. The fact that I even found it to rent was absolutely amazing. Anyone connected to this film has to be high on something! So what was the story line? What was with the girl? Was the viewer supposed to get the story line in the first four minutes of the film. Sadly, I tried several times to watch this. I even borrowed a kid from someone to get some feedback. Kid said it was stupid, and he was four years old. I find that possibly some credit could go to the filming director, as possibly some of the shots made the movie more than a B film. That might be pushing it. I did love the theme song. Good thing it was only a dollar, it was worth it. I suppose you might enjoy the film if you were high as the cast and crew would have to be. Is pot legal in France?$LABEL$ 0 +I refused to watch this when it originally aired, treasuring the memory of the late, lamented 1960s series with Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope, but I can never resist a challenge. I should have known better. Not quite a remake, and more of a parody than a homage, this show didn't quite know how to play it, and plumped with infantile comedy and cartoon plots and characters. The three main characters were little more than caricatures of the actors, and only Emilia Fox could act (Bob Mortimer is painful in a straight role). The supporting cast were merely comedian-acquaintances of Vic and Bob's wanting to be part of the in-joke, and far too aware of the situation to be convincing. And the CGI, though the effects couldn't help be an improvement on those available 30 years earlier, merely dazzled the viewer with lights and camera work, and did little to mask the poor quality of the scripts and dialogue. All style and no substance. (And whereas the 1960s show is mocked for being very much of its time, this 'update' is now also very dated, with 'Matrix'-style fashions, obligatory 'girl power' scenes, and less than subtle tension between the two living leads.)$LABEL$ 0 +Graphics: brilliant, obviously. The most stunning things were definitely NOT given away in the trailers. Fight sequences move extremely fast, but after watching a couple of them your eyes should be used to it and it won't seem so confusing. Cloud has a wide array of swords, and I kinda wish things were moving a LITTLE slower just so we could see them, because they were each incredibly detailed. Oh, and we finally get to see exactly how one equips Materia...Music: brilliant also. I was a bit nervous about it, since (from what I've seen) Nobuo isn't the best at writing music to go along with action (remember the Steal the Tiny Bronco sequence?), but it's brilliant and it fits perfectly. I'm glad I preordered the OST. They changed the lyrics to One Winged Angel though, so you won't be able to sing along if you know the Carmina Burana Lyrics.Plot: the first half of the movie sets up things and introduces everyone in a fairly complex tapestry, but the second half is almost entirely fight sequences, once all the players are in place. I wouldn't call it a weak plot, but it's nowhere near as convoluted as the game's plot was. I think this is in an effort to avoid trying to overshadow the game, and I think that's a good thing...the movie is its own entity, and shouldn't try to top the original in terms of sheer plot.I admit, I was kind of hoping that this movie would bring FF7 to a wider range of people, but this is NOT a mainstream movie. I was going to give it only nine stars, just because it doesn't even really try to explain anything to newcomers...Marlene (at least I think it was Marlene...sounded like her) gives a bit of background at the beginning, but it's more of a refresher than a crash course. But then I realized, for me this movie is a 10/10, so why should I take off points just because other people probably won't like it as well...if you've played the game, or are at least passingly familiar with it, you should see this movie. But you don't need me to tell you that. If you're not familiar with it, go out and buy it, sit there for twenty hours and beat it, and then see the movie...although even without any background, it's still stunningly beautiful. You just won't get any of the inside references...which make up 50% of the movie (that is, everything that ISN'T a fight sequence).$LABEL$ 1 +If you go into the Twins Effect looking for a pure Hong Kong movie experience you will be disappointed. This is not to say it is bad, but it is NOT a traditional Hong Kong action movie, running in a similar vein to Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. It's resolutely silly and juvenile, so if you want a good bit of serious Hong Kong action, look to a John Woo or Yuen Woo Ping movie. This movie's got a lot of flak for it's silliness and I thought the first thing I should do would be to explain what you're getting into, as it's disappointed a lot of purists.For the non-purists and those with more forgiving tastes though, Twins Effect is a delightfully silly kung-fu comedy. I liked it a lot for a variety of reasons, not least it's wonderful female leads who spark off each other in a thoroughly entertaining comedy double act. I believe this is the first movie of it's type they've been in, but they hop, kick and fly about like seasoned pros.The patently ridiculous plot is handled with a great deal of care and attention, and the movie is quite knowingly written, making a lot of the movie laugh out loud. The comedy really is the most prominent thing here, and it's a subtle, gentle comedy as reliant on words as inanimate objects going flying a la Stephen Chow. It has to be said the slapstick is immense fun too. The sequence with the disco-dancing vampires is a total classic.The action is a blend of two genres really. It falls between the 'period drama' wire-and-sword fighting (which comes in more toward the end) and the comedy fighting style of Jackie Chan, coming out with a blend that though a little derivative at times is always exciting to watch and occasionally throws up some genuinely innovative encounters.All this is great, and the movie is tremendous fun all the way through. Despite this, it does have a few sticking points. For instance, Twins Effect is in many ways much more westernised than kung-fu fans are perhaps used to, the inevitable comparison to the Blade series is definitely sound as an example, though Twins Effect is honestly much better than Blade ever managed, especially for fighting action. Personally, it was also a bit of a shame to see the excellent Anthony Wong (the hissable villain from John Woo's classic Hard Boiled) so underused, but the younger audience this is aimed at are unlikely to notice this or indeed know about Hard Boiled or his other movies, so this is only really a personal gripe.If you watch this with an open mind, you'll probably enjoy it greatly like I did, but you must be firmly aware it is a COMEDY, not a balls to the wall kung-fu movie. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine.$LABEL$ 1 +Brilliant film, the next best film to The Drunken Master (Jackie Chan). I recently bought it on an original VHS and i haven't seen this film for 15 years but still as good as it was back then. The acting was terrible and the dubbing was even worse but it those features that make this film (and many other old fashioned Chinese kung-fu movies) great. The choreography is awesome and the storyline is basic. I have never seen the 36th chamber of shaolin but know it is the same film but Gordon liu plays San Te but San Te in Thr Return To The 36th Chamber is played by a different character. It has a lot of comedy value and brilliant kung-fu.$LABEL$ 1 +I grew up in the 90s; therefore, you must understand that i witnessed firsthand the premiers of the greatest DCOMs. I was there when Brink! appeared, Zenon, Halloweentown, Johnny Tsunami, etc, These movies constitute my childhood. When these movies came on, not only myself but whoever I was watching them with would stand completely in awe for 1h30, talk about it for the week to come and catch it again the next weekend. I don't think words could express the amount of excitement Zoog Disney brought. Even when I watch them now, the dialog doesn't seem that bad (so effective in fact, that I actually remember parts of conversations literally word per word, from movies I saw over ten years ago). The characters are believable, funny, granted a little stereotypical but that's what makes Disney's charm... I sat my little brother down in front of the Disney channel to try and convey and make him understand my feelings for DCOMs. Enter Stuck in the Suburbs... my brother looked at me slightly puzzled, asking me if I had always been gay. I feel more disappointed and betrayed now than, what could I compare this to?, when Han Solo found out Lando sold him out to Vader... Half the movie, and I'm not exaggerating, is flashbacks. There is no talent in these young actors (some of which are older than I am) whatsoever. The plot is ridiculous; it feels like a bunch of old rotting corporate people over at Disney sat around a table and asked themselves "How can we seem hip to these youngsters?" OK, maybe all the DCOMs were like that, but they at least made a little effort to not let us realize they think we're complete idiots. And apparently this type of movie works... Stuck in the Suburbs is rated almost as much as Zenon or Airborne. How is this possible? DCOMs got even cheesier and people prefer them now? (though apparently the lack of curse words is enough to give it 10/10 for some people) Christ, it's a completely different generation.$LABEL$ 0 +For me, Pink Flamingos lived up to it's reputation as being the shocking, disgusting, repulsive, trashy film I was expecting it to be, that really contains everything but the kitchen sink. We are treated to almost two hours of nastiness that never lets up: rape, sex, sex with chickens, transsexuals, castration, murder, cannibalism, and a horrid display of singing out ones anus. It is about a strange couple who begin a competition with a trailer trash family, trying to steal their title as the "filthiest people alive". Divine (a fat guy in drag) is an unbelievably vile human being, who actually becomes painful to watch. Trust me when I say that this film is not one to be quickly forgotten, especially the end scene in which Divine eats dog crap off the sidewalk. I have always thought John Waters was over-rated and I cannot say I like this film, but it is an experience if you ever get a chance to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +well worth watching, especially with the nice twist of a journalist with integrity, you are expecting a big fall down story line as Grey Owl is unmasked as a fraud, but it is not to be and adds to the generally optimistic and uplifting theme and drama of the story and film.This has to be Brosnan's best performance to date, he convinces admirably as the English boy playing Indians. The stand out scene is the return to his ?Aunts? where Brosnan and the two elderly lady actresses make a wonderful scene full of feeling of nostalgia and a life lost with so little dialogue, just with expressions and good direction. Perfect.The story is so little known and the message so universal and all important it is a real pity this film did not get better recognition, maybe in time it may become a bit of a classic and a sleeper. I hope so.Well done Dickie Attenborough and cast.$LABEL$ 1 +This film truly was poor. I went to the theatre expecting something exciting, and instead was afforded the opportunity to hone my "guess the next plot twist before it happens" skills. Seriously, the plot was written with an extra thick crayon so everyone could see. Nothing was truly shocking. In fact, even the gore was met with such complete suspension of belief that it really didn't add up to much.The excessive wise cracking and cops talking shop at the crime scenes made it seem all the more phony. And the scene where Lambert's character is struggling with the clues and reaches his "investigative epiphany" goes to great lengths to indicate the level of intellect expected from the audience - little.Probably the most annoying aspect of the cinematography was the "X-Files" treatment: Every building in the film, whether it's the precinct building, or a house at noon, or a hospital, was suffering from a lack of any discernible lighting (not to mention a lack of 'patients' in the case of the hospital). I don't recall a single scene when someone flipped on a light switch. It sure would have been nice.Mr. Lambert really isn't an Oscar-grade actor, so I suppose you have to take this film for what it's worth. In the end, I've reached the conclusion that the only thing that would make this film seem more entertaining is to watch it after watching "The Warriors". Otherwise, you're left with an effort that is dull and unoriginal, and nowhere near the equal of films of the genre such as "Silence of the Lambs".$LABEL$ 0 +My father insisted I should watch this film with him and I regret that I wasted my time watching--I want that approximate hour and a half back! The "funny" little film concerns the elderly Don Ameche staying with his son, Tom Selleck. It turns out that Ameche isn't just "forgetful" like he's been told, but has dementia (it seems a lot like Alzheimers). And, because Dad is so frequently "out to lunch" he gets into so much trouble again and again--almost like the adorable tyke from BABY'S DAY OUT. The problem, though, is that you know BABY'S DAY OUT is all fantasy and the baby is going to be fine. Plus, you aren't laughing at the baby for having a deformity or illness. But, in this case, you are being encouraged to laugh at a man who is slowly losing his mind--and where's the humor in that?! If this film had been more successful, would the producers have then made films making fun or people with Cerebral Palsy or a Flesh-eating Virus?!?! There are a lot of people who should have felt ashamed at having made this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Outlandish premise that rates low on plausibility and unfortunately also struggles feebly to raise laughs or interest. Only Hawn's well-known charm allows it to skate by on very thin ice. Goldie's gotta be a contender for an actress who's done so much in her career with very little quality material at her disposal...$LABEL$ 0 +The thing that's truly terrifying about this is that the filmmakers thought they were making something intelligent and sexy. Instead they made probably the stupidest horror picture of the year!This movie starts with a bunch of art snob friends at a gallery. This trashy European weirdo walks up and starts talking pretentious fruitiness to the main character, sounding like he just walked out of an episode of Dark Shadows. He then offers her up some stick to smoke(yes, a freakin' stick), which she eagerly agrees! He picks off some red crap and puts it in a spoon for her to freebase! If this ever happens to you in real life, don't do it!She's transported to some weird wannabe Jean Rollin netherworld that's supposed to be sexy but isn't, where there's this thing that looks like a rotted creature from the black lagoon!Soon she turns all her artsy sleazeball friends onto her new form of supernatural crack. No matter how much these idiots freak out and turn blue they can't leave it the hell alone. At one point she even makes out with the rotten creature!After the final battle and the stupid woman is vaporized or whatever, the so called hero is left alone to pack up his copy of Michael Moore's Dude Where's My Country and can't resist smoking that stick one more time to try to rescue his moron lady friend. What a dope.Rates four stars for sheer unintentional humor.$LABEL$ 0 +Every once in a while in the wonderful world of horror,diamonds are crafted, and one becomes completely awestruck by its sheer brilliance. This is no less than a diamond!! This is a film brimful of eeriness,chilling anticipation, and dark atmosphere, and I think it's safe to say, one of my favourite horror films of all time! And of course it contains probably the single most, flat out scary sequence in the whole of history of horror! Every time I see the film, and it gets up to the point where you know the inevitably will happen, I try to remember exactly when I will be frightened out of my wits, but it never fails to happen; I never get it right, and I find myself as terrorized as the first time I saw it!! Now, it must be said, to scare a jaded horror fan like that, that is nothing short of pure perfection. Unlike the Americans, the Brits know their subtleties, they take pride in the art of acting, they do not need any special effect in order to convey atmosphere, they rely on the power of the potent story, and the creepiness(in this case)of suggestion and anticipation. Every single element is impeccable, from the set pieces, the acting, the story, to the menacing atmosphere. Pauline Moran surely could make the devil whimper, that's for sure!! As an end note, if you for some demented reason don't like this piece of insanity, then you honestly don't know what horror is all about, and frankly do not deserve to know it either. Thank you!$LABEL$ 1 +This one was truly awful. Watching with fascinated horror, I kept on asking "why have they done this?" That is, taken all the scenarios out of "The Day after Tomorrow", "The Perfect Storm" and "Twister" and remixing them in a three-hour miniseries, directed by long-time junk TV director Dick Lowry, with every disaster movie cliché known to man and not an ounce of real suspense. Many of the cast were unknown Canadians and location filming was done in Canada, Winnepeg doubling for Chicago, so no doubt tax breaks had something to do with it. Although some ambitious special effects were attempted, the execution is so poor no decent spectacle is achieved. The actors may be a competent lot; the script is so bad no-one had a chance to show it, except perhaps for Randy Quaid as Tommy the Tornado chaser, who went right over the top and was quite amusing.Believe it or not, the producers have since made another one of these Canadian disaster turkeys called "Category 7 – the End of the World" which was very tastefully shown on CBS in the US a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina. How could the network of Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite do such a thing? In prime time? PT Barnum "nobody ever went broke underestimating public taste" is proved right once more.$LABEL$ 0 +When i first went to watch The Shining I was expecting a decent film from what I had heard about it and I liked a lot of Stanley Kubrick's other work but when I started to watch it it was so much better than I thought it would be.At times I seriously felt ridiculously uneasy and I couldn't take my eyes of the screen still there's something very disturbing about everything in the film. Now some people don't like Kubrick's version of The Shining since it doesn't entirely follow Stephen King's book but in my opinion both Kubrick's version,the mini-series and the book are all great.Jack Nicholson gives an awesome performance.If you are looking for a good original movie that will keep you thinking even after the movies over then watch The Shining.$LABEL$ 1 +i am still not sure what the hell this movie is about. i guess the boy was afraid of becoming blind and began imagining all sorts of strange things. this does not explain why he wanted to kill his new baby brother , however , or the unrelenting boredom found within this film. while watching this movie you will wish you were blind so you did not have to see this experiment in futility. skip this steaming pile and opt for anything else at the video store ..... anything else.$LABEL$ 0 +Yeh, I know -- you're quivering with excitement. Well, *The Secret Lives of Dentists* will not upset your expectations: it's solidly made but essentially unimaginative, truthful but dull. It concerns the story of a married couple who happen to be dentists and who share the same practice (already a recipe for trouble: if it wasn't for our separate work-lives, we'd all ditch our spouses out of sheer irritation). Campbell Scott, whose mustache and demeanor don't recall Everyman so much as Ned Flanders from *The Simpsons*, is the mild-mannered, uber-Dad husband, and Hope Davis is the bored-stiff housewife who channels her frustrations into amateur opera. One night, as Dad & the daughters attend one of Davis' performances, he discovers that his wife is channeling her frustrations into more than just singing: he witnesses his wife kissing and flirting with the director of opera. (One nice touch: we never see the opera-director's face.) Dreading the prospect of instituting the proceedings for separation, divorce, and custody hearings -- profitable only to the lawyers -- Scott chooses to pretend ignorance of his wife's indiscretions.Already, the literate among you are starting to yawn: ho-hum, another story about the Pathetic, Sniveling Little Cuckold. But Rudolph, who took the story from a Jane Smiley novella, hopes that the wellworn-ness of the material will be compensated for by a series of flashy, postmodern touches. For instance, one of Scott's belligerent patients (Denis Leary, kept relatively -- and blessedly -- in check) will later become a sort of construction of the dentist's imagination, emerging as a Devil-on-the-shoulder advocate for the old-fashioned masculine virtues ("Dump the b---h!", etc.). When not egged-on by his imaginary new buddy, Scott is otherwise tormented by fantasies that include his wife engaged in a three-way with two of the male dental-assistants who work in their practice. It's not going too far to say that this movie is *Eyes Wide Shut* for Real People (or Grown-Ups, at least). Along those lines, Campbell Scott and Hope Davis are certainly recognizable human beings as compared to the glamourpuss pair of Cruise and Kidman. Further, the script for *Secret Lives* is clearly more relevant than Kubrick's. As proof, I offer the depiction of the dentists' children, particularly the youngest one who is about 3 or 4 years old, and whose main utterance is "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! DAD!!!" This is Family Life, all right, with all its charms.The movie would make an interesting double-bill with *Kramer vs. Kramer*, as well. One can easily trace the Feminization of the American Male from 1979 to 2003. In this movie, Dad is the housewife as in *Kramer*, but he is in no way flustered by the domestic role, unlike Dustin Hoffman, who was too manly to make toast. Here, Scott gets all the plumb chores, such as wiping up the children's vomit, cooking, cleaning, taking the kids to whatever inane after-school activity is on the docket. And all without complaint. (And without directorial commentary. It's just taken for granted.)The film has virtues, mostly having to do with verisimilitude. However, it's dragged down from greatness by its insistence on trendy distractions, which culminate in a long scene where a horrible five-day stomach flu makes the rounds in the household. We must endure pointless fantasy sequences, initiated by the imaginary ringleader Leary. Whose existence, by the way, is finally reminiscent of the Brad Pitt character in *Fight Club*. And this finally drives home the film's other big flaw: lack of originality. In this review, I realize it's been far too easy to reference many other films. Granted, this film is an improvement on most of them, but still. *The Secret Lives of Dentists* is worth seeing, but don't get too excited about it. (Not that you were all that excited, anyway. I guess.)$LABEL$ 0 +Co-scripted by William H. Macy from, arguably, Donald E. Westlake's best and hardest to find novel, "A Travesty". *Very* faithful to the story, the movie stars Macy as a hapless man who gets in way too far over his head after attempting to cover up an accidental death. Costars Adam Arkin and James Cromwell in good supporting roles. The strength of the movie is in the intricate twist-after-twist storyline and in the acting, particularly by Macy who routinely and delightfully breaks through the 4th wall here and gets away with it every time. A good storyline with much dark humor, this one engaged me enough that I've watched it three times in the week since it came out. Prepare to shelve your critical faculties and emit a loud, bipartisan "wheeeeee!".$LABEL$ 1 +Recently, I saw the documentary "The revolution will not be televised", also know as "Chávez: inside the coup". At first I thought it showed a genuine inside view of events during the Venezuela coup of April 2002. What bothered me though was the fact that the tone of the narration and the accompanying music were suggestive, and that at no point any criticism was expressed about Hugo Chávez. This is peculiar because if a documentary is giving an non-biased account of what happened, there should have been some of that too. After all, Chávez certainly is not a saint. Fortunately, since the documentary is several years old, a lot of additional information is available on the internet nowadays, and it was not difficult to find for instance "Urgent Investigation about Chavez-the coup by the 5 European TV Corporations who financed the film which presents blatant falsehoods about Venezuela." It lists the many errors and intended or unintended falsifications in the documentary. (Just use the title as a search string in Google, you will find it). Another interesting document was the video registration of a presentation of the findings of the many errors in this documentary, "X-ray of a lie". To me it seems to be a good counterweight to "Chávez: inside the coup" It's available at video.google. I strongly advice you after watching "Chávez: inside the coup" to look at "X-ray of a lie" and then form your opinion. My conclusion is that Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Brian were (knowingly or not) part in Chávez-propaganda.$LABEL$ 0 +Max Cash a charter boat captain who works off the Caribbean island San Sebastian is hired by Sarah, who's looking for legendary boat, El Diablo and its stolen treasure that sunk out in the reef in the 17th century. But something seems to be protecting the whereabouts of the ship, as people who knew anything about it are being killed.I have to agree with those that were under the impression that this was going to be a horror feature. Instead what we ended up with was a low-rent, b-grade late 80s take on 1977 deep-sea adventure film 'The Deep', but with a baffling supernatural origin and an injection of mystery. The story is a tame muddle (so many inconsistent angles don't make a lick of sense and encourages a blotchy pace) and the technical side is clunky. Nice exotic location and under-water photography though. While the carefree performances weren't too bad either. A gruff Wayne Crawford is enjoyably witty and June Chadwick is fair along side him. Sheri Able is pretty much eye candy. There are some bizarre developments that amuse and one or two eerie sequences. However there's a real lack of cohesion. Most of the cutaway deaths happen off-screen, except for the bloody, fitful opening kills done by something unseen. Again just another thing that leaves you high and dry. The music is generic with its thumping cues to warn us of approaching danger and the POV shots get a good working out. Tatty, but watchable.$LABEL$ 0 +They actually make a big deal out of a scene in which Steven hurdles a 3 foot fence. The plot is...barely there, the acting (so to speak) is distressing and the action is catastrophically lame. This is the worst Seagal film ever, and that is saying something.$LABEL$ 0 +I think I was recommended this film by the lady in the shop I was hiring it from! For once she was bang on! What a superb film! First of all I was convinced James McAvoy & Romola Garai were Irish so convincing were their accents; and by half way through the film I was utterly convinced Steven Robertson was a disabled actor and pretty sure James McAvoy was also! When I watched the special features on the DVD and saw both actors in their 'normal' guise, to say I was blown away would be an understatement!!! I can remember all the acclaim Dustin Hoffmann got back in the 80's for his portrayal of autism in the film 'Rain Man' - quite frankly (in my opinion of course!)Steven Robertson's performance/portrayal blows Dustin Hoffmann's right out of the water - and he deserves recognition as such!! All in all one of the greatest portrayals of human friendship/love/relationships ever - and it was made in Britain/Ireland with home grown actors - stick that in yer pipe and smoke it Hollywood!$LABEL$ 1 +You might suspect that the plot of this movie was written in the process of filming. It begins as a "punks versus vigilante" movie, but in the middle of the film, the plot changes abruptly when the vigilante turns to be an honest man with his honest girl and his honest gym and has to fight the corrupt "businessmen" who want to turn the gym down at any cost to build a mall or something. Then, the plot changes again, and we forget about the corrupt guys. The villain now is the friend of the leading man, who thinks he is a Ninja. The guy becomes "crazy evil" and wants at any cost to win a Martial Arts Contest. Seeing this movie is like having a nightmare with the television on.$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to know exactly what to say about this ever so bland and dull little film. The story is predictable when not completely laughable. It's all a matter of "dutiful gestures" which, as presented here, carry absolutely no conviction. Yes, the MGM "production values" are gorgeous, and yes, Ms. Lamarr was exquisitely beautiful, but she and the great Spencer Tracy have absolutely no "chemistry" together - and that's the only thing that would have made this parade of cliches at all effective... It's my understanding that this movie received poor reviews when it was originally released; the passage of time has not improved it.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie had me stuck in this endless loop of thinking about it for days afterward...granted i am not the movie snob that some folks around here appear to be, but i thought this was amazingly well-acted, and a powerful creation, if lacking a little subtlety in exectution. i happen to admire movies that can effectively recreate the sensation of watching a stage play, it creates an inharmonious eeriness that works well with this flick. i am also a great fan of alan rickman, so that might be my bias. personally i found the lack of spatial landmarks a good thing -- this could in fact be anywhere, and probably is. i say go easy on what was a powerful experience for me, and likely for anyone involved in any sort of political activity.$LABEL$ 1 +Richard Abernethie, a very wealthy man, has died and his relatives have assembled for his funeral. Included in the funeral party is Abernathie's youngest sister Cora Galaccio. While none of the family has seen Cora in at least 20 years, they all agree that Cora was always a bit different. So when Cora says something about Abemethie having been murdered, most laugh it off as one of Cora's eccentricities. But someone is obviously taking Cora seriously. The next day, Cora is found dead in her bed having been beaten violently. Is there a connection between the two deaths? It's up to Hercule Poirot to find a killer.After the Funeral is one of the most well put together episodes of the entire Poirot series. I've always been a fan of this particular Agatha Christie book and, from what I remember, the movie is as faithful to Christie's source material as any of the Poirot installments. The mystery is top notch with plenty of clues, suspects, and red herrings. And as I've written before, I always enjoy an Christie story where Hercule Poirot gathers everyone together in a drawing room for the final reveal. It might be old fashioned, but that's the way I like it. Getting beyond the plot, technically and artistically After the Funeral is a winner. Sets, editing, direction, and cinematography are as good as you'll find in one of these movies. The acting is equally impressive. I've come to expect an enjoyable performance from David Suchet as Poirot and he doesn't disappoint here. The rest of the cast is just as strong with Monica Dolan giving an especially noteworthy performance. Other than a minor quibble with the rapid fire way the characters are introduced, I've got no real complaints. It's a good show all the way around.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw The Couch Trip (1988)on late night television years ago and instantly fell in love with it. The funny thing is I usually catch all the comedies made but have never even heard of this one until I saw it. Dan Ackroyd is plain and simpley hillarious period. He has made a couple great movies with Belushi and don't forget Saturday Night Live. But I think the Couch Trip is probably his best and funniest. With a good supporting cast of Charles Grodin, David Clennon, and Walter Matthau this piece of cinema shines with comic gold. Ackroyd's wife Donna Dixxon even does a fine job here. My favorite moments of the film involve Ackroyd and David Clennon's charachter Lawrence Baird. Those two played well off each other. So if you haven't seen a good comedy in awile take a trip back to 1988 and rent or buy The Couch Trip. I just did, Amazon 78 cents. What a bargain, too bad I got hit with a 2.50 shipping fee. Oh well still well worth it. Any guy will love this flick check it out.$LABEL$ 1 +Who won the best actress Oscar for 1933? It should have been Laura Hope Crewes for her magnificent portrayal of the most monstrous mother ever. She truly is one of the great character actresses of all time. She played the frivolous Prudence Duvernoy in "Camille" (1936) and her best remembered role is Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With the Wind".Irene Dunne was the "official" star of the film but her scenes with Laura Hope Crewes were dynamite.David (Joel McCrea) is in Heidelberg when he is offered a job in New York. His wife, Christine (Irene Dunne) can continue her studies at the Rockafellar Centre. Their first stop in America is a visit to David's mother, Mrs. Phelps. To say that Laura Hope Crewes dominates every scene is an under-statement. From her first entrance - in a frantic burst of effort to greet her "big boy" - all attention is on her. Even sitting around the tea table, when she forgets Hester's existence, even forgetting how she takes her tea, you know something is not quite right.(Hester has been living there for a while.)Frances Dee is completely sweet and so right in her role as the adorable Hester. Her performance in this film, especially the scene where she has hysterics and the aftermath proves how under-rated as an actress she was.All the young cast are excellent. Eric Linden is superb as Robert, the younger son who comes to the realization that his mother is horrible but can do nothing about escaping from his mother's spell. Joel McCrea, at one point says "painting roses on bathtubs - that's more your style". There is a very subtle suggestion in the film of Robert's sexuality.Irene Dunne is excellent in whatever film or genre she tried.$LABEL$ 1 +This is by far one of my favorite of the American Pie Spin offs mainly because in most of the others the main character (one of the young Stiflers) always seems unrealistic in nature. For example AP: The Naked Mile. You have a teenage guy surrounded by naked college chicks , and has one in particular hot on his trail to rid him of his virginity "problem" and he ends up stopping mid-deed and rides a horse back to sleep with his girlfriend, who keep in mind gave him a "guilt free pass" for the weekend. I can appreciate the romantic aspect of the whole thing but let's be realistic; most people who are watching these movies aren't particularly searching for a romantic story.Whereas the most recent installment finally seems to realize who the audience is and good old Erik Stifler seems to wake up and smell the roses and as always Mr. Levenstein lends his "perfectly natural" eyebrow humor to the equation and scored a touchdown with this new movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The opening scene of this movie is pretty incredible. I've seen a number of sci-fi movies with great special effects but my roommate and I looked at each other after the opening sequence and he said plainly, "sensory overload." The plot of the movie is pretty simple but the nice thing about this sci-fi movie is that it lets the audience figure out most of the technology for themselves instead of wasting time to "subtly" explain it. The creatures in this movie are also very interesting. You don't get a really good look at them until about two thirds of the way through. Overall, a very entertaining movie.$LABEL$ 1 +i will be honest and say i gave up on watching it somewhere mid-way and then fast forward with a few breaks. then i came back here and read many of the reviews already made....maybe is just me, and i can not help it, but this cartoon to north American society seems to have a purpose of "lets save them from themselves" and iraq comes to mind right away. it seems to me that this is a justification, or part of, for another invasion with "good intentions".the lady to me seems a self indulged person and i frankly got annoyed at her portrait of trying to raise pity and "feel" for her. well in this case this could never happen because, just like a history teacher has already mentioned here, i NEED to know how come her family was so wealthy above average, manage to keep that ( were they playing both sides maybe?)and send her to Paris!? now, if this would have been made after a poor girl's biography i could see myself having certain emotions. but as it stands + its release timing this is just pure propaganda movie; even worse, since its cartoon, it overplays the "soft" side of tings too well for its own good , in order to possibly be taken serious.besides there are those clichés regarding gays. well, a woman that fights toward winning her rights should not have at least some compassion for the underdogs of society just like her??? the message is obviously self indulgent from the view of a ruling class member.i only give it 2 stars because its production and related stuff. a propaganda movie obviously has interests in convincing-manipulating my thoughts and therefore generally is well done appealing to certain visual emotions that i can not deny i might have as well.$LABEL$ 0 +The word impossible has led many to select a particular view concerning any incredible task. In 1927, it was believed no man could fly the breath of the Atlantic Ocean. Many had tried but failed and some even gave their lives to the effort. Nevertheless, it had to be done as every challenge needs to be met with equal determination. Such then is the heart of this movie called "The Spirit of St. Louis." The actor chosen for this historic film is none other than America's own James Stewart who convincingly plays Charles Lindbergh. Although there are many facets of Lindbergh's life, the segment featured here is his efforts to be the First Man to fly across the Atlantic. The story is an interesting one and for Stewards' fans compelling to say the least. Seeking enough funds to build a special aircraft, to the fateful decision to began the journey on a gloomy day in May 1927, 'Luck Lindy' as he was christened, endured enormous risks, which are featured in this superb film. Other notables which helped make this film believable are Murray Hamilton who plays Bud Gurney, Bartlett Robinson as Ben Mahoney, Arthur Space and Charles Watts as O.W. Schultz. The sum total of this now famous movie is that despite poor endorsement on its debut, it has since become a Classic in it's own right. Well done! ****$LABEL$ 1 +There was talk on the E! Hollywood Special about the Making of Dirty Dancing which still is considered by many women including a dear friend of mine in her fifties to be one of her favorite all time movies. Maybe the music, the dancing, or the melodrama around the plot of Baby Frances becoming a dancing sensation with Johnny Castle. Of course, this film established Jennifer Grey whose biggest role to date was the resentful sister in Ferris Beuller's Day Off. Patrick Swayze is perfectly cast as the heart throb leading man who sweeps baby away literally. Dirty Dancing has it all to become a Broadway or West End smash hit. It has the love story, the music, and most of all lots of dancing. Jennifer and Patrick could revive their roles easily. it is nice to see Jerry Orbach play a doctor instead of a police officer and Kelly Bishop as the mother. It all took place in the Catskills in the sixties where many Jewish families vacationed in the area during their summer vacations. At the end of the film, it is sad to see the hotel owner, Kellerman, be baffled by the next generation. It happened anyway! Most people prefer cruises and traveling through Europe than spending the summer in the Catskills. Those old grand hotels are becoming Indian gaming casinos. Let Broadway bring Dirty Dancing alive and well. After all, they could do it for Footloose and Saturday Night Fever, this should be a no brainer! I know that this film is one of the favorites that you don't get tired of after watching 800 times. There are people that have probably seen this film-a 1,000 times by now. Somehow watching the making and the story behind Dirty Dancing made me long for my childhood days as a thirteen year old. Dirty Dancing may not be the greatest film ever made in the history but its universal appeal still draws crowds and repeated watchers like the 800 club whose members have watched it so many times. I watch it fondly now with all the awkwardness of Baby's first days and her first true love with Patrick Swayze as heart throb, Johnny Castle. Nobody could have imagined this little film as a big hit then with the sixties music, two soundtracks, and even a tour in the late eighties. I hope they bring it to Broadway in a musical. It would work for the audience to be part of a film. No wonder it still attracts kids and even adults particularly women of all ages to watch it over and over again. Well, Australia and London both have had productions of Dirty Dancing. It looks like it will come to Broadway in 2007 just in time for it's 20th anniversary.$LABEL$ 1 +Why didn't Dynamo have any pants?! Where did they go?? It was never explained. That's why this movie was so awesome. Plus Starsky gave his kids the AIDS!!!! Great acting too. Richard Dawson deserved to win Best Supporting Actor! A I D S My favorite line from the movie was "That hit the spot" A I D S. This movie was for the "birds". I tried to give this movie the "stinkeye" but it continued playing. What am I doing wrong???!!!! I thought the "HATEBOAT" was funnnny lol ;) I would like that for a show. Why wasn't Dynamo wearing pants. I know his arm WAS skewered but... What's up with those crazy futur nets. Why didn't that family feud guy Ray Combs get a net?? He could have used one. AIDSSSSS$LABEL$ 1 +the scarlet coat is about bendict arnold betraying his country but he really isn't in the movie too much the main focus is on major Boulton (cornell wilde) and major Andre (micheal wilding)Wilding steals the movie as a officer and a gentlemen also as a freind to Boulton. As Boulton tries to uncover who is gustavus the man leaking secerts to the british.Wilde has to deal with the british the suspisous Dr o"dell(George Sanders)who watches his every move and love intrest Anne Francis this is a very enjoyable movie$LABEL$ 1 +Whether you want to spend nearly 2 hours of your life watching this depends how you like your horror movies. If you like them so god damn awful they're hysterical, watch away. Jigsaw is without a doubt the worst movie i've seen in my life (and i've seen 'Long Time Dead'), and i say this as a fan of the low-budget horror/gore genre and having seen a good few to compare it to. I'm not even going to go into the specifics of what makes this movie was bad as it is, the only good thing about it is it's so so terrible it's one of the funniest things i've seen in years. If you can find this to rent cheap it's definitely worth watching, if you were involved in making it - shame on you. :o) IMDb need to introduce a 0/10 ranking especially for this movie, it thoroughly deserves it.$LABEL$ 0 +Well it looked good on paper,Nick Cage and Jerry Buckheimer collaborate again, this time on a mix of heist movie, Da Vinci Code,American History 101 and Indiana Jones. But oh dear, this is to Indiana Jones what Speed 2 is to Speed. A reasonable cast(including John Voight and Harvey Keitel) battles against a puerile script and loses badly. The film is little more than an extended advert for the Freemasons.However these Freemasons are not your usual shopkeepers who use funny handshakes and play golf, these Freemasons are the natural descendants of the Knights Templar (and nobody mention 'From Hell' or Jack the Ripper.)I don't think I've revealed any plot spoilers because there are none. There is virtually no suspense, no surprises and no climax- it just stops. National Treasure aims for Dan Brown but hits the same intellectual level as an episode of Scooby Doo sans the humour.$LABEL$ 0 +i was disappointed in this documentary.i thought it would be about the second chess match between Grandmaster Garry Kasporov and Deep Blue the supercomputer designed by IBM computer experts to beat any human chess player.Kasparov was and still is,considered the greatest chess player ever.the movie takes us back to 1997 where Kasporov had agreed to have a rematch with "deep Blue" after defeating it 1 year earlier.but instead of focusing on the game,it focuses more on what happens before and after.there are snippets of the game,but not very many.much of the film centers around Kasporov's paranoid obsession that the match was rigged as part of some conspiracy theory and that he lost the match unfairly.the movie also includes interviews with people who are not interesting in any way.they even chat with the manager of the building where the match took place.who cares?i also found it very dry and slow.ultimately this movie was unsatisfying.this is just my opinion,of course.if you like conspiracy theories,this movie might interest you.for people not into chess or conspiracy theories,this movie would probably have no value.i am a chess fan,and i only stuck it out because of that.i give"Game Over:Kasparov and the Machine" 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so the musical pieces were poorly written and generally poorly sung (though Walken and Marner, particularly Walken, sounded pretty good). And so they shattered the fourth wall at the end by having the king and his nobles sing about the "battle" with the ogre, and praise the efforts of Puss in Boots when they by rights shouldn't have even known about it.Who cares? It's Christopher Freakin' Walken, doing a movie based on a fairy tale, and he sings and dances. His acting style fits the role very well as the devious, mischievous Puss who seems to get his master into deeper and deeper trouble but in fact has a plan he's thought about seven or eight moves in advance. And if you've ever seen Walken in any of his villainous roles, you *know* the ogre bit the dust HARD at the end when Walken got him into his trap.A fun film, and a must-see for anyone who enjoys the unique style of Christopher Walken.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a comedy of morals, so occasionally a gentle touch of bitterness occurs, but a lightness soften all sarcasm and irony flows till all of a sudden one moment will halt your heart and changes everything.This film, marvelously written and directed, is a gem that shines perfectly, with beautiful acting by all. Jean-Louis Trintignant is exquisite as usual, and Romy Schneider is a pearl, perfect and glowing, that is not to be missed. A truly wonderful film !!$LABEL$ 1 +It's about an embezzler, Peter Ustinov, who infiltrates a British company, Texa-Conn or something like that, posing as a computer whiz and security expert. He secretly learns to hack into the computer, while gathering the admiration of his boss, Karl Malden, the enmity of his office rival, Bob Newhart, and the love of his inept secretary, Maggie Smith.Some of the business details were a little murky to these non-business-oriented eyes but they're believable enough and I got the general idea. Ustinov, the peculating Peter, establishes phony businesses in Paris, Rome, and Stuttgart, and uses Texa-Conn's computer to send all kinds of money to these ersatz establishments. The overseas companies, of course, consist of nothing more than himself, Ustinov, and the addresses are an abandoned artist's loft in Paris, a barber shop in Rome, and a bakery in Germany. He simply visits them to collect the checks he's sent himself.I didn't think I'd like it for the first few minutes because it seemed rather on the slow side. I was expecting something with a faster tempo and more outrage, along the lines of "The Pink Panther" or "The Lavender Hill Gang." But this film insinuates itself into your good graces as you come to appreciate the understated humor in the plot, the characterizations, and the dialog.Probably it would be a bad idea to give away too many of the relatively subtle gags but here are some examples of the more noticeable.Ustinov to Secretary Smith: "Let me have the assets of these companies." Smith: "Assets? What are they?" Ustinov: "Little female donkeys." Now, nothing is made of this little exchange. There's a quick cut and no delay for any laughter, which is appropriate because one's reaction is more likely to be a smile than a laugh.Ustinov searches out that crummy loft in Paris. It's covered with cobwebs. Bricks are strewn around and a couple of the former occupant's paintings have been left behind. The landlord doesn't speak English and Ustinov knows no French. Ustinov points to a child-like painting of a nude woman and chuckles, "Ah. A fam fye-tal, eh?" Landlord chuckles too, replies: "Vous le prenez pour une anee?" Ustinov: "Oh -- ANNIE, so that's her name!" Landlord: "Oui?" Ustinov: "Entente cordiale!" (Mes amis, if I got those genders wrong, je m'excuse.) Bob Newhart as Willard Gnatpole (!) has the hots for Maggie Smith and is supposed to be driving her home but tells her he's taking "the scenic route." There is an immediate sequence of suggestive traffic signs. "Caution." "Lay-By." "Give Way." "Yield." Ending with the imperious "STOP/CHILDREN." There's another montage when Ustinov's scheme is about to be discovered by the board of directors -- blurry rooftops, police cars, a farewell embrace from Maggie, ending with a sign: PRISON, Wormwood Scrubs.Well, maybe one more. I still can't get over Malden as the boss, declaring decisively, "I never agonize over decisions," then gulping a handful of pills and washing them down with a glass of water.The acting is unarguably fine. It's Bob Newhart's best role, for instance. Not that he had that many, and not that his range wasn't limited, but he's perfect in this part. The musical score by Laurie Johnson obviously had a good deal of effort put into it. She seems to have written a brief concerto for flute. Ustinov's passion is music and his overseas establishments are headed by false names like Claude Debussy and Giacconino Rossini. Stuttgart's phony president is somebody named Schmidt, and he's an anomalous clinker. Maggi Smith is pretty, sexy, bourgeois, and turns out to be not nearly so dumb as she seems.Delightful, in its own quiet way, but don't expect comic fireworks.$LABEL$ 1 +The female lead was a terrible actress which made the whole movie mediocre. She was smiling too much when she first went in front of the cameras to talk about her daughter. This should have made the police suspect her. I would have been inconsolable in the identical situation. She seemed way calm for a mother who could not find her daughter. It was as if she did not want to even be in the movie. Jennifer Aniston would have played the part better. And it would have made a lot more money for such a controversial, important subject. Everyone else was excellent. I don't know where the lead actress is but I hope she got some acting lessons.$LABEL$ 0 +Contains spoilers. The British director J. Lee Thompson made some excellent films, notably 'Ice Cold in Alex' and 'Cape Fear', but 'Country Dance' is one of his more curious offerings. The story is set among the upper classes of rural Scotland, and details the strange triangular relationship between Sir Charles Ferguson, an eccentric aristocratic landowner, his sister Hilary, and Hilary's estranged husband Douglas, who is hoping for a reconciliation with her. We learn that during his career as an Army officer, Charles was regarded as having 'low moral fibre'. This appears to have been an accurate diagnosis of his condition; throughout the film he displays an attitude of gloomy disillusionment with the world, and his main sources of emotional support seem to be Hilary and his whisky bottle. The film ends with his committal to an upper-class lunatic asylum. Peter O'Toole was, when he was at his best as in 'Lawrence of Arabia', one of Britain's leading actors, but the quality of his work was very uneven, and 'Country Dance' is not one of his better films. He overacts frantically, making Charles into a caricature of the useless inbred aristocrat, as though he were auditioning for a part in the Monty Python 'Upper-Class Twit of the Year' sketch. Susannah York as Hilary and Michael Craig as Douglas are rather better, but there is no really outstanding acting performance in the film. There is also little in the way of coherent plot, beyond the tale of Charles's inexorable downward slide.The main problem with the film, however, is neither the acting nor the plot, but rather that of the Theme That Dare Not Speak Its Name. There are half-hearted hints of an incestuous relationship between Charles and Hilary, or at least of an incestuous attraction towards her on his part, and that his dislike of Douglas is motivated by sexual jealousy. Unfortunately, even in the swinging sixties and early seventies (the date of the film is variously given as either 1969 or 1970) there was a limit to what the British Board of Film Censors was willing to allow, and a film with an explicitly incestuous theme was definitely off-limits. (The American title for the film was 'Brotherly Love', but this was not used in Britain; was it too suggestive for the liking of the BBFC?) These hints are therefore never developed and we never get to see what motivates Charles or what has caused his moral collapse, resulting in a hollow film with a hole at its centre. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +A phenomenal achievement in awfulness. It's actually hilariously awful.First off...Nicholas Cage must now have made it to the finals in the Over-Emoting Category in his acting class. Wearing new hair plugs and with a face that has been lifted so many times his pinned back ears seem to be straining to touch in the back he oozes not only a sick smarmiess but creates a "hero" character that you have no vested interest in.I don't know what it is with Neil Labute and female characters. He makes females out to be totally deviant and evil...and pays them back by having Cage punch several of them directly in the face and call them all "b****es" a few times too. I've enjoyed LaBute's early films and a few of his plays...but it's a strange fascination he has.I'd give this film a 2 out of 10 solely based on Ellen Burstyn's performance. By the time she finally makes her appearance (bravely soldiering through her scenes with her wig line clearly visible on her forehead) it seems like all hope may be lost. She deserves an Oscar right here and now for saying her lines with a straight face and when she appears wearing a white mumu and blue, white, and gold face paint booming about The Wicker Man you know that working with Scorcese and Friedkin really prepped her for this role dang well.This movie is so wrong-headed and cuckoo that is has to be seen to be believed.Highlights include: Nicholas Cage running away from a swarm of bees and then falling down a hill.Nicholas Cage stealing a bicycle and looking like Ms. Gulch from The Wizard of Oz riding around on it.Nicholas Cage running around the island kicking down doors looking for the missing girl.Leelee Sobieski PLUMMETING from a once-promising acting career in a "brawl" with Cage.Ellen Burstyn dancing around in a said while mumu.Nicholas Cage screaming "Who burned it? Who burned it? Who burned it?Who burned it?Who burned it?Who burned it?" for no reason.Nicholas Cage in a bear costume (I'm not kidding) running through the woods, taking off the costume (but leaving the bear feet on) and then doing some karate moves to some villains.And you haven't lived until you have seen the final 15 minutes of the movie and its dreadful epilogue that looked like it was shot yesterday in your cousin's basement.Needless to say, if you can make it through this film without laughing out loud then you deserve a medal. There was actually a point in the movie where I stopped snickering to wonder if maybe this wasn't an elaborate send-up of "hysteria" films...only to be reminded when Cage would scream/shout/whisper his dialogue that he really was taking himself quite seriously.I think this one is destined to be a cult film all over again...just because it's so dreadful.$LABEL$ 0 +Over the past century, there have been many advances in gender equality, but not so much in the world of movies. I'm not talking about what goes on behind the camera, I'm referring to the tastes of the audience. The idea of a "chick flick" is alive and well today, while there are still plenty of action and horror films which appeal primarily to males. Sure, there are men and women who enjoy the movies that fall outside of their typical demographic, but there aren't many movies which have appeals across the board. Hitch, the latest Will Smith vehicle attempts to change that trend by being a chick flick which throws in a dose of male perspective.Smith stars in Hitch as the title character, Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, a "date doctor" who trains men on how to approach a woman and have a successful date. Hitch enjoys his job and loves to see men successfully accomplish their goals of going out with the woman of their dreams, but due to a bad experience in college, Hitch himself is somewhat sullied on the idea of love. As the story unfolds, the film introduces two seemingly separate story lines. Hitch's latest case is Albert Brennaman (Kevin James), an accountant who is very attracted to one of his clients, the beautiful heiress Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). Hitch has his doubts about Albert's chances, but if his clients desires seem sincere, Hitch supports them.In the mean time, Hitch meets gossip columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) and is instantly attracted to this strong woman. However, the date doctor can't seem to follow his own advice in pursuing Sara. Things get even more complicated when Sara's job leads her to investigate the relationship between the accountant and the heiress. Will Hitch be able to balance his private life and his job? And more importantly, can Hitch believe in love again? If you are a true movie fan, then there's been at least one time in your life when you've complained about the redundancy of the Hollywood movie factory and cried out for something new and original. Well, Hitch ain't that movie. But, most movie fans will also admit that occasionally a formulaic movie can work solely on an entertainment level. Hitch does qualify as that film.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a piece of cinematic beauty, and it shows more of Quebec culture to others than probably any other work to come from la belle province. It takes everybody into a first-person experience of the culture, to the point that you wish you glued your hair in place and lived, breathed, and ate everything Maurice Richard. The book does this as well as the short, and I'm glad that in all the time I did spend studying French in high school, this was required reading in both languages.I thought it was brilliant to have Roch Carrier narrate this story. His molasses-thick accent brought a lot of realism to the story. The animation was good, as well, very surrealist, which brings attention to the idea of this being a whimsical daydream, fancying over better days gone by.Again, as a symbol of culture quebecoise, this is unsurpassed. One can almost smell the tourtiere being cooked slowly over a wood stove. This whole film deserves endless praise for making people proud to be Canadian, and encourage us all to appreciate the finer things of family and our roots. I'm from Ontario, and this film made me fall in love with Quebec. Maurice Richard va toujours vivre dans nos coeurs.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked the movie but it should have been longer. The actors did a great job. Portia De Rossi is a fabulous actress and Kristoffer Polaha is a hottie. He didn't look like John at 100% but he did favor him from a distance. I look forward to seeing more of him on the big screen. He didn't have john's charisma, but he definitely has a charm about himself. He has beautiful eyes and a great smile. He reminds me of my boyfriend alot. Ms. Bissett was just too breathy for me. She should have that asthma checked out. Im not going to comment on the Darryl Hannah character. My mom always said, "If ya can't say anything nice, then shut the hell up!" so that's what Im gonna do.Molly$LABEL$ 1 +Offbeat, slow-paced, entertaining erotic thriller with many graphic and "blasphemous" scenes that will undoubtedly disturb some viewers. However, it'll be hard even for them not to appreciate the several imaginative sequences this film contains, or to ignore Krabbe's first-rate performance. Verhoeven maintains an intriguing ambivalence throughout the film, playing with the meaning of the hero's visions-omens. Unfortunately, in the last 5 minutes everything turns into a blur, and the unsatisfying ending is certainly not as good as the rest of the movie. (***)$LABEL$ 1 +I totally agree with the other poster. NEMESIS is one of the best of the Christie adaptations with a superlative plot and cast.The scene involving Liz Fraser as the mother of the murder victim is a study in acting at the finest level. This underrated woman was a fave in Brit films in the 1960s who never got a mainstream break in US films. Check her out as Julie Andrews's friend in the 1964 THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY.All of the perfs in this prod have a chance to shine with and without the peerless Ms. Hickson who was never nommed for an Emmy for her Marple work. Shame on them! And dig the lesbian CID agents! :)$LABEL$ 1 +A very good movie. A classic sci-fi film with humor, action and everything. This movie offers a greater number of aliens. We see the Rebel Alliance leaders and much of the Imperial forces. The Emperor is somewhat an original character. I liked the Ewoks representing somehow the indigenous savages and the Vietnamese. (Excellent references) I loved the duel between Vader and Luke which is the best of the saga. In Return of the Jedi the epilogue of the first trilogy is over and the Empire finally falls. I also appreciated the victory celebration where it fulfills Vader's redemption and returns hi into Anakin Skywalker spirit along with Yoda and Obi-Wan. It gives a sadness and a tear. The greatest scenes in Star Wars are among this movie: When Vader turns on the Emperor. Luke watches and finds comfort in seeing Obi-Wan, Yoda and...his father (1997 version not Hayden Christenssen). The next best scene is when Luke rushes to strike back Darth Vader to protect Leia. There is a deep dark side of this film despite there is a good ending. I felt there was much more than meets the eye. And as always the John William's music will bring the classicism into Star Wars universe.$LABEL$ 1 +The trailer for this movie didn't do the movie justice. And while the movie didn't know what it really wanted to get across, the first half of the movie being a light, romance comedy and the second have a more serious, romantic drama, the overall impact was much better than I thought it would be. This movie was more of a date movie, but the trailer made it into more of a suspense thriller which it never really turned out to be. Kidman, being one of my favorites, of course I'm biased, but this movie proved to be a light, sensitive, if somewhat quirky movie that deserved better. Three out of four stars. 9/5/02.$LABEL$ 1 +Aaron Spelling produced this made for television western that gets awfully plotty for a seventy three minute film. It plays like a probable failed series pilot.Handsome Clint Walker is U.S. Marshal Dave Harmon, who wanders into Yuma, Arizona Territory in time to kill one of the brothers of the local bigwig rancher who is out on a trail drive.Walker takes the other brother to jail. Walker also meets a "cute" homeless Mexican kid who sleeps at the jailhouse. One night, Andres is snoozing when a villain and another man dressed in Army blue take the remaining brother into the street and kill him, pinning the murder on Walker. Not good for your first twenty four hours on the job. Walker visits the local Army fort, and rankles the chains of the commander. The bigwig hears of his brothers' deaths, and rides back to town in time to get his chains rankled as well. The local native population, who get short changed by the Army on their beef, also get rankled in the chains area. With all these chains getting rankled, Walker still has time to woo the local hotel owner. The Army guy involved in the murder ends up dead, the local cattle buyer is implicated, the indians do a lot of hesitant speechifying, and the climax brings about an unlikely showdown as Walker must prove to the town that the villainous cattle buyer had a boss, someone we have suspected as being too helpful all along.There is a semi-subplot involving the death of Walker's family at the hands of Army raiders, and I think this would have been the force behind the series, had it been picked up. Instead, the film ends abruptly, and I kept waiting for scenes from next week's exciting episode. Because of the fade outs for nonexistent commercial breaks, the pacing is all off on this and its story jumps in fits.Walker is handsome, rugged, and has a voice deeper than a well. The rest of the cast is full of television actors you have probably seen in other television movies. Much of the action is pretty lame, and the violence is tepid. The first brother killed gets a shotgun blast midtorso, and falls without a scratch on him. I did not expect "Reservoir Dogs," but this is the wrong film to use to teach children about the evil of guns! Speaking of children, the Mexican kid here goes from "cute" to "aneurysm inducing annoyance" very quickly.If you dislike westerns, then you will dislike "Yuma." If you like westerns, then you will still dislike "Yuma." I cannot recommend it.This is unrated, but contains physical violence and gun violence.$LABEL$ 0 +This kind of film has become old hat by now, hasn't it? The whole thing is syrupy nostalgia turned in upon itself in some kind of feedback loop.It sure sounds like a good idea: a great ensemble cast, some good gags, and some human drama about what could have/might have been. Unfortunately, there is no central event that binds them all together, like there was in "The Big Chill", one of those seminal movies that spawned copycat films like this one. You end up wanting to see more of one or two particular people instead of getting short takes on everyone. The superficiality this creates is not just annoying, it's maddening. The below-average script doesn't help.$LABEL$ 0 +The Coen Brothers have truly outdone themselves in this wonderful saga of three escaped convicts. Though it is based on "The Odyssey," the ancient work of Homer, you do not have to have read "The Odyssey" to be able to follow the story. The brothers Coen have woven a tapestry of celluloid and aural delights! The soundtrack is intrinsic to the film, indeed it is as though the soundtrack is the product and the film is wrapping paper. Each character is wonderfully exploited and harkens back to the days of old when films were rich with character actors whose very appearance in the film adds richness, texture and authenticity. George Clooney is magnificent as the grease haired Everett Ulysses McGill, a honest con on the run whose pompous linguistics and vocabulary are comical and endearing. O Brother, Where Art Thou is easily the best Coen film to date as well as Clooney's best effort. Clooney is good enough to warrant a best actor nomination as is Tim Blake Nelson's portrayal of the dimwitted friend Delmar, while the film itself is deserving of a Best film nod.$LABEL$ 1 +Beyond the Clouds is in many ways the weirdest film I have ever seen. Not for its Cult appeal, gore, or even for its ideas, but because of the elements that combine to make this a masterpiece of cinema. Beyond the Clouds was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy's most famous directors. However, if you gave this film only a quick watch-over, passively I mean, it would seem one of those melodramatic and often pointless romances. This movie deserves great attention, to the point of embracing all its cheese. By cheese I don't mean a slice, but a whole brick of cheddar! The music seems like it's from some Italian porno, the story and dialogue like they are from a corny Japanese soap, and the metaphors are so obvious you want to smack yourself on the head.But once you get passed all this, you are engaged in an existential work of art. The cheese feeds into the subtle filming and draws our attention, perfectly, to what needs to be known. The basic plot is of four chapters, unrelated, and all about love. What we learn is that no matter what happens or what is said, people cannot communicate to each other. Instead they can only communicate through each other. I suppose that's why the dialogue and plot is so cheesy, because the conversations are overly irrational with lack of causality and people's reaction overly melodramatic.I left that film thinking to myself; maybe all life is one big melodrama. We judge our feelings towards others as real and purposeful. I hate, because I have reason. But what does the hated think? Maybe they think that my hate is stupid and arbitrary. In other words, melodramatic.So melodrama is actually an existential function. A corny romance is simply human interaction put under a magnifying glass, allowing us to see the futility of who we are and what we do.This is a great film, I recommend it to all!$LABEL$ 1 +What's not to like about this movie? Every year you know that you're going to get one or two yule tide movies during Christmas time and most of them are going to be terrible. This movie is definitely a fresh new idea that was pulled off pretty well. A very funny take on a rich young guy paying a family to simulate a real Christmas for him. What is the good of having money like that if you can't do fun things with it. It was a win-win situation. A regular family gets six figures and a rich guy gets to experience Christmas like he imagined. Only if.Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) was incredibly difficult to deal with and it was just a riot to see the family reluctantly comply with his absurd demands. It was a fun and funny movie.$LABEL$ 1 +In Queen of The Damned,Akasha(Aaliyah) was more sexy and had a bigger,demanding presence, she just caught your eye and attention. now the movie did have faults, like the lack of explaining Akasha's past. What i also Did not like was the that the movie didn't really explain or show more of what the relationship between Lestat and Akasha was/ or was like.Akasha's (Aaliyah's) role was sort of limited in the movie and she didn't appear until the 2nd half of the movie and then to top it off, her(Akasha's) death came 2 quickly.But i liked how Akasha fought back when the ancients tried to kill her, because in the book the last fight between Akasha and The ancients was rather boring (they killed Akasha in like 2 secs).Akasha's head got knocked off in 1 sec and Lestat turned into the biggest punk in the world.Aaliyah played Akasha very well and Stuart was perfect as Lestat, they could not have picked a better Akasha or Lestat. "REST IN PEACE AALIYAH"$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this film on countless occasions, and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. This is mostly due to the lovely Erika Eleniak- a great actress with incredible looks. Plus, any film starring Tom Berenger and Dennis Hopper is bound to be entertaining.$LABEL$ 1 +Marvelous James Stewart, Vera Miles vehicle. What makes this historical film dealing with the FBI so good is the family element that is involved during a 35 year career as depicted by Stewart in the film.The film shows a history of the great investigatory agency. It deals with airplane bomb plots, killing off of Indians in Oklahoma for real estate gain, fighting organized crime, Nazis and Communists in that order. The human element is never far behind as Stewart weds Vera Miles. They raise 3 children as Miles' heart goes out each time Stewart goes out on assignment.Look for a brief but memorable performance by Murray Hamilton. Years later, he appeared as Mr. Robinson in 1967's "The Graduate."The film has nothing but praise for J. Edgar Hoover. He certainly brought the FBI up to par.True, this could be viewed as right-wing propaganda, especially with Stewart's real-life Republican views, but it's well done, historically informative, and the view of the family so well depicted.$LABEL$ 1 +I would consider myself a fan of Dean Koontz; having read a number of his novels and liked them all, but unfortunately I never got around to reading Watchers so I'm left with no choice but to rate this film on it's own merits rather than comparing it to the book that I haven't read. I went into this expecting something awful, and while I didn't exactly get a brilliant horror film; I am lead to believe that it's fans of the book that are rating it down because as a film in it's own right, Watchers is an entertaining and somewhat original little horror movie. The plot obviously takes some influence from Predator and begins with an explosion at a research lab. It's not long before a rancher is killed by some strange beast and the boyfriend of the dead man's daughter has picked up an ultra-intelligent runaway dog. A secret Government agency is soon on the case, as the murders continue. The boy continues to be fascinated by the dog's intelligence, but it somehow ties in with the murders and the agency is soon on his tail too.The script for this film was originally written by Paul Haggis, who later disowned it. I don't know why – the writing here is nowhere near as ridiculous as his 2004 hit Crash! Anyway, the main reason this film works is undoubtedly the dog, who aside from being rather cute, is also the best actor in the film. Corey Haim, hot off the success of The Lost Boys is the human lead and actually has a rather good chemistry with the dog, although it is a little bit ridiculous seeing him talk to it most of the way through the film. The plot is rather convoluted and as such the film is more than a little bit messy; but the ridiculousness of it all pulls it through during the more awkward moments. Michael Ironside also appears in the film and does well as the 'bad cop' side of the Government agents. The monster is, of course, one of the most interesting things about the film and the way it goes around killing people is always entertaining and gory; although unfortunately we don't get to see a lot of it and when we finally do it's rather disappointing - obviously the filmmakers had seen Bigfoot and the Hendersons! Still, this is the sort of film that can be easily enjoyed despite the numerous problems and I'd recommend to any undiscerning viewer of eighties horror.$LABEL$ 1 +I hate this movie! It was NOTHING like the book, and just thinking about it makes me mad. If you watch the movie before reading the book, then yeah, it's a good movie. But King's book was AMAZING and this movie was nothing like it. I mean, the general meaning might be sort of similar but most aspects of the movie are completely different. The ending for example! So in the book it is extremely intense and Danny and Wendy escape seconds before the hotel explodes. but in this horrible movie version jack like takes them through a stupid maze... yeah, there is no maze in the book and there is no reason for it. Another part that made me angry was that jack just kills Mr. Halloran! what the heck, he is basically the hero of the book and they just kill him off like he wasn't important. Overall, it was just bad that the movie was so extremely off.$LABEL$ 0 +Having not read the book, I was more open to the fresh interpretation that each director gives to their medium (which is film, not "to the letter" reproductions of literature)on this particular film. I was happy that the holocaust that occurred in Russia (and it's neighboring countries) finally received some attention. The Nazis were particularly cruel to Russians and Russian Jews. If you read the histories and see the monuments built in Smolensk and nearby regions you will understand this movie and why many kept silent when they should've spoken up.It was certainly time for this to be chronicled and I hope that more stories will come out of this. It's high time.$LABEL$ 1 +In my eyes this is almost the perfect example of Hollywood ego, only beaten by the new king kong movie. Superman is the original super hero and deserves to be treated with respect even though he wears tights. Brandon Routh was the worst superman I've ever seen, from the start of the movie u just wanna shove a chunk of kryptonite down his throat. He looks just silly wearing the costume. But enough about him, Kate Bosworth was a bad choise for lois lane, she is supposed to be a hard ass reporter, but in this movie she looks more like a schoolgirl. The plot was weak and predictable (WOW, He is actually supermans son, who would have ever thought....) and the acting was horrible. This movie has one good thing going for it, and it's name is Kevin Spacey. His portrayal of Lex Luthor was brilliant but even he could not save this movie. What this movie needed was the cast of "lois and clark" (except Kevin Spacey of course) and a different story. I watched this movie after watching "the hills have eyes" and I was chocked to learn that there existed worse movies then that.$LABEL$ 0 +12 Grand is the cost of a new car. A new car that Jake West now needs to escape the hordes of angry villagers desperate for his blood. Some may say this film could attract "So bad it's good" status. In my Opinion it is the proud owner of the "So bad it's Bad" label.$LABEL$ 0 +I'd never heard of zero budget "auteur" Neil Johnson before seeing "Battlespace" on DVD at Hollywood Video. A few minutes into the movie I realize this isn't a bad thing. Like many straight to video Sci-Fi movies, this is a film dominated largely by overused bad special effects and a constant parade of pretentious sci-fi concepts that fail to create a story.Viewers are tortured with a religious sounding text introduction, then a spoken introduction followed by a narration by the main character's daughter. To me this seemed like a smoke screen to mask a film with militantly ugly visuals and zero character emphasis. Some people on here seem all too ready to take this film seriously and swallowed it's seemingly new age messages hook line and sinker. These favorable reviews must come from the same kind of people who can delude themselves into thinking that things like "Battlefield Earth" was a brilliant movie, or that Shasta is just as good as Coke.Those who were lured in by the cheesy cover art can look forward to lousy acting (in small doses, spaced with long blocks of people not talking), rotten computer animated effects (in extra large doses), and irritating talking computers. What you won't get is excitement, emotional stimulation, memorable dialogue, or a good story."Battlespace" is impenetrable bull and the constant irritant of the narration proves it. Real science fiction, hell, real film-making, is about characters and their dialogue, not special effects and dull predictions. This is right down there with similar direct to video sci-fi like "Cl.One" and "Recon 2022". If the boredom of "Strange Horizons" and "Alien Visitor" is something you seek out, by all means, watch the crap out of this. If you enjoy good storytelling and hate fake lens flares, you're better off with a real movie.$LABEL$ 0 +At the opposite end of the spectrum from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is David Hemmings' utterly inferior adventure regarding the salvage of a World War II-era plane with a valuable cargo. Assets include beautiful New Zealand settings, Brian May's energetic music score and some dandy helicopter flying and jet boat chases. The bad, however, far outweighs the good. Donald Pleasence hams as perhaps never before; half of his dialog is almost unintelligible. George Peppard attempts an Australian (I think) accent, then gives it up halfway through. Lesley Ann Warren is at her most irritating. Ken Wahl is, well, Ken Wahl. The dialog is painful to hear and Hemmings' direction is largely inept. The script is not only obvious but terrible. Jokes fall flat, scenes carry no punch and continuity is virtually non-existent. According to the end credits, two men were killed piloting jet boats during the making of the film. What a waste.$LABEL$ 0 +It´s a joke, right?! Lynch could not get produced this as a TV show. He was out of money, so what to do? Well, he received somehow some Dollars and "completed" the pilot and created this mess by just mixing everything together... How can anybody see a failed pilot for TV as an cinematic masterpiece?!And now everybody is guessing about the deeper meaning!? Well, wake up, there is none! Like in that other TV series by Lynch, what was the name again? Same procedure there. Build up a mystery and then come up with nothing. I guess Lynch will repeat this concept until people will realise, the emperor has no clothes. In Germany there is a comedian called Harpe Kerkerling. He dressed up as an opera singer and "performed" some new "art songs". Singing complete nonsense like this: "The wolf. The lamb. On the meadow. Hurrz!" It´s a classic now. Anyway, afterwards he discussed it with the audience. And they were talking seriously about the deeper meaning of the wolf / lamb relationship.You people giving this movie a rating of 8.0 in imdb.com, you people could be one of them. So let´s say it all together: "Hurrz!"0/10 Macaulay J. Connor$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie the other night and I have to honestly say it's one of the worst films I've ever seen. The acting is fair, but the plot is totally ridiculous. A killer is born because of all the "energy used to make the movie" and if the film is burned the killer will die? How unbelievable is that? The characters were underdeveloped to say the least...for example, all of a sudden the man mentions "Aren't you trying to complete the film because your mother couldn't?" So we're supposed to go along with this? We had no idea it was her daughter until half way through the film. The movie really didn't spotlight on anyone, we didn't know anything about the main people who survived except Ringwald's character was a whiney actress, the guy was on the set when the people died and Raffy wanted to be a director like her mother. Not truly diving in to know who they are. Seemed things were rushed to just get to the killings. The whole plot is entirely too weak for my taste and I was extremely disappointed. Anyone who enjoyed this piece of crap, obviously needs to learn a thing or two about film making. I can't believe anyone would agree to star or even work on this picture. It's not funny, it was not scary and was cliche through the entire film. I found myself predicting what would happen before each scene, which believe you me wasn't hard at all to do. It's a disgrace and I'm deeply sorry I wasted an hour and a half watching the mess. 1/10.$LABEL$ 0 +LL Cool J performed much better in this movie that I expected! He did a fabulous job acting as a "renegade" cop within a "renegade" department. From the very beginning, he does a great job of building viewer empathy for his character and the predicament he's in. He acts as a sort of "gentle giant" -- a person whose rough exterior can scare anybody, yet whose heart is clearly in the right place from the very start -- and he does an amazing job. He was quite clearly the best character in the movie.This was certainly a performance that will not win Morgan Freeman any awards. After starring in powerhouse films like the Shawshank Redemption this film was certainly a step down. His role in Edison simply did not allow him to show his true talents as an actor -- and in terms of the conglomeration of characters placed him sadly on a back burner. There are so many ways his character (Moses Ashford) could have taken a more pivotal role. That he didn't was disappointing and a true let-down. I was hoping to see more from him in this film.Timberlake ought to have stayed in the music industry. His portrayal of a young journalist was poorly acted and unpersuasive. This movie is a typical action movie that (at least initially) bears some resemblance to corrupt police affairs LA has experienced in the past. Being an action movie, it has its share of shoot-em-up scenes, blood, and guts. These scenes are typically unrealistic and painfully predictable. Watching the beginning of the movie there is very little suspense as to what will happen at the end -- think of what you would typically expect in a good-cops/bad-cops conflict -- and it bears little resemblance to a REAL police shoot-out.What irked me most was the way Timberlake's character behaved during shoot-out scenes. He starts out having guns and not using them. Then when he finally gets around to using one he fires it as if he's been firing a gun his whole life. Then he runs out of bullets and doesn't have a gun -- and 30 seconds later, without moving or anything -- suddenly has 2 more fully loaded guns AND extra ammo?! Little plot errors like this really ruined the movie for me.If what you are looking for is a blatantly fictional plot in a fantasy world where everything turns out okay, then you'll probably love this movie. Personally, it doesn't matter to me what KIND of movie it is as long as it is realistic. Make me believe that the story is true. This story was so obviously fictional in so many aspects that I came away feeling unsatisfied.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen this funny of a show on fox in a long time, and the wait was worth it. The kids in the show have something that i can relate to on every episode, and even my dad will sit down and watch it. It is a show not for all ages that doesn't dumb down for kids. It is like still standing but to the next level. The stuff that everyone says is stuff that everyone says and actions that everyone does. It says stuff that we all think, but in a well rounded way of presentation. The first time i saw the show i could not believe that it was on fox, and that it was allowed to stay on the air after a few episodes, from Hilary's boyfriend choices to Kenny's boyfriend choices, it is well worth the watch.$LABEL$ 1 +Please Don't hate me but i have to be honest, watching this movie, i had a lot of fun,,It's a Movie with a Stupid Cast and Stupid Songs!!!Unnecessary songs!!! Mehbooba... A Total Insult to the Original One Holi.... well.. it was OK! due to the Tradition Every Movie got to have one!! Chad Raha hai Nasha Whatever... Very UNNEEDED stupid Song jee Le... Sounded like a Playboy Song Stupid Song...Other than Songs. The Movie was OK This was Ram Gopal Verma's Own Adaptation... If you think like that you will like this movieWell this movie only Depends on the Viewer and on his judgement whether he/she thinks this movie is total Copy He/She would want to hit her Head on the Cinema Seat OR if he/She Thinks of the Directors Own Look he/she would be relaxed and take a look at this movieAnyways I looked at both ways i would Congratulate and Abuse Ram Gopal for this Disaster that he made...Well Some other Things that bothered that The CAST was Incredibly BadAmitabh Bachchan As Babban/Gabbar (Amitabh in his own Movie Remake Funny what was the Director Thinking) Ajay Devgan As Heero/Veeru(Bobby Deol Could have been Better) Prashant Raj As Raj/Jai(Abhishek was Meant for this role Despite doing a Special Appearance in the Mehbooba song) Sushmita Sen As Radha/Durga(Jaya Bachchan was Right Tabu was Right for this Role) Nisha Kothari As Ghungroo/Basanti(I think Esha Deol would have been Great) Mohanlal As Narishma/Thakur(Mohanlal Is So Cute....Oops Sorry hehehehe, He Was OK I could not Think of anyone)The Movie would have Even FAIRED a LIttle if the Cast was OKI movie wasn't even exciting, the movie was just OK , Just for watchingThe Overall RatingDirection... 8/10 I Got to him some credit Cinematography... 9/10 Script... 3/10 BAD Scripting Songs... 5/10 Unnecessary in the Movie, could have been better, Easy on the Ears on to be played in PC's and IPod's and Stuff Cast... 1/10Total ... 3/10Syed Shabbir Aly Naqvi from Pakistan$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was pretty absurd. There was a FEW funny parts. Its goes right in to the bin of movies in my memory where I think, "Hmm.....that movie had a few funny parts, but overall, pretty ridiculous plot (or lack of)."I thought it seemed like Ben was trying a little too hard to be a cooky funny guy. And I didn't understand how he was a self made multi-millionaire and still such an idiot. Anyways, I like Ben Affleck. He makes some crap, but hey, I can forgive him. I mean, I liked Jersey Girl, I didn't think Gigli was all his fault, I like him overall. I guess he's kinda like the kid you feel sorry for cuz he just can't seem to get it right.My advice would be to avoid this flick. It didn't really develop in to a workable plot and Catherine O'hara and Jimmy G. weren't used as well as they could have been. They deserved better. Overall, this movie is NOT Home Alone, it's NOT A Christmas Story, its NOT Christmas Vacation or any of the other classics. Forever Forgettable.$LABEL$ 0 +I had watched this as a kid but, not being much of a Jerry Lewis fan, I had completely forgotten it (not that it's in any way memorable). The film revolves around impersonation (which seems to be in the curriculum of every comic star!) - in this case a German officer - and, while not as bad as Leonard Maltin claims (awarding it a BOMB rating), it's not exactly classic stuff either - certainly leagues behind Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940), even if comparably narcissistic! Ironically, the scenes prior to the appearance of the would-be wacky General offer more felicities than the rather forced humor at Nazi expense! The film was really Lewis' last gasp during his heyday; in fact, this proved to be his last vehicle to be released for 10 years (it's painfully apparent here that his particular brand of foolishness wouldn't pass muster in the age of Mel Brooks and Woody Allen)!$LABEL$ 0 +I bought this Chuck Norris DVD knowing that it was one of his earliest films, and it shows. We all know that he will never win an Oscar for his acting, but that's not what we watch him for. Although there have been a few earthquakes in California since this movie was made, there never was any desert or hills between Hwy.99 and I 5. Billy was supposedly crossing over from 99 to 5 along 120, a distance of less that 15 miles. I wish that the writers, producers and directors of these movies would, at least, look at a map. As a truck driver who spends a lot of time in California, I could tell right from the start that the geography was wrong. However, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half. So grab your Doritos and an adult beverage and enjoy a trip back in time.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm always surprised, given that the famous title track of 2001 is called "Also sprach Zarathustra", that nobody (nobody I've read, anyway) has noted the parallels between the movie and Nietzsche's famous work, "Also sprach Zarathustra". The idea of man's rebirth into a star child; an infant form of an indescribably more advanced being, is an explicit part of N.'s "Zarathustra"; there is a prominent passage called "On how a camel becomes a lion, and a lion becomes a child", in which N. describes the first incarnation of the overman as a child, transcending both the ascetic, altruistic side of man (the camel; always asking to bear more weight) and the rapacious, brutish, will-to-power side of man (the lion). The fact that the song plays during the star child sequence can hardly be coincidence. And also, Zarathustra said that "man is a rope tied between beasts and the overman." The structure of the movie fits that description: a brief history of man as beast, until we become truly man by mastering weapons and acquiring reason, then a long sequence about man (the rope, as it were), and then a brief glimpse of the overman. The inscrutability of how these transformations occurred, and the suggestion that an external force caused them, is also Nietzschean; in "Zarathustra", he makes it pretty clear that he doesn't have a clue how people are going to be able to enact these changes themselves and suggests that we will have to depend on an outsider (Zarathustra) to show us how to "go under". Bowman's psychedelic sequence at the near-end could be seen as Kubrick's best 1960's-style attempt at depicting the mystical "going under".I know these parallels are pretty broad, and almost certainly have been noted elsewhere despite the fact that I have not personally seen it. But I just wanted to mention them, if for no other reason than to try to dispel the myth that Nietzsche was ultimately a gloomy philosopher. Few people find the ending of 2001 to be gloomy, and it is in my opinion, explicitly and unmistakeably Nietzschean. The case could certainly be made that 2001 is above all a dramatization of "Zarathustra" updated for the modern age. Feel free to disregard the outright snobbishness of my tying everything to Nietzsche.$LABEL$ 1 +I was so eager to see this one of my favorite TV shows.I saw Universal trademark followed with a newly acquainted title and theme song which still impress me.Computer animation on some scenery like a solid title name"The Jetsons" or a dimension view of a spaceship approaching an amusement park and more made this version splendid and fantastic.Shortly after that till the end...I couldn't believe my eyes!!!!How lucky I was that I could forget all I had seen.Just songs by Tiffany and its theme song in new arrangement were in my head.Anyway,I wish to see this space-aged family (also The Flintstones and Yogi Bear) in all graphic computer design as Toy story or Bug's life.The best style for Hanna-Barbera's in my opinion.$LABEL$ 0 +Just a great soundtrack. Really enjoyable music. Outstanding cast, great lead performance. Worth watching.Doesn't really explain what happened to the neighborhood. You are left feeling that integration is to blame or that with the departure of the lead character the neighborhood disintegrated.This movie seems well researched and extremely well crafted. I especially enjoyed some of the minor characters like Jeffrey Wright.The cutting during the opening sequence helps express what a lively, engaging and desirable experience that nightclub would have been with the jump music, food, drink, dancing, gambling and sex.$LABEL$ 1 +New guy at an armored car company gets talked into becoming involved in an armored car heist by his fellow drivers in order to score some quick cash. The problem is that they really don't have much of a plan and when complications arise things turn deadly.Fast moving popcorn action film has a great deal going with it. First off the film is under 90 minutes so the film doesn't really have the time to bog down in plot. It cranks everything up and just goes. Next the film has some great action sequences so one moves towards the edge of ones seat. Lastly the film has a stellar cast that include Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and Lawrence Fishburne. Its a first rate cast that sells and covers over the stories short comings.This isn't brain surgery its a popcorn movie and on that level it scores highly. Worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +I'D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR!!!I did buy this film for a dollar and I've seen much worse for much more!!This is a Scottish sci-fi film from Mark Stirton and according to the Making of (hysterical by the way) the production only cost $8000. Eight grand!!! That wouldn't pay for half a minute in Hollywood!! Nevertheless ---- This is top fun film making. If you like things gritty then you're in for a treat. These are some rough character with rough voices and harsh swearing. I didn't mind, but my girl friend did!! The actors do a fine job and it's interesting to see people that I've never heard of or seen before. It meant I had no idea who was going to die first.If you watch a movie for it's 'latest of the latest' visual effects then watch a Star Wars. The effects here are OK, but kinda weak in space. But the monsters are very well done if a bit pred like.Stirton does an amazing job with not very much and I'd love to see his take on a real Hollywood movie. It least it wasn't predictable and I almost fell off my chair when one dude got his head blown off!!! OK, so it is a little derivative of other sci-fi, but for this budget it is an amazing attempt and anyone who thinks making a sci-fi film for 8 g's is easy or happens a lot clearly knows nothing about the film industry.Good marks for a good film, extra marks for working so hard, extra extra marks for a really interesting Making of. No standard bull here, all the problems of production are gone into making it like Lost in Mancha only with a film at the end. But why no commentary? KEEP GOING SCOTS!$LABEL$ 1 +It's rare, nowadays, to find a romantic comedy that isn't incredibly disgusting in short doses throughout the entire movie (eg. Big Fat Greek wedding; Me, Myself & Irene). There were only a couple of unnecessarily demented jokes in this movie, nothing unpalatably profane. All around, it was a cute movie with likable characters. I thought the ending was a little abrupt. It feels like they should have ended it at the world series for a real bang up finish. The acting left a little to be desired, but was made up for by the pace of the story. If I'd known it was a Farrelly brothers movie I would have assumed it to be a stomach turning piece of garbage and not watched it, but it seems that even they are capable of accidentally making an okay movie. Good for them, I hope they pull their heads out the rest of the way and start consistently making good films.$LABEL$ 1 +Having just got the "Loony Tunes Golden Collection"(which i HIGHLY recommend, by the way), I'm going to try to comment on most if not all of the cartoons individually. As such the starting statement might seem redundant for those whom read multiple reviews of them, for this i apologize.Rabbit Seasoning is the middle short in a trilogy of like-minded shorts (the other two being "Rabbit Fire" and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck). Bags and Daffy argue about who Elmer Fudd should short. It makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! On the DVD it has a commentary, featurette, & option to play it music only.My Grade: A+DVD Extras: Disk 1: an introduction by Chuck Jones; The Boy of Termite Terrice part 1; clips from the films "Two Guys from Texas" and "My Dream is Yours", both with Bugs cameos; Bridging sequences for an episode of "the Bugs Bunny show"; the Astro Nuts audio recording session; 2 vintage trailers; "Blooper Bunny: Bugs Bunny 51st and a half anniversary" with optional commentary with writer Greg Ford & stills gallery$LABEL$ 1 +I'm fond of this film and it vexes me that so many "reviewers" rank it below the Peter Jackson trilogy. A filmed novel is always interpretive; in particular an animated film relies on the artist's vision and should be judged on its own terms. Speaking as a purist, this is a finer homage to Tolkien than the updated version. While this film has its flaws it stays truer to the source, especially so far as the characters are concerned.In the Jackson version Tolkien's Frodo is barely recognizable: from the first scenes he is portrayed as a weakling, constantly wavering, manipulated by forces around him and never standing on his own two feet (this is physically and metaphorically true.) You wonder why fate chose this limp biscuit to carry the one ring to the Cracks of Doom. Jackson unforgivably rewrites Tolkien and robs Frodo of his finest moment when he allows Arwen to rescue him from the Ringwraiths...Bakshi's version respects the original, presenting a Frodo who demands the wraiths "Go back and trouble me no more!" Bakshi sustains Frodo's character as Tolkien conceived it. We see his decline as the weight of his burden increases. Frodo is so pivotal to Lord of the Rings you wonder why Jackson took such liberties (he does so with numerous characters)since character development propels the plot to its inevitable conclusion. Bakshi's film better explores the companionship between Legolas and Gimli in a few judicious scenes that are completely lacking in Jackson's version. Similarly we see Boromir horsing with Pippin and Merry, furthering the idea of fellowship. For my liking the camaraderie is more developed in the animated version than the live action.Tolkien's poetry is an important ingredient in the novels and Bakshi makes tribute to this in one of my favorite scenes: when Frodo sings the "Merry Old Inn" song, minutes before stumbling into Strider. The cheery tune is chillingly juxtaposed with the darker theme music when seconds later, invisible to his friends but visible to the wraiths, Frodo is dangerously exposed. This is one of the most atmospheric portions of the film and chills me whenever I see it.The well documented budget/time restrictions limit this film's final impact but had it been completed it may have resonated with more viewers. As it is, it's worth a look. Even its detractors admit that Peter Jackson derived much of his inspiration from this prototype.$LABEL$ 1 +This is indeed quite the strange movie... First, we have an ex-U.S.-gymnast trying to turn actor (or something), and this seems to be the only role he ever got (that I know of anyway) -- and for good reason. While he does pull off the role well enough to keep some interest, it is a rather bland and flat performance. Second, we have the WORST EVER sound effects ever used in a movie!!! I'm not kidding. This alone makes the movie extremely comical, but in that annoying way. hehe And third, while we have a generally decent acting supporting cast (including the required hot chick!), an actually not-so-bad story, and some cool visuals; the dialogue, fight scenes involving gymnastics (hilarious!), and overall execution of the plot are weak. This movie would have been barely better as a network TV movie (too bad Fox wasn't around in 1985). It's one of those movies that's simply bad, yet you can't resist watching and even enjoying it once you get used to it, especially now that it has found the perfect eternal home on late night TV and cable.$LABEL$ 0 +There are no saving graces in this dreadful, stagey, boring snooze-fest, which brings to mind "The Ransom Of Red Chief"! Even though there are some big stars in this film, the acting is almost uniformly terrible. Glenn Ford, normally a laid-back kind of guy, hams it up with forced emotion. Donna Reed is so over-the-top as to prove laughable. Leslie Nielson is woefully miscast and is terrible. The son is such a repulsive little brat, I found myself rooting for the kidnappers. The only decent performance in this mish-mash is the relatively minor role of the butler. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on the actors, after all, all they did were to read the lines given them in the script. Ah, the script, that turgid piece of contrived dreck that would like to tug on your heart strings but merely turns your stomach.$LABEL$ 0 +It was September 2003 that I heard the BBC were going to resurrect DOCTOR WHO and make it " Bigger and better " but I'd heard these rumours in the press before and thought that's all they were - Rumours . But it was then mentioned that Russell T Davies was going to executively produce and write the show and then one Saturday afternoon in March 2004 Channel 4 news interviewed the actor cast in the title role - Christopher Eccleston . Yes that Christopher Eccleston an actor I've always been impressed by since watching his film debut in LET HIM HAVE IT and if he was getting interviewed on television it must have been true . As the months passed more and more information was leaked , Billie Piper was being cast , the Daleks would be returning and The Mill , the Hollywood effects company who had done the FX for GLADIATOR were contracted to do the special effects for the show . For several weeks before the first broadcast trailers galore heralded the return of the new series , massive billboards in London informed the public about the return of the show , tabloid newspapers carried massive photo spreads of the aliens appearing and Christopher Eccleston appeared on programmes as diverse as BLUE PETER , MASTERMIND ( Which had a special DOCTOR WHO night edition ) , THIS MORNING and Friday NIGHT WITH JOHNATHAN ROSS . In fact this new series of DOCTOR WHO must have been the most hyped programme in the history of British television , it had better be bloody good So was it bloody good ? Undoubtedly it has been a major success with nearly every episode making the top ten shows in the TV charts . To give you clue of its rating success only one episode ( The Ark In Space episode two - Febuary 1975 ) from the old series had made it into the top five TV chart . The opening series episode made number three with two more episodes either beating or equalling the previous record and this is in an era where there's far more competition in terms of TV stations and choice . Let's laugh and cheer at the fact DOCTOR WHO stuffed HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME , CELEBRITY WRESTLING and mauled ANT AND DEC'S Saturday NIGHT TAKEAWAY . Of course much of the success is down to the breath taking visuals and the casting of a well known prestigious actor in the role . For the most part everything you see on screen here equals anything you'll see in a Spielberg / Hollywood movie . There's a Dalek invasion force numbering tens of thousands , exotic aliens , a 19th Century Cardiff that looks like a 19th Century Cardiff and night filming that is actually night filming and not done by sticking a dark filter over the screen . I promise you'll be hearing a lot more from the directors who worked on this series , Joe Ahearne especially will one day be in the Hollywood A list There are some flaws to the new series of DOCTOR WHO and all of them should be laid at the door of Russell T Davies . It may be contentious whether the soap opera and post modernist elements are successful or not ( In my opinion they're not ) but what's not in dispute is that the weakest scripts are all written by RTD . As I mentioned in my review of CASANOVA he cheats the audience and he does the same thing here: when faced by armed soldiers pointing their guns at him The Doctor bellows " attack plan delta " which makes no sense to anyone in the audience but allows him to escape from a tight spot , a naked Captain Jack suddenly pulls out a laser he's been hiding and RTD scripts are full of these type of cheats and deus ex machina type endings . In fact the final episode is spoiled greatly by the ridiculous concept of what the " Bad Wolf " is which seems to have got RTD out of a tight spot more than The Doctor . And of the endings I'm trying to remember if any of them were actually down to The Doctor ? More often than it's a supporting character or the Doctor's companion who saves the day . The show is called DOCTOR WHO not ROSE TYLER so can we see the title character save the day please just like he did in the classic series ? One final point about the portrayal of the Doctor is the way he's written as a grinning loon . Eccleston is best known for his serious and gloomy roles and he's absolutely breath taking at scenes when he's showing grief , like the tear running down his face in the End Of The World but more often than not he's written as a " Tom Baker on speed " character . It's obvious why Eccleston hasn't done much comedy in his career - He's not very good at it Am I starting to sound like I hate this show ? Sorry I didn't mean to but it's just that while some anticipations have been met or surpassed some others haven't and they're nearly all down to Russell T Davies who thankfully is contributing less in the way of scripts in the next series of DOCTOR WHO . Let's see more traditional stories of a human outpost being under threat from monsters like we saw in the 1960s and 70s , imagine a story like The Sea Devils with a massive budget directed by Joe Ahearne ! Oh and one last request - Can we see these " NEXT TIME " trailers scrapped ? They reveal all the best bits of next week's episode$LABEL$ 1 +Let's see. In the "St. Elsewhere" finale we found out that there was no hospital and that every thing had been in the mind of an autistic child. "Newhart" ended by telling us that it had all been a dream. And "Roseanne" ended by telling us that it all had taken place in her mind. Very "creative". Annoying was more like it. Yes, it was just a TV show and wasn't at all reality. It's just that when you get caught up in a great movie or TV show you end up at least wanting to believe that it's all "real". At least as far as the reality it portrays on screen. This type of series finale had been done twice before and was old hat, frustrating and simply not fun to watch. Now "Newhart" being all a dream? At least done in a creative way that far exceeded the expectations of anyone who loved the show. The idea itself was not too engaging but it was so brilliantly done that its arguably the Best Series Finale Ever. Roseanne left me feeling cheated after being such a loyal fan.$LABEL$ 0 +Before Cujo,there was Lucky the devil dog. In 1978,on Halloween night the movie"Devil Dog,The Hound of Hell" premiered. A story of a family getting a new puppy (from a farmer who just happen to be in the neighborhood selling fruits and vegetables) because their dog Skipper was killed.Coencidence? Everyone loves the new dog,but there is something strange about him. It isn't long until the father Mike Barry(Richard Crenna,First Blood)starts to notice.His wife Betty(Yvette Mimieux,Where The Boys Are,Jackson County Jail,Snowbeast)is different and his kids Charlie and Bonnie(Ike Eisenman,Witch Mountain and Fantastic Vourage and Kim Richards,Witch Mountain,Nanny and the Professor,Hello Larry,Tuff-Turf)also have changed. Does the dog have something to do with it? He's determined to find out and do whatever it takes to save his family.This movie is great because it has Ike and Kim playing a darker side of themselves than what we saw on those witch mountain movies. This is one of the many 70's made-for-TV horror movies that was actually scary for a made-for-TV horror movie. The music was creepy and even the ending which I won't tell made you think.This movie also stars Ken Kercheval(Cliff Barnes of Dallas)and R.G. Armstrong(who couldn't stay away from devil movies remember"Race with the Devil"?)It's worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +I enjoyed Still Crazy more than any film I have seen in years. A successful band from the 70's decide to give it another try. They start by playing some gigs in some seedy European venues, with hilarious results. The music is fantastic, the script and acting are terrific. The characters are spot on, especially the lead singer with the high heavy metal voice, makeup and personality problems. The concert at the end was unreal. Go and see it, preferably in a cinema with a good sound system :)$LABEL$ 1 +a pure reality bytes film. Fragile, beautiful and amazing first film of the director. Represented Spain on the Berlinale 2002. Some people has compared the grammar of the film with Almodovar's films...Well, that shouldn't be a problem...$LABEL$ 1 +The show's echoed 'bubbling' sound effect used to put me to sleep. A very soothing show. I think I might have slept through the parts where there was danger or peril. I had also heard that some set up shots for a show on sponge divers was shot in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I would assume Lloyd Bridges never dove there. I only remember the show in reruns and although it was never edge-of-the-seat exciting we would make up our own underwater episodes in the lake at my grandmother's house... imagining the echoed bubbling sounds and narrating our adventures in our heads. I thought 'Flipper' had better undersea action. Of course, he had the advantage of being in his natural environment.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm giving this film 9 out of 10 only because there aren't enough specific scientific references to the amount of energy it takes to produce food to satisfy the science haters. mdixon seems to believe the admittedly biased commentators are making this stuff up, but even an elementary understanding of resources and the laws of thermodynamics will indicate that at the very least, they are on solid scientific ground when they state that we cannot continue to depend on oil, we must transition to different types of energy, and do not have a plan that will replace the amount of energy we get from oil. Other civilizations have refused to face the facts of life, and have perished. Read Jared Diamond's "Collapse" which is a popular book, or any elementary Ecology or Earth Science textbook and you can verify the basic premise of this movie. Go ahead, fiddle while Rome burns!$LABEL$ 1 +Times I look back to high school and it amazes me that I never went lower than Marvin did in this BAD film.Poor Marv is the main character who's bad luck just gets worse and worse. Despite his intelligence, he manages to get bullied, exploited, supports his lousy deadbeat Dad, and plenty more goof-ups including a daring heist which let's say doesn't go fully to plan. Of course, the viewer feels no empathy with anyone in this film, so all this disastrous gloom bounces off like harmless zeta rays. Recommended for those days you're feeling down, pop this film in and you'll smile and say, "I'm so glad I'm not Marv!"$LABEL$ 0 +I remember Casper comic books, but don't remember any cartoons. Maybe they weren't memorable; I don't know but at my advanced age, here I am watching this very early Casper animated short yesterday. Afterward, I was shocked to read the user-comments here. Did people miss the ending?I have to learn all over again that Casper isn't like the other ghosts, who like to go out each night and scare the c--p out of everyone. "He sees no future in that," according to the narrator here. Instead, one night he goes out to the rural section of town, inadvertently scares some animals and can't find any friends. It brings him to tears, until a little fox hears him bawling and befriends him. The two become buddies but soon, the fox is running for his life with a fox hunt in progress.Other reviews have all mentioned what happens, so I'll touch on that, too. The fox is killed by hunting dogs (not shown) and Casper is in tears for losing "the only friend I ever had." But, nobody mentions the happy ending to this story. "Ferdie" the fox becomes a spirit-figure like Casper, jumps on his lap, licks his face and the narrator comments "they lived happily ever after." Both characters look overjoyed.What is so sad about that? This is a nice story with a nice, happy ending.$LABEL$ 1 +The first point that calls the attention in "For Ever Mozart" is the absence of a plot summary in IMDb. The explanation is simple since there is no story, screenplay, plot or whatever might recall the minimum structure of a movie. Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most overrated and pretentious directors of the cinema industry and this pointless crap is among his most hermetic films. I believe that neither himself has understood what is this story about; but there are intellectuals that elucubrate to justify or explain this messy movie, and it is funny to read their reviews. My vote is one.Title (Brazil): "Para Sempre Mozart" ("Forever Mozart")$LABEL$ 0 +Night Of The Living Homeless is a funny spoof of the 1978 film(and the 2004 remake) of "Dawn Of The Dead".Only this time...with the homeless.The episode has homeless people all coming to South Park and the people cannot figure out why.They treat the homeless like zombies who want change and a few of the parents end up on the roof of a supermarket like in the movie.So now it's up to the boys to find out where they came from and how to get rid of them.This is a fairly funny episode with some good moments like the boys singing their own version of the 2pac/Dr.Dre song "California Love".Overall a good episode.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Since Paul Kersey was running short of actual relatives to avenge, the third installment in the "Death Wish" saga revolves on him returning to New York to visit an old war buddy. He arrives only to find out that Brooklyn entirely changed into a pauperized gangland and that youthful thugs killed his friend and continuously terrorize all the other tenants of a ramshackle apartment building. Kersey strikes a deal with the local police commissioner, conquers the heart of his blond attorney, blows away numerous villains with an impressive Wildey Magnum gun and gradually trains & inspires the petrified New Yorkers to stand up for themselves. Okay, there's no more point in defending the "Death Wish" series after seeing part three. The 1974 original was a masterpiece that revolved on the social drama as much as it did on the retribution and, even though it was pure exploitation, part two still had quite a few redeeming qualities and at least the events were a logically linked to those occurring in the first. Number three frequently feels like a totally separate franchise. Apparently, Kersey isn't an architect anymore, he's ten times more social and talkative than he used to be and suddenly nobody, not even the police, is against vigilante actions anymore? All these changes and several other aspects make it more than obvious that Michael Winner and Charles Bronson reduced their "Death Wish" success to being a purely brainless and exploitative action series, with a death toll that gigantically increases with each episode, armory that becomes more and more explosive and criminals that get nastier, sleazier, meaner and a lot harder to kill. However, the gentlemen didn't seem to realize that the non-stop spitfire of violence actually creates an opposite effect, namely this extremely monotonous and much more boring than the previous two. I once read a brilliant review that referred to "Death Wish 3" as the pure definition of cinematic masturbation. This description couldn't be more spot-on, as the script tiredly moves itself from one repugnant execution sequence to the next. Particularly the final twenty minutes are a complete "orgy" of gunfire, explosions and executions realized through improvised homemade measures. Yi-Haaa! This entry in the series has quite an interesting supportive cast, including Martin Balsam ("Psycho", "12 Angry Men") as the fatigue neighbor who keeps machine guns in his closet, Ed Lauter ("Family Plot", "The Longest Yard") as the slightly unorthodox copper and even Alex Winter (from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!) in his debut role as one of the thugs.$LABEL$ 0 +Have you ever seen a movie made up entirely of long wide shots? No? Me, neither. Well, I've finally seen one in "Spring in my Hometown," and I must confess, now I KNOW why people don't do this. The technique is "arty," to be sure, but it's definitely NOT ripe for public consumption. The technique is heavily flawed simply because the viewer has no emotional attachment to the characters, and perhaps that might be the director's whole intentions. I don't know, I can't read minds, and I certainly don't know enough about the director to make a judgement.But one thing about this movie that IS painfully obvious is its ridiculous anti-American sentiments. As an American, I'm well aware of my country's participation in the Korean War, and I'm very well aware that we weren't always angels, but I'll be damn if I'll take this guy's version of how things happened. According to this blind fool, Americans were not only at the root of the war, we were the CAUSE of the war, and we almost singlehandedly destroyed the country. Whatever, Mister Director. And I suppose you'd still be making this film in COMMUNIST KOREA if we hadn't interfered, right? Talk about forgetting your history. This is almost akin to making the Nazis the "good guys" while turning the Allied forces into the "bad guys." This movie is so historically naive and so factually inaccurate that it's almost embarrassing to watch. For a man who comes from a country that owes its very EXISTENCE to American interference, he sure comes off as high and mighty and judgemental.$LABEL$ 0 +Alright, the first time I seen "Talk Radio" was in a video store for only $2.00 on VHS believe it or not, and I looked at it and I thought it might be about Howard Stern, because I just looked at it for about thirty seconds, then just didn't see it again. Then I went to another store about a month later and I found "Talk Radio" on DVD for only $5.00. So I see it was directed by Oliver Stone, and I picked it up. So after the film was over I was speechless. I have never seen such a film like this. Here's the main plot, then i'll tell ya what I thought of it.It is about a Dallas talk radio host Barry Champlain, a Jewish radio host who talks about whatever other people bring up and he interupts, and is taking everything seriously. Now, a network wants to put his show live everywhere in the U.S. So Barry's show gets a lot of interesting phone callers like Chet (a neo-natzi), Kent (a rock n roll drugged kid), John (rapist), and others. Now some of the callers sound like the same actor/actresses. But still I think it fits okay.Now what I love a lot about this film is the dark corners and the paranoid atmosphere of the radio station. The dark music in the background fits very nicely too. It has a flashback scene in the film also how he started with radio, which I think they did good on. But the great thing about the film is ending. I was surprised by it, and it kind of makes you feel paranoid a little about the phone callers off the air and everything about it is wonderful. It also tells you how to say the right things to people over a big city like Dallas. One of Oliver Stone's underrated/weakest films mentioned, but I think it's his best in my opinion.But definitely get this film if you like films with paranoia-feel like films with a dark atmosphere with sinister music in the background. I still watch this film a lot of the times now when i'm bored, as matter fact I watched it tonight. Yeah, if ya wanna really get the sinister feel to the film, watch it at nightime with the lights off. I may sound crazy, but it makes the film better!Another thing I forgot to mention is that the reason I don't think the film did so well was maybe in my point of view because of the title. 'Talk Radio.' It doesn't sound very tricky or anything, it's kind of plain. A better title like the book "Talked To Death" or maybe "The Abusive Radio Host" or something catchy and not plain "Talk Radio". Or maybe because of Universal Pictures? Oliver Stone usually didn't do Universal I don't think. Paramount might have been a good company. I don't know, something about this film didn't do so well, but I love it."Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can cause permanent damage."$LABEL$ 1 +Basically what we have here is little more than a remake of the hilarious 1970's classic kitsch horror 'Death Line' which ironically was like this cobblers, also partly filmed at the disused Aldwych underground station.Making good use of the now disused Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross as well as the aforementioned Aldwych, this film contains basically the same plot - dodgy murdering mad zombie in the tunnels preying on the lost passengers who have missed the last train - originality is not this film's strong point.Indeed strong points are sadly lacking. The gore ranges from the poor to the unnecessarily over gory whilst the sub-Gollum nutter is never really fully explained as seems little more than an under developed plot device.Franke Polente has little to do with a thin script than run down a lot of tunnels and scream every so often, indeed she was like pretty much everyone else in this film, out-acted by a small dog and a pack of tame rats.If creepy films set on the London Underground are your bag, or you just want to play 'spot the tube location' them pick this up on DVD when it hits a bargain bin. If you are looking for classic horror, go and dig up a copy of Death Line (aka Raw Meat).If you are looking for a quality well written and acted film, you will need to change trains.....$LABEL$ 0 +Keys to the VIP is one of the most entertaining, informative and hilarious shows that is on television right now. The idea is original, and well executed, as it manages to preserve the reality aspect, but still remain entertaining. All of the judges have a razor wit. They're not the nicest at all times, but if you're looking for comfort, go watch a chick flick. Say what you like about validity of the show, but it is absolutely real. I know people who have competed on the show, and they have confirmed this. If you want to laugh, watch this show. It is on of the best comedy shows ever made.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved it so much that I bought the DVD and the novel at the same time. The chemistry between the actors (including little Arthur) is amazing and thrilling.It could have used a bit more screen time for the yummy Frederick Lawrence (played by James Purefoy). And Gilbert Markham was amazingly "on it" from the very start of the movie. The one who most thrilled me via surprising shock and awe and wonder was Rupert Graves as Arthur Huntingdon. I adore him in Forsyte Saga, and all else I've seen him in. But he outdoes himself here as Arthur. In my wildest dreams I could not have pictured him playing a demented psycho such as Arthur Huntingdon. But he does. And I love it. And I love him.$LABEL$ 1 +This might have been an excellent flick. However, as many other people think so do I. It is poorly done due to the languages transfer. If the entire movie must be read then it kind of takes away from the movie and becomes something else. It does have an excellent rating as far as I am concerned and I couldn't wait to rent it. But, once I did it was a real let down. Out here in Boardman, Ohio I could not find an English version to anything similar. This movie was also compared to Dark Hours and this we will not get to watch in Boardman, Ohio. It is not available. So I guess we will never know how good the movie actually was.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a rip-off of the same garbage we had to watch Bob Saget host during the half-hour before this. Dave Coulier only thought he was funny and it was pretty much the same show as America's Funniest Home Videos except with a hosts who have a combined IQ of three. Tawny Kitaen must've really needed the money and Coulier had to go to the recycle bin for his jokes. It was torture enough having to see him imitate Popeye and other washed up cartoon starts on Full House. That one dude who played all of the practical jokes on everyone deserves to be on the receiving end of a Grade A wedgie. Coulier must've needed to money to please Alannis Morisette while they were dating.$LABEL$ 0 +From all the rave reviews, we couldn't wait to see this show. We love wacky humor and creative material, especially from Australia and New Zealand.I admit this may not be a fair review since we only saw the first 15 minutes. But we just couldn't bear any more misery - it was definitely the most boring and painful 15 minutes we've ever experienced watching a TV show - it felt like 15 hours. The songs may be (mildly) interesting by themselves, but inserted for an interminable 3 minutes each in the middle of a story scene just doesn't work.We're trying hard now to erase the memory. If you want some wonderful down-under humor in a delightful and engaging film, see "The Dish" instead.$LABEL$ 0 +A terrible movie containing a bevy of D-list Canadian actors who seem so self-conscious about the fact they are on-camera that their performances are overly melodramatic and quite forgettable.This film is badly written, badly edited, and badly directed. It is disjointed, incomprehensible and bizarre - but not in a good way. McDowell does a great job with what he is given, but is the only one in this film to do so - he really has a bad story and script to work with. It's not even camp enough to be funny.I have yet to see Van Pelleske act in a credible manner, and even the sub-characters like Eisen (with his nasal, whiny voice) confirm that we are on a lot in Toronto rather than on a barge off Africa.Didn't the director see that the 'creature' looks like a jazz dancer in an alien suit? The fight between the blue bolts of lightning and Pelleske's orange wisps of 'magic' (!?! for lack of a better word), is obviously the result of bad actors, with no choreographer, overlaid with completely derivative special effects. Was there even a director on set or in the editing room for this disaster film (not the good kind)? Learn from the mistakes of others ... don't even waste your time with this one, you'll regret it like I did. I have nothing more to say about this waste of celluloid.$LABEL$ 0 +Stoic and laconic soldier Sergeant Todd (a fine and credible performance by the ever reliable Kurt Russell) gets dumped on a desolate remote planet after he's deemed obsolete by ruthless and arrogant Colonel Mekum (deliciously played to the slimy hilt by Jason Isaacs), who has Todd and his fellow soldiers replaced with a new advanced breed of genetically engineered combatants. Todd joins a peaceful ragtag community of self-reliant outcasts and has to defend this community when the new soldiers arrive for a field exercise. Director Paul W.S. Anderson, working from a smart and provocative script by David Webb Peoples, depicts a chilling vision of a bleak, cold and harsh possible near future while maintaining a snappy pace and a tough, gritty tone throughout. Moreover, Anderson handles moving moments of humanity well (Todd's struggle to get in touch with his previously repressed feelings is genuinely poignant) and stages the stirring action scenes with rip-roaring gusto. Russell gives a strong and impressive almost pantomime portrayal of Todd; he conveys a lot of emotion without saying much and instead does the majority of his acting through his body movements and facial expressions. Bang-up supporting turns by Jason Scott Lee as brutish rival soldier Caine 607, Connie Nielson as the compassionate Sandra, Sean Pertwee as the kindly Mace, Jared and Taylor Thorne as mute little boy Nathan, Gary Busey as crusty seasoned veteran Captain Church, Michael Chiklis as the jolly Johnny Pig, and Brenda Wehle as the sensible Mayor Hawkins. Better still, this film makes a profound and significant statement about the spiritual cost of being a merciless soldier and the importance of intellectual strength over physical might. David Tattersall's polished cinematography, Joel McNeely's rousing full-bore orchestral score, and the first-rate rate special effects all further enhance the overall sterling quality of this superior science fiction/action hybrid outing.$LABEL$ 1 +There is no artistic value in this movie to deserve any award. Well, it does not deserve an audience as well. Ironically, one of the awards is for cinematography but frankly, the camera movements are disconcerting to say the least. Every frame, you feel you are getting the "full picture", its like someone is "cropping your view" from the edges. The story is pathetic. Well, I will be honest, I could not bear to watch the entire movie. The part that sucked the most was when I saw the soldiers partying in their barracks and one of the soldiers coaxed to drink liquor. These and many other similar scenes reminded me so much of Steven Seagal.Take my advice, stay away from this piece of crap.$LABEL$ 0 +Food always makes a good topic in movies, as "Chocolat" showed. "Babette's Feast" is the same type of thing. Babette Harsant (Stephane Audran) is a French cook who flees her native land after the repression of 1871. She moves to a very religious Danish village. The people in this village simply have no use for joy. That is, until Babette cooks them one of her exquisite meals.It's not just that this movie deals with bringing fun to a place that has never known it. Like other Scandinavian movies (and non-Hollywood movies in general), it shows that a movie can hold your interest without the use of explosions, car chases, etc. This is one movie that you can't afford to miss.One more thing. Do you think that the Danish word for "feast" sounds a little bit like "tastebud"?$LABEL$ 1 +The title got my attention and then I wondered what will come out in the plot, as we have seen so many "super-people" movies these years... and in fact, I really liked it, as there were a number of unusual funny scenes that I didn't expect. Uma Thurman performed as average in G-Girl's role. Surprisingly, I was again able to watch her toes in wide screen (like in the beginning of Kill Bill). Luke Wilson however played very well the idiot everyday guy who meets the big woman, I could really get into his situation. If you want a light touch of fun, you should definitely watch G-Girl's and average Matt's adventures, especially to cheer up your partner. 7/10 in my collection.$LABEL$ 1 +Upon a recommendation from a friend and my admiration of Philip Baker Hall I rented the first season disc of the Loop.It's a typical TV comedy with all the clichés that the genre employs with the "wacky" scheming brother (Sully), "ditzy" blonde (Lizzy), token unrequited love interest (Piper), sarcastic Asian helper (Darcy, which reminded me of Arliss, as if ANYone needed to be reminded of THAT show). The plot deals with various bad luck (usually by Sully) that befalls Sam that puts his job at the airplane in jeopardy, only to have him save the day, with 'hilarious hijinks' ensuing in the middle. I didn't descibe a certain episode. I described them ALL to a T. Therein lies the problem as what seems like it might even be passable entertainment at first just gets uselessly stale when watching episodes in a row and growing bored beyond belief at the endless repetition. Sully will do something 'wacky', Mimi Rogers will say something overtly sexual, Russ will tell about his gay son, Darcy will do her impersonation of Sandra Oh on Arliss blah blah blah blah blah. The only positive is the lack of an annoying laugh track. But don't let that fool you into thinking it's any good. Go watch a far better comedy. Arrested Development, Always Sunny in Phillidelphia, two name two off the top of my head. Surprised that this one is still on the air. OH that's right Fox only cancels the good shows, i forgot. Needless to say I don't trust my friend's taste in shows anymore.My Grade: D+$LABEL$ 0 +Blake Edwards' legendary fiasco, begins to seem pointless after just 10 minutes. A combination of The Eagle Has Landed, Star!, Oh! What a Lovely War!, and Edwards' Pink Panther films, Darling Lili never engages the viewer; the aerial sequences, the musical numbers, the romance, the comedy, and the espionage are all ho hum. At what point is the viewer supposed to give a damn? This disaster wavers in tone, never decides what it wants to be, and apparently thinks it's a spoof, but it's pathetically and grindingly square. Old fashioned in the worst sense, audiences understandably stayed away in droves. It's awful. James Garner would have been a vast improvement over Hudson who is just cardboard, and he doesn't connect with Andrews and vice versa. And both Andrews and Hudson don't seem to have been let in on the joke and perform with a miscalculated earnestness. Blake Edwards' SOB isn't much more than OK, but it's the only good that ever came out of Darling Lili. The expensive and professional look of much of Darling Lili, only make what it's all lavished on even more difficult to bear. To quote Paramount chief Robert Evans, "24 million dollars worth of film and no picture".$LABEL$ 0 +That's certainly not the best film ever. But that's certainly worth seeing for people with a special kind of mind. So the one who loves sadness and depression, and scary fairy-tales at night, and wolves and real madness - welcome! If you find a copy, of course:) As for me, I could stand it only once... But since that the Wolves, and Saint-Lucy, and children's drawings, and a headless Christ live in my nightmares.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie at midnight on On Demand the other night, not knowing what to expect. I had heard of this movie, but never really any opinions on it.I have to say, I was impressed with what I saw. I was genuinely freaked out in some parts and I definitely recall jumping up in my seat a few times.The Blob was scary looking. Now, I look in a jar of jelly and wonder if it'll latch itself onto my hand.Steve McQueen was really good as Steve Andrews, the protagonist of the film. I also liked the old man in the beginning.For a 50's horror movie, this was very well done even by today's standards.8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Some people don't like Led Zeppelin, but luckily the number of people who versus the number of people who don't is WAY unbalanced. I am the proud converter of 2 or 3 Led Zeppelin fans and the only reason I was able to do this is because of this DVD.For one, how someone can listen to "Stairway to Heaven" or "Immigrant Song" without falling in love with Zeppelin is beyond me, but to play the guitar and not like Page... That is like being Christian and not liking Jesus. My friend was like "Led Zeppelin sucks!" and I was like, "Oh yeah, watch this!" After about 2 mins of watching Page pick through "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" he was glued to the screen and has never said a bad thing about Zeppelin since.Incase you haven't been following the running metaphor I am calling this DVD the Bible of Led Zeppelin. Held high by the followers and used as a converter for the unwashed heathens.Course there are some things missing like "Over the Hills and Far Away," a good version of "Immigrant Song" and I really didn't need 2 version of "Whole Lotta Love," but what the hell, I'll take 'em.Because there is nothing besides "The Song Remains the Same" to compare this too I gave it a 10 and even if there were more to compare it too I still would have given it a 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I grew up in Royersford, Pa. The town where Jerry's market was. I remember my whole family going out to watch the filming. I remember a guy showing the "Blob" to me and my brothers in a bucket. I also would like to share that my mother was in the movie. Her hair style was the same as Aneta Corsaut's and she was ill one evening and they saw my mom and asked her to sit in the car with Steve Mcqueen for some shots from behind. They payed her $25.00 and gave her a story to tell until she passed away this past August. My mom was not a teenager and she was a few months from giving birth to my little sister.$LABEL$ 1 +What starts out as an interesting story quickly disintegrates into nothing. Don't bother watching to the end hoping for an explanation of what is stalking the visitors, there is no ending. No explanation, no resolution, zip. This could have been a good movie it they had purchased an entire script.$LABEL$ 0 +wow! i just have to say this show is super cool! i fell in love with the show from the beginning! the idea of the show is very original and very soothing! it's also a pleasure to watch the performance the two lovely leading ladies give, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel! they're simply wonderful! i'm especially a big admirer of Lauren Graham! she's not just a pretty face, she's a "monster" of an actress as well! i'm not saying that Alexis isn't a wonderful actress as well... i just happen to like Lauren better! anyway it's a real delight seeing them on screen, "sparing" with words! in the words of the immortal Jim Carrey "B-E-A-UTIFUL!"$LABEL$ 1 +There is an episode of The Simpsons which has a joke news report referring to an army training base as a "Killbot Factory". Here the comment is simply part of a throwaway joke, but what Patricia Foulkrod's documentary does is show us, scarily, that it is not that far from the truth. After World War Two the US Army decided to tackle a problem they faced throughout the war; that many soldiers got into battle and found themselves totally unable to kill another human being unless it was a matter of 'me or them'. Since then the training process of the US army has been to remove all moral scruples and turn recruits into killing machines who don't think of combatants as people. To develop in them a most unnatural state: "The sustainable urge to kill".First off, this isn't an antiwar movie as such. Whilst it certainly paints war in a very bad light, Foulkrod focuses rather on an aspect that doesn't get as much media attention as, say, the debate over the legality of a war or it's physical successes or failures; the affect the process of turning a man into a soldier has on that person as a human being. It's the paradox that to train someone to be a soldier to defend society makes them totally unsuitable to live as part of that society themselves, and whilst most of the examples and interviewees are from the current Middle East conflict Foulkrod makes the links to past conflicts, especially Vietnam, painfully clear. This isn't about any particular war, it's about the problems caused by war in general.Structurally the film seems to be split into three sections; how recruits are drawn into the army and the training they receive, how they are treated once they are in combat, and what happens once they leave the army. Once this point is reached you realise that the main target of this film is actually the policies that are inherent in the armed forced, policies that are put into place to make soldiers into an affective combat force but removing all humanity from the individuals. Those interviewed tell the camera how the recruiting process seems so clean and simple, how word like "democracy" and "freedom" are banded around, but once the training begins they become "enemy" and "kill" and "destroy". How once in action soldiers don't care what they are ordered to do, as they are ingrained with the idea that as soon as they carry out an order, whatever it may be, they are one step closer to going home. They have no political or social ideals to fight for but fight and kill as that's what they've been trained to do.But The Ground Truth's main goal is to highlight the way the US Army discards those who have fought for their country once they return home. There is no real rehabilitation given to soldiers returning, and many are forced to go home unable to cope with what they have seen and done, and most policies in place seem to be to make sure the army has no legal responsibility whatsoever for psychological affects their soldiers pick up. This is the final indignity, that once they are used they are cast away.If there is a flaw in the film it is that Foulkrod doesn't attempt to show another side to the argument. You would get the impression that every single soldier who ever went to war would come back with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It would have been interesting to see those of a… less liberal upbringing give their opinions of how the army handles training and policies. There is never a chance for the other side of the argument to make itself known.But other than that this is an expertly crafted documentary, and Foulkrod's use of stock footage and music is perfectly utilised to get across a side of war that too often get s passed by when discussing the fallout of war.$LABEL$ 1 +So much has been written about the film's plot, the wonderful acting performance, the script, the melancholy, bittersweet atmosphere, the superb direction - what can I add? Just watch for one of the most heart warming, beautifully acted, poignant scenes ever filmed. It is Christmas eve and Frank Morgan's character (the owner of the shop - Mr. Matuschek)is recovering from his broken marriage and a suicide attempt. As each of his employees leave he invites them to a Christmas dinner. Each and everyone of them politely turn him down. They all have plans for their own Christmas eve. At this stage there is a deep sadness to this moving scene. Frank Morgan gives the performance of his career and this scene easily brings me to tears. Thankfully we have a happy denouement to this very special scene. The new employee, the errand boy, is the last to exit the shop into a beautiful snowy street scene. Desperately Mr. Matuschek approaches this boy and asks him how he would love to spend the evening with him, he will treat him to all the wonderful Christmas food that this errand boy has probably never seen!The chap is overwhelmed, he too is obviously as lonely as Mr. Matuschek and together they can have a wonderful Christmas meal. Every time I see this scene it moves me. If you manage to get the delightful DVD look at the great trailer with Frank Morgan introducing himself as Mr. Matuschek and an appearance by the director of the film- the talented Ernst Lubitsch. This film is a joy from beginning to end.$LABEL$ 1 +"Black Dragons" is a second feature WWII propaganda film popular at the time. It's not as bad as some would have you believe. A secret meeting hosted by the respected Dr. William Saunders (George Pembroke)is interrupted by a mysterious stranger names Monsieur Colomb (Bela Lugosi). Shortly thereafter the participants at the meeting begin to turn up murdered, their bodies being placed on the steps of the Japanese embassy in Washington. Colomb is suspected. Federal Agent Dick Martin (Clayton Moore) is assigned to the case and meets Saunders niece Alice Saunders (Joan Barclay) who tries to assist him. The reasons behind Colomb's actions are not explained until the final reel. Until all is explained at the end, the story is hard to comprehend. Lugosi who had by this time been reduced to appearing in a string of low budget quickies, is actually quite good in this one. He is not allowed to over act as much as he ususlly did and credit for this has to go to director William Nigh. Lugosi's character slinks through the shadows and is reminiscent of his Dracula even to the point of the full close ups of his piercing eyes. Clayton Moore, a one dimensional actor at best, would become TV's Lone Ranger in a few years. Joan Barclay makes a good heroine. Although a little dated now, "Black Dragons" is not a bad way to spend an hour.$LABEL$ 0 +I admit, I had to fast forward through this poorly transferred DVD after about 30 minutes -- NOTHING was happening, and everyone has already described the "plot." But has anyone mentioned the opening scene -- a butcher knife is stabbed through a wig and it's impaled on the grass in the front yard! I'm guessing the bratty kid did it, put it's never explained. Really trippy opening.I wish this had been a better written or thought out film, because what we're left with if pretty daft and a movie that makes no sense isn't a "clever" movie, it's just a poorly executed film.I would like to see a cleaned up version and if there was any missing footage, I would like to see if it would help. Otherwise, this is an odd little film that is best if fast-forwarded through!$LABEL$ 0 +Almost from the word go this film is poor and lacking conviction but then again most people would struggle to show commitment to a script as uninspiring as this. The dialogue really does not flow and sometimes as in this case more is less (or should have been). This is also backed-up by odd scenes (e.g. the Cemetry slow-motion walk) that you think might lead somewhere but only seem to waste a few more seconds of your life.The plot is a strange combination of gangster / situation comedy which I am sure seemed a good idea at the time but if ever there was a case for someone needing to be honest with the scriptwriter then here was it.Martin Freeman is okay but then he seems to have one character which always plays so I am beginning to wonder if he was given a script or just filmed and told to react as normal.Finally - humour. This reminds me of the 'Python (I think) quote about Shakespere, of his 'comedies' - If he had meant it to be humorous he would have put a joke in it. Well I didn't see one.Don't waste your time - I did because I was watching it with a friend and kept hoping that it was going to get better.It didn't.$LABEL$ 0 +Nominated for the oscar "worst script ever" in my opinion. There's no decent story, rediculous acting, VERY lousy humor. By every means possible, if you have little self respect please don't waste your time seeing this movie. Although u can see the actors CAN act, it leaves you dumber after watching it. Precious braincells are being killed watching this crap...i warned uDON'T SEE THIS MOVIE$LABEL$ 0 +It may (or may not) be considered interesting that the only reason I really checked out this movie in the first place was because I wanted to see the performance of the man who beat out Humphrey Bogart in his CASABLANCA (10/10 role for the Best Actor Oscar. (I still would have given the Oscar to Bogie, but Paul Lukas did do a great job and deserved the nomination, at least.) Well, I'm glad I did check this movie out, because I enjoyed it immensely. I think the movie did preach a little, but not only did I not mind, I enjoyed the speeches and was never bored with them.The acting was outstanding in this movie. I especially enjoyed Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson (rightfully nominated for an Oscar), Bette Davis (wrongfully not nominated), George Coulouris and, oddly, Eric Roberts, who plays the middle child. I really enjoyed his character: an odd-looking boy who talks like some sort of philosopher. He just cracks me up. Even the characters name (Bodo) is funny. The ending, in which Lukas's character was forced to do something he considered wrong even though he was doing it for all the right reasons, worked for me as well. I agreed with why he felt he had to what he did, and I understood why he couldn't quite explain it. The message this movie makes is a good and noble one, the scenery (meaning the house) is beautiful, and the acting is the excellent. Watch this movie if you ever get a chance.9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Um .... a serious film about troubled teens in Singapore, a country I have not much knowledge on but have the previous wrong impression that all the kids there are highly disciplined and controlled by their family and government. Well, I guess I am wrong, just like other cities/ countries, they also have their troubled teens who also lead the not so surprising rebellious way of life of drugs, fights, bad language, and .... many other obvious signs of being a bad boy. The surprising part of this film isn't really about how these kids running around causing themselves and others trouble, but rather the subtle gayness hidden behind their so call loyalty between them. The bond between these "brothers" may very well originated from an unconscious gay tendency inside these boys. Though it isn't uncommon for str8 guys to have very close friendship with each other, but watch this film closely, it should be entering all sorts of gay film festivals and I would not be surprised that it may win itself a lot more awards toward this direction!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie with my rock climbing instructor, and we found the entire thing so ridiculous as to be beyond pity. (For one, if Stallone is out free-climbing by himself, there's no need to carry any gear, but I guess those dangling carabiners look sorta "mountain climby," so let's throw them in). For those lobotomized folks who think that Colorado looks anything like the Dolomites in Italy (where the movie was filmed), well the Hollywood moguls have got a lot more ridiculous & foul-smelling stuff for you to swallow.$LABEL$ 0 +I really don't see how anyone could enjoy this movie. I don't think I've ever seen a movie half as boring as this self-indulgent piece of junk. It probably would have been better if the director hadn't spent most of the movie showcasing his own art work, which really isn't that noteworthy. Another thing I didn't really like is when a character got punched in the face, a gallon of blood would spew forth soon after. I don't know how folks bleed over there in Japan, but I hope they have plenty of blood donors.$LABEL$ 0 +This movies chronicles the life and times of William Castle. He made a series of low budget horror films in the 1950s-1960s that he sold with gimmicks. In "13 Ghosts" you need viewers to see the ghosts (they were in color, the film was in b&w). "The Tingler" had theatre seats equipped with a buzzer that jolted the audience when a monster escapes into a movie theatre. "Marabre" issued a life insurance policy to all members in case they were frightened to death! The movies themselves were pretty bad but the gimmicks had people rushing to see them. In this doc there are interviews with directors inspired by Castle, actors in his movies and his daughter. It also gets into his home life and the kind of man he was (by all accounts he was a great guy). The documentary is affectionate, very funny and absolutely riveting. It's very short (under 90 minutes) and there's never a dull moment. A must see for Castle fans and horror movie fans. My one complaint--there were very few sequences shown from his pictures. That aside this is just great.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is about two female killers going on a tour to kill random men they meet.Wow, "Baise-moi" just became the worst film of all time in my list. The plot is crazy, pointless and unnecessary. The whole film is full of violence and sex, and I am sure no sane parents would want to show this film to their children. I don't understand what people get out of by making this film, or watching this film. Maybe someone somewhere has their perverted desires fulfilled. There is simply no excuse or reasons for the existence of this perverted and depraved piece of work.The only consolation I offer myself is that I watched it on fast forward, so that I have not wasted as much time.$LABEL$ 0 +I like this movie. I may be biased because I love dolphins. However, my 3 and 4 yr. old will sit and watch the whole movie.... It's not Oscar material, but definitely entertaining. The dolphin cinematography is well done with a beautiful backdrop of ocean scenery and sunsets. My favorite scene is when Flipper "flips" the pop can out of the water striking Sandy in the head. It's an endearing funny moment that makes me laugh every time. On the other hand, the villainous banterings of the bully boatman (forget his name) are a little hard to take. And the shark scene is far from reality. Question: do dolphins really make that much noise? Or is there some serious dubbing happening here? Bottom line: my kids like it and it keeps recycling through our VCR.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this movie and I did not care for this movie anyhow. I would not think about going to Paris because I do not like this country and its national capital. I do not like to learn french anyhow because I do not understand their language. Why would I go to France when I rather go to Germany or the United Kingdom? Germany and the United Kingdom are the nations I tolerate. Apparently the Olsen Twins do not understand the French language just like me. Therefore I will not bother the France trip no matter what. I might as well stick to the United Kingdom and meet single women and play video games if there is a video arcade. That is all.$LABEL$ 0 +The main reasons to see "Red Eye" are Rachel McAdams, who delivers a stellar performance, and Jayma Mays, who is wonderful as the Assistant Hotel Manager. On the other hand, Cillian Murphy overacts so badly that he becomes cartoonish. The rest of the movie is riddled with plot holes, on which I will elaborate.Please do not read further if you don't want to know what happens!Here is a synopsis of the plot. Rachel McAdams's character (Lisa) manages a hotel where the new hard-nosed Homeland Security Director plans to stay that night. Rachel is returning to Miami from a funeral, but fielding calls from her assistant up until the plane leaves. In the meantime, someone is stationed outside the house of her father, Joe (played by Brian Cox), ready to kill him if Cillian Murphy (Jackson) calls. All Lisa has to do is phone the hotel and move the Director's suite to one where Jackson's cohorts are planning to fire a guided missile (from a fishing boat) to kill the Director and his family.So, here are some of the plot holes or absurd coincidences:1. Jackson finally convinces Lisa to make the call, and in the middle, the phones in the plane lose their connection. Lisa tries to fake that she is making the call, but coincidentally, a guy across the aisle from Jackson is also making a call and starts banging his phone to indicate it is dead. Jackson catches on and grabs the phone from Lisa.2. At one point, Jackson head-butts Lisa and she, of course, gets knocked out...but only for 30 minutes.3. Jackson catches Lisa writing a note on the mirror in the (extraordinarily large) lavatory, and he bangs her around a bit. Miraculously, the only one who hears anything is an 11-year-old girl, whose word, of course, is discounted.4. Lisa stabs Jackson with a pen in the throat as the plane is landing, steals his cell phone, and makes a mad dash for the exit, fitting down the aisle between the seats and 18 rows of standing passengers. Despite knowing there is a passenger with a pen stuck in his throat, the flight attendants oblige Lisa by opening the door to the jet-way.5. OK, all those are reasonable (if not highly unlikely). But here's where it gets really stupid. Lisa gets into the terminal at Miami Airport, and there is no cell phone signal (every major airport in America has great cell phone reception).6. She runs through the airport with Jackson in hot pursuit, and no security officers even delay them.7. Jackson, who lost Lisa in the Airport while the train from the gates pulled away to the terminal, has lost some of his voice from the pen in his throat, but he can still be somewhat understood. However, he doesn't bother to call his man outside of Joe's house. (PS: There is no train at Miami Airport, but the one they showed looked an awful lot like the Orlando Airport).8. Lisa steals a car and rides away. Of course this time, when she goes to make a call, the cell phone says "low battery" and soon shuts off (when will they stop using this inane plot device?).9. While the phone still said "low battery," Lisa had reached her assistant just in time to save the Director and his family from the guided missile launched by the fishing boat to the window of the room on the 40th floor to which the Director had been moved. Of course, they expect us not to notice that the hotel is surrounded on 3 sides by ocean, so the missile could have probably been launched at the first suite, thereby negating the need for the whole Lisa-Jackson plot. What's the story here? Was the Director's original room on the 38th floor one of the only rooms in the hotel with a lousy view? Nevertheless, everyone gets out just before the missile hits.10. Lisa drives to Joe's house to save her father only to see the killer outside. Although she runs him over (as he is shooting at her) by crashing her Jeep into the house, no one in the neighborhood seems to notice or bother to stop by.11. Jackson arrives at Joe's house and knocks him out (we don't see how...maybe another head butt). He then explains to Lisa that he didn't kill dad yet because he wanted dad to see Lisa die first (Give me a break. What is this? Saturday morning cartoons?).12. For the rest of the movie (about 20 minutes), Jackson chases Lisa around the house, and she resourcefully fights him off. Of course a real killer (i.e. one maybe played by Jason Statham) would have done away with Lisa (or for that matter anyone who is not a trained killer) in the first 30 seconds. During the course of this chase, Jackson steps over Joe at least once without bothering to kill him.13. Finally, Jackson prevails, and he is about to kill Lisa when (you guessed it) he is shot by Joe.So, here's my suggestion...tell Wes Craven to stick to horror. Or maybe he should get together with Michael Bay (who directed the equally stupid "The Island") and make "Red Island."$LABEL$ 0 +When you look back at another bad Nightmare sequel like Freddy's Revenge, you have to at least give it some credit for trying something new. And although The Dream Child is more enjoyable it offers absolutely nothing new to the series. Yes, there's the creative deaths as usual, like a kid becoming part of a comic book and facing "Super Freddy" but even scenes like that aren't used to their full potential and the parts without Freddy are just boring.This marked the official death of scariness to the series. Freddy seems to be the comedic relief now...but to what?My Rating: 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Having already seen the original "Jack Frost", I never thought that "Jack Frost 2" would be as absurd as it is. Boy was I wrong! Then again, A-PIX movies have a way of showing unbelievably bad material, even worse than you might expect. I believe this is the first A-PIX sequel, and it may be an indication of what to expect in the future: more A-PIX sequels.It's hard to watch this without laughing, especially during the later parts of the movie in which Jack Frost's offspring (which are essentially snowballs with eyes, arms, a mouth and sharp teeth) start killing people with the typical comedic dialogue and silly voices to go with it. They are shown both as puppets (with a stick underneath to move them) and as computer animation, which I have to say looks very cheesy. The computer animation surprised me, as the first "Jack Frost" had no such effects.I'd strongly recommend that you see the original "Jack Frost" before seeing this one (both of which it would be preferable to watch with a group of friends) to get the full amusement out of it, and because it would make more sense ("sense" being a relative term).Now only if there was "Uncle Sam 2"...$LABEL$ 0 +If you had a mother that described you like that, you just might be looking to bump her off yourself. It's how Danny DeVito feels about Anne Ramsey, it's just how to put the plan in action.And his creative writing class taught by Professor Billy Crystal gives him the idea. That and a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers On A Train which gives DeVito the idea to switch murders with Crystal who hates his wife, Kate Mulgrew, who not only is cheating him out of an idea for a book he wanted to write, but is also carrying on with hunky Tony Ciccone.Throw Momma From The Train plays out kind of like Strangers On A Train as DeVito seems to have carried out his end of the murder scheme. But Crystal's having a bit of a problem putting Ramsey down even with Danny's help. That woman might need killing, but she's going to take a lot of it.The only Academy recognition that Throw Momma From The Train got was an Academy Award nomination for Anne Ramsey for Best Supporting Actress. Ramsey lost to Olympia Dukakis for Moonstruck, but the film turned out to be her finest hour. Ramsey already had the throat cancer that would eventually kill her the following year, but look at the list of credits she managed to amass even after Throw Momma From The Train, she worked right up to the end.I've seen interviews with both of the stars of Throw Momma From The Train, Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito, and both have gladly conceded that Anne Ramsey's performance as the mother from hell both made the film the success it was and stole it out from under them. Their acknowledgment of Ramsey's talent and performance is the best possible tribute.If Marion Lorne in Strangers On A Train had been anything like Anne Ramsey here, Farley Granger would gladly have joined Robert Walker in disposing of her. Throw Momma From A Train is one of the best black comedies out there, should not be missed.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was really bad, plain and simple. How a movie like this gets wide release is a wonder to me.It's a decent idea, but it just didn't flesh out. Edward Burns is a decent actor though. I liked his small role in Saving Private Ryan.Let's get down to the big issue here.The visuals were so incredibly bad, I thought I was watching an old "Dinosaurs In 3D" CDROM point-and-click adventure demo on Windows 3.1 I mean, I've seen cut-scenes in console games from pre-2000 that have better looking dinosaurs than this. I mean, heck... the original Tomb Raider T-Rex looked better than this one.The lizard-monkeys were laughable. I thought they were some sort of ripoff creation from "Killer Instinct" I've seen better sock-puppet monsters now that I think about it.You know, there's a ton of made-for-TV movies that are better than this. How does a gem like Scifi Channels "The Shining" get such a small audience, but this load of "CGI, easy to make 4 Kidz" gets put out in the open? I don't care if it's a Ray Bradbury story. Lameeeee$LABEL$ 0 +That's the worst film I saw since a long time. Historic accuracy is totally non-existent. For example, James Wolfe, who his depicted as an anti-French Canadian, is shown in London during the summer of 1759. Natives are like Indians of a bad Hollywood movie of the 60's : They wear deerskin clothes and ride horses (The Montagnais had never ride horses). The film is taking place in Quebec City, but footage is set in Louisbourg, showing the Atlantic Ocean.The original scenario was supposed to include the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, but the producers drop this idea saying that costs for uniforms and participants would be more than 4 millions dollars ! I think they never heard about re-enactment.All the movie is planned to be a new Titanic : an impossible love during an historic tragedy (the fall of New-France). There's even a song performed by Celine Dion at the end of the movie (Yes, I stayed till the end of the movie, but I deeply regret). But the worst thing of all is that this movie cost 30 millions dollars. I just don't know how they spend all this money.Sorry for my anger, but I'm just too irritated.$LABEL$ 0 +Natalie Wood portrays Courtney Patterson, a polio disabled songwriter who attempts to avoid being victimized as a result of involvement in her first love affair, with her partner being attorney Marcus Simon, played tepidly by Wood's real-life husband, Robert Wagner. The film is cut heavily, but the majority of the remaining scenes shows a very weak hand from the director who permits Wagner to consistently somnambulate, laying waste to a solid and nuanced performance from Wood, who also proffers a fine soprano. The script is somewhat trite but the persistent nature of Wagner's dramatic shortcoming is unfortunately in place throughout, as he is given a free hand to impose his desultory stare at Wood, which must be discouraging to an actress. The progression of their relationship is erratically presented and this, coupled with choppy editing, leads the viewer to be less than assured as to what is transpiring, motivation being almost completely ignored in the writing. Although largely undistinguished, the cinematography shines during one brief scene when Wood is placed in a patio and, following the sound of a closing door, remains at the center while the camera's eye steadily pulls away demonstrating her helplessness and frailty. More controlled direction would have allowed the performers, even the limp Wagner, to scale their acting along the lines of an engaging relationship; as it was released, there is, for the most part, an immense lack of commitment.$LABEL$ 0 +Three distinct and distant individuals' lives intersect with the brutal killing of one by another. The one-hour film only reveals the event that brings the three individuals together only after half the film is over. I have seen other segments of the "Dekalog" but this one struck me as the most sparse one in dialogue and yet most fascinating in structure.The film opens with a law student practicing a mock plea of defense for a man charged with murder. Obviously the same arguments must have been repeated by the man as a full-fledged lawyer but this is never shown on screen (at least in the short 1-hr version of Dekalog 5). We are made to imagine that this must have been the case. A cab driver who is a misanthrope, has two facets to his character: the good side feeds a mangy dog, cleans his cab meticulously, picks up dirty rags thrown by people who lack civic sense, and remembers his wife while dying; the bad side frightens small poodles, refuses to give a ride to a drunk--probably worried that he will puke in the cab--and ogles at pretty girls. The repulsive protagonist who murders without mercy, drops stones from bridges on fast moving traffic, and pushes strangers into urinals without any provocation, is also a person who can make innocent young girls laugh. Kieslowski's film and the script thus present the good and the bad side of two of the three main characters.Yet the film is not about capital punishment but more a treatise on killing. The Fifth Commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is explored theologically--("Even God spared Cain...'), sociologically the tenderness of brutes to children and poor forlorn dogs, and psychologically (after effects of drunken night with a male friend that led to the accidental death of his sister, whose photograph he carries with him). What makes ordinary persons turn into killers--this is never fully explained but suggestions are legion.In Kieslowski's world there is a pattern where events and people are interlinked in a cosmic sense (note the resemblance of clown to the killer, as it hangs from the mirror in the cab). Kieslowski and the young idealist lawyer seem to ask us to look at the Commandment literally and figuratively--why do we kill? Are the people legally killed truly bad? Is there a force beyond society (the drunken night that led to life of a girl) that makes us into abhorrent murderers?It would be missing the forest for the trees to discuss the two detailed killings in the film--both without mercy. The film invites the viewer to contemplate why we are asked by God not to kill.I understand a longer full-length version of the film was made by Kieslowski. But even this short 1-hr version is superb with its bleak and sparse script, intelligent editing, interesting cinematography and top-notch direction that provides much more than the sum of its parts.This segment anticipates the more wholesome Dekalogs 6,7 and 8.$LABEL$ 1 +It pays to watch Reader's Digest. Or Time, if it was the original source of the article that served as a supposed inspiration to Mani Ratnam to make this masterpiece. Based on a true story of an adopted girl who goes in search of her biological parents, Mr. Ratnam paints a classic that rivets as much as it rebukes, cherishes as much as it chastens and preaches as much as it practises.Where does one start? The foreboding gloom that precedes fresh strife in northern Sri Lanka? The chaotic household of a family headed by a firebrand engineer-author and 3 adorably naughty children? Or that murky region where reality crosses the point of providing a comfortable existence and becomes a monster of incredulous and sinister events and ideologies? Whichever way one looks at it, this film is worth being in your collection, if you happen to like Mani Ratnam's compelling dramas.Mr. Ratnam is a past master in blending fictional tales within real life incidents and in this film, he oozes class in adapting two real-life stories into one. I will not go into the story as it is better seen than read. But, what I will dwell upon is the impact it had upon me and why, for all the war-mongering that happens in this world, it cannot destroy that simple yet inexhaustible force called hope.Innocence, in its purity, cannot fathom the complex desires of adult decadence and greed. Nor does it recognize perils when it is accompanied by the fierce determination to seek what it wants. It is an innocence of such nature that drives Amudha to seek her biological parents, despite warnings that they could be lost in the cauldron of civil war. Having survived a terrorizing experience of conversing with a physically challenged man only to realize that he is a more lethal entity in disguise, Amudha sticks to her cause in a manner that tears down her well-wishers' resistance. And finally, when the twain do meet, mother and daughter, the reunion is so taut with emotion that even the temperamental adoptive father is reduced to tears. Aided by a coruscating background score from A R Rahman, the scene that follows is poignant to melt even the stoniest of hearts: a list of questions that Amudha has to ask her biological mother. In a culmination as dramatic as the sequence of incidents leading to it, a child discovers its mother, alive in body but lost in spirit. With the crushing realization that she has no hope of staying with the one who bore her, Amudha does to her adoptive mother what this film's title means: a peck on the cheek.As for the cast, the trail is clearly blazed by the brilliant PS Keerthana. Mr. Ratnam has a gift of extracting spectacular performances from little-known child artistes, but this should take nothing away from Keerthana for an award-winning performance. With an able supporting cast of Madhavan (Thiru), Simran (Indira) and the stupendous Nandita Das (Shyama), she embellishes the scenes in almost every frame she is in. The music may be not as memorable as other Rahman offerings but that still didn't stop him from garnering another National Award for the best music direction. "Vellai Pookal" is as much an ode for the need to cherish human life as it is for nature. The dialogues are top-class (sample the touching exchange Amudha and Indira have on the swing, shortly after the revelation that she is not Indira's biological daughter) and the cinematography, superb.This film is a clear statement to drop arms as much as it is to respect human life and expressions. Do not judge it as a lesson in film-making; you will only lose out on experiencing one of the very best from the Mani Ratnam-A R Rahman stable.$LABEL$ 1 +In this approximately 34-second Thomas Edison-produced short, we see Annabelle Moore performing the Loie Fuller-choreographed "Serpentine Dance" in two different fantastical, flowing robes.Moore was one of the bigger stars of the late Victorian era. She was featured in a number of Edison Company shorts, including this one, which was among the first Kinetoscope films shown in London in 1894.Loie Fuller had actually patented the Serpentine Dance, which Moore performs here in robes (as well as entire frames) that are frequently hand tinted in the film, presaging one of the more common symbolic devices of the silent era. Supposedly, the Moore films were popular enough to have to be frequently redone (including refilming). The version available to us now may be a later version/remake. Moore became even more popular when it was rumored that she would appear naked at a private party at a restaurant in New York City. She later went on to star as the "Gibson Bathing Girl" in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1907. She appeared there until 1912.The short is notable for its framing of motion, which, especially during the "second half", becomes almost abstract. It somewhat resembles a Morris Louis painting, even though this is almost 60 years before Louis' relevant work.You should be able to find this short on DVD on a number of different anthologies of early films.$LABEL$ 1 +I won't add to the plot reviews, it's not very good.Very improbable orphanage on Bala.Cushing and Lee at their height.Some nice scenery.Good for face spotting, and I quote, "look at the mouth, that is Cassie from Fools and Horses".Otherwise, a poor example of the British film industry.Fulton MacKay was far better in Fraggle Rock, Keith Barron was better in anything else and Diana Dors did what she did best.Redeeming feature? It was free to watch on the Horror channel prior to its going over to subscription. I won't be subscribing on this effort.$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps once in a generation a film comes along that is perfection. For me, "The Railway Children" is that film - a timeless classic that was directed and performed most beautifully. It depicts all that is worthwhile in humanity and climaxes in the conquest of love and faith over cruel injustice. Every performance is a gem, though Bobbie stands out and, like Judy Garland as Dorothy before her, Jenny Agutter makes it impossible for us to imagine anyone else in the role.The world is all the better for this film and the children of today would be much the better for watching it.Of course, like so many young men of my generation, I fell hopelessly in love with Jenny Agutter and her hold was as strong when I had the great good fortune to meet her a few days ago - the bewitching smile and voice like dripping honey were still there to send me weak at the knees as they first did all those years ago!$LABEL$ 1 +I did enjoy this film, I thought it ended up being an old fashioned love story with a few twists. I expected him to get the girl, I won't tell you if he does or not you will need to watch the movie to find out. Overall if you are looking to watch a love story this one will suffice.$LABEL$ 1 +In "The Squire of Gothos", Kirk and his crew encounter a powerful super-being, who keeps the Captain, "Bones" and a few crewmembers captive for no apparent reason. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first Star Trek episode I ever saw and the program that made me hungry for more. It is not one of the best episodes, but the rock-solid premise of an alien being who putting the Enterprise's crew in a corner, is the kind of situation that makes the show so much fun to watch. In a way, the super-humanoid anticipates one of Star Trek's most famous characters, Next Generation's enigmatic "Q". This episode is also memorable for creating a unique situation: it is the first time Uhura is part of the action and the story allows the viewer to see what an endearing character Uhuara can be when the story allows her. Too bad the show never fully explored this iconic figure.$LABEL$ 1 +"Hot Millions" is a well-written, well-acted tale about an embezzler who steals (whoops! -- too low class a word for an embezzler, according to Peter Ustinov's lead character) a "hot million" from the London branch of a U.S. corporation by creating shell corporations on the continent and using the firm's ostensibly secure computer to transfer funds to them. (Remember, spoiler police, this is a comedy, not a mystery.) From 1968, this movie's depiction of computers may seem naive to today's more computer-literate populace; but as one who has worked with computers since before this film was released, I would assert that even then, this smacks of having been written by and for computer illiterates, probably on purpose to heighten the droll comedic aspects of this British flick. If one has little taste for this type of entertainment, the movie may seem to drag in spots. Fortunately, it has a nicely wrapped-up ending; unfortunately, the end credits give no indication of the classical music used therein -- the symphonic piece at the end and the piano-flute duet in the middle -- just the song sung by Lulu which I totally don't remember.$LABEL$ 1 +For the record, this film is intriguing but its hardly original. Back in 1998 a movie starring Talia Shire called The Landlady had almost the exact same plot but with younger characters.The story is Amanda Lear has had a bad life, abusive father, horny doctor, mental homes, etc. She's finally released from the happy home under the guidance of her perverted doctor...who she anally abuses and kills the poor guy. (now THAT was original) The doctor had financed a mansion for her before she killed him and buried the sucker in the backyard. After moving in she falls in love with a stud named Richard, who just happens to be married to a blues singer. If you've seen The Landlady you know the rest, she kills or tries to kill anyone that gets in between her and Richard (including a roadie).Much of the idea's came from the previous movie, same idiot sidekick that sticks his nose in, same spying on the guy with a bowl of popcorn, same flying a bodypress. It did have some original material, the beer bottle thing was brutal. The highlight of the movie was Amanda's beautiful breasts in the hot-top scene. Somewhat of a ripoff but not a total waste of time.4 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +An unmarried, twenty-something hick (played by John Travolta) leaves the farm and goes to Houston, where he learns about life and love in a Texas honky-tonk. At face value, it's a modern love story ... Texas style. There's gobs of cowboy hats, pickup trucks, neon beer signs, and references to big belt-buckles and rodeos. The music, if not Texas native, is Texas adapted, courtesy of the talents of Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, and the Charlie Daniels Band. And that Texas twang ... "y'all".The story and the characters are about as subtle as the taste of Texas five-alarm chili made with Jalapeno peppers. It's enough to make civilized viewers abort the film in favor of a genteel classic, one starring Laurence Olivier or Ingrid Bergman, maybe. "Hamlet" it's not. But "Urban Cowboy" is spicy and explicit, and I kinda like it.Technically, the film is generally good. The dialogue, the production design, and the costumes are all realistic; the editing is skillful. And both the casting and the acting are commendable, if not Oscar worthy. I would not have cast Travolta in the role he plays, but he does a fine job ... ditto Debra Winger. Barry Corbin and Brooke Alderson, among others, are good too, in support roles. But, the cinematography seemed weak. The film copy I watched was grainy, and at times suffered from a reddish/orange tint, a visual trait I have noticed in other films from the same time period.At first glance, the film does not seem to offer any social or political "message". But I would argue that when "Urban Cowboy" was released twenty-five years ago, it had rather prophetic implications. In 1980 the U.S. had all kinds of problems, not the least being American hostages held by Iran. In the minds of a lot of folks back then, the U.S. was being pushed around, bullied.This film, along with others of its time, offered something that Americans wanted to see in their political leaders ... toughness. "Urban Cowboy" is a very physical film. The characters in it may not be the brightest people on Earth. But, they're tough!Everything about "Urban Cowboy" is anti-intellectual. As a vehicle for cultural expression then, this 1980 film was one of several that augured a new get-tough era for the U.S. It started in 1980 with the election of Reagan. And that era continues to this day, with a President who probably will not be remembered for his intellect, but will be remembered for his toughness and aggression, traits that Americans seem to gravitate to as surely as Texans to five-alarm chili.$LABEL$ 1 +Were I not with friends, and so cheap, I would have walked out. It failed miserably as satire and didn't even have the redemption of camp.$LABEL$ 0 +Next stop on our journey through the calender-slasher scene is... oh yes, "Graduation Day"! All of those seniors, just brimming with possibility and ready to venture out into the real world and become adults. That is, however, IF they can make it TO graduation without having to tangle with the campus lunatic who's running around, gouging the life out of students with his fencing sword... Yeah, it all stems from a the high school track star who drops dead from a blood clot during a race and a year later, her older sister returns home from the Navy for Graduation. The track coach holds the blame and broods in his demoted position in shop-class while the girl's boyfriend still mourns her death a year later... All of these characters are prime candidates for "Serial Slasher of the Year" and you just have to sit through this movie until the end to find out who-done-it. "Graduation Day" is fun, though it isn't spell-bindingly original by any means and there aren't a whole lot of memorable demises, but there is enough going on to keep you mildly entertained. Like Linnea Quigley screwing the music teacher and getting busted with a joint, 30 year-old actors playing teenagers, and of course... Rollerdisco! Gotta love that crap! You can do a lot worse than "Graduation Day", kiddies...$LABEL$ 0 +What a terrible film. It sucked. It was terrible. I don't know what to say about this film but DinoCrap, which I stole from some reviewer with a nail up his ass. AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sigh.. It's not Roger Corman that I hate, it's this god-awful movie. Well, really? But what can you expect from a movie with Homoeric computer graphics. Which is another thing, the CGI sucked out loud; I hate this movie dreadfully. This is without a doubt the worst Roger Corman B-Movie, and probably the gayest B-Movie too. It's-it's--- DINOCRAP! I'm sorry, I must have offended some nerds in these moments. It's just an awful movie... 0/1,000$LABEL$ 0 +This movie just happened to be on HBO yesterday so I watched it. This was a mistake. I guess I got sucked in and kept watching although it was a lot like a train wreck, terrible, horrible, but somehow you just can't look away. shaudenfraud I guess! ; ).This is the story of a photoshoot for models on some island in the Caribbean. One by one they are all murdered. One drinks cleaning fluid, one gets blown up on a waverunner, one goes over a cliff...so these are NOT accidents, but for some inane reason the police are never called and no one thinks that perhaps they should "wrap" the shoot and go home, not just in respect for the dead, but perhaps out of fear for their own lives. No. They just continue with their shoot because THAT is what's most important. Forget about the dead models, we have a magazine to produce!One of the subplots is the Evil magazine owner, played by Lee Majors, Rex is his name. He is the most obvious suspect and every time a model gets killed he twirls his mustache and says "well, I can't say this won't be good for sales", mooo hoo hoo hoo ha ha ha ha". So absurd. Another subplot is when it's revealed that Rex is one of the models baby dady, only when he learned of the baby he tried to convince the girl to abort. She didn't, but always resented him for even suggesting this.They try to give you false clues and point toward some guy named Raule, seemingly because he's the only one with an accent and "looks creepy".At the very end (sorry to spoil, but this movie came out years ago so if you haven't seen it by now...) one of the women was found face down dead in the pool. THIS was the Last straw!!!! Vanessa Angel, forget her characters name comes at Rex with a gun, they struggle, the gun fires and now SHE'S dead too!!! While she's laying on the floor his business associate tells him that with all this bad press the magazine will be worthless and it's all his fault. He gets him to sign over the magazine to him. Once he does voila! All the dead models come back to life and you find the entire thing was an elaborate ruse to get back at Rex.Oy! What a ridiculous movie. As someone else said; if you want to see something like this April Fools Day is far better!$LABEL$ 0 +This was Keaton's first feature and is in actuality three shorts, set in different periods (Stone Age, Roman Age, Modern Age) on the eternal triangle of romance. The stories parallel each other as in Griffith's INTOLERANCE, which this was intended to satirize. The strengths of the jokes and gags almost all rely on anachronisms, bringing modern day business into ancient settings.**** WARNING - SPOILERS FOLLOW TO ELABORATE BEST POINTS ******Here are the classic moments:Using a turtle as a wee-gee board (Stone Age); A wrist watch containing a sun dial (Roman Age); A chariot with a spare wheel (Roman Age); Using a helmet as a tire lock (Roman Age); Early golf with clubs and rocks(Stone Age); Dictating a will being carved into a rock (Stone Age); The changing weather forecaster (Roman Age); The chariot race in snow -Buster using skis and huskies with a spare dog in the chariot's boot(Roman Age).The above are all throw-away gags that keep us chuckling. There are however unforgettable moments as well:Buster taking out shaving equipment to match girl putting on make-up; The fantastic double take when an inebriated Buster gazes at his plate to discover a crab staring up at him (within one second he has leaped to stand on his chair from a sitting position and leaped again into the arms of the waiter - one of the funniest moments I've ever seen). And that lion - the manicure -just brilliant.There's also an off-color bit of racism when four African-American litter bearers abandon their mistress for a Roman crap game.Kino's print is a bit fuzzy and contains numerous sequences of both nitrate deterioration and film damage- most probably at ends of reels. The Metro feature is scored with piano and flute and borrows heavily from Grieg.Lots of fun and full of laughs.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw a 12:45 a.m. show last night, and I would've walked out 20 min. in, but there was nowhere to go! Blatant product placement, juvenile script, so much talent gone to waste, gay-bashing...what didn't they do? The movie is also insanely long (we got out at 3). As a person who rarely pays full price at the movies, imagine my chagrin doling out $22 for this self-indulgent, mean-spirited nightmare (plus $2 parking). I woke up today still feeling depressed, and haven't been able to shake it all day. I love Vince Vaughn, and he seemed straight up lost in this thing, as was I. When Cedric the Entertainer is the high-water mark (a man so un-entertaining that he has to call himself "the Entertainer" so you'll understand what it is he thinks he's doing), you have a serious problem. Also, the appearance of Robert Pastorelli is down-right creepy, since he died almost a year ago (March 10). This should give you an idea how long they've been polishing this turd. This movie is mean to the bitter end. We stayed just to make sure they didn't give Robert an "In Remembrance", which they didn't. Save yourself! Save your money! Save your soul!$LABEL$ 0 +In a future society, the military component does not have to recruit; rather, their candidates are chosen at birth, culled from nurseries and designated to spend their entire lives in the service of the government. They are given over to the war machine, body and soul, for no reason other than to protect and serve; they have no personal identity other than a name and rank, and no autonomy whatsoever. This is the fate of those whose destiny is predetermined for them in `Soldier,' directed by Paul Anderson and starring Kurt Russell. The scenario is hard and bleak as the movie begins by depicting the training of the soldiers during advancing periods of time, from preadolescence to adulthood. Russell is Sergeant Todd, the best of the best, and we glimpse his career as he discharges his duties in an exemplary manner in campaign after campaign; he is what he was born to be, a soldier. But even the best cannot go on forever, and the day arrives when Todd and his peers are no longer the elite. A new generation of soldiers has been created, products of advanced genetics and technology, and Todd's generation is suddenly obsolete. What follows is the story of a man who must fight for his life, while struggling to discover his own sense of humanity and individuality, traits new to a soldier who has known only two things his entire life: Fear and discipline. Russell gives a commanding performance as Todd, the soldier who above all else must obey orders without question while suppressing all emotion and individual thoughts. He has few lines in this movie, but Russell speaks volumes with his eyes. This role demonstrates that he is, in fact, one of the under-appreciated actors of our times; that he can disappear so entirely into the character of Todd is a credit to his ability, and with this part he has created someone quite different from any he's done before. And he's given Todd a depth and credibility that someone of lesser talent could easily have rendered as nothing more than a pretentious and superficial stereotype. Notable performances are also turned in here by Connie Nielsen (Sandra) and Jason Isaacs (Colonel Mekum). Rounding out the supporting cast are Jason Scott Lee, memorable as Caine 607, one of the new generation of soldiers; Sean Pertwee (Mace); Gary Busey (Captain Church); Michael Chiklis (Jimmy Pig); and Mark Bringleson (Rubrick). Anderson has delivered an action film with a message, a cautionary tale that transcends the genre of science-fiction. `Soldier' reminds us of the importance of keeping the humanity of our lives intact. It's an entertaining way of making us consider the alternatives, like a bleak future and a world in which good movies just wouldn't make a whole lot of difference. Much like `1984,' and `Mad Max,' this movie, which is ultimately uplifting, is going to make you take pause and think about the kind of Universe in which we all must live together and share. I rate this one 7/10.$LABEL$ 1 +The first few minutes of "The Bodyguard" do have a campy charm: it opens with crawling text from the Bible (the part that Samuel Jackson recites to his soon-to-be victims in "Pulp Fiction"), continues with two karate school teachers in New York arguing about the eternal question of mankind (who is better? Sonny Chiba or Bruce Lee?), and then Chiba appears, playing himself; he immediately stops a plane hijacking and breaks a bottle in two with his bare hand. Unfortunately, any entertainment value, intentional or unintentional, soon gets crushed by the disjointed story, the lack of action for long periods of time, and the poor quality of any present action. To keep it simple, here's why "The Bodyguard" is an unbearable movie to watch:1) You don't know what's going on. 2) There are barely any fights. 3) The fights that are there, are short and terribly filmed.Sonny Chiba is cool. Judy Lee is gorgeous, her face is glorious. It's only for them that I give "The Bodyguard" a 2nd star out of 10. This movie makes 87 minutes feel like 5 hours.$LABEL$ 0 +Cornel Wilde and three dumbbells search for sunken treasure in the south Atlantic.The treasure-hunters led by Wilde fight a group of territorial sharks with cute little sneers on their hungry faces. Wilde and his merry men must find a way to take themselves off the menu so they can begin excavating an old Spanish galleon filled with gold bullion.After the crew engages in a small eternity of pushing, shoving, arguing, and listening to Wilde's annoying health tips, 5 crazy convicts board the boat and complicate things. Now it is a battle of wits as to who gets the treasure and who gets to see what the inside of a shark's stomach looks like.At least Wilde is in shape wearing exactly the same thing he wore in 'The Naked Prey' 10 years earlier and he has remained in excellent condition.Made on a budget of 75 cents.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst mini-series I have ever seen on TV. I sat through the first half hoping it would improve but it only went from bad to worse. Needless to say I could not bring myself to sit through the torture of a second nights viewing. What was Jon Voight thinking when he made this?????$LABEL$ 0 +One reviewer says of those who might not like this film that "it will only be appreciated by film goers who weary of film as diversion". This, I feel, is rather unfair to those of us who find it boring.I have not become weary or disillusioned with film or with film makers, but found this tedious and self indulgent. But then, it's true, I'm not too big into deep meaningfulness. I feel that it may have great meaning for those in the know, you know.It is very slow and it spends a long time in trying to make its individual points, using imagery, indeed, to do so. But in such days as these, it seems possible that a film like this might be the kind of thing that you'd come across in one of those dark and daunting booths in modern art galleries, rather than on the screen of a popular cinema setting.$LABEL$ 0 +Here's a gritty, get-the-bad guys revenge story starring a relentless and rough Denzel Washington. He's three personalities here: a down-and-out-low-key-now drunk- former mercenary, then a loving father-type person to a little girl and then a brutal maniac on the loose seeking answers and revenge.The story is about Washington hired to be a bodyguard for a little American girl living in Mexico, where kidnappings of children occur regularly (at least according to the movie.) He becomes attached to the kid, played winningly by THE child actress of our day, Dakota Fanning. When Fanning is kidnapped in front of him, Washington goes after the men responsible and spares no one. Beware: this film is not for the squeamish.This is stylish film-making, which is good and bad. I liked it, but a number of people found it too frenetic for their tastes as the camera-work is one that could give you a headache. I thought it fit the tense storyline and was fascinating to view, but it's (the shaky camera) not for all tastes.Besides the two stars, there is the always-interesting Christopher Walken, in an uncharacteristically low-key role, and a number of other fine actors.The film panders to the base emotions in all of us, but it works.$LABEL$ 1 +Jack Webb is riveting as a Marine Corp drill instructor in the D.I.. Webb play Sgt.Jim Moore, a tough but fair Marine whose job it is to prepare young teens for possible combat. No one could have played this role any better that Jack Webb. As a former Marine,I can assure that this is the most accurate film dealing with basic training in the Corp. Extremely entertaining!$LABEL$ 1 +Yeah, I remember this one! Many years since I actually watched it. The story was entirely surreal, but nonetheless great! What anyone who rates and reviews movies ought to bear in mind is what the respective movie aims at. It's the same with "First Kid", which follows a similar pattern. Certain movies - like this one here - just aim at plain and comical nonsense. Such movies can't be rated from the point of view of a hypercritical reviewer. Of course these movies lack quality, lack a sophisticated storyline, very often lack first-class acting, but if they do fulfil their primary premise - that's okay. I don't have this movie here on my list of all-time favorites, but I still thought it was funny, had some very enjoyable sequences and made a good story. Brian Bonsall is a smart actor anyway.$LABEL$ 1 +I went on a visit to one of my relatives a while back, and we popped by a theatre, so we'd thought we'd go in and give this film a go. What a mistake! This film is awful in every department. I'd never heard of the film before, and literally everyone still hasn't. No wonder, this is as rank as it gets. It's a comedy, so it says, well the only thing funny is the ability, or lack of it, of the director to make such a film. Getting so close to Christmas, this should be titled how to under-cook a turkey in nearly one and a half hours - or however long it was, as I walked out. At the end of the film, you'll come out feeling as though you've been food poisoned on a sick turkey, and regret you wasted your time on such dribble. Who knows why such things get made. Some people had walked out from the theatre before the film was well over, and I blame myself for not walking out a lot earlier. It really annoys me that you pay good money to see something decent, and all that you come out and see is a poor TV movie that should be showed at 2 o'clock in the morning, in fact, it's that bad, day time TV shouldn't be showing it. What else can a say...probably not enough bad words could do it justice.$LABEL$ 0 +I know that this show gave a lot of liberation to women in the late '90s and early 2000s, but come on! You have a whiner, a buzz kill, and an over-analyzer. This show really made women look bad. I cannot STAND Carrie's analyzing every little thing on this show and that's what really killed it for me. Also, Charlotte's whining about her nonexistent predicaments made my ears hurt and Miranda's cynicism was a complete buzz kill. I mean, can't she just be happy? Samantha was the only cool one on the show and the only one worth watching. There was also a good episode when Nathan Lane was on the show, but that was the only one worth watching--the rest of them were pretty much the same. The humor was drier than a bucket of sand, and not very interesting plot line. All in all, not a very good show and I'm glad it's over.$LABEL$ 0 +If you want to checkout a good Jason Scott Lee film, I recommend the following:Dragon: The Bruce Lee StoryRapa Nui"Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision" is an awful film. Awful production values. Awful acting. Awful script. I would not recommend this film to be watched by anyone who seriously believes that tripe like this is quality entertainment or advances Asian American awareness in Hollywood (This film does neither.).I would at the very least say that this film is passable entertainment on a rainy day if you ever come across it while channel surfing. If you are curious, perhaps a rental from Netflix, but this film is definitely not for keeps.If you are one of the few people who watched this film as a means to raise your Asian American film awareness, and came away disappointed, then I recommend the following films for your personal viewing. These are well-written films with high production values that feature a talented cast of Asian American actors:Better Luck Tomorrow Mulan$LABEL$ 0 +I have to say that sometimes "looks" are all that matters, just like Jeremy Clarkson from BBC has pointed out (not about our earth though, but he is right anyway).And when it comes to looks, this movie is such an unbelievably stunning beauty you will absolutely love what your eyes are about to see.And then there's the personality of the movie as well, interesting, with a captivating narrator voice and narrator stories that will touch your soul as you watch those superbly filmed images.The movie probably won't affect your lifestyle, ruining these beauties, but it will certainly remember you how precious our earth we live on truly is.This movie deserves it's 10 stars as it is one of the few stylistic earth documentaries i truly enjoyed.$LABEL$ 1 +This western is done in a different manner than most others. Realism is the key here. Conchata Farrell comes to Wyoming to work for Rip Torn on his ranch. How this is presented makes for a most interesting slice of Americana. I would have preferred to see this on the big screen rather than on tape, but it's worth a look to see just how life was back in the real west. Cinematography is excellent. Solid 9. Torn & Farrell excel in this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Another slice of darkness and denial hiding beneath the surface of American suburbia, Imaginary Heroes chronicles the lives of the Travis family, all recovering following the suicide of their eldest son.The pair at the center of the film is mother and son Sandy (Sigourney Weaver) and Tim (Emile Hirsch), both acting out in different ways as a result of the death. While Tim experiments with prescription medication and his own sexuality, Sandy regresses to her former self, smoking marijuana and coming to terms with an old act of infidelity.The relationship between Sandy and Tim is explored well, especially when references are made to both of them being outcast from their own family: Sandy due to her affair and Tim, initially, due to always being in the shadow of his more successful older brother. Considerably less time is allowed for Sandy's husband Ben (Jeff Daniels) who, in a devastating depiction of denial, orders Sandy to make an additional plate of food for his dead son and place it in his old spot at the dinner table. Michelle Williams' older sister Penny is underwritten and could easily be taken out of the film.Despite its long runtime, Imaginary Heroes doesn't explore its many subplots as much as the individual stories deserve, while some of the movie's black comedy doesn't translate as well as writer/director Dan Harris may have liked. And the depiction of a disturbed family dynamic isn't depicted as strongly as the many other films out there with similar ideas. But despite some issues, the central performances from Weaver and Hirsch are stunning, and easily carry the film to its successfully subdued conclusion.Rating: B-$LABEL$ 1 +We all have friends. Some of us have more than others but there really are only one or two people that you feel really close with, people that you can say are like your brother or sister. Alice ( Danes )and Darlene ( Beckinsale ) are like that. You can see that from the beginning. They graduated together, they go to parties together and they decide to go to Bangkok together when they were supposed to be going to Hawaii. They also get busted for attempting to smuggle drugs into a third world country and that spells disaster. The rest of the film is about survival and not giving up hope. It also has a strong message about the power of friendship and what it can mean to someone.Brokedown Palace is a very good film, it is not excellent and that is due to a few issues that I want to talk about. But first I want to say what is good about the film. And for starters the acting is top notch, and you can look no further than the two leads. Danes and Beckinsale are perfect in the roles that they have. Alice is always fiery and seems a little rough around the edges, but she seems more fun than Darlene. But sometimes that fun can get her into trouble. Darlene is always a little on the conservative side and although that can get irritating sometimes, it would have served the two girls better if her way was adhered to instead of Alice's. Bill Pullman is adequate as the American lawyer living in Thailand. The film is photographed very well also. The inside of the prison while not the same as Shawshank or Natural Born Killers or Return To Paradice, but it does show the necessary ( but underdone) hopelessness of the situation that they are in. Johnathin Kaplan's direction is quite good as well. We see the two girls struggling to make it through each day but you can see their spirit is being put out a little more each day. Brokedown Palace is excellent when it talks about friendship and it shows how they have to rely on each other to survive. The other thing that I had to comment on is the soundtrack for the film. It heightens and compliments the mood of the film to perfection. The song that you hear in the trailer is also played in the film and when it plays you feel the plight of the women in this prison. You can feel how alone they must feel and how desperate they are to get out and get back to the simple things in life. And it also makes you look at yourself and realize how lucky we are to live in the society that we do. We have it easy compared to some country's and believe it or not the music is a perfect catalyst for reflection on this subject. Some of the music is done by a group called Delirium ( I think ) but it is Sara McLaughlin( wrong spelling, but how do you spell her last name? ) that does the lyrics and her voice is beautiful and haunting and it adds so much to the film.What I didn't enjoy about the film was some of the stupidity that the girls exhibit. I won't say what it is that they do but when you see it for yourself you'll know what I am talking about. Also I didn't really feel that the prison they were in was all that bad. It looked more like a minimum security prison and that may be because when there are similar circumstances in other films that invlove men doing time in a foreign country, the prison scenes are always brutal and sadistic. But I didn't get that here.Overall this is a great film and it really does make you ask the question, " How far would you go for a friend? " That is a tough question and maybe one that none of us could honestly answer until put into the same situation. Let's just hope that it never comes down to that.$LABEL$ 1 +This time we get a psycho toy maker named "Joe Petto" (get it?) who makes living, evil toys that kill people. He goes after the family who has the bad luck of just simply living in the same house where he and his mutant robot son "Pino" (again, get it?) used to live.Easily the worst (and hopefully [presumably] the last) in this semi - series, this one and the previous one look like soft core porn movies, but without the sex and nudity. It's kind of like a low rent hybrid of "Halloween III", "Puppet Master", "Dolls" and bad home movies. Supposedly in 2000 they started to do a sixth chapter in the series, but it was abandoned and never completed. We can all only hope that it stays that way...1/2 a star out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +Ang Lee clearly likes to ease into a film, to catch action, characters and setting on the hoof, as they emerge. Covering the haphazard endgame of the American civil war via the haphazard actions of a young militia, unformed in mind or manhood, this is an ideal approach. The film turns out to be about the formation of personalities, adulthood and relationships. Lee also shows the beautiful panoramas of the mid-south as a silent character, enduring the strife like a hardy parent.James Schamus' script is probably the standard bearer for this film; close behind it are a number of well-appointed performances that carry it admirably. Jeffrey Wright's name alone could carry this film for me. He's brilliant here but in a slow burning role: instead we are treated to very good (if not revelatory) performances from a large, often recognisable ensemble.A noble, optimistic film. One to watch if you don't fancy the harder, more bittersweet Cold Mountain or The Claim, for example. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie could be a bit boring for some people, but I find this filmvery interesting in terms of an attempt to reveal a tradition.The director, Lim, has made two films about traditional music in Korea before this film. The film before this one was showing the music throughout the film, and this film is trying to achieve similar things by having backgrounds in the movie just like a painting.Another thing is that, the story is written by both director and a philosopher, Kim who is well known scholar in Korea (holding a lot of degrees - including doctor at Havard) I'm not saying that educated people make better films but that philosopher is an expert in traditional culture in Korea, so it gives more credit on this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very disappointed by this film for a few reasons. For the first half hour it's actually pretty decent. Although the acting isn't any better then that which you would find in a rap video, its kinda funny and the production value doesn't seem half bad. In fact I almost thought this would be almost as good as Perico Ripiao (another recent Dominican film) which turned out to be MUCH MUCH better than I expected. The plot for the movie revolves around not just cheating husbands but how women are viewed and treated in Dominican society as a whole, which makes for a good premise especially in The Dominican Republic. Unfortunately I don't think the makers of this film relies that a good movie is all about how you treat your subject matter, and they f'ing butchered the veal cutlet they had before them. About 30 minutes into the movie the roles of men and women are reversed after the main characters wife puts a kind of spell on him as a result of his cheating habits. Not only does this transition happen via what look to be cutting edge, space age, CGI effects dating to what I'm guessing would be the 70's, but the whole plot just goes down the drain. The rest of the movie is nothing but cheesy predictable situations, and clever one liners. To top it all off (and I guess I should warn you now **SPOILER ALERT**) it all turns out to be a dream. Oh my who didn't see that coming? Oh man I almost forgot the most ridiculous thing about the movie. Well after about an hour into it I start thinking "…hmmmm something just doesn't seem right about the sound track but what can it be??" …and then it hits me HALF OF THE MUSIC IN THE MOVIE WAS TAKEN FROM A VIDEO GAME CALLED KING OF FIGHTER 95.When oh when DR will you give us a film we can call a work of art?!?! Perhaps a comedy to match France's Amelie, or an action flick to match Thailand's Ong-Bak, an animation as Akira was to Japan, a witty crime thriller as Layer Cake was to England, or a socio-awakening journey as Waking Life had here in the states....i would give it a 1 but i've seen much worse come out of DR, search Los Jodedores and you'll know what I'm talking about.$LABEL$ 0 +A woman, Mujar (Marta Belengur) enters a restaurant one morning at &:35 unaware that a terrorist has kidnapped the people in said restaurant & is making them act out a musical number in this strange yet fascinating short film, which I only saw by finding it on the DVD of the director/writer's equally fascinating "Timecrimes". It had a fairly catchy song & it somehow brought a smile to my face despite the somber overall plot to the short. I'm glad that I stumbled across it (wasn't aware it would be an extra when I rented the DVD) and wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend it to all of my friends.My Grade: A-$LABEL$ 1 +Sui generis. Folks, I'm not going to lie to you; Merhige is a one or two hit wonder, but what a film (it almost excuses SUSPECT ZERO). I'm also not going to pretend to understand it completely; half of what makes it what it is is trying to second guess what the hell they are doing on the screen because of the chiaroscuro.Richard Corliss says, "It is as if a druidical cult had re-enacted, for real, three Bible stories -- creation, the Nativity and Jesus' torture and death on Golgotha." That's not a bad description, but there seems to be more to it than the seemingly one-to-one religious correspondences.There's an environmental theme right up near the surface -- note that toward the end (after the barrenness of the landscape) there are large pipes not unlike those on a construction site. Oh no, he's going to say look at how people are raping mother nature. One rarely sees a dead metaphor in action, and with this much hyperbole, but to see it acted out is way grislier than language implies.And yeah, if you just want something to sync with a death metal soundtrack, it does have the requisite atrocities. But as for myself and others like me, it's an important art film that should merit a Criterion collection release. Ranks right up there with Murnau's FAUST.~ Ray$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie about six years ago and I recently did so again. If I remember correctly I did not like it at all the first time and I appreciated it slightly more this second time.This movie is obviously on a big budget. The effects are mostly top notch (except for one or two "impacts") and the cast is impressive. However, there are some elements that destroy the overall impression of the show.Firstly, whoever decided that Peter Stormare should act as a crazy Russian astronaut should be fired. Being a Swede and a fan of Peter, I'm pretty sure he can play a Russian character well. But his performance in this case is plain stupid, both with respect the lines uttered and the acting. So... something must be wrong with the script. I'd like to see Peter as a professional Russian astronaut instead.Secondly, the action scenes that take place on the surface are so intense that it is nearly unbearable to watch. It is a total chaos that lasts over thirty minutes with too few moments to catch one's breath. In addition to this, the events that unfold are simply not credible. I'd like to see a much more sensible and stripped down version of this part of the movie.Finally, the scenes that involve flying space shuttles are too action-biased. The shuttles are maneuvering like if they were a couple of MIGs, at zero safety distance, while bouncing off car-sized ice blocks like ping-pong balls. The director should watch Apollo 13 to learn the limitations of spacecraft like these.I like the music score because it is dramatic to a degree making it very touching. The overall performance of the actors is great. Apart from the things mentioned above the story is interesting and quite easy to follow.With some minor changes this would have been a 8/10 movie. I'm sorry it isn't!$LABEL$ 0 +I have to offset all the terrible comments. I love this movie. I own the movie and the soundtrack. I watch it whenever I need a pick me up. Granted it's not like the Sound of Music but it's as much fun if picking at movies is not your thing. I adored the late (and great) Bobby Vann, and James Shigeta has always and will always be a favorite. I saw this when it first came out in the theaters. I'm a big musical fan and this one is 100 times better than Twiggy in "The Boyfriend". It's a modern musical and shouldn't be judged by all that went before. It's just the best for dreamers like me, who wish they could find this place - no illness, no wars, no drugs, all the bad things in life are gone. This is nothing more than a feel good movie. That is what all movies should be about. Shaun Phillips title song is superb and explains the entire feel of the movie. If the acting isn't the greatest-who cares. I love the idea of the movie. Peter Finch, a very stiff actor, Liv Ullmann, gorgeous as ever, Sally Kellerman, surprisingly good voice, Michael York, typical, and Olivia Hussey, stunning, all convinced me they were normal run of the mill people. Not one of them acted like actors in a movie. They acted like real people, the same way I would act if I found this place. Torn between going home and staying there, in awe of everything. Yes, there are flaws in this movie, but get over it, it's not Citizen Kane, it's a feel good musical!$LABEL$ 1 +Most films are crappy with high production values, this one is crappy without high production values. Which sets it aside from the large pool of horrible movies. As bad as this film was I need to give due respect to Kathryn Aselton who, I believe if given the proper script, could probably turn in a pretty good performance. She plays Emily the girlfriend to perennial doofus Josh, who often refers to her as "Dude" or "Man" in a non-ironical tone.But heres the thing, Emily is a semi-believable character which means Rhett will soon need to be added to the cast, to counteract this almost believable character with a guy even more preposterous than Josh. When we first meet Rhett we learn that he is "deep" because he is videotaping a lizard which is PROOF that he sees the world "uniquely!" Rhett then shows the tape to Emily and in one of Emily's few unbelievable moments she acts impressed by this amateur tape of a lizard, WOW i believe is how she responds once again with no irony of sarcasm even mildly implied.From the opening scene you are given warning that the camera work will be crappy, we open on a shaky close up of Josh as he attempts to win over the viewers by acting GOOFY! oh how care free this main protagonist is that he will act GOOFY! haha. This film could almost be a case study in just how BAD films can be (and for that matter just how FAR bad films can get in the festival circuit, I mean by comparison of most circuit crap this film probably did appear pretty awesome).I believe SXSW gave this film some minor award (oh south by southwest, why do you encourage them, its only cruel). But here is where I hand this film a compliment, it is the best of the mumblecore movement. Mind you all other mumblecore movies sucked beyond belief and generally included grotesque nudity and incomprehensibly bad acting, but still, its good to be the best of something.I haven't seen baghead yet, but it looks like maybe they have made a few strides forward, the preview at least made it appear tolerable, where as even the Puffy Chair preview couldn't really hide the fact that it was going to suck. I've gotten off topic here, anyways Rhett is most likely not portrayed by a professional actor at all, much like Josh most likely isn't an actual actor but rather the director (or brother of director, there's some mixed messages there). I think Rhett was somebodies buddy and they said hey why don't you play this guy named Rhett in the movie, the fact that Rhett is the name of the actor and character probably means the actor and character are the same, unless I am mistaken, which I am not.If Rhett shaved the raccoon off of his face you would probably say he was attractive. So anyways Rhett, Emily, and Josh team up to bring the Puffy Chair to Rhett and Josh's dad. Some stuff happens along the way, more bad acting, bad supporting actors, crappy camera work, an attempt at significance. This film wouldn't have been bad if it hadnt been so shamelessly pursuing profound self importance.The whole thing is amateurish, if you can view this movie without paying for it, like if its on TV or for rent at the library, then consider looking at it, just to see if you like this super cheap style of film-making. I like what the duplass' are doing the whole make a movie with nothing concept, but I wish they would make a movie that someone would want to see.$LABEL$ 0 +I could never remember the name of this show. I use to watch it when I was 8. I remember staying up late when I wasn't suppose to just so I could watch this show. It was the best show to me. From what I remember of it, it is still great. This showed starred Lucas Black making him the first boy I ever had a crush on. I am from the country, therefore boys with an accent have no appeal to me, but for him I would definitely make an exception. Which after seeing Crazy in Alabama, Friday Night Lights, and Tokyo Drift you should see why. He is a great actor and has been since he was a kid. I miss this show and wish it would come back out. If anyone ever sees where they are selling the season please email me. kywildflower16@hotmail.com$LABEL$ 1 +Dan Katzir has produced a wonderful film that takes us on a roller-coaster ride through a real romance set in the troubles surrounding modern Israel.For anyone who's ever been in love, the film brings back the uncertainties, the insecurities and heartache that make love so bitter-sweet. The atmosphere of fear and isolation that came with the difficult times in Israel at that time just serve to intensify the feeling. Instantly, you are drawn in to Dan's plight, and you can't fail to be deeply moved.You can't write drama and passion like this - the contrast between the realities of Dan's desperate, snatched relationship with Iris, and the realities of a state in turmoil make this eminently watchable. If you have an ounce of passion, and have ever been in love, see this film.$LABEL$ 1 +"Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned" is the third installment of the Gabriel Knight games, a series of adventure games about the roguish writer/paranormal detective, Gabriel Knight. Gabriel and his companion, Grace, have been asked by Prince James of Albany to investigate a series of mysterious attacks by so-called "night visitors." When the son of Prince James is kidnapped, Gabriel pursues the night visitors to Rennes le Château, where he begins piecing together a mystery relating to the Holy Grail.Despite the marketing, this game is not about vampires. Vampires have a token appearance in the game, but never command center stage, as did the voodoo hounfor in "Sins of the Fathers" or the werewolves in "The Beast Within." Gabriel and Grace make no attempt to uncover the true nature of vampires, or to research lore on vampires. Although the vampires do murder three people during the course of the game, their victims are chosen at random and have nothing to do with the main plot.A large part of the charm of the first two Gabriel Knight installments was in the relationships which Gabriel formed with the villains. Through these relationships, the player could not help but sympathize with the villain, and thus the villain was transformed into more of a human and less of a monster. However, in "Blood of the Sacred," Gabriel's only interaction with the villain is through a single, cheesy interview, which does nothing to endear the villain to the player.The roles that Gabriel and Grace play in this mystery are fairly futile. Gabriel spends his time snooping into the identities of members of a treasure-hunter tour group staying at his hotel, but what he uncovers amounts to nothing more than a red herring. Grace spends her time researching the mystery of Rennes le Château, but all her research is rendered superfluous by the presence of a perplexing ally who has known the answer to this mystery for centuries.The actions of this perplexing ally and his polar opposite --- the vampire leader --- are insupportable. The ally leaves hints about the mystery of Rennes le Château in broad daylight and expects Grace (and not the other treasure hunters from the tour group) to find them. However, he could have revealed the mystery to Grace in its entirety on day 1, instead of putting the kidnapped child at risk for an additional 48 hours. And in the end, he simply tells Grace the mystery in its entirety anyway.Meanwhile, the vampire leader fails to achieve the goals of centuries of scheming, because he chooses to refrain from action for two days after the kidnapping of the child. The only reason given for his decision to delay action is that he wants to savor his victory.The game would have been much better had it been purely focused on the Holy Grail. The kidnapping and vampires should have been omitted, replaced with a race against the Vatican to uncover the mystery of Rennes le Château. Since Gabriel is portrayed more than once as reluctantly Catholic, this conflict would have had many opportunities for character development.All in all, the game was a disappointing installment in the series, despite an improved interface and the return of Tim Curry as the voice of Gabriel Knight.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this film over a hundred times. It is really best Serbian movie made ever.I wood like to recommend this movie to everyone. It is very good comedy. I surely like it!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Sorry to say but was disappointed in the film. It was very very rushed, as I suppose you can understand a movie length version of Pride & Prejudice would be and I felt that a lot of the major scenes were glossed over just to get through the story. As the movie is so rushed, unfortunately you don't get to really know about and feel for each of the characters much at all. Not only that, this movie is Boring. I say that with a capital B. 1/3 of the way through I started yawning and couldn't wait for the movie to be over. As I have read the book and watch the BBC version, I knew how many scenes had to go, before I could finally leave the cinema. Mr Darcy whoever he is in this movie, definitely can't act. He looks also too young to play Mr Darcy. Every word that comes out of his mouth is rushed like he needs to get through the script or something. Where is the build up? At first, he seems confused with everything. He is just bizarre! It all looks put on. Was trying not to compare to the Colin Firth version but if you love that version, you will most likely be disappointed anyway.The costumes are absolutely shocking. Where are the corsets? I know Elizabeth is poor, but I think she still knows how to dress as some sort of ladylike fashion, and hasn't been brought up in a squaller. Her dresses indicates she might be the poorest peasant in all of England.I didn't agree with a couple of scenes in the movie in the fact, that I don't think it would be considered proper in that society for men to do such things, honestly Mr Bingley who has wealth should know better. There is some things that are said that sound too modern for the period this movie is set in, and not at all like Jane Austen. Bingley's character is shockingly donee, to me he behaves like a simpleton, not a character to like and respect. What about that laugh of his!!! I Wickham hardly has a presence and Mr & Mrs Hurst and a couple of other characters have no presence at all. Keira did okay, but it just ain't the same.$LABEL$ 0 +I happened to catch this film at a screening in Brooklyn - it's difficult to describe the plot; it has a lot of wacky characters, but let's just say I'd have a hard time choosing which one made me laugh the hardest, I wouldn't know where to begin. Even the peripheral roles are well written and well acted.There are numerous small touches that make it unique and very enjoyable, it has a few "devices" that pop up and add another hilarious layer. It is refreshing to watch; not some recycled stuff I'd seen many times before. If this film could reach a wider audience, I'm certain it would be a real crowd-pleaser, the story is so original and heartfelt.There's a lot here to like, funny back-stories, mishaps and misunderstandings which set up the final act and dramatic conclusion. Cross Eyed is a very funny movie with a ton of heart; it's a touching story with fast paced comedy woven throughout. Definitely worth seeing!$LABEL$ 1 +If this movie is coming to a theater near you, consider it a threat. I was unfortunate enough to see this movie here in Tokyo. Since I'm Dutch, I was surprised to find a Dutch movie playing in a metropole like Tokyo is. I figured it had to be somekind of special if a Dutch movie makes it all the way to Japan. So I went there with some friends, and we were happily telling the theater's staff that we were Dutch and that we were so curious about the movie. As it turned out, this was one of the most infantile, silly, dumb, worst acted, with worst spoken English movie I've seen in maybe 10 years, and I left the theater trying to avoid the staff, because feeling almost responsible for this disaster movie. Sometimes you get the feeling you know what the director was aiming for: Lola Rennt, Trainspotting kind of like movie. Instead it was more like MacGyver on drugs with outdated breakbeat music as a score. But if I wasn't feeling too annoyed, the movie was unintentionally quite hilarious once in a while, as it showed Holland at its smallest.$LABEL$ 0 +This bittersweet slice of magic realism had a checkered production history (director/writer replaced) and tanked at the box office, but it's a helluva film.Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello are pre-teen brothers whose flaky mom (Lorraine Bracco) shacks up with a mean-spirited alcoholic (Adam Baldwin). During his drinking bouts, Baldwin physically abuses Mazzello and manipulates him into remaining silent about his situation. But when Wood cottons on to what's happening, the boys put their heads together and hatch a fantastique solution to Mazzello's devastating dilemma.I love films that mix fantasy and dark reality. They are rarely successful financially ("Lawn Dogs" is a similar example), but they are usually original and intriguing.The drunk Baldwin is shot from a low, child's perspective and his head is deliberately lopped off below the top of frame. This device allows us to judge him purely by his actions and as a totally physicalized beast. Both Wood and Mazzello are excellent, and they pull us effortlessly into their dark, frightening world.The "radio flyer" of the title is a small red wagon kids transport their belongings in. Here it transports a dream.Seriously interesting stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm out of words to describe the beauty of "The Cranes are Flying", but I'll try anyway to write about it. It's a powerful and delicate love story that takes its place in the Second World War. It's the classic story of lovers (Boris & Veronika) separated by the war and of what comes between them. The film's images are so gorgeous, that you'll be carried away - the film technique is in perfect unison with the emotion.There are few scenes that portray directly the war: A bombing - wind, lightnings, explosions - that will have important consequences in the life of the main protagonist, Veronika, who waits for the return of Boris; and there's another scene on the front, where we we will be confronted by a emotional/visual hurricane showing the images played in Boris' mind. Another scene works as the leitmotif of the film and provides its title - the cranes flying in the sky. This image stands as a the symbol for Nature and its seasons and underlines the final message of the film: Not to give up hope and fight for a better future.Kalatozov is a great director, this film is visually stunning and it also touched me deeply. It is not just pure technique. Tatyana Samojlova is perfect as Veronika. What more can I say? The film transcends the time it was made - the action takes place during the Second World War. But it could have happened anytime, anywhere. As long there are wars (great or small) the film and its message will remain relevant.$LABEL$ 1 +Never has the words "hidden gem" been so accurate. Bad movie lovers might search all over for the next hidden obscurity, sometimes coming up short with stuff like Weasels rip my flesh, but other times, luck will prevail and you might end up with something like Death Bed, then hopefully realizing it's not a bad movie at all, it just has a bad title, and not even a bad title, but a humorous one that might throw you off, but Somehow Death Bed still fits into the "bad" category. With a vibe that's somber and empty, Death Bed is a true masterpiece of low-budget horror, reserved only for those fortunate enough to appreciate such a dark shadow of a vision.Death Bed involves an incoherent, yet intriguing relationship between a demon in the bed and the sympathetic ghost trapped in the portrait, who only wishes he could spare someone from the awful fate of being devoured by the yellow suds. Although not all that scary, considering it's about a killer bed, Death Bed possesses the qualities that make for successful horror. A dark, desolate vibe, confusion, an eerie, subtle score and that dream quality that this masterpiece almost flaunts. Such a quality, or vibe usually seems unintentional. Not only is it intentional, but from what I've read, Death Bed is based on an actual dream, George Barry, the director, successfully transferred dream to film, only a genius could accomplish such a task.Old mansions make for good quality horror, as do portraits, not sure what to make of the killer bed with its killer yellow liquid, quite a bizarre dream, indeed. Also, this isn't quite the brand of B-horror I was expecting, considering the title and all. Before viewing this Gothic gem I expected something more like Class Reunion Massacre, now thats a bad movie, if you've seen it, you know what I'm saying. After considering all of the above, I feel like Death Bed deserves only eight stars, but since it stayed so obscure for so long We'll say the bed that eats deserves nine.$LABEL$ 1 +A Pentagon science team seem to have perfected a serum which causes invisibility but when the lead boffin tries it out on himself he can't reverse the process. Frustrated and drunk with power, he turns psychotic in the classic H.G. Wells tradition.This is a gleefully horrible Invisible Man story, delivered with relish by the ever-tasteful Verhoeven and Bacon as the genius-turned-loonytoon-maniac. As with much of Verhoeven's work it has a terrific unrestrained sense of Boy's-Own comic-book adventure (the secret underground lab where the scientists work is just wonderful) combined with the most horrific and depraved visuals (women in their underwear being groped and attacked by an invisible fiend, animals beaten to death, literally gallons of blood and wholesale slaughter in the last two reels). Whilst the story doesn't ring any new twists on an old idea, the CG special effects by Scott E. Anderson are eye-poppingly brilliant as we see veins and arteries, cardiovascular systems, muscles, tissue, bones and flesh all literally appear out of nowhere. In particular, a sequence where the team bring a gorilla back from the invisible state and the scene where Bacon drowns Devane in a swimming pool, are absolutely breathtaking in the detail and artistic invention of the effects. The film also has a great soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith and classic horror-movie photography by Jost Vacano. The young cast are pretty much overshadowed by the movie's technical pedigree, but both Shue and Dickens are impressively out of their depth. This is a great fun nasty movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film for 45 minutes and counted 9 mullets. That's a mullet every 5 minutes. Seriously though, this film is living proof that formula works. If it ain't broke, it don't need fixin. A streetwise-yet-vulnerable heroine, a hardened ex-cop martial arts master with a heart of gold and a serial killer with 'issues'. Pure magic.$LABEL$ 0 +First I would like to say how great this. It is astounding and sometimes shocking. And to say the least I'm 11 years old and this is my favorite movie, I can definitely stand a boring film, but this is anything but boring. It is like a trip through humanity. Its stark realism shows through this monumental masterpiece. It is a heart wrenching tale of two down and outers (VOIGHT AND Hoffman) who build a mutual friendship. Joe Buck (VOIGHT) a naive Texan stud comes to New York to make it rich by entertaining women. Soon he meets Rico 'RATSO' Rizzo (HOFFMAN), who is a poor man barely being able to pay rent. Ratso becomes Joe's 'manager' but soon both men can't find Joe a job which results in stealing food. As they try and survive on the streets of New York we realize how tough it is. They can't get Joe a girl until they meet a lady at a party. Joe makes some money and soon Joe takes Ratso on a Ratso's dream spot, Florida. The final five minutes are heart breaking yet some of the greatest moments in the film. From MIDNIGHT COWBOY we get a stark and sometimes disturbing urban view on life.$LABEL$ 1 +Fräulein Doktor is as good a demonstration as any of how the once great film industry in Western Europe has declined in the past 40 years. Then, in the late 60s, while the big Hollywood studios were on the ropes, Italy,France and England were turning out movies to fill the void left by Hollywood's decline. There were the James Bond pictures (Doctor No was a surprise hit in the USA, it was first released at the Century theater chain in NYC with a 99 cent afternoon admission price), the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns (with A Fistful of Dollars released by a distributor that never paid the Italian producers a dime)and French crime movies that usually went to art houses, with exceptions like The Sicilian Clan. And there were European co-productions like Doctor Zhivago and, of course, Fräulein Doktor. With its big budget for the time, and the world talent involved, Fräulein Doktor was good enough that viewers still remember the movie decades later.Kenneth More, playing a British intelligence officer, has a line in Fräulein Doktor where he tells a caught spy to either talk or he will play the Wall Game. The wall being opposite a firing squad, with little chance of the spy winning the game. That sort of cynical attitude played well across national borders, in the Vietnam War era of 1969.The steamy scenes between Suzy Kendall and Capucine probably did not damage these performers' chances at getting parts in Hollywood movies, Hollywood studios were in the process of shedding their overseas distribution and production businesses. Fox would no longer co-produce films like The Sicilian Clan, Columbia wouldn't distribute films like Belmondo's The Night Caller. MGM went even further, cutting almost all film production, selling its chain of theaters in India for the value of the land underneath and unloading its Borehamwood studio facilty as Kerkorian looted the studio to raise money for building his casino in Las Vegas (where a Bally casino gift shop sold MGM memorabilia at giveaway prices, stuff left over from the auction of MGM's prop warehouses).Paramount distributed Fräulein Doktor, but Gulf and Western's Charles Bludhorn, who had taken over the company and canned the studio's aged Board of Directors, unloaded the studio's film library to Universal (as I recall) and really became interested in movies after production chief Robert Evans started turning out one hit after another. But that was in the 70s. Fräulein Doktor with its lesbian scene was buried, with cut versions of the movie showing up on local stations through the 80s.Kenneth More was usually typecast as a bumbling guy when he was older, especially in the BBC detective series Father Brown. When he was younger, as in the British movie Titanic, he played his standard reserved British officer. In Fräulein Doktor, he had a chance to be a lot tougher than usual, as I recall. It would be nice to see if my memory of this movie is accurate, about his role and, of course, those cavalry horses wearing gas masks and protective covers riding into battle. That was some scene, and Alberto Lattuada showed he was some director, helming this World War I espionage movie, where the money spent on production values really shows up on the screen.$LABEL$ 1 +Plunkett and Macleane is a wonderful updating of the swashbuckling tradition, predating Johny Depp and his pirate friends. The tone is lighthearted, with a touch of social commentary, but nothing too heavy. One could almost see Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in this.It starts out in low gear, with the introduction of the characters and the establishing of the themes of social inequality and rebellion; but, it kicks into high gear once the boys hit the highways. The robberies are grand and stylish, with romantic touches that are the bread and butter of swashbucklers. The actors are engaging and help elevate the material a bit, which is fairly hollow. There's not much depth to the figures, but they are played with such charm and skill that it doesn't matter.Muh has been said about the modern music. Period music tended to the more serene, which seems out of place. A classical score with Celtic rhythms for the action pieces could work, but the more modern, rebellious rock and techno music seemed to add an edge to the action. Since the characters are more legend than reality, accuracy in the music seems pointless. The pieces tend to fit the mood of the aired scenes, so it mostly works well. I just wonder how they missed Adam Ant's "Stand and Deliver." Make no mistake, this is not a serious film. It's pure escapism and a wonderful lark. Tony Scott shows some of the visual flair of his father, but I don't think we are going to see many Oscar nods in his career just yet. He seems to understand the material here and pulls off a fine film. With time he may prove to be a name to reckon with. His father took a while to mature beyond visual stylization and become a more rounded director. This is definitely one to watch for an entertaining evening or for a swashbuckling film fest.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie as a child and still enjoy viewing it every once in a while for the nostalgia factor. When I was younger I loved the movie because of the entertaining storyline and interesting characters. Today, I still love the characters. Additionally, I think of the plot with higher regard because I now see the morals and symbolism. Rainbow Brite is far from the worst film ever, and though out-dated, I'm sure I will show it to my children in the future, when I have children.$LABEL$ 1 +I am glad I saw this film having seen some of the director's other films in the past. I thought the production values was great like the costumes and settings with the bridge. It was interesting to see how the concept of spirit and demons were handled.I do agree with some of the other comments about the fight scenes. They were hard to follow at times.Ultimately, a moral tale. It would be interesting to know what some Japanese viewers thought of the film. It is a film I would like to see again.Some scenes like the ones where Benkai and the Prince were fighting on a "psychic" level were well done.I did come out of the cinema thinking what has just happened here. Intense.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Best Movie of the 90's" "The Welsh Trainspotting"....Aye, right! I went into this movie with pretty high expectations, and it was all downhill from there.This movie was supposed to be this archetypal movie on the drug culture of the early 90's, and was going to allow us all to see inside this scene, and shatter the media's preconceptions following the moral panic which followed the death of Leah Betts in 1995. Unfortunately it has fallen a long way short. Where Trainspotting was able to treat you like an adult on the subject, and potential problems that surround drugs, this just provided us with some schmaltzy tale of the wonder of drugs, and how it can like, you know, like totally open your mind. Cue some guff about Bill Hicks, and Howard Marks ad nausea. It is painfully bad at times. I mean, the scene at the end between Lulu and her Auntie actually made me laugh out loud.Now maybe I am just a cynic, but the way Jip leads us through this tale is like listening to THAT Acid frazzled guy you once met at a house party, who talks to you about how "the man" is holding us back, and how Acid has released him from the strains of modern society. You just wanna shake some sense into him, and ask him to leave the premises.The script was a real problem for me, because where Trainspotting had Irvine Welsh's excellent book to cite from, this is written and directed by Justin Kerrigan. The words "Jack of all trades, master of none" come to mind. You can see where his inspiration comes from, particularly in the style of narration from main character Jip (which sets the main character in a social situation where he speaks directly to the camera, and outlines what is going through his mind as the scenario plays out) The problem with this is that some of the speeches to camera are just painful to watch. Mainly this comes down to a lack of empathy for Jip, but they are so desperate to sound philosophical that they just end up sounding like your average A-Level drama project. The direction is fine, and the intentions are good, but it is so lacking in any integrity that you start to wonder what the hype is about.Saying that though, it is not all bad. There are moments which are genuinely very amusing, and entertaining. Moff is the highlight of the movie for me. For an independent movie it also managed to attract a high numbers of quality British actors/actresses, which maybe outlines why there was such a buzz about the movie.Best movie of the 90's? Not by a long shot, but if you're looking for a solid Sunday night movie, then this might just be your bag. Inevitably though, the movie is flawed by the hype that surrounds it.$LABEL$ 0 +Lead actor Yuko Tanaka fulfills so much in the exceptionally meditative "The Milkwoman," a tranquil canvass on missed chances in the life of a 50-something woman, charting her routine with sincerely poignant motives. Played out in the picturesque, tranquil town of Nagasaki, Akira Ogata's unconventional romantic film, so to speak, is less a straight-out melodrama than a deliberate introspection of its characters' surrender to their current lives as a result of a tragic past that forced them to a choice they did not call for.Perfectly embodying the requisite world-weariness subjected to a spiritless routine, Tanaka plays Minako Oba, a middle-aged woman who, before her work shift at a supermarket, takes it upon herself to deliver bottles of milk among the residents of the hilly Nagasaki. One of the houses she constantly passes by to make such a delivery is that of Kaita Takanashi (Ittoku Kishibe), a local government employee caring for her terminally ill wife (Akiko Nishina). Minako and Kaita were high school sweethearts who, courtesy of an ignominious event concerning their parents, separated ways since then.Opening his film with the foreboding narration of a young Minako vowing never to leave Nagasaki, Ogata does as such with the narrative, patiently sticking with Minako as he, deftly aided by Tanako's understated yet highly effective performance, follows her -- whether she's having chitchat with her aunt (Misako Watanabe) on being single, or when she jogs up and down the countless footsteps of their hilly town to distribute milk -- as she and Kaita gradually overcome the hindrances that kept them apart for years. Such unhurried development may not suit viewers weaned on fast-paced narratives but for the rest, it's a heartfelt introspection that affects powerfully and emphatically.$LABEL$ 1 +Paul Hennessy and his wife, Cate must deal with their two teenage daughters and weird son...But after the untimely passing of John Ritter, the show became more about coping with the loss of a loved one...I found this show, passing through the channels one afternoon and I have to say I was laughing myself till my ribs ached, simply at the range of characters; the witty lines and the situation Paul would find himself dealing mostly with his daughters...From then on, I caught the rest of the show when I was free and I have to say the writing was very good..But then I read about John Ritter's death...Shortly afterwards I watched 'Goodbye' part 2 and I have to say I was nearly in tears, watching the emotions of the characters, losing a loved one...How Rory punches a wall in anger and frustration...How Cate deals with having to sleep in her bed all alone....Briget and Kerry talking about what they should have done.But the show does move on, bringing with it Jim Egan and CJ Barnes who provide great laughs, as Cate's father tries to protect his family and give 'man issue talks' to Rory...But the true gem is CJ...who is absolutely hilarious as the wild cousin.It will always be John Ritter's masterpiece.$LABEL$ 1 +this is film is probably one of the best i've seen so far. i would put it only second to All About Lily Chou-chou because it kind of gives me the same vibes....'9 souls' is about 9 prisoners who have just escaped prison to go and find some counterfeit money stored in a time capsule at Mount Fuji Primary School. they later find out that there wasn't much there and set off on their own ways. the first half of the movie is just a time for the characters to be introduced and for the main points to be stated. it is a comedic yet serious part of the journey. the second half, moved me to tears. as the movie progresses, each character goes and tries to fulfill their dreams, but unfortunately ending somewhat badly. in the end only 2 of the 9 escapees are left. the way that each character left the scene was very sad and you will probably feel tears in your eyes. a beautiful film directed fantastically. this is a movie for people who have enjoyed Toshiaki Toyoda's other films such as 'Blue Spring'.$LABEL$ 1 +Here is one movie that is genuinely funny at every single moment that it covers. How can it not be given that this movie stars the creators of South Park and is directed by David Zucker? When I first saw this movie, I did'nt immediately realise that Coop and Doug were really Matt and Trey but their talent in acting and writing came out as quite impressive. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were really Matt and Trey, later on. The humor is sometimes crude, sometimes foul, sometimes brilliant, sometimes subtle, sometimes loud and sometimes stupid but overall, this is one hell of a movie that is without doubt, under rated. Well actually, its insane. Totally insane.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this in a preview screening and have to say that this documentary style movie is the biggest load of tripe I have ever seen.Completely unfunny, low budget, boring, rubbish script, terrible acting - The entire audience (young and old) sat through the film comatose without laughing for most of it... there were literally only about 2 places you will laugh in the entire movieMany people left halfway - Can't blame them... I stayed thinking that the film would pick up, however, it never did and I wish I'd left. The humour was really lame and I am surprised that this ever made it on to the big screen. I am not someone who is offended by the adult content of this movie at all - It just wasn't funny. The people who made this movie really don't deserve your money, so please don't pay to see this film.This isn't even funny enough to be shown on TV, let alone cinema...I wanted to give it 0 out of 10, but the system won't allow it...$LABEL$ 0 +There are similarities between Ray Lawrence's "Jindabyne" and his last movie "Lantana" – a dead body and its repercussions for already dysfunctional lives. But whereas "Lantana" offered some hope and resolution, "Jindabyne" leaves everything unresolved in a bleak way that will leave most viewers unsatisfied, perhaps even cheated.The storyline - the aftermath of a fisherman's discovery of a corpse floating in a remote river - is based on a short story by Raymond Carver. It became an element in Robert Altman's classic 1993 ensemble "Short Cuts". Lawrence uses this theme for an exploration and exposition of relationships within a small Australian community under stress. The movie poses some moral questions "Would you let the discovery of a dead body ruin your good weekend?" and more poignantly for Australians "Would it make any difference if the dead person was an aboriginal?" The acting, especially by Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, is commendable. And there are elements of mysticism reinforced by haunting music, not unlike "Picnic at Hanging Rock".If all this sounds like the basis for a great movie - be prepared for a let down, the pace is very slow and the murder is shown near the beginning, thereby eliminating the element of mystery. And so we are left with these desolate lives and a blank finale.$LABEL$ 0 +If it wasn't for the terrific music, I would not hesitate to give this cinematic underachievement 2/10. But the music actually makes me like certain passages, and so I give it 5/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Saw this my last day at the festival, and was glad I stuck around that extra couple of days. Poetic, moving, and most surprisingly, funny, in it's own strange way. It's so rare to see directors working in this style who are able to find true strangeness and humor in a hyper-realistic world, without seeming precious, or upsetting the balance. Manages to seem both improvised, yet completely controlled. It I hesitate to make comparisons, because these filmmakers have really digested their influences (Cassavetes, Malick, Loach, Altman...the usual suspects) and found their own unique style, but if you like modern directors in this tradition (Lynne Ramsay, David Gordon Greene), you're in for a real treat. This is a wonderful film, and I hope more people get to see it. If this film plays in a festival in your city, go! go! go!$LABEL$ 1 +I've tried to watch this show several times, but for a show called "That '70s Show," I don't find much apart from a few haircuts and the occasional reference to disco that actually evokes the '70s -- the decade in which I grew up. Of the episodes I have seen, most of the plots and jokes could be set in any time period. Take away the novelty of (supposedly) being set in the '70s, and the show is neither interesting nor funny.If you're looking for a show that more successfully represents the experience of youth in America in the '70s, in my humble opinion you can do no better than "The Wonder Years."$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely laughable film. I live in London and the plot is so ill-researched it's ridiculous. No one could be terrorised on the London Underground. In the short time it is not in service each night there are teams of maintenance workers down there checking the tracks and performing repairs, etc. That there are homeless people living down there is equally unlikely. Or that it's even possible to get locked in and not have access to a mobile phone in this day and age...The worst that's likely to happen if someone did find themselves there after the last train is that they might get graffiti sprayed on them. Although this has been coming under control due to the massive number of security cameras on the network, another thorn in the side of the story. (Remember in London as a whole we have more security cameras than any other city in the world.)If it had been set in a city I am not familiar with perhaps I could have enjoyed it through ignorance, but it's not a high quality film so I just couldn't bring myself to suspend my disbelief and try and enjoy it for the banal little tale that it is.I would have given it 0/10 if such a rating existed! Possibly the most disappointing film I ever thought I would like.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a top car flick (Its a work of art/ YER a work of art!) all classic cars no plastic fantastic, I have watched it over & over again I have worn out two video tapes, And will wear out lots more. Lots more car lovers young or old will love this film & watch it more than 1 time! so hire it or buy it (just see it) I wish they would make more (car) movies like this V8 power not gassed up little whipper snippers!!!!(shes a 351 right?)(motor magic) (the heap the chariot)(you've got to learn to feel the power)$LABEL$ 1 +I shouldn't like Jackass Number Two. No one should. There is and never has been anything particularly redeeming about Jackass. And yet...it's one of the funniest things I have ever seen - and I simply cannot explain why.This new movie leaves the first one in the dust. It's so funny, so horrible and so wrong. The whole team give their all - with Jackss in chief Knoxville leading the charge. He's nuts. I adore him, but he's insane. And more power to him. With his burgeoning film career he could have sat back and just let everyone else do the dirty work, but the fact that he threw himself, almost literally, back into the world of the 'Ass so wholeheartedly makes me oddly respect him. More kudos must go to Bam Margera who previously seemed content to sit back and just make sure everyone around him did pretty much what he wanted. Here Bam isn't the tormentor but the tormented and is all the better for it.I simply can't say what my favourite part is because I laughed the whole way through. Admittedly I viewed much of the movie from between my fingers, but there hasn't been a 'real' movie I've seen in a very long time that made me feel as invigorated as this did. Love them or most probably hate them, the Jackass team have delivered above and beyond my expectations. But I do agree with Bam. There can never be a Jackass number three because someone will die and I want these guys to stick around.$LABEL$ 1 +Really bad Italian horror movie, a sort of remake of Hammer infamous Frankenstein must be destroyed, this time with a lady Frankenstein taking over the business from father. A few nudes, several botched bits of dialogue, no tension at all. forgettable$LABEL$ 0 +The men can slaver over Lollo, if they like (or her lollos--she gave her name to a slang terms for breasts in French), but the ladies have an even tastier morsel in the divine Gerard Philipe, who is not only beautiful but can act. Don't be deterred if your version has no subtitles because in this simple, dashing story of love and war, in which all is fair, they are not needed. All you need know is that, at the beginning of the film, Lollobrigida reads Philipe's palm and tells him he will marry the daughter of the king. Thereafter the story is quite plain from the Gallic gestures and the running, jumping, and swordplay.On the minus side, the obviousness of the story and the heavy-handed facetiousness of the tone become somewhat wearying, and it is annoying that the French apparently consider themselves too superior to Hollywood to bother even attempting the plausibility of its exciting stunts. And of course the non-French-speaker misses the occasional bit of ooh-la-la, such as: Virtuous girl: I must tell you that my heart belongs to Fanfan. Seducer: My dear, what made you think I was interested in that bagatelle?$LABEL$ 1 +Allen goes to the country (somewhere he hates going in real life) and has a weekend with his friends - which are the usual successful white middle-class bellyaching types that feature in many of his films.I usually find something to amuse in Woody Allen comedies, but here he really falls totally flat on his face. Even the one-liners seem to have deserted him. The really is no plot (bar bits and pieces of cod Shakespeare) - but Allen seems to use the location to allow a semi-mystical air, which just makes the thing even more witless and half-baked.It just doesn't work at any level and is just a giant bore. The best thing about this film (apart from the end credits coming up) is that the bad reviews seem to get him to wake up and realise that simply throwing together a slapdash script and casting your mates in it doesn't make for entertainment.$LABEL$ 0 +In my book "Basic Instinct" was a perfect film. It had outstanding acting on the parts of Stone, Douglas and all the supporting actors to the tiniest role. It had marvelous photography, music and the noirest noir script ever. All of it adding up to a film that is as good as it will ever get!This sequel is the exact opposite, it cannot possibly get worse, bad acting and a lame script, combined with totally inept direction, this is really bad, boring, annoying. The only thing that somewhat keeps you concentrated is the relatively short wait for the next scene that is an exact re-enacted copy of the original. These copies are so bad they make you laugh and I laughed a lot in spite of myself, because it was like watching the demolishing of a shining monument. The only thing that is good in this horrible mess are the excerpts of the Jerry Goldsmith score of BI1. Michael Caton-Jones and the half-wit responsible for the script even included the "There is no smoking in this room" dialog in the interrogation scene and yes she sends her attorney (who is now a solicitor) away! I am sorry I have seen this awful film that should have never been made! It does damage to the original, so bad is it. The only redeeming value is the realization that cosmetic surgery (and I am sure Ms Stone afforded the best surgeon money can buy) can do a good job but can obviously not restore the perfection of the original. And what concerns the human body applies to film-making, too. There should be a law: Don't ever make a sequel to a perfect film!$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see this film based on the review by Siskel and Ebert; not only did I get duped, but I took some friends along, and had to spend the rest of the day profusely apologizing for making them sit through this pointless crap. After this, I never went to see a movie based solely on Siskel & Ebert's advice.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm going to be generous here and give it a 3 only because I live in Huntsville and it was great to see how well the city was filmed. That said, this movie was pretty bad. It's like they started off with hardly any script and the director just told the actors to stare at each other meaningfully with a lot of music playing over it. And Billy D. Williams looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in this movie. It's just a mess. I think I could write a script better than the dislodge for this film, and I'm no writer.There is one thing I've seen mentioned throughout the reviews and message boards--everyone is under the impression that the movie begins around World War 2 and actually it seemed more like it was supposed to start out in the late 1950's/early 1960's. While the military was not segregated by then, I'm pretty sure that any troops waiting to board a train would still be segregated in a place like Huntsville, Al. If the beginning of film was supposed to be the 1940's, then Billy D, Lesley Ann & Rae Dawn would have to have been in the 70's and 80's instead of their mid 50's or early 60's.Don't waste your time unless you really, really like the actors because the story isn't very interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +In the world of "shorts" (most of which aren't), this film is a gem.A quiet, concise peek into the world of a young woman who's a reader for a blind woman, here the stellar Elizabeth Franz - this film bears the textures, layers and visual storytelling of a sumptuously painted still life.The dialogue is minimal, the cinematography is stunning, and the direction sure, clear and compelling. I saw this film in a film festival held in a loud and crowded Tribeca bar - and within the first two minutes (and for the first time that night), the crowd fell quiet.That says it all.$LABEL$ 1 +A teenage film about angst, friendship, loyalty and growing-up… but this isn't a happy outing on its part due to the circumstances and life-changing dilemmas surrounding the premise. What eventuates is quite numbing, haunting and downright cold. However I was expecting something a little more powerful and effective and while engrossing and unforgettable it didn't entirely stir up much in the way of emotions. The performances are reasonably a mixed bag, but there's a brutal honesty to them all. Dennis Hopper and especially Daniel Roebuck are amazing… Crispin Glover eccentrically over does it and Keanu Reeves' dead as wood turn seems to pay off in his custom slacker role. Joshua John Millar is quite good and so is Ione Skye. Jim Metzler chimes in with a short, but highly engaging performance. The story is dramatically confronting, character-laced and harrowing in its eventual breakdown where it infuses a gritty and painful punch. Jürgen Knieper's swirling music score is simmering with anxiety, tension and wonder as the morals and commitments are tested and learnt.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excellent example of an entreatingly bad b-movie. There are worse movies than this one (Titanic for example), but this definitely shares the pile of steaming crap movies.OK this was apparently shot in Kansas City, which explains why everyone is so lame. The main guy looks like Steve Guttenberg, and is even more lame than him! I didn't even think that was possible! In fact, him and the main girl in the movie are responsible for the WORST DRAMA EVER! Its not just that there acting was waaaaaaaaay over-dramatic, well actually it was, of course the script was terrible which combines for a deadly one-two punch in bad terrible utterly unwatchable drama.The scarecrow, lets talk about him. The whistling you hear every time he's around is stupid, and obviously dubbed in. Now his costume, I cannot get over that - its a guy wearing burlap sacks and a stupid mask! I simply am dumbfounded, maybe if your 3 years old with brain damage you'd be scared of him/it.One of the characters, the token black guy actually, used the line: "This might be a chance to earn my red wings" when referring to trying to score with one of the girls on her period. Wow, um yea, that is the kind of dialogue you can look forward to.Oh, in the beginning when the scantily clad girl is running through the corn, why is it roped off? I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be evident, just one of the many obvious mistakes made throughout this 'film' Another is the bad dubbing for the musical number (yup thats right), there all at the beach, and the one dorkaziod gets up the courage to sing a song and play guitar for everyone, and its so obviously dubbed its funny. Thankfully, the scarecrow answers all our prayers and throws a spear right through the guy's chest when he's done singing. Overall the gore like that is pretty good, this is one of those films when you rooting for these people to be killed by the killer.OK, there's a scene where the 2 guys bury one of their friends in the sand, then stand up, whip out their peni, and urinate all over the guy in the sand. Who does this? Really, imagine it "Hey, lets bury joe in the sand, then stand up and take out our genitals like its no big deal and pee on him" In fact, this brings up the homo-eroticism in this film, what the hell? A good part of the beginning of this movie is the jocks standing around in there underwear in the locker room and corn field while there doing the hazing. What the hell is with that? Traditionally, in film and real life, jocks get the girls and nerds don't. That really doesn't make sense as all nerds think of is girls and sex, and apparently all jocks think of is sports and being around each other in their underwear, I don't get it.Lets get to the sex. As someone who watched this movie with me put it: "I've never been so disgusted by heterosexual sex in my life" and its true. If you like hot A cup action, or ugly old woman boobs, then this film is for you. I swear, they found a girl with the smallest breasts ever and this is who they get to do the nude scene?? Then the ugly old woman nurse shows her bouncy ones a couple of times, and man, I just didn't want to see that.Now, I have to talk about the timeline continuity to this film, thats what really is just bizarre. It starts in the daytime, then they all head to the cornfield, and within like 2 minutes its instantly dark middle of the night, when they drive off from there saying their going to the beach - its instantly day again, and apparently they stay at the beach until night again, and until day the next day. SO basically these events in the film cover 4 days, without any of the characters needing sleep or anything, its really weird.After the main killings have taken place, it flash forwards to '3 weeks later' and apparently none of these people actually care that they saw their friends brutally murdered! The surviving people literally pop some champaign! And thats when I realized the budget didn't go to the script, directing or acting, it all went to that freakin bottle of champaign.The ending. Stop reading now if you don't want the ending spoiled for you, it truly is enjoyable.OK, so the end takes place in a church, and the scarecrow put his soul inside the diabetes kid body, then he fights with the steve guttenberg lookalike guy, and he fights him with a b-movie version of the power the emperor had in star wars! I'm not kidding, its so stupid! So somehow, in the middle of the fight, the scarecrow's soul jumps bodies into the guttenberg jr. guy, and then with the last amount of will he has of his own, he impales himself on a cross in the church! Its awesome! Some blood, but whats even better is that the cross is obviously cardboard! You can see the bottom move off the ground! Wow, yea have fun watching.$LABEL$ 0 +How can someone NOT like this movie??? This movie is so good, that the first week I saw it on the shelf at the video store it was stolen....BEST Horror Movie Ever!!!....I mean he took the Carrot and he...well you know HAHAHA..How is that NOT funny? The only movie that comes close to touching this is Bride of Chucky and that was just great!!$LABEL$ 1 +Naturally in a film who's main themes are of mortality, nostalgia, and loss of innocence it is perhaps not surprising that it is rated more highly by older viewers than younger ones. However there is a craftsmanship and completeness to the film which anyone can enjoy. The pace is steady and constant, the characters full and engaging, the relationships and interactions natural showing that you do not need floods of tears to show emotion, screams to show fear, shouting to show dispute or violence to show anger. Naturally Joyce's short story lends the film a ready made structure as perfect as a polished diamond, but the small changes Huston makes such as the inclusion of the poem fit in neatly. It is truly a masterpiece of tact, subtlety and overwhelming beauty.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not only poorly scripted and directed but is simply distasteful. A beautiful novel is terribly misrepresented in this film. Many changes have been made to the storyline, presumably to streamline the timeframe. But what results is simply confusing. The acting can't possibly overcome the script which removes the characters' motives for their behavior. Plus, the conversion to English does not work when everyone refers to the patriarch EsTEban as ESteban. Horrible. Please please please read the gorgeous novel, in Spanish if possible. DON'T SEE THIS FILM. It will ruin for you what could be a wonderful experience.$LABEL$ 0 +After seeing The Aristocats: Special Edition in a two pack with The Fox in the Hound, I decided to buy it since both of these films were childhood favourites.The Aristocats is a classic, definitely. It might not be a five-star classic, but it is a fun film and makes a good evening's entertainment. It is somewhat a light refreshment from the darker, more serious Disney classics. The Aristocats tries to be a light-hearted musical comedy, and I think it just about succeeds.The storyline doesn't really make much sense and I don't think the plot is particularly strong, but it is certainly not weak. The animation and backgrounds are a bit scratchy in places, typical of Disney's 70s films, but it does have a rustic, old fashioned charm about it.The Aristocats strongest points are the characters, the music and the humour. The music is very memorable - try getting 'Everybody Wants To Be A Cat' out your head in a hurry! The songs are written by the Sherman Brothers, who also did the music for The Jungle Book. There was one song called 'She Never Felt Alone' that was going to be in the film, but sadly didn't make it into the final feature. It is a shame, because I think it would have fit in very well.The characters are unforgettable. Thomas O'Malley is voiced by Phil Harris, and is basically Baloo in a feline form. Eva Gabor gives Duchess this warm and maternal feel and the kitten's voices actually sound like children, and not an actor imitating the voice of a child. The secondary characters are here by the dozen and yet you still end up understanding their personalities. Edgar, the 'villainous' butler plays a similar role to Cruella De Vil, but he's more comical than scary, often ending up in funny situations. Even though he's the bad guy, he's still lovable all the same.The two British geese - Abigail and Amelia really had me cracking up, along with their crazy (and drunk) uncle. I also like the dogs, who tend to argue over who is 'the leader.' I could go on, but I won't spoil it. But I can tell you, The Aristocats is funny and will entertain everyone without having to resort to rudimentary toilet humour.The bottom line - The Aristocats might not be Disney's crowning achievement, or even their strongest film from the 70s (that award is a tie between The Rescuers and The Many Adventures of Whinnie the Pooh). But it is an enjoyable romp and is sure to entertain. If you are looking for a dazzling work of art, you might be better off watching Bambi. But if you want a fun night in, The Aristocats is the way to go. It is a charming and lovable film and it's impossible to dislike. Enjoy! (And besides, it's good to have a film where cats aren't seen as the villains).$LABEL$ 1 +Visconti's Death in Venice qualifies as one of the most beautiful films ever made. While watching, we acknowledge we are in the hands of a visionary genius. Endlessly opulent Death in Venice surely is; but in other important ways, it's an unsatisfying film. Thomas Mann writes with contempt and from a distance of von Aschenbach's literary career and output; of his imperious manner, his layer-upon-layer of programmed, self-conscious behavior. When Tadzio appears and obsession arises, it's evident that Aschenbach hasn't the slightest idea who he is beneath his Gilded-Age trappings and carefully lived life. In fact, upon seeing Tadzio, the 'Solitary,' as Mann sometimes calls him, splits in two. Aschenbach No. 1 absorbs the sight of a beautiful 14-year old boy, then attempts to intellectually process the giddy jolt in blood pressure as he would a work of art - a 'divine' work of art. But Aschenbach No. 2, emerges as a stalker who takes control of, then replaces, the rational Aschenbach No. 1. Like the original Aschenbach, his sexual-doppelganger is mortified to make human contact with the object of his obsession - and thus Tadzio remains a far-off ideal. Thomas Mann has no mercy for this game. Every shred of self knowledge comes too strong and too late; the excitement of sexual flush is too great to resist. That Venice is gripped by disease means nothing to Aschenbach - except that his game now has higher stakes. When he finally whispers beneath his breath 'I love you,' he knows that all is lost, and the abyss awaits. Is any of this filmable? Perhaps, and Visconti creates a visual feast impossible to look away from. But there are errors: He and Dirk Bogarde create Aschenbach as sympathetic; Mann, again, did not. Aschenbach's POV dominates the film and we are expected to identify. But nowhere on screen is there a man being torn apart from within. Bogarde toggles between the sublimely controlled and the ridiculously temperamental with ease - but what's underneath? Bogard's reactive performance has no mooring. Mann writes a character who is, in his imagination, doing the Dance of the Seven Veils, all too aware of the consequences such freedom invites, yet unable, unwilling to resist. Also, Visconti's screenplay creates a character not in the original - Alfred, a friend of Aschenbach's - to dramatize Mann's discussion of Art and Artists. These scenes are badly written disasters, and the actor who portrays Alfred is difficult to watch. Also, Visconti's Aschenbach is a Gilded-Age Teutonic composer, which I think works for the film; and the symphonies of Mahler substitute for Aschenbach's novels. Mahler's great music unfortunately is badly recorded and very badly played. So Death in Venice, as Visconti hands it to us, is not the complete success it might have been, but as a purely visual experience its power cannot be denied. All students of film, especially cinematography, will want to take a look.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, so I'm not a big video game buff, but was the game House of the Dead really famous enough to make a movie from? Sure, they went as far as to actually put in quick video game clips throughout the movie, as though justifying any particular scene of violence, but there are dozens and dozens of games that look exactly the same, with the hand in the bottom on the screen, supposedly your own, holding whatever weapon and goo-ing all kinds of aliens or walking dead or snipers or whatever the case may be.It's an interesting premise in House of the Dead, with a lot of college kids (LOADED college kids, as it were, kids who are able to pay some fisherman something like $1,500 just for a ride after they miss their boat) trying to get out to this island for what is supposed to be the rave of the year. The first thing that comes to mind about House of the Dead after watching it is that it has become increasingly clear that modern horror movies have become nothing more than an exercise in coming up with creative ways to get a lot of scantily clad teenagers into exactly the same situations. At least in this case, the fact that they were on their way to a rave excuses the way the girls are dressed. They look badly out of place running around the woods in cute little halter-tops, but at least they THOUGHT they were dressed for the occasion.Clint Howard, tellingly the most interesting character in the film by far, delivers an absolutely awful performance, the greatness of which overshadows every other actor in the movie. I can't stand it when well-known actors change their accents in movies, it is so rarely effective, and Howard here shows that it is equally flat to have an well-known actor pretend that he's this hardened fisherman with a raspy voice from years of breathing salty air. He didn't even rasp well. It sounded like he was eating a cinnamon roll before shooting and accidentally inhaled some powdered sugar or something. Real tough there, Clint! I expected more from him, but then again, he did agree to a part in this mess.Once we get to the island, the movie temporarily turns into any one of the Friday the 13th movies that took place at Camp Crystal Lake. Lots of teenagers played by actors who were way too old for their parts getting naked and then killed. The nudity was impressive, I guess, but let's consider something for a minute. These kids pay almost two grand to get out to this island to go to the Rave Of The Year, find NO ONE, and say, well, who wants a beer! Even the guy who pulled that stack of hundreds out of his wallet to get them all over there didn't think anything of it that they found a full bar and not a single solitary person in sight. Here you have the input from director Uwe Boll - There's alcohol! They won't notice that the party they came for consists of no one but themselves!So not only do they start drinking, not minding the fact that the whole party seems to have vacated the island, but when one of the girls goes off into the dark woods to find out where everyone is (dragging one other girl and one of the guys reluctantly along), the guy and the girl who stay behind to get smashed decide that it would be a great idea to strip down for a quickie now that they're alone. It's like they expected to find the island empty, and now that they rest of the people that they came over with were gone for a little while, they would have some privacy since there's no one else around. Brilliant!Now for the things that everyone hated, judging by the reviews that I've read about the movie. Yes, intersplicing shots from the video game into the movie, mostly in order to show that, yes, the movie was being faithful to/directly copying the video game. Sure, it was a stupid idea. I can't imagine who thought up that little nugget, but worse than that is the Matrix-style bullet time scenes that were thrown in over and over and over and over. After the first time (at which point I found it pretentious and cheesy for a movie like this to have a shot like that as though it was something original) it is noticeable more for the technique of the shot itself rather than any dramatic meaning or creation of any kind of tension for the film.One of the things that makes a zombie film scary and gets you on the edge of your seat is to have them slowly but relentlessly coming after the living humans, who are much faster but getting tired, running out of places to run, and with a terrifying shortage of things with which to fight the zombies off with. The first two are done right in the movie, the kids are terrified and don't have a lot of places to run since they're on an island, but since they caught a ride over with a smuggler, they find themselves heavily armed. And I mean that very strongly. I mean, these people have everything from machine guns to hand grenades, which removes most of the tension of the impending walking dead.Then you have what I call the techno-slasher scene. Since the rave never happened, and I guess since Uwe Boll thought people were going to be disappointed at not hearing any techno music in the movie, there's one scene right in the middle where all the humans are fighting off the living dead, and amazingly enough it turns into something of a music video. There's techno music blasting as the shots are edited together faster and faster until it's nothing but a blur of gory shot, mostly only about 5 frames long (which is about 1/6 of a second) flashing across the screen in time with the speed techno music. Clever, I guess, but it has no place in a horror movie because it completely removes any sense of scariness or tension of even the gross-out effect because you can't see any one thing for long enough to react to it. You're just watching these shots fly across the screen and wondering what the hell the director was thinking when he decided that it would be a good idea to put something like this in the movie.I've seen a lot of people compare this movie to Resident Evil, mostly claiming that it copies the premise of it, and they're exactly right. I appreciate that at least here, as was not the case in Resident Evil, it wasn't some man-made virus that turned people into walking dead that were able to infect other people, changing them the way vampires turn others into vampires. 28 Days Later was also clearly an inspiration for this movie, it's just too bad that House of the Dead didn't do a single original thing, except for the somewhat moronic idea of putting in quick shots of the video game on which it is based, just in case you forget. I really think that this should have been a much better movie. While obviously I can't say that I know much about the game it's based on, just the title and the movie poster deserve a much better movie, but unfortunately I think that's more often the case than not with horror movies. It's really kind of sad when a movie comes out that is so obviously advertised as a no-holds-barred horror film, and the scariest thing in the entire movie is the closing shot, which suggests the possibility of a sequel.$LABEL$ 0 +Did anyone stop to realise what sort of movie they were producing here ? Now let`s a former marine officer becomes assinged to a group of kids at a cadet school so this should be a family comedy right ? Wrong . This is just a gross comedy aimed at teenagers with many bad taste moments .It might have been watchable in an extremely dumb way at this point but I found Damon Wayans voice to be irritating beyond belief . Does he speak like that in real life ? If he does then he has my sympathy but he won`t be getting any of my money from watching his movies$LABEL$ 0 +Supercarrier was my favorite movie in the later part of the 80's when it came out. My Dad taped it for me & I watched it all the time until my step-mom taped Oprah over it & my heart was torn. I would love to know if or where I can get it from. I have been looking for it. I believe they even came out w/ a Supercarrier 2. It wasn't as great as the 1st, but I would like to have all of them if I could find them. I do not think @ all that it was a bad movie. It was a very interesting movie with a lot of action yet it had somewhat of a love story plot to it. The actors/actresses in the movie were great. It also helped me to understand that this is not just a man's world, but it is also a woman's world & many women can do the same things if not more than what a man can do & women deserve much respect for their duties as well.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know why they even kept the name. How they could call the series 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' after they deviated from the novels so much, I wouldn't have a clue. The character names are the only things they kept, and even then they changed a few of those, and mixed them up, and changed Percy's relationships with them. Admittedly, I only watched about two hours at the most of it, but that was enough for me to realize that the series was nothing like Baroness Orzcy had portrayed her characters, and probably would have been rolling around in her grave when it was filming and airing. Poor lady. I hope that when the next person wants to make a movie/series of the book they don't ruin it as completely as this series did.$LABEL$ 0 +May Contain Spoilers!!! In no way, shape or form does this movie break the horror movie mold. Not by a long shot. However, it does deliver a creepy atmosphere, believable enough characters and gore.The story is simple and doesn't bother to unfurl itself anymore than it needs to. A bunch of kids are killed in a mining accident back in the early 1900's. Since then, they have stalked and killed the residence of their sleepy little PA town in the mountains.Simple: they want revenge on the man that caused their death years and years ago. Naturally, his great, great, great grandson is in town and he's a real prick.Along with that, a mother and her two daughters inherit a run old house after the husband dies. The eldest daughter is rebellious, obnoxious...a typical teen. The younger is curious, bright-eyed and gets in with the ghost children.The creepiest part of this flick is the sheer emotionlessness of the children and they hack their way through victim after victim. Excellent acting. It was so spooky! I mean, the Children of the Corn flicks are one thing...but this topped any of those (as for the creepy kids).Worht a look. I bought it before seeing it and I was not unhappy. But I'm a horror fan through and through.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those rare movies, it's lovely and compelling, dignified and quirky, a true gift. I consider it a prerequisite for any trip to Italy, or any vacation at all, because it reminds you to open yourself up to a broader experience (yup, find the magic). I especially loved Josie Lawrence, as Lottie Wilkins, but every lead and supporting actor is flawless in this film. Further the costumes, if you're drawn to fashion and costumes, are extraordinarily well done. I just wish they'd release it on DVD because I'm wearing my tape version out! Absolutely well worth your time, just make sure to settle in to watch it, without any interruptions.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the worst documentary to come out of Canada ever!!!! I'm glad to see the guys haven't made another movie. All they want to do is get a movie made and it doesn't have to be the one they wrote. They keep changing the script to suite the person they're pitching. I could not get out of the theatre fast enough when I saw it at that year's Toronto Film Festival. Please never see this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Even though it doesn't really matter to the film, this is a Creation myth. God (a convulsing, bloody figure in a chair) cuts his organs out with a straight razor and dies in His own filth. Mother Earth rises from his corpse and impregnates herself with his seed, giving birth to Man. It is, however highly unlikely for you to figure any of this out without reading a synopsis first, and it's not especially important to the film that you do, as it's more a surrealistic art-house imagery thing, all in inky, processed black and white. A sick, bleak atmosphere is created with the stark photography and minimal sounds (mostly water dripping, groans, scrapes, etc.) but each scene goes on a bit too long and so does the film as a whole. This could've been great as a short film, and the God killing himself scene was excellent and extremely creepy, especially being the first thing you see, but it's hard to be patient when it goes on for so long and you don't even know what you're seeing for much of the time.Still, a good film for the original style, images, atmosphere and content.$LABEL$ 1 +Lang does Hawks as well as Hawks does in the first part of this extraordinary Western, before settling down into typical deterministic, dark and guilt-haunted Lang for the finale.This is one of those films that shows its greatness almost instantly but at the same time very subtly. Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott) is on horseback and being pursued, we know not why -- he stumbles on wounded Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) and decides to take his gun and horse, but discovering that Creighton is in a bad way, decides to fix him up first. This is conveyed mostly through facial expressions and very brief, clipped dialog - in 2 minutes we know that Shaw is an outlaw, but basically a good guy. Shaw ends up helping Creighton on his way to civilization, then disappears.Cut to a few weeks or months later, with Creighton on the mend and in charge of an expedition to lay telegraph wire going west from Omaha. He hires Shaw as a scout, who tries to leave when he finds out that Creighton is in charge; but Creighton wants him anyway, repaying a debt and sensing something quality. Also hired is a tenderfoot, son of a benefactor of the project, but atypically the Easterner Richard Blake (Robert Young) is quite competent as he shows right away in an amusing but exciting bronco-busting sequence. Both of the hires vie for Creighton's sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore) who - again not typically - seems quite as able to take care of herself as any man. The camaraderie between the three men, the comedic elements involving an unwilling cook and various rough and tumble types, and the wonderfully played light romantic elements dominate the first third of the film and reminded me more of Howard Hawks' "Red River" or "Only Angels Have Wings" than most Lang - but they are so well played and the action progresses so naturally that it doesn't matter, and doesn't alter our pleasure - if it does perhaps change our expectations - as the more usual Langian themes of the haunted past, dark secrets and the immense pull of the easier, destructive and evil ways come to dominate the later part of the film. Shaw's old pals come back to haunt him as the the wagon train and its wires move westward; attacks mount on the crew, and Shaw has to wrestle with what, if anything, he is to tell Creighton about his tortured relationship with Jack Slade (Barton MacLane), leader of the outlaws.Beautifully shot in early Technicolor and moving fairly seamlessly from sound stages to western locations, this is for my money easily Lang's best western and one of his very best films, conveying as potently as any of his films the tragic inability of men to escape their pasts and build a new future. Scott is as good as I've seen him, showing more with a flick of an eye than a lot of actors can do in a paragraph of dialog, and the rest of the cast is uniformly fine. The inevitable showdown between Shaw's past criminal life and his potential future is extraordinary, and a surprise even for a longtime Lang devotee such as myself; and even in 1941 it seems there was no place more fraught with meaning on the margins of civilization than the barbershop and the dusty street outside. You can get a shave, you can feel like a new man, but you can't really ever be one as long as the old ties are still holding you back.Genius.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I guess I'll have to be the one to say "The Emperor has no clothes." When I saw this show listed for PBS last night I was both hopeful and apprehensive. I loved "Morse" (even going so far as to buy the complete DVD set) and felt that, while I always liked Kevin Whately's Sgt. Lewis character, the show WAS John Thaw, period! After watching the new "Inspector Lewis" (as it is billed here), I am more convinced then ever that I was right...Whately is fine (even though he looks awful (both badly aged and too fat), but he simply doesn't have the charisma to carry the show as did Thaw.And as for his "sidekick" Fox, well...perhaps the reviewers here from England can understand what he's saying, but I for one mostly could not.As for Ms. Innocent...all I can say is that I miss James Grout.I'm sorry to say that they should have left "Morse" rest in peace.$LABEL$ 0 +okay, this movie f*ck in' rules. it is without question one of the most technically inept pieces of cinema ever made. absolutely terrible, but you GOTTA see it. rent this with your buddies and come up with a drinking game or just have fun, it's hilarious. and the behind-the-scenes featurette proves it, you can do anything with paper plates and finger paint. awesome. okay, rent it just for this one scene: two characters are actually WALKING IN PLACE for about 3 minutes in a shot. the director (on the commentary) says "yeah, the tracking was so smooth it looks like they're...". yeah, right man, they are totally walking in place. it's so funny.$LABEL$ 0 +Goodnight, Mister Tom begins in an impossibly exquisite village in the south of England where the sun always seems to shine. Before we have much idea of the period we hear a radio announcement of the declaration of World War II. Soon a train blowing clouds of steam brings refugee children from London and when shy little William is billeted with reluctant, gruff old Tom (who you just know will turn out to have a heart of gold) our tale begins.And what a load of sentimental claptrap it is. In fact it's just the old odd-couple buddy formula. Aren't any new stories being written?As I suggested there's hardly any period feel in the village and not much more in London apart from the odd old ambulance rattling around. And certainly no hint of the horror of the Blitz as London's citizens file politely into air-raid shelters. Even when the local schoolteacher's husband is declared missing presumed killed, he is later restored to life.I found `Goodnight, Mister Tom' cliched and obvious and John Thaw's accent conjured up a picture of Ronnie Barker of the Two Ronnies with a straw in his mouth doing his `country bumpkin' accent.Incidentally my wife enjoyed this movie for all the reasons that I disliked it and looking at fellow-imdb reviewers I seem to be in a minority of one.$LABEL$ 0 +First things first: I'm not a conservative. And even though I would never refer to myself as a liberal or a Democrat, I was opposed to the war in Iraq from day one. I think it's safe to say John Cusack and I would probably see eye-to-eye on politics, in fact, I'm sure we'd become drinking buddies if we ever got to talking about how great Adam Curtis' BBC docs are. My point is this: don't discredit this review by thinking I'm not a part of the choir Cusack is preaching to in War, Inc. There's no question WI's politics are tailored to appeal to my demographic, but the problem is, the tailoring is substandard and the the film Cusack co- wrote, produced and stars in, fits worse than a cheap suit.As they say "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Cusack, his co-writers, director Joshua Seftel and even the actors involved, no doubt had every intention of making an anti- war film every bit as biting and funny as Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, unfortunately for the viewer, they ended up with one as unfunny and unintelligent as Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon.The current state of US politics, foreign policy and the war "effort" is already absurd and, as a result, tragic, pathetic and, regrettably comical -- just watch The Daily Show and see for yourself. The bottom line is: you can't write material as funny as what the Bush administration provides us on a daily basis, so why try to compete?The main problem with WI is that it feels it was put together in a hurry. To get it done, Cusack basically cannibalized Grosse Pointe Blank (one of his best films), changed the setting and crammed in a shopping list of ideas lifted from the collected works of Naomi Klein. Most of these ideas are rammed down your throat in the first twenty minutes of the film and what makes them so obnoxious is none of the jokes or gags or deliberately obvious references to Halliburton, the Neo-Cons and the US occupation of Iraq, are imaginative, clever or funny. The writers are so blinded by their own dogma they felt that by simply referencing these issues the film would be funny and subversive. The trouble is...it isn't. By now these ideas are yesterday's news and unless you've been living under or rock or are so blinded by ignorance, denial and sheer stupidity (read: a right-wing Christian), these jokes insultingly simple.Perhaps WI would work if it was more nuanced, subversive, offensive and fattened up with detailed research/insights into the Occupation. As it is, the jokes and sight gags are all surface and are so bad, with so little finesse, subtlety or satirical wickedness, they did little more than make me groan. Homer Simpson once said "It's funny 'cause it's true" and The Daily Show proves this every night; War, Inc. however proves that just because it's true doesn't make it funny. The bottom line: hyperbole isn't required when it comes to lampooning US/Neo-Conservative politics...it's already a big enough joke.http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com/$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts by showing you a map and then explaining radar and it is quite awhile before you ever see the deadly mantis. Probably a better movie in the 50's this dated piece is a bit to slow moving and the pay off in the end isn't very good. Though it has its moments like when the guy from Perry Mason argues with an old man and when he says "I have narrowed the possibilities to one" excuse me, but when you narrow something down you have a couple or more possibilities not one...if you get it down to one you haven't narrowed it down, but you have in fact figured out what it is. The monster is standard 50's sci-fi fair, better than say the grasshoppers in the Beginning of the End. Acting is sub-par and the heroine is the most unattractive...in fact in some shots she does look like a guy in drag. You see plenty of fighter plane stock footage and other things, but you won't see much at all of the deadly mantis.$LABEL$ 0 +Talk about false advertising! I wasted an hour and twenty five minutes watching this piece of crap and there was not one leisure suit, not one platform shoe, no pointy-finger dancing, and not a single disco ball. I watched it on a Saturday night, and ended up with an awful fever, but it had nothing to do with the music.Seriously, with or without John Travolta, this movie sucked.From the opening scene, you will be asking yourself the question, "Where did that rope come from, and will it please hang me, too?" From its unabashed bias against the driving abilities of the Pennsylvania Dutch, to the shameless promotion of the apparently everlasting capacities of Alienware laptop batteries, to the cheap horror effects lifted directly from Japanese cinema, this is the worst film to hit theaters since The Grudge.$LABEL$ 0 +A story about love and hate, tragedy and happiness, and most of all, friendship set in the very interesting time of the American Civil War.Gets you interested in history, gets you emotionally involved and makes you feverishly wait for the next episode.Moreover, the casting was splendid. Many superstars appear in short cameos, the leading roles are played by a big array of talented mimes - Kirstie Alley and Terri Garber should be mentioned here - this is simply a superb example for a TV production as it should be.Not to forget the sheer loveliness of Wendy Kilbourne portraying Constance :-)$LABEL$ 1 +In all truth, this really isn't a "movie" so much as an extended final episode; by this I mean that, had you NOT followed the TV series (Homicide: Life On The Street) I suspect that you would have a hard time following this made-for-tv movie. Having said that, "Homicide: The Movie" is still a great watch. I think it says a lot about a television production that EVERY single cast member would return, many after years of absence, to once again portray their characters and bring closure to an incredible program. The movie brings out that sense of "family", not only amongst the characters, but amongst the actors, as well. It's all very bitter-sweet knowing that this will be the LAST time we will see them all together again under the title of HOMICIDE. Story-wise, I found this film somewhat lacking. Giardello's mayoral candidacy seems particularly contrived, and I felt his shooting could've been dealt with within the parameters of his regular position, as Leiutenant. Also, Det. Bayliss's extreme plot twist, which was left hanging at series end, is finally resolved, but I, for one, NEVER felt that it needed to be; I enjoyed being left with a mystery (let us recall that the very first episode's first case also went unsolved for the entire series run!). As a DEVOTED fan of the TV series I can love this movie, and the fact that it even got made after H:LOTS had been canceled, but I would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't had the slightest exposure to the series. Now, if they'd just release it on DVD...$LABEL$ 1 +So here's a bit of background on how I came to see this movie. As you probably know, this is the original French film, that was then remade (quelle surprise) by Hollywood as Wicker Park. Well I avoided that movie like the plague when it was first released, simply because, a) I knew it had absolutely nothing to do with Wicker Park, and living in Chicago, I didn't see why they called it that - it was filmed in fricking Canada for a start! - b) I have a very hard time bothering with pointless remakes, done purely because Hollywood thinks we're too bone idle to read a few subtitles (I am dreading the remake of Infernal Affairs by the way) and c) I can't stand Josh Hartnett, 'nuff said there. However, I came across WP on TV the other day, probably about half an hour in, and I have to say initially, it made no sense at all, until about half an hour from the end, when it started coming together. By the end, I was really surprised to find myself really into it, and then the ending just seemed so good - a perfect combination of story, passion and ending with possibly one of the greatest musical choices I've ever seen (heard??).Since then I've heard a lot about the L'Appartement vs. Wicker Park argument and looking at WP, I still say it has bugger all to do with Chicago, but there seemed something about it that I liked, so when it was on again, I watched it again - unfortunately, still missing the first chunk (I've still yet to see it!), and I still thought it was pretty good. Heck, even Josh Hartnett seemed good! But I was curious about L'Appartement and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So I waited and waited to catch l'Appartement somewhere somehow. Netflix let me down, so I ended up getting a copy from some website in Ireland. And I've just watched it. It's really kind of weird, but a good weird. A classic French film. Great acting, Romane Bohringer is an absolute gem - sorry, but she acts Monica Bellucci off the screen in every scene. Vincent Cassel was a weird choice for the lead but by the end he works. And I've seen Jean-Philippe Ecoffey in a lot of movies and I just love him - the scene where Alice dumps him in the restaurant and he just looks like someone's told him his puppy's been run over was excruciating! But, I can honestly say, having seen WP and pretty much expecting that to have been a scene for scene copy (as about 75% of the rest of the movie had been - maybe in a different order, but come on, the scene with the coffee in the glasses?? Word for word!!), you can imagine my surprise when I watched the ending of L'Appartement!! I can literally say I was blown away - hmm, a bit like poor old Lucien was through the cafe window really! So, be prepared, if you've seen Wicker Park and you fancy taking a look at the original like I did, do not make the mistake of expecting an identical movie, because you'll either be disappointed, or exhilarated at a piece of French movie history - a prime example of how you can watch a movie, think you're going to watch a pithy happy ending, and get whiplash from the total spin in the opposite direction right at the end. Definitely catch this movie. Oh and while you're at, maybe not too near the same time, but down the road, take a look at Wicker Park, it'll surprise you too.$LABEL$ 1 +Little Dieter Needs to Fly was my first film during the 1999 edition of the Göteborg Filmfestival. As I was extremely tired that evening, I was hesitant to see it, but the raving overall score of 9 here at IMDB made me go there.It was 80 minutes of pure life-force! Experiencing Dieter Denglers life through his own telling was enchanting.SEE IT! And if possible... see it at a cinema!$LABEL$ 1 +Some people think this was a rather bad TV series, with cheesy effects. (considering it was filmed between 1977-1979) but really, look back at those years and think, "We didn't have computers back then." so if you think about it, it's a rather good TV series.I always figured bad ratings killed the show, but no. the network did. they canceled out their theme as "The superhero network" and abandoned a short lived spider-man series. if it had gone on, it probably would have run well into the 80's, and if it was really lucky (And i mean really lucky), the early 90s.And no one wanted to pick this series up.Anyways, Jolly old (or young) Nicholas Hammond, of The sound of music fame, is brought to the TV screen as peter parker, the Secret identity of the amazing spider-man. along the series, peter deals with a clone, a beautiful girl from a foreign country, and a corrupt politician.while the series is way out of timeline (being that peter is already graduated from university, and thats when he gets bit, and uncle Ben is already dead,) The audience is treated to action, suspense, and the attitude that the characters have towards peter and his alter ego, spider-man.While it's also slightly disappointing that Robert. F Simon looks nothing like J.J.Jameson, it's not so disappointing that Betty grant isn't Betty grant, but a hot African American girl (who reminds me of Halle berry, who is one of the hottest women on the planet) so really, this one wasn't so bad.but considering the time, and how much drama they packed into this one, it kind of foreshadows what bad TV is today. either way, it's entertaining, even for today.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +"Black Friday" did this plot so much better, which is why it is remembered and "The Man With Two Lives" is just a forgotten potboiler. "Shed No Tears" was it's working title and it would have been a better one as he was a thoroughly evil character for most of the film.Philip Bennett is newly engaged when he is involved in a traffic accident. Dr. Clark (Edward Keene) has been involved in some experimental operations on animals - bringing them back from the dead. His colleagues urge him to try his operation on Phillip, who has died. As he is operating , a dangerous criminal, Wolf Panino, is going to the electric chair and trans migration of the soul occurs. When Phillip awakes from the operation, he has the soul of Panino. He is a changed person, he is rude to his family and starts to hang around Panino's old haunts. He takes over Wolf's old gang - going by the name of Philip Bennett, he also romance's Wolf's former girlfriend - who smells a rat. Bennett, as Wolf, is determined to even up scores and starts to eliminate his enemies.Bodies pile up, including the girlfriend and a policeman, then his own family begins to fall victim.But - I HATE those "bad dream" movies - you always feel let down. This film would have been better if he had stayed in character as Panino and had a final shoot out. Eleanor, his fiancée, would have ended up sadder but wiser with his brother. Edward Norris, the star, had a big career mostly in B movies.Not really recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +Sequels, well there are many reasons to make 'em but what went through Irwin Allen's mind to come up with such a boring idea is beyond all logical matters. There are so many open answers to this movie that it is ridiculous...like The Poseidon which is a monstruous ship with passengers on is drifting on the sea and just Michael Caine with his miniboat and an evil Telly Savalas discover the boat...well, at the beginning the French marine are circling above the wreck with their helicopter but as a sinking cruiseship is a daily thing, they just fly away... What am I trying to say??? Hmmm, Michael Caine goes on board with sally Field and he might pick up everything he sees (diamonds)if there wasn't a Telly Savalas who is looking for weapons on the ship...my God, why in fact am I wasting my words on here? It's ridiculous and knowing that both Field and Caine were involved makes you think what went through their minds when reading scripts....certainly not diamonds....$LABEL$ 0 +I love this movie, one of my all time favorites. Ann Blythe as Sally O'Moyne is sweet and trouble-free. She believes that praying to Saint Anne will solve all her and her friends troubles. The sub-plot of the dastardly bad man to get her father's property is funny and clever. Her brothers are what kind of brothers any girl would love to have. Also, look for "Aunt Bee" as her mother, a strong Irish woman who won't leave her house that she brought her family up in. They don't make them like this anymore, that's for sure.$LABEL$ 1 +**Possible Spoilers Ahead**Gerald Mohr, a busy B-movie actor during the Forties and Fifties, leads an expedition to Mars. Before we get to the Red Planet we're entertained by romantic patter between Mohr and scientist Nora Hayden; resident doofus Jack Kruschen; and the sight of Les Tremayne as another scientist sporting a billy-goat beard. The Martian exteriors feature fake backdrops and tints ranging from red to pink–-the "Cinemagic" process touted in the ads. Real cool monsters include a giant amoeba, a three-eyed insect creature, an oversized Venus Fly-Trap, and the unforgettable rat/bat/spider. The whole bizarre adventure is recalled by survivor Hayden under the influence of hypnotic drugs. THE ANGRY RED PLANET reportedly has quite a cult following, and it probably picked up most of its adherents during the psychedelic Sixties.$LABEL$ 0 +This Columbo episode is one of the better and perhaps one of my personal favorites. The cast includes Rosemary's Baby John Cassavetes as the maestro, his wife played by Blythe Danner (Gwyneth Paltrow's mom) and his mother-in-law played by Myrna Loy (one of America's greatest leading actresses in film of our time). Anyway I disagree with anybody who criticizes against this film. This episode is one of my favorites because you have an excellent cast who do a superb job in performing. I love watching Columbo with his beloved dog who he never names in the series. This time, the episode focuses in on classical music at the Hollywood Bowl, one of L.A.'s attractions. Of course, Columbo becomes as interested in classical music as he does anything else involving a crime.$LABEL$ 1 +Stone has tried another type of movie. Any Given Sunday falls short of a the above average The Last Boy Scout and the below average Against all Odds. Stone can be fantastic, see The Doors, Natural Born Killers or Platoon but he can also repeat himself see Nixon or Born on the Fourth of July. His real brilliance is realized in the Michael Caine perfection, The Hand.$LABEL$ 0 +Yesterday I watched this movie for the third time. It was recommended to me by a fried several weeks ago. I never watched or even noticed it before, because it falls (so typically) in the category "Swedish Movie" and those who rose up (like me) with Hollywood productions tend to be sceptical of any foreign movies. Hell what a paradigm shift! The film touches me, because it just keeps up my hope, that mankind can change to a better way. The Swedish village is just a pattern for all areas on earth where people live together - controlled by religion, misunderstandings, lack of courage, predictions, disguised brutality, but also the ability to have fun, to meet, to sing... It takes a trigger from outside to rip off the masks of everyone (who keeps one) and to let them feel that we all are just human beings with the desire to live our own lives. I can never stop to see stories like this, because, that keeps up my hope as described above. The five minutes containing the story of Gabriella's song including her performance is one of my movie-highlights ever! Thank you Kay Pollak just for these 5 minutes, which made me happy!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really bad waste of your time. I would probably rather go watch some documentary than this; it's really that bad.The acting is really terrible, and you can tell that the producers had a low budget because of the terrible picture quality. It's by far on the low end of the scale; don't waste your money on it.I have a really hard time believing the person who made this movie that it would fare well. I had to watch it with the kids when my mother rented it because she thought it would be good for the kids. Even the kids (3, 4, 6, and 8) all thought it was pretty boring.I agree with the other commenter, Spongebob would be a lot better to watch than this.Overall: Just don't watch it. Don't. Don't.$LABEL$ 0 +Typically Spanish production - slow-moving, but with great sensuousness and sexuality oozing from the lead actress Paz Vega. (Watch her in "Spanglish"). Great sets, lots of colour - you get to see Cordoba, Seville, Spanish mountains and countryside. The plot tends to meander here and there, but if you follow closely (I managed to, even though the film is in Spanish), you'll get the gist of it.It's about how one very highly sensual young Gypsy woman, Carmen, uses her feminine wiles to seduce men to do her bidding. Carmen is being taken to prison after attacking a fellow cigarera at the cigar factory where she works. She persuades Jose, the soldier in charge of taking her to prison, to let her escape. Jose succumbs to her charms because she speaks Basque (he is Navarrese and speaks the same language). Jose is punished by 1 month in jail and demoted to foot soldier. He later meets Carmen at a party and they end up becoming lovers. But Carmen refuses to commit to him, and continues her lascivious and flirty lifestyle. In a jealous rage, Jose kills a fellow soldier who has been with Carmen. They then have to leave town. Life on the run turns Jose into a bandit. Carmen, meanwhile, remains the same, a wildly promiscuous woman. In the end, Jose loses his mind and ends up killing Carmen.The story is told by Jose in prison, awaiting to be executed. The person he tells the story to is Prospero Merrime, a French writer and anthropologist, whose fancy watch (it plays Beethoven's Fur Elise) was stolen by either Carmen or Jose.Worth watching for the sets and for the delectable Paz Vega.$LABEL$ 1 +Horrible acting, Bad story line, cheesy makeup, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have never seen a worse movie in my life, 5 minutes in I decided to fast forward to see if anything redeeming would happen... It didn't. (Aside from a nice breast shot) The movie apparently was filmed in some furniture warehouse, and the same warehouse was used for at least 90% of the sets. You even see this same red chair in several different "locations" If you are going to make a film at least rent an office building and an apartment, not some warehouse which will echo all your actor's dialog.. (Note to producers) Renting a small office space and an apartment for a month is much cheaper than an entire warehouse, and both are quite a bit more versatile and believable) If you spend your money to rent this people I hope you got it with a return guarantee... You will be demanding your money back... I only spent $2.99 to rent this tonight and I feel ripped off.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an extremely-powerful based-on-a-true story film that can be infuriating to watch. I say that because how brutal a hounding press can be to people, in this case an innocent Australian couple charged with killing their baby.Meryl Streep received a lot of recognition for her performance when this film came out but I thought Sam Neill was just as good. Let's just say they both were excellent but the role was little harder for Streep because she had to learn an Australian accent. (She learned it so well I had trouble understanding her in parts.)Without giving anything away, all I can say is this movie will wear you out emotionally.$LABEL$ 1 +The 1998 version of "Psycho" needed to be set back in the 60's, rather than present day. The headliners would have done a good job with the setting. There were two scenes that just stuck out like a sore thumb. The first one was at the beginning of the movie when Marian Crane (Anne Heche) was sitting at her desk. Her boss took his client into his office because "it was air conditioning." I imagine that the majority of Arizona businesses have air conditioning. The other was the meeting of Lila Crane (Julianne Moore) & Sam Loomis (Viggo Mortensen). Lila sporting the Walkman seemed like an exaggeration to update the movie. The movie did spook a number of the viewers in the theater.$LABEL$ 0 +This film tries very hard to be an "action" film, but it fails miserably.Steve Guttenberg plays the head of an elite counter-terrorist team that fails (?) in attempt to keep a mysterious group from stealing a deadly nerve agent.The story...the acting...the special effects...ALL FALL FLAT!!!Definitely A MUST AVOID!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +It occurs to me that some of the films that have been banned during the course of cinema history were actually very important and very good films. I'd like to argue that instead of banning challenging, controversial movies the censors should consider banning films that are so bad that they pose a threat to your IQ and your sanity. If they were to do so one of the first films to be quickly hidden away would undoubtedly be "Stroker Ace". This film is awful with a capital 'A'. It is the worst film Burt Reynolds ever starred in.... quite a feat for for a man with "Cannonball Run II", "Cop And A Half" and "Rent-A-Cop" on his CV!The wafer-thin story introduces us to successful stock car racer Stroker Ace (Reynolds), a man who loves fast cars and fast women. He gets stuck in a demeaning contract with crooked promoter Clyde Torkle (Ned Beatty). The contract requires him to do some humiliating promotional work for a new chain of fast food restaurants, such as dressing up as a giant chicken. Thrown into the mix are Lugs (Jim Nabors), Ace's dim-witted pal, and Pembrook Feeney (Loni Anderson), a bimbo with a brain fractionally smaller than a pea who is wooed by Ace.Hal Needham, the director of this low-grade garbage, was formerly a stuntman and he made numerous films that relied on his expertise in staging spectacular stunts and car chases/races. Some of these films were OK, like "Hooper" and "Stunts Unlimited", but with "Stroker Ace" he reaches a career nadir. The characters are so stupid that you actually feel pity for the actors playing them. Anderson especially is saddled with such a dumb role that it makes you grind your teeth with despair. The humour is weak and infantile throughout, and the stunts and race sequences are unremarkable. Even the out-takes during the closing credits (which can be found in all the Reynolds-Needham collaborations) are generally unfunny, which gives the impression that maybe the film wasn't much fun to make. "Stroker Ace" is a stinker of considerable magnitude.$LABEL$ 0 +1st the good news. The 3-D is spectacularly well done, and they don't go for the gotcha gimmicks. The film is based on the true story of the high point in human history, and even features one of the actual participants in that story: Buzz Aldrin.And now the meat of the matter: It's about FLIES, for krissakes! Flies with big, googy human eyes, true, but flies nonetheless. Remember when I likened the "Underworld" movies to rats vs. cockroaches? That wasn't intended as praise, and I never dreamed anyone would take it literally. This one's got even less empathy going for it. Baby maggots? Ugh. In one of those odd confluences of Hollywood groupthink, this flik was evidently on the drawing boards at the same time as "Space Chimps", also about critters in space.Go rent "Apollo 13" and see a 9-rated movie about the REAL space program (RIP).$LABEL$ 0 +It's not fair. I was really expecting this to be a hilarious, entertaining movie. I mean, I like Drake Bell from Drake and Josh, and Leslie Neilson is nothing to be sneezed at since his earliest classics, Airplane and the Naked Gun. However, After seeing Superhero movie, I'm glad I didn't even have to pay for it. It just wouldn't have been anywhere near the 9$ per ticket. More like a dollar and a few pennies. Because that would sum up for the hour and a few minutes. And as disappointing as this film was I'm glad the running time was that short, if not shorter. I just cant believe how incredibly vulgar, unnecessary, and above all, STUPID, some of the scenes were! And above that, I've seen better acting from a wooden dummy(without the ventriloquist). It's as if Craig Mazin purposefully wanted to make a film that deserves its 3.7, if not lower, and even try to be worse than "Meet the Spartans". Very disappointing indeed.$LABEL$ 0 +Good Times was a groundbreaking comedy about the first nuclear black family living in the Chicago projects. Whether or not, you live in the inner cities, ghettos, suburbs, or rural countryside, this show is still a treasure to watch and observe a family being just a family rather than a show about a poor black family. But they don't dwell on it. They find humor and have strong family values and morals. Despite the story behind the scenes, this show was worth keeping on the air except I didn't like them killing off the father which I agreed with Esther Rolle who fought hard to keep the family together. But despite all the fights behind the scenes, Good Times was a show about a family. We all loved JJ's dynamite and his antics. We watched Janet Jackson's Penny grow up a little. This show was groundbreaking to show despair in drugs, gangs, and alcoholism. Without being to preachy, The Evans always tried to do the right thing rather than do something wrong to get out of the ghetto.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie for 2 reasons--I like Gerard Butler and Christopher Plummer. Unfortunately, these poor men were forced to carry a pretty dumb movie. I liked the idea that Dracula is actually a reincarnation of Judas Iscariot, because it does explain his disdain for all things Christian, but there was so much camp that this idea was not realized as much as it could have been. I see this movie more as a way for the talented Gerard Butler to pay his dues before being truly recognized and a way for the legendary Christopher Plummer to remind the public (me and the 5 other people who saw this film) that he still exists. I actually enjoyed the special features on the DVD more than the movie itself.$LABEL$ 0 +Hitch is a light-hearted comedy that will entertain you with some fine performances. Will Smith turns in a believable performance as a cloak and dagger Date Doctor who must remain invisible to protect his clients and his profession. Smith was excellent, never schmaltzing it up too much.The best piece of acting goes to the actor (don't know name) playing this accountant who has fallen for this woman who is out of his league. This actor did an excellent job of character development as he listens to Smith's directions, but in the end, just can't help being who he really is.And in the end, that's the main message of this film. Be who you are in love, and you'll be OK.At the same time, Will Smith meets this attractive lady and the Date Doctor gets a taste of his own medicine as he slowly falls for this woman. Don't know her name, but she was pretty good too.Overall, this was a delightful, light movie that is definitely worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I had been looking forward to this movie since Lost World came out. It didn't bother me that Lost World wasn't as intellectual as the original, and here, I was just hoping for a good monster movie. It was all about "Dinosaurs eat people." However, it was disappointing even on that level.For starters, there were not enough people to eat, and while I'll keep it a secret how many people get eaten, it was not enough. Also, while there was no shortage of variety in the dinosaur community, there were not nearly "enough" dinosaurs. And many dinosaurs, like the spikey-back-and-has-a-club-on-its-tail-osaurus, just made cameos and didn't do much considering how cool they are.(START SPOILERS) Then there were the Pterodactyls. The figures I've read put their body weight at about 15 pounds, while the movie made them look closer to 300. Worse, they didn't get to eat anybody, or even splatter them on the rocks by dropping them from high up. There was no ending to the movie, either, it was just, all of the sudden, credits. (END SPOILERS) I'm left wondering if the edition I saw was missing 40 minutes of film.My only conclusion can be that they taught the Pterodactyls to stick their long beaks stealthily into your pockets and get your $7. Go rent the Carnosaur series; at least you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +Now, I LOVE Italian horror films. The cheesier they are, the better. However, this is not cheesy Italian. This is week-old spaghetti sauce with rotting meatballs. It is amateur hour on every level. There is no suspense, no horror, with just a few drops of blood scattered around to remind you that you are in fact watching a horror film. The "special effects" consist of the lights changing to red whenever the ghost (or whatever it was supposed to be) is around, and a string pulling bed sheets up and down. Oooh, can you feel the chills? The DVD quality is that of a VHS transfer (which actually helps the film more than hurts it). The dubbing is below even the lowest "bad Italian movie" standards and I gave it one star just because the dialogue is so hilarious! And what do we discover when she finally DOES look in the attic (in a scene that is daytime one minute and night the next)...well, I won't spoil it for anyone who really wants to see, but let's just say that it isn't very "novel"!$LABEL$ 0 +Actually my vote is a 7.5. Anyway, the movie was good, it has those funny parts that make it deserve to see it, don't misunderstand me, is not the funniest movie of the world, and its not even original because its a idea that we have seen before in other movies, but this one has its own taste, a friend of mine told me that this was a film for boyfriends... I think that not exactly but who cares? Also there is another movie that show us almost the same topic, Chris Rock appears in it, the name is Down to Earth, men, that one its a very funny movie, see both if you want and I know that you will agree that Mr. Rock won with his movie. I would liked that the protagonist male character were given to Ashton Kutcher, however, the film is good.$LABEL$ 1 +Uneven Bollywood drama. Karisma Kapoor is excellent as an Indian woman in Canada who marries a friend (Sanjay Kapoor), has a child, and then visits his family in India only to find they are terrorist warlords. Drama and tragedy ensue, and the film becomes a kind of NOT WITHOUT MY BABY styled thriller. Film is compelling, its few song/dance numbers are uninteresting and needless, the gaity of Bollywood song and dance is really out of character for the intensity of this film's drama, at least once we've left the comforting confines of their Canadian love nest – although one number involving a cameo by the stunning Aishwarya Rai is enjoyably provocative, if ultimately misplaced as well. Likewise, the inclusion of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan as a happy-go-lucky drifter who helps Kapoor in her escape from the clutches of the warlord turns what had been a very serious drama into a silly farce, and it only gets back on his feet when his character – and his fantasies about Rai that generate her cameo dance – are dispensed with. His throw-away comic-book dialog and the silliness of his fight scenes detract from the film's primary gripping drama. The cast is nicely supported by Nana Patekar as the warlord, and the elegant Deepti Naval who is outstanding as his long-suffering wife who finally choses to stand up against him in one of the film's best scenes; Ritu Shivpuri and Rajshree Solanki are also very good as Sanjay's sisters in India, and very pleasing eye candy. But Sanjay himself overacts terribly, especially during obvious ad-libs. The directorial style of writer/director Krishna Wamsi is sloppy, rampant with rough transitions and abrupt cuts, although his camera movement is good. The musical underscore is also quite effective, moody, featuring wordless female voice over a small orchestral ensemble (too bad little if any of that made it onto SHAKTI's soundtrack cd, but Bollywood hasn't yet discovered the value of including score along with songs on their soundtrack albums, at least not in most cases). But SHAKTI is Karisma Kapoor's film, all the way, though, and the intensity of her performance once the film switches to India contrasts nicely with the gentle romance with which she engaged with Sanjay in the initial Canadian scenes. Despite the unevenness of much of the picture, Karisma's performance completely sells the film and solidifies its otherwise inconsistent measures. In a strange way, also, I found the story to be another take on the ostentation of royalty I'd noticed in CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER and MARIE ANTOINETTE, both of which I'd seen just prior, although SHAKTI of course is an entirely different kind of film; but the focus on a dysfunctional royal family – here living in the austerity of terrorism-controlled poverty in India rather than the elegance of Versailles or the massive megalomania of feudal China's Tang Dynasty – whose self-serving seeking of power brings ruin upon many others and forces an uprising of one kind or another provides the film with a notable subtext.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on my flight from Philly to Denver. The screen was three rows in front of me and about 12" x 10". So I really wasn't going to watch it. But I like Malcolm in the Middle, so I thought I'd watch just a few minutes. Next thing I know I'm sucked in, having a great time, and was pleased as how good it was and how fast it seemed to make the time go by. I agree with that the acting is very good for this level of entertainment. Being one of the older baby boomers, I was also pleased to see Lee Majors with a role in the movie, as with a couple of other actors who were famous (Jamiel?) "yesterday" but are out of the spotlight today poking fun at themselves.It's your basic "kid is wronged, kid gets even (and then some), and everyone enjoys themselves in the process". No heavy thinking, no great analysis needed. Just a good fun way to pass the time.3.5 out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +Greetings again from the darkness. 18 directors of 18 seemingly unrelated vignettes about love in the city of lights. A very unusual format that takes a couple of segments to adjust to as a viewer. We are so accustomed to character development over a 2 hour movie, it is a bit disarming for that to occur in an 8 minute segment.The idea is 18 love/relationship stories in 18 different neighborhoods of this magnificent city. Of course, some stand up better than others and some go for comedy, while others focus on dramatic emotion. Some very known directors are involved, including: The Coen Brothers, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne, Gus Van Sant and Gurinda Chadha. Many familiar faces make appearances as well: Steve Buscemi, Barbet Schroeder, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands, Gerard Depardieu, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Bob Hoskins.One of the best segments involves a mime, and then another mime and the nerdy, yet happy young son of the two mimes. Also playing key roles are a red trench coat, cancer, divorce, sexual fantasy, the death of a child and many other topics. Don't miss Alexander Payne (director of "Sideways") as Oscar Wilde.The diversity of the segments make this interesting to watch, but as a film, it cannot be termed great. Still it is very watchable and a nice change of pace for the frequent movie goer.$LABEL$ 1 +Nicely done, and along with "New voyages" it's a great continuation! Fab to see James Cawley in the latest episode "Vigil" Check it out! I like the growing characterisation, and think we have good replacements for the TV actors in a fan-produced piece. This show manages to capture the feel quite well, as they state on the ste, it has improved over the years with experience and I hope with some more experience, a strong script editor, and a pick-up in timing and CGI that HF will becoming more remarkable than it already truly is!Good work to all concerned!(I have a HUGE soft spot for Lefler & McFarland (GREAT acting), although I'm a bit tired of "Lefler's laws". ENOUGH already! Shelby's great (if a little uptight) and it's cool she got the ship. Commodore Ian's nice (like Fred Flintstone), but lacks the gritty edge of a commanding officer and does seem too pleased with himself. The Doc, Counselor, and Rawlins are right on the money in my eyes, as is the WONDERFUL Nechayev (what a beautiful accent - a REAL Russian! (Well, I'm guessing Rene hails from the Czech Rep.)It gets my vote, and the CGI is kewl. Some of the greenscreen's obvious, but on a small budget whaddayagonndo?Really glad I found it!(OK, some of the acting isn't great but it's fan-made and is therefore allowed to be variable - sorry Cmm. Cole)The gay material is layed on too thick (Graham Norton'd be embarrassed). Trek doesn't pay that much attention to hetero couples so why signpost gays with all the snogging? It's not necessary to showpiece someone's sexuality to this extent - I hope they tone it down & let Aster & Zen be people not tokens - I don't treat my gay friends any differently, They're just regular guys.Musically it's a mixed bag. I can tell its all stock Trek OST stuff and works most of the time, but timing can fall flat now & then (the end of "Worst Fears Part 2" misses the crunch, and the edit. Love the fact they use the "Galaxy Quest" music!I certainly can't wait for more!! Dazza"Never give up, never surender!"Viva les frontieres$LABEL$ 1 +I thought "Intensive Care" was quite bad and very unintentionally funny. But at least not as bad as I thought it might be. Sometimes it's somewhat suspenseful, but never a good shocker.SPOILER AHEADThe fun lies in ridiculous moments. But the all-time classic moment is this: Peter (Koen Wauters) is stabbed and beaten by the killer. He lies moaning in the corner of the hallway. Amy (Nada van Nie) kneels beside him and asks "Poor Peter, shall I get you a band-aid?".This movie was shot in Dutch and English. To spare costs, all license plates are USA, and the background in the news studio is a skyline of Manhattan. Very funny if you're Dutch and watching the original version in Dutch.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the best silent dramas I've seen. As dark and shadowy as anything the German Expressionists produced, but featuring performances that were quite understated and naturalistic for the day. No camera mugging and no unintentional laughs due to wild-eyed arm-waving histrionics. Sjostrom gave a convincing performance as the drunken, mean-spirited and frightening David Holm.Set mostly at night in a dingy Swedish slum, the film had a very claustrophobic set-bound feel to it, aided by the low key lighting and extensive use of irising.There was a deep, and typically Scandinavian, sense of despair and hopelessness to the narrative: the film begins in a rather grim present, and then we're told David Holm's story in a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks--a pretty complex story structure for 1921), where his character is offered numerous chances at redemption, but he doesn't take them, and we know he won't take them, because we've seen him die drunk and wretched and mean as ever in the present. The penultimate scene is as dark as any I have seen in all of cinema.The writing and directing is tight and intelligent, even by today's standards. In several instances, Sjostrom skillfully sets the audience up to suspect one thing, and then pulls out a surprise. The ending might not be such a surprise to some viewers, but I didn't see it coming.This movie deserves a full restoration and DVD release. Or even a crappy budget release. It just needs to be out there so people can see and appreciate it.9.5/10, which rounds up to 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Amnesiac women who remove their clothes at the drop of a hat (or a blouse?) are about the only stand-out points in a film that is otherwise slow and aimless. Although the basic premise of the story offers a wealth of possibilities, they are never developed to any satisfying degree, and exposition is almost non-existent. A large proportion of the film is mere wanderings through the corridors of a multi-storied clinic/hospital. The overall effect is bleak and sterile, a la THX-1138.$LABEL$ 0 +I first remember seeing this one back in the 70s when it was shown on late night television. Scared the hell out of me. But then, I was a teenager back in those days, not as jaded about films as I am now.CASTLE OF BLOOD (aka: DANSE MACABRE) is a fine example of the 60s Italian horror genre, along with Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY(1960), CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka: KILL BABY KILL) (1966) and Mario Caiano's NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965). If you want spooky atmosphere along with great writing, then check these out as well. I also rate these along with those early Poe films that Roger Corman was doing during the same period.I saw the new Synapse DVD that was taken from a French print and it's a great improvement over that old pan-and-scan print that was making the rounds on television over the years. It adds a couple of minutes of dialog (in French) that don't really add much to the movie as whole, but it's nice to see it complete, without cuts. Unfortunately the DVD doesn't really offer any extras beyond stills from the film.One flub I noticed was in the opening scene, seeing the smoke-effects man next to the camera being reflected on the glass of the inn's front door. I guess the editors didn't catch it at the time, or maybe they didn't care, but it is something I didn't notice the first time. That's the wonders of DVD. You get to see all the flubs, mistakes and details that weren't apparent the first time around. But no matter.But no matter, it still gets a 7 on the imdb meter$LABEL$ 1 +Again, we're getting a melange of themes well covered by so many previous films. The good and the bad son story, courtesy East of Eden. The American marine hero story, who doesn't consider himself to be one due to what he knows. And the grieving wife potentially falling in love with another man story.The mere fact of those stories being that ubiquitous isn't so much of a problem though. Because theoretically they could still be better presented and dealt with each time around. No luck this time though, as all three of those threads ultimately fall flat all the same.As the bad son never really gets to talk to his father, so that conflict is never resolved properly. Apart from the father kind of starting to appreciate the bad son thanks to the latter renovating the kitchen of the grieving wife. Now, how satisfying is that.Next, the surprisingly homecoming marine suspecting his wife of unfaithfulness conflict never gets resolved. Because he never really talks to the man under suspicion, namely his own brother. So once more we're handed a loose end here.And finally, the American military heroism hypocrisy theme, where the marine is publicly considered a hero when, due to the dirtiness of war he went through, he shouldn't really be called one as to his own standards, that third theme falls flat just the same. Because the movie ends right when, for the first time, he's just able to talk to his wife about what he went through. Where the real story would actually begin at that very point, namely his process of recovery, how that would look like and how he would finally face the family he'd have some major guilt to admit to. All that, all the really interesting bits are passed over and getting ignored.So while story wise this film is a serious, and I mean serious, disappointment, I'd still give it points for the impressive cast. Although no film should use Maguire for a voice over, because that belongs to Spiderman. Especially a grown up Gyllenhaal seems to fulfill all the expectations he aroused as a young and aspiring actor. So much that I'd in fact love to see him entrusted with a really deep and demanding lead role of proper profile.So while the cast really seems to do what they can, I consider this film totally forgettable otherwise. A shallow and ultimately pretentious, utterly unsatisfying tear squeezer indeed. Message du jour to the writers: we know the wounds already, see the host of Vietnam films. You want to earn some credit, show us a believable healing.$LABEL$ 0 +Romantic comedy movies are definitely the most fertile genre for "bellow from average" movies and source of frustration for viewers. This one is a perfect example of this and got a place in my "top ten worst movies".History is far from creative and jokes are weak. I found no reason for a single laugh during all the movie! Characters are plain and the performance of the actors and just good. History develops slowly, it's tedious and foreseeable. Ending is also foreseeable and sugar-coated.This is one that movies you watch in a rainy Saturday afternoon when you have nothing better to watch in my humble opinion.$LABEL$ 0 +Well!! the movie has Catherine Zeta Jones in it. It's a Hallmark television movie. It's from a Thomas Hardy novel. It has Catherine Zeta Jones in it. She is by far the only one in the movie who acts better than in my high school theater class. Oh yes it has Clive Owen in it. I'm not British so that means almost as much as being a Thomas Hardy novel. Except he was in "The Bourne Identity", and I liked that. That just about wraps it all up folks. That really all there was. I'm becoming repetitive, but I do like CZJ, so I stuck it out to the end. The computer is telling me that I don't have 10 lines and I keep counting them. I always count 11, but maybe it just doesn't like my style, but that is my opinion of the movie, too.$LABEL$ 0 +On Steve Irwin's show, he's hillarious. He doesn't even try to be funny and he just is but his movie wasn't even what I would call a movie-I mean when that guy on his car is trying to kill him he's just saying 'Oh, this is one nasty bloke!' and looking straight into the camera. He put his face in the camera too much! And then when the guy falls off the car wouldn't you expect him to be dead? And Terri had the worst acting I'd ever seen! Like when the crocodile almost ate Steve she just says 'Steve'. She didn't sound scared or anything, it was just 'Steve'. I mean I hate to sound mean but that was not worth seeing. I love Steve Irwin but his movie was just too stupid.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a huge fan of the spy genre and this is one of the best of these films. The Assignment is based on a true story, which has been somewhat embellished for the big screen, and it really takes you on a fun ride. The film has a great cast, starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley.Naval Officer Quinn is a reluctantly recruited by Sutherland after a chance meeting with Kingsley who believes Quinn to be the famous terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Because Quinn so closely resembles Carlos, Sutherland stops at nothing to recruit him because Sutherland is obsessed with the terrorist's capture or death.The training sequences are awesome. Quinn is really put to the test by Kingsley and Sutherland, having to withstand attacks from remote controlled snowmobiles, from eating the same food each day, to being drugged with a hallucinogen. He even has to learn how to make love to a woman the way Carlos would.The film has some great action scenes with Quinn eluding allies because they believe he is Carlos and in his final mission when he is to kill the jackal. Throughout the film, Quinn must struggle with the new personality he has attained versus his own. Will he remain as ruthless and free as Carlos or will he once again return to his life of a good husband and father? If you like the spy genre, this is a must see. The action is used only to propel the story of this thriller forward; no gratuitous explosions or fight scenes. Rating 10 of 10 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Eddy Murphy and Robert De Niro should be a combination that results in a great comedy. Great expectationa often lead to dissapointment, and this proves to be the case.When Eddy as a police officer spoils a drug deal being done by Detective Robert, they botch it so badly that they end up doing a live action reality TV cop show. Logic is not a great component of this movie. The super-gun that they spend the second half of the movie chasing down confirms it. A twelve guage machine gun that leaves large holes in sheetmetal and three will destroy a house in about a minute (without reloading) is as more a fantasy than science fiction. A five pound gun, firing hundreds of shots per minute without any recoil, is certainly the weapon of the future using the technology of the past.It is clear this movie was designed for neither adults nor children, so if you are somewhere in between, this is the movie for you.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe it's because I looked up the history of the Irish troubles in the 1920s and then the sad Civil War that engulfed the Free State after the signing of the treaty before watching this movie. Anyway, the sudden turn at the end brought tears to my eyes.Victor McLaglen isn't as famous today as he was back then, and he should be better remembered. In this film, I think he's playing himself as he would have been without his innate talent and brains. For example, the scenes where his buddy in the crowd is challenging men to fight with him is probably quite reminiscent of what McLaglen actually did in earlier years, when he was a world-class bare-knuckles boxer. John Ford is partly responsible for that; the IMDb trivia section shows how he tricked McLaglen into getting a really bad hangover for the trial scene. This director also could bring out a lot in his actors, even without such tricks. Mostly, though, McLaglen is firmly in control, especially when his character is almost totally blotto (which is difficult for an actor to do believably), and he also plays Gypo Nolan with a depth and emotional power that is surprising for someone who has only seen McLaglen later in his career, in "The Quiet Man." I especially like the contrast between this role as an IRA man and the much more obviously controlled performance he gave as the IRA man Denis Hogan in "Hangman's House." In "The Quiet Man," of course, McLaglen is a country squire at odds with the local IRA. Victor McLaglen was big and bully, in the old-fashioned sense of the word, but he was a good actor, too, and capable of wide range and fine nuances of performance that we just wouldn't expect of a such a man today. It's a rather sad comment on our own set of expectations and prejudices.Ford, as usual, packs a lot into a little bit of film. All the characters are excellent (though the Commandant's mostly American accent is distracting) -- NOTE: There be spoilers ahead! -- Knowing that Gypo once drew the short straw and was ordered to kill a man but let him talk his way out of it instead, we really empathize with the man who draws the short straw for executing Gypo, and the humanity he shows, most notably when they go to take Gypo in Mary's room. John Ford really shows his genius here, taking what could have been a gruesome and yet expected outcome to the whole story and instead using it to set up a totally unexpected and yet very satisfying ending that makes us think not just of Gypo and the other characters, but of poor Ireland during that tortured time.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, you hippies are probably wondering what I have against an "education" and "informative" show like "Barney"? Well, I have a lot of hate against it for these reasons:1. It teaches that having a personality and individualism is immoral. No one on the show has a personality. Everyone dresses alike, talks alike, acts alike and dances alike. Even in the episode called "Being an Individual", kids try to tell Barney about what they like and EVERYONE on the planet should do what I like. Do you wanna teach your kid that being an individual is wrong?2. "A Stranger is a Friend,You Haven't Met" Episode. While seemingly harmless, the show's producers soonfound that it could also be extremely dangerous for young children. In fact, several young Barney-lovers from across the U.S. fell victim to pedophiles, who were using the show's friendly message to lure children away from their parents. The episode has since been pulled, but the damage had been done. So called "Innocent" mistakes in programming, like this one, clearly show why parents need to watch television WITH their children.3. IF your not happy all the time, you are a bad person. No one seems to show any other emotion but happiness, no matter which situation they are in. If the child's parents get mad or sad for some reason, the child may think of Mommy or Daddy differently. Not a good message at all.4. Magic solves everything! Seems like every problem is solved by magic. At least in shows like "Fraggle Rock", it teaches us that magic CAN backfire at it is best to solve problems on your own. Does Barney teach this? NO, of course not. There HAS to be magic in there. And the problem is, a lot of two year olds cannot tell fantasy from reality, and might think their parents, siblings or relatives can use magic to solve everything, yet become confused when they CANNOT use magic and think they are weird. Another boner pulled again.5. Barney makes no distinction between stealing and sharing. He has even specifically said that "stealing is okay if the person you steal from doesn't mind". Kids can learn that if you really want something, stealing is a perfectly acceptable way to get it. This is not something that preschoolers need authority figures to tell them.6. "If I just have the right thing, I can solve all my problems." Whenever the kids have a problem, Barney gives them whatever they need to solve it. The message being sent here is "Don't try to think to solve this! It's too much work, and the solution probably wouldn't work anyway. Just use this." Because of this, children could stop thinking through things (Barney said it was too much work) and become dependent on the "right" object. (The right shoes, the right food, the right computer, the right exercise machine...) This is obviously a good message for the Barney marketers, but it's not good for preschoolers.7. The message that cheating is okay. In another episode the children are involved in a contest to carry a peanut on a spoon without dropping it. One child puts peanut butter on his spoon, and easily wins. The child is then rewarded for his creative thinking, when the child in fact bent the rules, and changed the game so that he could win. This teaches that cheating is good, you win and people think that you are creative, when in real life you will often be disqualified, or worse, and severely disliked by other competitors who played by the rules.8. Do the kids in this show eat anything else besides cakes, cookies and candy? That teaches that it is okay to eat tons of junk food and avoid healthy food, despite Barney's so called "Health Food" song. Other than that, EVERYONE in the show eats junk food. No wonder there are so many obese kids in America and Europe.And finally....Most other kids' television shows teach creative problem solving well, without having to resort to "magic". Barney could also have done that but instead decided to use the method that was A) best for the marketers and B) took the least time and money for scripts. It's a blatant sellout that shows just how little the Lyons Group actually cares about children.That is my rant for you all.$LABEL$ 0 +The credits at the end read "ALL directed by Shigeru Izumiya". That's a fitting way to phrase it because it seems like filmed material from several projects were thrown together somehow, barely even attempting to make it all form one consistent work. It more felt like one of those music clip things that are marketed as feature films to cash in on those video commercials, just that here we have the marketable music and the live performances missing, except for one scene, which may as well be marketed as a weird music video clip in Japan. Whatever.It makes zero sense. Visually it isn't too special either, although it has its moments (for example the female creature with the "death powder" who is strapped onto a bed base and some morphing sh!t throughout) and it certainly has an industrial-y feeling to it. Usually I'd call the effects dilettantish but what this film offers in this regard is baffling more than anything else. You remember those cheap video effects from 70's and 80's music videos that make them look so dated, like a picture within a picture flying through the screen? There is quite a lot of these kind of effects in this, and without any apparent reason. The most half-assed seeming effort comes in the form of a picture collage. The pictures sort of look like album covers. Whatever.I don't know what's up with the subtitles of the version I saw. The Chinese ones (or whatever those hieroglyphics are) sometimes seem to show up when nothing is even said and the English ones often show up without the Chinese ones. The English subs talk much about life without death (is it possible?), and a mind without a body, which provides what comes closest to a comprehensible conflict between characters in this film. One guy (a scientist dude) says that life without flesh is death while another guy (a metamorphosing dude) who claims his mind is beyond his body now that he got the "death powder" blown into his face and that he now knows the secrets of the flesh and whatnot; metamorphosing dude is visibly p!ssed off about the scientist dude's claim. Whatever.Erm, The End - All Written By Perception de Ambiguity$LABEL$ 0 +The film was very outstanding despite the NC-17 rating and disturbing scenes. In reality things like this do happen and that is why this movie shows a lot of it. It all starts with Maya (Rosario Dawson in superb performance) whose recently started attending college has everything going well for her. She meets Jared (Chad Faust in a terrific performance) at a frat party who turns out to be a real gentleman and sweet. He invites her out to dinner. They look at the stars from a bridge and they end going to his apartment. They talk and takes her to the basement were they become flirtatious with each other. She tries to put an end to it, but he rapes her. This incident scars her. She goes to a club meets a bartender/DJ Adrian (greatfully played by Marcus Patrick) who sees that she is getting to drunk and helps before she goes to far. They strike a friendship. He also does drugs and Maya starts using as well. In other words introduces her to a different world. She starts going back to school and working as TA (Teaching Assistant) and spots Jared as one of the students. While the students are taking a Midterm, she catches Jared cheating. Jared tries to smooth talk Maya, but she still has the upper hand decides to invite him to her place. Will history repeat itself? Or Will Maya have a surprise for Jared? You watch the movie. Excellent A. Rosario Dawson portrays the role with focus and endurance. Chad Faust does not like he can be a rapist, but he does a terrific job as Jared. Marcus Patrick is very brilliant the man who saves Maya and coaches her into a new world. This film deserves an award.$LABEL$ 1 +Things get dull early an often in this in this mawkish jazz bio fiction written and directed by Spike Lee.Bleek Gilliam (Denzell Washington) is a happenin' jazz trumpeter that fronts a quintet packing them in at Below the Underdog. His problems include an incompetent manager, a stage hogging sax player and two girlfriends that he's playing musical mattress with. The real love of his life though is his trumpet and his music. The band's manager, Giant, has a dangerous gambling problem and proves to be an ineffective negotiator with greedy club owners and would be best jettisoned but Bleek remains loyal for as long as possible. It will prove to his undoing as an artist but ironically contribute to his growth as a man.As Bleek, Denzell Washington is all wrong as the ambitious trumpeter with a babe on each arm. He's too sweet a guy to be so self centered about his art, dispensing patience and love to those close to him with a low key remoteness. He simply lacks the fire. Wesley Snipes who plays Henderson the sax player would have been far more suited for the role but even he would have to mouth the flaccid throw away scribblings of Lee's torpid dialogue. As Giant, Lee hits the trifecta with an abysmal performance to match his writing and direction. Loosely attempting to mirror the grubby but sympathetic Ratso Rizzo to Bleek's Joe Buck he adopts a limp and even the "I'm walkin' here" moment from Midnight Cowboy. In this case you wish the taxi would run him over and be done with it.Lee's script is all tepid argument, heavy handed ribbing and veiled insult with some requisite clumsy editorializing that Lee has to inject to remain down. The scenes between the band members backstage and in rehearsal lack spark and are only surpassed in dreariness by the Bleek, Giant conversations that have an ad lib look and go in circles. Completing this travesty is Lee's pretentious visual style. Tracking shots, zooms and pans are wasted and without significance to scenes. They just wander.Blues is Lee's love letter to jazz (made implicit by the mountains of memorabilia plastered all over the sets) and it's all sentimental clap trap that lacks passion and verve. Jazz on film is better served by Tavernier's "Round Midnight" and Eastwood's "Bird" which get below the surface, reveal more sides of the form, the pain behind it in addition to offering infinitely superior lead performances by Forrest Whitaker and the real deal Dexter Gordon. This Spike Lee Joint doesn't even offer a mild buzz. It's some pretty bad homegrown.$LABEL$ 0 +This sounded like it was going to be like Silence of the Lambs or Zodiac or something, but it wasn't. It really was more like one of the Halloween movies without all the jump scenes. It was a little like Plan 9 From Outer Space in the sense that the main bad guy kept making inane speeches that made me want to go get a snack without pushing pause. The idea of a person who is so crazy that he would abduct people and torture them as a form of spiritual enlightenment is actually an interesting idea, but the execution was too made-for-TV feeling. I have to say it was better than I expected for a movie written and starring Dee Snider. A good first effort. Maybe he'll learn some lessons and his next effort will be less clumsy.$LABEL$ 0 +Shirley Knight plays Sara Ravenna, a Long Island housewife who runs away from her marriage when she discovers she is pregnant. She plans to drive into America's heartland and start anew. Along the way she picks up a friendly hitchhiker (James Caan) who calls himself 'Killer.' Soon she discovers that the good natured 'Killer' is actually brain damaged, and by picking him up she has unknowingly taken on a huge responsibility. The two of them drive all the way to Nebraska, where Sara gets Killer a job helping out at a roadside reptile farm. It is here that Sara meets Gordon, a local cop, and soon things go horribly wrong for everyone.This is a powerful drama about people disconnected from society, alienated by the choices they make or by the limits imposed on them by others. Even with such a low budget and a very freewheeling attitude, the film is able to capture everything that needs to be said through these clearly defined characters. Shirley Knight has a complex, diverging role and there are moments of some awe-inspiring acting by her. One of my favorites is when she is on the telephone calling her home to her worried husband the first time. It is such a tense scene on both ends, and in every small gesture and inflection of a word, so much about her is spoken with so little. Then comes in the character of 'Killer' played by James Caan. This character is unlike any I've ever seen him play, and he performs wonderfully. It's one of his best performances as he is very restrained and moving.The way Coppola develops the characters by using short, dream-like flashbacks is very clever, adding a fragmented kind of view onto it all. The quick flashbacks that are graphic and self-contained contrast well with the longer shots in some crucial scenes. Also, because this film was shot on location all over the Eastern U.S., it offers an interesting, authentic look at America in the late 1960's.I haven't seen many other films starring Ms. Knight, I'm only familiar with her more recent work on television, usually playing a nagging mother in law or a dotty old woman. It was great seeing her so young, beautiful, and so wonderfully subtle in this movie. It's also kind of a shame that James Caan went on to be typecast as the 'tough guy' for the rest of his career, because this film evidenced that he is capable of so much more than that.$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't sure what to expect but am I glad I went to see this. A smart, slightly twisted comedy that makes you think. I wasn't quite sure how a director can create "nothing", but leave it to Mr. Natali and the brilliant individuals at C.O.R.E. to create another low budget set that looks real (as real as nothing can be). Well worth your time and money, if you have the opportunity to see this, please go. You'll be glad you did.$LABEL$ 1 +... in search of the cheesiest "so bad it's good" movie, I've repeatedly laughed at the first fifteen minutes of various films, only to be left disappointed and bored at the end. Not this time!!! My eyes teared up, my belly and my cheeks ached from laughing so hard throughout the movie. Sure, Hulk Hogan is a subpar actor and the plot is utterly predictable, but everyone dives into this movie knowing all this - all anyone wants to see when renting this is Hogan breaking out a can of whoopass, with a bunch of "YEAH BROTHER"s and "WHATCHUGONNADO"s flying from his infamously goateed mouth. And while the Hulkster on the screen pales a bit in comparison to the Hulkster in the ring, seekers of the ultimate cheese will certainly not be disappointed by this backhand gem of a flick. A laugh riot.$LABEL$ 0 +There is so much to love in this darling little comedy. Anyone who has ever built or bought a house, or even just been short of space,will find that there is more than just a grain of truth in the plight of the addled Mr. Blanding.Melvyn Douglas,with great comedic flare, both narrates and acts as the Blandings' attorney and voice of reason.As well Myrna Loy is at her best as a rather scatterbrained but extremely patient wife. But the best performance is Grant's. He is the American everyman, especially relevant at the time of this film's release, when the nation was in the grips of a housing shortage after the end of the war. The themes are universal,lack of money, work strain, fear of infidelity.Yes, it does wrap up awfully neatly, but you must keep in mind that this was a time when the world was just recovering from a terrible war, and wanted a happy ending. It is still relevant today, and I must chalk up the poor reviews I see to a present preference for dumbed down, gross out comedies. The look of the film is slick, and there are some great bits of comedy is well, particularly toward the beginning.While it may have lost some of it's social relevance, nearly sixty years after it's release, it is still a gem.$LABEL$ 1 +In his feature film debut `Yellow,' Chris Chan Lee attempts to enlighten Hollywood's portrayal of Asian-Americans by departing from the stereotypes typically depicted in mainstream film. However, in so doing, Lee commits a far more heinous crime: he exaggerates Asian-Americans' own stereotypes of themselves to the point of incredulity. The result? Dreadfully one-dimensional characters and an outrageously shallow script triggers the cast into a frenzy of over-acting, ultimately resulting in a film that is physically painful to watch.Don't be deceived by any of the positive reviews garnered by `Yellow'; each falls into one of two camps. In one corner (e.g., right here on imdb.com), you find Asian-Americans who are so elated that an Asian character can be depicted onscreen without thick glasses and a math book, that they somehow neglect the idiocy of Lee's final product. On the other hand, you find movie critics who have simply presumed that it'd be uncool to give `Yellow' the thorough bashing that it deserves; after all, it's an edgy Asian-American film made by an independent Asian-American filmmaker... protected territory for now.Case example: main character Sin Lee (Michael Chung). Writer/Director Lee accomplishes a monumental feat with Sin, by editing `Yellow' in such a way that Sin never appears onscreen unless he is either scowling or yelling. See Sin resenting his friends' support. Scowl. See Sin walk along the beach and brood. Scowl. (Yelling ensues.) See Sin closing up his father's shop. Scowl. See Sin urinating. Scowl. See Sin breathing. Scowl.Gee, I wonder if Sin is full of Asian-American angst. Do you think? I'm not sure. Scowl. Scowl.Just to be thorough, Lee introduces us to Sin's father, Woon Lee (Soon-tek Oh). Throughout the movie, whereas Sin simply scowls or yells, Mr. Lee scowls *and* yells. In fact, this is Woon's principal role in `Yellow': simultaneous scowling and yelling.Gee, I wonder if Woon is an Asian father with an authority complex. Do you think? I'm not sure. Scowl. Yell.If Lee's one-dimensional characters don't annoy you, his story line will. Meet Mina (Mary Chen) and Joey (John Cho), two characters that exist in this film solely for the purpose of spinning a tangential and entirely irrelevant love story into the film. You see, Lee learned in film school that every good movie must include some sort of love-related subtext, and these two characters allow him to fulfill the obligation. Mina and Joey's excruciatingly inane flirting dialogue consists of one-liner insults culminating in a kiss: `Nerd!'; `Stupidhead!'; (eyes meet); (understanding smile); (kissing ensues).But rest assured, somewhere out there, Sin is scowling while this all takes place.That neither Mina nor Joey contributes in any way whatsoever to the film's plot does not perplex me so much as Lee's insistence on the most hackneyed movie cliches to accomplish his nonsequiturs. And trust me, the flirting sequence is just the tip of the iceberg.Towards the end of the film, we find Woon Lee attempting to explain his constant scowling and yelling to Sin's girlfriend, Teri (Mia Suh), in what I am sure Lee meant to be a poignant moment. What a surprise: as Woon invokes a metaphorical story about the homeland to illustrate his point, ripped straight out of Reader's Digest, his voice quivers in that extra-special paternal way. The camera pans into an obligatory shot of Teri's trembling hands. We feel compelled to roll our eyes, except we realize that Woon's explanation makes no sense whatsoever. But lack of substance didn't stop Lee from making the movie, so why would he cut this particularly ineffective scene? After all, the world can always use another cliché.Well, you say, the movie may be painful, but at least it *must* be a technical masterpiece -- say, like, `What Dreams May Come.' Sorry, on a technical basis, `Yellow' disappoints as well. Lee's edits are awkward and disrupt what little rhythm exists in the film at all, but I'm sure Lee thought they would seem hip. To make matters worse, every frame is either underexposed or overexposed. Although the light meter was invented in 1932, somehow the newfangled technology didn't make it onto the `Yellow' set.In light of the film's utter deficiency, supporting actor Burt Bolos, who plays Sin's best friend Alex, performs relatively well. Although Bolos overacts slightly, you can't really blame him when Lee's script consists solely of scowling and yelling. Bolos' castmates, on the other hand, show no restraint in their overacting whatsoever.I have not seen a film as bad as `Yellow' in a very long time. And I truly pray that I will not see a film as bad as `Yellow' for quite some time, as well. Please do not waste see it; life is already way too short. Thank you.$LABEL$ 0 +A documentarist, like any filmmaker, must convey a compelling story. Will Pascoe fails utterly in this effort, cobbling together uninspired snippets of Chomsky's wisdom from a visit to McMaster University in Hamilton. The footage is shot amateurishly and in video. Pascoe's only effort at cohering the fragments into a whole is by periodically throwing a vague title on the screen: "9-11," "Activism," "Truth."Lame.Compare this with documentaries like "The Corporation" or "The Fog of War" which create a narrative drawing material from interviews, stock footage, and filmed footage. In the end each delivers a poignant and insightful message deftly and intelligently.The only saving graces of the film are Chomsky's nonchalantly delivered upendings of historical dogma, and the fact that the running time is only 74 minutes.One of the more interesting passages was Chomsky's recounting of his experience with National Public Radio. He describes the conservative media as more accommodating to dissenting views, while NPR's liberal dogma strait-jackets its interviewees and dramatically limits its permitted messages. Yet another media outlet to be skeptical of.This documentary is for Noam Chomsky completists only.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those movies the critics really missed the mark on. This movie is practically McHale's Navy for the 90s or Police Academy at sea. Grammer proves he can play roles other than Frasier as he outwits and outfoxes the Navy in order to get his own sub. Rob Schneider is as wormy as usual, the same in every role he plays, and Lauren Holly is the local sexpot albeit with a brain. Ken Hudson Campbell is as funny as usual with almost every line a catch phrase. The movie has a wonderful intelligent plot and a non-predictable script that still surprises me every time I watch it. Many of the Navy phrases and terms go over my head, though, but it's a small obstacle for the sheer accuracy and realism of the movie and its characters.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has great acting, great photography and a very strong story line that really makes you think about who you are, how you define yourself, how you fit in, whether you accept to play a role or break free... There already are excellent comments dealing with these aspects. I want to comment on the formal setting of the film. Basically, it's two people on a roof. There is unity of place and time, with 2 protagonists, and the radio acting as the choir. Many directors have turned Greek tragedies into film, many directors have filmed contemporary stories as if they were a Greek tragedy, but no director, in my opinion, has succeeded as admirably as Ettore Scola in approaching the purity and force of the great Greek tragedies both in story line and formal setting. A masterpiece.$LABEL$ 1 +Believe me when I say this show is just plain hilarious. The basic story is about Kintaro Oe who travels from town to town taking part time jobs, chasing women, and learning all he can about life. Kintaro has to be one of the easiest to relate to characters ever made. He takes everything to the extreme, and it's just laugh out loud funny every time. From his constant never ending quest to study life, to tiny things he instantly blows up into life or death matters.One of the funniest things about this show is simply Kintaro's constantly extremely over the top expressions and reactions. He spends a great amount of time in various super deformed modes like Dragon Half or Trigun. Other times in less then 0.1 seconds his face will turn not just serious, but manga-fighter-style life or death expressions like a weight lifter trying to benchpress a new record. It's hilarious.If that wasn't enough, the writing is superb and the english voice acting couldn't possibly be better. Kintaro's English VA is just perfect and will have you rolling around when he's not even really saying anything. The one thing to mention though is this is without a doubt an Ecchi series. It practically defines the word. If you're an adult anime fan who can get a laugh out of movies like American Pie, you'll love this.- Rirath_com$LABEL$ 1 +Awful is really all one needs to know. First think of all the things that could be bad about a movie. And then try to make a movie that is bad in all of these ways. You will have made "Vacationland." The state of Maine should feel insulted: it's much too nice a place to serve as the backdrop for such trite, mindless, boring schlock. I'm a romantic, and I always want movies about two people finding each other to succeed, and I tried hard to find the good in this one. It was tough; very tough. I couldn't find a glimmer of emotional connection among any of the characters in this exercise in humdrum dreariness. Except maybe in one or two of the bad guys.Maine IS a good vacationland; this movie is not.$LABEL$ 0 +I totally agree. This is "Pitch Black underground" and a well worn plot. The best scenes I thought were the divers exploring the caves, going through impossible subterranean passageways, some of them were heart pounding. The scenery was great. Had they dispensed with the staple "alien" toothy CGI badboys entirely the movie would have been much better. All they would have had to do is never show any monsters at all but have everyone wondering, and follow Jack's descent into madness, and this might have been a top rate hitchcock-style thriller, maybe award material. The acting isn't bad. But those rubber bats just reduce it to standard fare.$LABEL$ 0 +What has to change in today's attitude towards films like Boogie Nights is the approach. The approach is awful! Comparing it to Pulp Fiction, seeing only the pornography, and all its aspects.. come on people, there is more than that in this beautiful motion picture. And to all the sceptics, hasn't Paul Thomas Anderson proved himself worthy time and time again? Magnolia is one of the main reasons I watch American films at all and still have faith in this "Industry" that film-making is today.. And what about There Will Be Blood? That is a film that will stay in film history whether u like it or not! Yeah, you! The so-called consumer.. you know something: F#*k you! you don't deserve this, you don't deserve anything. So many artists today struggle to get recognition and it has become increasingly difficult to make serious films, even mainstream, because people just wanna see celebrities doing stupid stuff.. like that sell-out Britney spears.Anyway, this was very painful for me to say because I don't want to see this, i don't wanna believe that today all it matters is the adding up of numbers.. sales revenue and sales return.. I want to see magic, the magic that Fellini, Bergman and Kurosawa brought and created through the language of cinema.. Because thats what PTA is doing.. he is creating magic!!$LABEL$ 1 +Overall this is a delightful, light-hearted, romantic, musical comedy. I suppose a small case could be made for the movie being to long. But I'm not sure what you would cut out. The singing that Kelly and Sinatra do? No. The fabulous dancing that Kelly does? No. The time the movie takes to develop the story line and develop the relationships of the characters? No (that seems to be a common complaint many times that more recent movies don't develop the characters).Some comment that Iturbi didn't bring much to the movie but this gives us a chance to see and hear a great talent from the 1040s. So what if he wasn't an actor? He was an important part of the movie as the basic plot was to get Grayson an audition with him. Originally Katherine Grayson wanted to be an opera star. Louis B. Mayer brought her to MGM for a screen test that included an aria. During her audition in the movie there is a shot of the MGM brass nodding and smiling. You can just imagine it was like that when she had made her real screen test years before.This movie is so full of life it is hard to hit all of the highlights. Great use was made of color and lighting throughout the movie. You can see why Frank Sinatra became the star he did. A nice counter-point in the movie is how Sinatra (a ladies man even then) played the role of wanting to just find a date while on leave. You'll feel good after seeing this movie. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Some people say this show was good in it's early years! I disagree with all of 'em. The show is just plain stupid and pathetic. My mum hates it, I hate it, my dad hates it, I don't know about my sister but oh well. Here some reasons why:1. THE CHARACTERS: Babies being used as grown up style characters are stupid. The babies are just precocious and annoying. The grown ups and adults are dumb and unappealing. The worst character is that Angelica Pickles (she really does it in for your ear drums when you had a long, hard and miserable day at the office) and also that Kimi Finster who appears later on; she is too over optimistic and a pain in the butt. She can't decided whither she is French or Japanese: it doesn't matter know; you are a American Citizen know and that's that! Oh, what am I talking about, all the characters from this show suck!2. THE STORIES: The stories are unoriginal and dumb. The make it like the babies go off on a great adventure, yeah to the back yard shed. In one episode, that little goofy brat, Tommy Pickles the Leader broke in to a television's control room and literally almost destroyed it. Don't give kids any idea to smash up normal T.V Station's control rooms (they pay a awful lot of money for them in real life). I can imagine what the broadcasters must of felt like airing this episode, they will probably start staring at their machines throughout the day scared that a baby will brake in. Sad!3. OVER RATED!: The show has been dragging on for years now and people are still making up stories and new series and spin-offs for this. Get off! The Simpsons have been going for nearly the same amount of time as this but they are much better and funnier than babies. The show is just plain over rated! People, where is your common sense!Anyway, I surprised T.V Stations across the world want to air this series even off today. The show is utter junk and should have never been produced. The two movies for this cartoons sucked just the same! 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed this movie. More than I expected. It has enough action, intrigue and locations to make it worth your while. While I can't quite yet see Mark Wahlberg as a leader, he's gotten good enough to be a credible manager and that's OK.The superhero of the movie is the Mini Cooper. It's shown to have the speed, dexterity and muscle to pull off any job. And to handle a maniac driver like Charlize Theron's character.$LABEL$ 1 +It is difficult to imagine how the engaging Dan Brown novel "Angels and Demons" could misfire as badly as this film version. Here are ten reasons why the film was a failure. Due to the spoilers, please do no read on unless you have already seen the film.(1) In the film, there was no love relationship between Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra. Worse still, there was not even any chemistry between the two leading actors. (2) The breathtaking locations in Rome, as described in the novel, were not realized visually in the film. I am aware that director Ron Howard encountered difficulties in filming on location. But there are superior photographed depictions of Rome on The History Channel than in this film where the Eternal City was presented in eternal stock film footage. The great art works described in the novel were only briefly depicted in the film. The magnificent Bernini sculpture of the "Ecstasy of St. Teresa" was only momentarily glimpsed, and the West Ponente relief in Vatican Square was not visible at all.(3) The most tasteless choice made by the film-maker was in the depiction of the deceased pope who actually resembled the beloved John Paul II. In the novel, the pope is clearly fictional with no resemblance to any real pope.(4) One of the most colorful (and important) characters of the novel, Maximilian Kohler, Director of CERN, was cut out of the screenplay.(5) There were numerous instances when the lines of dialog were inaudible due to extraneous background noise.(6) There were moments when the faces of characters were not visible due to the shadows and chiaroscuro film lighting. This technique worked in "The Godfather" films, but Ron Howard is no Gordon Willis.(7) The College of Cardinals was quite a motley crew with one of the electors speaking in a Southern drawl. This dude would have been more at home on a Texas ranch than in the Sistine Chapel.(8) The crucial relationship of the Camerlengo and the deceased Pope was not defined in the film. This relationship was central to the theme of science vs. religion and the relevance of the Illuminati to the plot against the church.(9) In the novel, the character of Hassassin was an unforgettable villain. In the film, that assassin character's role was a cardboard cutout villain. (10) As a whole, the filmmakers did not trust the workings of the successful novel.In the novel, Langdon makes an impossible fall out of the sky and into the Tiber River. In Ron Howard's film, it was the movie itself that landed in the Tiber.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was advertised as a comedy but was far more serious than the trailers made it out to be. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but was expecting more laughs. Great performances from Robin Williams and Laura Linney. Worth seeing, but don't go expecting to be rolling on the floor. The movie left me wondering what it would be like if Robin Williams character was a real person that was running for president. Would we elect a comedian? I doubt it, unfortunately. That kind of stark honesty is something greatly lacking today. This is a movie that I will be adding to my DVD library as soon as it comes out on DVD. The movie has heart.$LABEL$ 1 +In Everything Is Illuminated, Elijah Wood plays Jonathan Foer, a Jewish American who is looking for the woman who saved his grandfather during WWII. In a sense, the woman that saved his entire family.This is a heart-felt tale about someone who is on a seemingly hopeless journey. A stranger in a strange land so to speak. Jonathan is not entirely prepared for this adventure, he sticks out like a sore thumb in the Ukraine (he would probably stick out like a sore thumb anywhere). But what he discovers is more, much more than he anticipated. This movie will make you laugh and will make you cry. Elijah Wood is really good in this film, based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.From someone I talked to, this movie is somewhat different from the book. A book I gather is really good. Nevertheless, this is a good movie, it has something for everyone and I really enjoyed it. Can someone say Oscar?$LABEL$ 1 +I really think that people are taking the wrong approach at this one. First of all, I find this short-film very entertaining and interesting. I just take it for what it is. I think the suspense and mystery are ingenious in their insinuation upon the watcher. One other thing that caught my fancy was that it immediately gets the viewer involved even though there is no clear story, just hints and pauses and emotions played out by the characters that kind of give you the impression that there is a story to all that is going on. No-one else could have done that better than Lynch. This is the essence of lynchianism at its best. Sure, I will agree with anyone that people that start viewing this with the desire to be entertained without any really imaginative work from the viewer's side, will find themselves disappointed. And in good right. Lynch is not about that. At least this side of Lynch is not. The one that helped make Lost Highway/Mulholland Dr. is at full tilt here and people that just expect to be entertained like they would watching anything else, will just not get what this is all about. My opinion is that Darkened Room is all about messing with your animal-core, your instinctual self, by giving you the means (image, sound, situation) by which you instinctively react. It's not about pleasure of any kind, it's about getting the desired reaction out of you. And, that, my friend, is pure art.$LABEL$ 1 +You will be able to tell within the first 30 seconds of this film whether you want to finish watching it. The film opens with images of planes landing at an airport, one plane after another diving into a mirage-filled runway. You will be able to accurately guess that this movie is not about a "story." At first viewing, it's even easy to think the opening images are repetitive shots of the same plane. The initial drama is in the acuteness of your perception, which is built on your willingness to experience the film simply as a series of images. If after this opening, you want to see the movie, you will not be bored. You may even be mesmerized. The movie may be an emotional experience; it may be an intellectual experience; it may be both. Judging from the DVD commentary, which is essential, it was primarily an emotional experience for Herzog, and, at one point, he talks explicitly about how the film is a collaboration between filmmaker and viewer. There's plenty of room for the viewer to make of this film exactly what he or she wants to make of it. Take a gamble?$LABEL$ 1 +The last person who dies before New Years, is cursed to drive the Phantom Carriage for a whole year, picking up the souls of the dead.I saw a scene from this old silent Swedish horror film on Youtube, and decided to track down the whole movie. It was well worth the work finding it, because it's an absolutely amazing movie for the time it was made. It has a wonderfully eerie atmosphere. The old time horror film makers really knew how to create the perfect atmosphere. Sadly, many of today's film makers don't seem to understand how important setting and atmosphere are, and go for the cheap jump scares. The visual effects are excellent, considering its date of production. If you can find a copy of this, I highly recommend giving it a watch. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +The actors in this dark film are truly believable and well cast. The quality of the camera work makes you feel as if you are there The screenplay is intense and does not wander. The plot is one that makes you want to watch it a second time from the new perspective gained by the ending. We showed this film to a small group of patrons at Gadsden's Center for Cultural Arts. After the film, ever patron was eager to discuss the film and one person called me the next day to say that they were still "bothered". While we put an 18 and up age restriction on the film, I would watch the film with a youth group as it is a very real portrayal of an ugly situation and sets the stage for great conversation.$LABEL$ 1 +I acquired this film a couple of years ago and on trying to find some info about it I found that even the mighty IMDb didn't have it listed. That should have been all I needed to know.With Friends Like These is an anthology that plays like a collection of second rate Twilight Zone / Outer Limits episodes all linked together by a bus journey that never really seems to tie in with the rest of the film. Of the three stories, the only one that I gleaned any entertainment value from was the second episode in which a man (of sorts) grows out of the bacteria in a guys fridge. This episode wins points for a few spots of humour and it's bizarre premise. Other than that there is an episode with a talking car (bland and directionless) and an episode where a girl visits a very unique dating agency (my dog guessed the ending of this one).As has been mentioned in other comments, the 18 rating is entirely unwarranted. There is nothing to offend here. If you're after a good horror anthology check out Asylum or the Creepshow films instead.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is amazing. It is funny, sexy, violent and sick, but it all holds together for a brilliant Troma rendition of Romeo and Juliet. If you don't mind being grossed out a bit (ok a lot, but it's funny grossed out), see this movie. It's worth it!There's not one level on which it doesn't deliver. I've seen it thrice now, and it is still amazing. I recommend it. Go! Get it!$LABEL$ 1 +Walking the tightrope between comedy and drama is one of the toughest acts in cinema. How do you get laughs out of other people's misery and not start feeling bad when it goes on too long?Well, this surprising little gem of a movie will deliver great big laughs, beautiful scenery, and quite a good buzz as well. I particularly like the concept that a trick of history made alcohol legal since white Europeans liked it, and marijuana illegal, since 'those other races' used it...undoubtedly true and exposes a racial side to the marijuana laws so openly flaunted by populations all over the world.An extraordinary "DVD Extra" commentary...two of them in fact...run thru the whole movie with both the actors, and then again with the writers. I kept seeing things I was sure were not in the first movie, but then realizing how easy it is to miss much of the subtle comedy on the first take. What a hoot! Don't miss it! 9/10 stars$LABEL$ 1 +There were a lot of things going against this movie for me before I watched it.First, I was a typical high school senior, in a Shakespeare class I didn't really even like, much less understood half of! Shakespeare would be no more than UNINTELLIGIBLE without me pouring ALL my concentration into his almost encrypted plays... encrypted with his extremely difficult to understand language.... and then I still wouldn't get most of it.Second, it was 4 hours long! I never thought that could be a good thing.Well let me tell you something. This movie was so masterful, so beautiful, I actually understood all the language as it was being performed. Now, the script was followed to the letter in this movie, the same script that was incomprehensible to me in Shakespeare class. And here I was my mind opening and me understanding it. I was doubting myself while watching the movie almost! But lo and behold... when performed, and only then, Shakespeare comes to life. So this version of Hamlet showed me that Shakespeare is indeed a master, who wrote great stories. When I saw it on the big screen, especially in the high budget major motion picture style (with beautiful cinematography and photography), and acted amazingly by Brannagh and cast, somehow.... I understood what was going on. What was being said. The language is awesome and passionate. It allows for more raw emotion... when words can't describe something, maybe Shakespeare's words can.I still hold to this day that Fist of The North Star (animated, english dub) is the greatest movie ever made. No movie provides more sheer entertainment. But for a movie to come close to dethroning Fist from that position (which Hamlet did -- it came close) is truly amazing.... awe inspiring. It wasn't a movie. It was an event.Even more amazing, it made me appreciate shakespeare. Wow. Powerful. Powerful is the word. One of the rare, TRULY powerful movies out there.This gets 2 hundred trillion stars out of infinity stars. Yes yes.By the way, all you kids out there in a Shakespeare class... forget it. You're wasting you're time. You have to see the plays performed. Only then will justice be done to them.$LABEL$ 1 +This complete mess of a movie was directed by Bill Rebane, the man partly responsible for the truly infamous anti-classic Monster a-Go Go. As I was nearing the end of The Cold I came to the unbelievable conclusion that this film was in fact even worse than that 60's shocker. The story – such as it is – is about three eccentric millionaires who invite a group of people to their remote mansion to play a series of macabre games. Whoever manages to last the pace and survive to the end will win $1,000,000. It's a very simple plot but Rebane still somehow manages to make proceedings verge on incomprehensible. Things happen. Characters are completely forgotten about. Nothing makes too much sense. And then it ends. Weirdly. I mean what the hell was that ending all about exactly? I guess you are left to draw your own conclusions. Production values and acting are without question of a pornographic movie standard. In truth Pamela Rohleder (Shelly) isn't even that good. She is so unbelievably terrible she's compelling. Sadly the same thing cannot be said about this crap-fest as a whole, it's just a bargain basement rotter.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was probably the biggest waste of my life ever. The acting was pathetic. Jordan Hinson could not show any upset emotions. At the beginning of the movie, she was supposed to be discouraged. Instead, she bobbed her head with her bottom lip stuck out. She sobbed pitifully without any tears for the crying scene. I was almost angry that out of all girls who wanted to be actresses, they had to pluck out her. Everyone else was suffering from over-acting as well. It was flat out annoying. It was also an insult to figure skaters. Jordan took a month to train, and they cast her as a person who makes the Olympic team. It's practically spitting on the effort real figure skaters put into their work. A pitiful excuse for a movie, and a pitiful attempt to associate hockey and skating. Don't waste your life. It doesn't even deserve one star.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this movie twice and it's theme is an invigorating one. I have been into computers for many years now and this movie inspired me in a technologically sense as does a fresh love which stoked the furnace of my poetic passion in the heat of infatuation. Very original idea,great allurement in the way it holds you as it tells it's story to minds that need a release from the every day realities of this life.$LABEL$ 1 +Hollow Man starts as brilliant but flawed scientist Dr. Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) finally works out how to make things visible again after having been turned invisible by his own serum. They test the serum on an already invisible Gorilla & it works perfectly, Caine & his team of assistant's celebrate but while he should report the breakthrough to his military backers Caine wants to be the first invisible human. He manages to persuade his team to help him & the procedure works well & Caine becomes invisible, however when they try to bring him back the serum fails & he remain invisible. The team desperately search for an antidote but nothing works, Caine slowly starts to lose his grip on reality as he realises what power he has but is unable to use it being trapped in a laboratory. But then again he's invisible right, he can do anything he wants...Directed by Paul Verhoeven I rather liked Hollow Man. You know it's just after Christmas, I saw this a few hours ago on late night/early morning cable TV & worst of all I feel sick, not because of the film but because of the chocolates & fizzy pop I've had over the past week so I'll keep this one brief. The script by Andrew W. Marlowe has a decent pace about but it does drag a little during the middle & has a good central premise, it takes he basic idea that being invisible will make you insane just like in the original The Invisible Man (1933) film which Hollow Man obviously owes a fair bit. It manages to have a petty successful blend of horror, sci-fi & action & provide good entertainment value for 110 odd minutes. I thought the character's were OK, I thought some of the ideas in the film were good although I think it's generally known that Verhoeven doesn't deal in subtlety, the first thing he has the invisible Caine do is sexually molest one of his team & then when he gets into the outside world he has Caine rape a woman with the justification 'who's going to know' that Caine says to himself. Then of course there's the gore, he shows a rat being torn apart & that's just the opening scene after the credits, to be fair to him the violence is a bit more sparse this time around but still has a quite nasty & sadistic tone about it. Having said that I love horror/gore/exploitation films so Hollow Man delivers for me, it's just that it might not be everyone's cup of tea.Director Verhoeven does a great job, or should that be the special effects boys make him look good. The special effects in Hollow Man really are spectacular & more-or-less flawless, their brilliant & it's as simple & straight forward as that. There's some good horror & action set-pieces here as well even if the climatic fight is a little over-the-top. I love the effect where Kevin Bacon disappears one layer at a time complete with veins, organs & bones on full show or when the reverse happens with the Gorilla. There's a few gory moments including a rat being eaten, someone is impaled on a spike & someone has their head busted open with blood splattering results.With a staggering budget of about $95,000,000 Hollow Man is technically faultless, I can imagine the interviews on the DVD where some special effects boffin says they mapped Bacon's entire body out right down to he last vein which they actually did because you know everyone watching would notice if one of his veins were missing or in the wrong position wouldn't they? The acting was OK, Bacon made for a good mad scientist anti-hero type guy.Hollow Man is one of hose big budget Hollwood extravaganzas where the effects & action take center stage over any sort of meaningful story or character's but to be brutally honest sometimes we all like that in a film, well I know I do. Good solid big budget entertainment with a slightly nastier & darker streak than the usual Hollywood product, definitely worth a watch.$LABEL$ 1 +A tedious mixture of puerile efforts at humour with romantic relationship melodrama fails to provide this weakly made film with any flavour of reality. As action opens, Reno (A.J. Buckley) enters his apartment, there discovering his girlfriend in flagrante delicto with his roommate, who gloatingly tells Reno "Well, at least it's with someone you know", resulting in Reno's decision to never have another roommate, this decision told to viewers by means of a soon abandoned voice-over. The storyline then proceeds ten months where we find that Reno is indeed true to his word concerning avoidance of roommates, although this appears to beg the question due to his garnering of a live-in lover, Holly (Holly Fields), with whom he has generated marital plans. The plot briefly shifts to a sleazy Hollywood strip club, wherein Reno's Uncle Charley, enamoured of a "dancer" whom he finds eminently desirable, keels over dead atop the club's bar after seeing the unadorned charms displayed by the object of his affections. It is apparent that Charley had been aware of the flawed condition of his heart, because he created a video tape during which his commentary bequeaths his large (and mortgaged) residence in Hollywood to Reno, and we see the latter deciding to, contrary to his vow, interview applicants for two roommates as tenants, with he and Holly sharing the selection process in an organized manner. Following an inane sequence involving bizarre renter candidates, all of whom Reno and Holly unsurprisingly find unsuitable for living along with them in their house they, unknown to each other, each select a renter of the opposite sex, with the lovers manifestly cool toward the choice of their partner. The newcomers (Chad and Nicole) would seem to have little discernible point to their existence other than highly aural fornication with a broad range of partners, and it is not long before jealousy mars the harmonic relationship of Reno and Holly. Reno is bent upon patenting and merchandising a type of sporting travel bag and, as he has given an engagement ring to Holly, the potential success of this entrepreneurial adventure is of great financial significance if he intends to advance his marital plan. Unfortunately, the rapacious team of Chad and Nicole, whose every action is ostensibly laced with lust, is likely to disrupt any future wedding intentions of Reno. Direction is slack, plainly far from fulfilling basic needs of the players, although an erratically composed script provides scant material with which actors may work, and ad libbing falls embarrassingly flat. As a result, the performances are undistinguished, not aided by spotty editing, while the manner of camera-work changes as abruptly and often as a firefly's tail light. Filmed with a low budget and on location, only a modicum of skill is required for the designing processes, but a larger measure of value might have been placed upon the tasteless D.J. background soundtrack, generally blaring and nearly always invasive. A good deal of discussion has been stimulated by the movie's final sequences that are apparently not expected by a viewer based upon what has come before, but in reality these comprise probably the only thoughtful portions of a poorly cobbled screenplay, and bids fair to make the work almost watchable, despite the shabby quality of the production as a whole.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a thoroughly diabolical tale of just how bad things can go wrong. A simple robbery. Pick up some serious change. Get our finances together and everything will be hunky-dory. But—mom and pop's jewelry store? No problem. Insurance pays for it all. No guns. Nobody gets hurt. Easy money.Older, more successful (it would appear) brother Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has a few minor problems. Heroin addiction, cocaine habituation. A wife (Marisa Tomei) that…well, he can't seem to perform for. His flat belly days long gone. Younger, sweet, slightly dim-witted younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) with a few dinero problems of his own. Behind in child support payments for his daughter, in debt to friends and relatives, not exactly wowing them in the work of work, etc.Sydney Lumet, in this performance at the age of 82 (!), directs and gets it 99.99 percent right, which is hard to do in a thriller. I have seen more thrillers than I can remember and most of the time the director gets the movie printed and lives with the plot holes, the improbabilities, the cheesy scenes, and the hurry-up ending. Here Lumet makes a thriller like it's a work of art. Every detail is perfect. The acting is superb. The plot has no holes. The story rings true and clear and represents a tale about human frailty that would honor the greatest filmmakers and even the Bard himself.Hoffman of course is excellent. When you don't have marquee, leading man presence, you have to get by on talent, workmanship and pure concentration. Ethan Hawke, who is no stranger to the sweet, little guy role, adds a layer of desperation and all too human incompetence to the part so that we don't know whether to pity him or trash him. Albert Finney plays the father of the wayward sons with a kind of steely intensity that belies his age. And Marisa Tomei, who has magical qualities of sexiness to go along with her unique creativity, manages to be both vulnerable and hard as nails as Andy's two timing wife. (But who could blame her?) It's almost a movie reviewer's sacrilege to give a commercial thriller five or ten stars, but if you study this film, as all aspiring film makers would be well advised to do, you will notice the kind of excessive (according to most Hollywood producers) attention to detail that makes for real art--the sort of thing that only great artists can do, and indeed cannot help but do. (By the way, I think there were twenty producers on this film—well, maybe a dozen; check the credits.) All I can say in summation is, Way to go Sydney Lumet, author of a slew of excellent films, and to show such fidelity to your craft and your art at such an advanced age—kudos. May we all do half so well.Okay, the 00.01 percent. It was unlikely that the father (Albert Finney) could have followed the cabs that Andy took around New York without somehow losing the tail. This is minor, and I wish all thrillers could have so small a blip. Also one wonders why Lumet decided not to tell us about the fate of Hank at the end. We can guess and guess. Perhaps his fate fell onto the cutting room floor. Perhaps Lumet was not satisfied with what was filmed and time ran out, and he just said, "Leave it like that. It really doesn't matter." And I think it doesn't. What happens to Hank is not going to be good. He isn't the kind of guy who manages to run off to Mexico and is able to start a new life. He is the kind of guy who gets a "light" sentence of 10 to 20 and serves it and comes out a kind of shrunken human being who knows he wasn't really a man when he should have been.See this for Sidney Lumet, one of Hollywood's best, director of The Pawnbroker (1964), The Group (1966), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976), and many more.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't really expect much from "The Night Listener" and I actually never heard of it until I saw the cover in the videostore. However, the movie is very effective when it comes to building up suspension and tension. On occasion it drags a little, but it actually helps to keep you wondering what's going to happen and more importantly: when. As the movie progresses, the character played by Robin Williams gets dragged into some kind of "cat and mouse" spiel to the point where he becomes obsessed with finding out the truth and existence about a 14 year old abused kid that no-one seemed to have ever seen in person. The Night Listener is an interesting story, which is great in building up the suspense throughout the movie and you're pretty much kept in the dark of who is lying and what's real. However, in the end it kind of disappoints and doesn't live up to the potential it could have had. It doesn't really give you a detailed or plausible explanation about the other main character, which would have been helpful and interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a perfect movie to watch with a loved one on a cold and snowy night. If you like a few laughs with your horror then this is the movie for you. The makings of a real cult classic. It has everything you would want to see in a horror movie. A beautiful girl, A hero, The buffoon, A MONSTER TRUCK and of course a family of mutant satanic killers. This one is full of blood,guts and gore. I strongly recommend watching this one in the wee early morning hours, and be careful of who sees you being entertained by the sounds of Monster trucks, Bad {But Funny } One liners and our Hero eating eye ball stew. Not as good as the Evil Dead but a close second. Just remember WARNING..... Do NOT EAT BEFORE VIEWING THIS FILM...$LABEL$ 1 +Your time and brains will be much better spent reading or listening to Charlie Wilson's War. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, plays the most enjoyable character in the movie, Gust, the Greek, and he plays him as a eunuch. Gust, in the book, is hard core and completely free to speak his mind. In the movie, he's not even shown as being equally important to Charlie. And poor Charlie is never shown donating blood (which he did every time he visited the camps in Pakistan). In short, the movie is too bland, and the history is too old for our modern time. We don't really care about the end of the cold war and the defeat of the Soviet Union (which happened in spite of Reagan, not as a result of) by a well financed group of people who were extremely willing to fight. Not quite the lesson we need to be hearing and seeing considering how well the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going. (As I read the book, I kept getting that deja vu feeling, except it was present day).$LABEL$ 0 +I ended up watching The Tenants with my close friends who rented the movie solely based on Snoop Dogg's appearance (a passionate fetish of theirs) on the cover. Understandably, I did not expect much. I thought the movie would include the typical array of Snoop Dogg related behavior and imagery often seen in cliché rap videos. However, my generalization was for the most part wrong. Unfortunately, this didn't make the movie any better.Most would describe the movie as a dark serious drama, whereas I would describe it as a dark seriously drawn out boring drama flick. The film tells a story of two struggling writers (Dylan McDermott and Snoop Dogg) who are trying to create their own separate masterpieces. Their polar opposite lifestyles end up forming an unlikely but highly complex and neurotic friendship. This friendship moves throughout the entire movie like a wild roller-coaster - most of which is contributed by Snoop's character - reminiscent of someone with a severe case of split personality disorder. And although the movie is a drama, the acting - which has a morbid and serious tone - from Snoop and company was more comical than anything else.I wouldn't recommend this movie for those who are attention impaired because this one has a lot of dialogue and a lot more dialogue after that. There are some mediocre conflicts, but even they are mostly bogged down with more dialogue. The end, however, jumped at me with a sudden surprise. It was a little bit twisted, somewhat unexpected and a perfect way to wrap up a movie that needed to end. While watching the ending credits I couldn't help but picture the director thinking, "Oh God, how the hell do I end this snoozer." By the way, the director laid out carefully planted hints and subtleties leading to the climax - all of which are more visible than Waldo in a crowded street of midgets wearing nothing but black sweaters.$LABEL$ 0 +If this could be rated a 0, it would be. From the atrocious wooden acting to the dull, plodding pace, the puerile exploitation angle and the sophomoric pseudolesbian titillation added purely for the sake of the sad viewers, this is a disaster of a film.The plot is predictable, as from the beginning one is absolutely certain of what will happen to all of the characters and how the plot will commence. From a boring, unexceptional beginning to a pathetic and bleak ending, every single presence in this film is wasted, and every meagre scrap of talent dug up for this turkey is squandered.If you want to watch something as relentlessly bleak with plenty of the same childish titillation, watch one of the Ilsa films. At least they're unapologetic and up-front about what they're trying to do. How something this horrendously bad ever managed to be rated above a 5 is a miracle of how people with no taste or discerning standards can sometimes come together for the most dubious of purposes.It's not scary, it's not interesting, and above all it's not arousing in any sense of the word. It is, in my opinion, a crime; it is a crime that such a horribly offensive and incompetent piece of trash was ever conceived of and given the resources to come into existence, and even more a tragedy that it is still defended by some woefully misguided viewers.Not even Elvira's cheerful personality and joking ways could soften the blow that this horrifying travesty of film is. Avoid it at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +As perhaps one of the few Canadians who did not read the book in high school, I thought I would add my comments. Seeing the movie without knowing the story beforehand in no way detracted from the film. The characters have so many complexities, everyone can relate to them in their own way. The brilliance of the adaptation is that everyone is allowed to project their own perceptions onto the lives of the characters, rather than being spoon-fed an opinion. You can love them or dislike them, and still feel the emotional impact of the movie. Wonderful performances by Ellen Burstyn and Christine Horne really bring the characters to life. I'd highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +Before Sunrise has many remarkable things going on, almost too many to fit into one review like this, but it's suffice to say that it's one of the most observant character studies of the nineties, maybe even in all of contemporary cinema, to be observant not about love, per-say, so much as it's about a human connection. How does one fall in love at first sight? No one does, at least that's deep down the consensus that Linklater wants to show with his film. And *yet* there is the possibility of as intense a connection, of a bond that can form in those that are young and with many ideas that can be expressed articulately and with a breadth of cynicism and is somehow very tender and true at the same time. Linklater here gives us the story of Celine and Jessie, a French girl and an American boy who get off the same train heading to Vienna, and on the way there start to talking about things, at first arbitrary, then personal (Jessie seeing death for the first time in his great grandfather). Jessie persuades Celine to go along with him on a night out on the 'town', in Vienna, until his plane the next morning.Before Sunrise gives Jessie and Celine, in the midst of the gorgeous Vienna scenery and locales to go on and on about subjects that have a lot of importance, and in a sense is about the act of having conversations, of what it's like to watch people having one leading into another and another. Here it's often about relationships and commitments, as Jessie and Celine tell stories sometimes somewhat inconsequential, or seemingly so, and another that may tell a lot about their essential qualities. We hear confessions of desires for other loves, or what weren't really loves, of being part of a family or part of an upbringing that may or may not inform how you'll love your life, of what it means to believe or not believe in some religious form, or just to have some connection to any faith and the soul (I loved the bit about the quakers in the church), and sometimes laced with cynicism or skepticism. Jessie may be more responsible for that last part, but what's fascinating about the film is that it's never exactly cynical itself, just commenting upon cynicism that lays in the concerns of men and women at that age of their lives.Meanwhile, it's always great to see Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in these roles, where they're not incessantly annoying in that 90s Generation-X mode, but are the kinds of people where if not in the central conceit of the film, which isn't a bad one at all but a necessary one, one might think to find walking along the streets of a city somewhere. The conceit is that of an old romantic picture ala Brief Encounter, only here intimacy is expressed in the central characters either between each other, where sweet asides are actually acceptable ("I have to tell you a secret", Jessie says, and then leans in for a kiss, ho-ho), or in the little moments that pop up with other people along the way. I loved the scene with the poet, where it's very cinematic a thing to suddenly find a random romantic bit player in the midst of a romantic picture with such beautiful words at his disposal, or with the palm reader and how the reactions from Jessie and Celine are that we might share, but really are seeing them do it first-hand. All the while Hawke and Delpy embody the roles interestingly- we can see how neuroses are being formed already for their adult lives- as it may lead off into the future...Featuring splendid cinematography and a script with an ear for natural wit and a true sense of what it means to have a moment of happiness, however self-contained, as it may lead into something more. Who's to say you can't suddenly be attached to someone, if only for less than 24 hours, and be that much more attached than a married couple? This is perhaps Linklater's thesis, but there's more to it than just that. It's a very dense film, and one that will have me calling back to it repeatedly. One scene especially, which is both cheesy and brilliant is when the two of them are talking 'on the phone' in front of each other mimicking their expositions might go to the other's friend. A+$LABEL$ 1 +The storyline of The Milkwoman is a simple one of unrequited love that despite the passing of decades still remains strong. Now 50 years old, Minako Obha (Yuko Tanaka) lives alone and works two jobs – one as a checkout clerk in a supermarket, the other as a milklady, doing her daily round on the hills of Nagasaki. One of her stops is at the house of Kaita Takanashi (Ittoku Kishibe), a government official who tends to his terminally ill wife Yoko (Akiko Nishina). Minako and Kaita used to see each other as school children, but after the death of Minako's mother and Kaita's father, who it seems were having an affair together, their own relationship was destroyed. Lying in her sick bed, Yoko knows however that her husband's feelings for the milklady aren't completely gone and, for the sake of Kaita after she has died, she attempts to engineer a means of bringing them back together.While the story might be simple, the emotions it deals with and the means by which it expresses them is really where the heart and beauty of the film lie. The film takes its time to show the simple daily routines of each of the characters, their actions being recorded by an old lady who is writing their story for a book while looking after her own husband who is showing signs of dementia. In the process it depicts the social circumstances of people from different ways of life, how they interact with each other on a daily basis, how relationships form, and how past and present can collide. The director handles this marvellously with a strong structure and visual style. It's only later in the film that the story starts to follow a more conventional and inevitably melodramatic path, as if it is indeed being constructed to fit the narrative structure of the book that is being written. It's all validated by the emotional depths the film touches, represented most effectively in the exceptional performance of Yuko Tanaka.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a good example of how through media manipulation you can sell a film that is no more than a very unfunny TV sitcom. In Puerto Rico the daily newspaper with the widest circulation has continuously written about the marvels of this film, almost silencing all others. Coincidentally the newspaper with the second largest circulation belongs to the same owners. The weekly CLARIDAD is the only newspaper on the island that has analyzed the film's form and content, and pointed out all its flaws, clichés, and bad writing.Just because a film makes a portion of the audience laugh with easy and obvious jokes, and because one can recognize actors and scenery, does not make it an acceptable film.$LABEL$ 0 +They did it again: ripped off an old show's title, then destroyed the nostalgia with boring "re-imagined" stuff. The '60's cartoon was one of the funniest of its time, a good-natured satire of super hero comic books. The character was drawn as 1/2 way between animal and human, the way Mickey Mouse is. Here they use a real beagle; that's about the same as making a Mickey Mouse watch with a real rat. Most of the clever schtick that made the original show funny is missing from this film. Instead, we get a clumsy ex-police dog who's even dumber than Cad. And some pet owners who add nothing to the story. Cheesy effects (the dog-talking animation is embarrassing). Poor scripting. A stereotyped dwarf playing Simon Bar Sinister. The gravelly noise box guy they hired to voice Underdog is painful. You'd think they'd at least gotten a voice impressionist to approximate Wally Cox's humorously distinctive voice for Underdog. But no. There are, at least, a few affectionate references to the source material (such as the rhyming lines), which lift it to a 4. Only small children that love dogs may enjoy this. Everybody else should get a DVD of the original cartoon series. Watch this only in desperation.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one the few movies I can watch over and over. If you've never seen it, give it a shot. Richard Dreyfus and Raoul Julia are wonderful together and although the movie amuses me greatly, it reminds me of Julia's untimely demise. It is a good opportunity to sit back and laugh at the international intrigue that is too much with us in these time of terror and fear.$LABEL$ 1 +After reading more than my fair share of reviews for a vast number of different movies I have noticed a certain trend, people judge to harshly on what the expected to see. I figure if you go into a movie open-minded not expecting anything certain than you will have better feelings towards it then if you try and watch but have pre-created standards you want it to reach.Since I try not to be hypocritical I watched this movie with a very clean slate and open-mind, and was very much pleased. Since it is not a mainstream title or award winning for that matter I did not know quite what to expect, but in all truth I enjoyed it a good deal more than Ninja Scroll. Lovely animation, deep story, and the always joyful ninja hack-n-slashing combined extremely well to one of my personal favorite animes ever made.I am not promising that you will enjoy it, but just give it a chance and you may come out with a pleasant surprise.- "Before speaking, be sure of what you will say will be more beautiful than the silence" - Chinese proverb$LABEL$ 1 +Alan Rudolph is a so-so director, without that special touch. As an example, there was one shot in The Secret Lives of Dentists in the dental office which could have expressed the entire relationship between the husband and wife. Rudolph squandered it. The camera is in the hallway looking through the doorways of the two dental offices, with Dana and Dave each alone in their respective rooms. You get the idea of their desolation and isolation, but not much more. The lighting, the colors, the body language, the facial expressions could all have been vastly improved upon. If I were directing, I would have spent all day, if necessary, to get that shot right. That's the beauty and power of film: it can express so much, whole lives, in a matter of secondsThe shot with the toddler stepping in the puddle of puke could have been improved on. The child should have shown more fascination with the puddle, should have stomped and shuffled her feet, should have had her head bent down to look at the puddle with all her attention. Campbell didn't deliver. He plays a uncommunicative man, true, but instead of conveying his inner turmoil in voice, gesture, body movement, the film relies on voice-over narration and dialogue with his imaginary macho alter-ego, played by Denis Leary.$LABEL$ 0 +I played Sam (the porter, Lou's sidekick) in the Film "Dead Rail" Which later aired as "Alien Express." And, I have to say that for my part I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. As a struggling actor this was a chance for me to work with fantastic people, it gave me great scenes to include on my reel, and it allowed me to work on a dream job for a month and a half (no waiting tables!) Turi(the director) And Steve and Scott (the producers) Were very kind by giving me this opportunity to participate in the production. I made many friends (Lou, Todd, Steven) and I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to work with these incredibly talented people. There was not a day that went by that I did not laugh my butt off. The real tragedy isn't so much the special effects, it's that every single person who watched this film didn't get to see what happened behind the scenes and all the talent that truly went into it. Craftsmen building the set, prop masters, gaffers,wardrobe, makeup artists, script supervisors, the cinematographer, production assistants, extras, craft services, producers, director, and actors. It's a given that Sci fi didn't spend a terrible amount of money on the film (2 million) But There was a lot of time, energy, and man power that was instilled into it. I look on the film now as a production that brought a lot of talented people together for a fun project that was shot without complications in less than two months. It was a magnificent cast and crew and I'm just so glad to be apart of it! On a further note to those of you who don't know Lou Diamond Phillips, Todd Bridges, and Steven Brand. They are fantastic people who are incredibly funny. Lou I still am working on my Deniro impression and can't thank you enough for introducing me to "midnight Run." Todd, every time I hear an Elvis song I can't forget the story you told me about hanging out with him at his house for dinner. "Can you please pass me the pa tators?" (IM A HUGE ELVIS FAN!) Steven, "Mr. Brand!" You are a true gent and all the advice and encouragement I received from you will always be appreciated. I miss you guys and hope you are well. Thanks for the good memories, stories, jokes,and friendship. Oh and miss Utah says hello! wink wink.joe-$LABEL$ 1 +Now don't get me wrong, i love a good film and after watching The Thin Red Line (and loving it) I was eager to track down Terrence Malicks two earlier films, and, having just watched Days of Heaven, my enthusiasm to see Badlands has virtually disappeared.I have noted much rave about the beautiful photography, but i saw this film on a terribly old vhs tape which made it look pretty awful. All i can say is i hope the photography was superb, because it would have been one of the only things of interest in this film. Not since the Replacement Killers have i fallen asleep during a film. This film felt so long (and it wasn't!), the editing was choppy and disjointed, the storyline non-existent, the voice over was an incoherent ramble, the characters weakly developed, and the whole thing was uninvolving. I know that Malick was uncertain of how to do the film. He consequently shot a heck of a lot of footage then spent around two years editing in an attempt to piece it all together. This is very apparent on screen. Everything looks chopped up, every time a scene seemed to gain some momentum (or some character development) it would obtrusively cut to boring scenes of people doing boring things. It was as if someone had tried to cut together a story out of stock footage of people farming. The few good points are the music and the chase scene near the end, but those things are no where near enough to maintain interest. I would normally let a bad film pass by without being too vocal but when it is so highly over-rated something must be said.Maybe a farmer would like it...?$LABEL$ 0 +On a scale of 1-10 "Suicidal Sweetheart" got an 11 from me and from everyone else at this showing. The picture was incredibly funny. I told my wife "It's obvious that this man walks on water but across a bed of fire, that's a bit much." This is one of the very best blends of comedy, satire and uses of innuendo I have seen since Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein". I can't believe this picture was not picked up by a major studio.This "Film Festival" audience was sophisticated and was able to pick up on every comic innuendo either visual, spoken or implied. The characters are real and the combination of a great script and a great casting was obvious. Max and Grace are real people with real problems that are dealt with regardless of the odds of success. It keeps you smiling while being serious and laughing with all the indirect humor brilliantly built into this production.To sum it up, this is a "must see" picture.$LABEL$ 1 +Hollywood North is a satirical look at the time in Canadian film history when the Canadian government offered huge tax breaks for films made in Canada. Most of the time it was treated as a tax shelter or a cheap way to get American films made. For example, Porky's came out of it. Anyways Matthew Modine plays a novice producer who wants to make an adaptation of a beloved Canadian novel. However, in order to get the money he needs a American name star. He gets a loose cannon and learns he has to compromise to the point where the film no longer resembles the book it was originally based on. It plays well in Canada but may not be understood outside of the Great White North. Americans will think we're satirizing ourselves but will miss the point that we're actually satirizing them. For Canadians 8/10 for the rest of the world 5/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Fay, the sister of the notorious Nobel prize-winning smut poet Simon Grim, still loves Henry Fool. Their son receives an ingenious orgy-in-a-box from an undisclosed sender and a chase across three continents ensues, involving a supremely sad-sack collection of government agents, terrorists, flight attendants, and bellhops.Parker Posey delivers a perfectly timed comic performance, including some brilliant physical work. With strong contributions by Jasmin Tabatabai and Saffron Burrows, Fay Grim proves in the best Billy Wilder tradition that nothing is funnier than a beautiful woman in trouble.Another good score by Hartley (and thanks in the credits to the American Academy in Berlin, where Hartley served as a fellow in Fall 2004).$LABEL$ 1 +Sixth (And last) movie in the boxset. Well, looks like I've saved the best one for last. Ghoulies IV. I originally did a review for this back in like February, but I decided to do a new one. The Ghoulies series is pretty awesome. I know there are some people who don't like them, and that's fine. This happens to be my favorite one in the series. Yeah, I know the actual Ghoulies don't appear and are replaced by 2 guys in costumes, one of them being Tony Cox from Bad Santa. Now, onto the movie.The movie centers around Jonathan Graves, the main character from the first movie, being played once again, by Peter Liapis, who is now a cop for the LAPD and has put his past of the occult behind him. During the first part of the movie, we encounter Alexandra (Played by the very hot Stacie Randall) communicating with a demon from beyond named Faust, who is the dark side of Jonathan. Faust asks Alexandra for a red jewel and something goes awry, therefore, unleashing the Ghoulies from the beyond.I think Jim Wynorski did a good job with the directing. And the music by Chuck Cirino is funny as well. (SPOILER AHEAD) At the end of this movie, the Ghoulies say that there will be a Ghoulies IV, Part 2, or Ghoulies V. I still hope that sequel gets made and I especially hope Jim Wynorski returns to direct. I agree with GimboTheGhoulies on that.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, this latest version of Mansfield Park seemed to try and take the edginess of the 1999 theatrical version (outright copied some of the ideas from it in fact), but tone things down a bit to bring it more in line with the original story. Unfortunately, the result is a rather lackluster, and schizophrenic, production. And, as with all the other versions of Mansfield Park out there, the character of Fanny Price is no where to be found. Instead there is a strangely child-like, bleached-blond woman running around who never really fully develops as a character. At least in the 1999 movie the character they call "Fanny Price" is firmly established as rebellious tomboy who is too clever for her own good. This "Fanny Price" is a complete enigma. Someday, I would really like to see a dramatization of Mansfield Park that actually includes a depiction of the character of Fanny as she was written by Jane Austen. A sweet, kind, compassionate girl with a timid personality and frail constitution. She is reserved in manner and painfully honest, but also strong in her convictions, unfailingly loyal, extremely intelligent, and remarkably astute. A bit of a late bloomer, it is not until her eighteenth year that she finally begins to make the transition from awkward adolescent to self-possessed young woman. And she wants nothing more in life than to be of some real use to those she loves most. It's a wonderfully complex character that I look forward to one day seeing faithfully portrayed.$LABEL$ 0 +This show has shown it's true colors now that Democrats are in power. It never did lead the world in IQ as anyone who thought it has intelligence has been programmed to think one way (which is a scary thing).Comedy Central moved this & it's spin off back to an earlier time once the Democrats took power for a reason- because now when the Democrats screw up - which is just as often as Republicans do - Stewart no longer takes pot shots at them. That is why the ratings for both this & the spin are dropping.Basically, most of the humor now is either lame, or lame Sarah Palin jokes - which all the ratings dropping Comedians are now telling. The facts to back this up speak for themselves. The Jay Leno show which has been doing the same kind of humor is on the verge of being canceled. The ratings for Letterman & Conan & the shows that follow them are down.So Emperor Stewart is not alone. Trouble is if any of them start taking real rips at the bungling Democrats in power, they could raise their ratings in a hurry because the best humor is always at the expense of whose in power. The Bush years proved that because the ratings for this show & Colbert, & Letterman & Leno were higher there.O'Bama has done one thing, proved these shows have to be willing to take chances & rip the folks in power if they are to prosper. Right now, the Daily Show & Stewart are sagging but maybe they can get lucky & have Palin elected as the first woman President in 2012. Then the lame Palin jokes will become ratings grabbers.$LABEL$ 0 +I love a good sappy love story (and I'm a guy) but when I rented "Love Story" I prayed for the end to come as quickly and painlessly as possible and just the opposite for Ali McGraw's character.Ali McGraw as Jenny alienated and irritated the heck out of me within the first 15 minutes. When we learn that she has been diagnosed with a life threatening illness I couldn't help but wonder if her death would be such a terrible loss for poor Oliver or if anyone watching this film would even care. If she didn't die her grating personality would probably have pushed Oliver over the edge and eventually landed them in divorce court.People love this movie but it's one of the worst of the 70's.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a pitiful movie. What makes it even more pitiful is the time, effort and money put into a super predictable script and action.It's about some kind of monsters, by the way, and some kind of insects. Don't expect an explanation of the plot. There is none. That might work, if there was something of interest, or characters we could care about. There isn't. Everything that happens to any person is as predictable as the other movies Sci Fi channel does.Don't try to understand what some of the characters are saying. They speak gibberish, especially the annoying lead woman, whose accent is a sort of thick British that is harder to understand than any old British movie you may have seen. She's unintelligible.A lot of money is spent on some great sets and scenery, and that is the major crime of this movie, because it just isn't worth it.$LABEL$ 0 +There is no denying that this is a bad movie. The acting isn't great, likewise the script, acting and direction. Still, I cannot wait until its 2/23/99 video release from Anchor Bay. Everyone knows there are several bad movies out there that have a tremendous appeal to them. This one tops my list.$LABEL$ 1 +It's my opinion that when you decide to re-make a very good film, you should strive to do better than the original; or at least give it a fresh point of view. Now the 1963 Robert Wise telling of Shirley Jackson's remarkable novel "The Haunting of Hill House" is worth the price of admission even today. Now fast forward to 1999 and the re-make. I was left shaking my head and asking, why? The acting is wooden, the story unrecognizable and the whole point seems to be to replace the subtle horror of the original with as many special effects computers can generate. I had heard that this update was bad; but couldn't believe it was that bad, considering the source material. I was wrong. After watching this and saying to my wife how awful it was, she said; "Well they got your money!" She's right, don't let them get yours. If there's no profit in making lousy re-makes, maybe they'll stop making them or come up to a higher standard that doesn't insult their audience$LABEL$ 0 +The plot of this movie is dangerously thin and the only "star power" if we can call it that consists of Joe Estevez. I don't know what is more shocking. The fact that this movie was made or the fact that some people actually gave good comments about it. If you ever see the cover of the video you'll be able to read them. Someone even went as far as saying that the actress/writer could be the leading lady of the 90's. Yeah! And Joe Estevez could have more money than his brother Martin. If you want to check it out anyways I highly recommend watching the MTS version of it. At least you'll laugh a lot without going insane.$LABEL$ 0 +I understand wanting to make a movie that is edgy and different. I understand the previous reviewer comments that this is a miss-understood movie. My point is as soon as this movie ended my first comment was: " this is what happens when a rich princess wants to be a movie star and has no talent".....she uses daddy's' money to make a movie she wrote, directs, and pays for.....obviously to close to the movie to realize there was no character development and no directions such as a beginning, middle and ending.....the voyeur part was good and edgy but what was the point? I saw a women go to a house, find some pictures, screw the caretaker, come out side on a very cold night (not believable) to check on noise and runs over her caretaker lover....movie ends......some one educate my ignorant arss?? I really want to know what the point is....what was the directors' vision.....why no development of the dead lover? Why no background on the caretaker? What is the point of the night vision? What is the point of the lipstick on the car? Why a dead caretaker? Why tell us about an escaped mental patient/peeping tom? What's with the urn? Oh and the lamp is that suppose to signify whose' house this is? Territorial? Why? Why would the caretaker feel like it's his house? that aspect was never pursued......as for William Defoe...I rented this movie because he was in it and known for edgy characters.....write back and do tell me what I need to learn....I am just a mom in middle America who loves movies....Chris....$LABEL$ 0 +You're using the IMDb.You've given some hefty votes to some of your favourite films.It's something you enjoy doing.And it's all because of this. Fifty seconds. One world ends, another begins.How can it not be given a ten? I wonder at those who give this a seven or an eight... exactly how could THE FIRST FILM EVER MADE be better? For the record, the long, still opening shot is great showmanship, a superb innovation, perfectly suited to the situation. And the dog on the bike is a lovely touch. All this within fifty seconds.The word genius is often overused.THIS is genius.$LABEL$ 1 +A beloved and devoted priest from a small town volunteers for a medical experiment which fails and turns him into a vampire. Physical and psychological changes lead to his affair with a wife of his childhood friend who is repressed and tired of her mundane life. The one-time priest falls deeper in despair and depravity. As things turns for worse, he struggles to maintain whats left of his humanity...The vampire movie should have really been extinct now thanks to the poor efforts of the Twilight and Underworld franchises, but the director injects new blood into the story of the vampire, by putting simple things into perspective.These vampires have reflections, and no fangs, but still feed and die the same. Making the main protagonist a priest really opens up a can of worms for questioning ones acts. The priest primarily feeds to make himself better, but when he meets his friends unfulfilled wife, carnal instincts set in.What makes this film intensely erotic is that when the couple consent for the first time, they are experiencing something they have never before, forbidden passion, which makes the scenario all that more sensual.Chan-Wook adds some much needed humour into the film, but this is only realised in the final third of the movie. We see the daughter lift her mother in the chair in front of everyone, and when she realises her own strength, just puts the chair down and carry on. Hilarious.and the final act wouldn't be out of place in a carry on film, or even the three Stooges as the couple fight for survival/death respectively.CGI is subtle and fantastic, and the scenes with them jumping from building to building is so graceful, you could be watching ballet.The vampire genre feels fresh and vibrant after this, but more importantly, has the eroticism and intensity that most vampire films are missing these days. It's violent, but from the director in question, i wouldn't expect anything different.A really interesting story, with fantastic characters and beautiful cinematography.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie at Sundance 2005 and was stunned at how bad it was, although based on the catalog description I was excited to see it. Supposedly a "mockumentary" of two high school students making a documentary of high school life, it featured bad acting, bad directing, completely lack of engaging characters as written, and all-around is a total bust. I love good movies about high school, and this is not one of them. The characters are one-dimensional and self-consciously "cool" although they are supposed to be outcasts. You get the overall impression of a bunch of people sitting around making an on-purposely-bad movie to show their friends, yet somehow it got into Sundance. Mystifying.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh, my gosh...I thought CBS primetime television shows were theworst things Gerald McRaney appeared in...Four people are experimented on by a crazed mind controlcomputer. That's it, don't rent it.I saw this under one of its many titles- "Grey Matter," and it isperhaps one of the worst films of recent memory. The otherreviews are right, it is awful. Never have so many establishingshots appeared onscreen, NEVER. The cast is awful, the directionis awful, and the script is awful. I cannot stress how awful this is. Avoid it like you would smallpox.This is rated (PG) for physical violence, some gun violence, mildgore, some profanity, and some adult situations$LABEL$ 0 +It came as no surprise to me that this was a very depressing and draining movie. After all, it's all about the impact of war on civilians AND it's by the "king of depression", Ingmar Bergman. In other words, so many of Bergman's works delve deep into human misery and angst and so this movie seems not so extraordinary coming from this director.Even though it is more difficult to watch, the last half of the movie offers perhaps more insight into the lower depths of humanity. That's because initially, the main characters (Liv Ullman and Max Von Sydow) try to overcome adversity and are basically decent (though a bit stupid) people. However, as deprivation after deprivation occurs, they (especially Von Sydow) become less and less humane and more animalistic--doing ANYTHING in order to survive.Fun to watch, NO FREAKING WAY! But, an interesting insight into human nature.PS--1 thing I LOVED about this film is that it avoided a stupid movie chiche. When the couple sat down with the shopkeeper to drink a glass or wine, they FINISHED the wine completely! In most movies, they barely touch their drinks or leave them untouched. It drives me crazy, as I would NEVER leave a $4 alcoholic beverage without drinking it unless it tasted terrible or had a bug floating in it! BRAVO!$LABEL$ 1 +At first sight this movie doesn't look like a particular great one. After all a Bette Davis movies with only 166 votes on IMDb and a rating of 6,5 must be a rather bad one. But the movie turned out to be a delightful and original surprise.You would at first expect that this is a normal average typical '30's movie with a formulaic love-story but the movie is surprisingly well constructed and has an unusual and original story, which also helps to make this movie a very pleasant one to watch.The story is carried by its two main characters played by Bette Davis and George Brent. Their helped by a cast of mostly amusing characters but the movie mainly involves just around them two. Their character are involved in a most unusual and clever written love-story that work humorous as well. It makes this movie a delightful little comedy to watch, that is perfectly entertaining.The movie is quite short (just over an hour long), which means that the story doesn't waste any time on needless plot lines, development and characters. It makes the movie also rather fast paced, which helps to make this movie a perfectly watchable one by todays standards as well. It does perhaps makes the movie a bit of a simple one at times but this never goes at the expense of its entertainment or fun.A delightful pleasant simple romantic-comedy that deserves to be seen by more!8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this version of Hamlet on television many years ago, and have seen every other version since, whether television or movie. However, this is the one that remains the truest depiction of the story for me. Most excellent Derek Jacobi made Hamlet *real* for me. Before I saw this version, Shakespeare was simply gibberish to me and I never tried to understand the Elizabethan English. Having seen Jacobi's Hamlet several times not only increased my knowledge of literature, but also that of my family. I promptly checked the play out of Library and read it, and poured over the accompanying recording. Jacobi's rendition attracted me to a deeper knowledge. And yet, I have been searing for a video of it for years and years to no avail. It gets a very high rating from viewers. Why, then, has it not been released on video? It's the only Hamlet that I'd invest in...$LABEL$ 1 +Shwaas is awesome ! considering that the producers had a meagre budget, they have done an excellent job. It is a must watch. The small kid has done an excellent job with a lot of emotions flowing through his eyes. Grandfather is at his best. The photography is superb. Technically correct and very creative. It helps in adding a lot of emotions to the mainstream content. The movie will keep u engrossed and don't be surprised if you are shaken after the movie and the story lingers in your mind for a few days.I sincerely hope that they make it to the final Oscar nominationEnjoy and again don't miss it$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen many movies over the years and I am a big fan of comedies.But this so-called comedy almost reduced me to tears. It is without a doubt the WORST movie I have ever witnessed, the worst.I remember hearing about this movie from a friend, and decided to view it. If I could I could turn back time, I would. I will regret for as long as I live, the time I wasted watching this rubbish.The storyline is so insane; it just makes no-sense at all and leaves you confused. There is a Scottish mob and a German headhunter who are after Pestario 'Pest' Vargas (John Leguizamo), the Scottish mob after $50,000 dollars and the Germans after his head.In trying to escape The Pest, takes the form of many disguises. But in doing this we witness some of the most annoying, worst, mind numbing acting, dialogue and sounds in cinema history. This movie annoyed me so much; by the end I was full of aggression. I was so angry that I had wasted so much time watching a movie that would surely drive depressed people to almost certain suicide. I mean how can there be hope when a movie like this can be given permission to be made?I know people have their own opinions, but the most shocking thing about The Pest is that people actually like it. Why? What is funny about a man that is annoying from the very first second to the last? A man who cannot act? Who has an annoying voice and confusing face?I sat through it thinking the movie would get better, surely it would. It did not. Usually, you want the good guy to survive, but I wanted the Germans or the Scottish mob to find and kill The Pest, anything to put me out of my misery. There is nothing funny, interesting or normal that happens in this movie, its just plain annoying and confusing. The jokes are dead even before they are told. I feel sorry for the cameramen who have no say in how the movie is made, but actually have to film this drivel. I wouldn't be surprised if they are receiving counselling.If you want to remain sane and part of society, my advice is to never watch this movie. I'd rather lock myself in my room for 5 weeks and go without food and water than watch this movie again!I don't think I'll ever hate anything more than this.$LABEL$ 0 +I only wish that Return of the Jedi, have been directed by somebody else, I mean, there is far too much ewoks scenes, completely unnecessary. Besides this time our heroes look like different people: Princess Leia no longer fights with Solo, Luke looks boring, Darth Vader is not as evil as before, and Yoda just dies.But there are many extraordinary things going on this episode that i just can't hate it.SOME SPOILERS 1- Jabba the hut 2- The Sail Barge attack sequence. 3-The emperor (now that's evil) 4- The Speeders chase at the endor forest. 5-The Last Battle. 6-The Dark side seduction scene. 7-The return of Anakin to the good side of the force. 8- And the last celebration.Some of those are so good that they can bring tears to your eyes. If some scenes would have been cut, and another director was hired, this would have been as perfect as episode 4 and 5, but still is extraordinary. 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a movie that is bad in every imaginable way. Sure we like to know what happened 12 years from the last movie, and it works on some level. But the new characters are just not interesting. Baby Melody is hideously horrible! Alas, while the logic that humans can't stay underwater forever is maintained, other basic physical logic are ignored. It's chilly if you don't have cold weather garments if you're in the Arctic. I don't know why most comments here Return of Jafar rates worse, I thought this one is more horrible.$LABEL$ 0 +Did people expect "Jurassic Park 3" to be full of surprises? Not one moment of it is worth it. Many elements could easily scare people out of the movies...and it's not the dinos! Tea Leoni...I think she's a great actress, but I'm sorry to say that this time she reached the bottom line. I wonder if she happened to strain a vocal chord while shooting the movie....Laura Dern...she's ok, but why not be more noticeable in the movie, maybe exchange smart dialogs with Sam Neil. Alessandro Nivola - "have you ever heard of something called facial expression? Fellings, emotions..."..he's got to work harder on that! Sam Neil, no big deal. The soundtrack...got to change that record, or you get tired of it. My applause goes to William H. Macy, a talented actor who I've never seen playing a bad role....unfortunately he can't save the movie, nor can the well computer-created dinosaurs.$LABEL$ 0 +A girl is looking for her soul mate-- this movie was very strange-- lots of sequences that look like an hallucinations. Tommy Lee Jones is the only stable one in the picture. It was hard to figure out what the director was trying to say-- Most of the time the main character is dressed in weird clothes and makeup. A weird combination of reality and madness.$LABEL$ 0 +First To Die 2003I'll admit my mistake first: I didn't realize this was a made for TV movie. I was "thrown off" by the "R" certification. The plot is strong, but the movie is about 40 minutes too long. The direction and continuity were excellent. For the most part the cast was exceptional and did a good job with their characters. The down side of the movie is that it definitely falls into the "chick flick" genre. Although there are some violent scenes, none of the violence should call for an "R" rating. There is no nudity or gratuitous sex scenes. Actually, there are no sex scenes. Ona Grauer (who is absolutely beautiful), Kristina Copeland, Sonya Salomaa, and Glynis Davies were all guests on the SG-1 series, but this movie did nothing to advance their careers since they were all used as low level supporting actresses. Robert Patrick was fantastic, as he usually is and Mitch Pileggi made me think of a modern day Lee Marvin. The very talented Megan Gallagher who I came to respect as an actor during the Millennium series, was given nothing challenging to show her range of abilities. The greatest disappointment with regard to the cast was Tracy Pollan. Aside from being a below average actress and not particularly attractive, her voice is absolutely annoying. I found myself muting the TV during her dialogue. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the Lifetime TV type of programs. I would not recommend paying any money to see this movie however. Considering I found nothing that would cause censorship, this is a movie that is worthy for only watching on TV, since nothing will be cut out. As a TV movie I would rate this as a 5 out 10. As a feature film with an "R" certification and such as strong cast, I rate it as a 2 out of ten.$LABEL$ 0 +Boris and Bela do well together in this film,whether they are against each other, or paddling the same boat.I saw this one in 1972, and just purchased it from Borders this year. This time watching it with my children,I took note of 2 things: It held the attention of a 3, 4 and 5 year old; and I caught a few things I hadn't when I first watched it.Very swift story with an unpredictable end. A must for movie buffs!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Love it, love it, love it! This is another absolutely superb performance from the Divine Miss M. From the beginning to the end, this is one big treat! Don't rent it- buy it now!$LABEL$ 1 +I really wanted to like this movie and watched all the way through thinking it had to get better. Don't get me wrong, it's not the worst flick ever but it never lives up to it's potential. The premise is good, the cast is great (I was especially pumped to witness the return of David Naughton) and, God love 'em, you can tell everyone tried their best. It just falls short over and over again. "Brutal Massacre" should serve as a constant reminder to filmmakers that only Christopher Guest can do Christopher Guest movies and, despite the fact he makes it look easy, you should probably just forget trying to do the same. Naughton and Brian O'Halloran are fantastic in this and they should be seen more often...they are the reason this gets 4 stars from me. If you're going to have the "Spinal Tap" of horror I suspect you might want the guy who made "Spinal Tap" to helm it...just thinking out loud there.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this film to be the usual French slap in America's face. The camera, all too often, focuses on fat people, on sloppy homes and on tacky rural areas. While the narration seems to sympathize with and admire the small town folks who are introduced to the viewer, the cinematography exploits and demeans them. There were, undoubtedly, thin people to be seen in Glencoe and neat, organized homes, but Malle chose to show us the worst of what was there to be seen. I can only hope that some American filmmakers will go to France to reveal to the American public its worst elements. I can assure you, as a frequent visitor to France, that all is not well there. Foreign immigrants are not readily assimilated, thus creating severe social inequities. But Americans are not eager to unmask the French for their prejudice toward their own compatriots and their envy toward the U.S., so we're not likely to see films on the subject.$LABEL$ 1 +The title alone (along with the poster) is enough to give away "The Projected Man" as an obvious rip-off of "The Fly". And Bryant Haliday, while much better than the typical IMDb review would have you think, is nobody's idea of an acceptable stand-in for Vincent Price. Although, come to think of it, who would be, unless Micheal Gough was available?? Still, if you are in the mood to watch a British "Hammer" style movie with a science fiction theme about a teleportation experiment gone horribly wrong...well, you still might want to give "The Projected Man" a pass and rummage around in the 'remaindered' bin at your local Wal-Mart for another teleporter-accident movie. Because this one just isn't all that good.Haliday caught a lot of good natured ribbing from the MST3K crew for his part in this movie and in "Devil Doll", but he is actually the best thing in TPM. Maybe he can't carry the movie, but he gets practically no help here from the screenplay. The script bogs down any forward momentum the plot may have in a mire of nonsense about funding and university politics and a guy named Lembach and some sinister cabal who want the teleportation machine to fail so they can steal its secrets...or something. So all the dramatic sequences in the first half of movie involve either phone calls or unconvincing special effects with transparent espresso machines and teleporting rats. Then when poor Haliday gets mutilated by his machine, he has to spend the last part of the film wearing a diaper over half his face and rubber cement over the rest while he electrocutes various Londoners who chance across his path. Tom Cruise and Eric Roberts using bullhorns couldn't have made this screenplay work. Meanwhile all the other actors diligently try to inject life and interest into their roles for this turgid little project, but the screenplay just swallows their efforts whole. The corrupt project administrator frets and fumes and hisses into the phone to his blackmailers, all the while failing to notice that he looks like a werewolf outfitted in a tweed suit and a Tattersall vest. Haliday's research assistant and ex-girlfriend have the least convincing romance in the history of British horror cinema. His secretary is forced to parade around in her "smalls". None of it really works or gels into a real movie. And it all just kind of stops dead, leaving the viewer going, "Eh? excuse me, wasn't there supposed to be an ENDING here??"Still, for all its problems, I can easily name a dozen horror movies from the same period that were as bad or worse, and so could anyone else who follows movies (or who has ever browsed the IMDb "Bottom 100"). I wouldn't actually pay money to own "Projected Man", but if it were included in some compilation along with a dozen other movies in a DVD collection, I'd probably feel OK about having it. It's a harmless diversion, perfect for a horror movie film festival, to watched with friends while consuming many beers and snacks on a Saturday evening.$LABEL$ 0 +I have a thing for old black and white movies of this kind, movies by Will Hay and Abbot & Costello especially as those are my favourites. I picked this movie up on DVD as it was using the same idea as Will Hay's "Oh Mr Porter" which is one of the finest comedies ever made. I just finished watching this movie less than ten minutes ago (the movie finished at 12:45am). I find that movies of this kind, to do with Ghost Trains, etc, are best viewed at night time with the lights out. That way you get into the storyline more and night time viewing works well with this movie.The one-liners in the movie may seem a little dated to some viewers, I guess this depends on the viewer. They are not dated to me though. I am 28 and even though I am not old enough to have been around when this movie was first released (my dad was though). I still have a lot of appreciation for some of the old movies of this kind. Sitting in the room in front of the TV with some snacks and drinks and kicking back and relaxing at night while watching these movies, not many things can beat the feeling you get while doing this. It is an escape from reality for a while.I noticed that one of the men in the movie (he has a black mustache) he appears about three quarters of the way through the movie after his car crashes and he is looking for a woman he was followed to the station. This man was in the Will Hay classic "The Ghost of St Michaels" as well. Just thought I'd point that out in case no one noticed :).The set pieces in the movie are very atmospheric. Outside the abandoned station looks good and as if there is not a soul for miles in any direction, and the inside of the station is very cosy looking away from the rain storm that is outside. I felt like I would have loved to have been there in the movie with the cast. The atmosphere in this movie is something that is missing from a lot of movies now. It keeps you hooked from the moment the movie starts till it finishes.We need more of this type of movie in todays market. But sadly it could be over looked in favour of movies with nudity and swearing and crude humour. This sort of movie making era (The Ghost Train, Oh Mr Porter, etc) to me is the golden age of cinema!.$LABEL$ 1 +Gentleman Jim is another case of print the legend, with Errol Flynn playing the legendary boxer as a brash but charismatic social climber in a rollicking entertainment that barely stops for breath. It's as pointless looking for historical accuracy here as it is in Flynn's The Charge of the Light Brigade - this is sheer hokum with all the stops pulled out, filmed on a surprisingly lavish scale and given a real sense of energy by Raoul Walsh's vivid direction. Flynn is still at the height of his powers (you'd never guess he suffered a mild heart attack during the production), with Alexis Smith a beautiful romantic sparring partner and perpetual sidekick Alan Hale along for good measure, this time as Flynn's father (Jack Carson takes sidekick duties this time). Indeed, even the pirate galleon from Flynn's earlier movies makes a somewhat out-of-place cameo in a dockside bout! The 103 minutes just breeze by.$LABEL$ 1 +Barman just wanted to make a movie because he wanted to. Just as simple as that, and he succeeded. Not only in his goal, but also in making a wonderful movie, especially visually. He knows how to use pans, slow-motion sequences, tracking shots, crane shots, etc. in a beautiful, smooth way. This gives the movie a very relaxing feel to it.The story is about the lives of 8 very different characters who have nothing in common except one thing: a party that they all attend to, which also is the turnpoint of this movie. The beauty of this picture lies not in the question how the characters have effect on eachother (in comparance with a similar, of course better movie like Magnolia). I simply don't think that that was Barman's idea. The beauty lies in the different details of experiences that people go through which makes or breaks their lives. Barman is very successful in telling those little stories that describe little experiences. He knows people..... and Antwerp.The soundtrack of the movie is also excellent, but not a surprise as we know that Barman is also a very succesful songwriter and musician with his band dEUS. The music is sometimes hot and at the same time relaxing which contributes to the sunny, smooth feel of the movie. Other times we hear funky pop/rock-melodies which give some scenes the strength that they need.There's only one flaw, and that's the last half an hour. Was it the runtime, which was breaking me up? Or weren't the last scenes that fresh and accurate than the scenes until then? I can't figure it out...All in all a beautiful sunny movie which lifts the Belgian cinema up.8 out of 10!(It's the breeze that flows through a girl's hair on a sunny afternoon making her even more beautiful; it's the fresh breeze that makes you relax when it passes you at a crowded party when someone opens the door; it's the breeze that carries the perfume from that beautiful girl sitting next to you in the park who you just met a week ago; it's the breeze.....)$LABEL$ 1 +I just re-watched this thriller, one I had previously believed to be one of Hitch's lesser efforts. How wrong can you be! Maybe because I'm older, or maybe because the film gets better with every viewing, but now I think it's amazing. Every bit of suspense is wrung out of the tiniest detail, and that final scene on the merry-go-round is just breath-taking! Perfect in every way, highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Betty is as an understudy in a production of Verdi's Macbeth who is asked to go on when the diva is hurt in a car accident. However, in the grand tradition of "The Scottish Play", the production seems cursed with problems, not least of which is some madman slicing up the crew. Unfortunately for Betty, the killer seems to have special plans for her ...This is one of several must-see Argento mad-slasher flicks, in this instance primarily for the extraordinary photography by the great British cameraman Ronnie Taylor. I haven't measured it, but I reckon around two-thirds of the shots in this film involve either pans, dollies, tracking or cranes - the sheer amount of camera movement is just astonishing and makes the movie ten times more exciting than a standard thriller. The imagery is wild and dizzying - closeups of the heroine's eyes forced open with nails, a swooping glide around an opera house from a raven's point of view, shots of the killer's brain squirming, a bullet fired through a peephole, a swallowed chain dug out of a victim's trachea. Conceptually it's just amazing and could only be realised by this director. The movie isn't without some shortcomings though; the cast are variable at best - Marsillach and Barberini are both a bit shaky (and his dubbing in the English version is appalling, even by Italian standards), although Argento regular Nicolodi is fun and Charleson gives a thoughtful performance in a role that is more than a little autobiographical (a horror director much maligned for his remoteness and reliance on technique). The material is a nice three-way mix of The Phantom Of The Opera, Shakespeare and slasher flick, scripted by Argento and his usual collaborator, Franco Ferrini, with shifty suspects galore and the usual disdain for boring expository scenes to explain what's actually going on. Full of all sorts of different music - Brian Eno, Claudio Simonetti, Bill Wyman, Puccini, and of course, Verdi. The scenes in the beautiful opera-house were shot at the Teatro Regio in Parma. For some bizarre reason the UK print of this movie has the alternative title Terror At The Opera.$LABEL$ 1 +A lot has already been written about the film itself, so instead of adding to the noise I just want to say a few words on the two female actors.It has to be a daunting prospect for any actress to star, in a sense, versus the spectacular Monica Bellucci, but Romane Bohringer pulls it off to sensational ends. A film starring Monica Bellucci where I fall in love with the other girl?? That's not supposed to happen.It's been said a thousand times, but Monica Bellucci strikes the saddest figure in modern cinema. I have never before seen such innate sadness. She would not be out of place breaking Lon Chaney's heart.$LABEL$ 1 +Before seeing this film, I suggest the viewer puts away any expectations that the victims of the crimes depicted will get equal treatment and consideration as the perpetrator. There have been many films about crime victims. This one is about the murderer."Dead Man Walking" finds realism in simplicity of the story: there are no crack lawyers coming to save William Poncelet and no dramatic story twists. The film does not attempt to put him in a good light; he is guilty, he is repugnant, is a racist, and was responsible for heinous murders. Given all this, we are asked to do something very difficult: look at him as a human being despite his crimes. In this way, the film challenges the notion that the death penalty provides "justice". Whether you are for or against the death penalty, the film raises questions about whether the guilty can find redemption, inequity in the justice system, and the appropriateness of the death penalty.Great performances by both Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. In particular the last moments of the film show the true depth of Penn's ability.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know how this movie has received so many positive comments. One can call it "artistic" and "beautifully filmed", but those things don't make up for the empty plot that was filled with sexual innuendos. I wish I had not wasted my time to watch this movie. Rather than being biographical, it was a poor excuse for promoting strange and lewd behavior. It was just another Hollywood attempt to convince us that that kind of life is normal and OK. From the very beginning I asked my self what was the point of this movie,and I continued watching, hoping that it would change and was quite disappointed that it continued in the same vein. I am so glad I did not spend the money to see this in a theater!$LABEL$ 0 +She's The Man was everything I wanted it to be and maybe even a little more. I love the teen type "chick flick" films and I knew this one would be great!! In the same vein as 10 Things I Hate About You (one of my all time faves) She's The Man is a unique, well written, very well performed comedy with some of the funniest lines, and physical comedy I have seen in a long time. It's probably the funniest movie I've seen this year (with the exception of the hilarious Pink Panther.) But She's The Man is actually a more intellectual funny and most of the humor relies on the witty script, "Three's Company" style story of mistaken identities, and mixed messages, and the cast.Amanda Bynes is a star!! Even since the days of the horribly campy (yet strangely entertaining "The Amanda Show", she has shown a brilliant talent for comedy. She's probably one of the most talented comediennes out there. Her style of physical comedy, impersonations, and witty dialect makes her hilarious. Previously her big screen debut (where she was the star) was the rather hilarious and well made "What A Girl Wants." If that wasn't her break out vehicle than She's The Man takes care of that hands down. Bynes is really the ultimate girl next door. It's a shame she doesn't do more big screen work because she could be the next "It" girl. She is the All American, cute, down to earth, bubbly teen (although she's twenty now) and whether or not she'll be able to carry her talent and style over to being an adult actor will remain to be seen. But for the purpose of this film she is perfect!! She actually legitimately pulls off the rather outlandish plot of her impersonating her twin brother and makes it believable. Not entirely...but believable enough. Most of the script relies on the comedy of her errors trying to be a guy but it's just hilarious, non stop laughs. Channing Tatum redeems himself from his deplorable performance in 2005's "Havoc" by plays Duke. He's the jock, the captain of the soccer team, and eventually Bynes' object of affection, unfortunately he's also Sebastian's room mate (who is Bynes.) He's a good leading man, and the chemistry is perfect between them. Laura Ramsey is Olivia, who happens to be attracted to Sebastian (who again is Bynes.) She does good as well although her part is small and she doesn't really effect the rest of the cast one way or another. James Kirk is great in his small role as the real Sebastian. His resemblance to Amanda Bynes is astonishing...they are absolutely believable as twins and further more, from a distance you could understand someone believing Bynes is Sebastian. The rest of the cast all fit in there somewhere and their roles range from brief to more supporting but essentially they are all supporting the story between Bynes and Tatum but everyone is more or less supporting Bynes terrific performance. She easily carries the film with no hesitations and makes it worth while.This is one of those films that shows so much in the trailer and yet it's not one of those films that when that part comes up it's not funny anymore. The parts in the trailer that make you laugh are even more hilarious in the actual film. Relative newcomer director Andy Fickman does such an incredible job on this film. He weaves together a potentially complicated storyline and makes it flow naturally and makes everything fall together. The story which is loosely based off of Shakespeares Twelfth Night but it's remarkable how much they managed to translate over to this modern day film. It's seemingly completely off the wall but more exact to the classic comedy than you'd think. There isn't too much to say about a downside except that the last half hour drags a little and also becomes a might predictable but it doesn't change the hilarity of the first half of the film. Nonetheless you'll be laughing to tears and it's one of the funniest films in the theater right now hands down!!! 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, I would just like to say to everyone who has seen this movie, that the actor who played the "Transvestite" Is one of my friends, his name is Robert Dugdale, he's a terrific actor, although it doesn't say much about his filmography, he's been in several plays and musicals. He is currently residing in Terrace B.C. that is where I am from, he comes over to our house almost every saturday *laughs* Okay, now about the movie, I wouldn't recomend this to anyone who HASN'T seen it, for it is not a movie worth watching, the main reason I found it to be a bad movie is it never stays in place, it keeps bouncing back between time, so kinda hard to follow at some points, and second, its really boring *laughs* Although the acting is great, the movie just doesn't compare.$LABEL$ 0 +If The Man in the White Suit had been done in America, can't you see either Danny Kaye or Jerry Lewis trying on Alec Guinness's Sidney Stratton on for size?This is one of the best of Alec Guinness's films and certainly one of the best that Ealing Studios in the United Kingdom ever turned out. It's so perfectly fits within the time frame of the new Labour government and the society it was trying to build. It's amazing how in times of crisis capital and labor can agree.Alec Guinness this meek little schnook of a man is obsessed with the idea that he can invent clothing that will never need cleaning, that in fact repels all kinds of foreign matter the minute it touches the garment. He's a persistent cuss and he does succeed. Of course the implications haven't really been thought through about the kind of impact clothing like that will have on society. In the end everyone is chasing him down like they would a fugitive, almost like Peter Lorre from M or Orson Welles in The Stranger or even Robert Newton in Oliver Twist. It's the mark of a great comedy film that a potentially serious situation like that chase as described in some of the serious films I've mentioned can be played for laughs. Poor Guinness's suit is not only white and stain repellent, but it glows like a neon sign.Other than Guinness the best performances are from Cecil Parker as yet another pompous oaf, Joan Greenwood as his siren daughter and Ernest Thesiger the biggest clothing manufacturer in the UK> Come to think of it, did Paramount borrow that suit from Ealing and give it to John Travolta for Saturday Night Fever?$LABEL$ 1 +I always felt that a good film should have a plot. This particular film was missing one, and I feel that it would have been more effective with a plot. This was made even worse by the fact that it seemed to go on forever; I was anxious for it to finally end. However, I just noticed that it was only 123 minutes long; it felt like four hours. Not only was there no plot but the film also lacked a notable conflict. It's not the worst movie I've seen, but I used to say that it was until I saw "The Fast And The Furious". So, don't think this review of mine is from someone who needs nothing but action. I actually hate most action films out today; it's just that this film is all the way on the other side of the spectrum. Not much really happens in this movie. However, the scenery and costumes were nice.$LABEL$ 0 +There was a recent documentary on making movies, that featured a long list of actors and directors talking about what its like to make movies. One common theme was you can have a great script, great cast, the best director and lots of money and still create a bad movie.Down Periscope is proof of the corollary to that theory. Not an original or terribly well written screenplay. A few solid actors, but mostly unknowns, and this movie just makes you laugh out loud! It would be easy to just say that Kelsey Grammar carried this movie, but that isn't truly the case. Other character actors, like Rob Schneider, and the hilarious Harland Williams, added significantly to the enjoyability of the film.Cast dynamics, or that mysterious "movie magic" are really what happened here, creating a film that flows smoothly, has incredibly well executed transitions and line after line of well written and well performed dialog.A preposterous premise, lots and lots of technical inaccuracies and just plan silly things that could not happen in the real world, or the real navy, but you just don't care. As a merchant marine myself, I found that the overall feel of the movie, while not plausible, was also not too far off the mark as far as life at sea goes.This is a VERY funny movie, a good family film, and, particularly if your a fan, lots of Kelsey Grammar wit, sarcasm and just damn funniness.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was embarrassing in its clichés, poor acting and generally low production values. It starts out badly with the long haired 3 star general calling the hero, Masters, "major" when he is obviously wearing the silver oak leaves of lieutenant colonel. But what was most distressing was the crew of soldiers on Neptune Atoll. How out of touch with any kind of reality can you get? They were all experts on flying a 747 and the scenes of the soldiers digging the ditch were beyond comical.WARNING: THIS FILM IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR INTELLECTUAL HEALTH! WATCH AT YOUR OWN PERIL!$LABEL$ 0 +The comments for Commune make it sound like a very interesting film, one that I would be deeply interested in. Unfortunately, the producers didn't see fit to include closed captions for the hearing impaired and deaf. That leaves me and countless others like me, who depend on closed captions to follow a movie, completely out. This is inexcusable for any film produced in the year 2005. In a world where all manner of handicaps and disabilities are accommodated, it's infuriating and ironic that the ever sanctimonious entertainment industry fails to demand that all productions and movie theaters be closed captioned.$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed this film because I have a tremendous interest in American History... the Antebellum years and the Civil War in particular. I purchased it recently from a rack of previously-viewed videos on sale at the supermarket and I was very glad to add this one to my history video collection. Though not of the caliber of Civil War films such as "Glory" or "Gettysburg," provides a lot of history on the pre-Civil War brotherhood among cadets at West Point.Maybe it's the gray uniforms, the youth, or the military discipline, but I am fascinated by the story of the Corps of Cadets from around 1830 to the brink of the War. I imagine what it must have been like to sit in a classroom with other young men, learning how to make war, then later putting the lessons to use against your own classmates!Actually, there were two classes graduated in 1861: one class in May, the other in June. the movie makes no real mention of this, except to mention Henry A. DuPont, first graduate of the May Class; and George Custer, last grad of the June Class. the reason for the two classes was not so much about the war, but it was the result of switching back to a four-year course of study, after a few years of experimenting with a five-year course (I think the first class had attended five years, the other for four). As the movie portrays, cadets were like brothers and often had nicknames for each other... George "Fanny" or "Autie" Custer; Alonzo "Lon" Cushing; James "Beauty" Stuart (for J.E.B. Stuart, class of 1854), etc.I say this film is "Santa Fe Trail" as it should have been because that 1940 film, while enjoyable, really fudges history. Cadets from several different classes are all graduating together. JEB Stuart and George Custer are portrayed as the best of friends and are side-by-side in stopping John Brown's 1859 insurrection at Harper's Ferry. In fact, Stuart and Custer were never friends, but enemies during the War. They faced each other (for the first time, I think) at Gettysburg in 1863 (Stuart was at the Harper's ferry Raid, but Custer was still a cadet at the Point when it took place)."Fanny" Custer plays a role in "Class of '61," though his classmate chums, Dev O'Neill and Shelby Peyton are fictional. I believe they are respectively based on Partick Henry O'Rorke and John Pelham, two people you can look up.Anyway, I truly enjoy this film or any film which provides a window into mid-19th Century America.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this version of "A Christmas Carol" when it first appeared on television. I actually anticipated seeing the film when it was advertised and it more than lived up to my expectations. I have now purchased the DVD and plan to watch it every year. With the exception of "It's A Wonderful Life" I consider this version of "A Christmas Carol" one of the best Christmas movies ever made. George C. Scott is excellent and a superb cast led by Roger Rees surrounds him! Scott proves once again that he is one of finest actors of our time. Scott has the artistic talent and acting ability to play any role and keep the character unique to himself. How can someone be remembered as both Patton and Scrooge? Scott does so easily. The direction is marvelous with the fine sets, costumes and music that give the movie a special feeling of the time, place and era depicted. You will simply love this movie and will place it among your favorites to watch during the holiday season.$LABEL$ 1 +City Streets is amazingly modern technically speaking for a movie made in 1931. Also who could not be mesmerized, enthralled by Gary Cooper's powerful magnetism, galvanizing the audience attention. The plot is quite elaborate and clear. The scenarios, decor, are exceptional in every detail. All the actors are above average. I keep guessing how the director and his staff, including editing, sound, lighting, photography, could have been so brilliant. I couldn't find a flaw, understanding that the scenes in the road(bumpy ride) with the large motion pictures screen on the background was the best they could get in 1931. All in all I found this movie superb and so much alive thanks to Gary Cooper charisma.$LABEL$ 1 +To some of us, director Ernst Lubitsch, adored for his underlying cheekiness and ironic comic touches, was rather wet when it came to picking material. It isn't that Lubitsch is overrated--on the contrary, he probably was ahead of his time in terms of a visual narrative--yet the projects he became attached to (or was assigned to) are not quite the landmarks of comedy his fans like to label them. With "Heaven Can Wait", a screen-adaptation of Lazlo Bus-Fekete's play "Birthday", Lubitsch is saddled with sleepy Don Ameche in the lead--and the combination of an anemic plot, a colorless star, and a musty flashback-framework stymies the director. A wicked man at the turn of the century "falls asleep without realizing it", presenting the facts of his life in front of Hell's entrance. Ameche...wicked? That was problem number one. The promising opening sequence (set in the Hades lobby) quickly gives way to dreary whimsy, and the supporting cast is of little help. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +you know I've seen a lot of crappy hong kong movies in terms of production and were good. But Running out of TIme was great.i guess what made it so good was the fact that Andy Lau and Ching Wang, have such great chemistry. The film at first is really fast paced but slows down not enough to even notice which is also good, we don't want to have a heart attack,lol. In terms of plot their is enough of other things going on to keep you interested. Lau has some pretty good moments as he uses make up to impersonate people from the underworld. Also the movie has the best oriental supporting cast since "house of Flying Daggers".The movie is great because its so unpredictable and leaves you wondering at every corner. Definitely a good rental with tons of comedy, action and thrills pact in to one, 8 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +I would like to know why John Amos left the show, and how did he die off the show again? I couldn't relate to everything, but sometimes they hit home with the problems they were facing. By the way, did they ever make it out of the ghetto? I think the episode with the black Jesus was my favorite. We got to see them experience a few good times. something they didn't have very often. I wish they would bring the show back. During the daytime so people can actually stay up to watch. I don't think a movie or a new show would work. Especially without the original cast. They are really what made Good Times GoodTimes. These are my questions and comments. Thank You!!$LABEL$ 1 +This move is about as bad as they come. I was, however forced to give it a 2 for the scenery. There are many great shots of the southwest including many in Monument Valley, one of the most breathtaking places in the US. It is also, starting with John Ford, one of the most filmed. In fact one scene with Kris and the girl was filmed on a place called John Ford point.$LABEL$ 0 +I am shocked by all the good reviews on the cover of this movie and on IMDb. It belongs in the $2 bin at your local video store. To say that this is a B movie is extremely generous.Besides lacking a single redeemable character, only slightly better than average acting, and an ugly 80's style picture quality, the script for this film is dull and lifeless. This film is not only boring--it is pathetic. (Admittedly, there is occasionally some mildly interesting chemistry between the two main characters.) Even the final plot twist--rather, the only plot twist--does not save this film.Rent "Diamond Men" if you must, but do not hesitate to turn it off once you become appraised of its worthlessness. 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Apparently Hollywood is just handing out money to anyone with a camera and the ability to speak. This movie was mind numbingly bad. The casting was terrible, the acting unspeakable, and the story filled with holes. Script? who needs script? I was surprised that the movie wasn't as verbally vulgar as I thought it would be, however I got enough shots of T&A to last me a lifetime. The movie was like listening to a 19 year old street racer with ADD (who decided to buy a car instead of go to college) tell a story. Being so poorly scripted, I thought the two brothers in the film were lovers at first. The scenes at the racetrack, along with the main female actor in the film kept making me think of Herbie: Fully Loaded. This is the kind of film is what Grindhouse modeled itself after...only the writers thought they were being serious.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe it's been ten years since this show first aired on TV and delighted viewers with its unique mixture of comedy and horror. This is the show that gave birth to a good part of modern British humor: Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible; Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; The Mighty Boosh; Snuff Box. Many have imitated this show's style, and I don't deny some have surpassed its quality. But Jermy Dyson deserves being remembered for having started the trend, with actors Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith.Together they created Royston Vasey, a sinister small town in England's idyllic countryside, where unsuspecting tourists and passers-by come across an obsessive couple that wants to keep the town local and free of strangers; where the unemployed are abused and insulted at the job center; where a farmer uses real people as scarecrows; where a vet kills all the animals he tries to cure; where a gypsy circus kidnaps people; and where the butcher adds something secret but irresistible to the food to hook people on.This is just a whiff of what the viewer can find in The League of Gentlemen. By themselves, the three actors give birth to dozens and dozens of unique characters. The make up and prosthetics are so good I actually thought I watching a lot more actors on the show than there were. But it's also great acting: the way they change their voices and their body movement, the really become other people.Most of the jokes start with something ordinary, from real life, and then blows up into something unsettling, sometimes gut-wrenching. Sometimes it's pure horror without a set up, like in Papa Lazarou's character. Just imagine a creepy circus owner on make-up barging into someone's house and kidnapping women to be his wives. No explanation given. It's that creepy. Then there are the numerous references to horror movies: Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, Nosferatu, The Exorcist, etc.Fans of horror will love it, fans of comedy will love it. As any traveler entering knows, there's a sign there that says 'Welcome to Royston Vasey: You'll Never Leave.' Any viewer who gives this show a chance will agree. Once you discover The League of Gentlemen, you'll never want anything else, you'll never forget it.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this film as a teenager. It was at a time when heavy metal ruled the world. Trick Or Treat has every element for a movie that rocks. With a cast that features Skippy from Family Ties, Gene Simmons of Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne as a Preacher, how can you go wrong? Backwards evil messages played on vinyl! Yes thats right, they use records in this movie. In one scene Eddie (Skippy) is listening to a message from the evil rockstar on his record player when things begin to get scary. Monsters start to come out of his speakers and his stereo becomes possessed. As a teenager I tried playing my records backwards hoping it would happen to mine. Almost 20 years later Trick Or Treat is still one of my all time favorite movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Judy Davis shows us here why she is one of Australia's most respected and loved actors - her portrayal of a lonely, directionless nomad is first-rate. A teenaged Claudia Karvan also gives us a glimpse of what would make her one of this country's most popular actors in years to come, with future roles in THE BIG STEAL, THE HEARTBREAK KID, DATING THE ENEMY, RISK and the acclaimed TV series THE SECRET LIFE OF US. (Incidentally, Karvan, as a child, was a young girl whose toy Panda was stolen outside a chemist's shop in the 1983 drama GOING DOWN with Tracey Mann.) If this films comes your way, make sure you see it!! Rating: 79/100. See also: HOTEL SORRENTO, RADIANCE, VACANT POSSESSION, LANTANA.$LABEL$ 1 +I knew this movie wasn't going to be amazing, but I thought I would give it a chance. I am a fan of Luke Wilson so I thought it had potential. Unfortunately, a lot of the movie's dialog was very fake sounding and cheesy. I think that Aquafresh gave some money towards the production of the film because they were seriously dropping some hints throughout. There is a shot where the Aquafresh sign sticks out at you that you can't help but notice it. Maybe they should have focused on writing and acting more than how many times can we drop Aquafresh products in the movie without people getting annoyed. The movie had its moments, but I'm glad I didn't spend $9.50 to see it in the theater.$LABEL$ 0 +There is no real story the film seems more like a fly on the wall drama-documentary than a proper film so this piece may in itself be a spoiler. Teen drama about 3 young Singaporean kids (very similar to UK chavs) who play truant from school, run with gangs, get into fights, insult people on the street, get tattoos, hang about doing nothing, etc. etc, They generally imagine themselves to be hard and every so often shout challenging rap chants into the camera. Filmed in MTV style, fast cuts, crazy camera angles, tight close ups and animation interludes. The dialogue might have been crisper in the original languages of Mandarin and Hokkien than in the subtitles and I have no doubt that some of the contemporary Singapore references will slip over Western heads as well as the cultural and political context unless of course you are familiar with Singapore. This kind of teen film may be a first for Singapore but it has been done before and done better in other Western countries, La Haine (1995) for example.$LABEL$ 0 +I recently saw Blind Spot in Coyoacan, where it drew a huge crowd and some pretty intense discussion. I really admired the story and visual approach. The action is frightening and the mood of loneliness that the film projects is amazing. There is much beauty in the melancholy that surrounds these three misfit heroes. Not just in the desert but in the city too. My best scene was after the boy discovers his friends in the apartment and then rides his skateboard through all the remarkable lights of the city. You really feel for this guy. I never heard of the actors before but I liked all three very much. I think they did a terrific job on their journey to self-discovery. All in all, this is an amazingly cool and suspenseful suspenseful film. I still carry many of the images in my mind.$LABEL$ 1 +This picture doesn't have any big explosions or expensive chase sequences. However, it does have really wonderful performances and an exceptional script that puts this at the top of my "indie-must-see list." Taylor Nichols and James Remar are terrific together. The young cast surprised me with really consistent acting. Usually, indie pictures have some weak link, but there are no weak links here. Impressive. Go get this one.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is an eery, but interesting film. I will tell you why it is eery later in this review.The film is interesting because it was the first film to ever contain sound. No, it may not be a one hour and forty two minute film, no it may not contain great action scenes, but it is still a wonderful film to me. It sparked a whole knew revolution if you will, of sound movies. This can be a little eery to watch, knowing that everyone in that film are now dead, I can hear the voice of a man in the beginning who no longer walks the Earth visible, and that the sound is cracky and broken.I recommend this video for everyone to watch. This created movies as we know it today!$LABEL$ 1 +If you're one of those people who doesn't really like Sci-fi because of their sometimes far-fetched ideas and surreal world perspectives, you better stay away as far as you can from Stuart Gordon's Space Truckers! It truly is an absurd space adventure, stuffed with eccentric characters, colorful kitsch and ludicrous plot-twists. In all honesty…I probably never would have cared for this film, if it wasn't for Gordon's name on the credits. This guy comes pretty close to being a genius in the horror genre, with undeniable milestones like ‘From Beyond' and ‘Re-Animator' on his résumé. Apparently, Stuart Gordon likes his humor as twisted as possible! He already went completely over the comedy-top once (with Re-Animator) but, with the slight difference that the bizarre humor was effective there. Something that isn't really the case for Space Truckers…most of the gags lead nowhere and the entirely exaggerated atmosphere only works in small doses. In the end, all that remains is an occasionally amusing but completely unnecessary mess. Dennis Hopper and Charles Dance (or at least a semi Charles Dance) are always a joy to look at and the still stunning Barbara Crampton has a small role near the end of the film. Crampton was Stuart Gordon's regular heroine in previous horror films. The story of Space Truckers is as silly as they come. Dennis Hopper plays the self-made loner who's fed up with his job. Who wouldn't be when you're transporting pigs across the galaxy for a company named Interpork? He sees his change to flee while bringing his muse to earth. They float into Space-pirates and find out their cargo is meant to wipe out half the universe! Stuart Gordon wisely returned to making horror again after this little escapade. Since Space Truckers, he already made the sublime `King of the Ants' and the absolutely brilliant `Dagon'$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, now, I know there are millions of Americans who believe in The Rapture: that moment when all people born again in Christ will be raptured up to meet God and all the rest of humanity will be left on earth to perish in plagues and fire and the heartbreak of psoriasis as the Antichrist battles it out with Jesus (in an uncharacteristically warlike mode). And I know the books were best sellers. . .among believers, anyway. And I mean no disrespect to all that.But I have to say, they stuffed this movie into a sack and beat it with the Suck Stick.I'm sure the books are much better. Really.The plot needs no reprising. If you've watched this movie, chances are you read the book. I may be one of the only people on earth who actually watched this just for the sheer bad-moving-making experience, and I wasn't disappointed. Especially not by Kirk Cameron, the creepy little "Growing Pains" gremlin, who came of age on that show, found Christ, and decided that the SHOW should reflect his Christian values. Well, Kirk, your career has gone to the dogs, but now you can be happy that you're spreading the word of God in movies so bad, they never even make it to theatrical release. Well, that's not strictly true: I guess this was the only movie ever made that went to DVD FIRST, with a voucher for a free viewing of the movie when it was briefly released in theaters! I still have the voucher! How many people do you suppose showed up? I don't know about you, but it never came to my town. Of course, I live in NYC, where we Godless liberals sit around tearing pages out of the bible and use them to roll joints. So there you go. In fact, I'll bet out of three million people on Manhattan Island, not one would be raptured.Check out the supplementary materials on the DVD, where you'll learn the creepy behind the scenes details of these movies. . .the CAST and CREW all must be of the same religious mindset. They don't come right out and say this, but listen closely to what the filmmakers say. It's like a bunch of Pod People got together to make a Pod movie. How creepazoid is that? Honestly, this stuff just preaches to the converted, doesn't it? Can you imagine anyone who DOESN'T subscribe to the whole apocalypse thing watching this, slapping his forehead and saying, "HOLY HOOVER DAM! I better get saved PRONTO!" Anyhow, I'm hooked. I gotta see the rest of these Christian fiasco movies, especially the one with Gary Busey, which I think is TRIBULATIONS. At least Busey has an excuse for taking the part.. . .he cracked his head on some pavement when he crashed his motorcycle.Oy.Oh, and one more thing. What's with all the shots of poor,innocent dogs whimpering, their leashes dragging uselessly along the ground, because their owners have been called to heaven? What's up with that? Are we supposed to feel badly for the dogs, and if we do, what are we to make of God? Doesn't it IRK people that there's no room in heaven for man's best friend? Foo.This is one more reason I'm agnostic. Good night and good luck.$LABEL$ 0 +Saw the film at it's Lawrence, Kansas premiere. This wavering story about a group of disgruntled highschoolers killing off the competition for prom queen was just awful. It fails for many reasons - bad acting, bad script, no clear point. But mainly it just felt like the filmmakers said to themselves - "Hey I have some money, so let's make a movie!" - without really thinking it out. Sorrowfully most indie films that don't make it suffer from just that mentality. They just don't seem to realize that it takes more than money to make a good movie... or in this case, even a watchable one. With this film I do not feel ashamed to say, that if I didn't know some of the crew, I would have walked out. Simple as that.$LABEL$ 0 +The Flock is not really a movie. It's a wannabe movie, with wannabe actors. Not including Richard Gere, he gave an excellent performance, but when only one of the actors truly gives himself to his character, and the rest of the cast is just acting... the result is pathetic, just like this movie. You see, the idea of acting is to hide the fact that you're acting. What the hell was Claire Dains doing in this one?! She's the most inappropriate actress for this character. In 99.9% of the movie she looked extremely out of place, out of everything!! The only thing she was doing was asking stupid questions, like " do you really think so?? " , and making silly faces. I was embarrassed by her acting, seriously, and I used to like her... She's the romantic movie type, I don't know who picked her among all the actresses out there.... LOL, and seeing Avril Lavigne?! this really made me laugh.. Anyway.. If you want to get the feeling of throwing up, this movie will do the job for you!!! I wish I could vote -5..$LABEL$ 0 +Simply one of the best movies ever. If you won't get it - sorry for you. I believe that someday people will include this one in their all-time top 10's. Not now, but in the far future.$LABEL$ 1 +I never thought I'd say this about a biopic, but there is a near over-abundance of characterization (especially concerning Kenji Miyazawa's emotions) and too little on the literal occurrences in his life--by the end, I'm not sure if he dies (he's supposed to), or if his sister finally dies (she's supposed to), or if the director spent a little too much time on the Galactic Railroad (that's an inside joke, in case you missed it--Miyazawa wrote a children's book called Night on the Galactic Railroad). However, this glimpse inside the mind of a writer who "sketched poetry and fairy tales from his imagination" is very intelligent, creative, entertaining, and emotionally powerful.All this despite the fact that everyone is animated as animals (like in many of Miyazawa's stories).Some of the visuals are truly astounding, especially considering that it was a made for TV movie. Seriously, some of them (like the sequence with birds trailing blue light) rival parts of Fantasia. However, I still can't stand computer animation when it is mixed with cel animation. The CGI trains are horribly obvious--even more so than the Anastasia train.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Although well past the target audience, I've always had a soft spot for YA fiction, so, I was naturally intrigued by the return of Nancy Drew to the screen.This is not a bad film. The central mystery involving a long dead actress is presented in straightforward simplistic terms with dashes of jeopardy for the young sleuth. Nancy and her friends never take the threats seriously, so young audience members will not be upset.What I really appreciated from the story was the final results were rather serious and meaningful and Nancy seemed to understand and grow from the experience.Emma Roberts is great as Nancy Drew and hopefully we'll see her again in another mystery.$LABEL$ 1 +Directed by Samuel Fuller, who also wrote the screenplay, Pickup on South Street is a tough, brutal, well made film about a pickpocket (Richard Widmark) who inadvertently aquires top-secret microfilm and becomes a target for espionage agents. Also involved are Jean Peters as a tough broad who is used as a courier by her evil ex-lover Richard Kiley. It's film-noir at its best and although the performances are very good its grand character actress Thelma Ritter who steals the movie. As Moe a weary street peddler selling neck ties (and who also sells information) she is terrific in a role that brought her another Oscar nomination. Its amazing that Miss Ritter was nominated six times for an Academy Award and she never won. This should have been the role that copped it for her!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie way back when it premiered.It was based on the notion that autistic children could communicate with typed-out messages with someone else merely aiding them and guiding their hands.Then suddenly these children, many of whom weren't even observing the keyboard or the screen when the messages were being typed out (they could be looking up at the ceiling in some instances), but their moderators were eyes glued on the keyboard, began typing messages of abuse from their parents and other persons, sending parents and child welfare agencies in a proberbial tizzy, left and right.This whole thing was proved a fallacy when a third person presented a folder, opened it to the child and said 'type the picture you see', then as the presenter turned the folder to the moderator, a fold would fall down, revealing another different picture.So while the child may have seen a dog, the moderator saw something like a boat.Every time, every bloomin' time, the name of the picture typed was what the moderator had observed, never what the child was shown.So who was doing the typing? Never the child.This movie further took a disastrous turn with, as the Australia poster stated, the person who molested the child in the movie was IN the situation trying to help the child.Had Melissa Gilbert never put her son IN that place, he wouldn't have been molested, is what the movie says. He was better off under her supervision.If I turn my kid over to your organization for aid and he gets molested instead, do you think I'm going to be keen to listen to anything you have to say after that? Not likely! I think it is a safe bet that all of these accusatory messages that these kids were typing out, that this movie was based on, they never accused someone within their operation as took place here.Unfortunately, I do recall that the movie gave a very good performance from Gilbert as the mother of an autistic, but other than that, the movie really didn't do much.The worst by far was the child typing at the end to Patty Duke, and we hear the mechanical voice read back what he typed, . . . . . "we won!" This child was molested. If you cut my leg off and I take you to court and you are found guilty of damaging me, assault, whatever, then that is legal justice, but it doesn't bring my leg back.At best, in my condition, I will view it as a hollow victory.Whatever chance this child had at what is perceived as normalcy with the autism alone is further damaged by the molestation.A 'normal' child has enough to contend with from such an experience.It's utterly superficial to think that you must look upon any situation and go 'we won' if that person is found guilty in court.Just a bad handling of a situation and circumstances all the way around here.$LABEL$ 0 +Turkish Cinema has a big problem. Directors aren't interested in global cinema. They are local and folkloric, but want to be international. This brings kitsch results such this movie.Film has jokes translated to Spanish from Turkish and they don't have any meaning for non-Turkish audiences. Even for Turkish audiences after 10 years.Players, even Ferhan SENSOY have a worse acting than average. They act like puppets.Movie was shot in Cuba, but nothing includes about Cuba. So Cuba is thought like a banana republic.Waste of money, waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +The fact that reviewers feel very intensely negative towards the show is an interesting fact all its own. If you dislike it so much, don't watch it.Certain reviewers assert that you have to be dumb, dim-witted, or plain old primitive to enjoy this show. Au contraire, my friends. I am not claiming that all the contestants are smart. There are smart ones, and there are dumb ones. But I WOULD argue that they probably have a higher average IQ than the average reviewer on this website. Thats right, I said it. There is a lot to be said for the science of seducing girls. I'm sorry, but please withdraw all sticks out of your asses, and realize the reason you hate these guys is that they threaten you.Those oblivious to social sciences, and more specifically, the science behind mating are clearly going to miss the boat completely.One thing is clear: The clubs aren't the only places to meet girls. I personally think that the worthwhile women don't even go to clubs, so that they won't fall prey to men like the ones we see on the show. But what are men like these???? Apart from the ones whose games stink, they are the epitome of men. They are men who meet women in the most difficult situations. These are men who take ownership of their own sexuality. These men don't beg for their girlfriends to not break up with them, and these men don't say "OK" to the phrase "let's just be friends". Sound familiar???? In fact, these are the very guys you're afraid of when you take your special long term girlfriend to the club. We all are. These guys know what women like. (again, only the ones who have "game")And even the ones who are bad...they are worth a laugh! If you have gone out to a club, and actually interacted with the people around you, you should find this show entertaining. Look, I am at a loss for why there is so much hate for this show. My best guess is that it aggravates the insecurity in men who have had bad experiences in clubs, or threatens men who believe women are beautiful self-less creatures who just want a nice guy to buy their attention.I personally love this show. It is pure entertainment, and best of all, its REAL. It is a very perceptive take on the most recent state of sexual psychology. Sex roles have never been so different from before, and this show provides a very real view of that,I think it actually takes some intelligence to take away something positive from this show. This show appeals to a certain target market, and if you're outside of that, then I guess you shouldn't tune in to the show. We could say this about any other shows though, couldn't we?Grow Up,ApolloHelios$LABEL$ 1 +A twist of fate puts a black man at the head of an old-school, white-bred advertising firm. And he intends to make a few changes...One very strange piece of cinema. You'll either love it or hate it. Either way, you've never seen anything like it.$LABEL$ 1 +This low budget digital video film has strengths in the right places--writing and acting. In addition the digital photography is the best of the lot so far. In low light conditions the characteristic video umber tone prevails but, surprising, it rivals film stock for brightness, clarity, and, saturation in brightly lit situations. This is grass roots film making at its best with snappy dialogue carrying a "Midnight Cowboy" kind of story about grifters doing whatever it takes to survive in urban San Francisco.$LABEL$ 1 +When I was 16 I saw the documentary: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon". I actually liked, and believed in it for a couple of years. But then I grew up, and began to think, and when I had sought more information. This is: more info from reel sources, and non-biased sources. When I started at university, not so long ago, i asked an assistant-professor in astronomy about these conspiracy theories. What he said shocked me: He said that all those theories where lies. That baffled me, I did not believe it first, but then he presented evidence for his claims. He quickly debunked most of the theories about the subject: "humans did not go to the moon". The most outrages claim was that the Apollo-craft could not travel through the Van-Allen-radiation-Belt, without the crew perishing from radiation. The truth is that the Americans use a secret aluminum-anti-radiation-alloy. It is not that well-known. And the exact specifications are a secret. And why is it a secret: Well, why should they reveal it back then?? If they where in a space race with the Russians, then it would be VERY dumb to reveal that they had new technology that could shield crew against radiation.And then there is the biggest evidence of all: The Moon Stones. When the Apollo-missions DID go to the moon, they brought back many rocks from the moon, to give to geologists and similar scientists, who are documenting all things about the moon. These rocks and stones are IN FACT FROM THE MOON. Because: the internal basic elements, which all matter consist of, are also made of special isotopes, that are different from quarry to quarry, land to land, and especially planet from planet. The isotopes of these rocks and stones have been Proved, that they do not come from earth. The astronauts brought home HUNDREDS of Kilogram's of these rocks, all of them have been proved to have come from outside earth, and from the same planet. Ergo: The moon-landings where not fake. NASA did go to another planet: the moon, though it is not a planet, but a satellite to a planet, a moon (duuh). These rocks have been distributed to laboratories and universities all around the world. It has been proved: Humans did go to the moon - it is a fact, pronto.But I do not worry: most conspiracy-theorists are generally unemployed and uneducated, that is mostly why they do not know or lie about these facts. The fact remains: Humans did walk on the moon.$LABEL$ 0 +Rating "10/10" Master pieceSome years ago, i heard Spielberg comment that he would redo the movie here and there if he had a chance. Well, Mr Spielberg, i guess nothing is perfect, but this movie - together with schindler's List - is your best. Even Oprah acts well in this one !What got me most is the realism of the story and drama. Stuff like this happened and is still happening in the world.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie came very close to being a good flick. The direction needs to be a bit smoother to progress from one piece to the next to make it more plausible. In particular: The main character's need to escape is not explicit enough. Is he trying to kill himself? Is he trying to escape? His life does not seem to be that bad, so it makes it more difficult to swallow that he wants to leave his life so much. Also, it is not very clear how much "in love" he has fallen with Jennifer Jason L. If the movie was reworked with some more attention to these details, it would have been Great. On the other hand, for an indy flick, it's pretty good! Maybe if you have a couple of drinks, to dull the logical thinking, it would be more fun...$LABEL$ 0 +"The Next Karate Kid" is a thoroughly predictable movie, just like its predecessors. Its predictability often results in a feeling of impatience on the viewer's part, who often wishes the story could move a little faster. Despite its lulls and its extreme familiarity, however, this fourth entry in the series is painless, almost exclusively because of the presence of Morita. He doesn't seem tired of his role, and he does inject some life and humor into the film, becoming the best reason for you to see it. Not awful, but nothing much, either.$LABEL$ 0 +There was once someone in my family (not saying who it is because of personal reasons) who thinks that Mr Bean is always so silly in whatever he does on the comedy series. Imagine how I felt at that time. Shocked instantly.There are more reasons than one why I love watching Mr Bean. Being one of those earliest shows on the local television here in my country where I first grew up watching, it's just one of those things which had stuck into my head. There was even once my friends and I talked about few of the selected episodes and we just laughed together.It's always silly, funny and hilarious in whatever antics Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean will do in each episode. Though lately at times it may show some of the repeats here, it never failed to bring back those childhood memories of mine. In fact, I can dare say this is the very first show which introduces me about the kind of shows which come out of the UK as I was growing up.The comedy series...definitely really wicked, as what the Brits may be saying.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been watching a lot of Asian horror movies lately, but this one has to be the worst so far. It started out interestingly enough, but lost momentum after the first 15 minutes of the movie. The added "drama" scenes, flashback sequences and serious plot holes left me hanging. What really happened in the tunnel? Just "something terrible"??? Who started all the killing if it wasn't the ghost? What did she want returned to her????? No answers whatsoever! Overall, not very scary at all and the movie makers need to come up with a lot better ideas than this...One positive was the cute actress, but that's about it.Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +By submitting this comment you are agreeing to the terms laid out in our Copyright Statement. Your submission must be your own original work. Your comments will normally be posted on the site within 2-3 business days. Comments that do not meet the guidelines will not be posted. Please write in English only. HTML or boards mark-up is not supported though paragraph breaks will be inserted if you leave a blank line between paragraph.We sent an e-mail to when you registered. You must click on the link in that e-mail to complete your registration and enjoy the full benefits of being registered at IMDb.com. Whilst you wait for that e-mail, you can still update some of your registration details by using the links below. Don't forget to keep checking your e-mail though!$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this film at the cinema on the strength of its potentially interesting subject matter, good cast, a director who had previously done the highly-rated "Once Were Warriors" and my liking for noir-ish films set in L.A. in the Forties and Fifties. I would argue that I am reasonably easy to please in this film category; I appreciate the classics of the genre but I will sit through and enjoy a half-decent if derivative effort as well. However, I found this film completely unbearable.Despite a good situation in which to place the story, nobody seems to do or say anything remotely interesting or entertaining in the whole two-hours plus of this sorry mess. Good actors are wasted in endless scenes of dialogue ranging from banal to embarrassing. The narrative is slack and drags unbearably, and none of the events it depicts is handled well enough to do anything other than bore the audience to death. There is no drama, no atmosphere, no tension, absolutely no entertainment value and by the end I simply didn't care what happened because I did not believe in anything in the film.L.A. Confidential came out a year later and regardless of whether one version of the story is more true-to-life, the latter film deservedly gets all the plaudits for its excellence in every department. Mulholland Falls by contrast fails in every department, a fact made all the more tragic by the amount of talent involved. If they ever show this on a plane I will still walk out.$LABEL$ 0 +Dear Readers, 2001: A Space Odyssey is Kubrick at his best...although I really can't say that as Space Odyssey is his only film I've ever watched. But still, it's a good film. Strange, but good.The movie is in three acts, much like the novel...which is unsurprising since the author wrote the screenplay. Anyhow, we first start out with the simple yet spectacular opening with Also Sparach Zarathustra blaring on the speakers. Then comes the boring beyond belief 'Dawn of Man' sequence. Then there's the odd 'Finding of the Monolith' sequence on the Moon, played to Strauss's Blue Danube. Finally things get good with the Spaceship scenes and HAL going berserk and killing people. After that things die down and we have the 'Entering the Monolith' sequence which was WAY too long and the ultra-strange ending. Even though, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a good film. It's not Star Wars, Stargate, Terminator, or The Abyss, but it rocks. My compliments to the chef, Mr. Kubrick.Signed, The Constant DVD Collector$LABEL$ 1 +The most succinct way to describe Ride With The Devil is with but one word: authenticity. I will not rehash what has already been said about this wonderous film, but I would like to say how much the historical research and painstaking attention to detail the crew no doubt went through was appreciated by this filmgoer.As a student of history familiar with the period and setting of this film, I must say that this production is one of the most accurate fictional films regarding "bleeding Kansas". Yes there were liberties taken on the actual events, as all fiction is apt to do. But the overall feel of the film is genuine. Authentic costumes, authentic attitudes (no PC hindsight here) even the actors look authentic.Even Jewel Kilcher (who has a small part in the film) looked like she stepped form a mid 19th century photograph.A few viewers I talked with have expressed their incredulity at the stylized dialog. They cannot believe that 19th century farmers would "talk like poets".What they don't realize is that in this age of verbal slobbishness, the American public public of the 19th century was a surprisingly literate and eloquent bunch. These people were raised on Shakespeare and the King James version of the Bible. The screenwriters reconstructed the most likely verbal styles of these people, judging from documentation of the time. The stylized dialog just adds to the magical atmosphere of the film.But in addition to a historical document, this film works on a visceral level as well. Beautifully photographed and performed, it harkens back to the days of the great western epics. The raid on Lawrence, Kansas, done so many times before in so many other, lesser films is portrayed with a sense of urgency that puts the viewer right in the midst of the action.Romance, adventure, moral and ethical conflict.This film has everything a discerning moviegoer could want. In a year that was dominated by overhyped garbage like American Beauty, this great artwork was buried by an indifferent studio system. But I am certain that Ride With The Devil will be given it's due in the coming years. Please rent this film. You will not be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +"Ripe" is one of those awful indies which manages to get into circulation and give indies a bad name. Telling a stupidly incongruous tale of pubescent twin sisters who crawl from a firey car crash which kills their parents and then hit the road while happily shoplifting, making goo-goo eyes at some guy, and ending up on an Army post so dilapidated no Army would want it (yeah, right!). An apparent attempt at a coming of age flick, "Ripe" is an almost complete loser which wanders aimlessly as the players drift in and out of character finally ending clumsily with nary a shred of credibility to be found anywhere. Not recommended for anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +Ok, I first saw this movie like at 9:00 on Cinemax a few weeks ago and thought it would be award winning, boy was I 180d on that. This movie bit the big one. I mean, the mother of the monsters shows her true form only at the end of the movie. I'm going " That's it? Why doesn't she show it briefly a little bit more earlier in the movie." The plot being the mother and son feast on the blood of young women. Wouldn't it be better if they just went on, you know, a killing spree killing like a couple of young women each, then having the sheriff or a cop find out about and get into the old find a way to kill the monsters,save the young woman/women, and have 1 or 2 more people killed in the process? I think it would be a hell of a lot better that way. It also sucks because the son is the main character and he gets killed first. Why not get rid of the mother first? Plus, how does she have that strength at the end of the movie when she starts killing people? She said it herself she was too weak. What the heck was wrong with Stephen this time? I can never, ever dis the acting on any movie by any actor, after all, they try their best. If it weren't for good acting, I'd have given this movie a 1/10. 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Definitely not a good film but nowhere as bad as some would paint it to be. Nightmare in Wax tells the story of a man, having had his face disfigured in a typical flashback scene, wreak his vengeance on those directly responsible and those indirectly for the losses in his life - most notably the love and companionship of a beautiful young actress. Cameron Mitchell plays the artist with his typical flair, albeit limited flair. Actually, I thought he gave one of his better performances. What exactly does that mean? Mitchell wears an eye patch, endlessly smokes cigarettes, wears a motley tunic, and talks to his creations in wax. They are not your ordinary wax dummies, but rather people still alive controlled by some serum that makes them lose control of all neurological function. They become zombies in effect. I thought the premise here was inventive if nothing else. It has some ludicrous explanation, but does serve the plot. This is a film of the 60s to be sure with some psychedelic camera-work by Bud Townsend and company. The acting is mediocre but Mitchell, Scott Brady, and Barry Kroeger give interesting turns. The wax figures of Hollywood's bygone era are done very effectively and most of the location shooting was very credible. The end of the film dissipates into something not quite real - either another example of 60s cultural cinema or the end of the scriptwriter's creativity. I'm banking on the latter. Despite its many flaws, I enjoyed the film. The opening scene showing an actor being needled was effectively done as was a police chase on the waterfront.$LABEL$ 0 +This has to be one of those times you come across a movie with a neat cover, my first impression, sweet, full moon, crows, a scarecrow holding a scythe. OK my impression (I had watched scarecrow on TV a weeks ago) perfect, a nice slasher film to start the evening with. ................... wrong, absolutely wrong I think 5 mins in I was gonna take it out, but thought I wasted 3$ on this so Ill finish it wheres the scarecrow, well Im guessing its the legs of the fisher man wearing heavy duty rain boots. you see that every so often. I was watching this thinking.... OK when are those brats gonna run into this dude, at one point I thought they died. but no.... I mean frig, their still alive. I only chuckled at a few parts cause of how badly staged they were. one was the zoom in part at the start. the director/actor/writer says, "remember I had that feeling, well I have it again" and it was either a zoom in or zoom out, to hell I'm checking back. but I guess the scene was supposedly shocking, I mean whats more shocking is his wife had the same shocked look.... OK... she believed him??? Im sorry but YEAH.... i didn't know he was psychic until I read the movie box to make some sense out of what I witnessed. not only that, they used pictures to make you think this movie is at least clear. the other thing that made me laugh a bit was the, scream in the camera, to make it scary....... OK............... filming a girl close up screaming into the camera for 5 mins.......right..... I laughed cause of how pathetic it was these kids cannot act like the rest of the people in the movie.to top things off the scythe must have got lost or something.... cause seems the bad guy had just a stick. not even an ax, someone should axe the dam production filmDon't fall for the picture, this movie is a piece of sh*t. I watched the trailer and guess what it hasGIRLS WHERE ARE YOU TALK TO ME and CORN$LABEL$ 0 +Second-feature concerns a young woman in London desperate for a job, happy to accept live-in secretarial position with an elderly woman and her son. Thrillers about people being held in a house against their will always make me a little uneasy--I end up feeling like a prisoner too--but this rather classy B-film is neither lurid nor claustrophobic. It's far-fetched and unlikely, but not uninteresting, and our heroine (Nina Foch) is quick on her feet. Rehashing this in 1986 (as "Dead Of Winter") proved not to be wise, as the plot-elements are not of the modern-day. "Julia Ross" is extremely compact (too short at 65 minutes!) but it stays the course nicely until a too-rushed climax, which feels a little sloppy. *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +Once again proving his amazing versatility, John Turturro plays the introspective Russian chess genius preparing for a comeback tournament, and forging an unlikely relationship with a gadabout fellow resident (Emily Watson) at a 1920's Italian hotel. They fall in love,to the horror of her social-mountaineering mother (Geraldine James).A wonderful love story, whose gloss of chess might make it appear cerebral.But in spite of its origins in a Nabakov story, it certainly is not .The romantic elements and the sense of time and place beat the psychological analysis hands down.John Turturro, having appeared in "Barton Fink" ,"O Brother,Where Art thou?" "The Big Lebowski" proves that he is not dependant on Coen Bros films to assert his stature.$LABEL$ 1 +I went for this movie believing it had good ratings. Firstly, it is ridiculous that they're releasing a movie originally made in 2001, seven years later in 2008 here in India. Everything in the movie looks dated. Even for 2001 the movie looks like its been made on a shoe string budget. There is a scene where a taxi hits a man to elaborate how low budget you can get. Anthony Hopkins doesn't seem to know what he is doing in the film. He ends up giving a long monologue towards the end. If the film had bright sparks during that scene, I missed it as I was sleeping on my seat. Nothing about Jennifer Love Hewitt resembles a Devil. She wears ill-fitting trite clothes and scowls at random kids. As for Alec Baldwin a scene where he goes to meet Webster for the first time is not to be missed. What a waste of money! As Anthony Hopkins rightly put it, "Go back home and write better!"$LABEL$ 0 +After watching Tipping the Velvet by Sarah waters i decided to watch Fingersmith, the characters were just as good in both performances, though missing Rachael Stirling in the adaptation of Fingersmith.The story line overall was of a good choice, the twisting and the unravelling of the characters were amazing! Excellent watch only missing Rachael Stirling!If you do enjoy the romance of two girls this isn't one of the best films to watch. It takes on a different spin from Tipping The Velvet but just as good. Would recommend it to everyone!$LABEL$ 1 +...intimate and specific. Yes, a bit of a cinderella story, but only after many convoluted turns, earning it's way deeper and deeper into Antwone's psyche. Only superficial viewing can condemn this film as superficial. This is the stuff that heals nations, this is one of our great national stories. Antwone's path to emotional health encompasses a whole breadth of family history, the history of slavery and its aftermath. In his first directorial effort, first of many I hope, Denzel Washington confirms once again, that he has a truly beautiful mind and soul.$LABEL$ 1 +An introspective look at the relationship between Hawking and the space/time contingent. This film expores the Gallilean and Newtonian laws and there relation to Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.The film is methodically directed, exposing details of the man (Hawking) as well as his work (Black Holes). Interviews with his family are a little too long so sadly there is less development of his theories and ideas. A Philip Glass soundtrack superbly compliments the film. Only one other man could compose such haunting instellar melodies (Jean Michel Jarre).Overall I would highly recommend this movie on the basis of Hawking's 'nuggets of wisdom' and his adequate explanation of an Event Horizon!$LABEL$ 1 +Director Kinji Fukasaku is perhaps best known, in his homeland at least, for his Japanese gangster films, a series with which this movie shares a number of characteristics. Violence and political intrigue are themes throughout both Shogun's Samurai and Battles Without Honor and Humanity, and both feature a lead character who finds his loyalties challenged by betrayals. Both films also feature a large number of characters who seem to have little purpose but to die, and since so little is done to develop them, their deaths have little impact when they do come. This film has other flaws as well. The makeup, costumes and sound design are distractingly poor, and the battle scenes were substandard as well, inferior to other samurai films of earlier years (Seven Samurai comes to mind). Sonny Chiba plays the Sonny Chiba character in Shogun's Samurai, the no-nonsense master swordsman who strides through the film, scowling menacingly. What a guy; he even gets to wear an eye patch. If you were expecting to see the legendary Toshiro Mifune, you may be disappointed; his appearance amounts to little more than a cameo, and just when it appears that his character might do something interesting, he disappears for good. Overall, the strengths of the film are its story, which is infinitely more comprehensible than those gangster films, and the challenges posed to traditional concepts of good and evil. Two brothers are challenging for the throne of their recently departed father, who may have had some help on his way out. Early on, it looks as if we will be faced with a couple of characters who couldn't be more clearly good and evil; after all, the older brother stammers and has a birthmark, the sure sign of a villain. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that in a winner-takes-all struggle for power, there are no heroes and villains, only winners and losers.$LABEL$ 0 +Eric Stoltz delivers an extraordinary performance as Joel Garcia, a successful young novelist who winds up paralyzed and in a special hospital for the recently disabled after breaking his neck in a hiking accident. While learning to cope and adjust with the gravity of his new limited physical condition Joel befriends slick, fast-talking, charming womanizer Raymond (an amazing Wesley Snipes) and boorish, surly, racist biker Bloss (a terrific William Forsythe), who feels threatened by the diverse multi-ethnic array of fellow patients he's forced to share a room with. Joel also receives substantial support from his loyal and loving, but married girlfriend Anna (radiantly played by Helen Hunt). But he still must come to terms with being disabled on his own.This remarkable movie's key triumph is its laudably stubborn refusal to neither sanitize nor sentimentalize the severity of what these men are going through. Directors Neil Jimenez (who also wrote the thoughtful and insightful script) and Micheal Steinberg relate the story with exceptional taste, wit and warmth, specifically addressing with disarming candor and matter-of-factness how being handicapped irrevocably alters one's lifestyle, including and especially your sex life (this point is most powerfully made in a striking sequence when Joel and Anna try and fail to make love in a motel room). Besides the expected poignancy, the film further provides a surprising surplus of wickedly funny raw, earthy humor that's highlighted by the uproarious sequence with Joel and Bloss making a secret nocturnal expedition to a strip club. The uniformly superb acting qualifies as another significant plus: Stoltz, Snipes, Forsythe and Hunt are all outstanding, with stand-out supporting turns by Grace Zabriskie as Bloss' doting, amiable mother and Elisabeth Pena and William Allen Young as compassionate hospital nurses. Despite the grim subject matter, the film ultimately proves to be a very moving, positive and uplifting cinematic testament to the astonishing strength and durability of the human spirit. A simply wonderful little gem of a drama.$LABEL$ 1 +I was sitting at home and flipping channels when I ran across what potentially sounded like an interesting film. I like Destruction type movies and decided to watch it. I don't know why but I ended up watching it the whole 2 hours. We have seen this type of movie I don't know how many times.Back in 1998 - 2000 there were dozen of films that dealt with global destruction of some sort. The best one on my list so far is Deep Impact which was more believable than this one. Here are my problems with this film: 1) cheap special effects, like something out of the old computer. 2) no background information or explanation on weather patterns. If you are going to make a movie about weather, at least have some decency to entertain the viewer with technical details. 3) How come only 2 or 3 people figure out that the storm is converging on Chicago... no more experts left in the field? 4) where are some interesting characters? I truly don't care for anyone except maybe the pregnant woman. I felt that there was no character development. 5) no thought provoking moment what so ever and factually incorrect theme. And this is only the first part of the film. I bet the conclusion will show us few destruction scenes and a search and rescue operation just like it has been done many times before. And judging by the special effects in the first part of the movie, I can only imagine what we are to expect. Of course, at the end, the main characters will survive and life will go on... how original$LABEL$ 0 +Out of the handful of alternative titles in English, "The Sexorcist" is definitely the most appropriate one, since this is basically just a shameless rip off of William Friedkin's classic horror film in which they replaced 13-year-old Linda Blair with the 19-year-old Stella Carnacina only so that she could gratuitously show her ravishing naked body. I'm not sure what exactly Satan tries to accomplish here, but he exclusively seems to possess the young girl to play sexual tricks on her! Poor Danila masturbates around the clock and tries to seduce priests and even her own father into having sex with her. The young girl is introduced as a smart and ambitious theology-student with an odd-looking boyfriend (driving a stupid yellow car) and loving, albeit adulterous parents. When she takes a peculiar crucifix home to renovate, the ancient relic comes to life and no less than Satan himself (played by Ivan Rassimov of "Jungle Holocaust" and "Planet of the Vampires") starts to torment her. The overlong masturbation sessions and some bizarre nightmare sequences cover about three quarters of the movie, and then finally director Mario Garriazzo begins with the actual exorcism. That final segment is even more embarrassing and amateurish! The priests don't really do anything apart from saying some vague prayers but, somehow, Danila seems cured all of a sudden. There isn't much gore, the dialogues are horrible and the producers seem to compensate every little flaw by adding more sleaze! This is one of the strangest Italian exploitation efforts of the seventies (why the hell are they referring to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"?), but definitely not one of the best. If you fancy clones of "The Exorcist", I recommend "Demon Witch Child", "Beyond the Door" and "The Antichrist".$LABEL$ 0 +Zarkorr is one bad movie. This doesn't even rate in the so bad its good category. It's just bad. From the (lack of) set design to the acting to the special effects, everything about this movie stinks. For starters, the film looks like it was filmed in just empty rooms with a couple of props thrown in to make it look good. Then we get acting that is so bad that it makes a high school play look like it was an Oscar candidate. And to top it all off, there's the special effects that are so bad that they look like an amateur pulled them off in their garage. The towns that the monster is supposedly crushing look like my nephew's train set. So obviously fake that they scream out at the viewer. The only good thing about the movie is the monster suit. Its just too bad that they spent all their budget on that and left nothing for the rest of the film. And maybe a decent script would have helped too.$LABEL$ 0 +Many of the lead characters in Hideo Gosha's 1969 film "Hitokiri" (manslayer; aka "Tenchu" -- heaven's punishment) were actual historical figures (in "western" name-order format): Ryoma Sakamoto, Hampeita Takechi, Shimbei Tanaka, Izo Okada, ____ Anenokoji. The name "Hitokiri," a historical term, refers to a group of four super-swordsmen who carried out numerous assassinations of key figures in the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate in the mid-1800s under the orders of Takechi, the leader of the "Loyalist" (i.e. ultra-nationalist, pro-Emperor) faction of the Tosa clan. What was this struggle about? Sad to say, you won't find out in this film. "Brilliant History Lesson" indeed!No, Gosha is much more interested in showing you the usual bloody slicing and dicing and (at absurd length) the inner torment of the not-very-bright killer Izo Okada than in revealing actual history. Sakamoto, for example, was someone of historical significance, considered to be the father of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The closest Gosha comes to providing a history lesson is the scene in which Sakamoto, whom Takechi considers a traitor to the Loyalist cause, comes to Takechi's mansion to try to sway him ideologically. He begins by talking about the international political situation, with foreign warships in Japan's ports and a Japan that is too weak militarily to defend against them. Want to know more? Sorry. Gosha cuts off this potentially fascinating lecture in mid sentence(!). So much for informing his audience about a turning point in Japanese history.The film left me in utter confusion about the aims of the two sides in this struggle. For the two and a half centuries that the Shogunate held central power in Japan, it was an institution dedicated to preventing social change, to preserving the feudal relations of society. It was fearful of outside contamination, both ideological and technological. In keeping with this spirit, it outlawed firearms, those instruments of "leveling" in Europe and the Americas, with which a peasant could have stood up to a samurai. Throughout this period, the Emperor was nothing more than a spiritual figurehead.But, in the towns, which stood in neutral zones between the feudal fiefdoms, a new class of merchants, landlords and craftsmen was developing -- the class known in Europe by its French name, the bourgeoisie. Inevitably, as this new class gained strength, it chafed against the many confines of feudal society. As in Europe, the king (Emperor) became the central figure in the bourgeoisie's struggle for power against the feudal aristocracy. But a political leadership does not always fully understand the interests of the class it serves. When the outside world arrived with a bang in 1853, in the form of U.S. Admiral Perry's "Black Ships," the ruling elite of Japan was thrown into a crisis. Their military was no match for these foreigners. Also, they had heard about the havoc the British and French imperialists were wreaking in China. What should Japan do to save itself from the fate of its weak neighbor? Surprisingly, some elements within the usually isolationist Shogunate were inclined to open trade with the foreigners in order to obtain some of their advanced technology. This is the point of view represented (just barely) in the film by Sakamoto. On the other hand, the Emperor-loyal ultra-nationalists, represented by Takechi, believed they could keep out the foreigners by force, if only they could prevent the other faction from "selling out the country." (Sound familiar?) Thus, the assassination of key Shogunate figures is in order -- and away we go.Takechi's motivations were, for me, the film's biggest puzzle. Gosha suggests that he is fighting mainly for his personal advancement rather than for the Loyalist cause. Can we take this to represent the tenor of the Loyalists as a whole? (Do you care?)Several reviewers have compared this film favorably with "Goyokin," which Gosha made in the same year. But, where "Goyokin" is a crackling, suspenseful, adventure yarn, with a hero worthy of sympathy, "Hitokiri" is plodding, nowhere near as compelling and lacks such a hero. Sakamoto could have been this film's hero but we are not allowed to know him -- nor what he stands for -- well enough for him to achieve that status.In view of his wonderful scores for five previous Kurosawa films, Masaru Sato's score here was very disappointing, sounding like something rejected from a "Bonanza" episode.Barry Freed$LABEL$ 0 +Focus is an engaging story told in urban, WWII-era setting. William Macy portrays everyman who is taken out of his personal circumstances and challenged with decisions testing his values affecting the community. Laura Dern, Macy and David Paymer give good performances, so also the good supporting ensemble.$LABEL$ 1 +I, like many folks, believe the 1989 epic Lonesome Dove was one of the best westerns ever produced, maybe THE best. And, realizing that most sequels (in this case a prequel) are certain to disappoint, my expectations were low. Comanche Moon met that expectation with its marginal directing and acting, poor casting and frankly, a lousy script. Lonesome Dove created western heroes of Captains McCrae and Call due to incredibly strong performances by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. Prior to living in Lonesome Dove, we believed they bravely fought to rid Texas of bandits and savage Indians during their rangering years. If I had only seen Comanche Moon, I would think these two boneheads were a couple of incompetent, cowardly idiots. In Lonesome Dove, Call and McCrae supposedly chased Blue Duck all over Texas and never managed to capture or kill him. In Comanche Moon, a shot to Call's boot heel convinced him to settle down and raise cattle. There wasn't a decent fistfight or gun fight in the entire miniseries. The best punch was McCrea sucker punching Inez Scull, a funny scene but out of character for McCrae.Where was McCrae's wit and charm? Clara's love for McCrae, a drunken, unshaven slob and philanderer was completely implausible. And Maggie's love for Call, a dispassionate and sullen loner, defies logic. The cinematography was excellent, superior to the original. Credit goes not only to HD technology, but the cinematographer. The Comanche Moon miniseries was better than anything else on TV for three nights, but sadly that's not saying much.$LABEL$ 0 +Didn't care for the movie, the book was better. Does anyone know where it was filmed? *** this was my first visit to your site...just found the answer to my question. so now I look like a dummy, but I think I'll still submit my comments. and yes, British Columbia is lovely ***Or why they took it from its South Carolina Coastal setting?(this question stands) The place was essential to the fabric of the book and its change was part of my disappointment with the movie. Oh, I just read where I need to write at least ten lines. Here's my other main issue with the film. Kim Bassinger was too vapid and not at all what I pictured from the book. I know, the book was the book and the movie; well not so good. I found the character in the book much more empathetic. Also the book evoked rustic, almost primitive images of the monastery. While the "castle" in the film was much more visually impressive, it distorted the feel of the story and seemed at odds with the characters.$LABEL$ 0 +From Kreestos: The dialog is terrible, awful, drivel. Acting poor. Many plot flaws. I don't recommend this at all.From Wikipedia:Artistic licenses The working manuscript of the score is attributed to two copyists [1], both of whom were male, not female as depicted in the film.The copyists neither contributed to nor altered the score. In fact, they were berated by Beethoven for any deviation that occurred from the original score.The movie is set in 1824 during the composition of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Throughout the movie Beethoven is shown to be hard of hearing but quite capable of understanding people who speak loudly. In reality, Beethoven had lost much of his hearing seven years earlier (1817). Beethoven never experienced permanent deafness; his condition fluctuated between total silence and terrible tinnitus. The Ninth Symphony was composed at a time when Beethoven's hearing had deteriorated severely. At this point in his life, most of Beethoven's conversations were facilitated by the use of notebooks. It can be argued, however, that he was also able to read people's lips, evidenced by his insistence that people face him when they spoke to him.In the film, Beethoven makes an allusion to the Moonlight Sonata. This is an anachronism as the Sonata No. 14 "quasi una fantasia" was not named "Moonlight" until several years after his death.$LABEL$ 0 +This comment discusses "North and South Book I" dealing with 1842-1861 periodThe 19th century history of the USA is mostly identified by people with the Civil War (1861-1865). This is a reasonable opinion because that was Civil War which put the Union under the severe test; that was the Civil War which made Americans realize how precious it is to live in peace; finally, that was this period which at last brought the end to the shameful system of slavery. From the birth of motion pictures, there were people who adapted that time onto screen. D.W. Griffith, in the early 1900s, made his unforgettable BIRTH OF A NATION. Yet, the most famous film about the north-south clash is still, I suppose, GONE WITH THE WIND (1938). Unfortunately, fewer people know the magnificent TV series based on John Jakes' novel, "North and South." It is the very best TV series ever made and the time spent on watching it is really precious. I taped it on my video from Polish TV many years ago and have come back to it with great pleasure many times since then. Why? Firstly, the entire story is deeply rooted in historical reality. The two families, the Maines from South Carolina and the Hazards from Pennsylvania, represent two entirely different ways of life. In spite of that, friendship unites them. Yet, what they experience is the struggle all people do: friendship attacked by "truth" of "political correctness", love attacked by hatred of "legal spouses", gentleness by strength of "social heroes". Orry Maine (Patrick Swayze) is my beloved character - someone who finds love and who is quickly deprived of her; someone who cares for friends but political fanatics step in the way and ruin much. Finally, he is someone who can see the tragic future for his land but there is nothing he can do about the south's inescapable fate. His friend, George Hazard, is similar in most aspects but sometimes he appears to have a stronger character. It is him who shows Orry that although there are tragedies, he must get up from despair and live since life is the most precious thing we have. Although they represent two different lifestyles, their friendship occurs to be stronger than any prejudice, politics or conflicts.Other characters are also particularly well developed. There are villains, like Justin LaMotte or Salem Jones who are really wicked but most of the people are ambiguous as the nature of humanity has always been. Charles Maine is, at first, full of rebellion, prone to fighting, later, however, he learns to be a true southern gentleman for whom southern pride is not courageous words but foremost courageous deeds. Virgilia Hazard represents the most fanatical side of abolitionist movement striving to condemn slavery and punish the owners of "black breeding farms." Her marriage with Grady appears to be a symbol of equality but also a symbol of saying "NO" to the politics of the south. Two interesting characters are Orry's sisters, Brett and Ashton - sisters in whose veins runs entirely opposite blood. Brett, in her gentleness but also naiveness, believes in absolute fidelity. She marries Billy, even though he is a northerner, because she truly loves him. Brett is the representation of all that is precious in any young woman. Ashton, however, is a vamp, a tigress, a woman who does not hesitate to do the most wicked things. The clear picture of their world views clash is their chat about men and family...unforgettable moment and how universal! Most characters head for their values...yet, war breaks out and they'll have to put aside a lot...Secondly, the performances... someone said that not all people act naturally. I wouldn't say that. I'd rather say that all cast do very good jobs in their parts from the main characters who are portrayed by younger staff to the guests that consist of famous stars, including Liz Taylor, Robert Mitchum and others. Patrick Swayze as Orry does a great job. I consider this role one of his best ones. Lesley Anne Down as Madeleine is also very memorable. Her part, perhaps, entails too much suffering but she manages to express all sorts of feelings really well. Kirstie Alley is very appealing and truly memorable as the abolitionist Virgilia Hazard. Phillip Casnoff is worth consideration as horribly ambitious Elkanah Bent as well as David Carradine as a monster husband, disgusting Justin LaMotte. And, in contrast to him, a mention must be made of Jean Simmons who is truly excellent as Orry's mother whose heart beats for the glory of family life and concord of union. Thirdly, memorable moments of "North and South" leave an unfading trace in one's mind. Who can forget the first meeting of Orry and Madeleine - what charm, what gentleness there is in this scene! Or is it possible to skip the moment when Madeleine's father dies? I found it really powerful, there is a real drama in this moment, a drama of a woman being left by someone who really loved her. I also liked Churubusco sequence and George Hazard so worried about the life of his dearest friend, Orry. Then his meetings with Constance are terrific. Virgilia's speech in Philadelphia is a masterpiece of performance. And the final moment of the first part: although North and South may separate, their friendship will never die. Orry and George symbolically join hands as the train moves on. Simply, there are so many beautiful and powerful scenes that it's impossible to mention even half of them here. And these gorgeous tunes by Bill Conti and shot in brilliant landscapes. The music in "North and South" is very touching and memorable.What to say in the end? "North and South" is a real must have on DVD, simply an amazing TV series about the victory of all that is precious in us: love, friendship, loyalty, honor, truthfulness, absolute fidelity. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +....after 16 years Tim Burton finally disappoints me!!!! Whatever happened to the old Burton who read "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller as research for his preparation to direct Batman back in 1988-89? By the looks of it Burton didn't research the book nor the movie cause he got everything WRONG! This movie sucks! It's not as good as the original and it doesn't deal with the same subject as the original. If you want a good ape movie watch the original.**out of****stars$LABEL$ 1 +A feminist tract in which if you the viewer believe that: i) wild animals are seldom tamed by singing but instead attack, kill and eat (the line that grizzlies never attack unless provoked was a hoot - unless "provoked" means that it sees flesh); ii) homosexuality is both immoral per se -- and its acceptance almost always associated throughout history with signs of a society's dissolution and decay iii) few women are bisexual (in this one, virtually every woman is presented as having no preference for men or women) iv) divorce is far worse than infidelity v) land is there for human beings to use, develop and enjoy vi) it is as incumbent upon a mother of an adult son to keep in touch as it is upon the son vii) a mother raising her son alone is an unfortunate and real tragedy for the child viii) the idolization of a parent for worthwhile ideals is a good and healthy thing ix) adults continue to bear a responsibility for their sexual behavior, no matter their age, and the duty to engage in this most intimate and giving of acts only within the most intimate and openly sacrificial of relationships: marriage -- believe me, you are NOT going to like this film! Essentially it's a Howard Stern sort of fellow who is brought down by a Jane Fonda sort of woman (think The Electric Horseman). It's ugly stuff because the values, the ideals, of the screenplay are all so harmful.I share the other objections about the odd things in the writing: a) why would this man lose every girlfriend he has -- because he refuses to reveal that his mother's death and funeral caused him to be unable to keep dates with them? It's a mystery why he just keeps saying "it was personal" when faced with angry and disappointed women. HUH? b) there's an enormous inconsistency (i.e., the screenwriter wants to have it both ways) by telling us that the protagonist's mother loved the father with everything she had - and then later we're told that there was only one great love in her life - her lesbian girlfriend.c) the underlying legal assumptions are nonsense. We're never told that the executor has any right to live at the property - merely that she shall determine the timing of the sole heir's title and right to occupy the property. Yet somehow the film makes it appear that the executor is the rightful occupant - which is crazy. (Try to think of any executor of any will who uses the decedent's property before the will's bequests are fulfilled - it doesn't happen).d) the assumption throughout this film is that women are equally drawn to men and women - it's just absurd. Thus, we're told: i) that Penelope Ann Miller's character is dating other men near the end of the film - after having been with the decedent for five years - and before that in a fulfilling relationship with the protagonist, ii) that the protagonist's housekeeper after being devoted throughout her adult life to her kind husband - is now dating another woman iii) that one girlfriend upset with the protagonist would now therefore "like to try a woman".iv) that a male transsexual is eager to date the protagonist v) that Mary Kay Place's character naturally looked at other women in college ("and they looked back" she says with an idiotic triumphal flip of the head).This is all just ridiculous.I agree with others about the sound of the DVD (I had to keep it at maximum volume and repeatedly rewind to understand names, phrases).This is a film by someone who really despises traditional heroics by any man, hates the notion that a man is needed to raise a child, loathes the idea that there is any necessary connection between marriage and sex. The film is out to preach - and that kind of propaganda of false messages doesn't sit well.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie was clearly done poorly and in a rush. I realize that the funding for any such movie is hard to come by. However if the plot had any kind of original substance someone would have seen that it got the necessary funding, this was not the case and movies like this are not necessary themselves and have no purpose in existing. The plot for this movie has been done and done better i might add, many times before. There is no reason to make a movie that has no chance in competing with any others. i was informed by my computer that i need a minimum of ten lines to submit my comment so the following lines are just bull to fill in space. In my opinion there is no need for anything else to be said about this film. what i've said is plenty and if you wasted enough time reading this review, than for God's sake don't waste more time watching this movie. The only exception to this is if you are the kind of person who likes watching crappy movies that get played on the womens entertainment network at 2:00 a.m. in that case go ahead see what i care.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of the DVD's I recently bought in a set of six called "Frenchfilm" to brush up our French before our planned holiday in beautiful Provence this year. So far, as well as improving our French we have considerably enhanced our appreciation of French cinema.What a breath of fresh air to the stale, predictable, unimaginative, crash bang wallop drivel being churned out by Hollywood. What a good example for screenplay writers, actors, directors and cinematographers to follow. It was so stimulating also to see two identifiable characters in the lead roles without them having to be glossy magazine cover figures. The other thing I liked about this film was the slow character and plot build up which kept you guessing as to how it was all going to end. Is there any real good in this selfish thug who continually treats his seemingly naïve benefactor with the type of contempt that an ex-con would display? Will our sexually frustrated poor little half deaf heroine prove herself to the answer to her dreams and the situation that fate has bestowed upon her? The viewer is intrigued by these questions and the actors unravel the answers slowly and convincingly as they face events that challenge and shape their feeling towards each other.Once you have seen this film, like me you may want to see it again. I still have to work out the director's psychological motive for the sub plot in the role of the parole officer and some of the subtle nuances of camera work are worth a second look. The plot does ask for a little imagination when our hero is given a chance to assist our misused and overworked heroine in the office. You must also be broad minded to believe in her brilliant lip reading and how some of the action falls into place. But if you go along for the thrilling ride with this example of French cinema at its best you will come out more than satisfied. Four stars out of five for me.$LABEL$ 1 +I finally received my DVD today, viewed it and I'm pleased to announce this is the original theatrical version of the film. As you may have read in previous reviews of "Rich and Famous" that the edited for TV version of the film that somehow made it onto VHS sometime in the late 90's but, now WB has corrected the error and released it on DVD complete with the airplane restroom scene, Matt Lattanzi's bare butt, and the scene in the Hotel room where Liz (Jacqueline Bisset) calls Merry (Candice Bergen) a C**t! It's all there and looks better than ever! A crisp clear digital transfer, widescreen, and special features that include original theatrical trailer and a vintage 1981 featurette called "On Location with Rich and Famous" with cast and director interviews. If you love this film as I do you won't be disappointed with purchasing this DVD. Glad to finally have this on DVD… Well worth the wait! Thank you Warner Bros!$LABEL$ 1 +This remarkable film can be summed up very easily. First of all, while the comparisons to "Princess Bride" are inevitable, it's almost futile to do so. While both films combine adult wit and humor with a fairy tale backdrop, "Stardust" is so much different than any other fantasy/sci-fi film I've ever seen. It's such a hybrid of those genres, but its plot and script are so unique that--along with the performances, special effects, cinematography, and score--the finished product is simply not all that comparable to anything that has ever appeared on the silver screen. Secondly, the score is very effective at simultaneously pulling us into the story and the fantasy world in which it takes place and pushing the story along, while creating just the right amount of awe and excitement necessary to make the magic believable within the realm where the characters exist. Thirdly, I did not find the film to be even remotely difficult to follow or confusing in any way. In fact, the interesting interplay between the three main subplots actually made it even that much more compelling to watch. Wonderfully casted, and superbly acted across the board. This fantasy adventure (with sci-fi elements) was the best one I've seen since "Return of the King" (not that I am comparing the two at all). OK, so its not that easy to sum up, but don't let any crude and/or heartless and cynical review nor the film's pathetic PR prevent you from partaking in the best time you could have at the movies this summer (or even possibly in a long time)!$LABEL$ 1 +Monday, October 02, 2006 So I got together with my dad as I always do. We ordered some Japanese take-out, turned off the lights and pushed play. I'm an avid fan of horror movies. However, The Cavern released on DVD this October was most certainly a let down. It seemed promising, meeting all the standard requirements of any horror movie machine: drawn out beginning with antagonistic character present, a cannot be omitted sex scene, and the all too familiar pre-spook (when they spook you unexpectedly but it turns out to be the idiot buddy). Then finally when it got down to the nitty gritty, I was ready for some real gore action. The director, I admit was keen. Of course you would have to be to fill in an entire 81 minutes with people running back and forth in a space about 10ft wide. It all begins when some college bound "cavers" get together for yet another cave dive. They all seem like seasoned pros, very serious and spiritual about the whole cave experience. This time they bring a new-by along, some annoying photographer too blinded by his National Geographic cover to understand the full dangers of cave diving. As they descend deep into what they call "Hell Pit" they soon realize that they are not alone in the chasm of death. I will politely leave out any spoilers if you are naive enough to not heed my advice and avoid wasting your time. Although the atmosphere and background music was spooky; and there was sure a lot of blood and gore, when the moments approached to witness some actual dismemberment it was more like watching porn without the full frontal. The camera work was purposefully dark and sketchy. I guess the director used it for effect. I suppose the thing I like most about the movie were the moving characters. They deserved Acadamy Awards for those touching bickering scenes. I almost shed a tear when they finally "got it"... A tear for joy! If you like dry horror, soft porn, and you hated Braveheart. Then this is the right movie for your next Saturday night.$LABEL$ 0 +Some films are so badly made they are watchable purely for the cringe factor. Disciples made me cringe so much it was uncomfortable. I watched it all disbelieving what I was watching, wasn't anyone aware how bad this was whilst they were filming? Mix the most hammed performances from the most wooden actors, an abysmal script were every comment from all of the 'actors' sounded like it came from the same character and the most hurried editing that tried (and failed bigtime) to give the film a forced pace. All these combined into a film that will rob you of a few hours of your life and give nothing in return. Avoid at EVERY cost.$LABEL$ 0 +I Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the movie BUG at the Florida Film Festival and let me say it was a real treat. The Directors were there and they did a Q&A afterwards. The movie begins with a young boy smashing a roach beneath his foot, a man who is nearby parking his car sees the young boy smash it and runs to ask the kid `why? why? did he have to kill that living creature?' in his rush to counsel the youth in the error of his ways, the man neglects to pay his parking meter, which starts off a whole chain of events involving people not at all related to him, some funny, some sad, and some ridiculous. This movie has a lot of laughs, Lots! and there are many actors which you will recognize. The main actors who stood out in the film for me were: Jamie Kennedy (from his comedy show the Jamie Kennedy Experiment, playing a fortune cookie writer; John Carroll Lynch (who plays Drew's cross dressing brother on the Drew Carey show) playing the animal loving guy who just can't get it right; Brian Cox (The original Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter) playing the germaphobic owner of a Donut and Chinese Food Take Out joint. There is one line where Cox tells his chef to wash off some pigs blood that is on the sidewalk by saying "clean up that death" which is quite funny mostly because of Cox's "obsessed with germs" delivery. The funniest moment in the movie comes when a young boy imitates his father, whom he heard earlier in the day yell out `MotherF*****', while in the classroom. Another extremely funny and surreal scene is when Trudie Styler (Mrs. Sting herself) and another actor perform a scene on a cable access show, from the film the boy in the plastic bubble. The actor who hosts the cable access show is just amazing he is so serious and deadpan and his performance as both the doctor and the boy in the plastic bubble is enthralling. There are many other fine and funny actors and actresses in this film and having shot it in less than a month with a budget of just about $1 million, the directors Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (who are screenwriters by trade, having written crazy/beautiful and the upcoming Tuxedo starring Jackie Chan) have achieved a film that is great, funny and endearing.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm glad I read the Sarah Waters novel first, since I had my own pictures of the characters in my head at the time. The ones cast for this production, however, were not at all disappointing - in fact, after I got used to Rachael Stirling as Nan, I think Nina Gold did a damn fine job in the casting department. (Can Keeley Hawes be more delicious?!)The BBC has done it again: this is a wonderful production of a very good book, and they have done it up in style. If you can get your hands on this (VHS, DVD) be sure to get the 181-minute version (the uncensored one.) It is a marvelous journey, albeit a bit rocky at times, that you won't regret taking.$LABEL$ 1 +'The Last Wave' is far more than the sum of its parts. It's not merely a disaster film, not simply an exploration into Australian Aboriginal spirituality, and certainly more than a simple court drama. Writer/Director Peter Weir manages to take these elements to the next level to produce a truly effective and thought-provoking film with the same eerie atmosphere he gave to 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' two years earlier, that you will continue to remember years later.When lawyer David Burton (Chamberlain) is called to defend Chris Lee (Gulpilil) over the death of an Aboriginal for which he may or may not be directly responsible, he finds himself not merely struggling to get the truth from Lee, but making sense of what he hears when it does come. As with the Aboriginal belief that there are two worlds - the everyday and the Dreamtime, the truth exists on two completely different levels, with ramifications more disastrous than Burton could ever have imagined.No doubt the reason why 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' is better remembered is because of its enduring mystery. We are led along the same path but forced to find answers for ourselves. In 'The Last Wave', we can piece everything together by the end of the film. However, even with all the information, we have to choose how much of it we want to believe, because the film takes us beyond the borders of our normal realities.On the production side, Weir uses his budget to great effect, progressively building a sense of doom in everything from soft lighting, to heavy rain, to good use of sound. The incidental music is unobtrusive, never trying to be grandiose. Richard Chamberlain manages to convey the bafflement the audience would doubtless feel as he tries to unravel the mystery. David Gulpilil excellently portrays a man trapped between two worlds, wanting to do the right thing, but afraid because he already knows the ending.Put all these things together, and you have a perfect example of why David Weir is a familiar name in cinema thirty years on. Strongly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Silverlake Life, The view from here, is an absolutely stunning movie about AIDS as well as about a gay love relationship. Some images are indeed really hard to take, especially when one is gay or fears about AIDS, and probably for any sensitive person watching it. It's not easy to make a movie about such a terrible illness and its consequences about not only one, but two people's lives. This movie teaches how to care for each other in such hard times, but it never gets too morbid, it still shows life at any time, reminding you that outside of the theater or of your room, life goes on, whatever the destiny of some people may be. The characters are incredibly endearing, while we watch their intimacy in shots that never go beyond a very strict limit, never unveiling anything too private or offensive. Children should certainly not watch this movie, but grown-ups whether they have to deal with such situations or not, should do it, and will not regret the tears they shed.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a funny, clever film and well worth your time. In my opinion it is much better than American Pie and other films of the same genre that seem to get knocked out all the time. I hadn't heard of this film, so I guess it didn't get much press, which is kind of a shame. It doesn't take itself too seriously but at the same time delivers a serious message to people about life and life experiences and what is important...As opposed to a film about a bunch of desperate guys trying to get laid for the first time and one dude sticking his d**k in a pie, but in the end everyone gets laid and whoop-de-do... One thing that impressed me was that the soundtrack was pretty awesome and not the usual cheesy American pop-punk...They actually had real punk from back in the day like the Ramones...That in itself made the film better! To be honest I wasn't expecting much from this film and I was pleasantly surprised at how good a comedy it is.$LABEL$ 1 +Kurt Russell, whose career started when he kicked the REAL Elvis in It Happened At the World's Fair, will probably never top his performance as the King in this biopic helmed by slash and shock meister Carpenter. There are times you feel that you're watching Elvis until something snaps you back to reality...perhaps memories of a hapless Don Johnson in Elvis and the Beauty Queen? All the performances here are excellent: Season Hubley as Priscilla, Pat Hingle as the Colonel, even Shelley Winters brings the right level of nerves and hysteria to her rendering of Momma Presley.Kurt's dad Bing is here playing Elvis' father Vernon, and there's a fine understated performance from Robert Gray as Elvis' buddy and bodyguard Red West. A must see for rock n roll fans.$LABEL$ 1 +Before I took a job as a reviewer, I never went to films like this, and thus remained blissfully unaware that at the soul of the Hollywood film lies a deeply woman-hating spirit that thrives on putting its knocking little knees on the silver screen for all to either empathize with or revile. Or is this just a particularly bad year? An ugly trend? Here we have yet another seemingly sweet, innocent, beautiful woman turned lethal weapon. The kind that cautions us that beneath every pair of batting eyes and nesting instincts lies a wild-eyed beast guaranteed to make everyone's life within 50 miles a living hell.This month's specimen is Jewel Valentine's (Liv Tyler), whose simple dreams include having her own little house, a backyard fountain, and a mondo home entertainment system. Unfortunately, Randy (Matt Dillon, in his first film in 3 years), the dim-bulb bartender she picks up at McCool's one night intending to rob, is less materially oriented. The kind of guy who drinks beer out of a toilet plunger, he prefers to hunker down in his dead mother's house with few creature comforts save his snowglobe collection.In that same low-rent bar, the Devil in the Red Dress also bumps into Randy's cousin, Carl (the highly amusing Paul Reiser), a lawyer with an ego the size of St. Louis. When things go south within hours, enter the widowed detective with a heart of gold (John Goodman). The result? Three men sustain big, bad crushes on the leopard-clad progeny of Steven Tyler and Bebe Buell-crushes that make them do things that common sense would normally contraindicate. Like get involved in the first place.Multiple points of view and flashbacks patch together the front-page news about how easy it is to fall victim to one's libido, especially if you're male. As each of these men relates his perspective to a confidant, his desire to possess The Jewel colors the `truth' of the situation. About 70 minutes later, things come together in a reasonably amusing way. But it's amusement from the same source that tells you that the stuff on the popcorn actually tastes like butter.MCCOOL'S is the first film by Norwegian commercial and music-video director Harald Zwart, and his pedigree is clear during some of the fantasy segments, including one about a car wash, soap and a hose that you can probably extrapolate. It's also the debut project from the production company owned by Michael Douglas, who's found his niche as a toupeed sleezeball in a bingo parlor.Dillon and Tyler are unlikely to win any gold statues for this one, though given the one-dimensionality of their overdone film noir-type characters, you can't really fault them. Several minor roles drag out unexpected guests--Reba McEntire plays Carl's psychiatrist, and Andrew Dice Clay doubles as both the hoodlum Utah and his even-scarier brother. (Finally, an outlet for all that aggression.)This film unwittingly speaks volumes about the dynamics between men and women--or men and their mommies. But ultimately you'd probably find more lasting psychological truths in a Bugs Bunny episode. I will say that it's better, funnier, more sophisticated than other recent gems like TOMCATS, but should we really have to choose what to see based on what ranks lowest on the misogynism scale?$LABEL$ 0 +And that's how the greatest comedy of TV started! It has been 12 years since the very first episode but it has continued with the same spirit till the very last season. Because that's where "Friends" is based: on quotes. Extraordinary situations are taking place among six friends who will never leave from our hearts: Let's say a big thanks to Rachel, Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler and Phoebe!!! In our first meet, we see how Rachel dumps a guy (in the church, how ... (understand), Monica's search for the "perfect guy" (there is no perfect guy, why all you women are obsessed with that???), and how your marriage can be ruined when the partner of your life discovers that she's a lesbian. Till we meet Joey, Phoebe and Chandler in the next episodes... ENJOY FRIENDS!$LABEL$ 1 +Have you ever, or do you have, a pet who's been with you through thick and thin, who you'd be lost without, and who you love no matter what? Betcha never thought they feel the same way about you!Wonderful, wonderful family film. If you have a soft spot for animals, this is guaranteed to make you cry no matter your age. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was a little kid, and I find that now, at age sixteen, I love it as much as I did then. I could never decide on a favorite character then, and I still don't think I can! I love all three of the animals. The dialogue seems very real and comfortable, like a loving, but feuding family. I do love Chance, and how at the end he says that he has a family at last. Cheesy, yes, but one must remember that this is meant to be a family film, and it fulfills that role perfectly. Sassy has just the perfect dose of "sassiness" and Shadow is the perfect leader/role model to the young, adventurous Chance.The animals way outshine the humans, but of course most of the teary moments are to be had during an interaction with them (ie. rescuing Molly, and the end). Not to mention the incredible soundtrack that gives each moment even more emotion, and an accompanying heart-swelling feeling. I give this 9/10. To be compared to (and even rated better than) Cats and Dogs and Babe.$LABEL$ 1 +A classic late 50's film. The superannuated headliners (Joan Crawford and Louis Jordan) are not at their best, but the direction, cinematography, and acting of the younger cast are compelling. In a 50's sense (which I love).The look and feel of the artsy (over-artsy?) contemporary film "Far from heaven" reflects exactly this sort of film (and I suspect this film may be one of the models). A silly plot, of course (hey, it's 1959!), but as a film-- glorious! As a reflection of the society, extremely interesting. And as witness to how Hollywood breaks away from the idealistic portrayal of American sexual mores, fascinating.$LABEL$ 1 +At last!! Sandra Bullock is indeed a beautiful woman, but I've finally found a film that she gets to be an actress! Forget the predictable Keanu-fodder of SPEED, forget the predictable Kleenex-fodder of WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING - this tests her!And she is great! A techno-feminist role that really works well on screen, on a subject that is very close to the bone. The issues raised don't seem far-fetched at all and the whole experience, helped along by a fine supporting cast, makes for quite an un-nerving couple of hours.You may never enter another chat-room again, in fact I'm getting quite nervous just writing this review...er...bye!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is about a young couple running away to start a new life in LA, who end up being stalked by a psycho at a deserted rest stop. Actually, it's really just about the girl (Nicole), since her boyfriend literally disappears within a few minutes. The movie gets going extremely fast, and early on you wonder how it could possibly stretch its story out to feature length. It isn't long before you realize that the movie does this by simply wasting time with unnecessary scenes that go nowhere.The story is not only paper-thin, but unstructured, stupid, and incoherent. Minutes after the disappearance of her boyfriend and car, Nicole finds a mobile home at the rest stop. She sees the flashing of a camera, and KNOWS that people are inside, but she easily gives up on trying to get their help when no one answers her door knocks. After she is informed by the killer that her boyfriend is in danger, she walks around the rest stop, doing all sorts of stupid and unnecessary things. This includes turning on a TV (and even looking amused when she thinks she's stumbled onto a porno movie, even in this dire situation), sitting around, wandering, and drinking from a bottle of liquor for hours on end. She does all this KNOWING that her boyfriend has been abducted, that the killer is still on the loose and stalking her, and without taking any actions to ensure her immediate safety (she doesn't bother to lock the doors or remain alert). Oh yeah, she tries using a radio to call for help, but why even bother when there's a mobile home with people inside RIGHT THERE at the rest stop? It really seems like the script writer forgot about this important fact while writing this part of the story.There's no sense of entrapment or ever-present danger in this story. The heroine freely wanders in and around the various buildings at the rest stop, and the killer only drives in occasionally to scare her, before driving off again. There's NOTHING stopping Nicole from simply taking off (even if the rest stop is a long way from anywhere else, that's better than sitting around), but she chooses to stay anyway. At one point in the movie, the main character even ACKNOWLEDGES that she can run off, but doesn't.The story doesn't go anywhere, and instead just jumps from pointless segment to pointless segment. Nicole finally gets inside the mobile home, and it turns out that the inhabitants are a family of sheltered, presumably inbred or psychotic religious fanatics. They seem willfully ignorant or uncaring about the killer's actions (but there's no indication that they're connected to him in any way), and then kick Nicole out after several minutes.In the next irrelevant segment, the main character wanders into the bathroom building. She discovers one of the killer's previous victims (a young woman named Tracy), who is still alive and locked in a closet. For some strange reason, Tracy starts vomiting ridiculous amounts of blood. Nicole goes off to fetch a crowbar to pry open the closet door, and when she returns a minute later, both Tracy and her pool of blood have disappeared without any explanation. What was the point? Nicole finds a bulletin board showing many missing persons, and sees that Tracy had disappeared in 1971. So, was Tracy a ghost or something? The writer never bothers explaining.Next, a cop shows up in the middle of the night to man the police office at the rest stop, which had been conveniently left unattended for the entire day so far. Nicole tells him all about what's been going on, and when the killer drives up in his truck outside the office, the cop goes outside to confront him. What does the police officer do, knowing that something is seriously wrong? He goes up and calmly talks to the killer (who Nicole had even pointed out to be the guy who was stalking her), and buys into the killer's lie that he was simply driving through and needed directions. Seriously. The cop then talks to Nicole outside, totally unaware as the pickup truck turns around and runs him over.The cop quickly starts telling Nicole that he's a goner who's "lucky to be breathing" still, yet he strangely doesn't die for quite a while. The two of them do some more pointless talking, and the all-important fact that he has a gun is annoyingly not even mentioned for too long a time. When the two of them finally try to use the gun, Nicole stupidly wastes most of her bullets blindly shooting at a door when the killer was possibly behind it. With two bullets left, the policeman tells Nicole to use one to euthanize him. She fires one into his mouth, and he lays still for a few moments, with a chunk blown out of his head. Then, he suddenly and inexplicably yells out "You missed!" and she has to shoot him again. Completely cheap attempt at shock.Nicole finally confronts the killer…and fails. The movie ends with a scene taking place not long from then, with a woman arriving at the now strangely much more active rest stop. In the bathroom building, she hears Nicole crying for help in the closet (locked in like Tracy was). She gets a policeman to go inside and check it, but he finds an apparently normal and clean closet. The cop leaves, thinking he's been tricked. A battered Nicole is seen coming out from behind some boxes in the closet (she would have been easily spotted if the cop had spent all of 10 seconds looking), apparently too stupid to have said or done anything when the policeman was there. WOW.This movie is apparently the first in a new line of "quality" direct-to-DVD movies, marketed as being too extreme for theaters. In reality, it's just more cliché, B-Movie garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry but i don't understand how the studio get's away with this. The movie is just not worth it. Maybe as a theater-play but certainly not as a movie! And why do they call it a thriller??? Offcource the acting is good but i did'n't expect anything less from these perfect actors. Robert Redford plays very well and Willem Dafoe is convincing enough as the softy "bad guy". Helen Mirren can play almost any role and always (still) looks beautiful to me ;). I'm also a fan of her British detectives. Still they just can't save this ow so boring movie, i'm sorry. I hope we don't get to many movies anymore from this director "Pieter Jan Brugge" cause he obviously doesn't now the meaning of the words "suspence and thriller".$LABEL$ 0 +This was a very strong look at prejudice and group mentality. The cast is composed of superb actors doing a remarkable job. The sets are beautiful and just a bit stylized. The art direction is top notch along with great cinematography. The story is taut and shows how prejudice and bigotry can flourish easily. It is disturbing for its realistic violence and protrayal of a fairly typical community. I was very impressed.$LABEL$ 1 +As a fan of Eric Rohmer's studies of the contemporary war between the sexes, I was very eager to see "The Lady and The Duke (L'Anglaise et le duc)" for how he would treat men and women during a real war, the French Revolution. The film looks beautiful, with each scene designed as a period painting, like a tableaux vivant. And I expected much talking, as that's Rohmer's style. But maybe Rohmer was restrained by basing the screenplay on a real woman's writings is why this mostly felt like a docudrama version of "The Scarlet Pimpernel."As awful as the excesses of Robespierre et al, how about some recognition that the French aristocrats were spoiled brats? I kept humming to myself: "Marat, we're poor/and the poor stay poor;" you could also pick a tune from "Les Miz."I wasn't all that sympathetic as the central figure has to go back and forth between her city home and country manor to stay ahead of the Revolution. At one point her maid claims the pantry is bare but sure manages to lay out a fine repast. I simply didn't understand her, an English sympathizer who alternately rejects and defends her former lover and patron as he and the Revolution keep shifting political focus; I think I was supposed to sympathize with her consistency more than their political machinations, like a character out of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Hey, the only reason she didn't go back home was her disgrace after an affair and child with the Prince of Wales or somebody. Usually in a revolutionary period there's some groundswell of change going on in relations between men and women, but I saw none here. I once went to a Herbert Marcuse lecture that concluded with a lengthy Q & A; the last question, from an audience member far older than the rest of us acolytes, heck she had gray hair, was "Why are revolutionaries so grim?" She was hooted at and Marcuse didn't deign to respond to it seriously -- but it's the only thing of substance I remember from the whole evening. Rohmer demonstrates that counter-revolutionaries are also grim and didactic.(originally written 8/11/2002)$LABEL$ 0 +I was @ 13 yrs of age when I saw this greatly underappreciated film at The ADAMS theatre in Newark, NJ, I purchased the Program, and later bought the soundtrack... still have both.... I am now 55 + yrs.. and have not seen it since (possibly once on network TV, in 1960's???) One of the greatest casts ever assembled, great score and production , please let another generation see this great film... It was my introduction to opera, and aided with my understanding of Tolerance.. Please family of Gerswhins or Premingers, release this classic soon !!$LABEL$ 1 +The whole does not even come close to the sum of the parts. No problem. This film features a line-up of some of the most diversely creative directors of our time and some really famous names in the cast. The segments are devised around the same theme, "Love in Paris", but the resemblance ends there. Actually, considering that the approach to the theme from all these different directors takes so many forms, it is amazing that we can even feel we are still watching the same film. No great effort has been made to turn it into a comprehensive whole. This buffet has so many great ingredients, I am glad nobody tried to put them all in a single dish.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie within the movie - a concept done many times in the history of cinema. It is accomplished here as well as in any.If you love Carmen, you'll love this version.If you love flamenco, you'll love this version.The plot of the classic opera is played out in the actual rehearsal of the opera by a flamenco troupe. The music is authentic. The direction wonderful.If you like dancing, you'll love this version.There is tragedy. There is passion. There is intrigue.There is...Carmen.$LABEL$ 1 +Well done Al Gore! You have become the first person to have made 1 Billion dollars of the global warming lie! Just like all the other man made fable's in the world this one is up there with the best lies to have sucked in so many people. Sure polution is not a good thing, and I would love for all the tree's to keep on growing, but global warming is a business! It employes thousands of people that are all very mislead.Google it! There are just to many things that just don't add up, but well done Al, you failed as a politician, but went on to make lots of money sucking in the world.Whats next? Santa is real?$LABEL$ 0 +Well, it is hard to add comment after reading what is already here but I feel I must say something. I wasn't exactly looking for 'a splatterfest' as someone puts it or even 'blood and guts/gore'. I have some respect for the victims relatives although I really felt the filmaker DIDN'T. -They were nameless, faceless and meaningless. Just a vessel for Dahmers sexual antics.I watched this film with the kind of morbid curiosity that makes me think 'What makes a guy be a serial killer?' as well as wondering the specifics about the Dahmer story, of which I know very little. People here seem to think that the movie didn't have to cover the events of the Dahmer story.. I.E. his history, what happened when he got caught, the aftermath, etc but IT IS IMPORTANT! You see, I assume if you are American you WILL KNOW all of this. We do not all live in America. To tell this story about such a man as he obviously was, REQUIRES that at least SOME of the history and actual events are told/shown. This doesn't mean blood and guts, there are ways of showing horrific things in a movie by implication or clever filming without resorting to gore. Without even touching upon some of what he did (I found out more about him reading the user comments on this site!), the movie felt like a void. A moment in time with very little substance. I would like to know if there is a film about the REAL Dahmer because with its lack of direction, VERY slow pace that NEVER changes, Strange portrayal of homosexuality and the VERY unfortunate lack of ANY attempt at an ending, this movie is POOR. I would not recommend to anyone that they waste the time it takes to watch it. A definite 1 out of 10 (for the acting!)$LABEL$ 0 +For months preceding the release of this movie you saw it advertised in all sorts of print media, so I patiently waited for its video release to see what all the hype was about. After it was over I had to apologize to my roommate for occupying the VCR for the last hour and a half to watch such a horrible movie. It essentially fails because it is a character based movie about unredeemable characters. With the possible exception of Amanda Peet (whose only redeemable quality is that she is Amanda Peet) you cannot stand any of them. The film relies on its dialogue which is sophomoric, moronic, and crude. The only slightly amusing character is Eric, whose portrayal of the sole married member of a group of friends is dead on. The final twist, designed to make you laugh at the three main characters, only instead inspires the same kind of resentment towards Peet. All in all, only rent if you are desperate or possess a dark sense of humor.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so I rented this clown-like-Chainsaw-Massacre-esquire film, not expected much, but I did like the novel approach to a serial killer film. (from the back of the box is the following synopsis) "At first, it was just a joke - a myth around the campfire - for five friends staying at a remote cabin in the Texas woods. But when they began to disappear one-by-one, replaced by scattered, bloodied body parts and voodoo effigies, the remaining few scramble for their lives. But he's out there. And he's sick. And all he wants is blood..." So obviously from the get-go it doesn't make sense: why is this clown in the woods to begin with? Why a clown? Why are their dolls with the word "food" drawn on them? Why why why? Hardly anything gets answered in this 1 hour 30 min. bore fest except where this clown lives. The characters are dumb guys, dumb girls, and a hell of a lot of bitchiness. One in particular is a girl whom they brought from a restaurant up the road, whom they thought they should help because she was getting hassled by some guy she knew. What warrants that as an excuse to bring a girl into your circle of friends or their cabin? She, of course, begins planting seeds of jealousy, having the men have sex with her by feeding their dumb minds everything they want to hear.The music was an average affair (standard frantic keyboard music like in every horror film without differences). The actors seemed to be brought from some soap opera the way they complained and whined about everything. The idea that the main guy in the film takes this girl to the cabin as their first date makes for a horrible date, but of course, she unrealistically gives herself to him on the first night of getting to know him. There was hardly a budget spent of anything, it seems, but there was a clown outfit and plenty of cheap $1-store dolls lying around in the woods, which was a horribly bland place to shoot this whole movie (been done too many times). I was also waiting for the clown to jump into the house to kill the remaining 4 characters of the film (in through the glass maybe), but nothing exciting like that ever entered the film. I guess you were just supposed to like the clown being a killer or something.I had to give the film a 3. It was an interesting premise (clown as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre character, essentially) and I'll give them a star for acting serious all the way through when the movie could've totally been a B-movie-style video, but they opted for the more legitimate style of video. But ultimately, I probably would've felt like renting the Killer Klowns from Mars video again before going back to check this out. Ah, but that cover art...pretty awesome drawing.$LABEL$ 0 +I really appreciate what Jung-won had done before his death. Everything. I want to say that his choice for love is unselfish. If he chose Da-rim , that will be good for him. But Da-rim will need more time to recover from his death. Obviously he does not want to let it happen. As he did in the film, he chose giving up. So it was just temporary agony for Da-rim.As comparison, My Life Without Me is very different. Their behavior shows big difference between eastern culture and western culture. I cannot say which is better. Every one can has right to choose. That is totally up to you. Life is equal for everybody. We can live only once. Any choice is acceptable if only you think it is fit for you.In truth the slow pace of the film cannot be the excuse for rejecting the movie. Just calm down. You will get more from the movie.One of the best Korean movies I ever watched. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +For the first forty minutes or so, Luna is a real pleasure to watch. The characters and their situation are interesting and the photography and locations are beautiful to look at. Then Jill Clayburgh discovers her son Matthew Barry is using heroin and the movie starts to unravel and then becomes outright laughable in its sickness.Clayburgh asks him why and when he started using the drug and she nor the audience ever get a straight answer, which would be a bit helpful. He mentions not caring about anything but that's not right because we see clearly in the amazing early scenes that he has a good deal of interest in his mother's singing, baseball, sex, and apparently cared enough to turn down marijuana. This movie is for people who think junior gets into hard drugs because mom and dad were workaholics who missed his piano recital. I think such a dangerous and emotionally volatile drug like heroin was chosen as some sort of intellectual catalyst for the later scenes of incest. There's a lot of discussion about the mother's love for the son but it's really about Bernardo Bertolucci being pretentious. Luna would have been great as a quaint little family drama.How old was Matthew Barry in this movie? I was more concerned over the bizarre things he had to do as an actor for this film than for anything his character was going through. ** out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw this movie at the Tribeca Film Festival and i have to say that i thought it was amazing. The combination of humor and sincerity really made the movie worthwhile. The movie was about a seventeen year-old boy whose mother and father are very religious. The seventeen year old, Ben, decides to work for a retired actress who teaches him about girls and driving and life. It is very comical and touching. I honestly have to say that it is now one of my favorite movies. I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. If you didn't catch one of the showings at the film festival, it's supposed to come out in theaters later in the year. Please go see it! It is a great film.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought the video for £13 at HMV (we pay more in Britain) as a friend had told me it was highly rated and the reviews on this site were generally impressive.I have to say that the opening credits were a let down...the dancing/music not very powerful.The car ride and unexpected crash just as the lady passenger was going to be harmed was a nice touch,..something unexpected...though the way she walked away from the car with hair perfectly groomed and still carrying a handbag looked corny for most Directors ..but for Lynch was something else.Her dazed walking around after such a shock was enhanced by a regular low noise similar to fingers scraping along a blackboard; I thought another Lynch master touch perhaps portraying the demons gnawing into her shocked and traumatised self conscious. After a while this noise became somewhat annoying and on further investigation I discovered the new video cassette squeaked.I dont know whether this squeak took away a lot of my enjoyment but this movie became a waste of time.(and money)The two female characters had some presence and the lesbian scenes were fair enough, though predictable. There were no male characters of any merit and apart from a few vaguely good scenes (the hoover switching on )there were far too many dreadful scenes that were plain weak and ridiculous. Eg, the coffee being spat into the napkin by the menacing loon and the silly monster face at the back of the diner. Oh and what about the paint in the wifes jewels..boring and naff.This whole film gives you the feel of the failed genius..you know when you listen to the worst Dylan track ever and think my God that was embarrassing....was that really Bob?The whole feel is that of a failed TV movie , badly put together with a few (not many) extra bits to give it a 15 rating.I whizzed it on during the last 30 minutes .Do I give it another chance and watch again. If I want to be puzzled and work hard at understanding a film I will watch Frank Woods Guide to Consolidated Accounting.Lynch did one classic ..Blue Velvet and Straight Story was nice.This, like Wild at Heart, was a let down ; his weirdness is now predictable and stale. Anybody want to buy a 2nd hand video?Make way for some younger original talent, David.Four out of Ten (and no more). Sorry.$LABEL$ 0 +Violent sequel to RoboCop was directed by Irvin Kershner (Never Say Never Again, The Empire Strikes Back) will never be as good as the original, because it is almost humorless, and it is extremely mean, and should have been rated NC-17, because of scenes with infants being involved in gunfights, people threatening to brutally murder very young infants with REAL automatic weapons, and even scenes with a 12 year old using lots of explicit profanity, giving drugs to lots of random people, shooting and graphically shooting up and killing policemen and SWAT officers, opening fire on police officers when lots of small and young children are present, and a whole group of children using strong profanity and beating up the store owner (who is a very old man) of an electronics store and stealing and destroying lots of items there. This film gives new meaning to the term "appallingly mean", but the effects and action sequences are exceptionally incredible. Overall, an OK movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I ordered the movie from Korea because I was an extra in it and was interested to see how it turned out.Having watched it I can say that I am ashamed to have had any part of it. I feel embarrassed not only for myself but for everyone else who had any part in the making of this mockery of British "comedy".From beginning to end the film is predictable, tedious, dull, monotonous and cringe-worthy to the point that on several occasions I actually looked away from the screen in dis-belief. Until you actually see the movie it is difficult to conceive how un-romantic and un-comedic a romantic comedy can be.It's not only a bad story, but a badly-made film. In one scene, you can actually see a runner or assistant director showing the S.A.'s when to wipe across. I will post details of this in the 'Goofs' section.On the up-side, it did fill me with emotions (disappointment, rage, embarrassment…)$LABEL$ 0 +I have to confess that I slept in the cinema while watching the first Asterix movie... but this one is simply FANTASTIC! It is really funny and it leaves the first one miles away. It has enumerous gags and funny situations that made me laugh since the first minutes of the movie and I only stopped laughing when I reached the car to return home. I repeat: this movie is spectacular... Obelix is really funny and Cleopatra is a real babe!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is the first Jean Renoir Silent film I have watched and perhaps rightly so since it is generally regarded to be his best, besides being also his first major work. Overall, it is indeed a very assured and technically accomplished film which belies the fact that it was only Renoir’s sophomore effort. For fans of the director, it is full of interesting hints at future Renoir movies especially THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (1946) and THE GOLDEN COACH (1952) – in its depiction of a lower class femme fatale madly desired by various aristocrats who disgrace themselves for her – but also THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939) – showing as it does in one sequence how the rowdy servants behave when their masters' backs are turned away from them – and FRENCH CANCAN (1955) – Nana is seen having a go at the scandalous dance at one point. Personally, I would say that the film makes for a respectable companion piece to G.W. Pabst’s PANDORA’S BOX (1928), Josef von Sternberg’s THE BLUE ANGEL (1930) and Max Ophuls’ LOLA MONTES (1955) in its vivid recreation of the sordid life of a courtesan.Having said all that, the film was a resounding critical and commercial failure at the time of its release – a “mad undertaking” as Renoir himself later referred to it in his memoirs which, not only personally cost him a fortune (he eventually eased the resulting financial burden by selling off some of his late father’s paintings), but almost made him give up the cinema for good! Stylistically, NANA is quite different from Renoir’s sound work and owes a particular debt to Erich von Stroheim’s FOOLISH WIVES (1922), a film Renoir greatly admired – and, on a personal note, one which I really ought to revisit presto (having owned the Kino DVD of it and the other von Stroheims for 4 years now). Anyway, NANA is certainly not without its flaws: a deliberate pace makes itself felt during the overly generous 130 minute running time with some sequences (the horse race around the mid-point in particular) going on too long.The overly mannered acting style on display is also hard to take at times – particularly that of Catherine Hessling’s Nana and Raymond Guerin-Catelain’s Georges Hugon (one of her various suitors)…although, technically, they are being their characters i.e. a bad actress (who takes to the courtesan lifestyle when she is booed off the stage) and an immature weakling, respectively. However, like Anna Magnani in THE GOLDEN COACH, Hessling (Renoir’s wife at the time, by the way) is just not attractive enough to be very convincing as “the epitome of elegance” (as another admirer describes her at one stage) who is able to enslave every man she meets. Other notables in the cast are “Dr. Caligari” himself, Werner Krauss (as Nana’s most fervent devotee, Count Muffat), Jean Angelo (as an initially skeptical but eventually tragic suitor of Nana’s) and future distinguished film director Claude Autant-Lara (billed as Claude Moore and also serving as art director here) as Muffat’s close friend but who is secretly enamored with the latter’s neglected wife! The print I watched – via Lionsgate’s “Jean Renoir 3-Disc Collector’s Edition” – is, for the most part, a lovingly restored and beautifully-tinted one which had been previously available only on French DVD. Being based on a classic of French literature (by Emile Zola, no less), it cannot help but having been brought to the screen several times and the two most notable film versions are Dorothy Arzner’s in 1934 (with Anna Sten and Lionel Atwill and which I own on VHS) and Christian-Jaque’s in 1955 (with Martine Carol and Charles Boyer, which I am not familiar with).$LABEL$ 1 +I'm like the rest of the fans who love this comedy,i've been waiting for it on DVD. I've got it on VHS and got so fed up waiting for a release and worrying that my VHS copy would ruin i got the equipment to get it onto DVD. The picture and sound are excellent to my utter surprise. If anyone else want's a copy drop me a line atstone_stew@yahoo.co.uk and for £7.00 i'll put it onto a DVD,print the DVD and get it in the post to you. £7.00 just covers my costs & recorded delivery etc with maybe a little over so i'm not after making money out of it,i'd just like the world to see this ignored gem of a comedy.I recently saw a copy of ebay got for over £26,amazing. How can they not release this classic. Email me for payment details like cheque or Paypal etc etc$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is incredible. If you have the chance, watch it. Although, a warning, you'll cry your eyes out. I do, every time I see it, and I own it and have watched it many times. The performances are outstanding. It deals with darkness and pain and loss, but there is hope. This movie made me look at the world differently: vicarious experience, according to my English teacher. Also, if you've seen it, note the interesting use of shadows and light. Home room is a phenomenal movie, and I rate it 10/10 - for real - because of the excellent acting, amazing plot, and heart-wrenching dialogue. Very tense, very moving. Doesn't give all the answers, but makes many good points about humankind$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excellent movie. It is about many things: the hunt for a serial killer, the bureacracy of Soviet Russia, the drive of one man, and the relationship between this man (the lead detective) and his superior.The thing that sticks with me the most is the relationship between Durokov (Rea) and Fetisov (Sutherland) (excuse bad spelling, please!). For some reason, it is moving to see their evolution from hostility and offense turning into respect and cameraderie and working together. One line in the movie sums it up for me: "He would say something witty, but he is overcome with emotion."Excellent acting by all of the cast, even the smallest parts were done with believability.This is not a fast-paced action thriller; in fact, it moves at times like a slow drama, but it is worth it. Very satisfying and not exploitative about the crimes at all.$LABEL$ 1 +After the reasonably successful MASTI which was tad better Inder Kumar returned again with a comedy PYAARE MOHAN based on the Hollywood film SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL The film reminds you of HUM HAI KAMAAL KE(1994) where Kader and Anupam play the blind and deafThis movie is a tedious exerciseThe film has jokes of such nonsense that you don't feel like laughing like Snehal Dabi's head getting stuck in the back of the horse and all those type comedies which we don't laugh at now but mock The film starts off in a clichéd manner and some scenes are funny sadly such moments don't last long as the story never moves in this half even the comedy gets boring The twist is well handled and the second half becomes an action film where the blind guy and the deaf go to rescue the heroines and we have all OTT chase scenes and fight scenesDirection by Inder Kumar is bad Music is okay, one song stands out I LOVE YOU MY ANGELVivek is awful in the comic scenes, his timing is very bad and is okay in serious scenes For some reason he keeps doing comedy and ruined his career Fardeen Khan is tad better but too wooden Amongst the rest Esha and Amrita are the heroines Boman Irani annoys here Snehal Dabbi is okay$LABEL$ 0 +The plot certainly seemed interesting enough. How can a real-life brutal murder be turned into a truly boring movie? Well, you can watch "Wonderland" and find out.I had heard of the Wonderland murders before this film was released and found it to be an interesting true story of some genuinely sadistic people. Unfortunately, there is zero character development, so we never get a chance to understand why any of this was done or get a good sense of the interrelationships between the characters. The pace of the direction was very tedious. This all leads to an extraordinarily boring movie.Given that Dawn Schiller - a central character as Holmes's girlfriend - was an associate producer and that Holmes's wife was a consultant on the film, we should have had the opportunity to gain some real insight into the characters.$LABEL$ 0 +The not the best movie in the world???? That was an understatement. I personally didn't like this movie at all. Not because of the story line, not because of the graphic violence, and the nudity. The nudity didn't really need to be in it, it did nothing for the story, except maybe the girls were going through a rough time, and being naked probably messed them up even more. But one of the things in the movie that I hated.. was that it was sooooo dark. You couldn't really make out what was going on. I think if it wasn't as dark, and you could see where they were, then it might not have been so bad. All you know that its a basement somewhere. You see no house, no road, the killer in it, all you could see was half his face for about 5 seconds. I wanna see some stuff in a movie. It gets boring after 20 mins of pretty much darkness and all you see occasionally is a flashlight or a wall. Then you will hear the girl sobbing. There was nothing that really stuck out to me that was good about the movie, maybe the suspense in the first 10 mins of the film... but not the suspense of how the movie is going to end, but the suspense of.. will I get to see anything in this movie but a few naked bodies and various flashing lights. But honestly people, this was a Saw meets Blair Witch Project wannabe. Both top notch movies, and both with the correct lighting to figure out what was going on. Forget this movie if you can see.. if your a blind person.. you might wanna rent it to hear the screams if your into that sort of thing. But then again if you are blind, your probably not reading this either.. so anyway... BAD MOVIE!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Eddie Murphy is one of the funniest comedians ever - probably THE funniest. Delirious is the best stand-up comedy I've ever seen and it is a must-have for anyone who loves a good laugh!! I've watched this movie hundreds of times and every time I see it - I still have side-splitting fun. This is definitely one for your video library. I guarantee that you will have to watch it several times in order to hear all the jokes because you will be laughing so much - that you will miss half of them! Delirious is hilarious!Although there are a lot of funny comedians out there - after watching this stand-up comedy, most of them will seem like second-class citizens. If you have never seen it - get it, watch it - and you will love it!! It will make you holler!!! :-)$LABEL$ 1 +I liked this movie way too much. My only problem is I thought the actor playing the villain was a low rent Michael Ironside. Of corse Ironside is just a low rent Jack Nicholson. I guess Mike was busy that year with "Highlander 2: The Quickening". Sadly "Beastmaster 2" would have been a much better career move. It is certainly the best of the Beastmaster series and in many ways reminiscent of that great big screen classic "Masters of the Universe". Not only does it star the incomparable Mark Singer it also features an amazing supporting cast, specifically the second girl from "Sliders", Uncle Phil from "Fresh Prince of Belair" and evil chick from "Superman 2". It rocked my world and is certainly a must see for anyone with no social or physical outlets. BEASTMASTER FOREVER!!! ROCK'N ROLL!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I have been reading the reviews for this movie and now I wanna kill my self. I don't wanna live in a world where people find this move or Rob Schneider funny. What is wrong with these people. I'm not angry at Rob Schneider because he has the intelligence of a dead cat. I watched this film in disbelief. Who would pay money to make this?? This film is so bad that its painful. Most bad films are funny because they are crap. The Animal is just DISGUSTING!!! Watch this film and if you like please for all of man kind kill your self. We don't need you. I want to raise money to get Rob Scheider off all movies. If someone killed Rob Schneider they should be given a Nobel peace prize.$LABEL$ 0 +This appears to be one of Noel Coward's lesser known films, and it is easy to understand why. Taken at face value it's not a bad film, but there's nothing terribly good about it either. Nothing much happens at all throughout the course of the film, it's simply the story of Chris and Leonora's ill-fated affair, and Barbara's reaction to it. The only thing that keeps the film interesting is the fact that we already know it's going to end badly for one reason or another, owing to the first scene. Oddly, there are many perfect opportunities in the story for conflict, and yet none of them are utilised. For example, it would've been much more interesting and believable if Barbara had've fallen out with Leonora, but instead the two remained on good terms throughout the film. The notion of Barbara having been betrayed by her friend was not explored at all - in fact she didn't even seem to feel betrayed by her husband; she even encourages him to go on a holiday with Leonora. Similarly, Chris' two secretaries at his practice, Susan Birch and Tim Verney, who also happen to be close friends of both Chris and Barbara, are never forced to take sides. In fact, Tim shies away from conflict by telling Chris that he's terribly fond of both him and Barbara. Despite the strange lack of conflict, the biggest flaw in the film is the fact that we don't care whether Chris ends up with Leonora or Barbara. The two womens' personalities are indistinguishable anyway so we don't know which of the two is better suited to be with Chris, and besides this, Barbara's permissiveness gives the impression that she hardly cares about the affair anyway. Furthermore, I found Chris and Leonora's relationship somewhat unconvincing. I can overlook the ridiculously short timeframe in which they fall for each other because that is so common in films of this era, but even then the relationship seemed shallow. Coward's character was too austere and cynical to be the object of Leonora's affections. He reminds me of the socially inept genius Sir Earnest Pease from the film "Very Important Person" - I'm sure the two would've gotten along well. Chris' coldness and austerity made his love for Leonora seem insincere. I think Coward should've sat this one out and given his part to a younger man - as it is, I was constantly wondering what this young beauty saw in such a sombre, mostly emotionless, balding middle aged man. Despite all my criticisms, the film still manages to be interesting - just not terribly compelling. The fact that none of the characters are particularly well developed gives them an enigmatic nature, which is somewhat intriguing. The Astonished Heart is certainly worth watching, but it is a flawed piece of cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a shameful result of what happens when:A) It is written, directed and produced by an idiot. and/or B) It was rushed in production to satiate the poker/Stu Ungar craze. The story from beginning is uneven. Vidmer spends too much time on Ungar's childhood and not enough on some of the legendary tales -- such as counting cards, his blackjack escapades, the roll of money as id. He also leaves out mentions of other poker greats such as chip reese, brunson etc. The movie is a complete mess from beginning to end. If you want a more complete and accurate account, read the book One of a Kind. If you thought the movie was good, read the book and change your mind.$LABEL$ 0 +as a former TV editor, I can say this is as authentic as it gets. It even led to Letterman's producer (thought to be a source) resigning (eventually) in real life. Letterman was outraged (OK, so one goofy thing is it has him throwing softballs at a tire swing on his estate; total fabrication) but the main information is hilariously true, from the silly bidding war for Letterman once he decided to leave NBC to Leno's problems with an agent who was not ready for big time, but who he let run the show (almost to a disastrous exit) out of his famed loyalty. If any of you kids don't grasp the idea of why Letterman is jealous to this day, see this tape.$LABEL$ 1 +this movie sucks. did anyone notice that the entire movie was shot in like 2 rooms. there are NEVER any outside shots and if there are its obviously film taken from somewhere else. this movie blows hard, painful to sit through too. stay far away.$LABEL$ 0 +What starts out as a gentle country yarn, inoffensive and mildly enjoyable romantic tale changes pace as Edward Norton's initially charming Harlan gradually reveals more about himself and things take a turn for the sinister, as the film gradually changes from a southern romance to a modern wild western.An amiable rancher (Norton) wanders into town and charms a young girl (Evan Rachel Wood), seemingly rescuing her from a dead-end existence with her bad-tempered father with a whirlwind romance, but it gradually becomes apparent that there is more to this cowboy than meets the eye.Edward Norton – a real chameleon actor (with changing facial hair to match) playing a country hick, accent slightly dodgy but maybe because he's merely trying to act the part without worrying about the accent. He certainly makes it appear effortless to make all the nuanced little adjustments as we learn more about Harlan. However, with too many small changes it means we are never sure exactly where Harlan is coming from, and what seemed like a good performance from Norton gradually becomes confused. Evan Rachel Wood is likable without ever really having a great deal to do other than bat her eyelids at Norton.Down in the Valley strikes as a slightly uneven tale due to its change of pace, and by never really making the protagonist's motives clear the audience's sympathies for the characters remain uncertain. Should we like this drifter or not? Even after a dramatic turn of events it remains unclear. This ambiguity is to the film's detriment, as if the writer could not make up their mind what kind of story they wanted to tell and settled for somewhat of a hotch-potch. Had the film remained one or the other it might have been a solid film, but as it is what we are left with is something of a mess. Fans of old-fashioned romance will enjoy a portion of the film but will be put off by the darkening tone. Completist fans of Norton aside (or fans of the lush scenery of the San Fernando valley), give this a miss.$LABEL$ 0 +As someone who usually despises Ali G, Ali G Indahouse was absolutely brilliant. When I was watching it, I was in a hysterical fit. Yes it is sexist, rude and extremely crude, and I loved it. As some comedies are only have one or two comical scenes, this movie was laugh-a-thon. I have never seen a comedy as original as Ali G Indahouse.For a comedy starring Ali G, this would be worthy of an 8 out 10. Absolutely Brilliant.$LABEL$ 1 +After eagerly waiting to the end, I have to say I wish I wouldn't have joined the whole series at the first place. The final episode was everything against the previous seven years. It has ruined everything. The journey was 23 years, but captain Janeway has the power to reduce it... let say, seven years only. Why seven? Why not just one? Or nothing? Why not avoid the whole adventure? Crewmemebers were dying all along the journey. Why she wants to save Seven of Nine only? The others don't count or what? The most ridiculous part when the crew states that getting home is not really the most important thing to them. As the say, "journey is more important than the destination". Unbelievable. And at the finale scene the are surrounded by other Federation ships and the Earth is in sight. Nothing about landing, returning to the normal life.Worst ending ever.$LABEL$ 0 +The Australian public and the Australian film industry are often heard to complain that there are not enough great Aussie films around, or that they are all the same.Well in this case this film is not a carbon copy of other Australian films. It is unique - it will make you laugh out-loud, it will make you cry and it will make you feel really good about yourself.The casting of this film is superb and the acting is second to none. The script and the photography (colour/light etc) is wonderful. But more important this is a great film. I don't want to talk about the plot as I think it is always best to see a film knowing as little about it as possible. Suffice to say this film will appeal to a wide range of audiences. Take your girlfriend, take your Mum, take your friends - for a great evening out.10/10!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +i didn't hate this one. i just couldn't adapt to the story. it didn't really grab me. Michael Mann is a very good director but i have to disagree with his methods in this. i'm also a fan of Daniel Day Lewis. some projects he's been in are pretty rubbish but his acting is brilliant. my favourite Daniel Day Lewis films are There Will Be Blood and Gangs Of New York.there is one thing i loved about this and that was the musical score, it gave the film a lot of atmosphere. thats about all i liked in it though. this film has a high vote as well which is a bit random. i can see that a fair few people will like this but not enough to make the overall rating 7.8.i would give this film a miss if i was you but there is a lot of high votes for this so i guess you should watch it and make your own views on what you think. i didn't really like it............. 4/10.............j.d Seaton$LABEL$ 0 +'The Italian' is among the great or near-great films of 1915 that are available today. The year was a turning point for the feature-length film, especially in America: Lois Weber's 'Hypocrites', Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Cheat' and, of course, D.W. Griffith's 'The Birth of a Nation' set new benchmarks for the art. Additionally, that year, Russian filmmaker Yevgeni Bauer made two of his best pictures, 'After Death' and 'Daydreams'. The French serial 'Les Vampires' also has its admirers today, although I disagree with them. The emergence of the feature-length film was led by Europe, mainly Denmark, France and Italy, but dominance of this market and, to a degree, the art shifted to across the Atlantic in 1915.The most overriding artistic achievement of 'The Italian' is its stunning and often innovative cinematography. There are some picturesque sunsets, mobile framing, including a brief overhead angled shot of the Italian racing to buy a wedding ring and another shot of him holding onto a moving car, and, in general, there is wise use of varied camera angles and expert lighting throughout. An especially amazing shot is a close-up of the Italian enraged as he slowly approaches the camera for an extreme close-up, in reference to D.W. Griffith's 'Musketeers of Pig Alley' (1912). He's so enraged his environment even begins to shake around his anger.Unfortunately, the cinematographer appears to be unknown. The director, although originally without credit in the film, is now known to have been Reginald Barker. Five or so of his other films made for Ince are also available today, but are rather unremarkable. 'Civilization' (1916), which he worked on, was a large production, but a deeply flawed movie. By the way, I'd guess that one or more of the various cinematographers who worked on 'Civilization' also photographed 'The Italian'.Moreover, the entire production is very advanced for then. Venice and New York are well rendered despite the film being shot in Los Angeles (for romanticized Venice) and San Francisco (for the ethnic slums of New York). There are extensive flashbacks, although perhaps one or two too many. I especially like the clever framing of the narrative as being read in a book by a character played by the same actor, George Beban, who is also the lead in the inner, main narrative. The reading of the story is further briefly framed by the opening at the beginning and closing at the end of curtain drapes, à la the theatre, which is reflected within the inner story during the revenge climax in the child's room, with the opening and closing of window curtains. Parallel editing, in-camera dissolves and irises and such are handled expertly. Additionally, Beban and Clara Williams, as his wife, play their parts well.On the other hand, 'The Italian' does have a few drawbacks. The film's early moments of comedy clash rather disharmoniously with the latter parts of harsh and heavy melodrama, although the environmental changes from romanticized Italy to naturalistic New York works well—mostly because it's supported by the lighting and photography. The harsh dissolution of the American dream in this film, enhanced by the stark photography, must have been poignant to the immigrant classes who comprised a disproportionately large population of the movie-going public back then. The Corrigan character should have been foreshadowed more; his brief introduction campaigning for another politician seems inadequate for his later centrality to the Italian's revenge. In addition, the filmmakers were either medically naïf or careless to not explain the lack of breastfeeding of the infant and the unwarranted faith in the healing powers of quietness for the other child. Aside from the deficiencies in plot, 'The Italian' is exceptionally well made.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was recommended to me by a friend who lives in California. She thought it was wonderful because it was so real, "Just the way people in the Ohio Valley are!" I'm from the area and I experienced the film as "Just the way people in California think we are!" I've lived in Marietta and Parkersburg and worked minimum wage jobs there. We laughed a lot, we bonded with and took breaks with people our own age; the young people went out together at night. The older people had little free time after work because they were taking care of their families. The area is beautiful in the summer and no gloomier in the winter rain than anywhere else.Aside from the "if you live in a manufactured home you must be depressed" condescension, the story lacked any elements of charm, mystery or even a sense of dread.Martha's character was the worst drawn. It's doubtful that anyone so repressed would have belonged to a church, but if she had, she probably would have made friends there. I've read reviews that seem to assume Martha was jealous of Rose because Rose was "younger, prettier and thinner" but if this is the case it isn't shown. All we actually see is Martha learning to dislike Rose for reasons that would apply just as much if the three friends had been the same age and gender. We see Martha feeling left out during smoking sessions, left out of the loop when social plans are made, used but not appreciated, and finally disrespected and hurt.Just one more thing: Are we supposed to suspect Kyle of murder because he had once had a few panic attacks? Please. This takes stigma against mental illness to a new level.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is truly awful. After seeing the advertisement for it, i thought it could have its charms ... but it didn't.The girls cannot act, and they cannot sing either. The soundtrack to this movie is full of their songs, and its not a pretty sight, Terrible story line, unbelievable plot, its one of Disney's worst movies by FAR!. Ally is not a bad actress on "Phil of the Future", so i don't know what happened in "Cow Belles". And her sister, AJ, seems to be just hitching a ride on her sisters "fame", and she displays no talent what so ever.At the end of the movie the girls do finally learn some cliché morals, but this is to late to rescue this train wreck movie.Awful$LABEL$ 0 +Why would Burt Lancaster allow himself to play a poor schnook who is ultimately undermined by femme fatale Anna Dundee, played by Yvonne DeCarlo in 'Criss Cross'? The same reason why Robert Mitchum allows himself to be cast as another loser who falls for femme fatale Faith Domergue in the 1950 noir, "Where Danger Lives". Perhaps they both felt it was a good way to show that they had 'range' as actors—that playing against type, the usual 'tough-guy' role they were known for, would enhance their image as actors who could play any role. But the problem was that roles like Steve Thompson, the pathetic love-sick milquetoast in 'Criss Cross', did nothing to enhance Lancaster's career. Not only is Lancaster completely miscast in the one-note role of Thompson, but there's something inherently unlikeable (and may I say, pathetic) about the film's protagonist in the first place.'Criss Cross' is an interminably slow-moving film. Among the many unnecessary scenes in the film is at the beginning: the flashback which chronicles Thompson's confrontation with Dan Duryea's Dundee at the nightclub. Everything that occurs in that initial flashback is explained later in the picture: the illicit affair between Steve and Anna, Steve's strained relationship with Martinez the cop and his bad blood with Dundee. If Director Siodmark felt compelled to begin the film with a flashback, why not keep it under three minutes? I think it would have been more effective.In 'Criss Cross', it takes quite awhile before the protagonist commits himself and steps out of the 'ordinary' world of Act One. That's the scene where he's "passing by' and 'runs into' Anna at the nightclub. And notice how Siodmak spends so much time cutting back and forth between Anna dancing and Steve staring at her? In addition to the cross-cutting, he also spends a great deal of time focusing on Esy Morales and His Rhumba Band than moving the story along.Up until the crisis of Act Two, the story plods along with Thompson having various uneasy encounters with Anna and then drowning his sorrows at his usual watering hole. At the midpoint of Act Two, he learns that Anna has run off and gotten married to Dundee. It's becoming more clear at this point that one of the film's central weaknesses is that Dundee is never on screen throughout most of the second act. There are no confrontations between Thompson and Dundee during this time and we're left with the rather unexciting machinations between the two lovebirds. As it turns out (and Anna 'explains' this later to Steve), the reason why she left was not only because he disappeared for eight months but she also felt pressure from Steve's mother as well direct threats from Martinez the cop who implied that he would see to it that she ended up in the Women's House of Detention. Anna goes back to Steve because she realizes she made a big mistake with Dundee—it turns out that he's been beating her and she's now scared of him.One of the silly refrains uttered by more than one character in Criss Cross is that you can never hijack an armored car. But everyone acts so surprised when Steve points out it can be done if it's an 'inside job'! You would have thought that Dundee would have known about Steve's 'profession' as an armored car driver and propositioned him beforehand. But of course Steve needs to make the proposal so that Dundee won't kill him after discovering his affair with Anna (if they're so afraid at getting caught, why do Steve and Anna meet at his apartment where Dundee can so easily find them?). I really got a kick out of Finchley (played by Alan Napier), the 'brains' of the operation. Dundee is so dumb that he has to hire this alcoholic ex-professor type who plots out the heist on a map. Oh there is the matter of procuring the ingredients to construct the gas bombs used during the robbery and of course Finchley is good at that too!The only really well done scene in the entire film is the armored car robbery. The editing was quite good as it depicted the rising action of a heist gone bad. As the gas bombs go off, the brutality of the gang is shown in high relief when Dundee murders the innocent Armored Car Guard.The climax of the film is as drawn out as the rest of the film. Why does it take so long for one of Dundee's goons to kidnap Thompson? There's that nurse, then the goon is waiting outside, then he comes in and pretends that he's a friend, Steve falls asleep and finally after he awakes, the goon kidnaps him.When Steve finally meets up with Anna at the house, we wonder how Anna got her hands on the cash. Did she somehow steal it from Dundee after the heist when he went out to dinner? It's never explained. Even worse, Anna suddenly becomes the evil femme fatale out of the blue. Before, her selfishness and attraction to Dundee can be explained by her perceived rejection at the hands of Steve and Martinez's threats. But after going back to Steve because she fears Dundee, she inexplicably turns on him when he is most vulnerable. Just as there is 'instant coffee', you have 'instant femme fatale'.In "Film Noir—An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style" by Silver and Ward, the authors hail 'Criss by Cross' as "one of the most tragic and compelling of film noir". I beg to differ. In order to have tragedy you need characters that have great depth and in order to be compelling you need a story that's plausible. Criss Cross has neither. It's an overrated "B Movie" that somehow has found itself in the pantheon of art house noirs. Once again, the herd mentality has triumphed in evaluating the pictures of yesteryear.$LABEL$ 0 +Baldwin has really stooped low to make such movies. The script, the music, just about everything in this movie is a waste of time.The sound FX do not sound real, they stick out way too much (technical gadgets etc.) If they are trying to make a movie about things like this, at least try to get real with it and drop those extra bleeps and beeps, because those gadgets don't really make loud sounds like that. Natural sounds like footsteps and such are non-existent, which gives it a void-like atmosphere.Directing seems to be OK for such a low budget film (I sure hope it was a low budget production), although it does seem fairly amateurish at times.Most characters seem empty and false, they simply haven't casted this movie very well. I'd imagine it would've been a better idea to make Baldwin speak some Spanish than to make Spanish actors speak English, when we all know that theirs is the language which is more vibrant and alive, that is why the actors performance can suffer greatly if an odd language is used. I mean, could finally someone realise how stupid it sounds to make international actors speak English with a bad accent? It's should've a long ago buried corpse in movie production. The production team ever heard of subtitles? This movie again manages to depict European police as lazy and corrupt, the societies as vulnerable and helpless. I mean if the plot again goes like "The Interpol can't do jack, so let's call one American to bring down this international syndicate" or whatever.Sony Pictures treads on the same path as Columbia before it, just producing movies for the hell of it. I'd imagine them to have some self respect also. Are buyers supposed to buy every dirty title just because Sony puts out something good a few times a year?! Maybe they should've used the same team as who were making Di Que Si - Say I Do. It's spoken in Spanish and Paz Vega and Santi Millan do a decent job keeping the movie afloat. Looks and sounds much better! Come on Sony, wake up, produce less, sell more.$LABEL$ 0 +1st movie comment ever! I'll start with saying "Come on! Wasn't THAT bad... was it?"... No it was't that bad actually. I laughed and giggled enough times through the movie so I cannot say with hand on my heart that it was rubbish.It's completely different, this and Epic Movie (Epic Movie sucked bad.. doh!). "How so?" people would ask. I'll tell you how. This movie is not as nearly as pointless, not to mention that the stupid (and I say stupid because it is, but being stupid makes it funny) stuff that happens around and with the characters is actually enjoyable in this movie. Not the best around but hey... what would you expect - look at the poster! Some people said it was stupid, I find that when writing a comment one should be more objective (my own opinion) but yeah, of course it was stupid, it's a movie about "stupid"! Look, I'm not telling you to go and watch the movie now or else you missed the event of the century. What I am telling is that, if you happen to see the movie somewhere, please don't carve your eyes on the opening credits. See what it's all about - who knows, you might like it a bit.I give it 4/10 for not being so bad and making me laugh and some unexpectedly good sex-related jokes.$LABEL$ 0 +It just goes to show how wrong you can be. I had not expected to like this film. I was disappointed by both the Kill Bill films (although i preferred the second) and Death Proof (although it was better in the shorter cut of the double-bill release). I love Reservoir Dogs, admire Pulp Fiction and think that Jackie Brown is Tarantino's most mature piece of film-making - technically his most superior - including the last great performance elicited from Robert De Niro. Since then it seems to me while his films have been okay (i haven't hated them) he has been treading water in referential, reverential, self-indulgent juvenilia.Then i read the script last year for Inglourious Basterds - and i hated it! Sure it had some typical QT flourishes and the opening scene was undeniably powerful. There were a couple of great characters. But on page it was more juvenile rubbish, largely ruined by the largess of the uninteresting Basterds of the title. It made me seriously contemplate not seeing the film. The trailers did nothing to convince me. I only changed by mind when i had the opportunity to see the film with a Tarantino Q&A following in London. I figured it would be worth enduring to hear him in Q&A as i know from interviews how entertaining he can be in person.So little was i prepared for the sheer exuberant fun and brilliance of Inglourious Basterds.Easily Mr Tarantino's best work since Jackie Brown it is a triumph.Yes the references are there but they do not interfere with the story, they are not the driving force. Yes Eli Roth is stunt casting but he works fine, with little to do but look aggressive, and does nothing to hurt the film as i had feared. While i admired Mr Tarantino for using stuntwoman Zoe Bell as herself in Death Proof in order to amp-up the exhilaration of the major stunt scene her lack of any acting ability in a key role was a problem for the film. The same could be said of Tarantino's own appearances in several films, especially Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn, which Tarantino wrote.What really makes this work is how BIG it is. The spaghetti western vibe to much of the style, dialogue and performances is wonderfully over the top without descending too far into the cartoon quality of Kill Bill. The violence is so big. The audacity so big. Brad Pitt is so big! In the trailers the Hitler moment and Pitt's performance bothered me but in the context of the film they are hilarious. Pitt is actually brilliant here, exactly what he needs to be. He is Mifune's blustering samurai in Yojimbo, he is Robards Cheyenne from Once Upon a Time in the West, there is a very James Coburn vibe to him, and of course a suitably Lee Marvin edge.Christoph Waltz (who i did not previously known) and Melanie Laurent (who i first noticed in a brilliant French-language British short film by Sean Ellis) are sensational and i expect to see both used a lot more in the future. Tarantino has clearly not lost his eye for casting, which seemed to desert him in Death Proof. Waltz is equally large in his performance. Chilling, yet theatrical. He is Fonda from OUATITW, Van Cleef from Good, The Bad & the Ugly. And Laurent is suitably Cardinale innocence but tough, a fighter. They both dazzle here.That every member of the cast gets the fun to be had from what they are doing while not indulging themselves in just having fun and trying to get laughs helps tremendously. The laughs - and there are loads - come organically. Only Mike Myers comes close to tipping the wink and pushing it too far but his scene is reigned in just enough - with the help of a fantastic Michael Fassbender who seems pulled directly from the mold of Attenborough's Great Escape leader.All the actors shine and Tarantino throws in wonderful flourishes, but ones that work with the story. The introduction of Schweiger's Hugo Stiglitz is a riot. After a sensational slow-burn opening and a glorious intro to those inglourious Basterds the pace never lets up and over two and half hours flies by.It also looks beautiful, marking this as a return to real film-making rather than just self-indulgent silliness. The musical choices, as always, are inspired from Morricone on.The film is audacious and hilarious. After a summer when nearly every film has disappointed me it came as a huge surprise that the real fun and entertaining, but also involving and impressive film should be this one, when i would never have believed it from script form. Welcome back QT.$LABEL$ 1 +If this movie had been directed by a man, he would have been jailed. While Adrian Lyne was shackled with a lawyer in the editing room to oversee the gutting of a classic piece of literature to appease the censors, and to avoid running afoul of the Child Pornography Protection Act of 1996, a woman dumps Ripe on us and everyone applauds. Did I miss a meeting? In addition to the blatant pedophilia, this movie is utterly preposterous. Has this woman never set foot on an active military base? Has she never met a soldier? Whose army is this? The uniforms must have come from Uniforms-R-Us. Just throw on some patches, who cares? Just make sure each and every one of them has a Big Red One. There is a slight inside joke here that no doubt went over the auteur's head, but might possibly have been slipped in by whoever furnished the military vehicles. Certainly there were no military advisors. The U.S. Army does not operate slums. Temporary base camps in jungle war zones are cleaner than this. The U.S. Army does not put 14-year-old girls to work on military bases, nor allow them to use the firing ranges or training courses. There is much drama to be mined in the sexual coming-of-age of teenage girls. This movie has absolutely nothing to do with that whatsoever.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie I've seen many times. I read the book , Englar Alheimsins which was written by Einar Már Guðmundsson who received the Scandinavian book awards for the work. The movie does not start on the same place as the book starts. It happens in Reykjavík and the main character, Páll is young and having a good life with his girlfriend. But as she breaks up the relationship with him, he starts to get some headaches which make him annoyed and angry. And soon he starts to have big mental problems and then the movie begins. Soon he is puted in the Icelandic Mental Hospital called "Kleppur" and there you get to see some great characters like Viktor who thinks he is Hitler and Óli who thinks that he writes all the " The Beatles" songs and sends them to them with mind transporting. Ingvar E Sigurðusson who has the role of the main character Páll does is so work so well that it leaves you breathless. Also the music in this movie is mad by SIGURRÓS and just for the music's cost you should see the movie. Overall a great movie meant to be seen.$LABEL$ 1 +Whilst reading through the comments left for this show, I couldn't help but notice that a large percentage of the reviewers had either not actually watched any episodes of the show either all the way through or of their own free will. The thing about Kerching! is that it's a children's show, FOR CHILDREN so obviously if your older it is going to seem cheesy, forced, and probably stupid. I even found one person saying the sets were stupid, but I remember as an eight year old wondering why Taj had ikea icecube moulds on his wall, and also wondering if my parents would let me stick some on mine (they didn't). Yeah, it can be annoying, the acting could be better and some of the characters do really weird things with their hair, but as a kids show, I rate it 10/10. Compared to the stuff they air in its place today, well, lets just say I wish it'd be re-aired. DVD release, anyone?$LABEL$ 1 +What a travesty of movie ratings injustice - a 2.1 on the IMDb scale as I write this. Folks, this is a lot closer to a 3.0, I'll even go out on a limb and say 4.0 where I've put it. Come on - how can you have a movie about a net of static electricity surrounding the earth and alien amorphic cell structures, and not give it at least a 4.0 for creativity? Then you've got all that great dialog like - "Dave, look at the composition of this mud." You know, I don't think they ever got back to that mud. No matter, this is the kind of flick that 'Z' movie diehards live for, and I can now rest easy. Actually, I saw this quite a few years ago without the proper appreciation for it, along with Corman titles like "Attack of the Giant Leeches " and "The Wasp Woman". I don't know what the fascination might be, but to quote a character from the film - "Whatever it is, it works fast!"Back to that alien amorphic cell structure - I liked the idea of a third element competing against your standard red and white blood cells. When astronaut John Corcoran (Michael Emmet) returned from the dead, I had visions of a scene that might have been a precursor to 1979's "Alien", but that was not to be. Instead, budget restrictions limit the picture to a de-feathered Big Bird knock off, even though that concept was still almost a decade away. Who knows where one idea leaves off and picks up with another? Look, this is not that bad. Not that good, but not that bad. Anytime you can hook up crash landing astronauts with alien beings committed to taking over the Earth, you've got a winning combination. Throw in the cheesy monster factor and you're on your way. Just remember - "A wounded animal that large isn't good".$LABEL$ 0 +Such energy and vitality. You just can't go wrong with Busby Berkley films and this certainly must be his best. Of course the choreography is wonderful, but also the banter between Cagney and Blondell is so colorful and such a delight. Don't miss this one.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie isn't as bad as I heard. It was enjoyable, funny and I love that is revolves around the holiday season. It totally has me in the mood to Christmas shop and listen to holiday music. When this movie comes out on DVD it will take the place of Christmas Vacation in my collection. It will be a movie to watch every year after Thanksgiving to get me in the mood for the best time of the year. I heard that Ben's character was a bit crazy but I think it just adds to the movie and why be so serious all the time. Take it for what is it, a Christmas comedy with a love twist. I enjoyed it. No, it isn't Titanic and it won't make your heart pound with anticipation but it will bring on a laugh or two. So go laugh and have a good time:)$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably the only movie I have ever not been able to make it all the way through. Not only was it annoying and boring, but the low production values made it hard to make out the action and in some cases the dialogue. Avoid this one like the plague.$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 11/7/2002 - 2 out of 10(Dir-John Bianco): Pretty lame gangster movie about a Godfather-like family in Brooklyn who like to say four-letter words a lot and kill people. The only thing of interest here was their attempt to show the feds being a lot like the gang. This is the only attempt at good film-making. The rest of the movie was predictable, and cheaply-made. The quality of the photography on some of the scenes inside bars and floozy joints almost made you think there was a problem with your DVD player because of the bad contrasts and some of the actors were hard to hear at times because of the bad sound. The acting was pretty-much characatures of all your favorite gangsters from better movies with corny names like Vinnie `Knuckles' and Jimmie `Tattoos', and the plot pretty much followed those patterns as well. So, go see a better gangster movie before you put your money out for this one.$LABEL$ 0 +It takes a Serbian or at least a Balkan familiarity to understand and enjoy many of the situations, characters and jokes of 'Zavet' as well as of many other films of Kusturica. See for example the opening scenes, with the remote village in the Serbian mountains, with the low-tech devices that defend the integrity and way of life of the inhabitants, the nostalgia for the good days of the Communist rule, and the awakening of the young brat watching his nude teacher at the sounds of the Soviet hymn. Kusturica not only tries to depart from the tragic history of Serbia described in his previous movies, but creates a whole world of himself in the process.This is not a political film or not an explicit political film in any case. It's a fun film before all. Kusturica creates a set of characters that we care about. Music plays an active role in this film same as in all his other movies. His style is direct and grotesque, we now what he feels about his characters and we know that he wants us to feel the same. The space he develops melds present, history and magic, and the colours seem to be of a Douanier Rousseau of modern cinema.This is not a perfect film either. The principal flaw is the length, some editing and shortening would have been useful, as at some point in time the director seems to have run out of ideas and repetitions show up. It is yet one of the most catching, amusing, moving films that I have seen lately.$LABEL$ 1 +Thirty years after the 1939 classic film won Robert Donat an Oscar and made Greer Garson a star, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" overcame a multitude of problems before stumbling to the screen in this musical version. Original stars Rex Harrison and Samantha Eggar were replaced by Richard Burton and Lee Remick, who in turn were given the heave-ho in favor of - thankfully - Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. Andre Previn's score was rejected, and the one eventually used was composed by - unfortunately - Leslie Bricusse. First-time director Herbert Ross was handed the monumental task of transforming a simple love story - that of a man for both his wife and students - into a big-budget extravaganza. That it succeeds as well as it does despite the many obstacles in its way is a testament to its two stars.Arthur Chipping is a Latin teacher at Brookfield, a boys' school in suburban England where he himself was educated. Introverted and socially inept, he is dedicated to his students but unable to inspire them. Prior to summer holiday, a former student takes him to a London music hall to see an entertainment starring Katharine Bridges, the young lady he hopes to wed. The post-performance meeting is awkward for all, and Chips - as he is commonly known - sets off to explore some of Italy's ancient ruins. Unexpectedly, he runs into Katharine, who has booked a Mediterranean cruise to allow her time to mourn a failed love affair and ponder the direction of her career. In the time they spend together, she discovers a kind and gentle man beneath the befuddled exterior, and upon returning to London pursues him in earnest. When the fall term begins, Chips returns to Brookfield with his young bride, and the two settle into a life of quiet domesticity. Complications arise when aspects of Katharine's past surface, and again when World War II intrudes in their lives, but Chips is bolstered by his wife's support, and his new-found confidence makes him a favorite among the students.Aside from a couple of musical interludes - the delightful music hall production number "London is London" and Katharine's declaration of love, "You and I" - most of Bricusse's songs, some of them performed in voice-over as the characters explore their emotions, are easily forgettable and in no way enhance the film. Eliminate the score entirely, and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" works quite well as a drama. Terrence Rattigan's script retains elements of the original while expanding upon it and updating it by a couple of decades. He has crafted several scenes between Chips and Katharine that beautifully delineate their devotion to each other, and infused a few with comic relief courtesy of Katharine's friend and cohort, over-the-top actress Ursula Mossbank (delightfully played by Sian Phillips, O'Toole's real-life wife at the time). He also captures life at a British public school - the equivalent of a private academy here in the States - with unerring perfection.Ross does well as a first-time director, liberally sprinkling the film with breathtakingly photographed moments - the opening credits sequence, during which the school anthem echoes in the vast stone hallways of the school, perfectly sets the tone for the film. Costumes and sets are true to the period. The students, portrayed by non-professionals who were enrolled at the school used as Brookfield, handle their various small supporting roles well.Highest praise is reserved for Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark in the lead roles. O'Toole was long-established as a first-class dramatic actor, so his Academy Award-nominated performance here comes as no surprise. Clark, a veteran of some two dozen B-movies in the UK and the previous year's "Finian's Rainbow," is absolutely luminous as the music hall soubrette who forsakes a theatrical career in favor of life as a schoolmaster's wife. Her golden voice enriches her songs and almost allows us to overlook how insipid most of them are, and she more than matches O'Toole in their dramatic scenes together. The chemistry between the two is palpable and leaves us with no doubt that this is a couple very much in love.This version of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" is no classic like its predecessor, but hardly the disaster many critics described when it was released. Ignore the score, concentrate on the performances, and revel in the atmosphere Ross has put on the screen. It's a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon with someone you love.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh my, this was the worst reunion movie I have ever seen. (That is saying a lot.) I am ashamed of watching.What happened in the script meetings? "Ooooooh, I know! Let's have two stud muffins fall madly in love with the Most-Annoying-Character-Since-Cousin-Oliver." "Yeah, that'll be cool!"Even for sitcoms, this was the most implausible plot since Ron Popeil starting spray painting bald men.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie as a kid on Creature Feature when I lived in New York. It was a pretty creepy movie, though not as good as Horror Hotel. I just bought this movie on DVD, and it is different from what I remember because in the DVD that I bought there are several scenes where the actors speak in French and/or Italian and no subtitles are provided. Then the other actors respond in English to what was being said. Kind of weird. Also on the DVD box, the names of some of the actors are spelled differently than on IMDb.Aside from that, this movie is different in that the character of Elsie takes her clothes off and provides a nude shot in one scene and in another scene Julia tries to force Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) to make out with her by pushing her down on the bed and kissing her while Steele resists. That scene existed in the TV version, but it was very edited. I wonder if there is any extra footage that could be incorporated into a remastered ultra-edition? It seems sad that some of these old low budget classics have been spliced to bits and sold in all kinds of edited versions. Where are the master tapes and all the unused footage? Aside from the first boring twenty minutes before Allen is delivered to the Castle, the rest of the movie is pretty good. There aren't too many special effects (but Herbert's face after Julia clubs him is a good one). The creepy atmosphere and the strange, exotic, and seductive look of Barbara Steele make the movie a lot better than it should be. I can honestly say that if Barbara Steele had not been in this film, it would be a big zero. She makes the movie a ten!$LABEL$ 1 +I thought the movie was extremely funny and actually very interesting. It was raw and honest and felt as if I was really watching the "real people" not actors. It's great entertainment, it also painted the people as human on our level not below us. It is a very good film.$LABEL$ 1 +The Shanghai Cobra starts out like gangbusters, with a rain soaked diner scene straight out of Shack Out on 101 or Gun Crazy (the first one). Unfortunately the film then proceeds to plod its weary way through a standard Chan formula that is only barely enlivened by the always wonderful Mantan Moreland. It's as if director Karlson blew half his budget in the first five minutes, just getting the set up the way he wanted it. Watch the beginning and think about The Phenix City Story.$LABEL$ 0 +If you've been looking for a film where a out of control nympho gets chained to a radiator by an extremely religious southern man then look no further than Paramount Vantage's latest release 'Black Snake Moan'. Not exactly looking for what I just described you say? Well then, you best get ya wits 'bout yaself and mosey on down to your local theater and still see it as Samuel L. Jackson's character Lazarus would say. As long as you're open minded and don't take everything seriously, there's no reason you won't leave the theater glad you saw it.In the third offering from director Craig Brewer, we are taken into the deep south where as the tagline to the film claims, everything is hotter. While there we're introduced to the Godfearing bluesman, Lazarus as previously said played by Jackson, and the almost always half naked Rae; a role bravely taken on by Christina Ricci. In the film this unlikely pair cross paths long enough for their characters to each learn a lesson from one another. Both lessons ultimately convey the message to us the audience that no matter what, we are all human. No one is perfect and if everyone would realize that, then we'd be a lot better off. The question of if this will be understood, or be accepted by all who see the film is another story.One thing not up for debate is how great Jackson and Ricci both are here. You'd think with the role of a sex-crazed woman, overacting would be a given, but no, not here. Ricci breaks through and demonstrates true talent with a raw performance that also doubles as her best to date. Then we have Jackson who completely disappears and for the first time in a long time makes us forget who he even is. Sadly, the third star of the film, Justin Timberlake who plays Rae's military-bound boyfriend isn't all that great. At the start, he fails miserably as he appears to be trying too hard. Later on he steps it up some, still he's far from the level he reached in January's 'Alpha Dog'.The other thing 'Black Snake Moan' boasts is a splendid soundtrack. Containing tracks from The Black Keys, John Doe, pieces from the score done by Scott Bomar, & of course four, count 'em, four tracks from Jackson himself. It's actually one of his songs, the main performance of the film, 'Stackolee' that is the fuel to the fire of this great collection. It alone is worth the ticket price. Other notable musical delights from the soundtrack are Bomar's 'The Chain', 'When the Lights Go Out' from the Black Keys, & the title track which is also among the most memorable scenes in the film where Lazarus sings to Rae on a stormy night.The efforts of Craig Brewer can't go without mention though. His last film 'Hustle & Flow' which ended up surpassing low expectations and gaining critical acclaim put him on the map. What he has done with 'Black Snake Moan' will be what sets him apart from other newbies to the industry. He not only directed 'Moan', but also wrote its screenplay. The end result is a story that is surprising and clever. As you watch you feel like you know exactly where it's headed despite its valiant composure. Just as you think you've predicted the next move Brewer shifts gears and takes an entirely different route. There are however some blotches within the screenplay. The background characters are drab and flat while the ending is somewhat disappointing. It left me craving for something more exciting. After so many highs I guess the final scenes were a tad weak compared to the rest of the film.I imagine the majority of people who see 'Black Snake Moan' won't enjoy it due to the fact they won't be able to stop themselves from thinking how unlikely the situations are. The depressing part about that is there are many other films with just as unlikely, even more outrageous scenarios that are widely well received. It's the issues of race, religious motives, & sexuality the film exhibits that will have more effect on opinion than anything. The idea of a black man chaining a white woman up in his house is enough to make most people not even consider seeing it. Simply put, it's not for everyone. Like I said, to fully enjoy it you have to go in with an open mind, or else you're just wasting your money. For those of you who can do that, I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +Sudden Impact tends to be treated as Eastwood's artistic failure at a point in his career when he had established a good reputation as a director. The reason is actually not the film itself but the attitude it takes towards vigilantism which it seems to support. In some places it actually owes more to Death Wish than the original Dirty Harry film. One might argue if that is so- at the end of the day it's a film about guilt, justice and retribution. For me, at the end of the day it's more empathy than sympathy. However, in view of all these arguments it is easily overlooked that sudden impact is an awfully well made film. Forget the "Go ahead punk, make my day scene", that's iconic but not original. But look at the views of San Fransisco taken from the air, zooming in on the city. The first 15 or 20 minutes are quite spectacular. Or have a look at the brilliantly made scene where Sondra Locke's character visits her mentally ill sister in hospital. Eastwood makes great use of the juxtaposition of faces. So all in all Sudden Impact is a very visual film that really shows how mature Eastwood is as a director. And if I remember correctly it was actually the first time Eastwood put that on screen albeit in an action film of debatable ideology. Also, I think this is the first well paced film Eastwood directed. Although Eastwood has enormous talent as a director, dramaturgy has always been his weak point (see Play Misty for me, Breezy etc.) Thepace of the narrative leads to the visual elements being well integrated into the film and not distracting from the story. The only thing that is really annoying is the farting dog.$LABEL$ 1 +"Serum" starts out with credits that are quite reminiscent of the "Re-animator" movies, and it owes a lot to them. The story is very similar; a mad doctor develops a serum that he believes will alleviate pain, sickness and death, but he's apparently not a big believer in clinical trials and so winds up with a brain-eating zombie on his hands in the person of his nephew. The zombie even looks like one of those from "Re-animator," and in fact some of the make-up effects in "Serum" aren't bad. Unfortunately, the script is pretty slow and unbelievable in quite a few places, resulting in a soap opera feel for most of the first 3/4 of the movie. For some reason, the director feels compelled to tell us the time of day every few minutes by flashing it in big white letters across the screen. I can't see why this was important, other than being an attempt to provide viewers with a sense of time passing; sometimes, that wouldn't be present otherwise as the plot plods along.There are a number of moments that just don't add up here. For instance, one victim is bludgeoned with a sledge hammer, but when we see the victim's head up close, there's no sign of that trauma. In another scene, a character runs down a fully lit hospital corridor (we can see the circles of light on the floor, in fact) with a flashlight in hand, looking for all the world like he's walking in the dark... but a moment later a second character walks down the same fully-lit corridor without one. These are just a couple of examples; moments of what look like directorial or editorial sloppiness crop up quite frequently throughout the movie."Serum" is better in some ways than much of what goes straight-to-video as independent horror lately. In terms of technical items — sound and photography, for example — it's got a more polished look than a lot of what lands on a DVD. On the other hand, there's still a good deal of wooden acting (particularly by one of the lead characters, the mad scientist himself!) and nonsensical moments that have nothing to do with suspension of disbelief and everything to do with writing and continuity. Maybe these are things that the people involved with making this film will eventually get more experience with, though. One of the problems with low-budget independent horror lately is that the filmmakers often set out to remake more popular movies that had bigger budgets, and that almost never works out. It didn't in the case of "Serum," anyhow.$LABEL$ 0 +Haha, what a great little movie! Wayne Crawford strikes again, or rather this was his first big strike, a deliriously entertaining little ball of manic kitsch energy masquerading as a psycho killer movie. It's actually a **brilliant** satire on post-hippie American culture in flyover country, though the movie was actually filmed independently in Miami. It defies any kind of studio oriented convention or plot device that I can think of: SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS may not be a very technically adept movie, but it is a wonderful little slice of Americana, made on the cheap by people who were honest, ambitious, imaginative and had balls made out of steel. It took guts, nerve and guile to make this movie, which amazingly appears to have stood the test of time. This movie is fresh, vital, alive, unforgettable, and charmingly weird enough to recommend to just about anyone with a sense of humor.I dug up last year during a period of time when I was fascinated by "star" Wayne Crawford (here billed under his pseudonym Scott Lawrence), a maestro of what can only be called regional film-making, usually of the B grade variety. He's a writer, producer, director, and actor all in one, probably best known for the 80s teen apocalyptic favorite NIGHT OF THE COMET. Here he plays Stanley, the pants wearing half of a couple of truly marvelous characters, apparently homosexual spree killers on the lam after knocking off some old lady in Baltimore for her jewelry. Unsung screen legend Abe Zwick is completely convincing as Paul, who poses as Stanley's Aunt Martha, the cross dressing brains of the outfit who has conned Stanley into thinking he's committed murder to ensure his loyalty. Martha looks about as feminine as the sailors from SOUTH PACIFIC's supporting choir in their coconut bikini tops, yet somehow nobody seems to notice -- or care? -- that she is a he, has no visible means of income, seems to spend all day fretting about where Stanley is, and scurries around the neighborhood in her bathrobe carrying a butcher's knife. Only in America ...As the film opens the two of them have just arrived in Florida and set up residence in what looks like Ward Cleaver's old house, a garishly lit & designed television home that is so cliché as to be surreal. During one memorable scene Martha and an unwelcome house guest sit on the couch, talk problems and drink cans of Budweiser in what is one of the most mesmerizing, subversively ordinary sequences I've ever seen outside of a John Waters movie. Then there's Stanley, always getting into trouble as he is a mop topped hippie with an STP patch on his vest who drives a psychedelic painted van that's about as subtle as the Batmobile, drinks his milk straight from the carton, snorts drugs with blond bombshell bimbos, and hoards donuts in an old cigar box for a quick snack. Opposites attract, I guess.But Stanley also has a thing about not liking it when the young ladies he gets stoned with try to remove his pants, and it always seems to be up to Aunt Martha to get him out of the trouble that inevitably results. The bodies pile up, a nosy junkie blackmails them into using their house as a flop, Stanley's birthday cake gets squashed, and everybody meets down at the local pizza shop before heading to the wood shed on the back property for a hookah hash party where the girls dance in their underwear. Things get out of hand when one of the neighbors tries to get a bit too chummy with Martha, who naturally prefers to keep people at an arm's length when they rudely invite themselves over for a nice chat. And this is a woman who carries not just a butcher knife but a loaded .38 in her slip. Eventually the strange duo find themselves stuck with a body, a baby, and no place to go, and end up taking refuge at an abandoned movie studio where no doubt the technical crew borrowed the equipment used to make the film. I just hope they politely asked for permission first and cleaned up after themselves.A word of course must be said about Stanley and Martha/Paul's relationship, since to dance around the fact that the two are at least suggested to be a homosexual couple would be to miss the primary gist of the plot. We never see the two of them get intimate and indeed even though Stanley mockingly refers to being "balled" in one scene, their relationship is more symbiotic than sexual. It certainly isn't a "gay" movie, with abundant female nudity and an air of 70s misogyny that cannot be denied either. Stanley & Paul never consummating their implied sexuality on screen, even though the movie certainly would have had the guts to do so if it were important. It isn't, the story isn't about their sex, it's about the bond they share, and how weird it is. Not their being gay, but their being the distinct individuals they are, who are two of the strangest movie creations ever to inhabit my TV set.The film is unique. It was made for only a few thousand dollars on what look like borrowed studio sets, the occasional location work, and an couple of public locations they managed to sneak a camera crew into when nobody was looking. The dialog is completely bizarre, mundane and delightfully esoteric. It's a movie that will take you by surprise, not everyone will like it but for those with a taste for low budget American horror/thrillers like THE NIGHT GOD SCREAMED, HELP ME! I'M POSSESSED, BLOOD & LACE and CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS, you've got yourself a winner here.8/10: Usually I'd say something like "Deserves a DVD restoration" but somehow I think doing so would ruin the movie's tacky ambiance. And Wayne Crawford, you, sir, rule.$LABEL$ 1 +I would not recommend it whatsoever. It was like getting stuck in the middle row of a theater, so I couldn't leave, and watching a part porn movie (except they didn't take their clothes off - it was the body language and definitely the language). I have to say I was embarrassed. Filming was very low budget, no good dialogue. Yuck. Actors stunk except The two best characters who got killed off (?) and they were David Carradine and Dennis Hopper. It did smack of Kill Bill and that old movie with the two guys who ride the dessert on their chopppers. You know what I mean. blablabla. The filming was grainy and just a very low quality. There was nobody in that theater that liked this movie, and the people around me were younger and tattooed.$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit, at first I wasn't expecting anything good, at all. I was only expecting a cheesy movie promoting Gackt's and Hyde's image, but I'm glad to say it has much more to offer.Yes, the acting is not that great, but it doesn't suck either, all the cast's well disciplined and they bring enough strength to their characters. Effects lack consistency but action scenes are satisfying enough.What really hooked me up was the essence of the storyline, although it merges fantastic elements, it also displays a crude reality. The developing of the characters, their doubts and their feelings really got on to me and I think that's the key of this movie. It puts you to think and it does well transmitting all the angst.It fulfills any expectations for a good drama. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.$LABEL$ 1 +Once again Mr. Costner has dragged out a movie for far longer than necessary. Aside from the terrific sea rescue sequences, of which there are very few I just did not care about any of the characters. Most of us have ghosts in the closet, and Costner's character are realized early on, and then forgotten until much later, by which time I did not care. The character we should really care about is a very cocky, overconfident Ashton Kutcher. The problem is he comes off as kid who thinks he's better than anyone else around him and shows no signs of a cluttered closet. His only obstacle appears to be winning over Costner. Finally when we are well past the half way point of this stinker, Costner tells us all about Kutcher's ghosts. We are told why Kutcher is driven to be the best with no prior inkling or foreshadowing. No magic here, it was all I could do to keep from turning it off an hour in.$LABEL$ 0 +Can we say retarded? This girl has no talent what so ever, nothing but complete garbage. You people are just marking 10 stars because you know most people hate this pathetic woman, if its such a "great" show then why did it get canceled after 6 measly episodes? exactly. People that support her, please seek help you do NOT know what is funny. Her stand up comedy is just so stupid, seriously how do you find this trash funny? The show tries to poke fun at stereo types and other things that are not funny at all. Carlos Mencia is funny and to that stupid poster, he actually has fans and his show is on the air so I'm sorry your a redneck who doesen't get his jokes. Please give me my 20 minutes of my life back.$LABEL$ 0 +...this verson doesn't mangle the Bard that badly. It's still a horrible minimalist production, Hamlet's Dutch uncle is inexplicably dubbed by a Spaniard (whether it's Ricardo Montalban or not is subject to debate), and Maximilian Schell overacts like never before. Most of the dialogue makes it through unscathed, and the fact that the MST3K version feels obliged to point out repeatedly that the speeches are long *duh* doesn't strike me as incredibly humorous. Mostly it's just bad acting, though.$LABEL$ 0 +Here is one of Jane Austen's movies that I found very delightful. I read the book first then listened to it on CD and was captivated by how a young Victorian girl could be persuaded against marrying the man she loved due to his lack of a fortune or education. The joy of knowing that Anne is evidently reunited with a lost love. The fact that her godmother tries to marry her off to a good for nothing cousin who's only out for money. Looking at the snobbery that comes from the upper classes and how class distinctions can divide couples from following their hearts. Captain Wentworth realization that he still loves Anne after seven years. His final understanding that Anne's love was constant all that time and they she wasn't going to let her family interfere with her true happiness and eventual marriage to one she truly loved.$LABEL$ 1 +The Wicker Man, starring Nicolas Cage, is by no means a good movie, but I can't really say it's one I regret watching. I could go on and on about the negative aspects of the movie, like the terrible acting and the lengthy scenes where Cage is looking for the girl, has a hallucination, followed by another hallucination, followed by a dream sequence- with a hallucination, etc., but it's just not worth dwelling on when it comes to a movie like this. Instead, here's five reasons why you SHOULD watch The Wicker Man, even though it's bad: 5. It's hard to deny that it has some genuinely creepy ideas to it, the only problem is in its cheesy, unintentionally funny execution. If nothing else, this is a movie that may inspire you to see the original 1973 film, or even read the short story on which it is based.4. For a cheesy horror/thriller, it is really aesthetically pleasing. It's pretty obvious that it was filmed on location instead of using green screen or elaborate sets, so we get to see some very great scenery. There are also many nicely composed shots. It is a very good looking movie.3. Nicolas Cage is not so much an actor as he is a force of nature. Whether you're a fan of his or not, it seems as if it's impossible for Cage to play a "normal guy". There is always some kind of eccentricity or nerdiness he brings to the characters he plays, and personally, I am always fascinated by watching him in any movie he does. Whether Nicolas Cage is great or terrible, he always brings his unique energy into play, and he is never boring to watch. He is terrible in The Wicker Man, but in the most wonderful kind of way.2. A student could probably write a hell of a paper on this movie, as it seems to be the strongest anti-feminist movie ever made. "See?" you could write, "this is what happens when women are allowed to run a society!" Also, the similarities between this "Summersisle" society and a bee colony are pretty interesting and worth noting.1. If you're reading this, there's probably a good chance you may have seen a YouTube video that has become very popular: a collection of "highlights" from the movie, including Cage running around in a bear suit, and of course, the infamous "AAGHH!! THE BEES!! MY EYES!!!" line. These scenes are hilarious out of context, and they are still fairly funny while watching them in the film's entirety.I bought the used DVD at Blockbuster for about 5 dollars...when you work that out, it's about a dollar per reason. It's a pretty good deal.NOTE: The Unrated version of the movie is the best to watch, and it's better to watch the Theatrical version just for its little added on epilogue, which features a cameo from James Franco.$LABEL$ 0 +John Carpenter shows how much he loves the 1951 original by giving it the utmost respect that he possibly could, the only difference here is that Carpenter chooses to stick to the paranoiac core of John W Campbell Jr's short story. The secret to this version's success is the unbearable tension that builds up as the group of men become suspicious of each other, the strain of literally waiting to be taken over takes a fearful hold. Carpenter manages to deliver the shocks as well as the mystery needed to keep the film heading in the right direction. Be it an horrific scene or a "what is in the shadow" sequence, the film to me is a perfect fusion of horror and sci-fi. The dialogue is spot on for a group of men trying to keep it together under duress, and Carpenter's score is a wonderful eerie pulse beat that further racks up the sense of doom and paranoia seaming thru the film. The cast are superb, a solid assembly of actors led by Carpenter fave Kurt Russell, whilst the effects used give the right amount of impact needed. But most of all it's the ending that is the crowning glory, an ending that doesn't pander to the norm and is incredibly fitting for what has gone on before it, lets wait and see what happens indeed, 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this movie is absolutely beautiful. And I'm not referring only to the breathtaking scenery. It's about two unhappy English housewives who decide to rent an Italian castle to take a break from their not so happy home lives. In the end four women total rent the place together, all with different personalities and different reasons for being there. In this magically beautiful place they all find the peace they're longing for and interestingly that peace comes from inward reflections and resolutions, more so than without. I also find it wonderful because of the relationships that are developed out kindness and understanding. The acting is a joy to watch in itself. I especially love the characters of Lottie (Josie Lawrence) and Lady Caroline (Polly Walker).$LABEL$ 1 +Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) was a much needed parody from Mel Brooks. He has the assignment of spoofing the Robin Hood legacy and the couple of movie dealing with the mythical honorable thief of English folklore. Cary Elwes stars as Robin Hood. He's looking for a few good men who'll join him in his quest to topple the evil sheriff of Nottingham (Roger Rees) and win the fair hand of Maid Marian. Robin also has to deal with Prince John (Richard Lewis).as well. Tracey Ullman co-stars as Prince John's personal witch Latrine who has her eyes on the Sheriff.Will Robin find his merry men? How far will the Prince go to throw his weight around in the absence of his father? Why does the Sheriff hate Robin so much? To find out you'll have to watch ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS!! Check out the hilarious cameo by Dom De Luise who plays the Duke of Jersey.Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't understand. Not being a critic, i am not evaluating the quality of the acting, which I find believable, a good thing. My confusion lies with the content. Is no one else sensitive to the fact that these two unfaithful women were justifying their infidelity to men who were fighting and bleeding to guarantee the continued freedom of their families and their country. Should there not have been a prologue informing us if the men made it home and if so, what effect their cheating "wives'" infidelity had on them? While these women were bedding their paramours out of a sense loneliness, did they think that their husbands were enjoying being shot at while facing death or dismemberment daily? They didn't think of their husbands at all! Only of themselves. Pardon me, except when they wished their husbands dead.$LABEL$ 1 +Although it has been remade several times, this movie is a classic if you are seeing it for the first time. Creative dialog, unique genius in the final scene, it deserves more credit than critics have given it. Highly recommended, one of the best comedies of recent years$LABEL$ 1 +Twenty years after watching this, I still find myself quoting things from this movie like "Look between the two giant melons", or I'll start to sing the "Pabst Blue Ribbon Theme". On the other hand, 20 years later, I can now make sense of the "Meat Machine", as there's still a lot of the stereotypes like this out there that they used for this movie. Those are signs of a good movie to me. I could say this movie stands the test of time, which I can't really say for a lot of 80's movies. I continue that this movie is still on a list of a lot of people's favorite movie as a kid growing up in the 80's. If you like games, and have dreams of becoming a "Game Master", or find yourself dorking out over these 80's movies to relive your childhood, you need to watch this. Also, it's sometimes sarcastic, and funny. But one thing's for certain about this movie, if someone ever invites you to a "Great All-Nighter" they don't mean an X or acid trip party, they mean, get ready for some Midnight Madness! Oh, You'll see. Everyone will be dying to play! hehehehheh.$LABEL$ 1 +No other movie has made me feel like this before... and I don't feel bad. Like, I don't want my money back or the time that I waited to watch this movie (9 months) nor do I feel bad about using two hours of a sunny summer day in order to view this ______. The reason I say "_____" is because no matter how hard I wrack my brain I just can't seem to come up with a word in ANY of the seven languages that movie was in to sum it up. I have no idea what was going on the entire time and half way through the movie I needed a breather. No movie has ever done this to me before. Never in my life have I wanted cauliflower, milk, and baguettes this much. Thank you. - EdUh. *clears throat* No words. No thoughts. I don't know. I truly don't know. - Cait$LABEL$ 1 +I would agree with another viewer who wrote that this movie recalls the offbeat Melanie Griffith/Jeff Daniels comedy, "Something Wild," in which a rather eccentric free-spirit hooks up with a conservative and very orderly young man, and the two pose as a couple and basically, her personality gradually has an effect on him. He looses up and learns to enjoy their short-lived tryst. That is exactly what happens here, except insert convenient store-robbing eccentric, Alex (Rosanna Arquette) in Melanie Griffith's role, and super-cautious teen, Lincoln (the name is no coincidence, played by Devon Gummersall) in Jeff Daniel's part. This movie even shares the same twist and abrupt genre change where the creepy, violent boyfriend suddenly shows up in the end and things end up quite badly. Only, here, instead of it being Ray Liotta playing a throwback to 1950s film goons, it's Peter Greene.The story is about a teenage kid who is in his own little world. He has some sort of fascination with death following his brother's suicide, and his parents have disconnected, too, behaving quite strangely (the mother is convinced Christmas will be arriving shortly, despite it being August). Then, on a night out with the "guys" (one of whom is played by Jason Hervey of the Wonder Years) trying to buy them beer, he runs into Alex who decides to kidnap him and his friends car (with his permission of course), and they take off for mini-adventure across the deserts of the West Coast, robbing convenient stores in Robin Hood sort of fashion and of course, indulging in the routine self-discovery as each asks more about the other's life. But, Alex has left behind a partner in her trade of theft, and he isn't going away easily. Although, we're not consistently reminded of him or anything as in repetitive flashback or cutting over to his point of view. At least this much was done cleverly.'Do Me a Favor' (aka Trading Favors), is a mostly underdeveloped story of criminal mischief and self-discovery that lags quite a bit for the first half of the film, but delivers the goods a little to late once Alex and Lincoln arrive at her home out in the middle of nowhere. By the time the filmmakers give you enough stimulation, the film is unfortunately, almost over. I would recommend that if this is the sort of story you're in the mood for, and despite Rosanna Arquette always giving a good performance (even in a poorly written film), I would still recommend catching this in its best form, "Something Wild."$LABEL$ 0 +Sure it may not be a classic but it's one full of classic lines. One of the few movies my friends and I quote from all the time and this is fifteen years later (Maybe it was on Cinemax one too many times!) Michael Keaton is actually the worst actor in this movie--he can't seem to figure out how to play it-- but he's surrounded by a fantastic cast who know exactly how to play this spoof. Looking for a movie to cheer you up? This is it but rent it with friends--it'll make it even better.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst things to ever come out of England, so that says a lot right there. The tension when we have to find out whether or not Lembach is staying is amazing though. The upside is seeing the nice secretary, Sheila, in her picnic table print underwear for awhile after being captured by Dr. Rat Face. This movie has several views of London too although none of them are good. There is also a point in which there is almost a car accident which gets your heart rate back to just below normal. There is also a watch that gets teleported away, and the fear of the woman not getting her watch back is parallel to the horror of "The Sixth Sense" only a lot more dull and British. Add on a furious gun fight between the British police and the Dr. Rat, which results in nothing, plus the electrocuting of a lot of people, plus a cat and you have yourself... ummm... A British movie. The MST3K version is pretty good although not one of there bests.$LABEL$ 0 +This comedy is bound to be good from the get-go. East meets west and east doesn't want to lose...west doesn't know what losing is like. It starts a little slow but it grabs you very soon and it doesn't let go. This is definitely worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I was lucky enough to catch this movie while volunteering at the Maryland Film Festival. I've always been a fan of classic horror films and especially the gimmicks of William Castle, so this was definitely a must-see for me.This is about the life and work of William Castle, who in my opinion was an underrated director. True, he made some cheap budget schlocky horror films, but he added something to these films: real live theater gimmicks that you don't see anymore. For example, he had nurses in case someone had a heart attack at his movies and put vibrators at the bottoms of chairs in THE TINGLER.This is truly a well-made documentary and brings this rather shadowed director into the light, and celebrated his contributions to horror cinema. It also paints Castle as a larger than life character, who was very well-liked and had a smile on his face.Unlike most film documentaries that mostly show testaments from film historians, SPINE TINGLER! shows interviews mostly from his family members and directors who were influenced by his work, such as John Waters, John Landis, and Joe Dante. A must see for classic horror and sci-fi fans.$LABEL$ 1 +I also have been a wife of an abusive husband, even if in my situation the attacks were psychological, not physical. He presented a very respectable, responsible and generous personality to anyone who saw us together, which, in contrast to myself, resulted in having others treat me as dull and unstable. Initially, I was so incredibly flattered that anybody like Gus (who worked in a bank and was handsomely confident) would even give me the time of day, and I fell completely head-over-heels for the IDEA of him, rather than the person he was. If I'd had my head on straight, and gotten to know him much better first, there's no way I'd have married him. However, that's my mistake. It wasn't my mistake to be abused. I didn't deserve that, nor did I see it coming until I was embroiled in the mind games, criticism and isolation. He acted like I had no business holding an opinion that differed from his own - actually he went further. If I didn't agree, he assumed I misunderstood, and increasingly simplified his wording ... by the time I finally lost my self-respect, I was incapable of recognizing the predicament I was in, and I had to be jolted to reality by outside influence. My dad said Gus called me a bitch. Well ... it was still a half-year before the rage that began at that moment finally exploded and I packed some stuff while he was at work, and I left. .. and it was still another several months before I could grasp the fact that I had been abused, and that it wasn't my fault he was doing the things he did. ..... so please, anyone who assumes it's the fault of the victim, THINK!!! If a puppy is kicked by a cruel owner when, in an anxious situation it has an accident on the rug, do you blame the puppy? by the time the abuse in a relationship reaches an obvious violent level, the target of abuse has been so wounded and depersonalized (much like in Nazi concentration camps) that it's nearly impossible to judge the circumstance accurately, because by then, the victim believes all the horrible things spewed by the abuser. Have a heart, people. Labelling abuse victims as stupid morons is like kicking someone who's already terribly beaten. -------> and this helps how???$LABEL$ 0 +I watched Gomeda on movie theater at my city. My friend took away me and I was really curious what would be it looked like. Well, I must say This movie was not a horror,may be we can say that is 'Fantsastic experimentation'...OK here I go anyway... But there was a lot of shooting,acting,dramatic,theatrical and storytelling problems.I can understand because of director is very young and Gomeda is his first feature film.OK Directing of this film was not pretty bad,I see.Unfortunately, due to the restraints placed on the film by its extremely low budget, the visuals are often as murky as the storyline.And there is no powerful Gothic scenes.As a horror movie it really fails, no scares at all and it is quite muddled and boring. Some people say 'Gomeda' is an art movie, but I could not see a laughable,terrible and breoken off art movie like that.So, how can we say it is an art movie!Just funny!$LABEL$ 0 +This is an admirable attempt from first time filmmaker Ham Tran, offering little-glanced perspective dealing with Vietnam war victims struggling for liberation, but plays out as a glorified history special. With clunky, self-consciously informative dialog and sub-par acting, even a relatively impressive budget with attention to detail will not spring to life this sagging, albeit historically worthy, melodrama. Paying no mind to the often distracting disconnect with the actors to the reality of situations on screen, and you should be left with an informative, if somewhat impersonal educational lesson in Vietnamese post-war history.$LABEL$ 0 +Conclusion: very, but very, very boring, yet I watched till the end, hoping for some upside-down effect, but the end was worse, because it was nothing. The old black&white game didn't helped at all, it usually helps psychological movies, but this was not the case. The script, the plot, etc were linear, had no substance, nothing in-going. When you deal with psychological, you deal with analysis, therefore with details, that unity-diversity formula....there was no essence, no detail. Just a story, there are many stories to tell, but something makes them unique and hard to forgive with the tools and creativity of movie-makers...well, this is not the one.$LABEL$ 0 +When it comes to movies, I am generally easily entertained and not very critical, but must say that this movie was one big flop from the start. I gave it 30 minutes and then rewound it. What a waste of some great talent! I was very disappointed with this movie, as it was not what I expected.$LABEL$ 0 +As many know, this is the feature film debut of Edward D. Wood Jr. as as a writer/producer/director/actor. I have been a fan of Ed Wood for several years now. While I don't like this as much as some of his other films it was probably the largest insight that the cinematic going public gets of Wood during his life. Everybody knows that he was a transvestite. This film is about changing one's sex and how being a transvestite can create conflict in relationships with loved ones. This film is way ahead of its time in dealing with this subject matter and how it deals with it. However, the film still contains Wood's usual pitfalls of bad dialog, meaningless stock footage, and hokey special effects. Throw in Wood's usual overdose of Bela Lugosi hamming it up and you have Wood's first attempt at being a director.The plot is that a police inspector goes to a doctor after he discovers the body of a transvestite who committed suicide for advice on how to avoid further problems along these lines. The doctor tells him the story of Glen, who is also a transvestite. Glen wants to marry Barbara, but can't bring himself to tell her about his secret. He also tells the inspector about Alan who undergoes a sex change because he is really more suited to being a woman. Bela Lugosi plays a scientist who seems to add some kind of running commentary on what is going on (Lugosi's part really isn't well defined and proves to be most likely a vehicle for Wood to have a star in his film and Lugosi to get some cash).All in all, the movie shows the hallmarks of Wood's career. It was obviously shot on a very low budget and has quite a few things thrown in rather haphazardly. It definitely has the "it's so bad, it's good" feel to it. However, I do have to applaud Ed on his progressive thinking in making this film. Transvestitism and sex changes were not extremely open subjects in the early 50s. Wood took a big risk in making a film that portrays transvestites as people who are not sexual deviants and putting a more human face on cross-dressing.$LABEL$ 0 +Eye in the Labyrinth is not your average Giallo...and to be honest, I'm not really sure that it really is a Giallo; but Giallo or not, despite some problems, this is certainly a very interesting little film. I'm hesitant to call it a Giallo because the film doesn't feature most of the things that make these films what they are; but many genre entries break the mould, and this would seem to be one of them. The film doesn't feature any brutal murders as many Giallo's do, but this is made up for with a surreal atmosphere and a plot just about confusing enough to remain interesting for the duration. The plot seems simple enough in that it focuses on a doctor who is murdered by Julie, his patient who, for some reason, she sees him as her lover and father and is offended when he walks out on her. We then relocate to a big house lived in by a number of people, but nothing is really what it seems as there are a number of secrets surrounding various events that happened before Julie's arrival...The film seems to be professing something about how the mind is like a labyrinth. This never really comes off, and I preferred to just sit back and enjoy what was going on rather than worrying about what point (if any) the film is trying to make. Eye in the Labyrinth is directed by Mario Caiano, the director behind the excellent Night of the Doomed some years earlier. He doesn't create the atmosphere as well in this film as he did in the earlier one; but the surreal aspects of the story come off well, and the mystery is always kept up which stops the film from becoming boring. The film stars Rosemary Dexter, who provides eye candy throughout and also delivers a good performance. Most of the rest of the cast aren't really worth mentioning, with the exceptions of Adolfo Celi, who is good as the villain of the piece and Alida Valli, whom cult fans will remember from a whole host of excellent cult flicks. The film does explain itself at the end; which is lucky as I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who was more than a little confused by then! Overall, this may not be classic stuff; but its good enough and worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +The vigilante has long held a fascination for audiences, inasmuch as it evokes a sense of swift, sure justice; good triumphs over evil and the bad guy gets his deserts. It is, in fact, one of the things that has made the character of Dirty Harry Callahan (as played by Clint Eastwood) so popular. He carries a badge and works within the law, but at heart, Harry is a vigilante, meting out justice `his' way, which often puts him in conflict with his own superiors, as well as the criminals he's pursuing. But it's what draws the audience; anyone who's ever been bogged down in bureaucratic nonsense of one kind or another, delights in seeing someone cut through the red tape and get on with it-- even if it's only on the screen. And that satisfaction derived from seeing justice done-- and quickly-- is one of the elements that makes `Sudden Impact,' directed by and starring Eastwood, so successful. In this one, the fourth of the series, while working a homicide, Harry encounters a bona fide vigilante at work-- an individual whose brand of justice parallels his own, with one exception: Whoever it is, he's definitely not carrying a badge.In his own inimitable way, Inspector Callahan has once again ended up on the bad side of the department and is ordered to take some vacation time. So he does; as only `Dirty Harry' can. In a small town north of San Francisco, Harry finds himself smack dab in the middle of a homicide case, which he quickly links to a recent murder in San Francisco because of the unique M.O. employed by the perpetrator. Unaccountably, Harry encounters resistance from the local Police Chief, Jannings (Pat Hingle), who advises him to take his big city tactics and methods elsewhere. Not one to be deterred, however, Harry continues his investigation, which ultimately involves a beautiful and talented young artist, Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke). Gradually, Harry discovers a link between the victims; the burning question, though, is where does Jennifer Spencer fit into the picture?Eastwood is in top form here, both in front of and behind the camera, and it is arguably the second best of the five-film series, right behind the original `Dirty Harry.' It had been seven years since the last `Harry' offering (`The Enforcer,' 1976), but Eastwood steps right back into the character with facility and renewed vigor. And this one definitely benefits from having him in the director's chair, as he is able to recapture the essence of, not only his own character, but that `spirit' that made these films so successful, and he does it by knowing the territory and establishing a continuity that all but erases that seven year gap between #s 3 and 4. As with all the films he directs, Eastwood sets a deliberate pace that works perfectly for this material and creates just enough tension to keep it interesting and involving from beginning to end. The screenplay, by Joseph Stinson, is well written and formulated to that distinctive `Dirty Harry' style; the dialogue is snappy and the story itself (conceived by Charles B. Pierce and Earl E. Smith) is the most engaging since the original `Dirty Harry,' as it successfully endeavors to play upon the very personal aspects of the drama, rather than entirely upon the action. The characters are well drawn and convincing, and, of course, this is the film that gave us one of Harry's best catch-phrases: `Go, ahead-- make my day...'As Harry, Clint Eastwood perfectly embodies all of the elements that make this character so popular: He lives by a personal moral code, a true individual made of the kind of stuff we envision as that of the pioneers who settled this country and made America what it is today. Harry personifies that sense of freedom and justice we all strive for and hold so dear, possibly more so today than ever before. No matter who we are or where we come from, there's undeniably a part of us that wants to be Harry, or at least have him around. `Dirty Harry' is an icon of the cinema, and it's impossible to envision anyone but Eastwood portraying him; for better or worse, Eastwood `is' Dirty Harry, without question, just as Sean Connery is James Bond and Basil Rathbone, Sherlock Holmes.Sondra Locke is entirely effective here in the role of Jennifer Spencer, a young woman wronged and out for vengeance, or as she sees it, `justice.' She manages to bring a hard-edged determination laced with vulnerability to her character, with a convincing, introspective approach that is far beyond what is typical of the `action' genre. Even amid the violence, Locke keeps her focus on Jennifer and the traumatic events that have brought her to this stage of her life. Her portrayal makes a perfect complement to Eastwood's Harry, and becomes, in philosophy and deed, something of his counterpart.In supporting roles, two performances stand out: Paul Drake, as Mick, creates the best `psycho' since Andy Robinson's dynamic portrayal of the serial killer in the original `Dirty Harry.' With actually very limited screen time, Drake establishes a genuinely disconcerting presence that is believable and convincing, which adds much to the purely visceral response of the audience. This is the guy you can't wait to see Harry take care of in the end. Also effective is Audrie J. Neenan, who makes her character, Ray Parkins, the epitome of the proverbial `low life,' who can be found in any bar in any city. It's a performance that evokes a gut-level response, and it adds greatly to the credibility of the film, in that it helps provide that necessary sense of realism.The supporting cast includes Albert Popwell (Horace), Mark Kevloun (Bennett) and Nancy Parsons (Mrs. Kruger). With a perfect blend of drama and action, `Sudden Impact' dispenses justice that is a fulfilling respite from reality; the perfect justice of a not-so-perfect world, that makes for a satisfying cinematic experience. 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen! I was bored and looked through the t.v. and found "Home Room" and it was already in about 5 min., but I got hooked. It was so interesting and moving. It shows what can happen in anyone's life. I give it a 10, more if possible. The director/ writer and actors did an amazing job. I think teens should watch this movie and will learn from it. It was great, drama, mystery, and more. I cried for hours! I think that the director/ writer should write more movies like this one. I loved it! I didn't even know about this movie, which is sad because it was so good. I wish it could go in the movies for more people to see.$LABEL$ 1 +It was meant to be a parody on the LOTR-Trilogy. But this was one of the most awful movies I've ever seen. Bad acting, bad screenplay, bad everything. THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION. I don't doubt any second that there are people who'll like this sense of "humor", but there have been better parodies on movies from acclaimed directors as Mel Brooks or the Zucker Brothers. I'm working in a movie theater and in DVD Shop and the success for this movie was similar in both areas: At the movies it was a nice (but no big at all) success during the first two weeks but then, when the reviews of those who have seen it were not too good, the movie dropped very fast. In DVD sales it was good for short time but then nobody asked for it anymore. In the last ten years, the two worst movies I've seen are The Ring Thing and Torque. I can't decide which one was worse, but I'm happy that there a so many good movies so I don't have to think too much on this question.$LABEL$ 0 +So, you've seen the Romero movies, yes? And you've seen Jacob's Ladder, right? And the later Hellraiser movies? Okay, now let's make a movie out of all three, only let's just jam everything together and make a whole big mess of it, sounds like a good idea?This movie is terrible. Absolutely god-awful. Yeah, it's an indie flick, who gives a crap? Is that a pass to make filmic excrement? The film attempts to establish credibility by focusing on character interaction, that much is evident. Unfortunately for the writers, they're not good at character interaction. This isn't Night of the Living Dead; the characters are nonentities shouting their inane lines at each other in a vain attempt to be caught by the microphones on set. The dialogue is never interesting. For a movie that focuses so much on character interaction, you'd think the characters would have something more to say than "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO" "I don't know" "WELL WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING" "Well what are we going to do?" "I DON'T KNOW." "We should leave." "LET'S JUST ACCEPT OUR FATE." "No, we've got to leave." "WELL LET'S LEAVE THEN." "No, maybe we should stay."This isn't exaggeration, there are exchanges in this film that reach that level of redundancy and inanity.The worst thing about this movie? Half of it is a dream, and it really has zero purpose. Nothing in the dream has any relevance to anything in the rest of the movie. The writers couldn't decide whether to make a zombie movie or a monster movie and so they just made both. It's patently ridiculous, the cheapest trick in the book, and it's maddeningly insulting, especially since I'm pretty sure they ripped off the idea from Jacob's ladder, which handled the concept a hell of a lot more competently than these jokers could ever hope to do.And then there's the editing. Years of watching MTV and playing horror-themed video games must have inspired the filmmakers, but it's surely a sad thing they didn't realize what made the choppy editing and obfuscation in those pieces of media effective in the first place. In this film, you will be confused often, and not in the good, David Lynch way, but in the bad "Wait I thought she just got killed, no? Then who the hell was that? Wait, who is that guy? Where did he come from? How did they get here?" kind of way. It's constant and consistently bad.This movie is a laughable piece of trash and should only be sought out if you want to get trashed with a few friends and laugh at it.And as a final note: as for the "comedy" people in other reviews are talking about, it's all unintentional. There isn't a single intentional piece of comedy in this film. It's all supposed to be a big serious character study, because the filmmakers want to have credibility in their horror-concept. Sadly, their pretensions don't match up to their ability.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was definitely on the boring side. The acting was decent and the film looks pretty nice, the soundtrack is definitely for fans of Kenny G and Michael Bolton. Speaking of the soundtrack, I found it very ironic that a film about telling the truth and not stealing decided to use a song in it's titles that was a BLATANT RIPOFF of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" - except that they don't acknowledge it at all. Isn't there something a little hypocritical there? The scene that the main kid was in where he was mimicking a game show host was my favorite. 10 lines? I have to write ten lines about this movie to be included? What a ripoff, I don't think it's too fair to FORCE people to write more than they would just to get it included!$LABEL$ 0 +The first film was a nice one, but it is not as good as the wonderful animated classic which I found more poignant and endearing. This sequel is inferior, but not bad at all. Sure the slapstick is too much, the script has its weak spots and the plot is a tad uninspired. But the dogs are very cute here, and Eric Idle is hilarious as the macaw. The film is nice to look at with stylish cinematography and eye popping costumes(especially Cruella's), and the music is pleasant. The acting is mostly very good, Ioan Gruffudd is appealing and Gerard Depardieu while he has given better performances has fun as Cruella's accomplice. But the best asset, as it was with the first film, is the amazing Glenn Close in a deliciously over-the-top performance as Cruella, even more evil than she was previously. Overall, nice. 7/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great Canadian comedy series. The movie tells of how the stars Jean Paul Tremblay-(Julian) and the head writer of the show and his buddies Rickie and Bubbles play it over the top in what is a true life satirical look at trailer parks and the denizens of said trashy hoods. The movie will tell you why Rickie and Julian begin doing their more advanced forays into the world of crime. WHY and the reasons behind everything would be a spoiler so I shall not give the real reasons behind their more brilliant escapades. Their friend and oft-time partner(Bubbles) is a brilliant character. The whole show is brilliant and missing the movie will not affect the way you see the sit-com one bit. It is a comedy with a capital C and a brilliant satire on trailer park living and small time crooks with small time ideas but big time dreams. If you ever have the opportunity to watch--buy--steal this program grab it. You will be glad you did. And to my American friends---It will break you up also. 10 out of 9. Brilliant. TV how TV should be.$LABEL$ 1 +What can one say about any Wilder film other than they are the most human and real stories about people and what drives them, bugs them,haunts them. Billy created pictures like paintings that stand forever reflecting the human condition. He paints the good and the bad in all of us. He also paints with love. I can't imagine anyone having a list of greatest films without a Wilder film on it. They will last because they are true. I first saw this movie on TV in the 60s when I was a kid and I had to leave the room because I felt tears welling up in me and was embarrassed. Now I'm an old man and I still feel the tears welling but don't leave the room. I knew these people and loved them and grew up around them. Billy preserved them in this film and not in a 'greatest generation' way but in a most realistic way that preserved the power of the human spirit.$LABEL$ 1 +Words fail me for this appalling waste of two hours of anyone's life. The story is contrived to the point of complete incredibility. The acting is leaden and so much of this is laughably dreadful. Vinnie Jones - so wonderful in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, is unbearably awful and unbelievable as Mike Sullivan, journalist.I honestly can't ever remember seeing a worse film. It's only worth watching for the appalling continuity lapses. After Jones is handed a huge beating he emerges without a scratch on him. His girlfriend upends a drink over him and he chases her, emerging from the pub bone dry. It's quite dreadful, made all the worse by the talented actors who appear in it.$LABEL$ 0 +There were some great moments of reality in there depicting modern day life (not only in Japan, but everywhere). It shows how stifling ones culture can be, and wanting to break out of the mold its created for you.The dancing was just a vehicle for saying "do what you love even if its against the norm". Rather Billy Elliot like I would say. I enjoyed that film as well. The humour was well timed, and the touching moments felt so real, you could feel the awkwardness between Sugiyama and his wife, the tantrums in the dance hall. I loved Aoki - him and that wig and his excessiveness on the dance floor made me simply howl!The actors all did a wonderful job, the story was well written. I watched it a second time and caught some little nuances that I missed on the first viewing. Good entertainment!$LABEL$ 1 +let me get started with a terrible storyline and an awful control system. good animation but not too good graphics. that is why I'm giving this game 4 of 10. THIS GAME REALLY NEEDS AN Improvement IF YOU ASK ME!!! i would remake it and make this control system better so jaws is not so damn hard to control. if i made it to improve it i would make those graphics look better than on the movie. it will drive anyone crazy when you are getting killed so freaking easy. i played this and got killed by a diver when he had one of those flick knives in 2 hits. the dolphins will kill you so much that the shark will be begging to go to the bottom of hell. this game sucks some fat ass. sorry about all the cussing i think I'm done now. it just that this game sucks so bad that it should be taken off the store's shelf. i dare you to play the garbage and you will probably get so mad by dieing so easy so Don't PLAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +"The Cellar" is an intolerably dull and overly child-friendly 80's cheese parade, directed by Kevin Tenney (creator of the much better films "Witchboard" and "Night of the Demons") and starring the incredibly untalented Patrick Kilpatrick, supposedly depicting a guy with feelings. The pacing is really slow, the plot feels far too familiar, the monster-effects are all but petrifying and the film opens and ends with tedious narrative ranting that somehow feels unrelated to the actual subject matter of the film. The voice-over keeps on nagging about wind and creatures riding on wind, but what the hell, there's no wind in the plot? Like so many 80's horror movies, "The Cellar" handles about cursed Indian landscapes and all-too-real mythical monsters hidden in basements and quagmires. Mance Cashen and his family move into a house build on what once was the home of Native Americans, but then white people came and turned the land into oil fields. Half of the script is wasted on explaining the origin of the monster, but I can easily summarize it for you: an ancient Indian witchdoctor summoned the creature (which looks like an over-sized paper-mâché rat) to annihilate the white people overflowing his land but he buried it again because, and I quote, the SOB kills Indians as well. Mance's hugely irritating son accidentally awakens the beast and naturally can't convince his parents about the big hungry rat in the cellar. The allegedly emotional family situation (daddy constantly wants his son to love him) is very pathetic and redundant and the film badly needed more bloodshed; kids' movie or not. The youthful hero (Chris Miller) is quite annoying, but we've definitely seen worse kid actors in the 80's. "The Cellar" is very much not recommended, unless of course you're a fan of cheesy and typically 80's monster designs. The big dodgy rat-thing is a real hoot to see.$LABEL$ 0 +I grew up during the time that the music in this movie was popular. What a wonderful time for music and dancing! My only complaint was that I was a little too young to go to the USO and nightclubs. Guess it sounds like I'm living in the past, (I do have wonderful memories)so what's wrong with that?!!? World War 2 was a terrible time, except where music was concerned. Glenn Miller's death was a terrible sadness to us. This movie will be a favorite of mine. Clio Laine was excellent; what a voice! I don't know how I ever missed this movie. My main reason for this commentary is to alert the modern generation to an alternative to Rap and New Age music, which is offensive to me. Please watch this movie and give it a chance!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film back in the early 70's and I was mesmerised by Judy Geeson. For me it captured the clandestine nature of Rod Steigers irrepressible obsession with the young and extremely sexy hitch hiker, played by Geeson.You couldn't help feel a little sorry for the wife, played brilliantly by Claire Bloom. I was really disappointed to see that the original cut may have been lost and there is little chance of it being released on DVD.I defy anyone who saw the film, and it's strong message not to be equally absorbed by the three main character performances, and I would have loved to have seen it again, if nothing else for a purely nostalgic reason.Going back in time, some 35 years.A real classic.$LABEL$ 1 +Liongate has yet to prove itself. Every single movie from lionsgate has been abysmal. i've tried and tried to give them more opportunities and they just keep slapping me over and over again. And Cabin Fever is definitely no exception.I couldn't even pay attention to most of this movie it was so frustrating and bad.here's the plot. Guy cuts up dead dog for some reason. Gets infected by random virus, transfers it to kids at a camp, kids start to get infected and die, town finds out about it and rather than help them, kills them. then the water is infected and everyone dies. the end.Seriously, that's the whole movie.all the characters are completely retarded, you don't care for any of them, and the one kid should have stuck with boy meets world. Me and my friend found that talking about how fat and bitchy our one classmate was to be far more enjoyable than paying attention to this movie. We did manage to make it all the way to the end while screaming bulls$@t, because this film will make you do that.and i'm still confused by the random slow motion karate moves of the one random kid and how apparently everybody out in the country is completely retarded and hickish. And again, why did this dog attack the girl? why did the kid the hicks were trying to kill sit in a chair waiting for them to kill him? that was part of the two of their's plan? wow. best plan ever. i cannot believe this movie got a theatrical release. i could barely stomach the DVD, let alone have to sit in a theater not moving for an hour and a half. It wasn't scary, or funny, or cool, or anything. it's just a waste of 90 minutes that you could be using to...i don't know, plant a tree or something. it's more productive than this piece of garbage. The acting, special effects, and script are a joke. don't ever pick this up.Cabin fever gets one nasty leg shaving scene, out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +.... And after seeing this pile of crap you won't be surprised that it wasn't published !!!! SPOILERS !!!!This is a terrible movie by any standards but when I point out that it's one of the worst movies that has the name Stephen King in the credits you can start to imagine how bad it is . The movie starts of with two characters staring open mouthed at a scene of horror : " My god . What happened here ? " " I don't know but they sure hate cats " *The camera pans to the outside of a house where hundreds of cats are strung up dead and mutilated . Boy this guy is right , someone does hate cats and with a deduction like that he should be a policeman . Oh wait a minute , he is a policeman and when a movie starts with a cop making an oh so obvious observation you just know you're going to be watching a bad movie The reason SLEEPWALKERS is bad is that it's very illogical and confused . We eventually find out the monsters of the title need the blood of virgins to survive . Would they not be better looking for a virgin in the mid west bible belt rather than an American coastal town ? Having said that at least we know of the monsters motives - That's the only thing we learn . We never learn how they're able to change shape or are able to make cars become invisible and this jars with the ending that seems to have been stolen from THE TERMINATOR . Monster mother walks around killing several cops with her bare hands or blowing them up via a police issue hand gun ( ! ) but if her monster breed is immune from police fire power then why do the creatures need the ability to change shape or become invisible ? The demise of the creatures is equally ill thought out as there killed by a mass attack of household cats . If they can be killed by cats then why did the monsters not kill all the cats that were lying around the garden ? There was a whole horde of moggies sitting around but the monsters never thought about killing them . I guess that's so the production team can come up with an ending . It was that they started the movie my complaint lies We're treated to several scenes where famous horror movie directors like John Landis , Clive Barker and even Stephen King make cameos . I think the reason for this is because whenever a struggling unknown actor read the script they instantly decided that no matter what , they weren't going to appear in a movie this bad so Stephen King had to phone up his horror buddies in order to fill out the cast . That's how bad SLEEPWALKERS is* Unbelievable as it seems that wasn't the worst line in the movie . The worst line is - " That cat saved my life "$LABEL$ 0 +I got to watch this movie in my french class as part of lets say "french culture". I thought the way it was filmed and the editing was real good but mostly it was entertaining especially the guy that played Wendy's brother. Also the story line was really good as well as it was believable and yet adventurous as well.Favorite Part: When William is making fun of the German guy studying and when he acts out how flies reproduce! :) My french isn't that good but with the subtitles i could pretty much get what was going on. WATCH IT!$LABEL$ 1 +I really liked ZB1. Really, I did. I have no problem with extremely low-budget movies, and I have enjoyed movies with worse production values than ZB3 (if you can imagine such a thing. check out 'wiseguys vs. zombies,' if you're interested). Indeed, I prefer lower budget zombie films, because I am suspicious that Hollywood directors do not understand what zombies are 'about.'But ZB3 was just so bad. It was retarded. I don't want to bother being dignified in my criticism. I want my 90 minutes back, etc. Except that it really only took ~80 minutes, because partway through I put it into 1.4X fast forward.Okay, here's some criticism.1. The pacing was TERRIBLE. Everyone talked in monologues. Even when someone just had a single line, the camera work and the editing and the insertion of a bunch of F-bombs into every sentence made the line FEEL like a monologue. At first I was excited about the 90 minute running time compared to ZB1's 70 minutes, but there were actually fewer 'events' in ZB3. It's all talking.2. The gore effects got stupider. Just glop rubbed around on people's tummies.3. Despite the epic exposition, there really wasn't a plot. And the exposition is indeed epic! I won't spoil it, if you're going to watch it. (Don't watch it.) But then, it's just a bunch of lame characters walking around and bickering for ~80 minutes. or fewer, if you so choose.$LABEL$ 0 +I have been most fortunate this year to have seen several films at my university's art museum. On occasion, well, more like half of the time, I am unable to watch the films there. I have systematically attempted to view each of the films that I have missed. So far Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea and Who Killed the Electric Car? are the other films that I have had to watch this way. The film covers an intriguing subject matter and is well-theorized (emphasis on this later) but not as successful as Plagues and Pleasures, but far superior to Electric Car. The film's thesis concern's the future of the American concept of suburban living. It questions the feasibility of such a practice as oil prices rise. So, the film discusses the origin of the suburb, and it's evolution until the early 2000s. One theme the film discusses at length is the alienation the suburb creates among its inhabitants. While several people may live together, they do not "know" each other as we define the word. This, to me, represents the strength of the film: its appeal to actual human emotion. We are able to understand the filmmakers' argument so much easier because they do not have to convince us of their argument's legitimacy. This is also one of the reasons Salton Sea is such a wonderful documentary. Unfortunately, Suburbia loses its message in firebrand explanation in support of its central argument. As those interviewed speak, their arguments become progressively more akin to those made by militant environmentalists. We are told that oil production will hit its peak in this decade, but are given no scientific evidence (professional reports, statistics, graphs, etc) in support of this claim. We are given little information as to how this date was calculated. Fortunately, this was the only significant flaw that I was able to detect in the film's argument yet it's a glaring one nevertheless. Another less-important discrepancy I noticed was the liberal (political) bias which could polarize some viewers. However, this bias is revealed thorough clips of various events and not the filmmakers themselves. The clips, especially those from the 1950's, seemed a tad unnecessary to me. The film was no better with their presence, and would have been more concise in their absence. As I thought more of this film before composing this review, I thought about why I found its argument more convincing than other documentaries that I'd recently viewed. Finally, I realized that the filmmakers actually offered analysis to the suburban problem. They propose a decentralized village-system where pockets of people would live together. They posit this practice would lower the necessity for fossil fuels and reduce wasted space. They define wasted space as the long stretches of parking lots between shopping areas, for instance. What is incredible about this supposition is that it's actually conceivable. Most documentaries vaguely state that some problem should be ended but offer no method of doing so. Thinking more about the film, I decided that this analysis is what saved the film for me and why I give it a favorable review. While neither perfectly convincing nor fluid in presentation, The End of Suburbia is a worthwhile investment of one's time. It not only addresses the contemporary problem of sprawl, but it also provides realistic insight on how to amend it. The audience can also enjoy the high production value with various clips from the 1950's spliced with the modern arguers. People living in Atlanta, Georgia or the Triad region of North Carolina will particularly enjoy this documentary as sprawl is the most established there.$LABEL$ 1 +Although in many ways I agree with the other reviewers comments. I find that the plot and idea are very good. Many of the supporting actors were very good. The fatal problem with this film is Ellen Pompeo. I am sure, I have never seen a less talented "actor" How this person has ever been in a film or on television, I cannot imagine. In my opinion she would be better as a greater at a Wal-Mart. To see a person with this low level of talent involved in paying roles, does beg the question...... "Who does she know"? I would very much like to see this film re-made with some talent. I do not fault the writer for the failure of this film to be worth the time to view it.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie ". . . And The Earth Did not Swallow Him," based on the book by Tomas Rivera, is an eye-opening movie for most people. It talks about the exploitation that migrant farmworkers go through in order to survive.Sergio Perez uses impressionistic techniques to depict Rivera's story. He uses sienna and gray-scale effects to depict some of the scenes, and he uses specific photographic techniques to make the scenes look like they took place in the 1950s.Perez also gives life to the film by using time-appropriate music, including balladeering and guitar playing.I feel that it is a good film to view because it shows in detail how migrant farmworkers live, what they do for entertainment, and their beliefs.$LABEL$ 1 +Herbie, the Volkswagen that thinks like a man, is back, now being driven by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), a young woman who hopes to become a NASCAR champion. The only thing standing in her way is the current champion, Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon), who will do anything to stop them.The original love bug wasn't that good. Even as a kid, I remember not liking it very much. I had some hope for the sequel though. I mean the cast is pretty good and the trailer makes it seem like a pretty fun movie. Unfortunately, Herbie is no better now than he was before. The film is defiantly weak for people over the age of 12. It will probably entertain the kids but that's all.I realize it's a kids film and all but they could have made the film a little more interesting. There were very few laughs and it got boring near the end. Most of the actors seemed dead in their roles too. Lindsay Lohan was alright as Maggie Peyton. She usually gives better performances like in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. Matt Dillon gave the best performance out of everyone. He was very good as the bad guy even though he didn't have a lot to work with. Justin Long, Breckin Meyer and Michael Keaton are really just there and they don't do anything special.Angela Robinson directs and she does an okay job. She tries to keep the film interesting but she's working with a weak script. Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant wrote the screenplay and would it be any surprise to you that they were also responsible for Taxi and The Pacifier? These two make light films yet they fail to really make the stories interesting or enjoyable. It's not completely their fault but hopefully next time they will try harder. In the end, Herbie is a safe, predictable family film that's worth watching if you're a kid. Everyone else is better off skipping it. Rating 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +If I was only allowed to watch one program in my entire life, I would definitely have to pick "The Chaser's War on Everything". Of all the satirical shows that have been on Australian television, I found "Chaser" to be the funniest of all. It is just so Amazing, the boys aren't afraid to do anything.Whether it's dress up as Hitler to get into a Polish Club, or push a MASSIVE ball of string around Melbourne to try out the tourism ad's or rock up to the Coke factory naked in a bath with $2.40 to buy some water. The Chaser boys will go there.In agreement with the comments above (and/or below) "The Chaser's War on Everything" is more popular than their previous program "CNNNN". But CNNNN was just as funny. Some unforgettable moments from that show... Clean up Cambodia!!! Classic.So anyway to stop me from Ranting further, I STRONGLY advise you to at least give Chaser a chance, you'll more than likely find it HILARIOUS!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +"The Return of Chandu" is notable, if one can say that, for the casting of Bela Lugosi as the hero rather than the villain. Why he even gets the girl. The story as such, involves the Black Magic Cult of Ubasti trying to capture the last Egyptian princess Nadji (the delectable Maria Alba) and use her as a sacrifice as a means of reviving their ancient leader who just happens to look like Nadji. Lugosi as Chandu, who possesses magical powers, tries to thwart the villains. Director Ray Taylor does his best with limited resources and extensive stock footage. Fans of King Kong (1933) will recognize the giant doors that were used to keep Kong at bay in several scenes. The acting is for the most part, awful. The actor who plays the high priest (I believe Lucien Prival) for example, uses that acting coach inspired pronunciation that was so common in the early talkies. The less said about the others the better. It is a mystery why Lugosi accepted parts in independent quickies at this stage of his career, because he was still a bankable star at Universal at this time. Maybe it was because in this case he got to play the hero and get the girl, who knows. As his career started to spiral downwards in the late 30s, this kind of fare would become the norm for Lugosi rather than the exception.$LABEL$ 0 +When I saw this at a shop I thought it looked really good and original. Like Wolfs Creek meets Texas chainsaw massacre, and I mean it only cost three quid (around $6). To be honest I don't think it was even worth that.It seemed like the directors- the 'butcher brothers' couldn't decide whether wanted to do a artsy sort of horror or a gory slasher horror. It ended up with a cliché ridden gory sadistic hour and fifteen minutes with all the characters being one dimensional and you couldn't care less what happened to them but to try to make the audience care about the characters they added a useless monologue at the end and the beginning of the film which to be perfectly honest wasn't needed.The only good part really was the middle/end- I won't ruin it for you. But that was the only "good "part.Overall a pointless watch. It felt like a two hour film but was in fact only 75 minutes. If you want an artsy film-don't bother. If you want a slasher movie- don't bother- The film moves so slowly with nothing ever happening.$LABEL$ 0 +Superbly adapted to the screen and extremely faithful to Mary Webb's period novel, this film is a true masterpiece. Aside from the exceptionally talented rising star, Janet Mcteer as the lead and one or two established actors, the film used mostly little known names. Yet the drama was all the more convincing for that. The social and personal tension is almost tangible and I felt as if the cast were reacting each other's character as though they would have done in real life. I saw that one commentator asked if Janet McTeer really had a hare-lip, a testimony to just how good was her characterisation. I saw this on TV when it was first shown, taped it, then later the tape was sadly lost. But it remains clear as anything in my mind. If you have any fondness at all for the social period, it's an absolute must see.$LABEL$ 1 +This is actually a groovy-neat little flick, made on absolutely no discernible budget with shot on video crinkliness . It takes a little while to warm up to it. The acting is so bad that it soon acquires a zen-like charm. After a few scenes, you stop noticing the awkward lines or rehearsed sound of some deliveries. The characters all develop a quirky charm, especially "Richard". Forget Anthony Hopkins, Maidens is the guy I'd hire to play a raving psychopath. He just seems to enjoy it so very much! Mixed in with the scenes of mad-slasher gore and zombie infestation are some truly visually effective shots of the title character, "The Midnight Skater" zooming through the campus in a black hoodie, looking for all the world like a cross between the Grim Reaper and, say, The Silver Surfer. These shots make the sometimes ludicrous things the characters say about the Skater seem almost ominous. The soundtrack features some very fun Garage-Punk tunes and the raspy, raucous meanness of it meshes well with the film's mood. Thumbs upish, I say.$LABEL$ 1 +"Ordinary Decent Criminal" is sad because it is obviously trying to succeed and equally obviously hasn't a chance in hell of making it apparently owing to the absence of a clear sense of purpose. A abysmal failure at droll Irish comedy with Spacey as a thief who enjoys outsmarting the cops and his competition becoming a sort of folk hero in his own mind, this flick manages to be mildly amusing when it's trying to be funny, slightly more than boring when it's trying to be interesting, and forget sentimental or poignant or endearing though it takes shots at those qualities as well. "Ordinary Decent Criminal" has a clumsy screenplay, naive direction, journeyman execution, thin story, poor casting, mediocre acting, and eventually becomes lost in itself and sinks into a mire of hopeless mediocrity. Pass on this one. (D)$LABEL$ 0 +Many of the earlier comments are right on the money, but some, well, not so much.This Is hardly a 'B' movie...it's well produced, the live flying sequences are really superb, and the model sequences are first rate. It's no "cheapie".Ricard Barthelmess is quite good in this, and it makes a a nice companion piece for "Only Angels Have Wings".If you want to spot John Wayne, spot J. Carrol Naish first, they end up together.Tom Browne is juvenile enough (and somewhat dull), but when they saddle him with the most pathetic pencil-mustache in Hollywood history, it makes his character even less believable. Sally Eilers is much more so.As for later influences, this is Wellman in the early Airliner-in-Distress zone...the opening sequence of this film, with the Airline Operations guy arriving at the "Grand Central Airport" would have fit very nicely into "The High and the Mighty"...just imagine Regis Toomey...and a 1955 Buick.$LABEL$ 1 +Deodato brings us some mildly shocking moments and a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. Absolutely a classic in it's own particular kind of way. This movie provides a refreshingly different look at barbarians. If you get a chance to see this movie do so. You'll definitely have a smile on your face most of the time. Not because it's funny or anything mundane like that but because it's so bad it goes out the other way and becomes good, though maybe not clean, fun.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this movie. It is a definite inspirational movie. It fills you with pride. This movie is worth the rental or worth buying. It should be in everyones home. Best movie I have seen in a long time. It will make you mad because everyone is so mean to Carl Brashear, but in the end it gets better. It is a story of romance, drama, action, and plenty of funny lines to keep you tuned in. I love a lot of the quotes. I use them all the time. They help keep me on task of what I want to do. It shows that anyone can achieve their dreams, all they have to do is work for it. It is a long movie, but every time I watch it, I never notice that it is as long as it is. I get so engrossed in it, that it goes so quick. I love this movie. I watch it whenever I can.$LABEL$ 1 +Ineffectual, molly-coddled, self-pitying, lousy provider Jimmy Stewart is having a bad marriage to Carole Lombard. After falling on hard times, he endures a demeaning job, a fault-finding, passive-aggressive, over-bearing live-in mother who is in dire need of an epic smackdown, and an endlessly-crying baby. The movie trowels on failure and squalor to no discernible end. Do you want to watch a couple bicker with his mom for ninety minutes? Many scenes feature a shrieking baby. The movie fails to elucidate why we would want to endure the mother from hell, or why Jimmy Stewart can't grow a pair. Who wanted to see this? Who wanted to see Stewart and Lombard without laughs or charm?It's absolutely depressing and unendurable.$LABEL$ 0 +I have only seen this movie once, when I was about 14 years old, but I was thrilled that they made a movie about the 45th Division. Being from Oklahoma and especially now that both of my sons are members of the 45th, I would like to see it released on a DVD. I may sound a little bias but the 45th Division sometimes does not get the recognition it deserves today. The History channel always talks about the other infantry divisions when it talks about WW2 and Korea but you rarely hear it mention the 45th. One of the scene that really stood out for me was when the had the Indian Code Talkers at work and the puzzled look on the German soldiers faces when they could not understand this language. I am glad that all of the Native American Code Talkers are getting the recognition they deserve.$LABEL$ 0 +My ten-year old liked it. For me it was hard to get through it. Christopher Lloyd played it way over the top and the suit was tedious and unfunny. Sorry to see Jeff Daniels in this.$LABEL$ 0 +This film has "haunted" me since I saw it when I was about 8 years old. I didn't know what it was called so am so pleased to have tracked it down finally. I remember being quite scared, because I'd just been to a tin mine in Cornwall when I watched it, so could imagine it all. Fortunately I didn't see any ghosts of dead children there, but I found this film really quite disturbing and scary when I was much younger. I've certainly never forgotten it, even though I couldn't find it anywhere. I seem to remember The Children's Film Foundation films being generally good, but they don't show them at all any more. I also remember programmes like The Children Of Green Knowe in the same era on BBC - equally unsettling in its own way.$LABEL$ 1 +The Brave One is about a New York radio show host named Erica Bain (Jodie Foster). Her life is a dream living in the city she grew up in and loves. She has her great fiancé David (Naveen Andrews), whom she is planning to marry. But one night while Erica and David are out walking their dog, they are attacked and mugged by a group of degenerates, leaving David dead. Erica recovers but is heartbroken and traumatized later on, and can barely cope with real life anymore. She buys a gun off a guy on the streets for protection. But one day she's shopping in a store, and a man comes in and shoots the clerk dead. It is then that Erica shoots and kills this man, and she becomes a vigilante. Killing anyone who tries to threaten or harm her or any others. At the same time Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard) is tracking down this elusive unknown killer, and in the process becomes friends with Erica. Erica begins to regain her sanity as she kills these violent people, but is unsure of whether or not what she's doing is morally right. And as her and Mercer become closer, he doesn't even realize the unknown murderous assailant is right next to him.Jodie Foster gives a very good performance in The Brave One. She portrays this type of violent, morally corrupted character brilliantly. Terrence Howard is also great in this movie. Both have excellent chemistry together, and strengthen the film to a certain level. The Brave One looks visually pristine, and conveys some brilliant camera work, but not all of it works to a great effect. The scenes where Erica is absolutely traumatized and afraid to walk out her front door to face the world. The camera swayed back and forth to the sides in an almost dream-like way, and really captured the moment with essence. Whereas almost every time Erica killed somebody, everything just had to go slo-mo and show her facial expressions in fine detail. The slo-mo was properly used when Erica committed her first murder. But why keep doing this effect almost every time she committed murder? The camera work creates a great atmosphere in most of the film, but there a few scenes here that are just plain overkill.The Brave One is very much about how these murders affect Erica emotionally. Her fiancé is killed by a group of thugs, and suddenly her love of New York City is turned upside down. She realizes that there is a dark side to the beloved city, and she says so on her radio show. I don't completely understand this though. Erica acts as if she never realized that violence can occur at night in the city, and that's pretty stupid. If she lived there all her life she must be either blind or very oblivious. Erica also seems to be a glutton for inhumane, murderous people. She really doesn't even have to go look for them, they just to come to her as if they're begging to be shot dead for their wrong-doing. The Brave One deals with the morals and proper use of violence strongly at first, and then suddenly it glorifies it. The ending is very negative, and completely immoral and inhumane. It also negates the purpose of Terrence Howard's character, which the movie spends so much time trying to evenly develop, and suddenly his morals take a U-turn. The morals in The Brave One become very fractured, and just plain shatter all over the place by the end. So violence is okay? It's a good thing to commit murder as long as it's for vengeance? I pretty much refuse to believe that. You know why? Because I have a conscience, which this film surely lacks. It is not right to take the life of another person, no matter how bad they are, or how much you hate them. Erica Bain sets out to stop these evil-doers, but in the end she is no better than the horrible people she kills.Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard provide a lot of strength for this movie. The Brave One contains a strong message, but that message is both immoral and wrong. This movie may look pretty, well acted, and intelligently strong. But it becomes pretty rotten by the end. I give The Brave One a 1.5 out of 4. The message is very out of line and morally incorrect, and really can't be saved by the good acting.$LABEL$ 0 +The basic storyline here is, Aditiya (Kumar) is the spoilt son of a millionaire, Ishwar (Bachan) who owns a toy industry, in Ishwar's eyes his son Aditya can do nothing wrong, Aditya's mother Sumitra (Shefali Shah) warns Ishwar to bring his son to the responsible path before it is too late, for Ishwar is a patient of lung cancer and has only 9 months to live, when his son elopes and marries Mitali (Chopra), Ishwar readily forgives Aditya, but when the happy couple Aditya and Mitali come back from a honeymoon, Mitali is pregnant, and this forces Ishwar to kick Aditya out of the house to make him more responsible, Aditya doesn't know his father is suffering from lung cancer, and he also doesn't know that his father has kicked him out of the hose to make him more responsible, Ishwar cannot bring himself to tall Aditya that he is about to die, with a hungry and pregnant wife. it is a race against time so Aditya does all he can to prove himself to his father, and the climax comes when Aditya gets his big break in the movie industry and his father tells him that he is about to die.This movie is absolutely brilliant, this is the breakthrough in Indian cinema that was needed for the Bollywood industry, Shah's directing is almost flawless, but which movie doesn't have flaws? The best part if this movie is the father son relationship which is a tearjerker. the song interludes is just placed at the right time, the scenery is good, the only part where this movie fails is where the jokes between Boman Irani and Rajpal Yadav the jokes are too long and after a bit they are annoying, but overall this is a brilliant movie, i advise anybody Reading this review to go and watch it regardless of other reviews. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Sarah Silverman is really the "flavor of the month" comic right now. Is she really worth all the hype? Yes and no. She is funny at times, sometimes hilariously so (her standup routine is actually quite interesting, though not always funny). Other times, you're feeling cheated by the media for overhyping yet another performer. She is one of those really cute comedians that men especially flock to, saying that they dig her intelligence and wit. But if you corner them, most men will admit that they just want to sleep with her, and that's why they watch her. She reminds me of why many men flocked to Margaret Cho and Janeane Garofalo, even though neither of them are really "hot" now in terms of popularity. Sarah doesn't drink or smoke (at least cigs), so she should be hot when she's 60, so her fans (especially the male ones) can rejoice.As for this show, it's very much like her comedy. When it works, it's hilarious. When it doesn't, it's full blown tedium and very, very boring. The AIDS episode here is the best one. It's consistently funny, and has some really good satire in it. Brian Poeshn's character has an unhealthy obsession with Tab in one episode, and it's hilarious seeing him in a Tab T-shirt. But they never really go anywhere with it, and it eventually wears out its welcome. Sarah's character in the series is rather annoying, the gay couple (Brian Poeshn and some other guy) seems tacked on and never really does anything for the show as a whole, and the supporting players (including Sarah's real life sister, Laura, who doesn't look a thing like her) are OK. When the jokes hit, they're brilliant. When they don't, they're awful, and I mean really awful. There's also an obsession with coprophilia here (aka poop jokes), which seems to have replaced actual wit and intelligence in comedy today. So should you watch this show? If you have a crush on Sarah, go for it. You can gaze at her and pretend she's yours. As for her show, it's ranges from good to absolute zero.$LABEL$ 0 +An excellent movie and great example of how scary a movie can be without really showing the viewer anything. It's a set of four stories all revolving around the tenants of a charmingly old-fashioned house and their various gruesome and horrific fates, all tied together by a wrap-around story about a Scotland Yard inspector searching for a missing horror film star. It starts out with a story about a mystery writer whose main character becomes a little too realistic, followed by a story about two old romantic rivals who become obsessed over a wax figure in a museum, then a story about a sweetly angelic little child who is anything but, and closing with the story of what happened to the missing film star…and what he does to the inspector. It's a gorgeous print that lets you really appreciate the work of director Duffell and what he was able to accomplish with a very small budget. Add to that the acting talents of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliott, Joss Ackland, Ingrid Pitt and Jon Pertwee and you've got a movie that can be enjoyed again and again. Just don't answer the phone if anyone from Stoker Real Estate calls to offer you a bargain on a beautiful house in the English countryside…$LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the funnier films i've seen. it had it's crude moments, but they were full of charm. it's Altmanesque screenplay, brilliant physical humour, and relaxed friendships were a pleasure to watch, and a slice of life most of us can relate to. and i can say with a measure of honesty that i was afraid for Steve Carell's nipple..i truly was. surprisingly, this is a good-natured, unabashed comedy that is essentially about love, and the many relationships we may find ourselves in along the way. Catherine Keener was terrific as Trish, and all of Steve Carell's friends were flawed but amiable, and so much fun. the idea that they suspected that Carell was a serial killer is a hilarious metaphor for a forty-year old virgin. but the simple truth was that he wanted to be in love first. original, charming, and very funny. highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Debbie Reynolds toe-taps, tangos and, yes, tap-dances her way through this ordinary thriller which has a distinctly fabricated '30s atmosphere. Two ladies, brought together when their sons commit a murder, try starting their lives over by running a tap-dance school for tots in Hollywood. Trouble is, one of them is plagued by neuroses. Can you imagine this thing 10 years earlier with Robert Aldrich directing Bette Davis and Joan Crawford...? Nahh, Bette never would have allowed Joan so much screen-time to strut her stuff, and I can't imagine Bette Davis in the other role, tap-dancing her heart out. This is a purely bogus piece of macabre, written by a slumming Henry Farrell (whose idea of a good "shock" is to stage the mass-murder of a group of rabbits!). Not an ounce of honest fun in the whole tepid package. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +TOM BROWN'S SCHOOLDAYS Aspect ratio: 1.78:1Sound format: StereoIn late 19th century England, young Tom Brown (Alex Pettyfer) is sent to the public school at Rugby where he experiences the reforms of a radical new headmaster (Stephen Fry) and stands up to the school's resident bully, Flashman (Joseph Beattie).Already the subject of numerous screen adaptations - most notably Gordon Parry's superior 1951 version - Thomas Hughes' evergreen novel gets the early 21st century treatment, courtesy of screenwriter Ashley Pharoah (TV's "Where the Heart Is") and director David Moore (THE FORSYTE SAGA). It's pleasant enough, and watchable, but it's also rather staid and dull, distinguished only by Fry's sincere performance as the new principal determined to sweep away some of the school's most dubious 'traditions', and by the introduction of a possible new star in 14 year old Pettyfer, a talented kid with the kind of effortless charm and vivid good looks that should take him all the way to Hollywood and beyond. Otherwise, this is typical UK TV fodder, the kind of stuff favored by executives eager to fill the schedules with 'prestige' product, even one as thoroughly unremarkable as this. The UK publication 'Radio Times' described it as "daintily odd" and raised a querulous eyebrow over "all of that fagging and brutality and a handsome, rakish villain torturing the life out of sweet young boys". Quite.$LABEL$ 0 +The Toxic Avenger, Part II starts with the startling revelation that after the Toxic Aveneger (John Altamura who was apparently fired during production & replaced with Ron Fazio) had rid his home town Tromaville of evil it actually became a nice place to live. This meant that Toxie had no use as a superhero anymore & now suffers from depression & a feeling of utter uselessness (just like directors Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz should feel like after producing this), Toxie now works as a concierge at the 'Tromaville centre for the blind'. It's not long before trouble rears it's ugly head though, an evil chemical producing company called Apocalypse Inc. plans to take over Tromaville for some stupid insignificant reason or other but to do so they need to get rid of Toxie. After the evil chairman's (Rick Collins) first plan fails he bribes Toxie's psychiatrist (Erika Schickel) to tell him to go to Japan & see his Father. Leaving his girlfriend Claire (Phoebe Legere), his Mother (Jessica Dublin) & his home behind Toxie heads for Tokyo, Japan. Once there Toxie sets about finding his Father & a woman named Masami (Mayako Katsuragi) helps him in his quest. Meanwhile back in Tromaville Apocalypse Inc. move in for the kill & without Toxie the citizens are powerless to defend themselves. Toxie eventually finds Big Mac Bunko (Rikiya Yasuoka) whom he has been lead to believe is his Father, however Big Mac is all part of Apocalypse Inc. plans to destroy Toxie once & for all...Produced & directed by Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz this follow up to the successful The Toxic Avenger (1985) basically proves the first film was a complete fluke, a lucky accident to combine the right blend of bad taste comedy, outrageous violence & so-bad-it's-good film-making, The Toxic Avenger, Part II is a load of crap in comparison. The script by by Kaufman, Phil Rivio & Gay Partington Terry with a load of 'additional material' credits does not contain one single funny moment during it's entire 102 (uncut director's cut) duration. The visual gags are terrible, Toxie walking through Tokyo with a wig & glasses to blend in for instance, or a scene where he heats up a bath with a bad guy in it & as he cooks Toxie throws in a load of vegetable's & spaghetti, a scene where he sticks electrical wires up a woman's nose, sticks an antenna in her head & a microphone in her mouth to which a Japanese radio announcer talks into, a bit where a Japanese bad guy has his nose burnt into the shape of a fish, a bit where Toxie grabs a swordfish head & uses it as a weapon, or the embarrassingly bad overacting & stupid idiotic facial expressions, a guy who literary has a fish for a head & gets turned literary into sushi, the awful comedy music & sound effects & the whole film in general is a pale imitation of what made the original mildly amusing & memorable. The bad taste gags aren't there this time round & the silly childish juvenile humour of the first is also missing, it just feels like a real step back from the original & lets not forget this is Troma here so that is most definitely a bad thing. There are a few gory fights & some serious gore & violence, at least in the supposedly uncut 102 minute version I saw, crushed heads with the bodies spurting out blood, smashed faces, intestines, roses poked in someones eyes & thorns wrapped around their throat, ripped off ears, severed arms & a very graphic & gory scene of a man being chopped to pieces. Unfortunately the special effects by Pericles Lewnes aren't particularly convincing & come mostly within the first twenty or so minutes. The acting is of embarrassing proportions as I've already mentioned. Action wise there is an ultra cheap looking car chase at the end & a few unexciting, lacklustre fights utilising cardboard ninja throwing stars at one point. Horror wise there is nothing a few gory set pieces apart. Comedy wise this is very unfunny. In fact The Toxic Avenger, Part II sucks on all levels really & to top it all off it's atrociously made as well, most of the cast appear to be people plucked from the nearest street corner, continuity is none existent, cinematography is basic point & shoot & the special effects are anything but. One or two gory scenes apart this is total crap plain & simple, do yourself a favour watch the original again instead.$LABEL$ 0 +Cary Grant and Myrna Loy are perfectly cast as a middle class couple who want to build the house of their dreams. It all starts out with reasonable plans and expectations, both of which are blown to bits by countless complications and an explosion of the original budget.There are many great laughs (even if the story is somewhat thin) sure to entertain fans of the stars or the late 1940s Hollywood comedy style. A definite highlight comes when a contractor goes through a run down of all expenses, which must have sounded quite excessive to a 1948 audience. As he makes his exit, he assures the client (Grant) that perhaps he could achieve a reduction of $100.00 from the total...or at least $50.00...but certainly $25.00. Hilarious!$LABEL$ 1 +Admittedly, I find Al Pacino to be a guilty pleasure. He was a fine actor until Scent of a Woman, where he apparently overdosed on himself irreparably. I hoped this film, of which I'd heard almost nothing growing up, would be a nice little gem. An overlooked, ahead-of-its-time, intelligent and engaging city-political thriller. It's not.City Hall is a movie that clouds its plot with so many characters, names, and "realistic" citywide issues, that for a while you think its a plot in scope so broad and implicating, that once you find out the truth, it will blow your mind. In truth, however, these subplots and digressions result ultimately in fairly tame and very familiar urban story trademarks such as Corruption of Power, Two-Faced Politicians, Mafia with Police ties, etc. And theoretically, this setup allows for some thrilling tension, the fear that none of the characters are safe, and anything could happen! But again, it really doesn't.Unfortunately, the only things that happen are quite predictable, and we're left with several "confession" monologues, that are meant as a whole to form modern a fable of sorts, a lesson in the moral ambiguity of the "real world" of politics and society. But after 110 minutes of names and missing reports and a spider-web of lies and cover-ups, the audience is usually treated to a somewhat satisfying reveal. I don't think we're left with that in City Hall, and while it's a very full film, I don't find it altogether rich.$LABEL$ 0 +In this unlikely love triangle, set in 19th century Italy, `The Beauty and the Beast' is being turned upside down and inside out and then some: Giorgio, an army officer and the very image of male beauty, is being transferred away form his (married) lover Clara and sent to a small garrison somewhere in Piemont. There - initially much to his horror – Fosca, the grotesquely ugly cousin of his commander, develops an obsessive love for him. He suffers her passionate and demanding displays of affection out of pity and concern for her health (she is gravely ill), but becomes more and more fascinated by her – until the dramatic finale…Do not miss this most unusual love story, as twisted as it may sound. Valeria d'Obici, who deservedly won a price for her portrayal of Fosca, is as alarming as she is touching. Buy the video, read the book, go see the musical!$LABEL$ 1 +When I started to watch this movie on VH-1 I cringed. The MTV movies were all bad so I wasnt expecting much. But this movie was really good. I liked it a lot. And it even had a twist at the end. See this movie because it shows that Made For TV movies that are good exist.$LABEL$ 1 +The whole world is falling prey to a lethal disease, and rain never stops pouring down : nevertheless, in this atmosphere of nightmare, a man and a woman discover that they are neighbors, thanks to a hole in the floor of the man's apartment. They fall in love : at least, all would not have been lost. Although this wonderful film expresses the loneliness and the weakness of human being, there is also some room for hope, in the shiny singing scenes.$LABEL$ 1 +The lovely, yet lethal Alexandra (stunning statuesque blonde beauty Stacie Randall, who looks absolutely smashing in a tight black leather outfit) must find a magic amulet so her evil demonic master Faust can cross over into our dimension. It's up to fearless, rugged cop Jonathan Graves (likable Peter Liapis) to stop her. Meanwhile, two pitifully unfunny "comic relief" dwarf gnome creatures run amok in Los Angeles. Seasoned veteran schlock exploitation expert Jim Wynorski relates the supremely inane story at a brisk pace and takes none of this foolishness remotely seriously. The cast struggle gamely with the silly material: the adorable Barbara Alyn Woods as sassy, fetching police captain Kate, Raquel Krelle as tart, sexy hooker Jeanine, Bobby Di Cicco as Graves' bumbling, excitable partner Scotty, Peggy Trentini as alluring museum curator Monica, and Ace Mask as the jolly Dr. Rochelle. Mark Stevi's puerile cookie cutter script, an amusingly lowbrow sense of no-brainer humor, Chuck Cirino's bouncy cornball score, the two dwarf guys sporting obvious cheap rubber Halloween masks, J.E. Bash's plain cinematography, no tension or gratuitous female nudity to speak of, and the tacky (less than) special effects all further enhance the overall delicious cheesiness of this prime slice of celluloid Velveeta. An entertainingly brainless piece of lovably lousy dreck.$LABEL$ 1 +The unfunniest so called comedy I've ever seenNot a patch on the naturalism of the hilariously dare Twin TownVegas I ;like normally but this script is so dire so predictable so well English in the worst way (In recent years the English films have been awful all of them) Ireland at least produced the commitments, Scotland with Braveheart and Trainspotting 2 stand out great movies and Wales had Twin Town, Zulu, Last Days of Dolwyn , Torchwood, Doctor Who and Under Milk Wood etcThe comedy is paint by numbers, the actors are dead men walking because there is no characterisation and no originality and it's just so unfunnyEngland is falling behind no matter how many grim up north movies they produce. It's the old class system that destroys English films. The Oxbridge graduates spewing endlessly clichéd scripts about working class people they've never lived with. It is pathetic. Monty Python wasn't funny, neither was anything from Oxbridge.Let guys like Jonny Vegas and Peter Kay, Rob Brydon, Billy Connolly or write their own dialogue and forget the archaic failed class system let the working class people and the real talent that comes through the system properly take over the writing and the British and English film industries will rise again what next prince Edward to write a modern day Oliver Twist?$LABEL$ 0 +If you think "Weird Al" Yankovic is hilarious, you won't be disappointed by THE COMPLEAT AL. Not only does this rare mockumentary feature many of Yankovic's more memorable videos ("Like A Surgeon" and "I Love Rocky Road" among them), but they are inter-spliced with funny vignettes supposedly highlighting the parodist's rise to fame. Yankovic is not for all tastes, but his humor is harmless and imaginative enough that even non-fans will at least be lightly amused. Die-hard fans will love it not only for its content, but also for its relatively early look into Yankovic's now nearly three decade career. Suitable for all ages, kiddies will no doubt love the funny visuals.$LABEL$ 1 +Since its release in 1983, "A Christmas Story", the Jean Shepherd-narrated story of his alter-ego, Ralphie, has become a true classic. "My Summer Story", however, still has Shepherd as the narrator, but it has absolutely none of the charm, and the characters are nowhere near the caliber of the original film."My Summer Story" is basically a mishmash of mediocre and just plain not very interesting stories, which include hillbilly neighbors and battling tops. Charles Grodin, who I normally like, is extremely unlikeable in the role of the father (more aptly handled by Darren McGavin in the original), and his character never seems anything but forced. Kiernan Culkin is a poor substitute for Ralphie, and the little brother is all but forgotten here. Only mom seems to have any worth here and perhaps that's because she beans a cinema manager with a gravy boat when he pushes his luck too far with irate housewives on "free dish night".The stories in this are mostly inconsequential and stretched paper-thin. May appeal to the extremely undemanding but as a sequel to "A Christmas Story", it's a very poor one and not worth most people's time. 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've watched this film about thirty years ago and it stuck in my mind until now. When I came across it on DVD, I didn't hesitate too long, even more, because I have a predilection for early Belmondo flicks. But what a bad surprise! Some movies should be allowed to resign from public exposure, to preserve a certain memory, and not to shock audiences.Widely hailed as one of Chabrol's rare cynic works, the only lasting impression I got from re- watching it is... boredom. Some movies really do not age in style. But what about movies which didn't have any sense of style at all?The flaws in the script, uninspired acting - presumably due to the lack of direction -, a sort of production design, which doesn't deserve its name, less than mediocre photography and, last but not least, the worst editing job I've seen in ages, make this one truly hard to stand.My impression was, that there was a bunch of people with too much money and equipment but obviously, no idea or any skills at all. It really comes as a surprise, that this one didn't abruptly end Chabrol's career. Don't blame it on the overall bad taste of the 70s, this one is crap in its own right and a worthy contender for the most useless waste of celluloid ever.$LABEL$ 0 +I went into this movie with semi-high expectations after loving the cartoon series in my childhood, and this nearly wrecked that love for me. Jason Lee, David Seville in the film, is horrifying. I understand it can't be easy to act with CGI characters who aren't actually there, but I really found his performance atrocious, along with all the other non-animated characters. The chipmunks were adorable, yet sometimes blatantly obvious at moving the plot of the story along, and therefore did not tempt me to stay in the theater for longer than half an hour into the film. If you feel you must see this film, rent it, at the most. It is NOT worth eight bucks to see it in theaters, unless you'd like a good laugh at the horrible acting.$LABEL$ 0 +Dark Rising is your typical bad, obviously quickly produced horror/sci-fi/fantasy movie. It has a strange, unexplained plot with holes so big you could fit an elephant through them. Most of the time I didn't know what the hell was going on but it didn't really matter, it was a simple demon hunter returns from hell dimension to save campers story with confusing stuff added on about witches and a book of evil with plot elements and characters who make no sense or disappear totally for no reason. The acting is bad but there honestly is not much they can do with this script I am guessing. There is a couple topless scenes which is probably the only reason this bad movie got made (like so many other bad movies). Give this one a pass unless there is nothing else on T.V.$LABEL$ 0 +Say what you will about cinema's "Wizard of Gore," Herschell Gordon Lewis, it must be conceded that from his first films (1963's trashy "Blood Feast" and 1964's crackerbarrel massacre "Two Thousand Maniacs") to his last (1972's "The Gore Gore Girls"), the man remained faithful to his muse, gleefully chopping up the bodies of young men and women for the delectation of the camera. In "Gore Gore," for example, someone has been mutilating the pasty-faced and pasty-clad strippers at the Tops & Bottoms Club, and obnoxious ex-detective Gentry is hired by a hotty cub reporter to assist on the case. The film features remarkably annoying and repetitive background music, terrible lighting, abysmal acting, repugnant characters, problematic sound AND, of course, some of Lewis' patented gross-out scenes. Thus, one of the strippers has her face shoved into boiling oil; one has her head ripped open; another has her face ironed and her nippies cut off; and still another has her bum paddled with a meat tenderizer until her entire backside is covered with what appears to be Buitoni tomato sauce. (I could be wrong here; it might have been Ragu.) The film also throws out some fairly lame humor, although some of the lines ARE pretty funny. For example, we learn that the real name of slain stripper Suzie Creampuff was...Ethel Creampuff! A bottle of acid says "Made In Poland" on it (don't know why, but I thought this was funny). And some of strip club owner Henny Youngman's lines are, of course, amusing. Still, this is NOT the movie to show to Aunt Ethel or Sister Agatha. It is one of the sickest you'll ever see, with only one surefire, crowd-pleasing moment--the title card at the film's conclusion that reads "We Announce With Pride: This Movie Is Over"!$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this horrible movie. The worst think I have ever seen. I believe a 1st grade class could have done a better job. The worse film I have ever seen and I have seen some bad ones. Nothing scary except I paid 1.50 to rent it and that was 1.49 too much. The acting is horrible, the characters are worse and the film is just a piece of trash. The slauther house scenes are so low budget that it makes a B movied look like an Oscar candidate. All I can say is if you wnat to waste a good evening and a little money go rent this horrible flick. I would rather watch killer clowns from outer space while sitting in a bucket of razors than sit through this flop again$LABEL$ 0 +.......Playing Kaddiddlehopper, Col San Fernando, etc. the man was pretty wide ranging and a scream. I love watching him interact w/ Amanda Blake, or Don Knotts or whomever--he clearly was having a ball and I think he made it easier on his guests as well--so long as they Knew ahead of time it wasn't a disciplined, 19 take kind of production. Relax and be loose was clearly the name of the game there.He reminds me of guys like Milton Berle, Benny Hill, maybe Jerry Lewis some too. Great timing, ancient gags that kept audiences in stitches for decades, sheer enjoyment about what he was doing. His sad little clown he played was good too--but in a touching manner.Personally I think he's great, having just bought a two DVD set of his shows from '61 or so, it brings his stuff back in a fond way for me. I can remember seeing him on TV at the end of his run when he was winding up the series in 1971 or so.Check this out if you are a fan or curious. He was a riot.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this film out having heard of the fuss about it not being put up for an Academy Award, but after watching it, it's easy to see why it didn't. Despite the beautiful photography, the film is incredibly slow moving, despite having hardly any plot.The plot is about a young boy trying to come to terms with his parents' death in what may or may not have been an accident (the film is never clear on this), and how his grandfather used to tell him fairy stories. The fairy stories contain the only bits of interest in the plot, but they're very short, and don't really seem to have any point. The first fairy story in particular concerns a boy trying to get a magical flower to his dying girlfriend to save her life, but the boy delays by tasting the flower first to make sure it is not poisonous which results in him being a few seconds too late to save his girlfriend - the grandfather then pronounces that the moral is that the boy was too impatient, but that doesn't make any sense because it was overcaution and slowness which resulted in his failure. Perfect metaphor for this film really. The photography of Skye is beautiful though, but then Stardust which was released this year is another film about fairy stories filmed in Skye and beautifully photographed - and it's infinitely better than this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Listening to the director's commentary confirmed what I had suspected whilst watching the film: this is a movie made by a guy who wants to play at making a movie. The plot is the kind of thing that deluded teenagers churn out when they're going through that "I could write a book/screenplay/award winning sitcom" phase. There's a germ of an interesting idea buried in there (probably because its a sequel to some-one else's movie), but it is totally buried under an underwritten, badly executed and laughably un-thought-out script.The lines are dire, and the performances are un-engaging, though again, I'm inclined to blame the director. He does not appear to have consulted the actors at all about what is required, rather plonked the script in their hands, pointed the camera at them and told them to get on with it. Who knows, with a little coaching, these actors could have acquitted themselves better (say what you like about musicians in movies, Jon Bon Jovi was excellent in Row Your Boat and more than acceptable in The Leading Man).As it stands, the cast have no chemistry whatsoever. A beautiful opportunity to use the classic sex and vampirism parallel is passed up when, in order to infect Bon Jovi's character with vampire blood from his ailing co-hunter, he is given a transfusion. She should have bitten him. Mind you, they should have looked vaguely interested in each other throughout the rest of the film too. The only real moment of sexual tension, between the two female leads, is by the directors own admittance accidental. He had originally intended to use this silent sequence as an excuse for more pointless plot exposition - so, I suppose the finished product could have conceivably been worse. But not a lot.Frankly, as movies go, this is badly plotted, silly and forgettable. Even as trashy movies go it's not sexy enough or gory enough to be entertaining. It could have been a fun and bloody little romp, but the director has left with more of a comedy, for all the wrong reasons.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has everything that makes a bad movie worth watching - sloppy editing, little to no continuity, insane dialog, bad (you might even say non-existent) acting, pointless story lines, shots that go on FAR too long...and it's perfect for MST3K-style riffing, not to mention the "Corpse Eaters Drinking Game": Scribble on forms...take a shot - Sign your name...take a shot - Catch a bad Foley edit...take many, many shots.The only reason I didn't rate it higher than 8 is because there's not enough gratuitous nudity and because despite its insane badness, it's only an hour long - hell, a movie like this should have been at least 20-30 minutes longer!$LABEL$ 1 +I sincerely hope that at least the first season of Cosby is released on DVD someday. The episode with Hilton's eccentric genius brother, George (played by the late Roscoe Lee Browne), is classic hilarity. It reflects the classic sibling rivalry and love between brothers whose lives took different paths but both ended up happy.Mr. Cosby and Ms. Rashad brilliantly recaptured the chemistry that they shared on The Cosby Show for many years and to put them in a more middle-class role shows the dimensions they can take as artists. The roster of comedic dynamite...Madeline Kahn, Phylicia Rashad, and Mr. Cosby ...classic genius!$LABEL$ 1 +After seeing this film months ago, it keeps jumping back into my consciousness and I feel I must buy it or at least see it again, even though I watched it at least 3 times when I rented it at that point.I fell in love with Hal Hartley's directing many years ago - I found that these films could make me laugh in an place that is rarely entertained. It is a strange feeling, granted, and I assume most people out there really just don't get it, or it makes them feel confused and somewhat uncomfortable - I guess I just really get it - its as if these films were made for me.Although I don't remember if I actually laughed out loud during this film, it remains one of the funniest films I've seen in many years. If you don't see the humor of the grocery bag Fay carries from the street to a church, to her brother's publisher's office, to her son's principal's office you may lack the intelligence to be highly impressed by this film. The bag is a silent character in itself, being dragged around as an icon of motherhood the usually brash, bitchy Parker Posey must carry before the international intrigue of the remainder of the film besets her.I consider "Henry Fool" my least favorite of Hartley's films. I honestly don't remember it very well - I think the character himself was so despicable I found it tedious. Hartley's forte seems to be feminine character development.Aside from Posey's brilliance, it was wonderful to see Elina Lowensohn, one of my favorite actresses, again. Her extravagant naiveté is perfect for Hartley's direction. His ability to make the outrageous seem banal helps define his style as a delicious chronic irony throughout.This film erupts into a highly relevant international intrigue story, explaining political situations in Afganistan. This is never suspected at the beginning. The complexity of this film's development is unparalleled.This is the epitome of a "stand alone" sequel. The less you know about Henry Fool the more mystery is spun around him, the less you expect his appearance toward the end of the film - as an alcoholic chain-smoking complaint machine, hurling insults at his Islamic terrorist caretaker who somehow seems to respect him. Its like finding out Santa Claus is actually a 12-year-old schoolyard bully.Although I was impressed and satisfied with Hartley's other recent films "the Girl from Monday" and "No Such Thing", "Fay Grim" goes far beyond what I expected, with a sense of humor and originality no Oscar winner would ever dare.$LABEL$ 1 +"Fat Girls" is among the worst films within the indie gay genre.The premise is promising: an average-looking gay teen is trapped in a repressive small TX town. His only kindred spirits are the other village HS misfits: the class 'fat girl', a naïve immigrant from Cuba, and the sensitive drama teacher. So far, interesting. In theory, this plot line creates a decent setup for an appealing coming of age story with a built-in audience---the thousands of gay men who grew up in small towns across America and experienced this adolescent anxiety first hand, peppered with a dose of self-deprecating humor.Unfortunately, rather than a nuanced dramedy, Ash Christian approaches his autobiographical subject matter with a poorly executed attempt at irony and dark humor. The result is a cast of unlikeable, derivative, two-dimensional characters which the viewer cannot but help feel indifferent toward. Sabrina (Fink) is a quasi-Goth bitter navel-gazer. She is such a prickly, unsympathetic person; there is little doubt as to the reason for her friendless condition. The chemistry between her and Rodney (Christian) registers zero. This may have been bad casting, but is more likely due to a screenplay which is simply unsalvageable. Consequently, one is left wondering when there is such a non-existent bond, what could possibly warrant their near-constant companionship throughout the story.Sabrina's newfound boyfriend, Rudy (de Jesus), and Rodney's mother Judy (Theaker) are among the most exaggerated of the clichéd stock characters ripped off from dozens of other films. Rudy is the horny undersexed immigrant/nerd lifted directly from every raunchy adolescent "comedy" ever made within the realm of TV or film. Judy is the born-again obsessed with Jesus- talk and big hair. Just when you thought the Tammy Faye thing had been done to death, Christian inserts a scene where Judy's mascara is running with her tears! Is there anyone in the civilized world that can possibly think this tired old stereotype gag is still funny after seeing it ad nauseum for 20 years?In addition to the failed attempts at sardonic humor, there are many puzzling story inconsistencies. Rodney considers himself a "fat ugly" loser. However, he simultaneously manages to participate in casual and regular impromptu trysts with the ubiquitous school jock/hunk, Ted (Miller). Although these liaisons are devoid of emotional fulfillment, most gay teens (filled with raging testosterone, just like their hetero brethren) would find this to be a rather enviable arrangement given the more common alternative of involuntary celibacy.Rodney finds an object for his affection in Bobby (Bruening), an exotic transplant from England. Against all believable odds, the lad not only happens to land in this tiny TX hamlet, but is conveniently openly gay to boot. Like Sabrina, Bobby is an icy, angry smart aleck and the viewer is left head-scratching as to his magnetic appeal. Much to his delight, Rodney is invited by his new crush to the town gay bar, where Bobby claims to be the DJ. Upon arrival, the boyfriend-to-be promptly leaves Rodney solo and heads off to another area of the bar for a quick encounter with a rather handsome young man. This is yet one more of the ridiculously inexplicable plot elements since Rodney's feeling as an outcast are supposedly derived largely from his lonely existence in a parochial town. As tiny as the town is, they have openly gay students at the high school? A secretly bisexual football captain? Lesbian moms? A Gay teacher? and it has a gay bar downtown (patronized by attractive men, no less)? Apparently, the place is not so backwater after all.Ten years earlier, Todd Stephens' "Edge of Seventeen" covered nearly the same material with a much more creative, honest, touching, and humorous film.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh what a condescending movie! Set in Los Angeles, the center of the universe from the POV of Hollywood filmmakers, this movie tries to be a deep social commentary on contemporary American angst.Stereotyped, smarmy characters of widely varying socio-economic backgrounds cross paths in their everyday, humdrum lives. The plot is disjointed and desultory. Numerous unimaginative plot contrivances keep the film going, like: a drive-by shooting, an abandoned baby left in the weeds, a gang of thugs intimidating a lawyer, a guy flying through the night sky over the city, a kid at summer camp.And through all these events, the one constant is the generous helping of sociological "insights" imparted through the dialogue, as characters compare notes on their life experiences. One character tells another: "When you sit on the edge of that thing (the Grand Canyon), you realize what a joke we people are; ... those rocks are laughing at me, I could tell, me and my worries; it's real humorous to that Grand Canyon".And another character pontificates about the meaning of it all: "There's a gulf in this country, an ever widening abyss between the people who have stuff and the people who don't have ... it's like this big hole has opened up in the ground, as big as the ... Grand Canyon, and what's come pouring out ... is an eruption of rage, and the rage creates violence ...".Aside from the horribly unnatural and forced dialogue, aside from the shallow, smarmy characters, aside from the dumb plot, the story's pace is agonizingly slow. Acting is uninspired and perfunctory. The film's tone is smug and self-satisfied, in the script's contempt for viewers.This was a film project approved by Hollywood suits who fancy themselves as omnipotent gurus, looking down from on high. They think their film will be a startling revelation to us lowly, unknowing movie goers, eager to learn about the real meaning of American social change.$LABEL$ 0 +There are some wonderful things about this movie. Marion Davies could act, given the right property; she is wonderful in comedic roles. William Haines could act, and you can see why he was one of the screen's most popular leading men. (Until a potential scandal forced him from the business).The story is a bit trite, but handled so beautifully that you don't notice. King Vidor's direction is one of the principle reasons for this. The producer? The boy genius, Irving Thalberg.It's about movie making, and you get to see the process as it was done in 1928, the cameras, sets, directors directing and actors emoting. You get to see (briefly) some of the major stars of the day; even Charlie Chaplin does a turn as himself, seeking an autograph. You also catch glimpses of Eleanor Boardman, Elinor Glyn, Claire Windsor, King Vidor, and many others who are otherwise just names and old photographs.Please, even if you're not a fan of the silents, take the time to catch this film when you can. It's really a terrific trip back in time.$LABEL$ 1 +Look, it's the third one, so you already know it's bad. And "Maniac Cop" wasn't good enough to warrant the second installment, so you know it's even worse. But how much worse? Awful, approaching God-awful.When Maniac Cop goes on a killing spree, a reporter exclaims, "What happened here can ONLY be described as a black rainbow of death."1-- Rainbows are not black, and can never be. 2-- Rainbows are harmless, and can never inflict pain or death. 3-- A news reporter, one valuable to his agency, might find another way to describe the aftermath of a killing spree. "A black rainbow of death" is not the ONLY way to describe the given situation.This is what you're in for.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is fun to watch , doesnt have much of a plot (well, there isn't a plot), but there are good jokes and situations that you will laugh at. The basic storyline is Cheech is trying to have a nice date, while Chong is partying with Cheech's cousin (They smoke dope , go in a music store, a massage parlor, a comedy club, and even go into someones house they don't even know! Rated R$LABEL$ 1 +I saw what I believe to be the best Australian film of the year so far, Jon Hewitt's Acolytes.Acolytes is a stylish thriller with a killer premise. Get this…two bullied and molested teens discover a local serial killer in their suburb AND then set about blackmailing him to kill the bully who molested them. Hewitt has picked a top notch cast including excellent new comers Sebastian Gregory, Josua Payne and Hanna Mangan Lawrence to play the teens. Add to that three, yes, thats right three great psycho's! Lead by Joel Edgerton in an outstanding performance of serial killer du jour, Belinda McClory his deranged spouse and Michael Dorman as the teen raping bully, with swastika tattoos. Once you add these teens and these menacing adults, all hell breaks loose… Hewitt has crafted a balls to the wall serial thriller thats damn original and accomplished. You can see the influence of Larry Clark and David Lynch's Twin Peaks but Hewitt makes it all his own, in a Qld suburban back water, always ringing with the drones of emptiness. The script by Shayne Armstong, Shane Krouse and Hewitt is tight.If marketed correctly this film could be a break out hit with teens. The next Wolf Creek? It could well be. It makes all the right moves. The teens are real ala Larry Clark. They don't suck and have an attached PC agenda, they are non communicative, good looking and hip. The killers are dark with real menace. Joel Edgerton steals his scenes as the mild mannered local Ted Bundy, who sports a butterfly on his 4WD spare ala John Fowles The Collector. Dorman's petrol head rapist pours on the menace that tops Suburban Mayhem and provides a creepy thug who you can't wait to see buy the farm.The film is fast paced, tough and brutal. Not only that, it displays a confidence and directorial mastery from Hewitt that is surely to win him an IF or AFI nomination, if not award! Its nuanced and poetic mise en scene, brilliant sound design, excellent cinematography and tight structure mark it as clearly one of the best directed Oz features I have seen so far this year.The film leaves you shaken, thinking and unsettled. Its a truly great edition to the return to genre going on in Australian cinema at present. It will surely garner the interest of Hollywood. Oh, and did I mention it got into Toronto? What other Oz feature films can say that much? The world should get ready for a new auteur, Jon Hewitt.$LABEL$ 1 +This would be a watchable Hollywood mediocre if it had a good editing. It relies on the typical American thriller plot - "who is going to outsmart everyone". Acting is below average, but with shining appearance of the detective who is the best actor in the film and he is mostly responsible if the tension in the film rises. Film was completely suffocated by blank video and sound shots and most of it looks like raw film material. All in all, if you don't mind watching a movie that looks like a student film project, this is a film to watch. I guess that would be enough to say on this film, everything else could really spoil the tension that is probably low enough.$LABEL$ 0 +I got this film about a month ago and I am now a fanatic fan of Drew Barrymore's. I love a happy ending and this film gives a brilliant one with the truths of Red Sox slotted in! It's about a maths teacher who takes some promising kids on a maths trip to a company where the successful Lindsey(Drew) shows them some information. This then leads in the Ben(teacher) and Lindsey dating. But it isn't all simple when he confesses he is a massive Red Sox fan. First of all things are fine but then his baseball gets in the way of Lindseys life. It's all fine in the end and It took one shot to get Drew running across the field!! I got it for two quid in Blockbusters so I was happy. If you like films like this I suggest you see some more of Drew's work like Charlie's Angels and 50 first dates or even her new film with Hugh Grant in called Music and Lyrics.$LABEL$ 1 +My wife rented this movie and then conveniently never got to see it. If I ever want to torture her I will make her watch this movie. I've watched many movies with my 4 year old and I can take almost anything. Barney is refreshing after a shot of Quigley. The plot, dialog, cinematography, & acting were one step above (or equal to) a cheap porn film. I feel cheated out of $3.69 that we paid to rent it and then 90 minutes of my life I will never get back. I will say my 4 year old liked it, luckily it was a rental we had to return right away.I just hope that the younger actor's careers are not ruined from being in this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Everything everyone has said already pretty much rings true when it comes to 'The Prey'. Endless nature footage, bad acting - Aside from these elements, this is a watchable film for slasher fans that in some cases, is considered a cult classic.Jackson Bostwick and Jackie Coogan play pretty well off each other. There's also a three minute banjo solo that shows off Bostwick's skill behind the instrument. Not too bad if I do say so myself.The last ten minutes of the 'film' are its saving grace. The ending still haunts me to this day. This can also sport a short lived plus in that an early John Carl Bucheler does the special effects. Some may know him from films like 'Troll' and 'Friday the 13th part 7 - He directed both these films) All in all, this isn't a movie everyone will find something redeeming in. In fact, on a Hollywood level, this can rank right up there with one of the businesses most amateurish efforts, but for that handful (yet very loyal) of slasher movie fans in the world, even the bad acting and atrocious nature footage can be forgiven.$LABEL$ 0 +The actual crime story at the core of In Cold Blood might seem a little 'tame' for those who are weened on the classic serial killer stories (Gein, Bundy, Dahmer), or just the more notorious cases out in Hollywood (OJ, Manson). The essential facts in the case don't amount to anything terribly convoluted: Perry Smith and Dick Hickock (here played by Robert Blake and Scott Wilson respectively) met by some luck, conspired to rob a man's farmhouse safe out in Kansas, and after killing a family of four with a shotgun and dagger came away with 43 dollars. Aside from their returning to the US after fleeing briefly to Mexico, there isn't a whole lot of mystery to the resolution either. They were caught by some stroke of ironic chance (a cop followed them and stopped them for having a stolen car after Smith and Hickcock helped out a boy and his old man collecting bottles for change), and sentenced to hang by the neck until dead. The story ended in 1965.But it's the handling of the story, moments of moot, the performances, a pure cinematic touch that Brooks and his absolutely marvelous (the late/great) DP Conrad Hall provides in crisp widescreen black and white, and a storytelling style that feels realistic without going into too much naturalism or too much melodrama (save perhaps for near the end, which is pitch perfect). The air of tragedy hangs over the story, and not so much because of the killings themselves, no matter how brutal they are as the "third" man that is conjured up, as the narrator observes, by Smith and Hickcock teaming up, but because of the inevitability of the story. You feel somehow for these criminals, who in any other hands would be just be conventional figures or something out of a B-movie. These aren't good people, but they aren't necessarily monsters either, at least all the way through.It's also an excellent 'road-movie' as we see Smith and Hickcock on the road down to the Clutter residence (the actual night-time scene of the crime taking place late in the film), then on to Mexico, then back to America towards Las Vegas. We get to soak in the personalities of these two, probably even more than that of the police detectives who at first have no leads and then finally get a break with an inmate. It's actually kind of disturbing to get this close to these two (sort of akin to the aimless quality of Malick's Badlands characters), and it's also a sign of daring for the period. There's no sermonizing, like "he did this because of that and this or the other." We see how Smith had an abusive, psychotic father, but that Smith loved and hated him. The complexity there is too much for the movie, maybe even too much for Capote's book (which, I should confess, I've still yet to read, though I plan to). And we see Hickcock is this creature of slick confidence (i.e. getting the suit and other things with bad checks), but without any deep-rooted explanation to it all.The streak of fatalism in In Cold Blood is some of the starkest of the 60s, and it's the luck of Brooks to have its stars as Blake in his top-of-the-pops performance (this and Lost Highway, oddly enough considering his real life saga in recent years, his quintessential pieces of work), and Wilson's breakthrough before becoming a character actor. While they're surrounded by fine supporting work, they themselves are eerily absorbing, driven more or less by greed and fantasies of escapism with treasure, and staying pretty much grounded in their situation through the death row and on through their ends. Is this a morale of the story, if there could be one, that it's more horrifying to confront the possibility that those who kill can't be classified, of good vs evil getting smudged? Smith apologized for his crime before being hung, and he points out, "but to who?" This is a story bound to give the most hardened fans of true-crime the bonafide chills, and it's quite possibly the best American film of 1967.$LABEL$ 1 +After reading the book, Heart of Darkness, the movie did not do it justice. The movie puts the book to shame and anyone who has not experienced the book would frown upon the story and plot because it was portrayed so poorly by the movie. In the film, the characters and set were just some of the let downs that occurred in the movie. The director left out so many important and interesting aspects of the book that made it one of the best literary works ever made.Of course any book is better than the movie but these weren't even comparable. Joseph Conrad as a writer was brilliant in vocabulary and the cleverness of the written word. The movie doesn't even start to show any of this. Some of the very important and influential scenes from the book were completely left out, like how Kurtz was not in the boat when he died. Also when Marlow went to deliver the news to Kurtz's intended, she reacted differently in the movie, rather than the book. Another major difference was that Marlow saw the picture of the lady that was blindfolded at the end of the movie, not at the beginning, like the book. This was influential on how the audience perceived Marlow, and the movie totally messed that up.The book was so fine tuned on what every location looked like, but the scenery in the movie was a let down. There was a bunch of cheesy fake backgrounds and to compliment, a bunch of bad actors to go along with it. There was one exception to the awful actors and that would be Isaach De Bankolé, who played Mfumu. His character was depicted the best. Though the movie wasn't that great, I still would recommend it ONLY if you have read and understood the book very well. That way, you can see what the differences are in the movie and book and contemplate them. If you have not read the book, I do not recommend the movie because it is a boring, lifeless mess. I loved the book, so you should definitely read it and enjoy it.$LABEL$ 0 +A "friend", clearly with no taste or class, suggested I take a look at the work of Ron Atkins. If this is representative of his oeuvre, I never want to see anything else by him. It is amateurish, self-indulgent, criminally shoddy and self-indulgent rubbish. The "whore mangler" of the title is an angry low budget filmmaker who murders a bunch of hookers. There is a little nudity and some erections, but no single element could possibly save this from the hangman's noose. The lighting is appalling, the dialog is puerile and mostly shouted, and the direction is clueless. I saw a doco on American exploitation filmmakers during the recent Fangoria convention. Atkins was one of those featured. He spoke like there was something important about his work, but after a viewing of this, I see nothing of any import whatsoever. There is no style, either, and the horrible video effects (like solarization) only enhance the amateurishness. Not even so bad it's fun. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +this is indeed a treat for every Bolan fan, some might think that it's a little over the top, and that it is only about Ringo and Marc's egos, but i think it's similar to any other concert video, except for the fact that this is Marc bolan, not just any guy! i especially liked the music video for children of the revolution, with Elton John and Ringo Starr. this clip alone is worth all the money, i can't believe they did'not release this version as the single. The movie is really superb, especially for us danes. Now, I wasn't alive during the 70's. but danes in general was totally shot out from what was happening around them. the media didn't play or show any of the popular music back then, including Marc Bolan and T.Rex, they only played a little with The Doors, only the really popular songs though. so, i know from my dad, that seeing this, gives him back a part of his youth, he never got to experience.i wont make this too long, so... If you're the least bit fan of Marc Bolan, you need to see this. you might find it boring or as said before, a little over the top. But at least you've seen one of the best musicians ever, in action!Only thing that disappoints me a little, is that Ride A White Swan isn't on the tape. but i forgive it, since Jeepster and Get It On are so wonderfully played.$LABEL$ 1 +After hitting the viewers with three very different episodes right off the bat, Serling continued to go about introducing viewers to 'The Twilight Zone' in a very strange way by scheduling one the series biggest growers as the fourth episode. 'The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine' is one of the more understated episodes, focusing on an aging movie star's inability to cope with the changing times and only introducing a supernatural element in the closing minutes. Because of this approach, the episode is under whelming at first but subsequent viewings reveal it to be a thoroughly classy and beautifully written short story.Both the leads, Ida Lupino as Barbara Jean Trent and Martin Balsam as her frustrated but caring agent, shine in their performances. The main problem with the episode is that the supposedly 25 year old footage of the actress is unconvincing. Lupino looks identical when playing the young Trent as she does when playing the middle aged Trent and this diminishes the tragedy of the situation significantly. Fortunately, Lupino acts her socks off in convincing us of her desperation to return to the past. It's a situation most can sympathise with, and yet Trent is far from a sympathetic character. She is a prima-donna who gives little thought to the feelings of those around her, such as the disastrously withered co-star who she tactlessly belittles because he reminds her of just how long ago her glory days were. It is somewhat surprising, then, that she is rewarded with a happy ending. It is clear what is going to happen from the moment we see the huge projection screen and it is cleverly pre-empted in the opening moments when Trent scares her maid by stepping out from behind the screen. What is not clear at the beginning, however, is whether being sucked into the projector will prove a reward or a harsh lesson in appreciating what we have and living in the moment. As it turns out, Trent is allowed to return to the past she longed for, a testament to how strong the wishful thinking of humans can be.'The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine' gets better with each viewing. The top notch writing and acting combine to create a short play of enormous power which reflects the nature of humans to long for the past, even though we can never return. Except in the Twilight Zone.$LABEL$ 1 +First off, let me say that I am a great believer in Fanpro stuff. I see it as a way to continue a good show long after it has been cancelled. Star Trek Voyages and Star Wars Revelations are examples of decent efforts. So I have a soft-spot for fanpro stuff that means I'll overlook things that I would ordinarily slate badly.So on to ST: HF. Well, first off the good things. Enthusiasm is a major part of making any show believable and, for the most part, the crew of the various ships all seem to be having a good time with their roles. Next, the effects aren't bad for a home-brew effort, with nothing to make you really wince. The stories aren't too bad either. Nothing particularly innovative, but solid enough stuff and at least there are ongoing story-arcs.But it has a lot of faults.First off, although they quite obviously HAVE to rip-off Star Trek footage, set backdrops, music and effects, I see no reason why they proceeded to rip off virtually every other sci-fi musical score ever made. Everything from Aliens to Starship Troopers rears it orchestral head at one point or another. Likewise, much of the footage is from other movies, dutifully CGI'd over to make it look different. The Grey warships, for instance, though disguised, are quite obviously Star Destroyers from Star Wars. And the station is also rather obviously Fleet Battle Station Ticonderoga from Starship Troopers. Likewise, sound effects from various Star Wars movies appear in space battles between fighters, as does animated over footage. In one scene in either first or second season, I think, you even see two TIE fighters fly past during a battle, which hardly does your suspension of disbelief any favours.Acting varies from the reasonable to the hideously painful to watch. Everyone does improve as the seasons progress, though, but expect to grimace at the screen a lot, especially in the early seasons. They've also made some interesting acting choices. Let's just say that the food replicators on this show seem permanently set to "cake" and leave it at that.Make-up effects are generally quite effective on the whole. But they really ought to mercilessly club to death the person who decided to use cheap Ferengi and Cardassian masks for anything other than background use or "passing" shots. They are just beyond unrealistic. Every time I saw one of these (apart from trying not to laugh too much) I kept expecting the unfortunate soul wearing it to pull out a gun and announce that "This is a stick-up!" In one scene a "Cardassian" actually talks whilst wearing one of these. Not only do the lips not move, but the mask doesn't even have an opening where the mouth should be. Someone needs to be slapped hard for that. Couldn't they have taken a craft knife to it, for goodness' sake! There are also some well-done, but unintentionally funny make-up jobs, such as the Herman Munster look alike.The writing, though coherent, is nothing new. Instead the script runs like a continuation of DS9, with the ships heading out from DS12 on various missions. The new enemy, "The Grey" aren't very menacing and the plot line involving them is effectively a reworking of the Borg threads. i.e. Starfleet meet the Grey, the Grey are hugely powerful, Starfleet barely escape with their lives, then through technology they begin to find ways to combat the enemy etc etc. All done before with the Borg.Another bone of contention is the dialogue. Star Trek writers have long had the ability to write "insert technobabble here" into a script. It usually means an exposition of the latest plan to combat the enemy using "quantum phase discriminators" or "isolytic charges" etc. In other words, nonsense that tells you that they are on the case and a resolution is at hand.The words are just gibberish really. I've no problem with this, but where ST:HF makes a mess of it is where they include real-world comments into this concept.Tactical advice such as "We need to regroup" sounds good, but not when uttered by trio of characters already standing in a group. Likewise when asked what the situation is, a tactical officer is heard to reply "We count three battleships". He actually needed to count them? C'mon! I expected the questioner to ask him "Are you sure?" or "Can you double check". But my all-time favourite comment is this: Captain: "Can we establish two-way communication?"Comms officer: "No, we can only send and receive.."Well, duh!.....Having said all the above, the show does improve as it goes along. Seasons 1 and 2 are pretty bad, 3 shows an improvement but 4 & 5 are where it starts to get noticeably better. Season 6 so far looks quite reasonable.I do have a problem with their choice of media for the shows though. Quicktime sucks, quite frankly and the sooner they move to divx/avi format the better. Some of us like to actually take our downloaded shows and watch them on decent size screen and not peer at a tiny QT window on a computer monitor. Not only does Quicktime make this difficult, but the 320x180 resolution the shows are in does not scale at all well. In fact, it makes the shows pretty unwatchable, like they were a tenth-generation VHS tape copy. The least they could do was to include a hi-res downloadable option.Anyway, the show has promise, and I'm even beginning to like some of the characters. But that's 40 episodes on, so I'm not sure this says that much about character development at all.But what can you say, it's free....PS: Out of 28 votes, 19 people rated this show as a 9 or 10. Hmmmm... were we watching the same show? Or are you 19 all three year olds?$LABEL$ 0 +It's funny how time went by and never saw this movie...'till last week, when i was like under a spell. I saw it twice in a week and it still wasn't enough. It's a great movie and I will love to see it again. The story is great and it really moved me. I would love to live such a story. The actors are great, the music too and you can dream about your own love story. I just hope that someday I will find the opportunity to learn to dance like Johnny and Baby. I feel like dance connects people and brings them together. I think people should learn to dance...it helps a lot, especially in a relationship. It's great to feel the dance in your blood and in your body.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this was an extremely bad movie. The whole time I was watching this movie I couldn't help but think over and over how bad it is, and how that was $3.69 down the drain. The plot was so jumpy. They did an excellent job at the beginning of explaining who dated who in high school, but they never really explained anything after that. Was it a supernatural thriller? Was it a regular thriller? Apparently you can decide for yourself, because they didn't see the need to explain. I understood basically what happened, I think. What I got confused about was all of it prior, what was the deal with the bloody noses, phone calls, etc.? Was this guy coming back? Was the wife channeling "Carrie" or something? Who knows? You certainly won't after watching this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Add Paulie the parrot to beloved movie animal characters. This movie is a love story - bird and Gena Rowlands, Bird and beloved Marie, Michael and Marie. A Russian janitor helps a talking and thinking parrot find his rightful owner many years after Marie's parents sell him to a pawn shop. Before the heart warming ending we learn all the misadventures of Paulie. Cheech Marin and his dancing parrots are marvelous. Beautiful photography throughout. Great little movie, word of mouth will make it a cult favorite.$LABEL$ 1 +The real shame of "The Gathering" is not in the bad acting, nor is it in the despicably shallow plot. The real shame is that it was far worse than the series it begun, even though it did have one main attraction: Takashima. I would love to see Laurel Takashima in a room with Susan Ivanova, even for just five minutes. She has that sarcasm, that wit, that double-edged personality that is at once volatile and lovable. Sadly, though, the "Babylon 5" pilot movie has an incredibly dull story involving assassination. Patricia Tallman-- who never seriously returned to the series until much later-- fortunately got much better with age as Lyta Alexander, who here is little more than a whiny, tiresome telepath. I shall leave you with one final thought-- why is it that Delenn looks like some sort of outer-space frog man (even though she is a woman)? Thank heavens for the way the Minbari looked later in the show.$LABEL$ 0 +My family goes back to New Orleans late 1600's early 1700's and in watching the movie I knew it was a history my grand-parents never talked about, but we knew it existed. I have cousins obviously black aka African Americans and others who can "pass" as white and chose not to. It's a hard history to watch when you realize that it's your family they're talking about and that Cane River is all a part of that history. It makes me want to cry and it makes me want to kick the 'arse' of my great grandfathers who owned those plantations and wonder in awe of how my great grandmothers of African heritage lived under that oppressive and yet aristocratic existence...And at the same time had I not come out of that history, I probably wouldn't be the successful business woman I am today living successfully in a fairly integrated world. The acting was both excellent and fair depending upon the actor, but it is a movie that NEEDED to be made. Anne Rice is incredible and I ask myself, why is she 'symbolically' writing about my family and I'm not. I recommend this movie to everyone. Leza$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I hadn't seen "The Blob" since I was 7 or 8 and viewing it as an adult was an incredible experience. Pages could be written on its influence on horror films even today. And even more could be written on its social subtext with the 50s "fear of teenagers". But this simple little tale of interplanetary horror is still a damn fine scary movie if you let it be.Sure, it looks cheesy as all get out in our modern world. But "The Blob" packs in some genuinely frightening moments as a band of kids track the unstoppable creature when then adults don't believe them. In fact, there are even some pretty bleak moments in its candy-colored world. And Steve McQueen gives so much more than the story deserved on paper that we the viewers really get caught in the moment and believe in him.To sum up, if you can take off your postmodern irony filter, there's a lot more to love here than meets the eye.$LABEL$ 1 +Like Freddy's Revenge, this sequel takes a pretty weird idea and doesn't go to great lengths to squeeze a story out of it. Basically Alice from number 4 is pregnant and her baby is haunted by Freddy which gives him an outlet to haunt her friends. This has the least deaths out of the whole series and the wise-cracks are quite poor, so neither the horror fans or comedy fans are happy. I've not alot to say about this. It's moderately interesting to see the characters of Alice and Dan returning from four, but not worth watching a movie over. Uninspriring and unenjoyable, possibly only the competant direction saves it from being the worst in the series.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a pretty strange movie. It does comes across as an exploitation film with over-the-top violence and unrealistic situations, but unusual for being constructed around rural characters at war with each other, as opposed to an invading 'other'.The movie is an excessive stereotype of Vietnam veterans, in a long line of films that portrayed the vets of that war as dangerous psycopaths. Kris Kristofferson's last line is 'I ain't lost a war yet', as he meets his demise after wreaking a long trail of murder and destruction, including the town's chief of police and his brother's girlfriend in a particularly chilling scene. However, Kristofferson is a good enough actor, and charismatic enough, to carry this villain with a surprising depth. Vincent is clearly the golden boy, but with enough intensity layered over his clean cut goodness. The movie bears some plot resemblance to Winchester 73 where Jimmy Stewart tries to tolerate a criminal brother until being forced to act against him.The movie has b-movie grade action, though the presence of Kristofferson, Vincent, a gorgeous Victoria Principal and Bernadette Peters give it an A-grade lineup.I give it a 7 for being a long lost view into an American psyche of post-Vietnam/pre-Reagan introspection, paranoia, and confusion, and a movie industry that was willing to address such topics at that time.Seen on the THIS channel, a great network that keeps playing lots of old movies of the 70s through 90s, regardless of political bent.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember seeing this film in my late teens or early twenties on TV - probably HBO. I watched it with my parents, a brother and a few friends. Since that was about 30 years ago, I don't remember a lot of the story. I do remember that the entire group of us watching agreed that this was the funniest movie we had ever seen. When it was over, our bellies hurt from so much laughing. My dad worked at a hospital, so that made it all the better.Every time I see The Party in the TV listings, I look to see if this one is there, too. To my dismay, it never is. Although I loved The Party, I feel this one is funnier. Peter Sellers was great as a crooked hospital administrator. Why it's never been released on video is a mystery to me. It's a classic, but it appears that nobody under 35 or 40 has been allowed to see it. I'd buy it in a second if they ever release it to DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie sucks. The acting is worse than in the films we made when we were 10 years old with a camcorder, the effects look like some 80's computer game and the plot is worse than terrible. Even the worst Van Damme movies make this look crappy. The accent and speech rhythm of the 'bad guys' is so bad it's funny.. I wouldn't recommend watching this unless you are a big time fan one of the actors. 1 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I can remember watching this for the first time, when I was 9 years old. I wanted to be one of the "barbarian brothers". This movie is still great. One original aspect was that the fight scenes where very short. Implying that the "barbarian brothers" where so good that they finished there enemies off quickly! Plus, you have chases, a cage fight, a dragon, and yes even a bar brawl! Yes, the acting is bad so that's why it's not a ten, also the story line has received a lot of criticism. I think it is quite original. Not to many movies in it's genre have the same original story lines, or colorful dialogue. I definitely recommend this film.$LABEL$ 1 +My god...i have not seen such an awful movie in a long...long time...saw it last night and wanted to leave after 20 minutes...keira knightley tries really really hard in this one, but she cant handle it..dropped her accent every once in a while and didn't have the charisma to fill the role...sienna millers acting gets you to a point where you start to ask yourself: Has she ever had acting lessons? judging by the edge of love shes never been to acting class, but should consider to go in the near future...they both look really pretty..maybe thats what they should focus on in their future career..if they can be actresses everybody can!$LABEL$ 0 +Pedantic, overlong fabrication which attempts to chronicle the birth of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Begins quite promisingly, with a still-relevant probe into an airplane explosion, however the melodrama involving James Stewart and wife Vera Miles just gets in the way (Miles had a habit of playing tepid wives under duress, and her frayed nerves arrive here right on schedule). Esteemed director Mervyn LeRoy helmed this adaptation of Don Whitehead's book, but despite the talent involved, the picture fails to make much of an impression. Best performance is turned in by Murray Hamilton as Stewart's partner, however most of the dialogue is ludicrous and the dogged pacing causes the movie to seem twice as long as it is. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +When I was engaged, my fiance and I would frequent the adult bookstores. He would look for his favorite mags, and on occasion a video that caught the eye. As much as I enjoyed the one-on-one with him that the media caused, there was never a video that I really enjoyed. I had seen only one other movie way back when there was a satellite channel called XXX (it dealt with a private eye unraveling a case) that actually had a proper plot and was enjoyable. All the others were grunting and puffing and blowing and whatnot. There's only so many times you can watch a blonde bimbo faking 'it'.This movie caught my eye, and I migrated to it, allowing him to wander the shop. He noticed (how hard was it not too? grins. I was actually interested in something, lol(!) in the video section!) and came over, buying the slightly used copy for me. We took it home and I loved it. Here was a "Porno" with a plot. I wasn't sure it even classified as porno, but I use the word loosely.The librarian was a character I could identify with. Alice rejected her boyfriend's advances. She was not comfortable with her own sexuality and prudish in her comments. Bill went away, and she continued to check in books. The White Rabbit ran through the library (one book, if you notice closely, I believe (it's been ten years since I saw the movie) was by Lewis C.) and Alice, for that same reason that propels teenagers to run into the woods when a chainsaw wielding maniac is behind them rather than towards populated areas, follows. It's the best way to get the plot forward. Alice finds herself in Wonderland.I barely recall all the details, but I do remember clearly the swim in the lake, and how she was "dried" off. I liked how they got Humpty Dumpty Up again, the Mad Hatter's size of member being on his hat to wear it proudly, and the brother sister team of Dum and Dee (which did disturb me slightly--then again, they could have been husband wife, but I never could tell no matter how many times I watched it). The woman on the knight who told Alice go away and find your own Knight (What's a A Nice Girl Like You Doing on a Knight Like This?).The part that really caught my attention when I watched it about a year or so later was one of the cards (3 of hearts, I think) who resembled my ex's current wife exactly! We couldn't help but tease her about being in the movie! The King of Hearts was interesting, and the Queen was even more so. Due to the openness of the forum, I can't go into details, just say it was "orgy" based and we'll leave it at that!When we split up, I was allowed to take the video--he knew I liked it--but in the time since it's been lost in borrowing. Someday I'll find another copy.Btw, if anyone could tell me offlist what scene was cut from the Amazon version, I'd really appreciate it.I heartily recommend this movie for the over 18 crowd. It was soft, sweet, and really 70's, but I liked it immensely.***** out of 5. D.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. This was probably the worst DCOM ever. I watched the first half hour and I laughed. Brenda Song plays Wendy, the popular girl with the hot jock boyfriend and stuck up friends who is determined to be Homecoming Queen. She is supposed to save the world as a warrior, and Shin comes to her aid to help her with her Martial Arts. Shin teaches her the skills of a snake, tiger, etc. and she has to learn certain techniques to save the world.This movie is great for kids who want to learn about Martial Arts and the Chinese culture but the acting and casting was horrible.Brenda Song is a comedic actress and I can't see her playing a serious role. It was laugh out loud funny watching her cry over Shin. Shin couldn't act at all, and everything was totally unbelievable.I watched this movie and tried to think of something similar, and the thing I came up with was the Power Rangers. This movie is so fake and the stunts were so Power Ranger-esquire that it was just corny and stupid. The characters weren't likable and I just couldn't stand to watch it. Disney really needs to take time to make some decent movies. High School Musical is the only movie that deserves to be on Disney Channel, along with other movies like Jumping Ship, Color of Friendship, Go Figure, Read It and Weep, & Stuck in the Suburbs.If you like action-adventure and corny jokes, you'll like this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Pretty visuals and a lot of fights make not a good movie. And that is precisely what happened here.First off, let me admit, I am yet to play FFVII (I intend to order it soon). However, I did do research to familiarise myself with the characters and the story. However, not everyone has the luxury of time to research things like this, and Advent Children demands that knowledge of FFVII is required.In spite of incredible visuals, I can't say there is too much thats new. We've seen it in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and apart from some better movement, I can't say they've done lots of super-daring stuff with this.The fight scenes - well, they are a bit of fun. Still, how could we ever doubt the result of any of them. This one was boringly classic - there were three fights with the bad guys, following the standard procedure (the hero, Cloud, gets smashed, then he almost gets there and gets smashed, and then finally wins). The reason I say it was boringly classic was that it is used a great deal, but in this case is poorly executed. I'll touch on that later.The English dub seemed fine to me, though I didn't watch it in Japanese, so I shan't judge the Japanese dub, but only the English one. I'll say this - I've heard plenty of better ones, even in my limited repertoire.And now, the plot. Ummm... what plot? Let me be frank, this movie is nought but a fan service, a chance to see the FFVII characters on the big screen with lovely eye candy. As I said earlier, the fights seem to just happen for no reason. The opening fight is never explained, Kadaj seems to have neither ambition to destroy the world himself nor any real motivation to do anything nasty. Cloud sits around moping for the entire film, and pretty much everyone else gets an obligatory cameo.Really, FFVII was an ensemble piece. Advent Children is anything but. If they'd managed to give everyone some significant story role (Star Trek: First Contact proved it was possible, I might add), then this could have been a lot better. Naturally, that would have changed the plot too, which, lets be honest, is almost set to be better than the one we got.Characters were also generally either unused or virtually forgotten. The members of Avalanche (thats the group Cloud worked with in FFVII, for those who don't know) get 2 scenes (3 in the case of Vincent Valentine, and some get even less). Hell, the bad guys get more lines than these guys, and that is pretty bad.The music... well, I don't care if Nobuo Uematsu is God Himself, he botched this film big time. Advent One Winged Angel was the only decent piece. Otherwise, he couldn't decide whether to be epic (and orchestral) or fun (with electric guitar). When he switched from one to the other, you felt it as though he'd taken a sledgehammer to your head.And that last point on whether this movie was epic or fun... it tried to be both, and failed miserably. Honestly, you can't please everyone and do everything. The movie also tried to be deep (you can go epic and deep, or fun and deep, but all three is too much), but failed here too. The last scene, which is reminiscent of a baptismal ceremony, was thrown in there for what looks like the sake of it. You don't need to be a Christian to just shake your head and cry there. That scene just didn't belong in the film (and nor did Aerith's frequent appearances - she's dead Jim!).Given just how fantastic I've heard Final Fantasy VII to be, this movie is nothing short of a gigantic disappointment. Because of the beautiful visuals, I give it a 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +***SPOILERS*** This film depicts the brutal bloodbath caused by the retirement of Johnny Carson to determine who would succeed him. The impersonations of David Letterman and Jay Leno are performed in a satisfactory way by John Michael Higgins and Daniel Roebuck, though the performances weren't great. Reni Santoni is the best-performing of the "execs" (he plays John Agoglia of NBC), and Warren Littlefield (played by Bob Baliban) is a close second. I was shocked at the way in which Littlefield eagerly discussed dumping Johnny Carson. This was Johnny Carson! This scene evinces the cut-throat, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of television. Kathy Bates delivered the best performance of the film as Jay's agent, Helen Kushnick. Another commenter asserted that Leno was portrayed as a simpleton in the film. I respectfully disagree. The relationship with Kushnick bordered on something akin to domestic violence. She orders him around, and, when he rebels against her at the end, she tries to play the sympathy card (mentioning her dead husband and son); however, when Jay terminates their relationship, she turns violent again, screaming "Don't you leave me, you two-faced bastard!" before smashing a picture on the floor. Overall, the movie is hilarious, and I wish that it were shown more often.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is just so good! Despite Carmen Electra, this has to be one of the better films I have seen in awhile. Jamie Kennedy is just amazing, and Loren Dean plays an insane spoiled movie star very well. The plot is great as well. It's all very real which is scary. It says here that it's a drama, but this is one of the damn funniest dramas I have ever seen. Go check it out.$LABEL$ 1 +First I played the second monkey island game, and I liked it despite the low quality graphics and sound. Then a few months later, I found out a new game was made. I tried it out and liked it a lot. First thing you notice is the great graphics. The areas are huge, colorful, and detailed, with lots to explore. The game requires you to use your brain, a lot, as always. The game is challenging, with all point and click games, frustrating. The jokes haven't gotten old a third time around. The animated cut scenes are a great addition to the game also. This is the best MI game out there, perhaps the best P&C game too! If you like cartoony games that play like a movie, get this game!$LABEL$ 1 +I was watching the Perfect Storm, and thought about another Wolfgang Peterson film which is much better--this one. Although certainly not based on a true story, In the Line of Fire is how a movie should be made. It has a terrific story with a great cast. Malkovich won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance as the creepy killer with a grudge against the government he served all too well. Eastwood is good as the tortured Secret Service and Russo is easy on the eyes. If you haven't seen this, definitely rent it or buy it as I did. Definitely one of the best crime thrillers of the past decade. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) is called to Rome to help decipher the mystery behind the Illuminati before a new science experiment blows up the city.The Da Vinci Code broke records in 2006 but for the vast majority of Dan Brown followers it did not do his award winning book justice and though running at a good 2 and a half hours, seemed to bore many.Having read the book, I was perhaps one of the few who enjoyed Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou attempt to solve the mystery of the murder in the Louvre but for Angels and Demons the scales were raised once more as lead star and director return.Having asked around, most people seem to prefer Angels and Demons to The Da Vinci code for an entertaining read and it seems as critiques and fans, whilst still not fully justified, prefer this latest adaptation to the 2006 release.This Howard picture certainly has a more clinical energy and exercise to it as unlike Da Vinci, Tom Hanks' Robert Langdon has only one night to solve the mysterious activities of the forgotten Illuminati in the Vatican and because of the time limitations, the action and desperation up the ante and deliver an excitement that certainly beats The Da Vinci code but also generates plenty of twists and stunning murder sequences.The interesting factor of this 2009 release is the constant elements being justified for the murders. Earth, wind, water and fire are all included in drastic and powerful sequences to pronounce a feeling of overall power to the situation.This really does justify the tag of thriller with a constant tension and sharp drama with the issues and beliefs once more given a full working over.Just like 3 years ago, there are many debates and discoveries of symbols once believed to be lost forever and Langdon is again the key character to show everyone the light in and amongst the controversy of other pressing circumstances.It is fair to say Dan Brown is a complex writer; he certainly likes to cram issues and dramas in amongst his action and thrilling sequences. As well as trying to discover the Illuminati, there is also the scenario of the election of a new pope, the dealings with a new scientific experiment and the power of Religion is again present. All interesting to discover and listen to, if occasionally the debates and dialogue tend to send your mind drifting but as there is so much in the novel, this was always likely.Ron Howard, who kept a frankly ordinary type of direction rolling in Da Vinci, returns in perhaps the worst way possible. His jerky ever moving camera styling does nothing to keep the pressure up, and we can never fully accept what is happening on screen thanks to this frankly awfully portrayed style. He is certainly no Paul Greengrass and this is by no means Bourne.Slick and stylized this is faster and more interesting than Da Vinci$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this one remastered on DVD. It had a big picture of Sandra on it and said "Starring Sandra...." and made it seem like she had a big part in it. Not so. She's barely in it. She does what she can with the script, but that's not much. The sound was awful. By that I mean things didn't go together. Shots would be fired and the number of shots didn't correspond to the sound. People talking in a car while it's moving and the shot is from outside the windshield but there's no motor noise, road noise, or any other sound. Kind of weird.Score was awful. It sounded like the same few notes over and over. Dialog really awful. Acting was awful, I couldn't believe any of it. Fight scenes were like a Batman comic without the "BIFF", and "BAM". They were really lame. The shooting scenes, I mean with firearms, were laughable, literally. I fast-forwarded through a lot of this movie. Even then, it was too long.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was terrible...How can somebody even think that this movie was like the ones back in the "good old days" when Tim Thomerson was not even in it. And to make things worse, they used clips from old trancer movies. Thats just terrible. NO trancer movie is complete without Tim Thomerson.I love Fullmoon films, and i have been watching them since i was 4 years old. I have been through everything they have done and this movie almost made me lose it. Now i got a couple of lines to fill so i will keep going. Their way of breeding new trancers is completely stupid as well as way to send Jack back in time. What happened to the TCL Chamber. AND finally! What happened in the end of trancers 5 where lina says and i quote "Jack Has given me something special" AND her and some other broad looks at her stomach. I don't know...maybe a BABY is in there. There were so many other places of going to, but fullmoon S'd the Bed$LABEL$ 0 +I agree with several of you that this film was rather boring and dull. I found myself disliking the main character and the following actors/actresses that came in the scenes. The camera work was non pleasing itself. Random shots and shaky film scenes made me quite annoyed and I turned the film off. I will make up my time by watching the 1999 adaption and hope that it fits agreeable along with Sense and Sensibility; Emma; Becoming Jane; and Pride and Prejudice. I've only a few others to watch besides these films but I believe they were done in great taste. The music was kind of out of place with the film also, reminding me of another show I had seen this year. It was called Hex and a show from BBC. I came across it one night on the web. I rather liked the first season but the second season was dry and pulling things out of thin air that should of stayed with the clouds. I found the main male character who was Henry in this film out of place. Perhaps I just do not like his way of speaking or his stature. Well I would not recommend this film to anyone unless they were going to have it muted and they wanted to look at the fashion of the era, or the way homes were kept at the time. Again I will watch the 1999 version and hope it is a better and does Jane Austen some justice to her writing.$LABEL$ 0 +How can there be that many corrupt cops without any one of them slipping up? With enough cops to run a mini-war that include such weapons as flamethrowers, you would think they would have been caught before someone writing for a weekly coupon newspaper overheard someone saying 'thanks' to a corrupt cop.You will never get your 90ish minutes back. Life is too precious to rent this movie.I feel bad for the big named actors that made the mistake of making this movie.If you like Justin Timberlake, feel free to rent this movie. He does have a very major part in it, so fans might enjoy seeing him. However, I believe most of his fans are young girls, who may be turned off by the violence in this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +What a terrible movie. Rotten tomatoes had a good rating for this too. don't be fooled by the positive comments; It wasn't scary. It wasn't funny. It wasn't clever. It won't even hold your attention. I just wasted 2 hours of my life viewing this crap-fest. the computer generated monster was interesting to see the first couple times. after about 15 minutes it no longer entertained. the dialogue was terrible, must be a translation thing. another negative that stood out was the idiot Americans. 3 were portrayed and they were all lacking character, intelligence and judgment. Now I will write a couple of lines to pad this since we have to have 10. The employees at the video store should have slapped me for bringing this title to the counter.$LABEL$ 0 +The 1930' were a golden age of Los Angeles with its film industry and great potential of various other possibilities to become rich and famous and happy. People were arriving there hoping to fulfill their dreams. Expecting open arms and welcoming offers there were only a few who managed to succeed and find their way to stardom, majority then condemned to live starving, disillusioned and unwanted, searching for a bit of respect in dirty bars and nasty hotel rooms. Young Italian-American writer Arturo Bandini arrives to LA on a similar quest - to spread his charms around to get one of those beautiful wealthy women and to write an excellent novel that would set him on a career path, having so far written a single short story published in an obscure anthology. Wishing to create a romantic masterpiece he seems to be unable to produce anything without experiencing it himself though, occasionally, he sends pieces of magazine stories to a local editor that helps him survive. He is proud to present himself as an Italian but deep in his heart he truly feels his Italian origin as a burden. The little money and the courage to conquer the world he once had are all long gone and watching his dream turning into a hangover he holds a last single nickel to spend. The coffee she brought him was cold and sour and spitting a curse on her triggers a never-ending relationship of insults, unspoken excuses and a love concealed beneath. Camilla being an uneducated girl trying to receive US citizenship through a marriage also carries her heavy cross of a non-perspective racial heritage. Though she is much of a stronger and life experienced person her situation as a beautiful Mexican woman is much harder to deal with than Arturo is able to realize. Is it obvious that Arturo eventually finds his inspiration to work on the novel? Is it possible that their love finally finds its place in the sun? Is it likely that their romance takes an unlucky turn?It is very surprising to find out that the chemistry between the two main characters, performed by Salma Hayek and Colin Farrell, does not work. The relationship lacks the raw and authentic feelings. Hayek though livelier a character compared to Farrell's forgot to arm Camilla with the passion and strength of her once brilliant character Frida. Also it is hard to have faith in a character which being intelligent but uneducated and illiterate uses quite difficult vocabulary and complicated sentences. A tougher character of a Phil Marlowe sort would definitely suit Farrell better, though he looks stunning in a period costume, he seems very lost trying to find the fragile world of a twenty-year old dreamer balancing between a hidden love and desire to be true to himself. Feeling embarrassed watching the two on the screen is not right. Their relationship might have been wild but it is more likely what a thunder and a lightning are without a storm, far from real passion, feelings just described not felt inside. It is very sad that such a potential of an interesting script and good actors was wasted, turned into a grey average of soon-to-be-forgotten.$LABEL$ 0 +You spend most of this two-hour film wondering "what's the story regarding the lead character?" Will Smith, as a low-key "Ben Thomas" will keep you guessing. The last 20-25 minutes is when you find out, and it's a shocker....but you knew something dramatic was going to be revealed. Until then, Smith, plays it mysterious, almost stalking people. You know he has a good reason for doing it, but it's never really explained, once again, to keep us guessing until the end.All of it, including a on again/off again but touching romance with Rosario Dawkins ("Emily Posa") might make some viewers frustrated or wanting to quit this film.....but don't because the final long segment puts all the pieces of this puzzle together.This is a two-hour film and not the typical action-packed macho Will Smith film. In fact, the most shocking aspect might be seeing the drawn, sad face of Smith throughout this story. It almost doesn't even look like him in a number of shots. He looks like he's lost weight and is sick. Smith does a great job portraying a man carrying around a lot of sadness.Like a good movie will often do, this film will leave you thinking long after the ending credits.$LABEL$ 1 +trying hard to fit into the scary space comedy genre, this film falls down in two of these. It does indeed take place in space - but it is neither funny or scary. The plot is dismal and the one joke, concerning the computer's intellect, is overplayed to death. Saying that Paul Whitthorne as Ethan, Angela Bassett as Fran and Brad Dourif as Al Bert make the best of their ham script. The homo-esque relationship between Ethan and Al Bert is hinted at but never explored whilst the attempt at sexual tension betwen fran and rick is so crude as to be laughable. All in all this is a turkey that is best suited to late night tv, preferably whilst do the ironing.$LABEL$ 0 +I love Paul McCartney. He is, in my oppinion, the greatest of all time. I could not, however, afford a ticket to his concert at the Tacoma Dome during the Back in the U.S. tour. I was upset to say the least. Then I found this DVD. It was almost as good as being there. Paul is still the man and I will enjoy this for years to come. I do have one complaint. I would of like to hear all of Hey Jude.Also Paul is not dead.The single greatest concert DVD ever.***** out of *****.$LABEL$ 1 +I love movies in this genre. Beautiful girls, toilet humor, gratuitous nudity. So why didn't I like this movie? No movie like this should add even the slightest confusion to the plot. Who's who, where is the money, it's not SE7EN, just make me laugh. Maybe it's me, but i never felt this frustrated watching American Pie movies or any other more modern National Lampoon's movies. This movie has no flow that keeps me smiling, waiting for what's next. Instead, I find myself stopping to think, "Why did they keep that scene?" I do not recommend this movie. If you are expecting Van Wilder, think again. The only fun I had watching this movie was guessing what movies the actors were in when they were kids. 2/10 generously.$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw this for the first time in 10 or 15 years...maybe close to 20. In some ways, it was better than I remembered...in other, it was MUCH worse.First of all, there's the music. It's just plain awful. There are only 5 songs in the movie, most of them used more than once. The opening song is shrieked by a chorus of annoying children, and the disco-y title track is performed by Rick Dees. It doesn't get any worse than that. Even the background music is terrible, with much of it repeating the themes of the other nauseating tunes. We also get some truly lame slapstick, mostly in the opening credits.On the other hand, Bill Murray is spot on brilliant as usual...you have to wonder if he ad-libbed the whole thing, or if the writers just gave him all the funny lines. Or maybe he's just that great- turning a weak script into comic genius. The best part are his surreal PA announcements. ("Lobsters...get out of here...you're a menace!")You also get a lot more character development than you have any right to expect in a movie like this. At least half the characters seem like real people...and mostly real people you would like to have around. Even "Spaz" gets to do a more than any other Eddie Deezen-type character ever did, and when he gets the girl, it's plausible. (She's not absurdly hot, but he doesn't automatically pair up with one of the nerd girls- see "Revenge Of The Nerds" for examples of both cinematic phenomenons.)And when the plot seems clichéd...well, ya gotta wonder if it wasn't a cliché yet when they made this. While it wasn't the first summer camp movie- ya gotta go back at least to "The Parent Trap"- it's certainly the movie that made it it's own genre. In fact, I was surprised that there was no Talent Show scene..."Wet Hot American Summer" spoofed the summer-camp genre so perfectly, I just assumed everything in it came straight out of Meatballs. (I also half-expected Jon Cryer to pull up in a convertible with a chimp, thanks to "Mr. Show's" epic camp-olympiad spoof "Monk Academy") Anyway, this one seems to be vanishing a little as far as the late-70's/early 80's comedies- it's not a cable staple anymore, and certainly doesn't have the cult following of Caddyshack or Animal House. I was pleased to catch it on Showtime today- and in High Definition at that! Sure, it's pretty awful in spots, but you could do a lot worse in a 70's/80's teen comedy. And again, Murray is a genius.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on late night TV out of Buffalo about 30 years ago and I'm dying to see it again one more time before I... well.. you know. The interaction between the main characters after the Tiger (Eli Wallach) "captures" his prey (Anne Jackson) in a botched kidnapping attempt is absolutely hilarious. Charles Nelson Reilly's portrayal of a neurotic university dean(?) or department head is priceless. How many films can you name which are able to illuminate humanity's struggle for meaning and fulfillment by making you laugh from beginning to end? This film reminds us that we are all in that same struggle regardless of class, race, sex or religion. And who can forget the scene of the suburban homeowner on his hands and knees attacking those few tiny weeds that have dared to appear overnight on his perfectly manicure lawn!$LABEL$ 1 +Mary Pickford often stated that Tess Skinner was her favorite movie role. Well said! She played the part twice and for this version which she herself produced, she not only had to purchase the rights from Adolph Zukor but even give him credit on the film's main title card. Needless to say her portrayal of this role here is most winning. Indeed, in my opinion, the movie itself rates as one the all-time great experiences of silent cinema.True, director John S. Robertson doesn't move his camera an inch from start to finish, but in Robertson's skillful hands this affectation not only doesn't matter but is probably more effective. A creative artist of the first rank, Robertson is a master of pace, camera angles and montage. He has also drawn brilliantly natural performances from all his players. Jean Hersholt who enacts the heavy is so hideously repulsive, it's hard to believe this is the same man as kindly Dr Christian; while Lloyd Hughes renders one of the best acting jobs of his entire career. True, it's probably not the way Mrs White intended, but it serves the plot admirably, as otherwise we would have difficulty explaining why the dope spent a fortune on defense but made not the slightest attempt to ascertain who actually fired the gun that killed his future brother-in-law! Needless to say, this particular quality of the likable hero is downplayed by Jack Ging in the bowdlerized 1960 version which also totally deletes the author's trenchant attack on smug, middle-class Christianity. Notice how the well-washed priest here moves forward a pace or two in surprise at the interruption, but then makes no attempt whatever to assist our plucky little heroine in the performance of duties that he himself was supposedly ordained to administer. This is a very moving scene indeed because it is so realistically presented."Tess" also provides an insight into the work of another fine actress, Gloria Hope, whose work was entirely confined to silent cinema. She married Lloyd Hughes in 1921 and retired in 1926 to devote her life completely to her husband and their two children. Lloyd Hughes died in 1958, but she lived until 1976, easily contactable in Pasadena, but I bet no-one had the brains to interview her. Another opportunity lost! To me, Forrest Robinson only made a middling impression as Skinner. I thought he was slightly miscast and a brief glance at his filmography proves this: He usually played priests or judges! But David Torrence as usual was superb.In all, an expensive production with beautiful photography and marvelous production values.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw that movie, and i was shocked! Robert Carlyle isn't Hitler he is a man who sadly tries to be Hitler. The Movie lies, it doesn't reflect the truth. In the scene were Hitler hit the guy with his gun. Hitler never had hit anybody, he wouldn't hit people with his fist, but with the fists of soldiers. Understand?? Another thing is: It is too obvious, that Hitler is that evil, he was more clever, than shown in this movie. No German would have accepted him as the leader, because the can see that he is evil. So the real Hitler haven't shown his evil side to the people.Have any of you Yankees watched the movie "Der Untergang" or "The Dawnfall"? this is a great movie, with amazing actors. And its a German movie. I think, this Theme of Nazi-Germany, should not be realized as a movie by people who don't know anything of Germany. People! Watch "Der Untergang": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/Its a great movie about a very sad period of time for human beings around the world.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is supposed to be a "lighthearted" tale about Santa Claus and his "magical and mystical" wonders. But instead it comes off as being downright creepy. Two things in this movie that stand out in my mind as horrifying are 1) the way Santa looks.- Have you ever seen a more horrible looking Santa Claus? and 2) the "evil rep. of Satan" Pitch's just plain odd dances are just sickening to watch. Only watch this movie if it happens to be the MSTed version or if you like a very good laugh. I can't believe this is a children's movie.$LABEL$ 0 +...and that's a goddamn shame! Please make the sun rise and have it incinerate all copies of Dracula 3000. This must be the WORST vampire-flick of the new millennium so far (I haven't seen REIGN IN DARKNESS yet, but they don't get much worse than this). Don't be fooled be the movie's cool H.R. Gigeresque cover. This is so bad, it's almost hilarious. I can't describe all the emotions this movie conjured. I laughed my ass off, I yelled at the screen, I sat there numb, nodding my head in disbelief,... This film has 'cheap & cheese' written all over it. The best thing of this movie are the opening-credits and the opening-shots which feature more or less okay CGI of two space-ships. But when Casper Van Dien's voice-over comes on, you start smelling something fishy. And, indeed, it all goes downhill rapidly after that.The crew of a salvage-spaceship finds an abandoned vessel, the Demeter, which seems to be heading for earth. They enter it, thus sealing their fate. This movie is, above all things, a shameless low-budget ALIEN-rip-off, mixed with vampires. Right down to the plot-twist were Erika Eleniak's character, Aurora, reveals she's a robot. Coolio goes badly over-the-top as the dope-smoking, bloodsucking 187 (pffff, code from the hood as a name?!?!). Casper Van Dien's character's named Capt. Van Helsing (hahaha!) and he looks like...,er well, Casper Van Dien. Udo Kier as Capt. Varna, former commander of the Demeter, is only shown on a monitor-screen and he really does seem to have trouble reading his lines from an auto-cue (poor Udo, what where you doing in this flick?). And then we have Langley Kirkwood as count Orlock, one of the most pathetic and laughable Dracula's ever to (dis)grace the silver screen. Just look at his outfit. Instead of some cool-looking futuristic black suit or something, he's wearing a cheap old-school Halloween-suit with fringes. You thought Richard Roxburgh was unconvincing as Dracula in VAN HELSING? Then wait until you see Langley's performance!The set-designers went overboard on this one. The interior of the Demeter looks like a cross between an oil-tanker and an old steel-factory, which they decorated with awful lights and colors like green, pink, blue and yellow. The prop-master must have forgotten that this movie takes place in the year 3000, because the characters use guns which look like today's .45 magnums and "Prof" uses a non-motorized, non-floating wheelchair. It has to be pushed around in order to move.Aside from one dried-up corpse, a few impalements and one dismemberment there's absolutely no gore. And the vampire-fangs and contact-lenses look fake as hell. Add to that also the most lame, stupid and abrupt ending ever: Humvee and Aurora are the only survivors. Instead of having one final (bloody) showdown with count Orlock, they lock themselves in the control-room. Then Aurora explains that before her program was upgraded and joining narcotics, she used to be a "Protheus 3.2 PB", in other words: a pleasure-bot. So she says "Well then, what are you waiting for". Humvee answers "Ain't gotta tell me twice. Come on, girl", picks her up and... "BOOOOOOM!!!" the ship explodes and credits roll. No sex-scene, no Erika flashin' her boobies, no bloody climax,... Just one more shot of Udo Kier reading a line on the monitor and it's over.So, this movie is a must-see for every bad-movie-lover, but I must warn them: It gets really painful at times. And everyone claiming that VAN HELSING, UNDERWORLD or even QUEEN OF THE DAMNED is the worst vampire-movie of the new millennium clearly is insane, or just hasn't seen Dracula 3000 yet.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this recently and I must say, I was moved by the factual basis of the story. However, "Holly" as a movie did not quite work. I am however, looking forward to watching the documentary which the producers who organised this project had made because I think that would be a much more compelling work than this film.The international cast was composed of B-class actors but their acting was appropriate, and I must give a special mention for the young actress who played Holly. This was her first movie role and she did a very nice job, considering hers is the most challenging part. Ron Livingston was adequate but bland as Patrick, the American whose quest is to "save" Holly, but Chris Penn was good in this, his final role. Unfortunately, despite my mostly favourable opinion of Virginie Ledoyen and Udo Kier, both of these actors were very much forgettable and did not do their best work in this film.I believe in the film's message and intention, but I have to be fair, so I rate "Holly" 3 stars based on its shortcomings as a movie. But I think the subject matter deserves serious consideration and I am pleased that the people behind this movie have made a documentary as well which I hope will have its debut on BBC and other TV networks.$LABEL$ 0 +Funny, sexy, hot!!! There is no real plot but you needn't anyone...so the naked or almost naked girls and the typical fights between college-cliques need no development!All in all the whole seems to be known from simply every film in this category but the reissuer reached the goal that this film can be recognized out of thousand others.Last thing I've got to say. Unbelievable funny!You've got to see it!!! And if you are young and you want know more about the female body you've got to see it twice$LABEL$ 1 +ZERO stars out of ****Endless Descent has absolutely no redeeming values, whether it's the ridiculously bad acting, the laughably awful special effects, the incompetent direction, the stupid script, or the gratingly annoying musical score. It's the kind of pitiful production that makes me wonder how a movie like this could even have the slightest consideration for being greenlighted by a studio in the first place.I don't think I'm going to delve into the plot other than to say it's about a bunch of people who are trapped under the water and have to kill a lot of fake-looking creatures.Let me go more into detail as to what is so awful about this flick. First of all, the acting is simply horrendous. Jack Scalia is ten times worse than Sylvester Stallone, a feat that is hard enough to accomplish as it is. The supporting performances aren't really any better. And what is with actor Luis Lorenzo, the guy who plays the cook, Francisco. He has a high-pitched voice and an accent that sounds appropriate for a comedy, not a sci-fi horror film.The special effects are even worse. The creatures range from weird-looking eels to giant starfish and "mostquitoes." The effects look like something you would see in a muppet movie, and I don't believe I need to delve further in this issue.Director J.P. Simon has slight cult status because of all the terrible films he's made. I'm sure some will enjoy Endless Descent in an Ed Wood type of way, but I don't even think it's that good. Everything he does is shoddy, especially the camerawork. The man cannot direct a movie, that's all there is to it.This was the last of four films that took place underwater, and it sure does make Leviathan and Deep Star Six (Both bad films in their own right) start to look masterful in comparison. Either way, just stick with The Abyss.$LABEL$ 0 +Erotic cinema of the 1970's was tame compared to the triple X romps of today, which is good. Because there is a good story around the naked rituals and sex scenes. Of course, I wish that they had some vampire effects which they had at the time period and the sex did get in the way of the story a little. Plus some of the accents were hard to understand at time periods, but it's worth watching the unedited version then the edited up version which is titled THE DEVIL'S PLAYTHING. But if you don't care for allot of naked women dancing and having sex, then this isn't the movie for you. However, I did enjoy it and I give it...7 STARS.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is mediocre at best. Angie Harmon is as funny as a bag of hammers. Her bitchy demeanor from "Law and Order" carries over in a failed attempt at comedy. Charlie Sheen is the only one to come out unscathed in this horrible anti-comedy. The only positive thing to come out of this mess is Charlie and Denise's marriage. Hopefully that effort produces better results.$LABEL$ 0 +Lou Gossett, Jr. is great as 'Chappy Sinclair', a super U.S. Air Force pilot who comes to the rescue of a nice but undisciplined 'Doug Masters' (Jason Gedrick), the son of a captured pilot who is determined to borrow a couple of F-16 fighters to use in an attempt to save his Dad from a dictator (David Suchet) of an enemy overseas country.Better than 'Top Gun', this Air Force aviation film has excitement and lots of explosions - you know, all that cool stuff you'd want from a contemporary military adventure film.Cool music including Twisted Sister's Dee Snider belting out 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and King Cobra's excellent 'Never Say Die'.Aim High! Air Force!$LABEL$ 1 +Before hitting international acclaim with The Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme cut his teeth making quirky comedies. This was one of them and like quite a few Oscar winning American comedies I could mention, it has a fine concept, is well paced, has great performances, a complicated romance. but it just simply isn't very funny. Pfeiffer is mob widow who moves to the city backwaters after her husband (Baldwin) is murdered. The crime boss who killed him (Stockwell) takes a fancy to Pfeiffer, his wife (Reuhl) is furious and to complicate matters Pfeiffer also falls for the cop who is trailing her. All of this should have been a laugh a minute. Pfeiffer, sporting a hefty wig is excellent as the widow, as is the hyperactive Ruehl and Modine is good too as the nice cop. But the script is simply devoid of one-liners, wit, humour or punch lines of the verbal or physical kind that this kind of film demands. The result is it raises smiles at best rather than guffaws. It oozes charm, but is tediously short on humour.$LABEL$ 0 +I think Andrew Davies did an admirable job of taking a magnificent book which emulated the pace and styling of a Victorian novel and turning it into a moving and entertaining film. I'm glad I read (twice) the book first which is usually the case for me. I know that one must view a novel and a film as different media and judge them accordingly. But, still, it's often hard to read the original material after a film gives away the best parts.I realize that Davies is a very good adapter, but I wish the producers had chosen a woman to write the screenplay. Davies, as he admits in the commentary that accompanies the film on DVD, wanted particularly to emphasis the more scatological bits in the book. I certainly enjoyed those, on film as in the book. But Davies missed a half-dozen moments that are so excruciatingly, painfully tender which he could have incorporated if his sensibility were more feminine. I also would take issue with his use of the book's primary symbol, the rose.As the screenplay was plotted by Davies, the denouement was inevitable and appropriate. But I really think that author Waters' final nod to the rose symbol was much more interesting. And I preferred way the novel let Nan "come of age" than the way Davies chose.One quick comment about the four actors who essay the primary roles. They are all wonderfully talented -- well, except for the singing and dancing, perhaps -- and, moreover, their physical presences are so much what the mind's eye sees when reading the novel before seeing the film. I thought they were all terrific.I recommend that any lesbian and anyone who loves good fiction, add BOTH the book and the DVD of TIPPING THE VELVET to their bookshelves.$LABEL$ 1 +Hollywood's attempt to turn Jack London's life into a "Jack London" adventure film isn't a bad idea; certainly, he led an interesting, and sometimes adventurous, life. This film, however, winds up flat and unsatisfying. Most importantly, it lacks integrity. Michael O'Shea (as London) has some Londonesque speeches; and, it's nice to see his bearded Jack receive "The Call of the Wild" after spending some quality time alone, in the snowy mountains, with his dog, "Buck". Virginia Mayo and Susan Hayward are both very pretty. The film draws unfortunate "Yellow Peril" parallels between London's life and World War II, which are both strained and insulting. ** Jack London (11/24/43) Alfred Santell ~ Michael O'Shea, Susan Hayward, Virginia Mayo$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sure this was one of those "WOAH!" attractions in 1982 when Epcot opened, but now it's just silly. The film's message is cliché. The Circle-Vision is disorienting. And that awful song at the end is grating. And I really wish they'd install seats. After so much walking, all you want to do is sit down for a few minutes. And when you hear there's a film to see it sounds pretty glamorous! You get entertained while sitting down, right? WRONG! You're standing there for 18+ minutes leaning against a short little railing. Disney should make a newer Maelstrom like attraction to liven things up and replace this dull, lackluster film. NOT FUN. Skip it. In fact, skip Canada altogether unless you're eating there. Move directly to the United Kingdom.$LABEL$ 0 +No, I've never seen any of the "Santa Slasher" series, i.e. 'Silent Night, Deadly Night,' the original 'Black Christmas' or this one, 'Christmas Evil.' I've heard all about their reputation, or, MADS (Mothers Against Deranged Santas.) I thought I would rent this one as I've heard it pop up as a reference on a 'Fat Guys At the Movies' segment.Mothers should be against this, but not for the ooooohhhh "killer" Santa, but for the fact this movie was just plain crap. Boring, long – even at only 92 minutes, crap.Little boy sees Santa arrive down a chimney in 1947, deliver presents, eat some goodies and miraculously, float up the chimney. Boy goes to bed, but returns to living room to witness Mommy and Santa (sort of) getting it on. Apparently this messed up that kid for the rest of his life, though the scene was about as steamy as when Ralphie's dad got the "Leg Lamp" in 'A Christmas Story.' He was sooo disturbed, he went to the attic and, well cut his own hand.Fast forward to the future! Now, it's 1980 and messed up boy works in a toy factory. We get a whiff of him being a little off-kilter, and he stalks both kids and parents alike. Who's naughty, who's nice, blah blah. It takes a good two-thirds of the film to get him to finally snap – as if that's not foreshadowed from frame one. NO MOVIE should take that long.I will admit, this movie had its tension building, but only because I kept expecting him to do something, anything to anyone. When he finally does, well, punish "who's naughty," it's as graphic as a "Garbage Pail Kid" card. And I haven't mentioned the WTF ending. I'm thinking it was a metaphor, but in reality, it's just as weird as the rest of the movie. (Take the brother who's upset his sibling is killing, and his solution is…uh, killing.) Don't open this mess, even on Christmas Eve, or Evil. Again, I didn't watch the other "Santa-Slashers" but this one sucked bad. It built up suspense due to the nature of the movie and never once delivered a decent present.$LABEL$ 0 +I rate this 10 out of 10. Why?* It offers insight into something I barely understand - the surfers surf because it's all they want to do; Nothing else seems to matter as much to them as surfing; Nor is it a temporary thing - it's a lifetime for these guys * Buried in the movie is a great history of surfing; I have never surfed, but I love surfing movies, and have seen many. None taught me what this movie did * The movie was very well edited. It flowed well. The interviews were outstanding * It's interesting from start to finishIn summary, it's about as good as a documentary as I have seen, so I have to rate in terms of that. So 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +The third, and final installment of "Hanzo the Razor" is the most concrete of them all. The "training" even gets completed within the first five minutes of the film. Not for everyone, this film details Hanzo's investigation of loan sharking being performed by an order of blind monks. It also makes a historical comment on the prideful refusal of old Japan to incorporate Western technology. Where the first Hanzo film was just a funny and gory ride with little connection to it's plot, "Hanzo 3: Who's Got the Gold" manages to connect everything, and brings it all home in the end. Definitely the perfect finale. Oh yeah, Hanzo still has a lot of sex, and there's a lot of needless blood and violence (it *is* Hanzo the Razor after all).$LABEL$ 1 +Alright, friends, a serious movie buff is expected to watch all kinds of movie, the bad as well as the good, and this movie put me to the test. I won't mince words. This movie was bad. The story was bad. The acting was bad. The always wonderful Sissy Spacek did nothing to make this movie better. Indeed I asked myself why did I even bother to see this rotten trashy movie? Why did I waste my time and money on something that I suspected would be bad? The answer is, of course, that I am a movie buff and therefore cannot avoid what otherwise should be avoided. I will not waste your time explaining what exactly was wrong with this amateurish movie, except to say that the quality of the acting was, to put it politely, subpaar. A serious movie buff may want to take on the responsibility of watching this movie. Otherwise. stay home, don't waste your time, read a book, take take of chores or have yourself a good sandwich.$LABEL$ 0 +Hmmm, a sports team is in a plane crash, gets stranded on a snowy mountain, and is faced with the difficult decision to eat the flesh of their dead companions in order to survive. Sound familiar anyone? I refer to "Alive" from 1993. The only major difference here, of course, is that a big, white, drunken scare crow of a Yeti shows up a few times to drag off the dead. I guess humans taste better than yaks.Stupid: The man in the first scene does not have a reliable firearm when hunting the Yeti, nor does he have a backup.The plane crash is completely bogus. It would have either exploded in the air, exploded when it hit the ground, or become obliterated. The people would not have survived, but hey, it's sci-fi.Stupid: They survived, and they are cold. It might be a good idea to harness some of the burning debris nearby so as not to freeze to death. Fire being warm as it is...WTF: The pilot has frost formed all over his face while he's alive and talking, but oddly enough, no one else does.Stupid: One of the guys tells the others to look for matches and lighters, but there are scattered parts of the plane ON FIRE all around them.Stupid: They find coats and hoodies, and yet there in the cold of the Himalayas, they fail to use the hoods!Stupid: They're staring at a pile of sticks when, I reiterate, there are pieces of the plane ALREADY BURNING.Stupid: The Himalayas are notorious for its storms. It would be common sense for them to collect the debris in order to reinforce their structure rather than sitting outside bickering. There are a lot of pine trees around, the branches of which make excellent insulation.WTF: When in doubt, use a dead man's arm as a splint.WTF: If the one guy knows so much about the hibernation habits of squirrels, bears, and leopards in the Himalayas, then why doesn't he know enough to make shelter and set traps right from the start? Stupid: When attempting to trap wild animals, mindless conversation in the vicinity of said trap always helps.WTF: Do you know how hard it would be to cut a frozen corpse with a shard of glass?! WTF: The group was ready and armed to fight the Yeti while the other two were standing there defenseless. The Yeti ripped out the guy's heart and stomped the girl's head, and the gang did nothing. There's love.So two Yetis and a convenient avalanche to bury the evidence forever.... or so we think. Mwuhahahaa! The story continues into more idiocy but the most action occurs in the last 15 minutes, as usual. Nice thinking with the javelin and the chain, although this is some ingenuity (with the magically-appearing chain) that they lacked in the beginning of the movie when they couldn't even make fire despite the fact that it was all around them.As is typical for the Sci-Fi Originals, the loving couple kisses at the end like nothing horrible has just happened to them (not to mention they ate human flesh and haven't brushed their teeth in several days).The very end, however, is quote lame.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm surprised that mine, so far, is the only comment on this t.v. movie...as far as I'm aware, the series itself, has had a huge following, reviewer pundits and real people alike, have praised it to a person. Anyway, let me tell you right away that, if like me, you're a sucker for gritty police dramas, you'll like "The Lost Child" Tennison, the heroine, throughout the "Prime Suspect"series, has been battling the male police establishment, throughout the series, getting to her present, comparatively powerful rank in the police hierarchy through hard work,obstinacy, and sheer talent for police work. She is,essentially, an ambitious career woman, but she has a romantic side and is certainly no man-hater. Unfortunately her relationships are affected by the wicked hours, which her career demands, and she has never married, so when she finds herself pregnant from her latest affair, she is faced with the choice of becoming a mother, and jeopardising her entire police job, let alone future advancement, or having an abortion - which she opts for. This abortion never looms large in the ensuing drama - it's very skilfully dealt with, in less than a couple of minutes screentime, a marvel of economy in scripting, and editing - but it's always there, as a counterpoint to Tennison's desperate efforts to find another "lost child" - a kidnap victim - before it's too late. The story takes many twists and turns,before the surprise ending, and one is fascinated, alike, by the plot, and characters (although I found the many villains a little overdrawn), the police, and especially Tennison, herself, are not always competent, nor that likeable, which figures, given the unpleasant job that they have to do, in the sleazy underworld which this series, habitually inhabits.Mirren, herself, has said that she'll make no more movies in the series, but, excellent as she's always been in the role of Tennison, the series, itself, is as "actor proof" as is another addiction of mine -Dick Wolf's American"Law & Order" - whoever appears therein, each could go on forever. As is my fervent hope.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie scared heck out of me when I was just a kid. It's no "Citizen Kane" but it has its moments. The arm ripping scene is good. The plot is good even if characters aren't - could have something to do with the acting. Put some top name people in the roles and then see what you get. This was one of those shoot, edit (what little there was) and distribute in a couple of months type of movies. This is classic low budget sci-fi and deserves it just due. I rated it a 9 based other films of this genre and age.$LABEL$ 1 +I've never seen a movie get a worse release then this. And that's a shame, as this is the funniest film of the year! You would think an ad with the line "From the director of "Office Space"" would be enough to warrant a big release! But there are no ads, no posters, no website , I doubt the stars even knew it came out this weekend. What is 20th Century Fox thinking? Mike Judge's Sci-Fi comedy is set in 2505 but it could come true in about 10 years (if things continue as they are.) Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph get frozen in a top secret army experiment and wake up in a future full of consumer zombie inbred retards. The film reminds me of Woody Allen's "Sleeper" ,"RoboCop", "Planet of the Apes", "Blade Runner" and "Network" and the late great "Futurama". Try to see it before Fox burns all the prints!$LABEL$ 1 +For those who are like me and are used to watch and enjoy high budget Hollywood films, on huge screens with a surround audio, this film seems to be so distant. However it surprised me how close can it be to any human while I watch it. It is so natural that you feel like nobody wrote a scenario or nobody directed it. You are the director and you are writing the scenario while you watch it. For me, the time I spend on watching a film is the only time which I go to another world. This film is the first sample for me which shows that it is not always a must to watch millions of dollars of budgeted films, surround audio capabilities to go to another world. This films sends you to another world (or maybe makes you return back to yourself) without millions of dollars of budget, or technical capabilities. I felt like that I'm reading L'etranger from Camus.$LABEL$ 1 +In Strangers On A Train, it's obvious from the start that playboy wastrel Robert Walker has singled out Farley Granger as an unwilling accomplice to a pair of murders. Granger's a semi-public figure, he's a tennis pro, but not an especially high one. High enough however for him to know that Granger is trapped in a loveless marriage and would like to be free to marry Ruth Roman.So when they meet as complete Strangers On A Train one afternoon, Walker knows enough that Granger will at least be intrigued enough with the possibility that if the two of them, complete strangers, did commit homicide on parties that the other would be convenienced by their demise. Though Granger is repulsed by the idea, one of the beautiful things about this film, is that you can see in the performance he gives that Granger just might submit to temptation.In fact when Walker kills Laura Elliot, Granger's wife whose been two timing him and even gotten pregnant by another man, he expects that Granger will in turn murder Walker's father so that Walker can inherit his estate. Today Walker would be called a trust fund baby and a pretty malevolent one at that.Alfred Hitchcock directed Walker to his career role, ironically in his last complete film. Walker died the following year with most of My Son John finished. Hitchcock does not do too bad by Farley Granger either. Of course when Granger does balk at committing homicide on people who never did anything to him, the tension. Strangers On A Train is also characterized by great editing, first in the tennis match in which Granger has to finish the match and waylay Walker before he plants evidence convicting Granger at the crime scene. And also in that final climax with a fight on a runaway carousel between Walker and Granger.Strangers On A Train is Hitchcock at his best, it should not be missed and ought to be required viewing when film classes study editing.$LABEL$ 1 +The BBC'S Blue Planet is simply jaw-dropping. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it contains some of the most beautiful sequences ever captured on film. From familiar creatures on and near the surface of the ocean to some more unrecognisable and just plain bizarre ones in the murky depths, next to nothing is left out. Weighing in at a hefty 8 hours, some people may want to check out the edited highlights brought to you in the form of the film "Deep Blue" but I would heartily recommend you give the series a go. I don't think it will disappoint and if your kids enjoyed the aquatic world brought to them by Pixar's Finding Nemo I'm sure they will love this too. I just wish all television was this entertaining.$LABEL$ 1 +I mistakenly kept myself awake late last night watching this thing. About the only thing I could say good about this horrid film is that it could be used by film schools to show how not to make a movie. No proper character development, wait, I'm not even sure they were characters. Set-ups were hokey and inane, and the overuse of split screens was wasted since sometimes they couldn't even synchronize with alternate shots. If I could give this a zero or minus rating I would. Sadly, it isn't even worth the time for a few laughs. It's just a sad example of money wasted by Hollywood, and now I waste my time even thinking about it.$LABEL$ 0 +Its my favourite film because there's so much going on that you don't see at first and so many things that make you wonder "Did Kieslowski mean that or is it in my head?" For instance - is the judge meant to be God or some supreme being ?Also Irene Jacob as in The Double Life Of Veronique is outstanding, there may be a few superficially prettier actresses but none who manage to convey beauty of spirit with physical beauty the way she does.Tritingnant also is magnificent without really saying much and the things he does say are excellent such as his answer to Valentine . . . "Be".$LABEL$ 1 +As long as you go into this movie knowing that it's terrible: bad acting, bad "effects," bad story, bad... everything, then you'll love it. This is one of my favorite "goof on" movies; watch it as a comedy and have a dozen good laughs!$LABEL$ 1 +The legend of Andrei Konchalovsky's towering 4 and a half hour poem to Siberia is not to begin at once, because it must hold back for space, because it takes its time in roundabout explorations of half-remembered childhood memories in a turn-of-the-century backwoods village, yet the movie goes on picking up steam building in emotional resonance as though even the sounds and images which compose it become imbued by sheer association with their subject matter with that quality of fierce tireless quiet dignity that characterizes the Soviet working spirit. Konchalovsky celebrates Soviet collectivity but in an almost revisionist way to paeans like Soy Cuba and Invincible the mood turns somber and reflective. News of the revolution reach the secluded Siberian village through the grapevine. The fruits of its labor reach it only when a world war calls for the young men to enlist. Through all this, Konchalovksy zeroes in on the individual, with care and affection to examine the bitter longing and regret of the woman who waited 6 years after the war for a fiancé who never came back, waited long enough to go out and become a barmaid in a ship with velvet couches and which she quit years later to come back to her village to care for an aging uncle who killed the fiancé's father with an axe, the irreverent folly of the fiancé who came back from the war a hero 20 years too late, came back not for the sake of the girl he left behind but to drill oil for the motherland, the despair and resignation of the middle-aged Regional Party Leader who comes back to his small Siberian village with the sole purpose of blotting it out of the map to build a power plant. The movie segues from decade to decade from the 10's to the 80's with amazing newsreel footage trailing Soviet history from the revolution to war famine and the titanic technological achievements of an empire (terrific visuals here! all kinetic violence and skewed angles and flickering cramped shots of crowds and faces) but the actual movie focuses on the individual, on triumphs and follies small and big. By the second half a sense of bittersweet fatalism creeps in; of broken lives that never reached fulfillment choking with regret and yearning. "It can't matter", seems like the world is saying, to which Konchalovksy answers "it must matter" because the protagonists keep on trying for redemption.Yet behind this saga of 'man against landscape' something seems to hover, shadowy, almost substanceless, like the Eternal Old Man hermit who appears in every segment to guide or repudiate the protagonists, sometimes a mere spectactor, sometimes the enigmatic sage; a little behind and above all the other straightforward and logical incomprehensible ultimatums challenges and affirmations of the human characters, something invisible seems to lurk. Ghosts of the fathers appearing in sepia dreams, repeated shots of a star gleaming in the nightsky, a curious bear, indeed the Eternal Old Man himself; Konchalovksy calls for awe and reverence before a mystical land of some other order. In its treatment of a small backwoods community struggling against nature progress and time and in the ways it learns to deal with them, often funny bizarre and tragic at the same time, and in how the director never allows cynicism to override his humanism, it reminds me of Shohei Imamura's The Profound Desires of the Gods. When, in a dream scene, Alexei tears through the planks of a door on which is plastered a propaganda poster of Stalin to reach out at his (dead) father as he vanishes in the fog, the movie hints at the betrayal of the Soviet Dream, or better yet, at all the things lost in the revolution, this betrayal made more explicit in the film's fiery denouement. The amazing visuals, elegiac and somber with a raw naturalist edge, help seal the deal. By the end of it, an oil derric erupts in flames and the movie erupts in a wild explosion of pure cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has to be viewed in the right frame of mind. First, the central father-son relationship makes it pretty clear that the film was intended as a prequel to his Wong Fei Hung film "Drunken Master" (ideas from this film recur in "Drunken Master II), and not "Young Master"; that Chan backed away from this plan and renamed the characters indicates that he himself was not convinced the material was coming together properly; and, indeed, the film conveys a sense of being incomplete; for instance, the romantic relationship around which half the plot turns is left utterly hanging at the end of the film. "Young Master", from the same period, also feels underdone, but at least all its central threads are tied together at the end. This film feels as though Chan wrestled with the plot and characters trying to find his central theme, only to abandon the effort, possibly due to time and budget.Or perhaps the film is simply over-ambitious. This is an important turning point film in Chan's career, because he commits himself to development of the central character above all other concerns - which is why there's such a lack of kung fu throughout the film. Chan wants to make an historical romantic comedy that just happens to have kung fu in it. But both the historical element and the romantic element come across as little more than plot-twists.That leaves us with the comedy. Since Chan's concern is character-development, the comedy is largely character driven - as in the conflict between Chan's character and his best friend, an argument over a girl. But there's plenty of slapstick as well. Frankly, I find the comedy amusing enough to forgive the incompleteness of the plot.This film represents an effort on Chan's part to find a viable formula that he can use and develop over time. It doesn't quite work, and Chan would only find that formula after abandoning the historical elements of his earlier films, with the making of the contemporary action comedy "Police Story". But going back to view this film is still very informative as to how Chan worked his way through the historical genre, and perhaps why he abandoned it.$LABEL$ 1 +They were alternative before there was alternative, The Residents are a band like no other, and I love them for it. This has all their classics, from 'Hello Skinny', 'Third Reich and Roll' to their homage to the great James Brown with a take on 'This is a Man's Man's Man's World'. But that is just the beginning. As a bonus it even has Renaldo & the Loafs hauntingly beautiful 'Songs for Swinging Larvae' and even features The Residents cover of it. Needless to say, I highly recommend the purchase of this DVD, I would also recommend buying their latest album 'Demons Dance Alone', it is fantastic.Uncle Willie Eyeball Buddy #502$LABEL$ 1 +Madison is not too bad-—if you like simplistic, non-offensive, "family-friendly" fare and, more importantly, if you know absolutely nothing about unlimited hydroplane racing. If, like me, you grew up with the sport and your heroes had names like Musson, Muncey, Cantrell, Slovak, etc., prepare to be disappointed.Professional film critics have commented at length on the formulaic nature of the film and its penchant for utilizing every hackneyed sports cliché in the book. I needn't repeat what they've said. What I felt was sadly missing was any sense of the real excitement of unlimited hydro racing in the "glory years" (which many would argue were already past in 1971).Yes, it was wonderful to see the old classic boats roaring down the course six abreast, though it was clear that the restored versions (hats off to the volunteers at the Hydroplane and Race Boat Museum) were being nursed through the scenes at reduced speed. But where was the sound? Much of the thrill of the old hydros was the mind-numbing roar of six Allison or Rolls-Merlin aircraft engines, wound up to RPM's never imagined by their designers, hitting the starting line right in front of you. You didn't hear it, you FELT it. Real hydro buffs know exactly what I'm talking about. There's none of that in Madison. Instead, every racing scene is buried under what is supposed to be a "heroic" musical score.And then there are the close-up shots of the drivers, riding smoothly and comfortably in the cockpits as if they were relaxing in the latest luxury limousines, in some cases taking time to smile evilly as they contemplate how best to thwart the poor home-town hero. Or, in one particularly ridiculous shot, taking time to spot Jake Lloyd giving a "Rocky" salute from a bridge pier. In reality, some unlimited drivers wore flak vests to minimize the beating they took as the boats slammed across the rock-hard water at speeds above 150 mph.As one reviewer so aptly put it, "The sport deserves better than this."Finally, since another user brought up anachronisms, I'll add one: the establishing shot of Seattle shows the Kingdome and Safeco Field. Neither existed in 1971$LABEL$ 0 +The first time I saw this movie, I fell in love with it. The atmosphere was what caught my attention first and foremost. I expected a gore fest, but instead got to watch a highly intelligent killer mess with my head to a chilling soundtrack (it's actually my ringer at the moment :P). The fact that I couldn't predict when he'd kill and when he'd disappear was a major plus in my book. Predictable horror movies bore me. Now, I know the storyline had some discrepancies, but, if you're like me, you don't even notice them until long after the movie's over and you're laying in bed mauling over the fact that you just witnessed a masterpiece in motion. Finally, as I mentioned, the soundtrack is timeless. It's one of my all time favorite theatrical scores, so I was very happy to hear that Rob Zombie is leaving it untouched in his remake. Speaking of the remake, I read a very comprehensive article on it and, now that I know that Mr. Zombie reveres John Carpenter, I have high hopes for his take on this classic. This movie is great for any time you have a craving for a spine tingling, but it's the perfect addition, opener, finale, you name it for an All Hallow's Eve movie marathon. :)$LABEL$ 1 +I saw his film at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. I am a film student at the Univeristy of Michigan so I know a thing or two about film. And Crispin Glover's film is outrageous. He basically exploits the mentally challenged. Not only is Shirly Temple the anti-Christ (which I admit is a little funny) telling the mentally challenged to kill each other, but there is an obsession with killing snails. Crispin also plays with the idea of being in love with one of his actors who is as they all are, mentally challenged. PETA and Human Rights should be all over this thing. It's not 'counter-culture' as Crispin stated at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, it's exploitation.$LABEL$ 0 +I agree with the guy above, It is so funny I understand it all, but my friends just don't get it. Go to Japan and you will see a different movie after being there. When I met my girlfriends dad, at his home in Kanagawa. I swear I felt the same as Jack,. scared, but by the end of the day it was all good, so I give this movie a 10 out 10.I have watched it at least 30 times, taking it with me to watch on the plane flying to Japan next month. One thing that is real good is the ball game scenes. Makes me feel like I am there again. This is a must see if you have any interest in Japan and Baseball. Too bad they don't make a sequel. Does anyone know where the temple scenes were filmed and the argument with hirko in the walkway with a roof on it???? need to know so I can win an argumrnt with me Japanese ex-wife. thanks$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe I'm being too generous with the rating...but I just love this movie! I've seen it so many times, but every time I see it I fall in love with it all over again. It's just a simple romantic comedy, with nothing huge or monumentous that happens. But I'm a big romantic and this movie *is* romantic. I love Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins, and Walter Mathau is so funny. The scientists make me laugh so much...I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. It's such a clean, good movie - and those are so rare now! My 20-year-old brother likes this movie, too, so it's not just a chick-flick. ;-) I recommend it if you need to laugh, or if you're just lonely and need to *watch* a romance, if you yourself can't participate in one. It's a good 'un!$LABEL$ 1 +This film is beautiful to look at, but is like watching really bad experimental theater. The plot (if there was one) doesn't make any sense. But it is very "artistic". Lots of shots of half-dressed actors wrestling and looking deep into each other's eyes. Lots of arty shots through windows and with people out of frame. Mumbling and people wandering wistfully. Lingering close-ups of faces and bodies. By the time you get to the threesome on the roof with the cat, you'll be ready to throw a bottle of KY at the screen.It is supposed to be about a father and son's relationship, but you will just be wishing the two of them would just f*$& each other and get it over with. If you have always wanted to see bad Russian gay porn without any money shots, your wish has been granted.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a crummy film, a pretender to a genre of surprise ending movies. And a genre that has been done so much better before. The plot limps along, with a predictable ending. (Yawn) The characters are unlikeable, and some are so unlikeable they are almost unwatchable. Matt Dillon, a fine, intense actor is totally miscast here and is stiff and mannered. The others are forgettable. Much of the dialog is sophomoric, again a pretender trying to be witty. I wouldn't hire the screenwriter to write my grocery list. Yes, it's that bad, veering from misogynistic to just plain gross, as in beyond frat-house gross. With so much real talent out there, I'm really surprised this movie ever got made. It shows the total lack of imagination of the office suits...$LABEL$ 0 +Set just before the Second World War, this is a touching and understated romantic story that is loosely based on a real event.It concerns a German rocket scientist Gerhart Zucher (Ulrich Thomsen) working in Britain in the advent of the Second World War. Fearing Hitler may recall him to Germany to assist him preparing for war, Zucher and his slippery assistant Heinz (Eddie Marsan) are evacuated by the British authorities to a remote Scottish island. They are given the task of building a rocket post box that will enable the islanders to communicate with the mainland.Mocked and bullied by the islanders, they set up home with local girl Catherine Mackay (the stunning Shauna MacDonald), with whom Thomsen begins an affair but complications arise when Germany comes calling...The central romance between Zucher and Catherine is subtle and sincerely played and the supporting cast is a colourful bunch with an array of respected Scottish character actors including Gary Lewis and Clive Russell.Fine cinematography and a brilliant central theme song sung in the local dialect round out this movie.Intelligent but undemanding, it is good for a quiet evening in.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't have much faith at the beginning, but as a Costa Rica's citizen I can confirm that the movie shows the reality that we live day by day, and shows a lot of things of our culture, such as our way to speak, our music, our way of standing up for our rights without any fear, without any weapons.I'm really proud of the job they did and of how they didn't forget along the movie the message they wanted us to receive, not caring for the money, but actually working with a short budget, letting us appreciate the beautiful scenarios and the great photography.I strongly recommend seeing this movie, you will not regret it.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been waiting for this movie for SO many years! The best part is that it lives up to my visions! This is a MUST SEE for any Tenacious D or true Jack Black fan. It's just so great to see JB, KG and Lee on the big screen! It's not a true story, but who cares. The D is the greatest band on earth! I had the soundtrack to the movie last week and listened to it non-stop. To see the movie was pure bliss for me and my hubby. We've both met Jack and Kyle after 2 different Tenacious D concerts and also saw them when they toured with Weezer. We left that concert after the D was done playing. Nobody can top their show! Long live the D!!! :D$LABEL$ 1 +If you liked Roman Polanski's "Repulsion", you should probably check out "The Tenant" since it's a similar concept, just with Polanski stepping in and playing the schizophrenic wacko. This is actually one of my favorites of his movies - second, after "Rosemary's Baby", of course - and is a straight forward journey into the mental collapse of a man who moves into the former apartment of a suicide victim. The other residents of the building are all flaky and sticklers on keeping the noise level down - even the slightest 'titter' becomes a big deal and Polanski, who stars, becomes increasingly paranoid and succumbs to his loony hallucinations further and further as the film carries on. It gets to the point where he is dressing and acting like the former tenant and you realize it's only a matter of time before he decides tor re-enact her fatal leap out the window... The film is a bit slow and dawdling for a while, but if you have ever seen a Roman Polanski movie, you should know it's going to end with a bang and this flick doesn't disappoint. It's also best if you don't question the intricacies of the premise and just take it as a descent into madness, because it's pretty trippy surreal at times. Polanski is very good as the timid, deranged resident who, somehow, attracts the ever illustrious Isabelle Adjani. We also get to see him running around in drag, which is disturbing and hilarious all at the same time! Damn, he makes for one ugly chick! So, Polanski fans - who can actually look past his thirty year-old pedophile charges - should enjoy "The Tenant" as an entertaining psychological head-trip...$LABEL$ 1 +Witty and disgusting. Brash and intelligent. BASEketball redefines comedy/sports with a pot spoof of an easy target. Makes other so called comedies like dead boring. One of the best of all time! Trey Parker and Matt Stone play their roles as losers with apt perfection.$LABEL$ 1 +Summer Holiday is the forgotten musical version of Eugene O'Neill's Ah Wilderness and deservedly so with the Broadway musical adaptation of Take Me Along. With the exception of the Stanley Steamer song, none of the other Harry Warren-Ralph Blane songs are worth remembering and even that one is questionable. It was right after the release of this film that MGM let Mickey Rooney go and I don't think it was a coincidence. The film was made in 1946 and released in 1948, so Mickey was 26 playing an Andy Hardy like teenager. He was just way too old for the part of the 17 year old who was affecting radical ideas in a spirit of youthful rebellion.Rooney made four films for MGM from 1946 to 1948, this one, Killer McCoy a remake of Robert Taylor's A Crowd Roars, Love Laughs at Andy Hardy and Words and Music. In all of them Rooney was playing an adult part. Even in the Andy Hardy film, Mickey played an adult Andy Hardy returned from World War II. Why he was in this Louis B. Mayer only knows. Rooney's bad casting makes Summer Holiday all the worse because in the original Ah Wilderness the emphasis is on the father's character played here by Walter Huston. And in the Broadway show Take Me Along which won a Tony Award for Jackie Gleason, the Great One played the inebriated brother-in-law Uncle Sid here played by Frank Morgan and that's the central character.Gloria DeHaven steps in for Judy Garland as Rooney's sweet and adorable girl friend and Marilyn Maxwell plays the show girl who gives Rooney an adult education. In the original play O'Neill has her as a prostitute, but this was the Hollywood of the Code so all Marilyn does is get young Rooney soused.A lot of really talented people had a hand in this one and they do their best, but Summer Holiday fades rather quickly into a chilly autumn.$LABEL$ 0 +Why did I have to go out and buy (yes buy!) JACK FROST 2: REVENGE OF THE MUTANT KILLER SNOWMAN??? Maybe it was a burst of temporary mental derangement? But I'm guessing it's because I kind of enjoyed the first JACK FROST. It was a silly but funny horror-comedy which had some okay effects by Screaming Mad George. That and the fact that on the back-cover of the sequel there was this nice picture of this guy impaled by this giant icicle (coming out of his mouth with a lot of blood and all). So I thought: if it's as idiotic as the first and has some nice splatter/gore in it, it should be fun, right? Well, I was so dead wrong! Let me first say that the movie deserves some credit for having an immensely insane and retarded plot. I mean, a mutant killer snowman on a tropical island that spawns mutant killer baby snowballs which can only be killed or harmed by bananas??? As much as I love the premise, I really hated the movie. First of all: while the first JACK FROST looked like an actual movie (seemingly being shot on real film and all), this sequel has the look and feel of a third-rate soap-opera. It has this way too slick shot-on-video look. The lighting is just plain awful (bright white spots for the day look, and stupid colors like blue and green at night). The acting... well don't even go there. The dialogues range from stiff to extremely senile (that Jamaican man was just moronic, saying "man" after every sentence). And when it comes to the voice of the killer snowman, all I could think of was a seventh-rate Chucky from CHILD'S PLAY spewing dumb and supposedly witty one-liners before he kills someone.The best joke was were one guy asks "Why are you talking to your watch?". And the best scene was undoubtedly the one with that beautiful Asian chick popping up out of nowhere and taking a swim in the pool totally naked (thank god for that!). Oh, yeah, and that little scene over the end-credits with those two Japanese dudes on a miniature ship being badly dubbed had me laughing too. But the worst thing about this movie was: Where was the gore and splatter action everyone is talking about? There were plenty of occasions to show some decent gory killings. A lot of people were killed off in original ways here, but all off-screen. Like I've read in many other comments, there were indeed nice set-ups to a head explosion, a crushed body, eyes being poked out, tongue ripped out,... but on the crucial moments the editor cuts away to some blood splatters on the floor or nothing at all. That frontal shot of that British guy being impaled (from the back-cover of the DVD) wasn't even in the movie. I only saw that particular killing filmed from the back (meaning I didn't see sh!t!). I was waiting throughout the whole movie for that to happen, and then I get to see nothing?!?! What a let-down! Could it be that I saw a cut version of the movie? That would be a shame, 'cause only a decent amount of splatter-fun could have saved this movie if you ask me. Seeing a lot of killer snowballs reduced to bloody pulp just didn't cut it for me. Speaking of those snowballs: they were done very poorly. They made MUNCHIES look like state-of-the-art 'animatronics'. But I guess that was the whole point of it. At some point, the special effects crew even turned to some laughably bad CGI. Boy, you really have to see it to believe it. Best is to not see it, actually, 'cause this flick is just too bad (okay, I did laugh with it, for it kept getting worse and worse). Just stick with the first JACK FROST (1996) and you'll be okay (just bare in mind that it's a pretty silly horror-comedy but fun in it's own right).It's funny, but writer/director Michael Cooney somehow must have realized that he was a pretty bad director after JACK FROST 2, and then focused on writing. Turns out he then wrote two pretty good thriller screenplays for THE I INSIDE (starring Ryan Phillippe) and IDENTITY (starring John Cusack). So the man seems to have some talent after all.Now it would be far too easy to give JACK FROST 2 the lowest rating possible. So I say one point for that naked Asian babe doing the skinny dipping and one point for those completely retarded snowball babies. Way to go Mr. Cooney!$LABEL$ 0 +How in the name of decency did this film ever get made? One presumes the subtitles merely say 'awful' on every single frame of this truly dismal effort.Horrendous acting, woeful dialogue and the lack of talent from everyone involved in this nightmare make for an excruciating 90 minutes.Overall impression? A bunch of excitable drama students got lucky with a lottery grant and proceeded to make one of the most painful films ever made.This makes Hammer Horror TV shows look like Oscar material.And don't for a second think this falls into the 'so bad it's good' category. It's not even that bad.But the fart lighting scene is probably worth another look.$LABEL$ 0 +What a fun b-movie! Shepis is absolutely beautiful and the Scarecrow is a distinct and original. He really brought me back to the monsters of the 80's. The budget is obviously low and not everybody is Pacino behind the lens but it doesn't matter because it never once takes itself seriously. From the trailer trash redneck to the high flying martial arts moves of the Scarecrow, this is truly a b-movie gem. Grab some refreshments, snacks and a couple friends and kick back and relax. I enjoyed this film so much I went out a purchased all 3 Scarecrow films. Sure, they're not for everybody but to each his own. Sometimes you just have to set the thinking cap down and smile.$LABEL$ 1 +I had no idea what I was going to see when I decided to view this film and to my surprise its just an extremely well made horror film that is easily one of the best of the 1970's. Film is of course low budget and this is an excellent example of how the story and style of a film creates chills, not special effects! Strother Martin is one of the great character actors of all time and he has a rare starring role here and the film also stars Martins good friend L.Q. Jones and "Green Acres" Alvy Moore. Jones and Moore helped produce this film as well. TV veteran Charles Bateman is the star and "Enter the Dragon" beauty Ahna Capri is his girlfriend. Capri is in a bikini at the beginning of the film and she's just gorgeous to look at! Film does a terrific job of staying with the story and not adding a phony feel good ending and I really liked the way the film ends. Great atmosphere, interesting story and well directed by Bernard McEveety. Martins performance is top notch also as he doesn't hold back at all and really throws himself into the role of Doc. Good and underrated film!$LABEL$ 1 +This was the very first movie I ever saw in my life back in 1974 or 1975. I was 4 years old at the time and saw it at a drive-in theatre. I did not grasp that this would be a classic at the time (I went to sleep about twenty minutes into the movie). After seeing it on the television-along with two of my other favourite movies Car Wash (my favourite movie) and The Wiz which seemed to come on every year about the same time all together-about 40, 50, 75 times I knew that here was a movie that I would have as one of my favourites. Those three movies were the only live action shows that I could watch as a child. I would not consider this to be a blaxploitation movie but rather an urban interest movie.Cochise and Preach reminded me of some of my uncles especially the Wild Irish Rose that they drank. My mother also told me about some of the quarter parties that she attended and that some of the things that occurred in the movie were similar in nature to what occurred in real life. If you are one of the two or three black people over thirty who hasn't seen this movie yet then I recommend that you buy the DVD right now. I'm glad that I was around to witness some of the goings on of the era.$LABEL$ 1 +Due to reading bad reviews and being told by friends that they couldn't believe how bad it was, I didn't go and see this film at the cinema. After watching it on DVD, I have to say I regret that now. I'm not saying it is brilliant, but I would venture to say that it is a good movie. I enjoyed it.People have skulls thicker than Ned's helmet if they go to see a movie like this and expect it to be a documentary. If you read up the actual history behind most movies based on historical figures, there is usually a huge difference between the fact and the fictional portrayal. I don't think Ganghis Kahn has ever once been portrayed even remotely close to historical fact. What kind of man Ned Kelly actually was is a matter of debate, and quite passionate it seems. In spite of the efforts of governments and some historians, Ned Kelly has become a legend. Legends are stories, and stories say as much about those who tell and listen to them as they do about the actual figure himself. Ned Kelly has become such a popular identity because he does represent that aspect of Australian culture that doesn't trust or accept authority. A society in which there is no dissent or challenge to authority is crazier and more dangerous than any bushranger.So not expecting this to be an accurate recreation of the historical Kelly gang, I actually found it a surprisingly unencumbered and refreshing movie. It was sentimental and romantic, but thankfully not anywhere as cheesy as it could have been; for my fellow Australians, watch 'The Lighthorseman' and you will see what I mean (it is a pity the way that story was treated so poorly). Perhaps the love affair business could have been forsaken for a bit more detail in other areas, such as the shooting of the troopers. Ironically, I actually enjoyed the movie because of that, because it would be those details that most of the focus on Ned's story would dwell. And they are the details of the story that are best discovered by reading the different viewpoints given by the various historians.This movie was always going to have a hard time, having make a compromise of appealing to a global movie market (to pay the pills) and the legend as it means to Australians; perhaps a little of Ned's spirit is in this movie, because I think it rebelled against people's expectations, and unfortunately missed both targets. Fortunately it made for an enjoyable quirk of a film. For me it was an unexpected kind of movie about Ned, and that is why I liked it. Orlando Bloom's performance did a lot for the movie too - he really added something. I think he would have enjoyed being the monster instead of the pretty elf, for a change.When you consider some other movies that are far worse than this one, your opinion of this movie should be reconsidered. Send me this on DVD for christmas rather than Croc Dundee or The Man From Snowy River anytime.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie proves that you can't judge a movie by the awesome artwork on the DVD cover. It also goes to show that you should learn more about a movie before you buy it (or get it for someone at Christmas). The beginning of this movie actually looks somewhat promising. Well, until you meet the characters. Pumpkin Jack (the old guy from down the street) brings the college co-eds a book full of witch's spells that he leaves at their annual haunted house (where the movie takes place). After that there is some drinking, fighting, and soft core porn. Then the action of the movie finally takes place after over an hour.Overall, Hallow's End was predictable, unsuspensful, and reminiscent of a soft-core porn. This movie is probably best viewed with a group of friends who have nothing better to do, as it is a good movie to make fun of. And for first-time viewers, it is really fun making predictions of the order of people who die.$LABEL$ 0 +Some people loved "The Aristocrats" and others hated it, frequently walking out in the middle. Reactions to Eddie Izzard aren't likely to be that extreme -- if you can handle a transvestite comedian (who says he likes girls) and has a vocabulary that makes, shall we say, enough use of the "f" word that his program would be one long beep if presented on network television. Many of Izzard's fans are so devoted that they see no flaws whatsoever in his performances. On the other hand, I thought this show was occasionally flatter than Izzard's chest but also more often than not funny and, in spots, absolutely hilarious. He has a way of connecting references from routines early in the show to his later routines. He's not a story teller. He's not a joke maker. He's not a frenetic fantasist like Robin Williams. He plays around with ideas, some of which work and some of which -- a routine with the San Francisco cable car and Alcatraz, for instance -- are completely unfunny. He has a way, however, of moving gracefully past the flopped routines and extending the ones that connect. I gave this performance a 7 and might be persuaded to raise it to an 8. But a 10? No way.$LABEL$ 1 +Greedy land baron in the tiny western town of Prairie City wants all the ranchers off their land, using intimidation tactics and arson to get them to vacate; seems the town is swimming atop oil, and when a Swedish farmer refuses to leave, he's mowed down by the baron's hired gun. The farmer's seafaring son soon arrives, slowly realizing what he's up against and attempting to rally the rest of the residents to fight. Another lawlessness-in-the-West story, with everybody under the thumb of the villain (who naturally holds all the cards). Derivative and uncomfortable at times to watch, with a long wait before our stoic hero finally gets his dander up. Sterling Hayden's half-hearted Swedish accent is a big problem, though he cuts a sturdy, sympathetic presence on the screen and almost makes the picture worth-watching. Director Joseph H. Lewis stages most of the scenes stiffly, like a TV western, and Gerald Fried's bugle-heavy score is no help, though the rich black-and-white cinematography by Ray Rennahan is excellent. An independent production released via United Artists, the film has a bizarre start (beginning with shots from the finale, followed by shots from the movie's midsection), yet it does have a certain needling power which most assuredly gets the viewer on Hayden's side. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I had the funny chance of seeing this on Mystery Science Theater 3000, four years ago. I must admit it wasn't as badly done as some other science fiction/horror movies of the time. The plot revolved around an astronaut that came back to earth with alien embryo's inside of him. Now the plot is quite weird, well if you can even call that a plot. (Seeing a space program run out of one building and an old pickup truck is drop-dead funny!) I'll admit it was horrible by today's standards (and 20 years ago)...but I can see myself 43 years ago watching and being charmed by this movie. It's not even close to the badness of Invasion of the Neptune Men, Manos: Hands of Fate or Future War.$LABEL$ 0 +Goodnight Mister Tom is so beautifully filmed and beautifully realised. It isn't completely faithful to the book, but does it have to be? No, not at all. John Thaw is mesmerising as Tom Oakley. His transformation from gruff to caring was so well realised, making it more believable than Scrooge in Christmas Carol. After Inspector Morse, this is Thaw's finest hour. He was matched earnestly by a young Nick Robinson, who gave a thoroughly convincing portrayal of an evacuee traumatised by the abusive relationship with his mother. The script and music made it worth the buy, and you also see Thaw playing the organ. Amazing! The most moving scene, was Willie finding out about Zak's death, and then Tom telling him about his deceased family who died of scarlatina. Buy this, you'll love it! 10/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +This review is in response to the submission wondering how factually correct the movie was...Saw this movie last year and found it inspiring that hopeful immigrants, like my Italian grandparents who came through Ellis Island at the turn of the last century, would subject themselves to all manner of invasive inspection just to enter America.It was certainly eye opening, since my grandparents never spoke of anything terrible while there. My grandmother was 5-years old and my grandfather 18 when they arrived.I just returned from a trip to New York where I had the pleasure of visiting Ellis Island and the museum actually walks you through the immigration evaluation process - The filmmaker obviously did his research, right down to the medical exams and equipment, questions and puzzles. They are all there at the museum. Even the wedding pictures and the review board room -- Factually correct! Anyone who has immigrant grandparents should see this movie. Inspirational to say the least.$LABEL$ 1 +The play is cleverly constructed - begin with the porter, Rainbow - & let the audience see the background unfold through his eyes. The film follows the play with great faithfulness, working, no doubt, on the simple premise that it couldn't be bettered. Now throw in a host of superb character actors - & the result is a resounding triumph.A definite must-see.$LABEL$ 1 +The original book of this was set in the 1950s but that won't do for the TV series because most people watch for the 1930s style. Ironically the tube train near the end was a 1950s train painted to look like a 1930s train so the Underground can play at that game too. Hanging the storyline on a plot about the Jarrow March was feeble but the 50s version had students who were beginning to think about the world around them so I suppose making them think about the poverty of the marchers is much the same thing. All the stuff about Japp having to cater for himself was weak too but they had to put something in to fill the time. This would have made a decent half hour show or they could have filmed the book and made it a better long show. It is obvious this episode is a victim of style over content.$LABEL$ 0 +"Convicts" is very much a third act sort of film. All the dialogue and character interaction that occurs within it comes out of the long wind-down of a late southern day. And, by extension, the life of its main character, Soll (Robert Duvall).This is the first collaboration of director Peter Masterson and writer Horton Foote. Six years earlier, the worked together on "The Trip to Bountiful", a film that seems almost action-packed in comparison to this one. Masterson is not necessarily a good director. In fact, he's just barely this side of adequate. The slow pace leaves a lot of room for cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita, who infuses the film with just the right sense of fragile light & warmth.Because this is essentially a filmed play, with little in the way of editing or directing prowess, it all comes to the acting. As far as I'm concerned there's no flaws here. Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones, two of the best American actors (both born in January 1931), create characters that are wholly real, uninterested in anything besides living. Lukas Haas, a young actor who I was familiar with from "Testament" and "Witness", plays a character very much like his other early roles. He is quiet, withdrawn, slightly scared and sad, somehow. These are qualities that seem natural from him.Perhaps a title like "Convicts" is a disservice to this film. That title, along with the opening scene, seem to create an image of a far more high-strung western type picture. If slow-paced stage productions don't interest you terribly, you'll want to pass on this one as well. Otherwise, this might be exactly the film you wish they made more often.Enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +`Castle of Blood' (aka `Castle of Terror') is a well-crafted, surprisingly spooky entry from Italian director Anthony Dawson. Exquisite black and white cinematography, flawless dubbing, superb casting, fairly logical scripting, deliberate pacing and a surprise (though totally appropriate) ending set this one apart. Only the films sometimes hokey music and the rather abrupt `love at first sight' between Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) and Alan (Georges Rivière) mar an otherwise surprisingly entertaining movie.While visiting England, Edgar Allan Poe sits in a pub, telling one of his ghostly stories to Count Blackwood. Recognizing the great writer, Alan, a young news reporter, requests an interview with Poe. During the course of the conversation, Poe reveals that all of his stories are true. Incredulous, Alan expresses his skepticism about life after death. Count Blackwood offers to bet Alan 100 pounds that he cannot survive this night in Blackwood's castle, a night following Halloween when the dead walk. Alan cannot afford the bet, so he bets his life for a 10 pound wager.Unlike Mario Bava's overpraised `Black Sunday,' (aka `The Mask of Satan'), `Castle of Blood' is fairly restrained, making the few moments of violence even more dreadful, especially surprising from a director usually associated with those terrible Italian space movies from the 60s.It's a pity the only version of this film I've found is badly deteriorated (and recorded) pan and scan version. Even so, it is well worth seeing, and cries out for a modern remake, perhaps with Christina Ricci or Jennifer Love Hewitt in the role of Elizabeth. Watch it and enjoy a film that compares well with Robert Wise's `The Haunting'.$LABEL$ 1 +I consider myself a great admirer of David Lynch's works, for he provides the viewers with absolutely unique motion pictures with typical "Lynch-elements." Having seen most of his works, I naively thought I could predict Lynch's next step. I was dead wrong. Dumbland is something I could have never imagined under the name of David Lynch. Still, after my recovery from the first shock, I started to contemplate about this extremely primitive main character, and I drew the conclusion that all the absurdities, cruelty, brutality and disgust presented here are mirroring bits from reality, being emphasized by distorting it. There are things in our lives we hardly ever emphasize, for they are either disgusting or horrible, however, they are surrounding us, so I take the courage to say, Dumbland focuses on these bits and pieces. This is not a movie to enjoy, though you'll sometimes laugh out of a strange, perverted sense of humor, this is an animated reflection of all things we rather reject to observe, with its simplicity, morbidity and absurdity. Take it as it is, you don't have to like it. It just exists. And finally, if you're attentive enough, you'll find elements typical to Lynch as well. I recommend it for tolerant people!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit that although I'm a fan of Shakespeare, I was never really familiar with this play. And what I really can't say is whether this is a poor adaptation, or whether the play is just a bad choice for film. There are some nice pieces of business in it, but the execution is very clunky and the plot is obvious. The theme of the play is on the nature of debt, using the financial idea of debt and justice as a metaphor for emotional questions. That becomes clear when the issue of the rings becomes more important than the business with Shylock, which unfortunately descends into garden variety anti-Semitisim despite the Bard's best attempts to salvage him with a couple nice monologues.Outside of Jeremy Irons' dignified turn, I didn't think there was a decent performance in the bunch. Pacino's Yiddish consists of a slight whine added to the end of every pronouncement, and some of the better Shylock scenes are reduced to variations on the standard "Pacino gets angry" scene that his fans know and love. But Lynn Collins is outright embarrassing, to the point where I would have thought they would have screen-tested her right out of the picture early on. When she goes incognito as a man, it's hard not to laugh at all the things we're not supposed to laugh at. With Joseph Fiennes standing there trying to look sincere and complicated, it's hard not to make devastating comparisons to Gwyneth Paltrow's performance in "Shakespeare in Love." The big problem however that over-rides everything in this film is just a lack of emotional focus. It's really hard to tell whether this film is trying to be a somewhat serious comedy or a strangely silly drama. Surely a good summer stock performance would wring more laughs from the material than this somber production. The actors seem embarrassed to be attempting humor, and unsure of where to place dramatic and comedic emphasis. All of this is basically the fault of the director, Michael Radford, who seems to think that the material is a great deal heavier than it appears to me.$LABEL$ 0 +Incarcerated train robber near Yuma breaks free his chain-gang and heads for the retired sheriff responsible for killing his wife (as well as a hidden stash of gold which remains hidden thanks to the screenwriter). Attempt to bring the western genre up-to-date with 1970s-style violence and brutality isn't even in the same league as some of the new-fangled westerns which came out of the late-'60s. It is impossibly simple and square, with the female characters merely around as punching-bags and possible rape victims. As the former sheriff back in command, Charlton Heston gives one of his laziest, least-inspired performances ever (he has one good moment, attempting to read a letter and fumbling for his glasses). James Coburn, as the half-mad half-breed, is pretty much on auto-pilot as well, but Coburn has a way of turning even the hoariest dialogue and situations into something prickly and unnerving. It's his show all the way. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to use words for this movie, since it contains none itself.But the images it conveys, both powerful and sweeping, are ones which remind us why we watch movies. And you might be saying "Well, Leonard Maltin doesn't like it, it can't be that good.." But you're wrong. See this movie. French cinematic brilliance en ensemble.$LABEL$ 1 +I just re-watched 08th MS Gundam for the 2nd time. It is so much better than Gundam Wing. I can't wait to get the DVD and see what was edited out of the series. This is great to see the Gundams actually move about clumsily through the land. Somebody really thought over writing this move script.See this today,.$LABEL$ 1 +I just finished watching Marigold today and I'll begin by saying that I found this DVD on the shelves of Blockbuster. While strolling around looking for something new and good to watch, the picture of Ali Larter caught my attention.After drooling over Ali Larter, I picked up the cover and continued to glance around the cover. From the looks of it, I thought the costumes were a bit over the top. And then I saw the other Indians on the cover and figured this was some kind of spoof film or something like that.When I flipped over the the synopsis part and saw Salman Khan, I did a double take. Salman Khan in an American film with Ali Larter in a DVD at Blockbuster? Because Salman Khan is to Bollywood films like Mel Gibson is to Hollywood films, I had very high expectations for this film: it HAD to be good! I am very pleased to say that Marigold is a phenomenal film! It far exceeded any and all of my personal expectations!I suppose a film like this is what happens when you have a decent script, a talented, experienced, knowledgeable and goal oriented director, two incredible actors playing the lead roles and just a very hard working supporting cast and crew! Khan and Larter appear to have really great chemistry together and both shine on the big screen: they look really good together. The musical numbers weren't bad at all, which was surprising, considering how cheesy and long Indian films' musicals are these days. And you'll be happy to know that the Indian costumes are very far from being cheesy as you'll get.The beginning of the film was kind of slow, the middle was really good, the scenes leading to the climax were pretty dramatic, but the ending was just awesome! I have a few gripes and complaints about the DVD, however. While I loved the widescreen aspect ratio of the DVD, I didn't like the fact that several other things were left out of the DVD. For starters, there are no subtitles. Now English being my first language, it's not a problem. However, when some of the Indian actors and actresses spoke, it was (at times) difficult to understand what they were saying; captioning would have helped.Another thing that I would have appreciated on the DVD would be a blooper reel or some kind of collection of outtakes. And lastly, how about a menu feature that would allow us to skip right to the musical numbers? Man, some of those songs were really good! On the flip side, I throughly enjoyed watching the making of Marigold.I have tons more to say regarding the awesomeness of this film and how much I liked it, but I don't have the time nor do I want to keep on writing why I enjoyed it so much. I hope that Salman Khan does more English films in addition to his Hindi films and I certainly hope this Hindi film will not be Ali Larter's last Bollywood film. And I encourage the director to continue making Bollywood film hybrids featuring Salman Khan, Ali Larter and other big name actors - just make sure the scripts are original and good.10/10 - this is just a great love story film that your entire family can enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +A terrible movie that is amateurish on almost every level - a boring and derivative screenplay filled with stereotyped characters played by embarrassed actors for a director lacking the most rudimentary understanding of his craft. The whole thing stinks. It plays like a slasher movie from the early eighties, down to the crappy score and ketchup SFX, but without the childhood nostalgia that is required to look fondly on such dross. One of the worst horror films I've ever seen - definitely the worst that received a mainstream theatrical release. I've never walked out of a film in my life - had I been unlucky enough to see 'Hatchet' at the theater, it would have been a first. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +After stopping by the movie store to find something to watch, we stumbled on this. It looked appealing from the summary, at least, so we gave it a try. And here's the kicker: the first 20 minutes are interesting! It's actually enjoyable! Oh, wait, spoke too soon.Somewhere in there, the movie took a disgusting turn into fundamental, right-wing Christian brain-washing. Not entirely sure what happens, but I think the screenplay writer found God somewhere in there, finished writing this script, and had no time to edit it because he had a KKK meeting to get to with his friends from the Westboro Church and his hood wasn't clean.Can they put warnings on this? I refuse to support this religious idiocy. Much like video games have rating systems, movies need some sort of symbol: maybe a small cross in the bottom corner to show us that a movie is going to take a turn for the worse.Unless you share sentiments with whatever moron came up with this story, and will have your Bible open in your lap while you watch this and plan on how you'll convert your neighbors, don't waste your time. It's some of the worst junk that's come out in a very long time, and the radical religious nuts don't need anymore funding.$LABEL$ 0 +Make no mistake, Maureen O'Sullivan is easily the most gorgeous Jane ever, and there will never be one more gorgeous. She is visually stunning. That aside, it takes more than a beautiful woman to make a good film. This is a great film. It not only has the classic Tarzan aura, but also the feel of the continuing saga. We become involved with the two white hunters who search for ivory, one of them in love with Jane, the other, a roguish catalyst whose character may be one of the best defined and best examined in movie history.And these characterizations are what make this great action flick stand out as a classic. There is the uncomfortable racism which is depicted. However, the Africans are depicted as individuals, and at the end, two even become more heroic than the white hunters, and stand out as such. In fact, the one not named evokes probably more sympathy from the audience than any other characters. The finale, also, is one of the reasons to enjoy this movie. The great lion attack has never been duplicated, and the horror is well implied with character reactions more so than a modern gore movie would do with graphic depiction. If I left anything out, it is because I do not want to soil the picture for those who haven't seen it. But it is everything you could want in a movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The Revolt of the Zombies is not the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is pretty far down on the list. When an expedition is sent to Cambodia to discover the trick to making zombies after World War I, one of the members decides to use the knowledge for his own evil ambitions. And he succeeds, at least at first. A love triangle complicates the story some.This really was a tedious movie, with horrible acting that made it difficult to tell who were zombies and who weren't. The dialog was little better and the plot was unbelievable (not the zombie part of it but parts related to the "romance"). And while I am not any student or expert on cinematography, the camera work didn't seem to help the film much either.While I have seen a few movies that are worse, this is unlikely to please anyone. It's bad, and NOT in a so-bad-that-it-is-good kind of way.$LABEL$ 0 +The "Amazing Mr. Williams" stars Melvyn Douglas, who did five films in 1939, one of which was Ninotchka with Garbo. His co-star was Joan Blondell (Maxine), who ALSO did five films that year, THREE of which they made together! Douglas is Lt. Williams, and he and his co-horts are presented with a dead body, and they must figure out what really happened. Viewers will recognize his co-workers - the actors (Clarence Kolb, Donald MacBride, Don Beddoe) always played positions of authority... senators, bank presidents, policemen. This who-dunnit has a flair of comedy to it -- the policemen are always throwing jabs at each other, and even Williams and his girlfriend are battling verbally. Some fun gags - Williams even takes the man they arrested along on a date with his girlfriend. There's a lot of fun stuff in here, so get past the slow beginning and wait for the funnier stuff later on. Don't want to give away any spoilers, so you'll have to catch it on Turner Classic Movies. Director Alexander Hall made mostly comedies, and was reportedly engaged to Lucy at some point.$LABEL$ 1 +There's one line that makes it worth to rent for Angel fans. Everyone else: this is just a very bad horror flick. The female characters are typical horror movies females. They are wooden, annoying and dumb. You are glad when they are killed off. Long live the strong female character in a horror movie!!$LABEL$ 0 +The creative team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker had their roots in improvisational theatre in Madison, Wisconsin, I believe it was. They had a group called 'Kentucky Fried Theatre'(or something similar.) They put a bunch of their set pieces onto celluloid as'KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE'(1977), which was long, irreverent, sophomoric and really funny.They followed up with the very popular, AIRPLANE! (1980), which really put them on the map. In it, they took some rather well known veteran actors in Robert Stack and (especially) Leslie Nielsen, and putting them in prominent roles, proceeded to parody every cliché of every aviation film since the days of John Wayne's (Batjac)Production of THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954).* Pockets stuffed with cash and now having been noticed, the trio worked out a deal with Pramount Television and the American Broadcasting Company TV Network to do a half hour comedy spoof of the nearly countless Police Crime Drama show that have come and gone on our television screens over the years. Remembering the fine job that Mr. Leslie Nielsen had turned in on AIRPLANE!, he was cast in the lead.As Sgt/Lt./Captain Frank Drebbin (the rank designation switch being one of their comic bits),he presided over a great series of successive puns, sight gags, non sequitors, and overblown police/crime clichés.All of these strung together by some,seemingly standard scripts. Added to this is overly dramatic opening narration, voiced over information contradicting the visual printed info. They always used this in giving the title of the episode titles, where voice and printed titles never matched.They had a great musical score, which even though being somewhat exaggerated, would have passed as theme and incidental music in a straight drama.The musical score, the opening titles and format of having the episodes divided into Act I, Act II, Epilogue, etc., were all part of obvious, but affectionate, ribbing of Q.M. (Quinn Martin) Productions. (They even had the same announcer as did the real Q.M.'s.)One thing that this all too short of a series did not have was a technically augmented audience laughter. And, boy they sure didn't need any phony tract. The nature of the spoof was such that it demanded the viewer's close, almost undivided attention, and that proved to be the ultimate reason behind POLICE SQUAD's downfall.In regards to the series cancellation,an ABC Executive explained that the episodes "...called for too much attention on the part of the viewer." So, isn't that what one would want?So, after only 6 wonderfully wacky, hilarious episodes,off to the afterlife of series cancellation went POLICE SQUAD!, only to be reborn in THE NAKED GUN trilogy, made for the big screen in movie houses. Once again, they did quite well at the Box Office. Oh well, TV's loss is Cinema's gain, thanks to you Mr. Idiot TV Exec!* THE HIGH AND MIGHTY was produced by the Duke's own Batjac Productions and released by Warner Brothers. It was unavailable for quite a number of years and finally, Mr. Wayne's family made arrangements to release it to television and to video.$LABEL$ 1 +Richard Dix is a big, not very nice industrialist, who has nearly worked himself to death. If he takes the vacation his doctors suggest for him, can he find happiness for the last months of his life? Well, he'll likely be better off if he disregards the VOICE OF THE WHISTLER.This William Castle directed entry has some great moments (the introduction and the depiction of Richard Dix's life through newsreel a la Citizen Kane), and some intriguing plotting in the final reels. Dix's performance is generally pretty good. But, unfortunately, the just does not quite work because one does not end up buying that the characters would behave the way that they do. Also, the movie veers from a dark (and fascinating beginning) to an almost cheerful 30s movie like midsection (full of nice urban ethnic types who don't mind that they aren't rich) and back again to a complex noir plot for the last 15 minutes or so.This is a decent movie -- worth seeing -- but it needed a little more running time to establish a couple of the characters and a female lead capable of meeting the demands of her role.$LABEL$ 0 +I like this movie cause it has a good approach of Buddhism, for example, the way Buddhist use to care all kind of living things, combining some fancy and real situations; in some parts the photography is very good and a lot of messages about freedom, as the hawk episode, staying always focused in every moment, even in tough situations.. It has also funny situations as Swank's birthday and, talking this two times academy awards, her acting show us how the people who use to live in this kind of culture is trying to have a resistance behavior when Miyagi is taking her to a Buddhist temple, and how she, slowly, is changing her mind. And, of course, Pat Morita has been always great$LABEL$ 1 +As much as I hate to disagree with the original poster, I found Asterix and the Vikings quite good, and a HUGE step above previous attempts at animating everyone's favorite Gaul.For someone not familiar with the famous comic series, the show would be hard to follow, but for those of us in the know, it's a pleasure to watch.First and foremost, the animation is far superior to earlier comic adaptations. You can tell they took the time and effort to really recapture the look and feel of the comics this time around.As mentioned, there are elements of other Asterix titles in the movie and I can see how fans of those titles might feel confused or a bit let down, but I was so caught up in actually seeing one of my favorite childhood comics faithfully represented on the screen, any qualms I had were minor by comparison. Minor spoilers follow...Asterix and his faithful friend Obelix travel north to rescue the nephew of their village chief, who has been captured by the Vikings. The Vikings think that by the boy teaching them about fear, they will be able to fly, thanks to some poorly worded advice from their village druid. In the process, the boy meets the Viking Chief's daughter Abba and they fall in love, etc etc etc... If my explanation sounds convoluted, don't worry.. The plot is easy to follow! Definitely a great buy.. You can purchase this DVD through Amazon France, but be warned.. Your DVD player probably won't be able to play it. I had to change the region setting on my computer to view it..$LABEL$ 1 +Nice, pleasant, and funny, but not earth-shattering. It does a good job of showing the "behind the scenes" world of theater groups and the lives of the actors. The three witches are great- both on- and off-stage. I would assume the movie works wonderfully (lots of apparent inside jokes) if one was involved in theater (which I'm not).$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is a little slow in the the beginning, for about the first 10 minutes or so. But once it kicks in you can't turn it off. Adam Beach and Rose McGowan play the best parts and are great at their acting job. You would never be able to guess who the killer is. I gave this movie a 9, because at some parts Adam Beach needs to speak up a little so you can hear what he's saying.9/10$LABEL$ 1 +I watched about an hour of this movie (against my will) and couldn't finish it. I'd rate it as a 0. The writing was bad, the plot predictable and one that's been done far too many times. The most annoying part of this movie was the acting done by Melody Thomas Scott. This part did not call for someone appearing snobbish, but she managed in every single scene I saw to look like a (sour) snob or someone who was about to spout something extremely sarcastic or cruel. The two romances which seemed to develop into something serious almost upon the couples meeting was a bit too much. I should know better than to watch made for TV movies. If there is absolutely nothing on the telly and this is the only choice, read a book.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow...I can't believe just how bad ZOMBIE DOOM (aka VIOLENT SH!T 3) really is. I'd heard the rumors, read the reviews - but had to make my mind up for myself. Well, let me tell ya - IT BLOWS!!! The worst acting of any film ever made, dubbing that must have been done while everyone involved was completely wasted, inept and laughable gore FX, no discernible plot, "cinematography" that looks like my grandma filmed it with her camcorder, weapons props that are no joke - made out of tin-foil - the list goes on and on...Three guys get stranded on an island where a bunch of weirdos run around with plastic and tin-foil swords. Two of the captives are freed along with a rebel of the island freaks, and are given a day's head start before they are hunted down by the rest of the "tribe"...that's pretty much it...Honestly - this is one of THE WORST films I've ever had the misfortune to subject myself too. The budget had to be about $200 and was spent entirely on the gore FX (which actually may not have been a bad idea...). There is NOTHING to ZOMBIE DOOM other than strung-together ridiculous looking gore scenes with lots of HORRIBLY dubbed dialog. This film makes other no-budget outings like PREMUTOS: LORD OF THE LIVING DEAD look like TITANIC. Some may rank ZD in the "so-bad-it's-good" category - and I guess if you're REALLY drunk or high and watching it with a few friends MST3K-style - I guess it could be looked at that way. But not by me. I hated pretty much everything about it. If ZOMBIE DOOM or ZOMBIE 90 (which is equally appalling and is included as a "bonus" on the Shock-O-Rama release of ZD) is indicative of Andreas Schnaas' other works - then he should be banned from ever having anything to do with making a film ever again under penalty of death. There is one amusing kung-fu battle in the latter half of the film, and a lot of blood - so I'll grant this one a VERY generous 3/10 - Do yourself a favor and skip this.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm embarrassed to be writing this review. I say that because those of you reading it will know that I sat through the whole thing and that is embarrassing to admit even to strangers. But I just had to warn those who read the viewer comments on IMDb before they watch a film not to watch this one. It's the least I can do. This is a bad movie! Trust me. The plot is goofy. The acting is amateurish. And the directing, camera work, sets, costumes, etc. are all second rate. Let it go.$LABEL$ 0 +I never heard of this film when it first came out. It must have sunk immediately. :o) I saw it on cable while sick in hospital so I hardly had enough energy to watch it, let alone turn the channel. Better choice than the Style Channel. ;0(. Filmed on location, this travelogue should have been on the Travel Channel. The plot is recycled from ship board farces of the thirties and forties. The cast seems to have been recycled from the fifties. Donald O'Connor, star of musicals and Edward Mulhare as a card shark. As to the main cast, Walter Matthau is still playing the same part as he did in Guys and Dolls or was it the one about the orphan girl? Wiseacre irresponsible gambler and rounder. But it just doesn't take with a man of his age. As to Jack Lemmon, he plays his part so straight, he can hardly dip and glide when dancing. And as mentioned, Dyan Cannon is outstandingly attractive as another swindler sailing with her mother who thinks Walter is rich, while he thinks she is rich. Elaine Stritch plays Dyan's mother, another retread from the fifties. The most fun is the running feud between Brent Spiner as the domineering and snotty cruise director who immediately spots Walter as a poor dancer, and spends his time trying to get him dismissed so he will have to pay for his free passage. In the end, though he receives his comeuppances. Meanwhile Jack mopes about, meets an attractive woman, with mutual attraction, but their affair is broken up by Walter's lies that Jack is a doctor, when he was actually a retired department store buyer. But finally, the two men take to the sea in a rubber boat to intercept her seaplane and all is well. There does not seem to be any principal player under the age of fifty.$LABEL$ 0 +Went to see the movie "Troy" this afternoon. Here's what I learned:Contrary to popular opinion and history in general, Greek men were not gay. EVER. This was clearly established immediately at the start of the film and reinforced every five minutes or so thereafter. So it is safe for American dudes to see this movie.Helen of Troy always had impeccable hair and makeup. She looked gorgeous in all of her brief cameo scenes which, though numerous, were probably all filmed on the same day, one after the other, with the director saying, "Alright, now look beautiful . . . good ... OK, now look frightened ... good... now look depressed ... good ... now look interested . . . good ... now look beautiful again ... good..."Most Greek and Trojan men had British accents. Those with American accents couldn't act.Trojans looked just like Greeks, but they tended to stay on the right side of the screen.Brad Pitt does not blink on camera.Helen of Troy's biggest line was, "They're coming for me."Trojan music sounded remarkably like modern Bulgarian music.Brad Pitt's thighs go all the way up.Achilles had a young male friend with whom he was very close, but it's OK. They were cousins. Never mind what history says.Peter O'Toole can tell an entire story with just an expression.Trojan gods apparently all had Greek names, but their statues either looked Egyptian or like Peter O'Toole in drag.Greek men never touched each other unless they were fighting, much like American men.All of the thousands of extras in the movie had exactly the same skin color... Light Egyptian, by Max Factor.Troy had only three women.There were lots of blond Greeks, which is good news for Brad Pitt, who would otherwise have really stuck out.Despite their coastal desert locale, Greeks had the uncanny ability to find unlimited amounts of timber to build fires, funeral pyres, Trojan horses and the like.British actors look silly with Greek hairdos.Brad Pitt changes expression only when the sun is shining directly in his eyes.Greek soldiers fought constantly, but their outfits always looked impeccable.Greek soldiers wore underwear under their skirts.Apparently Greek temples were always in ruins, even back when they were all new.$LABEL$ 0 +Much about love & life can be learned from watching the folks at THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.Ernst Lubitsch had another quiet triumph added to his credit with this lovely film. With sparkling dialogue (courtesy of his longtime collaborator Samson Raphaelson) and wonderful performances from a cast of abundantly talented performers, he created a truly memorable movie. Always believing in playing up to the intelligence of his viewers, and favoring sophistication over slapstick, the director concocted a scintillating cinematic repast seasoned with that elusive, enigmatic quality known as the ‘Lubitsch touch.'Although the story is set in Budapest (and there is a jumble of accents among the players) this is of no consequence. The beautiful simplicity of the plot is that any great American city or small town could easily be the locus for the action.Jimmy Stewart & Margaret Sullavan are wonderful as the clerks in love with romance and then with each other - without knowing it. Their dialogue - so adeptly handled as to seem utterly natural - perfectly conveys their confusion & quiet desperation as they seek for soul mates. Theirs is one of the classic love stories of the cinema.Cherubic Frank Morgan has a more serious role than usual, that of a man whose transient importance in his little world is shattered when he finds himself to be a cuckold. An accomplished scene stealer, he allows no emotion to escape unvented. Additionally, Morgan provides the film with its most joyous few moments - near the end - when he determines that his store's newest employee, an impoverished youth, enjoys a memorable Christmas Eve.Joseph Schildkraut adds another vivid depiction to his roster of screen portrayals, this time that of a toadying, sycophantic Lothario who thoroughly deserves the punishment eventually meted out to him. Gentle Felix Bressart has his finest film role as a family man who really can not afford to become involved in shop intrigues, yet remains a steadfast friend to Stewart.Sara Haden graces the small role of a sales clerk. William Tracy is hilarious as the ambitious errand boy who takes advantage of unforeseen developments to leverage himself onto the sales force.In tiny roles, Charles Halton plays a no-nonsense detective and Edwin Maxwell appears as a pompous doctor. Movie mavens will recognize Mary Carr & Mabel Colcord - both uncredited - in their single scene as Miss Sullavan's grandmother & aunt.$LABEL$ 1 +I absolutely like this film a lot. It is not very entertaining, but it's a feast of bizarre and stunning images! There's no dialog ,only some background sounds and noises. If you are into something completely different and original, and enjoy the obscure and bizarre...then you might like this work of art. Ik looks like a film made with the very first camera ever made ,in a time where strange human-like beings live and perform their bizarre habits. God has killed himself with a razor and gave birth to Mother earth. Mother earth impregnated herself with God's semen after an act of fellatio, and gives birth to a son "Flesh on Bone". What follows are inhuman acts of ritualistic torture, rape and murder for purposes we do not know....or do we?$LABEL$ 1 +Grieving couple move to a cabin on a mountain after the loss of their daughter, discovering that there may be ghosts haunting the place, restless spirits of past occupants who committed suicide. Julie Pyke(Cheri Christian)blames husband Allen(Greg Thompson)for the horrible death of their daughter due to leaving the door unlocked and the marriage has deteriorated because of it. Julie remains in a zombie state, eliciting next to no emotion, remote and numb, only photographing a nearby abandoned prison, finding a startling image of a ghoul girl clinging to the bars of a cell. Though Allen doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, Julie continues to take pictures and we can recognize that something isn't quite right. A local handyman, Jim Payne(Scott Hodges), a rather distant fellow who harbors a secret becomes a dangerous threat when it is revealed that his dead mother might have something to do with the haunts occurring to the Pykes. Meanwhile the neighbors who sold the Pykes the cabin find themselves victims as well, alcoholic Mr Booth's abuse to his wife coming back to haunt him. Allen will conduct an investigation into the history of his cabin, attempting to unravel the mystery about the place.Plenty of ghosts moving about in the background in this somber supernatural tale with practically every character miserable. Cheri Christian remains so vacuous and lost, it's incredibly hard to connect with her despite the fact that you understand her plight. The acting, as is often mentioned, remains frustrating because none of the characters exactly are easy to latch on to. I guess it's supposed to be this way, under their circumstances, but the trouble I had was never being able to properly embrace the Pykes due to their constant state of aloofness. Cheri comes off as cold and detached, as I figure a mother would tend to be when you lose a child in such a way, but the icy nature left me pleading inside to embrace her which I just never could. I think the right performers, even if the characters are going through an emotional turmoil, can grab the hearts of their viewers, if a humanity reaches out to us..in this movie's case, the leads are unable to do so, for whatever reason. It could've been me, I don't know. I wanted to care for them, but nothing in the characters tugged on my heart strings. Anyway, as the film continues, Allen slowly uncovers certain truths and must defend himself against his wife who has convinced herself that their daughter is among them and she won't lose her little girl again. Jim, the unstable neighbor who believes that to stop the hauntings plaguing the area he must kill the Pykes, becomes a vital threat. The ghosts remain a central part of the movie, their presence, particularly Jim's mother, established throughout, off in the distance. The finale reveals all of them as Allen must find help for his wife while trying to thwart Jim's mission. I had a hard time getting into this one due to my unease with the leads and their characters.$LABEL$ 0 +George Segal lives with his elderly and senile mother. There are many jokes about her Alzheimer's-like dementia and most of them aren't funny, though there were a few funny moments sprinkled in here and there (such as the nude running through the park scene and the old folks home). At first, Segal tries to kill his mother because she's tough to live with and because he's a selfish guy. Making the film sort of like a Wiley Coyote versus the Roadrunner comedy where he tries again and again to kill this indestructible gal would have been a hoot--too bad this was NOT the overall tone of the film.I do applaud Carl Reiner's attempt to make a tasteless film that is intended to offend everyone. I have a special place in my heart for films like ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER, EATING RAOUL and HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS--all films about death that dare to offend. The problem here, though, is that WHERE'S POPPA? has some funny moments, but it also has a lot of flat ones and the overall product is amazingly bland. Plus topics such as homosexual rape, incest and the like are really difficult to make funny. I read in "THE ROUGH GUIDE TO CULT MOVIES" that it is considered a cult film, though I just can't see anyone wanting to see this more than once.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is not your typical horror movie. It has some campy humor and death scenes which can be sort of comical. I personally liked the movie because of its off-beat humor. It's definetely not a super scary movie, which is good if you don't want to be scared and paranoid afterwards. I liked the performance of the hillbilly guy and of Lester... very believable. I think I'm going to dye my hair red like that girl in Scarecrow- very cool! Anyway, overall worth renting for the campy humor and non typical horror experience.$LABEL$ 1 +Originally called The Changer. The Nostril Picker is a poorly constructed tale about a loner named Joe Bukowski (Carl Zschering) who "likes em young". Unable to socially interact with girls he bumps into a tramp who teaches him a special Vietnamese chant. This "chant" involves whistling 'London Bridge is Falling Down' whilst hopping around like an epileptic morris dancer. Nonetheless, Ugly Joe tries it out and hey presto! He is now a girl. Ideally he needs to be a young guy in order attract girls. But lets not talk about ideals here - this film was made in 1983 and released in 1993, in an ideal world it should have NEVER been released.The Film Asylum dubbed this horror hokum as "mind numbing, ham handed story telling". Its worse than that. The Nostril Picker really takes the biscuit, in fact the whole god-damn cookie jar. Terribly scripted dialogue delivered by brain-dead actors, a ridiculous plot and a predictable twist. Just when things couldn't get any more absurd the story goes off on its own nonsensical tangent. For instance, Joe decides to kill the girls by changing back into himself. But i thought he wanted to get close to them? Not content with being a murderer Joe also turns into a cannibal and eats some of his victims, of which there were only around 3-4.The highlight of this terrible movie involves Joe picking up a hooker (Steven Andrews) then taking "her" back to his apartment. What happens next defies belief... Joe turns back into a man, but also discovers the hooker is a man. How does he react? Well, in a Benny Hill-esquire fashion, he chases "her" around the apartment with a bunch of squirty dildo's only to trip up on a blow up doll. God knows what Patrick J Matthews and Stephen Hodge were thinking of. At least this scene paved the way for another priceless moment. This involved the male hooker reporting the incident to a curly haired police officer with a 2-bit joke shop 'cop' uniform. The hilarious acting is a must see. Especially the hooker's inability at saying "dildo" and his demand for "satisfaction".Apart from the above mentioned incident this monotonous slash flick was a complete bore. You know a movie's bad when the DVD trailers were more exciting. Normally, i'd fast forward to the good bits, only there weren't any here. The main action sequences involved Joe simply stabbing his victims repeatedly. Forget quick cuts, Matthews utilizes fadeouts (one during a stab scene) to limit any form of suspense there might already be. One girl's non-reaction to her fingers being chopped off is laughable. Normally i'd relish the words "uncut" but in this case they were far from a blessing. Just more agonizing cinematic torture. The whole movie felt like an unedited episode of Midsummer Murders, only less entertaining. I'd hate to see the cut version.To sum up, The Nostril picker is the most unentertaining thing i've seen since Richard Hammond's 5 O' Clock Show. Dismal performances made worse by a terribly tinny soundtrack and bad dubbing. Don't be fooled by the box label, this is NOT a cult classic unless it qualifies for the lets-use-shitty-horror-dvds-for-coffee-coasters cult. Which i think it does. Unless re-edited to 30 minutes stay away from this coma inducing mess.$LABEL$ 0 +It's a thoroughly successful example of a 1950s biopic. It has the stalwart and handsome young hero -- well, not so young anymore on screen; superb, if unlikely, direction by Billy Wilder; a stirring fully orchestrated musical score of uplifting scales and, when required, heavenly strings by Franz Waxman; strong supporting players; a gripping story; stunning photography by Hitchcock favorite Robert Burks; and a narrative about a singular historical event.The film begins with Jimmy Stewart as Charles Lindbergh trying to get some sleep in a Long Island hotel before his epic solo flight across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris. And he can't sleep.The flight itself is filled with flashbacks to Lindbergh's personal history and the purchase and construction of his unique high-wing monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis. St. Louis, Missouri, is the home of the partnership that sponsored the flight. (Even in 1927, money talked.) Anyway, the movie HAD to have multiple flashbacks and Stewart's narration. What's the alternative. Observing the unities? Thirty-three hours of watching Jimmy Stewart sitting silently at the controls of his noisy airplane while days and nights come and go? I found the script and the direction impressive for their time. Unpleasant things are of course left out, so as not to introduce more ambiguity than the contemporary audience might manage.My bet is that the howling mob that surrounds Lindbergh at Le Bourget ripped the airplane to pieces for souvenirs. And of course nothing about the pilot's relief tube, though it would have added more opportunities for humor. Some of today's viewers will find some incidents corny if they think too much about them. Aloft, Stewart chats with a friendly hitch-hiking fly that, in its own quietly concerned way, wakes him up by landing on his cheek at a critical moment. Later, the St. Christopher's medal that Father Hussman gave him taps gently against the glass crystal of one of the instruments just as Stewart is desperately trying to land. The atheist Stewart is saved twice -- once by a fly and once by God.But never mind that. It's an impressive film. That landing at Le Bourget, with an exhausted Stewart behind the joy stick, confused by searchlights, sweaty with fear and collapsing with fatigue, is really convincing. "I'm going to tear this airplane up," he tells himself, and we can believe him.Flying a light plane is not at all like driving a car. There is no smoothly curving highway to tell you where to go, no lanes to provide guidance. You're busy every second. You must watch the instruments, check each wingtip to see that they touch the horizon, ditto the airplane's nose, and constantly watch up, down, and sideways for other traffic, although that last wouldn't have been much of a problem for Lindbergh. He was all alone over the ocean.Why? In one of the movie's folksier moment, Stewart and Murray Hamilton, two gypsy barnstormers of the 1920s, are lounging near their airplanes in a Midwestern field. "What is it? What makes us love flying so much?", asks Hamilton. (No answer.) Later, his financial backers try to talk him out of the flight. Five other aviators have already died trying it. "But don't you understand? It HAS to be done," says an impassioned Stewart.Well, that's not much of an answer either. Why does it have to be done now, and why by Lindbergh? Why NOT wait ten years and stop wasting lives in the meantime? The answer, dear Socrates, lies partly in our glands. Pilots are a placid and confident lot, given to occasional arousal jags. Their chief problem may be an addiction to an internal rush of adrenalin. Just kidding. Some of my best friends are pilots. Still, Lindbergh must have been quite a guy. He deserved to be treated as a hero. Not just because of the flight itself but because of his later demeanor -- quiet, modest, a family man. We can easily forget his admiration for Hitler, since he more than made up for it by testing Corsair fighters in the Pacific and advising the Navy on how to tweak the airplanes and get the best performance out of them.See it if you have the chance. If nothing else, it's a history lesson told with visual splendor.$LABEL$ 1 +Writing about something so wonderful is completely hard. Actually, it's almost impossible to describe the peculiarities of this movie. This is a marvelous story about sex and gender, and it's almost unbelievable that we have not to deal with obscene scenes of sex. Feeling, this film was made for people that like to feel, and just to feel, life in all its complexity in a gorgeous simple way. We look at it, and something starts growing inside our minds, even our hearts: it a pure poem. I've watched some "gay" movies, and I almost always got really unsatisfied with unnecessary scenes of sex, not because I don't like scenes of sex, but generally they are so pornographic that I'm forced to think that the director or the producers or the writer of the script thinks that homosexuality means perversion. Nagisa no Shindobaddo is totally different from that ones. Three are the main characters. We have Ito, Yoshida and Aihara, two boys and a girl in a peculiar love triangle. Ito likes his best friend Yoshida, Yoshida likes Aihara and Aihara likes Ito. Imagine what this could turn in unprepared hands? But in the contrary, Hashiguchi makes a magnificent story which goes profoundly in the philosophy of life, adding a question in our mind that made me think, astonished, in the end of the movie: Why? And that why expanded in multiple questions inside of my brain and inside of my heart. The scenes, actually, sometimes tending to be boring, are moments of the most delightful poem which we are able to feel, but totally unable to write down in words. And maybe because of that, we are unable to understand the question in the end of the movie. I'm sure this movie was not made for us to discuss every piece of it… Some people want to understand a film almost dissecting it. Others are so used to common "American gay" movies that can't appreciate the real value of this master-piece. Watch it, close your eyes in the credits and feel, everything, feel yourself, feel the wonderful song. For all this and much, much more, I give a nine. And I just don't give ten, because ten of ten is perfection. But I confess I almost did it.$LABEL$ 1 +There's lots of ketchup but not a whole lot of sense in the supposedly explanatory third sequel, which piles on the naff visuals to no effect. Good old Alan Smithee directed this one, in which various members of the same family (all played, poorly, by Bruce Ramsay) are terrorised by Pinhead (Doug Bradley, wheeled out of mothballs for the umpteenth time). Peter Atkins tries to imbue his script with poetic touches but doesn't seem to realise that his dialogue is as deep and meaningful as a plate of sick. The incoherent plot fails to adequately fill the movie's meagre running time, although this may have more to do with studio interference than anything the filmmakers intended.$LABEL$ 0 +comeundone, I love you! I could not have come to a better conclusion than you did about this movie and it's ending. My family has not seen this movie yet, but I know them too well; they will hate it. But this time, I watched it alone and I found that it affected me greatly. Although the movie is long in length, I was tied to the story and amazed by the ending. I initially thought it was weird as to how she just vanished, but on some level, it makes perfect sense.But like comeundone said, this movie does not make sense of reality. Instead, it challenges it and the viewer to think strongly about what the word "normal" means. It also gives you the insight to personally think about what the ending means, I can say that I loved how it turned out and I'm happy for Mithi.$LABEL$ 1 +If you're looking to be either offended or amused or both, you'll probably have to look elsewhere. LMOTP really isn't even very thought provoking beyond rehashing the usual silly clichés. At the end of the second episode I felt a little embarrassed that I actually sat through the contrived mess.Beyond the thinly veiled gimmicky premise thats attracted all the initial attention to it in the first place it's just another lame, innocuous and anti-septic attempt at commentary and entertainment that the CBC typically excels at producing. And once the "ZOMG MUSLIMS IN RURAL CANADA ROFLMAO!!" hype wears out its welcome, the show is likely to follow into the ether of cancellation because it's so shallow when judged on its merits alone.Unless you're obsessed with Muslim culture in the west and/or are easily amused by the most minute idiosyncrasies on the subject I really don't see how LMOTP is enjoyable beyond satisfying the curiosity that stemmed from the hype. Other shows have better addressed the issue of cultural/ethnic dichotomy in western multi-ethnic societies. LMOTP will never rank among them in entertainment or insight.$LABEL$ 0 +I like underdogs. So, 12 years after having first seen Star Trek V, and thinking it was bizarrely bad, I gave it a second watch, hoping I would find some redeeming quality which I missed the first time around.I didn't.The writing is half-baked, and although at first the quality of the acting is stable enough to keep the movie on its feet (albeit shakily), the further we get into the plot the sillier it gets. The last quarter of the film is just plain ridiculous. What was even worse, from the original cast's POV, is that this was the first ST movie to be released AFTER the franchise returned to television with Next Generation, and the average episode of Next Generation would put this to shame* - including the special effects! What an embarrassment.The Final Frontier isn't thoroughly wretched - I gave it 4 out of 10 - but it's so far below the standard of its predecessors (yes, including the first one) that the only reason I can think of to watch it is because you'll appreciate the other movies more.* unless it's an episode with Troi's mother in it.$LABEL$ 0 +The Standard bearer of all movie serials, the definite good guy - Flash Gordon - versus Bad Guy - Ming the Merciless. Though the special effects seem awful by today's standards, for 1936 they were top notch. But the essence of the story is the battle between Earthman Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) versus Emporer Ming of Mongo (Charles Middleton). Crabbe and Middleton are terrific in their parts. And the supporting characters playing Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, Princess Aura, Prince Barin, Vulcan, and the rest are all very good. This serial is far superior to the 1980 movie, basically because Crabbe is much much superior to Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon.This serial is the standard bearer for all movie serials. No question about it.$LABEL$ 1 +This show has been my escape from reality for the past ten years. I will sadly miss it. Although Atlantis has filled the hole a small bit.The last ever episode of SG1(on television anyway)was beautifully done. Robert wrote something that felt close to reality. As though he was trying to explain what it was like on the set of the show. (Everyone working closely together for such a long time there are bound to up's and downs. But over the years they've turned into a family). I thought this was a wonderful way to end despite anyone else's criticisms.SG1 was something special and time and time again it took me across thresholds of disbelief and amazement. The wonderful characters, stories, directors, writers. From episode one I was hooked. The blend of action, science, drama and especially comedy worked so well that made me keep wanting more.There are no real words in which to completely express what this show meant to me. I can only thank those who kept the show so fresh and entertaining for so many years. It has inspired me to do many things that I thought was impossible.I look forward to the movies next year and I really hope there will be a number of them. I never want the show to die.Stargate SG1 - 1997 - 2007?$LABEL$ 1 +My older sister was born in March of 1985 and has cerebral palsy. in her 22 years of life, she has seen nothing but the walls of our house and her school which is also occupied with other disabled kids. i have been the butt of everyone's jokes because my sister is disabled, and i still think to this day that nobody is, or ever will give a damn about her and her condition. Then i saw this film.I knew what Christy's family was going through. but they were lucky. Christy could talk, he could communicate, and he had artistic skills. my sister can walk, but she can't utter a word, and she can't use her hands to do anything but grab onto things. but this film made me realize there were other people in the world like my sister, and the ending (to tell the truth) made me cry. AND I'VE SEEN SHAWSHANK!!! This film is seriously underrated, and it shouldn't. This movie tells people something. that people should be proud of their own lives. thinking you can't write well? this guy wrote with his foot. thinking you're not attractive? this guy got turned down by lots of girls, because of his condition. not the fastest runner? christy couldn't even stand up.My point: Parents of young children, i suggest your children watch this movie with you, so they'll know the next time they see someone on the street in a wheelchair, they don't stare at them like they're aliens. My sister got millions of stares, and it breaks my heart to think that this is still happening to many people. This film will teach people, that people who might not seem "normal" are people too. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Drew Barrymore was excellent in this film. This role is the type of role you don't normally see Drew play. Her typical role is as a woman looking for love. The storyline is also great.When Holly is implicated in her mother's murder she moves to L.A. She moves in with a guy who becomes her lover. But her brother who is in a mental prison hospital for what they believe is murder is almost killed she is wrongfully accused. It is then revealed to her lover that she has Multiple Personality Disorder. After that another woman becomes paranoid when she's around her. In the end though, they find out the truth.$LABEL$ 1 +Bob Cummings is excellent in this, as this technically brilliant Hitchcock film really does not get the fame as some of his other films but is very watchable even today. Priscilla Lane proves in this one that she can hold her own with other blonde's that worked with Hitchcock later. She just did a handful of films after this which makes her almost forgotten today.There are sequences in this that will remind the viewer of set ups in later films by the director. The acting is so well done and the story so well done that this film is still very entertaining today. Every person in the cast performs well. There are several great backdrops in the black & white film.This was the first film at Universal for Hitchcock. Long run between the feature films he did at Universal, plus the television series, Hitchcock would make as much box office for the studios as anyone who worked there. This fact gets lost in film history.Norman Lloyd is well cast as the real bad guy in this film. The story moves along really well including Hitchcock's only filmed western sequence. This film is very good with lots of great work by everyone involved making it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was horrible. I watched it three times, and not even the whole thing. It's just impossible to watch, the story line sucks, it's depressing, and utterly disgusting. I don't write spoilers for anything, so if you want to know why it's so disgusting, see it for yourself. The only good thing about this movie was John Savage, his dialogue at the beginning, and some funny parts in the movie. The little kid in this movie is annoying, and the whole situation is bullshit. I saw this movie at movie stores around America, so I assumed it would be a good movie. Jesus Christ, was I wrong!!!! The acting is all horrible, and the nudity itself is lame and nasty. Another thing is, Starr Andreef, the other main character, hasn't been in such bad movies in the past, in fact, she was in some pretty good ones. Same with John Savage. This movie SUCKS!$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed the innocence of this film and how the characters had to deal with the reality of having a powerful animal in their midst. The gorilla looks just terrific, and the eyes were especially lifelike. It's even a little scary at times and should have children slightly frightened without going over the top. Rene Russo plays her role wonderfully feminine. Usually these type of Hollywood films that take place in the past feel the need to create a straw-man villain but the only adversary is the gorilla. It's an interesting look at how close some animals are to humans, how they feel the same emotions we do, and yet how we really can't treat them just like people because they aren't. Not many films venture into this territory and it's worth seeing if you want to contemplate the human-animal similarity.$LABEL$ 1 +There's a lot of good that can be said for this cartoon; the backgrounds are rich, lushly colored and full of nicely done art deco details. The animation is up to the usual studio standards of the time, which are unquestionably higher than those of the present day. However, I find it tedious for a number of reasons.The Music: It's definitely not up to Scott Bradley's usual standards. Although it's probably supposed to be evocative of a "Great Gatsby" setting, it ends up being dreary, sleepy, repetitious AND monotonous (repetitious and monotonous are not the same, as Beethoven's 5th Symphony attests). Since most people (including me) tend to close their eyes when they yawn, there's a lot of the visual part of the cartoon that will be missed by the average viewer.The Storyline: I'm not giving away any secrets that aren't already in the plot summary - country good, city bad. This is a common theme in films, both animated and live, from this era. It's a misplaced nostalgia for a nonexistent rural idyll, which, in the present day, is reflected in a similar nostalgia for "values" that never were.$LABEL$ 0 +"Scoop" is also the name of a late-Thirties Evelyn Waugh novel, and Woody Allen's new movie, though set today, has a nostalgic charm and simplicity. It hasn't the depth of characterization, intense performances, suspense or shocking final frisson of Allen's penultimate effort "Match Point," (argued by many, including this reviewer, to be a strong return to form) but "Scoop" does closely resemble Allen's last outing in its focus on English aristocrats, posh London flats, murder, and detection. This time Woody leaves behind the arriviste murder mystery genre and returns to comedy, and is himself back on the screen as an amiable vaudevillian, a magician called Sid Waterman, stage moniker The Great Splendini, who counters some snobs' probing with, "I used to be of the Hebrew persuasion, but as I got older, I converted to narcissism." Following a revelation in the midst of Splendini's standard dematerializing act, with Scarlett Johansson (as Sondra Pransky) the audience volunteer, the mismatched pair get drawn into a dead ace English journalist's post-mortem attempt to score one last top news story. On the edge of the Styx Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) has just met the shade of one Lord Lyman's son's secretary, who says she was poisoned, and she's told him the charming aristocratic bounder son Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) was the Tarot Card murderer, a London serial killer. Sondra and Sid immediately become a pair of amateur sleuths. With Sid's deadpan wit and Sondra's bumptious beauty they cut a quick swath through to the cream of the London aristocracy.Woody isn't pawing his young heroine muse -- as in "Match Point," Johansson again -- as in the past. This time moreover Scarlett's not an ambitious sexpot and would-be movie star. She's morphed surprisingly into a klutzy, bespectacled but still pretty coed. Sid and Sondra have no flirtation, which is a great relief. They simply team up, more or less politely, to carry out Strombel's wishes by befriending Lyman and watching him for clues to his guilt. With only minimal protests Sid consents to appear as Sondra's dad. Sondra, who's captivated Peter by pretending to drown in his club pool, re-christens herself Jade Spence. Mr. Spence, i.e., Woody, keeps breaking cover by doing card tricks, but he amuses dowagers with these and beats their husbands at poker, spewing non-stop one-liners and all the while maintaining, apparently with success, that he's in oil and precious metals, just as "Jade" has told him to say.That's about all there is to it, or all that can be told without spoiling the story by revealing its outcome. At first Allen's decision to make Johansson a gauche, naively plainspoken, and badly dressed college girl seems not just unkind but an all-around bad decision. But Johansson, who has pluck and panache as an actress, miraculously manages to carry it off, helped by Jackman, an actor who knows how to make any actress appear desirable, if he desires her. The film actually creates a sense of relationships, to make up for it limited range of characters: Sid and Sondra spar in a friendly way, and Peter and Sondra have a believable attraction even though it's artificial and tainted (she is, after all, going to bed with a suspected homicidal maniac).What palls a bit is Allen's again drooling over English wealth and class, things his Brooklyn background seems to have left him, despite all his celebrity, with a irresistible hankering for. Jackman is an impressive fellow, glamorous and dashing. His parents were English. But could this athletic musical comedy star raised in Australia ("X-Man's" Wolverine) really pass as an aristocrat? Only in the movies, perhaps (here and in "Kate and Leopold").This isn't as strong a film as "Match Point," but to say it's a loser as some viewers have is quite wrong. It has no more depth than a half-hour radio drama or a TV show, but Woody's jokes are far funnier and more original than you'll get in any such media affair, and sometimes they show a return to the old wit and cleverness. It doesn't matter if a movie is silly or slapdash when it's diverting summer entertainment. On a hot day you don't want a heavy meal. The whole thing deliciously evokes a time when movie comedies were really light escapist entertainment, without crude jokes or bombastic effects; without Vince Vaughan or Owen Wilson. Critics are eager to tell you this is a return to the Allen decline that preceded "Match Point." Don't believe them. He doesn't try too hard. Why should he? He may be 70, but verbally, he's still light on his feet. And his body moves pretty fast too.$LABEL$ 1 +************* SPOILERS BELOW ************* "'Night, Mother" is the story of Jesse (Sissy Spacek), a divorced epileptic woman who calmly announces to her brash mother (Anne Bancroft) that she's going to commit suicide. This is a fascinating premise that is drained of all vitality and excitement. The brilliant hook turns out to be a cheat- the story that follows is lacking in substance, gravity and revelatory value. Where are the shocks and surprises as mother and daughter have what may be the last conversation of their lives? Where are the secrets revealed, the confessions and fantasies and regrets? They're here, but they've all been painted the same dull color that keeps emotion in the background and celebrates the 'genius' of playwright Marsha Norman at the expense of everything else. The result is not a film but an exhausting endurance test.Let me preface my comments by saying I find Sissy Spacek to be one of the greatest actresses in the history of motion pictures, a woman so magnetic, so natural that she continues to surprise and amaze me after twenty years of stardom. She brings a touch of class and magic to everything she does, and I've seen her rescue more than one film from the recycling bin with her angelic face and vulnerable eyes, her soft voice and sweet smile. It was because of the great Spacek that I watched this film in the first place, and for one of her movies to be terrible it has to fail in a significant way. This film fails in two.First and foremost the film is adapted so faithfully from the Pulitzer-winning stage play that it is claustrophobic and repetitive. The entire movie is a two-woman dialogue between Jesse and her Mother. What worked on stage- a middle-aged mother and daughter argue for two hours in small house- dies on film. A play, no matter how great, needs to be *adapted* for the screen… it is self-indulgent and arrogant to believe that the dialogue is so perfect that not of a word of it can be altered. The screenplay for this film could have been shortened by thirty to forty pages, and a knowing screenwriter would have given the brilliant Spacek and competent Bancroft some *physical* sequences, some facial reactions, something to break up the wall-to-wall yak fest and prison-like single-set. It is no wonder that the screenplay was adapted by the original playwright Marsha Norman, who may know theater but reveals herself here to be clueless in film.I cannot over-emphasize the effect the stage-play script has on the film. Watching Jesse and her Mother argue about Jesse's impending suicide is redundant and dull. The women walk from the living room into the kitchen into the den and back into the living room, where they start all over again. A tiny Midwestern house is not the ideal location for a single-set film, and the director never tries anything clever or original, never tries to break up the monotony with an exterior shot or cutaway or a flashback or *anything*. There's no music, no other characters, no other stories... just two women covering the couch cushions and arguing their opinions. The reverence given to the play is sickening… even Shakespeare's most solemn classics get shaken up for the screen. The commitment to the original play seems almost spiteful… it's as if the film was made only to document the dramatic treasure that was the stage play, with the audience an afterthought.The other reason the film fails is Anne Bancroft. She may be a good stage actress but on film- where presence is 80% of performance- she rarely seems to fit. She certainly doesn't fit here, playing a Midwestern grandmother but looking more like Mrs. Robinson before her morning coffee. She chases Jesse around the house, looking more aggravated than astounded, and seems extraordinarily unsympathetic, even when her lines convey a loving- if flawed- woman.Sissy Spacek is great as she always is, honest and open and so good that you actually understand and agree with her character's choice. Sissy lets us see that Jesse is a flat tire, a wrong turn of a woman who has had every bad break and made too many wrong choices. She's never had control of her life, and her suicide will be her way of finally saying "No more- this is where I get off." That's how she puts it anyway, and when Spacek speaks… you listen. She proves in all her films that a good actress doesn't have to behave like a man, doesn't have to be all bluff and bravado and borrowed testosterone. In this and in films like "Coal Miner's Daughter" she quietly demonstrates a soft strength and quiet depth that is as impressive as it is hypnotic… you can't help but fall in love.That's why it was so hard for me to watch "'Night, Mother." Spacek is wasted in a stilted stunt of a film that never serves to engage or even distract. I would not recommend this movie to anyone except die-hard fans of Sissy like myself and even then you'll be disappointed. I do give the film an entire letter grade bonus for the ending, which is courageous enough to let the lead character do what's right for *her* and not pander to a hackneyed happy ending. GRADE: C$LABEL$ 0 +The only good thing about this movie was the shot of Goldie Hawn standing in her little french cut bikini panties and struggling to keep a dozen other depraved women from removing her skimpy little cotton top while she giggled and cooed. Ooooof! Her loins rival those of Nina Hartley. This movie came out when I was fourteen and that shot nearly killed me. I'd forgotten about it all tucked away in the naughty Roladex of my mind until seeing it the other day on TV, where they actually blurred her midsection in that scene, good grief, reminding me what a smokin' hottie of a woman Goldie Hawn was in the '80s. Kurt Russell must have had a fun life.$LABEL$ 0 +If it is true that sadomasochism is a two-sided coin which contains the whole in the diverse expression of its opposites, then the cinematic portrait of Erika Kohut has its reality. Professor Kohut treats her piano students with a kind of fascist sadism while longing for the same for herself. Her outward expression projects her desire. That is why she can hurt without guilt or remorse.Along comes talented, charming, handsome young Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel) who is attracted to her because of her passion and her intensity. He wants to become her student so as to be close to her. She rejects him out of hand, but because of his talent the Vienna conservatory votes him in. He falls in love with her. Again she pushes him away, but he will not take no for an answer, and thereby begins his own descent into depravity and loss of self-respect.The question the viewer might ask at this point is, who is in control? The sadist or the masochist? Indeed who is the sadist and who the masochist? It is hard to tell. Is it the person who has just been greatly abused both psychologically and physically, who is actually lying wounded on the floor in grotesque triumphant and fulfillment, or is it the person who is rushing out the door, sated, giving the order that no one is to know what happened.But Erika is not just a sadomasochistic freak. She is a sex extreme freak. She wants to experience the extremes of human sexuality while maintaining the facade of respectability. Actually that isn't even true. She says she doesn't care what others think. She doesn't care if they walk in and find her bleeding on the floor because she is in love. Love, she calls it. For her sex and love are one and the same.At one point Walter tells her that love isn't everything. How ironic such a superfluity is to her. How gratuitous the comment.The movie is beautifully cut and masterfully directed by Michael Haneke who spins the tale with expert camera work and carefully constructed sets in which the essence of the action is not just clear but exemplified (as in the bathroom when Walter propels himself high above the top of the stall to find Erika within). He also employs a fine positioning of the players so that they are always where they should be with well timed cuts from one angle to another. This is particularly important in the scene in which Erika, like a blood-drained corpse caught in stark white and black light, lies under her lover, rigid as stone. Here for the most part we only see her face and the stark outline of her neck with its pulsating artery. We don't need to see any more.The part of Erika Kohut is perfect for Isabelle Huppert who is not afraid of extremes; indeed she excels in them. I have seen her in a number of movies and what she does better than almost anyone is become the character body and soul. Like the woman she plays in this movie she is unafraid of what others may think and cares little about her appearance in a decorative sense. What matters to her is the performance and the challenge. No part is too demanding. No character too depraved. It's as if Huppert wants to experience all of humanity, and wants us to watch her as she does. She is always fascinating and nearly flawless. She is not merely a leading light of the French cinema; she is one of the great actresses of our time who has put together an amazingly diverse body of work.I think it is highly instructive and affords us a wonderful and striking contrast to compare her performance here with her performance in The Lacemaker (La Dentellière) from 1977 when she was 22 years old. There she was apple sweet in her red hair and freckles and her pretty face and her cute little figure playing Pomme, a Parisian apprentice hairdresser. Her character was shy about sex and modest--just an ordinary French girl who hoped one day to be a beautician. Here she is a self-destructive witch, bitter with hateful knowledge of herself, shameless and entirely depraved.Huppert is fortunate in being an actress in France where there are parts like this for women past the age of starlets. (Hollywood could never make a movie like this.) In the American cinema, only a handful of the very best and hardest working actresses can hope to have a career after the age of about thirty. Huppert greatly increases her exposure because of her ability and range, but also because she is willing to play unsympathetic roles, here and also in La Cérémonie (1995) in which she plays a vile, spiteful murderess.Do see this for Isabelle Huppert. You won't forget her or the character she brings to life.$LABEL$ 1 +A box with a button provides a couple with the opportunity to be financially free, but the cost is the life of someone they've never met. This is a very tedious film to watch. Richard Kelly, who wrote and directed it, decided to make a film without any payoff. You are taken on a ride of slow build ups, one after the other with minor revelations at best. At certain moments, I thought to myself, this will have major significance at the end, but nothing does. The film just leaves one thinking, "This story could have been told in 30 minutes, without all the stretched out nonsense." I will hope you avoid this god-awful film and maintain your sanity by doing so.$LABEL$ 0 +Not much to say other than it is simply a masterpiece. this film contains a myriad of messages that all should take to heart. especially- women do not squelch your man's dreams -honor them -that's why you loved him in the first place! Those who plan for death will live in the grave. Those who carpe diem will awaken those who live in fear. Even our Lord spoke of this when he chastised the the one who buried his talent in fear that he might make a mistake and displease the Master. Take a risk, get out of the boat and you will walk on water. Life is a journey that does not end in the grave but in our minds and souls.$LABEL$ 1 +I had a hard time sitting through this. Every single twist and turn is predictable. You're sitting there just waiting for it ... waiting for it ... and yes, there it is! Just as you predicted at the very beginning of the movie. Or 10 minutes out. Et cetera. Smart writing? No. Torture porn? No, there's no nudity. Other reviews calling this torture porn are most likely written by people on heavy drugs. Unfortunately there's no torture and no nudity (yes, no nudity).There's no suspense at all in this "thriller". The only good part about this movie is the ending, but I'm not going to spoil that.I'm giving it a 2/10. A 1/10 would be a horrible B-movie. This movie had better acting.$LABEL$ 0 +The Railway Children, at least this 1970 movie version written and directed by that long-time British character actor, Lionel Jeffries, is an unmitigated...classic. It tells a childhood story with great simplicity and charm; the sentimentality is muted; the evocation of childhood adventures is involving; and Jeffries brings cleverness and style to his production. The Waterbury family is leading an idyllic life in Edwardian London. The father is prosperous, the mother is beautiful and loving, the children are well-mannered and affectionate, their home is warm and cozy. Then one night during the Christmas holidays two men appear at the doorstep, talk quietly to the father, and then take him away. In a moment the lives of Mrs Waterbury (Dinah Sheridan) and Bobbie, 14 (Jenny Agutter), Phyllis, 12 (Sally Thomsett) and young Peter (Gary Warren), have been changed. Only their fortitude and good spirits are going to see them through. Now teetering into poverty, Mrs. Waterbury takes her children to live in a musty old brick house in the countryside near a rail-line, not too far from a small village with a train station. The children discover the rail and regularly sit on a small hill to wave at the passengers as the train chugs by. One day an old gentleman, going to his business in the city, looks up from his newspaper and finds himself waving back. It's not long before he will play an important part in the story. As time passes, Mrs. Waterbury brings all her love and intelligence to bear on her children. She begins to write stories to earn money. She teaches them their lessons and provides a home of warmth and security for them. The story, however, is about these three children, especially Bobbie. At 14, she is old enough to want to share her mother's worries, yet young enough to enjoy the adventures she has with her sister and brother. They find a poor man at the station who cannot speak English. They discover he is a Russian refugee who no longer knows where his wife and child are. They insist he must come home with them, and their mother takes him in. Before long the children have written a large sign to the old gentlemen on the train asking for his help. They help a young man taking part in a steeplechase who breaks his leg in a train tunnel. Soon, he is at their home recuperating. They decide to have a birthday party for the station master, a man with few friends and several children who is a stickler for his dignity. It's not long before the children help him realize the difference between friendship and charity. In other words, the three children encounter all sorts of problems in their childhood adventures, and manage to be instrumental in seeing that all the problems have happy endings. But what of their own problems? Bobbie finally learns from her mother that her father was taken away because he had been accused of treason, of giving state secrets to the Russians. Will Bobbie be able to find a way to help? Will the old gentleman be something more than simply an old gentleman on a passing train? Will their father's case be reopened? Will there be a happy ending? Jenny Agutter was almost 18 when she filmed her part; she plays the 14-year-old Bobbie with great naturalness and charm. As important as the other players are, especially Dinah Sheridan as the mother, Agutter is the heart of the story. For me, it is Jenny Agutter's talent and Lionel Jeffries' style and restraint that make this movie so memorable. The story's problems come with no serious doubt but that they will be solved. And Jeffries does not just give us an expertly adapted and directed movie, he adds touches that are barely noticed but which charm us. This might include just a split second of a freeze frame as two people talk; or a slow close-up of a small, yellow wildflower in the grass outside Bobbie's home, then a slow pull-back from a yellow oil lamp being turned up inside; or the realization that a delightful interior shot or a view of the green countryside or a look at the train station from a hill...all suddenly recall those charming Edwardian hand-tinted drawings of a perfect by- gone time. Perhaps this gentle story can't compete for the time kids need nowadays to perfect their Nintendo monster-splatting skills. I'm almost positive it would never capture the attention of most of their parents, especially those weaned on Batman and Leone. Still, it's a perfectly put together movie and shouldn't be forgotten. As an aside, 19 years later the story was retold as a television program. This time, Jenny Agutter played the mother.$LABEL$ 1 +A fun concept, but poorly executed. Except for the fairly good makeup effects, there's really not much to it. There are obvious problems; for example, after taking what seems to be weeks and weeks to get from fat to normal size, the main character seems to go from normal size to deathly thin in days... and once he's deathly thin he stays pretty much equally deathly thin for what seems to be a long time.In any case, the movie has far worse problems than that--the cinematography is decidedly low-budget-TV-show quality and most of all the acting is pretty awful all around. Robert John Burke seems to always be trying for some kind of weird snarling Charlton Heston impersonation and is literally painful to watch... the only scary thing is that Lucinda Jenney and Kari Wuhrer are both even worse.The only reason why I'm giving this movie as high as I am is that once the movie enters its last 1/3 or so and Joe Mantegna's character takes over, the movie develops a fun, campy 'cheesefest slaughterhouse' feel, and the gangster's crazy schemes for tormenting the totally obnoxious gypsies are somewhat fun to watch. The ending, if predictable, is also nicely mean. Avoid unless you're a King-o-Phile or are REALLY psyched up at the idea of the voice of Fat Tony from the Simpsons terrorizing a gypsy camp.$LABEL$ 0 +This, "Prodigal Son" and "Eastern Condors" are my favourite Sammo Hung films. The Fat Dragon is fatter in this outing than he was in "Condors", but he's no less sure-footed as director or actor. He is, in fact, at the top of his form and delivers a devastating, brutal actioner that boasts half a dozen amazing sequences and manages to tell a compassionate, sweet love story also. Love and romance are not the director's priorities here, but they serve as curious adjuncts to the action, and insure that viewers don't hit the fast-forward button between the physical clashes.The opening scene, which features a funny light sabre duel, sets a solid but deceptive tone. A sequence in which Sammo's pedicab is chased by a car is beautifully staged and sweetened with a sharp, comic tone. The fast and furious stick fight between Sammo and Lau Kar Leung is a model of dazzling choreography and sharp, superb direction, and easily one of the best ever of its type. The film's violence escalates slowly until, finally, when the climactic showdown comes, we are subjected to some of the most brutal altercations ever seen in a Sammo production. The director/actor's assault on Billy Chow and a house filled with angry, menacing opponents is a bone-cracking, physically punishing delight.Terrific on every level and one of the best martial arts movies ever made.Great score, too.$LABEL$ 1 +I wish they would just make a special section in the video rental stores for movies like this. The section would read: "Movies for lonely older men who like to watch young girls being naughty and wearing fetish clothes" I guess dominique swain, after lolita nd now this, is establishing herself as the queen of the dirty old man genre.$LABEL$ 0 +What the F*@# was this I just watched? Steven STOP!! Please! This movie is insatiably bad and silly. In a bizarre departure from action and adventure, Mr. Seagal is now fighting (obviously) wish-they-were-vampire 'like' creatures with super human strength.? OK? Oh, and their eyes blink sideways in an inhuman way? Wow! Even still in this movie however, to quell Seagals have-to-have-the-last-punch-and-no-one-can-kick-my-a$$ ego, HE is somehow stronger than they are. However all of the average humans are getting crushed all around him. Come on, I can understand the big mouth neighborhood bully or drug dealer, but these are super human strength people. Oh and get this, Seagal goes through a brief sting of identity issues, because apparently he and his cohorts in the film think he is Wolverine! Oh My GO... And worst than all of that! Yes, there is a worse than that. He has a voice over even changing voice in mid sentence while we are looking at his face. They obviously sound nothing like him and I believe it may be one of the other actors in the film. It was pure madness. Although I wanted to turn it off I always watch a movie to he end. This is an all time low even for your direct to video movies Steven. Awful! Awful! Awful! Two thumbs down! Redemeption qualities? Well I guess so, I will be fair in that aspect. At least some of the special effects were OK, and I like the choice of wardrobe for the actors and actresses. The women all were quite attractive IMO. Still, and I said STILL, it does not make up for the blatant X-Men, Underworld, (insert your favorite zombie, vampire movie here) rip off! The director, writer, producer, ALL should be bansihed & exile from the movie business. I think I feel the way that most people feel about Blood Rayne (and just about all other Uwe Boll pictures) about this film. That's my whole $1.00 on this film. View if you dare.$LABEL$ 0 +Disregard the plot and enjoy Fred Astaire doing A Foggy Day and several other dances, one a duo with a hapless Joan Fontaine. Here we see Astaire doing what are essentially "stage" dances in a purer form than in his films with Ginger Rogers, and before he learned how to take full advantage of the potential of film. Best of all: the fact that we see Burns and Allen before their radio/TV husband-wife comedy career, doing the kind of dancing they must have done in vaudeville and did not have a chance to do in their Paramount college films from the 30s. (George was once a tap dance instructor). Their two numbers with Fred are high points of the film, and worth waiting for. The first soft shoe trio is a warm-up for the "Chin up" exhilarating carnival number, in which the three of them sing and dance through the rides and other attractions. It almost seems spontaneous. Fan of Fred Astaire and Burns & Allen will find it worth bearing up under the "plot". I've seen this one 4 or 5 times, and find the fast forward button helpful.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this is a great, classic monster film for the family. The mole, what a machine! The tall creature with the beak, the flying green lizards, Ranthorincus/mayas or whatever they are and the ape men things the speak telepathically with them. The battle of the men in rubber suits fighting for a doll for breakfast umm! yummy! Class, what else can I say? How would they make a 2002 remake of this one?$LABEL$ 1 +Some of the early talkies survived to become classics. 1929's "The Squall" is a classic all right, but not in the way it was intended. Melodramatic in story and acting, today it seems ludicrous, particularly the casting of Myrna Loy as Nubi, a seductive gypsy. Imagine Nora Charles breaking up a young couple and driving a young man to steal. Outrageous! However, as many people know, when Loy first came to Hollywood, she did quite a few of these exotic seductress roles.Based on a play, "The Squall" concerns the aforementioned Gypsy who in the film is now in Hungary (Spain in the play) running away from her cruel master and inviting herself into the home of the Lajos family (Richard Tucker and Alice Joyce), basically by appearing at the door. One by one, Nubi seduces the men of the family and the farm talking her pidgin English ("Nubi not bad! Nubi do nothing wrong!") and dropping hints about nice presents. The son in the family, Paul (Carroll Nye) is engaged to the beautiful Irma (Loretta Young) and can't wait to marry her. He loses interest when he meets Nubi.With the exception of the lovely Alice Joyce, Zasu Pitts as a woman who lives in the household and the stunningly beautiful Loretta Young, the acting is uniformly awful. Loy is stuck with the hallmarks of her character - bad English, whining and hysteria. With her darkened makeup, peasant getup and curly hair, she is not only beautiful but right out of the 1980s - quite modern, though Richard Tucker's putting the back of his hand on his forehead reminds us we're just emerging from the silents.Robert Osborne on TCM commented that this film is one of his secret pleasures. While it is deliciously bad, it's not deliciously bad enough to sit through again. It's just bad - but a great example of how far we've come and, had someone not picked up on Myrna Loy's sense of humor, how limited her wonderful career might have been.$LABEL$ 0 +Now this is more like it!One of the best movies I have ever seen!Despite it made very well on all aspects,this movie was put down solely for not being too historically accurate.Loosen up!There are tons of historical movies out there that were forgiven for not being too historically accurate and many of them do not even come close to how grand,how entertaining and how captivating this movie was!Now this is what a movie ticket is all about!You will get exacty what you want from this movie's genre and all naysayers are those with the anti-Flynn syndrome.This conservative rooted syndrome is very closely related to the anti-Elvis,anti-Ali,anti-Clinton,anti-Kennedy syndromes,usually caused by fear of charming individuals who have unconventional beliefs.If the viewer of this movie is open minded and has the ability to separate politics from art,you will find this movie not only one of the best classics,but also one of the best movies of all time.I rate it the second best western ever, right behind Wayne's The Cowboys........$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this film just to see Amber Benson, though after reading the box I thought it sounded like a good story.....however the first problem was that there really wasn't a story...or actually there was a story but it made absolutely no sense. The second problem was there was no set up for these characters...yes I got that they all went to school together, but within the first 3 minutes of the film you realized they had nothing else in common and didn't like each other...so why did they keep getting together. Flaw number 3...the director though long pauses and tight camera shots equaled suspense (especially with the typical suspense music dubbed in)...he was sadly mistaken. It was painful to watch a terrific actress like Amber Benson waste time trying to bring this back to life....my only hope is the money she made here was put toward producing her own film.$LABEL$ 0 +The first twenty-five minutes stand out as possibly the worst in modern British film. Director/adapter William Cartlidge has treated Wilde's original with such reverence that he seems to have completely ignored the needs of a cinematic audience. Thankfully the quality of the direction and editing improves significantly after the first half hour, but by then the damage has been done. Of the actors, Prunella Scales and Robert Hardy wipe the floor with the rest of the cast every time they are on screen. The other exceptions are Jonathan Firth's Arthur and Karen Hayley's Mabel, who are given enough latitude to deliver their lines with the true comic sense which Wilde intended. The ostensible leads, James Wilby and Trevyn McDowell, are in comparison lacklustre and wooden. In an obvious attempt to eke every penny out a meagre budget, the play has been nominally updated to the 1990's, but in conjunction with the original script the effect is more of a badly script 1970s TV drama. True moments of comedy are few and far between, but when they arrive are highly amusing - a sign, maybe, that more judicious pruning of the rest of the play might have led to a better paced, more even film.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen several stage and film adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and this one has to take the cake as the absolute worst. My family bought the DVD unsuspectingly and couldn't even make it through the first half. I later went back and forced myself to watch the whole thing (it had been a Christmas gift to me) and was just appalled.The only redeeming factor (and it's hardly redeeming enough to save the whole show) is Mark Lin-Baker playing the Mock Turtle with a Yiddish accent. It's one of the few moments in the piece that has some real charm and can be taken somewhat seriously. Other than that, the songs are half-songs, the melodies are half-melodies and even Meryl Streep cannot make this direction look good.$LABEL$ 0 +from the start of this movie you soon become aware that the name of the film has nothing to do with the movie itself from watching a naked woman being chased by people in very silly masks to servants running round in the worst clothing I've ever seen and all this in subtitles makes this the kind of movie you should think twice about seeing and as the film slowly moves along you soon realise that the vampire is not a vampire you got to wonder where the title came from some parts of the film made a bit of sense with Pierre and is father but as the film gets to its really silly ending you have got to think why end a film this way and surly they had a better ending if only in there heads this is not a film to watch basically$LABEL$ 0 +I am obsessed! The story is amazing and the show is highly addictive, but I love it. I am on Season 2, disc 5, and I tell you that I am too attached to the characters now. For anything bad to happen to them would seriously affect my vote for the show. And, Michael is on my list now. Kidding... I am so happy to see there is a Season 3, because I was too afraid to go onto disc 6 thinking that it would be ending. I can't wait to see the rest now. Thanks to the directors/producers/and actors of Lost...I enjoy watching TV again. Before Lost I surfed through every channel going to bed sad because of my disappointment in television, but I have to say that Lost is my kind of entertainment!$LABEL$ 1 +Naruto the Anime TV Series has so far spawned 2 feature length theatre movies, and a third one is coming our way this summer.The first one, which was released in the summer '04 was a fun adventure featuring the main characters of Naruto in an exciting adventure. However, one must be a blind, deaf and one legged chicken to deny that film's faults. Whilst the first was most definitely enjoyable, there were a lot of things that could be improved on. Naruto Movie 2, however, takes all of these aspects and excels upon them.The action first of all, was incredibly cinematic. The lighting, setting and style was three fold as effective as in the first movie. In the first we were given basic action, well animated and choreographed animation, but nothing eye popping, however this movie's cinematography was exceptional, the use of shadows and lighting combining together to make the action all that more intense was very effective and added to the force of the fighting.The animation was very good. It rivalled Disney, however since this is a movie about TV characters, there was nothing exceptionable about the character design or detail to the actual characters, however, the animation was incredibly fluid and realistic. I think they even used twice the amount of cels for each second because there was absolutely nothing jittery about the animation at all, it was incredibly fluid.The music... I think that's where this movie fails. The original composer/conductor for the TV show was used for the film, and I don't really feel that he did that good of a job. The music mostly reminded me of a lot of pieces used in old SNES games. The composer is very good, but the synthesisers used for the film couldn't convey the tune very well. However they didn't fail the film at all, adding as a good accompaniment to the action. But, except for a few violin/string pieces towards the end and some choral work, the music didn't excel any boundaries or act as anything special.The story was fun. It was a reasonably typical storyline for Naruto and was very similar to the first movies, except, again, it took everything that had been wrong with the first film's story and improved upon them. The characters were a lot more interesting and the way the story progressed was what kept me watching throughout the entire film. It kept making you think the film would be ending any second now, but then it would move on, but instead of feeling dragged out, the action and characters made everything still feel fresh and exciting.Overall, this film is a goodun, but however good it might be, it is most definitely one for the fans. I enjoyed the film, but thats because... I'm a fan! But I can see, just like with Final Fantasy's Advent Children, it doesn't excel as a movie, but merely acts as a fantastic serve of fan service for a good hour and a half. Though I think this film does act as a good introduction to the series for current non-watchers, it won't give a full effect for anyone other than those glued to Naruto screens. However, despite all this, it was a fun movie to enjoy during this depressing period of upsetting fillers.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a low grade cold war propaganda film crossed with a soapie. It may have some long-term significance as a snapshot of 1950s US thinking, but there is little else to commend in the mawkish storyline, wooden acting and grating style. There are some interesting photos of long-gone aircraft, but that was not enough for even this aircraft enthusiast to leave it on the screen for the full length.$LABEL$ 0 +Fox's "The True Story Of Jesse James" (1957) is a remarkably poor widescreen remake of their prestigious 1939 Tyrone Power/Henry Fonda classic "Jesse James". I'm not sure where the fault lies but the casting in this version of the two central characters, the uneven direction of Nicholas Ray and the ham-fisted screenplay must surely have something to do with it.In the late thirties and forties Tyrone Power was Fox's top leading man but in the fifties his star began to wane and studio head Darryl Zanuck started to groom newcomer Robert Wagner to take his place. This was a major error on Zanuck's part as Wagner proved to be a less than a suitable replacement. With the possible exceptions of "Broken Lance" (1954) and "Between Heaven & Hell" (1956) it is hard to think of Wagner distinguishing himself in anything! Also, Jeffrey Hunter was nothing more than a Fox contract player before being assigned to play Frank James to Wagner's Jesse in "The True Story Of Jesse James". Borrowed from the studio the previous year this actor's one distinguishing mark was his excellent and revealing performance in John Ford's classic "The Searchers". But his playing here, along with Wagner as the second half of the James Brothers, is nothing short of boring. Neither player bring any personality or colour to their respective roles. They totally miss the mark, lacking the charisma and appeal so vividly displayed by Power and Fonda in the original. The movie is also marred by too many flashbacks and with the all over the place screenplay Wagner, as the Robin Hood of the American west, comes across as a charmless introverted twit that you can feel no empathy for whatsoever. The supporting cast are hardly worth mentioning but it is a shame to see such a great actress as Agnes Moorhead barely getting a look in as Ma James.The best aspects of this uninvolving so-so western is the wonderful Cinemascope/Colour cinematography by the great Joe McDonald and the excellent music score by the underrated and little known composer Leigh Harline!$LABEL$ 0 +The previous reviewer has said it exactly. I saw it once, was enchanted, saw it a second time when it was re-broadcast within a week or two of the first airing. I still remember some of the scenes. The setting is the opening of the 20th century, the war referred to in the title is World War I. One of the scenes was set in a women-only section of a public place, which was an interesting historical note. The moment when one of the women first touches the other is one of my all-time great movie moments. I don't think of this as a "gay movie," it's an interesting and tender period love story, where the two principals happen to be women. I would love to see this movie again; I would buy this one if it ever came out on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +this was a personal favorite of mine when i was young, it had everything that was great with 90's kids movies... lovable dinosaurs, cute kids, an eccentric villain, and a few great songs (and not the typical little mermaid/beauty and the beast type songs, but ones that are atually entertaining)! i ran into this movie again recently and i still love it as much as ever! i recommend that everyone of every age should see this movie, and i definitely think that it should be introduced to the younger generations! sorry not the most informative, i'm in kinda a rush... just please, trust me. all who go against this movie are killing their inner child!$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this film as a teenager (I'm now in my 40's), and have long considered it to be my favorite movie. The story is enormously moving, without being sentimental. The acting, especially by March and Loy, is dead-on. And the fact that Dana Andrews is too old for his role doesn't take away from the believability of his romance with Theresa Wright (whom I believe is the only major character in the film still living). This could have turned out to be another post-war melodrama, but the script and cast are simply too good for that to happen.$LABEL$ 1 +INSPECTOR GADGET (1999) **Starring: Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher, Andy Dick, Dabney Coleman Director: David Kellogg 80 minutes Rated PGBy Blake French:Disney's new film, "Inspector Gadget" is about a cop named John who survives a major accident and is saved by a state of the art experimental operation that turns him into a robotic machine-like agent who has tools and contraptions of all sorts built into his body at his use when he says "Go Go," only to be called Inspector Gadget!The actual movie's structure is much like the body formation of Inspector Gadget himself. It is noisy, fragmented, energetic and consist of a bunch of half hearted contraptions thrown together to make something that doesn't have much in common with anything else present. The film is basically a series of zany action sequences that are kind of pasted together with characters and an uneven story that only kids between the ages of 6-9 would enjoy.The cop who is dramatically reinvented is played by Matthew Broderick, who, until "Inspector Gadget," was on a success spree with movies like "Election." His character becomes Inspector Gadget after an encounter with the film's heavy handed villain named Claw. He is played by Rupert Everett, who has already experienced catastrophe this year with the dreadful "William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream."There is a romantic subplot in this movie as well as ample amounts of scenes involving Inspector Gadget's wacky body parts and mechanism elements. It has Gadget and Claw drooling over the attractive character Brenda, played by Joely Fisher, for both her looks and her knowledge of a specific invention made by her late father, who was earlier killed by Claw. Competition evolves into fight scenes and a reason for many happenings in the film. Also a major character is the Gadget Mobil, a life like automobile that is devised for Inspector Gadget himself. It is voiced by D.L. Hughly from the sitcom comedy "The Hughly's.""Inspector Gadget" is a movie that I found quite bad. I know, I am not exactly a target audience of the filmmakers, but even my ten year old relative found the film to his disliking. The movie is full of distinct flaws and obvious problems. I never found myself caring about the characters. There is no mood development beyond some neat opening credits, unlike the much worse 1997 film, "Mr. Magoo," which opened using clips of the original cartoon. Is it too much to ask for that same type of thing in this comedy-which is seldom funny and hardly ever convincing. The overall production design is nothing but a mess of incomplete sight gags and consists of one joke: Inspector Gadget's bumbling goofiness.In movies like this the audience lusts for boundaries-something to help make out what can happen and what can not. In "Inspector Gadget" there are no such boundaries. This is truthfully nothing more than a party time for the actors, who surly had lots of fun. I am reminded of another lacking comedy released a few years ago called "Blankman" which again, contained lots of props and energy, and the actors certainly had fun time with all the gizmos and props, but it too lacked something needed for every movie: audience participation.A character that I found being left out a lot is Gadgets daughter, who by the end of the movie, I still has not clue of what her name was. She is used only as a plot device-and I question how she was used to further the plot as well. For her presence brings nothing relevant or productive to the film. We never know her reactions to her father's operation or accidents. Thus, this is someone who could have been completely left out and would have not affected the movie a bit.In closing, I'd like to state that "Inspector Gadget" is an awful, insufficient excuse for a children's comedy. And believe it or not, I find myself comparing this film to last years violent and very anti-young audience action picture "Blade." I am stating once again that I had much rather have a movie where nothing happens than one in which everything happens. "Inspector Gadget" had so much going for it at the same time, it made literally made me dizzy.$LABEL$ 0 +First things first - though I believe Joel Schumacher is at best a mediocre director and more often (as here) downright bad, the lion's share of the blame for this ugly travesty of a film must go to John Grisham whose novel this is based on.Set at an undetermined point in time (the 50s? the 70s? now?), the film opens with the rape and murder of a child by rednecks so caricatured that their purpose seems to be to reassure racists that "at least we're not that bad"… Cut to the bad guys arriving at the courthouse when the girls father, Samuel L Jackson, fearful they will get off on some technicality, guns them down in cold blood before the trial. The setting is a 'deep south' that probably never existed - the few black characters live in shacks and seem to pick cotton, the dyed-in-the-wool racists (Kiefer Sutherland is a cartoon version of a Klansman) are laughable in their villainy. The set-piece is the trial: for the defence, are the "good guys" - a milquetoast lawyer played by Matthew McConaughey as though in a coma, his assistant played by Sandra Bullock's breasts (she doesn't seem to serve any other narrative purpose) and Donald Sutherland as the requisite drunk-lawyer-who-sobers-up-to-fight-the-good-fight. For the prosecution, Kevin Spacey goes through the motions of being demon spawn, while in the town at large, crosses are burned, witness are intimidated and the local citizens don't seem to care… Some of the reviews here claim the film immoral, since surely Samuel Jackson is a killer and should trust to the forces of the law rather than get off on a feeble heart-tugging piece of oratory by Matthew McConaughey. To be honest, objectionable though the underlying message "Vigilante justice is good" might be, everything about the movie stinks: the characterizations are pitiful, the acting leaden, the direction plodding, the screenplay and the dialogue almost verging on parody. Peter Menzies lush, 50s Technicolor cinematography is pretty but derivative. And it goes on for nearly two and a half hours!! What's left to say? This is a waste of 141 minutes of anyone's life, it is tedious, vacuous and hammy, and, almost as an afterthought, it is morally repugnant.$LABEL$ 0 +"Americans Next Top Model" is the best reality show! I was entertained 99.9 percent of the time watching it.I kept my eyes open the entire time. (well, I did blink) It can be sad, funny, or addicting.(mostly addicting)"America's Next Top Model" kept me wanting more and that's pretty much the point. It is also on more that one channel. Sometimes it's on MTV other times it's not. I hope it gets more fans and grows to be a hit series! It's great for pretty much all ages so every can enjoy it! :)Also, if you watched the show before, haven't you noticed that Tyra has a different hair style each time in the judging room? She'll have it short and curly one week, and then long and straight the next.$LABEL$ 1 +The Internet Database lists this as a TV show. And yes, it was a series on MTV shown on the "Oddities" program, after "The Head" and before "Aeon Flux" if I recall correctly. But the version I watched this time was a VHS tape with all the episodes run together into a film without annoying credits in between or having to wait a week for the next fifteen minutes.You have the story of the Maxx, Julie Winters, Sarah and Mr. Gone. The Maxx is a super-hero or a bum, Julie a social worker or a leopard queen, Sarah a girl who should listen to less of The Smiths and Mr. Gone a guy who can't seem to keep his head on. And then there's the other weird creatures...I use "or" with Maxx and Julie, because part of the fun is trying to figure out which parts of the story are real and which are dreams. Maybe they're all real or dreams. Maybe one of the characters doesn't exist. Maybe only one exists and dreams of the others. You'll have to wait and find out.I had the comic books before the show came out, and it was one of my favorites. The artwork was spectacular and the story was original -- unlike anything you'll find in Superman or Batman. It will bend your mind, and has strong adult overtones without being obscene or offensive. And the show used basically the same exact artwork (only now it moves) and the same story... guaranteeing that the beauty intrinsically found in the comic would be faithfully reproduced. This was the best show to appear on "Oddities", hands down.If you like comics of a darker nature or need a good mind trip, this is a show to check out. It's "Donnie Darko" before there was ever such a thing.The most astonishing thing is that this never went on to become another movie or television series, but I don't say this in disappointment. By keeping it simple, they have sealed this movie in gold and kept it free from the blemishes brought on by successive failures.$LABEL$ 1 +The only footage of Zeppelin I've seen prior to this DVD is 'The Song Remains the Same' movie from 1976. We used to spend hours round a friends house watching this, but I never really liked it and hated the fantasy sequences....So what of this DVD? I didn't know it existed until browsing for the Physical Graffiti CD.....'When did this come out?' I thoughtFor some reason I thought that Page wasn't a great live guitarist, but to say that watching this DVD has changed my opinion is a massive understatement. There's 'White Summer' from 1970 - 10 minutes of guitar wizardry.There's an acoustic set from 1975 - 'Bron-y-aur Stomp' has a brilliant finger-picking improv section.The 'In my Time of Dying' and 'Trampled Underfoot' performances (also from '75) are breathtaking - with Page and Bonham tearing things to pieces like no one else ever has. Demonic possessions of rawk!!The magic continues into the Knebworth 1979 section. The rendition of 'Achillies Last Stand', considering their various drug-addled states just beggars belief! A song of complex guitar overdubs, Page arranged it in a way that lets him just 'punk it out' live - the effect is totally mesmerising. 'In the Evening' - I never liked this on disc but it zings along here. 'Sick Again' - great piece of sleaze-rock. The footage from Knebworth is very interesting, cutting between big screen, various rostrums and bootleg footage to great effect.Plant is amazing throughout all the performances. Page, despite being painfully thin, looks like a six-year old kid having the most fun of his life at the Knebworth concert - and makes infectious viewing.One thing that puzzled me - The 'Black Dog' performance from 1973 sounds very 'camped up'!! Robert Plant always did love a little 'mince' and those jeans are absolutely ridiculous - and would warrant an arrest nowadays. All very different from the muscle-bound kick-a$$$ studio version.I love this DVD. It has reminded me how good Zeppelin were and remain.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the funniest stand up I have ever seen and I think it is the funniest I will ever see. If you don't choke with laughter at the absolute hilarity, then this is just not your cup of tea. But I honestly don't know anyone who has seen this that hasn't liked it. It is now 17 years later and my friends and I still quote everything from Goonie Goo Goo to the fart game, Aunt Bunnie to the ice cream man, Ralph and Ed to GET OUT!! There are just so many individual and collective skits of hilarity in here that if you honestly haven't seen this film then you are missing out on one of the best stand-ups ever. Take any of Robin Williams, Damon Wayans, The Dice, George Carlin or even the greats like Richard Pryor or Red Foxx and this will surpass it. I don't know how or where Murphy got some of his material but it works. That is what it comes down to. It is funny as hell.Could you imagine how this show must have shocked people that were used to Eddie doing Buckwheat and Mr. Rogers and such on SNL? If you listen to the audience when he cracks his first joke or when he says the F-word for the first time, they are in complete shock.His first time he says the F-word is when he does the skit about Mr. T being a homosexual." Hey boy, hey boy. You look mighty cute in them jeans. Now come on over here, and f@** me up the ass!"The crowd erupts in gales of laughter. No one was expecting the filthy mouth that he unleashed on them. But the results were just awesome. I have never been barraged with relentless comedy the way I was in this stand-up. In fact, the next time my stomach hurt so much from laughing wasn't until 1999 when I saw SOUTH PARK: BIGGER LONGER AND UNCUT . That comedy was raw and unapologetic and it went for the jugular, as did DELIRIOUS. I don't think it is possible to watch this piece of comic history and not laugh. It is almost twenty years later and it is still the funniest damn thing on video." I took your kids fishing last week. And I put the worm on the hook and the kids put the fishing pole back in the boat and slammed their heads in the water for two minutes Gus. Normal kids don't do shit like that Gus. Then they started movin their heads around like this and the m****f***** come up with fish. Then they looked at each other and said Goonie Goo Goo! I said can you believe this f****n shit?!"See it again and be prepared to laugh your freakin ass off!10 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +OK - the Cons first: The obligatory '70's alligator (all right, correction - caiman) with nonmoving limbs is made the worse for scale miniature underwater shots (with the full length of reptile comparative to the size of the boat) utilizing a toy alligator being swirled around the toy boat in broadly lit water - even for nighttime shots!Unlike most primitives-killing-exploitative-Westerners films, the superstitious natives going bat**** and start massacring the vacationers seems unjustified this time. No one really abused the natives - exploited, yes, but far from abusive treatment. After all it was one of the natives (canoodling with a spoiled supermodel during a taboo full moon) that brought the curse of the River Demon on them, right?The vacationers are easily annoying (with the notable exception of the token old-soul/mildly blasphemous-little-girl-who-takes-a-shine-to-the-heroes that you often see in 70's Euroflicks), but far from from deserving violent death - unless they were your next door neighbors, mind you. A couple actually get killed being heroic - notable in that none of them fill the role of sidekick. There are only two straight villains in the entire film, so the demises feel more arbitrary than cathartic.The sequence where the giant caiman crunches down and scarfs thirty tourists in under five minutes will probably strike you as unintentionally hilarious.The point at which the natives decide not to wipe the surviving Westerners and practically saying "hey, you aren't so bad after all, sorry about that fuss last night" - because they blew up the monster lizard - has you shaking your head as the corny music kicks in. You know, the local military dictatorship will wipe out the village for ****ing with the tourist trade after the credits roll...The Pros: Barbara Bach. Barbara Bach. Barbara Bach. Barbara Bach. You ALL know WHY you're interested in this film in the first place, right? I thought so. If you're a Bach completist, get the DVD reissued by NoShame films earlier this year (digitally remastered with no real extras to speak of, aside from the director bemoaning the current state of international film distribution).The hero isn't half bad, being far from an idiot (always a plus in B films) and the cynical little kid provides most of the comic relief.Worth a look, but get it cheaply!$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I tend to watch films for one of three reasons. Unfortunately, there are no Transformers in this film, so I can recommend it only on comedy value and pretty women (read girls)Yes, it is funny, I know this due to the number of people in the cinema who were laughing on a regular basis throughout. Personally though, I loved it for Laura Fraser, who IMHO is FIT!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie really surprised me. I had my doubts about it at first but the movie got better and better for each minute. It is maybe not for the action seeking audience but for those that like an explicit portrait of a very strange criminal, man, lover and husband. If you're not a fan of bad language or sexual content this really is not for you. The storyline is somewhat hard to follow sometimes, but in the end I think it made everything better. The ending was unexpected since you were almost fouled to think it would end otherwise. As for the acting I think it was good. It will not be up for an Oscar award for long but it at least caught my eye. Gil Bellows portrait of a prison man is not always perfect but it is very entertaining. Shaun Parkes portrait of Bellows prison mate Clinique is great and extremely powerful. On the downside I think I will put Esai Morales portrait of Markie.Take my advice and watch this movie, either you will love it or dislike it!$LABEL$ 1 +When i watched this movie i had no idea what it was about, and i had never heard of it before. But i must say i was positively surprised. The first few minutes are almost the most funny of the whole movie. The store clerk from India is just too funny! Anyways, the story isn´t really too much to talk about, but i think it´s ok. The acting on the other hand is quite good, and still the only actor i recognized was Mickey Rourke who wasn´t really in the movie until the ending. And the ending is where the turn-off is i think, it´s not bad but i don´t feel like it really ends. I feel like there should have been something more. A final battle in some way. I don´t know. All in all, this was a good movie and i recommend it to anyone into Tarantino-type movies with loads of violence and dark, sinister humor! I rate it 7/10.$LABEL$ 1 +This show proved to be a waste of 30 minutes of precious DVR hard drive space. I didn't expect much and I actually received less. Not only do I expect this show to be canceled by the second episode, I cannot believe that Geico will ever attempt to use the cavemen ad campaign EVER again. I would have preferred spending a night checking my daughter's hair for head lice than watching this piece of refuse. I wonder what ABC passed on to make this show fit into the '07 fall schedual, perhaps a hospital/crime/mocumentary reality show featuring the AFLAC duck? In the event that I failed to express my opinion about this show let me be clear and say that it is not too good.$LABEL$ 0 +Let me just say that GRANNY was extremely well made with the horror violence and sure suspense moves!!!!!! the best indie horror movie I have ever seen that is only 58 minutes long...It is my 5 out of 20 most favorite movie of all time. You people should love this. I give it a 10 out of 10!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I happen to like Leslie Howard, in his better films. Yet, for some reason, his performance in OF HUMAN BONDAGE never has moved me tremendously. I first saw the film on my college campus in 1972 and the reviewer in the college newspaper made the comment that in the 1930s and 1940s Howard played the roles supposedly later picked up by Dirk Bogard as the man who was born to be betrayed. This is not usually the case (off hand I think of Ashley Wilkes as a man who might be betrayed, if he and Scarlett O'Hara were meant to be an item by Margaret Mitchell - but Ashley loved Melonie, not Scarlett). Howard could play any type, and a role like R. J. Mitchell or Professor Henry Higgins is not one who is betrayed.*(*One can make the case that Philip Armstrong Scott is betrayed by the two strangers he shows hospitality to in 49TH PARALLEL, but they are Nazis who consider him - a liberal, westerner, Canadian - fair game to double cross in wartime. It isn't the same as emotional betrayal, and Howard does not shrivel up as a result, but faces the Nazis and captures one after beating him up.) I think what the reviewer meant was that Howard could be soulful - or try to be soulful. Witness his poet - dreamer - wanderer in THE PETRIFIED FORREST. But that character was not betrayed, except by history perhaps (as he feels his type is as out of date as the gangster played by Humphrey Bogart). The character of Philip Carey in Somerset Maugham's OF HUMAN BONDAGE is soulful too. He is sensitive for several reasons. He has an interest in art and tries to become a painter - but unlike the artist Strickland in THE MOON AND SIXPENCE he has no real talent. So he decides to concentrate on medical studies, accentuated by a club foot condition he has. Here he is a man with low self-esteem who is set up to be betrayed.Philip finds that betrayal in the form of Mildred a Cockney waitress (Bette Davis) who is mercenary and as selfish as they come. Why Philip falls for her is not really addressed in the film, but he does find the woman fascinating. And she finds him an easy meal ticket. Ironically in being so captivated by this slut, Philip fails to notice two other women who are interested in him (Kay Johnson and Frances Dee), and are more fit to be his mate. He also keeps finding himself forgiving Davis when she has affairs with other men (Alan Hale and Reginald Denny - the latter a friend of Howard's). Although Howard's performance captures the doormat tendency of Philip towards Mildred, he really does not show enough passion (until late in the movie, when he turns on her). That is why I find I never cared for his performance here - it lacks any reality. His later tortured insistence in GONE WITH THE WIND that he loves Olivia De Haviland, not Vivian Leigh, has more consistency with a man in love. But the performance of Davis as Mildred makes the film important. She had a wide variety of parts up to 1934, like the girlfriend of the deaf pianist in THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD or the spoiled heiress who gets murdered in FOG OVER FRISCO or the mouse-like secretary in THREE ON A MATCH. As Mildred she finally showed she could be a major actress by playing a selfish bitch.Curiously her performance was not all of one note. While she uses and abuses Howard for two thirds of the film, culminating in that famous scene where she shows how disgusted his kissing of her made her, her last scenes show she too could fall apart due to her health deteriorating, and her inability to keep any honest jobs. When Howard rejects her the viewers fail to note how equally vicious he becomes (he asks what happened to her baby - she tells him the baby died and Howard says brusquely that he is glad, which is hardly the response she expects). In the end Howard does finally get his life in order, but Mildred ends a casualty (ironically her death discovered by her old boyfriend Denny on a medical call). The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences did fail to nominate Davis in 1934 (leading to the largest write - in campaign in it's history, and a permanent change in it's rules), but Davis was established as a star. In one year she won the Oscar as Joyce Heth in DANGEROUS. And in two years she co-starred with Howard again (as equal stars) in THE PETRIFIED FORREST.$LABEL$ 1 +David Cronenberg's `eXistenZ' is a well designed reflection of the philosophy of existentialism. It addresses the problems of a culture that is plugged into technology that it can no longer distinguish between fantasy and reality or between the organic and the mechanical. The movie shocks the audience with its replacement of mechanical technology with organic, metabolismic one. In this context the technology is able to be part of human body. After playing the virtual reality game of `eXistenZ', the real world feels like a game and as a result, human behavior change in order to apply violent game-urges even when the game is over. In eXistenZ, technology has evolved from machinery to biological organisms that plug directly into the human nervous system; an idea that reflects Marshall McLuhan's belief who is a well known media theorist, that computers are extensions of human consciousness. Like telephone is an extention of the ear, television is an extention of the eye, telegram is an extention of the central nervous system high-tech virtual reality is an extention of human consciousness. In eXistenZ, technology is biological and thus more human than it is in our world. But as technology becomes organic, humans become more mechanical and therefore less free, unable to resist their game-urges. eXistenZ is a virtual realty simulation of man's existence. Jean Baudrillard describes a mediated society in his book of Simulacra and Simulation, which all power to act has been transformed to appear. The world has passed into a pure simulation of itself. In eXistenZ it is obvious to see Baudrillard's mediated society with the themes of the invasion of the body, the loss of control and the transformation of the self into other.While you are in the eXistenZ, consciousness slowly replaces with another identity, your role in the game, which is a reflection each individual's real life subconscious. While you gain the control of your hyperreal life step by step, the aura of your real life disappers. For Baudrillard, `.simulations or simulacra, have become hyperreal, more than real.' Our hyperreality, like Cronenberg's world of computer simulation, `.now feels, and, for all intents and purposes is, more real than what we call the real world.' (Baudrillard) The purpose of the game which can basically be called 'experience' is quite metaphorical. Because you can not even know what is experience unless you experience it. As existentialists say that, life without an exact explanation is absurd, the game of eXistenZ is absurd too. Cronenberg, ironically reflects the absurdity of our lives. For instance, in the game, the other roles just stand still unless you ask them a pre-programmed question. And when you put their aimless funny looking state of being into the representation of our lifes, the exposed absurdity really shocks.The theme of the game is to understand what it is for? This hidden metaphorical question creates anguish over the people who play eXistenZ. They have no doubt about their existence, however they do not know the underlying reason of their existence. The essence.Existentialists have held that human beings do not have a fixed nature, or essence, as other animals and plants do; each human being makes choices that create his or her own nature. In the formulation of the 20th-century French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, existence precedes essence. `Choice is therefore central to human existence, and it is inescapable; even the refusal to choose is a choice. Freedom of choice entails commitment and responsibility. Because individuals are free to choose their own path, existentialists have argued, they must accept the risk and responsibility of following their commitment wherever it leads.' Perhaps I should mention, `eXistenZ' deals with the concept of freedom of choice too. You achieve your final role in the game by taking right decisions. If you don't than the game becomes irrevelant and boring. So, you begin to interrogate the game, your existence rather than your essence. You suddenly become schzopfrenically alianated from the game and realize your position outside the game. Well as a last word, eXistenZ is a well designed reverse simulation of life thus existentialism.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is a real shame, not just for the plot,the empty performance of the characters, it is for the lack of creativity from the director and all the crew, this is maybe one of the worst movies of all times,and it is hard to believe that is the sequel of one of the most famous movies of the 90's.I am a great fan of The Mask, when I went to see this movie I was expecting to a movie with a good sense of humor, a movie with a acceptable plot, instead I saw a really bad copy of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery cartoons, the movie was not funny even for my 7 years old sister, so I wonder:What was wrong New Line Cinema???.Was it trying to repeat the success of the first movie, or was it trying to create another masterpiece like The Lord of the Rings???.Because if they did, they were completely out of their minds.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the most interesting movies to be classified as "blaxploitation," Bakshi's "Coonskin" is a rich text full of wonderful insight. He wrote it in collaboration with Scat Man Crothers and Barry White, who appear in the film as well. The racist imagery can often be disturbing, but the message of the movie was so powerful that the NAACP gave it an endorsement (but only grudgingly).I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in an examination of the pervading atmosphere of racism that Bakshi attempts to deconstruct. Wonderful stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +Hilarious, clean, light-hearted, and quote-worthy. What else can you ask for in a film? This is my all-time, number one favorite movie. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of owning a blue van with flames and an observation bubble.The cliché characters in ridiculous situations are what make this film such great fun. The wonderful comedic chemistry between Stephen Furst (Harold) and Andy Tennant (Melio) make up most of my favorite parts of the movie. And who didn't love the hopeless awkwardness of Flynch? Don't forget the airport antics of Leon's cronies, dressed up as Hari Krishnas: dancing, chanting and playing the tambourine--unbeatable! The clues are genius, the locations are classic, and the plot is timeless.A word to the wise, if you didn't watch this film when you were little, it probably won't win a place in your heart today. But nevertheless give it a chance, you may find that "It doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't matter what you do, you've gotta play."$LABEL$ 1 +I like Errol Flynn; I like biographies and I like action movies. This featured all three of these....but I didn't like this film. It just went on too long although the last 20 minutes was excellent, especially in the photography with some great low- angle shots. However, I seemed like it took six hour to get to that point, and I really can't say why I feel this way. The action is interesting, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland are fine. In fact, it was refreshing to see de Havilland actually be supportive of Flynn instead of her normal role as antagonist to him. Yet something is lacking in this movie.The film has been roundly criticized for its historical inaccuracy but I don't hear that same criticism for a lot of other films which have done the same. In fact, its RARE when a film is historically accurate. For some reason, this revisionist history offended most critics. If the film had made General Custer a lot worse than he really was, they would have probably liked it. Well, too bad. In their twisted way, critics prefer villains to heroes. I really wish I could have enjoyed this more but I'll take a lot of other Flynn adventures over this one.$LABEL$ 0 +In Bollywood it isn't rare that worthless films become hits, good films flopping and good actors not making it bigAKS is such a movieHimesh after a music director and singer tried acting Hell man, just because his songs became a hit that means next he becomes an actorThe producers were sure the film will work perhaps, the songs were a hit too and of course Himesh did his cheap publicity as usualThe film tells such a poor story, such poor direction, such poor acting it makes you cringeIndian rickshaws in Germany, Stunts by Himesh and lot of stupidity Himesh's cap is intact even when he is in the car which somersaultsDirection is poor Music is saving grace though most songs sound the sameHimesh tries hard but sadly his emotive scenes are a joke, lacks expressions, he is best suited for his music director and some singing He cuts a sorry picture Hansika is awful Malika is okay Sachin Khedekar is okay, Darshan Jhariwala hams$LABEL$ 0 +I do NOT understand why anyone would waste their time or money on utter trash like this... Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE a good Western -- Notice I said "GOOD" -- this is just trashThe acting is horrible -- Val Kilmer must know someone or owed a favor or something for them just to use his face and name in this ridiculous piece of crap...To those of you who enjoyed this movie, I am making a list of you're names to ensure I do NOT watch anything you suggest -- our tastes are definitely different, yet it is your right to voice your opinion, no matter how far off base it is.I gave this movie a 2 just in case they do throw out all of the one's and not count them.... Just bad in all area's...$LABEL$ 0 +Witchery, or Witchcraft as it's commonly known in Europe, beings with Jane Brooks (Linda Blair) waking up from a nightmare involving a witch. Jane's Mother & Father Rose (Annie Ross) & Freddie (Robert Champagne) are interested in buying an old deserted hotel on an island about 50 miles from Boston, renovating it & reopening it. Together with Jane & their young son Tommy (Michael Manchester) Rose & Freddie are planning to travel to the island with an architect named Linda Sullivan (Catherine Hickland) to check on the amount of work that needs doing, they also meet up with the estate agent Jerry Giordano (Rick Farnsworth) & hire a local fisherman named Sam (George Stevens) to take them to the island. Once there they enter the hotel & begin to inspect the property while back on the boat Sam is killed & the boat is let loose to sail off into the distance. They discover two unexpected guests in the shape of a photographer named Gary (David Hasselhoff) & his virgin fiancé Leslie (Leslie Cumming) who happens to be researching a book that she is writing about the gruesome legends & superstitions surrounding the infamous island & hotel. As the night draws on a raging storm outside isolates them from the mainland as a mysterious 'lady in black' (Hildegard Knef) keeps popping up as the ancient evil that resides in the hotel seeks fresh victims for demonic possession, human sacrifice & Satanic rites...The director of this American Italian co-produced film is somewhat shrouded in mystery as the IMDb lists Fabrizio Laurenti as Martin Newlin but there are rumours that Joe D'Amato did the honours, either way to be honest despite it's bad reputation I found Witchery quite entertaining in a so-bad-it's-good cheesy sort of way. The script credited to Harry Spalding & Daniele Stroppa on the IMDb again is confusing too as the actual credit on the film itself is Daniel Davis, anyway whoever wrote this thing did a decent job, please stop laughing. At heart it's a haunted house horror but adds some gory deaths & a surreal feeling to everything. The different sets of characters have reasonable motives & didn't get on my nerves as much as I'd thought they might, it's not plotted very well, it doesn't make a whole a lot of sense & the dialogue isn't exactly top drawer stuff but as a whole Witchery entertained me for it's 95 odd minute duration plain & simple. It's reasonably well paced, a little slow to get going maybe but there are plenty of surreal, bizarre goings-on & gruesome deaths to keep one amused. One part of Witchery which destroys some of it's credibility is this so-called storm, there is no storm in sight & the sea is probably calm enough to swim in, Witchery's supposed 'twist' ending didn't really work for me either & just check out the dumb expression on Cummings face on that final freeze-frame. The hotel provides for a good isolated location & adds a certain atmosphere to the film which has the distinctive indefinable 'horror' feel throughout, cheap horror at that. Technically Witchery is not too bad at all, it was obviously shot on location so it looks good throughout & while not exactly the pinnacle of film-making finesse it's overall production values are slightly better than expected. The violence & gore is of typical Euro explicitness, a woman has her lips sewn shut & hung inside a fireplace so she can't scream as the others light it, someone is crucified & then burned alive, impaled on a swordfish, someones veins expand & pop & a woman is raped by a man with no lips. Witchery was shot in English so there is no dubbing, as far as acting goes David Hasselhoff & Linda Blair in the same film what more can I say?! Yes ladies Hasselhoff does take his shirt off & for the lads Cummings takes hers off. Both Hasselhoff & Blair are a hoot to watch in this thing, however the little kid is very annoying & really can't act at all. I sure most sane film-goers will disagree with my opinions but I still stand by the fact that I liked it & would happily watch it again, Witchery is pretty good fun & definitely worth a watch if your into 'bad' films or your a horror fan in general.$LABEL$ 1 +Jennifer Montgomery's "Art for Teachers of Children" is a stunning, disturbing masterpiece. Montgomery's gritty camerawork and cinematography coupled with the brilliantly unemotional performances she evokes from her cast heighten the sense of shocking, raw realism in this autobiographical story of a 14-year-old Jennifer's seduction of her married boarding-school guidance counselor. The scenes between the amazingly uncanny actress playing Jennifer (Caitlin Grace McDonnell) and Jennifer's mother (actually voiced by Ruth Montgomery) on the phone are some of the most intriguing and powerful I've ever seen captured on film. The lesson ultimately learned here? "There's nothing more dangerous than a boring man who creates bad art." Well, I would highly recommend this remarkable piece of "Art" for anyone interested in thought-provoking independent cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Raoul Walsh's mega-epic, stunning filmed in an early widescreen process by the great Arthur Edeson, can be slow and static in the early talkie manner, but this classic wagon train journey across America to the NorthWest is thrilling as a sheer physical production when seen on the big screen. On t.v., the lack of close-ups and distant sound reproduction may prove daunting. Young John Wayne scores easily in his first starring role with a natural delivery the rest of the cast can't command. Amazingly, the film flopped and Wayne spent most of the following decade in Grade B Western fodder.$LABEL$ 1 +First, don't be fooled by my family name. My mother was full blooded Italian, so I really know Italian families, and I LOVE mobster movies, even the funny ones like this.For those people who have bad rapped this film (you know who you are) you should have your movie privileges taken from you because you don't know what good is. This is a damn funny and well-styled film. The fact that almost nobody is Italian in it is part of the joke, so far as I can see. And what red-blooded straight male could complain about spending an hour and something with the likes of Michelle Pfieffer? Puh-lease! When I saw this film it won me over with the opening song by Rosemary Clooney who was as Irish as one can get, but her pronunciation of the Italian words in "Mambo Italiano" is flawless and sets the tone of what is to follow perfectly. (Hell, I even bought the record the next day because of it.) Just the look of every garish thing in the apartment that I have personally seen in my relatives houses, though not in the same place (which I found hysterical) sold it for me.This movie is like Goodfellas on laughing gas. I just wonder why there are no Burger Worlds and what happened to the food these guys were supposed to get? My guess is the crew ate it. "The Fries are crispy. The shakes are creamy." My mouth is watering almost as much as it is thinking of the gorgeous Ms. Pfieffer. (And I never trusted clowns anyway.) And the three best things about this film are Mercedes Ruehl's achingly funny mob wife spurned, Dean Stockwell as her philandering husband Tony "The Tiger" and last, but DEFINITELY not least, the great mugging by Oliver Platt who should get more comic roles. And note to myself: find out where that black chick went. Ouch! Why does she work so infrequently? This picture is right alongside the great mob movies as it should be.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie starts something like a less hyper-kinetic, more pastiche Dead or Alive: strange underground activities are done while bodies are discovered by police officers. But when a police officer is killed, one Tatsuhito gets involved... and when he discovers that his brother Shihito is also involved, things get bloody quite fast.An earlier work of Miike's, Shinjuku Triad Society is still filled with his usual in the ol' ultraviolence and sadistic sex acts, though it's not one of his more eclectic or flamboyant pieces. Rather, it's a pretty well crafted bit of pulp fiction, as Tatsuhito digs his way through the underground, a maze that leads him to a gay Triad leader who sells illegally gained body organs from Taiwan and keeps an almost-brothel of young boys (one in particular the character who kills the cop at the beginning). Tatsuhito's brother is getting involved with said society, so Tatsuhito himself is forced to become a dirty cop and use similarly violent and sadistic tactics to penetrate into this sordid realm.What's mainly interesting about this little bit of work is the relationship Tatsuhito has with his nemesis, Wang. Tatsuhito is a Japanese born in China, later moved back into Japan, and alienated for it. Wang is a Chinese who felt alienated in China, so killed his father and developed a crime wing in Japan. Wang also is a surprisingly Shakespearian character, which is weird enough as it is, much less that you actually begin to feel sorry for him by the time his ultimate showdown with Tatsuhito comes to be. And Tatsuhito himself is a similarly tragic figure when he's forced to contend with his lack of ability to control his brother. While it would be rude to state that Miike's movies are successful mostly on their shock value, it is true that sometimes it's easy to lose track of how well Miike can create bitter, dis-impassioned characters.--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent story, wonderful acting, amazing production values and a cool, action-packed short with a perfect twist at the end. What a great short film! I saw this film in Vail or Aspen at a film festival and was wowed by it. Then I saw it again at another festival (where it won again) and I was even more impressed because subtle touches become evident the second time around - for a short film, this packs a lot of clever layers into a short time.AWOL is not for the faint of heart, but it is very well done and completely impressive for a short film - for any film actually. It's an interesting story told very well, and every scene moves the story, which reveals good film-making instincts went into making this film. The film looks gorgeous and David Morse is also stunning, with a dynamic performance delivered in every scene. Watching his character attempt to defeat the curveballs life is throwing him makes a great viewing experience.It also should be noted, that when tortures of war are in the headlines everyday, the lines between reality, good and evil, can get very gray while the rhetoric gets loud and attempts to make things black and white. AWOL smartly allows the audience to decide for themselves what they think the message is, what is real and what is not, which adds to the mystery.Both times I've seen it, the audience was WAY more into this movie than the others playing with it, which is saying a lot. There are a lot of shorts out there right now, but few deliver the kind of all around excellence and complex subject matter that AWOL does.It sounds to me like the previous reviewer is off his or her rocker, or has some personal agenda, because this really is a great example of short independent film-making. I see a LOT of short films, and I must say if only ALL the shorts making the festival rounds were this good, THEN the shorts business would have some serious legs.$LABEL$ 1 +Nathan Detroit runs illegal craps games for high rollers in NYC, but the heat is on and he can't find a secure location. He bets chronic gambler Sky Masterson that Sky can't make a prim missionary, Sarah Brown, go out to dinner with him. Sky takes up the challenge, but both men have some surprises in store …This is one of those expensive fifties MGM musicals in splashy colour, with big sets, loud music, larger-than-life roles and performances to match; Broadway photographed for the big screen if you like that sort of thing, which I don't. My main problem with these type of movies is simply the music. I like all kinds of music, from Albinoni to ZZ Top, but Broadway show tunes in swing time with never-ending pah-pah-tah-dah trumpet flourishes at the end of every fourth bar aren't my cup of tea. This was written by the tag team of Frank Loesser, Mankiewicz, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows (based on a couple of Damon Runyon stories), and while the plot is quite affable the songs are weak. Blaine's two numbers for example are identical, unnecessary, don't advance the plot and grate on the ears (and are also flagrantly misogynistic if that sort of thing bothers you). There are only two memorable tunes, Luck Be A Lady (sung by Brando, not Sinatra as you might expect) and Sit Down, You're Rockin' The Boat (nicely performed by Kaye) but you have to sit through two hours to get to them. The movie's trump card is a young Brando giving a thoughtful, laid-back performance; he also sings quite well and even dances a little, and is evenly matched with the always interesting Simmons. The sequence where the two of them escape to Havana for the night is a welcome respite from all the noise, bustle and vowel-murdering of Noo Yawk. Fans of musicals may dig this, but in my view a musical has to do something more than just film the stage show.$LABEL$ 0 +Today You Die starts as honourable criminal Harlan banks (producer Steven Seagal) is hired by sinister businessman Max Stevens (Kevin Tighe) to drive a security vehicle with $20,000,000 of cash in the back from point 'A' a Las Vegas casino to point 'B' him, sounds simple right? Well what Max forgot to tell Harlan that the money is stolen & that he has just become the getaway driver in an armed robbery. Bummer. Things get even worse for Harlan when the local cops catch him & chuck him in prison for a long time, however Harlan managed to hide the money before he was caught & with a nice $20,000,000 at stake & unaccounted for Harlan has to watch his back as the crooks want it as do Government agents. Harlan teams up with Ice Kool (!)(Anthony 'Teach' Criss) in prison & they both manage to escape at which point Harlan goes looking for some revenge...Photographed & directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy one has to say that the shot in Eastern Europe straight-to-video action films that Steven Seagal specialises in these days aren't getting any better & Today You Die is a good case in point. This is a terrible film, simple as that really. The script by producer Danny Lerner, Kevin Moore & Les Weldon gives Seagal a new sort of character to get his none existent acting skills around, that of a criminal rather than some Government agent/cop/soldier/one man army cliché he usually plays. In fact if you were being charitable you could say Today You Die is a rip-off of Mel Gibson's excellent thriller Payback (1998) where he too played a really nasty piece of work to such good effect. While Payback was a superb uncompromising hard edged film noir type action thriller Today You Die isn't & pales into insignificance by comparison. Unfortunately here Seagal is terrible, he has no on screen presence or menace either & the audience is never quite sure whether he is meant to be a bad guy that we hate or not. For instance initially his character's is set up like a modern day Robin Hood as he steals from the rich drug dealers & scumbags to give to the poor (as well as keeping a tidy profit for himself) which is just ludicrous in itself but then it has Seagal turn around & murder a lot of people which contradicts the likable criminal with morals that the film went to such lengths to set up in the first place. The story is full of holes, for instance Agent Knowles is contacted by the on the run Harlan & is then reprimanded by her bent superior for meeting him & it turns out that he found out by tapped her phone. In that case why didn't her boss use the information he had to catch Harlan? The story is the usual dull predictable bland fight over lots of money with surprise surprise the investigating Government agent is actually a bad guy! Wow, I didn't see that coming I must say...Director FauntLeRoy slows everything down to a snails pace & Today You Die feels like it goes on forever, the action scenes & set-pieces are also severely lacking in entertainment value. The infrequent fight scenes aren't great, most are either shot in shadow, very quickly cut & edited or with the camera played behind Seagal's character to try & disguise the fact that most of the stunt work done here is by a double. Again Seagal looks fat & out of shape & uses long baggy overcoats to try & hide it, it doesn't. There's a pretty cool car chase through the streets of Las Vegas in this at the start & I thought that Today You Die might be alright but it seems the whole sequence was stolen from another action film called Top of the World (1997) which is about a Las Vegas casino robbery, as well as using footage from that film Today You Die also edits scenes from the Charlie Sheen action film No Code of Conduct (1998), the Jean-Claude Van Damme action film The Order (2001) & the Wesley Snipes prison based action film Undisputed (2002) so quite how much of Today You Die is original footage is anyone's guess.Technically the film is alright, considering it's edited together from four separate films as well as it's own footage it's just about competent & consistent enough. All the footage of the US locations are obviously lifted from the films already mentioned with all the original footage shot on the cheap in Bulgaria. The rap style music that litter Today You Die is awful by the way. The acting is poor & Seagal just mumbles his way through his lines as usual.Today You Die is a really bad film made up from other bad action films, Seagal looks old & fat, the action scenes are average at best & most of the story is fairly random & it doesn't come together at the end that well at all. One to avoid unless your a die hard Seagal fan, if such an animal even exists...$LABEL$ 0 +I like both this version of DORIAN GRAY and the MGM version. Both add a little girl early in the story who grows up to have an association with Dorian (this is not in the original book), and that is my only complaint. I especially like Angela Lansbury as Sybil Vane and George Sanders as Harry in the MGM version, but Shane Briant as Dorian in the TV-version is much better looking (I think) and far more ruthless than Hurd Hatfield in the MGM version: I think Briant is more true to the novel's Dorian. In the end, this is a very good adaptation of the novel (it even hints at Dorian's liaison's with men, as does Wylde, which could not be done in the MGM version).$LABEL$ 1 +Andreas arrives in a strange city. He doesn't remember where he came from and how he got there. He is ordered to arrive at work, and gets his own apartment in the city. All his co-workers are nice and polite to him, they say hi and smile when they pass by him. But then later on Andreas discovers that the city isn't that pleasant as it seems. Going home from work, he see some people wearing grey suits, cleaning up the bloody mess of a dead body, apparently a suicide victim that had thrown himself out of the window. The procedure is done with a calmed mind, as if they were emptying a trashcan. The following day, Andreas meets the suicide victim fully alive at work. More and more Andreas discovers the feelingless atmosphere of the city.Den brysomme mannen might be the best norwegian film I've seen. Original, artistic directing is usually missing in norwegian films, with only a few exceptions. The plot is also very original, and could even be called post-modern horror, as the film present us a terrifying thought of having to cope with a world that is completely feelingless. and the more you try to fill your life in this city with a meaning, the more meaningless it becomes. I am fascinated by how the director manages to create the feeling of a disembovled universe, a nightmare, that you simply cannot escape from, not even with death.go see it, its really worth it! i gave it 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to start out by saying that the actresses and actor did a fine job for what they worked with. The problem in Dark Reality is you had a poor director who tried so hard to be innovative and evocative he ended up trashing up the film. From start to finish you can tell the film reel quality itself is low, but the poor lightning and shaky camera only hurt it further by obscuring what is going on. The sound is muffled and often times not understandable. I'm sure Huston (the director) would argue this was to induce a state of panic in the audience, but he had more than ample material in which to do it. Having to result to camera and lighting the way he did was a sign of over the top syndrome.The story is good. A basic sadistic female kidnapper story that avoids cliché by keeping the girl's in a state of despair the whole time for good reason. Billy Bob from Silence of the Lambs treated his victims better than Netwon. The biggest problem with the story is that dead people constantly harass the lead character in her mind, and by the second time they showed up I was fast forwarding as this was attempting to destroy the only decent part of the film.In the end, the way the director pieced it together showing random blurry things and constant barely viewable scenes (not because of horror, because of the lighting, angles, and camera) ultimately destroyed this film. Huston was obviously trying too hard and if anything it resembled a bad film school project. If you want to see a decent story then it's all right, but be warned the film quality is enough for most to turn it off.$LABEL$ 0 +This really was a waste of time...the movie has a weak plot, the story is fragmented and ends very abruptly with many loopholes....though the animation is top notch. Once the movie started, I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt by telling myself that it might get interesting in the later stage, but it was never unique. This same plot has been played over and over again, but what made it worse was that the major plot hole was the whole story on how to kill the baddies...The writer could have done so much more with the entire concept, but seemed that he or she did not have their heart in it and wanted to close the movie as soon as it started.Overall, too much hype but not able to deliver.$LABEL$ 0 +Val Kilmer, solid performance. Dylan McDermott, solid performance. Josh Lucas, solid performance. Three very engaging actors giving decent performances. The problem is, who cares about the plot? John Holmes. Infamous for his well-endowments, a drug addict, and a guy who, despite contracting AIDS, continued to make adult films, just does not make an intriguing character.The story surrounds the events leading up to and the aftermath of a vicious mass murder that occurred in the late 80's in Los Angelos to which Holmes was linked, arrested and charged with murder, and who ultimately was acquitted. Just like in the case of O.J., the guilt factor, regardless of the outcome, ranged quite high in the "He did it" zone.There is no one to sympathize with in this film, as everyone is a self-serving criminal. There is just nothing remotely interesting here.$LABEL$ 0 +if you get the slight enjoyment out of pink Floyd's music you will love this movie. the score is completely pink Floyd and of course the drug element plays a major part in this movie giving you the doubts about life within the weakest moments. this movie also touches the heart with the story about love and the people around you ... there is also a huge connection with the world around you with the environment of a personal island.this thing tell me i need ten lines to sum up a movie but i am done that is all you get that is why this movie is a 6.1 which is a major upset to any movie with a score like this. take a look at requiem for a dream and the fountain .... equally good scores for our generation but overestimated$LABEL$ 1 +This movie surprised me, it had good one-liners and laughs, + a nonstop action-packed storyline with tons of gun action and explosions. This movie surprisingly had a lot of good twists and turns. The plot is solid despite what others may think, it kept my interest the whole time right up till the very end. In conclusion; this is a great way for an action movie buff to spend time on.$LABEL$ 1 +okay, let's cut to the chase - there's no way i can give this anything other then 1 out of 10; and yet you have to see it! The acting is bad, but is nothing like as bad as the script, which itself pales before the production values. Cardboard axes? yup, we've got then. Car floor mats painted silver and used as armour? here it is!The film itself pretends to be artistic, but is just cheap; the same shots are used repeatedly - especially in the drawn out fight scenes; there is (thankfully!) very little dialogue, and there is much 'artistic' music to ram home the horror!And yet all this awfulness is compelling - you have to watch it through just so that you can say you've seen it. I've not even got onto the barren sets, the 'plot', or the risible special effects; this really is the 'how not to do it' school of filmmaking. This must be viewed - spread the word, and let the world all join together in puzzling over what on earth is happening at the endThe best thing, though, is that they made a sequel.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie at the AFI Dallas festival. Most of the audience, including my wife, enjoyed this comedy-drama, but I didn't. It stars Lucas Haas (Brick, Alpha Dog), Molly Parker (Kissed, The Five Senses, Hollywoodland) and Adam Scott (First Snow, Art School Confidential). The director is Matt Bissonnette, who's married to Molly Parker. All three actors do a fine job in this movie about 3 friends, the marriage of two of them and infidelity involving the third. It all takes place at a lake house and it looks wonderful. The film wants to treat its subject as a comedy first and then a drama, and I thought it needed to be the other way around.$LABEL$ 0 +Once again, Disney manages to make a children's movie which totally ignores its background. About the only thing common with this and the original Gadget cartoons is the names. The most glaring errors are the characters - Penny does not have her book, Brain has been reduced from a character to a fancy prop, Dr Claw is more a show-off than an evil villain, etc. but there are more than that. The horrors start from the first minutes of the film - having Gadget as a security guard called John Brown doesn't help identifying him as the classic Inspector Gadget. And right in the beginning we see Disney's blatant attempt to turn every story ever into a love affair between a man and a woman - they introduce Brenda, who only serves to make this movie Disney-compatible. Add to this the fact that the "Claw" seen in this film and the classic Dr Claw are almost diagonally opposite and you'll see this is going to be nowhere near the original storyline. What would help would be a better storyline to replace it - but as you guessed, Disney failed in that too. The whole movie is just Gadget acting silly for silliness's sake and lusting after Brenda. As if to add insult to the injury, Disney introduced the "new" Gadgetmobile - it doesn't look, function or think like the old Gadgetmobile at all, it's just the canonical "comic relief" figure. Disney obviously recognised that the Gadget cartoons were a comedy, so they made the film a comedy too, but they took out all the clever running gags (like the assignment paper exploding in the Chief's face) and replaced them with Gadget being a moron, the Gadgetmobile being a wise-ass, and "Claw" showing off. Someone should tell Disney that "children's movie" doesn't imply "total lack of any brain usage". Gadget should be targeted for children of 10-12 years... not children of 10-12 months like this movie. Whatever this movie is supposed to be, it is NOT, repeat NOT, the real Inspector Gadget. Because I love the old Gadget, I hate this.$LABEL$ 0 +A fine western, following the fate of those who possess the prize winning gun, a Winchester '73. It has a great cast who give superb cliche characterisations with help from the usual effective story telling direction from Mann.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the worst movie I have seen since "I Know Who Killed Me" with Lindsey Lohan. After watching this movie I can assure you that nothing but frustration and disappointment await you should you choose to go see this. Hey, Tim Burton, I used to be a big fan of yours... did you even screen this movie? I mean seriously, what the f%#k?Without giving anything away, here is the story in a vague nutshell... Nine wakes up, he does stuff, his actions and decisions are irrelevant... and the movie ends. Oh wait... here comes a spoiler...Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! At the end of the movie.... it rains. I think a part of my soul died while watching this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +"Demons III: The Ogre" is not related pre-sequel are on "The Demons" and "The Demons 2 are cool hip horror 1980 classic."Demons III: The Ogre" is very stupid, bored, cheap monster. I am very confuse about the writer is "Demons III: The Ogre" (Lamberto Bava and Dardano Sacchetti are poor quality writer and stupid who the bored William Shakespeare ghost or demon's egg from Spider's web or what Huhuhuhuhu make the girl dream). I am very sorry, very very very very boring movie. I Bought The special DVD box called "Demons" on the 3 different movies called "Demons III: The Ogre", "The Other Hell", and "Black Demons" don't have closed captioned and Subtitles is cost $ 14.99 from Best Buy store in the City of Downey. Why the Lamberto Bava and Dardano Sacchetti are poor quality writer who make the stupid movie almost like "Halloween III" don't have Michael Myer monster but the people wear Halloween. I am very confused. I really love "The Demons" and "The Demons 2 are better the boring stupid "Demons III: The Ogre" is not part for "The Demons" and "The Demons 2" are same demons.Thank you Juan Antonio De La Torre$LABEL$ 0 +To call "Rocketship X-M" a science fiction classic is due more to its release date (1950), its savvy ability to capitalize on the publicity for "Destination Moon", and the appearance of actors who would later star in television as Sea Hunt's Mike Nelson, Rockford's dad and Wyatt Earp.The movie itself is bad enough to be good fodder for MST3K and is best viewed with commentary from Joel and the robots. This is the type of movie best suited to added riffing from the MST3K characters; something preachy, slow-paced, poorly scripted, and full of painfully bad acting. While unintentionally funny stuff like "Plan 9 From Outer Space" don't lend themselves to satirical commentary (because the movie constantly upstages the hosts), really bad and dull movies like "Rocketship X-M" are ideal. So add some stars to the rating if you are watching the MST3K version.The basic story has the crew taking an unplanned right turn at the moon and ending up on Mars. What they find on that planet are the remnants of a human-like civilization devastated by an atomic war. Only one Martian is shown in close-up, a normal looking woman who is blind or at least has no pupils in her eyes. The men look like the "goons" in the old Popeye cartoons, they scamper agilely around the cliffs and throw boulders at the crew with amazing accuracy-especially if they are supposed to be blind. Of course none of this is ever explained as doing so would require some sign of logical analysis from the writers of the screenplay.The scenes on Mars are presented in something called "Sepia Color" to distinguish them from the rest of the B&W movie. If this has you thinking "Wizard of Oz" you will be disappointed because it is just black and white stuff with a slight brown tint added to the print in post-production.In keeping with the moronic sexism of the movie, the icy female scientist screws up her fuel calculations-both coming and going. Her failure to measure up to the men causes her feminine side to surface and she and Mike Nelson coo sweetly to each other as they face their doom (insert sound of gagging here).The real stars of the movie are the reporters at the command center. So much so that MST3K was inspired to specially salute these unheralded heroes. The intrepid squad of "newsies" are featured for the first 10 minutes of the movie, then take stations about 12 inches behind the technicians and monitoring equipment in the command center. Later they are called upon to ask the moronic questions needed by the mission director to expound on the movie's already too obvious message.The DVD has an extremely low audio level, is not captioned, and is accompanied by a trailer. Although you will be thankful that it is only 77 minutes, it is still about 60 minutes too long as any 30 minute episode of "The Twilight Zone" has several times more content than this entire movie.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.$LABEL$ 0 +I finally got around to seeing this after hearing great things about it. It actually exceeded my expectations. Considering the budget involved this was a surprisingly competent and well-made film. The lack of finances actually helped this film in several ways, especially given the plot. Just like The Blair Witch Project, this film was all the better for being shot on video instead of film. Another bonus: Whereas most low-budget horror films (even the best of the best) suffer from mediocre-to-unintentionally hysterical acting, this film actually had a talented cast (save one or two characters), particularly the two leads. The only thing missing from the film was an original storyline. It borrows heavily from better-known films like "Deliverance" and "Wrong Turn" but if you're like me, films of this nature never cease to be terrifying. Plus, the director keeps things interesting throughout. I'd be very interested to see what the director would do with a bigger budget and I have a feeling it will only be a matter of time before we find out...$LABEL$ 1 +This electrifying musical has more than a whiff of egotism from it's star, the musical genius that is Prince. The film is 90 or so minutes of posing but in truth it is easy to see why it is such a cult classic.Much like other films that centre around the struggling young musician trying to be big, this has a hint of drama in it to add a dimension to the musical numbers. While this film isn't as good as 8 mile as a recent example, this is entertaining none the less and the soundtrack is much better. On the dramatic side of things the story centres around the Kid (Prince) a young artist and regular spot at a club. The owner of the club is frustrated with the Kid's arrogance and little does the Kid know that he could soon be fired and replaced by a rival. One the side the Kid's parents are having trouble, with his dad abusing her violently. During the course of the film the Kid learns a few lessons in life, and learns to appreciate his friends more. It's all stuff we have seen in coming of age dramas of course, but this is combined as a musical, a very stylised musical.The cast are good. Prince is actually quite good on the drama side, when he's not striking a pose. He seems human and relatable. Clarence Williams is very good as the abusive father as well. Appollonia Kotero makes a good debut as Princes sexy love interest.The main strength of the movie however is the superb soundtrack. The musical numbers are well staged and electrifying. Prince is no doubt a musical maestro, albeit very eccentric. When he is inspired he is great but on the flip side he will often do songs that are solely for his own taste, and occasionally his experimentation can miss-fire, but that is the same for many musical geniuses. The soundtrack for this film is excellent though, with only Sexshooter being a weak point. The show-stopping performance of Purple Rain is the standout though. It is one of my all time favourite songs. ***$LABEL$ 1 +While returning from a Christmas Eve shopping trip, an abused suburban housewife (Basinger) finds herself in a fight for survival after a disagreement with a group of delinquent youths takes a violent turn.Suffering the indignity of a straight to DVD release here in the U.K., Susan Montford's directorial debut will perhaps not be given the recognition it deserves. This is a shame, as the standard of the writing, directing and acting is very good indeed, and certainly surpasses the quality of your average straight to DVD flick.Kim Basinger gives her best performance in some time as the downtrodden wife of an abusive husband (Craig Sheffer). While Sheffer is not really given anything more to do than be a threatening presence, it is in their brief scenes together that Basinger connects - showing painful vulnerability yet hinting at the rage that will eventually boil over in her confrontations with the youths. It's a truly great, understated performance, her transformation from victim to aggressor is seamlessly played.Lukas Haas I initially thought was miscast, as he (along with the other three youths) just did not seem much of a threat. However, had all four youths been more physically imposing, the later scenes in which Basinger turns the tables against them would not have worked at all. The fact that these are four average men, albeit slightly unhinged, is the key to why the film works as well as it does.Apart from a few pacing issues during the latter half of the movie and a couple of cheesy lines here and there, what we have here is a great thriller that actually leaves the viewer with something to think about when the film is over. Some may be put off by the slow - burn nature of the opening scenes, or the abrupt ending. Others by the at times brutal violence. I say give it a chance, it's certainly more deserving of your time than Saw V.$LABEL$ 1 +Hello, can anybody hear me? I don't know why you came to this page, but if you're a fellow viewer of this movie: join the fanclub! This movie was so unbelievably bad I couldn't stop laughing when I saw it. I think it's a must see, it's bad in a nice way. Every cliche ever invented for a horror movie can be seen here. I'm afraid it's very hard to get a copy of this movie, but it should be in the top 10 of worst movies ever made.$LABEL$ 0 +I would not recommend this movie. Even though it is rated G and is clearly for kids there is quite a lot of swearing (including the dreaded 'F' and 'S' words). This kind of language doesn't offend me particularly but in a kids film? Come on.There was also quite a bit of implied sexual content, between one of the early adolescent male characters and any willing adult woman who came along - including a prostitute! The acting was as good as it gets in this genre of film but the story line was very very cheesy and even my four year old remarked that it was 'stupid'.Despite having Elizabeth Shue, this film is definitely not worth checking out if you haven't seen it.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was working toward two goals: to make a political point and to tell a scary adventure story. It's often difficult to do make a political point and still tell a good story (consider the highly political but rarely-entertaining final season of Ellen). Beyond Rangoon finds a good balance between politics and storytelling.I already knew that Aung San Suu Kyi had won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, and knew something about the oppressive political situation in Burma, so the political message of the movie was mostly a dramatization of what I already knew. But I thought the movie did a good job of telling about Aung San Suu Kyi and the mostly-faceless dictators who have for years tried to silence her. The device of presenting an unfamiliar setting through the eyes of a character that viewers can identify with is fairly common, but it's quite well done in this movie.Of course, the real measure of the movie was its entertainment value. Arquette was excellent as a young woman whose sister took her to a distant, unfamiliar place to shake her out of her depression over the violent deaths of her husband and son. She is convincingly detached and depressed. Her grieving condition gives her a clear reason for her distracted wanderings into the thick of a dangerous situation she does not understand, something she'd otherwise be much too intelligent to stumble into.Once the dangers become so obvious that she can see through them even through the cloud of grief, she's trapped, with no easy escape. That sets her on a path of adventure where she needs her intelligence to survive. The writers deserve much credit for making her intelligent and resourceful enough to deal with numerous dangerous situations, while still finding a plausible reason for her to be foolish enough to get into trouble in the first place. The directing is strong also, keeping up the tension throughout the race to escape the forces of the dictatorship.This movie had additional impact on me and my wife because of other events of the same time period. We were preparing for a trip to India, and heard news reports of Western tourists who had been taken hostage by a terrorist group in India. Avoiding isolated terrorists in a peaceful democratic country is quite a different matter from escaping an oppressive dictatorship. But the movie and the news shared the element of avoiding danger in an unfamiliar country. That common characteristic gave the movie meaning beyond the strength of its own skillful storytelling. The movie illustrates the international tourist's worst nightmare.$LABEL$ 1 +Since this movie was based on a true story of a woman who had two children and was not very well-off, it was just scary as to how real it really was! The acting is what gave the movie that push to greatness.Diane Keaton portrayed the main character, Patsy McCartle who had two sons whom she adored. Her performance is what made the real life story come to life on a television screen. It was very hard to watch some of the scenes since they were so real as to what happens when one becomes addicted to drugs.Just watching this very loving mother go from sweet to not caring at all was hard, but so true. I have known people who have gone through withdrawl and it was very much like what happened in this movie, from what I remember.I also thought that it was very risky for the director to want to make a movie out of what happened to this woman. Yet it was done so well. I applaud the director for making this movie.I highly recommend this to anyone who has known someone who has ever been addicted to drugs or to just learn what can happen to you if you do become addicted to them.$LABEL$ 1 +The first time i saw it i got half of it but i watched and i knew later on it was about a salem witch trials. They focused on the Sara Good's family. SHE is famous for cursing a priest which came true. In the film it depicts her daughter dorcas and her husband the spirit of Ann Putnam Sara's husband comes to the future hunts this girl to redeem her soul. which does happen at the end of the movie. Dorcas is depict as witch at 5years old who is burned at the stake. Which never happen Ann putnam saves her from the flames. the girl is safe she goes to Ann putnam's grave to to see that is not empty but it is at first because she accuse her of witchcraft, and lets her burn to death. Now that ann putnam saves her her spirit is redeemed, and she is not a outcast to society for the salem witch trials.$LABEL$ 1 +I tend to love everything the great late Paul Naschy (R.I.P.) ever was in. While not all films starring Naschy are great, they all have a specific charm that can be found nowhere but in Naschy-flicks, and they are always entertaining. There is no rule without exception, however, as "El Mariscal Del Infierno" aka. "The Devil's Possessed" (1974) proves. While the film does have the specific Naschy-flick-charm, it sadly drags far too much and gets really, really dull in-between. Naschy stars as the evil Baron Gilles De Lancré, who oppresses the people and uses black magic and bloody rituals to stay in power. When Gaston de Malebranche (Guillermo Bredeston), who fought side by side with Gilles De Lancré against the British, learns about the Baron's evil behavior, he decides to turn against his former comrade in arms and help the people free themselves from the satanic Baron's tyranny...Directed by León Klimovsky, who is best known for directing Naschy in "La Noche De Walpurgis" ("The Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Woman", 1971), the film was scripted by Naschy himself. Naschy often scripted his own films, and one must say that he mostly did a better, more original job than it is the case here. "El Mariscal Del Infierno" is mostly built up as a historical adventure rather than a Horror film, and it gets quite boring throughout the middle. It often resembles the Sword and Sandal films from the 50s, only that this film is set in medieval times. The Satanic part was probably only added because the great Paul Naschy's name is linked to the Horror genre. The film has its good parts: Paul Naschy giving weird speeches, Paul Naschy looking weird, Paul Naschy doing Satanic stuff, Paul Naschy torturing innocent victims, etc. But sadly, most of the film concentrates on the boring hero and the good guys, and these moments are boring. The female cast members are nice to look at, but, unlike most Naschy films, this one features no nudity and sleaze. There is some gore, but it mostly looks clumsy and isn't as fun too look at as it is the case with most other Naschy films. Overall, "El Mariscal Del Infierno" is only worth a look for my fellow Naschy-enthusiasts. There are dozens of films starring the Spanish Horror deity which should be seen before this one, such as "El Jorobado De La Morgue" ("The Hunchback of the Morgue", 1973), "La Orgia De Los Muertos" ("The Hanging Woman", 1973), "El Espanto Surge De La Tumba" ("Horror Rises From The Tomb", 1973), "Latidos De Panico" ("Panic Beats", 1983), "Rojo Sangre" (2004), or any of the 'Waldemar Daninsky' werewolf films. R.I.P. Paul Naschy. Legends never die!$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, it features one lovely blink-and-you-miss-it-joke (when the dead are rising from their tombs, the names of the old time "horror" directors like Jacques Tournier and Jean Yarborough are featured in the tombstones) and the smashing of morally bankrupt Repu/con/rightist villains is on-target: whorish skanks preaching morals etc. But why these soldiers are anti-Republicans? Because they have gone to the war, most of them should be Republicans, right? Why they don't go to killing the enemies who killed them or something? Why they ALL want to vote against the Republicans? Why this story has made of a movie? Questions never answered...$LABEL$ 0 +I saw a preview of Freebird at the Isle of Man TT as i had heard about it in a couple of motorcycle mags. Although i was over mainly for the racing, the lure of seeing Phil Daniels in a motorcycle movie (yes i love Quadrophenia like everyone else) proved enough to get me away from the beer and partying. At last! we've done it! us British have actually made a great motorcycle film (and no it's not like Torque) this is up there with the best of British comedy. Mark my words, this is Phil Daniels best screen performance, and as far as Geoff Bell is concerned, there's a new British legend making his name felt. I loved Gary Stretch in Shane Meadows' fantastic Dead Mans Shoes and here he gives a quietly touching performance that he can proudly add to his growing film reputation. This is a film not just for us Bikers, but I think for everyone (even my girlfriend loved it). I hope it gets the same brilliant response on the mainland as it got at the Isle of Man. I'm not going to go into the details of certain classic scenes that this movie has, (watch out for the shop), as it would spoil the fun, but i would say, go see, enjoy, and have one of the best nights in the cinema you've had in a while. I really think this could well be a cult classic. As they were saying at the TT... C'Mon Freebird!$LABEL$ 1 +OK, I don't really think that Trailer Park Boys has bad story lines, because they kick ass. They just... conflict with each other.For Example: Near the end of the movie, it shows Ricky and Julian telling "Patrick Lewis" to put the dog down and walk away. Then at the end, it shows Ricky and Julian saying that they've been in jail for 2 years. In the TV series pilot, the first clip they show is the same clip of Ricky and Julian yelling at "Patrick Lewis". But in the TV series, they've supposedly only been in jail for 18 months.Also, they give us the impression that the movie's story line and the TV series' story line are connected (because of the yelling scene between the guys). But some actors portray totally different characters. Of course, Patrick Roach plays "Patrick Lewis" in the movie, but in the series he plays Randy. Sam Tarasco plays one of the guys who pays Ricky for an extermination, and then he plays Sam Losco in the series.Also (again... I know, I have a lot to say), in the movie, the guys snort coke instead of smoking hash. The thing is, they never actually confirm that the two story lines are connected in anyway, other than the yelling scene.Sorry to keep on blabbing.$LABEL$ 1 +Bell Book and Candle was released in December 1958 and features James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon. and Ernie Kovaks. This film had James Stewart and Kim Novak in their second on-screen pairing (after the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo, released earlier the same year). This was Stewart's last film as a romantic lead as he was deemed too old at age 50 to play that sort of part anymore. The movie is about a witch played by Kim Novak who is attracted to a mortal played by James Stewart. She puts a spell on him and he falls head over heels in love with her. I enjoyed the movie and its cast. This movie at the time was a moderate success which was nominated for a Golden Globe for best Movie Comedy. GimmeClassics$LABEL$ 1 +I think Via Satellite is one of the best New Zealand made movies around. I loved the way the movie delt with all the characters within the entire movie. It was brilliant, and a heartfelt movie.A well made movie, one which I will always remember, and watch again.$LABEL$ 1 +The plot of "Open Graves" is very simple:it's about a board game called Mamba,where the players die in real life the same way they die in the game.Laughable death scenes include killings via computer generated crabs and snakes.The characters are cardboard and deliberately annoying and there isn't even a tiny bit of suspense.I liked Eliza Dushku in "Wrong Turn",but she is completely wasted and unmemorable here.The climax with CGI-witch coming from the sea is utterly laughable and stupid.The only reason to see "Open Graves" are some interesting camera angles plus sexy Eliza Dushku.If such movies are the future of horror then I seriously give up.Give me any 70's or 80's low-budget horror flick over this modern piece of crap.A generous 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, sure, this movie is a bit on the hokey side. It's difficult to take characters from comic books and put them into movies with any credibility (Dolph Lundgren as The Punisher, anyone?), but this tries very hard. I've never read the actual comic book, but that doesn't really matter, I suppose. I judge a film mainly on its merits, not on whether it is a faithful retelling of someone else's idea. (Unless its a film based on a true story, that demands at least some attempt at truth and accuracy.) So why will I give this movie a fairly high rating? Because it tries. It tries very hard. In my book, that makes it a fair attempt at an entertaining film.Many films have been made with vampire subject matter being the main focus. It seems everybody has their take on vampire lore, be it the cross, the silver, the garlic, the aversion to sunlight, whatever. Some of those ideas are included here. The storyline is familiar... a group of vampires conspire to take over the world, with one person (mainly) standing in their way. Blade (Wesley Snipes) lives for the sole purpose of the destruction of the vampiric masses, who have slowly but surely moved into the world, and share it with humankind. For the most part, the human race is blind to the fact that vampires exist all around them. The vampires have even taken familiars, people who aspire to be vampires and do the vampires' dirty work for them to show how worthy they are of eventually being "turned."Now that I think of it, there are many elements of this movie similar to the storyline of the Roddy Piper film, They Live. A hidden enemy, hidden group of people plotting against them, the fight to save human-kind... all that is present in Blade as well.The acting isn't the best here. Snipes is, at best, only slightly better than some of his other roles; N'Bushe Wright, a relative newcomer, isn't too bad; Kris Kristofferson is forgettable as Blade's sidekick (he's to Blade what Chip is to The Punisher). Stephen Dorff does the best job of the whole cast here, as the "head" vampire you just love to hate.I don't know, but I just loved the special effects in this film. From the blood-soaked vampire-style rave, all the way to the inevitable fight at the finale of the film, the special effects aren't half bad. There's certainly enough blood and gore to go around, but after all, this is a vampire movie, right? The various shapes and sorts of weaponry Blade uses are fairly unique, and not generally used in contemporary action films. Snipes has more flair with a decked-out sword than he does with, say, a machine gun. Plus, there's so much more thought that goes into fighting with a blade than just blowing someone away. (Unless, of course, you are Indiana Jones.)Overall, this isn't the best action film ever made, but it's not half bad, either. As a bonus, the musical score & soundtrack are pretty cool, too. Tell me, in what other movies can you hear super drum'n'bass like Source Direct or Photek?!My Rating: 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +A group of friends discover gold deep inside an old mine. But by taking the gold and thinking they've hit it big, they awaken a long dead miner who's Hell Bent on protecting his treasure. "Miner's Massacre" is a chintzy b-horror movie in the extreme. You've got all your familiar clichés, your group of intellectually-impaired teenagers, characters going off on their own to investigate strange noises, a few pop-scares, the mysterious sheriff, the old lady who everyone thinks is nuts (Played by top-billed Karen Black no less), and so on. Nevertheless, it's done in an amusing, non-pretentious fashion that makes the film mindlessly entertaining in a "so bad, it's good" kind of way. The characters and dialog are what you'd expect from this type of film—familiar, routine and unoriginal. The actors all do a decent job though, considering—I've actually seen bigger-budget films of it's type with worse acting (I know what you did last summer, anyone?) and add a bit of credibility to the film itself. The villain in this film (The 49'er) is obviously derived from the creeper from Jeepers Creepers, all the way down to the brown overcoat, the hat and the long white hair. Like the creeper he never talks, and is butt-ugly to boot. The gore is somewhat disappointing in my opinion. There are a couple of fairly gruesome moments, but too much is off-screen and the death scenes are often laughable (Spoiler ahead!). There's one truly hilarious moment where a girl gets decapitated by the said villain, and to achieve this 'effect', the filmmakers hid the actress's body beneath the villain's coat, with her head poking out, and put some fake blood on her neck. Seriously, you could see the outline of her shoulders! I think they could have done a little better there, even if the budget was low (And I'm sure it was, but, still…). The special effects are cheap but sufficiently effective and for the most part, moderately well done for a low-budget film. Either the effects guys or the director seem to have a thing for explosions and fire. Almost every scene towards the end of the film has at least a couple of characters being burn to death (Always filmed in slow motion) or SOMETHING exploding, be it a car or an old mine cave. Seriously, hasn't anyone ever heard the term; "Stop, drop and roll"!?!?!?"Miner's Massacre" (Or "Curse of the forty-niner", what ever you want to call it) is cheesy and dumb, albeit entertaining, and as long as you don't have expectations through the roof, you'll be sufficiently entertained. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give it a 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I had great expectations surrounding this movie (not as it was an apocalypse now or an 8 1/2, but high enough), and when i saw it on cable, they were all shattered. Starting by the acting (poor,almost mediocre, an astonishing waste of good actors and talent) and the story itself: Since when does a 5 men squad go out on patrol on a supposed «hot» zone???To suicide??That´s one big mistake, that costs the film dearly. Very good actors do very poor acting here, like Sean Penn, that recently repeated the irritating way of talking on «I am Sam», and Michael J. Fox, that wastes a good opportunity to beat Charlie Sheen on «Platoon», performing just «average». But the most irritating character was Diaz (played by John Leguizamo, another stupid waste of fine talent by the director), that was a cheesy,scared and insecure kind of person, even more irritating that Jar Jar Binks (yes,you heard it). The battle sequences are average, the only one that really stands out is the opening sequence, with Michael J. Fox trapped by his feet on a VC tunnel.Mr. de Palma has a weak work here, and if it wasn´t for films like «Scarface» and «The Untouchables» (these ones excellent films), i would consider him a «bluff» director: too much publicity, bad filming.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Father HoodI can understand why a lot of people hate this tale of a father kidnapping his two children and carrying them across America, but I've seen much worse, and--when I saw this years ago--I didn't think it was particularly awful. Patrick Swayze is the worried father who takes his kids on the run with him for personal reasons, and Halle Berry is the cop chasing them down.Overall a decent way to spend a couple hours of your life. You could certainly do worse--ever hear of the film "Pod People"?** 1/2 out of *****Rated PG-13 for some traumatic scenes, adult content matter, violence and language.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie serves as a timely warning to anyone who thinks they can both write and direct their own movie. Face it, you can't. Because that way there's nobody around to tell you when you hack great holes in your plot, have meaningless transitions, trite, unmemorable dialog and manage to turn a fairly cool Korean legend into a steaming pile of celluloid turd.I wanted to like this movie as a trashy popcorn movie, really I did; I like lots of crappy movies. But once I've been forced to ask myself what the hell just happened and WHY, DEAR LORD, WHY? more than a few times, I really can't take it any more.Also, I would love for someone to explain how LA became Mordor for the last scene.$LABEL$ 0 +Very good 1939 film where John Garfield plays another boxer who becomes a victim when everyone thinks he has committed a murder. Trouble is that the killer and Garfield's girl, Ann Sheridan, in a brief but good performance, get killed while trying to elude the police.A crooked attorney persuades Garfield to flee N.Y. He lands in Arizona and meets up with the Dead End Kids.. They've been sent there by a funding program to keep them out of further trouble.Of course, Garfield finds a new love interest but must conceal his identity as everyone thinks he was not only the killer but was the victim in the car crash.May Robson is fabulous as the grandma type running the place for the wayward youth. Claude Rains is also effective in the role of the detective who suspects that Garfield is still alive and pursues him when a picture is snapped of him in Arizona.The film really deals with Garfield's relation to the boys. While the ending is good, you want to see Garfield go back to N.Y. to proclaim his innocence.$LABEL$ 1 +This review is based on the Producer's Cut: 'Halloween 5' was a major disappointment at the box office way back in '89. Personally, I've always loved it and am proud to have it in my collection. But because of it's failure and also because of rights issues, it would be 6 years before we would see another installment. The film had the makings of being one of the best, if not the best in the series. A hardcore fan writing the script, the return of not only Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis and George Wilbur as Michael Myers, but also the return of the character of Tommy Doyle from the first film, a major studio backing the project, and a Fall release all made the film sound like a hit in the making. So what went wrong? I'll give you two good reasons: Re-shoots and poor editing. Due to a bad test screening and also the unfortunate passing of Donald Pleasence, the film was changed, and not for the better. The film, like parts III and 5, tanked at the box office and earned negative reviews from both critics and most series fans. But then, thanks to the magic of bootlegging, the original cut leaked out and many fans, including my self, were very happy. I will end this portion of my review by saying this: This film is, so far at least, my favorite 'Halloween' film and I'm not afraid to admit that.Pros: The score is simply spellbinding. Has some of the best writing and dialogue of the series. 'Halloween 4' emulated the original in that it was more about suspense and mood instead of blood and guts, and 6 is the same way. Great performances, especially from the late and very missed Donald Pleasence. Moves at a breathtaking pace. An interesting explanation for Michael's evil and why he won't die. Some brutal kills. Some pretty chilling moments, my favorite being the one involving Kim Darby's character. A lot of really cool nods to the previous films. Some good surprises. Like the previous two sequels, this one has an awesome cliffhanger ending.Cons: Though the explanation for Michael's evil is fascinating, it does make him a little less scary. Since when can Michael move around from place to place so fast? Final thoughts: This was the first 'Halloween' that I saw in the theatre. I was so excited because I really had thought 5 would be the last and then I heard this was happening. I enjoyed it at the time, but over time I saw it for what it really was: A great movie trapped in an OK one with a terrible ending. Why did the filmmakers have to listen to the people at the test screenings? If they had released this superior version it may have done much better and the series might not be stuck in the mess it's in right now.My rating: 5/5$LABEL$ 1 +Fair and nifty little science fiction/horror fantasy thriller about a well-known video game designer, Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) whose latest game - "eXistenZ" not only draws the attention of people who volunteer to try the game, but one who nearly kills her (and her game, too). Since she forced to stay out of sight, Allegra is stuck with Ted Pikul (Jude Law), a marketing trainee ("P.R. nerd") to be her bodyguard even though he only has a gun that's made out of flesh and bone and the bullets are teeth. Director David Cronenberg has, well, used some bits from his earlier films ("Videodrome", "Scanners", "The Fly", etc.) and placed it into certain parts of the story with some good timing. Law and Leigh are fine here and so are some of the supporting cast (Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, Sarah Polley, Christopher Eccelston, and so on) that has an international twist to it. Dafoe is anything but devilish as Gas, a deceiving garage mechanic. One of the movie's best scenes is witnessing Ted eat (fish and frogs) and construct a gun and admit to Allegra - " I can't help myself." "eXistenZ" manages to show that he (Cronenberg) is up to his old tricks and it still works like a charm.$LABEL$ 1 +my girlfriend, as we walk in the cold London evening in leicester square, after the movie, says: if they didn't speak English and they didn't show the stadium, you could have thought this was the slums of a South American city or some other slum anywhere in the world,not Queens in NYC.Ramin Bahrani is , right now, my official hero, because he seems to have devoted his work to show not the OTHER face of American, but the REAL face of America.Ramin Bahrani's movies are like Ladri di biciclette, or Germania anno zero, or Roma citta' aperta. Chop shop is reality turned into a movie, is more realistic than a documentary, in fact I think Ramin Bahrani's movies are more realistic than documentaries. This is a great movies, but don't expect any car chase or shooting. This movie is about tragic lives on the margin of the wealthiest , richest country in the world.$LABEL$ 1 +I really don't know if this was supposed to be science fiction or horror. It was confusing to say the least. What really upset me, however, was the lack of story development between the characters.The Sheriff's (Bruce Boxleitner) 17-year-old daughter (Clara Bryant) is stuck with him for the summer, and they don't spend 30 seconds on screen together at any one time.The hot Native American (Jennifer Lee Wiggins) apparently has the hots for the Sheriff, but they don't spend any time together either.The hot secretary (Kristen Honey) ends up dead and she had more acting ability than the other two put together.The bad developer vs. the Native Americans is an overused story, but I personally like evil developers getting theirs as I live in Florida.The only reason I stayed with this was the creature. It was original. I have never seen anything like it and I am a sucker for new creatures.$LABEL$ 0 +Although this film is somewhat sanitized (because it was made at a time when people just didn't talk about sex), it is an extremely helpful short film to show prepubescent girls so they know what to expect during menstruation. Not surprisingly, it was paid for by the Kotex company, though what may surprise many is that Disney made this film--as they made a lot of educational films during the 1940s-60s. However well made the film is, though, I think the film maker's missed a real opportunity. Instead of the nice female narrator's voice and the relatively bland visuals it would have been GREAT if they'd used Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Disney gang!! I know this would have given old Walt a heart attack, but wow that would have been a great film! By the way, although the notion of sex is barely hinted at in the film, it DOES adequately explain menstruation in general. However, it does lack some details (especially about intercourse) that I assume were included in the accompanying booklet.Now if only I can figure out why I watched a cartoon about menstruation.$LABEL$ 1 +"Dressed to Kill" has been more or less forgotten in critical circles in the past 20 years, but it is a true American classic, a film which is much more than just a glossy thriller.I sincerely hope the DVD release will give more people the chance to hear about it and see it.$LABEL$ 1 +Becky Harris plays the female shopper whose misfortune it is to be in the store at the wrong time and obviously ONLY purpose to be in this film is to supply a reason to wear out remote controls! Miss Harris seems to me to be in her fifties or older when she first comes on the scene. Once the red haired thug is done with her it becomes apparent that this is no AARP queen. If these are not some of the finest assets ever displayed on celluloid, I want someone to clue me in. Absolutely breathtaking in my opinion and I literally wore out my VHS copy capturing her charms. I would like to know if this movie is available on DVD.The rest of this movie really is not worthy of mention. I was hoping to see something fairly convincing and intelligent, however I was disappointed on both counts. God Bless Becky Harris!$LABEL$ 0 +Bill (Buddy Rogers) is sent to New York by his uncle (Richard Tucker) to experience life before he inherits $25million. His uncle has paid 3 women Jacqui (Kathryn Crawford), Maxine (Josephine Dunn) and Pauline (Carole Lombard) to chaperone him and ensure that he does not fall foul of gold-diggers. One such lady Cleo (Geneva Mitchell) turns up on the scene to the disapprovement of the women. We follow the tale as the girls are offered more money to appear in a show instead of their escorting role that they have agreed to carry out for the 3 months that Bill is in New York, while Bill meets with Cleo and another woman. At the end, love is in the air for Bill and one other .............The picture quality and sound quality are poor in this film. The story is interspersed with musical numbers but the songs are bad and Kathryn Crawford has a terrible voice. Rogers isn't that good either. He's pleasant enough but only really comes to life when playing the drums or trombone. There is a very irritating character who plays a cab driver (Roscoe Karns) and the film is just dull.$LABEL$ 0 +Surely the Gershwin family realizes this is one of America's greatest opera. You have thousands of fans of this opera waiting for it to be released on DVD. Please don't be so stubborn, give us a break. Think of the joy and wonder you can bring to a starved public for quality music, by releasing this great GEM. Don't wait until the film is beyond repair. The cast is first rate, the music is just awesome, we need beautiful music in today's world. It may never be filmed again with such a great cast again. With today's home theater systems,wonderful sound systems and need for great music, I'm pleading with the Gershwin family to reconsider and release this awesome movie. Thanks So Much$LABEL$ 1 +The lead characters in this movie fall into two categories: smart and stupid. Simple enough.Jiri Machacek (Standa) plays a hapless, dopey guy who gets arrested for a crime he did not commit. When he tries to get financially reimbursed by his evil, former boss, the situation gets out of control.While Standa is genuinely (but endearingly) stupid, his buddy Ondrej is an absolute blithering idiot who bungles everything and manages to say and do the wrong thing every time. Without Ondrej, Standa might stand a chance of going through life with some modest degree of success. With Ondrej, life will never be boring, but it sure won't be without a lot of headaches!Ivan Trojan plays Zdenek, an evil genius type who degenerates into some Hitler-esquire delusional tyrant. Zdenek and his henchmen try to kill Standa to keep Zdenek's secrets safe.I am very impressed with the high quality and imagination of Czech films. For a relatively small country, the Czech Republic certainly has produced more than its share of superb entertainment. The best Czech movies I have seen are: 1) Pelišky and 2) Tmavomodrý Svet (Dark Blue World). If you see these two movies, you have seen the absolute best of Czech cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +I love Brian Yuzna's other work, even cruder stuff like 'Necronomicon', but 'Progeny' was too much even for me. My chief complaint is that it's needlessly exploitative of Jillian McWhirter's nudity, I'm no prude but these nude scenes just drag on and on and on... only to culminate (virtually every time) in a tawdry *wink, nudge* insinuation of sexual violence. The scene where she attempts a coat hanger abortion after several minutes of naked screaming is a prime example. Arnold Vosloo's 'performance' is utterly turgid, but even Jeffrey Coombs couldn't save this festering heap of a film. The aliens are boring, the uniformly dull lighting saps your interest, and the plot is absolutely predictable. The only highlights for me were an all-too-brief glimpse of the aliens' true form (very nice model) and the scene where Vosloo finds his wife in the closet was OK too. But you've been warned.$LABEL$ 0 +The direction struck me as poor man's Ingemar Bergman. The inaudible dialogue was annoying. The somber stoicism that all characters except Banderas' showed made me think they were drugged. I think the director ruined it for me.$LABEL$ 0 +I would just like all of the fans of this documentary to know that Martin Torgoff is my uncle and I am so darn proud of him. This mini-series that in shown on VH1 is a great look at the culture of drugs in the past 30 years and my uncle worked very hard on it. The amount of time and effort that I have watched him put into this documentary and the book that started it all (Can't Find My Way Home) makes it that much better to watch him on TV. I know that he loves what he does and he does it well. His eloquence is shown in the interviews, which he did himself, and the amazing additions that he himself adds to the commentary. From the music to the videos and everything in between, this is a great documentary that really shows the experience of the drug culture through the eyes of someone who lived through it. I appreciate any comments on this from those who enjoyed it (or didn't) and would love to hear from fans! Three cheers for uncle Martin!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I can say nothing more about this movie than: Man, this SUCKS!!!!! If you really hate yourself and want to do some severe damage to your brain, watch this movie. It's the best cure in the world for taking away happiness. When I started watching this film, I was completely happy. Afterwords I could feel my brain melting, like it was struck by molten lava. God, I HATE that stupid Dinosaur. So if you want severe brain damage: Watch this movie, it will do the trick.$LABEL$ 0 +But perhaps you have to have grown up in the 80's to truly appreciate this movie. If you love the early 80's this is definitely a must see. Also, one of the best soundtracks ever!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm aware that there are some fans who might like this movie. I'm aware that the idea of 'searching for god' might appear interesting to some, to me, however, it's really boring.The movie is simply boring. When it does get a little bit interesting, it gets stupid. Come on... Kirk fights against god and wins? How low can we possibly get? The only good part in the film is the camping scene at the first 5 minutes, which is truly great, but after that, the movie becomes boring, irritating, with nothing more than a good music.Thank god we have Star Trek VI. (Oops, Kirk beat him).$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone I know loves this movie, but I am afraid that I don't. I hated this film so much that I had to turn it off mid-film because of the repulsion. Way too much time is spent on weepiness and emotional bedlam, the point of the Bullock character being devastated by her divorce is jackhammered into the viewer's head excessively. Enough already!! And why didn't we hear more about her ex-husband? He is portrayed as nothing but a suit who comes by once in a while. Something must of made her want to marry him, what was it? What is it about him that makes her so devastated upon their divorce? More time could of been spent on that rather than yet one more shot of Bullock lying crumpled on the bedroom floor. The dialogue is stilted, cliched and terrible, much like one of those corny "ABC Afterschool Specials" or something. There is no imagination or creativity about anything in this film, it is all very predictable and therefore boring. This movie also goes into overdrive on the cutsiness factor, very stupid and not funny like it was supposed to be! This is just another one of those horribly done "I am woman, hear me roar" films, much like "Waiting To Exhale". If you want to see "I am woman, hear me roar" films that are truly entertaining, original and well-done, then see "Gas Food Lodging" or "Ruby in Paradise". Skip this crap!! I give "Hope Floats" 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Feh. This movie started out in an interesting manner, but quickly ran the gamut from confusing to dull. The confusing parts happened mostly at the beginning, where the cut scenes are so numerous that its hard to tell just what is going on for the first twenty minutes or so. The dull comes later, with a tepid romance between the two living people(pusses both). The vengeful spirit of the dead girl is actually the most lively person in the film, which is sad. If the rest of the cast had been up to her caliber, the movie might have been better.Maybe. Because the storyline gets really interesting for awhile, as it appears that the insane priestess mother of the dead sixteen year old girl is trying to resurrect her daughter from the dead, with the decidedly unfortunate side effect that all of the other dead people would come back as well, take on solid human form, and most likely start killing off everybody. A sort of Japanese mystical Night of the Living Dead type thing. But this doesn't come to pass. Even though this hairy unwashed priest with a tiny basket strapped to his head tells the uninteresting young people that this will come to pass if the priestess finishes her ritual, she does just that and the only dead person who manifests is her daughter. No mass rising of the dead, no walking army of corpses, nothing. The priest merely makes the girl's spirit go back to the land of the dead, taking the washed out wuss of a boyfriend with her, as she'd crushed his spine like peanut brittle(at which point I was tempted to cheer loudly, as this idiot went over to kiss and fondle the DEAD girl,,ewwww!!!). The Robitussen sucking, spineless best friend has a long introspective shot at the end as she leaves the village for the last time, and that's it. No real horror, no real creepiness, which the Japanese tend to do far better than American film makers with their emphasis on over-the-top cheesy face make-up, no screaming mimis. I was very disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the best film I ever saw.The performance of Louis Jouvet is fantastic. He really 'fill' his part, and this is wonderful. He's such a good actor that you can't think of anyone else to take his part. And both Suzy Delair and Bernard Blier are good as standard french people, trying to defend themselves in the struggle born with a murder...The story is breathtaking and well built. You can feel the ambiance of Paris for that period (which is about 1930-40), between two wars... The clubs, the old little buildings, the neighbors.All those things contribute to make a great movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I signed in just to comment on how awfully stupid this movie is. Besides being a rip-off of Executive Decision or Air Force One or any other kind of terrorist story, this is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate seeing a movie that can take the same basic ideas and do it well. It's hard to blame the actors when they are given such a stupid, cliché-ridden script to work with. It's bad enough if you groan once in a movie when you encounter an insult to your intelligence, but when you find yourself groaning over and over again, you have to conclude that the director also isn't the brightest bulb in the movie business, nor are the producers for deciding to bring this story to the screen in the first place. The mostly low-rent actors you can excuse for taking on this assignment, because they most likely showed up to get the money and exposure, not that being a part of this joke-of-a-movie is going to earn them any awards or recognition. It may end up embarrassing them for having such poor judgment as to get involved in such a loser. I see no point in summarizing the plot or even in giving any examples to prove my case, for, to do so, would be cruel and unusual punishment that no one involved in this debacle could withstand. Just as studying well-made movies can inspire you how to make a good, skillfully put-together work of art and beauty, the only thing that you can learn from watching this monstrosity is what NOT to do and what does NOT work! Be warned.$LABEL$ 0 +Ik know it is impossible to keep all details of a book in a movie. But this movie has changed nearly everything without any reason. Furthermore many changes have made the story illogical. A few examples: 1) in the movie "Paul Renauld" really meets Poriot before he dies (in the book Poirot only gets a letter), telling him he is afraid to be killed. This is completely stupid because if Renaulds plan would have succeeded, Poirot would have known that the dead man would not have been Renauld.(Poirot was in the morgue when Mrs Renauld identified the victim). 2) The movie has "combined" two persons into one! "Cinderella" has been removed by the movie. The girl Hastings falls in love with and the ex-girlfriend of Jack Renauld are one person in the movie! Why for god's sake? 3)Hastings finds the victims cause he is such a bad golf player. Totally unfunny and stupid. 4) The movie tells secrets much too early (for example at the very beginning). So you know things you shouldn't know. 5) The murderer gets shot at the end by a person who doesn't exists in the book. Perhaps because the person ("cinderella") who stops the murderer does not exists in the movie. 6)The book is very complex. The movie takes only about 90 minutes. Sure it is difficult to include all the necessary details but it is impossible if you include stupid things which were not in the book and have no meaning (e.g. bicycle race).$LABEL$ 0 +This is the ultimate one-man show in which Eddie Murphy is at his very best. Just forget the Nutty Professor and the Distinguished Gentlemen, this is the real Eddie Murphy. His imitations of Mr. T. (pretending he is gay), Michael Jackson and other artists are killers. I think it's also quite daring to make fun of artists who where really popular in that time. My favorite act is the one where he is at his annual BBQ with the family and plays his drunken dad and aunt Bunny who falls from the stairs.This show is the best medicine when you feel down ! If you watch the sequel 'Raw' don't be disappointed. It's quite good too but doesn't match 'Delirious'.$LABEL$ 1 +If you are a fan of slap-stick that has terrible writing, awful acting and cliche after cliche this one is for you. There is far too much to list for the reasons why this movie sucks. In a brief synopsis, people with a combined iq of 100 journey to New Mexico on a race for 200 million dollars. And yes they are all apparently super heroes, as they can do many things such as jump onto trains that are traveling 80+ mph, survive numerous car crashes, and endless instances of outright cartoonish roadrunner and coyote antics. If you are a teen, or dont want to think for a movie, this one is for you.. Not one actor outside of Lovitz is believeable at all.. Lovitz saves the movie from a 1 with the Hitler bit. 2/10 (save yourself the 2 hours of pain and $4)$LABEL$ 0 +On many levels it's very good. In fact, considering that this was a low-budget British indie by a first time feature-director with a largely neophyte cast, it's a magnificent achievement. I don't know how much it cost. The figure of £8,000 was bandied about in publicity but you never know how reliable a figure like that is. The point is that this film looks like it cost a couple of million quid and it clearly cost a tiny fraction of that Great special effects, terrific production design, effective props and costumes, excellent photography, good acting and direction, an impressive score and an absolutely stunning sound mix. Even having said that, much of the script was great. The characters were clearly identified and all had something to do. This is a movie about ten men all dressed roughly the same in one location and it would be easy for them to be nameless, faceless blanks but these were ten characters - mostly that was done through the dialogue and the way they reacted to things. Throughout the middle act, when the plot was developing, the script told the story well and showed how it affected the characters. If the whole film was like the second act, it would be stunning.Before the ship blows up, twelve people make it to individual escape pods or 'e-pods' which blast away from the ship. They're not much more than automatic metal coffins and the poor sods inside are trapped, cramped and have no real idea where they're going - but that makes sense. I like the e-pods - they're an excellent idea done very well and make more sense than a nice, roomy escape capsule. I also like the way that we are specifically told, later, that they are designed for ship-to-ship escape but can just about make planetfall in an emergency - because, let's face it, these guys were bloody lucky that their ship was blown up so close to a planet. That said, it doesn't look to me like there are 116 unused e-pods still on the freighter and you have to wonder how the prisoner is able to get into an e-pod - but in he gets. (And it has just occurred to me: shouldn't the Captain have gone down with his ship rather than being the first guy out of there?) Anyway, the e-pods all land on a barren planet with nothing but sand and sparse vegetation - or at least on a sandy, sparsely vegetated part of the planet which may have icy wastes and lush jungles elsewhere. Nah, it's a planet in a sci-fi movie - it will be exactly the same all over. We have to accept that all the e-pods come down within a few miles of each other so that the ten survivors are able to meet up, firing flares into the sky to locate each other.The Captain, a muscular mountain of a man who could have a pretty good career in action flicks if he gets the right agent, decides that they should try and contact 'Captain Behan' with whom they were intending to rendezvous. But they cannot do this from the planet, they need to get into orbit. The engineer says that if they combine the power units from two e-pods they can probably give one of them enough juice to lift itself on anti-grav doodads high enough to blast above the atmosphere. It can all be done on automatic but it will need a 'pilot' to send the signal. The captain valiantly volunteers for this but in a commendably sensible move the engineer points out that putting the heaviest man into the somewhat dodgily repaired e-pod is ridiculous and that it needs to be the lightest member of the team. That's Kid. I really liked the way that he now points out that his name is David and the Captain starts using it, treating him with dignity and respect. That was good storytelling and good characterisation.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, I am a romantic of sorts who likes musicals and comedy and this fit the bill! Julie Andrews gives a mesmerizing performance at the beginning and end of this film with the "Whistling in the Dark" production number. The sedate-to-outrageous number that she performs in the middle of the story when she believes that Rock Hudson has been seeing a dancing/call girl is eye-popping and will certainly make you giggle.I only wish that this film could be found in video or DVD as I would surely purchase it in a heartbeat for my home library!$LABEL$ 1 +Basic summary: Ipswitch used to be a community of witches and escaped the Salem witch hunts by forming a covenant of secrecy. The first born males descended from these families have supernatural powers, and must come to terms with the seductive, addictive nature of using those powers.Well, I usually give movies the benefit of the doubt and start from a 5, going from there:Production: -1 for very obvious audio out of sync, +1 for nicely done special effects, the darkling actually gave me chills, +0.5 for nice colorization (I like the dull blue), -0.5 for the stupid sound track, +0.5 for the opening sequence -- I'm a sucker for stylish compositing and flashy title design.Story / Script: +1 for decent main idea, -0.5 for DBZ/Matrix/Street Fighter ripoff/pastiche, -1 for not explaining some plot threads very well (spiders, darkling), -1 for boring, predictable ending, -1 for gratuitous exposition, both as words on the screen and as bland monologuingActing / Characterization: -0.5 for bad bad acting, although it gets a little better as the film progresses, -1 for lack of character development, especially among all the femalesOther: +1 for gratuitous male and female nudity, which is fun to watch, and +0.5 for no sex scenes, which for this genre are usually done very badly and end up being boring rather than hot, +1 for hitting its target audience, teenage sci-fi/horror/thriller fans, even though this movie is not exclusively any of those genres.Conclusion: This is not a "film," this is a MOVIE. There's really nothing to analyze, it's just good, (relatively) clean fun. Lots of really attractive actors and actresses. Lots of boys fighting in the style of DBZ and Street Fighter. If you like cute actors and actresses, supernatural special effects, and/or mindlessly fun plots, this movie is for you. If you prefer Oscar-worthy, exquisitely-produced film masterpieces with tons of multi-layered, allegorical plot threads and groundbreaking visualization techniques, you probably won't like this film.Using my twisted logic, this movie gets a 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +From director Barbet Schroder (Reversal of Fortune), I think I saw a bit of this in my Media Studies class, and I recognised the leading actress, so I tried it, despite the rating by the critics. Basically cool kid Richard Haywood (Half Nelson's Ryan Gosling) and Justin Pendleton (Bully's Michael Pitt) team up to murder a random girl to challenge themselves and see if they can get away with it without the police finding them. Investigating the murder is homicide detective Cassie 'The Hyena' Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) with new partner Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin), who are pretty baffled by the evidence found on the scene, e.g. non-relating hairs. The plan doesn't seem to be completely going well because Cassie and Sam do quite quickly have Richard or Justin as suspects, it is just a question of if they can sway them away. Also starring Agnes Bruckner as Lisa Mills, Chris Penn as Ray Feathers, R.D. Call as Captain Rod Cody and Tom Verica as Asst. D.A. Al Swanson. I can see now the same concept as Sir Alfred Hitchcock's Rope with the murdering for a challenge thing, but this film does it in a very silly way, and not even a reasonably good Bullock can save it from being dull and predictable. Adequate!$LABEL$ 0 +I love Columbo and have seen pretty much all of the episodes but this one undoubtedly ranks as the worst of the lot. A mind-bogglingly tedious, pointless, muddled pile of unwatchable drivel that wastes both the time of the viewing audience and of the acting talents of an exceedingly bored-looking Peter Falk. The 'plot', such as it is, just seems to be made up as the film goes along with not even the slightest hint of the ingredients to the formula that made the show such a brilliant success to start with. One part of the proceedings which I found extremely puzzling ( or possibly annoying ) was Peter Falk's character being introduced to the guests at the wedding as 'Lt' Columbo. If the producers insist on keeping Columbo's first name a secret, why couldn't they have omitted this line altogether as it sounds ridiculous? Like I said, this is the pits and all true Columbo fans would do well to avoid it like the plague.$LABEL$ 0 +There have been many movies, on living the American dream. And this is one of them.First of all, on the technical side, there is a lot wrong. The audio is bad, i had trouble understanding the dialogs here and there, and the camera positions could have been better.They really tried to come up with a good movie, but for example the part where they show, how Jonathan is loosing himself in the dream,with girls, drugs and alcohol, is done very badly. The acting is very poor as well from all the characters in the movie.I had a hard time watching it from the beginning till end, and couldn't wait for the movie to be over.If your expectations are low, and you're bored on a Sunday with bad weather, watch it. If you in for a deep story with action, then this is not your movie.Normally i would not have give a score of 1, but of 4.5 for this movie. But the reason i gave it a 1 is because of the bad audio, and camera uses, not to mention the bad cut scenes with cheesy effects.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately many consumers who write reviews for IMDb equate low budget with not good. Whatever else this movie might need, more budget really isn't part of it. Big sets and lots of special effects would have turned it into another Lara Croft movie. What we have here is a step or two better than that.The nearly unknown Alexandra Staden is captivating as the enigmatic Modesty, and this is crucial for this movie to work. Her wise little smiles and knowing looks are formidable, and you find yourself wishing that the camera won't leaver her face. It makes it workable that the bad guy Nikolai, played by also little known (in the U.S. at least) Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau might take an unusually cerebral interest in her, something Modesty can exploit. She is able to divert his raping her with just a shove and spitting out "stop wasting my time!" then storming off between his heavily armed yet suddenly diffident henchmen. Making a scene like that plausible doesn't happen by accident.Probably the biggest problem I have with the rail-thin Staden playing Modesty is it just isn't very believable for her to go hand to hand with an athletic and muscled looking guy like Coaster-Waldau and beat him. She just ain't a Peta Wilson or a pumped-up Hilary Swank type actress who can throw a convincing punch. Coaster-Waldau letting himself be overpowered by Staden looks like he's just roughhousing with his little sister.Since this is not really an action film, this isn't a big flaw. I just hope they do better on that if and when they make sequels.$LABEL$ 1 +The above summary really isn't meant as a slam against this film, as the series followed a very similar format. As usual, Simon Templar ("The Saint") meets a lady in distress and comes to her aid. He also comes to the aid of a police detective who was framed of accepting a bribe. Along the way, he meets some interesting supporting characters (this time, Paul Guilfoyle as "Pearly" Gates) and during his unraveling of this not especially compelling mystery (none of them really are), Templar is extremely erudite and just plain cool! George Sanders is once again the consummate sophisticated British do-gooder and he succeeds once again in making an excellent B-detective series film. Nothing particularly special, but a familiar and breezy product sure to please fans of the genre.$LABEL$ 1 +When his elderly mother Emily (Jeanne Bates) is attacked by her lodger Nestor Duvalier (Brion James) and turns into a cannibalistic monster, TV news reporter Clay Dwyer (Mark Thomas Miller) struggles to keep dear old mom from satisfying her hunger.Although the above plot summary conjures up images of trashy, over-the-top, 80s horror titles such as Flesheating Mothers and Rabid Grannies, Mom actually turns out to be a refreshingly original take on the werewolf/vampire/zombie mythos (exactly what Emily becomes is never really clear, but it ain't nice!), as well as a touching study of the close bond between mother and son: Clay's devotion to his mother leads him to abandon all of his other responsibilities, including his job and his relationship with pregnant girlfriend Alice (Mary Beth McDonough), whilst Emily's love for Clay ultimately drives her to self-destruction.Technically, the film could be sharper, with more stylish direction and better effects (the shots of the creature are kept very brief, so as not to disappoint), and certain more experienced members of the cast frustrate with terribly cheesy performances (Yes, Brion James and Stella Stevens, I AM referring to you); fortunately, however, the strong emotional undercurrent in the well constructed story is enough on its own to ensure that Mom is an effective, compelling, and occasionally shocking tale—one which I have no hesitation in recommending to those looking for something a little different.$LABEL$ 1 +in this movie, joe pesci slams dunks a basketball. joe pesci...and being consistent, the rest of the script is equally not believable.pesci is a funny guy, which saves this film from sinking int the absolute back of the cellar, but the other roles were pretty bad. the father was a greedy businessman who valued money more than people, which wasn't even well-played. instead of the man being an archetypal villain, he seemed more like an amoral android programmed to make money at all costs. then there's the token piece that is assigned to pesci as a girlfriend or something...i don't even remember...she was that forgettable.anyone who rates this movie above a 5 or 6 is a paid member of some sort of film studio trying to up the reputation of this sunken film, or at least one of those millions of media minions who can't critique efficiently (you know, the people who feel bad if they give anything a mark below 6).stay away...far away. and shame on comedy central, where i saw this film. they usually pick better.$LABEL$ 0 +Forgive me for stating the obvious, but some films are good and some films are bad. Of course, there are extremes within those two broad categories. Films such as The Godfather, Saving Private Ryan, and Star Wars slot comfortably into the good category. At the other end of the spectrum there are those films that simply don't deserve to be mentioned by name. Occasionally however, someone produces a truly woeful film. A film that should be singled out as a demonstration of how awful a film can be. A film that is more than bad. Such a film is Maiden Voyage.Briefly, Maiden Voyage is a story about a luxury cruise ship that is hijacked by a gang of evil criminals who demand a ransom from an equally evil, scheming ship's owner. Of course, there is an all American hero on board, complete with chiselled jaw and sculptured chest, who saves the day.This is a production that plumbs new depths. Everything about it is bad. The acting, the direction and the so-called plot are breath-takingly poor. In short, it is an insult to the intelligence of any unfortunate viewer. Even an American viewer would be annoyed by its shortcomings.Yes, it's that bad.I will resist the temptation to compose a list of things that angered me about this film. However, its dumber-than-dumb conclusion should serve as an adequate example of what I mean.Imagine in your mind that you are an evil hijacker and you are stood in an open lifeboat on a calm sea. You are in company with the hero who holds a ticking bomb. Said hero throws the bomb to you and dives overboard. What would you do? I don't know about you, but I would throw the bomb as far as I possibly could into the sea. Not this guy. He watches as our hero swims away and then he tries to disarm the bomb with unfortunate (for him) results. Enough said. Such a demise would merit a mention in the Darwin Awards website and might also be a suitably apt conclusion to the production team's lives.$LABEL$ 0 +This poor remake of the 1963 classic starts reasonably well, then replaces suspense with muddled and pointless special effects. For example, in the original, one of the most chilling moments occurs when Nell and Theo are lying side by side in twin beds, listening in terror to the noises outside their room. Nell tells Theo to let go of her hand because she is hurting her. Nell then looks across at Theo, who is several feet away and realises that it was not Theo holding her hand. In the latest version, Nell is lying alone in bed, when suddenly she dives out and slides across the floor. It is only when she tells the unseen force to stop pulling her that we realise what has happened. And can anybody explain what Nell's final words mean - "It's about family. It's always been about family"?The one redeeming feature is Lili Taylor's performance, but even this cannot save the film. Catherine Zeta-Jones demonstrates once again that, beneath her pretty exterior, there is little depth. In the original, Claire Bloom subtly suggested her lesbian persuasion. Zeta-Jones, however has to spell it out, for example, by asking Nell if she has a boyfriend - or girlfriend.Definitely one which should be consigned to the pointless remakes graveyard.$LABEL$ 0 +"Carriers" follows the exploits of two guys and two gals in a stolen Mercedes with the words road warrior on the hood hightailing it down the highway for the beach with surfboards strapped to the top of their car. Brian (Chris Pine of "Star Trek") is driving and his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo of "Coyote Ugly")has shotgun, while Brian's younger brother, Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci of "Fanboys") and his friend--not exactly girlfriend--Kate (Emily VanCamp of "The Ring 2") occupy the backseat. This quartet of twentysomething characters are living in a nightmare. Apparently, a viral pandemic--which co-directors & co-scenarists Alex Pastor and David Pastor tell us absolutely nothing about--has devastated America. Naturally, the lack of exposition shaves off at least fifteen minutes that would have slowed down this cynical melodrama about how humans degenerate in a crisis and become their own worst enemies.This lethal virus gives you the shingles and then you bleed and die. Most everybody runs around wearing those white masks strapped to their nose and mouth by a thin rubber band. Initially, this foursome encounters a desperate father, Frank (Christopher Meloni of "Runaway Bride"),and his cute little daughter Jodie (Kiernan Shipka of "Land of the Lost") blocking the highway with their SUV. Brian swerves around Frank when he tries to waylay them, but in the process, the oil pan in their Mercedes ruptures and they wind up on foot. Reluctantly, they hitch a ride with Frank after they seal Jodie up in the rear of the SUV. She wears a mask over her nose and mouth and it is speckled with blood. Frank has heard that doctors are curing ailing people at a hospital and they head to it. Sadly, somebody has lied to Frank. The hospital physician is giving the last couple of kids some Kool-Aid that will put them out of their misery. The cure did not improve their condition. Everybody else in town is dead. Kate tries without success to get a dial tone on every phone. Frank realizes that there is no hope for his daughter and he lets the heroic quartet appropriate his SUV and take off.Indeed, "Carriers" qualifies as a relentlessly depressing movie about the effects of a pandemic on four sympathetic people who degenerate into homicidal murderers to protect themselves. They reach a country club and frolic around on a golf course until another four show up in suits and masks with pump-action shotguns. Incredibly, our protagonists manage to escape without getting shot, but Brian has a scare when he almost falls into the water with a floating corpse. Eventually, they discover that one of them has become infected. Later, as they are about to run out of gas, Brian blocks the highway like Frank did at the outset. Danny tries to stop a pair of older Christian women driving the car. Danny lies that his pregnant wife is about to give birth and he needs their help. Brian throws caution to the wind and blasts away at the ladies with his automatic pistol when they refuse to help them. Brian catches a slug in the leg from the passenger, but he kills her. No,"Carriers" is not a beer & pizza movie that you can either laugh off or laugh with because the humor is virtually non-existent. By the end of this 84-minute movie, our heroes have turned into villains who only care only for themselves and their plight. Chris Pine makes quite an impression as fun-loving Brian and his energetic performance is the only reason to hang with this hokum, while the only other well-known actress, Piper Perabo, is relegated to an inconsequential girlfriend role. As Bobby, she makes tragic the mistake of showing compassion to a dying little girl and pays an awful price. It is a testament to Pine's performance that he can change his character to the point of putting himself before others. Essentially, Pine has the only role that gives him the ability to pull a one-eighty from happy-go-lucky guy to heartless guy. The two directors are Spanish brothers, and they never let the momentum flag. Since there is no relief in sight, "Carriers" sinks into predictability. "Irréversible" cinematographer Benoît Debie does a fantastic job with his widescreen lensing and as unsavory as this road trip becomes, Debie makes it look like a dynamic film. Aside from the lack of a happy ending or closure in any sense of the word, "Carriers" suffers because it is so horribly cynical. The scene when the German shepherd attacks Danny conjures up the most suspense, but even it could have been improved. Unfortunately, the Pastor brothers do not scare up either much tension or suspense. By fade-out, you really don't care what happens to anybody.$LABEL$ 0 +This film looked interesting; I'd read the book a number of years ago and it informed me that the feature followed the plot outline pretty tightly.Started watching it and almost from the outset it failed to live up to expectations. In fact, I didn't bother watching the whole thing... utter drivel - bad performances, bad acting and instantly dislikeable characters - that was the point of the film, I guess.Watching this film left a bad taste in the mouth and put me on a downer for the remainder of my weekend.Do not bother with this feature.$LABEL$ 0 +Compared to this, Tarkovsky is a speed freak.Compared to this, Bela Tarr is MTV.Compared to this, the movie "Russian Ark" is a roller-coaster ride.I've just described 3 of the sllllowwwwwesssstttt experiences I've ever known, and this one tops them all. But that's not saying it's bad. On the contrary, I really liked it. But it was a chore.I won't describe the plot, because you can easily find that elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the plot is INSANE. It's one of the most creative and bizarre ideas since "Becoming John Malkovich". I believe the interesting plot is the main reason I kept from nodding off (also, the humour was nice. That's something we rarely see in slow, artsy films).Here we see a bizarre reversal of the norm. Most movies have little plot & little substance; yet they fill 90 mins with a lot of eyecatching images to keep us enthralled. But "The Hole" has 100% plot/theme without much to please the eyes. In that respect, I suppose it's a truly intellectual experience, much like reading a painfully verbose novel like Thackaray's "Vanity Fair" (which I've NEVER been able to finish!).If you have a tremendous attention span, I think you'll really like this film. Despite its molassessy pace, it's highly creative and imaginative. It's like Jean-Pierre Jeunet on quaaludes and with a drab, dusty camera lens. Best of luck.$LABEL$ 1 +Tommy JOnes and Matt Dillon do the gambling world proud. The various moves with the wrists had to be learned as throwing craps is a skill in and of itself.There are a few surprises. AS cynical as we are today, I fully expected the 'good girl' to be crying over his grave, instead of his Buddy's. Especially with her remarks about 'going to the funeral of her best friend', when she first meets Matt. And then of course you expect Matt to kill the guy who threw battery acid in Mr. Allen's face, blinding him (interesting role by Bruce Dern). WRRROOONNNNGGG!!! some of the other Hollywood endings DO happen, but the writing is so excellent, the acting so carefully wrought that you're blissfully unaware.And the music is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Taking us back to the 50s when our 'native passions' were first being unleashed by the music of Ray Charles and Bo Diddley. Even a little racism raring its ugly head in Chicago, but at a club called, wonderfully, 'Biloxi' with a Confederate flag backing up the racist remarks. I'll be watching it again, just to hear the music. Good thing I have the FACTOTUM sound track, so I can listen to that in the car. Watch both together, and you'll see how Matt has matured....playing bar room characters in both. NOw that he owns a bar in the Paramount HOtel in NYC, he probably has great opportunity to do his studies. Great actor, just coming into his own. He shows finely nuanced performances ...the good and the bad in his characters. His 'young boy off the farm' is a great study, made especially poignant because of his bassett-hound eyes. He makes love, convincingly as well. Since he was in several movies with Diane Lane as a teen-ager, I wonder how that it ...making love to an actress you kinda grew up with. Adds conviction, I'll say that.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was made in Hungary i think. anyway,the countryside is gorgeous,the people who play the farming folks were totally fascinating. their horsemanship is awesome. I got more into the native people, the farm life, and how heroic they were trying to hide Brady from the evil Nazis who where looking for these parachutists. They even sacrificed their life in several instances. the young orphan lad that Brady befriends was a sweet kid. you will marvel at the riding i think, and the action of trying to evade the Nazis. it is entertaining and comic in some spots and very tragic in others. Ladies have hankies handy, as you will be devastated at the end. i own it, and have watched it several times. in other words, not just a one time around flick. its a keeper....$LABEL$ 1 +Filmmaker Bryan Forbes, who once displayed a light, sardonic touch with beguiling material such as "Whistle Down the Wind" and the original "Stepford Wives", completely bottoms out here. Not only is his direction inept, he also sloppily adapted Sidney Sheldon's early novel; the results are atrocious. Roger Moore plays a psychiatrist framed for the murder of one of his patients; Rod Steiger, chewing the scenery, is a hot-under-the-collar cop (it's easily his most embarrassing performance). The only actor here to exhibit some life is Elliott Gould, who knows a thing or two about enlivening a bum script. Bland, choppy, and produced on the cheap. NO STARS from ****$LABEL$ 0 +A masterpiece.Thus it is, possibly, not for everyone.The camera work, acting, directing and everything else is unique, original, superb in every way - and very different from the trash we are sadly used to getting.Summer Phoenix creates a deep, believable and intriguing Esther Kahn. As everything else in this film, her acting is unique - it is completely her own - neither "British" nor "American" nor anything else I have ever seen. There is something mesmerizing about it.The lengthy, unbroken, natural shots are wonderful, reminding us that we have become too accustomed to a few restricted ways of shooting and editing.$LABEL$ 1 +Cannot believe my eyes when read quite a bunch of other comments and reviews. As if it were a mediocre movie of some run-of-the-mill dudes.The movie is great, funny, crazy, over-the-top violent though with minimum gore, and all the way energetic to the core. Loved every single bit of it. Can't remember anything insane like this made for laughs and martial art showing off. And now the most important thing (at least to me): it is computer effects free. When I watch some Hollywood actors duking it out on screen in modern high-resolution and damn high-budgeted action "fuflo" (a Russian word that means "bull*beep*"), I understand that any *beep* child can do it - you can adjust the wires to the body, add some cute PC effects, and stuff it into the action film. Here it is different. I don't think that there will be even a dozen of physically advanced action stars worldwide, who can repeat the brawl that takes place at the end of the film or the "Chinese football" play. And it is just a little Hong Kong cinema made for fun, not pretending to be "Star Wars".Having a DVD with English soundtrack is not a problem with this movie. It does not spoil the atmosphere to me.Can't help mentioning a very neat theatrical play. Some of you, suppose, won't like it. As to me - it's amazing. Have a look at the Dragon's friend who is talking in a brave manner to the criminals and all of a sudden gets a fist punch in his left side of the head. His face expression changes into something whimsical and he comes up to Dragon with a baby expression. And take a look at the menacing size of his mouth - it's nearly from one ear to the other long when he makes grimaces.This movie deserves a higher rating and a thousand comments from people all over the world. Very thankful to our Russian industry for the releases of classic Jackie Chan movies. His modern ones are much weaker in my humble opinion and do not deserve much hype.Total 10 out of 10 - a legendary movie in its genre. Thank you for attention.$LABEL$ 1 +Disney have done it again. Brilliant the way Timone and Pumbaa are brought back to life yet again to tell us how they came to meet and help Simba when he needed them. I love this film and watch it over and over again. It shows how Timone lived with his family and fellow meerkats before setting off to find his dream home and adventure. Then he meets Pumbaa and things do change. Together, they search for the home Timon wants and repeatedly fail, which is funny as Timone gets more and more crazy. Then Simba turns up and we see more of his childhood than we did in the previous 2 films. The rest, you already know.$LABEL$ 1 +I had the opportunity to see this last evening at a local film festival. Herzog introduced the film and did an hour long Q&A afterward.This is a brilliantly done "documentary"; Herzog explained afterward that he does not consider his films to be true documentary since facts sometimes camouflage the truth. Instead he scripts some scenes and ad-libs some to introduce a new element that may have been missed if he followed the original story outline.Little Dieter, unlike Timothy Treadwell, is a real person that you fall in love with; you cheer for him, you feel the anguish that he feels. You admire the sense of humor and joy for life that he exhibited here 30 years after he was taken into captivity by the Viet Cong. You are disappointed to hear afterward that Dieter passed on not too long ago.As in most Herzog films, the imagery is breathtakingly beautiful with a wonderful choice of background music. Especially a scene of battle taken from archives of the Viet Nam war but fitting the story line of Dieter.The core of the film has Dieter return to the hellish jungle where he was a POW and he re-enacts his journey with some locals. Harrowing for us to watch, I can't imagine what he felt as he was bound again.One of the better films to depict and discuss the nightmare of the Viet Nam war. It should serve as a lesson to us all.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, what can I say about this film? It's a lousy piece of crap. I'm surprised that it got rated as high as it did. What's wrong with this film? Here's a better question: What's NOT wrong with this film.The story itself is just crap and cliché. Here's pretty much what it's about...Some kinda nerdy kid with no friends gets picked on, gets killed, and comes back as a scarecrow for revenge. "All" of that is packed into 86 minutes of worthless film. If you haven't seen this movie don't waste your time watching it. Also, the second one isn't much better, so don't bother watching that either...I rated this movie a three because I liked the scarecrow's outfit, not because there was anything good about the movie. I think you get the picture.$LABEL$ 0 +the lowest score possible is one star? that's a shame. really, i'm going to lobby IMDb for a "zero stars" option. to give this film even a single star is giving WAY too much. am i the only one who noticed the microphones dangling over hopper's head at the station? and the acting, or should i say the lack thereof? apparently talent wasn't a factor when the casting director came to town. my little sister's elementary school talent show provides greater range and depth of emotion. and those fake irish accents were like nails on a chalk board. the only thing that could have made this movie worse would have been...oh, wait, no,no, it's already as bad as it can get.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not sure I've ever seen a film as bad as this. Awful acting, All over the place plot, terrible special effects. There are some 'so bad its good' moments in here but not really enough to maintain interest. The woman who plays Tracey looks hideous. There are some fairly worrying scenes with a dwarf which leave you feeling ever so slightly violated. On the plus side the operation scenes are fairly amusing for the special effects as is the car chase where one car is "trying to force us off the road" without actually making contact. Guess the budget didn't stretch to trashing cars. Oh and what looks like a Postcard of the Taj Mahal is shown every time they cut to the fictional foreign country.$LABEL$ 0 +If you've ever seen an eighties slasher, there isn't much reason to see this one. Originality often isn't one of slasher cinema's strongpoints, and it's something that this film is seriously lacking in. There really isn't much that can said about Pranks, so I'll make this quick. The film was one of the 74 films included on the DPP Video Nasty list, and that was my only reason for seeing it. The plot follows a bunch of kids that stay behind in a dorm at Christmas time. As they're in a slasher, someone decides to start picking them off and this leads to one of the dullest mysteries ever seen in a slasher movie. The fact that this movie was on the Video Nasty list is bizarre because, despite a few gory scenes, this film is hardly going to corrupt or deprave anyone, and gorier slashers than this (Friday the 13th, for example) didn't end up banned. But then again, there's banned films that are much less gory than this one (The Witch Who Came from the Sea, for example). Anyway, the conclusion of the movie is the best thing about it, as although the audience really couldn't care less who the assailant is by this point; it is rather well done. On the whole, this is a dreary and dismal slasher that even slasher fans will do well to miss.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh, it's the movie - I thought I waited too long to take out the dog... I can't believe I watched the whole thing. I guess I was optimistically anticipating that it was going to get better. Horribly disjointed dialog, pathetic acting, and totally improbable events. Like Toby's mom hanging herself in the time it takes Col to walk upstairs and back down in a room with a 24' ceiling and no chairs, counters or anything around her motionlessly suspended body that she could have possibly used to climb on to do herself in. The little girl that played the daughter of the last family was the best actor in the whole movie, and the puppy of the first couple was a close second. The basic storyline has potential and with a good script and director could be a seriously creepy flick, but this version sadly is not it. I get more scared when I open my electric bill every month.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh my... bad clothing, worse synth music and the worst: David Hasselhoff. The 80's are back with vengeance in Witchery, an American-Italian co-production, helmed by infamous Joe 'D'Amato on the production side and short-careered director (thank heavens for small miracles) Fabrizio Laurenti directing . Marketed as a kind of sequel to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series in Italy (that was dubbed "La Casa" in there), Witchery delivers some modest gore groceries and bad acting.A mix of ghost story, possessions and witchcraft, the film bounces clueless from scene to another without letting some seriously wooden actors and hilarious day and night mix-ups slow it's progress to expectable ending, topped with some serious WTF surprise climax. (I just love the look on her face...) Surprisingly Laurenti manages to gather some suspense and air of malice in few - very few - scenes; unluckily for him, these few glimpses of mild movie magic go down quickly and effectively.The plus sides are experienced, when the gore hits the fan. This department is quite effective and entertaining in that classic latex and red paint style of the 80's Italo-gore, when things were made 100% hand-made and as shockingly and vivid as modest budgets could allow. I could only watch with sadistic glee and few laughters all the over-the-top ways that obnoxious characters (and actors) got mangled and misused, one by one. I only felt sorry for Linda Blair, who apparently haven't been let to try any other than that good old possessed girl / woman role ever in his career, or so it looks like when checking out his filmography.Well, folks - not much more to tell, and even less to tell home about. Don't expect too much when spending some rainy afternoon with this, and probably you'll experience at least some mild fun. It also helps if your rotten little heart pounds in the beat of 80's euro gore horror. And speaking of hearts - every movie that has David Hasselhoff getting skewered by a sizeable metal object and bleeding heavily around the room and corridors, MUST have it's one on the right place.This is my truth - what is yours?$LABEL$ 0 +Like many people on this site, I saw this movie only once, when it was first televised in 1971. Certain scenes linger in my memory and an overall feeling of disquiet is how I remember being affected by it. I would be fascinated to see it again, if it was ever made available for home video.Possible spoiler: I wonder if anyone else would agree that the basic plot setup and characters might have been derived from a 1960 British movie, originally titled City of the Dead, retitled Horror Hotel for the American release? There are some similarities also to a later British film The Wicker Man.One detail remains with me years after seeing the film. It's a small but significant moment near the beginning of the film. As I recall, a minister and his wife have stopped to aid some people by the side of the road, circa 1870, somewhere out West. The friendly seeming Ray Milland introduces himself and his ( daughter?), Yvette Mimieux, a beautiful young mute woman. While the preacher is helping Ray Milland with the wagon, a rattlesnake slithers into view and coils menacingly, unobserved by any of the characters except Yvette Mimieux. She doesn't look scared at all, but stares at the snake with silent concentration, until it goes away. With this strange little moment, we already realize there's something highly unusual about these seemingly normal folks, though the possible danger to the minister and his wife remains vague and uncertain for a long time.That one little scene stays with me vividly after all these years, along with many others. The film has a haunting quality about it that won't let go, and it's not surprising that people remember it so vividly. Someone ought to make this available for home video!$LABEL$ 1 +I watched 5% of this movie tonight and you may tell me that I need to see the whole movie to understand it, but frankly I don't think so.What the hell is the story in this movie? I saw a lot of people running around in a factory, shooting at everything around them.Where to start? Okay..1) They were shooting around the place as if it was the Terminator or something they were trying to kill. The entire place is made of metal, but not a single bullet sparked on the metallic surfaces.2) No ricochet. Metal vs metal is bound to cause ricochets, but apparently no one got hit by a stray bullet.3) Magic bullets? In one scene a bad-guy is standing right in front of a good-guy when another good-guy pops out behind the bad-guy and pumps him full of metal. You see the bullets exit his chest as it explodes in a bloody mist, but the good-guy right in front of him doesn't get hurt at all! 4) After having just splattered a human being all over the wall, the two good-guys tell each other some jokes and they laugh and look like teenagers playing with soft-guns.5) Sound? At one point the good-guys cut a wire and an alarm goes off (who the hell cuts a wire just to set off an alarm?). The lady screams out "Alarm in sector blah blah" and the bad-guy boss says "Okay.. this.. is.. not.. a.. drill.. blah blah" in a very, very amateur kinda way. Ooh, we're getting ambushed by terrorists, this isn't a drill, but I'm gonna sound like I don't give crap.6) Focus!! First you see the bad-guys load up on weapons. For some reason the same guy gets the same Uzi twice. Deja vu or loop of scenes? You literally see every single bad-guy receive the same kind of weapon and they lock and load the same way. The weapons dealer pops in the clip and the bad-guy extra no. XX locks and loads. When they started opening fire you HAD to see the barrel flashes. Boooring!! 7) Actors or dummies? One of the presumed good-guys throw down a smoke grenade for some reason and of course the bad-guys are suddenly inside the smoke because they're smoke-blind or something so they don't see it coming. They cough and moan as if it was Anthrax in the grenade. Then a semi-boss bad-guy arrives and he doesn't even cough when he enters the smoke, he just pushes the other bad-guys away and they suddenly realize that the smoke isn't Anthrax anyway.8) B flick? I think yeah! A guy sliding down a metal pipe wielding a Uzi in his right hand shooting away at someone in his eye height apparently. I'd like to see a guy fire a Uzi with one hand and I'd like to see him go get his hand afterwards. Extra bloody gore mess in a B flick kinda way. Small *pops* and a red hole with a torn shirt indicates that this guy is dead. Though the first bullet hit his heart the good-guy who is a super trained green berets still feel the urge to empty his clip into the dead guy.9) One of these mentioned trained soldiers jump out from his hide with an empty clip! How stupid can you be!? Always check your clip before facing an unknown amount of enemies! 10) Boring scenes. Like the barrel flash scenes and the lock and load scenes, the movie is filled with time wasting scenes of people running around in an apparently empty building. Cut to the action if you're going for a B flick movie, please.My two cents on this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know the stars, or modern Chinese teenage music - but I do know a thoroughly entertaining movie when I see one.Kung Fu Dunk is pure Hollywood in its values - it's played for laughs, for love, and is a great blend of Kung Fu and basketball.Everybody looks like they had a lot of fun making this - the production values are excellent - and modern China looks glossier than Los Angeles here.The plot of the abandoned orphan who grows up in a kung fu school only to be kicked out and then discover superstardom as a basketball play (and love and more etc;) is great - this is fresh, fun, and immensely entertaining.With great action and good dialogue this is one simply to enjoy - for all ages - and for our money was one of the best family movies we're seen in a long time.Please ignore the negative reviews and give Dunk a chance - we were really glad we did - a GOOD sports comedy movie.$LABEL$ 1 +What can I say about this film other than "don't see it". I waited and waited and WAITED for someting (or anything) to happen and it just didn't come. Watch amazingly as two people walk around while setting the record for most filler screen time in a single movie. What are they doing? Are they solving a mystery? Are they gathering clues? Possibly, it's just hard to tell. At the end of the movie, after a lot of radio signals are decoded (illegibly on some sort of PET monitor) and this guy gives some lectures, the plot is finally revealed and tossed aside as quickly as possible. Some aliens want to get back to their home world utopia and are so happy there that they want to blow up the earth (I guess they don't like sharing the wealth). My guess is they finished filming and saw their 35 minute work or art (garbage!) and decided that they'd let the editing crew turn it into an 88 minute feature film. Watch at your own peril, it's not even funny because it's so bad, it's just bad.$LABEL$ 0 +the photography is good, the costumes are good, but the editing is bad. The various scenes are cut, or stopped at the wrong times, and the conversations are s-l-o-w and tedious. This slowness continues the entire show. It is a very tedious show to watch. . . . I believe that more scenes SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDED, but that would make it a longer show. It is very slow-moving. The writers should have made it JUST a 1-night show, and not prolong our agony night after night. There is nothing else on, otherwise I'd change the channel (the first night). I feel bad for the Indians of the time, and am angry at the white-men for what they did to the Indians, but thats our history.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who rates this movie above a 3 has a very distorted view of movies, anyone who rated this piece of sh!t 7 or higher, i have absolutely no respect for their taste in movies, and doubt they have ever seen a good one. I am always up for giving any movie a shot and i did with this one, i tried to pay attention, i tried not to let my money go 2 waste but 15 minutes in my friends were laughing at me cause i was listenin 2 my iPod, 25 minutes later i couldn't even watch the overacting that was occurring within the film, so i up and left, i have never ever ever walked out of a movie, until this garbage, Anyone who said they enjoyed it is a liar, or they should be banned from this site. I get so angry when i see a person rate this an 8 when the Godfathers overall rating is a 9.1 its like saying that that movie was close which it isn't.$LABEL$ 0 +Cheap and manipulative. This film has no heart.It's also got dire dialogue, unconvincing characters and a preposterous, or rather non-existent, story. It just lurches from bad to worse in a cynical effort to wrench some kind of emotion from an insincere and unengaging hysterion-afest!And the HEDGEHOG!!!!How many cheap shots can a film take? The hedgehog, by the way, gave the most convincing and watchable performance in this ninety-minute cringe-athon.If you have considered watching this film, don't. I'm sorry but I cannot find a single redeeming feature to this movie. It scores a big, fat ZERO with me. Strictly for sub-Dogma knicker-wetters. Yawneroony!Still, if you liked Dancing In The Dark...$LABEL$ 0 +Strained and humorless (especially in light of its rather dubious psychology), but well-paced and comfortably lurid, this genteel body count movie highlights the unusually hypnotic presence of Angharad Rees as a young woman periodically possessed by Jack the Ripper, thus allowing for some nasty gore effects amidst the Edwardian propriety. It's all pretty standard stuff for Hammer, but is handled with a good deal of visual elan, even if the central relationship, between psychoanalyst Porter and Rees, drives the narrative without ever being satisfactorily explained.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the film in Antonioni's middle period that most critics dismiss quickly, as a 'flawed' look at 60s American youth culture/politics. For what it's worth, I found it more touching and memorable than his more acclaimed films like L'AVVENTURA, perhaps because he shows more emotion & empathy here than anywhere else. The story is simple, but it is used as a frame for Antonioni's brilliant observations of, and critique on American consumerist culture, student life, the counter-culture, and the whole anti-establishment, anti-war backlash that was so prominent then. Even from a purely technical point of view, it is a remarkably crafted film; from the opening credits sequence to the bizarre desert 'love-in', to the use of billboards, and right down to that jaw-dropping, cathartic finale that used 17 camera set-ups (in it's own way, as powerful as the climax of The Wild Bunch). Also, Antonioni chose one hell of a leading lady with Daria Halperin, one of the most beautiful ever to grace the screen. There isn't much 'acting' involved, as this feels more like a docu-drama, and so the use of non- professionals as the lead couple works quite effectively within that context. And the soundtrack is not only filled with marvelous music, its use is impressive as well (I can't forget the start of the film, mostly due to the selection of music - by Pink Floyd - that grooms the visuals so well).Contrary to popular opinion, this is quite an achievement in cinema, and one I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone with a taste or tolerance for the off- beat. Well worth seeking out, and one of those key films of the 60s that demands a DVD restoration/release.$LABEL$ 1 +'Blue Desert' may have had the potential to be even a half-way plausible and more enjoyable thriller had the main character, Lisa Roberts (Courtney Cox) not been so stupid. When she is the victim of another attack on the streets of New York, comic book artist Roberts moves to a small town out West. In her first days there, she meets the suspiciously crazy Randall Atkins (Craig Sheffer, playing this part well) who will eventually not leave her side. Fearing for her safety after having been in the situation already twice before, she strikes up a friendship and relationship with the suspiciously amicable town cop, Steve Smith (D.B. Sweeny, who's character does not seem convincing enough, leaving disbelief among viewers who should otherwise be convinced of the red herrings thrown by the writers). Smith needs Roberts cooperation because, as he tells her, Atkins is an ex-con and guilty of sexual assault. But, the cops have lacked the evidence to put him away before.The movie had enough ploys to at least make an interesting movie because soon enough, there is such confusion as to whom Roberts should trust. However, much of the intended suspense appears too forced because Roberts character never seems to react to simple things as we think any reasonable person might. And her delayed responses allow much of that suspense to occur to easily and unconvincingly, particularly in the finale. Perhaps Sweeny was the wrong choice for this role; too baby faced in ways that kind of recall Kevin Anderson's persona evident in his character in 'Sleeping With the Enemy.' Or, if Lisa Roberts was written as a stronger character, this might suffice as well. In the meantime, the film is not all that great, even as a low-budget B-thriller.$LABEL$ 0 +Stop me if you hard this one before, some cheerleaders, their coach and a couple guys are trapped within a cabin in the woods when an unseen killer kills them off one by one. Shame on me, after I totally wrote off Jim Wynorski after the horrid "Busty Cops" (it was a long time coming as his last truly good film was 1990's "Hard to Die"), I still for some reason got my hopes up for a supposed sequel to "Slumber Party Massacre". Sadly even my mediocre expectations were not met. This outing is not nearly as fun as even the three previous films in the franchise (and yes I'm including SPM 2, that should tell you something) Furthermore how can you have a slasher film with this little gore??? I mean Come on now!! My Grade: D Eye Candy: Ricky Ray gets topless; April Flowers and Charity Rahmer show boobs and buns in a shower scene (April gets nude again later in the film), and Tamie Sheffield gets topless and bares buns$LABEL$ 0 +I am a 11th grader at my high school. In my Current World Affairs class a kid in my class had this video and suggested we watch. So we did. I am firm believer that we went to the moon, being that my father works for NASA. Even though I think this movie is the biggest piece of crap I have ever watched, the guy who created it has some serious balls. First of all did he have to show JFK getting shot? And how dare he use all those biblical quotes. The only good thing about this movie is it sparks debates, which is good b/c in my class we have weekly debates. This movie did nothing to change my mind. I think he and Michael Moore should be working together and make another movie. Michael Moore next movie could be called "A Funny Thing Happened on Spetember 11th" or "A Funny thing happened on the way to the white house".$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is even a big step down form the typical fare dished out by Bollywood. The performances were horrible. Even Boman Irani, who always manages to shine, goes completely OTT as the villain. The soundtrack is not memorable either. And in spite trying hard, the female leads don't manage to be "sexy". Vivek Oberoi is capable of far better projects while Fardeen Khan seems to be stuck in similar fare for the time being. But this monstrosity is even beneath his limited capabilities as an actor. Esha Deol and Amrita Rao are horrible in badly written cliché roles. It's high time for Indra Kumar to hang up his directorial hat. Hope he never directs another eyesore like this. Future of Hindi movies are in better hands now. To sum it up, stay far away from waste of celluloid.$LABEL$ 0 +Dolph Lundgren stars as a templar who comes to New York when a key that unlocks the anti-Christ is found by an archaeologist, of course the demon is only a couple miles behind Dolph and isn't killed so easily as he transfers from body to body. (Like Fallen without the suspense) Of course Lundgren is out of his element and the movie is completely unwatchable. I admit to being a fan of Dolph Lundgren, like Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme, I try to watch his movies whenever they're on TV. I caught The Minion and boy was I ever disappointed. This movie is utterly terrible. With action sequences so poorly staged and badly edited you can barely make coherent sense in the fight arena. Worst of all is Lundgren's woefully unconvincing perf as a tough guy priest (!) all of this made worse that the movie is such a rip off of Fallen (Which was good) and End Of Days (Which was bad but better than this) overall this movie is the worst movie I've seen from Dolph Lundgren. It literally has nothing to recommend it. It's awful and it's the lowest point in Lundgren's career. And I saw Cover-Up, The Last Warrior and Masters Of The Universe.1/2* Out Of 4-(Awful)$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen some bad things in my time. A half dead cow trying to get out of waist high mud; a head on collision between two cars; a thousand plates smashing on a kitchen floor; human beings living like animals.But never in my life have I seen anything as bad as The Cat in the Hat.This film is worse than 911, worse than Hitler, worse than Vllad the Impaler, worse than people who put kittens in microwaves.It is the most disturbing film of all time, easy.I used to think it was a joke, some elaborate joke and that Mike Myers was maybe a high cocaine sniffing drug addled betting junkie who lost a bet or something.I shudder$LABEL$ 0 +A wonderful film by Powell and Pressburger, whose work I now want to explore more. The film is about what we perceive as real and what is real, and how the two can be so difficult to distinguish from one another. Beautifully shot and acted, although David Niven doesn't seem to be 27 years old, as his character claims to be. Fun to see a very young Richard Attenborough. This film made me think, while I was watching it, and afterwards.$LABEL$ 1 +New Year 2006, and I'm watching Glimmer Man again. Say what you like, I find Steven Seagal's movies amusing. Like many comments, good fight sequences - I particularly liked his answering of the phone at the restaurant saying how long it would be closed for restoration. Bit like Schwarzenegger's humour in the earlier action films - although that tended to be self-deprecating.But the one I like here is Brian Cox. One of the most versatile actors around. Pity about his hand and foot, but so much for withstanding extended interrogation - must have flunked that class at the "farm".As the films went on I wonder just how the ever thickening girth of Seagal affected his movement?. Never mind, it's entertainment!.$LABEL$ 0 +BORN TO BOOGIE is a real 'find'--though a rock fan for nearly thirty years, I only first saw the film a few days ago, and rank it among the top rock films of all time; the music's terrific (the cream of T. Rex) and the visuals consistently exciting and unusual, leaving this viewer craving any more past directorial efforts of Ringo Starr, who did a fine job here. If you love the music, you'll be in T. Rextasy throughout, as Marc Bolan really is the star of the piece, front and center. Even the fact that some songs are repeated doesn't matter a bit: different venues, costuming, musical arrangements, and bizarre visual concepts are all used to lend different textures and a great deal of upbeat humor to what could have ended up as 'only' a concert film in other hands. As rich and full packed as BORN TO BOOGIE is, the film's only about an hour long, but what is there is totally satisfying. Therein lies my only criticism--the video package states something like 71 minutes, and at least one online source claims the film to be 67 minutes, but apparently it's more like 61 minutes of rocking fun.$LABEL$ 1 +I watch family affairs,coronation st &east enders on uktv every week night family affairs is by far the worst, bad plots, bad sequences and the worst acting of any soapie,even worse than the Americans and that is saying something.I find it very frustrating that all these shows on uktv Australia" are so far behind the UK and when one trys to find out the reason for this they just fob you off with some story that they will show double episodes to catch up ,needless to say, this never happens. I am very happy that family affairs is going , to make space for something of better quality, but at the same time I would to know the background reasons, did they finally realize how bad it was? did people stop watching it? whatever it was you musn't leave us in suspense Why do you feel that you have to keep everything a secret from your fans? or is it that you just don't care? I feel strongly that you should try and keep your public up to date. Family affairs is notorious for just having its characters disappear and reappear for seemingly no reason,we do get involved in the people and enjoy following their lives.\I can understand why family affairs would have to come to an end, even though we are so far behind here in Australia, it is easy to see that the writers are running out of ideas for new plots,so many plots are being repeated and old episodes coming back.I have also noticed that as new characters are being introduced, a lot of them are really bad actors, like you are scraping the bottom of the barrel and ending up with the drek regards Vince$LABEL$ 0 +Christian Duguay directed this tidy little espionage thriller early in his career. It plays on TV pretty regularly, albeit with some terrific scenes of violence and sex unfortunately trimmed. I finally got around to seeing the theatrical version on a $3 tape from the local video store. Naval officer Aidan Quinn is recruited to impersonate the notorious Carlos the Jackal, and gets a little too caught up in the role. Donald Sutherland Ben Kingsley play Quinn's superiors, with Sutherland a true zealot and Kingsley as the more level-headed one. The first half of this fun flick shows Quinn being trained and indoctrinated. The second half has him out in the field, making love to the Jackal's woman and shooting it out with sundry enemies. The idea is to make the Jackal look like a turncoat to the Russians, and let them take care of the world's most notorious assassin. Things don't exactly play out as planned. At times, I almost expected the cast to break out laughing at some of the corny dialogue, but they all play it very straight. In the end, this is one terrific little thriller that deserves your attention. The Jackal's former mistress teaching the highly proper and very married Quinn to rough her up, lick blood from her face, and then go down on her, alone is worth the price of admission.$LABEL$ 1 +By the standards of Hollywood this movie was filmed and edited as Hollywood movies are and therefore looked like a movie you would get out of a big-time production studio within Hollywood. Thats where anything remotely close to having Hollywood standards ends. This was THE WORST MOVIE I have EVER seen in MY LIFE! I am not joking. The story was so unbelievably stupid and unrealistic that I could not contain my laughter in the movie theater through the course of watching this film. I know what you're saying, "its a horror film its not supposed to have a good story it's supposed to scare you." Well let me tell you something, the movie is not even scary in the least bit. Its too full of stupid bits that cancels out the little suspense there may have been. The acting was awful as well, along with the scariness of the murderer, who you constantly see through flashbacks locked in a cage jacking off. Throughout the movie I kept getting a sense I was watching something that was thought up, written, produced, and directed by a high-schooler who watches too much pornography. Please, don't see this movie, spend your $8.50 on other things, like a snow cone, which would be much more worth your while.$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed the first film and when it turned up again, without thinking, or checking, I took a family of friends to see it. I was ashamed that I had enthused so much about it to them.Disney processed the original film just like the human body processes a delicious meal - takes in something good and turns out ... well, you know. And by having a dark-skinned person as the FBI man, the results of fingerprinting the informant were subdued.Taken as an isolated film, I suppose it is not too bad if one likes that weird sort of thing, but when one has read the book or seen the first film - horrible!$LABEL$ 0 +I am not quite sure what to say/think about this movie. It is definitely not the worst in the series (there's still "Halloween 3"). The style is just very different and it focuses on other elements than its predecessor did. It tries to explain why Michael Myers freaks out on Halloween and starts butchering around. Well, all that stuff about Michael Myers being cursed and the evil cult was a rather nice effort, but I didn't buy it. None of the other installments in the series tried to come up with any fancy explanations.The movie contains lots of gore. Actually it's plain carnage. If you haven't seen the other Halloween films you will probably like this one for its blood content. But for a real Halloween freak this sequel might be just too different to be seen as a good one. Suspense was turned into terror and carnage (exploding heads..., you get the point).The ending (theatrical cut) is simply awful. Michael gets stabbed with a needle, then beaten up with a pipe, then stabbed again, this time with more needles, then beaten up a little more until there's slime running out of his head (where did this green stuff come from anyway?). Basically it's nothing more than trash worth 5 million $.There was one good thing though: Michael's mask!Dedicated to Donald Pleasance, quite a disgrace. My rating: 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This is a charming movie starring everyone's favorite cartoon chipmunks. In this feature we follow the band of rodents on an unforgettable balloon race around the world. Although there are lows, including an orphan penguin, all in all it's a great family film.$LABEL$ 1 +I LOVE Sandra Bullock-She's one of my all-time favorite actresses-but this is a movie that she should have paid a long time ago to be trash-canned. I realize that it's almost 20 years old-but my dead grandmother can act better than these people did. Beware-it's not even worth the $ 5.50 WalMart rack...You know that when the acting stinks this bad that it's not even worth a couple of bucks-the sound quality is horrendous-there's no closed captioning to even hear the hideous dialog, and it looks as if it were filmed on a $ 1.98 budget. I thought that I'd like to see Sandra in an early role to see how she evolved as an actress-but YIKES is too kind a word to use...$LABEL$ 0 +IT SHOULD FIRST BE SAID THAT I HAVE READ THE MANGA AND THEREFORE MY ARGUMENT IS BASED ON THE DIFFERENCES.This anime greatly disappointed me because it removed the comedy and high quality action of the manga and OVA. What it left behind was merely a husk of what it could have been. Many of the characters lacked the depth that is seen in the manga. Alucard is not the sympathetic character that secretly wishes for death. Walter's story lacks the betrayal. And the Nazi villains that plot to engulf the world in war are completely absent. Instead, the anime provides the Gary Stu villain Incognito who is defeated against what appear to be all odds.My primary complaint is not that the anime diverges from the manga, but that it does such a poor job.$LABEL$ 0 +There's some very clever humour in this film, which is both a parody of and a tribute to actors. However, after a while it just seems an exercise in style (notwithstanding great gags such as Balasko continuing the part of Dussolier, and very good acting by all involved) and I was wondering why Blier made this film. All is revealed in the ending, when Blier, directing Claude Brasseur, gets a phone call from his dad (Bernard Blier) - from heaven, and gets the chance to say how much he misses him. An effective emotional capper and obviously heartfelt. But there isn't really sufficient dramatic tension or emotional involvement to keep the rest of the film interesting throughout it's entire running time. Some really nice scenes and sequences, however, and anyone who likes these 'mosntres sacrés' of the French cinema should get a fair amount of enjoyment out of this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw that movie few days ago. This movie is so great that it makes me feel that if you want something really bad that you have always dreamed about it - you can have it. This shows a big wish come true trought happiness and sadness, hopeless and failure. But if you are strong enough and your heart really belongs to something that you love you can make things different and be happy.$LABEL$ 1 +I married a Japanese woman 14 years ago. We're still together.However in the 1950's it would never have been as easy.Life in the military had been mined for action, drama, and comedy for years by this point. Mined to death. The mixed relationships gave it new ground to cover. This is old hat today, but then...? Marrying an Asian back then meant you either owed somebody something or you were a freak of some sort. This touched on both possibilities along with the third. Maybe it IS love? Brando did his usual good job. Garner did a better job than he usually does. He's good, but this showed how good he could be. Umecki-chan had a helluva debut here and while I think she earned her statue, she didn't really stretch. It was a role that no one who hadn't been overseas would have recognized and the newness was the corker.The real scene stealer was Red Buttons. Red was the best thing in this film. Bank on it. And the Japanese lifestyles were shown in an admirable light as well.A classic.$LABEL$ 1 +The Invisible Maniac starts as a young Kevin Dornwinkle (Kris Russell) is caught by his strict mother (Marilyn Adams) watching a girl (Tracy Walker) strip through his telescope... Cut to 'Twenty Years Later' & Kevin Dornwinkle (Noel Peters) is now a physics professor who claims to have discovered a way to turn things invisible using a 'mollecular reconstruction' serum. However during a demonstration in front of his fellow scientists it fails & they all laugh at him, Dornwinkle goes mad kills a few of them & is locked away in a mental institute from which he escapes. Jump forward 'Two Weeks Later' & a group of summer college students discuss the tragic death of their physics teacher when the headmistress Mrs. Cello (Stephanie Blake as Stella Blalack) says that she has hired a replacement, yes you've guessed it it's Dornwinkle. The student don't take to him & treat him like dirt, however Dornwinkle has perfected his invisibility serum & uses it to satisfy his perverted sexual urges & his desire for revenge...Co-written & directed by Adam Rifkin wisely hiding under the pseudonym Rif Coogan (I wouldn't want my name to be associated with this turd of a film either) The Invisible Maniac is real bottom of the barrel stuff. The script by Rifkin, sorry Coogan & Tony Markes is awful. It tries to be a teenage sex/comedy/horror hybrid that just fails in every department. For a start the sex is nothing more than a few female shower scenes & a few boob shots, not much else I'm afraid & the birds in The Invisible Maniac aren't even that good looking. The comedy is lame & every joke misses by the proverbial mile, this is the kind of film that thinks someone fighting an invisible man or having Henry (Jason Logan) a mute man trying to make a phone call is funny. The Invisible Maniac makes the Police Academy (1984 - 1994) series of films look like the pinnacle of sophistication! As for the horror aspect that too is lame. It's also an incredibly slow (it takes over half an hour before Dornwinkles even becomes invisible), dull, predictable, boring & has highly annoying & unlikable teenage character's.Director Rifkin or Coogan or whatever does absolutely nothing to try & make The Invisible Maniac an even slightly enjoyable experience. There's no scares, tension or atmosphere & as a whole the film is a real chore to sit through. He does nothing with the invisibility angle, just a few doors opening on their own is as adventurous as it gets. There is very little gore or violence, a bit of splashing blood, a few strangulations & the only decent bit in the whole film when someone has their head blown off with a shotgun, unfortunately he was invisible at the time & we only get to see the headless torso afterwards.The budget must have been low, & I mean really low because this is one seriously cheap looking film. Dornwinkles laboratory is basically two jars on his bedside cabinet! When he escapes from the mental institution he has all of one dog sent after him & the entire school has about a dozen pupils & two teachers. The Invisible Maniac is a poorly made film throughout it's 85 minute duration, I spotted the boom mike on at least one occasion... Lets just say the acting is of a low standard & leave it at that.The Invisible Maniac is crap, plain & simple. I found no redeeming features in it at all, there are so many more better films out there you can watch so there is no reason whatsoever to waste your time on this rubbish. Definitely one to avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember this film fondly from seeing it in the theatre. I recently found a copy on VHS & it held up to my memory of it. While obviously not a "big budget" film, the acting is quite credible & the scenery, locales, & costumes are very well done. I only wish the Mammoths had been in more of the picture, but when you see them, they are also well done (remember, SFX was done in those days without benefit of computers, some poor devil had to actually put all that hair & fake tusks on real elephants!)...the same effect was used on the elephants in "Quest for Fire". A better than average adventure film & a chance for the star, Rod Cameron to play something besides a cowboy, which he also did very well over the years.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I am a fan of the Nightmare series and everyone says on here that this is the worst! But it's NOT!!! Haven't's you seen Freddy's Revenge??? WTF! That was the worst of all!!! Now this movie is pretty decent and it sticks to the Freddy story and it's cool that he had a daughter etc. etc.And then I found out it was in 3-D!!! I was so excited, I remember when I saw it on the DVD box set I instantly skipped to the 3-D sequences. Quite a lot was in 3-D though like Lisa Zanes hand, Dream Demons, Freddy's Claw (more than once), Lezlie Dean holding a knife, Lisa Zane with a Baseball Bat, Doc's hand, Freddy's head exploding.I truly loved this movie because it was in 3-D, but I wish the whole movie was in 3-D not just the last 15 minutes.By the Way it's 15 minutes NOT TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This film is as good as it is difficult to find. The film's hero (and writer and director) is Simon Geist- a man "with an agenda." He creates a fake magazine just to have the authority to interview the swine of Los Angeles- the actors, the models, the musicians- who believe that their own defecation doesn't smell. With clever dialog, Zucovic succeeds in doing this. Sure, the budget for this film was probably what he paid for a used car, but this film is so solid and so well written that it works very well. Any person who can reenact Edward Munk's 'The Scream' in the reflection of a silver trashbin at a local coffee house should be nominated for some type of award. Give this film a chance and listen to what it says... because they HAVE been making the same car since 1986... it's called 'the car.' Bravo, Zucovic, bravo!$LABEL$ 1 +In yet another case of misleading marketing, this film is included in a 10-movie DVD set called "Women Who Kick Butt", but even in its original cover it seems to promise Shannon Tweed in an action role. Actually, during most of the movie Tweed plays the typical whiny and prissy female character who has to be rescued by the male lead, and even when she's trained in jungle warfare she still has to be dragged around by him! There is one female rebel who is a stronger character, but she's mostly kept in the margins of the movie. The male lead is Reb Brown, and he does have some (unintentionally, I think) funny moments (like when he gets electrocuted). The action scenes are badly directed and poorly acted: some of the stuntmen needed a few lessons on "how to get shot and die convincingly". I suppose if you're in the right mood you can find some things in "Firing Line" to laugh at (at one point, we can hear Tweed speaking but her lips are not moving!), but mostly I was just bored. (*)$LABEL$ 0 +Physical Evidence is one of those films that you want to like but really should be a lot better than it actually is. Developed as a sequel to Jagged Edge for Glenn Close and Robert Loggia, it gives the impression that all involved only made it while they were waiting for something better to come along. The premise is perfectly serviceable, it's mostly technically efficient if horribly uninspired with even Henry Mancini's musacky score surprisingly pleasant, but you can't help feeling that things would have turned out better if one of the leads had turned out to be the killer (as is rumoured was originally the case). As the opening scene of his little-seen, personally disastrous Heat (1986) showed, Reynolds has all the makings of a great screen villain. As is, there are few surprises and a feeling of half-hearted filming by numbers as it builds up a head of intertia as it ambles disinterestedly towards a less than grand will-this-do? finale.Reynolds is fine, sailing through on charisma in what is clearly a star vehicle. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Theresa Russell. An impressive and fearless actress in husband Nic Roeg's films which allow her to delve into the darker side of human nature, she's trapped in a part that requires star quality rather than depth, and she ain't got it in spades. She doesn't fluff her lines or bump into the other actors, but that's about all that can be said in favour of her astonishingly stilted and often amateurish performance that lets the film down badly. Aside from Ned Beatty's prosecutor the supporting cast add only a slightly surreal presence in a Boston where everyone seems to have a badly disguised Canadian accent and the streets bear a startling resemblance to Toronto and Montreal.Likewise, director Michael Crichton, who in Westworld, Coma and The First Great Train Robbery showed that he knew how to lean an audience to the edge of their seats, seems to handle the action in a purely perfunctory fashion - indeed, in one brief chase the shots don't even match and seem thrown together almost arbitrarily. The climax itself has no flair and is completely bereft of threat or danger, and many scenes are played for far less than they are worth. It's no great surprise that, aside from uncredited reshoots on The 13th Warrior, Crichton hasn't directed since.Its watchable enough in an 80s TV movie sort of way, even if it never lives up to the promise of its opening. Whether that's enough of a reason to see it is down to individual taste.$LABEL$ 0 +MCBOING BOING is one of the cartoons that have stuck in my head over the years and finally decided to look into it as was pleasantly surprised and was also surprised on the people involved with the production. If I remember correctly we had to watch it on a UHF station and this meant using a converter in those days UHF not part of regular TV to tune in the local station to watch the cartoon a big deal in those days which made the show even more mysterious. I remember all the sound effects that Gerald used to talk. A great memory from 50+ years ago. I'll have to see what other memories might be hiding on the web. By the way I try to do computer animation thats where the johnl3d comes into the picture$LABEL$ 1 +This is a total piece of crap. It is an insult to the awesome book by Frank Herbert. They have mangled the story and characters. The acting is average to bad. The only character done right and played well is Duke Leto, played by William Hurt. Unfortunately, he dies pretty early in the story and then its all downhill from there (not that its a very tall hill to begin with).The 1984 movie was directed by the legendary David Lynch. I was not overly impressed with the movie, but considering the technological limitations of the time, they tried their best. Amazingly, the crappy mini series makes it look so much better by comparison. It was at least somewhat true to the book, which I really love. They had the chance to do it right this time, sadly it was not taken.$LABEL$ 0 +Based on the book "Space Vampires" by Colin Wilson. This is (in my humble opinion) one of the best pieces of Sci-Fi Horror to come out of the eighties. The effects (done by ILM) still hold up by todays standards. The actors are mostly British and being british seem to give this film a greater depth of realism. The film was panned by the critics and sadly failed to do well at the box office on both sides of the atlantic. Tobe Hooper blamed the promotional work that was done before its release as the main cause for it's low takings. But for whatever reason, it still does not detract from the fact that this is an excellent film with a great cast and well-paced plot. Not to be over-looked.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this as part of my course at Aberystwyth University and it baffles me how this does not have a distributor in the UK. Well actually, it doesn't, because this film is everything a Hollywood film isn't - original, creative, quirky and humorous. It seems that today no-one really wants to see this type of movie as, in the simplest terms, it doesn't conform to the generic conventions most young viewers look for in a film.I haven't written a review for the IMDb for ages but felt inclined to give this film a special mention, even if it is during my 30 minute break between classes! Essentially, it is about nothing, as the two main characters are plunged into their own world of nothingness through a hate of the world. The brilliance here is how the director sustains interest through the majority of the run time with only two characters and when the only mise-en-scene consists of half a house and a vast white, empty space. This is due in large part to the stellar performances of the actors, both of whom offer some great laughs while at the same time being able to add significant emotional depth to their roles.I'd love to write some more but am on quite a time limit. However I encourage anyone and everyone to give this film a try. A very unique concept is brought to the screen in a coherent and well-executed fashion, with the combination of good performances, a strong script, nice sound design and (fairly) impressive visuals creating a very entertaining movie.It's just a shame so few people know about Nothing....$LABEL$ 1 +I had been delighted to find that TCM was showing this, as I love the 1992 version with Josie Lawrence, Jim Broadbent, Joan Plowright...This film had a luminous Ann Harding, a wonderful performance by Frank Morgan, but others' acting made the film more of a farce then the wonderful unfolding that the later film. Reginald Owen's Arbuthnot is painful to watch and you can't understand why his wife adores him. I found out after watching the film that it was based on the stage play where the 1992 film is based on the book. The original film also felt like it was a snippet of a larger piece and felt incomplete. Too bad it was such a let-down.$LABEL$ 0 +'Wicked Little Things' really separates itself from other zombie movies.First off, all of the zombies in the movie don't exactly starting biting at you and tearing your flesh apart with their bare hands.They kill you with either a pickax or shovel and eat you after wards.Second, they can't die.In most zombie movies, you can shoot a zombie in the head and kill them, but these simply won't die.Third, which is the biggest reason why this movie separates itself, all of the zombies are children.How did they die exactly to become zombies? They were working in a coal mine when suddenly they were all killed in a collapse.Now they wander the forest carrying their pickaxes and shovels, waiting for someone to come by so they can kill them and eat them.Oh, they also come out at night.Yep, only at night.That makes the movie even more fun then it would be if they came out in the morning.Despite all of the violent and gory mayhem in this movie, 'Wicked Little Things' is a great choice if you're looking for a movie about zombie children.Don't expect anything great like 'Dawn of the Dead' or 'Land of the Dead', but do expect lots of gore and violence that makes this movie a real zombie fan pleaser.Everyone give Scout Taylor-Compton from Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' a big hand for delivering a great performance like the one she did in 'Halloween'.She really needs to start starring in more horror movies.$LABEL$ 1 +After his widower father dies in a horsing accident, young Tom Burlinson (as Jim Craig) is left to manage his Australian "Snowy River" farm, with only wizened, peg-legged prospector Kirk Douglas (as Spur) to help. Times are hard, so Mr. Burlinson goes to work for Mr. Douglas' wealthy, silver-haired brother rancher "Mr. Harrison" (also played by Kirk Douglas). When a big job comes up, the silver-haired (older?) Douglas feels Burlinson is too young and inexperienced to go along; so, Burlinson stays behind, and falls in love with the boss' daughter, Sigrid Thornton (as Jessica Harrison).The least satisfactory aspect of director George Miller's "The Man from Snowy River" is a weak storyline. Observe, for example, the "Jessica is lost" sequence of events. The damsel gets lost in one of those "freak" storms, while running away. Her worried father rounds up a posses of drunk men to find her, after predicting bad weather. Damsel "Jessica" rolls herself on to the edge of a conveniently appearing cliff. Father and the suddenly sober men don't check Burlinson's farm. Hero Burlinson discovers the damsel. After building a fire, he decides to kiss her.The "romance" is played too innocently for as obvious an attracted man and woman as Burlinson and Ms. Thornton. To make matters worse, the Douglas brothers have a "dark history" which is revealed before any mystery is built up regarding the matter. The main attraction, herein, is the Australian scenery.**** The Man from Snowy River (1982) George Miller ~ Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas, Sigrid Thornton$LABEL$ 0 +Essential viewing for anyone who watches TV news as it may help to become a little more sceptical, or even cynical. On a personal note I recall taking a course some years ago about being interviewed for TV - what to do, what not to do. The course instructors impressed on us that TV news was a "branch of show-biz". That depressing view, which is probably even more valid today than when it was made, is reinforced by this film. Never mind journalistic integrity, what counts is the ability to look good and smile nicely. And make sure you don't sweat on camera.The interactions between the three main characters form the centre-piece, each with his or her own ambitions, capabilities and beliefs. Brooks takes these differences and sets them into the volatile setting of a TV news studio, and adds more than a pinch of love interest to the mixture. The result is a complex, if somewhat overlong, portrayal of how we compromise every day in order to meet our ambitions and take others with us. It is always entertaining, although the final scene was, perhaps, unnecessary given everything that had gone before.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not really sure how to even begin to describe how bad this movie is. I like bad films, as they are often the most entertaining. I love bad special effects, bad acting, bad music, and inept direction. With the exception of the music (which was better than I had expected), this movie had all of those qualities. The special effects were amazingly bad. The worst I've seen since my Nintendo 64. Some scenes to watch for include the Thunderchild, the woman being crushed by the mechanical foot, the Big Ben scene, the train wreck... Wow, there are so many bad effects! On the plus side, though, SOME scenes of the alien walkers are well done.The acting was about as bad as it could possibly have been, having been based directly on H.G. Wells' book. For having such good source material, it's almost as though the actors were trying to be so over-the-top as to make it funny. And then there's the mustache... the single most distracting piece of facial hair I've seen in a long time. Of course, only half the movie contains acting. The rest is characters walking around aimlessly and poorly rendered effects shots.To say that Timothy Hines is an inept director would be an injustice to inept directors. With the use of different colored filters between shots for no particular reason, the use of poorly rendered backgrounds for even inside scenes, the bad green screening, it's amazing to me how this man ever got approval to direct a movie. I wouldn't imagine it would be possible to turn a brilliant book into this bad a movie. Bravo, Mr. Hines. Bravo. My advice to anyone who plans to see this movie is to do what I did: have some friends who enjoy bad movies over, drink, play poker while watching it, keep drinking, and maybe you'll make it all the way through. It does make for an excellent bad movie, so have fun and laugh yourself silly with this disaster.$LABEL$ 0 +"Un Gatto nel Cervello"/"Cat in the Brain" is one of the goriest horror movies ever made.There is a lot of blood and gore,including chainsaw butchery,bloody stabbings and numerous decapitations.The film is also interesting as "self parody" of Fulci,but the gore and violence is the key element in it.Some of the gore FX were taken from own Fulci's movies "Quando Alice Ruppe lo Specchio" and "I Fantasmi di Sodoma"(both 1988),plus gore FX taken from Fulci-supervised "The Snake House" aka "Bloody Psycho" by Leandro Lucchetti,"Massacre" by Andrea Bianchi,"Non Avere Paura Della Zia Marta" by Mario Bianchi,"Non Si Sevizia i Bambini" by Giovanni Simonelli and "Luna di Sangue" aka "Fuga dalla Morte" by Enzo Milioni(all 1989).The scene where Brett Halsey beats the woman's face to pulp is from "Quando Alice Ruppe lo Specchio",a film Fulci had made for Italian TV in 1988.The chainsawing of the female corpse at the beginning is taken from the same film,as is the head in the microwave and the guy that gets driven over and over again.Highly recommended,especially if you like extreme cinema!$LABEL$ 1 +The Sunshine Boys is a terrific comedy about two ex-vaudevillians who reluctantly reunite for a TV special despite the fact that they despise each other.The comic genius of two masters at work, George Burns and Walter Matthau are stellar! Some of the best scenes are when the duo is fighting over the silliest little trivial things! The material is fast-paced and witty, appealing to all ages.MILD SPOILER ALERT: There are some mildly sad moments toward the end of the movie that deal indirectly with the affects of aging that gives the film a soft, sincere, tenderness that shows to this reviewer that what the pair really need the most for success, are each other.If anyone loves The Odd Couple, you'll adore this movie. An excellent film!$LABEL$ 1 +Both my friend and I thought this movie was well done. We expected a light hearted comedy but got a full blown action movie with comic thrusts. We both thought that this movie may have not done so well at the box office as the previews lead us to believe it was a comedy. I was impressed with the supporting actors and of course Dave Morse always puts in a terrific acting job. Most of the supporting cast are veterans not first timers and they were solid. We both felt that the writing and direction were first rate and made comments to each other about buying this movie. If you don't buy rent it for a good time.$LABEL$ 1 +I turned over to this film in the middle of the night and very nearly skipped right passed it. It was only because there was nothing else on that I decided to watch it. In the end, I thought it was great.An interesting storyline, good characters, a clever script and brilliant directing makes this a fine film to sit down and watch. This was, in fact, the first I'd heard of this movie, but I would have been happy to have paid money to see this at the cinema.My IMDB Rating : 8 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +I'm afraid I only stayed to watch the first hour of this movie as it really seemed to me to be mindless TV-trash and a waste of talent. Liv Tyler plays a sumptuous beauty, but her acting skills are not yet sufficiently developed to give the part any real kick. As she slowly seduces a bartender into a life of crime it is difficult to feel any real concern over any of the characters. Even John Goodman delivers his weakly comic lines with an absence of panache, as if the witless humour needs to be recited slowly in case anyone misses the joke. The ending is supposed to be good, but the starter and main course left me with no appetite to find out.$LABEL$ 0 +Aside from the discotheque scenes that epitomize the swinging sixties (especially with everyone dancing to instrumental versions of Monkees hits), I am surprised how well this lightweight farce holds up 37 years later, but indeed it does thanks to the breezy execution of its deception-based plot and the sharp interplay of the three leads. Directed by the redoubtable stage-to-screen expert Gene Saks, this 1969 comedy is about Julian Winston, a successful Manhattan dentist and confirmed bachelor, who pretends to be married in order to avoid long-term commitment with his young girlfriend of a year, Toni. In response to Toni's half-hearted suicide attempt, Julian agrees to marry her, but Toni first insists on meeting his wife to alleviate her conscience. Enter Julian's devoted nurse Stephanie to play the wife, and the inevitable complications ensue with white lies growing into major whoppers that lead to presumed couplings and de-couplings.As Julian, a relaxed Walter Matthau dexterously plays the deceptive dentist in his typically sardonic manner, but he lets his two female co-stars walk off with the picture. In her big screen debut, a pixyish 24-year old Goldie Hawn is still retaining her giggly "Laugh-In" persona but provides unexpected savvy and depth as Toni. She and Matthau have great, unforced chemistry in their scenes together. Screen legend Ingrid Bergman, still serenely regal at 54, is obviously having a ball playing Stephanie, initially starchy and quick-witted but blossoming into a liberated spirit as the story evolves. I particularly like how casual she appears after her overnight romp. There is nice supporting work from Rick Lenz as Toni's bohemian neighbor Igor and Jack Weston as Julian's smarmy actor buddy Harvey. Billy Wilder's longtime collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond, provides the sparkling screenplay and opens up the story beyond its stage-bound origins for Saks, who is not the most cinematic of directors. Other than a couple of trailers, there are no significant extras with the DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked the first The Grudge. It really creeped me out and it had something to it that made me want to see it twice. That something was missing from this sequel. There was no creativity, nothing new or original, nothing that really sticks to your mind. It's people dying because a scary ghost comes out of the shadows and says boo. And most of the time, it wasn't even all that scary.Plot-wise this movie is a dead end. Amber Tamblyn is a good actress, but she was given nothing to do, and Karen's death seemed really unsatisfactory because it came so quickly. I was also disappointed in the Kayako's mother subplot. I was thinking that she might provide some way to fight the Grudge, but she dies in the hands - hair? - of Kayako. That was such a stupid twist. All in all, it's difficult to feel for characters that you know from minute one are going to die. All in the same way. And there's nothing they can do. It doesn't feel like a cruel destiny awaiting them. It's just boring, because you know what's going to happen. If they had anything to fight it with, that would have added suspense, even if they failed. If there was any hope, it would make the scares more justified. Now you're just waiting for them to die.Kayako was really scary in the first movie, but this time we saw her too many times and that took away some of it. I was still scared during some scenes, but I actually got used to the huge eye and blue face. The makers obviously realized this would happen as they added other scary ghosts. Yes, I was scared at the school psychologist scene - even if I knew where it was going as soon as she said "I've been to the house". A nice touch. Toshio, however, was not scary at all in this movie. I was much more creeped out by the non-blue Toshio with black eyes and a blank stare that sometimes appeared in the first movie. A blue boy sitting in the corner does nothing for me.Some of the characters seemed really unnecessary - the notorious milk-scene with the girl whose name I can't even remember comes to mind. I wasn't scared, it was just "Huh?" I'm not sure if the schoolgirls were even really needed. Karen could have brought the grudge to the US with her. It could have killed people related to her life, everyone at the funeral, or something like that. Even so, it would have been dull to watch them all die, but being introduced to so many unrelated people really felt annoying. Hated the "I won't call you mother" scene. Aubrey's mother issues were equally dull. The little boy was a touching character, though.The Ju-On sequel was much scarier than this one. It had some new twists - dreams and reality blurring much more, for instance - and even if it left me feeling quite down, I was also somehow satisfied. I got to think a bit and be left wondering. This movie only provided cheap scares.$LABEL$ 0 +Just a note to add to the above comment. Fear of a Black Hat doesn't have the criminal who's image has been ripped off by the band, that's in CB4. Easily confused as the two films are so similar, but Black Hat is vastly the superior of the two..... yeah.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst films ever. I like cheesy movies but this is simply awful. Where are the images in the film that are on the box? I think more money was spent on the DVD box illustrations than on the entire film. Why would a company release a DVD that the cover is so misleading? I feel like such an idiot for renting this movie based strictly on the box. As much as I explore IMDb I should have done a little research and made a list prior to visiting my local video rental store. I have no one to blame except myself. I want my money and time back. DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. Even if curiosity is motivating you, stick cocktail umbrellas in your eyes instead. It will be much more enjoyable. You have been warned!$LABEL$ 0 +I really do not know what people have against this film, but it's definitely one of my favourites. It's not preachy, it's not anchored by it's moral, it shouldn't be controversial. It's just God. Any possible God, no matter the religion. And it's really funny.Jim Carry plays Bruce Nolan, a TV reporter usually stuck on the lighter side of the news, desperate to prove himself (more or less TO himself) that he can be taken seriously and do a good job in an anchor job. This drive is what is slowly driving his beautiful girlfriend Grace (Jennifer Aniston) away. When the final straws are executed, he's quick to not laugh, but yell in the face of God, who in turn gives Bruce his powers. Bruce then makes his life better for himself, until he's guilted into helping others, where he then continues to miss the point of his powers. Meanwhile, his constant excitement about his own life makes him more selfish, leaving his relationship on dangerous ground.OK, that was kinda long. But as a plot, it works well. The step-by-step fashion in which we meet the challenges of being God is much better than clustering his problems together, and is able to hide itself fairly well.As you probably know from hearing about this movie in the first place, Carrey's pitch-perfect acting stays in character (which, luckily enough, is him), and controls and gives atmosphere to the movie scene by scene. Whether they would admit it or not, the role was written or rewritten exclusively for Carrey. Without him, the humour would turn flat, as humour is half execution. And the humour is very good in the first place. But without Carrey, it would kinda feel like a It's a Wonderful Life wannabe.Jennifer Aniston is great and, no matter what some may say, does not act like the only excuse for the third act. At least, you don't think that when you see her. She gives a heartfelt performance and makes you forget you're watching a movie, she and Carrey feel very much like a real couple.The movie feels ggooooodd (see the movie to understand), has a very nice feeling, tackles the idea appropriately and better than expected and overall should never have been called slapped together just to save Carrey's career (which wasn't goin' anywhere.).$LABEL$ 1 +This early Sirk melodrama, shot in black and white, is a minor film, yet showcases the flair of the German director in enhancing tired story lines into something resembling art. Set in the 1910's, Barbara Stanwyck is the woman who has sinned by abandoning her small-town husband and family for the lure of the Chicago stage. She never fulfilled her ambitions, and is drawn back to the town she left by an eager letter from her daughter informing her that she too has taken a liking to the theatre (a high school production, that is). Back in her old town she once again comes up against small-mindedness, and has to deal with her hostile eldest daughter, bewildered (and boring) husband (Richard Carlson) and ex-lover. The plot is nothing new but Sirk sets himself apart by creating meaningful compositions, with every frame carefully shot, and he is aided immeasurably by having Stanwyck as his leading lady. It runs a crisp 76 minutes, and that's just as well, because the material doesn't really have the legs to go any further.$LABEL$ 1 +This (extremely)low-budget movie is compared to the great classic "Silent Night Deadly Night", since it is labeled as a Slasher Flick. First let me say that I think that even "Silent Night Part 2" is better than this (that one was filled with flashbacks of the original for more than half of the movie). "Christmas Evil" tries to get psychological by introducing the main character as someone who goes insane,(a strong word), slowly (very slowly). He is irritated by people who do not get the true meaning of Christmas and at work he can't stand how the fabricated toys are made with such lack of quality and love. Dressed up as Santa he finally goes on a killing spree. Also a strong word, since only 3 people are killed without the real need for special effects. No tension, no thrills, no gore, no cast. For one exception that is: Jeffrey DeMunn is in it. He is best known for playing aside Tom Hanks as one of the guards in the classic "The Green Mile". He still must be kicking himself these days for ever accepting the role. He truly is the only one who really can act, his supporting role is better than the main lead. (who also isn't that bad, but if you're overshadowed by a little supporting character, you're not great either.). And what about that strange ending ? (you have to see it, to believe it). "Christmas Evil" is downright boring, nothing happens and the artwork is just misleading. This is not a slasher. You wanna see a real Christmas slasher, check out the all time greatest: "Silent Night, Deadly Night".$LABEL$ 0 +This highly underrated film is (to me) what good writing in a movie should be all about. Kasdan takes the search for meaning in our lives and lays it out for all to see and wonder at. The movie is about the divides people create to insulate themselves from the violence and hatred and bigotry of everyday life. Along the way we are asked question after question about life. Davis (Steve Martin with a great beard) asks himself 'Is my making a violent movie (and by extension our enjoyment of it) causing the violence in society?' Claire asks "What kind of world throws away something as precious as a human life?' Mack is not immune as he asks 'Is it possible to pass beyond the bounds of race and (an even harder step) finance? These are of course not quoted from the film, but generalities. Others ask their questions too, and to be honest it raises more than it answers. But that is the nature of life. We strive all our lives to find answers to questions we will never totally answer, and in certain cases have to make answers fit to our own needs and desires. As humans we thrive on questions we cannot answer. Some answers are real. Claire and Mack come to realize that even though they could take the easy road and let the state take the baby, their finding it placed the responsibility for her life in their hands. Some answers are not. Davis `Sees the Light' and decides not to make violent films, but the next day turns around and dismisses his epiphany as subordinate to his art. We all seek answers. This movie does not answer them for; it simply reminds you to keep looking for the answers.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I was bored and decided to see this movie. But I think the main thing that brought this movie down was that there would be a hour of footage, then basically that same hour repeated 4 times. It consists of 1. Gathering the troops and discussing the attack plan, 2. Flashbacks to the men's wives 3. The approach of the troops marching in a long line 4. Men running up hill and shooting, usually the first getting shot in the head then 3 other men rescuing him. 5. Defeat of the enemy and calling to base to tell of success 6. Men flashing back to wives and singing 10 minute songs. That was the basic movie, and that same order of events happened about 4 or 5 times. and every time it did a flashback to the wives, it would show the man, then his wife and him. There were about 10 men or more who would have a flashback so this took up tons of time. Other than that, the men couldn't kill their enemy except with either bayonets or grenades. I liked the music and there was a lot of action, though the action was repetitive. Overall, I probably wouldn't see it again, but it wasn't too horrible.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" is like waking up in the hospital, two days into a suicidewatch, disorienting but oddly stimulating. There are few cinematic equivalents to this disturbing yet often humorous lesson in mythology, morality and surrealist ideology.Cocteau's "Blood of a Poet" and Maya Deren'sexperimental works evoke a taste of the strange atmosphere found in DEATH BED. A close comparison are the dark adult fairy-tales by literary genius- author Angela Carter, the short disturbing stories of UnicaZurn or E.T.A. Hoffman. DEATH BED has many recognizable elements of thepast, but displays a wholly unique and original storyline.As a story, DEATH BED is an amazingly simple yet originalvision, something which only one-in-a-thousand independent releases will manage to accomplish. This unassuming film has its technical flaws but overcomes them all with a cast of beautiful non-actorsand lost creepy locations- a true 1970s independent classic. DEATH BED also displays a unique, subversive, 3-dimensional personality-- a deep and continuous layering of dream images and ideas that lend it a "fun-house" type of construct. The passage of time told in flashbacks and historic time travelogues, the bed with its sinister black humor, the rich yet understated symbolism used within its imagery. Most pleasing is the image of Aubrey Beardsly, the suffering artist, forever trapped inside the frame of his own painting as he comments on and fondles with the murdered victim "offerings" gifted to him as love offerings by the demented bed's spirit. -- A sick refrain and wonderful element /metaphor for the "trapped artist" -- Nothing but the weirdest in POE or MALLARME can equal that. Anyone who values the spirit of independent cinema and craves the multi-layered symbolist experience, or craves the Surrealist concept of "convulsivebeauty" and the Gothic-horror leanings of low budget exploitation film-making will dig this totally unique vision. A simple and fun film with deliciously deep psychic undercurrents. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. *****$LABEL$ 1 +This train-wreck begins with Brujo and Alma crossing the Mexican border. Alma is suffering from some horrid curse that causes her to vomit garden snakes and Nickelodeon Gac every few minutes as well as clench her teeth and mutter nonsense. So Apparently Alma has this uncle in Los Angeles who knows of a cure for her. They hop aboard a train to get there and luckily a friend of theirs pays their way. Alma and Brujo stay in the luggage cart the whole movie since they can't afford upper class seats. Meanwhile in the higher class we see a bunch of nobodies on their way to LA for whatever reasons. A balding guy on a business trip, two girls, one of whom is carrying $5 grand and a wad of cocaine, three stoners, and some Mexicans. The Mexicans rough it up with Brujo and try to take his "weed" which apparently is a sedative for Alma's snakes slithering inside her. They realize that the snakes don't attack, they Enter Your Body Through Your Veins! Very twisted and B-Movie. Brujo saves the guy by ripping out his heart (Temple Of Doom style) and procuring the snake. For some reason he cannot have the snakes harmed or it'll hurt Alma. While this is going on a narcotics expert tries to bust one of the girls and gets a little action (topless) in exchange for not telling about her shipment of drugs. A mystery guy shows up and has a gunfight with him. As a grand finale Alma turns into a vampire, bites her man and then becomes a giant pathetic excuse for a CG snake the size of the train, eats the train and is blasted into a nuclear bomb hurricane whirlwind and disappears. Everyone then heads to LA on foot.The credits actually say at the end "Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental, and very weird. We suggest moving and/or taking a plane". Odd since a line in the movie from the bald guy is "Yeah, I HATE planes!" The credits go on to say "No snakes were hurt during the production of this screenplay. Only a small child but it's cool." There actually were a LOT of real snakes used in the movie, and all of them very tame. There is actually no scene of CG snakes attacking anyone unless you count the large one, but then it just eats the train and the other fake snake is just the head and it looks like a muppet. The snakes don't really attack anything, they're just...there. One crawls out of toilet paper actually!the movie isn't funny, isn't scary (as there's no real snake attack), and is just a 'quickie cash-in' which is when a low-budget movie company hears about a big budget Hollywood release, then they rush to put out a similar film, or even a parodic version, for release just prior to, or simultaneously with, the big name flick. The effect of this being that many people will either confuse one for the other, and go see the quickie rather than the 'biggie' or, they will want to see both, for whatever reason... like myself. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think I'm spoiling anyone's experience of this film by telling you not to see it if you have anything better to do, like clean under the stove. It gets dirty under there and you've gotta clean it sometime. I think the movie suffers from a lack of sex and violence, though there is one car chase stunt that looks so dangerous it could only have been filmed in a country where life is cheaper than beer. "Gargoyle"'s heart is in the right place, but its aspirations are conservative. It is at least not pretentious. But I had a great time acting in it, playing the perennial idiot in the horror movie who says "What's down this hole?" and dies for his hubris. Plus I got to meet Michael Pare. Every film junkie should work with a B-movie staple at least once before death. And Romanians are the loveliest people I've met. Literally the loveliest. Walk down the street in Bucarest: if 7 of every 10 women aren't absolutely beautiful, you're walking down a street I didn't come across; and be consoled by the fact that at least 5 of the 10 are available for drinks.Part of the film was shot in Casa Radio, an abandoned, unfinished Classic Communist Bloc-cum-Georgian Nightmare edifice originally intended to house KGB propaganda ministries, i.e. Radio Not-so-Free Europe. The building's five stories tall and takes up a city block; best of all, while its facade radiates Big Brotheresque state solidity, it resides near the city center like a post-apocalyptic ruin in a jungle of burdock and hemp peopled by dozens of Gypsies and scores of wild dogs. Construction on Casa Radio was suspended when Caucescu and his wife were executed on TV in 1989, and still there are gaping holes that drop from the sun-baked top floor (offering surreal vistas of a modern quarter-mile stretch of concrete roof, decorated with jutting rebar and old car parts, overlooking a crumbling ancient city) all the way down to the damp, creepy sub-basement (which doubles in the film for the Gargoyle lair.) No American-style guardrails or warning signs for Bucarest. Since the demise of the Soviet Union, Casa Radio has hosted several non-union film shoots, including "Highlander III". It is attractive to producers because it's a cheap location, massive in terms of scale and available space, bizarre looking, and free of insurance headaches as it's still state property. Plus no one complains if you don't clean up after your production: anything left onsite is interpolated into the resident Gypsies' construction of their shanty town in this actual urban jungle. An assistant director was bitten bloody by a wild dog during the shoot of "Gargoyle". The apples provided by catering were pressed into service by cast and crew as projectiles in order to keep the prowling dogs at bay. I too was bitten by wild dogs in Bucarest, once in a bar (!) and once in a city park. I also survived two car wrecks in two weeks, both in taxis and neither of which was seen by the drivers involved as grounds for stopping the cars.GEEK NOTE: The Sci-Fi Network or Channel or whatever was one of the backers of this film (the smaller the budget, the more producers on set), so it's a little weird that nobody had a problem with the original title, "Gargoyles", until it was almost time to show it on the network, even though Sci-Fi already had an unrelated series of that name. The title was changed sometime relatively close to release, as I have a color-corrected copy labeled with the former title.$LABEL$ 0 +As a veteran of many, many pretentious French films I thought I'd taken the worst the industry had to offer and was able to stomach anything. But not this. Pointless, relentless, violent, unpleasant, meaningless ... The film has nothing to offer and is random hatred and aggression dressed up as pretentious art. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +In all my 60 years of age, I have learned that when we watch a movie there is an identification (whether we want it or not) implicit with an specific character.Sometimes because the character executes certain gesture, sometimes because the character speaks determinate word, or sentence – that we use or that we would like to use – in determinate situation.The movie in question, should be seen by this point of view. Who now find a parking space – in a mall,downtown, or in the street - taken by a car whose driver can't remember to think that he is not the only driver in the world?Who hasn't the urge to "rubber out" the ill mannered spat?Haven said that I ask: - Did you identify with DELLA (played by Kim Bassinger)? If your answer is: YES!, then try not to find absurd details – comparatively with life's reality – in the movie, because you'll certainly find the movie ridiculous.Abstractions made, you will see that the movie has moments of surprise, such as: 1- In the sequence in which Della grabs the box of tools in the trunk (does that box contains a gun, and does she haves the guts to use it?); 2- In the sequence in which Terry dies whilst falling; 3- In the sequence in which Della gets attracted by Chuckie's "mermaid's call".If you have already seen the movie, or if are planning seeing, keep in mind that there are "realistic" movies, "fiction" movies, "political" movies, and movies in which you can "wash your soul"… To exemplify the last one, we can quote: "Tropa de Elite".According to newspaper's , there was unanimous applause when BOPE officials take certain attitudes. (As I have seen the movie in DVD, I could not ascertain the audience's reaction)…As for the direction part (Susan Monford), interpretations (Kim Bassinger, Lukas Haas, Craig Scheffer, etc. Edition (William M. Anderson – 'Dead Poets Society', 'Green Card' – exceptional edition, 'Robocop 2', etc. It is well situated in context. In a scale of 1(Awful) to 10(Master Piece), I rate "When She Was Out" a 7(Regular).$LABEL$ 1 +Billy Wilder continues his strong run of films during the 1950s with a biopic of Charles Lindbergh, the young American pilot who became the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1927. Jimmy Stewart plays Lindbergh, and while he might be a bit too old for the part, he still brings the sincere warmth and confidence needed as well as his trademark down-to-earth goodness that makes him an iconic film star. Wilder directs solidly, balancing the background story with humor and drama to give us a clear description of what Lindbergh was up against when he decided to take this challenge. It certainly isn't his nor Stewart's best work, but it is a gem of a movie. It lifts your spirits with the plane and makes you proud to be an American. Overall, it is just plain good.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this on TV. I'm glad I didn't go to the cinema to see this or spend the money on rental. The movie is totally predictable - from the corrupt owner and planner, to the snaking electric cables. The plot is really weak and unbelievable - the avalanche expert guy gets hit by a 20 foot wave of bone breaking avalanche (using actual footage) and all he has to do is get up and shake himself down. The avalanche thunders down at a million miles an hour and stops dead at the side of the road.Some of the actual avalanche material is impressive and shows its devastating power. But the contract between the real avalanche and the staged stuff makes this film look even flimsier.Do yourself a favour, don't bother with this one not even on T.V.$LABEL$ 0 +This is easily one of the worst movies i have ever seen. There is so much at the house that goes wrong that would not happen it isn't even funny. Granted this is a movie meaning things that won't happen in normal life happen here, however this movie is more far fetched than theories that no child left behind is working. All of these people are in the house and nobody has noticed another, not to mention the damn owl that seems to be coming everywhere but in its cage. I could deal with an owl joke the first few times, but after an hour i just can't take it, i would rather kill myself than see that damn owl again. Did i laugh during this movie? no. Not even once? no. Horrible, Horrible, Horrible. The fact that this pile of garbage is capped off with Ashton Kutcher bending his boss over and taking his pants off in front of everybody just makes this movie ever worse. But wait, the day is saved because the damn owl can fly. WOW AMAZING! However, i do give this movie some cred, its not as bad as Epic Movie.....$LABEL$ 0 +I recently watched this film on The Sundance Channel and it kept me interested from the start. However, it seems to take forever getting itself where it wants to go and in the end, I felt somewhat cheated. In a nutshell, Noble Willingham (of Walker, Texas Ranger fame) plays a boat salesman who starts getting harassed by telephone from a man claiming to be his son. According to the mysterious caller, Willingham has a dark, dirty little secret that affects the son and he (the son) is enjoying reminding him of it. I won't spoil anything for anyone but for me three things kept me from liking this movie a great deal. One, the movie has more foul language than Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino, and Glengarry Glen Ross combined. 99% of it is spewed from Willingham himself. It didn't take long to wear me out with constant four-letter words. Two, I simply could not believe that anyone would answer the telephone that many times, especially when one knows that a crank caller is on the other end of the line. No matter where Willingham is in the movie whether it be at work, home, a diner, etc., the phone rings and he always answers it spewing venom at the "son", and then hanging up ONLY TO ANSWER IT AGAIN WHEN THE CALLER CALLS BACK IN ABOUT TEN SECONDS! How many of us would do that? Now I realize that we probably do not have a movie if he doesn't keep answering, but I just could not suspend disbelief on that particular matter. Three, and this is the most minor of the criticisms, why is the director so opposed to showing us the "Corndog Man" (a.k.a. the caller/son)? Most of the time he's just a redneck sounding voice on the other end of the phone. I could have lived with that one if other things had fallen into place, but since they didn't it's just one more to tack on. I do give the movie credit for being a somewhat original idea and for holding my attention with suspense from the beginning but that's about it. Do see it, if only one time. However, if you're like me, you'll be saying "Triple K Marine!" in your sleep for a night or two after you finish watching it.$LABEL$ 0 +What happened to Peter Bogdanovich? Once a brilliant director, a trail blazer... is now scraping the very bottom... Is this the same man who directed "The Last Picture Show"? Here, he takes a somewhat interesting (albeit farfetched) premise, and turns it into bubble gum that loses flavor the moment you take the first bite... Dunst is not bad, but Izzard is miscast as Chaplin, and all the other actors seem to have been cast for their "looks", and not because they were right for the part. Too bad. I'll go rent "Paper Moon" again.$LABEL$ 0 +Return to Cabin by the Lake is Perhaps one of The Few Sequels that Can Live up to The Original. It Had Black Humor, Good Suspense, Nice Looking Girls, and Of Course, a Psycho Killer. What are We Missing? I Think Nothing. Except we Are Left with a Small Amount of Gore and Nudity because It Was Made for Television. Besides Being one Of The Best Sequels, it is one of The Best Thrillers to Watch as a Family. Recommended for Everyone.$LABEL$ 1 +Reign Over Me is a success due to the powerful work by Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. While comedic actors going dramatic has been seen as somewhat of a distraction, Sandler is no stranger to playing more serious roles. Most of the characters he portrays have an unstable temperament and a vulnerability that can burst at any moment. He might even be typecast for characters with such hidden anger problems. However, this performance has some considerable dramatic weight, unlike his roles in less comedic fare like Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish.In the film, Alan Johnson (Cheadle) runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Finerman (Sandler), whom he hasn't seen in several years. Five years before, Charlie suffered the overwhelming loss of his wife and three daughters in a plane crash. Charlie barely even recognizes Cheadle's character due to the repression of his memories and consequent reclusive childish lifestyle since the accident. It isn't until Alan persists in engaging him in conversation that Charlie remembers who he is. Their renewed relationship that follows will allow Finerman to have a friend who doesn't speak about his loss, eventually enabling him to confront the thoughts and feelings he has suppressed on his own terms.Though writer-director Mike Binder doesn't show much sense of an individual style and some of his shots and transitions are a bit awkward, he does have a knack of getting decent to great performances from his actors while being a talented and funny writer. He shot this film with a digital camera, as more and more filmmakers are doing today, enabling the crew to shoot the night scenes with limited lighting. This kept the colorful backgrounds of New York City in focus, but resulted in creating frequent digital grain, which resembles blue specks scattered and moving on the screen.Almost every main character in Reign Over Me gives a great performance. Jada-Pinkett Smith and especially Liv Tyler are memorable in their respective roles as a frustrated wife to Cheadle's character and a psychiatrist. However, it is Sandler and Cheadle that give some of their finest work to date. They completely owned this movie. Sandler actually plays a character that doesn't outwardly resemble or act like himself at all, partially credited to his Bob Dylan-esquire wig. Though Cheadle's character has more screen time than Sandler, they both should be considered to be leading roles, as they equally support and help each other throughout the film.Music also plays a great part in this film, especially the title song "Reign Over Me," or "Love, Reign O'er Me" by The Who, and later covered by Pearl Jam. In one of the most powerful moments of the film, Binder shows Sandler using music to shut out his feelings and memories, but this particular song provokes such intense emotion that rather than diminishing his anger, it incites his emotions. All an all, Reign Over Me is an enjoyable, sad, yet many times funny film, driven by its amazing leading performances.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow this Wrestlemania took place from 3 different cities. This was the very first wrestling pay per view I ever saw and it's a good one indeed! There is a great steel cage match for the main event as Hulk Hogan takes on King Kong Bundy!$LABEL$ 1 +With this movie only running 61 minutes and nothing all that good on television, I decided to pop Revolt of the Zombies into the DVD to pass the time. Even while realizing the era from which it was coming, I was sorely disappointed. It started with the oddly upbeat quality of the opening score (what - no brooding music?) and then the rather slow moving opening sequences. Gosh, I figured a movie about zombies - even from the 1930s - would have SOME chills to it (White Zombie, with Bela Lugosi, certainly did) but this had none. Zero. It was scarcely even dramatic (except for the few moments with the burning eyes superimposed on the film to indicate the mesmerization of someone). Like the equally dull King of the Zombies, this movie may be an interesting curiosity to own, but nothing more.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember when I first heard about Jack Frost. I was in Video Ezy at Miranda with my family on a monthly video hiring tradition. It was at this time that I worked up the courage to venture over towards the horror section of the store. Browsing the various titles, I finally came across Jack Frost. The cover was enough to convince me that the film was beyond my viewing pleasures. Years later the film disappeared, only to be replaced with the inevitable yet unnecessary sequel. I once again ventured to the horror section and picked up the case only to come to one conclusion: the film would be scary… but not intentionally.Jack Frost 2: Revenge Of The Killer Mutant Snowman (quite a title) follows off where it's predecessor left it. Sheriff Sam is seeking counseling after his ordeals and Jack is now in the form of anti-freeze. To escape his past, Sam and his wife head to an island hotel where he is in the company of a wide variety of slasher film stereotypes including busty female models, thick headed sports jocks and Caribbean staff. However, Jack is released from his liquid grave and is back to his icy methods. He heads over to the island and proceeds to kill anyone that would prove to have an awesome death. Only Sam can stop him.Let me just say that this is a straight-to-video film so it's bound to be bad. But this is terrible even in the eyes of other over the top films. The camera work is poor, using a camera that would make a soap opera look majestic. Half the actors look like they've come out of a porn shoot and the other half look like they've come out of a retirement home, but in actual fact they've actually come out of an asylum. There is an extensive use of special effects used in the film which tends to alternate between bland puppetry and CGI that can be bettered by an infant, and the death scenes are mostly off screen showing us little of what has happened to the hapless, yet deserving, victims. But the film is most memorable for it's killer one liners such as "There's something that needs a little Christmas stuffing" and "I know pronounce you officially f***ing dead!" Ultimately the whole purpose behind a film like this is to make a popcorn flick for those Friday nights of boredom and even it fails at that. To make a sequel to a film that was a poor slasher with a concept that a child would find unbelievable must've taken some nerves of steel… or a total frontal lobotomy. To director Michael Cooney… thanks for wasting my time. To everyone else… avoid like arsenic.$LABEL$ 0 +When a rocket from a government experiment on the effects of cosmic rays on animals crashes in a small Texas town, people start to die. The county sheriff tries to investigate but is hampered in his efforts by other government officials. It turns out that there is a mutant space gorilla on the loose killing teenagers in the woods.I like low budget science fiction and horror movies. I like monster movies. So I thought that there would be a good chance that I would like this movie. Sadly, I didn't.I don't mind the bad acting, the corny dialog, the atrocious musical score or the giant plot holes that this movie has. There are a lot of movies that have the same problems that I have seen and enjoyed in a so bad it's good kind of way.But where others of that type and Night Fright differ is that Night Fright just has terrible pacing. And it drags on because of that. There are scenes that just go on and on without anything happening-the searching the woods for clues is just people walking in the forest for a long time; there are several seemingly endless dancing teens at a party in the woods...but nothing interesting is going on. If these scenes were shorter, the movie might not have been as boring (though I don't think simply cutting those scenes would save this one).I have now given this movie three viewings to make sure that I gave it a chance before slamming it in this review. Sadly, it has gotten worse with each watch. There won't be a fourth.$LABEL$ 0 +I am 17, and a biased Muppet fan, and while I love Treasure Island, Christmas Carol and Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Movie absolutely deserves to be up there with the best of them. It is enormously entertaining, thanks to the snappy script by Jerry Juhl, and the film looks lovely, with some beautifully staged musical numbers. Speaking of the songs, I really liked them, sure they aren't the best song score out of the Muppet franchise, but they were very nice to listen to, especially Never Before. Never Before is now one of my favourite Muppet songs along with First Time It Happens and Professional Pirate. The Muppets as usual were fantastic, particularly the always delightful Miss Piggy, and the chemistry between Kermit and Fozzie was great. And what a brilliant human cast- from Bob Hope to Orson Welles, from Madeleine Kahn(the same wonderful actress who brought us hilarious movies like What's Up Doc?, Blazing Saddles and Clue) to Cloris Leachman, from Steve Martin to Richard Pryor, all of whom made memorable guest appearances, if careful not to overshadow the Muppets in a fantastic film. 10/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +I was 13 when this mini-series (and its sequel North and South, Book II) first aired. I had already been captivated by the personal interest stories in/around our American Civil War, which is what interested me in watching this made-for-tv program.I loved it. And now I'm 29 years old and I only love it more. It is full of history, beautiful costuming, real-life characters woven in and out of the lives of fictional characters, all of whom you come to care deeply about. There is intrigue, love, loyalty, betrayal, family, extended family, lust, battles, victory, defeat and reconstruction.Even though I had the full set of episodes on tapes I recorded back when it originally aired, I purchased the full set of both N&S and N&S II from Columbia House some years ago when they became available. Once every few years I'll take a whole weekend and watch all the installments back to back - and am sad when the last episode rolls to an end, because I find myself wanting to continue watching the story of the lives of these characters.I cannot recommend this mini-series more highly.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, I admit that I still associate Sophie Marceau with La Boum. That was the main reason I went to see this film. But it was so boring, that I nearly felt asleep. Sorry, but her talents as actress are not very convincing. Furthermore, this film was presented as having outstanding special effects and CGI. Yeah, for a B-Movie it is not that bad. After having seen her in "Marquise" some years ago (also a very crappy film), I thought that she would play more convincingly. But La Boum (and may be the James Bond "the world is not enough") seem to be the only good films with her. Is it her "talent", does she have a bad taste when choosing her films or simply bad luck ?$LABEL$ 0 +Sort of like a very primitive episode of "General Hospital" set in a natal ward (and one for tough cases at that), this fast-moving programmer has a satisfying emotional impact -- mainly because Eric Linden, as the distraught young husband in the main plot, is so palpably a wreck, and with such good reason. His expectant wife, Loretta Young, is brought to the ward at the beginning of a 20-year prison sentence for offing a lecher who probably had it coming to him; Ms. Young, as always, doesn't do anything to disinvite audience sympathy, and she's a little too good to be true, though sympathetic and lovely to look at, of course. Her difficult pregnancy and relationships with the other girls of the ward form the heart of the movie, and the outcome -- not an entirely happy one -- feels right. Aline MacMahon, "one of the cinema's few perfect actresses," in the apt words of film historian David Thomson, exudes warmth and authority as the head nurse, and Glenda Farrell, as a none-too-willing new mom of twins, gets to croon "Frankie and Johnny" as a drunken lullaby. Frank McHugh figures in another subplot, and he gets to show more range than Warners usually permitted him. It's scaled and paced modestly, and Linden's expectant-dad panic stays with you for days -- this sort of part was often played for laughs, but he's a terrified young kid in trouble, and very persuasive.$LABEL$ 1 +This picture in 1935 walked away with all kinds of Ocars for Best Director, John Ford, Actor Victor McLaglen and music by Max Seiner. Victor McLaglen,(Gypo Nolan), "Call Out the Marines",'42, gave an outstanding performance as an Irish rebel who belonged to a rough and tough crowd who were all fighting for a cause and at the same time getting poorer and poorer with plenty of drinking. Gypo Nolan made a bad mistake when he decided to become an informer for his best friend in order to take a trip with his gal to America and a new way of living. Preston Foster, (Don Gallagher),"Guadalcanal Diary",'43, gave a great supporting role as the leader of the Irish rebellion and was anxious to capture the informer of his group. Gypo Nolan becomes haunted by his betrayal of his friend and begins to feel just like a Judas. Great film for 1935 and wonderful acting by McLaglen, but rather depressing in every aspect of the film.$LABEL$ 1 +"Raw Force" is like an ultra-sleazy and perverted version of Love Boat, with additional Kung Fu fights, demented cannibalistic monks, white slaves trade, energetic zombies and a whole lot of lousy acting performances. No wonder this movie was included in the recently released "Grindhouse Experience 20 movie box-set". It's got everything exploitation fanatics are looking for, blend in a totally incoherent and seemingly improvised script! The production values are extremely poor and the technical aspects are pathetic, but the amounts of gratuitous violence & sex can hardly be described. The film opens at a tropically sunny location called Warriors Island, where a troop of sneering monks raise the dead for no apparent reason other than to turn them into Kung Fu fighters. The monks also buy sexy slaves from a sleazy Hitler look-alike businessman, supposedly because the women's flesh supplies them with the required powers to increase their zombie army. Tourists on a passing cruise ship, among them three martial arts fighters, a female LA cop and a whole bunch of ravishing but dim-witted ladies, are attacked by the Hitler guy's goons because they were planning an excursion to Warriors Island. Their lifeboat washes ashore the island anyway, and the monks challenge the survivors to a fighting test with their zombies. Okay, how does that sound for a crazy midnight horror movie mess? It's not over yet, because "Raw Force" also has piranhas, wild boat orgies, Cameron Mitchell in yet another embarrassing lead role and 70's exploitation duchess Camille Keaton ("I spit on your Grave") in an utterly insignificant cameo appearance. There's loads of badly realized gore, including axe massacres and decapitations, hammy jokes and bad taste romance. The trash-value of this movie will literally leave you speechless. The evil monks' background remains, naturally, unexplained and they don't even become punished for their questionable hobbies. Maybe that's why the movie stops with "To Be Continued", instead of with "The End". The sequel never came, unless it's so obscure IMDb doesn't even list it.$LABEL$ 0 +OK i have seen Hershall Gordon Lewis movies before but this one really takes the cake,its really gory and gross,not to mention disgusting the way the strippers are done in,I'm talking bad acting that makes plan 9 from outer space look like hamlet,the only saving grace is the late great Henny Youngman as the strip club owner,yeah take my wife..., please.the stripteasers are real sexy for 1972,i believe they used this same plot again in the Roger Corman movie;stripped to kill in 1987.i did enjoy the earlier H.G.Lewis flick 100 maniacs,which was a mini masterpiece of sorts,but bad acting,no awards here,but be aware this is a splatter movie that paved the way for Friday the 13th,and saw.in one disturbing scene a half naked stripper has her butt spanked with a meat tenderizer.ugh!morbid stuff here.H.G. Lewis strikes again. 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +The Blob starts with one of the most bizarre theme songs ever, sung by an uncredited Burt Bacharach of all people! You really have to hear it to believe it, The Blob may be worth watching just for this song alone & my user comment summary is just a little taste of the classy lyrics... After this unnerving opening credits sequence The Blob introduces us, the viewer that is, to Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen as Steven McQueen) & his girlfriend Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut) who are parked on their own somewhere & witness what looks like a meteorite falling to Earth in nearby woods. An old man (Olin Howland as Olin Howlin) who lives in a cabin also sees it & goes to investigate, he finds a crater & a strange football sized rock which splits open when he unwisely pokes it with a stick. Laying in the centre of the meteorite is a strange jelly like substance which sticks to the stick, if you know what I mean! It then slides up the stick & attachés itself to the old man's hand. Meanwhile Steve & Jane are quietly driving along minding their own business when the old man runs out in front of Steve's car, Steve being a decent kinda guy decides to take the old man to Dr. T. Hallan (Alden 'Stephen' Chase as Steven Chase) at the local surgery. Dr. Hallan says he doesn't know what the substance on the old man's hand is but it's getting bigger & asks Steve to go back where he found him & see if he can find out what happened. Steve agrees but doesn't come up with anything & upon returning to Dr. Hallan's surgery he witnesses the blob devouring him. The town's police, Lieutenant Dave (Earl Rowe) & the teenage hating Sergeant Jim Bert (John Benson) unsurprisingly don't believe a word of it & end up suspecting Steve & his mates Al (Anthony Franke), Tony (Robert Fields) & someone called 'Mooch' Miller (James Bonnet) of playing an elaborate practical joke on the police department. However as the blob continues to eat it's way through the town Steve sets about finding proof of it's existence & convincing the police about the threat it posses not just to their town but the entire world!Directed Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. & an uncredited Russell S. Doughton Jr. I was throughly disappointed by this, the original 1958 version of The Blob. The script by Kay Linaker as Kate Phillips & Theodore Simonson is an absolute bore & extremely dull not making the most of it's strongest aspects. The Blob focuses on the tiresome dramatics & conflicts between the teenagers & police, in fact the majority of The Blob is spent on Steve trying to convince the police of the blob's existence. For most of the film the blob itself almost seems inconsequential & somewhat forgotten. It only has two or three scenes for the fist hour & a bit until the less than exciting climax when the adults & teenagers have to work together to defeat the blob & have a new found appreciation of each other afterwards, yuck! Why couldn't the blob just eat the lot of 'em? No explanation is given for what the blob is or it's origins other than it came from space, how long did it take them to come up with that? The dialogue is clunky & silly as well, as are people's actions & decision making, I love the part when a nurse named Kate (Lee Paton as Lee Payton, did anyone use their real name in this thing?) is confronted by the blob, she throws some acid over it & calmly proclaims "Doctor, nothing will stop it!", how does she know 'nothing' will stop it exactly? There's no blood or violence so don't worry about that, the special effects on the blob itself aren't too bad considering but it barely has any screen time & moves very slowly, a bit like the film in general actually. The acting is terrible, McQueen is supposed to be a teenager when in reality he was 28 years old & it shows, he looks old enough to be his own dad! Same thing goes for most of the other 'teenage' cast members & everyone generally speaking are wooden & unconvincing in their roles. Technically The Blob is very basic, dark static photography, dull direction & forgettable production values. The Blob is one of those films that probably sounds good on paper & is well known as being a 'classic' but is in actual fact a huge disappointment when finally seen. This is one case when the remake The Blob (1988) is definitely better than the original. The original Blob is slow & boring & the remake isn't, the original Blob contains no blood or gore & the remake does, the original Blob has incredibly poor acting & casting decisions & the remake doesn't & the original Blob itself gets very little screen time eating only three or four people throughout the entire film & the remake features the blob all the way through & it virtually eats an entire town. The choice is an easy one, the remake every time as it's a better film in every respect. I'll give the film two stars & give that wonderful main theme song one on it's own. Definitely not the classic many seem to make out.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm glad the folks at IMDb were able to decipher what genre this film falls into. I had a suspicion it was trying to be a comedy, but since it also seems to want to be a dark and solemn melodrama I wasn't sure. For a comedy it is amazingly bereft of even the slightest venture into the realms of humour - right up until the ridiculous "twist" ending, which confirms what an utter waste of time the whole movie actually is. It is hard to describe just how amateurish THE HAZING really is. Did anyone involved in this film have any idea at all what they were supposed to be doing? Actually worth watching so that you can stare at the screen in slack-jawed disbelief at how terrible it is.$LABEL$ 0 +"Tourist Trap" is a genuinely spooky low-budget horror film that will surely satisfy horror fans.It contains extremely strange atmosphere and there are some quite unnerving moments of total dread and fear.Some scenes are downright bizarre for example there is one scene when Chuck Connors sits down to have dinner with a mannequin that comes to life and starts conversing with him before its head falls off.There is very little gore,but the violence is quite strong for PG-rated horror film.The mannequins look very sinister and the climax is horrifying.David Schmoeller returned to make several other genre films including "Crawlspace","Puppet Master" and "Netherworld".Still "Tourist Trap" is definitely his best horror film,so if you want to be scared give this little gem a look.Rated PG for Brief Nudity, Violence and Profanity.$LABEL$ 1 +If you want to watch something that is for 'him' and 'her' so to say then this is the film to pick. I am a sucker for rom coms but my husband is not always so keen (what a guy!!!). Anyway I managed to get him to watch it because I told him it was about sport, and you know what, he loved it!!!Drew Barrymore is very funny and her leading man (sorry but can't remember his name) is equally as good. When I watched the film it was called 'The Perfect Match' but I think the title was changed for the UK as it is based on the book Fever Pitch and there was already a film made about football with that title (the same film but the UK version - phew!),Anyway all of the reviews on here will tell you more details if you need them buy girls, take it from me, get your hubby/boyfriend in front of the television on a Saturday night and you will both laugh and cry together. A real gem.$LABEL$ 1 +My complaints here concern the movie's pacing and the material at hand. While using archival film and letters lends the film a fresh and interesting perspective, too often the material selected to highlight simply isn't very interesting (such as when Goebbels complains about this or that ailment, &tc., or the ad nauseam footage of his small German hometown). Also, the movie crawls along in covering c. 1920-1939 and then steams through the war years. In sum, the film is little better than a History Channel documentary, with the exception that the filmmaker has a slightly greater sensibility than your average History Channel documentary editor and thus can more artfully arrange the details of Goebbels' life. Still, I found it wanting.$LABEL$ 0 +A space ship cruising through the galaxy encounters a mysterious cargo ship apparently adrift in space. The crew investigates, hoping to lay claim to its cargo and acquire the ship. However, once aboard the ominous vessel, their own ship mysteriously disengages, leaving them to fend for themselves and battle none other then Count Dracula or Orloff as this creature calls himself.Not a bad start. I mean it follows any number of typical sci-fi/horror plots. The genres have been around enough that even the most original story will inevitably invoke comparison to some other film. But, when you start with a fairly typical horror convention, the legend of Dracula and vampires in general, and combine it with a fairly typical sci-fi convention, a crew happening upon something and becoming marooned to battle whatever they're forced to confront, the filmmakers better have some clever up their sleeve to imprint their own mark on the familiar genre staples.Director Darrell Roodt, who also wrote Dracula 3000 with Ivan Milborrow, is primarily responsible for this utter failure. So, no, Roodt and Milborrow have nothing up their sleeves but their arms.This film begins ominously enough, with a very poorly delivered voice over by Caspar Van Dien, essentially providing enough exposition to explain who the crew on his ship are. I should also point out that Van Dien's character is named Van Helsing. And, oh so very cleverly, this Orloff character is from planet Transylvania in the Carpathian System. No kidding. I mean, come on guys, we get it. And, again, don't be goofy and use such names unless you got something special in store.So, after Van Helsing's introduction of the crew, we have, essentially, a film about this crew trapped in a space ship with a vampire lurking about.I'm a very forgiving viewer when it comes to low budget films. Occasionally, they can be brilliant, see Raimi's first two Evil Dead films. Dracula 3000 had a decent budget, enough for some decent special effects and for the salaries of 3rd stringers like, Van Dien, Erika Eleniak, Coolio, etc. However, unlike, the EVIL DEAD flicks, there is no talent behind the camera. In front of the camera, the talent is marginal, but I'm going to give the actors some benefit of the doubt. It really seems like they don't know what to do. The best actor of the bunch, Alexandra Kamp-Groenveld, gets killed off quickly and the ever-enjoyable Udo Kier is reduced to being an exposition vehicle for the viewer as the deceased captain we hear and see via a video journal. Grant Swandby is also okay as the Professor, but it's hard to take seriously a scientist in the year 3000 who wears glasses and rides a wheel chair. And, yes, it's a WHEEL chair as in there is nothing futuristic about it. As for the rest of the actors, well…….I'm sure Coolio really tried to be scary after getting turned into a vampire, but, well, I don't think irritating qualifies as scary in most people's book. Tiny Lister and Erika Eleniak don't really provide much either. Lister is never really more then the IL' big brawny black stereotype. Eleniak actually appears unhappy throughout the film and never tries very hard. Eleniak is a pretty girl, even in her mid thirties, but looks a little worn out and uninterested for the movie's duration.This brings us to Count Dracula/Orloff played by Langley Kirkwood. To be honest, I can't recall who exactly the vampire is supposed to be. He introduces himself as Orloff but at some point he acknowledges himself as Count Dracula as well. Go figure. In any case, you will be absolutely astounded by just how lame this vampire is. Have you ever scene those cheesy horror show hosts local networks would have on their creature feature time slots? Yes, it's that bad. Langley Kirkwood, the actor playing Orlock, must have found it almost impossible to concentrate in such a ridiculous outfit. I'm sure he's still getting hassled by his friends.There isn't much to the plot. The vampire is the last of it's kind and wants to go to Earth, for some reason, and also, there is some lip service about wanting to defeat Caspar Van Dien's character, Van Helsing. Most of the crew get turned into vampires, including Van Helsing, and the crew use conventional machine guns and pistols to try and defeat them before they figure out the old stake in the heart routine. Yeah, that's right, bullets, and yes, the year 3000. Keeping in that baffling vein, one of the main areas the crew hole themselves up in while battling the vampires, or vampire, since there is really never more then one threatening them, is filled with old Soviet posters and insignia and such. What the? There are also references to God/religion being antiquated systems. But these references only confused me. Did the Soviet Union make a comeback? Is there some point Roodt and Milborrow want to make with this? It never really goes anywhere, seems dumb and the posters, etc. just look cheap.On the positive side, the film is competently shot and edited. The cinematography is nothing spectacular, but it's clearly done by professionals and, I had no problem with the special effects. The ships look like ships in outer space. Although, as I write this, I recall how god awful the corpse of the captain looks when the crew discover him. What were they thinking? Why didn't someone say something? See how difficult it is to say something positive about this film without falling back on the negatives? I guess, ultimately, that's the thing. Whatever positives you try and grant this sci-fi/horror debacle, you become overwhelmed by it's lack of quality.Poor Udo Kier.$LABEL$ 0 +I originally saw this several years ago while I was sitting on the couch and got stuck watching it on HBO. With the remote out of my reach I decided to go with it and was awaiting a miserable movie that I had been avoiding for a year. So it started off and I wasn't very optimistic about it, but after about ten minutes I found myself laughing. The complete opposite as I was expecting. The comedy was smart, the acting pretty good considering, the cast worked very well together, and the story (though slightly awkward and fake) was actually quite entertaining.Three convict brothers manage to escape their sentence and eventually go in search of their fortune. The movie is set in the 1930's. So along the way, they encounter a number of funny and interesting charatcers. All have a different story or achievement they are striving for. Really the majority of the movie may seem random. Some may say it was pointless and boring, but if you look for the smart comedy (and occasionally stupid) that is integrated into the movie, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one.I liked the performances given by George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. All of them did very well in their roles, an they worked great together. But to finish this off, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a smart, funny, and a movie adventure that I wouldn't let pass up.$LABEL$ 1 +I decided to hire out this movie along with a few other old horror movies.This was the worst,some of the killings were good and theres a bit of humour but i couldnt stand this,everytime a killing happened they would show scenes of all these old movies that the killer used to be in,i give this 2/10.$LABEL$ 0 +While to most people watching the movie, this will be of little interest, but out of the many hundreds of movies dealing with magic and the occult in one form or another, this one is probably the best in many ways.From The Golem to The Craft the subject seems to be of endless interest to the movie industry. The majority of movies which touch on it in any way do so childishly (for example "Witchboard", a true piece of utter garbage in every way) either taking the transcendental elements as cheap excuses for cheesy special effects or cardboard cutout villians (cf "Warlock"). More frequently the subject comes up in an hysterical religious context (in the various Revelations-oriented movies, the antichrist is inevitably an advocate of some kind of new-age style practice). Rarely, a movie seems to show at least some passing experience with magic as it is practiced in real life, but the presentation of the occult in such movies can at best be described as allegorical and not literal, or symbolic, or ... just not quite right.I watched this movie again after many years tonight. I had seen it before on VHS; it is a dark, moody piece, and after watching it on DVD, I would say if you have any intention to watch this movie, watch it on DVD, don't watch it on VHS.The darkness and moodiness are overpowering in VHS but in DVD the movie takes on a very different tone. I think Weir pushed the dark aspects intentionally for style, but when the movie is converted to the lower color medium of VHS this goes over the edge. DVD brings the movie to life again and I saw it differently.Anyway, seeing it as if for the first time, I realized that the treatment of magic is extremely good in this movie. It's difficult to go into all the reasons why, I don't care to take the time to do so.For anybody who's curious, anyway, if you want to see what it is like in real life, this movie is just very right on countless levels.And for anybody who isn't, you really wasted a lot of time reading to this point.$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't impressed with the Graffiti Artist, despite it's artsy (aka. low budget improvisation) appeal. There is little dialog and at least for me, I was disappointed that it didn't give more credit or promote the work of guerrilla artists such as these. Instead, it was a story that covers familiar territory. Two guys who basically do little more than tag buildings become friends, tagging partners, and eventually experiment with a relationship. They seem like opposites, rather uncomfortable together. Little is explained about their backgrounds and the things between the two young men happen at rapid speed (although, this I can understand because it's only 70 minutes or so). There's been countless numbers of similar plots and productions in recent years to the point that the sphere of independent film is starting to become just as saturated with this particular storytelling just as the mainstream has become saturated with this and more.Much of the film may bore the viewer who needs immediate dialog and purpose. The primary figure of this story (at least extensively), performs his routines with nearly no dialog, no insight, and nothing else to carry the viewer. And, for a short film, I wished they could've gotten to the point a lot faster. That, aside from the typical plot annoyed me. Yet, there was something about a momentary glimpse into the daily habits of at least two graffiti artists, even if most of it was rather unoccupied time.Recommended if you're tired of the mainstream crap and don't mind an indie picture and have some interested into this underground, urban art form. But, you really have to watch it for yourself, because this seems to be one with a more acquired taste. For more recent indie films centering on graffiti artists, check out Transit.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't actually finished the film. You may say that in this case I have no right to review it, especially so negatively. But I do, only because I stopped it on account of I couldn't watch anymore...I got over halfway, and I only got there by promising myself something good was just around the corner. This film is so tiresome, so lackluster that I was actually insulted. I haven't read many of the other reviews, so I'm not sure if there are other homosexual teens who have suffered through it, but I am homosexual, and I did go through "similar" revelations, day dreams, issues etc etc. There were maybe two moments where I actually felt this film could go somewhere, where I felt it may have some inkling of meaning, or relativity, but these hopes were dashed the moment the next set of cliché-ridden narration came on. I mean, just look at the quotes on the IMDb page. Unfortunately you're not able to hear the scratchy play back, nor the echo-ey fades if you're just read the quotes, because they are just too painful/ridiculous/stupid to miss. I did give the film three stars, and all three of those stars go to the films cinematographer who did a fantastic job attempting to transform Archer's tired "concepts" into something watchable. Mind you, I pray he wasn't the one who decided to include all the long shots of TV closeups...another unnecessary cliché already over done in films such as Korine's Gummo... I think it is extremely fitting that this film premiered at Sundance (only because Archer had connections in the festival via volunteer work he did, by the way...) because Sundance seems to be the one festival where cliché heavy drivel like this is still accepted as "arthouse". No, it's not art house, I'm afraid it's just plain s**t-house. Do not watch.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was so poorly written and directed I fell asleep 30 minutes through the movie. The jokes in the movie are corny and even though the plot is interesting at some angles, it is too far fetched and at some points- ridiculous. If you are 11 or older you will overlook the writing in the movie and be disappointed, but if you are 10 or younger this is a film that will capture your attention and be amazed with all the stunts (which I might add are poorly done) and wish you were some warrior to. The casting in this movie wasn't very good, and the music was very disappointing because it was like they were trying to build up the tension but it didn't fit at all. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being excellent, 1 being horrible) the acting in this movie is a 4. Brenda Song is talented in comedy, but with this kind of movie, in some of the more serious scenes, her acting was laughable. When she made some of her "fighting" poses, I started laughing out loud. I think the worst thing about this movie is definitely the directing, for example, the part where her enemy turns out to be the person the evil villain is possesing, how her voice turns dark and evil, I think that was incredibly stupid, and how Wendy's (Brenda Song)teachers were all her teachers at school being possessed by monks, that was pretty ridiculous to. So to sumamrize it all, a disappointing movie, but okay if you're 10 or under.$LABEL$ 0 +Great adaptation of the Christie novel. Surprising attention to authentic period details for the time (Many films of the mid-1970s-early 80s that try to do 1920s-early 30s look far too mid-70s-early 80s for my liking, so expected the worst here, and was gladly proved wrong)The costumes and sets are very well done. I liked this production very much – largely due to the adorable Francesca Annis' portrayal of a carefree bright young Lady "Frankie" and James Warwick's charming Bobbie. The pair would go on to portray Christie's Tommy & Tuppence, which is funny as some contemporary book critics compared Frankie and Bobby to her earlier characters of Tommy & Tuppence. The supporting characters were equally well done – the over the top Mrs. Rivington (acted by Miss Marple-to-be Joan H.) and "Badger" is played perfectly as the post WWI, "Bertie Wooster type."$LABEL$ 1 +The one thing that can be said about RUNNING OUT OF TIME is that it's an immensely clever film. It's interesting to note that the film's writers are French, which may explain the movie's "out of the norm" vibe, as it doesn't really fit in with what is commonly called "Hong Kong Cinema".The movie concerns a thief who plans revenge on some criminal types using the assistance of an equally clever cop. But first he has to convince the cop to join his personal crusade, and so begins a series of games where the thief manuevers the cop into his plan.Quite a clever movie.7 out of 10(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie or full-length reviews of other foreign films)$LABEL$ 1 +It plays like your usual teenage-audience T&A movie, but the sentiment is incredibly bleak. If it was made today, it'd be considered an art house movie. It goes through the usual routine of a guy trying to get laid, but the results of his efforts are harsh and cruel and unsatisfying.The whole teen flick formula is adhered to, but nothing turns out the way you'd expect. Imagine a director's cut of 'It's a Wonderful Life' where, at the end, James Stewart wasn't allowed to return to the real world. An incredible film that subverts all of the expectations of the genre. It makes you feel dirty afterwards: there is no redemption for the characters. I'm amazed it ever got made. The eighties version of Detective Story.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a pretty obscure, dumb horror movie set in the 1970s Everglades. It is really stupid and lame for the first half, then it actually starts to get good for the last half. There is a scene with the hero running to save his friends interspersed with shots of a church group singing, I don't know. It is mesmerizing. I was impressed with the night time scenes, because it actually looked like night, unlike most low budget horror films where it still looks like daytime. I feel like the director was really talented but was working with a miniscule budget and a tough schedule. There are a few scenes towards the end, the one mentioned above and also the end credits that are extremely cool. This movie could have been a genuine classic if it left its Scooby Doo conventions behind and went straight for the throat. I was surprised at how good this movie turned out to be. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, and I had to ask myself "why?"$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I watched this is because of its stars, CASPAR Van Dien, Micheal Pare & Eric Roberts & catherine Oxenburg * & Jeniffer Rubin, All capable actors & have given good performances in the past,. NOT THIS TIME,, a weak serial killer story, You can guess who the killer is in the first scene. Very contrived in all aspects there is nothing to recommend in this disaster, my rating is *1/2 POOR$LABEL$ 0 +Farewell Friend aka Adieu L'Ami/Honour Among Thieves isn't perfect but it is a neat and entertaining thriller that sees mismatched demobbed French Algerian War veterans Alain Delon and Charles Bronson trapped in the same basement vault, one to return stolen bonds, the other to clean out the two million in wages sitting there over the Christmas weekend. Naturally things aren't quite that simple even after they open the vault, leading to some neat twists and turns. On the debit side, there's a very bizarre striptease scene in a car park, Bronson has a very irritating Fonzie-like catchphrase he uses at the most inopportune moments, Brigitte Fossey, sporting perhaps the most hideously misconceived hairstyle of the 60s (it makes her look like a bald woman whose wig is blown back off the top of her head by a high wind), is something of a liability – her "I'll cook spaghetti! I'll learn to make love well! I'll read Shakespeare!" speech is hysterical in all the wrong ways – and it's a shame about the horrible last line/shot, but otherwise this is a surprisingly entertaining and unpretentious number that's worth checking out if you can find a decent print.Cinema Club's UK DVD only offers the English soundtrack, but since Delon voices himself and the rest of the cast are fairly well dubbed that's no great problem, especially since the widescreen transfer is pretty good quality.$LABEL$ 1 +They constructed this one as a kind of fantasy Man From Snowy River meets Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, and just for a romantic touch Ned and Joe get to play away with high class talent, the bored young wives of wealthy older men. OK, there are lots of myths about Ned Kelly, but there are also a lot of well documented facts, still leaving space for artistic creativity in producing a good historical dramaticisation. I mean, this is not the Robin Hood story, not the Arthurian legends, not Beowulf, not someone whose life is so shrouded in the mists of many many centuries past that any recreation of their life and times is 99% guesswork. It's only a couple of lifetimes ago. My own grandparents were already of school age when Ned was hanged. So it's silly me for fancifully imagining this movie was a serious attempt to tell the Kelly story. Having recently read Peter Carey's excellent novel "The True History of the Kelly Gang" I had eagerly anticipated that this would be in similar vein. But no, the fact is that Mick Jagger's much derided 1970 Kelly was probably far closer to reality, and a better movie overall, which isn't saying a whole lot for it.Glad it only cost me two bucks to hire the DVD! I'll give it 3/10, and that's only because some of the nice shots of the Australian bush make me feel generous.$LABEL$ 0 +This film promised a lot, so many beautiful and well playing actors but with a plot that had virtually NOTHING to say. So many potentially promising conflicts between the family members that could have been developed and elaborated but it was all dropped and not taken care of. There was no story to be told, just a show off of acting, technique, beautiful scenes - that were all EMPTY. But again, the acting was excellent so many of the individual scenes were entertaining, but as you became increasingly aware of the lack of underpinning ideas, even the acting lost its sense. So from the promising start you became increasingly disappointed as the non-story went along.$LABEL$ 0 diff --git a/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.train.dat b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.train.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b2115ab3c108a7986a2cd59415c5c0f8fd35f05b --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.train.dat @@ -0,0 +1,7000 @@ +One of the other reviewers has mentioned that after watching just 1 Oz episode you'll be hooked. They are right, as this is exactly what happened with me.The first thing that struck me about Oz was its brutality and unflinching scenes of violence, which set in right from the word GO. Trust me, this is not a show for the faint hearted or timid. This show pulls no punches with regards to drugs, sex or violence. Its is hardcore, in the classic use of the word.It is called OZ as that is the nickname given to the Oswald Maximum Security State Penitentary. It focuses mainly on Emerald City, an experimental section of the prison where all the cells have glass fronts and face inwards, so privacy is not high on the agenda. Em City is home to many..Aryans, Muslims, gangstas, Latinos, Christians, Italians, Irish and more....so scuffles, death stares, dodgy dealings and shady agreements are never far away.I would say the main appeal of the show is due to the fact that it goes where other shows wouldn't dare. Forget pretty pictures painted for mainstream audiences, forget charm, forget romance...OZ doesn't mess around. The first episode I ever saw struck me as so nasty it was surreal, I couldn't say I was ready for it, but as I watched more, I developed a taste for Oz, and got accustomed to the high levels of graphic violence. Not just violence, but injustice (crooked guards who'll be sold out for a nickel, inmates who'll kill on order and get away with it, well mannered, middle class inmates being turned into prison bitches due to their lack of street skills or prison experience) Watching Oz, you may become comfortable with what is uncomfortable viewing....thats if you can get in touch with your darker side.$LABEL$ 1 +A wonderful little production. The filming technique is very unassuming- very old-time-BBC fashion and gives a comforting, and sometimes discomforting, sense of realism to the entire piece. The actors are extremely well chosen- Michael Sheen not only "has got all the polari" but he has all the voices down pat too! You can truly see the seamless editing guided by the references to Williams' diary entries, not only is it well worth the watching but it is a terrificly written and performed piece. A masterful production about one of the great master's of comedy and his life. The realism really comes home with the little things: the fantasy of the guard which, rather than use the traditional 'dream' techniques remains solid then disappears. It plays on our knowledge and our senses, particularly with the scenes concerning Orton and Halliwell and the sets (particularly of their flat with Halliwell's murals decorating every surface) are terribly well done.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this was a wonderful way to spend time on a too hot summer weekend, sitting in the air conditioned theater and watching a light-hearted comedy. The plot is simplistic, but the dialogue is witty and the characters are likable (even the well bread suspected serial killer). While some may be disappointed when they realize this is not Match Point 2: Risk Addiction, I thought it was proof that Woody Allen is still fully in control of the style many of us have grown to love.This was the most I'd laughed at one of Woody's comedies in years (dare I say a decade?). While I've never been impressed with Scarlet Johanson, in this she managed to tone down her "sexy" image and jumped right into a average, but spirited young woman.This may not be the crown jewel of his career, but it was wittier than "Devil Wears Prada" and more interesting than "Superman" a great comedy to go see with friends.$LABEL$ 1 +Basically there's a family where a little boy (Jake) thinks there's a zombie in his closet & his parents are fighting all the time.This movie is slower than a soap opera... and suddenly, Jake decides to become Rambo and kill the zombie.OK, first of all when you're going to make a film you must Decide if its a thriller or a drama! As a drama the movie is watchable. Parents are divorcing & arguing like in real life. And then we have Jake with his closet which totally ruins all the film! I expected to see a BOOGEYMAN similar movie, and instead i watched a drama with some meaningless thriller spots.3 out of 10 just for the well playing parents & descent dialogs. As for the shots with Jake: just ignore them.$LABEL$ 0 +Petter Mattei's "Love in the Time of Money" is a visually stunning film to watch. Mr. Mattei offers us a vivid portrait about human relations. This is a movie that seems to be telling us what money, power and success do to people in the different situations we encounter. This being a variation on the Arthur Schnitzler's play about the same theme, the director transfers the action to the present time New York where all these different characters meet and connect. Each one is connected in one way, or another to the next person, but no one seems to know the previous point of contact. Stylishly, the film has a sophisticated luxurious look. We are taken to see how these people live and the world they live in their own habitat.The only thing one gets out of all these souls in the picture is the different stages of loneliness each one inhabits. A big city is not exactly the best place in which human relations find sincere fulfillment, as one discerns is the case with most of the people we encounter.The acting is good under Mr. Mattei's direction. Steve Buscemi, Rosario Dawson, Carol Kane, Michael Imperioli, Adrian Grenier, and the rest of the talented cast, make these characters come alive.We wish Mr. Mattei good luck and await anxiously for his next work.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably my all-time favorite movie, a story of selflessness, sacrifice and dedication to a noble cause, but it's not preachy or boring. It just never gets old, despite my having seen it some 15 or more times in the last 25 years. Paul Lukas' performance brings tears to my eyes, and Bette Davis, in one of her very few truly sympathetic roles, is a delight. The kids are, as grandma says, more like "dressed-up midgets" than children, but that only makes them more fun to watch. And the mother's slow awakening to what's happening in the world and under her own roof is believable and startling. If I had a dozen thumbs, they'd all be "up" for this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I sure would like to see a resurrection of a up dated Seahunt series with the tech they have today it would bring back the kid excitement in me.I grew up on black and white TV and Seahunt with Gunsmoke were my hero's every week.You have my vote for a comeback of a new sea hunt.We need a change of pace in TV and this would work for a world of under water adventure.Oh by the way thank you for an outlet like this to view many viewpoints about TV and the many movies.So any ole way I believe I've got what I wanna say.Would be nice to read some more plus points about sea hunt.If my rhymes would be 10 lines would you let me submit,or leave me out to be in doubt and have me to quit,If this is so then I must go so lets do it.$LABEL$ 1 +This show was an amazing, fresh & innovative idea in the 70's when it first aired. The first 7 or 8 years were brilliant, but things dropped off after that. By 1990, the show was not really funny anymore, and it's continued its decline further to the complete waste of time it is today.It's truly disgraceful how far this show has fallen. The writing is painfully bad, the performances are almost as bad - if not for the mildly entertaining respite of the guest-hosts, this show probably wouldn't still be on the air. I find it so hard to believe that the same creator that hand-selected the original cast also chose the band of hacks that followed. How can one recognize such brilliance and then see fit to replace it with such mediocrity? I felt I must give 2 stars out of respect for the original cast that made this show such a huge success. As it is now, the show is just awful. I can't believe it's still on the air.$LABEL$ 0 +Encouraged by the positive comments about this film on here I was looking forward to watching this film. Bad mistake. I've seen 950+ films and this is truly one of the worst of them - it's awful in almost every way: editing, pacing, storyline, 'acting,' soundtrack (the film's only song - a lame country tune - is played no less than four times). The film looks cheap and nasty and is boring in the extreme. Rarely have I been so happy to see the end credits of a film. The only thing that prevents me giving this a 1-score is Harvey Keitel - while this is far from his best performance he at least seems to be making a bit of an effort. One for Keitel obsessives only.$LABEL$ 0 +If you like original gut wrenching laughter you will like this movie. If you are young or old then you will love this movie, hell even my mom liked it.Great Camp!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Phil the Alien is one of those quirky films where the humour is based around the oddness of everything rather than actual punchlines.At first it was very odd and pretty funny but as the movie progressed I didn't find the jokes or oddness funny anymore.Its a low budget film (thats never a problem in itself), there were some pretty interesting characters, but eventually I just lost interest.I imagine this film would appeal to a stoner who is currently partaking.For something similar but better try "Brother from another planet"$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when I was about 12 when it came out. I recall the scariest scene was the big bird eating men dangling helplessly from parachutes right out of the air. The horror. The horror.As a young kid going to these cheesy B films on Saturday afternoons, I still was tired of the formula for these monster type movies that usually included the hero, a beautiful woman who might be the daughter of a professor and a happy resolution when the monster died in the end. I didn't care much for the romantic angle as a 12 year old and the predictable plots. I love them now for the unintentional humor.But, about a year or so later, I saw Psycho when it came out and I loved that the star, Janet Leigh, was bumped off early in the film. I sat up and took notice at that point. Since screenwriters are making up the story, make it up to be as scary as possible and not from a well-worn formula. There are no rules.$LABEL$ 0 +So im not a big fan of Boll's work but then again not many are. I enjoyed his movie Postal (maybe im the only one). Boll apparently bought the rights to use Far Cry long ago even before the game itself was even finsished. People who have enjoyed killing mercs and infiltrating secret research labs located on a tropical island should be warned, that this is not Far Cry... This is something Mr Boll have schemed together along with his legion of schmucks.. Feeling loneley on the set Mr Boll invites three of his countrymen to play with. These players go by the names of Til Schweiger, Udo Kier and Ralf Moeller.Three names that actually have made them selfs pretty big in the movie biz. So the tale goes like this, Jack Carver played by Til Schweiger (yes Carver is German all hail the bratwurst eating dudes!!) However I find that Tils acting in this movie is pretty badass.. People have complained about how he's not really staying true to the whole Carver agenda but we only saw carver in a first person perspective so we don't really know what he looked like when he was kicking a**.. However, the storyline in this film is beyond demented. We see the evil mad scientist Dr. Krieger played by Udo Kier, making Genetically-Mutated-soldiers or GMS as they are called. Performing his top-secret research on an island that reminds me of "SPOILER" Vancouver for some reason. Thats right no palm trees here. Instead we got some nice rich lumberjack-woods. We haven't even gone FAR before I started to CRY (mehehe) I cannot go on any more.. If you wanna stay true to Bolls shenanigans then go and see this movie you will not be disappointed it delivers the true Boll experience, meaning most of it will suck.There are some things worth mentioning that would imply that Boll did a good work on some areas of the film such as some nice boat and fighting scenes. Until the whole cromed/albino GMS squad enters the scene and everything just makes me laugh.. The movie Far Cry reeks of scheisse (that's poop for you simpletons) from a fa,r if you wanna take a wiff go ahead.. BTW Carver gets a very annoying sidekick who makes you wanna shoot him the first three minutes he's on screen.$LABEL$ 0 +The cast played Shakespeare.Shakespeare lost.I appreciate that this is trying to bring Shakespeare to the masses, but why ruin something so good.Is it because 'The Scottish Play' is my favorite Shakespeare? I do not know. What I do know is that a certain Rev Bowdler (hence bowdlerization) tried to do something similar in the Victorian era.In other words, you cannot improve perfection.I have no more to write but as I have to write at least ten lines of text (and English composition was never my forte I will just have to keep going and say that this movie, as the saying goes, just does not cut it.$LABEL$ 0 +This a fantastic movie of three prisoners who become famous. One of the actors is george clooney and I'm not a fan but this roll is not bad. Another good thing about the movie is the soundtrack (The man of constant sorrow). I recommand this movie to everybody. Greetings Bart$LABEL$ 1 +Kind of drawn in by the erotic scenes, only to realize this was one of the most amateurish and unbelievable bits of film I've ever seen. Sort of like a high school film project. What was Rosanna Arquette thinking?? And what was with all those stock characters in that bizarre supposed Midwest town? Pretty hard to get involved with this one. No lessons to be learned from it, no brilliant insights, just stilted and quite ridiculous (but lots of skin, if that intrigues you) videotaped nonsense....What was with the bisexual relationship, out of nowhere, after all the heterosexual encounters. And what was with that absurd dance, with everybody playing their stereotyped roles? Give this one a pass, it's like a million other miles of bad, wasted film, money that could have been spent on starving children or Aids in Africa.....$LABEL$ 0 +Some films just simply should not be remade. This is one of them. In and of itself it is not a bad film. But it fails to capture the flavor and the terror of the 1963 film of the same title. Liam Neeson was excellent as he always is, and most of the cast holds up, with the exception of Owen Wilson, who just did not bring the right feel to the character of Luke. But the major fault with this version is that it strayed too far from the Shirley Jackson story in it's attempts to be grandiose and lost some of the thrill of the earlier film in a trade off for snazzier special effects. Again I will say that in and of itself it is not a bad film. But you will enjoy the friction of terror in the older version much more.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie made it into one of my top 10 most awful movies. Horrible. There wasn't a continuous minute where there wasn't a fight with one monster or another. There was no chance for any character development, they were too busy running from one sword fight to another. I had no emotional attachment (except to the big bad machine that wanted to destroy them) Scenes were blatantly stolen from other movies, LOTR, Star Wars and Matrix. Examples>The ghost scene at the end was stolen from the final scene of the old Star Wars with Yoda, Obee One and Vader. >The spider machine in the beginning was exactly like Frodo being attacked by the spider in Return of the Kings. (Elijah Wood is the victim in both films) and wait......it hypnotizes (stings) its victim and wraps them up.....uh hello????>And the whole machine vs. humans theme WAS the Matrix..or Terminator.....There are more examples but why waste the time? And will someone tell me what was with the Nazi's?!?! Nazi's???? There was a juvenile story line rushed to a juvenile conclusion. The movie could not decide if it was a children's movie or an adult movie and wasn't much of either. Just awful. A real disappointment to say the least. Save your money.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember this film,it was the first film i had watched at the cinema the picture was dark in places i was very nervous it was back in 74/75 my Dad took me my brother & sister to Newbury cinema in Newbury Berkshire England. I recall the tigers and the lots of snow in the film also the appearance of Grizzly Adams actor Dan Haggery i think one of the tigers gets shot and dies. If anyone knows where to find this on DVD etc please let me know.The cinema now has been turned in a fitness club which is a very big shame as the nearest cinema now is 20 miles away, would love to hear from others who have seen this film or any other like it.$LABEL$ 1 +An awful film! It must have been up against some real stinkers to be nominated for the Golden Globe. They've taken the story of the first famous female Renaissance painter and mangled it beyond recognition. My complaint is not that they've taken liberties with the facts; if the story were good, that would perfectly fine. But it's simply bizarre -- by all accounts the true story of this artist would have made for a far better film, so why did they come up with this dishwater-dull script? I suppose there weren't enough naked people in the factual version. It's hurriedly capped off in the end with a summary of the artist's life -- we could have saved ourselves a couple of hours if they'd favored the rest of the film with same brevity.$LABEL$ 0 +After the success of Die Hard and it's sequels it's no surprise really that in the 1990s, a glut of 'Die Hard on a .....' movies cashed in on the wrong guy, wrong place, wrong time concept. That is what they did with Cliffhanger, Die Hard on a mountain just in time to rescue Sly 'Stop or My Mom Will Shoot' Stallone's career.Cliffhanger is one big nit-pickers dream, especially to those who are expert at mountain climbing, base-jumping, aviation, facial expressions, acting skills. All in all it's full of excuses to dismiss the film as one overblown pile of junk. Stallone even managed to get out-acted by a horse! However, if you an forget all the nonsense, it's actually a very lovable and undeniably entertaining romp that delivers as plenty of thrills, and unintentionally, plenty of laughs.You've got to love John Lithgows sneery evilness, his tick every box band of baddies, and best of all, the permanently harassed and hapless 'turncoat' agent, Rex Linn as Travers.He may of been Henry in 'Portrait of a Serial Killer' but Michael Rooker is noteworthy for a cringe-worthy performance as Hal, he insists on constantly shrieking in painful disbelief at his captors 'that man never hurt anybody' And whilst he surely can't be, it really does look like Ralph Waite's Frank character is grinning as the girl plummets to her death.Mention too must go to former 'London's Burning' actor Craig Fairbrass as the Brit bad guy, who comes a cropper whilst using Hal as a Human Football, yes, you can't help enjoy that bit, Hal needed a good kicking.So forget your better judgement, who cares if 'that could never happen', lower your acting expectations, turn up the volume and enjoy! And if you're looking for Qaulen, he's the one wearing the helicopter.$LABEL$ 1 +I had the terrible misfortune of having to view this "b-movie" in it's entirety.All I have to say is--- save your time and money!!! This has got to be the worst b-movie of all time, it shouldn't even be called a b-movie, more like an f-movie! Because it fails in all aspects that make a good movie: the story is not interesting at all, all of the actors are paper-thin and not at all believable, it has bad direction and the action sequences are so fake it's almost funny.......almost.The movie is just packed full of crappy one-liners that no respectable person could find amusing in the least little bit.This movie is supposed to be geared towards men, but all the women in it are SO utterly unattractive, especially that old wrinkled thing that comes in towards the end. They try to appear sexy in those weird, horrible costumes and they fail miserably!!!Even some of the most ridiculous b-movies will still give you some laughs, but this is just too painful to watch!!$LABEL$ 0 +What an absolutely stunning movie, if you have 2.5 hrs to kill, watch it, you won't regret it, it's too much fun! Rajnikanth carries the movie on his shoulders and although there isn't anything more other than him, I still liked it. The music by A.R.Rehman takes time to grow on you but after you heard it a few times, you really start liking it.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, let's get a few things straight here: a) I AM an anime fan- always has been as a matter of fact (I used to watch Speed Racer all the time in Preschool). b) I DO like several B-Movies because they're hilarious. c) I like the Godzilla movies- a lot.Moving on, when the movie first comes on, it seems like it's going to be your usual B-movie, down to the crappy FX, but all a sudden- BOOM! the anime comes on! This is when the movie goes WWWAAAAAYYYYY downhill.The animation is VERY bad & cheap, even worse than what I remember from SPEED RACER, for crissakes! In fact, it's so cheap, one of the few scenes from the movie I "vividly" remember is when a bunch of kids run out of a school... & it's the same kids over & over again! The FX are terrible, too; the dinosaurs look worse than Godzilla. In addition, the transition to live action to animation is unorganized, the dialogue & voices(especially the English dub that I viewed) was horrid & I was begging my dad to take the tape out of the DVD/ VHS player; The only thing that kept me surviving was cracking out jokes & comments like the robots & Joel/Mike on MST3K (you pick the season). Honestly, this is the only way to barely enjoy this movie & survive it at the same time.Heck, I'm planning to show this to another fellow otaku pal of mine on Halloween for a B-Movie night. Because it's stupid, pretty painful to watch & unintentionally hilarious at the same time, I'm giving this movie a 3/10, an improvement from the 0.5/10 I was originally going to give it.(According to my grading scale: 3/10 means Pretty much both boring & bad. As fun as counting to three unless you find a way to make fun of it, then it will become as fun as counting to 15.)$LABEL$ 0 +This was the worst movie I saw at WorldFest and it also received the least amount of applause afterwards! I can only think it is receiving such recognition based on the amount of known actors in the film. It's great to see J.Beals but she's only in the movie for a few minutes. M.Parker is a much better actress than the part allowed for. The rest of the acting is hard to judge because the movie is so ridiculous and predictable. The main character is totally unsympathetic and therefore a bore to watch. There is no real emotional depth to the story. A movie revolving about an actor who can't get work doesn't feel very original to me. Nor does the development of the cop. It feels like one of many straight-to-video movies I saw back in the 90s ... And not even a good one in those standards.$LABEL$ 0 +The Karen Carpenter Story shows a little more about singer Karen Carpenter's complex life. Though it fails in giving accurate facts, and details.Cynthia Gibb (portrays Karen) was not a fine election. She is a good actress , but plays a very naive and sort of dumb Karen Carpenter. I think that the role needed a stronger character. Someone with a stronger personality.Louise Fletcher role as Agnes Carpenter is terrific, she does a great job as Karen's mother.It has great songs, which could have been included in a soundtrack album. Unfortunately they weren't, though this movie was on the top of the ratings in USA and other several countries$LABEL$ 1 +"The Cell" is an exotic masterpiece, a dizzying trip into not only the vast mind of a serial killer, but also into one of a very talented director. This is conclusive evidence of what can be achieved if human beings unleash their uninhibited imaginations. This is boldness at work, pushing aside thoughts to fall into formulas and cliches and creating something truly magnificent. This is the best movie of the year to date.I've read numerous complaints about this film, anywhere from all style and no substance to poorly cast characters and bad acting. To negatively criticize this film is to miss the point. This movie may be a landmark, a tradition where future movies will hopefully follow. "The Cell" has just opened the door to another world of imagination. So can we slam the door in its face and tell it and its director Tarsem Singh that we don't want any more? Personally, I would more than welcome another movie by Tarsem, and would love to see someone try to challenge him.We've all heard talk about going inside the mind of a serial killer, and yes, I do agree that the "genre" is a bit overworked. The 90s were full of movies trying to depict what makes serial killers tick; some of them worked, but most failed. But "The Cell" does not blaze down the same trail, we are given a new twist, we are physically transported into the mind and presented with nothing less than a fascinating journey of the most mysterious subject matter ever studied.I like how the movie does not bog us down with too much scientific jargon trying to explain how Jennifer Lopez actually gets to enter the brain of another. Instead, she just lies down on a laboratory table and is wrapped with what looks like really long Twizzlers and jaunted into another entity. "The Cell" wants to let you "see" what it's all about and not "how" it's all about, and I guess that's what some people don't like. True, I do like explanations with my movies, but when a movie ventures onto new ground you must let it do what it desires and simply take it in.I noticed how the film was very dark when it showed reality, maybe to contrast the bright visuals when inside the brain of another. Nonetheless, the set design was simply astonishing. I wouldn't be surprised if this film took home a few Oscars in cinematography, best costumes, best director and the like. If it were up to me it'd at least get nominated for best picture.I've noticed that I've kind of been repeating myself. Not because there's nothing else to say, but because I can't stress enough how fantastic I thought "The Cell" was. If you walk into the movie with a very open mind and to have it taken over with wonders and an eye-popping feast then you are assured a good time. I guess this film was just a little too much for some people, writing it off as "weird" or "crazy". I am very much into psychology and the imagination of the human mind, so it was right down my alley. Leaving the theater, I heard one audience member say "Whoever made that movie sure did a lot of good drugs." If so, I want what he was smoking.**** (out of 4)$LABEL$ 1 +This film tried to be too many things all at once: stinging political satire, Hollywood blockbuster, sappy romantic comedy, family values promo... the list goes on and on. It failed miserably at all of them, but there was enough interest to keep me from turning it off until the end.Although I appreciate the spirit behind WAR, INC., it depresses me to see such a clumsy effort, especially when it will be taken by its targets to reflect the lack of the existence of a serious critique, rather than simply the poor writing, direction, and production of this particular film.There is a critique to be made about the corporatization of war. But poking fun at it in this way diminishes the true atrocity of what is happening. Reminds me a bit of THREE KINGS, which similarly trivializes a genuine cause for concern.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was so frustrating. Everything seemed energetic and I was totally prepared to have a good time. I at least thought I'd be able to stand it. But, I was wrong. First, the weird looping? It was like watching "America's Funniest Home Videos". The damn parents. I hated them so much. The stereo-typical Latino family? I need to speak with the person responsible for this. We need to have a talk. That little girl who was always hanging on someone? I just hated her and had to mention it. Now, the final scene transcends, I must say. It's so gloriously bad and full of badness that it is a movie of its own. What crappy dancing. Horrible and beautiful at once.$LABEL$ 0 +'War movie' is a Hollywood genre that has been done and redone so many times that clichéd dialogue, rehashed plot and over-the-top action sequences seem unavoidable for any conflict dealing with large-scale combat. Once in a while, however, a war movie comes along that goes against the grain and brings a truly original and compelling story to life on the silver screen. The Civil War-era "Cold Mountain," starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger is such a film.Then again, calling Cold Mountain" a war movie is not entirely accurate. True enough, the film opens with a (quite literally) quick-and-dirty battle sequence that puts "Glory" director Edward Zwick shame. However, "Cold Mountain" is not so much about the Civil War itself as it is about the period and the people of the times. The story centers around disgruntled Confederate soldier Inman, played by Jude Law, who becomes disgusted with the gruesome war and homesick for the beautiful hamlet of Cold Mountain, North Carolina and the equally beautiful southern belle he left behind, Ada Monroe, played by Nicole Kidman. At first glance, this setup appears formulaic as the romantic interest back home gives the audience enough sympathy to root for the reluctant soldier's tribulations on the battlefield. Indeed, the earlier segments of the film are relatively unimpressive and even somewhat contrived."Cold Mountain" soon takes a drastic turn, though, as the intrepid hero Inman turns out to be a deserter (incidentally saving the audience from the potentially confusing scenario of wanting to root for the Confederates) and begins a long odyssey homeward. Meanwhile, back at the farm, Ada's cultured ways prove of little use in the fields; soon she is transformed into something of a wilderbeast. Coming to Ada's rescue is the course, tough-as-nails Ruby Thewes, played by Renée Zellweger, who helps Ada put the farm back together and, perhaps more importantly, cope with the loneliness and isolation the war seems to have brought upon Ada.Within these two settings, a vivid, compelling and, at times, very disturbing portrait of the war-torn South unfolds. The characters with whom Inman and Ada interact are surprisingly complex, enhanced by wonderful performances of Brendan Gleeson as Ruby's deadbeat father, Ray Winstone as an unrepentant southern "lawman," and Natalie Portman as a deeply troubled and isolated young mother. All have been greatly affected and changed by "the war of Northern aggression," mostly for the worse. The dark, pervading anti-war message, accented by an effective, haunting score and chillingly beautiful shots of Virginia and North Carolina, is communicated to the audience not so much by gruesome battle scenes as by the scarred land and traumatized people for which the war was fought. Though the weapons and tactics of war itself have changed much in the past century, it's hellish effect on the land is timelessly relevant.Director Anthony Minghella manages to maintain this gloomy mood for most of the film, but the atmosphere is unfortunately denigrated by a rather tepid climax that does little justice to the wonderfully formed characters. The love story between Inman and Ada is awkwardly tacked onto the beginning and end of the film, though the inherently distant, abstracted and even absurd nature of their relationship in a way fits the dismal nature of the rest of the plot.Make no mistake, "Cold Mountain" has neither the traits of a feel-good romance nor an inspiring war drama. It is a unique vision of an era that is sure not only to entertain but also to truly absorb the audience into the lives of a people torn apart by a war and entirely desperate to be rid of its terrible repercussions altogether.$LABEL$ 1 +Taut and organically gripping, Edward Dmytryk's Crossfire is a distinctive suspense thriller, an unlikely "message" movie using the look and devices of the noir cycle.Bivouacked in Washington, DC, a company of soldiers cope with their restlessness by hanging out in bars. Three of them end up at a stranger's apartment where Robert Ryan, drunk and belligerent, beats their host (Sam Levene) to death because he happens to be Jewish. Police detective Robert Young investigates with the help of Robert Mitchum, who's assigned to Ryan's outfit. Suspicion falls on the second of the three (George Cooper), who has vanished. Ryan slays the third buddy (Steve Brodie) to insure his silence before Young closes in.Abetted by a superior script by John Paxton, Dmytryk draws precise performances from his three starring Bobs. Ryan, naturally, does his prototypical Angry White Male (and to the hilt), while Mitchum underplays with his characteristic alert nonchalance (his role, however, is not central); Young may never have been better. Gloria Grahame gives her first fully-fledged rendition of the smart-mouthed, vulnerable tramp, and, as a sad sack who's leeched into her life, Paul Kelly haunts us in a small, peripheral role that he makes memorable.The politically engaged Dmytryk perhaps inevitably succumbs to sermonizing, but it's pretty much confined to Young's reminiscence of how his Irish grandfather died at the hands of bigots a century earlier (thus, incidentally, stretching chronology to the limit). At least there's no attempt to render an explanation, however glib, of why Ryan hates Jews (and hillbillies and...).Curiously, Crossfire survives even the major change wrought upon it -- the novel it's based on (Richard Brooks' The Brick Foxhole) dealt with a gay-bashing murder. But homosexuality in 1947 was still Beyond The Pale. News of the Holocaust had, however, begun to emerge from the ashes of Europe, so Hollywood felt emboldened to register its protest against anti-Semitism (the studios always quaked at the prospect of offending any potential ticket buyer).But while the change from homophobia to anti-Semitism works in general, the specifics don't fit so smoothly. The victim's chatting up a lonesome, drunk young soldier then inviting him back home looks odd, even though (or especially since) there's a girlfriend in tow. It raises the question whether this scenario was retained inadvertently or left in as a discreet tip-off to the original engine generating Ryan's murderous rage.$LABEL$ 1 +"Ardh Satya" is one of the finest film ever made in Indian Cinema. Directed by the great director Govind Nihalani, this one is the most successful Hard Hitting Parallel Cinema which also turned out to be a Commercial Success. Even today, Ardh Satya is an inspiration for all leading directors of India.The film tells the Real-life Scenario of Mumbai Police of the 70s. Unlike any Police of other cities in India, Mumbai Police encompasses a Different system altogether. Govind Nihalani creates a very practical Outlay with real life approach of Mumbai Police Environment.Amongst various Police officers & colleagues, the film describes the story of Anand Velankar, a young hot-blooded Cop coming from a poor family. His father is a harsh Police Constable. Anand himself suffers from his father's ideologies & incidences of his father's Atrocities on his mother. Anand's approach towards immediate action against crime, is an inert craving for his own Job satisfaction. The film is here revolved in a Plot wherein Anand's constant efforts against crime are trampled by his seniors.This leads to frustrations, as he cannot achieve the desired Job-satisfaction. Resulting from the frustrations, his anger is expressed in excessive violence in the remand rooms & bars, also turning him to an alcoholic.The Spirit within him is still alive, as he constantly fights the system. He is aware of the system of the Metro, where the Police & Politicians are a inertly associated by far end. His compromise towards unethical practice is negative. Finally he gets suspended.The Direction is a master piece & thoroughly hard core. One of the best memorable scenes is when Anand breaks in the Underworld gangster Rama Shetty's house to arrest him, followed by short conversation which is fantastic. At many scenes, the film has Hair-raising moments.The Practical approach of Script is a major Punch. Alcoholism, Corruption, Political Influence, Courage, Deceptions all are integral part of Mumbai police even today. Those aspects are dealt brilliantly.Finally, the films belongs to the One man show, Om Puri portraying Anand Velankar traversing through all his emotions absolutely brilliantly.$LABEL$ 1 +My first exposure to the Templarios & not a good one. I was excited to find this title among the offerings from Anchor Bay Video, which has brought us other cult classics such as "Spider Baby". The print quality is excellent, but this alone can't hide the fact that the film is deadly dull. There's a thrilling opening sequence in which the villagers exact a terrible revenge on the Templars (& set the whole thing in motion), but everything else in the movie is slow, ponderous &, ultimately, unfulfilling. Adding insult to injury: the movie was dubbed, not subtitled, as promised on the video jacket.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the most significant quotes from the entire film is pronounced halfway through by the protagonist, the mafia middle-man Titta Di Girolamo, a physically non-descript, middle-aged man originally from Salerno in Southern Italy. When we're introduced to him at the start of the film, he's been living a non-life in an elegant but sterile hotel in the Italian-speaking Canton of Switzerland for the last ten years, conducting a business we are only gradually introduced to. While this pivotal yet apparently unremarkable scene takes place employees of the the Swiss bank who normally count Di Girolamo's cash tell him that 10,000 dollars are missing from his usual suitcase full of tightly stacked banknotes. At the news, he quietly but icily threatens his coaxing bank manager of wanting to close down his account. Meanwhile he tells us, the spectators, that when you bluff, you have to bluff right through to the end without fear of being caught out or appearing ridiculous. He says: you can't bluff for a while and then halfway through, tell the truth. Having eventually done this - bluffed only halfway through and told the truth, and having accepted the consequences of life and ultimately, love - is exactly the reason behind the beginning of Titta Di Girolamo's troubles. This initially unsympathetic character, a scowling, taciturn, curt man on the verge of 50, a man who won't even reply in kind to chambermaids and waitresses who say hello and goodbye, becomes at one point someone the spectator cares deeply about. At one point in his non-life, Titta decides to feel concern about appearing "ridiculous". The first half of the film may be described as "slow" by some. It does indeed reveal Di Girolamo's days and nights in that hotel at an oddly disjoined, deliberate pace, revealing seemingly mundane and irrelevant details. However, scenes that may have seemed unnecessary reveal just how essential they are as this masterfully constructed and innovative film unfolds before your eyes. The existence of Titta Di Girolamo - the man with no imagination, identity or life, the unsympathetic character you unexpectedly end up loving and feeling for when you least thought you would - is also conveyed with elegantly edited sequences and very interesting use of music (one theme by the Scottish band Boards of Canada especially stood out). Never was the contrast between the way Hollywood and Italy treat mobsters more at odds than since the release of films such as Le Conseguenze dell'Amore or L'Imbalsamatore. Another interesting element was the way in which the film made use of the protagonist's insomnia. Not unlike The Machinist (and in a far more explicit way, the Al Pacino film Insomnia), Le Conseguenze dell'Amore uses this condition to symbolise a deeper emotional malaise that's been rammed so deep into the obscurity of the unconscious, it's almost impossible to pin-point its cause (if indeed there is one). The young and sympathetic hotel waitress Sofia (played by Olivia Magnani, grand-daughter of the legendary Anna) and the memory of Titta's best friend, a man whom he hasn't seen in 20 years, unexpectedly provide a tiny window onto life that Titta eventually (though tentatively at first) accepts to look through again. Though it's never explicitly spelt out, the spectator KNOWS that to a man like Titta, accepting The Consequences of Love will have unimaginable consequences. A film without a single scene of sex or violence, a film that unfolds in its own time and concedes nothing to the spectator's expectations, Le Conseguenze dell'Amore is a fine representative of that small, quiet, discreet Renaissance that has been taking place in Italian cinema since the decline of Cinecittà during the second half of the 70s. The world is waiting for Italy to produce more Il Postino-like fare, more La Vita è Bella-style films... neglecting to explore fine creations like Le Conseguenze dell'Amore, L'Imbalsamatore and others. Your loss, world.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film not really expecting much, I got it in a pack of 5 films, all of which were pretty terrible in their own way for under a fiver so what could I expect? and you know what I was right, they were all terrible, this movie has a few (and a few is stretching it) interesting points, the occasional camcorder view is a nice touch, the drummer is very like a drummer, i.e damned annoying and, well thats about it actually, the problem is that its just so boring, in what I can only assume was an attempt to build tension, a whole lot of nothing happens and when it does its utterly tedious (I had my thumb on the fast forward button, ready to press for most of the movie, but gave it a go) and seriously is the lead singer of the band that great looking, coz they don't half mention how beautiful he is a hell of a lot, I thought he looked a bit like a meercat, all this and I haven't even mentioned the killer, I'm not even gonna go into it, its just not worth explaining. Anyway as far as I'm concerned Star and London are just about the only reason to watch this and with the exception of London (who was actually quite funny) it wasn't because of their acting talent, I've certainly seen a lot worse, but I've also seen a lot better. Best avoid unless your bored of watching paint dry.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought this film at Blockbuster for $3.00, because it sounded interesting (a bit Ranma-esque, with the idea of someone dragging around a skeleton), because there was a cute girl in a mini-skirt on the back, and because there was a Restricted Viewing sticker on it. I thought it was going to be a sweet or at least sincere coming of age story with a weird indie edge. I was 100% wrong.Having watched it, I have to wonder how it got the restricted sticker, since there is hardly any foul language, little violence, and the closest thing to nudity (Honestly! I don't usually go around hoping for it!) is when the girl is in her nightgown and you see her panties (you see her panties a lot in this movie, because no matter what, she's wearing a miniskirt of some sort). Even the anti-religious humor is tame (and lame, caricatured, insincere, derivative, unoriginal, and worst of all not funny in the slightest--it would be better just to listen to Ray Stevens' "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on His Television Show"). This would barely qualify as PG-13 (it is Not Rated), but Blockbuster refuses to let anyone under the age of 17 rent this--as if it was pornographic. Any little kid could go in there and rent the edited version of Requiem for a Dream, but they insist that Zack and Reba is worse.It is, but not in that way.In a way, this worries me--the only thing left that could offend people is the idea of the suicide at the beginning. If anybody needs to see movies with honestly portrayed suicides (not this one, but better ones like The Virgin Suicides), it's teenagers. If both of those movies were rated R purely because of the suicide aspect, then I have little chance of turning a story I've been writing into a PG-13 movie (the main characters are eleven and a half and twelve). Suicide is one of the top three leading causes of death in teenagers (I think it's number 2), so chances are that most teens have been or will be affected by it.Just say no to this movie, though. 2/10.$LABEL$ 0 +The plot is about the death of little children. Hopper is the one who has to investigate the killings. During the movie it appears that he has some troubles with his daughter. In the end the serial killer get caught. That's it. But before you find out who dunnit, you have to see some terrible acting by all of the actors. It is unbelievable how bad these actors are, including Hopper. I could go on like this but that to much of a waste of my time. Just don't watch the movie. I've warned you.$LABEL$ 0 +Ever watched a movie that lost the plot? Well, this didn't even really have one to begin with.Where to begin? The achingly tedious scenes of our heroine sitting around the house with actually no sense of menace or even foreboding created even during the apparently constant thunderstorms (that are strangely never actually heard in the house-great double glazing)? The house that is apparently only a few miles from a town yet is several hours walk away(?) or the third girl who serves no purpose to the plot except to provide a surprisingly quick gory murder just as the tedium becomes unbearable? Or even the beginning which suggests a spate of 20+ killings throughout the area even though it is apparent the killer never ventures far from the house? Or the bizarre ritual with the salt & pepper that pretty much sums up most of the films inherent lack of direction.Add a lead actress who can't act but at least is willing to do some completely irrelevant nude shower scenes and this video is truly nasty, but not in the way you hope.Given a following simply for being banned in the UK in the 80's (mostly because of a final surprisingly over extended murder) it offers nothing but curiosity value- and one classic 'daft' murder (don't worry-its telegraphed at least ten minutes before).After a walk in the woods our victim comes to a rather steep upward slope which they obviously struggle up. Halfway through they see a figure at the top dressed in black and brandishing a large scythe. What do they do? Slide down and run like the rest of us? No, of course not- they struggle to the top and stand conveniently nice and upright in front of the murder weapon.It really IS only a movie as they say..$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, so this series kind of takes the route of 'here we go again!' Week in, week out David Morse's character helps out his ride who is in a bit of a pickle - but what's wrong with that!? David Morse is one of the greatest character actors out there, and certainly the coolest, and to have him in a series created by David Koepp - a great writer - is heaven!!Due to the lack of love for this show by many, I can't see it going to a season series - but you never know? The amount of rubbish that has made it beyond that baffles me - let's hope something good can make it past a first series!!!$LABEL$ 1 +After sitting through this pile of dung, my husband and I wondered whether it was actually the product of an experiment to see whether a computer program could produce a movie. It was that listless and formulaic. But the U.S. propaganda thrown in your face throughout the film proves--disappointingly--that it's the work of humans. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but quotes like, "We have to steal the Declaration of Independence to protect it" seem like ways to justify actions like the invasion of Iraq, etc. The fact that Nicholas Cage spews lines like, "I would never use the Declaration of Independence as a bargaining chip" with a straight face made me and my husband wonder whether the entire cast took Valium before shooting each scene. The "reasoning" behind each plot turn and new "clue" is truly ridiculous and impossible to follow. And there's also a bonus side plot of misogyny, with Dr. Whatever-Her-Name-Was being chided by all involved for "never shutting up." She's clearly in the movie only for looks, but they felt the need to slap a "Dr." title on her character to give her some gravity. At one point, Cage's character says, "Don't you ever shut up?" and the camera pans to her looking poutily down at her hands, like she's a child. Truly grotesque. The only benefit to this movie was that it's so astonishingly bad, you do get a few laughs out of it. The really scary thing is that a majority of the people watching the movie with us seemed to enjoy it. Creepy....$LABEL$ 0 +It had all the clichés of movies of this type and no substance. The plot went nowhere and at the end of the movie I felt like a sucker for watching it. The production was good; however, the script and acting were B-movie quality. The casting was poor because there were good actors mixed in with crumby actors. The good actors didn't hold their own nor did they lift up the others. This movie is not worthy of more words, but I will say more to meet the minimum requirement of ten lines. James Wood and Cuba Gooding, Jr. play caricatures of themselves in other movies. If you are looking for mindless entertainment, I still wouldn't recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is based on the book, "A Many Splendored Thing" by Han Suyin and tackles issues of race relations between Asians and Whites, a topic that comes from Han's personal experiences as an Eurasian growing up in China. That background, and the beautiful Hong Kong settings, gives this love story a unique and rather daring atmosphere for its time.Other than that, the story is a stereotypical romance with a memorable song that is perhaps more remembered than the movie itself. The beautiful Jennifer Jones looks the part and gives a wonderful, Oscar nominated performance as a doctor of mixed breed during the advent of Communism in mainland China. William Holden never looked better playing a romantic lead as a journalist covering war torn regions in the world. The acting is top notch, and the chemistry between the two lovers provides for some genuine moments of silver screen affection sure to melt the hearts of those who are romantically inclined.The cinematography really brings out fifty's Hong Kong, especially the hilltop overlooking the harbor where the two lovers spend their most intimate moments. The ending is a real tear-jerker. Some may consider sentimental romances passé, but, for those who enjoy classic Hollywood love stories, this is a shining example.$LABEL$ 1 +Of all the films I have seen, this one, The Rage, has got to be one of the worst yet. The direction, LOGIC, continuity, changes in plot-script and dialog made me cry out in pain. "How could ANYONE come up with something so crappy"? Gary Busey is know for his "B" movies, but this is a sure "W" movie. (W=waste).Take for example: about two dozen FBI & local law officers surround a trailer house with a jeep wagoneer. Inside the jeep is MA and is "confused" as to why all the cops are about. Within seconds a huge gun battle ensues, MA being killed straight off. The cops blast away at the jeep with gary and company blasting away at them. The cops fall like dominoes and the jeep with Gary drives around in circles and are not hit by one single bullet/pellet. MA is killed and gary seems to not to have noticed-damn that guy is tough. Truly a miracle, not since the six-shooter held 300 bullets has there been such a miracle.$LABEL$ 0 +I had heard good things about "States of Grace" and came in with an open mind. I thought that "God's Army" was okay, and I thought that maybe Dutcher had improved and matured as a filmmaker. The film began with some shaky acting, and I thought, "well, maybe it will get better." Unfortunately, it never did. The picture starts out by introducing two elders -- Mormon missionaries -- and it seems that the audience will get to know them and grow to care about them. Instead, the story degenerates into a highly improbable series of unfortunate events highlighting blatant disobedience by the missionaries (something that undeniably exists, but rarely on the level that Dutcher portrays) and it becomes almost laughable.Dutcher's only success in this movie is his successful alienation of his target audience. By unrealistically and inaccurately portraying the lives of Mormon missionaries, Dutcher accomplishes nothing more than angering his predominantly Mormon audience. The film in no way reflects reality. Missions are nothing like what Dutcher shows (having served a Mormon mission myself I can attest to this fact) and gang life in California certainly contains much more explicit language than the occasional mild vulgarity.The conclusion, which I'm assuming was supposed to touch the audience and inspire them to believe that forgiveness is available to all, was both unbelievable (c'mon, the entire mission gathers to see this elder sent home -- and the mom and the girl are standing right next to each other!) and cheesy. Next time, Dutcher, try making a movie that SOMEONE can identify with.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie struck home for me. Being 29, I remember the '80's and my father working in a factory. I figured, if I worked hard too, if I had pride and never gave up I too could have the American Dream, the house, a few kids, a car all to call my own. I've noted however, without a degree in something (unlike my father that quit at ninth grade) and a keen sense of greed and laziness, you can't get anywhere.I would like to know if anyone has this movie on DVD or VHS. it's made for TV, and I just saw it an hour ago. Ic an't find it anywhere! I'd love to show this to my friends, my pseudo friends, family and other relatives, see what they think and remind them that once upon a time, Americans WOULD work for the sake of feeling honor and that we had pride in what we accomplished!! I think the feeling is still there, but in a heavy downward spiral with so many things being made overseas...$LABEL$ 1 +As a disclaimer, I've seen the movie 5-6 times in the last 15 years, and I only just saw the musical this week. This allowed me to judge the movie without being tainted by what was or wasn't in the musical (however, it tainted me when I watched the musical :) ) I actually believe Michael Douglas worked quite well in that role, along with Kasey. I think her 'Let me dance for you scene' is one of the best parts of the movie, a worthwhile addition compared to the musical. The dancers and singing in the movie are much superior to the musical, as well as the cast which is at least 10 times bigger (easier to do in the movie of course). The decors, lighting, dancing, and singing are also much superior in the movie, which should be expected, and was indeed delivered. The songs that were in common with the musical are better done in the movie, the new ones are quite good ones, and the whole movie just delivers more than the musical in my opinion, especially compared to a musical which has few decors. The one bad point on the movie is the obvious cuts between the actors talking, and dubbed singers during the singing portions for some of the characters, but their dancing is impeccable, and the end product was more enjoyable than the musical$LABEL$ 1 +Protocol is an implausible movie whose only saving grace is that it stars Goldie Hawn along with a good cast of supporting actors. The story revolves around a ditzy cocktail waitress who becomes famous after inadvertently saving the life of an Arab dignitary. The story goes downhill halfway through the movie and Goldie's charm just doesn't save this movie. Unless you are a Goldie Hawn fan don't go out of your way to see this film.$LABEL$ 0 +How this film could be classified as Drama, I have no idea. If I were John Voight and Mary Steenburgen, I would be trying to erase this from my CV. It was as historically accurate as Xena and Hercules. Abraham and Moses got melded into Noah. Lot, Abraham's nephew, Lot, turns up thousands of years before he would have been born. Canaanites wandered the earth...really? What were the scriptwriters thinking? Was it just ignorance ("I remember something about Noah and animals, and Lot and Canaanites and all that stuff from Sunday School") or were they trying to offend the maximum number of people on the planet as possible- from Christians, Jews and Muslims, to historians, archaeologists, geologists, psychologists, linguists ...as a matter of fact, did anyone not get offended? Anyone who had even a modicum of taste would have winced at this one!$LABEL$ 0 +Preston Sturgis' THE POWER AND THE GLORY was unseen by the public for nearly twenty or thirty years until the late 1990s when it resurfaced and even showed up on television. In the meantime it had gained in notoriety because Pauline Kael's THE CITIZEN KANE BOOK had suggested that the Herman Mankiewicz - Orson Welles screenplay for KANE was based on Sturgis' screenplay here. As is mentioned in the beginning of this thread for the film on the IMDb web site, Kael overstated her case.There are about six narrators who take turns dealing with the life of Charles Foster Kane: the newsreel (representing Ralston - the Henry Luce clone), Thatcher's memoirs, Bernstein, Jed Leland, Susan Alexander Kane, and Raymond the butler. Each has his or her different slant on Kane, reflecting their faith or disappointment or hatred of the man. And of course each also reveals his or her own failings when they are telling their version of Kane's story. This method also leads to frequent overlapping re-tellings of the same incident.This is not the situation in THE POWER AND THE GLORY. Yes, like KANE it is about a legendary business leader - here it is Tom Garner (Spencer Tracy), a man who rose from the bottom to being head of the most successful railroad system in the country. But there are only two narrators - they are Garner's right hand man Henry (Ralph Morgan) and his wife (Sarah Padden). This restricts the nearly three dimensional view we get at times of Kane in Garner. Henry, when he narrates, is talking about his boss and friend, whom he respected and loved. His wife is like the voice of the skeptical public - she sees only the flaws in Henry.Typical example: Although he worked his way up, Tom becomes more and more anti-labor in his later years. Unions are troublemakers, and he does not care to be slowed down by their shenanigans. Henry describes Tom's confrontation with the Union in a major walk-out, and how it preoccupied him to the detriment of his home life. But Henry's wife reminds him how Tom used scabs and violence to end the strike (apparently blowing up the Union's headquarters - killing many people). So we have two views of the man but one is pure white and one is pure black.I'm not really knocking THE POWER AND THE GLORY for not duplicating KANE's success (few films do - including all of Orson Welles' other films), but I am aware that the story is presented well enough to hold one's interest to the end. And thanks to the performances of Tracy and Colleen Moore as his wife Sally, the tragedy of the worldly success of the pair is fully brought home.When they marry, Tom wants to do well (in part) to give his wife and their family the benefits he never had. But in America great business success comes at a cost. Tom gets deeply involved with running the railroad empire (he expands it and improves it constantly). But it takes him away from home too much, and he loses touch with Sally. And he also notices Eve (Helen Vinson), the younger woman who becomes his mistress. When Sally learns of his unfaithful behavior it destroys her.Similarly Tom too gets a full shock (which makes him a martyr in the eyes of Henry). Eve marries Tom, and presents him with a son - but it turns out to be Eve's son by Tom's son Tom Jr. (Philip Trent). The discovery of this incestuous cuckolding causes Tom to shoot himself.The film is not a total success - the action jumps at times unconvincingly. Yet it does make the business seem real (note the scene when Tom tells his Board of Directors about his plans to purchase a small rival train line, and he discusses the use of debentures for financing the plans). Sturgis came from a wealthy background, so he could bring in this type of detail. So on the whole it is a first rate film. No CITIZEN KANE perhaps, but of interest to movie lovers as an attempt at business realism with social commentary in Depression America.$LABEL$ 1 +Average (and surprisingly tame) Fulci giallo which means it's still quite bad by normal standards, but redeemed by its solid build-up and some nice touches such as a neat time twist on the issues of visions and clairvoyance.The genre's well-known weaknesses are in full gear: banal dialogue, wooden acting, illogical plot points. And the finale goes on much too long, while the denouement proves to be a rather lame or shall I say: limp affair.Fulci's ironic handling of giallo norms is amusing, though. Yellow clues wherever you look.3 out of 10 limping killers$LABEL$ 0 +Return to the 36th Chamber is one of those classic Kung-Fu movies which Shaw produces back in the 70s and 80s, whose genre is equivalent to the spaghetti westerns of Hollywood, and the protagonist Gordon Liu, the counterpart to the western's Clint Eastwood. Digitally remastered and a new print made for the Fantastic Film Fest, this is "Presented in Shaw Scope", just like the good old days.This film is a simple story of good versus evil, told in 3 acts, which more or less sums up the narrative of martial arts films in that era.Act One sets up the premise. Workers in a dye-mill of a small village are unhappy with their lot, having their wages cut by 20% by incoming manchu gangsters. They can't do much about their exploitation because none of them are martial arts skilled to take on the gangsters, and their boss. At first they had a minor success in getting Liu to impersonate a highly skilled Shaolin monk (one of the best comedy sequences), but their rouse got exposed when they pushed the limit of credibility by impersonating one too many times.Act Two shows the protagonist wanting to get back at the mob. However, without real martial arts, he embarks on a journey to Shaolin Temple, to try and infiltrate and learn martial arts on the sly. After some slapstick moments, he finally gets accepted by the abbot (whom he impersonated!) but is disappointed at the teaching methods - kinda like Mr Miyagi's style in Karate Kid, but instead of painting fences, he gets to erect scaffoldings all around the temple. Nothing can keep a good man down, and he unwittingly builds strength, endurance and learns kung-fu the unorthodox way.Act Three is where the fight fest begins. With cheesy sound effects, each obvious non-contact on film is given the maximum impact treatment. But it is rather refreshing watching the fight scenes here, with its wide angled shots to highlight clarity and detail between the sparring partners, and the use of slow-motion only to showcase stunts in different angles. You may find the speed of fights a tad too slow, with some pause in between moves, but with Yuen Wo Ping and his style being used ad-nausem in Hollywood flicks, they sure don't make fight scenes like they used to! Return to the 36th chamber gets a repeat screening on Monday, so, if you're game for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, what are you waiting for?$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILERS*** All too, in real life as well as in the movies, familiar story that happens to many young men who are put in a war zone with a gun, or rifle, in their hands. The case of young and innocent, in never handling or firing a gun, Jimmy Davis, Franchot Tone, has been repeated thousands of times over the centuries when men, like Jimmy Davis, are forced to take up arms for their country.Jimmy who at first wanted to be kicked out of the US Army but was encouraged to stay, by being belted in the mouth, by his good friend Fred P. Willis, Spencer Tracy, ended up on the front lines in France. With Jimmy's unit pinned down by a German machine gun nest he single handedly put it out of commission picking off some half dozen German soldiers from the safety of a nearby church steeple. It was when Jimmy gunned down the last surviving German, who raised his arms in surrender, that an artillery shell hit the steeple seriously wounding him.Recovering from his wounds at an Army hospital Jimmy fell in love with US Army volunteer nurse Rose Duffy, Gladys George. Rose was really in love with Jimmy's good friend the happy go lucky Fred despite his obnoxious antics towards her. It's when Fred was lost during the fighting on the Western Front that Rose, thinking that he was killed, fell in love and later married Jimmy. When Fred unexpectedly showed up in the French town where Jimmy, now fully recovered from his wounds, was stationed at things got very sticky for both him and Rose who had already accepted Jimmy's proposal of marriage to her!With WWI over and Jimmy marrying Rose left Fred, who's still in love with her, a bitter and resentful young man. It was almost by accident that Fred ran into Jimmy on the streets of New York City and discovered to his shock and surprise that he completely changed from the meek and non-violent person that he knew before he was sent to war on the European Western Front. Smug and sure of himself, and his ability to shoot a gun, Jimmy had become a top mobster in New York City's underworld! Not only that but as Fred later found out his wife Rose had no idea what Jimmy was really involved in with Jimmy telling her that he works as a law abiding and inoffensive insurance adjuster.Jimmy's life of crime came full circle when Rose, after she found out about his secret life, ratted him out to the police to prevent him from executing a "Valentine Day" like massacre, with his gang members dressed as cops, of his rival mobsters. While on trial Jimmy came to his senses and admitted his guilt willing to face the music and then, after his three year sentence is up, get his life back together. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Hearing rumors from fellow convicts that Rose and his best friend Fred were having an affair behind his back Jimmy broke out of prison ending up a fugitive from the law. It's at Fred's circus, where he works as both manger and barker, that Jimmy in seeing that Rose as well as Fred were true to him that he, like at his trial, had a sudden change of heart. But the thought of going back to prison, with at least another ten years added on to his sentence, was just too much for Jimmy! It was then that Jimmy decided to end it all by letting the police who by then tracked him down do the job, that he himself didn't have the heart to do, for him!$LABEL$ 1 +Bela Lugosi appeared in several of these low budget chillers for Monogram Studios in the 1940's and The Corpse Vanishes is one of the better ones.Bela plays a mad scientist who kidnaps young brides and kills them and then extracts fluid from their bodies so he can keep his ageing wife looking young. After a reporter and a doctor stay the night at his home and discover he is responsible for the brides' deaths, the following morning they report these murders to the police and the mad scientist is shot and drops dead shortly afterwards.You have got almost everything in this movie: the scientist's assistants consist of an old hag, a hunchback and dwarf (her sons), a thunderstorm and spooky passages in Bela's house. Bela and his wife find they sleep better in coffins rather than beds in the movie.The Corpse Vanishes is worth a look, especially for Bela Lugosi fans. Great fun.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +I cannot believe I enjoyed this as much as I did. The anthology stories were better than par, but the linking story and its surprise ending hooked me. Alot of familiar faces will keep you asking yourself "where I have I seen them before?" Forget the running time listed on New Line's tape, this ain't no 103 minutes, according to my VCR timer and IMDB. Space Maggot douses the campfire in his own special way and hikes this an 8.$LABEL$ 1 +The 33 percent of the nations nitwits that still support W. Bush would do well to see this movie, which shows the aftermath of the French revolution and the terror of 1794 as strikingly similar to the post 9/11 socio-political landscape. Maybe then they could stop worrying about saving face and take the a**-whupping they deserve. It's really a shame that when a politician ruins the country, those who voted for him can't be denied the right to ever vote again. They've clearly shown they have no sense of character.What really stands out in this movie is the ambiguity of a character as hopelessly doctrinaire as Robespierre; a haunted empty man who simplistic reductive ideology can't help him elucidate the boundaries between safety and totalitarianism. Execution and murder. Self-defense and patriotism. His legalistic litmus tests aggravate the hopeless situation he's helped create. Sound like any belligerent, overprivileged, retarded Yale cheerleaders you know of? Wojciech Pszoniak blows the slovenly Deparidieu off the screen. As sympathetic as Robespierres plight is, it's comforting to know that shortly after the film ends he'll have his jaw shot off and be sent to the guillotine.$LABEL$ 0 +As someone has already mentioned on this board, it's very difficult to make a fake documentary. It requires tremendous skill, pacing, patience, directorial 'distance,' a plausible premise, a narrative 'flow,' and REALLY believable acting (aka GREAT acting). Such is not the case with 'Love Machine'. It starts to show its faux hand about the 20-minute mark (with 60 minutes left to watch), and the viewer starts to realize that he or she is being taken in. It's downhill from there.Director Gordon Eriksen simply peaked too soon. But to be fair to Eriksen, his problems started early: as he explains in the extras, he began wanting to do a REAL doc, couldn't get funding, and settled for a cheaper way of making his film.The premise -- people who have secret lives by posting themselves on a porn website -- was perhaps more interesting in 1997-98, when the film was made. Eriksen does a lot of tricky stuff -- a pushy 'host,' hand-held cameras, zooms, grainy blacks and whites -- all, I guess, to elicit a sense of authenticity, but it just doesn't work. The film is confusing and forced, but what ultimately brings it down is the believability of the actors and the pretty awful dialogue.$LABEL$ 0 +The Hills Have Eyes II is what you would expect it to be and nothing more. Of course it's not going to be an Oscar nominated film, it's just pure entertainment which you can just lose yourself in for 90 minutes.The plot is basically about a group of National Guard trainees who find themselves battling against the notorious mutated hillbillies on their last day of training in the desert. It's just them fighting back throughout the whole film, which includes a lot of violence (which is basically the whole film) as blood and guts are constantly flying around throughout the whole thing, and also yet another graphic rape scene which is pointlessly thrown in to shock the audience.I'd give the Hills Have Eyes II 4 out of 10 for pure entertainment, and that only. Although even then I found myself looking at my watch more and more as the film went on, as it began to drag due to the fact it continued to try and shock the audience with graphic gore and the occasional jump scene just to make sure the audience stays awake. The Hills Have Eyes II is just decent entertainment, something to pass time if you're bored, and nothing else.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I laughed all the way through this rotten movie. It's so unbelievable. A woman leaves her husband after many years of marriage, has a breakdown in front of a real estate office. What happens? The office manager comes outside and offers her a job!!! Hilarious! Next thing you know the two women are going at it. Yep, they're lesbians! Nothing rings true in this "Lifetime for Women with nothing better to do" movie. Clunky dialogue like "I don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling like I had a chance to be happy and didn't take it" doesn't help. There's a wealthy, distant mother who disapproves of her daughter's new relationship. A sassy black maid - unbelievable that in the year 2003, a film gets made in which there's a sassy black maid. Hattie McDaniel must be turning in her grave. The woman has a husband who freaks out and wants custody of the snotty teenage kids. Sheesh! No cliche is left unturned.$LABEL$ 0 +NO SPOILERS!!After Hitchcock's successful first American film, Rebecca based upon Daphne DuMarier's lush novel of gothic romance and intrigue, he returned to some of the more familiar themes of his early British period - mistaken identity and espionage. As the U.S. settled into World War II and the large scale 'war effort' of civilians building planes, weaponry and other necessary militia, the booming film entertainment business began turning out paranoid and often jingoistic thrillers with war time themes. These thrillers often involved networks of deceptive and skilled operators at work in the shadows among the good, law abiding citizens. Knowing the director was at home in this espionage genre, producer Jack Skirball approached Hitchcock about directing a property he owned that dealt with corruption, war-time sabotage and a helpless hero thrust into a vortex of coincidence and mistaken identity. The darker elements of the narrative and the sharp wit of literary maven Dorothy Parker (during her brief stint in Hollywood before returning to her bohemian roots in NYC) who co-authored the script were a perfect match for Hitchcock's sensibilities.This often neglected film tells the story of the unfortunate 25 year old Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) who, while at work at a Los Angeles Airplane Factory, meets new employee Frank Frye (Norman Lloydd) and moments later is framed for committing sabotage. Fleeing the authorities who don't believe his far-fetched story he meets several characters on his way to Soda City Utah and finally New York City. These memorable characters include a circus caravan with a car full of helpful 'freaks' and a popular billboard model Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane) who, during the worst crisis of his life as well as national security, he falls madly in love with! Of course in the land of Hitchcock, Patricia, kidnapped by the supposed saboteur Barry, falls for her captor thus adding romantic tension to the mix.In good form for this outing, Hitchcock brews a national network of demure old ladies, average Joes, and respectable businessmen who double as secret agent terrorists that harbor criminals, pull guns and detonate bombs to keep things moving. It's a terrific plot that takes its time moving forward and once ignited, culminates in one of Hitchcock's more memorable finales. Look for incredibly life like NYC tourist attractions (all of which were recreated by art directors in Hollywood due to the war-time 'shooting ban' on public attractions). While Saboteur may not be one of Hitchcock's most well known films, it's a popular b-movie that is certainly solid and engaging with plenty of clever plot twists and as usual - terrific Hitchcock villains. Remember to look for Hitchcock's cameo appearance outside a drug store in the second half of the film. Hitchcock's original cameo idea that was shot (him fighting in sign language with his 'deaf' wife) was axed by the Bureau of Standards and Practices who were afraid of offending the deaf!$LABEL$ 1 +I just watched The Dresser this evening, having only seen it once before, about a dozen years ago.It's not a "big" movie, and doesn't try to make a big splash, but my God, the brilliance of the two leads leaves me just about speechless. Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay are nothing less than amazing in this movie.The Dresser is the story of Sir, an aging Shakespearean actor (Finney), and his dresser Norman (Courtenay), sort of a valet, putting on a production of King Lear during the blitz of London in World War II. These are two men, each dependent upon the other: Sir is almost helpless without the aid of Norman to cajole, wheedle, and bully him into getting onstage for his 227th performance of Lear. And Norman lives his life vicariously through Sir; without Sir to need him, he is nothing, or thinks he is, anyway.This is a character-driven film; the plot is secondary to the interaction of the characters, and as such, it requires actors of the highest caliber to bring it to life. Finney, only 47 years old, is completely believable as a very old, very sick, petulant, bullying, but brilliant stage actor. He hisses and fumes at his fellow actors even when they're taking their bows! And Courtenay is no less convincing as the mincing dresser, who must sometimes act more as a mother than as a valet to his elderly employer. Employer is really the wrong term to use, though. For although, technically their relationship is that of employer and employee, most of the time Sir and Norman act like nothing so much as an old married couple.Yes, there are others in the cast of this movie, but there is no question that the true stars are Finney, Courtenay, and the marvelous script by Ronald Harwood. That is not to say that there aren't other fine performances, most notably Eileen Atkins as the long-suffering stage manager Madge. There is a wonderful scene where Sir and Madge talk about old desires, old regrets, and what might have been.Although it doesn't get talked about these days, it is worth remembering that The Dresser was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Actor nominations for both Finney and Courtenay, Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Yates), and Best Adapted Screenplay.I had remembered this as being a good movie, but I wasn't prepared to be as completely mesmerized as I was from beginning to end. If you want to see an example of what great acting is all about, and be hugely entertained all the while, then I encourage you to see The Dresser.$LABEL$ 1 +What happened? What we have here is basically a solid and plausible premise and with a decent and talented cast, but somewhere the movie loses it. Actually, it never really got going. There was a little excitement when we find out that Angie is not really pregnant, then find out that she is after all, but that was it. Steve Martin, who is a very talented person and usually brings a lot to a movie, was dreadful and his entire character was not even close to being important to this movie, other than to make it longer. I really would have liked to see more interactions between the main characters, Kate and Angie, and maybe try not for a pure comedy, which unfortunately it was not, but maybe a drama with comedic elements. I think if the movie did this it could have been very funny since both actresses are quite funny in their own ways and sitting here I can think of numerous scenarios that would have been a riot.$LABEL$ 0 +I've just watched Fingersmith, and I'm stunned to see the 8/10 average rating for the show.Not only was the plot was difficult to follow, but it seems character development was randomly applied.The actors were adequate, but in the process of attempting to create twists and turns, their characters are rendered entirely one dimensional. Once this happens, the story really falls flat and becomes tedious.And just in case anyone didn't see the predictable lesbian undertones from miles way, this is hammered home in the most banal terms at the end of the film.The end scene is disappointing and phoned in, and anyone who sat back and went "Ohhh, so they were carpet munchers all along!", must have been out for the evening.Two stars for the tonsil hockey in the earlier scene which was at least a bit raunchy, none for the rest of it...$LABEL$ 0 +So let's begin!)))The movie itself is as original as Cronenberg's movies would usually appear...My intention to see it was certainly JJL being one of my favourite actresses. She is as lovely as usual, this cutie!I would not say it was my favourite movie of hers. Still it's quite interesting and entertaining to follow. The rest of the cast is not extremely impressive but it is not some kind of a miscast star array. ;)Recommend with confidence!))))$LABEL$ 1 +Besides being boring, the scenes were oppressive and dark. The movie tried to portray some kind of moral, but fell flat with its message. What were the redeeming qualities?? On top of that, I don't think it could make librarians look any more unglamorous than it did.$LABEL$ 0 +An unmarried woman named Stella (Bette Midler) gets pregnant by a wealthy man (Stephen Collins). He offers to marry her out of a sense of obligation but she turns him down flat and decides to raise the kid on her own. Things go OK until the child named Jenny (Trini Alvarado) becomes a teenager and things gradually (and predictably) become worse.I've seen both the silent version and sound version of "Stella Dallas". Neither one affected me much (and I cry easily) but they were well-made if dated. Trying to remake this in 1990 was just a stupid idea. I guess Midler had enough power after the incomprehensible success of "Beaches" to get this made. This (predictably) bombed. The story is laughable and dated by today's standards. Even though Midler and Alvarado give good performances this film really drags and I was bored silly by the end. Stephen Collins and Marsha Mason (both good actors) don't help in supporting roles. Flimsy and dull. Really--who thought this would work? See the 1937 Stanwyck version instead. I give this a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is one of Fulci's earlier (and honestly, in terms of story-line, better...) films - and although not the typical "bloodbath" that Fulci is known for - this is still a very unique and enjoyable film.The story surrounds a small town where a series of child murders are occurring. Some of the colorful characters involved in the investigations - either as suspects, or those "helping" the investigation (or in some cases both) - include the towns police force, a small-time reporter, a beautiful and rich ex-drug addict, a young priest and his mother, An old man who practices witchcraft and his female protégé, a mentally handicapped townsman, and a deaf/mute little girl. All of these people are interwoven into the plot to create several twists and turns, until the actual killer is revealed...DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is neither a "classical" giallo or a typical Fulci gore film. Although it does contain elements of both - it is more of an old-fashioned murder mystery, with darker subject matter and a few scenes of graphic violence (although nothing nearly as strong as some of Fulci's later works). This is a well written film with lots of twists that kept me guessing up until the end. Recommended for giallo/murder-mystery fans, or anyone looking to check out some of Fulci's non-splatter films - but don't despair, DON'T TORTURE still has more than it's fair share of violence and sleaze. Some may be put off by the subject of the child killings, and one main female character has a strange habit of hitting on very young boys, which is also kind of disconcerting - but if that type of material doesn't bother you, then definitely give this one a look. 8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +Busty beauty Stacie Randall plays PVC clad, bad-ass bitch Alexandra, the faithful acolyte of Faust, an evil entity trapped in hell. Determined to free her master, the malevolent minx breaks into a warehouse to steal a magical gem vital to her success; but whilst conducting a satanic ritual to summon Faust, the silly mare accidentally enters the pentagram she has drawn on the floor, which results in the loss of the gem and the release of two diminutive, troll-like creatures called Lite and Dark.Now Alexandra must find a replacement gem, which isn't going to be easy: the only other stone that will do the trick is worn around the neck of her ex-lover, police detective Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis), who is investigating the warehouse robbery and who knows only too well what evil Alexandra is capable of. Meanwhile, wise-cracking inter-dimensional half-pints Lite and Dark get into all sorts of zany trouble as they try to find a way back home.In the warped movie world of Jim Wynorski, all females are big-breasted babes with the fashion sense of a cheap hooker. Ghoulies IV is no exception: every woman in this film—whether she be a police captain, a curator of antiquities, or a mental patient in an asylum—is hot, hot, hot and wears not a lot, and it's this fact that makes this otherwise totally unwatchable piece of STV crap just about bearable.But be warned, even though the presence of semi-naked, quality crumpet makes the going slightly easier, there is still plenty about this film to warrant it being labelled as an ordeal: the acting is wooden and the dialogue is painful; the black humour (as the DVD blurb describes it) is about as funny as a knee to the knackers, with the comedic banter of Lite and Dark being particularly cringe-worthy; and the special effects are bargain basement, consisting of rubbery creatures and visual effects that would have looked dated ten years earlier.3/10 solely for the high bimbo quotient.$LABEL$ 0 +I really like Salman Kahn so I was really disappointed when I seen this movie. It didn't have much of a plot and what they did have was not that appealing. Salman however did look good in the movie looked young and refreshed but was worth the price of this DVD. The music was not bad it was quite nice. Usually Indian movies are at least two to three hours long but this was a very short movie for an Indian film. The American actress that played in the movie is from the television hit series Heroes, Ali Larter. Her acting had a lot to be desired. However she did look good in the Indian dresses that she wore. All the movie had not a lot to be desired and I hope Salman does a lot better on his next movie. Thank you.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not sure why the producers needed to trade on the name of a somewhat successful movie franchise because the title suggests that it is a sequel to the first three movies..which it is not. Even though Marques Houston did appear in "HP3", he played a totally different character (he was, eight years older) in this film. Okay...so Reid and Martin weren't the most talented and couldn't carry a film all by themselves..but to trade on the HP franchise seems to me that there could have made some sort of reference (albeit minor) to the earlier movies. I'm sure everyone who wanted to see it was "hoodwinked"--into thinking that they were seeing a sequel--not a totally different film with a familiar name. And I'm sorry...Kym Whitley is not funny, and could not hold a candle to the late Robin Harris, Ketty Lester, or DC Curry in the earlier films. Although Meagen Good and Mari Morrow are a substantial visual diversion...I have to give this a THUMBS DOWN!! Just naming the film "Down to the Last Minute" would have been OK. Furthermore, the Hudlin brothers (who produced the first three movies) were not involved in the making of this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This film laboured along with some of the most predictable story lines and shallow characters ever seen. The writer obviously bought the playbook "How to write a space disaster movie" and followed it play by play. In particular, the stereo-typical use of astronauts talking to their loved ones from outer space - putting on a brave show in the face of disaster - has been done time and time again.Max Q appears to have been written in the hope that the producers would throw $50 million at the project. But, judging by the latter half of the film which contained numerous lame attempts at special effects, the producers could only muster $50 thousand. To learn that the film was nominated for a "Special Visual Effects" Emmy has me absolutely gob-smacked.I think a handful of high school students with a pass in Media Studies could have created more believable effects!And the plot holes are too numerous to mention. But I will pick one out as an example. Now, I'm no NASA expert, but surely it's highly implausible that a worker attached to the shuttle simulator would suddenly hold a position of power in the control room when things start to go pear-shaped with the program. Surely there is someone more experienced at Mission Control who the Program Director would call on rather than a twenty-nine year old who has not been in the control room before.The only saving grace for this film is the work of Bill Campbell. He manages to make a good attempt at salvaging something out of the train wreck that is this script.I give this film 2 out of 10, with the above-average work of Bill Campbell in the lead role saving it from a lower mark.$LABEL$ 0 +Caddyshack Two is a good movie by itself but compared to the original it cant stack up. Robert Stack is a horrible replacement for Ted Knight and Jackie Mason, while funny just cant compete with Rodney Dangerfield. Ty Webb is funny, being the only character from the original. Most of the other characters in the movie lack the punch of the original (Henry Wilcoxon for example) except for the hystericly funny lawyer Peter Blunt, being played by Randy Quaid. Every line he says reminds me of the originals humor, especially the scene at his office (I don't go in for law suits or motions. I find out where you live and come to your house and beat down your door with a f***ing baseball bat, make a bonfire with the chippindale,maybe roast that golden retriever (arff arff arff) then eat it. And then I'm comin' upstairs junior, and I'm grabbing you by your brooks brothers pjs, and cramming your brand new BMW up your tight a**! Do we have an understanding?). Offsetting his small role however, is Dan Acroyd, who is obviously no replacement for Bill Murray. His voice is beyond irritating and everything he does isnt even funny, its just stupid. Overall Caddyshack II is a good movie, but in comparison to the awesome original it just cant cut it.$LABEL$ 0 +Honestly - this short film sucks. the dummy used in the necro scene is pretty well made but still phony enough looking to ruin the viewing experience. the Unearthed DVD is crisp and clear and I haven't made up my mind if this helps or hinders it. If the film was a little grainy it might have added some "creepiness factor" to what was going on. I have no idea why this film has so much hype surrounding it other than the subject matter - but to be honest the necrophilia scenes in films like NEKROMANTIK and VISITOR Q among others, are more shocking than in AFTERMATH. All this talk about the film being about loneliness and all other manner of deep philosophy is bull****. This is an expensive, beautifully filmed turd. It's not that shocking, it's not that disgusting. if you insist on viewing it - rent it. I give it a 3 for the fact that not many people make explicit movies about necrophilia (there should definitely be a bigger selection for us sickos ;) - the filming is good and it does have some "gore" (if watching a rubbery looking doll get cut open is considered gore...) but other than that - absolutely nothing going for this over-hyped mess. On the other hand - GENESIS - Cerda's "sequel" to AFTERMATH (now available as a "double feature" released by Unearthed films) is an absolute masterpiece of a short film, really showing what a good director Cerda really is when given the right material. Although I don't care for AFTERMATH at all, GENESIS is so well made that I will forgive Cerda and Definitely keep an eye out for him in the future...$LABEL$ 0 +I thought that Mukhsin has been wonderfully written. Its not just about entertainment. There's tonnes of subtle messages that i think Yasmin was trying to bring across. And yes, it might be confusing to some of you(especially if you didn't watch Sepet and/or Gubra for 76 times).I bet u noticed how they use characters from the two movies before right? Its really ironic how the characters relate. Like the bossy neighbour is that prostitute from Gubra. And the chick at the snooker pad turns out to be the religious and wife of the pious man in the future. And i absolutely love the voice-overs. Its crude yet awakeningly fresh. Like, when they took a shot of the Rumah Tumpangan Gamin signboard, then there was suddenly Mukhsin's voice saying 'Bismillahhirrahmannirrahim..' (the scene when he climbed the tree).It captured Malaysian's attitude(and in some mild way, sniggering at how pathetic it is) portrayed in the character. For example, even the kids can be really sharp tongued(complete with the shrill annoying voice) and simply bad mouth ppl all movie long. And how you can be such a busybody and talk about ppl, when ur own life isn't sorted out. All i can say is, this movie totally reached my expectation if not exceeded it. It kept me glued to the screen, i couldn't even take my eyes off it. Not even to make out in the cinema. Ha ha.$LABEL$ 1 +I am not a golf fan by any means. On May 26 about 10:30 PM the movie started with a scene in the late 1800's. Old movies I like but not golf however, within the first scene a young boy (Harry Vardon) is awaken by the voices of men. He goes outside to inquire what they are doing and is told they are going to build a golf something... So , then I turned the television off but something stirred me and it was back on. The movie is excellent. We then see this young boy now a man; professional golf player who is haunted with visions from his childhood. Then we meet the true focus of the movie Francis and the decisions he makes for golf. You meet his mother and father who want to protect him from the class thing that is so obvious during the period. Then there is little Eddie Lowery his caddy with encouraging words and little pushes that are instrumental in Francis winning. Don't want to give away too much . I was up until 2 A.M. This is super please see the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Upon viewing Tobe Hooper's gem, Crocodile, in 2000, I developed a great interest in the college/crocodile niche of the exploitation/monster genre. I look forward to a wayward producer to follow up with several sequels to these delightful bonbons of camp goodness. If only Ed Wood could bring his subtle sense of flair and dignity to these remarkable scripts. With Ed writing the scripts, and a room full of monkees creating crocodile special effects on a computer, all we'd need would be a cast of crocky fodder with Russ Meyer breasts and Ren Hoek pectoral implants.While Tobe Hooper's crocky opus referenced his own movies, Blood Surf chose to dish out a bunch of aging themes from the chum bucket of other movies. See if you can look past the Revenge of the Nerds sequel sets to find the allusions/homages?/rip-offs to Jaws, Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones' Last Crusade, The Convent, Godzilla 2000, and any James Bond movie. Also, try to find the ready-for-tv fade where the editor gave up on making sense of the stock.I was disappointed the crock didn't get to try out its sotto voce tenor with a soliloquy on environmentalism...or crocky appreciation, but the quasi-Captain Ahab of the story does get his tour de force speach. Perhaps, in the coming years, we'll see a crock galloping off after a shootout into a golden sunset. Or hopefully, a monkey will flush a crocky down the toilet of an international space station for midgets and enjoy the exploitative waltz of zero-G monkey/midget/crocodile bloodshed.All-in-all, the lack of a whammy bar in the surf music irked me.$LABEL$ 0 +It tries to be the epic adventure of the century. And with a cast like Shô Kasugi, Christopher Lee and John-Rhys Davies it really is the perfect B-adventure of all time. It's actually is a pretty fun, swashbuckling adventure that, even with it's flaws, captures your interest. It must have felt as the biggest movie ever for the people who made it. Even if it's made in the 90s, it doesn't have a modern feel. It more has the same feeling that a old Errol Flynn movie had. Big adventure movie are again the big thing in Hollywood but I'm afraid that the feeling in them will never be the same as these old movies had. This on the other hand, just has the real feeling. You just can't hate it. I think it's an okay adventure movie. And I really love the soundtrack. Damn, I want the theme song.$LABEL$ 1 +The Last Hard Men finds James Coburn an outlaw doing a long sentence breaking free from a chain gang. Do he and his friends head for the Mexican border from jail and safety. No they don't because Coburn has a mission of revenge. To kill the peace officer who brought him in and in the process killed his woman.That peace officer is Charlton Heston who is now retired and he knows what Coburn is after. As he explains it to his daughter, Barbara Hershey, Coburn was holed up in a shack and was involved in a Waco like standoff. His Indian woman was killed in the hail of bullets fired. It's not something he's proud of, she was a collateral casualty in a manhunt.Lest we feel sorry for Coburn he lets us know full well what an evil man he truly is. Heston is his usual stalwart hero, but the acting honors in The Last Hard Men go to James Coburn. He blows everyone else off the screen when he's on. Coburn gets the bright idea of making sure Heston trails him by kidnapping Hershey and taking her to an Indian reservation where the white authorities can't touch him. He knows that Heston has to make it personal then.Coburn's gang includes, Morgan Paull, Thalmus Rasulala, John Quade, Larry Wilcox, and Jorge Rivero. Heston has Chris Mitchum along who is his son-in-law to be.The Last Hard Men is one nasty and brutal western. Andrew McLaglen directed it and I'm thinking it may have been a project originally intended for Sam Peckinpaugh. It sure shows a lot of his influence with the liberal use of slow motion to accentuate the violence. Of which there is a lot. For a little Peckinpaugh lite, The Last Hard Men is your film.$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe it was the title, or the trailer (certainly not the interview on the DVD, which is with the director as he keeps saying "hi, kids" into the camera like a buffoon), but I had expectations for Entrails of a Virgin to be at least a bit of sleazy fun with some good sex scenes and brutal, bloody killings by a weird Japanese penetrator. Turns out it's way too sleazy for its own good, or bad, or whatever. There's a problem- and one can see this also in the Italian sexploitation flick Porno Holocaust, similar to this in many respects- in not having balance to the sex and violence. Too much sex and it will turn into a prototypical porno, and not even with much production quality in comparison with most professional porno movies! And with the killing scenes, there has to be at least a little tack, and maybe just a smidgen of ingenuity, in creating the creature/killer/whatever. Entrails of a Virgin has neither. It's safe to say it's a pretty soulless movie, even if isn't one of the very worst ever made- it's there just for horn-dog Japanese fetishists to get off on girls in trouble and men who have all their brains in their 'other' heads.In this case, we're given a photo team where the guys are taking some shots of some girls, nothing too salacious, and then by way of a dense fog they stay off at some house one night and are picked off one by one by "A Murderer" as he's credited. First off, the director Kazuo 'Gaira' Komizu decides he has to put in a quota of random sex scenes early on- we get spliced in (or phoned in, take your pick) clips of one of the photographers having sex with one or more of the girls elsewhere. It looks like it's from another movie. Then once settled into the house, there's a 'wrestling' scene that's poorly choreographed and shot (yeah, we really need to see him 'all' there), and then on to the rape and killings. First the rape, by the photographers, who promise the girls some jobs for their time. Then the Murderer, who like D'Amato's creature is simply covered in mud and given a stupid facial, and who for an unknown reason kills the men and/or rapes the women one by one.Now, the latter of those, taken by themselves, should be considered the highlights of the movie. This is like saying, however, that the croûtons are the best part of a wretchedly tasting salad. An eye-gouging scene, a spike thrown like an Olympic event (that scene, actually, is kind of cool), and finally the entrailing of the overly sex-crazed girl, whose inconsequential name I can't remember. Even *this* becomes disappointing just by not being correct to the title! On top of this, the sex scenes, which become tedious through 'Gaira' and his indulgence in long-takes-without-cutaways where everything by the Japanese censors is blurred anyway, are dubbed over by the actors (you'd think that they seem to be enjoying themselves enough, hence the need to let them 'speak' for themselves). But the overall feeling from Entrails of a Virgin is that of a lumpy one, where it's just there to be gawked at and without a shred of suspense or true horror (watch as the last girl left alive, the virgin of the picture, tries to stop the murderer from getting to her, which lasts five minutes as she keeps throwing sticks at him!) You just want it to be done with, for the 'I hate women' mantra to ease up or be rid altogether.$LABEL$ 0 +The few scenes that actually attempt a depiction of revolutionary struggle resemble a hirsute Boy Scout troop meandering tentatively between swimming holes. When Sharif or, please God, Palance try their hand at fiery oratory, they sound like Kurtz swallowing a bug. The displays of strategic brilliance incorporate a map of Cuba replete with smiling fishies in the ocean, and a positively Vaudevillian hypothesis on how the Bay of Pigs came to pass. What does that leave us with? One comical dentistry scene; a surfeit of uppity Hollywood peasants who address the camera as though it were a moving train; and, just for kicks, a passel of homoeroticism that is not limited to Castro's manic and unremitting cigar-fellatio. Never trust a Medved, but even a busted clock is right twice a day: this is a HISTORICALLY awful movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This film took me by surprise. I make it a habit of finding out as little as possible about films before attending because trailers and reviews provide spoiler after spoiler. All I knew upon entering the theater is that it was a documentary about a long married couple and that IMDb readers gave it a 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes users ranked it at 7.9 and the critics averaged an amazing 8.2! If anything, they UNDERRATED this little gem.Filmmaker Doug Block decided to record his parents "for posterity" and at the beginning of the film we are treated to the requisite interviews with his parents, outspoken mother Mina, and less than forthcoming dad, Mike. I immediately found this couple interesting and had no idea where the filmmaker (Mike & Mina's son Doug) was going to take us. As a matter of fact, I doubt that Doug himself knew where he was going with this!Life takes unexpected twists and turns and this beautifully expressive film follows the journey. It is difficult to verbalize just how moved I was with this story and the unique way in which it was told. Absolutely riveting from beginning to end and it really is a must-see even if you aren't a fan of the documentary genre. This film will make you think of your own life and might even evoke memories that you thought were long forgotten. "51 Birch Street" is one of those rare filmgoing experiences that makes a deep impression and never leaves you. The best news of all is that HBO had a hand in the production so instead of playing to a limited art house audience, eventually, millions of people will have a chance to view this incredible piece of work. BRAVO!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Stephen Hawkings is a genius. He is the king of geniuses. Watching this movie makes me feel dumb. But it's a great movie. Not highly entertaining, but very very intriguing. The movie centers around wheelchair bound Stephen Hawkings, a man who makes Einstein look average, and his theories and scientific discoveries about the universe, time, the galaxy, and black holes. Everyone at sometime or another during a really intense high comes to a moment when they think they'v got the universe and the cosmos figured out and they swear as soon as they sober up they'll write it all down. Well here is a man who actually held that feeling for more then six hours. Here is a man who despite suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease has become the greatest mind the world has yet seen. Watch this and listen in on how he has formulated theories on black holes. Awesome. You won't be the same after you see it.$LABEL$ 1 +The story is about a psychic woman, Tory, who returns to her hometown and begins reliving her traumatic childhood past (the death of her childhood friend and abusive father). Tory discovers that her friend was just the first in a string of murders that are still occurring. Can her psychic powers help solve the crimes and stop the continuing murders? You really don't need to find out because, Oh My God! This was so so so so bad! I know all the Nora Roberts fans will flock to this movie and give it tons of 10's. Then the rest of us will see an IMDb score of 6 and actually think this movie is worth watching. But do not be fooled. The ending was predictable, the acting TERRIBLE (don't even get me started about the southern accents *y'all*) and the story was trite. Just remember....you were warned!$LABEL$ 0 +Oh God, I must have seen this when I was only 11 or twelve, (don't ask how) I may have been young, but I wasn't stupid. Anyone could see that this is a bad movie, nasty, gross, unscary and very silly. I've seen more impressive effects at Disneyland, I've seen better performances at a school play, And I've seen more convincing crocodiles at the zoo, where they do nothing but sit in the water, ignoring the children tapping on the glass.The story is set in northern Australia. A handful of ambitious young people, are trying out a new water sport, surfing in shark filled waters. It soon becomes evident that something more dangerous is in the water. After they learn what, they get the help of a grizzly middle aged fisherman, who wants to kill the animal to avenge the eating of his family.I think I have seen every crocodile film made in the last fifteen years, the best of which is Lake Placid, and the worse of which is its sequel. Blood Surf would have to be the second worst croc flick I think, with Primeval and Crocodile tailing closely behind.The Australian Saltwater Crododile is one of the most dangerous creatures out there, resulting in more than a hundred injuries or deaths every year. Movies like Blood Surf however ruin not only the ferocious image of such a creature, but a good hour and a half of the viewer's life. Unless you really want to see it, avoid Blood Surf.$LABEL$ 0 +"Fate" leads Walter Sparrow to come in possession of a mysterious novel that has eerie similarities and connections to his life, all based around the number 23. As the story unfolds in real life and fiction, Sparrow must figure out his connection to the book and how the story will eventually end.The Number 23 offers an intriguing premise that is undone by a weak execution. The film just failed on many different levels which is pretty disappointing because it held so much potential. The screenplay was probably the worst part about it. It was filled with silly sequences and laughable dialog that just killed the mood of the movie. It seemed like the screenwriter had a good idea, he just didn't know how to develop it to stretch over a ninety minute running time. The second half of the film was running low on ideas, the twist was pretty obvious and the ending was awful.Joel Schumacher is responsible for one of the worst movies ever and he did redeem himself a little with Phone Booth and a few other films but The Number 23 reminds me that he's still capable of making a stinker. He has the movie drenched in style but he just can't get a good focus. He moves the film at a clunky and slow pace. He switches from reality to what's actually happening in the book which quickly got annoying. The actual book in the film that's titled "The Number 23" is an awful detective story and the audience gets stuck listening to Carrey narrate it which just bored me to tears. When Carrey is finally done with book, we get stuck watching him run around trying to solve the mystery. At this point, the audience has lost interest and there is no real tension. We impatiently wait for the movie to reach it's horrible ending and unconvincing explanation before celebrating that film has finally finished.The acting was mostly average and pretty forgettable. Jim Carrey was clearly just sleepwalking through his performance and he didn't even seem to be trying. He was either completely over the top in some scenes or just very wooden. His narration was a complete bore to listen to and he put no life inside his character. Virginia Madsen did the best she could with a limited role but she needs to pick better scripts. Logan Lerman was pretty bland as was Danny Huston. Overall, The Number 23 was an awful thriller that offered more laughs than suspense or thrills. Rating 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +We brought this film as a joke for a friend, and could of been our worst joke to play. The film is barely watchable, and the acting is dire. The worst child actor ever used and Hasslehoff giving a substandard performance. The plot is disgraceful and at points we was so bored we was wondering what the hell was going on. It tries to be gruesome in places but is just laughable.Just terrible$LABEL$ 0 +This was probably the worst movie i have ever seen in my life!! It was stupid there was no plot and the special affects were ridiculous!! And i have never seen such bad acting in my life! The only good part about the movie were all the hot guys(especially Drew Fuller). I don't know what these people were thinking when they made this movie!! I didn't even want to finish the whole thing because you get to this point in the movie where the guys are all in bed touching themselves. I mean it was like some kind of sick and twisted kiddy porn! I would advise anyone who has heard of this movie and was interested in seeing it to just forget about it and find another movie to watch! I was very disappointed!! The whole movie was a complete waste of time in my opinion.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a typical Steele novel production in that two people who have undergone some sort of tragedy manage to get together despite the odds. I wouldn't call this a spoiler because anyone who has read a Steele novel knows how they ALL end. If you don't want to know much about the plot, don't keep reading.Gilbert's character, Ophelia, is a woman of French decent who has lost her husband and son in an accident. Gilbert needs to stop doing films where she is required to have an accent because she, otherwise a good actress, cannot realistically pull off any kind of accent. Brad Johnson, also an excellent actor, is Matt, who is recovering from a rather nasty divorce. He is gentle, convincing and compelling in this role.The two meet on the beach through her daughter, Pip, and initially, Ophelia accuses Matt of being a child molester just because he talked art with the kid. All of them become friends after this episode and then the couple falls in love.The chemistry between the two leads is not great, even though the talent of these two people is not, in my opinion, a question. They did the best they could with a predictable plot and a script that borders on stereotypical. Two people meet, tragedy, bigger tragedy, a secret is revealed, another tragedy, and then they get together. I wish there was more to it than that, but there it is in a nutshell.I wanted mindless entertainment, and I got it with this. In regard to the genre of romantic films, this one fails to be memorable. "A Secret Affair" with Janine Turner is far superior (not a Steele book), as are some of Steele's earlier books turned into film.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh noes one of these attack of the Japanese ghost girl movies... i don't even remember how many i've seen. maybe it sells... but not to me. not scary at all. the japanese horror movies are have been very similar since the first one of these... also the pulling of the kid. i have seen that pulled under scene so many times in so many horror movies. cellphone scene is also nothing new... the dramaticness of the guy getting hit by a train kinda sucked... i mean it lacked all dramaticness... OK this is for kids 14-16 who listen to japanese rock and think they are so unique... we'll let me tell you. there's a million of you =D this is one of them. 3/10 i've seen worse but you won't be missing anything by NOT seeing this!$LABEL$ 0 +Nicholas Walker is Paul, the local town Reverand who's married to Martha (Ally Sheedy), but also is a habitual womanizer and decides to fake his own death to run away with his current affair, Veronica (Dara Tomanovich). However in so doing, he gets a bout of amnesia (hence the name of the film). Sally Kirkland is also on hand as a crazy old coot who pines for the good Reverand in a shades of "Misery" type of way. It's sad to see a pretty good cast wasted like this. Not the least bit John Savage in a horridly forgettable role as a shoddy private investigator. In a film billed as a 'black comedy', one has to bring BOTH elements into said movie. While this does bring the former in spades, it sadly contains none of the latter. Furthermore you can't emphasize with any of the characters and as thus, have absolutely no vested interest in them. Technically not an all-together bad movie just an extremely forgettable one.Eye Candy: Dara Tomanovich gets topless; Sally Kirkland also shows some skin My Grade: C- Where I saw it: Showtime Showcase$LABEL$ 0 +Hollywood movie industry is the laziest one in the entire world. It only needs a single hit to flood theaters with the same old crap re-invented over and over again. Take superheroes for example, for each X-Man and Spiderman, there are Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider and Hulk. Japanese horror remakes are even worst. It only took The Ring, which was pitch-perfect (mostly because of Mr. Gore Verbinsky), to bring a ton of look-alike creepy-woman based horrors, e.g. The Ring 2, The Eye, Dark Water (which was fine, but pointless), and the grudges.The first Grudge wasn't entirely bad. It was scary most of the way, which is what one could expect from it. Plus, the plot had some brains mixing narratives. Grudge 2 is exactly like the previous; this could be a good thing, but hey, what boy Men in Black II? Was it a nice thing to xerox the entire screenplay and just change the villain? For the Grudge 2, the critic goes the same way.Tired scares, bad acting (except for Amber Tamblyn), and clichés all over the place. Three stories take place, on different places and time. There is Aubrey (Tamblyn) investigating what drove her sister Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to death; Allison (Arielle Kebbel) who is taken by colleagues to visit the house where the incident depicted in the first movie took place; and finally, an American family that witness strange stuff happening on the apartment next door. Glad to say (and I mean it) that everything is tied up at the end, but one must not rely on the end to make a good picture, when everything else is simply tiresome and dull.The chills are all over there, a girl alone in the lockers, someone who shouldn't enter a house, others that dig too deep. Meanwhile, ghosts keep killing and killing and killing, which seems even more deadlier than ten world wars or the Ebola epidemic. Hey, doesn't that seem just like another bad Japanese remake, something called Pulse? Yeah, day after day it's getting easier to hold a grudge... against Hollywood bullshits.$LABEL$ 0 +"Down Periscope" has been in our library since it first arrived in VHS. Since then, we have acquired the DVD and a digital from Cinema Now.It is a quirky flick that does not go militarily overboard as either pro or con. It is first and foremost a comedy and as a vehicle for the main characters, I am quite surprised that a sequel has never been offered.The movie has gained a following that borders on a cult obsession, even among the very young. I became aware of this while visiting the USS Drum in Mobile, Alabama in 2002. A group of Cub Scouts, my grandson among them, had all taken up the roles from the movie and planned to relive it during their overnighter on board.It is a fun romp that makes you proud both of our Navy and Hollywood... which is rare company.Thanks to Kelsey Grammar, Lauren Holly and Rob Schneider for making what could have been an otherwise unremarkable movie, such great entertainment!$LABEL$ 1 +If you came here, it's because you've already seen this film and were curious what others had to say about it.I feel for you, I *really* do. And I profusely apologize as a Canadian (because that's what we do) that this film ever had to cross your eyes, if only for a moment. I hear there is no cure for the retinal bleeding reported out of every dozen cases.I, like everyone else, rented this movie believing it to be some stupid B-movie ripoff of Blade. I thought, "sure I could use a good laugh at a stupid movie." I'll give the creators of this film ONE positive comment about their 'creation': Thanks for removing the REC XX/XX/XX from the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. I can see how that would have been a distraction from seeing this movie.And for the record, I *saw* the movie, but did not watch it. The dialogue was incoherent and most of the scenes took place in my grandmother's trailer, I swear to God.You know what? I'm not writing anymore about this. It's just too painful.$LABEL$ 0 +Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey and Barbara Read are "Three Smart Girls" in this Universal film from 1936, which introduces Deanna Durbin to film audiences. It also stars Ray Milland, Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, John King, Binnie Barnes and Alice Brady. It's a sweet story about three young women, now living in Switzerland with their divorced mother, who hear their father (Winninger) is marrying again. Not having seen him in 10 years and knowing their mother still loves him, they board a ship to America, with the help of the housekeeper/nanny, determined to stop the wedding. Realizing that the intended, called "Precious" (Barnes) is nothing but a gold-digger aided and abetted by her mother (Brady), they arrange for her to be introduced to a wealthy Count. This is arranged by their father's accountant (King). The man he chooses is a full-time drunk (Auer), but the girls mistake him for an actual wealthy count (Milland). What a mess.This is a delightful film, not cloying or overly sugary at all, with some nice performances, particularly by Auer, Milland, Barnes and Brady. The young women are pretty and all do good work. The emphasis, of course, is on young Durbin, who is a natural actress and a beautifully-trained singer. In fact, her voice as a youngster is much more even than it would be as an adult - she has no trouble with the high notes, as she did later on because she put too much weight in the middle voice. She sings a delightful "Il Bacio" in a police station.One of the nicest things about the film is to see the father, played by Charles Winninger, not want his children around - until he sees them and gets to know them. Barnes as the gold-digger isn't all that young, but the girls' mother looks way up there, so the inference probably was the older man seeking his youth with a younger, more glamorous woman. In fact, he finds the youth he was seeking in his daughters.Universal gives Durbin the big star buildup here - she has the final shot in the movie. Ray Milland at this point was still paying his dues, and it will probably be a surprise even to film fans how young and attractive he is.Very entertaining and of course, this led to a sequel and big stardom for Deanna.$LABEL$ 1 +If anyone is wondering why no one makes movies like they used to, with conversation, character and a simple theme of friendship struggling to evolve into something new, better and different, those folks need to take in this film and see top notch writing, directing, and acting that melds into a wonderful evening of observation on how things used to be in Italy and England. Other days, other times funneled into a terrific comedy of entertainment, made in 1992 with Alfred Molina, Joan Plowright, Polly Walker, Josie Lawrence, Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, and Michael Kitchens in the major roles. Under the brush stroke direction of Mike Newell, these actors accomplish vividly memorable performances that are photographed with a sublimely subtle painter's eye. Reminiscent of the theatrical bedroom farce of the turn of the century, this film might be called a friendship farce that becomes a worthwhile experience in the growth of the romantic nature within each character, and the viewer, too. An artistic telegram on the importance of caring about those around us.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this series out of curiosity,wanting to see if they could possibly and with ALL this modern technology,out do Cecil B. DeMille's classic epic of 1956, starring Charleton Heston,Yul Brenner and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Of course, I was let down. Yes, they had all the Biblical characters correct, but they didn't give us any of the spectacular theatrical scenes, that held your interest throughout the first movie. If you going to have a mini-series, you have to have some "rivoting" scenes, the "Burning bush", Parting the "RED Sea",drowning "Pharohs Armies", "building Sethi's Pyramids", could have been done with todays' technology on the scale of blockbuster movies such as "Lord of the Rings" or the Matrix. Obviously, they didn't want to leave a LASTING impression of "faith and sacrifice", which is much needed in these trouble times.$LABEL$ 0 +Daniel Day-Lewis is the most versatile actor alive. English aristocratic snob in A Room With a View, passionate Irish thief in In the Name of the Father, an impudent, violent butcher in Gangs of New York (in a performance ten times stronger than Adrian Brody's in the Pianist) and as the outrageous Cristy Brown with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot (just to name a few). His roles all influence eachother, but each is seperate, and utterly unique. He changes completely, with each character he takes on. And I'm beginning to believe that he can act as anything. Anything.As Cristy Brown he is stunning. He does not ridicule the character, and he does not pity the character. A difficult achievement. And Cristy Brown comes to life. A smart man. An outrageous man. Human.This movie, despite small scene-transition faults and the like, is an inspiration. Yes, it's predictable. But is it stupidly sentimental? No. I laughed. I cried. Not a single moment of cheese. Proof that this isn't a Hollywood movie.My favourite scene is the scene in the restaurant, when Cristy is discussing painters with Eileen, Peter and her friends. Here's where Daniel Day-Lewis reaches an acting climax. "I'll kick you in the only part of your anatomy that's animated." "Wheel out the cripple!" And his performance never slows down, never falters, and is beautiful. Simply. He has a lot of screen time here. I watch it again again, and I never get tired of Cristy's perspicacious eyes, twitching and guttural speeches.A must-see. Fo sho, yo!$LABEL$ 1 +My guess would be this was originally going to be at least two parts, and thus at least a quarter longer, because otherwise how can one explain its confused, abbreviated storyline. I was never completely lost, but I was often partially lost and usually unclear on character motivation. The movie feels as though joining plot points were dropped to squeeze it into its time slot.If it were longer, it might make more sense, but it still wouldn't be much good. The movie's most interesting idea is of the war between Zeus and Hera as being a war between the male and female, but the movie drops the ball on this, making Hera's followers fairly horrible while not being clear on what Zeus' followers do or believe. The movie is also interesting because you don't see the gods and there's no real certainty that they exist. So it's got a couple of intriguing ideas, but it doesn't do anything useful with them.Bad dialog, cardboard characters, and one interesting scene involving Hercules and his three antagonistic sons. Not unwatchable but also not worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I like to watch bad horror B-Movies, cause I think it's interesting to see stupidity and unability of creators to shoot seriously good movie. (I always compare this movies to - for example - some Spielberg's works and again-and-again don't understand the huge difference in what I see.) I like Ed Wood's movies cause it's so inept it's very funny. But people!!! "The Chilling" is not funny and is not even "interesting". It's EXTREMELY BORING horror movie without ANYTHING what makes even bad movies watchable. There's no acting, no screenplay, no direction, no thrills and not even blood. It's extremely inept amateurish film. It's definitely the WORST movie I had ever seen (and I had seen a lot of "worst movies" - believe me). I warned you !!! 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +This IS the worst movie I have ever seen, as well as, the worst that I will probably EVER see. I see no need to rehash what all the others have said previously, just be forewarned...This IS NOT one of those bad movies you think you want to watch because you want to be able to make fun of it, its just plain BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.This movie is the equivalent to having a "pet rock" as your friend. You wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait for something to happen. Unfortunately, it never does. At least with a pet rock you knew what you were getting into. Lion's Gate completely deceives on this bombshell... No...this is a disaster. After watching this film, you would swear George W. Bush had his hands all over the making of this film... yes its that idiotic.Stay away, unless of course you just want to watch the worst movie of all time. Its probably how Lion's Gate figured it would make some money off this piece of tripe.$LABEL$ 0 +I have been a Mario fan for as long as I can remember, I have very fond memories of playing Super Mario World as a kid, this game has brought back many of those memories while adding something new. Super Mario Galaxy is the latest installment in the amazing Mario franchise. There is much very different about this game from any other Mario before it, while still keeping intact the greatest elements of Mario, the first noticeable difference is that the story takes place in space.The story begins much like any other Mario game, Mario receives a letter from Princess Peach inviting him to a celebration at her castle in the Mushroom Kingdom. Upon arriving at Peach's castle Mario finds Bowser and his son (Bowser Jr.) attacking the castle with their airships. Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and then lifts her castle up into space. In the midst of the castle being lifted into space Mario falls off and lands on an unknown planet. Mario is found by a talking star named Luma and is taken back to the Luma's home, a floating space station, here Mario meets many other Lumas and also meets their leader, a woman named Rosalina. Rosalina tells Mario that Bowser has taken away the space station's Power Stars and scattered them across the universe, it is up to Mario to help the Lumas find them and save Peach, thus the adventure begins.The way you play the game is by flying from the space station to other galaxies, each galaxy consists of multiple planets that Mario travels amongst in levels via these shooting stars to retrieve the Power Stars. Mario can at many times walk all the way around planets without losing gravity, some planets are small and others are big, many planets are similar to classic Mario environments. The best thing about the game are the controls, all of the stuff like jumping and such is still the same, but the wiimote is used in many unique ways in this game. You shake the remote Mario will perform a spin that is used as the primary attack in the game, and it will as well activate the shooting stars. You can also point the remote at the screen and use the pointer to fire star bits at enemies or objects in the environment. Then there is the graphics, these are by far the best graphics on the Wii, it is just so hard to describe how great this game looks, you could probably almost say it looks as good as some 360 games.My only minor gripes is that the going upside down effect takes some getting used to, and also the story is pretty weak. The worst part is that you lose all of your lives when you turn off the game, no matter how many you had when you last quit you restart at 4 lives. Still these minor problems aside it's a superb game that is highly entertaining and is very challenging. This is the type of game that we've been waiting for on the Wii.A perfect 10 out of 10!$LABEL$ 1 +This short film that inspired the soon-to-be full length feature - Spatula Madness - is a hilarious piece that contends against similar cartoons yielding multiple writers. The short film stars Edward the Spatula who after being fired from his job, joins in the fight against the evil spoons. This premise allows for some funny content near the beginning, but is barely present for the remainder of the feature. This film's 15-minute running time is absorbed by some odd-ball comedy and a small musical number. Unfortunately not much else lies below it. The plot that is set up doesn't really have time to show. But it's surely follows it plot better than many high-budget Hollywood films. This film is worth watching at least a few times. Take it for what it is, and don't expect a deep story.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, last night, August 18th, 2004, I had the distinct displeasure of meeting Mr. Van Bebble at a showing of the film The Manson Family at the Three Penny in Chicago as part of the Chicago Underground Film Festival. Here's what I have to say about it. First of all, the film is an obvious rip off of every Kenneth Anger, Roman Polanski, Oliver Stone and Terry Gilliam movie I've ever seen. Second of all, in a short Q & A session after the show Mr. Van Bebble immediately stated that he never made any contact with the actual Manson Family members or Charlie himself, calling them liars and saying he wanted nothing to do with them, that the film was based on his (Van Bebble's) take on the trial having seen it all from his living room on TV and in the news (and I'm assuming from the Autobiography and the book Helter Skelter which were directly mimicked through the narrative). So I had second dibs on questions, I asked if he was trying to present the outsider, Mtv, sex drugs and rock 'n roll version and not necessarily the true story. This question obviously pissed off the by now sloshed director who started shouting "f*** you, shut the f*** up, this is the truth! All those other movies are bullsh**!"Well anyway, I didn't even think about how ridiculous this was until the next day when I read the tagline for the film, "You've heard the laws side of the story...now hear the story as it is told by the Manson Family." Excuse me, if this guy has never even spoken to the family and considers them to be liars that he doesn't want to have anything to do with, how in God's name can he tell the story for them!? This is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard! The film was obviously catered to the sex drugs and rock 'n roll audience that it had no trouble in attracting to the small, dimly lit theatre, and was even more obviously spawned by the sex drugs and rock 'n roll mind of a man who couldn't even watch his own film without getting up every ten minutes to go get more beer or to shout some sort of Rocky Horroresque call line to the actors on screen. This film accomplishes little more than warping the public's image of actual events (which helped shape the state of America and much of the world today) into some sort of Slasher/Comic Book/Porno/Rape fantasy dreamed up by an obviously shallow individual.The film was definitely very impressive to look at. The soundtrack was refreshing as it contained actual samples of Charlie's work with the Family off of his Lie album. The editing was nice and choppy to simulate the nauseating uncertainty of most modern music videos. All in all this film would have made a much better addition to the catalogues at Mtv than to the Underground Film Festival or for that matter the minds of any intellectual observers. I felt like I was at a midnight Rocky Horror viewing the way the audience was dressed and behaving (probably the best part of the experience). The cast was very good with the exception of Charlie who resembled some sort of stoned Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast more than the actual role he was portraying. The descriptions the film gave of him as full of energy, throwing ten things at you and being very physical about it all the while did not match at all the slow, lethargic, and chubby representation that was actually presented.All in all the film basically explains itself as Sadie (or maybe it was Linda) declares at the end, "You can write a bunch of bullsh** books or make a bunch of bullsh** movies...etc. etc." Case in point. Even the disclaimer "Based on a True Story" is a dead giveaway, signalling that somewhere beneath this psychedelic garbage heap lay the foundation of an actual story with content that will make and has made a difference in the world. All you have to do is a little bit of alchemy to separate the truth from the the crap, or actually, maybe you could just avoid it all together and go read a book instead.All I can say is this, when the film ended I got a free beer so I'm glad I went, but not so glad I spent fifteen dollars on my ticket to be told to shut the f*** up for asking the director a question. Peace.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought this game on an impulse buy from walmart. I am glad I did. It was very entertaining listening to Sean Connery and playing the game. I thought the graphics were the best I have ever seen in a movie/game remake. The bonus levels were very hard! The sniper one I think was too hard, it made me so frustrated I didn't play the game for a week and a half. There were too many people shooting at you with nothing to hide behind or life to handle it. The only thing I might change was the upgrade system. I didn't notice any difference from un-upgraded equipment to the upgraded, such as buying an armor upgrade didn't seem to make the armor stronger or more filling on my life meter. I really liked the Q copter. I think the developers did a good job.$LABEL$ 1 +No, this hilariously horrible 70's made-for-TV horror clinker isn't about a deadly demonically possessed dessert cake. Still, this exceptionally awful, yet undeniably amusing and thus enjoyable cathode ray refuse reaches a breathtaking apex of absolute, unremitting silliness and atrociousness that's quite tasty in a so-execrable-it's-downright-awesome sort of way. Richard Crenna, looking haggard and possibly inebriated, and Yvette Mimieux, who acts as if she never got over the brutal rape she endured in "Jackson County Jail," sluggishly portray a disgustingly nice and respectable suburbanite couple whose quaint, dull, sleepy small town existence gets ripped asunder when the cute German Shepard they take in as the family pet turns out to be some ancient lethal evil spirit. Pretty soon Mimieux and her two repellently cutesy kids Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann (the psychic alien moppets from the Disney "Witch Mountain" pictures) are worshiping a crude crayon drawing of the nasty, ugly canine entity in the den. Boy, now doesn't that sound really scary and disturbing? Well, scary and disturbing this laughably ludicrous claptrap sure ain't, but it sure is funny, thanks to Curtis ("Night Tide") Harrington's hopelessly weak direction, cartoonish (not so) special effects, an almost painfully risible'n'ridiculous plot, and a game cast that struggles valiantly with the absurd story (besides the leads, both Martine Beswicke and R.G. Armstrong briefly pop up as members of a Satanic cult and Victor Jory has a nice cameo as a helpful Native American shaman). Favorite scene: the malicious Mephestophelion mutt puts the whammy on Crenna, practically forcing him to stick his hand into a wildly spinning lawnmower blade. While stuck-up snobby fright film fans may hold their noses at the perfectly putrid stench of this admittedly smelly schlock, devout TV trash lovers should deem this endearingly abominable offal the boob tube equivalent to Alpo.$LABEL$ 1 +It is easy to tell early in this movie exactly what will happen, and who will die. It is about 4 women and a man who on a vacation. This was made during the end of the ultra Nazi seventies, when blonde women were supposedly ultra American survivors and brunettes were all deserving of death.This movie, like the others of that era, contrives to bring this about, and the viewer knows this. There is no mystery or suspense. The people squabble, but everything is so predictable for the prejudices of the time, it is laughable.The five people happen upon two savage young characters, and go nuts. Everyone is nuts, so that the director-writer team can justify their Nazi propaganda.For some reason, the guy is attracted to the blonde, who is really not much to look at, and ignores a super hot looking brunette that any heterosexual man would go nuts over. One must remember that in the seventies, movies were meant to appeal to women and not men.Totally crap and totally depressing.$LABEL$ 0 +Marion Davies stars in this remarkable comedy "Show People" released by MGM in 1928. Davies plays a hick from Savannah, Georgia, who arrives in Hollywood with her father (Dell Henderson). The jalopy they arrive in is a hoot - as is Davies outrageous southern costume. Davies lands a job in slapstick comedy, not what she wants, but it brings her success. She meets fellow slapstick star William Haines, who is immediately smitten with her. Well, Davies then gets a job at a more prestigious studio ("High Art Studios") and lands a job in stuffy period pieces. A handsome but fake actor (Andre Telefair) shows her the ropes of how to be the typical pretentious Hollywood star. Davies abandons her slapstick friend and father for the good life, but of course learns that is not who she really is. Marion Davies is wonderful throughout, as she - outrageously - runs the gamut of emotions required of a "serious" actress. William Haines is his usual wonderful comedic self, and there are cameos by Charles Chaplin, John Gilbert, and other famous stars of the day, including the director of the film, King Vidor. This is a silent film with a few "sound effects" as sound pictures were just coming into their own. A treasure of a film.$LABEL$ 1 +The performance of every actor and actress (in the film) are excellently NATURAL which is what movie acting should be; and the directing skill is so brilliantly handled on every details that I am never tired of seeing it over and over again. However, I am rather surprised to see that this film is not included in some of the actors' and director, Attenborough's credits that puzzles me: aren't they proud of making a claim that they have made such excellent, long lasting film for the audience? I am hoping I would get some answers to my puzzles from some one (possibly one of the "knowledgeable" personnel (insider) of the film.$LABEL$ 1 +While Star Trek the Motion Picture was mostly boring, Star Trek The Final Frontier is plain bad. In this terrible sequel, the crew is on shore leave when they get a distress signal from the Federation that ambassadors representing Earth, Romulus and Kronos (the Klingon home world) have been kidnapped by a renegade Vulcan bent on his quest to attain a starship to venture into the great barrier. There, he hopes to find God. Using mysticism and bad writing, he persuades many of the senior officers of the Enterprise to betray Kirk and get a hold of the ship. They do reach the inside of the great barrier and find a planet where they do meet a god-like alien. This one is so bad it is hard to figure out where to begin. At the core is a good idea that is never really developed. The plot goes nowhere instead of where no man has gone before. It is almost like the writers had no idea how to end this fiasco. The action scenes don't have the suspense of Wrath of Kahn, the philosophy is boring, and the humor is stale. Now I will focus most of my anger on William Shatner. When he takes the director's chair, the ego gets bigger. Most of the focus is on him, Spock, and McCoy, but does not give the others enough to do. Moreover, whereas Shatner is usually guilty of over-acting in previous movies and television spots, he is just plain bad in this one. Now Kirk is reckless, a practical jokers, and silly. One of the worst scenes involves the three leaders singing the song, "Row Row Row your Boat" in a round by a campfire. In any case, this is the worst of the Star Trek franchise. I should have given it three out of ten instead of five.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite later claims, this early-talkie melodrama has very little in common with "Citizen Kane": It's a biopic of a ruthless but human fictional plutocrat, told in flashback but hopping around time. The scriptwriter, Preston Sturges, shows none of his later gift for sparkling dialog, and none of the myriad cinematic innovations of "Kane" are evident. Still, it's very watchable, with a young Spencer Tracy (his old-man makeup makes him look just like, well, an old Spencer Tracy) showing depth and authority, and Colleen Moore -- a little past her prime, and not physically well matched -- playing a multifaceted woman-behind-the-man. There's also Helen Vinson as one of the most treacherous femmes fatales in movie history, sending the final third into ecstatic soap-opera reverberations. The surviving print is jumpy and has missing audio snippets, and there are some plot holes left open (how would she know whose son it was if she's sleeping with both of them?), and the music is awfully hokey. For all that, I was quite fascinated.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the best version (so far) that you will see and the most true to the Bronte work. Dalton is a little tough to imagine as Rochester who Jane Eyre declared "not handsome". But his acting overcomes this and Zelah Clark, pretty as she is, is also a complete and believable Jane Eyre. This production is a lengthy watch but well worth it. Nearly direct quotes from the book are in the script and if you want the very first true 'romance' in literature, this is the way to see it. I own every copy of this movie and have read and re-read the original. The filming may seem a little dated now but there will never be another like this.$LABEL$ 1 +Apparently, the people that wrote the back of the box did not bother to watch this so-called "movie." They described "blindingly choreographed intrigue and violence." I saw no "intrigue." I instead saw a miserable attempt at dialogue in a supposed kung fu movie. I saw no "violence." At least, I saw nothing which could cause me to suspend my disbelief as to what could possibly hurt a man with "impervious" skin--but here I am perhaps revealing too much of the "plot." Furthermore, as a viewer of many and sundry films (some of which include the occasional kung fu movie), I can authoritatively say that this piece of celluloid is unwatchable. Whatever you may choose to do, I will always remain Correct, Jonathan Tanner P.S. I was not blinded by the choreography.$LABEL$ 0 +I liked Boyle's performance, but that's about the only positive thing I can say. Everything was overdone to the point of absurdity. Most of the actors spoke like you would expect your 9-year-old nephew to speak if he were pretending to be a jaded, stone-hearted cop, or an ultra-evil villain. The raspy voice-overs seemed amateurish to me. I could go buy a cheap synthesizer and crank out better opening music. And what's with the whole 1984ish police torture stuff? It was totally superfluous and had nothing to do with the actual events of the story. Cox added a lot of things, in fact, that he apparently thought would be really cool, but had nothing to do with the story. That's a big disappointment because one of the things that makes Borges' stories so good is his minimalism -- they are tightly bound, with no superfluous details. This movie is just the opposite. I stopped watching after the scene where Lonnrot is questioning the guy from the Yidische Zaitung, or thereabouts. I wasted $4 renting this, but at least I can get some satisfaction from writing this review and hopefully saving others from making the same mistake.$LABEL$ 0 +It's terrific when a funny movie doesn't make smile you. What a pity!! This film is very boring and so long. It's simply painfull. The story is staggering without goal and no fun.You feel better when it's finished.$LABEL$ 0 +So well made, no CGI crap. Has anyone else been on the "Jumping Crocs" tour of Darwin's Adelaide River before? Black Water was WAY realistic; Rogue was a bit cringeworthy.Thought the blonde chick was excellent in it - haven't really seen her before. And the other chick is a babe, she is always excellent. V. suspenseful - I would compare it to Jaws over any other man eating animal flick. Got the hole Aussie thing down pat without going OTT with struths and crikeys, as well. Loved it!$LABEL$ 1 +The Assignment is an outstanding thriller with several plot twists driven by character, rather than star turns, the need to stage special effects, obligatory romance, and endless car chases. However, there is a car chase in here, and a dandy it is. Aidan Quinn is wonderful as both the terrorist and the naval officer "recruited" to eliminate him. It is rare that a second or third tier actor, such as Quinn, is given an important starring role like this that carries a film. Usually, such a role is given to an A-list actor with box office draw, which is probably why I never heard of this film before I saw it. Donald Sutherland is great as the morally ambiguous, somewhat creepy at times, agent that recruits Quinn. Ben Kingsley is fine also as the Israeli agent. The plot is very complex and there are multiple story lines, which converge in gradual fashion toward the end, and not all at once as we're used to seeing. The paranoia and claustrophobia of these type of thrillers is captured and portrayed with both moral ambiguity and frightening intensity. The locations are convincing and effective. The soundtrack is nothing special, but rarely do we get all of the above mentioned qualities these days, without dumb and/or meaningless plot developments; unconvincing star turns; loud, annoying, music video type soundtracks; a villain that hams it up; and repeatedly a cast, costumes, and plot that cater mostly to an audience under 25. This is an outstanding thriller, which most assuredly did not get its just due upon its release. ***1/2 of 4 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +this is one of the finest movies i have ever seen....the stark scenery...the isolation...the ignorant bigoted people hiding behind their religion...a backdrop for some wordliness and sophistication...the acting is completely natural...but for me as a"foodie' the best is the actual choosing and preparation of the feast..i have spent time in paris and know the cuisine well...whether or not the cafe anglais really exists i don't know but i do know of similar establishments and babette's menu and choice of wines are authentic...and of course the end where despite themselves the perfect meal mellows them back to friendship is the only ending there could be..this is a 10 out of 10 film and should be seen by anyone with enough brain and taste to understand it$LABEL$ 1 +Set in the 1794, the second year of the French republic formed after the execution of Louis XVI, this film portrays the power struggle between the revolutionary leaders Danton (Gerard Depardieu, at his finest) and Robespierre (a commanding performance by the Polish actor Wojciech Pszoniak). The moderate revolutionary Danton has returned to Paris from his country seat where he has been since being deposed as leader of the Committee of Public Safety in the previous year by Robespierre. He is opposed to "The Reign Of Terror" which has resulted in the executions of thousands of citizens, mainly by guillotine, who are thought to be opposed to the Revolution. Danton is confident of the support of the ordinary people and tries to persuade Robespierre to curb the bloodletting. But Robespierre and the Committee are afraid that the popularity of Danton will lead to them being overthrown, and put Danton and his supporters on trial for being traitors. This was the first French language film made by Andrzej Wajda after he had arrived in France from Poland. His Polish film company was closed down by the government due to his support for the Solidarity trade union, which had opposed the Polish government in the late seventies and early eighties. His previous film "Man Of Iron" (1981) had dealt with the Solidarity union and its leader Lech Walesa, and it is easy to draw comparisons between the relationship of Walesa and the Polish leader General Jaruselski, and that between Danton and Robespierre. Danton/Walesa are the voice of reason opposed to Robespierre/Jaruselski who continue dictatorial rule despite having lost the support of the people they claim to represent. The film is based on the Polish play "The Danton Affair" written by Stanislawa Przybyszewska in the 1930s, and on its release the film was criticised by some for being static and theatrical. But what the film does is to concentrate on the behind-the-scenes meetings of the Committees and the scenes in the National Assembly and the courtroom rather than the activities on the streets of Paris.$LABEL$ 1 +Usually I'm a bit of a fan of the bad eighties & early nineties film featuring now has beens...but this film is so incredibly terrible that it was a real endurance test to sit through. Guys dressing up as girls has been done to death - but never so pathetically. Corey Haim's performance was abysmal as usual, Nicole Eggert was not much better. This has no redeeming qualities, even if you are a number #1 fan of an actor/actress in this piece of trash - stay away!$LABEL$ 0 +I have now seen quite a few films by Pedro Almodóvar, but this would have to be the most disappointing so far. This film seemed to lack the zaniness that is usually everywhere in his films, and the story just never got me interested. Many Almodóvar regulars appear in this film, so it's not like there was a lack of on-screen talent, but this film just seemed more serious than his other films. If there was a comedic edge to this movie, I certainly couldn't find it, and it made for one surprisingly weak movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I greatly enjoyed Margaret Atwood's novel 'The Robber Bride', and I was thrilled to see there was a movie version. A woman frames a cop boyfriend for her own murder, and his buddy, an ex-cop journalist, tries to clear his name by checking up on the dead woman's crazy female friends. It's fortunate that the movie script fixes Ms. Atwood's clumsy plotting by focusing on the story of these two men, victims of scheming women...Heh. Okay, you got me. If these guys are mentioned in the book, and I'm pretty sure they're entirely made up for the movie, I'll eat the dust cover of my hardback copy. Apparently, the three main female characters of the novel aren't enough to carry the movie. Zenia's manipulations aren't interesting unless we see them happen to a man, and a man's life is screwed up. Roz, Charis, and Toni tell their stories -- to a man. Because it's not important if a man doesn't hear them.I liked the characters in the book. It hurts to see them pushed off to the side for a man's story. I normally do not look for feminist angles on media, and I tried to enjoy the movie as is. If I hadn't read the book, I might have enjoyed the movie a lot more. So if you like the cop and the ex-cop, and you want to read more about them, you're out of luck. Read the novel, if you want to enjoy luscious prose and characterization subtly layered through a plot. It's the same plot: the movie excavated it, ironed it, and sprinkled it with male angst. It's like Zenia's revenge on Margaret Atwood.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie gets a 10 because there is a lot of gore in it.who cares about the plot or the acting.this is an Italian horror movie people so you know you can't expect much from the acting or the plot.everybody knows fulci took footage from other movies and added it to this one.since i never seen any of the movies that he took footage from it didn't matter to me.the Italian godfather of gore out done himself with this movie.this is one of the goriest Italian movies you will ever see.no gore hound should be without this movie in their horror movie collection.buy this movie no matter what it is a horehounds dream come true.$LABEL$ 1 +Ingrid Bergman, playing dentist Walter Matthau's faithful receptionist who harbors a little crush on her boss, is absolutely wonderful in this film. She handles the witty repartee in the script with aplomb and steals a terrific scene where she and Goldie Hawn talk in a record booth (Ingrid's monologue is a front, but her face tells you she believes in it with all her heart). Matthau is an odd choice for the leading man (he's too old for Goldie Hawn and too unrefined for Bergman, not to mention too unfocused to be a dentist), but I liked the way he tries hard to please Goldie and stumbles around trying to free himself from a lie. Hawn (who won a Supporting Oscar) is just as fresh and bubbly as she is today. This bedroom farce isn't terribly sophisticated (and faintly reminds one of "Any Wednesday" besides), but it's a welcome relief from the noisy, teen-oriented comedies they turn out today. "Cactus Flower" is a lovely sigh! *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +"A bored television director is introduced to the black arts and astral projection by his girlfriend. Learning the ability to separate his spirit from his body, the man finds a renewed interest in his life and a sense of wellbeing. Unfortunately, the man discovers while he is sleeping, his spirit leaves his body and his uncontrolled body roams the streets in a murderous rampage," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.The synopsis isn't entirely correct, as it turns out.Anyway, the movie opens with a dizzying "out-of-body" example of handsome director Winston Rekert (as Paul Sharpe)'s newly discovered "astral body" experience; it also foreshadows an upcoming dogfight. Young Andrew Bednarski (as Matthew Sharpe), being a kid, draws pictures of "The Blue Man", as his murder spree begins. Handsome detective John Novak (as Stewart Kaufman) discovers the victims are connected to Mr. Rekert. Mr. Novak's investigation leads to the supernatural; a prime example of which is Karen Black (as Janus), with whom Rekert fears he is falling in love.Several in the cast perform well; but, "The Blue Man" winds up tying itself up in a knot. Aka "Eternal Evil", its unsatisfying story tries to be far too clever for its own good.$LABEL$ 0 +Ah yes the 1980s , a time of Reaganomics and Sly , Chuck and a host of other action stars hiding in a remote jungle blowing away commies . At the time I couldn`t believe how movies like RAMBO , MISSING IN ACTION and UNCOMMON VALOR ( And who can forget the ridiculous RED DAWN ? ) made money at the box office , they`re turgid action crap fests with a rather off putting right wing agenda and they have dated very badly . TROMA`S WAR is a tongue in cheek take on these type of movies but you`ve got to ask yourself did they need spoofing in the first place ? Of course not . TROMA`S WAR lacks any sort of sophistication - though it does make the point that there`s no real difference between right wing tyrants and left wing ones - and sometimes feels more like a grade z movie than a send up . Maybe it is ?$LABEL$ 0 +This tale based on two Edgar Allen Poe pieces ("The Fall of the House of Usher", "Dance of Death" (poem) ) is actually quite creepy from beginning to end. It is similar to some of the old black-and-white movies about people that meet in an old decrepit house (for example, "The Cat and the Canary", "The Old Dark House", "Night of Terror" and so on). Boris Karloff plays a demented inventor of life-size dolls that terrorize the guests. He dies early in the film (or does he ? ) and the residents of the house are subjected to a number of terrifying experiences. I won't go into too much detail here, but it is definitely a must-see for fans of old dark house mysteries.Watch it with plenty of popcorn and soda in a darkened room.Dan Basinger 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I am so happy and surprised that there is so much interest in this movie! Jack Frost was my introduction into the films produced and distributed by A-pix entertainment, and without exception, everything this company deals with is pure crap! First, and this is very important, never ever watch this movie sober! Why would you? Unlike many other entertaingly bad movies, this one I feel was made intentionally bad. I just can't get over how fake the snowman is, which is why its always shown only briefly, the way it moves is the best! This movie is Waaaaaaaaaaay better than the Michael Keaton piece of crap, becuz that was made too be a good movie, and that version is as bad as this.$LABEL$ 0 +"Revolt of the Zombies" proves that having the same director revamp and recycle an idea doesn't necessarily make lightning strike twice.The Halperin brothers, responsible for the horror classic "White Zombie", made this trite piece of garbage a mere few years later to cash in on its popularity and even recycled close-ups of Lugosi's eyes from that previous film. There was a court battle with the "White Zombie" film's rights owners, who didn't want the Halperins to be able to use the word 'zombie' in this title. That word was the only thing that could help this film, because, as everyone knows, bad films can make much more money simply by having the word 'Zombie' appear in the title. Knowing what Victor Halperin was capable of a few years before only makes this uninteresting film more insulting. It seems he never directed another horror film after this debacle. The zombies here seem not to be true walking dead, but simply hypnotism victims.Wanna create a mind-controlled army of zombies? Be ready to crack a few eggs, including your own.THE LAME PLOT: Man falls in love with scheming woman who plays with his heart and becomes engaged to him only to make his friend, whom she loves, jealous. This sends man into a spiral of madness in which he tries using zombie mind-control techniques to change things to his advantage in an attempt to win over a woman who isn't worth spit.This includes one of the most blatantly obvious plot developments I've ever seen. You'd have to be blind or stupid not to see the ending coming. The acting isn't even good. This movie makes the racially insensitive "King of the Zombies" (which appeared on the same double bill DVD I bought) seems like an atmospheric horror masterpiece by comparison and reminds us that not every black and white film is a classic. It makes the atomic age sci-fi alien zombie cheese fest "Invisible Invaders" seem like a serious drama. This is one big ball of cheese so ridiculously melodramatic it could probably make many a Korean film fan twitch (South Korean films are often known for their use of melodrama). The credits list the ironically named company Favorite Films. I'm not sure whose favorite film this would be, but they're obviously an idiot.Not recommended for fans of: zombies, romance, or classic films.$LABEL$ 0 +The complaints are valid, to me the biggest problem is that this soap opera is too aimed for women. I am okay with these night time soaps, like Grey's Anatomy, or Ugly Betty, or West Wing, because there are stories that are interesting even with the given that they will never end. However, when the idea parallels the daytime soaps aimed at just putting hunky men (Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, and Chris Lowell) into sexual tension and romps, and numerous ridiculous difficult situations in a so-called little hospital, it seems like General Hospital...or a female counterpart to Baywatch. That was what men wanted and they had it, so if this is what women want so be it, but the idea that this is a high brow show (or something men will watch) is unrealistic.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was one of the best movies that I have seen this year. I didn't see any cameos in the movie, but it is still pretty good. It is similar to Anchorman in the humor department, but I think this is a better put together movie. It actually has a point. If you are going to see a whole bunch of T&A you will be disappointed. Just a well put together movie!!!! If you have nothing to do for the day or you need a lot of humor, you will find this to be a really good movie. I definitely think that Ebert and Roeper's review of this movie is right on. I mean, I don't really like Ebert on most movies, but this is the movie that I will agree about. The movie contains a good enough story that it is actually believable that these type of people are out there. There is definitely something to be said about how they treat virginity in this movie. Yea, sure, you get laughed at when it is found out about, but it still suggests that you wait. Steve did a wonderful job of portraying the person that he did in this movie and yet, it is still funny.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember seeing this film in the mid 80's thought it a well paced and well acted piece. I now work quite often in Berkeley Square and the had to get a copy of DVD to remind myself how little the area has changed, although my office is newish it just 30 seconds away from "the bank". Even Jack Barclays car dealership is still there selling Bentleys and Rolls Royces.It's look like the DVD is due a Region 2 release soon. The region 1 copy I is very poor quality. Let's hope they've cleaned it up.Only the slightly dodgy escape sequence from the court spoils what would otherwise be a great film but I guess is in line with the caper tag the film goes with.$LABEL$ 1 +Two hours ago I was watching this brilliant movie which overwhelmed me with its imprisoning photography. It is quite understandable how it won the prize of Best Camera in Cannes 2000. Close ups predominated it. Close ups of walls, humans and of many other things. The warm colored lighting (which is also usually by the director) gave the movie a warm atmosphere. Only two persons are principally to be seen in most of it. An interesting music and especially three songs or themes accompanied the movie nearly all the time. Each one of these themes represented a certain atmosphere during the whole movie. Silence and slow movements characterize the movie. Some scenes were extended moments or a serious of close-ups. Not only Tony Leung deserves a prize for his superb acting since Maggie Cheung was also so brilliant. I wonder how many dresses she was wearing in the different scenes. The story was also connected somehow with the history of Hong Kong and the region the 1960s. This prevented me from understanding some details of the it especially at the end. In short I would recommend the fans of artistic movies to watch it in the cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Luckily for Bill Murray this is such a light-weight project since he pretty much has to carry it. Meatballs is the story of low-rent Camp Northstar and how its counselors deal with the campers as well as one another. Then there is much made of their wealthy rivals from across the lake named Camp Mohawk which culminates in a two-day Olympiad competition. Above it all is Bill Murray clowning around and making a pretty memorable film debut.The film is sprinkled with medium-sized laughs, chuckles, and more than a few guffaws along the way. The biggest laughs come from the pranks played on the nerdy camp director. Three of them involve the counselors moving his bed outside in various locations while he's sleeping. Morty, or "Micky" as everyone calls him, wakes up along the side of a road, strung up in some trees several feet above the ground, and finally floating on a raft in the middle of the lake! There are also some funny moments involving the counselors hitting on one another, but this is a PG rated film with little in the way of raunchiness.The film takes a serious note involving a shy camper named Rudy who is played by Chris Makepeace. Of course it's up to Murray to teach the kid how to open up, and give him the confidence he needs to run a marathon during the Olympiad. The sentimentality of Rudy's situation seems tacked on to a great degree. Notice how when Murray first sees the kid sitting alone in the grass after getting off the bus he tells him, "you must be the short depressed kid we ordered." Makes you wonder if that line was really in the script or Murray was just ad-libbing while the cameras were rolling. In other words, Murray might as well have said to Makepeace, "you must be that actor we hired to play the stereotypical lonely kid you see in most summer camp films who doesn't fit in." But before it's all over, Murray's performance makes this plot device more than bearable. He really seems to have some good chemistry with Makepeace.The film culminates with the games between the two rival camps. Very little of the events we are shown are even slightly believable, but "it just doesn't matter". This is a pretty good film on many levels. Don't let the absurd 5.6 rating this film is currently getting scare you off. Murray will keep you laughing throughout. Just be warned..... avoid the sequels!!!! Especially the one with Corey Feldman!! 8 of 10 stars.The Hound.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Danish Bladerunner" is boldly stated on the box. Are you kidding me?! This film is a complete drag. When I'm thirsty and go for a soda in the kitchen, I usually pause the vcr, so I won't miss anything. Not this time. I actually found myself looking long and hard in the fridge, just so I wouldn't have to go back. Why the hell is there not ONE sciencefiction-scriptwriter out there who has the vaguest clue about how computers work? It's mindboggling. One of the premises of film, is that our hero (who's a hacker), has a little computerassistant to help him (the Microsoft Office paperclip finally caught on in the future). When he loses the assistant in the movie, he's helpless and can't get into any computers. HE'S A HACKER! It's like saying, that you can't drive your car, if you don't have your lucky "driving-cap" on. I won't even go into the lightning-effect when he recieves electroshock...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie shows a clip of live animal mutilation of an animal getting hacked by a machete and getting its skin ripped off. I know these horrible things happen in the world, but Im watching movies based on the fact that what Im watching is not actually happening on the screen. These live animal clips are not meant to be in movies, they are meant to show people that belong to certain organizations to help the horrible things that humans to do other species.This should be banned and destroyed. I have also contacted Netflix and other resources to collaborate getting this movie off the market!!This movie should be removed from the public. The person who made this movie needs psychological help.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who thinks Kool Moe Dee, Carol Alt, and Corey Feldman comprise a list of good actors must be smoking something I'd love to try sometime. Where to begin: lousy soundtrack, hammy acting, "action" in places. This is the typical amateurishly written hack fodder that washed-up has-been and never-was's love to star in. I actually felt embarrassed for the "stars" in this "film". The only thespian missing to top this turd was Gary Coleman, who if he would have been in the movie, would have made it at least somewhat howlingly bad, rather than just plain bad.There was one part in the film where Carol Alt screamed, "DO YOU THINK I'M AN IDIOT?!?" Yes, Carol, I do, your agent does, and PLEASE for the love of all that is decent and holy... GO AWAY and stop degrading yourself like this! This film is something Anna Nicole Smith would take part in.I would tell you what the plot was, but that would be one more sentence fragment to this article, plus my mind drifted many times during the movie anyway, so I barely paid attention.$LABEL$ 0 +This film could have been a decent re-make, and gosh knows it tried (or Ms. English tried). Assembling talented actors together with a successful & experienced writer/director should be a formula for a decent film. But Ms. English's experience - according to her IMDb bio - is exclusively limited to television work, and it is glaringly obvious throughout this film.I am surprised that none of the reviews I have read mention what I found most unlikeable about this film, and what kept it from reaching even a portion of its potential: it looked and felt like it was made for television. To give some credit to Ms. English, many of the jokes that simply did NOT work on a movie screen would have been terrific on TV (and maybe a laugh track would have helped). So much of the camera usage and the lighting would have played out fine on TV but looked awkward or odd on a big screen. If the whole film had been chopped up into a mini-series or a sit-com, I think it could have worked. But this is cinema and sadly Ms. English's talents didn't translate. I cringed at so many different points in my embarrassment for the actors & the writers that I felt like I came out of the theater half shriveled! Meg Ryan is her usual perky, cute self (except for the awful plastic surgery she has had on her face), but where did she have a chance to use her talent?! She has made films where she doesn't recreate her stereo-typed role and done them well... but not here. Annette Bening seemed to simply go through the motions - such a great talent and yet such a poor performance! I enjoyed the other women characters but they were more caricature than substance, and it was sad to see. What worked in this film in the 1930s doesn't translate to the 2000s, and no one helped Ms. English get the changes & updates or subtleties right. If only she (as writer, director AND producer) had reached out for some assistance, I think it could have been good. But it was not.It's so frustrating to go to a movie that has good stars and a good writer or director and come away feeling it was a waste of everyone's time & money! This New Yorker cartoon I saw yesterday is appropriate: A few movie execs are having a meeting & the caption reads: "Let's remake a classic with worse everything!"$LABEL$ 0 +I find it very intriguing that Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy's sister and the cousin of these women, would encourage the Maysles' to make "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" the subject of a film. They certainly could be considered the "skeletons" in the family closet. The extra features on the DVD include several contemporary fashion designers crediting some of their ideas to these oddball women. I'd say that anyone interested in fashion would find the discussion by these designers fascinating. (i.e. "Are they nuts? Or am I missing something?"). This movie is hard to come by. Netflix does not have it. Facets does, though.$LABEL$ 1 +C'mon guys some previous reviewers have nearly written a novel commenting on this episode. It's just an old 60's TV show ! This episode of Star Trek is notable because of the most serious babe (Yeoman Barrow's) ever used on Star Trek and the fact that it was filmed in a real outdoor location. Unlike the TNG and Voyager series which were totally confined to sound stages.This use of an outdoor location (and babe) gives proper depth and an almost film like quality to a quite ordinary episode of this now dated and very familiar show.Except a few notable exceptions i.e "The city on the edge of forever" , "assignment Earth" and "Tomorrow is Yesterday" The old series of Star Trek needs to be seriously moth-balled and put out of it's boring misery. Half a dozen good episodes from 79 is quite a poor batting average.This is typical of the boring stuff Gene Roddenberry produced back then actually, contrary to popular belief where some people worshiped the ground he walked on, he actually made a LOT of rubbish! He doesn't deserve to be spoken of in the same breath as Irwin Allen for example.Just look at the set of the bridge of the Enterprise from a modern point of view. They used wobbly plywood for the floor, cafeteria chairs with plastic backs and cheap cardboard above the instrument panels. You can clearly see the folds in the paper ! Every expense spared or what !$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched this movie on it's premier night out of curiosity and sheer nostalgia. I liked (not loved) "Mork & Mindy" as a kid, mostly for Robin William's zany energetic performance. This movie made me remember why. Was the original show great? Not really, but Robin certainly was. Which brings me to this movie.I was pleasantly surprised, expecting nothing more than a paint by numbers chronological retelling of the show (which in a way it was). But, of course, the real focus was on Robin. It was interesting to see Robin's journey from struggling street jester to national t.v star, and how such a drastic difference affected him and his long suffering wife. And my hat is off to star Chris Diamantopoulos as he portrayed Mr. Williams with integrity, sensitivity, and heart; not just a cute impression, although it was even dead-on. (On an unrelated note, I noticed that Robin's struggles were in some ways similar to Andy Kaufman, who was under-appreciated by network t.v. and held back creatively, but that's the "Taxi" behind the scenes biopic.)All in all, this was a very enjoyable flick, in which I felt I got to know a little more of the man behind the Orkan. The acting was solid by all- never melodramatic like I suspected- and the story moved along well. Performances that were particularly good were by those who played Garry Marshall and John Belushi (the scene in which Belushi heckles Robin was a hoot!). Not a great masterpiece by any means (I would have liked to have seen a tad more about Pam Dawber), but definitely watchable, especially for those Robin Williams and "Mork & Mindy" fans out there. Nanoo, nanoo!$LABEL$ 1 +I caught this film on AZN on cable. It sounded like it would be a good film, a Japanese "Green Card". I can't say I've ever disliked an Asian film, quite the contrary. Some of the most incredible horror films of all time are Japanese and Korean, and I am a HUGE fan of John Woo's Hong Kong films. I an not adverse to a light hearted films, like Tampopo or Chung King Express (two of my favourites), so I thought I would like this. Well, I would rather slit my wrists and drink my own blood than watch this laborious, badly acted film ever again.I think the director Steven Okazaki must have spiked the water with Quaalude, because no one in this film had a personality. And when any of the characters DID try to act, as opposed to mumbling a line or two, their performance came across as forced and incredibly fake. I honestly did not think that anyone had ever acted before...the ONLY person who sounded genuine was Brenda Aoki.. I find it amazing that this is promoted as a comedy, because I didn't laugh once. Even MORE surprising is that CBS morning news called this "a refreshing breath of comedy". It was neither refreshing, nor a breath of comedy. And the ending was very predictable, the previous reviewer must be an idiot to think such things.AVOID this film unless you want to see a boring predictable plot line and wooden acting. I actually think that "Spike of Bensonhurst" is a better acted film than this...and I walked out half way through that film!$LABEL$ 0 +Before I begin, let me get something off my chest: I'm a huge fan of John Eyres' first film PROJECT: SHADOWCHASER. The film, a B-grade cross of both THE TERMINATOR & DIE HARD, may not be the work of a cinematic genius, but is a hugely entertaining action film that became a cult hit (& spawned two sequels & a spin off).Judge and Jury begins with Joseph Meeker, a convicted killer who was sent to Death Row following his capture after the so-called "Bloody Shootout" (which seems like a poor name for a killing spree – Meeker kills three people while trying to rob a convenience store), being led to the electric chair. There is an amusing scene where Meeker talks to the priest about living for sex but meeting his one true love (who was killed during the shootout), expressing his revenge for the person who killed her – Michael Silvano, a washed-up football star who spends his days watching his son Alex practicing football with his high school team (and ends up harassing his son's coach). But once executed, Meeker returns as a revenant (or as Kelly Perine calls "a hamburger without the fries"), whose sole aim is to get his revenge, which basically means making Silvano's life a misery.Let me point out the fact that Judge and Jury is not a true horror film. It is a supernatural action film, with Meeker chasing Silvano, using his ability to change form (which amounts to David Keith dressing up as everything from an Elvis impersonator, a French chef (with an accent as bad as his moustache), a drag queen, a clown & a stand-up comedian), a shotgun which fires explosive rounds & an invulnerability to death (although that doesn't stop Martin Kove from shooting Keith with a Desert Eagle), to pay Silvano back for killing Meeker's wife.Director John Eyres does not seem interested in characterisations, instead focusing solely on action scenes, which the film has plenty of. But that is the film's main flaw, since there's nothing to connect the action scenes together. The acting is surprisingly good, with Keith delivering the best performance, supported ably by Kove, as well as Paul Koslo, who plays the washed-up cop quite well. Kelly Perine is annoying as the cabbie who tries to help but makes the situation worse.$LABEL$ 0 +Ye Lou's film Purple Butterfly pits a secret organization (Purple Butterfly) against the Japanese forces in war torn Shanghai. Ding Hui (Zhang Ziyi) and her ex-lover Hidehiko Itami (Toru Nakamura) find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict after a chance meeting.I agree with the reviewer from Paris. The film substitutes a convoluted, semi-historical conflict for a plot, without giving the audience a single reason to care about the characters or their causes. The sudden time shifting doesn't help matters as it appears completely unwarranted and pointless. Normally I don't mind dark movies, but the absence of light, the bone-jarringly shaky camera footage, and the generally bad film-making techniques really make this a tough film to watch and stay interested in. I also agree with the viewer from Georgia that this film "has a chaotic editing style and claustrophobic cinematography", but I don't think that helps the movie. The backdrop to the film is one of the most potent events of the 20th Century, and I don't believe you can do it any justice by editing it as if it were a Michael Bay film. The overly melodramatic moments don't add to its watchability.The actors are all suitably melancholy. Zhang Ziyi once again shows that she has an exceptionally limited acting range as she spends the entire movie doing what she seems to do best in all her films, brooding and looking generally annoyed. However, at least she adds some variety to this role by chainsmoking and engaging in the worst love-making scene since Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton in The Terminator.All in all, a very disappointing film, especially seeing as how it comes from the director of Suzhou He. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +After hearing about George Orwell's prophetic masterpiece for all of my life, I'm now 37, but never having read the book, I am totally confused as to what I've just seen.I am very familiar with the concepts covered in the novel, as i'm sure most are, but only through hearsay and quotes. Without this limited knowledge this film would have been a complete mystery, and even with it I'm still no more educated about the story of 1984 than I was before I watched it.On the plus side...The cinematography is amazing, Hurt & Burton deliver fine performances and the overall feel of the movie is wonderfully grim and desolate. The prostitute scene was a fantastically dark piece of film making.Now for the down sides, and there are plenty...There is a war going on, (at least as far as the propaganda is concerned), but why & with who? Nothing is explained. There are a couple of names bandied about (Eurasia etc), but they mean nothing without explanation.Who is Winston? what does he do? where does he come from? where does he work? why is he changing news reports? why isn't he on the front line? Why doesn't he eat the food in the canteen? What is that drink he's drinking through the entire film? Why is he so weak & ill? Why isn't he brainwashed like the rest of them? What's the deal with his mother & sister? What happened to his father? A little back story would have been nice, no scrub that, essential for those like myself that haven't read the book. Without it, this is just a confusing and hard to follow art-house movie that constantly keeps you guessing at what is actually going on.The soundtrack was dis-jointed and badly edited and the constant chatter from the Big Brother screens swamps the dialogue in places making it even harder to work out whats going on. I accept that this may have been an artistic choice but it's very annoying all the same.Also, I know this has been mentioned before, but why all the nudity? It just seemed totally gratuitous and felt like it had been thrown in there to make up for the lack of any plot coverage.I personally can't abide the way Hollywood feels it has to explain story lines word for word these days. We are not all brainwashed simpletons, but this is a few steps too far the other way. I can only imagine that it totally relies on the fact that you've read the book because if this film really is the 'literal translation' that I've seen many people say, I would find it very hard to understand why 1984 is hailed as the classic it is.There's no denying that it was light years ahead of it's time and has pretty much predicted every change in our society to date, (maybe this has been a sort of bible to the powers that be?), but many sci-fi novelists have done the same without leaving gaping holes in the storyline.I guess I have to do what I should have done from the start and buy a copy of the book if i'm to make any sense out of this.All in all, very disappointed in something I've waited for years to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +This cute animated short features two comic icons - Betty Boop and Henry.Henry is the bald, slightly portly boy from the comics who never speaks.Well here he does speak!He wants to get a puppy from Betty Boop's pet store, and when he is left to mind the store - some hilarious hijinks ensue.Betty sings a song about pets, Henry gets in a battle with birds and a monkey, but everything works out in the end.$LABEL$ 1 +I just got back from this free screening, and this "Osama Witch Project" is the hands-down worst film I've seen this year, worse than even "Catwoman" - which had the decency to at least pass itself off as fiction.In "September Tapes," a "film crew" of "documentary journalists" heads to Afghanistan - despite being thoroughly unprepared for the trip, the conditions and, oh yeah, the psychotic and ridiculous vendetta of their filmmaker leader to avenge his wife's death on Sept. 11 - to track down Osama bin Laden.They "made" eight tapes on their journey, which now "document" their travels and, of course, their attempts to kill the terrorist leader. (The eight tapes, thankfully, all end at points significant in the narrative, which is convenient for a "documentary.")The psychotic, idiotic protagonist - who is given to long, significant speeches that he probably learned watching "MacGyver" - cares nothing for his own life or the life of his innocent crew as he gets them further and further into danger through a series of completely dumb mishaps. I don't know why he didn't just wear a sign on his back that said "Shoot me."The crew's translator, supposedly their sensible voice-of-reason, does little more than whine and gets baffled as the idiot hero leads them into doom. You wish they'd brought along someone on their trip to call them all morons.Around "Tape 4," I began rooting for the terrorists to shoot the film crew.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember seeing this film in the theater in 1984 when I was 6 years-old (you do the math). I absolutely loved it. I was Tarzan for the 2 weeks after seeing it (climbing the furniture, jumping around making monkey sounds). It started a fascination with Tarzan and monkeys, but oddly enough a longer lasting love for Christopher Lambert (keep in mind that I saw Highlander very shortly after this). 1984 was the last time I saw that film, until about a month ago. It happened to be on cable as I was getting ready for bed at 3:30 am and even though it was late and I was tired and I had to be at work at 9:00 am, I stayed up to watch this movie that I loved as a kid. Upon viewing it I realized that it was not that great of a film and even odder then that, that Andie MacDowell's voice was dubbed by someone else. Ian Holme was of course solid as usual, and surprisingly the monkey suits still kind of held up, but what was most surprising was how good Lambert was as Tarzan. He was great! The depth he managed to capture in so few lines, his primal body language and most importantly his ability to bring this character through its extremely large ark, were just amazing.As I stated earlier I am Lambert fan, but I'm used to Highlander, The Hunted and Fortress. In this film he was really quite good and it is a shame that he never got a chance to portray a character with such depth again.So to make a short story way too long, I was a little disappointed that the film was not that good, but I was glad to see that Lambert was good and I do not regret staying up until 6:00am to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +A family is traveling through the mid West. There's widower Ben (Charles Bateman), his girlfriend Nicky (Ahna Capri) and Ben's little daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl). Then hit a town named Hillsboro where everyone acts more than a little strangely. Their car breaks down and they're forced to stay. They soon find out a witches coven has a spell over the town and is up to incredible evil.The story is not that good. People just figure things out of nothing and they just happen to find out where the witches are at the end. Also there are a lot of loopholes left dangling at the end. The acting is pretty poor too. Bateman and Capri are bland and everybody else is about the same. Only old pros Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones give good performances. Still this movie does work. It forgoes blood and gore (there's some but this is PG) and manges to work with some very creepy visuals and atmosphere. The acting hampers a lot of it but it still works. Martin especially chews the scenery in his role. I can't explain exactly why I (sort of) like this movie but it did work on me. It's a quiet kind of horror that isn't made anymore. Hardly a masterwork but this deserves to be rediscovered. A 7.$LABEL$ 1 +Francis Ford Coppola wrote and directed this stunningly personal story of a married woman's flight from her husband--and the reality that perhaps the youthful glee and excitement of her younger years are behind her. We learn little about this woman's marriage except that she has been feeling her independence slipping away as of late; she's also recently learned she's pregnant, which has further complicated her heart (she doesn't want to be a complacent wifey, despite the maternal way she speaks to her husband over the phone). She meets two men on her journey: a former college football hero who--after an accident during a game--has been left with permanent brain damage, and a sexy, strutting motorcycle cop who has a great deal of trouble in his own life. The clear, clean landscapes (as photographed by the very talented Wilmer Butler) are astutely realized, as are the characters. Shirley Knight, James Caan, and Robert Duvall each deliver strong, gripping performances, most especially since these are not very likable people in conventional terms. Some scenes (such as Knight's first call home from a pay-phone, or her first night alone with Caan where they play 'Simon Says') are almost too intimate to watch. Coppola toys with reality, turning the jagged memories of his characters into scrapbooks we've been made privy to. He allows scenes to play out, yet the editing is quite nimble and the film is never allowed to get too heavy (there are at least two or three very frisky moments). It's a heady endeavor--so much so that the picture was still being shown at festivals nearly five years later. Some may shun Coppola's unapologetic twisting of events in order to underline the finale with bitter irony, however the forcefulness and drive behind the picture nearly obliterate its shortcomings. *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was not very well directed. they almost totally disregarded the book.I guess they were trying 2 save time. the only upside 2 me was that the actor who played finny was cute. Some of the dialog between the main characters appeared a little gay which was not the case in the book. Major parts of the book were once again chopped out.You lost the over all effect it was not as haunting as the book and left me lacking severely. Also the strong language although it was brief was very unnecessary. Also i was surprised ( not pleasantly) by a new character that was no where in the book.One of my favorite characters (leper) was poorly interpreted and portrayed. He seemed more sinister in the movie than the real leper was in the book. Over all disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +The buzz for this film has always been about the fabulous graphics that make Kevin Bacon disappear. Sadly, they stopped there. They should have continued to make the script disappear, then the silly set, and finally every visible element of this film. Because, there's nothing else there to show.Gary Thompson and Andrew Marlowe are listed as the writing credits for this film. I don't really think they exist. I think they bought this script at "Scripts-R-Us", where you buy a standard blank "Monster Movie" script and just fill in the blanks. There's a monster stalking us. Let's split up. (They actually "let's split up" in this movie). Hit Alien/Giant-bug/Monster/Invisible-man with crowbar. Not dead yet. Burn Huge-rabbit/Shark/Invisible-man in unsurvivable fire. Not dead yet. You know, the standard stuff. Even the minimum number of elements that were specific to an invisible man movie (IR glasses, spraying with something like paint) were handled badly. What is sad is that there were lots of possibilities for this to be a fascinating movie. They psychological issues for the subject, the deterioration of the mind due to the process, treating an invisible subject, and many other ideas were touched on for usually less than 2 seconds and would have been far more interesting. Had there been any desire to save Kevin Bacon in the end, it would have been a much better movie. All in all, it stunk.I would mention some of the incredibly stupid elements of the ending of the movie, but I don't want to do any spoilers. Suffice it to say that these characters are so stupid they don't think about pulling the plug on a machine rather than...$LABEL$ 0 +A young girl becomes a war-time marine's pen-pal, and when he visits at war's end expecting someone a bit more "available," comic complications ensue. All ultimately works out well, naturally, but not before everyone involved has thoroughly chewed the scenery. Errol Flynn's dead-on impression of Humphrey Bogart from "Casablanca" is a highlight, as are various send-ups of his own swashbuckling image (the "jumping" scene in the kitchen with Forrest Tucker is a riot). It is Tucker, though, who "tucks" the movie under his arm, lowers his head and barrels over the goal line. He demonstrates the comic flair more fully developed twenty years later in "F-Troop" and imparts a liveliness and energy that Flynn repeatedly plays off to raise his own performance. Eleanor Parker does a fine job as the woman being pursued, and little Patti Brady charms as Tucker's actual pen-pal friend. A fine, lightweight "coming home" comedy in a genteel setting that children and romantics of all ages should find entertaining.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is a perfect adaptation of the English Flick Unfaithful. Ashmit plays the role of Richard Gere, Emran that of Olivier and Malikka the perfect cheating wife role of Lane.They have changed the second half of the film to adapt for the Indian masses. Even then the movie has got the full traces of Unfaithful, though it couldn't catch up with the original. It was a cheap soft porn of the Bollywood lovers, where Mallika showed a lot more skin than anyone dared to show. Emran did more roles like this and was even nicknamed the serial killer. In the future if the Indian Directors plan to remake a English movie then they have to look into the feasibility of the plot with the Indian Censors. Though the film bombed at the box office, the actors got the undue recognition. In future the directors should be a little more careful in remaking a Oscar nominated film. All said, this is not a family film, so take the extra caution while watching it at home with family.$LABEL$ 0 +Robert Altman's downbeat, new-fangled western from Edmund Naughton's book "McCabe" was overlooked at the time of its release but in the past years has garnered a sterling critical following. Aside from a completely convincing boom-town scenario, the characters here don't merit much interest, and the picture looks (intentionally) brackish and unappealing. Bearded Warren Beatty plays a turn-of-the-century entrepreneur who settles in struggling community on the outskirts of nowhere and helps organize the first brothel; once the profits start coming in, Beatty is naturally menaced by city toughs who want part of the action. Altman creates a solemn, wintry atmosphere for the movie which gives the audience a certain sense of time and place, but the action in this sorry little town is limited--most of the story being made up of vignettes--and Altman's pacing is deliberately slow. There's hardly a statement being made (just the opposite, in fact) and the languid actors stare at each other without much on their minds. It's a self-defeating picture, and yet, in an Altman-quirky way, it wears defeat proudly. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +What seemed at first just another introverted French flick offering no more than baleful sentiment became for me, on second viewing, a genuinely insightful and quite satisfying presentation.Spoiler of sorts follows.Poor Cedric; he apparently didn't know what hit him. Poor audience; we were at first caught up in what seemed a really beautiful and romantic story only to be led back and forth into the dark reality of mismatch. These two guys just didn't belong together from their first ambiguous encounter. As much as Mathieu and Cedric were sexually attracted to each other, the absence of a deeper emotional tie made it impossible for Mathieu, an intellectual being, to find fulfillment in sharing life with someone whose sensibilities were more attuned to carnival festivities and romps on the beach.On a purely technical note, I loved the camera action in this film. Subtitles were totally unnecessary, even though my French is "presque rien." I could watch it again without the annoying English translation and enjoy it even more. This was a polished, very professionally made motion picture. Though many scenes seem superfluous, I rate it nine out of ten.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't think I've ever gave something a 1/10 rating, but this one easily gets the denomination. I find it hard just to sit through one of his jokes. It's not just that the jokes are so bad, but combine that with the fact that Carson Daily has zero charisma, can't set up or finish a punchline, and you've got a late night comedy recipe that will really turn your stomach.I have watched the show, never in its entirety, but many times still. It just creeps up on me after Conan. I usually watch a minute or two just to see if Carson daily is still the worst talk show host ever.Actually if you ever do see him interviewing a guest, it's just that, an interview. I feel so sorry every time he has a guest on and their confused smiles try to mask their body language that's screaming, "get me the hell away from this freak!" I do recommend watching the show, not for a laugh, but to ponder, how he got on the air and what he's still doing there. Watch as much as you can, I think you will find its complete awkwardness...interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +In the standard view, this is a purely awful movie. However, it rates a near perfect score on the unintentional comedy scale. I can think of few actual comedies that make me laugh as hard as I did watching this movie. Andy Griffith's ghost dressed in Native American garb dancing sends me into hysterics everytime. I wouldn't waste the gas or energy driving to the video store to rent it, but if you happen to be laying on the couch at 3 in the morning and it comes on TV, check it out.$LABEL$ 0 +From the film's first shot - Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet wandering reading through a field at dawn, thus invoking all the clichés cinema has developed to address the phenomenon of the strong-minded rebellious female character in period drama - I knew I was in for something to make me want to kill myself.Joe Wright seemed not only to have not read the book, but to be under the regrettable misapprehension that what he was filming was not in fact Jane Austen's subtle, nuanced comedy of manners conducted through sparkling, delicate social interaction in eighteenth century English drawing-rooms, but a sort of U-certificate Wuthering Heights. Thus we were treated to every scene between Elizabeth and Darcy taking place outside for no apparent reason, in inappropriately rugged scenery and often in the pouring rain. Not to mention that Jane Austen, and in particular P & P, is not about passion, sexual tension or love. It's about different strategies of negotiating the stultification of eighteenth century society. Which was completely ignored, so that the Bennets' house was a rambunctious, chaotic place where everybody shouts at once, runs around, leaves their underwear on chairs, and pigs wander happily through the house; the society balls become rowdy country dances one step away from a Matrix Reloaded style dance-orgy; and everybody says exactly what they think without the slightest regard for propriety.The genius of Jane Austen lies in exploring the void created by a society in which nobody says what they think or mean because of an overwhelming regard for propriety, and the tragic predicaments of her characters arise from misunderstandings and miscommunications enabled by that speechless gap. So both the brilliance of Jane Austen and the very factor that allows her plots - particularly in this film - to function was completely erased. Subtlety in general was nowhere int his film, sacrificed in favour of an overwrought drama which jarred entirely with the material and the performances.It was so obviously trying to be a *serious* film. The humour - which IS Pride & Prejudice, both Austen's methodology and her appeal - was almost entirely suppressed in favour of all this po-faced melodrama, and when it was allowed in, was handled so clumsily. Pride & Prejudice is a serious narrative which makes serious points, yes, but those serious points and weightier themes are not just intertwined with the humour, they are embedded in it. You can't lose Jane Austen's technique, leaving only the bare bones of the story, and expect the themes to remain. Not even when you replace her techniques with your own heavy-handed mystical-numinous fauxbrow cinematography.Elizabeth Bennett is supposed to be a woman, an adult, mature and sensible and clear-sighted. Keira Knightley played the first half of the film like an empty-headed giggling schoolgirl, and the second half like an empty-headed schoolgirl who thinks she is a tragic heroine. Elizabeth's wit, her combative verbal exchanges, her quintessential characteristic of being able to see and laugh at everybody's follies including her own, her strength and composure, and her fantastic clear-sightedness were completely lost and replaced with ... what? A lot of giggling and staring into the distance? Rather than being able to keep her head when all about her were losing theirs, she started to cry and scream at the slightest provocation - and not genuinely raging, either; no, these were petulant hissy fits. And where the great strength of Austen's Elizabeth (at least in Austen's eyes) was her ability to retain integrity and observance while remaining within the boundaries of society and sustaining impeachable propriety, Knightley's Elizabeth had no regard whatsoever for convention. Furthermore, she seemed to think that wandering around barefoot in the mud in the eighteenth century version of overalls established her beyond doubt as spirited and strong-minded, and therefore nothing in the character as written or the performance had to sustain it. An astonishingly unsubtle and bland performance. In which quest for blandness and weakness, she was ably matched by Matthew Macfayden.Donald Sutherland as Mr Bennet seemed weak, ineffectual and permanently befuddled without the wicked sense of humour and ironic detachment at the expense of human relationships that makes Mr Bennet so fascinating and tragic. His special bond with Lizzie, as the only two sensible people in a world of fools, was completely lost, not least because both of them were fools in a world of fools, and that completely deprived the end of the film of emotional impact. Mr Bingley was no longer amiable and well-meaning to the point of folly, but was played as a complete retard for cheap laughs, and the woman who was playing Jane was so wildly inconsistent that she may as well not have tried to do anything with the character at all. The script veered wildly between verbatim chunks of Jane Austen - delivered with remarkable clumsiness - and totally contemporaneous language which would not be out of place in a modern day romantic comedy.Just get the BBC adaptation on DVD and save yourself the heartache.$LABEL$ 0 +I've always enjoyed films that depict life as it is. Life sometimes has boring patches, no real plot, and not necessarily a happy ending. "A River Runs Through It" is the perfect name for this film (and Norman Maclean's novel). Life ebbs and flows like a river, and it has it's rough spots, but it is a wonderful trip.Robert Redford brings a lot to the film. His narration has a friendly feel that fits the picture perfectly. As a director, he is restrained and calm, and captures some incredibly beautiful scenes. As for the acting, Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt work surprising well as brothers. I don't know quite how to describe Tom Skerritt and Brenda Blethyn's performances, except that they truly feel real. "A River Runs Through It" is a wonderful film.8.6 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +The story is very trustworthy and powerful. The technical side of the movie is quite fine.. even the directing of it. The main problem is with the castings, that turned that movie into almost another local and regular cliché with a great lack of impact and even greater lack of impression. Beside the small role of the father, Rafael (played impressively by Asi Dayan), all other actors were unfortunately not in their best. The role of the elder Blind girl, played by Taly Sharon, was fresh but without any intensity as the leading role. therefore the figure she acted had become mild and low profile. There were moments and episodes that looked more like a rehearsal then a real movie. But after all it's a good point to begin from and to make big improvements in the future.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was not so much promoted here in Greece,even though it got good actors , great script and rather good photograph was not a so called "blockbuster" movie in my Country. The movie itself is very powerful,it's about the hard time that a newcomer had to go through when he returns in his home-village after been released from a 5yo prison time(drugs) The end is rather sad.... Mourikis is trying to keep up with his part and he handles it pretty well... Lambropoulou is great and very sexy in a strange way and of course Hatzisavvas is for one more time close to excellency... 7 out of 10 because very few Greek movies can make such an impression!$LABEL$ 1 +MYSTERY MEN has got to be THE stupidest film I've ever seen, but what a film! I thought it was fabulous, excellent and impressive. It was funny, well-done and nice to see ridiculous Super Heroes for a change! And being able to pull it off! This was great! I'll definitely watch it again!$LABEL$ 1 +You know that mouthwash commercial where the guy has a mouth full of Listerine or whatever it is and he's trying really hard to keep from spitting it up into the sink? That's a great metaphor for this movie. I kept watching, even though it was really difficult. But keeping mouthwash in your mouth will leave you with a minty fresh feeling. This movie left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I should have spit it out when I had the chance.The premise is corny enough to be fun. For the first time in like a thousand years, Gargoyles have returned to Romania, and all of the priests who knew how to fight and kill these things are long dead. It's up to Michael Pare and some other secret agents to get to the bottom of things before the Gargoyles run amok. Unfortunately, the premise is completely lost in bad dialog and less than enthusiastic acting on the part of the human leads. The best acting is done by the CG Gargoyles.In the end, this movie feels like a poor man's Van Helsing. If you check your brain at the door, this might get you through a dreary Monday night. I gave it 3 out of 10 stars.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe it that was the worst movie i have ever seen in my life. i laughed a couple of times. ( probably because of how stupid it was ) If someone paid me to see that movie again i wouldn't. the plot was so horrible , it made no sense , and the acting was so bad that i couldn't even tell if they were trying. that movie was terrible rating: F$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of a rarity of movies, where instead of a bowl of popcorn one should watch it with a bottle of vodka. To be completely honest we are a group of people who actually know the man, Mo Ogrodnik, and decided to drink ourselves stupid to this film.The cinematic aspect of Wolfgang Something's photography seems to have left out both close-ups and breasts. Mo and Wolfgang's collaborative effort revealed the passion of the two actresses, plastic peens holding passion. There's also beetle banging. As Violet would have put it: "This (plastic peen) goes up your butt". The rat porn and subsequent rat smashing is awesome. Alright. So if you are still reading, let us explain who we are. Mo Ogrodnik teaches at NYU and we are a group of her students, who, finishing a film class with her, decided to get poop- faced and watch here directorial debut. She also wrote Uptown Girls. I can't tell you how much that's been hammered into our skulls. So this movie is quite the experience. At the very bottom of this post will be a drinking game we created for this movie. About 13 minutes into this game, none of us could see straight. The sheer amount of Dido's in the first thirty minutes created enough reasons to drink to pacify an elephant.There was something secretly pleasurable about seeing two underage girls hit on a Kurt Cobain lookalike with absolutely no context, save for his mysterious scene at the convenience store where he was oh-so-naturally reading a local newspaper. Because that's what we all do. The heart-shaped glasses were delightfully derivative of Lolita. And something about that provocative scene of the nude chin-up boy suggests the director's history of homosexual pornographic experiments. We wish we were kidding.Enough intellectual contemplation. ON TO THE DRINKING GAME! This will ensure that the viewing experience is a positive one. It's very simple, and very likely to send at least one member of your party to immediate care.The Mo Ogrodnik/Ripe Drinking Game: 1. Every time you see anything related to pornography, take a drink. 2. Every time you see auteur Mo Ogrodnik's name appear, take a drink. 3. Sex. 4. (plastic peen) require two drinks. 5. Any time somebody points a gun at another character, take a drink. -At this point you will probably need to refill/pee pee any remaining sobriety from your body.- 6. Any time there is blood (INCLUDING "LADY BLOOD"), please take a sip! 7. The underused hula-hoop girl requires one drink per second. 8. Gratuitous use of the "magic black man" requires one drink. 9. If you can't figure out the through-line, KEEP DRINKING, Beyotch. 10. Whenever you are able to predict a line, take a drink. Trust us. It's easy. That's it, internet! Keep drinking, and try not to get riped.-Hawaiian Smirnoff Punch, Jr.$LABEL$ 0 +Even though I'm quite young, The Beatles are my ABSOLUTELY FAVOURITE band! I never had the chance to hear their music as it was releases but have loved them since I can remember.It's the sort of film that is worth trying the once. I can see why it wasn't released in the cinema but it is certainly a great film to put on the TV. I was flicking through my TV guide and happened to see this film, it didn't much details except something like, 'John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet after The Beatles have broken up, Jared Harris Stars'. I'd never heard of him (he played John) or Aiden Quinn who played Paul. However they are certainly underestimated actors!The film had a slow start but as it developed, I could see how well Quinn but especially Harris played their characters. As a huge fan, I sort of know what the real Lennon and McCartney are like. The script was brilliant and Harris got Lennon's accent, personality and mannerisms spot on! Quinn played McCartney quite well but sometimes went into his Irish accent. THe make-up artists made them look excellent.THIS PARAGRAPH MAY BE COUNTED AS A *SPOILER*:As I mentioned before, it got off to a slow start but soon developed and became quite an emotional film. I found the bit in the park a total waste of time and quite out of character for both of the musicians. As for Lennon's rude line in the Italian restaurant, totally unnecessary. The ending was very poignant and brings a tear to my eye whenever I watch it.It is quite different from the other biographical films I've seen where it's about how The Beatles got together and became famous, and those never really did the characters that well. E.g. 'Backbeat'.In conclusion, I would say, if you're a Beatles or John Lennon or Paul McCartney fan, give it a chance you may have pleasent surprise. At only about 95 minutes long, it's worth waiting for the film to develop.If anyone does know whether the meeting of 1976 really did happen please send it to the 'comments page' for this film, I'd be very interested.$LABEL$ 1 +An American Werewolf in London had some funny parts, but this one isn't so good. The computer werewolves are just awful: the perspective is all off, it's like seeing them through a distorting mirror. The writers step on the throat of many of their gags. American boy says to Parisian girl, "Is there a cafe' around here?" Instead of just leaving it at that, they have to have the girl sigh and respond, "This is Paris."$LABEL$ 0 +Originally I was a Tenacious D fan of their first album and naturally listened to a few tracks off The P.O.D. and was rather disappointed. After watching the movie, my view was changed. The movie is pretty funny from beginning to the end and found my self engaged in it even though it was really was a stupid storyline because of the attitudes that KG and Jaybles portray in the movie. Much more entertaining and enjoyable than movies I have seen in the theaters lately. ex. Saw III (dull and dragging), Casino Royale (way to homo-erotic) which in prior installments I have really enjoyed If you enjoyed Borat, you will enjoy the tale of The Greatest Band on Earth$LABEL$ 1 +This is just one more of those hideous films that you find on Lifetime TV which portray the abhorrent behavior of some disgusting woman in an empathetic manner. Along with other such nasty films as "The Burning Bed," "Enough," or "Monster," this film takes a disgusting criminal and attempts to show the viewer why she's not such a bad person after all. Give us a break! Here's my question to the filmmakers: If LeTourneau were a man, and Vili were a 12 year old girl, would you have made a picture sympathizing and empathizing with this person? Answer: Hell no.Imagine switching the genders in this film, and then you'll see just why myself and others here consider this a worthless piece of garbage. Were the genders switched, there would be no attempt to empathize with the criminal. Instead, we'd likely be treated to a portrayal of a monstrous and hideous man preying upon a young girl, his lascivious behavior landing him in prison, and his brainwashed victim suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. The only reason LeTourneau does not receive the same treatment in this film is by virtue of her sex.Let's call a spade a spade. LeTourneau is a pedophile. Plain and simple. No ifs, ands or buts. She's a criminal who belongs in prison, and deserves our derision and contempt, but certainly not our pity or empathy.$LABEL$ 0 +The premise of this movie was decent enough, but with sub par acting, it was just bland and dull.SPOILERS The film does not work because of the nature of the death, it was accidental, so although it was a murder it wasn't like the guy set out to do it. Also through some flashbacks there is a secret that is revealed that sort of makes the events like justice to a degree. There is no emotion in this film. The first 20 minutes or so is just this woman calling her sister, and hearing her message. It was dull and boring.With some polishing, and better acting it could have been pretty good.$LABEL$ 0 +The Lives of the Saints starts off with an atmospheric vision of London as a bustling city of busy, quaint streets and sunshine. I was hoping it would maintain this atmosphere, but it gets bogged down in a story that goes pretty much nowhere.Othello works for big, fat Mr. Karva, his crime-boss step-dad (at least I think that is what he is supposed to be because it's never really defined, but he does drop kittens into deep fat friers, so trust me, he's a prick) doing scrappy little errands while his skanky girlfriend gives daddy hand-jobs. One of his colleagues is Runner, a black dude who is always dashing from A to B. Until the day he comes across almost mute homeless child who grants him his wish of being able to stop running. Runner dumps the lost boy in Othello's flat, where he promptly starts granting more wishes. Keen to have some of his own desires fulfilled, Karva has the boy kidnapped. But he isn't sure of what would really bring him happiness. Is it the innocence of being a child again or is it another hand-job? Either way, I don't want to see the little boy grant him the second.It just takes ages to get going and there are loads of repetitive scenes. The ending tries to be shocking but since there's hardly any back-story on investment in any of these characters it only serves as a release for the bored audience.Writer Tony Grisoni, a favourite of Terry Gilliam, tries to blend in some kind of religious allegory which ends up being pretentious as all hell, ironically. If he gave us something more accessible or at least had better explanations for the characters suddenly acting all weird then it would have been a more enjoyable film. As it is, we are introduced to a bunch of annoying loudmouths who then miraculously seem to develop intelligence when confronted by the mysterious boy. Who's origins are never revealed. That's just plain irritating! Aside from sporadic moments of atmosphere and a moody score, this film has little to recommend.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't emphasize it enough, do *NOT* get this movie for the kids.For that matter, you'd best spare the adults from it as well.All right, perhaps I'm overexaggerating a little. This isn't the worst kids' movie... no, let me rephrase that. This isn't the worst movie made by dissilusioned adults FOR dissilusioned adults and somehow marketed towards kids (that would be "Jack", which I've been meaning to review / gut like a fish).Adults won't learn anything surprising (well, if you must, fast-forward to just before the end credits for a Educational Bit about an Interesting Cosmic Phenominon). We don't usually end up doing as adults what we wanted to do as kids as reality tends to get in the way. Well, duh, I could have told you that (so can four years of college at an art school, but I degress).I have no idea what the heck kids could possibly get out of this movie. Most likely it will only upset them (we get to watch the moment when Russ was traumatized at eight years old). There's a better movie, "Kiki's Delivery Service", that has essentially the same message but handles it litely instead of drilling it into your head. And the adults will like it too!By the way, there is a moment in the movie made with amature MST3K-ers in mind, if they think of that OTHER Bruce Willis movie with a sad little kid in it.$LABEL$ 0 +Is nothing else on TV? Are you really bored? Well, then watch Phat Beach. However, don't rent it and definitely DO NOT buy it. That would be a big mistake.I watched this on TV and found myself laughing at certain points. I did not laugh long and I did not laugh hard. However, there were subtle jokes and comments I laughed at. If you are looking for an extremely funny "hood" movie then watch Friday. If you are looking for a powerful emotional movie (something that this movie tries at..kind of) watch something like hoop dreams or Jason's Lyric. If you are lookin for some good black "booty" go watch a Dominique Simone porn flick, because the nudity in this movie is nearly non-existent. However, if you have nothing better to do and this is on cable, go ahead and watch it. You will be slightly amused.***3 out of 10***$LABEL$ 0 +The Elegant Documentary -Don't watch this movie ... if you're an egotistical know-all student of physics. This much less than one percent (miniscule fraction) of the population may find that this show just tells them what they have already learned and already know.Do watch this movie! - If you're one of the massive majority of people that fall into the greater than 99% of the population that does not study or already have a sound knowledge of the theories of physics including Relativity, Quantum, String and M-theory.What a brilliantly architected documentary. Starting with some helpful historical background you will be lead step by elegant step into a Universe of pure magic - and dimensions beyond. I have always had a huge appreciation of Mathematics. This movie can easily give you an insight into what an exquisitely beautiful language mathematics is without making you feel like you're about to fail the grade.The show is repetitive at times as the original format was a mini-series split over three shows. It therefore makes sense to give us polite little reminders of the principles being presented. I found this immensely helpful as it kept reminding me of the multitude of questions and possible answers that make up this amazing tapestry of our very existence.We are all (and everything around us) is vibrational-energy with a natural tendency towards harmony. This movie may blow your mind - or at least help you realize that the universe is far far bigger than that which we see around us (even with the Hubble Telescope) and far far smaller than the protons and neutrons within the atoms we learned about in high-school. M-theory holds many magnificent magnitudes of 'possibility'.It just seemed so appropriate that all of this elegance should by it's very nature move (by admission by the many brilliant scientists presenting) out of the realm of Science and into the realm of Philisophy.You do not have to be religious at all to feel like this movie brought you one step closer to God.Bravo Brian Greene. Well done indeed.P.S. If you're interested in feeling even more comfortable and at home in your place in the Universe and would like some more insight into the 'possibilities' Quantum mechanics blended with Spirituality (of all things) can bring then I highly recommend that you also watch "What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole". Yes I know they make a few silly mistakes by suggesting a Shaman may not be able to see a boat if he hasn't seen one before (my eyes process light reflections just fine - I see things everyday that I've never seen before) and brain cells are cells in the body that actually don't divide. But if you can get over these little hurdles and put down the things you don't like and hang on to those that you do - there is a lot to like about this film.Then watch "The Secret" (2006 documentary about The Law of Attraction - search for IMDb title "tt0846789"). This information just might change your life profoundly - forever. If you search deeper you might even find the Universe is talking to us with thought (if you'll listen) - and some are - and that is truly incredible. There is a modern day Jesus/Mohammad/Buddha (those, among others, that history suggests have communicated with the non-physical) alive today and she lives in Texas. I know some of you know what I'm talking about.I do not consider myself religious by any traditional definition but I have never felt more at home or as comfortable in the Universe as I do now.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1993, with the success of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, Warner Brothers commissioned the team responsible for the hit-show with producing a feature-length movie, originally slated for Direct-To-Video, but bumped up to theatrical status. It would become known as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Ten years after Phantasm, we have had an additional three feature-films released from the boys at the WB, Sub-Zero, Return of the Joker, and now, Mystery of the Batwoman joins the family.The plot is basic and in many ways similar to Mask of the Phantasm: A new female vigilante modeling herself after Batman has begun targeting operations run by Gotham mob boss Rupert Thorne and Oswald Cobblepot AKA The Penguin. Now, Batman must attempt to unravel the mystery of the Batwoman before she crosses the line.The animation is the sleeker, futuristic style that was utilized for Batman: The Animated Series' fifth and sixth seasons (AKA The New Batman Adventures). , it's quite nicely done, and just as sleek as Return of the Joker's animation. There is also some use of CGI, but it's minor compared to the overabundance of it in Sub-Zero. The music was alright. Different and exotic and similar to the Justice League score, although the points in the score when the old animated Batman theme comes up will be sure to send waves of nostalgia through the older fans' rodent-shaped hearts.Kevin Conroy, as always, does a wonderful job as Bruce Wayne and Batman. It's also great to have the old Batman: The Animated Series alumni back; that includes Bob Hastings (Commissioner Gordon), Robert Costanzo (Detective Bullock), Tara Strong (Barbara Gordon/Batgirl; her cameo hints at the romantic-relationship between her and Bruce that was mentioned in Batman Beyond), and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.(Alfred).Villains were also great - especially given that Rupert Thorne, the old mob boss from the original series, appears for the first time since the fourth season.Overall, while not quite reaching the standard set by Mask of the Phantasm ten years ago, MOTB carries on the torch quite nicely for the animated Batman films. And if you have the DVD and are a hardcore fan, you will love the five-minute short Chase Me.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this movie was supposed to be shocking. But the only way in which it is indeed shocking is how shocking badly it's been made ...and simply is. It's one-and-a-half hour of torment. Even more so for the viewer than for the characters in the movie (the five girls).Sure the main characters get their bloody piece in a bad way, which is basically fine, since it's a horror-movie. And I (usually) like horror-movies. I've no problem with violence in these type of movies per se. However all the violence in this film serves no end whatsoever. It's no spectacle other than that it's simply grotesque. It's so lame it even gets boring, and really quick too.The worst thing (if the above wasn't bad enough for ya) about this movie is that they've tried to copy the Blair Whitch Project, by filming with cheap hand-held-cameras. But (again, this too) serves no end whatsoever. In the "Blair Which", sure enough, there's an explanation, namely they are their with a camera looking for the blair witch. In this film, there's no other explanation than: "Hey ya'll we wanted this to LOOK LIKE the Blair Whitch!!" The sound in the movie is also something to get depressed about. The girls are screaming so hysterically that many a time you can't make out what they're saying. Also, no effort has been made to make anything any better, sound-wise or other wise.Than finally, there's the soundtrack, which is just as bad as the rest, and varies from cheap euro-house to the worst grungy hard-rock...My advise: Don't watch this under ANY circumstances.$LABEL$ 0 +Why can't a movie be rated a zero? Or even a negative number? Some movies such as "Plan Nine From Outer Space" are so bad they're fun to watch. THIS IS NOT ONE. "The Dungeon of Horror" might be the worst movie I've ever seen (some of anyway. I HAD to fast forward through a lot of it!). Fortunately for the indiscretions of my youth and senility of my advancing age, there may be worse movies I've seen, but thankfully, I can't remember them. The sets appeared to be made with cardboard and finished with cans of spray paint. The special effects looked like a fifth grader's C+ diorama set in a shoebox. The movie contained unforgivable gaffs such as when the Marquis shoots and kills his servant. He then immediately gets into a scuffle with his escaping victim, who takes his flintlock and shoots him with it, without the gun having been reloaded! This movie was so bad my DVD copy only had name credits. I guess no company or studio wanted to be incriminated. Though I guess when you film in your garage and make sets out of cardboard boxes a studio isn't needed. This movie definitely ranks in my cellar of all time worst movies with such horrible sacrileges as "The Manipulator", the worst movie I have ever seen with an actual (one time) Hollywood leading man-Mickey Rooney. The only time I would recommend watching "The Dungeon of Harrow" (or "The Manipulator" for that matter) would be if someone were to pay you. (I'm kind of cheap) I'd have to have $7 or $8 bucks for "Dungeon" and at least ten for "Manipulator". phil-the never out of the can cinematographer$LABEL$ 0 +This movie took me by surprise. The opening credit sequence features nicely done animation. After that, we're plunged into a semi-cheesy production, betraying its low budget. The characters, typical American teens, are introduced slowly, with more personal detail than is usually found in movies like this. By the time the shlitz hits the fan, we know each one of the characters, and either like or hate them according to their distinct personalities. It's a slow uphill set-up, kind of like the ride up a slope of a really tall roller coaster. Thankfully, once the action kicks in, it's full blown old school HORROR! Steve Johnson's make-up effects are awesome. Equal in quality to much bigger budgeted films. And the scares are jolting. Kevin Tenney delivers his best movie ever, with heart-stopping surprises and creepy suspenseful set-ups. The tongue-in-cheek, sometimes cheesy, humor marks this film as pure 80s horror, as opposed to the sullen tone of earlier genre fare like "Night of the Living Dead" or "Hills Have Eyes." But for true horror fans, this one is worth checking out. Play it as the first entry on a double bill with the 1999 remake of "House on the Haunted Hill." The set-up and character dynamics are so similar that you really have to wonder what film they were actually remaking?$LABEL$ 1 +Though I'd heard that "Cama de Gato" was the worst Brazilian movie of the decade, I watched it giving it a chance; after all, first-time director/producer/writer Alexandre Stockler managed to make his debut feature (shot in video) for just US$ 4,000 and -- though it looks even cheaper -- I can't begin to imagine all he went through to finally get it exhibited in theaters with no big sponsors or production companies behind it (then as I watched it I realized why). But whatever chances you're ready to give to "Cama de Gato", they shrink to zero within 10 minutes: it's an unbelievably preposterous, verbose, ideologically fanatical and technically catastrophic attempt to portray Brazilian upper-middle class youth as a bunch of spoiled neo-Nazis hooked on bad sex, drugs and violence (and they're made to look like closeted gays too), made with no visible trace of talent, imagination, expertise or notion of structure. Visually and aurally, it recalls the worst amateur stuff you can find on YouTube -- only here it lasts NINETY TWO (count'em) minutes of unrelenting hysteria and clumsiness, and it's not even funny-bad.We've all seen the story before: bored young guys want to have fun, go partying, take drugs and everything goes wrong -- there's gang-rape, spanking, murder, the accidental death (falling down the staircase!!) of the mother of one of the boys, culminating with the boys deciding to burn the corpses of the girl and the mother in a garbage landfill. Moral and literal garbage, get it? The film is heavily influenced by Larry Clark (especially "Kids" and "Bully"), but Clark's films -- though also moralist and sexploitative -- are high-class masterworks compared to this crap.I don't think there was ever such monomaniacal drive in a filmmaker to stick his ideas down the audience's throat: Stockler grabs us by the collar and tries to force his non-stop moralist rant into our brains by repetition and exhaustion -- you DO get numb-minded with so much babbling, yelling, inept direction, shaky camera and terrible acting going on. Stockler doesn't care a bit about technique (the quality of the images, framing, sound recording, soundtrack songs, dialog, sets, editing, etc is uniformly appalling), but he's a narcissistic control-freak: he anticipates the criticisms he's bound to get by adding subtitles with smartie/cutie comments, and by making the protagonists comment at one point how far-fetched and phony it all is (I could relate to THAT). Despite his megalomaniac ambitions, Stockler seems incapable of giving us a minimum of visual or narrative structure -- he can't even decide if he wants gritty realism (hand-held video camera etc) or stylization (repetition of scenes, use of alternate takes, etc). Damn, he can't even decide WHERE to put his camera (there's use of subjective camera for the THREE leads)! The dialog features some of the most stupefyingly banal verbosity ever; the plot exists simply to justify the director's profound hatred for his characters and what they stand for. All you see is a filmmaker being hateful, preachy, condemning, moralizing without the benefit of a minimum of talent (or technique) to go with it.It's very disappointing to find Caio Blat in this mess. Certainly one of the most promising young film actors in Brazil, with his sleepy-eyed puppy dog looks and emotional edge that often recall Sal Mineo's, Blat can be highly effective under good direction (as in "Carandiru", "Lavoura Arcaica", "Proibido Proibir"). Here, he's told to go over the top and he has to play with some of the most embarrassingly under-equipped "actors" in recent memory. He also enters the risky realm of graphic sexploitation scenes (so goddawful they look rather like web-cam porn).The film opens and ends with real interviews with "typical" (?) middle-class youth -- Stockler wants us to take those interviews as "proof" of what he's trying to preach in fiction. But he blatantly despises and makes fun of his interviewees, selecting a highlight of abject, racist, sexist, stupid statements (which only shows assholes exist everywhere). Stockler wants to prove that Brazilian middle-class youths are ALL present or future fascists BECAUSE they're middle-class and enjoy recreational drugs (is he saying all neo-fascists are on drugs?? Or that drugs potentialize fascist behavior?? I couldn't tell). With its dogmatic self-righteousness, headache-inducing technique and mind-bending boredom, "Cama de Gato" is bad for a 1,000 reasons but, above all, it's harmful in a very insidious manner: it gives detractors of Brazilian cinema a powerful case of argument. "Cama de Gato" is best unwatched, unmentioned, buried and forgotten.$LABEL$ 0 +An unforgettable masterpiece from the creator of The Secret of Nimh and The Land Before Time, this was a very touching bittersweet cartoon. I remember this very well from my childhood, it was funny and sad and very beautiful. Well it starts out a bit dark, a dog who escaped the pound, and gets killed by an old friend, ends up in Heaven, and comes back. But it becomes sweet when he befriends an orphaned girl who can talk to animals. Some scenes were a bit scary contrary to other cartoons, like the dream sequence of Charlie, but everything else was okay,and the songs were fair. A memorable role of Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, I just love that guy, ahehehe. And Judith Barsi of Jaws The Revenge, may God rest her soul, poor girl, she didn't deserve to die, but she is in Heaven now, all good people go to Heaven. Overall this is a very good animated movie, a Don Bluth classic enough to put anime and Disney to shame. Recommended for the whole family. And know this, if you have the original video of this, you'll find after the movie, Dom DeLuise has a very important and special message, gotta love that guy, ahehehe.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was a failure as a comedy and a film in general. It was a very slow paced movie that seemed to be trying to convey a message, but the message was a cliché, hopeless mess to begin with. This movie falls on shameless environmental point, even making a self-righteous point of destroying an SUV and promoting Animal Planet.In sitting through this, I couldn't help but notice that Steve Carell got no more than a single truly funny line. The only thing that could hypothetically mark this as a comedy is the pitiful attempt to give comic relief lines to Wanda Sykes. Her character gets frequent, cringe-worthy lines where they absolutely do not fit.Far from the brilliance of Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty blows its whole record-breaking budget on special effect plot devices that turn out to barely advance the plot. The movie spends the first half building up to the construction of Evan's ark, but by the end, we learn that the ark was completely meaningless, and the whole plot was a just a vessel for the stupid gags and even stupider messages. The movie concludes when we learn that the whole ark, flood, and animal gathering was just a weak political statement by none other than God. Yes, God was trying to influence politics.$LABEL$ 0 +It is so gratifying to see one great piece of art converted into another without distortion or contrivance. I had no guess as to how such an extraordinary piece of literature could be recreated as a film worth seeing. If you loved Bulgakov's book you would be, understandably, afraid of seeing some misguided interpretation done more for the sake of an art-film project than for actually bringing the story's deeper meaning to the screen. There are a couple examples of this with the Master and Margarita. As complex and far-fetched as the story is, the movie leaves out nothing. It is as if the filmmaker read Bulgakov's work the same way an orchestral conductor reads a score--with not a note missed. Why can't we find such talent here in the U.S. ? So now my favorite book and movie have the same title.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is very violent, yet exciting with original dialog and cool characters. It has one of the most moving stories and is very true to life. The movie start off with action star Leo Fong as a down and out cop who is approaching the end of his career, when he stumbles on to a big case that involves corruption, black mail and murder. This is where the killings start. From start finish Fong delivers in this must see action caper. This movie also co-stars Richard Roundtree.I really enjoyed this film as a child but as I got older I realized that this film is pretty cheesy and not very good. I would not recommend this film and the action is very, very bad.$LABEL$ 0 +The day has finally come for me to witness the perpetuation of Azumi's fate as an assassin, fruition of her character and the ultimate attempt to draw me deeper into the world she rampaged through so mercilessly during the first saga.That's as poetical as I'll get when talking about Azumi 2: Death or Love, because when I cringed over the heavy sentimentality of House of Flying Daggers and complained about the credibility of Aya Ueto portraying a blood-driven assassin, after watching Azumi 2 I started to appreciate the previously mentioned shortcomings more than ever before.Not only does the determination of each assassin feels sluggish and uninspiring but also many important elements are omitted from the entire experience. In Azumi 1 we saw the assassins use various stealth tactics (which is their number one priority) as well as logic to make easy work of their marks with swift executions and quicker abilities to escape. But I won't hold that against this movie too much since the story is slightly tweaked this time around and many more obstacles are planted in Azumi's way to prevent her from reaching the warlord and displaying any signs of charisma. By the way, Chiaki is foolishly shelved for the most part of the film and is basically playing a toned down version of Go Go, minus the cool weapon and sense of menace.This brings me to the final blow which is the action, simply disguised in the title as the 'Death' side of the epic. In the first half of the film we see the debut of many promising adversaries with flashy looks and even flashier weapons. To no one's surprise they meet their end one way or another but the film falls short when each of them start dying too fast and too easily. In Azumi 1, the young assassins were mostly overpowering the opposition with quick but somewhat satisfying battles and the final showdown between Azumi and Bijomaru in comparison to the fights in Azumi 2 was at least climaxed and worthwhile. Some interesting effects were introduced but they were unable to achieve innovation due to the shortness of each encounter. I am in no way knocking down the conventional style of samurai films with their quick and realistic battles but characters in both Azumi films were so imaginative and straight out of anime that the rules could have been broken and the action should have been further enriched.The romance side of Azumi is there to fill in time between the fight scenes and unfortunately at the end it serves no purpose nor provides a much needed resolution.As a fan with an open mind for wide variety of movies and animation, I won't lie and I'll admit to my neutrality and unimpressiveness towards the first Azumi film, but I'll step right up and say that after watching Azumi 2, the original was made to look like a flawless masterpiece. For what it's worth, Azumi 2: Death or Love could have gone straight to video, with its invisibly richer budget and a failed potential to add or even expand on the bumpy journey of desperate assassins, doing their best to restore the peace, with an unwavering courage to die trying.$LABEL$ 0 +This has to be the worst piece of garbage I've seen in a while.Heath Ledger is a heartthrob? He looked deformed. I wish I'd known that he and Naomi Watts are an item in real life because I spent 2 of the longest hours of my life wondering what she saw in him. Orlando Bloom is a heartthrob? With the scraggly beard and deer-in-the-headlights look about him, I can't say I agree.Rachel Griffiths was her usual fabulous self, but Geoffrey Rush looked as if he couldn't wait to get off the set. I'm supposed to feel sorry for bankrobbers and murderers? This is a far cry from Butch Cassidy, which actually WAS an entertaining film. This was trite, cliche-ridden and boring. We only stayed because we were convinced it would get better. It didn't.The last 10-15 minutes or so were unintentionally hilarious. Heath and his gang are holed up in a frontier hotel, and women and children are dying because of their presence. That's not funny. But it was funny when they walked out of the hotel with the armor on, because all we could think of was the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I kept waiting for them to say "I'll bite yer leg off!" We were howling with laughter, as were several other warped members of the audience. When we left, pretty much everyone was talking about what a waste of time this film was.I may not have paid cash to see this disaster (sneak preview), but it certainly wasn't free. It cost me 2 hours of my life that I will never get back.$LABEL$ 0 +A very ordinary made-for-tv product, "Tyson" attempts to be a serious biopic while stretching the moments of angst for effect, fast forwarding through the esoterics of the corrupt sport of boxing, and muddling the sensationalistic stuff which is the only thing which makes Tyson even remotely interesting. A lukewarm watch at best which more likely to appeal to the general public than to boxing fans.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sure deep in the recesses of Jack Blacks mind the character of Nacho Libre is absolutely hilarious but no it isn't. You can tell ol Jacks having a whale of a time hammin it up playing a smarmy, slimy Mexican friar with dreams of becoming a wrestler but this movie is a total misfire in just about every single department.I just sat there through most of the movie thinking "Is this supposed to be funny" and "This is the guy from Tenacious D right?". The truth is this film has NOTHING to offer. AT ALL! It's a lousy script with crappy characters and really naff acting and direction. You'll watch endless moments where you think something funny is surely about to happen but it just doesn't. I was bored stupid about 10 minutes in but though it would surely pick up. It didn't. 90 minutes later I'd barely managed to stave off an aneurism it was that painful.It's like, remember years ago when you'd see anything with your fave actor in it, even some of their really early pap from before they were famous, and you'd be really embarrassed that said actor was actually in such a load of plop. Yeah it's like that.I've enjoyed some of Jack Black's earlier movies like Shallow Hall and I'm really looking forward to seeing Pick of Destiny but come on man. If you do this to us again Jack I'm gonna have to come round there and hammer your kneecaps or something. At the least give you a serious talking to.I know it's a cliché but this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen and for so many reasons....$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't read the Anne Rice novel that this movie was based on, but who knows, maybe reading the book is cheaper than renting QUEEN OF THE DAMNED and is probably better for your health. It isn't that this movie is necessarily bad for your health, but a book can be very relaxing and certainly exercises the active part of your brain more so than this movie. You can count the number of pages by Anne Rice that I've read on one hand, but after seeing this movie and Interview with a Vampire, I get the feeling that she writes really good novels. The plots for both movies hint at a whole sea of deep and interwoven vampire history.Still, Stuart Townsend's voice-over narration gets a heck of a lot more annoying than Brad Pitt's vampire narrative ever did, and you can tell that QUEEN OF THE DAMNED's limited production resources barely give enough flesh to the Anne Rice storyline. While Interview decided to go with lace and elegance, QUEEN relies on low budget special effects that try really hard to be taken seriously. One can see that the original novel had potential as a movie and that the production team focused its attention in the wrong places. The costumes and rock & roll stage could have been replaced with more blood and an eerier soundtrack.However, I'll give credit where credit is due. The soundtrack is excellent. Korn and Disturbed had me down with the sickness bobbing my noggin like Butthead.The film opens with a very cool Goth-rock zoom & splice montage, but after the first ten minutes or so, the directing degenerates quickly. It's as if the movie was so long that the director realized that there wasn't enough time and enough money to do an Anne Rice novel justice. What results are some mediocre vampire scenes and plenty of cheesy special effects. Unfortunately, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED fails to do the genre justice just as its John Carpenter counterparts fail to impress. Where are the yellow contacts? Where's the pale blue make-up? Scene after scene, I shook my head reminiscing about the days of Salem's Lot and Fright Night when low budget was done right.There are redeeming qualities though that save this movie from being garbage. Props to Aaliyah, and may her soul forever rest in peace. She might have become a renowned actress, had her life not been taken from us so prematurely, for she did give this movie a decent performance with plenty of nice belly dancing. Did I mention that the soundtrack was good? Let's see, what else can I say? It wasn't too long. The Anne Rice novel could have easily been a three hour movie if an ambitious director like Francis Ford Coppola got his hands on it. There are a few twists and turns here and there in the plot. But all in all it was a legitimate rock and roll addition to the slew of second-rate vampire movies out there. The director of this movie went on to direct a new Battlestar Galactica mini series if that tells you anything.JYJimboduck-dot-com$LABEL$ 1 +While I count myself as a fan of the Babylon 5 television series, the original movie that introduced the series was a weak start. Although many of the elements that would later mature and become much more compelling in the series are there, the pace of The Gathering is slow, the makeup somewhat inadequate, and the plot confusing. Worse, the characterization in the premiere episode is poor. Although the ratings chart shows that many fans are willing to overlook these problems, I remember The Gathering almost turned me off off what soon grew into a spectacular series.$LABEL$ 0 +Leonard Maltin gave this film a dreaded BOMB rating in his 1995 Movie and Video Guide. What film was he looking at? Kid Vengeance or God's Gun are bombs. This film is a delight. It is fantastic. It is literate. It is well mounted. It is beautiful photographed, making a brilliant use of colors. Right from the opening scene the film grabs your attention and tips you off that this film is a well-done satire of the whole Spaghetti Western genre. The film is played for laughs from the beginning to the end with homages to Douglas Fairbanks, 77 Sunset Strip, and the famous showdown in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Edd Byrnes, George Hilton, and Gilbert Roland work brilliantly together to make the satire work. It is too bad Mr. Maltin rated this film so poorly as it is undeserved. One can only guess as to his reason. I suspect that he missed the point of the movie entirely and was expecting something more serious than this film is meant to be. Kudos belong to everyone involved in this project. This film is a little gem waiting to be discovered by people who care about literate movies and appreciate satire.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't believe there has ever been a more evil or wicked television program to air in the United States as The 700 Club. They are today's equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan of the 20th century. Their hatred of all that is good and sweet and human and pure is beyond all ability to understand. Their daily constant attacks upon millions and millions of Americans, as well as billions of humans the world over, who don't happen to share their bigoted, cruel, monstrous, and utterly insane view of humanity is beyond anything television has ever seen. The lies they spout and the ridiculous lies they try to pass off as truth, such as the idea of "life after death" or "god" or "sin" or "the devil" is so preposterous that they actually seem mentally ill, so lost are they in their fantasy. Sane people know that religion is a drug and shouldn't let themselves get addicted to that type of fantasy. However, The 700 Club is in a class by itself. They are truly a cult. While I believe in freedom of speech, they way they spread hatred, lies, disinformation, and such fantastic ideas is beyond all limits. I hope that one day the American Psychiatric Association will finally take up the study of those people who delude themselves in this way, people who let themselves sink so deeply into the fantasy land of religion that they no longer have any real concept of reality at all. Treatment for such afflicted individuals is sorely needed in this country, as so many people have completely lost their minds to the fantasy of religion. The 700 Club though, is even more horrible as it rises to the legal definition of 'cult' but due to The 700 Club's vast wealth (conned daily from the millions of Americans locked in their deceitful grip) they are above the law in this country. For those of you who have seen the movie "The Matrix" you know that movie was a metaphor for religion on earth: the evil ones who are at the top of each of the religions who drain the ones they have trapped and cruelly abuse for their own selfish purposes, and those millions who are held in a death sleep and slowly being drained of their life force represent those many people who belong to religions and who have lost all ability to perceive what is really going on around them.In less civil times, the good townsfolk would have run such monsters as those associated with The 700 Club out of town with torches and pitchforks. But in today's world where people have lost all choice in their choices of television that is presented to them, we have no way to rid ourselves of the 700 Club plague. The television ratings system and the "V" chip on TV's should also have a rating called "R" for religion, so that rational people and concerned parents could easily screen such vile intellectual and brutal emotional rape, such as presented by The 700 Club every day all over our country, from themselves and their children.$LABEL$ 0 +If you wish to see Shakespeare's masterpiece in its entirety, I suggest you find this BBC version. Indeed it is overlong at four and a half hours but Jacoby's performance as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart's as Claudius are well worth the effort.It never ceases to amaze me how clear "Hamlet" is when you see it in its length and order as set down by the Bard. Every film version of "Hamlet" has tinkered with its structure. Olivier concentrated on Hamlet's indecision, Gibson on his passions. Jacoby is able to pull all of these aspects of Hamlet's character together with the aid of Shakespeare's full script.Why does Hamlet not kill Claudius immediately? Hamlet says "I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious..." Hamlet is extremely upset, not only for his father's death (and suspected murder), or his mother's marriage to his uncle, but also, and mostly, because Claudius has usurped the throne belonging to Hamlet. He is furious at his mother for marrying Claudius (marriages between royal kin is not unknown; done for political reasons) but that her marriage solidified Claudius' claim to the throne before he could return from Wittenburg to claim it for himself. He is, therefore, impotent to do anything about it. And this is true even after he hears his father's ghost cry vengeance. He cannot simply kill the King or he will lose the throne in doing so. He must "out" the King's secret and here is the tragedy! At the moment Hamlet is successful in displaying Claudius' guilt in public, he has opportunity to kill him and does not. WHY? He wants it ALL! He wants revenge, the throne AND the damnation of Claudius' soul in hell. Hamlet OVERREACHES himself in classic tragic form. His own HUBRIS is his undoing. He kills Polonius thinking it is Claudius and the rest of the play spirals down to the final deaths of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius and Hamlet himself.$LABEL$ 1 +The Golden Door is the story of a Sicilian family's journey from the Old World (Italy) to the New World (America). Salvatore, a middle-aged man who hopes for a more fruitful life, persuades his family to leave their homeland behind in Sicily, take the arduous journey across the raging seas, and inhabit a land whose rivers supposedly flow with milk. In short, they believe that by risking everything for the New World their dreams of prosperity will be fulfilled. The imagery of the New World is optimistic, clever and highly imaginative. Silver coins rain from heaven upon Salvatore as he anticipates how prosperous he'll be in the New World; carrots and onions twice the size of human beings are shown being harvested to suggest wealth and health, and rivers of milk are swam in and flow through the minds of those who anticipate what the New World will yield. All of this imagery is surrealistically interwoven with the characters and helps nicely compliment the gritty realism that the story unfolds to the audience. The contrast between this imagery versus the dark reality of the Sicilian people helps provide hope while they're aboard the ship to the New World.The voyage to the New World is shot almost in complete darkness, especially when the seas tempests roar and nearly kill the people within. The dark reality I referred to is the Old World and the journey itself to the New World. The Old World is depicted as somewhat destitute and primitive. This is shown as Salvatore scrambles together to sell what few possessions he has left (donkeys, goats and rabbits) in order to obtain the appropriate clothing he needs to enter the New World. I thought it was rather interesting that these people believed they had to conform to a certain dress code in order to be accepted in the New World; it was almost suggesting that people had to fit a particular stereotype or mold in order to be recognized as morally fit. The most powerful image in the film was when the ship is leaving their homeland and setting sail for the New World. This shot shows an overhead view of a crowd of people who slowly seem to separate from one another, depicting the separation between the Old and New Worlds. This shot also suggested that the people were being torn away from all that was once familiar, wanted to divorce from their previous dark living conditions and were desirous to enter a world that held more promise.As later contrasted to how the New World visually looks, the Old World seems dark and bleak as compared to the bright yet foggy New World. I thought it was particularly interesting that the Statue of Liberty is never shown through the fog at Ellis Island, but is remained hidden. I think this was an intentional directing choice that seemed to negate the purpose of what the Statue of Liberty stands for: "Give me your poor, your tired, your hungry" seemed like a joke in regards to what these people had to go through when arriving at the New World. Once they arrived in the Americas, they had to go through rather humiliating tests (i.e. delousing, mathematics, puzzles, etc.) in order to prove themselves as fit for the New World. These tests completely changed the perspectives of the Sicilian people. In particular, Salvatore's mother had the most difficult time subjecting herself to the rules and laws of the New World, feeling more violated than treated with respect. Where their dreams once provided hope and optimism for what the New World would provide, the reality of what the New World required was disparaging and rude. Salvatore doesn't change much other than his attitude towards what he felt the New World would be like versus what the New World actually was seemed disappointing to him. This attitude was shared by mostly everyone who voyaged with him. Their character arcs deal more with a cherished dream being greatly upset and a dark reality that had to be accepted.The film seems to make a strong commentary on preparing oneself to enter a heavenly and civilized society. Cleanliness, marriage and intelligence are prerequisites. Adhering to these rules is to prevent disease, immoral behavior and stupidity from dominating. Perhaps this is a commentary on how America has learned from the failings of other nations and so was purposefully established to secure that these plagues did not infest and destruct. Though the rules seemed rigid, they were there to protect and help the people flourish.$LABEL$ 1 +Nifty little episode played mainly for laughs, but with clever dollop of suspense. Somehow a Martian has snuck aboard a broken-down bus on its way to nowhere, but which passenger is it, (talk about your illegal immigrants!). All-star supporting cast, from wild-eyed Jack Elam (hamming it up shamelessly), to sexy Jean Willes (if she's the Martian, then I say let's open the borders!), to cruel-faced John Hoyt (the most obvious suspect), along with familiar faces John Archer and Barney Phillips (and a nice turn from Bill Kendis as the bus driver). Makes for a very entertaining half-hour even if the action is confined to a single set.$LABEL$ 1 +I had before a feeling of mislike for all Russian films. But, after seeing this film I haven´t. This is a unique masterpiece made by the best director ever lived in the USSR. He knows the art of film making, and can use it very well. If you find this movie: buy or copy it!$LABEL$ 1 +I watched mask in the 80's and it's currently showing on Fox Kids in the UK (very late at night). I remember thinking that it was kinda cool back in the day and had a couple of the toys too but watching it now bores me to tears. I never realised before of how tedious and bland this cartoon show really was. It's just plain awful! It is no where near in the same league as The Transformers, He-man or Thundercats and was very quickly forgot by nearly everyone once it stopped being made. I only watch it on Fox Kids because Ulysses 31 comes on straight after it (that's if mask doesn't put me to sleep first). One of the lesser 80's cartoons that i hope to completely forget about again once it finishes airing on Fox Kids!$LABEL$ 0 +Phantasm ....Class. Phantasm II.....awesome. Phantasm III.....erm.....terrible.Even though i would love to stick up for this film, i quite simply can't. The movie seems to have "sold out". First bad signs come when the video has trailers for other films at the start (something the others did not). Also too many pointless characters, prime examples the kid (who is a crack shot, funny initially but soon you want him dead), the woman who uses karate to fight off the balls (erm not gonna work, or rather shouldn't) and the blooming zombies (what the hell are they doing there, there no link to them in the other Phatasms). Also there is a severe lack of midgets running about.The only good bits are the cracking start and, of course, Reggie B.(Possible SPOILER coming Up)To me this film seems like a filler between II and IV as extra characters just leave at the end so can continue with main 4 in IV.Overall very, VERY disappointing. 3 / 10$LABEL$ 0 +Ludicrous. Angelic 9-year-old Annakin turns into whiny brat 19-year-old Annakin, who somehow seems appealing to Amidala, 5 years his senior. Now 22-year-old Jedi warrior hero Annakin has a couple of bad dreams, and so takes to slaughtering children, his friends, and the entire framework of his existence because a crazy old man convinced him a) his precious wife might really die, and b) only he can prevent this. Ludicrosity squared.I think the people who like this movie are not paying attention. The story is ridiculous. The characters are unbelievable (literally, not the perverted sense of "fantastic", "wonderful", etc.).Obi-wan Kenobi was the wise and kind anchor for the entire series, but in the climax, he hacks off Annakin's legs, lets him burn in the lava, and leaves him to suffer. Doesn't anyone think that's a little out of character? Not to mention it was pretty stupid to take a chance on him living, as it turns out.I was expecting at least a story that showed consistent characters with plausible motivations. None of that here. The story could have been written by a 10 year old.Oh yeah, the CGI is pretty cool.$LABEL$ 0 +Scotty (Grant Cramer, who would go on to star in the great B-movie "Killer Klowns from outer space") agrees to help three middle-aged guys learn how to 'dialog' the ladies in this bad '80's comedy. Not bad as in '80's lingo, which meant good. Bad as in bad. With no likable characters, including, but not limited to, a kid who's the freakiest looking guy since "Friday the 13th part 2"' a girl who leads men on and then goes into hissy fits when they want to touch her, and the token fat slob, because after all what would an '80's sex comedy be without a fat slob?? Well this one has two. This movie is pretty much the bottom of the barrel of '80's sex comedies. And then came the sequel thus deepening said proverbial barrel.My Grade:D- Eye Candy: too numerous to count, you even see the freaky looking kid imagined with boobs at on point, think "Bachlor Party" but not as funny, and VERY disturbing.Where I saw it: Comcast Moviepass$LABEL$ 0 +If you keep rigid historical perspective out of it, this film is actually quite entertaining. It's got action, adventure and romance, and one of the premiere casting match-ups of the era with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in the lead roles. As evident on this board, the picture doesn't pass muster with purists who look for one hundred percent accuracy in their story telling. To get beyond that, one need only put aside the history book, and enjoy the story as if it were a work of fiction. I know, I know, that's hard to do when you consider Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn and it's prominence in the history of post Civil War America. So I guess there's an unresolved quandary with the picture, no matter how you look at it.There's a lot to take in here though for the picture's two hour plus run time. Custer's arrival at West Point is probably the first head scratcher, riding up as he does in full military regalia. The practical joke by Sharp (Arthur Kennedy) putting him up in the Major's headquarters probably should have gotten them both in trouble.Ironically, a lot of scenes in this military film play for comedy, as in Custer's first meeting with Libby Bacon, and subsequent encounters that include tea reader Callie (Hattie McDaniel). I hadn't noticed it before in other films, but McDaniel reminded me an awful lot of another favorite character actor of mine from the Forties, Mantan Moreland. So much so that in one scene it looked like it might have been Moreland hamming it up in a dress. With that in mind, the owl scene was a hoot too.As for Flynn, it's interesting to note that a year earlier, he portrayed J.E.B. Stuart opposite Ronald Reagan's depiction of General Custer in "Santa Fe Trail", both vying for the attention of none other than Olivia de Havilland. In that film, Reagan put none of the arrogance and flamboyance into the character of Custer that history remembers, while in Flynn's portrayal here it's more than evident. But it doesn't come close to that of Richard Mulligan's take on the military hero in 1970's "Little Big Man". Let's just say that one was a bit over the top.The better take away the picture had for me was the manner in which Custer persevered to maintain his good name and not gamble it away on a risky business venture. That and his loyalty to the men he led in battle along with the discipline he developed over the course of the story. Most poignant was that final confrontation with arch rival Sharp just before riding into the Little Big Horn, in which he declared that hell or glory was entirely dependent on one's point of view. Earlier, a similar remark might have given us the best insight of all into Custer's character, when he stated - "You take glory with you when it's your time to go".$LABEL$ 1 +The film quickly gets to a major chase scene with ever increasing destruction. The first really bad thing is the guy hijacking Steven Seagal would have been beaten to pulp by Seagal's driving, but that probably would have ended the whole premise for the movie.It seems like they decided to make all kinds of changes in the movie plot, so just plan to enjoy the action, and do not expect a coherent plot. Turn any sense of logic you may have, it will reduce your chance of getting a headache.I does give me some hope that Steven Seagal is trying to move back towards the type of characters he portrayed in his more popular movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Interesting and short television movie describes some of the machinations surrounding Jay Leno's replacing Carson as host of the Tonight Show. Film is currently very topical given the public drama surrounding Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno.The film does a good job of sparking viewers' interest in the events and showing some of the concerns of the stakeholders, particularly of the NBC executives. The portrayal of Ovitz was particularly compelling and interesting, I thought.Still, many of the characters were only very briefly limned or touched upon, and some of the acting seemed perfunctory. Nevertheless, an interesting story.$LABEL$ 0 +Any film about WWII made during WWII by a British production company has no latter-day peer in my opinion, respectfully. The confluence of so many things near and dear to my heart are in At Dawn We Dive: as a descendant of Admiral Horatio Nelson and student of all aspects of World War Two and particularly naval warfare, I favor depictions of subs and action in the North Atlantic and especially those which include the German side of things. For those unacquainted with target priorities, an attack on an enemy warship is the greatest event that a submarine can hope to encounter and such a rare opportunity would develop surprisingly similarly to what we see here. The pacing is deliberate and typical of the works coming out of the Ealing, Rank and British-Gaumont studios back in the day: frankly I prefer its quieter, more cerebral approach for its humanity and realism that engages far better than any over-produced Hollywood movie ever could. This reminds me of Powell and Pressburger's The 49th Parallel thanks to the powerfully persuasive Eric Portman, a favorite of mine. John Mills receives second billing and a smaller font in the titles, so this is clearly meant to be Mr. Portman's film but the whole cast shines. As for the title sequence, am I the only one who is utterly charmed by Gainsborough Production's lovely pre-CGI Gainsborough Girl?$LABEL$ 1 +A brilliant horror film. Utterly gruesome and very scary too. The Thing is a remake from John Carpenter, but please, do not let that put you off this film. It is simply brilliant. The start of the film has the alien's spacecraft hurtling towards the Earth centuries before mankind walked the planet with an explosion that unleashes the film's title in amazing shining white and blue stating 'THE THING'. One of the best opening credits for a horror film ever.The cast of actors who play the twelve man science team are a joy to behold and the locations for the setting of their Station in Antartica is visually impressive on DVD widescreen. It must have been great in the cinema. I regret not seeing this on the big screen.Kurt Russell is excellent as Macready, the helicopter pilot who reluctantly becomes the leader of the men trying to combat a lethal shape changing monstrosity that has infiltrated their base. All the actors in this are really good and create terrific scenes of paranoia and tension as to who the thing has infected. My favourite scene in the whole film has to be when Macready tests everyone thats still alive for infection, it is tense, scary and finally spectacular. I love it because its funny as well.Special mention must go to Rob Bottin for his truly amazing make up effects and shape changing designs of the alien itself. If he didn't get an Oscar for best visual effects at the time then he damn well should have. This is also debatable as to whether this is John Carpenter's greatest film...its certainly a gruesome masterpiece.Wait for a cold winter night. Get some Budweiser from the fridge. Sit down and watch The Thing, a horror masterpiece of flame throwing heroes fighting shape changing towers of gore and slime.Utterly brilliant.Ten Out Of Ten.$LABEL$ 1 +I absolutely love this film. Everything about it. It almost felt like watching me and my friends on screen. The way this movie was filmed was a pure masterpiece, very original and creative. I related to these characters and even had the same thoughts as some. I'm really glad I ran across this movie. If only there were more genius' like justin out there!$LABEL$ 1 +No one can say I wasn't warned as I have read the reviews (both user & external), but like most of us attracted to horror movies... curiosity got this cat. (Come on, we all scream at the people in the movie not to go into the dark room, but you know that's horror aficionados are always dying to know what's in there even if we know it'll be bad).The bottom line is that this movie left me angry. Not because it pretends to be real (who cares...gimmicks are allowed), or because the actors and dialogue are so lame (is this an unusual event in horror movies?) or even because the movie is so bad (and I am being polite here). What really got me mad is that the film is not only a rip off of BWP, but also a half-hearted lazy rip off at that.I don't believe in sacred cows and if they thought they could outdo BWP then kudos to them, but they didn't even try. The movie was made with little effort or care and that is the most unforgivable sin in horror (or any) movie!$LABEL$ 0 +A new way to enjoy Goldsworthy's work, Rivers and Tides allows fans to see his work in motion. Watching Goldsworthy build his pieces, one develops an appreciation for every stone, leaf, and thorn that he uses. Goldsworthy describes how the flow of life, the rivers, and the tides inspires and affects his work. Although, I was happy the film covered the majority of Goldsworthy's pieces (no snowballs), I do feel it was a bit long. The film makers did a wonderful job of bringing Goldsworthy's work to life, and created a beautiful film that was a joy to watch.$LABEL$ 1 +If you liked William Hickey in "Prizzi's Honor", he resurrects his character, as Don Anthony in "Mob Boss". This is a very weak "Godfather" satire with few laughs. Stuart Whitman looks perplexed as to what he's doing in this schlock-fest? Morgan Fairchild's performance is one of the better efforts in the movie, and that alone is not a good sign for sure. Eddie Deezen vacillates between "Three Stooges" slapstick and a bad Woody Allen imitation. Fatally flawed, "Mob Boss" is so derivative that boredom quickly overcomes comedy and the film drags on with car chases, hidden weapons in a restaurant bathroom, and numerous other nonsense. - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen most, if not all of the Laurel & Hardy classic films. I have always enjoyed there comical stupidly, even after watching it over and over again. This new film attempts to bring back the classic with two new actors who resemble both Laurel & Hardy, however fails miserably for various reasons. One of which is how out of place their cloths are (still early 20th century) however are both portrayed in the 90's setting. Some of the former dialogue was brought back, however it also fails miserably to come close to the classic series. This film could very well be the worst film I have ever seen and should be pulled off the shelf and locked away forever. The real Laurel & Hardy are surly spinning in their graves at such a bad imitation.$LABEL$ 0 +I just started watching The Show around July. I found it by mistake, I was channel surfing during a Vacation. It is a great show, I just wish it wasn't on so late at night. It's on at 12:30 AM. As a working person it makes it hard to watch all the time.I read some comments. I did not agree with the late one about not growing up in the 60's and not believing that this stuff can happen.I grew up in the 60's. I'm Hispanic and I had a "White" boyfriend plus we had black friends in High School. I believe people get along because of their interests and personalities and it has nothing to do with being a certain race or color.I can't wait till the show goes on DVD so I can buy it. This way I can see it from the beginning.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is well cast, often silly and always funny. Lemmon and Matthau work their tag team magic to perfection. Brent Spiner is just a riot as the egotistical tyrant of a cruise director. From the first "hare krishna" to the last "you ought pay him fifty bucks for calling you two studs", I thought this was a totally entertaining fun comedy$LABEL$ 1 +I have just given a 10 for Thieves Highway, I mention this for two reasons one to prove I'm not a git who only gives bad reviews but 2 because the theme of the film has the same thread namely the falling in love with a woman of the night.We all know pretty Woman is a chick flick but you can't avoid them all, they'll eventually get you. Pretty Woman for me does two things, two terrible horrible ghastly things, firstly it portrays prostitution as a career more akin to that of a dancer, you know with absolutely great friends, leg warmers lots of giggling, borrowing each others make up. You see in the reality of Pretty Woman the prostitute and this is a street walker Prostitute we're talking about here, has a great life, she's healthy happy with only the occasional whimper to explain her predicament. My feeling is this 'happy Hooker' type protagonist is a lot more palatable than an even nearly realistic character, which for me begs the question if you make a movie about a type of person but are too chicken scared to adorn that player with the characteristics familiar to that role then why do it? If I make a film about a chef but don't want him to cook or talk about food or wear a white hat then why make a film about a chef in the first place? By bailing out and turning the hooker into a respectable dancer type the story misses the point completely and consequently never indulges in any of the moral or social questions that it could have, what a cop out, really really lame. Secondly, 'Pretty Woman' insults romance itself, Edward Lewis played by Richard Gere has no clue how to seduce or romance this 'lady' that is without his plastic friend, yep don't leave home without it, especially if you are a moron in a suit who has no imagination. 8 out of 10 of his romantic moments involve splashing cash in one way or another, even when he first meets her it's the Lotus Esprit turbo that does all the work, necklaces here diamonds there limos over there, money money money, where's the charm? where's the charisma, don't mention that attempt at the piano please.Girls who like this film will also be girls who like shopping more than most. Guys who like this film will not even have realized that old Eddy has less charm than a calculator, as they probably don't either so it wont have registered. More importantly anyone who likes this film will hate 'Thieves Highway' a wonderful story of which part is based on the same subject.I'll finish on a song:Pretty woman hangin round the street Pretty woman, the kind I like to treat Pretty woman, I don't believe you You're not the truth No one could spend as much as you MercyPretty woman, wont you pardon me Pretty woman, I couldn't help but see Pretty woman, and you look lovely as can be do you lack imagination just like mePretty woman, shop a while Pretty woman, talk a while Pretty woman, sell your smile to me Pretty woman, yeah, yeah, yeah Pretty woman, look my way Pretty woman, say you'll stay with me..and I'll pay you..I'll treat you right$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was terrible. The plot was terrible and unbelievable. I cannot recommend this movie. Where did this movie come from? This movie was not funny and wasted the talent of some great actors and actresses including: Gary Sinise, Kathy Bates, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jennifer Tilly.$LABEL$ 0 +I strongly dislike this show. I mean, like, basically everyone at that school is perfect, and rich, and I doubt a boarding school would look as cool as that. And why do they suddenly allow girls into the school? Isn't that just a little weird? anyways, Jamie Lynn spears CANNOT act. She always has the same facial expression, which really annoys me. She is basically emotionless, and all the guys seem to like her.and shouldn't chase tell her he likes her? its not that hard! really! None of this show is real life, and she isn't "a girl like me" because majority of the regular girls do NOT go to boarding school, do not have designer clothes, and do NOT live by the beach.fake fake fake.$LABEL$ 0 +Normally I don't like series at all. They're all to predictable and they tend to become boring and dull very fast.These series however, are well played, the story follows through all episodes and even if you miss one, the story will still be catching your mind.The episodes are all filmed on a hospital and takes you further and further in to the mysteries of dark and old secrets that lies just beneath the surface of the mighty hospital.$LABEL$ 1 +holy Sh*t this was god awful. i sat in the theater for for an hour and ten minutes and i thought i was going to gouge out my eyes much in the manor Oedipus Rex. dear god. this movie deserves no more credit than anything done by a middle school film buff. please save your money, this movie can offer you nothing. unless you enjoy sideshows and sleeping in movie theaters. you know, h3ll, bring your girlfriend and make things interesting. you will be the only ones there anyway. F@ck this slide show. Ye Be Warned.I recommend not watching this.hello.how are you?I'm pretty good.enjoying this day?I am.this comment was one-hundred times more fun than pretending to watch this daym movie. this is sad.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is without a doubt a perfect 10/10.. for all you people out there who are rating this film low grades because it has no "good plot" or anything like that, thats ridiculous, saying that a Jackie Chan movie is bad because of its plot is like saying a porn movie is bad because it has no plot! you watch Jackie Chan FOR THE FIGHT SCENES, for the action its not so much concentrated on a good story or anything like that, if you look at how he makes movies and compare it to other American films from that era and even later you will realize that Jackie Chan's movies had over the top fights scenes and not really good plots while American movies had good plots but shitty action scenes compared to what Jackie Chan was doing at the time. Porn is watched for the porn, Jackie Chan is watched for the ACTION, i think you people are rating it bad because there's no plot because you think thats how a smart movie critic would rate a good movie but the way i see it is a good movie is a movie that can keep me entertained. Sure the middle of the movie was boring, VERY BORING, but put it this way the rest which is all action scenes and stunts very much do pay for all of that. This did change the way how American action movies were created, they have even stollen scenes from this movie. If you want a true man, a true entertainer then watch this movie and many more of Jackie Chan's, hes pure in everyway. He literally makes American movies look like a walk in the park, and even in TODAYS movies. American movies rely so much on special effects and safety wires and stunt doubles and so much more. Police Story and many other Jackie Chan films are pieces of work of a true entertainer who just goes all out and is very talented in what he can do. a masterpiece$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this at the London Film Festival last night, apparently the shorter version. James McNally's summary of the content of the film is very good. Nossiter very deftly blends his investigation of the wine business into wider concerns about globalisation, homogenisation, the effect of the mass media, the power of capital and the need for diversity.The film is shot on hand-held DV which some might find offputting, but which does enable Nossiter to catch people off guard on a number of occasions which probably would not have been possible using more conventional equipment.Despite the sprawling feel of the film, the editing is very sharp, not only giving us a parade of the world's dogs, but also undercutting a number of interviewees' comments with somewhat contradictory visual images, and giving others sufficient rope to hang themselves. To a degree this evoked Michael Moore's recent work (although Nossiter operates in a more subtle way), but probably the roots of the film go back to Marcel Ophuls' "The Sorrow and the Pity", both in the way the film is constructed and in the emergence of 'salt of the earth' French peasants as the stars. De Montille pere et fils were present at the LFF screening and answered questions afterwards. We do indeed all need a little disorder - bravo Hubert!Overall an excellent film with implications that go way beyond the world of wine into the way we construct ourselves as people, and organise our world.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't believe this movie managed to get such a relatively high rating of 6! It is barely watchable and unbelievably boring, certainly one of the worst films I have seen in a long, long time.In a no-budget way, it reminded me of Star Wars Episodes I and II for the sheer impression that you are watching a total creative train wreck.This film should be avoided at all costs. It's one of those "festival films" that only please the pseudo-intellectuals because they are so badly made those people think it makes it "different", therefore good.Bad film-making is not "different", it's just bad film-making.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie really woke me up, like it wakes up the main male character of this bravely different movie from his life slumber.This guy John (Ben Chaplin) leads his mediocre safe life of a bank teller in a small provincial English town, until the stunningly gorgeous, wild, girl-to-die-for Nadia (Nicole Kidman), ordered by email from Russia, enters his life to become his beloved wife, by Johns plan. However a glitch turns up - Nadia does not speak a word of Johns language. Although calm and emotionless on the outside, John becomes so interested in beautiful Nadia that instead of using the full refund policy of the matching service, he buys her a dictionary to start the communication process.What happens henceforth in the plot really shakes poor John from his slumber of a decently-paid safe-feeling clerk into a decision-making decently thinking action figure, giving the viewer a subliminal message "you would have probably acted likewise".Kidman, Cassel & Kassovitz make a great team acting Russians and they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing, "almost" only due to the slight accent present in their Russian dialogues, however slight enough to amaze a native Russian by the hard work done to get the words sound right. Nicole Kidman proves her talent once again by playing a character quite different from the previous roles, at least from the cultural background.The pace of the film is fast and captivating, and you certainly are not ready to quit watching when the end titles appear, you rather feel that you're in the middle of the plot, and are left with a desire to see the sequel as soon as it comes out.My advice is to go out and get this film immediately and watch it and enjoy. To sum it up, it has an unusual plot, great acting, and ideas below the surface. Like the idea of the "rude awakening" from the artificial safe routine life of a wheel in a Society's machine, the life which members of the Fight Club were so keen to quit and the machine of which Pink Floyd sings ("Welcome to the machine!"). I bet that in the end, John was rather off with Sophia on their way to the unknown than not having met her at all.Thank you, writers, for the great story, and everyone else for this great movie! Please make a sequel! And you can stage it whereever and name the location whatever, because the authenticity of the place is irrelevant to the 99.9999 percent of the potential viewers, I am sure of it.$LABEL$ 1 +Ed Wood rides again. The fact that this movie was made should give any youngaspiring film maker hope. Any screenplay you might have thought of using toline a litterbox or a birdcage should now not seem that bad. Do not watch this movie unless you have a healthy stash of Tylenol or Rolaids. Watching thismovie made me realize that Boa vs. Python was not that bad after all. It probably would have been better to do this movie in Claymation as at least that way no actor would have had to take credit for being in this film. It is understandable why this director has so many aliases. There is a bright side to watching this movie in that if you can get someone to bring you a bag of chips, then you can eat your way out of the cocoon of cheese that surrounds you enabling you tomake your toward your TV set's cocoon of cheese that surrounds it.$LABEL$ 0 +This sports a nice, deep cast but for a thriller you better deliver more than name actors and talk. The first third of this movie was nothing but talk, and more talk. Most of that was a bunch of women bitching about everything to each other. The first five listed actors in here are women so that verifies that it's really a "chick flick" and little else. This probably plays on the Lifetime network.There was a quick murder scene and then more talk. By halfway through, they had lost me. By the way, Sally Field looked about 15 years old in here.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this movie has got it all. It has really cool music that I can never get out of my head. It has cool looking characters. IS REALLY funny(you know, the kind that you'll crack up on the ground and you'll keep saying the funny parts over every day for three weeks).Despite the bad acting, bad cgi, and bad story(about cops going after a robot), its really cool. Its one of those movies you and all of your family can watch, get together, eat pizza, laugh like crazy, and watch it two more times.There are so many funny parts, like when Kurt was trying to get Edison's attention and gave him the finger, and then threw a paint ball gun at him so they could play paint ball. On that part, I kept saying "Remember, Remember?"to my cousins who saw it and showed them what happened. There was also a really funny part when Edision ran into the room and Kurt was there(just before they fought) and Kurt was talking about his "Strange dream" and how he was "Superman". I LOVED that part, although it has been a while since I saw it, so I don't remember that part. Everything the actors said were funny, like how Kurt says, "I worship you, like a GOD!" to the robot.Although there was some bad things, in all it was a GREAT movie. Man, I can't stop laughing. I wish I had that movie. );$LABEL$ 1 +Howard (Kevin Kline) teaches English at the high school in a small Indiana city. He is finally getting married to Emily (Joan Cusack), much to his parents delight. The town is abuzz, too, because one of its own, Cameron (Matt Dillon) has been nominated for an acting Oscar. Everyone, including Howard and Emily, is watching the Academy Awards on television as Cameron is declared the winner! In his acceptance speech, Cameron announces that he was able to fulfill his role as a gay military man, in part, because of lessons he learned from a gay teacher he had in high school. You guessed it, its Howard! But, Howard has never "come out"; in fact, he believes he is straight! With the whole town, and members of the media, waiting and observing the happenings, will Howard and Emily go ahead and get married? Or, is Howard truly gay and realize he can not go through with the ceremony? This is a wonderful, funny, and humane film about a gay man and his situation. As the man-who-did-not-realize-he-was-gay, Kline is excellent and touching. The rest of the cast is equally fine, with Cusack a stitch as the mixed-up fiancé and Dillon, Bob Newhart, Debbie Reynolds, Tom Selleck, and others on hand to delight the audience as well. The costumes are very nice and the setting in the lovely Indiana heartland is beautiful. Then, too, the script, the direction, and the production are very, very nice. But, the insightful, humorous, and the thoughtful look at the gay population is the film's best asset, no doubt. For those who would be offended by a gay-themed film, yes, just skip over this one. But, for everyone who wants to laugh heartily, and gain a better understanding of the gay situation at the same time, this is definitely the best film out there.$LABEL$ 1 +When the opening shot is U.S. Marines seriously disrespecting the U.S. flag, a movie has a tough road ahead, but unfortunately it was downhill from there. There is a military adviser credited, who is also apparently a retired U.S. Marine, making it even more baffling that this incredible breach of protocol, and law, went unnoticed. Even more baffling is the way they simply glossed over how a Marine is reported KIA, then buried, in very short order, without the slightest explanation of how they identified the body, or if there even was a body. The U.S. government is still finding the missing from WWII, and it takes months to identify the remains. Military shot down remain MIA for months or years and are only declared KIA when the remains have been positively identified, or after years of red tape. Here we are expected to believe that it happens within a matter of days or weeks. Maybe this happens in Denmark, but not in the U.S. Clearly none of the people involved ever had the slightest involvement with, or respect for, the U.S. military.Beyond that, there are a number of other utterly laughable moments when characters come up with zingers out of nowhere. There must have been some really extended meetings between auteur and actors as they struggled to find their motivation for such hogwash. Having a script that worked might have helped, but this one seems to have been made up on the spot, working from Cliffs Notes. There's no way to know if the script was this awful originally, or if it was the auteur, or the middle-management kids at the studio who bear responsibility. Either way, this is an awful movie that should have never been made.$LABEL$ 0 +We usually think of the British as the experts at rendering great adventure from the Imperial age, with the likes of The Four Feathers (1939) and Zulu, simply because the Imperial age was, for the most part, British. Here, in The Wind and the Lion, we see a wonderful rendering of America's own Imperial age.America's projection of power under Teddy Roosevelt is the backdrop for this conventional tale of the kidnapped damsel who, despite her gentility, is smitten by the rough, manly nobility of her captor, who in turn is disarmed by her beauty and scorn. (Politically correct prigs eager to see some slight of "native" peoples or cultures can rest assured, that the way Arabs and Muslims are depicted here is far more flattering than the way their modern counterparts depict themselves on the current world stage.) What makes this story different are the terrific production values - faultless photography, composition and editing - the terrific casting - the underappreciated Brian Keith playing a bully Teddy - and vivid history.Though The Wind and the Lion is told largely through the eyes of the son, every member of the family can identify with one of the characters, whether it be Sean Connery's noble brigand, Candace Bergen's feisty heroine, John Huston's wily John Hay or Steve Kanaly's spiffy, radiant, ruthless can-do lieutenant, Roosevelt's "Big Stick". There is a transcendent scene at the end, when the little boy is symbolically swept away by the dashing Moor on his white steed. This is high adventure at its best.$LABEL$ 1 +I had been looking forward to seeing Dreamgirls for quite a while...what with all it's raving reviews, nominations and media attention. And I must say, the first quarter of the movie was good! It really portrayed the black music scene back then. However, as the movie wore on, me and my whole family were bored out of our wits. The singing just kept coming, one after the other. I mean seriously, just one more music number and it would have broke even with RENT.Furthermore, I noticed hardly any character development in any of the characters; I just didn't care what happened to them! Even when Eddie Murphy's character died of a drug overdose, I knew I should have been sad, but I just couldn't feel any emotion for that character. The characters were given a flimsy background about singing in their childhood and whatnot, but there personalities were not revealed enough to draw me in.Finally, the conflict was simply not significant enough to make the viewer care, which goes along with the lack of character development. This movie reminded me of a copy-cat movie based on Ray, Chicago, and Rent (Ray and Chicago were wonderful movies in my opinion). Overall I think this movie would best suit someone who doesn't really care about an overall story, yet would enjoy two hours of entertaining and fun singing performances.$LABEL$ 0 +One of Starewicz's longest and strangest short films follows a toy dog in search of an orange after becoming animated by the tear of the mother of a girl who longs for an orange. The dog comes upon an orange after falling out of the back of a car on his way to be sold, but at night must protect the orange when he comes enters a devilish nightclub featuring many bizarre and scary characters. With the help of a stuffed cat, the dog gets the orange back to the little girl and she is saved from a terrible scurvy death. The Mascot features new techniques I have not yet seen in Starewicz's films. The addition of sync sound and a mixture of live action with the stop-motion animation makes for a new twist on Starewicz's old style of puppetry. Live scenes of moving cars and people's feet walking by as a puppet sits on the concrete sidewalk is impressive and fresh. The honking of cars and cries of street vendors is noteworthy due to the fact that small studio shifts to sound were costly and Starewicz's utilization of the new technology seems like old hat. New puppet characters in this film are frightening contributions to the devil's club scene. Twigss and newspaper shreds come to life. Skeletons of dead birds lay eggs which hatch skeleton chicks. Characters come flying in from all over on pats and pans and rocking horses. A new editing technique uses quick zooms which are accomplished through editing to speed up the pace of what before might have been a slow scene. Overall, Starewicz is able to update his style of film-making to meet the demands of a new audience making this film one of the best examples of his work.$LABEL$ 1 +Nice character development in a pretty cool milieu. Being a male, I'm probably not qualified to totally understand it, but they do a nice job of establishing the restrictive Victorian environment from the start. It isn't as bleak as it really was and the treatment of women was probably even harsher. What makes this go is a wonderful chemistry among the principal characters. Each has their own "thing" that they contend with. Once they come out of the rain and break out of the spider webs, they begin to interact and slowly lose their sense of suspicion. What I enjoyed about this movie is that it didn't go for cheap comedy when it could have. It didn't try to pound a lesson into us. The people who seem utterly without merit are really nicely developed human beings who get to see the light. I did have a little trouble with the Alfred Molina character having such an epiphany so quickly, but, within this world, it needed to happen. Good acting all around with something positive taking place in the lives of some pretty good people.$LABEL$ 1 +Prussic gas, a murderer donning a red clansman suit and hood wielding a white whip, and the murders of college school girls at the hands of paid convicts enlisted by a mysterious mastermind who keeps his face hidden within an office containing aquariums of turtles and fish. The inspectors at Scotland Yard, Higgins(IJoachim Fuchsberger)and his superior Sir John(Siegfried Schürenberg)certainly have their hands full with this case. It all seems to center around student Ann Portland(Uschi Glas), who, when she turns 21, is to inherit a great deal of wealth. The girls who are targeted share a room with Ann, but the reason for their murders remains a mystery SY's finest must figure out. The staff of the girls' dormitory all seem to be hiding something and certain members of the faculty are falling prey to the killer in the red monk robe disguise, talented enough to precisely strangle the necks of those attacked with the whip. Two prisoners are commissioned by a mystery man to use the newly created toxic gas created by a scientist murdered at the beginning of the film during what was supposed to be a monetary exchange for his creation. It's a clever scheme where a driver, Greaves(Günter Meisner)meets the convicts(..who hide in a barrel)who are assisted by a corrupt prison guard. Taken blindfolded to the secret room of the mastermind, he gives them orders on who to kill and how. Uncovering this operation is a top priority for Higgins and Sir John for it will lead them to the truth they seek in regards to the murders and why they are happening. Under suspicion are girls' dormitory headmistress, her author brother, a sweaty, incredibly nervous chemistry teacher, a snooping gardener, and the Bannister. Some are red herrings until they are disposed of, throwing the viewer for a loop each time until the real mastermind is discovered. The ending features multiple twists. Out of the Krimi films I've seen, THE COLLEGE GIRL MURDERS is the closest to a giallo with it's colorful killer, a convoluted plot yielding lots of surprises and potential suspects, & sordid shenanigans between adults and the college girls at the dormitory. I think you can also see the influence of James Bond on this particular Krimi film with the villain mastermind's secret hideout with an alligator pit(..which isn't used), the fake bible/water pistol, when opened, fires the gas into the face of startled victims, the Greaves' Royles Royce which has latches that cause flaps to darken the windows without revealing the passenger in the back seat, and the peep holes used to spy on the girls in their rooms and while swimming. Many might consider Sir John a liability due to his bumbling, buffoonish behavior and how he often undermines Higgins' abilities to get at the truth(..perhaps poking fun at know-it-all British inspectors who harm a case more than solve it)..I felt he was used as comedy relief, particularly with his attempts at psychoanalyzing suspects and potential victims, often misunderstanding what are told to him. Higgins, using the skills adopted over his years as an investigator, instead follows the clues/facts, often avoiding Sir John as much as possible. Capable direction by the reliable Alfred Vohrer who keeps the pace humming at a nice speed, and the screenplay is full of interesting characters and lurid content..the fact that so many of the adults surrounding the dormitory are suspect, any of them might be the one wielding the whip or calling the shots behind those murdered girls' executions. I'd say this may be one of the best(..if not the best)examples of the Krimi genre, for it keeps you guessing, always one more ace up it's sleeve..the revelations unearthed at the very end are quite eye-opening(..and, you even get a literal unmasking of the real mastermind pulling the strings to top it all off).$LABEL$ 1 +I was very lucky to see this film as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2005 only a few days ago. I must admit that I am very partial to movies that focus on human relations and especially the ones which concentrate on the tragic side of life. I also love the majority of Scandinavian cinematic offerings, there is often a particular deep quality in the way the story unfolds and the characters are drawn. Character building in this film is extraordinary in its details and its depth. This is despite the fact that we do encounter quite a number of characters all with very particular personal situations and locations within their community. The audience at the end of the screening was very silent and pensive. I am still playing some of those scenes in my mind and I am still amazed at their power and meaningfulness.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is really bad. Most of it looks like it was filmed either in a park or a basement. There's a giant spider but all we see of it is one leg. There are some worms that live in a cave that are just cheap sock puppets with cardboard teeth. And the plot is a bunch of post-apocalyptic mumbo jumbo that makes no sense at all. The whole thing is just laughable.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this is one hell of a movie...........We can see Steven fighting around with his martial art stuff again and like in all Segal movies there's a message in it, without the message it would be one of many action/fighting movies but the message is what makes segal movies great and special.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie in the theater, and was thoroughly impressed by it. Then again, that was when Claire Danes was a good actress, not the foolish, arrogant, Hollywood-ized bitch she is today. Anyway, this film really struck me as one of the more raw, realistic, beautiful friendship films. How far would you really go for your best friend? I was moved to tears at the end, and still tear up when I watch it now (I own it). I remember as soon as I left the theater, I called my best friend and sobbed to her how much I loved her. This is a great film to watch with your best girlfriend. However be prepared for the almost certain conversation afterward where she turns to you and asks if you'd do something like that for her....$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen this film literally over 100 times...it's absolutely jam-packed with entertainment!!! Powers Boothe gives a stellar performance. As a fan of actors such as William Shatner (Impulse, 1974) and Ron Liebmann (Up The Academy, 1981)I never thought an actor could capture the "intensity" like Shatner and Liebmann in those roles, until I saw Boothe as Jim Jones! As far as I'm concerned, Powers Boothe IS Jim Jones...this film captures his best performance!!!$LABEL$ 1 +The three main characters are all hopeless, and yet you only feel sorry for one of them: Ernesto, hopelessly devoted to Mercedes. This was part of the frustration: screaming at Mercedes to get a clue and ditch the no-good Harry, to no avail.Then there's the satisfaction: Steve Buscemi has a great part as a transvestite, and Harvey Keitel's moving story of his indignity playing a gorilla for a cheap TV movie is incredible. When you least expect it, Quentin Tarintino is doing half a monologue, and Anthony Quinn turns Ernesto into a wealthy man.Time and again great moments appear in the story, but in the end it's hard to know what to feel about this movie. It doesn't have a happy ending, or even a complete one, but it somehow feels right.This movie is strange, but then so am I; no wonder I liked it.$LABEL$ 1 +Reese Witherspoon first outing on the big screen was a memorable one. She appears like a fresh scrubbed face "tween" slight and stringy, but undeniably Reese.I have always liked her as an actor, and had no idea she started this young with her career, go figure. I actually gained some respect for Reese to know who she was so early on. I say that because whenever I have watched her perform, the characters thus far, in each portrayal she also seemed to have her own persona that lived with that character, quite nicely in fact.Anyway, my first film experience with Reese was the Little Red Riding Hood parody Reese did with Kiefer Sutherland, somehow I assumed that was her first time up "at bat" Not so, well done Reese$LABEL$ 1 +This game ranks above all so far. I had the honor of playing mine on PS2 so the graphics were really good. The voice acting was above standard. The difficulty level is just right. Wesker has to be the best characters in the RE series in my opinion. The story amazed me and took many different twist that I wasn't expecting. The only rating this game deserves is great.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not worth anything. I mean, if you want to watch this kind of stuff, flip to Hollywood movies! This totally is a disgrace to the Bollywood name. Neal N Nikki seriously sucked! Never watch this movie. As for the actors, it appears the acting genes skipped a generation. Tanisha couldn't have worn less and Uday Chopra obviously was just picked because he was the director's spoiled son. (All of that Halla Re was amazingly stupid) The songs are eh, and I hope the director did not spend to much money on it...... Bottom line, I hated the movie. Do not let your kids watch it, and if you have it in your house it is a stupid movie so discard it! Buy the CD, if you must. (As I said, the songs are eh.) At least it is better then the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is yet another western about a greedy cattle baron looking to push out small ranchers and farmers. It's certainly all been done before and since. But The Violent Men is something special.What makes it special is Barbara Stanwyck playing the role of vixen as she often did in her later films. She's married to the crippled Edward G. Robinson who's the cattle baron here, but Robinson is crippled and there is some hint that his injuries may have left him impotent. No matter to Barbara, whose needs are being met by her brother-in-law Brian Keith. That doesn't sit well with either Dianne Foster who is Robinson and Stanwyck's daughter, nor with Lita Milan who is Keith's Mexican girl friend.The infidelity subplot almost takes over the film, but Glenn Ford as the stalwart small rancher who is a Civil War veteran come west for his health manages to hold his own here. He's every inch the quiet western hero who people make the mistake of pushing once too often. I almost expect those famous words from Wild Bill Elliott to come out of Ford's mouth, "I'm a peaceable man." Would have been very applicable in The Vioilent Men.The Fifties was the age of the adult western, themes were entering into horse operas that hadn't been explored before. The following year Glenn Ford would do another western, Jubal, one of his best which also explores infidelity as a plot component.There's enough traditional western stuff in The Violent Men and plenty for those who are addicted to soap operas as well.$LABEL$ 1 +Apparently, The Mutilation Man is about a guy who wanders the land performing shows of self-mutilation as a way of coping with his abusive childhood. I use the word 'apparently' because without listening to a director Andy Copp's commentary (which I didn't have available to me) or reading up on the film prior to watching, viewers won't have a clue what it is about.Gorehounds and fans of extreme movies may be lured into watching The Mutilation Man with the promise of some harsh scenes of splatter and unsettling real-life footage, but unless they're also fond of pretentious, headache-inducing, experimental art-house cinema, they'll find this one a real chore to sit through.82 minutes of ugly imagery accompanied by dis-chordant sound, terrible music and incomprehensible dialogue, this mind-numbingly awful drivel is the perfect way to test one's sanity: if you've still got all your marbles, you'll switch this rubbish off and watch something decent instead (I watched the whole thing, but am well aware that I'm completely barking!).$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was absolutely pathetic. A pitiful screenplay and lack of any story just left me watching three losers drool over bikini babes. At times I felt like I was watching an episode of Beavis and Butthead. I couldn't even sit through the whole movie. Emran Hashmi disappoints, and Hrshitta Bhatt is not impressive at all. Celina Jaitley was not bad. The only worthwhile part of the film is the spoof on Anu Malik and his obsession of shayaris. It was pretty hilarious. The songs "Sini Ne" and its remix version were really good. You can always count on Emran lip-locking and lip-synching a chartbuster. All in all, it seems Emran doesn't have a good script from the Bhatts to back him up this time.$LABEL$ 0 +I Feel the Niiiiiight Heat! I feel your HEEAAAAAAAAAART-beat! Something ain't right!" Theme song written by B.J. Cook from Skylark- David Foster's old band and wife. She also wrote the memorable theme from CBC's "Airwaves." OH Night Heat! What a program! Well-written, well-acted and totally classic. Crime solvers and a good team and a dash of humour at the end. I'd like to think this is really what detectives do/did. Giambone was a real favourite! On a Canadian tip, I learned EVERY Canadian actor's name and style from guest spots done on Night Heat. Everyone passed through the Night Heat set and like Law & Order, it was story-driven so you could just watch and enjoy without a lot of character melodrama.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie fails miserably on every level. I have an idea, let's take everyone involved in this movie and ship them into a hot zone in the middle east. Maybe if we're lucky they'll all be shot and killed and we won't have to ever have our time wasted by them again. Did I mention that I have never been so bitter about a cinematic pile of crap in my entire life? My god, I can't think of anything I've ever seen that was this bad. I'd rather watch Ishtar 25 times in a row than sit through 10 minutes of this sorry excuse for a film. If I ever happen to meet anyone who was involved in this film, I'll spit in their face and then beat them senseless. That's my two cents.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes i'll say before i start commenting, this movie is incredibly underrated.Sharon Stone is great in her role of Catherine Trammell as is Morrissey as Dr glass. He is an analyst sent in to evaluate her after the death of a sports star. Glass is drawn into a seductive game that Trammel uses to manipulate his mind.The acting was good (apart from Thewlis)Stone really has a talent with this role. She's slick, naughty and seductive and doesn't look a day older than she did in the first.She really impressed me(like in Casino). Morrisey was also good. He showed much vunerablitity in a role that needed it. Thewlis however was lame. He ruined his character and was over-the-top the whole way. He really sucked.Overall, this movie not as good the first but Stone is a hoot to watch. Just ignore Thewlis.$LABEL$ 1 +Based on a Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, AT THE EARTH'S CORE provides little more than means to escape and give your brain a rest. A Victorian scientist Dr. Abner Perry(Peter Cushing)invents a giant burrowing machine, which he and his American partner(Doug McClure)use to corkscrew their way deep into the earth to explore what mysteries it may hold. They soon discover a lost world of subhuman creatures having conflict with prehistoric monsters.Cushing comes across as an absent minded professor to the point of being annoying. Instead of being a bold adventurer, he comes across effeminate. On the other hand McClure overacted enough to make himself also laughable. Caroline Munro plays the pretty Princess Dia that refuses to leave her world near the center of the earth. Also in the cast are: Godfrey James, Cy Grant and Michael Crane.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this film at least 100 times and I am still excited by it, the acting is perfect and the romance between Joe and Jean keeps me on the edge of my seat, plus I still think Bryan Brown is the tops. Brilliant Film.$LABEL$ 1 +This show makes absolutely no sense. Every week, two ladies go to an estate to do some gardening, and every week without fail, they somehow stumble upon a murder. Because everyone who owns a big house with a large garden is involved in a murder, right? But even if they did somehow happen to stumble upon murder after murder, wouldn't the smart thing to do be to tell the police? You know, the people who can actually do something about it... But every week, these two fools go around, polluting evidence, committing crimes of their own, and, in some cases, causing more murders. Once they do miraculously solve the murders, there is no way the murderer could ever be convicted. All the evidence has been sabotaged. And you'd think people who are covering up murders would think not to hire these two, wouldn't you? Yay! We've solved the murder! Now like every other week, let's go and confront the murderer ourselves and, with no back-up, tell them that we know about it. There is no way we could get ourselves into any danger, is there? Rosemary and Thyme is one of the worst shows on television, and certainly the most ridiculous.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was so bad it was funny! For awhile there I thought I was actually watching a parody of a bad movie (a la "For Your Consideration"). The "cliffhanger" scene at the end had me laughing until my insides hurt. The script was dreadful enough, but coupled with Sean Young's terrible acting -- especially while she explains the entire plot in great detail (complete with flashbacks) while dangling off a cliff -- makes it a truly classically bad movie worth watching! In fact the fakey shots in this scene reminded me of an Ed Wood movie. I still can't believe how this thing got made. First of all, how did such a bad script get the green light? How did star actors get attached? Were they at low points in their careers? Questions, questions.$LABEL$ 0 +Meryl Streep is such a genius. Well, at least as an actress. I know she's been made fun of for doing a lot of roles with accents, but she nails the accent every time. Her performance as Lindy Chamberlain was inspiring. Mrs. Chamberlain, as portrayed here, was not particularly likable, nor all that smart. But that just makes Streep's work all the more remarkable. I think she is worth all 10 or so of her Oscar nominations. About the film, well, there were a couple of interesting things. I don't know much about Australia, but the theme of religious bigotry among the general public played a big part in the story. I had largely missed this when I first saw the film some years ago, but it came through loud and clear yesterday. And it seems the Australian press is just as accomplished at misery-inducing pursuit and overkill as their American colleagues. A pretty good film. A bit different. Grade: B$LABEL$ 1 +'Airport 4' is basically a slopped together mess for Universal Studios to try and work a new twist - the Concorde supersonic airliner - into their 'disaster-in-the-sky' formula.Bogged down with unintentional humor, the best of which is when George Kennedy sticks his hand out of Concorde's window at supersonic speed to fire a flare gun at a heat-seeking missile following the aircraft's flight path, and the simple fact that these dumb passengers keep re-boarding the same plane to continue their flight despite all the problems in the air. Many stars in this one including Robert Wagner, Sylvia Kristel, Alain Delon, and Martha Raye as a nervous passenger. Not really related to the other 'Airport' films.$LABEL$ 0 +Supposedly a "social commentary" on racism and prison conditions in the rural South of the 1970's, "Nightmare" is full of bad Southern stereotypes, complete with phoney accents. Not only would it be offensive to the sensibilities of most American Southerners, this tawdry piece of work comes off as just a thinly-disguised "babe in prison" movie--especially in its uncut original version. Nevertheless, acting is generally above average and the late Chuck Connors, in particular, does a good job of making viewers hate him--even though he looks somewhat uncomfortable in several scenes. There's also a change-of-pace role for the late Robert Reed, who appears as the lecherous warden, and Tina Louise (previously Ginger of "Gilligan's Island") made a rather believable sadistic prison guard. My grade: D. $LABEL$ 0 +OK, I bought this film from Woolworths for my friend for a joke present on his birthday, because the front cover had a sexual innuendo in it.But we decided it to watch it anyway. Just for hilarity purposes.And I'm sorry, but this has got to be, one of THE worst films in history.It began off alright, and we thought "Ok this might actually be OK". But after about 10 minutes, we were sadly mistaken.It began when the "mysterious paint baller" turned out to be the most obvious character, the Scouser/Australian (I say that because he had an accent which couldn't be identified), who's acting might I just say, was abysmal.Then it got to the end, and by that time, we had all lost the will to live. The paint ball finals.The only thing I did like about this plot is that they didn't actually win, but annoyingly enough they won by default.And I know this has nothing to do with it, but the name the team were given was just awful. Critical Damage. I mean they could of picked a more awesome name, like "The Destroyers of the Anti-Christ" or something. Or that's what the film should of been called anyway.$LABEL$ 0 +Insignificant and low-brained (haha!) 80's horror like there are thirteen in a dozen, yet it can be considered amusing if you watch it in the right state of mind. The special effects are tacky, the acting atrocious and the screenplay seems to miss a couple of essential paragraphs! "The Brain" takes place in a typical quiet-American town setting, where every adolescent works in the same diner and where the cool-kid in high school flushes cherry bombs down the toilet. It is here that a TV-guru named Dr. Blake and his adorable pet-brain begin their quest for nation-wide mind controlling. Under the label of "independent thinkers", a giant cheesy brain sends out waves through television sets and forces innocent viewers to kill! How cool is that? Now, it's up to the Meadowvale teen-rebel to save the world! The funniest thing about the plot is that it never explains where Dr. Blake and his monstrous brain actually come from. There are obvious references towards extraterrestrial life but that's about it. Meh, who needs a background in a movie like this, really? There's not that much bloodshed unfortunately and the "evil" brain looks like an over-sized sock-puppet. The only more or less interesting element for horror buffs is taking a look at the cast and crew who made this movie. Director Ed Hunt and writer Barry Pearson are the same men who made "Bloody Birthday" (guilty pleasure of mine) and "Plague". Both those are much better movies and they wisely decided to resign the film industry. The most familiar face in the cast unquestionably is the great David Gale, whom horror fans will worship forever for his role in Re-Animator. A girl named Christine Kossak provides the nudity-factor and she's obviously a great talent… She has exactly 3 movies on her repertoire of which THIS is her "masterpiece". In her debut, she was credited as 'runaway model' and in "3 men and a baby", her character is referred to as 'one of Jack's girls'. I really wonder how she feels about her career as an actress…$LABEL$ 0 +Does anyone remember the alternative comedy show THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS . One edition featured Charles Bronson ( Robbie Coltrane ) being interviewed about his new movie GLC :" It's about a man , an ordinary man whose wife and family gets wiped out by creeps and I have to hunt them down and kill them in a sadistic and graphic manner " " And after GLC what next for Bronson ? " " We're using a new angle . My family don't get wiped out but I go after creeps just the same " This accurately describes THE EVIL THAT MEN DO . It's a Bronson vigilante thriller where his motivation isn't down to a blood feud but this leads to credibility becoming strained Bronson is a retired hit-man who isn't giving up his retirement for anything until someone shows him a video tape featuring interviews with the victims of " The Doctor " , not the legendary time traveler but a infamous expert on torture . It's never really explained why The Doctor is so infamous since any police state has a myriad of these sadists nor is it explained why The Doctor and his sister have ridiculous English accents As you may guess it's a lazily written movie and incidents happening because the screenwriter needs things to happen to further the plot no matter how unlikely they are like one of the bad guys getting invited to a threesome so he can be killed or things being revealed like The Doctor's sister being a lesbian so some T&A can be included In many ways it's like one of those nasty Chuck Norris vehicles that were being released at the same time , but the most disappointing thing is that the director is also the same man who made ICE COLD IN ALEX and THE GUNS OF NAVERONE two very well regarded war dramas that are often shown on Sunday afternoons . Believe me this movie won't be shown until well after the watershed$LABEL$ 0 +Well, here's another terrific example of awkward 70's film-making! The rudimentary premise of "What's the matter with Helen?" is quite shocking and disturbing, but it's presented in such a stylish and sophisticated fashion! In the hands of any other movie crew, this certainly would have become a nasty and gritty exploitation tale, but with director Curtis Harrington ("Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?") and scriptwriter Henry Farrell ("Hush…Hush…Sweet Charlotte") in charge, it became a beautiful and almost enchanting mixture of themes and genres. The basic plot of the film is definitely horrific, but there's a lot more to experience, like love stories, a swinging 1930's atmosphere and a whole lot of singing and tap-dancing! The setting is unquestionably what makes this movie so unique. We're literally catapulted back to the 1930's, with a sublime depiction of that era's music, religion, theatrical business and wardrobes. Following the long and exhausting trial that sentenced their sons to life-imprisonment for murder, Adelle (Debbie Reynolds) and Helen (Shelley Winters) flee to California and attempt to start a new life running a dance school for young talented girls. Particularly Adelle adapts herself perfectly to the new environment, as she falls in love with a local millionaire, but poor old Helen continues to sink in a downwards spiral of insanity and paranoia. She only listens to the ramblings of a radio-evangelist, fears that she will be punished for the crimes her son committed and slowly develops violent tendencies. The script, although not entirely without flaws, is well written and the film is adequately paced. There's never a dull moment in "What's the matter with Helen", although the singing, tap-dancing and tango sequences are quite extended and much unrelated to the actual plot. But the atmosphere is continuously ominous and the film definitely benefices from the terrific acting performance of Shelley Winters. She's downright scary as the unpredictable and introvert lady who's about to snap any second and, especially during the last ten minutes or so, she looks more petrifying than all the Freddy Kruegers, Jason Voorhees' and Michael Myers' combined! There are several terrific supportive characters who are, sadly, a little underdeveloped and robbed from their potential, like Michéal MacLiammóir as the cocky elocution teacher, Agnes Moorehead as the creepy priestess and Timothy Carey as the obtrusive visitor to the ladies' house. There are a couple of surprisingly gruesome scenes and moments of genuine shock to enjoy for the Grand Guignol fanatics among us, but particularly the set pieces and costume designs (even nominated for an Oscar!) are breathtaking.$LABEL$ 1 +Resnais, wow! The genius who brought us Hiroshima Mon Amour takes on the challenge of making a 1930s French musical in vibrant colour. The opening voice-over with old, embellished inter-titles was a nice touch. Then the camera aperture opens (like the old hand crankers) on a black & white placard. The camera backs off (or rather, up), suddenly showing us the surprisingly brilliant colours of an elegant table set for a tea party. This is all in the first 60 seconds.Then the music starts. A rather banal and forgettable diddy featuring an unconvincing chorus of 3 girls blabbering some nonsense which has no relevance to the film (and yes, I speak French, so I can't blame it on the subtitles). Those characters whiz out the door and are replaced by more people who break into an even more forgettable song. Then they leave, and finally Audrey Tautou appears and we hear our first appreciable dialogue 15 minutes into the film.I'm not sure what Resnais intended by starting off with such a yawning waste of time & musical cacophony. But the effect on the viewer is to make you want to hurl skittles at the screen and storm out. I endured.It didn't get much better. I'll tell you why. There is absolutely no familiarity with any of the characters. We don't even see their faces half the time (as Resnais seems too intent on showing off the expensive scenery to care about the actual people in front of the camera). People flit on & off stage like moths around a lamp, and we the audience are unable to focus on any particular person or plot. It's as if you were to take every episode of the Brady Bunch and cram it into a 2 hour movie. With bad songs.The only thing that kept me watching as long as I did (1 hour) was that I was looking at the camera techniques, lighting and scenery which were all, I admit, excellent. But is that enough to hold your attention for 2 hours? Not me. Maybe tomorrow I'll try watching the end. Aw, who am I kidding. I have more important things to do. I'm sure you do, too. Skip this.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie in the middle of the night, when I was flipping through the channels and there was nothing else on to watch. It's one of those films where you stop to see what it is - just for a moment! - but realize after twenty minutes or so that you just can't turn it off, no matter how bad it is. One of those movies that is somewhere in between being so bad it's good and so bad it's, well, just plain BAD, it's worth seeing just to experience the confusion of realizing that it's both! Great middle-of-the-night fare, if only for the fabulous tennis drag. Don't even bother asking yourself why nobody can tell that Chad Lowe is so obviously male, because logic does not apply.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie takes the plot behind the sci-fi flick "Doppelganger" (an astronaut from our Earth crashing on a 'counter-Earth' on the opposite side of the Sun, and the Cold War totalitarian vibes on that world) and tries to turn it into a pilot for a TV series. However, the whole thing sank without a trace, and TV is probably better off for it.Everyone here is perfectly adequate in a 'made for TV' way. Cameron Mitchell turns in his usual solid performance. So does Glenn Corbett (who seems to be a kind of poor man's John Saxon) who plays the rugged individualist whose very existence poses a threat to the foundation of the 'World Order' on counter Earth.But the low budget and low energy and inconsistent script and the lack of any real imagination in the set designs and cinematography keep this Sci-Fi adventure firmly tethered on the launch pad.I'll give one example: in the original template for this pilot, ("Doppleganger"), the astronauts lose control of their landing vehicle in a thunderstorm, and crash their ship in a truly appalling sequence (it was obvious that their ship was never going to fly again). Then the two astronauts stagger helplessly from the smoking remains of their vehicle in the middle of howling rains and winds, only to be smacked down and overcome by faceless men yelling through loudspeakers.In "Stranded in Space", the astronauts are sitting in their seats when buzzers sound, things start shaking, and the camera blurs into a blackout (and as a friend pointed out, it was pretty obvious that the actors were simply shaking themselves on their seats, the director wasn't even shaking the camera or the set). I've seen episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits" that took more effort to establish mood and setting than this made-for-TV mediocrity.And that, in essence, is what's wrong with "Stranded In Space". No budget, no time, no imagination...just making the token gestures and hoping the sci-fi Fan Boys' imagination and enthusiasm will fill in the rest. Sorry, guys, it didn't work. I'm sure that everyone here just finished their work on this one and walked away, and never thought of it again, except as a listing on their C.V. And that's what you, the viewer will do. You'll remember, if pressed, that you once watched a TV movie called "Stranded In Space", but it made no lasting impression on you, and you can't recall too much about it.$LABEL$ 0 +Black comedy isn't always an easy sell. Every now and then you get a black comedy that is hugely successful, like Fargo, for example. But usually they don't often find big audiences. People seem to either set their minds for comedy, or for serious mayhem. There doesn't seem to be a big market for a good mixture of both. Throw Momma From the Train was a fairly decent hit, yet few people seem to remember much about it in this day and age. Danny DeVito just about hit this one all the way out of the park back in 1987.DeVito plays an odd mamma's boy named Owen looking to rid himself of his outrageously overbearing and unpleasant mother whom he still lives with. The mother is played by Anne Ramsey, who passed away shortly after this was released, and she is quite a caricature. She is loud, ugly, rude, and overbearing. Though Owen hardly seems like he could take care of himself, he wants desperately to have his mother offed. He fantasizes about it in some truly weird scenes, but he clearly doesn't have the guts to actually do it himself. That's where Billy Crystal comes in. Crystal plays Larry Donner, Owen's creative writing teacher at a nearby community college. Larry is a paranoid would-be intellectual novelist who claims his ex-wife stole his novel and made millions off it. He is currently trying to write a new one, but cannot even come up with a decent first sentence. "The night was...." Owen hears Larry wish his ex-wife were dead during an outburst at the school cafeteria. And borrowing the idea from Strangers on a Train, Owen decides to travel to Hawai'i and murder Larry's ex-wife. Once it appears he has done so, he expects Larry to return the favor and kill his mother. The resulting action is often quite funny, and even poignant. It's certainly never dull and often full of surprises.The acting is exceptional, even if Ramsey was a bit over the top. Crystal is as good as he can be, and DeVito has always been undervalued as a performer. The film relies on quite a bit of physical comedy which usually works, often painfully so. The film makes use of some truly innovative editing techniques in some scenes, and the off-beat tone is truly refreshing. I have often been critical of the late 1980s as being a time of artistic malaise and down right lazy film-making. Throw Momma From the Train takes chances. Both in how its characters are drawn as well as its general plot. How many comedies revolve around a son having his mother murdered? The film isn't too long, and it is chock full of laughs. Writers are apt to find it more interesting than the general public, but it can still be enjoyed by just about anyone. 9 of 10 stars.The Hound.$LABEL$ 1 +Back in 1994, I had a really lengthy vacation around the Fourth of July - something like 17 days off in a row what with two weeks paid vacation, weekends and the holiday itself. I stayed in town during that time, hanging out at my parents' house a lot.I didn't have a TV in my apartment so I used to watch my parents' tube. I had just finished watching a segment of the X Files when a program came on called Personal FX. I was hooked instantly. I had always been fascinated with items in our home that had come from my parents' family homes and through inheritances from relatives' estates, and often wondered about their history, value, etc.After my long vacation, I used to go to my folks' house on my lunch-hours just to catch Personal FX.I can remember one episode during which co-host Claire Carter announced that the New York apartment in which the series was filmed was being renovated and that once said renovations were complete that Personl FX would return to the air.It never did! Personal FX was the first -and best - of the collectible shows. And it vanished from the air! Almost fifteen years later, I'm still sore.Way to go, FX.$LABEL$ 1 +Paul Verhoeven's predecessor to his breakout hit 'Basic Instinct' is a stylish and shocking neo-noir thriller. Verhoeven has become known for making somewhat sleazy trash films, both in his native Holland and in America and this film is one of the reasons why. The Fourth Man follows the strange story of Gerard Reve (played by Jeroen Krabbé); a gay, alcoholic and slightly mad writer who goes to Vlissingen to give a talk on the stories he writes. While there, he meets the seductive Christine Halsslag (Renée Soutendijk) who takes him back to her house where he discovers a handsome picture of one of her lovers and proclaims that he will meet him, even if it kills him.Paul Verhoeven twists the truth many times in this film, and that ensures that you never quite know where you are with it. Many of the occurrences in The Fourth Man could be what they appear to be, but they could easily be interpreted as something else entirely and this keeps the audience on the edge of their seats for the duration, and also makes the film work as this narrative is what it thrives on. Paul Verhoeven is not a filmmaker that feels he has to restrain himself, and that is one of things I like best about him. This film features a very shocking scene that made me feel ill for hours afterwards (and that doesn't happen very often!). I wont spoil it because it needs the surprise element to work...but you'll see what I mean when you see the film (make sure you get the uncut version!). There is also a number of other macabre scenes that are less shocking than the one I've mentioned, but are lovely nonetheless; a man gets eaten by lions, another one has a pipe sent through his skull, a boat is smashed in half...lovely.The acting in The Fourth Man isn't anything to write home about, but it's solid throughout. Jeroen Krabbé holds the audience's attention and looks the part as the drunken writer. It is Renée Soutendijk that impresses the most, though, as the femme fatale at the centre of the tale. Her performance is what Sharon Stone would imitate nine years later with Basic Instinct, but the original fatale did it best. Paul Verhoeven's direction is solid throughout as he directs our attention through numerous points of view, all of which help to create the mystery of the story. Verhoeven has gone on to make some rubbish, but he obviously has talent and it's a shame that he doesn't put it to better use. Of all the Verhoeven films I've seen, this is the best and although it might be difficult to come across; trust me, it's worth the effort.$LABEL$ 1 +I accept that most 50's horror aren't scary by today's standards, but what the hell is this? When you see a title like this you expect to see blood and a blood thirsty beast. Instead we get no blood at all and a beast who either wants to take over the world or live in peace on Earth....yeah which is what the people wanted.The overall story is fine with the astronaut coming back to life and being one with the beast....but the title really kills the movie. Night of the Beast would have made the fans more happy because there really isn't any blood to speak of.I like how the 50's movies had endings that left room for a sequel but wisely never made one. This movie isn't the worst i've ever seen but its almost up there.2 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +Demon Wind is about as much fun as breaking your legs. It is definitely an awful example of a film. So awful in fact that I don't even consider it a movie. I describe it more as a thing ... a monstrous thing. A thing that must be stopped at all costs. My friends and I first discovered this ... thing buried under a big box of video tapes at my friend's house. It was a late night and we had nothing better to do so we decided to watch some cheesy horror movies (we unfortunately picked this one.) Well, during the 90 minutes that this thing played we ended up laughing so hard that we almost threw up. The thing is literally pointless in every sense of the word. It's just a cheap, poorly done rip-off of Evil Dead. The whole "story" seems to be nothing more than some guy wanting to knock off his friends by inviting them to an abandoned house and letting demons rip them to pieces. I have a bet that the writers were actually writing the story while it was being filmed. I've seen bad horror movies before (Manos, Troll 2, HOBGOBLINS!!!) (shudder) I would have to say that Demon Wind could definitely contend with any and all of these films on terms of sheer stupidity. Watch it only if you enjoy laughing at stupid films.Fun fact: This film is like a cockroach on steroids! Much like the ouija board, every time we try to get rid of it, it always seems to mysteriously reappear. Kind of scary huh?$LABEL$ 0 +There is a difference between a "film," and a "movie." A film, regardless of quality, is ready for public consumption. A movie is what a group of friends gets together to make over the course of a weekend with a camcorder. In my time as a viewer, I have seen may examples of both.On September 19, I attended a screening of writer/director Jon Satejowski's "Donnybrook." Now having read the script and having seen two different cuts (a rough cut and the "finished" product) of this piece, I can safely say it is a movie. And a student movie, at that. It is, for lack of a better word, competent, which is to say, the director knew how to push record on a camera and capture moving images. The visuals are, for the most part, static and unimpressive, and dialog scenes are reduced to mostly long shots, with little to no close up shots to allow the audience to establish a relationship with the characters. I understand that this is a modestly budgeted film, but some visual flair would have been appreciated, and it would have gone a long way toward keeping the audience interested.Granted, there have been independent pictures that have shown that limited camera work can be over come with well a well written, engrossing story and some sharp dialog. Steven Soderbergh's "sex, lies, and videotape" comes immediately to mind. This movie, however, has neither. The main story is weak and unfocused. If the main plot is Davie trying to mend his relationship with his father, then I feel this movie misses the point. What I got out of it is that Davie's main aspiration is to "change the face of rock 'n' roll." However, we see very little activity on his part to show this. While there is one dream sequence at the beginning, and an impromptu performance of his at the end, all we seem to get are scenes of Davie listening to music or casually strumming a guitar. We are simply told that Davie has played a lot of gigs, but we never see him in full rock out mode. Next time, SHOW don't TELL the audience. Anyone who has taken a creative writing class knows this. Also, Davie doesn't look like someone that would have been big in the glam rock era of the 1970's; he looks like he'd be more comfortable in the early days of rock 'n' roll, posing as James Dean's less talented brother. In the meantime, the rest of the movies events seem to happen at random to rather cliché characters, and story threads, that have little or nothing to do with the slim main story, are brought up and abandoned with alarming frequency (i.e. the subplot involving Terry's father). If I want to see a film with this kind of haphazard construction, I will consider watching "Napolean Dynamite" again, a film I could barely make it through the first time.As for the above mentioned dialog scenes, I guess I should mention that they are few and extremely far between. Is it too much to ask for characters who do speak? I don't think it is. When the characters do speak, it is in short, choppy sentences; collections of oh so insightful questions, angered grunts or wildly over-the-top outbursts. These characters simply do not behave like normal, rational people. Working with material like this, it is easy to understand why there is only one good performance in the film, Al Hudson's, and that's just because he's doing a poor imitation of Sam Elliott for his time on screen. A good director, or at least one who is ready for the challenge of a feature director, would have been able to spot these problems and get the writer and camera people to correct them. However, with Satejowski being so close to the material, he simply doesn't see them, or, if he does, he is unwilling to take the necessary steps to fix them because it'll hurt his creative vision. Being unable or unwilling to deal with criticism in a constructive manner, is the mark of a self-indulgent, misguided fool. Just ask Rob Schneider. In the end, we are left with a poor, high-school-set, knock-off of Zach Braff's amazing "Garden State" combined with the equally amazing "Velvet Goldmine," two films far more worthy of your time.Now before any of the cast or crew come out of the word work to take me to task for this review, allow me to offer this. The best I can do is compliment Mr. Satejowski for having the ambition to make a film of his own and to put it out there for an audience to see. However, the hopes that this movie will be picked up and distributed are simply deluded visions of grandeur. This is a student movie, nothing more, nothing less. If the movie holds any promise (and let's face it, at this point, it isn't going to come from the acting, writing, or directing), it is this: If, IF, the people associated with this film are willing, then, please, learn from this movie, file it away, and use the lessons learned on your next attempt; don't attack your critics, or have friend or family do it for you. If you are able to do this, maybe the next one will be worthy of distribution, worthy of being called a "film."I am your audience, and I am willing to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +please re-watch all 3 series and do not go see this movie, the trailer is completely misleading and the 3 weakest characters in the series stretch a badly thought out 25min TV episode into the most painful 2hrs of my life, truly an awful film. tubbs and edward are in it for a few mins, micky has 1 line, and her lipp just reels out the same tired old puns, also mr briss's accent just changes about 5 times in the film tons of badly acted extras, and really a few laughs that they seem to recycle for 2 hrs i honestly feel this series has been completely ruined by this god-awful piece of crap..........batman and robin all is forgiven$LABEL$ 0 +Finally! An Iranian film that is not made by Majidi, Kiarostami or the Makhmalbafs. This is a non-documentary, an entertaining black comedy with subversive young girls subtly kicking the 'system' in its ass. It's all about football and its funny, its really funny. The director says "The places are real, the event is real, and so are the characters and the extras. This is why I purposely chose not to use professional actors, as their presence would have introduced a notion of falseness." The non-actors will have you rooting for them straightaway unless a. your heart is made of stone b. you are blind. Excellently scripted, the film challenges patriarchal authority with an almost absurd freshness. It has won the Jury Grand Prize, Berlin, 2006. Dear reader, it's near-perfect. WHERE, where can I get hold of it?$LABEL$ 1 +Sometimes you just have to have patients when watching indie horror. If you can just toe-tap your way through the slow-paced early scenes, sometimes a real gem will present itself... This (unfortunately) was not the case with "Satan's Whip".Written and directed by Jason Maran, "Satan's Whip" attempts to drag us along on a boring snore-fest of a film, with no real pay off at the end. I'm guessing that the black & white (and blue) cinematography must have been for a reason, however it is never explained why the majority of the blood is blue, and I found this increasingly annoying as the film went on. The story in itself is not that bad, and actually had some originality and decent content but the acting is simply pathetic. This, combined with the slow-pacing and lack of any real (red) gore made "Satan's Whip" one to forget quite quickly. I will give it a "4" rating for some witty dialog that made me chuckle, but alas that could not save this boring waste of my time.$LABEL$ 0 +Tainted look at kibbutz lifeThis film is less a cultural story about a boy's life in a kibbutz, but the deliberate demonization of kibbutz life in general. In the first two minutes of the movie, the milk man in charge of the cows rapes one of his calves. And it's all downhill from there in terms of the characters representing typical "kibbutznikim." Besides the two main characters, a clinically depressed woman and her young son, every one else in the kibbutz is a gross caricature of well…evil. The story centers on how the kibbutz, like some sort of cult, slowly drags the mother and son deeper into despair and what inevitably follows. There is no happiness, no joy, no laughter in this kibbutz. Every character/situation represents a different horrific human vice like misogyny, hypocrisy, violence, cultism, repression etc. For example, while the protagonist is a strikingly handsome European looking 12 year old boy – his older brother is a typical kibbutz youth complete with his "jewish" physical appearance and brutish personality. He cares more about screwing foreign volunteers than the health of his dying mother. He treats these volunteers like trash. After his little brother pleads of him to visit his dying mother whom he hasn't seen in a long time due to his military service, he orders, Quote – "Linda, go take shower and I cum in two minutes." There is one other "good" character in this movie – a European foreigner who plays the mother's boyfriend. When the animal rapist tries to hit the mother's son, the boyfriend defends him by breaking the rapist's arm. He is summarily kicked out of the kibbutz then for "violent" behavior against one of the kibbutz members. More hypocrisy: The indescribably annoying French woman who plays the school teacher preaches that sex cannot happen before age 18, or without love and gives an account of the actual act that's supposed to be humorous for the audience, but is really just stupid. She of course is screwing the head of the kibbutz in the fields who then in turn screws the little boy's mom when her mental health takes a turn for the worse. The film portrays the kibbutz like some sort of cult. Children get yanked out of their beds in the middle of the night and taken to some ritual where they swear allegiance in the fields overseen by the kibbutz elders. The mother apparently can't "escape" the kibbutz, although in reality, anyone was/is always free to come and go as they choose. It's a mystery how the boy's father died, but you can rest assured, the kibbutz "drove him to it" and his surviving parents are another pair of heartless, wretched characters that weigh down on the mother and her son. That's the gist of this movie. One dimensional characters, over dramatization, dry performances, and an insidious message that keeps trying to hammer itself into the audience's head – that kibbutz life was degrading, miserable and even deadly for those who didn't "fit in." I feel sorry for the guy who made this film – obviously he had a bad experience growing up in a kibbutz. But I feel as though he took a few kernels of truth regarding kibbutz life and turned them into huge atomic stereotyped bombs.$LABEL$ 0 +(When will I ever learn-?) The ecstatic reviewer on NPR made me think this turkey was another Citizen Kane. Please allow me to vent my spleen...I will admit: the setting, presumably New York City, has never been so downright ugly and unappealing. I am reminded that the 70's was a bad decade for men's fashion and automobiles. And all the smoking-! If the plan was to cheapen the characters, it succeeded.For a film to work (at least, in my simple estimation), there has to be at least ONE sympathetic character. Only Ned Beaty came close, and I could not wait for him to finish off Nicky. If a stray shot had struck Mikey, well, it may have elicited a shrug of indifference at the most.I can't remember when I detested a film as strongly. I suppose I'm a rube who doesn't dig "art" flicks. Oh, well.$LABEL$ 0 +"Lost", "24", "Carnivale", "Desperate Housewifes"...the list goes on and on. These, and a bunch of other high-quality, shows proves that we're in the middle of a golden age in television history. "Lost" is pure genius. Incredible layers of personal, and psychologically viable, stories, underscored by sublime cinematography (incredible to use this word, when describing a TV-show), a killer score, great performances and editing. Anyone who isn't hooked on this, are missing one of the most important creative expressions in television ever. It may have its problems, when watching only one episode a week, but the DVD format is actually an incredible way to watch this. Hope they keep it up (as I'm sure they do).$LABEL$ 1 +Clifton Webb is one of my favorites. However, Mister Scoutmaster is not one of his best. His patented curmudgeon role seems forced and even unpleasant rather than funny. The film itself is overflowing with mawkish sentimentality. In addition, the viewer is presented with numerous ham-handed references to religious faith and U.S. patriotism that come off as over-reverent rather than genuine. Clifton Webb does his best with a poor script. Edmund Gwenn plays yet another jovial clergyman and is given nothing to do. The child actor lead is played by a talentless child who displays a flat affect throughout the entire film. His sole claim to fame as a performer evidently is a bullfrog-like low voice unusual for someone of his age. However, once you've heard it, you've heard it and you don't need to hear it again. Unfortunately, he is in the majority of the film's scenes. I find this child so irritating that I fast forward whenever he shows up. Since he has a lot of scenes in this film, this means that I fast forward through a lot of the film. There were and are so many talented child actors; it's a pity this film doesn't have any of them in it. Still, Clifton Webb in the traditional broad-brimmed hat and shorts is a sight worth seeing.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a must-see documentary movie for anyone who fears that modern youth has lost its taste for real-life adventure and its sense of morality. Darius Goes West is an amazing roller-coaster of a story. We live the lives of Darius and the crew as they embark on the journey of a lifetime. Darius has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease which affects all the muscles in his body. He is confined to a wheelchair, and needs round-the-clock attention. So how could this crew of young friends possibly manage to take him on a 6,000 mile round-trip to the West Coast and back? Watch the movie and experience the ups and downs of this great adventure - laugh and cry with the crew as they cope with unimaginable challenges along the way, and enjoy the final triumph when they arrive back three weeks later in their home town to a rapturous reception and some great surprises!$LABEL$ 1 +The message of a world on the brink of war is disregarded by the masses; the mythical city of Everytown in 1940 represents England in general, but it could just as well stand for any nation of the world. When war finally does arrive, it's ravages continue not for another five years, but until 1966 at which time Everytown is completely destroyed. Adding to the desolation and toll on humanity is the "wandering sickness", a pestilence that continues for another four years."Things to Come" balances both a fatalistic and futuristic world view, where science holds out a hope for a revived civilization. The "Wings Over the World" concept plays out a bit corny, though it's spokesman Cabal (Raymond Massey) is unwavering in his mission and dedicated to his cause. If he fails, others will follow. This message is continually reinforced throughout the film, brought home convincingly in Massey's end of movie speech. Man's insatiable need to test the limits of knowledge and achievement requires an "all the universe or nothing" mindset.The film's imagery of automation and machinery in the second half is reminiscent of the great silent film "Metropolis". As Everytown is rebuilt and transformed by the year 2036, the spectacle of the city's rebirth strikes a resonant chord, as architecture of modern cities of today suggest the movie's eerily prophetic vision is coming to fruition. Where the movie gets it wrong by sixty seven years though is man's first mission to the moon, but in 1936, a hundred year timetable probably seemed more legitimate than 1969."Things to Come" is one of those rarities in film, a picture that makes you think. Which side will you come down on, the forces for advancement in the face of uncertainty or maintain the status quo? It's not a comfortable question, as both choices offer inherent dangers and unknowable outcomes. Those who choose to be bystanders risk being swept away by forces beyond their control.$LABEL$ 1 +Fulci... Does this man brings one of the goriest and weirdest movies ever made? Answer: yes! Cat in the Brain, also known as Nightmare Concert is Fulci's last masterpiece. Yes it is, no matter what some people will say about it. There are few facts why this movie is one of the best Fulci's movies.Fulci make a fun of himself and his movies with this one. Lead roll in this movie is no other then Fulci himself, who plays... well horror-splatter-gore director, who thinks he is slowly going insane. It's filled with black humor which unlike in the most of the modern horror movies works here. Being Fulci flick, you need to know it's gory. How much? Well pretty much. I always loved gore in the movies and I never get enough of it, but Cat in the Brain actually stopped my thirst for gore, and believe me, it's a hard to archive. Even the Braindead didn't stop it. CITB is all about gore. Almost every scene revolves about Fulci, who after being hypnotized by *khmmm* evil psychiatrists is seeing all kinds of horrors for everything that happens to him or everything he sees. Some of the scenes involves him accidentally dropping the whiskey, and instead of that he sees rotten corpse lying on the floor, which starts to spit some ooze from it's wounds. Forget the Beyond or Zombie 2, this IS the goriest Fulci movie! Now I like how Fulci manage to apply all those comic parts in the gorefest movie. He is such a brilliant director. Some funny moments and lines happens from time to time, like one where Fulci says "making gore movies is kind of a sickness" Ending is very good considering that Fulci (and most of the Italian horror masters) is know for making ending with no sense or many plot holes. If you are fun of the Fulci, make sure you check it out. If you have a weak stomach, avoid this and repeat "Its only a movie" ps. some of the gore scenes within this movie: Chainsaw dismemberment (full), tongue torn out, eyeballs torn out, maggot infested corpses, zombies, decapitations, face being putted in boiling water, stabs in the shower (to head), throat slit, many parts of the body and organs being toast aside, hammer smashed face...$LABEL$ 1 +What an incomprehensible mess of a movie. Something about a cop who extracts bullets from himself after he gets shot and keeps them in a glass jar in his bathroom (and from the size of the jar he's been shot about fifty times by now) and a top secret tank guarded by five or six incompetent soldiers who for some reason drive it into Mexico. Whether they were sent there intentionally or just got really really lost is never made clear. And you'll never hear another screenplay feature the word "butthorn" either. Gary Busey tries out the Mel Gibson role from "Lethal Weapon" and while Busey is a serviceable actor the screenplay damns the whole movie to mediocrity. William Smith does another turn as a Russian soldier, the same character he played in "Red Dawn" a few years earlier. After playing biker heavies for most of the 70s it was sort of nice to see him expand his range playing Communist heavies. Sadly he'll probably always be remembered best as the guy who Clint Eastwood whupped in "Every Which Way You Can."$LABEL$ 0 +I love to watch this movie a lot because of all the scary scenes about the raptors. I like raptors because they are scary. My favorite parts are the ones where the raptor looks behind the pillar because it reminds me of a scene from the Friday the 13th movie with the girl who eats the banana.I really love to watch a lot of this movie because the computer graphics seem a little fake but it's okay because once you get into the movie you hardly even notice what is going on and I think it's got a good ending even though I didn't really understand what was going on on my first couple viewings I figured it out over time and that's the important part. The other important part is how scary the dinosaurs can be if you're watching it the first time.THIS IS BEST MOVIE.$LABEL$ 1 +WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERSA couple of years back I managed to see the first five films in this franchise, and was planning to do an overview of the whole Elm St. series. However, just two years on and I find I can't remember enough about them in order to do it – I guess they couldn't have made much of an impression. From what I do recall, some of the sequels – Dream Warriors in particular – weren't as bad as is often made out, though even the original was no classic. Generally, the predictability of the premise (if people fall asleep they get murdered in their dreams) doesn't lend itself to narrative tension. But while I cannot recall much of the first five films, I do know they never plumbed the depths of Freddy's Dead.An indication of how sick of Freddy the public was at this point can be judged by the fact that the film was promoted solely on the character's demise. The fact that the movie's conclusion is not even hidden, but in fact the entire purpose for the film's being goes to illustrate how vacant, soulless and cynical this venture was.Taking the morally questionable idea of having a child molester as the charismatic villain, Robert Englund's in-no-way-scary interpretation booms with laughter. I always thought Freddy's mockery of the teenage victims was less aimed at the characters than at the teenage audience that could ever watch this tripe. It's like Englund's crying out "we know this is garbage – but you're paying to see it, so who's the one laughing?" And I'm sure victims of child abuse would be disheartened to see such an insensitive depiction of their plight. Was Freddy's appearance in the films always so rudimentary? All he gets to do here is a few "haaaaaaaaaaaaaarr – har – har – hars" and that's it. If this was the only Elm St. film you'd ever seen you wouldn't get to know the character at all. Even as the character pre-death in a flashback Englund plays him as a boo-hiss pantomime villain with a slop of Transatlantic (ie. overstated, misplaced and not at all funny) irony.Acting is almost universally poor. Just look at how many times Breckin Meyer overacts with his hand gestures and body language. Only Kananga himself, Yaphet Kotto, keeps his dignity. And when Roseanne, Tom Arnold and Alice Cooper show up, you can almost visibly see the film sinking further into the mire. The script, too, is absolutely lousy, almost wholly without merit. Carlos (Ricky Dean Logan) opens a road map, upon which the Noel Coward-like Freddy has wittily written "you're f**ked". When prompted for the map, Carlos responds "well the map says we're f**ked". Who wrote the screenplay, Oscar Wilde?Or how about the scene where Carlos is tortured by Freddy, his hearing enhanced to painful levels? So Freddy torments him by threatening to drop a pin – a potentially fatal sound, given that all sounds are magnified. Oddly, the fact that Carlos shouts at the top of his voice for him not to drop it seems to have no effect. "Nice hearing from you, Carlos", quips Freddy, hoping some better lines will come along. It's also worth noting that dream sleep doesn't occur instaneously, so being knocked unconscious wouldn't allow instant access into Freddy's world. Though as part of the narrative contains a human computer game and a 3-D finale plot logic isn't that high on the list of requirements.The teenagers heading the cast this time are really the most obnoxious, dislikeable group in the whole series. Tracy (Lezlie Deane) is the only one who gets to greet Freddy with "shut the f**k up, man" and a kick in the scallops. And was incongruous pop music always part of the ingredients? Freddy's Dead. No laughs. No scares. No interest. No fun.$LABEL$ 0 +Some comments here on IMDb have likened Dog Bite Dog to the classic Cat III films of the 90s, but although it is undoubtedly brutal, violent and very downbeat, this film from Pou-Soi Cheang isn't really sleazy, lurid or sensationalist enough to earn that comparison. However, it still packs a punch that makes it worth a watch, particularly if gritty, hard-edged action is your thing.Edison Chen plays Pang, a Cambodian hit-man who travels to Hong Kong to assassinate the wife of a judge; Sam Lee is Wai, the ruthless cop who is determined to track him down, whatever the cost. With Wai closing in on his target, Pang will stop at nothing to ensure his escape—until he meets Yue, a pretty illegal immigrant who needs his help to escape her life of abuse.A relentlessly harsh drama with great cinematography, amazing sound design, a haunting score, and solid performances from Chen and Lee (as well as newcomer Pei Pei as Pang's love interest), Dog Bite Dog is one for fans of hard-hitting Asian hyper-violence (think along the lines of Chan-wook Park's Vengeance trilogy). Stabbings, shootings, merciless beatings: all happen regularly in this film and are caught unflinchingly by director Cheang.Of course, this is the kind of tale that is destined to have an unhappy ending for all involved, and sure enough, pretty much everyone in this film dies (rather nasty deaths). Unfortunately, there is a fine line between tragedy and (unintentional) comedy, and in its final moments, Dog Bite Dog crosses it: in a laughably over-dramatic final scene, Pang and Wai are locked in battle as a pregnant Yue looks on. Eventually, after all three have suffered severe stab wounds during the fracas, a wounded Pang performs a DIY Ceasarean on (a now dead) Yue, delivering their baby moments before he himself dies.Whilst this film might not be a 'classic' slice of Hong Kong excess, with its deliriously OTT action and stylish visuals, it's still worth seeking out.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie for the hot guy--and even he sucked! He was the worst one--well, okay, I have to give props to that freaky police officer rapist guy too, he was even worse. The guy wasn't that cute in the end, he had the most terrible accent, and he was the most definite definition of hicksville idiot that can't stand up to his mom for the one he "loves" there's ever been. Overall, and if this makes any sense to you, when I go to pick up movies at the video store, I think to myself as I read the back of a movie that looks so/so, "Well, at least it can't be worse than Carolina Moon." The most terrible movie, and the most terrible writing, acting, plot--everything in it made my gag reflexes want to do back flips. It was THE most horrid movie I will ever see, with Gabriela way up there too. I hated it, and trust me, if there was any number under 1 IMDb had for rating, I'd choose that in a heartbeat.$LABEL$ 0 +Absolute must see documentary for anyone interested in getting to the bottom of this story. Told with unflinching eye and with gripping style. If you think conspiracy theories are for paranoid disturbed people, this could change your mind. Something for you feds too: A good model for government coverups! If you like your news all tidy and easy to consume this is not for you.$LABEL$ 1 +I have decided to not believe what famous movie critics say. Even though this movie did not get the best comments, this movie made my day. It got me thinking. What a false world this is.What do you do when your most loved ones deceive you. It's said that no matter how often you feed milk to a snake, it can never be loyal and will bite when given a chance. Same way some people are such that they are never grateful. This movie is about how selfish people can be and how everyone is ultimately just thinking about oneself and working for oneself. A brother dies inadvertently at the hands of a gangster. The surviving brother decides to take revenge. Through this process, we learn about the futility of this world. Nothing is real and no one is loyal to anyone.Amitabh gave the performance of his life. The new actor Aryan gave a good performance. The actress who played the wife of Amitabh stole the show. Her role was small but she portrayed her role so diligently that one is moved by her performance. Chawla had really great face expressions but her role was very limited and was not given a chance to fully express herself.A great movie by Raj Kumar Santoshi. His movies always give some message to the audience. His movies are like novels of Nanak Singh (a Punjabi novelist who's novels always had a purpose and targeted a social evil) because they have a real message for the audience. They are entertaining as well as lesson-giving.$LABEL$ 1 +After a very scary, crude opening which gives you that creepy "Chainsaw massacre"-feeling, everything falls apart.SPOILER ALERT: As soon as the two FBI-officers start jabbing, you know they are the real killers. Anyone who have seen enough of these "fooled-ya"-movies can figure this out.This movie is mader with one thing in mind: To depict brutal murders. Why, then, is not the little girl tortured and murdered as well? Will this be next for us movie-goers? The torture and abuse of children? Whats wrong with you people? Lynch is truly has a disgusting, ugly mind.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't say much about this film. I think it speaks for itself (as do the current ratings on here). I rented this about two years ago and I totally regretted it. I even /tried/ to like it by watching it twice, but I just couldn't. I can safely say that I have absolutely no desire to see this waste of time ever, ever again. And I'm not one to trash a movie, but I truly believe this was awful. It wasn't even funny in the slightest. The only bits I enjoyed were the few scenes with Christopher Walken in them. I think this film ruined both Jack Black and Ben Stiller for me. All I can think of when I see one of their films now-a-days is this terrible movie, and it reminds me not to waste my money. Amy Poehler is so very annoying, too.Overall, well, I think you get my point. The stars are for Walken, by the way.$LABEL$ 0 +I am not so old that I can't remember laughing at Bobcat Goldthwait a couple times. But some where in all his years of drug abuse he lost his sense of humor as well as his brain cells.From the moment this film opens you can have no sympathy nor empathy for the female lead. Neither will you find anything remotely funny after hearing the opening line. Goldthwait obviously hates himself so much that he needs to degrade in order to feel better- even if it is his own imaginary characters he degrades. If you ever saw Shakes the Clown you know how unfunny Bobcat was 15 years ago...this movie is worse. It was not even funny by accident It is sad, pathetic and a total waste of time. May Goldthwaits' hands be rendered paralyzed so he can not write another script. Strike his tongue so he can not dictate another unfunny scene. He is sad and pathetic and needs to make room for a new talent dying to get into Hollywood$LABEL$ 0 +In New Orleans, an illegal immigrant feels sick and leaves a poker game while winning the smalltime criminal Blackie (Walter Jack Palance). He is chased by Blackie and his men Raymond Fitch (Zero Mostel) and Poldi (Guy Thomajan), killed by Blackie and his body is dumped in the sea. During the autopsy, the family man Lieutenant Commander Dr. Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark) of the U.S. Public Health Service finds that the dead man had pneumonic plague caused by rats and he needs to find who had any type of contact with the man within forty-eight hours to avoid an epidemic. The City Mayor assigns the skeptical Captain Tom Warren (Paul Douglas) to help Dr. Clint to find the killers that are infected with the plague and inoculate them."Panic in the Streets" discloses a simple story, but it is still effective and with a great villain. The engaging plot has not become dated after fifty-seven years. Jack Palance performs a despicable scum in his debut, and the camera work while he tries to escape with Zero Mostel is still very impressive. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Pânico nas Ruas" ("Panic in the Streets")$LABEL$ 1 +The box is why I originally picked up this movie and the back is why I rented it. But I soon learned that I had been duped. I had thought this movie would be something like a Road Trip/Eurotrip/American Pie deal. But I was wrong. This movie is one of the dumbest I've seen in a long time. The unrated version teases you in to watching but will completely disappoint you. The acting was terrible and sound effects just gaudy. It appeared very low budget with the entire setting taking place in the same building. Go out and get Eurotrip or Road Trip instead. I can't believe National Lampoon put its name on this. DON'T BUY IT, DON'T RENT IT. Don't waste 2 hours of your life on this.$LABEL$ 0 +There have been many documentaries that I have seen in which it appeared that the law was on the wrong side of the fence - The Thin Blue Line and Paradise Lost come to mind first and foremost. But this is the first film that had me seething with anger after I saw it. It seems blatantly clear to me from the evidence presented in this film that what happened at Waco was at the very least an unprofessional and sloppy mess on the part of the FBI and AFI, and at the very worst an act of murder. Like most people, when the siege at Waco was occurring I assumed that David Koresh was a completely evil madman who was leading a violent cult. After seeing this, I think that Koresh was more likely a slightly unbalanced and confused guy who inadvertently caught the attention of the U.S. government through his eccentric actions. Sure, there were lots of weapons at the Branch Davidian compound. But none of it was illegal. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the video footage of the people inside the compound, all of them seeming to be very nice and harmless. And it was angering to see the callous testimony of the men in charge of the government forces on the Waco site, the clueless testimony of Janet Reno, and the partisan defense of the attack on Waco, a defense led by a few of the committee Democrats. Standing out most in my mind was NY representative and current U.S. senator from NY Charles Schumer. I voted for the man when I lived in NY state - I'm a Democrat, pretty left-leaning too. After seeing his actions on this committee, I wish I could go back in time and vote for D'Amato instead! For anyone remotely interested in the government, this is a very crucial film, a must see. I even think this should be shown in classes - it's that important.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie last night and thought it was decent. It has it's moments I guess you would say. Some of the scenes with the special ops forces were cool, and some of the location shots were very authentic. I won't be putting this movie in my DVD collection but it is fair enough to recommend for renting. I guess nothing set the movie at another level compared to others of the same genre. The action is good, the acting is decent, the women are extremely seductive and exotic in my opinion, and the story is pretty interesting. 7 out of ten$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, I call this a perfect movie. Not one boring second, a fantastic cast of mostly little known actresses and actors, a great array of characters who are all well defined and who all have understandable motives I could sympathize with, perfect lighting, crisp black and white photography, a fitting soundtrack, an intelligent and harmonious set design and a story that is engaging and works. It's one of those prime quality pictures on which all the pride of Hollywood should rest, the mark everyone should endeavor to reach.Barbara Stanwyck is simply stunning. There was nothing this actress couldn't do, and she always went easy on the melodramatic side. No hysterical outbursts with this lady - I always thought she was a better actress than screen goddesses like Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, and this movie confirmed my opinion. Always as tough as nails and at the same time conveying true sentiments. It is fair to add that she also got many good parts during her long career, and this one is by far the least interesting.The title fits this movie very well. It is about desires, human desires I think everyone can understand. Actually, no one seems to be scheming in this movie, all characters act on impulse, everybody wants to be happy without hurting anybody else. The sad fact that this more often than not leads to complications makes for the dramatic content into which I will not go here.I liked what this movie has to say about youth, about maturing and about the necessity to compromise. The movie I associate most with this one is Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, it creates a similar atmosphere of idealized and at the same time caricatured Small Town America. The story has a certain similarity with Fritz Lang's considerably harsher movie Clash by Night, made one year earlier, where Stanywck stars in a similar part. I can also recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +I would like to know if anyone know how I can get a copy of the movie, "That's the way of the World". It's been about 30 years since I've seen this movie, and I would like to see it again. Earth Wind & Fire transcend the nation globally with their inspirational music and themes. It was unfortunate that this group didn't take off like their counterparts in the early 70's, but as previously stated, racial tension existed in the United States which prohibited equalized exposure for the African American musical groups. It is good to see that Earth Wind & Fire continuing their success. I would like to add this movie to my collection. Someone please help me if possible. Thank you for your attention. Milton Shaw$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the movie "Hoot" and then I immediately decided to comment it. The truth is that NATURE needs protection from us because we are the dominant specie of this planet. Some people think that if they have money, they can do whatever they want to, which probably is like, but if they think about the future more then they think about themselves they would do something useful! This movie is not just about kids, this movie is showing us that the kids are usually the ones that care more about it then the adults do. When I was twelve, I saw some waterlilies and I knew they are protected by law and didn't even dare to touch them not fearing of the law, but fearing that I might harm them actually. (I am currently 15) What so ever, the acting was great, the 3 main characters are well interpreted and we all have to learn from them. I hope you all think about what you saw in that movie!!! and Enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +I had some reservations about this movie, I figured it would be the usual bill of fare --- a formula movie about Christmas. Being in the middle of a heat wave in late June, we decided to give it a shot anyway, maybe we would see some snow.This movie turned out to be one laugh after another. Ben Affleck was believable in his character, but the real star of this one is James Gandofini. He delivered his lines with a real wit about him and made a great "dad".If you want to have an enjoyable couple of hours, definitely check this one out.$LABEL$ 1 +When I first saw this film around 6 months ago, I considered it interesting, but little more. But it stuck with me. That interest grew and grew, and I wondered whether my initial boredom and response had more to do with the actual VHS quality rather than the film itself. I purchased the Criterion DVD box set, and it turns out that I was right the second time. Alexander Nevsky is a great film. It is rousing, and I'm sure it succeeded in its main aim: propaganda against the Germans.That is the most common criticism against this film, and against Eisenstein, that it is merely propagandist and nothing else. It's untrue. He is an amazing film artist, one of the most important whoever lived. By now, the world is far enough beyond Joseph Stalin to be able to watch Eisenstein's films as art.$LABEL$ 1 +Focus is another great movie starring William H. Macy. I first discovered Macy in Fargo and I've seen a few of his films and he hasn't yet deceived me. Macy is the archetypal "nice guy with something to hide". In Focus, he plays the role of Lawrence Newman, a loyal and hard-working stiff, who harbours his handicapped mother at home. The scene is set after World War II, at the height of McCarthyism. Newman is the head of Human Resources for a company which is basically, anti-Semite. After he accidentally hires a woman of Jewish descent, he is asked to buy a pair of glasses, to improve his failing eyesight.Unbelievably, the simple act of buying glasses has great repercussions on his life and that of Gertrude Hart, his wife (played by a great Laura Dern). As the film unravels, Newman will begin to see a whole different world, where being Jewish is akin to being an animal.The movie is disturbing in the way it shows that being racist was something fairly normal. The chilling thought is that in some places, it probably still is.$LABEL$ 1 +In "Brave New Girl," Holly comes from a small town in Texas, sings "The Yellow Rose of Texas" at a local competition, and gets admitted to a prestigious arts college in Philadelphia. From there the movie grows into a colorful story of friendship and loyalty. I loved this movie. It was full of great singing and acting and characters that kept it moving at a very nice pace. The acting was, of course, wonderful. Virginia Madsen and Lindsey Haun were outstanding, as well as Nick Roth The camera work was really done well and I was very pleased with the end (It seems a sequel could be in the making). Kudos to the director and all others that participated on this production. Quite a gem in the film archives.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite a totally misleading advertising campaign, this flick turns out to be an irritatingly clichéd, sub-par haunted house flick with a totally implausible ending. Clue #1 for all considering seeing this turkey: Sam Raimi didn't direct it. Although commercials for the movie play up his involvement, in truth he is one of four producers. It's too bad that someone as talented as Raimi has allowed his name to be used in conjunction with such a poor movie. I don't think he would ever have directed something like this; that task was left to the Pang Brothers.The screenplay for this film seems to have been cobbled together from numerous other "horror" films, so you'll find absolutely zero original content in "The Messengers." What we get are a scene here and there that was plucked straight out of "Pulse," a couple that could have come from "The Birds," one or two from "The Others," etc. Nearly every scene, almost every line of dialogue, is one that has been lifted from any number of other movies. The whole thing makes for such a predictable movie that almost anyone will be able to figure out the "surprise ending" long before it comes.Right about here would be a good time to point out that the advertising campaign, centered on the idea that only children can see ghosts, has nothing to do with this movie. In fact, everyone can see the ghosts. The teenage daughter and mother characters certainly see them, even quite early in the movie. I'm sure that whomever was in charge of marketing came up with this campaign because the film needed a unique angle to have any box office appeal, which otherwise is entirely absent. Now you know, so don't be fooled! Perhaps what this movie lacks most of all is anything resembling chemistry between the actors. It simply isn't there. All of the interactions come across as awkwardly stilted. Coupled with the hackneyed story and ridiculous plot holes (just what is a guy who murdered his whole family doing still lurking around the small town where the murder happened, anyhow? Didn't anyone think to maybe arrest him?), it all adds up to a profoundly unsatisfying ghost flick that only manages to surprise anyone over the age of ten with cheap shots: loud noises, visual flashes, and anything short of a sheeted figure jumping out of a closet and yelling "Boo!" All we get for our buck this time around is yet another poorly-made film about spirits attempting to warn people away from a house. If there's any message that "The Messengers" delivers, it's "Don't waste your time on this movie."$LABEL$ 0 +This movie sucks ass. Something about a heatwave in some European country, complete trash. There's nothing going for this movie whatsoever. maybe 30 seconds of sex but that's it. There is a very annoying chick who hitches rides with people and really pisses me off. This movie is complete rash and you shouldn't subject yourself to watching it. I regret it it's very boring. I would rate it zero but i can't. No body in their right mind should see this. i'm sure you'll regret it completely i did. How could they think up something this bad. Even Mystery men was better. MYSTERY MEN. That sucks. That movie wasn't worth being made. complete waste of time. The characters in this are very hard to understand and i good very very very bored.$LABEL$ 0 +I was looking forward to The Guardian, but when I walked into the theater I wasn't really in the mood for it at that particular time. It's kind of like the Olive Garden - I like it, but I have to be in the right mindset to thoroughly enjoy it.I'm not exactly sure what was dampening my spirit. The trailers looked good, but the water theme was giving me bad flashbacks to the last Kevin Costner movie that dealt with the subject - Waterworld. Plus, despite the promise Ashton Kutcher showed in The Butterfly Effect, I'm still not completely sold on him. Something about the guy just annoys me. Probably has to do with his simian features.It took approximately two minutes for my fears to subside and for my hesitancies to slip away. The movie immediately throws us into the midst of a tense rescue mission, and I was gripped tighter than Kenny Rogers' orange face lift. My concerns briefly bristled at Kutcher's initial appearance due to the fact that too much effort was made to paint him as ridiculously cool and rebellious. Sunglasses, a tough guy toothpick in his mouth, and sportin' a smirk that'd make George Clooney proud? Yeah, we get it. I was totally ready to hate him.But then he had to go and deliver a fairly strong performance and force me to soften my jabs. Darn you, ape man! Efficiently mixing tense, exciting rescue scenes, drama, humor, and solid acting, The Guardian is easily a film that I dare say the majority of audiences will enjoy. You can quibble about its clichés, predictability, and rare moments of overcooked sappiness, but none of that takes away from the entertainment value.I had a bad feeling that the pace would slow too much when Costner started training the young guys, but on the contrary, the training sessions just might be the most interesting aspect of the film. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers are heroes whose stories have never really been portrayed on the big screen, so I feel the inside look at what they go through and how tough it is to make it is very informative and a great way to introduce audiences to this under-appreciated group.Do you have what it takes to be a rescue swimmer? Just think about it -you get to go on dangerous missions in cold, dark, rough water, and then you must fight disorientation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and a lack of oxygen all while trying to help stranded, panicked people who are depending on you for their survival. And if all that isn't bad enough, sometimes you can't save everybody so you have to make the tough decision of who lives and who dies.Man, who wants all that responsibility? Not me! I had no idea what it was really like for these guys, and who would have thought I'd have an Ashton Kutcher/Kevin Costner movie to thank for the education? Not only does The Guardian do a great job of paying tribute to this rare breed of hero, but lucky for us it also does a good job of entertaining its paying customers.THE GIST Moviegoers wanting an inside look at what it's like to embark on a daring rescue mission in the middle of the ocean might want to give The Guardian a chance. I saw it for free, but had I paid I would've felt I had gotten my money's worth.$LABEL$ 1 +Going into see Seven Pounds i wasn't clearly sure what to think because the previews left to much open to grasp what the movie was really about. So within the first 20 min or so you are completely lost in the plot, have no idea what is going on and you think Tim, who claims to be Ben, is just a big asshole. All of this comes to an end when the "twist",so to speak, is unraveled at the very last minute of the movie. Basically Tim (will smith) was troubled and haunted by a big accident he made causing the end of seven peoples lives. By this he decides to scope out seven new people who are in need of help badly who he in turns gives his life to.The acting of this film is great, as i feel will smith no matter what part he seems to impress. Rosario Dawson, to me, this is one of her better movies, aside from eagle eye which i think is up there to. She has been in some bad some good but she does deliver in this film. Other actors, such as woody Harrelson, have very small roles and not a big enough role to grasp the character. Although the casting of the film was still good.This movie was definitely not what i expected and certainly a lot slower pace in which i hoped. The movie, however, was still pretty good. Nothing is revealed until the last 5 min of the movie and everything falls into place. Up until then it just seems like a pointless love story. Final thought seven pounds=seven Stars.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw Brother's Shadow at the Tribeca Film Festival and loved it! Judd Hirsch and Scott Cohen are great as father and son. The film follows Scott Cohen from parole in Alaska back to his family in Brooklyn. He shows up there because his brother has died, and he embarks on a journey to slowly repair his estranged relationships with his brother's wife and child and his father who has never forgiven him for being the black sheep of the family. The story takes us deep into the hearts and minds of this family and allows you to more deeply understand the complexity of their lives. Also, the imagery of the woodworking business and the Brooklyn backdrop sets the tone for this rich and revealing family portrait.$LABEL$ 1 +"Mararía" really disappointed me. I can't consider it as a bad movie, but the development just seemed too rushed and non-believable for it to evoke any emotions. Dr. Fermín displays some unprecedented bizarre behaviour out of a passion that one can't really understand where it was born from. I mean, how many times does he ever have a conversation with Mararía?? Maybe once? Also, Mararía never appeared to be a real character, instead more like a film stereotype that just needed to be in the movie (...or else another title was needed?). Some of the best acting came from a role that wasn't really important to the story, that of Marcial, the sub-intelligent yet humble drunkard. Of course, the scenery, the cultural tidbits of the Canary Islands, and other "wow" moments were interesting, but the movie fell short of a documentary (in case this was its real intention), and most importantly, as a solid drama.$LABEL$ 0 +Serum is about a crazy doctor that finds a serum that is supposed to cure all diseases through the power of the mind. Instead it creates some kind of monster that needs to eat human flesh and brains. The mad doc creates some zombies out of cadavers and has some problems. There is a very long lead into all the action with many scenes getting you acquainted with the characters. The mad doctor's nephew gets into a car accident and the mad doc tries to use his new serum on the boy. The results are not good. This is a class C film with OK acting but some troubles directing and some continuity errors. There isn't much zombie action in this one and the effects, while adequate, are nothing special. You can fast forward through the slow parts and get some enjoyment out of the action scenes. Watch out for some nudity and bad language.$LABEL$ 0 +witty. funny. intelligent. awesome. i was flipping channels late one night years ago. came across this and a wildfire started. i was staying up late every night and taping it for everyone i know. a few. like 3 people out of the almost 100 people i made watch this didn't think it was as awesome as i did. the others were laughing out loud so hard they were crying and thanking me at the same time. please do yourself a favor. run don't walk. watch this and enjoy. intelligence and humor. it's a win-win situation. i wish i could have afternoon tea with him and meet the truly rare comedian that we as a society need more of....sanechaos.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a unique film, as it gives us our only chance to see the young Noel Coward in all his ironic glory. Because he seems so reserved & detached he's perfect for the role of an unloved cad who matter-of-factly uses all those around him. However in the deadly serious (no pun intended) last act, when Coward must make like the Flying Dutchman, he's much less comfortable.But his way with an epigram is peerless, and Hecht & Macarthur have given him some gems (Macarthur, really -- he was the wit of the pair).The film is superbly lighted by the great Lee Garmes, but has little camera movement aside from a storm sequence. Hecht and Macarthutr cared about one thing -- getting their dialogue on screen. (NOTE: H&M themselves have blink-and-you'll-miss-'em cameos as bums in the flophouse scene).The most notable supporting player is the one and only Alexander Woolcott, notorious Broadway columnist and close friend of both Macarthur and Coward, who appears as one of the bitchy authors always kept waiting in the reception room of publisher Coward.Curious that Woolcott would agree to do a film that clearly lampoons the legendary Algonquin Round Table, of which he was a founder, and Macarthur something of an auxiliary member.The Scoundrel actually won an Oscar for best story, though that victory is probably due more to Coward's imposing presence than any brilliance in the plot. It's Coward, Woolcott, and the dialogue you remember...$LABEL$ 1 +This is definitely a "must see" film. The excellent Director Alain Chabat (also acting as Ceasar) has managed to capture the very essence of the "Adventures of Astérix" (the French comic books it's based upon) and to create a fantastically modern and intelligent comedy, which is also an homage to the world of animated films. This movie is so funny, so full of jokes (both visual and spoken) that it might take you two or three screenings before you notice them all, between your bursts of laughter. The only drawback is that a non-French audience (or at least a non-French speaking audience) might not get all the "private jokes". There are so many dialogues impossible to translate, so many situations directly related either to the comic books or to the French way of life, that the fun might be lessened. However, it's still totally worth seeing for the beautiful picture, the amazing stunts, the music, the totally crazy atmosphere and the excellent acting. All actors are great, but the film would not be the same without Jamel Debouze, Gérard Darmon and Edouard Baer. And please don't EVER compare this magnificent film to the terrible previous one based on the same comic books : "Astérix et Obélix Contre César" and directed by Claude Zidi.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this movie was stunning, with completely outstanding performances by Valentina Cervi (Artemisia Gentileschi).Cervi portrays Artemisia so beautifully, with tentative yet confidant mannerisms, her hands mapping out an idea before moving her models into place. The passion to which Artemisia gives to her art is just spectacular to watch.Although not each character was overtly beautiful, this made the film more realistic as the facial hair and clothing was perfect for that point in time.Overall i thought this film was fantastic.$LABEL$ 1 +I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of boxing movies and as such there is only one thing that prevents me from calling "Gentleman Jim" the best boxing movie ever made. That is the Robert Wise/Paul Newman flick "Somebody Up There Likes Me." That movie might be number 1, but "Gentleman Jim" is a close number 2.The movie doesn't just chronicle the rise of James J. Corbett, it also shows the sport of boxing at a crucial time of transition. In the late 1800s boxing was moving away from the brutal days of bare-knuckle rules to the more "gentlemanly" days of the gloved, Marquis of Queensbury rules. And the sport was moving away from the days when it was an illegal spectacle and towards a time of acceptance and respectability."Gentleman Jim" is not a realistic look at those days. It is romanticized and, yes, even a bit hokey at times. But always delightfully so. Errol Flynn is perfect as the "Gentleman" Jim who really isn't a "gentleman" at all but merely a fast talker from a working class family. Alexis Smith is quite ravishing as the upper class woman with whom he has a love/hate relationship (and we all know it is, of course, love that will win that match in the end).At the end of "Gentleman Jim" the great John L Sullivan (whose famous line was NOT "I can lick any man in the world" of course...romanticism again) hands over his belt to Corbett. This is truly one of the best scenes in any sports move ever made. Realistic? No. But wonderful. Hey, if you want realism watch "Raging Bull" instead. That is a much more realistic boxing movie. But "Gentleman Jim" is a lot more fun.$LABEL$ 1 +That this movie has been stapled to the wall of a chapel as proof that God is truly dead. Am I the only one that really saw (rather sleptwalked) through this "film"? This is the only movie I've ever seen in the theater that I regret not walking out on and demanding my money back -- it was just that dull. And I even saw "Highlander 2: The Quickening" at the local cinema. From beginning to end, Gibson and Downey have absolutely no chemistry as two unlikelies, cast together by circumstance, who eventually work together as best buddies. The action (what little there is) is goofy and as dull as the skullbone of the writer. Thank whatever deity is chortling down at us as it observes our "cinema" that there's no chance for an "Air America 2."$LABEL$ 0 +Well, there's no real plot to speak of, it's just an excuse to show some scenes of extreme violence and gratuitous sex (which can sometimes be fun, too, but it's not in this case). What else can I say about this...? The action, when happening, is inventive and there's a cool scene where two characters are falling from a skyscraper (one that has to be several miles high), but overall there's not much to recommend "Kite". Watch it if you want, but you're not missing much if you skip this one...$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best film the Derek couple has ever made and if you think this is a recommendation then you haven't seen any of the others. There are the usual ingredients: it is just as poorly acted as their other efforts, we can watch Bo disrobing or auditioning for wet T-shirt contests quite frequently, the story is just laughably idiotic, and the film takes itself much too seriously. And then: Orang Utans in Africa?But it has a few things going for it. Bo looks great, the production values (sets, costumes, etc.) are quite good, and this greatly enhances its camp value. In a strange way it is actually quite funny, simply because it tries to be serious and fails so badly.$LABEL$ 0 +Some people drift through life, moving from one thing or one person to the next without batting an eye; others latch on to a cause, another person or a principle and remain adamant, committed to whatever it is-- and figuratively or literally they give their word and stand by it. But we're all different, `Made of different clay,' as one of the characters in this film puts it, which is what makes life so interesting. Some people are just plain crazy, though-- and maybe that's the way you have to be to live among the masses. Who knows? Who knows what it takes to make things-- life-- work? Writer/director Lisa Krueger takes a shot at it, using a light approach to examine that thin line between being committed-- and how one `gets' committed-- and obsession, in `Committed,' starring Heather Graham as a young woman who is adamant, committed, obsessive and maybe just a little bit crazy, too. Her name is Joline, and this is her story. Admittedly, Joline has always been a committed person; in work, relationships, in life in general. She's a woman of her word who sticks by it no matter what. And when she marries Carl (Luke Wilson), it's forever. The only problem is, someone forgot to tell Carl-- and 597 days into the marriage, he's gone; off to `find' himself and figure it all out. When Joline realizes he's not coming back, she refuses to give up on him, or their marriage. Maybe it's because of that `clay' she's made of. Regardless, she leaves their home in New York City and sets off to find him, which she does-- in El Paso, Texas, of all places. But once she knows where he is, she keeps her distance, giving him his `space' and not even letting him know she's there. She considers Carl as being in a `spiritual coma,' and it's her job to keep a `spiritual vigil' over him until he comes to his senses. And while she watches and waits, her life is anything but dull, as she encounters a young woman named Carmen (Patricia Velazquez), a waitress at one of the local eateries; Carmen's `Grampy,' (Alfonso Arau), who is something of a mystic; T-Bo (Mark Ruffalo), a truck driver who has issues concerning Carl; and Neil (Goran Visnjic) an artist who makes pinatas and takes a fancy to her. For Joline, it's a journey of discovery, during which she learns a lot about Carl, but even more about herself. There's a touch of humor, a touch of romance, and some insights into human nature in this quirky film that is more about characterization and character than plot. And Krueger presents it all extremely well, delivering a film that is engaging and entertaining. Her characters are very real people, with all the wants, needs and imperfections that make up the human condition; a rich and eclectic bunch through which she tells her story. We see it from Joline's point-of-view, as Krueger makes us privy to Joline's thoughts and therefore her motivations, which puts a decided perspective on the events as they unfold. That, along with the deliberate pace she sets that allows you to soak up the atmosphere and the ambiance she creates, makes for a very effective piece of storytelling. There's an underlying seriousness to this subject matter, but Krueger chooses to avoid anything heavy-handed or too deep and concentrates instead on the natural humor that evolves from the people and situations that Joline encounters. And the result is a well textured, affecting and upbeat look at that thing we call life. Heather Graham takes hold of this role from the first frame of the film to make Joline a character totally of her own creation. She immerses herself in the part and gives a performance that is convincing and believable, adding the little personal traits and nuance that makes all the difference between a portrayal that is a mere representation of a person, and one that is real. And for this film to work, it was imperative that Joline be viable and believable-- and Graham succeeds on all fronts. Her screen presence has never been more alluring, and her vibrant personality or even just the way she uses her eyes, is enough to draw you in entirely. it's all a part of the character she creates; there's an appeal to Joline that exudes from her entire countenance, who she is inside and out. She's a likable, agreeable person, and because you've shared her innermost thoughts, you know who she is. It's a good job all the way around, beginning with the way the character was written, to the way Graham brings her so vibrantly to life. As Carmen, Patricia Velazquez is totally engaging, as well. Her performance is very natural and straightforward, and she uses her instincts to effectively create her character. She has a charismatic presence, but is less than flamboyant, and it gives her an aspect that is attractively down-to-earth. She is refreshingly open and up-front; you get the impression that Carmen is not one to hold anything back, but is totally honest on all fronts, and that, too, is part of her appeal. And, as with Joline, this character is well written, and Velazquez brings her convincingly to life. Overall, there is a number of notable performances that are the heart and soul of this film, including those of Luke Wilson, Casey Affleck (as Joline's brother, Jay), Goran Visnjic, Alfonso Arau and especially Mark Ruffalo as T-Bo, who, with very little actual screen time, manages to create a memorable character. The supporting cast includes Kim Dickens (Jenny), Clea Du Vall (Mimi), Summer Phoenix (Meg), Art Alexakis (New York Car Thief), Dylan Baker (Carl's Editor), and Mary Kay Place (Psychiatrist). A film that says something about the value of stepping back to consider The Big Picture-- reflecting upon who we are, where we're going and what we really need-- `Committed' is an enjoyable experience; a ride definitely worth taking. 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Ho-hum. An inventor's(Horst Buchholz)deadly biological weapon is in danger of falling into the wrong hands. Unknowingly his son(Luke Perry)has been working on the antedote all along. Enter CIA agent Olivia d'Abo and the cat-and-mouse car chases and gunfire begins. Also in the cast are:Tom Conti, Hendrick Haese and an aging Roger Moore. Moore seems to haggardly move through this mess definitely not one of his better efforts. Perry fans will be accepting. d'Abo is wrong for the role, but nice to look at.$LABEL$ 0 +Note to self. Never ever ever again watch a serious movie with Charlie Sheen in it. Great comedian, horrible seal. This movie makes Navy SEALS look like a reckless group of rangers when, in fact, they are the most elite form of military in the world. Charlie Sheen helps destroy the Navy SEAL reputation. Thank you for making such an incredibly select group of individuals look awful in one of the worst action movies I have ever seen. This is a great story which could be made into an amazing action movie, but why Charlie Sheen? There are possibilities for a very passionate story here, but Sheen decides to wreck them with "funny" comments.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is stupid. There's no getting around it. But so is Dumb and Dumber. Mind you, Dumb and Dumber is significantly more funny than this. However, I for one love seeing stupid movies (Tail Sting) and laughing with a group of good friends over how bad it is. Call me callous, but see this movie, and you'll find that the only way you can laugh at it is if you laugh at it instead of with it.$LABEL$ 0 +I was looking forward to this so much, being a big fan of the book. However, when it came out I remember thinking it was one of the biggest wastes of money and time I've ever spent at the cinema.In principle, the acting, the sets and the music were excellent, and are the main reason why I'm rating this a 4.In this version, Sara is a little too self-sacrificing for my taste. There is no way she would have deliberately lied to Miss Minchin just to stop her punishing the other girls; in the book she makes a point of describing lies as "not just wicked, but vulgar." There's also far too much of a Disneyfied ending for me; Sara's father coming back from the dead and all of them trotting off into the Indian sunset. While the book does have a happy (and critics might say equally improbable) ending, it doesn't leave you thinking, "Oh puh-leeze."About the only things true to the book were:1. Sara's father being a soldier 2. The lines between Sara and her father ("Are you learning me by heart?"/"No. I know you by heart. You are inside my heart.") 3. Sara's friendship with Becky, and her 'adopting' Lottie (although this last one wasn't developed as much as it could have been) 4. The changing of her room by adding various luxury items. That part was brilliantly done. 5. The basic core - a rich girl being flung into poverty suddenly - is there, but that's about all that is.People might say that this adaptation is more for the younger audience. Possibly. All I can say to that is I have two cousins - aged 7 and 12 respectively - who were big fans of this film until they read the book.If all you want is a 'feel-good' family film, then this delivers. If you're looking for a film that actually tells the story of A Little Princess (in fact, if you've read the book) don't waste time with this one. It's such a shame; with a cast like this, if they'd stuck to at least the basic story it could have been fantastic.Am I harping on about 'read the book' this and 'read the book' that a little too much? Very probably. But if someone attempts to adapt a book - especially such a classic - into a movie, then they should at least have done the same thing. Preferably more than once.$LABEL$ 0 +as always this is an inaccurate picture of the homeless. TV told a lot of lies about panhandlers in the early 1990s and made everyone look bad, and claimed we all made over $100 a day when $20-40 a day was much closer to reality. when someone drove by where i held up a sign offering to work, and offered me work, i actually went and took the work if i was physically able.and if i would been offered the $100,000 id damned sure invested in in apt prepaid for at least 2 years, and kept most in the bank and still left myself $10-20000 for NL $1-2 and $2-5 cash games at the casinos. i usually always win and could win decent if i just had a bankroll. instead i win about $1000 a month is all playing in always minimum buying in due to not wanting to risk losing it all. i was only homeless cause i didn't wanna risk spending all my money and going broke, sometimes i had over $1000-2000 in my sock while i slept outside. anyone wanting to talk contact sevencard2003 on yahoo messenger.i admit i was different than most homeless people though, due to the fact i never drank smoke or took drugs. im no longer homeless, am now in govt housing for $177 a month and getting SSI and spend most of my time winning at online poker. mom and sunflower diversified worked hard to get me SSI. glad my days of hiding in under the stage in the convention center of the casino at night sleeping, worrying about getting caught by security are finally over. had this TV crew picked me theyd been over a lot sooner. its a shame how they don't better select who they pick.$LABEL$ 0 +i really in enjoyed watching this movie. like most of the people that watched it. i wasn't sure that i was getting. Whoopi Goldberg is a very funny comedian and she has done a lot of funny movies; i.e. sister act.however this was not really comedy. it is a drama with comedic moments. so if your looking for a laugh riot then keep looking.this movie is about a black family moving up from a nice neighborhood in the city to an upper middle class neighborhood. i would say more but it think it would spoil the movie. this movie does not just deal with race relations between whites and blacks, but also about relations with in the black community. i do think that it is worth a chance. if your not really interested in see another movie about race relations then this movie isn't for you$LABEL$ 1 +Having been a Marine, I can tell you that the D.I. is as accurate a portrayal to date depicting Marine Corp boot camp and how boys are turned into men. Jack Webb is excellent as Sgt.Jim Moore, a tough, but fair drill instructor in Paris Island North Carolina. The film centers on one recruit who doesn't seem to "get with the program." A more recent film, Full Metal Jacket, also shows life in basic training and is well worth viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +Every high praise word fell way short before the height of this movie. This movie is the true example of how a psychological horror movie should be.The plot seems to be a bit confusing at first viewing but it will definitely explain a bit about what's going on and you really want to view it for the second time. But after second viewing you will start to join the pieces together and then you will know how amazing a movie can be.A word of advice for slasher flick fans stay away from this movie. This is not your dumb ass teenage slasher movie, in which you just switch off your brain and sit in front of the screen just to see big b**bs and lots of blood.If you want to heighten the psychological horror factor of this movie then watch it all alone with a great home theater system that supports Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1ch, without any of your ill mannered friends that crack jokes on a really tense situation. And don't forget to switch the light off.My points on different aspects:-Direction = 9/10 Acting = 8/10 Atmosphere = 10/10 Sound Effect = 9/10Total = 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Ken Burns' "Baseball" is a decent documentary... it presents a clear origin of the game, a great depiction of baseball's early years and heroes. There's plenty in this movie for any baseball fan... that said, the film has several glaring flaws.18 hours is simply too long for the human attention span. It's clear that Burns stretched his film out to fit his "nine inning" concept. It's not even a tight 18 hours... the pace on every segment is slow, almost morose... the music always nostalgic and wistful. Isn't baseball ever exciting and fun? Why is every player and their accomplishments presented in the form of a tragedy? Talking head after talking head turn every pitch into an emotional heartbreak, yakking about baseball as a metaphor, baseball as Americana, the psychology and theology of baseball... enough! This is syrupy, mawkish drivel. Billy Crystal is here to sell us all the Yankee hokum he's sold us before. Ken Burns uses the National Anthem as the series' theme song, and manages to play "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" so many times you might vomit. We get it, dude.Clearly Burns is a neo-Hollywood faux-liberal, so he spends probably a third of the film on the Negro leagues... these segments are spent chastising whites of yesterday for not being as open-minded as Kenny is today. For shame! He chides baseball for being segregated in the thirties and forties but fails to realize that America was segregated in those times! Burns falls head over heels in love with Buck O'Neil, a former negro-league player, and drools over every piece of footage in which the elderly O'Neil waxes poetic about his playing days. Nonsense...Burns would have been better off with an adult to help him edit his creation down. "Baseball" winds up as mushy, gushy, civil-rights propaganda disguised as Americana. Its clear that Burns is not a baseball fan... otherwise he would know we watch games laughing and cheering, not weeping and reciting soliloquies... are you listening, Mr. Burns? There's no crying in baseball.$LABEL$ 0 +"Quitting" may be as much about exiting a pre-ordained identity as about drug withdrawal. As a rural guy coming to Beijing, class and success must have struck this young artist face on as an appeal to separate from his roots and far surpass his peasant parents' acting success. Troubles arise, however, when the new man is too new, when it demands too big a departure from family, history, nature, and personal identity. The ensuing splits, and confusion between the imaginary and the real and the dissonance between the ordinary and the heroic are the stuff of a gut check on the one hand or a complete escape from self on the other. Hongshen slips into the latter and his long and lonely road back to self can be grim.But what an exceptionally convincing particularity, honesty, and sensuousness director Zhang Yang, and his actors, bring to this journey. No clichés, no stereotypes, no rigid gender roles, no requisite sex, romance or violence scenes, no requisite street language and, to boot, no assumed money to float character acts and whims. Hongshen Jia is in his mid-twenties. He's a talented actor, impressionable, vain, idealistic, and perhaps emotionally starved. The perfect recipe for his enablers. Soon he's the "cool" actor, idolized by youth. "He was hot in the early nineties." "He always had to be the most fashionable." He needs extremes, and goes in for heavy metal, adopts earrings and a scarf. His acting means the arts, friends--and roles, But not the kind that offer any personal challenge or input. And his self-criticism, dulled by the immediacy of success, opens the doors to an irrational self-doubt, self-hatred-- "I didn't know how to act" "I felt like a phony"--and to readily available drugs to counter them. He says "I had to get high to do what director wanted." So, his shallow identity as an actor becomes, via drugs, an escape from identity. Hongshen's disengagement from drugs and his false life is very gradual, intermittent--and doggedly his own. Solitude, space, meditative thinking, speech refusal, replace therapy. The abstract is out. And a great deal of his change occurs outdoors---not in idealized locations but mainly on green patches under the freeways, bridges, and high-rises of Beijing. The physicality is almost romantic, but is not. The bike rides to Ritan Park, the long spontaneous walks, the drenching sun and rain, grassy picnics, the sky patterns and kites that absorb his musing are very specific. He drifts in order to arrive, all the while picking up cues to a more real and realistic identity. "I started to open up" he says of this period in retrospect. And the contact seems to start with his lanky body which projects a kind of dancer's positioning (clumsy, graceful, humorous, telling) in a current circumstance. If mind or spirit is lacking, his legs can compel him to walk all night. Central to his comeback is the rejection of set roles. To punctuate his end to acting and his determination to a new identity, he smashes his videos and TV, and bangs his head till bloody against his "John Lennon Forever" poster. He has let down his iconic anti-establishment artist---but he's the only viable guide he knows. He even imagines himself as John's son (Yoko Ono), and adopts his "Mother Mary" as an intercessor in his "hour of darkness" and "time of trouble." (the wrenching, shaking pain in the park--hallucinatory and skitzoid ordeals) "Music is so much more real than acting" he says. And speaks of Lennon's influence as "showing me a new way." In the mental institute, the life-saving apples (resistance, nourishment) reflect Lennon's presence, as does Hongshen's need to re-hang his hero's poster in his redecorated room.If Lennon's influence is spiriting, Hongshen's father's influence is grounding. Although father and son are both actors and users (drugs and drink), it is Fegsen's differences from his son that underwrites his change. For the father is more secure in himself: he accepts that he's Chinese, a peasant in a line of peasants, a rural theater director. And he exercises control over both his habit and his emotions. It's this recognizable identity that drives Hongshen to treat him like a sounding board, sometimes with anger and rage, sometimes with humor (the blue jeans, Beatles) and passivity. In his most crazed, and violent exchange with his father in which he accuses him of being a liar, and a fake, he exposes more of himself than his father: "all the acts I acted before were bullshit... life is bullshit." And to Hongshen's emphatic "you are NOT my father," he softly replies, "why can't a peasant be your father?" Under these two teachers and with much additional help from his mother, sister, friends, inmates at the rehab inst., he makes some tangible connection to a real (not whole) self. As the long term drug effects recede, so does his old identity. Indebtedness replaces pride, trust distrust. Integrity banishes his black cloud. All his edges soften. "You are just a human being" he repeats endlessly after being released from the strap-down incurred for refusing medicine. Back home, lard peasant soap is fine with him now. And his once "rare and true friendships" begin again as is so evident in the back to poignant back-to-back fence scene with his musician buddy. Hongshen says of this movie: "it's a good chance to think about my life." And I might add, become a New Actor, one bound to art and life. Like Lennon, he has gained success without a loss of identity.$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched this movie countless times, and never failed to be charmed by it's homely simplicity, sincerity and goodness. Great characterizations by all of the cast, and the lovely little steam trains that play a such an important supporting role.I confess I fell in love with Roberta in 1970, and she still touches me today. Shown on TV in New Zealand on Christmas day, the nicest present I could have had.$LABEL$ 1 +If only I had read the review by Alex Sander (sic) on here rather than looking at the rating of over 6 from a select choice of the ignorant viewing public I would not have seen this desecration. Alien was a fantastic, dramatic and well made horror/sci-fi. Predator was a great sci-fi/action mess-about. I do really have only myself to blame though as I saw 'Alien versus Predator'. It too has an average grading of over 6 stars from the connoisseurs of film that frequent this site.STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVE ANY FEAR OF THIS EVER SO SUSPENSE RIDDEN PLOT BEING RUINED FOR YOU.Right from the beginning this film was ridiculous. No explanation was offered for the Predator ship overrun/not overrun by Aliens. OK so maybe they were again going to throw aliens down to Earth to hunt them and something went wrong but how did this result in an Alien/Predator hybrid and why did the rest of the crew not realise sooner despite their great technology? The start was actually the most coherent and interesting part of the film because we had some idea of who was who or what was what and perhaps why. From then on it gets really ridiculous. I always leave my disbelief strictly suspended above the door of the screen before entering and collect it on the way out. I couldn't here.A father and son are hunting in the woods. The damaged ship crash lands to (from the view given) I would calculate at the very least 10 odd miles away through thick woodland. The man and boy track there alone and find the ship and get face hugged. Even at this point you feel very little for them mainly because the face huggers are almost comical rather than scary in their movement and actions and the father seems like such an irresponsible, dumb redneck muppet.An edgy, thriller-type scenario is introduced with an ex-con returning to the town near the crash site to be met by his somewhat emotionless, dull now cop friend from the bus. When I say introduced I mean a feeble attempt with crap actors and no feeling is played out. A slasher/horror element is then introduced with a sexy girl and the usual supposedly nerdy or somehow undesirable cute guy who gets beaten up by the over protective, crazy, nasty Jock type (American sportsman not a Scottish man). Oh the cute/not cute boy is the ex-con's brother by the way. Yes they're clever these director brothers whose name I will research in order to avoid any other shite they put out again. Then a modern role reversal oh so boring attempt at PC, Ripley credential type character introduction comes with a female soldier returning home to her husband and child.Guess what happens next? I won't tell you much more about the actual (smiles sadly to himself about the demise of storytelling in the large majority of recent films) plot just in case you have got this far and are not the brightest star in the Alien-ridden universe.The Predator is stupid for the reasons stated by the previous poster whose post I read too late. The Aliens are boring. The Predator-Alien is ridiculous. The action is at times exploitative, gratuitous, disgusting nonsense. The hospital scene with the pregnant mothers?!?! Oh I was shocked alright. Shocked at how low some people will go to get what? A scare? Some shock? To titillate the perverse? What? If you really wanted to shock, titillate and scare people who are not pregnant or expecting fathers or who have no souls why not just have the Alien/Predator shagging the saucy women and teenage girls rather than killing them? The characters have no depth and neither does the plot. It's filmed and paced badly. It's acted by disinterested people not that I can blame them. It further tarnishes two rather interesting and good sets of sci-fi characters. This film was rubbish and if you gain enjoyment from it I really have to worry about you. If you haven't seen it then well please make your own decision.PS Did I even mention the way that trained soldiers are all killed in about 20 seconds while amateur civilians survive throughout?$LABEL$ 0 +Even though I saw this film when I was very young, I already knew the story of Wild the Thief-Taker and Shepherd who famously escaped from Newgate prison.Apart from the liberty taken right at the end, the film more or less faithfully follows the true story. The temptation to bend the facts which is the hallmark of so many so-called historical films is resisted in this film and the film makers must be praised for that.Of the performances, There is scarcely a poor performance, and Tommy Steele is ideally cast. Also good is Stanley Baker as the Thief-Taker and Alan Badel is good as always.Because the film sticks to the facts, it makes it suitable to be watched by all the family.$LABEL$ 1 +Gone is the wonderful campiness of the original. In place is a c-grade action no-brainer, wich is not all bad, but pales in comparison to the original. All the meaningless sex and violence is gone, and replaced with crappy jokes and unexplained plot pointers. See it, but don't expect the thrills of the first.$LABEL$ 0 +Although most Americans have little knowledge of his work other than Star Wars, Alec Guinness produced an amazing body of work--particularly in the 1940s-1950s--ranging from dramas to quirky comedies. I particularly love his comedies, as they are so well-done and seem so natural and real on the screen--far different from the usual fare from Hollywood.This being said, this was the film that sparked my interest in these movies. It's plot was so odd and cute that it is very unlikely the film would have been made anywhere--except for Ealing Studios--which had a particular fondness for "little" films like this one.Guinness is a nerdy little scientist that works for a textile company. He wants to experiment in order to create a synthetic fabric that is indestructible, though he is not working for the company as a researcher but for janitorial work! So, he tends to sneak into labs (either during the day if no one suspects or at night) and try his hand at inventing. Repeatedly, he is caught (such as after he blew up the lab) and given the boot until one day he actually succeeds! Then, despite the importance of the discovery, he sets off a completely unanticipated chain of events--and then the fun begins.The film is a wonderful satire that pokes fun at industry, unions, the government and people in general.$LABEL$ 1 +Victor McLaglen's performance is one of the finest in film history.I think we can all feel for "Gypo" because we've all struggled with what is right and what isn't and been wrong. This was one of the first art-house pictures to be released by a major American movie studio (RKO Radio Pictures).Joseph H. August's cinematography is at its very best here. However, August's stunning portion was mostly overlooked; he didn't receive the Oscar nomination he rightly deserved.This is a psychological drama, with thought, philosophy, sadness, all conveyed with as little words as possible.$LABEL$ 1 +How do you take a cast of experienced, well-known actors, and put together such a stupid movie? Nimrod Antel has the answer: Armored. Six co-workers at an armored car business decide to steal a large shipment of cash themselves. But, just as they get to first base with their plans, everything unravels quickly. With a plot like this, you'd think it couldn't be too bad, at least for an action movie. However, in the first 40 minutes or more of this movie we see what appear to be 6 normal, everyday kind of guys. They joke, they laugh, have a few drinks together, etc. Then, we suddenly learn they're planning to rob their own business. The hero Ty, (Columbus Short), is sucked into the scheme because of the cold, cruel world, even though he's a decorated veteran, nice guy, and reliable employee. Oh my, oh my! Then in the last 40 minutes of the film, these former regular guys nearly all turn into money-crazed psychos, willing to butcher each other for cash. In the last scenes Mike, (Matt Dillon), goes on a suicidal rampage for no other reason than to kill his former friend. The viewer has no hint before this ending that these men are this ruthless and bloodthirsty. It's utterly unbelievable and "B movie" is almost too kind for this sort of cheesy plot. I would say don't waste your time--too bad no one gave Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno or Fred Ward the same advice before making this picture.$LABEL$ 0 +The sexploitation movie era of the late sixties and early seventies began with the allowance of gratuitous nudity in mainstream films and ended with the legalization of hardcore porn. It's peak years were between 1968 and 1972. One of the most loved and talented actresses of the era was Monica Gayle, who had a small but fanatic cult of followers. She was actually able to act, unlike many who filled the lead roles of these flicks, and her subsequent credits proved it. And her seemingly deliberate fade into obscurity right when her career was taking off only heightens her mystique.Gary Graver, the director, was also a talent; probably too talented for the sexploitation genre, and his skill, combined with Monica Gayle's screen presence, makes Sandra, the Making of a Woman, a pleasantly enjoyable experience. The film never drags and you won't have your finger pressed on the fast-forward button.$LABEL$ 1 +What a surprisingly good movie this one turned out to be. This is the type of film that I've been looking for ages. Particularly important for me was the fantastic-looking Chicago, which I still keep thinking about. The back cover doesn't do this film justice, it's superb, and in my top-5 for sure.$LABEL$ 1 +I did not expect much from this film, but boy-o-boy, I did not expect the movie to be this bad. Chris Rock is not showing a good act here, you can't get the feeling that his caracter is real, I think the movie would have been a bit better if it's drama or romantic scenes would have been a less part of the movie and more/better humor was involved. The movie is like the film makers were having a bad hangover making it. In the "making of" they don't show a single smile. This is a very bad film! I gave it three out of ten because of few smiles it gave me, but I did never laugh!$LABEL$ 0 +I cant believe there are people out there that did not like this movie! I thought it was the funniest movie i had ever seen. It my have been b/c i am Mel Brooks biggest fan... I know almost all the words and get very discouraged when they censor them, when it is played on a Family Channel. :) this is one of my favorite movies, so i dont know why any one would disagree! thanks Kristina$LABEL$ 1 +Flynn, known mostly for his swashbuckling roles (and his bedroom antics!) takes a different tack with this film and it works beautifully. Playing real-life boxing champ Jim Corbett, Flynn turns on the charm full blast as he makes his way from a stifled San Francisco bank teller to a celebrated pugilist, all the while setting one eye on society deb Smith. He and best pal Carson attend an illegal bare-knuckle fight and are arrested along with scores of other men (and a dog!) including a prominent judge. The next day, he gets a chance, via Smith, to gain entrance to the judge's private club. He uses this opportunity to weasel his way into the good graces of its exclusive members and land a spot as the club's resident boxer. His unusually adept skill in the sport soon has him taking on all comers, up to and including the world champion John L. Sullivan (Bond.) Flynn is downright magical here. He is the epitome of charm, charisma and appeal in this role. He looks terrific (especially in a hangover scene with his hair mussed and wearing a white union suit) and does virtually all of his own stuntwork (impressively!) His line delivery is delicious and he is credible and sympathetic and at the same time duplicitous and rascally. Smith exudes class and taste from every pore and is a good match for Flynn. At this stage, he needed a female costar who could stand up to his advances and reputation (he was undergoing statutory rape charges at the time) and she does so admirably. She is repulsed by his freshness and cavalier attitude, yet can hardly help but fall under his enchanting spell. Bond is incredibly burly, brawny and towering, yet tender when the script calls for it. Amusing support is provided by a young and ebullient Carson. Frawley is his dependably cantankerous self as Flynn's manager. The rest of the cast is excellent as well including Flynn's rambunctious family and an assortment of stuffy Nob Hill types. The whole thing is beautifully appointed and securely directed. A few of the sets are amazingly presented. Some of Smith's gowns border on the garish, but she suits the upswept hairstyles very well. It's a terrific glimpse into the earliest days of championship boxing, but it's also so much more. Some of it (like the character traits shown by Flynn) is enhanced or exaggerated for entertainment purposes, but a lot of it is authentic (like the methods and costumes shown in the fight scenes.) One line is particularly memorable: "I believe you like me more than I like you, but it's entirely possible that I love you more than you love me." It's classic romantic dialogue (and there are more than a few zingers sprinkled throughout the script as well.)$LABEL$ 1 +Often laugh out loud funny play on sex, family, and the classes in Beverly Hills milks more laughs out of the zip code than it's seen since the days of Granny and Jed Clampett. Plot centers on two chauffers who've bet on which one of them can bed his employer (both single or soon to be single ladies, quite sexy -- Bisset and Woronov) first. If Manuel wins, his friend will pay off his debt to a violent asian street gang -- if he loses, he must play bottom man to his friend! Lots of raunchy dialogue, fairly sick physical humour, etc. But a lot of the comedy is just beneath the surface. Bartel is memorable as a very sensual oder member of the family who ends up taking his sexy, teenaged niece on a year long "missionary trip" to Africa.Hilarious fun.$LABEL$ 1 +Thought provoking, humbling depiction of the human tragedies of war. A small, but altruistic view of one family's interactions with the enemy during the civil war in Kentucky. This movie lessens the "glamor" of war; showing it's effect on not only the soldier but the entire family unit.A lot of today's movies show war as an opportunity to highlight the "hero's" and other glamorous features of war, but very little attempts to show the true effect war actually takes on a community. This movie attempts this through a retelling of a person's memory of those days. This movie is stated to be loose translation of an actual events, when in reality, this movie is probably a factual reality of hundreds, perhaps thousands of "actual events" during the civil war. I highly recommend those interested in our civil war to watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Or anyone else have noticed the fact that first bunch of episodes are inspired too much by 90's flicks?I mean seriously wife who is trying get someone else to murder his rich husband so she can claim his assets. Med students who are temporarily stopping their hearts to reach memories that are lost; Flatliners. Bunch of college bodies getting together again to reminisce on the old days but are not fully comfortable because they did something in the past, Very Bad Things? Groundhog day is one of my all time favorite movies. Sadly enough the writing staff behind his turd is bunch of lazy bastards who can not come up with their original scripts.Noble idea totally fubarred in it's execution.$LABEL$ 0 +elvira mistress of the dark is one of my fav movies, it has every thing you would want in a film, like great one liners, sexy star and a Outrageous story! if you have not seen it, you are missing out on one of the greatest films made. i can't wait till her new movie comes out!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on the Hallmark Channel and thought it was wonderful, especially since it was based on a true man. Pierce Brosnan was very good as the loner English man who took on the persona of the half breed Grey Owl. The photography was beautiful.This movie made me do more research into this character Archie Belaney known simple as Grey Owl. I want to read as much as I can about him. At the time I did not know Richard Attenborough had directed it. But I am not surprised. I like all his movies whether he is acting or directing. I gave it the highest rating. However, I would have liked to have seen more in the movie about WHY he took on this persona as it only showed the two aunts who raised him and his room in their house.You can't go wrong with this movie if you are like me and enjoy a beautiful story without hearing foul language and contrived special effects every few minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite having an absolutely horrid script (more about that later), this film is still vaguely watchable just because it stars two excellent actors, Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Aside from one or two REAL stinkers, I'd probably watch just about anything with them in the film, as I am a huge fan of Hollywood's golden age of the 1930s and 40s. However, no matter how much I love their films, I just can't recommend this film.The movie begins with Fonda and Stanwyck on vacation at some ski resort. The two haven't yet met, but the film begins loudly and obnoxiously with a scene in which Fonda horribly yodels while skiing. It was done so unsubtly and made my teeth grind but I stuck it out--especially when Fonda fell into a snow bank and this stopped the yodeling!! In hindsight, perhaps I should have just turned it off then! Fonda is knocked out in the fall and Barbara goes for help. Back at the ski lodge, he seems okay but fortunately she is ALSO a doctor and has him x-rayed and nurses him back to health. He, in turn, becomes infatuated with her and proposes to her. Despite hardly knowing each other, they marry and so far the film seems like a sweet but very slight romantic comedy.Once home, however, all isn't rosy as she jumps right back into her job as a family doctor and he begins exhibiting signs that he is a controlling and potentially dangerous man due to his jealousy. The film plays it all for laughs, but frankly Fonda's behaviors were really creepy--spying on her and her male patients, attacking or threatening ANY man she treats, tripping a patient who already has a back injury and stomping into a surprise party and insisting that everyone there (men and women) are out to steal away his wife. He comes off as a combination of a sociopath and paranoid schizophrenic, but it's all supposed to be for laughs. Considering that he seems like a dangerous nut, you would think that Stanwyck would file for an annulment along with a restraining order! But, oddly, she gets mad but just can't stay mad at Fonda because he's so........? I can't think of the right word--'creepy' is all that comes to mind!!! Later, out of the blue, multi-millionaire Fonda gets a job working the counter at a department store. Then, through magical thinking, he and Babs seem to assume his hostility and violent jealousy is all a thing of the past--so a job apparently cures anger and suspicions. When this job falls through, the film ends with Fonda buying his own hospital, giving Barbara a job there and they live happily ever after. They don't go any further with the story, but I assume based on Fonda's character that he then spent most of his time as hospital administrator beating up all the male patients.The first portion at the ski lodge and the next did NOT fit well together, nor did the final "Horatio Alger" inspired section where the rich boy made good in the business world. They were like three separate plots but despite this, the most serious problem with the film was its seeming to excuse away domestic violence and delusional jealousy! What a creepy little film! Thank goodness neither Fonda nor Stanwyck are known for this yechy film but for all their other lovely films.$LABEL$ 0 +I find the critique of many IMDb users a little harsh and in many cases find that they crit the movie from a very professional viewpoint and not that of the guy on the street that wants to sit and watch something just to GET AWAY from it all.In this case however I have to say it was BAD. I am a SciFi junkie and there was NOTHING in this movie that grabbed me for even one second.There was no proper storyline. I may be an idiot but I still do not know where the GOVERNMENT was that was so worried about these pieces.The pathetic attempt by the main character to put together these 3 pieces is scary. Half the time the two pieces were already in place and he simply had to add the third. A 3 year old kid would have been able to put them together.This movie was BAD.Dominic$LABEL$ 0 +I was debating between this movie and 2012 but chose Inglourious Basterds due to it's amazingly high IMDb rating. I must say now, what a disappointment. I expected a certain amount of gratuitous violence, but I also expected a lot of witty dialog. I got a huge dosage of the former, but not nearly enough of the latter. I felt shortchanged. The ratio between violence to plot is very important and I think this movie gets it totally wrong. And the plot? It's that believable or really all that entertaining either. Save your time and money. I can't believe what this rating says for the gory and violent tastes of the modern masses.$LABEL$ 0 +Bend it like Beckham is packed with intriguing scenes yet has an overall predictable stroy line. It is about a girl called Jess who is trying to achieve her life long dream to become a famous soccer player and finally gets the chance when offered a position on a local team. there are so many boundaries and limits that she faces which hold her back yet she is still determined and strives. i would recommend it for anyone who likes a nice light movie and wants to get inspired by what people can achieve. The song choices are really good, 'hush my child, just move on up...to your destination and you make boundaries and complications.' Anyway hope that was at help to your needs in a review. Bend it like Beckham great flick$LABEL$ 1 +Directed by Diane Keaton and adapted from a book by Franz Lidz. A young mother Selma Lidz(Andie MacDowell)is battling a very serious illness and her self proclaimed inventor husband Sid(John Tururro)is a little lacking in the emotions department. Unhappy with the new home situation, their sensitive son Steven(Nathan Watt)decides he wants to stay with his two eccentric uncles Danny(Michael Richards)and Melvin(Lou Cutell)until his mom is well. Steven seems to be happier and even takes interest in his strange uncle's living habits; he even decides he wants to change his name to Franz. Set in the early 60's, this drama is a bit comedic...change that to zany. Not being a MacDowell fan, UNSTRUNG HEROES assures my attitude; albeit I enjoyed the film and it is not a total waste.$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps the most gripping and intelligent of crooked cop movies is Otto Preminger's 'Where the Sidewalks Ends,' from a really excellent script by Ben Hecht based on the novel 'Night Cry' by Frank Rosenberg...Dana Andrews is the honest, tough New York policeman, always in trouble with his superiors because he likes his own strong-arm methods as much as he detests crooks... When he hit someone, his knuckles hurt... And the man he wants to hit is a smooth villain (Gary Merrill) who points up the title. 'Why are you always trying to push me in the gutter?' he asks Andrews. 'I have as much right on the sidewalk as you.'Dana Andrew's obsession and neurosis are implanted in his hidden, painful discovery that he is the son of a thief... His deep hatred of criminals led him to use their own illegal methods to destroy them, and the pursuit of justice became spoiled in private vendetta...By a twist of irony unique to the film itself, Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney of 'Laura' are united once more, and Andrews now seems to be playing the same detective a few years later, but no longer the romantic, beaten down by his job, by the cheap crooks... This time, he goes too far, and accidentally kills a suspect... The killing is accidental, the victim worthless, yet it is a crime that he knows can break him or send him to jail...Using his knowledge of police procedure, he covers up his part in the crime, plants false clues, and tries to implicate a gang leader, but cannot avoid investigating the case himself... The double tension of following the larger case through to its conclusion without implicating himself in the murder, is beautifully maintained and the final solution is both logical, satisfying, and in no way a compromise...The film is one of the best detective films of the 50's, with curious moral values, also one of Preminger's best... Preminger uses a powerful storytelling technique, projecting pretentious camera angles and peculiar touches of the bizarre in order to externalize his suspense in realism...$LABEL$ 1 +In sum, overlong and filled with more subplots than swiss cheese has holes! The director and co-writer says he wanted to mix genres - in this case drama and comedy. Well, at least here, these two mix like vinegar and oil. To boot, the comedy is not very funny and juvenile. Additionally, the film is not really realistic. Liberties are taken regarding the legal system in committing French Citizens against their will and the apparent ease of absconding with drugs in French Hospitals. I watched this film on my big screen TV at home and found myself shouting at the film to move on. Eventually toward the end I fast forwarded the final long speech one of the main characters makes to his ex-lover's son. By that time I was worn out by the preposterous confused plot that deals with a dead lover, marriage of convenience and a nutty ex-lover. At times the plot diverts to the families of the two main characters and then reverts back to one of them - either Ismael or primarily Nora. To the detriment of the audience, viewpoints keep changing from Nora and Ismael, her ex-lover confined against his will in a psychiatric hospital. There probably are two potentially interesting films here neither of which are well developed. The epilogue does not really wrap up many of the sub-plots and seems to want the viewer to believe Nora somehow will find happiness although given her circumstances in real life the chances are equivalent to a snow ball's chance in hell. The actors do their best and are appealing, but this is not enough to overcome all the glaring faults of poor writing, editing and lack of focus.$LABEL$ 0 +Incomprehensibly dreadful mishmash of the probably most notorious of all Roman emperors who went insane, leaving infamous party orgies and ruthless killings in his path... I know there are several versions of this, and this is based on the 102 min' one that I watched - but I can't fathom how that possibly can make any difference to lift the rest of this movie out of the muck!I'd heard for long about the alleged "shocking" content of sex/nudity (which honestly there isn't much of here at all - and boring when there is) and blood, but beware - it's the technical production amateurishness that well and truly shocks here: Everything looks plain and simply like a junior film school flunk project! Camera-work is hopelessly inept, full of strange zooms, failed framing and confusing pans (to and from what mostly looks like a huge theater stage!) complete with a grainy, cheapish photo quality. Lighting and color schemes are terrible and uneven - is it day or night? Are they in- or outside? Have they changed scenes? Who is, or is meant to be in the shot? Editing is the final sin here, making a confusing mess of everything with randomly jumpy cutaways, continuity flaws and random transitions that destroy any chance of momentum, story progression - and involvement. There is potentially interesting dialog and an equally interesting true historical story... but these faults distract so much it's tragic.A story with SO many possibilities to be great is just one gargantuan, burnt (and Fellini-like) turkey that's only good for a few gobble-laughs and Peter O'Toole, who makes a most memorable Tiberius. Oh yes, which brings us to the big-name actors. I'd like to line them all up one by one and just ask: Who did you get free access to bonk in the orgies to be a part of this? There, I've wasted enough lines on one of the truly worst films of all time - period!1 out of 10 from Ozjeppe$LABEL$ 0 +Did anyone edit this film? Or was it only the DVD release that had huge thirty second gaps between scenes? It's OK though, I fell asleep watching it the first time. Then I fell asleep the second time and the third time. The plot is actually not the worst I've seen, but it's close. The acting is not the worst I've seen either...but it's close. The production .... well, I can honestly say that it was the worst I had ever seen in my life! Not trying to be spiteful, but Unhinged could have used some more production.Please don't think I'm a hater of horror films, or even that I didn't enjoy this film. I just felt I was laughing at the film much more than I felt I was laughing along with it. The gruesome moments were not too poorly done, but could have been done better even with a shoestring budget.Characters seemed awkwardly developed, or ignored all together, twist ending was pretty bad, and the exposition took forever without exposing much.I'd recommend avoiding this movie.1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Riding high on the success of "Rebel Without a Cause", came a tidal wave of 'teen' movies. Arguably this is one of the best. A very young McArthur excels here as the not really too troubled teen. The story concentrates more on perceptions of delinquency, than any traumatic occurrence. The supporting cast is memorable, Frankenheimer directs like an old pro. Just a story of a young man that finds others take his actions much too seriously.$LABEL$ 1 +Most of the comments on this movie are positive so I thought I would try and redress the balance. I came out of this movie wondering what was going on. I now know and still consider it to be a poor movie. I intially discounted a dream sequence as that seemed too obvious. I was glad that I had a free ticket to the movie or I would have asked for my money back. Movie reviewers and critics love this movie, which only confirms to me that most of them would rather sound intelligent than review how an audience may enjoy a film. The 8+ rating this movie has is so misleading. In 20 years time this film will not compare to true greats such as The Godfather. The film does have fine performances from both the leads but that isn't enough to save the film. (nor are the lesbian scenes!)$LABEL$ 0 +Pepe le Moko, played by Charles Boyer, is some sort of international criminal mastermind wanted in countries throughout Europe, and to stay free he holes himself up in the Casbah, a mysterious part of Algiers where even the police are reluctant to go, until a senior officer is sent from Paris to capture le Moko once and for all. For le Moko, although the Casbah allows him to remain out of police custody, it also becomes a sort of prison at the same time - a place he can't leave, because the moment he does, he knows he'll be arrested.Boyer's performance was good, and I can understand why he was nominated for an Oscar. He captures the essence of such a character - a perfect combination of very dangerous and yet very classy at the same time. The movie itself, unfortunately, was quite a letdown. A number of parts of the story seemed inconsistent, of which I'll mention two. First was the idea that the police wouldn't enter the Casbah. That was stated pretty clearly at the beginning of the film by the local commander, and yet repeated references in the movie suggest that in fact the police did enter the Casbah fairly regularly. So, neither the suggestion by Commissioner Janvier that the police wouldn't enter, nor the statement by Inspector Slimane (also a decent performance by Joseph Calleia) that they could get into the Casbah but not out seemed to make much sense. I also found it difficult to believe that le Moko - hardened criminal mastermind that he was - could be so quickly swept off his feet by Gaby (Hedy Lamarr) to the point where he entertains the local populace by singing love songs and then leaves the Casbah to find her, essentially giving himself up. I understand the irony of the final few scenes, of course, as Pepe leaves the freedom of his prison (the Casbah) only to find real freedom in his capture (because he's shot and killed by the police.) I just found it impossible to believe that someone like le Moko would fall into such a trap.This is worth watching for Boyer, and to a lesser extent Calleia, but the story is disappointing and inconsistent. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Man with the Screaming Brain certainly isn't a perfect movie, but I'm pretty sure it was never meant to be anything more than a star vehicle for Bruce Campbell, meaning it works as kind of a summary of his entire career: slapstick, sarcasm, cheese, action, and happy endings. Campbell is, as a writer, uneven--there are lots of things in the story that don't make a great deal of sense (why does the robot suddenly have breasts merely because a female brain has been implanted into it?), and some of the scenes feel like retreads of other, better incarnations (the scene in the restaurant, where Yegor and William battle for control of William's body, is straight out of Evil Dead II). There are, however, lots of little touches and non-sequiturs that feel rather brilliant, such as when William is in the height of his panic and screams at a statue, "What are you looking at?!" The movie looks like a Sci-Fi Channel original, probably because it was. The acting is actually pretty good. I particularly enjoyed Tamara Gorski as Tatoya; she was ruthless and cunning, yes, but seemed to have a tragic air about her in certain moments that the story never explored. Ted Raimi handled the standard "bumbling assistant" role admirably enough, and Bruce is funny as the arrogant, sardonic, condescending American jerk. (Now that he's writing his own films, you'd think he'd give himself a role that he hasn't been typecast in already.) Man with the Screaming Brain is a bizarre, nonsensical B-movie that ought to be enjoyable for anybody who can avoid taking a cinematic experience too seriously.$LABEL$ 1 +You should never ever even consider to watch this movie! It is absolutely awful! This isn't an overstatement!! It is so unbelievable and exaggerated, it gets boring. It is just a movie where they have taken stories and plots from several movies and put it together in one. They writer hasn't been able to pull it off in a good way.If you'd like to see pretty girls in bikinis and no brain this might be the movie for you, but still, you should plug your ears and just watch. It's not worth listening:p There are so many great movies out there, and if I could choose one, this would be the last movie I would pick. But all in all, it's your choice!!! Enjoy!$LABEL$ 0 +Tell the truth I’m a bit stun to see all these positive review by so many people, which is also the main reason why I actually decide to see this movie. And after having seen it, I was really a disappointed, and this comes from the guy that loves this genre of movie.I’m surprise at this movie all completely – it is like a kid’s movie with nudity for absolutely no reason and it all involve little children cursing and swearing. I’m not at all righteous but this has really gone too far in my account.Synopsis: The story about two guys got send to the big brother program for their reckless behavior. There they met up with one kids with boobs obsession and the other is a medieval freak.Just the name it self is not really connected with the story at all. They are not being a role model and or do anything but to serve their time for what they have done. The story is very predictable (though expected) and the humor is lame. And haven’t we already seen the same characters (play by Mc Lovin’) in so many other movies (like Sasquatch Gang?). I think I laugh thrice and almost fell a sleep.Well the casting was alright after all he is the one that produce the screenplay. And the acting is so-so as expected when you’re watching this type of movie. And the direction, what do one expect? This is the same guy who brought us Wet Hot American Summer, and that movie also sucks. But somehow he always managed to bring in some star to attract his horrendous movie.Anyway I felt not total riff off but a completely waste of time. Only the naked scenes seem to be the best part in the movie. Can’t really see any point why I should recommend this to anyone.Pros: Elizabeth Bank? Two topless scenes.Cons: Not funny, dreadful story, nudity and kids do not mix together.Rating: 3.5/10 (Grade: F)$LABEL$ 0 +This film held my interest enough to watch it several times. The plot has holes, but the lead performers make it work.Catherine Mary Stewart (Julia Kerbridge), does a great job as a woman of 37 who has sacrificed everything else to become a physician. She worked years to earn the money to go to medical school. She is performing brilliantly in her residency and is just about to take her board exam and realize her dream.Meanwhile, Julia's sister and brother-in-law are murdered and as the nearest living relative she is compelled to take in her niece Amanda (Arlen Aguayo-Stewart) to avoid having her become a ward of the state. Amanda is about 7 years old from her appearance. Amanda is so traumatized from her parent's murder that she has become mute. Needless to say, Julia's 16-hour days get longer caring for Amanda.Rob Lowe plays Kevin Finney, a charming neighbor man in their apartment building who works his way into the lives of Julia and Amanda. He is always there with a trick or a joke to help Amanda deal with her distress. Amanda really starts to warm up to Kevin as the film progresses, perhaps more than to her aunt. Julia starts to rely on Kevin to take some of the load of caring for Amanda as she attempts to handle her case load and prepare for her board examination. Kevin is always there whenever some crisis erupts for Julia.The chemistry between Rob and Catherine Mary was great. You keep watching to see them get together before the end of the film. The chemistry between Rob and Arlen was good as well. Arlen managed to convey quite a lot without the benefit of words. The plot had Julia and Amanda gradually warming up to each other. You can see them working out a relationship as the film progresses.We discover that Julia's sister and brother-in-law (the Meyers) were involved in industrial espionage. They stole an extremely valuable prototype microchip from their employer. They had three associates who intended to share the proceeds of the theft. Julia discovers that the Meyers were planning to skip the country under assumed identities. The plot is unclear whether the Meyers intended to double cross their associates or were themselves double crossed.In any case the Meyers are murdered in their home by 2 of their former associates. The killers make no attempt to extract the location of the microchip from the Meyers before killing them. The killers search the home and fail to find their prize. They leave a living witness to their crime, Amanda. The killers then spend the remainder of the film making clumsy attempts to extract the microchip from Julia and Amanda who have no idea where the prize is located. Eventually, the killers kidnap Amanda in hopes she knows something about the microchip's location.Eventually Julia discovers the truth about Kevin. He is an investigator hired to recover the stolen microchip. After some rough moments in the relationship they manage to rescue Amanda and dispatch the bad guys. The predictable ending has the three forming a family and moving happily into a future together.What struck me about the plot were major holes. Kevin moves into the same apartment building as Julia and Amanda the day after the murder of the Meyers. How does he know that the microchip is not already in the hands of the killers? The killers blithely leave fingerprints at the murder scene, with no concern for concealing their identity. The killer that pretends to be a psychiatrist is revealed to Amanda by the remnants of red paint from the murder scene on his shoe soles. He was not shown in the murder scene at the start of the film. There are other weaknesses along these lines too numerous to mention.The film could have been a lot better if the script had been refined more before filming. Filling in the plot holes would have added little expense and greatly improved the effort.$LABEL$ 1 +Like the previous poster, I am from northern Vermont, and I was inclined to like this film. However, not since "Red Zone Cuba" have I seen such a confusing plot. The things the people to bootleg make no sense. Two of the gang paddle across the border send a second party across in a car. Uhm, why? Then they meet two others, and drive up at night in to the bad guy's hideout in a luxury Packard. --Wouldn't just two people in a flatbed truck make more sense? Then, parked outside the garage that holds the targeted hooch, the four fall asleep! When they waken in the morning and and start hauling the whiskey out, of course they're spotted and shot at, losing some of their precious cargo in the process. Then two of the smugglers put the whiskey in a boat and float it over the border. Again, why? I am told by someone whose great uncle really did smuggle in the area, all one needed was to drive a vehicle that could outrun than the U.S. Canada Border Patrol, which back then had a fraction of the resources it has now. And don't get me started on the last half hour, which made no sense whatsoever.The only good thing I can say about the film is that Kris Kristopherson has actually grown some charisma with the years.$LABEL$ 0 +MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. This movie was the worst movie ever. I couldn't even watch it all it was so bad. This film is actually worse than scarecrow slayer which is saying a whole lot. This was worse than terror toons which at least terror toons was funny at times. Not even the gore in the film was good. The shootings were fake and the acting was worse. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one. If you see it at the rental store then run the other way. There is nothing good about this film at all. If you want to see a good scarecrow movie then watch Night of the scarecrow or pumpkin head. If you want to see an OK new cheesy movie then watch Scarecrow. I rate this movie a 0.2 out of 10. That's how horrible this film really is. THE WORST MOVIE EVER.$LABEL$ 0 +Watched this last night and was bowled over by the heartfelt story line, the excellent character development, and the good karmic vibe emanating from the acting and movie as a whole.Without giving away too much of the plot, it begins with an ordinary joe who commutes to his office job every day who becomes inspired to take dance lessons. Along the way the protagonist and the assorted characters he meets in his quest to be smooth on the dance floor learn lessons about others and about themselves. The story has a prologue about what dancing in Japan symbolizes sociologically, so it isn't exactly as simple to learn to dance in Japan as it is here in the U.S. The film is lighthearted; you'll laugh out loud at some of the sight gags. Yet it is also dignified in a way hard to describe. All of the film's characters are taken seriously, as they are, and none are diminished because of their "imperfections."I've been thinking about taking social dance classes with some friends. It just so happened a friend lent me the video on learning to dance. Is this synchronous or what? I think so because now I'm really geeked to give it a try. Watch this wonderful family film (small children might not get it, but teens certainly would) and smile at the genuine caring you see shown in it time and again.Why they would make a remake of Shall We Dance is a mystery, as it is perfect as-is.$LABEL$ 1 +Recap: Something mysteriously dense that transmits radio signals is discovered in the ice of Antarctica. The mysterious block is dug out and brought to a research station on Antarctica. Julian Rome, a former SETI-worker, is brought in to decipher the message. Problem is that one of the researchers is a old girlfriend of his, and the situation quickly turns awkward, especially since the other female researchers practically throw themselves at him. And the block of ice with the thing inside is melting unnaturally quickly. Soon the object is in the open. The mystery continues though as the object generates a huge amount of electricity. It is decided to open the object, but just before that is done, Julian decodes the signal. "Do not open". But too late, and the object explodes as it is finally breached, and two things unleashed on earth. The first is an alien, that had been dormant in the object, and the other is a virus that instantly kills the research staff. And Washington, that is suspiciously updated on this historic event, decides that those things can not be unleashed upon the earth. So a Russian nuclear submarine, carrying nuclear weapons is sent to Antarctica.Comments: The movie holds a few surprises. One is Carl Lewis who surprisingly puts in a good acting performance, and the other is that the special effects that are beautiful, well worked through and a lot better than expected. Unfortunately the story holds a lot of surprises of its own, and this time not in a good way. Actually it is so full of plot holes that sometimes the movies seem to consist of almost randomly connected scenes. It is never really explained why Washington know so much, why Washington is able to command Russian submarines, why the object is in the Antarctic and has woken up now. It is really puzzling that the alien pod is transmitting in understandable English. Some might want to explain this with that the alien had been to Earth before and knew the language (and obviously chose English, why?). But then it is very confusing why the nice aliens that apparently want to save the Earth from the virus, send their "Do not open" message encoded! And finally the end is as open as an end can be.The movie is a little entertaining but too much energy (from me) must be diverted to fill in the voids in the plot. Therefore the total impression of the movie is not too good.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This movie features Charlie Spradling dancing in a strip club. Beyond that, it features a truly bad script with dull, unrealistic dialogue. That it got as many positive votes suggests some people may be joking.$LABEL$ 0 +Had I checked IMDb BEFORE renting this DVD from Netflix, I'd have a couple of hours of my life back. I'm frankly suspicious when I see that a film's director also wrote it. In this case, according to the credits, the same guy was "writter and director" - unfortunately, an indication of the overall quality of this production. There were a few interesting moments (e.g., Judy Tenuta's scene reminded of her early comedy routines touting Judy-ism) which led me to rate this two stars rather than one. Those moments, however, were few and far between ... and I almost did not get to see them because the opening sequence was nearly incomprehensible to me, not to mention reprehensible in its violence. I admit I went back to watch that part again to see if I had missed something that would help me figure it out once I'd seen the whole thing. Nope, though I at least recognized who the characters were who would turn out to be important later. The "spinning camera" technique was overused and essentially pointless. I found myself talking to the TV screen: "What?!?" or "For goodness sake, get ON with it!" Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +The endless bounds of our inhumanity to our own kind never fails to stun me. This truly astonishing story of a horrifically abused and largely unheard-of population is compelling, well-documented and enraging. As an American, I am constantly humiliated by my country's behaviour and this is just another in our long catalogue of international debasement. We suck. This is probably the first John Pilger documentary I've seen, but it immediately made me want to see what else he's done. My only complaint, and the reason I gave this film only 8 out of 10, is that Pilger shows us this travesty and the appalling collaboration of the US and UK governments, demands that we viewers/citizens are complicit in our own inaction...but makes no suggestion of how to help. I don't know about Britain, but America's made it nearly impossible for the citizenry to take part in their government's doings. A gesture in the right direction might help these islanders' cause.$LABEL$ 1 +This flick is so bad its beyond belief.Even for an independent low budget film...it just, well, sucks.I can't even believe even Troma would put out such crap.I have been a fan of some Troma flicks for years(Toxic Avenger,Squeeze Play,Rockabilly Vampire to name a few).But LLoyd, come on,this goes way beyond the boundaries of any taste.It features some of the worst acting imaginable.I think it would have been possible to find unemployed street people who could have been as good...oh,wait, that is what they did.I mean it,these characters have negative charisma.With any luck, the producer and director of this film will have a huge karmic debt because of this atrocity.As will the special effects people.But beyond the terrible acting and the horrid special effects,the dialogue is absolutely traumatic to the ears.The script is full of plot holes the size of Alaska, and there are severe continuity problems.The worst part however, is that it not entertaining in even the smallest way.And this is the most unforgivable sin in film making.But, don't take my word for it.Go out and waste four bucks renting it.Just don't say I didn't warn you.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very memorable spaghetti western. It has a great storyline, interesting characters, and some very good acting, especially from Rosalba Neri. Her role as the evil villainess in this film is truly classic. She steals every scene she is in, and expresses so much with her face and eyes, even when she's not speaking. Her performance is very believable. She manages to be quite mesmerizing without being over the top (not that there's anything wrong with being over the top). Mark Damon is surprisingly good in this movie too.The music score is excellent, and the theme song is the kind that will be playing in your head constantly for days after seeing the movie, whether you want it to or not. There are a couple of parts that are very amusing. I especially like the part where Rosalba Neri undresses in front of the parrot. There's also lots of slick gun-play that's very well done.I would probably have given this movie 8 or 9 stars if it wasn't for two things. The first being a silly bar room brawl that occurs about 25 minutes into the film. This is one of the most ridiculous looking fights I have ever seen in a movie. It is very poorly choreographed, and looks more like a dance number from a bad musical than any kind of a real fight. One might be able to overlook this if it were a Terence Hill/Bud Spencer comedy, but this is a more serious western, and the brawl really needed to be more realistic. The other thing that annoyed me about this movie was Yuma's cowardly Mexican sidekick. I guess he was supposed to be comic relief or something, but the character was just plain stupid and unnecessary in a movie like this, and he wasn't at all funny. All I can say is where is Tuco when you need him? All that having been said, let me assure everyone reading this that Johnny Yuma is a classic spaghetti western despite the faults I have mentioned, and all fans of the genre need to see this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The plot: Michael Linnett Connors has done everything in films but direct, and is looking for his 1st big chance. He discovers Molly in a play and at once knows she will be a big film star. He signs her to a contract with the stipulation that he must direct. The producer agrees and their big time careers are under way. What follows is a recreation of the silent film era and early sound movies with great emphasis on comedy. And, oh yes, there's romance, and a little sadness too. The performances by Don Ameche and Alice Fay are top notch. The music is a real plus too with some old familiar tunes heard. Lots of DVD extras as well in this restored version released in 2008. It must be emphasized that this movie is a story 1st, not just a tribute to silent films. Later years would bring similar films such as, Singin' in the Rain(1952) & Dick Van Dyke-Carl Reiner's, The Comic(1969). What is special about this film, though, is recreating silent movies in 1939. We see portions of them as the cinema audience would in that bygone era(although some sound effects are included)in glorious b&w, while the rest of the movie is in pristine color. One of the greatest in the silent era, Buster Keaton, who at this point was on an uphill climb, is used superbly in 2 silent film recreated scenes and he is on the top of his game! It is said that he had some input on his scenes as well. But the real reason to watch the movie, if your a motion picture history fan, is that beyond everything else, Hollywood Cavalcade is Mack Sennett's film legacy. It doesn't take a genius to realize this movie is a "positive" reworking of Mack Sennett's and Mabel Normand's life. The character Michael "Linnett" Connors is Mack Sennett, whose real name was Michael Sinnott. And Molly, of course is Mabel. Sennett had the pie throwings, the bathing beauties and Keystone Cops. He worked with Buster Keaton, Ben Turpin(cameo), Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle(body double) and fell in love with his leading lady. Not only all that, but Sennett was technical adviser for this film and appears in it as well. As most film viewers today prefer sound features, those who were associated with short subjects and silents are left out to pasture. As Mack Sennett fell into that category, it is fortunate that there is Hollywood Cavalcade! Sennett was of course very instrumental in the evolution of comedy in movies. His career started in 1908 as an actor, then writer, director & producer. He semi retired in 1935 with about 500 films to his credit. He had worked with the best, such as Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields, Keaton, Harry Langdon, Arbuckle, and even Roy Rogers(in Way Up Thar).As film comedy is an extremely difficult path to continue for an entire career, Mack played it wise & did only selective work for the next 25 years. In 1931 he had receive an academy award in the short subject category, and another in 1937 for a lifetime of work. In the 1940's his presence was still felt, e.g. Here Come the Co-Eds(1945)where a recreation of the oyster soup scene used in Mack's Wandering Willies(1926)is done. In 1947, The Road to Hollywood, used some of Sennett's Crosby films. 2 years later brought some nostalgia with the film Down Memory Lane in which he participated. With his knack of always associating with the right people, a guest role with the eternally popular Lawrence Welk & his radio show came about later in the year. 1950 brought a re-release of his greatest triumph, Tillie's Punctured Romance(1914) with sound. In 1952 he was honored on TV's, This Is Your Life, then his autobiography, The King of Comedy(1954), which is a great companion piece to Hollywood Cavalcade, was published. 1955 brought a more concrete association with Abbott & Costello, as he had a cameo in A&C Meet the Keystone Kops. Finally in 1957, another tribute with the compilation film, The Golden Age of Comedy. So when you watch Hollywood Cavalcade it is the legacy of a motion picture pioneer. In the film at the banquet scene the camera pans over the guests at a long table. As we get to the silver haired Mack, he alone turns his head to the camera as if to say, "here I am!". When he rises to give a speech a short while later, he is at his most subdued, underplaying the words given him as if to mentally convey, "I know my influence on comedy will never end, but will people forget Mack Sennett the individual. Maybe this movie will help."$LABEL$ 1 +It got to be a running joke around Bonanza about how fatal it was for any women to get involved with any Cartwright men. After all Ben Cartwright was three times a widower with a son by each marriage. And any woman who got involved with Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe were going to end up dying because we couldn't get rid of the formula of the widower and the three sons that started this classic TV western.Perhaps if Bonanza were being done today the writers would have had revolving women characters who came in and out of the lives of the Cartwrights. People have relationships, some go good, some not so good, it's just life. And we're less demanding of our heroes today so if a relationship with one of them goes south we don't have to kill the character off to keep the survivor's nobility intact. But that's if Bonanza were done today.But we were still expecting a lot from our western heroes and Bonanza though it took a while to take hold and a change of viewing time from NBC certainly helped, the secret of Bonanza's success was the noble patriarch Ben Cartwright and his stalwart sons. Ben Cartwright was THE ideal TV Dad in any genre you want to name. His whole life was spent in the hard work of building that immense Ponderosa spread for his three children. The kids were all different in personality, but all came together in a pinch.The Cartwrights became and still are an American institution. I daresay more people cared about this family than the Kennedys. Just the popularity that Bonanza has in syndication testifies to that. Pernell Roberts as oldest son Adam was written out of the show. Rumor has it he didn't care for the noble Cartwright characters which he felt bordered on sanctimonious. Perhaps if it were done now, he'd have liked it better in the way I describe.This was just the beginning for Michael Landon, how many people get three hit TV shows to their credit. Landon also has Highway to Heaven and Little House On the Prarie where he had creative control. Little Joe was the youngest, most hot headed, but the most romantic of the Cartwrights. When Roberts left. the show kept going with the two younger sons, but when big Dan Blocker left, the heart went out of Bonanza. Other characters had been added on by that time, David Canary, Tim Matheson, and Ben Cartwright adopted young Mitch Vogel. But big, loyal, but a little thick Hoss was easily the most lovable of the Cartwrights. His sudden demise after surgery left too big a hole in that family.So the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa have passed into history. I got a real taste of how America took the Cartwrights to heart when I visited the real Virginia City. It doesn't look anything like what you see in Bonanza. But near Lake Tahoe, just about where you see the Ponderosa on the map at the opening credits, is the Cartwright home, the set maintained and open as a tourist attraction. Like 21 Baker Street for Sherlock Holmes fans, the ranchhouse and the Cartwrights are real.And if they weren't real, they should have been.$LABEL$ 1 +Years ago, when DARLING LILI played on TV, it was always the pan and scan version, which I hated and decided to wait and see the film in its proper widescreen format. So when I saw an inexpensive DVD of this Julie Andrews/Blake Edwards opus, I decided to purchase and watch it once and for all.Boy, what a terrible film. It's so bad and on so many levels that I really do not know where to start in describing where and when it goes so horribly wrong. Looking at it now, it's obvious to any fans of movies that Blake Edwards created this star vehicle for his wife simply because so many other directors had struck gold with Andrews in musicals (MARY POPPINS, SOUND OF MUSIC, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, etc) but also because Andrews was snubbed from starring in projects made famous on stage by Julie herself (CAMELOT, MY FAIR LADY, etc) because Hollywood thought she wasn't sexy or glamorous enough. So Blake created this stillborn effort, to showcase his wife in a bizarre concoction of spy story/war movie/romance/slapstick comedy/musical. DARLING LILI suffers from multiple personalities, never knowing who or what it is. Some specific scenes are good or effective but as a whole, it just doesn't work at all to a point of it being very embarrassing.Mind you, the version on the DVD is the "director's cut", or in this case, "let's salvage whatever we can" from this notorious box office flop. In releasing the DVD, Edwards cut 19 scenes (19!!!!!!!!) from the original bloated theatrical version into this more streamlined and yet remarkably ineffective version. The film moves along with no idea of what it is. We are 25 minutes into it and we still don't know what's going on or why we're watching what's going. What kind of spy is Lili? How powerful is she? Was she ever responsible for someone's death? Instead we watch a thoroughly bored looking Rock Hudson trying to woo a thoroughly bored looking Julie Andrews. Things aren't helped much with the inexplicable reason why the two fall in love. Why does Julie fall for Hudson? Why him and not other men she got involved with? There should have been one of her ex hanging around, trying to win her back or trying to decipher her secret. This would have given us some much needed contrast to the muddled action. It would also have given us some impetuous to the sluggish proceedings. There's no catalyst in this story.One only has to look at the cut scenes to clearly see that Edwards and the writer just came up with ideas inspired by Andrews' (and Edwards') previous successes. The best (or worst) example is the scene when Andrews and Hudson follows a group of children who sing in the middle of a forest. Edwards channeling SOUND OF MUSIC. It's no wonder he removed it from the DVD. Back in 1970, that scene might have worked on a certain level but today, that moment reeks of desperation. There are other plot elements directly inspired by Andrews/Edwards other films. The endless scenes of dogfights is inspired by the much better MODERN MILLIE. The musical moment "I'll give you three guesses" was created just to make fun of Julie's MARY POPPINS persona, which is turned "raunchy" with Julie doing a striptease in the act. The ending, bird's eye view of Julie running towards Hudson's plane, is another "wink" at SOUND OF MUSIC.The whole thing is confusing. Julie plays a singer, born from a German father and British mother, who lives in England but sings her (English) songs in Paris. You never know exactly where the story takes place. Some moments are just badly edited. Like when Julie and her "uncle" are on horseback. They talk and talk and then Julie suddenly sprints off in mid-sentence. I'm like "what happened here?"The comedy bits are unfunny and cringe-worthy. Every scene with the French police are pathetic. Where's Peter Sellers when you really need him. The action is stupid beyond belief. When Julie and her "uncle" are on their way to Germany on that train, Hudson's squadron shoots rounds of bullets at the train, almost killing Lili in the process. Brilliant. What's also funny about that scene is the two leave on the train in the middle of the night but Hudson and his squadron reach the train even though they fly off the next morning. That's one slow moving train there. The musical moments. The beginning is the best part of the entire film (and the reason I gave this film 3 stars) but it's effect is diminished considerably because it's repeated at the end. Speaking of redundant, did we really need to see a can-can dance, Crepe Suzette stripping scene and Julie stripping too? The "Girl in no man's land" is OK even if it's bleeding obvious, but that moment just doesn't make any sense whatsoever because Lili sings it to a group of injured soldiers at a French hospital, making me wonder: how many soldiers there were injured indirectly by the result of her spying?The whole project is listless and without energy. The romance is 100% unbelievable. Rock Hudson is way too old and tired looking (check out the museum scene). Julie looks dazed, like she's on Valium. But what really kills this ill-conceived project is Julie playing a German spy. Edwards desperately wanted to dispel the Mary Poppins syndrome afflicting his wife and believed that playing a traitor was a good career decision. As much as I like Julie, she's no Greta Garbo, who pulled it off so beautifully in MATA HARI. Funny enough, even if Julie plays a German spy, she still comes across as cloying and cute.How bad is DARLING LILI? Even after 37 years since its release, Blake Edwards felt he still needed to work on it for its DVD release.$LABEL$ 0 +This series, made for Televisión Española (TVE) is basically a series of chapters in the life of an ordinary family in 1968, primarily as seen through the eyes of the youngest son.Based on a background of historical events, such as the May 1968 student uprising in France, the decaying Franco regime, the war in Viet-Nam, the rise of imperialism, and others specifically related to Spanish life at that particular moment, one might regard this series as a simple compilation of characteristic foibles which make themselves so apparent in this kind of entertainment.Generally treated in a lightweight vein though not lacking in certain moments which might be called dramatic, the series would seem to be aimed at people of around fifty who can rember those times, as, it should be stated, anyone younger either chooses to ignore such happenings or is busily occupied in other things.The best thing that can be said of this series is Ana Duato's rôle as mother of three children: she plays the part of the total housewife of the times really well, manifesting that peculiar Spanish penchant, especially noticeable among women, of letting all her thinking and her doings be carried forward by the impetus of her heart, without any resorting to the use of the brain. As we say in Spain, common sense is one of the least common senses. Imanol Arias offers very little, apart from not being his usual stereotyped hard policeman as in other television series. Indeed, as an actor, he should not be trusted in anything which is not a TV series. His resources are too limited; however, his part as father of the working-class household is not at all bad.Not really recommendable for other audiences, even Spanish-speakers in Latin America: the themes are all too parochially related to a specific spot in contemporary Spanish history, such that if the viewer was not living here at that time he will miss most of the references. It is even probable that certain situations which cause a few Spanish smiles would not mean anything to other viewers.$LABEL$ 0 +I want the 99 minutes of my life back that was wasted on this pathetic excuse for a movie. The acting was horrific! I used to be a fan of Cameron Diaz and Vincent D'Onofrio. I will never look at them the same again. Keanu Reeves and Dan Aykroyd were not a surprise. Everyone knows they never could act. Thankfully, only Dan attempted an accent. His accent was a disaster as expected. I think he was either confused about the location of the film or had never actually spoken to anyone from Minnesota. I hope this review helps anyone who is undecided about what to do with their precious time. The only reason I was able to sit through the whole movie was because I was stuck somewhere without anything better to watch or read.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my favorite movies which has been overlooked by too many movie goers, an observation which mystifies me. Not only directed by the acclaimed Ang Lee,it had many young actors who were to become major stars, e.g., Tobey Maguire (before Spiderman), Skeet Ulrich (before Jericho), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (before Tudors), James Caviezel, Simon Baker, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffrey Wright, Tom Wilkinson, and Jewel. All of the acting was superb and each of the actors mentioned gave memorable performances, especially Meyers who portrayed an evil villain who killed for the sake of killing.When the biographies and accomplishments of the director ( even when he won an academy award) and the actors are listed, this film is usually omitted from their past performances. I discovered the film on DVD by accident and it became one of my most often watched films. However, it is seldom every seen on cable. I look forward to reading what others suggest are the reasons this film is not well known.$LABEL$ 1 +It's nice to see a romantic comedy that does not have the prissy man lead, this has solid acting from both male leads and also from the female lead and although the story is a little long and a little cliché you cant help but like it.I think the story was a little rushed at the end, but extending that would have made the story even longer. Superior to other romantic comedies such as 100 days with Mr arrogant, and possibly tied with my tutor friend.It would make an interesting introduction to Korean cinema, not as great as My sassy girl, but still good.$LABEL$ 1 +Of all the movies of the seventies, none captured to truest essence of the good versus evil battle as did the Sentinel. I mean, yes, there were movies like the Exorcist, and other ones; but none of them captured the human element of the protagonist like this one. If you have time, check this one out. You may not be able to get past the dated devices as such, but this is a story worth getting into.Then there are all the stars and soon-to-be stars. My absolute favorites were Eli Wallach, Sylvia Miles, and Burgess Meredith. Then there are the subtle clues that lead to what's going on too. Pay close attention. I had to watch it four times to catch on to all the smaller weird statements like 'black and white cat, black and white cake'. Plus, the books are really good as well. I'm just sorry that they're not going to turn the second book into a film. It's so scary that it would outdo this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is apparently the second remake of this film, having been filmed before in 1911 and 1918. And, in so many ways it reminds me of the later film, A YANK AT OXFORD. Both films concern a conceited blow-hard who arrives at one of the top schools in the world and both, ultimately, show the blow-hard slowly learning about teamwork and decency. In this film, William Haines is "Tom Brown" and his main rival, "Bob" is played by Frances X. Bushman. And, in a supporting role is Jack Pickford--always remembered as the brother of Mary. Of these three, Pickford comes off the best, as the sympathetic loser who becomes Tom's pal--he actually has a few decent scenes as well as a dramatic moment just before the Big Game! All the standard clichés are there and the movie, because it was done so many times before and since, offers few surprises. However, it is pleasant film and is enjoyable viewing.In my opinion, for a better silent college film, try Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN--it's football scenes are frankly more exciting and Harold is far more likable and sympathetic than the annoying Tom Brown. THE FRESHMAN is probably the best college picture you can find from the era. Another reason why BROWN AT HARVARD is a lesser picture is that William Haines played essentially the same unlikable and bombastic character with the same plot again and again and again (such as in WESTPOINT and THE SMART SET, among others)--and if you've seen one of these films, you've seen them all. Well made, but certainly NOT original! And, because it is just a rehash of his other films, anyone giving the film a score of 10 is STRONGLY advised to see these other films.4/25/08==I just checked and saw this this small film was the highest rated film on IMDb from the 1920!! Talk about over-rated! There are dozens and dozens of better films--how this film got to be #1 is anyone's guess.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie illustrates like no other the state of the Australian film industry and everything that's holding it back.Awesome talent, outstanding performances (particularly by Victoria Hill), but a let down in practically every other way.An "adaptation" of sorts, it brought nothing new to Macbeth (no, setting it in present-day Australia is not enough), and essentially, completely failed to justify its existence, apart from (let's face it, completely unnecessarily) paying homage to the original work. If there's one body of work that has been done (and done and done and done), it's Shakespeare's. So any adaptation, if it's not to be a self-indulgent and pointless exercise, needs to at least bring some new interpretation to the work.And that's what this Macbeth fails to do. As it was done, this film has no contemporary relevance whatsoever. It's the same piece that we have seen countless (too many!) times before. Except with guns and in different outfits.Apart from the fundamental blunder (no other way to put it) of keeping the original Shakespearian dialogue, one of the more cringeful moments of the movie is the prolonged and incredibly boring slow motion shoot out towards the end, during which I completely tuned out, even though I was looking at the screen. I never thought I had a short attention span, but there you go.I suppose the movie succeeds on its own, very limited terms. But as Australia continues to produce world-class acting talent, its movie-makers need to stop being proud of succeeding on limited terms, and actually set high enough standards to show that they respect for the kind of acting talent they work with.A shame. An absolute shame.$LABEL$ 0 +Owen loves his Mamma...only he'd love her better six feet under in this dark, laugh-out-loud comedy that both stars and is directed by Danny DeVito, with admirable assists from Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey in the title role."Throw Momma From The Train" is a terrific comedy, even if it isn't a great film. It's too shallow in parts, and the ending feels less organic than tacked on. But it's a gut-splitting ride most of the way, with Crystal and DeVito employing great screen chemistry while working their own separate comic takes on the essence of being a struggling writer (DeVito is avid but untalented; Crystal is blocked and bitter).Crystal's Professor Donner believes his ex-wife stole his book (the unfortunately titled "Hot Fire") and can't write more than the opening line of his next book, which doesn't come easy. He teaches a creative writing class of budding mediocrities, including a middle-aged woman who writes Tom Clancy-type fiction but doesn't know what that thing is the submarine captain speaks through; and an upholstery salesman who wants to write the story of his life. Mr. Pinsky is probably the funniest character for laughs-per-minutes-on-screen, an ascot-wearing weirdo who sees literature as an excuse to write his opus: "100 Girls I'd Like To Pork."Then there's DeVito's Owen Lift, who calls himself Professor Donner's "star pupil" even though the teacher won't read his work in class. Owen is a somewhat unusual character to star in a movie, a man-child in his late 30s who lives with his overbearing mother, Anne Ramsey, who calls him "lardass" and other endearing sentiments. In any other movie, we'd be asked to feel sorry for Owen, but "Throw Momma From The Train" piles life's cruelties onto this sad sack for laughs and expects us to go along. That's one big reason why this film probably loses a lot of people.For those of us who enjoy the humor of this character, even identifying with him, and take the rest of what we see here as a lark, it's not as big a stretch to go along with the bigger gambit this comedy takes, asking us to watch in amusement while Owen enlists Professor Donner's help in a plan to kill his mother. Actually, he first goes to Hawaii to kill Donner's hated ex, then tells the professor it's his turn to kill Mrs. Lift, "swapping murders" as seen in Hitchcock's "Strangers On A Train."As a director, DeVito not only complements his actors' performances with scene-setting that places the accent on dialogue, he makes some bold visual statements, throwing in bits of amusing unreality to keep the audience on its toes (and away from taking things too seriously.)Also helping matters is writer Stu Silver, who keeps the laughs coming with his quotable patter. "You got rats the size of Oldsmobiles here." "She's not a woman...She's the Terminator." "One little murder and I'm Jack the Ripper." Those are all Crystal's words, but some of the funniest lines, which work only in context but absolutely kill, are DeVito's and Ramsey's. Apparently Silver never wrote another screenplay after this, according to the IMDb, and that's a shame, because he had real talent for it.The best scene in this movie, when Crystal meets Ramsey, was actually used in its entirety as a theatrical 'coming attraction' presentation, the only time I've seen a movie promoted that way. Owen introduces the professor to his mother as 'Cousin Patty,' and when Momma says he doesn't have a Cousin Patty, panicky Owen loses it. 'You lied to me,' he yells out, slamming the professor's forehead with a pan.Of course, in reality the professor wouldn't groan out something witty from the floor, but 'Throw Momma From The Train' works effectively at such moments, when playing its Looney Tunes vibe for all its worth. DeVito hasn't disappeared from films, of course, but it's a mystery why he hasn't really followed up on the directorial promise of this movie. Maybe it's because, as 'Throw Momma From The Train's lack of mainstream success shows, his kind of vision isn't to everyone's tastes. That's too bad for those of us who can watch this over and over, and like it.$LABEL$ 1 +A Compelling Thriller!!, 10 December 2005 Author:littlehammer16787 from United StatesJust CauseStarring:Sean Connery,Laurence Fishburne, and Blair Underwood.A liberal,though good-hearted Harvard law professor Paul Armstrong is convoked to the Flordia Everglades by unjustly convicted black guy Bobby Earl.Confessing that sadistic,cold-hearted cops vilifyied and beat him to a pulp to get the confession of a gruesome murder of an eleven year old girl. As he digs further and further into the mysterious case he realizes that Bobby Earl is a victim of discrimination.That the black police detective Lt.Tanny Brown of the small community is corrupt and villainously mean. When the infamous,psychotic serial killer Blair Sullivan is introduced.He discovers that he knows the location of the murder weapon that butchered the little girl.When Armstrong finds that there are lucid coincidences of Sullivan's road trip through the small town and the letter he personally wrote. Bobby Earl gets a re-trial.Is unfettered from prison and eludes his horrific punishment. All seems swimmingly well until an unexpected phone call from serial killer Sullivan comes into focus.Armstrong discovers a lurid double killing which happens to be Sullivan's parents.Whom he immensely detests.Sullivan divulges to Armstrong the truth of Joanie Shriver's heinous murder and why he was brought here.It turns out that Bobby Earl is a psychopathic murderer and he really did rape and kill Joanie Shriver.He just merely struck a bargain with fiendish psycho Sullivan. To get loose so he could kill again for revenge.Upon Armstrong's beautiful wife and daughter.Now Sullivan is executed to his death. Armstrong and tough good guy Brown chase the malevolent villain to the Everglades in order to thwart him.When they arrive Armstrong learns that the psychotic sicko Bobby Earl plans to kill his wife and daughter for a former rape trial that inevitably made him endure agonizing pain and castration.But good,virtuous cop Brown emerges and thwarts the brutal baddie.Is stabbed and eaten by ruthless,man-eating alligators.Paul Armstrong,Tanny Brown,his wife,and daughter survive and live happily ever after. A good thriller that works.Delivers both mystery and subterfuge.How reluctant blacks are hazed by racist lawmen.Sentenced to unfair penalties.Even though sometimes the wrongfully convicted innocent, friendly black man may in truth be the vicious baddie. Sean Connery is great as the oblivious,holier than thou hero.Laurence Fishburne is watchably amazing as the mean,arrogant,but good guy cop. Underwood and Harris are over the top and invigorating as the malevolent psychos.Capeshaw is okay.Ruby Dee is great as the tenacious grandmother.The rest of the cast is wonderful as well.$LABEL$ 1 +Filmfour are going to have to do a lot better than this little snot of a film if they're going to get the right sort of reputation for themselves.This film is set in Glasgow (although only a couple of secondary characters have anything approaching a Scottish accent). The premise, about people who's lives are going nowhere, who all meet up in the same cafe in the early hours of the morning as they have night jobs, COULD have made for a really funny, insightful, quirky, cultish film. Instead we have a group of self-obsessed saddos and a plot which has been so done to bits I'm suprised it hasn't been banned. X and Y are friends. X is sleeping with Z. Y sleeps with Z as well. Oh you figure it out.A total waste of time. Painful dialogue - it sounded like something that a group of 16 year olds would have written for a GCSE drama project. The female character was completely superfluous - just written in as a token female in the hope that women would be cajoled into seeing it.If you're the sort of thicko lad who laughs at beer adverts and can usually be found wandering round in packs shouting on Saturday nights in nondescript town centres then you will love this film and find it "a right laff". Everyone else, run, don't walk away from this sorry little misfit.And one question, when the group left the "boring" seaside town (Saltcoats incidentally although they changed the name on the film), to go back to Glasgow, WHY did they do it via the Forton motorway services at LANCASTER which is in England?$LABEL$ 0 +Doctor Mordrid is one of those rare films that is completely under the radar, but is totally worthwhile. It really reminds me of the old serials from the 30s and 40s. Which is why I'd have loved to see follow-up movies... but judging by the rest of Full Moon's output there simply weren't enough tits to satisfy the typical audience. Unfortunately, thanks to a completely superfluous sacrifice scene there two too many for a family audience - which is unfortunate, because without em' this could have been a Harry Potter-style magicfest that kids would have eaten up. Both Jeffrey Combs and Yvette Nipar are great - I wasn't sure if Ms. Nipar hadn't wandered off an A-list picture onto this film, she was very believable. No, seriously! Anyway - it's a shame they didn't have the bucks to license Dr. Strange, because I think this could have been a total kiddie phenom.$LABEL$ 1 +A truly muddled incomprehensible mess. Most things in the film look more or less like 1987, but then there are futuristic things just thrown in, like the policeman's ray gun. And that car! The director seemed to be in love with colored lights. The only really notable performance was the girl who played Valerie, but since there was no cast listing, I don't know which actress that was. This one is worth missing. Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally one man can make a difference -- a big difference.George Crile's 2003 best seller, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, is a fascinating and eye-opening account of the most unlikely "difference maker" imaginable. A relatively obscure Congressman from the Second District of Texas, "Good Time Charlie" was known more for his libertine lifestyle than his libertarian legislation. Likable and licentious (even for a politician), Charlie Wilson served his constituency well since the good folks of Lufkin only really wanted two things, their guns and to be left alone. It's Easy Street replete with his bevy of beltway beauties known, appropriately enough, as Charlie's Angels.When asked why his entire office staff was composed of attractive, young aides his response is a classic, "You can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits." No argument there.But even the most rakish rapscallion has a conscience lurking somewhere underneath, and for Charlie Wilson the unimaginable atrocities being committed in Afghanistan moved him to muster his entire political savvy toward funding the utter, humiliating defeat of the Russian military and, possibly, to even help hasten the end of the Cold War as a result. Fat chance, huh?Under the skillful direction of Mike Nichols and a smart, snappy screenplay by Adam Sorkin, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is a sparkling, sophisticated satire that chronicles the behind-the- scene machinations of three colorful characters comprising "Charlie's Team."The on-screen "Team," is composed of three marvelous actors with four (4) Academy Awards and nine (9) nominations between them. Charlie is beautifully portrayed by Tom Hanks in a solid, slightly understated fashion that is among his best work in years. He's aided, abetted and abedded by Joanne Herring, a wealthy Houston socialite played by the still-slinky Julia Roberts. Hey, why else have the bikini scene than to let the world know this? By all accounts Ms. Roberts looks good and holds her own, but the screenplay never gives us even a hint why Kabul and country is so important to her character. Maybe the two Afghan hounds usually by her side know -- but we as an audience never do. As for the third member of the "Team," Philip Seymour Hoffman steals every scene he appears in as Gust Aurakotos, a smart, street- wise (i.e. non Ivy League graduate) CIA malcontent who knows the score -- both in the Agency's boardroom and in Wilson's bedroom.For the Mujahideen to succeed, the most important assistance the U.S. can provide is the ability to shoot down the dreaded MI-21 helicopter gunships which rule the skies. This takes money, lots of money, and eventually "Charlie's Team" covertly coerces those in Congress to fund the effort to the tune of $1 billion dollars for advanced weaponry to arm the Afghan rebels. This includes top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets as well as other highly sophisticated killing devices. Nasty, nasty stuff.That this kind of multi-billion dollar illicit activity can and does take place behind Congressional doors is truly alarming. Every American should see this movie or read this book because it reveals a truly frightening aspect of the business-as-usual political scene rarely seen outside the walls of our very own government. Oh momma, I wish it weren't so...Even though the initial outcome for "Team Charlie" was an unqualified success, the unimaginable, unanticipated final result is that these sophisticated weapons are now used against our troops by the Taliban and others. Since the funding was entirely "covert," the young generation in this part of the world has no idea the fall of Soviet oppression and the end to Russian barbarity was the direct result of American intervention. Yes, once the Russkies left, so did our aid -- zip for schools, zip for infrastructure, zip on maintaining meaningful relationships with the Afghan people. As a result, the overall consequence is an unmitigated disaster -- it's like the forerunner to "Mission Accomplished."As Nichol's film so pointedly points out, "The ball you've set in motion can keep bouncing even after you've lost interest in it." Mike Krzyzewski knows this, Eva Longoria Parker knows this, little Lateesha in Lafayette knows this, but the typical American politician doesn't. So we go from good guys to bad guys because we couldn't let the world know we were the good guys. Talk about a Catch-22 (another Mike Nichols film).Perhaps Charlie Wilson said it best, "We f&%ked up the end game."Again.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a big fan of surrealist art, but this film by Bunuel (with some ideas from Dali) left me cold. Bunuel had a life-long grudge against the Catholic church and delighted in trying to offend Catholics in fairly silly ways. This is one of the silliest; almost like what you'd expect from a smart-aleck 18-year-old in film class. The last few minutes of the movie, which have nothing to do with anything else, are a final nose-thumbing at religion.If you read the "scholars" regarding this slow-paced, occasionally amusing film, it's all about how the church and society are guilty of sexual repression. If that is indeed the point, then Bunuel expresses it in the most roundabout fashion possible. The central male character is a nasty brute who loves kicking dogs and knocking blind men down in the street, and who mentally turns billboard ads into strange sexual fantasies. Is this behavior the church's fault (for interrupting his lovemaking), or is he just a jerk? I vote for the latter. I think Bunuel must have had a lot of personal hangups and chose the Catholics as the ones to blame.There are a few moments where you might cry, "Aha! surrealism!": a cow in a bed, a giraffe falling out a window (a poor model), a man shredding a feather pillow, a woman flushing a toilet while we watch pictures of seething lava (or a mud pit...hard to tell in B/W). The rest is forgettable self-indulgence. Unfortunately, Bunuel was still chasing the same bogey-men through the rest of his career (Viridiana, Discreet Charm...). If you're interested in seeing surrealism on the screen, check out Jean Cocteau's early work.$LABEL$ 0 +This ludicrous film offers the standard 1970's "hippie mentality" in a nut shell and bores us in the process. Its an attempt to rationalize absurd marriages of young, innocent women with old age sex fiends and wash ups. A naive young hippy played by the waif-like ( Kay Lenz ) hitch hikes and sleeps with all the wrong guys, and then one day she meets the ridiculous (Holden), already in old age, hard liquor drinking and washed up as an actor, and she decides that she is in "love" with him. If you think that is superficial, the whole film encapsulates such scenes. She keeps saying how much she "loves" him and she only met him, it wears thin and really quick. I couldn't help but laugh throughout the film. Its obvious she's just using him as a meal ticket but the director is immature enough to think we are going to buy that there is actually any love taking place. A disgusting scene is where the two are naked and having sex, I had to fast forward it because it almost inspired me to vomit. A corny offering of music from the 70's is also spread through the film. Avoid this if you can. Grade D.$LABEL$ 0 +This film was pretty good. I am not too big a fan of baseball, but this is a movie that was made to help understand the meaning of love, determination, heart, etc.Danny Glover, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brenda Fricker, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza, and Milton Davis Jr. are brought in with a variety of talented actors and understanding of the sport. The plot was believable, and I love the message. William Dear and the guys put together a great movie.Most sports films revolve around true stories or events, and they often do not work well. But this film hits a 10 on the perfectness scale, even though there were a few minor mistakes here and there.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +For his first ever debut this film has some riveting and chilling moments. In the best horror film fashion the pit of your stomach tightens every moment during this film. The ending is superb. The makers of Blaire Witch obviously watched this film it's ending wasn't an end but a beginning of the end. A great movie and only a piece of Japan's great as far as scare factor a perfect score it makes you think and scared out of your mind.$LABEL$ 1 +This film contain far too much meaningless violence. Too much shooting and blood. The acting seems very unrealistic and is generally poor. The only reason to see this film is if you like very old cars.$LABEL$ 0 +Pathetic attempt to use science to justify new age religion/philosophy. The two have nothing to do with each other and much of what is said about Quantum Physics in this mess is just plain wrong.Examples? Quantum theory supports the ideas in eastern religions that reality is an illusion. How? Well, in the world of the subatomic, you can never definitely predict a particles location at a specific time. You can only give the odds of it being precisely at one spot at one time. Also, the act of observation seems to affect the event. Solid particles can pass through barriers. All of this, so far, is accurate. But then they assert that that means that if you believed sincerely enough that you could walk through a wall, you could indeed do it. This is complete poppycock. Instead, the theory asserts that at our level, it is possible for you to walk through a wall, but it is merely by chance and has nothing to do with belief. Also you'd have to keep walking into the wall for eternity to ever have even the remotest chance of passing through the wall, the odds are so astronomically against it.This is but one example of how they misrepresent the science. But much more annoying is the narrative involving an unhappy photographer, played by Marlee Maitlan. About halfway through the picture it becomes so confused as to be incomprehensible. Something to do with negative thoughts leading to addiction and self-hate. There may be some truth to that, but Quantum physics has nothing to do with it.Plus, string theory is the hot new thing in physics nowadays. Instead of wasting your time with this dreck, I suggest you rent The Elegant Universe, an amazing series done for NOVA on PBS that gives you a history of physics from Newton and gravity to Ed Witten and M Theory in only 3 hour-long episodes. Quantum mechanics is explained there quite well if you want to know it without the fog of metaphysical appropriation.$LABEL$ 0 +I was truly looking forward to this title. It sounded and looked fun. The idea of someone making a cheesy 50s monster movie could have been worth a few laughs, but instead this title only bores. First off, there is almost no Froggg in the entire movie which is the biggest disappointment. I have to sit through 75+ minutes of lame drama and dialog to get a few glimpses of the Froggg humping a bare breasted chick. Why? On top of that the film lacks any sort of fun plot. I mean give me something thats a bit more interesting than just a bunch of talking heads. I wanted to see some hot chicks search for the creature in the swamp, I wanted to see some cuties dragged off to his lair in desperate need of rescue (Creature from the Black Lagoon stuff), I wanted to see a few goofy action scenes of the Froggg going on a killing spree, or it maybe escaping a silly trap. Something exciting! Geez, have fun with it, be creative! Who wants to sit through endless and tiring dialog scenes in a creature flick? My advice to the filmmakers: Keep going, your concepts are good, but your execution needs to be a lot more inspired. Have some fun with the creature, put the humor in the action and most important...put more creature in a creature movie!!!$LABEL$ 0 +One of my sisters friends lent me this game, and it is too damn hard! It carries the appearance of a kids game, but you have to learn how to do tons of intricate moves that require you to twist and turn your hands into all sorts of awkward positions, and you have to search seemingly endless levels for 100 notes, to improve your 'score'! You also have to find these impossibly hidden jigsaw puzzle pieces, that require you to do almost impossible tasks to get them! AND I AM ONLY UP TO STAGE THREE!!!!! Maybe if you have no life nad can stay home all the time you might get some enjoyment out of this, but otherwise keep away! AND IT IS DEFINATELY NOT RECOMMENDED FOR KIDS - THEY WILL PULL THEIR HAIR OUT WITHIN THE HOUR!$LABEL$ 0 +Chuck Jones's 'Rabbit Seasoning', the second in the much beloved hunting trilogy, is often considered to be the best of the three. While I find it almost impossible to choose between this trio of fantastic cartoons, I would have to concede that 'Rabbit Seasoning' is the most finely honed script. Here, the emphasis is placed on language as Bugs and Daffy run through a series of complex dialogues in the grand tradition of Abbot and Costello's 'Who's on next' routine. As a long term Daffy fan, I have always been delighted by the hunting trilogy because it is consistently Daffy who gets all the best lines (the famous "Pronoun trouble" being one of the all time classics) and does most of the work. Bugs plays the role of cool manipulator while Elmer, as always, is the befuddled dupe. Part of what makes the hunting trilogy so much fun is that Daffy and Elmer pose so little threat to Bugs that he is basically just kicking back and having some easy laughs. Elmer falls into every trap that is laid for him but it is poor old Daffy who comes off worst, being shot in the face again and again, his beak ending up in more and more ridiculous positions. It all builds to the inevitable climactic declaration "You're despicable". As intricate an example of Chuck Jones's impeccable timing as you'll come across, 'Rabbit Seasoning' is a true classic.$LABEL$ 1 +A lovely little B picture with all the usual Joe Lewis touches.... people ripping up pillows and auras of lurking fear. Also, alas, an ending that comes out of nowhere, because, apparently, the auteur has lost interest in the movie, or perhaps because as a B picture it has to fit into a slot.$LABEL$ 1 +"Crossfire" is a justifiably famous 1947 noir that's a murder mystery with a strong message. It stars Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Sam Levene, and Gloria Grahame, and is strongly directed by Edward Dmytryk. We witness the murder in shadow at the beginning, and for the rest of the film, Young, as the detective, Finlay, in charge of the case, seeks to figure out which of three soldiers is responsible for the death, and just as important, why. The victim, Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene) is someone the soldiers meet in a bar; they go up to his apartment to continue their visit, and Samuels winds up dead.I don't know about 1947, but seeing "Crossfire" today, one knows who did it and why the minute we see the suspects. I don't suppose it was so apparent back then, as these actors were just getting started. Nevertheless, the film packs a big punch with its powerful acting, good direction, violence, and unsparing anti-Semite language.The characterizations are vivid, including that of Gloria Grahame in a smallish role - she's a woman who meets Mitchell (George Cooper), one of the suspect soldiers, in a bar and can provide him with an alibi. The big performance in the film belongs to Robert Ryan, but everyone is excellent. Robert Young especially is effective as a tough but intelligent police detective. Mitchum is very likable as a soldier trying to help his confused friend Mitchell, a lonely man unsure if he still has feelings for his wife.Truly excellent, and a must see.$LABEL$ 1 +AWWWW, I just love this movie to bits. Me and my cousins enjoy this movie a lot and I am just such a HUGE FAN!!! I hope they bring the TV series out on DVD soon. Come to mention it, I have not see the TV show in a LONG time. Such geart times! Where I come from Australia The Chipmunk Adventure is only known by people in their late teens and adult years which is kinda sad because the young kids don't know what there missing.The songs in this film are ace the ones I love the most Boys/girls of rock n'roll, Diamond Dolls and the song that ls sure to make you want to cry My Mother.This film is sure to excite both young and old GET THE CHIPMUNK ADVENTURE TODAY!!! 10 out of 10, such an excellent movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Skippy from "Family Ties" plays Eddie, a wussy 'metal' nerd who gets picked on. When his favorite wussy 'metal' singer, Sammi Curr, dies, he throws a hissy fit tearing down all the posters on his bedroom wall. But when he later gets an unreleased record that holds the spirit of his dead 'metal' idol. He first gets sucked into ideas of revenge, but then he doesn't want to take it as far as Sammi does. Which isn't really that far as his main victims only seem to go to the hospital. This movie is utterly laughable and has about as much to do with real metal as say, "Rock Star". OK, maybe a tad more than that piece of junk, but you get my point. And how ANYone can root for a guy played by Skippy from "Family Ties" I haven't a clue. The cameo by Gene Simmons is OK, and Ozzy Osbourne reaches coherency, I applaud him for that, but otherwise skip this one.My Grade: D Eye Candy:Elise Richards gets topless, an a topless extra at a pool party$LABEL$ 0 +Of course I would have to give this film 10 out of 10 as my uncle was the main screenplay writer of Once upon a Crime. Rodolfo Sonego wrote screenplays for over 50 years living in Italy. He was a great story teller and someone suggested that he put his stories into writing. So Rodolfo Sonego did. If you check out his biography, you can see the number of movies that have been made in Italy. Alberto Sordie was the main actor that starred in his stories. My uncle visited Australia and my town, in 1968 to check out locations for "A girl in Australia" and created a great movie about a proxy bride after the second world war. You can see his humor in all his movies. I found a copy of this movie on DVD recently. GREAT$LABEL$ 1 +Goldeneye will always go down as one of thee most legendary games in VG history. Their is no doubt about that. But this game, although quite different, could quite possibly be the modern-day Bond champ, of its time.This was not a bond game based on material from another medium. This was a completely new; scripted game. Which even had its own theme song! (wouldnt be bond without it, haha!) Gameplay was excellent, and if you're a fan of the bond games or films alike, you'll enjoy it.Unlike some/most games, these cast members portrayed their characters themselves, as opposed to fictional creations for the game. Which gives it that more cinematic feel. With a very 'bond'-able storyline, you feel like you're in the game as much as you get lost in a movie.Enjoyable in all aspects, from start to finish. Even after beating the game there's still plenty more to be done. With the ranking system and unlockables to be achieved, as well as its multi-player missions, this is a stand-out game. Despite being quite old now, in video game years. It's still a good game that you can pick up & play whenever you feel the need to get a little more Bond in your life. Even now just thinking about it, I've got the theme song stuck in my head. Such a great cast and well-written storyline.The story comes to life on the screen, almost as if the actors were their in front of you, and is every bit as entertaining as the game itself. Superbly done, in true bond fashion. Which can only be named Awesome, Completely Awesome.I've gotta go throw this game on now. If you haven't played it yet, you're missing out!$LABEL$ 1 +Helena Bonham Carter is the center of this movie. She plays her role almost immobile in a wheelchair but still brings across her traditional intensity. Kenneth Branagh was tolerable. The movie itself was good not exceptional. If you are a Helena Bonham Carter fan it is worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I commented on this when it first debuted and gave it a "thumbs in the middle" review, remarking that I'd give it the benefit of the doubt beyond just the first episode. I've seen a total of six episodes now up to this point in June 2006. And as a lifelong Batman fanatic, I can say without hesitation: this show is utter crap.Everything's wrong with it. Everything. Getting past just the lousy animation and design, the stories are ridiculously convoluted and with no character development or apparent interest by the writers of this dreck to give any substance to any stories.And for God's sake...is it just me, or is the Joker in EVERY EPISODE?? Is Gotham that much of a revolving-door justice system? Or, again, is it just a complete lack of interest in the writers to put any effort into other villains (see "no character development", above).And to make matters worse, every single Joker tale is the same 3-part formula.1) Joker gasses people.2) Joker sets out to gas the whole city.3) Batman saves the day.Pfeh.There was one episode I saw that wasn't a Joker story. The title escapes me, but the villain was that nefarious Cluemaster...the "Think Thank Thunk" episode with the quiz show. That was the single-worst Batman story I've ever seen, heard or read. Yes, worse than "I've Got Batman in My Basement." I can't really say what I feel this show is because it's probably against the ToS, but it starts with "B" and rhymes with "fastardization". Thank goodness for the existence of the Timm/Dini/etc. era of Bat-entertainment, back from the Fox and Kids WB days. Stuff that good, and I should have known this, just couldn't possibly have lasted forever, unfortunately.$LABEL$ 0 +Just because someone is under the age of 10 does not mean they are stupid. If your child likes this film you'd better have him/her tested. I am continually amazed at how so many people can be involved in something that turns out so bad. This "film" is a showcase for digital wizardry AND NOTHING ELSE. The writing is horrid. I can't remember when I've heard such bad dialogue. The songs are beyond wretched. The acting is sub-par but then the actors were not given much. Who decided to employ Joey Fatone? He cannot sing and he is ugly as sin.The worst thing is the obviousness of it all. It is as if the writers went out of their way to make it all as stupid as possible. Great children's movies are wicked, smart and full of wit - films like Shrek and Toy Story in recent years, Willie Wonka and The Witches to mention two of the past. But in the continual dumbing-down of American more are flocking to dreck like Finding Nemo (yes, that's right), the recent Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and eye-crossing trash like Red Riding Hood.$LABEL$ 0 +"Hey Babu Riba" is a film about a young woman, Mariana (nicknamed "Esther" after a famous American movie star), and four young men, Glenn, Sacha, Kicha, and Pop, all perhaps 15-17 years old in 1953 Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The five are committed friends and crazy about jazz, blue jeans, or anything American it seems.The very close relationship of the teenagers is poignant, and ultimately a sacrifice is willingly made to try to help one of the group who has fallen on unexpected difficulties. In the wake of changing communist politics, they go their separate ways and reunite in 1985 (the year before the film was made).I enjoyed the film with some reservations. The subtitles for one thing were difficult. Especially in the beginning, there were a number of dialogues which had no subtitles at all. Perhaps the conversational pace required it, but I couldn't always both read the text and absorb the scene, which caused me to not always understand which character was involved. I watched the movie (a video from our public library) with a friend, and neither of us really understood part of the story about acquiring streptomycin for a sick relative.This Yugoslavian coming of age film effectively conveyed the teenagers' sense of invulnerability, idealism, and strong and loyal bonds to each other. There is a main flashforward, and it was intriguing, keeping me guessing until the end as to who these characters were vis-a-vis the 1953 cast, and what had actually happened.I would rate it 7 out of 10, and would like to see other films by the director, Jovan Acin (1941-1991).$LABEL$ 1 +After a snowstorm, the roads are blocked and the highway patrolman Jason (Adam Beach) comes to the diner of his friend Fritz (Jurgen Prochnow) and advises his clients that they will only be able to follow their trips on the next day. Among the weird strangers, Jason meets his former sweetheart Nancy (Rose McGowan), who has just left her husband in Los Angeles. Along the night, without any communication with his base, Jason faces distressful and suspicious situations with the clients, and finds some corpses, indicating that among them there is a killer."The Last Stop" could be an average thriller, but the screenplay is simply awful. Most of the characters are despicable persons and the motives of the surprising serial killer are never disclosed, and the viewers have no further explanation why the killer decided to kill the guests. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "Encurralados" ("Trapped")$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a fairly entertaining comedy about Murphy's Law being applied to home ownership and construction. If a film like this was being made today no doubt the family would be dysfunctional. Since it was set in the 'simpler' forties, we get what is supposed to be a typical family of the era. Grant of course perfectly blends the comedic and dramatic elements and he works with a more than competent supporting cast highlighted by Loy and Douglas. Their shenanigans make for a solid ninety minutes of entertainment, 7/10.$LABEL$ 1 +What can you say about the film White Fire. Amazing? Fantastic? Disturbing? Hilarious? These words are not big enough to describe the event which is White Fire. From wobbly, garbled beginning to profound end, this movie will entertain throughout.Our movie begins in the woods of a country somewhere in the world. A family is hiding from unmarked soldiers in costume shop uniforms. When the father separates from the mother and their childen, you get a real sense of what kind of movie you're about to watch. Father makes sure to roll down hills in his all white outfit, and is polite as he gets people's attention before he shoots them, but alas, dad is burned alive in what looks like a very unsupervised, unsafe stunt. Meanwhile, mom and the kids are running down a beach with an armed soldier trailing about 5 feet behind them. He too gives a stern warning before action in the form of a bizarre "HALT!", and then promptly wastes the mother. This action sequence sets up the happy childhood of our heroes Bo and Ingred.So now we fast forward about 20 years (30 if you're honest about the hero's age) to beautiful Turkey, where Bo and Ingred have settled as professional thieves, or diamond prospectors, or something. Ingred works at a diamond mine where she helps herself to the goods, while Bo (masterfully played by the dynamic Robert Ginty) drives around the desert in his denim outfits. Bo and Ingrid have an interesting relationship. They don't seem to have any friends other than each other, and they spend all of their time together. That coupled with the fact that Bo has expressed his desire to sleep with his sister as evidenced in lines such as "you know its a shame you're my sister" he says to her while she's stark naked, make for a very dynamic duo. Bo is then crushed when Ingrid is killed, as he wanders the beaches of Turkey with his ceremonial pink grief scarf. A renewal of hope occurs when Bo finds a girl who looks like Ingrid, and gives her plastic surgery to make her look exactly like Ingrid. This opens the door for Bo to have sex with his sister without it being technically wrong. Bo is a real fan of ethical grey areas, and he is overjoyed with his new love.So anyway, there's a lot of fun action scenes, ridiculous violence, great acting, impossible to follow plot-lines, Fred "the hammer" Williamson (for some reason), and a big chunk of dirty ice which is supposed to be a giant diamond (which later explodes). All of these things are great, but the Bo and Ingrid relationship is what makes this movie special....really special. So I heartily encourage everyone to behold the majesty that is White Fire. You may be glad you did..or not.$LABEL$ 1 +I am so disappointed. This movie left me feeling jipped out of my time and mental energy. Here was the quintessential Woody Allen film all over again: the neurotic upper-class Manhattanites debating whether or not they will cheat on their spouses. Woody, I've seen these characters already, I've seen the storyline from you ten times already. Where did your creativity go??? You need to open your eyes and look around you. The world has changed dramatically since Annie Hall - and you need to change along with it.There are far more interesting and funny scenarios to which you can apply your brand of angst and neuroticism - why not try them out instead of rehashing the same old slop over and over and over again.When I hear that Woody Allen has a new project coming out, it does nothing for me - because now I've come to expect his old standby: the couple who are growing tired of each other and end up cheating. Depressing and same old, same old.If Woody wants to win his fans back, then he has to understand that our sense of humor and intelligence has to be stimulated - not insulted.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is all ultra-lightweight fluff, predictable from beginning to end. As a Don Knotts vehicle, "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" was much better, with Knott's character there not nearly as incompetent or ignorant. His performance there was toned down, with none of his trademark goggle-eyed stare, although that may have something to do with him being replaced for most of the movie by a cartoon fish. Knotts made a living of playing the likable imbecile, much as Bob Denver did. Neither really seemed to be able to break out to other types of roles, assuming they were simply typecast. It was probably because of the slouch, the wild stare and the high-pitched voice. John Ritter, whom Knotts worked with in "Three's Company," was able to transcend his genre, branching out successfully into dramatic roles like "The Dreamer of Oz," but the closest Knotts ever got was a small role in "Pleasantville." Even Leslie Nielsen was a bad fit here, uncomfortably neither straight dramatic actor as he was at the time nor deadpan comedic actor as he later became in "Airplane!" and "Police Squad."There's also no way the then-43 year-old Knotts could pass for a 35 year-old, as his character insisted he was. It was as ludicrously unbelievable as Tom Hanks at 38 playing the college-age Forrest Gump.The film was clearly made on a shoestring budget, very much looking like a hastily-filmed TV episode. It's especially evident in the "exterior" scenes of the "town" where Roy goes after he's fired. It's unlikely even a pre-schooler would be fooled by the Mayberry-like soundstage artificiality.Even viewing this strictly as a children's movie, it's very disappointing. It's not because it lacks action or special effects, although it does. The pace is much too slow, the situations repetitive. How many times can you watch Roy getting onto a bus? A comedy for kids should at least sometimes be madcap, with breakneck gags, otherwise you risk boring them (and any adults in the theater as well). Movies, even kid's movies, have improved quite a bit in the intervening decades. Even many contemporary comedies were better filmed and written. Disney's "The Love Bug," for instance, at least had some interesting race action.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are interested in learning more about this sort of thing happening in modern civilization, there is an excellent book called "Outlaw Seas" or "The Outlaw Sea", and it describes, in story after story, how these things do happen. The lawlessness of the high seas is a reality for a number of reasons. One, many of the world's freighters are of questionable registry (nationality) and it's difficult to impossible to enforce international laws when the ships owners don't have an office in a real country. Two, many ship lines employ crews from dirt poor third world countries. The crews are often (like illegal immigrant workers) threatened and bullied into complying with questionable or illegal practices. Three, there is often a language barrier, not only between the officers and the crew, but also between the crew members themselves. The crew are rewarded for their compliance and their silence. Four, once committing an illegal act, the ships are able to hide in plain sight with little more than a fresh coat of paint. Anyway, it's fascinating reading.Horrifying story, excellent movie. Does anyone else notice how HBO seems to make the best and most important movies? Hollywood has trouble releasing enough Oscar worthy movies in any given year, so that several of the top 5 contenders usually come from Britain. Jerry Bruckheimer = the end of quality cinema.I loved the thoroughly evil performance by Sean Pertwee. I also, as usual, loved Omar Epps.$LABEL$ 1 +Gamers: DR is not a fancy made movie, it's more like amateur video. Horrible magic effect, really fake fireball, terribly made dungeon, castle, village...... sword, axe, shield, robe, plate..... okok... everything. You will need about 10 minutes to adjust your expecting on visual, then you will get 105 minutes of fun.I'm from Hongkong and it's really hard to find RPers, none of my friends play RPG and I always fancy to be one of the character in the world of D&D. Watching Gamers: DR just show me what would it be like to be a gamer. You see rule books, dices, game set, etc etc etc; You hear terms like "fighter", "wizard", "hit point", "level", "character", "flaming hand", "Chaotic Evil".What RPG fancy me is that it let you do anything u want to, not bonded by software RPG. Gamers: DR provide the same element, you wont know what happen next and it probably just make you laugh to dead. The movie goes both gamers's real life as well as in the D&D world. You will hear the gamer cast the dice when the character in game take action, which make you feel you really participle in the game.I don't want to spoil anything, but in short, Gamers: DR is a must watch movie for RPG lovers. For people never play RPG game, I'm sure you still get many fun from it.$LABEL$ 1 +In all honesty, I haven't seen this film for many years, but the few times I have tend to make parts of it stick in my memory, as anyone who has seen it will understand. I first saw it as a child at a YMCA Halloween party in the early Sixties, and it scared the hell out of us kids, in a fun way. I remember feeling genuine anxiety about the unknown thing lurking in the maze. I can't risk giving away the ending, except to say that it was surprising, to say the least. I remember vaguely the entire audience of young boys letting out a big scared holler, followed by laughter when the terrible secret was revealed. The ending has been seen by most viewers as one of the greatest unintentionally funny climaxes to a movie in film history, and yet oddly moving, in a way. You have to see it for yourself, which is not easy these days. I don't know if it's available on home video or not, but it would still make a great Halloween feature for both kids and adults.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the only thing I will be able to look back on from the year 2006 and say now that rocked. It rocked hard, and yet it also rocked tasty. Mr.MEATLOAF added a nice little touch to this dish of a film before the opening credits even rolled. Now that tells you something, this filmed rocked even before it STARTED! Now I don't want to give to much away or be a "spoiler" but this movie ROCKED! If you have heard the new album and thought to yourself "this seems a bit substandard Tenacious material,it is like I a merely playing badminton with Satan, what gives?" Then this movie will elevate your appreciation for the music and you will marvel at this steamy satanic masterpiece. For those who would want it better do not know what they want,because better would no longer be the D. This movie is the D period.!So venture if you dare to the local viewing theater if you to want to have your socks rocked.$LABEL$ 1 +You'd think you're in for some serious sightseeing when the premise of the movie takes place primarily between two characters as they travel 3000 miles or so from France to Saudi Arabia, going through most of Europe - Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, before arriving in the Middle East. But this is not a tour, and there are no stopovers for soaking in the sights.Reda's father is in his twilight years, and wishes to do the Haj. However, since walking and taking the mule is out of the question, he chooses to travel to Mecca by car. He can't drive, and therefore enlists the help of Reda, to his son's protest, to get him there in their broken down vehicle.But Reda doesn't see the point of having him go along, when his dad could opt for the plane. He resents the idea of having put his personal life on hold for this pilgrimage he couldn't understand. And hence, we set off in this arduous journey with father and son, being not the best of pals.The beauty of this movie is to witness the development of the father and son pair, the challenges they face, the weird people they meet, having to duke it out in varied weather conditions, and alternating rest stops between motels and sleeping in the car. We see an obvious generation gap in them trying to communicate to each other, the father trying to impose on his son, and the son trying to assert himself as an adult, but circumstances we see, reveal that Reda is quite a fish out of water. Through the many encounters, they actually team up quite well despite their differences.It's perhaps quite apt to have this film released here last week to coincide with Hari Raya Haji, and having the opportunity to watch our protagonists join the other pilgrims in their Haj. The final scene in Mecca is truly a sight to behold, and you too would feel the claustrophobia and fear as Reda tries to hunt down his dad amongst the thousands of people congregating. The sights of Europe were perhaps deliberately not dwelled upon, so as to build up the anticipation of and focus on the final destination.It certainly rang home the thought of telling and showing loved ones how much you appreciate them for who they are. Don't miss this, and yes, book early - I was pleasantly surprised that this evening's session was still a full house.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie based on the good reviews here, and I won't make that mistake again.The first couple minutes shows that a group of people have been brought together by some tragedy, but you don't see what it is. Flashback 12-hours and we get to see the boring lives of each of these people, which in the end are totally meaningless to what is about to happen. When the ending is finally reveled, you realize that you just wasted an hour of your life waiting for a big payoff that doesn't happen and means nothing to what you have been watching. The only connection these people have is that they have all had a "bad day"--but even that continuity gets lost in the boredom.If this was supposed to be a "Crash" clone, it's a complete failure.$LABEL$ 0 +A great Bugs Bunny cartoon from the earlier years has Bugs as a performer in an window display at a local department store. After he's done for the day the manager comes in to tell him that he'll be transferring soon. Bugs is happy to oblige into he figures out that the new job is in taxidermy...and that taxidermy has to do with stuffing animals. Animals like say, a certain rabbit. This causes a battle of wits between the rascally rabbit and his now former employer. I found this short to be delightful and definitely one of the better ones of the early 1940's. It still remains as funny nearly 60+ years later. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.My Grade: A-$LABEL$ 1 +I firmly believe that the best Oscar ceremony in recent years was in 2003 for two reasons: 1 ) Host Steve Martin was at his most wittiest: " I saw the teamsters help Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo " and " I'll better not mention the gay mafia in case I wake up with a poodle's head in my bed " 2 ) Surprise winners: No one had Adrien Brody down for best actor ( Genuine applause ) or Roman Polanski for best director ( Genuine jeers and boos ) but they won Last year's award ceremony wasn't too bad but there was little in the way of surprises and I was happy to see RETURN OF THE KING sweep the awards even if it wasn't the best in the trilogy ( FELLOWSHIP was much better )but what let the BBC coverage down was Jonathan Ross getting a few of his sycophantic mates round and pretending they were hilarious when they were anything but . So when I heard Sky were doing the coverage for British TV I was expecting Barry Norman and Mark Kermode to be doing the links , but instead we ended up with Jamie Theakston and Sharon Osbourne ! Oh gawd if British TV are desperate for film critics ( Obviously they are ) I'm sure both Bob The Moo and Theo Robertson will happily fly over to LA to give their honest opinions on the winners and losers Chris Rock wasn't too bad , but he's no Steve Martin while the location seemed to resemble a sports hall with seats put in ! Not much of a glitzy arena in my opinion . The main problem I had with the ceremony was the format with the " minor " Oscars handed out to the winners who were sitting in their seats ! There's no such thing as a " minor " Oscar and just because the award is for Best Animated Short or Best Costume Design they're as well deserved as Best Picture or Best Director . All the winners should be allowed to march up to the podium . What a bunch of arrogant snobs the Academy are becoming and I quite agree with the comments that this format is disgraceful and if it wasn't for the surprises this could possibly have been the worst ceremony in history . As for the awards themselves Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett . No great surprise for a competitive category Best Supporting Actor - Morgan Freeman . No real complaints since Freeman is one of America's greatest living character actors Best Actor - Jamie Foxx . Most predictable award of the night . Yawn Best Actress - Hilary Swank . Major surprise since everyone thought Annette Benning was going to win simply down to academy politics but Swank did deserve it and gave the best speech of the night Best Director - Clint Eastwood . Major surprise since everyone thought Scorsese was going to get the award simply because he'd never won one . Actually I'm glad about this because if he didn't deserve it for TAXI DRIVER , RAGING BULL or GOODFELLAS he didn't deserve it for THE AVIATOR Best Film - MILLION DOLLAR BABY . Again another major surprise since everyone thought the academy would split the awards for best director and best picture while I thought the Hollywood friendly plot of THE AVIATOR would have made it a dead cert for Best Picture while MDB's controversial subject matter would have turned a lot of voters off What these awards perhaps illustrate is that this year the voters have decided to ignore Oscar politics and genuinely give out awards to people who deserve it something they haven't done in the past , I mean A BEAUTIFUL MIND beating THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING for gawd's sake ! And long may the academy vote with their heads instead of their hearts$LABEL$ 0 +While in a plane, flicking through the large choice of movies, I came across Live! almost accidentally. oh boy! what a choice.I remembered vaguely seeing the trailer over a year ago and completely forgot about it expecting no more than another cheesy nonsense movie about a stupid reality show. Now I can easily say this has been a hell of a ride. I don't remember last time I have been so excited, terrified. Not sure if it was the high altitude playing with my senses, but the suspense grow gradually through the movie until reaching a climax where you can't turn away from the screen, literally sitting on the edge of your seat and biting the remaining nails you've got.You will first go through a personal moral assessment of where you stand about the righteousness of the show. You will drift from thinking "how come the human being can be so vicious" to "why not after all?".Ask yourself would you do it. Then learn about the contestants, their motives and start guessing. You will then watch contestant pulling the trigger one by one and get excited even though you know the first candidate is safe.Good acting, good directing, with a movie experience that reminds you those old movies where you knew what would happen in the next scene but still were craving for more.*Spoilers* couple of things i would have changed:- the casting of the contestants. i have really been moved by the farmer and we should have had a bit more like him. The idea of a rich writer who wants to be famous is a bit stupid, it felt like you didn't care about some of the contestants. Although this might have been done on purpose, i think the audience should have been able to associate with the majority of the contestants. - game rules, a big glitch :what happens if the 5th contestants doesn't die when he pulls the trigger. do you seriously think the last standing guy will pull the trigger and execute himself!!! they should have given a chance to all contestants to live, ie: if 5th is a blank too, then no one dies.interestingly I haven't been bothered too much by this bad points cause i really had a good time. just wish i had some popcorn with me!$LABEL$ 1 +Ah, another movie with motorcycles, hell's angels posse and Steve A-Lame-o as the not-so-cool car driver. This movie does not rely on story but lots of drinking, pot smoking, and lots of moronic acts. Steve's rendition of a dying cat during his "I love what I know" serenade had me vomiting for hours. Bike chick Linda (rrrr) makes out with everyone! Fats did the best acting since he just grunts and makes sounds. I also dare you to try to make out what Banjo is saying. "You messin' wit private stock." This is scriptwriting folks.I liked the ending. What better place to have the climax than a lighthouse! You have to see this to detest it.DIE Jeter, DIE!!!$LABEL$ 0 +A rating of "1" does not begin to express how dull, depressing and relentlessly bad this movie is.$LABEL$ 0 +I feel dumber after watching the first 20 min,luckily i walked out and saved the rest of my brain, people should watch better films and take notes on why they are rated highly,not because of the budget of the film or the special effects, just simply good acting and getting simple things right,and MOst importantly--not being LAME--, but i guess this was produced for those Sheeple without taste and not a clue of what is ''A good Movie''don't be scared of rating films low,save your under-appreciated high scores for ''once in a life time movies''. Keep in mind that many use IMDb for trusted reviews and opinions,don't spoil the broth by sugarcoating turds Peace & love$LABEL$ 0 +The most self-indulgent movie I have every had the misfortune torent. Unwatchable. Much of the movie is obviously improvised,and not well. It looks like Toback took the first take ofeverything. The movie gets good for a couple of minutes whenRobert Downey Jr. shows up, then goes to hell again realquickly.$LABEL$ 0 +This has got to be the worst movie I haver ever seen Nielson in. This movie just does not have what he needs to be funny. I think the reasons that the Naked Gun and the like movies is that they did not require Nielson to be funny. He just played the roles as straight as he could while all of the comedy that went on was mostly visual. But when you put him in a movie where he has to be funny, he isn't. The movie had only one good part, and this may be considered a spoiler by some, and that the beginning credits were animated. If the whole movie had been animated, it might have been good. I had no intention of seeing this movie when I saw the ads for it, and the only reason I did see it was because the tickets were given to me by someone who won them in a radio contest. This is the first and probably only movie I have ever walked out on. On a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a score of -100.$LABEL$ 0 +I like Ghost stories. Good ghost stories of bumps in the night, voices that cannot be explained. Now I've see many of them. As special efx have a ever more grip on todays films, some times to find a real gem , you gotta turn the clock back to the time when the writers and directors really had to use their heads to create really good ghost stories. Now this one, very rare , pilot episode for the TV series Ghost Story called " The New House " was one of the most scariest films I ever saw. It was on once in 1972,...I was only 9,..but nothing since then even compared to it. With all the remake going on in Hollywood, some one should do this one " as is " with no more special efx than the original. This episode was down right creepy as hell. I'm lucky to find it finally on DVD today and very rare and hard to find. The only other 2 Ghost Stories to even come close was the ORIGINAL " The Haunting " and George C. Scott in " The Changling " . Wish someone would do more ghost stories like these.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I've watched this movie twice now, I have researched it heavily on the net, I have asked several people on there opinions. I have even gone to the length of reading the original Sheridan Lafanu Classic 'Carmilla', a book that this movie is supposed to be based on. I feel that the best way to review this movie is to describe a game to play whilst watching it. As the plot of the movie doesn't seem to make any sense at all, here is the plot of the book.Laura lives in a castle in Syberia with her Father, Mr De Lafontaine. They carry on with their lives blissfully and peacefully. One day they get a letter from the 'General' a man who has made it his mission in life to avenge his daughters death. He makes claims of supernatural powers being at work, and explains that he will visit them soon. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with a strange woman results in the Lafontaines looking after her Daughter, Carmilla, for several months. Soon Laura starts to be overwhelmed by strange dreams, and begins to come down with a strange illness. Who is this mysterious Carmilla? And just what has she to do with Laura's condition, and the General?I have invented this game and would like as many people as possible to play it, and let me know what their results are. I even have a catchy name, and would have a jingle too, but I can't be bothered with that. It's called the "this movie doesn't make any sense" game.All you have to do is, whilst watching the movie, try to come up with a complete plot that explains what is happening. I mean complete, all questions answered, everything makes sense, absolutely complete.It will have to answer such questions as ... * Why can vampires walk around in day light?* Why are they all lesbians?* Why is a girl called Bob? and why does she shoot herself?* When is the movie a dream and when is it real?* Why does killing zombies appear to be an accepted part of life that doesn't make anyone bat an eyelid?* Why does Travis Fontaine spot and run down a zombie without slowing down whilst driving his car, yet when faced with a woman with an obvious hostage in the back of her car, accept the excuse that she is a zombie too?* And why does he then let a girl, which he later openly reveals that he knows is the head vampire, drive with him in his car?* And then let her drive off, alone with his daughter in a stolen car?What the hell is the asylum scene all about?* What the hell is the green goo all about?* Why does the head vampire suddenly start dressing like a nurse?* Why are there never any vampires fighting Zombies?* What is the significance of the necklace? what is it made of? why does it kill vampires? and how does Jenna know that?In fact sod it, it's just as much fun trying to come up with as many questions about this movie too.I have my plot, and I have to admit it is not quite there, but it is a pretty good effort.In Conclusion'Vampires vs Zombies' has no moment in it where there are actually Vampires fighting Zombies. Everyone in the movie seems to know exactly what is going on, yet they seem very reluctant to let the audience in on this. And somehow it is based on a classic 19th century horror novel. How? Why? What the hell is going on?$LABEL$ 0 +This would've been a *great* silent film. The acting really is good, at least in a Look Ma, I'm Doing Really Big Acting! sort of way.Everything is HUGE. Every line is PROFOUND! Every scene is SHATTERED BY HUMAN TRAGEDY!Mostly, I felt like gagging. Yet, like any train wreck, I couldn't tear my eyes away. This dialogue might've worked on the stage, although I doubt it. On the screen, it was cluttered, haphazard, hackneyed and pretty much every other stereotypical negative adjective you can come up with to describe a really bad dramatic work.If you enjoy your melodrama in huge, heaping doses, you *might* enjoy the movie. Be prepared to wait, however. For all that melodrama, this thing sure plods along at its own pace.This script must've sounded a lot different when the actors involved were reading it to themselves. It simply doesn't work once they get around to delivering it in front of the camera.IMDB does us a great disservice, at times, when it uses its goofy computer-controlled "weighted score". Curse of the Starving Class deserves less than a 1.Character-driven fiction is great, but when you develop your characters by simply pushing them through hoops with no plausible explanation for their maturation or evolution, it isn't character development! Your characters must have a motivation. Being drunk for a while and waking up in a field is *not* character development. That's a plot contrivance.Stay away from this movie. Or at the very least, watch it muted. Perhaps you'll get some amusement from all the arm-waving the characters do.Oh, and word to the wise -- to prove that this is truly an artsy film, you see James Woods in all his dangly male "look-at-me, I'm-the-figurative-and-literal-representation-of-the-naked-vulnerability-of- man" glory.Don't say you weren't warned.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts with the main character lying in a coma in a hospital ward, attended by two orderlies. The unconscious main character is heard in a voice over, saying that the orderlies are gay. The orderlies kiss. I watched this in a DVD version and I have the suspicion that this is supposed to be funny – it said „comedy" on the DVD case, after all and it goes on like that. Had I seen this in a movie theater I probably would have heard part of the audience roar with laughter, because it is so funny – and because they are supposed to sit in a comedy. While it is fascinating to think about what it is funny and what isn't, this movie unfortunately only delivers arguments about what isn't.Brilliant brains can MAKE anything funny, people like Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder or Mel Brooks have proved that fact. But you have to know the „mechanics", I suppose. Director and co-scriptwriter Dani Levy does not bother about those mechanics, he thinks that certain things simply ARE funny, the fact that two orderlies are gay and kiss over a man in a coma, for example. Do not get me wrong, some people can MAKE that funny, Dani Levy can't, not for me, anyway.The main problem I have with this movie is that I can't see a reason behind the way the main characters behave. I could not understand why the two brothers, one an orthodox Jew from West Germany one a third class carbon copy of Fast Eddie Felson from former East Germany so strongly disliked each other. They are both rather bland characters. Their children are boring apart from the fact that they are sexually attracted to each other (well, one is a lesbian now but raises the daughter she has with her cousin). But even these incestuous relationships – if anything they are embarrassing - just come through as an excuse because the scriptwriters could not come up with anything better.The acting is not bad, Udo Semel I actually came to like quite a lot although he reminded me more of ex chancellor Helmut Kohl (a lighter version) than of a venerable Orthodox Jew. The direction in itself is not really bad either, but maybe Levy should stick to directing movies, leaving the scriptwriting to someone else. Now I heard he did a comedy about Hitler. Oi, Vai!$LABEL$ 0 +This story about three women is a very sensitive study about: Muriël (Charlotte Van Den Eynde) the youngest, Laura (Els Dottermans) who is about 37 and Martha (Frieda Pittors) the oldest who is the mother of Muriël. They live together in the same building. They have different expectations of life. The vital Laura wants a child. Muriël comes from a village and wants to change her life in Brussels. Martha dreams about her youth when she was a young girl. In fact nothing happens in this movie so you wait for something - for instances an accident - which could dramatize this story. As times goes on, you discover that the director Dorothée Van Den Berghe only wants to develop a psychological portrait of the three women and nothing more. This movie is disappointing because you expect the women to learn from their experiences which is not the case, so one is left with a feeling of emptiness.$LABEL$ 0 +First and foremost, I loved the novel by Ray Bradbury. It's the kind of horror that gets under your skin and sticks with you later. It was one of his best books, with, you know, Fahrenheit 451 and Dandelion Wine. I as just hoping that this movie would be all right. It had lots of chances, with a great cast, like Jason Robards and Jonathn Pryce. And Bradbury even wrote the script himself. And on top of all that, it has PAM GRIER!How could it fail?There may be spoilers within.First of all, it was dumbed down. Much of the horror from the book was lost as Bradbury must have been forced to keep the violence to a minimum. All the visuals from the book...gone. Everything that made you squirm...gone.And then there's the acting. Like a lot of movies that Disney threw out in the 80s, the kids in this movie cannot act. And, this bugged me a lot, neither of them looked 13 but 9 or 10. Their strong friendship wasn't addressed. It was more like they were acquaintaces. You'd think Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce could pull this off in their roles of Mr. Halloway and Mr. Dark. But here it's like they just don't care. All they want to do is somehow pay off some mortgage or something. This is far from being some of their best performances. Pam Grier was fine as the witch, but the charecter of the Dust Witch herself wasn't well pulled off. She's a lot less evil and doesn't have the presence as she did in the book. And everything that was left out of the book. The ballon night chase, the marking of Jim's house, the real death of Mr. Dark, what happened to Mr. Coogan on the merry-go-round, the fate of the lightening rod salesman, the real death of the witch, and oh so much more. And the special effects were bad, even for the 80s. The merry-go-round of doom for one thing with the superimposed horses going around wasn't really creepy, and that weird green mist that really had nothing to do with anything. I could keep going about how this movie ripped apart the original novel, but it makes blood boil. Don't see this movie but read the book. It's a classic of Bradbury.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is so old I never realized how young looking Ray Milland looked in 1936, I remember him playing in a great film, "Lost Weekend". Ray plays the role of Michael Stuart, who is a very rich banker. There are three girls in this picture who are not very happy about their father and mother separating and they find out their father is going to get married to a young blonde who is a gold digger only looking for a rich sugar daddy. They hire a man to pose as a very rich Count, his name is Count Ariszted, (Misha Auer) who is drunk all the time and is penniless and gives plenty of comic laughs throughout the picture. Deanna Durbin, (Penny Craig) surprised everyone when she was booked in a police station and told the chief of police that she was an opera star and then Penny starts singing with the most fantastic soprano voice I have every heard, the entire police department and convicts started applauding, which was a very entertaining and enjoyable scene from this film. This is Deanna Durbin's first film debut and she became an instant success over night and went on to become a great movie star with Universal Studios after leaving MGM.$LABEL$ 1 +I had eagerly awaited the first screening of this film ever since it was given to me on DVD at Christmas. Having reserved a special slot for it last night, I sat down to watch it with my daughter (aged 17 and a Film Studies student), with chocolates of course, in eager anticipation. We love Jane Austin.After just the first two minutes we knew we were sunk. The shaky camera shots and angles, general poor cinematography, direction and wooden performances had already left us feeling flat and dissatisfied. Despondent, we viewed on.Anne, played by Sally Hawkins, looked oddly and with no particular purpose, directly at the camera on several occasions, breaking our hard-won 'fantasy of the moment' and engaging us directly in an almost 'I'll find you' stalking fashion.Poor Rupert Penry-Jones, who played Captain Wentworth, did his best with the script and direction, bless him. I hope they paid him well, however, as he was practically drowned on one occasion by a huge wave which predictably breached the seawall, drenching him and his co-actor. They were nearly swept out to sea. Health and Safety would have had a field day! Poor Rupert was left spitting out sea water in order to deliver his line. Presumably there was not enough money left in the kitty for a re-shoot of this scene. Anyone with any sense would have not attempted it on such a day in the first place.Other than Mr. Penry-Jones, Alice Krige gave the only convincing performance as Lady Russell but her efforts were soon counterbalanced by those of Anthony Head's unconvincing portrayal of annoying Sir Walter Elliott.Towards the long-awaited end of the film, Captain Wentworth appeared to oddly grace Anne with a visit every two seconds having taken great pains to avoid her for the majority of the movie. It was as if he had developed a memory impediment which caused him to forget his very reason for being. In contrast, Anne ran, hyper-ventilating, from pillar to post in search of the good Captain who, in the meantime, had managed to call upon almost the entirety of Bath we are told, in the course of only three or four minutes, without even having worked up a sweat.We experienced none of Anne's charms crossing the screen. Indeed, we were left wondering what charismatic Captain Wentworth had ever seen in plain, spineless, opinion-less Anne and why someone, anyone, did not tell mean, winging Sir Walter to just shut the heck up.The crucial kiss, normally our favourite girlie moment, was painfully drawn out. As they moved in closer, Anne kept opening and closing her mouth which had the effect on screen of making her look as if she were chewing gum before lips finally met. Eww! The most enjoyable thing about last night was the chocolates and the half hour exchange of views between mother and daughter on just how bad the film had been.What a pity to ruin such an enchanting and engaging story, filmed in some of England's finest scenery.Sorry Jane.$LABEL$ 0 +If you like Sci-Fi, Monsters, and Ancient Legends, then you will love this movie!! The Special Effects are by far the best I have seen since Juarassic Park hit the big screen years ago. While the acting may have been a little less than desirable, the story line and effects adequately compensated for it.I wish now I had seen this at the movies on a theater screen instead of our 42 inch big screen TV.If you like non-stop action, awesome visuals, and taste for myth and lore....you have to see this movie!!$LABEL$ 1 +A rather silly little film you just may love.Although rather corny and cliché at times, it nonetheless works and makes for good clean fun. Five teams are engaged on a scavenger hunt and battle each other and their wits to win the all night contest - just for the sheer joy "knowing yours is the best team."Notable for several screen debuts including David Naughton's first film role after his Dr. Pepper "Be a Pepper" commercials and before his major 1981 hit "American Werewolf in London". Also features Paul Ruebens in what I believe is his first Pee Wee Herman-esquire roll a year before he became known for it. And last but not least, Mr. Spin City and Alex Keaton himself, Michael J. Fox gets his first film role here. Fans will remember Stephen Furst as Flounder in Animal House. Outside of that, no names, but all funny characters.Doubt it has ever made it to DVD, but there are still probably some VHS copies floating around and you might even catch on a late, late show sometime. If you do, is worth your watch. You may hate it, but it may also become a quirky little movie you come to love.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an OK adaptation of the breath taking book of Dan Brown. I can't say it is novel or very good but they made a movie that you can enjoy. Given the excellent story, the result could have been better though. The movie is pretty long but at the end I was feeling like some things were missing. Sound effects and sound tracks were very good. Acting was well done but the character development phase was very weak. For people who didn't read the book, things may look happening too quickly. From my point of view, instead of trying to put as much as stuff from the book, they could have tried to do the important scenes more proper. What makes the book very good was all the puzzle like story combined with the excellent portrait of Vatican. You see neither of it in the movie. Too much rush and using the time not in a good way, these are main problems of the movie. So, it is worth watching but could have been done better.$LABEL$ 1 +I never fell asleep during a movie. Never. This movie did the impossible.While many people claim the superiority of Japanese horror films over their American counterparts, this movie was a lesson in over abundance. As in, the movie was 30 minutes too long. It would have helped if the movie had a little more movement in the plot and the camera work, but instead, all we got were awkward silences and a lot of slow movement. The acting was absolutely terrible, bordering on bad student film levels while everyone struggled to ad-lib something called a script. Did these people even get any direction? Were they coaxed to be boring and dull? Either therory wouldn't surprise me.What was even worse was the rather unscary make-up involved with the creatures from the other side. Either way, they all stunk. Don't watch this film. That's all I can say (unless you're an insomniac).$LABEL$ 0 +What can I say? Not as bad as many here have made it out to be. The only reason I even watched this film that I had previously never heard of before, was strictly for IAN McSHANE.I was not disappointed in the least. IAN McSHANE was absolutely brilliant and brings an amazing subtlety to his role. He's always great to watch and for my money... an extremely underused actor.As for the rest of the film.... Every other actor in the movie delivered strong, solid performances. These people certainly weren't being paid huge amounts of cash for their participation (as this was a fairly low budget film) but this did not mean that any of them "mailed" their appearances in. Everyone was convincing and compelling with the parts given to them.I was even pleasantly surprised at ADRIAN PAUL's performance though I must admit I have only ever seen him in the HIGHLANDER Television series before this movie.The plot was well paced and the storyline intriguing and much like real life, not everything ends up tied in a nice neat little package for you at the end of the film. Anybody who expected a clear-cut, by-the-numbers, connect the dots "conclusion" or "answer" at the end of the movie... CLEARLY wasn't watching the film closely enough! This film is not going to tell you what the "meaning of life" is! The idea is that after seeing the film, you might go and discuss the unanswered questions with your friends over a coffee. I certainly did.No car chases... No explosions... No bar room brawls.... (sounds pretty dull, huh?) But the reality is that I was completely absorbed by the film and it's just a well written little piece with an interesting hook and solid character performances by all parties involved.****** WARNING...****** If you're the kind of person who dislikes movies that dangle an enormous "question" as the central engine of the story and then end the movie without answering that particular question directly...YOU MIGHT NOT ENJOY THIS FILM.$LABEL$ 1 +Originally harped as a sequel to "The Slumber Party Massacre" series, this film falls flat on it's face with a new title. First off, if you are going to include the word "massacre" in your film's title, you better deliver. This one certainly does not. There is no gore, no on screen murders and no chainsaw, as the box art would lead you to believe. Instead, we get a paper thin, overdone plot about a group of cheerleaders who get stranded in an abandoned cabin on the way to a football game, only to be offed one by one. Again, this film could have been OK if the gore quotient was upped a bit. Why directors, especially those doing direct-to-video flicks, are afraid to show ANY gore is beyond me. Now, I am not a huge fan of excessive gore, but come on...why else would anyone rent a movie called "Cheerleader Massacre??" Besides that problem, the film suffers from a shot-on-a-home-video-camera cheapness. It looks cheap, sounds cheap, and the actors aren't all that good. It tries to throw us off track to who the killer may be, but even that fails. The ending ends up being a ridiculous mess. Folks, if you run across this film, walk away and go find the original "Slumber Party Massacre." 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +A killer, cannibal rapist is killed by a crazed cop on the scene of his latest murder. At his grave a cult have gathered with plans to resurrect him by peeing onto the grave. This of course works and he awakes ripping the guys penis off and he is back into his old killing ways with an all new zombie look. The two cops one of who is going a little crazy about the scum of the city and has a drug problem, are back on the case. Two of the original cult member also tries to stop the killer by resurrecting some other kind of dead thing. Thinking they have filed they leave but out from the grave comes a plastic baby doll that was used in the original resurrection. Sounds a bit confusing really but no its just rubbish.The acting is terrible and one of the cops is the same guy that plays Dr Vincent van Gore in the faces of gore series and he is just as terrible as the annoying cop in this film. The other cop just about struggles to get his terrible lines out. Now I'm all for low budget cinema but this film is just terrible. If it wasn't for the very easy on the eye ladies and their nakedness I would probably have fallen asleep. There is a bit of gore but it's never more than some animal guts placed on the stomach of the victims. The zombie makeup on the other hand looks great and his foot long penis that he uses to rape his victims with is kind of funny at times. There is also a half decent scene where the killer falls in love with a sex doll. The doll with the chipmunks voice is the stupidest thing I have ever seen in a film. It is just a plastic toy on a fishing line.The ending is extremely bad. You would expect the killer to put up much more of a fight than he does. God knows how they made enough money to make a sequel. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Days of Heaven is one of the most painfully boring and pointless films I have ever seen. In no way, shape, or form would I recommend it to anyone...unless you're trying to put your kids to sleep or, God forbid, give someone an aneurysm. If I could go back in time and do one thing, I would set fire to the reels before they were sent to theaters. Why? Days of Heaven's plot is simple, but extremely vague. Long sequences devoid of dialogue compose much of the film. The characters are too shallow and ridiculously stupid to relate with. The climax of the story does not touch you: by this time your brain has worked so hard to figure out the plot and the array of hidden metaphors that your ability to think is gone. The only things working are your eyes, and unfortunately, your ears, who must listen to the sound of Linda, the little girl in the story, who talks like a man. I am now dumber for seeing this movie. Don't let it happen to you.$LABEL$ 0 +In 1929, director Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks changed the face of animation with the release of the very first installment of their "Silly Symphonies" series, "The Skeleton Dance". Iwerks and Disney had been collaborating together since the early 20s, in Disney's "Laugh-O-Gram" cartoon series; however, their friendship suffered a tremendous blow when Iwerks accepted an offer by a competitor to leave Disney and start his own animation studio. That was the birth of Celebrity Productions, where Iwerks continued developing his style and technique (and where he created the character of Flip the Frog). While his work kept the same high quality, it wasn't really popular and by 1936 the studio was closed. Later that year, Iwerks was hired by Columbia Pictures, and Iwerks decided to return to his old skeletons for another dance, this time in color.1937's "Skeleton Frolics" is essentially, a remake of the 1929 classic "The Skeleton Dance", the movie that borough him fame and fortune. Like that short film, it is set on an abandoned graveyard, where at midnight the creatures of the night come alive and begin to play. The dead rise from their coffins, ready for the show that's about to begin, as a group of skeletons has formed an orchestra, and begin to play a happy tune. Now, it's not easy to be a musician made of just bones, as some of the orchestra members have problems with their body parts, however, the band manages to put a good show and another group of skeletons begin to dance. A lovely couple of them faces the same problems that troubled the orchestra: it's hard to dance with loose body parts. Everything ends at dawn, and just when the sun is about to rise again, the skeletons run towards their graves.Directed and animated by Ub Iwerks himself, "Skeleton Frolics" follows faithfully the pattern set by "The Skeleton Dance" years before, although with a crucial difference: Iwerks did the whole film in Technicolor. The bright tonalities allowed Iwerks to create a more visually appealing film, and also to use the many new techniques he had been practicing since leaving Disney, creating even better effects of depth and dynamism than those he conceived before. It is certainly a more experimental film than "The Skeleton Dance", although sadly, this doesn't mean it's necessarily a better film. For starters, the film is practically identical to the one he did with Disney, with the only differences being the music (more on that later) and the color effects. It looks beautiful, no doubt about it, but it definitely feels kind of unoriginal after all.However, it is not the unoriginality of the concept what truly hurts the film (after all, Iwerks executes it in a wonderful way), but the fact that the musical melody created by Joe DeNat for the film is pretty uninteresting and lacks the charming elegance and whimsical fun of the one done by Carl W. Stalling for "The Skeleton Dance". In other words, while DeNat's tune is effective and appropriate for the theme, it's easy to forget about it rapidly while Stalling's song has a unique personality that makes it unforgettable. Being a musical film, this is of high importance, and so the mediocrity of the music brings down Iwerk's flawless work of animation. Personally, I think that with a better musical accompaniment, "Skeleton Frolics" would be remembered as fondly as "The Skeleton Dance despite not being as groundbreaking, as it's still a fun film to watch.It's kind of sad that most of the work Iwerks did after leaving Disney is now forgotten due to his poor success, however, it must be said that if Iwerks lacked the popularity of Disney or Fleischer (Disney's main rival), he did not lack the quality of those companies' films. It was probably just a case of bad luck what made the man who gave life to Disney's mouse for the first time to face failure out of Disney. Despite its shortcomings, "Skeleton Frolics" is a very funny and visually breathtaking film, that while not exactly the most original and fresh film (one just can't help but thinking of "The Skeleton Dance" while watching it), it definitely reminds us that Iwerk's skeletons are still here to haunt us, and inspire us.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, indeed, it could have been a good movie. A love biangle, (sorry for the poetical license, but is not a triangle!) an interesting story, unfortunately badly told. The image is sometimes weird, sometimes OK, the picture looks crowded and narrow-sighted. The sound needs more attention (it usually does in Romanian movies), the light and color filters are sometimes badly chosen. The soundtrack is short and is not helping the action. About the acting... sorry but the best actress is the landlady. The others are acting immaturely and cannot convince the viewer. The acting is poetical when it should be realistic, and realistic when it should be poetical. It's a picture for adults, told by the children. Bother only if extremely curious.$LABEL$ 0 +You wear only the best Italian suits from Armani, hand stitched and fitted to your exact measurements. Your automobile is the finest that German engineering has to offer, and is equipped with as many gadgets as horses under the hood. You're a member of the finest polo clubs, frequently dine at restaurants such as Spago, and are always accompanied by at least two of the most beautiful women in the world. Your pocket watch doubles as a nuclear explosive, while your trusty pen can also be used as a semi-automatic .22 caliber gun. You snow ski in the Alps, go deep sea diving in the Caribbean, sky dive over the Andes, and all the while your hair is never, ever, out of place. You are Bond, James Bond, the world's most renown spy, favorite son of the good Queen, bad boy of the British SS, and perhaps the most desired man in the world. The character of James Bond was created by Ian Fleming, and is the movie industry's longest lasting icon, being the subject of over fifteen films spanning over four decades. The latest man to play the role is Pierce Brosnan, who took over the role of James Bond from Timothy Dalton in 1996, and made his 007 debut in Goldeneye.This is the setting for the first major title developed by a third party on the Nintendo 64. Goldeneye, developed by Rare for Nintendo, has been on the market for some time. Its continued dominance in the sales charts is just one testament to how good this game is, and no review library would be complete without it.Let's face it -- most of the time movie-licensed games are flops. Although the two seem like a good mix, the results, for the most part, have been horrendous. Games like Cliffhanger, True Lies, Lethal Weapon, and not to mention all the Star Trek flops, are ammunition enough against this mix. And for the record I am not a fan of movie licensed games, especially if I've seen the movie. At least that's how I used to think. In the case of Goldeneye, I had more reservations than normal. While not a bad movie, Goldeneye the film didn't have that much appeal to it, and I don't rank it in the top ten amongst Bond movies. As a game, however, let's just say it's a completely different story.The game is a first-person shooter, and in order to be successful, you'll need at least as much brains as brawn. For those who have seen the movie, which I imagine is most of you reading this, the story is very consistent and follows the path of the movie with little variation. A plot to control the world's most dangerous satellite, Goldeneye, has begun in the USSR, and in the process a beautiful woman has been captured. Your missions will be many, the danger extreme. You will have to rely on your wits and experience to get you through the most grueling missions the world has ever known. M will brief you as soon as you're ready. Good day, James.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excellent film about the characters in a adult swimming class, their problems, relationships and interactions with each other. It should have managed a wider distribution as it's much better than similar films from major studios out at the same time.The swimming instructor is an almost-Olympian, reduced to teaching adults basic lessons, and often the target of horndogging from his female students. He attempts, more or less, to fend them off, with varying results.The students characters are mainstream U.S.A; teachers, policemen, college students and retired people, all of whom haven't learned to swim for some reason. The movie covers their relationships, including friends, relatives and romantic conquests as they go through the class. Several subplots provide amusing fodder, including a teacher going through a divorce, some high school students making a documentary, and a girl who is only in the class to meet guys.This is a good date movie, or just one to watch when you're in the mood for a romantic drama with overtones of reality.$LABEL$ 1 +This mostly routine fact-based TV drama gets a boost from the fine performance by Cole. This is the story of a highly trained military man, unhappy with his wife and children, fakes his demise and runs off with the other woman. To support her in the manner in which she is accustomed he robs banks. Predictable, but not a bad watch.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched Six of a Kind for W.C. Fields - he's only in it for around 10 minutes and has one long scene, the infamous pool sequence he made famous in vaudeville, and several other great moments. The reamaining 55 minutes are also delightful, thankfully, mostly due to the hilarious Charlie Ruggles as the bumbling banker J. Pinkham Whinney. He is everyone's foil. He stutters and stumbles about to our pleasure. Also, his comedy partner, Mary Boland plays his wife, Flora. Joining in the proceedings are George Burns and Gracie Allen. Boland is particularly funny near the beginning and near the end, but Gracie and Ruggles use up most of the picture. Gracie's funny, quite, but she can also get tiring. And poor George Burns has absolutely nothing to do except repeat Gracie all the time. I don't remember laughing at him once (although he has one great scene with Ruggles, where Ruggles tries desperately to get George to take Gracie and leave him and his wife alone for a while, and one with Fields, where he asks Fields to sell him a sweater; that bit is exclusively Fields', though). The situation is constantly funny: the Whinneys are going to drive to California, but to help them with expenses, George and Gracie are recruited. 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +EDMUND LOWE (who reminds me somewhat of Warren William), heads the nice cast of an interesting little mystery that moves at a brisk pace and runs just a little over an hour.Douglas Walton plays the unlucky jockey who appears to be intent on his own demise (hypnotism, anyone?), and the suspects include a good number of the supporting cast--everyone from Virginia Bruce, Kent Smith, Frieda Inescourt, Gene Lockhart, Jessie Ralph, Benita Hume, Rosalind Ivan and H.B. Warner. As an added bonus, there's Nat Pendleton as a dimwit detective--and furthermore, get a load of that art deco set decoration for the fancy interiors of a wealthy home. Must have been a set that was used in many a subsequent film.On the plus side, the mystery is not so complicated that anyone can follow the plot with reasonable assurance of not being too baffled. It's all suddenly clear to detective Philo Vance--and then he has a final confrontation with the murderer that gives the film a nifty five minutes of unmitigated suspense.Nicely done and passes the time in an entertaining manner.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is lame and not funny at all. The plot doesn't even make sense. Some scientist who works on the fringes of science opens a doorway to another dimension (maybe hell???) and his daughter gets sucked through it or something, then one day for no apparent reason she comes back and now she has big breasts and wears a skimpy outfit (I guess the demons in the other dimension made it for her?) The main character is a guy who wants to marry his girlfriend but she is gay so obviously she's more interested in her new girlfriend, and they stumble upon this witch spell book (they want to be witches or something???) and the evil spell ends up getting read again which is how the evil demon comes to earth which only the bikini top girl and the spurned guy in love can stop apparently. There is topless scenes for no reason and a guy in it who my boyfriend says is a well known wrestler but his part is completely unnecessary, obviously they made something up just to put him in it because then maybe wrestling fans will actually watch this pointless movie. I'm sure the topless girls doesn't hurt there either. The extra features on the DVD were even more confusing than the rest of the movie, I thought it might help explain what was going on but it actually just made things more confusing. Who are these people and what are they doing? Basically this is a go-camping-to-make-out-then-fight-a-monster movie but there are a bunch of things (like the other dimension and book seller) than make it confusing. I didn't like the movie but it was only like five bucks so big deal. I don't recommend watching it though it was just too stupid, I can't think of any part of the movie that was good.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I was hoping that I'd like it a little more, this was still certainly an impressive film. There were great performances by all the leads, and the story, while not what I'd call chilling, was still effective and it kept me interested. For me, the best part of this film was the look of the picture, for it always looked cold and damp and it just really seemed to suit the film well. I also thought that the low budget suited this movie, for I don't think that a crisp picture and clear sound would have worked as well in a film this grim. All things considered, it fell a little short of my expectations, but I'm still very glad that I finally sat down to watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Imagine this: a high school. Except it's boarding school, and the kids don't have parents around. Oh, and it's in Malibu. And the kids are all thin, white, and gorgeous, with the exceptional token minority or fat kid to play the "weird" outcast. And there aren't any reasonable rules, like how they have co-habitation, nuclear weapons in their dorms, coffee stands, a sushi bar, and a complimentary laptop per student.Here's the story: A girl, Zoey Brooks, attends PCA, a formerly all-boys school. Absolutely perfect in every possible way, she is smart, pretty, thin, athletic, creative, and everything a perfectionist wants to be. Almost all the boys in school want her, and every girl wants to be her friend. She's the one everyone comes to for advice, the one who saves the day with a simplistic plan, and is just wonderful. Too bad none of this makes her likable.Are we supposed to believe that if we don't even come close to Zoey's perfection, we're bad people? In the show, nothing's her fault, and if anyone contradicts her, they're portrayed as the bad guy(Logan). He may be a jerk, but at least he has some kind of brain that thinks for himself instead of simply agreeing with the princess every time.Her loyal group of blind followers are: Chase, the average dumb ass that has a secret crush on her, Michael, the token black guy (and the only decent actor on the set), Lola, a wannabe actress and anorexic, snobby airhead, Quinn, the smart but clueless girl when it comes to teen stuff, and Logan, the rich jerk who has a soft side. Yeah, this show basically spews out stereotypes.What ticks me off, though, is that they all try to pretend they're normal kids. They complain that Logan gets too much money while they have to work themselves, even though they already go to a too-good-to-be-true boarding school and have relatively nice things that many teenagers can't afford. They drink coffee and eat sushi on a regular basis, hardly have homework, and suntan almost every day. Wow, they have it hard! Any other problems? I'm too good-looking, rich, and stress-free! I guess Zoey 101 (what's the 101 for, anyway?) is Nick's attempt at trying to portray teens realistically. Except they caught a glimpse of reality, didn't like it, and decided to give the kids lives like the asses on The Hills.But hey, at least the set's pretty.$LABEL$ 0 +I had been amazed by director Antal's Kontroll back in 2003. His first American project, Vacancy, was less impressive but a decent start. Armored is his second feature and while the visual signature is recognizable, the film never rises above the level of a B movie. It's a shame because the main premise has all the ingredients for twists and turns and the ensemble cast featuring many quality actors should be able to deliver. Antal could have made a great heist film but instead goes for an action flick. Then again he could have shot a cool action flick but it doesn't really deliver in that department either. What you are left with is one implausible situation after another, a group of poorly sketched characters bicker and fight over a sum of money. If you look past the sharp cinematography, cast and the tight music score, you're left with what could have been a below average direct-to-video featuring Van Damme or Seagal. This was probably the most disappointing movie for me in quite some time.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, the reason I'm giving this film 2 stars instead of 1 is because at least Peter Falk gave his usual fantastic performance as Lieutenant Columbo. He alone can get 10 stars for trying to save this otherwise utterly worthless attempt at making a movie.I was initially all fired up at reading one poster's comment that Andrew Stevens in this movie gave "the performance of his career." To me, it was the abysmal performance by Stevens that absolutely ruined this movie, and so I was all prepared to hurl all sorts of insults at the person who made the aforementioned comment. Then I thought to myself, what else has Stevens done? So I checked and, you know, that person was absolutely right. In the 17 years since this Columbo movie was made, apparently every one of the 33 projects that Stevens has been in since then has been utter crap, so it is doubtful that anybody has even seen the rest of his career.If you like Columbo, see every other of the 69 titles before watching this one. Do yourself a favor and save the worst for last.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie must be in line for the most boring movie in years. Not even woody Harrison can save this movie from sinking to the bottom.The murder in this movie are supposed to be the point of interest in this movie but is not, nothing is of any interest. The cast are not to bad but the script are just plain awful , I just sat in utter amazement during this movie, thinking how on earth can anyone find this movie entertaining The producers of this movie were very clever. They made a boring movie but hid it well with the names of good actors and actresses on their cast. People will go to the blockbuster and probably see this movie and think, Woody Harrison ,Kristin Scott Thomas and Willem Dafoe this must be good and rent this movie.(boy are they in for a horrible time)If you like getting ripped off go and rent this movie, some people actually did enjoyed this movie but I like to watch a movie with meaning$LABEL$ 0 +Down at the Movie Gallery, I saw a flick I just had to see. It looked like a fun low-budget horror/action/western that I could get into. Yeah, I knew it would suck, but I rented it anyway hoping for laughs. Only a few laughs were to be found. This was an extremely stupid movie. It begins with a bounty hunter, our protagonist, who is possibly the weakest main character in the history of film. He looks/acts like he could take on Chuck Norris, but he can't. His dialogue sucks too. Anyway, he goes into a village, shoots some zombies. You could tell they tried to make this longer by putting in these boring scenes where he takes 3-5 minutes to reload or watch some zombies. At least the zombies look cool. So anyway, some people get shot, some zombies die, and in the end, everyone is dead except our main character, who should have died at the beginning when he was shot down by four people.$LABEL$ 0 +i am finally seeing the El Padrino movie, from what I can see it is an incredible film, and lots of action Damian Chapa is good director, But I must admit I love his acting the Best.Also I saw the behind the scenes it was edited by some lady named kinga, she needs to go back to school and learn how to edit.However the film El Padrino is a pure 10 action epic. Why cant most people who direct put together films that keep you wondering what the plot is? I am so happy to see someone I know to be a real great actor become a great director also.I am one of those people who love to see artists make it.B.S.$LABEL$ 1 +I thrive on cinema....but there is a limit. A NAME isn't enough to make A MOVIE!. The beginning of the movie puts us in a mood to expect the unseen yet. But we remain hungry ( or angry..) till the end . Things are getting so confused that I admit that I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE END or was there an end to this nonesense. The opportunity to make an outstanding movie was there but the target was totally missed. Next...$LABEL$ 0 +Michael Callan plays a smarmy photographer who seems, nonetheless, to be regarded as a perfect "catch" by any woman that runs across him; could this have anything to do with the fact that he also co-produced the film? He's a "hero" whom it's very difficult to empathize with, so the movie is in trouble right from the start. However, it's troubles don't end there. It has the production values of a TV-movie (check out that head made of clay or something, near the end), and the ending cheats in a way that I can't reveal, in case anyone wants to see the movie (highly unlikely). Let's just say that the killer knows more than we were let to know he knows. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +I was drawn to "Friends" by the soundtrack scored by a very young and yet to be famous Elton John whom I had see in a club in nearby Houston. I had no idea of the emotions and impact the movie would make. Recently I was brought back to the movie by a song that Heart did called "Seasons", then I found the Elton John song "Friends" thinking it was the same song...it's been 35 years of so. Anyway, the flood of the emotions of "Friends" came back like seeing an old photograph of your first real love. I have more recall of the way the movie hit me than I do of the actual details of the production, plot, etc. so forgive me for a rather poor review. I remember taking a couple of special friends on a date to see the movie and them being as moved and teary-eyed at the end as I was. I'm both anxious and nervous to find a copy and see it now. So many movies which seemed so important to me back then (i.e. "The Graduate" "Easy Rider") now just seem silly and I don't want this to fall into the same category. But, I will find it and if it turns out silly, then at least I'll be able to turn my wife onto a great...no..outstanding soundtrack. When we met, we went through this with "Last Tango in Paris". The youngsters I work with (I'm 56) respect my opinions but it's hard to explain the feelings of the sixties and the movies and songs that reflect such strong feelings but seem a little "aged" now. I just can't figure out if the the aging process is the movies... or me. "Friends" is a very special, sensitive and wonderful movie. It will bring back a lot of special feelings I'm sure. By all means, rent or buy a copy... Indies were not near the strong genre then that they are today.$LABEL$ 1 +During the Clete Roberts preface, I was beginning to think this was an Ed Wood production, however, what rolls out here is some pretty hard hitting stuff. The story of crime and corruption in a Southern town is told using a cast culled from Hollywood's Poverty Row, and this makes the movie all the more realistic. There are no punches pulled here, and at times the film is reminiscent of "The Well"(1951). The Black and White texture gives a newsreel-like quality. For certain, younger viewers will be reminded of "The Blair Witch Project" but this one IS based on REAL events!$LABEL$ 1 +I decided to watch this one because it's been nominated for Oscar this year. I guess as many folks here I really wanted to like this movie, but ended up bored and disappointed. First scene was OK but the whole rest of the movie in "shaky hands" camera mode is really annoying.i guess the main reason for making such a movie and nominating it for Oscar is this:American "military machine" (people, who makes money on war) urgently need an excuse or justification of war in Iraq by bungling up something (sort of) patriotic.why these "heroic" efforts of director and the main character to _inspire_ the audience with an idea of "loving-war-like-a-drug"?.. Oh, please, come on! what a bore! watch this to get an idea of how low the movie academy can fall...$LABEL$ 0 +Mom should really be given a different title to distinguish it from all the other movies out there called Mom or with the word Mom in the title.This is a vastly superior zombie movie to so much of the rubbish that gets churned out time after time and all end up much the same as every other zombie movie out there.It is so different and refreshing it almost defies categorisation.The kind old lady who takes in a creepy lodger, who just happens to be a flesh eater, who then infects the old lady who also turns into a flesh eating zombie, or ghoul, quite which exactly is not defined.There is pathos in the story as her son realises what she has become and while at first horrified, attempts to help her by supplying 'food'. (I shall say no more about that, for fear of inserting a spoiler!) It is one of those 'quiet' movies as opposed to guns blasting, explosions raging, car chases, etc boring etc that makes so many movies all the same rubbish, but still with enough gory moments to satisfy horror fans, whilst also inserting sadness into the story, along with nice touches of humour as opposed to downright silliness of some so-called 'horror' movies.There is a particularly nice atmospheric shot at the beginning of the film, where the old lady is sitting alone in her room with only her Christmas tree for company and looks so 'innocent', but, what she becomes!! Oh my! A gem of a movie and even if not your thing, should at least be viewed if only once by any true horror fan.$LABEL$ 1 +Empire of Passion starts out deceptively - that is, if you're immediately expecting it to be a horror movie. It's like a riff on James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, at first: Seki (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) is a mother of two and a dutiful, hard-working wife to rickshaw driver Gisaburo (Takahiro Tamura). But when he's not around, and she's at home with the baby, the feisty and aimless young man Toyoji (Tatsuya Fuji) comes around to bring some goodies for Seki... and a little extra. They're soon sleeping together, but after he does something to her (let's just say a "shave"), he knows that he'll find out, and immediately proposes that they kill Gisaburo. They drink him up, strangle him, and then toss him down a well. Naturally, this will come back to haunt them - but that it's literally, at least to them (at first super-terrified Seki and then only later on skeptical Toyoji), changes gears into the 'Kaidan', a Japanese ghost story.This is a film where the horror comes not simply out of "oh, ghost, ah", but out of the total dread that builds for the characters. In a way there's the mechanics of a film-noir at work throughout, if only loosely translated by way of a 19th century Japanese village as opposed to an American city or small town (i.e. the snooping cop, the "evidence" found possibly by another, word getting around, suspicions aroused, etc). It's compelling because Seiko actually was against the plan from the start, manipulated by the lustful but ill-prepared Toyoji, and her reactions to Gisaburo's re-appearances are staggering to her. Take the one that comes closest to poetry: Gisaburo's ghost, pale-blue face and mostly silent, chilling stare, motions for Seiko to get on the rickshaw. She does, reluctantly, and he pushes her around on a road she doesn't know, in the wee hours before dawn, surrounded by smoke. Most Japanese ghost stories wish to heavens they could get this harrowingly atmospheric.While it starts to veer into hysterics towards the end, there's so much here that director Oshima gets right in making this a distinctive work. After hitting it huge in the international cinema world with In the Realm of the Senses (which, ironically, got banned in his own country), he made something that, he claimed, was even *more* daring that 'Senses'. Maybe he was right; Empire of Passion has less graphic sexual content by far than its predecessor (also starring Tatsuya Fuji, a magnificently physical actor with an immense lot of range), but its daring lies in crafting a world of dread. You can believe in ghosts in this story, but you also have to believe how far down to their own personal hells these two would-be lovebirds will go. The snooping detective or the gossiping townspeople are the least of their worries: the fate of their very souls is at stake.And Oshima takes what in other hands could be merely juicy pulp (sadly, it wouldn't surprise me if an American remake was already in the works) and crafts shot after gorgeous shot, with repetition working its way into the mis-en-scene (i.e. the shots of Seiko and Toyoji walking on that road, the camera at a dutch angle, the world tilted and surrounding them in a grim blue hue) as well as some affecting movements that will stay with me long after I finish typing this (i.e. Toyoji throwing the leaves by one hand into the well in slow motion, or how Seiko's nude body is revealed after she becomes blind). It's daring lies in connecting on a level of the spirit- not to be confused with the spiritual, though there may be something with that as well- about life and death's connections to one another, inextricably. It's a classic waiting to be discovered.$LABEL$ 1 +I am not a big music video fan. I think music videos take away personal feelings about a particular song.. Any song. In other words , creative thinking goes out the window. Likewise, Personal feelings aside about MJ, toss aside. This was the best music video of alltime. Simply wonderful. It was a movie. Yes folks it was. Brilliant! You had awesome acting, awesome choreography, and awesome singing. This was spectacular. Simply a plot line of a beautiful young lady dating a man , but was he a man or something sinister. Vincent Price did his thing adding to the song and video. MJ was MJ , enough said about that. This song was to video , what Jaguars are for cars. Top of the line, PERFECTO. What was even better about this was ,that we got the real MJ without the thousand facelifts. Though ironically enough, there was more than enough makeup and costumes to go around. Folks go to Youtube. Take 14 mins. out of your life and see for yourself what a wonderful work of art this particular video really is.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, my goodness. I would have never thought it was possible for me to see a thriller worse than Domestic Disturbance this soon, but here it is. Armed with rotten plot, terrible editing, stilted acting, and headache-inducing 'style' (sorry, I have no other words for it), Sanctimony is the kind of movie that almost forces you to re-evaluate an entire genre; that is, this film is so bad that even the thrillers I condemned as complete failures now seem a little better.Now, not only Sanctimony is a terrible film in itself, it also succeeds in the difficult task of ripping off better movies and do a pathetic job with it. Right from the main titles -- nothing but a blatant attempt to reproduce the ones from Se7en -- I was under the impression that something didn't smell quite right. As soon as the movie started with a series of corny, wanna-be hip quick-cuts full of gory images and bombastic colors, I knew where that smell was coming from.It turns out that two policemen, or rather policeman Jim Renart (Michael Paré) and policewoman Dorothy Smith (Jennifer Rubin), are investigating on a murder spree in Vancouver. A serial killer, known as "Monkey Killer" (what a menacing, chilling nickname, uh?) for his working methods, has killed quite a lot of people. You see, this nut apparently works following the proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" and cuts eyes, ears, and tongues out of his victims. So far, six eyes, six ears, and three tongues. In very ingenious fashion, Renart and Smith figure out that the Monkey Killer is probably going to kill other three people... well, because he probably wants to complete the number 666. So suddenly the film focuses on Tom Gerrick (Casper Van Dien), a young, successful, good-looking businessman, with a dreadful temper. And that's where the rip-off of American Psycho kicks in.So we follow the life of the two police officers and the young psychopath, none of which is interesting in the least, until they finally meet. Along the way to that, a disco where Renart barely misses Gerrick unintentionally offers us one of the funniest scenes in recent memory: Renart goes in the back of the disco club, because... well, just because the script tells us it's a suspect place; then, with one single punch in the stomach, Renard gets rid of a big guard who blocks the path, and the guard is never heard of again? Does this scene strike anyone else as completely unrealistic?Anyway, after another murder, Gerrick turns in as a witness, but Smith and especially Renart immediately suspect he might be the killer. In typical Basic Instinct fashion, Smith gets some dates with the young businessman, under the assumption that she might discover his true identity.I won't spoil the ending but it is, quite simply, an embarrassment; there are contradictions, some plot holes, issues that never get resolved, and especially there is one last scene where a brutal mass murder, supposed to be shocking and sad, comes off as such laughably overdone and nonsensical that I frankly can't imagine how anyone could not laugh at it.At 87 minutes, Sanctimony is really pushing it. You never care about one single character, because they are all so flat (not to mention boring) that you know exactly who is who the first time you meet them. You are never pulled into the story, because the scenes are connected through weak plot devices when not downright unnecessary and out of place. The acting ranges from average (Van Dien) to downright atrocious (Rubin, and most of the supporting cast); the music is abysmal generic techno, and the photography is one of the worst I have ever seen. Of course, like every fiasco of the genre, we are provided with a little bit of gratuitous nudity.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +The Man With a Golden Arm was one of a trio of great films around that same time that dealt with drug addiction. The other two were Monkey On My Back and A Hatful of Rain. But I think of the three this one is the best.Maybe if Otto Preminger had shot the thing in the real Chicago instead of those obvious studio sets the film might have been better yet. Who knows, maybe Preminger couldn't get enough money to pay for the location. It's the only flaw I find in the film.Frank Sinatra is a heroin addicted card dealer who was busted for covering for his boss Robert Strauss when the game was raided. He took the cure while in jail and wants a new life as a jazz drummer. But a whole lot of people are conspiring against him.First Bob Strauss who wants him back dealing, especially because a couple of heavyweight gamblers are in town. He uses a few underhanded methods to get Sinatra's services back. Secondly Darren McGavin is the local dope dealer who wants Sinatra good and hooked as a customer again. And finally Eleanor Parker his clinging wife who's working a con game to beat all, just to keep him around.Frank Sinatra got a nomination for Best Actor for this film, but lost to Ernest Borgnine in Marty. Sinatra might have won for this one if he hadn't won for From Here to Eternity in the Supporting Actor category a few years back and that Marty was such an acclaimed film in that year. His scenes going through withdrawal locked up in Kim Novak's apartment will leave you shaken.Eleanor Parker does not get enough credit for her role. She's really something as the crazy scheming wife who wants Sinatra tied to her no matter what the cost. If she had not been nominated that same year for Interrupted Melody, she might have been nominated for this. 1955 marked the high point of her career. Darren McGavin got his first real notice as the very serpentine drug peddler. His performance is guaranteed to make your flesh crawl.Elmer Bernstein contributed a great jazz score to accentuate the general dinginess of the bleak Chicago neighborhood the characters live in. Not a place you'd want to bring up your family.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was basically set up for failure by the studio. One, Anne Rice (author of the book) offered to write the screen play but was refused by the studio. Two, they tried to stuff 2 in depth novels in to a 2hour movie.I maintain the only way for these two books -Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned- to work in a live action form would be through a mini-series. First off the the Vampire Lestat alone takes place from the 1700's to the 1980's and has a plethora of character vital to the plot understanding of the main character, Lestat. The entire book Vampire Lestat sets up the events of the second part Queen of the Damned. Without that full understanding the premise of a movie is destroyed.Lestat was not cruel and vicious to all, he was not wanting to go along with Akasha's plans, Marius did not make Lestat, Lestat did not love Jesse or make her, Lestat could not go remain unscathed by the light, Marius was not after David nor the other way around, every character was completely represented wrong, BASICALLY same names different story.If they wanted to make a vampire movie, fine. Even if you wanted to be inspired by these novels, fine. But don't piggie back into the theaters off the success of Rice's great novels and characters just to destroy what her loyal readers have come to love.If you haven't read the books you won't understand the film really, if you have read the books you will be insulted. That being said, I am such a huge fan I had to see the movie knowing full well this was going to be the case and still went for it. Catch 22, must see it, will hate it.$LABEL$ 0 +Have previously enjoyed Wesley Snipes in several action flicks and I had expected a lot more, even from a score of 5.8 IMDb, the movie fails to entertain and even though the story is thin and unoriginal, the acting is most unfortunately thinner and goes to mimic a "worst case scenario" of playing "strong" feelings accompanied by some bad acting... Don't waist your time this movie ísnt entertaining, if you wanna cry it might suffice though, even though your tears will be wept due to seeing Wesley Snipes in the tragic action film wannabe comedy...I give this 2/10 it really was awful, if you wanna see a decent movie go see shooter or rent it, its all the good things this movie isn't.$LABEL$ 0 +An intense thriller about a mute movie make-up artist who witnesses a snuff film being made when she is working late in the studio one night. After she tries to get away from the murder scene, she realizes she is in for more than she bargained for when the entire mafia is out to kill her for being a witness. This movie leaves you on the edge of your seat.$LABEL$ 1 +Don't listen to most of these people. ill give you a better review of this movie which me and my friend love! Its about Jill Johnson, played by Camilla Belle, who babysits at the Mendrakis' house and someone breaks in. if you're wondering how he got in the house, he went through the garage most likely. so anyway, don't listen to, "the worst acting". it has amazing acting. with a great story. I think that there are 2 benefits that Jill has. 1. shes a fast runner and is on the track team. 2.she got out alive! lol.it is a cool movie and quite scary. check it out, you will be happy with this masterpiece. don't listen to the other people on the site. its very good. trust me, i am good at reviewing movies. I'm a future movie critic. i totally want to buy this movie. and you will too when you see it. it is amazingly awesome.$LABEL$ 1 +What a frustrating movie. A small Southern town is overflowing with possibilities for exploring the complexities of interpersonal relationships and dark underbellies hidden beneath placid surfaces, as anyone who has read anything by Carson McCullers already knows. This does none of that. Instead, the writers settled for cutesy twinkles, cheap warm fuzzies and banal melodrama. The thing looks like a made-for-TV movie, and was directed with no particular distinction, but it's hard to imagine what anyone could have done to make this material interesting.The most frustrating aspect, though, is the fact that there are a lot of extremely competent and appealing actors in this cast, all trying gamely to make the best of things and do what they can with this--well, there's no other word for it--drivel. A tragic waste of talent, in particular that of the great Stockard Channing.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starred a totally forgotten star from the 1930s, Jack Pearl (radio's "Baron Munchausen") as well as Jimmy Durante. However, 7-1/2 decades later, it's being billed as a Three Stooges film because they are the only ones in the film who the average person would recognize today. Film fanatics will also recognize the wonderful Edna May Oliver as well as Zazu Pitts.As for the Stooges, this is a film from there very early days--before MGM had any idea what to do with the team. At this point, they were known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges" as Healy was the front man. Fortunately for the Stooges, they soon left this nasty and rather untalented man (read up on him--you'll see what I mean) and the rest is history. Within a year, they were making very successful shorts for Columbia and executives at MGM were soon kicking themselves for losing the team. This sort of thing was a common occurrence at MGM, a great studio which had no idea what to do with comedy (such as the films of Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello and others). In fact, up until they left for Columbia, MGM put them in a wide variety of odd film roles--including acting with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in DANCING LADY. And, oddly, in this film they didn't act as a team--they just did various supporting roles, such as Larry playing the piano!This particular film begins with Pearl and Durante lost in the African jungle. When they are rescued and brought home, all sense of structure to the film falls apart and the film becomes almost like a variety show--punctuated by scenes with the leads here and there. As for Pearl, I could really see why he never made a successful transition to films, as he has the personality of a slug (but slightly less welcome). As for Durante, I never knew what the public saw in him--as least as far as his films are concerned--he was loud and...loud! He apparently took time off from helping MGM to ruin Buster Keaton's career to make this film. Together, Pearl and Durante rely on lots of verbal humor(?) and Vaudeville-style routines that tend to fall rather flat.In this film, the Stooges they didn't yet have the right chemistry. Seeing Healy doing the job that Moe did in their later films is odd. What they did in the film was pretty good, but because all the segments were short, they came on and off camera too quickly to allow them to really get into their routines. Stooges fans might be very frustrated at this, though die-hard fans may want to see this so that they can complete their life-long goal of seeing everything Stooge--even the rotten Joe DeRita and Joe Besser films (oh, and did they got bad after the deaths of Shemp and Curly).Overall, the film is rather dull and disappointing. However, there are a couple interesting things to look for in the mess. At about the 13 minute mark, you will see a brief scene where a tour guide on a bus is singing. Look carefully, as this is Walter Brennan in a role you'd certainly never expect! Another unusual thing to look for in the film is the "Clean as a Whistle" song starting at about 22 minutes into the film. This song and dance number is clearly an example of a so-called "Pre-Code" scene that never would have been allowed in films after 1934 (when the Production Code was strengthened). Despite the word "Clean" in the title, it's a very titillating number with naked women showing lots of flesh--enough to stimulate but not enough to really show anything! It's quite shocking when seen today, though such excesses were pretty common in the early 1930s. Finally, at the 63 minute mark, see Jimmy Durante set race relations back a few decades. See the film, you'll see that I mean!$LABEL$ 0 +When Carol (Vanessa Hidalgo) starts looking into her brother's death, she begins to suspect something more sinister than "natural causes". The closer she gets to the truth, the more of a threat she becomes to her sister-in-law, Fiona (Helga Line), and the rest of the local Satanists. They'll do whatever is necessary to put a stop her nosy ways.If you're into sleazy, Satanic-themed movies, Black Candles has a lot to offer. The movie is filled with plenty of nudity and ritualistic soft-core sex. One scene in particular involving a young woman and a goat must be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, all the sleaze in the world can't save Black Candles. Most of the movie is a total bore. Other than the one scene I've already mentioned, the numerous sex scenes aren't shocking and certainly aren't sexy. The acting is spotty at best. Even genre favorite Helga Line gives a disappointing performance. The plot really doesn't matter. Its main function seems to be to hold the string of dull sex scenes together. I'm only familiar with one other movie directed by Jose Ramon Larraz. Compared with his Daughters of Darkness that masterfully mixes eroticism and horror, Black Candles comes off as amateurish. 3/10 is about the best I can do.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the more intelligent serial killer movies in recent history. ZODIAC KILLER offers an imaginative take on the background and history of one of the most notorious serial killers. The filmmakers create an unexpectedly good insight into the pathology of this mysterious killer, and anyone who remembers Zodiac will be intrigued. Others will want to discover more about this enigmatic criminal. Unlike many serial killers, Zodiac was not insane at all but very methodical and a self-promoter. The director here plays viewer expectations and pulls it off. The film is constructed as a murder mystery, or a "cold case"-style thriller. It is an intelligent investigative/procedural-style horror film that will put-off gore-hounds in search of cheap thrills.Some people dislike any movie that is shot on video. This attitude is very old-style and provincial. It is an attitude and view of movies that puts technical issues above entertainment value or artistic value. These attitudes are on the way out. ZODIAC KILLER is a low-budget film, no doubt, but discerning viewers will look beyond that and find a carefully-crafted gem.$LABEL$ 1 +I've read the other reviews and found some to be comparison of movie v real life (eg what it takes to get into music school), Britney Bashing, etc, etc. so let's focus on the movie and the message.I have rated this movie 7 out of 10 for the age range 8 to 14 years, and for a family movie. For the average adult male.... 2 out of 10.I like pop/rock music, i'm 45. I know of Britney Spears but never realised she actually sang Stronger until i read the credits and these reviews. I didn't recognise her poster on the wall so I was not worried about any 'self promotion'.I watch movies to be entertained. i don't care about casting, lighting, producers, directors, etc. What is the movie and does it entertain me.I watched this movie for the message. The world's greatest epidemic is low self-esteem (which is a whole other story) so watched with the message in mind, as that is an area of interest. The movie is light, bright and breezy, great for kids. I found the Texan twang began to fade throughout the movie and of course there are only so many ways to convey the give up/don't give up message, so yeh, it was a bit predictable. Great message though...should be more of them.This movie is a great family movie, but for a bloke watching by himself, get Hannibal.$LABEL$ 1 +I like this movie because it is a fine work of cinema, made by people who care enough to make it art and not just home movies. It is filled with Super-surfer Greg Noll's home movies, and a boatload of amateur video from others who align themselves with his 50-year passion. Nevertheless, it has been expanded to the degree that it approaches aesthetic glory. It is filled with artistic talent, and athletic talent, however trivial you might think surfing to be athletic. Surfers are not astronauts nor test-pilots. Nor are they surgeons(perhaps) or Ph.d's(again, perhaps). It believes in the quest of the surfer. It believes in the beauty of human goofiness. It believes in the great gift of peace, which comes from the cessation of war. Surfers celebrate the cessation of war on the north beach of an Hawaiian island attacked by Japanese zeroes fifteen years before. It celebrates the down-time of a country which fought a cold war-instead of a hot-war - with the Russian socialists. Surfing is the ultimate narcissism. It is dangerous, but only slightly historical. I suspect Alexander the Great would not be celebrated for his surfing technique. He had to go out and conquer a few dozen countries to get the favorable press he has received. This movie has no military heroes. It has no guns. The only beach-head surfers conquer has a beer-stand and and a surfboard shop. This is not a problem. Peace is not desperate. It is the joy of exhalation.$LABEL$ 1 +I had a hard time staying awake for the two hour opening episode. It was dumbed down to such an extent, I doubt if I learned a single thing. The graphics were rudimentary. Any small idea was repeated ad nauseum. Contrast this to the Cosmos series hosted by Carl Sagan. That had a good musical theme. There was NO music coming from these infernal 10-dimensional Strings.$LABEL$ 0 +Although the plot of this film is a bit far-fetched, it is worth seeing just for the performances of Michaels Caine and Gambon. The latter delivers a truly wonderful Dublin accent. Caine hams it up...which is exactly what the character he is playing should do. Entertaining and fun, this is a hour and a half of easy watching.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was so badly written, directed and acted that it beggars belief. It should be remade with a better script, director and casting service. The worst problem is the acting. You have Jennifer Beals on the one hand who is polished, professional and totally believable, and on the other hand, Ri'chard, who is woefully miscast and just jarring in this particular piece. Peter Gallagher and Jenny Levine are just awful as the slave owning (and keeping) couple, although both normally do fine work. The actors (and director) should not have attempted to do accents at all--they are inconsistent and unbelievable. Much better to have concentrated on doing a good job in actual English. The casting is ludicrous. Why have children of an "African" merchant (thus less socially desirable to the gens de couleur society ) been cast with very pale skinned actors, while the supposedly socially desirable Marcel, has pronounced African features, including an obviously dyed blond "fro"? It's as if the casting directors cannot be bothered to read the script they are casting and to chose appropriate actors from a large pool of extremely talented and physically diverse actors of color. It's just so weird! This could be a great movie and should be re-made, but with people who respect the material and can choose appropriate and skilled actors. There are plenty of good actors out there, and it would be fun to see how Jennifer Beals, Daniel Sunjata and Gloria Reuben would do with an appropriate cast, good script and decent direction.$LABEL$ 0 +When I was a younger(oh about 2)I watched Barney for the first time, and liked it. BUT, back then I didn't exactly have a brain, either. And now I look back and see what a horrible show "Barney" really is: First of all, EVERYTHING on that show is creepy. Barney, the main character, is a horrendous 9-foot tall talking, purple dinosaur that teaches 13-year-olds about "imagination...."(*shudders*) B.J.(I know what your thinking about his name.)Is a smaller yet creepier yellow dinosaur that is put in to be "supposudly" cool. But in fact, he is the exact opposite. After watching a few episodes with B.J. dumbly trudging in with his slightly turned back cap, and making a few no-so-funny jokes, I wanted to scream. Baby Bop-oh-oh-god!(*vomits*)oh-oh-OH-anyway Baby Bop is the worst idea of a character EVER. She is a green triceratops(it's a dinosaur) that carries a yellow blanket. Her remarks of "hee-hee-hee" and Barney's praises cries of 'super-deeee-doooper", make it hard to sit through each episode, as the Seventh graders learn about shapes and manners.And that, my friend, is what makes this show truly horrible.$LABEL$ 0 +Steve McQueen has certainly a lot of loyal fans out there. He certainly was a charismatic fellow, one of the most charismatic the big screen ever knew. But even McQueen can't save this turkey of a film, shot with what looks like a brownie camera in the actual locations in St. Louis.McQueen's a new kid with no criminal record brought into the planning of a bank heist by one of the other gang. There's more than a broad hint that there's a gay relationship going on between young Steve and David Clarke. He's not liked at all by the other heist members, mainly because of his lack of criminal resume. Steve also has a girl friend in Molly McCarthy and she suspects something afoot, especially when he starts hanging around with Crahan Denton and James Dukas as well as Clarke, all pretty rough characters. That would certainly get my suspicions aroused.The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery had two directors Charles Guggenheim and John Stix. Guggenheim did mostly documentaries and Stix didn't do much of anything. One of those two jokers decided Steve's performance was best served by doing a bad Marlon Brando imitation. This film may go down as the worst ever done by Steve McQueen. I'm willing to bet that Dick Powell and Four Star Productions had already signed him for Wanted Dead or Alive because I can't believe they would have if they saw this.Or they would have seen something the public would have overlooked except for the dressing for this turkey.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a bad film, as its central message is very muddled and the plot seems like it was the result of merging several disparate scripts. As a result, it often makes absolutely no sense at all and certainly is not a film Miss Dunne or Mr. Huston should have been proud of making. However, the film IS worth watching if you are a fan of "Pre-Code" films because it features an amazingly sleazy plot that strongly says that nice girls DO put out--even if they aren't married and even if their partner IS!! The film begins with Miss Dunne as a social worker assisting troops heading to Europe for WWI. In the process, she meets a scalawag (Bruce Cabot) who eventually convinces her to sleep with him. She becomes pregnant and he then goes on to the next unsuspecting woman. However, Miss Dunne does NOT want him back, as she realizes he's not worth it, but later her baby dies at child birth. While all these very controversial plot elements are used, they are always alluded to--almost like they wanted the adults in the audience to know but hoped that if they phrase it or film it in just the right way, kids in the audience will be clueless (after all, films were not rated and kids might attend any film at this time).Surprisingly, this entire plot involving a stillborn baby and Cabot ends about 1/4 of the way through the film and is never mentioned again or alluded to. It was as if they filmed part of a movie and abandoned it--tacking it on to still another film. In this second phase of the film, Miss Dunne unexpectedly begins working at a women's prison (though we actually never really get to see her doing anything there). What we do see are countless horrible scenes of severe abuse and torture that were probably designed to titillate. And, as a result of all this violence, Miss Dunne goes on a crusade to clean up the prison and becomes a reformer and famous writer.But then, out of the blue, another type of film emerges and the women's prison reform business goes by the wayside. Dunne meets a judge (Walter Huston) who is married but he desperately wants her. Now throughout the film, Dunne is portrayed as a very good girl--even though she did have unmarried sex with Cabot (she was more or less tricked into it). But now, single Irene, who is a tireless reformer and good lady begins sleeping with a married man. He tells her that he and his wife are estranged and are married in name only, but she never thinks to investigate if this is true, and with his assurance, off flies her clothes and they are in the baby making business! BUT, while she's pregnant with his love child, he's indicted for being a crooked judge. He assures her he's innocent, but he's convicted and it sure sounds like he's a scoundrel--using inside information from people that have come before his bench in order to amass a fortune. Then, in the final moments of the film, Miss Dunne tries in vain to get him freed and vows to wait with the child until Huston is released. The film then ends.So, we basically have three separate films AND a bizarre early 30s idea of what a nice girl should be like. I gathered that she should be a strong-minded working girl who instantly becomes an idiot in her personal relationships! This really undoes all the positives about Dunne's character and it's really hard to imagine anyone liking the film. A strong women's rights advocate might easily be offended at how weak-minded and needy she was and religious people might see her as totally amoral or at least morally suspect! With a decent re-write, this could have been a good film or at least interesting as a lewd and salacious film, but it couldn't make up its mind WHAT it wanted to be and was just another dull Pre-Code film.$LABEL$ 0 +I caught this movie on the Sci-Fi channel recently. It actually turned out to be pretty decent as far as B-list horror/suspense films go. Two guys (one naive and one loud mouthed a**) take a road trip to stop a wedding but have the worst possible luck when a maniac in a freaky, make-shift tank/truck hybrid decides to play cat-and-mouse with them. Things are further complicated when they pick up a ridiculously whorish hitchhiker. What makes this film unique is that the combination of comedy and terror actually work in this movie, unlike so many others. The two guys are likable enough and there are some good chase/suspense scenes. Nice pacing and comic timing make this movie more than passable for the horror/slasher buff. Definitely worth checking out.$LABEL$ 1 +(Very mild spoilers; a basic plot outline, no real details) IF you go into this movie with sufficiently low expectations. I saw this film at a free screening a few days ago in Maryland, and the only reason I agreed to go...was because it was free. I expected a few chuckles, but as I have never been a huge fan of Tenacious D, not much more then that.The first ten minutes of the film are hilarious, as we are given a look at Jack Black's humble Christian origins in a Midwest American town. The film then takes us years into the future, to the first meeting between JB and Kyle Gass, the second half of Tenacious D. We see the formation of the band and the genesis of its name. Finally, as the title suggests, the second half of the film details their quest to obtain the fabled "Pick of Destiny." Again, the beginning of the film was laugh out loud funny, and most of the movie at least kept a smile on my face. That said, there were times it felt a bit long; it's only 100 minutes, but it still felt like it should have been a bit shorter. The story is every bit as absurd as it sounds, and this is not a film you see if you want a real plot. Which is fine, except it means that many of the jokes are very hit or miss...and when they miss, they miss bad. Same thing with the songs; it is a musical, but many of the songs lost their appeal after the first minute or so...then kept going anyway.I will say that the R-rating really saved this movie from bombing; The D's humor simply couldn't work without cussing, sex, and drug references. But unless you're a real fan of the band, or at the very least know you appreciate their style of comedy, I would recommend you save yourself some money and rent. "Pick" will make you giggle a bit...but is it worth 9 bucks? I don't think so. I was tempted to rate it a 6, but since I do think that many would enjoy it enough to justify seeing it in theatres, a 7 seems more appropriate. Just be sure it's your style.$LABEL$ 1 +I shall begin with a disclaimer: This movie is NOT recommended for anyone who lack interest or have never played FF7 the game before watching. The movie relies on the audience's knowledge of each character in the game to convey story plot elements. And it does so very subtly. Do your homework before watching this wonderful piece of CG film and I promise it'll be that much better.With that in mind, this film has some of the most spectacular CG sequences I have ever witnessed. The whole experience felt like an extra long FMV sequence from the game, on steroids. Yeah. The attention to detail in each scene, especially in the heavy action oriented ones, is so impeccable it left me with a sense of awe.I believe the soundtrack is simplified so as to help the audience focus on the animation quality more than the music. Again, for those who are familiar with the FF7 story and background, the music should not surprise anyone (although the timing and placement of each soundtrack from the original accompany each scene and mood to the point where the music simply enhances the animation).Once again, I myself having only played through FF7 once, thoroughly enjoyed this piece of art from Square Enix. And that is the feel in most scenes, choreographed and organized. Like a dance.In short, if you enjoyed the music or the game Final Fantasy 7, this film will blow you out of the water. If you're in the unfortunate majority who has not experienced the goodness known as FF7 on Playstation or PC, doing so before watching the movie will allow for an exponentially greater experience.Finally, I just want to make a note of the quality in animating this film. Characters move with fluidity. Each scene background comes to life and tells its own story. For those who criticize the thinness and dependency of the story plot, I urge you to reexamine the animation. Facial reactions, subtle clues that bring about another level of entertainment above the typical narration method of story plot delivery.Square Enix and the great Tetsuya Nomura has set a new bar for quality animation and storytelling. Advent Children has ushered in a new era for CG animations, allowing the subtleties that lie in each character to speak volumes in and of themselves.Thanks Square Enix. The wait was well worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is quite possibly one of the worst movies ever made. Everything about it--acting, directing, script, cinematography--is dreadful. The alien (a human in sparkly suit) claims to be from a nearby universe; one assumes the scriptwriter meant "galaxy" but didn't bother to get a dictionary to check his terms. A better title for the film would be "It Came From the Planet of Plot Contrivances." The plot is excessively silly and nearly nonexistent. The humans are all given magical MacGuffins that conform to a tortuous series of unlikely restrictions just to move the bare plot. Any thought to the passage of time is ignored. Now it's a couple days after meeting the alien, then BAM! all of a sudden there's only a couple hours left until zero hour. Do yourself a favor and miss this movie. You will make yourself stupider for having watched it. The ending is particularly silly, and should have been accompanied by someone going "Ta-Da!!!!" as the scriptwriter just pulls something random out of his butt. I think the real alien plot is that this movie sucks so bad you'll get cancer watching it. If you can watch the last 10 minutes without crapping yourself ("enemies of freedom"--honestly) laughing, you're retarded.$LABEL$ 0 +If you really really REALLY enjoy movies featuring ants building dirt-mirrors, eating non-ants, and conquering the world with a voice-over narrative, then this is the movie for you. Basically, a couple of scientists working out of a bio-dome communicate with highly intelligent ants (the most intelligent actors in this film) in an attempt to try to thwart their plans of conquest and extermination. Throughout the movie the two scientists (and a girl they rescued from the ants) use everything at their disposal (computers, green dye, and horrid acting), but to no avail. I guess they just couldn't afford any pesticides because the movie would be over too quickly.The title of the movie "Phase IV" is something of a mystery. This is not a spoiler, but "Phase I" starts right after the opening credits whereas you don't reach "Phase IV" until the end credits roll. Apparently the director knew the movie would be tedious to get through and so placed Phases 1 - 3 throughout the movie as a kind of progress report: "Hang in there buddy! Only 1 more phase until final credits!" As a MST3K episode, this one wasn't very good for two reasons: 1) This one is from the Season 0 on KTMA when they were first starting out so the riffing is not as good as in later seasons; and 2) This movie is so bad not even J&TB can lighten it up. There are one or two Gamera references as they had just finished riffing 5 Gamera movies.The movie does have a trick/surprise ending, but I was so glad to reach the end the effect was lost on me.$LABEL$ 0 +Joseph Brady and Clarence Doolittle are two sailors, who have a four-day shore leave in Hollywood.Joe knows everything about girls and can't wait to see Lola, while Clarence is shyer and needs some advice from his buddy on how to meet girls.They then run into a little boy, Donald Martin, who has ran away in order to join the navy.They take him home and meet his beautiful aunt Susan, who wants to be a singer.Clarence wants Susie to be his girl, but his shyness gets in the way.But he doesn't feel shy with a waitress, who comes from Brooklyn, like he does.Soon Joe notices he's in love with Susie.The boys are in a fix when they lie to Susie on meeting with a big time music producer they don't even know.As they are in a fix with their feelings.George Sidney's Anchors Aweigh (1945) is a great musical comedy.Gene Kelly is top-notch, once again, in his singing and dancing routines.Frank Sinatra is terrific as the shy guy from Brooklyn.Shy isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Frank Sinatra, but he plays his part well.Kathryn Grayson is fantastic as Susan Abbott.We sadly lost this gifted actress and operatic soprano singer last month at the age of 88.The 9-year old Dean Stockwell does amazing job as the little fellow wanting to become a sailor.Jose Iturbi does great job performing himself.It's magic what he does with the piano.Edgar Kennedy plays Chief of police station.Sara Berner is the voice of Jerry Mouse.There's a lot of great stuff in this movie and some fantastic singing and dancing numbers.Just look at Kelly and Sinatra performing "We Hate to Leave".It's so energetic."If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)" is quite funny.It's a nice moment when Frank sings Brahms' Lullaby to little Dean Stockwell.It's lovely to listen to Grayson singing the tango "Jealousy" .The most memorable sequence is the one that takes into the animated fantasy world, and there Gene sings and dances with Jerry Mouse.Also Tom Cat is seen there as the butler.They originally asked Mickey Mouse but he refused.The movie was nominated for five Oscars but Georgie Stoll got one for Original Music Score.Anchors Aweigh is some high class entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +From director Barbet Schroder (Reversal of Fortune), I think I saw a bit of this in my Media Studies class, and I recognised the leading actress, so I tried it, despite the rating by the critics. Basically cool kid Richard Haywood (Half Nelson's Ryan Gosling) and Justin Pendleton (Bully's Michael Pitt) team up to murder a random girl to challenge themselves and see if they can get away with it without the police finding them. Investigating the murder is homicide detective Cassie 'The Hyena' Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) with new partner Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin), who are pretty baffled by the evidence found on the scene, e.g. non-relating hairs. The plan doesn't seem to be completely going well because Cassie and Sam do quite quickly have Richard or Justin as suspects, it is just a question of if they can sway them away. Also starring Agnes Bruckner as Lisa Mills, Chris Penn as Ray Feathers, R.D. Call as Captain Rod Cody and Tom Verica as Asst. D.A. Al Swanson. I can see now the same concept as Sir Alfred Hitchcock's Rope with the murdering for a challenge thing, but this film does it in a very silly way, and not even a reasonably good Bullock can save it from being dull and predictable. Adequate!$LABEL$ 0 +Things to Come is an early Sci-Fi film that shows an imagined world, or "Everytown" through 100 years. You can break it up into about 4 different scenes or parts. The film spans from 1940 to 2036 and is mainly about how this ruler or the "Boss" wanted to get the capability to fly in airplanes again, after Everytown was bombed and war broke out.This film only has about 3 faults: it's audio is muddy and video had some quirks, the characters aren't deep at all, and the overall plot isn't altogether solid. The plot is lacking something that I can't put my finger on... it just seems a little "fluffy." But if you love sci-fi and are interested in what H.G. Wells though might happened in the next hundred years, this is a must see. It's worth seeing just to learn of what everyone was fearing: a long, drawn-out war, because they were just about to go to war with Germany, and there was a threat of biological weapons and everything.Things to Come is a pretty good movie that most people need to see once.$LABEL$ 1 +Weak,stale, tired, cliched; wants to be Basic Instinct, but misses opportunity after opportunity for fresh perspectives, new insights. Insipid, trite, grotesque, and without the possibly-redeeming value of brevity; oh, wait...it was only 90 minutes long...it must have just *seemed* a lot longer! I'd rather clean bus station toilets with my toothbrush than have to sit through this again. I'm expressing an opinion here: I guess this means I didn't like it.$LABEL$ 0 +One word can describe this movie and that is weird. I recorded this movie one day because it was a Japanese animation and it was old so I thought it would be interesting. Well it was, the movie is about a young boy who travels the universe to get a metal body so he can seek revenge. On the way he meets very colorful characters and must ultimately decide if he wants the body or not. Very strange, if you are a fan of animation/science-fiction you might want to check this out.$LABEL$ 1 +While i was the video store i was browsing through the one dollar rentals and came upon this little gem. I don't know what it was about it but i just had a gut instic about it and wow was i ever right.The story centers around two girls who have just survived a school shooting. One of the girls is Alicia a teenage reble who is the only witness for the full attack and another is Deanna another survivor who survived a bullet to the head by some miracle. Thrown together by fate, they slowly begin a painful and beautiful display of healing and moving on.I just hate it when amazing movies fall through the cracks. Because wow what a performance by Busy Phillips and Erkia Christensen not to mention the rest of the cast! My only complaint is that the DVD was sorely lacking in special features. Oh and some of the jump cuts in the movie were kind of jarring. But all in all a excellent movie.$LABEL$ 1 +this film is quite simply one of the worst films ever made and is a damning indictment on not only the British film industry but the talentless hacks at work today. Not only did the film get mainstream distribution it also features a good cast of British actors, so what went wrong? i don't know and simply i don't care enough to engage with the debate because the film was so terrible it deserves no thought at all. be warned and stay the hell away from this rubbish. but apparently i need to write ten lines of text in this review so i might as well detail the plot. A nob of a man is setup by his evil friend and co-worker out of his father's company and thus leads to an encounter with the Russian mafia and dodgy accents and stupid, very stupid plot twists/devices. i should have asked for my money back but was perhaps still in shock from the experience. if you want a good crime film watch the usual suspects or the godfather, what about lock, stock.... thats the peak of the contemporary British crime film.....$LABEL$ 0 +I'll not comment a lot, what's to??? Stereotype characters, absolute ignorance about Colombia's reality, awful mise en scene, poor color choice, NOT funny (it supposed to be a comedy and they expect that you will laugh because some distend music it's beside the nonsense scenes), Very poor actors direction (if you see somewhere those people, I mean the interpreters, you'll know they are at least good, but seeing this so call film, it is impossible to guess it), you get tired of the music... this "comedy" has no rhythm, the only good rhythm in it, it's the rap sing in the final credits....pathetic, doesn't it? etc...etc... It has been a long time I haven't seen a movie so bad!!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a riot. I cannot remember the last time I had such a great time at the movies. I've seen a few good comedies in my time and usually they are pretty funny. But this one is wall to wall great lines. I think Best in Show is the last movie that I laughed so hard and so much in. The movie was non-stop until the end when they did the 5 minutes of sentimental plot clean up. Other than that it's a constant barrage of one liners and goofy situations. I'd like to see it again before it leaves the theater because this is like the Zucker movies where you don't get all the jokes the first time around. You have to see it two or three times to get it all in.As far as the actual film goes, it could have used a better edit, it's choppy at times but we have to be forgiving for that. All the characters are great. It's not like an Adam Sandler movie where he tries to be funny and everyone else suffers around him and is the butt of the joke. I think I will remember all the main characters for years to come because they are all so likable. No victims in this movie. Also, thank God they got a 45 year old actress to play his girlfriend. Catherine Keener plays her and she is a sweetheart in this film. You just wish that women like her really existed. She's not a "10" like some of the other leading ladies but somehow her smile is warmer than Julia Roberts overdone overbite.If you see the trailer for this film you may not think too highly of it. I assure you, the trailer does not do it justice. They do not give away all the good jokes. Just some of the mediocre ones.Oh and one more thing. I hope critics put this on their top ten list. Many of them complain that comedies don't get the recognition they deserve and then at the end of the year they don't put it on their list. This means you Ebert!!!$LABEL$ 1 +A fey story of a Martian attempt to colonize Earth. (Things must be pretty bad back on Mars.) Two state troopers investigate the scene of a reported UFO crash. Whatever landed is buried under the ice at Tracy's Pond but there are footsteps in the snow leading to a nearby diner.The diner has had no customers since eleven o'clock that morning. Now there are a handful of bus passengers sitting around waiting for permission to cross a structurally weak bridge. The bus driver insists that six passengers were aboard the bus, although he didn't notice who they were. The problem is that there are now SEVEN people waiting for the journey to be resumed. One of them is an alien, but which one? All of them are suspect. There's the crazy old man (Jack Elam), of course, who seems to exercise a sub rosa wit. There's a blustering businessman who must get to Boston (John Hoyt). A young couple on their honeymoon. (Execrable performance by the husband, Ron Kipling.) Except for the couples, nobody has noticed anyone else. And even the couples are suspicious of each other. Bride to newly minted husband: "I could have sworn you had a mole on your chin." The story continues in a sprightly but slightly spooky way -- the phone rings for no reason, the lights go on and off, the juke box turns itself on -- and none of it is to be taken seriously.It's a thoroughly enjoyable ensemble play and the climactic revelation is worth a chuckle. There is no discernible "depth" to it. It's not a moral message about pod people masquerading as normal citizens. It's not a warning of any kind, just a fairy tale that diverts and amuses.I always enjoy it when it's on. It's especially interesting to see John Hoyt as the irritable and impatient businessman, knowing that in 1954 he was the Roman Senator who masterminded the assassination of Julius Caesar in MGM's version of Shakespeare's play. And here he is -- with three arms.Oops.$LABEL$ 1 +It's rare that I feel a need to write a review on this site, but this film is very deserving because of how poorly it was created, and how bias its product was.I felt a distinct attempt on the part of the film-makers to display the Palestinian family as boorish and untrustworthy. We hear them discuss the sadness that they feel from oppression, yet the film is shot and arranged in a way that we feel the politically oppressed population is the Jewish Israeli population. We see no evidence that parallels the position of the Palestinian teenager. We only hear from other Palestinians in prison. I understand restrictions are in place, but the political nature of the restrictions are designed to prevent peace.I came out of the film feeling that the mother of the victim was selfish in her mourning and completely closed minded due to her side of the fence, so to speak. She continued to be unwilling to see the hurt of the bomber's parents, and her angry and closed-minded words caused the final meeting to spiral out of control. It is more realistic, in my mind, to see the Israeli mindset to be a root of the problem; ignored pleas for understanding and freedom, ignored requests for acknowledgment for the process by which the Jewish population acquired the land.I have given this a two because of these selfish weaknesses of the mother, which normally would be admirable in a documentary, however in the light of the lack of impartiality, it all seems exploitative. Also for the poor edits, lack of background in the actual instance, and finally the lack of proper representation of the Palestinian side. Ultimately, it is a poor documentary and a poor film. I acknowledge this is partially the result of the political situation, but am obliged to note the flaws in direction regardless of the heart-wrenching and sad subject matter.$LABEL$ 0 +Relentless like one of those loud action movies. The entire cast seems to be on speed. I didn't quite get the director's intentions if any. I wonder if she's ever seen a Stanley Donen, Vincent Minnelli or even a George Sidney musical. Structure, please! This is one hell of a mess and I loved Abba. The costumes the unflattering photography - unflattering towards the actors but loving towards the locations) The one thing that makes the whole thing bearable is the sight of Meryl Streep making a fool of herself. No chemistry with her friends (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) think of Streep with Lily Tomlyn in the Altman film and you'll understand what I was hoping for. I was embarrassed in particular by Pierce Brosnam and Colin Firth. The audience, however, seemed to enjoy it so it probably it's just me.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie does a great job of explaining the problems that we faced and the fears that we had before we put man into space. As a history of space flight, it is still used today in classrooms that can get one of the rare prints of it. Disney has shown it on "Vault Disney" and I wish they would do so again.$LABEL$ 1 +In an alternate 1950s, where an outbreak of the undead (caused by a mysterious 'space-dust') has been contained through the use of special electronic collars, a young loner, Timmy, finds a friend in Fido (Billy Connelly), his family's recently acquired domesticated zombie.Fido quickly becomes a surrogate father to Timmy, whose real dad is unable to adequately express his love for his son (or for his hot-to-trot wife, played by the gorgeous Carrie-Anne Moss) having been psychologically scarred as a child (when he was forced to shoot his own father, who tried to eat him!).Timmy runs into a spot of bother, however, when his putrid pal's collar goes on the blink, and he attacks and kills an elderly neighbour. With the authorities on Fido's trail, trouble brewing with a pair of local bullies, and his mother forming a bond with their undead house-help, will Timmy be able to hold on to his new found friend?A refreshing take on the whole zombie schtick, Fido is a thoroughly entertaining, deliciously dark comedy that should appeal to anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humour. Taking the Romero zombie-verse and transplanting it into 1950s small town America is a stroke of genius, and the result is simply one of the most original films to tackle the whole 'reanimated dead' theme that I have seen.Connelly's Fido is a cinematic zombie worthy of inclusion in the Undead Movie Hall of Fame, along with Day Of The Dead's Bub, and Return Of The Living Dead's Tarman; it is not often I feel empathy for a walking corpse, but The Big Yin's performance is so fine that I actually found myself rooting for the big blue bag of pus! The rest of the cast also give commendable performances, with young K'Sun Ray (as Timmy) and Ms.Moss deserving special mentions—Ray, because, for one so young, he puts in a particularly assured turn, and Moss because she is so bloody yummy!This is the third zombie film that I have watched this week (the others being the somewhat disappointing Planet Terror and the rather fun Flight Of The Living Dead), and, to my surprise, it is also the best. Director Andrew Currie has given fans of the genre something truly original to treasure and is a talent to be watched in the future.8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.$LABEL$ 1 +An extremely down-to-earth, well made and acted "Rodeo" Western. No gussied up stars needed here as all cast members were regular people telling a real life story about a rodeo hustler and his entourage in the 60's and 70's West. But hats off particularly to Slim Pickens for giving what I think was his signature performance, especially given the fact that he had been a rodeo clown in real life. His role went far beyond the mere clown role as he deeply dealt with all the "ups and downs" of the hard-nosed rodeo life and the psychological devastation that so frequently surrounds such a life style. He and Mr. Coburn teamed up extremely well as partners, not only on the circuit itself, but also in the real world outside the corral. Also, check out Anne Archer as Coburn's Native American love interest in the latter part of the movie. Must have been one of her first roles. Not as flashy, perhaps, as "Junior Bonner", but equally heart rendering and impacting in its portrayal. Thanks to the Encore Western Channel for showing this true grit of an under-rated movie from time to time.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite some reviews being distinctly Luke-warm, I found the story totally engrossing and even if some critics have described the love story as 'Mills and Boon', so what? It is good to see a warm, touching story of real love in these cynical times. Many in the audience were sniffing and surreptitiously dabbing their eyes. You really believe that the young Victoria and Albert are passionately fond of each other, even though, for political reasons, it was an arranged marriage. I did feel though that Sir John Conroy, who was desperate to control the young Queen, is perhaps played too like a pantomime villain. As it is rumoured that he was in fact, the real father of Victoria (as a result of an affair with her mother The Duchess of Kent) it would have been interesting to explore this theory. Emily Blunt is totally convincing as the young Princess, trapped in the stifling palace with courtiers and politicians out to manipulate her. She brilliantly portrays the strength of character and determination that eventually made Victoria a great Queen of England, which prospered as never before, under her long reign. I believe word of mouth recommendations will ensure great success for this most enjoyable and wonderful looking movie.$LABEL$ 1 +"American Nightmare" is officially tied, in my opinion, with "It's Pat!" for the WORST MOVIE OF ALL TIME.Seven friends (oddly resembling the K-Mart version of the cast of "Friends") gather in a coffee shop to listen to American Nightmare, a pirate radio show. It's hosted by a guy with a beard. That's the most exciting aspect of his show.Chandler, Monica, Joey, and... oh wait, I mean, Wayne, Jessie, and the rest of the bad one-liner spouting gang all take turns revealing their biggest fears to the bearded DJ. Unbeknownst to them, a crazed nurse/serial killer is listening...Crazy Nurse then proceeds to torture Ross and Rachel and... wait, sorry again... by making their fears come to life. These fears include such stunners as "voodoo" and being gone down on by old ladies with dentures.No. Really.This movie was, in a word, rotten. Crazy Nurse's killing spree lacks motivation, there's nothing to make the viewer "jump," the ending blows, and--again--voodoo?If you have absolutely no regard for your loved ones, rent "American Nightmare" with them.If you care for your loved ones--even a little bit--go to your local Blockbuster, rent all of the copies of "American Nightmare" and hide them in your freezer.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, I have to say that I loved the book Animal Farm. I read it with my 9th grade class, and it was great. We also decided that watching the movie would be beneficial. The movie was so disappointing to me. The movie cuts out some characters, and misses a lot of the main points of the book. It skips around a lot, and doesn't explain anything in detail. If someone was watching this movie without having first read the book, they would be confused. The most disappointing thing in this movie to me, was the ending. The ending in the book was the most powerful, and in the movie, they changed it! It was supposed to be the pigs and men in an alliance and sort of "melting" together, but instead, the movie made it seem like the animals were going to rebel against the pigs. To sum up, I don't think that this movie captured the real meaning that Orwell portrayed in his book.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was extremely boring. I only laughed a few times. I decided to rent it when I noticed William Shatner's name on the cover. It's all about this little kid who gets picked on all the time by his classmates. When wandering the streets looking for old ladies to assist, he meets a prostitute. She takes him to a club called the Playground, where he befriends several pimps. When mayor Tony Gold (Shatner) decides to take over the pimp business, Lil' Pimp must lay down for his homies.The animation isn't very good in this. It looks like it was made with Macromedia, which I'm sure it was. It doesn't suck, it's just the sort of choppy flash animation that people have gotten used to over recent years. The humor in this is not very good, I didn't think any of it was funny.$LABEL$ 0 +I was disgusted by this movie. No it wasn't because of the graphic sex scenes, it was because it ruined the image of Artemisia Gentileschi. This movie does not hold much truth about her and her art. It shows one piece of art work that she did (Judith Beheading Holofernese) but shows that being entered as testimony in the rape trial when she did not paint her first Judith for a year after the trial.I don't know if you understood this from the movie, probably not, Tassi was not a noble character. He RAPED Artemisia. It was not love, it was rape. He did not claim to accept false charges of rape to stop her from suffering while she was tortured. According to the rape transcripts he continued to claim that he never carnally knew Artemisia (aka had sex with) while she states over and over again "It's true".I encourage all of you people to go out and find about the real Artemisia and see what she is really about. Don't base all of your knowledge on this fictional movie. I encourage you to do some research, Artemisia really does have interesting story behind her and some amazing art work.Don't see the movie, but find out the true story of Artemisia.$LABEL$ 0 +Such a joyous world has been created for us in Pixar's A Bug's Life; we're immersed in a universe which could only be documented this enjoyably on film, but more precisely a universe which could only be documented through the world of animation. For those who have forgotten what a plentiful and exuberant world animation can offer – when it's in the right hands that is – A Bug's Life is a warm reminder. We walk out of the film with an equally-warm feeling, and a sense of satisfaction derivative of only high-calibre film productions.It is only Pixar's second animated feature. The sub-group of Disney made their spectacular debut and perhaps entirely inadvertent mark on the film world three years prior in 1995, with their landmark movie Toy Story. It was a movie which defied convention, re-invented and breathed new life into animation and defined a whole new level of excellence. Now, they return with their sophomore effort which, to be honest, draws a creeping sense of cynicism in us all prior to seeing the film.After all, it's a film about ants. Well, all walks of the insect and bug world are covered in A Bug's Life, but it is the ant which is the focal point in this film, as humans are the focal point in dramas, romances and so on. How can such an insignificant species of animal such as an ant act as the protagonist of a movie, let alone provide the entire premise of a feature film? Surely they jest. However, we forget that in Toy Story, a bunch of toy-box items were able to become the grandest, most inspiring and lovable bunch of animated heroes and villains ever concocted. The guys at Pixar manage to pull off the same feat, and manage to turn a bunch of dirty and miniscule bugs into the most endearing and pleasant gang of vermin you'll probably ever encounter.Not only are they all entirely amiable and likable – there isn't an unpleasant character in sight; even the villains are riveting characters – but they're colourful, they're eclectic, and they're idiosyncratic. And the array of characters is also gargantuan for lack of a better term, only adding the rich layers of distinctiveness already plastered onto A Bug's Life from the beginning. We shall start with our main character, and our hero. His name is Flik (David Foley), and his character is rather generic to say the least. Out of the thousands of faithful and obedient worker ants residing on the lush, beautiful Ant Island, he is the one considered the 'black sheep' of the clan, as seen in the opening moments of the movie when he inadvertently destroys the season's harvest with his antics.The problem arises in the fact that the ants' harvest is for a bunch of greedy grasshoppers led by Hopper (Kevin Spacey), who are eager to continue to assert their wrath and autocracy amongst the puny little ants; when they show up to Ant Island for their annual banquet and see that their offering is gone, they go insane, for lack of a better term. Hopper offers a proposition to save the ants from total extinction at his pack's hands; however, it's a negotiation which is simply impossible to fulfil. The cogs and clockwork in Flik's mind run at full steam now despite his guilt and shame, and he offers to leave Ant Island in search of some mighty bug warriors who can come to the colony's rescue and fight off Hopper and the grasshoppers.If you think about it, A Bug's Life bears some heavy resemblance to the plot line's of Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai, or the American remake The Magnificent Seven, in which a village of hapless but good-hearted folk are threatened by malevolent and wicked enemies – one lone village-dweller goes in search for help in the big city, finds it and returns to the colony to drive off evil. In A Bug's Life, the help comes in the form of a down-and-out circus troupe who is mistakenly perceived by Flik as warriors in a bar-room brawl.Much amusement comes out of these scenes, and much amusement comes out of these circus troupe bugs. Among them are an erudite stick insect (David Hyde Pierce), a side-splitting obese German caterpillar by the name of Heimlich and a quasi-femme fatale ladybug who's in fact a gritty and masculine ladybug (Dennis Hopper). It's exceedingly enjoyable watching these bugs on-screen, as it is watching the bugs and the insects interact on-screen, as is the entire movie collectively.As I've said, much amusement and mirth comes out of their characters and joyous interactions with one another, which give way to a bevy of hilarious lines, wonderfully suspenseful and riveting situations and overall a dazzling movie. What makes A Bug's Life even better is that the film isn't restricted simply to children as many may perceive it to be, although children would indeed find more entertainment out of this film – the clichéd kid-friendly situations are a bit more abundant than we'd like. However, it's easy to ignore this fault, and it's incredulously easy to enjoy this film.Although A Bug's Life may not reach the dizzying and landmark standards set by its predecessor, this is still a superb movie, and the start of something promising here. Pixar have proved that they're not just a one-hit wonder, but instead a much-gifted and talented group of film artists in Hollywood. They raise the bar endlessly, and when someone always manages to top their standards, it's only always by themselves. What more is there to say about A Bug's Life other than: see it; it's not quite the best which we've seen from the folks at Emeryville, California, but this beats out the lot of its year – and I'll be damned if this isn't the best animated feature of 1998.8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +What an empty and lack lustre rendition of the classic novel. I do wish people would stop messing about with classics when they clearly have no idea of the real intention or point of the original. This version is no different. I felt that the Ralph Fiennes version is much worse though as the casting of Juliette brioche as Kathy has got to be the worst casting decision EVER...anyway back to this version. It aims to make the story relevant to a contemporary setting and in a musical style. It succeeds in both but high art it is nit. Throwaway viewing for a rainy day maybe...The direction was average and the editing abysmal. Worse than the old Quincy. Deepak Verma does a great turn as Hindley and is in fact one of Britains wasted talents. The part of Heath was played with great charm and belief and I think that the casting is the strongest point of this project. Although a more talented director would have made better use of the facilities he had. Its clear that he was a director for hire and didn't instill the project with the passion that it deserved.$LABEL$ 0 +My Father The Hero used to be my favorite movie when I was Younger. It's about Andre, a divorced french man who wants to take his beautiful daughter (katharine heigl} on a vacation, hoping to get a little closer to her. But of course, Nicole isn't that easy to get along with, she just started puberty, i'm guessing. She is angry and hurt that her father was never there for her and decides to give him a hard time. One day at the beach, Nicole meets handsome Ben, and she makes up a wild story about her and her dad. The whole island gets involved and the movie turns into a hilarious wild entertaining movie. I would give My Father The Hero 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +It is surprising that a production like this gets made these days, especially for television. Considering the strong sexual themes and explicit lovemaking scenes, not to mention lesbianism, this has been given superb treatment and direction.The sets and costumes are flawless, the direction is stylish and the characters are likeable. There is a fair amount of humor but it has surprisingly dark interludes. The protagonist is really a tragic figure, but not devoid of happiness. Also, this production avoids the mistake most films/shows make when dealing with homosexuality/lesbianism. The characters are very human. It seems that to allow people to be comfortable with watching gays and lesbians on TV and movies most shows fill it full of cliches and make the characters obsessed with being gay. Not so with this. In Tipping the Velvet, the protagonist is hardly aware of what being lesbian means!The BBC have made some wonderful productions in the past, and this adventurous period piece only confirms their standard of excellence on all fronts.$LABEL$ 1 +I just don't get some of the big premises of this episode - that Miranda is so remarkable, and that there's anything so ugly it would make you insane. Someone here made the remark that maybe it's the frequency of the light waves or something rather than it being ugliness. Miranda is just a jerk. The episode is slow, inconsistent and way too talky. I also don't quite understand why Kolos is an ambassador - why doesn't the Federation just leave the damn Medusans be? There's one part I do like, when Kolos is speaking through Spock about the loneliness of the human experience. Overall, I love TOS and even at its lamest, I'll always tune in. This episode though - mmm, I wouldn't purchase it except for a used copy under $3.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of my all time favorite movies and I would recommend it to anyone. On my list of favorite movies (mental list, mind) the only ones on par with it are movies such as The Lord of the Rings series, Spirited Away and Fly Away Home.I can really relate to the main character Jess. At the start of the movie she's a shy girl with a slightly odd background who has a lot more friends who are boys than that are girls. She really sucks you into her life. I also certainly can't fault any of the protagonist's acting, or anyone else's in the film.The soccer was interesting to watch even for someone like me who has no idea of the rules. The movie is never boring. The romance is really cute and didn't make me blush tooooo hard! One thing that really made it though was the Indian factor. Jess' parents are Indian and there are many colourful Indian conventions throughout the film providing a very interesting cultural insight as well as everything else. The Indian people are also hilarious! Essentially this is a coming of age film about choosing the path you want and fighting for it.Feel good comedies are becoming my favorite movie genre thanks to this film. They're funny, they're refreshing and they make you feel good! ^_~$LABEL$ 1 +I know that you've already entered this in film festivals (or at least I think you have, I may just be making that up) but I think this should get "best animated short film" in every one. Bravo. I can't wait for the full film. I realize that you may not hear this often enough because of the bizarre nature of your animations, but hear it now and accept it as the truth. Kudos, my friend. Okay, now I'm just trying to get ten lines of text... Though I still mean it. And here comes yet another -SHOE!- and I cannot stop here yet. This is extremely annoying and yet at the same time I have nothing better to do. In fact, I'll probably watch all of your movies in yet another spasmodic "Jason Steele Marathon." I do have a lot of those.-R$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably the first entry in the "Lance O'Leary/Nurse Keat" detective series; in subsequent O'Leary films, he was played by much younger actors than Guy Kibbee.A group of relatives (all played by well-known character actors) gathers in an old house (on a rainy nite, of course!) to speak to a wealthy relative, who goes into a coma.While they wait for him to recover, all sorts of mysterious goings-on happen, including a couple of murders.A creepy film; worth seeing!$LABEL$ 0 +This animation has a very simple and straightforward good vs. evil plot and is all about action. What sets it apart from other animation is how well the human movements are animated. It was really beautiful seeing the fleeing woman running around on the screen from left to right and look around, her movements were done so well. Why don't they use this rotoscopic technique more these days? It's quite effective.Fire and Ice, in it's prehistoric setting and scarcely dressed women, was clearly devoted to showing the beautiful damsel in distress in various sexy ways, her voluptuous body serving as pure eyecandy. Some may hate this and regard it as yet another moronic male sexual fantasy, others (including plenty of women) will adore it's esthetic quality. I for sure did not mind! Bakshi just loves animating lushious, voluptuous babes, as can also be seen in Cool World, and I don't think he has to apoligize since it's pretty much animation for adults. But I had also enjoyed this animation as a child and I never forgot it.This one was just special, so different from the standard Disney or Anime fare, and for that reason alone well worth the watch since it's possibly Bakshi's finest. For those who like animations with lushious women: try Space Adventure Cobra as well.I give Fire and Ice 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +My ratings: Acting - 3/10 Suspense - 2/10 Character Attachment - 1/10 Plot - 2/10 Character Development - 2/10 Overall - 2/10This show sucks very much officially. For me, CSI Miami is the best, CSI NY 2nd and CSI 100th. I don't know, in the other CSIs you get into the episode you're watching. But in this one, you just can't get into the episode, no matter how much you try, so in my opinion, this show is not worth watching. I know people have different opinions, and I respect that, but for me, this CSI ain't good enough. So if you like suspense, real acting/performance, good plot, direction, character development/attachment and you an overall good show, I suggest you to watch CSI Miami.$LABEL$ 0 +I am not a Faulkner fan (which is considered sacrilegious, especially since I grew up near the author's hometown); however, I think this is an excellent movie. On par with the quality of the movie "To Kill a Mocking Bird". If you haven't seen it, buy it anyway. It's well worth having in your permanent collection. TCM recently played the movie as a part of the Race on Film series. I wish they'd play it more often. Very moving.On a side note, the folks from Oxford, Mississippi, will also enjoy seeing the footage of the town square as it was back in the 1940's. The Courthouse, City Hall, etc.: They're all on screen. I never knew the movie was filmed there until I noticed the familiarity of the buildings. When I saw the arch in the front of City Hall, I began to get suspicious. Look closely at the pennants on Chick's wall: You'll see two for Ole Miss !$LABEL$ 1 +Chinese Ghost Story III is a totally superfluous sequel to two excellent fantasy films. The film delivers the spell-casting special effects that one can expect, but fails painfully on all other fronts. The actors all play extremely silly caricatures. You have to be still in diapers to find their slapstick humor even remotely funny. The plot is predictable, and the development is sometimes erratic and often slow. Towards the end, the movie begins to resemble old Godzilla films, including shabby larger-than-life special effects and a (well, yet another) ghost with a Godzilla head. Maybe I would have grinned if I was expecting camp.It is astonishing to see what trash fantasy fans have to put up with - in this case because somebody thought they could squeeze a little extra money out of a successful formula. They won't be able to do it again: the cash cow is now dead as a dodo.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't stand most reality shows and this one is worst than the one with Paris Hilton, and sure it's his company. But "you're fired" or "you're hired", for how many seasons now? After watching the show I wouldn't want to work for the guy with his ego and all and I think watching paint dry has more entertainment valve.I'd love to hear just one person get up and say "Donald I quit and take some of your money and buy a decent hairdo". I see he's even trying to buy fame in the wrestling WWE. I hope he gets hurt so I don't have to see his pathetic face anymore. It must be sad to want fame so bad and have no talent and make an ass of yourself trying to buy it. I'd give this show a negative mark if I could but it gets a 1 and it doesn't deserve that.$LABEL$ 0 +If I had known this movie was filmed in the exasperating and quease-inducing Dogme 95 style, I would never have rented it. Nevertheless, I took a dramamine for the seasickness and gave it a shot. I lasted a very, very, very long forty minutes before giving up. It's just boring, pretentious twaddle.The last French movie I saw was "Romance" and it too was pretty dismal, but at least the camera was steady and not breathing down the necks of the characters all the time. I am baffled at the continuing popularity of Dogme 95 overseas -- it'll catch on in America about the same time as the next big outbreak of leprosy. (It's called Dogme 95 because that's the average number of times the actors are poked in the eye by the camera.)$LABEL$ 0 +The story and the show were good, but it was really depressing and I hate depressing movies. Ri'Chard is great. He really put on a top notch performance, and the girl who played his sister was really awesome and gorgeous. Seriously, I thought she was Carmen Electra until I saw the IMDb profile. I can't say anything bad about Peter Galleghar. He's one of my favorite actors. I love Anne Rice. I'm currently reading the Vampire Chronicles, but I'm glad I saw the movie before reading the book. This is a little too"real" for me. I prefer Lestat and Louis's witty little tiffs to the struggles of slaves. Eartha Kitt was so creepy and after her character did what she did The movie was ruined for me; I could barely stand to watch the rest of the show. (sorry for the ambiguity, but I don't want to give anything away) Sorry, but it's just not my type of show.$LABEL$ 0 +First, let me just comment on what I liked about the movie. The special effects were fantastic, and very rarely did I feel like I was watching a video game. There, that is the last nice thing I have to say about this film. In fact, I would just like everyone reading this to take note that I can't even put into words how hard it was for me to write this review without swearing. I have innumerable complaints about the film, but four major complaints jump to mind. My first major complaint has to do with the incredible cheesiness of the "plot twist" (if you can call it that since most people probably saw it coming a mile away) where Lois's 5 year-old son turns out to be the super-powered child of Superman. When the crying super-child throws a piano at Lex's henchman to save his mother, I almost got up and left the theater. Singer could have made a much better Superman movie without resorting to cheap gimmicks like a seemingly fragile but latently super-powered illegitimate child. It's been 5 days since I saw the movie and I still want to vomit. My next major complaint has to do with the fact that Superman lifts a continent made out of kryptonite up into outer space. It doesn't take comic book guy from the Simpsons to point out what's wrong with that. I don't know how many comic books Brian Singer has read, but when Superman is exposed to even a small amount of kryptonite he barely has the strength to stay on his feet. Whoever had the idea to have him fly a large island made out of his greatest weakness into space has no business being associated with any Superman-related projects ever again. The concept is as ridiculous as making a Dracula movie where the title character has a stake through his heart and still manages to fly a spaceship made out of garlic into the sun. Why not just have Superman eat kryptonite? He can eat it and then brush his teeth with it, and then go to sleep in kryptonite pajamas. That's not any more absurd then having him hoist a continent of kryptonite into space and then fall powerless through the atmosphere without burning up in re-entry or splattering all over central park when he hits the ground. My third major complaint has to do with the fact that Singer slaps movie-goers across the face with religious symbolism the entire movie. I have to take issue with his characterization of Superman as the only son of a God-like Jor-el sent to Earth to be a savior. Jor-el wasn't all-wise, he was just a scientist. And he didn't send his son to earth to be a savior, he threw him in a rocket and hurriedly fired it into space because his planet was about to explode. I'll buy the Christ allegory if Brian Singer can show me the part in the Bible where God sends Christ to Earth because Heaven was about to explode, and then radioactive pieces of Heaven become Christ's primary weakness. Furthermore, the "crucifixion" scene where Luthor stabs Superman in the side with a kryptonite "spear" just makes me want to slam my face into a brick until I'm too brain-dead to notice the brazenly obvious and inappropriate symbolism that will be tainting the man of steel for the foreseeable future. They might as well rename this movie "Superman Returns: the Passion of the Christ."And speaking of Luthor, my last major complaint has to do with Singer's depiction of Lex Luthor. Lex Luthor is a shrewd, cold-hearted business tycoon who is more apt to run for President (which he does in the comics) than try to destroy the world. The man wants money and power; he wants to be in charge, not wreck everything. Yet the Luthor we see Superman Returns, as well as all the previous Superman movies, is a wacky theatrical dunce who comes up with zany schemes to destroy the world. If Singer had the slightest loyalty to the characters instead of the (quite awful) previous Superman movies, this film might not be such an unbearable travesty. Maybe Singer's next project can be a Batman movie where he focuses on the interpretation of Batman from 1960s TV show. ZAM! WHAP! POW!!To summarize, I don't know what I hate more, the movie itself or the fact that so many people seem to be giving it good reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you don't hate this movie then your opinion is wrong. I sincerely encourage anyone who reads this not to see this movie if you haven't already. Don't see it, don't buy it when it comes out on DVD, don't rent it...basically don't contribute any money towards it in any way. This movie does not deserve to make any money. In fact, I think that for every person that sees this movie, Bryan Singer should be fined 45 billion dollars. If you're a Superman fan and you really want to see this movie, just bend over and have someone kick you in the balls and you'll get the same experience without having to waste 2 hours of your time.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best TV productions of a musical ever. I have heard the Merman cast album, the Angela Lansbury album, I have seen Tyne Daly live, and I've seen the Rosalind Russell movie countless times. I think Bette is if not the best, then tied with the best. She captures not just the bravura, but also the pathos of Mama Rose. I was never a Natalie Wood fan, so I really enjoyed Cynthia Gibb, in what is arguably her best role. Everything from the costumes to the sets to the supporting performances is wonderful. The three strippers, led by the always-dependable Christine Ebersole are hard to top. There was supposed to be a TV production of Mame a few years back, with Cher, but I think Bette would be the best bet (pun intended) for Auntie Mame.$LABEL$ 1 +I am sorry to say that this film is indeed bad. It reminds me of a c-grade porn movie with one major difference: no porn.The story and dialogue needs a complete overhaul. Maybe then the bad acting would not have been as noticeable. At the very least, the pacing should have been picked up.While I accept that this had a low budget and the director did a good job visually given what little resources he had, he should have spent more time on the story or better yet, get someone else to write it. Many of the action scenes were just pointless.It was a complete waste of my time.$LABEL$ 0 +Is it a perfect movie? No. It is a weird adaptation from a sci-fi book and it features vampires from space, naked beauties and the British army efficiency.When I first saw this movie I was rather young and all I can remember is the feeling of awe for the movie and Mathilda May. Actually, if it weren't for this gorgeous lady being naked the whole movie, I probably wouldn't have rated it so high, but given her sheer magnificence, I am now actually considering voting it up!Lucky for me I got reminded of the movie and watched it again now. Imagine Raiders of the Lost Ark or Poltergeist special effects splattered unto a rather decent sci-fi story, but with completely over the top performances. I still enjoyed the movie tremendously (as well as Mathilda May), but it was a mixture of nostalgia, comparing with the crap movies they make today and actually wanting more when it ended.Bottom line: if you are a sci-fi fan you are not allowed to miss this movie. Oh, and did I mention Mathilda May is young, beautiful and naked?$LABEL$ 1 +Overall I was rather impressed with the pilot. The initial first fifteen minutes were worrying, as it did feel the creators were trying to create a science fiction version of The O.C but this fear is rectified when a terrorist incident occurs and from here the show steps into themes and situations that I very rarely see television tackle.BSG dealt with themes such as monotheism, existentialism, reality, death and terrorism but they were primarily subtext, there for the viewer to contemplate on or ignore if they so choose. Here on the other hand these subjects are the focus of the show and I personally found myself evoking such works as Ghost In The Shell and The Matrix as reference points while watching and being surprised by how well the themes were being discussed. I think if you are a fan of the two I just mentioned or other films/television shows, which deal with the subjects I referenced, I think you will find at least something here.In terms of a starting point to explain how the situation we know in BSG came about I believe they handled it in a very interesting way, I especially liked how they explained where the Cylon's belief in one God came from and the creation of Caprica had just enough advanced and contemporary technology thrown in to make it appear in the future but not completely alien to us as viewers.The only real weak points I noticed were the relationship between the Greystone parents and the actress who plays 'Lacy Rand'. While I like Eric Stoltz and Paula Malcomson individually, together their scenes seemed to lack chemistry, at this point it could simply be down to developing their characters, but this is something I think needs work. I also found Magda Apanowicz to be unconvincing in her role. This again could be down to experience and time needed to develop, but throughout the episode her acting appeared forced and not completely confident.Based on the pilot I greatly look forward to seeing where 'Caprica' goes in the future and hopefully it will touch the greatness that BSG once did.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm the type of guy who loves hood movies from New Jack City to Baby Boy to Killa Season, from the b grade to the Hollywood. but this movie was something different. i am no hater and this movie was kinda enjoyable. but some bits were just weird. well the acting wasn't to good, compared to Silkk The Shockers performance in Hot Boyz (quite good) and Ice-T in new Jack and SVU (great). the scene where Corrupt (Ice-T) kills the wanna be Jamaican dude he says something and lights himself on fire burning both Ice-T and the other dude, this kills the Jamaican, however Ice-T is unharmed, very similar to Ice's other movie Urban Menace (which stars both of these actors) were Snoops character is supernatural, however after this there is nothing suggested that Corrupt is like a demon. When MJ (Silkk) gets stabbed at first he struggling but after that he fights normally and was stabbed in the thigh-WITH OUT BLOOD. and when MJ confesses killing a cop cos the cop was beating up his friend Benny was weird, Benny isn't introduced in this movie and the scene isn't in the film. it does hold weight to the fact why Corrupt wants to kill MJ but is still makes u scratch your head. wen Jody writes a letter to Miss Jones character explaining what happened to them afterwords doesn't mention what happen 2 other main characters MJ and Lisa. the film did show the horror and poverty of the ghetto-which plagues the lives of Latinos and Blacks word wide-was a good part of the film, even though the clip of the projects was re-used thousands of times. and the scene where Miles kills the Latino brother by crashing his bike at full speed (not wearing a helmet) and running into my Latino brothers car would of killed him. the movie was similar to the film Urban Menace and half the actors were in both of these movies as well as the production team. it was OK tho. but me being from poverty i love hood films, however if u don't love em like i do Don't WATCH IT. only thing saving me from walking out is it reminded me of the first movie i made which was made with 100 dollars, and my love of the genre.Nathaniel Purez$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge fan of the Farcry Game, HUGE fan. It still holds a place in my top-10 games list of all time! The story line was new, fresh... A truly brilliant foundation to base a movie on... or so i thought...Farcry the Movie is no less than another directors attempt at cashing in on a successful game franchise (see Doom: The Movie, and many more...).The Video Game begins as the player (Jack Carver) awakes in a sea side cave after been shot off his boat by an RPG from an unknown soldier. Jack then finds a communication device where (Harlan Doyle) guides him across islands, shipwrecks, jungles, installations and VOLCANOES, to find his (lady friend?) (Valerie Constantine), all the wile battling mutated super soldiers, and genetically enhanced animals.The Movie plays out very, very differently: 1: There's a needless 30 mins (1/3 of the movie) of "backstory" before we even get to the 'boat blowing up' scene. 2: Jack then walks onto the beach, kills some goons, then drives off... Nothing like the game... 3: There is no communicator with Doyle on the other end... 4: The 'Modified Soldiers' look like albinos with singlets on... And there was no mutated 'monkey-like' creatures jumping out of the bushes. A part of the Farcry game i enjoyed allot... 5: There is no sun filled beach scenes, no aircraft carrier, no communications stations on huge cliffs, LITTLE reference to any in-game contents (characters/items/vehicles), in fact no attempt to follow the story line at all. 6: The climactic Volcano scene from the game is replaced with an old industrial building. 7: There's an Ending scene... where everyone (except Krieger) live happily ever after... WHAT THE!I recommend avoiding this movie at all costs! If you are a Gamer, you will HATE this movie will all your soul. It is a movie clearly intended for males, so girls, stay away... So if your a male, 12-29 years of age, have never played Farcry, and are not disgusted by directors attempts at porting books/games to the cinema... then this is for you...$LABEL$ 0 +one of the best ensemble acted films I've ever seen. There isn't much to the plot, but the acting- incredible. You see the characters change ever so subtly, undr the influence of the rented villa in Italy, and love. And happiness. The film casts a mesmerizing spell on you, much as the villa does on all the women. Truly "enchanted".$LABEL$ 1 +I haven't seen this movie in about 5 years, but it still haunts me. When asked about my favorite films, this is the one that I seem to always mention first. There are certain films (works of art like this film, "Dark City", and "Breaking the Waves") that seem to touch a place within you, a place so protected and hidden and yet so sensitive, that they make a lifelong impression on the viewer, not unlike a life-changing event, such as the ending of a serious relationship or the death of a friend... This film "shook" me when I first saw it. It left me with an emotional hangover that lasted for several days.$LABEL$ 1 +Today, I wrote this review in anger at Uwe Boll and Hollywood.Hollywood has produced movies based on one of the darkest days of our nation. 911 changed everything. It changed our perception of security. It changed our understanding of the evil of man and humanity. Most importantly and devastatingly , it changed our world.However, I can't not stress how utterly repulsed, disillusioned, and angry I am at the careless, blatant ignorance of Hollywood seeking to make a lucrative profit out of death and destruction. This film and those like it are bound to cause controversy amid word-of-mouth among moviegoers and critics alike; most surely to be echoed by the mainstream press. Hollywood has sunk to a new low. Even lower than the low-down bastards who perpetrated the most barbaric acts of savagery and unrelenting cruelty. Behind it all is Uwe Boll. I am very angry at this movie. How dare they disrespect the memories of families of those lost? How dare they mock the lives of the brave men and women who risked their lives to save those trapped in the doomed towers on that fateful day of infamy?!?!? How dare they try to satirize and at the same time capitalize on a national tragedy in the mist of a mourning and weary post-911 world?!?!?! How...dare...they? To those who have the gall to even think of seeing this morally appalling travesty, I say this with a heavy heart with all my strength: Remember. Think back to that day and ask yourself whether or not you are a sane and moral person. Think back to that day, ask yourself whether or not this film is a disgrace and dishonor to the lives lost on that day. Think back to that day of the outcry of families of loved ones. Think back to that day of the lives lost on those two planes. Think back to the further carnage it caused following the attacks.Ask yourself if you have a soul.Think. Remember. Respect the memories of the lives lost on 911 by not seeing this film at all.$LABEL$ 0 +You cannot deny that we have an affinity for speed. That's why movies like Fast and the Furious, Dhoom, Rempit get made to play to the satisfaction of audiences, especially local ones. We live on a tiny island, and I cannot fathom why, for the relative efficiency of the public transportation system, most of us want to get into debt by owning a set of wheels which come with 100% tax when they reach our shores, and the myriad of taxes and bills to pay when operating one. Not only that, the high end sports cars were once quipped by a prominent politician up north that they will never reach fourth gear, lest they reach the sea.And these movies are relatively easy to make. Hot wheels and hot chicks always go down well together in targeting the required demographic. For once, those plunging necklines exposing uncanny buxom and short skirts accentuating legs two meters long, can't compete with the attention given to those beautiful curves that exotic cars possess in movies such as these. Of course there are amongst us (ahem) those that go for the sexists portrayal of women as mere sexual objects (otherwise explain why motor shows come with truckloads of models, and movies such as these cannot do without a leggy model in a frame), however, they don't warrant the kind of collective orgasmic sighs whenever the four wheelers come on screen, even when they do exactly nothing and have their gears into Park. The guy sitting beside me, I swear he wet his pants every time his dream car(s) appear, and creamed his pants even more when he hears those growling engine moans.So there we have it, the fan boys who turned up in droves just to watch which of the latest cool cars get featured in the movie. With the Fast and the Furious franchise, the Japanese models like the Evos and the Skylines take centerstage, as does the GT. Here, the Ford GT takes on an incredibly drool-worthy facade modification, that even I'm impressed, alongside the latest models like the Ferrari Enzos, Porshe Carerra GTs, Koenigsegg CCXs, and every car out there that has wings for doors. But seriously, my heart goes out to the cars each time they're mercilessly wrecked just for entertainment. I mean, this are perfectly fine, high performance models that are at the apex of motoring, but yet because whoever financed the movie had millions to blow, they do so because they can,There's no story in Redline, just excuses to put together a movie full of beauties (the cars that is) that can rip down the tarmac in probably the most boring fashion possible, and with the usual shots of pedals (always the accelerator, mind you, tapping the brake pedal is tantamount to blasphemy, and earn you no respect), steering wheels, gear shifts (always shifting up and not down), all these while having the actors make pretend that they're the baddest asses with an engine, snarling and giving each other dirty looks. Not a very tall order for an actor, and that's why we get the most woeful performances ever, with lines that seem to be written by elementary schoolkids.The heroine (yes, it made a statement that girls can drive) Natasha (a very plasticky looking Nadia Bjorlin) is one of those million dollar finds - a girl with model looks who don't mind getting down on fours and immersed in oil, who has racing pedigree within her, and performs with a rock band singing songs with lyrics that are just plain laughable (every line had to do with cars, and when singing about love, just had to string those innuendos like shifting gear shafts, lubricants and going for rides). Introduced against her wishes to illegal racing by a gangsta called Infamous (Eddie Griffin), she gets drawn into family squabbles involving a Leo DiCaprio lookalike Iraq war veteran, and some sleazy lecherous looking rich uncle. Everything else, well like I said, just serves as an excuse for the movie to go from race to race.And it's almost always the same, as there's very limited to what you can do to heighten tension between race cars, especially when you know the race is rigged (for narrative reasons) and can see the race outcome a mile away from the finishing line. While Fast and Furious had quite charismatic actors, and I will put my head on the chopping block by naming Paul Walker, Sun Kang, and of course, the star it created - Vin Diesel, Redline had none, just pretty faces with lots of air unfortunately. It looks like a TV movie in its treatment from the get go, with a very insipid opening sequence where it's one man, one car, and a 105 minutes race against time to get to Vegas.If not for the cars, then this movie seriously is a piece of junk, with bad acting, bad lines and bad action. Strictly for the car fans, or those who like their movies with countless of bevy beauties who pimp their bodies without any speaking lines.$LABEL$ 0 +Im the type of person who always goes 2 to horror section when I'm picking a film, so i picked five across the eyes, i was disgusted with this film and thought there was no story line and no point that you could enjoy it,it made my skin crawl to think that people like to watch films that just encourage violence for the hell of it it was low budget and very rubbish! i think i could of done better myself. i think that it was the worst film i have ever seen in my life and you should not bother to watch it the actors were rubbish the camera was awful the picture was bad and the sound was not up to scratch, i think it was a little bit like a cheep rip of off the baler which project and it has not worked at all it was foul.$LABEL$ 0 +Seven Ups has been compared to Bullitt for the chase scene, but does not come anywhere near matching Bullitt. Bullitt has a beginning that builds builds builds. When McQueen leaves the seedy hotel, gets into his Mustang, which is parked under the Embarcadero Freeway (now torn down) and notices the Charger sitting nearbye, you know you are about to see something spectacular. From that moment on, when McQueen starts that car, begins the best car chase sequence ever filmed. Adding to it is a terrific Lalo Schriffin If I remember correctly sound track. This goes on for a long time before you actually hear the first tires squealing. That shot of McQueen's Mustang suddenly appearing in Bill Hickman's rear view mirror is unmatched for visual impact. Hickman's look of surprise and double take really adds to the effect. Then of course, San Francisco is unmatched for the setting of cars racing up and down hills and around bends. Also, Bullitt being filmed in the 60s when cars were still "Hot" (Mustang GT and Dodge Charger) made for a better set of wheels then two boring, smog device laden Pontiacs in the 1970s Seven Ups. Bill Hickman was the driver of the bad guy car in both movies. I saw him sitting at an insider movie preview once on the Univeral lot when I was doing movie reviews for a paper. They gave it a good try in Seven Ups though with the chase scene. Seven ups had a few "jumps" over little hills, (Yawn) but of course they were not San Francisco hills. The Seven Ups chase, where they are actually going fast, is longer than the go fast sequence in Bullitt. But the scene of a single shotgun blast totally blowing the hood OFF of Roy Schieders Pontiac is the height of absurdity. Strictly Hollywood, I would say, except that it was filmed in New York.$LABEL$ 1 +Have you ever heard the saying that people "telegraph their intentions?" Well in this movie, the characters' actions do more than telegraph future plans -- they show up at your house drunk and buffet you about the head. This could be forgiven if the setting had been used better, or if the characters were more charismatic or nuanced. Embeth Davidtz's character is not mysterious, just wooden, and Kenneth Branagh doesn't succeed in conveying the brash charm his character probably was written to have.The bottom line: obvious plot, one-note performances, unlikeable characters, and grotesque "Southern" accents employed by British actors.$LABEL$ 0 +"Night of the Living Homeless" was a fairly strong finish to the first half of Season 11. Obviously a parody of various zombie movies, most notably Dawn of the Dead, this episode parallels the homeless with the living dead, as creatures who feed and thrive off of spare change rather than brains.Kyle is blamed for the sudden mass outbreak of homeless people when he, out of the goodness of his heart, gives a $20 to a homeless man in front of his house. More homeless people begin to infiltrate South Park, until the town is completely overrun with them. This is a very strong Randy Marsh episode, as he assumes the role of the shotgun-wielding leader of the adults who take refuge on the roof of the Park County Community Center. But before Randy makes it to the community center, he is accosted by hundreds of homeless people while hilariously screaming "I don't have any change!!" Unfortunately, the refugees end up losing Gerald Broflofski to the homeless, when he tries to escape by catching a bus out of town, and unwittingly tosses away all his change for the bus to distract the homeless people. Then he becomes one of them, asking everyone for change.The boys attempt to find out why there are so many homeless people in South Park, and find a man who is a director of homeless studies. They find out that the nearby city of Evergreen used to have a similar problem with the homeless, so they escape to Evergreen to find out what they did to solve the problem. Unfortunately, homeless people break into the man's house, and he attempts to take the easy way out by shooting himself. However, he fails several times, as he shoots himself in the jaw, in the eye, in the chest, in the neck, in the shoulder, screaming horribly until he finally dies. This scene may have been funnier had a similar scene not happened in "Fantastic Easter Special" two weeks ago.Meanwhile, a member of the refugees discovers that due to the homeless problem, the property values have nosedived, thus the bank has foreclosed on his house, making him homeless. Randy immediately turns on him, holding the gun to the man's head. When the man finally begs the others for a few bucks to help him out, Randy pulls the trigger.In Evergreen, the boys find out that the citizens of the town sent the homeless to South Park, and that the passing of homeless from town to town happens all over the country. The boys modify a bus that leads the homeless out of South Park and takes them all the way to Santa Monica, California.The zombie movie parallels and the great Randy Marsh lines make this one definitely re-watchable. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure who decides what category a movie fits into, but this movie is NOT a horror movie. As for the story, it was fairly interesting, but rather slow. I was especially disappointed with the ending though.**spoiler**Tell me why on Earth does she run over to her uncle's(?) home without at least calling the detective or the police first? She knows exactly what's going on at that point, plus she has a video tape as proof. Instead, she runs over there and starts going nuts and saying "I know everything, I have proof! You didn't expect proof, did you?!" Then she acts surprised when her uncle stands up and starts walking over to her as if he's going to harm her. Well DUH! Of course he's going to harm you idiot, you just told him you know everything and have proof to expose everything. What a dumb ending.$LABEL$ 0 +I gave this a 1. There are so many plot twists that you can never be sure to root for. Total mayhem. Everyone gets killed or nearly so. I am tired of cross hairs and changing views. I cannot give the plot away. Convoluted and insane. If I had paid to see this I would demand my money back. I wish reviews were more honest.$LABEL$ 0 +Not an easy film to like at first with both the lead characters quite unlikeable but luckily the heart and soul of the film is Paula Sage's touching performance which drives the film into uncharted waters and transcends the rather awkward storyline. This gives the film a feeling of real truth and makes you think you've seen something special.(7/10)$LABEL$ 1 +I read the book before seeing the movie, and the film is one of the best adaptations out there. Very true and faithful to the book. Sean Penn and Sarandon are amazing. Robbins is a talented filmaker and I wish he would add more to his repetoire. He made the film very haunting and intentionally slow-paced to add depth. An especially brilliant bit of filmaking was the reflection of the victims appearing in the glass of the execution room at the very end.$LABEL$ 1 +DOCTEUR PETIOT, starring Michel Serrault, is a brutal story about a brutal man. A doctor who heals the sick in occupied France, even if their ability to compensate is not there. Yet, he preys on the weakest amidst the populace. The imagery and cinematography are superb, and lend an additional macabre feeling to this complex story. He is the perfect psychopath. Seductive and altruistic, intelligent and caring, calculating and murderous. A movie certain not to be forgotten soon by the viewer. Kudos to Mr. Serrault, for his chilling portrayal.$LABEL$ 1 +I just got this video used and I was watching it last night. The acting started out extremely bad (hey------hey------twister) but got very good soon after wards. The tornadoes looked extremely fake, and many of the CGI effects were very dodgy, but the scene with the house cracking apart and the contents inside being blown around and sucked out were extremely well done, and just about on par with movies like Twister. The scenes of devastation were also extremely well done too. The story was very well written, and it's refreshing to see a movie like this stray away from the same old "disaster formulas" movies of this genre seems to have been stuck in for 30 years.While this movie had a very weird mix of FX and acting quality, this merits an A in my book.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is really vile. It plays on the urban paranoia of the 70s/80s and puts it into a school context. I'm not saying that urban crime wasn't a problem for a lot of people or that schools weren't/aren't problem areas but this vile piece of exploitation takes the biscuit. Violence is beyond anything realistically imaginable but in this case it's not a case of social issues but a white, upper-middle class student uses it to turn himself into the crime kingpin of his local high schoiol. And of course he knows how to play the system. Does that sound familiar. Yes. This turd is pure violent exploitation, a really nasty piece of work. It's disturbing brutality dressed up as a social comment. This belongs in the same category as trash like Exterminator, Death Wish 2-5 and so on and so on. The only remarkable thing is that Michael Fox was so broke at the time that he had to do stuff like this.$LABEL$ 0 +What a horrible, horrible film. The worst collection of cliches I have seen in a long time. Not that I saw much. I left the theatre screaming after about 40 minutes in search of a stiff drink to soothe my nerves. Meryl Streep was awful as usual. How many hurt and tortured expressions can 1 person have? Aidan Quinn's talents were - as so often - totally wasted. And who told Gloria Estefan she could act? Trying to be polically correct this movie still enforces racial stereotypes. (Brave inexperienced lonely music teacher teaches underprivilegded kids violin in poor neighbourhood school). The kids weren't even cute! Just written in to suit the appalling script. Aaargh! Wes Craven really made me cringe for once. real horror this one!$LABEL$ 0 +Motocrossed was fun, but it wasn't that great. I guess I just didn't understand a lot of the Motocross racing "lingo" (and there was A LOT of that in the film)! The plot wasn't what I expected from the Disney Channel previews, so that could account for some of my disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +Sixth escapade for Freddy Krueger in which he has finally managed to kill off virtually every youth in Springwood; now he wants to broaden his horizons and (**SPOILER**) needs a family member in order to do it.A failure as a horror movie because it simply ain't scary at all. Works better as a dark, macabre black comedy, to tell you the truth. Freddy Krueger has now been stripped of all of his ability to chill this viewer. (Too many wisecracks, that's for sure.) The actors aren't interesting (save Robert Englund, as always, and an obviously slumming Yaphet Kotto) and there are simply far too many visual effects. The finale is OK but doesn't provide as many sparks as I think one might hope.In adding a new twist to the familiar dream killer's story, it provides Englund the opportunity to do more non-makeup scenes than ever before.There are cameos worth noting: a joint cameo by then-couple Roseanne and Tom Arnold that is devoid of entertainment value, an appropriate appearance by veteran shock-rocker Alice Cooper, and a funny cameo by Johnny Depp that also sort of acknowledges the pop icon that he had become.Film debut of Breckin Meyer, who plays Spencer.One of the best things about it is the replaying of key scenes from earlier entries during the closing credits.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +OK, I'm Italian but there aren't so many Italian film like this. I think that the plot is very good for 3/4 of the film but the final is too simple, too predictable. But it's the only little mistake. The Consequences of Love in my opinion have great sequences in particular at the beginning and great soundtrack. I'd like very much the lighting work on it. The best thing on it is a great, great actor. You know, if your name were Al Pacino now everybody would have still been talking about this performance. But it's only a great theater Italian actor called Toni Servillo. Yes, someone tell me this film and this kind of performance it's too slow, it's so boring, so many silences, but i think that this components its fantastic, its the right way for describing the love story between a very talented young girl, the grand-daughter of the Italian actress Anna Magnani, Olivia and the old mysterious man Toni. One of my favorite Italian films.$LABEL$ 1 +If you only see one Ernest movie in your life, make it this one! This is by far the best in the series, with its nonstop laughs and clever humor that is suitable for all ages. The other "Ernest" flicks were good too, but most people tend to get tired of him quickly (not ME, however.).In this movie, Ernest P. Whorrel is assigned jury duty for a murder case. The murderer, Nash, just happens to look EXACTLY like our bumbling hero Ernest. Mr. Nash finds this a good opportunity to escape from jail by knocking him out switching identities with him, and so we get to see how Ernest reacts in the slammer.A great flick! If you haven't already seen it, watch it!$LABEL$ 1 +An idiotic dentist finds out that his wife has been unfaithful. So, no new story lines here. However, the authors managed to create a stupid, disgusting film. If you enjoy watching kids vomiting, or seeing a dentist imagining that he is pulling all his wife's teeth out in a bloody horror-type, go see (or rent) the film. If not, move on to something else (MY FAIR LADY, anyone?)$LABEL$ 0 +The first Cube movie was an art movie. It set up a world in which all the major archetypes of mankind were represented, and showed how they struggled to make sense of a hostile world that they couldn't understand. It was, on the non-literal level, a "man vs. cruel nature" plot, where the individual who represented innocence and goodness came through in the end, triumphing to face a new, indefinable world beyond man's petty squabbles; a world where there were no more struggle, but peace. I rated Cube a 10 out of 10, and it's a movie that was never meant to have any sequels.The second movie, Hypercube was a massive disappointment. Some of the ideas were kind of cool, but in the context of the original movie, both the story and the setting made no sense and had no meaning. Still, for being fairly entertaining, I rated it a 5 out of 10.The third movie, Cube Zero, while ignoring the second, plays like a vastly inferior commercial B-movie rehash of the first, sans the symbolism. There is no "homage" or "tribute" here; there is only ripping off. The same kind of plot, with some elements idiotically altered (like having letters instead of prime numbers between the cubes - an idea which shows more clearly than anything else that this is a rip-off with absolutely no originality and nothing to say).That we see something from "behind the scenes" means nothing, because the watchers are just part of the Big Bad Experiment, the architects of which we hear nothing of. And, in this movie, those who get through to the exit (like Kazan did at the end of the first movie) are just killed - where the *bleep* is the sense in that?! That's just flippin' stupid. I'm glad I didn't pay to see this.The production values and acting in Cube Zero are not too bad, but the story and the ideas are so utterly devoid of any inspiration that this movie can only get from me a rating of 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I have just watched this movie on DVD late this morning and was so disappointed that even thought it was a good joke for the audience. In other words - the creators planed to make comedy not drama. Howsoever, at the end I realized that Mr. Tony Giglio was earnest about this movie. It's a pity because: the dialogue is ridiculous, the acting is poor and lifeless, the story is a fishy tale! Poor Ryan Phillippe - despite of his efforts his character in the movie remains probably his worst performance! What to say for Jason Statham - lack of all kinds of skills to develop the role which is an imaginary fiction... For this reasons I vote: 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I believe Shakespeare explained what I just read beautifully. Me thinks he (the lady) doth protest too much. The whole thing sounded to me as if the author was trying to convince himself! He sites profane literature (writings from the same time period but not connected with the bible) a number of times however I can think of at least three references off the top of my head which lend historical accuracy to events contained in the bible. Anyone can skew data & prove anything they like but it doesn't make it true. Customs change, word definitions change over time (look at English & German where it is very obviously a common root) nothing stays the same, it's always growing and changing. The bible has many different translations but the King James version is the one I've found to be the best when it comes to any kind of research. In the King James version you will notice there are certain words written in italics. These words have been added by the translators and can be dropped & the mean of the entire verse changes. Writings from around the time of Christ were written without spaces, without punctuation, without paragraphs & without numeric verses. These writings look like one long word & the translators added all of the above. For example how would you read this: GODISNOWHERE do you read it as God is nowhere or do you read it as God is now here? Same string of letters two entirely different meanings. This is why many biblical researchers use a 'Lexicon' to assist them in translation as it provides a word for word translation from the original Arabic, Greek or Hebrew depending on the language in which the scripture was originally written. It's also interesting to note that when translated into symbolic logic you can prove God exists but you can not prove He doesn't exist! In the end I just love listening to people who think they are so smart that they are qualified to judge the almighty. Talk about ego! Putting soapbox away, God Bless Maegi$LABEL$ 0 +"I presume you are here for damage to your mental circuitry." - VALMike Nelson made me watch this...he mentioned it in his book, "Movie Megacheese." I asked myself, "Why would Mike Nelson steer me wrong?" I now know why the bots never trusted Mike Nelson.The music is by John Williams, which is probably part of his payment to the Devil. In fact, I'm sure anyone who worked on this movie is probably in league with ol' Slewfoot, or is now cursed, from the Executive Director down to the guy who ran the catering truck outside the studio. Don't watch...for the love of God...don't watch!!! Not even making a copy and showing someone else will un-curse you...I'm doomed now, I understand this. I accept this. But save yourself...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was Flippin Awful....I wanted those hours of my life back. For god's sake, -stay far away from this awful crumb ball movie at all costs. Its not worth mentioning the title, but the ratings on this movie are pretty generous for a vomit scum movie like this. And where do I begin? The dumb A** kids in the movie.....The zero plot or story?...the garden-variety college/frat boy-esquire scenes of towel slapping? Or the VERY bad acted, teen angst innuendo? $$$#@%@! My god, It NEVER ended!.....I remember thinking I would have rather kissed the movie theater floor, then sit through this one again.But what do you expect? Most people with the brain power to look up reviews, are not going to be the target audience here at all- so GO SEE Pirites 2 again, or the Jet Lee one, -If your debating to yourself. Look, This movie will just cost you your soul, your money, your energy, and your brain cells. HEED THE WARNING.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a movie that i can watch over and over and never ever get tired of it, it has lot's of laughs, guns, action, crime,, good one liners, and a decent plot, with an over the top, Donald Sutherland in a rather comedic role as an Assasain. Tia Carerra looks as hot as she ever did and can act too, Thomas Ian Griffin is great in this as the lead character "Max" a DEA agent Diane is the FBI agent, played by Carerra, and John Lithgow from Frazier on TV, plays the bad guy,, "Livingston". The plot centers around Max and Diane trying to capture Livingston while they fight and argue with each other about who gets the money for the respective agencies, throw into the mix the Assassain Sutherland, who pretty much has all the good one liners, this is the perfect crime caper, there is the usual love story,, but played very differently than you would think by Carerra and Griffith. You also have the Russian mafia, Italian Mafia, and Chineese Mafia here thrown into the mix,, the film is shot in Boston,, where you have some great shots , and locals,, great photography and music in this film, this movie is just the epitome of a crime comedy,, it has everything that one could ever want. Check out Sutherland's toilet in a particular scene,, very unusual. this film is a riot and will make you laugh real hard 10 plus for me.$LABEL$ 1 +If you like to see animals being skinned alive, their heads smashed, dogs throats being crushed my men stomping on them, then this one is for you! But if you are somewhat normal, and don't need to see real footage of animal cruelty, pass this one up. This movie tries to shock the viewer, and it sure does.With the animal snuff at the beginning, and the killing of babies in the movie (fake at least)its was enough to make myself turn it off.I've seen movies like this before that show slaughterhouse footage (BTK movie) and this kind of footage should not be allowed in a horror movie.We watch gore and horror because we know its just make-up, and special effects, so we shouldn't sit down to watch a movie and see the real killing of animals, its not what we rented the movie for.If anything, there should be a large warning label put on these types of garbage movies so people won;t be surprised by it. As a very hardcore horror fan, this one turned my stomach. The entire movie cast and crew need their heads checked.$LABEL$ 0 +Another Spanish movie about the 1936 Civil War. This time we're told about the story of Carol (lovely played by débutant Clara Lago), a little girl which comes to live to a little Spanish village from New York. It is such an initiating trip, and soon she'll find about the injustices of the human race, their stupid fights and conflicts, their contradictions.Imanol Uribe makes his best film since "Días Contados" (1994) with such a sober pulse, a beautiful photography, and a nice script. He tries not to take part in the conflict, he just shows us some facts and let us decide (ok, the facts are explicit enough to make us decide in which band are we in) and he takes a huge advantage of the presence and the freshness of the young starring couple: Clara Lago and Juan José Ballesta.A well cared production.My rate: 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +A response to previous comments made by residents of the region where this motion picture was lensed: One person suggested that the closing and destruction of the Ocean View Amusement Park led to a downturn in the surrounding neighborhoods. This is simply not true. Prior to the construction of Interstate 64, which bypasses the Ocean View area, the primary route for traffic went through the heart of Ocean View. Once the interstate was completed, Ocean View rapidly became a ghost town with businesses closing up and an increase in crime. This led to a huge reduction in revenues for the park, which also faced new competition from nearby Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Meanwhile, in the past few years, the City of Norfolk has done a remarkable job of fostering redevelopment so that the area has become a sought-after location for construction of high-end housing.It has also been said that the destruction footage of the roller coaster was used in the film "Rollercoaster". This is also untrue. Footage was shot of two coaster cars careening off the ride for that film, but the actual explosions and collapse are exclusive to "Death of Ocean View Park".As to the film itself, the storyline of a "supernatural" force in the water adjacent to the park was certainly silly, but somewhat typical for B-grade movies of the time. With the cast involved, there should be no surprise that the scenery was gnawed in almost every scene by the primary actors. I don't believe this film was intended to be another "Citizen Kane"; I believe Playboy was experimenting with a new non-nude format to determine if this was an area for the company to expand into (apparently not!). A strange force in the water causing strange events in an old amusement park probably sounded good at the conference table, but proved unmanageable in execution. The roller coaster and the rest of the park was destined for the wrecking ball anyway; "let's come up with a weird way to justify an explosive demise!".For the casual movie viewer, this would be a "see once and forget about it" film (except for Diana Canova fans); but for the thousands of people who live in the region and have fond memories of the park, this movie is like a "walk down memory lane" for footage of the park as well as old footage of downtown Norfolk, the first "Harborfest", and Old Dominion University. Even a limited release of this film on DVD would be welcome.$LABEL$ 0 +I was expecting a lot from Mr.Amitabh Bachan's role of SARKAR, but am disappointed. Being a Ram Gopal Verma's direction i was not ready for this kind of a movie. Sarkar is supposed to be a strong character, but the movie shows that Amitabh is too dependent on others power rather than his. There is a movie in Tamil called Nayakan based on the theme of GOD FATHER and Kamala Hassan has played the lead. The movie is well directed and the power till the end remains in the hands of Kamala Hassan, not his son. Amitabh Bachan seems to be too helpless in the movie and he just accepts everything instead of changing things. The movie fails to show the strong impact of God Father.$LABEL$ 0 +A trio of buddies, sergeants all in the British Army, carouse & brawl their way across Imperial India. Intensely loyal to each other, they meet their greatest & most deadly challenge when they encounter the resurgence of a hideous cult & its demented, implacable guru. Now they must rely on the lowliest servant of the regiment, the water carrier GUNGA DIN, to save scores of the Queen's soldiers from certain massacre.Based more on The Three Musketeers than Kipling's classic poem, this is a wonderful adventure epic - a worthy entry in Hollywood's Golden Year of 1939. Filled with suspense & humor, while keeping the romantic interludes to the barest minimum, it grips the interest of the viewer and holds it right up to the (sentimental) conclusion.It is practically fruitless to discuss the performance nuances of the three stars, Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen & Douglas Fairbanks Jr., as they are really all thirds of a single organism - inseparable and, to all intents & purposes, indistinguishable. However, this diminishes nothing of the great fun in simply watching them have a glorious time.(It's interesting to note, parenthetically, that McLaglen boasted of a distinguished World War One military career; Fairbanks would have a sterling record in World War Two - mostly in clandestine affairs & earning himself no fewer than 4 honorary knighthoods after the conflict; while Grant reportedly worked undercover for British Intelligence, keeping an eye on Hollywood Nazi sympathizers.)The real acting laurels here should go to Sam Jaffe, heartbreaking in the title role. He infuses the humble man with radiant dignity & enormous courage, making the last line of Kipling's poem ring true. He is unforgettable.Montague Love is properly stalwart as the regimental major, whilst Eduardo Ciannelli is Evil Incarnate as the Thuggee guru. The rest of the cast, Joan Fontaine, Robert Coote, Lumsden Hare, are effective but have little to do. Movie mavens will recognize Cecil Kellaway in the tiny role of Miss Fontaine's father.The film picks its villains well. The demonic Thuggee cult, worshipers of the hideous, blood-soaked Kali, Hindu goddess of destruction, was the bane of Indian life for 6 centuries, ritualistically strangling up to 30,000 victims a year. In 1840 the British military, in cooperation with a number of princely states, succeeded in ultimately suppressing the religion. Henceforth it would remain the stuff of novels & nightmares.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie pretty much sucked. I'm in the Army and the soldiers depicted in this movie are horrible. If your in the Military and you see this movie you'll laugh and be upset the entire movie because of the way they acted as a squad. It was ridiculous. They acted like a bunch of normal people with Army uniforms on not knowing what to do. It was a pretty gory movie I'd have to say the least. There was a couple scenes where they try to make you jump. I'd recommend seeing it if you are bored and want to see a violent, gory movie. It will be a better movie also if your not in the Military. I also would have to say I liked the first one better than this one.$LABEL$ 0 +If you watched Pulp Fiction don't see this movie. This movie is NOT funny. This is the worst parody movie ever. This is a poor attempt of parody films.The cast is bad. The film is bad. This is one of the worst pictures ever made.I do not recommend Plump Fiction. I prefer the original Pulp Fiction by the great Quentin Tarantino. This is one of the worst parody films ever made.Plump Fiction is not a good movie. It is not funny. It is so dumb and vulgar.$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see "Passion of Mind" because I usually get a kick out of the genre of alternate reality romances, i.e. "Sliding Doors," "Me, Myself, I," etc. But this was the worst one I've ever seen! I had to force myself to sit through it. I didn't even stay through the credits which is unheard of for me.The magical realism was completely missing because Demi Moore was grim and the lovers she was two-timing were guys who usually play villains, though each was kind of sexy and appealing.There was actually a psychological explanation provided for the dual lives, with a distasteful frisson of The Elektra Complex; maybe the magic shouldn't be explained for this genre to work.(originally written 5/28/2000)$LABEL$ 0 +I thought that ROTJ was clearly the best out of the three Star Wars movies. I find it surprising that ROTJ is considered the weakest installment in the Trilogy by many who have voted. To me it seemed like ROTJ was the best because it had the most profound plot, the most suspense, surprises, most emotional,(especially the ending) and definitely the most episodic movie. I personally like the Empire Strikes Back a lot also but I think it is slightly less good than than ROTJ since it was slower-moving, was not as episodic, and I just did not feel as much suspense or emotion as I did with the third movie.It also seems like to me that after reading these surprising reviews that the reasons people cited for ROTJ being an inferior film to the other two are just plain ludicrous and are insignificant reasons compared to the sheer excellence of the film as a whole. I have heard many strange reasons such as: a) Because Yoda died b) Because Bobba Fett died c) Because small Ewoks defeated a band of stormtroopers d) Because Darth Vader was revealedI would like to debunk each of these reasons because I believe that they miss the point completely. First off, WHO CARES if Bobba Fett died??? If George Lucas wanted him to die then he wanted him to die. Don't get me wrong I am fan of Bobba Fett but he made a few cameo appearances and it was not Lucas' intention to make him a central character in the films that Star Wars fans made him out to be. His name was not even mentioned anywhere in the movie... You had to go to the credits to find out Bobba Fett's name!!! Judging ROTJ because a minor character died is a bit much I think... Secondly, many fans did not like Yoda dying. Sure, it was a momentous period in the movie. I was not happy to see him die either but it makes the movie more realistic. All the good guys can't stay alive in a realistic movie, you know. Otherwise if ALL the good guys lived and ALL the bad guys died this movie would have been tantamount to a cheesy Saturday morning cartoon. Another aspect to this point about people not liking Yoda's death.. Well, nobody complained when Darth Vader struck down Obi Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. (Many consider A New Hope to be the best of the Trilogy) Why was Obi Wan's death okay but Yoda's not... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Another reason I just can not believe was even stated was because people found cute Ewoks overpowering stormtroopers to be impossible. That is utterly ridiculous!! I can not believe this one!! First off, the Ewoks are in their native planet Endor so they are cognizant of their home terrain since they live there. If you watch the movie carefully many of the tactics the Ewoks used in defeating the stormtroopers was through excellent use of their home field advantage. (Since you lived in the forest all your life I hope you would have learned to use it to your advantage) They had swinging vines, ropes, logs set up to trip those walkers, and other traps. The stormtroopers were highly disadvantaged because they were outnumbered and not aware of the advantages of the forest. The only thing they had was their blasters. To add, it was not like the Ewoks were battling the stormtroopers themselves, they were heavily assisted by the band of rebels in that conquest. I thought that if the stormtroopers were to have defeated a combination of the Star Wars heros, the band of rebels, as well as the huge clan of Ewoks with great familiarity of their home terrain, that would have been a great upset. Lastly, if this scene was still unbelievable to you.. How about in Empire Strikes Back or in A New Hope where there were SEVERAL scenes of a group consisting of just Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Princess, being shot at by like ten stormtroopers and all their blasters missed while the heros were in full view!! And not only that, the heroes , of course, always hit the Stormtroopers with their blasters. The troopers must have VERY, VERY bad aim then! At least in Empire Strikes Back, the Battle of Endor was much more believable since you had two armies pitted each other not 3 heroes against a legion of stormtroopers. Don't believe me? Check out the battle at Cloud City when our heroes were escaping Lando's base. Or when our heros were rescuing Princess Leia and being shot at (somehow they missed)as Han Solo and Luke were trying to exit the Death Star.The last reason that I care to discuss (others are just too plain ridiculous for me to spend my time here.) is that people did not like Darth Vader being revealed! Well, in many ways that was a major part of the plot in the movie. Luke was trying to find whether or not Darth Vader was his father, Annakin Skywalker. It would have been disappointing if the movie had ended without Luke getting to see his father's face because it made it complete. By Annakin's revelation it symbolized the transition Darth Vader underwent from being possessed by the dark side (in his helmet) and to the good person he was Annakin Skywalker (by removing the helmet). The point is that Annakin died converted to the light side again and that is what the meaning of the helmet removal scene was about. In fact, that's is what I would have done in that scene too if I were Luke's father...Isn't that what you would have done if you wanted to see your son with your own eyes before you died and not in a mechanized helmet?On another note, I think a subconscious or conscious expectation among most people is that the sequel MUST be worse (even if it is better) that preceding movies is another reason that ROTJ does not get as many accolades as it deserves. I never go into a film with that deception in mind, I always try to go into a film with the attitude that "Well, it might be better or worse that the original .. But I can not know for sure.. Let's see." That way I go with an open mind and do not dupe myself into thinking that a clearly superior film is not as good as it really was.I am not sure who criticizes these movies but, I have asked many college students and adults about which is their favorite Star Wars movie and they all tell me (except for one person that said that A New Hope was their favorite) that it is ROTJ. I believe that the results on these polls are appalling and quite misleading.Bottom line, the Return of the Jedi was the best of the Trilogy. This movie was the only one of the three that kept me riveted all throughout its 135 minutes. There was not a moment of boredom because each scene was either suspenseful, exciting, surprising, or all of the above. For example, the emotional light saber battle between Luke and his father in ROTJ was better than the one in the Empire Strikes Back any day!!!Finally, I hope people go see the Phantom Menace with an open mind because if fans start looking for nitpicky, insignificant details (or see it as "just another sequel") to trash the movie such as "This movie stinks because Luke is not in it!" then this meritorious film will become another spectacular movie that will be the subject of derision like ROTJ suffered unfortunately.$LABEL$ 1 +Crossfire remains one of the best Hollywood message movies because, unlike the admirably intentioned Gentleman's Agreement, which it beat to theatres by a few months, it chooses to send its message via the form an excellent noir thriller rather than have an outraged star constantly saying "It's because I'm Jewish, isn't it?" It's much easier to get the message that hate is like a loaded gun across when the dead bodies are actual rather than metaphorical. Somewhat shamefully, the brief featurette on the Warners' DVD doesn't mention that novelist Richard Brooks disowned the film over the shift from a homophobic murder to an anti-Semitic one, but it's interesting to note that while the victim is killed primarily because he is Jewish, there's little doubt in Sam Levene's performance that the character is in fact also gay – not a mincing caricature, but there's definitely a two lost souls aspect to his scenes with George Cooper's confused soldier. There's not much of a mystery to who the murderer is: even though the killing is carried out in classic noir shadows, the body language of the killer is instantly recognisable, but then the film has its characters drift to the same conclusion before the halfway point: the tension comes from proving it and saving the fall guy.There's an element of Ealing Films to the gang of soldiers teaming together to get their buddy out of a fix (you could almost see that aspect as a blueprint for Hue and Cry), but the atmosphere is pure RKO noir. Set over one long sweltering night, the film has a great look filled with deep dark blacks and shadows born as much out of economy as style (it cut back on lighting time and allowed director Edward Dmytryk more time to work with the actors) and the excellent cast make the most of the fine script: a laid-back but quietly charismatic Robert Mitchum, Robert Young's Maigret-like detective, Gloria Grahame's tramp and the perpetually creepy Paul Kelly as her compulsive liar admirer, a guy who tries on stories the way other people try on ties. But the lasting impression is of Robert Ryan's excellent performance as a guy who could do with a good leaving alone as he does his best to help the wrongly accused man all the way to death row. A big surprise hit in 1946, as a reward, Dmytryk and producer Adrian Scott found themselves investigated by the HUAC, which itself had a notable tendency to target Jews. So much for crusading…$LABEL$ 1 +This movie basically is a very well made production and gives a good impression of a war situation and its effects on those involved. It's always interesting to see the story from the 'other' side for a change. This movie concentrates on a group of German soldiers who after fighting in the North Africa campaign are send to Stalingrad, Russia, where one of the most notorious and bloodiest battles of WW II is being fought.It's interesting to see the other side of this battle, since we mainly just always see the Germans simply as the 'villains'. In this movie those 'villains' are given an humane face and voice and it sort of makes you realize that the only true enemy in war is war itself and not necessarily those who you're fighting against. At first it's kind of hard to concentrate on the movie because you always just have in the back of your mind that the German's are the evil villains. But of course you get accustomed to it quickly and you soon adapt the Germans as the main characters of the movie and you even start to care -and be interested in them.The way this story is told isn't however the best. It's hard to keep track of the story at times, as it jumps from the one sequence and location to the other. The movie isn't always logic in its storytelling and features a bit too many sequences that remain too vague. It also is most of the time pretty hard to keep the characters apart and see who is who. It doesn't always makes this movie an easy on to watch but than again on the other hand, there are plenty enough sequences and moments present in this movie to make it worthwhile and an interesting one, just not the most coherent one around. In that regard Hollywood movies are always better than European movies.The production values are high and features some good looking sets and locations, though the movie wasn't even shot in Russia itself. It helps to create a good war time situation atmosphere.The character are mostly interesting although perhaps a tad bit formulaic. But I don't know, for some reason formulaic characters always work out fine in war movies and strenghtens the drama and realism. It also helps that they're being played by well cast actors. All of the actors aren't the best known actors around (Thomas Kretschmann was also at the time still a fairly unknown actor) but each of them fit their role well and gives its characters an unique face and personality.All in all not the best or most consistent WW II drama around but definitely worth a look, due to its original approach of the German side of the battle of Stalingrad and its good production values.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +So I rented this from Netflix because somebody gave me Roger Ebert's book "I hated, hated, hated this movie" and he gave this one a rare zero-star rating in the book and said at the end of his original review "Mad Dog Time should be cut up to provide free ukulele picks for the poor". So I figured from Ebert saying that I would see if it was really as bad as he said it was. I know most society says not to listen to critics and to judge for yourself but I could not express how much I hated this piece of junk like Ebert did and never since Ebert's review of Rob Reiner's "North" where he said he hated that movie ten times had I ever heard such a brilliant hatred movie review. Here we have Richard Dreyfuss as a gangster which I don't think it would be terrible to see Dreyfuss as a gangster if the screenplay for this movie were written well. But above all the other things that were awful about this "movie" I can certainly tell you the script was not written well at all. While the movie starts off with Jeff Goldblum saying that he enjoyed watching Dreyfuss's girlfriend while Dreyfuss was at a criminal hospital the movie starts off with some decent dialog after the opening credits. But after that first 4 or 5 minutes the other 85 minutes just consists of dumb characters talking pointless garbage for 30 seconds then someone gets shot. Then there are a whole bunch of jokes about Dreyfuss being mentally ill. Haha. Not funny. Then we get an unpleasant and unfunny scene parodying Frank Sinatra's "My Way" sang by Gabriel Byrne apparently to insult Dreyfuss. Of course because the screenplay was written on the level of a sixth grader Dreyfuss shoots Byrne over five times and Byrne just will not die. Are we as the audience supposed to even care or find that mildly funny? I can certainly tell you I did not care or find that funny. Not only am I disappointed in Dreyfuss (who I admire much as an actor) for producing and starring in this tripe but I am also extremely disappointed in Jeff Goldblum because this was released the same year that "Independence Day" was the top grossing film of the year and ultimately one of the most successful films in history. Did Goldblum feel that "Independence Day" would be a flop and then just take the next role that was offered to him to make some money if "Independence Day" were a bomb? What did an Oscar winner and the star of two of the biggest money making films in history find remotely enjoyable about this? The opening sequence of "Mad Dog Time" says that the movie is set on another planet. I only wish now that I have wasted 93 minutes watching this trash that it would have stayed and opened in theaters on the planet where it supposedly takes place so that way everyone on this planet would never here of this ridiculous waste of 93 minutes out of my life that I will never get back. Ebert saying the movie should have been cut up is not good enough I am afraid. Every copy of "Mad Dog Time" should have gasoline poured all over it and be lit on fire. I have yet to top a worst movie I have ever seen because this one has won it's honor as the worst movie ever.$LABEL$ 0 +What a boring film! To sum it all up, its was basically just Nana Patekar beating up his daughter-in-law Karisma Kapoor, while she tried to flee from the village, with her son. Can someone say BORING??? The concept wasn't too bad, but it was poorly executed. The Canadian locales, and some of the village scenes were nicely shot. However, overall the cinematography came up short. The story could have been great, but the movie just seemed to drag on. There is only so much stupidity a person can take, let alone three bloody hours of it.The best part of the whole movie was the song "Ishq Kamina", and that was only five minutes long. Other than that, this movie was a piece of crap.$LABEL$ 0 +{rant start} I didn't want to believe them at first, but I guess this is what people are talking about when they say South Korean cinema has peaked and may even be going downhill. After the surprisingly fun and moving monster movie "Gwoemul" (aka "The Host") of 2006-- which actually succeeded in making a sharp satire out of a B-movie genre-- successive Korean blockbusters have become more and more generic, even though their budgets (mainly spent on special effects) have become more and more fantastic. Do South Korean movie-makers really want to squander all the audience and investor goodwill, which their industry has built up since the 1999 break-out film "Shiri/Swiri", by making a whole series of big budget mediocre movies like mainland China did? {rant end}The only "reason" I can fathom for making this movie is to dupe the investors into financing the most detailed and fluid digital animation of a Korean/ East Asian-styled dragon I have seen to date, for the final scenes. Now if they had introduced that dragon at the beginning and given it more personality and purpose like in the 1996 "Dragonheart", the movie might have had a few more redeeming qualities other than having lots of digitally animated dragons. Remember "Dungeons & Dragons" in 2000? Hasn't anyone learnt that the trick is not how MUCH special effects you use, but how WELL you use it? I hope there are more (and better) Korean legends they can use, because they have just killed a lot of international interest in Korean dragon legends with the way they filmed this one.In short, I agree with all the negative reviews gone before and wonder how Koreans felt about having their folk anthem "Arirang" being played at the very end. As a creature feature, I would have given it at least 5 stars out of 10 if the special effects or action sequences had been worth it, but I've seen many video games with better camera work and scripting (just less dragons).$LABEL$ 0 +As a native Chinese, I can not accept this kind of idea that some people must die for a 'better world'. I said 'better world' because it is a lie that Chinese people have been indoctrinated for thousand years! I guess most western audience may don't know Qin Shihuang(means the first emperor), the king in this film is the most notorious tyrant in ancient China. The Tianxia(Chinese word was spoken by the king, means 'the land and the people') spoken from his mouth is totally lie. From then on, one after another, all the king in ancient china spoke the same thing but very few of them did as what they said.Another fact is, Qin Shihuang's empire only lasted about twenty years before it was destroyed by people.Well, I do like the beautiful scenes of this movie, but it can not make me accept the idea that people should die for a tyrant.$LABEL$ 0 +This had a great cast with big-name stars like Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly, Henry Hull and Brian Donlevey and a bunch more lesser-but-known names with shorter roles. It also had Technicolor, one of the few movies made with it in 1939.Now the bad news.......regrettably, I can't say much positive for the story. It portrayed the James boys in a totally positive light....and Hollywood has done that ever since. Why these criminals are always shown to be the "good guys" is beyond me. This film glamorizes them and made their enemies - the railroad people - into vicious human beings. The latter was exaggerated so much it was preposterous. Well, that's the film world for you: evil is good; good is bad.Hey Hollywood: here's a news flash - The James boys were criminals! Really - look it up!$LABEL$ 0 +I remember watching this series avidly, every Saturday evening. It was the highlight of the week. I loved everything about it, the location, the costumes, the actors and the wonderful music by Clannad (I still have their Legend album). I loved the way they solved the problem of Michael Praed leaving by creating another Robin, this time the Earl of Huntingdon. I believe there were legends of several Robins in medieval times. Another thing I loved was the fact that it was filled with young actors, I'm sure Robin and his men would have young, after all people didn't live that long in those days. Other Robins always look too old (Kevin Costner with his ridiculous accent looked like Robin's granddad). The only sad thing was the ending, it's a shame they couldn't at least have done a one off special to tie up all the loose ends and give it a happier ending.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't normally write reviews, but this "film" was special. I couldn't turn it off. I don't believe I've ever seen a worse movie, but there I sat, watching. It was like a horrible car wreck with blood flowing all over the highway. It was disgusting, but I couldn't turn away. Where do I start? The movie seems to think it's a sports thriller, but it's so utterly ridiculous, it can only be a comedy, but it's not funny, not even in a dumb/silly way. It's like watching your cousins try to act out a skit on family get-togethers. It's painful to watch, but at least it's only for a minute or two. Second String went on for over an hour. Whoever was involved with making this movie should not work again. The writing, directing, acting, and everything was just terrible. The problem is I can't describe how bad it was; you just had to see it. And I'm sure this will NEVER be shown again, so unless you saw it, you're out of luck. I mean it was almost worth seeing just for the fact that it gave me some appreciation for every other "bad" film I've seen over my lifetime. And for every film I see in the future that I can't stand, I will think to myself, well, at least it wasn't bad as the Second String.$LABEL$ 0 +Few would argue that master animation director Hayao Miyazaki is one of the few to hold this ability.(No. Too many are focused on John Lassiter's "amazing" ability to steal other movies plots, turn them into pretty puppet shows and then be lauded as a genius . . . but i digress.)Miyazaki has given us film after film that deals with important mature issues (usually ecologically themed), and has an intelligent script that even the most jaded viewer who would normally despise any film that was animated could thoroughly enjoy if given the chance. Still, Miyazaki (almost) never forgets who will undoubtedly be in the audience of these movies- children.That said, I am at a loss to think of another filmmaker with this ability. Where else are you going to have a film where a three year old (my nephew Link) will sit still throughout the move, enthralled, a 7 year old (my niece Amber) loving it all her own (and able to appreciate the "star power" of Frankie Jonas and Noah Cyrus, a 12 year old (my nephew Aaron) who's review was "of course it was good! Everything Miyazaki-san does is good!," a 32 year old animation fan brought to tears by the powerful directing and gorgeous animation (er, that would be me), and a 58 year old woman (my mother) able to connect with the mother characters (and I'm betting the older charas too) and loving the "cuteness" of the child characters.And that is what I respect most about Miyazaki-san. He seems to speak to his audience in a completely different way than the average filmmaker. On the surface, "Ponyo" could be seen as a simple story about a little fish-girl who gets a taste of the human world and wants to join it and the friend she makes there, a little boy names Soske (somewhat like "The Little Mermaid"), but there is an entire different level at play here. True to form, Miyazaki populates his film with intensely strong female characters Ponyo's Mother, Soske's mother, the older ladies in a nursing home are all genuine characters with minds of their own and extremely strong willed.But the girl who takes the cake is Ponyo herself. Once she decides that she likes the human world, she simply uses her own will to achieve her dreams. Her father is trying to keep her innocent, and keep her a magical fish, but young Ponyo knows what she wants and becomes human out of simply her own determination. Once human, she teams up with her friend, Soske, whom she loves very much (although maybe not as much as ham). Soske is asked to be the man of the house (at age five) when his mother Lisa decides she has to help the people at the rest home where she works during a typhoon that has been inadvertently caused by Ponyo on her quest to become human. Frankie Jonas (yes. He's related to the Jonas brothers. Can we just get past that please?) gives, perhaps, the best performance in the film as young Soske (which is good since he has the most lines). His character is also strong willed, but also very respectful and friendly- characteristics you're not likely to find in a child character on THIS side of the Pacific.In the end, Ponyo's father, Fujimoto must cope with his daughter's decision and his estranges wife's wishes to allow her to be human. He hopes that Ponyo and Soske will "remember him fondly." And once again, Miyazaki REFUSES to allow a character to become the stereotypical "bad guy." Although Miyazaki has (for some reason) received some criticism for this, it is, honestly, what makes his movies magical and yet relatable. No one in real life is completely a "bad person." All humans are various shades of gray. And that is exactly what Miyazaki does with his characters. And then there's the animation itself. In a time when CGI would certainly have helped with the copious amounts of effects shots in this film, especially the water, Miyazaki has chosen to incorporate NO CGI whatsoever. Certainly the hand drawn animation was colored by digital means, but every film in this was hand-drawn and I, for one, was extremely grateful for that. The character animation was extremely fluid, and there even appeared to be some lip-sync going on (quite unusual for an anime film). The backgrounds seemed to be rendered with colored pencil and had an effect all its own on the audience. This is what animation used to look like- and what it SHOULD look like. In the end, I found Ponyo to be thoroughly enjoyable. Certainly not Miyazaki's best (in my opinion, that honor is still held by Kiki's Delivery Service), but still a 10-star fun movie for the ENTIRE family.$LABEL$ 1 +Attractive Marjorie(Farrah Fawcett)lives in fear after being accosted by a lone biker. She is mortally shaken with the fact her attacker knows her address. As expected, Joe(James Russo), the attacker forces his way into Marjorie's home and subjects her to humiliating terror. Bruised and bloody, Marjorie manages to get an upper hand on her attacker, knocking the living daylights out of the jerk and renders him helpless thanks to wasp spray in his eyes and throat. Hog tied and battered himself, Joe tries to explain himself to Marjorie's roommates(Diana Scarwid and Alfrie Woodard) when they get home. There is almost a hint of mercy, but it is not coming from Marjorie. Should she continue to render her own punishment? Violence, sexual abuse and rough language makes for an R rating. Fawcett really gets away from the ditsy roles that would forever stain her career. Kudos to director Robert M. Young.$LABEL$ 1 +I find it sad that just because Edward Norton did not want to be in the film or have anything to do with it, people automatically think the movie sucks without even watching it or giving it a chance. I really hope Norton did not do this. He is a fine actor and all but he scared people away from a decent movie.I found it entertaining. It wasn't mind blowing or anything with crazy special effects, but it was not a bad. It was fun to watch. But yea, definitely not a bad/horrible movie.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie on TV last night, hoping for a realistic account of what could happen if there were an outbreak of some highly transmittable disease. I was disappointed, and I think the movie was garbage. It did not seem real to me. Some of the acting was awful, in particular that of the doctor. She was about the worst I've seen. The whole thing played like a CNN 'worst case scenario'. Even the obligatory disaster movie human relations bits didn't seem sincere. I have seen some disaster movies, in particular those weather ones, which are actually so bad they are amusing. This one is almost as bad, but it is not even amusing, it is tedious and boring.Don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +For those out there that like to think of themselves as reasonably intelligent human beings, who love film, have good attention to detail and enjoy indie movies with funny, smartly written dialogue then this is a film for you.For those with a poor attention span, high expectations and no brains.. well.. um.. you may get bored and find things dragging at times.This is a charming, modest and well paced movie with the actors bestowing a real sense of depth and warmth to their roles. I chuckled to myself pretty much the whole way through..This film is a little gem.$LABEL$ 1 +THE GREAT CARUSO was the biggest hit in the world in 1951 and broke all box office records at Radio City Music Hall in a year when most "movergoers" were stay-at-homes watching their new 7" Motorola televisions. Almost all recent box office figures are false --- because they fail to adjust inflation. Obviously today's $10 movies will dominate. In 1951 it cost 90c to $1.60 at Radio City; 44c to 75c first run at Loew's Palace in Washington DC, or 35c to 50c in neighborhood runs. What counts is the number of people responding to the picture, not unadjusted box office "media spin." The genius of THE GREAT CARUSO was that the filmmakers took most of the actual life of Enrico Caruso (really not a great story anyway) and threw it in the trash. Instead, 90% of the movie's focus was on the music. Thus MGM gave us the best living opera singer MARIO LANZA doing the music of the best-ever historic opera singer ENRICO CARUSO. The result was a wonderful movie. Too bad LANZA would throw his life and career away on overeating. Too fat to play THE STUDENT PRINCE, Edmund Purdom took his place --- with Lanza's voice dubbed in, and with the formerly handsome and not-fat Lanza pictured in the advertising. If you want to see THE GREAT CARUSO, it's almost always on eBay for $2.00 or less. Don't be put off by the low price, as it reflects only the easy availability of copies, not the quality of the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I attended an advance screening of this film not sure of what to expect from Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher; both have delivered less than memorable performances & films. While the underlying "general" storyline is somewhat familiar, this film was excellent. Both Costner and Kutcher delivered powerful performances playing extremely well off each other. The human frailties and strengths of their respective characters were incredibly played by both; the scene when Costner confronts Kutcher with the personal reasons why Kutcher joined the Coast Guard rescue elite was the film's most unforgettable emotional moment. The "specific" storyline was an education in itself depicting the personal sacrifice and demanding physical training the elite Coast Guard rescuers must go through in preparation of their only job & responsibility...to save lives at sea. The special effects of the rescue scenes were extremely realistic and "wowing"...I haven't seen such angry seas since "The Perfect Storm". Co-star Clancy Brown (HBO's "Carnivale" - great to see him again) played the captain of the Coast Guard's Kodiak, Alaska base in a strong, convincing role as a leader with the prerequisite and necessary ice water in his veins. The film wonderfully, and finally, gives long overdue exposure and respect to the Coast Guard; it had the audience applauding at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +1) I am not weapon expert, but even i can see difference between U.S. army riffles in WWI and WWII. In movie we can see privates, armed with "M1 Garand" (invented in year 1932!), not authentic "1903 Springfield" (aka "Silent Death"), who privates use until WWII. Difference - M1 can load 1,5 times more ammunition and 3 times more fire rate! M1 was semi - automatic, Springfield requires reloading after every shot. Little difference?! 2) German army uniforms has borrowed from 1940 Year too. Especially - helmets. German helmets until end of WWI have significant pike on top, we cannot see even one in movie. And if we make little additional search in archives - how much truthful is this "True Story"? I am surprised, how much "truthful" can be film directors in a pursuit of cheap propagation.$LABEL$ 0 +Do you ever wonder what is the worst movie ever made? Stop wondering. I'm telling you, Michael is it!It is not "heartwarming," "entertaining," or "Travolta at his best." It just sucks. If I had kids, I would let them watch Deep Throat before Michael!A sold-out John Travolta, a washed-up and balding William Hurt, and an about to die any time now Jean Stapleton highlight this turd of a film.But wait...you'll get to hear Andie McDowell sing! Yeah. Hollywood really s**t all over us with this one!$LABEL$ 0 +The film began with Wheeler sneaking into the apartment of his girlfriend. Her aunt (Edna May Oliver--a person too talented for this film) didn't like Wheeler--a sentiment I can easily relate to. The aunt decided to take this bland young lady abroad to get her away from Wheeler. They left and Wheeler invested in a revolution in a small mythical kingdom because they promised to make him their king. At about the same time, Woolsey was in the same small mythical kingdom and he was made king. So when Wheeler arrived, it was up to the boys to fight it out, but they refused because they are already friends--which greatly disappointed the people, as killing and replacing kings is a national pastime.I am a huge fan of comedy from the Golden Age of Hollywood--the silent era through the 1940s. I have seen and reviewed hundreds, if not thousands of these films and yet despite my love and appreciation for these films I have never been able to understand the appeal of Wheeler and Woolsey--the only comedy team that might be as bad as the Ritz Brothers! Despite being very successful in their short careers in Hollywood (cut short due to the early death of Robert Woolsey), I can't help but notice that practically every other successful team did the same basic ideas but much better. For example, there were many elements of this film reminiscent of the Marx Brother's film, DUCK SOUP, yet CRACKED NUTS never made me laugh and DUCK SOUP was a silly and highly enjoyable romp. At times, Woolsey talked a bit like Groucho, but his jokes never have punchlines that even remotely are funny! In fact, he just seemed to prattle pointlessly. His only funny quality was that he looked goofy--surely not enough reason to put him on film. Additionally, Wheeler had the comedic appeal of a piece of cheese--a piece of cheese that sang very poorly! A missed opportunity was the old Vaudeville routine later popularized by Abbott and Costello as "who's on first" which was done in this film but it lacked any spark of wit or timing. In fact, soon after they started their spiel, they just ended the routine--so prematurely that you are left frustrated. I knew that "who's on first" had been around for many years and used by many teams, but I really wanted to see Wheeler and Woolsey give it a fair shot and give it their own twist.Once again, I have found yet another sub-par film by this duo. While I must admit that I liked a few of their films mildly (such as SILLY BILLIES and THE RAINMAKERS--which I actually gave 6's to on IMDb), this one was a major endurance test to complete--something that I find happens all too often when I view the films of Wheeler and Woolsey. Where was all the humor?!$LABEL$ 0 +I was really hoping that this would be a funny show, given all the hype and the clever preview clips. And talk about hype, I even heard an interview with the show's creator on the BBC World Today - a show that is broadcast all over the world.Unfortunately, this show doesn't even come close to delivering. All of the jokes are obvious - the kind that sound kind of funny the first time you hear them but after that seem lame - and they are not given any new treatment or twist. All of the characters are one-dimensional. The acting is - well - mediocre (I'm being nice). It's the classic CBC recipe - one that always fails.If you're Muslim I think you would have to be stupid to believe any of the white characters, and if you're white you'd probably be offended a little by the fact that almost all of the white characters are portrayed as either bigoted, ignorant, or both. Not that making fun of white people is a problem - most of the better comedies are rooted in that. It's only a problem when it isn't funny - as in this show.Canada is bursting with funny people - so many that we export them to Hollywood on a regular basis. So how come the producers of this show couldn't find any?$LABEL$ 0 +First of all "Mexican werewolf in Texas" is not a werewolf movie. This title is bullcrap. The story is actually about a Chupacabra that kills all the local villagers in the little town of Furlough in Texas. I suppose the distributors renamed the original title so that it would make some extra bucks or something. And I guess it actually works because that's the reason why I bought this piece of crap, it sounded so stupid. Anyway the movie isn't any good. Actually it's bloody awful. But I didn't expect anything else when I bought it. It's a low budget horror movie with a Chupacabra monster. If you enjoy low budget horror with bad dialog, actors and some gore then you should check into this movie. But I must warn you, this movie is really baaaaaaad.This movie has some of the worst acting I have ever seen. The actors try to hard and t it gets completely ridiculous. They almost never say a line in a normal way. They always have this completely wrong tone about just everything they say. It's so stupid it almost looks like a freakin parody. It's like they shot each scene only one single time and were happy about it. The worst of them all is the blond girl which is supposed to play a bimbo. She's the worst of them all. I have never seen an actor as bad as her (And I've seen Pteradactyl). Even when her boyfriend dies she can't stop being a bimbo about it. I hate her.Some of the shots in this movie were actually quite good. The ones that where shot in the daytime are all pretty decent for a low budget project. But most of the movie is shot in the night when the Chupacabra strikes and the lighting is way too dark. The gore scenes are few and short, but really grizzly and violent. The effects are pretty hilarious really, but that's the way I like it. The Chupacabra looks pretty messed up, and it's easy to see that it's a guy in suit.Overall this movie should only be watched by extreme fans of low budget flicks and it's very important to not watch this alone because you will probably be bored to death. I recommend watching this flick with your friends and some beer.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is so God-awful that it was literally a chore to watch. I wanted to eject it from my vcr and throw it across the room, but kept thinking (foolishly) that it would eventually get funny and then everything would be all right. "You lose, we win, yay!" This movie should be required viewing for anyone who even once entertained the thought that Jackie Mason was funny. After that, beat them ove the head with this movie until the tape cracks. And if you're even considering renting this turd (or worse yet, have!) I have one thing to ask of you: didn't you even look at the cover? I mean, with crap like this you can tell with just a glance how bad it is! "Oy vey!" This movie sucked.$LABEL$ 0 +The symbolic use of objects, form editing, the position of characters in the scene... these were all used with such joyous abandon by Hitchcock that you can really see what a fertile genius he had. The way the wife moves from one corner of the ring to the other as the fight progresses, the editing when the wedding ring is placed on her finger... while these may seem a bit obvious by todays standards, in the silent era they spoke volumes about the story without a word being spoken. Even the title has a least four meanings that I can see; the boxing ring, the wedding ring, the bracelet the lover buys, and the love triangle at the heart of the story.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this movie to be very good in all areas. The acting was brilliant from all characters, especially Ms.Stone and Morissey. Tramell's Character just gets smarter and more psychologically twisted by the minute. The plot is interesting even though, this movie is more for the mind playing between the main characters and how Catherine continues her writing with new ways and twists for her novels. The setting was also fabulous and the whole atmosphere of the movie was that mysterious,thriller like masterpiece. Go see this film now , it deserves better than what it got from the audience ,which was misled by some faulty terrible reviews about the movie(Before it even started).....You won't regret it,if you go see it...$LABEL$ 1 +Rather like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen with their racing car movies this has all the appearance of a "jollies" project for Robert Redford, as he gets to ski up hill and down dale in the Alpine sunshine.The story is as light as powdered snow with Redford's small-town boy David Chappellet (what kind of lead name is that?) who with his eyes on the prize of Olympic glory, gets up the nose of, in no particular order, his coach, father and team-mates. Women are a mere side-show in his insular world as evidenced by a fairly distasteful pick-up scene with an old girlfriend in his hometown and then his selfishly petulant pursuit of, heavens above, a free-thinking, independent woman, played by Camilla Sparv. The ski-ing sequences are fine with some good stunt-work involving numerous bumps and scrapes on the piste but their effectiveness is dimmed by our subsequent familiarity with top TV coverage of skiing events down to the present day. Plus I'm not convinced that the Winter Olympics has the same mass identification with the general public as the summer games so that when Redford eventually wins his gold medal in the final reel, I couldn't really be that excited for him one way or another.Of the actors, Redford, best profile forward, doesn't need to do much and indeed doesn't, while Gene Hackman does better with equally meagre material. Ms Sparv does well as the chief female interest well who treats Redford the way he's doubtless treated every other woman in his chauvinistic way.In truth though, there's a lack of dramatic tension throughout for which the action sequences don't fully compensate and you don't care a fig for any of the leading characters. One of those films where the actors probably enjoyed making it more than the viewers did watching it.$LABEL$ 0 +I would recommend this film to anyone who is searching for a relaxing, fun-filled, thought-provoking movie. The absence of sex, vulgarities and violence made for a most pleasant evening. I especially enjoyed the Buffalo scene, but that's probably because I live a short distance from there. Even so, this film could have been produced in any city; it's the theme that's so important here. I'm just grateful that Manna From Heaven dropped down on us. Try it...you'll like it!$LABEL$ 1 +This is an art film that was either made in 1969 or 1972 (the National Film Preservation Foundation says 1969 and IMDb says 1972). Regardless of the exact date, the film definitely appears to be very indicative of this general time period--with some camera-work and pop art stylings that are pure late 60s-early 70s.The film consists of three simple images that are distorted using different weird camera tricks. These distorted images are accompanied by music and there is absolutely no dialog or plot of any sort. This was obviously intended as almost like a form of performance art, and like most performance art, it's interesting at first but quickly becomes tiresome. The film, to put it even more bluntly, is a total bore and would appeal to no one but perhaps those who made the film, their family and friends and perhaps a few people just too hip and "with it" to be understood by us mortals.$LABEL$ 0 +I read the book and saw the movie. Both excellent. The movie is diamond among coals during this era. Liebman and Selby dominate the screen and communicate the intensity of their characters without flaw. This film should have made them stars. Shame on the studio for not putting everything they had behind this film. It could have easily been a franchise. Release on DVD is a must and a worthy remake would revive this film. Look for it in your TV guide and if you see it listed, no matter how late, watch it. You won't be disappointed. Do yourself another favor - read the book (same title). It'll blow you away. Times have changed dramatically since those days, or at least we like to think they have.$LABEL$ 1 +A drifter looking for a job is mistaken for a hit man in a small Wyoming town, leading to all kinds of complications. Cage is perfectly cast as the unlucky schmuck hoping to make a quick buck and get out of town but finding he can't escape the title town. Hopper does what he does best, playing a psycho known as "Lyle from Dallas," the real hit man. Walsh as a crooked sheriff and Boyle as a femme fatale round out the fine cast. The script by brothers John and Rick Dahl contains delicious twists and turns, and John's direction creates a terrific "neo noir" atmosphere. Witty and very entertaining, it sucks the viewer in from the start and never lets up.$LABEL$ 1 +I really liked this movie. I have seen several Gene Kelly flicks and this is one of his best. I would actually put it above his more famous American in Paris. Sometimes it seems the story gets lost in Gene Kelly movies to the wonderful dance and song numbers, but not in this movie. It is definitely worth renting.$LABEL$ 1 +Although promoted as one of the most sincere Turkish films with an amateur cast, Ice-cream, I Scream is more like a caricature of sincerity.The plot opens with the dream of Ali, a traveling ice-cream salesman in a Western Anatolia town, in which he sees himself becoming successful using the same marketing methods of big ice-cream companies. He dreams of playing in his product's TV commercial with beautiful models in bikinis, dancing around him. As his dream turns into a nightmare, he wakes up with a big erection next to his gargantuan wife, who rejects to make sex with him for 6 years with no apparent reason. Is it because he is not successful in his job? Apparently, because he says he was selling better in the old days when there was no pressure from global ice-cream companies. But this is what he says; we actually don't see him suffer that much: he still sells good, traveling the neighboring villages while his apprentice stays at the shop, selling ice-cream to the people in the town. Ali blames big companies for using sweetening and coloring agents while he is using real "sahlep" (powdered roots of mountain orchids). Ali buys a motorbike with a bank loan to be a traveling vendor, and gives ads to a local TV channel which prefers to broadcast even the news bulletin in local dialect. His wife is not fond of his ways of doing business, they always quarrel, and Ali threatens her that he may do very bad things in a moment of frenzy.In a very successful day, his lousy bike is stolen by the misbehaving little boys of the town. In search of his stolen bike, Ali goes to the police, blames the big companies for the theft, but, of course, nobody takes him seriously. Annoyed by the nagging of his wife, Ali goes to a tavern and becomes drunk. One of his friends at his table, a wannabe socialist of the town, gives a didactic speech and criticizes globalism, and with no real connection, jumps to the subject of global freezing. Ali returns home and decides to kill himself with poison. His wife wakes up and prevents him. An old neighbor takes him to a night walk and advises him about life. According to him, Ali can even sell hot sahlep drink if the world faces with global freezing. When he returns home, suddenly we see that his wife understood his value, treating him like a hero and praising his manhood. Meanwhile, the thief boys got sick eating too much ice-cream. They confess to the doctor that they stole Ali's bike. Ali forgives them and there comes the happy end.Although the plot may look promising in a way, it's the story-telling which makes this film insincere and cheesy. First, the director doesn't show much of an effort to tell the story visually; everything is based on dialogs. And the dialogs never stop to show us that cinema is actually a visual art. Even Ali's troubles are not convincing because we don't see it, we just understand it from his words. The director markets his film as a righteous fight of Ali against big ice-cream companies, but there is nothing in the film about big companies. We don't see their pressure enough. The film actually ridicules Ali for believing that big companies are behind the theft. And when his motorbike is found, it solves every problem: Ali becomes a happy and powerful husband. Not a real criticism of globalism.Second, the film is cheesy because of the crude humor. Maybe the people of that part of Turkey is cursing so much and making so many vulgar jokes in their daily life, but vulgar language and crude humor are not enough to make a film funny. I may have accepted it if they were both vulgar and "clever" but they are not clever jokes at all, they are just cheesy. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe American people may like oriental version of American Pie style humor. But American Pie never had any claim to be a nominee for the Oscars, or to have a political message! If you think that you can laugh by just seeing a man's big erection in his shorts (and we had to endure this joke twice!) or an old villager woman saying "f**k you," then you may find this film funny.$LABEL$ 0 +Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Ollie is recovering from a broken leg in hospital, and with nothing else to do, Stan decides to visit him, and take him some boiled eggs and nuts, instead of candy. Chaos begins with Stan curiously pulling Ollie's leg cast string, and manages to push The Doctor (Billy Gilbert) out the window, clinging on to it, getting Ollie strung up to the ceiling. When the situation calms down, Stan gets Ollie's clothes, as the Doctor wants them both to leave, and he also manages to sit on a syringe, accidentally left by the nurse, filled with a sleeping drug, which comes into effect while he is driving (which you can tell is done with a car in front of a large screen. Filled with some likable slapstick and not too bad (although repetitive and a little predictable) classic comedy, it isn't great, but it's a black and white film worth looking at. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Okay!$LABEL$ 0 +OK I have to admit that I quite enjoyed House of the Dead despite its well documented failings. This however was the worst film I have seen since Demons at the Door. Compared to DATD the effects are vastly superior. However the plot is weak, the acting reminiscent of everyone's favourite, the porn film, and the decisions and actions of the "characters" consistently verge on the moronic. I feel like trying out Uwe Boll's latest cinematic outings just to get some sense of perspective over HOTD2. I am not suggesting that he is really the cure, more a case of a different disease, but when your senses have been insulted in such an abhorrent manner the only way is up. OK there it is. I have managed the ten line minimum and shall waste no more of our time on the waste of celluloid that is House of the dead 2.$LABEL$ 0 +I was -Unlike most of the reviewers- not born in the 80's. I was born on may 14th 1994. Despite this, my life was very much in the style of the 80's. When other kids had playstations, I was playing Zelda on my NES etc. Now, this movie holds a special place in my heart already despite me being only 15 years old at the time of writing this review. I, because of my 80's style early Childhood, watched many TV shows and saw Many movies that other kids didn't see, and this movie was one of those, and one of the greatest too.It starts off in the Los Angeles home of Alvin Seville, Simon Seville, Theodore Seville and David Seville. David, the Chipmunk's adoptive father, is in a rush to get to the airport as he is going on a business trip around Europe. His taxi is almost there and The Chipmunks help him pack. While they are talking, Alvin expresses his will to come with Dave and to see the world (Even though, technically Dave is only going to Europe, so to Alvin, apparently only America and Europe qualify as ''The World''). David is leaving the Chipmunks in the care of Miss Miller, much to the displeasure of the boys. Soon Dave is off to the airport and the Chipmunks are left at home with Miss Miller. Later, at a local Café the Chipmunks are playing a game of ''Around the World in 30 days'' against the Chipettes(Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanore). After losing the game to Brittany after having his Hot air Balloon eaten out of the sky by a crocodile, Alvin get's in an argument with Brittany about who would really win a race around the world. Two diamond smugglers sitting at a nearby table, Klaus and Claudia Furschtien overhear their argument and, needing a safe way of transporting their diamonds over the world, decide to fool the children into delivering them for them. They set up a race around the world, where each team will have to deposit a doll in their own likeness (Secretely filled with diamonds) at drop offs around the world and receive a doll in the opposing team's likeness (secretely filled with the payment for the diamonds) to ''varify that they were there''. The winning team would then receive a 100.000 dollar reward. They do this because they believe that Jamal (An Interpol agent who has been hot on their heels for some times now) would never suspect them because they are just kids (However, this seems to be redundant, because on their travels, the kids do not have to go through any security checks and are never even questioned about the dolls, I suspect that neither would Klaus or Claudia if they had taken the diamonds there personally.) And so begins a great adventure. This film is a classic and I see no reason why anyone would not like it. It features great animation and top-notch voice acting, not to mention the Kick-ass music (Pardon my french :P). My favorite song is without a shred of doubt ''The Girls and Boys of Rock and Roll'' An amazing rock song that cannot be topped. It's also my favorite moment in the film. Other notable songs include ''Getting Lucky''(Kind of Suggestive for a kid's film eh?) and ''My Mother'' as well as ''Wooly Bully'' and ''Off to see the world'' Not to mention the main theme of the movie heard during the opening credits performed by the Royal London Philharmonic Orchestra. The scene with ''My mother'' still brings a tear to my eye. In relation to the song ''Getting Lucky'' I first didn't think anything of it, but when I grew older and learned about life, it became clear that that song was a little bit suggestive. That song, along with the fact that the animators insist on the audience knowing the color of the Chipettes panties. This is especially apparent in the scene in Egypt when the Chipettes are being chased by the Arabian Prince's men, when Eleanor leans over the side of the hot air balloon basket and her skirt defies gravity completely. While this does nothing to draw from the overall quality of the film, it's one of those unexplained things like why nobody in the world seems to mind that there are 4-feet tall Chipmunks walking around and speaking in incredibly high-pitched voices and treat them just like they would any human child. Anyway, A bit after that scene, the Chipettes discover the diamonds in the dolls and decide to go find the Chipmunks and get home. The Direction of Janice Karman perfects this movie as she and her husband, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. know the characters better than anyone. They even do the voices of the Chipmunks and the Chipettes. Ross doing the voices for Alvin and Simon (as well as Dave) and Janice doing the voices for All the Chipettes and Theodore. Speaking of male characters that are voiced by female voice actresses, Nancy Cartwright (The voice of Bart Simpson) makes an appearance in this movie. She plays the part of the Arabian Prince, a very small, but important role. The ending is of course, a happy one. The Crooks have been caught, the loose ends tied and The film ends when the Children, Dave and Miss Miller are driving into the sunset, Alvin complaining about not having gotten his 100.000 dollar reward for winning the race, which annoys Dave until he finally yells ''ALVIN!'' and the screen fades to blackClassic ending, by the way. I hope you found my review of this movie useful, and if you haven't seen this flick, give it a watch, It's worth the money. This Nostalgic classic from the 80's gets a solid 10 out of 10. ''Headin' for the top, Don't you know! we never stop believing now''$LABEL$ 1 +Just when I thought I would finish a whole year without giving a single movie a "Bomb" rating, a friend brought this notorious turd to my house last night. I feared the worst knowing its reputation, and it was as God-awful as I'd anticipated. This is a Mexican-made mess, dubbed into English, and produced by K. Gordon Murray. It's got terrible sets and effects, and features a rather frightening Santa who doesn't operate at the North Pole, but instead from a cloud in outer space, and who doesn't have little elves helping him make his toys but rather all different groups of children from practically every country there is. The opening sequence, where St. Nick chuckles heartily as he observes monitors showing all these kiddies working hard while singing terrible holiday songs in a variety of languages, seems to go on forever, and with no story. Obviously, THIS Santa Claus doesn't observe the child labor laws!Eventually we get some nasty and slinky red-suited apprentice of the devil himself traveling from hell to Earth, just to make little kids naughty and turn Santa's Christmas Eve rounds into a nightmare. Watching this movie is a trippy and twisted experience, and it's bound to frighten little children and turn them off Santa Claus and the holidays forever. Oddly, the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned often in this Christmas film, which somehow makes it all the creepier in the context of all the bizarre things that are going on. This easily makes my personal list of the "Worst Movie I've Ever Seen", but I'm sure that's nothing unique.$LABEL$ 0 +As is often the case when you attempt to take a 400 plus page book and cram it into a two hour film, a lot is lost. Here director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) takes on an extremely ambitious project and almost pulls it off. What we get is a charming and emotionally compelling film that seems somehow incomplete.There is much about this film that is wonderful and fantastic. The cinematography by John Toll (Cinematographer for Braveheart and Legends of the Fall, winning Oscars for both) is splendid. Working with Madden, the choices for locations on the Greek island of Kefallonia are superb and the visual images that come from photographing these majestic locations in varying light are lush and beautiful. Madden also uses numerous Greek actors as the townspeople, giving the town an authentic feel. The soundtrack is also terrific and the mandolin passages and vocals by the Italian soldiers are marvelous.Madden does an excellent job of bringing us the Italian occupation and the romance, which take up the greater part of the film. There are numerous sweet and funny moments throughout this segment. However, by the time the serious battle drama is ready to unfold, there isn't much film left in the reel and this component is extremely rushed and abbreviated. While the battle scenes are well done, subsequent to the battle it is obvious that increasingly greater compromises are being made to keep the film from running too long. By the time we reach the post war scenes, the treatment is merely skeletal. Another negative is that the DVD is particularly sparse on features.Nicholas Cage is charming in the romantic lead as the sentimental Captain who seems to have joined the army to sing rather than fight. When fight he must, Cage switches gears seamlessly into a man of fierce principle and resolve and somehow remains believable in both personas.Penelope Cruz, whom the camera loves, gives an uninspired performance as Pelagia. In part this is because Cage so dominates the screen, but Cruz just seems too placid in a part that should be emotionally torrential and dynamic. She allows the character to be objectified as Corelli's love interest rather than establishing her as a powerful character in her own right.John Hurt gives a fantastic performance as the wise old doctor, who knows as much about human nature as medicine. However, Christian Bale seems a bit overwrought and stiff as Pelagia's fiancé.I rated this film an 8/10. Despite some drawbacks, this is a touching film that is well worth seeing. The photography alone is worth the price of admission.$LABEL$ 1 +My father grew grew up watching George Reeves as Superman and when I was a little kid he had episodes on VHS and let me view them including this movie (passing them down in the family if you will), and I loved it.Clark Kent and Lois Lane get sent to a small town with and oil mine and from the mine emerge mole men radioactive and targeted by the town assumed to be deadly and it's up to Superman to stop this mayhem.It's just so wonderful and fun to view. The old style special effects and sound - the crew pulled off such a beauty with such little technology. George Reeves was my hero when I was a little kid, and I'm 16 now, it just goes to show how timeless and classic these adventures are.$LABEL$ 1 +This unpretentious Horror film is probably destined to become a cult classic. Much much better than 90% of the Scream rip-offs out there! I even hope they come up with a sequel!$LABEL$ 1 +I read the book before watching the movie and it left me emotionally drained but I felt that it truly transported me to Afghanistan, a culture I know very little about. I had great hopes for this movie and it did not disappoint. I watched this with someone who didn't read the book and he also enjoyed it. They had to shorten some things in the movie but it was a well acted and well shot film. It leaves you thinking about the movie long after it is over. You feel for the characters and their plights. I highly recommend this movie to those who like emotionally draining drama and want to experience Afghani culture. There are some disturbing scenes not suitable for children to watch. It is a heavy drama depicting the horrors of life under a restrictive regime.$LABEL$ 1 +Years ago, Sara, a young girl witnessed her parents being murdered, now as an adult she suffers from various mental ailments (did I mention she has an imaginary friend?) This film lulls the viewer, not into a sense of tension, mind you, but rather a sense of sleepiness. Deathly boring, I found it hard to sit through as I could feel my eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each endless minute of mindless prattle and supposed 'mystery'. Is Sara going crazy? or is it the paranormal? A better question would be, Who cares? And the answer to that, no one. No one at all. Skip this film, save yourself some time better suited to do other more worthwhile tasks.My Grade: D-$LABEL$ 0 +In short if you want to watch Burt Reynolds best films than this one must be included. If you don't like Burt you may still like this. If you love Burt this may become one of your favorite movies of all time! Being from Atlanta it does hit home but it's also nice to see a cop/action/drama that takes place somewhere other than NY City, Chicago, Miami, or LA. The film is funny at points with & good plot & good performances from a great supporting cast (every character is real & the bad guys are not so one sided they are really well thought out)A nice offbeat romance in the 2nd half & it has some good old fashion shootouts & fistfights (no CGI thank God REAL ACTION!)If Clint Eastwood did his best impression of a Burt Reynolds movie with "Every Which Way But Loose" & "Any Which Way You Can" then Burt responded with his best Clint type flick with this, & it comes off great!$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched Love Jones over thirty times. It is one of the rare films that depict a love story about people who happen to be African-Americans. The dialogue was realistically written, and delivered with honesty. It was so nice to see a film where the story line centered on young professional African-Americans. This is virtually an untapped market. Love Jones was visually captivating as well. The chemistry between Lorenz Tate and Nia Long will bring memories of past and present love. The feeling of the film is jazz and blues, and brings to mine the sensuality of a warm creamy hot chocolate with a splash of Kahlua and Butterscotch. If you hadn't guessed, I loved it!$LABEL$ 1 +The basic genre is a thriller intercut with an uncomfortable menage-a-trois. Fellowes has tried to make a lot more out of this, using the lies of the title in order to bring about all manner of small twists, invariably designed to surprise the characters more than the audience.It's really rather messy though. Fellowes doesn't seem interested presenting the thriller elements in a fashion that will keep us seat-edged. Rather his focus is on the moral predicaments themselves.The dialogue is inconsistent, stagey here, vernacular there and with the constant surprise of realism undone by the occasional cliché-landmine. Though there is no fussing over the locations so that the actors can get on with existing in their space the dreadful score can't create a further dimension and often works against the emotional momentum of given set pieces. There's also a very prosaic, dare I say it British feel to the filming. I didn't want to see a document of two successful middle class people caught in an extraordinary situation, I wanted to see some sort of artful recounting of the story.Finally it is, in fact, the story which lets the rest down. Just as the elements of suspense are rather flat so the story is an asymmetric sum of subplots of different shapes and sizes, woven as a vehicle for character examination. Wilkinson and Watson support this meta-essay with good performances and John Warnaby's ebullient colleague Simon to Wilkinson is a welcome foil for much of the brow-furrowing.I'm disappointed; not that it's bad, but that it could have been much better. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This is absolutely the best movie I have ever watched. At the age of 12 I was up late and ran across the movie. It was on the USA channel, Gilbert Godfrey's Up All Night. I will never forget. At the time my friends and I were really struggling with different issues, some sexual. You know 12 is a very rough and weird age. It seems you are stuck in between being a little girl, and being a young lady. This movie really helped to answer a lot of questions for me. I now have a daughter that is 12. Have been searching for a couple years for this movie. If it ever does come out on DVD I would be the first to buy. Would recommend for any parent to watch this with their child when they reach that very rough and difficult age.$LABEL$ 1 +Holes is an awesome movie. I love it a lot and it's one of my favorite films. It's one of the few flicks produced by Disney that isn't cheesy. Holes is generally a very cool motion picture. I wish Disney would make more pictures like it. Holes is indeed a rare breed of Disney flicker shows that is cool. Don't get the wrong idea, I don't mean to bad mouth Disney but most of it's stuff is aimed towards kids and THAT'S OKAY. Children deserve to have their entertainment too. But Disney has been guilty of trying to appeal to the teen audience and they usually fail. But not with Holes. It's the type of movie anyone of any age can watch and enjoy and not once think it's corny. Really, it's the kind of movie that even a lot of young hoods might enjoy since there are characters in it that they can relate to.Holes does a good job of being a mix of good family entertainment but not being too cheesy and living a little on the edge. I hope Disney takes more risks and makes more edgy flicks like this.$LABEL$ 1 +I cannot hate on the show. When the old (and better) tech TV had to hit the bricks, the channel was reformatted and new shows stepped in. "Attack of the Show" is the replacement for the Screen Savers, with 3 co-hosts in the beginning. They were Kevin Rose, Kevin Pereira and Sarah Lane. Brendan Moran came to be something of a co-host as well, but he mostly did prerecorded pieces for the show. Kevin Rose decided to leave the show, and eventually there was a contest to see who would be the third host, but that didn't pan out for some reason.Eventually (I just learned this from this very IMDb messageboard) Sarah Lane and Brendan Moran moved on because (hey, this is what I read) the two got married. That was a big secret to me! Now there is a new female co-host, the not-as-hot (my opinion) Olivia Munn. She's hiding something in those tops she wears, while Sarah Lane had a perfect body and she wasn't afraid to show it.AHEM! Sorry."Attack of the Show" deals with everything young people want to know about. It's music, movies, comic books, the internet and television. This is what's great about the show. If you don't want to bother with scouring the net or waste time watching MTV, you can get all you want on AOTS. Some segments and bits they do are funny. They have regular guests and contributors who are in the industry, as well as guests who range from insignificant internet stars to actual big names.Even though the hosts aren't as geek as I'd like them to be, I still have found "Attack of the Show" to be entertaining, even with its latest lineup.$LABEL$ 1 +Worst DCOM I have seen. Ever. Well, maybe not as bad as Smart House. This was just bad. The acting and story was fine, but the effects SUCKED!They were so fake! The only good fight scene was between the brother and Shen. That was probably the only scene in which I was excited.Overall, I found this movie very boring and the film kind of ended suddenly. I will give it a four for Brenda Song who is a very funny actress and that one fight scene.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +its awful i cant believe that one of the greatest nonsenses in the world can be a blockbuster and the favorite movie of millions of people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a movie which has no story,again shahrukh khan has been appeared on the screen with nothing new the same as usual he is trying to make you cry by start scrambling his head for thousands of times,i think this is to much,pretty zinta spouse to act the character of a Pakistani girl i didn't know that there is enough facilities in Pakistan for the Pakistani girls to do so many plastic surgeries on their face and also there are enough make up facilities??!! and also i didn't know that an Indian can cross the March's between both countries,go to Pakistan and start dancing and singing may be Pakistani soldier's were sleeping!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Some people may call "Cooley High" the same sort of thing as "American Graffiti", but I wouldn't. For starters, in "AG", everyone was white, whereas in "CH" they're all black. Moreover, this one has a Motown soundtrack. Specifically, the movie focuses on several working-class African-American students in 1964 Chicago and their antics. The movie deals mainly with home life and relationships. In their apartments, we see that there's never any dad around. But these young men always know how to live life to the fullest.One thing that really distinguishes this movie from most other portrayals of black people is that the teenagers in this movie are portrayed as very responsible, worrying about missing school. Two really funny scenes are the gorilla scene, and the one white guy in the movie. But overall, the main star is the soundtrack. It is truly one of the best soundtracks in movie history (we even have it on vinyl here at home). A classic in the real sense of the word.$LABEL$ 1 +So wonderful, so quirky, so romantic, so Italian. The film is so feather -light you float off into its refracted reality and you never want to return to the humdrum again. A kitchen sink world of bakeries, and hairdressers, and plumbing, but one that shimmers with a soft luminescence. Should the credit go to the screenplay or the direction? Take your pick -- they're both faultless. Let me get back to that New York City that lies just beyond the looking glass.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is, quite simply, brilliant. The cinematography is good, the acting superb and the story absolutely breathtaking. This is the story of Donald Woods, a white South African who thought himself a liberal until he found out the reality of apartheid. Kevin Kline is completely convincing - so much so that when Donald Woods himself appeared on TV some years later, I recognised him from Kline's portrayal. Denzel Washington also turns in a masterful performance, as ever.I urge you to watch this. It is long, but it is worth your patience because it tells such an incredible story. Remember, folks, this really happened.$LABEL$ 1 +I have recently seen this production on DVD. It is the first time I have seen it since it was originally broadcast in 1983 and it was just as good as I remembered. At first as was worried it would seem old fashioned and I suppose it is a little dated and very wordy as the BBC serials were back then. (I miss those wonderful costume dramas that seemed to be always on Sunday afternoons back then) But that aside it is as near perfect as it could have been. I am a bit of a "Jane Eyre" purist as it is my favourite book and have never seen another production that is a faithful to the book as this one. I have recently re-read the book as well and some of the dialogue is just spot on. Reading the scene near the end where Rochester questions Jane about what St John was like I noticed their words were exactly reproduced on screen by Dalton and Clarke and done perfectly. All the other productions that have been done all seem lacking in some way, some even leave out the "Rivers" family and their connection to Jane altogether. I also think this is the only production to include the "Gypsy" scene done correctly.The casting is perfect, Zelah Clarke is like Jane is described in the book "small plain and dark" and I disagree that she looked too old. Timothy Dalton may be a little too handsome but he is absolutely perfect as Rochester, portraying every aspect of his character just right and acting his socks off! I agree with other comment that he even appears quite scary at time, like in the scene when he turns around slowly at the church when the wedding is interrupted, his expression is fantastically frightening. But then in another favourite scene his joy is wonderful to see when Jane runs down the stairs and into his arms the morning after they declare their love for one another. A love that is wonderfully portrayed and totally believable. Oh to be loved by a man like that! There were a couple of scenes that were strangely missing however, like when Jane climbs in to bed with the dying Helen and also when Rochester takes Jane shopping for her wedding things (I thought that one was in it but maybe my memory is playing tricks).Finally if you never see another production of Jane Eyre - you simply most see this one it is simply perfection!$LABEL$ 1 +In a time of bad, if not plain awful, comedies, King of Queens is more than just a breath of fresh air, it's a complete oxygen tank! It is in my opinion one of the 5 best comedy shows of all times. Nothing has been this good since Married with Children. Kevin James and Jerry Stiller are comic geniuses! And believe me, it takes a lot to make me label someone as comic genius. These guys truly understand what is funny. I could watch ten episodes of Seinfeld and wouldn't get half the laughs from seeing KOQ just once. Other funny people in this show are Carrie, Janet Heffernan, Spence and Doug Pruzan (Carrie's boss). I'm so happy they managed to get so many seasons from this gem. The show has been a hilarious winner in a time of mostly comic losers. Check it out if you haven't!!$LABEL$ 1 +PREY Aspect ratio: 1.37:1Sound format: MonoA lesbian couple (Sally Faulkner and Glory Annan) living in a remote country house are driven apart by the arrival of a young man (Barry Stokes) who turns out to be a flesh-eating alien, the vanguard of a massive invasion...Despite its shoestring budget and leaden pacing, Norman J. Warren's follow-up to SATAN'S SLAVE (1976) amounts to a great deal more than the sum of its meager parts, thanks to a surprisingly complex script by Max Cuff (apparently, his only writing credit): Faulkner and Annan indulge an obsessive relationship whilst living in isolated splendor within the English countryside (rendered alternately beautiful and ominous by Derek V. Browne's eye-catching cinematography), though Annan's discovery of bloodstained clothing in an upstairs room marks one (or both) of these doe-eyed lovelies as psychologically disturbed, which may explain the absence of their respective families, some of whom appear to have lived in the house at one time or another and 'left' under mysterious circumstances. Stokes' unexpected arrival throws the relationship into disarray, partly because Faulkner has a pathological hatred of men and partly because Annan is attracted to him, creating tensions which result in a climactic whirlwind of violence. There's an extraordinary, multi-layered sequence in which Faulkner attempts to 'emasculate' their clueless visitor by dressing him in women's clothing, though Stokes' alien mentality allows him to rise above the intended mockery.In the early scenes, at least, the relationship between Faulkner and Annan is depicted with uncommon grace and dignity, but this heartfelt sapphic liaison quickly devolves into crowd-pleasing episodes of sex and pulchritude, culminating in an explosion of horror when Annan allows herself to be ravished by Stokes following a violent argument with Faulkner. The closing sequences are (quite literally) gut-wrenching, especially Annan's final scene, which appears to have been clipped for censorship reasons in 1977 and never fully restored (what remains is still pretty vivid, so brace yourselves!). Excellent performances by the three leads, bolstered by Warren's unobtrusive direction, which takes full advantage of the stunning woodland locations, thereby compensating for the film's budgetary shortcomings. Originally released in the US as ALIEN PREY.$LABEL$ 0 +The tourist season has just ended on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, winter is beginning to set in and the inhabitants, both humans and sheep alike are settling down to much quieter times ahead. Michael Gaffikin (James Warwick) a former paratrooper in the British Army, is the local dentist, he's not an islander by birth and as such his relationship with local artist and cartographer Fiona Patterson (Celia Imrie) is always being viewed with a little suspicion, not maliciously, but just out of the protective instincts the tight knit community have for their kin. The islands serenity is broken when Gaffikin out for a solitary round of golf finds the headless remains of a brutally slain woman. He immediately reports his gruesome find to Insp Inskip(Maurice Roëves) at the islands police station, Inskip arranges for delivery of the remains to local GP, Dr Goudry, for closer inspection. A quick search for the killer proves fruitless, as does a search for a missing local woman. Over dinner that night with Michael Gaffikin, Fiona realises that the dead woman might be Sheila Anderson, a woman from the mainland, who lives on the island through the winter months. A quick search at her home Dove Cottage reveals the missing remains of her body, her home proving to be the murder scene, but why did the killer drag her torso over a mile into the woods? Suspicion immediately falls on the one stranger left on the island, one Colonel Howard (Jonathan Newth)who also happened be the last person to see her alive as they came across on the last ferry together.Goudry asks Gaffikin for some dental expertise on the victims body, it reveals that she had been torn apart my somebody or something with great strength, one set of teeth marks on the body seem to point at a human killer, another points to that of an unknown animal of some kind. A sheep is found mutilated and then a Canadian ornithologist is found slain. With a heavy fog rolling in, the island is cut off from the mainland and any possibility of help, the radio also doesn't work, seemingly being blocked and the phone lines have been cut. Reports of UFO's and the sighting of a camouflaged soldier are compounded by the finding of an odd looking craft hidden behind rocks on the beach. Inskip is confused and refuses to listen to anything but the facts and laughs off Gaffikin's idea that aliens might be involved, but a rise in radioactive levels on the island, has him doubting himself.The Nightmare Man is based on the novel, Child of the Vodyanoi by David Wiltshire, it is here adapted by Dr Who and Blake's 7 scriptwriter Robert Holmes and directed by Douglas Camfield who also had directing experience on both Sci/Fi classics and the film benefits from having such experienced genre experts on board. The Nightmare Man though is on the whole, a succinctly better crafted piece, that builds its plot alongside solid character development, even down to the minor characters, time is given to giving them all a firm background. The island setting is perhaps a genre cliché that has been used over and over, but its one that I enjoy very much, the remoteness, the sense of being under siege with no way out always add to the atmosphere and here it is given an extra oomph by having an impenetrable fog close in to hamper all efforts. In many genre efforts of this kind it is very easy for proceedings to get silly and for the plot to resort to melodrama, but credit to Camfield, he holds it all together with the emphasis being on believability at all times. There is an authenticity about proceedings, the characters even speaking Gaelic at times to further this point. If there is one negative about the killer its that, we are given his/her/its POV for the killings, an acceptable cliché on its own, but when seen through a red filter and a fish eye lens, it just screams of overkill and dates the film just a little. Still though you will be hard pressed to guess the outcome or the identity or for that matter the species of the killer, given the clues presented, but it's a fun and very well acted piece. The local Scottish cast are exceptional, the local bobbies Roeves and Cosmo in particular spar well off each other and are a delight to behold. Imrie, never one i've taken to in other works, is also pretty good and displays hew womanly physique as if she were in a Hammer production. The outlandish, maybe even preposterous ending may irk some viewers, it disappointed me in some ways, but taking into account when it was made, its an understandable and acceptable addendum that if you think about it, is even more terrifying.$LABEL$ 1 +This review also contains a spoiler of the first movie -- so if you haven't seen either movie and want to but don't want the spoilers, please don't read this review!While this movie is supposed to be about Christian and Kathryn meeting for the first time, the movie is a poor copy of the first Cruel Intentions. The actors that they had portray Ryan Phillippe's Christian and Sarah Michelle Gellar's Kathryn are very poor substitutes indeed. Neither can pull off the smarmy, snooty rich-kid attitude that the original actors did. It's absolutely appalling that some of the dialog was verbatim -- not so much between Christian and Kathryn, but if you listen closely enough you'll recognize it. There are also inconsistencies in the plot - if this were truly the first meeting of Christian and Kathryn, then why is it that Christian fell in love with a girl at the end of the movie? He supposedly was supposed to be in love for the first time in the original movie (with Reese Witherspoon's character).Also, the tie-in with the photography/"You could be a model" comment at the end was totally lame and didn't add anything at all. Overall, this movie was a waste of time. I can't believe they made a Cruel Intentions 3.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is ridiculous. It's attempting to be a comedy but the screenplay is horrible. The whole movie is done in low light and you cant grasp the fact that it's a comedy. Truly is bad cinematography. You really have to sit there and watch it to realize there's a few jokes here and there going on but either way they're all inside jokes amongst themselves. This is more like a wannabe drama flick that went bad. It really is a very pointless movie.Their expressions reveal nothing but dismay and disaster which turns out that way anyway. Unless you want to be bored out of your ass, I suggest you stay away from this gag of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +In dramatising Wilde's novel, John Osborne has condensed events, eliminated a number of characters, and generally implied rather than shown Dorian's essential wickedness. If you want a more explicit rendering, see the 1945 film. Wilde and Robert Louis Stevenson lived in about the same time frame, but were certainly vastly different men and writers. This story really treats of a theme similar to Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", but note that Wilde chose to treat his story as fantasy, whereas RLS took the scientific route. Both the protagonists are men in whom good wars with evil, with evil winning in the end.The actors in this BBC movie, take a different route, too, from those in the 1945 film. John Gielgud says all the same caustic and cynical quips as George Sanders, in his role really projecting Wilde himself, but with a subtle difference. You'll suspect that Sanders really believed what he was saying, but Gielgud may be saying what is expected of him rather than what he sincerely believes. Peter Firth, too, shows the two sides of his character in restrained fashion, but then we don't get to see as many of his escapades as Hurd Hatfield had a chance to display.It's a very good production, with the dramatisation reflecting the essentials of the novel, if not all of its ramifications.$LABEL$ 1 +It starts out like a very serious social commentary which quickly makes one think of other Clark movies like Kids, Bully, etc. But then just as quickly, it unravels into a direction-less mess. Who is the main character? Is this a serious film or some Gregg Araki-esquire over the top goofy film? Is this a skate documentary with moments of dialog inserted? I have no clue. I found myself watching the clock and wonder when this turd was going to end. I kept thinking there would be some big shocker culmination which never came. I cut a good 20 minutes out of the movie by fast forwarding through the pointless skate scenes. Yes, it illustrates the changing landscape between the have's have not's. I got it way back in the beginning. Kids and Bully was done in such a way that I actually felt like I was observing the realities of that group of friends. Wassup felt very staged, poorly constructed and ever worse acting. Teenage Caveman, which Larry didn't write but did direct, was terrible. But at least it felt like it was suppose to be a terrible movie that didn't take itself seriously. Wassup Rockers was just plain bad.$LABEL$ 0 +This is my first Deepa Mehta film. I saw the film on TV in its Hindi version with its "Sita" character presented as Nita. I also note that it is Radha who underwent the allegorical trial by fire in the film and not Nita/Sita. Yet what I loved about the film was its screenplay by Ms Mehta, not her direction. The characters, big and small, were well-developed and seemed quixotic towards the end--somewhat like the end of Mazursky's "An Unmarried Woman." They are brave women surrounded by cardboard men. And one cardboard man (Ashok) seems to come alive in the last shot we see of him---carrying his invalid mother Biji. He seems to finally take on a future responsibility beyond celibacy and adherance to religion. Ms Mehta seems to fumble as a director (however, compared to most Indian mainstream cinema she would seem to be brilliant) as she cannot use her script to go beyond the microscopic joint family she is presenting except presenting a glimpse of the Chinese micro-minority in the social milieu of India. She even dedicates the film to her mother and daughter (not her father!) Yet her Radha reminesces of halcyon days with both her parents in a mustard field. Compare her to Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Muzaffar Ali and she is dwarfed by these giants--given her competent Canadian production team and financial resources! Mehta's film of two bisexual ladies in an Indian middle-class household may be sacrilege to some, but merely captures the atrophy of middle-class homes that does not seem to aspire for something better than its immediate survival in a limited social space. Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali films have touched parallel themes in India but did not have the publicity that surrounded this film and therefore have not been seen by a wide segment of knowledgeable cinemagoers.Ms Das, Ms Azmi, Mr Jafri and Mr Kharbanda are credible but not outstanding. Ms Azmi is a talented actress who gave superb performances under good directors (Mrinal Sen's "Khandar", Gautam Ghose's "Paar", Benegal's "Ankur") a brilliance notably absent in this film. Ms Das sparkled due to her screen presence rather than her acting capability. All in all, the film's strength remains in the structure of the screenplay which is above average in terms of international cinema. I am sure Ms Mehta can hone her writing talents in her future screenplays.$LABEL$ 1 +All the way though i was thinking to myself "Oh god why!" At the very beginning i thought "Right it might be average," but the acting and plot on most parts was atrocious.Every part in it was so predictable, even though the first movie seemed to bare a large resemblance to the ring, it was a half decent movie, but this just seemed to take all the good things about the first and made them terrible. Some bits made everyone in the audience wet themselves, Eg. The part were Geller falls off the building had me in stitches. My girlfriend had to keep telling me to quiet down i was kept commenting on what was bound to happen next, and more times than less i was right.Why does going into the house make her come after you, it doesn't make sense. It was a poor excuse for a lot of killings, and no really depth was seen at all.You can see everything coming, which just left you feeling that there was no point in watching. Oh shes behind her ... didn't see that one coming *yawns*.Surely these people must have thought to... oh i don't know, carry a knife round or at least try and fight back, instead of being eaten but someone hair? At best during the movie i was very mildly scared (and i mean mildly), i was just crying out for the credits, as they rolled i exhaled a short "Oh thank god." If you haven't already, don't waste your' time and money on this; pointless, plot less, sorry excuse for a sequel!$LABEL$ 0 +At 2:37, a high school student commits suicide. Not shown who has taken their lives or reasons known, time skips back to the start of the day. From here we follow six separate students; Marcus, Melody, Luke, Steven, Sarah and Sean. Each student is struggling with their own moral dilemmas, all reaching boiling point, hitting to an end for one.After losing a friend to suicide, and surviving his own suicide attempt, writer/director Murali K. Thalluri has created a revetting drama focusing on teen life and the horrible act of suicide. Suicide has been a topic that has been kept in the shadows, 2:37 is Thalluri's attempt to bring it to light. If you have been touched by the act of suicide or anyone who has, 2:37 becomes all the harder to view.With heavy and hard subject matter, Thalluri also tackles everyday teenage life crisis's. Sex, pregnancy, sexual identity, bullying, friendship, Thalluri manages and shows them in an extremely realistic manner. The factor on Thalluri's talent is his subtlety. He respect his subject and the problems that everyone will have suffered through at sometime. It verges near documentary at times, it has such a painful realism; the interviews with each character spliced through the film only heightens this.2:37 has a distinctive similarity to Gus Van Sants film Elephant. While the core of each film is different, both tackle teen life. Like Sant, Thalluri utilizes long tracking shots, with time skipping back and forth, to show each characters interaction from different perspectives. A defining point to Elephant was its ethereal ambiance. With spare conversation, little development of characters, and the long tracking shots, Sant created a haunting and mesmerizing atmosphere to a coming dread. While there resides this dread in 2:37, the emotional connection to the characters reaches a higher level Sant couldn't reach. As time goes by, each characters fragility creeps out, dragging you along their emotional roller-coaster.The real hit in this film comes with the inevitable suicide, foretold at the very beginning. The hard part about this scene is the complete intrusion and discomfort we have as an audience watching someones life end in a gruesome fashion. Though many films that have shown suicide, gloss over the act or romanticizes the act. Thalluri shows the pain and agony involved with this act and that its not the best solution. With unknowns in the leads and their first major roles; Teresa Palmereach, Frank Sweet, Joel Mackenzie, Marni Spillane, Charles Baird and Sam Harris all show immense talent and promising acting careers.Compelling and revetting, 2:37 is an absolutely unmissable film.$LABEL$ 1 +The quote above just about says it all for "Slipstream". I should have bailed out of this film after the first half hour, but decided I ought to be fair and give it a chance. I won't watch it again, so if anyone with the temerity to do so can get back to me with the number of clichéd lines in the movie, I'm sure it will set a record.Some otherwise fine and talented actors got mixed up with this clunker; Mark Hamill portrays a futuristic bounty hunter and Bill Paxton is his quarry. Paxton's character has hijacked Hamill's prisoner, an android taking his name from the poet Byron (Bob Peck). Tasker (Hamill) shoots Owens (Paxton) with a dart containing a tracking device so he and his companion Belitski (Kitty Aldridge) can keep tabs on the pair. The real question though is why didn't he just fire the device at Byron thereby cutting out the middleman.If you enjoy scene after disjointed scene with tedious characterization and artsy fartsy pretense, then I suppose you'll find something of interest here. But you can't convince me that the film makes sense on any level. Scenes of a futuristic Stone Age make way for high society snobbery, but the pinnacle of poor taste is reached when Paxton's character is displayed following a night of revelry with hickeys all over his torso. If anyone thinks there's some hidden meaning here, you're really stretching.Patiently waiting for the frame proclaiming "The End" to come into view, alas, even that was denied. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then so is understanding; this movie had neither. Yet there was a single redeeming feature as the closing credits began their run - an awesome view of a half dozen hot air balloons. Apparently the film was keeping them afloat.$LABEL$ 0 +Director Edward Sedgwick, an old hand at visual comedy, successfully leads this Hal Roach road show which tenders a fast-moving and adroit scenario and excellent casting, employing a large number of Roach's reliable performers. Although the film was originally plotted as a vehicle for Patsy Kelly, sunny Jack Haley stars as Joe Jenkins, a young Kansan who sells his auto repair business and journeys to Hollywood, where he attempts to wangle a screen role for the girl he loves, star-struck Cecilia (Rosina Lawrence). Sedgwick, who prefers using the entire M-G-M studio as his set, does so here as Cecilia, always ready for an audition, is treated by a would-be paramour, cinema star Rinaldo Lopez (Mischa Auer), to behind-the-scenes action of, naturally, a musical comedy, featuring Broadway headliner Lyda Roberti. Laurel and Hardy provide several enjoyable interludes, including their well-known skit involving a tiny harmonica, and we watch fine turns by such as Joyce Compton, Russell Hicks and Walter Long. On balance, one must hand the bays to Mischa Auer, who clearly steals the picture as an emotional movie star, a role which he largely creates, and to the director for his clever closing homage to Busby Berkeley's filmic spectacles.$LABEL$ 1 +The jokes are obvious, the gags are corny, and the characters are walking characatures - but I couldn't stop from laughing at his highly entertaining movie. No matter how many times I see it, I still get a kick out of this one, and I recommend it highly for all lovers of mindless entertainment. It contains many quotable moments, and some of the best sight-gags I've seen to this day. If you've had a bad week and you need a chuckle, rent this one on your way home Friday night to give your weekend a good start.$LABEL$ 1 +These slasher pics are past their sell by date, but this one is good fun.The valentine cards themselves are witty, and well thought out.The film has one Peach of a line... "He's no Angel...." when he in fact IS Angel!!! Watching Buffy reruns will never be the same!The cast is a sizzling display of young talent, but the story does not give them enough real depth. Denise Richards on the DVD extras seemed to think the girls on set bonded well together and this would give the feeling that you empathised with their characters. Sorry but NO!The direction is very good, managing to show very little actual gore, and relying on your imaginations implied threat. Much can be said also for the similar manner in which Miss Richards and Heigel do not remove their clothes...:-(Essentially, the main directorial plus, lies within the "borrowing" of various other ideas from previous slasher flicks. Psycho's shower scene is tributed, along with Halloween's "masking". Murdering someone hiding in a bodybag though is a pretty original one as far as I know!!!Light viewing, not very scary but a few good jump moments. If it was a choice between The Hole and this though, choose The Hole. Slasher movies have had their day, and this is just another slasher. A very good slasher, but nothing groundbreaking!!!$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I gave this episode of "Masters of Horror" a 2 instead of a 1 is because the two lead actors are good, and it wasn't shot on VHS. The story, the dialog, and the plot are ridiculous. Talking / Driving zombies who come back to vote and sway the political tide against the war! Give me a break! What next, zombies who come back to go skydiving? Maybe zombies who come back to host QVC shows? I never supported the Iraq war, but I do support the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces; and "Homecoming" was disrespectful in that it mocks the TRUE horror of war. With zombies being mass produced in today's market... this is the SPAM of zombie-related entertainment. How "Homecoming" made it onto "Masters of Horror" is beyond me.$LABEL$ 0 +Like most, I thought 'another crocodile movie'. So far we've had Primeval and Rogue in the last 12 months, what can they do that's new? Where both those films were about action and violence, this one's about fear and tension.The performances aren't Oscar-worthy when there's nothing going on, but in times of distress or terror, these people suffer so much it's like torture. There are holes in the plot and maybe crocs don't really behave like this as others have pointed out, but the fear is so effective it's a stretch to say you'll enjoy this movie. It'll leave you feeling as uncomfortable as The Passion of the Christ.$LABEL$ 1 +There are a couple of prior comments here which opine about this flick's abundance of clichés throughout -- and I agree completely, both with regard to the characters AND the dialog.I'd read about Elizabeth Berkly's awful performance in the equally-awful "Showgirls," which I've never seen - and her performance here, while not awful, is barely up to the standards of Lifetime's worse fare. There was not a hint of depth to her character, but then there probably shouldn't have been. If so, it would have placed the film completely out-of-balance, since there wasn't a hint of depth or charisma - not a trace - in any one character, performer, or portrayal.The principal's handling of Liz's initial complaint after her tutee had kissed her in the hall was laughable. Her husband's initial reaction and advice were likewise (Forrest Gump, attacking Jenny's boyfriend in his car provided a more realistic, intelligent action, and, hell, he was mentally-challenged).The smarmy, unctuous lawyer (excuse the redundancy) father of the lying student actually performed something probably worthy of praise in his performance: he was both laughable and thoroughly annoying at the same time, no mean feat. Her attorney was more of an insensitive nerd, also not unknown in the profession.Finally (and frankly, I rather enjoyed this part), the police were such a collection of insensitive oafs, that you'd rather depend upon Barney Fife, without Andy, to handle all law enforcement and investigation in your community. I know that most real-like cops fall a bit short of the sharpness, intelligence and empathy of the level displayed by most characters on the "Law and Order" series', and the like -- but dolts of this level seem to be a staple on "Lifetime."Finally, I found a kind of "story within a story" fascination with Josh's concoction of his being the "victim" of his teacher. This scripted performance within the story was even worse than his overall performance in the main story. This was something of an achievement, like going from "F" to "F-minus."This whole lame situation should have been resolved - in real life - in about 15 minutes, following a realistic meeting between teacher and school authorities, with husband involved. But then that would have precluded the contrived drama following, and left an hour's blank film in the camera. But the writer(s) here, proved with their ending, they could do even worse. When the situation was finally "resolved" and "righted," this was accomplished in all of about 45 seconds, with no indication of what measures might have been forthcoming in any "real world" context for the perpetrator and his parents, or whether they might have been able to find some sort of path toward redemption.This one's a 2* presentation; the second "*" because it does have some mild "fascination."$LABEL$ 0 +If you haven't seen this yet, you really should, on DVD. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it! It is amazingly realistic and believable. True, much of it is speculated, and I would have liked to have known more about what was speculative and what were proven facts (there aren't many of them), but it handles everything quite well with a "Cruel Mother Nature" theme. It will remind you of the nature programs that you've seen on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, only the animals here are Dinosaurs. They act natural; they eat, kill, mate, play, and fight for survival. You will actually find yourself rooting for some of them and against others.For the most part, the effects are excellent. At times they will look a little too much like CGI's, but then you will see them in a different angle that makes them look more realistic. In some cases, you will actually be convinced that you've seen a dinosaur. My favorites were the Coelophysis, the raptors, the diplodocus, the iguanadons, the allosaurus and the arctic bipeds. I was most disappointed with the T-Rex, however, which looked a little too computer generated at times.In any case, you should definitely see this production. It is educational, well made, and very entertaining. For what it is, its an A!$LABEL$ 1 +Why is it that Canada can turn out decent to good movies in every genre, other then action? I caught Dragon Hunt on TV the other day and it was like a train wreck. I just could not change the channel, it's sheer stupidity sapped my willpower. Its pretty telling that the cast IMDb "credits" with this monstrosity apparently never worked again.Bad acting, bad writing, bad narration, bad music, bad hair, bad cinematography. It just goes on and on. The movie really has nothing to recommend it. If you're looking for bad action films to enjoy by laughing out, there are a tonne of other films that won't require you to scorch out your retinas afterwards.I hope this film didn't get money from the government for financing, otherwise I'm never paying taxes again.$LABEL$ 0 +Ab Tak Chhappan is a fictitious story surrounding a police department in Mumbai, India. Sadhu Agashe is a hard working, hard-edged cop heading up a plain clothed crime squad who makes a name for himself by killing dangerous criminals in staged police encounters rather than locking them up in prison. His loyal officers obey him without question but a rift forms when one of his officers, Imtiaz, becomes frustrated by Sadhu's high ranking status and is secretly competing with him for criminal kills and status. A new recruit is also pushed into the fraternity and Imtiaz is angry when Sadhu allows him to take the lead on his first case. Further change comes in the form of a new police commissioner who disapproves of Sadhu's tactics and everyone gets caught up in internal politics.I was surprised to see such a well directed action thriller coming from India. The camera work is excellent, the story is well told and the tension is high when the drama unfolds. The acting, pace and political subterfuge convinces the viewer that they are a fly on the wall witnessing the blood, sweat and tears from a close up and personal view and that the events are based on reality which is no doubt why we are told that it is not at the beginning of the film although it is likely that the director, Shimit Amin, has taken liberties with factual accounts. Nevertheless, Ab Tak Chhappan is an extremely polished piece of film-making.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's keep it simple: My two kids were glued to this movie. It has its flaws from an adult perspective, but buy some jelly-worms and just enjoy it. And the Pepsi girl was excellent!And Kimberly Williams was pretty gosh-darned hot, although she's not in the film very much, so don't get too excited there.Not that's it's really a bad thing, but it is the kind of movie you watch just once. Don't buy the DVD.Enjoy!Did I mention Kimberly Williams? (That was for the dads.)$LABEL$ 1 +It was 1 a.m. in the morning and I had nothing else to do. Don't judge me... please.We're back in time during the Spanish settlements. A group have made their way onto an island. It doesn't take too long before they encounter a large "reptile", which gobbles up their horse. Soon they're captured by the natives and in order to gain freedom they must kill the "reptile gods." THE CG sucks; it reminds me of the CG of early console video games. The encounters were lame. The only positive thing I have to say about this was the hottie native running around in a skimpy outfit. Otherwise it's just a middling effort.$LABEL$ 0 +Lackawanna Blues is and excellent movie. The casting was perfect. Every actor and actress was perfectly suited for the role they played. Their chemistry together was amazing. The acting was superb. I felt as if i knew the characters. I could almost 'feel' them. They reminded me of people that I knew as a child growing up in the 50's and 60's. Oh, the memories!! My personal belief is that this movie should have been on the big screen for all to see. I have watched this movie so many times, that I can almost recite the lines as the characters are saying them. I can't even list my favorite part, because I have SO MANY favorite parts. Thank you for bringing back a part of my youth that I never see in this day and age...and that is Black people loving each other, looking out for each other, respecting each other, caring about each other, and doing all we can to help each other. Gotta go now. I have to go watch it again.$LABEL$ 1 +Saturday June 3, 6:30pm The NeptuneMonday June 5, 4:30pm The NeptuneFew celebrations of ethnic and cultural identity succeed as mightily as Carlos Saura's brilliant interpretation of Isaac Albeniz' masterpiece Iberia Suite. At the approach of its centennial, Saura drew together an unprecedented wealth of talent from the Spanish performing arts community to create this quintessential love song to their homeland. The twelve "impressions" of the suite are presented without narrative in stark surroundings, allowing the power of each performance to explode before Saura's camera. Creative use of large flats and mirrors, moved throughout the set, combined with screens, shadows, fire, rain and rear projection add glorious dramatic effects to the varied selections of song, dance and instrumental performance. Photographs of Albeniz reappear throughout the program, connecting the passion of the music to its great creator. Saura encompasses all Spaniards on his stage from the beautiful elegance of elderly flamenco dancers in traditional costume to children joyously dancing with their instructors.$LABEL$ 1 +As most people I am tired of the by the numbers clichéd movies that Hollywood makes. There seems to be no creativity in Hollywood. Companies only want to spend money on remakes are sequels that have an audience built in.This movie is a welcome change. It could be classified as romantic comedy for it's genre but don't let that turn you off this movie. This is a very original movie which is not like most things Hollywood produces.If you are reading this, you already know the basic plot so I will not bother going over that. The only movies that come to mind to compare this to are "Interstate 60" and "Art of Travel" which are little known gems that take a different path than most of the Hollywood garbage.This is well worth seeing if you are tired of watching more of the same.Dean$LABEL$ 1 +Many of the reviews and comments I have read about this movie say that this is a rather stale film and performance by Clara Bow. Although the story-line was rather typical of Clara's later silents, I still find it somewhat heart-stirring and incredibly fun. Clara plays a happy-go-lucky Hawaiian girl who will stop at nothing to win the man she loves...never mind that this man is married! Clara's lack of modesty was shocking in the day, but I believe it lends to the sweetness and general fun of the movie. Though definitely not a brilliant story-line (quite typical, actually), this movie is a nice showcase of Clara's ability to make the audience laugh.$LABEL$ 1 +As the number of Video Nasties I've yet to see dwindles, this little pile of garbage popped up on my "to rent" list when I saw it was available.The premise involves a fashion model or something being kidnapped and taken into the jungle to be held for ransom by a motley crew of idiots. Some other goof gets hired to bring her back and is given a sack of money to use as a bargaining chip, though if he returns with the girl and all the money, he gets a significant cut. He's brought a helicopter and pilot with him and, wow, that pilot is one of the worst actors EVER! Granted, they are all totally terrible and the dubbing will make you cry blood. After stealing away into the jungle, we learn that nearby is a cannibal cult whose flesheating earthbound god wanders the woods like a human King Kong looking for tribeswomen to ravage and devour. Now, this fellow is just a naked guy with some of the worst makeup ever, ping-pong balls for eyes and that's pretty much it. His growls and groans are an everpresent feature on the soundtrack, and I found myself muting much of those scenes.Oh, did I forget to mention the almost constant nudity? This is probably the main reason this film was banned, though there is one specific scene, about one second long, where the god attacks a girl and pulls her guts out, but it's not a redeeming factor for gore fans. Also, Jess Franco goes beyond the usual T and A and shows lengthy close-ups of female genitals, and, sadly, male as well. So, if you want "fair" in terms of exploitation, you got it.I can't recommend this trash to anyone. It's not even the good bad movie. It's just atrociously padded trash that only a Video Nasty fan will probably view and even then, if you are making your way through the list, leave this for the very last. If you watch it first, you may get the notion that this is the norm for the list, which is certainly not true.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this thinking it would be pretty good just by the cover of the movie case. Judge and Jury started out pretty good killer chasing the man who killed his wife on a bike with a cool gun, but this movie got progressively stupider as it went on. David Keith is awesome actor especially when he plays a role like this too bad the movie was a piece of crap it really wasted his talent. Judge and Jury was well plain dumb I gave it a 3 should have gave it a 2, I gave it an extra star just because David Keith's gun was cool.$LABEL$ 0 +I found out about this film because Jewish Ben Chaplin from Game On was in it. Game On is a funny British sitcom and apparently he left because he wanted to break into Hollywood and star in this film. He failed thank God.The film is a very simple romantic comedy with Janeane Garofalo playing an ugly woman who uses her neighbour Uma Thurman to date Ben Chaplin because she thinks Ben Chaplin won't like her because she's ugly. The film is just bad for so many reasons. The plot is unbelievably predictable from the overtly slapstick bits to the serious mushy bits: ugh just that montage where all three of them are having fun and then the photograph bit. Those two scenes made me cringe! Janeane's character is sickeningly arrogant (and guessing from her role as stand-up "comedienne" and arch-feminist is in real life too). She claims that the film is "anti-feminist" when in fact it's just realistic. Men more often than not go for looks over personality. It's interesting to note her hypocrisy too. She'd been a feminist and "comedienne" for years before taking this role and then suddenly decides afterwards that the film was bad. I imagine she hated the idea and script of this film before it was released but she made sure she kept that quiet so she could get paid for this travesty of a film. I mean come on! She acted in it for Heaven's sake! What this film was really was anti-men if anything. It portrays men as stupid animals whose brains are in their groins with the men doing stupid things to attract the attention of Uma Thurman's character Noelle.There are other bad things about this film too like Ben Chaplin's character being the British man every American girl finds cute and Jamie Foxx being the token black best friend of Chaplin and of course Foxx had to try and mimic his accent a few times for good measure. Is that the best the script writers could come up with? Blimey they've never done that before except with every Hugh Grant and Dudley Moore film ever made. There's also a truly awful phone sex scene which is just grotesque and proves how cheap the film is. The other comments on here all say how Janeane Garofalo isn't ugly but is actually beautiful. Erm was I watching the same film as they were? She's certainly no looker and the only good thing about this film was that she was rightly cast as the ugly one. Although having said that, I fail to see the appeal of Uma Thurman as well: she's lanky and gaunt looking.I guarantee three things about this film if you've never watched it:You will know what the ending will be;You will find the phone sex scene painfully embarrassing and;You will be bored after ten minutes.Watch at your own peril.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has everything typical horror movies lack. Although some things are far fetched we are dealing with quality snow man engineers. The only preview i can reveal is that i cant wait for Jackzilla. Dare i say oscar winner. This is a perfect date movie. I advise all men for a nice romantic surprise see this movie with that special person.$LABEL$ 1 +Having just seen Walt Disney's The Skeleton Dance on the Saturday Morning Blog as linked from YouTube, I used those same sources to watch a remake done in Technicolor for the Columbia cartoon unit and animated by the same man-Ub Iwerks. The colors, compared to the earlier black and white, are really used imaginatively here and many of the new gags-like when one of the skeletal band players hits a wrong note constantly or when one loses his head and takes another one's off or when one dances with the other with part of that other gone-are just as funny as the previous short. It does get a little repetitious near the end. Still, Skeleton Frolics is well worth seeing for any animation buff who wants to compare this with the earlier Silly Symphony.$LABEL$ 1 +The cast of this film contain some of New Zealander's better actors, many of who I have seen in fabulous roles, this film however fills me with a deep shame just to be from the same country as them. The fake American accents are the first clue that things are about to go spectacularly wrong. As another review rather astutely noted the luxury cruise ship is in fact an old car ferry, decorated with a few of the multi colour flags stolen from a used car lot. Most of the cast appear to be from the (great) long running New Zealand soap Shortland Street. It's as if this movie was dreamt up at a Shortland Street cast Christmas party, the result of too many gins, and possibly a bit of salmonella. Imagine "Under Siege" meets "The Love Boat", staged by your local primary school and directed by an autistic and you get the idea.If you are an actor, I recommend you see this film, as a study on how to destroy your carer.$LABEL$ 0 +Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson together - what a treat! With Rupert Everett and Linda Bassett rounding off the supporting roles to the foursome of lies and intrigue. Yet at the heart of it all, each character maintains a streak of decency - moral conscience held up in spite of obvious contradictions. "Contradictions are the source of all movement and of all life." How true these words are. Watson's Anne Manning is at the core of this intrigue - she's the central conscience that the other three latched on. She is the decency undeterred. The circumstances of lies are to each its own: one to defend one's professional name; one to hold back due to family/partner pressure; one simply don't want to face the consequence; one ironically can't believe the truth and lies to save friendship. These are all precarious situations. There lies the intrigue - fascinating to watch how each tackles truth and lies. Contradictions, indeed. In spite of the seeming dishonor, decency and heart remain strong. The treatment of the subject involved and how each of the character behaves are masterfully delivered simple with clarity. It's not sensational or complex as another film "Where the Truth Lies" 2005. Credits due to Fellowes' writing and the nuanced performances of both Watson and Wilkinson. There is warmth somehow that comes through the seemingly boldface or frustratingly hidden lies. Beneath it all, human frailty not excluded, they meant well. And following along with the story, the turn of events provided satisfaction and smiles to how the two Manning's seem to have grown and matured in their relationship. You might say there's no obvious action drama or thrilling scenes in "Separate Lies," yet the intrigue is there and it will hold your attention. The deserving production efforts include cinematography by Tony Pierce-Roberts (a veteran to the Merchant-Ivory films) and music by Stanislas Syrewicz, with mood and tone reminiscent of composer Zbignew Priesner (of filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs, especially: Bleu 1993.) This is a British film you just might not want to miss. Emily Watson (Anne, the wife): Breaking the Waves 1996 debut; Hilary and Jackie 1998; The Luzhin Defence 2000; Gosford Park 2001; Punch-Drunk Love, Red Dragon, Equilibrium in 2002. Tom Wilkinson (James, the husband): The Full Monty 1997; The Governess, Rush Hour (as villain) in 1998; In the Bedroom 2001, Normal (HBO cable movie) 2003, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004, recently as Father Moore in: The Exorcism of Emily Rose 2005 opposite Laura Linney. Rupert Everett (Bill): He is simply delightful in "My Best Friend's Wedding" 1997 opposite Julia Roberts and marvelous in "An Ideal Husband" 1999 d: Oliver Parker, an Oscar Wilde play. Recently as Sherlock Holmes with Ian Hart as Dr. Watson, in PBS Mystery: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stockings 2004 TV. Linda Bassett (Maggie): she was very effective as Ella Khan opposite Om Puri in "East is East" 1999.$LABEL$ 1 +I am amazed with some of the reviews of this film. The only place that seems to tell the truth is RottenTomatoes.com. This film is awful. The plot is extremely lazy. It is not scary either. People out there who think that because it stars Sarah Michelle Geller it is somehow like The Grudge should forget about it. This film is more like Dark Water, except it is even more predictable and slow moving than it. I was extremely disappointed with this film. It didn't scare me nor interest me either. Let's face it , this type of plot has been flogged to death at this stage e.g. the dead trying to contact the living - Dragonfly, What Lies Beneath, Ghost Story, Dark Water, Darkness, The Changeling etc.etc. It seems to me that the only ones writing original horror films nowadays are the Japanese and the Koreans. The films that are coming out of Hollywood, like this, are cynical exercises in money making without a shred of respect for the viewer. They're just being churned out$LABEL$ 0 +Angela (Sandra Bullock) is a computer expert but, being shy and somewhat of a recluse, she does all of her work from the confines of her condo. Just as she is about to take a vacation in Mexico, a co-worker sends her a computer disc with disturbing information on it. Angela agrees to meet with her fellow employee but he mysteriously dies in a plane crash. Angela heads to Mexico but takes the disc with her. While she is sunning on the beach, a terrific looking gentleman named Jack (Jeremy Northam) makes overtures to her. She falls for them and the two end up on a boat to Cozumel. However, Jack works for the folks who generated the secret information on the disc and he is out to get it. Even after Angela escapes from his clutches and lands back in the USA, Jack makes things difficult. He changes Angela's identity on every computer across the nation, making her lose her condo, her bank account, everything. Can Angela, a computer whiz, beat Jack at his own game? This very exciting movie has many assets. First, Bullock and Northam are two very beautiful, interesting actors and their presence adds immediate captivation. The script is very clever and sure in its knowledge of the capabilities of computers and their relevance in today's world. The costumes, sets, production, and direction of the movie are also quite wonderful. And, despite how it sounds, there is a great deal of exciting action as Angela goes on the run to defeat her enemy. If you love thrillers without unnecessary bloodshed or violence, this is a great choice. It delivers twists and turns with great frequency, making it possible for the viewer to "net" a very good evening of entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented the DVD in a video store, as an alternative to reading the report. But it's pretty much just more terror-tainment.While the film may present some info from the report in the drama, you're taking the word of the producers - there's no reference to the commission report anywhere in the film. Not one.The acting, all around, is pretty bad - pretty much all of the stereotypes of 'hot shot' bitchy foul mouthed government agents, each thinking they know more than everyone else. There may be some truth to it, but it really has a bad Hollywood stereotype smell to it.IMDb's user community ratings & comments tend to be more right than wrong, and I have started to glance at the ratings before renting whenever I can.I wish I had on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Look, this is a low budget horror film that suffers from all of the problems that go with low budget movies. But you must see this just to watch Lisa Erickson as Julie. She is SMOKIN' hot and a great little actress to boot! These types of horror movies often unearth a rare gem and The Power gave us Lisa Erickson! Nothing I enjoy more than sitting down in my studio apartment with a Coke and putting in this film. My friends Bob, Bill and Dennis agree.. Lisa is not only brilliant, she is a hottie. The movie itself often plods along and the rest of the actors are not very helpful in that regard. But as soon as Lisa hits the screen, things really start hopping. The others are clearly not in her league. This is not the Exorcist but as I said, if you want to see a fun little movie with a hot little actress, this is the one to see!$LABEL$ 1 +It wasn't until I looked at the trivia section that I found out that the original producer/star of this movie Tyrone Power died during its making . This no doubt explains why everyone on screen seems to have their minds on other things , a symptom of which appears in a very early scene involving a battle that can only be described as pathetic . You know when you've been painting a wall until you're completely bored ? Well that's the sort of expression the combatants have on their face when they're swinging their swords in a highly unconvincing manner The plot centres on Soloman the King of Israel having an affair with the Queen of Sheeba and his people not being happy about it . You can't really blame them since there's few things more beautiful in the world than those Israeli moteks , though the Israeli women here all seem to look like Cherie Blair ! Modern day Israel is also very cosmopolitan with the majority of Israelis being born outside the country but would this have been true a couple of thousand years ago where everyone speaks in European and American accents After much talking and a dance sequence that has to be seen to be believed ( And no that's not praise ) we have a climax where the heavily outnumbered Israelis have to defend themselves against a massed Egyptian army who can't read a map otherwise they would have known there was a canyon in front of them . This is what I don't get - Even though their blinded by the sun the Egyptians spend ten minutes charging towards the Israelis never ever realising they're charging towards a gaping ravine ! Isn't this somewhat illogical ? It's also something of a revealing error since the horses , chariots and men falling into the canyon are obviously miniature figures Anyway the film ends with Soloman killing his treacherous brother and praising God for his victory . But who needs Moshe Dayan , Arik Sharon or God when you've got an idiotic enemy who can't see a ravine in front of him or waves a sword like he paints a wall ?$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge Woody Allen fan and so when I saw that this was playing at the cinema I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see how Allen would follow up his magnificent film Match Point seeing as this is another one of his films shot in G.B. (which is unique among Allen's work) along with what seems to be his new muse Scarlett Johanson. Scoop is much lighter than MP and the humor is Scoop's most enjoyable aspect. The plot revolves around Johanson's character (a journalism student) who gets a tip on a hot story from beyond the grave. She falls in love with a suspected serial killer (Jackman) and she must decide whether the truth is worth finding. Oh and all of this is done with the help of a bumbling magician turned detective played by Allen.I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed Johanson's performance but I am a bit bias, I could watch a three hour film with Johanson in ever frame and remain enchanted. She plays a ditsy, yappy, bumbling sweetheart that is kind of a variation in a sense of Allen's stereotypical neurosis stricken character. She adds appropriate body language for comic effect. Needless to say almost anyone who sees this will find Johanson's character sickeningly cute and that is a plus.Allen is Allen... He is still playing the same character much like Chaplin and his Little Tramp character. Something that occur in this film makes me wonder if I will see the neurotic little hypochondriac again however. He is not in the cast of his next picture and has been spending more time exclusively behind the camera as of late...Jackman is also enjoyable as the suave, millionaire murder suspect. I cannot say that Jackman does anything in particular to make the role his but he suits his character none the less.In terms of the plot I cannot help but feel that this is fresh... In fact it stinks of Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Johanson and Allen are more detective-like than anything. However I must applaud Allen on his ending because it is a bit more clever than your typical unoutstanding Hollywood version of this film. Instead of everything being black and white, things are painted in shades of gray. Being entirely innocent has nothing to do with it nor does unequivocal guilt. Though the plot seemed old Woody still has a knack for one liners. I did find his allusions to his last film interesting... Come for the humor, laugh and be merry.Needless to say if you enjoy Allen's work watch it. If not watch something else...$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this film because of my interest in American history, and especially the somewhat weird story of the Mormons. This movie attempts to make some sense out of how Joseph Smith could turn his "vision" into a major world religion. It first focuses on the troubles the Mormons had in their settlement at Navuoo, Illinois. It portrays the trial of Joseph Smith. Within the course of that trial, Brigham Young stands up to tell of his conversion to Mormonism, and of his belief in the spiritual message of Smith. Then Smith is assassinated, and Young must deal with his own doubts about whether he has been chosen to lead the Mormons to a new land. Despite his grave doubts, he perseveres, and finally has a vision (that Utah is the place for his colony) that gives him confidence in the rightness of his leadership. Later, as crops are destroyed by crickets, he again doubts that he has truly been chosen--however, a miracle occurs, which cements his place in history.I found the performances to be moving, and the story to be convincing and interesting. I would love to know whether Mormons believe that this is an accurate portrayal. Polygamy is a part of the story, but the reasons why this is central to LDS are not raised. The issue is not emphasized.I'm sure people stay away from this movie because of its religious subject-matter, but it has a great cast and will hold your interest throughout.$LABEL$ 1 +1983's "Frightmare" is an odd little film. The director seems to be trying to combine the atmosphere of classic '30s/'40s style horror movies with the shock factor of the then-exploding '80s slasher genre. It isn't totally successful (mostly due to very obvious budgetary restraints, and the less-than-professional caliber of its cast of young actors) but it still has its moments, mostly due to the classy performance (classier than the movie deserves) by the late German actor Ferdinand Mayne, who plays an aging old time horror movie star (ala Vincent Price) named "Conrad Ratzoff." At the beginning of the movie we meet the has-been horror star as he's shooting a commercial for dentures and we quickly learn that ol' Conrad is a bit of a hoity-toity, prima donna jerk-off. Just when you think he couldn't be any more un-likable, the commercial director berates Conrad for blowing a take for the umpteenth time and the old goat pushes him off a balcony to his death. Nice, huh? Conrad then visits some fans at a college campus horror movie club, unfortunately he suffers a heart attack in the middle of his speech to them and eventually ends up back at his mansion waiting to die. Still feisty even at Death's door, he manages to do away with a despised business associate by smothering him with a pillow before he finally kicks the bucket himself. Conrad is then laid to rest in true Hollywood style in a high tech neon tomb with video screens above the casket, which will play personal video messages from Conrad himself for visitors who enter to pay their respects.It is at this point that the kids from the college Horror Movie Society decide to pay Conrad's grave an after hours visit, breaking into the tomb and taking his body back home with them for an all night party. (Not exactly my idea of fun, but hey, these are characters in an '80s horror film. Logic has no place here.) The college kids spend the evening having dinner with Conrad's body seated in a place of honor, posing for photos with it and even dancing around the room with it, before parking Conrad and his coffin in the attic, planning to return him to his crypt in the morning. In the meantime, Mrs. Ratzoff, distraught over the theft of her husband's body, has called in a psychic friend to try and "reach" Conrad through a seance. You can pretty much figure out the rest from here. Since Conrad wasn't a very nice guy in life, it's not much of a stretch to assume that he won't be any friendlier in death. Psychic Lady makes contact with Conrad and he re-awakens in predictably ticked off fashion, then spends the rest of the movie strolling around the corridors of the students' ridiculously huge house, picking off the young grave robbers one by one. This is where the movie falls apart. Endless scenes of teens wandering around empty hallways saying "Hello? Is anyone there?" are intercut with occasional bursts of violence (we do get a pretty gnarly decapitation scene, which is the highlight of the movie) before the last two survivors finally figure out (WAY later than any semi-intelligent people would have figured out the same thing...but again, we're in an '80s horror film!) that the only way to stop the mayhem is to get Conrad's body back to its crypt where it belongs. The sluggish pacing is padded out with a lot of weird lighting and dry ice fog effects backed by a soundtrack made up almost entirely of sound effects rather than music(thunder, moans and groans, howls, etc.) that becomes severely annoying after a while.I can't really recommend "Frightmare" to anyone who didn't grow up watching cheap movies like this on late night cable back in the '80s. "Modern Horror" fans will doubtlessly find "Frightmare" incredibly slow moving and goofy. If you came of age in that magical decade, however, you may get a blast of nostalgia from "Frightmare." Fans of Jeffrey ("Re-Animator") Combs may also want to check it out, as the future Dr. West appears in an early role here as one of the unlucky film students.I will advise the reader to avoid the version of this film on the EastWestDVD label (paired with Roy Ward's "Vault of Horror" and sold at dollar stores) because the print quality is terrible. I'm told the film has gotten a deluxe release via the fine folks at Troma, which seems appropriate. If you're a Troma kind of person then "Frightmare" will be right up your alley.$LABEL$ 0 +People watch movies for a variety of different reasons. This movie didn't have the big budget, there's no special effects, no car chases and there's no explosions. Actually reality doesn't have much of these either. At least not in my life. This is a very real movie about very real people, none of them perfect in any way but together they are put into a situation where they learn to explore and accept what is different and that in turn makes order out of chaos. I am not prepared to limit the possibility of parapsychology, since I'm neither an expert nor use the full extent of my own brain.So watch this movie for the characters. It is brim-full of a whole cast of wonderful quirky folk. Within the first three minutes Kiefer Sutherland enacts Detective Michael Hayden's life superbly and he keeps developing the character throughout the movie. Excellent acting, very believable. Henry Czerny could not have been cast better and the rapport between his 'Harvey' and Kiefer's 'Mickey' enhances the oppositeness of their characters.I thoroughly enjoyed the cranky landlady, 'Mrs Ramsay', I'm sure she and my mother-in-law are good friends!!!There's a host more of these wonderful characters but space is limited here so watch the movie and enjoy them.$LABEL$ 1 +I think that you can not imagine how these people really work...!! Before I came to the studios to watch the guys work there, I actually thought quite the same as you do. But since I saw and did the work the guys on that TV-show have to do, I have to say that they really do deserve respect for what they are doing all day long. That really is no easy work. And also the actors, which in your eyes may be terribly bad, are really great people and a lot of them really can act! I don't think that the material given to them can really show that, as I think this material isn't very good. But THEY are truly good! So I don't think that you, before you haven't seen these guys doing there work, can judge over them! And I shouldn't have judged over them as well before I met them, but I did and am now terribly ashamed of it. So please, do not allow yourself to judge over these great people unless you haven't seen them doing there job.$LABEL$ 0 +As usual, I am making a mad dash to see the movies I haven't watched yet in anticipation of the Oscars. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie as it seemed to be right up my alley. I can not for the life of me understand why this movie has gotten the buzz it has. There is no story!! A group of guys meander around Iraq. One day they are here diffusing a bomb. Tomorrow they are tooling around the countryside, by themselves no less and start taking sniper fire. No wait here they are back in Bagdad. There is no cohesive story at all. The three main characters are so overly characterized that they are mere caricatures. By that I mean, we have the sweet kid who is afraid of dying. We have the hardened military man who is practical and just wants to get back safe. And then we have the daredevil cowboy who doesn't follow the rules but has a soft spot for the precocious little Iraqi boy trying to sell soldiers DVDs. What do you think is going to happen??? Well, do you think the cowboy soldier who doesn't follow rules is going to get the sweet kid injured with his renegade ways?? Why yes! Do you think the Iraqi kid that cowboy soldier has a soft spot for is going to get killed and make him go crazy? Why yes! There is no story here. The script is juvenile and predictable! The camera is shaken around a lot to make it look "artsy". And for all of you who think this is such a great war picture, go rent "Full Metal Jacket", "Deerhunter" or "Platoon". Don't waste time or money on this boring movie!$LABEL$ 0 +A group of friends break down in the middle of nowhere (one had a flat tire, the other's Jeep mysteriously won't start). One of them takes the tire to a run down service station and that is the last anyone sees of him. When the remaining foursome go in search of their friend, they come across nice Mr. Slaussen who offers to help fix the jeep and offers cool drinks and refuge from the heat in his equally run down, hermit-like house, which happens to be occupied by very realistic looking mannequins. He goes with the one guy in the bunch out to work on the car and leaves the 3 girls in the house. Before he goes he warns them not to leave and go up to the house behind his shack; he warns them about "Davy", his brother who is lurking about and isn't all there. Of course, one of them decides to venture out in search of a working phone and is never seen again. Is it Slaussen? Is it Davy? The mannequins?? Tourist Trap has the usual horror requirements (jiggly big boobed girl, goody two shoes girl, curiosity getting the better of people and never working out!), but it stands apart from the rest of the 70's genre in it's twist of an ending. I started to feel sorry for Slaussen (Chuck Conners is a terrific, creepy, over-the-top performance)at a point in the film, and you almost see the character of Molly doing the same. This is a gem if you can find it; I had taped it off of cable when I was younger, and walking through a used video store I spotted a VHS copy that was totally overpriced, but well worth it. Fans of Tanya Roberts won't be disappointed either. Best part of the film for me was the scene with the soup (and crackers!!)I gave it a 7 because some of the movie was and still is hard to explain.$LABEL$ 1 +Most Lorne Michaels films seem to fail because they're essentially just extended versions of skits that barely managed to make people laugh in five-minute segments. "Tommy Boy" is a character right from "SNL" - a big fat lovable (in their opinion) goof who doesn't know anything.David Spade gets the Thankless Overwhelmed Everyman role. He's paired with the Annoying Overweight Slob and they endure Miserable Misfortunes as they travel cross country to Save Daddy's Business.The plot, for starters, is really faulty. The whole premise - daddy dies and rich stupid son has to save the family biz - can be traced back to just about any movie you want. Like any SNL style film it is reduced to a simple motivation - empty, shallow; just a reason to see a fat guy and a thin guy be "funny" together.The movie's biggest "influence" is the 1987 comedy classic "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." That movie is great because the plot isn't stale and recycled. It's basic, yeah - a guy traveling home for Thanksgiving gets stuck with a slob. But it's real, dammit. It makes all the difference. The characters are real, the situations are far more real. "Tommy Boy" is pure slapstick and its ridiculous situations undermine the characters - we feel nothing for them, and we don't care about what's happening on-screen. "PTA" walked the careful line between outrageous and utterly believable and relate-able - "Tommy Boy" is simply absurd, with jokes like a simple deer-in-the-headlights turning into a crash turning into a struggle with a dead deer that really isn't dead, then awakens and wrecks their car.The whole wrecked car thing is stolen completely from "PTA" and it's eerie how much stuff in this film actually does resemble the Steve Martin/John Candy movie.Farley is simply way too obnoxious to find likable - I've never enjoyed watching him in any movies and this hasn't changed my mind. Spade's given very little to do, serving as the movie's most thankless character.Dan Aykroyd is wasted as the Evil Baddie who plans to destroy Daddy's Business. The ending is a joke, and not in a "har-har funny" way. More like a "oh god are they serious?!" way.Some people dig it, that's cool. But I just can't get into it, nor do I appreciate all the stuff it "borrows" from - not just counting "PT&A" - without any credit whatsoever.$LABEL$ 0 +Having read during many years about how great this film was, how it established Ruiz among the french critics (specially the snobbish Cahiers crowd), when I finally watched it about a year ago, I found it pretty disappointing (but then, I guess my expectations were sky-high). Shot in saturated black and white, this deliberately cerebral film (made for TV, and mercifully, only an hour long) is told in the form of a conversation between an art connoisseur and an off-screen narrator as they ponder through a series of paintings (which are shown in the style of tableaux vivants) and try to find if they hold some clues about a hidden political crime. (The awful Kate Beckinsale film Uncovered has a similar argument). Borgesian is a word I read a lot in reviews about this movie, but I would say almost any Borges story is more interesting than this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Many teenage sex comedy movies come and go without much fanfare, however, every so often a movie might come along thats honest, funny, entertaining AND memorable. The Last American Virgin is a special movie that has found its place and has stood the test of time blending all four ingredients. This film follows three friends (Gary, Rick and David "The Big Apple") misadventures into the world of first-time sex and true love. Along the way they learn hard lessons and the value of true friendship. We follow hopeless romantic Gary (The main character) on his quest to win over the girl of his dreams which leads him down an uncertain road with a surprise twist at it's ending. If you haven't been lucky enough to see this movie yet, by all means take a look...sprinkled with many memorable 80s songs throughout the movie to keep things moving at an even pace. L.A.V. truly is an original film, a rarity among films of it's genre.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this show from it's first airing, and I always looked forward to watching each episode every week. The plot, characters, writing, special affects were outstanding! Then the sci-fi channel screwed up yet again and canceled a very entertaining, well written show. I say bring it back, I know all of the actors would come back. I would suggest buying the DVD's, I am. I hope the sci-fi channels executives get word of these comments, and realize that they need to be more involved with their viewers. I only watch one show on that channel now, (Ghost Hunters), but I am fairly sure that shortly they will cancel that too.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't know what to except so I think it was a lot better not having excepted much. Don't get my wrong its not a bad short film. Tess Nanavati is a relatively new directer and writer so I think she deserves a lot of kudos for making this film. You can tell that it has been an act of love for her. The acting (outside of Dominic) is a little cheesy and the quality of film is not great either but for a really low budget film its good. There was times when the story line gets convoluted and there are parts that drag on, though I don't feel it greatly detracts for one's ability to understand the film. If you love Dominic Monaghan as much as I do, I say go for it. The gag reel was fun, I won't spoil it but there is a particular scene that makes buying the DVD worth it just so you can watch it over and over. If you like the film then check out The Pink Mirror, a film also done by Jagged Edge. I know fans of Dominic will enjoy this little piece of heaven.$LABEL$ 1 +Did the first travesty actually make money? This is another sequel (along the lines of ANOTHER STAKEOUT) that no one asked for. But we've received it anyway. The sequel is like its predecessor, completely brain-dead. It's also pretty disgusting (remember the dinner scene?) To think I almost felt sorry for Ritter, Yasbeck, and Warden. Did they need the money that much?$LABEL$ 0 +I was never so bored in my life. Hours of pretentious, self-obsessed heroin-addicted basket cases lounging around whining about their problems. It's like watching lizards molt. Even the sex scenes will induce a serious case of narcolepsy. If you have insomnia, rent this.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is awesome on so many levels... and none of them are the level that it was intended to be awesome on.Just remember this: When you're watching Shaun of the Dead and other recent zombie movies... be they good or bad... THIS is the formula that they are using. THIS is what makes zombie movies so great.And what makes it BETTER than great is the story behind the movie. A simple web search will provide you with everything you need to know.All in all, it doesn't linger. There's never a point where you think to yourself "c'mon, get on with it"... it moves quick and corners nicely. This is the sporty, little Italian number of zombie flicks.So awful, it's wonderful! If your tongue spends an ample amount of time in your cheek... rent it, buy it, love it.As a great trivia note: If you're watching it on DVD, you'll notice that there is sound effects during the menu screen, underneath the musical score... Well... that's because that music was lifted straight from the trailer... which is probably the only working print of that music that still exists which is long enough to loop.$LABEL$ 1 +The Ladies Man is laugh out loud funny, with a great diverse cast as well as having some very stupid but excellent scenes (including the funniest love song ever written).Ferrell is his usual quality self in a brilliant side role.Tim Meadows plays an idiot surprisingly well and has written himself some of the funniest lines you'll find in any comedy out there.It is definitely worth a purchase as watching it every 6 months or so will lead to you still laughing as hard as you did first time round.I am distraught to think at the time of writing this that it has a meagre 4.7 /10 and i urge you to vote! And remember kids- "Theres more motion in the ocean"$LABEL$ 1 +when i first heard about this movie i thought it would be like The Duchess(2008), but when i saw the first 30 minutes of The Young Victoria i knew this wouldn't just be a solid movie. Almost everything in this movie is great, the costumes are really amazing and the settings are also beautifully shot.The only thing that really let me down are the performances. Emily Blunt(The Devil Wears Prada) is the star of the film, bringing Victoria to life and with this movie she shows that she is a great actress and maybe picking a first Oscar nomination for her performance. Rupert Friend is almost bland as Prince Albert but he has great chemistry with Emily Blunt. Paul Bettany is also solid as Lord Melbourne although i expected more of him. Jim Broadbent and Miranda Richardson both have supporting roles but are forgettable.To me the film feels like unfinished. Maybe that the screenwriters changed too many things in the script, i don't know but that's how i feel about the movie.But overall it's a great movie about the early years of Victoria with a Great performance from Emily Blunt.$LABEL$ 1 +A flying saucer manned (literally) by a crew of about 20 male space explorers travels hundreds of millions of light years from earth to check in on a colony founded some 25 years ago on a 'forbidden planet.' What they find is a robot more advanced than anything imaginable on earth, a beautiful and totally socially inept young woman, and her father, a hermit philologist haunted by more than the demons of the ancient civilization he has immersed himself in.On the surface, this story is a pulp scifi murder mystery. Some compare it to Shakespeare's Tempest, but this is a stretch, and, in some ways, an insult to the scifi genre. Stripped of what makes it a scifi film, sure, its The Tempest, but how many hundreds of films can you say something similar about? Underneath, this is a cautionary tale about progress and technology and the social evolution necessary for its appropriate and safe use. Yet the film still proceeds with all the hopefulness for our future that we have come to expect from shows like Star Trek.Anne Francis is not the only reason why this film is best described as beautiful. The special effects, and even the aesthetics of the backdrops are powerful enough to make the uninspired directing and uneven acting almost unnoticeable. If it were not for the goofy retro-art-deco-ness of 1950s sci-fi props, you might think you were watching a 1960s piece.This is a classic of that very special sub-genre of sci fi I like to call 1950s sci-fi, and, though not, in my opinion, the best it is certainly a must see for anybody interested in sci-fi film and special effects. The clever plot, now rendered trite by its reuse in six or seven episodes of Star Trek, Lost in Space, and even Farscape, is worth paying attention to, and will sustain the interest of most scifi fans. Trekkers will be particularly interested in the various aspects of the film which seem to have inspired themes of Star Trek's original series aired about 12 years later, though they may find themselves disappointed by the (relatively mild) 1950s sexism and the lack of any kind of racial integration. While I do not mean to nitpick, the lack of social progress manifest in this film was the one major problem I had with it. Some will probably see this film simply to catch a glimpse of young, good-looking Leslie Nielsen in one of his first starring roles. Unfortunately, Nielsen's performance is only average, and at times down-right poor (especially at the climax of the film). Walter Pigeon, though quite excellent in other films, over-acts his role as well. Ms Francis, Earl Holliman, and the amazing Robby the Robot are the stand-out actors in this crowd, though on the whole the character actors filling in the ensemble do a good job. The problems with the featured performances, I think, are as much the fault of the director and the editor, as anything. Though they certainly got most of the film quite right.$LABEL$ 1 +I just saw this film on DVD last night, and decided to check out the reviews this morning. It seems that "I, Robot" has polarized the critical viewing community here on IMDb (and given rise to a lot of insults and name-calling, too).I find this somewhat surprising, as this film is not great (or even good), but neither is it terrible (or even really bad). What this film really is, is...depressing. Depressing that the US film-goer population is so ready to lap up insipid, clichéd re-heats, and acclaim them as spectacular new works. This film as "retread" written all over it, from the plot line (an uneasy mix of Asimov and modern-day uber-action) to Smith's character (a smart-mouthed cynic with a backbone of titanium), to the special effects (that borrowed from Matrix and a few others)."I, Robot" is, sadly, quite possibly the perfect action movie for today's audience: superficial plot, insipidly snappy dialog, and lots and lots of adrenaline. Smith is mediocre, but we already knew that (he seems to be Hollywood's latest unsuccessful attempt to create a black Bruce Willis). The story has lots of holes in it, of all sizes, but I don't think most people drawn to this film are critically-minded enough to notice. Perhaps a blockbuster by today's standards, but very B-movie compared to true winners.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a fine example of how an interesting film can be made without using big stars and big effects. Just tell a true story about the struggles of two African American women over a turbulent century.This movie challenges us all to look at our own personal prejudices and see that people are people, not white, black, etc.Good movie with a good message.$LABEL$ 1 +I have bought the complete season of Surface. watched it in 3 days! I was so captured by the the plot, theories and basically everything about this show. The actor who plays Miles is great. Mile's sister, mother and father acted like real life family would. You could connect on so many levels it's fascinating.I find animals are so wonderful, you can almost connect with them as a parent is to a child. It would be something if a creature of this sort of nature truly exists.Am sadden, that Surface is not having a second season or at least four more shows. I have so many questions that need to be answered and hopefully maybe they will create more or maybe in a book.Love the show very much. For those who haven't watched Surface, if you like sci-fi you need to watch this!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This must have been one of the worst movies I have ever seen.I have to disagree with another commenter, who said the special effects were okay. I found them pretty bad: it just wasn't realistic and they were so fake that it just distracted from the actual story.Maybe that distraction is the reason that I did not fully understand the story. The archaeologists are looking for "the set". They do not bother to tell what set, or what is so special about it. That also makes it unclear why they search for it in California, while the intro of the movie takes place in ancient Egypt.If you're shooting a movie that takes place in the desert, take the effort to actually go to the desert. The beginning - the ancient ceremony - looks like it was shot inside a studio instead of a desert.The action-level was constant throughout the movie, no ups and downs, no climax. It made the movie look short, and that's certainly a pro for this particular movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Liam Neeson portrays the Scottish legend Robert Roy Macgregor from the early 18th century. He is a true actor. He captivates the audience with his charisma as he does in all his roles. Jessica Lange is excellent as his wife Mary. Mary is such a beautiful woman. It's her love that makes Rob Roy the legend, but it's his passion that makes her love undying. They need each other. Tim Roth as the evil Cunningham is perfect; in one way or another, upon watching the movie, you will find Cunningham disgusting. The Scotland scenery is beautiful. The environment and conditions of the times are depicted quite well. If you like history, romance, passion and love, you'll enjoy Rob Roy. There is violence and blood, but it's unavoidable in telling this story as it should be told; no gratuitous violence. And you do have to listen carefully if you're not used to a Scottish accent. One important point that makes this movie so good is that no one actor or actress is glamorized; they get dirty and actually look unattractive in various scenes. It's their skill as actors that attracts you, they don't rely on marquee names, popularity or sex symbol appeal. This is something special.$LABEL$ 1 +When i watch this movie i too get excited when seen bed scenes of miss world. She has beautiful and charming body. When cute lady do bed scenes and show her fully nude body... i think male have hard to resist....i think its time for cute girls like hrishita bhatt also do nude scenes. At least no one wants to c nude body of ugly women like Seema biswas to c in bandit queen.I concur with what mallicka.b has said. The movie is portrayed in a way which appears to be a kind of vilification on the original content. Emotions aren't conveyed properly. I guess a couple of not-so-good performances also contributed to its mediocrity. In my view, Tabu would have been a much better choice for such a role instead of Aishwarya Rai. In some of her scenes, she looks a bit lusty, which is not ultimately what the movie should have portrayed. I also noticed a bit of over-acting in some of her scenes. I'm a bitter critic of Aishwarya Rai :) Can't help it; sorry for that. 'Raincoat' was a good movie by Rituparno Ghosh. And I saw Choker Bali after seeing Raincoat; I was not at all impressed$LABEL$ 1 +They've shown i twice in a very short time now here in Sweden and I am so very tired of it. The bad acting isn't enough... The story itself is so boring and the effects hardly exists. I love the original from 1953 so I recommend you to go and rent that one instead. Because this one is such a bore.$LABEL$ 0 +Having seen Carlo Lizzani's documentary on Luchino Visconti, I was bound to higher expectations before watching this film made three years later by Adam Low. But the viewer like me did get dissatisfied... I faced a need for critical opinion, which I generally don't like giving due to the fact there are no documentaries that will satisfy every viewer. There are also no documentaries that will examine a theme totally. But when I read the reviews already written on this title, I also felt a bit confused. People sometimes don't know what to criticize. Therefore, to be clear, I'll divide this film into two major parts that differ considerably: the former one about Visconti before his director's career and latter one about Visconti the director. The aristocratic background, all the hobbies, the wealth that young Luchino experienced and enjoyed are clearly presented. His effort in horse racing is mentioned as well as his relation with his mother so much disturbed after his parents' divorce. We also get a very accurate idea of where Luchino was brought up as a real count of Milano: in riches galore, with nannies, cooks with access to everything, in TRUE ARISTOCRACY. For instance, his father's splendid villa at Grazzano and other marvelous villas prove that. There is also an emphasis on Visconti's crucial visit in Paris in the 1930s where he met eminent people ("left wingers") who later had impact on his style and message in art. That clearly explains the idea of a communist with the aristocratic upbringing (a contrast at first sight). However, the part about his director's career, which started with OSSESSIONE during WWII and ended with INNOCENTE just before the director's death in 1976, is poorly executed. His movies are not discussed well. Why? Because there are very few people who really have something to say. Franco Zeffirelli, the director, remembers the works on LA TERRA TREMA and that is all right. There are also some interviews with Franco Rosi. But later, such movies like IL GATTOPARDO, LA CADUTA DEI REI, LA MORTE A VENEZIA or LUDWIG are mostly discussed by Helmut Berger. Although I liked the actor in the role of Ludwig, I did not like the interviews of his. Moreover, some thoughts he reveals are not accurate to entail in such a documentary... There is no mention of significant works of Visconti like CONVERSATION PIECE, there are no interviews with eminent cast Burt Lancaster. A mention about Silvana Mangano and Romy Schneider should also be made. There is one footage interview with Maria Callas that appears to be interesting but that is only a short bit. Franco Zeffirelli, though I appreciate him as a director, makes fun of it all rather than says something really precious. For instance, he mentions the event how Visconti separated from him after years of service. Therefore, I say: simplified and unsatisfactory. What I find a strong point here are footage interviews with Visconti himself. As a result, we may get his own opinion about his works. For instance, I very much appreciate the words he says about death regarding it as a normal chapter of life and as natural as birth itself. He also discusses his health problems after the stroke while filming LUDWIG.I believe it is better to see LUCHINO VISCONTI (1999) by Carlo Lizzani than this doc. Although it is shorter and condensed as a whole, you will get a better idea of the director. Visconti would be furious about that and the fury of his usually turned people's emotions and viewpoints into stone... 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Time is precious. This film isn't. I must learn to ignore critics who rave about small films like Fargo and this complete waste of time.The theater was packed and everyone left with the same reaction: Is this the film the critics are raving about? What a piece of crap!The hook of this film is the upwardly mobile black daughter seeking out and finding her white trash family. Get it?The acting is superb.The production (lighting, sets, editing, sound) is about 2 steps above a 60 minutes story. The characters are shallow and unintelligent. I was insulted by the fact that these people could not figure out about each other what was blatantly obvious to the audience; the audience was murmuring to the movie screen what the characters should say next.I have had more fun doing the laundry.$LABEL$ 0 +worst. movie. ever made. EVER. I have no words to say about it.. other then it truly had no point, no plot, no... anything. sheer crap!!! I don't know how everyone in the movie didn't shoot them shelves after watching it.... .... .... ... .. I love vampire flicks and mysteries, and alternate abstract outside the box films, and.... this was non of those. I mean what the crap!!! I cant even tell you what the film was about cuz I still don't know, and I just wasted an hour and ahalf of my life watching it... bottom line.. I think the maker of this film just wants everyone to do drugs. thats the only thing I got from this film. please don't watch this... I mean for a " sultry sensual vampire flick" there wasn't even the to be expected nudity you'd get from a vamp flick. anyway back to my point.... this movie blows. go set yourself on fire instead.... .. ..$LABEL$ 0 +Savage Island (2003) is a lame movie. It's more like a home video shot with very minimal lighting and horrid acting. Not only that the storyline and script was wretched. I don't know why this movie was made. I have seen a lot of flicks in my time and the ones I really hate are movies that make me angry. This one made my blood boil. The situations were inane at best. If I made a movie like this it would have been a short. Really because those backwood "idjits" wouldn't have been in the picture.Don't be fooled by the cover on the D.V.D. I am an avid watcher of bad cinema. But this movie is virtually unwatchable. I don't mind movies being shot on D.V. but if you're going to do that make the movie enjoyable, not some tired retread of superior horror films (sans Wrong Turn).I have to not recommend this waste of disk. If you come across this one in the rental store pass on by.Movies that make yours truly angry get an automatic 1.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to say this is my favorite movie of all time. I have seen it well over 100 times (actually had to buy a new copy as a result of overwatching) It is what the eighties was like and what a romantic story with a few morals thrown in. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to relive the high schools days again. Buy a copy now it is a classic!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw it at the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City this morning. I'm going to assume that one's level of enjoyment during this movie will largely be based on one's level of acceptance of Joseph's story.However, that aside it was very well made, well acted, and had a nice score. If you get to Salt Lake City, it is a must to see it in the Legacy Theater. I have never been in a nicer theater as far as picture quality, sound quality and ambiance in my entire life...I wonder if the Church would let me watch Batman Begins there! Being that I'm LDS and regard Joseph as a prophet, I was touched in several places and was brought to tears quite a few times...which I presume is expected since they handed out tissues BEFORE the movie started! Anyway, I'm told that this film is available in several LDS Visitor Centers around the globe, if you have 70 minutes check it out because whether you believe Joseph Smith or not, he tells a fascinating story.$LABEL$ 1 +Adenoid Hynkel, a lowly soldier in World War One, rises in subsequent years to become the ruthless dictator of Toumania. He creates an aggressive, antisemitic war machine and cultivates a little toothbrush moustache. Sound like anyone you know?From the safety of Hollywood, Chaplin uses this soapbox to exhort Europe to take up arms and defy Hitler and Mussolini. Given that the United States in 1940 had more than a year of neutrality ahead of it, and no strong desire to embroil itself in Europe's civil strife (remember, it was Hitler who declared war on the USA, not the other way round) it is surprising that Chaplin was allowed to distribute this immoderate polemic.The story involves on the one hand the the vulgar and repellant Hynkel and the reign of terror over which he ineptly presides, and life in the jewish ghetto where every single person is friendly, humane, brave, etc., etc, Chaplin is Hynkel, and he also plays The Jewish Barber, the little hero of the ghetto (The Tramp in all but name). Needless to say, Chaplin writes, directs, stars, composes the music and does the catering.In 1940 the full truth was not yet known about the Third Reich, and Chaplin can be forgiven for having something less than perfect historical foresight, but even by the standards of the day he gets Hitler badly wrong. A comedian and a sentimentalist, Chaplin tries to ridicule Hitler by making Hynkel silly and hapless. All this does is to humanise him. When Hynkel the not-very-warlike soldier fools around with the big gun and the upside-down aeroplane, he becomes endearing rather than despicable. As dictator, he inspects his subordinates' technical innovations which don't work (the parachute hat, the bulletproof uniform etc.) and these passages are meant to make us think that the real-life Nazis are incompetent and can be swept aside. In fact, Hynkel's regime is made cute and likeable by its bumbling bodgery.In truth, Chaplin's day had already passed when he made this ill-considered polemic. At heart, he was still a dinosaur of the silent screen (check out the humour, with gags like staggering up and down the street semi-conscious, or the pantomime of the coins in the puddings). The hero Schultz is meant to represent a yardstick of European decency against which Hynkel can be judged, but Schultz looks more like a character from operetta than a Nazi. Is it in any way believable that a Schultz figure (if such had existed) would say to the Fuehrer's face, "your cause is doomed to failure because it's built upon the stupid, ruthless persecution of innocent people"? And how does Schultz come to be in the cellars of the jewish ghetto? If he is the object of an exhaustive manhunt, why does he persist in wearing his Ruritanian uniform? Chaplin did not yet know the full horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau or Treblinka, but the Nazi concentration camp which he offers us is hopelessly out of kilter with the grim spirit of the age. As usual, Chaplin thinks in terms of 'silent' comedy set-pieces, loosely pegged onto the narrative clothes line. There is the knockabout scrapping with the stormtroopers, shaving a man to the accompaniment of Brahms, and the globe ballet (watch for the segment filmed in reverse).Paulette Goddard is the unremittingly perfect Hannah. Just as the people of the ghetto are impossibly nice, and the jewish haven in Osterlich is ridiculously idyllic, so Hannah is quite literally too good to be true. Brave, defiant, resourceful, hardworking and (of course) beautiful, she is the canary of judaism in the ghetto cage. "Gee, ain't I cute?" she asks, after the Barber gives her a make-over. Too cute by far, is the answer. She doesn't come close to ringing true, because Chaplin has made her a caricature. The 'wouldn't it be wonderful?' speech which Chaplin puts into her mouth is typical of the author - too wordy, too emotionally cloying.Jack Oakie is great as Napaloni, the fascist dictator of Bacteria. He brings a whiff of much-needed comic brio to the proceedings, but the film's underlying weakness remains. If Napaloni is silly and ineffective, how can we fear him? And anyway, the stuttering stop-start of the back-projected train is a fine Chaplinesque example of a gag that is persisted with far beyond its comic worth.And where did the Jewish Barber acquire that immaculate Hynkel uniform?$LABEL$ 0 +"Milo" is yet another answer to a question nobody ever asked.Do we really need more slashers?I for one think we already have more than enough.I guess the professional tall guys overcharged so in this one we deal with a murderous kid that's also a zombie or a ghost when he feels like it.A long time ago,he drowned but that didn't bother him and he still kills people("Friday the 13th",what's that?).One day,his survivors have a big reunion and as a surprise twist,Milo comes to pay them a visit.Through some really bad shots that show everything except the murders the cast is thinned out till only the final girl is left to find out Milo's dull,I mean dark secret.She and her friends have been dying to know.Once discovered,Milo goes on yet another murderous rampage(isn't it his bedtime yet?) and the girl,well she screams a lot.The acting is not even bottom of the barrel,the barrel refuses to be associated with it.Milo can be one creepy bastard from time to time I give him that,but some movies just can't be saved without a great script or gratuitous nudity.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best horror / suspense films that Hollywood has made in years or maybe even decades.Even though in my opinion this movie was predictable in parts, it has everything that a good film in this genre should had CHILL, THRILLS, AND yes a lot of GORE!! HOUSE OF WAX SURE DELIVERS!!! In parts it was sort of far-fetched,the acting was not that great,but my overhaul rating for HOUSE OF WAX is an eight out of ten......if you enjoy being at the edge of your seats, this is just the right movie for you,I have to admit,it was sort of neat seeing the whole town made out of wax...... I myself enjoy these museums, but after seeing this film I will now look at them in a whole new different way!$LABEL$ 1 +Never saw the original movie in the series...I only hope it was a much better movie than this or the sequel made in the 1980's as if it is not how were these two terrible sequels even justified. This movie had a really good lead in when they were advertising it to be shown on one of those old independent stations that are a thing of the past now. Anyways it looked like it would be a pretty good scary movie. It was, however, a movie that would make some Walt Disney movies look dark. Really, this movie was just a bunch of light fluff with virtually no boggy creek creature to be seen. The only real sighting is near the end when you see its shape during a very heavy rainstorm, other than that there is virtually no sign of the creature which was really disappointing as a kid. The story is basically the old evil hunters must kill anything they see and are after the boggy creek creature and kids are out to help it or just some random hairy guy in the woods that likes to pull random boats through the water. Not really worth watching I would however like to see the original, granted the maker of that would make the also bad boggy creature of the 80's, but he also made a very good slasher movie in the 70's "The Town the Dreaded Sundown".$LABEL$ 0 +Created in 1928, and originally named Mortimer before Walt Disney changed his name (because his wife convinced him), Mickey Mouse has become the staple of the Disney brand. I always thought this cartoon was the first ever cartoon to feature Mickey, it is in fact his third, but it doesn't matter, for a six minute animated short it is enjoyable. The story sees Mickey piloting a steamboat until Captain Pete takes him off the bridge, stopping to pick up cargo, and Minnie Mouse missing the boat. Being lifted on she drops her music sheets and a goat eats them, Mickey helps her crank it's tail and play the tune, and getting some other animals to be percussion, until Pete comes along again to stop him, making Mickey peel potatoes. Mickey Mouse was number 53 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and he was number 31 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +Highly regarded at release, but since rather neglected. Immense importance in the history of performing arts. A classic use of embedded plots. One of my favourite films. Why hasn't the soundtrack been re-released?$LABEL$ 1 +The perfect murder is foiled when a wife(played by Mary Ellen Trainor, once the wife to director Robert Zemeckis, who helmed this episode), who murders her husband with a poker, has the misfortune of receiving a visitor as she is about to move the body outside..an escaped insane madman dressed in a Santa Claus suit(played by a deviously hideous Larry Drake). She fends for her life while trying to find a way of hiding her husband's corpse. She decides to use an ax, once she downs the Santa killer who misses several chances to chop off the woman's head, to frame the killer for her husband's murder. Santa killer locks her in a closet and pursues the woman's daughter as she tries desperate to free herself to save the child.This episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT just recycles tired material involving the old "Santa kills" theme while also adding the oft-used(add nauseum)woman-murders-her-husband-for-a-man-she's-been-cheating-with routine. It's essentially Trainor trying to find a way to avoid being caught with a dead body she kills while also keeping a safe distance from a maniac. There's nothing refreshing or new about this plot which pretty much goes through the motions. Not one of the show's highlights.$LABEL$ 0 +The IMDb plot summary in no way describes the essence of this film. It should have read 'Be prepared to be catapulted back to the prison of the 3rd pew from the back of your family's church at 8 years old, listening to the preacher drone on about God's will while all you can think of is getting back home to your Lego'.It starts off well intentioned, building intrigue by planting some real and surreal clues such as Renny's 'how did the cut on my thumb heal so fast?' moment. It then slowly morphs into a Christian jamboree, sacrificing its plot completely in a wash of evangelistic-induced babble. I believe I counted the use of the word 'pray' about 53 times in a five minute span near the end. After the 31st, I tried to twist the context of the word to its synonym, 'prey'. Sadly, this little mind game of mine made the film at least bearable for the last 20 minutes. Plus it made me laugh whenever a character would say 'prayer' ('preyer' to me) as it became totally zany. Indeed, even my Catholic wife sunk in her chair from boredom, almost to the point of ending up on the floor.For all the salivating Christians who ranked this film 8-10 stars, I suggest sticking with your theology-reinforcing safety standards like Circle Square, The Ten Commandments, anything from Narnia, Jesus Christ Superstar and the like. Stay away from more cerebrally challenging subject matter in films such as Jesus Camp, The God Who Wasn't There, What Would Jesus Buy, or the soon-to-be released Religulous.Maybe Robert Whitlow's book is better.$LABEL$ 0 +TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY is possibly the best movie of all of Mary Pickford's films. At two hours, it was quite long for a 1922 silent film yet continues to hold your interest some 80 years after it was filmed. Mary gives one of her finest performances at times the role seems like a "greatest hits" performance with bits of Mary the innocent, Mary the little devil, Mary the little mother, Mary the spitfire, Mary the romantic heroine, etc. characteristics that often were used throughout a single film in the past. The movie is surprisingly frank about one supporting character's illegitimate child for 1922 and at one point our Little Mary is thought the unwed mother in question! If the Academy Awards had been around in 1922, no doubt the Best Actress Oscar for the year would have been Mary's.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this movie when I was about 10 years old. My mom bought it at our local Kmart because it was on sale for $5 on VHS. She thought that it would be a nice Christmas movie for me and my brothers to watch. This movie, however, scared the hell out of me. You may be asking yourself, how could a movie about Santa Clause scare anyone? The plot of the movie revolves around Satan sending one his minions, Pitch, to earth in an attempt to kill Santa and ruin Christmas. That's right, Satan sends a demon up from hell to kill Santa Clause. Pitch stalks Santa throughout Christmas eve in an attempt to trap him on earth when the sun rises on Christmas day, for if Santa doesn't make it back to his home in space, he turns to powder. Don't get me wrong, the movie is funny and fairly entertaining, however, the image of demons and devils dancing in the depths of hell (which occurs at the beginning of the movie) is just downright creepy.$LABEL$ 0 +Although there are some snippets in this 4-part documentary hinting at the necessity for recreational drug law reform, these are not very well-developed, in contrast to the many snippets from those who feel that the drugs that happen to currently be illegal are a scourge for which the only imaginable solution is incarceration of even those who are guilty even of mere possession of such drugs.Although this program, as a whole, leaves the viewer with the impression that the drug war is largely a futile exercise and a waste of money, and for that it deserves some praise, almost nothing in this documentary addresses the very real problems that total war against those who merely possess illegal drugs obviously causes and contributes to--very real problems that most drug warriors themselves would tell you, if asked, they think the drug war is designed to solve. For example, while many minutes are spent on the surge in violence associated with the rising popularity of crack cocaine in the 80's, at no point does this program even hint that the very laws designed to suppress crack cocaine make it impossible for drug sellers to enforce their contracts and business arrangements in courts of law, forcing them to resort to violence to stay in business. But instead of seeing the laws as an important cause of the violence, the drugs themselves seem to take the brunt of the blame. Inexplicably, alcohol prohibition, the violence that ensued, and the subsequent reversal of prohibition, is totally ignored by this program.This program will help to perpetuate ridiculous stereotypes of drug users, and it is these that are the primary force in driving the very expensive and very problematic drug war. The possibility of incorporating drugs other than alcohol into a happy and successful life is not really touched on. Use of any drug in excess is probably going to cause personal problems, but not all users do their drugs in excess, just like not all alcohol users are alcoholics.If you want a point of view from someone who believes that adults have a moral right not to be incarcerated and have their lives ruined by the criminal justice system just for using drugs that the government, for mostly very arbitrary political reasons rather than reasons based on sound social policy and legitimate science, has decided to totally prohibit, whose users it has decided to not-so-metaphorically wage war against, just forget about it. None of that is in here.On the other hand, this is hardly in the category of anti-drug propaganda. It is mostly an interesting neutrally-presented history of drugs in 20th century United States like marijuana, LSD, heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and Oxycontin. But there is a significant element of various people's points of view with regard to drug laws, and most (but not all) of that is not very thoughtful or well-informed and slanted in favor of the drug warrior mentality, especially with respect to drugs other than marijuana. The criminal justice system, along with its often harsh life-ruining penalties, is obviously not the only answer or the most appropriate answer to every single social problem, but unfortunately there's an epidemic in this nation of an as-yet unnamed disease whose primary symptoms are a lack of imagination with respect to social policy when it comes to certain drugs, a lack of compassion for fellow humans, a prejudice against people who use the drugs that are not governmentally-approved, perhaps a vested interest in the growth of the prison/policing industry, and a horrid apathy with regard to human dignity. It's morally wrong to kidnap or incarcerate people unless you have a very damn good reason for doing so, and the mere possession of an arbitrarily selected group of drugs is clearly not such a reason. This is really the primary issue when it comes to drugs, yet this program ignores it.So, in sum, the parts of this program that neutrally present history without feeding stereotypes of drug users that are at the heart of the drug war mentality are pretty good and interesting and entertaining. But when it comes to presenting a rational non-radical point of view with regard to drug policy, and giving the viewer examples not only of people with drug problems but also the many people who successfully incorporate drugs into happy and successful lives, it's pretty disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +Considering this film was released 8 years before I was born, I don't feel too bad for over-looking it for such a long time. Back in January of 98 though, I attended the Second Annual Quentin Tarantino film fest held in Austin,Texas. The particular theme of films this night was "Neglected 70's Crime Films" and boy was her right. "The Gravy Train(or The Dion Brothers, as it appeared this print)" was an absolute gem. Wonderful performances, quirky characters, smart plot, hilarious comedy, and just an all around great time. Rarely do you see a Crime film that is so entertaining and fresh. Margot Kidder in one of her earliest film appearances is extremely sexy as well. I hope some cable network gets a hold of this film and allows many more to see it. In the meantime, go to an indie video store and hope they have it.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was actually a romantic drama based on three sisters who had desires to become a famous girl group. In their endeavors, the oldest sister meets a drug dealer and street hustler called Satin, whom Sister goes after because she believes he is the "big time" who will give her everything she ever thought she wanted out of life. Though he could be accused of killing her, he really kills only her spirit and will to live, after which she becomes a drug addict and ultimately dies from an overdose. The story isn't about the street life or the Italian mobster who tries to buy Stix off, then threatens him, it's about how love can overcome even the worst tragedies in life as portrayed in song and style and the character that was the life in the times for young women trying to be "discovered" back then.$LABEL$ 1 +First, I realize that a "1" rating is supposed to be reserved for the worst of the worst. This movie gets that from me because, as one reviewer points out, it's not bad in a self-aware, over-the-top sort of way that might allow it to have some comic or cult value. It simply misses its mark on every count. **Contains possible spoilers** The dialog is completely disingenuous. The continuity is so deliberate it's painful. Daniel just finishes speaking of his lost love, and with his final word the flamenco dancers start. The mock-shock of what's her name (see? I don't even remember her character's name, let alone the name of the forgettable actress) when her husband (the Baldwin) first tells her that her friend is the bad guy. The car and the motorcycle chases did all the right things. Vegetable carts gone flying. Cars crashing into each other. Motorcycles going down the stairs. People nearly being hit, but remarkably, no one is. Oh, that's right... except for the one guy who has been stabbed several times, is obviously stumbling along the curb with knife wounds, and an approaching car apparently didn't notice him there. Hmmm. It's becoming more and more remarkable to me that movies like this can be made. There is so much pressure in the film industry to make money, you'd think that someone in Hollywood would think of making good films worth seeing. Now there's a novel idea. My suggestion: don't see this film. Don't rent the DVD. Don't watch it on cable. There are lots of other things you could be doing that will leave you feeling more satisfied.$LABEL$ 0 +Picture the scene where a bunch of scriptwriters sit around a table and one says "lets have a black woman approach an unsuspecting member of the public (also black) in the street and ask him if he is black, then walk away". The other writers fall about laughing hysterically until one suggests they repeat it in every episode. More laughter. Now if you think the premise is funny, and the show contains many such types of situation, you will enjoy this show. For the rest, use your zapper and find something more entertaining like watching paint dry. Those that have written glowing reports of this show should either get out more or be forced to watch television comedies that are really funny. Another example of the humor in the show, a girl tries to get out of paying at a supermarket checkout by trying to hypnotise the cashier. Marginally funny the first time but why repeat it over and over in different shows with different cashiers? I could give other examples but these just might be treated as spoilers, divulging why this comedy just is not funny at all.$LABEL$ 0 +The year 2005 saw no fewer than 3 filmed productions of H. G. Wells' great novel, "War of the Worlds". This is perhaps the least well-known and very probably the best of them. No other version of WotW has ever attempted not only to present the story very much as Wells wrote it, but also to create the atmosphere of the time in which it was supposed to take place: the last year of the 19th Century, 1900 … using Wells' original setting, in and near Woking, England.IMDb seems unfriendly to what they regard as "spoilers". That might apply with some films, where the ending might actually be a surprise, but with regard to one of the most famous novels in the world, it seems positively silly. I have no sympathy for people who have neglected to read one of the seminal works in English literature, so let's get right to the chase. The aliens are destroyed through catching an Earth disease, against which they have no immunity. If that's a spoiler, so be it; after a book and 3 other films (including the 1953 classic), you ought to know how this ends.This film, which follows Wells' plot in the main, is also very cleverly presented – in a way that might put many viewers off due to their ignorance of late 19th/early 20th Century photography. Although filmed in a widescreen aspect, the film goes to some lengths to give an impression of contemporaneity. The general coloration of skin and clothes display a sepia tint often found in old photographs (rather than black). Colors are often reminiscent of hand-tinting. At other times, colors are washed out. These variations are typical of early films, which didn't use standardized celluloid stock and therefore presented a good many changes in print quality, even going from black/white to sepia/white to blue/white to reddish/white and so on – as you'll see on occasion here. The special effects are deliberately retrograde, of a sort seen even as late as the 1920s – and yet the Martians and their machines are very much as Wells described them and have a more nearly realistic "feel". Some of effects are really awkward – such as the destruction of Big Ben. The acting is often more in the style of that period than ours. Some aspects of Victorian dress may appear odd, particularly the use of pomade or brilliantine on head and facial hair.This film is the only one that follows with some closeness Wells' original narrative – as has been noted. Viewers may find it informative to note plot details that appear here that are occasionally retained in other versions of the story. Wells' description of the Martians – a giant head mounted on numerous tentacles – is effectively portrayed. When the Martian machines appear, about an hour into the film, they too give a good impression of how Wells described them. Both Wells and this film do an excellent job of portraying the progress of the Martians from the limited perspective (primarily) of rural England – plus a few scenes in London (involving the Narrator's brother). The director is unable to resist showing the destruction of a major landmark (Big Ben), but at least doesn't dwell unduly on the devastation of London.The victory of the Martians is hardly a surprise, despite the destruction by cannon of some of their machines. The Narrator, traveling about to seek escape, sees much of what Wells terms "the rout of Mankind". He encounters a curate endowed with the Victorian affliction of a much too precious and nervous personality. They eventually find themselves on the very edge of a Martian nest, where they discover an awful fact: the Martians are shown to be vampires who consume their prey alive in a very effective scene. Wells adds that after eating they set up "a prolonged and cheerful hooting". The Narrator finally is obliged to beat senseless the increasingly hysterical curate – who revives just as the Martians drag him off to the larder (cheers from the gallery; British curates are so often utterly insufferable).This film lasts almost 3 hours, going through Wells' story in welcome detail. It's about time the author got his due – in a compelling presentation that builds in dramatic impact. A word about the acting: Don't expect award-winning performances. They're not bad, however, the actors are earnest and they grow on you. Most of them, however, have had very abbreviated film careers, often only in this film. The Narrator is played by hunky Anthony Piana, in his 2nd film. The Curate is John Kaufman – also in his 2nd film as an actor but who has had more experience directing. The Brother ("Henderson") is played with some conviction by W. Bernard Bauman in his first film. The Artilleryman, the only other sizable part, is played by James Lathrop in his first film.This is overall a splendid film, portraying for the first time the War of the Worlds as Wells wrote it. Despite its slight defects, it is far and away better than any of its hyped-up competitors. If you want to see H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds – and not some wholly distorted version of it – see this film!$LABEL$ 1 +Of the elements that make this the best at this point, I have to say #1 is Christine McIntire. Shemp's scene when poisoned and her reaction are truly magnificent. I imagine that, as one poster suggested, Christine was trying to hold back laughter during that scene, but it actually made her seem even more deliciously evil, to be smiling at Shemp's possibly dying.Another character who helps this stand out is the Goon. His look was a great cross between horrific and comedic goof-ball. Hardly a character I would choose to meet in a dark alley or, for that matter anywhere. I would have preferred a bit of true whodunit mystery in this, but hey, when a short is this good, who's going to complain. Not I.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay this is stupid,they say their not making another Nightmare film,that this is the "last" one...And what do they do?They go on making another one,not that the next one (part7) was BAD,but why do they play us. Anyway this movie made no sense what-so ever,it was extremelly dull,the characters were highly one dimensional,Freddy was another joker,which is very stupid for such a good series.The plot is very,very bad,and this is even worse than part 2 and 5. I didnt get the movie,its a stupid tale in 3-d,pointless!Id say. I hated this film so much i still rmember all the parts i didnt like which was basically the whole film.This is SO different than the prequels,it tries,and tries,but this one tried the hardest,and got slapped back on the face.Again there were hadly any death scenes,although they were different,they sucked bigtime. How can they have gone this far?Didnt they see they made the biggest mistakes at parts 2 and 5?Yet they make this?Its all bout the money,DO NOT SEE THIS SAD EXCUSE FOR A NIGHTMARE SERIES.I GAVE A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET SIX (6) 3 out of 10.GOOD POINTS OF MOVIE: Had potential with plot.BAD POINTS OF FILM: Terrible acting/lack of deaths/Too funny to be classified as horror/very confusing.$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone, my name may sound weird, but there was nothing else! Any way, I haven't seen anything like this before so it was crazy! Of course that's a good thing. It is a humorously interesting movie and my absolute all time favourite thing is how they intertwine other things into one! Like chicken little,, the fish pretending to be King Kong and Runt the pig saying, "Twas beauty who killed the beast", War of the worlds scene and more. Walt Disney company has NOT lost his touch maybe not for this one. Also, how they made it like they were watching a movie and it was like a home cinema. However some parts don't fit. Like in the original lion king, weren't Timon and Pumbaa with Simba when he beat Scar? In this movie, they are not! they were fighting the hyenas backstage. Ther's more, the reason being why Pumbaa isn't so confident is because he was pushed away by the other animals and also, it's just Timon, Timon, Timon. Anybody realise that only Timonn's story was told, whereas pumbaa only had flashbacks?But apart from that , IT"S GREAT!$LABEL$ 1 +Finally was there released a good Modesty Blaise movie, which not only tells a story, but actually tells the "real" story. I admit that it is a bad movie if you expect an action thriller, but if you stop in your track and remove all your expectations. Then you will notice that it is a story that comes very close to the original made by Peter O'Donnell. You have a cover story just to tell about how Modesty became the magnificent person which she is. It is not a movie to attract new fans, but a movie to tell the real tale. Some things could have been better, but when you cannot forget the awful movie from '66 then is this a magnificent movie. So are you a fan then sit down relax and just enjoy that the real story is there with a cover story just to make Modesty tell her story.$LABEL$ 1 +By now, the game's stale, right?The jokes have been done. Its all over. The creative genius which drove this game for the first two games was gone, after all.Wrong.The game is still intact, the jokes are here, folks. Sure, they're all rehash, but so was Monkey Island 2. And 1, for that matter.The difficulty is well placed, somewhere between the slightly easy 1 and the ridiculously hard 2. The ship fighting sub-game is badly innappropriate, in the tradition of sub-games. And this game has the best joke of the whole series. When asked for your membership card to an exclusive beach, always select "You don't need to see my identification." Its worth the price of the game by itself.$LABEL$ 1 +I decided to watch this movie because I'd not seen Carol Lombard before in any movie. I'm sorry it had to be this one because, quite frankly, this is a dog – and even with Jimmy Stewart and Charles Coburn, both of whom were great actors.The problem with the film is simple: it tries to put too much, too quickly, in to a story about a young lawyer (John Manson played by Stewart) who marries Jane (played by Lombard) within an hour of meeting her. What's that cliché? Marry in haste, repent at leisure... In short, the story is a series of episodes that show the couples' worsening financial status, their troubles with John's live-in mother, their struggles to pay the bills, John's diminished status at the office, the arrival of their baby son, John Jnr (unexpected and causing additional friction at home with mother), the couples' angst about their marriage, the baby's sickness which worsens, thus necessitating an heroic flight by a lone pilot (in a fierce storm) to bring a special serum to save the child, and finally John being accepted as a junior partner at the law firm.How many more clichéd situations could the writers include? Maybe Mother dying soon after? There wasn't much comedy; the drama was lacklustre, at best; the dialog was painful to hear. Only the acting of the four main players was adequate.This was the period at the end of the Great Depression with the USA coming out of its long downturn – during which many people experienced all of the events portrayed in the movie.So, it made sense for Selznick to reaffirm good ol' home spun American values of family, relationships, heroism, perseverance, and initiative – all against the backdrop of the "average" American family. Who better to use than Jimmy Stewart and Carol Lombard? And, it should be noted that the film was released in early 1939; so, it was planned in 1938 – soon after the USA began to get production going for the coming World War II. Hence, this sort of film was a great booster for the general public, at that time, many of who would soon have to join England in war. As many here would know, Hollywood and Washington formed an uneasy alliance before, during and after the war.However, I'm glad I saw it – as a piece of disguised socio-political propaganda. But, I'll have to see other Lombard films to gain a better appreciation of her acting range.As another reviewer noted: see this one just to say that you've seen all of Stewart's movies; otherwise, don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately the only spoiler in this review is that there's nothing to spoil about that movie.Even if B. Mattei had never done any master piece he use to do his job with a bit of humor and craziness that made him a fun Eurotrash director. But for the last 10 years he seemed to have lost it.This film is just empty, nothing at all to wake us up from the deep sleep you sink into after the first 10 min.No sex, no blood(it's suppose to be about snuff?),no actors, no dialogs, just as bad as an 90'T.V film.It's even worse than his last cannibals and zombies epics.So Rest in peace Bruno, you will stay in our minds forever anyway, thanks to such unforgettable gems as:Zombi 3, Robowar,Rats, l'altro inferno,Virus, Cruel jaws and few others.So except if you want to see B Mattei possessed by jess Franco's spirit's new film, pass on this one.But if you don't know this nice artisan's career track down his old films and have fun.$LABEL$ 0 +I Enjoyed Watching This Well Acted Movie Very Much!It Was Well Acted,Particularly By Actress Helen Hunt And Actors Steven Weber And Jeff Fahey.It Was A Very Interesting Movie,Filled With Drama And Suspense,From The Beginning To The Very End.I Reccomend That Everyone Take The Time To Watch This Made For Television Movie,It Is Excellent And Has Great Acting!!$LABEL$ 1 +Hypothetical situations abound, one-time director Harry Ralston gives us the ultimate post-apocalyptic glimpse with the world dead, left in the streets, in the stores, and throughout the landscape, sans in the middle of a forgotten desert. One lone survivor, attempting to rekindle his sanity, takes food from the city to his bungalow in this desert. All alone, he hopes for more, but with nobody around, he is left with white underwear, and a passion for a local Indian tribe – until the discovery of a camera which opens up new doors and breaks the barriers of human co-existence. Alan, a man of the book, is left on Earth after an unknown disaster. Thinking he is alone, he begins living life his way – until, Jeri Ryan, appears (like she would in any dream) out of the woods, disheveled, and unhappy to find the final man alive to be ... well ... like Alan. Anyway, they try to co-exist, fail, get drunk, and before creating the ultimate dystopia, they run into Redneck Raphael (played by newcomer – Dan Montgomery Jr). Bonds are torn, confusion sets in, a couple becomes a third wheel, and the battle between physically inept nerd vs. brainless jock. Even with nobody left on the planet, it becomes a truth that even the darkest of human nature will arise.Using a variable film technique, Ralston gives us a mediocre story based loosely on another film entitled "The Quiet Earth" (which I will be viewing next) oddly which he never gives any credit towards. With a borrowed story, I guess he does a decent job of reinterpreting it. His punch seems to be lacking at the beginning while Ralston tries to find his stride, borrowing yet again from other film director's techniques to attempt to find his own. He opens the film interestingly enough, but fails to answer any direct answers. Sure, the final days have arrived, but could there be a concise answer as to "how" or better yet "why" these select few survived. A spookier beginning would have led us stronger into a comical film. The juxtaposition would have been like "Shawn of the Dead", but instead left us feeling like we were watching a "made-for-TV" program. Listening to the audio commentary, I have respect for Ralston because he worked diligently to get this film made, and his passion nearly sells the film, but you could tell from his interaction with the cast that he wasn't as happy with his overall final product. There were mistakes, ones that he pointed out and others that he was ashamed to point out. While this does make for decent independent film-making, it sometimes feels cheap, and in Ralston's case, it was the latter.I must admit, David Arnott's portrayal of Alan hooked me. He played that wimpy, school nerd, adult role very well. He was funny to both watch and listen to, and thus he became sympathetic to the viewer. He was a key player in keeping the film together, alas, I cannot say the same for the rest. This was Dan Montgomery's first film, and it was obvious – I mean – really really obvious. There were scenes in which I thought the cue card was about to come out and read the lines for him, perhaps even giving us a more realistic performance, but alas, it wasn't the case. Then there was Jeri Ryan. She pulled into her character near the end of the film, which to me, was the culmination of the entire piece of art. She goes from estranged unknown to bitter cranky insane girlfriend by the end. Confused? Again, she fell into her character by the end, giving us just a glimpse of what she could have probably done as her acting matured. Even as the commentary progressed, all that she contributed was a laugh, giggle, or "ohhh, look at that color" moment. While her beauty may sell tickets, one may want to consider knowledge to be just as beautiful. This was her first film, so can I be too harsh? Overall, this film felt like it was missing something. I though the idea was strong – the premise that even with only a peppering of people remaining on the Earth the evil of human nature still exists. Jealousy cannot be killed by bacteria or bombs (maybe because it is consumed by zinc?) and we as a race will always want what we cannot have. Ralston is not a surprising director, his techniques are flawed and pre-used, but he does know how to make a low-budget comedy. I think our idea of "funny" is different, so that is why I couldn't find myself laughing at many of the bits he found "hysterical". His actors provided the level of acting needed for this film, which was lower than average. His film was loose, meaning that there were elements never quite explained or tackled (i.e. anything with wings survived?!?), which overall harmed the intensity of the film. This was a comedy, but it could have been much darker and much much funnier. For those thinking that Roger Avery was a huge element to this film, as we learn from their commentary, all he was there for was money – the was in essence, the bank for "The Last Man". Don't get your hopes up for any classic Avery moments.Don't expect more from Ralston – and that is how I will end it.Grade: ** out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit, I was expecting something quite different from my first viewing of 'Cut' last night, though was delighted with the unexpected Australian horror gem. I am a true horror fan as true as they come, and found 'Cut' to not only be the best of the genre Australia has ever produced, but one of the great parody/comedy films of late.My only concern is that mainstream audiences may not pick up on a lot of the comedic elements - the film was not overly clever in it's application but made me laugh at every turn trying to fit in EVERY possible cliche of the horror genre they could. I am certain this was intended as humour....hoping this was intended as humour.And of course, there was the gore.The use of the 'customised' garden shears was brilliance - besides the expected stabs and slashes. In short, there was a huge amount of variety and creativity in the many violent deaths, enough to please even the skeptics of this films worth.The appearance of both Kylie Minogue (short that her appearance was) and Molly Ringwald was just another reason to see the film - both performances were fantastic, as well as Simon Bossell ('The Castle') in a brilliant role as the jokey technician.All in all, I think this movie is one of the best horror products of the last couple or years, as well as a beautiful satire/parody - toungue-in-cheek till the very end.Loved it. Go see it!$LABEL$ 1 +I am so happy not to live in an American small town. Because whenever I'm shown some small town in the States it is populated with all kinds of monsters among whom flesh hungry zombies, evil aliens and sinister ghosts are most harmless. In this movie a former doctor, who's just done time for an accidental killing of his wife in a car crash, directs his steps to the nearest small town - he must have never in his life seen a flick about any small towns - which happens to be the Purgatory Flats. And, of course, as soon as he arrives there all the hell breaks loose. He meets a blond chick who out of all creatures most resembles a cow both in facial expressions and in brain functioning and at once falls in love with her. But there is a tiny handicap, she is already married to a very small-time drug dealer who in a minute gets himself shot pitifully not dead. To know what has come out of all this you should watch the movie for yourself. I'll just tell you that it's slightly reminiscent of U Turn by Oliver Stone but is a way down in all artistic properties.$LABEL$ 1 +Like anyone else who bought this, I was duped by the "20 pieces of extreme gore" and "banned in 20 countries" or whatever it says in the box. I have to admit I am a huge gore fan and I am always amazed when films can lay it on thick and look convincing doing it. Tom Savini, Rick Baker and Greg Cannom are some of the best in the business. The revolutionized make-up effects in the 80's. Today, you don't need them as everything is done on computer. But computers cannot compare to the visual wizardry that these three men could conjure up. But I digress.Watching fantastically gory films like Fulci's Gates to Hell or even Savini's crowning achievement, Friday the 13th the Final Chapter, you can appreciate all that goes into making a terrifically gory film. You can't tell the difference between reality and magic.I can't imagine another reason why anyone would see Cannibal Ferox but the gore that is ostensibly omnipotent in this film. If that is the reason you seek this film, then you are wasting your money. As many other reviewers in here have noted, most of the gore is an aftermath. You don't see the torture, or the bloodshed as it happens, you see whatever it looks like afterwords.The gore? Well, it's here, but not as much as one would hope, or expect. A man does get castrated and a women does get hanged by her breasts, but other then those two scenes, and one involving a scalping; there is nothing really much else to this film. The scenes of gore even in these three mentioned, are still pretty tame in comparison to what you were hoping for. Maybe it's just me and my sick and twisted experience in the horror and gore genre, but I was expecting a bit more. Call me sick or twisted, but isn't that the only reason people are watching this film in the first place? I honestly found myself bored in a lot of places.Cannibal Ferox is just another film that tries to capitalize on a craze of a superior film. While Cannibal Holocaust is not exactly a great film, it is much better than this tripe. If you go out of your way to buy this for $20.00, you will feel cheated.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I always felt that Ms. Merkerson had never gotten a role fitting her skills. Familiar to millions as the Lt. on Law and Order, she has been seen in a number of theatrical releases, always in a supporting role. HBO's Lackawanna Blues changes that and allows this talented actress to shine as Nanny, successful entrepreneur in a world changing from segregation to integration. But the story is really about the colorful array of characters that she and her adopted son meet in a boarding house in Lackawanna, New York, a suburb of Buffalo.The story could be set in any major African-American community of the 50's and 60's from Atlanta's Sweet Auburn to New York's Harlem. But the segregation-integration angle is only a subtle undercurrent in the colorful lives of the folks at Nanny's boarding house. The story revolves around Nanny's relationships with all kinds of people, played by some of the best actors in the business (I purposely did not say black actors--this ensemble is a stunning array of talent who happen to be black, except for Jimmy Smits, of course) I recommend this film as a fun and colorful look at a bygone day.$LABEL$ 1 +This will not likely be voted best comedy of the year, a few too many coincidences and plot holes. However we are talking about a movie where a hit-man and a white bread salesman become buddies so a few vagaries shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Brosnan is excellent in this role, gone is the wooden James Bond (a role he was wasted in). If he can maintain this kind of quality I hope he continues to make comedies. Greg Kinnear is also excellent as Brosnan's straight man. I've read a few negative comments in here about Hope Davis but I thought she was quite good as a mousy housewife with a dark side buried deep within. There are lots of good chuckles as Brosnan sleazes his way through and a few scenes where I nearly died laughing. My father (a consultant) nearly lost it when Julian describes himself as a "facilitator". Much like "Grosse Pointe Blank", another hit-man comedy, the humour can be very dark. If you are in to that be prepared to enjoy yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +As a casual listener of the Rolling Stones, I thought this might be interesting. Not so, as this film is very 'of its age', in the 1960's. To me (someone born in the 1980's) this just looks to me as hippy purist propaganda crap, but I am sure this film was not made for me, but people who were active during th '60's. I expected drugs galore with th Stones, I was disappointed, it actually showed real life, hard work in the studio, So much so I felt as if I was working with them to get to a conclusion of this god awful film. I have not seen any of the directors other films, but I suspect they follow a similar style of directing, sort of 'amatuerish' which gave a feeling like the TV show Eurotrash, badly directed, tackily put together and lacking in real entertainment value. My only good opinion of this is that I didn't waste money on it, it came free with a Sunday paper.$LABEL$ 0 +Watch the Original with the same title from 1944! This made for TV movie, is just god-awful! Although it does use (as far as I can tell) almost the same dialog, it just doesn't work! Is it the acting, the poor directing? OK so it's made for TV, but why watch a bad copy, when you can get your hands on the superb original? Especially as you'll be spoiled to the plot and won't enjoy the original as much, as if you've watched it first! There are a few things that are different from the original (it's shorter for once), but all are for the worse! The actors playing the parts here, just don't fit the bill! You just don't believe them and who could top Edward G. Robinsons performance from the original? If you want, only watch it after you've seen the original and even then you'll be very brave, if you watch it through! It's almost sacrilege!$LABEL$ 0 +Director Don Siegel really impressed me with this film. It is starkly shot, graphic without being visually graphic, well-acted by all concerned, and covers some of the most taboo issues of any day in a workmanlike, almost expected normalcy hitherto not seen in any other film by this reviewer. I didn't know what to expect sitting down to watch this: a civil war movie or some kind of 70's soft-core peddling with Eastwood descending on a school for girls in the South. But really is is neither of those things but rather and examination, exploration, and descent into the soul of men and women - a dark commentary on what is at the core of the civilized. as one reviewer previously noted, none - none - of the characters are likable by the film's end and yet each one is interesting, complex, and enigmatic. Eastwood plays Cpl. McBurney, a Union soldier found by young Pamelyn Ferdin(you'll recognize that voice as soon as you hear it), a girl at a school for manners headed by Geraldine Page amidst the chaos that was the Civil War - particularly in the South. Soon, Page, teacher Elizabeth Hartman, lovely, young seductress Carol, and even Ferdin(Amy)have emotional/sexual ties to Eastwood - each having their own needs and secrets and problems. Eastwood is not a nice man. he plays the girls off of each other always trying to get the sexual advantage. In the unfolding we get some real interesting things revealed from latent lesbianism to incest. The Beguiled, for me, is a masterpiece that far exceeded my expectations on every creative front. This might be(except for Invasion of the Body Snatchers) Siegel's best film. It certainly is one of Eastwood's best REAL performances. page is always so very good and Hartman, Fe5rdin, et al excellent. the Gothic manse set for the school is effectively claustrophobic. Some of the sexual-laced scenes disturbing. And what happens to Eastwood is a leg up on much of the competition for creepy, eerie, demented film.$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone who lived through the ages of Revenge of the Nerds and Girlpower will appreciate this film. It is one of those films that delivers everything you want in a "spring break movie" PLUS it makes fun of the college film genre. It's funny, it's got a cast to die for (Amy Pohler! Rachel Dratch!, Sophie Monk!, Parker Posey! Jane Lynch! Amber Tamblyn! Missi Pyle!) and its guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Writer/ actor Rachel Dratch is a comic genius and Sophie Monk is such a great villain. Wilson Phillips! OMG! (I'm just repeating myself now...) It will live on with girls who like Miranda July but feel like eating ice cream and pretending they're dumb.$LABEL$ 1 +Arguably the finest serial ever made(no argument here thus far) about Earthman Flash Gordon, Professor Zarkov, and beautiful Dale Arden traveling in a rocket ship to another universe to save the planet. Along the way, in spellbinding, spectacular, and action-packed chapters Flash and his friends along with new found friends such as Prince Barin, Prince Thun, and the awesome King Vultan pool their resources together to fight the evils and armies of the merciless Ming of Mongo and the jealous treachery of his daughter Priness Aura(now she's a car!). This serial is not just a cut above most serials in terms of plot, acting, and budget - it is miles ahead in these areas. Produced by Universal Studios it has many former sets at its disposable like the laboratory set from The Bride of Frankenstein and the Opera House from The Phantom of the Opera just to name a few. The production values across the board are advanced, in my most humble opinion, for 1936. The costumes worn by many of these strange men and women are really creative and first-rate. We get hawk-men, shark men, lion men, high priests, creatures like dragons, octasacks, orangapoids, and tigrons(oh my!)and many, many other fantastic things. Are all of them believable and first-rate special effects? No way. But for 1936 most are very impressive. The musical score is awesome and the chapter beginnings are well-written, lengthy enough to revitalize viewer memories of the former chapter, and expertly scored. Director Frederick Stephani does a great job piecing everything together wonderfully and creating a worthy film for Alex Raymond's phenom comic strip. Lastly, the acting is pretty good in this serial. All too often serials have either no names with no talent surrounding one or two former talents - here most everyone has some ability. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a Shakespeare troupe by any means, but Buster Crabbe does a workmanlike, likable job as Flash. He is ably aided by Jean Arden, Priscella Lawson, and the rest of the cast in general with two performers standing out. But before I get to those two let me add as another reviewer noted, it must have been amazing for this serial to get by the Hayes Office. I see more flesh on Flash and on Jean Rogers and Priscella Lawson than in movies decades later. The shorts Crabbe(and unfortunately for all of us Professor Zarkov((Frank Shannon)) wears are about as form-fitting a pair of shorts guys can wear. The girls are wearing mid drifts throughout and are absolutely beautiful Jean Rogers may have limited acting talent but she is a blonde bombshell. Lawson is also very sultry and sensuous and beautiful. But for me the two actors that make the serial are Charles Middleton as Ming: officious, sardonic, merciless, and fun. Middleton is a class act. Jack "Tiny" Lipson plays King Vultan: boisterous, rousing, hilarious - a symbol for pure joy in life and the every essence of hedonism. Lipson steals each and every scene he is in. The plot meanders here, there, and everywhere - but Flash Gordon is the penultimate serial, space opera, and the basis for loads of science fiction to follow. Excellent!$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say that the events of 9/11 didn't hit me until I saw this documentary. It took me a year to come to grips with the devastation. I was the one who was changing the station on the radio and channel on TV if there was any talk about the towers. I was sick of hearing about it. When this was aired on TV a year and a day later, I was bawling my eyes out. It was the first time I had cried since the attack. I highly recommend this documentary. I am watching it now on TV, 5 years later, and I am still crying over the tragedies. The fact that this contains one of the only video shots of the first plane hitting the tower is amazing. It was an accident, and look where it got them. These two brothers make me want to have been there to help.$LABEL$ 1 +Perfect movies are rare. Even my favorite films tend to have flaws - Rear Window looks a little stagey at times, Chris Elliot's character in Groundhog Day doesn't work, the music score in Best Years of Our Lives is too cheesy, the beginning of Nights of Cabiria is a little too slow - but this film is perfectly executed from start to finish. The script is brilliant, the acting is superb all around (although Reese Witherspoon and Sam Waterston are amazing, the whole cast shines), the directing and the photography are inspired, and the music score is touching without being intrusive (like some Miramax scores that are too manipulative). Every sad moment is truly moving, every light moment makes me smile. This truly is one of the best films I have ever seen and I wish there were more films like it. I am glad that Reese Witherspoon has gone on to stardom after this film, but I am sorry to see that her recent movies are so much more escapist and silly than this serious film which is about real people, real feelings and real problems. Brilliant! A must-see.$LABEL$ 1 +This has to be one of the 5 worst movies ever made. The plot looked intriguing like that of Passenger 57. But with the latter movie it somehow worked a lot better. The plot has been worked out in the worst possible way. Just a few of the awful moments in the movie, A flight attendant is standing in the opened doorway of a flying 747 and trying to close the door without being sucked out by the 250 mile per hour winds?!? Thereafter the lands the aircraft from a few miles out starting at 8000 feet, thats impossible even for 747 pilots with thousands of hour experience. When on the runway (perfectly straight of course) she is instructed to pull on the flaps, HUH!! Come on flaps are there to ensure lift at low speeds, when on the runway you use thrust reverse on the engines and give maximum power! I can go on and on about little and mostly big mistakes in the movie, but then my reply would become the size of the English dictionary. This is a movie you want to miss, take my word for it!$LABEL$ 0 +regardless of what anyone says, its a b-movie, and the effects are poorly done.. if you're a vampire fanatic, I suppose it would be OK, not 10 out of 10, you others here cant sincerely mean that?. we are to view this as a movie, not read it as a book, so the effects and characters are important, as well as the story. The story are good, but it doesn't carry the film, no wonder it has a low rating over all. I write this because I chose to see this movie when I saw some good reviews here on IMDb, but got severely disappointed. don't get me wrong, I thought the blade movies was awesome, and loved the underworld movies, but this characters aren't close. the make up on the vampires is poorly done, and the effects are worse. this sucks. I might not have gotten so disappointed if I had not read reviews here that told me how great it was. the reviewers must have had something to do with the production company or something, seriously, if you think this is awesome, you don't care about acting or make up. this is better as a book. 3 out of 10 for an OK story..$LABEL$ 0 +I want very much to believe that the above quote (specifically, the English subtitle translation), which was actually written, not spoken, in a rejection letter a publisher sends to the protagonist, was meant to be self-referential in a tongue-in-cheek manner. But if so, director Leos Carax apparently neglected to inform the actors of the true nature of the film. They are all so dreadfully earnest in their portrayals that I have to conclude Carax actually takes himself seriously here, or else has so much disdain for everyone, especially the viewing audience, that he can't be bothered letting anyone in on the joke.Some auteurs are able to get away with making oblique, bizarre films because they do so with élan and unique personal style (e.g., David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky). Others use a subtler approach while still weaving surreal elements into the fabric of the story (e.g., Krzysztof Kieslowski, and David Cronenberg's later, less bizarre works). In Pola X, Carax throws a disjointed mess at the viewer and then dares him to find fault with it. Well, here it is: the pacing is erratic and choppy, in particular continuity is often dispensed with; superfluous characters abound (e.g., the Gypsy mother and child); most of the performances are overwrought; the lighting is often poor, particularly in the oft-discussed sex scene; unconnected scenes are thrust into the film for no discernible reason; and the list goes on.Not to be completely negative, it should be noted that there were some uplifting exceptions. I liked the musical score, even the cacophonous industrial-techno music being played in the sprawling, abandoned complex to which the main characters retreat in the second half of the film (perhaps a reference to Andy Warhol's 'Factory' of the '60s?). Much of the photography of the countryside was beautiful, an obvious attempt at contrast with the grimy city settings. And, even well into middle-age, Cathering Deneuve shows that she still has 'it'. Her performance was also the only one among the major characters that didn't sink into bathos.There was an earlier time when I would regard such films as "Pola X" more charitably. Experimentation is admirable, even when the experiment doesn't work. But Carax tries nothing new here; the film is a pastiche of elements borrowed from countless earlier films, and after several decades of movie-viewing and literally thousands of films later, I simply no longer have the patience for this kind of unoriginal, poorly crafted tripe. At this early moment in the 21st century, one is left asking: With the exception of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, are there *any* directors in France who know how to make a watchable movie anymore? Rating: 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to praise this film much. The CGI for the dragon was well done, but lacked proper modelling for light and shadow. Also, the same footage is used endlessly of the dragon stomping through corridors which becomes slightly tedious.I was amazed to see "Marcus Aurelius" in the acting credits, wondering what an ex-Emperor of the Roman Empire was doing acting in this film! Like "Whoopie Goldberg" it must be an alias, and can one blame him for using one if he appears in this stinker.The story might been interesting, but the acting is flat, and direction is tedious. If you MUST watch this film, go around to your friend's house and get drunk while doing so - then it'll be enjoyable.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember going to see the movie in the summer of '78 with my parents, and being pretty into it at the time. Of course, I was seven at the time.Right before the Jackson movies came out, my wife and I rented this movie since she had never seen it and I was feeling nostalgic.Ralph Bakshi ran out of money about mid-way through the animation process for this movie, and was forced to drastically cut corners on this production. Since this movie was done primarily with rotoscoping, the animation technique for people on a budget, this is saying something. Much of this movie is animation only in the very loosest sense of the word. There are some scenes which are very obviously just people standing in front of a screen, with maybe some animation effects superimposed on top of them.Because of budget constraints, the movie -- already a compression of "The Fellowship of the Rings" and part of "The Two Towers" -- was pared down even more. What you get is sort of like a film-strip version of the Cliff Notes of the books.Its not all bad, though, the animation brings a warmth to it, that I found lacking in the Jackson movies. Its nice to imagine what it could have been like with decent funding.This movie is also noteworthy for having the sequel which never came. Several years later, a half-hearted half-hour long TV special was aired, which was meant to wrap things up. All I will say about that is that it was a musical.$LABEL$ 0 +Just finished watching 2FTM. The trailers intrigued me so much I actually went to see it on opening weekend, something I never do. Needless to say I was very disappointed. The story has so much potential and it's frustrating to see it get screwed up. I really feel the problem with the movie was the directing and Matthew McConaughey. First off I am not a MM hater, I thought he was awesome in both Reign of Fire and Lone Star. I enjoyed his performance in those movies without having to see him with his shirt off 3-4 times. Yes we all get it that he a good-looking guy with a nice body, but I think most people knew this 10 years ago when he came on the scene in A Time to Kill. Showing him with his shirt off pumping iron like a sweaty madman 3-4 times in the movie is totally unnecessary. I think one time would have been sufficient. It wouldn't surprise me if they threw those unnecessary scenes in so girlfriends and wives would be willing to tag along with their significant other, no woman wants to see a movie about sports gambling, unless......Enough about that, let's get into his role. I feel his acting was very forced and he didn't seem very comfortable. I know his character was supposed to be this charming southerner, but his lines were corny and cheesy. It was almost like he was referencing Days and Confused lines a few times! In short, I didn't like his character even though I was supposed to. The accent, his shirt off, corny pick up lines, weak sales pitches. His character was just too much of a tool, as Brandon or Jonathan. Pacino and Assante were great, but that' no surprise. Piven is fun to watch as Arie....oooops I mean Jerry. I just feel this movie was very commercial and put together poorly. It's insulting that they could take a great story, and throw in crap ingredients to try and make it a box office success. 1. Cool story that appeals to the male man 2. Hunky Hollywood actor for female women (make sure he has numerous scenes with shirt off lifting weights) 3. Al Pacino with 4 great speech scenes, and 25 great one liners 3. Every character shall be dressed in thousand dollars suites and have an extremely dark tan 4. Jeremy Piven to play the same character he did in Entourage and Old School 4. Throw in Armand Assante to seal the deal 5. Plot, good writing, character development, and intelligent casting are unnecessaryThis will be good enough for most people, but not me! Anybody who disagrees with me, ask your self this. Would this movie be much better if: A. Directed by Sodeberg B. DeCaprio or Ed Norton as Brandon instead of MMI will probably be part of the minority in thinking this movie sucks. I realized this when the woman next to me started crying during the ridiculous ending scene of Pacino shedding a fake tear while embracing Russo. The financial success of this movie will ensure one thing. The movie going public gets what the movie going public wants, big budget crapola.$LABEL$ 0 +I was watching the sci-fi channel when this steaming pile of crap came on. While not as bad as Wynorski's "Curse of the Komodo", this still sucks...BAD. Wynorski uses the same island as in "Curse of the Komodo", as well as the same actors and house. The effects are top notch (suprising) but thats about it........I don't know what else to say about this movie.......oh yeah! As in "Curse of the Komodo", the government gets involved and decides to bomb the island! Also....when i saw this part i laughed hysterically...A KOMANBRA!!! (part man, komodo AND cobra!). Overall this movie is utter crap even on bad movie standards. Just remember if Jim Wynorski had anything to do with a movie....steer clear....to avoid from falling asleep keep repeating "It's almost over..it's almost over...". 0 out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +I only heard about Driving Lessons through the ITV adverts, and to be honest, I didn't know how much I would like it. I switched on the TV last night and was totally surprised. Driving Lessons is a modest, simple film which draws you in right from the start. Rupert Grint plays the part of socially awkward teenager Ben brilliantly. He's definitely one to look out for in the future. Dame Eve Walton is played by the fabulous Julie Walters. I loved the simple plot and the way the actors portrayed their characters with great sensitivity. The highlight of the film, for me was Evie's rather colourful poem. It shows how friendships can form between the most unlikely pairs. In my opinion, watching Driving Lessons is a great way to spend 2 hours. The scenery was also striking, especially the countryside. Anyone who can call this sparkling comedy forgettable, I strongly disagree with$LABEL$ 1 +For Greta Garbo's first talking picture, MGM wisely chose Eugene O'Neill's Pultizer Prize winning 1921 play ANNA Christie. Also wisely, the producers backed Garbo up with not one but two members of the Original Broadway Cast (George Marion as Anna's father, Chris, and James T. Mack as Johnny the Priest - transmuted to "Johnny the Harp" for films so as not to offend). This little change is interesting. Like too many films accused (by those who want MOVIES to be MOVIES and ignore their origins) of being "little more than filmed stage plays," the problem is not the play but the movie makers who wouldn't be more faithful to the property. By diluting a great cinematic stage work so it wouldn't offend anyone, or opening it up because they COULD, too many lose the very qualities which made the piece worth filming in the first place. Fortunately, the respect the studio had for both O'Neill and Garbo allowed ANNA Christie to survive the normally destructive process admirably in Frances Marion's generally sensitive screen adaptation. Wonder of wonders, Marion even allows the POINT of the scene where Garbo's Anna reveals her past on "the farm" to the man she badly wants to marry and the father who sent her there in tact! What the League of Decency must have thought of that! The source play's greatest problem has always been that Chris's friend Marthy tends to walk away with the first act and then disappears from the last two so that Anna can take stage - the two sides of the genuinely good woman men don't always recognize. The perfectly cast Marie Dressler (who had cut her teeth on the Broadway stage as well before going to Hollywood) is the perfect balance for Garbo's Anna in this area as well and the fast moving film at only 90 minutes, doesn't allow us too much time to miss her - one of the few benefits from atmosphere being shown rather than eloquently described in the original - AND screenwriter Marion is wise enough to stray from O'Neill to bring Dressler back for a touching scene two thirds of the way through the film that will remind many of Julie Laverne's second act appearance in SHOW BOAT. Anna and Marthy's early scene together on screen (16 minutes into the film) taking each other's measure and setting up all the tension of the rest of the story is among the most affecting scenes in the entire piece. Not to be missed. ANNA Christie is great tragic play and a good film drama. It's hard to imagine that a latter day remake, which would almost certainly lose the grit and atmosphere of this 1930 remake (it was first filmed without sound in 1923 - also with George Marion's original Broadway Chris) could improve on this excellent filming. The internal scenes hew closest to the play, but the exteriors shouldn't be missed by anyone with an eye to atmosphere. While the background screen work is not to modern technical standards, the backgrounds give a better glimpse than most films of the era of the actual world in which the screen play is set (especially in the New York harbor).Nearly all Garbo's naturalistic performances of the sound era have held up superbly (only the too often parodied death scene from CAMILLE, 7 years later, will occasionally draw snickers because of the heavy handed direction and the parodies), but this ANNA Christie, together with the variety of her 1932 films, MATA HARI and GRAND HOTEL, and the sublime Lubitsch touch on her 1939 comedy, NINOTCHKA ("Garbo laughs!"), surely stand as her best.O'Neill fans who are taken with this play at the edge of his lauded "sea plays," should track down the fine World War II shaped film released in the year before the U.S. entered the conflict, THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (1940). It is almost as skillfully drawn from those sea plays as this one is from ANNA Christie, and features a youngish John Wayne in one of his rare non-Westerns supporting a fine cast of veteran actors showing him the way.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me set the scene. It is the school holidays and there is absolutely nothing at the movies. I am with my friend deciding what to see. We look for a movie that is starting soon and "The Grinch" comes up. We buy tickets not knowing what to expect. What we got was a roller coaster of fun.Jim Carrey (who may I add is my No.1 actor in the whole world) was absolutely magnificent as the Grinch in this Ron Howard's best movie (next to Apollo 13). The way that this movie was made, the scenery, the actors, the props and the music was just amazing. It really brought this childhood movie to life.The story is based upon the story of the grinch. As we all know the Grinch is a horrible person who just can't stand christmas. He lives high above whoville and has never mingled well with the townfolk. But one little girl is going to change The Grinch's look on life and on others in a drastic way.Cindy Lou Who (played by adorable new actress Taylor Momsem) meets the Grinch as finds the kind part of him straight away. She attempts to break the barrier and to help the Grinch move in and mingle with the towns people.All up this movie is a barrel of laughs for the whole family both kids and parents. A SOLID 10/10. Well done Jim.$LABEL$ 1 +As a long-time fan of all the Star Trek series,I found this a disappointing episode, and I wonder if the liberal use of "flashbacks" featuring Will Riker's exploits, both positive (and largely romantic) and negative (lots of pain, and a crewmate's death)was a money-saving device, as were many of their "bottle shows" (episodes in which all scenes take place on the Enterprise). Diana Muldaur(who also appeared at least twice on the original series) deserved a better final appearance than this for her character, Dr. Kate Pulaski. Loyal viewers (in the Star Trek world, is there any other kind?) also were shortchanged. This was the last episode of second season; thus, the season ended "not with a bang" but with "a whimper."$LABEL$ 0 +This TV-series was one of the ones I loved when I was a kid. Even though I see it now through the pink-shaded glasses of nostalgia, I can still tell it was a quality show, very educational but still funny. I have not seen the original French version, only the Swedish. I have no idea how good the dubbing was, it was too long ago to remember.The premise of the show was to show you how the body works. I swear, school still hasn't taught me half of what I know from this show. It also tied in other things, like what happens if you eat unhealthy food and don't exercise, with nice examples within the body. Who wants to have another bar of chocolate when you know miniature virus tanks can invade you? :D The cartoon looked nice, very kids friendly of course, but done with care. Cells, viruses, electric signals in the brain, antibodies and everything else are represented by smiling cartoon figures, looking pretty much how you'd expect what they should look like in the animated body.This, and the series about history(especially the environmentally scary finale) were key parts of my childhood. I'm so happy I found them here.$LABEL$ 1 +Fans of the HBO series "Tales From the Crypt" are going to love this MOH episode. Those who know the basic archetypal stories that most of the classic EC comics were based on, will recognize this one right off the bat.Underrated indie favorite Martin Donovan (also an excellent writer - co-author of the screenplays for APARTMENT ZERO and DEATH BECOMES HER) is the kind of guy whose everyman good looks can go either way. He could play a really nice if misunderstood guy-next-door, or he can play the same role with a creepy undertone of corrosive sleaziness. In the case of RIGHT TO DIE, he takes the latter approach, and it definitely works.Donovan is a doctor who has recently had an affair with his slutty office receptionist (Robin Sydney), much to the displeasure of his inconsolable, unforgiving spouse, Abbey (Julia Anderson). When the two of them get involved in a terrible car accident while returning from an unsuccessful weekend of "making up," and she's horribly burned in a fire, he's reluctant to pull the plug on her, not without some enthusiastic nudging from his even sleazier lawyer and best buddy (Corbin Bernsen, looking the worse for wear these days.) But Abbey's never been one to give up without a fight, and that's where the EC-theme of the episode comes in. Cuckolded husbands - and wives - have always been the genre's favorite subject matter for some spooky (and OOKY) supernatural shenanigans, and this case is definitely no exception. If anything, the ramped-up quotient of sex and gore must have Bill Gaines cackling with glee in his mausoleum somewhere.And that's not to mention that John Esposito's original script does give the adultery angle just a slight twist. You don't realize as you're watching that you only know half the story, until close to the end...(think WHAT LIES BENEATH with more guts and gazongas, and you're there.)Not a bad effort, but not the best of the lot, either. At least Rob Schmidt does display touches of flair here and there with the direction, especially in a scene that makes cell phone picture messaging into a truly horrifying experience indeed! As with most MOH episodes, this one is following a prevalent theme this season of flaying and dismemberment, so the extremely squeamish need not apply.$LABEL$ 1 +Dirty War is absolutely one of the best political, government, and well written T.V. Drama's in the 25 years.The acting is superb, the writing is spectacular.Diry War reveals the true side of why we are not ready to respond to a Nuclear, Biological, and Radiological Terrorist Attack here on American soil.Dirty War should be made into a major motion picture - It's that good! I highly recommend this great drama to everyone who desire to know the truth.This T.V. drama reveals how British Intelligence (MI5 & MI6) attempt to expose a terrorist plot and conspiracy to destroy innocent victims -because of England's involvement in the Iraq War.The scenes of different parts of London, England are also spectacular.Dirty War is a must see!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Some may go for a film like this but I most assuredly did not. A college professor, David Norwell, suddenly gets a yen for adoption. He pretty much takes the first child offered, a bad choice named Adam. As it turns out Adam doesn't have both oars in the water which, almost immediately, causes untold stress and turmoil for Dr. Norwell. This sob story drolly played out with one problem after another, all centered around Adam's inabilities and seizures. Why Norwell wanted to complicate his life with an unknown factor like an adoptive child was never explained. Along the way the good doctor managed to attract a wifey to share in all the hell the little one was dishing out. Personally, I think both of them were one beer short of a sixpack. Bypass this yawner.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the Who at their most powerful. Although before the masterwork Who's Next, which would provide anthems like Baba O'reily and Wont Get Fooled Again. This film shows the group in transition from mod rockers to one of the biggest live bands of the 70's.Daltrey shows what being a front-man is all about, Entwistle steady as ever. Moon is great, check out the ongoing conversation with the drum tech, and see him playing "side saddle" whilst having a bass drum head replaced!Townsend even looks like he's enjoying himself occasionally!Considering they took to the stage at 2am no one in the crowd was asleep! There are not many bands these days could produce a set as tight as this and it is difficult to imagine any of the bands of today producing a concert that in 36 years time will be be enjoyed as much as this one.$LABEL$ 1 +This filmmaker wanted to make a movie without having a story to tell -- and did so. Really awful jumble of unlikely/unexplained coincidences and unidentifiable plot line, all without character or clear motivation.We get cliché snapshots instead of characters. One in particular is the diminutive and beautiful crime boss, who projects an overdone "tough guy" persona and casts a cartoonish shadow of intimidation over the actual tough guys who have been brought in to work for her. Nothing much startling to look at in the film except for one shot when the boys hit the road and one of them carries a tiny suitcase (as in, the smallest from a complete American Tourister set) in a bright, sky blue, without explanation or apology. Otherwise it's standard visually -- one other exception is a compelling shot of a beautiful bridge in CT.$LABEL$ 0 +They filmed this movie out on long Island, where I grew up. My brother and his girlfriend were extras in this movie. Apparently there is some party scene where they are all drinking beer, (which they told me was colored water, tasted disgusting, and was very hard to keep swallowing over and over again, especially in the funnel scenes). Yet none of us ever heard of the movie being released anywhere in any form. It never came out in the theaters (obviously) and it, as far as I knew, was never released on video, and I'm sure wasn't released on DVD. Yet it looks like it was seen by some people, albeit it probably very few. So there must be something. I would absolutely love to purchase this for my brother, yet there is no way I can find it anywhere. Does anybody know anything about when/where/how this movie could be purchased? And which format that would be?$LABEL$ 1 +That's how Burt Reynolds describes this film, which happens to be his best ever. He plays Tom Sharky, a vice detective who's on the trail of an international mobster (Vittorio Gassman) and the man he's financing to be the next governor of Georgia (Earl Holliman). In the novel by William Diehl, the story is more complex because the guy's running for president. This is a very long movie that feels more like three hours instead of two. The filming in downtown Atlanta and the Peachtree Plaza hotel sets the mood just right for the story. Reynolds doesn't do much laughing in this one compared to his comedy films. He's very serious here, especially in the beginning of the movie because he gets demoted for a dope bust that goes wrong. At times though, the movie plays more like a voyeuristic drama than a crime film with Burt trying to get close to the mobster's woman. Only towards the end of the film does the violence get cranked up that leads to the bang bang climax. Just like the great jazz score in DIRTY HARRY by Lalo Schifrin, Sharky's Machine features an excellent urban jazz soundtrack with many guest stars including Chet Baker, Julie London, Flora Purim & Buddy De Franco, The Manhattan Transfer, Doc Severinson, Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams. Al Capps handles the score with magic. This movie has become one of the best crime dramas ever. Check it out.Score, 8 out of 10 Stars$LABEL$ 1 +Human Traffic is a view into an average weekend for a group of friends, it is a fly-on-the-wall view into their lives (and minds) which will show you how this group of friends relate to each other. There are many moments in that every one can relate to, Like being out of you skull at parties and talking complete rubbish to strangers. The characters are all people that you can relate to and they are believable in the roles that they play in the movie. The situations that they are in are all situations that we all have found ourselves in, and that is where this film succeeds. The topics of sex and drugs are handled superbly as to no get in the way of the characters relationships with each other. The story to the film is not all that, but that is not a criticism. This is a film about people. This is a well written film, with a sound track to die for. D.J's Pete Tong has put together an superb selection of tracks for this file which all goes to make this one of the best films that I have seen in 1999. After watching this film I felt like I had been out partying all weekend. Fantastic Movie! Jo Brand as the voice of reality - Need I say more!$LABEL$ 1 +This early Biograph short was so much fun to watch. The second on disc one of D.W. Griffith's "Years of Discovery" DVD set (highly recommended) it features three excellent performances by the main leads, and interesting to see Henry B. Walthall (The Little Colonel, Birth of a Nation) as a campy musician giving a Countess the eye (and other things).The Countess' husband goes berserk at his wife's betrayal and has her walled into a little room with her paramour. It's kind of incredible that they wouldn't hear the wall going up, but hey, maybe the wine had something to do with it. Here Mr. Johnson (father of silent player Raymond Hackett) gesticulates wildly and this adds to the melodrama, but in an unexpectedly comical way. The best moment comes at the end. As the lady passes out from shock and fear, once she realizes she's doomed, Henry picks up his instrument and "fans" it over her. The way he did it was so unexpected and in a strange way kind of sexy, and I just lost it, and laughed my head off. The expression on his face! From that moment I was charmed by Henry B. Walthall.$LABEL$ 1 +Baba - Rajinikanth will never forget this name in his life. This is the movie which caused his downfall. It was released with much hype but crashed badly and laid to severe financial losses for its producers and distributors. Rajinikanth had to personally repay them for the losses incurred. Soon after its release, he tried venturing into politics but failed miserably. Its a very bad movie with horrible acting, bad-quality makeup and pathetic screenplay. Throughout the movie, Rajinikanth looks like a person suffering from some disease. I'm one of the unfortunate souls who saw Baba, first day first show in theatre. The audiences were so bored that most of them left the theatre before the intermission. Sorry, I'll not recommend this one to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +Written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma, SCARFACE paints a picture not easily forgotten. Al Pacino turns in a stunning performance as Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee than becomes a powerful player in the drug world as he ruthlessly runs his self made kingdom of crime in Florida. This gangster flick is harsh, violent, loud, gross, unpleasant and must hold the record for uttering the word "f--k" the most number of times. Almost three hours long, and yes it can get repulsive. A stout hearted constitution keeps you in your seat cheering for the demise of a ruthless crime lord.Also playing interesting characters are Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Robert Loggia, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, F. Murray Abraham and Angel Salazar. Pacino proves to be one of the greatest of his generation. He manages to bring reality to his character that leaves a strong impression. This will not be a movie for everyone for you leave thinking you walked away from a disaster. Is that powerful enough for you? Crime does not pay for long!$LABEL$ 1 +First, the CGI in this movie was horrible. I watched it during a marathon of bad movies on the SciFi channel. At the end when the owner of the park gets killed, it's probably one of the worst examples of CGI I have even seen. Even Night of the Living Dead had better animation.That said, the movie had almost no plot. Why were they on that island in particular? Well, it wasn't stated in the movie. And, why would the people keep coming into the cat's area? Makes no sense.One thing that stood out in this movie was moderately good acting. In what could be called a "B made for TV movie" movie, the acting was very good. Parry Shen stood out in particular.If you have absolutely nothing to do on a Saturday, watch this movie. It may be good for some memorable quotes.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed it. There you go, I said it again. I even bought this movie on DVD and enjoyed it a couple of more times. Call me old fashioned but I prefer movies like this to garbage like Die Hard 4 which hold up the box office and get critical acclaim just because you have some old guy saving America. Van Damme moves well for a guy of his age(47 I think), delivering kicks that reminds one of Kickboxer. If you like old school action and and explosions, this is the movie to watch. This is one of Van Damme's best works.Van Damme and Steven Seagal movies get released theatrically where I live so I never miss a chance to watch our old school action stars on the big screen.$LABEL$ 1 +What a waste of talent. A very poor, semi-coherent, script cripples this film. Rather unimaginative direction, too. Some VERY faint echoes of _Fargo_ here, but it just doesn't come off.$LABEL$ 0 +Although it strays away from the book a little, you can't help but love the atmospheric music and settings.The scenes in Bath are just how they should be. Although if you have watched it as many times as I have you notice that the background people are the same in each scene, but that aside, I like the scene where they are in the Hot Baths, but did the men and women really bathe together like that? You could see all the men perched around the outside leering at the women. It also seemed strange that they all had their hats on, but perhaps this was the style at the time. The ballroom scenes were very nice, the dancing and the outfits looked beautiful. I especially liked Catherine's dress in the first ballroom scene.Northanger Abbey looked suitably imposing, but I enjoyed the Bath scenes better.Schlesinger gives a good but not exceptional performance as Catherine Morland. Googie Withers gives the best performance as Mrs Allen I feel.Ugh Peter Firth as Mr Tilney, he just talks a load of rubbish, and is not a clergyman as he should be, it's hard to think of him being in love with Catherine, but then the book never really gave that impression either.General Tilney is played reasonably well by Hardy, and Stuart also gives a sort of good performance as Isabella. Ingrid Lacey did not give a good performance as Elinor Tilney. As for John Thorpe, well he gives the impression of a seedy and lustful man, perhaps not the character portrayed in the book, but I quite like it.I can handle scenes being cut from a book adaptation, but when new scenes and characters are added it usually annoys me. The marchioness! I hate her. She is not part of the Northanger story and neither is her cartwheeling page boy.some of the script is peculiar. When Catherine is asking Elinor Tilney about her Mothers death she asks "I suppose you saw the body? How did it appear?" What a silly thing to say! Elinor's calm response is stupid too.anyway please tell me if you agree or disagree with me$LABEL$ 1 +Mario Lewis of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has written a definitive 120-page point-by-point, line-by-line refutation of this mendacious film, which should be titled A CONVENIENT LIE. The website address where his debunking report, which is titled "A SKEPTIC'S GUIDE TO AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH" can be found at is :www.cei.org. A shorter 10-page version can be found at: www.cei.org/pdf/5539.pdf Once you read those demolitions, you'll realize that alleged "global warming" is no more real or dangerous than the Y2K scare of 1999, which Gore also endorsed, as he did the pseudo-scientific film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, which was based on a book written by alleged UFO abductee Whitley Strieber. As James "The Amazing" Randi does to psychics, and Philip Klass does to UFOs, and Gerald Posner does to JFK conspir-idiocy theories, so does Mario Lewis does to Al Gore's movie and the whole "global warming" scam.$LABEL$ 0 +A lovely little film about the introduction of motion pictures to China. Captures the amazement of film's first audiences pretty much as it's described to have been worldwide, and uses actual Lumiere films for most of the actualities. I don't agree with other people about bad acting on the British fellow's part - I thought he was fine, but the Chinese lead really stole the show. In any case, I found myself with a smile on my face through most of the movie. People who fear subtitles might note that a lot of the film is in English (which for some reason is given subtitles as well as the Chinese on the DVD).$LABEL$ 1 +Sigh. I'm baffled when I see a short like this get attention and assignments and whatnot. I saw this film at a festival before the filmmaker got any attention and forgot about it immediately afterwards. It was mildly annoying to see it swiping the Grinch Who Stole Christmas heart gag along with the narration, the set design seen many times before, the whole weak Tim Burton-ish style, and the story that goes nowhere. And we got the "joke" about shooting the crows with the 45 the first time, alright?But I guess what's really unacceptable is that it even swipes its basic concept from a comic book circa 1999 called LENORE, THE CUTE LITTLE DEAD GIRL by Roman Dirge! As any quick internet search will reveal. I mean, what is this? This is what they base a Hollywood contract on and opens doors in Canada for a filmmaker? "Give your head a shake" as Don Cherry might say.$LABEL$ 0 +Cute idea... salesgirl Linda Smith (Yolande Donlan) inherits a teeny tiny little county of Lampidorra. That country, which wasn't even in North America, was made the 49th state... (of course, there were only 48 states at the time, since this was made in 1952...) Linda travels to the country she has inherited, and we follow her along as she tries to figure out what to do with this strange country and its even quirkier people. At one point, she sings a song that she claims is from her people the Navajo, and it gets ever-more sillier from there.... although Yolande Donlan's heavy lipstick and omni-present smile never get ruffled or shmeared. There are other songs scattered through-out as the citizens sing to welcome their new princess. Filmed in a glorious British version of technicolor, or some such equivalent, about the only big name here is Dirk Bogarde as British subject Tony Craig, cheese vendor. Bogarde made a big splash in the UK film industry after serving in the war, and was even knighted by QE II. Craig and "the new princess" keep bumping into each other, and their adventures become more intertwined as Lampidorra's financial problems worsen... Fun little farce....along the lines of Marx Brothers film. Also note that Donlan later married Val Guest, the writer and director of our little project, and stayed married for 50 years! Guest was better known for writing and directing his sci-fi flicks, in both the UK & the US.$LABEL$ 1 +Back in 1982 a little film called MAKING LOVE shocked audiences with its frank and open depiction of a romantic love story that just happened to be about two men.I have been waiting for years for a good, old-fashioned romance between two men; LATTER DAYS is all that and more.Yes, it is soapy, melodramatic, cliché-ridden, and quite corny. That is what makes it so wonderful. There is nothing like a good romantic movie, and this movie is romantic in the best sense of the word.As to the issue of religion, sorry folks, but these things do happen and are happening to gay people even now. It is not just the Mormon church that rejects its gay members. Gay people in every religion have faced harsh judgment and rejection.I loved this movie. It has a perfect blend of a fantasy-romance grounded in the reality of the day-to-day lives of the characters. If I could give it more than ten stars I would. Good love stories never go out of style; great love stories like LATTER DAYS are unforgettable.It's about time!$LABEL$ 1 +The concept of having Laurel & Hardy this time in the role of chimney sweepers works out surprisingly hilarious. It guarantees some funny situations and silly antics, from especially Stan Laurel of course as usual.The movie also has a subplot with a nutty professor who is working on a rejuvenation formula. It doesn't really sound like a logical mix of story lines and incoherent but both plot lines blend in perfectly toward the memorable ending. It's still a bit weird but its funny nevertheless, so it works for the movie.The supporting cast of the movie is surprising good. Sam Adams is great as the stereotypical butler and Lucien Littlefield goes deliciously over-the-top as the nutty professor.The movie is filled with some excellent timed and hilarious constructed sequences, which are all quite predictable but become hilarious to watch nevertheless thanks to the way they are all executed. It all helps to make "Dirty Work" to be one of the better Laurel & Hardy shorts.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie came as a huge disappointment. The anime series ended with a relatively stupid plot twist and the rushed introduction of a pretty lame villain, but I expected Shamballa to tie up all the loose ends. Unfortunately, it didn't. It added more plot holes than it resolved, and confused more than it clarified. The animation and voice acting were great, but with an idiotic plot, dull setting (most of the movie doesn't even take place in dull WWII Earth rather than the Alchemy world), and disappointing ending (Ed is useless for the rest of his days in a world with no alchemy, and he ditches Winry?), it was altogether pretty lackluster. Do yourself a favor-- disregard the last half of the anime as well as this movie, and read the manga.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe I loved this movie so much in part because I've been feeling down in the dumps and it's such a lovely little fairytale. Whatever the reason, I thought it was pitch perfect. Great, intelligent story, beautiful effects, excellent acting (especially De Niro, who is awesome). This movie made me happier than I've been for a while.It is a very funny and clever movie. The running joke of the kingdom's history of prince savagery and the aftermath, the way indulging in magic effects the witch and dozens of smart little touches all kept me enthralled. That's much of what makes it so good; it's an elaborate, special-effects-laden movie with more story than most fairytale movies, yet there is an incredible attention to small things.I feel like just going ahead and watching it all over again.$LABEL$ 1 +I was surprised that " Forgiving the Franklins " did not generate more buzz at this years Sundance Film Festival. There were times that the laughter at the screening I saw was so loud that you could barely hear the movie. The movie has some excellent acting and a story that really makes one examine broader issues . You know little issues like Religion, sex and the truth. Lots of comedy's seem to rely on the same old corny contrived situations, many leave you thinking " I know they ripped this off from some sitcom " .This film takes off on its own unique direction . I really think that Jay Floyd did a fantastic job with a tight budget on this film.$LABEL$ 1 +They must issue this plot outline to all wannabe filmmakers arriving at the Hollywood bus station. They then fill in the blanks and set their story in whatever hick town or urban ghetto from which they just arrived. You know exactly what this movie is about from the opening shot, four young boys playing in grainy slow motion, accompanied by voice over narration. Next stop after the bus station must be to buy stock footage of four young boys playing in grainy slow motion. Once they're grown, it's easy to spot the writer/director among the four. He's the quiet, contemplative, long-haired one who is never seen without his composition book tucked in his pants. This means that his superb writing talent will be his ticket from Hickville to Hollywood. Only there's no writing, or directing talent on display here. And if you still can't figure out which one he is, here's a hint: The auteur and his character have the same middle name. It took over an hour to figure out that these twenty-something men were supposed to still be in high school. What looked like a prison was apparently a high school, the warden turned out to be the principal. Once more, the poor, misunderstood rebel can pound everyone in the movie into the pavement, murder and pillage, but is powerless to stand up to his alcoholic father. How about hitting back, kid, like you do everyone else? Numerous fist fight scenes for no apparent purpose. Howlingly bad dialogue. Many scenes badly out of focus. Cartoon characters keep popping up as bit players and extras, drawing unintentional laughs from the premiere audience. Overacting in the extreme. And if you don't quite get the self-important speeches, or the slow-motion scenes, just listen to the overbearing music. It will clue you in and what you're supposed to feel. Poor Marisa Ryan must be racking up lots of frequent flier mileage as she travels around the country working in these amateur regional films. The biggest sin is that the audience is supposed to feel sympathy for kids who gun down old ladies, run over puppies chained to a tree, rob and steal, all the while complaining about their sad, sorry lives. But if only we could get out of this hick town and go to college. Yeah, that's the ticket. Why is it that every twenty-something filmmaker believes that his life so far is so important, so interesting, that the world can't wait to see it onscreen? If this movie is as autobiographical as it seems, then the auteur better be looking over his shoulder for policemen bearing fugitive warrants.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie so that you don't have to! I have great respect for Kris Kristofferson, but what was he thinking? He did this for scale? At least the film's title practices truth in advertising, since people and objects routinely disappear throughout the film, adding to the confusion. Kristofferson mentions this in his commentary that even he wasn't sure if Genevieve Bujold's character really existed. This does not bode well for the viewer being able to follow the story!The "making of" feature was far more interesting than the movie itself. It explores the difficulty cobbling together funding for an indie, even as the film is being shot.To it's credit, this movie is visually pleasing and doesn't in any way look like a movie made with just slightly over 1M. Too bad the money wasn't spent on a better project.$LABEL$ 0 +Just saw this movie on opening night. I read some other user comments which convinced me to go see it... I must say, I was not impressed. I'm so unimpressed that I feel the need to write this comment to spare some of you people some money.First of all "The Messengers" is very predictable, and just not much of a thriller. It might be scary for someone under 13, but it really did nothing for me. The climax was laughable and most of the audience left before the movie's resolution.Furthermore the acting seemed a little superficial. Some of the emotional arguments between the family were less convincing than the sub-par suspense scenes.If you've seen previews for this movie, then you've seen most of the best parts and have a strong understanding of the plot. This movie is not worth seeing in the theaters.$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see this movie (actually I went to see Family Portraits, which contains Cutting Moments + 2 other short films by Douglas Buck) at the Mar del Plata festival (Argentina)... I just couldn't watch it! I had to cover my eyes after the 1st half of Cutting Moments and take a peek every once in a while. By the time it was over, my stomach was upside down and I felt light headed. I just HAD to leave the cinema a few minutes after the 2nd short begun (BTW, of course I was not the only one who left the room). It was WAAAAY too violent and disgusting for me! I am impressed by the many brave people who actually loved it. I just don't get how you can love that kind of movies! The shocking and bloody and horrible images I saw got really stuck in my head for like two days!! I also try to analyze the story (my boyfriend did see the whole thing and told me about it) and I just don't think it makes any sense. I mean, that amount of violence and stuff, makes no other sense than to try to shock people. And that's not a good enough reason, I think. There's absolutely nothing in this movie that I can say "Well, at least 'x' thing about it was good". But well, I guess I will never understand that kind of films.$LABEL$ 0 +A well-made run-of-the-mill movie with a tragic ending. Pluses: The way the story moves - begins with Soorya struggling to live followed by a long flashback about why he's there. The Music. A disinterested look at the life of policemen. Minuses: The violence and the gore, but I guess they add to the realistic effects. Still, having people's heads chopped off and sent in boxes and sacks could have been avoided.No complaints - 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I don't understand the positive comments made about this film. It is cheap and nasty on all levels and I cannot understand how it ever got made.Cartoon characters abound - Sue's foul-mouthed, alcoholic, layabout, Irish father being a prime example. None of the characters are remotely sympathetic - except, briefly, for Sue's Asian boyfriend but even he then turns out to be capable of domestic violence! As desperately unattractive as they both are, I've no idea why either Rita and/or Sue would throw themselves at a consummate creep like Bob - but given that they do, why should I be expected to care what happens to them? So many reviews keep carping on about how "realistic" it is. If that is true, it is a sad reflection on society but no reason to put it on film.I didn't like the film at all.$LABEL$ 0 +Steven what have you done you have hit an all new low. It is weird since Steven's last film shadow man was directed by the same director who did this trash. Shadow man was good this was diabolically bad so bad it wasn't even funny Steven is hardly in the movie and feels like he is in a cameo appearance and when he is in the film he is dubbed half the time anyway. As for the action well let's just say the wizard of oz had more action than this trash there is hardly any action in the film and when it does finally arrive it is boring depressing badly shot so called action scenes. Seagal hardly kills anyone unlike his over films where he goes one man army ie under siege 1 and 2 and exit wounds. the plot is so confusing with so many plot holes that it doesn't make scenes sometimes. flight of fury better be good what a shame i wasted 5 pounds on this garbage 0 out of ten better luck next time$LABEL$ 0 +A call-girl witnesses a murder and becomes the killer's next target. Director Brian De Palma is really on a pretentious roll here: his camera swoops around corners in a museum (after lingering a long time over a painting of an ape), divvies up into split screen for arty purposes, practically gives away his plot with a sequence (again in split screen) where two characters are both watching a TV program about transsexuals, and stages his (first) finale during a thunderous rainstorm. "Dressed To Kill" is exhausting, primarily because it asks us to swallow so much and gives back nothing substantial. Much of the acting (with the exception of young Keith Gordon) is mediocre and the (second) finale is a rip-off of De Palma's own "Carrie"--not to mention "Psycho". The explanation of the dirty deeds plays like a spoof of Hitchcock, not an homage. Stylish in a steely cold way, the end results are distinctly half-baked. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +*Flat SPOILERS* Five med students, Nelson (Kiefer Sutherland), David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon), Rachel Mannus (Julia Roberts), Joe Hurley (William Baldwin) & Randy Steckle (Oliver Platt) decide to attempt an experiment; dying for exactly 5 minutes (it is the maximum amount of time somebody can do this before being risk of brain damage).Almost everyone does this experiment, Randy being the lone exception, but they begin to have unwelcome visitors; David sees a little black girl shouting crude insults to him, Joe sees all the women he has had sex with (and which he videotaped) asking him why from the TV Screen, Rachel relives her father's suicide and Nelson faces a little boy with murderous intentions.Why are they here? And how will they get rid of them? This tense and interesting movie, set in an hallucinated city and into a Gothic Med School, is quite the experience, both for the story and the characters, played by then-budding stars such as Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon and William Baldwin.The director is Joel Schumacher, who had already worked with Sutherland in 'Lost Boys', and this second cooperation is even better than the first.A must for psychological-thriller-horror buds and metaphor lovers (this story is about forgiveness and righting of past wrongs), this is one of the minor classics from the '80s that get respect even today, like the mention by Rebecca Gayheart in 'Scream 2' or the Tru Calling episode which used the movie's premise.Flatliners: 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +One of my favorite shows back in the '70s. As I recall it went to air on Friday (or possibly Saturday)night on the Nine Network (?) here in Australia. Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland were great together.Each episode usually reached a climax with Kolchack having to engage in hand to hand combat with some sort of supernatural opponent. To their credit, the writers made a concerted effort to get away from the usual round of vampires and ghosts as much as possible.I remember one episode in which the adversary was the spirit of an ancient Indian Chief which/who 'came back' as a massive electrical current which started to kill people in a city hospital. The final showdown saw Kolchack trying to short circuit the 'power beast' amidst an explosion of sparks and billowing flames. Oh well .... you had to be there at the time but it was an interesting idea.McGavin always packed a lot of energy and enthusiasm into his roles and this was one of his best.Definitely deserves a place in TV's "Hall of Fame". To quote Tony Vincenzo .... 'Kolchack you are ON IT '... Or, in the case of the Hall of Fame,'IN it' !$LABEL$ 1 +I think my summary says it all. This MTV-ish answer to the classic Candid Camera TV show features a Gen X (or is that Gen Y) type putting in false choppers and wearing various hats and wigs and glasses, and setting people up in fairly outlandish although often not very interesting situations. Example: Kennedy has a guy invite his parents to his "wedding." Kennedy is the bride, done up in a full bridal gown and long wig. The "joke" is that the parents immediately understand their son is marrying a man who claims to no longer have his "bits and pieces." Problem is, this schtick goes on way too long, obviously to fill out time. And Kennedy is about as funny as a dead cod lying in the sun. Candid Camera would have run three or four scenarios in the time it took Kennedy to get through this one, running around, constantly asking "Do I look fat?" I recognize the show was not made for me. It was made for 12-year-old pinheads who think JACKASS is the height of comedy today. So let them laugh. Thank God the show was short-lived.$LABEL$ 0 +Frownland is like one of those intensely embarrassing situations where you end up laughing out loud at exactly the wrong time; and just at the moment you realize you shouldn't be laughing, you've already reached the pinnacle of voice resoundness; and as you look around you at the ghostly white faces with their gaping wide-open mouths and glazen eyes, you feel a piercing ache beginning in the pit of your stomach and suddenly rushing up your throat and... well, you get the point.But for all its unpleasantness and punches in the face, Frownland, really is a remarkable piece of work that, after viewing the inarticulate mess of a main character and all his pathetic troubles and mishaps, makes you want to scratch your own eyes out and at the same time, you feel sickenly sorry for him.It would have been a lot easier for me to simply walk out of Ronald Bronstein's film, but for some insane reason, I felt an unwavering determination to stay the course and experience all the grainy irritation the film has to offer. If someone sets you on fire, you typically want to put it out: Stop! Drop! And Roll! But with this film, you want to watch the flame slowly engulf your entire body. You endure the pain--perhaps out of spite, or some unknown masochistic curiosity I can't even begin to attempt to explain.Unfortunately, mainstream cinema will never let this film come to a theater near you. But if you get a chance to catch it, prepare yourself: bring a doggie bag.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie while surfing through infomercials and late-night 80's sitcoms on tv one night at 2 in the morning. I must say, I didn't expect much, and I didn't get much. Although Rose McGowan is hot, her performance and the performance of the rest of the cast was not Oscar-worthy, to say the least. This movie has its ups and downs, and does have a nice couple of twists at the end, but in all honesty it was awful. Not even a typical slasher movie. No gore, no sex, no nudity, no real violence. Just bad acting. I'd give it a 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this film when I was about 8 years old on TV in the UK (where it was called "Laupta: The Flying Island"). I absolutely loved it, and was heartbroken when it was repeated a while later and I missed it. I was enchanted by the story and characters, but most of all by the haunting and beautiful music. It would have been the original English dubbed version which I saw - sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Streamline Dub" (the dub was actually by Ghibli themselves and only distributed by Streamline) which is sadly unavailable except as part of a ridiculously expensive laser disc box-set.Unfortunately I feel that the release has been partly spoiled by Disney. The voice acting is OK but the dialogue doesn't have the same raw energy that the "streamline" dub or the original Japanese had, and I think James Van Der Beek sounds too old to play the lead. They have made some pointless alterations, such as changing the main character's name from "Pazu" to "Patzu", and added some dialogue. But worst of all I feel that they have ruined many scenes with intrusive music - the opening scene of the airships for example was originally silent but has been spoiled thanks to Disney's moronic requirement that there be music playing whenever anyone is not speaking, which I find annoying in many Disney films.This film still blows away most recent animated films, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The plot is simple yet captivating and the film shows a flair which is sadly missing from most modern mass-market, homogenized animation.$LABEL$ 1 +This film can't make up its mind whether its message is "humans are evil and bad and animals are sweet and blameless" or "don't ever go in the water again." A fisherman (Nolan) is out to nab a killer whale, a very bad thing, but when he accidentally (ACCIDENTALLY mark you) hits a pregnant cow instead of her mate, the cow -- and I use the word in all senses -- who is obviously a sick psycho-bitch and the canonical villain of the piece -- throws herself against the propellers trying to chew herself to bits in the most distressing and hideous not to mention ineffectual method of killing herself. (I doubt it was her first.) When her unborn fetus aborts from her hideous self-inflicted wounds, her mate goes mental with revenge and swears to hurt, kill and mutilate every human who even so much as talks to Nolan. Obviously as among humans, total psychos date other total psychos.The film reeks of half-thought out anti-human message, "the poor poor whale!! the evil men must suffer and die!" and yet, it does not succeed in demonizing Nolan at all. It's true that when he set out his motives were selfish and cruel, but at the first squeal of the first whale he grows a heart and, as the film progresses, he grows more and more compassionate to the whale's pain until it seems he will walk out on the ice and give himself to the whale, just to make it feel a little better.The films final journey, in which Nolan follows the whale on a bizarre journey to the north, reminds me of Melville's eerie man-whale connection, and for a moment hinted at a truly interesting conclusion, where these two husbands might connect, understand even respect each other in their own grief, for Nolan lost his wife and unborn child also to an accident. It's clear Nolan respects the whale and feels for its loss. However, it never goes there. The whale-character has no compassion or respect for anyone.The final scene loses this focus and becomes Jaws-like where the sea-monster finally kills everybody and Nolan and no-doubt through an oversight, fails to chomp up the whale-hugger (tho he made a good snap for her head a little earlier.) I love animals, and I detest whaling, and what is more I love orca whales, but if this film's goal was to make me feel that the whale was the victim and that people are evil and detestable it completely failed. Nolan shows compassion and growth, and feels for others, and all the whale thinks about is killing and maiming.The only message one can walk away with is "If you see an orca whale, ever, anywhere, run the other way cause if you step on his FIN the wrong way, he will hunt you to the ends of the earth destroying everything around you."$LABEL$ 0 +Why, o' WHY! ...did I pick this one up? Well... i needed a no-brainer in the summer heat, and the cover looked cool.Of course I should've known better. This is a really, really bad movie. And it gets embarasing when the makers know it's bad, and try cover it up by adding some sexy/beautiful women, and some sex-scenes to it. Well, folks... it does'nt cut it, does it!If you WOULD like a cool movie about a big reptile that is actually very, very good, well-played and funny: go rent Lake Placid! (that is an order)$LABEL$ 0 +Only a very small child could overlook the absurdities in this bomb; the first difficulty faced by the submarine "Seaview" is what appear to be chunks of--rock? falling down through the water and crashing into its hull. But it's not rock, they're under the North Pole--it is ICE! Everybody, except possibly hitherto mentioned small children (and even some of them) know that ICE FLOATS.Then, disaster strikes--that darn VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELT around the Earth catches fire! No one knows how this happened, we are told, which is understandable, because it is utterly impossible for radiation to "catch fire", and even if it could, there is NO AIR IN SPACE for it to burn.There is literally no good reason to overlook science concepts basic to 2nd grade school textbooks when making a film; however, Irwin Allen manages to do it again and again; perhaps we are meant to focus on the "people" instead, which is pretty easy, as they are CARDBOARD.The cast tries very hard not to look embarrassed in this ridiculous sub-kiddie romp, much like later episodes of his "Lost in Space" TV series, the concept of which was swiped outright from writer Ib Melchior and then rushed into production.The sub looks pretty good, though, which is why this one gets a "2".$LABEL$ 0 +Our teacher showed us this movie in first grade. I haven't seen it since. I just watched the trailer though. Does this look like a first grade movie to you? I don't think so. I was so horrified by this movie, I could barely watch it. It was mainly the scene with Shirley McClain cutting that little girl in half, and then there was the boy with ketchup! I was freaked out by this film. Now today, being 20, I probably would not feel that way. I just wanted to share my experience and opinion that maybe small children shouldn't see this movie, even though it's PG. Be aware of the possible outcomes of showing this to kids. I don't even remember what it was about, once was enough!$LABEL$ 0 +A plot that fizzled and reeked of irreconcilable differences in opinions constituted a judgmental havoc with one side pro-life and the other a destroyer of a demon's seed. The horror was left out and replaced with an overall dull effect quite possibly meant to be horrific, but, instead demonstrated an ill dose of beliefs which ridiculed each other to death, despite the title itself. Being a fan of Masters of Horror since the beginning, this ridiculous plot twist with it's sordid depictions crashed apart like a spindly old rocking chair after being sat upon. I view this episode as being thrown together from the get go, never really taking off anywhere other than to see it through for what its worth and relieved when it finally came to "The End"..$LABEL$ 0 +Scott Menville is not Casey Kasem. That is the first, most important, and most disturbing thing about this attempt at re-imagining Scooby-Doo and company.Shaggy's voice is squeaky and does not sound anything like he has ever sounded in any of the previous incarnations of the Scooby shows. They've also changed the outfit and the classic mode of walking from the original.I'm not sure what they're on about yet with the villain angle, but it surely isn't following the formula used in any of the previous Scooby shows.And the animation style is very bizarre and distorted. I like it, but it's not real Scooby-Doo type animation. But the weird animation used for other WB shows grew on me; this might, too.It's worth a glance at -- once -- if you can handle the lack of proper Shaggy voice. That right there is enough to jar one out of enjoying the show properly. Besides, I am trying not to be an inflexible, nitpicking fan. Evolve or die, as the saying goes. We'll see how it looks after two more episodes -- by then I'll have formed a much more solid opinion.$LABEL$ 0 +I often wonder how movies like this even get made, and the most shocking part is that people actually pay to watch them.With Aksar it appears as though the director made up the story as he went along, adding twists and turns when he liked, no matter how ludicrous they were. The script was non existent with inane dialogs such as "Jo Sheena Roy pehenti hai, wahee fashion hota hai" and "Yeh Versace hai Madam" (yeah right).Every one of the characters was shallow and underdeveloped. Acting was awful. Constumes (lycra for Udita and awful suits for a stocky Emran), locales (the numerous houses that were used for interiors did not even vaguely resemble a Victorian mansion), screenplay etc etc, just one word- rubbish.For those people who love Hashmi and his movies, watch it. As for me, I'll never get those two and a half hours back. The only redeeming factor was some of the music which was decent.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is an amazing comedy.. the script is too funny.. if u watch it more than once you will enjoy it more. Though the comedy at times is silly but it really makes u laugh!! Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have given justice to their roles. After 1994 i have not come across any hindi movie which was as funny as this.$LABEL$ 1 +Even this early in his career, Capra was quite accomplished with his camera-work and his timing. This is a thin story -- and quite predictable at times -- but he gets very good performances out of his cast and has some rather intricate camera moves that involve the viewer intimately. The first part looks like a Cinderella story, though anyone with brains can see that the bottom will fall out of that -- the rich 'prince' will lose his fortune.Nonetheless, because of his good cast and fast pace, it's easy to get caught up in the clichés. Then the movie does become more original, as the married couple have to find a way to make a living. The ending is very predictable but satisfying. I also want to compliment the title-writing: very witty and fun.$LABEL$ 1 +Uwe Boll slips back in his film-making skills once again to offer up a scifi horror tale of mercenaries and reporters taking on super soldiers on a remote island. An okay cast headed by the excellent Udo Keir is cast adrift by Boll who makes the worst of script that should have worked. The mad scientist being investigated by a reporter has been done to death but this script is amusing enough that the plot should have worked, additionally the effects and super soldier design with their dead lifeless eyes have some degree of creepiness, however Boll somehow manages to film everything in an off handed way. Its as if he couldn't be bothered to actually figure out what would work and instead rattled off stock camera placements and walked away. Additionally the assembly of scenes has no spark or life, I'm guessing that Boll only shot one or two takes and just used what he had. It really stinks. Clearly Boll is in one of his periodic retrograde films where anything he's ever learned about film gets flushed. The last film he made that was this bad was Seed a serial killer movie that is one of the worst films I've ever seen. This isn't that bad, but it is close simply because it should have been better. Then again Udo Keir is good enough that he does make watching his scenes worth the effort and make this a an almost so bad its good film. I'd take a pass unless it's late at night and you're catching it on cable.$LABEL$ 0 +This video is so hilariously funny, it makes everything elseby Eddie Murphy seem very disappointing (even Beverly Hills Cop and The Nutty Professor, which just goes to show you how good this really is). To be honest, I don't think that I've everlaughed at something as much as this, including Naked Gun and the rarely seen Bargearse. This show is amazing, although it must be said that it is certainly filled with the word beginning with F that is four letters long (plus its extended version beginning with M) but it didn't bother me. See it, the funniest thing I've ever seen and probably the funniest you ever have too.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is dreadful. It has absolutely zero laughs. Hebrew Hammer (Adam Goldberg) sets out to save Hannukah from Evil Santa (Andy Dick). Perhaps a promising enough basis for a plot, in actual fact the film does not progress beyond this premise. While there are some (far and few) nice touches and the plot is relatively coherent, it is laboured, hackneyed and ultimately, mindlessly boring. This despite the fact that Goldberg, Dick and Greer (Hammer's client/love interest) all have quite considerable screen presence. Despite being played for what might be described as whacky over-the-top gags, this film is consistently middle-class middle-of-the-road muck. DO NOT waste 85 minutes of your life on this. (note- the music was good..!)$LABEL$ 0 +It's amazing that such a cliche-ridden yuppie angst film actually got made in the first place. The characters are so weak, and the acting so uninspired, that it's impossible to care about any of them-- especially Brooke Shields. The temptation to fast forward through the slow parts is almost irresistible. If you like this genre, you'd be better off renting "Singles," or "Bodies, Rest & Motion."$LABEL$ 0 +I never watched the 'Next Action Hero' show, and until reading the other comments here, did not know that this movie was the 'prize' from that competition. I was just flipping channels and came across this, and found myself watching, dare eagerly, all the way to the end.Yes, the plot's been done (The Most Dangerous Game, etc.) but I was hoping for, and almost received, the 'gotcha' - how the protagonist was going to beat the hunter in the end. I think the high-tech was overdone (GPS's) and gave me cold-sweat flashbacks of Night Rider, but it nevertheless was not too overdone.The basic problem I had with this movie was the degree of SOD (Suspension of Disbelief) that was required of the viewer. Do we really think that someone flying in a helicopter could lob countless incendiary grenades at a public bridge and NO COPS show up to investigate? Could a limousine do countless donuts in a Las Vegas intersection and NO COPS show up? Pleeease. Way too much of that type of thing - fun to watch, but keep it at least plausible, thank you very much.The final solution was good, but the ending was disappointing, with the after taste of a bad Star Trek episode. At least now I understand why the acting was so cheesy - except for Zane, who doesn't get near as much work as he deserves IMHO - they were winners from a reality show.Knock me out.$LABEL$ 1 +I am a big fan of old horror movies, and since I am middle aged, old to me is a movie made before 1970 with most being made in the 1920's to 1960's period. I am not a big fan of more modern horror movies, with one exception being Creepshow 1, which I thought was great. I could reminisce about the stories there but I really really enjoyed the monster in the box story with Hal Holbrook, and also the one about the really clean guy was a great ending. All the stories were great though. So why did I like them so much? The characters had some decent development, the lines were very plain about who was good and who was bad, the horror bits were heightened with a close up of a face aghast with fear, and the funny bits were really funny! This sequel is either greatly lacking of these elements or they are totally absent! I am writing this only having watched it partially because the movie was a complete waste of time and I turned it off to do other things like write movie reviews on IMDb.com, lol. When George Kennedy and an old Dorothy Lamoure get top billing it's telling you something.....4 of 10. Also, Romero's expertise is hard to find here, they must had told him to tone it down to a PG standard (I don't know what this was rated at but it looks PG to me), and that's not a good thing for a movie with nothing else going on. It's shown on the Encore cable channel if your dieing (yuck yuck) to see it.$LABEL$ 0 +I just wanted to say that. I love Gheorghe Muresan, so I automatically loved this movie. Everything else about it was so-so... Billy Crystal is a good actor, even if he is annoying. But the thing that made this movie was- at least, for a basketball fan- seeing Gheorghe Muresan act.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought that this movie was incredible. I absolutely loved it, even though my brothers didn't that much. The special effects were outstanding, and this movie is about my favorite sport; golf. The only thing that was disappointing about this amazing movie is that it is hard to watch two times or more in a row. This movie just absolutely tops everything else I have ever seen. It was everything I would expect out of a movie. I just loved it. Also, it was pretty kid-friendly. This movie helped me realize that when you put your mind to it, anything is possible. I would give it a pure 10/10! It was better than The Legend of Baggar Vants, and the two Pirates of the Caribbean movies combined. Absolutely amazing. Loved it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a funny film and I like it a lot. Cary Elwes plays Robin Hood to a tee. This is, of course, the usual good vs evil with Robin against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. The humor is sort of in your face stuff for the most part, but still works well. A comedy for a night when you don't want to have to think much, it's well worth a rent!$LABEL$ 1 +Some here have commented that this is the WORST Elvis movie ever made. Well, they are only partly right. For me, this IS THE WORST MOVIE EVER MADE PERIOD! I have never seen anything so basely crude, and insulting, and vile, and against human nature as this film. A true embarrassment to the Motion Picture Industry, this isn't even so Bad, its good. There is no campy trashy fun to be had here like in some of Elvis' other bad movies like Clambake. This one is so rotten to sit through its painful. Pure Garbage. Native Americans should sue for their poor clichéd and stereotypical treatment here. Actually, perhaps ALL Human Beings should sue for the crime and disservice this movie does to the species as a whole 0 Stars, seriously. Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +First of all yes I'm white, so I try to tread lightly in the ever delicate subject of race... anyway... White People Hating Black people = BAD but Black People Hating White people = OK (because apparently we deserved it!!). where do i start? i wish i had something good to say about this movie aside unintended comedy scenes: the infamous scene were Ice Cube and co. get in a fight with some really big, really strong, really really angry and scary looking Neo-Nazis and win!!! the neo-Nazi where twice the size :), and the chase! the chase is priceless... This is NOT a movie about race, tolerance and understanding, it doesn't deliver... this is a racist movie that re-affirm all the cliché stereotypes, the white wimpy guy who gets manhandled by his black roommate automatically transform in a skinhead...cmon simply awful I do regret ever seeing it.Save your time and the dreadful experience of a poorly written ,poorly acted, dull and clearly biased picture, if you are into the subject, go and Rent American History X, now thats a movie$LABEL$ 0 +Donald Pleasance and Peter Cushing united in one horror film; that always sounds like a terrific plan. Two of the most versatile cult actors of their generation, who previously already starred together in terrific genre outings like "The Flesh and the Fiends" and "From Beyond the Grave", pairing up in a mid-70's satanic themed exploitation flick. How can this possibly go wrong? Well, unfortunately, it can. To my deepest regret "Land of the Minotaur" can hardly even be called mediocre, and that in spite of the cast, the exotic setting, the appealing title and the potentially great sounding premise. In a remote little area in Greece, more particularly near an archaeological site, multiple tourists vanish because Baron Peter Cushing and his docile followers keep feeding them to a fire-breathing Minotaur statue. Cushing, who never looked more bored and uninterested in any role he played before, owns a giant medieval castle and apparently in Greek this means you also own the complementary archaeological ruins and an underground network of caverns. That is of course quite handy if your hobby is the kidnapping of random campers and amateur archaeologists. When three of his young friends also mysteriously disappear in the same area, Father Roch - the priest of a couple of towns before) - decides to investigate. "Land of the Minotaur" is a boring and extremely slow-paced horror effort that never really undertakes any major attempts to generate a satanic atmosphere and doesn't bother to elaborate on all the potentially fascinating elements and pagan trivia details. The titular Minotaur, for example, is an intriguing creature of Greek mythology with the head of a bull and the body of a person, but for some inexplicable reason the script never deepens out the significance. Instead, the film focuses on tedious and overly talkative sequences and loud inappropriate music altered with experimental noises. The only reason to even consider giving this major disappointment of a film a chance is because of Donald Pleasance. His portrayal of rude, bossy and old-fashioned priest who criticizes everything that represents modern youth is powerful and reliable as always.$LABEL$ 0 +The three shorts included on this compilation issued in 1959 are timeless Chaplin classics, nothing wrong with them and nothing to criticize either. Chaplin's score for these films and the framework added as bridging sections between the shorts are also well done. The problem with this compilation is a minor one, yet annoying. The shorts have been stretch-printed to fit the 24 frame p.s. speed of contemporary films whereas the shorts themselves where shot at 20 frames p.s. This results is jerky motion that doesn't look very attractive, and yet this was an excusable solution given the limitations of optical printing technology at the time, it's just not excusable that the current DVD version is unrestored, the films look dirty as they did in 1959 and are still stretch printed. There are separate restored versions of these classics available, even on DVD, and it would not be a problem to restore the image, but alas this has not been done.A minor quibble has taken up a lot of space in my article, but I say again a minor quibble, it should not detract all that much from the experience although it detracted one point from my rating. The shorts are still worth '10'.$LABEL$ 1 +1979's Tourist Trap is a clever, unique B thriller that stands out as one of the best of it's kind.Travellers stop at a lonely wax museum where the owner's mannequins are a little too life-like for comfort.While the film has hints of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tourist Trap is mainly a creepy psychological thriller worthy of The Twilight Zone. Director David Schmoeller gives this movie an atmosphere of darkness and mystery, that reaches nightmarish proportions. Also, Schmoelloer adds the occasional touch of comic relief to the bizarre happenings.Venteran actor Chuck Connors is the best of the film's decent cast. Pino Donaggio's music score is excellent, having both lyrical and solemn themes that are perfect to the movie. A number of the film's sequences are quite memorable.For horror and thriller fans alike, Tourist Trap is an unforgettable must-see film.*** 1/2 out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +Years ago I saw The Godfather and it made a lasting impression on me, the atmosphere of the movie was first class, the acting memorable and the storyline a classic. Recently I bought the Trilogy and after watching Part 1 again I looked eagerly to viewing Part 2...... I was so pleased to realize early on into Part 2 that here was a fitting follow on to the great Godfather movie, again everything was just about perfect and I could not wait to see Godfather III ........ WRONG!, I wish I'd stopped at II. The storyline was not good, it seemed to me like a story made up just to have a story, the characters were weak especially the daughter. Pacino's protege was a weak character that would have been eaten alive in Godfather 1 or 2. Then scenes such as, Corleone being invested with all the trappings of the Catholic Church with full choir, the assassin on horseback riding away into the sunset, the unseen helicopter machine gunning of the meeting (where the 'goodies' get away and everyone else is shot),daughter and 1st cousin rolling bits of pasta across a board, the pathetic shooting on the steps ..... Corleone stuffing sweets down him with orange juice for diabetes (a man of his intelligence and guile isn't ready for an emergency?)... NO it was not good and with the best will in the world I wont be able to watch it again. But I'll watch 1 & 2 many times down the years.$LABEL$ 0 +This little two-person movie is actually much bigger than it looks. It has so many layers. I've watched it over and over, and always pick up on something new. I am amazed at the depth of the acting, and I feel if this movie had gotten wider release that there would be no question that Alan Rickman is a major star$LABEL$ 1 +UK newspaper reviews seem to have concentrated on the fact that the reviewers tend to know Toby Young, the journalist on whose real-life experiences this movie is based. The key word here is "based". How To Lose Friends is a fictitious romcom.Sidney Young joins a prestigious gossip magazine in New York, where he proceeds to make gaffe after gaffe before finally Getting It Right and Making It. This involves him selling out, and the movie has some serious points to make about journalistic integrity. However, they are not overdone: the main substance remains a comedy which centres around Sidney's misadventures. The script has its cake and eats it in that Sidney is a stupid, well-meaning buffoon at the same time as being a smart, moderately obnoxious skilled writer. This contradiction is never that much of an issue, because Simon Pegg (as Sidney) projects likability too well.Jeff Bridges underplays Sidney's editor a little too effectively, and Kirsten Dunst is rather anonymous as the conflicted eventual object of Sidney's affections And, with regard to Megan Fox (who plays an airhead bimbo starlet), I can say only this: just say the word, Miss Fox, and I will leave my wife, sell all my belongings, and buy myself a plane ticket in order to take my place at your side as your consort. Of course, given that I'm a fat 56-year-old English accountant, you might not find my offer too enticing, but it's there on the table anyway. Given how short her career has been so far, one might think it is a little too soon for Megan Fox to take on a role which mercilessly lampoons the sort of actress she might be thought to become: however, she does it sweetly, with some skill, and extremely sexily. This girl will go far.There is stalwart support from a variety of seasoned performers - Miriam Margolyes and Bill Paterson from the UK, Gillian Anderson and Danny Huston from the US.There are several laugh-out-loud moments, and I smiled most of the way through. As ever, the F-word makes appearances when it really doesn't need to, although at least a couple of these are very funny.$LABEL$ 1 +Alien Hunter: 5 out of 10: Is it me or does every movie that starts in Roswell, New Mexico suck. Take Alien mixed with The Thing, mixed with Contact, mixed with of all things On the Beach, The Andromeda Strain, the classroom scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark and a throw in a little Stargate to boot. Derivative doesn't even begin to describe this movie. Of course with nothing original plot wise they amp up the gore and sex right? Nope gore is a blink and you miss it affair and sex is all tease. (James Spader causally mentions he needs a shower and the delectable Leslie Stefanson asks to join him…. he turns her down. AGGH!) In fact if a movie ever needed a shower scene to liven things up this is it. I mean if your going to have impossibly good-looking women in white bathing suits wandering around an Antarctica research base why not go for broke.With about 30 seconds of actual thrill in the entire movie Alien Hunter is remarkable serious and slow going for a sci-fi adventure. Needed a much better plot twist to liven it up and by the way the Alien itself is a horribly clichéd artifice and has virtually no screen time for someone who shares half the title. I also inquired during viewing what is with the Children of the Corn in space motif. (Note that since Jason of Friday the 13th fame, Pinhead from Hellraiser and that Leprechaun have all traveled to space to slay nubile teenagers why not the cornfield?) The characters in the cornfield dress like Logan's Run extras and I was just waiting for the stalks to come alive and attack them.That however would have been exciting and apparently against this movies covenant. The acting is mostly fine as Spader reprises his Stargate role while Stefanson and Janine Eser model the latest in Antarctic beachwear. John Lynch however read the whole script and acts the like the insane bad guy well before the story would indicate it.Alien Hunter is a disappointing derivative slog that makes me pine for a proper Children of The Corn in Space movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I have a hard time putting into words just how wonderful this was. Once in a while you see a film that just sticks with you. "You Are Alone" is that movie (for me). The film is constantly in my head and in my heart. I replay the scenes mentally every day and analyze them and go through the emotions all over again, as if I am seeing it for the first time.There is nothing I did not like about the movie. Amazing soundtrack!!! The ending was perfect. Very emotionally stirring!!! It was compelling and riveting.I adored Jessica Bohl and her performance was the greatest I have ever witnessed. I admired Brittany's strength (what a strong woman).The tag line is "When your darkest moments come to life". We never know what we are capable of doing. Everyone says oh I would never do that, when really we have no idea what we would do in a situation. We are very capable of anything and this movies delves straight into that subject. The honesty of the movie may be my absolute favorite part.Thank you Gorman Becherd for a perfect piece of art!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I love this young people trapped in a house of horrors movie. Not just because I'm a huge Linnea Quigley-Jill Terashita fan, but because it is a lot of fun and actually scary at times.The special effects are awesome, especially Linnea's scene with the lipstick and towards the end when almost everyone is dead and possessed.Plenty of nudity provided by Linnea and Jill, plenty of humor, cool soundtrack, high body count, etc...By the way, if you have never seen this one, try and buy/watch the Unrated version which has more gore and some scenes the rated version is missing.$LABEL$ 1 +i saw the film and i got screwed, because the film was foolish and boring. i thought ram gopal varma will justify his work but unfortunately he failed and the whole film got spoiled and they spoiled "sholay". the cast and crew was bad. the whole theater slept while watching the movie some people ran away in the middle. amithab bachan's acting is poor, i thought this movie will be greatest hit of the year but this film will be the greatest flop of the year,sure. nobody did justice to their work, including Ajay devagan. this film don't deserve any audiences. i bet that this film will flop. "FINALLY THIS MOVIE SUCKS"$LABEL$ 0 +Lorna Green(Janine Reynaud)is a performance artist for wealthy intellectuals at a local club. She falls prey to her fantasies as the promise of romantic interludes turn into murder as she kills those who believe that sex is on the horizon. It's quite possible that, through a form of hypnotic suggestion, someone(..a possible task master pulling her strings like a puppet)is guiding Lorna into killing those she comes across in secluded places just when it appears that love-making is about to begin. After the murders within her fantasies are committed, Lorna awakens bewildered, often clueless as to if what she was privy to within her dreams ever took place in reality.If someone asked me how to describe this particular work from Franco, I'd say it's elegant & difficult. By now, you've probably read other user comments befuddled by what this film is about, since a large portion of it takes place within the surreal atmosphere of a dream. Franco mentioned in an interview that he was heavily influenced by Godard early in his career, as far as film-making style, and so deciding to abandon a clear narrative structure in favor of trying to create a whole different type of viewing experience. And, as you read from the reaction of the user comments here..some like this decision, others find the style labouring, dull, and bewildering. I'll be the first to admit that the film is over my head, but even Franco himself, when quizzed by critics who watched "Succubus", admitted that he didn't even understand the film and he directed it! Some might say that "Succubus" was merely a precursor to his more admired work, "Venus in Furs", considered his masterwork by Franco-faithful, because it also adopts the surreal, dreamlike structure where the protagonist doesn't truly know whether he/she is experiencing something real or imagined. In a sense, like the protagonist, we are experiencing the same type of confusion..certainly, "Succubus" is unconventional film-making where we aren't given the keys to what is exactly going on. And, a great deal of the elusive dialogue doesn't help matters. "Succubus" is also populated by beatnik types and "poet-speak", Corman's film, "A Bucket of Blood" poked fun at. My personal favorite scene teases at a possible lesbian interlude between Lorna and a woman she meets at a posh party..quite a bizarre fantasy sequence where mannequins are used rather unusually. Great locations and jazz score..I liked this film myself, although I can understand why it does receive a negative reaction. Loved that one scene at the posh party with Lorna, a wee bit drunk, writhing on the floor in a gorgeous evening gown as others attending the shindig(..equally wasted)rush her in an embrace of kisses.$LABEL$ 1 +This outing of Knotts includes one of his best sidekicks ever, Frank Welker. Welker makes the film. Knotts and Welker compete for the laughs and both receive plenty. Knotts works for a small "no where" town where the city is being run by some of the most ignorant officials. When things go wrong the city fathers, allow Knotts to take the fall. Frank Welker's character befriends Knotts and together they stumble together to clear up the mess and Knott's good name. This film shows the usual Knott's scared to death character that made him famous for years on television and film. This may have been Knotts' last good outing. When you have an extra 90 minutes, get a good old fashioned laugh a great icon, Don Knotts.$LABEL$ 1 +Emma is a horribly flawed film based on Jane Austens classic novel. I have not read the book so I really didn't know that much about the plot, and yet I still predicted nearly the entire plot. There were also many scenes that frustrated me because of the bad writing or directing. The film is though for some reason very entertaining and I loved it. Of course there were all the scenes I disliked but the majority was well acted and funny. Gwyneth Paltrow gives one of her best performances as the heroine in Emma. The film also stars Toni Collette(Who has okay but has been much better) Ewan Mecgreger(Who has also been better but he is still very good here) Alan Cumming(Who I have never really been impressed with and is pretty much the same here) and Jeremy Northam(Who's performance is rather wooden at first look but actually fairly subtle, even if that was not what it needed) There have been much better adaptations of Jane Austen books but this one is still very entertaining and worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Why do I hate this? Let me list the ways:I have nothing against Mary Pickford but a 32 year old woman playing a 12 year old is just stupid.There's a fight scene in which kids are throwing bricks at each other and it's considered funny---and it goes on for 15 minutes Strange how none of the kids are even remotely hurtThe title cards contain plenty of racial and ethnic slursFor a "family" film the fights were WAY too violent (loved it when Pickford was punching it out with a little boy!) and the humor was just stupid Seriously, 40 minutes in I gave up and turned it off. The slurs, racism and little kids throwing bricks at each other got to me. Also there was no plot that I could see. The only thing worth seeing in this film was William Haines who was a top leading man in the silent era.Just painful. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +Thank God this wasn't based on a true story, because what a story it is. Populated by despicable characters whose depravity knows no bounds, Before The Devil is a mesmerizing, jaw-dropping excursion into perversion which would be laughable (and sometimes is, even with - or perhaps because of - the sickeningly tragic undercurrent of human dysfunction throughout) if it weren't carried out with such magnificent, overwhelming conviction by its stars. The excellent script by Kelly Masterson and superb direction by none other than Sidney Lumet doesn't hurt either.The main dysfunction here is of a family nature, with the two majorly screwed up brothers (brilliant portrayals from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) deciding to rob their own parents' jewelry store, an attempt that goes pathetically awry.The story is told with time-shifts (which are noted on screen, such as: "Charlie: Two Days Before The Robbery", so no one should be confused); some people have said they didn't like this device but I thought it worked perfectly, adding to the skeweredness of the whole affair, considering that the two brothers in question are hardly playing with full decks - between them you couldn't make a decent poker hand to save your life. Throw in these cheesy extra tidbits: one of the brothers is a drug addict, married to Gina (Marisa Tomei, also excellent), who is having an affair with the other brother, toss in some monumental sibling rivalry, along with the fact that said drug addict brother hates his father (a wrenching performance from Albert Finney), who has apparently caused him serious past pain, and you've got a Shakespearean/Greek tragedy on your hands. Proceed with caution.$LABEL$ 1 +If you want just about everything you want to know about WWII from multiple perspectives, this DVD delivers, you WILL learn new things guaranteed, so much so that you won't need any other documentary's on the subject. Get this, watch it, learn from it. Good for school use as well. As a bonus, watch this with Tora tora tora, saving private ryan, patton, band of brothers, a bridge too far, the longest day and other WWII epics along with this to make your knowledge of WWII even more complete. Sir Laurence Oliver's voice adds to the overall atmosphere of each episode in this 26 part series. Seriously you won't find a better WWII documentary set on the subject. PERFECT 10!!!$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was gripping from start to finish and its b/w photography of the American heartland is stunning. We feel we are right there with them as they cross the big sky country and then into Mexico and back to America again. Near the end of the movie, the reflection of the rain on Robert Blake looks like small rivers of sweat and tears rolling down his face. In the end, we follow them up the stairway to their final moment. The two criminals, performed by Robert Blake and Scott Wilson, as Perry Smith and Dick Hickock could be seen on any street in any town. Hickock is a smiling boy next door and Smith, the guy with stars in his eyes from the wrong side of town. This point is made in the movie and it always surprises us that criminals are no different in appearance than anyone else. Evil, even the most vile, is part of the human condition. These two delusional men kill an entire family, looking for a safe that isn't there. Once on the run, they start writing bad cheques, carving out a trail for the authorities.There are many fine supporting actors. I like John Forsyth as the detective on the case, Alvin Dewey. Also, Will Geer shines in a brief but excellent scene as the prosecuting attorney.I have often wanted to see this movie all the way through, having only caught it in short snatches; I did finally get to it after buying the DVD. The result is the finest classic crime movie I have ever seen.Don't miss this brilliant movie. To me, this is what great film-making is all about.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great show with total freshness and innovation. That usual chair (couch for a woman) host, that mandatory band playing monotonous tunes, the same old jokes, the same pattern copied from the days of Nebuchadnezzer ....probably the pattern of Johnny Carson, copied by one and all, Latterman, Leno, Conan... Daly, this show does not seem to have any of these.I fell in love with this show within the first 10 minutes and I am going to stick to it. Though it's too early to say that, this show seems to be devoid of any intellectual pretension most talk shows try so hard to project, and I hope that that is what would make this show different from all the rest. I hope that this show will last long!Returning back after months, I still love this show, and I love his self-deprecating humor (For example, his affirmation that only pothead loners would be home to watch his show at Saturday midnight and thus, the jokes are funny only to the stoned guys) which, however, does not involve the usual monkeying of Conan O'Brien, for example (I know it's a cardinal sin to be repelled by O'Brien's antics; but I do really dislike his style and repetitiveness). I again watched it the other night with Tom Arnold in it. Ferensen's spoof of Trading Spouses (and Nanny 911 in an earlier episode) are hilarious. Idiot paparazzi are fun, especially when a security guard cautions them against taking people's pictures, and (if I am not mistaken) they start taking his pictures shouting "Gary Coleman".Added on 16th April, 2007: Coming back once again, I am left confused by the neighbor and her dog. I cannot decide if it is a joke or a real thing. Either way, it was funny as hell.I do not expect Spike Feresten to read these pages, but maybe he does. He is crazier than a bunch of monkeys and so, I would better write down my suggestion here for him: I would like him to do a full 30 minute show with Crazy Gideon, the star of late night TV commercial. I would like Crazy Gideon to have an interview in Spike's talk show, sing a song (and play guitar), do a skit in the line of SNL, and also to answer questions from the audience regarding his potential mayorship of Los Angeles (I know, Crazy Gideon may not be aware of this, but there are websites detailing why he would be the perfect candidate for the post of the mayor of LA).God willing!Returning back on 14th July, 2007: Someone wrote here that the people who praised Spike's talkshow must be bribed by Spike. I confess that Spike really bribed me, but I must also confess that Rockefeller named me in his will and last night I had sex with Cindy Crowford.$LABEL$ 1 +It's all about getting what you want when you want it. And the message of Bluebeard's Eighth WIfe is to be careful what you wish for, until what you wish for wishes for you.Most men have heard the stories about what happens when your sexual frustration isn't relieved and a certain part of your anatomy turning blue. Misogynistic pirates aside, Cooper plays a very wealthy man who is very accustomed to getting what he wants whenever he wants it, learning only too late that it wasn't what he expected and never learning his lesson until he runs into the feisty Claudette Colbert. Through a twisted (in soul and in practice) business deal, he ends up marring/buying her with the intent of bedding her, but she will have none of it (literally) and frustrates him at every turn, and corner, and room, and tourist attraction.The film has definite French sensibilities which means it has strong double-entendres and boudoir humor for the day and a sharp edge you're not accustomed to (and may not enjoy seeing) in either Cooper or Colbert. The whole reason I watched the film was because they are "likable" actors, and the whole point of this movie is that they're unlikable people, or at least likable people who have developed unlikable traits to protect themselves, they think, from the world. If you can accept it on its own terms you'll find satisfaction in this witty and sophisticated film...and satisfaction, as we said, is what it's all about. Such a movie with such a cast only comes around, after all, once in a...ummm...blue moon.$LABEL$ 1 +Now i have read some negative reviews for this show on this website and quite frankly I'm appalled. For anyone to even think that the Sopranos is not Television then i'm afraid i don't know what the world has come to. Let me tell u something. I started watching many T.V shows like Lost, Prison Break, Dexter, Deadwood and even Invasion. But all of those shows lost their touch after the first season, especially Lost and Prison Break which i refuse to watch because the companies took 2 genius ideas and butchered them by making more than one season. Then we have The Sopranos. I can honestly say that this is the only television series that i have ever watched where i have been enthralled in all of its season, and more importantly all of its episodes. There is no department that this show doesn't excel in. Acting- Nothing short of superb. James Gandolfini is one of my favourite actors and i feel that his acting is absolutely stunning in every episode, after i heard that HBO wanted Ray Liotta to play Tony i felt that it would've been the better choice, however after watching the first few episodes, i knew that HBO had done a great job in casting James as Tony. The raw emotion he displays is superb. Then we have everyone else, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Bracco, Dominic Chianese (whom i remembered as Johnny Ola in the Godfather Part 2) and my personal two favourite characters Tony Sirico and Steve Van Zandt Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri and Silvio Dante. All of these actors perform to the best quality, and all giving an excellent performance in each episode. Then we have the story, never have i been so sucked into a T.V show before. The story is nothing short of excellent. Each episode is directed superbly and the Score of this show is just fantastic. I feel that The Sopranos is one show that i can watch again and again and never get bored of. Its got everything from hilarious humour to brutal violence, but nonetheless it is and will always be the best thing to ever grace the Television, and I challenge anyone to find a real flaw in the show. Not just say its too violent, or they feel that the character of Tony is immoral, i mean it is a mafia show at the end of the day, i don't think that the characters are going to be very honest or loyal to God. I implore everyone to watch this show because believe me, you'll be hooked from the very first episode, i was and i have even gotten a few friends who had firstly refused to watch the show, hooked on it. Trust me when i say that this show is a Godsend compared to the crap that comes on T.V. After you've watched the first season, you'll inevitably agree with me when i once again say that this show dominates Television, and no T.V show current or future will ever upstage the marvel that is The Sopranos.$LABEL$ 1 +I'd give this a negative rating if I could. I went into this movie not expecting much, but I had an open mind. The whole thing is stupid! The snakes are obviously fake and the first two things they bite are a boob and a guys johnson. Oh how original; if I were a 12 year old boy I might laugh at that. I have no idea how this movie became so popular. Seriously,the worst thing I've ever seen. I wasn't entertained, it wasn't funny,I wasn't even bored! I wasn't anything. It wasn't even so bad it was good, it's just bad. Ridiculous actually. Please do not waste your money on this movie. Don't even rent this movie. No clue how it's getting such a high rating.$LABEL$ 0 +Most people are totally unaware that this movie exists. Fox, which paid Judge to make it, has kept it in the can for quite awhile and then spent nothing to promote it. I guess that made many people think it was one of the garbage movies being flushed in late summer. Well, I am here to tell you that this is a funny and rather frightening look at a future that is not that hard to believe. Basically, Judge puts forward the notion that the stupid are outbreeding the smart by a wide margin. Then these stupid are getting more stupid, by basically spending all of their time watching TV and having sex, which produces more stupid people. By 2500, a person of average intelligence today, will appear to be a genius, that talks "all faggy." Seriously, is this really that hard to believe. Oh sure, this future is painfully funny and ridiculously stupid, but still plausible. Luke Wilson is great as the time traveling army guy, hopelessly trying to get back to a more comfortable time. Where this story will gain its cult status is with the numerous funny one-liners, like "can we family style her" and "hey man, I'm 'bating here!" This is a funny movie and a rather sharp social commentary on an American society that seems to be fatuated with self pleasure, comfort and stupidity, and I guarantee you that I will be buying this on DVD the first day it comes out and watching it over and over.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great, ridiculous horror movie that captures the essence of the mid to late 80s' obsession with how evil metal music supposedly was. I can remember being freaked out by metal teens when I was a kid. It doesn't help that I found a desecrated grave in my hometown's graveyard when I was ten. Turns out this weird metal kid had dug up some old bodies and used their bones in some weird sacrifice to satan. So maybe stuff like deterred me from metal for awhile, but I love it now, as a 24 year old.I bought this DVD used for 6 bucks and I expected it to suck due to the lame cover, but to my surprise, it ruled. It is all about the extreme demonic power of metal. And you gotta love a scene where a guitar shoots lazers and vaporizes headbangers in the crowd. This movie is awesome, if you love 80s metal and bad movies, this one's for you. 9/10!$LABEL$ 1 +While not quite as good as A Murder is Announced, which was not only delightful but almost surpassed the book, this is an excellent adaptation. And you know what, it is a huge improvement on the Geraldine McEwan version. Now I don't take pride in bad mouthing the Geraldine McEwan adaptations, two or three of them were surprisingly good, but others started off well but ruined by either a poor script, a confusing final solution or both. The Geraldine McEwan version suffered from a plodding pace, and both of the above problems, and I would consider second worst of the ITV adaptations, worst being Sittaford Mystery, which even on its own merits turned out dull and confusing. This adaptation of the book Nemesis is a huge improvement, it not only respects the book, despite a few liberties, but it pretty much rectifies the problems the ITV version had. Despite the added character of Lionel coming across as rather irritating, more to do with how he was written than how he was acted, and one or two moments of sluggish pacing, this is solid as an adaptation of a decent book. It is beautifully filmed, with nice photography and period detail, and the music as always is excellent. The performances are wonderful this time around, and make the most of an in general well-done script, with Joan Hickson brilliant as always as Miss Marple, and solid turns from Liz Fraser, Helen Cherry, Joanna Hole and Anna Cropper. Margaret Tyzack is outstanding though in a chilling and moving performance as Clothilde. Overall, well worth watching, better than the recent version in pretty much all departments. 9/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +Good Lord, what were they THINKING??!!!!!! Here is your spoiler warning, even though I don't think it'll really matter. You won't be seeing this piece of trash anyway.A group of handpuppets go chasing after a group of really stupid people, who go on a really stupid hunt for them to try and kill them, and the puppets complicate things by letting them live out their really stupid fantasies. In other words, the whole thing is really stupid.You KNOW it has to be bad when even Mike and the Bots can't save something!! And they didn't! I know, some of their lines were funny, like what to add to the sign "HIT" and the hand comments, but, geez, this was pretty dang sad.All I can say is DO NOT WATCH THIS PIECE O CRUD. IT IS NOT WORTH YOUR EYES.$LABEL$ 0 +I had heard (and read) so many good things about Weeds that I was looking forward to getting hooked on another great cable Series (like Entourage, Sopranos or Mad Men) but that slowly eroded away with each episode I watched from Season One. (didn't make it past the first six episodes) The writing was unoriginal, contrived and the portrayal of Blacks embarrassing. The dialog felt forced, like the writers are trying way too hard to be clever and hip . It was a rare moment when I actually emitted an audible laugh.The characters never developed enough for me to care about them, they were selfish and unappealing. I absolutely HATED the addition of the Brother-in-law (who should have been hauled away on To Catch A Predator) and the removal of the Hodes' daughter Quinn from the cast by sending her to boarding school in Mexico was so unoriginal and cliché, I had to conclude the writers were testing the viewer's loyalty.Episode after episode I liked the characters less and couldn't get past many of the technical flaws in the story line.Add to that I heard that Season Two wasn't as good, so I lost all motivation to continue to watch this play out.If you're a fan of good casting and writing, I suspect this show will be a challenge for you to like, unless of course you're stoned and then all bets are off.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is among my favorite foreign films, some of the others are Amilee and My Life As a Dog. The similarities with those movies as with so many great foreign films, is that it takes a mundane slice of life and transforms it into a profound heartfelt lesson. In Japan, a man who is bored with his mundane life and the rut of his married life, sees a beautiful Japanese woman staring out the window of a dance studio. In the instant that it takes his train to pass, he is enthralled by her. But is it only by her beauty, by her faraway glance, or a connection that they will both discover that they share? Shall We Dance has memorable wonderful characters who have to deal with painful realities by transcending them through the world of dance. Breaking traditional moulds and stereo types of Japanese society, they risk all for happiness and find that joy is not too far away. It is one of those movies that is so magical and meaningful and, in itself, transcends the mundane by showing the true magic and miracle that life can be.$LABEL$ 1 +As if the film were not of value in itself, this is an excellent way to get an overview of the novel as a preface to reading it. In the summer of 1968 I saw the film in NYC; that fall in graduate school, I read the book for the first time. Some of the pleasure in reading the novel was my memory of the scrupulously detailed film. And for better or worse--and I've now read and taught the novel for over three decades--Milo O'Shea is still Leopold Bloom.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a lyrical and romantic memoir told through the eyes an eleven year old boy living in a rural Cuban town the year of the Castro revolution. It is an obviously genuine worthy labor of love. The names CUBA LIBRE and CUBAN BLOOD are merely attempts to wrongly market this as an action film. DREAMING OF JULIA makes much more sense. It has more in common with European cinema than with RAMBO and the revolution is merely an inconvenience to people's daily lives and pursuits. That fact alone makes the film more honest than most works dealing with this time period in Cuban history.The excessive use of the voice-over narrator does undermine the story but the film makes up for it with unqualified clips from Hollywood films that say so much more visually than the narrator could.The comparisons to CINEMA PARADISO and are fair game as the film does wax melancholy about movies, but there is an underlying pain at the loss of a lifestyle that surpasses lost love. The revolution, like the film JULIE, never seems to have an ending.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw ZP when it was first released and found it a major disappointment. Its script seemed forced and arch and too fakey '60s. It's politics too upfront and ridiculous. And let's face it, I was still under a love-spell known as BLOWUP : and I still haven't completely shaken it. Now the "love" is twisted up with all sorts of nostalgia it evokes and, oh well . . . Good Luck to me!But time marches on and time has been kind to ZP and time has been a teacher to me. I revisit this film about every ten years and it just gets better and better with age. And ZP is it's own "experience"and is only really linked to BLOWUP through its creator, the late,great Mr. Antonioni.Twelve years ago, I had the great good fortune to see an absolutely pristine print, projected at its correct size (immense), restored by an Italian government cultural agency who knows a good work of art when they see it and knows the importance of keeping such a thing of beauty in good shape. To this day I remember the gasp from the audience when the first shot of Death Valley appeared. It was like a thousand volt visual shock Antonioni had intentionally delivered to wake us up to a new level of awareness. And indeed what follows from that point is an entirely different sort of "place".What is astonishing to me is how this film is coming into its own.I remember the second time around seeing it --- the early 80s --- I had begun to feel affection towards the film as a whole and towards Daria and Mark in particular. Whereas, before these two seemed like a smart-alecky shadow version of Zefferelli's Olivia and Leonard (read: Romeo and Juliet)they now were engaging me --- particularly The Girl in her insistent slo-motion-ality. She-took-her-time . . . To Live. Everything, EVERYTHING dies around her.Upon exciting the theater the daylight of Reality quickly began to erase my new found "enjoyment". The encroaching shoulder-padded, big haired 80s whispered "But that's a hippie fantasy --- let it go"The force of Antonioni's vision had, I had realised, already worked itself inside of me the FIRST time around so I answered "80s" with an "Uh-Huh" and guarded my "love" secretly, possessively and jealously.But, this, then is what good art does it lives inside of you, and, if you wish it has its way and "loves" you back: secretly, jealously, and possessively. And you get "changed".Was thrilled to see that Turner Classic Movies had decided to show ZP in its March lineup. Undoubtedly, ZP must be seen on a gigantic screen so that it can truly take you into its constructed environment. But, hey, sometimes even a glimpse of the Beloved in a newspaper photo is no better than no glimpse at all.Today reality hit, ZP has been withdrawn mysteriously and replaced with the whiney antics of ALICE'S RESTAURANT.So, it is still too "difficult", too "disturbing", too "what"?Maybe it's that, as with all good art, it Lives while everything dies around it. Peace.$LABEL$ 1 +Very strange but occasionally elegant exploitation movie with no real story, but benefiting from its stunningly ravishing lead actress and a handful of nice, gruesome make-up effects. Daniella is a beautiful twenty-something girl, carrying with her the trauma of being raped at the age of 13. Nightmares and hallucinations lead her further into believing she's the reincarnation of a female ancestor who was said to be a werewolf. She kills her brother-in-law during a nightly encounter and gets submitted in a hospital. She escapes again, however, and randomly devours more men whilst on the run for police detectives, doctors and relatives. It's all pretty to look at and listen too (really great soundtrack), but the absence of plot and continuity become irritating quite fast. Luckily enough, leading lady Annik Borel rarely ever wears clothes and she fills up the boring moments by dancing naked around a fire. The film is too long, too weird and too forgettable. The biggest surprise comes at the end, when suddenly and out of the blue, director Rino Di Silvestro tries to make us believe that his movie was based on true facts. Yeah, right...$LABEL$ 0 +This is an interesting, hard to find movie from the early 70's starring Jan Michael Vincent as a young man who doesn't make the cut as a marine. Dressed in 'baby blue' outfits to humiliate them as they are sent home, the failed recruits are sent packing. Vincent stops at a bar and runs into a very young Richard Gere who has just returned from a tour in the Pacific as a hard-core Marine 'Raider'. Gere's character is already jaded and contemplating desertion, and he takes advantage of Vincent's innocence, stealing his 'baby blue' uniform after getting him drunk and beating him in an alleyway. Vincent's character, whose name is Marion, takes Gere's outfit and is suddenly transformed into a Marine 'Raider'. Marion hitch-hikes his way into Wyoming and stops at a little Norman Rockwell-like little town. In the local café he meets Rose Hudkins, who immediately catches his eye. Staying with Hudkins parents, Marion attracts all sorts of attention from the towns folks. Mr Hudkins suspects Marion and wonders how a Marine 'Raider' could still be so innocent. The story also brings up the Japanese Internment Camps, as the towns folks go 'hunting' 3 escapees. Marion is shot accidentally during this hunt. But there's still a happy ending, which befuddled me a bit. I would have preferred a little more drama! Anyway, this captures JMV at the peak of his 70's performances. BUSTER AND BILLIE, BABY BLUE MARINE and WHITE LINE FEVER in the mid-70's were amazingly good JMV performances. He was both an action star and a heart-throb all at the same time!!! He made a lot of quality movies during his career, and continued to do so up into the mid 80's with the great TV show Airwolf. He does a very good job in this as 'Hedge', quietly observing the way people treat him (in his uniform) as he travels across the country. He must have performed some of the stunt work as well- there is a harrowing river scene at the end of the movie-and it looks like he's the guy getting tossed down the river to me! But really, at the height of his popularity, this movie could have done so much more with JMV's talent and his looks. Innocence can only be so interesting. Evil, as explored in "Buster and Billie", is much more dramatic! Anyway, Glynnis O'Connor is delightful as Rose. The whole look of the movie is like a Norman Rockwell painting. The outdoor scenes are gorgeous - must have been filmed in Canada.$LABEL$ 1 +Johnny and June Carter Cash financed this film which is a traditional rendering of the Gospel stories. The music is great, you get a real feel of what the world of Jesus looked like (I've been there too), and June gets into the part of Mary Magdalene with a passion. Cash's narration is good too.But....1. The actor who played Jesus was miscast. 2. There is no edge to the story like Cash puts in some of his faith based music. 3. Because it is uncompelling, I doubt we'll see this ever widely distributed again.I'd love to buy the CD.Tom Paine Texas, USA$LABEL$ 1 +Jäniksen vuosi is one of Jarva's most political movies. It takes stance strongly against modern day society's authority status in the life of the common man, and how it has estranged men from the nature completely. It challenges the whole concept of freedom and wealth in our welfare society.Vatanen (Antti Litja) - smothered buy the concrete jungle with all its rules and regulations - tries to rattle the chains of the society by escaping it all in to the wilderness of northern Finland - only to realize that the concept of a 'free country' isn't all that unambiguous, in other words, the society has the common man by the balls.Still the thing that makes Jäniksen vuosi so exceptional - besides the visual and humouristic brilliance - is how it seems to illustrate the whole political atmosphere in Finland in the 70's, as well as the whole identity of Finland as a nation. Vatanen is like an archetype of a classical finn in his solitudeness and social distantness. Since nature has always played such an important role in the national identity of us Finns, the whole idea of that being slowly taken away by the modern society makes Jäniksen vuosi emotionally exceptionally moving.$LABEL$ 1 +I love Jamie Foxx.And I enjoy 99% of all movies I see.And I walked out of this one.Now, I admit, it may have had something to do with the two middle-aged white women in the back of theatre who laughed at every little thing ("Oh no, Jamie's knocking on a door! HEE HEE HEE!"), but... this was just so incredibly annoying. There could be no sustained camera shot, and no camera shot from a conventional angle... everything had to be in-your-face, loud, and annoying.The bad guy tried to be smooth and Malkovich-like, but at this point, it's just old and tired. He brought nothing new or interesting. From all the characters, too many lines you saw coming, too many you've heard before, and too many "tough guy" lines... and I don't mind that sort of thing, really, as long as there's a bit of originality to it. In fact, pretty much the entire supporting cast just sucked.I love Jamie Foxx, and I think he's really funny, and I thought he was funny in this movie... but not nearly funny enough for me to endure everything else. This movie needed less shoot-em-up, less annoying camera shots, more emotion, more feeling, and more Jamie Foxx. I gave it a 2.$LABEL$ 0 +After seeing Dick Tracy in the 6.99$ bin at Future Shop I decided to give it a go with no previous knowledge and being a big fan of Mafia and Crime movies. I was very surprised to see a very fun, smart entertaining movie with solid performances throughout. The movie moves along well, it has of course another solid performance from Warren Beatty, but the real standouts of the film are Al Pacino and Madonna. I was happy to find out that Pacino was nominated for his performance as an over the top gangster trying to take down the city. Madonna was great as the damsel in distress, she really impressed me and added depth to her performance. If you go in with the attitude of wanting to watch a fun, smart movie with great acting and a solid script then give Dick Tracy a try. I don't think you will be disappointed. And Watch for the cameos from Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Kathy Bates and Dustin Hoffman among others.$LABEL$ 1 +Send them to the freezer. This is the solution two butchers find after they discover the popularity of selling human flesh. An incredible story with humor and possible allegories that make it much more than a horror film. The complex characters defy superficial classification and make the story intriguing and worthwhile - if you can stand it. Definitely a dark film but also a bit redemptive.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow! I picked this off the rental shelf because I loved Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller in 'Trainspotting.' This is a phenomenal movie; it has action, romance, suspense, intrigue and wit. When I wasn't laughing, I was at the edge of my seat. This is definitely a film I would recommend to people with an appreciation for intelligent dialogue and a fresh perspective of the 18th century. This film has everything to keep ME happy!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know why some people criticise that show so much.It is a great, funny show - probably not the right material for mainstream prime-time, but still...The family dynamics are funny, and all in all the same you see in most comedy shows. The supporting characters are absolutely hilarious. The plots of the individual episodes and the frequent Siegfried & Roy jibes are only just above average, but ever so often you have sub-plots or one-liners that make you roll on the floor laughing.This show was well worth the 8 Pounds I paid for it.rating: 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Mexican Werewolf in Texas is set in the small border town of Furlough where Anna (Erika Fay) lives, her best friend is Rosie (Martine Hughes) & she has a Mexican boyfriend named Miguel (Gabriel Gutierrez) who are determined to track a beast down that has been terrorising the town, killing livestock & several residents including some of their friends. Local Mexican legends speak of the Chupacabra, an evil creature from myth & legend. Erm, I'm struggling now because not that much else actually happens...Written & directed by Scott Maginnis I won't beat about the bush here & simply say that Mexican Werewolf in Texas is awful, period. The script only ever mentions the word Werewolf once & the rest of the time it's referred to a Chupacabra, in fact I suspect this wasn't really conceived as a Werewolf flick at all. The 'Werewolf' creature looks mostly hairless & more like some vicious dog, there is no reference to anybody changing during the full moon & it actually attacks during the day on a couple of occasions, there is no transformation scene & at the end when it is killed it doesn't change back into anyone either. To be honest apart from the title there's nothing here to indicate a Werewolf film at all & even then the title is just a rip-off of the highly popular An American Werewolf in London (1981). This is the type of home made crap that I personally think is killing the horror genre, how long has it been since there was a true low budget horror classic like Dawn of the Dead (1978), The Evil Dead (1981), Halloween (1978) or Friday the 13th (1980) which were all made on shoe string budgets, maybe The Blair Witch Project (1999) but that's it in recent years & crap like Mexican Werewolf in Texas has absolutely no chance of ever being considered a classic. The character's are awful & things just happen around them, the dialogue is rubbish, the pacing is terrible, the story sucks & virtually sent me to sleep & as a whole this film is just crap, I'm sorry but I don't know how else to describe it.Director Maginnis does nothing to make this watchable, there's the annoying hand held camera type cinematography which could easily give someone a headache & quick 'blink & you'll miss something' editing which just annoys & irritates in equal measure. It's not scary, there's no nudity, there's no tension or atmosphere & the special effects are awful. The monster really does look poor & it's no wonder Maginnis keeps it in the shadows or cuts his scenes so quickly you never get a good look at it. There's virtually no colour to the picture either, it's either almost pitch black or over saturated desert sand oranges which makes the thing an eye sore as well. The gore consists of some fake guts (blink & you'll miss them!), a few bloody wounds & a severed arm, big deal.With a supposed budget of about $300,000 I admit the budget was low but I simply refuse to accept that for making such a rubbish film, there are plenty of low budget horror flicks that make their meagre budgets go far. The whole thing has the look of a home movie, it has no style & is throughly bland & dull to look at. The acting sucks too although you probably already knew that.Mexican Werewolf in Texas will probably con a few people into renting/buying/watching it because they might mistakenly think it's a sequel to John Landis' classic which it most certainly isn't & it isn't even a proper Werewolf flick either. Don't be fooled this is awful & I'm fed up of having to waste time/money on home made amateur crap like this.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this to be a surprisingly light-handed touch at a 1950's culture-clash movie. John Wayne would hardly be one's first choice as a cultural attache, being about as diplomatic with his good intentions as a bull-run in Harrods. But this time he was left to play a part that was far more passive than his usual bluff persona, and he accomplished his task with style. The Duke was a guy who really could act well. His facial expressions and body language could be extremely subtle.Despite his considerable presence both as an actor and in terms of screen time, he failed to dominate this movie. Many of his good intentions came a cropper. He had authority over nobody, and the intermittent narrative was provided by the titular geisha to whom he was the barbarian.The story of American attempts to curry favour with an isolationist Japan was one of political intrigue rather than swashbuckling or hell-for-leather battles. I cannot comment on the accuracy of its research but the strangeness of the Oriental culture to western sensibilities was demonstrated well. There was a great deal of minutely-choreographed ceremony entailing what looked to this observer like authentic costume and props. The set pieces were complex and detailed. A lot of money and thought had been applied to it.The fractured romance between Wayne and his geisha added a little extra element, and stopped the movie becoming just a political or flag-waving effort. Script was good without being too wordy. There was a great deal of Japanese dialogue, but the lengthy periods of translation didn't interfere with the narrative. It was nice to see plenty of genuine orientals on the set. Whether or not they were Japanese, I couldn't say. But anyway they looked the part. At least the leads were not played by cross-dressing Caucasians, unlike other efforts such as 'Blood Alley' (yes, I know they were Chinese) 'The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness' or even 'The King And I'.Frankly, I enjoyed this more than any of those other movies. The script was better for a start. I never liked the songs in 'The King And I', and wasn't impressed by the heavy-laden anti-communist subtext of 'Blood Alley'. I confess to never having seen this work before and found it compared very favourably to many of The Duke's more popular outings.Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I was so glad I came across this short film. I'm always so disappointed that short films are hard to come across, so when I saw this and saw that it was nominated for the Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards, I was so pleased that I actually had a film that I was rooting for.The plot is pretty simple, the director, writer, and star Nacho Vigalondo tried coming up with a reason people would suddenly break out into a song and dance number like they do in movie musicals. The result is extremely entertaining and the song is actually really catchy.It's a well made short film, well edited and the actors all do a great job. And the last shot of the film is perfect.I highly recommend this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought before starting with these movie that it might be a good one, but when i started with it i found it really awful. They said movie is being made in Afghanistan but i think 95% of the movie is shot in India. you can see Indian made cars. you can see lars drinking bisleri(an Indian water brand), Hindi written on the road, you can also see temples in Afghanistan *hahah* its really funny and many more stuff which proves its not shot in Afghanistan. I think one should not waste his/her time watching this movie.. pure time waste.. i would recommend to do something else instead of watching this movie or may be might heart is better idea but don't watch this waste of time$LABEL$ 0 +Truly appalling waste of space. Me and my friend tried to watch this film to its conclusion but had to switch it off about 30 minutes from the end. And i can count the films I have switched off before the end on one hand.The script and direction are leaden and deeply uninspiring. I wouldn't be surprised if they found the script in a pile of cast off scripts from 1983. For example the irritating scroat threatening the real estate guy from his house phone. I mean seriously. The police would be beating his door down in minutes. The scenes and events just wash by you like turds in a river. It is difficult to understand the actual thrust of the film. The narrative flicks between characters in a seemingly random manner breaking up the pathetic attempts at building the characters. Oh and what "characters" they are. The protagonist played by Rourke is dreadful. He could have just sent a cardboard cut out of himself and stayed in bed. After 60 or so minutes of the film I had built absolutely zero attachment to this character. He is neither sympathetic nor hateful. Just a disfigured dummy from a shop window blundering through every single scene. His motivation is impossible to discern from his generally mumbled and emotionless delivery. Is he happy? Is he sad? Angry? No idea. Just those same dead eyes staring out at you from a disfigured chunk of flesh. And the native American theme is just awful and pointless.The good guys are at best unlikeable. A dull white collar stereotype and a simpering neurotic ex-wife stereotype. Cue archetypal wife with shotgun face off with bad guy, "you aren't going to shoot me" that is both tiresomely unoriginal and annoying.The richie nix character seems interesting at first but soon descends into an irritating one sided psycho character. Which seems at odds with the seeming intention of making the bad guys in some way sympathetic or at least realistically motivated.Roasario Dawsons character starts with some promise but soon descends into a sickening and childlike parody of the gangsters chick scenes from Jackie Brown. You really want me to believe her character was SO attracted to Rourke's? Or worse she is just a floozy who sleeps with anything that moves? Realistic female characters FTW! In summary a complete mess of a film. Hopeless characterisations and performances. A leaden and hackneyed script along with uninspired direction. And ultimately extremely dull. Its not even comedy bad either. Laughing at Rourkes haggard face gets pretty old after sitting through the first 15 turgid minutes of the film.$LABEL$ 0 +In this movie, Chávez supporters (either venezuelan and not-venezuelan) just lie about a dramatic situation in our country. They did not say that the conflict started because of Chávez announcement firing a lot of PDVSA best workers just for political issues.They did not say anything about more than 96 TV interruptions transmitted by Chávez during only 3 days in "CADENA NACIONAL" (a kind of confiscation o private TV signals). Each one with about 20 minutes of duration.They did not tell us anything about The quiting announcement made by General en Jefe Lucas Rincon Romero, Inspector General of the army forces, who is a traditional supporter of Chávez. Even now, in despite of his announcement, he is the Ministro de Interior y Justicia. After Chávez return he occuped the Charge of Ministro del Defensa (equals to Defense Secretary in US).They did not say anything about Chávez orders about shooting against a pacifical people concentration who was claiming for elections.They did not say anything about the people in this concentration that were killed by Chávez Supporters (either civilians and Military official forces).They present some facts in a wrong order, in order to lie.They did not say anything about venezuelan civilian society thats are even now claiming for an elections in order to solve the crisis and Chávez actions in order to avoid the elections.That's why i tell you.... This movie is just a lot of lies or a big lie.$LABEL$ 0 +One could wish that an idea as good as the "invisible man" would work better and be more carefully handled in the age of fantastic special effects, but this is not the case. The story, the characters and, finally the entire last 20 minutes of the film are about as fresh as a mad-scientist flick from the early 50's. There are some great moments, mostly due to the amazing special effects and to the very idea of an invisible man stalking the streets. But alas, soon we're back in the cramped confinement of the underground lab, which means that the rest of the film is not only predictable, but schematic.There has been a great many remakes of old films or TV shows over the past 10 years, and some of them have their charms. But it's becoming clearer and clearer for each film that the idea of putting ol' classics under the noses of eager madmen like Verhoeven (who does have his moments) is a very bad one. It is obvious that the money is the key issue here: the time and energy put into the script is nowhere near enough, and as a result, "Hollow Man" is seriously undermined with clichés, sappy characters, predictability and lack of any depth whatsoever.However, the one thing that actually impressed me, beside the special effects, was the swearing. When making this kind of film, modern producers are very keen on allowing kids to see them. Therefore, the language (and, sometimes, the violence and sex) is very toned down. When the whole world blows up, the good guys go "Oh darn!" and "Oh my God". "Hollow Man" gratefully discards that kind of hypocrisy and the characters are at liberty to say what comes most natural to them. I'm not saying that the most natural response to something gone wrong is to swear - but it makes it more believable if SOMEONE actually swears. I think we can thank Verhoeven for that.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so it owes Pulp Fiction, but in my opinion has it's own voice and identity mainly because of the music-video direction style, sketch-like narrative and great performances. Thomas Jane delivers great (the drug-dealer show-down is extraordinary), Aaron Eckhart likewise. James LeGros has a short and effervescent appearance-great humor-"they got the Wong house". The Porzikova interrogation and rape scene is memorable, as is Mickey Rourke's cameo appearance-"take a peak".Great Hollywood popcorn B-production with strong performances of A-level aspirants and renegades(Rourke).Well, take a peak, it's worth.$LABEL$ 1 +As far as I know the real guy that the main actor is playing saw his performance and said it was an outstanding portrayal, I'd agree with him. This is a fantastic film about a quite gifted boy/man with a special body part helping him. Oscar and BAFTA winning, and Golden Globe nominated Daniel Day-Lewis plays Christy Browna crippled man with cerebral palsy who spends most of his life on the floor, in a wheelchair and carried by his family. He has a special left foot though, he can write with it, paint with it and hold things with it. He learns to speak later in the film, it is very good for a guy like him. Also starring Home Alone 2's Oscar winning, and Golden Globe nominated Brenda Fricker as Mrs. Brown and BAFTA winning Ray McAnally as Mr. Brown. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Director for Jim Sheridan, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Picture, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Film, Best Make Up Artist and Best Adapted Screenplay. Daniel Day-Lewis was number 85 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, he was number 20 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, he was number 9 on Britain's Finest Actors, and he was number 15 on The World's Greatest Actor, and the film was number 28 on The 50 Greatest British Films. Outstanding!$LABEL$ 1 +All I ever heard while being raised was equality of the sexes, and here we have a film that not only exemplifies imbalance, but continues through with a whole concept that one sex is better. All the while watching I was hoping for that redeeming quality to make the viewer feel as though there is hope for the future, and there wasn't. I'll admit to not finishing the film, I had to turn it off at the part where the old man whore told the genetic man Adam that it was ok to be a whore and get, and I quote, "More tail than any man in the past time." I know not finishing it is a bad review on myself, but it is the responsibility of the writer and crew to develope a story that will keep a viewer interested, and they failed. This film betrays all true female nature qualities of the mother figure and the need for balance. Instead it exemplifies what America ran by lesbian natzis would be like,and I'm not against lesbians. Thank you Mr. Director! Someone please give me a redeeming quality... wait I have it! There's no sequel!$LABEL$ 0 +I do regret that I have bought this series. I expected more action, more objective picture and more consistency. This is just a pure propaganda series, very dark, without any charm, or romanticism, it is just boredom itself. I find the actors work quite weak as well. O'Donnell might seem charming as Robin (with Batman), but in this picture he lacks any charm. Probably while he becomes older, he is loosing his childish charm but does not gain any charm of a grown up. It comes as no surprise, that it was not shown in a lot of countries and is being sold in the UK for 40% of the recommended price and was not even released in the Netherlands.$LABEL$ 0 +The story has been told before. A deadly disease is spreading around... But the extra in this film is Peter Weller, his interpretation of Muller on the run is real. He is indeed a desperate person just going home to see his child. This person could be working next to you.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was very well advertised. I am an avid movie goer and have seen previews for this movie for months. While I was somewhat skeptical of how funny this movie would actually be, my friends thought it was going to be great and hyped me up about it. Then I went and saw it, I was sunk down in my seat almost asleep until I remembered that I had paid for this movie. I made myself laugh at most of the stuff in the movie just so i wouldnt feel bad and destroy the good mood I was in, plus I wanted to get my monies worth out of the movie! I always go into a movie with an open mind, not trying to go into them with too many expectations, but this movie was not that funny. Now it wasnt the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is definitely worth waiting for HBO. If you havent seen many previews for the movie or you like very slow and corny comedies you may enjoy it, but for true comedy fans Id say pass. Maybe even check out The Kings of Comedy again. Something told me to go see Meet the Parents instead!!!$LABEL$ 0 +As far as I know this was my first experience with Icelandic movies. It's such a relief to see something else than your regular Hollywood motion picture. Too bad that movies like this one have a small chance of succeeding in the big world. I can only hope that people watch this by accident, by recommendation or other...Because it's really worth while. I left the cinema feeling really sad. I couldn't get the tragic destiny's of the characters out of my head. And it impressed me even more when I thought of the complexity of the film. Not only was it a tragic story, it had excellent comic reliefs and a very good soundtrack.If you have the opportunity, watch it! It's really thought provoking and made me ponder a lot.$LABEL$ 1 +Very typical Almodóvar of the time and, in its own way, no less funny than many of his later works. And why is that? There is nothing to be provoked or shocked about, and I guess any such effect is more coincidental than intentional. No, the great humor stems from an underlying, almost surreal, absurdity that is woven into the scenery: The characters' nearly complete lack of taboo. It's the same kind of 'comic suspense' you find in his later works, though you'll find it in a more rough version here. He's building up for masterpieces to come, but is not yet there.The sole reviewer who commented on this movie before I did, claimed that it had to be a "very select" group of people who'd find this movie hilarious. I do.$LABEL$ 1 +Once again, Doctor Who delivers the goods by the bucket load. It has humour ("You're just making it up as you go along!" "Yup, but I do it brilliantly"), action, monsters (in this case still more kick-ass cybermen), tragedy and scare tactics. In short, just what the doctor ordered (pun intended). The way that the emotions move from one to the other is done so well that there is no feeling of "get on with it". So, chalk up 3 out of the last 4 episodes that have made you laugh, then made you cry, and made you go "eek".In terms of character development, this is clearly the clincher for Noel Clarke's Mickey (and Ricky). Being one of the Doctor's companions, you know that he will do the right thing, and may even suspect the manner that he does it. However, it is still an emotional wrench when he confirms his future path.While "The rise of the Cybermen" had more of the sinister build up to terror, "The Age of Steel" is an all out blast. Like "Alien" compared to "Aliens" - both true classics, but in different ways. Can the series keep it up at this level? Let's hope so.$LABEL$ 1 +A Brother's Promise is a wonderful family film. This is a biography of Dan Jansen, a champion Olympic speed skater. The movie depicts this athlete's life from a young age through full adulthood. The love and support of the family members is evident throughout. How Dan and the rest of his family handle winning and losing races is a life lesson for all of us. The commitment and determination of Dan's coach and his teammates, shows what it takes to make a real team. How Dan and his family deal with a devastating illness of a loved one is depicted without undo sentiment or sugarcoating. The faith of the family is shown in basic terms and is obviously a major part of their lives. This is a powerful family film which can be meaningful for a person of any age.$LABEL$ 1 +Well...now that I know where Rob Zombie stole the title for his "House of 1,000 Corpses" crapfest, I can now rest in peace. Nothing about the somnambulant performances or trite script would raise the dead in "The House of Seven Corpses," but a groovie ghoulie comes up from his plot (ha!) anyway, to kill the bloody amateurs making a low-rent horror flick in his former abode! In Hell House (sorry, I don't remember the actual name of the residence), a bunch of mysterious, unexplained deaths took place long ago; some, like arthritic Lurch stand-in John Carradine (whose small role provides the film's only worthwhile moments), attribute it to the supernatural; bellowing film director John Ireland dismisses it as superstitious hokum. The result comes across like "Satan's School for Girls" (catchy title; made-for-TV production values; intriguing plot) crossed with "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" (low-rent movie about low-rent movie makers who wake the dead); trouble is, it's nowhere near as entertaining or fun. "The House of Seven Corpses" is dead at frame one, and spends the rest of its 89 minutes going through rigor mortis, dragging us along for every aching second...$LABEL$ 0 +Director Sidney Lumet has made some masterpieces,like Network,Dog Day Afternoon or Serpico.But,he was not having too much luck on his most recent works.Gloria (1999) was pathetic and Find Me Guilty was an interesting,but failed experiment.Now,Lumet brings his best film in decades and,by my point of view,a true masterpiece:Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.I think this film is like a rebirth for Lumet.This movie has an excellent story which,deeply,has many layers.Also,I think the ending of the movie is perfect.The performances are brilliant.Philip Seymour Hoffman brings,as usual,a magnificent performance and he's,no doubt,one of the best actors of our days.Ethan Hawke is also an excellent actor but he's underrated by my point of view.His performance in here is great.The rest of the cast is also excellent(specially,the great Albert Finney) but these two actors bring monumental performances which were sadly ignored by the pathetic Oscars.The film has a good level of intensity,in part thanks to the performances and,in part,thanks to the brilliant screenplay.Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a real masterpiece with perfect direction,a great screenplay and excellent performances.We need more movies like this.$LABEL$ 1 +I took my 14 year old to see this movie. We left after 15 or 20 minutes. It was absolutely awful! This movie should be rated R at the least. I am not that strict with movies but, this was just too much. It was a waste of money. I thought it would contain some comedy and I knew the comedy would probably be crude but, this was WAY beyond crude. I was sitting there watching and reading (a certain subtitle at the beginning of the movie was what really got me) and I could not believe how crudely sexual it was. I could not believe that it would be OK for a 13 year old to read and see this content. I don't understand how the rating system works.??$LABEL$ 0 +I loved this film. I thought it would be easy to watch, and easy to forget. I ran out after watching this to buy the DVD, obv not easily forgotten!The script is brilliant, and the casting couldn't be more perfect. Each character has their moment, and I laughed hard throughout this film, comedic timing was spot-on.$LABEL$ 1 +It's not easy to find Judas Kiss on VHS (it's not available on DVD), but I wanted to add this rather obscure movie to my Alan Rickman movie collection.I can't understand how the talented Mr. Rickman gets into these mediocre films? Judas Kiss boasts several wonderful actors, an interesting plot and intriguing twists, but its strange visual wanderings and chopping editing ruined what might have been a great crime drama. Many scenes seem to be missing vital information to explain the character's actions: Why was our hero immediately suspicious of his bosses? Why did he mistrust the detective he replaced? There were times when I honestly couldn't tell if the director meant Judas Kiss to be a legitimate crime drama or a campy spoof. Why else would he toss in a topless/alien/lesbian porno scene in the first two minutes (that little surprise certainly made me scramble for the remote since my kids were playing nearby!)? Did he purposely instruct his two distinguished English actors (Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson) to use such awful New Orlean's accents? As an Alan Freak, I confess that I still thought Mr. Rickman was sexy: in a rumpled, weary, "take-him-home-and-tuck-him-in" sort of way.Judas Kiss isn't a great movie, but it does have some intriguing moments, but I don't recommend it unless you're trying to immerse yourself in Alan Rickman.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, I should point out that I really enjoyed watching this documentary. Not only it had great music in it, but the shots and the editing were also wonderful. However, all these positive things about the film does not change the fact that it plays to the orientalist "East meets West" cliché that bothers many Turks like myself. Okay, this film tells the story of traditional and contemporary Turkish music in a very stylish manner which is a good thing, something that would show ignorant Europeans and Americans that this country is not just about murdering Armenians and Kurds. However, the problematic of the film is that it looks at what it defines as "east" from the eyes of the "west". I mean, like one jazz musician says in the film, maybe there is no east and west, maybe it is just a myth, a lie created by the ruling leaders of "western" countries in order to keep fear and hostility alive so that they could continue ruling the world and "keep the cash flowing"? Why don't you think about that?$LABEL$ 1 +STMD! is not a terrible movie, but it IS quite forgettable. The lighting is intentionally poor in many scenes and unintentionally poor in all the rest, so you are likely to come out of a viewing with a headache or eye-strain. Special effects are imaginative, but obvious. The gratuitous nudity essential for teen slasher flicks is there, of course, along with the archetypical teenagers, but the whole movie just doesn't gel. What was needed was some snappier dialogue and more tongue-in-cheek humor.I can't really recommend that you use your time watching this movie. I often give a nod to a movie based on just a scene or two that demonstrates imagination or humor, but these are sadly lacking in this film.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, I have no idea how this movie made it to the big screen. Its not even the low budget SCI-Fi channel movie, its just awful. Me and my friend who love action movies, Independence day, Jurassic Park, LotR, etc. went to see this movie expecting this movie to me a Transformers with dragons, mindless entertainment. All we got was a mindless hour and a half. The CG was not as bad as I was expecting, but the plot is so awful along with the acting, it made up for it. Its basically a Chinese legged of dragons returning every 500 years...Sounds like a good remake of Rain of Fire? No, The plot tries to be deeper than it should be leaving not only plot holes, but with magic, and a very small actual war between dragons(rather big snakes) it just gets ridiculous. The director attempted to add a bit of humor in the movie which fail. Me and my friend laughed through the whole thing(along with all 5 of the audience), and cant believed we spent money on this. The short trailer on TV makes up for most of the action while crap makes up the rest. I've seen a lot of B movies like Reptilian, The Cave, Spider, and others, but i have to say if you want a non stop laugh for an hour, watch this.Story: 1/10 CG: 5/10 Acting:3/10I don't drink...but it would have helped before watching this movie$LABEL$ 0 +i am not exactly how sure the accuracy is with this movie, but i can tell you that i was thoroughly entertained by this movie. the character of gust,played perfectly by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, was one of the most unique, yet entertaining characters in recent memory. this movie informed,yet managed to avoid preaching to the audience. it made me laugh, made me sad, made me feel alive, and glad to be spending the time to watch the movie. it takes no time to understand what is going on, and takes you on a roller coaster ride of genuine, human emotion. i thought i knew my history, apparently i didn't know it at all! i give this move 9 out of 10, and recommend it for all adults, and young adults, and the young at heart, just not the young. but as soon as they are allowed to see "r" rated movies, make it a priority.$LABEL$ 1 +I must have seen this a dozen times over the years. I was about fifteen when I first saw it in B & W on the local PBS station.I bought a DVD set for the children to see, and am making them watch it. They don't teach history in School, and this explains the most critical event of the 20th Century. It expands their critical thinking.Impartially, with the participants on all sides explaining in their own words what they did and why, it details what lead up to the war and the actual war.Buy it for your children, along with Alistair Cooke's America. Watch it with them, and make them understand. You'll be so glad you did.$LABEL$ 1 +Steven Seagal's films of late have not exactly been good, but this is by far the worst since The Patriot. The plot makes no sense what so ever; it is never clear in what the relationships between the characters are, who works for who or who is double crossing who. The film is completely disjointed, each scene seems to confuse the story further rather than carry it forward. Even the action sequences are uninspired and hard to follow. Most of the blame must lie at the director's feet for not even understanding the basics of film making, but Seagal does not get off lightly, as one of the producers of this film, he must also share the blame. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned how awful the acting is, even by Seagal standards. Even as straight to video fodder, this is not worth a view even for Seagal fans. Give it a wide berth!$LABEL$ 0 +and I for one think that is a good thing. I've just never been a Rosalind Russell fan although the original was my favorite RR movie. But I love Bette and was thrilled to hear she was making this.As for the rest of the production, I think it was slightly less than the original movie. One of my favorite minor characters in the original was Mazeppa with her scratchy fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice belting out "HEY! It takes a lot more than no talent to be a strippah!" and although I missed it, I was glad to see the producers had the guts not to do a carbon copy.I also liked the fact there are large portions of this movie which were filmed as if you are looking at a stage, it gives a feeling that you are in the theatre, not just at the movies.I think the other thing I liked about this production was that there seemed to be slightly less repetition of the song "Let me entertain you", which becomes completely annoying after about the 5th time you hear it.$LABEL$ 1 +So real and surreal, all in one. I remember feeling like Tessa. Heck, I remember being Tessa. This was a beautiful vignette of a relationship ending. I especially liked the protesters tangent. It is nice to see symbolism in a movie without being smacked over the head with it. If you get the chance to see this, take it. It is well worth the 30 minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +Thank God I watched this at a friend's place and did not pay for it. The plot is horribly transparent and the whole movie felt like an episode of a TV show. If you have any knowledge of computers or electronics, watch out. You will feel feel like the movie is an insult to your intelligence. Also, actress turned Much Music VJ Amanda Walsh displays the worst acting I have ever seen, excluding porn. She's lucky that Matt Lanter is actually decent. He's the one that carries the movie. I hate that I wasted nearly two hours of my life watching this movie! It's a shame that they got to call it a sequel, because I was a fan of the original, which was actually pretty good.$LABEL$ 0 +A friend lent me this DVD, which he got from the director at a festival, I think. I went in warned that some of the technical aspects of the movie were a bit shaky and that the writing was good but not great. So maybe that colored my judgment but I have to admit that I liked this movie.The standouts where the actors. Youssef Kerkor was really good as Ernie, the main character, kind of pathetic in a likable way. Adam Jones (who also directed) and Justin Lane were excellent as the roommates who drive Ernie mad. The Bill character (Justin Lane), who spends a lot of the film dressed like a panda, was by far my favorite; he seemed the least one-dimensional, and reminded me of an old college roommate so much I called the guy after watching the DVD. Really kind of lovable, and very funny. Some of the other acting was good, some was so-so, but none of it was bad. I also really liked the vigilante duo. Ridiculous and funny.I'm giving this one high marks, even though it has some issues, because you can tell when you watch it that these people cared, and decided to make their movie their way. Well done to Adam Jones and crew.$LABEL$ 1 +Shawshank, Godfather, Pulp Fiction... all good films. Great films. But nothing, and I mean nothing lives up to the greatest Christmas movie of all, Santa Claus.The film is so great and has so many messages, I cried while watching it. Seriously, this is one of those movies you need to watch 10 times. When we see Pitch get told he will have to eat ice cream, we see the sadness in his eyes, and we feel the deep sorrow, and then we wonder... what is so bad about this ice cream? Is it implying that we as humans are treating ice cream as good when all it does is make us evil? Think movie makes you think.This movie has the best rendition of Santa Claus ever. Unlike other Santas, he is a normal person. We see him imprisoning children and spying on kids dreams, and we wonder; is the Santa we believe in really that good? Also, this Santa actually mentions Christ, the whole meaning behind Christmas.You owe yourself to watch this cinematic masterpiece. We should just stop making movies and air nothing but this epic 24/7. Whether it's Christmas or not, this movie gets a 500/10. Whoever says this movie is bad is an ignorant fool.$LABEL$ 1 +I really cant think of anything good to say about this film...not a single thing. The script is a nightmare.. the writer blurs the line between chemical and biological traits and doesnt seem to understand the difference. You'd think they would at least get a technical advisor. The performances were bad by most of the cast... although I dont really blame them.. the material really stinks. The editing was equally bad.. I'll just stop now.. its all bad 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Cinema's greatest period started in post-War Europe with Italy's Neo-Realist movement. During the next 2 or 3 decades that followed, France's New Wavers caught everyone's attention, and there was always Bergman up there on his desolate Scandinavian island somewhere, making bitter masterpieces. But in 1971, Luchino Visconti brought the art-form to full circle, geographically speaking, with his miraculous work *Death in Venice*, which might as well be called *The Death of Europoean Cinema*. After the Sixties wound down, so did the great European filmmakers, who, with some exceptions, generally grew exhausted and passed the torch to a new American generation of Movie Brats (Coppola, Scorsese, & Co.). This movie absolutely feels like a grand summing-up, not just of Visconti's particular obsessions, but of the general attempt of European filmmakers to achieve the aesthetic ideal in movies. And rest assured, you will find no sterner task-master than the Visconti revealed here. He's not playing to the crowd, folks: either you get behind him and follow along, or you get left behind. The pacing is a challenge: slow, but never without emotional weight. "Incidents" are few and far between, but each seems loaded with symbolic significance in a sturm-und-drang cosmos.We will probably never be in such rarefied company again, in terms of the movies: one of the century's great writers who inspired the tale (Thomas Mann), one of the greatest filmmakers directing it (Visconti), one of the greatest actors in the lead role (Dirk Bogarde), and swelling almost ceaselessly in the background, Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony. Taking full advantage of Mahler's ability to inspire Romanticism in even the most cynical breast, Visconti changes the main character, Aschenbach, into a decrepit composer from his original persona as a writer, even making Bogarde up to LOOK like Mahler (geeky mustache, specs, shaggy hair, duck-like walk). Bogarde, by the way, delivers what is probably greatest performance of an actor in the history of movies: it's a largely silent performance, and the actor has to deliver reams of meaning in a gesture or a glance -- a difficult trick without mugging like Chaplin or merely acting like an animated corpse.Cinema just doesn't get better than this. I'll ignore the complaints from the Ritalin-addicts out there who say that it's too slow, but even the more legitimate gripe concerning some of Aschenbach's flashbacks with that antagonistic friend of his is misplaced. The flashbacks fit neatly within the movie's thematic concerns (i.e., which is the better path to aesthetic perfection: passion or discipline?), and the suddenness and shrillness of these interruptions serve to prevent sleepiness among the viewers. (Of course, some viewers will sleep through this movie, anyway.) A nonstop stream of Mahler and beautiful, dying Venice would be nothing more than a pretty picture; but this movie is actually about something. And what it's mostly about is suffering: Romantic (capital R) suffering, in particular. As a suffering Romantic himself, Visconti knew whereof he spoke.[SPOILER . . . I guess] If for nothing else, see *Death in Venice* for its portentous opening credits . . . and for its unforgettable ending, with Bogarde's jet-black hair-dye dripping off of his sweaty, dying head and onto his chalk-white face. Meanwhile, off in the distance, young Tadzio, the object of Bogarde's dying desire, stands in the ocean and points toward the horizon like a Michelangelo sculpture. The climatic sequence sums up with agonizing economy everything that the movie is about: love, lust, beauty, loss, the ending of a life set against the beginning of another life, and cold death in the midst of warm, sunny beauty. *Death in Venice* is a miraculous work of art. [DVD tip: as with the simultaneously released Visconti masterpiece *The Damned*, I recommend that you turn the English subtitles ON while watching this movie. It's ostensibly in English, but the DVD's sound seems muddy and there's a lot of Italian spoken during the film, anyway.] $LABEL$ 1 +This is a stereotype plot. A young fighter tries to enter a competition when he is not ready and is not selected to represent his fighting school. This leads to separation from the fighting school and naturally he finds a strange new master to teach him to fight.The fights are not of high standards. They are way too "simple" in a way that 1+1 is simple to every adult. The fighter has trained and enters the ring, but does not do what he trained and gets an ass kicking. The coach yells do this and do that with no success. And after some more of this ridiculous beating he suddenly does what he is told and hits his opponent once. This results in a turning point in the fight, although our hero has been taking a beating of his life up until that point. Think about the Rocky movies and you'll have a good point of reference of how much beating he really takes. The fights are also shot poorly.There final thing that screws this film up is the stupid romance. Cheesy music and awkward moments are not what I call entertainment.These guys really could have made some quality entertainment, but the director wasn't up to the task. Or the other crew in my opinion. Maybe they had a small budget, I don't know, but what matters in the end is that this movie is bad and deserves the rating of 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +This production was quite a surprise for me. I absolutely love obscure early 30s movies, but I wasn't prepared for the last 25 minutes of this story. If, by any chance, you're not convinced in the first half, hang in there for the finale. Of course, you must look at the blatant racism as being purely topical. A fascinating viewing experience, but I think THE CAT'S PAW is not available on video/DVD yet. Watch your PBS listings!$LABEL$ 1 +It isn't TOO bad, but ultimately it lacks the quality that the Australian series has.The jokes are few and far between, the actors are attractive (they shouldn't be), the film makers think far too much about the cinematography (it's supposed to look like a home video) and it's just like a serious version of Kath and Kim... it's stupid.It's too normal to be Kath and Kim. Kath and Kim are supposed to be two curvy, middle-aged women who think they are hot and wear ridiculous clothes. There are no "Look at me Kimmy!" jokes. The fat friend of Kim is not fat at all and she's not even slightly stupid. She's a stereotypical black/Latino chick.It's just not as stupid or funny as the Australian series. It doesn't compare. Nothing is the same. I admit, this show is pretty funny at times, but it is NOT anything like the Aussie series. I was looking forward to an American take on a bogan family. They failed. It's supposed to be REALLY stupid and hilarious, but the actors don't act stupid! To me, this is just a typical American TV show. It's a let down if you want it to be anything like the Aussie show.2 Stars because it is an OKAY show, just nothing like what it should be.$LABEL$ 0 +From the decrepit ranks of the already over-saturated 'Hillybilly Horror' sub-genre comes this woeful tale of a vacationing family terrorized by inbred rednecks. Sound familiar? Well it most definitely should to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the horror genre. There is absolutely new here. The film seems content to recycle all thee old worn out clichés (deformed hicks, a peaceful family turned gun-toting killers when push comes to show, the rebellious daughter, the one 'freak' who's good at heart, etcetera...), but does even that half-heartedly enough to make this an utter waste of time. This is forgettable dreck, but humorously enough lead J.D. Hart once starred in a movie called "Films that Suck" earlier in his career, quite an ironic omen indeed.My Grade: D-$LABEL$ 0 +As a huge baseball fan, my scrutiny of this film is how realistic it appears. Dennis Quaid had all of the right moves and stances of a major league pitcher. It is a fantastic true story told with just a little too much "Disney" for my taste.$LABEL$ 1 +This film takes you on one family's impossible journey, and makes you feel every step of their odyssey. Beautifully acted and photographed, heartbreakingly real. Its last line, with its wistful hope, is one of the more powerful in memory.$LABEL$ 1 +Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I can not stand Ben stiller anymore. How this man is allowed to still make movies is beyond me. I can't understand how this happens if I performed at work the way he acts in a movie I'd get fired and I own the company.....I would have to fire myself. GOD! This movie was just a plain, steaming, stinking pile of POO, that needs to be vapoorized if that were possible. Something else I have to say the guideline about 10 lines of text in a comment is idiotic. What is wrong with just saying a few things about a movie? I will never understand why sites will require a short novel written when sometimes a brief comment is all that is necessary.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is great for many reasons..The father and mother can communicate with their kids this day in age. Its so great to see a real family instead of some stuffy overacting family. I watched this one time and became hooked.It so great to see a black family on TV worth watching. This show left too soon but on its way out it dealt with pregnancy, sexy, drugs, bad dates,death etc .The best thing about the show was that it dealt with it in a real humorous sort of way. Great show for the family ..I cant tell you how many times I have sat up watched this show late at night sometimes and laughed my head off. Great pg 13 rated show.I loved everybit of this show.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is where the Batman franchise ought to have stopped. Though I will concede that the ideas behind "Batman Forever" were excellent and could have been easily realised by a competent director, as it turned out this was not to be the case.Apparently Warner Brothers executives were disappointed with how dark this second Batman film from Tim Burton turned out. Apart from the idiocy of expecting anything else from Burton, and the conservative cowardice of their subsequent decision to turn the franchise into an homage to the Sixties TV series, I fail to understand how "Batman Returns" can be considered at all disappointing.True, it is not quite the equal of the first film - though it repairs all the minor deficiencies of style found in "Batman," a weaker script that splits the antagonism between not just two but three characters invites unflattering comparisons to the masterful pairing of Keaton and Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the first film. Yet for all this it remains a gorgeously dark film, true to the way the Batman was always meant to be, and highly satisfying.Michael Keaton returns as the Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, tangling with nouveau riche tycoon Max Schreck (Christopher Walken, named in honour of the 1920s German silent actor), his partner-in-crime Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin (Danny DeVito in brilliant makeup reminiscent of Laurence Olivier's "Richard III"), and Selina Kyle, the Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), whom Wayne romances both as himself and as the Batman. The four principals turn in excellent performances, especially Walken and DeVito, while together Keaton and Pfeiffer explore the darker side of double identities.There are some intriguing concepts in this film. About the only weakness I can really point out is a certain limpness to the script in some places, which I think is due mostly to the way this film is a four-cornered fight. There simply isn't enough time to properly explore what's going on.Nevertheless, this is a damn good film. I highly recommend watching this in conjunction with the first, and then weeping for how good the series could have been had it continued under Burton and Keaton.$LABEL$ 1 +The Quick and the Undead is, finally, the first movie to actually render its own storyline null and void. It is, essentially, one gigantic plot hole.Aside from that, the acting was quite bad, character motivations nonexistent or unbelievable and there wasn't a single character worth hanging our hat on. The most interesting cast member (who had great potential to be a dark horse protagonist) got snuffed halfway through the proceedings.What the Quick and the Undead DOES serve as is an excellent example of how to do good color-timing. It looked excellent, when you take into account budget considerations.Unfortunately, it plays out like a guy got his hands on a hundred grand and watched a few westerns (most notably The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) and then just threw a bunch of elements haphazardly into a movie... "you know, they have movies where characters do THIS! Does it fit here? No, but who cares! They do it in other movies so I should do it here!" Maybe a good view for burgeoning cinematographers and colorists (first-year film-schoolers). Otherwise, a must-miss.$LABEL$ 0 +I was stunned by this film. Afterwards, I didn't even want to see any films for a long time- any other film would be so unsatisfying by comparison.For many, it may be the worst of Antonioni- very slow, without an engaging conventional story line, microscopic examinations of human emotions and interactions- and the worst of Wenders- verbose, confused transcendentalism. It is composed of short distinct episodes linked by Wenders' typical meandering hero's stream of consciousness, so it doesn't produce the temporary oblivion of escapist cinema.But for fans, the worst is the best and the disjointed story line is sketching a single poetic image that stretches across the film. Wenders and Antonioni create a discourse between their segments that seeks out the heart of things.$LABEL$ 1 +Am I the only person who thinks that the entire Forensics and Scenes Of Crime community in the USA must detest this almighty slap in their faces. A rookie cop is first to a crime scene where her back up is so slow to respond that she has time to send the kid who found the body to the local store to buy a disposable camera. By the time he returns (still no senior cops, SOCOs or other assistance for the lovely Jolie - this is New York isn't it??) it has started raining and she gets to work photographing the evidence, only after she'd stood in front of an Amtrak to stop it disturbing the scene.I want to know the name of that camera as the photographs were so incredibly detailed that no amount of zooming in distorted the images!! The horror continues:- not in the film itself (pretty ordinary I'm afraid) but in the Lincoln Rhyme character as played by Mr Washington. This man is a highly dedicated Forensic Crime Scene Examiner with years of experience who, instead of the highly trained but invisible local Crime Scene Examiners, entrusts the work to an untrained cop, a rookie cop, who proceeds to find the very obviously placed clues and move them before photographing them thus contaminating every item and making DNA profiling well nigh impossible. Now that was a bright idea eh? I know one should be able to suspend disbelief to a degree but those who say this film is intelligent must have entirely disengaged their ability to think in order to find this film believable.I have given this film 4/10 for the superb acting of Denzel Washington and for Miss Jolie's lips which are the only items requiring my disbelief to be suspended!$LABEL$ 0 +The one of the most remarkable sci-fi movies of the millennium. Not only a movie but an incredible future vision, this movie establishes a new standard of s/f movies. hail and kill!$LABEL$ 1 +This is the second Hitchcock film to appear on the list and the second Hitchcock film I've seen in full, the first was Rope, which I really enjoyed. With Saboteur Hitchcock was more room to roam free, whereas Rope took place all in one room. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Rope but that's not saying this is a bad film, it just seems like an average flick that could have been something more.It seems like a film Hitchcock would make as a break in between his more serious ones. As a thriller, I feel it fails to really get my on the edge of my seat or engaged with the lead character who is running around the States. The climax of the film feels like a miss opportunity to really amp up the tension. The sound design is almost non existent. You can hear their dialogue and a bit of the environment around them, but the important things are missing, the stitches ripping apart from the sleeve, the need of music to amp of the tension, all missing. Intentional no doubt, yet it lacks the emotional punch one would want from such a scene. Then it ends abruptly leaving you empty inside.The film doesn't feel like it should either, they are almost globe trotting from place to place, yet it feels more confined. The script itself is very average and seems to go about the more obtuse ways to get the plot moving.The performances are there, but nothing amazing. Everyone plays their parts to scripted words on the page. The relationship between the two leads is weak and needed more work. The one stand out is Otto Kruger, who has that rich, ego, evil persona down pat.In the end, I wanted more from this one. I understand it's one of Hitchcock's least exciting films, but I did have a good time watching it. I can recommend it, just not enthusiastically.$LABEL$ 1 +It is always difficult to bring a 450 pages book down to a three hours film. I read the book before, and I found the BBC production dealing with this difficulty in the best way possible. The qualities of the book haven't been lost: the dense and lively depiction of a fingersmith patchwork family in London in the 1860s, the cold and obscene cruelty in which Maud is brought up, the characterization of different social groups by different ways of speaking, the unexpected and surprising twists of the story, the way the film makes the spectators look different at the same scenes when they are told first from Sue's point of view then from Maud's one. The main actors do very good, and especially the growing love between the two women is convincingly developed, with a first culmination in a very tender love scene between the two and finally forgiving all the evil they were ready to do and did to each other, because they still love each other.For each of her books the author, Sarah Waters, has thoroughly investigated what life was like in British 19th century. While in Tipping the Velvet it was the world of the vaudeville theaters and the beginning of social movements, in Affinity the dreadful reality of women penitentiaries and the fashionable evocation of spirits, in Fingersmith she depicts the public ceremony of hanging people in London and the inhuman treatment of persons supposed or declared disturbed in asylums based on the reading of sources and scientific research. This is very well transferred to the film so that the corresponding scenes show a high grade of historic truth. I highly recommend this film production because it offers three hours of colorful Victorian atmosphere, vivid emotions, and suspense.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of my all time favorite cheap, corny, vampire B movies. Calvin Klein underwear model...oh, I mean, Stefan the Good Vampire, returns to Transylvania to ascend the throne of Vampiric Royalty, but Manicure-impaired and eternally drooling half brother Radu has other plans. Having killed their father the Vampire King, Radu now sets his sights on Stefan, Stefan's new mortal girlfriend Michelle and her two pretty friends, and the all-powerful Bloodstone.Okay, the scenery is beautiful, and it should be as it was shot on location in Transyl-fricken-vania for gosh sakes. The actresses are no great shakes and Stefan the Heroic Vampire is about as charming as a refrigerated fireplace poker, but who cares? There's only one reason to watch this movie, and his name is RADU! He's a physical homage to Nosferatu and he has the best lines in the movie, all spoken in the raspy voice of a man who smokes ten packs of cigarettes a day. The cemetery festival scene is one of the best scenes in the film, as Radu slowly approaches the camera and reveals his grinning, slobbering face for the world to see. I found myself cheering him on as he collected victims and taunted his perfect brother. But maybe I'm just a sicko. Questionable taste in men aside, I highly recommend this film to vampire enthusiasts. It's original, it's fun, and Radu is one of the best vampires I've seen in a long time...much more fun than the stiff, tragic, whining Undead brats that endlessly grace the horror screens these days. Radu enjoys his sadism and never apologizes. He's what a vampire should be.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me first off say that I am a believer of ghosts, and I do indeed know they exist. I have had enough experiences with them to know they are there.What I hate is the people who bring the Bible and Religion into all of this. People forget there is more than one "Bible", thousands of religions and beliefs, and different ways to interpret what is said in the Bible. Not everyone believes in God, and not everyone believes in stereo-typical religion. Religion does not make everything fact, one of the things I should mention in the Bible that many do not know is that even the most rampant Bible thumper is breaking the very rules written within....you are supposed to never wear more than one fabric at one time, slavery is OK, and you may murder your neighbor under certain circumstances. None of this, "Oh that was the Old testament, and now we have the New Testament." If the Bible is the word of God, and cannot be changed..there should be no changes, or versions. Religion is full of misinterpretations, mixed facts, and people who so blindly follow it that there, "Is no other way." The excuses these said blind followers use are either pathetic, or they themselves cannot explain the discrepancies properly, and instead use excuses handed down to them from either their Pastor or teacher. But anyhow, onto the review. I am a decent fan of "Ghost Hunters" and when I heard this show was coming soon, I was pretty excited and thought it had some potential. As much as I like watching "Ghost Hunters", I do not like some of their members, and I do not like the way they can dismiss a place as being haunted, yet cannot explain anything that is going on. Just because your investigation equipment does not pick it up, does not mean the camera filming the show did not. I am glad they are skeptical, but it's like they do not understand that just because you did not get anything on your recorder and film does not make the place haunted or not. If Ghosts were that easy to capture, it would be known as a fact, not a belief. It's more of a "right place at the right time" kind of thing, as well as if there is something there, what makes you think it's going to "perform" for you? This show is kind of silly. It's usually boring, and there is lots of talk, lots of psychics, yet hardly anything happens. The main guy's filtered narration is usually either boring to listen to, or is basically not needed.Also, the reliance on psychics is too abundant, as I believe VERY few of them are actually gifted. Silvia Brown is one I definitely believe in, but most are sometimes hard to believe.I really wanted to like this show, but of the few I have seen I have yet to be terribly impressed.$LABEL$ 0 +For a long time, 'The Menagerie' was my favorite 'Star Trek' episode though in recent years it has been eclipsed by 'City on the Edge of Forever.' What I used to prefer about 'Menagerie' was that it's more hard-core Star Trek with this fascinating back-story to the then-current Trek storyline. I still think it's fairly ingenious the way Gene Roddenberry incorporated the original pilot into a two-part episode. Though the 'new' part of the story is largely an excuse for Kirk and a few others (and us) to watch the pilot, the idea of Spock being court-martialed is a clever one. You can poke holes in the plot if you want. For instance, given the Talosians' mind-control abilities and Captain Pike's condition, why is it even necessary to physically bring Pike back to their planet? And there are other confusing questions about Pike and Commodore Mendez... best to not think too hard about the details and just enjoy ST's only two-parter.$LABEL$ 1 +Coen Brothers-wannabe from writer-director Paul Chart relies far too much on ideas lifted from other (better) movies, yet does manage to create a creepy atmosphere that keeps one watching. Robert Forster cuts loose as never before playing a psychopathic psychiatrist (ha ha) who goes on a killing spree in the desert. The film is unusual, but in its attempt to keep one step ahead of the audience, it becomes alienating and off-putting (with a role for Amanda Plummer that is downright humiliating). An admittedly bravura finale, many quirky bits of business--and Forster looking great in the nude--make this a curiosity item, nothing more. Veteran movie-director Irvin Kershner produced, and maybe should directed as well (could Paul Chart be a pseudonym?). *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +When it was released this film caused a sensation. I watched it and was thrilled. Beautiful, usually young, naked women filmed in the classy style we knew so well from director Hamiltons photography. His photographs never become porn and the same is true for this movie. Today I saw it again and was bitterly disappointed. The soft core in extremely slow paced scenes, all filmed with some Vaseline on the lenses, actually is all there is. There is no real story, the characters remain beautiful and beautifully filmed bodies, but they are not real creatures with a soul. Actually nothing happens. It is like Hamilton is photographing using moving pictures rather than stills. And this gets so boring after a while. I even didn't watch the whole thing the second time, for I fell vast asleep. That is all that remains of this masterpiece: it is a very good sleeping pill. And you will never become addicted to it!Back then 7 out of 10, now 3 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +Largely forgettable tale in which mercenary Kerman & employer Agren travel into the jungle in search of Agren's missing sister.Despite its connection to the cannibal movie family, this film is more of an extreme version of Rene Cardona's "Guyana - Crime of the Century". Lenzi clearly aims to exploit the (at that time) topical Jonestown massacre, by depicting a rogue, self righteous zealot with a penchant for bigamy and just a hint of megalomania (played with ruthless intensity by Ivan Rassimov) leading his motley crew flock into self inflicted oblivion. With sister in toe, Kerman & Agren attempt to stop the rot, but after several failed coups, they end up fleeing into the "Green Inferno", only to run afoul the locals and their notorious appetites.One in a string of excessive gore fests that emerged in the late seventies/early eighties, where every new addition seemed to engage in a one-upmanship contest with its predecessor, by attempting to contrive the most gory and graphic display ever brought to motion pictures. This inferior instalment employs all the motifs and gimmicks of the others, but with much less success.Was it the so called "Amazonian natives" who looked like they were Bollywood rejects (this film was made on location in Sri Lanka), or the inept "decapitation" and "castration" scenes that seriously diminished the authenticity that was apparent in "Cannibal Holocaust"? You can decide. Without spoiling the conclusion, it appeared as though Lenzi put more emphasis in his shock and awe climax than in the basic requirement for a cohesive ending, where all loose ends are resolved. Most unsatisfying.As with the others, where the extent of the graphic depictions of violence toward humans is limited (thankfully), the filmmakers have spared no extreme in inflicting the worst possible cruelty on hapless animals in their pursuit of the most sadistic shocks. Unfortunately, the only thing shocking about this film is that it rates a mention among others of the ilk, that deal with the subject matter more convincingly.If there are any redeemable features at all, Kerman is an affable if somewhat one-dimensional leading man, and his bevy of scantily clad co-stars (Agren, Lai and Senatore) provide some visual respite from the relentless slayings.$LABEL$ 0 +Get Smart should be titled Get Stupid. There is not one funny line or gag in the entire film. This film is so bad it makes the Austin Powers films look Shakespearean. A few more films like this and Steve Carell can kiss his career goodbye. As for Anne Hathaway, what is she doing in this film? She's a good actress but is just plain terrible.The writing is pathetically lame. There is not one funny, clever, or witty line. There is not one good sight gag.The directing is terrible. Comedy relies on timing. Someone should tell the director that. Every line that is supposed to be funny (and isn't) is delivered with absolutely the worst sense of comic timing I've ever seen.0 stars$LABEL$ 0 +Herculis Puaro is, in general, a well established 'hero' we know well from books and movies. This movie or this story don't work and i felt its not Agatha's mistake. The cast isn't good, the actors are over exaggerating and making foolish gestures, the costumes are so clean and tidy that everything (even Arab clothes) look fake and for the serious spectator who thinks twice this movie can be seen as a comedy instead of mystery drama. The actor playing Herculis Puaro is doing a nice job but nothing fantastic. The scenes are, as said before, perfect and looking fake. The story is not very enchanting although a mystery of murder but who cares about the death of a loony and vicious blond 45+ woman in the iraqi desert?! The 'victim' is not likable.$LABEL$ 0 +How can so many blundering decisions can be made. All that waste of resources!Its an idiotic story to begin with but theres no need to make it worse.A loose interpretation? Are you kidding! it diminishes my regard for Voight and Coburn.I hope they were paid well.$LABEL$ 0 +This was by far the worst movie I've ever seen. And thats compared to Alexander, Fortress 2 and The new world.I should go back to blockbuster and ask for my money back along with compensation as it was a truly traumatic experience. For the first ten minutes i was changing the zoom on my widescreen TV because the actors seemed to be out of screen. I didn't think it was possible to make such a bad film in this day and age, i was wrong. While typing this message, I've thought of a good reason to buy this movie. A joke present at Xmas. I'm blaming the Mrs for this one as she picked it, thanks babe.Be warned.......A true shocker all round!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +If you've read Mother Night and enjoyed it so much (as I did) that you just have to see the movie, understand that you have to understand a fundamental element of Vonngut's writing - that beyond his story lies Vonnegut himself, and that you can't put a human mind on the screen. His whit and humor just cannot be transcribed by a screenplay or even the best acting performance. I believe that this movie exceeds in asking the key questions that Vonnegut poses in his book, but those frequent cynical moments of satire found on the page are not found on the screen. Does this mean that the movie misses the mark? Of course not. In my opinion, the movie succeeds because it does not try to recreate the experience of reading the book (this is not a medium for those too lazy to turn a page). It succeeds because it takes the fundamental elements of a story created by one of America's true artistic treasures and presents it in a a framework without pretense. I've seen other movie versions of Vonnegut books where the director obviously tries to channel Vonnegut's genius and loses grip on his own craft. I would not place this movie as one of the best I've seen, but it stands on its own legs as one well worth watching. By taking Vonnegut's "voice" out of the movie's narration or trying to insert it however it can, Mother Night tells his story brilliantly, and preserves the story's fundamental lessons without confusion, distraction, or disappointment.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst movies, I've ever seen. Not only, that it is a comedy, which isn't funny, but it's also very badly made with an over the top direction full of unnecessary split screens and other effects.The two "heroes" with their fantasy language are just annoying and it confused me quite a lot, that they touched each others genitals all the time. But the worst of all that nonsense is the cheap attempt to give that movie some appeal, by referring to German history and to show sensitive aspects of the "heroes", which finds its climax in showing how Erkan and Stefan cure a mentally ill woman with their "joyful" lifestyle (!). But I hadn't expect anything better by director Michael "Bully" Herbig, who also made two not funny TV-shows, a not funny western movie and a nearly not funny SF-comedy movie. But Erkan and Stefan had been- just a little- better in some of their stand-up programs. For me the only good thing about the movie is Alexandra Neldel, who is very beautiful to me.$LABEL$ 0 +I sat through this on TV hoping because of the names in it that it would be worth the time...but dear Gussie, whoever thought this script was worth producing? The basic idea is excellent but the execution is appallingly bad, with a constantly illogical sequence of scenes, an ending that is almost laughably melodramatic and poor Rock Hudson wanders through this with an understandably confused look on his slightly sagging face. Looks like a bad B movie from the 40's...$LABEL$ 0 +A number of contributors have mentioned the age difference between Stewart and Novak. She was 25 and he was 50 when this movie was released. I think that the difference didn't matter for a suspense drama like Vertigo, but it does matter for a romantic comedy. We can easily understand, that is, why his character would be attracted to hers, but it's less clear why hers would be attracted to his.Still, the movie works as a light romantic fantasy. The scene where she stares at him across the cat's head, with her dark painted-on eyebrows flaring and the sounds of her humming and the cat purring, is true magic. It's a little jarring, therefore, when the scene shifts to the top of the Flatiron Building, and we see the age difference very sharply. As he embraces her, she reaches up to run her fingers through his hair, but stops that motion and just brushes her fingertips lightly against his toupee.$LABEL$ 1 +Family problems abound in real life and that is what this movie is about. Love can hold the members together through out the ordeals and trials and that is what this movie is about. One man, Daddy, has the maturity and fortitude to sustain the family in the face of adversity. The kids grow up,one all be it, in the hard way, to realize that no matter how old they or a parent is, the parent still loves their children and are willing to provide them a cushion when they fall. ALL the actors portraying their characters did outstanding performances. Yes, I shed a tear along the way knowing I had had similar experiences both as a young adult and later as a parent. This true to life is one which every young adult, and parent, would do well to see, although some will not realize it until they too are parents. A must see for those who care about their families.$LABEL$ 1 +The only conceivable flaw of this film is it's title!! Please stop comparing it to the first! I did in my previous review only to separate it from the first. If you haven't seen the movie and are curious, TOTALLY forget about the first and invent a different name for this. There is nothing alike and has a mood all its own. This is a great exponent of screwy mid-80s comedy. I seriously doubt such big names in this cast did the movie because they were broke or even wanted to remake the first. Anybody who ever wanted to give a kick to the snobbish aristocracy should love this little opus. I maintain, the only reason this is in the IMDB bottom 100 is because of its title. I usually hate movies like these (i.e. adam sandler, will farrell, farrelly bros....), but this movie just keeps me laughing hysterically. I dunno, maybe it's like a bad relationship I can't get out of or just a ridiculous guilty pleasure. Either way, this is the single most underrated movie of the 80s behind 'The Stunt Man.'Robert Stack- WE LOVE YOU!!! (1919-2003)$LABEL$ 1 +Salva and his pal Bigardo have been at the margin of the law during most of their lives. We see them panhandling in a car of the underground, where their pitch to get donations is so lame, no one gives them anything! Salva, who is a hardened petty criminal doesn't even have any redeeming qualities, that is, until he discovers a reality show on television that gives him the idea of what to do next. Religion and show business prove to be a winning combination, something that Salva capitalizes on.He and Bigardo have been in jail after the accidental death of a priest that was critical of the duo. Salva shows he is a natural for the reality show. He transforms himself into a Christ-like figure who is an instant success in the program. Espe, who is a no-nonsense woman who is show's producer, can't escape from the way Salva pays her unusual attention. Ultimately, Salva is the victim of his own success in the end.Jordi Molla, whose first directorial job this movie is, had some success in the way the film satirizes the role of television. Spain, which was vulnerable to these types of programs, has seen its share of the bizarre, which is what the director felt is an assault on the viewing public and wanted to set his story from the point of view of the people that are making a fortune out of the naive audience.The ensemble cast has some good moments in the film. Mr. Molla, like any actor who decides to direct his first feature, would have been more effective concentrating on the picture in front of the camera. Candela Pena, a good actress, is one of the best reasons for watching the movie. Juan Carlos Villedo, David Gimenez Cacho, Franco Francescoantonio, Florinda Chico and the rest responded well to the new director.$LABEL$ 1 +These kinda movies just don't get the credit they deserve. This is my 2nd all time favorite movie, (Stand By Me being 1st.) The reason I watched this movie was because Wil Wheaton was in it and he is my most favorite person in the whole world and I think he done an amazing job in this movie and so did Sean Astin. I just watched it last night actually and it just amazed me. Everything in the movie is very exceptional. The script, the acting, the screenplay. I was on the edge of my seat 80% of the time, and if my mom wasn't in the room I would have absolutely balled whenever Joey Trotta (Wil Wheaton) died. I did not see that coming!! At all!! I was real surprised when I heard that it wasn't real popular back in the 90's. I was born a few years after it came out so, of course, I didn't go see it in the theaters, but im sure I would have if I would have been alive. If any of my friends watched this, they would be like, "uhh okay?" but thats just cause their not cool enough to appreciate work like this. If you haven't seen this movie, or are wanting to watch something that is the bomb, this is the movie for you to watch.$LABEL$ 1 +As a big-time Prince fan of the last three to four years, I really can't believe I've only just got round to watching "Purple Rain". The brand new 2-disc anniversary Special Edition led me to buy it. Wow, I was really looking forward to watching it, but I wasn't prepared for just how electric it actually is. Prince's musical performances throughout the movie are nothing short of astounding - he REALLY has the moves in this one. I am very familiar (from repeated listens) with the classic "Purple Rain" album and all its songs, but to see them in the context of the movie completely alters your perception of the tunes and lyrics - like COMPUTER BLUE, THE BEAUTIFUL ONES, WHEN DOVES CRY and PURPLE RAIN itself. There is something indescribably hypnotising about the scenes where Prince and The Revolution perform. The closing songs BABY I'M A STAR and I WOULD DIE FOR U show how much energy and sheer talent Prince was brimming with in his mid-20s (he's overflowing!), it blew me away. It even makes Michael Jackson seem inanimate even in his peak years.Prince shows you how to win the girl of your dreams - drive her to a lake, make her jump in, then drive off - absolutely hilarious stuff in hindsight.Some of the scenes are very 1980s and unintentionally hilarious but this adds to the film's overall charm. Morris Day is the coolest cat on the block (and hilarious), and when his group The Time perform THE BIRD you get to see Morris Day and Jerome Benton light up the stage Minneapolis funk style - I love their dancing in this bit, and how Benton provides Morris with a mirror mid-performance.I already can't wait to watch it again, I really can't! Extras are terrific - particularly seeing a young Eddie Murphy pre-Beverly Hills Cop admit he is a "Prince groupie".$LABEL$ 1 +A good ol' boy film is almost required to have moonshine, car chases, a storyline that has a vague resemblance to "plot" and at least one very pretty country gal, barefoot with short shorts and a low top. The pretty gal is here (dressed in designer jeans)-- but the redneck prerequisites stop there. Jimmy Dean is a natural as a sausage spokesman but as a tough guy former sheriff, he comes up way short. Big John is big, but he isn't convincing with the "bad" part of his moniker. Bug-eyed Jack Elam is a hoot as always and Bo Hopkins has been playing this same part for decades; Ned Beatty also does his part in a small role... but there is no STORY. It smells more like an episode of In The Heat Of The Night than a feature film. Cornball cornpone with easily predictable sentiment. Perhaps the most glaring problem with this movie is Charlie Daniels singing the theme. You know the one; it was made famous by... Jimmy Dean.$LABEL$ 0 +After several extremely well ratings to the point of SUPERB, I was extremely pleased with the film. The film was dark, moving, the anger, the pain, the guilt and a very extremely convincing demon.I had initially expected to see many special effects, and like a lover's caress, it blew me away with the subtlety and the rightness of it. Brian, I am again blown away with your artistry with the telling of the story and your care of the special effects. You will go a long way, my friend. I will definitely be the president of your fan club.Eric Etebari, the best actor award, was the number one choice. You made Jr. Lopez look like a child compared to Kasadya. :) Overall, the acting, story line, the high quality filming and awesome effects, it was fantastic. I just wish it were longer. I am looking forward to The Dreamless with extremely high expectations.$LABEL$ 1 +But it is kinda hilarious, at least if you grew up on Weird Al, like I did. It's a mockumentary about his life and career, beginning with superstardom and going back to trace the origins. It's uneven in places, but some of the segments are still very funny, particularly when he goes to Japan. Although it's not quite as emotionally textured as Lost in Translation, and he doesn't find love however fleeting, he does capture in a bottle the absolutely bizarre cultural melange that is Tokyo street life.Perhaps Weird Al isn't recognized as the insightful cultural commentator that he is; perhaps a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Still, this is a funny movie.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the two Best Films of the year. A well filmed, well written, well put together film with an outstanding cast. Lau Ching Wan and his friends (Dayo Wong Chi Wa, Anthony Wong Chau Sun, Francis Ng Chun Yu, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Cheung Man Tat) had great chemistry before the film and their friendship shows in their performances. Theresa Lee plays her comedic role well (Though much like a female version of Michael Wong, her gag seems to be the foreign born Chinese surrounded by native HKers.), and I found myself cheering for innovative explosive scenes, something I haven't done since 1. the fan boys took over alt.asian-movies and 2. John woo's Hardboiled. Sure the ending was expected, but I feel better cheering for cops than a bunch of young gang members. Highly enjoyable.$LABEL$ 1 +I managed to see this at the New York International Film Festival in November 2005 with my boyfriend. We were both quite impressed with the complexity of the plot and found it to be emotionally moving. It was very well directed with strong imagery. The visual effects were amazing - especially for a short. It had an original fantasy approach to a very real and serious topic: This film is about a young girl who is visited by a demon offering to help her situation with her abusive father. There is also a surprise twist at the end which caught me off guard. This leans towards the Gothic feel. I would love to see this as a full feature film. -- Carrie$LABEL$ 1 +Why else would he do this to me?Not that I expect Dean Cain to produce hit movies. Or even decent movies. I saw Lois and Clark, I am aware of just how... "good" Dean Cain is.Obviously this is gonna be a cheesey flick, and each cheesey flick has its own special way to make you scratch your head. I will not call these spoilers as you can't really spoil this movie any more than it already is.To begin with... why is that a fake helicopter? I mean... why?How come that one scientist is from Chicago and that other scientist is from LA and neither one could be any more eastern european if they tried? How hard would it have been to get either an american actor, or just change that lame state sheet the movie provides us with to say those people aren't american?Why are there 2 occasions when the movie gives us a slug line? We get helipad-day and then mess hall-day later on. And then that's it, who cares about the timeline. To be honest, who cared about it even when they mentioned it, but I guess that's beside the point.Does a movie really get better if you are able to view it through multiple split screens? The answer is no.That dragon sure can walk down that hall..over..and over...and over....and over...Who on earth was responsible for one of the worst endings in film history? It was straight out of scooby doo. Oh, the dragon's dead now...say, wanna get dinner? Sure, but not at some Chinese place....with Dragon in the name!! AH HA HA HA!! HA HA HA!! HAHA HA! I used to be Superman! AHA HA HA! HA HA!fade to blackmy god, it made me cringe it was so stupid.But never fear..even though the whole building exploded...and no one was left alive..for some reason there's a second untouched, unmanned lab that survived pretty well, so they can make a sequel. Hurray for us all.$LABEL$ 0 +Minimal script, minimal character development, minimal steady camera. Maximum stretched scenes, maximum headache inducing jerky zooms, maximum characters walking around in the woods doing nothing. Up until the time flashes on the screen of 12:01pm, you can fast forward and miss nothing, since there are three hunters who we know nothing about doing nothing. To be fair, the movie does have some string music that was interesting, so perhaps a music video would have been the way to go with this. Unfortunately that was not to be, and what should have been a twenty minute short is stretched beyond belief. Forget about "Trigger Man", I know I am trying to. - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +A wonderful film ahead of its time,I think so, In the eighty's it was all about winning, Greed is Good ? Remember that one ? I have seen this film more that 20 times, To me this is a real desert island film, I keep watching because there is always something more to learn about these flawed characters that I just love, Jessica Tandy, and Hume Cronin, are simply wonderful,Also Beverly D'angelo, Beau Bridges come in at a close second, don't get me wrong there are many more great performance's in this film, and it is also the way it is written that made it for me, and I hope you, a film that you will want to see over and over, I think TV shows like "Northen Exposure", and now "Earl" owe a lot to this film. but remember it is not a Tom Cruise film.$LABEL$ 1 +it got switched off before the opening credits had even finished appearing. The first joke was just so appallingly lame and dreadfully acted that it had to go. You shouldn't really decide to watch this based on my review or not. I saw so little of it I shouldn't even really be commenting but suddenly it all became clear why the video shop guy was sniggering at us paying money to see it.Couldn't they have just made Earnest does Dallas?$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the more unromantic movies I have ever seen.Casting: Richard Gere is just too old looking for romantic lead roles anymore. Diane looks a bit eager to please and frowning as usual but she seems unconvinced by the romance herself. Supporting cast not too memorable.Story: The medical drama he has to deal with is unconvincing and is not interesting. The story is weak - not enough happens to make a movie about. There is nothing new to say or no new way to say it here. The setting is a little bleak and the house it is set in is unattractive. NOT destined to be a great one to remember.$LABEL$ 0 +(Only light spoilers in here)Stealing Sinatra is a half-slapstick comedy about dimwit kidnappers, dimwit victims, and a few other side-stories thrown in to eat up some time.You will see some poor performances all around in this movie. The drama is forced, and the humor makes no sense. Whether you're watching the kidnappers threaten the victim who won't shut up, or a victim's father responding to the criminal's death threat with "Care for some tea?", none of it is believable. This quite comfortably fits into the "wannabe movie" category.You will also be listening to a repetitive goofy music track throughout pretty much the entire movie. It's quite unprofessional, and adds nothing. It's really just a sad attempt at making an achingly unfunny movie seem somewhat witty.However, if you're able to look past all of this and suspend a lot of disbelief, you might be entertained by the adequate storyline.I voted 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, this is one of THOSE movies, so terrible, so insipid, so trite, that you will not be able to stop laughing. I have watched comedies, good comedies, and laughed less than my wife and I laughed at this movie. The other comments give the idea well enough. The characters are so unpleasant you cheer the rats on, the effects are so poorly done you wonder whose elementary school art class was in charge, the acting-- oh the acting-- talk about tired dialogue and embarrassing pauses.But the rat, yes, the big rat. Why we didn't get to see the rat until the end rather surprised me. Often the 'big one' isn't shown until the end because the budget is limited and good effects chew up so much money. I surmise, however, that in this case the big rat was hidden until the end because the filmmakers were ashamed that the best they had was a guy running around dressed up like a woodchuck with third-world dentistry.The most sublime part of the whole movie is the elevator scene. After figuring out that the rats couldn't stand loud noise (migraines from the bad acting?), the main dude rigs up a fire alarm to send the rats into a frenzy. If you've ever wanting to see a pair of rats waltz while blood squirts out of their heads like a geyser, this film is for you. Really, you need to rent it and see for yourself.But not for more than 99¢, OK?$LABEL$ 0 +Well where do I begin my story?? I went to this movie tonight with a few friends not knowing more than the Actors that were in it, and that it was supposed to be a horror movie.Well I figured out within the first 20 minutes, what a poor decision I had made going out seeing this movie. The Plot was crap, and so was the script. The lines were horrible to the point that people in the audience were laughing hysterically.The cast couldn't have been more plastic looking. Even some of the scenes seemed like they should have been made much quicker...like they dragged on for no particular reason. Very poor editing.All in all this movie was a giant waste of time and money. Boo.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of my favorites. Betty White and Leslie Neilson sparkle in this romantic comedy. One is a business executive who re-evaluates life based on the expectation of her death within a year. The other is a playboy who has tired of gold-digging young women and seeks a relationship with a vital, mature woman. If you've got silver in your hair and/or romance in your heart, microwave the popcorn, curl up with your honey, and prepare yourself for a treat.$LABEL$ 1 +Following directly from where the story left off in part one, the second half which sets about telling the inevitable downfall and much more grim side of the man's legacy is exactly as such. In direct contrast to the first feature, part two represents a shift from Che the pride and glory of a revolutionised country, to Che—struggling liberator of a country to which he has no previous ties. The change of setting isn't just aesthetic; from the autumn and spring greys of the woodlands comes a change of tone and heart to the feature, replacing the optimism of the predecessor with a cynical, battered and bruised reality aligned to an all new struggle. Yet, as Che would go on to say himself—such a struggle is best told exactly as that—a struggle. While Part One certainly helped document that initial surge to power that the revolutionary guerrilla acquired through just that, Part Two takes a much more refined, callous and bleak segment of Che's life and ambition, and gives it an assertive portrayal that is both poignant and tragic in a tangible, easy to grasp manner.While the movie's tone in some regards does stray off and differ quite drastically from Part One however, there still remains that same documented approach taken a month ago that avoids melodrama and fabrication as much as possible. This somewhat distant, cold approach to telling Che's story and struggle will no doubt turn some viewers off; indeed, I still remain reserved about whether or not the feature itself should have been named after one man—if anything, the entirety of Che, taken as a whole, delivers a tale that goes beyond mere biography and instead documents a man's struggle alongside those who helped carry him along the way. By no means does Soderbergh try to paint a humanistic portrait here akin to what Hirschbiegel did with Der Untergang half a decade ago (excuse the ironic contrast); Che is a slow moving, reserved and meditative approach to telling a history lesson that just happens to be narrated by the one man who –arguably- conducted the whole thing.Yet by moving from the lush green landscapes of Cuba and retreating to the bleak, decaying backdrop of Bolivia for Part Two, the story does inevitably take on a distinctly contrasting tone that doesn't feel too disjointed from its predecessor, but does enough to give it its own reference points. Here, the basic structure of Part One is echoed back—there's the initial struggle, the battles, the fallen comrades and the recruiting of those to replace them, all the while we see some glimpses of the man behind the movement. Yet, as anyone with the vaguest idea of the actual history behind the feature will know, Part Two is destined to end on a much more underwhelming, and disquieting note. This difference, in combination with the similarities to Part One, make a compelling and memorable whole; by all means, both could be digested one their own (and kudos to Soderbergh for achieving as such) and enjoyed as they are, but taken as one statement, Che delivers exactly what it sets out to achieve.Indeed, everything that made Part One the treat that it was one month prior is still evident here from the subtle yet engrossing performances from the central cast to the slow building, realistically structured combat scenes—the drama inherent to the characters on screen is just as vague and indiscernible, but with a feature such as this, Part Two once again proves that avoiding such elements don't necessarily hurt a film when there is enough plot and reflection on other elements to keep the viewer engaged. In fact, upon writing this review I was at odds as to whether or not to simply add a paragraph or two to my initial review for Part One, and title the review as a whole, yet I felt that to do so would only serve to disillusion those who may sit down to watch the entirety of both films consecutively.With that said, I cannot rightfully decree whether or not Che holds up to the task of engaging an audience for its sprawling four hour plus runtime, but upon viewing both segments I can at least attest to each part's ability to do just that. With a reflective, intricate screenplay combined with endlessly mesmerising photography and nuanced performances that do justice to the movie's characters without drawing attention to themselves, Che Part Two is every bit as compelling and rewarding as its predecessor, but this time with a tragic but uplifting, reaffirming conclusion fit for the history pages of film.- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)$LABEL$ 1 +Sometimes it's hard to be a pirate...............but by golly Miss Jean Peters has a lot of fun trying - and it shows,particularly during her first spot of friendly swordplay with Blackbeard (Mr Thomas Gomez - eminently hissable)when the sheer joy of performing is plain on her face. With fifty years of hindsight Feminists seem intent on grabbing this movie as some sort of an anthem for the empowerment of women in a male - dominated society but I have serious doubts that either M.Tourneur or Miss Peters had any such concept in their heads at the time. It was an exciting,entertaining family film with absolutely no pretensions,hidden meanings or alternative agenda.It was fun. M.Louis Jourdan is both winsome and treacherous as her love interest. Mr Herbert Chapman is wise and philosophical as the wise and philosophical doctor.Mr James Robertson Justice is just a tad unbelievable as the bosun. But it is Miss Peters who stays in the memory.Wilfully adolescent,illiterate,tough but vulnerable,wonderfully agile,and ultimately,courageous,she is everybody's idea of a lady pirate. There was a definite window of opportunity for her in feisty costume roles - that she did not choose to seize it is a matter of some regret.$LABEL$ 1 +I had never seen a film by John Cassavetes up until two years ago, when I first saw THE KILLING OF A Chinese BOOKIE in a Berlin cinema, which I found interesting, to put it diplomatically, but not so special, I instantly wanted to see more of his work. Since then, I tried - with an emphasis on tried - watching his other work, SHADOWS in particular. I must admit, it took me a a while before I actually enjoyed the film. At first the unpolished, raw and improvised way Cassavetes it was shot, put me off somewhat and I thought of it as an original - absolutely - but flawed and dated experiment. But now, upon reviewing, these little imperfections make it look so fresh, even today.Shot on a minimal budget of $40,000 with a skeleton six person crew, SHADOWS offers an observation of the tensions and lives of three siblings in an African-American family in which two of the three siblings, Ben (Ben Carruthers) and Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), are light-skinned and able to pass for white. Cassavetes demanded that the actors retain their real names to reflect the actual conflicts within the group but saw the film as being concerned with human problems as opposed imply to racial ones. Cassavetes shot the film in ten minute takes and jagged editing, a reaction against 'seamless' Hollywood production values. Cassavetes main inspiration - at least in the cinematic style the film was shot - were the Italian neo-realists whilst also professing admiration for Welles' pioneering spirit. The use of amateurs and improvisation might resemble some of the Italian neo-realist directors, but with his bebop score by Charles Mingus ans Shafi Hadi, the film feels very different, very American, unlike anything made before really. The song with the feathered girls, "I feel like a lolly-pop" (or something) feels like light years back to me, ancient history. But no matter how dated it might look, it still makes a delightful time capsule of late Fifties New York today. I think it's this is one of the first films made aspiring filmmakers realize they could shoot an independent film, without Hollywood, improvised and without a real budget. Seymour Cassel, who acted and was involved in SHADOWS, claims it was Jules Dassin's THE NAKED CITY (1948) that was the first and inspired them all, but I think this was the one that really opened the eyes of aspiring independent American filmmakers.Camera Obscura --- 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Based on an actual story, John Boorman shows the struggle of an American doctor, whose husband and son were murdered and she was continually plagued with her loss. A holiday to Burma with her sister seemed like a good idea to get away from it all, but when her passport was stolen in Rangoon, she could not leave the country with her sister, and was forced to stay back until she could get I.D. papers from the American embassy. To fill in a day before she could fly out, she took a trip into the countryside with a tour guide. "I tried finding something in those stone statues, but nothing stirred in me. I was stone myself." Suddenly all hell broke loose and she was caught in a political revolt. Just when it looked like she had escaped and safely boarded a train, she saw her tour guide get beaten and shot. In a split second she decided to jump from the moving train and try to rescue him, with no thought of herself. Continually her life was in danger. Here is a woman who demonstrated spontaneous, selfless charity, risking her life to save another. Patricia Arquette is beautiful, and not just to look at; she has a beautiful heart. This is an unforgettable story. "We are taught that suffering is the one promise that life always keeps."$LABEL$ 1 +This PM Entertainment production is laced with enough bullets to make John Woo say, "Enough already!" Of course, it isn't nearly as beautiful as Woo can deliver but it gets the exploitive job done in 90 minutes. Eric Phillips (Don Wilson) is an undercover cop in the near future. When his wife is framed for murdering the Governor by a team using a look-a-like cyborg, it is up to Eric to clear her name. Wilson gets to pull Van Damme duty as he plays the heroic lead and his evil cyborg doppelganger. Why the Academy failed to take notice is beyond me. Being a PM production, there are tons of car chases, exploding cars (4 in the first 5 minutes!) and shoot outs. I particularly liked the van that flips in midair before it even comes close to touching an exploding truck. My other favorite bit involved a neighborhood girl coming over to perfect her karate in Don's simulator. It is merely a chance to show off some cheapo LAWNMOWER MAN effects circa 1995.$LABEL$ 1 +SHALLOW GRAVE begins with either a tribute or a rip off of the shower scene in PSYCHO. (I'm leaning toward rip off.) After that it gets worse and then surprisingly gets better, almost to the point of being original. Bad acting and amateurish directing bog down a fairly interesting little story, but the film already surpasses many in the "Yankee comes down South to get killed by a bunch of rednecks" genre because it is actually shot in the South.A group of college girls head to Ft. Lauderdale for summer vacation and are waylaid in Georgia by a flat tire after getting off the main road. (Note to Yankees: stay on the highway when you go to Florida.) Sue Ellen (Lisa Stahl) has to pee so she heads into the woods. When she finally finds a good spot to do her business she witnesses the local sheriff (Tony March) strangle his mistress (Merry Rozelle) to death. (Note to Yankees: do not wander off into the woods when in the South; not because you might witness a murder, but you may run across a marijuana plantation.) This is the point where the story, not the movie, actually comes close to being good.While Tony March will never have to practice his Oscar speech, his Sheriff Dean becomes a creepy facsimile of a normal guy torn by what he has done and what he must do. Tom Law is likable as Deputy Scott and is as authentic a Southern deputy as I've seen since Walton Goggins (Deputy Steve Naish) in HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES.A few scenes in the movie are worth the mention. The girls stop at a BBQ in South Carolina and display their racism when a big black guy checks them out. Sue Ellen runs into a barn to hide behind some hay bales and in a shockingly realistic moment a large snake is hiding in the hay with her.And in the strangest scene, Sheriff Dean makes like he's about to rape Patty (Carol Cadby) and tells her to take off her clothes. Dean has turned the radio up to drown out the noise of what he's about to do. The preacher on the radio needs to go back and read his Bible. His sermon is about how Jezebel is saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for this preacher's flock. Jezebel was in the Old Testament a few thousand years before Christ was born and by no means is she one of the five people you are going to meet in Heaven.$LABEL$ 0 +Although this film has had a lot of praise, I personally found it boring. There are some nice Brasilian sunsets and the characters are believable, but the story of how they interrelate, even if very unusual by our standards, is not interesting enough to sustain a movie this long. The central woman takes up with one man after another in a close knit way and putting the interests of her children first. As the tolerance of the various men is stretched, we see their characters develop. The story unfolds with dignity and aided by excellent acting. It is a rare glimpse into the Brasilian hinterland, far from the city, but hardly exciting enough to keep one's eyes open for.$LABEL$ 0 +No mention if Ann Rivers Siddons adapted the material for "The House Next Door" from her 1970s novel of the same title, or someone else did it. This Lifetime-like movie was directed by Canadian director Jeff Woolnough. Having read the book a long time ago, we decided to take a chance when the film showed on a cable version of what was clearly a movie made for television. You know that when the critical moments precede the commercials, which of course, one can't find in this version we watched.The film's star is Lara Flynn Boyle who sports a new look that threw this viewer a curve because of the cosmetic transformation this actress has gone through. From the new eyebrows to other parts of her body, Ms. Boyle is hardly recognizable as Col Kennedy, the character at the center of the mystery. This was not one of the actress better moments in front of the camera. That goes for the rest of the mainly Canadian actors that deserved better.The film has a feeling of a cross between "Desperate Houswives" with "The Stepford Wives" and other better known features, combined with a mild dose of creepiness. The best thing about the movie was the house which serves as the setting.$LABEL$ 0 +Meticulously constructed and perfectly played, To The Ends Of The Earth is a simply astonishing voyage out of our reality and into another age.Based on William Golding's trilogy, these three 90-minute films chronicle the journey towards both Australia and experience of youthful aristocrat Edmund Talbot (Benedict Cumberbatch) aboard an aging man o' war in the early 19th century as he heads for a Government position Down Under.Among the crew and hopeful emigrants sharing his passage are a tempestuous, bullying captain (Jared Harris), a politically radical philosopher (Sam Neill), a canny 1st lieutenant who's worked his way up from the bottom (Jamie Sives) and, fleetingly, the first brush of love in the form of a beautiful young woman (Joanne Page) whose ship literally passes in the night.Quite aside from the astonishing degree of physical historic accuracy, director David Attwood and screenwriters Tony Basgallop and Leigh Jackson have a canny eye and ear for the manners and stiff etiquette of an earlier time, crafting a totally convincing microcosm of the Napoleonic era.Shipboard life is one brutal, monotonous round of seasickness, squalor and danger after another and as Edmund becomes entangled in the loves, hopes and miseries of his fellow passengers he experiences a delirious whirl of life's hardships, Man's inhumanities and his noblest sentiments.Those who enjoyed Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World or Patrick O'Brian's series of novels on which it was based will love this – for everyone else, it's a whole new world to discover.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. This is really not that good. I would like to agree with the others in that at least the acting is good... it is, but it is nothing special.The movie is so precictable and i for one am sick of receiving culture info through movies.*/****$LABEL$ 0 +I have to point out, before you read this review, that in no way, is this a statement against Iranian people ... if you really want to read something into it, than hopefully you see, that I'm against politicians in general ... but if you're looking to be offended ... I can't help you!Not in Iran as this movie is banned there (see IMDb trivia for this movie). Which is a shame, because the movie is great. Would it not be for "Grbavica", this movie would have won at the International Film Festival in Berlin.Rightfully so (it was the runner-up, or second place if you will). Why? Because it is a movie about oppression. It's not even that this is a complete women issue. It is about the government trying to keep the people down. An analogy so clear that the government felt the need to ban the movie. But by banning it nothing is resolved and/or can they make this movie disappear! Another reviewer had a great summary line: "Comedy about a tragedy", that sums it up pretty well!$LABEL$ 1 +I know little or nothing about astronomy, but nevertheless; I was, at first, a little sceptical about the plot of this movie. It follows three children that were all born during a solar eclipse and so have no emotion, and thus (naturally) become ruthless serial killers. The plot does sound ridiculous at first, but once you realise that a solar eclipse blocks out Saturn and, as you know, Saturn is the emotion planet, it all falls into place; makes complete sense and it's then that you know you aren't simply watching another silly 80's slasher with a pea brain plot. Thank god for that! Seriously, though, Bloody Birthday is based on a ridiculous premise, but it more than makes up for that with it's originality. Having a bunch of kids going round slaughtering people may not be the most ingenious masterstroke ever seen in cinema, but when given the choice between this and another dull Friday the 13th clone - I know what I'd choose.Also helping the film out of the hole that some people would think it's silly plot dug it into is the fact that it's extremely entertaining. Many slashers become formulaic far too quickly and the audience ends up watching simply to see some gore. This film, however, keeps itself going with some great creepy performances from the kids (which harks back to creepy kid classics such as Village of the Damned), a constant stream of sick humour and a small, but impressive for the type of film, dose of suspense and tension. One thing that I liked a lot about this movie was the vast array of weaponry. There's nothing worse than a slasher where the killer uses the same weapon over and over again (cough Halloween cough), but that's not the case here as Bloody Birthday finds room for everything from skipping ropes to bow and arrows. There wasn't any room for a chainsaw, which is a huge shame, but I suppose not every film can have a chainsaw in it.$LABEL$ 1 +After many, many years I saw again this beautiful love story, thinking about how would I, half a century after, react to a film which made so many girls cry and sigh at that time, when I was just an male adolescent trying to understand women's behaviors, in a small city in Brazil.This time, however, what caught my attention in the film was something very different, namely the insistence with which the physician Dr. Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones) makes clear to the journalist Mark Elliott (William Holden) her special ethically condition as an Eurasian. In fact, she is constantly putting emphasis on this point in their relationship, repeating she is willing to assume her love for him and carry it on in a "occidental way", provided that, by doing so, she is not betraying her Chinese side. Its seems to the spectator that Suyin is eagerly making efforts to establish a very subtle conciliation between those two unstable and opposite aspects of her culture, for they will immediately engage in overt conflict in her mind at a minimum failure in her attempts to control them.Therefore, Suyin's attitudes always leave poor Elliott – a determined, brave and extremely practical man – anxious and perplexed, without knowing how much importance to give to her words. For him, whose love for her is plain and simple, the situation is totally clear: if we love each other, let us make a couple and begin immediately a life together. "Not so fast", is what she seems, verbally and non-verbally, to answer him all the time.In fact, Suyin's Chinese portion would never allow her such a level of pragmatism. And, as she goes on and on reinforcing this much aimed equilibrium between those two worlds inside herself, she also frequently signals to him that also a very peculiar trait of Chinese culture is deeply rooted in her mind, namely the constant "raids" on the real world by invisible beings from an spiritual or non-physical world. For Suyin is always alerting Elliott about how dangerous is life, not because of any objective and concrete threat (as would be the perpetuation of the English colonialism or the eminence of a Japanese invasion), but due to the threats of plenty of cruel and harmful gods and other mystical and mythical beings over the poor, fearful and vulnerable human beings.In fact, it looks like a whole bunch of Chinese deities are permanently on the watch to make people's life totally miserable. Because of that, mothers must dress their precious male babies in girls clothes, so that they are not taken away by jealous gods; everyone should always be ready to make loud noises to send the clouds away, in order to avoid their covering the sight of the moon; peasants are advised that they should shout loudly "The rice is bad! The rice is bad!" to protect their crops from being stolen by deities; and, in a funeral, it is recommended that the dead's family be isolated from the other people by curtains, so that the gods don't take advantage of their sorrow and fragility.In other words, Suyin introduces us to a culture in which the supernatural has a real existence, as if a rather disturbing pantheon of malign and sadistic gods are always on the verge of negatively interfering with the most banal acts in anyone's daily life.As the story takes place in Hong Kong in 1949, it should be clear that China really was, at that time, almost a semi-feudal society, while the country from which Elliott had come from was not yet dominated by the fierce capitalism that, launched by the USA after the first oil shock in 1973, took charge of the whole world. Therefore, at least in one aspect, both sides of Suyin's Eurasian personality were still much more innocent than they would be today.A lot of History came into being since those old days. As to China, the main fact is that, after several phases of a communist regime, the country finally reached, in the last two decades, the condition of a very aggressive economy much more properly described as State capitalism. And, what happened to that old spirituality that so much enthralled Suyin in Hong Kong, in 1949, and with which she used to impress so much an impassioned Elliott, under that tree on the hill behind the hospital? It is gone, completely gone! In brief, if that story took place today, Elliott would not find it necessary to go to China to propose to Suyin in the presence of the Third Uncle and her entire family. In fact, both men would now be incomparably closer to one another, in their huge pragmatism, talking business as usual!$LABEL$ 1 +First and foremost I would like to say, that before i watched this film i considered myself an accepting individual. Someone that cared about others, appreciated others, found no/barely any judgment against other people, and this film has (i think) changed my life or viewpoint dramatically. When i watched it, I didn't know particularly what it was about, i knew it was about some type of forbidden relationship, but other then that I was clueless, and as I began to see what was taking place between these two wonderfully depicted characters, i was in shock, disbelief, confusion and surprise. The first time i watched it, i was blind. Blind to their love, to their intimacy, to their connection, to their pureness as human beings, to their relationship. I watched it a second time, because i finally figured out how hypocritical I was being, saying to myself and others, "Oh i accept all types of people, and try not to judge them" while still judging this wonderful and amazingly insightful story, because of my fear I suppose. The second time I watched this film, I opened those eyes of mine that had stayed closed the first time, and really looked, not at the type of taboo relationship part that I'd heard about all my life, but simply at two human beings in love. And I loved it, i loved the storyline, i loved the slightly broken yet strong individual people in the film, i loved the sharing of feelings, and i loved the strong bonds created. It is a really eye opening, beautifully done film that made me cry at times, and I hope that people who read this and are going to watch the film eventually, remember that everyone deserves love, no matter what shape or form it is presented in....$LABEL$ 1 +"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"! If IMDb would allow one-word reviews, that's what mine would be. This film was originally intended only for kids and it would seem to be very tough going for adults or older kids to watch the film. The singing, the story, everything is dull and washed out--just like this public domain print. Like other comedy team films with roots in traditional kids stories (such as the awful SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES and the overrated BABES IN TOYLAND), this movie has limited appeal and just doesn't age well. Now that I think about it, I seriously doubt that many kids nowadays would even find this film enjoyable! So my advice is DON'T watch this film. If you MUST watch an Abbott and Costello film, almost any other one of their films (except for A&C GO TO MARS) would be an improvement.$LABEL$ 0 +Once in a while, a movie will sweep along that stuns you, draws you in, awes you, and, in the end, leaves you with a renewed belief in the human race from the artistry form. This is not it. This is an action movie that lacks convincing action. It stinks. Rent something else.$LABEL$ 0 +Hard to imagine this film is based on a true story, and how Christy managed to accomplish the miracle is so heart-stirring. Daniel Day-Lewis is a chameleon, really hard to imagine how much effort he had done to create this disabled character. Watching him on screen is a shocking and breathtaking experience.The movie is not so pessimistic as I thought before, the story is kinda bright and intriguing. Christy is not despised by the normals, his life is also colorful and delightful, although we can be aware of the loneliness and the painful fetter through his eyes.One important factor of Christy's success is his mother's support which seems to be more touching, and the unknown actress Brenda Fricker also deserves her Oscar award for this role, this fat little middle-aged woman uses her all to make Christy's dream come true. So lucky for Christy!And Hugh O'Conor is also excellent as young Christy, what a performance for a child! The love story of Christy is very well-done, trustful. Christy wants love and nothing can derive him of the right to love, his crush on the beautiful Dr. Eileen Cole (surprisingly played by Fiona Shaw, I am deeply impressed with her role in Harry Potter series, the loathsome Aunt Petunia, so her appearance in this role is really beyond my mind, but anyway, any woman has her own youth...) is paranoiac and offensive, I do have sympathy for him, love is a two-edged sword, happiness and agony are just next to each other.Btw, Jim Sheridan's works are all good (IN America, THE BOXER etc.) except GET RICH OR DIE Trying', god knows why he chose to direct that crap! Really a career taint for him, what a pity!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm stunned that the reviewers @ IMDb gave this TV film as a high a rating as they did. It's an innocuous, sweet, uncomplicated cliché' of a film that had two big names from the past in it (both of whom did a decent job), but this film reeks of the low budget work we can see any day of week on the lesser cable channels. I like a good romance as well as anyone, but as my wife and I were watching this--and before we saw the rating-we said, "There are people who are going to rate this film too highly simply because there's nothing in it to challenge their brains, their faith, their comfort level or their cultural preferences. It's possible to make a good film like that (and Away from Her is an example), but this was amateur hour. There are some quite good films rated much lower than this one. Truly, another in a long line of woefully inadequate holiday films. Watch The Family Stone. It's miles ahead of this schlock.$LABEL$ 0 +Do a title search on Randolph Scott and TRAIL STREET is the one film missing from the list you've seen. One of 4 films Scott made at RKO during his prime (1947) the others are always easy to get. Liberal, Kansas is just southwest of Dodge City and is a powder-keg about to explode between the trail-riders who drive the longhorns into Trail Street, the town's main street, and the sod-busters who feed our bellies. It'll take a strong man like Bat Masterson to step between the two groups and bring the town to order. More I won't say, except that Scott movies usually have just one pretty girl and this one has three. RANDOLPH SCOTT always played men you could look up to for their sense of honor, courage, level-headedness and willingness to do the right thing. Fifty years ago parents could send their kids to a Scott movie with confidence they'd learn positive values. ROBERT RYAN co-stars in this film, playing a good guy for a change. In real life, RYAN was one of the many WORLD WAR II HEROS who starred in America's movies. How sad what we get these days. George Clooney teaches our young that we ought sympathize with suicide bombers, while Steven Spielberg teaches there is no moral difference between the Olympic athletes murdered in 1972 in Munich and the Palestinian terrorists who killed them. Hollywood 2005 derives their moral compass from too much cocaine and too much commitment to the wacky left. I wonder how all this plays out in Liberal, Kansas. Liberal, after all, was not a dirty word 150 years ago when the city was named.$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this one with much expectation. Quite unfortunately the dialogue is utterly stupid and overall the movie is far from inspiring awe or interest. Even a child can see the missing logic to character's behaviors. Today's kids need creative stories which would inspire them, which would make them 'daydream' about the events. That's precisely what happened with movies like E.T. and Star Wars a decade ago. (How many kids imagined about becoming Jedi Knights and igniting their own lightsabers?) Seriously don't waste your time & money on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +*Sigh* Leave it to us Finns to take a stupid idea, blow it out of proportion and try to market it as cool. Lordi is a mediocre band at best, and a single gimmick will get you only so far.To all you marketing idiots out there: this is the reason for the inherent minority complex that is often encountered when Finland tries to export something.Lordi isn't scary. Lordi is lame. Lordi is OVER.I want to apologize to the rest of the world for this plastic-faced idiocy. Sure, they won the Eurovision.No, wait - they won the Eurovision. That's it. I rest my case.$LABEL$ 0 +After the highs of darkplace it was never conceivable that Holness and Adobye would be able to create anything half as good as garth marengi. Yet i think that man to man in its own right is as good a show (on the good episodes) as darkplace. i cant argue that 2 of the episodes really are'nt that good but the other 4 certainly make up for it. if i had to pick 2 great episodes id go for formula4 driver Steve Pising (pronounced Pissing) and the great Garth Marengi. to already have a bit of understanding of the programme is a real plus as Dean Learner makes many inside jokes but even if you have'nt seen much Dean id recommend this as some of the rants he launches into are genius ie. His argument with Def Lepord over their name. All in All a great show which just misses full marks because of the couple of less funny episodes.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie in a theater while on vacation in Pablo CO. I had just quit my biomedical engineering job at a hospital. I consider the script to be a exaggeration of the real type of stuff that goes on in hospitals. The idiots that put it down on production value don't get the point and probably have never been hospitalized. And never worked in one for sure. Billy Jack (same era) was very poorly produced but had a significant social comment and was a very good movie with a real social message.I have ever since been looking for this movie this is the first site I have found where it get mentioned.$LABEL$ 1 +I caught this on television one day when I was young and loved it. In the 1970's, there were a bunch of lame comedies that tried too hard to be be funny so it this was a nice surprise. It's one of the best comedies of the 1970's and the definitive summer camp comedy thanks to Murrary's excellent comedic performance, which still stands as one of his greatest. This is the film that really got Ivan Reitman noticed as a director. Reitman proves with this movie that he is one of the most talented comedy directors of all time. While this film is hilarious and MEATBALLS 2 is so bad that it's fun, MEATBALLS 3 and MEATBALLS 4 are absolutely dreadful. Recommended for those who enjoyed STRIPES and GHOSTBUSTERS.$LABEL$ 1 +The film's design seems to be the alpha and omega of some of the major issues in this country (U.S.). We see relationships all over at the university setting for the film. Befittingly, the obvious of student v.s. teacher is present. But what the film adds to its value is its other relationships: male v.s. female, white v.s. black, and the individual v.s. society. But most important of all and in direct relation to all of the other relationships is the individual v.s. himself. I was amazed at how bilateral a point of view the director gave to showing the race relations on campus. Most films typically show the injustices of one side while showing the suffering of the other. This film showed the injustices and suffering of both sides. It did not attempt to show how either was right, although I would say the skin heads were shown a much crueler and vindictive (quite obvious towards the end). The film also discusses sex and rape. It is ironically this injustice that in some ways brings the two races together, for a time. Lawrence Fishburne does an over-the-top performance as the sagacious Profesor Phipps. He crumbles the idea of race favortism and instead shows the parallelism of the lazy and down-trodden with the industrious and positive. Other stars that make this film are Omar Epps, Ice Cube, and Jennifer Connelly. Michael Rapaport gives an excellent portrayal of a confused youth with misplaced anger who is looking for acceptance. Tyra Banks make her film debut and proves supermodels can act.Higher Learning gets its name in showing college as more than going to class and getting a piece of paper. In fact, I would say the film is almost a satire in showing students interactions with each other, rather than some dry book, as the real education at a university. It is a life-learning process, not a textual one. I think you'll find "Higher Learning" is apropos to the important issues at many universities and even life in general. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Is rich, ailing Elizabeth Taylor courting the Angel of Death on her island fortress in the Mediterranean, or is she just overreacting--or more precisely, overacting--as usual? Actually, both are applicable in director Joseph Losey's wandering, meandering mess called "Boom", appropriately titled since tempers in the lush, luxurious setting are nearly ready to explode. Richard Burton climbs Taylor's mountain uninvited; she dresses him in a samurai's robe complete with saber. Though great-looking in widescreen, the picture is otherwise quite deadly, a failure even Liz 'n Dick-philes should shun (the stars' collective "what the hell!" attitude to their late-'60s film careers reached an ego-mad nadir here). Pointless, confused, and maddening, "Boom" is a catastrophe--although screenwriter Tennessee Williams, who adapted his own unsuccessful play "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore", was said to be quite fond of it! * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +i can't even describe it. it's the worst movie i've ever seen (i'm being a nice guy when i call it movie).Just another big-budget-made-to-someone-who-doesn't-like-to-think-much.It's not even scary. It's revolting when there are great movies that never reach the big screen and then comes this..."thing" to trick movie fans. I guess big producers make whatever they want.Just get a big producer, hot chicks (allthough horrible actresses) and a ton of horror movie clichés and cook it for a week or so, and you'll get "The Nun".And I thought Bad Boys 2 was horrible!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +The screenplay is the worst part of this film, as it lurches from one premise to the next, missing all the important bits that would have made a number of different stories possible. (This film is confusing, because the audience doesn't know what the story is.) I had no problem with the low-production values and the acting wasn't great, but this is telly, so it was fine. I don't mind if some scenes looked like they were done in one take. But having such a non-sensical screenplay is completely unnecessary. Did any executive actually read it before forking out the cash? Avoid this at all costs.The prologue in particular was so poorly written, it needed a voice-over to fill in all the details that had been left out. The prologue was rushed, it wasn't clear what was happening, ie. The Russian Revolution was reduced to "Some riots are happening in Petersburg", with the next scene being soldiers arresting them. I know the basic history of the Revolution, so I could fill in the details, "those pesky Communists". The prologue is best ignored.This could have been a thoughtful study of a person who is confused about who she is. It sets up this premise in the asylum. It could then have her struggling to identify herself for the rest of the film. No. Gone. The film assumes she is who she says she is (even though there is still no empirical evidence.) It sets up a melodramatic romance, a love so strong, it'll believe anything she says. Okay, a soppy romance. No, because it makes no sense. The love interest seems like a crazed (and incidentally, sleazy) lunatic, bursting out in wild gestures. This also doesn't work, because the film stupidly decides to tell the truth in the monologue at the end. They never got married and she returned to America. The love story collapses. Despite there being plenty of love scenes, I was never convinced of the reason that they were in love. I find rom-com romances more convincing, despite there only being one or two scenes which establish that they've even spent any time with each other.It could have been a thriller-type thing where the film assumes she is who she says she is, and she struggles to prove her identity. No, the court case is summed up rather than dealt with. The bizarre voice over comes back, again to fill in the details of a better film.The funniest thing to consider is what really happened. Anna Anderson was a loony who went to America and married another loony and they did crazy things together. Throughout her life, she had bouts of lunatic behaviour. None of this in the film either. There's a really annoying character in the asylum who crops up from nowhere and announces herself as a 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next/'Twelve Monkeys'-type informant. Thankfully, she vanishes, having brought nothing to the story.$LABEL$ 0 +Lady and the tramp ii: scamp's adventure i think is a good movie but i think the first lady and the tramp movie is better because it is the original and i would think that the original movies compared to the sequeals is better. Lady and the tramp ii takes off after the original, but this time it's junior's turn, Lady and Tramp's youngster (scamp) always hates been treated with the things that has to be done with him, following the rules in the house, taking baths all the time and taking things nice and easy, scamp gets angry and runs away with a pack of dogs that are left off the loose. Scamp meets another dog called Angel, they both get along fine and do the things scamp's mother and father did, having an italian meal (Spagetthi and Meatballs etc:)Afterwards, Scamp realises that he is loved by his family especial his pal, which is the baby, scamp comes back and Angel is joined in the family. I give this movie 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, what's this on the video rental store's shelf in front of me? Nothing other than a questionable "sequel" to 8MM. It wasn't a very good sequel to a movie that had a very definitive end and an abundance of emotional depth far greater than this movie.Basically, from the plot outline verbatim, an American diplomat, David Huxley, and his fiancée, Tish Harrington, venture into the sordid underworld of sex and pornography in Budapest, Hungary to find out who is blackmailing them with a porno video taken of them with a prostitute, Risa. The entire story is based around the various characters who make up these various sex clubs and strip joints throughout the city. The mystery is solved when, in the end, Tish finds out that the ransom money for the video and (essentially later on in the story) her fiancée which came out of her trust fund money is basically going back to her future husband as the story unfolds til the bitter end.I didn't like how this had nothing to do with the original 8MM at all. The only thing close to the original is the type of thriller that it was, the fact that David ends up with some kind of bondage contraption over him to keep him prisoner looks like the kinky world of the first film, and the fact that the entire movie has sex emblazoned throughout almost every key scene. Otherwise, its a totally different movie. It made for a lousy love story, even before the end is known, which makes the ending more of a possibility because I didn't believe the words coming out of David's mouth the whole time. But we were warned that he was a liar about most things that might get him in trouble.There were ridiculous nude scenes in most of the "shocking" moments of the film, which were trying to stir emotions in the audience to cheer for Tish to figure out the plot so she can leave this "hellish" sex debauchery. I counted at least 11 ridiculously filmed sequences when there was nothing but sex to be shown. Even the menu screen on the DVD is nothing but film with naked women on it to make the DVD seem totally provocative.David was no heroic person throughout the film. You could guess he was the main problem long before the end. The actors who played each role were all new to me, which might explain how they got so many of them to strip down to gain acting "respect." There were plot holes (How did David and Richard finally impress Tish's father by getting the lease they wanted when David was so wrapped up in this damn investigation to try and find a prostitute?) There were cheesy technology moments (like the talking email program dressed up like a bondage queen), and a gay brother character which did nothing but show how the director was trying to get a Joaquin Phoenix knockoff to play this character. The tag line featured on this profile for this video is complete BS, too, because it wasn't even about a last breath. Nobody really dies. But they did have a good car crash sequence that came out of nowhere...but that was a good 10 seconds long out of an hour and 3/4 long movie.Go rent (and maybe buy) the original. It's one of Joel Schumacher's better and more original films. It has everything better about it from this film. I wouldn't recommend seeing this unless you want to compare apples to oranges.$LABEL$ 0 +Ok, honestly I dont see why everybody thinks this is so great. Its really not. There were two good things that came out of this movie 1. Jack's performance, he was very good I can tip my hat for him. 2. Danny's performance, he was good. No other then that it got pretty stupid. And, what was Stanley Kubrick thinking drafting Shelly as the Wendy? She was so bad. She looked the same every time she got scared. The problem with this movie was the ending. I would have had more respect for it if Kubrick would have ended it differently. And, the over all movie was just stupid. The problem with the movie is that the book was so much better. So dont see the movie read the book and you will be much better off. 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +This episode had potential. The basic premise of a woman living next door to an empty apartment (but a phone that constantly rings) is somewhat interesting. And when she explores the noise, there is genuine tension and fear. But stupid script writing ruins any promise the episode had.First of all, the woman readily admits to seeing things that would send most of us running in the other direction (e.g. "It's funny that the door slammed shut even though there is no wind;" "This door has serious damage to it that wasn't here a minute ago;" "The door opened by itself, without me touching it;" etc.). Given these supernatural phenomena, plus the fact that a woman committed suicide in the room, wouldn't she take some precaution before entering it? Maybe she could investigate in the day time. Or maybe she could investigate the apartment with somebody else. Or maybe she could TURN ON THE LIGHTS!!! Also, while in the haunted apartment, she decides to make numerous phone calls to the operator and gets into an argument over who has the power to disconnect the phone, and then they begin discussing the details of the suicide. JUST UNPLUG THE PHONE! The phone company doesn't need to be involved. Walk up to the phone and unplug it. Case closed.Finally, showing the phone scamper across the floor like it's alive was just comical. If the director wanted the woman to get strangled by the phone card, he could've done it in a way that didn't look cartoony. Brave Little Toaster anyone?$LABEL$ 0 +The quality of this movie is simply unmatched by any baseball title of its time. Pam Dixon branches out in the film industry to recruit blue-chip prospects and make this work of art a must-see. Academy Award winners Brenda Fricker (Home Alone: Lost in New York, A Time to Kill), Ben Johnson (The Last Picture Show, Red Dawn), and Adrien Brody (The Pianist, The Village) amplify the atmosphere of the movie, drawing in an anxious audience. However, the dramatic performances are neutralized by quirky radio broadcaster Jay O. Sanders (JFK, The Day After Tomorrow).The story is centralized around a foster child, up-and-coming actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, The Lookout). Sidekick Milton Davis Jr. delivers a tear-jerking performance as the longtime friend who never knew his parents. The two don't have much, but what they do have: Angels' baseball, and what they are seeking: identity. That's when 4-time Emmy Nominee Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, Predator 2) comes in to save the day as frustrated Angels Manager, George Knox. In relation, all characters in the story seem to have the same mission: search within themselves to find out who they really are.Depressed over the fact that Roger (JGL) is separated from his father, he wishes to God for reunification if the Angels can take the pennant. Odds are astronomical, but 3-time Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, My Favorite Martian) comes in as the omniscient overseer to work a little magic (pun). Before you know it, Al (Lloyd) is sitting with Roger in the stands, snacking on cracker jacks, and causing some of baseball's biggest boners! Dorothy Kingsley and George Wells' (DK Oscar Nominee GW Oscar Winner) 1951 screenplay is done justice under the finger of mastermind William Dear (nominated in Directors Guild of America). He includes a touching side story centered around pitcher Mel Clark, played by Tony Danza (4-time Golden Globe nominee, Emmy nominee), who in relation to all other cast members is just trying to find his place in a confused Anaheim. Clark has been dubbed a wash-up, a once big-name in Cinci, but he has something to prove to Manager Knox.Spoiling this nail-biting plot would simply be the equivalent to committing adultery in the 18th century. This one is a diamond in the rough, and it will keep you on the edge of the seat until all come to peace. Did I mention a cameo by Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill, We Are Marshall) for all you ladies out there?$LABEL$ 1 +I kept watching it because it seemed like the plot was going somewhere. When it ambiguously got there I was very disappointed. I'm going to tell you what really happened in the next sentence. But maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just imply something will happen. The writers lacked any imagination. This is not even a "B" movie - it's a made for TV "B" movie.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie itself made me want to go and call someone so they could enjoy it too. It was extremely funny. Angelena Jolie was wonderful as Juliet. The parents are hilarious.They are caterers as well as enemies.The kids play the parts of Romeo and Juliet in the church play.They fall in love and their parents try to keep them apart.(Spoiler Ahead. I think) They sneak off after a party and do it. Surprisingly they still want to get married in the end of the movie. If you don't like stereotypes and the defilement of classic literature don't watch. If you don't mind those you will have a blast watching this one.$LABEL$ 1 +If somebody wants to make a really, REALLY bad movie, "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" really sets a yardstick by which to measure the depth of badness.Start with the pseudo-Chewbacca that follows around the main character ... Some poor schmuck in a baggy white "furry" costume that looks as if it was stitched together from discarded pieces of carpeting. Work your way slowly, painfully, through more not-so-special effects that thoroughly deny the viewer from suspension of disbelief. Add a garden gnome (just for the heck of it).On second thought, skip this movie entirely and find something else to do for an hour and a half.$LABEL$ 0 +A film for mature, educated audiences...I saw "Random Hearts" in an advance screening shortly before its North American release. This romantic drama was quite a treat. I'm sure this story will not be everyone's cup of tea, especially considering the film's darkly downbeat premise. But the pic has some very uplifting strong points in its favor.All-time Box Office Draw Harrison Ford ("Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "The Fugitive," "Air Force One," "Patriot Games") is at the top of his game as the harried and desperate Internal Affairs officer, Dutch. Ford's very subdued, nuanced performance shows quite the range he can achieve with class and determination in bringing the audience into his world of loss & betrayal. This is the perfect complex role and very different type of film for Harrison Ford to grace the screen with between his action blockbusters. Next year Harrison Ford returns to action, first for director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump," "Back To The Future") in his summer 2000 thriller, "What Lies Beneath," and reportedly later in the year in the film adaptation of Tom Clancy's "The Sum Of All Fears." 'Fears' will be Harrison Ford's third outing as CIA operative Jack Ryan.Director Sydney Pollack ("Out of Africa," "The Firm," "Tootsie") has a supporting role in this feature as a political advisor to Scott-Thomas' congresswoman. It's a very sharp & energetic portrayal for Pollack. Not only is Sydney Pollack a gifted director, he is also one of the most believable, natural and charming actors around (see "Eyes Wide Shut" as well).Kristin Scott-Thomas ("The English Patient," "The Horse Whisperer") shows that you don't necessarily have to be eccentric or worldly to be considered sexy. This is one of her better films, and she gives a tremendously crafted and mellowed performance that works well opposite Ford's quiet-man toughness.The subplots work wonderfully, especially the subplot involving Ford's character's investigation into police corruption. Look for a chilling & effective turn by "Heat" actor, Dennis Haysbert, who plays Detective George Beaufort, the obstacle to overcome in Dutch's investigation into police corruption.The rest of the supporting cast is a wonderful delight. Charles S. Dutton (whose long overdue for a film leading role) goes to show that he is one of the best character-actors around, and Bonnie Hunt, who I find extremely solid in this production, steals most of her scenes with that wonderful, charming smile as Wendy Judd.The technical side of Pollack's thriller is top notched. From Dave Grusin's (Pollack's "The Firm") perfectly surreal-feeling jazzy score, to Philippe Rousselot ("A River Runs Through It") crisp photography, to the sharp editing that keeps the film feeling fresh, despite the film's unfortunate downer premise.I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good yarn of mystery, well-paced plot, character-driven stories, and romance all rolled into one. This is a terrific story about betrayal & forgiveness. It also features one of the most surprising, yet poignant, and certain to be controversial endings for a Harrison Ford film in recent times. "Random Hearts" is definitely one of the better films of the year.(***1/2 out of ****) or (8.5 out of 10.0)$LABEL$ 1 +For all of the Has-Beens or Never Was's or for the curious, this film is for you....Ever played a sport, or wondered what it felt like after the lights went down and the crowd left..this film explores that and more.Robin Williams(Jack Dundee) is a small town assistant banker in Taft CA., whose life has been plagued, by a miscue in a BIG rival high school football game 13 years ago, when he dropped the pass that would have won over Bakersfield, their Arch-Rival, that takes great pleasure in pounding the Taft Rockets, season after season . Kurt Russell(Reno Hightower) was the Quarterback in that famous game, and is the local legend, that now is a van repair specialist, whose life is fading into lethargy, like the town of Taft itself.Williams gets an idea to remake history, by replaying the GAME ! He meets with skeptical resistance, so he goes on a one man terror spree, and literally paints the town , orange, yellow and black , to raise the ire of the residents to recreate THE game . After succeeding, the players from that 1972 team reunite, and try to get in shape to practice, which is hysterical . The game is on , Bakesfield is loaded with all of the high tech gadgets, game strategies, and sophisticated training routines . Taft is drawing plays in the mud, with sticks, stones, and bottle caps, what a riot ! Does Taft overcome the odds, does Robin Willians purge the demons from his bowels, does Kurt Russell rise from lethargy, watch "The Best of Times" for one of the BEST viewing experiences ever!One of Robin Williams best UNDERSTATED performances, the chemistry between Robin and Russell is magic . And who is Kid Lester ???Holly Palance and Pamela Reed give memorable performances as the wives of Williams and Russell. Succeeds on Many Levels. A 10 !$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has to be one of the most boring and stupid movies that Perrugorria have done. It looks like a commercial from beginning to end. The ¨director¨spent the whole time on a tripod, it doesn't have pace, rhythm. It's illogical. what a mess. You can tell what's gonna happen since the first 15 minutes, and the ending...Wow------spoiler-------Jesus Christ, how the hell Perrugorria got shot? Are you serious? Worst scene of someone getting shot ever!------end of spoiler-----Bad directing, bad script, bad acting...Really bad overall. I wouldn't recommend this movie at all. It's a waste of money and time.$LABEL$ 0 +I first remember bumping into this zaniness from the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams, back in the early days at Comedy Central. Back in those days (the 90's) their programming consisted of Benny Hill reruns and the original MST3k, complete with bearded host.Capt. Frank Drebin (played by the stone-faced, dead-pan filibuster, Leslie Nielson) is a process created first from the amalgamation of various stereotypical police television show protagonists (think Dragnet meets Starsky & Hutch the Show), boiled in a flask full of well-known police television show plots and scenarios. This is distilled, 3 times to produce the most pure policeman every made. Forget about Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz (for now. save it for later). Frank Drebin is clueless at most times, a terrible driver, a terrible shot, macho yet sensitive and vulnerable. He is a master of the police investigative methodology (a.k.a - ask Johnny the Leathery Old Shoe-Shine Boy). This does not make him a bad cop. Cops get lucky also. Capt Drebin (notice he's a Captain here) has perfected it. Along with his partner, Nordberg, and the rest of force, perfectly parody the police drama over the course of 6 golden episodes.The show is a treasure trove of hilarious dialog and quotable quote-ables. Most of the sight gags are a bit dated and silly. The magic never came from the sight gags,however. At its core was a nonsensical and straight-faced conversation and activities in the foreground, with crazy things occurring in the background. The movies can best be described as 90 minute compilations of the best gags from this series. Think of Monty Python's And Now For Something Completely Different.....If you liked Airplane 1 & 2, Naked Gun 1,2,3, or Top Secret, then you will definitely enjoy this. I always liked the series better than the movies, even though I saw the movies first. Why? 2 words : No O.J.$LABEL$ 1 +A guy desperate for action attempts to hit on a gorgeous girl in a bus. She refuses him, but when he runs after someone who tries to steal her purse they get together anyway. And there it starts - a relation that is slightly tainted by the fact that she is a jealous and neurotic superhero. It can't be a secret that things between them are going to be problematic.In short, a story that could promise to grow out into a cool film. And IMO, it succeeds at being a nice film. It's no masterpiece, but it had me in tears from laughing on more than one occasion - the two lead characters twirl around each other in a crazy love fest that is, even with the superhero thing going, believable.So. Thin story, but worked out really funny and thus worthy of cinema time.7 out of 10 broken hearts$LABEL$ 1 +i think it is great one of my favourite films as a kid and who said there songs were unforgettable they were mint i can still remember them now WORD FOR WORD the film remains a favourite with my family and my younger cousins are now addicted to it too they even know the songs this film is great and a enjoyable film for kids it has a moral lesson so don't say its not good because it shows how lying gets you nowhere ill leave with a parting comment: this film is amazing love me xxx P.s i would like the soundtrack but i cant and yes the animation is good the jokes are humorous and the action never stops.This film will go down in children's film history and in my opinion one of the only remaining safe films to show children.$LABEL$ 1 +The film someone had to make.Waco: The Rules of Engagement dissects the evidence behind the standoff in Waco, Texas that led to the destruction of the Branch Davidian homestead and the alleged government cover-up.The first thing you need to know about this film: you will see brief but disturbing photos of the victims bodies. This is not done for shock value, but to illustrate points about the way they died, as if you were present at the coroner's inquest.The second thing you should know about this film: at two and a quarter hours, it's pretty ponderous - especially if you already followed the events closely at the time. If you are unaware of any of the events other than what was reported in the mass media, or if the only side of the story you are familiar with is the official government report, this may be essential viewing. If, on the other hand you want a more concise (albeit unapologetically one sided) version of events, you should see "Waco: The Big Lie".In summary, this is pretty much the definitive documentary about this tragic event, and is very sobering, but as a work of film-making, could test your patience, especially if you have a short attention span. And it's at times superfluous for those who watched the CSPAN hearings and the 60 Minutes reports.Perhaps someday someone will make a documentary that covers some of the stranger aspects of this story, such as the bizarre chain of events that led up to the ATF raid or the psychological warfare tactics the FBI used blasting rock music at the sect, and their charismatic leaders (all rock musicians themselves) picking up their instruments and turning their massive amplifiers outward to blast their own music right back at them.$LABEL$ 1 +What a good movie! At last a picture revealing a unknown side of rock: illusions of fame. Well-known Rockers are getting old and forgotten, not the music. And with a good sense of humour. Have you ever danced on Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock?Anyway, Still Crazy is probably the best movie about rock n'roll I have ever seen. Far much better than Spinal Tap for instance. Why? Because in Still Crazy, people are mature. They have a different point of view about rock, about love and about life. They want to catch up with their crazy youth they miss so much. Beyond the story itself, we see characters with their own personality, weaknesses and dreams. Like anyone of us.Spend a good time watching this (listen to the awesome soundtrack! )and finally thinking of your own future.Bye!$LABEL$ 1 +Had it with the one who raised you since when you were young? You just want her gone from your life? That woman is your mother. You should respect her, you should honor her, whether she's in sick or well. But that in times, it can be aggravating. Especially when she becomes very overbearing. That's how Owen(Danny DeVito) had to deal with in "Throw Momma Fron The Train". His Momma(Anne Ramsey, 1929-88), is one of the worst. He trying his best to be a writer, and she is everything but grateful. Calls him a "clumsy poop", a "larda$$", and "fat" and "stupid". For his friend, Larry Donner(Billy Crystal) he has his own woman problems, his ex-wife. She trying to discredit him. So what did Owen do? Push her overboard. What does he do? Help return the favor, get rid of Mrs. Lift! In the kitchen scene, I liked it where Owen called Larry, "Cousin Patty". And Momma said, "You don't have a Cousin Patty!" and Owen shouts "You Lied To Me!" and El Cabongs Larry with the frying pan. Then comes the fun part when they where on the train and try to kill Momma Lift. That is thwarted, and she kicks Larry off the train. Well, everything back to normal, the ex-wife lives, but Momma kicked the bucket on her own. Maybe she should have seen the errors of her domineering ways. A fun movie it is, and the cast is great. A classic! 5 stars!$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, it is a bit cheesy. But it's suspenseful and entertaining, and one of my favorites; there are some excellent actors in the film, and they do a commendable job given the limitations of plot and characters. It's interesting to see David Soul in a 'bad guy' role; I thought he was quite believable--and rather chilling--as the ever-more-paranoid CO. Robert Conrad is a long-time favorite--I think he brings his character to life very well; and Sam Waterston has been star quality in everything of his I've watched--movies or TV. I watch this movie every so often but our tape (a VHS TV copy I got) is such poor quality it's difficult to fully enjoy it. This is a movie I think they should put out on DVD; maybe it wouldn't be universally sought after, but I'm sure there are lots of people like me out there who like this sort of film so there WOULD be a market for a DVD version. I'll keep hoping!$LABEL$ 1 +So it isn't an epic, but for people experiencing anything similar(sibling suicide) it might be an interesting way of therapy. Animaginative narrative and some fine acting makes it time wellspent. For some reason, it hasn't really caught on in the audience,something I do believe is a result of the main theme. Why did shecommit suicide? Clearly, this is hardly something that USmoviegoers will flock to, had it been an European production itprobably would have reached its audience in a much greaterextent. It is however, a movie that although the realism tainted by ashimmering romanticized glow, gives the viewer a whole heartedimpression.$LABEL$ 1 +I absolutely loved this film! I was hesitant to watch it at first because I thought it would be too painful. I remember how hard it was when John was shot. However, watching the "Two of Us" took me back to a happier time when he was still alive and there was hope and possibility. I think that the writer did an amazing job depicting what "might have been." Aidan Quinn was adorable as Paul and met the challenge head on. I was impressed with his accent and mannerisms. Jared Harris is also very talented and was quite believable as John. My favorite parts were the scene in the park and the rooftop scene - which was so poignant. The film left me with both sadness and satisfaction, both of which I feel are appropriate, given the circumstances.$LABEL$ 1 +Previous reviewer Claudio Carvalho gave a much better recap of the film's plot details than I could. What I recall mostly is that it was just so beautiful, in every sense - emotionally, visually, editorially - just gorgeous.If you like movies that are wonderful to look at, and also have emotional content to which that beauty is relevant, I think you will be glad to have seen this extraordinary and unusual work of art.On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it about an 8.75. The only reason I shy away from 9 is that it is a mood piece. If you are in the mood for a really artistic, very romantic film, then it's a 10. I definitely think it's a must-see, but none of us can be in that mood all the time, so, overall, 8.75.$LABEL$ 1 +Great premise, poor execution. Cast of great actors is watered down into a poorly written, poorly directed, poorly edited, waste of film. Only redeeming quality is the numerous shots of the food.Joan Chen, Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick, and Alfre Woodard should fire their agents.$LABEL$ 0 +Have to agree that this movie and it's talented director do not receive the plaudits they deserve. Here's hoping that the DVD will do very well and bring both to the attention of a wider audience. The actors gave excellent performances and the plot is excellent. Perhaps overall the movie is a little long but May Miles Thomas seems to enjoy her actors when they are giving strong performances and therefore sometimes holds them in longer close ups than necessary. Good for the actors I am sure but sometimes as the audience you are ready to move on so to speak with the plot. May Miles Thomas deserves more recognition from the Film business as one of our foremost digital movie directors,$LABEL$ 1 +I had two reasons for watching this swashbuckler when it aired on Danish television yesterday. First of all, I wanted to see Gina Lollobrigida - and here I wasn't disappointed. She looked gorgeous. Second of all, through reading about the film I had gotten the impression that it featured absurd humor not unlike that which can be found in Philippe de Broca's films. On this account, however, I was sadly disappointed. I found the jokes predictable (apart from a few witty remarks on the topic of war) and the characters completely one-dimensional. Also, the action scenes were done in a strangely mechanical and uninspired fashion, with no sense of drama at all. I kept watching until the end, but I got bored very quickly and just sat there, waiting for the scenes with Lollobrigida.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is an abomination of all that is worthy in film making. The lead actor surprises his audience by not actually acting at all. We have to watch almost two hours of his bland soulless face. The jokes are all lame I never laughed once it was Saturday night there were 5 of us having a beer all up for a laugh and then we put this on and you could feel all the warmth and colour being drained from the room. The film ended and the mood was ruined so we all went our separate ways, ruined the night ! OK so pros and cons. Pros beautiful setting in Hawaii, looks good on bluray. Cons worst acting ever; you can tell everyone concerned is just thinking about payday. Predictable poor plot. Zero character development. Forced jokes which fall flat. Many shots of the guys penis which to be fair acts better than him and has more charisma. May all makers of this film hang their heads in shame and hold their flaccid manhoods cheap.$LABEL$ 0 +This was my first Gaspar Noe movie I've watched and I have to say I was shocked. I don't mind gore in generally, but this isn't even gore , it's real butchering. For some of you a couple of scenes may be impossible to see and I mean really disgusting. Leaving aside these aspects, the main ideas revealed here and the dialog are quite brilliant. When you are given a strong argument against bringing a new life into the world and the manner in which it is given, you can't stop and take a minute to think about it. The actors did their job well, representing general masks of a handpick few people found at the bottom of a diseased society. The movie is full of metaphors, but I'll let you figure them out. Don't watch it if you want to have a lite, relaxing time. I recommend this movie to all those of you who want something to think about or simply watch something different of what you find in your average cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +I agree with BigAlC - this movie actually prepared me for a lot of the cultural differences and practices before I went to live in Japan for a year in 1993. Tom Selleck does a fantastic job here, as always, and the movie is greatly humorous and educational. I'm a big fan of Tom Selleck's, and he blesses this part with his usual charm and charisma to this part, bringing the film to life in a way I can't imagine any other actor being able to pull off. This film featured some first-rate Japanese actors, and it was highly entertaining to watch them as they interacted with Selleck - I can imagine the fun he had during the actual filming of the movie - Japan's an awesome place to go, whether you want to party, sight-see or just try to take everything in.$LABEL$ 1 +I laughed so hard during this movie my face hurt. Ben Affleck was hilarious and reminded me of a pretty boy Jack Black in this role. Gandolfini gives his typical A performance. The entire cast is funny, the story pretty good and the comic moments awesome. I went into this movie not expecting much so perhaps that is why I was so surprised to come out of the flick thoroughly pleased and facially exhausted. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys comedy, can identify with loneliness during the holidays and/or putting up with the relatives. The best part to this film (to me anyway) were the subtle bits of humor that caught me completely off guard and had me laughing long after the rest of the audience had stopped. Namely, the scene involving the lighting of the Christmas tree. Go see it and have a good laugh!$LABEL$ 1 +Although I lived in Australia in 1975, I moved overseas not long after, fed up with constant industrial unrest, the general worship of mediocrity - unless one is a sportsman! - and the complacency of so many Australians who chose to ignore the breakneck pace of change taking place in countries to their north. Consequently I missed The Dismissal, along with many other Australian-made TV dramas of the '80s and '90s, such as the superb Janus and Phoenix series, which I have since seen, along with Wildside.To me the filmed story of The Dismissal is fair and, as far as I am aware, accurate. However, as to public "outrage" it only shows one side of the picture, not how families were riven by the controversy. I know, as my two brothers would not speak to me for months afterward. But the commentary is, in my view, very one-sided throughout. The inescapable fact is that, notwithstanding fiery expressions of rage from a substantial proportion of the community, the Australian electorate chose - and chose decisively - in favour of Fraser, as they did again two years later. This apart, a historically accurate and superbly well acted docudrama.$LABEL$ 1 +I may be a good old boy from Virginia in the Confederate States of America, but this man does it for me. That mustache gets me riled up. I remember when I first saw a video of his. That girl he beat was amazing. The depth of his acting when they cut to his weathered facade was a new level of masculinity. It reminds me of the granite sculptures of our Mt. Rushmore. If I could ask him one question, it would be,"If you were a hot-dog, would you eat yourself?" Will Orhan be doing a reunion tour? Take note from the greats like Gordon Lightfoot, true music from the heart never fades away. Vive La John Denver. Gracias my friend, O.F.F.L. (Orhan Fan For Life)$LABEL$ 1 +I never want to see this movie again!Not only is it dreadfully bad, but I can't stand seeing my hero Stan Laurel looking so old and sick.Mostly I can't stand watching this terrible movie!Frankly, there is no reason to watch this awful film. The plot is just plain stupid. The actors that surround Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are really really bad and Laurel and Hardy have been funnier in any of their earlier films! I warn you don't watch it, the images will haunt you for a long while to come!$LABEL$ 0 +The problem is the role of the characters in the film. Man to Man shows a British anthropologist kidnapping two pygmies and taking them to Scotland and then realising that they are not animals or subhumans but actually equal to himself. The problem is the role of the pygmies in the film - two people who are kidnapped, treated like animals, and yet given such a shallow, stereotypical role within the film... The kidnapper (british anthropologist) ends up being the hero of the film because he 'manages' to relate to the pygmies... No notion of how the two hostages feel, of their point of view, of their ordeal... I find it is a shallow film, with a one sided fundamentally racist view... it never manages to move away from the 'white mans' view$LABEL$ 0 +Life Begins - and ends - in a typical 1930's maternity / recovery ward, where we view 48 hours in the lives of several high risk pregnant women, played by Loretta Young, Glenda Farrell, Clara Blandick (Aunty Em???), Vivienne Osborne, Dorothy Tree, and Gloria Shea, as they await to give birth. While the film features plot devices which seem far fetched today when maternity wards are much more controlled and restricted, it does offer us a look back in time to see what giving birth in a typical city hospital in 1932 was like for our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. I found the film fascinating and exceptionally moving.Oddly enough, the most outstanding performance in this film comes from a male cast member, young Eric Linden as Jed Sutton, Grace's (Loretta Young) husband. What an actor! As a first time father, Jed is distraught and uneasy with hospital staff who seem to brush off his concerns about his wife as they might brush crumbs off a cafeteria table. I felt his every concern keenly. I'd like to see more of this actor's work. He had a very emotional voice, which was used to unforgettable effect in Gone With The Wind. In that film Eric played the young soldier whose leg was amputated without anesthesia, who screamed "Don't cut! Don't cut!" as Scarlett fled the hospital in horror. Chilling! Another great performance is from Aline MacMahon, who plays Miss Bowers, the nurse. Her character is a salt of the earth type, the kind of nurse we all hope to get for our hospital stays, who breaks the hospital rules constantly in order to show a more humane side of the medical profession.Loretta Young did another superb acting job here as well, a very authentic and deeply felt performance as Grace. My, she is great in these precodes, I've really grown to appreciate her more as an actress the last few months.Glenda Farrell played her role of a shrill unwed mother a little over the top for my taste (didn't anyone know back in 1932 that swigging brandy from a hot water bottle might be hazardous to unborn babies' health?) but her character redeems herself in the end.Also in the cast was an uncredited Gilbert Roland, silent movie star, as a grieving Italian husband. His screen time was brief, but notable.Life Begins is a must-see precode, try to catch it sometime on TCM, but remember to bring a few hankies to cry into. 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great film. Touching and strong. The direction is without question breathless. Good work to the team. I feel so sorry for Marlene, By the grace of God go you or I$LABEL$ 1 +I think the manuscript of this movie was written on the piece of toilet-paper. No respect whatsoever to many important details which intrinsically make the movie. For example, the names of some Serbian terrorists (that I remember) are Caradan Maldic, Ivanic Loyvek and Leo Hasse. What kind of names are that? Certainly not Serbian! By the way, Caradan Maldic!!! What a name, I laughed for days thinking about it. Probably an implication on Karadzic and Mladic. Secondly, there have never been any cases of terrorism done by Serbians. A journalist like the main character ought to have known that. Thirdly, the actors playing Serbian terrorists are not even Serbs nor do they speak Serbo-croatian. All this aside, this movie is solidly acted but the story is paper-thin and full of holes. At times it makes no sense whatsoever!!!$LABEL$ 0 +*Criticism does mention spoilers*I rarely make user comments, but this is one movie I have no problem slandering. This movie stinks, and its mediocre of rating of 6 and a half stars is probably too high for such pulp. The Bone Collector is not at all the same calibre of film that Silence of the Lambs or Seven were, despite what its ad claims. This is a perfect example of how not to make a thriller. The pace of this movie was extremely slow- I actually left for about 10 minutes half-way through and came back at the exact scene with the exact same character with absolutely no progression (I refer to you the part where Angelina Jolie's character debates Denzel about cutting off a corpse' hands). The movie is not at all scary, but tries to compensate this with a love-subplot albeit sexy Angelina Jolie's character and Denzel Washington's. Of course, what you get is something comparable to that of the mentor-student relationship as seen in the brillian epic Silence of the Lambs with Hannibal Lecter and Starling, however, even this lacks all effectiveness and I was personally routing for the villain to kill Denzel off so as to avoid hackneyed giggles between the two. With such a crappy movie, I was half-expecting a plot-twist or some sort of spectacular situation to occur at the end to give the movie some credit- things that mediocre movies like Arlington Road and Scream pulled off. Anybody with a 4th grade education can see the ending how will be resolved ( a situation which mimicks Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window). The cliche of having the killer explain his motives was uninspired enough, but the reason was so ridiculous and stupid it had me spewing latte over the screen. Esoterically speaking, I even think the murderer's intention was completely lost as Denzel happily recovers from his loss over the proverbial 'chess game' and gets with his pet project, Angelina.If you are a fan of movies with original ideas and genuinely dynamic concepts (like I am), you will not appreciate this film. If you have not attended a single movie in your life and would like to catch-up on every single Hollywood cliche ever borne (the late-night knock on the window from somebody else but the murderer, the ridiculous serial-killer to prime investigator relationship, the horrible 'woman trying to get by in an all-male dominated workforce aka SOTL) , see this movie....but even then its too slow-paced and you'd be bored.$LABEL$ 0 +Possible Spoilers, Perhaps. I must say that "Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" is one of the worst movies ever made. First of all, the movie was made during the height of Disney's sequel rampage. It was created around the same time as "The Little Mermaid II," "The Jungle Book II," and "Peter Pan II," all of which were disservices to their original film classics. (Disney also made "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" and "Atlantis II," but I'm going to drop that topic because their original movies were never really classics in the first place.") Let me go ahead and say that I am an avid supporter of good Disney films, and I absolutely adore the original Disney "Cinderella." The sequel to "Cinderella," however, was a waste of time. The character of Cinderella in the sequel was so very unlike the original girl that I grew up watching. In the original, Cinderella was kind and loving. The new Cinderella had very out-of-character moments with current-era phrasing like, "I'm going to do this banquet my way!" Let me also tell you that new Cinderella (as I have affectionately named her) says, "Ewww!" That is the anti-Cinderella. I try to find the best in people, but in the sequel, Anastasia, one of the stepsisters, is good! What the heck? Why? They made it all out to be like Lady Tremaine and Drizella are just horrible family members for poor little Anastasia. My question to the world: did the people at Disney watch the original "Cinderella" when making this sequel? Well, it surely doesn't seem so. If I remember correctly, Anastasia was just as abusive to Cinderella as Drizella and Lady Tremaine. I am all for redemption and forgiveness, but there was no point of redemption for Anastasia in this movie. In the first one, Anastasia was evil. In the second one, she is good. One just can't leave a story like this. I hope Disney realizes that this movie, among other movies, is shaming Walt Disney's name. Perhaps now that Michael Eisner is gone, things will start shaping up around the House of Mouse.$LABEL$ 0 +Hopefully the score has changed by now due to my brilliant and stunning review which persuades all of you to go and watch the film thereby creating an instant chorus of "8"s, this movie's true score.As mentioned before Chris Rock is The King! Previous to going to see this movie I wasn't that over the top about him but now I'm banging on the doors of Chris Rock's website begging him to take me on as his protege. This film is truly funny, if you don't find this movie funny you REALLY need therapy and it's humour which targets all areas of society including race(predictably), class division, love, wealth, employment, dreams, stand up comedy... the list goes on.There was one slight disappointment for me however. This was that in going into this film I didn't realise that it was actually a remake of "Heaven Can Wait" another quite good movie made in 1971 with Warren Beatty. As such I was quite surprised when I watched this movie and suddenly the plot began to unravel to be distinctly similar to an older movie I had watched on TV a few weeks ago.. Regardless this movie is in my opinion the better version out of the two of them simply because of the different areas it covers and the fact that Chris Rock is funnier than Warren Beatty any second of any day of any week of any year of any...you get the picture.Well to the actual plot of the film.Don't spoil the experience for yourself! Don't read the plot! Just go and watch a movie because there have been two reviews on IMDb so far that have raved mad about it, go see it because it is the funniest thing you would have seen in a long time, go and see it because it's a cinema experience that doesn't leave you grumbling ad nauseum at the cost of cinema tickets. Go see it because it is a good movie!$LABEL$ 1 +Formula movie about the illegitimate son of a rich Chilenian who stands to inherit a fortune and gets mixed up in the affairs of bad guys and falls in love with a beautiful female lawyer (Vargas). It looks very much like a TV movie, not really exciting. The only reason I bothered to see it was because Valentina Vargas was in it. No real surprises here, though it is nice to see Vargas. Great looking Chilenian landscapes on display but Malcolm McDowell's part is very small and doesn't add much to the movie. Michael Ironside plays as usual a bad guy but this is not one of his most memorable parts. The chase scenes are standard fare.$LABEL$ 0 +Whatever rating I give BOOM is only because of the superb location photography of Sardinia and Rome. Otherwise, this is only for hardcore addicts of ELIZABETH TAYLOR (her downward phase), and RICHARD BURTON (his miscasting phase). Tennessee Williams wrote "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" and is supposed to be very fond of this adaptation of his play--but apparently, he was the only one. Taylor reportedly hated it and Burton needed the money.Whatever, it amounts to a hill of beans with Taylor posturing and fuming in her shrill manner, exploding at the servants and exchanging bad baby-talk with no less than NOEL COWARD who seems to be a visitor from another film when he finally appears.It's so campy that among Taylor fans it's probably considered a "must see" kind of thing. But if you can sit through this one without a drink in your hand, you're way ahead of me. Sadly, this is the film that signified the end of Taylor being taken seriously as a film actress, even after winning two Oscars. For Burton, it was equally disastrous and the critics called it a BOMB. Judge for yourself if you dare.$LABEL$ 0 +VIVA LA BAM This "Jackass" spin off focuses on the (obviously scripted) adventures of Bam Margera and his pals (Johnny Knoxville, Brandon Dicamillo, etc). This show, while it has its fair share of gross-out comedy and crazy stunts, focuses mainly on Bam's torturing of his parents.I'm sorry to say this, Bam, but... you're in no way as cool as you think you are. This ego tripped show is not only painfully unfunny (and yes, I liked Jackass), but also narcissistic beyond belief. The overly stylized intro ends with Bam coolly explaining that he's going to do "whatever the f***" he wants to. How about you do something that is actually funny? I liked "Jackass" for what it was worth. The camera-work was horrible - any idiot could have made a better show with a camcorder in their parents' garage - but at least the show moved at a steady pace and never felt boring between the crazy, dangerous or simply disgusting stunts the pals performed.Not so with "Viva la Bam". We follow our hero around as he plays pranks on his friends and tortures his relatives, but never does it feel like anything else than really lame and scripted comedy. The stunts and pranks are mildly entertaining, but presented in such a tedious and dull fashion that they can barely make you smile."Viva la Bam" is a poor spin-off of that does little good but feed Margera's already too big ego. I don't recommend this lame and unimaginative show to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +I had never heard of Larry Fessenden before but judging by this effort into writing and directing, he should keep his day job as a journeyman actor. Like many others on here, I don't know how to categorize this film, it wasn't scary or spooky so can't be called a horror, the plot was so wafer thin it can't be a drama, there was no suspense so it can't be a thriller, its just a bad film that you should only see if you were a fan of the Blair witch project. People who liked this film used words, like "ambiguity" and complex and subtle but they were reading into something that wasn't there. Like the Blair witch, people got scared because people assumed they should be scared and bought into some guff that it was terrifying. This movie actually started off well with the family "meeting" the locals after hitting a deer. It looked like being a modern day deliverance but then for the next 45 minutes, (well over half the film), nothing happened, the family potted about their holiday home which was all very nice and dandy but not the slightest bit entertaining. It was obvious the locals would be involved in some way at some stage but Essendon clearly has no idea how to build suspense in a movie. Finally, when something does happen, its not even clear how the father was shot, how he dies, (the nurse said his liver was only grazed), and all the time this wendigo spirit apparently tracks down the apparent shooter in a very clumsy way with 3rd grade special effects. The film is called Wendigo but no attempt is made to explain it in any clear way, the film ends all muddled and leaves you very unsatisfied, i would have bailed out with 15 minutes to go but I wanted to see if this movie could redeem itself. It didn't.$LABEL$ 0 +Schlocky '70s horror films...ya gotta love 'em. In contrast to today's boring slasher flicks, these K-tel specials actually do something scary and do not resort to a tired formula.This is a B movie about the making of a B movie...that went horribly wrong. Faith Domergue (This Island Earth) stars as an over-the-hill, B movie queen making a movie about a series of grisly murders that befell a family in their home. Her boyfriend/director, who looks and acts like Gordon Jump with an attitude, is filming on location and on a tight schedule. The Ken doll co-star discovers a book of Tibetian chants that they work into the script to add "realism". Unfortunately, "realism" is something they could have done without.John Carradine, having long since given up looking for the 17th gland (The Unearthly), now eeks out a humble existence as the caretaker for the estate. He goes about his daily work, but always seems to run afoul of the director.The horror builds slowly; a dead cat here, John Carradine entering a grave there, finally culminating in seven, yes seven murders. (At least there's truth in advertising.) It's just sad that the ghoul didn't understand that there was a movie being made above him. How was poor Faith to know that those darn Tibetian chants would actually work? Face it, you just can't go around tugging on Satan's coat and expect him to take it lying down.Sterno says perform an autopsy on The House of Seven Corpses.$LABEL$ 0 +I suppose for 1961 this film was supposed to be " cool " , but looking back now ( 45 years ) it's charm was just as silly as it's entertainment value ! Granted , the special effects do well on T.V. with the Series that started in 1964 , but for the BIG screen ?? I once had a fish tank that was equally as exciting ! I must agree about the Octopus scene near the end where it attached itself to the Seaview. Obviously not well staged...or trained ! Overall , it's pretty bad acting with shoddy special effects and I still do recommend it - for fun laughs sake. This was probably one of Irwin Allen's Biggest films and I think he thought a lot of it . Barabara Eden went on to play " Genie " on T.V. Micheal Ansara was her Husband . Now that is a cool part about this film ! I always enjoyed seeing real life Husband and Wife teams star in the same movie . Neat !$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the finest films to come out of Hong Kong's 'New Wave' that began with Tsui Hark's "ZU: Warriors of Magic Mountain". Tsui set a tone for the New Wave's approach to the martial arts film that pretty much all the directors of the New Wave (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Wong Jing, Ching Siu Tung, etc.) accepted from then on as a given; namely, the approach to such films thenceforth would need more than a touch of irony, if not outright comedy. "Burning Paradise" put a stop to all that, and with a vengeance.It's not that there isn't humor here; but it is a purely human humor, as with the aged Buddhist priest at the beginning who somehow manages a quick feel of the nubile young prostitute while hiding in a bundle of straw. But this is just as humans are, not even Buddhist priests can be saints all the time.When irony is at last introduced into the film, it is the nastiest possible, emanating from the 'abbot' of Red Lotus Temple, who is a study in pure nihilism such as has never been recorded on film before. He is the very incarnation of Milton's Satan from "Paradise Lost": "Better to rule in Hell than serve in heaven!" And if he can't get to Satan's hell soon enough, he'll turn the world around him into a living hell he can rule.That's the motif underscoring the brutal violence of much of the imagery here: It's not that the Abbot just wants to kill people; he wants them to despair, to feel utterly hopeless, to accept his nihilism as all-encompassing reality. Thus there's a definite sense pervading the Red Temple scenes that there just might not be any other reality outside of the Temple itself - it has become all there is to the universe, and the Abbot, claiming mastery of infinite power, is in charge.Of course, fortunately, the film doesn't end there. Though there are losses, the human will to be just ordinarily human at last prevails. (If you want to know how, see the film!) Yet there is no doubt that, in viewing this film, we visit hell. Hopefully, we do not witness our own afterlives; but we certainly feel chastened by the experience - and somehow better for it over all.$LABEL$ 1 +Now I don't hate cheap movies. I just don't see why you should waste any money for a movie you could shoot with your dad's camcorder. If I rent a movie, I want it to be a MOVIE, not a bunch of people thinking it would be a good idea to waste some MiniDV - Tapes.Maybe I hate this one so much because the guy in the video store said it was great, and it wasn't. Maybe I hate it because it's cheap, has the dumbest plot EVER, the most unrealistic characters EVER and the really, really, really WORST SHOWDOWN in the history of films EVER. Even Tom Savini can't save this.Seriously, this one is a complete waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +A fabulous book about a fox and his family who does what foxs do. that being stealing from farms and killing prey. until a trio of farmers decide they've had enough of this fox and try in various ways to have the problem "solved". They are of course "out foxed" at every turn and while the trio are camped out at the fox hole the family perform raids against the three farmers land.The"film" version ,and I use the term film very loosely, is more of a god awful pastiche of American heist movies particularly the Oceans movies. They they even have George clooney as Mr fox to to add to the insult and manage to miss the point of the story quite completely. So kudos to them .They'll make lots of money and destroy another classic Roald Dahl children book.$LABEL$ 0 +As soon as it hits a screen, it destroys all intelligent life forms around ! But on behalf of its producers I must say it doesn't fall into any known movie category, it deserves a brand new denomination of its own ! It's a "Neurological drama" ! It saddens and depresses every single neuron inside a person's brain.It's the closest thing one will ever get to a stroke without actually suffering one. It drives you speechless, all you members go numb, your mouth falls open and remains so, and the most strange symptom of all is that you get yourself wishing to go blind and deaf.No small feat for such a sort of a "movie".The only word that comes to my mind just having finished my ordeal is OUTRAGE !!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +For a film made in Senegal, based, I guess loosely on Carmen, the book, by Prosper Merimee, this film doesn't achieve a mere resemblance of the story that has been made famous as an opera and as other films.Ms. Gai as the Karmen of the title is very good to look at. Her fiery dancing smolders the screen, as is the case with her torrid love scene at the beginning of the film.This is a Karmen that aims to please to all genders, but a real Carmen, she is not!We would like to see Ms. Gai in other films in which her talent is better used than here.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very noir kind of episode. It begins with Jim returning from a weekend trip with a new girlfriend, the recently divorced Karen Mills (Pat Delaney--daughter in law of John Huston, who knew a few things about noir film) and her daughter. When they arrive, Karen goes in the house while Jim picks up her daughter from the back seat and carries her up to her room. He then discovers Karen has disappeared without a trace. Of course he calls Dennis and when the police arrive, they see no sign of Karen, but find her next door neighbor murdered in the bushes. So of course that makes Jim an immediate suspect.This is a great little mystery and the first half of the story is shown by Rocky asking Jim to go over the story once again. Rocky suggests that by Jim telling him the story he might remember a little detail that he didn't think was important at the time, but now might lead to a clue as to what happened. It's a really well written scene and completes the transition of the Rocky character from a grifter to a concerned parent. It also goes a long way to show that Rocky isn't just some clueless old man either. As he says "You come to me because I'm your father. And I'm smarter than you!" This is one of those times where we see where Jim got his smarts.This episode also features an appearance by hottie Lara Parker, who played Angelique in the "Dark Shadows" series and went on to play Laura Banner, Bruce's wife in the "Incredible Hulk" series a few years later. She looks terrific here.This episode also marks the first mention of the Minette crime family, a name that would keep popping up on the Rockford Files almost whenever they needed a mob family. This time, its Vincent Minette who Rockford helps apprehend.Lt. Diehl (Tom Atkins) makes his first appearance on the series and Dennis is quietly demoted from a police lieutenant that he was on the earlier season one episodes to a police Sargent. I guess they figured it would be better to have Dennis less powerful and add some conflict between Jim and the police. Frankly, they were right, though I prefer the later Lt. Chapman to Lt. Diehl. Not a lot of the typical "Rockford" humor in this episode, but a good mystery with a lot of heart.$LABEL$ 1 +The Royal Rumble has traditionally been one of my favourite events, and i've been a wrestling fan for a good few years now. The other shows may have better matches, but i've always found the actual rumble match to be full of excitement.I'm not going to reveal the winners of any match as i don't see it as fair to ruin the results on a review. I will comment on the quality of them though.We have the standard 4 matches, and then the big rumble event. Two from Smackdown and two from Raw.Shawn Michaels and Edge open up for Raw. This proves to be a good match from two talented guys. This is a match i'd recommend watching. It's hard to sum up without giving away the winner.Next we have the usual Undertaker against some big nasty monster, be whoever it is. Giant Gonzales, Yokozuna, Kamala... well this time it's Heidenreich. Its also a casket match. Typical Undertaker fare. Watch if you're a fan. I have to admit i am, purely for the entertainment factor. It can hardly be regarded as a classic wrestling match.The next two matches are the title matches. For once Smackdown manages to upstage Raw. Their title match is pretty thrilling and enjoyable, but with a anti-climax and let down to end it. Raw's match is a pretty dull and boring affair, which is a pity as i'm a fan of both guys involved.Now to the main reason i love the event, the rumble. It's a pretty good one this year. Coming up to the event we all had a pretty good idea of who might win, and it may not prove a big surprise, but hey, its very enjoyable. There are the usual diverse ways of people being eliminated. There is the token guy who doesn't make it to the ring, the entrant who is ridiculous and we all want to see vanquished, and someone gets eliminated by a previously eliminated combatant. It has its usual highs and lows, and i loved the ending, in particular the Vince McMahon entrance.I'd recommend this show. Not the WWE on top form, but its still good. Add it to your collection.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember this in a similar vein to the Young Ones. We'd stumble back from the pub and watch this or tape it and then spend weeks replaying the lines to each other.We called one of our mates "Zipmole Watkins" after the brilliant episode in which Daniel Peacock has a bit of 'restyling' on his nose by the Back Street Abortionist.Lots of great lines "Remember at 5:30 in the morning you can only get white bread from a brown man. Take it easy guy!" - Gandhi as a local shopkeeper.Tony woodcock was definitely on there in the episode they were teaching Ralph (Daniel Peacock) to be a barman "It's no good Amanda I'll never make it as a bar man" Helen Lederer teaches him to ask people about the match "See the match last night? I thought Woodcock played well" After a string of failed conversations the curly haired Arsenal star was sitting at the bar: "See the match last night?" "Yeah. I thought I played well"We still do odd stupid lines now - "Reg and Ralph..... or....... Ralph and Reg. Reg, Reg... Reg Reg Reg Reg"Lots of very surreal silly moments and very surreal songs from the Flatlets - The Back Street Abortionist a personal favourite with the great ending line - "And he'll mark your packages 'Return To Sender"Good old Danny Peacock - you added a lot to some young drinkers' evenings sir.**Update - I found a couple of episodes on tape - I'm going to upload the Gandhi sketch to Youtube **$LABEL$ 1 +Destined to be a classic before it was even conceptualized. This game deserves all the recognition it deserves. At a time when first-person shooters like Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament are garnering all the attention of computer gamers, graphic adventures are a dying breed. With great pun and humour, The Curse of Monkey Island is a game that people of all age groups would enjoy. Life can only improve after playing The Curse of Monkey Island. *prediction* the sequel Escape from Monkey Island is already destined to be a classic too. I guarantee it.$LABEL$ 1 +Stephane Audran is the eponymous heroine of this beautifully measured study of a small Danish community towards the end of the last century. Two beautiful and musically talented sisters give-up their own prospects of happiness and marriage in order to look-after their ageing father. One day, a French woman, Babette, comes to work for them. After some years she wins the lottery and is determined to do something for the sisters who have taken her in. Her solution is to prepare an exquisite and sumptuous feast, which changes the lives of all those invited. This is a film about human and cultural interaction, reflected in the changing language of the dialogue from Danish to French, and especially between the dutiful sobriety of Protestant northern Europe and the sensuousness of the Catholic south. It is also about human needs, and how warmth and kindness can be expressed and stimulated through the cultivation of the senses. A profoundly uplifting film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was way over-hyped. A lot of the viewers, who thought this was "amazing" must have been into the old school movies, cause the whole movie is set in the past. At first I thought the movie was just showing something from the past, so I was expecting that faded dreamy like lighting on the characters to pass, but it just going. Basically this was a movie trying to mix the future with the past, and the 2 don't mix very well in this movie, even with special effects. You could actually see the blue screen the actors were working with. There are too many movies out there that do exactly what this movie did, so there is no reason for critics to hype this movie up saying "it's the greatest movie ever done". It's just crap on a stick. It also didn't help that the story line was sooo crappy. I don't understand why Hollywood agreed to have this movie produced, and I also don't understand how actors/actresses in this movie are willing to be in a movie like this. It's almost as though everybody read the script and forgot to read the fine print..."It will all be done on a computer". This was a movie that should have been on a movie network, because nothing about this movie was revolutionary. I'm very upset with myself for paying money to see this. Whatever you do, don't waste your time and money on this movie today or tomorrow.$LABEL$ 0 +It is incredible that there were two films with the same story released in 2005. This one came out a day before that other one with Tom Cruise. Didn't they do that with Truman Capote the same year, and the Zodiac killer last year? Interesting.Writer/Director David Michael Latt didn't have Steven Spielberg's budget and C. Thomas Howell is not Tom Cruise. This is a pale imitation of the blockbuster that grossed $588 million worldwide.The action was minimal and most of the time we were treated to the whining of Rhett Giles, who played a pastor that was giving up on his god.Gary Busey was creepy as an army LT.$LABEL$ 0 +I dunno sometimes...you try and try and try to be charitable towards all the B thru Z grade movies out there, but once in a while a particular movie just tests your patience until you want to slap everyone involved. "Bat People" (which I saw under the title "It Lives By Night") is just such a movie. You can't watch this without thinking that it really should have been an episode on "Night Gallery", and not one of the better ones, either. The movie has something to do with a doctor who gets bitten by a bat and consequently starts to morph into a Were-Bat who drinks human blood. (Actually, you'd think if he was turning into a real bat, he'd be eating mosquitoes by the gallon bucket, but because this is a cheap, lurid horror movie, blood's the word.) In spite of the fact that he has grand-mal seizures at the drop of a hat, and black-out episodes almost every night, his friend and fellow physician, Dr. Mustache Aspen-Extreme, insists that he's just having an 'allergic reaction' to the rabies shots. Meanwhile, the world's most obnoxious and stereotyped county sheriff suspects the doc of being responsible for the brutal murder and exsanguination of several local girls (and one wino). Also meanwhile, the doctor's wife decides that denial IS a river in Egypt and alternately patronizes him and nags him to distraction. It's not so much that the acting is bad - you can tell that the actors are making professional level choices, and are trying to bring some juice and life to the script, even the guy who plays the sheriff. (Okay, it IS pretty bad, but it's bad in a clichéd, wooden, professional way). It's just that everything about the acting, the way the scenes are paced, the costumes, the dialog, the script and the story line in general sets your teeth on edge and makes you want to, well, slap everyone involved.I think the movie had an outside chance at being a spooky, unsettling little cult favorite, BUT:1)The director needed to beat Michael Pataki, an experienced character actor, with a chair until Pataki agreed to ACT, and not just channel Dennis Weaver. 2)He also needed to find a script that made a little more sense with regard to the whole "Bat Bites Human, Who Then Turns Into A Bat" scenario. 3) He also needed the actor who played the doctor to find a little more physically believable bit of stage business for his 'episodes', instead of resorting to "Man Has A Seizure" page from the Little Golden Book of Clichéd Acting Mannerisms. 4) He needed to rework the whole 'wife' character, make her both more intelligent, less shrill and waaaaay more observant. I would never voluntarily watch this film again, except with the help of Mike and the Bots. It's bad, but it isn't bad in a silly, humorous or interesting way. Still better than "Battlefield Earth" or "Waterworld", though.$LABEL$ 0 +Big Fat Liar is what you get when you combine terrific writing, great production, and an emphasis on clever ideas over adolescent pap. The two stars work great together, and--what can I say? Amanda Bynes shines. Putting "Irkel" and Lee Majors in the film were brilliant touches. Watch this film with your kids. If you don't laugh throughout it, you must not have been paying attention.$LABEL$ 1 +Tim Robbins and John Cusack are two actors I have appreciated throughout their careers, and that was the only reason for choosing to watch this movie. Well, all I can say is I totally regretted it! These two great actors humiliate themselves all the way through by performing a number of irrelevant, unimaginative and kitch to the extreme (not that this is bad on its own)sketches that are supposed to make people laugh, but fail to do so. The only reason I can think is that the director was their friend, and they decided to support his movie by starring in it-I can't think of anything else because this movie is SO cheap! Fortunately Tim Robbins and John Cusack haven't disappointed me ever since. I would recommend you to avoid this film, unless you want your opinion about the two actors spoiled.$LABEL$ 0 +On watching this film, I was amazed at how media perception can mould a persons opinion of a celebrity. Karen Carpenter was a carefree, but very unconfident young lady, whose wonderful voice helped her and her brother Richard to soar the charts with wonderful songs. As with all celebrities of today, they were often criticised about their music as well as their looks, styles, etc. THis had a huge effect on Karen who raged a battle against her eating and drastically lost weight, which eventually caused her death. This heart felt film was not initially something which I would have thought of watching. But on starting to view it, then I was hooked. In the same way that the Tina Turner story does, then this film enlightens you and allows you to see into the young performers life. The acting was superb and even after nearly 20 years after it was made, then the directional and the dialogue are still entertaining.I would recommend this to anyone who hasn't yet watched it. It is amazingly accurate and emotionally charged.$LABEL$ 1 +Nothing is sacred. Just ask Ernie Fosselius. These days, everybody has a video camera, and a movie is hardly out before the spoofs start flying, quickly written and shot, and often posted directly to the internet. Spoofs are hot these days, and we go out of our way to make sure filmmakers don't get off on their own self-importance. 25 years ago, when the first Star Wars was made, it was a different world. Filmmaking was the playground of a select few and spoofs were very rare. Then God gave us Hardware Wars. It was shot to look cheap (or was it just cheap?) and the audio was obviously recorded after the fact. Does that take away from the experience? HECK NO! That's what makes it so great! It was raw and unpolished, and hit relentlessly on some of the more pretentious moments of the original movie. From Fluke Starbucker waving around a flashlight instead of a lightsaber (I did that when I was young!) to Chewchilla the Wookie Monster, to Auggie Ben Doggie's "nah, just a little headache" remark, this film short is as much a part of the phenomenon as any of the actual Star Wars films. Rent it. Buy it. Borrow it from a friend. And may the Farce be with you. Always.$LABEL$ 1 +I hated it. I hate self-aware pretentious inanity that masquerades as art. This film is either stupidly inane or inanely stupid. After the first half hour, I fastfowarded through the DVD version, and saw the same juvenile shennanigans over and over and over. I became angered that I had spent hard-earned money for sophomoric clap-trap. Tinting drivel in sepia or blue does not make something a movie, let alone art.$LABEL$ 0 +I usually try to be professional and constructive when I criticize movies, but my GOD!!! This was THE worst movie I have ever seen. Bad acting, bad effects, bad script, bad everything! The plot follows a group of teen cliche's on their way to a rave (that takes place in broad daylight) at a remote island. However, when the group arrives, all they find is an empty dance floor and bloody clothes. Determined to find out what happened to the rest of the party-goers, the clan set's off on a mission through a zombie-infested forest. During this crusade, they are aided by a police chick and a sea captain that just happens to have the right number of weapons to give to each of the kids. They also meet up with Jonathan Cherry and some other survivors. Basically the rest of the movie is a collection of poorly directed action sequences including a far too long shootout outside of the "house of the dead." This fight came complete with cheesy Hollywood violence, redundant clips from the HOTD video game, and sloppy matrix-esque camera rotations. One of the character's even volunteers to sacrifice himself to save the others. Why? Not because he was noble and brave, but because part of his face got scarred by acid a zombie spat on him after he continued to beat the creature long after it had been disabled! I'm supposed to feel sorry for this guy?!?To sum it all up, there is absolutely no point in seeing this movie unless you want to see for yourself just how terrible it is. The theater I was in was more dead than the zombies on the screen, and I'm sure the money I wasted seeing this piece of sh*t could easily cover the costs it took to make it. GRADE: F$LABEL$ 0 +If you like me is going to see this in a film history class or something like that at your school, try to convince your teacher to see something else. believe me, anything is better than this movie. it is slow paced, confusing, boring, poorly constructed, gory, gringy, do I need to go on? It's message is good, but I have seen them been handled better in several other films. The acting isn't even any good. This movie is just even more awkward, as it start off as being funny (not intensional though)because of it's surreal story, than at the end, just becomes uncomfortable to watch.I honestly feel like 1 hour and 40 minutes of my life has been robbed. Why would anyone want to watch a girls describe a threesome for 10 minutes, than watch them drive through a traffic jam for 20 minutes, listen to a hippie who can make sheep appear, witness a sort of rape, than see the female lead role eat her husband.Honestly this movie deserves nothing but a 1/10. And if your not happy with my preview,seriously I'm an open minded guy and I like movies that protest through symbolism, but this movie was just awful. make any excuse you can, to avoid this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This is like a zoology textbook, given that its depiction of animals is so accurate. However, here are a few details that appear to have been slightly modified during the transition to film:- Handgun bullets never hit giant Komodo dragons. It doesn't matter how many times you shoot at the Komodo, bullets just won't go near it.- The best way to avoid being eaten by a giant Cobra, or a giant Komodo dragon, is just to stand there. The exception to this rule is if you've been told to stay very still, in which case you should run off, until the Komodo is right next to you, and then you should stand there, expecting defeat.- Minutes of choppy slow motion footage behind the credits really makes for enjoyable watching.- $5,000 is a memory enhancement tool, and an ample substitute for losing your boating license/getting arrested.- Members of elite army units don't see giant Komodo dragons coming until they are within one metre of the over-sized beings. Maybe the computer-generated nature of these dragons has something to do with it.- When filming a news story aiming on exposing illegal animal testing, a reporter and a cameraman with one camera is all the gear and personnel you will need; sound gear, a second camera, microphones etc are all superfluous.- When you hear a loud animal scream, and one person has a gun, he should take it out and point it at the nearest person.- When you take a gun out, the sound of the safety being taken off will be made, even if your finger is nowhere near the safety- Reporters agree to go half-way around the world in order to expose something - without having the faintest idea what they're exposing. Background research and vague knowledge are out of fashion in modern journalism.- Handguns hold at least 52 bullets in one clip, and then more than that in the next clip. Despite that, those with guns claim that they will need more ammo.- Expensive cameras (also, remember that the reporter only has one camera) are regularly left behind without even a moment's hesitation or regret. These cameras amazingly manage to make their way back to the reporter all by themselves.- The blonde girl really is the stupid one.- The same girl that says not to go into a house because a Komodo dragon can easily run right through it, thus making it unsafe, takes a team into a building made of the same material for protection - and nobody says a word about it.- High-tech facilities look like simple offices with high school chemistry sets.- Genetically-modified snakes grow from normal size to 100 feet long in a matter of a day, but don't grow at all in the weeks either side.- The military routinely destroys entire islands when people don't meet contact deadlines.- Men with guns don't necessarily change the direction they're shooting when their target is no longer right in front of them. Instead, they just keep shooting into the air.- The better looking you are, the greater your chance of surviving giant creatures.- Women's intuition is reliable enough to change even the most stubborn of minds.- Any time you're being hunted by giant creatures is a great time to hit on girls half your age.- Animal noises are an appropriate masking noise for 'swearing' at the same volume.- Old Israeli and Russian planes are regularly used by the US Military.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is awful, I can't even be bothered to write a review on this garbage! All i will say it is one of the most boring films I've ever seen.And the acting is very bad. The boy who plays the main character really annoys me, he's got the same expression on his face through out the movie. I just want to slap him! Basically 80% of the movie is slow motion shots of skateboarders, weird music, and utter sh*t..Apparently I've got to write at least 10 lines of text to submit this comment, so I'll use up a few more lines by saying the lead character has got one of those faces you just want to slap!Meh i give up..THIS MOVIE SUCKS !!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Why do movie makers always go against the author's work? I mean, yes, things have to be condensed for the sake of viewer interest, but look at Anne of Green Gables. They did a wonderful job of combining important events into a cohesive whole that was simply delightful. I can't believe that they chose to combine three novels together for Anne of Avonlea into such a dreadful mess. Look at all they missed out on by doing that . . . Paul Irving, little Elizabeth, the widows, Windy Poplars . . . and Anne's college years, for heaven's sake!!! Wouldn't it have been delightful to meet Priscilla and all the rest of the Redmond gang? Kevin Sullivan should have taken things one movie at a time, instead of jumbling them all together and combining characters and events the way he did. This movie was good, if you leave the novels out of it!! But L.M. Montgomery's beautiful work is something that should not be denied. This movie was a let down after seeing the successful way he brough Anne of Green Gables to life.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe that those praising this movie herein aren't thinking of some other film. I was prepared for the possibility that this would be awful, but the script (or lack thereof) makes for a film that's also pointless. On the plus side, the general level of craft on the part of the actors and technical crew is quite competent, but when you've got a sow's ear to work with you can't make a silk purse. Ben G fans should stick with just about any other movie he's been in. Dorothy S fans should stick to Galaxina. Peter B fans should stick to Last Picture Show and Target. Fans of cheap laughs at the expense of those who seem to be asking for it should stick to Peter B's amazingly awful book, Killing of the Unicorn.$LABEL$ 0 +This film really used its locations well with some amazing shots, dark and disturbing the film moves very slowly, but constantly keeps you watching. Modern Love worked well in the Gold Coast Film Fantastic program this year offering audiences a glimpse at an Australian Cinema that is usually neglected. Most importantly it is refreshing to see Australian cinema not taking on the cliché Aussie characters and story lines we have seen done to death over the years. This film would compliment any festival and will open debate after its screenings. The performances and characters are well developed, and the cinematography is fantastic. An interesting exploration into family relationships, and environments.$LABEL$ 1 +Strangely enough this movie never made it to the big screen in Denmark, so I had to wait for the video release. My expectations where high but they where in no way disappointed. As always with Ang Lee there is fantastic acting, an intelligent and thrilling plot that has you guessing right till the end and superb filming. Along with Unforgiven this is easily one of the two best westerns of the 90`s.People who expect something along the line of Mel Gibson in The Patriot(corny) or Braveheart(acceptable) will be sourly disappointed, all others who appreciate the above mentioned qualities will have a fantastic time watching it. 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is so bad - dialogues, story, actors and actresses - everything! - that it's hard to imagine that we'll see a worse movie this year or in the following years. "Love's Brother" (set in Australia among Italian immigrants) has nothing but shallow clichés about Italian culture to offer, and it is quite telling that even the Italians from and in Italy speak ENGLISH in the film. The message of the film - ugly people have to marry ugly people, beautiful people have to marry beautiful people - is truly discomforting. Giovanni Ribisi is quite good in films like 'Suburbia' or 'Lost in Translation', but here his pseudo-Italian accent is hard to bear. See this film at your own risk. Trash as trash can!$LABEL$ 0 +I don't leave IMDb comments about films but this.... this film was bad. very bad. I fast forwarded through most of it, stopping where I hoped the acting had improved since the last scene, only to continue with the fast forwards. Formula plot -- once the obvious murderers were discounted, there was only the one left. And that was in the first five minutes. Scene by scene it felt as though I'd already read the script before because there were no surprises, no mystery. The Tori character... bad bad acting. A true waste of time on DVD and a definite 'let's go to bed early' option if it's the only thing on television. If you watch this film, you will find yourself realising you'll never be able to get back the time you've just wasted.$LABEL$ 0 +In Nordestina, a village in the middle of nowhere in Pernambuco, Antônio (Gustavo Falcão) is the youngest son of his mother, who had uninterruptedly cried for five years. When he is a young man, he falls in love for Karina (Mariana Ximenes), a seventeen years old teenager that dreams to see the world and becomes an actress. Antônio promises Karina to bring the world to Nordestina, and once in Rio de Janeiro, he participates of a sensationalist television show and promises to travel to the fifty years ahead in the future or die for love with a deadly machine he had invented. Fifty years later, Antônio (Paulo Autran) tries to fix what was wrong in his travel."A Máquina" is one of the best Brazilian movies I have recently seen. The refreshing and original story is a poetic and magic fable of love that will certainly thrill the most skeptical and tough viewer, in a unique romance. The direction is excellent; the screenplay is awesome; the cinematography and colors are magnificent; the cast leaded by Gustavo Falcão, the icon Paulo Autran and Mariana Ximenes is fantastic, with marvelous lines; the soundtrack has some beautiful Brazilian songs highlighting Geraldo Azevedo and Rento Rocha's "Dia Branco". If this movie is distributed overseas, please thrust me and rent it or buy the DVD because I bet you will love the story that will bring you into tears. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "A Máquina – O Combustível é o Amor" ("The Machine – The Fuel is Love")$LABEL$ 1 +"I like cheap perfume better; it doesn't last as long..." - Ralph Meeker's convict character (Lawson) tells this to Barbara Stanwyck's Helen character, after he gets a whiff of the perfume that she picked out w/her husband in Tijuana...! This line cracked me up, and also seemed like a metaphor for this film - that cheap is better than expensive, because a cheap perfume-loving man who has a way with a 2 x 4 is a better man to have around in the long run! I agree with some of the other comments posted about Helen's attraction to Lawson. Even though her narration states that she wants Lawson to be put away, she did seem attracted to his fiery nature, and that passion he stirred up in her wouldn't likely wash away with the tide!$LABEL$ 1 +I am a huge fan of Harald Zwart, and I just knew that I had to see this movie, even though I can't say I'm a soccer fan. But watching this just filled my heart with joy, and I had a great time in the movies watching it.Bjørn Fast Nagell does a tremendous job directing this movie, and even though you notice the main characters are new at acting, they grow with the movie and makes it what it is. Even though it is supposed to be a soccer movie, there is surprisingly little soccer in it. The whole idea is to show the six guys making up the word N O R W A Y on their trip to the World Cup in soccer playing in Germany this year. If you're only gonna see one Norwegian movie this year, this is the one..$LABEL$ 1 +Based on the best-selling novel "The Dismissal", The Missing Star, the latest film by acclaimed Italian director Gianni Amelio, is the story of the growing friendship between an older Italian maintenance man and a young interpreter he hires in Shanghai to be his guide through China. Vincenzo Buonovolonta is the Maintenance Manager at a steel mill in Italy that has been shut down and the blast furnace sold to China. When Vincenzo (Sergio Castellitto) discovers that a control unit in the furnace is defective and potentially dangerous, he travels to China to find the steel mill where the part has been sold in hopes of preventing a fatal accident.The film, of course, is about the journey not the destination to use a familiar cliché and, on that journey, we are privy to an engaging look at China with all its immense beauty and complexity, via the outstanding cinematography by Luca Bigazzi. The film takes us to Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongquing, Baotou, and a trip along the Yangstze River showing us coastal areas that are scheduled to be flooded when the Three Gorges Dam is fully operative, a Chinese mega-project that has resulted in the displacement of 1.2 million people. The trip brings the travelers face to face with poverty, overcrowded housing, and children left to fend for themselves.The film revolves around the relationship between Vincenzo and translator Liu Hua (Tai Ling) who first meet in Italy where his impatience with her translations at a dinner meeting causes her to lose her job. When he tracks her down in Shanghai she is working at a library and resistant to Vincenzo's approach. Looking at his offer to help him in his travels in China as little more than a well paying job, she reluctantly agrees to accompany him. Their relationship, however, grows as they move from city to city, her interpretive skills much in evidence to help the bewildered Vincenzo who does not own a cell phone.As they slowly open up to each other, they expose each other's vulnerability and the film delves into their past and present life and how they arrived at their present situation. We meet Liu's son (Lin Wang) at the home of her grandmother. In China's one child policy, he is one of the unwanted children who have been "hidden" since the father of the boy abandoned the family. Although the meeting between Vincenzo and the boy is casual, their relationship becomes central to how the story plays out.Castellitto is an excellent actor (though one longs for a younger Enrico Lo Verso in this role). However, he is emotionally distant throughout the film, his expression rarely changing from a far away hangdog expression. Though Tai Ling brings a great deal of presence to the role, her relationship with the much older Vincenzo never seemed real to me and the ending seemed to exist only in a reality known as the movies. Though Amelio is one of my favorite directors, coming on the heels of the brilliant Keys to the House, Missing Star is a disappointment.$LABEL$ 1 +This is sad this movie is the tops this should at least be in the top 250 movies here. This is still the best Action movie ever done. The action movies of today are badly done The actors and action directors do not no how to do it fighting and stunts properly. only some no how to do it mostly from Hong Kong like Jackie Chan. The stunts are so clever and wild i do not think we will see the likes of ever. The start where Chan and his team go down the hill car chase through the hill town is just amazing. The end fight stunts are for me the best fight stunts ever put to film. The end stunt sliding down the pole crashing through the glass Jackie was badly hurt.$LABEL$ 1 +I found it very very difficulty to watch this after the initial 5 minutes of the film. I managed to stomach 45-50 minutes before switching it off in disgust and watching Monster House instead (which, by the way, is great fun).The story has massive holes in it. The plot line is hugely over stated and dull, the acting is awful, especially from Justin TImberlake who should really stick to what he is good at (looking daft and singing like a castrato). Morgan Freeman looked incredibly uncomfortable, especially when made to dance around to rock music for no apparent reason half way through the film after him and Timberlake meet. Freeman and Timberlake's characters seem to be supposed to have some sort of father/son relationship of sorts or something, which simply isn't evident at all apart from the fact that; though Freeman's character seems to have nothing but contempt for the ignorant and rather stupid character of Timberlake, he never the less pulls out all the stops to help him uncover a completely ridiculous cover up.It would take some incredible suspension of disbelief to give any credit to the story line, which is simply absurd and blown out of all proportion.Don't watch this film, it is a pure waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a real low budget production, yet I will not say anything more on that as it already has been covered. I give this movie a low rating for the story alone, but I met the director the night I saw the film and he gave me an additional reason to dislike the movie. He asked me how I enjoyed it and I told him that it was not easy to like. My main objection was the lack of foundation for the relationship between the two main characters, I was never convinced that they were close. I also told him that the scene where the main characters were presented as children becoming friends was too late in the film.He told me that the flashback scenes were not in the original script. That they were added because he felt like I did that the two main characters did not appear close. He went on to explain that these scenes were not filmed to his satisfaction as they were out of money. I agree that they did not do much for the film.Another fact about the movie, that I was not aware of, is the actor who had the lead wrote the script based on his own personal experience. This is usually a bad move as some writers do not take into consideration the emotional reaction the viewer. The story is so close to home that the writer make too many assumption as to the audience's reaction to his own tragedy. And the story is tragic. However, it did not work for me as I never cared for any of the characters, least of all the lead. What was presented were two evil people out to make a buck by any means, regardless who gets hurt. When Ms. Young's character decides to give up he evil ways, it appears that she does so because she is ineffective, not because she knows she is doing wrong. If the movie has a message then I suspect that only the writer is aware of it.$LABEL$ 0 +I watch this movie without big expectations, I think everyone should do. It's a great Tv-serie and of course we couldn't compare it with Gone With the wind, but it's still nice to watch. It's also weird to see a different Scarlett. Joanne Whalley don't play Scarlett with passion and fire like Vivien Leigh, but I believe that Scarlett is changed when she became older. Don't expect to much of this just watch but don't watch like: I think this would be horrible.$LABEL$ 1 +What a fun filled, sexy movie! They certainly don't make them like this anymore. 4 sexy au pairs arrive in London and have all sorts of sexual misadventures. The tone is oddly innocent, as the considerable nudity evolves out of stock farcical situations, rather than any overt sexual desire on the part of the characters. It is only when the actresses accidentally lose their clothes that the male characters become rampant. Richard O' Sullivan literally gets 'Randi'(sic). The film certainly betrays the origins of the softcore feature as lying in the nudie cuties and naturism films of the old school. My special interest in 'Au Pair Girls' is that I am a huge fan of Gabrielle Drake. If any actress has ever looked better naked (she's slim but wonderfully curvy), or clothed, come to that (I've loved her since the original run of UFO - who else could carry off a purple wig!), I'll eat my hat.$LABEL$ 1 +Jackass Number Two is easily the most hilarious film of 2006, beating the also hilarious Clerks II. It is one of the best sequels in recent memory, beating Jackass The Movie in every way. Now, this film may be the funniest, but it is also the most offensive, appalling, and utterly disgusting. You will find yourself feeling sick several times throughout the film. I'm completely serious when I say don't eat anything before watching or during this film, because chances are that it will literally come back to haunt you. Keep the drinking to a minimum as well. You've been warned, because, just like the tagline says, it will make you beg for mercy.Jackass Number Two follows the crazy men from the hit show Jackass, Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Chris 'Party Boy' Pontius, Preston Lacy, Ehren McGhehey, Dave England, Brandon DiCamillo, and Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna (Chris 'Raab Himself' Raab is absent) as they perform the most outrageous, life-threatening, and revolting stunts imaginable. I'm not going to tell what the stunts are, but I will warn you that any scene with an animal will be sickening or psychologically frightening, and that one cast member (once again, not telling) will flirt with death several times in the film.What makes Jackass Number Two so entertaining is not the stunts themselves, but how the cast reacts to them and to doing them. To put it simple, if they loved doing it and had a blast, you will too (this goes for 99% of the stunts). All the stunts are very original, and 90% of them are never-before-seen. You will witness a few recycled ones, but they're amped up. You wouldn't think directing really factors into a movie like this, but it does; Jeff Tremaine's direction makes the movie so much funnier, because he provides guidance for the gang in their comedic timing, which is simply brilliant on his part. He could have just sat back and slept throughout filming (actually, you'll see in the film that he did sleep through some filming), but he went out there and helped these crazy guys make the stunts as funny as he could. I give Mr. Tremaine two thumbs up for that. Another great thing about Jackass is its bonanza of celebrity cameos, and this time they include BMX legend Mat Hoffman, skateboard god Tony Hawk, director/actor Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers & Beerfest), actor Luke Wilson, Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor, and director/actor Mike Judge (Office Space). The scenes with Hoffman, Taylor, and Chandrasekhar are among the funniest in the film, as it's even funnier to see these men as a part of the film.Jackass Number Two is one of the most politically incorrect, morally degrading, and just plain wrong movies of all time, if not the most. Despite this, it is so original and so hilarious that you won't care about that. You'll be gasping for air, laughing so hard you'll be crying, and jumping out of your seat laughing throughout the entire film. Due to the explicit and potentially disturbing graphic content of this film, no one under 18 should watch this film. You've been warned. I hope you enjoy Jackass Number Two as much as I did.10/10 --spy$LABEL$ 1 +Turn your backs away or you're gonna get in big trouble out of MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK! Only a happy ending can bloom your innocence that is full of gloom and doom at the very moment you're watching this. It's safe to say that the entire movie falls apart, with a sarcastic approach and tribute to zombie shows that defy nonsense to the max. We get a name like "Johnny" every so often, and this "Johnny" has nowhere to go. There isn't a specific reason to why our "dead corpse" crawls out of his grave just to survive until prom night, so that renders the movie totally useless. Without a feeling of sorrow, his mother is convinced to tell the doctor that he's dead. Johnny takes a bite out of Eddie's arm afterwards. The viewer is asked a tough question: Why does the movie have to be this cornball? There is an answer. Any resemblance to all persons living or dead is purely coincidental. "Living" is a coincidence. "Dead" has nothing in common with the movie. Show this one to your girlfriend and she'll skip the senior prom, turning your life into a deserted ruin. Blah!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I remember the events of this movie, the ill fated cruise of Donald Crowhurst in 1968, in the Golden Globe single handed around the world yacht race. I was a 13 year old, living in England. The previous year Francis Chichester (later Sir Francis; he was knighted for his exploits) had completed the first solo circumnavigation of the globe. I remember it mostly because we were given time off school to watch his return (on a grainy black and white TV!) and then his knighting by the Queen. It provoked a huge outpouring of patriotic fervor in the UK. It all seems so quaint now. Chichester became a national hero, but he had stopped half way, in Australia, to re-fit his yacht, so the next logical step for yachtsmen was to attempt the journey without stopping.It's important to remember that this was a world pre-GPS, when communications on land were still pretty erratic, never mind in the middle of the ocean. Now with GPS receivers that fit on a key chain and calculate a position within a metre anywhere on earth, it's hard to recall a time when you could go to sea and quite literally, vanish. As Donald Crowhurst did. A number of yachtsmen signed up (all men back then), including mystery man, Crowhurst. Essentially a weekend sailor, Crowhurst had not been a spectacular success in any previous enterprise, including careers in the British Army, the Air Force and as an electronics entrepreneur selling navigation aids. He wanted to do something big with his life, and he saw the five thousand pound first prize (well over $100,000 in today's money) and the ensuing publicity as a means of kick starting his business. He signed a deal with a sponsor that proved more watertight than his boat, and which meant failure would bankrupt him, and soon found himself a popular figure with journalists as he prepared for the race. Now the Brits always love the idea of the gutsy amateur taking on the 'pros'. (Think Eddie the Eagle losing endless Olympic ski jump competitions, and the amateur riders who regularly start the Grand National horse race.) The public queued up to see him set off, but his boat wasn't really ready, and even as he started (the last competitor to leave the UK) Crowhurst must have known he didn't seriously have a chance. But too much was riding on him to quit.In the wonderful archive footage we see doubt written all over his poor wife's face. Left behind with their 4 children, she is interviewed movingly throughout the film, together with one of Crowhurst's sons. She was in a no-win situation. Had she attempted to stop him, she would have been considered a spoiler, but afterward she was riven with doubt, as to whether she could have saved his life by stopping him. Faced with the certain truth that his boat was leaking and would never make it through the southern oceans, and unable to turn around and face ridicule, bankruptcy and ignominy, Crowhurst devised a plan to cheat. Laid up offshore Argentina and Brazil, out of radio contact, he waited for the leaders to round Cape Horn and start back up the Atlantic, thinking he could sneak in at the end of the line and pretend he had sailed all the way around the globe. He elaborately falsified his logs, and made 16mm films and audio recordings to back up his plan. But as one after another the other competitors dropped out, he realized that in fact he would come in 2nd and his logs would be scrutinized. Unable to face certain detection, his journal suggests he lost his grip on reality and eventually committed suicide. His yacht was found. He never was. This beautifully edited film also follows the journey of Bernard Moitessier, an experienced and enigmatic French sailor, who was in second place and certain of the fastest journey prize, when he abruptly left the race, unable to deal with the clamour and publicity he knew he would face, and sailed into the wide blue yonder, eventually pulling up some 10 months later in Tahiti. Having spent some seven years working at sea myself, (albeit on very different ships to these) I well understand the pull of the ocean. Standing on deck, seeing water in every direction to the horizon, knowing there's a couple of miles of water below you, nothing between you and oblivion but a thin metal hull, without easy access to TV or radio (even nowadays on most working ships, you feel pretty isolated), it's possible to truly escape from the responsibilities of everyday life for a while. There is some thoughtful analysis of what drives people to attempt this kind of very long, lonely journey and the effect it has on the human mind. Most people would think that attempting to raise 4 children is adventure enough, but much is made of the need for self discovery in the hardships at sea, the search for self. I strongly suspect that Robin Knox Johnston, the ex navy guy who won the race (and many since) probably knew pretty well who he was before he set off, which was why he succeeded not just in winning the race but also retaining his sanity en route. Those who went searching for something profound within themselves, may not have entirely liked what they found. The marvelous archive footage of Britain in the late 60s is almost reason enough to watch this, (did it really look quite that bad? I don't remember it looking quite so dowdy, but perhaps we blot out the worst aspects of the past?) but overall, it is an excellently well made and engrossing movie. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +"Ally McBeal" was a decent enough show, but it was very overrated. The characters become boring after a while and the jokes begin to fall short.I think it chose an appropriate point in time to leave - it was starting to outstay its welcome.$LABEL$ 0 +Bad, ambient sound. Lots of shuffling. Loooong pointless scenes. Eg: guy sees interesting woman in lobby. Manages to stay there and watch her under the guise of waiting for the building supervisor to get a package. Says nothing. Stares creepily. More shuffling and other irritating ambient noise. Wait. Wait. Wait. Guy says nothing. Woman looks frightened or at least slightly disturbed about it and rightly so. Manager comes back with package. Guy goes up to the apartment with the package.Another example: the guy and his host sit around watching bad TV. More ambient noise and shuffling. Wait wait wait wait. Guy wanders off to bed. If you can stand to sit through any more of this movie, you get to watch them watch TV again later.If you want a story, any dialogue, entertainment, or a well crafted film, look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay so I love Aidan Quinn's acting even with a bad script. This is not the case in The Assignment. As other viewers have said, this was a movie I stumbled upon on cable and got so into it I didn't want it to end. Take one Cuban American Navy Ofc.(Quinn)who is an upright, uptight soldier and family man. Add a crazed agent(Donald Sutherland) who is looking for the worlds most notorious terrorist and add a Ben Kingsley and you have "The Assignment". Sutherland is a witness of the most notorious terrorist Carlos actions in a cafe on a lovely day where he is so profoundly rocked at this mans evil that his sole reason to live is to get this man as long as he draws breath.Take one soldier on a pass in Israel who is a dead ringer for this man and is beaten and held by Kingsley until they realize they have a plan. By taking on Carlos by being him, or being forever responsible for never helping rid the world of him, makes for a very heavy assignment and guilt trip. By not helping his country he is bound as a man and his military duty to chose wisely. So the training begins. Lets say Carlos training is right up there with the academy of arts and holocausts. When I say this intense and wonderfully casted,scripted and executed film rates the best, I am not understating it. All three actors could save almost any script..together this is a movie to be seen from frame one to credits. I am not into terrorism or movies about it but I got hooked! Bravo again to Aidan Quinn who for once plays a heavy that could hold up to any actor including Gary Oldman. Thats a compliment. Rent it and get lots of popcorn. Oh did I mention the sex?? It works better than "Last Tango!"and its educational.$LABEL$ 1 +You remember the Spice Girls movie and how bad it was (besides the songs), well their manager Simon Fuller (also this band's manager) makes the same error putting S Club (another of my favourite bands) in their own film. S Club: Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley Mcintosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens (what happened to the seventh member, Paul Cattermole?) basically ask their boss for a break, they go on, and while there they see themselves on TV! Three of them swap, and vice versa, half discover they are clones made by a greedy scientist, and the other half just get themselves in trouble. Also starring Gareth Gates as a clone of himself. This film may have more of a plot than Spice Girls' film did, but besides the songs "Bring It All Back", "Don't Stop Movin'" and "Never Had A Dream Come True" this is no goo reason to see this film. Not too long after the band split for good. Adequate!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw SEA OF DUST as part of a NYC screening audience several years ago. I enjoyed the film at that time, so I was a little confused by some of the amendments that had been made since. Perhaps it's my memory, but there seemed to be chunks of exposition missing from the version that was shown at the Rhode Island Film Festival. I'm really not sure which version I prefer, but I can honestly say that I found something to appreciate it both.Let me begin by warning everyone that this is not a popcorn movie. Although it's been promoted as a Hammer Films tribute, people expecting a showdown between Van Helsing and Dracula are going to be sorely disappointed. There's some cleavage, but no nudity (a staple of the British production house's later movies). And while SEA OF DUST is filled with gorgeous eye candy (it really is shot like a sixties film), and features Hammer starlet Ingrid Pitt, it's not like any of the company's pictures in tone or execution. This film is very dark, very confusing, and (at times) very funny. I don't remember the earlier version being quite as nutty as this one, but that's not a bad thing (especially the showdown in the Black Forest that plays like a Three Stooges short). And some of Ms Pitt's rantings are quite entertaining. It's like somebody wound her up and turned her loose.The uniqueness of this film doesn't lie with the borrowed details, though. It's in the ideas. As an occasional Sci Fi Channel viewer, I've regularly taken the network to task for its one-note variations on a theme (CGI monster kills, then gets destroyed). SEA OF DUST is so full of ideas that you start to trip over them after a while.But don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. If anything, I applaud these guys for making such an enterprising low-budget picture and for having the courage to pack it with so many concepts. It's not going to be a picnic for people who hate to think at the movies (you know who you are). But for the rest of us, those of us who are tired of the formula of modern horror films, the predictability, the lack of respect for the audience, this may just be your ticket.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a good time to say how good I think of this site: it gives me the opportunity to feedback all the frustration I lived for two hours, awaiting for something to happens, for something to be said, to be shown, to be insinuated subtly, for a symbol, an idea, whatever. No, just long, endless violins, alternated by a tired piano. Tired voices, tired actors and bored characters and situations. Boring is the long death of the mind, and this movie is, from that point of view, a public enemy. How many thousands of live hours will be still stolen to another thousands of innocent spectators. I don't claim for my money back, just for my time and the time of persons I invited to watch this thing... oh God !$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a Christian. I have always been skeptical about movies made by Christians, however. As a rule, they are "know-nothings" when it comes to movie production. I admire TBN for trying to present God and Jesus in a positive and honest way on the screen. However, they did a hideous job of it. The acting was horrible, and unless one is familiar with the Bible in some fashion, one COULD NOT have understood what the movie was trying to get across. Not only was the movie terribly made, but the people who made it even had some facts wrong. However, in this "critique", those facts are irrelevent and too deep to delve into. In short, the Omega Code is the absolute worst movie I have ever seen, and I would not recommend it to anyone, except for comic relief from the every day grind.$LABEL$ 0 +Having finally caught up with this "masterpiece," it strikes me that it must have seemed terribly clever, in its day. It's French, arty, under-played to the point of agony, and ultimately downbeat. But viewed from the vantage of 37 years in the future, it's also just a bit vacuous, pretentious and unsatisfying.Others have summarized the story, but I don't think anyone has pointed out the dramatic flaw at the heart of this film: the lead characters, Corey and Vogel, really don't deserve what they get. They play square within their code, never harm anyone who didn't ask for it, and show great courage and initiative. Moreover, Corey in particular is victimized by his former gangland 'friend,' who stole his girl and who repeatedly tries to have him killed, apparently just because he (Corey) dared to 'borrow' a few thousand francs. These are guys who really ought to be due for a break! Instead, things go far worse for them than they really need to, within the logic of the story.One might contend that this is the whole point: that the real villains never get caught; that they collude with the police as needed, sell out their friends, and always come out on top. But that's not shown either. Corey's old gangster friend is not shown colluding with the police. Nor is he shown gloating over his victory. In fact, after materializing several times when he's needed, he's nowhere to be seen at the conclusion, leaving a dramatic tension (his feud with Corey) entirely unresolved!Nonetheless, I'd say this film is well worth seeing for its beautiful photography, its slow, deliberate pacing, its great deadpan performances, its elaborate heist sequence, and its encapsulation of the art-film style of the late 1960s.$LABEL$ 1 +Thoughtless, ignorant, ill-conceived, career-killing (where is the talented Angela Jones now?), deeply unfunny garbage. It's no wonder Reb Braddock hasn't directed anything else since - anyone who has a chance to make his first film on his own rules, based on his own script, with the help of Quentin Tarantino himself, and creates something like THIS, anyone who feels that THIS was a story worth telling to the world, doesn't deserve a second break. Under the circumstances, the performances are good - the actors do what they're told to do, and they do it well. It's just that they shouldn't have done it in the first place. 0 out of 4.$LABEL$ 0 +Jim Carrey is one of the funniest and most gifted comedians in film today. With his hyperactive spontaneity and his rubber face he can just go crazy, and we love him for it. He has the ability to make mediocre comedies (ala Ace Ventura), and turn them into decent comedic outings. Or, in the case of 'Liar Liar', make them some of the most hilarious contemporary comedies around. Carrey has also proven himself capable of tackling dramas. He was excellent in both 'Man on the Moon' and 'The Truman Show.' The guy is remarkable.Then comes 'Bruce Almighty,' an ideal vehicle for Carrey, and a premise that should have worked; Carrey, after complaining about God and how his life stinks, is enabled with God's powers. However, the script is pure recycled garbage. Now, no matter how bad a script is, Carrey's improvisation alone sometimes makes an unfunny scene funny. The problem is that there are very few opportunities for Carrey to be unleashed because so much of the comedy relies on silly special effects, only some of which are amusing. Carrey is rarely able to improvise because he has to work around the special effects. The writers apparently thought that all these special effects and superpower sequences were funny, because the rest of the movie is simply filler giving Carrey nothing else to work with besides a whiny character who is absolutely humorless. He seems more like a 5-year yearning for our attention, wanting the viewer to find what he is doing funny, when it's really just annoying.I have always enjoyed Jennifer Aniston on 'Friends' and she was superb in last year's 'The Good Girl.' She too has a gift for comedy, but with the script as linear as it is, she is simply given the part of the bitter girlfriend. She comes across as nagging, grumpy, and there is no chemistry between the two stars.'Bruce Almighty' should have been a comedy that works. But it doesn't even have the guts to tackle the subject matter that it's making fun of; religion. A few minor giggles (his internet is Yehweh), but instead it's just turned into a comedic superpower comedy. Not to mention that it's tone shifts from silly to heavy-handed, and even black comedy at times. The movie fails on nearly every level. That's not to see it is entirely devoid of laughs, but it's close. Any movie that feels the need to incorporate scenes of a dog peeing to get it's laughs has problems. But hey, if you find pee jokes funny, go for it.$LABEL$ 0 +Shameless Screen Entertainment is a relatively new and British (I think) DVD-label, specializing in smutty and excessively violent cult movies – mostly Italian ones - from the glorious eras when everything was possible, namely from the late 60's up until the mid-80's. The label's selection feels like a crossover between the oeuvres of "Mondo Macabro" and "No Shame" (they probably even borrowed the name of the latter) and they already released some really rare sick Italian puppies like "Ratman", "My Dear Killer", "Killer Nun", "Phantom of Death" and "Torso". "The Frightened Woman" was completely unknown to me, but since fellow reviewers from around here, whose opinions I hugely value, described it as one of the greatest and most mesmerizing psychedelic euro-sexploitation movies of its era, I didn't hesitate to pick it up. This is a very weird film and probably not suitable for about 99% of the average cinema-loving audiences. If you're part of that remaining 1%, however, you're in for a really unique treat. The style, atmosphere and content are similar to Jess Franco's "Succubus" and Massimo Dallamano's "Venus in Furs", yet they're both widely considered as classics whereas "The Frightened Woman" is virtually unknown. It's all a matter of profiling and good marketing, I guess. The story revolves on a literally filthy rich doctor (he lives in a gigantic secluded mansion, owns multiple old-timer cars and has a very impressive collection of artsy relics including a life-size mannequin doll replica of himself) with a bizarre and slightly offbeat attitude towards women. He considers them a threat for the survival of the male race and thus spends his days kidnapping, humiliating and sexually abusing random he picks up from the street. Dr. Sayer then abducts the ambitious journalist Maria with the intention to completely crush her female spirit, but he slowly falls for her. Just he starts to believe in actual love, she strikes back with a vengeance. This really isn't for everyone, but if you can appreciate moody & sinisterly sexy ambiances, bizarre scenery toys and psychedelic touches that seem utterly implausible and surreal, you can consider this one a top recommendation. It's slow, stylishly sleazy and totally bonkers… Shameless Entertainment, all right!$LABEL$ 1 +The key scene in Rodrigo Garcia's "Nine Lives" comes when Sissy Spacek, hidden away in a hotel room where she is carrying on an affair with Aiden Quinn, find a nature documentary on television, at which point Quinn notes the contrivance of such things--disparate footage is edited into one scene, predators and preys are thrown together in order to capture the moment--all to force connections where none actually exist. Characters in the nine shorts that make up this film occasionally spill over into each others stories, but none of them ever seem to really connect. A woman preparing for a violent confrontation with her abusive father is later seen working in a hospital room where another woman is preparing for a mastectomy. A man who runs into an old girlfriend in a supermarket and sees how his life should have been later hosts, with his current wife, a dinner party for an unhappy couple. Garcia arranges some of his characters in front of each other, but none of the subsequent stories ever really build on what came before.Garcia's first film, the wonderful, overlooked "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her," also had a short-story structure and overlapping characters, but there were fewer of them and they had a lot more room to breathe and grow. The gimmicky premise of "Nine Lives," that each of its nine stories is told in a single, unbroken take in real time, never allows the film to build up any real dramatic tension or momentum. It's also a fairly visually ugly movie. Interior shots are often murky and hard to watch, while other scenes--particularly one where a girl walks back and forth between rooms to talk to her uncommunicative parents--are rendered annoying by the camera-work. Given that this is Garcia's third film and that he has a respectable history of directing for television, the direction in this film is rather surprisingly amateurish. Like fellow filmmaker-child-of-a-great-writer Rebecca Miller, Garcia (son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez) is focused on the writing and character aspects of his films often to the detriment of the film-making ones.Individual scenes are touching and even affecting. I did like Jason Issacs kissing Robin Wright Penn's pregnant belly. And Joe Mantegna whispering lovingly to his wife as she slips into pre-surgery sedation. And Sissy Spacek stealing a few happy moments away from her life with Aiden Quinn before brought back to it with a phone call from her daughter. But the film (unlike "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") feels more like an exercise than actual drama. We are just watching people act.$LABEL$ 0 +MINOR PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!!How did such talented actors get involved in such mindless retreadeddrivel? Robert DeNiro plays a Dumb Hollywood version of the standardviolence prone tough cop (i.e., he beats up the bad guys and rolls hiseyes at cops who prefer to stick by the book), and Eddie Murphy plays anot so tough cop who would rather be an actor (i.e., he screams out,"Freeze, police!" and has his "tough look" down pat). Naturally, theyare partnered when Bobby's loose cannon tactics get him in hot waterwith the media and he is essentially blackmailed into starring in a"Cops"-like reality show. Take a breath, cuz that's as funny as itgets.No energy was put into the script - it feels like a pale retread ofevery copy buddy movie tossed into a blender with "15 Minutes" starring,yes, DeNiro himself as, pretty much the character he is playing here. The jokes fall flat, the action feels listless, and no one seems to behaving a good time. It's dead on the screen.Please don't waste your time. Even if you have an overwheming affinityfor one of the actors - avoid it and do them a favor. Becauze if thismakes money, these kinda of scripts will be deeemed perfectly acceptablefor actors of their quality.And to Mr. DeNiro. You used to make serious films. I remember them -they were good. You were nominated for awards for them - remember howmuch fun that was? Now after "Analyze This" (which was good), "Meet theParents" (which was also good), and "The Adventures of Rocky andBullwinkle" (which was NOT good), I think we need to see you parodyingyourself less, and BEING yourself more. "Casino" feels like a long timeago. And no, I don't count "15 Minutes" as serious Bobby. Anyone whotook that media satire seriously must get their weekly world news$LABEL$ 0 +I can't really see how anyone can have any interest whatsoever in seeing this movie. A woman meets a man, he wants to play games, she too, but only until she realise what she's missing. She leaves, and that's it really. It took 9 1/2 weeks before Elizabeth (Kim Basinger) left John (Mickey Rourke). She should have left him after 30 minutes and ended our misery.$LABEL$ 0 +A major disappointment. This was one of the best UK crime drama / detective shows from the 90's which developed the fascinating title character played by Scotland's Robbie Coltrane. However this one-off has little to add and perhaps suffers from an inevitable let down due to raised expectations when a favored show returns after a long hiatus. Coltrane isn't really given much to do, much more attention is spent on the uninteresting killer, and in what he has to act in, he seems uninvolved, almost bored. The ex-soldier's story is written by the books and the attempt to update us on Coltrane's family life seems lightweight. Perhaps if the writers had a whole series in front of them instead of just this one two-hour show they would have written this with much more depth. As is, skip this and watch the old Cracker from the 90's which is far far superior.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie only because Sophie Marceau. However, her acting abilities it's no enough to salve this movie. Almost all cast don't play their character well, exception for Sophie and Frederic. The plot could give a rise a better movie if the right pieces was in the right places. I saw several good french movies but this one i don't like.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, how's this for original- this mean, rich old geezer leaves his estate to his adult children, all of them ungrateful losers, and two creepy servants, provided they spend the week in his spooky old house. What happens that night will surprise only those who haven't seen a movie or television show before. After a string of murders in which the victims look like they're bleeding restaurant ketchup, we have a painfully obvious twist ending. The cast is lead by some once respectable actors must have been desperate for their paychecks. There are also a few second-tier actors who were rising at the time but long forgotten now. As a result, the film generates all the drama and mystery of an episode of "Matlock." I will give credit where it's due- the closing scene is clever and amusing, if you're still awake.$LABEL$ 0 +L'Auberge Espagnole is full of energy, and it's honest, realistic, and refreshing. Not a comedy or drama but more a slice of life movie about this particular group of very interesting but still normal young people who share an apartment in Barcelona for one year. Beautifully photographed with a nice soundtrack. If you're older, this movie should bring back a flood of good memories. If you're young, learn by this example.$LABEL$ 1 +Make sure you make this delightful comedy part of your holiday season! If you admire Dennis Morgan or Barbara Stanwyck, this film is a fun one to watch. They really work well together as you would see in this movie. The whole cast was very entertaining. Since I'm a Dennis Morgan fan, this film was a real treat! But...everyone can enjoy it! Recommended!$LABEL$ 1 +" Så som i himmelen " .. as above so below.. that very special point where Divine and Human meet. I ADORE this film ! A gem. YES amazing grace !I was so deeply moved by its very HUMAN quality. I laughed and cried through a whole register , indeed several octaves of emotions.Mikael Nyqvist ís BRILLIANT as Daniel , a first rate passionate performance, charismatic and powerful. His inner light and exceptional talent shines through in every scene, every interaction ,in every meeting. I was totally mesmerised, enchanted and caught up the story, which is our collective story, the story of life itself.The film was also so inclusive of many archetypes, messiah, wounded child ,magical child, artist, teacher, priest, abuser, abused, victim, bully, divine fool - ALL the characters so real and true to life - all awakened great fondness and compassion in me. It is a real treat to see such a thought provoking yet thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining film. Oh ..mustn't forget the heavenly choir of angels and breathtakingly beautiful sound. THANK YOU ALL - This Swedish film will surely captivate people world-wide. BRILLIANT !$LABEL$ 1 +At the height of the 'Celebrity Big Brother' racism row in 2007 ( involving Shilpa Shetty and the late Jade Goody ), I condemned on an internet forum those 'C.B.B.' fans who praised the show, after years of bashing 'racist' '70's sitcoms such as 'Curry & Chips' & 'Love Thy Neighbour'. I thought they were being hypocritical, and said so. 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' was then thrown into the argument, with some pointing out it had starred an English actor blacked-up. Well, yes, but Michael Bates had lived in India as a boy, and spoke Urdu fluently. The show's detractors overlook the reality he brought to his performance as bearer 'Rangi Ram'. The noted Indian character actor, Renu Setna, said in a 1995 documentary 'Perry & Croft: The Sitcoms' that he was upset when he heard Bates had landed the role, but added: "No Indian actor could have played that role as well as Bates.". Indeed.'Mum' was Perry and Croft's companion show to 'Dad's Army'; also set in wartime, the sedate English town of Walmington-On-Sea had been replaced by the hot, steamy jungles of India, in particularly a place called Deolali, where an army concert party puts on shows for the troops, among them Bombadier Solomons ( George Layton, his first sitcom role since 'Doctor In Charge' ), camp Gunner 'Gloria' Beaumont ( Melvyn Hayes ), diminutive Gunner 'Lofty' Sugden, 'Lah de-dah' Gunner Graham ( John Clegg ), and Gunner Parkins ( the late Christopher Mitchell ). Presiding over this gang of misfits was the bellicose Sergeant-Major Williams ( the brilliant Windsor Davies ), who regarded them all as 'poofs'. His frustration at not being able to lead his men up the jungle to engage the enemy in combat made him bitter and bullying ( though he was nice to Parkins, whom he thought was his illegitimate son! ). Then there was ever-so English Colonel Reynolds ( Donald Hewlett ) and dimwitted Captain Ashwood ( Michael Knowles ). Rangi was like a wise old sage, beginning each show by talking to the camera and closing them by quoting obscure Hindu proverbs. He loved being bearer so much he came to regard himself as practically British. His friends were the tea-making Char Wallah ( the late Dino Shafeek, who went on to 'Mind Your Language' ) and the rope pulling Punka Wallah ( Babar Bhatti ). So real Indians featured in the show - another point its detractors ignore. Shafeek also provided what was described on the credits as 'vocal interruptions' ( similar to the '40's songs used as incidental music on 'Dad's Army' ). Each edition closed with him warbling 'Land Of Hope & Glory' only to be silenced by a 'Shut Up!' from Williams. The excellent opening theme was penned by Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner.Though never quite equalling 'Dad's Army' in the public's affections, 'Mum' nevertheless was popular enough to run for a total of eight seasons. In 1975, Davies and Estelle topped the charts with a cover version of that old chestnut 'Whispering Grass'. They then recorded an entire album of old chestnuts, entitled ( what else? ) 'Sing Lofty!'.The show hit crisis point three years later when Bates died of cancer. Rather than recast the role of 'Rangi', the writers just let him be quietly forgotten. When George Layton left, the character of 'Gloria' took his place as 'Bombadier', providing another source of comedy.The last edition in 1981 saw the soldiers leave India by boat for Blighty, the Char Wallah watching them go with great sadness ( as did viewers ).Repeats have been few and far between ( mainly on U.K. Gold ) all because of its so-called 'dodgy' reputation. This is strange. For one thing, the show was not specifically about racism. If a white man blacked-up is so wrong, why does David Lean's 1984 film 'A Passage to India' still get shown on television? ( it featured Alec Guinness as an Indian, and won two Oscars! ). It was derived from Jimmy Perry's own experiences. Some characters were based on real people ( the Sergeant-Major really did refer to his men as 'poofs' ). I take the view that if you are going to put history on television, get it right. Sanitizing the past, no matter how unsavoury it might seem to modern audiences, is fundamentally dishonest. 'Mum' was both funny and truthful, and viewers saw this. Thank heavens for D.V.D.'s I say. Time to stop this review. As Williams would say: "I'll have no gossiping in this jungle!"$LABEL$ 1 +I am from Texas, and live very close to Plano where the actual deaths occurred, so I might be a bit biased in saying that "Wasted" is a film that you just can't get out of your head.Stahl, Phoenix, and Paul all play their characters very realistically. You truly believe that they are everyday high school students who just happen to be heroin addicts. The drug content is handled very graphically as well - although everything that happens in the film serves a purpose, and each moment the characters spiral further downward is heartbreaking. I definitely recommend this film to anyone. Once you watch it, it sticks with you!$LABEL$ 1 +Mukhsin is a beautiful movie about a first love story. Everyone probably has one, and this is writer-director Yasmin Ahmad's story of hers, with a boy called Mukhsin. We know that her movies have been semi-autobiographical of sorts, having scenes drawn upon her personal experiences, and it is indeed this sharing and translating of these emotions to the big screen, that has her films always exude a warm sincerity and honesty. Mukhsin is no different, and probably the most polished ad confident work to date (though I must add, as a personal bias, that Sepet still has a special place in my heart).Our favourite family is back - Pak Atan, Mak Inom, Orked and Kak Yam, though this time, we go back to when Orked is age 10. The characters are all younger from the movies we've journeyed with them, from Rabun to Gubra, and here, Sharifah Amani's sisters Sharifah Aryana and Sharifah Aleya take on the roles of Orked and Mak Inom respectively, which perhaps accounted for their excellent chemistry together on screen, nevermind that their not playing sibling roles. The only constant it seems is Kak Yam, played by Adibah Noor, and even Pak Atan has hair on his head! Through Mukshin the movie, we come full circle with the characters, and the world that Yasmin has introduced us to. We come to learn of and understand the family a little bit more, set in the days when they're still living in their kampung (revisited back in Rabun), where Orked attends a Chinese school, and packs some serious combination of punches (and you wonder about that burst of energy in Gubra, well, she had it in her since young!). The perennial tomboy and doted child of the family, she prefers playing with the boys in games, rather than mindless "masak-masak" with the girls, and favourite outings include going with the family to football matches.The arrival of a boy called Mukhsin (Mohd Syafie Naswip) to the village provides a cool peer for Orked to hang out and do stuff with - cycling through the villages, climbing trees, flying kites. And as what is desired to be explored, the crossing of that line between friendship and romance, both beautiful emotions.Mukhsin does have its cheeky moments which liven up the story, and bring about laughter, because some of the incidents, we would have experienced it ourselves, and sometimes serve as a throwback to our own recollection of childhood. In short, those scenes screamed "fun"! We observe the life in a typical kampung, where some neighbours are very nice, while others, the nosy parkers and rumour mongers, spreading ill gossip stemming from envy. There are 2 additional family dynamics seen, one from an immediate neighbour, and the other from Mukhsin's own, both of which serve as adequate subplots, and contrast to Orked's own.As always, Yasmin's movies are filled with excellent music, and for Mukhsin, it has something special, the song "Hujan" as penned by her father, as well as "Ne Me Quitte Pas", aptly used in the movie Given that the Yasmin's movies to date have been centred around the same characters, the beauty of it is that you can watch them as stand alone, or when watched and pieced together, makes a compelling family drama dealing with separate themes and universal issues like interracial romance, love, and forgiveness. Fans will definitely see the many links in Mukhsin back to the earlier movies, while new audiences will surely be curious to find out certain whys and significance of recurring characters or events, like that pudgy boy who steals glances at Orked.And speaking of whys, parts of Mukhsin too is curiously open, which probably is distinctive of Yasmin's style, or deliberately left as such. I thought that as a story about childhood, recollected from memory, then there are details which will be left out for sure. And subtly, I felt that Mukhsin exhibited this perfectly, with not so detailed details, and the focus on what can be remembered in significant episodes between the two.Another highly recommended movie, and a rare one that I feel is suitable for all ages - bring along your kid brother or sister!$LABEL$ 1 +The film is partly a thriller and partly a public-service announcement when seeing the events through the perspectives of politicians, terrorists and of course victims. In this smart drama lessons are given about contamination and surviving chaos while meantime the backstage look at the way crisis is managed prompts viewers to distrust guardians and to be scared by assailants. The film, originally aired on BBC, gets to arouse effectively doubts on official prepareparedness. Performances are proper, understated though never terrific. The flick is just a beginning, a provocative start leading to a larger discussion but it gets to work in my opinion, giving the right thrills and causing the audience to reason and to ask itself questions.$LABEL$ 1 +This could have been great. The voice-overs are exactly right and fit the characters to a T. One small problem though; the look of the characters, mostly the supporting or guest characters look exactly the same. The same bored look on every face only with minor changes such as hairlines or weight size. It looks kind of odd to see a really big guest star's voice coming out of a lifeless form like the characters here. If I am not mistaken Kathy Griffin did a voice-over for this show and it looked too odd to be funny.There is a few other problems, one being the family plot. The Simpsons did it much better where you could actually buy most of the situations the characters got themselves into. Here we get too much annoying diversions, like someone having a weird fantasy and then we are supposed to find that funny but for some reason the delivery is a bit off. As you can probably tell it is hard for me to put a finger on exactly what is wrong with this show because it basically nothing more than a clone of the Simpsons or even more "Married with Children".If I should point a finger on what is totally wrong with this it probably is it's repetitiveness. Peter Griffin is not really a bright character but neither are any of the others. Lois should have been named Lois Lame because she is sort of one-dimensional. Seth Green as the kind of retarded son is the best thing about this show and that is the most stereotypical part on the show.So what more can I say. There isn't exactly anything wrong with this show but in the long run you have to admit that it takes a lot of work to do what the Simpsons has done for almost two decades.$LABEL$ 0 +A good documentary reviewing the background behind our societies oil addiction, the problem concerning our present energy usage and finally discusses the effects of the coming energy deficit originating from the peak oil production problem.This movie should be educated to all students as part of their education. Show it to your children, parents, relatives and friends. They will thank you eventually.After reviewing the contents of this documentary and comparing its mentioned sources I would say that the facts in this movie are well scientifically supported.$LABEL$ 1 +Not the best plot in the world, but the comedy in this movie rules. Kelsey Grammar is wonderful in this movie. Another funny guy is Rob Schneider who will make you crack up with his segments with Ken Hudson Campbell who plays Buckman. Lauren Holly plays probably the more serious character in the cast as Lt. Lake. Bruce Dern is a great actor in this movie, playing probably the most serious character in the movie. The actor i liked the most was Toby Huss as Nitro, all the electric shots his character takes in the movie is hilarious.Plot is a little uneven, about Lt. Commander Tom Dodge, who for years has wanted to Command his own sub. When he finally gets the chance, instead of a brand new sub, he gets a rusty WWII Diesel Sub, the Stingray. His crew isn't any better, misfits of the U.S. Navy. He is then put in a series of War Games, that shows how an old Diesel Engine can handle itself against the current Nuclear Navy. Things still don't get any better when he finds out his dive officer is actually a female officer, to see how Women do on actual Subs. To get the commander position he wants, he has to win the War Games, and blow up a Dummy Ship.The movie fairs quite well, in fact i laughed non-stop when i saw this movie in theaters. I loved when they were in silence and Buckman farts, and everyones reaction to the smell is hilarious.Overall, 9 out of 10, this movie is just plain fun to watch, it nice to have a movie like this, i hate movies that try to be 100% serious.$LABEL$ 1 +What a surprise; two outstanding performances by the lead actresses in this film. This is the best work Busy Phillips has ever done and the best from Erika Christensen since Traffic. This film certainly should be in Oscar contention. See this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +Felt it was very balanced in showing what Jehovahs Witnesses have done in protecting American freedoms. It also showed the strong faith of two families who were first generation witnesses. I also appreciated how it showed how by becoming a Jehovahs Witness affects non-witness family members and how hard it is for them to accept the fact that they don't celebrate holidays, the sad part is that non-witness families do not think of having their witness family over for family dinners/visits or give them gifts at any other times but for holidays or birthdays. When it comes to medical care the witnesses want and expect a high standard of medical care, what people forget is that blood transfusions allow for sloppy medical care and surgeries whereas bloodless treatments causes the medical team to be highly skilled and trained, which would you prefer to treat your loved ones? I highly recommend this video!$LABEL$ 1 +A proof that it's not necessary for a movie to have a deep many-layered story and other sophisticated elements to be a good movie. Even if the story could be expanded in many directions, especially in more sociological way (people lust for money) it seems that it's perfect just the way it is. Through many sudden changes it takes the spectator to the end without any unnecessary complications and without letting the spectator taking the eyes of the screen. But the acting for me isn't so good. With the exception of Lindsey McKeon the others were average or even worst. In some scenes they just empty-stared in front of themselves. For exception of Lindsey which was more convincing. It's a really simple movie for just laying back and enjoying. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I also saw this at the cinema in the 80s and have never forgotten it, even though I have never seen it again anywhere. I don't know whether if I did see it now it would seem dated, but remembering the storyline and comparing it to some of the terrible modern films I've seen on Zone Horror I should think it would stand up very well.I can still remember his coffin sliding out and opening up and all the dead bodies becoming reanimated, and the blue lightning. Having seen hundreds of horror movies and still remembering this one, it must be good.$LABEL$ 1 +The film "Chaos" takes its name from Gleick's 1988 pop science explanation of chaos theory. What does the book or anything related to the content of the book have to do with the plot of the movie "Chaos"? Nothing. The film makers seem to have skimmed the book (obviously without understanding a thing about it) looking for a "theme" to united the series of mundane action sequences that overlie the flimsy string of events that acts in place of a plot in the film. In this respect, the movie "Choas" resembles the Canadian effort "Cube," in which prime numbers function as a device to mystify the audience so that the ridiculousness of the plot will not be noticed: in "Cube" a bunch of prime numbers are tossed in so that viewers will attribute their lack of understanding to lack of knowledge about primes: the same approach is taken in "Chaos": disconnected extracts from Gleick's books are thrown in make the doings of the bad guy in the film seem fiendishly clever. This, of course, is an insultingly condescending treatment of the audience, and any literate viewer of "Chaos" who can stand to sit through the entire film will end up bewildered. How could a film so bad be made? Rewritten as a novel, the story in "Chaos" would probably not even make it past a literary agent's secretary's desk. How could (at least) hundreds of thousands (and probably millions) of dollars have been thrown away on what can only be considered a waste of time for everyone except those who took home money from the film? Regarding what's in the movie, every performance is phoned in. Save for technical glitches, it would be astonishing if more than one take was used for any one scene. The story is uniformly senseless: the last time I saw a story to disconnected it was the production of a literal eight-year-old. Among other massive shortcomings are the following: The bad guy leaves hints for the police to follow. He has no reason whatsoever for leaving such hints. Police officers do not carry or use radios. Dupes of the bad guy have no reason to act in concert with the bad guy. Let me strongly recommend that no one watch this film. If there is any other movie you like (or even simply do not hate) watch that instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie with my friend for a good laugh. We actually got laughed at by the clerk at the video store because of our questionable movie tastes. Unfortunately, I don't remember the first half of the movie because all I did was stare at the giant metal braces Jane wore. and I didn't hear anything either due to the incomprehensible lisp. The other thing that was able to grasp my attention besides her metal mouth was her questionable fashion sense. This movie was made in 2005 but it seems like the wardrobe people jumped all the way back to 2000 for the clothes. If you remember the days when Aaron Carter was considered a "popstar" and you like high waisted jeans, ankle socks and knee length skirts, then this little trip down memory lane is perfect for you.$LABEL$ 0 +Silent historical drama based on the story of Anne Boleyn, newly arrived lady-in-waiting to the Queen who catches the lustful eye of Henry VIII, bad-tempered King of England who loves to feast, drink, hunt, be entertained by his court jester, watch jousts, and chase around after young beauties who jump out of cakes and assorted attractive females around the castle. Well, he's soon annulled his marriage, married Anne, and telling her it is her holy duty to produce a male heir. She fails on that score and he soon has his eye on yet another lady-in-waiting. Meanwhile, Anne spends pretty much the entire film looking hesitant, perturbed, or downright ready to burst into tears. She just doesn't come across as a happy camper (or is it just bad acting?!).This film is a solid piece of entertainment, with an absorbing story that held my interest for two hours - plus I enjoyed seeing the very lavish medieval costuming featured here on a gorgeous sepia tinted print. Emil Jannings is quite striking and memorable in his well-done portrayal of King Henry the Eighth - he really seemed like he WAS Henry the Eighth. I am not so sure about the performance given by the actress who plays Anne, seemed a bit over the top. The DVD of this film features an appropriate, nicely done piano score that perfectly suits this story. Quite a good film.$LABEL$ 1 +As a camera operator, I couldn't help but admire the great look that this picture achieved. The performances were excellent, as was the story. Just when I thought this film was about to slow down, it didn't. Heart-pounding tension, great pacing through editing, and a score that knows when to be quiet all come together here under competent and capable direction. The camera was always in the right place. Love that.$LABEL$ 1 +I just saw this movie at a sneak preview and all I can say is..."What did I just watch????" And I mean that in a good and bad way.The plot is really simple. Stiller and Black play friends/neighbors. Stiller is the focused, hardworker while Black is a dreamer. Black invents this idea to create a spray that erases poo. The idea becomes very popular, and Black becomes very rich. The extravagant lifestyle that Black gains and the fact that he still tries to be best friends with Stiller causes Stiller to become crazy with envy.As I said, the plot is simple. Everything else is plain odd. The direction is odd, with a weird rotating opening shot to out-of-nowhere sped up sequences. The dialouge and the acting is very odd; odd in a rambling sort of way. And the sound track is the oddest thing in the movie, from the weird "Envy" song that keeps on reappearing to the scene where you think you're going to hear a classic 80's song but suddenly it's in Japanese.So, the true question is this...is odd funny? That depends purely on the individual. I was cracking up at the shear unwavering weirdness of the movie. After the screening I heard people call it horribly unfunny and glad that it was free. Strangely, I understood their point. There are no jokes whatsoever, so if you aren't hooked by the uniqueness of it all, you will hate this movie. Absolutely hate it.This movie is destined to lose a lot of money at the box office and become a DVD cult classic. If you can laugh at a movie with no real jokes, like Cable Guy or Punch Drunk Love, then I suggest you see it. If you don't, run away from this movie. It'll only make you mad.$LABEL$ 1 +Duchess is a pretty white cat who lives with her three kittens in her wealthy owner's mansion in Paris. When the evil butler hears that the rich old lady is leaving everything in her will to the cats first, the butler is angered, because he wants to get everything first. So he puts them to sleep and abandons them off the side of the road. When the cats wake up, they start on a long trek home. A street wise cat named Thomas O'Malley meets up with them and offers to help them. When Edgar sees them arriving home, he is furious, and starts to mail them to Timbucktu. But Thomas' friends arrive to help save the day. The wealthy lady decides to leave her home for every alley cat in Paris.This is a charming film. The songs, including "Everybody Wants to be a Cat", are lively and upbeat. The voice cast is excellent, with Eva Gabor(who would later play Miss Bianca in Disney's THE RESCUERS films) as Duchess, Phil Harris(Baloo in THE JUNGLE BOOK, Little John in ROBIN HOOD) as Thomas, giving interesting personalities to their characters. Supposedly Walt Disney, before he died in 1966, gave the go-ahead to this film. Recommended for Disney fans or cat lovers everywhere! 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Slipknot is a hardcore rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Nine band members who all wear customized boilersuits, and personalized, homemade masks (eg. #6's clown mask, #0's various gasmasks, #8's tattered + torn crashtest dummie mask with dreadlocks). The music itself seems to walk the finelines between sane and otherwise, yet is performed so brilliantly and psychotic."Welcome To Our Neighborhood" sounds rather a generic title, but the footage itself is something else. Interviews with the band, soundbites from their latest, selftitled album, 2 live performances, and one banned-by-MTV music video (a brilliant homage to the classic Kubrick film "The Shining"), the movie clocks in at not even half-an-hour, but is certainly worth it. It is perfect for introducing any metal/hardcore fan to Slipknot.$LABEL$ 1 +The review on the main page admits that the movie is horrible but that you should forgive it because it is nicely violent. No you shouldn't. There are spoilers at the end of this review but how I can "spoil" this rotten movie I have no idea. Even if you are a die hard Alien/Pred fan like I am wait for the DVD. It isn't worth a 3.99 rental either but you'll be much less inclined to truly hate this film if you pay that than 12 bucks or better per person plus concession purchases at a theater.In the theater I watched AVPr there were exactly two laughs, both by a girl sitting next to me. Other than that there was total silence throughout. No ooohs, or "that was bad ass!", nothing. Imagine being a patient on an operating table and just being given the anesthetic. Now you know what you'll feel like in the theater after the opening scene of AVPr.What was the budget on this movie? Like War of the Worlds, MI 3, and other f/x driven movies the director seems far more involved in what the CGI people can come up with than developing characters or a plot. Spielberg has tried and failed at this several times, usually with Tom Cruise. Sure the movies make money but should they? War of the Worlds and Minority Report had the budget to pay for a decent script, Tom Cruise et al, and SS himself but were still awful. I'm sure AVP wasted 90% of their budget on CG and had no choice but to hire any actor that would say yes even though the casting agent would have done better by going to the supermarket and picking actors at random.There is no tension developed in any scene so we are never close to being surprised. Who cares who gets killed? We didn't know any of them, we all know what happens when the lil aliens make their corporeal exit, we all know the blood is acid. In Alien, Aliens, 3, Resurrection, and even AVP the directors make use of the fact that the Aliens can think, can hide and can lay traps. This director decided that the Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and others were idiots for developing characters you actually want to see either live or get killed. In this installment you will never care who lives or dies, not a kid, a parent, a pregnant woman. The characters serve only one purpose in this movie, to die. The opening scenes establish the fact that the movie is going to be a predictable joke. The character development scenes mix clichés, bad humor, and bad acting and numb the viewer to the point where we really don't care if they get killed so long as they die in never before seen ways. But they don't. The director tried to make something different from those who preceded him in the Alien franchise but only succeeded in discarding the good parts of the first films, the human protagonists, and stealing the rest from other recent sci-fi films.There is not one original use of the either the Alien or Pred characters. The Pred actually has little trouble killing Aliens by the dozen even though the last movie led us to believe that Pred revered the Aliens as such a deadly foe that they used the killing of one as Rite of Passage. The AlienPred is never really developed as a fearsome creature. Its ability to inject parasites into a host is ripped from several different movies most recently probably was Hellboy where Samiel's dismembered tongue injected eggs into Hellboy or Doom where the mutated creatures would leave their tongues behind after they speared a victim's throat.Simply put we aren't given reason to care about anything in this movie. There is violence but it doesn't shock or surprise and is nothing that hasn't been seen in any of a hundred slasher flicks. The CG is OK and both species of alien are made to look and move as they have in movies past. But since the characters are never developed and the acting is so bad we kind of hope that they all die. The little girl was probably the best actor of the bunch but sadly we aren't made to care whether or not kids, women, or anyone else lives or dies. We just want the movie to end. Eventually it does but not before another stolen plot line from Resident Evil 2 has a nuke aim Gunnison's way to wipe out the "infection". And not before yet another stupid scene that is supposed to open the door for further sequels but does it? In a movie filled with bad scenes the worst may have been saved for last.Sorry for the repetition but everything bears repeating: bad script, no plot, unoriginal action scenes, uninspired direction, abysmal acting, decent f/x that were wasted because of the many flaws.I don't mind going to an indie film and being disappointed. The actors and directors and crew are probably getting their careers going and working on a shoestring budget. For a movie with this type of budget and hype I feel cheated along with disappointed. This movie is a painfully boring waste of time from the opening scene to closing credits. Sad to say that a preview of Hellboy 2 was the best part of AVPr and HB2 didn't even look that good.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie plot seems to have been constructed from a disjointed dream. There is not enough realism to hold the viewer's interest. The Vermont Farm scene was a failed opportunity to show the way farms were set up and farm families lived which would have been interesting and entertaining. There was little if no research into the whiskey bootlegging trade of the period. The costumes of the Canadians looked like something from the French Revolution, totally unbelievable. The fiddle playing was good and of the time period but Chris's motions while supposedly playing were unbelievable. The owl's appearance was a never explained mystery and the train disappearing into thin air was too much. I couldn't understand how a live trout got frozen into the ice and why two men in the wilderness without food would release the trout, a good food source.$LABEL$ 0 +It's 2005, my friends...a time of amazing special effects and an age of technology. So, why can't we see a movie that's a little more thought out than this cheesy low-budget film. I've seen a lot of low-budget movies that rock my socks off, but this one...it's almost as if it's trying to be horrible. Just...don't...watch it. I can look past lack of special effects and computer generated scenes if the acting itself was at least good. I feel like a small child produced this entire movie. There's not even an original plot line. Vampire Assassins, in itself is one big plot hole with an attempt to mock itself. Can someone tell me if, perhaps, this was designed as a comedy movie and I just didn't know it? It makes me wonder, what does the sequel have in store for us who so loved the first installment?$LABEL$ 0 +Even with a cast that boasts such generally reliable names as Val Kilmer and Lisa Kudrow, Wonderland fails to yield any sense of depth to this film. It barely brushes the surface of the incidents that happened on that July night in 1981. Kilmer just goes through the motions as John Holmes and Kudrow and Kate Bosworth are both hopefully miscast in the other two lead roles; as Holmes's wife and underage girlfriend, respectively. The rest of the cast has such small roles that it's impossible to get any dimensions from them. The film also stars Carrie Fisher, Ted Levine, Franky G, MC Gainey, Dylan McDermott and a cameo from Paris Hilton.$LABEL$ 0 +In the colonies we're not all that familiar with Arthur Askey, so I nearly skipped this film (which had its TCM preview recently) on account of the negative comments here on his appearance in "Ghost Train" -- which I expected to be thoroughly annoying. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing audibly. The physical aspects of Askey's comedy and his timing when delivering a line suggest what you'd get if Charlie Chaplin and Woody Allen had a baby. There is no comparing him to Bud Abbott or any of the other usual purveyors of comic relief who turn up in films of this genre. One can feel, moreover, the thread connecting Askey to British comedy 30 years later; at least it is clear from an American point of view that he has more in common with the Monty Python troupe than with any of his counterparts over here. As for the rest of the film -- the more movies you've seen, the more likely you'll guess at the ending, but it is still quite entertaining and atmospheric and worth waiting for its next appearance.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably New Zealands worst Movie ever madeThe Jokes They are not funny. Used from other movies & just plain corny The acting Is bad even though there is a great castThe story is Uninteresting & Boring Has more cheese then pizza huts cheese lovers pizza kind of like the acting Has been do 1,000 times beforeI watched this when it came on TV but was so boring could only stand 30 minutes of it. This movie sucksDo not watch it, Watch paint dry instead$LABEL$ 0 +Like the other comments says, this might be surprise to those who haven't seen the work of Jeunet & Caro or Emir Kusturica. But have you already seen Delicatessen, there is nothing new it this film. I thought Delicatessen was great when it came out, but this film just arrive too late to be of any interest. I don't think it's a worse film than Delicatessen but it's a bore to see it now, like it probably would be to watch Delicatessen again. There is really no point to the film, nothing that really matter or stays with you. There may be a distant similarity to the films of Kusturica, but he's really in a different league, so you should rather go see his films than waste your time on Tuvalu.$LABEL$ 0 +To put it simply, The Fan was a disappointment. It felt like as if I was watching Taxi Driver, except Taxi Driver was much better than this. It seemed like the filmmakers wanted us to root for Robert Deniro's character 100 percent. This approach didn't work.$LABEL$ 0 +The opening scene keeps me from rating at absolute zero. I wish the entire movie was as gritty and real as the intro.In order to enjoy some movies, a lot can be forgiven,(hand guns with 60 shots, hero's with super human powers, all women are gorgeous AND half naked) but Puuuuleeese this "Assault On My Intelligence 13" is so far fetched that I'm surprised the cast showed up for a second day of filming.Firstly, how did these guys get to be cops? Based on stupidity I guess. How do the main female characters justify being half naked in the middle of winter in Detroit or wherever the heck they are. As a matter of fact no character reacts to the elements whatsoever in this movie. No windows, no electricity(which miraculously returns unexplained)during the storm of the century and they are all comfy as bugs in a rug. What technology exists which disables all cell phones, radios, and brain function. This must be the same power which causes Maria Bella to walk from her disabled car knee deep in snow with no coat and hardly any dress.$LABEL$ 0 +In this day and age in which just about every other news story involves discussions of waterboarding, images of Abu Ghraib, or tales of forced detentions at Guantanamo Bay, Gavin Hood's "Rendition" is about as up-to-the-minute and timely a movie as is ever likely to come out of the entertainment mills of mainstream Hollywood. It's not, by any stretch of the imagination, a perfect film, but neither does it merit the caterwauling opprobrium it has received at the hands of critics from all across the ideological and political spectrum.The term "rendition" refers to the ability of the CIA to arrest any individuals it suspects of terrorist dealings, then to whisk them away in secret to a foreign country to interrogate and torture them for an indefinite period of time, all without due process of law. Anwar El-Ibrahimi is an Egyptian man who has been living for twenty years in the United States. He has an American wife, a young son and a new baby on the way. He seems a very unlikely candidate for a terrorist, yet one day, without warning or explanation, Anwar is seized and taken to an undisclosed location where he is subjected to brutal torture until he admits his involvement with a terrorist organization that Anwar claims to know nothing about.On the negative side, "Rendition" falters occasionally in its storytelling abilities, often biting off a little more than it can chew in terms of both plot and character. The ostensible focal point is Douglas Freeman, a rookie CIA agent who is brought in to observe Anwar's "interrogation" at the hands of Egyptian officials. The problem is that, as conceived by writer Kelley Sane and enacted by Jake Gyllenhaal, Freeman seems too much of a naïve "boy scout" to make for a very plausible agent, and he isn't given the screen time he needs to develop fully as a character. We know little about him at the beginning and even less, it seems, at the end. He "goes through the motions," but we learn precious little about the man within. Thus, without a strong center of gravity to hold it all together, the film occasionally feels as if it is coming apart at the seams, with story elements flying off in all directions. A similar problem occurs with Anwar's distraught wife, played by Reese Witherspoon, a woman we never get to know much about apart from what we can see on the surface. Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon have both proved themselves to be fine actors under other circumstances, but here they are hemmed in by a restrictive screenplay that rarely lets them go beyond a single recurring note in their performances.What makes "Rendition" an ultimately powerful film, however, is the extreme seriousness of the subject matter and the way in which two concurrently running plot lines elegantly dovetail into one another in the movie's closing stretches. It may make for a slightly more contrived story than perhaps we might have liked on this subject, but, hey, this is Hollywood after all, and the film has to pay SOME deference to mass audience expectations if it is to get itself green lighted, let alone see the light of day as a completed project.Two of the supporting performances are particularly compelling in the film: Omar Metwally who makes palpable the terror of a man caught in a real life Kafkaesque nightmare from which he cannot awaken, and Yigal Naor who makes a surprisingly complex character out of the chief interrogator/torturer. Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin and Peter Sarsgaard also make their marks in smaller roles. Special mention should also be made of the warm and richly hued cinematography of Dion Beebe.Does the movie oversimplify the issues? Probably. Does it stack the deck in favor of the torture victim and against the evil government forces? Most definitely. (One wonders how the movie would have played if Anwar really WERE a terrorist). Yet, the movie has the guts to tread on controversial ground. It isn't afraid to raise dicey questions or risk the disapproval of some for the political stances it takes. It openly ponders the issue of just how DOES a nation hold fast to its hard-won principle of "civil liberties for all" in the face of terrorism and fear. And just how much courage does it take for people of good will to finally stand up and say "enough is enough," even at the risk of being branded terrorist-appeasing and unpatriotic by those in power? (The movie also does not, in any way, deny the reality of extreme Islamic terrorism).Thus, to reject "Rendition" out of hand would be to allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. "Rendition" may not be perfect, but it IS good, and it has something of importance to say about the world in which we now live. And that alone makes it very much worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I've never laughed and giggled so much in my life! The first half kept me in stitches; the last half made me come completely unglued! I think I giggled for 15 minutes after the tape was over.His timing and delivery for his stories is almost unequaled. And though he talks fast, you catch every joke. Which is probably why my "laugh center" was so overwhelmed; it took an extra 15 minutes to laugh at everything.$LABEL$ 1 +The storyplot was okay by itself, but the film felt very bubbly and fake. It also had the worst ending. They were probably going for a surprise ending, but all it did was leave me the question of what the whole point of the story was. All other teen movies are better than this one.$LABEL$ 0 +My comment is mainly a comment on the first commentator (the extra on the film) and his unhappy assessment of the film. I think his perspective indicates why an extra is an extra and a director is a director. The film was sweet, the acting sufficient, the experience of watching it a nice diversion from a busy work week. It wasn't "The Hours" (acting), or "The Matrix" (Special Effects), or even "The Color Purple" (Direction). Most movies won't be. But it also wasn't the crap fest that "vinny..." would lead you to believe. Sorry guy, just my 2 cents.As to the movie itself, it was in the end very gay affirming (+ #1). It showed a world full of diverse and less than perfect people--you know, just like ours (+ #2)! It opened a door on one culture without excluding other cultures (+ #3). And I liked the music (+ #4).$LABEL$ 1 +The DVD version released by Crash Cinema was very poorly done. The mastering engineer must have been either drunk, asleep or not even in the room while it was being done. It looks like it was mastered from about a tenth generation copy and about halfway through the film, the audio synchronization disappears. The dialog is about 10 or 15 seconds behind the audio. If you're thinking about purchasing this DVD, please save your money. I remember seeing this film at the theater back in 1973. Also, the VHS copy of this film under the title of "When Taekwondo Strikes" looks better than the DVD, but the remaining several minutes of the movie are "missing". Where is the original camera negative?$LABEL$ 0 +Ahh, nuthin' like cheesy, explopitative, semi-porn, masquerading as horror...This one stars Jaqueline Lovell(sometimes Sara St. James), the nubile starlet also seen in "Femalien", "The Erotic House of Wax", and that family favorite "Nude Bowling Party". She is now a fixture in Surrender Cinema's line-up of talentless cuties starring in pointless, soft-porn exploitation flicks. "Head of the Family" actually tries to be a real moovie. A con-man and a tramp try to get said-tramp's husband off-ed. They turn to a large-brained evil genius in a wheelchair, and his family of moronic misfits, who uses mind control to send out zombies to do his nefarious bidding. Said-genius has a giant head, hence the clever title of the film: that's about the extent of the film's humor. But basically, it's an excuse to show off the ample talents of Lovell and Dianne Colazzo (Ernestina). Laced with some of the wierdest dialogue can be herd (what the heck is "plowing oats", anycow??), and just plain stupid, this titular thriller will moost likey appeal to the breast-cownters of Drive-In Theater, but no one else. The MooCow says avoid the devoid, unless yer looking for a rent on cheesy T&A/horror night. :=8P$LABEL$ 0 +i happen to love this show. Its a refreshing take on some older sci-fi feels and styles. they aren't afraid to shoot, and when they do people tend to die. Far too many show's are afraid of this and end up just pointing the guns and then having it be a standoff. Farscape also comes complete with a large amount of heartwarming characters. They all grow on you till the point where it confuses you to hear them discuss taking some of the animatronic ones out of their box's to make the mini-series. From beginning to end farscape leaves you with a feeling of hope, and dispair, as new and unexpected things happen and then people live and die, surprising you every time. Worth a watch even if you don't have the time.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, i'm a huge Henry VIII/Tudor era fan and, well, this was .... interesting. The only one I watched was the Catherine of Aragon one. And wow...just wow. I've seen bad acting before, but this reached new heights. When the actress who played Catherine was umm.. crying? she wails and screams and i have to admit i rewinded many times... many, many times .... funny, funny stuff. The only person who even showed any slight sliver of talent was the actress playing Anne Boleyn (i might be prejudiced though, i do have a slight obsession with Anne Boleyn, she was a really facinating woman, read up on her, it's worth it!) Also, i have read a lot about the Tudor time period and i think that the characters weren't very acurately displayed, they were all very stereotypical. Only see this movie if you are prepared to see a very important time period, and the important lives of those involved turned into a laughing stock.$LABEL$ 0 +It is hard to believe that anyone could take such a great book and and make such a terrible movie.Imagine King Kong being recast as an organ grinder's monkey and Fay Wray's part being played by a young boy. How about Elton John as Rambo!!!!.This movie is even worse than the TV remake of The Night of the Hunter.By using the title Watchers and Dean Koontz's name the makers of this movie should be sued for fraud by readers of the book who expected a reasonably accurate adaptation of the book.Read the book, I have never talked to anyone who didn't like it. Another good book is The Winner by David Baldachi.$LABEL$ 0 +Must have to agree with the other reviewer. This has got to be the WORST movie, let alone western I have ever seen. Terrible acting, dialogue that was unimaginative and pathetic (let alone completely inappropriate for supposedly being in the 1800s), and oh, did I mention a battery pack prominently displayed on the back of one of the characters? I was waiting for the boom mike to fall in the middle of a scene. And the ending? The least I can say is that it was consistent with the rest of the movie...completely awful. And yes, it did contain every cliché in the book from the slow walk down the empty dusty road to the laughable "let's remember when" shots when a main character dies. Luckily I saw this on free TV. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +In KPAX Softley brushes on the subtleties of Eastern Religious Mores from the small archetypes embedded all over the film to the actual purpose of Prot. Spacey (Prot) assumes a predominantly didactic role throughout the entire film - it is as if the statements he makes embody general truths about a culture of peace which is strongly promulgated in Buddhism and Hinduism. It can be said that Prot is the eye of the storm - the world is in disarray and is 'bright' and the false veil of reality is what everyone else sees, but Prot sees truth - he sees the minute - and appreciates it and at some points fears it as he transcends his social construction of reality and becomes more humanly.The film is particularly detailed, therefore I would recommend that you watch it at least twice to see how Softley interjects nuances. Listen carefully to the narratives at the beginning and end as they truly touch on concepts not commonly presented in western philosophies.9 of out 10 rating - Superb - with nominal room for improvement.$LABEL$ 1 +After 15 minutes watching the movie I was asking myself what to do: leave the theater, sleep or try to keep watching the movie to see if there was anything worth. I finally watched the movie: what a waste of time. Maybe I am not a 5 years old kid anymore!$LABEL$ 0 +I thought Rachel York was fantastic as "Lucy." I have seen her in "Kiss Me, Kate" and "Victor/Victoria," as well, and in each of these performances she has developed very different, and very real, characterizations. She is a chameleon who can play (and sing) anything!I am very surprised at how many negative reviews appear here regarding Rachel's performance in "Lucy." Even some bonafide TV and entertainment critics seem to have missed the point of her portrayal. So many people have focused on the fact that Rachel doesn't really look like Lucy. My response to that is, "So what?" I wasn't looking for a superficial impersonation of Lucy. I wanted to know more about the real woman behind the clown. And Rachel certainly gave us that, in great depth. I also didn't want to see someone simply "doing" classic Lucy routines. Therefore I was very pleased with the decision by the producers and director to have Rachel portray Lucy in rehearsal for the most memorable of these skits - Vitameatavegamin and The Candy Factory. (It seems that some of the reviewers didn't realize that these two scenes were meant to be rehearsal sequences and not the actual skits). This approach, I thought, gave an innovative twist to sketches that so many of us know by heart. I also thought Rachel was terrifically fresh and funny in these scenes. And she absolutely nailed the routines that were recreated - the Professor and the Grape Stomping, in particular. There was one moment in the Grape scene where the corner of Rachel's mouth had the exact little upturn that I remember Lucy having. I couldn't believe she was able to capture that - and so naturally.I wonder if many of the folks who criticized the performance were expecting to see the Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" throughout the entire movie. After all, those of us who came to know her only through TV would not have any idea what Lucy was really like in her early movie years. I think Rachel showed a natural progression in the character that was brilliant. She planted all the right seeds for us to see the clown just waiting to emerge, given the right set of circumstances. Lucy didn't fit the mold of the old studio system. In her frustrated attempts to become the stereotypical movie star of that era, she kept repressing what would prove to be her ultimate gifts.I believe that Rachel deftly captured the comedy, drama, wit, sadness, anger, passion, love, ambition, loyalty, sexiness, self absorption, childishness, and stoicism all rolled into one complex American icon. And she did it with an authenticity and freshness that was totally endearing. "Lucy" was a star turn for Rachel York. I hope it brings a flood of great roles her way in the future. I also hope it brings her an Emmy.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say the first I watched this film was about 6 years ago, and I actually enjoyed it then. I bought the DVD recently, and upon a second viewing I wondered why I liked it. The acting was awful, and as usual we have the stereo-typical clansmen in their fake costumes. The acting was awful at best. Tim Roth did an OK job as did Liam Neeson, but I've no idea what Jessica Lange was thinking.The plot line was good, but the execution was just poor. I'm tired of seeing Scotland portrayed like this in the films. Braveheart was even worse though, which is this films only saving grace. But seriously, people didn't speak like that in those days, why do all the actors have to have Glaswegian accents? Just another film to try and capture the essence of already tired and annoying stereotypes. I notice the only people on here who say this film is good are the Americans, and to be honest I can see why they'd like it, I know they have an infatuation for men in Kilts. However, if you are thinking of buying the DVD, I'd say spend your money on something else, like a better film.$LABEL$ 0 +I want Céline and Jessie go further in their relationship, I want to tell them that they were made for each other, that in a lot of moment in the film we want they to die for each other. Their story is what we ever wanted and probably most of us never reached. This is about love but not stupid things like in "notting hills" or those kind of movie. This is life and i did believe in them, i did believe they were falling... This was so clever and touching. I have just finished to view it a minute ago and i m still there... I want to go to Vienna. I want to see them as soon as possible again.I have to say i was now becoming misanthropist and felt like if love was just a fake, a concept, but with this movie i realized that maybe somewhere, somehow and some when, something could really happen.I'm french and didn't know very well July Delpy despite Kieslowski "three colors : white"... Now i have to see her other works because she looks like an angel and got a perfect acting.i saw "before sunset" (the sequel in Paris) a few days before i saw "before sunrise" and their is no matter. They are both masterpieces. proof that you don't need to impress the eyes with technology to get pure feelings. I'm sorry for my English which i m trying to best.Franck in France$LABEL$ 1 +Lovely Candace Bergen as the widow Perdicaris are kidnapped and held for ransom by the Sheik Raisuli played by one dashing Sean Connery. The incident comes during 1904 as Theodore Roosevelt runs for election to the presidency in his own right. Needing a good example to show off the muscular foreign policy of the United States, Brian Keith as Roosevelt issues a stunning declaration to the Sultan of Morocco, "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead."But in this adaptation of that incident the famous declaration is the only true thing about this story. The Perdicaris in question was in reality one Ion Perdicaris who was a Greek immigrant and dilettante playboy. In fact Perdicaris gave up his American citizenship years ago and was back as a Greek national. Never mind that though, his predicament was serviceable enough at the time.The damsel in distress makes better screen material though so it's a widow woman and her two kids that are in harm's way here. Of course as presented here the incident is also used by some of our European powers to get their foothold into Morocco. The intrigues get far beyond one brigand's demand for ransom.The Wind and the Lion is hardly history. But it is an enjoyable film and Sean Connery is always fun to watch. Brian Keith also fits my conception of Theodore Roosevelt and the scenes in the Roosevelt White House do ring true to all the stories told. John Huston plays the ever patient Secretary of State John Hay who Roosevelt had inherited from his predecessor William McKinley.But kids don't use this film to skip reading a history assignment on the Theodore Roosevelt era.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is pathetic in every way possible. Bad acting, horrible script (was there one?), terrible editing, lousy cinematography, cheap humor. Just plain horrible.I had seen 'The Wishmaster' a couple weeks before this movie and I thought it was a dead-ringer for worst movie of the year. Then, I saw 'The Pest' and suddenly 'The Wishmaster' didn't seem so bad at all.Bad Bad Bad. Excruciatingly bad.$LABEL$ 0 +...Or better yet, watch Fandango if you want to see a really intelligent and funny male college age road flick. Rolling Kansas sounded promising (in fact the program guide gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars which usually means it's fairly watchable) but I pretty much fast-forwarded through it. Usually road trip movies have great music, but I can't even recall whether there was music. The only high point was a small role with Rip Torn as a wise old hitchhiker/guru. Otherwise the jokes and timing missed all along the way. The four main characters are unknown actors and I don't remember seeing any of them in another movie. (Oh, yeah, I see that Thos. Hayden Church was in it, but he's in everything, good, bad or indifferent). This movie is about as funny as watching someone else stoned when you're not.$LABEL$ 0 +Sharky's Machine is easily one of Burt Reynolds best efforts. It also stands as one of the best contemporary crime dramas. Erotic and violent, the movie distinguishes itself by setting the story in Atlanta, and delivering a chaotic detective case, to you(the viewer), on a silver platter. Dedicated and determined, Sharky must stop the murder of Dominoe, a lovely lady of the night, who's clientel is anything but ordinary. Before long, Sharky's crimefighting Machine uncovers a conspiracy of the highest order, which threatens to corrupt the inner body of Atlanta. As a resident of Metro Atlanta, I recall the excitement in town during the movie's production. Sharky's Machine goes to great lengths to give an accurate portrayal of Atlanta. Twenty years removed and 2,000,000-more people later, the film stands the test of time. Trust me, Atlanta has not changed. One of the highlights of the picture is Dar Robinson's daring stunt(a classic, symbolic ending). It was even featured on That's Incredible, ABC's reality show of the period. It's just too bad that Hollywood does not make enough films like this one. Kick back, each your popcorn, and watch sterling silver cinema action.$LABEL$ 1 +Winchester '73 is a great story, and that's what I like about it. It's not your everyday western--it uses a rifle, which passes hands from various characters--as a mechanism for telling the story about these people. Rock Hudson plays an indian chief, Jimmy Stewart plays a great leading man with heart and strength, and Shelly Winters plays a gal who has to cope with the realities of her husband and the wild west. It's important to note for those politically correct types--they kill a lot of indians in this movie without remorse. By today's standards, it's still pretty violent. But it's a great story and worth watching. Enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +Peak Practice was a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 1993 to 2002, and was one of their most successful series at the time. It originally starred Kevin Whately as Dr Jack Kerruish, Amanda Burton as Dr Beth Glover, and Simon Shepherd as Dr Will Preston, though the roster of doctors would change many times over the course of the series.The series was axed in 2002 and ended on a literal cliffhanger when two of the series main characters plunged off a cliff. Viewers wrote to ITV in their thousands and a petition for one last episode was set up by website Peak Practice Online. However, all pleas were unsuccessful and ITV said they would not make any more episodes.Peak Practice was replaced by Sweet Medicine, another medical series set in Derbyshire. It lasted a few episodes before it was dropped from the schedules.Cardale was based on the Derbyshire village of Crich, and the series was filmed there and at other nearby Derbyshire towns and villages, most notably Matlock and Ashover. After the end of this programme, ITV attempted to launch a follow-up series called Sweet Medicine, which extended the stories of different characters from the original show.$LABEL$ 1 +Maria Braun is an extraordinary woman presented fully and very credibly, despite being so obtuse as to border on implausibility. She will do everything to make her marriage work, including shameless opportunism and sexual manipulation. And thus beneath the vicey exterior, she reveals a rather sweet value system. The film suffers from an abrupt and unexpected ending which afterwards feels wholly inadequate, with the convenience familiar from ending your school creative writing exercise with 'and then I woke up'. It is also book-ended at the other end with the most eccentric title sequence I've ever seen, but don't let any of that put you off.$LABEL$ 1 +This quasi J-horror film followed a young woman as she returns to her childhood village on the island of Shikoku to sell the family house and meet up with old friends. She finds that one, the daughter of the village priestess, drowned several years earlier. She and Fumiko (another childhood friend) then learn that Sayori's mother is trying to bring her back to life with black magic. Already the bonds between the dead and living are getting weak and the friends and villagers are seeing ghosts. Nothing was exceptional or even very good about this movie. Unlike stellar J-horror films, the suspense doesn't really build, the result doesn't seem overly threatening and the ending borders on the absurd.This movie is like plain white rice cooked a little too long so that it is bordering on mushy. Sometimes you get this at poor Asian restaurants or cook your own white rice a little too long. You end up eating it, because you need it with the meal, because what is Chinese or Japanese food without rice, but it almost ruins the meal because of the gluey, gooey tastelessness of it all. 3/10 http://blog.myspace.com/locoformovies$LABEL$ 0 +This dreadful film assembles every Asian stereotype you can imagine into one hideous package. Money grubbing, devious Japanese business men send goofy but loveable policeman Pat Morita to recover industrial secrets in Detroit. Here he encounters a down at heel Jay Leno, who promptly refers to a murder victim as a Jap and calls Morita Tojo. It's all downhill from there.$LABEL$ 0 +"Gypsy" is possibly the greatest musical ever written, so it's too bad that it's film version was such a disappointment. To make up for that, we have this re-make which, if not flawless, is an enjoyable and well done adaption of the musical. The script is completely accurate, all the songs included, and the staging remains close to the original Jerome Robbins' staging. Bette Midler is a deft choice for Rose, her singing and personality Merman-esquire, and her acting splendid. Peter Reigert is a fine Herby, if not a great singer, and Cynthia Gibb is a straight forward, natural Louise. In truth, a live taping of the 1989 revival with Tyne Daly might have been a better idea, if only because "Gypsy" is simply more exciting on stage, But this film is a fine translation of a great musical.$LABEL$ 1 +Unless you are mentally ill or the most die hard segal fan you will tire of this horrendous excuse for a film in under 5 minutes.The Plot - Even for a Seagal film, the plot is just stupid. I mean its not just bad, its barely coherent.The Acting - Unbelievably wooden. Literally seen better acting in porno's. Ironically this film tries to cash in on this audience which a 'lesbian love scene' which is utterly cringe-worthy.Special Effects - wouldn't look out of place in a 60's sword and sorcery flick.Unless you suffer from insomnia and have exhausted all other cures, don't make the same mistake as i did and buy this DVD, as you will be asking for that hour and a half of your life back.$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw it 9 years ago, when I was 9. I thought it stunk. I'm 18 now and I still think it stinks. I mean geez no Special effects or anything, it was boring and kinda anti-climatic. My cousin watched once and George Takai (Sulu) kept talking about how it was supposed to be so much better, but they kept cutting to the budget. It would have been a great episode, but it was a terrible movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Saw a screener of this before last year's Award season, didn't really know why they gave them out after the voting had ended, but whatever, maybe for exposure, at the least, but the movie was a convoluted mess. Sure, some parts were funny in a black humor kind of way, but none of the characters felt very real to me at all. There was not one person that I could connect with, and I think that is where it failed for me. Sure, the plot is somewhat interesting and very subversive towards Scientology, WOW! What a grand idea...let's see if that already hasn't been mined to the point of futility. The whole ordeal feels fake, from the lighting, the casting, the screenplay to the horrible visual effects(which is supposed to be intentional, I can tell, and so can everyone else, no one is laughing with you though). Anyways, I hope it makes it out for sale on DVD at least, I wouldn't want a project that a lot of people obviously put a lot of effort into get completely unnoticed. But it's tripe either way. Boring tripe at that.$LABEL$ 0 +Read Eric's review again. He perfectly described my own feeling for this film so more eloquently than I ever could. I'm only writing here to further encourage you to look for and see it.I saw it many years ago on TV, the IFC I think. It is such a unique film I hesitate to make comparisons. It was filmed in northern Mexico, somewhere in the relentless badlands of Coahuila/Zacatecas/San Luis Potosi. This isn't the Sedona-like Durango,Mexico (of the John Wayne films) but a truly stark and wild place. I have to find the novel now to check on the original location of the story. Like the location, this movie is strange and wild and wonderful and weird and absolutely not for everyone. It is the kind of production that almost motivates me to study film.I hadn't actually forgotten this movie, it is indelible. Yet, over the years, I had forgotten of its existence. I know nobody who has seen it, had never read of it, nor seen any reference to it. Erendira is such an unusual name, I'd even forgotten the title. Well, I'll be looking to buy a copy now.**I have since the above posting become a huge fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and so regret not having read him before.Relative to MsMyth's comment below; the movie was filmed in Mexico but the author is Colombian and was not commenting on Mexico or Mexican history in any way, although Marquez now lives in Mexico for "political" reasons. This story is universal. I am still trying desperately to find a copy of this film for my library. Liked the movie? You have to read the story and then everything else Garcia Marquz wrote. And, by the way, the original location in the story was Colombia.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an immoral and reprehensible piece of garbage, that no doubt wants to be a Friday the 13th (1980) clone. The poster for this movie makes it look like there's going to be some sort of a cross between Jason and Freddy, which is likely to attract movie-goers. There is NOTHING good or entertaining about this movie about this movie. It just makes me sad, just thinking that some people are going to stumble upon Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) on video or DVD, and waste their time with this sad, cynical, depressing movie.Angela Baker (Pamela Springsteen) is a camp counselor at Camp Rolling Hills, who hopes that the other campers are as nice as she is, and that they stay out of trouble. Meanwhile, the other campers are realizing that people are disappearing one by one, with Angela making up the excuse that she had to send them home. Could Angela be the killer, who was once a man, who underwent a sex change operation years earlier? Who knows? Who cares?The 1980s was home to a lot of movies that made the cross between the Mad Slasher and Dead Teenager genres, in which a mad killer goes berserk. Some have a plot, some don't, but they're all about as bad as this one. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers is 80 minutes of teenagers being introduced and then being stabbed, strangled, impaled, chopped up, burned alive, and mutilated. That's all this movie is. It is just mindless, bloody violence.Watching this movie, I was reminded of the Friday the 13th movies, in which the message for its viewers was that the primary function of teenagers is to be hacked to death. The filmmakers of Sleepaway Camp II have every right to be ashamed of themselves. Imagine the sick message that this movie offers for its teen viewers: "The world is a totally evil place," this movie tells you, " and it'll kill you. It doesn't matter what your dreams or your hopes are. It doesn't matter if you have a new boyfriend, or a new girlfriend. It doesn't matter what you think, what you do or what your plans for the future are. You can forget those plans, because you're just going to wind up dead." And the sickest thing is--and by not giving too much away--the movie simply sets up room for a sequel. Well, why not? They've probably and already taken the bucket to the cesspool by making three or four of these movies. I missed out on the original Sleepaway Camp (1983), and, after watching its first sequel, I will hopefully stay away from the other sequels, as well as the original. And for parents, if you know kids who actually LIKE this movie, do not let them date your children.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst movie that I have ever seen. At first i thought that it was going to be good because I'm interested in the bermuda triangle, but instead it was terrible. All it did was offer a bunch of lame explinations that didn't make sense (if time moves differently there how come the woman didn't age, and her son aged rapidly), and have a horrible sappy ending. Next time the guys who made this go to Bermuda they should take all copies of this movie with them. Please everyone vote for this movie so it can get on the worst movie list.$LABEL$ 0 +Lame rip-off of THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (1955): the first half is deadly dull, even dreary - but the latter stages improve considerably with the scenes involving the rampaging 'monster'. In the accompanying featurette (a rather dry affair at a mere 9 minutes, when compared to the ones created for the other titles in Criterion's "Monsters & Madmen" set), director Day - who admits to not being a fan of the sci-fi genre - tries to justify the film's shortcomings by saying that he had a zero-budget to work with (where all the outer space scenes were composed of stock footage!)...and I'd have been inclined to be more lenient with the film had I not recently watched CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959) - a similar (and similarly threadbare) but far more stylish venture from Italy! Bill Edwards as the cocky but unlucky astronaut - obsessed with achieving the titular feat - is positively boring at first, but he eventually manages to garner audience sympathy when his physical features are deformed and the character develops a taste for blood! Marshall Thompson as his commanding officer and elder brother is O.K. as a leaner Glenn Ford type; he had previously starred in FIEND WITHOUT A FACE (1958), another (and more successful) Richard Gordon-produced sci-fi which, incidentally, is also available on DVD through Criterion. Italian starlet Marla Landi, struggling with the English language, makes for an inadequate female lead; even her input in the featurette proves to be of little lasting value! The Audio Commentary is yet another enjoyable Tom Weaver/Richard Gordon track where, among many things, the fact that FIRST MAN INTO SPACE was intended as a double-feature with CORRIDORS OF BLOOD (1958) is brought up - but it was eventually put out as a standalone release, so as to exploit the topical news value of the current space race; it's also mentioned that the monster dialogue was actually dubbed by Bonar Colleano (who, tragically, died in a traffic accident prior to the film's release!). Weaver even recalls a couple of anecdotes from the time when he was involved in the production of the DVD featurette shot by, of all people, ex-cult-ish film-maker Norman J. Warren: Landi, who by then had become a lady of title, was still ready to help out in carrying the equipment necessary to film the interview down several flights of stairs!; Edwards was supposed to have contributed to the featurette but, once in London, he proved reluctant to co-operate with Weaver - eventually, the latter learned that the actor had been recently diagnosed with cancer and, in fact, he died in 2002!$LABEL$ 0 +(This has been edited for space)Chan-wook Park's new film is a complex film that is not easy to classify. Nominally a horror movie, the central character is a vampire, the film actually has elements of comedy, theology, melodrama, cultural invasion (and its analog of viral invasion of a body), romance and few other things as well. It's a film that has almost too much on its mind. The film takes its own matters and mixes them with classic European literature, in this case Emile Zola's "Thérèse Raquin". It's an odd mix that doesn't always gel, but none the less has an incredible power. Here it is almost 24 hours since I saw the film at Lincoln Center (with a post film discussion by the director) and I find my cage is increasingly rattled. Its not so much what happens is bothersome, its more that its wide reaching story and its themes ring a lot of bells in retrospect.The plot of the film has a will loved priest deciding that the best way to help mankind is to volunteer for a medical experiment to find a cure for a terrible disease. Infected with the disease he eventually succumbs and dies, but because of a transfusion of vampiric blood (its not explained) he actually survives. Hailed as a miracle worker the priest returns to the hospital where he had been ministering to the sick. Unfortunately all is not well. The priest finds that he needs blood to survive. He also finds that he has all of the typical problems of a vampire, and its no not possible for him to go out during the day. Things become even more complicated when he becomes reacquainted with a childhood friend and his family. The priest, some of his animal passions awakened becomes taken with the wife of his friend. From there it all goes sideways.An ever changing film, this is a story that spins through a variety of genres as it tells the very human story of a man who finds that his life has been radically altered by a chance event and finds that he is no longer who he thought he was. It's a film that you have to stay with to the end because the film is forever evolving into something else. Its also a film that has a great deal on its mind and the themes its playing with are constantly being explored in a variety of waysThe film has enough going on that one could, and people probably will, write books discussing the film.The two of the strongest parts of the film are its vampiric elements and its romance The vampire part of the tale is brilliant. There is something about how it lays out the ground rules and the nature of the "affliction" that makes such perfect sense that it kind of pushes the old vampire ideas aside. Sitting in the theater last night I found myself amazed at how impressed how well it worked. I think the fact that it played more or less straight is what is so earth shaking. Here is a vampire who just wants to have a normal life. It's contrasted with what happens later, it makes clear that living an existence of hunting humans really isn't going to work. Its not the dark world of Twilight or Lost Boys, rather its something else. I personally think that the film changes the playing field from a hip cool idea or dream into something more real and tangible. (The sequence where the powers kick in is just way cool) The romance is also wonderfully handled. Sure the sex scenes are steamy and well done, but it's the other stuff, the looks, the talk, the gestures outside of the sex that makes this special. I love the looks, the quiet stares as the forbidden couple look at each other hungering for each other and unable to act, the disappointment and heartbreak of betrayal both real and suspected, and the mad passion of possible consummation. This is one of the great screen romances of all time. It perfectly captures the feeling and emotion of deep passionate love (and lust). If you've ever loved deeply I'm guessing you'll find some part of your hear on screen, I know I did. The statement "I just wanted to spend eternity with you" has a sad poignancy to it. It's both a statement of what was the intention as well as the depth of emotion. The tragic romance will break your heart. I won't lie to you and say that the film is perfect and great. Its not, as good as the pieces are and almost all of them are great (especially the actors who I have unjustly failed to hail as amazing) the whole doesn't always come together. The various genres, thematic elements and tones occasionally grate against each other. Frequently I was wondering where the film was going. I hung in there even though the film seemed to be wandering about aimlessly.I liked the film a great deal. I loved the pieces more than the film as a whole. Its been pinging around in my head since I saw it, and I'm guessing that it will do so for several days more. Like or love is irrelevant since this is a film that really should be seen since it has so much going on that it will provide you with enough material to think and talk about for days afterward. One of the meatiest and most filling films of the year.$LABEL$ 1 +The idea behind this movie was great. The story of a little girl facing abuse (both emotional and physical) and trying to deal with it and survive. What makes the movie fall apart is the terrible use of voice overs and the corny dialog. The actors have to point out the most obvious things over and over again. Also, there is very tedious, almost funny, overuse of metaphors in the voice overs. The high point is the acting of the little girl. Nice try, but this one's a stinker.$LABEL$ 0 +I watch them all.It's not better than the amazing ones (_Strictly Ballroom_, _Shall we dance?_ (Japanese version), but it's completely respectable and pleasingly different in parts.I am an English teacher and I find some of the ignorance about language in some of these reviews rather upsetting. For example: the "name should scream don't watch. 'How she move.' Since when can movie titles ignore grammar?" There is nothing inherently incorrect about Caribbean English grammar. It's just not Canadian standard English grammar. Comments about the dialogue seem off to me. I put on the subtitles because I'm a Canadian standard English speaker, so I just AUTOMATICALLY assumed that I would have trouble understanding all of it. It wasn't all that difficult and it gave a distinctly different flavour as the other step movies I have seen were so American.I loved that this movie was set in Toronto and, in fact, wish it was even more clearly set there. I loved that the heroine was so atypically cast. I enjoyed the stepping routines. I liked the driven Mum character. I felt that many of the issues in the movie were addressed more subtly than is characteristic of dance movies.In summary, if you tend to like dance movies, then this is a decent one. If you have superiority issues about the grammar of the English standard you grew up speaking, your narrow mind may have difficulty enjoying this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Dear God! I kept waiting for this movie to "get started"... then I waited for it to redeem itself... and when it did neither, I just sat there, dumbfounded that: 1) it could possibly be this bad, and 2) that I had just wasted a couple of hours on just sheer stupidity. I had faith that Drew couldn't possibly have made this bad of a movie... and boy, did I ever lose my faith! Don't bother with this one! Drew tried, but the movie was poorly written, poorly acted, and just poorly conceived! I can't believe a script this bad ever got funded! It had a million chances to actually do something with the idea, (the word "concept" is too big for this movie to even qualify for!) and it STILL didn't go anyplace! Its just pitiful! Where the other reviewer got the idea that it wasn't the worst, baffles me! Because believe me, if it got any worse I'd have slit my wrists before finishing it!$LABEL$ 0 +First, let me start off by saying this film SOUNDED very interesting: A serial killer copycatting the works of Edgar Allan Poe (who is one of my writers of all time). Sounds cool, right? Yeah, definitely not. Probably the worst film I've ever seen. Ever. And that's not an exaggeration. I've seen a lot of very, very bad movies. This one takes the cake. And I was even prepared for a bad movie before going into it.Perhaps the writer should've studied some law enforcement procedure: If you have the name of the killer, his entire life's history, a criminal record, and HIS ADDRESS, where is the first place you should look? Hmm. . . possibly. . . his house? What?! NO! That's a preposterous idea, Anthony! How could you suggest something so obvious and level-headed rather than going to a bowling alley? *spoilers end* Honestly, sometimes I can forgive a movie if the writing is good but the acting is bad, or vice versa. . . but this just had everything wrong with it you could possibly find.I think my biggest pet peeve was how the police/FBI acted.For example: Black FBI Agent: "Okay, endangered female, just sit here in this car in an empty parking lot while I go inside and look around the potential crime scene where a serial killer is supposed to be. Sound good to you?" Moronic Female FBI Agent: "Yeah, sounds a-okay to me. Go right ahead. I'll be sure to not focus on my surroundings or at least check the perimeter." Black FBI Agent: "Excellent, that's what I would do!" Honestly, if you want to be in law enforcement, rent this movie so you can learn how not to act. . . or if you're a human and want to learn the same.0.5/10: A half-point just for getting a film produced and in stores. Congrats.-AP3-$LABEL$ 0 +Billy Crystal co-wrote, co-produced and stars in this extremely safe and comfy comedy-drama about fathers and sons, adult irresponsibility, and growing old. Billy plays a heart surgeon who has a heart attack (ha ha) which causes him to seek out his estranged father (Alan King), a movie-extra who fancies himself a big star. The script is sub-Neil Simon nonsense with one-liners galore, a flat, inexpressive direction by Henry Winkler (stuck in sitcom mode), and family-conflict at the ready. Crystal and King try their best, but King is over-eager and frequently over-the-top. JoBeth Williams has another one of her thankless roles, but manages to bring her innate, down-home class to the proverbial girlfriend character. It's a comedy, I guess, but one that blinks back the tears...shamefully. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see this on the strength of Albert Finney alone. He's one of my favorite actors and he rarely fails to deliver. I'm not sure if the plot is interesting or just silly: it's about a little boy who is about to be born, but as his mother goes into labor, he refuses to come out! This sends God and the whole human being factory into a crisis and Albert Finney is called out of purgatory to try and convince the boy to change his mind and decide to want to be born. So Finney takes the unborn boy for an adventure in the Big Apple in hopes of showing him all the reasons he should want to live.Despite the ridiculousness of the plot, I could have accepted it if the director had not tried to turn this into your typical Hollywood sentimental moralistic message film. Directorially, the film was rendered unbearable by a horrible soundtrack of the stock sentimental music that Hollywood directors seem incapable of resisting.He further butchered the somewhat unconventional story by giving away its hand at every moment. Whatever twists and turns were in store in the plot were completely given away by the way the story unraveled. It was as if the director assumed the audience is just a bunch of idiots who cannot see the obvious hints coming from a mile away.Even Finney in his performance, though satisfactory, seemed a bit awkward and out of place; and the little boy with curly locks, though he was supposed to be cute, was in fact rather dull. Bridget Fonda seemed intent on trying to duplicate Demi Moore's performance in 'Ghost', shedding tears at a moment's notice.I understand that the film has been unsuccessful thus far at getting distribution in the U.S., which surprises me as I think it has the box office potential to be a modest hit, appealing to both kids and sentimental adults. As far as the quality goes, it's not an awful film, it's just not very good. (4 out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +An astronaut gets lost in deep space and finds himself traveling through unknown territory on board of a living spaceship accompanied by a group of alien-outlaws. This incredible plotted and enjoyable TV-installment comes along as a positive birth-fantasy. The individual characters, in conflict at the beginning of the series, have to learn to get along with each other and evolve into a powerful group at last. Most of the action takes place inside the womb of Moia, the living space-ship (who even gets pregnant and gives birth to another ship!). While science-fiction-stories are usually interested in negative birth-fantasies (watch the 'Alien'-movies for example, especially the fourth part 'Resurrection') this comes as a surprise. Also enjoyable is the absence of military hierarchy on board of the ship and the positive attitude towards sex and the human (and alien) body. One of the female characters who is actually a plant experiences 'photogasms' while being exposed to sunlight. The crew even has to go to the toilet. Wouldn't that be impossible in 'Star Trek'?$LABEL$ 1 +This is a film that can make you want to see it again. I especially, liked the way it ended. I did not see the end coming, but when Laws was not blown away the first time, one suspects he will be back again.The story is gripping and could have been more psychological, but I understand the story needed to capture the viewer and the action was necessary for that.Hard to believe Michael Jr. could be so apparently unmoved as his younger brother and mother as blown away. But, I can appreciate the scene play couldn't really take our attention there because it had a greater story to tell.Some have complained about Hanks as a gangster. I believe that isn't justified. If his character had been any harder, he would not have cared if his son pulled a trigger or not.Eight Stars for this one. Although it was released in 2002, I just saw it for the first time yesterday on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I have been wanting to see this since my French teacher recommend it to me over forty years ago. Perhaps the long wait was worth it, since the Criterion Collection DVD restoration is impressive.In its outline this movie follows the time-worn script: a quartet of men diligently plot a difficult heist of a bank vault, the heist takes place, a small seemingly insignificant event leads to the ultimate demise of all. Even though the heist footage is transfixing, it occurs rather early and is ultimately not at the core of the film. This film separates itself from the typical heist movie by giving us insights into the personalities of the characters and their motivations - its plays as much as a drama as it does a thriller. Relationships play a big role and a kidnapping is tacked on, giving us two movies for the price of one.John Servais plays the idea man Tony le Stéphanois (always referred to as "le Stéphanois") with such world-weariness that he could have just stepped out of a Camus novel. Tony has just recently gotten out of jail and resists re-entering the life of crime until he has a highly unpleasant interaction with his ex-lover (who has taken up with another man) where, as punishment, he physically whips her with a belt. Thankfully that scene occurs off camera, but you are not likely to forget it. After that sobering event, since there seems little hope of reviving that relationship, Tony meets with two of his old partners in crime, Jo and Mario, and decides to join them in one last big heist. They enlist the services of Cesar, an Italian safe cracker - played by director Dassin himself - and we are off to the heist.The heist goes off without a hitch. But Cesar's womanizing bent is a personality trait that turns out to be fatal for all concerned. However, we can understand his attraction to the nightclub singer he has fallen for, since there is a brilliant set piece where she performs a sexy and cinematically inspired nightclub act - it has to be one of the most memorable scenes from any noir film.It is established early on that Tony has a close relationship with Jo and his family; in fact Jo's son refers to him as uncle. I think it is partly to help Jo's family that Tony agrees to the heist. The ending scenes, where Tony saves the life of Jo's kidnapped son, partially redeems his more brutal and amoral actions. But only partially.$LABEL$ 1 +A CBS radio program entitled "We the People" assists in finding an American home for Vienna refugee Charles Coburn (as Karl Braun), a skilled surgeon and pool hustler. He arrives with beautiful daughter Sigrid Gurie (as Leni), who is "studying" to become a nurse. Relocated to a small, dusty Midwestern village, they are welcomed at the station by burly John Wayne (as John Phillips) and his uncle Spencer Charters (as 'Nunk' Atterbury), a veterinarian. Ms. Gurie is unhappy in the dustbowl, and wants to leave. Immediately. But, the prospect of romance with Mr. Wayne might change her mind...God answers the citizens' many prayers for rain, but it may not be enough to save the farming town. The entire town is advised to relocate to Oregon. Wayne wants to stay and tough it out. Coburn receives an invitation to work at a top clinic. And, Gurie learns her fiancé, presumed dead, will be arriving to claim her as his wife. She feels duty-bound to accept; but, he has a dark secret... This film does not flatter Wayne, who seems way out of his element. Being paired with Gurie, promoted as another Garbo, doesn't help. They do have a cute scene in Wayne's car ("Jalopy, an Italian car").**** Three Faces West (7/3/40) Bernard Vorhaus ~ John Wayne, Sigrid Gurie, Charles Coburn, Spencer Charters$LABEL$ 0 +I have not read the book that this was based upon/inspired by. This being some of(the others are film roles) the last work of John Ritter(RIP), one hopes that it is hilarious. And it is. Almost every time he's present in this, as a matter of fact. Most of the cast, supporting as well as regular, play off each other well, and the material tends to be great. He plays Paul Hennessy, the father of three teenagers: Rory, the typical guy of that age, Kerry, the depressive middle-child who fights for causes and awareness, and Bridget, the fashion-loving, popular ditz. Sagal makes a return to being the female lead in a sit-com, and her character is far removed from Peggy Bundy. The show changed somewhat after Mr. Three's Company passed on, and for a while, they couldn't seem to make up their minds if they wanted to go for getting laughs, or being poignant and making sure to be respectful. One can wonder how or why it lasted for so long after that: It could still be quite good, some of the additions were fortunate(if you like David Spade, most of his part consists of him doing his schtick) and had stuff to say. My personal favorite episode is in the last season. The humor is a nice mix of "dumb person" jokes(mainly related to the high-schoolers), silliness, dark comedy and crude material. This dealt with sex and other adult topics, but never in a graphic manner. The language is mild, and, on occasion, moderately strong. I recommend this to any fan of those who made it. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Brilliant thriller, deserving far more fame, Mitchum and Ryan are awesome in their starring roles, as is the entire supporting cast. A truly gripping film noir featuring some wonderfully images and some great dialogue, at the heart of it all is a strong message of tolerance and understanding. Based on a novel concerning homophobia, this movie attacks post-war anti-emitism, and all intolerance and hatred, with considerable power. Though parts may seem a little preachy to modern audiences, it still has the power to shock, and works very well as a thriller in its own right. A credit to all involved.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie a fews years ago and was literally swept away by it. So charming and so very romantic. David Duchovny and Ms. Driver have chemistry that is so hot, you will need to take off a layer of clothing. The supporting cast is 100% top notch. Just watching Caroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia play off one another is pure poetry. Bonnie Hunt and Jim Bellushi and a wonderful team and some of the films most charming moments are when they are on the screen. Like Jim Belushi screaming at his children to go to sleep "FOREVER!" or him dancing in the kitchen. This film made we wish I knew people like that in my own life. Not to mention, what woman does not want David Duchovny for a boyfriend?$LABEL$ 1 +I just watched this movie on Bravo! and it was absolutely horrible. It has the plot of a Shannon Tweed movie without the nudity. The premise was interesting enough, a winning lottery ticket in a secluded area and people who have reasons why they want the money. The characters were trite as were the observations on human nature and greed.For a movie called Class Warfare it had very little to do with class differences other than the first 20 minutes and the predictable ending. This movie could have done a lot better if there had been more characters with motivations to get the ticket and was a "who done it?"The acting wasn't fantastic but it's hard to seem believable with such a terrible script. Lindsey McKeon is very cute and I'd like to see what she could do in a better production with a better script. She's probably the only reason why I sat through the whole movie.$LABEL$ 0 +How nice to have a movie the entire family can watch together. Josie Bissett and Rob Estes (who are married in real life) play a couple who marry in Las Vegas on a whim and then not only have to break the news to their kids but then have to try to meld their respective households (each has two boys and two girls)into a cohesive family unit. What transpires when the group, which includes four teenagers, two preteens and two younger children, makes one wonder at first if there can ever be true happiness for Carrie and Jim. The fights between the kids (and one little love affair between two of them) make one wonder if everyone will ever be able to get along. More interesting than the Brady Bunch, what this is a totally enjoyable way to spend a couple hours. Recommended as a feel good movie for all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +As a fan of Henriksen (I liked him in the "Millennium" series) and of course Lorenzo "Renegade" Lamas, I had expected at least SOMETHING from this film. Sadly, the plot is predictable, the acting is bad and the computergraphics used for most stunts don't work out. Sometimes it even looks like they've captured some shots from Microsoft Flight Simulator.The cinematography sucks as well. Unnecessary funky camerawork in the beginning only detracts (from the cheesy dialogue) and gives the film a cheap, made-for-video-look. It works in hiphop-movies and Jet Li movies, but seems out of place in this flick.I would have liked this film 10 years ago. I was 11 then.$LABEL$ 0 +In theory, films should be a form of entertainment. While this excludes documentaries and other experimental forms of film-making; most movies, specially genre films, must not only tell it's story or message, they must entertain their target audience in some way. All this just to say that in my opinion a bad movie is not a movie with low production values or low-budget, a bad movie is one that is boring."Hellborn" or "Asylum of the Damned" as is known in the U.S., is a bad movie simply because it is just not involving, and irremediably boring and tiresome. While it has a very good premise, it is just poorly developed and the mediocre acting doesn't make things better. On another hands the film probably could had been a fine or even classic B-movie, but here it is just a bad attempt at film-making.Director Philip J. Jones tells the tale of James Bishop (Matt Stasi), a young psychiatry resident, who just got his dream job at St. Andrew Mental Hospital; but the old asylum seems to hide a secret. After the mysterious death of some patients and the constant rumors of satanic practices, James decides to find out what is going on; only to find the incredulity of his boss, Dr. McCort (Bruce Payne), who believes that Bishop is going as insane as his patients.While the premise is quite interesting, the execution of the film leaves a lot to be desired. In an attempt of making a supernatural psychological thriller, Jones goes for the easy way out and makes a movie filled with every cliché of the genre. Of course, there are lots of great movies that are also filled with clichés; but in "Hellborn" every single one is wasted and turned into a cheap jump scare to keep things moving, resulting in a boring and predictable storyline.The acting is quite mediocre for the most part, with one big exception: Bruce Payne gives a top-notch performance that makes the movie look unworthy of such good acting. Matt Stasi is very weak as the lead character and the rest of the cast make forgettable performances.Despite all this flaws, one thing has to be written about "Hellborn"; it has a visual look very good for the budget and very similar to modern day big-budget Hollywod "horror" productions. Also, the make-up and prosthetics are done very nicely and the designs for the main antagonist are quite good. Sadly, the rest of the Special Effects are awful and outdated, making a huge contrast with the make-up & prosthetics."Hellborn" is a movie with a few good things outnumbered by its serious flaws with terrible results. Hardcore horror or b-movie fans may be interested by its premise but it is a boring and tiresome experience. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Bela Lugosi is an evil botanist who sends brides poisoned orchids on their wedding day, steals the body in his fake ambulance/hearse and takes it home for his midget assistant to extract the glandular juices in order to keep Bela's wife eternally young. Some second rate actors playing detectives try to solve the terrible, terrible mystery. Bela Lugosi hams it up nicely, but you can tell he needed the money. This film is thoroughly awful, and most of the actors would have been better off sticking to waiting tables, but the plot is wonderfully ridiculous. Tell anyone what happens in it and they tend to laugh quite a lot and demand to see the film. I got the DVD in a discount store 2 for £1, which I think is a pretty accurate valuation, anyone paying more for this would be out of their mind.$LABEL$ 0 +What the hell was this? I'll admit there were some scenes that caught my eye such as the 23 bullshit where the protagonist sees or calculates the number 23 everywhere he goes, but that was pretty much the movie in a nutshell?! For crying out loud this was supposed to be a suspense movie and being labeled as a psychological thriller I would have expected it to have at least some catastrophic effect on the mind but instead what did we get? We just got something as shitty as an animal control guy finding himself in the middle of a mid-life crisis and his journey to redemption. Kinda like an old-man flick if you ask me. I probably should have just rented Wild Hogs, it wouldn't have made a difference. I mean who are we kidding, they should have made someone else the killer of that girl. By juxtaposing Sparrow with the protagonist of that book The number 23 they were pretty much giving out the movie to the viewers by hinting that he was the killer all along. How would that have shaken our heads? Shame on all of you voters who chose to show some generosity towards this wretched piece of work you call a movie and kudos to most of the critics who concurred with my reaction.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to say that this miniseries was the best interpretation of the beloved novel "Jane Eyre". Both Dalton and Clarke are very believable as Rochester and Jane. I've seen other versions, but none compare to this one. The best one for me. I could never imagine anyone else playing these characters ever again. The last time I saw this one was in 1984 when I was only 13. At that time, I was a bookworm and I had just read Charlotte Bronte's novel. I was completely enchanted by this miniseries and I remember not missing any of the episodes. I'd like to see it again because it's so good. :-)$LABEL$ 1 +doesn't mean this movie is good. i was really frustrated by it on many levels. it's kind of the tip of the hat to bukowski. hey, i've read that guy in college--let's see what matt dillon does with him. and i like matt dillon. i thought he came close to looking a little like hank, but mostly just the ruddy cheeks. i have to care about a character, though, and there just wasn't much here to care about. i think time might be cruel to bukowski, and that bothers me a lot, because the writing was solid in a sort of post counter culture time. hard to sit through, scenes that went nowhere, and a soundtrack that made me want to vomit. i ask for very little, got less.$LABEL$ 0 +My roommate and I have another friend that works at a local Blockbuster Video. He finds truly awful movies for us and tells us about them. One of them was a "Christmas Horror" film starring former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg as a killer Satna Claus. We didn't watch it immediately, but we didn't think there could be anything worse. Apparently, we were wrong. We were shown this slasher film "starring" Ken Shamrock versus a murderous scarecrow. At first we thought Ken would actually BE the killer scarecrow, and that's why we wanted to watch, but he wasn't, and that made the movie even worse. What absolutely RUINED the movie was the teen drama. If you want to save your brain cells from trying to escape from your head, NEVER EVER WATCH THIS MOVIE.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie seemed like it was put together very quickly in both plot and graphics. My two daughters were ready to go 30 minutes before the end of the movie which rarely happens when we go to the theaters. This was a Nickelodeon Production and it would have been better if they had released it on the t.v. station. The animation itself in some parts was o.k. but the plot was horrible. A classic tale of a son trying to fulfill a fathers expectations is used in a lot of kids movies, but the animation or graphics need to be really good to keep a childs attention. This was not the case with this film. There were also awkward elements between the lead male character and the lead female character that the plot could have done without.$LABEL$ 0 +This review is for the extended cut of this movie.I first watched Dragon Lord when I bought it on DVD many years ago. I always liked this movie and you can read some of the more positive reviews of it to get the general idea.That being said. I've always found the storyline a bit confusing. The movie is, after all, a love story. And it always seemed strange to me that a love story should end with a 20 minute fight scene.Well, in the extended version this is no longer so. The old "original" version begins off with a huge barrel-climb/rugby-like sequence which is the new ending sequence in the extended version. The opening sequence is Dragon(Jackie Chan) hanging around his house and pretending to be training and reciting whenever his father is around.Other sequenced have also been shift or prolonged in the extended cut and the story makes a lot more sense when you watch it. The pacing is also better and overall it just works better. It feels more like a love story and doesn't leave you asking questions about why it ends so drastically and dramatically as the regular version does.I suggest everyone who is a Hong-Kong cinema, or just plain Jackie Chan fanatic to get a hold of the extended version and watch the movie the way it was originally intended.(Or at least that's how I think it was intended. Why else would they make it and rearrange some of the scenes) When I was done watching it, I felt like I had watched a completely new Jackie Chan movie although most of the sequences were the same.$LABEL$ 1 +Detective Tony Rome (Frank Sinatra) returns to the screen after his self titled debut, this time it's a film that's played for erm…laughs. While on a diving trip, Rome finds the body of a blonde beauty at the bottom of the sea, her feet as you might expect, encased in cement. Rome immediately on the case after being hired by man mountain Waldo Gronsky. Rome finds himself immediately at risk as he has to investigate some mafia types, who turn the tables on him and he is himself found to be the main suspect, he must now go on the run and hope to solve the case alone. The portly Sinatra tries hard to sell us the lame jokes and make us believe he is a good detective, oh and not to mention being sexually attractive to the foxy Raquel Welch, but he fails miserably, in this ham fisted vanity project. The frankly laughable denouement that surrounds every female is quite astounding, every woman in the film is a dither head, who likes bending over is front of the camera, Director Douglas of course obliges in zooming in on the cracks of their asses each time as they flex their posterior muscles. There's even a ridiculously campy gay character that beggars belief, this was a film made by "real men" for "real men" to reaffirm their own flagging sexuality, it's a shameful shambles.$LABEL$ 0 +Having been interested in Akhenaton for many years I was surprised to learn about this film via E-bay and bought a copy on DVD for 99p. I enjoyed the film, the twists and turns in the plot and that the file was mainly about the main character Sinuhe makes it more of a "family saga" rather than an action film. The costumes and attention to detail was remarkable for its time (1955). The back projection during the chariot ride now looks clumsy. My main interest was in the character of Akhenaton and his monotheistic religion. In this film he was portrayed as being "Jesus" like in his refusal to go to war with the Hittites even through they were invading Egypt and in his closing speech about the futility of materiality and political power. Initially one makes a connection between Sinuhe, who was cast adrift in the river Nile in a reed basket, and the Old Testament Moses. But this connection is not carried no doubt this will be fully explored in a new film wherein a Moses like character carries Akhenaton's monotheistic religion out to the wider world, if such a film will ever be politically possible to make. It is universally accepted that were women are concerned we man are stupid creatures but the relationship or lack of one between Sinuhe and Merit, the character played by Jean Simmons is hard to accept. And that Sinuhe, an educated physician, would be so smitten by Nefer the Babylonian "femme fatal" to the extent of giving her his adopted parents house and Tomb is not really believable, neither that his parents would even have a tomb. In real life Nefer (Nefertitti) was the wife of Akhenaton. And although Horemheb did become Pharaoh it was after a few others including Tutankhamen , who was the son of Akhenaton.But of course this is just nit picking and the film is enjoyable to watch and that it is about Akhenaton and his monotheistic religion is a big bonus. Maybe following "The De Vinci Code" book and film this film be re-made with the central secret being the foundation of our current monotheism! I wait in great anticipation of such a film, there are already numerous books on the subject.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an hilarious movie. One of the very best things about it is the quality of the performance by each actor. From the largest role to the smallest, each character is vivid, unforgettable and so understandable. It can also make you laugh so hard your health will improve.$LABEL$ 1 +Amicus made close to a good half dozen of these horror anthologies in the 70's, and this, from leading horror scribe Robert Bloch, is one of their best efforts. There are four stories, all worthwhile, but two -- "Sweets For The Sweet" and "Method For Murder" -- distinguish themselves as highly effective journeys into fear.In "Sweets", Christopher Lee plays an impatient widower whose lovely daughter (Chloe Franks) becomes resentful of his neglect and brutish intolerance, so she sculpts a voodoo doll with which she expresses her distaste for his methods. Franks is a beautiful figure of mischievous evil and delivers one of the greatest child performances in a horror film since Martin Stephens in "The Innocents". This installment is directed with great subtlety and the final outrage, occurring off-screen, is a moment of purest horror."Method of Murder" is about a horror novelist (Denholm Elliott) who is menaced by one of his own creations, the creepy Dominic. This episode is striking for its simplicity and stark terror. Dominic may or may not be real, so director Peter Duffell has a great time playing with our expectations. The brief shots of Dominic reflected in a pond or seen as a fleeting phantasm in a meadow are truly haunting.The original poster art, featuring a skeletal figure clasping a tray holding Peter Cushing's severed head, was a rich enticement for punters fixed on fear.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's start from this point: This is not a movie intended for the common audience. Utterly bizarre, somehow incomprehensible, totally unpredictable, it just keep you stoned watching at the screen trying to figure out what will happen next. If that by itself doesn't make you agree it is an excellent movie, then go back to your "family" movies and forget about MOTORAMA. It has material to be considered a cult movie, it can be placed in the same category with movies that win awards in Cannes or other intellectual film festivals, but, sadly, Hollywood already let if fall in oblivion, simply because it is not commercial. The performance of young Jordan Christopher Michael may not be Oscar material, but he gives the right touch to the story. Even the genre is difficult to describe; it is not a comedy in the proper sense, you don't know if you are supposed to laugh at the strange situations in which Gus gets involved. It is more like an impossible adventure that some kids may wish to have, but don't let them watch it either... it is not a movie for kids. So, if you like Disney movies or are looking for a "Home Alone" style, this one is definitively not for you. But if you enjoy reading Edgar Alan Poe or the works of Tim Burton, then you will like Motorama. So, jump in your red Mustang, get a tattoo spelling "Tora" and cruise Strangeland with Gus. I'd like that...$LABEL$ 1 +This is the worst movie I have ever seen. The story line is a joke, the effects are terrible, the cinematography doesn't fit the tone of the movie, the dialogue is cheesy, and the actors do a good job at screwing up the rest. People just don't act that way in real life situations. My question is: Who would fund such crap?The movie starts where some miners fall down a mine shaft after a fireman fails to save them. Next we join some bikers in a forest who ride around doing stunts on their bikes. One guy falls and breaks his leg or something. The fireman arrives to help them. Meanwhile, somebody starts a fire. Some more bike stunts. Bla bla bla.I wasted my time.Do not watch this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +The somewhat-belligerent brother of a suicide finds that he and his mother grieve in much the same way (by acting out) but that Dad is morose and blaming himself. Writer-director Dan Harris gives us a dysfunctional family torn at the seams, characters with question marks hanging over them, and then lays all the story-points out in the most obvious terms: Suicide! Secrets! Gay shame! Family sickness! Ultimately aiming to wrap things up with a tidy bow, Harris wants to make sure we don't miss a trick, initially giving us thoughtful material to ponder but then spelling everything out in an elementary, sentimental fashion. Sigourney Weaver's bemused performance as the family matriarch is dryly disengaged and she's a joy--that is, until Harris gives her a make-over (complete with sensible new hairstyle). It's the cinematic equivalent of a condescending pat on the head. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't had a chance to view the previous film, but from what I've read on other posts it was supposedly worse than this one, although I doubt that is possible. I'm a huge fan of the "Zombie" genre, and I am fascinated by the psychological aspects of viewing creatures, that for all intents and purposes are human, as an atrocity that is only worth shooting in the head. That said, HOTD 2 takes the "Zombie" movie to an all new low.Without giving any big spoilers (which I really should do just so you won't bother wasting your time actually watching this movie) I would like to express my utter contempt for the way the writers of this film portray our countries Special Forces. Gomer Pile could have probably survived longer than the "Spec Ops" soldiers in this film. For crying out loud they should have called them the Special Education Forces instead. If you are going to write a script where you send in an elite team to deal with an outbreak of zombies, at least have the soldiers be smarter than the walking corpses. I understand that you have to kill off some or most of the team, but you can find better ways to do it than having them set down their machine guns and walk over to lay a tender hand on the shoulder of the drooling crazy person rocking back and forth in the corner of the dark creepy basement.The writers actually try to take the whole zombie thing to a more high-tech level by making it a virus that they are searching for a vaccine for, and the idea has merit, if it wasn't stuck in the middle of such a ridiculous display of wayward film making. I mean come on, zombie films aren't exactly "high art", and the viewer expects some tongue-in-cheek cheesiness along with the gore and thrills, but HOTD 2 is the type of cheese that makes you turn the channel in disgust and awe of the sheer stupidity of the characters. If you are a zombie movie fan like me, please do yourself a favor and stay away from this one.$LABEL$ 0 +My husband and I just got done watching this movie. I was not expecting it to be this good! I was really astonished at how great the story line was. I'm usually very good at figuring out twisty plots...but this one had me. I loved it! I'm going to have to watch it again before I take it back. I might even have to buy it. :)$LABEL$ 1 +How did Mike Hammer live - in a penthouse with a GOLF BAG stashed in the corner next to a big screen cathode ray tube TV and a snazzy fireplace? Nah, he'd knock back a bottle of rye and twenty unfiltered Camels on the couch or floor of his fly-specked office or in the stink of a lousy downtown LA flop house, wiping the dried red crust and oil smeared mud off his face, that's how. Spillane wrote trash paperbacks, for sure, but how do you make it worse? Give some desperate scheming producer a blank check because he thinks any Film Noir titled crap will sell at the box office, add some over-the-hill hot tomatoes and just generally screw-up the story-line by some retard, drugged out screen writer, that's how!$LABEL$ 0 +Last year, I fell in love with the Tim Burton's version of Sweeney Todd so I wanted to check out the other versions of this musical and I found this one at the library. Though I think Burton's is best, probably because I like film a lot better than theater, this is still a great production of the story. I haven't seen any of the other versions but I am trying to get my hands on them.After seeing Johnny Depp as Todd, it's hard for me to imagine anyone else in the role, but George Hearn does a fantastic job. Angela Lansbury is great, as always and all of the singing is fantastic. I found myself singing along. This is a play you won't want to miss, but try and see it before you see the film version so you won't have a biased view like me.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very impressed with what Eddie Monroe was able to accomplish in regards to its overall affect on me. I say this because I know this independent film had a limited budget/resources, but despite this, it comes across as a convincing and well crafted piece of work.Enjoyable from start to finish with several relatively unknown actors which I can't help but believe will make a big noise in the industry in years to come, Eddie Monroe didn't fail to keep my interest engaged and my emotional meter dancing. It's a well scripted story with a startling ending despite my effort to not be taken off guard.Many of the cast names listed for this film are names to look out for in the future. Someone told me that Paul Regina recently passed, and if this is true it's a real tragedy since his stoic performance in Eddie Monroe is remarkable.Kudos to Fred Carpenter who has truly pulled out a winner with this one!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a very unusual film in that the star with the top billing doesn't appear literally until half way in. Nevertheless I was engaged by the hook of the Phantom Lady. Curtis, though competent as the falsely accused Scott Henderson, looks a little tough to be be sympathetic towards (perhaps he should have shaved his moustache) and his behavior when he first comes home should have convinced the cops at least to some degree of his innocence. While another commentator had a problem with Franchot Tone as Jack Marlowe I found his portrayal of the character to be impressively complex. He is no stock villain. Superb character actor Elisha Cook Jr. is again in top form as the 'little man with big ambitions.' His drumming in the musical numbers added a welcome touch of eroticism. This movie however is carried by the very capable and comely Ella Raines as the devoted would be lover of Henderson, Carol Richmond. She definitely has talent and her screen presence is in the tradition of Lauren Bacall. This is the first of her work I have seen and I am definitely inclined to see her other roles. The rest of the supporting cast is also more than competent. All in all a very satisfying film noir mystery which when viewed today fully conveys the dark and complex urban world it is intended to. Recommended, 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Wasted is just that, a waste of time. MTV is churning out made for TV movies at quite a clip nowadays. A friend of mine recommended this and i rented it, needless to say i will not be pursuing anymore recomendations from her anytime soon. This movie shows the rollercoaster of drug use. The problem is, you really don't care about any of the characters due to lack of believabilty and their own self discipline. This movie is in a word, annoying to watch, from the terrible camera angles to the quality of dialogue and pacing. The 'digital' format tries for realism, but comes up distracting. If you want a true scope on drug use watch Requiem for a Dream.$LABEL$ 0 +I really think I should make my case and have every(horror and or cult)movie-buff go and see this movie...I did!It-is-excellent: Very atmospheric and unsettling and scary...Incridible how they could make such a gem of a film with the very low(read-"no"!)-budget they had....Synopsis taken from website: "One morning, an old man wanders out into the woods in search of his runaway cat. He finds instead a child without parents and a murder with no corpse..."On this website(IMDb) there is no trailer, but I will leave a link here to the site of the movie itself where there IS a trailer which is quite unsettling so please go and check it out...www.softfordigging.com$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw Enchanted April about five years ago. I loved it so much that my husband surprised me with a copy the following Christmas. It's about two women who decide to rent a castle in Italy for the month of April, leaving their humdrum lives behind them. They are very sad women at the outset of the film, and you can't help but root them on as they plan this get-away with two other women they invite along to share the expenses. This is perhaps the most feel good movie I have ever seen. It' pure and simple, with no car chases, no animosities and no deaths. It was made with care and in very good taste. You cannot help but smile all through it -- except when you're crying happy tears!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a 53 year-old college professor. I went with my wife and 12 year old daughter. We all enjoyed the movie. The film is original, witty, fast-paced and totally charming. The plot was easy enough for a 10 year old to follow, but twisty enough to keep an adult interested. I thought Emma Roberts did a superb job and the rest of the cast was just fine. My only criticism is that the Los Angeles sets were not as interesting as they should have been. They were functional, but nothing stood out. On the other hand, make-up, costume, lighting, cinematography, editing and directing were excellent. Altogether, I thought it was a totally enjoyable experience. I am disappointed that the professional critics (almost all adult males) savagely attacked the film. Apparently, they have something against films that portray strong, intelligent and independent young women. Their writings reveal more about their own sexist natures than anything about this wonderful family film. I recommend it strongly to every child and every parent.$LABEL$ 1 +In my Lit. class we've just finished the book, Hatchet, and this movie is nothing like the book. (1) Brian never ate worms in the book. (2) He didn't know the pilot's name. (3) His mom was cheating on his father in a station wagon not in the woods where anyone could see. (4) The man the mother is cheating with doesn't have black hair, he has blonde. Now for the unrealistic parts of the movie: (1) A thirteen year old can't punch his fist through a window in one punch. And for the acting, the kid who played Brian was a horrible actor. However, I do believe that the scenery was impressive, though I highly doubt the director even read the book.This movie is good if you have not read the book Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, but if you have, then begin a complaint letter to the director.$LABEL$ 0 +This show has to be my favorite out of all the 80's horror TV shows. Like Tales from the Darkside, also from the same creators, this show is a rare gem. If you agree with me, PLEASE sign this petition I started, to get the word out for Monsters and get it out on DVD. Here is the petition address: www.petitiononline.com/19784444/petition.html Some of my favorite episodes would have to be Glim glim, and Rain Dance. I also loved the opening intro with the monster family. That used to creep me out! One of the things I would have to ask the DVD creators to include would be the organ sound heard right before where the commercial break would be. I don't know if any of you remember that part but that's one of the main things that brings back memories to me. I mean, come on! War of the Worlds the TV series already has been released on DVD, so I say Monsters, and also Tales from the Darkside, and Friday the 13th the series should be released too! We the fans need to speak our minds! We need this awesome show on DVD so PLEASE spread the word!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is going to be the most useless comment I have ever put down, but yet I must do it to warn you about the atrocity to cinema that "Freddy's Dead" is. It is not only the very worst chapter of the Nightmare series, but is right up there with the worst horror sequel of all time! It was boring, pointless, and nearly death free. The horrible 3-D ending and over-the-top CORNY kills are enough to drive this "film" into the ground. However, it doesn't stop there, just add bad acting, a terrible script, and a number of cheesy cameos and you've got yourself this heaping pile of guano! It's no wonder why Freddy, as always played by Robert Englund, has made two postmortem appearances. I would too if I went out like that. This is a strictly fans only movie, don't stare at our shame.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the movies of Dev Anand who gave great yet distinct movies to Hindi movie industries such as Jewel thief and guide. The story is short (if you ask me what is the story), plot is simple- a brother seeks for his lost sister. Sister has joined the hippies who smoke from pot and chant Hare Rama hare Krishna. Yet the movie portrays few of the significant events that the world experienced in 70's.Hippie culture, their submission to drugs, freedom ,escaping duty, family, and adopting anything new such as eastern (which was new for whites) religion. They have been handled perfectly. Zeenat gave her best and Dev as usual was remarkable. Songs are the best used (unlike they are abused for the sake of having songs) in this movie. They have not been spoiled.One perfect example is 'Dekho o deewano...Ram ka naam badnam na karo'. Each word in the song is very philosophical and meaningful. The end is tragic but that is not the essence of the movie. Overall Devji who does believe in making different movies has been successful in showing what he wanted to show here. A must see to experience hippie culture and beautiful Nepal of 70's.$LABEL$ 1 +As an aging rocker, this movie mentions Heep and Quo - my 2 favourite bands ever - but with the incredible cast (everyone) - and the fantastic storyline - I just love this piece of creative genius. I cannot recommend it more highly - and Mick Jones added so much (Foreigner lead and primary songwriter along with the greatest rock singer ever - Lou Gramm) - I have watched this great work more than 10 times- Bill Nighy - what a voice - and Jimmy Nail - talent oozes from every pore - then Astrid.... and Karen..... what more could an aging rocker ask for!! 10/10 - bloody brilliant.Alastair, Perth, Western Oz, Originally from Windsor, England.$LABEL$ 1 +Winchester 73 gets credit from many critics for bringing back the western after WWII. Director Anthony Mann must get a lot of credit for his excellent direction. Jimmy Stewart does an excellent job, but I think Stephen McNalley and John McIntire steal the movie with their portrayal of two bad guys involved in a high stakes poker game with the treasured Winchester 73 going to the winner. This is a good script with several stories going on at the same time. Look for the first appearance of Rock Hudson as Young Bull. Thank God, with in a few years, we would begin to let Indians play themselves in western films. The film is in black and white and was shot in Tucson Arizona. I would not put Winchester 73 in the category of Stagecoach, High Noon or Shane, but it gets an above average recommendation from me..$LABEL$ 1 +I am sad to say that I disagree with other people on this Columbo episode. Death Lends a Hand is frankly kind of a boring Columbo to me. After a few times, I get bored and changed the channel. I still love Robert Culp and Patricia Crowley and Ray Milland in their roles but the story was weaker in this episode than in the others. First, Robert Culp plays an investigator for Ray Milland's character. He hires him to investigate his young pretty wife played by Patricia Crowley to see if she is having an affair. In return, Culp's character blackmails the cheating wife who plans to expose his scheme to her husband ruining his career. Out of anger, Culp kills her by striking her in the face and setting the up the body elsewhere. I don't know. Maybe I just didn't care for this one at all. Of course, Columbo gets him in the end. It's just the question of how.$LABEL$ 1 +Prison is not often brought up during conversations about the best eighties horror films, and there's a good reason for that because it's not one of the best...but as you delve past the classic films that the decade had to offer, this is certainly among the best of the lesser known/smaller films. The film does have some connection to blockbusters; for a start it's an early directorial effort for Renny Harlin; the capable director behind a number of action films including Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea; and secondly we have an early role for Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen. The film is not exactly original but the plot line is interesting. We focus on a prison that has been reopened after a number of years. This was the prison where a man named Charles Forsyth was sent to the electric chair after being framed by the prison's governor. Naturally, the spirit of the dead man is not resting in peace; and when the old execution room is reopened, the spirit of the dead convict escapes for vengeance.The film is not exactly The Shawshank Redemption, but it does take care to build up its various characters and while the main point of the film is always the horror, the prison drama behind it all does make for an interesting base. This is a good job too because other than the basic premise, the film doesn't really have a 'plot' to go from and we solely rely on the interaction between the characters to keep things interesting. The horror featured in the film is at times grotesque but it's never over the top, which might actually be the reason why this film is seldom remembered, being released in a decade of excess. The murders themselves are rather good and imaginative, however, and provide some major highlights. As the film goes on, we start to delve more into the back-story of the vengeful convict's ghost and while it's fairly interesting, some things about it don't make sense and it drags the film down a little. Still, everything boils down to an exciting climax and overall I have to say that Prison is a film well worth tracking down.$LABEL$ 1 +Butch the peacemaker? Evidently. After the violent beginning with Spike, Tom and Jerry all swinging away at each other, Butch calls a halt and wants to know why. It's a good question."Cats can get along with dogs, can't they?" he asks Tom, who nods his head in agreement. "Mice can get along with cats, right?" Jerry nods "no," and then sees that isn't the right answer.They go inside and Butch draws up a "Peace Treaty" (complete with professional artwork!). Most of the rest, and the bulk of the cartoon, is the three of them being extremely nice to one another What a refreshing change-of-pace. I found it fun to watch. I can a million of these cartoons in which every beats each other over the head.Anyway, you knew the peace wasn't going to last. A big piece of steak spells the death of the "peace treaty" but en route it was nice change and still had some of usual Tom & Jerry clever humor.$LABEL$ 1 +like in so many movies of the past, you would think Hollywood would learn this by now, makes for a very disappointing movie, not to mention, make sure the kidnapped victim is alive first before paying the ransom.Maybe this film wants to remind of these basic facts in case it should ever happen to one of us. Why the long walk in the woods and can a city guy really go through the woods without getting lost? Just an opportunity for some sentimental dialog that was meaningless in the end.I had to listen to part of the director's comments in the special features section, from the great moves that Redford has made in the past, (Sneakers for one) surprised he agreed to star in such a film. The director's comments and reasons were weak.The best parts of this movie was the scenery, can't wait for spring to come.$LABEL$ 0 +I really wanted to write a title for this review that didn't come off as corny or gushing but still described my feelings for this show. I can see now that it is not possible. "American Family" is one of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching on television. Several reviewers here on IMDb have mentioned the word "beautiful" when describing this show. Never has a word been more fitting. The cinematography for this show is stunning. Every scene and shot looks like a masterpiece. The lighting, camera moves, scene composition and colors...I have to keep reminding myself that I'm watching a TV Show and not a Motion Picture masterpiece. The score by Lee Holdridge and Nathan Wang brings tears to my eyes. And most importantly, the acting by the all around amazing cast is honest and sincere. I do not feel like I am watching performances...I feel like I'm watching real life. If only real life could be this beautiful."American Family" has indeed raised the bar for quality entertainment on Television. I highly recommend this show to anyone who is willing to watch it. I could easily chide CBS for passing on this show, but I have to say that it doesn't matter to me who airs it. I'm just glad it's out there for everyone to see. So I do thank PBS for not allowing this show to disappear into nothingness.I have to give special recognition to the way each season's finale ended. The first one was pure creative brilliance and it moved me to tears. I was waiting to see if season two would also end in a creative way, and sure enough it did. Again, tears.My thanks to all of those involved. You really have made a special piece of art with this show, and I sincerely mean that. It is a shame that we only got two seasons, but a miracle we got anything at all.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film at a special screening. At first I thought the movie would be like a typical Amanda Bynes movie, but I was wrong. The movie is based on the Shakespeares book "The Twelth Night" This movie tells the story of a girl who lives to play soccer. Well when the girls team is cut she has to go to great lengths to get on the guys team at a different school to get revenge on the egotistical guys team at her old school. On her way she gets caught up in a long tangled web of love, lies, and deception. This movie is this years Mean Girls. I think it shows some great new actors abilities and there are defiantly some big stars to be featured in this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this kung fu movie when I was a kid, and I thought it was so cool! Now I am 26 years old, and my friend has it on DVD!!!We got a case of brew, and watched this classic! It lost NONE of it's original kung fu coolness! If you are a fan of kung fu/karate movies, this is a must see... the DVD is available. I believe this movie is also called "Pick Your Poison".Watch it soon!$LABEL$ 1 +...And there were quite a few of these. I do not like this cartoon as much as many others, partly because it was made in its period. I much prefer cartoons with Daffy and Bugs which are fifteen or so years before-hand. Many people will like this, particularly people who always find violence funny, cartoon or not.The basic plot is a pretty well known one for Looney Tunes: Elmer goes out hunting, Daffy leads him to Bugs and Daffy ends up being shot instead. Also inserted are quite clever and highly entertaining jokes (some do not enhance the episode), ugly shooting and animation which is slightly mediocre. The plot is mainly geared by jokes - each joke keeps the episode going. This way of plot-going is not all that unusual in Looney Tunes (of course if you are pretty much a Looney Tunes boffin - or an eager one - like me, then you'll know this already).For people who love everything about Looney Tunes and Daffy Duck and like the sound of what I have said about it, enjoy "Rabbit Seasoning"!7 and a half out of ten.$LABEL$ 1 +Others have commented on the somewhat strange video arrangements. I think they were trying to capture what you'd be looking at when attending a live performance. The feet, the faces, the overall view. Unfortunately, it falls a bit short. But, having said that, watching Colin Dunne is nevertheless gratifying. It's an interesting contrast to Michael Flatley in the original video. The progression of the show is evident, changes from the original Dublin production are evident."Trading Taps" is the highlight of the video, in my opinion. Tarik Winston is unbelievable, as is his partner in the piece.I think the audio was better in this version than the original video production (1995). In Dolby 5.1 on DVD it's excellent.Despite the flawed videography, it's a must-own for Riverdance fans.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw this in the cinema, I remember wincing at the bad acting about a minute or two into the first scene, then immediately telling myself "no, this has to get better". It didn't. The performances are pretty uniformly teak 'n pine and no, there is NO sexual chemistry in this film whatsoever, just the awkward posturings of a reasonably comely, discreetly talentless actress who seems born to grace the cover of "Interviú" and not much else besides. If the scriptwriter thought that making Mérimée a character was a stunningly original creative ploy he perhaps ought to get out more. And Aranda, if he'd given the matter a bit more thought, would have realised that the story of Carmen is just CRYING OUT for a thoughtful, iconoclastic, parodic deconstruction, not this leave-your-brains-at-the-turnstile affair of ersatz passion and comic-book dialogue. This is contemporary Spanish cinema at its worst.$LABEL$ 0 +De Palma's technique had hit its high maturity by the time of this film, which is a wonderful showcase of his classic techniques, though unfortunately, as with many of the films written by De Palma himself, the story serves the meta more than the interests of putting forth an emotionally compelling tale. The story opens with a CRAZY scene in which Angie Dickinson masturbates in a shower while she looks at her husband. She is then grabbed and raped while he husband stands obliviously near—-and the whole thing is revealed to be Angie's fantasy as he husband is pumping mindlessly away at her in bed. She has a short scene with her son, a dead ringer for Harry Potter, which concludes with a joke that "she'll tell grandma that he is playing with his peter." She then goes to her therapy session, where she complains about her dead marriage, before attempting to seduce her therapist, Michael Caine. He refuses, and she is hurt and feeling unattractive and unfulfilled.Then begins a bravura 22-minute nearly wordless sequence that is perhaps the highlight of the film. Among the many things De Palma gleaned from Hitchcock is the understanding of film as a purely visual medium of telling stories… and in typical De Palma fashion, he turns this into a way to show off his formidable skill. The problem, for me, is that in this instance one begins to feel that scenes are being needlessly protracted simply to further show off the director's skill. The sequence begins with Angie at an art museum. She watches strangers, all involved in sexual or family activities, then begins to get turned on to a man sitting next to her. De Palma very skillfully tells an extremely complicated narrative without a single word about Angie's attraction, embarrassment, retreating, and finally finding and submitting to the stranger in the back of a taxi cab, all set to a wonderfully lush score by Pino Donaggio, who also scored Carrie.In the second part of the sequence Angie has slept with the guy, and gets up to return to her husband. Again De Palma crams a ton of narrative in without a word of dialogue uttered, as Angie realizes that she doesn't have her panties, that her husband is already home and no doubt wondering where she is, that she has probably contracted a venereal disease, and that she has lost her engagement ring somewhere in the shuffle. It's all very admirable, but one begins to feel a little strung along as we are forced to do things like take a long elevator ride down from the seventh floor, then up again, almost in real time....Spoilers from here on out! When Angie reaches the seventh floor again, she is killed by a big woman with blond hair. The woman hacks away at her until she reaches the ground floor, when the door opens and Nancy Allen sees her there. There is a wonderful slow-motion sequence as Nancy reaches into the elevator, Angie reaches up toward her, and the killer's blade is held poised to slash Nancy's hands. Then follow some electrifying shots as Nancy looks up and sees the killer in the elevators convex mirror. It's all good, and by the time we have some dialogue again, you think; "Woah, that was just 22 straight minutes of purely visual narrative!" Or maybe you don't, but I do.A younger Dennis Franz has a great part as a sleazy and tough New York detective who would rather that everyone else do his work for him. He Interviews Michael Caine, making the outrageous implication (though it passes as commonplace) that Angie WANTED to be killed. Angie's son is there as well, and he hooks up with Nancy, and they set about to spy on Caine's therapist and find out who the killer is.Once again there is a strong tie to a Hitchcock film, in this case Psycho (just as Obsession is a re-working of Vertigo). You have a woman who we are supposed to understand is secretly a slut, who gets killed in the first 30 minutes in an enclosed space, in this case an elevator rather than a shower. Then the relatives of the deceased conduct an investigation, which reveals that the killer is a man who dresses as a woman to kill. De Palma even throws in a doctor at the end who explains the psychology of the whole thing. It is very interesting, but at the same time a viewer can begin to feel a bit jerked around, and that is my primary reservation about this film. It is definitely essential viewing and showcases some of De Palma's greatest setpieces, but that feeling that the story is running a solid third behind the need for De Palma to show off and his somewhat unseemly sexual fantasies makes it hard to look back on this one with whole-hearted affection.--- Check out other reviews on my website of bad and cheesy movies, Cinema de Merde, cinemademerde.com$LABEL$ 1 +Having read many of the comments here, I'm surprised that no one has recognized this as basically an overlong remake of a Twilight Zone episode from 1960 called "Mirror Image," starring Vera Miles. Rod Serling did a much better job of creating an effective spooky tale in 24 minutes than Sean Ellis did in 88 minutes with this tedious snooze. A short piece can be effective with a mysterious and unexplained ending, but in a feature film, there should be a bit more substance and the story should make sense. Sadly, substance and sense are two things missing from "The Broken." Yes, it has some moments, but they are not enough to justify your time. Some further observations: although this is clearly a contemporary story, not one character in the movie has a cellphone! And even though a car accident is the event that gets the story going, there is never any reference to an insurance company, to the person who was driving the other car, or to the police who would have been required to do a report. My advice: skip this bore and watch the original instead!$LABEL$ 0 +Just got around to seeing Monster Man yesterday. It had been a long wait and after lots of anticipation and build up, I'm glad to say that it came through and met my expectations on every level. True, you really can't expect too much from hearing the plot rundown, but after reading some of the reviews for it, I was ecstatic. I mean, what trash fan wouldn't want to see a gore flick about a deranged inbred hick mowing people down with his make-shift monster truck? I went in expecting a cross between Road Trip and The Hills Have Eyes and got so much more. This was a horror comedy that actually worked. The film makers got it right when it came to making you squirm and making you howl with laughter at the same time. Kudos to Michael Davis for going all out with the gore and pushing the envelope with the sickass humor. Let me list just a few reasons why I love this movie so much: First off is the story. It's been done to death in so many other flicks. A college guy gets wind that his childhood crush is getting married. He, being the 25 year old virgin that he is, hops in his Vista Cruiser and decides to take the road trip to confess his love, hoping that she will fall head over hills and all that good jive. Hidden in the backseat of his station wagon, is good buddy Harley. Harley is the loudmouth, former friend, who laughs and talks just like Jack Black in High Fidelity. You can't help but like the guy, but if he was your friend in real life, you'd have to keep a whiffle ball bat handy(laugh all you want, but have you ever been hit with one?) to keep him in check. So, he's a little on the obnoxious side, to say the least, but you can tell that he's a loyal friend, deep down...Anyway, they're on the road and when they stop in a bar, they aggravate the locals. Now they're being stalked by a leatherface clone in a monster truck. That's it. Yeah, along the way they pick up a gorgeous hitchhiker but I'm too lazy and hungover to go into that right now... so just watch the damn movie.Second thing I love was the humor. This one had some of the sickest laughs of any movie since Cabin Fever. Just how messed up is it? Well, I won't even go into the whole cat scene and as for the "corpse burrito" thing, I'll leave that to your virgin eyes as well. The bar full of amputees was somewhat disturbing and that guy who looked like John Turturro bothered me too. Harley, although a totally obnoxious frat-boy type, can really sling off the one liners. Love the clogs, by the way. I need a new pair..The GORE. This one pours it on heavy. While the first hour plays out as a demented road comedy, the last third is all about blood and guts. If the movie hadn't kept such a light tone throughout, it would have been a little disturbing, but seeing how it was all played for laughs, there is no way possible that you will be bothered by it. If you're still in your seat by the time it comes, you'll probably see the humor in it too, but seriously, there were buckets and buckets of the red stuff. There was a big plot turn that I DIDN'T see coming and when the credits rolled, I was completely satisfied. I had gotten exactly what I came for and I'm really glad that I bought it. Much like Cabin Fever, it's going to get a lot of replay.The Look of the movie was outstanding. There was this deliberately cheap look that made the whole thing scream late 80s and I loved the exaggerated colors. It's obvious that Monster Man was done on a relatively low budget, but much like Cabin Fever (sorry I keep comparing the two) it actually works in the movie's favor. Cabin Fever was an ode to the 70s greats, this was the 80s answer to that. So take that for what it's worth. No CGI here. This is what we all needed. I'm not exactly sure why it didn't get a theatrical release because this is everything that Jeepers Creepers SHOULD have been. Thank god for Lions Gate.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very moved by the story and because I am going through something similar with my own parents, I really connected. It is so easy to forget that someone whose body is failing was once vibrant and passionate. And then there's the mistakes they made and have to live with. I loved Ellen Burstyn's performance and who is Christine Horne? She's fantastic! A real find. There is probably the most erotic scene I've ever seen in a film, yet nothing was shown - it was just so beautifully done. Overall the look and feel of the film was stunning, a real emotional journey. Cole Hauser is very very good in this picture, he humanizes a man spiraling downwards. I liked the way the filmmaker approached this woman's life, never sentimental, never too much - just enough to hook us in, but not enough to bog down.$LABEL$ 1 +I have a 19-month old and got really tired of watching Care Bears all the time. Rooney is a great dancer, who cares if he is gay. This guy must have been a cheerleader or something.Beats Barney, cant get the songs out of my head....must...stop singing........Doodlebops songs........NOW.Must have 10 lines of text so I must continue.....what about when the say all the Canadian stuff like OOOUT Aboooot. Whacky Canadians.....Jazmine is rhyming too much, she must be Dutch.Knock knock, who's there, Dee Dee, super HottieBus driver Bob cannot dance, take lessons from Rooney$LABEL$ 1 +What great locations. A visual challenge to all those who put their eye behind the lens.This little jewel is an amazing account of what you can shoot in just 16 days. Good going folks!. I can not wait to see what your next feature will be. I'll be with you all the way.$LABEL$ 1 +The Earth is destined to be no more thanks to Father Pergado and a bunch of Nuns. Christopher Lee (who has since said that he was duped in to appearing in this by his producers who told him loads of great actors were involved) is Father Pergado and gets to do his usual serious and scary routine. The cast are not too bad, though most have now retired from acting. The film has terrible sound effects (mainly created from pressing keys on an old computer it seems) and it ridiculously pondering at times - showing a scene of the sky, for instance, for what feels like hours at a time. Despite this the story is pretty humorous in a world-is-doomed sort of way and the production is adequate. Interestingly one scene features Albert Band and wife Jackie; Meda Band; Writer Frank Ray Perilli and Charles Band's assistant Bennah Burton. Despite its plodding nature I genuinely wanted to see how it all worked out and thus quite liked it.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, where do I start...As one of the other reviewers said, you know you're in for a real treat when you see the opening shot - minutes and minutes of film time spent on a guy standing on a travelator.I won't repeat Rubin's excellent summary of the story. What I would like to say, though, is that this film gripped me more than any film I can remember. I sat open-mouthed, and on the edge of my seat all the way through. The camera work, sound track and *fantastic* performances (particularly that of Tony Servillo) draw you to the screen and won't let you look away.It's Italian, so of course everyone looks fantastic, but it is by no means merely an exercise in cool style. This is a film with lots to say about luck, loss and love.Go and see it.$LABEL$ 1 +Begotten is one of the most unique films I've ever seen. It is more, to me, a study of sound, light and dark, and movement than a real story. The type of thing you see as a video instillation at the museum of modern art than a film enjoyed at the local theater. I'm not going to try to interpret the images of the mother nature, the beasts in cloaks, the twisted and tortured body of her "child". Some things just defy interpretation.$LABEL$ 1 +Although this was a low budget film and clearly last minute, it holds a certain charm that is difficult to pinpoint. I tend to believe it is the scriptwriter- Grant Morris (see Dead Dog), who, despite the warped plot line injected a fantastic slice of humour, sorely missing in many of today's box office hits. Definitely a must see for a Sunday afternoon laughfest. Speaking as a true single girl, and very sceptical this film did not inspire me particularly, but did ignite a small flame of hope for a lovelife. Not my lovelife, so much as my slightly crazy neighbour's lovelife who lets her hamster sleep in her bed with her. She may find someone.$LABEL$ 1 +Darr is a great movie! Shahrukh plays an obsessed lover who will do almost anything to win over his lady which in this case is Juhi Chawla. Little does Juhi know in the film that Shahrukh has a MAJOR crush on her and is constantly stalking her. I have to admit, some of the things he did in this movie were pretty creepy... like the threatening phone calls. Never in my life will I forget the line, "I love you K..k..k..Kiran!"It's just too bad that Shahrukh and Juhi weren't exactly "together" in the film. But Juhi and Sunny do make a fairly good couple in the movie. Though Shahrukh's role was pretty psychotic, I still think he did a great job of playing it and can't possibly imagine anyone else doing that role. No wonder he got an award for Darr in 94'!Juhi... what can I say??? She looks especially amazing in this film! It's not that she doesn't always look amazing in her other films, but Darr did give the public a wonderful image of her!As for the music... it was excellent! Especially "Jaadu Teri Nazar," one of my all time favorite songs. I also thought "Tu Mere Samne" was quite nice also.A must see for everyone! Overall Darr deserves a 9/10!$LABEL$ 1 +It would be a shame if Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duval ever see this movie as they will probably be associated with it in years to come. "Oh yeah", the public will say, "'Comanche Moon', that's the mini series about the Texas Rangers and the Comanche Indians that starred Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duval. It was a real stinker and probably the worst movie they were ever in. I think it was a comedy but a not very funny comedy. I really don't understand why they agreed to be in it". That would be such an injustice as the original "Lonesome Dove" was a true western classic and this turkey is a real bomb and Jones and Duval will be remembered for it.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this movie. The cast were all terrific in the portrayal of their various characters. Judith Ivey did so well portraying a weak, fearful, dependent, who was passive aggressive in her complaining and self-involved character, that it was a relief to see the character's metamorphosis. Blythe Danner was equally appealing in her role as a somewhat judgmental Jewish mother, devoted wife, and loving sister. Jonathon Silmerman, Bob Dishy, Stacey Glick, and Lisa Walz performed their roles equally well.If you enjoy movies that relate to going through challenging times without loosing your sense of humor and hope, you will love this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the unusual cases in which a movie and the novel on which it is based are both great. Maybe this is because Gorris' takes Nabokov's initial ideas and gives them a different interpretation. The final consequence is a point of view over Luzhin which dignifies him more than the Nabokov's one.The only thing in the movie which I don't like is the influence of Valentinov's on Luzhin's destiny. I can't imagine Nabokov creating a person like Valentinov and giving him so great influence on novel's argument.$LABEL$ 1 +Not to be confused with the Resse Witherspoon high school film of the same name, this is a stylised look at Hong Kong's triad gangs. Called election because a new leader or 'chairman' is elected by ancient traditions every two years. Two candidates are up for the position and through ego, bribes and past track record the race is tense to say the least. Expertly directed to introduce you to an expansive cast without ever being confusing the story twists and turns before revealing itself in all its brutal glory. The Asian godfather this is not, but it is an enjoyable thriller in a gangster genre that will leave you on the edge of your seat and wincing at the violence. Subtitled volume 1 I think its safe to say there will other instalments as we go deeper into the murky world of the triads and all their feuding and underhand business deals. Either way this is a good start and if there are no sequels a great film in its own right.$LABEL$ 1 +A SHIRLEY TEMPLE Short Subject.It can get mighty rough at Buttermilk Pete's Cafe when the local contingency of diaper-clad WAR BABIES come in for their midday milk break.This primitive little film - a spoof of military movies - provides a few chuckles, but little else: tiny tots talking tough can begin to pall in a short time. Shirley Temple, playing a duplicitous hip-swinging French miss, hasn't much to do in this pre-celebrity performance. Highlight: the real signs of toddler temper when a few of the infants unexpectedly get well & truly soaked with milk.Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked this movie a lot. It really intrigued me how Deanna and Alicia became friends over such a tragedy. Alicia was just a troubled soul and Deanna was so happy just to see someone after being shot. My only complaint was that in the beginning it was kind of slow and it took awhile to get to the basis of things. Other than that it was great.$LABEL$ 1 +I felt obliged to watch this movie all the way through, since I had found it in a bargain bin and bought it for my own, but I came close many times to turning it off and just writing off the money I had paid for it. If you are a fan of gore and sadism, this movie is OK. If there is one thing that the makers of this film know, it is the creative use of fake blood and body parts for a sickening effect. If that doesn't thrill you, then stay away.This movie is shot on a home video camera, with grade school props and terrible actors. It's dubbed from German, but even allowing for that, the sound is awful. This film is about as budget as budget gets, except for the aforementioned special effects. If they had spent a little more money on actors and a real script instead of blood and guts, the film might have been a little more enjoyable.The story is about three men that land on an island inhabited by an army of tin-masked sadists. They are captured, and the rest of the movie is about their attempt to escape. I call this a story in the loosest sense, since it is really a series of scenes of torture and combat strung together by inane obscenity-filled dialog.There is nothing whatsoever redeeming about this movie, unless you like mindless gore. Consider yourself warned.$LABEL$ 0 +It's pretty evident that many of your nights were spent alone. If you watched 5 minutes of the actual show instead of watching the commercial you would have seen one of the greatest television shows in Canadian history being made. Too bad you would have been watching it alone. Probably the reason you hate it... no game. Keys to the VIP is hilarious, light and funny. Guys are going to eat this show up. My game is tight and I can hardly wait to get on this show. The chicks were HOOOOOT and the clubs kicked ass. I'll be watching every week. It makes me wonder why more great shows like this one aren't being made. Now it's clear that the talent in Canada has the ability to produce American quality television.$LABEL$ 1 +George Saunders is a forger who steals a rare copy of Hamlet, killing a guard in the process. Months later an associate of his is selling forgeries of the book for great sums of money. One of the forgeries is sold to a man working for the Nazi's. Not happy at being taken the Nazi front man insists on getting his money back, at the same time an investigator working for one of the other swindled clients shows up. The middle woman in an effort to keep herself safe begins to play all sides against each other and sets up a meeting at the New York public library between various parties, however as people begin to die, the library is locked down and more murders (and perhaps some rare book larceny) seem to be close to happening. Complex murder mystery is a good little thriller with a great cast (Saunders is joined by Richard Denning and a cast of solid supporting players) If there is a flaw the film is almost too complicated with plots with in plots and everyone pretty much out for themselves. The layers of theft, forgery, murder and war time intrigue (this was 1942) are almost too many for the brief 70 minute running time. Still its an enjoyable little film with a darkness and sense of inescapable doom for some of the characters that clearly marks this as one of the first film noirs. Until Denning shows up we're down among some charming thieves, whom we like, perhaps even more than the hero, but its clear from word and deed this is not going to have a completely happy ending, and they know it, even if they fight it. A good little film that's worth searching out.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a movie about a black man buying a airline company and turning the company into a African-centric over the top airliner. They even portray the owner as not only being in control of the airline, but also controlling part of the air terminal at the airport. One day this guy wins $100 million dollars a the next time you see him, he is walking all over the airport acting like the owner of the airport. Everyone calls this movie a parody, but nothing about this movie shouts parody! This movie is a flop and will forever be in the $4.95 bin at Wal-Mart.I can't even come to terms to why MGM would waste 16 million dollars on this movie. This movie doesn't even warrant straight-to-video status. The writers (one black and one white) should be blackballed from Hollywood forever. Not only do they over-stereotype blacks, they portray them as ignorant human beings. I would be ashamed of going to a movie that constantly humiliates me. Don't waste your time at the video store, wal-mart, pay-per-view, or on a Sunday afternoon when the movie is shown on TBS.$LABEL$ 0 +I've noticed how all the other reviews of this film mention how "wholesome" and "entertaining" it is. These people need to get out of the house more often. I don't know why they're shilling for this vapid, insipid, brainless piece of fluff. Pat Boone has absolutely no acting talent whatsoever, and his ineptness is exceeded only by that of his co-star Pamela Austin, a former model (yet one more reason to outlaw the insidious practice of inflicting talentless models on an unsuspecting moveiegoing public, a foul habit that unfortunately persists to this day). A good supporting cast (Terry-Thomas, Edward Everett Hortyon, among others) tries hard to make some sense out of this, but to no avail. I noticed that two directors shared credit, although "credit" isn't the word I would use (neither is "director"). As for "wholesome entertainment," there are plenty of those types of movies available without torturing your loved ones by forcing them to sit through this. Find one of those films, and skip this one.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was an excellent acted, excellent directed and overall had an excellent story. Ive had real life experiance with a boy like 'Radio'. At the football program in my town, weve had a mentally challenged boy every year practice, travel, and have fun with the football team. This movie is really true and i can identify with it 100%. A boy like 'Radio' just needs to feel like they belong to something; they need to feel like their life is worth living. Thats how 'Radio' feels and thats why that type of program is set up at my high school. This is a very touching movie that im glad has been brought to the big screen. My dad and I loved it and i will always remember this for being a movie that tells a riveting story of the goodness and kindness of man!$LABEL$ 1 +Cheap, amateurish, unimaginative, exploitative... but don't think it'll have redeeming amusement value. About as unentertaining, uninstructive and just plain dull as a film can be.$LABEL$ 0 +The cars in this movie are awesome. The acting in this movie is awful. The plot and driving scenes don't make much sense and are equally bad. If you get really bothered by movies where someone shifts and suddenly goes ridiculously faster, save yourself the trouble and money. Good movie for racing fans? Well, there is a part where they make the mistake of referring to a NASCAR driver as a rally car driver. If you can't tell the difference, go watch it, you'll have a blast. It really comes down to this, there are really really really nice cars in this movie, they are driven horribly and are completely unrealistic. The acting is horrible mainly because of the extremely bad plot. If you want to see hot girls, turn on mtv or vh1 instead. I am disappointed that such nice cars would be represented in such a bad movie. If the class of the cars were to match that of the movie, they should be racing with rusted bicycles.$LABEL$ 0 +Who doesn't have unresolved issues with parents? And which parents don't have unresolved issues with each other?I know, that sounds heavy. But this is played for laughs in the movie, making both the comedy better and the drama better. I've always like Paul Reiser and Peter Falk, and although I was a bit concerned that their star qualities might be too big for a small movie, I was enchanted from the very first scene.Especially entertaining were the discoveries that the son makes about his father as a person. And Peter Falk's monologue about being a hard-working, sacrificing father and husband was the perfect balancing point. Without that scene being acted so well, the movie would have seemed far less nuanced, and the character far less interesting.Nicely done, Paul and Peter!$LABEL$ 1 +Good animation, nice character design, and a light-hearted story make Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu enjoyable to watch.After my first viewing, I thought that this anime was pretty good, but but was much better on for a second watch.This is because it is done out of chronological order, and once you re watch it in correct order you notice connections you didn't see before. (OR it may be that you see a second meaning to some events you didn't notice before) You may want to read the original novels (not manga) by Tanigawa Nagaru before/after seeing this. The anime is very good at visualizing every detail in the stories it shows.However, there are some short stories from the book that are not animated, but are referenced to.(bamboo w/ wishes attached shown in episode 14) Overall, this anime is actually very good once after brief analyzation of the plot (reading the book improves upon it as well). It is a nice break from the shounen-jump anime that seem to be taking over.$LABEL$ 1 +A film like Crossfire puts another film that spreads around its social consciousness- i.e. the recent film Crash- almost to shame. Not necessarily because either one puts forth its message of intolerance-is-rotten more significantly (although I'd wager Crash throws the hammer down much more thickly in comparison with this), but because of how the storytelling and contrivances never get much in the way like with Crash. Maybe it's not really necessary to compare the two, as Crossfire is in its core all deep into the film-noir vein like its going out of style. It was interesting actually to see what the director Edward Dmytryk said on the DVD interview, where he mentioned that the budget for the photography was significantly lower (on purpose) so that more could be spent on the actors, and the schedule went through at a very brisk, quick pace. But then what comes off then as being incredible about the picture is that you would think looking at many of the lighting set-ups that it took a lot to do. Just for a small scene, like when Robert Mitchum's Keeely first goes in for questioning under the Captain Robert Young- the contrasts of shadows seamlessly in the room is exquisite. That there are many other lighting set-ups that go even further with so little marks this as something essential in the realm of just the look of the noir period. Just take a look at a shot of characters on a stairwell, the bars silhouetted against them, and see what I mean.But back to the substance part of the film- it's really a story that consists of a murder mystery, but one that we as the audience don't take long to figure on the answer. It's then more about something else then in the mind and soul of a killer that wouldn't be found in a common crime picture then, as there are really no 'criminals' for the most part in the film. There's a very calculated risk with this then that characters could be too thin just to prop up the (worthwhile) message against anti-semitism. But Dmytryk's direction of his top-shelf cast, along with a really terrific script by John Paxton fleshes out the characters, least of which for what they should have to not seem too thin alongside the message. And what would a noir be then without some attitude to go along with it? Mitchum helps that along, even in scenes like between him and Young where its very much based in the situation of the story's moment (i.e. a detail in the plot), by injecting a little sly wit into some of the dialog. It may already be there in the lines, but he helps make the character with a good edge for his scenes.Then there's also Robert Ryan, who excels at Montgomery as a man who you know you don't like much at first, just through his b.s. demeanor, but you're not totally sure about either. Then once it starts to come clearer- ironically through a subjective view-point of the suspect Mitchell (George Cooper) at the apartment of the soon-to-be-deceased Samuels- his performance becomes a great balancing act of being full of crap and also rather frightening in his blind-way. It's a good performance when also countered with Cooper, who has actual personal issues that he faces and comes forward with regret and humility. It's really after the film ends that one thinks about a lot of this, however, and while you're watching the film it's more about getting into the dialog and the flow of the scenes, and in the sometimes stark, overpowering camera moves on the actors, so the message is in a way secondary. Not that it isn't an important one, especially for the time period (coming right off of WW2), but years later its seeing the actors, even the ones that don't get the big marquee status like Gloria Grahame as Ginny (the femme fatale of the picture, if it could've had time for one which it doesn't) and William Phipps as Leroy (the "hick"), working off one another that sticks much strongly in the compacted screenplay.Dmytryk is also very wise in choosing to limit the musical score is powerful too, as for very long stretches we hear nothing, and mostly when it does come up it's incidental to the character's surroundings. He could've just as easily gone with added musical notes on some dramatic scenes for emphasis, most specifically the opening audience-grabber into the film. By sticking clear of that, and getting the right attitudes and nuance in camera and cast, it uplifts standards in genre material to a very fine, memorable level. My favorite scene would probably go to Finley's story about an Irish immigrant he tells to Leroy, where all such elements come into place well. It might not come in very high at the top of my favorite noirs- and I'd still throw-down Murder My Sweet as the director's masterpiece in this kind of picture- but it's assuredly higher in quality than something of the B-level too.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning Spoilers following. Superb recreation of the base in Antarctica where the real events of the film took place. Other than that, libelous!, scandalous! Filmed in Canada; presumably by a largely Canadian crew and cast. I caught the last half of this film recently on Global television here in Canada. Nothing much to say other than how thoroughly appalled I was at what a blatant piece of American historical revisionist propaganda it is; and starring Susan Sarandon of all people! I can only assume that Canadian born director Roger Spottiswoode was coerced to make the USAF the heroes of the film when in fact the real rescuers where a small private airline based in Calgary; Kenn Borek Air.$LABEL$ 0 +The club scenes in this film are extremely believable, Tim Curry is in his most venal mode, and there are enough drugs and violence here for two movies, maybe even three. What more do you require from an evening's entertainment? Pump up the volume.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie makes me think the others I've seen with Combs were an accident. The plot had more holes than I think I've ever seen in a movie purporting to be something more than a "b" movie. The acting was so laughable that not even the memories of Combs' past campy triumphs were enough to save it. Considering the script I have to imagine that there was not enough money in the budget for things like continuity and original ideas. I am thoroughly upset that I paid Blockbuster prices for this trash. The fact that it was made for television was something that would have helped me avoid this atrocity and frankly something that movies this poor should be required to warn you of. Avoid this movie no matter what.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film purely based on the fact that it was on the DPP Video Nasty list, and while I'm glad I saw it because it's now 'another Video Nasty down' - on its own merits, Andy Milligan's film really isn't worth bothering with. There are, of course, far worse films on the infamous list; but that doesn't make the pain of viewing this one any easier. The film was obviously shot on an extremely low budget, and that has translated into the script; as Blood Rites works on an idea often seen in horror cinema, and doesn't do anything new with it. Basically, the plot centres on three couples who find themselves at a house awaiting the results of a will. It's not long before they start getting picked off...blah blah blah. For most of the film, nothing happens; and then when we finally get down to the scenes that justify the movie being banned, they're so amateurish and silly that they're impossible to take seriously on any level. It's a very good thing that this movie doesn't have a very long running time as otherwise it could have been used as a particularly nasty method of torture. It all boils down to a fittingly tedious ending, which also succeeds in being a non-event of epic proportions. Apparently, this movie is still banned here in the UK; but somehow I doubt it's because of its shock value. Basically, Blood Rites isn't worth seeing and I personally can see no reason to recommend it. Unless, of course, you've made it your business to see everything on the Video Nasty list...$LABEL$ 0 +15 Park Avenue, well the name mystifies initially being an address from New York and film being set in Kolkata. However as the story unfolds, one realize the thin line that director tries to walk between Relationships, Social Cause and of course the world of Schizophrenia. I would say Aparna Sen is one director who has so much more to say and has so less time at disposal. Well no doubt she has managed to make a good movie. In a way she makes us realize that probably each one of us is looking for our own '15 Park Avenue'. Its an unending search within each of one of us...The powerhouse performance from Shabana Azmi is a treat to watch. Her screen presence brings whole lot of life into the scene. Indeed it was surprising to see her in such a powerful act after long because I expected it to be all the way Konkona Sen's terrain. Shabana makes you feel skin deep of an elder sister who is running the whole show for a rather unfortunate family and during this time she almost forgets to live her own life. She burdens all her ambitions and desires with ailing 18 year younger sister ( who is more like a daughter to her ) and an aging mother played by veteran Waheeda Rehman. As for the leading actress from Guide ( that's how I can recall her instantly ) there is hardly anything to say except few lines and tear drops here and there. Ever dependable Rahul Bose plays another pivotal role in the film, he shows the emotions of a middle age man with repent on his face to near perfection. This man really amazes me with the variety of work he has done. From a musician in Jhankar Beats to a liberal Muslim in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer and so many others…. He is one versatile I really wish if he had some more shots in the first part of the movie as well. The cameo in the movie is by Shefali Shah (remember Satya and Monsoon Wedding). She looks really beautiful and depicts the role of a mother of 2 kids with real ease. She gives you a glimpse of today's Indian woman who is modern in approach but still conventional when it comes to her husband's prior relationships. The focus of camera has been Meethi, portrayed by Konkona. She and her schizophrenic world constitute the nucleus of 15 Park Avenue. She has really worked hard for the character but there are times when she is not able to relate with the audience. The fateful accident of her life tries to rope in sympathy and it has been only partially successful. The movie tries to address quite a few things in one go starting from the unique world of a disabled person to the unequal status of a female even in today's modern India and also the twisted relationships in a tattered family. And I believe Aparna has succeeded to certain extent. The helplessness of Meethi while she works as a journalist in a rural eastern state really gives us all a naked picture of the country we are so proud of. Well after I finished 15 Park Avenue, there was a sense of unquenched thirst within me. I wanted more out of this movie to drench me emotionally. It has been a commendable effort on the part of director except few hiccups. Must watch for all those who like to see a different cinema, something with a strong purpose.$LABEL$ 1 +I was Stan in the movie "Dreams Come True". Stan was the friend that worked at the factory with the main character and ended getting his arm smashed in the machinery and got carried out screaming (where was the ambulance?) The acting in this movie was for the most part pretty poor with mostly local actors from the Fox Valley, Wisconsin. I saw the movie on the big screen. It played 2 nights in 3 theaters and was something special to see yourself on the big screen. I may be bias, but overall, I enjoyed it. Also the soundtrack was the band Spooner, who later became Garbage. My brother, Steve Charlton was also in the movie. He played Swenson the man who comes to the door on crutches to talk with the police.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie starts good, it has a thing going for it. About 1/3 into the movie things go downhill. Carrey starts obsessing about the number 23 because he sees it everywhere. So what? Thats no reason to go nuts and start writing stuff all over your body and on walls.The acting by whoever is playing his son is bad. From the get-go, as soon as he hears of his fathers obsession, he jumps on the bandwagon and is hysterical about it. Totally unbelievable. I hope I never see this kid in another movie again.Its a waste of time watching this movie. Grab another. Boring piece of ... well. The number is killing him? Give me a break. I won't spoil the ending for you, but let's just say it is equally disappointing.3 / 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Lion King 1 1/2 is a very fun and addictive sequel. Don't expect the production values of a theatrical release, but do expect the highest quality of direct to video release.It is set up as Timon & Pumba begin watching the original Lion King in a darkened theater and abruptly switch tracks and begin narrating their own story. This is done with frequent comedic interruptions. For example, during one particular tense moment a home shopping commercial pops on and a chagrined Pumba realizes he has sat on the remote. These little moments pepper the movie, and whether you find them entertaining or not will greatly depend on your sense of humor. If you are particularly bothered by movies that deliberately remind the viewer is watching a movie, than this may not be your cup of tea.Animation is the best they've invested in the Disney DTV line, and is integrated almost seamlessly with the original material. The newer, independent material uses a lot of the artistic style of the original. The voice talents are all well performed, though I couldn't help thinking of Marge Simpson every time I heard Julie Kavner.Many of the jokes in the movie will be well recognized by viewers as recycled over the generations, but are presented more with the familiarity of comfortable quirks of old friends than annoyingly repetitive.The music has made me realize how much I enjoyed and miss a good musical integrated with a Disney feature. The toe-tapping opening feature of 'Dig A Tunnel' is well choreographed and hilarious. Timon and Pumba's take on the Lion King's opening sequence and their introduction to paradise are also amusing. The only problem was the reprise of the 'Dig A Tunnel' at the end of the movie, switching its lyrics and tune from defeatist to uplifting.Story line is pretty well done, and the integration of new plot elements is done almost perfectly, though the final bit during the hyena chased stretched the storyline credibility a little. The new story doesn't seem to handle saccharine or emotionally charged moments to well, and does better when it is resorting to full comedy. Overall, worth purchasing. If you like all the bonus features that come with a typical 2-disc set, then go for it. For the penny pincher who still is willing to invest on a good flick, wait until it drops four or more dollars and go rent it right away. Damion Crowley.$LABEL$ 1 +When this was released, I thought this was one of the most profane films ever made. However, thanks to Martin Scorcese and a few other filmmakers like him, there have been mainline films worse, language-wise, than this....but this is a pretty brutal assault on one's ears. Hey, I can take a lot of it, but this got ridiculous. In the first six minutes alone, I heard a half-dozen usage's of the Lord's name in vain plus an untold number of f-words. I wonder how many people walked out of the theater watching this in 1990? I couldn't have been the only one.Not surprisingly, some of the feature actors included Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Burt Young, Jerry Orbach and Rikki Lake. Since this film, Stephen Lang seems to have improved his image, at least playing the Godly "Stonewall" Jackson in "Gods and Generals." Lang's role here is just the opposite: perhaps the worst trashy person in the film and a character who falls in love with a transvestite by the end of the film.Depressing, gloomy, semi-pornographic, repulsive: these are just a few of the adjectives people used - even some Liberal critics - in describing this story, which is painted even worse in the novel. Of course, some of the better-known critics, all extreme Libs, praised the movie. However, they were the only ones. Most critics were disgusted, as well almost all of the paying public. It's unbelievable that anyone could praise filth and garbage like this.Trust me on this: there are no good, likable characters in this entire movie. This is a mean, sick film: one of the worst of the "modern era." That is, unless you enjoy seeing child abuse, drug abuse, teen prostitutes, on and on - two straight hours of nothing but atrocities and just plain evil people. No thanks.$LABEL$ 0 +I'd give this film a 1/10. This film is devoid of common cinematic substance and concentrates way too much upon the current "skin trend" in Bollywood movies. I'd definitely not recommend teenagers to watch this movie. What really makes me feel dejected is how could such an impressive banner like Yash Chopra Films ever succumb to such an awful production? They have perhaps forgotten to keep in view that there is a larger audience than "adult" audience too, which when exposed to these sort of gross movies,may wreck their growing mind set and succumb to things devoid of sense and recognition.On the whole, films must not only be entertaining, but also must comprise of some sense as well. Certainly, this film is an immense disappointment to Yash Chopra fans, especially me myself. I am really disappointed over the plot, acting and everything else. Why can't people put in some substance that can be cherished after confronted with in the films, at least for once throughout the film? The point is clear. I'd like to put my opinion in short: "Horrible - Disappointment - Lot of Adult Material - Lack of sensible "substance" - Lack of normal psyche - Worthless - Could grab a Cornetto or a Temptations chocolate instead"$LABEL$ 0 +I was so surprised when I saw this film so much underrated... I understand why some of you dislike this movie. Its pace is slow, a characteristic of Japanese films. Nevertheless, if you are absorbed in the film like me, you will find this not a problem at all.I must say this is the best comedy I have ever seen. "Shall We Dansu?" is often considered a masterpiece of Japanese comedies. It is very different from Hollywood ones, e.g. Austin Powers or Scary Movies, in which a gag is guaranteed in every couple of minutes. Rather, it is light-hearted, a movie that makes you feel good.I love the movie because it makes me feel "real". The plot is straightforward yet pleasing. I was so delighted seeing that Sugiyama (the main role) has found the meaning of life in dancing. Before I watched the film I was slightly depressed due to heavy schoolwork. I felt lost. However, this film made me think of the bright side of life. I believed I was in the same boat of Sugiyama; if he could find himself in his hobby, why couldn't I? It reminded me of "exploring my own future" and discovering the happiness in my daily life.It is important to note that the actors are not professional dancers. While some of you may find the dancing scenes not as perfect as you expect, I kinda like it as it makes me feel that the characters are really "alive", learning to dance as the film goes on.Over all, this film is encouraging and heart-warming. As a comedy, it does its job perfectly. It definitely deserves 10 stars.And yes Aoki is funny :-D$LABEL$ 1 +I was greatly disappointed by the quality of this documentary. The content is poorly produced, very poor quality video and, especially awful audio. There's extremely little about how Bruce Haack produced his music and virtually no examples of direct connection to later and contemporary electronic music. The interviews of people who knew Bruce Haack are ad-hoc mostly inarticulate mumbo-jumbo. Too much yak and not enough Haack. Although I have a serious personal interest in electronic music and have a higher than average attention span, even for slow and/or difficult subject matter, I fell asleep while watching this documentary and had to review it to see the parts I slept through. If you watch this, make sure that you are set up, before viewing, like Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Bruce Haack deserves much better than this. Shame on the producer and director.$LABEL$ 0 +I've tried to reconcile why so many bad reviews of this film, while the vast majority of reviews are given a rating of between 7 and 10. The reason may be this film is kind of hard to describe in a positive review, although a few have done that quite nicely already. This film is confusing, depressing, and doesn't have a happy ending. I still gave Pola X a rating of 10, because it is basically for me literature and art combined on film. That is really my favorite kind of filmmaking. I've only seen two of Carax's films: this one and Mauvis Sang. As with this film, I'm being somewhat pretentious when I call this one of Carax's best films- but I am. Carax has a minimalist style. If that type of film does not appeal to you and is boring, then it would be best not to watch this. But Pola X was less minimalist than Mauvis Sang, so it had quite a lot of intensity for a thriller- at least for my taste. I found it quite interesting and absorbing. The two lead roles did an excellent job acting. (I mean the lead and the young woman he thought was his half sister.) Catherine D. is always great, but her role was not very large or significant in the story. But everyone did a fine job. I thought the cult stuff was great. It may have not been very believable, but that is due to its being rather abstract. There is a lot going on between the lines in this film. This is a very Freudian psycho-thriller.$LABEL$ 1 +WARNING: SPOILER,SPOILER,SPOILER!!!!This is written for filmgoers who may have walked away from "Mood for Love" perplexed and confused about paths the main characters choose in life. From reading other comments and reviews it seems that many viewers and critics missed some very important details which may have prevented them from enjoying this delightful tease of a movie.We are so use to seeing blatant SEX in narrations that we forget that there was a time when filmakers would suggest the "dirty deed" by simply showing the slack-mouthed couples ride off in a sleigh or haywagon only to return into the next scene with a bulging gut or a fat toddler stuck to the hip..."Meet your child".The director chose the same nostalgic approach in telling the story of Mr Chow and Mrs Chan. Last warning...SPOILER SPOILER SPOILERMr Chow fools Mrs Chan into showing her real emotions when they rehearse his departure forever. Next scene: Mrs Chan leans her head on Mr Chow in the taxi and says "I do not want to go home tonight". Translation: "Let's Do It"Why then did the couple just not do the modern thing of dumping their cheating spouses,get a divorce,raise their love child and live happily ever after? The answer is that this whole story takes place in Hong Kong during the Sixties. A bastard would live in a bleak life of shame if he were the child of an adulteress;whereas,a "legitimate" child could live a tragic but noble/honest life if his mother chose to raise him away from his cheating "father"-the invisible Mr Chan. In short,Mr Chow and Mrs Chan sacrifices their relationship for the future of their child.That is why Mr Chow,upon learning that Mrs Chan lives alone with a little boy gives a knowing smile and ends his dreams of making Mrs Chan his Mrs Chow. He then,also realizes why Mrs Chan went to all the way to Singapore to be with him,only to reconsiders at the last momment and leave..,choosing to never see him again.(But not before taking some unnamed keepsake) Mr Chow lives with this wonderful secret with no one to tell. No one,except for a crumbling temple wall and of course we the viewer,...but only if we listen carefuly.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great film with an amazing cast. Crispen Glover is at his freakiest . His guitar solo is amazing. Also watch out for a cameo by William Burroughs. Truly a cult classic. This is on my top ten list. Don't miss this twisted film.$LABEL$ 1 +Maya is a woman without any interests. She just dreams her life away and wonders, why she does not feel fulfilled. This could be an interesting topic. That would need a good story, a nice setting and good dialogues. It doesn't have any of these. This movie is totally boring. There are only lengths and no climaxes.The only climax is Shahrukh Khan. But although I am a huge fan of his, I couldn't stand this movie. Even he can't make this movie exiting. The movie is not as bad as "King Uncle" and if you're an Art-house fan or like it slow, you might maybe like it. It's not funny, it's not interesting, it's not catching. My recommendation: Don't watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a bad movie. Not one of the funny bad ones either. This is a lousy bad one. It was actually painful to watch. The direction was awful,with lots of jumping around and the green and yellow hues used throughout the movie makes the characters look sickly. Keira Knightly was not convincing as a tough chick at all,and I cannot believe Lucy Liu and Mickey Rourke signed on for this criminal waste of celluloid. The script was terrible and the acting was like fingernails across a chalkboard. If you haven't seen it,don't. You are not missing anything and will only waste two hours of your life watching this drivel .I have seen bad movies before and even enjoyed them due to their faults. This one is just a waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an excellent movie and I wish that they would put it out on DVD for people to purchase. It is difficult to try to catch it on TV all the time. As you do not know when one of the stations will decide to air it. Can someone tell me what file company make it so I can write to them and see if they will release it to the public? I only caught the last hour and a half yesterday and I only got to see it once last year. My sisters and I are all looking for it in every store that sells any videos. John Denver is an excellent singer and actor and the plot line is great. They put out some much older movies and I think that is great but there are quite a few that they have not put out and I think if we could contact the producers and voice our requests we might get some of them put out on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is simply not worth the time or money spent. Full of clichés and a plot that makes absolutely no sense ! I cant believe that so many people have given this awful movie a 10. My guess is they are stooges of the movie maker. If I could give this movie a zero, I would. Too bad IMDb doesn't allow that. The only reason I watched it because I went with a friend who really wanted to see it. Whats sad is that I never had great expectations from this movie to begin with and yet I felt short changed. Take my word, don't waste your $8 on this piece of trash. The only entertainment I got out of the movie was making fun of the directors name. In all, highly NOT RECOMMENDED !$LABEL$ 0 +putting aside the "i'm so sure"s and "totally gnarly"s this is one of the sweetest and lifelike romances portrayed on film. deborah foreman (where is she now?) as julie and nicolas cage as randy are as classic as romeo and juliet, tony and maria, jake and samantha... you can't help but fall in love with them. plus the soundtrack - the plimsouls, sparks, the furs, the flirts, and of course, modern english - is also outstanding. for fans of films about young love, i'd equally recommend the recent film all the real girls by david gordon green.$LABEL$ 1 +It started out with an interesting premise. I always like Civil War stuff and ancient secret societies. The more the film progressed, the more I realized that this was a B movie at best. In the latter half, it quickly became a C movie, then D, then F, then "I wish that this wasn't a rental so that I could put it in the microwave!" I can't say that the acting in all cases was awful, just most. The writing, however... I never read the book. Maybe the book is well written. The screenplay was written by a 10 year old. It was ridiculously shallow, the dialog drab and uninteresting, the characters about as interesting as a 5 pound bag of fertilizer. I really hated this movie, as did my wife. I am a Christian and I have no problem with movies that promote or support Christianity. This movie did a great disservice to the cause. Awful, terrible, worthless. If you liked it, I strongly recommend Superman 4.$LABEL$ 0 +A film that is so much a 30's Warners film in an era when each studio had a particular look and style to their output, unlike today where simply getting audiences is the object.Curitz was one of the quintessential Warners house directors working with tight economy and great efficiency whilst creating quality, working methods that were very much the requirements of a director at Warners, a studio that was one of the "big five" majors in this era producing quality films for their large chains of theatres.Even though we have a setting of the upper classes on Long Island there is the generic Warners style embedded here with a narrative that could have been "torn from the headlines". Another example is the when the photographers comment on the girls legs early in the film and she comments that "They're not the trophies" gives the film a more working mans, down to earth feel, for these were the audiences that Warners were targeting in the great depression. (ironically Columbia and Universal were the two minors under these five majors until the 50's when their involvement in television changed their fortunes - they would have made something like this very cheaply and without the polish and great talent) Curtiz has created from an excellent script a film that moves along at a rapid pace whilst keeping the viewer with great camera angles and swift editing.Thank heavens there is no soppy love interest sub-plot so the fun can just keep rolling along.$LABEL$ 1 +I got this DVD well over 2 years ago and only decided to watch it yesterday. I don't know why it took me so long as I do like the Inspector Gadget show and even the new Gadget and the Gadgetinis. While it may have a bright color pallet and all the technical sophistication of a modern animated movie, there are some old things missing that bog this Gadget right down the toilet.First of all the classic Inspector Gadget theme song and music is completely absent. The composer tries to compromise by doing a score that sounds similar but it's still just no good enough. The Gadget-mobile is now a talking car, not a car that can turn into a van. Plus it looks a lot cuter and rounder instead of being plain cool. Penny no longer has her computer book and she and Brain hardly make an appearance at all.The plot is non-existent. There's something about a transformation formula and Doctor Claw using for some never revealed evil but that's all I got. What the deal was with the short/giant Italian guy I will never know. It had nothing to do with anything.And if the title is anything to go by, his last case is wrapped up in no way whatsoever. And he stays on the force so why it's called 'last case' is a mystery also.I wasn't impressed at all. This is an affront to a great animated show that is strangely absent on DVD, but don't let that prompt you into buying whatever Inspector Gadget DVDs you can. I sold this mere seconds after finally watching it. No kid will like or appreciate this and no fan of the old show with tolerate it.$LABEL$ 0 +This episode of Buffy was one of my personal favorites. Also number three of Joss' personal favorites as well. The episode featured very little dialogue and despite that the good folks at the Emmy's decided it merited a nomination. Unfortunately it didn't win. When Hush first premiered it received about 6 million viewers, which was the highest rated episode of season four. That should tell you something. Even though there was very little talking it managed to intrigue people enough to tune in. Those gentlemen characters (who were played my mimes) were some of the scariest creatures the show has produced (or any network TV show I've seen). Nothing is creepier then a bunch of silver teethed men coming at you with a scalpel while smiling away. I think that despite the lack of dialogue the actors did a fantastic job on the episode.$LABEL$ 1 +Bulletproof is quite clearly a disposable film. The kind where bullet riddled good guys and bad guys are splatted everywhere, so much so that you really aren't supposed to see them as human. The yawns between the lines from Wayans and Sandler are extensive indeed. They try hard but , alas and alack, persona itself does not a good film make. Jimmy Caan plays a nifty villain but he's always had that redneck edge at the ready. My favorite's scene is the repeated clips of a TV ad in which Caan reveals the virtues of America can be shown to the world by having 2 cars in every garage. Aside from that it's a buddy movie with guns for brains. Pass on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this movie was made as good as it could have been. With only 4 months and a 52000$ budget - I'm surprised this wasn't worse. If you are not to care about the CG or special effects, this movie is great.Okay, the movie is not that well made (I'm sure it could have been but, you try to do better in only 4 months) but the story is good and the movie is rather exciting.DOn't trust me when I say that this movie is good, cause I also find the 1933 King Kong to be good.I must confess that I didn't watch the complete movie either... I might have fast forwarded some minutes here and there...$LABEL$ 1 +I gave this 4 stars because it has a lot of interesting themes many here have already mentioned. From the domestic violence, to sexuality and many of the taboos therein. Outside of the gore I really would not call this horror so much as I would science fiction.It's bleak, depressing and hopeless. While I don't mind a less than cheery ending, I'm really very tired of the "humans suck" cliché that's central to every movie. I know you can't get a liberal arts degree today without bowing to the alter of self-hatred as a member of the human race, but how's 'bout as a writer/director we pretend we are different than everyone else in the pack and notice that the ALIENS KILLING THE HUMAN RACE are evil! Right now, if you are reading this and believe that humanity deserves to die, just go out, find a lake and swim 'til your arms are tired. This way you won't be around to direct the next film or write the next book telling me I deserve to die for being alive. It's silly, not thoughtful, and boring.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my all time favourite films, ever. Just beautiful, full of human emotion, wit, humour, intelligence. The story grows, as does the lesson of life, just a wonderful film in so many ways.The cast are also fantasic..... a great selection of the finest British talent around. I loved them all for every diverse element brought into the film.Italy has to be one of the most romantic places to form a story such as this, - everything about this film works. I love it :)$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really mediocre film in the vein of "Buckaroo Banzai." The cast runs around like "Mad Max" wannabes, and they seem to be sharing a joke that they do not want to share with the audience. Wheeler-Nicholson is one of the those guilty pleasure actresses you are delighted to stumble across in films, but she isn't worth the price of rental. Space Maggot starts an electrical fire, and burns a vote of 4.$LABEL$ 0 +being a high school student,i have to take a health class. this year, the topic is drugs. we learn about the harm they can cause a person. from what we talk about, i still believe and know that drugs can really mess a person up. anyway, my teacher wanted us to watch this. naturally, we groan and start to sleep, but like the rest of my class, i actually did enjoy this movie. it was totally real, and not sugar coated at all. the characters were amazing and believable. even the plot was outstandingly realistic and believable. what i liked about this movie mainly was how it got the point of the effect's drugs can take on an abuser, and the consequences the person has to deal with. everyone reassures themselves that nothing bad will happen to them. well lets get serious. anything can happen in a small town, even to your best friend, like Sam and Chris. this movie shows it. a person can really learn a lot from watching this. it was pretty effective.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is good for entertainment purposes, but it is not historically reliable. If you are looking for a movie and thinking to yourself `Oh I want to learn more about Custer's life and his last stand', do not rent `They Died with Their Boots On'. But, if you would like to watch a movie for the enjoyment of an older western film, with a little bit of romance and just for a good story, this is a fun movie to watch.The story starts out with Custer's (Errol Flynn) first day at West Point. Everyone loves his charming personality which allows him to get away with most everything. The movie follows his career from West Point and his many battles, including his battle in the Civil War. The movie ends with his last stand at Little Big Horn. In between the battle scenes, he finds love and marriage with Libby (Olivia De Havilland).Errol Flynn portrays the arrogant, but suave George Armstrong Custer well. Olivia De Havilland plays the cute, sweet Libby very well, especially in the flirting scene that Custer and Libby first meet. Their chemistry on screen made you believe in their romance. The acting in general was impressive, especially the comedic role ( although stereotypical) of Callie played by Hattie McDaniel. Her character will definitely make you laugh.The heroic war music brought out the excitement of the battle scenes. The beautiful costumes set the tone of the era. The script, at times, was corny, although the movie was still enjoyable to watch. The director's portrayal of Custer was as a hero and history shows this is debatable. Some will watch this movie and see Custer as a hero. Others will watch this movie and learn hate him.I give it a thumbs up for this 1942 western film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has made me upset! When I think of Cat in the hat. Im thinking of cat in the hat books. You know, the one from a few years back that parents read to thier children. Well, I though that this movie would be a lot like that! But much to my suprise was nothing like the books! Insted it is more like young adult humor movie. In one part cat is talking to a gardening tool (hoe) cat talks to it like it is his hoe (agin adult humor). the naming of his car I all so though was a little untastful for a kids movie. under the rating you'll find: mild cude humor and some double-entendres. I think in short this means adult humor. I wish I could return this movie! wal-mart said they wouldn't because the movie has been opened. If you are thinking about buying this I suggest that maybe rent before you buy.$LABEL$ 0 +Mickey Rourke hunts Diane Lane in Elmore Leonard's Killshot It is not like Mickey Rourke ever really disappeared. He has had a steady string of appearances before he burst back on the scene. He was memorable in: Domino, Sin City, Man on Fire, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Get Carter. But in his powerful dramatic performance in The Wrestler (2008), we see a full blown presentation of the character only hinted at in Get Carter. Whenever we get to know him, Rourke remains a cool, but sleazy, muscle bound slim ball.This is an Elmore Leonard story, and production. Leonard wrote such notable movies as taunt western thriller 3:10 to Yuma, Be Cool, Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, 52 Pick-Up, and Joe Kidd. This means that we get tough guys, some good, some not so good.It also means we get tight, realistic plots with characters doing what is best for them in each situation, weaving complications into violent conclusions. Killshot is no different. Tough, slim ball killer Rourke stalks unhappily married witness Lane. Think History of Violence meets No Country for Old Men. It is not as intense, bloody or gory as those two, but it is almost as good. If you like those two, including David Croneberg's equally wonderful Eastern Promises, you will like Killshot also.Director John Madden has not done a lot of movies. His last few were enjoyable, if not successful: Proof, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Shakespeare in Love.Diana Lane hasn't had a powerful movie role since she and Richard Gere gave incredible performances in Unfaithful. Lately she is charming and appealing in romantic stories such as Nights in Rodanthe, Must Love Dogs, and Under the Tuscan Sun. Here she is right on mark, balancing her sexy appeal with reserved tension.This is a small part for Rosario Dawson. Yet Dawson does a good job with it. You see a lot more of Lane, including an underwear scene to rival Sigourney Weaver in Aliens and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut.While you are in the crime drama section, also pick up Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, and Gone Baby Gone, and Before the Devil Knows Your Dead. The last has wonderful performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney.Killshot flopped at the box office. More is our luck. It is certainly worth a 3-4 dollar rental, if you like this genre. 6/20/2009$LABEL$ 0 +"Müllers Büro" is a movie which many will watch and enjoy until the end, while others will stop watching it within five minutes. It is a parody of detective movies with all the twists and turns; the action takes place only at night in the dark corners of a city which resembles Batman's Gotham City (look carefully at the streets, buildings, the police car chasing the criminals, etc.). It is also a parody of musicals with its really funny characters such as Müller's secretary and Vitasek's (the actor playing Müller's assistant) lover who do their best to sing, albeit not very successfully.The spaces occupied by the characters have their own presence in the film such as the decadent Blue Box (there is a real club with this name in Vienna) where one can see a sailor hitting on a girl in the background, Müller's apartment with the black paint smeared on the walls and the dirty kitchen, Müller's bureau with the sweet picture of his assistant, etc.The humorous moments in the movie are many and include "flat in the face" type of humor such as Müller farting in his assistant's face, the prostitute charging Müller extra for orgasm, the ridiculous outfits of the female thugs of Montana, etc.A legendary film from the 80's especially for those interested in Austrian or German-speaking cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Peter Sollett has created an endearing portrait about real people living in poverty in the Lower East Side of New York, or Loisaida, as it's known by the locals.Mr. Sollett's heart is in the right place as he examines this dysfunctional family, that is typical of the different 'inner cities' of the country. Mr. Sollett accentuates the positive in the story he presents. These are basically good kids, the children of parents that have left them and whose grandmother has taken under her wing. Instead of presenting his characters as losers, Mr. Sollett shows a positive side they all have. These kids are not into drugs, or are stealing because they are poor. Had this story been done by Hollywood we would have seen a parade of stereotypes, instead of children that are struggling, but deep down inside, they are not defeated.Victor Rasuk, as Victor Vargas, was a revelation. He is a natural. So is July Marte. Her character shows us a no nonsense girl who will not be fooled or driven to do anything she doesn't want to do. Altagracia Guzman, as the grandmother is excellent. She conveys her frustration at not being able to steer her grandchildren into the things she believes in and that are so important to her. All in all, this was an excellent picture thanks to Peter Sollett.$LABEL$ 1 +The long list of "big" names in this flick (including the ubiquitous John Mills) didn't bowl me over to the extent that I couldn't judge the film on its actual merits. It is FULL of stereotypes, caricatures, and standard, set scenes, from the humble air-ace hero to the loud-mouthed yank flyer. The music track was such that at one point, about an hour before the end, I thought the film was over: loud, rising crescendo, grand flourish and finish then silence, but then the movie continued! I found no real storyline, haphazard writing, but smartly-pressed uniforms and the pretty Jean Simmons (pre-nose job) with a rousing little ditty. I cannot say that this picture has any of the ingredients which make a film great. I found it maudlin, mawkish and minor.$LABEL$ 0 +I love the Jurassic Park movies, they are three of my all time favorite movies.And I hate this game, if there was one game I wish I never own for the Super Nintendo was this one.How can a game based on a classic movie be just too awful? And to make it worst, I was scare of this game when I was a kid.How dumb was that but then again I was a kid when this game was first out.The game play in this game is just odd. One minute it's a action game and then it's a shooter. What in the world is wrong with making up your mind when making a video game.The Sound in the game is just terrible to listen.The music is just too sick to listen to.The Controllers in the game don't work most of the time.Jurassic Park the game is just a waste of time and money and won't be a classic.Avoid at all cost$LABEL$ 0 +utterly useless... having been there, done that with the subject matter i have to say this captures the clubbing atmosphere in absolutely no respect. It may have done so had the characters not just been mouthpieces for incredibly dire, unrealistic drivel. So many cringe-worthy scenes that would put The Office to shame (not a compliment to this film). It also may have helped to have some semblance of a story, a point, a message, a commentary, anything. Seriously, Kevin & Perry Go Large had more to say on the subject than this film (term used very loosely in this case). There should be minus numbers reserved for films like this. -10 (extra turd)$LABEL$ 0 +Wild Rebels is fun in a bad way, but also frustrating due to the actual good, or at least workable, elements in the story. It deals with a race car driver (Steve Alaimo) who gets mixed up in a group of bikers called Satan's Angels, who hang around a lot until they decide to rob a bank. Meanwhile Alaimo also gets recruited by the cops to report back to them what the Angels are up to and where they'll rob next. It's not even that the film is really too 'dated', though it does of course carry the significantly crude and stupid music in the film (from the band on stage in one scene, to Alaimo "performing" if you could call that drek that, to the regular generic score). It's just that there's not more care taken by the filmmaker into putting a little more logic, direction, and better actors for the parts. As it is I didn't have a major disliking towards the film, as I did with the Hellcats, but it almost left me a little indifferent to it all, too. What could come through as being unpredictable only comes through with stupid things like the name of the Florida town ('Citrusville' ho-ho). So it's not completely un-worthy then of its Mystery Science Theater 3000 status as of late. The commentary is good on the movie, even if once or twice I almost wanted to hear what the characters on screen were saying in case it might have some worth. Wild Rebels might be more of a good time if you've got a six-pack and low expectations, but as it is I wouldn't watch it again.$LABEL$ 0 +I`ve seen this movie twice, both times on Cinemax. The first time in it`s unrated version which is soft-core porn at it`s best and the second time in a trimmed down (cut all the sex and most of the nudity out) version which was entertaining in a typical beach movie sort of way. The unrated version has a tremendous sex scene with Nikki Fritz, a dude and a bottle of oil which is out of this world (no pun intended). Unfortunately, in the trimmed version that scene is almost completely chopped out, as are all the other sex scenes. Rated or unrated it is still fun to watch all the siblings of bigger stars (Stallone, Sheen, Travolta, etc;) trying to act. We also get appearances by B-queen Linnea Quigley and Burt Ward (Robin from the old Batman series).$LABEL$ 1 +If this is someone's "favorite" movie, they need some serious help. There is nothing funny or clever about this crapfest. I haven't seen the original movie this is the remake of (some 1950s film), but it simply has to be better than this newer bastardization.A major gets kicked out of the military for being a fringe element, and winds up teaching children at an ROTC school. Unfortunately, the major is Daman Wayans... so the children are in for a world of annoying, humorless asininity. Can Wayans whip these losers into shape? Can they get him to become a little more human? The film bombs as most Wayans films do, with only a few sparkling moments. William Hickey gets about one minute of screen time, fair too little. This charming old man (known best to me as a "Tales from the Crypt" actor, known best to you as Uncle Louis from "Christmas Vacation") shines every moment he's on screen, which isn't much here.Bam Bam Bigelow also makes an appearance as a biker, which fits him perfectly. I wouldn't mind slightly more Bam Bam, but I think he carried the role of "biker" about as far as it could be carried for a military film.And then there's the attractive teacher, who someone falls for Major Payne even though he treats the kids poorly, has no social skills and is simply impossible to convert into someone you would want to spend time with. She must either be incredibly stupid or incredibly desperate. I'm not sure which (though it would seem "stupid" since the movie makes it clear she gets out of the house often enough).Wayans had one shining moment: a dance sequence where he performs a series of moves (including a very nice "robot"), and with the help of music from 2 Live Crew. This scene was enjoyable but hardly made up for anything else that made this film dog spittle.Seriously, avoid this film. If you want to see a film a bout a loser who helps loser kids become heroes, rent or buy "Ernest Goes to Camp". At least he's a lovable loser, and actually funny. Maybe if Major Payne had fought a badger I'd feel better, but he didn't. Forget Payne, forget Wayans... you can do so much better.$LABEL$ 0 +I concur with the other users comment. Hard to believe that this movie actually came out in 1994 because it screams mid 80's. I think it is dubbed because the sound and the picture don't always match up. If anyone can truly say this is a good movie, they need to be locked up. It is so sad how money has so much power over people that they will do anything to get it. I feel I lost intelligence from watching this. I used to have a little respect for Chuck Norris before I watched this but now I just feel bad. I bought this as part of a 3 movie pack for $9.99 and I can honestly say I would have been better off literally throwing the money away. Forgive me Jesus.$LABEL$ 0 +I have just recently purchased collection one of this awesome series and even after just watching three episodes, I still am mesmerized by sleek styling of the animation and the slow, yet thoughtful actions of the story-telling. I am still a fan.....with some minor pains.Though this installment into the Gundam saga is very cool and has what the previous series had-a stylish satiric way of telling about the wrongs of war and not letting go of the need to have control or power over everything(sound familiar?), I have to say that this one gets a bit too mellow-dramatic on continuing to explain the lives of the main characters and their incessant need to belly-ache about every thing that happens and what they need to do to stop the OZ group from succeeding in their plans(especially the character called Wufei...I mean he whines more than an American character on a soap opera. Get a counselor,will ya?)Besides for the over-exaggerated drama(I think that mostly comes from the dubbing of the English voice actors), this series is still very exciting and will still captivate me once again. I mean it can always be worse. It could be like the recent installment, SEED......eeeewwww, talk about mellow-dramatic....I'll chat about that one later.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen my share of Woody Allen's movies, and while they're not always great, you can usually be sure you're going to be entertained. Probably the last really good ones were Bullets Over Broadway ('94) and Mighty Aphrodite ('95) - since then the ones I've seen have been patchy but watchable. And so when I was invited to see the new Woody Allen movie Melinda and Melinda, which I wasn't even aware had been released yet, I went along happily. I hadn't really heard much about it so I hoped I would be pleasantly surprised.What I got was definitely the worst Woody Allen movie I've seen. The premise is over-explained, the cast is terrible, the script is slow and lifeless. Too many scenes said nothing and yet were stretched out, I assume to fill out what would have otherwise become a 15 minute short film.I don't mind the concept behind this film - two directors discuss how a simple situation could be interpreted as a comedy or a tragedy, and obviously the film proceeds to show us that, by playing out both scenarios. The problem is neither of these 'two films' are any good at all. The comedy isn't funny and the tragedy isn't very tragic. It seems like Allen came up with a good idea but then ran out of steam, or time, to actually complete the film.The general level of acting is notably bad also - Will Ferrell is the only one who brings anything to the table, and it's basically a Woody Allen impression. Previously good actors like Chloe Sevigny just come off as annoying, and the worst of the bunch is Radha Mitchell as Melinda (which is a shame, because her character is in nearly every scene!).To be fair to the actors, the script they are working with is lacking if not non-existent. Definitely a long way from the Allen we know and love from classics like Manhattan or Annie Hall.$LABEL$ 0 +Although the premise of the movie involves a major "coincidence," the actors all do a creditable job and look great bringing the story to life. I found myself rooting for the characters played by Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti, empathizing with both, and wanting them to reconcile. Sam Waterston and Ted Danson are fine in their roles as well, doing a decent job with the stereotypical buddy relationship. While the story tends to leap through time, occasionally leaving the audience perhaps a little hungry for missing detail, it still flows and avoids any real confusion. This interesting storyline has all the elements for a good "chick flick."$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie, and the play, and I have to add that this was the most touching story that I had ever seen. Until I saw this movie I was unaware of how awful life was and probably still is for the South African children and adults that were and are living in that era. It brought tears to my eyes and much sadness to my heart that any human being should have to struggle like that just to stay alive, And to bring the children right out of that area and teach them to act and preform and turn them loose to tell their own story is simply amazing. This simply surpass a five star, I rate it a ten. Thank You Mr. Mbongeni Ngema for such a astonishing story. Although it has been 12 years since this story has been told, it is still one that lays heavy in my heart.If there is a VHS, or DVD out there on the play, Please notify me ASAP.Thank You. PS There was nothing wrong with the kids wanting to bring awareness of their problems and conditions to the attention of other countries in hopes that some one would have a heart and offer assistance.$LABEL$ 1 +And nothing wrong in that! Heartily endorse the comments of boblipton and Snow Leopard.I'm thrilled to find this movie is available on US DVD - I've only ever seen it through once - I persuaded the Goethe Institute here in London to show it in their Conrad Veidt season some years ago - and long to see it again.Barrymore is resplendent when engaged, as in this movie, possibly because of the prick of having a renowned German actor as a foil. And Veidt is such a wonderful scene stealer (doesn't he pick his nose at one point?) This is one of the seminal films to connect 'Dr Jekyll' with '20th Century', 'Grand Hotel' or 'Midnight'; and 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' or 'The Student of Prague' with 'The Spy in Bladk', 'Contraband' and 'Casablanca'.See it!$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen this amusing little 'brit flick'many times. The only problem is Its currently unavailable on video or DVD. I'ts certainly a contender for a DVD release. The much missed Richard Jordan plays 'pinky' an Ex-pat American, whose Just been released from prison,he finds himself A job as an Electrician in a bank, it all goes well until he finds Himself Embroiled in a bank heist with his ex cronies, David Niven Plays the mastermind Ivan, Its an enjoyable little romp, hopefully studio canal or anchor bay, will come to the Rescue. Look out for john Rhys Davies Before he struck it big with 'shogun' Raiders of the lost Ark 'Lord Of The Rings' In a small role as a barrister,$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure this film could ever match the first one, even if it starred the original seven (notwithstanding the fact that four were killed). It just doesn't have the spark and chemistry. All the actors seem tired and look as if they are just going through the motions to get their paychecks.It's interesting how Yul Brynner is "magnificent" in the original film but stiff and unconvincing in this sequel. Yet when he stars in Westworld and Futureworld in the 1970s his character (in the same matching black pants, shirt and hat) evokes the same mystery and presence of the 1960 film's Chris Adams.There's nothing in this 1966 flick to make it worth watching, even on cable.$LABEL$ 0 +Beautiful film, pure Cassavetes style. Gena Rowland gives a stunning performance of a declining actress, dealing with success, aging, loneliness...and alcoholism. She tries to escape her own subconscious ghosts, embodied by the death spectre of a young girl. Acceptance of oneself, of human condition, though its overall difficulties, is the real purpose of the film. The parallel between the theatrical sequences and the film itself are puzzling: it's like if the stage became a way out for the Heroin. If all american movies could only be that top-quality, dealing with human relations on an adult level, not trying to infantilize and standardize feelings... One of the best dramas ever. 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +The 20th animated Disney classic is often criticized by many people as "mediocre" or poor in quality, but it is a great movie.Too bad that "The Aristocats" doesn't get the deserved credit. I personally see it as one of my favorite Disney classics.Despite being extremely underrated, it is one of the funniest Disney classics. It is full of hilarious (some of them, hysterical) moments.Edgar, the greedy butler, is the villain of the movie but he is a perfect comic relief. He's one of my favorite Disney villains because he is so funny.Every scene with Edgar and the hound dogs Napoleon and Lafayette chasing him are among the most hilarious you'll ever see, especially the one when Edgar drives his motorcycle into the river and around the bridge, with the dogs chasing him. That is hysterical!But the classic humor doesn't just come from Edgar or the hound dogs. Other characters have their moments as well.About the quality subject, it isn't perfect, but remains on a high level. Even after Walt Disney's death those artists knew how to keep faithful to Walt's spirit and "The Aristocats" is one of those examples. They don't make them like this nowadays!As usual, legendary Disney actors voice the characters. In this case, we have Phil Harris, Sterling Holloway, Paul Winchell, Eva Gabor and Pat Buttram.The characters are cool in general: Thomas O'Malley, Duchess and her 3 kittens, the mouse Roquefort, the alley cats, the English geese, the hound dogs and the horse. The human characters are included as well: the eccentric and kind retired Opera singer Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, the comic Madame's old lawyer Georges Hautecourt and Edgar himself!About the soundtrack, it has some nice and catchy songs such as Thomas O'Malley's theme (but I can't remember its name), "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" and "The Aristocats" (sung by Maurice Chevalier), for example.This movie takes place in Paris (France), in the year of 1910. Above all, this is a joyful, nice and very pleasant movie. A timeless classic which is often underestimated and forgotten, but very worthy.This should definitely be on Top 250.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not going to say that this movie is horrible, because I have seen worse, but it's not even halfway decent. The plot is very confusing. I couldn't really figure out what was happening and where things were going. When the movie was over, I was left scratching my head. I watched through to the end of the credits to see if they had something after them that may clear things up, but once the credits were over, that was it. I felt like I was jarred from one weak plot point to another throughout the whole movie, with little or no transition between the two. Character development is very shallow. I couldn't figure out when somebody was angry or had a grudge against someone. I couldn't tell if half of the characters were just supposed to be drunk, stoned, mentally challenged or they just had a bad actor to portray them. This film seems to be based around stereotypes (to it's credit, they are hard to avoid using when you are making a film about a singer in a rock band), which SHOULD make character development easier, since so many other films have already illustrated the suffering of an abused child, or the trials of a heroin addict trying to come clean. Stereotypes are easy to depict, which would explain why so many bad films tend to overuse stereotypical characters. This film, on the other hand, uses stereotypical characters left and right, but then tries to keep them as incomprehensible as possible.Another problem with the characters is that they seemed to be dismissed with no explanation. I guess that's OK because so little time was spent developing the characters that I really didn't get a chance to know any of them, so I never really missed any of them.And last but not least was Sadie's singing. It's awful. The music backing her up is not prize winner, but it is usually drowned out by the screeches that are released from Sadie's vocal cords. I swear that there's one point in the movie where she sings a song for at least 10 minutes. I seriously thought I was going to have to turn it off during this howl-a-thon.As a whole, this movie is confusing. Characters are ill-developed, Georgia's acting is wooden and stiff, Sadie's character is yanked from one bad situation to another, with no back story or explanation. The music was unbearable, and I can think of no good reasons to see this film unless you have a thirst for cinematic pain.$LABEL$ 0 +Appalling, shallow, materialistic nonsense. How women (and gay men?) can enjoy this rubbish is beyond me. No self-respecting man would ever want to be with one of these neurotic gold diggers. What is even more concerning is that so many reviewers say they relate to the women on the show. If that is the future of women, Lord help us all. Showing your independence and being respected as equals with men should not be about spreading your legs every three seconds with a different man. I think this demeans women and does not do them justice. But this review is no rant against women. Fans of this show say it is "hilarious" and "rivoting" but every time I have watched this show I have just struggled to stay awake. Despite the narrative of the reporter woman, at no point in this show is there even anything close to something that could be considered a rational thought. So, it's not entertaining, and it's not informative, so why would you bother watching it? One out of ten stars.$LABEL$ 0 +A throwback to the "old fashioned" Westerns of the 30s and 40s (such as DODGE CITY), DALLAS has a number of things going for it: Gary Cooper at his coolest, blazing Technicolor photography by Ernest Haller (GONE WITH THE WIND) and a pulse-pounding Max Steiner (KING KONG, GWTW, DODGE CITY et al.) score. In addition, there is a masquerade, mistaken identity, a faked death and more hair-breath escapes than a Republic serial. As always, Cooper defines what it is to be a man under pressure. Forget the 50s angst Western... this is pure entertainment!$LABEL$ 1 +We sat through this movie thinking why is this or that scene in the movie, what does this have to do with the plot? We hoped that by the end everything would be slightly more clear. It was not to be.I think the director in a fit of pique threw the script up in the air and then some minor (and vengeful) underling reassembled it randomly with no regard to the scene being filmed (possibly with scissors and glue-stick).The film's motifs include: Communism bad? Nihilism bad? Poor parenting bad? Threesomes bad? TV bad? Coherent scripting bad? Deconstructionism good? It's really not clear.Finally, no German water taxi would EVER have an unchained staircase that would let passengers fall in to the water. The abundant quantity of "achtung" signs everywhere is testament to this fact.$LABEL$ 0 +On the back burner for years (so it was reported) this television reunion of two of the most beloved characters in sitcom history started off badly - and went straight downhill from there. Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) and her best friend Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) meet in New York after a long estrangement and catch up on each other's lives. What a novel concept! But, sad to relate, nothing worth talking about (let alone making a movie about) has happened to either of them in the intervening years. So, instead, the script contents itself with throwing out one hoary old plot device after another (most having to do with older women in the workplace), while completely missing the quirky charm and sophistication that made the original show a winner. The supporting cast is instantly forgettable, the humor is nonexistent, and the chemistry which Moore and Harper once had together is gone. Moore allegedly stalled this project for years, waiting for "just the right script" before committing herself. If this was the one she considered "right", what on earth were the ones she turned down like? It's not the age of the characters that does this in (for time inevitably marches on), but the almost complete lack of imagination coupled with a blatant disregard for the elements that made the series work. At one time this was intended as a pilot but, all to obviously, it failed to generate any interest among potential sponsors. Or for that matter, among potential audiences. Quickly and mercifully forgotten, the film is a travesty and an insult to a classic.$LABEL$ 0 +**Could be considered some mild spoilers, but no more than in anyone else's review of this film.**I knew that nothing could conceivably live up to the absolute brilliance of the original "Carrie," which was more of a film about social criticism than it was about setting the gym on fire. Carrie White was "victim" epitomized, and her story conveyed the helplessness that the truly exploited must feel.Whoever conceived the "Rachel" character for "The Rage" must have completely missed the subtleties of "Carrie." For the audience to genuinely share the victim's rage, s/he must be a sympathetic character-- a true outcast who is more a victim of circumstance than of his/her own vices. Rachel is entirely too unpleasant to convey any sort of the emotional depth and connection of Sissy Spacek's "Carrie." And she looks and acts like she should be right along-side the 'attractive and popular brigade' that she ends up torching. She, like the rest of them, has a soul that is every bit as corrupt, whereas Carrie was a complete innocent.It just doesn't work. There's no satisfaction in seeing the pretty children-- not even the "Home Improvement" boy-- getting offed in this movie's climactic scene. And it's so unnecessarily gory! There was no actual bloodshed seen in the burning gym! And there is one person in particular that this movie should NOT have had the audacity to kill off... but I won't say who it is. If you've seen the original "Carrie," it's the sort of character who dies unjustly.At least they DID create the connection to Carrie appropriately; it's explained as it should have been. But that, and the arm tattoo, which was done rather nicely, is just about the only thing this movie has going for it.Yet another hideous "Scream" knock-off, and it taints the reputation of one of the most compelling films ever made. Rating: 1 out of 10. I wasn't expecting much, but I was still horribly disappointed. An unsympathetic character, a series of irritating pop-culture references thrown in for no good reason, and an ending scene that pales in comparison to "Carrie"'s gravestone shocker.$LABEL$ 0 +Better than average World War II-era "who-dun-it" featuring Warner Baxter as a former gangster who suffered amnesia and has been reborn as a psychiatrist now known as Robert Ordway who helps both the police and criminals who want to go straight. Crime Doctor's Courage is the fourth in the series of ten and also involves a victim who might have some mental problems. The link to "courage" is not particularly clear.This entry revolves around the death of fortune hunter Gordon Carson whose two previous wives have under mysterious circumstances and who in turn dies in a locked room under conditions that resemble suicide but Dr. Ordway labels murder. Hillary Brooke plays the part of widow Kathleen Carson who is involved with Anthony Caruso - a mysterious Spanish dancer whose act includes his sister that disappears on stage. As a mystery novelist, Jerome Cowan is a good supporting actor as is Lloyd Corrigan as an aficionado in crime.Spooky houses with creaking doors, caskets in the cellar, and suspects that are never seen in daylight add to the air of suspense. The set for the dance sequence is quite elaborate and the ballet music very good. Direction, production design, and photography stand out. The exterior shots and costumes suggest more affluence rather than normally found in the average "B" detective thriller.Strongly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I had high hopes for this movie. The theater monologue is great and Nic Balthazar is a very interesting man, with a lot of experience and knowledge when it comes to movies. I am a fan of a lot of Belgian movies, but this movie is bad. It's completely unbelievable that actors who are 34 are suddenly playing the roles of teenagers. The "linguistic games" were hideous and over the top. Nothing about the film seemed real to me. The ending was way too deus ex machina for me.I am very disappointed and think I wasted an hour and a half of my life.$LABEL$ 0 +I am not a big fan of Rajnikant in the first place, but Baba was a huge disappointment. In between an awful storyline, the action and songs were only mediocre. The storyline becomes very preachy. Instead of running for office like NTR or MGR, Rajni almost appeared to be running as Tamil Nadu's next big guru. My wife tells me that since this film came out, Rajni swore off doing any more movies!We were lucky initially to have bought Babu (an oldie by Sivajiganeshan) online by accident when trying to buy this one....that was a great film, which made up for having bought this dud...except it makes Baba look even worse by comparison!Bryan$LABEL$ 0 +Truly a disgusting, vile film, with only a small amount of real humour.The character of the father in particular is vulgar in the extreme (intentionally so, obviously), and portrayed in the most pathetic, seedy manner.My wife and I found this film horribly upsetting, with absolutely no redeeming features at all. Frankly, I wish I had never seen it.I consider this British effort to be a sick and gross embarrassment.Those who enjoyed this film have an ability I totally lack: that of rejoicing in a display of deep depravity and squalor.The producers should be ashamed of themselves.$LABEL$ 0 +Obabakoak is a bunch of short stories with an only common point: the little Vasque town of Obaba. In this film, the director tries to explain some of these stories by using a young reporter as a continuum. The result is a strange film, as it has any main character (the movie spends about 20 min. to each tale) other than the town of Obaba. Any story is really well explained and the fact is that they result very boring. It was by far the best film of the year in Spain, but, well, that's not saying too much. The only good thing of the film is the precious scenarios. It is filmed in a very precious valley and it is more enjoyable to spend the time watching the scenario rather than being aware of the story.$LABEL$ 0 +The entire civilized world by now knows that this is where Emil Sitka says his immortal "Hold hands, you lovebirds." But Shemp Howard, Professor of Music, steals the show. Watch him tutoring Dee Green as she fractures the "Voices of Spring." Watch Shemp as he shaves by a mirror suspended from the ceiling by a string. Watch him as he gets walloped by Christine McIntyre. Watch him, and you will laugh and learn. Moe is no slouch either. Watch him as he attempts to induce a woman to sit on a bear trap. Larry, as usual, is the Zen master of reaction. All in all, one of the very best Stooge shorts. You won't find one weak moment.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a huge fan of war movies, and, as a Vietnam combat vet, have some experience with the technical details. I worked with the bomb guys more than once and have nothing but respect for them. Other vets, and Iraq vets in particular, have summarized the inaccuracies in this movie very well. Poetic license is one thing, but this movie is a complete fantasy, and fails badly because of it. No bomb disposal unit, or any unit, would ever have tolerated this rogue operator for more than 5 minutes. Military units prize conformity and discipline for a reason;it saves lives. The opening scene particularly annoyed me. The guy with the cell phone would have been shot immediately. Yelling, "Stop dialing" is not an effective deterrent. It got worse from there. The scenes with the sniper were particularly egregious. As others have noted, your average EOD guy doesn't know jack about being a sniper, and to think any Arab sniper is that good really stretches the imagination. Kidnapping an Arab businessman for some form of personal revenge just wouldn't happen. Somebody might shoot him, but this kind of risk-taking is limited to the movies. I could go on, but, as I said, others have pointed these things out in detail. This is not a good movie, and if it wins any awards at all, it's a further reflection of why "La La land" is so named.$LABEL$ 0 +All right, here's the deal: if you're easily offended then you might want to stay far, far away from this one. There are some painfully funny moments in the movie, but I probably blushed about as much as I laughed. Actually, I probably blushed MORE than I laughed. And if I wasn't literally blushing on the outside, then I was blushing on the inside. If there is absolutely nothing in this movie that embarrasses you then you simply have no shame. Whether that's a badge of honor or not is in the eye of the beholder I suppose.I will not deny that I laughed quite a bit, but this is a movie that I simply cannot give a blanket recommendation due to its subject matter. If I were to say, "This movie is hilarious, go check it out!" and some sweet, little old church-going lady heads to the theater and has a heart-attack during one of the graphically explicit sex situations, well, that's just something I don't need on my conscience.So how raunchy is it? Hmm, try about 100 times worse than The Wedding Crashers. Honestly. My mom would've walked out during the first scene. I feel it's my duty to at least warn you of what to expect.There is some cleverly intelligent comedy here, but that's what I come to expect from the man (Judd Apatow) who had a hand in both Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. I'm all for making fun of Michael McDonald; the only man whose hair and beard are white enough to give Kenny Rogers a run for his money. Paul Rudd proclaiming, "If I hear Ya Mo Be There one more time I'll Ya Mo burn this place down," is hilarious, but it's one of those things that the majority of the audience won't appreciate.And when we see a quick 3-second flashback of Steve Carrell singing along to Cameo's Word Up, I laughed for a good two minutes after the joke was over, whereas most everybody chuckled and then forgot about it.Strangely enough, despite the raunch, there's an admirable moral to the story. The movie doesn't portray Carrell as some freaky loser just because he's a virgin. He's really portrayed as a likable, admirable character. Sure, he's a little weird. After all, he has a framed Asia poster, "more videogames than an Asian kid," and a toy collection that features the Million Dollar Man's BOSS, but we're never led to believe that there's actually anything wrong with the fact that he's a virgin. As odd as it may seem, there's a bit of an "it's OK to wait" message.But man, oh man, please be warned that this pushes its R rating about as far as it can go. That was certainly Apatow's intention. According to him, he just let some of the guys (particularly Rogen and Malco) improv and talk the way they normally talk, all in an effort to find lots of new ways to be dirty. If you can handle that or talk that way yourself, then you'll love the movie.I'm not a big fan of excessive profanity and sex jokes. I find that subtle, clever humor is much more entertaining than about 200 uses of the f-word or fratboy sex discussions. But that's me. Like I said, there are some absolutely hysterical moments here, but you have to ask yourself if they're worth sitting through one of the most vulgar movies you're likely to ever see at the theater. I just don't know how interested most women will be in what's discussed by men while playing poker. Honestly ladies, you might not want to know. If you've ever been curious why some girls think guys are gross, well, this gives you a good idea.There you go - my humble, honest take on what to expect. Be that your guide. It definitely should not be seen with your Sunday School class, mama, grandmama, any family members of the opposite sex, children of any age, or anybody who is easily offended by excessive profanity or explicit sex discussion. If you'd see it with any of the above then you apparently do not have any concept of what it means to be uncomfortable.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this a couple times on the Sundance Channel several years ago and received a nice cinematic jolt to the system. A semi-surreal yet hard edged take on modern media culture (or the lack of it), focusing on some seriously wacked, way-beyond-the-Hollywood-fringe dwellers. It had an amusing early performance from Mark Ruffalo, and some memorable cinematography from the DP who did the Polish Brothers movies. There was a savage umcompromising humor and a weirdly original feel to it that definitely set it apart. This film had cult classic written all over it, and I'm surprised it's not yet out on DVD. Hopefully soon.$LABEL$ 1 +If you liked the first two films, then I'm sorry to say you're not going to like this one. This is the really rubbish and unnecessary straight to video, probably TV made sequel. The still idiotic but nice scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) is still living with his family and he has his own company, Szalinski Inc. Unfortunately his wife wants to get rid of a statue, Wayne is so stupid he shrinks his statue and himself with his brother. Then he shrinks his wife and sister-in-law too. Now the adults have to find a way to get the kids of the house to get them bigger. Pretty much a repeat of the other two with only one or two new things, e.g. a toy car roller coaster, swimming in dip, etc. Pretty poor!$LABEL$ 0 +There was nothing remotely funny about this movie. It makes fun of various sports movies and clichés but nothing about it is remotely funny. Most of the movies they parody doesn't even fit in with the film and are really only their so they can be in it. Non The main actor was well cast in it but that's really the only good thing about this film. Also the various cameos in it were kind of cool to see but i have no idea why they would waste their time being in this piece of garbage. Thank goodness I only spent $4 on it as this is not something worth spending money on. ONly watch if you have absolutely nothing to do or just want to waste an hour and 30 minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this film, it is excellent and so funny, Ben is FIT and i wouldn't mind meeting him on holiday!! I rate this film a 10 because its gr8 and i hope they never re make it because it would never be the same. Funny bit is wen Andre is looking at the moon,and he shouts at Nicole to 'come outside and look at the moon' that bit always makes me laugh and never gets old. Another thing is Nicole looks a lot older then 14... but shes a gr8 actress. But i need help with something Does n e 1 no the name of the song played at the end wen Nicole and Andre are dancing??? Its really bugging me because i want 2 no what it is because its a nice song!!$LABEL$ 1 +Darling Lili is a mixture of Perfection and Magic! The Stars; Julie Andrews & Rock Hudson could not have done a better attempt if they tried. It's full of all the magic that a young lady wishes for and it makes it seem as if it can all really happen to you. The brilliance of the Director; Blake Edwards is shown to be at his best. He was truly capturing the woman he loved on screen!The blend of each song, went perfectly with the moment in the film. The Film opened with Julie Andrews singing Whistling Away In The Dark and closed with the same Song by Andrews.For A Film Of This Excellence To Have Been Such A Failure When It Was Released, Is A Total Shock...As It Is: "Inspirational...Purely....Inspirational!" ~One Of Andrews Most Memorable Lines In This Film!$LABEL$ 1 +Good grief! While I still maintain that Manos: The Hands of Fate is the worst piece of mental torture available, Hobgoblins came awfully close. This...this...thing insults the audience at every opportunity.At least films like Space Mutiny and Future War can be enjoyed on mst3k, this one was a struggle to get through. I was literally writhing on the couch in anguish. This thing managed to embarrass me - alone!Even if you are a die-hard MST3K fan and have made it your mission to see every single experiment, think twice about seeing this one.It's that bad.$LABEL$ 0 +If you haven't figured out what is going to happen in this film in the first five minutes then give it a couple more minutes. Lilia is a widow. She has been left on the shelf for too long and she wants to burst out. She has a teenage daughter which only highlights that she is not getting any younger. While checking up on her daughter she discovers a world she never dared...the cabaret, where she can belly dance in skimpy sequined outfits while men throw money at her. The film is very misogamist. It's portrayal of men is dismal. Which is rather odd as Lilia stoops to jiggle around for them, not for money, but just for the hell of it. When she succeeds in arousing them it makes her feel like a woman again. She does not wish to connect with them but she is addicted to the attention. The other dancers all are mostly aging women who look like men in drag and realize their time in the spotlight is short-lived. Not short enough I say. She does find romance, however brief , with you guessed it....No surprises here we didn't see coming. Though the ending is good you realize that it could have ended no other way. Maybe this film just isn't targeting my demographic- 30 Male$LABEL$ 0 +First of all. I do not look down on Americans. I know lots of people that are intelligent people from the USA. But this Movie is so utterly bad, that i just had to comment on it.First of all...Movies are mostly far from the truth. This movie is no exception. Lots of scene's are so incredibly false. For example the departure of the 2 space ships. You see them drop off the full tanks in space. Just a small distance from each other. Remember what caused the space shuttle to explode in the past ? Just a tinsy winsy part that came off. In here it is just common to drop fuel tanks that are as big if not bigger then the whole ship. What idiot would let 2 spaceships lift up and do that at the same time ??? Second of it is that the Russian station is a piece of (s)crap. I hate to bring this up to you, but astronauts nowadays go to Russia. Since their equipment is much more reliable then NASA's. The Space Shuttle is retired. And NASA uses it just to pay off the bills. And there is no better alternative for it. And the list of whoppers goes on and on. This is truly an insult to people that do take space travel serious. And i know half as much as these guys do. But the most annoying part ( read: the whole movie ) is the Propaganda and patriot crap that u get choked with. MY GOD !!!! I thought i was looking at a CNN business commercial for like an hour. The actors solve their petty problems by shooting at each other, giving the middle finger to everyone they come face to face with, start up fights, ignore the police, etc, etc... But when it comes to their love for their country and sacrificing their lives, suddenly everyone stands in line to commit suicide for it ( bomb detonator ) ?? Maybe i lack the feeling of being a true "Patriot", that can sing the national anthem backwards in Swahili. Whilst riding with George Bush behind the steering wheel of a golf cart, driving in circles until the battery is empty. But this movie was too much for me too handle. And when i finally got hold and pulled the flag pole and fabric of the American flag out of my hiney. I realised that i was glad this movie was finally done. I do not know why so much good actors participated in this narrow minded, stereotyping, propaganda movie. But i pity them. This represents a country where you can get away with murder if you have money or power. As long as "Uncle Sam" thinks you are a good patriot. Where everyone is happy as long as it is another country that has been devastated, no one cares.$LABEL$ 0 +The sort of "little" film which studios used to excel at but seldom make anymore. Sort of a "soul" version of the more well-known "The Last Of The Blonde Bombshells". Ian McShane is excellent as a DJ and aficionado of soul music who becomes obsessed with the idea of re-uniting the members of a classic soul group, and the film follows his exploits as well as those of the group members; a cast which includes such genuine musical talent as Isaac Hayes, as well as acting stalwarts Taurean Blacque, Derrick O'Connor and Antonio Fargas. Not meant to be an epic by any means, this is nonetheless a chunk of solid gold.$LABEL$ 1 +I do not like Himesh Reshamiya. I do not like his singing too. But his songs are a craze in India, especially among commoners. Now when he ventured to become an actor – that was a big joke! What guts he has to reap as much as he can in his prime time. I did never want to see this movie. But one thing changed it. The movie becoming a super-duper hit! After 2 weeks, Aap Ka Saroor has raked box office collection of 14 crores – compared to Apne that has collected 7 crores in the same 2 weeks. If I can sit through Apne and Rajnikant's absurd Sivaji – I should give this movie also a try to understand what stuff this movie has got that made it such a big hit? The story is about the real life singer Himesh Reshamiya (HR) who has gone to Germany for a concert and falls in love with Riya (Hansika Motwani). A German lawyer Ruby (Mallika Sherawat) loves Himesh. Now Himesh is arrested for a murder. The mission of Himesh (in last 40 minutes) after he runs away from jail is to prove himself innocent and find the real murderer.Let me say that Himesh has nothing in him to become a hero. He tries hard but fails miserably. He is pathetic. I was thinking what could have made the movie click so much? Let me find something positive.First, the saving grace of the movie is the script till the point Himesh runs away from the jail. (But after that the movie nose dives into unbearable stupid limits) Second, the songs of the movie are good, catchy, crowd puller numbers. Third, Mallika Sherawat – she looks gorgeous and acts well too, as the second lady. I can imagine fans of Mallika coming to see the movie just for her. Fourth, the cinematography of the movie is pleasing – especially the German locales, are a treat to watch for the eye. Fifth, the major portion of the story is a love story between Himesh and Riya – with clichéd dialogues that would probably connect to young crowd. Sixth, the Director Prashant Chadha has done a decent job in covering the pathetic acting skills of Himesh as much as possible with shots that don't need Himesh to act much.The heroine Hansika Motwani looks like a small budget film heroine. Raj Babbar is wasted in a small role. Overall the movie is a below average.I was thinking throughout the movie – what if the same movie script was done with Salmaan as the main lead. I think it would have had been a much better affair. May be then I would have given the movie 6 out of 10. But now… (Stars 4.5 out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +Even for a tired movie model as the nature vs. man cycle that prevailed so predominantly in the 1970s, ants falls miserably short of being even somewhat effective(though entertaining for reasons it was not intending). It is sooooo preposterous. Apparently these ants that are bulldozed near an inn have been eating poisonous waste for decades and have now adapted by emitting poisonous bites - hundreds of these bites being fatal. Watching actors of some notoriety clumsily fall amidst tiny black specks is painfully funny in a not-so-good-but very-bad way. So many scenes just look ludicrous: a boy trying to fall in a dumpster whilst being attacked, Suzanne Sommers crying out in horror while lounging in bed, Robert Foxworth and Lynda George breathing through pieces of wallpaper, Bernie Casey faking a gam leg, and the list goes on and on. The peril shown ranges from ants crawling from a drain to black lines of ants all over the walls. The cast for the film is not bad on paper, but none of these actors seem to believe in the material. Poor Myrna Loy has to sit in a wheelchair through this horror. I hope she found a good use for the money, for it is obvious that was the ONLY reason a woman of her pedigree would be in this nonsense. Although it is quite a bad film, it is watchable - once for me, and does have many of those seventies bad film qualities - start-studded actors embarrassing themselves, that made-for-TV feel, and the dreaded creatures of nature reeking vengeance on man. This time man must push his hand into a pile of ants to be affected. Really quite dreadful.$LABEL$ 0 +Ghillie a remake of the Telugu "okkadu' is thankfully a clarified version of the original. It packs the same punch and Dharani true to his cinematic brilliance delivers it with style and panache. A flagging Vijay's career with the entry of the likes of Surya and Vikram on the fray, got the much needed uplift with this movie. This might well prove to be the best movie Vijay has ever been on, considering the choices he has been making since then. The hard-working actor seems to have lost his bearing what with talented new entrants being accepted both by the industry and public alike.The tightly snug script, which runs at, a neck-break speed revolves around Velu, a willful youngster aspiring to make a mark in the game of Kabaddi( a popular game among boys in India). The events following the chance encounter with Muthupandi, his rescue of the girl in distress and how he juggles with the aspirations of his friends and his own forms the fulcrum and end of the movie. Vijay fits as a 'T' into the role and essays a subdued and believable portrayal of the boy next door.Trisha has more than a stereotyped Tamil heroine mantle to play. The role is far more complex than just a girl in trouble. With limited dialog's, Trisha exploits her occasional muted expressions and subtle vulnerability to add color to the role. This is a classic case of a cover page girl coming-of-age to become a professional actress. Trisha became my personal favorite after this movie.The movie ends on predictable lines, although one has to credit the Director for keeping the audience guessing on many things including Trisha's change in decision to leave the country. Prakash Raj deserves a word of praise for providing the perfect counter-weight for Vijay's role. His almost indomitable stature in the role of a villain and the apparent chinks in the hero's armor form a perfect ploy for keeping the audience guessing.Overall this is a great movie that deserves at least a single viewing. I give it a clear 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I give it a 2 is that filmography is so stylized these days such that it has at least something to comment on.This film is asinine. It's like so many other 21st century grind house fodder. The gore is gratuitous and simply revolting. I didn't care about any of the characters, but I did care that some cretin bothered to pen this crap: I'd complain about the money I spent, but my date and I wisely left after 40 minutes and went to an adjoining theater to watch the adventurous and entertaining "Live Free or Die Hard," which probably got a much higher rating from me simply because I endured the utter poop of "Captivity" for 40 minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a big step down after the surprisingly enjoyable original. This sequel isn't nearly as fun as part one, and it instead spends too much time on plot development. Tim Thomerson is still the best thing about this series, but his wisecracking is toned down in this entry. The performances are all adequate, but this time the script lets us down. The action is merely routine and the plot is only mildly interesting, so I need lots of silly laughs in order to stay entertained during a "Trancers" movie. Unfortunately, the laughs are few and far between, and so, this film is watchable at best.$LABEL$ 0 +A Vow to Cherish is a wonderful movie. It's based on a novel of the same title, which was equally good, though different from the film. Really made you think about how you'd respond if you were in the shoes of the characters. Recommended for anyone who has ever loved a parent, spouse, or family member--in other words, EVERYONE!Though the production isn't quite Hollywood quality--no big special effects--still, the values and ideals portrayed more than make up for it. And the cast did a wonderful job of capturing the emotional connections between family members, and the devastation that occurs when one of them becomes ill.You don't want to miss this!$LABEL$ 1 +The title suggests that this movie is a sequel to "An American werewolf in London". None of the characters from the previous movie return and aren't even mentioned in this movie by name. So as a sequel, AAwiP fails, one would say.I dare to say the opposite.An American werewolf in Paris is a charming, effective horror movie. It's one of the better werewolf films I have seen in a long time too. And I have seen quite my share, such as An American werewolf in London, The Howling, Wolfen, The Wolfman and the Underworld trilogy.The story tells of three Americans visiting Paris on a vacation. At the top of the Eifel Tower one of them saves a woman trying to commit suicide. What starts out as a romantic relationship slowly turns into a nightmare when the dark secrets that lurk in the city are revealed...I really liked the acting in this film. Especially the two stars of the movie: the woman who tried to commit suicide and the guy who saves her. They have good chemistry together. But the other two Americans also play their roles nicely. I didn't really find anything annoying about the acting, so thumbs up for that! The effects on the werewolves are nice. It doesn't look too cheap or fake to me. Of course, the opinions are divided about this subject. But let's just say that I wasn't disappointed.There's also a good amount of humor in this movie. There are some really funny scenes you will probably remember for a long time.So, to sum it up, An American werewolf in Paris might not be a direct sequel to it's predecessor, but it's still an enjoyable movie. Perfect for fans of werewolves! 7 out of 10 stars!$LABEL$ 1 +please, future writers, producers, directors - learn from this movie!never before have i seen such a bold and original tale created for the big movie screen. bold, because the script constantly made a step so many fantasy movies safely avoided - a step to something new, creative and daring. just when you think 'oh, i've seen this before' or 'i am sure this is what will happen now' - StarDust would make an unexpected twist and involve you more and more into the story.the actors are great - even the smallest part is performed with such talent it fills me with awe for the creators of this movie. Robert De Niro is gorgeous and performs with such energy that he simply steals the show in each scene he's in. Michelle Pfeiffer is the perfect witch, and Claire Danes a wonderful choice for the innocent and loving 'star', Yvaine. Other big names make outstanding roles. I had the filling everyone is trying to give his best for this movie. But once again, the story by Neil Gaiman, all the little things he 'invented' for this universe - simply outstanding.I watched this movie at a pre-screening today, a day before the official release, and do hope it will have huge success. There is so much humor, but also tense moments as well as lovely tender scenes. The look in the eyes of Yvaine, the 'frivolities' of Captain Shakespeare, the passion of Lamia the witch - impressive, unforgettableFor me this is the number one entertaining movie of 2007, watch it and enjoy it11/10 - Outstandingpeace and love$LABEL$ 1 +Once again, we are fortunate to see a gorgeous opening scene where the artists' work has been fully restored and we see this old-time grocery store on a street corner with the snow gently falling. Inside are the rich colors of all the merchandise, from produce to canned and boxed goods to medicine to candy, etc.In essence, this is a story of those goods "coming to life," such as the animals on the labels of items, or a pie, or even a pack of cigarettes.The whole "show" is narrated by "Jack Bunny," a Jack Benny impersonator, with music from conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was in so many Looney Tunes animated shorts I have lost count. A lot of the humor is topical, so it pays to know who "Little Egypt" and other characters. The Busby Berkeley-type "aqua" number with bathing suited-sardines coming out of the can, and the tomato can-can dance were both clever! All of the above, and more, was in the first half of this slightly longer-than-normal length cartoon. The second half was about a King Kong-type which escapes from the "Animal Crackers" box and terrorizes everyone. That part was not much, and ended on a somewhat stupid note. So..... an "A" for the first half, a "D" for the second, making it about a C-plus or B-minus overall.$LABEL$ 1 +Henry Fool surprised me. I didn't expect it to entertain and amuse as well, or as strongly, as it did. Fay Grim continues to surprise in that it provides solid continuation to a story that seems not to need it. Once the viewer watches the first 20 minutes of the movie, however, it becomes blindingly aware that this is one of the BEST sequels to brilliant indie film. At least as good as Ginger Snaps Back, if not better.I am a little disappointed that Jeff Goldblum's part is so small, but I'm happy he is a part of this short run. He is convincing and delightful as Agent Fulbright. Also a delight is Liam Aiken who quite aptly portrays Ned Grim, the son of Fay and Henry.This movie is a pleasure for so many reasons. I am pleased, for example, to discover that Henry isn't really the loser he seems (by the end of Fool), and to further discover that he is, in fact, a genius...well, that really is a lovely stroke of the pen.I am hoping they do a third...like the end of the trilogy. It seems to be missing. They should entitle it Ned Fool Grim and it should be Liam looking for his father, to validate the awesome change in his mother, and the sense of near-genius he himself feels welling inside him. Assuming, of course, that Fay continues withholding many of the most important facts from her son, concerning his father. It feels like it needs to be done. I'd buy it.Even with more action, this is still not an action flick. It is more drama and intrigue...a mystery, of sorts. I'll watch it often.It rates an 8.3/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +So tell me - what serious boozer drinks Budweiser? How many suicidally-obsessed drinkers house a fully stocked and barely touched range of drinks in their lonely motel room that a millionaire playboy's bachelor-pad bar would be proud to boast? And what kind of an alcoholic tends to drink with the bottle held about 8 inches from his hungry mouth so that the contents generally spill all over his face? Not to mention wasting good whisky by dousing your girlfriend's tits with it, just so the cinema audience can get a good eyeful of Elisabeth Shue's assets.Cage seems to be portraying the most attention-seeking look-at-me alcoholic ever to have graced the screen while Shue looks more like a Berkely preppy slumming it for a summer than some seasoned street-walker. She is humiliated and subjugated as often as possible in this revolting movie with beatings, skin lacerations, anal rape and graphic verbal abuse - all of it completely implausible and included apparently only to convey a sense of her horribly demeaned state and offer the male viewers an astonishingly clichéd sentimental sexual fantasy of the 'tart-with-a-heart'.Still - I did watch it to the end, by which time I was actually laughing out loud as Shue's tough street hooker chopped carrots in the kitchen wanly, pathetically smiling while Cage - all eyes popping and shaking like like a man operating a road drill in an earthquake - grimaced and mugged his way through the final half-hour...$LABEL$ 0 +at first I had the reaction a lot of people left with after seeing this: that shots of fat people sunbathing, etc were cheap shots in a way. OK so he's doing diane arbus meets. . . whatever. . . but it wasn't long before I realized that this wasn't being done in a dehumanizing way, as the images unfold I felt that the problem was entirely the audience's: we are conditioned by Hollywood and also movies from just about everywhere actually to feel that to watch people above a certain age behave in a sexual way is something unseemly, something that ought not to be shown. if this were all the film offered it would be a great deal. however, the story of the woman with the abusive boyfriend and his drunk friend really hits like a ton of bricks: very eloquent storytelling, incredible performances, and to think the scene was improvised. that blonde guy is a genius actor. finally I want to contradict those who say this film is all about how pathetic all these people are. the old man who is on the make with the woman who finally dances for him is completely an a OK character that breaks that mold, so don't oversimplify the film by overlooking him. yes his dog gets killed. this ain't a rosy picture of the world but it's not . . . completely hopeless. anyway I felt really grateful to the filmmaker for making such a beautiful film all in all. I wouldn't say each of the threads were as strong as the strongest, but I say this movie basically kicks ass and would highly recommend it. . .$LABEL$ 1 +One of my absolute favorite childhood films. The Chipmunk adventure packs incredible fun geared for young and old alike. The animation is lively and colorful and the film itself boasts some of the best songs ever put in an animated feature. Who could forget the dynamic "Boys/Girls of Rock n' Roll", the exciting "Diamond Dolls", and the heartrending "My Mother"? This should be considered a nostalgic classic animated gem from the eighties. It's too bad they don't make them like this anymore. Most animated films today resort to violence, crude humor, or sentimental mush... except of course the folks from Pixar.BOTTOM LINE: An amazing and unforgettable adventure for all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +It's this sort of movie that you try and imitate. By attempting to realise something... then flying through the air almost immediately. I'd like to do that and I know you would too!Great stuff!$LABEL$ 1 +A lot of people give this movie a lot of crap, and all of it's really undeserved. People give this movie a hard time either because it's such a sick subject or they harp on some technical aspect of the movie no one else observes when they watch it. If, just by looking at the cover, you think this movie will make you uncomfortable...DON'T WATCH IT! However, you'd be missing out on one of the better cinematic experiences of the late 1990's, despite what anyone else says.Dee Snider is wonderful here as Captain Howdy, the depths of insanity he plumbs to play this character has to be beyond words, and is much farther than any one of us would have to be willing to go. The acting here is wonderful. The film itself beautifully shot. The subject may be a bit too much for many to swallow, but it's still well worth your time. If you haven't seen this movie, check it out.$LABEL$ 1 +Today I found "They All Laughed" on VHS on sale in a rental. It was a really old and very used VHS, I had no information about this movie, but I liked the references listed on its cover: the names of Peter Bogdanovich, Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter and specially Dorothy Stratten attracted me, the price was very low and I decided to risk and buy it. I searched IMDb, and the User Rating of 6.0 was an excellent reference. I looked in "Mick Martin & Marsha Porter Video & DVD Guide 2003" and – wow – four stars! So, I decided that I could not waste more time and immediately see it. Indeed, I have just finished watching "They All Laughed" and I found it a very boring overrated movie. The characters are badly developed, and I spent lots of minutes to understand their roles in the story. The plot is supposed to be funny (private eyes who fall in love for the women they are chasing), but I have not laughed along the whole story. The coincidences, in a huge city like New York, are ridiculous. Ben Gazarra as an attractive and very seductive man, with the women falling for him as if her were a Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas or George Clooney, is quite ridiculous. In the end, the greater attractions certainly are the presence of the Playboy centerfold and playmate of the year Dorothy Stratten, murdered by her husband pretty after the release of this movie, and whose life was showed in "Star 80" and "Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story"; the amazing beauty of the sexy Patti Hansen, the future Mrs. Keith Richards; the always wonderful, even being fifty-two years old, Audrey Hepburn; and the song "Amigo", from Roberto Carlos. Although I do not like him, Roberto Carlos has been the most popular Brazilian singer since the end of the 60's and is called by his fans as "The King". I will keep this movie in my collection only because of these attractions (manly Dorothy Stratten). My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "Muito Riso e Muita Alegria" ("Many Laughs and Lots of Happiness")$LABEL$ 0 +It amazes me that someone would actually consider spending some money on a movie like this. Really. Let's forget for a second that the plot doesn't even give a single hint of originality... Most of the movies today are based on other movies' stories, so a "simple" lack of originality is not that big a deal. But I can hardly believe that none of the guys involved in the movie had never even got on a plane before shooting this. Because, let's be honest, that would be the only excuse to come up with something so ridiculous. To be sincere I think a 6-years-old child with a fake camera could have come up with something technically much more believable. Some examples following.The scene that really drove me crazy is when the engines turn off when they regain control of the plane. When they have to turn them on again the guy on the radio says something like "Ok, push the 1 and 2 buttons on the dashboard". Now, those are not buttons. They should not be pushed, they should actually be pulled up and toward the pilot. That's something only plane-addicted would know, you say? Wrong. The next scene you can see their fingers pushing the "buttons"... And of course the so called "buttons" don't move at all! Not even a single millimeter! (And note that I haven't even mentioned the fact that aircraft engines are not like cars engine, that you just turn the key and the magic happens... You have to do quite a complicated procedure to turn them on...) Come on guys! You could have faked the movements at least!! Not to mention the hilarious final impact, where the plane crashes against every single thing along the runway (Light poles along the runway? What where they thinking?!)... And the wings don't even get ripped off! It happened to me too, once... Except the plane was made of Lego! What about the flight attendant? She's actually so skilled that she perfectly knows where the "aux 1" and "aux 2" fuses are, in the middle of the wires behind the cockpit. Should we mention, then, the guy that can drive an ambulance _and_ fly a plane behind the ambulance using his computer? And how did he turn the other airplane engines on?Really, I could go on hours with this stuff. This is the dumbest movie I've ever come across, and I'm including garbage like Alone In The Dark and other stuff in the list. Want to do yourself a favor? Don't watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +Cedric Klapisch's movie L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE is easy, breezy charm wrapped in nostalgia for our younger years and attractive youths. At its core, it's the feature-length presentation of the long-running MTV reality soap opera known as "The Real World" in which, as its motto goes: "This is the 'true story' of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped... so watch what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real." This is exactly what happens -- minus the cameras planted at every minuscule corner of the house in Barcelona, Spain, where Xavier (Romain Duris) comes to stay, having to learn Spanish to fill into his job's requirements. An outsider in many ways, he slowly forms a camaraderie with his house-mates who come from all corners of Europe except America... this is a movie in which the only American shown is an unlikable character with whom Wendy (the adorable Kelly Reilly) is having an affair with ("Only for sex," she confesses, since she has her own boyfriend who makes a late but dazed appearance.). Throughout his stay there, he tries to maintain a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend played by Audrey Tautou while he begins a tentative flirtation with the wife of the owner of the Spanish house where he is staying at and gets some advice from a lesbian house-mate (Cecile de France) as to how to seduce a woman. A sweet little feature that presents a moment in time that twenty-somethings will never see again, L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE is forgettable fun containing within itself the threshold into the "real world" experienced through Xavier's eyes.$LABEL$ 1 +Hitchcock would be proud of this movie. Even when nothing happens, it is suspenseful. Director David Lynch overuses a few cheap thrill tricks here and there, but he intersperses them with other cinematographic techniques to keep it from becoming obtuse.Altogether surreal, this movie is like waking up and remembering most of a dream but not enough to make it sensible. I am still trying to figure it all out and will probably have to see it again to catch things I missed and which may help me understand it better. It is a very detailed plot that very slowly comes together, so you must be patient and pay attention. Get your bathroom trip out of the way before it starts. And yet, the plot is overshadowed by the theme, the mood, the character development, and the filming techniques.The dual roles of the main actress, Naomi Watts, showcase her enormous talent. That is, when I could get my eyes off of her co-star. What an acting pair.Lynch surprises throughout the movie with unusual camera angles, the length/timing of editing cuts, jumping back and forth between scenes. Combined with smart use of music and sounds, it all helps to build suspense in our minds, doubtless a major objective of the director. Well, he kept me on the edge of my seat, even had me talking to the actors to be careful here, and not be so naive there. You know, the kind of stuff you want to smack your kids for doing at the movies.$LABEL$ 1 +i am working at a video store so i got to see this one for free- thank god, had i paid for it my review would be less forgiving.well, the major idea of the film (geeky girl takes bloody revenge) isn't all that original, there are several parallels to "carrie" (playing a mean practical joke on a loser, except for one nice girl that is actually sorry for her, tamaras and carries bad family background). i still think it's a fun idea for trashy teen horror flick unfortunately they didn't take much advantage of the potentials that are here and rather put an emphasis on all the wrong things.what worked: i liked the actress that played tamara. she looked great (when she was hot) and her catty lines were fun ("Sean can't come to the phone. he's f**king patrick!").what didn't work: the whole wicca thing was silly. i generally prefer rational explanations (she could have ploted the whole thing with her teacher or one of the boys to get her revenge). there were a lot of logical wholes and the gore looked really bad (when the boy is cutting of his ear and his tongue- please!!!)the whole idea wasn't bound for Oscar buzz, but i just think they wasted the comedic and the suspenseful potential they had. it was bearable but far from good!$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, this bizarre feature was written by John Sayles. Shot in Toronto, it's yet another '80s era feature about the dangers of the urban jungle, where the police fear to go and the homeless and the criminal classes are the only inhabitants. Into this mix comes the myth of Wild Thing, a feral young man raised by a bag lady after his parents were murdered by a dirty cop on the take (Maury Chaykin) and Chopper, the local crime lord (Robert Davi). Stir in the local do-gooders (priest Sean Hewitt and clueless social worker Kathleen Quinlan), and you have a recipe for some rather unexciting action sequences. Davi is the standout amongst the cast, and cinematographer Rene Verzier does a pretty good job. Otherwise this is a rather lumpen action pic that won't satisfy action fans and will leaves Sayles' admirers slack-jawed.$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely one of the worst movies I have ever seen! The acting, the dialog, the manuscript, the sound, the lighting, the plot line. I actually can't say anything positive about this, although I enjoy Swedish movies. The fighting scenes are so ridiculous that it's impossible to take it seriously. And when the lead character just happens to loose his shirt, while dodging bullets in a strip bar, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a joke, or if someone really thinks these are ingredients in a good film?! Regina Lund is the only half descent actor, but she disappears in a flood of laughable pronunciations and unbelievable reactions. It leaves you horrified that someone actually spent time and money on something like this...$LABEL$ 0 +"Plots With A View" of 2002 is a delightful little comedy like only the British could do it. The film's sense of humor is both mildly morbid and black and yet very lovable and sometimes very slapstick-ish. It's the only film by director Nick Hurran I've seen so far, and while I am not intending to watch any of his other films at the moment (I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies), this one is highly enjoyable and very funny. The film takes place in a little town in Wales, where Betty Rhys-Jones (Brenda Blethyn) is married to the town's drunken and adulterous major (Robert Pugh). The local mortician Boris (Alfred Molina) has been desperately in love with Betty since their childhood, but has always been too shy to confess his love to her. Apart from being desperately in love, Boris has some other problems, as the eccentric American mortician Frank Featherbed (Christopher Walken) has opened a funeral flourishing business in the same town... The film's odd, very British wit should amuse everybody with a sense of humor, and the story sometimes becomes quite bizarre. Also, "Plots With A View" profits from a wonderful cast. Brenda Bethlyn, who has already proved herself to be a funny lady in 2000's "Saving Grace", plays the lead, and she is once again very funny, and very lovable in her role. Alfred Molina, who plays her shy admirer, delivers a great performance as always, and Robert Pugh fits perfectly in the role of Betty's sleazy husband. Beautiful Naomi Watts is also great as the husband's 'secretary', I'm becoming a bigger fan with every film I see her in. The greatest role, however, is played by the incomparable Christopher Walken (one of my favorite actors). Walken is brilliant as he always is in the role of the eccentric Mortician who arranges funerals that are quite unorthodox. Overall, "Plots With A View" is a vastly entertaining little British Comedy that I highly recommend!$LABEL$ 1 +I like many others saw this as a child and I loved it and it horrified me up until adulthood, I have been trying to find this movie and even been searching for it to play again on TV someday, since it originally played on USA networks. Does Anyone know where to buy this movie, or does anyone have it and would be willing to make a copy for me? Also does anyone know if there is a chance for it to be played on TV again? Maybe all of us fans should write a station in hopes of them airing it again. I don't think they did a good job of promoting this movie in the past because no one really knows about, people only know of the Stepford wives and Stepford husband movies. No one is familiar with the fact that there was a children version. Maybe they should also do a re-make of it since they seem to be doing that a lot lately with a lot of my favorite old thriller/horror flicks. Well if anyone has any input Please I Beg Of You write me with information. Thanks Taira tcampo23@aol.com$LABEL$ 1 +I am an actor,producer, director and what i am about to say are facts. This project was the worst film in movie making history. From producer to director and the edit of this so called film is a joke and i mean a BIG joke. Why would Blockbuster released such crap? I take my work very serious and this film is an insult to my profession. Was the director trying to make a bad movie? I don't think so. I seen bad Zombie movies, but this takes the cake the Coffie and everything on the damn table. THIS MOVIE SUCKS!!! I really hate to talk bad about other filmmakers because i am one myself, but please consider in taking up a different profession. I respect the fact that you completed a movie, but i have to ask you " WERE YOU SMOKING CRACK ", I mean the makeup on your girls, the scary Zombies, what were you thinking. To the whole nation, if i could have voted Zero i would have. WORST FILM IN MOVIE MAKING HISTORY!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Good movies are original, some leave a message or touch you in a certain way, but sometimes you're not in the mood for that. I wanted something simple, no thinking just plain action when I watched this one. It started of good and was quite entertaining, so why a bad review. Well in the end the movie lost it's credibility. The storyline wasn't that cheesy at all, the action was not too special but overall good, acting was OK, so more than enough to satisfy my needs. But all got ruined because things happened that were over the top, and it left me with a bad feeling. They should have put a little more effort in making everything credible and would have gotten a 7 in the "no thinking just plain action" category. So in conclusion if you know you'll get irritated because things are happening that seem completely illogical: don't watch! otherwise I'd say go ahead...$LABEL$ 0 +Its incredible to me that the best rendition of this amazing story remains a cartoon made by Walt Disney in the 1940s, but its true. Here another clumsy attempt sputters confuses and alienates would be viewers with admirable effectiveness while successfully antagonizing those of us who have actually read the story. Irving's original work is short by any measure and making a feature length film is bound to be a challenge. One can either completely rewrite the story a la Tim Burton which is a discussion for another time, or pad the bust-line of the old girl with unintended detail. The latter is what is attempted here, and if I may say, pitifully so. Unimaginative and thoroughly modern new facets to character personalities such as religious zealotry in Crane or wanderlust in good old Bram Bones ruin the story's intent and betray a severe lack of talent by the filmmakers. By the time the tale's famous climax approached, I had completely lost interest. Its the kind of film where you expect to see a stagehand smoking in the background.$LABEL$ 0 +What a drawn out painful experience.That's over two hours of my life I will never get back.This Film Festival Director's delight - is awash with overuse of the long slow shot....however - that's not the only thing that makes a script.Avoid this movie at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I have not much to say about this film except that it was a truly wonderful film. Natalie Portman is absolutely fantastic as the daughter in this lovely mother-daughter relationship film. Beautiful film.$LABEL$ 1 +Ladies and Gentlemen, may we present the worst of all Disney remakes. Although the name of this movie is "That Darn Cat", it should have been "That Darn Teen" or "FBI Agent". The cat didn't get any real good scenes, Ricci's character was more annoying than funny, Doug E. Doug didn't get any good lines, even Dean Jones's cameo role couldn't save this movie! The only really good characters were the town's only two auto mechanics, but their scenes were only brief. In all, I'd say that if you are considering watching this movie, go get something more intelligent like a Barney video.$LABEL$ 0 +saw this movie and totally loved it the characters are great . it is definitely my kind of movie you do not get bored in this movie i love independent films they are so much more rewarding. my husband and i really enjoyed Jay's style. if you are an open minded person who loves thought provoking films and loves conversation after it's over you will love this film. it is definitely thought provoking.the film definitely will step on some toes but who cares those people will probably not go to see this movie. it is amazing to see the characters evolve . Jay Floyd has really captured both sides of the table. Applause applause Jay i hope you are working on another movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I waited for this movie to play in great anticipation. Assuming it would be more accurately portrayed like the movie, "The Christmas Box" based on the book by Richard Paul Evans. I sent out many emails to friends and family asking them to please watch this show, hoping they would better understand a tiny amount of my "new" life. After seeing this movie I was so disappointed. As a mother who lost her only child in November 2003 and REALLY knowing the pain, I had hoped that this movie would shed light to parents who "think" they understand the grief a parent goes through who has lost a child. This movie was a very light hearted movie and the silliness of Diane Keaton was a slap in the face to parents who have buried a child. It was VERY unrealistic from start to stop. I had a few calls after the movie, each call the same, "That was so off the mark and made it appear that in a short time you are back on the road and listening to songs on the radio and life is back" What a bunch of bull! It is clear that the director and Keaton have never lost a child because neither would have EVER made the movie to be so off the mark. I guess that's Hollywood.$LABEL$ 0 +Have you ever wondered what would happen if a couple of characters from Beverly Hills 90210 were thrown into a Thai jail?If so, this is your movie. This is Midnight Express for the MTV crowd. That would be ok, but the story was poorly executed. Contrived plot twists, poor dialogue and unresolved issues abound. This slight film did not earn the right to be as cryptic as it ends up being. Potential spoiler and impossibly preposterous plot line-the faux tension filled moment when the hotel employee discovers the girls do not have a room there and is about to kick them out. (This moment is innappropriately played with the same solemnity and gravity as the moment when they are arrested at gunpoint). Later the same hotel employee is somehow found-and Bangkok is a big city, mind you, Ive been there- and testifies against the girls, as if a couple of free Mai Tais warrant 40 years in prison. C'mon. Rent Another Day in Paradise instead.$LABEL$ 0 +Since there have been so many reviews of this fine film I will write in a list form and attempt to address issues that have not been discussed.1. Dana Andrews was 38 during the filming of this movie. His character according to the screenplay was in his mid 20s. Andrews, a highly underrated actor, did brilliantly play a character who was supposed to be much younger. 2. Fredric March like all GREAT actors needs at times to be restrained by the director to avoid over-the-top acting. He was mugging for the cameras when he was drunk on the night after his arrival and also the next morning when he was checking out his hang over in his mirror. 3. Dana Andrews was superb as he was in "Laura," "The Ox-Bowl Incident," "A Walk in the Sun," "The Purple Heart" and many other films. Why did Fredric March win the Academy Award and why was Dana Andrews not even nominated for his outstanding performance? 4. Harold Russell gave the best performance I have ever seen by a non actor. 5. I realize this was the 1940s but Dana Andrews seemed to have no romantic interest in his exceptionally attractive wife (Virginia Mayo).6. Ray Teal, who played the right wing bigot, years later became famous for portraying the sheriff on "Bonanza."7. The professor from the south wrote that the film was slow moving, boring and poorly acted. The professor more than likely is uninformed about classic films. The beauty and significance of these ageless classics is that they are slow moving character studies that avoid profanity, excessive violence and gratuitous sex.***I was surprised that zero out of 3 people found my review useful.$LABEL$ 1 +Alien was excellent. Many writers tried to copy it. They all did a bad job (or almost). But Dead Space is the worst Alien copy. Because of the bad actors, the bad special effects, the BAD scenario and other bad stuff (it would take about 3 pages to tell everything that is bad in this film. The movie wasn't very long and this is a very good thing (the only one). You cannot laugh because it is too serious...that is a bad thing because, in almost each B-series sci-fi film, you can laugh during the whole time. It can be terrific sometimes, but instead of watching this stupidity, just watch Alien or Event Horizon...these are much better!!! I give it 1 out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, this doesn't compare to the explosive tempo of the first part's opening sequence; nor to its visual shock value; nor, for that matter, to the melancholic suspense of the second installment. No, it's surprisingly and refreshingly different (apart, of course, from the two main actors). The tongue-in-cheek futuristic scenario drives the characters towards each other across genres and languages with an almost gravitational force. The moment of impact-conclusion is your choice of: a)Shakespearean metaphor of life and humanity in a cartoon costume; b)sublimation of violence into homo-erotics; c)humorous detonation of an impossible buildup. Everything up to then is even less unequivocal.Highly recommended to indiscriminate movie buffs who don't mind following foie gras with a hot dog; caution to those with more refined palates.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was a masterpiece of human emotions and experience. I think that a lot of people get caught up in Leland's apparent mental illness as the storyline, but I was drawn into the relationships of many of the characters and what they reveal about the force of human emotions. Much of the message of the movie is that we never know the good without the bad, which is a little cliché, but what makes this movie so good and so original is that it very eloquently portrays the crushing and devastating force that the bad can have, whether you see the bad everywhere like Leland, or are experiencing the utter helplessness of unrequited love or a relationship that just isn't going to work no matter how bad you want it to. This movie captures how helpless relationships and emotions can make you feel better than any movie I've seen, and it is as depressing a movie as it is good.$LABEL$ 1 +The man who gave us Splash, Cocoon and Parenthood gave us this incoherent muddle of cliched characters, poor plotting, you've-got-to-be-kidding dialogue and melodramatic acting? I guess everybody has a bad day at the office now and then. He's allowed.$LABEL$ 0 +There's hardly anything at all to recommend this movie. Chase Masterson is always nice to look at and actually can act, though her role in this clunker is a waste. Unfortunately the rest of the cast ranges from bad to mediocre. In a lot of films like this someone will shine through the material and you make a note of them for future reference. No such luck here. Creature Unknown" a clichéd monster-on-the-loose flick with the kids getting knocked off one after the other. The monster is a man in a rubber suit which hearkens back to the days of Paul Blaisdell. So bad it's good! The rest of the show is just so bad it's bad. A little humor might have made this more palatable, but everyone plays the deadly dull material straight up. There is a twist or two at the end, but by then you won't care anymore.$LABEL$ 0 +Now here is a film that if made in Australia would have easily been a comedy. Sadly and annoyingly, here it is, flaccid and cheesy and overbaked from Lala land. How did the di-erector get it so wrong? Well, mainly by being serious about a job so hilariously startling that nobody in their right mind could take seriously. Unless of course they were a nerdy lonely gay cliché (but somehow cute)...or is that cliché piled upon cliché. No value in the story that almost seems like a prequel to Gus Van Sant's GERRY..... and with a title like THE FLUFFER how is it all such a lead weight? Well this auteur must have soooooo mad that he didn't get to Burt and BOOGIE first that he had to make his own. Convoluted and undeveloped apart from the 'unrequited love's a bore' theme left over from a faded Streisand lyric, we have only moody beefcake and TV serial level storyline left. The un necessary fourth act of this overlong turgid drama is truly terrible as the film wanders off like the Gerries into to desert and gets stuck there. In Oz in the late 90s some 20 somethings made a similar but actually hilarious film called MONEYSHOT. Originally filmed as THE VENUS FACTORY it too suffered from an auteur more awful than Orson so they re-filmed half of it, got a ruthless TV editor to chop it up and down down to 72 minutes and hey-presto..comedy, tonight! A lesson there in when bad films turn good by lightening up. I guess THE FLUFFER stiffed on release and after seeing it not perform, I can understand why.$LABEL$ 0 +My interest in Dorothy Stratten caused me to purchase this video. Although it had great actors/actresses, there were just too many subplots going on to retain interest. Plus it just wasn't that interesting. Dialogue was stiff and confusing and the story just flipped around too much to be believable. I was pretty disappointed in what I believe was one of Audrey Hepburn's last movies. I'll always love John Ritter best in slapstick. He was just too pathetic here.$LABEL$ 0 +The first hour or so of the movie was mostly boring to say the least. However it improved afterwards as the Valentine Party commenced. Apart from the twist as to the identity of the killer in the very end, the hot bath murder scene was one of the few relatively memorable aspects of this movie. The scene at the garden with Kate was well shot and so was the very last scene (the 'twist'). In those scenes, there was some genuine suspense and thrills and the hot bath murder scene had a nasty (the way slashers should be) edge to it. The earlier murders are frustratingly devoid of gore.$LABEL$ 1 +I feel as though I know these people and have known people similar to them. These days, though, people are discouraged from showing such passion about anything especially love and loneliness. It has a slow beginning, but then look out! If you love romantic comedies, but would like to see one that had some basis in reality for a change {or at least did have back in the 70's}, then you should see this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +Like a twisty country road, "Tough Luck" takes the viewer for a ride. There is nothing wrong with plot curves, as long as believability doesn't fly out the window. Unfortunately in the end the film does challenge an audience's belief tolerance. Nevertheless, it is easy to forgive this fault due to the superior acting, character development, and wonderful carnival atmosphere. Do not expect to like any of the characters. Armand Asante, Norman Redus, and Dagmara Dominczyk, play shady con-artists, not exactly the type of person easily admired. The double crosses come fast and furious, and the final cross is a bit of a stretch. Recommended. - MERK$LABEL$ 1 +Has aged really well - still thrilling and suspenseful today. Certainly one of Hitch's best movies. Beautifully shot, with a great premise for suspense, sex-appeal provided by beautiful Ruth Roman. Because of the great premise, you feel like you have to watch it to the end. If you find yourself losing faith in Hitch and doubting his title as the Master of Suspense, i recommend this nice little movie as an antidote. 5 out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +They should have named this movie ...Blonde women that needed to get their roots colored. Also the main character, geeze, the too tight sweaters. The giggling. Thought the guy did a good job though. I keep hoping we'll find a good 8 star Christmas movie to watch this week. The dart throwing. Had to laugh at that too. We've still got 3 more on the DVR to watch, maybe we'll get lucky. Oh yeah, I figured the guy out pretty quickly and nailed it when he picked up the flowers and then drove out with his cousin. I told my daughter they were on their way to the cemetery. And how stupid was it that the two gals followed them there spying on them? Creepy.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best movies. It is one of my favorites. A movie with good acting. The story is very sensitive and touching. Good camera work also.The names of the actresses and actors are not at the top of the American Star list. However, they give equal or better performances than the top of the list.It is such a pleasure to see a movie about true love, romance, friendship without having to endure watching someone having to kick-box their way to save the world.If you don't like this movie then you have no heart or feelings. Then go watch a sports movie. There is no killing or horror here. See the movie. It is a must. TH$LABEL$ 1 +"Bell Book and Candle" was shown recently on cable. Not having seen it for a while, we decided to take another look at this comedy. Based on the James Van Druten's Broadway hit, which was a vehicle for Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer in the early fifties, the film was adapted for the screen by Daniel Taradash. The film was directed by Richard Quine, who turned the play into a delightful comedy.Evidently, judging by some of the comments submitted by IMDb, the big issue seems to be the pairing of the two stars, who had collaborated on "Vertigo", released the same year. Movie audiences didn't think anything about the age difference when this film was released. In fact, most of the aging male stars of that period were always involved with much younger women.The film set in Manhattan during Christmas is a delightful comedy that has enchanted viewers. Kim Novak was at the height of her beauty as it's clear the camera adored her no matter what was she playing. As the witch that becomes human, her Gillian is charming. James Stewart, who plays the publisher Shep' Henderson, is also seen at his best. Mr. Stewart was an excellent comedy actor who shows in here why he was at the top.In supporting roles the wonderful Elsa Lanchester, playing Queenie, is a welcome addition to any movie, as she proves here. Jack Lemmon's Nicky Holroyd, the brother of Gillian, is also good. Ernie Kovacs is also seen as the writer Sidney Radlitch.This is an excellent way to spend a winter night at home watching "Bell Book and Candle".$LABEL$ 1 +It is very hard to come up with new information about JFK Jr. and this fine movie had very little of it, but it was a joy to watch. The casting was very good and the script, while somewhat like a documentary, was also good. My only complaint was that it wasn't long enough. Perhaps a two-part movie could have told us more about his "pre-George" days and his relationships with his mother, sister, and other relatives. Some of the material in the book, "American Son," by Richard Blow would have enhanced the movie a lot. WTBS should be applauded for producing such an entertaining movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This entire movie is worth watching just for the magnificent final moment - its the best ending of any movie I've ever seen. Perfect, beautiful, funny, simply wonderful.I found this movie delightful, even with it's French taking-itself-too-seriously deep meanings thing going on. I loved it - it's a great love story. And I loved the way Algerians were woven in - and by the way, the music during the final credits is great. I want the CD!$LABEL$ 1 +Granted, this seems like a good idea. Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, and John Cleese in a Neil Simon comedy. Where can you go wrong? Watch the movie, and you'll find out.In truth, Martin, the lead, is mis-cast. He's not doing the great slapstick he's known for, from movies like "The Jerk", but instead plays a sort of in-between character that doesn't work. Hawn, with no one to play off of, is terrible. Cleese is the only even partially funny member.To top it off, the plot is pretty stupid. I can't say how much of it may have been changed, but the characters seem to lack the slightest bit of common sense. They blunder through New York, not doing anything right, and unfortuneatly, nothing funny. Not only is the whole premise completely unbelievable, it seems to give the message that people who don't live in New York aren't very bright, a theme repeated throughout the movie.In summation, instead of seeing this, go rent the original "Odd Couple" again.$LABEL$ 0 +Halloween 666 (1995) The producer's cut review!Halloween 666 starts of with a recap of the horrific ending to Part five. If you thought the last chapter was dark, this one will really blow your mind. A mysterious "Man in Black" has raided the Haddonfield Police Department freeing Micheal Myers. In the process poor Jamie Lloyd was abducted by strange cultists. What they want with her? Who knows, but let's just say her long suffering will end soon. Doctor Loomis is back spending the rest of his twilight years trying to stop Michael Myers from killing any more innocents (good luck). A friend of Loomis, Doctor Wynn comes back after a four sequel hiatus to help the good doctor. Another old face from part one guest stars as well.This dark and dreary sequel was dismantled during the post production editing. For some reason the distributors felt that the final product wasn't worth the average horror film watcher's time. So they decide to dumb it down. Then after having the film sit on the shelf for several months it laid an egg at the box office. No matter what they did to the film, they made it worse. They should have left well enough alone. Hey, the film company knows better than the filmmakers now....don't they?Producer's Cut :Highly recommended Released version: Not recommended$LABEL$ 1 +Definitely a "must see" for all fans of film noir.Thanks to a fine script and crisp, razor sharp direction a top cast comes together and works like a well oiled clock to produce a crackerjack psychological thriller.Wonderful characterizations articulate the movie's powerful message of racial and religious tolerance. It's difficult and almost unjust to single out any one particular performance because there isn't a weak link in the entire company but Robert Ryan as the hateful and violent white supremacist is truly spine chilling.Making this film in the 1940s would have taken a lot of courage. Now,all these years later, at a time when contemporary movies are dominated by a ridiculous over abundance of foul language, bare breasts, crummy acting and deafening soundtracks it's refreshing to get back to the basics of quality film making with a viewing treat like "Crossfire".Another low budget gem from the Hollywood archives .$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this movie on the merits of what the trailer showed, and of course Sir Anthony Hopkins.If Jackson Pollack teamed up with David Lynch, and Timothy Leary to make a movie, this would be the end result. I don't think I've seen a movie like it that made an LSD trip look like an episode of Sesame Street.It's a bunch of set pieces where the characters flash in and out of reality, or various realities, and the film doesn't culminate into anything until the last 5 minutes, where all of a sudden it makes sense. I wrote a scathing review on my movie review blog that essentially gives everything away, and I won't do that here. It's a well acted piece of cinema, and the soundtrack was written by Sir Anthony Hopkins, and let me say this, if there's one redeeming feature to this film, it's the music. It fits perfectly. Some of the dialogue is unbelievably good, and unbelievably bad all at the same time.I enjoyed parts of this movie, I truly did, and once you get to the end of it, you'll actually figure out what's truly going on. It's unfortunate that you have to wade through 2 hours of crazy to get to a salient point, which minimizes the effect of the entire movie.I give it a 3 out of 10 for the simple fact that the real problem with this film isn't the acting, it's everything.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are a traveller, if there is a fire burning into your heart, if you'd call "home" every place on earth, but none of them can give you enough, if you are always looking for the next thing and if you believe the other part of your soul is somewhere out there, see this movie and you'll find out a little, but wonderful, piece of life sitting next to you.$LABEL$ 1 +What are Forest Whitaker and Clifton Collins Jr. doing in this? Light It Up is a ridiculously melodramatic piece on problems in low income area schools. While the topic is one that needs to be addressed, the film uses every cliche in the genre and comes off as a textbook popcorn flick. The characters are cutouts from the inner city version of The Breakfast Club or even The Faculty. Watch this with your children when they turn 13 or 14. With them, it could be an outlet for a lesson on current social problems. For anyone older, it will be nothing more than something to watch and spit on at 4 in the morning, as I did recently on Bravo. Matter of fact, what was this doing on Bravo?$LABEL$ 0 +There are plenty of comments already posted saying exactly how I felt about this film so Ill keep it short."The Grinch" I thought was marvellous - Jim Carrey is a truly talented, physical comedian as well as being a versatile clever actor (in my opinion). Mike Myers on the other hand gets his laughs by being annoying. I used to like him very much in his "Waynes World" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer" days - but Ive never been fond of Austin Powers and "the Cat In The Hat" has just finished me off. This film was horrible - the gags were horrible! inappropriate for children not only in adult content but in the fact that some of them were so dated they havent amused anyone for 50 years! The plot was messy, messy, messy! Its a shame really because the children were very likeable as was "Mom". They probably could have picked a better villain than Alec Baldwin - but he could have pulled it off if it weren't for Myers ugly, revolting over-acted portrayal of the Cat.I mean - did Myers even glance at a script? Was one written? The other actors seemed to have one - but the Cat just seemed to be winging it!On the other hand I would like to mention that the sets and props were marvellous!!! But unfortunately they cant save this film.Poor Dr Seuss - the man was a genius! Dont ruin his reputation by adapting his work in a such a lazy, messy way!!!1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I'm surprised about the many female voters who even give this film better marks. My thought about this film was that the target audience is adult and male. Whipped and tortured women, merciless revenge and a high body count are typical ingredients, introduced into film history by the spaghetti subgenre. The opening and the hand-smashing are DJANGO rip-offs. THE SHOOTER however lacks the style of e.g. DJANGO. Score, acting and cinematography are mediocre at best but if you look for the above mentioned ingredients you are in the right place here. And the actors don't have an Italian accent.4 / 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Matthau and Lemmon are at their very best in this one - everyone else in the movie are also great. The Dialogue is excellent and very, very witty - and the scene where Lemmon's character attempts to clear out his sinuses in a restaurant have me rolling on the floor with laughter every time I see it. Anyone who happened to see the not so great sequel should not be turned away from the original. I recommend this wonderful movie to everyone - I just love it. And the fact the Jack Lemmon plays his character so straight forward with tragic overtones only adds to the hilariousness in my opinion. These two great guys made a string of movies together, but this one is the best - no doubt.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an incredible film. I can't remember the last time I saw a Swedish movie this layered. It's funny, it's tragic, it's compelling, and most of all it's a slice of Swedish small town life. It crushes the clichés, and dwells deeper. It makes you feel connected, not only to the main characters, but to all the characters.Big city girl tracing back to her roots, her small hometown, to celebrate her father's 70th birthday, crossing paths with people she hasn't met in several years. Although the story itself isn't unique, it offers a fresh approach. The center of the story is the relationship between three sisters (on different stages in life), who aren't very close. Or at least don't realize how close they are.One key reason that makes it so easy to connect to the people in this film is the immaculate cast. First, I'm more than pleased about the fact that there are absolutely no so-called 'A-list' Swedish actors in this film. Usually there is a handful of actors that has the ability to find their way into almost every major production in Sweden. This time the production company managed to keep it real by casting actors who actually seem to love their profession. Sofia Helin is probably the first Swedish actress since Eva Röse to prove that you don't need words to convey an emotion.The writing is also very appealing. The dialogue is more than believable, and compared with other Swedish films from the past year or two, it's ahead by miles. Maria Blom controls everything from the beginning, and if you didn't know, you would never guess that this is her first time writing AND directing a feature length film. I can't wait for her next one.Once you start watching this, you really want to see it through.$LABEL$ 1 +Just how bad? Well, compared to this movie, Cannibal Holocaust is Citizen Kane. There's the stilted acting, the atrocious dialogue, the half baked plot and like its companion piece way too much in the way of on screen animal slaughter that was actually done. Unlike Holocaust, Ferox is a straight forward movie. It doesn't pretend to be a pseudo documentary. In some ways that helps the production in that the film is very sharp and crisp compared to Holocaust's graininess. Unfortunately, we are once again given a group of people who are morally reprehensible. They torture the natives and essentially bring everything that they get upon themselves. There's really nothing in this film that makes it worth your while. I was fairly lenient with my review of Holocaust due to some actual attempt at a statement and style, but in Ferox's case there is no reason to watch this unless you solely get off on blood and gore.$LABEL$ 0 +Some of the secondary actors try, really hard. And camera shots in the desert are quite lovely. Otherwise, this film is horrible.William Shatner's character, Harvey, is an amateur screenwriter. He's also a psychopath, a man who quite literally escapes from a mental institution. Is the point of this film that amateur screenwriters are psychopaths? Harvey will do anything to get his script read and turned into a movie, even if that means taking a film crew hostage. Do amateur screenwriters ... grovel? Maybe they do.The film's setup is way too long. We don't get to the point of the story until well into the second half. The first half darts and flits among assorted characters."Shoot Or Be Shot" is touted as a comedy, but I found it totally not funny. Dialogue contains no subtext. None of the characters are believable as real people. They're all stick figures that perform "action" in a way that resembles cartoon characters. Indeed, the film is basically a cartoon for adults: silly, inane, birdbrained.I can understand why some actors are in this film. They need the money or the exposure. But what are insiders Shatner and Harry Hamlin doing here? Maybe Shatner wants more comedy roles. Is this the best he can do? Is Hamlin that desperate for money? He used to be a respected actor. What happened?Even though the story is supposed to be a satire, it comes across more as a put-down of amateur screenwriters. Maybe that wasn't the intent. But that's certainly how the film can be interpreted. As such, the script was very, very poorly written.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is simply bad. First of all the story is just weird and it's not good written. It leaves you with questions when you're finished. Sometimes that's OK, but not in this case.The acting is nothing to write home about. The adults does a OK job, but the kids, taken in consideration they are kids, does not a good job. I thought the lead role, Ian Costello as Mickey, was worst. Well, to be honest I'm not sure that was the lead role. Never quite figured who this movie was about. Mickey or Pete.There were some shots that stood out, but over all there were nothing exiting about the cinematography. The sound, however, was better. There was a nice score. A little adventure kind of score, though this didn't look like an adventure film to me. It had some elements of an adventure film, but it was more of a drama. However, it was hard to tell who this film was meant for. Children? Hardly. There is too much language and violence for that. Adults? I don't know. It had to many elements of a children's movie in it. It was like a adult movie in a children movie wrapping.The story was just weird. I don't have much of an idea of what it really was about. You was thrown right in to it without knowing anything, but there were all the time references to something you felt you should know. The fact that the children's parents were dead for instance and that Mickey blamed Pete for it. You expected to get to know what happened , but you never got.All together this movie was bad and a waste of time. There was no drive in it. Nothing to really move the story forward. This is not what you spend your Saturday night on.$LABEL$ 0 +Though not Hal Hartley's best work (my personal favorite is "Surviving Desire"), there is still much to like about this movie, especially for fans of Hartley's dialogues. Even to audiences new to Hartley, I would definitely recommend this movie over the sophomoric "Dogma." This movie is more intelligent, truer to its source material (the Bible), and more fun than any of the other pre-millennium apocalypse movies. This movie is actually part of the French "2000 As Seen By." (2000 Par Vu) series; as such, it is perhaps even a lower-budget film than Hartley's other works. While the need for simple scenes shot with digital camera is understandable in this context, the main problem with this movie is the unfortunate overuse of the blurry/jittery effect. I'd be happy to never see this effect used in a movie again; especially at the beginning, it almost makes the movie unwatchable. But overlook this flaw, and you'll be treated to a fine film. Especially notable is Magdalena (played by P.J. Harvey) relating how Jesus saved her from being stoned to death; a short scene I found surprisingly moving. (Despite the fact that it was NOT Mary Magdalene that this happened to; the woman in the Bible was unnamed.)$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this (it was only $3, ok?) under the title "Grey Matter". The novelty of seeing Sherriff Roscoe in a non-DukesOfHazzard role intrigued me. As the other reviewers warned, it's a pretty boring tale of a top secret government experiment gone awry.And yes, there are plenty of establishing shots, especially of a house with a pool in front of it. Some of the characters and interiors are so nondescript I guess the filmmakers worried we might forget who is who, so they keep tipping us off by first showing the outside of the buildings. It's actually kinda funny. After awhile the pool shot feels like a tv channel's station identification logo, reminding us that we are watching "Grey Matter".I also enjoyed two bouts of name-calling. At one point an angry test subject taunts somebody in charge by calling her a "Scientific b*tch!". It's just a very inadequate insult. Several scenes later a different subject lets off steam by muttering about that "scientific b**tard!". It just sounded very awkward to me.Someday this movie will disappear forever. Another decade from now it will likely be impossible to find any copies of it. Almost like it never happened.$LABEL$ 0 +There is a bit of trivia which should be pointed out about a scene early in the movie where Homer watches the attempt of December 6, 1957 (at least that was the video used on the TV he was watching) which showed the Vangard launch attempt, which failed.He is next shown reading or dictating a letter to Dr. Von Braun offering condolences about the failure.Von Braun was at Marshall space flight center in Huntsville working for the Army. The Vanguard project was by the early Nasa team which was at what soon became Goddard Space flight center.The army rushed the Jupiter-C, which was essentially a US made V2 technology, but worked to launch a satellite in response to Russia's success with Sputnik.This error may have actually been made by Homer, because of the notoriety of Von Braun, but his team didn't have their attempt fail. In fact the underlying Redstone was flying from 52 and was the first US man rated booster, used for Shepard's sub orbital flight, as well as Grissom's.This is why this sort of movie is so good, as it hopefully will inspire people to read up and spot these bits of trivia, and in the process see what has been done, and be inspired to do more.$LABEL$ 1 +I enjoyed this movie very much. Kristy Swanson Omar epps, and Ice Cube were all great in it. The movie dealt with many issues, and I didn't know if I was going to like it, but Singelton did a terrific job of creating characters that you really cared about.$LABEL$ 1 +52-Pick Up never got the respect it should have. It works on many levels, and has a complicated but followable plot. The actors involved give some of their finest performances. Ann-Margret, Roy Scheider, and John Glover are perfectly cast and provide deep character portrayals. Notable too are Vanity, who should have parlayed this into a serious acting career given the unexpected ability she shows, and Kelly Preston, who's character will haunt you for a few days. Anyone who likes action combined with a gritty complicated story will enjoy this.$LABEL$ 1 +Teenage Exorcist is one of those God-awful films to video that makes the viewer give up any expectations of decent entertainment for low brow sexual antics, adolescent humour, and empty writing. This film delivers exactly what its was trying to deliver. It is about a girl moving into a house where a Baron de Sade(hmmm) once lived and finally being drawn to him through her own inner demon. Her sister and brother-in-law, along with an Irish priest, her boyfriend, and a pizza delivery boy, try to save her and exorcise her demon. Well, not much here in way of horror or suspense. In fact, one line from the film pretty much sums up what to expect. Mike(the girl's brother-in-law) has tied her(the name is Diane by the way and she is played by Brinke Stevens) up after trying to chainsaw her sister. He removes a gag from her mouth and says something like, "This won't be the last gag we see tonight." Indeed, it was not. The special effects are cheesy and poorly crafted, and the film makes use of this by playing on its comedic appeal. Some of the lines and situations are funny. Robert Quarry, old Count Yorga himself, really steals his scenes as an Irish priest. He hams it up wailing Biblical verses and crooning Irish songs. You know you are in trouble, however, when Eddie Deezen gets top billing. Deezen does his schtick and has a couple nice moments as well, but the material is just too threadbare than to be anything more than teenage sophomoric time filler. Michael Berryman, from The Hills Have Eyes, also has a brief but interesting cameo in the film. As for the other thespians, well, they are all pretty good at being pretty mediocre. Stevens is lovely in fishnet stockings and French-cut panties, but beyond that don't expect too much more from her. Her sister is played by Elena Sahagun, and she shows a bit more than Brinke(a very lovely young lady by the way) and out acts Brinke by miles. Her husband, played by Jay Richardson shows off his ability to act and be funny amidst mediocrity. Again, not a bad film to waste a little time that involves NO thinking on. If you are a Robert Quarry fan, watch it for his performance at the very least.$LABEL$ 0 +Wenders was great with Million $ Hotel.I don't know how he came up with this film! The idea of giving the situation after spt11 and the view of American Society is hopeful,that makes it 2 out of ten.But this is not a movie.Is that the best someone can do with a great idea(the west-east clash).There are important things going on in middle east and it is just issued on the screen of a MAC* with the fingers of an Amerian girl who is actually at the level of stupidity(because she is just ignorant about the facts).The characters are not well shaped.And the most important thing is the idea that is given with religion is somehow funny to me.At the ending scene Lana says lets just be quiet and try to listen.And the background music says "...I will pray".The thing is not about religion actually.But it ends up with this.How you are gonna see the truth if you just close your eyes and pray.The lights are already shining on the truth.Its just that nobody wants to see it. ps: "My home is not a place.It is people"The only thing that gets 10 out of 10 is that sentence.But it is wasted behind this film making. (by the way; as "someone" mentioned below ,Americas finest young man are not finest,they are just the "poor" and the "hopeless" ones who sign up for the army in need of good paychecks which is not provided by the government ! )$LABEL$ 0 +As a low budget enterprise in which the filmmakers themselves are manufacturing and distributing the DVDs themselves, we perhaps shouldn't expect too much from Broken in disc form. And yet what's most remarkable about this whole achievement is the fact that this release comes with enough extras to shame a James Cameron DVD and a decidedly fine presentation.With regards to the latter, the only major flaw is that Broken comes with a non-anamorphic transfer. Otherwise we get the film in its original 1.85:1 ratio, demonstrating no technical flaws and looking pretty much as should be expected. Indeed, given Ferrari's hands on approach in putting this disc together you can pretty much guarantee such a fact.The same is also true of the soundtrack. Here we are offered both DD2.0 and DD5.1 mixes and whilst I'm uncertain as to which should be deemed the "original", the fact that Ferrari had an involvement in both means neither should be considered as inferior. Indeed, though the DD5.1 may offer a more atmosphere viewing experience owing to the manner in which it utilizes the score, both are equally fine and free of technical flaws.As for extras the disc is positively overwhelmed by them. Take a look at the sidebar on the right of the screen and you'll notice numerous commentaries, loads of featurettes and various galleries. Indeed, given the manner in which everything has been broken down into minute chunks rather than compiled into a lengthy documentary, there really is little to discuss. The 'Anatomy of a Stunt' featurette, for example, is exactly what it claims to be, and the same goes for the rest of pieces. As such we get coverage on pretty much ever aspect of Broken's pre-production, production and post-production. And whilst it may have been preferable to find them in a more easily digestible overall 'making of', in this manner we do get easy access to whatever special feature we may wish to view.Of the various pieces, then, it is perhaps only the commentaries which need any kind of discussion. Then again, there's also a predictable air to each of the chat tracks. The one involving the actors is overly jokey and doesn't take the film too seriously. Ferrari's pieces are incredibly enthusiastic about the whole thing. And the technical ones are, well, extremely technical. Of course, we also get some crossover with what's been covered elsewhere on the discs, but at only 19 minutes none of these pieces outstay their welcome. Indeed, all in all, a fine extras package.$LABEL$ 1 +Child 'Sexploitation' is one of the most serious issues facing our world today and I feared that any film on the topic would jump straight to scenes of an explicitly sexual nature in order to shock and disturb the audience. After having seen both 'Trade' and 'Holly', one film moved me to want to actually see a change in international laws. The other felt like a poor attempt at making me cry for five minutes with emotive music and the odd suicide. I do not believe that turning this issue into a Hollywood tear jerker is a useful or necessary strategy to adopt and I must commend the makes of 'Holly' for engaging subtly but powerfully with the terrible conditions these children are sadly forced to endure. 'Trade' wavered between serious and stupid with scenes involving the death of a cat coming after images that represented children being forced to commit some horrendous acts. I found this unengaging and at times offensive to the cause. If I had wanted a cheap laugh I would not have signed up for a film on child trafficking. For anyone who would like to watch a powerful film that actually means something I would suggest saving the money on the cinema ticket for the release of 'Holly'.$LABEL$ 1 +I will not say much about this film, because there is not much to say, because there is not much there to talk about. The only good thing about this movie is that our favorite characters from "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" are back. Several of the bad things about this movie are that it has horrible characters, it has horrible comedy, horrible animation, and James Arnold Taylor trying to copy the wonderful, one and only Michael J. Fox as Milo James Thatch. The reasons for my criticisms are that all the characters are changed into something that they never were, and never should be, animation that has been downgraded to the lowest extent possible, and finally, why would somebody who did wonderful voice-over work for Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Clone Wars" want to copy Michael J. Fox? I happen to have an answer to this. Because they are the same person who thought he had to copy Eddie Murphy from Mulan in Mulan II. Yes, sadly, it is true..$LABEL$ 0 +Whoa. In the Twin Cities, we have a station that shows a "Big Bad Movie" Monday through Friday. Tonight's nugget was a film with Carrie Fisher called "She's Back" about a really annoying woman who ends up getting murdered when thugs break into her house. Bea (Beatrice) comes back to haunt her husband. She wants him to seek revenge on her killers, hence "she's back". And she won't let him rest until he does so. She irritates him endlessly... and the viewers, too! This movie is truly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Hey, I like bad movies, though (my fave movie is Xanadu). I was really shaking my head throughout the whole film, wondering who thought this would be a good idea for a movie. Bea is just so annoying. The plot is silly; the acting is bad; the story... well, you get my drift. Anyway, if you wanna see a really bad movie - really really bad movie, check this one out. You won't be disappointed. Heh.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I am a fan of Heather Thomas and I have a few of her old bikini posters around here somewhere, I can honestly say that if the only movie I had ever seen her in was "Cyclone", I would never be able to guess why she had made it as far as she had in show business.Directed by Fred Olen Ray (about as good an omen as seeing buzzards circle over head in the desert), this tale of a woman (Thomas) who must protect a high-tech motorcycle from unscrupulous types is about as "B" movie as it gets (or in Fred Olen's case, "B minus").The cast itself should tell you something. It's not every movie that combines Thomas with actors the calibre of Beswick, Hall, Combs, Donahue, Tamblyn and Landau (!!). If you're lucky, very few movies do. And even though they seem to be having fun, shouldn't some of that fun be passed on to the audience? I vote yes, seems they voted no.Of course, if you ever wanted to see Heather deliver an uppercut to another woman, use the "F" word and get hooked up to battery cables, you've probably been looking for this one. Myself, I'll be content with old "Fall Guy" reruns.One star, given in hopes that when another "Cyclone" hits town, Heather runs for shelter. I know I will.$LABEL$ 0 +i am surprised so few have good words for this movie. For its time (the 80's) it was a very entertaining and engaging story. Casting was good. Story was good. Special effects were remarkable for the time period. Deserving of an 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Seeing this film, or rather set of films, in my early teens irrevocably changed my idea of the possibilities of human interaction and the range of potential experience. This monumental exploration of individuals, and their historical setting, reveals how full bodied and intense every human existence is. The people are portrayed as they are to themselves: their experiences of the smallest to the largest internal and external phenomena are detailed with the greatest of artistry and perception. Edgar Reitz displays a fabulous appreciation of human motivations and longings.When these phenomena are set against the immense time allowed by the length of the work, one cannot help but apprehend the force and vivacity of happiness, defeat, lust, love, sadness, melancholy, that each person feels. When I saw these films I perceived my future experiences, how my life would inevitably twist and oscillate due to both intended and accidental events. I acquired a feeling of the longevity of being and what it meant to reflect upon past lives, memories and contexts. A masterpiece and a revelation. I only wish the BBC would screen it again.If anyone knows where I can get a copy, could they contact me$LABEL$ 1 +Not the film to see if you want to be intellectually stimulated. If you want to have a lot of fun a the theater, however, this is the one. Lots of snappy banter(and some really cheesy banter, too). Mos Def and Seth Green are very funny as the comic relief. Exciting and creative heists and chase scenes. Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron(sexy)are appealing leads. And Donald Sutherland!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst films I've seen for years. The storyline has potential that is never realized. The actors are a poor choice, but considering the screen writing, their talent isn't wasted. I really wanted everyone dead as quickly as possible so I could get out and watch something else. Unfortunately, I did stay to the end and had a laugh at the murmurs of people moaning about how crappy this is. There wasn't booing, after all, this is England, just gentle moans about how crap that was. Then, I look on IMDb and see 288 people have given it 10 out of 10. I really just cannot see how those people are able to give that score. They must be a PR company working with the distributor. There's a hilarious set problem towards the end of the film, when in the graveyard and the hick attacks, look out for the dodgy scenery that rocks when touched (supposed to be a brick wall) - the blood effects are waaaay OTT - the film feels like everyone is making a spoof horror except the Director.$LABEL$ 0 +Wealthy widower Anthony Steffen (as Alan Cunningham) is a sadomasochistic lover, and British Lord. He brings sexy red-haired women to his castle, where he whips and murders them. Black-booted stripper Erika Blanc (as Susie) gets away, temporarily. Mr. Steffen is haunted by wife "Evelyn", who died in childbirth. As therapy, he decides to marry again, after meeting pretty blonde Marina Malfatti (as Gladys). By the end of the movie, they will have had to dig a few more graves. "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" is great title, at least.** La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba (1971) Emilio Miraglia ~ Anthony Steffen, Marina Malfatti, Erika Blanc$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst movie I have seen for years! It starts ridicoulus and continues in the same way. I thnik when is something going to happen in this film,,,, and the the acting is worse. The ending lifts it a bit and saves the movie from a total flop. Mark Wahlberg is a bad actor in a bad movie. Sorry Tim Burton Batman was good but this one sucks.$LABEL$ 0 +At a risk of sounding slightly sacrilegious, on first viewing I'm kind of inclined to put this right up on a par with 'Shaun of the Dead'. Now, given I view Simon Pegg as an unquestionable comedy genius, I realise this is a rather big claim. And to what extent you agree with that last statement may be a good preliminary gauge of whether 'Fido' will appeal to you.In a way the comedy picks up where 'Shaun' left off, except we're back in the original 1950s Living Dead-era stereotypical middle-American small town. The Zombie Wars are over and zombies themselves are becoming more well-adjusted, useful members of the community. This, so we're informed at the outset, is largely thanks to the scientific advances made by the good people at Zomcom - a nice play on romantic comedy perhaps? The beauty of the film lies in its dead-pan depiction of a respectable neighbourhood maintaining core values while making a place for zombies and the special hazards they pose. The charm and balance with which it does this is near enough perfect. Themes you might expect from a more mainstream kitsch comedy come through - the veneer of good clean living, keeping up appearances, repressed emotion, muddled parental values, social decorum and the plight of the alienated individual.It's a story told with happy heart and wide appeal that is brought to life vividly by the film's all-round strong cast. It's one of those works where it really shows through that everyone involved got a kick out of taking part. It's also fun imagining what Billy Connelly learning his script must have been like...So in conclusion, it is probable you will appreciate the humour of this film unless your father tried to eat you.$LABEL$ 1 +Ugh. Even the ever-popular Diane Lane could not save this movie, and the most exciting thing about the movie was seeing if Rourke's face would move. One has heard so much "gossip" about his botched face lift, etc., so like an accident on the side of the road, we just had to slow down and see the wreck. The plot was thin. Here we have a very professional mob hit man who somehow latches on to a wild and uncontrollable punk/crook, and throughout this movie we're wondering why this guy stays with this idiot, let alone gets together with the guy in the first place. Then the crime that was not even committed has the pro to go after the witnesses. He would have popped them right then and there. But then, we would not have had a movie then, would we? And why did the realtor even agree to the extortion? There were more holes in this flick than in my colander. The acting was horrid, the entire movie predictable down to the minute, and even the ending. And so much could have been done to make this a much better movie. But if you have about 90 minutes to kill and not have to use any brain cells in the process, then this movie is just what the doctor ordered.$LABEL$ 0 +How Disney can you get? Preppy rich girls act like idiots, buy a bunch of stuff, and get taught a lesson. Is Disney trying to send a lesson to itself? That maybe while buying everything it should maybe still be human? Whatever the psycho-analysis, this movie sucked.The girls want a rich party for their rich lives. But then money disappears and they have to use their riches to get the milk plant (yes, milk) going to employ the workers. They keep it afloat until daddy comes home. And the man at the beginning, who appears to be the one that takes the money, is the one. But the ending is dumb. Webcam in the Cayman Islands? Huh? Not worth my time ever again. But it is better than Howl's Moving Castle. "D-"$LABEL$ 0 +If this film is examined closely, it's a bit sad. It is detailed enough to touch upon very real problems children, who grow up in poor, dysfunctional environments. Yet, it retains it's comedic value, with spirited performances by Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. The sadness lies in the struggles and dysfunction of the mother (Carroll), who cannot truly help her children, not because she doesn't want to, or try, but because, it's obvious she doesn't know how. Remember, this is a comedy, but if you've never seen this, or if you have, watch this film and see the humanity, in the characters. Good film.$LABEL$ 1 +I happen to run into this movie one night so I decided to watch it! I was very pleased with the movie... I thought it was a wonderful plot. It's a great feeling knowing a deceased one has come back and you get that second chance to say what you want to say! And this wife stayed devoted for 23 years!!! I thought it was a great movie!!$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this film because Joaquim de Almeida was in it. Joaquim had a fairly small part, so it was good that I liked the film on it's own. In fact, I liked it a lot!The film centers around two characters, Albert and Louie. Albert is a shy, retiring sort, and Louie... well Louie is not. The story revolves around Louie's request to Albert to let him come over to Albert's place for just a little while. Louie has just gotten out of prison.Albert and Louie have known each other since childhood, and of course whenver they do something together there is trouble and it's Albert who always takes the fall.The action of the film is based on the adventures that ensue from Louie's visit. On The Run is a chronicle of mad-cap, zany, situations. However, Bruno de Almeida and scriptwriter, Joseph Minion (After Hours), don't always take you where you expect to go. There are twists and turns that add depth to this film. Of course there is plenty of outright comedy, but there is much subtle humor here as well.There are some downright good performances here as well. Albert is played delightfully by Michael Imperioli. He's getting fairly well-knownthese days from the HBO series, The Sopranos.Louie is played by John Ventimiglia, who imbues his character with a lovable, child-like quality. (no matter what he does, you just gotta love Louie!).Both these actors are excellent in their individual characters. With Imperioli, you'll want to hug him and bring him home to Mom. Ventimiglia, well, you won't know whether you should slap him or bring him home (and NOT to Mom!).

There are other stand-out performances as well. The character of Rita is played by Drena DeNiro (yes, Robert's daughter). The audience adored her. In talking with the others who saw the film it was fun to discuss whether it was Albert or Louie who was their favorite of those two. But, everyone loved Rita!Is this film perfect? No, I can't say that it is. There were many times I wished the director had had a bigger budget to work with. There were some scenes that cried out for more budgetary freedom. (Give this guy a decent budget to work with and I believe you are going to see a film that will make you stand up and notice.)The ending sequence was a bit of a victim of budget. Yet, budget or no budget, the ending screen shot, in my opinion, brought together the talent of actor and director into a memorable, emotionally effective scene.$LABEL$ 1 +"Yes, Georgio" is a light-hearted and enjoyable movie/comedy that contains beautiful settings and beautiful music. It's not my favorite movie but it is a movie I have enjoyed seeing more than once. Some reviewers suggested if one wished to enjoy Pavarotti, they would likely be better served by picking up an opera DVD. Although, a full opera might be a better representation of Pavarotti's operatic talents, oftentimes, an opera requires costumes and has story lines that completely hide the appearance and nature of the person. "Yes, Georgio" permits Pavarotti to use his speaking voice and to exhibit a personality and character in ways an opera would not.Many reviewers seemed to find the story unbelievable; I don't agree. Enormously talented people can be both self-centered and charming - charming enough to captivate intelligent and beautiful people. Additionally, people who are very different from one other often gain insights about themselves and grow in positive ways from interacting with people who stretch them or take them in directions they might not have chosen on their own. Both Georgio and Pamela become more open to unexplored parts of themselves in relationship with the other.Relax and let yourself go into a visually and aurally rewarding film with Pavarotti at the peak of his vocal abilities. The ending scenes from Puccini's Turandot alone are worth the time to get there.$LABEL$ 1 +This gem for gore lovers is extremely underrated. It's pure delight and fun! Gratuitous servings of blood, insanity and black humor, which can please even the most demanding lover of the genre. A full exploitation of the almost universal fear of dentists and flawlessly shot. Only for the connoisseurs.$LABEL$ 1 +I had nothing to do before going out one night so I didn't want to watch anything too heavy, I picked the perfect film. This must have been a gift to Barrymore from someone she slept with, the director Raja Gosnell has made nothing but silly crap and the writing on this one is just atrocious. In what high school can you register without a parent present and no proof of age or former schooling? They let kids all come to the prom with no shirts, in skin tight leotards, ass shorts and one girl was dressed as Eve wearing only fig leaves? She announces that she's 25 and her brother is 23 but there is no reprisal from the school, parents or lawsuits of any kind against the newspaper for fraud or spying? The newspaper boss wants to catch the teacher in an underage sex scandal but doesn't realize the teacher is coming on to a 25 year old so any case would be entrapment? They allow a camera in and record peoples private conversations with under age kids? I wonder if I hired my younger sister to go back to HS with a camera on her and filmed under age girls for my personnel use I would not get in some kind of trouble??? NAHHHH No problem. Didn't she have to take gym or go to the bathroom at some point? The secondary characters in this were like cardboard cutouts of what high school students are thought to be and everybody was a stereotype. Jessica Alba is just embarrassingly bad in this mugging for the camera at every chance. In what world do the parents not get suspicious when their uber-geeky daughter is miraculously asked out by the school stud to the prom? And they don't ask the guy inside to meet him like every other parent in history. If some guy in my school or any other school for that matter had conned my sister and thrown eggs at her in her prom dress he would have been in a body cast for the rest of his life. This movie is so contrived and predictable it's nauseating, and why at the end is everybody (the Alpo girls included) cheering for this chick when two days before they hated her????DUMB, DUMB AND DUMB.$LABEL$ 0 +... but had to see just how bad it could get. The plotline was thin to begin with, but it just kept getting worse. A female genetic engineering grad student uses her research on accelerated mitosis to artificially create a male, because a biological weapon used in WW3 killed off 97% of the worldwide male population. The surviving men are either high prices gigolos in back alley clubs, or crazed lunatics in run down football stadiums plotting to overthrow the 'Lesbian Conspiracy'. The entire process resembled the microwaving of a large bowl of jello. Press a few buttons and ding you get a baby. Not only that, but he will age to mid 20's in a month, and then begin to age normally (how convenient). Eventually poor Adam gets bored with the secluded cabin in the woods where his creator had raised him and steals her car to 'see the city'.This begins 90 minutes of unlikely chases, convenient plot twists, and several subplots that we never see resolved. As Adam quickly learns, what men did survive are treated as outcasts/criminals, because they are dangerous beasts that cannot help there genetic predisposition to violence. The propaganda machines have been in full swing, scaring women into believing all men are rapists and murderers. This has led to lesbianism being the norm, the fall of Christianity, female only reproduction via cloning, and oh yeah world peace among other implied results. All of which seem unlikely given that only ~30 years had elapsed since the war. Adam stumbles from one bad situation to the next, all the while being genetically programmed to be non-violent and unable to really do much on his own behalf. With the FBI on his trail, madams looking for fresh meat, and his creator trying to recapture him (for herself it seems), he learns that violence is not limited to the male species after all.All in all, I would not recommend this movie.I did however enjoy Veronica Cartwrights portrayal of the 'love to hate her' Director of the FBI, and Julie Bowen didn't do bad as Hope the 'closet hetero' geneticist either.$LABEL$ 0 +The first 45 minutes of Dragon Fighter are entirely acceptable and surprisingly watchable. The characters are believable and interesting. The cloning lab looks really high-tech. After that, it all collapses. The characters start behaving idiotically, and a new subplot is introduced from nowhere about a fusion reactor (and this is supposedly "present day") going critical, the only plot justification of which is that it is required to kill the dragon - only it doesn't. The finish is incredibly weak. One wonders what made a movie that started out so well turn so wrong.All the characters except Dean Cain are played by Russians. This results in some weird situations and details, like the character being played by Vessela Dimitrova being called "Bailey Kent" despite her heavy accent (and despite her, on one occasion, inexplicably switching to *Spanish*!).Because of the decent start, I considered rating this movie a 5, but it really was more disappointing than that, so I only give it 4.$LABEL$ 0 +Dr. Bock teaches at the hospital and he is quite good at it. The thing about him is that he is depressed. Dr. Bock and his wife separated, his children are deviant, he cannot perform in the bedroom and he feels as if he isn't doing a very good job at healing people. He becomes suicidal but meets Barbara who changes his ideas for the better. All around this story is a murder mystery and a group of angry protesters outside.The movie is well done and the character of Dr. Bock is well played out. It's a little sad, somewhat funny and somewhat of a drama. It was good to see a couple stories wrapped around the hospital even if they were somewhat unrelated to what Dr. Bock was doing. Great movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been playing this movie incessantly this month, and I just love it. I was around in the 60s (oh dear), so it is nostalgic in one sense. However, it's the funny premise, the snappy dialogue and the great performances that keep me watching.Dr. Winston's reactions to Stephanie at the end of the movie are priceless. (I'd be more specific, but don't want to spoil it for anyone.) Who other than Matthau can play a man not entirely on the up-and-up and yet have us still love him? As for Bergman's costumes, I think she looks as dowdy as she's supposed to. I think "she was robbed" the one time that she appears in an evening gown. It doesn't suit her at all, which is too bad. I never liked it when I first saw it on her and I still don't.Goldie won an Oscar for her role. People thought it was a groundbreaking performance at the time, and yet it's the one performance that I don't love as much as the others. She does have the right amount of sweetness and likability, however, which is important for this role.And I agree - I thought Rick Lenz was great in it and it's too bad that his movie career didn't take off after this.I hope more people watch this movie ... they'll love it!$LABEL$ 1 +WOW!! Talk about a film that divides the audience! This is a real love it or loath it kinda movie. Personally I really enjoyed it. I noticed that other reviews are comparing it to Pitch Black - this is kinda dumb as the only thing they have in common is SAND! People can be real stupid. No, this film is far more in common with The Thing (how people fail to notice is amazing - they even have the same basic music) Lots of Carpenter touches are there, blue collar heroes, sharp humor, endless rolling landscapes full of death and things not understood. Perhaps what stops this film being a real classic is it's deference to other Carpenter works. Not least Dark Star which it has something in common with. I'd be interested to know how much it REALLY cost? $8000? Is that even possible? Maybe it was based on a short film that cost $8000? But I did find myself strangely moved when the various space dudes died. They are so underplayed that it's like watching a documentary at times. Having said that the script is kinda clunky and only about half of them can act however and I'm not sure the big guy playing the Captain is one of them. But his gun is AWESOME!! Give it a chance, if you like early Carpenter you might fall for it, just don't expect 2001.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie tries to run away to the typical 'I'm fighting because I'm obliged to defend the fatherland. The NAZI's are all bad guys, I'm against them' (typical of German war movies). How? By not talking too much about it, and just referring the war and the POW's. Nevertheless I would like to see a German movie which would be something between the extremity of Come And See and the "bad NAZI's" Das Boot. I say this because, excluding this factor, the German movies are the best depicting 2nd world war and the German side. You easily see some of the German hierarchical relations, very different from the ones in US army.This is a movie which tries to get a real sight of what was Stalingrad, and I was not there, and I doubt most people were there now, but if I would choose one movie depicting this battle, for sure would not be the all American Enemy At The Gates. Why do I say this? Because even the best soldiers are not hero's, and given the conditions they may regard their own lives instead of the fatherland. This goes for all the ranks, and in the end you see von Paulus giving the example.$LABEL$ 1 +Homelessness (or Houselessness as George Carlin stated) has been an issue for years but never a plan to help those on the street that were once considered human who did everything from going to school, work, or vote for the matter. Most people think of the homeless as just a lost cause while worrying about things such as racism, the war on Iraq, pressuring kids to succeed, technology, the elections, inflation, or worrying if they'll be next to end up on the streets.But what if you were given a bet to live on the streets for a month without the luxuries you once had from a home, the entertainment sets, a bathroom, pictures on the wall, a computer, and everything you once treasure to see what it's like to be homeless? That is Goddard Bolt's lesson.Mel Brooks (who directs) who stars as Bolt plays a rich man who has everything in the world until deciding to make a bet with a sissy rival (Jeffery Tambor) to see if he can live in the streets for thirty days without the luxuries; if Bolt succeeds, he can do what he wants with a future project of making more buildings. The bet's on where Bolt is thrown on the street with a bracelet on his leg to monitor his every move where he can't step off the sidewalk. He's given the nickname Pepto by a vagrant after it's written on his forehead where Bolt meets other characters including a woman by the name of Molly (Lesley Ann Warren) an ex-dancer who got divorce before losing her home, and her pals Sailor (Howard Morris) and Fumes (Teddy Wilson) who are already used to the streets. They're survivors. Bolt isn't. He's not used to reaching mutual agreements like he once did when being rich where it's fight or flight, kill or be killed.While the love connection between Molly and Bolt wasn't necessary to plot, I found "Life Stinks" to be one of Mel Brooks' observant films where prior to being a comedy, it shows a tender side compared to his slapstick work such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, or Spaceballs for the matter, to show what it's like having something valuable before losing it the next day or on the other hand making a stupid bet like all rich people do when they don't know what to do with their money. Maybe they should give it to the homeless instead of using it like Monopoly money.Or maybe this film will inspire you to help others.$LABEL$ 1 +I a huge fan of when it comes to Doctor Who series and still am, But I was very disappointed when i began to watch this new series.Children under the age of 15, or even better under the age of 10 will probably will enjoy it the best, and possibly new fans who haven't seen any of the original series, But as far as fans of the original series, will find this series missing much of the charm the made the original series so great, It took David Tennant to get me to Appreciate how Much better Christoper Eccellestion was as a Doctor in the 1st season.I would only recommend this series for people who haven't seen much of the original series, people who are under 15, and EXTREMELY DIE HARD who fans, everyone else will just get a laugh and mumble curse words about Russel T. Davies screwed up one of our favorite TV shows.$LABEL$ 0 +I went into this film expecting/hoping for a sleazy drive-in style slice of seventies exploitation, but what I got was more of a bizarre pseudo western with far too much talking and not enough action. It's clear that this film was made on a budget; the locations are drab and poorly shot, while the acting leaves a lot to be desired also. The plot focuses on a trio of robbers (a father and two sons) that steal a load of gold after killing some miners. They come across a cabin inhabited by a young girl and her stepmother...and all this is told in flashbacks by the young girl, currently residing in an asylum. It's clear that directors Louis Leahman and William Sachs thought they were making something really shocking; but despite its best efforts, South of Hell Mountain is just too boring to shock the viewer. The film drones on for about eighty minutes and most of it consists of boring characters spouting off boring and long-winded dialogue. The only good thing I have to say about the film is with regards to the music; which is good in places. The ending is the only other good thing about the movie; and that's only because it's the last thing that happens. I wouldn't recommend anyone bothers tracking this down...there was much better trash made in the seventies.$LABEL$ 0 +Looked forward to viewing this film and seeing these great actors perform. However, I was sadly disappointed in the script and the entire plot of the story. David Duchovny,(Dr. Eugene Sands),"Connie & Carla",'04, was the doctor in the story who uses drugs and losses his license to practice medicine. Dr. Sands was visiting a night club and was able to use his medical experience to help a wounded customer and was assisted by Angelina Jolie,(Claire),"Taking Lives",'04, who immediately becomes attracted to Dr. David Sands. Timothy Hutton,(Raymond Blossom),"Kinsey",'04, plays the Big Shot Gangster and a man with all kinds of money and connections. Timothy Hutton seems to over act in most of the scenes and goes completely out of his mind trying to keep his gang members from being killed. Gary Dourdan,(Yates),"CSI-Vegas TV Series", plays a great supporting role and portrays a real COOL DUDE who is a so-called body guard for Raymond Blossom. Angelina Jolie looks beautiful and sexy with her ruby red lips which draws a great deal of attention from all the men. This film is not the greatest, but it does entertain.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of the worst films I can remember seeing. I am sure I have seen worse, though, if that mitigates me slamming it.The humor isn't funny, there are stupid stereotype jokes that, again, aren't funny. I was a captive audience on a plane and viewed this film. It was a complete waste of time. I enjoyed Martin in earlier films, but not this one. Same for Queen Latifah, she was excellent in Chicago and in Set it Off she was good too, but this role was horrid.I mostly credit the failure to the bad writing of the script. I feel strongly you can't save a formulaic, unfunny script with decent actors, this movie as a case in point. Still, all involved should have been wise enough to not participate in this film. I am just amazed that something so bad can get greenlighted, made, released theatrically, and promoted.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought the DVD a long time ago and finally got around to watching it.I really enjoyed watching this film as you don't get the chance to see many of the more serious better quality bollywood films like this. Very well done and but I would say you need to pay attention to what is going on as it is easy to get lost. When you start watching the movie, don't do anything else! I would actually advise people to read all the reviews here...including the ones with spoilers, before watching the movie. Raima Sen gave her first great performance that I have seen. Aishwarya was easily at her best. All performances were strong, directing and cinematography...go watch it!$LABEL$ 1 +First of all let us discuss about the story. It is a copy of the movie "Hitch" with an added Indian Flavor to it. One guy, who is a Love guru, and another man who is seemingly a sucker when it comes to ladies, and how this seemingly sucker becomes a charmer with the help of the love guru forms the story. Salman Khan is the love guru, and Govinda is the lame guy.Now coming to artists' performance, Salman Khan overacts throughout the movie, he tries to be funny, but fails big time. You can see Salman shouting throughout the movie, no real acting is seen in his performance. Govinda pairs opposite Katrina Kaif(Oh, my god, she is one heck of a girl. A real Beauty)is in real life a 50 year old dude, and Katrina is a girl in her early twenties. In the movie Govinda looks like Grandpa of Katrina Kaif. What a pity! Coming to Execution of the movie. This movie feels like a B-Movie, and a poor imitation of the movie Hitch. Where Hitch looks like a movie with a purpose and depth, this movie is shallow and purposeless, nowhere there is justification or clarity.Just forget this movie, for it is nothing but boring, typical Bollywood fare. Actually I give 3/10 because this is the lowest I go.$LABEL$ 0 +I try to catch this film each time it's shown on tv, which happily is quite often. But I keep forgetting to video it. As it is, I practically know the script by heart, but that doesn't stop me having a good cry, in fact it probably adds to it as I cry knowing what's coming next. It's such a lovely film - well made, well cast, good photography. I love it. One of my top ten films.$LABEL$ 1 +I got to know ÆON back in the early 90s via television and I loved it...What did you like about it ? The cranky drawing style ? The flawless artistic action involved ? The absurd and deadpan communication between the characters ? The whole layout of the surrounding future world ? No matter what you loved about it...The Aeon Flux film of late 2005 has nothing of that.Karyn Kusama, the so called "director" of the film, was hopelessly over-strained with transporting the original content to a new film. If you 're not familiar with the original series, you won't understand anything during for the first 60minutes of the film.The story is inscrutable and the vapid characters do not develop during the film.Kusama's attempt to improve the storyline by implementing some rather weak explanatory conversations between the main characters is not only a lame attempt to cover up her flaws as a storyteller , it's simply unworthy of the original ÆON concept.Charlize Theron might be an attractive woman, but she can't impersonate the ÆON character. Although she was attached to strings doing action scenes, her lack of talent for physical motion simply ruins the action sequences in the film. The result is a tremendous amount of hectic picture cuts to cover up the sheer lameness of her physique.Forget about all the rest, it's not worth talking about...I give 1point for Ms.Theron showing her boobs and 1point for the nice architectural photography in the film. That's it.$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't expect much when I rented this movie and it blew me away. If you like good drama, good character development that draws you into a character and makes you care about them, you'll love this movie.Engrossing!$LABEL$ 1 +This is like something I have NEVER seen before. It had me cracking up the whole time I don't think there was one scene that I didn't laugh through. It is about a girl from the country in South who goes off to a big town for college. At the school she befriends the RA across the hall. When she realizes that he has no family to go to for Thanksgiving she invites him to come home with her. Rabecca and her family and her serious boyfriend all go out to dinner one night and Becca realizes what her boyfriend is about to do...Propose. She urges Cral to do something so he stands up and shouts something like... Sorry mate but you are too late I already asked Becca to marry me a couple of weeks ago back at the school and she said yes. That all turns into Chaos. Please watch this classic it is totally worth it... I swear.$LABEL$ 1 +This off-beat horror movie seems to be getting nothing but bad reviews. My question is; why? I think this movie is pretty good. Dee Snider did very well for his first (and only) time directing. He also plays the antagonist, Captain Howdy (Carelton Hendriks). This movie seems to have a view of the future. Although it came out back in 1998, it seems to be about modern issues. Internet predators seems to be the underlying plot here. Although taken to another level, this is an issue which we still face today. I'll admit, the story fell short a few times, but that doesn't make this a bad movie at all. Robert Englund is even in this movie, that automatically makes it better. THe acting wasn't bad, the characters were pretty good as well. Hendriks was a pretty good antagonist I think. I give this off-beat horror a 7/10. Recommend for fans of Saw.$LABEL$ 1 +ArmoredThe best part about driving an armored vehicle is that if any bums approach you at a red light asking for money, you can shoot them in the face.And while the armoured guards in this thriller aren't using their protective power to purge the drifter population, they are using their position to fleece their employer.When newcomer Ty (Columbus Short) lands a job with an armored trunk company, he feels like he has found his lot in life. Unfortunately, however, when he discovers that his co- workers (Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne) are plotting to take the $42 M shipment for themselves, Ty must fortify himself – and the funds – inside the armored truck.A tedious caper with a plodding plot and phoned-in performances, Armored is an utterly forgettable film.Besides, if you really want to jack millions, it's a lot simpler to just disguise yourself as an ATM. (Red Light)$LABEL$ 0 +If this film becomes a holiday tradition I am going to have to hide for Christmas for the rest of my life. How do you even think of comparing this with 'A Wonderful Life'! It was absolutely awful! The boy singing made my toes curl. And what on earth was the deal with his hair?? Emmy worthy performance?! Please. Granted, Lucci did OK but an Emmy????? I think this film is a waste of money. The fact that they stuck so close to the original story pretending to give it a modern and retro touch made it even worse. It lacked enthusiasm and persistence on all accounts. Lighting, wardrobe, make-up, it seemed everybody wanted to go home. Just a big NO from me.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is supposed to be taking place in and around Seattle. The, why is Porteau Cove P-R-O-V-I-N-C-I-A-L Park shown? Provincial parks are in CANADA, and not the United States. The Inspector uses a Palm Pilot complete with stylus to 'read' that someone has hacked into the computer of the bridal shop. I did not know that this was possible using a database storage device. A woman appears in the movie without any introduction and is never introduced. We learn half-way into the movie that this woman works in the District Attorney's office. Then, in the correctional center a guard actually PRECEDES Jenks through a door and keeps his back to the offender!! This would NEVER happen in a real correctional setting. The director really messed on this one -- this doesn't happen in real life. The acting is adequate. The Plot is good. The Cinematography is good. However, the many errors found in the continuity lead to a 3 out of 10 vote.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie was good. Really the only reason I watched it was Alan Rickman. Which he didn't pull off the southern accent,but he did pretty well with it.Know Emma Thompson did really good she definitely pulled off the southern accent. I like all the character in my opinion not one of them did bad,another thing I have notice. I have read all these comment and not one person has comment on Alan 5 0'clock shadow. Which made him look even better and he pretty much had one through the whole movie. I would give the movie a 9 out of 10. Another one of my opinions is the movie would been better if there wasn't any sex. Still it was alright. Love the scene were he says "Aw sh*t" when he is setting in his car and see them in his mirror.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this adaptation because I really liked Anne Brontë's novel when I read it some time ago and usually particularly enjoy BBC dramas. But I'm very disappointed, I never thought it would be as bad as that: the whole series made me laugh much more than moved me as the novel had.First of all, the music (and songs) seems totally out of place in a period drama (sounds as if it's been written for a contemporary horror film)and like another commentator, I was particularly annoyed by the way the cameras spun and spun round the actors. I've seen some scenes filmed that way in "North and South" and it seemed all right there but in The Tenant, it's definitely overdone and simply annoying. Camera movements cannot make wooden acting lively.Most of the second roles were difficult to distinguish at first and the script lacked clarity. None of the characters were properly introduced at first. The little boy gave a very good performance, he's very cute and the best feature of the film.SPOILERS Tara Fitzgerald's characterisation of Helen Graham made her appear cold and harsh, letting no emotion pass through. She doesn't seem to be able to cry at all in a realistic way. I just couldn't believe Markham could have fell for her and I'm not mentioning the awful hairdo she was given. I could not help feeling some sympathy with her husband! Fancy being married to such a virago... Besides, he was the only main actor that sounded right to me. Toby Stephens I found just OK, Helen Graham's brother not very good. Maybe it's difficult to adapt a novel that deals with such bleak subjects as alcoholism and cruelty. Besides, what is only hinted at and left to the reader's imagination in the book is dwelt upon with complaisance in the TV adaptation: making some scenes both gross and comic, (like when Huntingdon's eye starts bleeding) and others far too sexed up for a period drama! I mean, don't we get enough of those bed scenes in contemporary dramas?$LABEL$ 0 +The gate to Hell has opened up under Moscow. A priest, played by Vincent Gallo, goes to the city to find a friend who has gone missing in the tunnels under the city in an attempt to find the gateway. Wandering around underground he and his colleagues have to deal with the tunnels inhabitants both human and demonic. Good idea with a good cast of second tier actors goes nowhere much like the tunnels that are its setting. I've watched this twice now and I still have no idea why this is suppose to be scary when not a heck of a lot happens other then people talk about the evil and we see shadow forms. Nothing is clear and honestly I didn't see the point of it all other than provide a pay check for those involved (Second billed Val Kilmer is in a couple of fleeting scenes that don't amount to much other than to allow him to be billed as in the film.) The idea is really good, the performances are fine, the script goes nowhere. Take the advice of several of the characters in the film and don't cross the river to see this.$LABEL$ 0 +Walter Matthau and George Burns just work so well together. The acidity of Willy with the perplexed amnesic Al is a mixture made in heaven. The scene when they meet again in Willy's flat is a gem and the final scene rounds up the film to perfection. Walter Matthau gives a superb performance as the irascible semi-retired comedian as only he can, the intonation in the voice and the exaggerated dramatics coupled with his general misunderstanding of what is going on form a great characterization. George Burns timing is legendary and nowhere was it better than in this film, his calm aplomb with desert dry replies are memorable. Watch for the scene near the end when Al and his daughter ask something of the Spanish caretaker, and Al's reaction - priceless.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning Spoiler. . . I have to agree with you, it was almost there. This was such a bad movie, about such and interesting true story. It had such promise, but the acting was ridiculous at best. Some sets were beautiful and realistic. Others are something out of a theme park. I found myself laughing as I watched, what was suppose to be, serious scenes. I really wanted to like this movie, but I couldn't. The best part was the fight between friends that ended with the "King" dying. I liked the Queens' punishment. And, the final shot made a beautiful picture, though. There are so many better movies to watch. I don't recommend this.$LABEL$ 0 +Brown of Harvard is a hard movie to pin down. We expect a lot more from our movies these days, so it helps to remember that audiences in the 20's were a bit more innocent. William Haines is charming as the rogue who has to stumble through pain and humiliation to find success and, even, glory. All of the relationships in the movie feel very stilted EXCEPT for the homoerotic tie between Billy and Jack Pickford, the town nerd. The movie has everything, romance, tears, love, death, and even sports... It's a great education in how society has changed in the 20th century.$LABEL$ 1 +I was skimming over the list of films of Richard Burton when I came to this title that I recall vividly from when I first saw it on cable in 1982. I remember dialogue from Tatum O'Neal that was just amazingly bad. I remember Richard Burton's character looking so hopelessly lost, and then remembering how his motivations didn't translate to me. In short, I remember "Circle of Two" because it was so phenomenally awful.This movie came out at a time when America was going through a rather disturbing period of fascination with unhealthy or skewed angles on teenage sexuality. Recall "The Blue Lagoon" (and other Brooke Shields annoyances), "Lipstick", "Little Darlings", "Beau Pere" and other films that just seemed to dwell on teens having sex, particularly with adults. As a teenager during this time, I found the obsession, combined with the sexual excesses of the 70's and 80's, made for a subconsciously unsettling environment in which to figure it all out, so to speak."Circle of Two" is not execrably acted or needlessly prurient, like "Blue Lagoon". In fact, it tackles the question of love between the young and the old in a brave, if totally failed, way. But honestly, it is one of those films you will *never* see if you didn't see it on its first run because it was so truly awful. No one would want to have this garbage ever surface to be publicly distributed again.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember watching American Gothic when it first aired, it came into my mind recently, all I could remember was the same guy appeared in Midnight Caller, which is Gary Cole, I don't watch much TV, but I watched American Gothic, I purchased the Complete Series on DVD this week,& it's still as good as ever, This is one of the best TV series ever, the reason I don't watch much TV is because it's just rubbish that's on, except for Derren Brown, it's all Reality TV or Soaps, such as Grease, Big Brother etc, i'm fed up with it, I got the Complete Series of American Gothic for £16.97 form the Asda website, that's the cheapest I can find it.$LABEL$ 1 +. . . and that is only if you like the sight of beautiful woman with nice, bouncy jugs running around the so called African jungle. So no problems there for most males out there.I watched it as one of those bundled together package. Forget about the plot which is essentially just a flimsy storyline to get our heroine flashing her jugs on screen at every opportunity possible. Just to give you a sense, our heroine swings from vine to vine and climb on top animals at every chance possible for no good reason at all just to let you see her jugs at all angles. Again, no complaints.The "fight scenes" are laughable and borderline on the pornographic. Our heroine got caught by the baddies at least five times in the movie. On occasions when she has to fight, the "fighting" involves rolling around in the dirt, grunting unconvincingly and basically fighting like kittens. I am surprised no hair pulling is involved. It get so bad that the chief baddie had to remind the "combatants" that "I said, the one that draw first blood wins!" in order to avoid watching anymore stupid fighting.The witch doctor Kuku was a bloody blast. From being a big, cuddly bear in the beginning, he became manic depressive when captured and then, outright psycho. He spent the whole movie muttering lines with no irrelevance.Beside Liana (our heroine)bouncing around topless, you also get to see plenty of other Amazonians as well as one woman who decided to jump naked into the lake to take a swim for no good reasons. Yeah, it is that kind of movie.Watch the beautiful Liane in her bouncy glory. Despite the movie being more than 20 years old, the allure of watching blond women flashing their nice jugs on screen never gets old.$LABEL$ 0 +"Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island!" is a hilarious show that is on Saturday mornings on WB. It stars Coconut Fred and all of his friends on the island, and every episode is a very funny misadventure of theirs. Most of the time, it is because of Coconut Fred's trouble making antics which makes it funny, and other stuff going on on the island at the same time. The humor is great and nobody on the island is very bright at all, which adds it being as amusing as it is. I don't think this could be funnier. The voice talents of the characters are magnificently superior and are exaggerated, which adds to the show's hilarity. If this is ever on DVD, I'm getting it A.S.A.P!Strongly recommended for a good laugh.$LABEL$ 1 +The poet Carne disappears (didn´t he disappeared with Prévert?) and is followed by the judge Carne. The director wants to give his own vision of a youth that he doesn´t understand and he doesn´t want to. It´s a long way from the wonderful "Les enfants du paradis"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie, which I just discovered at the video store, has apparently sit around for a couple of years without a distributor. It's easy to see why. The story of two friends living in New York searching for their pal from high school who is now living homeless under the boardwalk at Coney Island, has flashes of being a very good film, but ultimately is weighted down by the story focusing on Stan and Daniel, rather than on their homeless friend Richie. Cryer is as usual very good and the film has a nice stark look to it, with the ghostly images of Coney Island. However, writer Cryer and director Richard Schenkman are too busy dealing with the fairly uninteresting lives of Stan and Daniel rather than focusing on Richie. One flashback in a music store, where Richie has a crush on an employee stands out and really shows the viewer where this film could have gone. But in the end, not much. Two many drawn out scenes of annoyance, such as inside the Skeeball building. RATING 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +How viewers react to this new "adaption" of Shirley Jackson's book, which was promoted as NOT being a remake of the original 1963 movie (true enough), will be based, I suspect, on the following: those who were big fans of either the book or original movie are not going to think much of this one...and those who have never been exposed to either, and who are big fans of Hollywood's current trend towards "special effects" being the first and last word in how "good" a film is, are going to love it.Things I did not like about this adaption:1. It was NOT a true adaption of the book. From the articles I had read, this movie was supposed to cover other aspects in the book that the first one never got around to. And, that seemed reasonable, no film can cover a book word for word unless it is the length of THE STAND! (And not even then) But, there were things in this movie that were never by any means ever mentioned or even hinted at, in the movie. Reminded me of the way they decided to kill off the black man in the original movie version of THE SHINING. I didn't like that, either. What the movie's press release SHOULD have said is..."We got the basic, very basic, idea from Shirley Jackson's book, we kept the same names of the house and several (though not all) of the leading character's names, but then we decided to write our own story, and, what the heck, we watched THE CHANGELING and THE SHINING and GHOST first, and decided to throw in a bit of them, too."2. They completely lost the theme of a parapyschologist inviting carefully picked guest who had all had brushes with the paranormal in their pasts, to investigate a house that truly seemed to have been "born bad". No, instead, this "doctor" got everyone to the house under the false pretense of studying their "insomnia" (he really invited them there to scare them to death and then see how they reacted to their fear...like lab rats, who he mentioned never got told they are part of an experiment...nice guy). This doctor, who did not have the same name, by the way, was as different from the dedicated professional of the original movie as night from day.3. In direct contrast to the statement that was used to promote both movies "some houses are just born bad", this house was not born bad but rather became bad because of what happened there...and, this time around, Nel gets to unravel the mystery (shades of THE CHANGELING). The only problem was, the so-called mystery was so incoherently told that I'm sure it remained a mystery to most of the audience...but, then there was no mystery in the first place (not in the book), because the house was bad TO BEGIN WITH. It's first "victim" died before ever setting eyes on it.4. The way the character of Luke was portrayed was absolutely ridiculous. He was supposed to be a debonair playboy who was someday to inherit the house (and was a true skeptic of it's "history")...and in this one he was just a winey-voiced, bumbling nerd who couldn't sleep(insomnia remember) and was a compulsive liar.5. I was also annoyed with the way the movie jumped from almost trying to recreate original scenes word for word (the scene with Nel's sister's family, and Mrs. Dudley's little opening speech...) to going off into flights of fancy that made me think more of these other movies than THE HAUNTING. It's like it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to do.6. I missed Nel's narrative through the whole movie. The original was so like a gothic novel in the way that the story was mostly told in the first person, through Nel's eyes, and we always were privy to her thoughts. That totally unique touch was completely lost in the new version. They also tried to make Nel much more of a heroine. The original Nel was not a bad person, but she was a bitter person (could she be otherwise after sacrificing 11 years of her life to a selfish old woman and a spiteful sister?) and she liked to moan, and she lost her temper... This one was almost too good to be true. This was never more apparent than in the climax of the movie where the writer's had obviously been watching GHOST one too many times.7. They changed the history of the house and it's occupents too much. There was no Abigail Crain (the daughter of Hugh whose legend loomed large in the original versions), there was no "companion", and there was no nursery. There was also no "Grace" (wife of the original doctor) and Hugh Crain's wives died in totally different ways. These changes, changed the story WAY too much. I don't know whether the producers of this movie should be glad Shirley Jackson no longer walks this earth or whether they should...BE SORRY (if ya get my drift!!! The hauntings she could envision are not something to be trifled with!!!).In conclusion, let me just leave you with some words from the original Luke (appropriate substitution of the word "house" for "movie"!): "This 'movie' should be burnt to the ground, and the ground sprinkled with salt!" My favorite movie of all time remains so. No competition from this one.$LABEL$ 0 +As a fan of Wm. Faulkner since college, I was especially pleased to see Intruder In the Dust and for other reasons. My grandfather, also named Clarence Brown as was the director, grew up in the Oxford area having been born near there in 1888. We attended a week long family reunion at Oxford in July, 1964 a mere 15 years after filming the movie. It still looked mostly like it does in the film but was going thru a period of civil rights upheaval then as the site of Ole Miss. My recollection is of its being a nice little college town that summer but I was just an 18 year old college sophomore and white. I was just then beginning to see the injustice of segregation and prejudice but still had a long way to go. Anyhow, the movie is well worth watching but the filmmakers must have had to walk a tight rope to get it done there and I would love to know more about that story. Now days, Oxford is a larger, more modern college town with all the ills that go along with such things and I hope to return again to see how it must have changed socially in the last 40 plus years. Juano Hernandez should certainly have been nominated for an Oscar that year but Hollywood was still to bigoted itself to let that happen. Other Faulkner stories have been filmed so look for them and compare. One of the best was a PBS treatment of The Barn Burner from about 1985 or so starring Tommy Lee Jones. It really captured the intensity of rural Southern whites that Faulkner wrote so incisively about so often.$LABEL$ 1 +I just caught "Farewell to the King" on cable, and maybe it's just because I'm a girl, but I thought this was on the craptastic side. The script and direction are pretentious (once I found out John Milius was responsible, it all became clear). The supporting actors actually weren't bad - James Fox was outstanding. The biggest disappointment was Nick Nolte, who I usually enjoy. Once he goes native, he starts speaking a very stiff, stilted English, and half the time, he seems kind of distracted, as if he'd just smoked some of the bounty of Borneo's rain forest. And then the end -- what the ??? Learoyd just happens to be on the same boat as The Botanist (by the way, had the Botanist dumped the girlfriend, or what?)??? The boat just happens to run aground conveniently close to an island ripe takeover by a crazy Anglo ex-headhunting Army deserter??$LABEL$ 0 +A great suspense movie with terrific slow camera-work adding to the dramatics makes this a treat to watch and enjoy. Director-writer Brian de Palma does a super Hitchcock-imitation (many called it a "ripoff") with this film and the 2.35:1 widescreen DVD is a must to fully appreciate the camera-work (and several scenes with people hiding on each side which are lost on formatted-for-TV tapes).The downside of the movie, at least to anyone that has some kind of moral standard, is the general sleaziness of all the characters, including the policeman played by a pre-NYPD Dennis Franz (who has hair here!). The opening scene is still shocking with a fairly long shower scene of Angie Dickinson that is quite explicit, even 25 years after its release. The film has several erotic scenes in it as Dickinson (if that is really her on the closeups) and Nancy Allen are not shy about showing their bodies.There is not much dialog in the first 20 minutes and no bad language until Franz enters the picture after the murder. The first 36 minutes are riveting and even though it's apparent who the killer is, it's still very good suspense and fun to watch all the way through, particularly for males ogling the naked women.$LABEL$ 1 +Choose your fate: The terrible tykes of the fourth form, playing practical jokes that involve axes, or the...ummm...well-developed girls of the sixth form, who discovered some time ago cigarettes, gin, sex and how easily men can be led astray. The problem is that one set comes with the other. They are all there at St. Trinian's, that remarkably easy-going English school for girls led by headmistress Millicent Fritton (Alastair Sim). As Miss Fritton is fond of pointing out, "In other schools girls are sent out quite unprepared into a merciless world, but when our girls leave here, it is the merciless world which has to be prepared." Miss Fritton sounds something like a melding of Julia Child and Eleanor Roosevelt, and definitely has Sim's droll and deadpan comic genes. In The Belles of St. Trinian's, a sly, chaotic comedy from the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, St. Trinian's is, as usual, on the brink of financial disaster. Salvation may be at hand, however, when a rich sheik sends his daughter to join the fourth form and receive a proper English education. The sheik also is a horse owner and one of his prize racers, Arab Boy, is being trained near the school for a race. It's only a matter of time before the fourth- form girls form a racing pool and bet heavily on Arab Boy, with Miss Fritton adding to the pool what funds the school has left. (Much of the fourth-form girl's money comes from the gin they make in chemistry, then bottle and lower by rope to Flash Harry (George Cole), a Cockney fixer, for distribution. "It's got something...I don't know quite what," says Miss Fritton on sampling the stuff, "but send a few bottles up to my room.") Miss Fritton, however, has a brother, Clarence Fritton (who, by some coincidence of casting, also is Alastair Sim), a bookmaker who not only has placed a bundle on another horse, but who also has a daughter. And he has placed the precocious Arabella in the sixth form to keep him informed. Soon the sixth form has kidnapped Arab Boy, the fourth form has taken the horse back, Flash Harry has joined forces with Miss Fritton, the sixth-form girls are determined that Arab Boy will not leave the second floor of St. Trinian's, Clarence and his Homburg-wearing gang have arrived, parents are driving up for Parent's Day and the Ministry of Education has arrived in the person of a very proper inspector. Total war breaks out at St. Trinian's. It's hard to say which is more dangerous, the African spears or the flour bombs. Alastair Sim as Millicent Fritton turns in a tour de force performance. Miss Fritton is a tall woman with a stately bosom, fond of long gowns with embroidered lace and Edwardian hats with lots of feathers. She takes everything in stride, even a fourth-former pounding at something in chemistry class and, after hearing an explosion a few minutes later, the results. "Oh dear. I told Bessie to be careful with that nitro-glycerine!" She is firm in believing that St. Trinian's is "a gay arcadia of happy girls." Sim was one of Britain's great eccentric actors. Other than the sheer chaos of all the little (and not so little) girls doing terrible things, he delivers much of the film's pleasure.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was absolutely wonderful. The pre-partition time and culture has been recreated beautifully. Urmila has given yet another brilliant performance. What I truly admire about this movie is that it doesn't resort to Pakistan-bashing that is running rampant in movies like Gadar and LOC. With the partition as a backdrop, the movie does not divert to political issues or focus on violence or what is right and wrong. The movie always centers around the tragic story of Urmila's life. Her fragile relationship with Manoj Bajpai has been depicted excellently. The movie actually shows how the people, both Hindus and Muslims, have suffered from this partition. The theme that there is only one religion is truly prevalent in this film.$LABEL$ 1 +A terrible amateur movie director (no, not Todd Sheets), his new friend and sister explore a cave. The friend and sister fall in and get rescued. Meanwhile a gang of horribly acted girls are defending their 'turf'. Whatever the heck that means. This film and I use the term VERY loosely is so bad that it's.. well bad. The humor is painfully unfunny, the "action" merely sad. Now I've seen some atrociously awful 'horror' films in my time & failed to grow jaded in my approach to watching low-budget films, yet I still weep openly for anyone who choose to sit through this. ONLY for the most hardened maschocists amongst you. but the rest run away FAST!!My Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +This movie could have been a lot better than it was, if hadn't been a Disney Film. I thought that the young girl playing Shirley was all right, you could tell that she was really trying to do the job right. The teenage Shirley Temple wasn't right at all. I think that they should have spent last time on her childhood, the first hour should have been about the young Shirley, then the last hour should have been about the older Shirley. This was a boring movie, and not a good Shirley Temple story.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm surprised that no one yet has mentioned that there are two versions of this same film. The lion's share of the footage in both is identical, but here is where they differ: In one version (the version I have seen most often on broadcast TV), the group of clerics guarding the gateway consists of the "Brotherhood of the Protectors", a (fictional) splinter group of priests and brothers "excommunicated" by the Church. In the other version, which I've seen only once on TV, the clerics guarding the gateway are depicted as priests of the official Church, meaning the Archdiocese of New York (or perhaps Brooklyn). Also, in the former version, in most of the pertinent scenes, the clerics are referred to as "brothers" (and in some scenes, you can see where the lips say "Father" so-and-so but the dubbed audio says "Brother" so-and-so. In the latter version, I believe everyone is referred to as "Father".In any event, it seems that one of these two versions is more or less a partial re-shooting of the other, with all "Brotherhood of the Protector" scenes re-shot as "Archdiocese" scenes, or vice versa. (Kind of reminds me of the Raymond Burr cutaway scenes in "Godzilla"). I have videotaped both versions off broadcast TV, so no, I'm not imagining this. Can anyone shed some more light on the story behind these two versions of the film?$LABEL$ 1 +There is a DVD published in the UK in 2002 Code HRGD002 on the cover, no ASIN, VFC 19796 on the disk, no IFPI code in the inner rim.Probably a straight transfer from VHS. There is no much point is commenting an adult film. But this one contains a minimal plot, and the characters are believable. It was shown in the United States in normal cinemas.I've seen it In Pensylvannia way back in 1975.As such it deserves a place in an Encyclopedia of Movies. The DVD has no special features and no subtitles, and was probably made using a VHS tape as source$LABEL$ 0 +Don't watch this film while, or soon after, eating.Having said that, Begotten will stick with you for the rest of your life, like it or not. Based on the nihilistic philosophy that life is nothing more than man spasming above ground (to paraphrase the title sequence/introduction), this will more than likely contain the most intense and grisly imagery you'll ever see in a film.There is no dialogue, only image after image describing the cycle of life. The film's combination of stark black and white photography compounded with some truly creepy background sounds work to drive home the maker's message.The movie begins with God (portrayed as a bandaged and obviously insane man) slicing open his torso with a straight razor and subsequently dying in his own filth. After his death, Mother Nature emerges from his corpse to impregnate herself with his blood and semen and gives birth to Man, represented by a maggot of a human convulsing on the earth.The landscape is a barren waste, populated by hulking shrouded humanoids who eventually happen upon Mother Nature and Man. After a slew of violent scenes depicting the rape of Nature and destruction of Man, these humanoids proceed to pound the remains of the corpses back into the ground, and the cycle of life begins anew.I actually rented this from Blockbuster one night, based on the cover art and hype content, but this is definitely not a Blockbuster-type film. Don't expect narrative, dialogue or any pulled punches. This is intense imagery based on a dark subject.I give this movie some high marks for the filmwork and audio, but I don't think I'll be watching it too often, if again. I like my movies dark and unique, but this one is exponentially more than I expected.$LABEL$ 1 +This cheapo exploitation flick is some genuinely insipid stuff, courtesy of spaghetti land director Lamberto Bava, who wisely left his name off this junk.The basic crux of this outing concerns the discovery of some brutally mutilated individuals being washed-up on shore in the Caribbean. Authorities initially believe them to be victims of shark attacks, but as the investigation unravels, turns out to be something much more sinister.All of this ultimately amounts to very little however, we have here - poor dubbing complimented by similarly weak script, which often consists of nonsensical jabbering, and is really of little consequence for the most part. Acting can only be described as sub-par, which is par for the course in this instance. Truly lax direction doesn't help things either.Special effect mainly is for numerous close-ups of various gory bodies missing limbs, and so forth. Of course, there is the obligatory creature which periodically emerges at feeding time, which looks something like a big monster octopus thing, where its animation only consists of its pointed teeth ascending and descending in rhythmic articulation. Overall, the end result is none too convincing, sure, but admittedly is almost entertaining in a cheesy kind of fashion.It seems what the film makers were going for was a sort of low-rent hybrid of Jaws and Piranha, but the final product is just a bloody shambles, much like the corpses incessantly shown throughout this picture. I find it difficult to think of any redeeming attributes to warrant viewing this, so moreover, strictly for incurable monster movie addicts.$LABEL$ 0 +Walt Disney's 20th animated feature was the last one to be greenlighted by the great man himself (he died in late 1966) and is not generally considered to be among their very best output. The main problem is that, on the surface, the film seems merely to be the feline version of either LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955) or 101 DALMATIONS (1961) both of which are certainly more beloved by fans Even so, being both an animation and cat lover, I dug this reasonably bouncy concoction in which a pampered female cat (voiced by Eva Gabor) and her three little kittens are thrown out onto the streets of Paris by a wealthy lady (Hermione Baddeley)'s greedy butler. Luckily, they meet a streetwise alley cat (Phil Harris) who guides them on the journey back and are further aided along the way by a feline jazz band (led by Scatman Crothers) and two helpful and amiably dopey dogs; meanwhile at home, Edgar the butler celebrates his supposed inheritance and the mouse and the horse do their bit to help their fellow feline pets. Legendary entertainer Maurice Chevalier was whisked back from retirement to sing the title song (which includes a verse in French) and Scatman's band indulge in a breezy number "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat".$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this movie at a video store and, being the Bam Margera fan I am, had to rent it to see what it was all about. Since I have a huge and stupid (note the word stupid) sense of humor, I found this movie absolutely hilarious. Some of the parts are pointless and random, but that's what makes them so amusing. You'll need to think things like getting slapped in the face and bashed on the head with a watermelon are funny in order to appreciate this movie. I was really impressed.I was also surprised at the acting. These people actually did a good job. Nothing Oscar worthy, but well enough to get past the amateur level. Teens and young adults would probably find this more entertaining because of the modern slang and situations used. I wouldn't suggest watching this with your parents and vice versa.All in all, the acting was great, the script was hilarious, and the story is really something you can relate to.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved it, it was really gruesome and disgusting. I thought that the tearing of the human flesh was thoroughly provacative. the way that it was depicting the human crucifix about Jesus Christ was really interesting. The tearing about limbs and jaws was awesome brutally gruesome. Don't watch this if you have a weak heart, you wouldn't be able to stand it.$LABEL$ 1 +Citizen Kane....The Godfather Part II....D'Urville Martin's Dolemite. This is the single greatest piece of celluloid ever created and unleashed upon humanity. Rudy Ray Moore, in a role that transcends Academy Awards stars as Dolemite, the baddest cat in the universe. He clearly does not take any jive from no turkey (I myself am unfortunately a turkey) and proves it with his powers of rapping, pimping, and karate chopping. This is blaxploitation at its absolute finest, a shining example of the genre with its low budget, continuity errors, and hatred for rat-soup eating honkey expletive expletive. The true Godfather of Rap (not this new Ali nonsense) Moore is something of a juxtaposition of acting technique; somehow managing to be the most charismatic awful actor of the 1970's, and thats saying something. This one is HIGHLY recommended folks, if not for the one-liners alone.$LABEL$ 1 +OK. On the whole, this three part documentary will bring most interested people up to date with going's on in the world of physics, and the last 300 years of discovery of our universe. If you have read Stephen Hawkings brilliant book "A Brief History of Time" and understood it then you might benefit from the visual description of certain concepts..which i did to a certain extent. Greene is bearable, but obviously for the sake of the masses, tends to explain things in a slighty patronising way. This is of course deliberate and will be perfect for almost everyone who watches this series.The guest scientists were good. (no Hawking, but i suppose he has his own DVD(s) ) I kept waiting for him to appear but they rotate through the same ones for almost 3 parts... (very American weighted here, with a few Brits and one antipodean) I bought the Nova 2 Disc edition (NTSC) and there were a few inclusions that really detracted from the overall experience.1. The "this is brought to you by.." at the start of EACH part was a necessary evil for the first part, but seeing it 2 more times before It was over was very ordinary.2. Can't be helped I suppose but there is quite a bit of overlap at the start of 2 and 3 which had me reaching for the FFW button a few times.3. This disc set was straight from TV..(ie ads, what happen last show for those that missed it, and frequent "goto pbs.org for more ...." )appearing throughout the presentation. (quite unlike BBC material which is unmatched for presentation..Planets, The Blue Planet, etc) My 7/10 is based on content alone. The niggles were there but I got over them. If this had have been done with that classic British accented presenter( you know the one) it would be a perfect Disc set in my opinion.If you have seen this and want more...then I highly recommend Hawkings book " a Brief History of Time"... I wish it was a movie too.Happy viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +Another Woo's masterpiece!This is a best wuxie film i'm ever seen! Woo - RULEZ forever (except some Hollywood moments...). John Woo - greater director of the century.Maybe hi is not more intellectual than lot of Big Directors... But he is lyrical and spiritual idol of all free-mind people! His movies like the great poetry! Woo is a Movie Sheakspeare! Woo is a Movie Biron! Woo is a Mozart of Bloodshet!!!!IMHO violent in Woo films is not a directors bloodlust, but a instrument of art. Themes of Woo movies is more humanistic that more of the new films.$LABEL$ 1 +I love this show as it action packed with adventure, love and intrigue. Well some times love! It's so good see a show where all the characters work well together and they treat each other with respect. It's also very good to se Dick Van Dyke in a television role as I have only seen him in Mary Poppins. the mixture of the main characters, Mark, Amanda, Jesse and Steve is very capturing to the audience. This is a show you have to watch!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the movie before I read the Michelle Magorian book and I enjoyed both. The movie, more than the book, made me come close to tears on several occasions. This film touches the deepest points of the human soul and never lets go. I encourage as many people to watch this masterpiece as much and as soon as possible. I give it ten stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Some unsuspecting films carry a message that resonates in the hours and days after viewing. Such is the case for CAROL'S JOURNEY (EL VIAJE DE CAROL), a beautifully crafted 2002 film from Spain based on the novel 'A boca de noche' by Ángel García Roldán who also adapted the book as a screenplay. War and its consequences are not new subject matter for films, but when that war theme plays in the background as a subtle driving force to develop characters (especially children) who must face adult life influenced by the games of adults, the result is a different and more tender examination of the coming of age film genre.Carol (Clara Lago) is a 12-year-old Spanish American youngster from New York who with her critically ill mother Aurora (María Barranco) returns to her Aurora's home in 1938 at the height of the Spanish Civil War, a home that has been left deserted by her father Don Amalio (Álvaro de Luna) since his wife's death. Carol's father Robert (Ben Temple) is a fighter pilot who has sided with the Republicans against Franco and is rarely with his family. Aurora has a past: she left her lover Alfonso (Alberto Jiménez) to marry Robert, and Alfonso in turn married Aurora's cold sister Dolores (Lucina Gil). Carol is an independent girl who remains aloof to all but her grandfather Don Amalio until she meets others her age but not of her 'class': Tomiche (Juan José Ballesta) and his two friends at first resent Carol, but as events develop Carol and Tomiche are bonded by what feels like the first awakenings of love. When Aurora dies of her illness, Carol must live with Alfonso and Dolores and their daughter Blanca (Luna McGill), yet turns to her grandfather for support and to her mother's best friend and teacher Maruja (the always radiant Rosa Maria Sardà) to understand the disparity between classes and the senseless war that keeps her beloved father from her side. Through a series of incidents Carol and Tomiche learn the rigors of becoming adults, facing more traumas in a brief period of the war than most of us experience in a lifetime. The ending, though sad, is uplifting as Carol's journey to maturity is complete.The film is shot in Galicia and Portugal and contains some extraordinarily beautiful settings captured with gentle sensitive lighting by cinematographer Gonzalo F. Berridi and enhanced by the musical score by Bingen Mendizábal. Director Imanol Uribe understands the fine line separating pathos from bathos, and in electing to concentrate the story on the children involved, he makes an even stronger statement about the futility and cruelty of war. The cast is exceptional: the stars clearly are young Clara Lago and Juan José Ballesta, but they are supported by the fine veteran actors in the adult roles. This is a visually stunning work with a lasting message and should find a much larger audience than it has to this date. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +ROAD TO PERDITION can be summed up by Thomas Newman's score . It's haunting and beautiful but you're aware that this music is similar to Newman's other work and while listening to the soundtrack you're reminded of SCENT OF A WOMAN , MEETING JOE BLACK and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION you're reminded of other films as the story unfolds on screen . As the Sullivans drive round America trying to escape from a psychotic hit man you think of THE GETAWAY , Irish gangsters is MILLER'S CROSSING whilst the subtext of guilt and redemption can be summed up by Coppola and Leone's gangster epics. Despite having a seen it all before feel this shouldn't be taken as a heavy criticism of Sam Mendes film which I repeat is haunting and beautiful and the only flaws that work against it is a very slow opening twenty minutes and I was slightly confused as the events that caused Michael Sullivan to be betrayed . But if you stop to consider how much of a sentimental mess Spielberg might have made with the story that revolves around a father and his twelve year old son running for their lives you can't help thinking what a superb director Mendes is ROAD TO PERDITION is a film where the entire cast give flawless performances . I've never been all that keen on Tom Hanks but he's every bit as good here as he has been in any starring role , probably better . Paul Newman plays a character with an Irish accent but at no point did I believe I was watching an American screen legend putting on a false accent - Newman's performance works due to the subtle body language , his character is torn up by guilt but Newman never milks it or goes over the top . While never upstaging Newman who gives the best performance in the movie the two Brit supporting actors Craig and Law are also very memorable as American gangsters and while Law will still have a long career as a leading actor one wonders how Daniel Craig might have progressed as a character actor if he hadn't decided to become James Bond , a role which heralds the end of an actors career$LABEL$ 1 +The most important thing about this movie is the brilliant performance by Daniel Day-Lewis and Hugh O'Conor as Christy Brown, guineas artist and fighter who despite of her physical condition overcame all the odds. As a person who did work with patients with cerebral palsy, I can assure you that their performance were shockingly convincing. The enormous support that Christy got form his family, low-income, working class Dubliners, encouraged him to do the impossible and this picture depicted this support brilliantly have not read the book, but the dialogs were written wisely to capture Christy Brown's witty arrogant personality. I do recommend this movie to everyone, especially to classic movie-lovers.$LABEL$ 1 +I buy or at least watch every Seagall movie. He came out with a handful of good movies then descending into poor stories, bad camera work and a walk-thru persona, he nearly lost me. A few movies ago he remembered how to make a decent movie. Now he's forgotten again. This film is seriously dark (on any level you care to name). There is a lot of slash & gash going on here with no discernible purpose unless it's meant as a warning against the military.Seagall may have had a stand-in for many of his scenes as it was often too dark to tell and someone else's voice was used most of the time. Sadly the only interesting character was the bad guy who killed his guard to escape custody & then proceeded to raise havoc all over the place. Okay since when do we place an armed guard in the holding room with a prisoner? Anyway this bad guy was at least colorful, and very focused. There's lots of gore if you like that king of thing. It looked to me like the bad guys tore the same gash every time. I'm just glad they didn't suck the blood from their hapless victims. I harken you back to my summary. Basically it is a horror movie disguised as an action film.Dec 6,2006$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely stunning, warmth for the head and the heart. The kind of movie western movie makers are too rushed, too frenetic to even attempt. My kids watched it, and they loved it too. What real people--goes to show you how cultural differences (the Japanese setting) is less important than the human similarities. Go see it, whether you like dancing or not.$LABEL$ 1 +I recently saw this film at a 3-D film festival in Hollywood. It was in polarized 3-D (Gray glasses not red & blue) It was so much fun to watch this film with an audience, the print was excellent and the 3-D perfect. The performances were over the top and that added to the fun, the surprise ending (that we aren't supposed to share with fellow movie go'ers, at least according to the movie trailer and poster) had people howling with laughter. By today's standards this is probably more comedy than horror but with the added dimension of 3-D (complete with cobwebs and bats coming out of the screen) this film was an entertaining romp into 50's horror.$LABEL$ 1 +Michael Stearns plays Mike, a sexually frustrated individual with an interesting moral attitude towards sexuality. He has no problem ogling naked dancers but when women start having sex with men that's when he loses it. He believes that when women actually have sex that's when they lose any sense of "innocence" and/or "beauty". So he strolls through the Hollywood Hills stalking lovemaking couples at a distance, ultimately shooting the men dead with a high-powered rifle with a scope.The seeming primary reason for this movie's existence is to indulge in sexual activity over and over again. The "story" comes off as more of an afterthought. This is bound to make many a happily heterosexual male quite pleased as we're treated to enough protracted scenes of nudity (the ladies here look awfully good sans clothes) and sex to serve as a major dose of titillation. Of course, seeing a fair deal of it through a scope ups the creepiness factor considerably and illustrates the compulsion towards voyeurism. (For one thing, Mike eyes the couples through the scope for minutes at a time before finally pulling the trigger.) This is all underscored by awfully intrusive if somewhat atmospheric music on the soundtrack.Those with a penchant for lurid trash are bound to enjoy this to one degree or another. It even includes one lesbian tryst that confounds Mike and renders him uncertain *how* to react. It unfolds at a very slow pace, but wraps up with a most amusing ironic twist. It's a kinky and twisted rarity that if nothing else is going to definitely keep some viewers glued to the screen.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film as a kid about 30 years ago, and I haven't forgotten it to this day. I couldn't say whether it's a good picture. But in those days I instantly fell in love with Jean Simmons. The memories concentrate on the very erotic feel of the movie, but I still remember the plot. Simmons was very young then, and there is another film that gave me the same feeling: David Lean's GREAT EXPECTATIONS. And again it was the young Jean Simmons. It's a pity that BLUE LAGOON is not available on video; I'd like to correct my memories...$LABEL$ 1 +Feels like an impressionistic film; if there is such a thing.The story is well told, very poetic. the characters well developed and well acted by the interpreters (or interpreted by the actors :)).The film delights in its own sumptuous emotions at times and works well, unless you hate such emotion in movies - not so in my case.It's a very humanistic film.The landscape and even the extraordinary situation of the displaced cook are very poetic in their own right.Well done.A good classic for any good film collection.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, how I laughed during those first couple of scenes. This silly little film about an 11 year-old who carries a gun, steals cars, robs stores, burglars houses, extorts money from other kids, burns houses, shoots rats, buys drugs, distributes drugs to his mother and his friends, and then kills a guy. What a great comedy! But it wasn't intended to be a comedy. It was intended as a social drama. How can this be? The events in this film are absurd and ridiculous. The characters are all stereotypes right out of a 4 year-old's comic-strip-induced immature imagination. The dialog is laughable; people talk like morons. It's a very dumb film.The first scenes are indeed very funny, for all the wrong reasons. But the unintentional hilarity of the idiotic premise runs out after a short while, and after that the laughs come only rarely; by that time the viewer can't believe what he is seeing and is alternately amazed and bored by what follows (if he has at least half a brain cell).A short film, but feels like an eternity. The film actually IS a seriously-intended attempt to show the world of a young degenerate, while imitating movies vastly superior to it, like "Fun". There is just such an air of phoniness about everything; the kids, the adults, everyone lacks credibility both in their actions and dialog. The kid in the lead mugs his way through the film as though he had seen all the Jimmy Cagney movies at least a hundred times. And, typically enough, the kid isn't portrayed as a reservoir of evil, but, instead, as a misunderstood little artistic talent. But of course. Every young hooligan is misunderstood - society made him bad. Poor child.The film is embarrassing; a collection of stale, occasionally hilarious clichés put together to make a movie that lacks intelligence and meaning. The intellectual level of the film is zero.$LABEL$ 0 +Lackawanna Blues is a drama through and through. It details the life of a strong woman by the name of Rachel Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson). Rachel is referred to as Nanny by all who know her, but she could have just as easily been called Wonder Woman. She epitomized strength, will power, confidence and resolve. She owned a home that she used to house just about every type of person that society would reject. Her tenants consisted of a lesbian, a psychotic war veteran, an amputee, and a host of other vagrants that made the home miles away from ordinary. Each successive event Rachel took in stride and handled flawlessly. She wasn't a dictator devoid of compassion, but in fact she was quite the opposite. She displayed compassion almost to a fault by giving shelter and refuge to so many that she seemed to over-extend herself.Merkerson did a good job, but I believe this role was right up her alley anyway. The movie had an even keel never straying from Rachel. There were of course dramatic moments but they were to be expected. Nothing was ever to shocking or profound other than Rachel herself.$LABEL$ 1 +San Francisco is a big city with great acting credits. In this one, the filmmakers made no attempt to use the city. They didn't even manage the most basic of realistic details. So I would not recommend it to anyone on the basis of being a San Francisco movie. You will not be thinking "oh, I've been there," you will be thinking "how did a two story firetrap/stinky armpit turn into a quiet hotel lobby?" Some of the leads used East Coast speech styles and affectations. It detracts, but the acting was always competent.The stories seemed to be shot in three distinct styles, at least in the beginning. The Chinatown story was the most effective and interesting. The plot is weak, ripped scene for scene from classy Hong Kong action movies. The originals had a lot more tension and emotional resonance, they were framed and paced better. But the acting is fun and we get to see James Hong and other luminaries.The white boy intro was pointless. I think the filmmakers didn't know what to do with it, so they left it loosely structured and cut it down. The father is an odd attempt at a Berkeley liberal - really, folks, everyone knows it's not "groovy" to live in the ghetto - but his segments are the most humorous. They threw away some good opportunities. Educated and embittered on the West Coast, a yuppie jerk here is a different kind of yuppie jerk than they make in New York. They are equally intolerable but always distinguishable. That would have been interesting; this was not.The Hunter's Point intro was the most disappointing. It was the most derivative of the three, and stylistically the most distant from San Francisco. You've seen it done before and you've seen it done better. Even the video game was better! Despite the generic non-locality and aimless script, these characters have potential, the actors have talent, and something interesting starts to force its way around the clumsy direction... about ten minutes before the ending. Good concept placed in the wrong hands.PS, there is a missing minority here, see if you can guess which one.$LABEL$ 0 +No Holds Barred is that movie that when you were nine or ten was the coolest movie this side of arnold schwarzenegger. But then when you grow up and watch it you feel embarrassed that you were so gullible to have liked it. You feel cheated, embarrassed, and stupid. If you have a little brother and you show him this and he tells you it's gay, give him a high five and take him to the strip bar for his eleventh birthday.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie stinks majorly. The only reason I gave it a 3 was because the graphics were semi charming. It's total disregard for a plot and the lack of even insubstantial surface character development made it seem like just a bunch of nice drawings. This is by far THE worse anime that came out of Japan. I can't believe they actually put their names on this garbage. What a rip off selling this thing for $20. If you haven't seen this don't bother. If you have, I pity you.$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably one of the best Portuguese movies I ever saw... I absolutely enjoyed the plot, because by the way the story was developing, you would get more involved on how their world was really upside-down... There is just only one part that doesn't really seem to fit in the movie, which is the girls' strip... It does not add anything important to the story, it looks like it's just there for a men entertaining purpose. The ending is a bit unexpected, though, at the same time, somewhat expected. If you don't understand, then follow me: after so many strange occurrences, the viewer is so used to oddities, that ending the movie with totally unexpected relationships (Like Mimoso and Susana) sounds totally natural after seeing the rest of the movie. But, most of all, Sorte Nula is a movie that makes you think hard trying to solve the mysterious occourings, laugh your head off with their unlucky lives and mess with your perception of what can happen in just a few minutes, when you turn your back away from something... for all that, I rate it 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Considering the big name cast and lavish production I expected a lot more of this film. The acting for the most part is great, although the story they have to work with is mediocre at best. However the film still warrants watching because of the acting and the stars and some and up and coming young talent.$LABEL$ 1 +Hated it with all my being. Worst movie ever. Mentally- scarred. Help me. It was that bad.TRUST ME!!!$LABEL$ 0 +There are two kinds of 1950s musicals. First you have the glossy MGM productions with big names and great music. And then you have the minor league with a less famous cast, less famous music and second rate directors. 'The Girl Can't Help It' belongs to the latter category. Neither Tom Ewell or Edmond O'Brien became famous and Jayne Mansfield was famous for her... well, never mind. Seems like every decade has its share of Bo Dereks or Pamela Andersons. The plot itself is thin as a razorblade and one can't help suspect that it is mostly an attempt to sell records for Fats Domino, Little Richard or others of the 1950s rock acts that appear in the movie. If that music appeals to you this is worth watching. If not, don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is wonderful. It has some of the best writing I ever seen. It has brilliant directing by Dvid Trainer who also directed another smart television series called BOY MEETS WORLD.This show is with out a dought one of the greatest. Like THREE'S COMPANY, ROSEANNE, and the famous COSBY SHOW this will be on television for a long time to come.From it's perfectly crafted jokes to the great performances you would only dream of this is a wonderful show for people who lived in the seventies and the people who didn't. This show appeals to the young and the young at heart. A perfect show.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay people, I have to agree with almost everyone else's reviews here. The characters. Are. Stupid. They're ALL stereotypical, and yet have nice clothes and are always skinny.Don't even get me started on Jamie Lynn's role as ZOEY. Zoey is a pretty, popular, tan, blonde young teen who everyone just LOVES! She has a "rebellious", great, personality that everyone agrees with no matter how dumb or extreme it is. Most annoying of all: her voice is so darn bubbly and obnoxious. "OMG!"Take for example the first episode. The moment she steps onto the huge PCA campus, everyone seems to love her. The boys want to ask her out, the girls want to be her friend, etc. Thinking she's all that, the episode plays out with Zoey always being the center of attention; she is the so-called best player of the unofficial girls basketball team, confident, and has everyone pity her when she weakly gets hit in the face. Oh boo-hoo.My favorite character by far is this whole series is a girl that appears much later into the show, Lauren or something, who is the ONLY person ever introduced in the show to hate Zoey.And Zoey doesn't even seem to be very loyal to her friends sometimes. In one episodes she even calls her friend a freak without EVER apologizing and doesn't show the least bit regret in doing so.Zoey is ALWAYS the best:-Desiging professional T-shirts and backpacks (which become a big hit)-coming up with VERY elaborate schemes BY HERSELF to teach a single person a lesson. -Flawless grades -Taking the blame for stuff that wasn't even related to her just so everyone else could be happy.-Coming up with a commercial that was so good it was put on TV. The list goes on and on...Ugh. She has no acting talent. She's always the perfect person. She acts snotty and rebellious and preppy and...UGH! Can't stand her.Not only that, but everyone in the show always has great clothes. EVEN THE NERD! Her wardrobe is better than mine, and mine is pretty freaking decent.No one cares if everyone at PCA loves you, Zoey, and would do anything for you, even if it meant giving their right arm.BUT regardless of these cardboard characters, the plots are creative. Not everyday things. They're interesting and amusing. The humor is usually good-natured and fun, but the characters are so paper flat that it's hard to enjoy it.This show would be really good if Dan Schnieder put a bit more time thinking of the type of characters he wanted, because they are so typical, so boring that's it's lame and stupid.Point: No one's the least bit overweight, everyone has stylish clothes, Zoey is the definition of Mary-sue, the story lines are well-thought out, and the humor is laughable. But again, I want to emphasize that the characters taint the show. Watch the show if you must, but don't say I didn't warn you if your eyes start to bleed.$LABEL$ 0 +If Alien, Jurassic Park and countless other sci fi horror movies are your cup of tea, add a lot of sugar and you'll get this one down. The film begins in jolly old England around 1100ad and then jumps to present day California. Our hero Carver (Dean Cain) is the new Security Chief and Military Advisor for a Science Lab 400 feet underground. He arrives (Carver is also a helicopter pilot) with the lead Scientist and we soon find out it's a cloning lab and they have something newly found to clone. Is it a Dinosaur or what? As with the above movies, all hell breaks loose and our characters start getting picked off. The special effects on the Monster are pretty good for a "direct to video" movie and Dean Cain does what he gets paid for. But forget the rest of the group as we find out why we have never seen them before. Again, don't go in with high expectations and you'll be ok.$LABEL$ 0 +I'd like to think myself as a fairly open minded guy and it takes a lot(!) for me to dislike a movie but this one is without a doubt one of the suckiest, crappiest movie I've ever seen!I have no idea what's wrong with the people who gave it such a good rating here (imdb is usually pretty reliable when it comes to ratings)... the only thing I can imagine is that people must've voted during one or more conditions:1. While being shitfaced / stoned out of their minds 2. They've received hard cash for the votes 3. Under gunpointI can't believe I wasted a good 1 h 45 min of my life for this pathetic excuse for a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +If you want to watch a movie and feel good about watching it, then Tigerland is the film for you. I love this movie from top to bottom. This movie's picture-perfect scenes look so real; it's almost like a documentary of something that happened in real life but with drama. Boy, I tell you... REAL drama they actually real "fought" in one of the scenes (get the DVD listen to the commentary its not obvious). I see this film as a bunch of desperate young men trying to escape an ill-fated destiny, after watching Saving Private Ryan I have an a appreciation of what an "ill-fated destiny" is and know exactly how the men in the film feel. I see this movie as a crossbreed between "Stand By Me" and "Saving Private Ryan." What do men do when they are with a situation that's "hard pressed" in real life? Some men go crazy, some men cry, some men through fists, others do drugs, some randomly sleep with hookers ruthlessly trying to eradicate the meaning of love from their life, some try drink the pain away, some jump off buildings or bridges, some feel guilty and others feel so much agony it makes them so sick they collapse - physically. This movie has all those desperate emotions rolled into one ball. But don't get me wrong its not depressing movie, its realistic, its a very very humorous movie, the cocky and funny Bozz (Collin's Character) lights it all up, and on top of that there are about 5 female actresses in the movie; I'll let you figure out what their in there for! With dialogue, war/action sequences, picture perfect scenes along with appropriate music; this movie has it all, like I said: from top to bottom. I don't why Tigerland is heavily under-credited. The best thing about owning the movie is that on the cover it says in big bold writing "The best film of the year," and it absolutely falls nothing short of that. Keep the rare gems coming Hollywood, 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one particular Stooge short that actually uses satire in conjunction with slapstick, a rarity. As mentioned, the title and concept for this short was "borrowed" from a feature film from the same year with Clark Gable called "Men In White". It's basically about the trials and tribulations of interns and their sacred cause for "duty and humanity". I saw this recently and almost treated it like the Stooge version because it does take itself a little too seriously. In any case, "Men In Black" is so well written, directed and not to mention original, it didn't borrow a thing from Chaplin or any of the others, that the Motion Picture Academy nominated it for an award as the best short comedy of 1934. Some stinky short called "La Cucaracha" outdid it though and stole the award. Some producer's brother in law must have been on the Academy's voting board. "Men In Black" pokes fun at the whole concept of the medical profession much in the same way that the Marx Bros. always did at this time. May not be a fair comparison but I can see the Marx Bros. in this short. In fact in their feature "A Day At The Races", there is a scene where there's "medical things" going on and they cause anarchy as usual. My guess that this particular short was judged along those lines and hence why it was nominated in the first place. Try this in fact: watch this short first and then watch "Duck Soup" or "Day at the Races" with the Marxes and then see if there isn't the same great quality of comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +I can name only a few movies that I have seen which were this bad. This movie has terrible everything: The dialog is corny and cliché', the acting is poor for the most part with a few exceptions, the cinematography is nothing to cheer about, and the plot is silly (A fat woman stalks a suburban family because her daughter didn't make the soccer team). This is so bad, it's funny to watch. If you can catch this on lifetime, I'd recommend it highly as a comedy. As for being a serious movie, I'm afraid i'll have to rate this a 2.Don't watch this film if you are a serious movie fan and looking for an interesting and challenging storyline, or good acting. There is none to be found.Edit: Hmmm... I think a group of people who work for lifetime must have written some phony reviews and voted all the negative ones down. Don't believe them. This is a really crappy movie.$LABEL$ 0 +when i first read about "berlin am meer" i didn't expect much. but i thought with the right people, the right locations, the right music and fashion you could at least make a trivial movie about the hip berlin everyone seems to be talking about. but eissler failed, it's so ridiculously unauthentic. it's a complete misrepresentation of what it is going on in berlin's so called scene. of course it's not all about hippness, but you should expect more from a movie that's being sold as "the definite berlin movie".and apart from all the credibility stuff, it really is a bad movie. mediocre acting and a rather boring plot. interestingly some of the actors have proved in other movies that they are actually quite talented. so it really must be poor directing skills.don't bother watching "berlin am meer" unless you are 17, come from some small town in western Germany and want to move to the big city after you finished school. then you might actually find it enjoyable and totally cool.$LABEL$ 0 +I got this thing off the sci-fi shelf because I remembered seeing the first of the series when I was a kid. I'd rented the second one and it was a decent "B" sci-fi. This one was out right obnoxious. The "special" effects on the cars looked like something my 4 year old cousin could have done. The two assistant female cyborgs were so terrible that I literally cringed every time they came on the screen. The plot left so much to be desired that it made me sick. I don't know what anyone was thinking when they agreed to be a part of this movie but I'm sure that they'd have done better to have left it at 2 movies. The movies in this series are going from good to decent to terrible. I only hope that no terrorist groups have access to this movie as it makes an excellent torturing device.$LABEL$ 0 +waste of my life, .... the director should be embarrassed. why people feel they need to make worthless movies will never make sense to me. when she died at the end, it made me laugh. i had to change the channel many times throughout the film because i was getting embarrassed watching such poor acting. hopefully the guy who played Heath never gets work again. On top of that i hope the director never gets to make another film, and has his paycheck taken back for this crap. { .02 out of 10 }$LABEL$ 0 +A good x evil film with tastes of "James Bond", "Romeo and Juliet", and, maybe, even "Star Wars".The evil count Von Bruno receives an English gentleman as a guest for a very dangerous hunt. Elga, the beautiful simple and well intentioned lady that was forced to marry the count provides the love triangle. The count missing eye points to a terrible past. The Englishman is not what the count thinks and is a terrible treat to him. There is also the terrible hunchback, crocodiles and even the side appearance of some torture instruments.Boris Karlloff, here in a support role, makes an strong, but somewhat stiff, presence. The other actors (and direction) are the symbol of an era the strong representations of black and white movies. Since the beginning there is no doubt of who is the evil guy, who is the good one. Even traitors and stiffs can be identified somewhat easily.$LABEL$ 1 +There is a scene in this film at about the 42 minute mark that is among the worst I have seen in some time. As F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gregory Peck) and Sheilah Graham (Deborah Kerr) are lounging on the beach, suddenly things become tense and Sheilah begins to cry--at which point she tells her lover about her sordid past. This "dramatic scene" becomes so terribly overdone and histrionic I couldn't help but turn to my wife and exclaim how stupid it all was...as dramatic music swelled on the television as it all came to a phony crescendo. NO ONE experiences moments like this--no one. Now how much of the rest of the film is true, I cannot say, but this particular moment was laughably bad and as fake as an $8 Rolex--and leads me to assume that some of the other reviewers were correct--the film is a lot of bunk. However, I am not an expert on the life of these two people and the internet didn't seem to clear this up, either. Just who were F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham and what was their relationship really like? What I do know about Fitzgerald, however, does seem different from what I saw in the film. Was he the suave and decent man we initially see in the film? Well, considering he was married at the same time he was carrying on with Graham and drank like a fish, I'd assume he wasn't. Was he as obnoxious and boorish as we later see in the film? Perhaps, but if he was this bad AND yet Ms. Graham stayed with him, then this makes her out to be a complete dummy--and not someone you'd like to see featured in a film. And, if he wasn't, then the film does a poor disservice to his memory. Either way, it made for a painful and not particularly pleasant viewing experience.The sum total of this film appears to be a tale of two not particularly likable or healthy people. In a dark and salacious way, some might find this all very entertaining, but most are sure to see this as a train wreck with no surprises along the way! Unpleasant but with glossy production values (especially the music, which was lovely but way over the top) it begs the question "why did they even choose to make this in the first place?". The bottom line--it's a pretty bad film all around and probably not worth your time--even if, like me, you are big Gregory Peck fan.$LABEL$ 0 +A powerful "real-tv" movie. Very subversive and therefore remaining almost un-broadcasted ! (almost...thanx 2 arte in France). After you've watched this manhunt all movies filmed with the same concept (a documentary team following the events as they arrived) seem so weak.DAVID$LABEL$ 1 +This type of plot really does have a lot of potential, but it was butchered here. Honestly, I sensed the cheese element in the beginning, but I thought it would get better after the grotesque birthing. Whoa, I was wrong! So mad scientist makes a monster, wants to brag to his old cronies before he kills them, but of course they escape. After that, it's really bad. I should've counted the times the rubber shark mask peeked out from behind some foliage, but I most likely would have lost count.Pan down to the blood-dripping-from-severed-leg to show us how the shark-man finds the folks. I hate being spoon-fed every aspect of a horror film.Oh, and after being nearly killed by a mutated shark-man and trudging around a jungle-esqe island, there's nothing more cheerful than a middle-aged man reciting Shakespeare...This is one where you'll find yourself rooting for the monster... if you can bear to watch this poor excuse for a flick.$LABEL$ 0 +At the end of my review of Cache, I wrote that I was intrigued with Haneke as a film maker. This is what led me to get the DVD for La Pianiste, which I just finished watching about a half hour ago.It's all been expressed, here at IMDb and in many of the external reviews - the gruesomely twisted pathology that would 'create' an individual like Huppert's Erika, who is still trying, after years and years, to please her mother, at the expense of everyone and everything else in her life, beginning with her self. She's repressed everything that would free her from her self-imposed bondage, including, of course, her sexuality, which has literally imploded, to the point of madness, to where she can no longer even begin to comprehend what a genuine loving impulse would feel like.This is a graphic portrait of a severe emotional cripple, one who never found the strength to get out of her childhood situation and become a functioning adult. I think this subject relates to all of us - we're all striving for autonomy, but there are needs, so many conflicting needs, most of which are not even on the conscious level. It also deals brilliantly with the contrast between what one fantasizes about, sexually, and the reality of those fantasies, as well as the consequences of choosing to share one's sexual fantasies with another human being. Huppert's character gets what she asks for in the course of the film, and it is hardly the emancipating experience she had imagined it to be. Regarding the much-discussed scene in the bathroom: I really appreciated how this sequence had all the possible erotic charge (for the viewer, I mean) sucked out of it because of the prior scene, where she put the glass in the girl's pocket. By the time she's acting out her let's-see-if-this-guy-is-worthy scenario in the bathroom, we've already found out that she's dangerously disturbed and so it's not a turn on, her little domination session with our poor unsuspecting dupe.I think another incredible achievement of this movie is how, about halfway through it, I completely forgot that it was not in English and that I was reading sub-titles. That has never happened before, in any foreign movie, and I've seen quite a few. In this film, like Cache, the ending is not all wrapped up in a nice little tidy bow, but unlike Cache, we do at least get some sense of finality, despite the fact that we do not even know for sure whether Huppert's character is alive or dead. After experiencing La Pianiste, when it comes to Michael Haneke, I am, needless to say, more than a trifle intrigued.$LABEL$ 1 +This series had potential, but I suppose the budget wouldn't allow it to see that potential. An interesting setup, not dissimilar to "lost" it falls flat after the 1st episode. The whole series, 6 episodes, could have made a compelling 90 minute film, but the makers chose to drag it on and on. Many of the scenes were unbearably slow and long without moving the action forward. The music was very annoying and did not work overall. There were few characters we cared about as their characters did not grow during the time frame--- well, one grew a bit. The ending was as terrible as the rest of series. The only kudos here is to the art dept and set dressers, they created an interesting look, too bad the writer and director lacked the foresight to do something interesting with that element$LABEL$ 0 +Independent film that would make Hollywood proud. The movie substitutes good looks for good acting, a cryptic plot for a good story line, and self-absorption for character development. May be I missed something, go see it for yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +Most of you out there really disliked this movie... you were right. A small minority of you really loved the movie... can't say you' re wrong. For me, this movie was too stupid. I have seen many dumb, silly comedies but this one surpasses every one of them. As I was watching I couldn't stop rubbing my eyes, not believing what I was seeing and trying to decide if I should laugh or cry, as *REALLY STUPID* stuff were going on on the screen, and people were leaving the theater.According to the leading characters, time travel is accomplished, just enter any museum and you will actually travel to the past. Plus, if you are seeking an after death experience, just go to the nearest planetarium, there you shall meet Lord - sorry, Loydd and be given important commands... All te above doesn' t really make sense, right? Well, go ahead, watch the movie (I almost never regret the movies I watch), you probably won't like it, but you will be intrigued by the writer's ability in producing the ultimately STUPID script...I' m giving it a 3 out of 10, not good, far from being the worse...$LABEL$ 0 +Despite all the hoopla about THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES episode, THE BALANCE OF TERROR might just be the best episode of the series. And, while I have always loved A PIECE OF THE ACTION because it is so much fun, I really do have to cast my vote as this Romulan episode as being the very best.The movie, interestingly enough, is really like a WWII submarine movie in that it bounces back and forth between the cloaked Romulan ship and the Enterprise as it seeks to destroy the Romulans before they sneak back across the Neutral Zone after a raid on Federation outposts. In so many ways, the show is much like the film THE ENEMY BELOW--where the American Captain (Robert Mitchum) and the German Captain (Curt Jurgens) are shown in counter-point as they both try to outwit the other--and in the process develop a grudging respect for their foe.Interestingly enough, only a short bit of the beginning of the episode takes place on a planet--and this is amazing because an episode on board ship could easily have been static and dull. But, because the writing was so fantastic and the main characters written and acted so well (Shatner and Mark Leonard as the Romulan leader). Oddly, for the die-hard Trekkers out there, they'll recognize Leonard as the same actor who later played Spock's father.The bottom line is this is simply a great and extremely engaging episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat.$LABEL$ 1 +I will divide my review into following 5 categories each accounting a maximum of 100%(if perfect) ________________________________________________________________ Visual Pleasure:[100%] This is extremely pleasing movie visually. I had a great time watching it. Golfing scenes are very well shot and the dramatic effects on the green were quite amazing. I also loved seeing the old wooden golf clubs and the bag.Director's Work:[70%] Bill Paxton is more associated to acting but this film shows he's got talent. Did a decent job.Acting:[90%] Shia LeBeouf was very good in his role of Francis Ouimet(this guy can ACT well). The rest of the cast was also good.Entertainment Value:[100%] I enjoyed every minute of it. It was overwhelmingly entertaining.Script:[91%] Based on a true story and therefore it makes the film that much more special. It was intriguing right from the start and loved every scene till the very end.__________________________________________________________________ My Advice: Definitely a MUST watch for all the Sports lovers especially Golf(You all will love it). Anyone who is looking for a nice entertaining movie and doesn't hate Sports can watch it. _____ 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +After seeing this film I felt sick to my stomach and if I had seen one more minute I would have had to rush to the bathroom and vomit til dawn. A sick film that was NOT funny and was NOT worth the money, any money at all. If anybody ever wants to see this movie don't! Your kids will never forgive you and will claim sickness for a week. So if you value your child's education and want to stimulate your child's mind please don't see this movie. I beg of you, DON'T!$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of my favorites as a child. My family had the 8-track tape soundtrack!! It took us years (until I was in my 20s) for us to get a video of the movie (my dad taped it from HBO or something). Every summer when we go to the beach (my mom, brother, sister and I) we lay on the beach and sing all the songs from this movie!!! LOVED IT!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I have to confess that I know some of those involved, I was in the forerunner to The Planet, Evil Unleased, however this was more than 10 years ago and I had since lost contact with them. I happened to be watching BBC Scotland News and a piece regarding Scottish Cinema, this mentioned and showed clips from The Planet and comments from it's director Mark Stirton, this prompted me to order a copy of the film on DVD.Now to the film, the level of acting, writing, directing and sfx is up there with some of the best around, OK it's not Star Wars but I've seen many a Hollywood product that is far inferior. It is very strange watching a film spoken in my local North East Scotland accent but that soon passed.^Mild Spoilers^The Planet draws on several sci-fi classics; Star Wars, Alien, Pitch Black, Forbidden Planet and Predator, a handful of the merchant crew of a deep space transport ship survive their craft being attacked and destroyed by unknown ships, they escape onto a deserted desert planet, one by one they are killed by invisible attackers, the ships only passenger, a mysterious prisoner also makes it to the planet, a battle ensues as the crew fight to survive.The Planet is a brilliant piece of sci-fi film making that certainly hides it's limited budget, well done to Mark, Mike and all those involved, I look forward to your next work.$LABEL$ 1 +I purchased a DVD of this film for a dollar at the big dept store. That's probably the best and kindest comment I have to offer on it. At least it didn't cheat me out of the cost of lunch.The problem with "Chiller" is Craven's problem as a director. The man has his apologists who claim his traveling papers prove he's a really smart guy and all-around sharp conceptualist. But it's no secret that, as a director, he has never possessed one iota of the visual and story-telling sense of a Hitchcock. As vigorously attested by "Chiller", he's much closer to that legendary flat-foot Hershel Gordon Lewis. What Craven lacks as a director is the main ingredient that would lift him from director for hire to a higher plane of film- making.Let's be specific. The transitional moments of this film are sleek. The establishing shots give it the feel of a quality production. The film looks professionally put together, in the way a film shot by a TV commercial director would. (A thought: The films only visual distinction, these transitions that at least look professionally handled may very well be the work of some second unit directors.) It's the parts between the bridges and smooth transitions -- the drama -- that fall flat. The core of the proceedings are invariably perfunctorily handled. The critical shots (after, say, the departing car drives into the well-positioned camera, then we cut to the night exterior of a hospital, then to the waiting area and hallway, then to the phone booth in the corner that will figure in the next bit of action) are quickly dispensed so we can hurry up and get to the next part. Craven never comes anywhere close to exploding the dramatic or visual possibilities of any moment. The net result of all this misplaced attention to the least important parts, and the fumbling rush to keep things moving, is a film that feels like the work of the fledgling art student who sharpens all his pencils, fussily adjusts his easel and lighting set-up, grinds all his pigments, stretches and primes his canvas ...and then has nothing to say. Craven, like the art student, never gets to the meat of the exercise.For Craven apologists who will point out that this film was made for TV, I will point to Spielberg's "Duel" and say no more.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent. Gritty and true portrayal of pioneer ranch life on the Western plains with an emphasis on the woman's role and place. A moving film, lovingly made, and based on real people and their actual experiences. Low budget, independent film; never made any money. Definitely not the romanticized, unrealistic Hollywood version of pioneer life.$LABEL$ 1 +I was taken to this film by a friend and was sceptical about a Swedish film with subtitles. However, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this beautiful film. The unnecessary cruelty that man is capable of was portrayed confidently without overwhelming images - although animal lovers may have to shield their eyes for a brief couple of seconds somewhere during the first 10 minutes. A traditional story of humility versus brutality and hope versus tragedy was illustrated from a satisfyingly fresh angle using a spectrum of characters with very natural flaws and features. I particularly liked how the film managed to address multiple aspects of hypocritical human behaviour that concern bias, discrimination and sanctimonious pretence. An absolute gem of a film that I will promote to all who will listen.$LABEL$ 1 +"Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" is one of those wonderful old movies about house pets. Deserves a place among the great movies of its genre and even the cinema world in general, together with other animal movies like "Old Yeller", "Napoleon", "Fluke" and "Air Bud". This means it is more than just a movie about pets.Can this possibly be just a "remake"? It is too good to be a "remake"! I know this one by heart, since my early teen years (when I was 12).It's a family movie to treasure. It's emotional, thrilling, adventurous, exciting, entertaining, humorous, charming, sweet, nostalgic, beautiful, heartwarming and sometimes dramatic. It's one of those movies to put a smile on the faces of those who appreciate this kind of films.This movie does not lack qualities. It has a well thought story, enjoyable characters, excellent and relaxing instrumental soundtrack, dazzling sceneries/landscapes of the magnificent Sierra mountains (in Oregon). Speaking of the vistas, it's not all mountains: forests, trees, rivers, waterfalls, sunsets... in conclusion, all of pure nature's wonders - truly a full panorama. The main human characters are nice, well developed and well portrayed by respective actors. Robert Hays is awesome as the kind-hearted dad, Bob Seaver. Kim Greist is good as Laura Burnford. Veronica Lauren is equally good as Hope. Kevin Chevalia is conventional as the youngest and cute brother Jamie (his appearance actually reminds me very much of Kevin Corcoran in "Old Yeller"). Benj Thall is great as Peter Burnford.When it comes to our quadruped pals, Shadow is my favorite. Shadow is the loyal, wise, mature, beautiful, caring and loving old Golden Retriever (brilliantly voiced by Don Ameche). Chance, the American Bulldog, is the opposite of Shadow. He is carefree, silly, impatient, anxious, clumsy, hilarious and loves to play (voiced by the talented Michael J. Fox). Chance just can't stand still. Sassy is the epitome of cats's image: elegant, independent, very confident and self-proud, with a typical cat attitude but with a certain feline charm. Sassy is a Seal Point Himalayan cat, one of the most beautiful cat breeds. Sassy is voiced by Sally Field, who also does a good job.Our four-legged friends are, themselves, great "actors" by nature: Ben as Shadow, Rattler as Chance and Tiki as Sassy.It's an underrated movie, but a classic by its own right. Its sequel is clearly inferior.This should definitely be on Top 250.$LABEL$ 1 +To review this movie, I without any doubt would have to quote that memorable scene in Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994) when Jules and Vincent are talking about Mia Wallace and what she does for a living. Jules tells Vincent that the "Only thing she did worthwhile was pilot". Vincent asks "What the hell is a pilot?" and Jules goes into a very well description of what a TV pilot is: "Well, the way they make shows is, they make one show. That show's called a 'pilot'. Then they show that show to the people who make shows, and on the strength of that one show they decide if they're going to make more shows. Some pilots get picked and become television programs. Some don't, become nothing. She starred in one of the ones that became nothing." Now to stretch on what Jules was talking about, there are BILLIONS of television shows/pilots that were never aired because they simply were not...well, good. Probably the most notorious pilot that comes to mind is "W*A*L*T*E*R", a spin-off to "M*A*S*H" with Gary "Radar" Burghoff as the lead. Hmmm, would somebody really want to be watching Radar for a half-hour trying to solve crimes? Hence, the show was never picked up. What many people don't know (or what they thought they knew) is that pilots are hardly ever shown on the air, for they are made strictly for the Television networks for them to decide. Some have made they're way past and got onto the air (The pilot for the animated series "American Dad" comes to mind, as the show's serial itself didn't begin until nearly four months later. However, there are times were we should all be glad pilots never make it to air, and this here is why."Black Bart", a supposed tie-in with the Mel Brooks comedy classic, "Blazing Saddles", is a stale and bland "sitcom" with little heart and no soul. "Saddles" was a controversial comedy, nevertheless, with it's racist humor and vulgar comedy, which comes to mind "what idiot decided this would make a great television show FOR PRIME TIME TV?!?" I say "supposed", because none of the memorable characters from the movie, aside from Bart, on in this mess of a TV show. Mel Brooks wasn't even involved with the production of the serial and this was the first mistake in a long line (In a related story, I recently found out about an unaired TV pilot for a series based on the movie "Clerks." that Kevin Smith was no involved in....you see what happens?!?).Set somewhere around the same time as the movie (or at all), the story circles around the only Black sheriff in the wild west, named appropriately 'Black' Bart, who is this time played by future Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr., obviously before his stint in "real" acting, whereas in this he is playing a "G-rated" Richard Pryor. Most of the other characters are carbon (if not, really bad) copies of the characters in the movie: Jim, The Waco Kid is replaced by a similar looking character named Reb Jordan, a former Confederate soldier who is quick with the gun. Lilian Von Schtupp is now Belle Buzzer, a more of a ripoff of the character being that she's a show dancer and a German with a Marlene Dietrich-type accent and personality. While that's pretty much the end in similarities, The lead "bad guy" in the story is Fern Malaga, played by Noble Willingham, who I assumed would've been Hedley Lamar if Warner Bros. secured the rights to the name (See trivia for "Blazing Saddles") and his son Curley...I dunno, Taggart I suppose? The story is a poor excuse for a sitcom, much less a pilot. Bart deals with the mayor's drunk son and he's out-of-control behavior which has caused the town to spin. Really, it's a story that tries to introduce all the characters in the "series" and doesn't focus on the variety and context that would make this an "alright" show. I can't really call it a sitcom (and even if I wanted to) and that's primarily the fact it was shot on the backlot at Warner Bros. Studios and later added a laugh track, so the show is set up almost exactly like "M*A*S*H" (complete with a bland and dull "laughing" that is identical to the series). The acting is so-so, but there's one part that always make me laugh, and that's when the actor playing Reb Jordan almost seems to forget his lines and tries really hard to remember them while trying to sputter out a piece of dialogue. HA! The script is rather dull and is attempts to make racism more humorous than it was in the movie (Surprisingly, they use the word "N***er" numerous amount of times through a 22-minute episode, rather touchy for it's time period and even for today) and it gets repetitive.If you ever get your hands on this unseen piece of sssss...surly interesting novelty item, watch it just for the sake of the feeling for watching pilots (It's on the collector's edition of "Blazing Saddles", God knows why). There, yourself get a first hand chance for the reason why many movie tie-in pilots never air.$LABEL$ 0 +Oy vey... Jurrasic Park got Corman-ized. As usual the plot is wafer thin, from 1 foot tall dinosaurs that weigh 150 pounds and leave tracks bigger than they are, to inexplicable science which uses lasers to keep the dinosaurs in check and poultry trucks which have chickens loose in cages large enough for big dogs (I've seen chicken trucks they are all in cages the size of shoe boxes). And all that is in the first 15 minutes of this disaster of a film. All the male actors are imbeciles (thinking a grizzly might be loose in the desert, constantly dropping items to give the raptor an easy kill) and the female actors all look like they just came from a modeling shoot for Fredrick's of Hollywood. The raptor itself is the worst thing since the Hobgoblins (from the movie of the same name), it looks like they had a hand puppet version and a plastic model for the "motion" shots. If you want a good movie to sit around and heckle MST3K style, this is gold. If you want competent film making and good acting... don't watch a Roger Corman film. Acting gets a 4 out 10, some of the players upon this stage did try. Story gets a 2 out of 10, it reads like a drunken storytelling session gone bad. Special effects gets a 2 out of 10, I've seen worse, but not many.$LABEL$ 0 +This film revolves around an Arabian leader (Amir) who dies and wants to live on. So a Dr. Lloyd Trenton is being paid to transplant Amirs brain into a "willing" participant. But in the Doctors basement his dwarf assistant Dorro (Angelo Rossitto) drains young girls blood for the doctors purposes. So meanwhile Doctor Llyod pays a man to kill the people who assisted Amir into the country (Which is Reed Hadley, Grant Williams, and various unknown bodyguards.). Grant is the only survivor when his car crashes off the road. While this has happened the doctors other assistant Gor is sent out to get a body for amir and hurts him so badly Dr.Llyod cant operate. Meanwhile, Grant finds Amirs "girlfriend" Regina Carrol and tells her his story. Grant sees the man who drove him off the road and Dorro kills him. Then since Gor failed to get a body D.r Llyod puts Amirs brain into Gors disfigured body. Then Grant and Regina go to the Doctors lab an------------------------SPOILERS------------------------- find out his secret. Soon Amir (Gor) are prancing around killing people and in the muddle of what I think is plot Dr.Llyod has a brain-ray gun which hurts Amir on command. It turns out Dr.Lloyd wants a country in which all scientists can work without law. So then Regina dies. and at the end Amirs new body (I think) say that it shall be a new country blah blah.I still don't get the ending but overall this was a very enjoyable piece of smelly cheese.This film features Grant Williams in his second to last film roll. I recommend it for any fan of Al Adamson or if you like Brains.$LABEL$ 1 +In his first go as a Hollywood director, Henry Brommell whips an enthralling yarn that is all of penetrating relatable marital issues with melancholic authenticity, and lacing such with an equally absorbing subplot of a father-son hit-man business. The film is directed astutely and consists of a wonderfully put together cast as well as a swift, family-conscious screenplay (also by Brommell) that brings life to an otherwise fatigued genre. As a bonus, 'Panic' delivers subtle, acerbic humor—an unexpected, undeniably charming, and very welcome surprise—through its bumbling, unsure-of-himself, low-key star, whose ever-cool state is enticing, especially given his line of work.The forever-great William H. Macy again captures our hearts as Alex, a unhappy, torn, middle-aged husband and father who finds solace in the most dubious of persons: a young, attractive, equally-messed-up 23-year-old named Sarah (Neve Campbell), whom he meets in the waiting-room at a psychologist's office, where he awaits the therapy of Dr. Josh Parks (John Ritter) to discuss his growing eagerness to quit the family business that his father (Donald Sutherland) built. Alex, whose lust to lead a new life is obstructed by the fear of disappointing his dictating father, strikes an unwise fancy for Sarah, which ultimately leads him to understand the essence and irrefutable responsibility of being a husband to his wife and, more importantly to him, a good father to his six-year-old son, Sammy (played enthusiastically by the endearing David Dorfman).Henry Brommell's brilliant 'Panic' is something of a rarity in Hollywood seldom seen (with the exception of 2002's 'Road to Perdition') since its conception in 2000—it weaves two conflicting genres (organized-crime, family drama) into a fascinating, warm hunk of movie-viewing that is evenly strong in either direction—and it's one that will maintain its exceptional, infrequent caliber and gleaming sincerity for ages to come.$LABEL$ 1 +After perusing the large amount of comments on this movie it is clear that there are two kinds of science fiction movie-goers. There are the ones who are well read, extremely literate, and intelligent. They know the history of the genre and more importantly they know to what heights it can reach in the hands of a gifted author. For many years science fiction languished in the basement of literature. Considered my most critic to be little more than stories of ray guns and aliens meant for pre-pubescent teenagers. Today's well read fan knows well this history, and knows the great authors Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, and Ellison, who helped bring science fiction out of that basement. In doing so they created thought provoking, intelligent stories that stretched the boundaries and redefined the human condition. This well informed fans are critical of anything Hollywood throws at them. They are not critical for it's own sake, but look upon each offering with a skeptical eye. (As they should as Hollywood's record has been less than stellar.) To these fans the story must take supreme importance. They cannot be fooled by flashy computer graphics, and non stop action sequences. When the emperor has no clothes they scream it the loudest.The second type of science fiction movie goer has little knowledge about the written aspect of the genre. (Look at many of the above comments that state "Well I haven't read the book or anything by this author...) Their total exposure to science fiction is from movies or the Scifi channel. They are extremely uncritical, willing to overlook huge plot holes, weak premises, and thin story lines if they are given a healthy dose of wiz bang action and awesome special effects. They are, in effect, willing to turn off their critical thinking skills (or maybe they never had them!) for the duration of the movie. Case in point, I Robot. While supposedly based on Asimov's short stories and named after one of his novels, it contains little of what Asimov wrote and even less of what he tried to tell us about humanity and our robotic creations. (Those of you that will run out and buy I, Robot will be very much surprised-this movie isn't even based on that story at all!) The film has enormous plot holes, that at some points are stretched to the limits of credulity. I won't point them out. I won't spoon feed you. You need to practice you thinking skills and discover them for yourself. The characters, which are named after many of Asimov's characters, do not possess the critical intelligence that was a hallmark of his stories. The plot itself with all it's action sequences goes against everything that the author stood for. His belief that humanity possesses the capacity to solve problems using their minds, not their fists, is vital to understanding his vision of the future. In short, other than the name, their is very little of Isaac in anything about this movie. There will always be those uncritical (i.e. unthinking) who will state: "The movie doesn't have to be like the book. Due to the medium, movies sometimes require that changes be made." But what about a case where the movie never even tried to stay close to the book (or books) from the start? What if all they took from the written work was the title? This begs the question: Why tarnish a great body of work by slapping it's title on your vacuous piece of crap? Save money and don't buy the rights to the works. Title it something else. Don't use the character's names. Believe me no one will accuse you of plagiarism. In fact it won't matter what you title it to the unread moviegoer who accepts everything you throw at him. But it will upset those who read, who think, who are unwilling to simply let you give them a pretty light show. I, Robot, like much of Hollywood's take on the genre, pushes Science fiction back down into that basement it lived in years ago. Hollywood could not do this alone. It takes an uncritical mindless audience that will accept puerile dredge like this.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the few comedic Twilight Zones that's actually really good. We have Floyd The Barber from Andy Griffith Show,The stock in trade Old Geezer dude from Many old westerns,and lovable old Frisby. It also has that cool spacecraft interior that I believe was used in the Sci Fi classic Forbidden Planet.Or else The Day The Earth Stood Sill.Plus the new guys in town are driving an exotic Renault(I think) sports car back in the days when European automobiles were known as "Foreign Jobs" in the U.S.. The whole idea of harmonica as weapon is a hoot.And the fact that Frisby's buddies love him despite being the fact he's a total BS artist is a heartwarming moment.$LABEL$ 1 +I was expecting a very funny movie. Instead, I got a movie with a few funny jokes, and many that just didn't work. I didn't like the idea of bringing in Sherlock Holmes' and Moriarty's descendants. It was confusing. It would have been more funny if they just had someone new, instead of Moriarty resurrected. Some of the things were funny. Burt Kwouk was very funny, as always. McCloud on the horse was funny. The McGarrett from Hawaii 5-0 was not even McGarrett-like. Connie Booth obviously is very good with accents. She is from Indiana, but played English and a New Yorker pretty well. Unfortunately, she was not presented much into the script. I was expecting a more funny film. Instead, I got a rather confusing movie with a poor script. Rather ironic, since both Booth and Cleese were together on this one. Maybe they were about to break up in 77.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is incredibly realistic and I feel does a great justice to the crime that many people do not understand because of a lack of experience. The many people who think they could fathom what goes through a victim's mind are arrogant. As a victim, I feel that Dawson did a fantastic job in her role of Maya. I agree that this is an incredibly brave film. This looks at rape from a different, more realistic standpoint than any other movie I've ever seen on the subject. The end did drag on a bit long, but I know that many victims imagine this kind of justice, since the chances of an attacker being sent to jail for their crime is around 1%. It's good to see a movie that sticks closer to reality than most would dare to.$LABEL$ 1 +'What I Like About You' is definitely a show that I couldn't wait to see each day. Amanda Bynes is such an excellent actress and I grew up watching her show: 'The Amanda Show.' She's a very funny person and seems to be down to earth. "Holly" is such a like-able person and has an "out-there" personality. I enjoyed how she always seemed to turn things around and upside down, so she messed herself up at times. But that's what made the show so great.I especially loved the show when the character 'Vince' came along. Nick Zano is very HOT and funny, as well as 'Gary', Wesley Jonathan. The whole cast was great, each character had their own personality and charm. Jennie Garth, Allison Munn, and Leslie Grossman were all very interesting. I especially loved 'Lauren'; she's the best! She helped make the show extra funny and you never know what she's gonna do or say next! Overall the show is really nice but the reason I didn't give it a 10 was because there's no more new episodes and because the episodes could've been longer and more deep.$LABEL$ 1 +I am not an artistically inclined individual. I am a science minded woman and I felt that this movie was maybe one of those campy artsy type films on a budget. I watched part of it with my fiancé and my future step daughter. We tried very hard to find something in this film to keep our interest. My fiancé and his daughter voted it off and we moved on to Ocean's 13,but that is another story. Not to be deterred I awoke the next morning and gave the movie another shot. I began again watching this movie in earnest. I just don't get it,I thought I would get it.I thought the funniest part was the flushing of the ashes and the urn finding a spot by the fireplace being used as a vase for what appeared to be dead flowers. Interesting and still it had dead stuff inside. It was an odd and bizarre movie. Maybe this is what they were after,however I won't be tricked a second time!$LABEL$ 0 +-SPOILES- Lame south of the border adventure movie that has something to do with the blackmail of a big cooperate executive Rosenlski the president of Unasco Inc. by on the lamb beachcomber David Ziegler who's living the life of Reilly, or Ziegler, in his beach house in Cancun Mexico.Having this CD, that he gave to his brother James, that has three years of phone conversations between Rosenlski and the President of the United States involved in criminal deals. This CD has given David an edge over the international mobsters who are after him. The fact that James get's a little greedy by trying to shake down Rosenlski for 2 million in diamonds not only cost him his life but put David in danger of losing his as well. Ropsenlski want's to negotiate with David for the CD by getting his ex-wife Liz to talk to him about giving it up, Rosnelski made a deal to pay off her debts if she comes through. David is later killed by Rosenliski's Mexican hit-man Tony, with the help of a great white shark, who just doesn't go for all this peaceful dealings on his boss' part. Tony had taken the CD that Liz left for his boss at a local hotel safe and now want's to murder James, like he did David, and at the same time keep the CD to have something over Rosenlski.David who had secretly hidden the diamonds that James had on him at the time of his murder is now the target of Tony and his men to shut him up for good. David also wants to take the diamonds and at the same time give his boss Rosenlski the impression that the CD that David had is lost but use it later, without Rosenlski knowing who's behind it,to blackmail him. The movie "Night of the Sharks" has a number of shark attacks in it with this huge one-eyed white shark who ends up taking out about a half dozen of the cast members including Tony. David who's a firm believer in gun-control uses knives high explosives and Molotov cocktails, as well as his fists, to take out the entire Tony crew. Even the killer shark is finished off by Tony but with a hunting knife, not a gun. When it came to using firearms to save his friend and sidekick Paco a girlfriend Juanita and his priest Father Mattia lives from Tony and his gang guns were a no-no with David; he was more of a knife and spear man then anything else. The ending of the movie was about as predictable as you can make it with David thought to be killed by the one-eyed shark later pops up out of the crowd,after Rosenlski was convinced that he's dead and leaves the village. David continues his life as a free living and loving beachcomber with no one looking to kill him and about two million dollars richer. to David's credit he had his friend Paco give Rosenski back his CD but under the conditions that if anything happened to him his cousin, who Rosenlski doesn't know who and where he is, will shoot his big mouth off and let the whole world know about his dirty and criminal dealings.$LABEL$ 0 +The turning point in "The Matador" comes about half through the movie when Danny, an unsophisticated man from Denver, is sitting in the balcony of his Mexico City hotel, enjoying a quiet moment. Someone knocks on his door, and knowing it's Julian, the paid assassin, he refuses to answer. But did he really? Richard Shephard, the director of "The Matador", presents us with a character, Julian Noble, who shows no redeemable qualities. In fact, we have already seen him in action, doing what he does best. When Julian meets Danny at the bar of the Camino Real in Mexico City, he spills the beans and tells his new acquaintance what he really does for a living.Danny, who has come to sell his program to a Mexican company, but it seems he is competing against a local outfit that appears to be in the front for getting the contract. Danny is a naive person who falls prey of the charisma and charm doled out by the smarter Julian. It's not until some time later, on a cold winter night that the killer appears at Danny's door asking his friend to repay a favor and accompany him on a trip to Tucson. It's at this point that the secret that binds them together is revealed in an unexpected way.Pierce Brosnan, acting against type, makes a great contribution with his irreverent Julian Noble. Just to watch him walking through the hotel lobby in his Speedo and boots gives the right impression about his character. Greg Kinnear, on the other hand, plays the straight part of this odd couple. Hope Davis appears only in a couple of scenes leaving us to lament why didn't she stay longer. Philip Baker Hall puts an appearance as the liaison between Julian and his assignments.Richard Shephard directs with style working with his own material. The musical score is by Rolfe Kent and the crisp cinematography of David Tattersall enhances everything.$LABEL$ 1 +Those who only remember the late Sir Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot or a professional raconteur would do well to seek out this charming piece of late '60s satire. Ustinov stars as a convicted embezzler (we first see him during his last day in gaol where he is preparing the prison governor's tax return) who, sensing that the future is in computers, poses (by means of a deft piece of identity theft) as a computer expert and sets out to infiltrate an American multinational.Ustinov (who co-wrote the script) is on top form, as is the delightful Maggie Smith, here unusually cast as an accident-prone cockney-sparrow dolly bird. Bob Newhart also puts in an amusing performance as a suspicious executive who has designs on Maggie Smith. In addition, Karl Malden is satisfyingly sleazy as Ustinov and Newhart's womanising boss.What do I particularly like about this film? Not only is it a well-thought-out 'caper movie' but it's also a touching little love story; Ustinov and Smith are very convincing as the two misfits stumbling into love (the whole scene involving the deck of cards is particularly effective.)So, what is there not to like? Well, the script is no more computer-literate than most films (that is, hardly at all) even though it captures the feel of late '60s 'big iron' business computing quite well. Also there are a couple of small plot glitches that you're not likely to notice until the second or third viewing, but I consider these to be minor niggles.As I said, this is a film which is well worth seeking out, and after you've seen it once you'll want to see it again at regular intervals.$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely wonderful drama and Ros is top notch...I highly recommend this movie. Her performance, in my opinion, was Academy Award material! The only real sad fact here is that Universal hasn't seen to it that this movie was ever available on any video format, whether it be tape or DVD. They are ignoring a VERY good movie. But Universal has little regard for its library on DVD, which is sad. If you get the chance to see this somewhere (not sure why it is rarely even run on cable), see it! I won't go into the story because I think most people would rather have an opinion on the film, and too many "reviewers" spend hours writing about the story, which is available anywhere.a 10!$LABEL$ 1 +The influence of Hal Hartley in Adrienne Shelly's "I'll Take You There" is not overt, but clearly has ties to his work (Shelly has acted in two of Hartley's films). Not only does her film exhibit a very tight narrative, but the hyper-stylized and extreme characters strangely render human emotion in a very real light. Though this film is not ironic on the whole (thank God), the small and subtle ironies that pepper the piece allude to the bitter truths in love and loss. With beautiful cinematography and a soundtrack straight from the seventies, "I'll See You There" is a great indie-film that doesn't stoop to postmodern irony when dealing with the woes of love and the reality of human emotion.The film begins with Bill's life falling to pieces. Not only has he sold his best friend Ray a beautiful country home, but his wife Rose has left him in order to join Ray in the retreat. All washed up, Bill wallows in his own gloom and doom until his sister Lucy (played by the director Adrienne Shelly) brings him all kinds of surprises: a self-help book and a "date" for her traumatized brother.The unwilling Bill tries to refuse, but the sudden appearance of Bernice at his door leaves him no choice. No doubt Bernice's initially superficial demeanor and ridiculous hairstyle detract from his ability to "rebound" with her. However, her pseudo-hippie qualities annoy him so much that he lashes at her on their first date. And Bernice is so traumatized by his derogatory remarks that she attaches herself to him, forcing herself upon him. To what end, we are not aware... except for maybe the fact that she is psycho. (And who better to play the psycho than Ally Sheedy?)Aware that Bill desperately wants to see Rose, Bernice offers her car, but on the condition that he take her somewhere first. On the way, she proceeds to hold Bill prisoner with his own gun (a Pinkerton Detective, no less). An imbroglio of angst, resentment, redemption, passion and violence ensue as Bill and Bernice find themselves on their way to the country home of Ray and Rose... of course, with a few stops along the way.$LABEL$ 1 +When in 1982, "The Thing" came out to theaters everywhere, it had a cold reception and very poor box-office results, becoming almost a failure in John Carpenter's career as a horror director; however, time has proved that "The Thing" was definitely not a failed project and that the disappointing commercial results were not the film's fault. Nowadays, John Carpenter's "The Thing" has gained the appreciation it rightfully deserves and is considered by many horror fans as a horror classic, and not without a reason, as this new version of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s story "Who Goes There?" (previously adapted as "The Thing From Another World") is closer to the original tale and keeps a pessimistic feeling of dread and high doses of suspense in a masterfully crafted study about paranoia.The plot of "The Thing", begins in the winter of 1982 in a U.S. research station located in the remote territories of Antarctica, when the members of the crew notice a Norwegian helicopter coming their way. The two apparently insane pilots of the helicopter are trying to kill a Husky dog who makes its way into the American base. After the Norwegians are killed accidentally, the Americans try to figure out what made them to be insane. Soon they'll discover that the Husky dog the Norwegians were hunting was not a normal dog, but a creature able to mimic every living creature, and not only that, it has a tremendous hunger.Director John Carpenter earned a place in history when in 1978 he directed the seminal slasher "Halloween", where suspense and atmosphere were above gore and shock. "The Thing" could be seen as an evolution of that style, as even when Carpenter makes great use of Rob Bottin's special effects (which were labeled by critics as "repulsive" on its day), the film still focuses more on atmosphere and suspense rather than in the violent (and very well-done) displays of gore. The feeling of loneliness, as well as the "bad karma" between the members of the crew increase the feeling of paranoia as anyone could be the Thing, even our main character, R. J. MacReady (Kurt Russell), ending in a situation where nobody can be trusted.This plot element was more faithful to the concept of the source novel, and was blatantly ignored by the previous version (not completely a bad thing, just a big difference), making this version feel less like a remake and more as a new conception of the source novel. Bill Lancaster's script handles the characters with brilliant domain, giving us enough to distinguish them, but not too much to completely trust them, making them an essential factor in the film's haunting feeling of dread that keeps running through the movie. The mystery and the suspense are at the max, as never one can tell who is the Thing and who is normal, enhancing the paranoia and unpredictability of the plot with excellent results.The cast is very effective, and their performances as a whole so effective that one can almost feel the bad feelings between their characters as real. Carpenter's regular collaborator Kurt Russell as MacReady carries the film, and through his eyes we witness the madness and the horror the research station becomes as the situations goes worse. Definitely one of his best performances. Wilford Brimley is also terrific as Dr. Blair, a scientist that goes insane after discovering the Thing's purposes."The Thing" is a film so wonderfully crafted that its flaws tend to go unnoticed, although they exist. The most notorious being the very low-key and at times unappropriated score by Ennio Morricone. It's not exactly bad, but it just feels out of place at some scenes and it's not one of the best works by the legendary composer. Also, due to some misshapes with the special effects, some scenes were left out that actually fill some small plot holes, although nothing of big importance or actually annoying.When talking about John Carpenter's films, most people will almost instantly name "Halloween" as his favorite film, but personally, I would go with "The Thing", as I consider it Carpenter's greatest achievement so far, and one of the most interesting and actually scary horror films ever made. I would go as far as to call it one of the finest films ever made. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Here's one you can watch with a straight face, with a script so bad, even Will Ferrell wouldn't be in it.There are two laughs in HOT ROD.1. The Punch-Dance. Rod "needs to go to his quiet place" and before anyone can say Kevin Bacon, he is footloosing a passionate, overwrought bodyswerve to the strains of a band who wishes they had the big-hair faux-metal chops of Europe.2. John Farnham's You're The Voice. In one of those epic sequences where the star and his cohorts do The Slomo Walk down Main Street and the townfolk follow on their heels in support, the soundtrack is the gag. How did the film-makers even come across this Aussie recording artist? A major Australian vocalist (and a genuine talent) who shot to fame in the early '70s covering Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, then disappeared until 1986 for The Big Comeback with You're The Voice, John Farnham's anthem is so bewitchingly cheesy, it leveled mountains in Switzerland.Besides these two high points in the film - both ruined anyway with the slipshod writing - the rest of the film is like choking on someone else's vomit.Andy Samberg is Rod, a failed stunt jumper who has never made a jump. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact he's driving a moped into the heart of darkness. Or his fake mustache. Yeh, someone actually thought that was funny.Without one jump under his starry belt, he plans for a 15-bus extravaganza - which would surely kill a lesser bad comedian, like Jason Biggs or Rob Schneider - to win the day and save his stepfather and simultaneously wipe out cancer and whatever... who watches these movies for plot anyway? Along the way (as usual for moronic leads in these comedies), he scores a salubrious chick (Isla Fisher), who must surely be retarded to consider swapping chromosomes with this loser.Sissy Spacek (CARRIE, 1976) has so little to do she almost phoned in her performance - then changed her mind and just hung up. Ian McShane must've lost a bet to be here.$LABEL$ 0 +If you liked Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the chances are you'll like this, too. Although I guess a few of the British in-jokes (like calling two London characters Dixon and Winterburn, after Arsenal soccer players) may be lost on some, this is still cracking entertainment, which veritably pumps with vitality.Carlyle, Miller and Tyler are all excellent, bringing depth to their characters, and the interplay between the two protagonists is always well-judged. In fact Scott's direction is very assured, considering that this is his first feature film, and proves that he has his father's talent for putting us at ease in unfamiliar surroundings.Hell, I've convinced myself. I'm gonna see it again!$LABEL$ 1 +don't expect much from this film. In many ways this film resembles a film that Doris Day starred in in 1956,title, Julie. In this film Doris,who was a flight attendant,stewardess,in those days,landed the air craft after her derange husband,played by Louis Jordan shot the captain. She did a far better job,more convincing,than Kim Ojah,who took control of a 747 and manage to land it without much help from the control tower. I know a little about 747 aircraft,i use to be a flight attendant myself. Like i said,do not expect much from this film,it was done on a cheap budget. The producers were to cheap to use a plane with the name of a airline on it. Oceanic is one name that several movies have used. The only writing on this plane was the name of the company that made the aircraft.$LABEL$ 0 +PROM NIGHT (2008)directed by: Nelson McCormickstarring: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, and Dana Davisplot: Three years ago, Donna (Brittany Snow) witnessed the death of her entire family at the hands of her teacher (Jonathan Schaech) who has a bit of a crush on her. Now, she is preparing for her senior prom with her stupid annoying friends. Once there, they start dying one by one because the killer escaped from prison and no one bothered to warn Donna because apparently her prom is too important to interrupt. pros: I got a few good laughs out of the film due to the terrible dialog and the dumb character moves.An example:Everyone decides not to tell Donna that the man who is oddly obsessed with her (she doesn't seem that great) has escaped from prison. Their reason: They don't want to embarrass her in front of all her friends. LOLcons: Let me start off by saying I'm a huge slasher fan. Usually I can have fun with even the bad ones. I even like some PG-13 horror films. TOURIST TRAP (1979), one of my favorites, was originally rated PG. I also enjoy POLTERGEIST (1982) and THE GRUDGE (2004). So the fact that this is a dumb slasher film that is rated PG-13 does not have anything to do with me not enjoying the movie.First of all, I had a big problem with the story. I like slasher films that don't even have stories. At least they can be entertaining. This is about a teacher who falls in love with his student, so he kills her entire family. A few years later, he tries to make it up to her by ruining her prom and killing all of her friends ...? Then there were subplots that I doubt anyone cared about. Claire (Jessica Stroup) is fighting with her boyfriend, she has cramps, and I couldn't care less. This should have been a Lifetime feature, not a remake of PROM NIGHT. And then ... this is a slasher film with terrible death scenes. I don't even care that it's not that gory, some of my favorite slashers (HALLOWEEN, CURTAINS, the original PROM NIGHT) were not that gory but they still had effective murders. Here, we have half the characters dying in the same hotel room off screen, a woman being stabbed several times with no stab wounds, and a closeup on a bad actor's face as he screams in agony. I'm sure that 10 year-old girls were terrified, but not me.I also hated the characters. There was Donna's unrealistically sensitive boyfriend Bobby (Scott Porter) and I can almost guarantee you will never meet a boyfriend that sensitive in your life, unless you are a gay male. Then we had Donna's annoying friends Claire (Stroup) and Lisa (Dana Davis), and the token mean girl Chrissy (Brianne Davis). If you thought the characters in DEATH PROOF were annoying, try watching this movie. And don't get me started on Ronnie (Collins Pennie) and the DJ (Jay Phillips) who gave me flashbacks to Usher's performance in SHE'S ALL THAT.Add to all that predictable plot turns, a terrible soundtrack and a big lack of respect to the original material, and you have quite a stinker.$LABEL$ 0 +The is one of the worst spoofs I have ever seen. For one main reason: IT ISN'T FUNNY! I laughed a handful of times. The acting is bad, the script is worse. And why those guys had baby pacfiers in their hair I will never know. And you can tell this didn't have much of a budget to work with and it openly hurts the film. They had a good idea going in some parts but it never really came to past. And what was the point about the lead being older than his Dad? 3 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +A convict serving time comes forward to give the Cold Case unit information about the murder of a policeman, committed years before. The murder of Sean Cooper, a good cop, was never solved. Naturally, the detectives believe the new evidence will help them put together all the pieces of the puzzle that frustrated their colleagues.In flashbacks we are taken to the baptism of James Bruno's baby. Sean and Jimmy were partners. There is tension as Sean, who is the godfather, arrives disheveled and late for the rite. Eileen Bruno doesn't appear to be happy being there. The real mystery is revealed by her. She caught Sean, who was drinking with Jimmy in the backyard, kiss her husband, and more shocking yet, Jimmy responding willingly.Somehow at the station the partners become the center of gossip. Sean has not endeared himself to his superior because he discovered the involvement with a criminal in his area who controlled the drug business. Sean realizes this man is in with the drug strong man because he always makes an excuse to free the scum bags Sean and Jimmy haul into the station all the time. The pressure is too much on Jimmy. Sean is comfortable in his homosexuality and wants to be honest about it. Cooper's own father doesn't want anything to do with a queer son. Even his superior McCree wants him out of his jurisdiction, but the case is complicated because Cooper comes from a long line of Irish men serving in the police force. Sean is killed because his homosexual condition, and for knowing too much on his peers' involvement in taking dirty money.Tom Petit wrote this honest portrayal of the life of a police officer in the closet and his secret love with another fellow cop. We thought it was a frank account of a serious matter no one talked about in those days. Sometimes the people involved with the show, fearing reprisals from sponsors, or the networks, don't dare to present these real situations. Jeannot Szwarc, shows a sensitive approach to this thorny issue, which is dealt without the sensationalism the case might have been shown with a different team.There is a rare Chad Everett appearance as the older Jimmy Bruno. His take is right on target with a touch of sentimentality that doesn't get out of hand. Shane Johnson makes an excellent contribution to the show as Sean Cooper. The cast is marvelous and it includes good all around performances from everyone under Mr. Szwarc's direction.In this episode, Nick Vera, gets closer to his neighbor, the mother of the basketball player the detective took his ball away. Nick is heading for romance with the woman!$LABEL$ 1 +Ayone who whines about how this movie was crap or that it had no plot must have been looking for "Jean de Florrette". HELLO! this film was made to be a random act of comedy and in no way involves a plot in any way shape or form. I would also like to remind these whiners that if you are going to flay the crap out of this film that they seem to be missing the point. This film is clearly made for people who don't appreciate the so called "american humour" which seems to me just a pile of smutty crap. The point is everyone has an opinion and you should be a bit more appreciative that some peoples sense of humour may not be in line with your own before shooting your mouth off.Thankyou$LABEL$ 1 +Sex,Drugs,Rock & Roll is without a doubt the worst product of Western Civilization. The monologues are both uninteresting and pointless In the rare monologue that captures the audience's attention it is quickly lost through overly long repetition and unnecessary additions (The Hells Angels at McDonalds comes to mind) I guess Bogosian's one man show needed some filler material to give a length that he thought justified the price of admission.I would rather sleep with my aunt and be hung upside down and drained of my blood than see Sex,Drugs,Rock & Roll again.$LABEL$ 0 +36. THE HOSPITAL (comedy, 1971) A series of emergencies has gripped Manhattan Hospital. Patients are dying left and right due to overcrowded conditions, and a ineptitude staff. When a resident doctor is caught up in the death count the chief medical examiner, Dr. Bock (George C. Scott), is called in to investigate. Having worked as a doctor for too many years, and going through a mid-life crisis of his own, Dr. Bock finds the going tough. He decides to commit suicide. But then he meets Barbara (Diana Rigg), a young-hippie beauty. Whose keen insights on life help the depressed Bock.Critique: Black comedy features a 'tour-de-force' performance from veteran actor George C. Scott. He's good at playing high-strung, serious characters whose strict morals are severely tested. First half of the film unfolds like a melodrama, giving a pretty good account of hospital life, and the shambles they sometimes are. But then, as things look set for a dramatic climax it skews into slapstick comedy. If Paddy Chayefsky's script had maintained its dramatic feel I wonder if Scott would've walked out with another best Actor Oscar (he had previously won it, 'in-absentia', the year before). His breakdown (suicide) scene is one of the most gut-wrenchingly real in cinema history.QUOTE: Dr. Bock: ". . .last night I sat in my hotel room reviewing the shambles of my life and contemplating suicide. I said 'no Bock don't do it. You're a doctor, a healer, you're a necessary person, you're life is meaningful'. Then. . .I find out that one of my doctors was killed by a couple of nurses. . .how am I to sustain my feeling of meaningfulness in the face of this?"$LABEL$ 1 +Our story: Two U.S. Navy deep sea divers search for silver coins hidden beneath the ocean off the Filipino coast. Our proof: Extremely dull entertainment at its best, with no plot in sight. Jim Brown is completely wasted, provided his help in producing this 70s war turkey. Richard Jaeckel is in his usual form. Don Cornelius and Richard Pryor are among those who gave special thanks in their contributions! BOMBS AWAY!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Definitely a movie for people who ask only to be entertained and who do not over-think their movies. Lots of action, lots of great dialogue (e.g. fun to quote), a little intrigue, and stuff blowing up all over the place. Samuel L Jackson and Geena Davis had great chemistry. Violent, but not gory. The fact that the female part was the competent action lead is a pleasant turn-about.Have seen the movie more than a dozen times and still enjoy it enough to put it back in my favorite films rotation every 3 or 4 months. I initially rented the movie because Samuel L Jackson was in the film, but was caught up in the events surrounding Samantha's quest to regain her memory and have never looked back.All you cerebral folks out there -- suspend disbelief for once, take yourself a little less seriously -- you might actually enjoy yourselves!$LABEL$ 1 +About your terrible movie copying Beethoven. As a professional musician it's my duty to watch every movie made about any composer and Beethoven is one of my favorites. When Hungarians and Americans meet, it's a terrible combination of empty over the top emotions combined with the worst taste possible. You proved it in your terrible b-movie. The only thing that carries the movie is the music. Of course you didn't bother to look further than the good but in my taste contrived performances of the Tackacs quartet, but OK I have to admit that the performances at least have quality as contrast to the movie you've made. It starts of with the dying DEAF Beethoven who perfectly understands Anna who is merely whispering. Beethoven's hearing during the movie get's better by the minute, but that must be because of some vague divine thing. Then there is the quite impossible semi-pornographic "eyes wide shut" double-conducting scene which is totally over the top with the luscious Anna and the crying nephew in the end (who also cries in the deleted scenes with constant red eyes, my GOD what a performance). And as culmination the rip-off from Amadeus, with Beethoven dictating music to Anna not in notes but in total nonsense, which she understands perfectly but no-one else in your audience even trained professional musicians will understand. Of course your reaction will be that negative response is a response at least, but I can assure you that Beethoven himself is turning in his grave because of your worthless creation and with reason. This so called homage is blasphemy and I am so sorry to have rented one of the worst movies ever made even though it's about my favorite subject. Ed Harris and others, you cannot comprehend the greatness of Beethoven in your wildest dreams and certainly not after a couple of lessons in conducting and violin playing. That's the trouble with you Americans: you think you can grasp everything even when it takes a lifetime of hard work. Yeah we can do it anyway! Remember that a good product comes with hard labor, talent, devotion and professionalism. All these you creators of Copying Beethoven lack. See you in kindergarten.$LABEL$ 0 +Samuel Fuller is hardly one of America's great directors. I'm not sure he qualifies as one of Hollywood's great craftsmen. But he certainly ranks up there with the best of Hollywood's true professionals who were willing to march to their own music. During the time he worked for Hollywood studios, he knew how to take an assignment, shape the middling material handed to him and then turn it quickly and efficiently into something usually better than its parts...on time and on budget. Pickup on South Street is a case in point. On the surface it's one more of Hollywood's early Fifties' anti-Commie movies, complete with appeals to patriotism, a hard-boiled hero and a slimy (and copiously perspiring) bad guy. Fuller turns this bag of Hollywood clichés into a taut, exciting drama with any number of off-kilter twists. The hero, Skip McCoy, is a three-time loser, a petty crook with soft fingers who doesn't change his stripes until the very end. The girl in the caper, Candy, has a level of virtue that would be easy to step over if you're so inclined. One of the most appealing characters, Moe Williams, is a stoolie. And in an unusual approach to Hollywood's battle against Commies, the appeals to patriotism fall on deaf ears; the hero isn't motivated by anything so ennobling. He just wants payback for a personal reason, and winds up becoming...at least for now...a good guy. Plus, all the actors were mostly assigned to Fuller by the studio. He had to make do. Richard Widmark by now had established his presence as an actor and star, but Jean Peters is a surprise. She gives a fine portrait of a woman sexy and dumb, and no better than her boy friends...or her clients...want her to be. And Richard Kiley, who later would become a two- time Tony award winning star on Broadway, is convincingly slippery and cowardly. It's hard to remember that he was the actor who inflicted on us, I mean introduced to us, "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, More than anything else, this tale of a pickpocket who picks a purse in a subway car and finds himself with microfilmed secrets instead of cash, pursued by the Feds and the Commies, moves straight ahead with great economy. The whole enterprise, with a classic noir look, only takes 80 minutes to tell. The dialogue, with Fuller as screenwriter, has that party corny, partly pungent hard-boiled pulp fiction style. "That muffin you grifted...she's okay," one character says to Skip about Candy. Fuller moves us just fast enough from scene to scene to keep us hanging on what will come next. Then Fuller throws in the character of Moe Williams. All of a sudden the story ratchets up to a whole new level of interest, part comedy relief and part sad inevitability. The thing I like best about the movie is how the opening exemplifies Fuller's talents and strengths. In 2 minutes and 15 seconds, starting right after the credits, Fuller is able to instantly power up the movie, to establish for us what the story is about, and to show us what kind of characters -- Skip and Candy -- we're going to be involved with. And he does this with so much enticing curiosity in that hot, packed subway car that we can just about feel Fuller setting the hook to catch us. Says Glenn Erickson, in my opinion one of the best of movie critics, "In what should be an inconsequential story, Sam Fuller defines his peculiar view of Americanism from the bottom up: stiff-necked, aggressive self-interest that when fully expressed recognizes what's wrong and what's right and isn't afraid to fight for it. As always in his work, the individuals who fight the hardest for their country are the ones least likely to benefit from the effort." He's right, and it makes for a movie still vivid after 55 years.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to hold Barney drilling my head every day; well.. I guess there must be reasons. First, I'm convinced that our kids are not stupids, they are just kids, but they know (my 1 and a half years old son "selects" what to see) what's nice or disgusting. Did you see the news? Do you think your kids HAVE TO KNOW the reality as it is? Maybe..or maybe not; we (the adults) have the responsibility about what we want for our kids, and what to teach them. A film of drug dealers? news about massacres in Middle East? Of course, the kids must know there is a Real Life, but... they are kids; let's give them some mercy. What do you want for them? If you wanna have kids trained on weapons or the best way to kill a neighbor, go ahead, impose them Lethal Weapon, Kill Bill, any manga's anime, tell them Santa's a depraved who enters through the chimney directly to violate them. I want illusions for my son (don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Barney and Friends is the best; in fact, the show have a lot of defects, I read other comments and I agree with most); maybe the happiness is made of dreams, or illusions. At least, I want to teach him to grow WITHOUT FEAR BUT CAUTIOUS, that learns to think and believe that everything is not serial killers or hijackers, whom they're reasons to worth to grow. That, at least, he can be a little happy with his own dreams. So, parents, don't underestimate your kids; they know what they want.$LABEL$ 1 +Last weekend I bought this 'zombie movie' from the bargain bin and watched it with some friends thinking it was going to be a budget version of "Land of the Dead".Boy, was I wrong. It seems as if they spent a good portion of their budget on the cover-art, which is very misleading to fans of the zombie genre.We watched up to the point where the zombie chicks come alive and get in the car with some yuppie who is out in the middle of nowhere talking business on a cell-phone. They actually speak to the guy before one of the girls kills him; but once they started driving the car, I couldn't suspend my disbelief anymore.Some people actually consider this a "so bad, it's good" movie, they are liars. I didn't finish the movie, but one of the other reviews mention that they actually somehow become police officers at the end of the movie, which makes me glad to not have watched it all the way through.This is even worse than "Zombiez" DO NOT WATCH!$LABEL$ 0 +I often feel like Scrooge, slamming movies that others are raving about - or, I write the review to balance unwarranted raves. I found this movie almost unwatchable, and, unusual for me, was fast-forwarding not only through dull, clichéd dialog but even dull, clichéd musical numbers. Whatever originality exists in this film -- unusual domestic setting for a musical, lots of fantasy, some animation -- is more than offset by a script that has not an ounce of wit or thought-provoking plot development. Individually, June Haver and Dan Dailey appear to be nice people, but can't carry a movie as a team. Neither is really charismatic or has much sex appeal. They're both bland. I like Billy Gray, but his character is pretty one-note. The best part of the film, to me, are June Haver's beautiful costumes and great body.$LABEL$ 0 +Recap: Full moon. A creature, a huge werewolf, is on the hunt. Not for flesh, not for blood (not that it seem to mind to take a bite on the way though), but for a mate. He is on the hunt for a girl. Not any girl though. The Girl. The girl that is pure (and also a werewolf, although she doesn't know it yet). Three, well check that, two cops (after the first scene) and an old bag lady is all that can stop it, or even knows that the thing killing and eating a lot of folks around full moon is a werewolf. This particular powerful werewolf, Darkwolf, is closing in on the girl. If he gets her, mankind is doomed. Now the cops has to find the girl, convince her not only that there is someone, a werewolf nonetheless, that wants to rape her, and perhaps kill her, but that she is a werewolf herself. And then they got to stop him...Comments: This is one for the boys, the teenage boys. A lot of scenes with semi-nude girls more or less important for the plot. Mostly less. Well I guess you need something to fill some time because the plot is (expectedly) thin. And unfortunately there is little besides the girls to help the plot from breaking. One usually turns to two main themes. Nudity. Check. And then special effects. Hmm... Well there are some things that you might call effects. They're not very special though. In fact, to be blunt, they are very bad. The movie seems to be suffering of a lack of funds. They couldn't afford clothes for some of the girls ;), and the effects are cheap. Some of the transformations between werewolf and human form, obviously done by computer, are really bad. You might overlook such things. But the Darkwolf in itself is very crude too, and you never get to see any killings. Just some mutilated corpses afterwards. And there is surprisingly little blood about, in a movie that honestly should be drenched in blood.I'm not sure what to say about actors and characters. Most of the times they do well, but unfortunately there are lapses were the characters (or actors) just looses it. A few of these lapses could be connected with the problems mentioned above. Like the poor effects, or the poor budget(?). That could explain why there is precious little shooting, even if the characters are armed like a small army and the target is in plain sight (and not moving). But hey, when you're in real danger, there nothing that will save your life like a good one-liner...Unfortunately that can't explain moments when the Cop, Steve, the only one who knows how to maybe deal with the problem, the werewolf that is, runs away, when the only things he can be sure of, is that the werewolf is coming for the girl, who is just beside him now, and that he cannot let it have her. But sure, it let the makers stretch the ending a little more...But I wouldn't mind seeing none of the lead actors/actresses get another try in another movie.Well. To give a small conclusion: Not a movie that I recommend.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I first heard about The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya from a reviewer on Youtube. He literally slapped the show with a big bad rant, condemning it rubbish and confusing. Curious, I decided to watch the show (once I got the order of the episodes right, thanks to those who made the lists), and I found it absolutely brilliant and enjoyable to watch. Great memorable characters who are full of life and are absolutely lovable and hilarious; a unique and not over blowing plot that makes sense now that I've watched the show; and two of the best anime moments in history, in my opinion. Plus the opening and ending themes are great.The anime, based on a collection of successful manga novels, follows a simple plot, once you understand it. While the show's focus is on the main character, Haruhi Suzumiya, the point of view is from her friend Kyon. Kyon is a regular high school student who doesn't really believe in supernatural stuff (e.g. Santa Clause, aliens, time travellers, ghosts, espers) but he soon ends up talking to Haruhi, who is the most oddest girl in the school and would prefer to date an alien, considering all men worthless. She even joined every club in the school to find something interesting, but quit as quickly as she joined. Upon "advice" from Kyon, Haruhi decides to form her own club with Kyon's club. Setting up in the literary club room, Haruhi forms the SOS Brigade - its mission to investigate supernatural cases (think Scooby-Doo minus the dog, the masked man and the Mystery Machine).Haruhi "recruits" three extra members. The first is Yuki Nagato, a bookworm of sorts who speaks very little and spends most of her time reading and sitting. The second is Mikuru Asahina, a shy girl who is forced into the club by Haruhi who thinks they need a cute mascot to get some things done. She is often forced into costumes by Haruhi to further her cuteness. The third is Itsuki Koizumi, a friendly and sociable transfer student who is always smiling. While Haruhi thinks her group is filled with normal people she couldn't be more wrong. While Kyon is as normal as you can get, the other three on the other hand are rather unique - Yuki is an alien, Mikuru is a time traveller from the future, and Itsuki is an esper (a person who has ESP). All three have come to watch over Haruhi who may just have the powers of a god, and if she becomes bored, she may be able to discover her powers and create a whole new world, and Kyon is involved somehow.The show is worth watching with great characters, music and some hilarious and wonderful moments. However, for parents, there is some sexual references including Mikuru's cleavage being exposed or touched several times, and several swear words used as well. Apart from that, the show is one of the greats.$LABEL$ 1 +Well I've enjoy this movie, even though sometimes it turns too much to a stereotypical situation. I didnt understood at this time if the "Punishment Park" has exist in the past, but I think the matter isnt really here.You have to look at this movie in a different manner. It shows how much violence you can find in our world. It reminds us that we live in a world who is lead by violence and that nobody can escape from it. If anyone refuse to "take his responsabilities" then you will be thrown out of our society...All our history is made by wars, we should never forget this. In fact its only when we will finally accept the truth that, maybe, we will change and understand that our "intellectual skills" have improve. So we could use them to find others ways to resolve our problems.In 2 words this movie is a must see, maybe it will help us to accept the truth...$LABEL$ 1 +When I first read Armistead Maupins story I was taken in by the human drama displayed by Gabriel No one and those he cares about and loves. That being said, we have now been given the film version of an excellent story and are expected to see past the gloss of Hollywood...Writer Armistead Maupin and director Patrick Stettner have truly succeeded! With just the right amount of restraint Robin Williams captures the fragile essence of Gabriel and lets us see his struggle with issues of trust both in his personnel life(Jess) and the world around him(Donna).As we are introduced to the players in this drama we are reminded that nothing is ever as it seems and that the smallest event can change our lives irrevocably. The request to review a book written by a young man turns into a life changing event that helps Gabriel find the strength within himself to carry on and move forward.It's to bad that most people will avoid this film. I only say that because the average American will probably think "Robin Williams in a serious role? That didn't work before!" PLEASE GIVE THIS MOVIE A CHANCE! Robin Williams touches the darkness we all must find and go through in ourselves to be better people. Like his movie One Hour Photo he has stepped up as an actor and made another quality piece of art.Oh and before I forget, I believe Bobby Cannavale as Jess steals every scene he is in. He has the 1940's leading man looks and screen presence. It's this hacks opinion he could carry his own movie right now!!S~$LABEL$ 1 +I waited until the 4th of July to write this because . . . well . . . because it just feels right to be doing it on this day.In 1924 D.W. Griffith needed a hit, he had not had a big one since ORPHANS OF THE STORM (1921). He'd been working steadily since then but his movies had been smaller in scope and had failed to hit the right chord with audiences. He was planning a film about Patrick Henry when he was contacted by members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) who asked if he might expand his ideas to encompass more of the American Revolution. This movie is the result. By the time he had finished he had a 14 reel history lesson and there wasn't a trace of Patrick Henry anywhere.We all know the story of the Revolutionary War but Griffith threw in a love story with Patriot farmer Nathan (Neil Hamilton) falling in love with Tory aristocrat Nancy Montague (Carol Dempster, a leading lady for Griffith for many years). Complicating matters is the fact that Nancy's father hates Nathan . . . well not just Nathan, he hates all rebels. It does not help matters when, during a skirmish on the streets of Lexington someone jostles Nathan's arm causing him to discharge his gun and accidentally wound Nancy's dad!Paralelling the love story is the (mostly true but partially embellished) story of Capt. Walter Butler (Lionel Barrymore) a renegade British officer who feels he owes allegiance to no one. With Thousands of Indians form the Six Nations on his side he hopes to crush the colonials and become monarch of his own empire.Comparisons with BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) are inevitable. The Montague family might just as well be the Cameron's from the earlier film while Nathan could be a part of the Stoneman family. The sequence of the Battle of Bunker Hill is staged very similarly to a scene in BIRTH OF A NATION with the attacking army, in this case the Redcoats, storming a trench packed with Patriots. The only thing missing is Henry Walthall charging across No Man's Land to stuff a flag into the muzzle of a cannon. Amazingly enough the battle scenes in America seem to lack the energy of the battle scenes in BIRTH and fail to draw the audience in. Something is clearly missing. It isn't scope, G.W. "Billy" Bitzer's camera work is quite good. Maybe what is missing is . . . dare I say it . . . sincerity?The brutality of Capt. Butler and his men is well underscored although much of it happens in long shot or offscreen. Don't expect any heads to be lopped off in closeup like we saw in INTOLERANCE (1916). In one scene Butler's second in command, Capt. Hare (Louis Wolhiem) gouges out the eyes of a captive colonist. We see only the beginning of the deed, for the remainder the camera focuses on Hare's face as he obviously has a good time doing this. Lionel had been working with Griffith on and off since 1912. A story goes that he approached Griffith for work and D.W., knowing the reputation of his famous family, said "I am not hiring stage actors." to which Lionel replied "And I am nothing of the kind, sir!" He makes a very good and quite believable villain. Louis Wolhiem appeared with Lionel's older brother John three times; in SHERLOCK HOLMES and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (both 1920) and later in THE TEMPEST (1927). As Capt. Hare his wild staring eyes and disheveled hair not only mark him as a villain but make you think he is quite mad also.Neil Hamilton later remarked that America was his first time on horseback and "I was scared to death.". He hides his displeasure very well though and we can believe he was quite the equestrian by the time shooting was over. Mr. Griffith was very much in love with Carol Dempster and at one point asked her to marry him. She refused and soon left his stock company, after which her star status gradually waned.Speaking of horses, one accidentally amusing moment which had to be unscripted came during the depiction of Paul Revere's ride. He rides his horse right up on the front porch of a family to announce "To arms! The Regulars are coming!" but as he tries to leave the horse cannot negotiate the steps backwards and stumbles spilling his rider on the ground! I am amazed Griffith did not do another take.So is America a classic? YES! Don't wait for July 4th to see it, it is enjoyable anytime.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a tongue in cheek movie from the very outset with a voice-over that pokes fun at everything French and then produces a rather naif but very brave hero in Fanfan La Tulipe. Portrayed by the splendid Gerard Philippe, the dashing young man believes utterly in the fate curvaceous Lollobrigida foretells - notably that he will marry King Louis XV's daughter! Problem is, La Lollo soon find outs she too is in love with Fanfan...Propelled by good sword fights, cavalcades, and other spirited action sequences the film moves at a brisk pace and with many comic moments. The direction is perhaps the weakest aspect but the film is so light and takes itself so un-seriously that I could not give those shortcomings a second thought. Look out for Noel Roquevert, a traditional heavy in French films, trying to steal La Lollo, making himself a nuisance, and feeding the script to the fortune teller that reads La Lollo's hand! And what a gem Marcel Herrand is as the megalomanous and lust-driven King Louis XV! That is not all: So many beautiful women in one film makes me wish I were in France and on the set back in 1952! The film may have come out that year but its verve, cheek, superb narration, immaculate photography and the memorable Gerard Philippe ensure that it remains modern and a pleasure to watch. I would not hesitate to recommend it to my grandchildren let alone to anyone who loves movies in general and swashbucklers in particular! Do see it!$LABEL$ 1 +Robert Wagner is the evil boss of Digicron, a telecommunications company with a virus that kills people.'so you're saying that the software virus has become a real virus that can kill people - that may be medically possible but not possible from my system' 'i'm having to write some new virus software of my own to trap it - it may take some time''but it's not going after software, it's killing people'watch out for the 'i'm into virology' love moment and perhaps first ever film plot to feature death by braille keyboard$LABEL$ 0 +hello, looking for a movie for the family to watch on a Friday night? Can't find what your looking for? I thought this was an extremely enjoyable movie. Good for the whole family. I found that it had a remarkably rare combination of it being appealing to both adults and children alike. It was brilliant, to say the least. Bruce Willis's acting was top-notch, there was a lot of humor in it and overall, a great movie. In my opinion, it's a must-see movie. And I don't think that about a lot of movies, believe me when I say it takes a lot for a movie to get me to think that. It's clear that there was much work done by Bruce Willis and cast to get this movie done. Excellent story, good acting, and again, overall a thoroughly enjoyable movie.$LABEL$ 1 +An amazing piece of film that was well-conceived and kept me on the edge of my seat. Brilliantly orchestrated in its timing, and the comedy kicked in exactly when the tension needed a release. The acting was generally well-done (the "Director" should've asked Alec Guinness for acting lessons), and the shot selections were impressive (as in elongating the hall as Billy tries to race to the door in the studio). This movie didn't let up since the opening scene...$LABEL$ 1 +Damien O'Donnell has a good track record and in this film he handles a very delicate topic with sensitivity but manages not to let the film turn into schmalz.This is a fantastic film, its funny with sad bits and it makes you look at things differently. Tell everyone you know to go see it now- FANTASTIC!The acting is excellent, and Dublin plays a starring role. This film will change the way you view people with disabilities and also give you a very entertaining night out in the cinema. I can't wait til it comes out on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +Really, truly, abysmally, garishly, awful. But actor Clayton Moore (the movie Lone Ranger) acquits himself competently as an actor. He's the only one.A rare treat, for five minutes, if you want to plumb the depths of grotesquely transparent special effects, southern California as "the moon" (again and again and again), and acting so woodenly inept that it may be a spoof . . . except that it's clear that it isn't--no humor here, except unintentionally.The dialogue may be worse than any of these other aspects, and the costumes . . . well, enough said. Plot? What plot? Bad guy (well, head bad guy) and his henchmen, including his earthly agent called Krog (listen carefully or you'll suspect it's a spoof on the name of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc)and his unbelievably inept gunsels (who, however, have handguns that never need reloading; as does Commando Cody, so there are numerous firefight standoffs).Enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +As you can see, I loved the book so much I use the title for my internet alias and have for over 15 years. (Okay, so it had to be spelled phonetically to fit the name character limit for the BBS at the time but what could I do?) If anyone every finds this movie, I would absolutely love to see it! Janet McTeer is great in everything else I've seen of hers. I think she would have made a great Prue. And it even features early Clive Owen - from before Chancer (a great series itself). What's not to love? I hope the powers that be wise up and make this available on DVD soon! With some of the true dredge they pout out, it's about time well executed productions make it on the market too.$LABEL$ 1 +Is there anything that happens in this movie that is NOT predictable? I think not. Basically the movie is cliché after cliché and really nothing ever comes as a surprise. It makes the movie extremely predictable and because of that the movie is also seriously lacking in tension. So for a thriller it is not tense and unpredictable enough but also as a drama it's a failure. This is because the movie its story is highly unlikely. I mean, no way this could ever happen in real life, as in the same way as the events occur in this movie. So the movie has a real suspense and credibility problem.But it truly are the clichés that killed the movie. It was cringing stuff at times. Everything is so formulaic in this movie. The predator is portrayed as a cool heartless, almost psychopath like sexual frustrated boy and the victim as a naive young woman, who acts like she didn't see any of this coming. Everything that happened in the movie was so obvious and all seemed to happen for a reason. Such as the sequence in which the 'predator' fixes the 'victims' broken car. That has got to be one of the oldest clichés out of the book. I knew what the movie tried to achieve after that point. I tried to look as if the teacher and the student were really growing toward each other trough the eyes of the other persons around them. It was so incredibly obvious and cheap that I almost wanted to stop watching the movie after that point. The movie is filled with moments like these.The title might suggest that this is a cheap porn movie but this in fact is a sappy made for TV movie. Which means that everything is slowly happening and the movie spends halve its time on character development and unnecessary sub-plots to make the movie even more drama like.I'll admit that Elizabeth Berkley is pretty good acting in this movie. She makes some of the clichés and events look even almost realistic at times. Her Hollywood career is as good as over after appearing in the Paul Verhoeven movie "Showgirls", so unfortunately she will probably only still appear in movies- and television series like this one. It's a waste of her talent and she surely deserves better. All of the other characters are a disappointment. Corey Sevier plays the cliché pretty 'untouchable' rich boy and the way the husband of the main character is portrayed is even worse. He looks more like a sexual frustrated predator than the true predator of the movie. He basically tries to have sex with his wife in every sequence. He wakes up, he wants sex. Before he goes to sleep, he wants sex. He gets home, he wants sex. It might be a realistic thing but I don't know, it just didn't feel right for a movie like this one and the story in general.A cliché filled movie and I can't think of any reason why anyone should ever watch this movie. It's predictable and therefor also lacks in suspense and credibility. Not an 'horrible' movie and it certainly is a watchable one at times but all the weak and cliché elements in the movie also make this far from a recommendable one.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I was shocked and surprised by the negative reviews I saw on the web, I thought Cinderella 2 (as well as 3) is a very cute and funny sequel for everyone - kids and adults...like me, I am 22 years old.I also find it and very informative film, it shows lessons on being true to yourself and following your heart. I thought it has great animation, and the voice casting was very good; the songs performed by Brooke Allison too. Since this film has been divided into three flashbacks/stories, my favorite out of the three, is the story of when Jaq the mouse, became a human for a day, thanks to Fairy Godmother and her magic.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this movie to be extremely delightful.I am biased I suppose.I happen to adore Kathy Bates.I found her singing an added pleasure.She has a very nice voice.Ms Bates plays Grace Beasley.The film takes you from her doledrums married life in Chicago to England,the home of her recently murdered singing idol Victor Fox.There she meets his three surviving uppity sisters.She also discovers that Victor leaves behind a male lover,Dirk Simpson.The story leads you on to some surprisingly comedic and heartwarming situations as Grace and Dirk develop a true fondness for each other,after an initial rather rude rejection,on his part.They return to Chicago where they team up with Grace's pint-sized,hilarious daughter-in-law,Maudie,to find the serial killer who murdered Victor.Everyone in the picture did a fine job.Particularly enjoyed Julie Andrews,Lynn Redgrave and Barry Manilow.This movie was fun.It makes you cry.The music is absolutely charming.Other posters here who found problems with any parts of this movie,just don't have a clue.$LABEL$ 1 +Quirky, independent, theatrical, Christian Slater--these are all teasers that made me look forward to spending an hour or so "discovering" a jewel of a film. Boy, was I disappointed. Julian Po never gets over itself. The film is relentlessly self-conscious. I found myself unable to suspend disbelief for even a moment. The overdone, obviously theatrical sets, the overdone, obviously theatrical acting, the overdone, obviously theatrical directing -- well, you get the idea. Allegories do not need to be delivered sledge hammer style. And it's hard to feel much of anything for Julian Po because we never know much about him. The ridiculous girlfriend, the annoying townsfolk, the idiotic clergyman, the bratty kids -- why would anyone, particularly anyone with a life long ambition to get to the seaside (Slater's character), decide to stay in such a dismal place?$LABEL$ 0 +Zoey 101 is basically about a girl named Zoey who transfers into an all boys boarding school during the first year that they integrate girls into it. That raw plot line is, I'll admit, a pretty good idea. Although this show was meant for children, a five year old could probably point out its fatal flaws. First, Zoey is a cliché character, her being super popular, super attractive, super smart, and there;s nothing wrong with her; no girl is like that. It feels like the show was put the spotlight on Jamie Lynn Spears and increase her fame. Dana, who appeared at the beginning of the first season, is just plain mean. However, in my opinion, she was probably the most realistic character of them all, which is sad seeing that Dana is never nice. Nicole is too peppy and acts like a complete airhead, but mysteriously gets straight A's. Lola seems to be able to fool anything with her Emmy-deserving acting skills. Quinn is supposed to be super smart, and although she is able to create the most unrealistic things, she is also made out to be weird, and she never gets any guys although she is both beautiful and smart, while Zoey, Lola, and Nicole get guys and they're all beauty and no personality. Chase and Michael are very similar, and I even sometimes get them confused. Logan is unrealistically rich, and hands out millions like they're dollars. Nobody's that rich. I've also noticed that every character on the show is mean to that Stacy girl, who does nothing but act nice to them. That's not funny! That's mean and it just influences young girls to act mean to totally nice people. Finally, the school itself adds the frosting to the unreal cake by providing the students with 5-star amenities such as a scenic location, sushi bar, hot lounge equipped with free soda machines, pool&jacuzzi, movie theater, and the allowance for boys and girls to freely go into the other sex's dorm rooms. At most boarding schools, if a boy were to go into a girl's dorm or vice versa they would be expelled.In conclusion, Zoey 101 was poorly written and should have spent a few more years in the drafting process.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is terrible, it was so difficult to believe that Katie became a heartfelt teenager with the power to save the pity Chinese people, the movie didn't show any convincing argument to prove that. And the rest of the plot didn't make any effort to show us more than a cheap common sense... The plot is ridiculous and the only thing we can extract from it is that it demonstrate how arrogant a human can be. Katie must have inherited her arrogance from her mother, the most annoying character I have seen for a long time. The acting and scenery were OK, but the plot ruins everything, full of cheap clichés and hypocritical scenes, I expect not to see this movie again in my life. Skip this one!$LABEL$ 0 +The only thing serious about this movie is the humor. Well worth the rental price. I'll bet you watch it twice. It's obvious that Sutherland enjoyed his role.$LABEL$ 1 +2005 was one of the best year for movies. We had so many wonderful movies, like Batman Begins, Sin City, Corpse Bride, A History of Violence.....Coming up we also got Brokeback Mountain, King Kong....But if this year the only great movie that came out was Everything Is Illuminated, then we wouldn't miss all this year has brought. The first movie as a director of the talented Liev Schreiber is a delightful, heart-warming, touching drama that also brings one of Elijah Wood's best roles. He is perfect as Jonathan, a curious man that heads for Ukraine to find the woman who saved his Grandfather in World War II. Liev Schreiber, who also writes the movie, conducts a masterpiece, with memorable scenes and (a lot of) funny quotes. This here is a genuine mixture of Comedy with Drama, bringing a movie that will be commented years from now. A serious Oscar contender, Everything is Illuminated is a powerful, original, and, why not say, illuminated movie. But there's one thing you should remember while entering the movie: leave normal behind. This is special.------9/10$LABEL$ 1 +According to John Ford's lyrically shot, fictional biopic of Abraham Lincoln's life his greatest faults may have been an obtuseness with woman and an ability to dance in "the worst way." Ford's camera has only praising views to reveal of Mr. Lincoln's early life. But for what the film lacks in character complexities it makes up for in beauty and depth of vision. Uncharacteristically beautiful compositions of early film, what could have been a series of gorgeous still frames, Ford has a unique eye for telling a story. The film sings of the life of a hopeful young man. Henry Fonda plays the contemplative and spontaneously clever Lincoln to a tee, one of his best roles.The film concerns two young men, brothers, on trial for a murder that both claim to have committed. In classic angry mob style, the town decides to take justice into their own hands and lynch the pair of them, until honest Abe steps into the fray. He charms them with his humor, telling them not to rob him of his first big case, and that they are as good as lynched with him as the boys lawyer. What follows seems to become the outline for all courtroom- murder-dramas thereafter, as Abe cunningly interrogates witnesses to the delight and humor of the judge, jury and town before he stumbles upon the missing links.The film plays out like many John Ford movies do: a tablespoon of Americana, a dash of moderate predictability, a hint of sarcasm that you aren't sure if you put in the recipe or if Ford did it himself. Despite the overtly 'Hollywood' feel of the film, and overly patriotic banter alluding to Lincoln's future presidency, the film is entirely enjoyable and enjoyably well constructed, if you can take your drama with a grain of salt.$LABEL$ 1 +Where to start... If this movie had been a dark comedy, I would say it was FANNN-TASTIC! Unfortunately for me, and anyone else with free time and a buck to spare (mind you that was the price I paid, got it from Wal-Mart), this movie was meant to be a thriller. The only THRILL I got was watching Kirkland's lousy rendition of Anne Wilkes from Misery sans snowy woodland area. If you want a good laugh, on a rainy Friday night with some friends, then I highly recommend this movie. But if you want to watch something at least half way decent, then don't even bother.I for one enjoy crappy films, the worse the better in most cases. But Wow... I Meant WOW!! The only person in the entire film that didn't stink it up was the little boy, played by Vincent Berry. The only reason why I even give it 3 stars is because it gave me something to do.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh dear god. This was horrible. There is bad, then there was this. This movie makes no sense at all. It runs all over the map and isn't clear about what its saying at all. The music seemed like it was trying to be like Batman. The fact that 'Edison' isn't a real city, takes away. Since I live in Vancouver, watching this movie and recognizing all these places made it unbearable. Why didn't they make it a real city? The only writing that was decent was'Tilman' in which John Heard did a fantastic job. He was the only actor who played his role realistically and not over the top and campy. It was actually a shame to see John Heard play such a great bad guy with a lot of screen time, and the movie be a washout. Too bad. Hopefully someone important will see it, and at least give John Heard credit where credit is due, and hire him as lead bad guy again, which is where he should be. on the A List.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, bad acting isn't only one thing to mention. Bad script,not so bad music. Unfortunately.Nice girl and nice boy with perfect bodies and super teeth just isn't enough for me and for you too.First thing in the morning after crash they go to swim to the sea, to have some fun !!! Smiling ...They find everything in the sea. I mean things like fishing-net, knife, scuba dive things, ropes, bottles, husband ...Woodoo stuff , are you kidding. Stupid. They are so happy on the island, they are going to die, and they are happy. Love, peace. Love. Just stupid.Terrible, skip this one please.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think that many films (especially comedies) have added memorable, quotable dialog like MOONSTRUCK. I won't illustrate it - you can see a remarkably long list of quotes on this thread - but any film that can make subjects like the defense of using expensive copper piping rather than brass for plumbing purposes into memorable dialog is amazing to me. It is not the only line that pops up and makes an imprint on our memory. How about a restaurant waiter who regrets a planned marriage proposal because it will mean the loss of an old bachelor client? Or a nice, elderly dog fancier encouraging his pack to howl at he moon? Or Perry (John Mahoney's) description of a female student's youthful promise as "moonlight in a martini" (my favorite line).MOONSTRUCK is a wonderful example of brilliant script, first rate direction, and a good ensemble cast that fits perfectly. There are other examples (the drama THE OX-BOW INCIDENT is another example, but a grimmer one). Cher, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia, Nicholas Cage, John Mahoney, and Danny Aiello are all involved in plots and cross purposes that examine the nature of love, and how to handle it. Is it a good thing to be totally in love? Cher and Cage, at the end, seem to think so, but Dukakis knows that real love drives the individual crazy (and Cage gets a glimmer of realization of this too, when he and Cher argue outside his home after they return from the opera La Boheme). Is infidelity by men a way of avoiding thoughts of death. Dukakis believes so, and (oddly enough - although he is not totally convinced) Aiello. Chance reveals infidelity - Dukakis realizes early that Gardenia's odd behavior is tied to unfaithfulness, and Cher literally stumbles onto Gardenia and his girlfriend at the opera (but Gardenia also stumbles onto Cher's similar unfaithfulness to Aiello). But chance also causes misunderstandings: Fyodor Chaliapin stumbles on Dukakis walking with John Mahoney and thinks that she is having an affair.There are lovely little moments in the film too. Cher's observation about flowers leading to receiving one. Her hearing the argument in the liquor shop and it's resolution. But best is the sequence of Louis Guss and Julie Bovasso as Cher's uncle and aunt Raymond and Rita Cappomaggi and Rita's charming and kind comment to Raymond about the effect of the moonlight on him. It is the sweetest moment of the entire film.It is close to a flawless film. After seeing it over a dozen times in as many years I can only find two points that do not seem as smooth as they should be. When Cher is at Cage's bakery, his assistant Chrissy (Nada Despotovich) mentions how she is secretly in love with Cage, but has been afraid to tell him. Earlier she was slightly snippy towards Cher, who put her in her place quickly. Yet nothing seems done with this potential rivalry. At the same time, the fact that Cher forgets to deposit her uncle and aunt's daily business profits is brought in momentarily in the concluding seven minutes of the film - but just as quickly dropped. Was there supposed to be some plot lines that were dropped, besides one about Cher and Vincent Gardenia working at a homeless man's shelter as penance? It is a small annoyance, but I think it is just based on a desire to see more of this film because it is so very good.$LABEL$ 1 +One has to wonder if at any point in the production of this film ascript existed that made any sense. Was the rough cut 3 hourslong and was it trimmed into the incoherent mess that survives? Why would anyone finance this mess? I will say that TomWlaschiha is a good looking young man and he does what he canwith the dialogue and dramatic (?) situations he is given. Butcharacters come and go for no apparent reason, continuity isnon-existent, and the acting, cinematography, and direction are (toput it politely) amateurish. Not One Sleeps is an unfortunatechoice of title as it will probably prove untrue should anyoneactually attempt to actually watch this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This time around, Blackadder is no longer royal(or even particularly close to being any such thing)... instead, rather a butler to the Prince Regent, portrayed by Hugh Laurie(who replaces Tim McInnerny, who presence is sorely missed, and that hole is never filled... his character had an innocent charm... while he was a bumbling and complete moron, we can't help but care for him, which isn't at all true of his replacement) as being intolerably daft(which he apparently was, according to the Trivia page), not to mention loud-mouthed and utterly non-threatening. Edmund can now do just about what he pleases, and does so. Why is he so frustrated and angry(honestly, it gets depressing at times)? Yes, his master is a buffoon, they always are. He doesn't seem to lack money, nor is he in any danger. In the second series, the Queen was mischievous and childish, and would cut off someone's head - or marry them - on a whim. Here there is simply never enough at stake for any of the conflict to be exciting and interesting. There is still commentary and even a little satire. Too often, it seems as if they thought that the history was funny enough on its own, so they merely restate it, not bothering to actually turn the facts into jokes or gags. And I can't tell you how many of them I figured out before they were done, literally more than a minute away. It's not usually a positive when you know the punchline before it is delivered. Baldrick doesn't change from last season... he's still rather pathetic and stupid, leading to "silly" humor. Frankly, the amount goes through the roof. Don't get me started on the gross-out stuff. The sarcastic, verbal wit can still be great, though much less of it is than before. I'd say about half of the episodes were rather amusing and downright funny, while the other three didn't really get me into them at all. I was disappointed in how predictable some of the plots and developments thereof were... I could see many of such coming a mile away. Some of the material tries way too hard to be funny and winds up coming across as incredibly forced. This continues with the tradition started by "II" of letting the plans work out occasionally. The theme is the worst of the bunch, the credits sequences the least creative. All in all, this is, by far, my least favorite of the four. I recommend it to fans of the franchise and of British comedy in general. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +An awful B movie at best with video quality similar to Dead Alive. I challenge anyone who is a "Aliens (James Cameron 1986)" Movie fan to count how many times either lines or almost entire sequences were ripped off from the first two Alien movies to make this classic piece of garbage.Cast members such as R. Lee Ermey and Ray Wise were the only two actors with any talent and the lead "Jack Scalia" was really absolutely horrible. I think they cast him for his massive cleft chin. I was also annoyed with the stereotyping of the only black male on the set John Toles-Bey who must look at this movie and just wonder. Look him up sometime as he has done a lot of interesting movies.But on this movie: The script as I said earlier was a rip-off of Aliens tweaked and turned into a submarine "thriller". It included such lines as "I got a bad feeling about this" and "Kill me" as one crew member is infected by one of the mutants and his belly starts doing the "alien hop" just before it pops out of his stomach. There is also a rip-off of the classic "get some!" via Bill Paxton. We also have a bunch of navy grunts running through caves with creepy crawlies popping out of walls. Even the explosions of the mutated creatures is very similar to the popping of aliens as they charge marines in the movie "Aliens". And the kicker is that some of the mutants spit acid (as opposed to having acid for blood). There are many more major examples. So if you want to see this script done well watch the first two classics Alien and Aliens (With Sigourney Weaver). You'll have a more enjoyable time.The plot could have been interesting and done better if not for confusing sequences in the start of the movie and generally poor editing. Camera shots were pretty dull and honestly it wasn't very hard to stop watching it and walk around the room to get a snack or check email. Many of the interactions between characters made little or no sense and went nowhere more often than not. The whole command structure between crew and Capt. was poorly done. I'm not even sure if there are Captains in the military that have full control over nuclear subs. In general this just shows that there was little research done for background information to make the movie seem at least a little respectable and there are many other similar examples (like dive depth etc..).If you like horrible movies or are a big fan of Alien and Aliens and want something to just laugh and shake your head at then this movie may be for you. As for me this one is going back on the shelf...permanently.$LABEL$ 0 +Now this is what I'd call a good horror. With occult/supernatural undertones, this nice low-budget French movie caught my attention from the very first scene. This proves you don't need wild FX or lots of gore to make an effective horror movie.The plot revolves around 4 cellmates in a prison, and each of these characters (and their motives) become gradually more interesting, as the movie builds up tension to the finale. Most of the action we see through the eyes of Carrere, who has just entered prison and has to get used to living with these 3 other inmates.I won't say much because this movie really deserves to be more widely seen. There a few flaws though: the FX are not that good, but they're used effectively; the plot leaves some mysteries open; and things get very confusing towards the end, but Malefique redeems itself by the time it's over.I thought his was a very good movie, 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is a voice of a person, who just finished watching the second season of Rome, almost at one go, and grabbed the opportunity to see "what happened next" - this film conveniently takes off where Rome ends. If you find Rome an abomination, a foul mouthed screw-fest of little historical accuracy, then you might enjoy Imperium: Augustus. But, if you feel Rome is a good thing, if you enjoy the complicated intrigue, the ambiance of decadence and the work of the actors, then Imperium will obviously appear to you as an overly timid, superfluous and tedious soap opera with not many redeeming factors.There are some actors who for my taste look somewhat better than these in Rome. I especially disliked Rome's image of Cleopatra as a drug-soaked sex addict. There must have been a great deal of strength and dignity in that woman, and the actress in Imperium suits the part much better. O'Toole and Rampling are good, and so are some others. But then... If you have come to know - and love - Atia as the super cool bitch, you'll find the depiction of her in Imperium - as a tear-jerking mother goose in an apron - absolutely ridiculous. There are supposed to be some bitchy characters in Imperium, but these actresses rely heavily upon staring at the men and nothing much more. You'll find no interesting female characters in this epic. There's also the painfully comic Maecenas, whom we see as a screeching drag queen, even though there is little historical evidence that he was such (he's once referred to as "being effeminate in his pleasures" in the annals).The interiors are rather meager and rely on clichés upon clichés. Cleopatra's big hall looks like something out of a computer game or a children's play room in an Egyptian theme park. There's a looooooooot of really poor 3D graphics, not up to 2003 standards.The action is presented as a series of flashbacks the aged Augustus is reliving. So we get a quick look at some historical events, some of which are presented well, whereas some are not. An disproportional amount of time is wasted to show Livia as the "eternal flame" of Augustus. This affair doesn't sizzle for even a moment, the dialog is superlame and everything is seasoned with tacky tear-inducing musical score. Whatever amount of reality the show aims to capture, every last shred of it is destroyed by the dry synchronized dubbing (most of the actors are non English speakers).Everything is lukewarm in this epic. True, there are more historical accuracies than in Rome, but dramatically speaking, it's plain boring. The characters lack depth and the dialog sharpness. Camera-work is often reduced to static shots, and lighting offers nothing to please your eye.There's really no-one to love and no-one to hate in Imperium. Regardless of whether you liked or disliked Rome, there are much better films and miniseries around. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire would be one thing I recommend.$LABEL$ 0 +This review is dedicated to the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle.The Original Drum and Bass.There seems to be very little early Who footage around these days, if there is more then lets be 'aving it, now-a-days it tends to be of a very different kind of Who altogether, a parody, a shadow of their (much) better years. To be fair, not one of them has to prove anything to anyone anymore, they've earned their respect and with overtime.This concert footage for me is one of their best. To command an audience of around a 400,000 plus strong crowed takes skill, charisma, wit and a whole lot of bloody good music.We all know of the other acts on the bill, The Doors (their last ever show weeks before Jim Morrison died), Moody Blues, Hendrix, Taste, Free and many more. The point being that whoever were there it was The Who that the majority had come to see. This show was one year after the Great Hippie Fest of the 1960's; Woodstock. The film and record had come out and so had The Who's greatest work to date, Tommy. The ever hungry crowd wanted a taste, to be able to experience their own unique event, to be able to "Grove and Love" in the knowledge that this gig was their own. To do this you needed the best of what Rock 'n Roll had to throw at the hungrily baited crowd.At two 'o clock in the morning in late August 1970 the M.C. announces, "Ladies and Gentlemen, a small Rock 'n Roll band from Shepherds Bush London, the 'OO".John Entwistle's body suit is of black leather, on the front is the out line of a human skeleton from neck to toe, Roger dressed in his traditional stage outfit of long tassel's and long flowing hair, Keith in a white t-shirt and jeans, as Pete had his white boiler suit and Doc Martins that he'd preferred to wear.The Who never stopped their onslaught of High Energy Rock for over two hours, performing theirs and other artists' greatest tracks such as Young Man Blues, Shaking' all Over, and then as on queue, Keith baiting the crowed to "Shut up, it's a bleeding Opera" with Tommy, the Rock Opera. The crowed went wild. This is what they had come to hear, and the Who didn't disappoint, straight into Overture and never coming up for air until the final note of "Tommy can you Hear me?" Amazing.To capture a show of this magnitude of a band of this stature at their peak at a Festival that was to be the last of its kind anywhere in the World was a fantastic piece of Cinematic History.The English DVD only comes in a soundtrack of English/Linear PCM Stereo, were as in the States, I think, you can get it with 5.1 at least, "Check local press for details…" on that, okay.The duration of the DVD is 85 minutes with no extras, which is a disappointment. Yes, for a slice of Rock and Festival History this DVD would send you in a nostalgia trip down memory lane the moment you press play, for some of the best Who concert footage as it was meant to be, Live, Raw and in your Face!I would have given this DVD ten if it wasn't for the lack of 5.1, and some extras would have been nice.Thanks Roger, Pete, John and Keith.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has some pretty gorey parts like a boob getting bit off and a other big bites. Castle Freak himself is a good monster. I would be scared to pieces if he was coming after me. However, the movie had some dumb parts about it.A husband goes drunk driving and kills his 3 year old son and blinds his teenage daughter. I suppose death is a greater damage than blindness, but you'd never know that the parents actually feel bad about their daughter being blind. All they care about is that "J.J.'s dead!" While their teenage daughter walks around running into things and talking about how she'll never be able to drive a car. The parents are like - "honey, stop walking around without a guide, you know better than that," and then they cry and don't ever stop being depressed because JJ's dead. Sounds like favortism to me. The lines of dialogue are not very realistic or well done. For example, when a giant crash is heard in the castle, everybody runs down into the basement to see what it was. It was a huge mirror that crashed to the ground and shattered. The husband runs to the broken mirror in horror and plainly says, "The mirror broke." I don't know, I would say a little more than that if a giant mirror mysteriously crashed to the ground in my castle. The husband and wife have some major relationship problems and it's funny to watch how dumb they are with each other. No one ever believes the blind girl. Advice: If a blind girl says she hears things, believe her and don't tell her to shut up. I think this is the moral of the story. Listen to people when they tell you things or else you might end up killing yourself to prove your point. Lastly, I thought the best character was the main police officer. He was the best actor and character. Everyone else (besides Castle Freak) was pretty run of the mill. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +From the first scene, I was really excited. "I can tell this is going to be awesome!" I thought. The acting was so good, I felt as though I was eaves-dropping on these peoples' lives. The music too was exquisitely unsettling. The plot started with a sudden event and then drifted forward (one could sense) toward some irrevocable fate. The build was slow, but I personally love that kind of thing, as long as the quiet tension stays on track and doesn't get derailed before it's ready to pay off.So everything's going fine, and then the fireworks begin, and before you know it, the credits are rolling. "WHAT?!!!" was all I and my movie-night companion could say. If you understand the director's intentions, the blunt ending does make sense (for those of you who have seen the movie already, check out the very fascinating and hilarious interview with Larry Fessenden at filmcritic.com), but I can't help saying it was not pulled off quite right.This probably could have been resolved with as little as ten more minutes of material before the climax. In any case, it's too bad. Those ten minutes could have made all the difference in the world. (But for those of you who don't write or make films, you should know that crafting a story arc with the proper timing is a HUGE pain in the butt, and I am certainly not making this critique from any kind of pedestal!)Wendigo feels to me like a masterpiece that was given up on before it was finished. But hay, I'd take a blunted masterpiece any day over an over-produced piece of dog-poo over-compensated with too many digital effects (like most horror movies these days).One other comment. Some of the monster scenes left me confused as to whether I should be scared or laughing. I don't know how to explain it, but there was a distinctively Monty Python feel about this monster in his more blatent "monster" forms. Although this may sound like a terrible criticism for a horror movie--I don't know, it still worked for me in some crooked way. I will never look at deer antlers in the same way again! :)$LABEL$ 1 +What if a platoon of G.I.'s from the Japanese army were to be send back in time 400 years right in the middle of the feudal wars that led to the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate? Great pitch right? The movie does exactly what it says on the tin.Thankfully the writers didn't bother to explain the, usually ridiculous in sci-fi movies, scientific mumbo jumbo of time transport. No how's or why's. They just did. However the time transport sequence itself is trippy as hell and quite beautiful, if not a bit dated. Not as silly as one would imagine.The rest of the movie follows the premise to a T. But while it loses a bit of steam with the various subplots that follow the G.I.s arrival to medieval Japan, it picks up with a devastating battle sequence. Undoubtedly it's the main order of the day. The whole concept and by extension the movie itself, was probably originated from this simple pitch: what if G.I.'s equipped with the latest in modern warfare were to fight samurais? And boy does it deliver.The main battle sequence that spans more than half an hour is probably one of THE best of its kind in 70's action/war movies. Not only is it relentless and exhausting in pace and length, it's also a terrific mish-mash of styles and techniques that only unique premises like G.I. Samurai can deliver. I mean, where else would you get the chance to feature tanks, ninjas complete with shuriikens, a helicopter and samurais in the same shot? The G.I. platoon led by lieutenant Iba tears literally through hundreds of extras, gunning them down with machine guns, mortars, grenades and tanks.This mish-mash of styles is with one foot firmly rooted in the sprawling jidai-geki epic of Kurosawa's Kagemusha or Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Banners, while the other is in western action and war movies. There are stylistic touches (like the wonderful slow-motion shots and bloody violence) that bring Sam Peckinpah or Enzo G. Castellari circa Keoma to mind. Japanese cinema has always been influenced by westerns and other Hollywood works and vice versa, and G.I. Samurai effortlessly turns this east-meets-west melting pot into an exciting film.The film-makers thankfully take the whole thing seriously and the movie benefits immensely from it. Not that tongue-in-cheek mentality is completely absent, it's just that it doesn't try to pander to so-bad-it's-good audiences that enjoy laughing at their movies. The budget was probably hefty, as it is evident in the hundreds of extras, elaborate costumes (very decent for a production that is not a traditional jidai-geki) and special effects. The camera-work and editing are all top notch, almost better than a movie with no higher artistic ambitions deserves.It's not withouts its flaws either of course. There are many "song" scenes, where all sorts of 70's Japanese rock, disco and country songs play over montages (there's a bonding scene, a love-interest scene, a "war is hell" scene etc). The songs themselves are pretty lame and corny and detract from the whole thing. Although it clocks at a whooping 140 minutes, it flies like a bullet for the most part. Still some scenes, flashbacks and subplots in the first half could have been clipped for a tighter effect.The cast also deserves a mention, featuring such prominent names as Sonny Chiba, Isao Natsuyagi (Goyokin, Samurai Wolf), Tsunehiko Watase (The Yakuza Papers) and Hiroyuki Sanada, all of them hitting the right notes.$LABEL$ 1 +Manipulative drama about a glamorous model (Margaux Hemingway) who is raped by a geeky but unbalanced musician (Chris Sarandon) – to whom she had been introduced by her younger sister (played by real-life sibling Mariel), whose music teacher he is. While the central courtroom action holds the attention – thanks largely to a commanding performance by Anne Bancroft as Hemingway’s lawyer – the film is too often merely glossy, but also dramatically unconvincing: the jury ostensibly takes the musician’s side because a) the girl invited assault due to the sensuous nature of her profession and b) she was offering no resistance to her presumed aggressor when her sister arrived at the apartment and inadvertently saw the couple in bed together. What the f***?!; she was clearly tied up – what resistance could she realistically offer? The second half of the film – involving Sarandon’s rape of the sister, which curiously anticipates IRREVERSIBLE (2002) by occurring in a tunnel – is rather contrived: Mariel’s character should have known better than to trust Sarandon after what he did to her sister, but Margaux herself foolishly reprises the line of work which had indirectly led to her humiliating experience almost immediately! The climax – in which Sarandon gets his just desserts, with Margaux turning suddenly into a fearless and resourceful vigilante – is, however, a crowd-pleaser in the style of DEATH WISH (1974); incidentally, ubiquitous Italian movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis was behind both films.It’s worth noting how the two Hemingway sisters’ lives took wildly different turns (this was the film debut of both): Margaux’s career never took off (despite her undeniable good looks and commendable participation here) – while Mariel would soon receive an Oscar nomination for Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN (1979) and, interestingly, would herself play a glamorous victim of raging violence when essaying the role of real-life “Playboy” centerfold Dorothy Stratten in Bob Fosse’s STAR 80 (1983). With the added pressure of a couple of failed marriages, Margaux took refuge in alcohol and would eventually die of a drug overdose in 1996; chillingly, the Hemingway family had a history of suicides – notably the sisters’ grandfather, celebrated author Ernest, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1961.$LABEL$ 0 +This all-but-ignored masterpiece is about the Monkees becoming aware that they are fictional characters in a movie (Head), and that everything they do or say had already been written in an (unseen) script they seem to be following. Head was written by Jack Nicholson, Rafelson, and Peter Tork during a three-day LSD trip in a suite at an expensive Hollywood hotel. The other three Monkees only acted in it.They fight this every way they can by doing things not in the script. They deliberately flub their lines, walk off sets, tear up scenery, punch other actors for no reason; and ultimately, commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. For instance, in the rapid flashes of a psychedelic party scene, if you watch frame-by-frame, you can see Rafelson sitting next to the camera and cameraman, very deliberately shooting into a mirror. He is revealing that the party is actually fake and is being shot in a studio with actors who suddenly drop out of character and walk away in the middle of a conversation when the Director yells "cut!"The Monkees, however, never drop out of character because those characters are also who they really are. That ends up being the core of the Revelation soon to come.At every turn, they realize their increasingly-bizarre actions were exactly what they were supposed to do in the scripted film they can't escape being in. You say they went crazy and walked through the sky (which turns out to be painted on paper and hung from the ceiling as the set's background)? No problem! Hey, hey, they're the Monkees, and those wacky guys just keep monkeying around! In the end, even their deaths did not set them free. That was how the movie was supposed to end, and their motionless, waterlogged bodies are fished out of the river, put in another box, and stacked in a film studio warehouse until the characters are needed again for another studio production.This is made all the more poignant by the fact that the Monkees really ARE fictional characters who forced themselves into the real world. They did it through the power of their music.Ironically, near the end, Peter Tork has what he rightly sees as a hugely profound revelation that solves their problem, but unfortunately, no one listens. Peter realizes: "It doesn't MATTER if we're in the box (the film)". He means that it doesn't matter if will is free or illusory, and that "the only important thing is that you just let the present moment occur and occur... You need to just let 'now' HAPPEN, as it happens", without analyzing or evaluating or judging whether the experience is "valid" by some abstract definition.When you can't even tell the difference, will being free or not doesn't matter--tying to figure out if you are the "real" you is just a pointless waste of time.I saw this film at a very important time in my life. I was trying to figure out how to escape being just "that geeky, creepy nerd girl" by thinking about it intensely instead of just having fun (i.e., sex) like everyone else did. But the revelation in Head broke my self-imposed recursive trap and helped me more than Rafelson or Nicholson or Tork will ever know.For decades, I've watched "Head" and wished I could thank Pete.Was this a good movie?Uhh, how about, like...==< YES >==$LABEL$ 1 +I thought the movie was a poor documentary. Nothing of substance was discussed. It seemed to cheapen the ideas and did not provide anything new. The film lacked wonder or romance or anything that would really drive one to science. Most scientists appeared "stereotyped" and sometimes weird. A woman said that her awards didn't matter a whole lot, only children that were helped. She said that after a 10 minute scene where she explained all her awards. Playing "humble scientist", are we? "I have equations dancing in my head," another said. I don't see how that explains anything to us. It hasn't covered significant effects of science on our culture. Politics of science were barely touched.Not a bad flick for a 10-14 year-olds. Other than that, I felt it was boring and unrevealing.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is yet another in the long line of no budget, no effort, no talent movies shot on video and given a slick cover to dupe unsuspecting renters at the video store.If you want to know what watching this movie is like, grab a video camera and some red food dye and film yourself and your friends wandering around the neighborhood at night growling and "attacking" people. Congratulations, you've just made "Hood of the Living Dead"! Now see if a distribution company will buy it from you.I have seen some low budget, shot on video films that displayed talent from the filmmakers and actors or at the very least effort, but this has neither. Avoid unless you are a true masochist or are amused by poorly made horror movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't bother trying to watch this terrible mini series. It is a six hour bore, an unbelievable love triangle between three people who have absolutely no chemistry for each other. There is no heat in this story, no real passion, no real romance. It is a dry, boring, drawn out, and uninspired as they come. And it doesn't even meet the expected level of technical proficiency. Take those six hours of your life and use them for something more worthwhile.$LABEL$ 0 +There is a bit of a spoiler below, which could ruin the surprise of the ONE unexpected and truly funny scene in this film. There is also information about the first film in this series.I caught this film on DVD, which someone gave as a gift to my roommate. It came as a set together with the first film in the "Blind Dead" series.This movie was certainly much worse than the first, "La Noche del Terror Ciego". In addition, many of the features of the first movie were changed significantly. To boot, the movie was dubbed in English (the first was subtitled), which I tend to find distracting.The concept behind the series is that in the distant past a local branch of the Knights Templar was involved in heinous and secret rituals. Upon discovery of these crimes, the local peasantry put the Templars to death in such a manner that their eyes can no longer be used, thus preventing them from returning from Hell to exact their revenge. We then jump to modern times where because of some event, the Templars arise from the dead to exact their revenge upon the villagers whose ancestors messed them up in the first place. Of course, since the undead knights have no eyes, they can only find their victims when they make some sort of noise.The Templars were a secretive order, from about the 12th century, coming out of the Crusades. They were only around for about 150 years, before they were suppressed in the early 1300s by the Pope and others. Because they were secretive, there were always rumors about their ceremonies, particularly for initiation. Also, because of the way the society was organized, you didn't necessarily have church officials overseeing things, which meant they didn't have an inside man when things heated up. And, because of the nature of their trials, they were tortured into confessions. The order was strongest in France, but did exist in Portugal and Spain, where the movies take place.Where the first movie had a virgin sacrifice and knights drinking the blood directly from the body of the virgin (breast shots here, of course, this is a horror film after all), and then, once the knights come back to life, they attack their victims by eating them alive and sucking their blood; in this sequel, this all disappears. You still have the same scene (redone, not the same footage) of them sacrificing the virgin, but they drain the blood into a bowl and drink it from that. Thus, when they come back, they just hack people up with their swords or claw people to death, which I have to say is a much less effective means of disturbing your audience. There's also a time problem: in the first film the dating is much closer to the Templars, where here they are now saying it is the 500 anniversary of the peasants burning these guys at the stake, which would date it around 1473. And the way that the Templars lose their eyes is much less interesting as well. In the first, they have them pecked out by crows. Now they are simply burned out, and in quite a ridiculous manner.Oh yeah, and maybe it was just me, but there seemed to be a lot of people from the first movie reappearing in this film (despite having died). Not really a problem, since the movie is completely different and not a sequel in the sense of a continuation, but odd none-the-less.The highlight of this movie is the rich fellow who uses a child to distract the undead while he makes a break for the jeep. The child's father had already been suckered by this rich man into making an attempt to get the jeep, so he walks out and tells her to find her father. It comes somewhat out of the blue, and is easily the funniest scene in the film. Of course, why the child doesn't die at this point is beyond me, and disappointed for horror fans.I couldn't possibly recommend this film to anyone. It isn't so bad that it becomes funny, so it just ends up being a mediocre horror film. The bulk of the film has several people holed up in a church, each making various attempts to go it alone in order to escape the blind dead who have them surrounded. When the film ends, you are not surprised at the outcome at all; in fact, quite disappointed. If you are into the novelty of seeing a Spanish horror film, see the first movie, which at least has some innovative ideas and not so expected outcomes.$LABEL$ 0 +The film had many fundamental values of family and love. It expressed human emotion and was an inspiring story. The script was clear( it was very easy to understand making it perfect for children)and was enjoyable and humorous at times. There were a few charged symbols to look for. The cinematography was acceptable. There was no sense of experimentation that a lot of cinematographers have been doing today(which quiet frankly is getting a little warn out). It was plainly filmed but had a nice soft quality to it. Although editing could have been done better I thought it was a nice movie for a family to enjoy. And the organization of information was just thrown at you which was something I didn't like either but in all it was a good movie.$LABEL$ 1 +An ear-splitting movie, a quasi-old-fashioned screwball romp designed to showcase singing star Madonna's comedic attributes. She does indeed go far out on the proverbial limb here playing a beyond-vivacious parolee attempting to prove she was framed for murder (a body was found in the trunk of her car after she ran a red light...big laughs). After an energetic animated credits sequence--which is much more fun than the rest of the picture--we have nothing to look at but Madonna's black mascara and red lips set off by her platinum hair and pale complexion. What else is there? Griffin Dunne seems defeated playing Maddy's keeper, while the poor-choice supporting cast struggles to get laughs with lousy dialogue. It's an unfortunate set-back to the talents of director James Foley, who unwisely allows his star to run rampant in the spirit of the nutty slapstick films from the 1930s (but even Katharine Hepburn in "Bringing Up Baby" had a human side). Wretched. * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +A Murder investigation goes on back stage while The Vanities, on its opening night, plays on to an unknowing audience. Odd combination of musical and murder mystery is worth a look for its cast, its production numbers, and the sheer novelty of the film.Gertrude Michael has the showy role of a bitchy actress intent on stopping the marriage between the show's stars, Kitty Carlisle and Carl Brisson, as well as starring in the infamous "Sweet Marijuana" number (which was also on a 70s Bette Midler album). So while the chorus girls shuffle around backstage, bumbling detective Victor McLaglen ogles the girls while he tries to solve the backstage murder of an unknown woman.We quickly learn that the maid (Dorothy Stickney) loves Brisson from afar, that the wardrobe lady (Jessie Ralph) is Brisson's mother, and that the stage manager (Jack Oakie) butts into everything. Lots of plots twists among the musical numbers. The show's best-known song is "Cocktails for Two." Kitty Carlisle also sings the haunting "Where Do They Come From?" And there's a weird rhapsody that erupts into a Harlem specialty number featuring Duke Ellington! Quite the cast.Some terrific acting here, especially Gertrude Michael and Dorothy Stickney. Kitty Carlisle is quite good as well. Brisson is a total zero though.Charles Middleton plays Homer, Toby Wing plays Nancy, Donald Meek plays the doctor, and also see if you can spot Ann Sheridan and Lucille Ball among the show girls.$LABEL$ 1 +Daft potboilers don't come much dafter than this, but it's a Douglas Sirk movie which makes everything alright. Except in this case it doesn't. Based on a sanctimonious novel by the sanctimonious Lloyd C Douglas, (he wrote "The Robe"), and already filmed in 1935 with Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor, it's got more uplift than a cantilever bra.Rock Hudson is the arrogant playboy who not only feels responsible for making Jane Wyman a widow but later is directly responsible for the accident in which she loses her sight. To make amends he takes up medicine, becomes a great eye surgeon and restores it. (No, it sin't quite that daft; he had planned to become a doctor before becoming an arrogant playboy). In between times, they fall in love.Try as I might I can't quite find the redeeming social commentary and critique of American mores that are supposed to lie just below the surface of Sirk's films, (this one isn't too deep). On the plus side Rock Hudson isn't half bad, (I think I am rediscovering him), and, of course, it looks great, (in Sirk's films people live in rooms the size of cathedrals). Nothing in this film matches the best of his later work and even in soap-opera terms this is definitely daytime TV.$LABEL$ 0 +If you don't mind having your emotions toyed with, then you won't mind this movie. On the other hand, if you enjoy British crime mysteries, following clues and seeing how they all logically fall into place at the end, you'll be very disappointed.Here are some of the logical inconsistencies that lead to that disappointment: * While the police utilize the CCTV cameras early on to gather clues about the mystery, the huge truck that stopped and blocked the children's view just before her disappearance doesn't get caught on camera. This is a critical piece of the mystery. It's inconsistent to have the car the children were in caught on camera and not the big truck that is so critical to the mystery.* The movie goes to great lengths to show the sophistication of the equipment in tracking down the children's movements but misses the opportunity to utilize the same sophisticated equipment is tracking down vehicles that may have entered the crime scene from camera-visible locations adjacent to the crime scene as part of developing clues.* In England, driving is on the left. The director goes out of his way to have the car at the crime scene park on the right, several meters away from the flower kiosk, when it could have easily parked immediately behind, or even on the side; as the huge truck did.* The police forensics team is so meticulous as to find a discarded cell phone in a sewer drain several miles from the scene of the crime, but can't find any blood evidence from the head injury right at the crime scene, even though they secured the scene just hours after the disappearance and with no intervening rainfall.* Search dogs were not used at all to find the missing children; this from the country that is well known for developing the hound dog for search and hunting.* It is illogical that such a highly publicized news story would not turn up the presumably innocent truck driver that stopped at the flower kiosk.* It is illogical that the mother would go to such extremes and expend so much effort to leave carpet fiber clues under her fingernails for her eventual murder investigators –even coaxing her daughter to do the same-- while she simply could not have crawled out of the unguarded mobile home. If she had enough sense about her to ask her daughter to get carpet fibers under her nails, she could of just as easily asked her daughter to call out for help or even leave the mobile home that was in a crowded residential park.* The suspect that abducted the little girl was portrayed as mentally slow/dimwitted --justifying his unknowingly drowning of the mother— but, he was smart enough not to cooperate with the police and also fully exercise his rights not to self-incriminate.There are more inconsistencies like this that will lead to a true sleuth aficionado's disappointment. 'Five Days' is a very weak British crime story.$LABEL$ 0 +What is this!! its so bad. The animation looks so terrible , it looks like a ps1 type game. The actors are awful, they just cannot act to save their lives. I sat through all of this film an then at the end I was annoyed when I realised I had wasted 3 hours of my life. I've not heard of this film, did it ever actually come out in the cinema or did it go straight to DVD? A girl got shot?! What is up with that, it was just a stupid film. They totally copied 'The Day After Tomorrow'. Its got to be one of the worst films i have ever seen. I would definitely recommend to people to not waste their time with this. You could spend your time watching 'The Day After Tomorrow', its a lot better. Well thats what I think of the film. Actually why have I wasted my time writing about it, ah dam!! Its really annoying me, its wasted 3 hours and 10 minutes now.$LABEL$ 0 +Redundant, but again the case. If you enjoy the former SNL comedian and his antics (in this case, Schneider), then you should go. Basic comedy….man's life is saved by having various animal organs transplanted into him. Unfortunately, he takes on each animal's characteristics. Former Survivor Colleen looks pretty good here, now that she doesn't have open sores on her legs, and a little makeup on her face! D$LABEL$ 0 +For only doing a few movies with his life the Late Great Chris Farley. Farley died at the end of 1997 and will be missed mostly by his co actor in Tommy Boy, David Spade. From the lame Police Academy 4 Spade really has done good with his career in films. Tommy Boy is a classic and we will always remember Chris Farley when we watch it. From appearing on Saturday NIGHT LIVE to doing Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverley Hills Ninja, Almost Heroes, Billy Madison, and Dirty Work. I think Chris Farley had a short and successful career. Tommy Boy was his best in my case and I would watch over and over again and laugh at the same part each time. Thank you Chris Farley.$LABEL$ 1 +Tashan - the title itself explains the nature of the movie.This type of movies are actually made for flop. What a shame that Yash Raj Films produces such movies those are worthless than C-grade movies. Or even some C-grade movies have better and pleasing story than Tashan. The much hyped and over-confidently promoted Tashan poorly bombed at the box-office which it certainly deserved.In my view, this is the worst movie ever made from honourable Yash Raj Films' banner. How come they handled such a heavy project to new Vijay Krishna Acharya who has no actual sense of making action flick? He tried to imitate Sanjay Gadhvi's ways of making like Dhoom but he suffered at last. The action scenes are more like than comics or cartoon movies made for exhausting the audiences.The story also loses in its meaning and substances to tenderly win the audiences' hearts. In most scenes Anil Kapoor reminds me of southern Tamil star Rajnikant in his body languages and wordly expressions. I am not a fan of neither Saif nor Akshay, but the award of Kareena should have finally gone to Saif''s hand instead of Akshay. Just from the starting point I expected of it, but at the end it displeased me with the climax truth. Saif is the main behind the whole adventure, while Akshay joins in the midst. In any movie, the final should be judged with the whole characters of the entire story and the award or say reward should be given to the one who deserves credit. And Tashan loses in this way, and unexpectedly failed to become a hit.Akshay's has nothing new to show off his comedian talent here but still reminds of his previous movies. He seriously need to form a new image to his fans that would impress them again and again. In between Saif did a great job in Race, and now he returned again in his hilarious nature through this movie. But he has fully developed himself in the acting field. And last but not the least about Kareena. She looks really hot with bikini dress of which some complain as she became too lean. But I myself don't think so, instead she became slim. Yes slim!!! it is a good factor for a female to attract the major people (or say, male). Beside them it is nice that Saif's son Ibrahim appears in the beginning & last as young Saif. I hope now he too will lean forward in target of making acting as his career.Those who like this Tashan they are either mentally immatured or still want to go back to childhood, or say want to be admitted in an asylum. Thumbs down to debutante director Vijay Krishna Acharya who mishandled the project offered by Yash Raj Films. In future he should experiment and study the script minimum of 5 years before going into practical directions.Sorry, I don't like to rate good stars to this type of junk movies.$LABEL$ 0 +I was so happy to learn that Hari Om will finally be theatrically released in 2007. I saw this film three years ago at the Vancouver International film Festival and have been waiting for it's release ever since so I could send everyone I know to see it. It's like taking a trip to India....colorful, magical, thought provoking. Aside from one rather strange Hollywood style auto rickshaw chase scene this movie is very realistic. This is not a Bollywood style song and dance movie but it does have drama and romance and humor. The interactions between the Indian taxi driver and the french tourist are a good reflection on the fundamental differences between Eastern and Western life styles and philosophy. The characters are a little broadly drawn but the acting was very good. Visually this movie is a treat as you really do get a sense of what driving through Rajasthan is like...dreamlike. Sometimes it's hard to believe everything you are seeing and experiencing is real...the movie has that same quality. Great soundtrack too!$LABEL$ 1 +I still can't believe that Wes Craven was responsible for this piece of crap.This movie is worse than "Deadly Friend".The plot is stupid,the acting is mediocre and the film is deadly dull.I don't know why Wes Craven hates his debut "Last House on the Left"-an absolute masterpiece of the genre and likes(probably)this turkey.Don't get me wrong,I really like some of his movies,but it was a real torture sitting and watching this.$LABEL$ 0 +I had my doubts about another love story wherein disabled individuals find meaning and redemption through honest communication. And it's still not at the top of my list. But the performances from Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh and exemplary, almost stunning, and rescue this from being just another tear-jerker. Carter's depiction of an ALS victim is strong, perhaps even overdone at times (sometimes her dialog dissolves into undistinguishable mutterings). But the overall effect is commendable and rewarding. Branagh may be the perfect compliment to her performance.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been a Jennifer Connelly fan since Phenomena, and after I heard about seven minutes in heaven, I saw it as soon as I could. The movie is not only a comedy if you think a lot of these things most of us went through as kids and are currently going through not only was the movie terrific led by the phenomenal jennifer connelly it captivated my attention that this movie was terrifically written directed and acted out it was one good deal I loved it and have watched it again and again and for those of you who enjoy a good laugh or love jennifer connelly you to can not put off seeing this movie!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Warning: Does contain spoilers.Open Your EyesIf you have not seen this film and plan on doing so, just stop reading here and take my word for it. You have to see this film. I have seen it four times so far and I still haven't made up my mind as to what exactly happened in the film. That is all I am going to say because if you have not seen this film, then stop reading right now.If you are still reading then I am going to pose some questions to you and maybe if anyone has any answers you can email me and let me know what you think.I remember my Grade 11 English teacher quite well. His name was Mr. Krisak. To me, he was wise beyond his years and he always had this circuitous way of teaching you things that perhaps you weren't all too keen on. If we didn't like Shakespeare, then he turned the story into a modern day romance with modern day language so we could understand it. Our class room was never a room, it was a cottage and we were on the lake reading a book at our own leisure time. This was his own indelible way of branding something into our sponge-like minds. I begin this review of Vanilla Sky with a description of this brilliant man because he once gave us an assignment that has been firmly etched in my mind, like the phone number of a long lost best friend, and it finally made some sense to me after watching The Matrix. Now if I didn't know better, I would have thought that the Wachowski brothers were really just an alias for my teacher Mr. Krisak. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, we'll assume it wasn't him. But that was the first time this assignment was anything more than impalpable. He had asked us to prove to him and to ourselves that were real. Show me how you can tell that you are real. This got the class spouting off all of the usual ideas that I'm sure you can imagine. Everything from pain, to sense of touch to sense of loss to sense of hunger were spouted off to our teacher to prove to him that we were real. After every scenario that we gave him, he would come back with the one answer that would leave us speechless."What if you are nothing but someone else's dream?"What if you were someone else's dream? What a messed up question that is. This was a question/scenario posed to us about 15 years ago, before the astronomical use of the Internet and rapid advancement of computers. How possible could it seem back then? But if you look at today's technology, now ask yourself, what it you were a part of someone else's dream.Another brilliant but surreal film this year, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive explored similar areas. But Vanilla Sky goes deeper than any other film could hope to. In short this is one film that will literally (if you let it) blow your mind from all of the possibilities that surround you.Open your Eyes.Tom Cruise plays David Aames, a young, hot shot, righteous, full of himself publisher and owner of several magazines. He inherited this from his father and although he has talent and business savvy, his board of governers, the Seven Dwarfs, think he is a rich dink born with a silver spoon in his mouth. They feel he has done nothing to deserve the pinnacle of success that each and every one of them believes should go to them. Early in the film we meet one of David's gorgeous toys named Julie Gianni, played with pernicious but bombastic perfection by Cameron Diaz. David and Julie play a good game, both claiming they are just there to use each other and are not the slightest bit interested in a monogamous, committed relationship. This is the type of relationship commensurate with David's other flings he's had in the sexual prime of his life. And although both talk a good game, we can tell that only one is really telling the truth. Next we meet Brian Shelby, played with a stroke of genius by Kevin Smith's good buddy Jason Lee. Brian is writing a book that David is going to publish but they are also very good friends. This is something that David has very little of in his life and you can sense a real caring for one another early on in the film. Brian has one famous line that he keeps telling David over and over again. And that is " the sweet ain't so sweet without the bitter." He goes on to tell him that one day he will find true love and not just this part time lover status that he seems to perpetrate with all of the floozies who inhabit his bed for a night or two.At David's huge birthday bash, (so huge that the likes of Steven Spielberg wish him a happy birthday) Brian enters with his date, Sofia Sorrano, played of course by Penelope Cruz with what has to be the best performance of this year by an actress. This is a bash by invite only and at first David and Sofia seem intrigued with one another. And in typical David fashion, despite his best friend being there, he begins to flirt with Sofia. To complicate things, Julie shows up uninvited and begins spying on David. David then spends the night with Sofia, but they only talk and draw caricatures of one another. There is no hanky panky. The next day, as David is leaving Sofia's apartment, he is greeted by Julie, who offers him a ride and from there.......well, I think we have all seen the commercials.That is all I will really say about the plot, because from here the film teases us with what is reality and what is blurred perception. We are introduced to a character played by Kurt Russel and a few other shady characters that all play a part in this labyrinth like haze. There is a subtext of death and possible panacea-like cure-alls that may or not be able to create the possibility of eternal life. This is just one of the intriguing possibilities the movie offers us, but it doesn't end there.Like many movies seem to thrive on today, this film has a secret. Sixth Sense may have began this craze, but look even further back and you can maybe thank Angel Heart for starting the craze. Regardless of how it originated, Vanilla Sky has one of it's own surreptitious gut busters. And what makes this one so much fun is that the film gives you many obvious clues along the way but not enough to give you an apodictic solution to the gauntlet of truth and lies you have just put yourself through. I have seen this film four times and every time it has been because I want to see if there is something more I can pick up, something more I can understand. To be able to work your mind in the theater, to enable it to open up to new possibilities is something rare in a film. All of the ersatz so called "Best Pictures of the year" have been good but nothing spectacular. They lack substance. A Beautiful Mind was intriguing but flat, The Royal Tenenbaums was interesting but uneven. Vanilla Sky is a rarity because it is a film that leaves you yearning for more yet guarantees your satisfaction because the film and those that made it care about it. I know this film has received mixed reviews but I just think that those who don't like it don't quite understand it. This is what film making is supposed to be like. This is what a film is supposed to do to you. It is supposed to make you feel something. Most of the other films this year have been just empty spaces. This one isn't.10 out of 10 The best film of the year. I would love to see this get nominated for best picture and I would love to see Cruz up for best Actress, Diaz for best supporting, Cruise for best actor and Jason Mewes should be a shoe in for best supporting actor. Cameron Crowe should there as well. None of this may come to pass, and that is a shame. This is one film that should not be missed. And on a final note, I am quite sure Mr. Krisak would like this film and maybe this is the one film that may answer his question. Can you prove you are real? Or are we just a figment of someone's imagination? Are we artificially transplanted for someone else's bemusement? This is a film that spawns more questions than it does answers. And I'm sure that is just fine with him.Open Your Eyes$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film yesterday.. I rented the DVD from Blockbuster.. In fact, I know one of the actresses from the film.. I won't say who..! (That's kept under wraps..) But I must admit, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.. Tom Savini? Hats down to this guy.. But it's a shame he wasn't in the film for long.. What lacks the film is the idea, the script, sound, etc.. It may look like a good movie.. but it wasn't that entertaining..Well, I'm glad my Sister paid £10 for renting 3 DVD's from Blockbuster.. I chose this one.. and I was disappointed. Anyway, thumbs down for me..! Not my cup of tea! 0 out of 10!$LABEL$ 0 +I would reccomend this film to everyone. Not only to the fans of the rocker Luciano Ligabue, but to all film-buffs. Because it's sincere, moving, funny and true. Because Ligabue is a born storyteller and a film lover, and every frame of his film is made with love and care. Because his characters are loved and ask to be loved. Because most of the Italian debut films are lousy and this one, done by an outsider, is a real joy to watch and to listen at. Because Stefano Accorsi is gorgeous and reminds me of Andrea Pazienza, who was, like Freccia, beautiful and talented and good and lost his life because of the heroin, that Ligabue shows as it is, unglamorous and ugly, without indulging in easy moralisms. Because it's a film that speaks to our heart, our ears, our souls. And because I lived the experience of the FM radios and it was exactly like that. Thanks, Luciano!$LABEL$ 1 +Recognizing the picture of the diner on the cover of the DVD made me realize that this was a local movie. The word Detroit in the title furthered my suspecions and I did some looking up of things and yes, a local movie it was.So I picked it up. Someone I knew actually knew some of the producers/director (dont remember which) and said the producers/directors got people to PAY to be in this movie.Brilliant! What a great idea. The movie makers get some capital to do the movie with, thanks to their cast and crew. Then the investors (cast, crew, others) get some of the profits, I'm imagining.Profits!Um anyways. This film totally underwhelmed me. The special effects were special as in special children who ride the small buses to school. The acting was very amusing, not intentionally however. There's a great line where a guy says "well? this bone aint gonna smoke itself!" as a pickup line. Unfortunately that is the only fun part of the whole film. The story? Well, I sort of followed it about 3/5 of the way in, then everything stopped making sense and as we were sitting there watching it, it suddenly ended. I mean as in,..no resolution of anything..like they ran out of time. "Sorry folks, out of time, goodnight!"We sat there baffled and booing, and threw in another film. Then about 20 minutes later a neighbor of mine showed up..with one of the guys from the movie! We threw it back in and he (the actor) gave us a running commentary, which was awesome because he totally ripped on the movie!What more could you ask for??The most absurd scene for me was a motorbike chase scene were it was so dark that it could have literally been a guy running past with a flashlight and not a motorbike at all. That and the jaw droppingly in your face sudden ending is enough to make you howl. In pain! The zombies looked less like zombies than my coworkers do. And I dont work at the morgue either.So, I recommend seeing this if you can get someone from the movie to come over and give you a running commentary as to all the things that went on behind the scenes and make sure this person hates the movie because that just adds to the fun.Otherwise, give this one a pass. Rent something like Feeders if you want a jaw droppingly bad in a funny way movie...$LABEL$ 0 +One hour, eight minutes and twelve seconds into this flick and I decided it was pretty lame. That was right after Hopalong (Chris Lybbert) drops on his horse from a tree to rejoin the good guy posse. I was pretty mystified by the whole Hopalong Cassidy/Great Bar 20 gimmick which didn't translate into anything at all. Obviously, the name Coppola in the credits couldn't do anything to guarantee success here, even with more than one listed.If you make it to the end of the film, you'll probably wind up asking yourself the same questions I did. What exactly was the hook with the gloves? What's up with the rodeo scenario? Who was The Stranger supposed to represent? Why did they make this film? I could probably go on but my energy's been drained. Look, there's already a Western called "The Gunfighter" from 1950 with a guy named Gregory Peck as the title character. Watching it will make you feel as good as watching this one makes you feel bad. That one I can recommend.$LABEL$ 0 +Caddyshack II is NOTHING compared to the original Caddyshack. But, there are legitimate reasons for it. (1) Rodney Dangerfield was supposed to be the ace of this film BUT he didn't like the script, wanted to change it, his request was denied, so he didn't do the film. (2) It was low budget, Bill Murray had grown to superstar status. Ted Knight passed away in 1986, and Chevy Chase the "so called ace" of the first movie (although it was Rodney all the way)couldn't't be on more than 5 minutes, because it would cost too much to pay him. BUT you had Dan Aykroyd, Robert Stack, Randy Quaid and Jackie Mason, all serviceable substitutes, who none had their best performances.$LABEL$ 0 +The youthful group in "St. Elmo's Fire" who just graduated from college barely seem able to make it through high school much less four years at any prominent university. For the most part, these kids are irresponsible, selfish, greedy and stupid, yet co-writer and director Joel Schumacher appears to hold them up as touchstones for a generation. With a now-outdated cast of "up and comers", a background score that sounds awfully similar to that of "Terms Of Endearment", and writing which lords the smugness of this circle over us, "Fire" is a paltry blaze, one that gets even more embarrassing as the years pass on. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +The plot of The Thinner is decidedly thin. And gross. An obese lawyer drives over the Gypsy woman, and the Gypsy curse causes him to lose and lose weight... to the bone. OK, Gypsy curses should be entertaining, but the weight-losing gone bad? Nope. Except Stephen King thinks so. And Michael McDowell, other horror author and the screenwriter of this abysmal film, does so, too. The lawyer is not only criminally irresponsible, he is fat too, haha! The Thinner is like an immature piece of crap for a person who moans how he/she has never seen anything so disgusting than fatness. Hey, I can only say: Well, look at the mirror.$LABEL$ 0 +American Pie has gone a long distance from the first. At first i believe the actors don't have a clue what their doing and instead it's just a remake of a college party gone nuts. Story sets out as two freshman college guys (featuring the young stifler) setting out the dreams of attending college just to experience the late night parties, sex and of course the booze. The plot is stupid and comes along way away from the original pie. In fact they didn't once again feature an apple pie somewhere in the film.Luckily i work in a video store and can rent for free. But please remember it is a waste of time unless you enjoy brainless sex films with absolute nudity and insane drinking. I'm a teen myself and i believe even Evan almighty would've been a better choice instead.$LABEL$ 0 +The best movie about friendship! Especially between an AIDs infected person and a " normal " person. This is a great movie for everyone to see even though there is strong language used. I have seen it 25 times.$LABEL$ 1 +Revolt of the Zombies has no redeeming features. I'm tired of people arguing that it's not that bad, and that the effects must have packed more of a punch in 1936. I suspect this isn't true: it's not like IQ's have risen sharply in the last 7 decades. The average viewer in 1936 was probably just as bored by this rubbish as the average viewer today. Why? Just try watching the first scenes, and count the pauses between things happening, the awful choice of when to cut to close-up, the slapdash editing that seems to include an extra two seconds on every shot to pad out the running time. Pay attention to the utterly redundant dialogue: "I'm going to make some tea/go outside/read my book now." "Are you?" "Yes, I am." That sort of exchange happens several times. Normally I would love that, being a HUGE fan of bad movies, but watch the listless actors mumbling their trite and tedious lines, and all desire to laugh at the movie slowly fades away. This sort of disinterested, pot-boiling time-waster is far worse than energetic, imaginative mind-blowers like Plan Nine From Outer Space or Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. Those who claim that this is "better" than those more interesting movies have a backwards idea of entertainment. This movie is not bad in the sense that your jaw hangs open in astonishment: it's bad in the sense that your eyes slowly close in boredom. Which is far worse.$LABEL$ 0 +Hilariously inept - like "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" remade by five-year-olds.Spoilers ahead: Despite its title, and the high bodycount, "Slaughter Trail" is in fact a musical with Injun battles instead of dance numbers.If you ever wondered what Ed Wood might have done with a B-movie budget, this film should answer your question. Some decisions may have been bad only in retrospect, such as filming in the short-lived Cinecolor process, which resulted in faces changing hue within the same shot. But there was definitely some ill-advised skimping on the film's main set, a cavalry fort that seems to be partly a Norman castle.Terry Gilkyson, who later wrote the 'The Bare Necessities' for Disney's "The Jungle Book", supplies a score full of original ditties which would have been wonderful for a cartoon but which fit Western action like a fuzzy slipper stuck in a stirrup. One song tells how "horse hooves pound, and their melody sounds, like the hoofbeat serenade"...during a dead-serious scene of a cavalry patrol. Other songs literally narrate the story shot by shot, introducing characters, describing their moods and gestures - as they happen on screen - and even stop to advertise the Cinecolor process(!) The script sends ferocious Navajos on the warpath to avenge the killing of two of their band by an outlaw trio. By the end of the film, what looks like a hundred Navajos and cavalrymen have bitten the dust (thanks to repeated footage of the same characters dying over and over.) But the chief is satisfied once he sees the trio of badguys have been slain. As the singer helpfully informs those of us who weren't paying attention, the Navajos ride away, their battle called off. The cavalry captain, surrounded by the corpses of his fallen comrades, cheerily waves his appreciation.The direction could most charitably be described as wooden, or more to the point, Wood-en. Navajos are consistently shot off their horses in pairs -- never just one. Virtually every red man on foot dies by throwing his hands in the air and keeling over. The film also employs the most cautious stuntmen in Hollywood, who crouch before dropping off a one-story roof (and still fail to stick the landing) or turn to look behind them as they slide, "dead", down a rocky slope.The star is Brian Donlevy, who surely deserves an Oscar for not blushing. After the endless final battle scene -- "climax" is scarcely the word -- he scans a list of the dozens of his troopers killed, and shrugs, "It could've been a LOT worse." Trooper Andy Devine gets to sing and robber/murderer Gig Young laughs at Andy's antics...which leads a character who had been held up by masked bandits to rat Gig out: "I'd know that laugh anywhere!" And lest anyone forget just what a nasty piece of work Howard Hughes could be, recall that as head of RKO, Hughes was first in line to blacklist original star Howard Da Silva when HUAC denounced him. It would take Hughes another six years to finish running that once-celebrated studio into the ground, but it didn't help things when he insisted on reshooting Da Silva's every scene for this film, substituting Donlevy.It was nearly a decade before Da Silva was able to work in Hollywood again. But all things considered, for getting him out of "Slaughter Trail", he should have sent Hughes a thank-you note.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh man. If you want to give your internal Crow T. Robot a real workout, this is the movie to pop into the ol' VCR. The potential for cut-up lines in this film is just endless.(Minor spoilers ahead. Hey, do you really care if a film of this quality is "spoiled?") Traci is a girl with a problem. Psychology has developed names for it when a child develops a sexual crush on the opposite-sex parent. But this girl seems to have one for her same-sex one, and I don't think there's a term for that. It might be because her mother Dana is played by Rosanna Arquette, whose cute overbite, neo-flowerchild sexuality and luscious figure makes me forgive her any number of bad movies or unsympathetic characters. Here Dana is not only clueless to her daughter's conduct; she seems to be competing for the gold medal in the Olympic Indulgent Mother competition. It's possible that Dana misses Traci's murderous streak because truth be told, Traci seems to have the criminal skills of a hamster. It's only because the script dictates so that she manages to pull off any kind of a body count.A particularly hilarious note in this movie is the character of Carmen, a Mexican maid who is described by Dana as around so long she's like one of the family although she dresses in what the director thought would say, "I just fell off the tomato truck from Guadalajara." Carmen is so wise to Traci's scheming, she might also wear a sign saying, "Hey, I'm the Next Victim!" Sure enough, Traci confronts Carmen as Carmen is making her way back from Mass, and bops her with one of those slightly angled lug wrenches that car manufacturers put next to your spare as a bad joke. I rather suspect than in real life those things are as useless as a murder weapon as they are for changing a tire. In another sequence, Arquette wears a flimsy dress to a vineyard, under cloudy skies, talking to the owner. Cut to her in another flimsy dress under sunny skies, talking to the owner's brother. Then cut to her wearing the first dress, in the first location, under cloudy skies - but it's supposed to be later. You get the picture. We're talking really bad directing.As for skin, don't expect much, although Traci does own a nice couple of bikinis. For those looking for a trash wallow, 8. For anybody else, 1/2.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an excellent, suspenseful, murder-mystery movie. Not only was the plot full of suspense and intrigue but you get to see gorgeous Ryan Gosling for a couple hours, what's not to love! Also, Sandra Bullock is good in this movie - I've always been a fan of hers, (I just wish she hadn't decided to be in "The Lake House" which was horrible, but that's another story altogether). Obviously since there are thousands of other murder/horror movies out there, there are bound to be similarities between them, no need to bash this movie for having some similarities to at least a few that have already been made. Anyway, this is a great movie for those of you that actually enjoy "scary" movies, it's a little dark and twisted but overall a great movie!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Brides are dying at the altar, and their corpses are disappearing. Everybody is concerned, but nobody seems to be able to figure out why and how this is happening, nor can they prevent it from happening. Bear with me. Bela Lugosi is responsible for this, as he is extracting spinal fluid from these young women to transfuse his ancient wife and keep her alive. Continue to bear with me. Finally, the authorities figure out that somebody must be engineering the deaths and disappearances, but of course, they can't figure out the improbable motive. Let's just ignore the ludicrous pseudoscience and move on... If you can get through the first twenty minutes of this mess, you will be treated to Lugosi whipping his lab assistant for disrespecting one of the brides he has murdered, explaining that he finds sleeping in a coffin much more comfortable than a bed, and other vague parodies of real horror films (the kind with budgets and plots). Anyhoo - a female journalist follows her nose to the culprit (and remarkably the inept police are nowhere to be seen!), and then the fun really starts.The cinematography and acting are OK. There are a lot of well dressed, very good looking people in this film. The directing is fair, and the script is a little better than the material deserved. Nevertheless, this film fails to sustain the interest of all but the most hardened b-film fan. The best thing about it.... It does eventually end, but not soon enough.$LABEL$ 0 +On first watching this film it is hard to know quite what has happened, but on a subsequent viewing it become more clear. I enjoyed this movie. Dean Cain was excellent in the role of Bob. Lexa Doig's character was confusing to understand, at first, she was out to trap Bob but i really believe she landed up loving him although by then she had broken his heart. Dean Cain's performance was an usual excellent. He gets better with every film he does. My only question at the end of the film was what happened to Bob, Camilla and the baby. It was left for the viewer to decide$LABEL$ 1 +The comments already left for this show are way more funny than the show itself and they are all accurate. I feel exactly the same way, that I am very disappointed at how far Rick Mercer has fallen when he used to do some really great things on This Hour Has 22 Minutes but now he is just clowning around, going places and talking to people. He does some bits in the studio about things going on in the news but they are never funny at all, just really sad and predictable jokes about headlines. Most of his show is him going somewhere to talk to people, for example this week he is going to a rodeo and the video pieces are all of him making funny faces and acting scared of the wild horses, etc. He used to be funny but has gotten way less funny since leaving This Hour Has 22 Minutes and that show is also not funny at all any more. Now that Air Farce is off the air (finally thank goodness!) Mercer and This Hour Has 22 Minutes have got to be next in line for the axe, just old tired predictable comedy that almost nobody finds funny any more. It's sad really considering Rick Mercer used to be the funniest man on Canadian TV!$LABEL$ 0 +Wow,this is in my opinion the best sitcom since Friends. If you have had a crap day just sit yourself down with a beer (if you are old enough that is.if not a root beer will have to do.) and watch a couple of episodes,it's the perfect recipe for happiness.The thing I like most is that everybody in the show is very funny and they all have fantastic comedy timing. After a while you become attached to the characters and really care about them. I think the secret to the shows success is that they have an enviable life. Doug is fat but still happy with it,he loves his wife his job and his friends. The father in law is the fly in the ointment but hey nothings perfect.$LABEL$ 1 +"Ah Ritchie's made another gangster film with Statham" thought the average fan, expecting another Snatch/Lock Stock; expecting perhaps a couple of temporal shifts, but none too hard for "me and the lads" to swallow after a few beers.Ah, pay attention, you do need to watch this film. No cups of tea, no extra diet cokes from the counter, no "keep it running" shouts as you nip to the fridge - watch the film! No laughs other than those you may make yourself from the considerable violence (and if that floats your boat, so be it) but sharp solid direction, excellent dialogue, and great performances.My favourite - Big Pussy from The Sopranos, always a reliable hood.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw The Glacier Fox in the theatre when I was nine years old - I bugged my parents to take me back three times. I began looking for it on video about five years ago, finally uncovering a copy on an online auction site, but I would love to see it either picked up by a new distributor and rereleased (I understand the original video run was small), or have the rights purchased by The Family Channel, Disney, etc. and shown regularly. It is a fascinating film that draws you into the story of the life struggle of a family of foxes in northern Japan, narrated by a wise old tree. The excellent soundtrack compliments the film well. It would be a good seller today, better than many of the weak offerings to children's movies today.$LABEL$ 1 +Would you be surprised if I told you this movie deals with a conspiracy? No? How about if I told you the ringleader was a shadow puppet. What? You don't believe me? ... OK. Yes, I made that up. It's too bad, this movie could have used a sense of humor. I understand Charlie Sheen doing this at the time - another movie equaled more money - as for Donald Sutherland and Linda Hamilton ... why? Don't even get me started on Stephen Lang. He was so much fun as the Party Crasher in 'The Hard Way' and now this junk.Ah no matter. Everyone involved should feel ashamed. If you aim to make a bad movie and succeed - it's twisted - but I seriously doubt that was what they were aiming for here. Flat out, the story stinks and we're actually supposed to take this yak seriously. Makes you wonder if this movie even had a glimmer of hope. Seriously, I doubt it and in an industry so tight with the purse strings how this got green lit in the first place is beyond me. Maybe even more scary is how this dog pile made it's way to theaters!?Oh ... Sam Waterson, how great you are in Law & Order. Why are you here? Demoting yourself to the role of the President of the United States who might I add gets to be shot at by a remote control biplane controlled by the gonzo assassin. Then again this is a masterpiece of work from George P. Cosmatos who's "directing" credits include Rambo: First Blood Part II amongst other gems. Hmm.... case in point?$LABEL$ 0 +This film was absolutely...ugh i can't find the word oh wait... crap! I mean when it started i was like yeah this looks good and then after it was so boring. I nearly fell asleep and it had nothing to do with the fact that i caught a late showing because it was utter filth. Ram Gopal Varma has tried his best but the cast could never live up to the cast of the original Sholay i mean what was he thinking doing a remake. What was he trying to do? Be like Sanjay Leeli Bhansani and win all the awards next year like he did for Black? Ajay and that other guy were good especially the other guy who played raj because out of all of them he was the one to look at. What was Amitabh doing? He's destroying his own dignity by doing all these stupid films. First Nishabd then Cheeni Kum then Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and now this i mean hes got to gather a bit of his money and move as far away from Bollywood as possible before he loses all his respect and I'm telling you he's already past half his way. I mean all this is really good for the other actors like Shah Rukh Khan who's getting a really good name now because of the recent downfall of Amitabh. I never really liked him because he thinks he's God and i just knew Abhishek was going to be in that movie. If you want to save your £17.75 and spend it on something good go watch Heyy Babyy because that's just the funniest movie ever and it's number one in the charts!$LABEL$ 0 +French Cinema sucks! Down with all these psychiotric visions with their my-God-am-I-cultivated distinguished attitudes! Pestilence to conceited symbolic film-language and impervious chiffres! I'll no longer have a mind for that! Léos Carax, did you ever think about, that a dialogue in a film could be natural and vivid??? Maybe I'm too common to understand you? Or had it been your task to confirm all the clichés of a Frenchman the world can have? Guillaume the to-be-guilliotined comes to his home-palace, Mme. Deneuve, not in the picture, plays the flute: "Here am I, darling!" In this moment, I knew, that she's in the bathtub, and we`ll see her lying in there soon. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not prudish, and the incestous sex scene was the climax of the film. But this is, in Berlin, we say "etepetete", what means something like "être-peut-être", a snobistic, self-satisfied, and, the worst, seen that often in French movies I can tell! Other example: She, beautiful and willing, is looking at herself in a mirror, combing her hair, and her wild-bearded, dirty young guru rushs into the room, breathless shouting: "There's no escape, there's no escape!" Forty years after existencialistic Sartres and consorts- what's new, what's exciting about? My God, there's that woman and she loves and admires you, what would be more natural to be happy with your life? And when you're not, please explain much better, why!! Born French means you have to live a life in extravaganza, no escape, is that the point?$LABEL$ 0 +In the 2nd of his Historical Martial Arts films, Chiba portrays his real life sensei Mas Oyama. The film even recreates Oyama's incredible feat of killing a raging bull with his bare hands (Oyama did this feat over 50 times in real life). Dynamic fight choreography featuring authentic Kyokushinkai techniques. Ironically this is one of the rare Sonny Chiba films in which he DOESN'T tear out or rip off body parts of opponents. A must see for Sonny Chiba fans definitely one of his top 5 films$LABEL$ 1 +Sure, we all like bad movies at one time or another, and we in fact enjoy them, This however, wasn't even a guilty pleasure, it was just crap. Some guy, vince offer, who is conceited enough to make himself the main character while probably got drunk/high--probably both--and thought it was a great idea to make a movie. He then proceeded to show his script to equally high/drunk individuals. Overall, this movie was so bad, predictable, and unoriginal I couldn't get through 20 minutes of it before I turned it off. It makes You Got Served look like Citizen Kane. Bat Man? WTF...Some guy that walks around with a bat, real original. Almost as good as calling him Fat Man, and having a fat guy walk around in a superhero outfit.$LABEL$ 0 +A comedy that worked surprisingly well was the little British effort "The Divorce Of Lady X (1938)" . It marks the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, before that little film about uncontrollable passion on the 19th century English moors. And while Olivier and Oberon are not particularly well-suited to screwball comedy, it all flows along nicely. Oberon is Leslie, a young woman who ends up in priggish divorce lawyer Logan's (Olivier) hotel suite by way of a nasty English fog preventing travel. She does everything possible to irritate him--but, in the crazy way films go, he falls for her. And she falls for him. But a serious case of mistaken identity occurs when Oberon's "Lady X" (that's all she leaves Oliver in a note) is thought by Olivier to be a married woman. To make matters worse, and more amusing, Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson) goes to Olivier wanting a divorce from his wife whom dear Larry thinks must be Oberon! There is some nice battle-of-the-sexes dialogue, and fun exploration of sexual politics. You can see that Olivier is not too confident with the comedy, but in true Olivier he's a consummate professional, and delivers. And he handles the screwball twists and turns, maybe not with ease, but with gusto. Oberon was no great shakes as an actress, but she was usually competent enough, and despite their reputed off-screen dislike of her, worked well with Olivier. This was filmed in early Technicolour that looks very primitive today (everyone looks even whiter than Michael Jackson), but perhaps the print needs cleaning up.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is one of the most provocative Jesus movies I have ever seen. It does not seek to tell the whole story, but only to portray an interpretive expression of the last day of Jesus Christ. It is darkly witty, playful and seriously faithful to elements of the Jewish tradition and to modern scriptural interpretation. Judas is much more ordinary than other portrayals, not the dark and sinister evil that we sometimes imagine, but a grossly mistaken man, horribly misguided in his zeal. Chris Saranden's Jesus is playful and serious, faithful and committed--very human while also divine. The final dialog is thoughtfully done and serves as the kind of small talk that two powerful men might do when they have just committed an atrocity. I would watch this movie again and recommend it to others.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the most ridiculous westerns that Hollywood ever made. Gary Cooper plays 'Reb Hollister', a former confederate officer wanted by the law. He meets up with a moron named Weatherby, played by Leif Erickson, who is a U.S. Marshal with no knowledge of firearms. Weatherby is on his way to Dallas to see his fiancee, Tonia Robles, played by Ruth Roman. Senor Robles, Tonia's father, has plenty of men, but they can't seem to be able to keep an eye on his cattle, which are regularly rustled by the Marlow brothers. Will Marlow, played by Raymond Massey, has financed the loan on the Robles estate, making things completely absurd. He even has the power to call for mortgage payments before they're due, simply because he feels like it.Since Weatherby is a Boston boy who can't fight, since he only became a Marshal so he could visit his fiancee, Tonia, (Just another instance of more plot nonsense. Are we to assume that you only have to pass a written test to get this job? Wait a minute, this guy couldn't pass the written test either.) he switches identities with Reb Hollister, who of course is an expert gunman. Reb takes the liberty of greeting Weatherby's girl with a passionate kiss, while Weatherby looks on like an idiot. Gary Cooper, Hollywood's number one stud, is in fine form here as Reb. Before the movie's done, not only does he take Weatherby's job, he steals his fiancee also, and Ruth Roman as Tonia, falls for him so hard and so fast that she gives chump Leif Erickson the brush-off before the films little more than half over.There isn't a shred of plot credibility in the whole film, so despite the good cast and lush photography, the film is a dud. And Cooper's character is a complete heel to boot. The film also stars Barbara Payton as Brant Marlow's girl, a beautiful and talented actress who squandered away her chances, unfortunately, by making too many headlines for the wrong reasons. I strongly suggest you pass this one up.$LABEL$ 0 +This kind of "inspirational" saccharine is enough to make you sick. It telegraphs its sentiments like the biggest semaphore on earth. It removes from the audience its own interpretation and feeling by making the choices for it. The big finish is swimming in weeping orchestration that must supposed to work like jumper cables on a dead car; I guess you'd need such prompting to feel if you're stupid enough to watch a film as simple-minded and sappy as this. Streep glows and you wonder if she really has the depth of feeling on display or if it's just that---a display, switched on and off like a light. Because I can't for the life of me see how she could possibly find life in such a dud of film. Even though it's based on a true story, and an inspirational one at that I'm sure, the set-up, execution and performances play like a third-rate TV movie or half-witted high school drama.$LABEL$ 0 +True Love, I truly enjoyed and LOVED this movie. It was fun, funny and inspirational. I just saw it on DVD. How did I miss this one it's a winner! I mean Flex was "That Guy". I wanted to marry him. This was my 1st time seeing him as a straight leading man and he pulls it off. I thought Tangi Miller was the best ever and I was a Felicity head too. A fearless woman who only fears her Nana. Thank You for giving women of color range in your work and she looks great! Tasha Smith was a Blast! Aloma Wright was priceless as Nana. This cute romantic comedy is "A Must See". Oh and the new comer Marcus Patrick is worth the surprise ladies...True Love. Karen$LABEL$ 1 +I had watched snippets from this as a kid but, while I purchased Blue Underground's set immediately due to its being a Limited Edition, only now did I fit it in my viewing schedule - and that's mainly because Bakshi's American POP (1981) just turned up on late-night Italian TV (see my review of that film below)! Anyway, I found the film to be a quite good sword-and-sorcery animated epic with especially impressive-looking backdrops (the rather awkward rotoscoped characters were, admittedly, less so) with a rousing if derivative score. The plot, again, wasn't exactly original, but proved undeniably engaging on a juvenile level and the leading characters well enough developed - especially interesting is the villainous Ice-lord Nekron and the enigmatic warrior Darkwolf; the hero and heroine, however, are rather bland stereotypes - but one can hardly complain when Bakshi and Frazetta depict the girl as well-endowed (her bra could be torn off any second) and half-naked to boot (her tiny panties are forever disappearing up her ass)! Still, it's clearly an action-oriented piece and it certainly delivers on this front (that involving Darkwolf being particularly savage); the final showdown though brief, is also nicely handled and sees our heroes astride pterodactyls assaulting the villains' lair inside a cave .In the long run, apart from the afore-mentioned Frazetta backdrops, the main appeal of this movie for me now is its nostalgia factor as it transported me back to my childhood days of watching not just films like CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and THE BEASTMASTER (1982) but also animated TV series such as BLACKSTAR (1981-82) and HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (1983-85).As for the accompanying THE MAKING OF "FIRE AND ICE" (TV) (Mark Bakshi, 1982) **1/2:Vintage featurette on the sword-and-sorcery animated film which is only available via the washed-out VHS print owned by Ralph Bakshi himself! It goes into some detail about the rotoscope technique and also shows several instances of live-action 'performances' (in a studio) of segments from the script - which would then be traced, blended in with the backgrounds and filmed. Still, having watched several such behind-the-scenes featurettes on the art of animation (on the Disney Tins and the Looney Tunes sets, for instance), it's doesn't make for a very compelling piece...$LABEL$ 1 +I play final fantasy 7, and this movie is EXCELLENT like the game, all fans of final fantasy will love this movie. The music are fantastic and the history is good, but, the best of this movie is the visual effects, are amazing. The characters are equal to the game and that detail are good for the fans. You don't need play the game to like this movie, all the people can enjoy the film, because the history is some different and is easy to understand. I buy the DVD because is EXCELLENT, IS 100% ADVISABLE, if you don't see this film, what you waiting for? believe me,you will fascinate like me$LABEL$ 1 +If you are under 13 or above 13 and pretty intoxicated, you'll enjoy D-war. If you are a seriously dedicated fan of all kinds of brainless action films, you'll enjoy D-war. Otherwise, don't bother! I saw the movie today with my nephews and 3 of their friends. They really loved it and that made me feel good. After the movie was over, all the kids(my nephews and their friends)could not stop thanking me for taking them to the theater.The CG is good. Acting and directing are horrible. Storyline is extremely simple. But, since the half of the audience was kids, they were screaming, shouting and cheering every time the dragons appeared on the screen. This made the viewing experience far more exciting than it should have been.It's a good movie to take your kids to, but except for the final battle sequence, D-War is disappointing. I give this film 7 out of 10 mainly because the kids loved it so much.$LABEL$ 1 +No wonder Pamela Springsteen gave up acting to become a full-time photographer; it's a much better idea to have her behind a camera than in front of one. While this movie is not without its interesting elements (mullets from hell, etc.), it is outweighed by flaws. For one thing, Angela, the murderous counselor, appears to be about the same age as the campers. Having an older, more threatening camp director would have done a lot for the film. And then you have the murder scenes. The budget was apparently too low to execute most of them properly (no pun intended), although drowning someone in an outhouse toilet is certainly original. But overall, there are a ton of movies out there that are scarier/more fun to spend an hour and a half of your life watching.$LABEL$ 0 +This has to be, by far, the absolute worst movie I have seen in the last 20 years. When I saw that Michael Madsen was in it I figured it couldn't be too bad a movie since he has been in some pretty decent films, and he was a pretty fair actor. WRONG! No one should waste their time on this film. I fast forwarded through 80 percent of it and I don't feel that I missed a thing.$LABEL$ 0 +'Had Ned Kelly been born later he probably would have won a Victoria Cross at Gallipolli'. such was Ned's Bravery.In Australia and especially country Victoria the name Ned Kelly can be said and immediately recognised. In Greta he is still a Hero, the life Blood of the Town of Jerilderie depends on the tourism he created, but in Mansfield they still haven't forgotten that the three policeman that he 'murdered' were from there.Many of the buildings he visited in his life are still standing. From the Old Melbourne Gaol where he was hanged, to the Post office he held up in Jerilderie. A cell he was once held in in Greta is on display in Benella and the site of Ann Jones' Hotel, the station and even the logs where he was captured in Glenrowan can be visited.Evidence of all the events in the movie (except for his love interest) can be found all over Victoria, in police records and even in the Sash that Ned was awarded with for rescuing Dick Shelton from drowning. None of this is wrong, and whats left out would further justify Neds actions. The Horse that Ned 'stole' was actually stolen by Wild Wright (the man who Ned boxes with after getting out of jail). Ned was already in prison when the horse was reported stolen so he couldn't have stolen it.The Jerilderie Letter is more than what has been stated before. It is not self justification it is Ned's biography, an outline of what he stood for and who he was protecting. So go ahead and read it, watch the movie and then make up your mind about what Ned stood for.$LABEL$ 1 +"Feast of All Saints?" Where...? When...?Was the Feast of All Saints storyline and theme edited out? What a waste of a wonderful title! There is never anything in the story that has the remotest connection to the "Feast of All Saints." Nor is there anything in the story about "All Souls Day" which the term is referencing. Why bother to use this title if you never intend to including any kind of storyline or theme about "All Souls Day" or the "Feast of All Saints"? Embarrassly Bad Script & Amateur Writing How did they attract such great talent to this clunker? The writing is so amateur--characters that have known each other all their life go into big long speeches about their life history for the sake of the audience. Not at all the way people talk to each other. What was the Director Thinking?The directing is equally bad! The forced and overly deliberate style feels amateurish. In one scene, a character is yelling "Take your hands off of me" and NO ONE is touching him! The most badly directed scene however, is the incredibly over-the-top battle scene at the beginning of the film.Excessive Gore in a Very Fake, Silly Battle SceneThere are so many dead people in the most fake battle scene. It looks like a Saturday Night Live skit!! You can see extras waiting for their cues to walk across camera. Everyone plays their death scene like 4th grade boys--exaggerating every little gasp and twitch. The blood on battle victims is so excessive and carelessly applied it looks like someone used a ketchup dispenser and just squirted straight lines of red on the costumes.This whole battle scene comes off as the spoof of a really cheesy war movie. You almost expect someone like Will Ferrell and Mike Myers to ride up on a horse and deliver the punchline.Who in Real Life Would Ever Behave this Way?! The most ridiculous bit of writing, directing and casting is actually the focus of the scene: A little girl is standing under the dead body of her hanging father--who is terribly mutilated, and literally dripping blood form his gaping wounds. Even a totally idiot would know he is dead! Yet she is--very monotonously--repeating over and over "Daddy, daddy..." while looking at someone off-screen. She delivered it with about as much believability and passion as you could expect from an non-actor kid that had been repeating the line for the cameras all day.Even if the poor kid had any acting skills, the scene is completely unbelievable. The little girl wouldn't even BE in the middle of the battlefield after hours of carnage--surrounded by hundreds of dead bodies, while she calmly stands there!! Natural instincts would had the kid screaming and terrified, running AWAY from the bloody carnage! Are we Suppose to be Horrified or Laugh...?!One particularly goofy detail, that gives the scene an SNL satire tone, is the father hanging, with a huge hook through his mouth and cheek. He looks like a fish on a hook! The unintentionally funny details, make the whole scene come across as fake and silly.In Fantasy La-La-Land, Mothers and Daughters are the Same Age! Another funny detail, is that you see a central character--the little girl's mother--at the end of the scene and in the next scene, that occurs 20+ years later, she looks exactly the same! She is still young and beautiful, and now the same age as her daughter! I almost turned the movie off right there because the direction and writing were obviously awful--but I tried to stick it out because I wanted to see the Louisiana settings and I like all the actors. I don't know what these fine actors were thinking when they accepted these roles!Who was the Targeted Audience?The excessive amount of blood and badly acted violence in the opening scene are weirdly out of place with the soap opera storytelling tone that follows. It is also a strange way to start a movie that, for the rest of the time, seems targeted to romance novel reading females. Weird inconsistency in tone!$LABEL$ 0 +I now that these days, some people wan't see a movie without movie styling, so much Dogma, Lars Von, Watchosky Brothers, are changed what we expect in a movie, perhaps, Casomai is no-one-more-Independent-non-american movie, the movie take all movies resources and language to tell us a simple history about love and marriage, but much more .. Fully of views, lectures and let you thinking ... and I'm sure, you can't fell boried any second of a long 116 minutes. I calculate that don't have a single scene longer that 3 o 2 1/2 minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay. I really tried to tap into the (so called) silly & surreal humor that this film sets out to be. I'm told that the Japanese version of this film is much shorter than the one shipped to America (go figure!), and has less political references. Apart from all that, I found this sexual/political farce just as boring and pointless as standard porn. The central female lead is easy on the eyes, and could actually act. I would love to see her in a non pink film where she could actually flex her acting muscles (and no,not the ones you're thinking of). It's obvious that Japan can (and does)produce just as much crap as other countries. I couldn't recommend this to anyone, with the distant possibility of someone who has a Jones for Asian porn. Go see a real Japanese film.$LABEL$ 0 +Australian Fred Schepisi (A Cry in the Dark) directs this comedy/ romance that is fun, relaxing, and set in the spring. You will laugh while watching this movie. Tim Robbins (Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking) is an auto mechanic, Ed Walters, with a high IQ, which gets higher with the help of Albert Einstein, Walter Matthau (Grumpy Old Men) and his academic friends Nathan, Kurt and Boris. You can tell them by their preppie shoes. Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail) is Catherine Boyd, Einstein's niece who is a competent, but not so confident mathematician. Perhaps it is because she is surrounded by all that genius. She thinks that if she marries someone with a high I.Q. her kids will have a high I.Q. as well, but she does not knows what she wants. Between Tim Robbins cute smile and Meg's cuteness this is a refreshing movie. I love sweet stories. People all ages should enjoy this movie. Catherine is engaged to the jerk James Moreland, who works in animal behavior, but is very stuffy. This is a love a first sight type situation, between the mechanic and the mathematician. Witty lines and subliminal lines! The cinematography is nice. Princeton, New Jersey is beautiful in the Spring. With much help from all those brilliant men Catherine falls for Ed, without knowing that he is an automobile mechanic.Favorite Scenes: Ed taking a multiple choice test in front of a crowd with the help of Einstein, Nathan, Kurt, and Boris. Ed and Einstein riding on the motorcycle. Nathan, Kurt and Boris letting all the research animals free!Favorite Quotes: Albert Einstein: "Don't let your brain interfere with your heart". Ed Walters: "When was the last time he said "Wahoo""? Catherine Boyd: "Well I'm sure I don't know". This is a refreshing movie, I recommend it. I have the tape and every once and awhile I will watch it again.$LABEL$ 1 +This one is a great one! Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding have teamed up to make a powerful and very influential film. This is the true story of the first black US Navy diver and the obstacles he faced in attaining his certification at the hands of a racist Master diver. Along the way, he must also face plain old bigotry from all of his classmates, none of whom want him in their class. They move out of the barracks when he arrives. Ultimately, he becomes certified and goes on to have a great career as a US Navy diver. Watch this one! It's a great tale of courage and honor. As the story unfolds, we get to watch racism slowly dissipate and everyone begins to respect men one at a time.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't really consider myself a conservative, so I wasn't personally offended by this film, but it was pretty clear that the plot and the characterization in this film were secondary to the message. And the message is that all conservatives are either evil or stupid (or both). The characters are one-dimensional -- either good, freedom-loving Americans, or brainless, greedy, evil conservatives. There's nothing clever or creative, just anti-conservative. I don't really mind the political bias itself, but it shouldn't be the only purpose behind the movie. And clearly it is.On the positive side, the cast is wonderful and Chris Cooper's impression of W is funny the first two or three times, but after that it's just the same old joke being told over and over again.So if you really hate the conservatives, you'll probably enjoy this film, but if you're looking for something with realistic characters and a story that's less black-and-white, then you'd be better off watching something else.$LABEL$ 0 +This is really good. Original ideas in the film and a great terrorist action film. Only second to die hard and die hard with a vengeance, this film has suspense and a good plot. I would recommend it to anyone with a taste in films like mine; Action, terrorism and gangster/mafia.$LABEL$ 1 +Rajkumar Santoshi Without Any Doubt Has Directed The Greatest Movies And Biggest Box Office Hits Of Indian Cinema.This Movie Falls Short Of All Expectations As This Movie Stars Two Great Actors Mr. Amitabh Bachchan And Akshay Kumar And When You Have These Two Actors In The Same Movie You Have To Make A Magnum Opus.In The Later Part Of The Movie You Can Make Out That Amitabh Bachchan's Voice Has Been Dubbed By Some Other Person Which Was Due To His Illness.Still The Movie Did'nt Had Proper Character Development Plus Cinematography Was'nt Good Too And One Thing That Bollywood Should Learn Is That They Should Use Visual Effects Only When It Is Needed And When Applied Should Be Done With A High Budget.The Script Had So Many Flaws Which Gives The Viewer Excuses To Attend His Phone Calls Rather Than Watching The Movie.The New Comer Shakes The Leg Well But Could Not Act Well But Where The Movie Loses Big Time Is The Storyline Screenplay And Cinematography.A Talented Actor Like Bhoomika Chawla Has Been Wasted In The Movie As Well As Sushant Singh.But Every Director Once In A While In His Career Makes A Bad Film.So Watch It Only If You Are A Fan Of Multi-Starrer Flop Movies.$LABEL$ 0 +A poetic examination of the human condition performed without dialogue. The anti-hero, The Man builds a contraption to escape a band of marauders, out of the wastland of what was once a civilization, to the ruins of the city to scavenge for his survival. There he crosses pathes with The Brute, brilliantly played by Jean Reno, of "The Professional" and "Mission: Impossible" fame. The Man is rescued by a crazy old genius who lives in a fortress of his own design. By using their wits, The Man and the old genius are able to keep the Brute and his ilk at bay, but they realise it is only a matter of time before their defenses are compromised, so they make a break for it. This is a strongly understated tale of the desparate struggle for life, with excellent action scenes and clever humor. Of all of the movies of its kind, like "Road Warrior", "Omega Man", and even "Ultimate Warrior" (featuring Yul Brenner as a buff knife-fighter), "Le Dernier Combat" is the most artfully crafted. Copies of the video are hard-to-find, I would give my left eye ball for one. If your local art house ever has a revival of this film, I heartily recommend that you break any engagement to able to be able to see it big.$LABEL$ 1 +It's true that you always remember what you were doing at a point when disaster or tragedy strikes. And none more so that September 11, 2001, a date which changed the entire global landscape in its fight against terrorism.No, this documentary didn't set out to be dwelling on the events leading to 9/11. Rather, the filmmakers, brothers Gédéon and Jules Naudet, set out to do a documentary on the trials and tribulations of a rookie New York firefighter. They had gone to the academy and done some shoots of training, and had handpicked their "proby" (probation firefighter) to join them in an NY firehouse, home to Ladder 1 and Engine 7. But their production was to develop and contain at that time, believed to be the only shot of the first plane slamming into the World Trace Center.I was traveling back with a friend on the train from a night of LAN gaming, and received a call at about 850pm local time from my Dad, who informed me of the above. Few minutes later, he told me there was another, and that the WTC was under attack. By the time I arrived home, the upper floors of the twin towers were ablaze and in smoke, and to my horror, they collapsed, under an hour.The filmmakers had two cameras running that day, one who had followed a team out on a routine call, and which immediately raced to the WTC upon hearing and seeing the plane crash into it. We follow what is possible the only filmed sequence of events in the lobby of WTC1 where the first responders of firefighters, paramedics, and police had to make sense of what happened, and to quickly develop a plan of action. The other camera, held by the other brother, was making his way to WTC to look for his sibling, and along the journey, captured the many expressions of New Yorkers, as well as the sense of chaos in and around Manhatten.Peppered throughout the documentary are numerous interviews with the men from Ladder 1 and Engine 7, which miraculously, did not suffer any casualty. But being survivors also brought about its own set of psychological turmoil, as they struggle to come to terms with the event. Through the events that unfold, we learn of the strong camaraderie amongst these men who risk live and limb each day on their jobs, to save lives.We began with what the documentary was supposed to be, before events of the day totally swung in and became the focus, right up to the rescue phase where hopes of finding survivors under the rubble were kept alive by the men who work round the clock in making sense of the collapsed steel structures. It's not a film that is fabricated, and what you see here cannot be recreated in any other documentary (and heavens, not sound stages for Hollywood blockbusters). It's as close as you can get to that day, witnessing the event up close, from safety.Code 1 DVD contains a separate extra hour of 4 sets of interviews with the men of Ladder 1 and Engine 7.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, my. Oh, this is a *really* bad movie. The acting is absolutely atrocious, the script is god-awful, and the photography is simply dreadful.What does make this movie stand out, however, is that you never once care about a single soul-- good guy or bad guy, living, dying or dead-- in the entire 87 minutes. "Oh, s/he died? Huh... Figured they would" was the best reaction I could muster after each murder. Characters are so black-or-white that with the volume turned off, you could still figure out who was who. While the cast's voices had an odd monotone quality throughout, their faces give the impression that you're looking at an old silent movie with a lot of eyebrow waggling, exaggerated frowns and "pensive looks". Each character is a humorless, passionless, one-dimensional one-trick pony; once they fulfill whatever their particular role in this fiasco demanded their creation, they are summarily dismissed.It vaguely made me think of what would happen if Thomas Borch Nielsen (director/writer of "Skyggen", American title: "Webmaster") decided to do a low-budget version of "American Psycho" and got kind of distracted along the way.This isn't a particularly gruesome movie; the cold, passionless cast ensures that. It isn't an offensive movie; the director plays it so safe that no one could possibly find it so. It is, simply and after all, a bad movie.Avoid it. We were not so fortunate and actually paid to watch this bomb on Pay-per-View. As part of my penance, I'm writing this review.Enough said.$LABEL$ 0 +I was in my mid teens when I saw this movie, and I was struck by the beauty of the young stars as well as the loving cinematography and the simple sweetness of the story. It amazes me to learn that Alvina has recently died, that Bury apparently has not worked in the film business for almost 30 years, and that both would be in their 50s.The Elton John soundtrack is amazingly beautiful and supports the air of protected innocence the characters experience in seclusion. I have seen the movie poster, billing it as "Deux Enfants Quis'Aiment," which apparently means something like "Two Children Who Like Each Other"--the English language distributors were wise to abbreviate the title!Paul, the ignored 15-year-old son of an English businessman living in Paris, meets Michelle, an orphan, at the zoo. The two take what they intend as a day-long holiday to Michelle's late father's rural cottage, but end up staying there for a year, isolated from the outside world. They fall in love, Michelle gets pregnant, and they have the baby alone at home. After the baby's birth, the police come to Paul's work place and take him away."Blue Lagoon" comes to mind as another film that almost captures the theme of innocence protected in an isolated paradise. So sad that "Friends" has never been released on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +When Braveheart first came out, I was enthralled, and was admittedly one of the most rabid fans of the film. When Rob Roy came out, I was intrigued, and although I enjoyed the film I did not think it was a great film. However, as time has gone by, my appreciation for Rob Roy has grown, and my enthusiasm for Braveheart has diminished. Braveheart is great entertainment, to be sure, but there are flaws as well. The most significant, in my view, is the unflattering portrayal of Robert the Bruce, who was without a doubt Scotland's greatest king. Another is the historical inaccuracy of the film, which tarnishes the film in proportion to the many historical distortions. I think I am also bothered by the fact that it was in this film, seen only (at least by me) in retrospect, that the beginnings of Mel Gibson's egomania can be seen clearly for the first time. In contrast, Rob Roy has grown on me over the years. Partly because it largely avoids the faults I mind most in Braveheart. But also because Rob Roy is like fine wine, growing more mature and complex with each viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +The French either make pro-Marxist films or anti-Marxist films - with a few in between. "Merci pour le chocolat" is the latter of this genre. From the opening credits telling the viewer what music is going to be played and by whom it was who composed you know that you are going to be swathed in middle class pretension. It is an old man's film with an excess of 40's plus people. It is also directed by an old man along with an old crew who have nothing to say about life to the viewer. The plot is not only banal but preposterous. How many films reveal the plot through dialogue only to repeat the same message via flashback some five minutes later? Maybe the director and actors had a low retentive capacity? In truth their is no tenable plot at all. It is riddle with holes like a good piece of French cheese.Whether intentional or not, it is a film about the bourgeoisie. At least a third of the film focuses on the piano and the pretentious twaddle espoused in each scene. I concede it has some well framed shots though they couldn't have used a steady-cam in this film - it would have woke them all up! Other than it being a nonsense story, the film allows the upper middle class to parade their values and vanity in a very comfortable Swiss location. A telling line of the film is when Rodolphe Pauly tells Anna Mouglalis that she need not lock her car while in the resort! Oh dear me.On the DVD, Miss Huppert makes a comment about shedding a false tear for a scene. Smirking she says: "Like they do in the American Actor's Studio!" I think Miss Huppert and the rest of the cast could learn well from the Actor's Studio.If there is one statement that stand out in my mind it is when Huppert remarks 'we are having friends for the weekend and all the servants are away'. No doubt they had all escaped from the mind numbing set lest they be associated with such an appalling film.Safety Medical Note. In the film they show a hot water scald being covered with ointment and a bandage. This should never be done. Only cold water should be used.Minus 10 marks.$LABEL$ 0 +A gem of a British caper-comedy. Poor American schlub Pinky Green (Richard Jordan, playing another bad guy but this time an adorable one) gets out of a British jail and tries to go straight, but his maintenance man job in a bank is too attractive for his never-reformed criminal friends, headed up by a really nasty Ivan (David Niven in one of his last roles). Pinky resists, but the lure of all that money is just too much for him. Things unravel and reravel and it's all joyous to watch. Jordan must have played 20 bad guys in his career, but he never played the same one twice - this one is just too lovable to hate. Niven never played a slicker bad guy, oil all over. Two fine actors we've lost that I wish we had back.$LABEL$ 1 +How this has not become a cult film I do not know. I think it has been sadly overlooked as a truly ingenious comedy!"Runaway Car" attempts to pass itself off as a fast-paced thriller, but taking the quality of acting (good God it's bad), the storyline, the practicalities of the car's demonic possession and the baby evacuation scene into account there is nothing you can really do but laugh. And laugh you will. Films are made to entertain us, and the degree to which they do this can be an indication of a film's worth. This film is the pinnacle in entertainment, I laughed from beginning to end. At one point I got short of breath and nearly choked, it really is that funny at some points. When the baby was airlifted out of the sunroof in a holdall by a helicopter with a robot pilot who managed to maintain a constant velocity identical to the car and a perfectly flat flight plain that meant the grapple hook didn't rip the car roof to pieces, I was laughing hysterically. But when the baby starting swinging around in the air, nearly hit a bridge and almost got tangled up in a tree, tears were running down my face.It also occurred to me that the black cop was the guy who played Jesus in Madonna's "Like A Prayer" video. He seems to get everywhere.$LABEL$ 1 +Skullduggery is a strange, strange film based on the novel "Ye Shall Know Them" by Vercors. To unleash criticism at the film feels really unkind, since it is a movie that deals with earnest themes like humanity, and pleas for upright moral standards and tolerance. But in spite of its honourable intentions and its well-meaning tone, Skullduggery simply isn't a very good film. For me, the main problem is the terribly disjointed narrative which can't make its mind up how best to convey its message. The first half of the movie is like watching a standard jungle expedition flick of the Tarzan ilk; later it teeters into sci-fi fable; by the end it slips into courtroom melodramatics. The differences in tone between each section of the movie are too great, too jarring, to overlook. They stick out like a sore thumb and remind you constantly that you're watching a muddled, disorganised movie.An archaeological expedition into the jungles of New Guinea is led by adventurer Douglas Temple (Burt Reynolds). One of the main archaeologists involved in the excursion is attractive lady scientist Dr Sybil Greame (Susan Clark). After an arduous trek they stumble upon a tribe of strange ape-like creatures. These primitive, long-lost people are covered in hair and have survived for centuries without being in any way touched or influenced by the developments of modern man. There is some evidence that they may the ancestors of early man – the "missing link" in the evolution of apes into humans. Or perhaps a race of humans who simply look and behave differently from usual? Or even a race of animals that have begun to develop human characteristics? The archaeologists call the tribe "the Tropi" and are initially thrilled by the implications of their discovery. But things take a devastating turn when nasty opportunist Vancruysen (Paul Hubschmid) declares his intention to exploit the tribe and their idyll on behalf of developers. He questions whether the Tropi are truly "human" and takes his argument to the courts, where he hopes to be granted legal backing so that his own greedy ambitions can be continued.This was a very early film in Reynolds' career, and he actually unbalances this movie by acting like he's in a comedy while the rest of the cast take it all very seriously. Not that Reynolds can be blamed – he has an impossible role, asked to play a charming adventurer who really belongs in a Tarzan flick. His character and the film are not relevant to each other. Clark fares much better as the earnest lady archaeologist, and there are nice supporting roles for British actors Edward Fox, Alexander Knox and Wilfrid Hyde-White. A major shortcoming in Skullduggery is the lame and ineffective make-up used to give the Tropi their strange hairy appearance. Rather than making the actors look like believable hominoids, the stuck-on hair merely makes them look unintentionally comical…. and that's just not the right idea. We're meant to feel great sympathy for these creatures, but that's awfully hard when they look so unconvincing. Skullduggery is a failed attempt to tell a story that could have been poignant, philosophical and stimulating. The honourable intentions are there for all to see, but the end result doesn't do them justice. A worthy failure it might be but a failure nonetheless.$LABEL$ 0 +Why is it that in the '50s and '60s, Italians made so of the best movies, and then during the '70s and '80s, made nothing but zombie and cannibal movies? Probably because art films didn't make any money. , The Cannibal Movie, unlike the Zombie Movie, which was created by Americans and `exploited' by Italians, is a purely Italian creation, designed as a mondo exploitation showcase, and to make as much money as possible (no artistic integrity getting in the way here). Eaten Alive came during the Cannibal Movie heyday. The director, Umberto Lenzi, hadn't even hit his stride yet; his genre classic, Cannibal Ferox, was still a year away.In plotting similar to (read: ripped off from) Ruggero Deodato's seminal cannibal classic, Cannibal Holocaust, a woman (Janet Agren) receives word from the police that they've received a 8mm film from her sister. She's gone missing in Africa, and it's suspected that the tribal ritual depicted on the film may have something to do with it. Mel Ferrer, as a Professor of Somethingoranother, tells her that a man named Jonas (Ivan Rassimov) has started a Jonestown-like cult in New Guinea, and that's where the sister is. The woman hires a guide (Robert Kerman) to take her through the jungle to find the cult and her sister. And, wouldn't you know it, the jungle is full of cannibals. One sentence should sum it up: if you've seen on Cannibal Movie, you've seen them all, mostly because these films steal shamelessly from each other (Lenzi copied Cannibal Holocaust to make this film, and retooled this to make Cannibal Ferox; Deodato copied parts of this for Hit and Run). And because they all share the same material, they all feature the same traits: awful photography, boring scenery, terrible dubbing, overacting, and exploitation, exploitation, exploitation. Genre fans will have a ball since everyone in it is a genre veteran. Rassimov and Kerman have a scenery eating contest. Agren exists solely to be naked, raped, or in peril. Plenty o' gore for all the sickos out there. The cannibals, who do actually appear to be native cannibals, eat lunch met disguised as human flesh. And, in the grand tradition of Cannibal Movies, any live animal shown onscreen is usually killed shortly thereafter. Overall, really not a good experience, but I'm sure there are psychopaths out there who find this excrement entertaining. I know I did.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the most magnificent movies ever made. The acting of Charles Buchinski (later known as Bronson) is simply outstanding. This is the crown on the career of director Winner, who himself was often quoted saying this was his masterpiece. The plot has been copied many times, but it's never been topped. Wildey J. Moore, the gun manufacturer, many times claimed his brand's growth since the mid 80s can be fully credited to DW3, and rightly so. This is not just a movie, this is art that many generations will admire and appreciate. Although this movie has never been fully appreciated in the USA, it has found a huge following in Europe and Asia, where the movie is regularly shown at film schools and it is still a popular hit in student cinemas all across Europe. All in all, a true classic.$LABEL$ 1 +I just caught "Wild Rebels" on one of the "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" archive compilations, and this movie was so bad even the MST3K crew couldn't make it entertaining. There are some MST3K "targets" that were films whose concepts were so dippy they couldn't possibly have been good movies (like "The Green Slime"), and others whose basic premises could have been made into genuinely entertaining films if their filmmakers hadn't bobbled them in the execution. "Wild Rebels" is a film whose basic premise DID make a good movie three years earlier, when Don Siegel directed his remake of "The Killers" at Universal. Both films are about a failed racing driver who's seduced by a femme fatale into driving the getaway car in a robbery masterminded by the woman's boyfriend -- only in "The Killers" the driver was John Cassavetes, the woman was Angie Dickinson and the criminal mastermind (cast wildly but successfully against type in what turned out to be his final film) was Ronald Reagan. Steve Alaimo, Bobbie Byers and Willie Pastrano are quite a comedown! But what REALLY makes "Wild Rebels" an awful movie is the direction by William Grefé (note the accent over the final "e," present in his on-screen credit), which has absolutely no sense of pace whatsoever and seems to let every shot run at least half again as long as it needs to to make its dramatic point. It's only a pity that someone didn't do a mocking commentary on this movie now (in 2009); the comparison between Steve Alaimo's hairdo and Rod Blagojevich's would have been irresistible!$LABEL$ 0 +Spoilers: This movie has it's problems, but in the end it gets the message across. I liked it because it ends the way things really do. The nice guy tries and tries, gets his heart broken several times, but in the end there is no typical hollywood ending. It ends the way such things always end, or at least always have in my own and friends' experiences. Anyone who thinks that the ending to this isn't how it really happens, as the first comment seemed to, believing that the girl would come around, realize she's dating an asshole who treats her bad because he doesn't care about her at all is either naive or lives in a more perfect world than I. I give it 7/10, extra points simply because it wasn't afraid to end on a down note, give no real resolution, just the main character left heartbroken, confused and alone as so many men of countless generations have been before.$LABEL$ 1 +Thirty per cent of this movie appears to be the prototype for the Map Channel. You see a giant map for about ten minutes, then they unleash the stock footage big time while droning(droning, get it?)on about radar. Apparently there's a lot of radar stations in the far north, protecting North America's borders from attacks by deadly polar bears. The bears never show up, but a giant Mantis does. It was frozen in the ice for over a million years or so, until it was released by an earthquake somewhere else in the world(yeah, right. For my money, it was released by global warming). It is a huge prehistoric insect, and it needs lots of food. Since there aren't any cows in the frozen north, it decides to feast on the most bovine-like creatures it can find up there. I.E., human beings. It starts attacking radar stations, probably because the humming from the radar dishes was getting on its nerves.Enter Col. Joe Parkman, the resident smarmy guy of the film. He's investigating a plane that went down, and is puzzled why there are no bodies in the wreckage. The only thing he finds is one of the claws of the Mantis. Apparently it decided to trim its nails while it was snacking on the plane's crew. Parkman takes the claw tip back with him to be analyzed by a thousand year old scientist.Grandpa scientist can't make heads or tails of the claw, mostly because he's missed his naps so his mind isn't functioning too well. So he calls in a smug paleontologist played by the guy who was the P.I. in Perry Mason. He and his friend, a transvestite photographer, fly north because he's decided that the claw must have come from a Praying Mantis. Just one the size of a commuter train.It's Luke warm love at first sight when Col.Parkman first sets eyes on the she-male photographer. The men at the base, obviously having been deprived for many years, think she's the hottest thing to come along since Granny Clampett. Smug science guy and smarmy soldier guy start working together to track the path of the Mantis, which has devastated some stock footage of an Eskimo village. It comes to the base looking for an after dinner snack, and crushes some cheap sets quite effectively. Then it flies south and disappears.Now comes the tense hours when the civilian ground observer core are called on to sweep the skies looking for anything large flying overhead. I doubt that in reality they would have been told that they were looking for a giant flying mantis that eats human beings, since that would haver caused a panic. Probably they were told to look for a giant 727 that was painted green and hummed because its engine was out of tune.Col. Parkman goes up in a plane to try to shoot the Mantis down, and botches the mission. The Mantis lands in New York City, probably because it wanted to take in a show on Broadway or visit Sex World in Times Square. The army corners it in the Tunnel, and Parkman and his men don stupid suits that they borrowed from the Orkin Man to go in and try to blow the Mantis up. Success! Well, almost, since the Mantis is still twitching enough that it almost kills the mannish Eve Arden photographer lady. There's a tepid love scene at the end, and the paleontologist takes a picture of the dead mantis because Colonel Hair Grease and Ms. Gender Unspecified are busy smooching. So kind of a nauseating ending.$LABEL$ 0 +The Dereks did seem to struggle to find rolls for Bo after "10".I used to work for a marine park in the Florida Keys. One day, the script for "Ghosts Can't Do It" was circulating among the trainers in the "fish house" where food was prepared for the dolphins. There was one scene where a -dolphin- supposedly propositions Bo (or Bo the dolphin), asking to "go make eggs." Reading the script, we -lauuughed-...We did not end up doing any portion of this movie at our facility, although our dolphins -were- in "The Big Blue!"This must have been very close to the end of Anthony Quinn's life. I hope he had fun in this film, as it certainly didn't do anything for his legacy.$LABEL$ 0 +Uncompromising look at a suburb in 21st century Vienna mixing the stories of six groups of characters by former documentary maker U.Seidl is a provocative, minimalistic and intense piece of observation cinema.After the world-wide spread of Big Brother reality shows, Hundstage takes modern voyeurism to an unsettling, profound level. Hard to like but unignorable piece of European art-cinema might seem cruel and seedy, yet manages to convey the nihilistic alienated feeling of modern society in a praiseworthy manner.A must for lovers of world cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +This is not a GREAT movie as tho the cast (especially the kids) admirably help to carry along this very sad yet contrived plot it is filled with cliché upon cliché. Poor family in 50's mid America, dying mother, alcoholic father, 10 children (1 of whom has epilepsy) and an awful decision to be made. Its very easy to watch and some of the kids performances are moving without being sickly or naff. And little Frank and Warrnen steal the show for me with the last scene leaving me bawling no matter how many times I see it. A great rainy afternoon movie i recommend to all. Only those with the hardest of hearts could fail to be moved by it. Not on a par to Sophies Choice but a good TV movie equivalent!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I really hated this movie and it's the first movie written by Stephen King that I didn't finish. I was truly disappointed, it was the worst crap I've ever seen. What were you thinking making three hours out of it? It may have a quite good story, but actors? No. Suspense? No. Romance? No. Horror? No. It didn't have anything.It's got this strange, crazy science man with Einstein-hair, the classic thing. Not real at all. And a man keep getting younger all the time. It seems like they just used the name of Stephen King to make a crappy, too long movie with nothing exciting at all.I give this movie "1 (awful)". If they had like -5, I would probably take that instead. It was a total waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +This is indeed the film that popularized kung fu in the 1970s. However, if it ever had any kind of excitement or even halfway interesting plot, it doesn't seem to have aged very well.Long story short: extremely drawn out, slow-moving, confusing plot with run-of-the-mill choreography, typically annoying and exaggerated whiplash sounds with every punch and kick, and constant "plot twists" that never come to an end. By the time the film reaches its emotional climax, I had long had all the wind knocked out of me to actually care.Watch it for its historical value as a milestone of Chinese kung fu cinema -- just leave your expectations at the door, or you'll be bitterly disappointed.For hardcore fans only.$LABEL$ 0 +This game is the bomb and this is the 007 game of the year and should be on greatest hits. When I got Agent Under Fire, I thought that was a good game but then Nightfire came around and that was better, but now there is a new type of James Bond game. This time it a 3rd person shooter and there is more than 12 missions, the graphics of the game are out of this house. It even has all of the great actors and actresses in this game like Pierce Bronsan as once again James Bond, William Dafoe as the villain Nikolai Diavolo, and Judi Dench as M (forgive me all if I spell it wrong). This game would be own as the greatest James Bond game around.I give this a 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +The unflappable William Powell. He is a joy to watch on the screen as he makes his way through situations without a care in the world. He always seems on top of his game and shows little care for anyone who doubts him. The murders are projects, barely human beings. I have noticed this is a staple of the whodunnit. Other than an occasional weeping widow, the victims fulfill the function of being the reason the movie exists. Nothing more. There are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting along the way and Powell is a master at this. There is a lot of political incorrectness, especially as it relates to the Asian performers. This is a little hard to take. The cast is great, and Curtiz's direction is also a consistent asset.$LABEL$ 1 +What we have here is a downright brilliant piece of early 80's incompetence that will render even the biggest connoisseur of trash- cinema completely speechless! "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" is a very cheap and cheesy fantasy/Sword-and-Sorcery adventure that doesn't have an actual plot but does eagerly & shamelessly borrows elements from other films. Writer Ed Naha and Hector Olivera (who?) watched enough similar type of movies to know that they needed a handful of essential characters, but probably figured that all the rest would follow automatically. In order to make a fantasy-adventure you need: one super- evil villain (preferably with a black cape), one young hero in training, one lone warrior, one amiable type of furry pet, one wise midget living in the woods (optional) and a whole colorful collection of hideous demons, enslaved dwarfs, and winged gargoyles to serve as filler. The story is phenomenal and so original, with Simon the young son of a wizard having to flee from his beloved kingdom after the evil magician Shurka takes over the power and killed the king. Simon wants to go back and save the people, but therefore he needs his powerful ring which he lost during his escape. Simon befriends lone warrior Kor (the usually cool dude Bo Svenson who clearly needed the pay check), who assists Simon during the long and devastating journey full of ordeals, dangerous encounters and magical showdowns. Admittedly it doesn't even sound too bad thus far, but that's merely just because I excluded all the deliciously inept little details. Simon has a best friend named Gulfax, for example. Gulfax is an albino version of Chewbacca and evokes incontrollable chuckles whenever he opens his poodle-snout to yelp something incomprehensible. The obstacles during journey back home are hilariously irrelevant to the "plot" and simply serve as padding footage to cover up the lack of actual content. Simon has nightmarish visions inside the tent of a suspicious forest nymph, Kor settles an old score with the pig-faced nemesis whose sister he refused to marry and there's the supposedly horrible 'suicide cave' where you can only sing your way out of. But the absolute most unequally brilliant sequence – not just of this film alone but in the history of cinema – involves the resurrection of four zombie warriors. Simon awakes the legendary courageous warriors, hoping they will assist them in their battle, but the rotting corpses only take a few steps, complain about how tired they are and return back to their graves. That's it! So much for the zombie sub plot! Best sequence ever! I could go on listing unintentionally hilarious little details for several more paragraphs, but you get the idea. "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" is a tremendously messed-up "so-bad-it's-good" film. Word of advice: do not watch this joyful piece of junk alone. Invite friends, preferably the dope-headed types with a wicked sense of humor, and watch it in group. It will be a night to remember…$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of my favourite films, dating back to my childhood. Set in the remote wilderness of Siberia at the turn of the century, a small community is stirred when an extremely cold winter forces two tigers to come down from the mountains in search of food, preying on outlying farms. In this atmosphere we are introduced to Avakum, a hermit fur trapper, who lives out in the wilds, as he comes to the village to sell his annual catch to Boris, his close, and rather only, friend in the village, who runs a store. At Boris' request, Avakum accompanies his friend's arrogant son, Ivan, on the hunt for the menacing tigers. Personalities crash and tempers flare as the older, more experienced Avakum criticises Ivan's amateur methods, an encounter noticed also by the other members of the hunt. On the second day, the hunters sight their prey and give chase. In a thick wood, Ivan wounds one of the tigers, which then attacks the hapless man. Avakum, seeing Ivan tangling with the enraged beast, fires, but accidently hits Ivan. He kills the tiger as it flees. The other hunters arrive on the scene, suspicious.Back in the village, the doctor works to save the wounded Ivan. Avakum attempts to leave the village, but is confronted by Ivan's friends. The trapper brushes them off however, and speeds off with his dog-drawn sled. The young villagers swear after him that they'll come for him if Ivan dies, which he later does, but before dying explains to his father that it was an accident. Old Boris, upon learning of his close friend being run out of the village, straightens out the gathering "lynch mob" and goes out after Avakum, to find him and set things right. And so the main story begins.A simple film, it raises the conflict of man and civilisation versus nature, mainly Avakum's struggle to survive alone out in the wilderness. The winter landscape is very well filmed. Perhaps the strongest element in the film is the soundtrack by Jimmie Haskell. Very sentimental and evocative, the main theme reminiscent of Albinoni's Adagio. Other movements reflect Russian styles, as well as a couple of folk music type tunes.Unfortunately, this film is not available to buy, to my knowledge, which is rather a shame. The copy I own, recorded off TV nearly twenty years ago is slowly deteriorating. This film is a must see for those who can appreciate it, if they can find it. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I have a feeling that the Warners Bros Depression-era musicals are going to become a lot more pertinent in the next couple of years. Yes, we are in the economic doldrums (or have you been living under a rock) and times look bleak. But we always have the movies as a way to escape our troubles. In the 30's, film-going was hugely popular even at the height of economic gloom. "Footlight Parade (1933)" was one such film that audiences flocked to. While this Lloyd Bacon-directed musical doesn't quite capture the social issues of the time as "Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)" does, it's still a wonderful showcase of talent. We have to wait until the end of the film for the three centrepiece Busby Berkely extravaganza numbers, but boy, are they worth waiting for me. Yes, little Ruby Keeler is a terrible singer and actress, and her tapping is so-so, but Busby's magical "By A Waterfall" whisks her, and what seems to be a hundred other chorus girls, into a dizzying water wonderland. Of course Busby's numbers could never really be performed on a stage (they defy limits of gravity, for one thing), and they contrast terrifically with the realism of the tough, wisecracking non-musical scenes. And "Footlight" also has James Cagney in at the one of his all-too-few musicals (really, what couldn't this man do?). He even gets to take over from the leading man, don sailor garb and fawn over sexpot Shanghai Lil (who is really little Ruby in China-girl wig!).He co-stars with Joan Blondell, his adorable, adoring secretary who Cagney somehow overlooks in favour of other women (until the final reel, that is). Apparently Blondell was the only other woman who Cagney loved apart from his wife. And you can see the mutual adoration in every scene.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a novelty in Danish film. The mood is not unlike that of Blinkende Lygter, also by Anders Thomas Jensen, but with a novel touch. One difference is fewer characters, leaving much more room for them to be dwelled into. And what characters?! The two butchers are perfect. Mads Mikkelsen is a dominating, deranged parody and Nikolaj Lie Kaas an indifferent looser with a twin brother more or less an unholy pairing of the two.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all this is one of the worst soft-core straight to cable "erotic thriller" I've ever seen in my life. Of course, like all erotic thrillers are want to do, it's about a brothel madam and is set in a brothel. This, of course, makes the softcore simulated sex that pops up every other 10 minutes seem "in context." Whatever.Forget for one moment that this was never meant to win any awards. The actors are terrible and their line reading made me cringe. The woman who plays the female cop is so bad it's beyond description. She must be a really REALLY good friend of the guys who put up the movie for this terrible adventure, if you know what I mean.The production values are only slightly higher than porn. Other than that? I suppose if you're really drunk and you need something to laugh at, this would be a perfect film. And if that's the case, I recommend fast forwarding to all the scenes with the female cop. What's that accent, Brooklyn? Hilarious!$LABEL$ 0 +Beforehand Notification: I'm sure someone is going to accuse me of playing the race card here, but when I saw the preview for this movie, I was thinking "Finally!" I have yet to see one movie about popular African-influenced dance (be it popular hip hop moves, breaking, or stepping) where the main character was a Black woman. I've seen an excessive amount of movies where a non-Black woman who knew nothing about hip hop comes fresh to the hood and does a mediocre job of it (Breakin, Breakin 2, Save the Last Dance, Step Up), but the Black women in the film are almost nonexistent. That always bothered me considering so much of hip hop, African-influenced dance, and breaking was with Blacks and Latinos in massive amounts in these particular sets and it wasn't always men who performed it, so I felt this movie has been a long time coming. However, the race does not make the film, so I also wanted it to carry a believable plot; the dancing be entertaining; and interesting to watch.Pros: I really enjoyed this film bringing Jamaican culture. I can't recall ever seeing a popular, mainstream film where all the main characters were Jamaican; had believable accents; and weren't stereotypical with the beanies. The steppers, family, friends, and even the "thugs" were all really intelligent, realistic people who were trying to love, live, and survive in the neighborhood they lived in by doing something positive. Even when the audience was made aware that the main character's sister chose an alternate lifestyle, it still didn't make the plot stereotypical. I was satisfied with the way it was portrayed. I LOVED the stepping; the romantic flirty relationship going on between two steppers; the trials that the main character's parents were going through; and how she dealt with coming back to her old neighborhood and dealing with Crabs in a Barrel. I respected that she was so intelligent and active at the same time, and so many other sistas in the film were handling themselves in the step world. They were all just as excellent as the fellas. I don't see that in too many movies nowadays, at least not those that would be considered Black films.Cons: I'm not quite sure why the directors or whoever put the movie together did this, but I question whether they've been to real step shows. Whenever the steppers got ready to perform, some hip hop song would play in place of the steppers' hand/feet beats. At a real step show, there is zero need for music, other than to maybe entertain the crowds in between groups. And then when hip hop songs were played, sometimes the beat to the song was off to the beat of the steppers' hands and feet. It was awkward. I was more impressed with the stepping in this movie versus "Stomp the Yard" (another great stepping movie) because the women got to represent as fierce as the guys (in "Stomp the Yard," Meagan Good got all of a few seconds of some prissy twirl and hair flip and the (Deltas?) let out a chant and a few steps and were cut immediately). Even when there were very small scenes, the ladies tore it up, especially in the auto shop, and it was without all that music to drown out their physical music. I know soundtracks have to be sold, but the movie folks could've played the music in other parts of the film.I'm not a Keyshia Cole fan, so every time I saw her, all I kept thinking was "Is it written in the script for her to constantly put her hand on her hip when she talks?" She looked uncomfortable on screen to me. I thought they should've used a host like Free or Rocsi instead. Deray Davis was funny as usual though. Also, I groaned when I found out that the movie was supposed to be in the ghetto, like stepping couldn't possibly happen anywhere else. Hollywood, as usual. However, only a couple of people were portrayed as excessively ignorant due to their neighborhood and losers, which mainstream movies tend to do.I would've given this movie five stars, but the music playing killed it for me. I definitely plan to buy it when it comes out and hopefully the bonus scenes will include the actual step shows without all the songs.$LABEL$ 1 +It's the worst movie I've ever seen. The action is so unclear, work of cameras is so poor, actors are so affected ... and this lamentable 5 minutes of Arnie on the screen. My advice from the bottom of my heart - don't watch it unless you like such a low class torture.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent writing and wild cast. The tech is poor but it's obviously very low budget. Looks like they didn't cut the negative but had to release on a video output. In any case one of the most inventive comedies I've seen lately. The screenwriter in particular is fine.$LABEL$ 1 +Contains Major Spoilers, on the off chance you would actually care about the story line.OK, we have storms that destroy a city and a computer hacker who clobbers the power grid.Predictable schlock from the start, and if that weren't enough, the 5 second action bumps between the movie and the commercials kill what little suspense there might have been. For example: will they make it to the airport in time? Things look dim as we go to a commercial…and the action shot before the ad shows them bouncing around inside the plane! Well, I guess they're gonna make it after all…but then again, they had to because they're good guys.The acting wasn't any too impressive (exception and welcome relief: Randy Quaid as Tornado Tommy) , the effects were kinda lame, the bad guys got it, and the good guys came through. The real disaster of this movie was the script, especially the ending. Not only did they wrap things up happily as quickly as a soap opera given 24 hours notice of a cancellation, but they glorified the hacker as well-intentioned. So he caused a bazillion deaths…he meant well. And, of course, an uplifting final TV report about people coming together. Barf. It was everything I expected from the commercials, and I'm glad I wasted my time watching it. It will make great conversation at the lunch table tomorrow.Is CBS insulting us by making this? Sure…but we watched it, didn't we? Did you count many ads there were for home backup generators during this pig?Here's hoping for the next Plan 9 from Outer Space (which gets better with each viewing). This isn't it.1 star.$LABEL$ 0 +Another Indian legend you never heard of before is let loose. As the name implies, this is a vengeful wraith who likes to absorb the skeletons of people while they're still using them. As usual, ancient burial grounds (can you say, "Poltergeist?") have been disturbed by clichéd greedy land developers building stuff.The CGI, if it had been better, might have made the effect more treacherous looking, but they skimped on the budget, and it shows--to comical effect. The unleashed creature probably should have been kept off stage during its first several killings-that might have added some mystery or impending doom atmosphere-but the inept director decided to show us in the first five minutes what it looks like, and it wasn't impressive. The deaths are just poorly done, again with shoddy CGI. I guess ancient spirits always kill by using cheap special effects. As for the "victims," they look they're going to laugh any moment while they do goofy screams. It's always obvious who's going to get it: a character with only a few lines shows up, strange noises are heard, CGI dots fly, exit character. Repeat (several times).Still, there's a few chase scenes featuring the monster that actually made this thing watchable. Unfortunately, the director seems to be using these as a device to fall back on (so it's used too often) when he can't think of anything else for his characters to do. Overall, it's pretty silly, but I've seen worse. This flick is cheap, but it's oddly fun to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +When I really began to be interested in movies, at the age of eleven, I had a big list of 'must see' films and I would go to Blockbuster and rent two or three per weekend; some of them were not for all audiences and my mother would go nuts. I remember one of the films on that list was "A Chorus Line" and could never get it; so now to see it is a dream come true.Of course, I lost the list and I would do anything to get it back because I think there were some really interesting things to watch there. I mean, take "A Chorus Line", a stage play turned into film. I know it's something we see a lot nowadays, but back then it was a little different, apparently; and this film has something special.Most of the musicals made movies today, take the chance the camera gives them for free, to create different sceneries and take the characters to different places; "A Chorus Line" was born on a theater stage as a play and it dies in the same place as a movie. Following a big audition held by recognized choreographer Zach (Michael Douglas), Richard Atenborough directs a big number of dancers as they try to get the job.Everything happens on the same day: the tension of not knowing, the stress of having to learn the numbers, the silent competition between the dancers…And it all occurs on the stage, where Douglas puts each dancer on the spotlight and makes them talk about their personal life and their most horrible experiences. There are hundreds of dancers and they are all fantastic, but they list shortens as the hours go by.Like a movie I saw recently, "A Prairie Home Companion", the broadcast of a radio show, Atenborough here deals with the problem of continuity. On or behind the stage, things are going on, and time doesn't seem to stop. Again, I don't if Atenborough cut a lot to shoot this, but it sure doesn't look like it; and anyway it's a great directing and editing (John Bloom) work. But in that little stage, what you wonder is what to do with the camera…With only one setting, Ronnie Taylor's cinematography finds the way, making close-ups to certain characters, zooming in and out, showing the stage from different perspective and also giving us a beautiful view of New York.In one crucial moment, Douglas tells the ones that are left: "Before we start eliminating: you're all terrific and I'd like to hire you all; but I can't". This made me think about reality shows today, where the only thing that counts is the singing or dancing talent and where the jury always says that exact words to the contestants before some of them are leaving (even when they are not good). It's hard, you must imagine; at least here, where all of them really are terrific.To tell some of the stories, the characters use songs and, in one second, the stage takes a new life and it literally is 'a dream come true'. The music by Marvin Hamlisch and the lyrics by Edward Kleban make the theater to film transition without flaws, showing these dancers' feelings and letting them do those wonderful choreographies by Michael Bennett. The book in the theater also becomes a flawless and very short screenplay by Arnold Schulman; which is very touching at times. So if it's not with a song it will be with a word; but in "A Chorus Line", it's impossible not to be moved.During one of the rehearsal breaks in the audition, Cassie, a special dancer played by Alyson Reed, takes the stage to convince Douglas character that she can do it. The words "let me dance for you" never sounded more honest and more beautifully put in music and lyrics.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie follows the events of the novel "Cel mai iubit dintre pamanteni"( could be translated as "The most beloved among humans" ), written by Marin Preda ( a very controversial book and movie), a novel which became something like The Bible or the story of Hamlet, very popular and hard to get, due to its satiric contents over the Communist regime. It represents the drama of the intellectual man, the humanist, in a "red" world. A movie filled with passion, fear, sexuality, all the great ingredients for a great movie recipe.One of the greatest Romanian movies,despite its psychological charge(after all, it is an European movie).$LABEL$ 1 +If it weren't for the editing out of curse words and a superimposed blur when one character give another the finger, it would be easy to mistake this low-budget snoozer for a Sci-Fi channel pilot. The plot about the government's attempts to destroy a group of telekinetics it originally trained as military weapons ends ambiguously enough with the hero, himself gifted, in pursuit of a telekinetic survivor bent on revenge. Alas, the movie is talky, boring, predictable and even devoid of interesting special effects. Top-billed Louis Gossett, Jr. has a minor role as the evil government bureaucrat who originated the program and now wants to eliminate all traces. He walks through the part and it is hard to understand why he bothered. Other members of the cast do a decent job with a script that demands little.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen The Running Man several times as I am a Stephen King fan and have all his movies but now it is even better because up until 2 days ago I didn't know about this website and I didn't realize that the Paul Michael Glaser that was involved with this movie was the same Paul Michael Glaser that I grow up watching on Starsky and Hutch television show. For me this is a pleasant surprise because I can't tell you how many times I cried when Starsky or Hutch got hurt. The episode where Starsky (Kill Starsky) almost died I cried so hard My dad had to turn away from the show. What to you expect of a kid at age 12. Now, I intentionally look for films and programs involving Paul or David Soul and anything that Stephen King has his hands on I'm so there!!!!!!!! Just got to say Happy birthday Paul!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +A stuttering plot, uninteresting characters and sub-par (to say the least) dialogue plagues this TV production that could hardly have been interesting even with a billion dollar production budget.The characters aren't believable, in their motives, actions or their professed occupations. The plot reads like a bad Dungeons and Dragons(TM) hack but with plasma rifles and force fields. There are severe continuity issues and the degree of pointless interaction between the characters has this author, at least, wincing. Avoid it like the plague. Watch any episode of Dark Angel and you will have better acting, dialogue and plot. Yuck.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, this movie is a real thief. It stole some shiny Oscars from Avatar just because politicians wanted another war-hero movie to boost the acceptance (support?) for the wars U.S. is still fighting today. I do not really want to go here into politics, but come on, this is more clear than the summer sky. Hurt locker does not really have anything outstanding, no real plot at all. I really feel myself in the 50's of Hungary when the party told the people what to like and what not to like. The same propaganda movies were produced that time, only with the exception that those were black and white. Even if we consider this title a reasonable piece of the "U.S. wars are cool" genre, you surely have much better movies to choose from.$LABEL$ 0 +Whilst this is most definitely a well crafted piece of film-making, it's thoroughly without any entertainment value whatsoever.If you're depressed already, this film will send you over the edge.If you're feeling somewhat depressed, this film will be just one more thing in your life to feel bitter about. You'll feel that it's just your luck to have chosen to watch a movie that turns out to be a complete waste of time.Otherwise you might be able to make it through this film unscathed (I didn't, BTW), safe in the knowledge that your life is so much better than Jim's. Then again you might consider that you have been fooling yourself, and that are in fact in a much worse situation than you'd previously realized. You might feel a bit annoyed at Jim for bringing this to your attention. You may want to slap him around a bit with a wet fish. The sad truth is, much as I wanted to like this movie... I hated it. It took rather a long miserable road down the path of oblivion and then suddenly, for no reason whatsoever, looked back at itself and then stopped.Jim does not have an epiphany, at least not one that is conveyed on screen. Jim has a miserable life and a miserable set of options. He discovers nothing that one can relate to and fails to make any significant progress on his journey of self-discovery. Of course no-one alive could write a happy ending to this movie. As others have said it's no Hollywood tale, it's gritty and it's real. It's well made. Life is quite a struggle at times. If anyone were to know "the answer", they do well to shout it from the rooftops.Still, I feel cheated because this movie pretends to have something to say. You feel that it's going to say something, that if you just suffer through a little more of it, it'll have something to say. It'll make you stop and think. It doesn't.Again, I do submit that this is a well crafted film. And therefore may be of value to a film student with a penchant for e.g. lighting techniques of the use of colour palettes. For the rest of us, it's utterly miss-able.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to admit to enjoying bad movies. I love them I watch all of them. Horror especially. My friends and I all gather after a hard week at school and work, rent some crazy tapes, order a pizza and have a blast. One of the ones we got at Hollywood Video, was this one, Zombie Bloodbath. This one had a great box, so I was expecting less than usual.The story is about a housing project that is built over a nuclear facility that has had the above-ground layers bulldozed, and the other underground layers are simply covered up. The inhabitants of this neighborhood find the covered up facility when some kids fall into a hole inside a cave. This wakes up some zombies.From this point on, it's chunk-city. The gore effects and action never stop until the end credits roll.OK, it's not great art, but this one, with it's in-joke dialogue and over-the-top gruesome stuff was our favorite of the evening. Actually, it was one of the best "party tapes" I have ever had the pleasure of watching. And you could tell it was done on no money, with a bunch of crazy people. There are hundreds of zombies, and the Director looks like Brendan Frazer (he has a cameo) and it is just a wild trip.$LABEL$ 1 +During World War II, two Byelorussian (Soviet Russian) soldiers try to avoid being captured by occupying Nazis, as they trudge through snowy terrain, searching for food and safety. If you happen not to like black-and-white "foreign" films, you may still enjoy "Voskhozhdeniye" (retiled in English "The Ascent"). Director Larisa Shepitko paces the film extraordinarily well, despite its being a largely introspective piece of work. Her untimely death, in a car accident, made this Ms. Shepitko's final film, unfortunately.After the opening mission is declared, there doesn't seem to be much that could happen in the snowy woods, but Shepitko and a changing setting make it unexpectedly exciting. Leading players Vladimir Gostyukhin (as the spiritually wounded "Rybak") and Boris Plotnikov (as the physically wounded 'Sotnikov") successfully avoid being crushed by the ever increasing symbolism. Their allegorical performances, under Shepitko's sharp direction, provide a memorable and thought-provoking take on a familiar story.******** Voskhozhdeniye (4/2/77) Larisa Shepitko ~ Vladimir Gostyukhin, Boris Plotnikov, Lyudmila Polyakova, Anatoli Solonitsyn$LABEL$ 1 +1904. The North African nation of Morocco is hanging onto a tenuous Independence, as the various European powers - France, Germany, Britain, Russia, Spain, and now the United States - are vying for influence in the region. The Sultan (Marc Zuber) is a weak puppet; his uncle, the Bashaw (Vladek Sheybal), who is being manipulated by the French and Germans, is the real power behind the throne. Enter Berber Chieftan Raisuli (Sean Connery), the leader of the Rif tribe and "the last of the Barbary Pirates", who kidnaps an American missionary, Eden Pedecaris (Candice Bergen) and her two children and takes them hostage. Back in the US, President Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) threatens to go to war over the issue: "Pedecaris Alive or Raisuli Dead!" - seeing the issue as the perfect way to exercise his "Big Stick" diplomacy, though Secretary of State John Hay (John Huston) is not so confident. However, the Raisuli has less sinister plans for the Pedecarises, who are more than capable of handling themselves in any event.John Milius's great historical film, based VERY loosely off of a true story (i.e. Pedecaris was a middle-aged man), is a wonderful bit of escapism. It has some amazing action scenes, a witty, well-written script, a fine cast enjoying themselves with the material, and does not overstay its welcome like, say, "Pirates of the Caribbean" or the "Lord of the Rings" movies. It's not really an "epic" film in the strictest sense, but it's one of the best pure action movies ever made.While the historical context is shaky, the storyline is interesting, and as some reviewers point out, it is even more pertinent today than it was when made. As President Roosevelt says, "America is like a grizzly bear" - fierce, strong, but a little blind and reckless at times. At the time of the film's setting, America has just been propelled onto the world stage as superpower, following their resounding victory in the Spanish-American War - and Roosevelt seizes this incident as a way to prove America's worth. In real life, it didn't quite work out that way, but allegorically it works well. While written from a right-wing perspective, Milius's screenplay is pretty accurate in assessing America and its place in the world. He admires Roosevelt and his method of "big stick" diplomacy, and correctly recognizes (in the words of Roosevelt) that while America may be feared and respected, they'll never be truly "loved" by the world, no matter what they do. And there are some scenes - like Roosevelt's target shooting of European leaders and the almost-comic surprise attack by Marines on the Bashaw's palace - which show America's reckless and violent side, while others - the climactic showdown with the Germans - show their heroism.The historical/political context of the film is, of course, merely meat on the bones of what is essentially a rousing action/adventure film. There are some brilliantly done action scenes, such as Raisuli's rescue of the Pedecaris's from double-crossing tribesmen, which features some of the best swordplay in any film. The opening entrance of the Raisuli and the aforementioned march and attack of the US Marines are brilliantly done bravura set pieces. And the final battle, which combines elements of "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Wild Bunch", while a major historical fantasy (a three-way battle between Germans, Americans, and the Rifs), is a superbly staged, adrenaline-pumping sequence.The excellent cast gives some wonderful performances. Everyone seems to be having a fun time with the film, and it shows. Sean Connery is surprisingly convincing as a Berber with a Scottish accent, but manages to pull off his interesting, well-drawn and chivalrous character who comes to respect his hostage and abhors modern, uncivil warfare. Candice Bergen, an actress whom I've never been fond of, gives a fine performance as the feisty Eden Pedecaris, who is every bit as tough as her captor. Brian Keith is an amazingly convincing TR - you really feel he must have been like this, an athletic, blustering, yet practical and intelligent man with an admirable sense of self. The scenes of Roosevelt boxing and target-shooting while discussing foreign policy are some of the greatest "bad ass" moments in movie history - and who can forget lines like "Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?" John Huston provides solid support as the weary, cautious Hay, acting as a perfect foil to the much more impetuous Roosevelt. Among the fine supporting cast, the best are Geoffrey Lewis as Samuel Gummere, the cynical Ambassador caught in the middle of the political intrigue, and Steve Kanaly, as the gung-ho Marine Captain who cheerfully advocates (and carries out) "Military intervention!" as the blunt and simple solution to the whole complex situation. Other familiar faces such as Vladek Sheybal, Nadim Sawalha, Roy Jenson, Larry Cross, Marc Zuber, and Darrell Fetty also do fine work, no matter how small their role. Spaghetti Western fans will recognize Antoine Saint-John ("A Fistful of Dynamite") as the German general and Aldo Sambrell as one of Raisuli's tribesmen."The Wind and the Lion" is, all around, a wonderfully done adventure film. It has something for everyone: wonderful gun- and swordplay, a lot of humor, a tough, feisty heroine (and her two cute children), a nice (if unconsummated) romance, and an interesting (if fanciful) political/historical context. It's not a masterpiece, but hey, it wasn't trying to be. I give "The Wind and the Lion" a stirring nine stars and my highest recommendation.$LABEL$ 1 +Gilmore Girls is a hilarious show with never ending sarcasm, wit, and charm. At age 16 Lorelai Gilmore gave birth to Rory Gilmore. She left her parents house and got a job. Now, Lorelai and Rory have a relationship that many mothers and daughters envy. They are best friends. The girls have an extensive knowledge of movies, and TV shows, and are constantly quoting them. In the first season, Lorelai needs money to send Rory to Chilton ( a very highly rated high school), so she reluctantly has to turn to her parents. They are happy to give them the money, but in exchange, Rory has to come have dinner with them every Friday night. I highly recommend this show. I love it!$LABEL$ 1 +A found tape about 3? guys having fun torturing a woman in several inhuman ways.Yeah, spoiler.First of all, the acting made this short not scary at all, the woman seemed to have orgasms, not suffering. Some of the punishments were so ridiculous! what's shocking about throwing some meat or spin her in a chair? If you are shooting a nonsense tape, at least make it good. The only part to remark is the end: the hammered hand and the pierced eye, the rest of the film is really poor. To end the boredom, the supposed story about the tape being investigated, extra bullshit.$LABEL$ 0 +The Biggest one that bugs the hell out of me is that they say Zues takes DUTCH commands. But she is speaking German to him. The 2 languishes are completely different, its like saying "well he takes French commands" and start talking Spanish.James Belushi gives more the feeling of being a comedy actor not a detective in the slightest. The role just doesn't fit him, even if its mend to be a comedy.To many stereotype/predicable stuff. Typical comment or comebacks.If you don't look at those things i think it could be a nice movie to watch if its ever on TV. But i wouldn't suggesting renting it.$LABEL$ 0 +Where to start?? I think only three other films have led me to post a review on IMDb, and all of those were positive. As for this..?Mind-blowingly, hideously, tragically, embarrassingly, catastrophically, stupidly, irritatingly, completely and utterly beyond awful.I am STUNNED this got made, never mind given a theatrical release. I think I am literally in shock.I'm no "snob". I didn't expect beautiful film-making or intense character-depth, but this is truly beyond a joke. We simply MUST demand more from the films we see.Avoid. Like the Black Death.$LABEL$ 0 +Nothing about this movie stands out as either being great or terrible.In the end, that is what kills it. The blandness is just not good. I can't say I expected better from Will Smith, but I definitely did from Kevin James of "The King of Queens"-- but, hey, I'm getting used to saying that a lot lately. This film attempts to make its mark as a witty romantic comedy, but it never hits the bull's-eye. In fact, it never hits *anywhere* within the target. The allergy scene is disturbing; the fact that Kevin James can't dance is something that wouldn't exactly catch anybody off-guard, and is therefore (in a movie like this) not funny. This movie constantly tries to win your heart, but always with the wrong ploy at the wrong time. Some parts are okay (but I'm searching my brain for examples), but I really think this movie should be avoided.$LABEL$ 0 +Quite unimpressive. The 'twists' are all pretty predictable, if you've seen any movies within the last ten years, and the few somewhat interesting parts (wherein someone utilizes context clues to make a decision) are few and lack much punch, since the 'secret' has already been shown before these clues are explained.(spoilers, sorta)The acting is decent enough. The story simply isn't very interesting. The whole 'still awake' premise becomes nullified by the astral projection stuff(not kidding). The surgery scene is initially tense, a bit discomforting, but then becomes utterly banal.Not horrible, but not memorable. Terrence Howard's least interesting role to date, so far as I've seen. Kind of boring, overall.$LABEL$ 0 +Bad actors, terrible script, totally unbelievable ending - this film had it all. After seeing films like this, you wonder why the makers bothered at all. This film has absolutely nothing to say, all the methods used to create a scare have been used over and over again in previous horror films. A total waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't say I enjoyed this as much as "The Big Lebowski" or "Raising Arizona," and felt a little slighted, but "O Brother" is an enjoyable film worthy of some good laughs and a taste of the Coens' brisk, twisted sense of creativity. The DVD edition contains the featurette, and I was interested to find out that the Coens are pretty simple in their directorial techniques. That surprised me! Of course, this movie is not the best example (and I'm only saying this in comparison) and it wasn't worthy of any Oscars (many feel it was robbed), but maybe it depends on the appeal. Though I enjoyed the Coens' previous work, I've never been a fan of old westerns or "The Dukes of Hazzard" or any of that stuff they show daily on TNN. I guess that's why I didn't feel as enthusiastic about checking out this movie, seeing that it revolves around Southern folk. For all those from the South who are reading this, I don't mean to offend ANY of your people! I'm sure you guys feel the same way when you watch movies about urban areas like "A Bronx Tale." When you live in the city all your life, it's hard to get accustomed to films of this nature. But all apologies aside, I found the characters fun and quirky. I think John Turturro nailed the accent perfectly, and seeing the way he talks in real life I find that amazing. Tim Blake Nelson was also good. Of course, George Clooney--who I assume is not the best at feigning accents, judging by his decision to chuck the idea of working with a dialogue coach and developing a New England accent for "The Perfect Storm"--naturally seems a little miscast and continually struggles with the accent. His performance was good, though. You can also spot Coen regulars like Holly Hunter (in a short but sweet role) and John Goodman (also on screen for a short time, but steals every minute of it).Though I don't normally dig country music, I liked the title song "A Man of Constant Sorrow." The DVD also contains the music video for that song. Overall, I found the film entertaining and original, but it doesn't have that in-your-face quality that the Coens have shown to us in the past. It's a slighter effort, but a good one. I still suggest you check it out. My score: 7 (out of 10)$LABEL$ 1 +God, what an awful thing ! Oliver Stone probably wanted to experiment or something (see the terrible use of music and pictures here) but what for really ? The whole thing behind "Natural born killers" seems to be a "clever" look at how medias can turn into complete trash but unfortunately the movie turns into trash itself. Please Mr. Stone, next time you want to criticize the fascism of tv shows using violence to get high rates, avoid doing the same with your movie ! Michael Haneke said quite cleverly about this film that it was denouncing media fascism with fascist cinematographic ways. How true... Only he forgot to tell us about the massive headache you get after sitting through this overlong load of crap !$LABEL$ 0 +Stars: Hayden Pantierre.There have been so many movies that have this exact same plot, and this one is just a poor rehashing of it. Populer white girl moves to ethnic school, doesn't fit in, soon becomes accepted. Originality is nonexistent in this, and neither are the laughs. It uses so many old poorly executed jokes it's annoying. I don't know why they think it's a good idea to make made for video sequels to mediocre films, but it isn't. With that said, the positives in this are that all the people in it are fairly competent actors and actresses.My rating: * out of ****. PG-13 for Language and Sexual Humor.$LABEL$ 0 +First, let's get it out of the way. . . yeah, this film steals a LOT from 'Darkness Falls' (2003). The plot for 'Darkness Falls' goes something like this: The Tooth Fairy, a murderous woman who hides her face due to disfigurement kills people who look at her out of revenge. In 'The Tooth Fairy' (2006), the disfigured Tooth Fairy (who, yeah, hides her face) unleashes her furious vengeance on just about anyone. A little too similar to be coincidence.But, what must be asked is this: If you're going to directly steal the exact plot from a movie, why choose something as mediocre as 'Darkness Falls'? Sure it made a few bucks at the box office, but that was strictly for the fairly okay theatrical experience the film delivered. A low-budget, straight-to-video movie will not have that same effect. And it didn't.As I watched the opening 15-20 minutes of the film, my expectations actually rose. There seemed to be at least SOME production value. The story didn't seem terrible, just blatantly ripped off. Past the first scene, we get an okay cast of characters including an ex-doctor with secrets (played by that guy who looks like a Busey) and some hot veterinary student (Jenifer from Argento's 'Masters of Horror: Jenifer'). After those few minutes, however, the film just slowly goes down the drain. It serves all the basic horrible clichés including, but not limited to: some crazy old person with an unheeded warning, the buff dumb jock, the psychic, and the stripper with the heart-of-gold.One of the biggest problems this film had was its inability to stick with a target audience. It's kind of like the filmmakers wanted to change the tone for whatever character was on screen at the time. When the adults were on screen, it had a more mature feel. When Star (the stripper) and whatshisface (the jock) were on screen, the dialogue went down to a more stupid, err immature, level. When the kid was on screen, it felt like an episode of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?'. . . only less scary.Technically, the film is all over the place. The visuals range from fairly good to plain boring. The writing is subpar, as is the acting for the most part. On the plus side, there's some excessive gore at parts (including a fairly cool (yet painfully predictable)) woodchipper scene and a pretty vicious nailgun scene. Also, if you're looking for a bit of the sexy stuff, there's a brief topless scene (but if you want to see this chick topless, there are better films to do that). Other than that, there's not much to bother with when it comes to this film.If you're a huge fan of 'Darkness Falls' (do those exist?), maybe you can check it out to see the story done in a different way. . . but, that's about the only reason I can find to see this one.Final Verdict: 3/10 -AP3-$LABEL$ 0 +Like those who listened to radio reports about the attack on Pearl Harbor, every one who has ever seen PINK FLAMINGOS can tell you exactly where they were when they first saw it--and some thirty years later the movie is still one of the most unspeakably vile, obnoxious, repulsive, and hilariously funny films ever put to celluloid, guaranteed to test the strongest stomachs and the toughest funny bones.Filmed with a close-to-zero budget and some of the shakiest cinematography around, PINK FLAMINGOS tells the story of two families that compete for the tabloid title of "The Filthiest People Alive." Just how filthy can they be? Plenty: the film includes everything from sex with chickens to what I can only describe as a remarkable display of rectal control to a heaping helping of doggie doo, and I guarantee that you won't want to eat an egg for at least several weeks after seeing it.The cast is either wonderful, atrocious, or atrociously wonderful, depending on how you look at it. The star, of course, is Divine... and to describe Divine as the BIGGEST drag queen on the planet would the understatement of the year. She is a mammoth creature given to BIG eye makeup, BIG orange hair, and BIG expressions--she is the Charleton Heston of drag, and whether she is almost running down a jogger, pausing to use the bathroom on some one's front lawn, or startling real-life shoppers by taking a stroll along a Baltimore sidewalk she is both unspeakable and unspeakably funny. Others in the cast include Mary Vivian Pearce, Danny Mills, and the ever-appalling Edith Massey as members of Divine's family; and Mink Stole and David Lochary as the white-slaving, baby-selling couple who challenge Divine's status.It should be pretty obvious that PINK FLAMINGOS is not exactly a movie that will appeal to just every one, and viewers who know director John Waters only through such later films as HAIRSPRAY and CRYBABY will be in for a major jolt. But if you want to see something so completely different that even Monty Python couldn't imagine it, this is the movie for you. Just make sure you eat before you see it, because you probably won't want to eat afterward--and you might want to keep a barf bag handy just in case.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those movies where I just want to move my feet and dance around the house. It's a very positive and happy type of music. The movie has some sad parts but mostly the music is what makes me happy. Gary Busey did a great job as Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly kept on going even tho his pastor, his parents and the Nashville record producer told him no. Buddy Holly didn't give up on what he liked. I didn't know much about Buddy Holly until I watched this movie. I've been to the Surf Ballroom where he last played but didn't give much attention to it until I watched this movie. It's an incredible movie with lots of fun so get on your feet and see this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, what a great cast! Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Christopher Walken, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hank Azaria...what's that? A script, you say? Now you're just being greedy! Surely such a charismatic bunch of thespians will weave such fetching tapestries of cinematic wonder that a script will be unnecessary? You'd think so, but no. America's Sweethearts is one missed opportunity after another. It's like everyone involved woke up before each day's writing/shooting/editing and though "You know what? I've been working pretty hard lately, and this is guaranteed to be a hit with all these big names, right? I'm just gonna cruise along and let somebody else carry the can." So much potential, yet so painful to sit through. There isn't a single aspect of this thing that doesn't suck. Even Julia's fat suit is lame.$LABEL$ 0 +Nice movie with a great soundtrack which spans through the rock landscape of the 70's and 80's. Radiofreccia describes a generation, it describes life in a small village near Correggio (hometown of Ligabue, the singer who wrote the book that inspired the movie), it describes life of young people and their problems relating to the world. It reminds of Trainspotting, with a bit of Italian touch.$LABEL$ 1 +I'd waited for some years before this movie finally got released in England, but was in many ways very pleased when I finally saw it. There are a lot of great things to the film, for a start the acting. Its not something I have all that much need for in a horror picture but the people in this film all put in fine work. This and the constantly gripping and interesting script, with a nice sorta Lovecraftian feel to it, give the film a real solid backbone. Add to this the doses of surreal nightmare imagery and occasional gruesome gore and the films a winner. It has my favorite kind of gore too, supernatural and splattery. Also, the characters of Marcus, the angry bodybuilding transsexual and Daisy, his mentally retarded lover/plaything are genuinely freakish and unnerving at times, and give a far out, anything goes sense of morbid grown up craziness which works well with the frequent Freudian overtones. This is one of the most impressive recent horror movies, far more shocking or out there than anything Hollywood can produce. My only gripe was that I wanted the ending to be darker in tone, but it still works, so on the whole I'd really recommend this to serious horror buffs.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has one or two slightly interesting gags but they are NOT worth the wait. After an unexplained argument between two guys picking up litter in a drive-in movie theatre we cut to a family leaving! Hollywood and driving driving driving driving their camper van across the screen again and again as inane dialogue is voiced over. At least I think it's inane, the terrible song that accompanies this montage is mixed so loud it renders the dialogue at times almost inaudible. Finally the camper van arrives, at night, at a gas station where the family get out, have another inane conversation, before driving off. The camera then pans across to reveal the actor we have just seen drive away. He talks straight to camera and we realise he is the director of the movie we are watching which is about him, and how he came to make the movie.A nice idea which ALMOST (but not quite) makes the previous sequences worth the pain.As the movie unfolds he encounters the two characters we met picking litter at the start of the movie and they all form a motion picture company.All sorts of not very funny and clumsy comedy ensues as they put together a crew and attempt to raise the cash needed to start filming.This movie was obviously put together on a shoe string and a promise and there is a nice little idea in here struggling to get out but the execution is so inept that the idea gets lost. Comedy is more than things just falling over and everyone talking (or shouting) at once. So much of the dialogue here is shouted by several actors simultaneously - Robert Altman can do this sort of thing well because he has a script, rehearsals, decent sound techies, and editing facilities. Everyone shouting at the one mike which, by the sound of it, was hidden in a dustbin in the next room, does not make for clarity.$LABEL$ 0 +I can honestly tell you that this movie is the most awesome movie ever!!! If you are in the mood for a comedy, I totally recommend this movie! So, here's the summary. There is this girl(Nikki) who is fourteen and a half and she goes on a vacation with her father(Andre) whom she hasn't seen for about two years. She expects the vacation to be totally boring, until she meets this boy(Ben), who is much older than she is. So, to try to impress him she says that she isn't on vacation with her father, but her lover. This is a hysterical movie from beginning to end, and I highly suggest it. So rent it and enjoy!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Well here comes another,well,romantic comedy...but unlike all others movies of this genre,this is by far the best I have seen in a long while..I'll admit,at first I wanted to watch this movie because of Megan Fox,and a little because of Simon Pegg...First of all,if you have watched a decent amount of movies,you will know that Sidney and Alison would be together at the and of the movie,one way or another...but from the beginning to the end of the movie you won't know how...Okay,now this movie is just made for Simon Pegg.I can't see any other actor in the role of Sidney,and I'm sure this would be a very weaker movie if not for Pegg's great performance.There is a number of great gags and jokes in this movie that kept me laughing really hard,courtesy of Simon Pegg's character Sidney...but I think everyone in this movie is good.For example,Kirsten Dunst is really solid in this movie( I usually don't think of her as any more than an average actress,but she was really good in this one ),then there's Jeff Bridges,there's Gillian Anderson,and of course Megan Fox who plays spoiled bitchy star Sophie Maes...great role for her...All in all,while I usually don't agree with ratings her on IMDb,this time I would completely agree with them...Go and see this movie,it is really light-hearted and positive,and I recommend it deeply... My rating 7 out of 10...well 7.5 actually...$LABEL$ 1 +With the advent of the IMDb, this overlooked movie can now find an interested audience. Why? Because users here who do a search on two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson can find 'The Return of The Soldier' among her credits. So can those checking out Oscar winner Julie Christie. Fans of Ann-Margret can give the title a click, as will those looking into the career of the great Alan Bates. Not to mention the added bonus of a movie with supporting heavyweights Ian Holm and Frank Finlay. Any movie with so many notables in it is rewarded by the IMDb, given all the cross-referencing that goes on here. So, why isn't this movie out on DVD? Don't the Producers realize the Internet Movie Database is a marketing gift for such a film? And 'The Return of The Soldier' is definitely a gem waiting to be discovered. Get with it, people.$LABEL$ 1 +[WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS]Written by husband and wife Wally Wolodarsky (who also directed) and Maya Forbes, this indie film is one of the better romantic comedies in recent memory.Jay Mohr takes a break from playing smarmy weasels to be the nice guy faced with the fact his fiancée wants to bed other people and he's allowed to do so, too. Julianne Nicholson, who was so good in "Tully," plays spunky and vulnerable with great gusto. Too bad she doesn't get the recognition she deserves. Good supporting performances help immensely, too. Lauren Graham, who made last year's "Bad Santa" memorable, plays the jaded, cynical sister to perfection, Bryan Cranston (the dad on TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") gets a few funny, raunchy moments, and Andy Richter plays a genial guy who falls for a single mother - Helen Slater in a credible, albeit familiar, role as a mousy woman.What surprised me most about "Seeing Other People" was how funny it is. There are some genuine laughs here. Ed's first attempt at meaningless sex gets some great lines, and there's a ménage a trois that elicits one of the most truthful reactions from a man as the male fantasy gets tweaked.The film's premise isn't unusual, but I liked that it was Alice (Nicholson) who thought of it, much to the chagrin of Ed (Mohr). Given the genre, you know that no matter how good her intentions are, Alice's plan is doomed. We see how the couple works through this strange situation. Initially, Alice and Ed are turned on by the idea, but then the human element sets it.I appreciated Forbes and Wolodarsky not turning this into a cheap sex romp. Yes, there's sex and nudity, but there also are real emotions at work here. The "other people" Alice and Ed befriend don't want to be the objects of casual sex; they have feelings, too. In one case, too many feelings.Granted, some scenes run one joke too many, the Richter-Slater subplot isn't necessary and Alice does something truly uncharacteristic. But that's forgivable because Mohr and Nicholson generate such tremendous intimacy and honesty - check out the scenes where Ed rummages through Alice's underwear drawer or his reaction to her announcement about ending the experiment - that no matter how much we might enjoy their little game, we root for this couple to succeed.Unfortunately, this film got little, if any, publicity and a limited release. Hollywood studios, whose romantic comedies often veer on the unfunny, turgid and unsurprising, would do well to learn from this intelligent and funny film.$LABEL$ 1 +What a terrible movie! It represents perfectly the state of degenerateness of French society, where the most elementary respect for wholesome values and traditions has completely disappeared. The plot is nonsensical, the movie is not funny at all and the characters are completely shallow and uninteresting. To say the least, the direction and the cinematography are very poor and uninspired. Catherine Deneuve is as bad an actress as she always was, even when she was directed by Bunuel in Belle De Jour. The rest of the usually good cast (Vincent Lindon, Line Renaud, Jean Yanne) seem completely lost in an ocean of vulgarity, platitudes and restlessness. I cannot help to draw a parallel with the wonderful James Ivory's "Le Divorce", with its thoughtful depiction of French and American mores, its superlative cinematography and stellar cast put to good use. Having watched "Le Divorce" you can feel a kind of empathy with the French, regardless of their foibles. "Belle-Maman" leaves you with only a nauseated contempt for its morally bankrupt and clueless protagonists.$LABEL$ 0 +This film's kind of like Conan the Barabarian, but with more sex, rape and murder. There is a plot somewhere underneath all this debauchery but the filmmakers don't do a good job showing it, which is a shame because it 'could' be a decent story. Richard Hill gives a solid performance in the lead role, as does the villain - who sadly didn't appear in anything else of note. The fight scenes aren't too bad either - I love the way Deathstalker lets his sword 'drink' the blood of his victims - and there's plenty of nudity and sex to temper the general level of machismo throughout. All in all, not good - but not necessarily that bad either...$LABEL$ 0 +This may just be the most nostalgic journey back in time & through time to when one's childhood starts a journey to reminiscences back & forth onwards & upwards,forwards & backwards,up & down & all around.The boy Jimmy,H.R. Puffinstuff,Dr.Blinky,Cling & Clang,Ludicrous Lion,& even the evil Witchie Poo too through & through. The latter day inspirations of Lidsville,"The Brady Kids Saturday Morning Preview Special" Sigmund & the Sea Monsters,and Land of the lost both the new & old are what this very show bridged the gap to as well as The Donny & Marie Show,The Brady Bunch Variety Hour a.k.a. Brady Bunch Hour & Even The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Maybe even other things in between & Beyond the Buck just keeps on moving on & on & even beyond expectations & as well as unexpected bounds.Now as we get updated in March of '06 we know that Jack Wild's gone & so now it make's it even more symbolic for us to really get nostalgic.Including now in August of '06 both when Jack Wild guest stars as himself on Sigmund and The Sea Monsters as well as when on a latter episode H.R.Puffinstuff does too and to recall all of the other nostalgic journeys of all the Syd & Marty Kroft Characters as well including The H.R.Puffinstuff Goodtime Club;The Donny and Marie Show;The Brady Bunch Variety Hour a.k.a. The Brady Bunch Hour;etc. Truthfully,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA.$LABEL$ 1 +The film had it moments, but was disappointing in my eyes anyway. It was a reworking of Trespass (Walter Hill) and so The Treasure Of the Sierra Madre, with less tension, bite and human emotion. There was some nice acting but the story was limp and lacked any real depth. I watched the movie for Mr Reno and Mr Fishburn, neither were inspired and both had little to say or act out of their skin for. This movie has been done to death in the past and did not have to be made, eats up money which could be used on better movies. For an action movie it was sparse of action and as a thriller did not thrill. Better than watching snow fall, but not for me.$LABEL$ 0 +Even MST3K couldn't make this painful, long, and ultimately mind-bending drek funny or entertaining. While most bad movies in and of themselves are hilariously bad, this one is one of those few videos that uses the word bad in its literal sense.The element that makes this so PAINFUL to watch is not the lack of story, but the fact that SOOOO much background is crammed into the first half-hour that it is utterly ridiculous and harder to follow than a highway while driving with no headlights.The hero of the film, Ator, is no more than eye-candy for this literal energy-sucker of a film. Dressed in a loin-cloth and sporting "pecs like melons," as Joel put it, he belongs more in a fitness magazine than here.I would recommend this ONLY to die-hard, and I mean die-hard followers of cheese. If you have an enemy, recommend them this film. If you make it through this, I commend you. You should be able to make it through anything.$LABEL$ 0 +Square really landed this one. They didn't try to please everyone and instead focused exclusively on Final Fantasy 7 fans. And boy, are those going to be happy fans when they see this movie! The story might not be all that interesting or credible but it ties in neatly with the story of the game and has several honest-to-god funny moments!! A total surprise there and a welcome one tooThere are lots of cameos and funny references to the game too. And most important of all: The fighting scenes rock so hard they could cut through diamond! They are truly the total awesomeness and would have made the movie worth it even if everything else sucked. I mean, they are some of the best ever created PERIOD.See this movie. Bye.PS: I know my review sounds like the ravings of a teenage girl. It was, like, totally what I intended.$LABEL$ 1 +Watching The Wagonmaster is not likely to result in deep thoughts, unlike many other great Ford films, like The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Grapes of Wrath among others, but it is likely to produce a feeling of awe and deep satisfaction. The story is very simple: two cowboys decide to help a wagon train of Mormons get to California. Along the way, they run into a medicine man whose mules ran away, a group of bank robbers, and some Navajos. There's a lot of adventure and excitement on the trail, and the film is imbued with fun and beauty. The music is absolutely beautiful. The scenery, again from Monument Valley, is as beautiful as it ever was. Plus, how can you go wrong with James Arness? The Wagonmaster might not be one of John Ford's better known films, but it is nonetheless a must-see if you get the chance. 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +This was the most unrealistic movie I ever seen.I can't believe that the writer and director didn't see that almost all the movie looks like a SF one.For example: 1. It is impossible for the killer to stay on cold glaze and after 10 hours to get up so quickly.2. You can't get electrocuted trough a water pipe like in the movie.(believe me, it's my domain)3. With a saw you can cut 10 pipes in 10 hour very easy. Let's say that the chain was made from steel but the water pipe was rusty and it was made from iron.4. If you try to cut your foot with a saw you faint (in the best case, it's more likely to die because your hart fails) before to get to the bone(shin).And there are more other examples.$LABEL$ 0 +A very great movie.A big love story. Lots of sword fighting. Huge battle scenes. Heros and villains. Real history.Few in the West know much Chinese history. Chin Zchaundi founded China. The country is in fact named after him. Some are familiar with the terra cotta army recently unearthed. This is a historical epic of how he ended the Period of Contending States and unified China. He founded a dynasty that only last 14 years but it was immediately replaced by the Han dynasty that permanently defined Chinese civilization ever since.Chin (or the King of Zheng as he was known before he founded the empire)was roughly contemporaneous with Scipio, Hannibal, and Fabius in the West. The parallel Roman world dominance (West and East worlds) was achieved without a single towering personality like Chin. It would not be for another century before the West produced Caesar - the nearest comparable Western figure.Chin is shown very sympathetically here in the beginning but he develops over the course of the film into a ruthless despot. History only records the ruthless despot part but the sympathetic beginning leaves room for real character development over the course of this long film. The famous story about the meeting with the assassin is as true as any two thousand year old anecdote can be. Gong Li is lovely. She is the emotional core of the story. It all makes for great movie making.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this "movie" partly because of the sheer number of good reviews at Netflix, and from it I leaned a valuable lesson. Not a lesson about ethnic diversity however...the lesson I learned is "Don't trust reviews".Yes, racism sucks and people are complicated, but the people who actually need to see this movie are going to be the ones who are the least drawn to it and least affected by it if they DO see it. The only reason that I can think of for the number of good reviews is that it's being reviewed by people who aren't used to thinking, or who've seen their first thought-provoking movie and somehow think that Haggis invented the concept. In fact, he basically made this film, which should be called "Racism For Dummies", as emotionally wrenching as possible, seemingly to give people who don't spend a lot of time thinking the impression that they've discovered some fundamental truth that's never been covered in a film before. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence it's not... An after-school special for the unthinking masses, cut into bite-sized overwrought ham-fisted pieces to make it easier to swallow without too much introspection.It's as if they portrayed everyone as being the worst possible extreme, simply to make us happy that we're such good people because we don't identify with the characters. Let's face it people. NOBODY identifies with these characters because they're all cardboard cutouts and stereotypes (or predictably reverse-stereotypes). It's well acted (even if the dialog is atrocious) and cleverly executed, so much that you don't think to ask "where's the beef?" until you can tell the film is winding down. The flaming car scene was well executed, like much of the movie, but went nowhere in the end. The messages are very heavy-handed, and from the "behind the scenes" blurb, the producers were clearly watching a different movie, because there is very little to laugh about in this movie, even during the intended funny parts. I have to stress that this is NOT entertainment, more like a high school diversity lesson...call it the "Blood on the Highway" of racism. They could even show this in high schools if it weren't for the "side-nude" shot of Jennifer Esposito.In this film, everyone's a jerk and everyone learns a lesson (except for Michael Pena who gets the best role, but the most predictable storyline).This is a bad film, with bad writing, and good actors....an ugly cartoon crafted by Paul Haggis for people who can't handle anything but the bold strokes in storytelling....a picture painted with crayons.Crash is a depressing little nothing, that provokes emotion, but teaches you nothing if you already know racism and prejudice are bad things.$LABEL$ 0 +As a Westerner watching another culture's view and tradition of marriag, I found Just Married mesmerizing and delightful. The idea of marrying a stranger through the mutual arrangement of parents is difficult, especially in this modern age. Yet this is the case in this Hindi film. Told with humor, and fresh perspective, we learn of Abhay and Ritika who have only met once and are now on their traditional five day honeymoon. As said, it is difficult to believe in this cell phone affluent age that such an archaic custom as an arranged marriage still take place. We see the awkwardness that this young couple feels as they come together on their first night, and how they try to forge a bond, even though they do not know one another. We see different views of marriage and commitment as presented by the other couples also on holiday, from a couple of forty years married to others still unsure of making marital commitment. There's song, witty dialog, poignant moments, blending and comparison of new ways and tradition. Watching the movie with subtitles definitely loses some of the trueness of the story, yet it is still a delight to watch. Granted some of the plot is a little trite and the bus incident a bit drawn out and contrived; however the overall movie was worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +My nose is bent slightly out of shape as I write this. I had sent a previous comment on this film some weeks ago that has not yet appeared, so I assume it was rejected, even though it met all the usual guidelines.I found this film interesting for the first thirty minutes, particularly the performance of Jordi Mollà, a veteran actor who has appeared in such major productions as "Blow" and "The Alamo." Leonor Watling is also quite good. Unfortunately, everything sinks eventually under the weight of a truly awful, melodramatic script. There is also an abundance of gratuitous nudity that does nothing to advance the narrative or lend even an impressionistic nuance to what is otherwise a beautifully filmed piece of art.An actual day trip to the beach at Valencia would be much less arduous than having to encounter these fictional characters again anywhere, anytime.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an interesting movie. I think it's very humorous, although the humor is very black. Fulci is good and funny acting himself, it's a really funny and truly crazy "self-portrait" of an artist ("I make horror films. If I would make love films, no-one would buy tickets..."). And it's really SEXY movie also: Almost all the time there is some "action" or tension going on; and many sexy girls/women... Maybe it goes to the core of why anyone starts to do movies/art in the first place... It's a real psychedelic trip, maybe best seen a little drunk or some similar state of mind. There is some really nasty gore scenes also, of course, because it's Lucio Fulci. As a matter of fact some of those scenes are quite disgusting. Anyway it's one of the three best and most complete Fulci films I've seen (the others are House By The Cemetery & Zombi.Haven't seen The Beyond). Actually, the script is overally, to my opinion, quite ingenious. You could see this movie as a portrait of an extreme neurotic, or a person who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (fashionable words): The character has a compulsive need to confess "crimes" or bad thoughts; Especially crimes he hasn't even DONE. And he questions himself all the time: What if I HAVE done it? What if I want to do it? Have I done it? Do I want to do it? He overreacts and exaggerates his thoughts. I'm sure Fulci has been interested of psychology, and maybe even read something of the area; in his "House By The Cemetery"-movie for example there is a character named Freudstein. This is maybe the most concentrated and straightly personal movie Fulci did. I also like the simplicity of the photography/pictures in this film. Only thing that disturbs me a little bit is the sadism, especially towards women; I don't quite understand why? Is it entertainment? Is it art? Is it horror? Anyways and overall, this is really interesting and well made movie, definitely recommended classic film at least for fans or anyone interested of this genre. For the others it may be too much.$LABEL$ 1 +I could not watch more than 10 minutes of this movie. It has set the standard. I will never again give a movie a 1, unless it was as horrible as this one. I fully agree with the other comments about this film. But, since I'm Dutch, I watched it with Dutch translation. Apparently, they didn't have money for a proper translation, so they decided to babelfish it. With sometimes hilarious results.Don't smoke, don't drink, don't do drugs, don't watch Demon Summer.I was surprised that the actors (Wow, I can't believe I just said that.) didn't hold the script (Was there any?) in their hands while shooting. I think they also did a good job on... Well... Uhmm... No, they didn't do a good job at all.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay,I had watched this movie when I was very little and the day that we were cleaning out the closet I see this!I thought,"I have no idea of what this movie was like,"so I went ahead and put it in.OH MY GOD!!!!!This film is so darn bad!I never thought that this film could ever get as close to my least favorite film as it did,but I did laugh,because all the jokes were so corny and ridiculous,not funny!!!!So much stuff in this movie was funny,because it was SO STUPID!!!!This film is not anywhere near good.I would have to say if you want to watch this movie you definitely better not expect anything big and if you've already seen it,trust me,I feel your pain as well!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I hadn't planned on seeing this movie, however I wasn't disappointed when a friend dragged me along. Although there are no real surprises here, the guys do reasonably well with their obviously modest budget.If you've seen the trailer you probably know what to expect from this type of movie and there's a pretty constant stream of jokes here, with a couple of classic moments, with the highpoint probably being an excellent flashback to what the guys were like in the 1980's. Also, I've read elsewhere that the ending was a disappointment, but I found it refreshingly different from what I had expected from this genre.Overall, this movie wont change your life, but it's got enough laughs there to keep you entertained throughout.$LABEL$ 1 +Yeah, that about sums it up. This movie was horrifying. Two minutes in I wanted to gouge my eyes out. This has been praised as an "innovative LDS comedy," but it's not even good for members of that church! I don't think any human being should be so victimized as to watch a movie of this low quality.First of all, you can tell that absolutely no effort whatsoever went into this movie. It seems as if the horribly drab, glib, trite plot was thrown together by two crazy weasels somehow imbued with the gift for coherent (at least semi-coherent) thought. Then, there's the acting, which is dismal from *everybody* involved. Even the cameos fail to liven anything up.And let's not forget the fact that our protagonist is a shallow jerk who we would like to believe can change, but that road is full of embarrassingly bad dialogue, appallingly hideous "gags," and a lot of Mormon "in-jokes" that anyone in their right mind, LDS or not, should consider purely *stupid*! This has to be one of the worst films I've ever seen!$LABEL$ 0 +Infamous horror films seldom measure up the hype that surrounds them and I have yet to come across a worse offender than Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes. Having held back from watching this for years, I was really pleased when I got it for Christmas and waited for an evening when my girlfriend was out to settle down and watch it - knowing her extreme dislike for anything genuinely horrifying. I needn't have bothered.After a promising - if familiar - start, that firmly sets the film in the 'Desolution USA' world of survival horror, things rapidly go to pieces when the protagonists and antagonists meet in the deserted wasteland.Looking like it was shot on a budget of $5, with the cannibal clan's costumes hired from a dodgy fancy dress shop that specialises in faux caveman and Red Indian attire, the story follows an annoying bunch of unsympathetic WASPs who take a detour on a road trip to California, to look for a silver mine in a nuclear testing zone (!). When they break down they are set upon by the local family of flesh-eaters and have to fight to survive.While hoping for another Deliverance, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn or Devil's Rejects, I actually realised I'd stumbled across something that should have remained dusty and unwatched in a backstreet video store's bargain bin.With gallons of tomato ketchup for blood and a couple of gruesome wound close-ups, I can kind of see how an 18 Certificate (in the UK) is justified, but with those close-ups trimmed this wouldn't have looked out of place as a Saturday afternoon thriller on ITV.The whole silver mine/nuclear test site subplot is just a McGuffin to justify pitching the 'civilised' family against the primitives, but given how easily the savages get their asses whupped it stretches credibility to think that they had survived for a generation preying on passers-by.And then there's the ending ... or lack thereof. The Hills Have Eyes seems to be missing either a third act or, at the very least, a satisfying denouement. Instead, I was just left wondering: "Yeah, and ... ?"$LABEL$ 0 +Although at first glance this movie looks like the story of your parent's high school life (and many people will try to tell you that this movie is WAY outdated)... and I admit that that was MY first impression.... but honestly,the 'lessons' that are learned by the heroes/heroines are def. NOT outdated. Who doesn't want to be famous? And who doesn't want do be accepted my their peers? And the homosexual guy-isn't there a whole controversy today about gay marriage, blah, blah? This movie, though released in the 80's still addresses some of the biggest issues in today's world. This movie does have a little too much profanity and nudity for my taste, though. (thus the 8/10 rating)$LABEL$ 1 +There are not many films which I would describe as perfect, but Rififi definitely fits the bill. No other heist film has come close to it, before or after. The plot is simple, but engrosses you. It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely gripping the film is every time you view it. You care for all the characters, even though they are bank robbers, because they are presented as human beings with all their problems and flaws. It's hard to imagine any other actor besides Jean Servais in the role of Tony le Stéphanois. When the members of the crew are each talking about what they are going to do with their money and finally get to Tony, his answer and the expression on his face says it all. While the 30 minute heist sequence is the most famous part of the movie(and rightfully so)the film actually gets better afterward.The director Jules Dassin knew what he was doing when he decided to not have any music during the heist scene or the final shootout, but instead inserted a great climactic score during Tony's final ride towards his destiny. To think that if Dassin, an American Director, had not been blacklisted in Hollywood and forced to work in France, this masterpiece of cinema would never have been made the way it was. It certainly wouldn't have been as good if it was made as an American film during that time. It was absolutely horrible what Dassin had to go through, but he did achieve his greatest work because of it, to the benefit of all of us. I'm just cringing at the thought of the upcoming Al Pacino remake. Most heist films since Rififi have already borrowed from it in some way or another. There's no reason to remake this masterpiece other than money. Leave the classics alone!$LABEL$ 1 +Soul Calibur has always been my favorite fighting game series of all time. And SCIII is my favorite one of the series.The graphics are very well done. Much bigger improvement over the choppy polygons in Soul Edge/Soul Blade. The characters have facial expressions, hair blows in the breeze and they even blink.Soul Calibur has always been known for it's interesting plots and characters and SCIII is no exception. Each character has his/her background story that is detailed and well done. My favorite character is Chai Xianghua. She's cute, she's funny and she's a strong female character. Yeah, I know she wears pink and has a boyfriend (who she ends up saving BTW), but there seems to be more to her than that. Xianghua, like all the other characters, have flaws and upsides to their personalities, so no character is perfect, not even the good guys.The music is beautifully composed for a fighting game series. It doesn't sound kitchy (the Vampire series) nor does it sound like old school porn film soundtrack (Mortal Kombat). The characters have their own themes and a lot of the themes are done to match the culture of that certain part of the world. I don't think there is a song on this soundtrack I don't like.Another cool thing about this game is to create your own anime-like character (Create a Soul). You could make him/her look as cute or as sexy or even ugly if you like. However, if you found a character customization that you like, remember to take notes, or else you won't remember how you created that character. I found myself being very addicted to CaS.Overall, I think Soul Calibur is my number one fighting game series of all time. It has everything I asked for. What more could I want?$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, I know that this movie is meant as a comedy! And the humor is over the top! But the theme about people getting less intelligent in future time might not be so far fetched! I cannot say that it will happen,but if we don't take proper care of our educational system than this could be a possibility! I have noticed that some schools aren't teaching facts anymore! (Like history,geography,basic stuff). The focus is more on learning practical abilities! The theory behind most subjects may be boring but is essential in understanding how things work! In the movie there is this ridiculous example of people growing crops with Gatorade in stead of water! Well,we can laugh about it! But if you never been taught that water contains minerals necessary for plants to grow so how would you know! To me this is a scary notion! So now you understand why this subject isn't funny anymore! It could be that Mike Judge is making fun but at the same time is warning people for a real disaster if education doesn't improve fast! Am I taking this movie too seriously! Yes of course! To each his own fun! I loved Mike Judge's work (Beavis and Butthead and Office space)! In these he was able to be critical and funny at the same time! In "Idiocracy" I missed this! Most of the events are too absurd and as I said earlier very scary! I do think if you are in the mood you will like this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +The original animated Dark Knight returns in this ace adventure movie that rivals Mask of Phantasm in its coolness. There's a lot of style and intelligence in Mystery of the Batwoman, so much more than Batman Forever or Batman and Robin.There's a new crime-fighter on the streets of Gotham. She dresses like a bat but she's not a grown-up Batgirl. And Batman is denying any affiliation with her. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne has to deal with the usual romances and detective work. But the Penguin, Bain and the local Mob makes things little more complicated.I didn't have high hopes for this 'un since being strongly let down but the weak Batman: Sub Zero (Robin isn't featured so much here!)but I was delighted with the imaginative and exciting set pieces, the clever plot and a cheeky sense of humor. This is definitely a movie no fan of Batman should be without. Keep your ears open for a really catchy song called 'Betcha Neva' which is featured prominently through-out.It's a shame the DVD isn't so great. Don't get me wrong there are some great features (the short 'Chase Me' is awesome) and a very cool Dolby 5.1 soundtrack but... the movie is presented in Pan and Scan. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman was drawn and shot in 1.85:1 but this DVD is presented in 1.33:1 an in comparison to the widescreen clips shown on the features there IS picture cut off on both sides. I find this extremely annoying considering Mask of Phantasm was presented in anamorphic widescreen. Warner have had to re-release literally dozens of movies on DVD because people have complained about the lack of Original Aspect Ratio available on some titles. Why they chose to make that same mistake here again is beyond me.I would give this DVD 5/5 but the lack of OAR brings the overall score down to 4/5. It's a shame because widescreen would have completed a great DVD package.$LABEL$ 1 +If you asked me to pick the best acted movies ever made, this movie would be on a short list along with 1951's Streetcar Named Desire. I imagine i'll discover some others that qualify, but Kramer vs Kramer is an outstanding exercise in naturalism. So its a very satisfying experience on that level: just watching the marvelous, probing performances of Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and the child Justin Henry in particular. One of the best child performances ever.But I also find it very satisfying to watch, because its such a thoroughly involving story - it always makes me forget my own problems. It has such excellent narrative drive. Once you stick Kramer vs Kramer on, and Alice Kramer leaves Ted to juggle work and their young son, telling him nothing more than she has to discover herself - you keep watching to know that everything turns out okay for them. And even once you know how things do turn out, each moment of the ride just rings so brilliantly true that its a joy to watch it happen again and again.Make no mistake - Kramer vs Kramer is not light entertainment: its a very realistic portrayal of the effects of divorce on everyone involved.10/10.For one of the best scripts (born out of conversations between Benton and Hoffman, who was going through a divorce at the time) ever written, executed and performed beautifully and faultlessly. Not to mention what a great, involving story it is. Put simply, a perfect film.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me say at the outset that I'm not a very artistic person and that I don't "get" new art. That being said, this film is absolutely crazy, and in my opinion not crazy in a good way. Filmed entirely in black and white with a series of very loosely connected stories, Avida is a film for those who can look at modern art and say "wow, I feel the energy and passion of this painting." The only reason I give this film a 3 out of 10 is because I actually did manage to laugh at some parts, though mainly laughing at the sheer insanity of the film. Two of the characters throwing chairs on a lawn, as to do what these characters were doing, I have no idea. I wouldn't recommend this film to anybody.$LABEL$ 0 +Wonderful film that mixes documentary and fiction in a way that makes the spectator question: what is the extent of truth in documentary films or is there such a thing as an objective documentary.$LABEL$ 1 +It has been some years since I saw this, but remember it and would like to see it again. It kind of became a "therapy" for me with a personal experience of my own.A thirty-five year old man laments over a high-school baseball game in which he "missed the ball" and his team lost. He thinks about it 20 years later, "if only I'd hit that ball" and how his life would be better because of it. Then, he gets a chance to find out....and gets a little more than he bargained for.It reminds me so much of when I was in high school, I twice tried out for our drill/dance team and didn't make it. This team was the closest thing to a sorority in my school. If you were on it, you were "all that." I didn't try out till my last two years of HS and after the second time, I took it really hard. I'd hit and bruised my leg badly just before tryouts and wore tights to cover the bruise, and that caused me to not make it. That was in 1987.Through the years, even now sometimes, I think "If only I hadn't hit my leg I would've never worn those stupid tights." Now I don't sit and think my life would be any better or even any different had I made it, but seeing this movie made me realize that we never really know how different things may be by changing one little thing way back in the past. Who knows, it could have changed the course of events to the point that I wouldn't have met my son's father.I would recommend this movie to anyone who has that one moment in the past they wish they could change. Be careful what you wish for!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Not really a big box office draw, but I was pleasently surprisedwith this movie. James "I did some things to Farrah Fawcett" Orr co-wrote and directed this movie about an ordinary, average guynamed Larry Burrows who thinks his life would have beenincredibly different if he hit a homerun at a key baseball gamewhen he was 15. But thanks to mysterious and magical bartenderMike, Larry gets his wish, yet soon realizes that his new lifeisn't exactly as he hoped it would be.I must say, this movie really impressed me. Critics have givenit mixed, and I must say the concept is really interesting andpulled off well. Yes, it is a little standard, but packs enoughfunny moments, drama and excellent acting to make it reallygood. James Belushi (I think) was Oscar worthy for his role. JonLovitz is perfect, and Linda Hamilton plus Renee Russo shine intheir roles. Michael Caine is perfect as the bartender. It'sjust a good movie with a good lesson. If you've never seen, Ihighly recommend you check$LABEL$ 1 +This is another Sci-Fi channel original movie staring Rhys Davies where its hard to decide whats worse, the acting, or the writing/directing/producing (John Sheppherd helms all three.)Basic story: obsessed exobiologist captures chubacabra monster,smuggles it in a cargo container aboard a cruise ship it escapes and the blood bath begins. Clichéd sci fi cast of the sturdy captain with the beautiful daughter, handsome hero and mad scientist. Captian calls in a terrorist alert for the ship (since of course wouldn't believe a monster story.)No dramatic Helicopter drop of the Navy Seals here. Budget only allowed for entire force force of eight seals to arrive in a fiberglass fishing boat and ride a ships wench aboard. Puleeze. Also cheesy computer animation of the ship you could do better on your computer. I also loved when the Seal commander looking thru standard binoculars from ten miles away was able to see three people jump of the ship. If the Sci-Fi channel is going to continue original movies I hope they realize there audience is not kindergarten level and purchase better scripts and directors. If this were direct to video you would find it in the 99 cent bin.$LABEL$ 0 +And that goes especially for lawyers & cops. Puerto Rico,which boasts of a small,but potent film production firm,brings this multi layered tale of corruption,due to the on going drug cartel that starts in South America,makes a pit stop on the island commonwealth,and then northbound into North America. Steven Bauer,the most recognizable face on screen here,leads a cast of top notch actors,in a story of "can you spot the only respectable face in the crowd?". Ricardo Mendez Matta moves up from directing mainly action adventure fare for American television,in a screenplay written by Matta,along with Poli Marichal. The rest of the cast (Elpidia Carrillo,Magda Rivera,Jose Herredia,Luz Maria Randon,to mention a few)turn in oh so fine roles,in a film that will keep you wondering "is there any respectable characters here?". Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles. Rated 'R' by the MPAA,this film contains outbursts of vulgar language,brief flashes of nudity,adult content & violence,some of which is quite lurid.$LABEL$ 1 +In a lot of ways this film defines the essence of everything I love about cinema, in terms of capturing those strange, elusive moments of unguarded truth. In other ways, it is undeniably an amateurish, unfocused result of junkies self-indulgently fooling around with a camera. Ultimately it comes out somewhere between pure brilliance and unwatchability (thankfully much more so the former than the latter). Part of me wants to reward it solely for it's absolute innovativeness and moments of pure sublimity, but at the same time I can't completely ignore the occasionally downright awful "acting" and overtly bad production values. At first the editing seems overwhelmingly sloppy and needlessly distracting (or maybe just wrongheadedly "innovative"), but after a while I got used to it, which is, in the end, the true sign of whether a film succeeds on it's own terms or not. I guess that answer basically sums up my all-around feelings for the film. That is, despite it's in-ignorable flaws, on a whole it does work very well. And, if nothing else, a film like this really shows how false and contrived the faux-documentary, shaky-cam style can sometimes be when it so obviously applied purely for effect (such as in films like the otherwise admirable Roger Dodger). Here the aesthetics are plainly derived from the necessities of the filming situation, and are not just used arbitrarily to make it look "cool".$LABEL$ 1 +Children love dinosaurs. It's somewhat part of their culture. But they've got The Land Before Time. The original. At least that movie had heart. This. This movie is just plain pathetic. Just because kids love dinosaurs doesn't mean you can just slap together any old story and show it to the children. This movie has no plot, the whole premise is stupid, and it's more by the numbers stuff. Not as soul sucking as Theodore Rex, but it's lightyears away from being a Land Before Time.$LABEL$ 0 +Last week I watched a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth. It was 25 years old, filmed w/no props except swords, no furniture except chairs. It was RIVETING. The acting was super - all the actors trained Brits. Contrast that performance to this...yawn yawn yawn. Al Pacino, as Shylock, was tragic, heavy, and couldn't quite lose the New Yorker accent, despite the long....pauses....between.....lines.... The whole thing was soporific, even the "comic" scenes were barely even worth a smile, let a lone a belly laugh. This is supposed to be funny. They tried to make it tragic. It was neither, just boring. I give it four points for costumes, scenery, and Jeremy Irons, who is good at playing a dull, depressed, deep-voiced guy (can he be anything else???)$LABEL$ 0 +I just love this film it totally rocks! Nicolas Cage looks hot and Tommy does not! I definitely feel that Fred and Randy should have had a little more time together on screen cause they're totally cool. My favorite part is when he says "Peter Piper Picked A Pepper I guess I Did!"$LABEL$ 1 +In the first transformation scene, what is the music? I've heard it was "The Greeks Don't Get No Freeks". Is that right? I really liked that sound. I also liked the "Hyde's Got Nothing to Hide" in the final scenes. Truly a doper movie, but with many laughs and puns, sight gags, and slapstick. Madam Woo-Woo's place was reminiscent of some places I have visited myself. Ivy Venus has appeared in some other stuff that is truly amazing. She looks much different in the movie we're talking about, but her maturity didn't hurt her a bit. Mark Blankfield reminds one of Gene Wilder in some ways. Bess Armstrong was beautiful and maintained her beauty for a long time.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen this movie quite a few times and each time I watch it, the quirkier and funnier it becomes. Perhaps its the lack of research that went into Nicolas Cage's character's 'punk' persona or just the cheesiness factor because it was such a typical eighties film...nonetheless it's a cute love story with extremely funny, unique characters. I think it's right up there with "Fast Times" and "Weird Science" (quintessential eighties flicks!)$LABEL$ 1 +Watching this I mainly noticed the ad placements. DHL, Aquawhite Strips, Rockstar and more. It's one product placement after another. It's quite obvious how this movie got its funding. Jessica Simpson's "acting" is laughable. Any Dick shouldn't ever get work because he plays the same lame character. The "story" is just a backdrop for this very long commercial. I can't believe this movie was even considered for theatrical release. The longer you watch this movie the more you're embarrassed for everyone involved. The only minor saving grace is Larry Miller and Rachael Lee Cook, who gets almost no screen time as Jessica's cousin. I'm embarrassed I watched the whole thing. I would recommend avoiding this one.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not tired to say this is one of the best political thrillers ever made. The story takes place in a fictional state, but obviously it deals with the murder of Kennedy. A truthful and honest district attorney (played by Yves Montand) does not believe that the murder was planned and executed by the single man Daslow (=Oswald) and though all other officials want to close the case he continuous to investigate with his team.The screenplay is written tight and fast and holds the tension till the end. Just the part dealing with the Milgram experiment about authorities is (though not uninteresting) a bit out of place. The ending sequence - explaining who Icarus really is - partly shot in slow motion and intensified by a Morricone soundtrack is the most powerful sequence I have ever seen in a movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Elvira Mistress Of The Dark (1988): Cassandra Peterson, Daniel Greene, William Morgan Sheppard, Susan Kellerman, Edie McClug, Jeff Conaway, Phil Rubenstein, Larry Flash Jenkins, Tress MacNeille, Damita Jo Freeman, Mario Celario, William Dance, Lee McLaughlin, Charles Woolf, Sharon Hays, Bill Cable, Joseph Arias, Scott Morris, Ira Heiden, Frank Collison, Lynne Marie Stewart, Marie Sullivan, Jack Fletcher, Robert Benedetti, Kate Brown, Hugh Gillin, Eve Smith, Raleigh Bond, Tony Burrier, Alan Dewames, Timm Hill, Read Scot, James Hogan, Derek Givens...Director James Signorelli...Screenplay Sam Egan, John Paragon.Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was an 80's TV icon who had her own late night show on cable. She hosted and presented classic American horror films, many of them campy, while providing her own quips and humorous remarks. Actress Cassandra Peterson has to this date ridden on that success. In 1988, her first film was released. Playing herself, she's stuck hosting monster movie shows but longs for her own show in Las Vegas and make big money. Her agent Manny proves a disappointment. It's not long before she inherits a mansion from a deceased relative, a pet dog and a book of recipes. She comes to claim her inheritance in a small Nevada town - she was on her way to Vegas and became lost - and soon stirs things up in the sedate community. Outspoken conservative town council woman Chastity Pariah (Edie McClurg) soon sees her as a threat to the decency and values of the small town. Her voluptuous figure and winning personality soon draws the youth of the town. She falls for Bob Redding (Daniel Greene) the town handyman/carpenter, but before any real relationship can bloom, she finds herself in deep trouble. Vincent Talbot (William Morgan Sheppard) an eerie older man who is also set to inherit part of the fortune of Elvira's relative is in fact an age-old sorcerer who has a personal vendetta against Elvira's aunt and Elvira herself. He is aware that the so-called "recipe book" is actually a book of powerful magic, a power he wishes to claim for himself. He schemes to bring down Elvira by having the town burn her at the stake. How will Elvira get out of this one ? The movie was no real success at the box office, drawing a crowd of mostly young audiences familiar with the Elvira show on cable. Truth be told, this is a funny and feel-good movie. The script is chalk full of all kinds of jokes, some bad, some good, lots of sexual innuendo, visual jokes and overall campiness i.e. the hilarious last scene in which Elvira has finally got her own strip show in Vegas. This film is a cult classic of sorts, catering to Elvira fans. You couldn't enjoy this film otherwise. It's also a look back at "pop" culture of the 80's. Elvira was as much an icon of the 80's as was Alf, Vicky the Robot, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T and Madonna.$LABEL$ 1 +After two long, long opening skits, one of which my brother saw the conclusion coming of and the other totally joke free, we start the fast-forward fest that it GROOVE TUBE proper. Naturally, uber-stupid frat boys who still mainline JACKASS or Tom Green will find the idea of fecal matter coming out of the some tube, SEX OLYMPICS(I really don't need to give you details, do I), and a clown who basically does the "not very endearing clown" bit I think I've seen approxiately ninety times now will eat this up like dung beetles: well, more power to you.I just want to express that, despite what you've heard, this movie was in no way a model for the many infinitely funnier movies like KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE or what not. The skit movie had already been done in AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, and so on. And done way better.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had lots of great actors and actresses in it and it addressed some very noble issues. It's full of emotion and the direction is done well. The storyline progresses very quickly, but I guess that's better than having to watch a 3 hour movie. This is an easy movie to watch again and again and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +Give director Stanley Tong of Jackie Chan's Super Cop and Rumble in the Bronx, and what do you get? You receive a series of kung fu fights and a lack of Magoo-like madness.The limited plot has Magoo (Leslie Nielsen) put into an international plot, where he steals a world-renowned gem. Of course he has no idea what he is doing. In fact, he has no idea that he had the gem.Within thirty minutes you could get very bored watching this. There are some very funny moments though like when he is cooking the chicken. You will wish that you were as nearsighted as Magoo. Its a fun movie to watch but its quite a disaster! You have to love Leslie Nielson because he was made some very funny movies. This isn't his best, but he does a good job playing Magoo. I thought it was a funny film, and it should be recommended to young children because they will probably think that its very funny.$LABEL$ 0 +Alexandr "Sascha" Luzhin (John Turturro) is a former leading chess player attempting a comeback at an Italy-hosted tournament. His brilliance is unquestioned but his obsession with chess has stunted his growth in all other aspects of his life. Natalia (Emily Watson) is a beautiful heiress who has come to the same resort with her mother, Vera (Geraldine James) to scope out possible marriage partners. Vera leans toward a handsome count but, astonishingly, Natalia is more fascinated by Sascha, whom she met on a walk. Sascha, too, is taken with Natalia and proposes marriage at their second meeting. But, with the concentration that Sascha must give to the chess matches and, with other happenings in his past still causing problems, will he win the heart of Natalia? Oh, and can he become the chess champion, also? This is a lovely film, based on a novel by Nabokov. The acting is amazing, with Watson very fine as the beautiful little rich girl and Turturro utter perfection as the shy, awkward chess enthusiast. James gives quite a nice turn as the overbearing mother and the other cast members are wonderful as well. As for the look of the film, it could not be better. The scenery is of the put-your-eye-out variety, the vintage costumes are gorgeous and the cinematography is deserving of much applause. Yes, the story is unusual and told with the use of flashbacks, at times, making it a film not everyone will appreciate. Then, too, the ending is bittersweet. However, if you love romance, period pieces, great acting, knockout scenery, or the fine art of motion picture creation, don't miss this one. You will be defenseless in resisting its multitude of charms.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this film on DVD despite the "stale" review and that was idiotic... That review was completely accurate and I have never seen any worse "erotic" film in my long life! Even if it partly was lovely filmed and had interesting surroundings, plus a nice cover... But my own Extreme Erotica (c) films are over 100 times more erotic (just in the soft delicious aspect) with probably less than 100 times of this films budget! The story have no logical connection with the first film or the famous book... Or any new (exciting) element of slave training, except some very strange and sad developments... Then did the main male character - Klaus Kinski - not look a bit like the second Master of "O" he try to play... And not even lovely Arielle Dombasle, did look delicious in any scene!$LABEL$ 0 +This Film was one that I have waited to see for some time. I was glad to find it has been everything anticipated. The writing of this film has been so finely crafted and researched far beyond what is seen by the audience. I found it amusing that so many people watching will not read between some very important lines but indeed if not the movie will make sense in a different way and is very brilliant. The film has many stories and characters woven together around this one Character Kilo , a Man whom has rose from the streets amidst many woes and become a very powerful criminal. After spending some time in Prison Kilo finds a loophole in the justice system and through a disturbing turn of events is released only to find everything is not at all what it seems. Kilo Finds himself going up against the higher realm of society and Political royalty in order to make clear how important a Man's Word is and stands for. A war begins as the street is in arms against Lords of wealth and corrupt Power.A build up to explosive and powerful non stop twists and turns. This film will leave you riveted. I found the cast of this movie to be outstanding and is not a Movie to be ignored. Excellent. Go Rent It Today!!$LABEL$ 1 +In retrospect, the 1970s was a golden era for the American cinema, as demonstrated and explored by this documentary directed by Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese. This IFC effort serves to illustrate and clarify the main idea of what that time meant for the careers of these illustrious people seen in the documentary.The amazing body of work that remains, is a legacy to all the people involved in the art of making movies in that period. The decade was marked by the end of the Viet Nam war and the turbulent finale of those years of Jimmy Carter's presidency.One thing comes out clear, films today don't measure against the movies that came out during that creative decade because the industry, as a whole, has changed dramatically. The big studios nowadays want to go to tame pictures that will be instant hits without any consideration to content, or integrity, as long as the bottom line shows millions of dollars in revenues.The other thing that emerges after hearing some of America's best creative minds speak, is the importance of the independent film spirit because it is about the only thing that afford its creators great moral and artistic rewards.This documentary is a must see for all movie fans.$LABEL$ 1 +The name (Frau) of the main character is the German word for "Woman". I don't know if that was intentional or not, but if sure got some giggles from the German audience at the Fantasy Film Festival last year, when it was shown.But those were the only giggles the movie got. Not that it was aiming for giggles, it's a horrible movie for heaven's sake! A horrible movie in more than one meaning. It's a shame that a premise like that was wasted with horrible even unbearable moments for the viewer (definetely not for the faint of Heart!!)! And it wasn't even necessary to show all the things that are shown. I'm not even going into a moral obligation (because movies don't really have that kind of task or function) discussion of what is shown here, but this is a new low on the whole "torture movement" that has grown in the last few years!$LABEL$ 0 +Ah, the classic genre of 80s sex comedies. This is set on two beaches; one a nude beach featuring myriad (fully) unclothed women. The plot? Something about a bunch of dimwits attempting to get laid. The usual. Fans of gratuitous T&A (and P) should hunt this one down.$LABEL$ 0 +It's unbelievable but the fourth is better than the second and the third. After the third that was awful, it's incredible how they could have an unexpected sequel with new ideas. Chuck is the same nasty doll of the previous movies. Interesting the final that lets know that a fifth can be done....$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, said title line does actually appear in this movie. Why? I'm not sure. When the line was actually being said, didn't somebody in the crew filming, at some point, laugh? I would have liked to see the outtakes from this movie, mostly because I think they would be more entertaining than the movie itself.Helmed by director Jim Gillespie, ("I Know What You Did Last Summer,") comes a teen slasher movie that seems to assume we haven't ever seen a teen slasher movie before. Of course, he's not to be given all the blame. There are also three writers responsible, and this is somehow based on a video game that's still in production. The title of said game is "Backwater," but upon looking for information on it I came up with absolutely nothing.And so we begin the movie... I would like to say before I continue that I wasn't expecting this to win an Oscar. When I am in the right mindset, I enjoy a fun horror movie to pass the time. I think there exists an opportunity for an effective, original, and smart slasher movie. "Venom" is not this movie.There is almost no character development at all. That's fine. You don't expect a whole lot. However, instead of a well-knit cast of a few, this movie decides to introduce us to the following many horror movie cliché characters...1. The Final Girl: She has just broken up for her boyfriend. This means that at some point in the movie when they are in peril, they will decide to get back together again. Which more than likely means he will die and she will be the last remaining survivor of the movie. "Eden" is played by Agnes Bruckner, without much enthusiasm, I might add.2. The Boyfriend: He's just around to co-exist with The Final Girl until his demise. Sure, he can save her, but he's doomed and we know it. "Eric" is played by Jonathan Jackson.3. The Bimbos: Usually horror movies only feel the need for one of these, but here we have two. They shoplift, they steal, they might show their breasts, (not in this case,) or they might possibly be alcoholics. A staple of the genre. They also wander around in dimly lit areas all on their lonesome, usually saying things like, "Hello? Is there anybody there?" "Tammy" and "Patty," suitably named, are played by Bijou Phillips and Davetta Sherwood.4. The Jackass: Sure, he looks pretty, but he's the idiot in the movie that's inserted purely to be an idiot. He says stupid things, does stupid things, has obviously never seen a horror movie, and is one of enjoyable kills you watch this kind of thing for. "Sean" is played by D.J. Cotrona.5. The Girlfriend: She loves the Jackass even though pretty much nobody else does, and she's usually the one left alive for a while so she can scream and cry until she starts tripping and gets left behind. "Rachel" is played by Laura Ramsey.6. The Creepy Janitor: In this case, The Creepy Gas Station Attendant. Enough said. "Ray" is played by Rick Cramer.I could continue, but I think you get the picture. The remaining characters aren't so much common as they are equally killable. There's "The Gay Guy," (Pawel Szajda as "Ricky,") who definitely got robbed as far as screen time is concerned, and "The One Who Knows What's Going On." Of course none of that matters, because at first everyone always thinks that one's crazy. "Cece" is played by Meagan Good.There are a couple other characters, namely a deputy played by Method Man, but he and others are killed off pretty quickly and get even less character development than the following clichés.So, you're probably thinking, "why does this movie require such a deep analysis? It's just a summer horror flick, for cryin' out loud!" Based on that question, does it deliver the goods? Yes, and no. The acting isn't particularly convincing, even given the amount of talent involved. Bijou Phillips was hailed for her performance in Larry Clark's Bully, and Agnes Bruckner has been an up-and-coming talent for a while now.So, what about the gore? There's some. That's really about it. A lot of the juiciest bits are cut-aways. Namely a scene involving somebody's face and a sandblaster used to remove paint from cars.To the filmmaker's credit, there are a couple interesting scenes. I liked the bit where part of a house was literally ripped off so that the unstoppable villain could get to the characters.If this had all been centered around a smarter screenplay in which the characters didn't make the same dumb mistakes literally hundreds of horror movie characters had made before them, it might have made for a more enjoyable experience. All of the most interesting characters are immediately killed off in the first third of the movie and then it just becomes a not-particularly-interesting countdown until we know it's just The Creepy Janitor and The Final Girl.I suppose I must be a little jaded, but as a horror film fan, I'm left wondering why I should have bothered when I could easily have written a better screenplay myself. I won't even mention the numerous instances of terrible CGI.$LABEL$ 0 +The script was VERY weak w/o enough character arcs to make you care one bit about the characters or what happens to them. The script is way too talky and not enough gore or action to even call it slow paced. The story gets to the point that you just want everyone to shut up and die as quickly as possible so you don't have to listen to them talk this very muted, stiff dialogue. On a technical note, the music mix is way to high and makes it hard to understand what is being said most times. Then again, this could be called a blessing. Overall, this same story could have better been told in a short film w/ a running time under 30 minutes. The obvious "in your face" homages to Sam Raimi and "Evil Dead" would have been good had they been more subtle, but here they seem more like a bald faced rip off. C'mon, this kind of 35mm budget and THIS is the best that could be done? Still, the cinematography, lighting design and shots were very well done indeed.$LABEL$ 0 +Pathetic... worse than a bad made-for-TV movie. I can't believe that Spacey and Freeman were in this flick. For some reason Morgan Freeman's character is constantly talking about and saying "pussy" when referring to NSync boy's girlfriend. Morgan Freeman calling women "pussy" is just awkward... What the hell were the people behind this film thinking? Too many plot holes to imagine combined with the horrid acting, confusing camera angles, a lame script and cheap background music made this movie absolutely unbearable.I rented this flop with low expectations.... but... well... it really sucked.$LABEL$ 0 +Franco proves, once again, that he is the prince of surreal & erotic cinema. True, much of his work can be viewed as entertaining sleaze but with Succubus (Necronomicon) he shows what he is truly capable of when he lets his warped creativity run riot and gives us a film that is both hypnotic and enigmatic whilst still maintaining the delirious eroticism intrinsic in his work. Jerry Van Rooyen's splendid score pulsates as the viewer is thrown from one bizarre scenario to another as we follow the trials of a striptease artist (Reynaud) who may be schizophrenic, or may indeed (as one mysterious character states) be a devil, attempt to come to terms with the world she inhabits. A beautiful and enigmatic piece of cinema highly recommended to anybody with even a passing interest in alternative cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasance are legendary actors, and director Kostas Karagiannis was the man behind the successful Greek Giallo-esquire thriller Death Kiss in 1974; and yet when you combine the three talents, all you get is this complete load of drivel! God only knows what drove the likes of Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasance to star in this cheapie devil worship flick, but I really do hope they were well paid as neither one deserves something as amateurish as this on their resumes. The story focuses on a group of devil worshippers that kidnap some kids, leading another group to go after them. The pace of the plot is very slow and this ensures that the film is very boring. The plot is also a long way from being original and anyone with even a passing interest in the horror genre will have seen something a bit like this, and no doubt done much better. The obvious lack of budget is felt throughout and the film doesn't manage to overcome this at any point. This really is a depressing and miserable watch and not even a slightly decent ending manages to up the ante enough to lift this film out of the very bottom of the barrel. Extremely poor stuff and definitely not recommended!$LABEL$ 0 +Please don't waste your time. This movie rehashes the worst of Bram Stoker's Dracula (Van Helsing), Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat (rock music and silly biblical references), and Blade (high-tech toys). I really like vampire movies and novels, and there are many out there that are very good . But not this stinker. Not even the soundtrack helps it, mostly because the movie resorts to ridiculous scary classical music rather than the "kick-ass metal" some reported. Only a few times did I hear any metal; mostly it was tortured violins. Avoid it like garlic and crucifixes.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen already fantastic stories, but the premises of this one are so unbelievable that it comes very close to being ridiculous. A rich and young guy undergoes a heart transplant the day after his marriage, and he is somehow witnessing his own surgery and the plot of his surgeons to kill him. Even if there is a medical explanation to such a phenomenon what next happens is a mixture of dialog among ... say ... souls? ... maybe and real life where the dedicated mother will do everything to save the life of her son. There is no shade of suspense or thrill, just a combination of a bad and simplistic plot with a series of coincidences that can never happen in life.This is not to say that the film is completely lacking quality - actually first time director Joby Harold does a decent job in directing a good team of actors that includes Hayden Christensen at his first major role after having taken off the Anakin Skywalker costume, fabulous Jessica Alba and super-gifted Lena Olin. All would have deserved a better story.$LABEL$ 0 +That's pretty ridiculous, I hope many people are exposed to Muslims who live all over the U.S, U.k, and all over the world. The religion has over a billion followers. I Myself born and bread in America and through my religious classes and teachings I have been taught to cherish my country and work to contribute to the society. I am very dedicated to the followings and teachings of my religion have been stressed through out life to educate and prepare oneself for success through education in order to contribute back to the world. I have know many Muslims from all over and I have traveled to countries like Pakistan..I have yet to meet one person who believes that we should hurt anyone or not accept any other religion except from the people in the media...I wonder why... Also its sad that these extremists are the ones the media use to represent a whole religion. Its a religion of one billion people, and these are less than one percent, I am sure the other people of other religions would not like to be represented by the KKK, IRA and many more which are simple small percentage extremists who use outdated and not literal passages from the respected books in order to pursue their own revenge, personal, or business matters through their so called religion$LABEL$ 0 +Despite a small handful of nicely executed scenes, this entry (the fourth) feels tired. Toshiharu Ikeda, who directed the superb MERMAID LEGEND and the seminal Japanese splatter film, EVIL DEAD TRAP, shows little enthusiasm for the stale premise.A miscreant becomes obsessed with an outwardly conservative woman who reluctantly appeared in a porno photo shoot. Predictable stalking, harassing, assault and rape ensues.The staple of roman porno is sex. And sex mixed with violence. Both potentially exciting subjects, to be sure, but not when so little effort is made to make them fresh. A masturbation scene in which a woman forces pencils up her opening (via condom) is too little kink to late.The series' rain motif continues and the film's final scene brings relief.$LABEL$ 0 +(This review is based on the English language version)Orson Welles' legendary unfinished epic was just that - unfinished. It should have been left as such, not thrown together in this clumsy, boring compilation of whatever material was available.While I'm sure it was done with the best of intentions, the filmmakers have not only failed to do justice to Welles' vision, they've also managed to discredit it by inflicting this version upon audiences.The first thing that strikes the viewer is the amateurish quality of the audio. Not only are the newly dubbed voices rather poor performances, they're also inconsistent - Welles' original recordings (using his own voice, as he often did) have been retained in a handful of scenes, & they don't match at all. There hasn't been the slightest attempt at consistency. Add to that an extremely empty sound mix which has only a bare minimum of sound effects & atmos - a long sequence during a huge festival (including the running of the bulls) sounds like it was recorded in a deserted suburban street with about three people making the sound of a crowd that's meant to be in the thousands.However, the real problem is the unavoidable fact that 'Don Quixote' was incomplete, & it's glaringly obvious from watching this. The film consists of a handful of scenes strung together & dragged out to ridiculous lengths just to make up the running time. Case in point - the sequence where Sancho searches for Don Quixote in the city goes on forever. It's just Sancho approaching people in the crowd, asking them the same questions over & over again - there is no way that Welles could ever have intended using every single take in its entirety, but that's what appears here. It lasts over twelve minutes, when, in fact, it would most likely have lasted about two minutes absolute maximum in a proper finished version of the film. While the start of the film is relatively complete & rather well done, the rest has massive holes which simply can't be filled with endless overlay of Spanish countryside & still more shots of Don Quixote & Sancho going back & forth. There's also no ending. No resolution, no conclusion, no punchline, no point.Although there is material in private collections that was unavailable to the filmmakers, that couldn't possibly account for what would be required to make this into a complete, coherent work. Welles simply didn't complete shooting, largely due to the fact that his lead actor died before they could finish.However, putting aside the fact that it wasn't complete, & never could be, one would think that just seeing a collection of footage from this masterpiece that might have been would be enough. Unfortunately, by putting it all together in such a slipshod manner, one is left with a very negative impression of the film overall. In particular, what was clearly a terrific performance from Akim Tamiroff as Sancho is utterly ruined with the new voice & with long, drawn out scenes that eventually cause him to be simply irritating.Orson Welles' vision for this film was something far more ambitious & complex than a simple retelling of the story of Don Quixote, but that's what has been attempted here, & as such, the point is lost. The only person who could have assembled all the material into anything worthwhile would have been Welles himself, & he didn't.The footage could have been put to far better use in a documentary chronicling the whole saga of Welles trying to make the film. Welles himself even came up with the perfect title for such a doco: "When Are You Going To Finish Don Quixote?"$LABEL$ 0 +Saw the move while in Paris in May 2006 ... I was debating between that and mission impossible...I am very glad I choose OSS 117 not only because it was funny but might as well watch a FRench movie while in France. I had a great time... would recommend it. It is important to have some understanding the French society of Today to really enjoy the humor of this movie ... cannot wait for the DVD to come out... I don't know how some of the 'jeu De mots' 'puns' would be translated in English I 'll certainly buy it when it is out! P.S. I saw on 'BRice de Nice' which is a movie starring Dujardin that all kids were talking about in France. this movie is a comedy but sillier than one can imagine...in comparing both movies I have to say that Dujardin did a good job in OSS 117.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this recently on a cable channel. The movie is great; it's one of the few musicals I have seen that doesn't shy away from the light and dark. It portrays some of the splendour of the age along with a lot of the squalor. Some of the set piece dance sequences so much is going on, I didn't know where to look next. One day I shall go and see this on the big screen, just so that I see what's happening. But what really lifts this to another level is Oliver Reed's performance as Bill Sykes. Not only is a thoroughly mean and menacing man but there is something else, some inner demons. He gave me the impression that if you pushed him into a corner, he was capable of anything. It was almost as if the Sykes character was on the edge of madness, just awaiting the trigger. I have seen the Robert Newton's Bill Sykes from the 1948 movie, and I thought he was 'just' a bad egg, but Oliver Reed's performance intimidated me in my own living room.$LABEL$ 1 +LCDR Tom Dodge, despite having a reputation among submariners as a renegade and maverick (*note to reader: Maverick does not mean "Tom Cruise". Maverick means "non-conformist".), is actually an intelligence operative for the Vice Admiral of his submarine fleet. The Vice-Admiral is concerned about our old friends the Russians hosting yard sales with their old diesel fleets. Countries like Lybia, North Korea or Iraq would love to get their hands on this baby and slip a nuclear warhead into Norfolk Harbour or Mayport, Florida. And this was 6-7 years before 9/11.The Admiral assigns Dodge to assume command of a moth-balled WWII diesel sub and mount an exercise against the surface fleet and the USS ORLANDO, a top of the line fast attack sub. Dodge takes command and in no time whips up the bad news bears.. err I mean his lovable group of oddball submariners into warriors. Despite having "welcome aboard" tattooed on his penis, he is a competent and fair commander, he does not choose favorites and he delegates authority in a responsible manner. The US NAVY could not have come up with a finer piece of recruitment propaganda than this handsomely made under-appreciated gem from the creator of "Police Academy".$LABEL$ 1 +What an awful adaptation. The worst part was the music. Saxophone muzak and synthesizers playing in a story set in the early 1800's?????? The only character that didn't bore me to sleep was Robert Hardy. I had to fight to keep my eyes open on this one, and I love Jane Austen movies usually. I didn't even rent it, I borrowed it from the library. They should have paid me to take it. I don't quite understand how Catherine and Henry managed a passionate kiss at the end when throughout the movie they had no chemistry or indication whatsoever that they cared for one another. Isabella and her brother were way overdone; it was no secret to me immediately that she and her brother were the "bad guys" and part of the excitement of Jane Austen movies is the discovery that who you think is good, isn't. This is probably on my list of the ten worst movies I've seen.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie with its single set, minimal cast, and straightforward photography (except for a couple of brief special effects) reminds me of one of those old 60 minute playhouse dramas so popular during TV's early years. Nonetheless, the suspense hangs heavy over poor war widow Ida Lupino as she tries to deal with her semi-psychotic handyman Robert Ryan before one of his mood-swings kills her. And who better to play the troubled part than that great actor Ryan. He wasn't very versatile-- watching him essay comedy is almost painful. But no one was better at wounded idealism (On Dangerous Ground) or the psychic pain of this movie. Few actors could express as much with their eyes as this lean and towering figure.Lupino's problem is that she's locked up in her house with a man who is kind and gentle one moment and raging the next. The suspense comes from her various ploys to keep him happy while trying to escape. It's a nail-biter all the way. This is not one of Lupino's many fine "soulful" parts that she was so good at. Instead, it's a role many lesser actresses could have handled well enough. My favorite scene is with Ryan and bratty teenager Margaret Whiting. Ryan's already having difficulty with his masculinity and what others are saying about him. Then when Whiting walks in and finds the attractive-looking Ryan scrubbing the floor, she starts getting coy, flirting with her budding sexuality. Sensing trouble, Ryan abruptly fends her off-- finesse is not his strong suit. Insulted, Whiting attacks his masculinity by calling his work "women's work". That does it. Up to that point he's been courteous and professional with Lupino, trying to set himself on a normal path. But Whiting has hit his raw nerve. Now there's heck to pay as Whiting bounces out the door, leaving Lupino to pay the price. It's a riveting scene, expertly done.Anyway, this is one of the dozen or so films produced by Lupino and her husband at a time when audiences were moving away from these little black-and-whites in favor of wide-screen spectacles. Too bad. What a hugely talented figure she was both behind the camera and in front. She deserves at least an honorary Oscar from a movie industry to which she contributed so much.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie suffers from the fact that for years Hollywood had no clue as to how to package Jackie Chan for the masses. His low-budget Hong Kong movies were all fast-paced kinetic thrillers that highlight his amazing gymnastic skills and talent for light comedy. His early Hollywood films stuck him in the same movies that were being packaged for Stallone or Chuck Norris. There is nothing about Chan's character in this movie that requires the character to be Asian except for his being the star. In his Hong Kong films Chan is never dull, with the movies being one rapid-fire martial arts sequence after another, but "The Protector" is lifeless throughout. Danny Aiello isn't given much to work with either and the lacking chemistry between the two probably is more a result of the script and direction than how the two actors got on together. Both have been better in worse movies. The best thing about the movie is the Hong Kong settings. The worst part is the appalling way that Jackie Chan comes off so colorless and drab. It wouldn't be until the made-in-Canada "Rumble in the Bronx" that the west would finally figure out how to make a good Jackie Chan movie.$LABEL$ 0 +The premise sucked me in, but it was clear about 30 seconds in that this was either David Lynch or something seriously terrible. Interesting to watch just to run through the fundamentalist laundry list. I can be a sucker for a stirring spiritual piece (Romero comes to mind), but there was nothing spiritual whatsoever about this one. The message seems to be that we must all pretend we have an iq of 80 (or simply get a lobotomy - Jennifer what happened to ya?) and blindly follow the Bible without any sort of self-examination whatsoever or we'll trigger the second coming. It's the kind of attitude that makes people fly jumbo jets into 110 story buildings (I work around the corner from the site of the former WTC). I like to think that God is a little greater than that.$LABEL$ 0 +There was some good build up of suspense throughout. The cinematography was surprisingly good considering such minimal budget. We witness occasional spells of good acting, however, this is quickly deflated by some quite cheesy lines. Understandably there would not be much of an intellectual conversation to be had, sitting up on trees while a crocodile is stalking you. Silence would have been golden here. There could have been a bigger play on suspense than dimly uttering, "I sat in the cupboard for fear of my brother..." Something tells me there's a slight difference in getting a beating from your brother than being eaten by a mighty 15ft croc. You decide. Throughout the film I can't seem to find a connection or for that matter, sympathy with the characters, perhaps thats because they don't develop one throughout the film, character that is. There are some occasional good scares when the crocodile sneaks up on the characters, overshadowed again by some questionable scenes. In one instance we should be terrified by an ear floating in the water but later we sit beside a decapitated, limbless corpse and only worry about a broken finger. A definite roller coaster of a film when it comes to logic.$LABEL$ 0 +Super Troopers was an instant classic. Club Dread, while disappointing to many, had its moments. Puddle Cruisers has fewer moments. I saw this movie on the shelf of my local video store and saw at the bottom that it was made by the Broken Lizard group who made Super Troopers, so naturally I picked it up. I only found one scene to be laugh out loud funny. A far cry from Super Troopers. All in all, I was very disappointed. I would not recommend this to anyone, unless you have an abundance of free time, and really need to kill some time. However, you're better off playing video games, or watching something that might make you laugh or think.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, this review may contain spoilers, but you'll thank me for it. This is the worst film I've seen in quite some time. I came to this board expecting to see the same response I had, but inexplicably, there are several people who love this film and Spacey's performance in particular.Some will chastise me for saying it, but I find Kevin Spacey's acting quite limited despite the world's admiration for him. I felt like I was watching a meaner version of Kevin's "American Beauty" role. His character in this film is ridiculously overacted, all the way down to his laughable insults he throws at his assistant.There are all-world trite and boring scenes like when Spacey is tearing into Whaley about bringing him Equal instead of Sweat and Low. Somehow, I suspected this particular scene was supposed to be funny, but by this time I was ready to hit the stop button (this is approximately 20 minutes into the film).What about the faux-homage to "Resevoir Dogs"? Whaley proclaims, "I think I saw this in a movie once," as if he's going to cut off Spacey's ear. But what does he use to cut him? An envelope! That's right, he's going to give him paper cuts! That has to be one of Hollywood's all-time worst scenes, and the fact that the actors and director tried to carry it out with a straight face makes it even more appalling.I will admit that I didn't see the end of this film (my DVD mercifully locked up about a half hour before the end), but anyone who wishes to say so could spare me the line that I missed a great twist and everything would have made sense. Well, I don't care what happened in the end, because it could never make up for all that bad acting and relentlessly over-the-top dialogue. I even got the feeling that the actors themselves wanted to get out of this film as bad as I did.$LABEL$ 0 +Ordinarily, Anthony Mann made westerns with 'the big guys' - James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda . . . the A list cowboy stars. But in this B+ film, he tackled something notably different and had quite a bit of success with what turned out to be a truly one of a kind western. The main character, played by Victor Mature, is a trapper/ mountain man, and ordinarily they are romanticized in films - Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson, that sort of thing, where the hero is not in fact a typical mountain man but a clean cut heroic figure who hangs out with real mountain men. Not here. For once, a true mountain man - vulgar, crude, animalistic - is the central figure, and it's something to see, giving Mature one of his better later roles. The real acting chops are provided by Robert Preston, excellent as a self-absorbed Custer type cavalry commander, and James Whitmore, the poor man's Spencer Tracy, as another of those old timers who feel themselves trapped between ever more hostile Indians on the one side and the oncoming force of civilization on the other. Even more impressive is a very young Anne Bancroft as the officer's wife, who is initially repulsed by the very sight of Mature's grisly character, then finds her own veneer of civilization slipping away as she begins to realize, to her own shock, that she's attracted to him. Rarely if ever has a remote frontier fort been so accurately realized on screen, without the romantic allure that John Ford gave such a place in his masterful Fort Apache. The battle sequences are big scale and notably violent, and particularly impressive if you seen them in widescreen format. Good show, and underrated movie, all around.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie's storyline is pat and quaint. Two women travel through the middle east and discover themselves. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a movie about the middle east and central Asia this is absolutely terrible.The producers of the film either did no research or were unbelievably lazy when filming it. To begin with, and most glaringly incorrect, the Nuristanis, as they were known in the thirties, and indeed since the 1890s and their forceful conversion by Abdul-Rahman Shah of Aghnaistan, were not nomads. In fact they have not been nomads since the Aryan invasions of central Asia over three milenia ago.Second, the city that is filmed as Tehran is not Tehran, which is understandable, however the geography of the area around the city could not be more strikingly DIFFERENT than the city of Tehran, which is surrounded on all side by a large mountain range, which predominates all of the cities views.Third, Persian, despite the fact it is spoken in Iran and Afghanistan, is never heard in movie. When there are native speakers who do not speak in German they speak in Arabic. The 'Persian' guards at the border, in fact, say to each other 'Ma hadha rujal' (This is not a man) and not 'in mard nist' as it would be in Persian. Also, the love song between the Indian princess and one of the main characters is obviously in Spanish. While talking in the garden one of the main characters says that the Quran uses the words 'Ferdos' and 'jehaan' and makes some reference to drugs afterwords. These words certainly never appear in the Quran as they are Persian for Paradise (indeed, Ferdos and Paradise are very distant cognates between our languages) and 'World' respectively, though Jehaan is admittedly close to 'Jehennan' which is hell in Arabic. When they encounter the nomads in the desert the language spoken is also Arabic, this despite the fact that there are NO native speakers of Arabic in Iran and Afghanistan and its use is primarily religious, with some use in education at that time.When they are stopped in Iran before they reach the Afghan border the people they encounter are wholly unlike any Iranian group. Their tents are typically bedouin with carpets decorating the walls and a high profile. In Iran it is also extremely uncommon for people to wear Turbans unless they are a cleric. The language spoken is clearly Arabic from the initial greeting of 'Ahlan wa Sahlan.' When they do reach Kabul the desert they find themselves in is sandy, totally unlike the rock dirt that is found in the arid parts of the Hindu Kush mountain range. There is an absence of the light green scrub that covers the ground in the summer and spring. The area is also not wholly consumed by the extreme mountains of the mountain range that won its name, The Indian Killers, because of its difficult and limiting ground.In short, the story line is the only thing in this movie that holds any water and it is still weak and common place. It lacks any real draw to it, being merely the tale of two women trying to learning about themselves as they get to Nuristan, however, even that is still-born and no real development is felt, leaving the characters in the end just where they were in the beginning and nothing has changed except that world war two has broken loose. In short, this is a really bad movie that I would have rated at one star except for the good footage of Bedouin and the deserts of the Levant, even if they are misnamed.$LABEL$ 0 +The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance - what a laughable title, it's so utterly misleading. It's not surprising that the film-makers try and mislead us though because this is one terrible movie.The story basically involves a murder mystery in a castle on a remote island.Very little happens in this film. And when something does wake the viewer from his stupor, it invariably is unintentional comedy in the form of atrocious dialogue delivered by a hopeless group of voice-artists. These guys are so bad they make the actors they deliver voices for appear like a group of remedial-level morons. It really is hard to determine how bad the acting is when you have dubbing this abysmal. But the voice-artists cannot be blamed for the script. It's a travesty. Unintentionally funny at best, pathetic at worst. The story in general is, to say the least, uneven. The women characters are particularly idiotic; the men are either creepy or tedious.The whole enterprise smacks of pure exploitation of the audience. It doesn't remotely deliver what it promises and even when the murders (finally) start happening, they all occur off screen. All we get is a few half-hearted severed head shots.A few people have said that this movie is a giallo. I cannot agree less with this opinion. Anyone who enjoys Italian thrillers should give this movie a wide berth as there is nothing remotely thrilling about it. It's basically a soft-core porn film with a horror angle. But it's not very erotic either.I can't recommend this to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +I thoroughly enjoyed this film, which in many ways, as Hitchcock did on several occasions, was a first attempt at a plot which he re-shot later in his career. Possibly the most amazing thing about it, however, is how faceless the lead characters are. After watching, one remembers Murray Alper as the jovial truck driver, Vaughan Glaser's touching turn as a blind "patriot", the unforgettable traveling Freak Show and of course Otto Kruger as the suave and sophisticated villain, all of whom completely overshadow Bob Cummings as the rather wooden fugitive (compare that bridge jump to Harrison Ford's similar stunt in Andrew Davis' "The Fugitive") and Priscilla Lane whose change of heart and subsequent love towards Cummings is never quite believable.The other major support player is, of course, Hitchcock himself who bookends the film with 2 extraordinary stunts. Many people criticise the older films for their lack of realistic special effects. My feelings are that with lack of technology, to even attempt and convey what the director wants to show is an amazing achievement.Obviously this film carries an anti-fascist message, made at the time of the Second World War, but being a Hitchcock it is never the most important thing and the emphasis is always on the action. Well worth checking out, especially for the support roles.$LABEL$ 1 +Man, I really wanted to like these shows. I am starving for some good television and I applaud TNT for providing these "opportunites". But, sadly, I am in the minority I guess when it comes to the Cinematic Stephen King. As brilliant as King's writing is, the irony is that it simply doesn't translate well to the screen, big or small. With few exceptions (very few), the King experience cannot be filmed with the same impact that the stories have when read. Many people would disagree with this, but I'm sure that in their heart of hearts they have to admit that the best filmed King story is but a pale memory of the one they read. The reason is simple. The average King story takes place in the mind-scape of the characters in the story. He gives us glimpses of their inner thoughts, their emotions and their sometimes fractured or unreal points of view. In short, King takes the reader places where you can't put a Panavision camera. As an audience watching the filmed King, we're left with less than half the information than the reader has access to. It's not too far a stretch to claim that One becomes a character in a King story they read, whereas One is limited to petty voyeurism of that same character when filmed. For as long as King writes, Hollywood will try shooting everything that comes out of his word processor, without any regard to whether or not they should. I don't blame the filmmakers for trying, but it takes an incredible amount of talent and circumspection to pull off the elusive Stephen King adaptation that works. The task is akin to turning lead into gold, or some arcane Zen mastery. Oh well, better luck next time.$LABEL$ 0 +On the way back from IMC6 (San Jose, California), all five (mind you, three of us hardcore Kamal fans) of us had reached a unanimous verdict; VV was solid crap and thanks to the movie we were going to have a pretty screwed up Monday. Not to mention, we swore to stay off the theatres for the next year.I won't blame Kamal here because he sort of dropped a hint in a recent interview with cartoonist Madan (on Vijay TV). He said something like, "Tamizh Cinema'la Photography, Editing'la namba munnera'na maadri Screenplay, Direction, Acting'la innum namba munnera'la" (Tamil Cinema has grown in terms of Photography and Editing, but we have hardly improved, when it comes to Screenplay, Direction and Acting"). While you're watching VV, those words ring very true.Now, here are the 10 Reasons to hate this movie:1. Harris Jeyaraj2. Harris Jeyaraj3. Harris Jeyaraj I'm barely holding myself from using expletives here, but fact is HJ has mastered the fine knack of screwing up every recent movie of his (remember 'Anniyan', 'Ghajini') with the jarring cacophony, he bills as background music. The next time I have an eardrum transplant, he's paying for it. 4. Songs Neither do the songs help move the movie's narration spatially/temporally nor do they make you sit up and take notice. The film feels like it's made of four VERY long songs with a few scenes thrown in between them.5. A Short gone too far. VV at best is fit to be a short story, not a 2 hour plus "thriller". To use a cliché here, like the Energizer bunny it goes on and on and on; only in this case you don't want it to. The later part of a movie feels like a big drag.6. Kamal-Jothika pairing Two ice cubes rubbed together could've produced more sparks than this lead pairing. There's no reason you would root for them to make it together. In fact every time they get together in the second half of the movie, they make a good irritant to the narration. Hate to say this, but Kamalini Mukerjhee's 10 minute romancing does more than what Kamal and Jothika achieve in this movie plus 'Thenali'.7. Kamal Haasan's accent Kamal has this pretentious accent that nobody speaks either in India or in the US; and it isn't new either. He's been doing it since 'Thoongadae Thambi Thoongadae'. It's simply gets on the nerve. Imagine what havoc it can cause when his flair for using this strange accent meets shooting on location in the US. He doesn't leave it at the Immigration either, he offers doses of advice to his men (bewildered TN Cops from Keeranor, Sathoor and beyond) in chaste Kamanglish ("Wha we hav here is plain bad police wok"), of course with nauseating effect.8. Logic There are a few directors whom you expect to stand up to a certain scale. Gautam fails us badly with some crappy performance in the Department of common sense. Which D.C.P in his senses would meet his love interest on the streets to discuss such matters as committing himself and life after! The scene inside the theatre was so bad, towards the climax; we could hear people behind us loudly challenge the Hero's IQ. "Is he stupid, can't he just use his Siren or Lights?" (On a busy Madras road, Kamal-the-cop-on-a-police-Jeep chases a guy on a bike just like any ordinary dude!). "Can't he just use his gun?" ("The guy on a bike" starts on foot and we have a fully geared Kamal in hot pursuit for a considerable amount of time). I'm not voting in favour of the later, but I'm just trying to explain the mood inside.9. Gore & Violence If I wanted to watch women being raped, their throats getting slashed, more women getting raped and thrown into the bushes with excruciating authenticity, I would sit at home and rather watch a "Police Report" or "Kuttram". The use of excessive violence should go in a way to extend the story, not overwhelm it! Somewhere down the line Gautum seems confused about what the extensions (rapes, murders) are and what the mainstay (story) is!10. Even a double shot Espresso couldn't get the pain out of the head.$LABEL$ 0 +i completely agree with jamrom4.. this was the single most horrible movie i have ever seen.. holy crap it was terrible.. i was warned not to see it..and foolishly i watched it anyway.. about 10 minutes into the painful experience i completely gave up on watching the atrocity..but sat through until the end..just to see if i could.. well i did and now i wish i had not..it was disgusting..nothing happened and the ending was all preachy..no movie that bad has the right to survive..i implore all of you to spare yourself the terror of fatty drives the bus..if only i had heeded the same warning..please save yourself from this movie..i have a feeling those who rated it highly were involved in the making of the movie..and should all be wiped off the face of the planet..$LABEL$ 0 +JESSICA: A GHOST STORY is as the name implies a ghost story. The theme is meant to be horror but comes across closer to comedy!A woman comes who was brutally murdered comes back from the dead. This constitutes what this movie attempts to pass off as a plot. There is really nothing more to it. The movie comprises of a series of loosely connected scenes involving a guy who had an affair with this woman prior to her death.Immediately from the opening scenes, this movie has the appearance of a "straight-to-DVD" effort. Unlike gems such as VACANCY 2, the movie has no sense of direction or creativity and certainly gives "straight-to-DVD" movies a bad name! The direction is as poor as can be with a complete lack of suspense, scares or tension. Even the drama elements are hopelessly handled and represent something more boring than even the worst soap opera you may have had the misfortune of enduring.The acting across the board is absolutely abysmal with no one actor involved managing to show even the slightest potential of a successful acting career.Many of the individual scenes are incredibly long, with very long pauses between dialogue exchanges. I'm not exaggerating!The only reason I give this movie a rating of 2 rather than 1 is because some of the poor acting combined with even worse dialogue made for a few unintentional laughs. I stress the word "few" in that sentence. This is not overall one of the "so-bad-it's-good" movies like CAMP BLOOD or THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE. If you want to laugh hysterically, watch those movies. If you want to see a proper horror movie about ghosts watch THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, THE CHANGELING, RINGU, THE EYE (original Korean version), THE GRUDGE, ONE MISSED CALL or PHONE.I advise anyone who has had the good fortune of avoiding seeing JESSICA: A GHOST STORY to keep up the good work! Just forget this movie exists. Don't spare a thought for it!$LABEL$ 0 +I found the documentary entitled Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control to be a fairly interesting documentary. The documentary contained four "mini" documentaries about four interesting men. Each one of these men was extremely involved with his job, showing sheer love and enjoyment for one's job.The sad part, I must say, would have to be the subjects in which these individuals worked/studied. They were interesting for about five minutes, afterwards becoming boring and lasting entirely too long.The video was filmed in a very creative way though. I very much enjoyed the film of one thing with a voice dub over another. It played out excellent and also coincided nicely with the music.$LABEL$ 0 +I got encouraged to watch this film because I've heard good word of it: it was supposed to be this thrilling true crime milestone, disturbing, shocking... all that jazz. Well, I am disturbed because I spent money on it, and I am shocked that something so God-awful actually got released. That's about it.This is a supposed "new look" at Charles Manson's family of insane loser junkies and their murders. But if this is a "new look" then it's probably "new" as in "fresh and totally inept": just watching it gave me a headache and I had to give up trying to make any sense of it or even understand just what the director intended it to be.I suppose I should say something about the plot but fact is, it was so stupid and incoherent that I barely remember if there even WAS a plot at all. There was something about a "Manson tape" delivered to a radio DJ (or a TV producer?), then an hour of pointless random footage of "the family" in '69, then the Polanski murders (looking like a bad school play) and finally some idiotic part about a bunch of skinheads getting drunk and beating the hell out of one another in an alley (I kid you not), and then it ended (thank God) (Don't ask me to make any sense of that, I'm just recalling what I saw!) The performances were terrible, too. And how difficult is it to make a convincing "Manson"? Get a short skinny scrawny bloke, put a dirty wig and a shaggy beard on him. There's your Manson. But this "Manson" doesn't even look right. He just looks like, uh, a bloke in a cheap wig and a glued on Santa beard painted black.Or maybe that's what this film is actually about: Manson's family didn't make any sense, so this film doesn't make any sense, either. It's symbolic! (Yeah, right) I'm still so angry at spending money on this I stopped my normal lurking on this site and registered just to vote 1 for this film and post this warning that will hopefully prevent others from spending their money on this garbage. Stay away from it, it's not even worth renting.PS. The recent US TV production "Helter Skelter" got bad reviews here but I saw it last month (I saw the 1976 original too) and let me tell you, compared to "Manson Family", that new Helter Skelter is BRILLIANT and FLAWLESS. And I was disappointed in it! That's how bad "Manson Family" is: it makes a flawed and mostly disappointing TV movie look perfect.$LABEL$ 0 +Just two comments....SEVEN years apart? Hardly evidence of the film's relentless pulling-power! As has been mentioned, the low-budget telemovie status of 13 GANTRY ROW is a mitigating factor in its limited appeal. Having said that however the thing is not without merit - either as entertainment or as a fright outing per se.True, the plot at its most basic is a re-working of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR - only without much horror. More a case of intrigue! Gibney might have made a more worthwhile impression if she had played Halifax -investigating a couple of seemingly unconnected murders with the "house" as the main suspect. The script is better than average and the production overall of a high standard. It just fails to engage the viewer particularly at key moments.Having picked the DVD up for a mere $3.95 last week at my regular video store, I cannot begrudge the expenditure. $10.95 would be an acceptable price for the film. Just don't expect fireworks!$LABEL$ 1 +This Filmfour funded Sci-Fi movie is most definitely a must see. While it takes huge influence from The Manchurian Candidate and offers nothing new or original plot wise; it's handled with the utmost skill that it comes off as being fresh and inventive, despite it being basically a re-run of an earlier film. It's good to know that films like this are still being made (even if they aren't getting wide releases), and Cypher is refreshing for that reason. The plot twists and turns, which gives it an element of paranoia and also serves in keeping the audience on the edge of their seat while trying to figure out the meaning of Cypher's mystery. The plot follows Morgan Sullivan; a bored suburban man that decides to take a job with Digicorp that involves him listening to speeches from several rival companies and recording them for reasons, to him, unknown. However, his job is interrupted when he meets a mysterious young lady known as Rita...This film features a number of stark white backgrounds that give it a very surreal edge and blend well with it's apocalyptic imaging of the future. This gives the film a very odd look that sets it apart from the majority of other films of the same type, with it's only real close affiliate being Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. The plot is also very efficient and ditches character development in favour of the more stylish - and more thrilling - plot developing. You never quite know where you are with the plot, which serves in making it all the more intriguing. The acting is largely good with a largely unknown cast backing up the team of stars; Jeremy Northam and Lucy Lui. Northam very much looks the part of the quiet and disheartened man at the centre of the tale, and does well with his role. Lucy Lui is an actress that has a resume that doesn't quite fit her talent, but she has a look about her that just fits this movie.Cypher is far from perfect as some of the sequences are illogical and at times it can be inconsistent; but on the whole, if you want an inventive recent Sci-Fi film; Cypher is the way to go.$LABEL$ 1 +Any one who has seen Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and was bothered by the gory violence would want to see this film instead. Though it wasn't a success in th box office or TV ratings, The Fox Movie Channel still finds a real good motive to show this anually. I liked the way that they trained Chris Sarandon and the men who portrayed his disciples to sing in Hebrew.Though Sarandon didn't have long hair like any other Jesus would in other films, his looks are pretty close to what a Jewish man would appear. What surprised me or startled me was the scene where Caiaphas told Jesus about Pilate "And don't ever forget, that you are a Jew!" Though that may have not been a racist remark,Colin Blakely was trying to make Chris Sarandon look like garbage in the eyes of the prominent men of those days.Keith Michell's portrayal of Pilate was hulking, comparing with his previous performances in "The Story of Jacob and Joseph" and "The Story of David". But if you compare his portrayal of Pilate with Telly Savala's or Hurd Hatfield, you can say that he really painted well the impression of a Roman procurator.$LABEL$ 1 +When I was young, I was a big fan of the Naked Gun movies but just recently I watched the show Police Sqaud! and I think its great! Leslie Nielson's awesome, Alan North is cool, and who the heck is Rex Hamilton? But anyways, it's one goofy show.One of my favorite parts of this show when they do the freeze frame scene during the end credits. I think my favorite one is when Norberg (not O.J.) walks in during the scene and he tries to fit in with the freeze frame. Classic!The only problem to me is the cigarette gag gets very old (when Drebin shows a cigarette to someone and asks, "Cigarette?" and the person replies, "Yes. I know.") I think they used it too many times by whatever.Good acting, good gags, great show!7/10$LABEL$ 1 +within about 5 minutes in to the film the first fight scene i was watching i just could help but pointout the lack of tension in the scene the cameras crossing back and forth really shows he had no idea what he was doing, well actually the soundtrack shows that the best. i no its a low budget film and your not going to get top 40 songs but at least get music that goes with the scene that isn't actually that hard acting, well if i saw any i would gladly let you know. the script was so badly written would now surprise me one bit of the guy directing wrote this piece of beep, i will give the person one 10/10 and that was for the DVD cover because if i actually saw "before watching this" in a shop and it was like 10 15 bucks i would have bought it, why well if you look at the front cover this actually well done you flip over to the back and you see that it has actually won awards. now that is a very misleading thing because even in a small film festival i wouldn't ever believe in my life that this would win anything all i can say is "wow if this was the best i wouldn't want to know what the crap in the film festival was like"films that are this bad only have one good use and that is for a aspiring film maker to use as inspiration films like this are better tools then good films, because with good film you almost know off the bat there is a good chance you wont make a film that good, but if you use a film like this you can look at all the things they director or writer did wrong so you wont make the same mistakes, and you have the added plus of looking at this film and saying if a piece of beep like this can get made then there is hope of anyone out there$LABEL$ 0 +I must say that I really had no idea that I was going to sit down and watch this movie. I guess it was the fact that I had nothing better to do between class. But, for once a TV movie caught my interest. More importantly Helen Hunt caught my eye. I really wasn't a big fan of hers prior to this film. Sure I liked Twister and As Good As It Gets. But, something about this movie really did it for me. I would now see myself as a huge fan. This movie comes with high marks from...me. Give it a chance, it won't let you down.$LABEL$ 1 +My mother worked with Dennis L. Raider for eleven years, not to mention shared an office with him. When it was announced he was BTK, she was shocked. The whole day was just her telling stories about how she never would have seen him as the Wichita Killer. I've heard her re-tell them many times. I've inquired her about a lot of things, and gone to all the interviews that she was asked to go to. I've read the entire book written about Raider, Wichita is my hometown and I was surprised that such a thing could happen in Kansas.There was another BTK movie on TV not too long ago, and I thought this one would have been better at portraying Dennis' killings, maybe even have some intelligent touches to his motives.I'm going to be very blunt with the flaws in this movie. This is based on my mom's portrayal of him, all my readings on him, and the video tapes I've seen of him talking.First of all, the camera angles were horrible. It looked as though it had been shot on a home video camera. The acting was terrible and I couldn't even bear to watch it.Dennis Raider never had long hair. Dennis Raider was a "very anal man" and was a "follow the rule book" kind of guy. He wasn't as nice as the movie made him look, he was very polite and abrupt, business like. Same goes for his killings, as far as we all know. If you've seen his confession in court, you can already guess.And as for the obsession with the slaughter house? No. Never have I read or has Dennis Raider confessed to having a problem with animal cruelty or people squishing bugs. In fact, he practiced on cats and dogs for choking methods. Yet through-out the whole movie he was putting animals in his victim's faces and acting like he cared about the well-being of them.Dennis Raider never killed the people that he knew, he confessed this, but in the movie in his first killing he tells the lady he knows her also.I really don't even want to go in to this movie, and I'm already ranting. This is NOT what you want to watch if you are interested in the actual happenings of BTK. This is NOT what you want to watch if you want a good horror movie. If you want a badly shot half-porno with some slaughter scenes served the side, then this is your kind of movie.$LABEL$ 0 +If you thought that the original from 83 was bad then try out this modern day masterpiece. How could it be worse more you ask? Well...at least in the first one you had Ally Sheedy jogging in a sports bra. Other than updated graphics, modern day themes (such as terrorists), modern weapons and a sexy new voice for Ripley unfortunately this is the same sad tired story. Anyone that saw the first one could see exactly where the next scene / line in the story was going. And for anyone that didn't see the first one...well consider yourself lucky that you only watched it once. Maybe in another 23 years Hollywood will try again.$LABEL$ 0 +Haunted Boat sells itself as 'The Fog' meets 'Open Water'. In many ways this is accurate. There are scares and weird looking people to keep you interested.However the acting ability is poor at best. Showing clear signs that this is merely a bunch of friends making a horror film. Which in all credit they do to the best of their ability. When you accept the low budget makes it very difficult for special effects, with the ghosts looking pretty much like men with rubber masks on.Many aspects of the film are creepy and strange. But it suffers for using too many twists and turns in a short space of time which just leaves you bored and confused. In terms of keeping you awake the film does it very well. Ignoring the irrelevant twisting every 5 seconds near the end, you actually want to know what is going on. And are willing to wait the 1hr 35 minutes for the climax.This is no Ghost Ship but it'll definitely do for an evening in front of the T.V.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this type of "soft core" before, but I can honestly say, I wasn't expecting this to be in the same type as "Rod Steele: You Only Live Until You Die"--which was both sexy AND funny. It had a good script, a sincere leading man, and a sense of purpose. It also has Gabriella Hall who is hot. The reason why I didn't expect this movie, was because the box was missing the "Must be 18 to Rent" Sticker. I was looking for more "cheese" and less "cheesecake."First of all, I think movies shouldn't be allowed to start with "actors" rehearsing for a part at a talent agency (or wherever "actors" rehearse). In this movies seeing the "actors" rehearsing highlights the lack of preparation that went into acting out the real characters in the movie.Okay, having found out that this WAS a soft core movie, I didn't necessarily turn it off and demand my money back. But, the dizzying way the extended video "erotic" scenes are added to what was probably a late night pay-cable release are very annoying and easy to fast-forward through without the sustained quality of, say, Rod Steele. You know they must've had some money, because I think some of it is filmed overseas.I will have to say the main actor trying NOT to spill the invisibility potion on himself is one of the most baffling acting jobs I've ever seen. And, I've seen Torgo from Manos! It may actually have been worth the dollar rental fee (that and Gabriella Hall). Still, there are better corny movies to rent with your friends.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie based on the comments of a few that said that is was bad but funny. But you need to be warned that this movie has the worst special effects ever produced. They make 1950s science fiction movies look like works of art. This is funny at times, but annoying for the most part. And to compound the problem with the seriously pathetic special effects is the total lack of logic that characterized a majority of the events depicted. One of my favorites is where three of the characters drop hundreds of feet into a tunnel created by the arachnia and arrive to find it fully lit. Apparantely the arachnia have also managed to hook into the power grid. Very impressive. But this is just one example. And for what its worth, the music sucks, the acting sucks, the two cute girls are annoying, the obnoxious guy is annoying, the so-called handsome lead man is a geek, and the black girl who fall for him is a fool. Her father is the worst actor I have ever seen. I am not sure the brief moments of humor can possibly make up for the experience.$LABEL$ 0 +I must say: out of all modern korean martial arts movies this one is worth checking out. It wasn't as epic as Musa-The Warriors and didn't develop the characters as well, but it had many nice ideas. Simple story: a elite soldier thought dead, returns after years to end the reign of the Japanese in Korea in medieval days. His counterpart was formerly the best friend he had and now he is out to stop him. The fight scenes are all with sword or different weapons and very entertaining to watch. The motives of the figures are discovered first near to the end. You might need to watch it again to get all the connections right. And me personally...I loved the end. I could watch it over and over again. Maybe a little pathetic, but a real freedom fighter story.... People can be killed, but not the ideas they stand for....$LABEL$ 1 +This is a movie that plays to everyone's emotions. We all want a second chance at things. Jim Morris got one, followed his heart and got a chance to live his dream. What a great message and what a great delivery by this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +"Zu:The warriors from magic mountain" was and is an impressive classic! You never would have guessed it was made in 1983. Tsui Hark's use of special effects was very creative and inventive. (He continued doing this in the Chinese Ghost Story trilogy and later productions.) Even now it can measure up to other movies in this genre. "Legend of Zu" is connected to "Zu"warriors from magic mountain"! It is not necessary to have seen this movie to understand the plot of this one. The plot is a bit hard to follow. But to be honest it doesn't matter. It is all about the action and adventure! I always was wondering what Tsui Hark would do if he got his hands on CGI. Now we know,he made this movie. Maybe it sometimes is too much but the overall result is so beautiful that I am not going to be critical about that. There is so much happening on the screen,you simply won't believe! I think it is a big shame that this movie wasn't shown in theaters here in Holland. Because this movie is screaming for screen time in cinemas! This movie easily can beat big budget Hollywood productions like "Superman Returns" or Xmen 3. The only thing I do have to mention is the lack of humor! In most of Tsui Harks's movies he combines drama,fantasy,martial arts and humor. Somehow it is missing in this movie. Again I am not going to be picky about these small matters. "Legend of Zu" delivers on the action front with the most beautiful special effects you will see. A true classic!$LABEL$ 1 +One of my favorite shows in the 80's. After the first season, it started going downhill when they decided to add Jean Bruce Scott to the cast. Deborah Pratt was wonderful and it was fun watching her and Ernest Borgnine's character go at it with each other. The last episode she appeared in was one of my favorites for in the second season. Unfortunately during those days, blacks did not last long on television shows. Some of the episodes in the second season where okay but the third season it was more about the human characters than Airwolf and it was not shown until almost at the end of the show. When it went to USA, it was disgusting!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I picked up this movie with the intention of getting a bad zombie movie. But I had no Idea what I was getting myself into.I started the movie and soon I had been pulled into a world of pain and visual torture.I finally know what hell is like. It's this movie. For eternity. This movie has no value. It didn't even really have a plot. There was stuff going on in each scene but no overall explanation why anything happens.Instead of watching this movie I suggest that you line the nearest blender with oil and try and stuff as many bullets in it as you can. You will find that the outcome to be far more pleasant than this movie.Don't even watch it. Not even to see how bad it is. I beg you. If you watch it, then it means they win.$LABEL$ 0 +After we counted the use of the f word, oh, about 22 times in the first 10 minutes or so of the film, listened to some really bad actors going on about a woman and a horse, and pretty much acting like 12 year old boys being naughty together, well, we turned it off. Relying on gratuitous profanity and potty humor is a sure sign of a loser Hollywood movie, the product of unimaginative and no-talent writers. We did give it a second chance, thinking surely it would get better. No dice. Later, my boyfriend skipped through the rest of the movie in case it improved, still no dice.The main character did have a cool bike.I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except maybe really immature adolescents, or frat boys.$LABEL$ 0 +A real head scratcher of a film by Bill Rebane who appeared to be getting worse in his trade throughout the eighties. Three crackpot millionaires invite nine people to a remote hotel to compete in a last person standing contest in which the final contestant will be given $1 million provided he or she makes it that far. A series of lame pranks are pulled on some of the guests while the others engage in what most adults would do under the circumstances namely get shatfaced at the hotel bar. Most scenes are merely an excuse to focus the camera on various female body parts including an opening dance number that is a crossover of American Bandstand meets geriatric aerobics complete with hookers. If there was any hesitation that white people can't dance this scene hammers the final nail in that coffin. Pay close attention for the nipple slip. This continues on for about forty-five minutes until Bill Rebane begins throwing darts at various plot twists and whatever he hits becomes the inspiration for the next scene making this one incoherent mess. It's a game until it's not a game. The three old coots are in complete control until they're not. The hotel is possessed by a supernatural force until it becomes just props. They're dead until they're not. Even the narrator at the end replies that he doesn't know what the hell happened. I defy anyone to reason where Rebane was going on this one. The acting is dinner theater caliber minus the dinner. Most of the actors probably went back to their day jobs at the local Stuckey's. I give it a few points for the scene where the yuppie broad opens the closet and a skeleton is inside skull humping himself. Let's see Gone With the Wind do that! This Chilling Classics collection is really becoming the bane of me. Bane, Get it! Like Rebane! I hate myself.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie is not porn, it was not meant to be porn, and unless my uncle runs for president of the world it should never be considered porn.now that that issue was sorted out, i can say i thoroughly recommend this film, as it's issues are still widely available. it's funny, the acting is great and it raises serious(curious) questions.i can't fully understand why this film was so mistreated, probably this is why i plan to never visit the us. Lena is the true pioneer of the modern riot-grrrl movement, confusion, curiosity and wit are her main attributes, she is occasionally angry, but aren't we all?$LABEL$ 1 +Komodo vs. Cobra starts as 'One Planet' environmentalist Jerry Ryan (Ryan McTavish) & his girlfriend Carrie (Renee Talbert) hire Captain Michael Stoddard (executive producer Michael Paré) to take them to an island in the South Pacific, at first Stoddard is reluctant since the island is a top secret military research base but soon changes his mind when a load of cash is offered. Along with TV news reporter Sandra Crescent (Jeri Manthey) they set sail for the island & once ashore find out that the military have been funding illegal DNA genetic experiments which have resulted in huge Komodo Dragon's & King Cobra's that have eaten almost every other living thing there & Stoddard & co are next on the menu...Co-written & directed by the ever awful Jim Wynorski under his Jay Andrews pseudonym this is just plain awful, this is just plain hard to sit through & is even worse than the usual rubbish 'Creature Features' the Sci-Fi Channel have the nerve to air if that's possible. The script is terrible, predictable & utterly boring, some giant monsters of some sort are created by scientists messing around with DNA, a group of people are trapped with said monsters & have to try to escape being eaten. That's it, that's the whole plot of Komodo vs. Cobra, maybe this was trying to rip-off AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) with the title but all the 'vs.' bit amounts to is a rubbish thirty second stand-off between the two titular beasts at the very end, boring as hell & surely a big disappointment to anyone hoping to have a full on monster mash. The character's are poor, the dialogue is awful, the pace is slow, the story is predictable & cliché ridden & the whole film just sucks really with a lazy script that states wrongly that both Komodo Dragon's & Cobra's are amphibious which they are not. Hell, Komodo vs. Cobra isn't even worth watching for any unintentional laughs since it's so dull & hardly anything ever happens although the sight of a woman hiding behind the smallest rock on the beach from the Cobra is quite funny for the wrong reasons.How does Wynorski keep getting directing jobs? He is probably consistently the worst director currently working, how can he keep getting fun sounding films set on beautiful locations with half decent casts & still churn out such an awful film? I think this was cut to get a PG or for it's TV showing since every time someone swears it's masked by a Parrot squeak! There's zero gore or violence & the monster scenes are limp, people just sort of stand there, the monsters just sort of stands there too hissing or roaring & that's about it. The CGI computer effects are terrible, this is really poor stuff that just looks horrible.With a supposed budget of about $450,000 this looks as cheap as it was, the Hawaiian locations are nice to look at but that's about it. The acting is poor from an uninterested looking cast.Komodo vs. Cobra is an absolutely terrible Sci-Fi Channel 'Creature Feature' from Jim Wynorski, films don't get much worse than this.$LABEL$ 0 +THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! The Decline of Western Civilization......what a great title eh? And of coarse a great movie. This is the best concert film I have ever seen. A close second being the Talking Heads movie "Stop Making Sense". I first heard of this movie when Waynes World came out in 1992. I looked at the director's name Penelope Spheeris and thought cool name, what else has he directed? I thought the first name was pronounced like envelope. After some time looking in movie guides I came across the critically acclaimed Decline and realized Penelope was a woman.....my Mom corrected me. I spent 8 years of my life trying to track this down. I finally saw it on VHS in Vancouver, where I currently reside. It was worth the wait. This captures the LA punk movement very well. This is teen angst at it's best folks. My favourite is the band the Germs who need subtitles for the lyrics because Darby Crash sings so crazy, you cannot understand it. I laughed when I saw this. The band Black Flag live in an abandoned church and the band X are a very intelligent bunch. Also laughed at the letter some idiot writes in to Slash Magazine about how we do not need to save the whales, there are countless miles of ocean for us to pour toxins in! I became a huge Penelope Spheeris fan after this, and saw all her punk movies-Dudes was OK, and Suburbia is a cult classic! I own both of these on VHS. She is a true underground film maker and I love her stuff. I would have loved to have seen this movie in 1994 when grunge was so popular. I was a big Nirvana fan then, but alas I saw this in 2002 and by that point I had grown out of grunge and now I listen to Crystal Method/Fatboy Slim. Quite a change of pace, I know, but what can you do? But if you want a true depiction of the punk movement this captures it better than anything. Much better than 1991: The Year Punk Broke. This is a tough movie to track down, but if you get your hands on it, rent it, even if you don't like the music it is an excellent piece of work. Now days it might be easier to find with DVD's being so popular. By the way Penelope produced a little known Albert Brooks movie called "Real Life" which I also own. Very funny stuff in todays reality TV craptacular! Rent Decline......Highly recommended! Thanks!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't have much to say about this movie. It could have been a wonderful tour-de-force for Peter Sellers, but it is one of the most tragic misfires in movie history. That it was Sellers final movie makes it all the more painful.The terrible screenplay, direction and shockingly wooden performances all come dreadfully together to make this one of the most unwatchably awful movies ever made.I wish so much that I could find even a snicker or a chuckle buried somewhere in this pile of putrid blubber, but it's a lifeless, humorless disaster. The truth hurts.Peter, why couldn't you have stopped at BEING THERE?$LABEL$ 0 +Remember the wooden, undramatic literary adaptations of the 1970s at their worst? You will when you see this broadly acted, unintentionally hilarious piece of chocolate-box adaptation. Most culpable of all is Catherine Z-J who, while undeniably easy on the eye, substitutes swishing a big dress and looking sultry for actually turning in a performance. Played po-faced like a melodrama, or Cold Comfort Farm without the jokes, this effort is not helped by a scriptwriter with a tin ear for dialogue who misses entirely the novel's sense of irony or tragedy. A shame, given the quality of the acting talent on offer - Joan Plowright, Claire Skinner, Steven Macintosh all deserve better than this.$LABEL$ 0 +Obviously, the comments above that fawn over the movie were made by someone who's on the crew. I don't recall ever seeing a movie that's more insulting to the talented actors or the audience watching. In my 30 years of watching movies, this is the only one I have ever walked out of. Bad humor, bad jokes, bad gags, bad editing, bad plot, etc. Note to producer: It's never funny to hunt humans based on race. Great that you tried to be politically correct by incorporating all races, but you're still hunting humans based on race, and that's sickening.$LABEL$ 0 +best movie ever!!!!! this movie broke my ribs just by the force of laughter, but it was well worth it. i don't intend to do a summary of this excellent movie, just go see it if you have the chance. i think you will either love it, or hate it. that's the qualities of a real cult movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, how we have a misfire here; a film so bad that your mind will wonder and drift away onto other things as it wastes your time with brain numbingly poor production values; character stereotypes of the worst and racist kind since D.W. Griffith referred to the Chinese character in Broken Blossoms as 'the yellow man'; characters so unimaginative and un-engaging that it's difficult to watch as well as a narrative that plods along at such a slow, stupid and pointless pace that you will question the very people who say they like this film.Prizzi's Honor is a film that ends up being an absolute post-modern disaster in every which way possible. The film is a messy and senseless disaster that has John Huston directing; Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson staring and everybody else filling in the gaps as either dumb stereotypes or supporting characters that weep on a phone now and again or bicker with a main character. Prizzi's Honor is a film that falls into a genre of neo-noir, comedy, romance, action, gangster and overall crime – this twinned with its director and cast should be enough to propel it through some sort of a story; some sort of a sequence of good scenes; some sort of intelligence in the form of a screenplay or something else but no – what we get is a nasty and ugly film revolving around nothing at all.I'll give a couple of examples of how shoddy this horror show of a film actually is. Firstly, the film thinks it's a love story and it thinks this for about an hour of its time: of MY time. Charley Partanna (Nicholson) is an assassin who kills people for a family that he works for in New York and yet he resembles his character out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest more than an international hit-man. He meets and falls in love with Irene Walker (Turner) who is another assassin and they hit it off but as the poor excuse for a plot plays out, it appears all is not right. I read that the plot for this film is: "A professional hit man and hit woman fall in love, only to discover that they have each been hired to kill the other." Well, yes that's true but that actual revelation doesn't happen until about twenty minutes to the end! Nicholson plays Partanna like someone with an IQ of 60: he walks around; seemingly making observations and talking out loud about things he sees; he talks like he is either drunk or has a more serious problem from within and worse of all we never get the feeling he is an assassin – one really poorly shot assassination early on (that actually happens off screen) is not enough to suggest this guy is a hard-bodied, best of the best, international hit-man.So with a main character who is un-likable and un-realistic, we move to the script. The first hour and a half is just a cinematic dead zone with what ever there is to suggest traces of life merely poor conventions: Partanna slouches around on the phone or in person asking the same things over and over again: "Do I marry her?; Do I love her? What is love? What do I do?" and it gets so repetitive, it's not even able to act as good humour. This twinned with the way he always seemed to be on the phone to someone: a girl called Maerose Prizzi (Huston) played by director John's daughter; which served absolutely no purpose to the plot whatsoever and seemed to be there for laughs as was the scene in which she tells her father about how she slept with Partanna and loved it – that got me thinking, was this supposed to be funny? Should I be laughing? The film felt like a smart mafia picture what with its opening scene of a wedding (alá The Godfather) and consequential scenes with a touch of noir as gangsters, police men and assassins were introduced into the film. But what we get is something very, very different.The second hour revolves around some sort of a kidnap plot; right, the love and romance is dealt with – maybe the film will kick-start. I was so very wrong: with more characters continuously talking very slowly and very deliberately in a monotone way, we have a kidnap scene involving some guy coming out of his office: this scene sums the film up. Everything is briefly planned and then executed in a heavy handed and dumb way that just makes it look cheesy. We do not get to see them arrive to some dramatic music; perhaps they have to get through security to get to the elevators; maybe they have to be careful of civilians when they hide in their chosen places and when that random woman steps out of the elevator and the gunshot occurs – the scene isn't even edited correctly. Some suspense, some drama: "Do I shoot or don't I?"; maybe some slow motion as the character has to quick draw before it's too late – anything but how it was actually executed. Prizzi's Honor continues its monotonous and uninteresting decent into filmic oblivion as it nears its climax. It's a film where cameras reflect in windows; lights reflect in sides of cars and 'dead' chauffeurs blink when nudged. Prizzi's Honor is a jumbled and messy film that will try the patients of any film-goer and don't say it was a comedy because I didn't laugh with it – AT it is another matter. The film is repetitive, drawn out and colourless in its vision and scope for originality - there is no Honour here.$LABEL$ 0 +The original movie ( dated 19??)did not show any "monster" , it just SUGGESTED scary "things" , .This version however shows every aspect of a "sick minded ghost" , including unnecessary special effects . The "mystery " ,as presented in the original movie , was the most scary part : one simply did not know what was causing the weird things that happened. By showing the face of the "old man" , this Mister has completely disappeared. Even worse : the special effects ( crying wooden children faces) is ridiculous. This is a stupid remake , too obviously spectacular to even be close as scary as the original$LABEL$ 0 +"Hero and the Terror" is a fairly dull thriller - a la: no real character substance, predictable plot, and... Boring. For a thriller I found this movie slow in working up to its pitiful climax, as it just seemed to drag along until Chuck's wife's baby is born... and then it drags on from there until it reaches the end - which I can hardly remember already even though I only saw the film 10 minutes ago.I give this film 3 out of 10 - for the first 10-20 minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +Fellowe's drama about a couple's marriage which is threatened by a younger third party which interests the wife of the house (Watson). Wilkinson plays the role very well as the troubled husband who cant control his wife's cheating, and deals with the issue. I also like Rupert everett a lot in his role as William Bule, the man that Watson has the affair with. Although i think Emily Watson is a great actress, i had a bit of a problem with the way her character was written, did not make her too likable (i know a cheater is not supposed to be likable, but some of her actions and things she did had no reasoning behind them). The screenplay was perhaps the weak part of this drama, although Fellowes' direction was good and the performances were also quite good. This film is better than Unfaithful, but not a masterpiece by any means. ---IMDB Rating: 6.7, my rating: 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +An angry boy who has tragically lost his parents is looked after by his grandfather. Together they find common ground in the Gaelic folk tales which have been passed down orally from generation to generation of islanders. Although tragic episodes, such as the Highland clearances, feature in the stories, there is a surprising amount of humour and gaiety in them. It's all filmed in Skye, so there is a double dose of beauty. The mountain scenery is breathtaking, and it's a rare chance to hear Scottish Gaelic spoken. I'm English, so I had to read the subtitles, but the sound of spoken Gaelic is nonetheless wonderful. The performances are just what you would expect from carefully chosen non-actors - in other words, you are watching the real thing - people who care deeply about Gaelic folklore and history. The Gaelic community, especially on Skye, worked innumerable minor miracles to make this film. Anyone who has the slightest interest in Gaelic, folk history, folk music, oral culture, Scotland, British history, multi-culturalism or social justice should go and see this film.$LABEL$ 1 +There is absolutely NO reason to waste your time with this "film". The original said it all and still holds up. Either read the book or do some research about the story, and you'll realize this remake is ludicrous. Eric Roberts as Perry Smith? His sister could have done a better job! Having been to Holcomb & Edgerton, KS where the story takes place, the sets and locations looked NOTHING like Kansas. The original is riveting, from the location filming to the use of the actual participants, weapons and victims belongings. Unforgettable performances by Scott Wilson and Robert Blake. Soundtrack by Quincy Jones and cinematography by Conrad Hall...The original is available on DVD in widescreen now. Let this turkey die a quick death.$LABEL$ 0 +As far as cinematography goes, this film was pretty good for the mid 50's. There were a few times that the lighting was way too hot but the shots were generally in frame and stayed in focus. The acting was above average for a low budget stinker but the direction was horrible. Several scenes were dragged out way too long in an attempt at suspense and the effects were non-existent. The attack by the skull in the pond should have been completely removed from the final cut and every attempt to bring life to the skull was obvious with stick pokes and strings. I also couldn't help but think the budget didn't allow them to furnish the house so they kept making references to the movers and that all the things in storage should be coming soon. Honestly...it would have been more entertaining if it were a worse movie. It wasn't bad enough to be a "good-bad" movie but wasn't good enough to be "good" either. Get the MST3K version...it's more fun.$LABEL$ 0 +My favourite police series of all time turns to a TV-film. Does it work? Yes. Gee runs for mayor and gets shot. The Homicide "hall of fame" turns up. Pembleton and nearly all of the cops who ever played in this series. A lot of flashbacks helps you who hasn´t seen the TV-series but it amuses the fans too. The last five minutes solves another murder and at the very end even two of the dead cops turn up. And a short appearance from my favourite coroner Juliana Cox. This is a good film.$LABEL$ 1 +Ok, maybe Posse can't compare to other popular cowboy/western movies. But that's because it didn't have the FUNDING those movies had. Obviously, whenever you want to produce a story such as this one, focusing on African American historical involvement (and NO, servants and 'mammies' are not historical involvement), Hollywood isn't going to be too supportive. And believe me they weren't. The producers and actors sacrificed a lot of 'out of pocket' expenses to make "Posse", just so that the story could be told. I think that alone is commendable. Posse may not be Oscar material (and they don't like Black media too much either), but it is a start. It is entertaining, and it introduces us to the black cowboy, a character most of us are unfamiliar with.$LABEL$ 1 +I must say that I am fairly disappointed by this "horror" movie. I did not get scared even once while watching it. It also is not very suspenseful either.... I was able to guess the ending half way through the movie... So.. what's left?"The Ring" is a trully scary movie... I wish other movies would stop copying from it (e.g. the trade-mark: long hair). Please give me some originality.Will not recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I truly enjoyed this film. It's rare to find a star who can pull off the physical aspects of any sports/dance themed film convincingly and do a first rate acting job as well. In this film you find two stars who rise to the occasion. Both women deliver warm, touching and at times humorous performances. The film also touched on a number of topics, from racial issues to sexual identity. And yet the approach wasn't heavy handed. The production values were also top notch for a small budget film. I saw this at the Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian film festival and went back to see it a second time. It was a real crowd pleaser. Everyone I spoke to seemed to enjoy this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Lucio Fulci made a lot of great films throughout his career and the way that many of them featured a bucket load of gore lead to him earning the title 'The Godfather of Gore'. While Don't Torture a Duckling was made before Fulci became well known amongst gorehounds, and isn't all that gory; it's certainly a gritty and nasty little thriller, and for my money - the best film that Fulci ever made! Don't Torture a Duckling really is head and shoulders above a lot of the Giallo genre in terms of production values and unlike many of Fulci's later films, everything about this Giallo is great. The plot focuses on a small rustic community where dead bodies have began turning up. The murders are even more shocking because the victims are just young boys. Shortly after the police convict an innocent man of the crimes, a reporter named Andrea Martelli arrives in the village and decides to start investigating the murders on his own. Martelli soon encounters various suspects, including a sexy young lady named Patricia, a sinister priest and a local witch who enjoys making wax effigies and sticking pins into them.While this film may not feature loads of gore, it does have two of Fulci's nastiest sequences to make up for it. The nastiest involves a woman being brutally slaughtered by a group of men in a cemetery, while the image of a man falling from a cliff and hitting any number of rocks on the way down is liable to turn some stomachs. Don't Torture a Duckling features an absolutely great Italian cast. Barbara Bouchet (a personal favourite of mine) is incredibly sexy in her role as Patricia, and gets to flex her acting muscles more than she did in many later films. Tomas Millian is excellent as usual while the rest of the cast is well fleshed out by likes of Irene Pappas, Florinda Bolkan and Marc Porel. The cinematography on display is stunning and Fulci really gives the viewer the impression that he puts a lot of care and effort into every scene. The story plays out slowly, and it's always interesting as Fulci never allows the film to stray too much from the central plot line. There isn't a great deal of mystery towards the identity of the murderer; but Fulci almost manages to keep us guessing right up until the end and Don't Torture a Duckling does climax on a high. Overall, it's a shame that Fulci didn't make more films like this. Don't Torture a Duckling is his out and out best work and I insist that every Giallo fans sees it!$LABEL$ 1 +This could have been a good biopic, but what a mess! I had this film when I was a theater manager. When I put the film together, and watched it, I thought I had some reels out of order. As it turned out I didn't, and if I did, nobody would have noticed. I couldn't figure out what's going on! Everybody who walked out pretty much felt the same way!$LABEL$ 0 +The White Warrior is definitely one of,if not Steve Reeves weakest films. Set in 18th or 19th century Russia (??) Steve plays a cossack warrior who tries to over run a mad man Russian czar by running up a mountain side with his rebel band in a goofy looking Russian white tunic..... For the most part the great Reeves physique is hidden in a goofy, knee length tunic, with an even more sillier looking russian hat.The action is rather minimal, with only a good wrestling scene from the mid waist up that shows off the great Reeves physique. This is an apparent attempt by the producers to move Reeves out of the sword and sandal genre into another historic era, with poor results. The dialogue from the script is hard to understand at various points, and only commentary from the narrator allows the viewer to understand what is really happening from scene to scene. I would image Reeves regretted making this film, but in an attempt to try and get out of his toga and sandals and tribune armor it helped launch him to other historic characters such as Morgan the Pirate and the Thief of Baghdad.$LABEL$ 0 +If the makers of Atlantis had something to say in this film, its theme was (literally) drowned out by the emphasis on "special effects" over characterization. Almost as if in an attempt to "keep up" with the rest of the summer action blockbusters, Disney has ditched the character-driven, movie-with-a-message approach in favor of a Star Wars "shoot-'em-up" with stereotype heroes and villains.The art is cartoony and the producers think that they can rely on computer generated images (CGI) of flying fish-craft and submarines to fill the gap. They are wrong, and the days of beautiful, handcrafted animation is fast flying out the window in favor of assembly-line CGI.This movie is all spectacle with no heart. At times the film comes close to being a good, worthwhile movie, but frustratingly misses the mark so many times by copping out of talking about something meaningful and instead choosing to go with the glitz.Another problem with the movie is the pacing. It starts confusingly and then begins to rocket along with a choppy story editing style that is not appreciated. The viewer is rushed out of the door along with Milo Thatch (voiced well by Michael J. Fox) and is left thinking "Gee there must be an awful lot of stuff that's going to happen once we get to Atlantis". Unfortunately, not much happens. The secret of Atlantis remains a secret with the story-tellers not really knowing how to explain the legendary island/continent. They are afraid to commit to saying where Atlantis is, even in a fictional story. Is it in the Atlantic? Is it in the Mediterranean Sea? Who knows? Nothing is hypothesized, even from a purely fantasy-based point of view. The viewer will leave the theatre asking themselves "Now what was that all about? What was the point of the movie? Why couldn't the surviving Atlantean's remember how to read when many of them lived through the disaster to the "present" day? And WHY did Atlantis sink?" and then promptly begin to forget about what they saw. There is nothing left to think about or mill over... except the loss of money in their wallets.The characters and their motivations are equally unfathomable. From the eccentric zillionaire who founds the expedition with seemingly more money that existed on the entire planet in 1914, to the (spoiler) collective consciousness that enters Kida and VOLUNTARILY deserts its people!?! The crew are a collection of quirky, 2-dimensional people of anachronistically (for 1914) P.C. race and gender. The demolitions expert talks like he came right out of a Warner Brothers' Bugs Bunny short. Most of the jokes are gross one-liners that are largely missed by the audience for two reasons: They are delivered at lightning-speed pacing and usually mumbled. The way these supporting players do a moral turn-around near the end of the movie is hard to believe.While we applaud Disney for trying to create animated movies for adults - and this is the first Disney not to have cute, talking animals or objects - it fails to make the transition. Younger children will be frightened by some of the action scenes and be left in the dark by the large amount of subtitles (when the characters speak Atlantean). In the first five minutes of the expedition, approximately 200 people are killed without a second thought. Obviously Disney thinks that if you didn't know who those people were, then why should you care? Again, the movie has no feelings on any level.Mulan and Tarzan were the last animated movies produced by Disney that were done extremely well. Sadly, Atlantis harkens back to those failed attempts in the past such as the Black Cauldron and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disney needs to get back to their roots. A sequel to Peter Pan is coming out shortly but one never knows what the results will be until you see it for yourself. And now that Disney has discovered Science Fiction one hopes that they will realize that that genre must have more than spectacle to it. We also hope that the upcoming "Treasure Planet", a sci-fi adaptation of Robert L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island", will have more heart to it than the unfathomable "Atlantis: The Lost Empire".$LABEL$ 0 +Bruce Almighty is the story of Bruce Nolan, an average man who feels God is messing up his life. God confronts him and show Bruce the error of his ways. Of course, giving someone God's powers could take a turn for the worse. Bruce Almighty is a good comedy, Jim Carrey is good, as always Morgan Freeman is first-rate and seems right at home as God and the cast brings the plot together well. The jokes are almost always on target, although sometimes they resort a bit too much on Carrey's facial expressions. I liked the fact that the movie actually portrayed God, not only that but also as a black man. I thought this quite well, especially with the brilliant Freeman. There are some hilarious scenes, the opening cookie scene for instance, others miss the target slightly but still a good film. 6/7 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +This film was hard to get a hold of, and when I eventually saw it the disappointment was overwhelming. I mean, this is one of the great stories of the twentieth century: an unknown man takes advantage of the unsuspecting airline industry and GETS AWAY with millions in ransom without hurting anyone or bungling the attempt. With all of this built-in interest, how could anyone make such a lackluster, talk-laden flick of this true-life event. While Williams is always interesting, the screenwriters assumed that the D.B. Cooper persona was stereotypically heroic like a movie star, s what we get is a type-without any engaging details or insights into the mind of a person daring enough and clever enough to have pulled it off. Harrold practically steals the movie with her spunk and pure beauty, but the real letdown was in the handling of the plot and the lame direction. Shame on this film for even existing.$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched this film this morning and I found it to be a great showing of the richness of faith. Babette gave them another way to look at life; not a replacement, but an enhancement. She shared all that she had with those who gave what little they had to her. I see the story of God in here. He sent his only son to man. Man could not possibly give anything that would equal that. So, for our small sacrifice, we are given an ultimate treasure and are transformed because of it. In this film the bickering townspeople have so consumed themselves with a small interpretation of God. Babette showed them that life and God can indeed be beautiful in it's fullest sense. The love that God's son showed to man is the love we should show to one another and our lives will be the richer for it. Even the film is a metaphor. It seems slow in the beginning, but the investment of time and attention to detail is rewarded in the end. It was truly a feast.$LABEL$ 1 +with this film being directed by Roger Avery and Quentin Tarantino doing the screenplay i was sure this was going to be a gem. i was wrong. i don't hate this film but in no ways do i like it.i love Roger Avery because of his amazing direction in rules of attraction and his screenplays to pulp fiction and silent hill but he made a mistake making this. do i really need to comment on Tarantino, we all know hes a genius.this movie is just set around a gang robbing a bank but fails due to silly people participating in the robberyi'm disappointed in Tarantino and Avery for doing this film but doesn't change my mind on how amazing they both are. everyone makes mistakes......... 3/10...........j.d Seaton$LABEL$ 0 +Funny. Sad. Charming. These are all words that floated through my head while I was watching this beautiful, simple film.It is rare that a movie truly moves me, but "Shall We Dance?" accomplished that with grace to spare. Gentle humor mixed in with occasional subtle agony made this easily one of the best experiences of my movie-viewing history. It left me with a quiet sense of exultation, but with a small touch of sadness mixed in.And the dancing, oh yes, the dancing. Even if you are not a lover of the art, or can't put one foot in front of another, the steps displayed here will take your breath away, and make you want to sign up for classes as fast as you can. It was absolutely enchanting, even the parts that show Sugiyama's (touchingly portrayed by Koji Yakusho) stilted steps when he was first learning to dance were lovely in a humorous, child-like way. And yet, this film was not entirely about dancing, but more about the subtleties of human behavior and feelings. We witness a shy man learning to express his repressed feelings through dance, a beautiful dance instructor rediscovering her love for the art, and the personal growth of every member of the wonderful supporting cast.Beauty. Pain. Emotion. All the love and little agonies of life are here, expressed with the delicate feeling of a fine Japanese watercolor painting combined with the emotional strength and grace of the culture.$LABEL$ 1 +Justin goes home to live with his strict, hard-nosed police detective father, but it seems daddy has turned the upstairs into three makeshift apartments each with bizarre tenants residing in them. Straight-laced idealist Justin is thrust into the world of the occult, murder, under-aged drinking and other dastardly things. Ho-hum Wow, have I seen the same film that nearly all the other reviewers on here saw??? Clever, compelling, original, intense, clever, genius????!!? I witnessed none of those things. What I DID see was an uninteresting, bland, trite, extremely clichéd low-budget thriller that was ripe with implausibilities and no tension in the least bit as the killer is telegraphed as soon into the film as he gives his monologue/debate/discussion. And where are these humorous laugh-out-loud moments? I never so much as chuckled, perhaps because i was too busy struggling not to be put to sleep by the film.My Grade: D DVD Extras: Audio commentary with director Dave Campfield; Second commentary with various contributers as well as isolated music tracks; 4 featurettes (Making of, on the set, turning 1 room into 4, & Inside the black circle); Interviews with Felissa Rose, Desiree Gould, & Raine Brown; Alternate scenes; bloopers; a music video for 'Addiction'; A trailer for this movie; And trailers for "Shock-o-rama", "Chainsaw Sally", "Skin Crawl", "Sinful", "Bacterium", "Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon", & "Millennium Crises"$LABEL$ 0 +The above line sums it up pretty good. The best assets of the comics are it's visual gags and word-jokes (the latter of which are almost impossible to translate, which is why the comics are at their best in their original language).Both are quite hard to capture in film, which is why those will never be as good as the comics. Movies are simply a different medium than comics. With that in mind, this movie does surprisingly well in capturing the fun of the comic.The word gags are bearable, and sometimes even funny (Debouze does an Amelie reference!). I have to mention that I watched the french version. If you don't watch the french version or your lack of understanding of the french language limits you to the subtitles, the word jokes will probably suck.The slapstick is okay as well; it's a very simple form of humor, and not really funny when you're older than twelve, but it captures the spirit of the comicbooks. The other visual jokes are the movie's saving grace for the older audience, as their often quite funny.The acting is totally over the top, but again, that's not annoying at all as it captures the spirit of the comicbooks. Only Depardieu and Clavier don't really overact, which might be the reason some people think they didn't enjoy their roles (I didn't notice a thing). On the other hand Jamel Debouze and especially Claude Rich turn overacting into an artform. It's actually fun to watch. Again, I fear it wouldn't be nearly as funny when the voices are dubbed.Overall not a bad movie at all, much better than the previous one. It's not a classic and it doesn't dethrone The Twelve Tasks of Asterix as my favourite Asterix movie, but it's still worth seeing. The french version, that is. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I would label this show as horrendous if it weren't for the fact that it's on the same network as Arrested Development. Because it is on FOX and getting renewed while AD got cancelled. It is absolutely beyond words how atrocious this show actually is. But let me try and describe it. Take an extremely low rate Archie Bunker and have him spout out humor that would have been out of date if it were on Married with Children. Then take great plot lines from AD (son has an ugly, boring girlfriend) and dumb them down so the idiots who watch sitcoms can understand them. If you watch this, I will have completely lost respect for you, as should your family. However, if you are a fan, you should love FOX's new comedy 'Til Death. Looks like real funny, cutting-edge stuff. I mean, married couples not getting along ... brilliant.$LABEL$ 0 +Robert Mitchum stars as Clint Tollinger in this short but tough western: Man With The Gun. Tollinger is a professional town tamer - as in, when a town needs someone to save itself; he is the one who is brought in to do it. Tollinger's latest gig comes by as an accident: strolling into town looking for his former fling, he stumbles into a town being played like a puppet by a local western gangster. But many townspeople begin to rue the day they hired Tollinger, as his way of cleaning up the town becomes very taxing (suddenly High Plains Drifter seems less original). Man With The Gun starts off as an average western tough-guy film but begins to surprise you more and more as the film progresses. What starts off as forgettable and run-of-the-mill ends up dark and character-centered. The entire film is very well shot and the cast is very enjoyable. Mitchum is his usual excellent self here in Man With The Gun - not one of his very best performances, Mitchum still has his classic and effective tough-guy screen presence in high gear and he knocks the action-packed, meaningful, and shocking scenes of the film right out of the park. Man With The Gun is a nice Mitchum western and is easily worth one's time.$LABEL$ 1 +My favorite film this year. Great characters and plot, and the direction and editing was smooth, visually beautiful, and interesting. Set in Barcelona, the film follows a year in the lives of six foreign graduate students and assorted others. Cultures and languages clash but hearts and lives intertwine. The leading role would never have been cast in Hollywood, but he carried the part perfectly. The characters were nicely developed and their interplay was honest and accurate. There were two especially noteworthy scenes, the climax was truly inspired. The film is sentimental, and the last ten minutes could have been cut, but it was wonderfully entertaining. I nearly didn't watch it, but did just to see Audrey Tautou. Her role although billed second or third was minor, and was outshined by several other characters. I wish more films like this were made. It brought to mind The Big Chill or The Breakfast Club. Don't start this movie late if you plan to go to bed 1/2 way through.$LABEL$ 1 +the film itself is absolutely brilliant, its that buzz, that rush that makes you just want to go out, blow your wages and loose yourself. It's what the weekend is all about, its our sanitation where we can come together as one and be ourselves without a care in the world. The film is layered in depth and the dialogue in places is just spot on, especially with Jip. The characters themselves are instantly likable, one in particular is obviously dyers character and his views on what "Star Wars" is really about, genius.If ever you've got an hour to kill before going out, stick on this, you'll immediately feel yourself growing in confidence, definitely recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't expect much when I first saw the DVD cover. I mean, Pierce Brosnan as Grey Owl??Ah...but then the story got underway, unfolded in a beautifully photographed and paced film. I was surprised and delighted at this (basically) true story. Made me want to read more about this fascinating character, which means, the director fulfilled his purpose, and the film was a success!$LABEL$ 1 +this is more than a Sat. afternoon special. Exremely well written if very low key there is a lot here if you look for it. Catch the cat companion/scout for instance. It not only could have been a comic book it should have been a comic book. The comic industry (as well as the film's publicists) missed the boat on this. One of the least know really great films. A great script by John Sayles is a strong point but the acting is good as well. Probably the best "super hero" film I've ever seen. Short on special effects but long on believability. This one's a keeper. I have never seen a DVD of this film but i used to own a VHS version. Good hunting$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say this is the worst movie that I have ever watched in my life, I cannot believe that I wasted $10 at blockbuster ; this movie should be burned and who ever thought of it has issues. Who ever actually spent money to make this movie was insane =D This movie has TERRIBLE actors and some of the scenes make absolutely no sense. Well, the whole movie doesn't make sense. Also the part where those "men" come into the diner ( department of national securities )that happened to be the worst part of the film. How dare they say Frank Sinatra's name in vain? Also, what is up with those glasses? When the guy and girl are in the car and she "drinks" water, you can totally tell that she isn't even drinking! Also, what is up with the freaky dinner guy. And everyone knows that you don't stab tires, you slash them.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best of Shelley Duvall's high-quality "Faerie Tale Theatre" series. The ugly stepsisters are broadway-quality comedy relief, and Eve Arden is the personification of wicked stepmotherhood. Jennifer Beals does an excellent job as a straight Cinderella, especially in the garden scene with Matthew Broderick's Prince Charming. Jean Stapleton plays the fairy godmother well, although I'm not sure I liked the "southern lady" characterization with some of the lines. Steve Martin's comedy relief as the Royal Orchestra Conductor is quintessential Martin, but a tiny bit misplaced in the show's flow.As is customary with the series, there are several wry comments thrown in for the older children (ages 15 and up). With a couple of small bumps, the show flows well, and they live happily ever after. Children up to age 8 will continue to watch it after the parents finally get tired of it -- I found 3 times in one day to be a little too much.$LABEL$ 1 +I am definitely a Burt Reynolds fan, but sorry, this one really stinks. Most of the dialogue is laughable and the only interesting plot twist is in the last five minutes of the movie. I can't believe he even made this one. Is he actually that hard up for money?$LABEL$ 0 +Let me say from the outset I'm not a particular fan of this kind of film, but Nightbreed holds a certain fascination for me with a message about perspective.Back in the old days, the folks who inhabit Midian would have been called Zombies, the undead. And according to what Clive Barker has given us certain members of human kind, in this Craig Sheffer are born with the potential to become part of that world.Psychiatrist David Cronenberg at first looking like the mild mannered professional has taken unto himself a fanatical mission to rid the world of the Nightbreed. He tricks the police into killing Sheffer, but Sheffer goes to a graveyard named Midian cemetery where the Nightbreed congregate and live underground. Sheffer has also left a girl friend, Anne Bobby, who still has feelings for him even after he's been killed and is now one of the undead. She tries in her own small way to be a bridge to humankind. Clive Barker's creatures are a pretty gruesome looking lot and are not particularly fond of humans. But it's plain to see that if humans left them alone, the Nightbreed in turn not bother with them.Your sympathies are definitely with the Nightbreed especially after seeing a fanatic like Cronenberg and redneck police chief Charles Haid in action.Clive Barker's been an out gay man for some time now and some have suggested to me that the Nightbreed is a metaphor for gay people. I can see where that would come in, especially since there are a whole lot of people who don't even think of gays as anything human because they're taught that way.Granted Nightbreed is pretty bloody with a lot of gratuitous violence, but it also does make you think and I do like the way Clive Barker does turn traditional theology on its head and makes Craig Sheffer a kind of messiah for the Nightbreed creatures.$LABEL$ 1 +I have never read the Bradbury novel that this movie is based on but from what I've gathered, it will be interesting (when I finally do read it and I will). My comments will be based purely on the film. As soon as I saw the trailer I knew I had to see it and was so excited but when I finally did, I was so disappointed it hurt. This is because the movie itself felt so amateurish. The actors were not well cast (though Robards and Pryce are both good actors - just not here). The kid actors, it seemed, were merely asked to show up, get in the characters' clothes, say the lines and make the faces. The set and props were cheap and unrealistic. The direction was surprisingly bad. I was so surprised at the awfulness of it that I had to go online and check who directed it, just to see the kind of work he had done. The editing was cut and paste and the plot (screenplay) was just that as well (even though the author had been involved himself, irony?). The building up of the tension, fear and suspense was so mild it was ineffective when the climax finally came.I've read some of the comments on this movie and find it hard to believe people actually like it. What hurts the most is that the content is interesting and fun and intriguing. It had so much potential. Unfortunately, the film was so technically bad it takes away from the brilliance of the story.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a truly awful "B" movie. It is witless and often embarrassing. The plot, the basic "making into show business" routine, is almost nonexistent. In fact, the film is merely an excuse to push the war effort and highlight some popular music groups of 1942, including the Mills Brothers, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, and Freddy Slack. Each group gets about the standard three minutes, the exception being the Mills Brothers, who for some reason warranted two numbers. Ann Miller doesn't get to dance until the last couple of minutes of the film, and she has little to do but strut her stuff amid a barrage of patriotic propaganda.The most interesting moment in the film, in my view, occurred in the Duke Ellington segment. The band appears to be playing in a train, standing in awkward positions. (In the deep South at the time, the band was segregated in railroad cars when traveling.) Johnny Hodges is seen next to Duke, and Harry Carney may also be identified. In the last moments of the film, trumpeter/violinist Ray Nance rushes down the aisle to the camera and does an "uncle Tom," bugging his eyes and wiggling his head the way Willy Best did in many films. For modern viewers, especially jazz fans, this homage to segregation is sad indeed. Some movies go best unseen.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to admit I am prejudiced about my vote on this film, but I have strong reasons as I know some of the true history that was given the Hollywood treatment here. Edna Ferber's novel upon which this is based is from an era where real names can't be used. In a way, this film is all smoke & mirrors. Even though it was released in 1946, it was filmed shortly after Casablanca. Ingrid Bergman is at her most radiant in this movie as a brunette. She plays a beautiful woman who is trying to trade on her beauty to get a rich husband. Today that is a gold digger, but in this social era, she is desirable & the kind of woman who makes all the men want her, & all the old snooty society types talk of her & avoid her, while wishing they were her. Ingrid is at her best & plays this role well. Some sympathy for Ingrids character is raised in the New Orleans section of this film as she manages to get a decent belated tomb for her scandalized mother as part of the settlement by her relatives to get her to leave New Orleans. The snooty family of relatives there are so scandalized by her that they will do almost anything she asks to get her to leave town. Gary Cooper is good in this film though he already appears to be aging a bit to play a dashing Texan Bachelor/Gambler. He pulls it off well considering that handicap which he appeared older than he was due to his real life chain smoking. Flora Robison as Ingrid's Maid got nominated for an Oscar as supporting actress in this film. Jerry Austin as Cupidor was over-looked in many ways for his role but is the only comic relief in the film & does it well.When the film moves to Saratoga, it depicts accurately how important Saratoga was in that era. I like the sequence when Bergman walks to the Saratoge Spring to get some of the "sulfur" water which everyone considered so healthy then. When she drinks some she forces herself not to make a face and comments how good it is & that she must have more. The real history is the railroad battle which really occurred on the rail line in Tunnel, New York- which is the actual Saratoga Trunk the film title is derived from. This battle actually happened in 1869 between agents for Andrew Carnagie & J. P. Morgan. The line was the economic key to the country in 1869 connecting coal country & the east coast. The references to it are throughout the film are very real. There is even some dialog describing Carnagie as a "Scot" though the reference is vague & unfamiliar to anyone not knowing the history around the battle.The railroad line & the railroad tunnel in Tunnel, New York (zip code 13848) still exist although the film was shot in California. The real tunnel is about 1 mile long. It is still part of a key freight line today, years after this occurred. I grew up there. Gary Cooper's line in the film while he is riding the train into the tunnel is right, it is still "mighty pretty country".$LABEL$ 1 +This movie isn't even good enough for the $1 bin at the grocery store.I only purchased it because Terrence Howard was in it. Guess he couldn't be too choosy about his roles during this time. The movie in itself was hard to sit through. It seemed they were grasping at straws with a storyline. The "guys night out" had to be the most boring I've ever seen. One minute they are talking and the next reciting poetry? Even the arguments were hard to follow. Most of the acting lacked any depth.I have no idea what they were going for with this one but they certainly missed the mark.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a spectacular production! I have seen the show live twice in Chicago and my only problem with the production was the fact that I was able to perceive only fragments of what was going on. The stage consisted of three giant catwalks and the platform and as the action moves from one part of the stage to the next sometime you loose track of what is going on no matter where you are located. As always, this is a thought-provoking sensory overload, skillfully captured in high definition with 15 cameras! The footage was Masterfully edited, one of the best concert DVDs of all times in my opinion! I only hope and wish that they will release this on Blu-Ray of HD-DVD so that we can re-live this extravaganza over and over again.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not going to bag this film for all the myriad technical f|u|c|k|u|p|s, it would take two days to outline how the whole thing isn't even remotely possible. Others have pointed out all the relevant stupidities already.Given all that, I still could have sort of enjoyed it, if only they hadn't included all the maudlin, nauseating, infuriating, Disneyesque sentimental crap, which is so out of place anywhere, but nowhere more than out in space, where the tiniest mistake can mean instant death.The "crew", as well as the "real" astronaut were equally guilty of putting all their fatuous nonsense ahead of everything else. It completely ruined any value the production may have had left.I'm surprised NASA let this garbage out so that so many people would get so much misinformation about something so important to them. If you haven't seen this yet, save yourself the irritation. Watch Apollo 13 again. At least that tried to be sort of real.$LABEL$ 0 +This film was adapted from the well known sutra on Journey to the West where a monk with his three students seek out to find a long lost book with regards to the teaching of Buddha.Though this movie is not as solemn as the previous films made according to the legend, it did however, managed to bring in romance and fun-filled humorous scene.This real objective of this movie revolves around more on the monk who were primarily saved from being eaten by demonic flying creatures. One of his student, the Monkey God managed to get him out from the battle in the nick of time, but were in turn captured by the demons and cast into the deep throat of a dragon, locked up in that particular dungeon.The monk awoke in a small village where he found Mei Yan (the so called ugly serpent daughter) who fell in love over him at first sight. Though ugly, she did not let her appearance be casted aside from getting to him. However, a quest for rescuing his three students soon turn out to be filled with obstacles and each of which turned out to get worse with Mei Yan following the monk. Problems crept deeper and this is where conflicts between the relationship gets worse.The rest of the tale would be left at your own disposal, but suffice to say, this film does not depict the typical storyline of the book, it is more for those who wants to seek out for a funny and light picture of what Journey to the West and the love obstacles really mean.Towards the very end, the whole summary could be described with only one word, and that is love. The monk went to show the Heavenly Gates, the Celestial Palace and Buddha himself how love can overcome even the worst fear of all and deemed fit as the most powerful weapon that can be used against any enemy of superior powers.A wonderfully created and funny acts awaits those who buys this ticket. There would be of course, no regrets, at least from my side and those who were with me at the cinema that day watching the same film.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me first state that I enjoy watching "bad" movies. It's funny how some of these films leave more of a lasting impression than the truly superb ones. This film is bad in a disturbingly malicious way. This vehicle for Sam Mraovich's delusional ego doesn't just border on talentless ineptitude, it has redefined the very meaning of the words. This should forever be the barometer for bad movies. Sort of the Mendoza line for film. Mr. Mraovich writes, directs, and stars as blunt object Arthur Sailes battling scorned wives and the Christian forces of evil as he and his partner Ben "dead behind the eyes" Sheets struggle for marital equality. As a libertarian I believe gays should have a right to get married. Ben & Arthur do more harm to that cause than an army of homophobes. The portrayal of all things Christian are so ugly and ham-fisted, trademark Mraovich, that you can't possibly take any of them seriously. Arthur's brother Victor, the bible toting Jesus freak, is so horribly over-the-top evil/effeminately gay that you have to wonder how he was cast in this role. That's because Sam "multitasking" Mraovich was also casting director. The worst of it all is Sam Mraovich himself. When you think leading man do the words pasty, balding, and chubby come to mind? Sam also delivers lines like domino's pizza, cold and usually wrong. The final tally: you suck at writing, directing, acting and casting. That's the Ed Wood quadruple crown. Congratulations you horrible little man.$LABEL$ 0 +Essentially a undistinguished B-movie that mysteriously is directed by one of the golden era's major talents, Fritz Lang. Even with the stellar names of Lang, Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett and George Sanders, be prepared for a ludicrous storyline, bad acting, patently phony sets and miscasting. For transparency sake, I have to admit I am an ardent non-admirer of Walter Pidgeon, who was lucky to have found a niche at the artificial dream-factory of MGM, and somehow worked in secondary roles, supporting Greer Garson and others. He is wildly miscast, acting in a chipper, '30s-Ray Milland madcap comedy tone, in a role where his life is in danger, and he is in hiding. Joan Bennett's cockney accent is excessive, but her lacquered hair, perfect makeup and classy outfit belies a street-wise Cockney slum-girl. George Sanders is incapable of bad acting, but disappears after the preposterous opening finds Pidgeon somehow pretending to shoot Adolph Hitler. Surprising for Fritz Lang is the unevenness of tone. I found the film wavered uneasily between occasional moments of suspense-thriller surrounded by light-hearted comedic interplay. Hitchcock totally reversed the ratio, using comic relief to occasionally pace the suspense. There is a reason this film is unknown. It didn't serve or propel anybody's career or reputation, and is forgotten because it's a surprisingly bad film from such a pedigreed group.$LABEL$ 0 +When, oh when, will Hollyweird write a decent movie based around computers? I cannot believe people actually consider this movie to be a credible story.No computer operating system could ever survive wit that sort of annoying scrolling interface. It may look good on a movie screen but if you actually tried using it for any length of time you would go nuts.As for "tracing" people the way she did it simply cannot be done that way. Network security alone would prevent that from happening. The key stroke logging was laughable to say the least.Regarding the software that was supposedly being installed, no system administrator would allow such a critical piece of software to be installed on a production system until it has been tested, retested and tested again on a sandbagged system.But probably the worst possible part of the movie was the "virus". There is no way that a virus that works on one operating system will work on any other system. And as for a virus that could take out a mainframe is a couple of seconds, that just beggars belief. There is no way that an open remote connection would have the required superuser access that would allow deletion of system files.I could go on but I can't be bothered.A porno has a better thought out plot that this pile of garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was so incredibly boring, Michael J. Fox could've done so much better. Sorry, but it's true for all you people who liked the movie$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is so unreal. French movies like these are just waste of time. Why watch this movie? Even, I did not know..why. What? The well known sex scene of half-siblings? Although the sex scene is so real and explicit, but the story it is based upon is so unreal. What is the use of it, then? Can you find easily in life, half sibling doing such things?Did I learn something from this movie? Yeah: some people are just so fond of wasting time making such movies, such stories, such non-sense. But for those who like nihilism, nothingness in life, or simply a life without hope, then there you are.. you've got to see this movie.Only one worth adoring, though: CATHERINE DENEUVE. She's such a strikingly beautiful woman.$LABEL$ 0 +The Nest is really just another 'nature run amock' horror flick that fails because of the low budget. The acting is OK, and the setting is great, but somehow the whole film just seemed a bit dull to me. The gore effects are not the best I've seen but are fun in a cheesy sort of way. The roaches themselves are just regular cockroaches that bite people. The Nest reminded me of a much better film called Slugs. If you liked The Nest then Slugs is a must-see as it's ten times better. Also worth noting is that Lisa Langlois who plays Elizabeth was in another 'nature run amock' type film called Deadly Eyes (aka The Rats), which is about killer rats as you may have guessed. If you enjoy these types of horror films then you may want to give this a watch, but you'd be far better off seeing Slugs which is far more interesting and gory.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent endearing film with Peter Falk and Paul Reiser joining forces as father and dad.Dad shows up one evening to state that after over 40 years of marriage, mom (Olympia Dukakis) has left him.The rest of the film depicts the father and son on a day trip to get dad's thoughts off what has occurred. With them away, the daughters can play detectives.The story shows the adventures of father and son in their discussion of life, what should have been, why mom was complaining about dad as they discuss their philosophies of life.We see an unexpected fishing trip and pool playing which leads to a near brawl. Both men seem to break out of their daily lives.The end is a downer as we learn why mom suddenly left. It becomes a story of courage and the human spirit in the face of adversity. It's never too late to change.$LABEL$ 1 +Beware, My Lovely is an experimental studio film from the early fifties and was directed by a man, Harry Horner, better known for his set designs. Robert Ryan plays a handyman who is hired by Ida Lupino to do some housework for her. The problem is that he is a psychopathic murderer and doesn't know it. Miss Lupino is an empathetic soul and tries to win Ryan over, to little avail. He is not the sort of man compassion could help or cure. Thus we have an interesting situation of two people who basically mean well, but one of them can't do well because there is something wrong with him. He suffers periodic blackouts during which he commits acts of violence, which he later forgets. Essentially the effect Ryan has on Lupino is that of the hunter and his prey, or in another sense a sadist. The audience finds out early on that Ryan is a mad killer, but it takes Lupino much longer. Thus we must live with this knowledge as we watch poor Miss Lupino try everything in her power to 'win' Ryan over in order to make things work, get the job done, get on with life. But getting on with things isn't in Ryan's makeup, as he is incapable of any but the most rudimentary forms of normality, and as soon as there is an opening his paranoia asserts itself. As a study in mental illness the movie isn't too impressive. What it's superlative at is showing the effect of major mental illness, with dangerous psychopathology in the mix, and its effect on a normal person. In this regard the film is realistic and compassionate, though relentlessly logical in that we know Lupino can't 'fix' Ryan, yet we want her to. The result is that, if one is willing, one can get extremely involved in this film emotionally if one can put aside, so to speak, its melodramatic structure.Horner shows us, gradually, the layout the Lupino house , a forbidding gothic monstrosity that never feels like a home. We become familiar with staircase, kitchen and pantry; and we come to know which windows Miss Lupino can use for an escape and which ones she can't.$LABEL$ 1 +Marie Dressler carries this Depression-era drama about a kindly bank owner, which recently aired on TCM during their April Fools comedy month. If you come with the expectation of big laughs courtesy the Dressler-Polly Moran team, you'll be disappointed, as this is really a very downbeat film. It's also very poorly made, surprisingly so considering it came from MGM. Leonard Smith's bare bones cinematography is strictly from the 'set up the camera and don't move it' school, frequently to the detriment of the cast, who find themselves delivering lines off screen (it's like a pan and scan print before such existed!) or having their heads cut off. The film doesn't even have a credited director, underlying the apparent fly by night nature of the production. Overall, it's an unsatisfying mess, with Dressler frequently over-emoting and only that bizarre, final reel dash to the bathroom to set it apart.$LABEL$ 0 +Cyclone is a piece of dreck with little redeeming value, even on the so bad its entertaining front. A friend of mine took the tape from an overflowing St. Vincent DePaul clothes bin. Okay, that may be a little bit dodgy but it was meant to be a clothes bin, not a crappy old VHS bin, something the less fortunate members of our society don't really need to make their lives better. It could be considered a mercy. Watching a movie like Cyclone would really only add to their problems. Anyway the basic premise of a woman with a super-powerful motorcycle that it armed to the teeth with rockets and lasers isn't even properly exploited. The two 'high speed' chase sequences involve vehicles travelling at less than hair raising speeds of around 40 KMPH and a super-fast motorcycle that is in danger of being overtaken by a crappy old station wagon is not that awe inspiring when you get down to it. There is only one scene where the bikes goofy weaponry is used, at the film's climax, and it is laughably ineffectual, or just laughable, when it is. This includes laser beams that look like they should be coming out of the hands of an evil wizard in a cheesy eighties sword and sorcery that produced large bursts of flame which seem to have no noticeable effect on their targets even when they hit directly. The rest of the movie is just tedious hard to watch filler. Lots of bad actors, yes even Combs and Landau suck in this, most of whom seem like they have been lifted from the set of a porno movie stand around exchanging really bad dialogue in a desperate attempt to pus forward the barely coherent plot. There are a few badly staged fight sequences and some excruciatingly unfunny comic relief scenes with some cops and the owner of the motor cycle repair shop. Comedy of the sub Benny Hill horny old man can't stop staring at the female leads chest variety. Basically the 'money' scenes involving the bike actually doing stuff are few and lame and the rest is clunky filler material. Skip it.$LABEL$ 0 +"Cinderella" is one of the most beloved of all Disney classics. And it really deserves its status. Based on the classic fairy-tale as told by Charles Perrault, the film follows the trials and tribulations of Cinderella, a good girl who is mistreated by her evil stepmother and equally unlikable stepsisters. When a royal ball is held and all eligible young women are invited (read: the King wants to get the Prince to marry), Cinderella is left at home whilst her stepmother takes her awful daughters with her. But there is a Fairy Godmother on hand...The story of "Cinderella" on its own wouldn't be able to pad out a feature, so whilst generally staying true to the story otherwise, the fairly incidental characters of the animals whom the Fairy Godmother uses to help get the title character to the ball become Cinderella's true sidekicks. The mice Jaq and Gus are the main sidekicks, and their own nemesis being the stepmother's cat Lucifer. Their antics intertwine generally with the main fairy-tale plot, and are for the most part wonderful. Admittedly, the film does slow down a bit between the main introduction of the characters and shortly before the stepsisters depart for the ball, but after this slowdown, the film really gets going again and surprisingly (since "Cinderella" is the most worn down story of all time, probably) ends up as one of the most involving Disney stories.The animation and art direction is lovely. All of the legendary Nine Old Men animated on this picture, and Mary Blair's colour styling and concept art (she also did concept art and colour styling for "Alice in Wonderland", "Peter Pan", "The Three Caballeros" and many many others) manage to wiggle their way on screen. The colours and designs are lovely, especially in the Fairy Godmother and ball scenes, as well as in those pretty little moments here and there.Overall, "Cinderella" ranks as one of the best Disney fairy-tales and comes recommended to young and all that embodies the Disney philosophy that dreams really can come true.$LABEL$ 1 +**Might contain spoilers**Ok, lets conclude this movie in one word: bad. Two words? Really bad. Now why do I think that? Let me explain. Guttenberg leads a special-ops team consisting of four persons that get assigned to retake an lethal virus after some arms-dealer stole it from a lab. They do this by attacking the arm-dealers in mid-flight and somehow gets back the virus after some fighting. However, suspicions arise about Guttenberg because one of the terrorist knew his name. After debriefing the team-members get attacked by unknown persons and everyone starts to suspect everyone else is involved. After deciding they cant trust their bosses, they decide to, once again, steal the virus and try to lure out the possible attackers.In theory this is a plot that could have worked in a low-budget movie that just aims to be aired on TV. However, the plot is compromised and the movie ruined in several accounts. Firstly, the plot is totally predictable and it is not fun to know how the movie is going to end after three minutes. Second. The acting is really bad, or the actors are directed to act as dummys. There aren't many emotions, change of facial expressions at all etc. I was especially disappointed in Guttenberg that I believe can do so much more, but fails completely in an attempt to be a rough action-hero. In addition, though I am not by any means any expert on the subject, I totally believe I could assemble a better covert-ops team by picking up five strangers and train them for a week. This seems to be a theme in the movie to do things as stupid and unprofessionally as possible. This go for good guys, bad guys and bystanders as well. Then I sincerely doubt the scientific and technical consultants, if any, of the film. For example, I have poured liquid nitrogen over my hand and I didn't break instantly.Don't know how to conclude this really, but lets say that this movie has a predictable plot, bad acting and they seem to be amateurs in whatever the do. Sorry, can't be any nicer than that. Do not watch this movie, it is not even so bad it is funny. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +The premise of an African-American female Scrooge in the modern, struggling city was inspired, but nothing else in this film is. Here, Ms. Scrooge is a miserly banker who takes advantage of the employees and customers in the largely poor and black neighborhood it inhabits. There is no doubt about the good intentions of the people involved. Part of the problem is that story's roots don't translate well into the urban setting of this film, and the script fails to make the update work. Also, the constant message about sharing and giving is repeated so endlessly, the audience becomes tired of it well before the movie reaches its familiar end. This is a message film that doesn't know when to quit. In the title role, the talented Cicely Tyson gives an overly uptight performance, and at times lines are difficult to understand. The Charles Dickens novel has been adapted so many times, it's a struggle to adapt it in a way that makes it fresh and relevant, in spite of its very relevant message.$LABEL$ 0 +It was evident until the final credits that this film was made in 1989, as all the elements of its production were made to look 1960's - the acting, the characterisations, the sets and the props all had an aesthetic from an earlier time.The film opens to the moments prior to the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and how this tragic incident affects one family: a young woman, Yasuko, who lives with her aunt and uncle. Even in black and white, and using special effects that are quite primitive by modern standards but emotive and effective nonetheless, the depictions of the immediate aftermath of the bomb are quite horrific. Family members become unrecognisable to each other, others resemble zombies as they wander the streets bedraggled and in shock.The title refers to rainfall that fell soon after the bomb, which was mixed with radioactive ash, and in which Yasuko is caught. Rumors of Yasuko's being in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing affect her marriage prospects and it is later learnt that the black rain is indeed causing sicknesses. The film is concerned not just with the physical effects of the bomb on the Japanese, but on the social and psychological damage that was wrought.I found the film compassionate and a fascinating journey into a unique culture. While the film is primarily concerned with the pain felt by one family, the film's gentle political message is relevant today and probably for all time - wars have horrific consequences, and should not be entered into unless absolutely necessary. It is said that history repeats itself, and the current leaders of the 'Coalition of the Willing' have learned nothing. While atomic warfare has not resurfaced since 1945, other deadly after-effects have. This film is compelling viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +I have very few to add to what all the other reviewers already made more than clear! This movie is awful! Beyond awful... In fact, so insufferable that they have yet to come up with a term to describe the awfulness that is "Skeleton Man". In case you expect your movies to feature a minimum of logic and plot, you should stay as far away from this as humanly possible. Sure, loads of people are getting killed by this skeleton-puppet wearing a ridiculous cape, but nobody ever bothers to properly explain what he is, where he comes from or why he's so angry with the world. He looks like a crossover between Skeletor from "Masters of the Universe" and the horseman from "Sleepy Hollow" and runs amok in some godforsaken wilderness. The setting of "Skeleton Man" is another totally retarded aspect! For nearly half an hour, I assumed that the movie took place at a small isolated island, but it simply plays at the mainland where fancy highways cross the forest and power plants are located at the end of the woods! Huh? Why does everybody pretend to be trapped when there are like a million escape routes? Anyway, after a couple of totally random killings, a special commando squad, led by poor washed-up Michael Rooker, arrives to come and hunt a monster they don't know anything about. Really hilarious is how every member of this squad introduces him/herself as the expert in a certain field (we have a sniper-specialist, a tracking genius, a drill instructor...), yet they ALL die before any of them is able to demonstrate their supposedly masterful skills! The horror Gods must really hate Casper Van Dien, as he's present again as well, portraying an heroic soldier who steals a truck for no apparent reason, crashes on the highway, but somehow gets catapulted back to the middle of the woods to die there. Right, that makes sense... Furthermore the characters steal cool one-liners from "Predator", the bonehead's horse constantly changes colors, helicopters are brought down with bow& arrows, ordinary bullets cause trees to explode and completely pointless Vietnam flashbacks haunt Michael Rooker. I say we all combine forces and vote this pathetic flick into the IMDb bottom top 100 ASAP!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very funny movie, easy to watch, that entertains you almost all the time. The work of the Director is recognizable and the type of humor is his trademark. The movie is a typical police partners history like lethal weapon, but the jokes and comedy are of Argentinian sort. The twist is that one of them is a psychologist played by Peretti and has to go with detective Diaz (played by Luque) on his assignments while he also assist him (Diaz is troubled because his wife cheated on him). Some of the dialogs are hilarious worldwide: understandable and laughable anywhere. Is very good overall, it would deserved an 8, but I rated 7 because it gets a little down at the end. On a personal remark I must add that is a "bravo" for Argentinian Filmmakers, considering the little good is coming lately.$LABEL$ 1 +I'll give writer/director William Gove credit for finding someone to finance this ill-conceived "thriller." A good argument for not wasting money subscribing to HBO, let alone buying DVDs based on cover art and blurbs. A pedestrian Dennis Hopper and a game Richard Grieco add nothing significant to their resumes, although the art direction is not half bad. The dialogue will leave you grimacing with wonder at its conceit; this is storytelling at its worst. No tension, no suspense, no dread, no fear, no empathy, no catharsis, no nothing. A few attractive and often nude females spice up the boredom, but this is definitely a film best seen as a trailer. I feel sorry for the guy who greenlighted this thing. Good for late-night, zoned-out viewing only. You have been warned.$LABEL$ 0 +I'll give this movie two stars because it teems with beautiful photography. Otherwise, it teems mainly with clichés and stereotypes: mountain people are either dumb white trash of the fanatically religious or ragged racist kind, or wise white Indians. Indians are magical people who move around without a sound, can disappear in the blink of an eye, talk to animals, and read minds over large distances. And so on and so forth.Throughout the movie I kept wondering what the point of the film was (other than showing me pretty pictures of mountains, log cabins, woods, an assortment of animals, free-spirited mountain-dwellers and freaky people in church).The plot touched a whole range of issues but explored none of them in depth. This was neither a story about growing up during the depression, nor about about being an orphan, nor about a struggle for identity. It tried to be all of those things and more, which made it superficial and unsatisfactory.Although the movie was supposed to be about Little Tree's education, we learn almost nothing about it. He was given a brief summary of the history of his people (who were brave and stoic) and a distillery demonstration; tried his hand at chopping wood (at which he failed) and whiskey running (literally); learned how to read (and maybe to write) with the help of grandma and her dictionary - and that was it. Apparently he didn't learn much during his stint in boarding school because he was locked up in the attic.However, grandma and grandpa and Graham Greene's character made sure that in the end Little Tree became a very spiritual person whose main goal as an adult - after, and I'm paraphrasing here, "riding with the Navajos" and "getting caught up in a couple of wars" - was to "catch up" with grandma and grandpa and Graham Greene's character in heaven (instead of, say, dating girls, getting married, having children or other such nonsense).Last but not least I must say that I found grandpa's trade offensive. Why of all things did it have to be a whiskey still? To counteract the stereotype of the "drunken Indian"?$LABEL$ 0 +"Laugh, Clown Laugh" released in 1928, stars the legendary Lon Chaney as a circus clown named Tito. Tito has raised a foundling (a young and beautiful Loretta Young) to adulthood and names her Simonetta. Tito has raised the girl in the circus life, and she has become an accomplished ballerina. While Chaney gives his usual great performance, I could not get past the fact that Tito, now well into middle age, has the hots for the young Simonetta. Although he is not her biological father, he has raised her like a daughter. That kind of "ick" factor permeates throughout the film. Tito competes for Simonetta's affections with a young and handsome 'Count' Luigi (Nils Asther). Simonetta clearly falls for the young man, but feels guilt about abandoning Tito (out of loyalty, not romantic love). The whole premise of the film is ridiculous, and I find it amazing that no one in the film tells Tito what a stupid old fool he is being (until he reveals it himself at the end). The film is noteworthy only because of Loretta Young, who would go on to have a great career. While I adore Chaney's brilliance as an actor, this whole film seems off to me and just downright creepy.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry guys, all who thought this film could be something great, I'm afraid you would be disappointed.The standard, the movie wanted to set is completely ruined by some very simple plot. So simple, that the movie is not evolving until the end. I asked myself if the plot wasn't about the action but about the main character (played by Mickey Rourke), but I found that the character was inconsistent - either he is a professional killer or some guilt haunted brother. But both don't go together, because the kid he tries to guide poses him in dangerous situations where no professional killer would put himself. Now, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is a good looking actor, but he played his character a little unnatural. I didn't believe his acting, it looked like the director tried to pull out of him some personality he couldn't provide. And he didn't have to, because his less crazy behavior was creepy enough. The only one whose acting was great, was Diane Lane. If not her, i would give this movie 1 star.In conclusion, I expected to see some well played movie and some interesting plot. And I completely blew it with my high expectations.$LABEL$ 0 +Musically speaking Irving Berlin gave Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers another pluperfect musical after Top Hat if that was possible. Although in this case like that Jerome Kern confection Roberta that they were in, Follow the Fleet retained Randolph Scott with another singer, this time Harriet Hilliard.Randolph Scott is a career Navy CPO and Fred Astaire is an ex-vaudevillian who enlisted in the Navy to forget Ginger Rogers his former partner. But now the two are on shore leave. Fred and Ginger take up right where they left off, and Randy accidentally meets Ginger's dowdy sister Harriet who blossoms into a real beauty. But Randy's a typical love 'em and leave 'em sailor. Again Irving Berlin wrote a hit filled score with him tightly supervising the production. Ginger gets to do some really outstanding vocalizing with Let Yourself Go which she and Fred later dance to. But the real hit of the show is Let's Face the Music and Dance which is a number done at a Navy show. Sung first by Astaire and later danced to by the pair, Let's Face the Music and Dance is one of the great romantic numbers ever written for the screen. Their dancing on this one is absolute magic.I'm sure that when I mention Harriet Hilliard a few younger people might ask who that was. But they will know immediately when I mention her in conjunction with her famous husband Ozzie Nelson. That's right Ozzie and Harriet. It's something of a mystery to me why Harriet stopped singing when she just became David and Ricky's mom on television. Then again she didn't even keep her own name. Neither Ozzie or Harriet sang on television. Ozzie was a pale imitation of Rudy Vallee as a singer, but Harriet could really carry a tune. She sings Get Thee Behind Me Satan and The Moon and I Are Here, But Where Are You, both with real feeling and class. I recommend you see Follow the Fleet if for no other reason than to hear a dimension of Harriet Hilliard incredibly forgotten today.$LABEL$ 1 +I can never fathom why people take time to review movies that they have not understood fully. I know people will read scathing reviews on these pages of this film, and it will keep them from seeking copies of this quite forgotten, late '20s style but 1932 movie, which should probably be referred to as "Indecent," as that is the name on the main titles.Myrna Loy, best known as a comic actress in countless genteel roles, shows herself to be miscast in all of them. She was a true dramatic actress, something that I did not know before watching this film, which predates all of her famous roles. She is exciting and moving here, two things she never was opposite the graceful and refined William Powell. I'm still rather in shock over how good she was.Becky Sharp (1935), the first three-strip Technicolor feature, is more familiar but this one is far better artistically and an adaptation. It is also very poignant as an expression of a film style that was about to die. You cannot take my word for it, you must see it.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm always surprised about how many times you'll see something about World War 2 on the German national television. You would think they don't like to open old wounds, but there isn't a week that goes by without a documentary or a movie about the horror and atrocities of this war. Perhaps it's a way of dealing with their past, I don't know, but you sure can't blame them of ignoring what happened. And it has to be said: most of those documentaries are really worth a watch because they never try to gloss over the truth and the same can be said about their movies (think for instance about "Der Untergang" or "The Downfall" as you might now it) which are also very realistic.One of those movies is "Rosenstrasse". It tells a true story and deals with the subject of the mixed marriages during the war, even though the movie starts with a family in the USA, at the present day. After Hannah's father died, her mother all a sudden turned into an orthodox Jew even though she hasn't been very religious before. She doesn't know where the strange behavior of her mother comes from, but as she starts digging in her mother's troubled childhood, Hannah understands how little she has ever known about her mother's past.The fact that this movie deals with the subject of the mixed marriages during the Nazi regime is already quite surprising. For as far as I know, there hasn't been another movie that deals with this subject. (For those who didn't know this yet: Being married to a so-called pure Aryian man or woman meant for many Jews that they weren't immediately sent to one of the concentration camps, but that they had to work in a factory). But it does not only tell something about the problems of the mixed marriages, it also gives a good idea of how these people were often seen by their own parents and relatives. How difficult it sometimes was for them during the Nazi regime and how these people, most of the time women, did everything within their power to free their men, once they were captured and locked away in for instance the Rosenstrasse...The acting is really good and the story is very well written, although the way it was presented in the beginning didn't really do it for me (and that's exactly the only part that you'll get to see in the trailer). Perhaps it's just me, but I would have left out a big part of what happens in the present day. At least of the part that is situated in the USA, because the part where Hannah goes to Berlin and talks to someone who knows more about her mother's past, definitely works.If you are interested in everything that has something to do with the Second World War, and if you aren't necessarily looking for a lot of action shots, than this is definitely a movie you should see. This isn't a movie in which you'll see any battles or gunfights, but it certainly is an interesting movie, because it gives you an idea about an aspect of the war only little is known of. I give it an 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Christian Propaganda...Lots of fear mongering...This is not SciFi, this is ChriFi (Christian fiction).The movie started out OK but took a sharp Christian right turn. From then on it was all about god, jc, the holy bible and the devil . The ufo's are really just demonic deception to fool people in to believing that there is other intelligent life in the universe. Satan's idea is to trick you in to thinking that there could be more to life than what is in the bible.The abductions could be used to explain away the rapture. The people left behind would believe it was a mass alien abduction, instead of god taking all the Christians to heaven. No reason to repent if its aliens. The deeper message in the movie is that if you don't believe in god and have jc in your life than you believe in nothing and your life has no purpose.$LABEL$ 0 +This DVD is missing its calling as a Heineken coaster.... This is a great example of why no one should ever go see a sequel with a different director/writer than the original. Two hours of this turkey left me begging for Exorcist 2 reruns. NO legitimate laughs. NOT ONE decent scare. The script was just a mess and I felt bad for the actors who had to perform it (they must have had sick relatives at home or monster coke habits or something).The original was a makeup effects landmark. So naturally, the producers of the sequel thought it would be a great idea to to scrap makeup FX and do CG werewolves instead. These CG werewolves had me laughing a lot harder than any of the "comedy". It was just a total miss. If ya want a night's entertainment, go rent the original again. Or go take a film class and make your own horror film. You're bound to do better than these fools did.$LABEL$ 0 +This incredibly formulaic flick from the "Walker, Texas Ranger" squad contains some of the most unbelievable scenes ever witnessed within a TV movie. In addition, one can pretty much predict the outcome from the get-go. However, it's a fun little movie that gets the job done: it entertains. That's all it was meant to do and it does so. The stunts and explosions are fun and exciting and the plot isn't half bad. The acting is also decent, which isn't much of a surprise, because everyone knows that Chuck Norris is no Steven Seagal. If you're a fan of the genre (and of "Walker, Texas Ranger"), you will definitely love this. If not, then don't waste your time. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an exchange student in Japan who is just beginning to do some social work, is sent to aid an elderly semi-catatonic woman, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), after her previous caretaker, Yoko (Yoko Maki), disappears. Karen soon learns that something is not right in Emma's home, and she attempts to "see how deep the rabbit hole goes".Maybe it's a delayed influence from the success of M. Night Shyamalan's films, but slower-paced, understated horror films are a recent trend. In some cases, such as Hide and Seek (2005), the approach works remarkably well, and in others, such as White Noise (2005), the pacing tends to kill the film. I didn't like The Grudge quite as much as Hide and Seek, but this is still a very good film--it earns a 9 out of 10 from me.The Grudge has a couple significant differences from other recent examples of that trend, however. One, it is well known that this is a remake based on the Japanese film series that began with Ju-On (2000) (in particular, it's extremely close to the first half of Ju-On: The Grudge, aka Ju-On 3, from 2003). Two, as with many Japanese horror films, the slower pacing here isn't so much in the realm of realist drama as with surrealism. As is also the case with a large percentage of European horror, The Grudge should be looked at more as a filmed nightmare.Director Takashi Shimizu, also the director of the five Japanese entries in the Ju-On series to date (the fifth is currently in production), and writer Stephen Susco have largely dispensed with linearity and are not overly concerned with logic or plot holes when it comes to the horror behind the story. The idea instead is to present a dreamlike sequence of scenes, with dream logic, where the focus is atmosphere, creepiness, the uncanny, and for many viewers--scares. How well the film works for you will largely depend on how well you can adapt yourself to, or are used to, this different approach to film-making (although admittedly, some of the seeming gaps are filled in by previous entries in the Ju-On series). Traditionally, American audiences consider as flaws leaving plot threads hanging and abandoning "rules" for the "monster". A more poetic, metaphorical, surreal approach to film isn't yet accepted by the mainstream in the U.S.However, even if you're not used to it, it's worth trying to suspend your normal preconceptions about films and give The Grudge a shot. This is a well written, well directed, well acted film, filled with unusual properties, such as the story interweaving a large number of "main characters" (which is done better here than the more episodic Ju-On 3), good cinematography, subtle production design touches (check out Gellar's clothes, which match the color and texture of the exterior of Emma's house, when Gellar first approaches), and beautifully effective horror material.Even though it is more slowly paced that your average horror film of the past, the pacing usually enhances the eeriness, and there is no shortage of bizarre events to keep horror fans entertained. The supernatural premise of the film is absorbing, and based on interviews on the DVD with Shimizu, have prodded me to pay more attention to Japanese beliefs and folklore. Although the most interesting subtexts would probably arise with a more intimate knowledge of Japanese culture, it's interesting to ponder why so many Japanese horror films feature scary children and adults who look like scary children.I subtracted one point for the film slightly veering into clichéd mystery/thriller territory with a "here's what really happened" flashback, but even that was fairly well done, and otherwise, this would have been a 10 out of 10.Now that I've said all of the above, let me finish with a mini-rant: It's not that I'm anti-remake, but it is ridiculous that U.S. distributors and studios feel that we need remakes of foreign films to make them appropriate for consumption. The original versions of these films should just be playing in U.S. theaters in wide release. There is no need to present an almost identical film but just substituting white American actors for non-white or foreign actors. Yes, The Grudge is a fine film, but ultimately, I'd rather see something original using this talent, and be treated to the latest foreign horror films--not just Japanese, but also Indian, Spanish, Chinese, etc.--at my multiplex. In the hope that someone with some pull at the studios reads this, it is also more cost-effective to do this, as (1) you can completely avoid production costs, and simply make domestic distribution deals from which you receive profit, and (2) you can make money off of fans like myself who otherwise pick up the foreign film DVDs in foreign manufactured or even bootleg versions.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is pure guano. Mom always said if you can't say anything nice... but even Mom would say I had to do my part to warn others of this movie.I can guarantee this is the film that Geoffrey Rush wishes would just go away. I would hope that Greg Kinnear fired his agent..from a cannon for giving him the script. After this Ben Stiller is probably praying for someone to pitch "There's Still Something About Mary." I have always been a fan of Wes Studi's, thank whatever you hold holy that he wore a mask through the film so maybe people won't identify the film with him.It starts of promisingly with a stylistic spoof of the cinematography of the Batman films and then just loses something...like a coherent plot and half decent effects.The jokes are telegraphed an hour before the punchline comes, and even then they fall flat. If you want to see an effective spoof of the comic book world see "Chasing Amy".RUN! DON'T WALK AWAY FROM "MYSTERY MEN"!$LABEL$ 0 +A group of young filmmakers with virtually no budget set out to make something clever and original -- and while there is a bit of originality and some skilled drawing in this slacker puppet show take on "Dante's Inferno," there is nothing especially clever. Dante's "Divine Comedy" was a brilliant piece of social commentary. This film is a vaguely moralistic student film with pretensions to High Art.I suspect those who loved this film were those readily amused by the sophomoric pokes at some icons of the political and/or religious right, and that those who hated it took offense at seeing their favored icons poked. Be that as it may, few of those pokes actually rose to the level of satire.The high point of the movie is a sudden outbreak of "Schoolhouse Rock" on the subject of lobbying and the "revolving door." It's really a shame that the entire film couldn't have been a musical. That would have stripped away a great deal of the annoying film school pretentiousness and added a far stronger element of fun.$LABEL$ 0 +The title of my summary pretty much covers my review. This is to me what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was to someone 5 years older. While I missed out on that little pop-culture wave, I embraced the toy line and t.v. series that was Mighty Max with both arms.You wanna know how into this I was? I went as Mighty Max for Halloween.Thank God for the internet. Thanks to Demonoid, last week I was able to watch this great show from my childhood for the first time in over a decade.I'm watching this right now, having just been blown away by recognizing Rob Paulson of Animaniacs, and am also loving the celebrity humor in "Tar Wars". 4 minutes in, and they have already mentioned, By NAME: Clint Eastwood, Governor Arnold, Dustin Hoffman, John Wayne, AND Ace Ventura. Hells yeah. Damn, it is only upon writing this that I realize there is NO WAY IN HELL I can give this series anything less than a perfect score. Any imperfections have been lost in the fog of time. This Is My Childhood. This Is Awesomeness. This Is The Mighty One.$LABEL$ 1 +I have never seen a comedy that was this much of a chore to sit thru...not one laugh in it. Ok, maybe one little chuckle for the Michael Clarke Duncan bit as the big, black, bald gay virgin. But the rest of it was shockingly un-funny. On top of being void of any laughs the "skits" go on forever! Steer clear of this one if you value your time and money. DREADFUL!!! The worst!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great "small" film. I say "small" because it doesn't have a hundred guns firing or a dozen explosions, as in a John Woo film. Great performances by Roy Scheider and the three "bad guys". John Frankenheimer seems to have more luck with small productions these days. The film is very easy to watch, the story is more of a yarn than a washing machine--instead of everything going around and around, it seems as though things just get worse as the plot thickens. Wonderful ending, very positive. I never read the Elmore Leonard book, but it can't be much different from the film because it FEELS like I'm watching an Elmore Leonard movie.$LABEL$ 1 +A very sensitive topic--15 y/o girl abandoned by mother as a baby and who goes to visit her, continues to be ignored, is raped by her mom's boyfriend, becomes pregnant. There was not enough depth displayed of this situation. Too much of time is taken up on the chase with the truckers transporting the baby. (Interesting, this baby with asthma--you never see him cry-- except once--, be fed, have is diaper changed during the whole truck transport ordeal.) I would have liked to have seen more of the interrelationships, more focus on the fact that this girl was a minor--this should have stood up in court immediately.And this was a true story! It deserved a better telling than that!!If it weren't for the subject matter, I would have given this closer to a 0 rating. I rented this from the library. Only later I found out it was a made for TV movie. oh well$LABEL$ 0 +I'm glad some people liked this, but I hated this film. It had a very good idea for a story line, but that's where it ended. It was badly written, badly acted and badly made. It had some interesting plot points, but they were just skipped over too fast, the writers needed to realize what to keep in and expand on these bits, like lying about why she was kidnapped, and ditch the dross. Instead it was "what's going on?", 5 seconds later they tell you.This film had no suspense, and I was bored from start to end. I just wanted it to finish. Go and rent misery, or best laid plans if you want suspense or twists that keep you guessing to the end.$LABEL$ 0 +What fun! Bucketfuls of good humor, terrific cast chemistry (Skelton/Powell/Lahr/O'Brien), dynamite Dorsey-driven soundtrack! Miss Powell's dance numbers have exceptional individual character and pizzazz. Her most winning film appearance.$LABEL$ 1 +The Palestinian situation is fertile and as-yet largely fallow soil for film-making. 'Divine Intervention' tries hard, and gives us an insightful peek into the almost surreal life of those caught up in the troubles, but the film amounts to little more than a handful of (admittedly lovely) visual jokes thrown onto celluloid, while the links between them become increasingly obscure as the film progresses. A missed opportunity to say something more coherent about a very topical issue.$LABEL$ 0 +This film stands head and shoulders above the vast majority of cinematic romantic comedies. It is virtually flawless! The writing, acting, production design, humor and pathos are all wonderful! Even the music -- from Dean Martin to La Boheme -- is captivating and delightful!Every character is peculiarly delightful and memorable, from the leads played by Cher and Nicolas Cage, to the many supporting roles -- Olympia Dukakis , Vincent Gardenia, John Mahoney, Danny Aiello -- even grandpa with his dog pack! Each of these performers, plus Norman Jewison as Director, performs above their normal quality in this ensemble work. For several of the actors, this was an early major exposure in film, so the casting is also exceptional -- and we have many current acting powerhouses whose careers were altered by their effectiveness in this film.I've seen this film several times all the way through -- which can sometimes deflate the impact of a film substantially. More tellingly, I realized some years ago that whenever I channel-surfed my way into a scene from this film -- any scene -- the scene was compelling and beautifully crafted. There are so many stunning and memorable scenes the original meeting between the Cher and Nicolas Cage characters, where Cage tells his tale of woe; Vincent Gardenia discovered with his paramour at the opera, amidst the splendor generated by his gold-mine plumbing business; Olympia Dukakis scolding John Mahoney for philandering with his student in the classic line about liaisons with co-workers: "Don't sh-t where you eat!"; Danny Aiello at his dying mother's bedside; Nicolas Cage "taking" Cher as the rapture of an aria soars in the background! There are of course many great romantic comedies, among them Sabrina (both versions, but especially the Audrey Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart/William Holden original); When Harry Met Sally; The Apartment.None quite equals Moonstruck!$LABEL$ 1 +In many ways, the filmic career of independent film-making legend John Cassavetes is the polar opposite of someone like Alfred Hitchcock, the consummate studio director. Where Hitchcock infamously treated his actors as cattle, Cassavetes sought to work with them improvisationally. Where every element in a Hitchcock shot is composed immaculately, Cassavetes cared less for the way a scene was figuratively composed than in how it felt, or what it conveyed, emotionally. Hitchcock's tales were always plot-first narratives, with the human element put in the background. Cassavetes put the human experience forefront in every one of his films. If some things did not make much sense logically, so be it.One can see this even from his very first film, 1959's Shadows, filmed with a 16mm hand-held camera, on a shoe string budget of about $40,000, in Manhattan, with Cassavetes' acting workshop repertory company, and touted as an improvisatory film. The story is rather simple, as it follows the lives of three black sibling Manhattanites- Benny (Ben Carruthers)- a trumpeter and no account, Hugh (Hugh Hurd)- a washed up singer, and Lelia (Lelia Goldoni)- the younger sister of both. The film's three main arcs deal with Hugh's failures as a nightclub crooner, and his friendship with his manager Rupert (Rupert Crosse); Benny's perambulations in an about Manhattan with his two no account pals; and Lelia's lovelife- first with a white boy Tony (Anthony Ray), who does not realize light-skinned Lelia's race, even after bedding her; then with stiff and proper Davey (Davey Jones), who may be a misogynist.In the first arc, nothing much happens, except dark-skinned Hugh gets to pontificate on how degraded he feels to be singing in low class nightclubs, and opening shows for girly acts. He dreams of making it big in New York, or even Paris, but one can tell he is the type of man who will continue deluding himself of his meager skill, for the one time we actually get to hear him sing, he shows he's a marginal talent, at best. That Rupert keeps encouraging him gives us glimpses into how destructive friendships work. But, this is the least important of the three arcs…. While this film is better overall than, say, Martin Scorsese's first film, a decade later, Who's That Knocking At My Door?- another tale of failed romance and frustrated New Yorkers, it has none of the brilliant moments- acting-wise nor cinematographically- that that film has. It also is not naturalistic, for naturalism in art is a very difficult thing to achieve, especially in film, although the 1950s era Manhattan exteriors, at ground level, is a gem to relive. While Shadows may, indeed, be an important film in regards to the history of the independent film circuit, it certainly is nowhere near a great film. Parts of it are preachy, poorly acted, scenes end willy-nilly, almost like blackout sketches, and sometimes are cut off seemingly in the middle. All in all it's a very sloppy job- especially the atrocious jazz score that is often out of synch with the rest of the film, as Cassavetes proved that as a director, at least in his first film, he was a good actor. The only reason for anyone to see Shadows is because Cassavetes ultimately got better with later films, and this gives a clue as to his later working style.The National Film Registry has rightly declared this film worthy of preservation as 'culturally significant'. This is all in keeping with the credo of art Cassavetes long championed, as typified by this quote: 'I've never seen an exploding helicopter. I've never seen anybody go and blow somebody's head off. So why should I make films about them? But I have seen people destroy themselves in the smallest way. I've seen people withdraw. I've seen people hide behind political ideas, behind dope, behind the sexual revolution, behind fascism, behind hypocrisy, and I've myself done all these things. So I can understand them. What we are saying is so gentle. It's gentleness. We have problems, terrible problems, but our problems are human problems.' That this film is 'culturally significant' is true, but that truth is not synonymous with its being 'artistically significant'. It is in the difference between these two definitions where great art truly thrives.$LABEL$ 1 +The distribution was good, the subject could have been interessant and comic. whereas, he described the wandering of an old non credible communist looking for loving sensations. Instead of this, the atmosphere is nor lively nor heavy.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts out hilarious from about the 15 second mark, and continues it throughout the movie. I cannot recall a scene where i didn't turn to look at people laughing with me. he is the perfect actor for this roll because of the way he looks and the way he dressed.The comedic parts were great to see from actors not very big or popular. As you can see people do like this movie it is currently rated 7.9 on IMDb. i think it should be in 250. Lets put it this way i haven't seen this funny of a movie since American pie or the original vacation. see it if you want a laugh. I give this movie 2 of the highest thumbs up i have ever given since i found out about IMDb, great movie site.$LABEL$ 1 +"This story is dedicated to women," according to the introduction, "who have been fighting for their rights ever since Adam and Eve started the loose-leaf system." When "Politics" was filmed, the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was only a decade old. And, the film deals with the wielding of political power by women as a voting group. Advocating prohibition, and shutting down speakeasies, was a main concern for women at the time.Good-natured Marie Dressler (as Hattie Burns) becomes politically active, after a young woman is shot and killed coming out of a speakeasy. She wants the liquor-selling joints closed; and, is drafted into a Mayoral run, after delivering a powerful speech at a women's rally. Ms. Dressler is supported by her tenants, best friend Polly Moran (as Ivy Higgins) and her stuttering husband Roscoe Ates (as Peter Higgins). Dressler's run for Mayor of Lake City draws opposition from men in town; so, Dressler orders the women to go on strike, denying them, "everything" in the "parlor, bedroom, and bath." The film sounds much better than it turned out. The humor, frankly, isn't too good; and, it features some unfunny and moderately offensive situations ("You look like Madame Queen" refers to an Amos and Andy character). And, the mixing of shootings and slapstick doesn't mix well, this time. Producers might have considered making the film more dramatic, focusing exclusively on Dressler and the characters played by William Bakewell (as Benny Emerson) and Karen Morley (as Myrtle Burns).**** Politics (7/25/31) Charles Reisner ~ Marie Dressler, Polly Moran, Roscoe Ates$LABEL$ 0 +At the beginning of the film, you might double-check the DVD cover and re-read the synopsis a couple of times, but no worries. It's NOT "Memoirs of a Geisha" that you purchased; just a movie with an intro that is much more classy and stylish than it has any right to be. Still, the opening is by far the best thing about the entire movie, as it shows how in the year 1840 a Samurai sword master catches his wife committing adultery. He decapitates the two lovers before doing some hara-kiri (ritual suicide through disembowelment). Cut to present day, when the American Ambassador in Japan welcomes a befriended family and drives them up to the same house where the aforementioned slaughter took place nearly one and a half century ago. From then onwards, this becomes a seemingly routine haunted house flick yet the utterly retarded and implausible script still makes it somewhat exceptional. Let's start with the good aspects, namely the original Japanese setting and the presence of the delicious Susan George who is my all-time favorite British horror wench (well, together with Britt Eckland, Linda Hayden and Ingrid Pitt). The bad aspects simply include that the screenplay is incoherent, imbecilic beyond repair and full of supposedly unsettling twists that only evoke laughter. The restless spirits of the house soon begin to entertain themselves by perpetrating into the bodies of the new tenants and causing them to do and say all sorts of crazy stuff. The spirit of the massacred adulterous woman particularly enjoys squeezing into Susan's ravishing booty and transforming her into a lewd seductress! In this "possessed" state, she even lures the American ambassador outside to have sex in the garden of a high society diner party full of prominent guests. So, strictly spoken, it's not really "evil" that dwells in the house; just a trio of sleazy ghosts with dirty minds and far too much free time on their long-dead hands! Obviously these scenes are more comical than frightening, especially since the light-blue and transparent shapes remind you of the cute ghost effects that were later popularized in "Ghostbusters". "The House Where Evil Dwells" is probably the least scary ghost movie ever. Throughout most of the running time, you'll be wondering whether director Kevin Connor (who nevertheless made the excellent horror films "Motel Hell" and "From Beyond the Grave") intentionally wanted to make his movie funny and over-the-top, like "Motel Hell" maybe. But then again, everyone in the cast continues to speak his/her lines with a straight and sincere face, so I guess we are nevertheless supposed to take everything seriously and feel disturbed. "The House Where Evil Dwells" is never suspenseful or even remotely exciting and it doesn't even contain any grisly images apart from the massacre at the beginning. I am fully aware of how shallow it sounds, but the two scenes in which Susan George goes topless are the only true highlights. Well, those and maybe also the invasion of cheesy and ridiculously over-sized spiders (or are they crabs?) in the daughter's bedroom. How totally random and irrelevant was that? If you ever decide to give this movie a chance notwithstanding its bad reputation, make sure you leave your common sense and reasoning at the doorstep.Trivia note for horror buffs: keep an eye open for the demon-mask that was also a pivot piece of scenery in the brilliant Japanese horror classic Onibaba.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the follow-up creation to Better Off Dead. In a competition, Better Off Dead would win hands-down. But for star power, One Crazy Summer outshines Savage Steve's better script. Problems with One Crazy Summer (OCS): casting. Better Off Dead (BOD) was cast so much better. Friendship: OCS shows Cusack giving hateful looks to Bill Murray's little bro. Trouble on the set?? More outrageous friends in OCS, but more genuine friends in BOD. Plot was good. You'll predict some of it, but even the predictable parts go further than you think they could. So, even though this is Better Off Dead's ugly stepsister, it's worth a look. See Demi Moore before the plastic surgery if for no other reason. John Cusack fans, you gotta see it, just to say you have. If you don't like Bobcat Golthwaite, I'm sorry. I don't like him either, but you can't escape him in this one. At least he does a great job in the film doing a tribute to another movie monster. Editing needed help on the beach, but for most part, not much to complain about. Overall, it's good and funny. But try not to compare it to BOD or you'll find it lacking. *sigh*$LABEL$ 1 +If this film had a budget of 20 million I'd just like to know where the money went. A monkey could make better CGI effects then what was wasted for 3 hours on this dreadful piece of garbage, although I must admit the machines and the martians would have looked really, really cool on an original play-station 1 game, and early PC games from the mid 90s if a game had ever been made. What puzzles me is where did the money go? Pendragon films could have made a great film with good old fashioned models and computer controlled cameras a la George Lucas circa 1975-83, and actors who actually look like they care about what they are doing (or ruining in this case) for about the same 20 million. This is quite possibly the worst film EVER made! I would rather sit through a 24 hour repeat screening of Ishtar than watch this film again. I hated it completely! I regress. I say this IS the WORST film EVER made because unlike other bad movies like Plan 9 or Killer Tomatoes, or Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, these are films that are so bad you have a special place in your heart for them, you love them. There is no love for this film and no place in my DVD library for it. I sold it to a guy for a dollar. I'm betting the money for the film was spent on booze and other vices for the cast and crew. Shame on you Pendragon films! I want my money back!$LABEL$ 0 +If you want to see a movie about two utterly unsympathetic characters, this is the one. The acting is superb, both from John Cassavetes as the insane paranoid whom, as the saying goes, they REALLY ARE out to get, and from Peter Falk as his lifelong best friend to whom he turns for rescue. Big mistake, but since they're both amoral mobsters, and misogynistic bastards to boot, it's hard to decide whom to root for LESS. Only writer/director Elaine May could have gotten away with this one. I thought it interesting that in a lengthy interview with producer Michael Hausman included on the DVD, he disclosed that the two stars had "very different ideas" about the script, that the director was nearly impossible to work with, that the director of photography had impossible demands made of him, that the crew was constantly angry about being made to sit around waiting, and so on. This mood of one big VERY dysfunctional family comes across clearly on the screen.$LABEL$ 0 +Good, boring or bad? It's good. Worth your money? If you can spare it for a ticket, sure. Better than the trailer makes it seem? Yes, oddly.There isn't much to the script - Guards working at armored truck company move vast amounts of cash. Guards see opportunity to retire as millionaires, one of them is too honest to go along with it all, and a well-laid plan goes to hell. This could have been a poorly-executed Reservoir Dogs ripoff, but the skill of the cast and the director's ability to make just about anything tense pull it out of that realm and put it onto a solid footing.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie seemed a little slow at first. But it picked up speed and got right to the point. It showed exactly how the government and the scientist argued for humanity and the reasons of the "gadget". I enjoyed it. It is very close to reality as any movie about the Atomic Bombs that were to be dropped on Japan. I have recommended it to friends. I was particularly pleased with the acting ability of Dwight Schultz.$LABEL$ 1 +My rating refers to the first 4 Seasons of Stargate SG-1 which are wonderfully fresh, creative and addicting. When the cast stepped through the gate, you never knew what lay on the other side! Starting around Season 5, the show took a different focus - still good, but different.The series follows the adventures of a team of humans (and one alien) who regularly venture into a planetary transport device called the "Stargate". The backstory of the series is based on the characters and events of the movie "Stargate" in which the device is discovered during an archaeological dig in Egypt.The episodes are light (innocent and easy to watch) and very creative. Many of the inventive stories could easily have been made into great sci-fi movies of their own. What happens next was always unpredictable.The characters on which the show rests are also well-defined and brilliantly performed. Their tone is serious, but the dialog is flowered with incredible wit and humor. They are simply fun to watch.Starting somewhere around Season 5, the series started to evolve into a continuing storyline based on fighting a single foe (the Goa'uld, then the Ori). The plots become more complex (a lot more political/strategic oriented) and interdependent. The characters were still as great as ever but the show was different in nature.One thing that must be mentioned is to watch the episodes that commemorated the 100th and 200th episodes. They are simply can't-miss shows. They exhibit the creative and wildly humorous genius that carried the series through 10 seasons.If you are a sci-fi fan, watch a few episodes of the first 4 Seasons and you'll likely be hooked. If you like evolving story lines between two opposing sides, you have 10 seasons of shows to look forward to.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie should have never been made.What a shame of the budget.Please hire convincing actors, and make a proper movie. Very thin plot, and unconvincing lines. Almost hilarious, and that is a shame for an action movie.... Definitely not worth watching.They keep replaying the same "shots" of an Stealth airplane flying away. You have seen it ones, and that was not worth re-running 3 or 4 times.It is time for Steven Seagal to retire from movie-making.His movies are getting worser every time.Black Dawn, and Submerged were already bad, but this movie is even worse.$LABEL$ 0 +Every kid has that movie that he pops into VHS when he has nothing to do, or when there is a babysitter around. This was that movie for me. I can tell you the whole plot exactly, I must have seen it 100 times at least, and I can say it is a good kids/family movie.I still have the tape, I haven't watched it in 5 years, but maybe I'll get around to it this week, and be a kid for the day. You just have to love the care bears, and their messege.$LABEL$ 1 +Idea is great, spoiled big time by the judges.Why make fun of people? if what the inventors say is true, and as most of them say, they spent their life saving on the invention, the minimum is to reject the idea without making fun out of the people.also, it shows when they want to accept an idea by the crier that they added to the judges.The only one i respect out of the judges is the one who always sits on the right of the table, he is a respectable personof course the English snob who claims to be a business man, wearing a suite doesn't make you one pallast but not least, the big guy who sits between the English and the crier. wake up man, the is no job called and inventor for you to call yourself one. an inventor is an attribute not a job man.i think they wanted to add someone like Simon from the American idol, they thought it worked there, it can work here as well. the context is different and the idea is totally different.it is a good idea and they could have done a good show out of it if they just change the judges and remove their act and attitude.just stop making fun of the people.$LABEL$ 0 +Although i don't like cricket at all and i have seen this movie 13 years ago, I still think it is one of the best coming-of-age movies ..i remember the day i returned home from my school and sat down to have my lunch, I saw the opening titles of that movie and then....i was so immersed in it that i felt i was there, it really affected me personally. i still remember how i felt when i first saw it ,i felt that the poor boy was a friend of mine, going through the same adolescent experience we were having in those days. what i really liked about that movie is the main theme of a "shy" boy fantasizing about "kissing" his dream girl, no offense but if that was an American movie, you would certainly see-at a certain point, mainly climax- the "shy" boy "making love" to his girl, and i really can't grasp this contradicting concepts till now...i have a simple request ,if anyone knows how to get this movie on a DVD by mail ,please let me know cause i need a shot of memories..Thanks$LABEL$ 1 +Late night on BBC1, was on my way to bed but curiosity piqued at a contemporary-set Irish film so I stayed to watch for a few minutes and then stayed to the end. I have to admit that the main attraction was the only English actress, Kelly Reilly, who is stunning to look at.This is billed as a black comedy, which is one of the hardest things to pull off. It should be the perfect blend of horror and horrible laughs so that in the end you don't know why you're laughing - for me Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985) is the best example. Dead Bodies is more black than comedy but the plot rattles along and spirals down towards further blackness. I didn't spot the final twists in the tale as some other posters here did so I was suitably surprised.As a snapshot of the Irish film industry in 2003, it all seems rather worthy; it doesn't look like they spent too much on the making of it so it had a chance to make its money back. The script could've been a whole lot sharper but the acting was on the whole pretty good. I'm glad I watched it, flaws and all, tho I don't think I learnt much about Ireland today, especially their policing methods!$LABEL$ 1 +Hi, I'm a friend of werewolf movies, and when i saw the title of Darkwolf hitting the shelves i was like "hmm, simple and nice name to it at least. Althou... i wonder why i haven't heard of it before."First of all, the movie starts with tits. Lots of tits. Tits are pretty much all this movies budget went to. Who cares about a werewolf effect, just pay the actresses enough to get topless shots!So, about the mysterious darkwolf character (a little spoilers ahead, but who really cares...) He's your average everyday biker. Not even super-tough looking, but like the old wise woman says in the movie "he is far more powerful and dangerous than you've ever faced before." Just by describing her a tattooed biker-type of a guy. Pretty original. I even had look twice when they first used the "red glowing eyes" SPECIAL EFFECT! I mean my god, that "lets-plant-red-dots-on-eyes-with-computer" effect has been used since the seventies. It looks plain ugly here! And don't get me started with the werewolf 3D-CGI. As said before, like an bad and old video game.And finally, as i do like werewolf films, like i said. They prettymuch always build a werewolf-legend of their own. Darkwolf does build the werewolfworld as well, about some silly legends of hybrid-werewolves and the ancient bloodline. BUT. It almost instantly after creating the rules of engagement "the darkwolf kills anyone the girl has touched" starts random-slashing. Which just doesn't make any sense, why even bother telling us the rules of killing, when they aren't even gonna play by them... Aplus the wolf-point-of-view shots are made with a sony handycam or something, filming mostly the floor and walls. Just add growling noises and you've got a super werewolf effect. The gore is partially OK. But when the wolf slashes everyone with an open hand, just by basically laying the hand on top of the victims, it just doesn't do the trick for me...Truly, WHO gives money to make these heaps of junk straight-to-video horrortitles, they aren't even funny-kind of bad movies, just sad.$LABEL$ 0 +I had noticed this movie had been on Cinemax a lot lately, so this morning, I decided to watch it. I had just finished the Infiltrator, which is a great movie, and I thought this looked good as well. From the description the cable had, atleast. This film was awful. It's slow, the pacing is horrible, it feels as tho it lasts 4 hours. There's no real plot to speak of...agh! How can anyone say anything good about this movie. Rickman is good...but he always is...the other two characters work well, but there's no real story to support any of it. After 2 hours, and you sitting there wondering what on earth is going on, where on earth is the plot- it ends with a surprise that frankly just made me sick. Don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Tenchu aka. Hitokiri- directed by Hideo Gosha - starring Shintaro Katsu and Tetsuya NAkadei belongs (together with Goyokin, HAra Kiri & Rebellion) to the best chambara movies existing.Its the story about Shintaro Katsu (who plays Okada Izo) working for Nakadei, who wants to become the daymio. Okada, being the "cleaner" for Nakadei is being treated like a dog - and after quite a while he realises - what he realy is to Nakadei.But there is so much more in this movie - every fan of japanese cinema should have seen it !!!!!!!(Tenchu means Heavens Punishment)$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, did this episode start on a STOOOOOPID premise! The Enterprise is chugging along when all of the sudden, Abraham Lincoln is floating around in space and welcomes the Enterprise!!!!!!! Is it just me, or is this a really lame-brained idea?! Lincoln comes aboard and they welcome them. Abe suggests they beam down to some barren planet, where they meet other famous dead folks--both good and evil. It seems that a really cheesy-looking rock monster has assembled a team of GOOD and EVIL people to battle it out for supremacy. The whole thing seems really daffy and inherently unfair, as the GOOD side is saddled with Surak--a Vulcan who makes Gandhi seem like Rambo!! Despite a totally AWFUL premise, the action is pretty good and it's great to see overhead shots of obvious doubles fighting it out in this grudge match. But, don't mistake this for high art or deep sci-fi. The bottom line is that the series was on its last legs as a first-run series and this really looked like they dusted off this turkey and filmed it regardless of the absurdity of the premise.$LABEL$ 0 +This pile of sh!t is tied in my book as the worst thing ever made. I can't BELIEVE that someone actually relased this CRAP, let alone acually MADE it. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. Not even worth mentioning the damn story or any details about it. THAT's how bad it actually is. Avoid it like SARS!$LABEL$ 0 +All the kids aged from 14-16 want to see this movie (although you are only allowed at 18). They have heard it is a very scary movie and they feel so cool when they watched it. I feel very sad kids can't see what a good movie is, and what a bad movie is. This was one of the worst movies i saw in months. Every scene you see in this movie is a copy from another movie. And the end? It's an open ending... why? Because it is impossible to come up with a decent en for such a stupid story. This movie is just made to make you scared, and if you are a bit smart and know some about music, you exactly know when you'll be scared. When the movie was finished and i turned to my friend and told (a bit to loud) him that this was a total waste of money, some stupid kid looked strange at me. These day i could make an Oscar with a home-video of my goldfish, if only i use the right marketing.$LABEL$ 0 +Claire Denis's movies seem to fall into one of two categories: the violent and bloody or the quiet and intimate. "L'Intrus" definitely falls into the first category, but it's not so awful as "Trouble Every Day" or "J'ai pas sommeil."Now, ever since I saw "Chocolat," I've made it a point to see every new movie Denis makes. And I have always been disappointed. "L'Intrus" was no exception. She has yet to make a movie as personal and as moving as her first one. You get a lot of the Denis regulars: an older but still magnificent Béatrice Dalle who seems to be in the movie only to show off her full lips, the gap between her teeth, her ample cleavage, and a couple of nice coats; the black guy from "Trouble Every Day" and "J'ai pas sommeil," Grégoire Colin, and that Lithuanian or Russian girl. Michel Subor's character was interesting enough, but the camera lingered on him at such length that I got annoyed by that curly forelock of hair hanging over his forehead and was relieved when, somewhere in Korea, I think, he finally got it cut. There was certainly some action--gruesome murders, a man's search for a son--and there may even have been a plot, but one viewing wasn't enough to figure it out, and two viewings are, I fear, out of the question. For one thing, the score was jarring and obtrusive (as in "Beau Travail"). For another, the seasons changed too abruptly, leaving you even more confused about what was going on. Oh, there were a few pretty shots, and if you liked "Friday Evening" with its shots of the folds in heavy drapes and bedsheets, you might appreciate the aesthetics of "L'Intrus." Otherwise, steer clear. I saw this movie in French and it's possible I missed something crucial. But the dialogue in a Denis movie rarely amounts to more than five pages, double spaced and with ample margins. In "Chocolat" the silence is sublime; in "L'Intrus," it's just dull.$LABEL$ 0 +This film was on last week and although at that time of the day (around 6pm) the quality of the movies is almost never good (at least here on Mexican TV), I couldn't switch the TV off. The story about Madelene Moore really touches you. She doesn't come across as a very sympathetic character at first, but seeing the whole film, you just want her so succeed. This film really leaves you thinking. And i think that basically due to the great acting of Brooke Johnson. I had never heard of her before nor knowingly seen her in another film, but this was great great acting. Compliments to Brooke. I hope to see her in another film soon.$LABEL$ 1 +I agree with the other comments. I saw this movie years ago. Christopher Plummer is hilarious as a dandy. The ribaldry is unsurpassed. If this comes out on video, I will definitely buy it.$LABEL$ 1 +I have had the opportunity to catch this independent film and was impressed with it, despite the lack of excitement in the plot. The acting was very good by everyone involved. Amy Madigan played the part of a guilt ridden mother who is tired, yet well intentioned and determined to make up for her younger daughter's condition. Yet, in the process, she has neglected her older sister, who is more interested in playing with her savant-syndrome sibling and living in a world of escapism.The men in the movie are very powerful in their secondary roles. Christopher Lloyd, in a very understated role, shows us why he has such versatility. He plays a teacher who is dedicated to his profession and literature research, yet starved for a meaningful relationship. He and Madigan connect very well in their scenes together, yet both know nothing more can come from their friendship. Their wordless goodbye is nothing short of brilliant, an acting lesson for aspiring performers.And in a small role, Fred Savage is fun to watch.You can tell why this movie was based on a play, it's probably very good on stage. On screen, it's not particularly exciting, but it's nonetheless very thoughtful and powerful in its subtleties.$LABEL$ 1 +Still the definitive program about the Second World War, The World At War isn't just long, but also very informative. The series contains 26 episodes (each episode lasts for about 45 min.), and includes the events leading up to and following in the wake of the war. Most episodes are about the war in Europe, and there are several episodes about the war in the Pacific. Other episodes include information about the wars in Africa, Burma, the Atlantic and the home fronts of Germany, Great Britain, United States and Soviet Union. There is one episode that's dedicated to the Holocaust. The series starts off with the episode A New Germany (1933-1939), and tells about the rise of the Nazis in Germany and German territorial gains prior to the outbreak of war. The series ends with the episode Remember; the war's influence in a post-war world. Remember is a fitting episode to end this great program. Every episode begins with a short introduction and then with opening credits. The credits are accompanied by a powerful music theme. There are many fitting music pieces throughout the series. Each episode is like a mini-film. The footage is fantastic, and so is the way it was put together. In addition, some of the footage is in color. The information included also makes the episodes memorable and entertaining.The series was produced by Jeremy Isaacs for Thames Television (UK). Commissioned in 1969, it took four years to produce, such was the depth of its research. The series was narrated by Laurence Olivier (one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century). The series interviewed leading members of the Allied and Axis campaigns, including eyewitness accounts by civilians, enlisted men, officers and politicians, amongst them Albert Speer, Karl Donitz, Jimmy Stewart, Bill Mauldin, Curtis LeMay, Lord Mountbatten, Alger Hiss, Toshikazu Kase, Arthur Harris, Charles Sweeney, Paul Tibbets, Traudl Junge and historian Stephen Ambrose. Jeremy Isaacs says in "The Making of The World at War" that he sought to interview, not necessarily the surviving big names, but their aides and assistants. The most difficult subject to locate and persuade to be interviewed, according to Isaacs, was Heinrich Himmler's adjutant, Karl Wolff. The latter admitted to witnessing a large-scale execution in Himmler's presence.The World At War is often considered to be the definitive television history of the Second World War. Some consider it the finest example of the documentary form. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, The World at War ranked 19th. The program has everything that the viewer needs to know about the war. After watching a few episodes I liked the series so much that I tried to watch the remaining episodes one after the other. I've seen some of them several times. There are two other great documentary series that I know of that may be of interest to the viewer. One is called The Great War (1964) that's about World War I. The other is called Cold War (1998) that's about the Cold War obviously.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen 'The Sea Within' today and I loved it. The actors of the movie are wonderful (specially Javier Bardem, of course), but I thought that Belén Rueda would have a better role. Lola Dueñas, Clara Segura and, specially, Mabel Rivera perform excellent interpretations. And I cannot forget Celso Bugallo and Joan Dalmau (brother and father of the protagonist).There are two technical aspects I loved very much: Aguirresarobe's photography and the score by Amenábar himself. I liked the song, 'Negra sombra' ('Dark Shadow'), by Luz Casal with music of Carlos Núñez.In short, I think that the Spanish Academy should choose 'The Sea Within' in order to compete in the Oscar Awards. I liked other Spanish productions, such as Almodóvar's 'Bad Education', but Amenábar's film is much better than them. 'The Sea Within' deserves all the awards.$LABEL$ 1 +As someone who has read the book, I can say that this is vastly inferior to the big American version starring Gwyneth Paltrow. There are various reasons for this. Firstly, Emma is too unpleasant. Yes, she has faults, and isn't the easiest person to like - but the viewer shouldn't downright start to despise her. Secondly, Mr Knightly is miscast. His brooding and melancholy in this version are better suited to a Bronte or Gaskell adaptation than Austen, and throw the mood of the whole affair "off". Thirdly, Samantha Morton is too strong an actress to be relegated to the role of Harriet; and why was she made to look so sickly? Harriet is supposed to be blonde and blooming - not to look as if she's going to be carried off by consumption in the next scene. Fourthly, the structure has been mucked up and scenes cut. At the end, when Emma decides she loves Mr Knightly, it comes across as utterly baffling because this narrative hasn't been adequately shown and carried along throughout the film. Fifthly, what was going on, exactly, with Mrs Elton's accent? She went from sounding like an American actress trying to suppress her own accent at the beginning, to all out American half-way through, and then back to English at the end. Finally, this dragged at the end. The book and the big film version end with the wedding of Emma and Mr Knightly. This version drags on confusingly after the announcement of the wedding without actually showing us the ceremony.All in all, a rather haphazard attempt. Read the book or rent the Paltrow version instead$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not a huge fan of Lucio Fulci's films. Most of his 80s gore films had their moments, but often came across as second-rate Dario Argento imitations. With the exception of the entertaining "Zombi" (which was a George Romero imitation), I didn't really enjoy them. I know Italian horror often disregards the plot, but the storyline and characters in his films were just far too thread bare even by the standards. This is why "Don't Torture a Duckling" surprised me. Its actually a very well made film with an engrossing murder mystery. Its possibly the best giallo ever made, only seriously rivaled by Dario Argento's entries into the genre. And unlike Fulci's previous giallo "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin", this never drags.Fulci's direction here is quite good. He keeps the story moving at a good pace and maintains the viewer's interest throughout. Also, the conclusion to the mystery comes as a complete surprise to the audience. Plus, he adds some clever touches, such as the upbeat soul music during a particularly disturbing graveyard beating sequence. Overall, the violence here is restrained and only used when necessary for the story. The acting is good for the most part also, full of familiar faces from 70s Italian exploitation cinema. Both Thomas Milian and Barbara Bouchet are super cool throughout. The only weak link is Florinda Bolkan, whose performance is just far too over-the-top. Its the only laughable aspect of the film. "Don't Torture a Duckling" definitely comes with my recommendation and may be a good introduction to the giallo subgenre as a whole. (8/10)$LABEL$ 1 +This film without doubt is one of the worst I have seen. It was so boring that I simply could not wait for it to end. I talked my girlfriend into watching it after this site had good reviews and after even 30 mins in she looked at me as if to say "your nuts" The scenery was as boring as the film with nothing but driving around in the car looking at the wind blowing bits of bush around. The acting was un-inspiring and the film was simply a waste of what have been a good idea into a waste of a dvdr.Guy Pierce should have stuck to neighbours as at least he washed his hair. All he done was talk on his phone but yet sold nothing as a salesman. He would have been sacked weeks before. His girlfriend (once in Coyote Ugly) should have remained dancing on the bar as at least she looked hot in that.The guy who played Vincent (those who watched know) was so annoying with his phone calls that any normal person would have drove to his house and hit him with a bit of 4 by 2.I do not on this earth know what anyone liked about it. I actually want people to watch this to suffer the torture I went through.$LABEL$ 0 +Unlike another user who said this movie sucked (and that Olivia Hussey was terrible), I disagree.This movie was amazing!!!!!! Olivia Hussey is awesome in everything she's in! Yeah she may be older now, because many remember her from Romeo and Juliet, but she's wonderful! This story line may be used quite often, but it's a unique movie and I'll fight back on anyone who disagrees! I enjoyed this movie just as much as I have any other Olivia Hussey movie. Olivia's "my girl" and I love her work.I saw this for the first time on Saturday (4/14/07) and fell in love with it. Not only because's it's an Olivia movie, but because of it's unique story line and wonderful direction.$LABEL$ 1 +If you speak French or can put up with sub-titles, you will really enjoy this movie. If on the other hand you just want to see God's most beautiful creatures, this is a must see. Not an ounce of silicon in sight. Zalman King eat your heart out. Sophie Marceau's body is the epitome of perfection and everything I had ever fantasized about. Her part is even in English. Even the fact that she was nude with John Malkovich did not detract for her beauty. Sophie is a ten if ever there was one. Chiara Caselli and Inés Sastre are 9.5s. Oh yeah, it is a pretty good story. Several little vignettes are woven together in a sort of Six Degrees of Separation style.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the first porn I've ever tried to review. It demands a different approach than usual, since the allegory will not reward dissection. "I'm American. I'm a prudish virgin." "We are European. We are cultured and sex-mad." "It is nice when we all screw each other." Lots to talk about! Well, there kind of is in fact, relative to your average 60s topless volleyball number anyway. And the enervating patina of 'class' at least delivers clean, detailed compositions. But what the hell kind of thing is that to say about a porn? OK then: the only scene I really (rhetorically) got off on was the first time Brigitte Maier steps in. There are efforts to toss in a nice variety of race and age while letting no two men anywhere near each other; the one black guy suffers a premature bout of editorial coitus interruptus. And multiple takes or not, one perhaps undescribable-on-IMDb act does look like it was partially simulated by a surgical hose. Still, I stayed awake, and it was eight in the morning...but what does the last shot mean?!$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen many many movies and this just totally blew my mind. The trauma, the suspense is just amazing. I ended so wound up in the psychological fear and Philosophy of it, and relating it to reality. Movies that play and challenge your mind are movies you don't forget, those that make you doubt your reality. A problem could be the quality, but that doesn't bring down the essence of the movie.The idea it self is brilliant and the ending leaves you just completely shocked and with the question for you to seek the answer. I just totally loved it! So many clues and twitches and puzzles. One of the best movies ever, hands down.$LABEL$ 1 +This film stands as one of the most amazing examples of compelling and artful film-making I've every seen. Herzog seems to capture the almost transcendent tragedy and beauty of Dieter's story, as well as his endearing personal character. By the end of the film, I was left wishing that I'd had the opportunity to meet Dieter before his passing.On a technical note, the cinematography is intimate and astoundingly beautiful. The narrative is intricately woven, with great awareness of the subject and his capacity for reliving and reenacting traumatic events. Few documentary directors have so strong an ability to so thoroughly invest the audience in the character. This film is a must see!!!$LABEL$ 1 +A small town is attacked by a horde of bloodthirsty vampires. The only hope is a lone avenger and a group of ragtag survivors.Released in 1993, "Darkness" garnered something of a cult following upon release. It's easy to see why-it's loaded (and I mean freaking loaded) with gore, and it's energy and enthusiasm, like that found in other no-budget cult horror flicks like "The Dead Next Door" and "The Children of Ravensback", is actually rather infectious.While that may be true, that's sadly not enough to save it. The film was shot on a Super 8, so the image is grainy and dark, making things very difficult to see (it would have been great if it had obscured the protagonists dreadful mullet.) Also grating is the soundtrack, made up of annoying Casio Keyboard and even more annoying Death Metal (seriously, what is it with these no budget horror flicks and bad Death Metal?) While one isn't expecting Oscar worthy performances, the acting is still strictly amateur hour, as the actors sometimes seem almost confused instead of frightened or threatened.In the end, I'm sure fans of no-budget gorefests will love this. Everyone else though, will wish there was a little more meat on the ribs.$LABEL$ 0 +I can understand after watching this again for the first time in many years how it is considered one of the worst Laurel & Hardy's. For me, it isn't as close to as bad as "Air Raid Wardens" and "The Bullfighters", but there are some definite huge flaws in it. The film is set up to show Laurel and Hardy as the owners and instructors of the dance studio. Hardy is funny as the prancing lead of a "London Bridge" dance, surrounded by 20th Century Fox starlets, while in the next room, Laurel teaches the beginners ballet while wearing a ballerina outfit. A clumsy carpenter spills glue on the floor, leading to a predicable gag where Hardy ends up the looser. Then, in come the racketeers, now selling insurance covering up their protection racket. One of them is a very young and handsome Robert Mitchum. But no sooner do they bully the boys into buying insurance, they are arrested.This is the end of the gangsters and the last time we see the dance studio. The rest of the film is devoted to Laurel and Hardy's support of wealthy patron Trudy Marshall and her inventor boyfriend, Robert Bailey. They first try to help them hide their relationship from her disapproving parents (Matt Briggs and Margaret Dumont) and hopeful suitor Allan Lane, whom we can tell right off is a no-good swine. This leads to Briggs' hidden bar being revealed to tea-totaling Dumont, and a gag where a rug is literally pulled out from the wealthy patriarch which crashes his bed into a pond below. When Bailey uses the boys to help display his ray gun, pandemonium ensues. The dead-pan butler announces to Case and Dumont that their house is on fire.Later, Hardy wants to use the insurance policy to gain money to pay their dance studio rent and hopes to get Laurel to break a leg to do so. There is no reference to the fact that the insurance salesmen were gangsters and that the policy would probably be invalid. (Even if they were to have become legitimate insurance salesman, after being arrested, their licenses would have been revoked). Laurel ends up getting off a bus which had been abandoned by the driver over a supposedly rabid dog (only a frosting covered, cake devouring Toto look-alike, or possibly the actual pooch), causing Oliver to end up on a huge beach roller-coaster that somehow the bus has ended up on, perfectly fitting its wheels onto the tracks. Roller-coaster gags can be exciting, as evidenced in "Abbott and Costello Go to Hollywood", and this one is amusing but anticlimactic.As the story wraps up, all of these gags seem to have no point, giving the impression that this was simply a series of one-reelers put together to make a full-length feature, hopefully part of a double bill. L&H, as I've mentioned in other reviews of their later films, had lost much of their luster after leaving Hal Roach's employ, but surprisingly here, they do not come off as old and tired looking as they had in films made in the same year. Had the gags not been as amusing, as was the case with some of their other films, this surely would have ranked a "2" as opposed to a "3".$LABEL$ 0 +Sadly it was misguided. This movie stunk from start to finish. It was hard to watch because I used to watch Clarissa Explains It All every day on Nickelodeon. I LOVED her. Then the next thing I found she did a spread in Maxim and she was gorgeous! I haven't really heard anything about her until I watched this movie on accident. I couldn't believe she would even let something like this be seen with her name all over it. Everything about it was wrong but it still looked like someone somewhere in the team was trying really really hard to save a sunk ship. Too bad.. I hope she continues to act and I would love to see her with a real cast in a real movie.$LABEL$ 0 +If you have beloved actors, Peter Falk, Rip Torn, George Segal, and Bill Cobbs, you don't need Billy Burke, Coolio, or any other distractions. Massive talent is totally wasted in "Three Days to Vegas", with the blame falling squarely on the script. My neighbor's vacation films are about as interesting as this misguided road movie. If you want to see how to utilize a veteran cast with a good script, check out "The Crew". There really are no redeeming factors here, and watching these wonderful actors struggling with such weak material is a crime. I wanted to like it, but the shallow script cheats the audience, by essentially giving the actors nothing to work with. - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +I just can't understand the negative comments about this film. Yes it is a typical boy-meets-girl romance but it is done with such flair and polish that the time just flies by. Henstridge (talk about winning the gene-pool lottery!) is as magnetic and alluring as ever (who says the golden age of cinema is dead?) and Vartan holds his own.There is simmering chemistry between the two leads; the film is most alive when they share a scene - lots! It is done so well that you find yourself willing them to get together...Ignore the negative comments - if you are feeling a bit blue, watch this flick, you will feel so much better. If you are already happy, then you will be euphoric.(PS: I am 33, Male, from the UK and a hopeless romantic still searching for his Princess...)$LABEL$ 1 +ROCK STAR / (2001) *** (out of four)By Blake French: "Rock Star" is the story of a nobody who becomes propelled into fame, only to realize living his dream is not the way he imagined it. We have seen all this before (in better movies), but this human story does capture the world of rock and roll with a brutally honest and insightful edge. It garners a recommendation because of its visualization of the atmosphere. The script, by "Crazy/Beautiful" director John Stockwell, portrays the hard-core universe with memorable images-it doesn't explain what it is about, it shows us. "Rock Star," originally titled "Metal God," stars Mark Wahlberg as Chris "Izzy" Cole, a Pittsburgh office supplies salesperson who dreams of becoming Bobby Beers, the fiery lead singer for the heavy metal rock group, Steel Dragon. Although Chris already sings for his own tribute rock group called Blood Pollution, instead of writing his own songs, he insists on performing only those by Steel Dragon, and only in the exact way they perform them. His group becomes irritated with Chris' obsessions and gives him the boot. This devastates Chris, as well as his supportive parents and faithful girlfriend, Emily (Jennifer Aniston from TV's "Friends"). He then receives a phone call. It's the Steel Dragon band. They have seen Chris' tapes and want him to replace the recently fired lead singer. In an instant, Chris rockets into the dizzying world of sudden stardom-from the biggest rock fan to the biggest rock star. Unfortunately, it's not as rewarding as he expected. A true story inspired the "Rock Star" concept. An Ohio supply salesman, Tim "Ripper" Owens, really did replace Rob Halford, the lead singer in Judas Priest, after initially singing for a tribute band. The rest of the film is probably fiction, although most of what happens must represent the experiences of many other bands. The film details the various ordeals of being a rock star. It explores the aspects of touring, personality differences, the danger of drug abuse and violence, struggling relationships, sexual freedom, dishonesty, and the extreme measures of the producers all to please the fans and keep popularity high. I have seen all of Mark Wahlberg's movies, and this is the first that has earned my affection. Wahlberg, a former singer/model, has made movies like "Fear," "Boogie Nights" "Three Kings," and most recently Tim Burton's lacking remake "Planet of the Apes." I am starting to admire the young actor more and more. Although he has not performed in many successful films, he has taken many chances, and done a variety of roles. "Rock Star" is his best film to date. I can't think of many actors who could have convincingly portrayed Chris Cole's struggles and aspirations. Wahlberg truly makes "Rock Star" rock. Jennifer Aniston lights up the screen as well. She creates a chemistry-rich relationship with Chris that induces audience participation. It's tragic of what happens to their relationship. We care about these characters a great deal. During the film concert scenes, director Stephen Herek (who also directed "Holy Man" and the live action version of "101 Dalmatians") creates a gripping atmosphere. He captures the scenes with an intense urgency, and a raw, unmistakable energy. The musical numbers provide the film with the best, most involving scenes. Unfortunately Herek cannot sustain the energy and zest throughout. At the three-quarters mark, he looses the spark as the movie becomes dull and unpleasant. I understand where the story needs to go in order to portray the negative side of fame, but this movie loses everything it previously had going for it. In "Almost Famous," a much better film about rock and roll, there is a certain amount of interest and life in even the most sorrowful scenes. Here, it feels as if the filmmakers lose their passion.The message comes a bit too late and suddenly in the story. The film turns into a morality tale that wants to provide us with a sappy destination. The filmmakers might as well stop everything, appear on screen and say: "now audience, the moral of the story is…" We understand the theme, but it's too instantaneous. The personal discovery for Chris' must be gradual.Fortunately, all of this happens in the last twenty-five minutes of the film, hardly enough to completely destroy an entire eighty-five minutes of a reasonably good feature. "Rock Star" is not a great movie-see "Almost Famous" if you want a remarkable film about rock and roll-but for Marky Mark, it's a turning point in his career. $LABEL$ 1 +I just found out before writing this review that "Komodo vs. Cobra" and another movie called "Curse of the Komodo" were both directed by the same guy, Jim Wynorski. That might explain why they are films of nearly identical premises. They both feature a military-governed island, a colonel whose concerned more about covering his tracks than the lives of his employees, people racing to get to a chopper that is conveniently lying in a field somewhere on the island, and giant komodo dragons created through genetic experiments running amok. What differences are there? Well, the intruders on the island are now capitalists wanting to expose the government secret and there's a giant cobra on the island as well, hence the title "Komodo vs. Cobra" even though the conflict between the two monsters is hardly relevant to the 'story.' "Komodo vs. Cobra" is more or less what you'd expect given its title and its channel origin: the Sci-Fi Channel. Although every now and again you will find one that for one reason or another may appeal to you (I liked a movie called "Komodo") I hardly doubt this one will."Komodo vs. Cobra" is not only a boring film, but it's also one of the least enthusiastic sci-fi flicks I've seen in a long time. In some of these movies, there is an air to them that indicates the filmmakers were giving at least a certain level of effort, but I see very little here. That's indicated again by it just being a rehash of "Curse of the Komodo." The CGI for the monsters look as if they came straight out of a second-rate video game, the cinematography and misc en scene is poor, the acting ranges from passable to poor, the action scenes are dull, and then there are some parts that are, frankly put, unforgivably bad. I see a lot movies where a person will shoot a gun many times without reloading and I can deal with this. But in this movie, where Michael Paré takes a single thirty-eight handgun and fires it approximately fifty times nonstop without reloading once…well, at first I laughed, but even then it just became tiring. That would be the 'action.' A monster appears, people scream, Paré fires nonstop without reloading his gun once throughout the entire picture, and somebody gets eaten."Komodo vs. Cobra" is a very bad movie. The only thing in the movie that is worth mentioning in a charitable manner is an actress named Michelle Borth, who is not only very beautiful, but a surprisingly strong performer. Even with the trashy dialogue and lack of enthusiasm in the screenplay she was given, Michelle Borth managed to pull off a surprisingly good performance and it just appalls me that an actress as good as her can get stuck in a film as junky as this. She obviously took it for the paycheck, but it won't boost her career any, I'm afraid.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, it feels, and for the most part plays like an "after school special", for a slightly more adult audience, alright maybe a teen audience. But add in Bill Murray (already showing some dramatic as well as his usual comedic talent), a nice supporting cast, and an unexpected sweetness about growing up, and remembering those great, or not so great days at summer camp, and you get a heartwarming, funny, sleeper hit.It does get a little too smarmy for its own good, but that is also one of its charms. When you hear the title "Meatballs", and see the poster, you expect a teenage sex romp, but what you get is a sentamental, yet sometimes sexy look back at those formative years at summer camp. The sentamentality, and the remberances of simpler times reminds me of "A Christmas Story", which I also love. The rememberances of summer camp were never so well stated. The only movie I've seen that comes close, is "Indian Summer", which I like almost as much as "Meatballs", and also stars Matt Craven. Let's hope he completes the trilogy. Maybe he could come back for "Return of the Meatballs", and bring some dignity back to the franchise (Meatballs 2 through 4 bare no resemblence to the original classic)."Meatballs" is easily on my Top 10 Guilty Pleasures of all time (not really guilty either). It's a wonderful little film, that always makes me smile.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this show is screamingly funny! It's not for every taste, and I'm not going to elevate or denigrate the folks that don't get it. I'm sure they're wonderful bright people that operate at a different wavelength. But if you like it, you REALLY like it. Sarah plays a self-infatuated loser named "Sarah Silverman" who often finds her self in Homerian predicaments (that's "Homerian" as in "Homerian Simpsonian").I remember Sarah Silverman from her brief gig on Saturday Night Live in the early 90's. I liked her immediately then and I go out of my way to check out anything she's done.This show is choke-on-your-food-and-wet-your-pants funny. Therefore I always fast before watching it and wear adult diapers. Check it out!$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, so there is a front view of a Checker taxi, probably late 1930s model. It has the great triangular shaped headlights. There also is a DeSoto cab in this black and white, character driven, almost a musical love gone wrong story.The real pleasure here is the look at 1940s room interiors and fashions and hotel elevators. The hair styles, male and female are gorgeous. If Dolly Parton had Victor Mature's hair she could have made it big. There is an artist loft that would be the envy of every Andy Warhol wannabe.If you watch this expecting a great Casablanca storyline or Sound of Music oom-pah-pah, you will be disappointed. There is a nice little story beneath the runway model approach in this film.My copy on DVD with another movie for $1 was very viewable. The title sequence was cute but not up there with Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or The Pink Panther. This was an RKO movie but it did not have the nice airplane logo that RKO used to use.I liked Victor Mature in One Million, B.C., and Sampson and Delilah and especially in Violent Saturday. See if you can find that one. He was wonderful in the comedy with Peter Sellers called Caccia Alla Volpe or After The Fox.Richard Carlson went on to do I Led Three Lives on TV in the early 1950s.Vic Mature was offered the part of Sampson's father in the remake of Sampson and Delilah. He supposedly was asked if he would have any problems playing the part of the father since he was so well known as Sampson. Victor replied, "If the money is right, I'll play Sampson's mother." Tom Willett$LABEL$ 1 +The original Female Convict Scorpion is an all time masterpiece. The first sequel, Jailhouse 41, was not quite as good in my opinion, though it's still notable for the fact that it took the idea from the original and created something in a completely different style. Director Shunya Ito has managed to do the same thing again with this film; the story is a bit different here, but still he's managed to take what made the previous entries excellent and better than many films of this type and craft something fairly original around it. Again the action focuses on Nami Matsushima (a.k.a. "Scorpion") and this time she's out of the jailhouse and not too keen on the idea of going back. After escaping from pursuing police officers, one thing leads to another and Scorpion finds herself getting it together with a prostitute and her retarded brother. The prostitute ends up getting impregnated by the retarded brother (...), while Scorpion is kidnapped and caged up by someone who she made an enemy out of in prison. But Scorpion doesn't like spending time behind bars and it's not long before she's back to doing what she does best.The film gets off to a great start as we see Scorpion hack the arm off a copper intent on taking her back to jail. From there, however, the film slows down a lot and Beast Stable ends up being more of a drama than the previous two films. That's not to say that there isn't still plenty of action - Scorpion still spends a lot of time in 'revenge mode' and the film isn't exactly short on general sleaze. Meiko Kaji once again reprises her role as the sinister title character and it's another understated, almost wordless performance. Her screen presence is great, however and she manages to have a menacing presence despite being only small physically. The plot structure for this film is similar to the other two in that it all builds into a crescendo of revenge. There are more people who have angered Scorpion in this film than in the previous two so this section takes up a fairly large part of the film. There's a few surreal sequences, not as many as in the first film and nowhere near as in the second, but the film stays in with the rest of the series on that point. Overall, I would say this film is between the first two in terms of quality - not as great as the original and slightly better than the second.$LABEL$ 1 +1 thing. this movie sucks BIG TIME..i was into singaporean comedy when Chiken Rice war came along. But, this time, even Gurmit Singh (well-done) acting cant pull this one of. A total failure of following HK's Shaolin Soccer. Next time: do ur own thing!$LABEL$ 0 +Everything is idyllic in Suburbia when the little family moves in, as the father have got a new job in a computer company there. But no paradise would be complete without its snake. Strange things happens as the family joins the local country club without the husband, as it certainly holds secrets. The father is not a joiner, but pressure is on him to join, as everyone who is anything in the neighborhood and at work are members. Robert Urich's good guy part is a bit tepid, but Joanna Cassidy as good natured housewife turning nasty sizzles. Suspenseful and well-made chiller with a bitchy Susan Lucci as club chairperson. Look out for cult favorite Michael Berryman in a bit part as a valet. The movie captures the sense of paranoia and the special effects final is worth waiting for. I have seen this movie quite a few times.$LABEL$ 1 +Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE set up a model for many of his later plays. Felix Unger and Oscar Madison were the unsuitably paired roommates in the original, the former being picky and neat, the latter being slovenly and loose. Simon would rewrite (less successfully) the play in the 1990s as THE NEW ODD COUPLE, with female roommates. He made it a mixed couple (a woman with her daughter, and a man) in THE GOODBYE GIRLS. He also gave it an additional twist in 1973 with THE SUNSHINE BOYS, a Broadway hit starring Jack Alberson and Sam Levine as Al Lewis and Willie Clark, the aged, semi-retired Vaudevillians. Here the "apartment" problem is reduced to a teaming of two men who can't stand each other. The 1976 film starred Walter Matthau as Willie, and George Burns as Al.In actuality, Al probably does not think totally badly of Willie - Willie is pathological on the subject of Al. First Al had little habits, such as accidentally spitting slightly when pronouncing words beginning with the letter "t", and slightly jabbing Willie with his index finger, on stage. Secondly, Al retired when his wife died. Willie was not ready to retire (and has been forcing his nephew and agent, Ben (Richard Benjamin) to try to get him jobs in commercials. But Willie can't remember lines unless they are funny, and keeps flubbing them. So he rarely is able to stay to the end of a rehearsal for a commercial.Ben is asked to get the two back together for a live scene of their most famous sketch on a television show about American Comedy. He does bring Al to see Willie, and the sparks begin flying, as neither can figure out what the other is doing (and this is just in rehearsal. On top of that, Willie is insisting on changes (minor ones, but they throw off Al) such as saying "ENTER!!!" when Al knocks on the door. The initial rehearsal is a failure, but Ben manages to get them to the taping of the show. The question is if they will complete the scene in the finished program or will Willie wring Al's neck?The three leads, Matthau, Burns, and Benjamin, do very well with the one-liners, frequently reminiscent of vaudeville patter (example: "Chest pains...I'm getting chest pains Uncle Willie. Every Thursday I come here and get chest pains!" "So, come on Fridays!"). Benjamin strives to prove his deep affection for his uncle, although Matthau's rough outer shell makes it difficult (he only smooths down when he discusses the glory days of vaudeville). Matthau has a little better grasp on reality (at first) than Burns, who seems senile by his repeating himself - but in actuality Matthau's sense of rejection by the world that once applauded him make him less willing to behave properly. Burns is not senile - he takes things slowly. But he seems far happier in accepting his retirement.I call this a final "Voyage of Discovery" for our modern Lewis and Clark. Al and Willie transcend their old skits, as they gradually end up realizing that they have more in common in their old age than they thought. Even the irascible Willie admits that Al may be (to him) a pain in the ass, but he was a funny man.Burns was not the original choice for the part of "Al Lewis" (supposedly Dale of the team Smith and Dale). Jack Benny was. Benny probably would have done a good job, but ill-health forced him out (he died in 1975). Burns (whose last involvement in any film was in THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC in 1956 as the narrator) turned in such a fine performance that he got the "Oscar" for best supporting actor, and was to have a career in movies in the next decade in such films as OH GOD!; OH GOD, YOU DEVIL; and GOING IN STYLE. He died in 1996 age 100, having proved that he was more than just a brilliant straight man for his wife Gracie Allan.$LABEL$ 1 +This astonishing waste of production money is filmic proof that the rich and famous can be just as stupid and wasteful as politicians. From a (silly) play by Tennessee Williams and directed (with a dead hand) by Joseph Losey and starring Taylor and Burton and Noel Coward - this project filmed in a spectacular cliff-top mountain island mansion in the Mediterranean must have seemed a sure fire winner when presented to Universal in 1967. The result is so absurd and tedious that it almost defies belief. Visually the film is spectacular but that is the force of nature that has allowed the setting and the fact that a real home is used instead of a set. The shrill antics of a screeching Taylor, Burton's half asleep wanderings, the loony dialog, Noel Coward laughing at himself, the ridiculous story and plot devices and the absurd costuming simply irritate the viewer. BOOM is a disgrace, a waste of money and talent and clear proof that lauded famous people can be idiots just like the rest of the planet's plebs. Not even fun. Just terrible and mad shocking waste.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is self indulgent rubbish. Watch this film if you merely want to hear spoken Gaelic or enjoy the pleasant soundtrack. Watch for any other reason and you will be disappointed. It should be charming but isn't - it's just irritating. The characters are difficult to care about and the acting is poor. The stories within the film are also charmless and sinister. I was expecting a heartwarming family film but this also held no appeal to my fourteen year old daughter. It is rarely that I cannot see a film through to its conclusion but this one got the better of both of us.Although the film is set in current times it has the look and feel of a cheap East European film made during the Cold War. There isn't even enough in the way of beautiful Scottish scenery and cinematography to redeem it. A real shame because as a film this is an embarrassment to Scotland.$LABEL$ 0 +A plot that is dumb beyond belief. However, that said, it must be admitted the lead actors go at their roles as though it were Shakespeare. And that is as it should be. It isn't their fault the writer seems to be in a coma.Hats off to what is really a very cunning performance by Joanna Kerns. She proves that just because it isn't on the page doesn't mean a role can't be seized and dug into. And she does so with gusto. Good for her.Ditto to Christine Elise who is called upon to be little more than confused and weepy, but goes way beyond what is asked of her by the script.And to Grant Show as well. A graduate of daytime and prime time soaps (Ryan's Hope, Melrose Place). He is always versatile and underrated. His primary drawback seems to be his impossible-to-ignore good looks. He is a sturdy, well grounded actor capable of much more than he is generally given the opportunity to do.The rest of the cast is basically window dressing.The direction is adequate and the script, as I alluded to, is fairly idiotic.Watch this one to enjoy three good actors in the leads taking delight in performing some much needed scenery chewing. It's fun.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent movie in many aspects. Vicente Aranda has succeeded in depicting the time (1830) with meticulous care. The light, the places, the feeling, are perfectly perceived from the very start of the movie. And along with it -in opposite to what happened to "Mad Love" (Juana la Loca), a rather episodic historical movie- all of this beautiful photography/ music/ clothes is wrapping a very fluid screenplay that reaches its climax in the only possible way.Concerning the actors, Paz Vega as Carmen is outstanding: liar, seductive, agressive, totally sexual, so beautiful Carmen. Sbaraglia is a little less convincing the audience about his instant mad love for Carmen, but he succeeds in conveying the proper tragic mood to the whole movie. I recommend it to everyone: the best spanish movie of the year.$LABEL$ 1 +As a premise, this backwoods version of the Dead Calm storyline had promise.However, director Eric Red's inability to render a convincing hurricane leads to a deluge of continuity and lighting errors.Ultimately, the viewer is more spellbound by the bizarre weather effects than the intended storyline. Intermittent spates of ham-fisted over-direction are similarly distracting.Charles Dance, doing an 'inbred backwoods hardass' schtick, does his best to save the movie. But ultimately, Undertow squeals like a pig ... and has more ham to boot.$LABEL$ 0 +Mickey Rourke ( who was once a famous movie star ) plays Martin Fallon an IRA terrorist who accidentally blows up a school bus full of children who is so disgusted by his actions decides to leave the IRA and goes on the run in London !!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!The movie's opening is rather disturbing as the lives of little children are ended in a fireball . Things like this happened throughout the 1970s and 1980s and into the 1990s in Northern Ireland which gives A PRAYER FOR THE DYING a stark realism . However as soon as Fallon decides he's going to give up violence ( What ? He's a terrorist and he's never blown up innocent passerbys before ? ) realism disappears and clichés and ridiculous plot twists take place . Martin is employed by the London underworld ( Don't they have their own hit men ? )to commit a hit while he wears an IRA " uniform " ( Never knew the provos wore uniforms ) at a cemetery in broad daylight ( Wouldn't an IRA man use a bomb placed under a car ? ) where he's spotted by a priest who recognises him while he was in the SAS . Hands up who thinks I'm lying ? I'm not and we're half way through the running time and there's still several clichés to come This all sounds very silly and it is but what do you expect from a novel by Jack Higgins ? Everything is clichéd , contrived and stereotypical and the bits that aren't are just plain bizarre . The critics slaughtered this movie when it came out , most notably they stated that it might have some potential if the movie had Bob Hoskins playing gangster Jack Meehan and Alan Bates playing the SAS soldier turned priest and for once the critics would have been right . They should also noted the film might have been less dire if Fallon was played by someone who was capable of doing an Irish accent . Rourke might be hunky and macho ( Oh gawd another movie with an IRA uberhunk ) but accents aren't his strong point any more than character acting is . To give you an idea how disappointing PRAYER FOR THE DYING IS the director ended up disowning it which is always a bad sign As a footnote the original release of PRAYER FOR THE DYING in Britain was delayed for several months because of " The Enniskillen bombing " . In November 1987 the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb in the centre of Enniskillen where a Remembrance Day parade which commemorates Britain's war dead was being held . Eleven ( 11 ) people were killed and scores more injured . It wasn't an accident and no one left the IRA because of it$LABEL$ 0 +In the literal sense....Reminds you of those "cops-and-robber" or cowboys-indians" role-playing games you played with your 8 year old friends. Tedious and un-inspired, the storyline was obviously written to make bad acting and dialogue seem as part of the plot, but all it does is showcase it. I cant believe John Badham let his name be associated with this piece of crap. This could have been done better by a high school film buff who had been given the camera lighting, filmstock and editingDestined to be a time-filler on Sci-fi channel, when they've overused everything else from their library, and barely better than the paid programming shill downstream.$LABEL$ 0 +1. Aliens resemble plush toys and hand puppets, while having arms that don't function.2. Aliens mastered intergalactic space travel, but they don't know how to push an unlocked vault door open, yet can push open a door being held shut by five people.3. Old Security Guards know how to get a hold of C4, and are just waiting for the right time to use it, say, when they are suddenly fired for no explainable reason.4. Apparently, US Army boot camp, in the 80's, involved several sessions of "garden tool combat", including the pirouette spin of death.5. To impress your prudish girl friend, you have to "save the world...err...neighborhood" from aliens.6. All women are sluts, either openly or secretly.7. Scummy night clubs look like bad diners.8. "Scummy" waitresses double as dancers for The Fontanelles (how did they get talked into this?) who can only do bad 60's dance moves.9. Army privates secretly dream of being Rambo.10. Grenades apparently have a setting for "flash-bang". 11. Being burned alive apparently only leaves one with minor burns on their arms.12. US Army Staff Sargeants apparently happen to always be in the area and do nothing about aliens in the area.13. Aliens apparently always "go home", which means back to the vault they were un-locked in.14. Aliens are attracted to bright lights, which apparently means in the Los Angeles area one would assume, the protagonist's house is the most brightly lit thing in the area.15. Showing 16 parking scenes in a movie makes the audience clamor for more.16. Vans from the 80's apparently have horrible suspension systems.17. Comedy is supposed to happen in this film.18. Horror is supposed to happen in this film.19. Spoofs and homages are supposed to happen in this film.20. This film cures insomnia.21. Apparently, garden tools make electronic keyboard noises whenever they are used, not just in fights (tell me I'm not the only one who noticed this).The simply truth is this film just came out wrong. Period. There isn't much meat on the bone, nor does it do anything really well. Even average. It's just bad. However, I've seen far worse, and the rake fight scene is pure comedy gold, intentional or otherwise.2/10 - Jaws 4 was worse then this. At least the film never took itself seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +I would give this movie high marks for the cinema-photography and performances. I just read a user comment concerning the performance of the actress who plays a conniving courtesan who fleeces Sinuoeh, the lead character. I remember a mini-biography of this actress following the movie the last time I saw it. Apparently, she was a Holocaust refugee, discovered by a French husband and wife in the movie industry who were taken with her extraordinary beauty. She died very young and under tragic circumstances. Gene Tierney is also outstanding in this film. Like other neo-Biblical films of the 1940's and 50s, "The Egyptian" reflects the morals and values of that time, but is still great entertainment because the performances are terrific and the story so well told.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the worst movie I have seen in 2009 so far: The story hesitates between a silly thriller or a dumb comedy.As nothings happens, the void is filled with long, boring dialogs that don't make any sense! The cast is famous but doesn't bring any emotions except to fast-forward the play! And it happens in a plush seaside hotel that looks really gloomy. In comparison, the one of the "Shining" is funfair! NB: a lot of users think that it is located in the French Riviera! They are wrong! It isn't the south of France (Nice, Cannes) but totally the opposite: Cabourg & Normandy, to be simple the beaches of the D-Day! That's why the sea is as grey as the sky and there isn't sun!$LABEL$ 0 +i had no idea what this movies was about, it jumps from plot line to plot line erratically linking incoherent ideas with one another. it simply doesn't make sense. the chopped up time line doesn't help either. we start in present day get a flash back to the past and then return to the future only to go back into the past.this movie is also filled with horrible sappy lines and cliché themes such as princess and the pauper, "you cant have me even in my death" lines, "you don't even love me enough" line. cliché to the max!fighting scene were horribly corny, lighting was constantly misplaced which offset the CG with the actors (meanning you could tell some of the backgrounds were clearly CG). Although the society in di moon was quite interesting.i wouldn't really recommend his to anyone, avoid if possible.if you found this comment hard to follow, the movie would be equally as bad.$LABEL$ 0 +The folks at Aardman have done a cool, cute and wild adaptation of their short films of Wallace and Gromit to feature length, as the man and his dog, inventors who seem to have more of the intelligence (or practicality) for the latter. In this case they've invented a machine that can capture all of the bunnies that are eating up the crops all over a quiet English village. In particular for Mrs. Tottington (or 'Totty' for those who are 'intimate'), much to the chagrin of Victor Quartermaine, who just wants to kill all the rabbits with his trust rifle. Wallace and Gromit seem to have success with their machine, but Wallace has a mix-up: a machine he's made to make more food suddenly criss-crosses himself with a rabbit - the curse is on! A lot of this is about as much light-hearted fun that a kid's movie could ask for, but it also tips its hat to the oldest tradition in classic cartoon slapstick: Looney Tunes, which in turn is indebted to much silent comedy and vaudeville. Granted, the Aardman guys (Nick Park and Steve Box) have a bunch more gimmicks and tricks and ingenuity with their material. It's never less than amazing to see how they put the stop motion to use, even when a joke or a gag might be a little on the funny "ho-ho" not funny "ha-ha" side (a tired criticism but I'll say it). Curse of the Were-Rabbit works so well on all fronts for the audience, in its warped story and sudden dips into exposition (the Golden Bullet story is a doozy), Park and Box and company never lose sight of glee in the material.It's fuzzy and warm-hearted and completely off-the-wall for the kids (even the very youngest will love the adventures and strange gadgets, such as the truck Wallace and Gromit drive around in), and for adults there's little barbs of funky, absurdist tones in the midst of a classic English farce. Only (and I'm probably a minority opinion here) when compared to Chicken Run it's almost a little slight a work- there's less any plot than there is a series of running gags, and of course lots of puns involving bunnies and monsters and carnivals and cheese (and horrible men with egos in their guns like the Fiennes voiced Quartermaine). But when it strikes best, it's one of the most entertaining films of 2005. It gives me a big goofy smile anytime it's on TV.$LABEL$ 1 +Another weak third-season entry, 'Is There In Truth No Beauty?' nonetheless has at least one key plot element that is very different and as Spock would say, fascinating. The main character is an alien who must be carried around in a black box because his appearance is so horrendous that it drives humans insane. It's too bad the episode cannot live up to this incredible premise. Obviously, I think, it was a mistake to ever 'show' the alien, as its actual visage in no way even approximates such a daunting build-up; all we get is the standard Star Trek psychedelic light display used for any number of things in different episodes, usually when the ship is passing through a magnetic storm or something similar. In any event, Kollos' appearance can at least be tolerated by Mr. Spock, and then only if Spock is wearing a special visor. (For the longest time, I thought the alien's name was 'Carlos,' which I found humorous, but I digress.) Spock is required to mind-meld with Kollos at one point so that the alien can pilot the Enterprise back to safety. This is accomplished, but when Spock/Kollos go back to end the mind-meld, by golly, Spock forgets his visor. Uh oh. He goes crazy but eventually recovers with the help of Kollos' assistant, a blind woman with psychic powers. This might have been a really bizarre, excellent episode but it is poorly directed and comes across as yet one more badly executed show of the series' last season.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is trash-poor. It has horrible taste, and is pedestrian and unconvincing in script although supposedly based on real-events - which doesn't add much of anything but make it more of a disappointment. Direction is not well done at as scenes and dialogue are out-of-place. Not sure what Robin Williams saw in this character or story. To start, Williams is not convincing as a gay in a relationship breakup nor is the relationship itself interesting. What's worse, his character is compelled by an ugly pedophile story that is base and has no place as a plot device. You have an older Rory Culkin tastelessly spouting "d_ck_smker" - in good fun- which is annoying enough and then laughed up by the Williams character. Finally you have Sandra Oh as a guardian angel adviser to Williams and a thrown in explanation of the whole fiasco towards the end. Toni Collete's character is just plain annoying and a re-hash of her 6th Sense performance with poorer direction. Very Miss-able.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie "Vampires: The Turning" isn't even really worth the 2 out of 10 I'm giving it. The movie, is very predictable from beginning, up to the very end when our hero kills the leader of the Vampire Slayers. The use of music in this movie was even bad, it kept playing as if you were to expect something significant to happen at any second, though it never did. The acting, was B-Rank at best... And the movie was just, dull. The only reason I give this movie a 2 out of 10 is because the story, had potential though it ended up unable to deliver. Oh, and did I mention the wardrobe? The wardrobe for this movie was obviously cheap to "non-existent" because our hero, and his girlfriend (whom he's trying to save throughout the entire movie) wear the same outfits through the entire movie. I'd suggest this film only if your really bored, and don't have a good wall with fresh paint to watch dry. ~Dave, the Horror Cowboy$LABEL$ 0 +A new guard in in the armored truck gig is recruited by his co-workers to steal 42 million from the truck. No bad guys, so no one will get hurt, right? Of course things go wrong and the new guard decides to have a conscience and make things right by saving the life of a dying man.I'll admit that I didn't really have any interest in this film, but I didn't have any interest in Fantastic Mr Fox either, and that film made my top ten of the year. Armored is even more of a disappointment then I thought it would be. As a heist film, it fails to deliver the goods, it's boring and full of plot holes and leaps in logic that one will hurt themselves thinking about it.Despite this the film somehow has a really great cast, but the film doesn't even use this to it's advantage. Everyone seems wasted in wooden characters that make stupid choices. Columbus Short is an uninteresting lead that is never charismatic and never makes the audience want to give a crap. Matt Dillon is the mastermind behind the heist and he plays Mr. Nice Guy at first, then when things don't go his way he quickly becomes the villain. The rest of the impressive cast include Lawrence Fisburn, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich, Fred Ward, Amaury Nolasco from Prison Break and Milo Ventimiglia from Heros. Non of them do much and when they actually do something, it's without much reasoning behind it.The film is relatively short, but even with it's running time under 90 minutes, it felt dragged out. How long can you make a movie about a guy trapped somewhere? Phonebooth did a decent job and it was even more restricted. The leaps of logic concerning the plot here are tragic. 42 million and all the security they have are check ins every hour or so? The entire plan from my understanding was to drive the trucks into an abandoned warehouse and hide the money. Pretend to get hit and burn the trucks. They would then walk away with the money. Of course something goes wrong, or there would be no movie right? Through a series of unfortunate events out so called hero has trapped himself inside the truck with an injured officer. The rest of the movie is Dillion and his crew banging on the doors to get in. How very exciting.The script calls for our hero to have financial problems, he might lose his house, which would in turn make him lose his brother. You see, both their parents died and it's just the two of them looking out for each other. So now he has a reason to join the heist. At first he didn't want in, but his money problems is just the right push to throw him in the thick of things. How convenient. Armored's whole spin on the heist genre is that it's from an armored truck, from the guys who drive it. After that basic premise, the film falls flat on it's face. I found myself wanting it to end sooner and sooner each time someone spoke. Speaking of the ending, it sucks. Skip it.$LABEL$ 0 +For a really wonderful movie, you could also try seeing the movie about Saint Francis of Assisi - good for any audience. Best thing I liked about this movie was the Mexico landscape, & it gets the movie up to a 2. I was surprised that these actors didn't have terrible sunburn, they were so were not desert dwellers. And Moses is said to have a speakING impediment, but certainly not here. Even the "miracle" scenes were contrived & un-believable. And what's the point if you can belief anything in a TV story? Talk about dumbing down, I thought this Hallmark-made movie was pathetic, & I can see why others hate Hollywood. I don't, just some of these corporate profit grubbers. You don't have to be any kind of religious to benefit from "Jesus of Nazareth", but for this waste of celluloid you need to be bored, with nothing to do, dumbed-down & religious. And for a real movie experience, try "Short Cut to Nirvana", a very highly rated film.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw the movie last night here at home, but I thought it was too long first of all. Second, the things I saw in the movie were way too out of text to even have in this what I thought was going to be a comedy type movie like the rest before. The things isn't funny in the movie: fiancé hitting his girlfriend, beatings. The movie was way too long--talk about wanting to go to sleep and wondering when it will end when you wake up and still have it playing! Some of the things at the reunion were too much to capture--like the lady singing--i felt like i was almost watching a spiritual song show here! come on Perry, you can do better then this!$LABEL$ 0 +DOes anyone know where or how i can get a copy of this film?!! I've been searching for way too long, someone help! Back in 1997 my girlfriends and i were extras on this Long Island based film, and we actually never got to see it. :( i was hoping i could find a copy somehow so i can finally check it out, and share it with the girls! Is there anyone out there who knows where to get a copy of this, so i can stop driving myself crazy? (also, it doesn't matter if its in in VHS format, i'm still in the ice age myself.) If you, or anyone you know, has a copy of this film please help, i would be willing to pay for a good copy of it!$LABEL$ 1 +This show was not only great human drama but portrayed racism in this country in a raw, all too true to life manner. When one show can be so witty and entertaining and yet so poignant and educational all at once, this is television in its highest form. The acting was phenomenal. The writing was exceptional. Not only did the show portray race relations in a straightforward manner that seems unmatched by any other television series, but its ability to depict this subject matter as it existed in the 1960's alongside how it exists in the beginning of the twenty-first century powerfully demonstrates the ways we have changed, and sadly, the many more ways we have not.$LABEL$ 1 +A young couple -- father Ben (solid Charles Bateman), wife Nicky (the lovely Ahna Capri) and their daughter KT (the cute Geri Reischl of "I Dismember Mama" fame) -- find themselves trapped in a small California desert town populated by hysterical lunatics. Worse yet, there's a pernicious Satanic cult that's been abducting little children for their own diabolical purposes. Director Bernard McEveety, working from an offbeat and inspired script by William Welch and L.Q. Jones ("Devil Times Five" director Sean MacGregor came up with the bizarre story), relates the compellingly oddball plot at a slow, yet steady pace and ably creates a creepy, edgy, mysterious ooga-booga atmosphere. Strother Martin delivers a wonderfully wicked and robust performance as Doc Duncan, who's the gleefully sinister leader of the evil sect. The top-rate cast of excellent character actors qualifies as a substantial asset: Jones as gruff, no-nonsense Sheriff Hillsboro, Alvy Moore as friendly local Toby, and Charles Robinson as a shrewd, fiercely devout priest Jack. John Arthur Morrill's bright, polished widescreen cinematography, Jamie Mendoza-Nava's spooky score, and the wild, rousing climactic black mass ritual are all likewise up to speed. The idea of having toys come to murderous life is simply ingenious (the opening scene with a toy tank coming real and crushing a family in their car is truly jolting). Nice eerily ambiguous ending, too. A pleasingly idiosyncratic and under-appreciated winner.$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely nothing is redeeming about this total piece of trash, and the only thing worse than seeing this film is seeing it in English class. This is literally one of the worst films I have ever seen. It totally ignores and contradicts any themes it may present, so the story is just really really dull. Thank god the 80's are over, and god save whatever man was actually born as "James Bond III".$LABEL$ 0 +If you're a T-Rex/Marc Bolan fan, I recommend you check this out. It shows a whimsical side of Marc Bolan as well as Ringo Starr, apparently having a pretty good time shooting some of the scenes that aren't part of the concert, but fun to watch, leaving you with a sense of getting to know them as just people, and when the concert is shown a talented musician, both playful and professional that rocks and seems to impress the screaming girls. Watching him in concert, you would never know that being a rock star is a job, but just having a great time playing some great songs with some good friends, like Elton John and Ringo Starr appearing in some of the live performances. True, there are a few songs missing that I would like to have seen on there, but like any album it can't have everything. I just bought this in 2006, but if I would have know it came out in 1972, I would have definitely bought it years ago. Sad and strange that a man with so many songs about his love for cars, would never learn to drive and would die in a car crash!$LABEL$ 1 +I was at the same screenwriters conference and saw the movie. I thought the writer - Sue Smith - very clearly summarised what the film was about. However, the movie really didn't need explanation. I thought the themes were abundantly clear, and inspiring. A movie which deals with the the ability to dare, to face fear - especially fear passed down from parental figures - and overcome it and, in doing so, embrace life's possibilities, is a film to be treasured and savoured. I enjoyed it much more than the much-hyped 'Somersault.' I also think Mandy62 was a bit unkind to Hugo Weaving. As a bloke about his vintage, I should look so good! I agree that many Australian films have been lacklustre recently, but 'Peaches' delivers the goods. I'm glad I saw it.$LABEL$ 1 +From the very opening scene you will notice just how hard they tried to mimic the very smart and powerful 'Cruel Intentions', and how flat it landed. You'll also notice what a terrible choice they made by casting Robin Dunne as Valmont... Then in the second scene, you meet the two best things in this movie, Amy Adams and Mimi Rogers as Kathryn and her mother. That is, if you can get past the fact that Kathryn wasn't blonde in the first film... Then the movie goes on, you see the cheap romantic story from miles ago, and you notice Sebastian has already met an Anette in the past, here called Danielle, and a Cecile, here called Cherie... How original is that for a prequel. Then it turns into a low budget 'Wild Things' type of film with lots and lots of oh-my "twists". As I mentioned, Robin Dunne was a very bad choice. Not that he is a bad actor, he's good.. He just doesn't have the charisma Ryan did. Amy Adams, who is in my opinion one of the most talented young actresses of our time, once again delivers. But with all the talent in the world, there is no way one could save this trash. As a whole, this "movie" feels like a 'Beverly Hills, 90210' episode. The score has been stolen from 'Cruel Intentions' and 'Jawbreaker'... Yes, they used the score from JAWBREAKER... Couldn't they at least leave that one alone?! You'll want to pass this one. If you want more Cruel Intentions, watch Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Chipmunk Adventure" is one of the greatest animated movies of the 1980's. Alvin and the Chipmunks have always been of some interest to me, since they were what really got me into rock and roll. Neither one of the Chipmunks has any bad traits. Alvin's really the star and has all the cool looks. Theodore is the lovable sensitive one. Then there's Simon (my personal favorite), the smart one who is often a party pooper. I also like the Chipettes a lot. There's Brittany, who, like Alvin, is one who is always trying to be so popular. Then there's Eleanor, who, like Theodore, is sweet, sensitive, and loves food. Janette is the only Chipette who is not much like her counterpart; she's very naive and really clumsy.In the Chipmunks' very first full-length movie, David Seville is going on a business trip to Europe, and he's leaving the boys with Miss Miller while he's gone. While playing an arcade game, Alvin loses against Brittany and then says that if he had the money, he'd race Brittany around the world for real. Unbeknownest to the kids, a man named Klaus Furschtien and his sister, Claudia, who have been trying to come up with a sneaky way to deliver diamonds around the world in exchange for cash, overheard this conversation and said that they'd let them race around the world for $100,000. Alvin and Brittany accept it and go on the race.This adventurous movie has a lot of great songs. "Off to See the World" made for an appropriate theme song for the movie. Then there is "Getting Lucky", one of my favorite songs in the movie. "My Mother" is most likely the sappiest song in the movie, but it always makes me cry. "Wooly Bully" is the only cover song used in the movie (the rest were completely original). Then, of course, there's "The Boys and Girls of Rock and Roll", which, in my opinion, has to be one of the greatest musical numbers in movie history.I used to watch this movie very often, until my recorded tape of it died. I still watch the movie, though. This is actually a fun movie for people who are about to go on a vacation to a foreign country for the first time. It'll give you an idea of what kind of stuff you'd expect out of world travel. Definitely one of my childhood movies, and one that I'd recommend to 80's fans and Alvin & the Chipmunks fans.$LABEL$ 1 +If you can watch a Bond film from 1983 that isn't as good as Octopussy and still enjoy it.If you can accept production values which aren't that much above the level of a TV movie.If you can look at Sean Connery with wrinkles on his forehead beneath an obvious toupée and still see James Bond.If you can get past an inexperienced Basinger, a weaker Largo and a jolly Q.If you can learn to love an idiosyncratic score, not up there with Barry on his worst day.If you don't believe the hyperbolic reviews that it was greeted with on release.If you can meet a poker battle and a video game face off and enjoy them both the same.Yours is Never Say Never Again and everything that's in it.And, what is more, you'll probably enjoy it, my son!$LABEL$ 1 +While in the barn of Kent Farm with Shelby waiting for Chloe, Clark is attacked and awakes in a mental institution in the middle of a session with Dr. Hudson. The psychologist tells him that for five years he has been delusional, believing that he has come from Krypton and had superpowers. Clark succeeds to escape, and meets Lana, Martha and Lex that confirm the words of Dr. Hudson. Only Chloe believe on his words, but she is also considered insane. Clark fights to find the truth about his own personality and origin."Labyrinth" is undoubtedly the most intriguing episode of "Smallville". The writer was very luck and original denying the whole existence of the powerful boy from Krypton. The annoying hum gives the sensation of disturbance and the identity mysterious saver need to be clarified. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Labirinto" ("Labyrinth")$LABEL$ 1 +This was allocated to the fans as the "winner takes all" match occurred between two separate "companies" (the World Wrestling Federation and the "Alliance": an amalgamation of former WCW and ECW superstars. Because the final match to duduce the superior company was a tag-team match, the wrestlers were confined to tossing opponents from each side of the ring to another; each wrestler concludes that in order to debiliate their opponents and to intensify the match, interfernce is necessary. Each wrestler merely pummels an opponent with punches, executes a special move, and tags in a partner. The storyline had previously been tarnished by the subterfuge of Vince that a member of the Allance would be fradulent and join the WWF. It was obvious, with that statement, that the WWF would prevail. Overall: very innovative storyline but poor execution, which is not the scarcity of the wrestlers because the match format is tag-team. The remaining matches are just revolting:Edge versus Test: potent "big boot" by Test, but this did not display the true talents of both starsAl Snow Versus Christian: good match but superflous to the pay-per-viewTaji versus William Regal: the worst match of the nightImmunity Battle Royal: This was an outstandingly fun match to watch, but because the main stars of both companies were involved in the main event, only a wrestler who characteristically appears on "Heat" and is probably a WCW light-heavyweight reject (i.e. the Hurricane who is merely hired as an entertainer)Hardy Boyz Versus Dudley Boyz: The best match of the night: Jeff Hardy executed a "Swanton Bomb" from the summit of a cage and through a wooden table and Matt was wedged into the cage, which appeared to be extremely painful.Because Stone Cold was the WWF champion, Rob Van Dam was the Hardcore Champion, and Kurt Angle was a "mole" in the alliance, all fundamental stars in the main event on the faction of "the Alliance" were granted work after the match's outcome, except for Booker T., who recently attacked a wrestler on "Raw" and will inevitably be given work. Shane McMahon will return to television somehow, and everyone desired to witness the downfall and demise of "the Alliance" to see Stone Cold out of work. The WWF has done much better. A match in which all tiltes were brought to one faction would have been better, and what ever became of Casket and Iron Man matches?$LABEL$ 0 +This movie offers NOTHING to anyone. It doesn't succeed on ANY level. The acting is horrible, dull long-winded dribble. They obviously by the length of the end sex scene were trying to be shocking but just ended up being pretty much a parody of what the film was aiming for. Complete garbage, I can't believe what a laughable movie this was. And I'm very sure Rosario Dawson ended up in this film cause she though this would be her jarring break away indi hit, a wowing NC-17 movie. The problem is no adult is going to stick with this film as the film plays out like a uninteresting episode of the OC or something aimed at teens. Pathetic.$LABEL$ 0 +Che: Part One was a fascinating experiment, which did not only tell a very interesting story, but it also tried to do something different with the "biopic" genre.Che: Part Two is the excellent culmination of this experiment.This movie offers all of the same attributes from the first one, from the extraordinary performances (specially from Benicio del Toro) to Steven Soderbergh's brilliant direction, without forgetting its intention of breaking with the conventional rules from the biopics.That is what I admire from Soderbergh's experiments...they always try to do something different and unusual, and they succeed most of the times.The final message from this film is perfect, and it includes everything we have been told about Che Guervara's life.The only fail I found on Che: Part Two is that a few parts felt a bit irrelevant.In summary, I give Che: Part Two a very enthusiastic recommendation because, as the first one, it is a brave and fascinating experiment which challenges the spectator and leaves us thinking.$LABEL$ 1 +As much as I dislike saying 'me too' in response to other comments - it's completely true that the first 30 minutes of this film have nothing whatsoever to do with the endless dirge that comprises the following 90.Having been banned somewhere doesn't make a film watchable. Just because it doesn't resemble a Hollywood product does not make it credible.Worse yet, in addition to no discernible plot (other than there are lots of muddy places in Russia and many people, even very old women, drink lots of vodka) a number of visuals are so unnecessarily nauseating I'm in to my second package of Rolaids.As for spoilers - well, the film is so devoid of any narrative thread I couldn't write one if I tried.Don't waste your time or money, and don't confuse this with good Russian cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +Before seeing this, I was merely expecting another mediocre soft core copy of the much imitated "Emmanuelle" series starring Sylvia Kristel. It was really surprising how good this one turned out to be. It actually has a story, and it is very romantic indeed. What makes 'Yellow Emanuelle' so good is it's leading heroine, the beautiful and exotic Chai Lee. She plays her character, Emy Wong so sweetly, that the viewer just has to feel something for her when her dreams crash down around her. Emy Wong is a much-respected doctor, statuesque, with a regal quality. She comes from an important old family, where ancient customs are still practiced. Emy will remain a virgin until she is married, to a man she has never met. The beautiful doctor seems OK with this arranged marriage. It is simply how it is done in her world. However she does not plan on meeting and falling in love with the British pilot who ends up under her care in the hospital where she works. Emy decides to do away with custom, and she gives herself to her Western man. But only after a very long courtship, as Doctor Wong is anything but an easy woman. Her pilot, George, is a good guy, and promises to marry Emy, so that she doesn't lose her respectability and place in her rigid society. Neither one counts on a third party, one Ilona Staller, who destroys their relationship through a series of vicious games. Emy is made to believe that she has been abandoned by her man, that he only played a game with her in order to sleep with her. Her place in society is gone, she has been debased. The film takes a surprisingly dramatic and depressing turn as this proud, elegant woman gives up her career, as well as a sweet relationship with her caring father, and succumbs to a life of drinking and prostitution. I was surprised to find myself so engrossed in this operatically tragic tale. I was on the edge of my seat when George blows back into town, and unknowingly walks into a hotel where his beautiful Emy is working as a prostitute! Classic drama. I imagine many viewers were a bit frustrated by all this drama. One would expect lots of sex and nudity here, but there is not much. And when there is, it is totally non-exploitative, and very artsy and soft-core. If you are a fan of the first Emmanuelle, with Sylvia Kristel, than you most likely will appreciate this, lesser known classic. I was especially impressed by the extra attention to details. The whole segment where Emy takes George to her fathers house on the island is really nice. Her father shows George, and the viewer his impressive collection of Bonzai trees. He has a whole miniature forest built out of these amazing trees. Totally unexpected. After catching it on late night cable TV years ago, I spent much time searching the internet for a copy of the film. When i finally got it i found that the video version was longer. More sex? No, more melodrama. For the DVD release there is a subplot about George suddenly keeling over with some unknown deadly disease! I actually preferred the cable version better. I am glad that this rare gem has been released finally on DVD. I must also mention the beautiful cinematography and the bizarre and catchy 70's soundtrack. While watching this one you just get the feeling that you are watching something very rare, and quite special. I recommend it to thoughtful viewers who don't need sex and violence to maintain their interest.$LABEL$ 1 +Wonderful romance comedy drama about an Italian widow (Cher) who's planning to marry a man she's comfortable with (Danny Aiello) until she falls for his headstrong, angry brother (Nicholas Cage). The script is sharp with plenty of great lines, the acting is wonderful, the accents (I've been told) are letter perfect and the cinematography is beautiful. New York has never looked so good on the screen. A must-see primarily for Cher and Olympia Dukakis--they're both fantastic and richly deserved the Oscars they got. A beautiful, funny film. A must see!$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Released in 1956,and considered quite racy at the time, Douglas Sirk's over the top candy colored melodrama is still a wonderful thing. The plot concerns the goings on in an oil rich dysfunctional Texas family that includes big brother Kyle, who is insecure, weak, wounded & very alcoholic, played by Robert Stack in a very touching & vulneable performance and his sluty sister Marylee played in an extreme manner by Dorothy Malone. Ms. Malone's performance is telegraphed to us via her eyes, which she uses to show us her emotions, which mostly consist of lust (for Rock Hudson) and jealousy (for Lauren Bacall). Malone is the only actress I've ever seen in movies who enters a room eyes first. Now don't get me wrong, her performance to say the least is an absolute hoot, and is one of the supreme camp acting jobs of the 1950's. But it is also terrible, because as likeable and attractive as Malone is,she's not a very good actress, and she's not capable of subtly or shading. Her performace is of one note. She does get to do a wicked Mambo,and in a great montage, as unloving daddy played by the always good Robert Keith falls to his death climbing a staircase, Sirk mixes it up with an almost mad Malone doing a orgasmic dance as she undresses. Stack,(who should have won an Oscar) & Malone, (who won the award, but shouldn't have) are the real stars of the film, the ones who set all the hysteria, both sexual & otherwise in motion, while the "real stars" of the film, Hudson & Bacall fade to grey & brown,which are the colors that they are mainly costumed in. Hudson who was a better actor then given credit for plays the childhood & best friend of Stack's, and the stalked love interest of Malone's who moans & groans over Rock through most of the film. But Hudson wants no part of her,and instead is in love with Bacall who is married to Stack. No one is very happy & no one is happy for very long. The Stack-Bacall marriage falls apart big time after a year, and Stack pretty much drinks himself into oblivion because he thinks he is sterile, and can't give Bacall a baby to prove that he's a man. Sirk who was a very intelligent man, and had a long & fascinating career both in films and theatre in Germany, ended his Hollywood career at Universal in the mid 1950's with a series of intense vividly colored "women's movies" or melodramas. Although they were mainly adapted from medicore or trashy source material,in Sirk's hands they became masterpieces of the genre. Sirk had a wonderful sense of color & design which he brought to play in these films filling his wide screen spaces with characters who played out their emotional lives among weird color combinations & lighting, make believe shadows, and lots of mirroed reflections. In "Written" the characters are always peeking out of windows, listening at doors or sneaking around. So in the end, after much violence, an accidental murder, a miscarriage & more Sirk ends the movie with a final & startling scene of a "reborn" and reformed Malone in a man-tailored suit, sitting at a desk foundling a miniature oilwell.$LABEL$ 1 +An interesting movie with Jordana Brewster as a young woman who travels to Europe in an attempt to find out what became of her older sister (Cameron Diaz) who mysteriously died years earlier. Brewster is very good and keeps you involved despite some unrealistic plotting, such as having her amazinly find and start a romance with her dead sister's much older boyfriend (Christopher Eccleston). Still, mostly good. GRADE: B$LABEL$ 1 +[I saw this movie once late on a public tv station, so I don't know if it's on video or not.]This is one of the "Baby Burlesks" (sic) that Shirley Temple did in the early 1930s. It is hard to believe that anyone would let their daughter be in this racy little film which today might just be considered this side of "kiddie porn".Shirley Temple stars in a cast which probably has an average age of 5. They are all in diapers, and are in a saloon which serves milk instead of alcohol. The "cash" is in the form of lollipops.Shirley playing a "femme fatale" sashays up to the bar and talks to soldiers who make suggestive comments about her (!). But Shirley doesn't need really their lollipops/cash because her purse is full of ones from other "men".Meanwhile a little black boy does a suggestive dance on a nearby table (!).What a strange film . . . infants using racy dialogue playing adult roles in a saloon. Who thought up this stuff any way?$LABEL$ 0 +Duck_of_Death needs to watch this film again, as his major criticism is completely baseless. The film never once forgot about the time delay, and it was mentioned explicitly in a couple of places. The crew were never shown having conversations with mission control that didn't obey the time delay rules.One thing I did think was a bit far-fetched was the amount of risk involved - would a crew land on a planet on which pressure suits would only last two hours? I doubt it. Would a manned space ship go into a star's corona? I doubt it. Would humans land on a moon that was being bombarded with huge amounts of radiation? I doubt it. Also, the ship seemed overly sturdy. Would a ship designed like that risk atmospheric flight to slow it down? I doubt it. Would it survive being hit by comet debris? I doubt it. I think in both cases the stresses on the structure would be too much. But all-in-all, the unlikely scenarios were compensated by some nicely done special effects, good editing and production, and some good acting, especially by the actors portraying the ship's commander and the Russian cosmonaut.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't remember this film getting a cinema release over here. I only saw it when it came onto cable. The film deals with the dehumanisation of children into killing machines. Specifically one person, the way he gets replaced and dumped (literally) into an off-world community where he finds himself unable to cope with coming to terms with who he really is and what he feels.Seems to me that a lot of people expected this to be Rambo in space, and would have been happy if it was.I'm certainly happy it was'nt - Kurt does a fine job of portraying an emotional cripple. The scene where he's sitting outside the compound shows this, albeit the decision for two slow-mo replays detracts from the moment.This is not a classic SF movie in the way that Bladerunner, Alien, Silent running, Logan's run or THX1138 were, however it is unfortunately the nearest I've seen to it in a long time.He changes in the movie to a believable degree, he does'nt crack Arnie one liners, he does'nt become Snake Plissken and there is no definative happy ending.That's why this film did'nt do well. It did'nt follow formula, and among a 18-25 year old target American audience, that's unforgivable as it was was'nt what they expected to see.Fear and discipline.Always.$LABEL$ 1 +However, the ladies of all ages will lap it up, no doubt; at least the opposite sex understand what it is to be a mother, and most of us men try to fathom out what it is to be a father. Whether changing nappies is not at all my favourite occupation and trying to get those bottled baby-foodstuffs into errant toothless mouths must rank very high on household duties preferably left to its mother, has absolutely nothing to do with the matter.Some good interpretations here, and a good story idea; the handling of the matter, limited to rather scanty TV-production concepts, gives the film a rather over-mellowy taste with not much new to offer. An insipid way of delivering the goods, and in the end the outcome is so forseeable during the last 20 minutes or so, even my wife dozed off, and I was jumping up to the computer to get the on-line scoring in the Barcelona-Deportivo match, hoping the away team would do something rather good. They did. This film did not.Better by far is Mike Leigh's magnificent "Secrets and Lies" (qv) which touches on the same subject matter, but with Brenda Blethyn playing a far superior part.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is not very good.In fact, it is the worst Elvis movie I have seen.It has very little plot,mostly partying,beer drinking and fighting. Burgess Meredith and Thomas Gomez are wasted. I don't know why they did this movie.You could say Elvis was wasted as well,he is much,much better in "Follow That Dream."$LABEL$ 0 +This was the worst movie I've ever seen, yet it was also the best movie. Sci Fi original movie's are supposed to be bad, that's what makes them fun! The line, "I like my dinosaur meat well done!" is probably the best quote ever! Also, the plot sounds like something out of a pot induced dream. I can imagine it now, the writers waking up after a long night of getting high and playing dance dance revolution, then putting ideas together for this: Space marines got to alien planet, which is infested with dinosaurs and has medieval houses in it, to protect a science team studying the planet. Best idea ever! In fact, in fits the complete Sci Fi original movie checklist: guns dinosaurs medieval times space travel terrible actingSo go watch this movie, but don't buy it.$LABEL$ 1 +A very hyped-up, slick, edgy reinterpretation.They've fallen into the "because it's modern, it has to be hyped-up, slick, etc." trap."Romeo and Juliet" carried this idea off much more successfully, but I really think it's time we move beyond the two extremes here (period piece vs. edgy film).Just because this is a "modern" retelling, doesn't mean the movie has to look like a magazine ad, or have anything to do with drugs or guns.If the trappings were as subtle as the honeyed words, Macbeth would be a far more powerful film. As it is, read your Shakespeare. Read it out loud. Ask your Oxford dictionary some questions. Skip the film. Or don't, but you've been warned.Sorry for the super-long review. IMDb made me do it.$LABEL$ 0 +I had heard interesting critics on this movie. I believed it was a love story but I wasn't sure what was the plot about. So, when I finally saw it, I found myself in the middle of a love relationship between the ex-con Isabel (Isabel Ampudia) and the junkie Rufo (Sebastián Haro). So, a love story but not probably what I was expecting.The movie is focused on Isabel, as she struggles to get back into society. She doesn't want to return back to her neighborhood and she finds herself without a home or anywhere to go. So, while she just experiences those first hours of freedom after being released from jail she came across Rufo, an old acquittance of her which while she was in had become a junkie and lives on the streets. Not having where to go, and without money or feasible source of income, she decides to join Rufo on his residence: a covered area on a lonely street.The story by itself is moving. It explains how the, impossible, relationship between Isabel and Rufo gets deeper until the the almost final twist of the movie.Definitely, the movie is worth watching. Sebastián Haro is splendid in his role of the junkie. A person being able of both being an innocent and tender giving person and a ruthless street scum. Just depending whom deals him with. I believe his role.On the other hand, I don't quite believe the role of Isabel Ampudia. Although the movie tries to show the bitterness inside her through several scenes, she is not capable to make me believe it. She is in a way too sweet and too honest for which might be expected of somebody on the same situation.The movie tries to show a love on a desperate situation. It is a enjoyable movie. But the feeling I get when the movie ends is that Isabel, with the way of thinking and acting she has, would never have arrived to that situation. Her role, partly because of the script, partly because of the acting is difficult to believe.I specially like the ending, and because of it I have raised my rating one or two points. I liked its bittersweetness and the fact of showing that sometimes, survival instinct is above other more spiritual considerations as love.Summarizing, an interesting movie, but it lacked some punch to be a total "must see".$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this video on a throw-out table at the video store expecting a good cast in what was touted as an award-winning Brit sex comedy. I guess I should have read the finer print. I rarely write a panning review, but here goes.These actors in gay roles really play games with your memories of a lot of far more worthy films. This comedy was a very cruel joke at the expense of the actors, the theatre-going public and of all the nice films that have contributed to their reputations.I repeat: is the joke about trashing the actors' other highly respectable on-screen personae with this scurrilously trashy flick? Can the reference to the Austen classics 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility' be anything else? How much of a political statement was it to produce this melodrama using these stars? Are we meant to simply take it as a lay-down misere that all actors are gay and thus letting their on-screen roleplay affect our lifestyles is accepting their private homosexual dealings in our faces, too? I'm sorry, but I don't think so. I say NO to this one.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, nothing will ever compare to the original movie, but for gosh sakes, they're not trying to. It is just one persons opinion about what could have happened after Rhett left Scarlett at Tara. I for one thought it was a terrific movie and would like to add it to my GWTW collection. The scenery alone would make me want to watch the movie. Just view this movie as an extension of the original and don't think they are trying to replace Vivian Leigh and Clark Cable and you will enjoy it a lot. They really captured the spoiled selfishness of Scarlett in many of the scenes and you can see from the longing in the looks from Rhett that he is clearly still in love with Scarlett. The fact that you can recognize many of the actors in the movie is another plus even though some of them have only been seen on TV. I always wanted them to have other children after Bonnie Blue died in the movie and this satisfied my need perfectly. Lore60$LABEL$ 1 +I don't hand out ten star ratings easily. A movie really has to impress me, and The Bourne Ultimatum has gone far beyond that. Furthermore, this trilogy has come together so nicely, that I believe it to be one of the greatest motion picture trilogies of our time. Though all three films could not be any more different from the Ludlum novels, they still stand as a powerful landmark in cinematic achievement. The Bourne Ultimatum made me want to cry that the series was complete, yet I could not even attempt to stop smiling for hours.From the moment that the opening title appeared, I knew we were in for a ride. Paul Greengrass has done it again. Everything we love from the previous Bourne films is here once again: the action, the dialogue, and of course the shaky camera. However for me, that last one was never a problem. I think it adds to the suspense.I will be back to see this film several times before it is released on DVD, simply because it is genius. It is a perfectly satisfying conclusion, and should stand the test of time as a fantastic movie, and altogether, an unforgettable trilogy.$LABEL$ 1 +Seriously, I don´t really get why people here are bashing it. I mean,the idea of a killer snowman wreaking havoc on a tropical island paradise is pretty absurd. The good news is, the producers realized it and made it a comedy in the vein of Army of Darkness. Especially in the second half of the film, when the little killer snowballs attack, I laughed my ass off. For example, the put one of the little creeps into a blender (a la Gremlins 1) and mix it. After that, it morphs back into a snowball and squeals with a high pitched voice "That was fun!".Bottom line - incredible movie, rent it.$LABEL$ 1 +It's been a while since I've watched this movie, and the series, but now I'm refreshing my memory! This was a very funny movie based on the classic series! Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott were hilarious together. Bo and Luke Duke help Uncle Jesse run Moonshine in the General Lee. When Boss Hogg forces the Dukes off their farm, Bo and Luke sneak around Hogg's local construction site and find samples of coal. They soon realize that Boss Hogg is gonna strip-mine Hazzard County, unless the Dukes can stop him, with the help of their beautiful cousin, Daisy. My only two problems with the movie was that Burt Reynolds wasn't right for the part of Boss Hogg, and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane was way too serious. Other than that, I highly recommend THE DUKES OF HAZZARD!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I had never heard of this movie, but I like Heath Ledger and Bryan Brown and the story sounded interesting, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I found it to be very enjoyable. Heath Ledger plays a 19 year old who works a kind of crappy job and wants to start making some serious dough, so he goes and asks for work from mobster Bryan Brown. I won't go into details but things go very bad for Ledger and gets into big trouble with Bryan Brown. From their on the movie just gets better and better, with one scene involving Ledger hooking up with a pair of bank robbers. And lets not forget the beautiful Rose Byrne, who plays Ledger's love interest. I would definitely recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Teamo Supremo are three kids, consisting of their leader- Captain Crandall, Rope Girl and Skate Lad, all with their own battlecry (buza! chika! woopa!) and outfit and moves. They work for the governor, Kevin, and were recruited after wishing to be heroes and playing at that game. They lead normal lives as well, and have family and school duties, but most of the action takes place away from school fighting villains. The villains all have rather unique and singular traits, such as Mister Vague and his men who never seem to know what their plans are but act anyway. From an evil robot to a wicked baron the three have to encounter them and stop their evil, and often strange, plans to gain power, take revenge etc.The animation itself is quite nice and smooth, but the style appears to be simple on purpose. The backgrounds have overlapping colour and the buildings seem futuristic. The music is quite nice, and the show isn't too bad altogether, although the style isn't my favourite.The plots are almost always nonsensical and ridiculous, but after all this is a cartoon and one can't blame them for that. However this would not be in the same rank as Fillmore! or Pepper Ann.$LABEL$ 0 +I cannot believe how popular this show is. I consider myself an avid sci-fi fan. I have read countless sci-fi novels and have enjoyed many sci-fi movies and TV shows. I really wouldn't even consider this true sci-fi. Every episode I have sat through was like a lame, watered down version of a Star Trek episode, minus anything that might make it interesting or exciting.It's basically a bunch of people standing around in ARMY fatigues, talking about something boring, who occasionally go through the Stargate and end up on a planet that looks just like Earth, with people who look and sound just like Humans! It seemed extremely low budget. The characters are all forgettable one dimensional cutouts, and the many attempts at humor fall flat. It reminds me when you see a commercial with a famous athlete in it, trying to be funny, but he is not. It is just sad.The movie was terrible as well. There is so much you can do with a portal through space, yet every place the ARMY people go is BORING! This shows no imagination! I actually thought the TV series "Alien Nation" from a few years back (based on the movie Alien Nation) was much better. That show actually had good story lines and decent characters. I wasn't crazy about "Alien Nation", but compared to this overrated crap, it was great!Also, unlike the great new "Battlestar Galactica" series, "Stargate" copied the look and feel of the lame movie too closely! They should have at least updated the cheesy "toilet flushing" special effect of whenever somebody goes through the Stargate.$LABEL$ 0 +After 10 viewings in 20 years I too think this was the Crazy Gang's best effort on film, with more cohesion in the plot than their next best, "Alf's Button Afloat". They were indeed a crazy trio of double acts thrown together mainly on stage, sometimes in front of royalty, until Chesney Allen retired in the '40's through "ill-health". He outlived them all by years. Apparently they were just as mad outside "work", regularly playing practical jokes on one another.The Six Wonder Boys troupe head for I'll-Get-Her-To-Tell-Me (Alaska) to dig for the gold that was being found there. It seemed a better idea than going to Mansfield ... because they'd been there. When they get to Red Gulch they find their information was a mere 40 years out of date - they thought that the chips that were in the guilty newspaper they'd read tasted funny. But by then it doesn't matter as they've all fallen in love with Snow White and want to help her grandad find his long lost stash of gold. Baddie Bill "M" McGrew wants it himself however.The number of verbal and visual puns is astonishing, but most of them will probably only make sense(?) to Brits and ex-pats interested in seeing '30's British b&w comedies. Imho nearly all of the gags and routines work, including the Gold If patter between Bud & Chesney and the "Whistle While You Work" pastiche - even the "Always Getting Our Man" Mountie inserts. A marvellous little film, in a rather tired looking condition but utterly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +If like me, you enjoyed the first film "Bruce Almighty", my advice to you is not to get your hopes up too high; in fact disregard any hope you possess for this movie if you are above the age of 12 and have any film-sense at all.Without giving too much away, the story sees Evan (Bruce's nemesis co-anchor from the first film) move home with his family to the Virginian suburbs to "Change the World" with a new political path. What follows is a rather far-fetched and quite 'silly' storyline, which is obviously set out to target young children as the main target audience. Unlike it's predecessor, Evan Almighty is a family orientated film with the ambiguous genre of 'comedy' tagged upon it's misleading position of 'sequel' to which some would regard a modern-day comedy classic that can be enjoyed by a slightly more mature, upscale audience.Generally speaking, Evan Almighty comprises itself of terrible cinematic values. The acting; omit Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman, was rigid and many of the characters were seemingly thrown in to use up the unnecessarily large budget issued for the production. Additionally, the cast includes acting legend John Goodman who makes an appearance as a heel and is seen just a few times in the movie's entirety; I didn't quite buy the character though and thought the storyline from which he was involved in lacked depth even for a family comedy. Every other character in the movie (especially the wife and kids!) deserve a mention for their acting so cheesy it could fill a king-size Kiev. Be warned though; it is the typical Americanized cheddarfest associated with many mainstream family-orientated films, so I'd advise you defend yourself with the nearest grater in sight.It may seem the movie is worthless thus-far, however, it does have -some- promising aspects. The CGI was outstanding and it was clear that a lot of time went into modelling the Ark and producing water effects and animation of the computer generated animals towards the end. The particles, renders and textures used were aesthetically stellar. Although part of me couldn't help, but think these were undeserving to a movie with such poor ideals and were, in my opinion, 'too good' for this piece of cinema and carried the movie throughout.Overall I view this film as a disaster in terms of continuing what was a franchise with huge potential, but unfortunately it fell short to a bad conclusion in the Almighty series and approaching the end of the film I had set my expectations high for an epic and somehow meaningful finale to make up for the mediocre content I had so far witnessed. This wasn't the case and I was deeply disappointed and confused come the closing credits. As I sat discontent I couldn't help, but think the movie wasn't anywhere near as 'Mighty' as I hoped for. In many ways the film reminded me of a watered down "Night at the Museum" as it showed similar styling and characteristics, but unfortunately was leagues below even that.I give this movie 3 out of 10, as it is watchable, but it's definitely one to be avoided! If you HAVE to see this film, be prepared for disappointment as 'mildly entertained' is the best you could hope to obtain in watching the said production.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is painfully slow and has no plot. It conveys the lives of a group of laid off boatworkers. One of the older ones is sincere in his attempt to get a job. There may be some social commentary here, but, it is muddled as nobody is painted in a very sympathetic light.I do not understand why it had a 7.8 when I decided to watch it. I watched the whole tedious thing and built expectations for a huge redeeming payoff. No luck. The IMDb rating has always been such a good match for my tastes. Anything above 6.5 was worth watching.And my wife says Javier Barem does not even look good in this movie. He's not my type, so, my agreement does not mean much.Sigh. I give it a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +My siblings and I stumbled upon The Champions when our local station aired re-runs of it one summer in the 1970's. We absolutely adored it. There was something so exotic and mysterious about it, especially when compared to the usual American re-runs (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres... you get the idea). It had a similar feel to The Avengers (not too much of a surprise, since it was also British and in the spy/adventure genre).I would love to see it again now -- hopefully it holds up. I've mentioned this show to others and no one has ever heard of it, so I began to wonder if I'd imagined its whole existence. But the wonder that is the web has allowed me track down information about it. Hopefully it will find a new generation of fans.$LABEL$ 1 +As a flying and war movie buff, this ranks at he bottom of my list. It is historically completely inaccurate and the cast sounds and acts like they just stepped out of a high-school play. The acting, script, direction, production standards and casting are all garbage. The only saving grace is some of the flying sequences. If the people they portray were fictitious, I might rate it a 2, but if there is one thing that annoys me more than anything else in movies, it is pretending that this is history and that the great people they are trying to be, actually did this! Its almost as if they tried to write in as many notable WW1 personalities as possible.There are many good WW1 flying films and this is NOT one of them.$LABEL$ 0 +The only part lacking in this movie is Shue's part as the daughter wanting to follow in her "aunt's" footsteps as a daytime soap star. Otherwise it would be a perfect 10.It seems that every actor enjoyed their parts and overacting to fulfill their own enjoyment as well as the script - I have to wonder if a little ad lib'ing wasn't taking place in parts. It was well cast and there are some classic lines that will stick with you.It's a fantastic movie everyone should see at least once. I'd recommend not drinking anything that would sting coming out your nose.You'll definitely want to watch the last scene closely, 'Nurse Nan' has a little secret she'd rather not have shared with you.If you love daytime soaps or despise them, this move pokes fun in all the right places.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excellent little film about the loneliness of the single man. Phillipe Harel as Notre Heros is a bit like an amalgam of Robert de Niro in Taxi Driver, Inspector Clouseau (in his stoicism) and Chauncey Gardiner in Being There (also Peter Sellers). He is single yet doesn't have a clue how to attract the opposite sex - in fact, he really makes no effort at all!He has a stoicism and fatalism that defies any hope of ever achieving coupledom - his friend Jose Garcia as Tisserand is in the same plight yet at least makes a brave effort to transcend his extended virginhood (he's 28 and admits he's never had sex).Very good outdoor shots of Paris and Rouen, where the two software people travel on business. They try various nightclubs and places but all to no avail. My theory is that they're trying the wrong places - they go to more-or-less 'youth' nightclubs; they should try the type that has older people, more their own age.Harel increasingly becomes isolated and does a little de Niro effort, as in Taxi Driver, urging his friend/colleague to go and stab some bloke who's pulled a nice-looking girl in the nightclub.Worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Scratch is a documentary about DJs and their art of scratching. From that one line description of the film you would have no idea how entertaining and educational this little film is. It is a joyous and vibrant celebration of a cool subculture which is little known. It's filled with great underground hip hop music and you get to see some top DJs (e.g. DJ Q-Bert, DJ Shadow, and Mix Master Mike from the Beastie Boys) showing off their stuff. Going into the film I wasn't sure that "scratching" can really be called an art form, or that the turntable can be viewed as an instrument in its own right. Scratch completely changed my mind on these points. What these guys do with their turntables is truly amazing--it is definitely some kind of art--and the turntable, if you know how to use it, can be transformed into an instrument that you can "play," as much as a drum or a guitar. And you even get a lesson on the basics of scratching from DJ Q-Bert (e.g. how to use the fader to get different sound effects). All these DJs in their own way were inspired to take up the art of scratching after watching Herbie Hancock perform his song "Rock It" (you remember that song, don't you?) live at the Grammys. What got their attention was not Hancock himself but his DJ and his scratching. Not only is Scratch about scratching, but it does some "scratching" of its own thanks to the creative way in which this documentary is shot and edited. There are moments where clips are quickly "rewound" and then "forwarded" several times, which mirrors (in the film medium) what happens when a DJ quickly moves the record on his turntable back and forth while using his fader (that "wicka-wicka-wicka" sound). Whether you're a fan of hip hop or not, you can count on Scratch to give you a very enjoyable night at the movies. After seeing it, I had an itch to go buy a turntable of my own. And I mean this as a compliment.$LABEL$ 1 +The dreams of Karim Hussain are to be feared. When the right hemisphere of his characters overpowers the left, shocking images of blood, dismemberment, and various abominations are released. Religion won't save you, nor will mother nature or your own family. Hussain's dark poetry, because that's what this film really is, destabalizes all institutions of sanctuary.`Subconcious Cruelty' is a current crowd pleaser on the horror\fantasy festival circuit. The film's opening meditation on madness is both well written and profound. The protagonist's desire to profane the birthing process which brought him into the hell he inhabits unfolds with horrific and credible illogic. From here the film continues deeper into the subconcious and tackles mother nature. Hussain offers depictions of lusty pagan fertility and writhing mushroom madness. Nature is exposed as blood-drenched and violent in Hussain's frightening enlightenment.`Subconcious Cruelty' is disturbing to all and rewarding to those who see past the shock into the mature themes of life, lust and madness this very worthy film explores. CJ Goldman deserves kudos for his special make-up, as do David Kristian for unnerving sound design and Teruhiko Suzuki for score.$LABEL$ 1 +Fearful Symmetry is a pleasant episode with a few faults. The first thing about the episode is that it takes place near Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwest Idaho. Season one's 'Deep Throat' takes place near Ellens Air Base, also in southwest Idaho. I'm wondering if the air force bases are one and the same but they decided to use the real name in Fearful Symmetry. Mulder and Scully have some good dialog, always a plus. Ed Meecham, the zoo keeper, reminds me of cranky, old school teachers. They must have liked children at one time, you just can't imagine how. Just like he must have cared more for animals at one point. I liked the concept of the episode, but I felt it had some inconsistencies. If aliens are so adept at abducting humans and returning them safely, why can't they put the animal back in the right place? And the aliens are just now having problems returning the animals? I don't buy Mulder's theory of a problem with the space-time continuum. As if he's an expert on that. I also thought Jayne Atkinson's performance as Willa Ambrose was not well done. Besides those nitpicks, I still enjoyed this episode because of the intriguing concept of aliens harvesting animal DNA as well as human DNA.$LABEL$ 1 +This is without a doubt one of the worst movies EVER, I emphasize, EVER made. What´s worse, my old hero Dolph is in it and he´s starring it. Jesus... The story is actually quite good but the way it´s carried out made even my body hurt. The fighting scenes for starters are about as well choreographed as a fight between two drunks slugging it out in the gutter. The actors, except for Dolph who kinda sucks also, perform so badly you can´t help but wonder if their reason for being there is that they´re all friends of the director, who by the way must have been absent most, if not all, of the time. This is §12 million spent in an unimaginable way, because by the look of the effects and scenery, the cost can´t be a cent above §1000.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a glutton for B-movies. I love the old Drive-In fare like this movie. This film, made for very little money it seems, does do one thing that some bigger budgeted films fail. It is cheezy. It is gory. It has no real plot, but it entertained me for an hour and a half. I was either laughing or covering my eyes in shock. There are a few great effects like a shot from INSIDE a guy's mouth when he gets stabbed in the chin by a knife and it pokes up through his tongue and slams into the roof of his mouth, and one gross-out with a guy getting his eyeballs yanked out. But there is also loads of zombies, and some psycho killers patterned after Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a demon possessed scarecrow. I loved the dialogue that the killers spout as they torture and kill people. It has great camera work, and some cool editing tricks. This one is more original than the first Bloodbath, and the undead look better, but it is still patterned after those dubbed trashy zombie movies of the 70's and 80's and it still has a cheeze factor that ranks mighty high. Don't expect Romero, just second-rate Fulci. I would say that Horror fans will like it, and it is funny and cheezy and a fast ride through B-movie Land.$LABEL$ 1 +Eddie Murphy Delirious is undoubtedly the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. When I saw it for the first time about 2 years ago I was in stitches for weeks after it. To date I have seen it a further 17 times and i still laugh my ass off each time. For those who dont know Eddie Murphy was a brilliant stand up comedian before he was a Hollywood superstar. There is not one dull spot in this piece of genius unlike Eddie Murphy Raw which was released in 1987 which goes flat during the middle. If you are not the sort of person who can't stand swearing then I wouldn't advise you to see it as you will probably hear swearing of some form every 5-10 seconds. I gave this a 10 out of 10 because it displays the greatest comic genius of them all at his best.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really funny (and sexy) movie - that is not just silly but has great acting. It's the kind of movie where the characters are so entertaining that you feel like you are connected to everyone in the theater. I saw it at the Boston film festival, and I found myself frequently laughing out loud with everyone else, and also moved by some of the movie's more serious parts. It's a unique movie about two doctors, and I don't want to give anything away but there are some powerful scenes as well really funny ones - plus the dialogue is great. Wood Harris' character has a unique relationship with his girlfriend Zoe Saldana, and Brian White and Mya are also funny and sexy in their roles. If you get a chance to see it - go - you won't be disappointed. It's worth seeing again. Wood Harris deserves an award.$LABEL$ 1 +I very much looked forward to this movie. Its a good family movie; however, if Michael Landon Jr.'s editing team did a better job of editing, the movie would be much better. Too many scenes out of context. I do hope there is another movie from the series, they're all very good. But, if another one is made, I beg them to take better care at editing. This story was all over the place and didn't seem to have a center. Which is unfortunate because the other movies of the series were great. I enjoy the story of Willie and Missy; they're both great role models. Plus, the romantic side of the viewers always enjoy a good love story.$LABEL$ 0 +Now more than ever we need Peace & Love in this world!This film really showcases the wonderful music of the Broadway show, and the fabulous Choreography of the legendary Twila Tharp! I saw it again after many years, and it still holds up well.Thank you, MGM/UA for putting this on DVD! I love the option of seeing in Widescreen. MGM rocks for doing this on many of their DVD releases.Ya gotta love Treat Williams as Berger and John Savage as Claude. They couldn't have picked better actors & actresses for this film! Beverly D'Angelo is such a 'hot mama' in this film--I had forgotten just how hot! WOW!The supporting cast is absolutely great,with the late great Nell Carter making a singing cameo in a couple of scenes, as well as the kooky Charlotte Ray (Mrs. Garrett on 'Facts Of Life')The story gets a little weak toward the end, but the anti-war sentiment of the late 60's still holds up, and is relevant today. It's beautifully filmed (quite a bit on location) and is so colorful and lovely and really brings the spirit of 1968 back on the big screen.I saw this movie when it was released in 1979 when I was 15, and was moved by it then, and it still moves me now at 40. Some other reviews on here say they think it should have been made sooner--I don't think Hollywood was ready to make such a movie back in the late 60's-early 70's.The Vietnam War ended in 1975, and the whole thing hit a little too close to home, I think for this story to be filmed before it was (like in 1969, 70, 71)Bravo to Director Milos Foreman! I love this film!!!!!!!It's nice to see it again, this time on DVD. It never looked better!$LABEL$ 1 +If you enjoy Cleese & all the British 'Pythonesque' humour of the time, then this little gem is absolutely hilarious.Arthur Lowe is a real treat!I saw this with friends on TV when it first came out, and its classic quotes have formed a part of our jokes for 30 years, and will do forever! I have it on tape and it is continually appreciated.Perhaps some reviewers are taking it too seriously.I can't believe it is now only available in the US (NTSC of course), and not in UK, where it should be an essential part of the history of British humour!!$LABEL$ 1 +This story had a good plot to it about four elderly men that share a deadly secret concerning a young woman that they met 50 years ago. After all this time, the young woman returns to seek revenge on the men. This story occasionally made me nod off during the movie in the middle of tiring elevator music and the ever so consistent thunder storms. But it is well worth the wait in the end when we find out just who the mystery woman is that keeps plaguing the old men in their dreams and interfering in a young man's life. The most of what I liked in this film was the suspense in which the young woman appears to the men just before their deaths. The special effects were something. Every time I heard her call out to them I would think "Not that face again." But it was a good movie, I just wish that the pace was not as slow or the acting not as tiresome. And what I also liked about the movie was the flashback of the 20's, very authentic as well as the costumes being original.$LABEL$ 0 +This ingenious and innovate comedy packs many moments priceless and great sense of pace, though overlong. Chaplin's satire with several classics scenes , he has dual role as a Jewish barber and dictator Hynkel, an offensive portrayal of Hitler . Then the barber is mistaken for the Hitlerian tyrant and happen bemusing events. Funny and extraordinaries acting of all casting, as the co-stars Jack Oakie as Napolini(Mussolini-alike), Henry Daniel as Gasbstich(Himmler-alike) and Billy Gilbert as Herring( Goering). Chaplin's first spoken film is brilliantly photographed by Karl Struss.This splendid film contains numerous amusing scenes, the funniest are the following : 1) The one when during the WWI the barber-soldier along with a co-pilot are flying in a turned plane without aware 2)Dictator Adenoid Hynkel doing overacting speeches including a twisted microphone 3)Hynkel playing with an enormous balloon of the world 4)The Jew-barber shaving a man fitting to Hungarian Dance number 5 of Brahms 5) when Hynkel and Napolini each try to keep his body higher than other in a barber's chair; among them.Hitler banned movie exhibition to the Germans due to its satire of him, and put him in his death list after his proposed conquest of America.The movie is co-starred by Paulette Goddard, third of his four wives , they were married in 1936, although no announcement of the marriage was made later, one time finished The Great Dictator.The picture was released in 1940, when Chaplin had survived a moral scandal by a paternity suit but a brush with the House of Un-American Activities was the signal for the USA to refuse him re-entry from Britain and he fled to Switzerland.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw Anatomy when it came out and recently bought it and the 2003 sequel and as I watch a lot of foreign films in various genres, you have to watch movies in their original language for sure. Not only is it annoying to know the voices don't belong to the actors, but they always seem cheerful, like the whole movie is one big long toothpaste commercial or something. It makes an otherwise awesome movie seem horrible and I have had to convert a lot of my friends who used to think foreign films aren't as good as North American films - that they aren't "Hollywood enough". Also, they translation is never right, it's too literal, and screws up the vibe of the movie, even if it's basically saying the same thing. I watched Anatomy by myself the other week in German then with subtitles with my roommate because he was on his laptop and didn't want to have to miss parts when he couldn't see the subtitles because he was typing. 30 mins in and he begged me to let him finish his work then start the movie over with subtitles. He loved it! Both movies are awesome as intellectual horror films! Kelly$LABEL$ 1 +this could have been better,but it was alright...it helped me get away from my boredom.I didnt even wanna see it,the only reason i wanted to rent it is because Jamie Martz is in it..he is a unknown actor but he is shining and is the highlight of the movie...the ending was so horrible and the acting was good for a b movie...i give it a 4 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +Based on the true story of two young Americans who sold national secrets to the Soviet Union in the height of the Cold War, "Falcon And The Snowman" wants to be both suspenseful and philosophical, and winds up falling short in both departments. It's less le Carré than who cares.Timothy Hutton stars as Christopher Boyce, a former seminarian who, disgusted by Watergate and the middle-class values around him, is probably the wrong guy to be hired by a company running spy satellites for the CIA. Sean Penn plays his drug-dealing pal, Daulton Lee, who makes himself Boyce's courier, delivering secret files to the Soviet embassy in Mexico City. An offbeat synth-jazz score, lack of sympathy or emotional attachment for anyone, and lots of scenes of guys getting angry in rooms all combine to deaden what could have a decent moral-dilemma thriller.It's really Penn's movie despite the second billing; his character gets to talk turkey with the Russians while Hutton plays with his pet falcon. Hutton looks like they woke him up five minutes before they called "action". With Penn, it's a crapshoot whether you get a brilliant performance or an over-the-top one. Here, it's a bit of both, but more the latter, especially in the second half when Lee switches from coke to heroin. He screeches. He snorts. He crashes Russian embassy parties. He gets pummeled with telephone books. He spits at himself in a mirror, a big goober he must have been saving for a paparazzi. "I don't know who my friends are anymore!" he cries out. It's exhausting to just watch him.Penn seems to have modeled Lee somewhat on Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo from "Midnight Cowboy", complete with overly nasal line readings and constant eye shifting. John Schlesinger directed this film as well as "Midnight Cowboy", but he seems to have had another Hoffman film in mind, "The Graduate", throwing up scene after scene of Boyce and Lee poolside, trying to decide how to live their lives in their gilded cage. Too bad no one suggested plastics.From the opening shots, news footage of American decline juxtaposed with Boyce and his bird, "Falcon" makes clear it is a message movie, though the message itself is far from clear, probably because the characters never come into focus. Is Boyce supposed to be an idealist? Or is he just a mercenary? Hutton and Schlesinger don't seem to know, which makes it harder for us. Meanwhile, opportunities to establish some suspense, like Boyce stealing documents from the top secret "Black Vault" where he works or Lee playing games with the Russians, are interrupted by jump cuts to scenes of the pair with their families and friends. It's the normalcy of the story that Schlesinger finds interesting, but it's the least interesting aspect for us.Good stuff: It's interesting to see a film that works the 1970s vibe so early as this one, referencing Maria Muldaur and Tang. Dorian Harewood, memorable in "Full Metal Jacket", has a nice turn as Boyce's paranoid colleague Gene, who shows Boyce how to make margaritas with a shredder but has some serious 'Nam issues beneath his partying exterior. Macon McCalman is also fine in a totally different way as the no-nonsense boss who gives Boyce his high-security job. David Suchet as the Russian embassy official who deals with Lee makes for a fascinating blend of menace and amiability.But "Falcon And The Snowman" stands or falls on the the question of the two title characters, and neither the actors nor Schlesinger are able to mine much in the way of answers. Worse, after more than two hours in their alternately feral and catatonic company, you don't really want answers. You just want those credits to roll.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching CBS's "Surrender, Dorothy", I kept wondering why Diane Keaton would want to be in it (not because it's a television movie--with the dearth of enticing roles for slightly older actresses, it isn't any wonder why Academy Award winning performers such as Keaton turn to TV--but because it offers no opportunities for Keaton to shine). A single mother, grieving the sudden death of her twenty-something daughter, imposes upon--and gradually becomes friends with--the group of young people her daughter was close to at the time of her accident. Adapted from the novel, this teleplay gives us a group of self-absorbed characters one would cross the street to avoid. Aside from being coarse and dim, these phony people are incredibly unconvincing, as is the tidy scenario and the bungalow near the beach where the kids reside (one young man, who wears muscle shirts to tell us he's gay, hears Diane Keaton say, "Surrender, Dorothy" and actually asks, "That's from "The Wizard of Oz", right?"...no, genius, it's from "Citizen Kane"!). Keaton may have wanted to do this material based on the subject matter of confronting death. She tries turning this distinctly unlikable woman into a shadow of her own personage (lots of kooky outfits), but it doesn't sit well with the viewer since Keaton has always been warmly likable and flexible in a flaky way. Here, she's a crazed harpy who doesn't learn many lessons on her journey of self-discovery (the movie quickly forgets it's about a dead young woman and becomes an odyssey for the nervous wreck of a mom, who appears to be an overage hippie who has never lost anyone close to her). This is the kind of film actors promote on talk shows with the caveat, "It should help a lot of grieving mothers out there". I can't imagine it helping anyone since it is intrinsically a downer, muddled and baffling. It's deranged.$LABEL$ 0 +Dennis Quaid is tryin' hard to prove us that Jerry Lee Lewis was a dumb guy. And he's doing too much to prove it. TV sequences are very good, like a photocopy of old black and white footages. Music is fine too, because Mr. Lewis himself is singing. But the rest is just Hollywood B-Movie style, with the fifties Happy Days complex. I think the only good thing in this movie is to see young Winona Ryder.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw The Merchant of Venice in London last week. Great acting by Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Finnes and Lynn Collins. Compare to other movies based on Shakespeare's play, this production has made the play so easy to understand and follow. Bravo to Michael Radford for directing such top actors. The costume and the scenery are great and since it was filmed on location in Venice it gives the film and authentic flavor. I had read the play over thirty years ago at school and the emphasis was on the characters' anti-Semitic behavior toward the Jews and the cruelty of the Christians. I do not know if this movie is going to be controversial but in any case I am sure that it will get few Oscar nominations.$LABEL$ 1 +Really!Here the French cinema hits rock bottom ,and compared to it, the least appealing of the American adolescent horror movies,the likes of "Friday the thirteenth" "Freddy" and co are masterpieces of the seventh art.It's all the more infuriating as there were exciting original elements :the forêt de Brocéliande and its legends ,the druids and King Arthur ,all were splendid assets for a dreamlike fantasy and horror film.Alas! Filmed ,as an user aptly pointed out in a fake forest,near Paris ,the movie is fake horror,fake Celtic history,fake vestiges -you should see the professor (Wilms who was a wonderful M.Le Quesnoy in "la vie est un long fleuve tranquille) scream for the "invaluable scrap" -which the production probably bought in a dime store-fake characters ,fake excavations...The boys disguised as druids are unintentionally very funny ;so are the girls who seem to be experts in martial arts.And what can we say of the professors? of the monster? A ten year old would write a better screenplay than this grotesque farce.To think that people can spend money for such drivel when artists are still waiting for a producer!Word to the wise:Maurice Leblanc wrote a marvelous story dealing with druids and old ceremonies in his Arsene Lupin saga called "l'île aux trente cercueils" .A miniseries was made 30 years ago.Avoid this "Broceliande" garbage and try to see it instead.$LABEL$ 0 +"Intensive Care" by Dorna von Rouveroy is easily one of the worst horror movies ever made.This extremely cheap Dutch slasher flick offers some gore and plenty of absurd situations.A horror veteran George Kennedy is completely wasted as as Professor Bruckner.The acting is abysmal,the action is slow and the climax is laughable.A famous surgeon has a car accident.He lies in a coma seven years and then he wakes up and goes on a bloody rampage."Intensive Care" is clearly influenced by American slasher films including "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" series.The killings are hilarious and the dialogs are painfully stupid.Still if you are in the right mood you can give this piece of trash a look.You'll laugh until it hurts with this one-you can believe me!$LABEL$ 0 +One of the best 'guy' movies I've ever seen has to be the Wind and the Lion. Gad, the scenes...Raisouli's bandits swarm over the wall... A staid British gentleman calmly gets up from tea with Candice Bergen and drops three of them with a Webley revolver in his coat. A whisper from the ghost of Empire... Lest we forget! Lest we forget!U.S. Marines coming ashore from the long, long gone _Brooklyn_. They were carrying Krags, it should have been Lees, but, oh wow. And the Winchester 97 blowing large holes in obstreperous natives and even more obstreperous and faithless Europeans... Raisouli --Sean Connery, o, Wow!--wondering 'What kind of gun does Roosevelt use?"Teddy Roosevelt--Brian Keith, o, Wow!--wondering "What kind of gun does Raisouli use?' and writing yet another angry letter to Winchester about the stock on his Winchester 95.Raisouli, armed with but a sword... A Prussian cavalry officer, HOLSTERING his pistol and drawing HIS sword... Honor. That's something long dead, from a world long gone, but Raisouli would never have flown a plane full of children into a building...Milious at Milious's magnificent best, and now out on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +This is film that was actually recommended to me by my dentist, and am I glad he did! The blend of British humor (should I say, Humour?) and the reality of a lost, middle-aged widow trying to maintain her lifestyle were a hoot. Add to that mix the reality of what it takes to actually grow pot (those plants under the bushes were NOT going to make it without the TLC they received), and it is a truly hilarious, yet touching film. I laugh every time I conjure the vision of all the bar patrons sitting in their lawn chairs with sunglasses on counting down the lights! Maybe it's just my Mendocino County blood, but the Brits definitely got this one right!! 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +The small California town of Diablo is plagued with mysterious deaths after sheriff Robert Lopez unearths an ancient box.Legend has it that the box holds the sixteenth-century Mexican demon named Azar.FBI agent Gil Vega is sent to investigate the murders and joins forces with the sheriff's daughters,Dominique and Mary to fight with evil and bloodthirsty demon."The Legend of Diablo" is an absolute garbage.The film lacks scares and gore,the acting is amateurish and the direction is bad.The animation is the only one aspect of the film I enjoyed.I'm a big fan of indie horror flicks,for example I loved "Torched","Live Feed","Bone Sickness" or "Neighborhood Watch",unfortunately "The Legend of Diablo" is a huge misfire.Definitely one to avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +Southern Cross, written and directed by James Becket is a waste of good celluloid and actor's efforts. A formula film is not necessarily bad if it pays off on it's promise, which this film does not. It is a tiresome concoction of movie cliches that can be traced to a thousand different films from the past. It is full of random and empty plot twists that add nothing but aimless action, such as a trip by the protagonists to a ghost town where the villains (unexplainedly) follow them. This was obviously concocted as an excuse for a shoot out and escape scene bordering on the preposterous, with people popping in and out of doorways and running past windows while firing pistols at each other. It makes one believe that somebody told Becket there was a ghost town in the Chilean foothills and he said, "Oh great, lets do a shoot out scene there."Don't even waste your rental money on this. It is a bunch of random bits and pieces from a hundred different films thrown together to call an action drama.$LABEL$ 0 +Besides the fact that my list of favorite movie makers is: 1)Stanley Kubrick 2)God Allmighty 3)the rest... this movie actually is better than the book (and the TV miniseries though this is an easy feat, considering the director). The flawless filming stile, the acting and (Kubrick's all time number one skill) the music - make it THE masterpiece of horror. I watched the TV miniseries a few years ago and liked the story and I had my hopes about this when I got a hold of it. IT BLEW ME AWAY!!! It is far better than I ever imagined it. It starts slow (Kubrick trademark) and has a lot of downtime that builds up the suspense. The intro scene is a classic by all means and I watched it about 20 times just for the shear atmosphere it induces to the whole film. Also the film doesn't offer a lot of gore (it has just enough and it is by no means tasteless) a trend that I hate in recent day horror films. Just watch it!$LABEL$ 1 +What can be said about such a pathetic movie ? - Very bad acting ! The main actress seems to know only one facial expression : fear mixed with weakness. Like a poor beaten dog... The other actress (the one who plays the evil) looks like the female double of Ozzy Osbourne, with an awful red wig. The other actors are so pitiful that they don't even worth being described. - There's absolutely no plot. The story begins with possibilities but goes nowhere : we don't know anything about the meaning of "11:11", nor who Rayden really is, excepted the simple "she's evil" or "she's a child of Apocalypse"... which is not an explanation. We don't know why the parents have been killed, what kind of danger is growing and why Sara was chosen. As the film goes on, we just watch pseudo-scary scenes, with a bad music. Moreover, the end doesn't tell anything : we just see two possibilities as if one of them was a bonus scene or the director's cut... There's no plot, so no possible interpretation. - "11:11" is just full of clichés ! It is so obvious that i couldn't help laughing. For example : the deserted library or the bathroom scenes, ghost silhouettes walking with a blast of wind, ... there's even the fashionable "little scary girl" as in "Dark Water" or "The Ring". Of course, the main character is bullied at school and looks like a stereotyped Gothic girl (dark hair, red lips, skinny, black clothes). Is it an obligation to make her credible ? I don't think so. The psychology of Sara is so few developed and so typical that it doesn't make her credible, nor endearing.- Terrible direction : as i said, nothing original, everything has already been seen a thousand times and is used here without any real purpose. - There are some funny incoherences. For example, i don't know if "ghost science", "paranormal course" or whatever is taught in American universities... In Europe it is really not the case : teachers talking about negative energies or using "unmaterial" creatures sensors... ridiculous. Also : how can you watch a movie shot in the sixties with a Super-8 camera on a computer screen without spending hours of your time for a digitalization (in the movie they watch it immediately on the computer screen) AND how can you, on this old film, isolate a tiny detail then zoom in and see a perfectly identifiable face ? I wonder if the director has ever tried to digitize an old analogical film...Eventually, "11:11" just worths being watched if you like to laugh at silly movies, or maybe if you want to fall asleep on your couch... But it's an expensive way to fall asleep !$LABEL$ 0 +Before I start my review here is a quick lesson in australian slang which may help you with viewing the movie and understanding some of the other reviews from australia and overseas.In australian slang "thongs" are a pair of rubber sandals (not to be confused with the same american word that pertains to butt revealing underwear), "stubbies" are a brand of australian short, a "stubby" is a small can sized bottle of beer, and a "stubby holder" is a foam insulator for a small bottle of beer.If you love black comedies about smalltime criminals then you will love this movie, unfortunatley a lot of people on IMDB with weak stomachs and no appreciation of dark humour have reviewed this movie which unfortunately makes this movie appear to be more mediocre than what it is. A lot of reviewers have also compared it to Lock/Stock and Pulp Fiction, while it is the same genre, it is a completely different and original style.A lot of reviewers have also panned this movie for using Heath Ledger's characters dead brother to open and guide the narrative for this movie, without watching the movie closely enough to realise that his brother was killed by the same villain that wishes to kill heaths character, this is explained midway through the movie but not clearly enough for most to understand.This movie is also reminiscent of Lock/Stock and Reservoir dogs in that it is the Director/writers debut feature, and for a debut feature it rates as well as these two movies, as a matter of fact like Lock/Stock and Reservoir Dogs I rate this movie as a 10/10 for a director/writers debut, unfortunately unlike Tarantino and Ritchie Jordan fails to live up to expectations in his subsequent movies like Ned Kelly.This movie is one that you should definitely add to your DVD collection and is one that holds up to several viewings quite easily.$LABEL$ 1 +I know, I know, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is the worst movie, or maybe "Manos, the Hands of Fate." But I can't get worked up over those sock-monkey movies. Of *course* they're bad. How could they be any good? But if you're talking about movies with respectable production values and bankable talent, the T. rex of all turkeys has to be "Yentl." All the treacly phoniness, all the self-absorbed asininity, that stains everything Barbra Streisand has done since 1964, reaches its culmination in this movie. From its lonely summit of awfulness, "Yentl" looks back to "A Star is Born" and forward to "The Mirror Has Two Faces." There is nothing else quite like it. What emotional undertow dragged Streisand out to make this movie I would rather not speculate, and what audience she was playing to I cannot possibly imagine, although I'll bet there's a nine in ten chance you aren't a member of it.Nobel Prize-winner and saintly guardian of Yiddish literature Isaac Bashevis Singer was so outraged by what Streisand did to his story that he blasted her in public for it. It is a tribute to Streisand's impenetrable vulgarity that she not only didn't commit suicide, but went on to make more awful movies.$LABEL$ 0 +When Jim Wynorski first announced he would be doing a new sequel for my favorite series of all time, the "Slumber Party Massacre" series, I was ecstatic. I had been waiting for a new installment for literally years. So, production began and very small bits and pieces on the shoot and the actors involved were released until the shoot wrapped. Then, the announcement of a title change. No longer would this new sequel be titled "Slumber Party Massacre IV," but "Cheerleader Massacre" instead. I was a bit disappointed, but having a different title would be a very small price to pay for a film I had waited so long to happen. I was still extremely intrigued and on the edge of my seat to see it.Maybe a month ago, some very advanced copies of the film were released to some extremely lucky viewers, who got to see the film months before its release date. A few reviews leaked on the net and judging by them, I began to become apprehensive on Jim Wynorski's "Cheerleader Massacre."Tonight, I got to see the film for the first time in full length and I am still scratching my head. As I read in another review, "Cheerleader Massacre" is definitely NOT a new installment in the "Slumber Party Massacre" series, but a slasher flick all on its own. And a bad one at that.Before I get into the specifics of the film, let me first state what an enormous fan of Jim Wynorski's films I am. I always thought him to be a true camp genius, with a winner almost every time. Yes, his movies are made on shoestring budgets and don't contain the most top-notch acting around, but they're fun nonetheless. They are what they are: campy movies you watch when you want to have a good time. From "Sorority House Massacre II," to "Hard to Die," to "Chopping Mall," Jim has produced the goods on more than one occasion. One of the reasons why I was excited that this film would be his latest project."Cheerleader Massacre" does not (in my opinion) reflect any of the films I had seen this director/writer create in the past. Firstly, the production was extremely inexpensive and the film was actually shot on videotape, something I had never seen Jim do before. The actors were mediocre, to say the least, and the story is almost laughable. The killer is also extremely stupid and reminds you more of your cuddly old grandpa, rather than an escaped lunatic.Of course, the film is littered with female nudity. This is a Jim Wynorski movie we're talking about, folks. But some of the boob-shots seen here almost seem like they were done for time. There is an extremely long shower scene, containing the cheerleading coach, that seems to go on forever and it greatly reflects a shower scene in Jim's "Sorority House Massacre II." The girl even bathes herself almost in the exact same way."Cheerleader Massacre" is also extremely cliched, to say the least. The opening scene is literally something we've all seen in HUNDREDS of past slasher flicks. A guy and a girl making out, on the verge of consummating their relationship when...you guessed it. They're hacked to pieces.Brinke Stevens, who I've never really considered to be a tremendous actress in the first place, also gives one of her stiffest and forced performances in her small cameo. We're talkin' possible cue cards here. She recalls some incidents her character endured by the killer seen here twenty years ago to the police, while footage of the original "Slumber Party Massacre" plays. Why was footage from the original film used if it was definitely not a new "SPM"? I have no idea. There is also two explosions seen in this movie that I am almost certain were recycled from other films.Not only does this film recycle FOOTAGE from past films, but it also recycles the scores from other films as well. Some of the music used in "Humanoids from the Deep" (which was also recycled prior for "The Coroner") can be heard throughout the entire film. There are at least two more as well that I cannot identify, but am certain have been used before.After sitting through this film's horrendous acting, ridiculous story, non-existent gore/special effects, and camcorder-like quality, I am having some serious concerns toward Mister Wynorski's career. Has the man who delighted audiences with films in the past finally lost his niche? Only time will tell. Oh, and let's not forget his newest film. A new installment in the "Sorority House Massacre" films, now titled "Final Exam." I think I'm seeing a pattern here...$LABEL$ 0 +Too bad a couple of comments before me don't know the facts of this case. It is based on actual events, a highly publicized disappearance and murder case taking place in the Wilmington, DE/Philadelphia PA region from '96 through 2000. I have to admit I was highly skeptical of how Hollywood would dramatize the actual history and events and was actually quite impressed on how close they stayed to what was constantly reported on local newscasts and Philadelphia Inquirer news stories throughout the time period. Of course I immediately pointed out that the actress (who I really like in Cold Case) who played Fahey looked nothing like her (Anne Marie was actually prettier). I have to admit though that Mark Harmon really nailed the type of personality that was revealed as Capano's and the behavior that Capano exhibited throughout this period. Details of the case were right on...no deviations of dramatic effect...even down to the carpet, gun, furniture, and cooler. In conclusion, I also wanted to add that I have met Tom Carper many times at various functions (a good man, despite being a politician) and I am so glad that he pulled the strings in the Federal realm necessary to solve this heinous crime. Guys like Capano are real and it was great to see him finally put behind bars.$LABEL$ 1 +I tuned into this thing one night on a cable channel a few minutes after the credits ran, so I didn't know who had done it at first. The longer I saw it, the more I started thinking, "Jesus, this looks like an Albert Pyun flick." Wasn't quite sure, though, for two main reasons: the photography was quite good (and the Utah desert scenery was beautiful), and Scott Paulin gave an hilarious performance as Simon, a murderous cyborg, but with some style and a sense of humor. Paulin must have ad-libbed the many clever one-liners he shot out, because Albert Pyun hasn't written anything even remotely funny or coherent in his career. Unfortunately, Paulin doesn't have all that much screen time before he's gone, and the movie's the worse for it. Lance Henriksen, playing the evil head cyborg, growls his way through his part, as he's done in countless other movies like this. I don't know what the hell Kris Kristofferson is doing in this thing; maybe he wanted to see what the Utah desert looked like and get paid for it. He goes through the movie looking (and sounding) like he just woke up, and in fact spends most of the last half of the movie on his back in a tent. Kathy Long, the nominal hero, has a great body, is attractive, has a great body, fights extremely well, has a great body, and doesn't have an iota of acting talent, but that doesn't matter in a movie like this. This being an Albert Pyun film, it's full of the trademarks that we've all come to know and love: inane and idiotic dialog, choppy editing, and the impression that they lost a reel in the middle of the picture and figured, "Ah, nobody'll ever notice."As bad as this movie is, however, it's a shade above most of Pyun's other efforts--this is "Citizen Kane" compared to his brain-numbing "Adrenaline: Feel the Rush", for example. The fights are pretty well done, if repetitive (after she knocks down eight or nine guys one after the other, you find yourself saying, "Alright already, go to something else"), and Long is very athletic (and, as a previous poster has noted, has a great derrière). It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not anywhere near as incoherent and incompetent as Pyun's usual extravaganzas. You could do worse than rent this movie--not much worse, granted, but worse nonetheless.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie opens upon Julian Sands, lying on his back, a black kitten drooling blood into his awaiting mouth from where he holds it, about two feet above him. That was so provocative, and I thought, "Here we go! A good vampire movie!" And then it died. That was literally the only scene which captured any part of the imagination. It was slow, uneventful drivel thereafter. I was vastly disappointed, as my previous experience with Sands' acting was quite enjoyable. However, this attempt was obviously misdirected and the screenplay left a lot to be desired.Even Julian Sands's questionable performance could not begin to save this already sunken barge of a movie.It rates a 1.1/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +About twenty minutes into this movie, I was already bored. Quite simply, these characters were fairly dull. Occasionally, something enjoyable would happen, but then things would slow down again. Fortunately, my patience was eventually rewarded, and the ending to this movie wasn't bad at all. However, it was by no means good enough to justify sitting through the first ninety minutes. So, I would say that the movie was mediocre overall, and considering all of the talent in the cast, I'd call this a disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +`Manna From Heaven' is a delightfully compelling film.Within the shifting paradox of values in middle-class Americans from 40 years ago to the present day, the plot tweaks the concerns and hopes of an interesting range of `Damon Runyonesque' characters.Their struggles with moral dilemmas, dotting on `what might have been,' hopes to yet fulfill youthful dreams, romantic yearnings, and `hit it big' combine to make a most entertaining film. Rather than relying upon `in-your- face' sexual explicitness, the burgeoning relationship between Inez and Mac/Bake is classically subtle but clear. His untying the knot in her shoelace at the Art Gallery and their heat in their poker game is outstandingThe script's crisp writing is skillfully interpreted by an outstanding star and supporting cast. One of the few films I have ever fone to see twice in its opening run, `Manna From Heaven' definitely warrants national distribution.Conrad F. Toepfer$LABEL$ 1 +If I'd only seen the poster for Nurse Betty, I probably wouldn't have touched it with a ten-foot pole. But after I heard some positive buzz, and knowing it made some noise at Cannes, I decided to give it a try. What I got is a truly enjoyable movie, based on a very entertaining plot. Rene Zelleweger is impressive in her role as ‘nurse' Betty, a woman who is sent into a delusional psychotic episode following a traumatic experience. I also liked Morgan Freeman (no surprise) and was pleasantly surprised by foul-mouthed comedian Chris Rock. The film bounces continuously between comedy, drama, romance, and thriller. Yet despite this apparent identity crisis, it holds up quite well. I found my eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end always waiting for the next twist in the story. The entire cast is strong, if not spectacular. My only real complaint is that director Neil Labute (who made a splash a few years ago with the very impressive and dark ‘In the Company of Men') relied much too heavily on many cliched Hollywood conventions. The mood-creating musical effects he crammed down our throats during each sentimental scene were unbearable! And he did the standard old "let's take some of the minor characters and pair them up at the end in an illogical and unnecessary romance" trick, just to make absolutely certain everyone goes home with a smile on their face. Why must directors and writers treat their audiences like idiots??But the movie is still much too enjoyable to be dragged down very far by these annoying irritations. In a very subpar year for movies, 'Nurse Betty' ranks as one of the more pleasant surprises of 2000. 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This flick was even better then 'Waiting for Guffman'. The great strength in these two films lie in the brilliant character acting by Guest and Levy's little second-second city troupe. If one finds this movie boring or pointless, God help 'em, they just didn't get it. It is a mockumentary, something at which Guest and Levy have a genius for. At the end of the movie where Guest's southern down home dog lover tells us that to relax after the show, he went to Israel to work on a 'caboose', or when he tells us that ventriloquism is an ancient art and we see a hieroglyphicof an ancient Egyptian holding a tiny ancient Egyptian in it's hand, I realized it is moments like this that make life worth living. Thank you Mr.Guest and Mr.Levy, and God bless you.$LABEL$ 1 +I stopped short of giving "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" 10/10 due to an aspect that makes us in the 21st century cringe a little bit: the fact that a black person is the faithful servant (somewhat reminiscent of Stepin Fetchit). But other than that, the movie's a hoot. Portraying middle class New York couple Jim (Cary Grant) and Muriel Blandings (Myrna Loy) trying to build a house in Connecticut, this flick has something for everyone.Grant is his usual flippant self, while Loy does quite well as merely a wife. But Melvyn Douglas adds some real laughs as Jim's and Muriel's lawyer Bill Cole, who seems to have more plans than he's making clear. As for the house itself...throughout most of the movie, you'll probably feel ambiguous as to whether or not you want to live there. The builders, contractors, and others also provide their fair share of laughs.All in all, a comedy classic. Also starring Louise Beavers, Reginald Denny, Sharyn Moffett, Connie Marshall and Jason Robards Sr.$LABEL$ 1 +This self proclaimed "very talented artist" have directed easily the worst Spanish film of the 21st century. Lack of emotion, coherence, rhythm, skills, humor... it repeats the same situation over and over again. It shows no character development. It does not even show any violent and/or sexual content, and it does not add anything new to the psycho-killer sub genre. So lame it should be shown at film schools as an example of "what not to do" in a first movie.BTW where the hell is the "talent"? there are scenes which have been shot almost identically; there are scenes which have two or more master shots and it is quite awful to see the action jumping from one master shot to another without a reason. The camera almost never moves, as if the "very talented artist" was afraid of showing his lack of visual skills. The actors playing the main roles act like amateurs, and the supporting cast is hardly believable. There are more holes than plot in the script (if ever there was one)...A really disheartening movie, and a whatsoever talented director.$LABEL$ 0 +This production was made in the middle 1980s, and appears to be the first serious attempt to put BLEAK HOUSE on celluloid. No film version of the novel was ever attempted (it is remarkably rich in subplots that actually serve as counterpoints to each other, so that it would have been very hard to prune it down). The novel was the only attempt by Dickens to make a central narrator (one of two in the work) a woman, Esther Summerson. Esther is raised by her aunt and uncle, who (in typical Dickens style) mistreat her. She is illegitimate, but they won't tell her anything about her parentage. Later we get involved with the gentry, Sir Leicester Dedlock, and his wife. Lady Honoria Deadlock (Dame Diana Rigg) is having an increasingly difficult time regarding her private life and the meddling involvement of the family solicitor Tulkinghorn (Peter Vaughn). We also are involved with the actions of Richard Carstone (Esther's boyfriend) in trying to win a long drawn out estate chancery case, Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, which everyone (even Richard's cousin John Jarndyce - played by Desmond Elliot) warns is not worth the effort.Dickens had been a law reporter and then a parliamentary reporter before he wrote fiction. Starting with the breach of promise case in PICKWICK PAPERS, Dickens looked closely at the law. Mr. Bumble said it was "a ass" in OLIVER TWIST and Dickens would consistently support that view. He looks at the slums as breeding grounds for crime in TWIST, that the law barely tries to cure. He attacks the Chancery and outdated estate laws, as well as too powerful solicitors and greedy lawyers (Tulkinghorn, Vholes) in BLEAK HOUSE. In LITTLE DORRIT he attacks the debtors' prisons (he had hit it also in David COPPERFIELD). In OUR MUTUAL FRIEND he looks at testators and wills. In THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD he apparently was going to go to a murder trial. Dickens was far more critical of legal institutions than most of his contemporaries, including Thackeray.But the novel also looks at other problems (like charity and religious hypocrisy, the budding Scotland Yard detective force, social snobbery in the industrial revolution). He also uses the novel to satirize various people: Leigh Hunt the writer, Inspector Fields of Scotland Yard, and even the notorious Maria Manning. Most of these points were kept in this fine mini-series version. If it is shown again on a cable station, catch it.$LABEL$ 1 +Without a doubt, the best Burt Reynolds film ever! Even better than Smokey and the Bandit. This was probably the first real bloody cop thriller of the 1980s and delivered the perfect blend of humor, action, mystery and style that is missing in today's films.This one has it all: A psychotic Henry Silva jacked up on PCP, $1,000 a night call girls, ninja assassins and Burt Reynolds getting his fingers sliced off, one by one, with a butterfly knife. The film is based on the novel by William Diehl who also wrote PRIMAL FEAR, another one of my all-time favorites. This movie is worth watching just to see Henry Silva get shot six times, crash through a window, and fall thirty stories from the top of an Atlanta high-rise. This is probably the coolest stunt in Hollywood history, performed by legendary stuntman Dar Robinson.Robinson also played "Moke" in the Elmore Leonard movie STICK, also starring Burt Reynolds. Stick features another great Dar Robinson stunt. Robinson falls from a Miami apartment building and unloads all six shots from a .44 magnum on his way down. Very cool stuff.SHARKY'S MACHINE is my favorite police drama. I never understood why this film flopped the way it did. If Burt did more films like this, he would've built a better reputation for himself. He proves to be a talented director with Sharky, as well as a gifted actor. Burt is supported by Brian Kieth, Charles Durning, Bernie Casey, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward, and everyone's favorite bad guy Henry Silva. PLEASE remake this classic film! Get Affleck and Samuel L. and some other hot actors and you've got a great movie just waiting to be filmed.I give it a 9 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +Plot = Melissa is a new girl in town, she's fifteen years old and her birthday is coming up in one week. Since Melissa is beautiful, every boy in town wants to hook up with her, but the few that manage to catch her interest mysteriously die.To be honest the real reason I wanted to watch this film is because Dana Kimmel of Friday The 13th pt 3 was in it which isn't a proper reason why to rush out and see a movie. When I started watching it I realized that "Sweet Sixteen" isn't a very good slasher, it's really dull and boring and just doesn't go anywhere. After over an hour, only three murders have occurred and the story hasn't really developed in any possible way.The movie is nicely shot with quite nice photography and good directing but just as with many other slasher flicks from the 80s, the movie suffers from being too dark at times. The acting is actually pretty good though and Melissa's character is easy to sympathize with, even though she's a complete slut.The story line isn't completely rubbish but it's just way too dull to keep you interested, the only things that kept me interested was Melissa she was stunning and Dana Kimmel whose really sweet and cute in this movie.All in all pretty dull slasher flick that doesn't go anywhere I'd definitely wouldn't recommend it to Slasher fans.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is a very funny film. The violence is bad, the acting is...Well Dani, stick to singing or screaming or whatever the hell it is you usually do. The random chicks wearing hardly anything is just to catch sexually-frustrated goth lads in. Personally, i think this movie really does suck. The story and characters COULD be very good, if say the directing, the actors and other little nibby things were made better. But the film is just bad, the only reason why people like this piece of crap is because it has Danni in it. This film is possibly the worst B-rate film ever. And, believe me that's hard to achieve, especially when you're competing with Def by Temptation and over crappy excuses for "serious" horror movies. I'm not a CoF fan, and so i just see this as another rubbish movie...A really bad one. If Dani made this as a comedy then, good going him. Very well done. Over than that though, i rate it low, for it's crappiness. Watch it when you're in a happy, happy, joy, joy mode so you can laugh at everything or if you're high on multiple different types of drugs.$LABEL$ 0 +The first time I saw this movie, it didn't seem to go anywhere. When I watched it a second time though, it made a lot more sense. Give it a chance, watch it more than once, there are a lot of key elements that shape the story that could be missed the first and even second time watching it. The Cohen brothers brilliantly weave actual happenings of the early 20th century into this story to make a believable setting and storyline. The combination of Clooney's leading role blends well with Turturro and Nelson's supporting acts. John Goodman's appearance in the movie is hilarious. The soundtrack is great as well. This movie has become a household favorite for my family. 10/10, for sure.$LABEL$ 1 +This barely watchable film was a bit of an ordeal to sit through. None of the segments are good, but at least the first one was mildly amusing, and the middle one was somewhat imaginative. The final one was just plain brutal, and after sitting through two weak comedic shorts, the third one was truly painful to watch. Even by the low standards of a National Lampoon movie, this one seemed especially boring and joyless.$LABEL$ 0 +A wasted effort. On the surface it's a typical disaster movie: we're involved in the lives of a few people who get caught up in the Big Event. However, the script is so awful and there's so much explaining of the characters' background within the dialogue that we feel we're being treated like morons. Even Sesame Street didn't explain the origins of Mr Snuffleupagus or how Mr Hooper died: we can work it out. Someone thought that entering 'Enron' into the script would give it currency when discussing power companies. The acting is by and large bland, with the exception of the older performers (Randy Quaid, Brian Dennehy), and after the first hour, I couldn't care less about who the storms took out.But maybe there are the special effects to watch. Sadly, no. Even on a 20-year-old TV set I could see one tractor and trailer were computer-generated—badly. Maybe there are budgetary limitations, so I can forgive that one. Footage of a plane trying to land looked pretty real, but I kept telling myself I had seen that before. This site confirms it: it was from an earlier film, Nowhere to Land.So in summary, the only good bits are from another film, and when you see the best action sequences compressed into a 30-second network promo, it makes Category 6 look quite good. My advice: rely on your network to do some good 30-second clips, watch them, and save yourself two nights.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, we know that Bruce Willis is a good actor but if you take the majority of his movies you'll see that the characters have these moments where they are the same. His character in this movie is far beyond every single one so far... and counting. The story begins in the (not so far) future where a man is sent to the past to find the source of a virus that has swept most of humanity from the face of the earth. The story seems to go towards SF but i think its closer to a drama because of the slow rhythm of the story. About that. Movies tend to be faster and slower at some points and develop more towards the end than the beginning but as you see this movie you'll be aware of this constant rhythm of story and revealing facts that does not speed up nor slow down. Its the one and the same speed that flows gently and pretty good. But that doesn't mean that the ending wont pull your nerves, cause its pretty good. As far as the direction goes, it is prefect. Movies as such are easily destroyed by bad directing but this one has become far better. So, if you are getting ready to see a Sci-Fi movie or some action, you'll miss it. B There should be more movies like this.$LABEL$ 1 +The basic plot of 'Marigold' boasts of a romantic comedy wherein the film industry is kept as a backdrop. An American actress Marigold, played by Ali Carter gets stuck in India. Worse that, she is out of money. She then decides to play a small role in a Bollywood musical, so that she can earn enough money to get back to her nation. Here she gets to meet Indian choreographer Prem, played by Salman Khan. Basically, the movie fails at the script level. Just by calling a film a Hollywood venture doesn't guarantee quality cinema. Marigold stands out as the best example. The art direction is weak and outdated. Musically, Marigold turns out to be a dud. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's is far from being acknowledged as a decent hear. Actingwise, Salman delivers of his most amateurish performances till date. Ali Larter is good and has immense screen presence. Performance wise too, she is good.One can also find good reviews regarding this movie at http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=36310$LABEL$ 0 +Pet Sematary , though a nice 80's Horror movie, with a nice Director and atmosphere, IS a copy of the Italian movie ZEDER by Pupi Avati. It's clear that Stephen King has copied almost all the ideas from this director (the movie Zeder was made before King wrote the book)The cat, the ground, everything was copied, this is a case of plagiary , but, being Stephen Kind a famous American writer , it's totally normal that he can get away with this , it's obviously due to the huge difference between this kind of Italians movies with no -budget (and in part, it's crap itself ... ) but the original idea, I repeat it, it's Italian director AvatiLet the world know$LABEL$ 0 +Sharp, well-made documentary focusing on Mardi Gras beads. I have always liked this approach to film-making - communicate ideas about a larger, more complex, and often inscrutable phenomenon by breaking the issue down into something familiar and close to home.I am sure most people have heard stories about sweatshops and understand the basic motives behind profit and capitalism, and globalism's effect on poorer nations (however people feel about it). Rather than expound on these subjects and get up on a soapbox (not that there's anything wrong with that, other than such documentaries typically preach to the converted), this documentary simply shows Mardi Gras beads, how they are manufactured, by what people, and under what conditions, and then how they are utilized by consumers at the end of the process. It openly and starkly investigates the motivations of everyone involved in the process, including workers, factory management, American importers, and finally, the consumer at the end of the chain.I felt a little sickened by this; equally by the Mardi Gras revelers, but also by the way the workers in China have accepted their situation as normal and par for the course (even if they have some objections to the details of how they are managed). The footage of the street sweepers cleaning up the beads off the streets at the end, made a particular impression. But that was just my reaction; I can see how someone else might read this documentary a little differently.Unlike other documentaries on this subject, I don't think you have to have any specific political opinion to be affected by this. This is ultimately a story about human beings and our relation to the goods we produce and consume. If you have ever bought a product made in the Far East, this should give you something to think about.Outstanding and highly recommended. Need to see more documentaries like this. Kudos to all of those involved in the making of this film.$LABEL$ 1 +As an avid Gone With the Wind fan, I was disappointed to watch the original movie and see that they had left out many important characters. Luckily, the film on its own was a wonderful piece. When the book Scarlett came out, I read it in hopes of following two of my favorite literary characters farther on their journey together. While the book lacks any true quality, it remains a good story, and, as long as I was able to separate it from the original, was and still is enjoyable. However, I consider the six hours I spent watching the "Scarlett" miniseries to be some of the worst-spent hours of my life. Discrediting any of the original character traits so well-formed in Margaret Mitchell's book, this series also turned the story of the sequel into one of rape, mistrust, murder, and misformed relationships that even the book Scarlett stayed away from. The casting for many of the characters refused to examine the traits that had been so well-formed in both the original novel and film, and even carried through in the second book, and again leaves out at least one incredibly crucial character. In the novel, Scarlett O'Hara Butler follows her estranged husband Rhett Butler to Charleston under the guise of visiting extended family. After coming to an "arrangement" with Rhett, she agrees to leave, and proceeds to reconnect with her O'Hara relatives in Savannah. Eventually, she accompanies her cousin Colum, a passionate leader of the Fenian Brotherhood, to Ireland, to further explore her family's "roots that go deep," and is eventually named "The O'Hara," the head of the family. While her duties as The O'Hara keep her engaged in her town of Ballyhara, Scarlett ventures out into the world of the English landowners, and instantly becomes a sought-after guest at many of their parties. She, having been scorned by Rhett time and time again, eventually agrees to marry Luke, the earl of Fenton, until Rhett comes along in a clichéd "night-on-white-horse" - type of a rescue. The "Scarlett" miniseries fails even to do this justice. Raped by her fiancé and scorned by her family, the series shows Scarlett thrown in jail after she is blamed for a murder her cousin committed.I heartily advise anyone considering spending their day watching this to rethink this decision.$LABEL$ 0 +Just like last years event WWE New Years Revolution 2006 was headlined by an Elimination Chamber match. The difference between last years and this years match however was the entertainment value. In reality only three people stood a chance of walking out of the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York with the WWE Championship. Those men were current champion John Cena, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. There was no way Vinnie Mac would put the belt on any of the rookies; Carlito or Chris Masters. And Kane? Kane last held the WWE Championship in June 1998, and that was only for one night. It was obvious he wasn't going to be the one either. Last years match was a thrilling affair with six of the best WWE had to offer. 2006 was a predictable and disappointing affair but still the match of the night by far.The only surprise of the evening came after the bell had run on the main event. Out strolled Vince McMahon himself and demanded they lift the chamber. It was then announced that Edge was cashing in his money in the bank championship match right then and there. With no time to prepare and just off the back of winning the Elimination Chamber match John Cena did not stand a chance and dropped the title after a spear to one of the most entertaining heels in WWE. This was the only entertaining piece of action that happened all night.The undercard, like last year, was truly atrocious. Triple H and The Big Show put on a snore fest that had me struggling to stay away. HHH picked up the win but that was never in any real doubt was it? Any pay-per-view that has both Jerry Lawler and Viscera wrestling on the same card will never have any chance of becoming a success really does it. The King pinned Helms (who books this stuff?) and Big Vis tasted defeat against the wasted Shelton Benjamin with a little help from his Mama.The women of the WWE also had a busy night. There was the usual Diva nonsense with a Bra and Panties Gauntlet match which was won by Ashley and the Woman's Championship was also on the line. In a match, I thought would have been left to brew till WrestleMania 22 Mickie James challenged Trish Stratus in a good match. Trish won the contest but it was evident that this is going to continue for the foreseeable future.The opening contest of the night pitted soon to be WWE Champion Edge against Intercontinental Champion, Ric Flair. This could have been better but it was a battered and bloody Flair that retained after a disqualification finish. Edge obviously had bigger fish to fry.So New Years Revolution kicked off the 2006 pay-per-view calendar in disastrous fashion. The only good thing from that is knowing that for the WWE the only way is up. They don't get much worse than this.$LABEL$ 0 +I was just looking at the 100 bottom movies according to IMDb users seeing if there was anything to review that I haven't yet and I found this little screen gem. One of those occasions when you see a movie ranked as one of the worst and you just have to be one of the few that actually likes it. Darn, well I guess I will get ridiculed and spat upon here, but for me this was a pretty good flick when I saw it. It has been awhile however, I remember it used to come on HBO late at night and I watched it two or three times and I haven't seen it really since and I would love to watch it again now knowing Jolie was in it. The story follows a cyborg and a guy trying to escape the clutches of this corporation and some bounty hunters after them. I think that is basically all there is to it, throw in a few scenes with Jack Palance and we have our movie. Some good action here and there, and some blood and violence as well. There is also a love story at play as well as the female cyborg and the guy who trained her to fight kind of fall in love with each other. The dialog sometimes becomes rather bad at times and it is by far not a top notch film, but for a b-movie it is really good. I don't know if it was a theatrical release though because it does not seem high quality enough for that, but it does make for one of the better direct to videos if it was one of those.$LABEL$ 1 +Attractive husband and wife writing team Robert Wagner (as Joel Gregory) and Kate Jackson (as Donna Gregory) arrive at the spooky mansion of actress "Lorna Love" (actually, silent film star Harold Lloyd's house). Mr. Wagner and Ms. Jackson are contracted to write the silent movie star's biography. Wagner has a personal interest in the project, since his father was once the famed star's lover. Mysterious events unfold, and Jackson must fight to save her husband from the spirit of the beautiful blonde, who is "perfectly preserved" in a crypt on the estate; moreover, the evil woman seems bent on possessing her husband, and murdering Jackson! This is very much a "Night of Dark Shadows" variation, co-starring genuine "Dark Shadows" alumni Kate Jackson, who knows and plays her part well. Robert Wagner lacks David Selby's intensity. Sylvia Sidney (as Mrs. Josephs) sidesteps Grayson Hall. Marianna Hill is not a match for Lara Parker (or Diana Millay). Bill Macy (as Oscar Payne) is good in a part that would have been played by John Karlen (in a Dan Curtis production).There are smooth cameos by Joan Blondell, John Carradine, and Dorothy Lamour. Ms. Lamour's delivery resembles Joan Bennett, which begs the question: why didn't producer Aaron Spelling get more of the original "Dark Shadows" regulars? Director E.W. Swackhamer was Bridget Hanley's husband; he worked with Ms. Blondell on "Here Come the Brides", and with Jackson on "The Rookies". "Death at Love House" has, arguably, a tighter storyline than the "Night of Dark Shadows" film; it differs in the movie star angle; and, in its "Father Eternal Fire" ending, it more closely resembles the TVseries' "Laura the Phoenix" storyline. **** Death at Love House (9/3/76) E.W. Swackhamer ~ Robert Wagner, Kate Jackson, Sylvia Sidney$LABEL$ 0 +This film is mildly entertaining if one neglects to acknowledge its numerous incongruities of plot and sheer lack of believability. Bruce Willis as "The Jackal" never seems to live up to his reputation as a cunning mastermind of the underworld. Instead, he bumbles about in broad daylight, parading a mishmash of shoddy disguises. Why this man has never been captured before (or even identified) is beyond me. Not once is the audience impressed by his cleverness or daring; considering the price he demands for his services (an exorbitant $70 million), his methods are decidedly low-budget and stupid.As for those in pursuit of him, they are at least as ridiculous in their behavior. They show no sense of expertise, instead relying on half-baked conjecture which sends them traversing across the country at their whim. Incredibly, these far-fetched guesses (maybe he bought a boat, maybe he's in Chicago, etc etc) invariably lead them straight to the Jackal, who yet again escapes their clumsy grasp.Richard Gere, whose Irish accent fades in and out like a distant radio station, plays the inexplicable role of an imprisoned convict who is released from jail to work alongside the FBI. He actually makes a compatible partner, if only because his means are as amateurish and inept as his professional pals. At one point, he actually confronts the infamous Jackal, but unfortunately the FBI, although they trust him enough to leave him out of their sight, fail to equip him with a weapon or any means of communication. What kind of operation are they running here?The film also appears overly reliant on gruesome violence, which is entirely superfluous and provides no suspense whatsoever. The supposedly stealthy Jackal acts more like a demented and senseless serial killer, eliminating people for sport and writing on a victim's cheek with blood.The film's action scenes are both predictable and unrealistic, and many moments are ruined with melodrama. This movie is poorly executed on many levels, the one bright spot being the ever consistent Sidney Poitier. Avoid this movie if you are in the mood to think as you watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +Raymond Burr stars as an attorney caught up in the murder of his best friend (Dick Foran) thanks to his affection for his friend's wife (Angela Lansbury). This was a full year before he started doing Perry Mason, so the movie might be of particular interest to his fans if it was the inspiration for his casting.There isn't all that much else here that's interesting though. Lansbury is always good, but her character here is very one dimensional and the motives for her crime in the mystery are totally obvious. There's an interesting performance by Lamont Johnson as a painter who's also in love with the "femme fatale", but the Burr character is pretty straightforward. It's frankly bizarre to see an actor like Burr doing these romantic scenes with Lansbury, and his halting delivery does not match his character here very well as it does in most films I've seen him in. There's no mystery at all really, and the whole suspense is supposed to be around the title of the film and the way that Burr's character is setting up the Lansbury character to implicate herself (double jeopardy prevents her being tried again for the original murder, presumably). He does so with a very large tape recorder which she doesn't notice when she comes into the room I guess.A few perhaps unintentionally fun moments and basically the rest of the thing could have been done for TV.$LABEL$ 0 +Purchased this film for one dollar and figured I could never go wrong, my big mistake was watching it. Enjoyed the acting of Ice-T and the rapping which gave lots of class to this film about Los Angeles and the world of pimps. There is a boxer who kills one of his opponents in a practice ring and who has a career, but because of mental problems from childhood and the killing of this other boxer he retires. He gets hired by a pimp who is looking for a bodyguard to protect the girls that work for him at their trade and make sure they are not beaten up. This boxer falls in love with the boss's girlfriend and all kinds of trouble starts. This is entertaining and it then becomes a big laughing comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +The story in this movie is fairly implausible B grade stuff, but the script called for a creepy guy to play the lead, and in 1940, that meant Peter Lorre. And Peter is at his creepiest in this one as island owner Stephen Danel, who gets prisoners paroled to his custody to work at his island diamond mine. Upon arrival the parolees discover that they are slave mine workers that can be beaten or killed at the whim of Danel.Only two things seem to have it worse off than the slaves; Danel's wife, and monkeys. Monkeys tick him off so much that his violence towards them probably leads to the only meat the slaves get.Lorre is perfect in his role here, and creeps up the screen in industrial-strength fashion. Although the script is not Casablanca caliber, the editing is very tight and there are no wasted scenes. This is a very watchable story, but I'm not sure what niche this movie filled. Too long for a short subject, and too short for a feature length film, I'm not sure how this was marketed to theaters.I just caught this for the first time on a late night/early morning TCM showing. Lorre fans will not want to miss this one if they haven't seen it.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this with few expectations and absolutely loved it! Bend it like Beckham is a fairly typical coming-of-age movie about a fairly atypical girl. This is Parminder Nagra ("ER")'s breakout role, playing Jess, a teenager in England who is caught between her traditional Indian family and her love of football (that's soccer to us North Americans). And even though she's actually much older than her character, she plays the role pitch-perfect.This is a movie about friendship - specifically Jess's friendship with Jules (Keira Knightley), her teammate who is also going through family issues, especially with her mom, who wears purple nail polish and little bows on her shoes, and who wants Jules to be more feminine, wear lacy underwear and flirt with boys and is terrified that playing sports means her daughter is a lesbian. Jules and Jess both love playing the game and have issues trying to convince their families to let them go after their dreams. They also, unfortunately, both love the same man - Joe, their coach (played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). The love triangle causes some strain in their friendship.In some spots, Bend It Like Beckham falls into clichés. In others, scenes drag on far too long, and this movie probably could have benefited from overall tighter editing.But this was a refreshingly fun film about growing up, culture clash, and the love of football. It's about female empowerment, chasing your dreams, and supporting your friends. Funny, charming and fun, Bend It Like Beckham is the little film that could... and did.Excellent. 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Note, I only saw approximately the last half of this movie, so feel free to take my review with whatever grain of salt you deem appropriate, that being said, seeing what I saw was more than enough to make me quite convinced that a one-star rating for this is enough.In short, it's a dismal-plot slaughter of the wonderful precursor (NL Christmas Vacation) with Chevy Chase, only it doesn't have Chevy Chase in it, and it takes place in a generic tropical island, essentially with no connection to Christmas at all.Ol' Chevy probably didn't want in because the plot is that devoid of actual fun, instead they got the screwy Cousin Eddie, who, again, was great in the original, but in this he is just over the top, and an extremely poor basis for any movie considering the plot and acting. The attempts at humor are generic to a degree where even contemporary television comedy trumps it, and considering that this is supposed to be comedy, I doubt I need to say more.This is not to be seen for its qualities, for it has none, but for it's failings and again, how Hollywood is spilling it's life's blood of the past in the pursuit of a quick buck.I think I'll watch the original before the upcoming Christmas season just to try to regain my childhood innocence, from a lost time when motion pictures were more than just high-budget, but mindless, garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +What can possibly said about this movie other than, "viewer beware". Christmas Evil should come with a warning label like cigarettes do, because this was harmful to my eyes and ears. I am rarely this unsatisfied with a "b" horror flick, but this movie couldn't even bring a little scare to a five year old. The point of a relentless lunatic that has a thirst for blood in a film is that he/she should seem almost god-like, like nothing can stop their maniacal rage, but in this film the resident psychopath gets himself stuck in a chimney in a bizarre attempt to surprise his next victim and of course follow along with the all to popular legend of santa claus, it's a reminder to the viewer that this man is in no way dangerous because he's far too stupid to be dangerous. All in all a total waste of film.$LABEL$ 0 +This one isn't even lively enough to be fun. Something is out there, ripping people off (off-screen) after a spaceship crash (off-screen) while government executives investigates (off-screen) and bad actors says stupid lines (on-screen), including a guy who looks like Jim Carrey with a hangover. The "monster", when it finally is shown, looks like an extra from "Robot Monster", but there ain't enough monster fu anyway.Fortunately, it's pretty short. Skip it, unless you want to get bored out of your skull by this$LABEL$ 0 +Gary Busey is superb in this musical biography. Great singing and excellent soundtrack. The Buddy Holly Story is a much better movie than La Bamba. From reading other comments, there may be some historical inaccuracies. Regardless, it is a fun toe-tapping film, and a good introduction to Buddy Holly's music.$LABEL$ 1 +Jean Dujardin gets Connery's mannerisms down pat: the adjusting the cuff links when entering a club as all the women turn to admire him, the nonchalant straightening and smoothing down of the tie, the swaggering, steely gait. It's uncanny, and you come to realise just how much of Bond in the Sixties was Connery's creation and not really Ian Fleming's character. The cinematography is a nod to those early films, the movie takes off From Russia With Love and Thunderball mainly. The main joke is how chauvinistic the hero is, not just in terms of sexism but nationalism and colonialism, and how he puts noses out of joint when he is sent to Egypt. It's not perfect - about 20 mins in it seems a one-joke movie and bits of it remind one of spoofs of the day, of which there were plenty. Morcecambe and Wise's The Intelligence Men had suspect-looking men in fez's following their heroes around too, and that's going back a bit. Unlike Sellers' Clouseau or Baron Cohen's Borat, Dujardin doesn't give his character that layer of realness or genuine pathos - he is too busy perfecting his Connery mannerisms. It doesn't do enough with the credits or a big song, and there's no funny or serious villain, like Mike Myers' Dr Evil or Ricardo Montalban's Naked Gun nemesis, for the hero to go up against.But the scene where OSS117 wakes up in Cairo one morning had me laughing out loud in the three-quarters empty cinema, and the whole thing looks wonderful, plus you'll never get a chance to see Operation Kid Brother on the screen, and the women are ace crumpet, really hot. It's a Bond spoof without falling into the mad scientist/Ken Adam sets or funny gadgets routine. Throughly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +First, I would like to apologize for my rating of "1"... The only reason i give this film such a high rating is that I can't delve into negative integers. All "This is a spoof" musings aside, and while I certainly have tried to give it due consideration, have left me with a certain notion, namely; "This is quite possibly the worst film ever made." On any level and in any plausible quantification of qualitative measurement... Seriously, I tried, I'm just as in to any indie born-for-cult-video-distribution film as the next buff, but seriously, this movie sucked rhino balls...Honestly, if I had directed this "film" I would have seen it as a legitimate cause for suicide.$LABEL$ 0 +- A newlywed couple move into the home of the husband's dead former wife. It's not long before the new wife begins to have the feeling that someone doesn't want her in the house. She sees skulls all around the house. But when the husband investigates, he can't find anything. Is someone trying to drive her back to the asylum that she was recently discharged from? Or, is the ghost of the dead wife trying to get the new wife out of her house? - This is the first time that I've watched The Screaming Skull without the assistance of the MST3K crew. And, it will in all likelihood be the last time I watch it this way. Can you say dull? I'm not talking ordinary dull - I'm talking watching grass grow dull. There are great stretches of the movie where nothing happens. The screen could have gone blank and I would have gotten as much entertainment out of it. The characters drone on and on with the most monotonous conversations imaginable. The Screaming Skull could probably be marketed as a sleep aide.- The actors don't help matters much. Most of them deliver lines with the conviction normally reserved for a grade school play. I haven't looked it up, but I would be shocked to find that anyone associated with this movie ever appeared in anything of cinematic value. I won't even go into the script the actors are given to work with. Let's just say that the characters are given some of the most idiotic lines ever uttered on film.- You've been warned! Either avoid this one at all costs or, at least, seek out the MST3K version.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen so many bad reviews on Supervivientes de los Andes that I felt compelled to stand for it (or at least I'll try). First of all, of course that it looks dated, it was made in the seventies with very low budget, but that's part of it's charm. I like contemporary films but also dig the old ones for what they worth. I'm not the one to feel the urge to only see or like movies with modern treatments and effects; besides, almost every movie buff likes old fashioned motion pictures (who doesn't like films from El Santo or Plan 9 from outer space, no matter it's overall quality?). In the aspect of pace, is just a tool for covering (again) it's low cost, and I think the constant dialogs are in order of a better character and situations development. Sure, Alive has better FX, but I won't despise the old one just because of that, and I don't feel quite attracted to English speakers in an event involving people from Uruguay and for me, that gives a plus to Supervivientes de los Andes. It's like, even if Canoa, from the seventies and based on a true event too, would have a better remake now due to the advance of technology, but I think I would stick to that one based on the emotions that offers regardless it's production date.All of this is based in the impact that had on me because the first time I saw it was on TV, and nowadays I don't think it has lost some of it's primal force. Of course it's been a long time and I've seen tons of better movies in every aspect of cinema, but that doesn't diminish it's true value. It's not a bad film, and I place it above Alive without hesitation. Just give it a break.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is really bad. It maybe harsh, but it is. It really is. Poor script, every vampire cliché in the book is used, and no sympathy is given at all to the origins of the main character ... i.e. ole Dracula. There have been some truly brilliant Dracula/vampire movies in the past, but this doesn't even make it into the "dire" slot.Take a selection of people who seem to have dropped out of a teen-slasher move, add a dribble of Dracula Lore and mix in a heady tonic of religious/surreal day-dreaming ... and you get a confusing mess of a film - Dracula 2000.I really cannot find any good things to say about this movie, as if it wasn't bad enough that it was made in the first place, they seem to have made Johnny Lee Miller effect an English accent ... Whats the problem with that I hear you cry ... Well, he is English, but he sounds like an American trying to do an English accent.All in all you may as well say your money (if you were thinking of buying it), or rent it out, watch it, and discover for yourself why it's about as scary as the Tellytubbies.P.S. Although La La is pretty frightening!$LABEL$ 0 +Looking backwards to that year 2002 when "Furia" was made, one can easily recognize the heralding sings of today's New Generation in Romania.The main qualities of "Furia" stand in a very solid script, with a substantial dramatic core and a really professional developing, plus a cast of excellent actors. All four leading roles are admirably performed, both with depth and casualness: Dragos Bucur and Andy Vasluianu confirmed, since then, being two of our best performers today, Dorina Chiriac follows them closely, and Adrian Tuli, a non-professional (in real life, a graveyard manager!) cast as Gabonu, was a genuine revelation! Further, Radu Muntean's directing is skilled and expressive, creating in a very compelling style that feeling of "a fateful night" and inescapable destiny. One can easily pass over the few awkward and even failed moments, since time proved them to be only the uncertainties inherent to a debut, never repeated in his subsequent movies: "Hârtia va fi albasträ" and "Boogie".$LABEL$ 1 +One of the worst movies ever made... If you can get through this movies without falling asleep, then you are doing pretty good, considering no matter how hard you turn up the volume you cant hear what the 'actors' (?) are saying and if you can acually see whats going on from the terrible film (I mean hell if you cant find anything that works better... use a Home movie camara... AT LEAST YOU CAN ACUALLY TELL WHATS GOING ON!)It is beyond my imagination how people get a movie like this to slip through the cracks, and escape on video... and further more.. how do people making this not know how terrible it is... good god... (!)After what I have just told you... If you are waiting for me to give you a summary of this piece of trash movie, there is nothing to tell... a group of campers on motorcycles get lost in the woods and a bunch of people terrorize them... or somthing to that... whats more so an action movie than a horror... this 'movie' (?) is of NO interest... if someone acually likes this I litterally feel for you.... Absolute Trash... not even one of those cheap funny flicks to watch go rent.. 'Plan 9 From Outerspace' and have a ball$LABEL$ 0 +Feeling Minnesota, directed by Steven Baigelmann, and starring Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz and Vincent D'Onofrio: The strained relationship between two brothers, Sam (D'Onofrio) and Jjaks (Reeves), is pushed to breaking point when Jjaks arrives at Sam's wedding and makes off with the bride, Freddie (Diaz), a former stripper, marrying Sam to repay a gambling debt owed to night-club owner Red (Lindo). Baigelman's writing and directing debut is a frustrating mess, full of hateful characters and lacking coherence. Putting Keanu and Diaz in the same movie should at least provide some eye candy, but Baigelman even cops out on that score, grudging his actors up with little positive effect. Very poor.$LABEL$ 0 +THE CELL (2000) Rating: 8/10The Cell, like Antz, must be watched twice to be appreciated. The first time I saw this film I thought it was mediocre, but the film had such a lasting impression on me after viewing, I decided I had to rent it again. I did, and I found the film to be much more likeable. The Cell is not for everyone, but it divides its stories up with quality and is a visually intelligent film that dreams up images and plot ideas that could not be matched. The film's script can be clunky at times, as can the acting, but the visuals are ingenious and bring the engaging story to an exotic and intriguing life. The Oscar nominated makeup is also daring and careful, while the beautiful costumes and utterly brilliant set decoration went unnoticed. Tarsem Singh who has also directed music videos, goes totally crazy with his direction and it results well. He has major talent and this film has a lot of potential if you give it a chance. Overall, The Cell is a powerful, disturbing and avoids being too tacky which makes it a great, pleasurable watch.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie, despite its list of B, C, and D list celebs, is a complete waste of 90 minutes. The plot, with its few peaks, was very predictable. It was so silly that I cannot believe that I am taking the time to even write a review of it. Flex, to his credit, has grown in his ability to act since playing Michael Jackson in a made for TV movie a few years ago. Tangi, on the other hand, has regressed, as she was more talented in her role as Felicity's flunkie some years ago. As I sat watching this train wreck of a film, with its pitiful production and horrible sound quality, other four letter words came to my mind to qualify what I thought of this film. However, in an effort to keep my writings G Rated, I'll simply say this film is another four letter word starting with an L. LAME!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I loved this movie! It was all I could do not to break down into tears while watching it, but it is really very uplifting. I was struck by the performance of Ray Liotta, but especially the talent of Tom Hulce portraying Ray's twin brother who is mentally slow due to a tragic and terrible childhood event. But Tom's character, though heartbreaking, knows no self pity and is so full of hope and life. This is a great movie, don't miss it!!$LABEL$ 1 +This was the worst movie I have ever seen Billy Zane in. I understand that this movie was mainly to showcase the new comers, who did pretty good for newbies, but over all, the movie was not believable.With all of the gunfire, you would think the police would have intervened. Even the coin being a bug on Sean was stupid. The way Sean suddenly realizes the coin is the bug, was not realistic.Looks like this movie was slapped together fast. Poor job. Get a better writer.The count down to the end was not in sync with anything. It took longer to fight. And what a coincidence that each time Billy was going to blast Sean, he'd be out of bullets. Once, I can believe, but not twice. Actually, Billy's character was goofy. It was so stupid when Sean punches him out at the end. It was like a comedy. Bad! Bad! Bad!$LABEL$ 0 +Stranded in Space (1972) MST3K version - a very not good TV movie pilot, for a never to be made series, in which an astronaut finds himself trapped on Earth's evil twin. Having a planet of identical size and mass orbiting in the same plane as the earth, but on the opposite side of the sun, is a well worn SF chestnut - the idea is over 2,000 years old, having been invented by the Ancient Greeks. In this version the Counter World is run as an Orwellian 'perfect' society. Where, for totally inexplicable reasons, everyone speaks English and drives late model American cars. After escaping from his prisonlike hospital, the disruptive Earthian is chased around Not Southern California by TV and bad movie stalwart Cameron Mitchell who, like his minions, wears double breasted suits and black polo neck jumpers - a stylishly evil combination which I fully intend to adopt if ever I become a totalitarian overlord. Our hero escapes several times before ending up gazing at the alien world's three moons and wondering aloud if he will ever get home - thus setting up one of those Man Alone in a Hostile World Making a new Friend Each Week but Moving on at the End of Every Episode shows so beloved of the industry in the 70s and 80s ('The Fugitive', 'The Incredible Hulk', 'The Littlest Hobo' etc.) The curiously weirdest bit though was the title sequence. Somewhere between 'Stranded in Space' first airing (under the title 'The Stranger') in 1972 and the MST3K version in 1991 it somehow acquired some footage from the 1983 movie 'Prisoners of the Lost Universe'. So in 1991 the opening credits for 'Stranded in Space' run under a few shots of three people falling into a matter transmitter and vanishing. It's a sequence that has nothing to do - even thematically - with anything that is going to follow.Just to add to the nerdy B movie confusion, one of the actors in this nailed on footage, Kay Lenz, later appeared in a 1994 movie called 'Trapped in Space'. Knowing this fact could never save your life but it might score you very big points and admiring looks from fellow trash movie enthusiasts - if you could ever work out a way of manoeuvring the conversation round to the point where you could casually slip it in without looking like a total idiot...$LABEL$ 0 +- After their sons are sentenced to life in prison, Adelle (Debbie Reynolds) and Helen (Shirley Winters) begin receiving threatening phone calls because someone fells their sons got off easy. The pair decides to move to California to escape the publicity of the trial and to start a new life. They start a dance school that is soon very successful. One of the students has a rich unmarried father with whom Adelle quickly falls in love. In the meantime, Helen is busy raising rabbits and becoming a little too infatuated with an evangelist on the radio. It's only a mater of time before everything falls apart and the women enter a world of madness and murder.- I can't help but compare What's the Matter with Helen? to Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, also starring Shelly Winters. Where that movie seemed almost restrained in its presentation of Auntie Roo's madness, there's nothing holding Helen back in this movie. It may take a good deal of the movie's running time, but once she snaps, Helen is one Bad Mad Mutha. You don't want to mess with her. Winters is so delightfully demented that it was impossible for me not to enjoy her performance. I'm not going to spoil the movie, but the things Helen is capable of are totally over-the-top.- As good as Winters is, Reynolds is totally ridiculous in her role as the gold-digging tap dancer. I got the impression that she thought she was in a movie that would get her nominated for some award. This ain't Citizen Kane! Quit acting so serious. Hey, Debbie, don't you realize that you're main purpose is to be a victim of Winters' insanity.- I just love these former-female-stars-in-the-twilight-of-their-career horror movies. What's the Matter with Helen? is as fun as any.$LABEL$ 1 +I love playing football and I thought this movie was great because it contained a lot of football in it. This was a good Hollywood/bollywood film and I am glad it won 17 awards. Parminder Nagra and Kiera Knightley were good and so was Archie Punjabi. Jonathon Rheyes Meyers was great at playing the coach. Jazz (Parminder Nagra) loves playing football but her parents want her to learn how to cook an want her to get married. When Jazz starts playing for a football team secretly she meets Juliet (Kiera Knightlety) and Joe (Jonathon Rhyes Meyers) who is her coach. When her parents find out trouble strikes but her dad lets her play the big match on her sisters Pinky (Archie Punjabi's) wedding. At the end her parents realise how much she loves football and let her go abroad to play.$LABEL$ 1 +This Showtime cable film features a talented cast and weaves together several storylines involving the darker side of New York... from the naive and innocent tourists' nightmarish adventure to a pair of undercover cops on the streets... to an old friend's betrayal, it has it all.Well worth a look, as is its sequel.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a film i decided to go and see because I'm a huge fan of adult animation. I quite often find that when a film doesn't evolve around a famous actor or actress but rather a story or style, it allows the film to be viewed as a piece of art rather than a showcase of the actors ability to differ his styles.This film is certainly more about style than story. While i found the story interesting (a thriller that borrows story and atmosphere from films such as Blade Runner and many anime films), it was a bit hard to follow at times, and didn't feel like it all came together as well as it could have. It definitely had a mixed sense of French Animation and Japanese Anime coming together. Whether thats a good thing or not is up to the viewer. Visually this film is a treat for the eyes, and in that sense a work of art.If you like adult animation, or would like to see a film that is different from most films out at the moment. I would recommend it. All i can say is that i enjoyed the experience of the film but did come away slightly disappointed because it could have been better$LABEL$ 1 +I happened to catch this supposed "horror" flick late one Friday night, I wish I'd gone to bed! Tell me.. Is a 3 ft tall raincoat-clad twerp on a gurly bike supposed to convey some sort of fear? Not here, yet Mi-low is still able to beat the crap out of the janitor (Antonio Fargas) who is three times his size(?) uh-huh. And the ending is so pitiful... it just leaves you hanging with nothing to go on what-so-ever! I found myself asking, "Is that it???"Acting is about as good as it'll get in a low budget film. The aforementioned Fargas delivers a decent performance; but it is my conclusion that Jennifer Jostyn maybe one of the worse actresses to ever strut into Tinsel Town! Sure, cute face, but bad acting.Rating: 1$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is my all time favorite!!! You really have to see Michael Jackson in this wonderful film!! I'm always over the moon, watching it!! This is a film, that you really have to see, also if you aren't a MJ Fan, cause this film writes, like Captain EO, E.T. and Ghosts, a bit of Film and music History!! This wonderful film, out of Michael's feather, is a must have!! And: Smooth Criminal, is really the most wonderful, exciting and amazing song I've ever heard in my life!! Thank you Michael for this film and I love you!!! MJ's the best musician to hit this planet, he's a fine man and he always brings sparkles in your eyes, when you listen to his music!! Please, if you don't know this film, watch it and don't miss it, because would be too bad for yourself if you'd miss it!! -Highly Recommanded film, for every movie lover-$LABEL$ 1 +waste of 1h45 this nasty little film is one to avoid, its like a cheap badly plotted cross between saw and a few other recent films about kidnap, why the writer wrote this is obvious..he has no soul and did it to try and me some money. The twists were obvious, when those in peril could escape they did the obvious and didn't etc.. only good thing about it is I've discovered 1 new actress worth watching..peyton list, don't watch shuttle though, there are too many better nicer films to watch rather than this that will make you miserable and think less of the world. Spend your time more wisely watch good films, do some exercise, cook a nice meal..anything but waste your time on rubbish like this$LABEL$ 0 +I simply can't get over how brilliant the pairing of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon is. It's like the movie doesn't even need additional characters because you can never get tired of the dialog between these two.Lemmon had already been in several well-known films like Mr. Roberts and The Apartment and Matthau was fresh off his Oscar win for The Fortune Cookie (another Billy Wilder film also with Lemmon). That particular movie wasn't as great as this one because the story couldn't sustain such a long running time (I think it was almost 2 hours). However, this goes by at a brisk hour and a half, even though the introduction of the events leading up to Lemmon ending up at Matthau's apartment is a tad long (so was this sentence). That's a minor quibble though and for the rest of the running time you have a marvelous time.I have already written a comment about how the follow-up to this film sucked and I won't go deeper into that. The reason why this is such a joy is probably that the movie was made just as the innocence of American movies was beginning to fade fast into oblivion. There are some sexual references but they are dealt with in such an innocent way that you couldn't even get a "Well, I never..." out of the most prudish person out there. It is kind of fun to see a movie from a long lost era and that was probably why the sequel didn't work because you had Matthau and Lemmon say quite a few f-words and that just doesn't fit them.Of course, now they are both gone and you can just be happy that you still can enjoy them in a marvelous film like this. I think the only male actor in this film who is still alive is John Fiedler. Edelman died recently. So there you have it. Simply one of the best comedies and films ever.Add: I have just learned recently that John Fiedler has died so to all the fans of him I am deeply sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect and I will try to be more careful of what I am blah blah blahing next time.$LABEL$ 1 +Stuck in a hotel in Kuwait, I happily switched to the channel showing this at the very beginning. First Pachelbel's Canon brought a lump to my throat, then the sight of a Tiger Moth (which my grandfather, my father and I have all flown) produced a slight dampness around the eyes and then Crowe's name hooked me completely. I was entranced by this film, Crowe's performance (again), the subject matter (and yes, what a debt we owe), how various matters were addressed and dealt with, the flying sequences (my father flew Avro Ansons, too), the story - and, as another contributor pointed out, Crowe's recitation of High Flight. I won't spoil the film for anyone, but, separated from my wife by 4,000-odd miles, as an ex-army officer who was deployed in a couple of wars and as private pilot, I admit to crying heartily a couple of times. Buy it, rent it, download it, beg, borrow or steal it - but watch it.PS Did I spy a Bristol Blenheim (in yellow training colours)on the ground? Looked like a twin-engine aircraft with a twin-.303 Brownings in a dorsal turret.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning: This could spoil your movie. Watch it, see if you agree. To think that we as humans can not learn from the past. The futuristic society portrayed glamorized what Hitler believed, obliterate a race of people (in this case men) for the benefit of society. It made me sick to my stomach. Also the plausibility of a Y bomb is insane. Even in war our instinct for self-preservation will prevent the extinction of humanity. We made mistakes in the past ie: Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in '45 but because of that we avoided a bigger mistake in '63 during the Cuban Missile Crisis$LABEL$ 0 +Some of the background details of this story are based, very, very loosely, on real events of the era in which this was placed. The story combines some of the details of the famous Leopold and Loeb case along with a bit of Aimee Semple McPherson.The story begins with two mothers (Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds) being hounded as they leave a courtroom. The crowd seems most intent on doing them bodily harm as their sons were just convicted of a heinous thrill crime. One person in the crowd apparently slashes Winters' hand as they make their way to a waiting car.Soon after they arrive home, they begin getting threatening phone calls, so Reynolds suggests they both move to the West Coast together and open a dance school. The dance school is s success and they cater to incredibly obnoxious parents who think their child is the next Shirley Temple. One of the parents of these spoiled kids is a multimillionaire who is quite smitten with Reynolds and they begin dating. Life appears very good. But, when the threatening phone calls begin again, Winters responds by flipping out--behaving like she's nearing a psychotic break and she retreats further and further into religion--listening on the radio to 'Sister Alma' almost constantly. Again and again, you see Winters on edge and it ultimately culminates in very bad things!! I won't say more, as it might spoil this suspenseful and interesting film.In many ways, this film is a lot like the Bette Davis and Joan Crawford horror films of the 1960s like "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", "Straight-Jacket" and "The Nanny". While none of these are exactly intellectual fare, on a kitsch level they are immensely entertaining and fun. The writing is very good and there are some nice twists near the end that make it all very exciting. Winters is great as a fragile and demented lady and Reynolds plays one of the sexiest 39 year-olds I've ever seen--plus she can really, really dance.My only concern about all this is that some might find Winters' hyper-religiosity in the film a bit tacky--like a cheap attack on Christianity. At first I felt that way, but when you meet Sister Alma, she seems sincere and is not mocked, so I took Winters' religious zeal as just a sign of craziness--which, I assume, is all that was intended.By the way, this film is packaged along with "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"--another Shelley Winters horror film from 1971. Both are great fun...and quite over-the-top!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a pleasant film, even if the premise is silly. It was sort of a guilty pleasure to watch. Meg Ryan seems to be able to pull off roles in this kind of film (another example is Joe vs. the Volcano). That's what makes her a star, in part. Walter Matthau, of course, had that ability, too, and he really puts himself into the role, making an amusing, good-hearted Einstein. I suppose you could say they're both good at portraying loveable characters, though loveable in different ways (loveable young women vs. loveable curmudgeon).$LABEL$ 1 +Quite what the producers of this appalling adaptation were trying to do is impossible to fathom.A group of top quality actors, in the main well cast (with a couple of notable exceptions), who give pretty good performances. Penelope Keith is perfect as Aunt Louise and equally good is Joanna Lumley as Diana. All do well with the scripts they were given.So much for the good. The average would include the sets. Nancherrow is nothing like the house described in the book, although bizarrely the house they use for the Dower House looks remarkably like it. It is clear then that the Dower House is far too big. In the later parts, the writers decided to bring the entire story back to the UK, presumably to save money, although with a little imagination I have no doubt they could have recreated Ceylon.Now to the bad. The screenplay. This is such an appallingly bad adaptation is hard to find words to condemn it. Edward does not die in the battle of Britain but survives, blinded. He makes a brief appearance then commits suicide - why?? Loveday has changed from the young woman totally in love with Gus to a sensible farmer's wife who can give up the love her life with barely a tear (less emotional than Brief Encounter). Gus, a man besotted and passionately in love, is prepared to give up his love without complaint. Walter (Mudge in the book) turns from a shallow unfaithful husband to a devoted family man. Jess is made into a psychologically disturbed young woman who won't speak. Aunt Biddy still has a drink problem but now without any justification. The Dower House is occupied by the army for no obvious reason other than a very short scene with Jess who has a fear of armed soldiers. Whilst Miss Mortimer's breasts are utterly delightful, I could not see how their display on several occasions moved the plot forward. The delightfully named Nettlebed becomes the mundane Dobson. The word limit prevents me from continuing the list.There is a sequel (which I lost all interest in watching after this nonsense) and I wonder if the changes were made to create the follow on story. It is difficult to image that Rosamunde Pilcher would have approved this grotesque perversion of her book; presumably she lost her control when the rights were purchased.$LABEL$ 0 +There must have been some interesting conversations on the set of Eagle's Wing, with Martin Sheen straight off Apocalypse Now co-starred with the actor he replaced on Coppola's film, Harvey Keitel. A real unloved child of a movie, dating back to the last major batch of Westerns in 1979-80, it was much reviled at the time for being made by a British studio and director (conveniently ignoring the fact that many of the classic American westerns were directed by European émigrés), which seems a bit of an over-reaction.The plot is simplicity itself, as Martin Sheen's inexperienced trapper finds himself fighting with Sam Waterston's nonosyllabic Kiowa warrior over the possession of a beautiful white horse, the Eagle's Wing, across a harsh and primitive landscape in a time "before the legends began." Aside from Caroline Langrishe's captive Irish governess, the supporting cast have little to do (Stephane Audran never even gets to open her mouth) and it is a little slow, but Anthony Harvey's film does boast terrific Scope photography from Billy Williams and a good score from Marc Wilkinson.$LABEL$ 1 +I got stuck in traffic (I live in Sicily) on the way to the theater (at a military base) to see Superman Returns, was 15 minutes late, and the only other movie playing was "See No Evil", there was no poster up for it, and just a short description of the movie on the schedule...but my girlfriend and I decided to check it out...As soon as I saw it was produced by WWE I just knew it was gonna be awful. The few people in the theater were laughing most of the time, and it was the first movie that I honestly considered walking out on, and I've seen "The Ringer"...okay, I would have walked out of that one, but I was too busy sleeping. The death of the bad guy at the end was pretty good, but other than that, it was just stupid.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been trying to find out about this series for ages! Thank you, IMDb! I saw this as a child and have never quite been able to get it out of my mind. As a 6-year old, of course, I was particularly struck by the episode of the cyclops, which was absolutely chilling (I talked about it so much that my older brother made me a cyclops out of a plastic cave man figurine, which I still have) What I also remember, though, was the atmosphere, which was unusual right from the beginning - mysterious, austere, and extremely authentic. When I read the original many years later I experienced that same sensation. It's a very hard thing to capture - and probably impossible in Hollywood. Every 'Odyssey' I've seen since has been an enormous let-down. The characters in this series seemed genuine, real people - ancient Greek people - and not some Hollywood stars in costumes. This is a real masterpiece! But - Why is it not better known? And why isn't it available on VHS or DVD? I would just love to have the chance to see this again!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know if this type of movie was as cliché then as it seems to be now.Considering how many "Bad News Bears" films had already been released by 1980, however, I think that this sort of movie was already a tired idea.A former football player is partially paralyzed in Vietnam and is confined to a wheelchair. The Chicago Bears offer him a PR job but he wants to coach. At the same time, his underage nephew is picked up for armed robbery. We are told that he has already been arrested over a dozen times before and he must now serve some hard time...which turns out to be less than a year! Of course, the kid is actually a good kid who only needs a tough male role model in his life. The same goes for all of the kids in the detention facility. Yes...even the one locked up for attempted murder! I'm sure you already know what happens so I'll try and keep the rest of this brief.Our protagonist becomes the coach of the kids' football team. He overcomes the delinquents' cynicism and earns their respect. His team faces off against a local high school team (yeah right!) and they get their butts kicked. Now determined more than ever to prove himself a worthy coach, he demands a rematch. Will these underprivileged, scrappy kids with hearts of gold be able to improve enough to win the rematch? Awful execution of the football sequences ruins any possibility of excitement in this film. "Coach Of The Year" should get penalized for roughing my brain. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see this film out of curiosity, and to settle an argument. The film is now best known from the suite of music Sergei Prokofiev extracted from his incidental music to the film, the Troika movement even turning up in pop arrangements. The general outline of the plot is well known from the sleeve notes on various recordings. A clerk accidentally generates a non-existent Lieutenant Kizhe in a list to be presented to the tsar. The tsar is interested in this person, and rather than tell him he doesn't exist, the courtiers and officers maintain the pretence that he is real. Kizhe is exiled to Siberia, recalled, promoted, married, promoted again, dies, is given a state funeral, revealed as an embezzler and posthumously demoted to the ranks.I had heard conflicting stories about how the clerk invented Kizhe, involving ink blots and sneezes, but I'd heard the film was lost, so there was no way to find out what happens. Then the film turned up at the Barbican in London as part of their Prokofiev festival. For the record, it turned out that all that happens is that the clerk confuses two words whilst writing an order and turns Kuzhe into Kizhe. As the tsar is in a hurry to see the order, there's no time to correct the mistake.Having gone expecting an historical curiosity, I was pleasantly surprised. The film is very funny, and the audience, myself included, laughed continuously. Although most of it is filmed straight, set mostly in the palace, there are a few "trick" shots where multiple images appear on the screen. For instance, the tsar's army is represented by a small group, repeated across the screen. Four identical guards perform perfect drill in perfect unison. Two identical servants scrub the floor.One slight drawback was it was very difficult to work out who everyone was. There were two women who might have been the tsar's daughters, or a daughter and a servant or something else. And very few people were named. But all in all, an enjoyable film and I'm surprised it's not seen more often.$LABEL$ 1 +Forest of the Damned starts out as five young friends, brother & sister Emilio (Richard Cambridge) & Ally (Sophie Holland) along with Judd (Daniel Maclagan), Molly (Nicole Petty) & Andrew (David Hood), set off on a week long holiday 'in the middle of nowhere', their words not mine. Anyway, before they know it they're deep in a forest & Emilio clumsily runs over a woman (Frances Da Costa), along with a badly injured person to add to their problems the van they're travelling in won't start & they can't get any signals on their mobile phones. They need to find help quickly so Molly & Judd wander off in the hope of finding a house, as time goes by & darkness begins to fall it becomes clear that they are not alone & that there is something nasty lurking in the woods...This English production was written & directed by Johannes Roberts & having looked over several other comments & reviews both here on the IMDb & across the internet Forest of the Damned seems to divide opinion with some liking it & other's not, personally it didn't do much for at all. The script is credited on screen to Roberts but here on the IMDb it lists Joseph London with 'additional screenplay material' whatever that means, the film is your basic backwoods slasher type thing like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) with your basic stranded faceless teenage victims being bumped off but uses the interesting concept of fallen angels who roam the forest & kill people for reason that are never explained to any great deal of satisfaction. Then there's Stephen, played by the ever fantastic Tom Savini, who is never given any sort of justification for what he does. Is he there to get victims for the angels? If so why did he kill Andrew by bashing his head in? The story is very loose, it never felt like a proper film. The character's are poor, the dialogue not much better & the lack of any significant story makes it hard to get into it or care about anything that's going on. Having said that it moves along at a reasonable pace & there are a couple of decent scenes here.Director Johannes doesn't do anything special, it's not a particularly stylish or flash film to look at. There's a few decent horror scenes & the Tom Savini character is great whenever he's on screen (although why didn't he hear Judd breaking the door down with an axe while escaping with Molly?) & it's a shame when he gets killed off. There are a couple of decent gore scenes here, someone has their head bashed in, there's a decapitation, someone gets shotgun blasted, someone throat is bitten out, someones lips are bitten off & someone is ripped in half. There is also a fair amount of full frontal female nudity, not that it helps much.Technically Forest of the Damned is OK, it's reasonably well made but nothing overly special or eye-catching. This was shot in England & Wales & it's quite odd to see an English setting for a very American themed backwards horror. The acting is generally pretty poor save for Savini who deserves to be in better than this. Horror author Shaun Hutson has an embarrassing cameo at the end & proves he should stick to writing rather than acting.Forest of the Damned was a pretty poor horror film, it seems to have fans out there so maybe I'm missing something but it's not a film I have much fondness for. Apart from one or two decent moments there's not much here to recommend.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this DVD on sale and bought it without a second thought, despite not even having known it was out since this is one of my favorite books of all time. As soon as I got home I raced to watch it only to find myself utterly disappointed. While it is true that this film is somewhat based on the book, the similarities end there. The characters are changed (ie Finny seems more a pompous jerk than anything else whereas Gene seems to be somewhat of a hillbilly), scenes are misplaced or altogether changed (ie. Lepper), many characters are missing and famous lines/thought are missing. The movie does attempt to portray some feeling that the previous one lacked but it is done in a lackluster way that makes for a flat boring movie. It is the depth of character and feeling that makes the book such a classic and this movie takes those things and utterly destroys them in its rewriting.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know much about Tobe Hooper, or why he gets his name in the title, but maybe he shouldn't have bothered. As another commenter mentioned, there isn't really enough horror or erotica to bring in fans of either genre. The plot is incoherent, the Sade sequences are gratuitous, and most of the acting is so-so. Englund was doing his best with weak material, and Zoe Trilling has a really great bottom, but neither is enough to carry this film. This one's a tape-over. Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +Watching John Cassavetes film, Opening Night, I was reminded of something that Quentin Tarantino said once in an interview about personal experience in being a creator of art or acting. He referred to an example of, say, if he ran over a dog while on his way to act in a play that it wouldn't be the end of his life but that it would affect him, and that, without a doubt, he would have to bring that experience with him on stage even if it was a light comedy. "Otherwise," as he said, "what am I doing?" I couldn't help but think of his words when watching Gena Rowland's character, Myrtle Gordon, who for almost a whole week or so goes through a very similar scenario. There is more to this in Cassavetes' film, of course, since it's about how the theater works around a star actress, what emotion and human nature mean when looking at playing a character, and how one lives when all one has (like Myrtle Gordon) is the theater.Near the beginning of the film, after exiting a performance, Myrtle is signing autographs and one such fan named Nancy comes up to her favorite star and pours her heart out to Myrtle. It's a touching little moment, but it doesn't last as she has to get in the car (pouring rain and all). She then watches in horror as the girl, who stood right next to the car as it drove off, gets hit by another car in an auto accident. She's not sure really what happened, but then finds out the next day that in fact the girl did die from the hit. From then on she's sort of stunned by this even after she thinks it's out of her system. At first this shows in small ways, like when she rehearses a scene with her fellow actor (played by Cassavetes) and can't seem to stand being hit - she blames it on the lack of depth in the character (the writer: "What do you think the play lacks?" "Hope," says Myrtle)- but then Nancy starts to show up to her, an apparition that to Myrtle is all to real, until she's suddenly gone.Cassavetes, as in the past films, is after a search for what it means to have emotion, to really feel about something and feel it, or the lack thereof, and how it affects others around the person. This isn't exactly new ground for Rowlands, who previously played a woman on the edge of herself in Woman Under the Influence (in that case because of alcohol), nor would it be alien territory for costar Ben Gazzara, who just came off starring in Killing of a Chinese Bookie. But the actors express everything essential to their characters in every scene; Cassavetes doesn't tell them how to get from A to B in a scene, and he doesn't need to. There's a mood in a Cassavetes film that trumps the sometimes grungy camera-work. You know Myrtle, for example, should be content somehow, even if it isn't with the plot. But she's haunted, and is unsatisfied with her character's lack of depth and the tone of the play ("Aging, who goes to see that?" she asks the playwright), and it starts to affect those around her too.The question soon becomes though not what is the usual. A conventional dramatist would make the conflict 'Will she be able to go on stage, will the show go on?' This isn't important for Cassavetes, even if it's there, as is the question 'Will she be alright?' Perhaps going through such a grueling play as "The Second Woman" could help her work out her personal demons and her losing her grip on reality (seeing Sara and attacking her in front of total strangers, who wonder what the hell is going on)? Or will the play's lack of hope strain everything else wrong with her? The depths Rowlands makes with her character are intense and harrowing, and that it's expected doesn't mean it's any duller than Woman Under the Influence- if anything, it's just as good as that film at being honest about a person in this profession, and consequently the other performances are just as true, from Gazarra to Nancy played by a subtle Laura Johnson. Cassavetes answers to his own posed questions aren't easy.One of the real thrills of Opening Night, along with seeing great actors performing an amazing script, is to see Cassavetes take on the theater the way he does. We see the play performed- and it's apparently a real play- and we only know slightly what it's about. When we see the actors on the stage performing it, we wax and wane between being involved in what melodrama is going on (relationship scuffling and affairs and the occasional slap and domestic violence) and the improvisation of the actors. I wondered watching how much really was improvised, how much Cassavetes allowed for the other actors to do in the scenes where Myrtle starts to go loopy or, in the climax, is completely smashed. He's on the stage, too, so it must have been something for them to work it out beforehand and let what would happen happen.It's funny, startling, chilling, and edge-of-your-seat stuff, some of the best theater-on-film scenes ever put in a movie, and we see the lines between actor on stage, actor on film, actor with actor, blur together wonderfully. Opening Night is a potent drama that is full of frank talk about death and madness, reality and fiction, where the love is between people, and really, finally, what does 'acting' mean?$LABEL$ 1 +A teen-aged girl gets the horse of her dreams and is trained by an ex-Jockey to participate in London's Grand National Steeplechase. A fine adaptation of the classic children's book, with an excellent, start-making performance by Taylor as the energetic but polite youngster. Rooney is OK as her trainer, although he has some overly melodramatic moments. Crisp and Revere are quite good as Taylor's loving parents. Filmed in Technicolor, it looks beautiful. The problems are that there are corny elements, nothing very interesting happens, and it drags on a bit too long. The race is exciting but could have been much more so.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked the understated character that Laura Linney played in 'Love Actually', and she is very good in 'Man of the Year'.But wow. Robin Williams doesn't give that much of a performance, with a couple of minor exceptions this was weak. Laura Linney may not have been miscast, but either the editing raped her character, or this was just a sad performance by director Barry Levinson.And I think it was Barry Levinson that got old. So many weak performances, such uneven results have to be the fault of management.Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum are great in supporting roles. Goldblum plays a sinister side with relish, and Walken's combination of entertainer's manager and commentator for the film is wonderful.But the story is cliché, the presentation looks like it could have (should have) been a very good picture, and too many actions are half-hearted. The pacing, story, and direction all come up weak, compared to, say 'Head Office' (spoof of 'Secret of My Success').$LABEL$ 0 +This film is probably the worst movie I have watched in a very long time. The acting is so wooden a door could have done a better job. The plot is laughable and shallow and the actual "rugby" shown is a far cry from reality. I still don't get the "haka" as portrayed in this poor excuse for entertainment. I am not a Kiwi but I do know that the Haka can only be performed by someone of Maori origin and not by an all-American white boy.I am assuming that this was made for the American audience so the shallowness and "Disney end'" is excusable but there was hardly any attempt to point out the basic rules of the game apart from the prison side where the main character suddenly takes charge of an American Football game and gets everyone playing rugby instead. The only thing good about this film were the end credits. It would be less painful to spend ninety minutes inserting toothpicks into your eyeballs.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the kind of film one watches in gape-jawed, horrified silence, and yet continues to watch, mesmerized, as if watching a train wreck in slow motion. And yet, in the back of your mind, thoughts are churning: "Who on EARTH green-lighted this garbage?"Some of the preceding user comments say things like, "A good way to introduce children to Laurel and Hardy" -- an insult to children everywhere. That children would need some sort of training plan to learn to love slapstick comedy shows a profound misunderstanding of the nature of children the world over. Others have commented on the faithfulness of the two stars' characterizations of Laurel and Hardy to which I would respond: so WHAT? One would think that the rash of movie BOMBS based on beloved series (Rocky and Bullwinkle, Avengers, Flipper, Mod Squad, ad nauseam) would have taught Hollywood that there are some things that simply can't be recreated. The films of Laurel and Hardy are readily available on video: why bother with this?As for F. Murray Abraham, a fine actor of stage and screen... well, all I can say is, he must have been in trouble with the IRS.Run, don't walk, away from the television if this trash comes on!$LABEL$ 0 +Sorry I couldn't disagree more ,with the last comments . frankly I thought this was worse than Carry on Columbus , enough said . Last film for THE usually brilliant Charles Hartrey who looked out of place as the humour had move on to the Highly witty level of on the buses, films of which were being made at the same time ,were frankly funnier .Barbara Windsor was embarrassing,a character like one of your mums flirty friends who still thinks she's eighteen , on holiday with some non entity of a Scotsman , Rab c Nesbit he ain't. The series miraculously trundled on with duffers like Carry on Behind ,and Carry on England . Carry on Dick wasn't bad , but really with this film the end of the series was nigh , a pity because up to this film I cant think of bad film before this?$LABEL$ 0 +Next to the slasher films of the 1970s and 80s, ones about the walking dead were probably the second most popular horror sub-genre. While slasher films had 'Black Christmas' and 'Halloween' to get the whole thing going, zombie flicks had George Romero's 'Dead' films. And unsurprisingly soon after the success of his first two in the series, other directors wanted to cash in. A lot of Italian directors were especially interested, such as Lucio Fulci who brought us 'Zombie' a year after Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead', known as 'Zombi' in Italy and some other countries, and it was there that Fulci's film was known as 'Zombi 2'. Apart from the walking dead it has no relation to Romero's film, but is a good film in it's own right. It was a big success in Europe and 9 years later a sequel was born.Pros: Lots of beautiful, lush scenery. Awesome score. The acting isn't exactly good, but the cast is game and seem to be enjoying the experience. After kind of a slow start, the pace moves along like that of an action flick. Plenty cheese and unintentional hilarity for bad film lovers. Good job on the make-up effects. Lots of blood and some decent gore.Cons: Virtually plot less. Nothing you haven't already seen before. Blatantly rips off some things from the first couple of 'Return of the Living Dead' films. Cardboard characters. Hasn't aged too well due to the bad 1980s rock music(Not that I'm saying all rock music of that period is bad), clothing, and overall feel of the movie.Final thoughts: First of all, this is not a true sequel to Fulci's cult classic. In fact, I don't know if it was ever meant to pick up where that film left off. For those that don't know, Fulci was ill during production and ended up leaving and was replaced with Bruno Mattei. Mattei's films are pretty laughable, but like this film many are good campy fun. And that's all this film really is, just something to watch for fun.My rating: 3.5/5 (So-bad-it's-good rating) 2/5 (Serious rating)$LABEL$ 0 +This is the first Guinea Pig film from Japan and this is the sickest, in my opinion. A bunch of guys torture a girl for several days before finally killing her. And at this point, I will say that these films are NOT real! They are faked horror films which try to be as realistic as possible.The scenes are sickening but also unrealistic in many cases. For example, when they kick the girl in the floor, we can clearly see how they kick and stump the floor near the girl! And how stupid this looks! The sound effects are also unrealistic and don't make sense. Other scenes include animal intestines thrown on the girl, the girl exposed to loud noises for many hours, the ripping off of fingernails, worms placed on the wounds in the girl's body, the eye pierced and mutilated in horrific detail and stuff like that. Very sick and mean spirited film and has absolutely nothing valuable or cinematically significant. This first entry is the sickest and most amateurish Guinea Pig, although it is not as bloody as the next part, Flowers of Flesh and Blood, which tries to be as shocking as possible.Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment is perhaps the sickest thing I've seen and the closest thing to snuff there is. This is still (of course) faked s(n/t)uff, the only difference to genuine "snuff film" is that no one dies or hurts for real in this film. I cannot recommend this to anyone since thi s is so s****y and repulsive. They who consider this is a great horror film understand nothing about cinema and the real meaning of it. I watched this as a curiosity (as the other parts in the series) and now I know how insignificant trash these are. They work only in shock level and that's not too valuable cinematic achievement. Devil's Experiment is perhaps the sickest film I've seen and Mermaid in a Manhole (Guinea Pig 4) is perhaps the most disgusting film I've seen. So these are pretty extreme in my book, but that's all they are.$LABEL$ 0 +Although there is melodrama at the center or rather at the bottom of this film, the story is told beautifully and subtly and the acting is superb.Yaara, studying at Princeton, returns to her native Israel for the funeral of her oldest and dearest friend, Talia. Because Yaara practically lived with her friend's parents after the death of her own mother, she has lost her adoptive sister. And because Yaara, blind from birth, has been guided and guarded by Talia, her friend's suicide is as unbearable as it is inexplicable.Inevitably, the blind girl is the one who determines to solve the mystery of this death. Though without sight, she has insight. Though she cannot see, she is able to find what is out of sight than the "normal" people around her. The film thus becomes an absorbing mystery as Yaara scours for clues in memories of her relationship with Talia, in her adoptive family's house, in tapes, diaries, and people in Talia's past and present.Told from Yara's point of view, the film is also seen from her point of view, as she visualizes what she hears, believes, and imagines. The solution to the mystery is rather conventional, but the search is conducted with such subtle care and the answer rendered so beautifully and without fanfare, that the pat moment is easily forgiven. The truths emerge gradually yet inexorably, clarifying not only Talia's life, but also her relationship with Yaara. Tali Sharon, as Yaara, uses her mobile face and voice effectively, and is utterly believable as both the adult and teenage girl. We accept fully her ability by the film's end to find her place in the world more confidently.Noteworthy is the precision by which places and actions are repeated with small but significant variations that never become tedious, the dead-on acting by the minor characters, and the interesting decision to represent Talia only as a teenager. I will quibble with Yaara's final declaration as stands with Gadi, Talia's last boyfriend, at a cliff's edge, but that trip to the edge is so fascinating that the image will remain in sight longer than her words will be recalled.$LABEL$ 1 +"True" story of a late monster that appears when an American industrial plant begins polluting the waters. Amusing, though not really good, monster film has lots of people trying to get the monster and find out whats going on but not in a completely involving way. Give it points for giving us a giant monster that they clearly built to scale for some scenes but take some away in that it looks like a non threatening puppy. An amusing exploitation film thats enjoyably silly in the right frame of mind. (My one complaint is that the print used on the Elvira release is so poor that it looks like a well worn video tape copy that was past its prime 20 years ago.)$LABEL$ 0 +Even if you could get past the idea that these boring characters personally witnessed every Significant Moment of the 1960s (ok, so Katie didn't join the Manson Family, and nobody died at Altamont), this movie was still unbelievably awful. I got the impression that the "writers" just locked themselves in a room and watched "Forrest Gump," "The Wonder Years," and Oliver Stone's 60s films over and over again and called it research. A Canadian television critic called the conclusion of the first episode "head spinning". He was right.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this film over 25 years ago on British TV and have only just caught up with it again last week on a DVD copy bought off ebay. I had remembered the musical sequences, the colour and the gorgeous fashion plate poses and clothes but the plot is weaker than the earlier Anna Neagle/Michael Wilding film Spring in Park Lane and Maytime doesn't stand up so well to the passage of the years. But Michael Wilding is a joy in the film, charming, funny, debonair, appears to be having great fun and on top of his form. Worth watching for him alone. Anna Neagle appears a little matronly beside him, and a little too old for the part she plays but by the end of the 1940's their film partnership was well established with the cinema going public. Spring in Park Lane had been a top hit for 1947 and a big money maker. In his autobiography Wilding wrote at length of his great regard for Herbert Wilcox the director and instigator of this London series of films.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the MST3K version of "Deathstalker III" and loved the movie so much -- even "unmystied" -- that I decided to watch the entire series of "Deathstalker" films. I bought I and II and settled down for a laugh.Nothing about "Deathstalker I" was funny on any level and when the credits rolled I was embarrassed and regretful that I had bought it! Too much ugliness and nudity. I guess either "DS 3" was a much cleaner production or MST3K really edited a lot because I expected something similar, i.e. stupid and carefree and simple. I was wrong. Even at $6.99 it seemed a waste of money. I didn't even open "DS 2" as I will return it tomorrow. Now I'll probably just throw away this DVD as I can't return it and no one wants it -- including myself! So really, don't bother with this one. Even the nudity (lots of it, btw) is uninspiring and icky.$LABEL$ 0 +I have a question for the writers and producers of "Prozac Nation": What is the root cause and what is the solution to the widespread problem of personal depression in America? In the moving performance of Christina Ricci as Liz Wurtzel, the film portrays a young woman with unlimited potential as a Harvard student and as a writer. But this is not a story of success, only one of self-destruction as we watch Liz bring misery into the lives everyone who comes in contact with her. The film examines divorce, family dysfunction, drugs, alcohol, and prescription medication as possible reasons for Liz's unhappiness. But none of those superficial explanations are satisfactory.At some point in the film, it would have been helpful to suggest that Liz needs to take responsibility for her life and her problems. No light was shed on what the film alleged to be a runaway problem in "The United States of Depression." In the story, Liz had a caring therapist (Anne Heche), a caring roommate (Michele Williams), a caring boyfriend (Jason Biggs), and a troubled but caring parent (Jessica Lange). In a key scene in the film, Liz is lying in a hospital bed watching the break-up of the space shuttle Challenger. Instead of equating Challenger with Liz's life, the film should have used the image as a starting point for her healing and recovery.This film reminded me of a generic made-for-cable "victim" film on the Lifetime network. An excellent cast was wasted, especially in the earnest performance of Christina Ricci. The real-life Elizabeth Wurtzel obviously found within herself the resources to cope with her depression and become a successful author. It is unfortunate that the film could not offer us even the slightest glimpse into her courageous spirit.$LABEL$ 0 +Ich will danke Herr Hacke für den Filme. Mein Deutsch ist nicht gut. Enschuldigen Sie.First of all, i didn't know how diverse the sound of Istanbul, inspite i live in Turkey.Faith Akin and Alexander Hacke have made a different approach for Turkish music.Narrating, performing, seeing Istanbul and Istanbul Music from a foreigner aspect had given the real meaning of the music itself.In this movie I had found out how different our(Turkish) culture is, how interesting our performers are, and how much respect they deserve. Unfortunately no one have been able to serve this kind of documentary before.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie again as an assignment for my management class. Were to mainly comment on the different management styles and ideas on quality(of the product). I did rent this one back in the eighties and I remember it to be good(but not great)movie. I've always liked Michael Keaton's style and delivery. He was a perfect fit for the movie.I am surprised to see some of the low ratings for this movie. I grant you yes it's no Oscar winner but it does have decent comedic value. It's more of a subtle comedy rather than a all-out comedy farce. I also find some of those that felt this was an inaccurate film on cultural and business differences. I beg to differ. I grant you again that there are a lot of generalities and dramatizations but then again this is Hollywood film not a documentary. From what I've read about differences between Automakers on both sides of the Pacific at that time many of the principle ideas were accurate for the time.Some of the basic differences were that Japanese workers made to feel as part of the company as a whole. Teamwork was emphasized. They perhaps made the company above all else. Where American workers had more of a management verses labor type of relationship. The individual was more important than the company. I'll probably get some hate email over that comment I'm sure.Another difference was how quality was viewed and whose responsibility it was to fix. In many Japanese plants defects or problems are examined and fixed at the time it is discovered. Rather as one character in the movie put it "it was the dealers(meaning car dealer) problem".Many of these things are probably dated but I'm sure some are still around as many US car makers are still struggling to keep up with the Japanese. If one is more interested in the subject of American, European and Japanese automakers I can recommend a book that studies this subject in more detail and was done around the same time period. The book is called "The machine that changed the world" by James Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos. It's about a study of automakers during and before the time period that this movie covers. Parts are bit dry but I think you'll find that it backs up much the movie also.$LABEL$ 1 +Near the beginning, after it's been established that outlaw John Dillinger (Warren Oates), is an egomaniacal rapist, another bandit of the 1930s is cornered in a farm house and surrounded by the FBI. Second-in-command Melvin Purvis (Ben Johnson), surveys the situations, sticks a lighted cigar in his mouth, picks up two loaded .45-caliber automatics, and stalks off into the distant house alone. Bang, bang, bang. Purvis emerges alone from the house, carrying the female hostage, the miscreant dead. All in long shot.If you're enthralled by stories like Red Riding Hood, this should have considerable appeal.Oh, it's as exciting as it is mindless. Pretty Boy Floyd meets his demise dramatically. Multiple violations of the civic code. Plenty of shoot outs with Tommy guns and pistols. Blood all over.As history, it stinks. Few remember Melvin Purvis as an FBI hero, partly, I would guess, because of his name. Melvin PURVIS? We all remember J. Edgar Hoover, who fired Melvin Purvis because he was a rival in the quest for public attention though.The picture was written and directed by John Milius. He's the guy who had it written into his contract that, should any animals be shot and killed in the course of one of his productions, he should be the designated shooter. Milius is the guy, a compleat gun freak, who had Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish-American war shouting quotations from Henry V -- "Saint Crispin's Day" and all that.Exciting, yes, and complete garbage. "I knew I'd never take him alive, and I didn't try too hard neither." That is, kill 'em all and let God sort them out.You'll just love it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Columbo episodes ever. The acting is very well done, the music is very catchy, the script is ingenious, and the direction is fabulous.Peter Falk, who acts brilliantly in every Columbo episodes, acts particularly well in this episode.Also, great performances from Stephen Caffrey, Gary Hershberger, Alan Fudge and Robert Culp.The ending is absolutely brilliant and I love the way Columbo describes it.This is a Columbo movie that WON'T, go amiss.$LABEL$ 1 +Another wonderful Patterson book made into an incredibly awful movie. If the big budget movies don't work then why make a low budget made for t.v. movie that's 10 times worse! I am desperate for a good movie that will do ONE of his books justice!$LABEL$ 0 +I like Wes Studi & especially Adam Beach, but whoa is this movie a load of pretentiousness. Ponderously slow. Overly cryptic to the point of obfuscation, not because the plot warrants it but because there is almost no plot. Even less in the way of characterization. This is almost like one of those creaky old Charlie Chan mysteries (the cheaper Monogram studio versions) with lots of red herrings & oddball characters (like the old ex-senator with the checkered past who is now a recluse) & loads of people getting killed over objets d'art that you wouldn't look twice at in the mall. Great scenery, though. Pretty hair on the redhead, too, although I never did figure out what she was doing in this at all. Neither could my wife. Sheesh, at least the old B-movies had the decency to be short.$LABEL$ 0 +Olivier Assayas' film stars Asia Argento as a woman who had a relationship with Michael Madsen. Madsen is a business man who's in financial trouble. In desperation he is going to sell his share of a business to a company called Golden Eagle, a company from the Far East. As Madsen begins his moves away from his company Asia Argento returns to his life. The pair had a torrid love affair that included her doing business favors for Madsen (with said Golden Eagle). Once Argento enters the film the film follows her as we see the tangled web she's woven and how the complications spin dangerously and violently out of control.I'm not a fan. Actually I was quite bored as the film seems to go from pillar to post for much of the first hour during which I kept wondering what the point was other than to provide a meaty role for Argento. Argento, daughter of director Dario Argento and a director in her own right, is a unique actress. At times stunningly good, she is more often then not going to give you a quirky off beat portrayal of a damaged human being. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I don't think it completely works here mostly because the script is too "complicated" to support it. I didn't care what was going on so her wounded girl just rubbed me the wrong way(she seemed more nut job than anything else). I'm not blaming the actors but writer/director Assayas who has once again constructed a complicated tale with the sort of parts actors love to tackle, but which leave audiences scratching their heads because they they don't really work. If you must try it on cable$LABEL$ 0 +Is there a movement more intolerant and more judgmental than the environmentalist movement? To a budding young socialist joining the circus must seem as intimidating as joining a real circus. Even though such people normally outsource their brain to Hollywood for these important issues, the teachings of Hollywood can often seem fragmented and confusing. Fortunately Ed is here to teach neo-hippies in the art of envirojudgementalism.Here you'll learn the art of wagging your finger in the face of anyone without losing your trademark smirk. You'll learn how to shrug off logic and science with powerful arguments of fear. You'll learn how to stop any human activity that does not interest you by labeling it as the gateway to planetary Armageddon.In addition to learning how to lie with a straight face you'll also learn how to shrug off accusations that are deflected your way no matter how much of a hypocrite you are. You'll be able to use as much energy as Al Gore yet while having people treat you as if you were Amish.In the second season was even more useful as we were able to visit other Hollywood Gods, holy be thy names, and audit - i.e. judge - their lifestyles. NOTE: This is the only time it's appropriate for an envirofascist to judge another because it allows the victim the chance to buy up all sorts of expensive and trendy eco-toys so that they can wag their finger in other people's faces.What does Ed have in store for us in season three? Maybe he'll teach us how to be judgmental while sleeping!$LABEL$ 0 +Leland follows the story of Leland P. Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling), a disaffected teenager who has apparently murdered a severely retarded peer, the brother of a girl he was dating. The issue is not whether he did it or not – Leland admits to it, straight away – but rather, why. Interestingly, rather than a crime drama, Leland becomes a character story, examining why people do what they do – not necessarily the easiest ground to till.And Leland features the required indie group of screwed-up people. Aside from the title character, there's also Pearl (Don Cheadle), who is his teacher at the juvenile correctional facility and who sees straight off that Leland is different. We meet Leland's distant and egotistical father (Kevin Spacey in an extended cameo), who never seems emotionally stirred in any way by what his son did. But the real flavorings come out when we immerse ourselves in the Pollards, the family of the retarded child. First, there's Leland's girlfriend Becky (Jena Malone), a drug addict who can't keep herself clean; her sister Julie (Michelle Williams), perhaps the most normal person in the film, who merely seeks to get away from it all; and Allen Harris (Chris Klein), a young man who lives with the Pollards and is Julie's boyfriend. Lastly, there's Ryan (Michael Welch), whom all the others call goofball, who cannot communicate and seems barely aware of his surroundings.Leland focuses primarily on its eponymous protagonist, but the movie slowly – occasionally too slowly – burrows into everyone's lives, asking the chief question, why do people do what they do? While Leland discusses it openly in a journal Pearl allows him to keep, examining notions of good and bad and personal responsibility, all the characters at some point in the film face a moment where they must make the fundamental choice of their own happiness or another's, perhaps the most basic choice any human can make. And the movie takes a good look at what goes into those choices, and the consequences of them.In the beginning of the film, you're simply struck by the depth of the cast. Spacey. Cheadle. Gosling. Michelle Williams. Even Chris Klein – these are people who for the most part tend to elevate any film they are in, and putting them all together makes for a heady brew. For a space in the middle the film seems to stall, sputtering along as it unfolds; it looks for a while as if it will be content merely to ask questions and not supply any answers. But when we arrive at the home stretch and the movie starts to hit its stride and come together, Leland becomes a quietly powerful piece of film-making. Leland's explanation of the world and his actions, in the end, bring every story into focus, and all the investment you've made in the film pays off.Saying Ryan Gosling is excellent is like saying a sunny day is nice. At this point in his career it's redundant – this is one of the finest young actors working today, and it is a pleasure to watch him craft what could have been an unlikable character into a thought-provoking protagonist. Gosling employs such subtlety here that it hardly seems like acting; he has to face off most of the film opposite Don Cheadle, whom we know has the goods, and he not only holds his own, he elevates Cheadle's game as well. Cheadle himself is in top notch form, imbuing Pearl with a fully-rounded humanity – for good and bad. Spacey is kind of one-note, but that's the character, and he handles it excellently. I was surprised by Chris Klein; with this level of acting, I thought he would be buried in the mix, but he gives probably the turn of his career so far. Terrific work all around.Leland is a bit of a downer, and again, it's draggy in spots. But it finishes strongly and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer (on this one, anyway). There's also a subtle commentary on racism in the film (in Leland's first day in juvenile hall class, he's the only white person in the room) that, like much of the movie, is very effectively handled. I wouldn't go so far as to call this required viewing – some might find it too slow or too odd – but I thought it was one of the better films I've seen in a while, far stronger and more satisfying than most fare out there. I'd recommend it – with the above caveats – if for no other reason than to watch Gosling further perfect his craft.$LABEL$ 1 +then the second half of this movie is hard to follow. I got the first part with the Spanish Inquistion, but the film skipped many years forward with the French ruling Spain. The movie does little to fill you in on what happened, and I don't remember much about it. So, the movie gets confusing then. The movie begins when Ines, daughter of a rich merchant, is accused of Judiasm by the church, specifically Father Lorenzo. She is put to the Question and forced to confess. Even her family's wealth can not buy her out of prison. Her father forces Lorenzo to sign a confession saying he is the offspring of a chimp, in hopes of getting Ines released. All it does is give a reason for the church to condemn Lorenzo, who runs off to France.Then, the movie skips many years, and the French Revolution is in full force. Ines is released from prison. It was very good make up work to make Natalie Portman look that tore up. She finds her family dead and seeks Goya for her help. She tells him she had a child in prison. Goya sets up a meeting between her and Lorenzo, whom is now with the French and in power. He is the father. Goya sees the daughter and tells Lorenzo, whom decides it's best to send her off to America, so no one will find out. But before his plans get carried out, the British join the Spainish, and Spain reclaims power and he is now the persecuted. That part is not well told in the film. It's like the film shows this to happen in a day.FINAL VERDICT: The movie is good until it skips many years in time after the Inquistion, then the movie expects you to understand what is going on. It just got too confusing to me then.$LABEL$ 0 +VHS - I have watched this over and over and LOVED every minute of it so much so I have now ordered the DVD I only wished the film could have lasted longer. I never worry about what other people think I prefer to make my own mind up and entirely disagree with the negative comments and will not let others spoil my enjoyment of the film whatsoever. Make up your own mind and don't let others put you off! I have all Jane Austen's BBC series but this is my FAVOURITE. I see there is to be a NEW Northanger Abbey released in 2007 which I will buy when it comes out but it will not stop me watching Northanger Abbey released in the 80's.$LABEL$ 1 +This awful effort just goes to show what happens when you not only use computers to generate the effects, but also let them devise the plot and write the script. Someone somewhere has obviously come up with a new bit of software that asks a few questions then churns out four hours of loosely connected clichés, lousy dialogue and a collection of stock characters that you end up wishing had all drowned in the first five minutes.Tom Courtney took the prize for worst performance. Saying that he was wooden would be an insult to trees. It's hard to fault Robert Carlyle in almost anything he does, but the odds were stacked against even him in this one, especially since he was for some unaccountable reason required to adopt a gor' blimey London accent.A complete washout.$LABEL$ 0 +I have always loved The Muppets. Though most children's entertainment then wasn't that likable, The Muppet's was. The Muppet's are very, very funny. They are probably the most likable children's characters ever. Not only did The Muppets have their own show. They also have starred in many films. from The Muppet's Christmas carol to The Muppet's treasure Island. The first Muppet's movie, The Muppet movie, was also, like the show and the other films, excellent.The Muppet movie is about how they all got started. Kermit the frog used to live in a swamp. Until one day a movie executive tells him that there are auditions for frogs in Hollywood. So Kermit takes off for Hollywood. Along the way he runs into lots of people such as Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the great, and Miss Piggy. Also, an evil man is trying to capture Kermit.All of the Muppet films are highly enjoyable. I mean they are all very funny. This film has many film appearances. Such as Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Elliot Gould, Carol Kane, Richard Pryor, and Orson Welles. The Muppet films are all very enjoyable. I hear that Jason Segel is going to star in one soon. I can't wait to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +Stan Laurel regarded PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP as the first ‘true' L&H film. THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS was the first 'official' L&H film, but this was the one where Stan completely resigned himself not only to performing (he had signed on with the Hal Roach Studios as a director and 'gag-man', before certain situations - among them Oliver Hardy's accident with a leg of lamb leading to Stan having to replace him; and the extra money that performing would provide for himself and his new wife, Lois - brought about his historic return to performing, as well as writing, directing, editing and involvement in other areas of production), but also realised the fact that he was part of a team that worked well together. This, therefore, is an historic and very important film in the history of comedy.It is also a surprisingly funny little silent film; rather different from what Laurel & Hardy would become known for and from what they are more immediately associated with today. The characters of 'Stan & Ollie do not appear - Scottish Stan Laurel plays the nephew of Oliver Hardy, a respectable man about town who is reluctant to be seen with this strange-looking fellow with a kilt and the habit of chasing pretty girls. There are some very funny moments in this well-made, charming little movie, and the performances of these two Kings of Comedy are spot-on - watch Stan's little 'scissor-kick' and smile that says, "Well waddaya know?" when he sees girls, or the hair-ruffling scene at the airport, for instance. Hilarious.Watch this film if you can, with backing music from The Beau Hunks Orchestra (available on the VVL video releases) which enhances the 1920s feel and is very, very pleasant to listen to. It's a brilliant and underrated little film, which is why I said it was 'surprisingly' funny.$LABEL$ 1 +Well - when the cameo appearance of Jason Miller (looking even more eroded than he did in Exorcist IV) is the high point of a picture, what've you got?It's a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll: mix two drunks with money who drag their kid all over the place with a bog-dried mummy (have you figured that one out yet - DRIED in a bog?) in the basement, Christopher Walken with a bad dye job, and a little girl who might have been an interesting character if they'd developed her.I understand - sort of - that they're going back to visit her relatives. After that....Problem: There are several interesting flashbacks to what I must assume is her mother being killed in a car bombing (I think). This is never connected to anything. Problem: What do we need the grandmother for? Now, the grandmother could be interesting. She speaks Gaelic, or Celtic, or something. Maybe you can make something of her. The best they can do is that she 's got a tobacco habit. That's all.Problem: They cast a real shifty character as the husband. Is he type-cast (will he sell his wife to the devil? Maybe he can look forward to the trust fund he manages for her)or is he cast against type (after all, he has a good haircut and nice clothes)? He drinks, he hesitates. He's not a bad guy. Not a good one. But dislikable. Why didn't they DO something with him?No problem: an old boyfriend shows up. The husband knocks him down. He comes back to knock down the husband. (It gets pretty stupid, but at least THAT character has motivation.) NOW - she's an alcoholic, he's an alcoholic; he might only have married her for her money. The grandmother is locked in the bedroom. The blind uncle takes our heroine to the basement to show her the mummy of a witch (are you following this?) who may come to life. In fact, you KNOW she'll come to life, the music swells. A little girl lives in the house, takes tea to the grandmother (unlocks the door to do so) and provides granny with cigarettes. Periodically, granny gets out. But nothing happens. Husband and wife lose the kid in the house, subsequently lose their bedroom. Uncle gets his throat cut in the basement. The leading lady has nose-bleeds. The husband drinks. They both drink. In the face of all of this, the awful truth alluded to in the first over-voice is - omigod - an abortion when the leading lady was twelve years old.In spite of all these dangling-thread ingredients, nobody managed to get a story on the screen. No bridge between situations, no graduation from mild disturbance to awful horror, just long slow scenes that go nowhere.;nbody, really, to care about - and they had places to go with that aspect - the innocent kid in the charge of drunks,the grandmother who might be locked up because she's a monster, but no, her worst fault is smoking. She's got great hair, good makeup. In short, no plot. Just a little random (predictable)violence in a dark library, with the rain gushing in, and the sound track cuing us in. You need more than a few drunks and Christopher Walken to make a movie.The production values were good. Oh. Nice scenery, good wardrobe. The cameraman, at least, knew what he was doing.I bought it. Poor me.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not great at writing reviews, so I'll just spout my opinions...I loved this series at first. The adventure, the action, the comedy, the drama... I thought it was all brilliant. Anderson, Tapping, Shanks, Judge, Davis... I loved them all. Davis, it seemed, was the fifth-most important person in the cast. Not a big deal. But when his character (General Hammond) left at the end of the seventh season, and Anderson's character (Colonel O'Neill) moved from the field to the office, the quality of the series suddenly fell off a cliff. I don't know whether it's because Hammond was more important that I realized or what, but for some reason, after the seventh season, the series turned to ****.The first seven seasons, though, were awesome. The movie Stargate seemed mediocre the first time I saw it, but it turned out to be, even if this wasn't the original intention, a brilliant setup to the series. I recommend that you watch the movie first, then watch the first season of the TV series, then watch the movie again (you'll have a whole new appreciation of it the second time around, believe me), and then watch the rest of the TV series.The last three seasons of the series aren't nearly as good as the first seven, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. It just means they're a letdown if you've gotten spoiled by the first seven seasons.After you have finished this series, be sure to watch the spin off series, Stargate: Atlantis. It is a worthy successor to this brilliant series.EDIT on 7-18-08: I just found out that Don S. Davis died a few weeks ago. It is a great loss.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, anyone who could honestly say that this movie was Great or even Good is either delusional or knows the Director, Writer and Producers and is trying to boost the buzz on this film. I watched the movie because a friend of mine worked on it and it was Horrible. I'm an actress and have worked in the industry for a while now on big films and even independents and this movie bored me to tears. The reason I'm being so harsh is because this film was clearly a different take on "Of Mice and Men" and they should sue because it is such a horrible rip-off of the story. In an industry where Hollywood seems to be creatively bankrupt...for someone to take a classic book and film "Of Mice and Men" and destroy it with a new spin bugs me so much. The actors, the accents, the dialog and the direction were amateurish and the writing was dismal. I mean if your going to take a new spin on an existing story make sure its just as good or better than the original to make the new spin justified. Did not like this movie at all.$LABEL$ 0 +Man, this movie sucked big time! I didn't even manage to see the hole thing (my girlfriend did though). Really bad acting, computer animations so bad you just laugh (woman to werewolf), strange clips, the list goes on and on. Don't know if its just me or does this movie remind you of a porn movie? And I don't mean all the naked ladys... It's something about the light or something... This could maybee become a classic just because of the bad acting and all the naked women, but not because it's an original movie white a nice plot twist. My final words are: Don't see it! It's not worth the time. If you wanna see it because the nakedness there's lots of better ones to see!$LABEL$ 0 +I loved Long Way Round and wasn't even aware of Race to Dakar until i saw it on the shelves of my local supermarket. I bought it and after a slightly 'hmm will this be as good' first episode i decided that it was. Charlie Boorman was great as were the other members of the crew. Great to see him with Ewan again. There was a fair bit of swearing in it but that didn't bother me. As for their being no mention of it on the package. Thats more to do with the silly Excempt from Classification certificate that the BBFC have. They should have given it a 15 just for the language alone.Highly recommended series, i want more!!$LABEL$ 1 +It couldn't.From the cutting dialogue to the super special effects this film was a joy to behold throughout. The immediate feel for the bitterness of the antarctic, the affinity for the characters that is built up at the base level before the real action heats up and the cunning finale combine to make this one of the most memorable and enjoyable films around.Up against a long list of films that have attempted to exploit the theme of visitors from another planet, The Thing comes out on top and laughing. Who can forget the perfectly timed dialogue and the chilling special effects? Special effects that are a lot more impressive than the computer generated images that we get to see today. I for one found some of the most enjoyable aspects of the film to be the way that we were introduced slowly to each member of the crew, and the way that they all had some distinctive character traits. This wasn't just a senseless bloodbath-come-slasher-horror flick. This film had feeling. Emotion.I truly can't recommend this film highly enough. I have yet to see anything in it's class that comes anywhere near to matching, let alone bettering, the near perfect acting and timing utilised in this cunning polymesmeric feat of cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +On the heels of the well received and beloved coming of age film classic ,concerning the lives of teenagers as they headed into adulthood, George Lucas' American Graffiti, we have Cooley High. An adaptation of sorts by one Eric Monte, co creator of the popular 1970's CBS sitcom Good Times.Cooley High was, and is, viewed as a black version of American Graffiti.Instead of central California ,as in American Graffiti, we have the black slum of Chicago's Cabrini Green as the backdrop for the story here. Instead of America in 1962 Cooley High is situated in 1964.The movie stars Welcome Back Kotter's ,Lawrence Hilton Jacobs and Glynn Turman as the movie main protagonists and its' main characters. It has Garrett Morris playing the principal who tries to keep Jacobs' and Turman's characters,named Coceise and Preach, out of trouble a great deal of the time.You know, I would like to say that Cooley High is a worthy comparison piece to American Graffiti or that it is a great film on its' own but I can't. The problem lies with the fact that the producers of the film couldn't or wouldn't hide the sad underside of black life in America.Having the film in the Cabrini Green part of Chicago doesn't help things.Neither does the crass gross attempts at humor here. When Coceise is looking for a letter of intent from a college he finds his little brother has thrown down a toilet. When the gang visits the Chicago Zoo, one of the gang named Pooter, has manure thrown on him by an ape. When the Turman's character,Preach, is being chased by two hoodlums in the school hangout(A dirty and depressing place to eat food in much less meet people at), he opens the door of the girls' bathroom while a girl is relieving herself as he escapes through the window of the same bathroom! The high school, the homes of the characters, the bathrooms, just about everywhere in the film displays the unfortunate look of urban decay and poverty.If that wasn't enough there was the rough display of humor in the film. The use of violence and profanity in the film. Cooley High may be an coming of age film ,but it is a hard and rough coming of age film with little or none of the wit and liking of the use of nostalgia that made people like and appreciate American Graffiti so much.Motown Records had a hand in making the film. The company's music was part of the film's soundtrack. But even here you get a sense of same old same old as one has heard these songs before a million times over. Not that they weren't great songs within themselves but black music,of that time period was more than just Motown.Especially in Chicago. The song nearing the end of the movie, by the Spinners' G.C. Cameron, was not all that impressive. There have been better Motown ballads that have been done, by better Motown artists than Cameron without question.The last part of the film showing where the characters went to pay homage to the film Cooley High aimed to be ,American Graffiti. It shows that Preach,an intelligent but underachieving student went to Hollywood and became a successful television writer. Eric Monte may have patterned himself as Turman's character. The last shot of film show's Preach running away from Coceise's funeral ,held on a dark rainy afternoon, and all the bleakness that Cooley High came to represent. Eric Monte ,through Preach and that final scene, had one little lesson for all of us when watching Cooley High and for the love of the past. Don't look back.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow. The only people reviewing this positively are the Carpenter apologists. I know a lot of those. The guys that'll watch John Carpenter squat on celluloid and pinch out a movie and proclaim it a masterwork of horror. This "movie" is utter crap. It looks and sounds like a porno (good lord, the soundtrack is awful...), and has sub-par porn acting, which is shocking, because normally Ron Perlman is really a very good actor. I honestly have no idea what Carpenter was thinking when making this. Most likely "Beans, beans, beans.." until somebody fed him and rolled him up into a blanket for the day... They say nothing about the abortion debate whatsoever, when they could have had a very interesting central theme (how do religious zealot anti-abortionists feel when it's the devil's baby?) but instead they chose to have Ron Perlman and his terribly acted kids kill a bunch of people and have the horribly cast doctors try to calm the hysterically bad pregnant girl. Not a single person from this episode or what have you should come away unscathed. It's just awful. Like, Plan 9 From Outerspace awful. Like, good god please would somebody turn it off before I soil myself awful. Try watching this and The Thing in the same day and your mind will implode.$LABEL$ 0 +Van damme has done some great films over the years and this one hits a big ten in my books. From the setting of Mexico to the five star fight scenes, this movie was amazing. The film is all about border patrol officers protecting there territory which is the border of Mexico. Ex navy seals are smuggling drugs out of Mexico into the united states of America (USA), Van damme and Scott Atkins give stunning performances as the cop and the villain. Although this film wasn't as good as until death but it still gave the action,acting and the film a five star look. I always look forward to these b grade action films and they keep getting better. keep them coming van damme.Watch this film if you enjoyed films like - Until death, The hard corps and second in command.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been looking forward to seeing this film ever since I first caught the trailer, and I'm so glad now that I have. It's truly a wonderful film. The actors are superb, the writing is fresh and real, the whole thing was just spot-on. I love James McAvoy in this, and I can't wait to see him in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" movie this December. Romola Garai is wonderful too. Be sure to check her out in "I Capture the Castle" or "Nicholas Nickleby," two of my favorite films. Overall, I think I liked this movie because it didn't chicken out. It's a difficult subject matter to tell a story about, in that you're very likely to offend a lot of people or mess up and make it into some overly-sentimental-sugary-sweet love fest. But they avoided doing that completely, and instead made a film that's real, honest, and touching, yes, but never over-the-top. Very well done. Amazingly well done. Go out and see it, and you'll know exactly what I mean.$LABEL$ 1 +A River Runs Through It is based on the true story of two fly fishing brothers, Norman and Paul, (Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer) whose Reverend father (Tom Skerritt) is a strict man whose two passions are his faith and fly fishing, - and, for him and his sons, there is a fine line between the two. This story describes the slow progression of the brothers' lives and how their lives separate on two different paths. It is a touching movie narrated by the director, Robert Redford, playing the elderly Norman and reflecting on times long gone and people long dead.Certain themes recur in the movie, such as memory, death, eternity, and dreams. Most of these themes revolve around the almost tragic hero of Paul. He is a capable, charming, and brave man, but has his fatal flaws.The closing lines sum up the "point" of the movie: "Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."$LABEL$ 1 +4 out of 10.This film was neither funny as a whole nor was it even worthing investing any kind of emotion into the characters. Eugene Levy is probably the most funny.... The rest of the cast do their jobs, but the story never really gets very deep and there are a lot of holes in the plot that never get filled. This just wasn't very much fun, despite being funny at times.$LABEL$ 0 +What a shame that a really competent director like Andre de Toth who specialized in slippery, shifting alliances didn't get hold of this concept first. He could have helped bring out the real potential, especially with the interesting character played by William Bishop. As the movie stands, it's pretty much of a mess (as asserted by reviewer Chipe). The main problems are with the direction, cheap budget, and poor script. The strength lies in an excellent cast and an interesting general concept-- characters pulled in different directions by conflicting forces. What was needed was someone with vision enough to pull together the positive elements by reworking the script into some kind of coherent whole, instead of the sprawling, awkward mess that it is, (try to figure out the motivations and interplay if you can). Also, a bigger budget could have matched up contrasting location and studio shots, and gotten the locations out of the all-too-obvious LA outskirts. The real shame lies in a waste of an excellent cast-- Hayden, Taylor (before his teeth were capped), Dehner, Reeves, along with James Millican and William Bishop shortly before their untimely deaths. Few films illustrate the importance of an auteur-with-vision more than this lowly obscure Western, which, in the right hands, could have been so much more.$LABEL$ 0 +But I doubt many were running to see this movie. Or "Some Came Running Out Of The Cinema". Okay, that's a bit harsh.The film starts in an unintentionally comical way: Frankie-boy comes back to his hometown after many years (this already smells of clichés) and the whole town is shaken by his arrival: he is talked about, everyone wants to talk to him, and every woman he meets flirts with him like there's no tomorrow - even his niece hints that she would gladly have dropped her date to chat with Frankie-boy a little longer! Even his pretty niece wants a piece of him! Sounds like one of those laughable "Mike Hammer" episodes where EVERY single female wants Stacey Keach. And, like Stacey Keach, Frankie-boy is anything but a good-looking woman's wet dream. In real life, someone like Sinatra (without the fame) wouldn't get within 100 m of someone as beautiful as MacLaine. But in this Hollywood movie it's the other way around: MacLaine is absolutely nuts about Frankie-boy, but HE couldn't care less! Sinatra plays his "cool" shtick much too often in his movies, and it is rarely credible. Dean Martin is kind of miscast; he isn't miscast as a card-player, but rather because of the accent which simply doesn't suit him. MacLaine is charming as ever, but she plays a caricature - and this reliance on caricatures is one of the basic problems with the film. The main characters are all some sort of stereotypes out of bad or seen-it-all-before movies and cheap novels; Frankie is the "cool cat" who comes back to town to get all the women, and he couldn't care less about his writing (which, predictably, eventually garners recognition); Martin is a sleazy but friendly card-player; MacLaine is the dumb, but very likable bimbo; Frankie's blond love-interest is a snotty literary expert; Frankie's brother is the successful guy who married into his wife's business and has a lousy marriage; and so on. Clichés.The story contains a couple of coincidences which are a little too far-fetched for my taste: Frankie just happens to bump into his niece in a locale; his niece just happens to be meters away from her daddy when the latter kisses his secretary for the FIRST time; and then there is the awful, stupid ending.In it, a drunk guy bent on killing Frankie-boy somehow manages to find him in a carnival of all places! The place is utterly crowded, with the typical noise and chaos - plus it's happening in the evening - and yet the guy somehow finds Frankie (in spite of being drunk as a doorknob) and shoots at him. But guess who he kills? MacLaine. She jumps in front of the bullet to save Frankie: a cliché which comic-book writers might cringe at. This utterly pathetic, over-dramatic, and annoying ending certainly cannot please any, even semi-intelligent, viewer. And this happens on the same day that MacLaine and Sinatra got married! The writer of this nonsense seems to have read crappy dime novels his whole life - how else is the writing of this movie to be explained? There is even a card game in which a brawl ensues with Frankie & Martin vs. some cliché caricatures out of the writer's "vivid" imagination. (It was like a damn Western suddenly.) Another dumb thing is the way Sinatra was crazy about the boring snotty-nosed bimbo and pretty much ignored MacLaine. As the movie progresses we find out that Sinatra finds MacLaine to be too dumb for him, just as the blond bimbo finds Sinatra to be too low-class for her. There is a certain snobbism and disdain to be detected in the script regarding MacLaine. MacLaine is treated as worthless by everyone, while the blond bimbo is treated as a princess and an intellectual; the ironic truth is that the latter's character comes off as rather dumb and not at all as intellectual; her behaviour, comments, and opinions are mostly clichéd, silly, confused, pretentious, and primitive. At least MacLaine's character KNOWS that she (MacLaine) is dumb. There is another irony that I didn't fail to notice: Sinatra had trouble finding an ending for his latest story - much like the writer of this movie, and that's why he came up with the corny, crappy finale.The film basically has a solid cast, and the photography is nice, but the script, though sometimes okay, relies to heavily on silly nonsense instead of on reality-based characters and events.If you're interested in reading my "biographies" of Shirley MacLaine and other Hollywood intellectuals, contact me by e-mail.$LABEL$ 0 +This show was Fabulous. It was intricate and well written and all the characters where likable with out being horribly sweet. Even Jonathan Cake the philandering boyfriend was likable. Since our airwaves are filled with crap like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, it was nice to see a drama that was not too soap opera like. It was always intriguing to see how each character would be connected to the next circumstance. It really is annoying that we finally get a show that makes you think a little bit and have it thrown out because of some mysterious number that most of us don't even pay attention to. Some of us are not sheep. This show will be missed maybe not by a lot of people but by some pretty loyal fans.$LABEL$ 1 +I heard tell that Madonna was briefly considered for the Catherine Tremell role. Compared to Sharon Stone, Madonna is too coarse and BAUERISCH. She's not even close. EVIL INCARNATE: Sharon Stone is a bit long in the tooth, the ameliorative effects of modern chemistry and surgery notwithstanding. However, she artfully treats us to a frightening personification of evil beyond redemption. In the obligatory sex scene, she projects pure, crystalline lust. Especially her hooded, luminous eyes and a face flat with pleasure. Thanks to brilliant use of lighting and other stage techniques, the harsh lines of age are only occasionally manifest. Rather, she seems to have a slight golden glow (YES, YEATS). The locations gave us a view of London that is a welcome departure from the usual Londonscapes .The Catherine character is so powerful and menacing that I thank my lucky stars that our paths never crossed. I wouldn't have had a chance.THE ORIGINAL BASIC INSTINCT; ATTEMPTS AT CENSORSHIP: I must briefly comment on the original 1992 film, set in San Francisco, a beautiful city worthy of this film. It is outstanding, from the music to the locations to the sets, and so on. Paul Verhoven pulled striking performances out of the cast and crew. That the main Baddie was a woman did not escape the scrutiny of Bay Area Gay and Lesbian activist groups. Attempts at censorship were vehemently denied. SWELL. These philosophical pygmies demanded editorial control over the script, insisting on re-writes that would promote their political and psychiatrically driven agendas. Example: Sanctimoniously alleging sexism and misogyny, they demanded that the lead role be switched from BAD GIRL to BAD GUY. On locations in San Francisco, the gentle, tolerant activists did their best to sabotage filming of the scenes with noise, flashing lights and other tactics. The Executive Producers, Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, vowed to fight any efforts to restrict the artistic freedom guaranteed in our democracy and obtained restraining orders against the disruptive tactics. BLOWBACK: Thanks to the fulminating activists, the film got huge national press coverage - millions of dollars worth of free advertising. Their calls for viewers to boycott the film resulted in a backlash that had customers waiting in long lines wherever the film was launched. It also received widespread critical acclaim. It was, in the words of the reptilian Hackett in NETWORK, "A BIG- TITTED HIT!" Sorry, Gentle Reader; I just couldn't resist that one. Yes, it's a gibe.In conclusion, I believe that both BASIC INSTINCT 1 AND 2, with their brilliant musical scores, aesthetics and acting, are works of art that deserve protection under our Constitution.$LABEL$ 1 +The plot was very thin, although the idea of naked, sexy, man eating sirens is a good one.The film just seemed to meander from one meaningless scene to another with far too few nuddie/splatter/lesbian mouth licking shots in between.The characters were wooden and one dimensional.The ending made no sense.Considering it had Tom Savini and Shaun Hutson in it, you would have expected a decent plot and decent special effects. Some of the effects were quite good but there were just too few of them.Brownie points go for occasional flashes of tits and bush, naturally, and of course the lesbian moments. I also thought that the scene with the sirens bathing in the pool under the waterfall could be viewed as an innovative take on the 'shower scene'The film had many of the elements that go into making a first rate horror film but they were poorly executed or used too sparsely.If I had been watching this alone and aged 15, i would have really enjoyed it for about 10 minutes (with 1 hand of the remote control), then lost interest suddenly and needed a pizza...$LABEL$ 0 +Many times the description "full of sound and fury signifying nothing" is used and is right on target. Unfortunately "Code 46" lacks both sound and fury. A bit of fury would have been greatly appreciated. Tim Robbins character (William) is so lacking in passion that the idea of his falling instantly in love with Maria (Samantha Morton) seems almost absurd. These folks are so passionless that one begins to wonder if perhaps the water supply of this future world has been dosed with thorazine. There is a "Brave New World" sort of atmosphere to the film that is helped along by every scene being shot about 2-3 stops overexposed. Unfortunately this technique gets tedious and rather hard on the eyes. The cutesy mishmash of languages also grows tedious when there seems to be no apparent reason for its existence. Many futuristic, scifi films are criticized for being all flash and no substance. This film has neither flash nor substance. Its a code 6 all the way.$LABEL$ 0 +Having watched all of the Star Trek TV series episodes many times each since the 1960s, most being quite good to superb, and only very few being mediocre, my opinion is that this one is the worst of all.In fact, I think it's so poorly executed as to be an embarrassment to the series. It's not that the story is so bad, although it's not particularly outstanding in any way, but the acting is just abysmal on the part of the two lead characters, meaning those other than the regulars in this case. Barbara Anderson gives her weakest performance ever as the daughter of a mass killer, and who is on a mission of a sort. She practically calls in the role from a phone, and shows no real emotive abilities here. Although usually she's never used as more than a pretty face in most of her film/TV roles,usually small parts, she has done much better.Arnold Moss as her father gives new meaning to the term 'Ham' and is the only actor ever on a 1960s Star Trek episode that outdid William Shatner in this area, and actually makes Shatner look superb by comparison. And he gets to play a Shakespearian actor no less, which gives him more impetus to overact, and he does so.Other than these two leads being so weak, the story is such that anybody with any sense at all can tell who the killer is within the first 15 minutes. I say this because I told my brother the whole plot ending at the first commercial break when we were watching the original 1966 broadcast as pre-teens. His reply was, Yeah, you're right.Skip this one and watch the much superior Menagerie episodes which were originally televised right before.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I'm a girl, thankfully I have a sense of humor and realize that this really IS a funny anime! Watching it does give you an overwhelming feeling that it's definitely a guy show but that doesn't take away from the fact that its hilarious! 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +I remember watching this film a while ago and after seeing 3000 miles to Graceland, it all came flooding back. Why this hasn't had a Video or DVD release yet? It's sacrilegious that this majesty of movie making has never been released while other rubbish has been. In fact this is the one John Carpenter film that hasn't been released. In fact i haven't seen it on the TV either since the day i watched it. Kurt Russell was the perfect choice for the role of Elvis. This is definitely a role he was born to play. John carpenter's break from horror brought this gem that i'd love the TV to play again. It is well acted and well performed as far as the singing goes. Belting out most of Elvis's greatest hits with gusto. I think this also was the film that formed the partnership with Russell and Carpenter which made them go on to make a number of great movies (Escape from New York, The Thing, Big trouble in little china, and Escape from L.A. Someone has got to release this before someone does a remake or their own version of his life, which i feel would not only tarnish the king but also ruin the magic that this one has. If this doesn't get released then we are gonna be in Heartbreak Hotel.$LABEL$ 1 +To be honest, I did never read one of the comics and cannot remember part 2 and 3 at all. I can compare to the first part (Werner - Beinhart) and this one here is really disappointing, compared to part1 as well as compared to most other movies I watched the last weeks. The first minutes seam to be just a needless clone of the first movie intro and then it is becoming even worse. There are a few good (funny) scenes, but in total it is just another boring second-rate try of German film industry that cannot succeed (nearly as usual). One good thing: The movie is quite short (75 min.) The bad thing: It only contains story and jokes for 45 Minutes ;) -> Don't watch it$LABEL$ 0 +I dug this out and watched it tonight. I honestly think it must be 20 years since the last time I saw it. I remember it being a seriously flawed film. I don't remember it being THIS bad!!!!!I am absolutely aghast that a project with this much potential should have been mistreated so reprehensibly. Who am I to blame for this? The 2 guys who wrote (and I use that word loosely) the script? The casting directors who so terribly miscast at least 3 major characters in the story? (Only 2 of them are among "the amazing 5".) The director, who clearly refused to take it seriously, and kept shoving awful music on top of bad writing & bad acting everywhere? (I LIKED the theme song-- but it should never have been used all the way throughout the entire film!) Don Black, who should be ASHAMED at some of the lyrics he wrote for that music?It figures that I should pull this out, less than a week after re-reading the comic-book adaptation. The first 15-20 minutes of the film more-or-less (really, LESS) parallel the first issue of the comic. As I watched it tonight, I kept wondering-- why was ALMOST every single detail changed? Doc showing up, then using his wrist-watch remote-control to open the safe, and the sniper's bullet missing him by 5 inches because the refractive glass, were just about the only things left the same. I mean, if you're gonna do an "adaptation", WHY in God's name change EVERYTHING???Once they leave Doc's HQ, virtually NOTHING is as it was in the comic (which, given Roy Thomas, I figure probably follows the book). I read somewhere they actually combined elements of 2 different novels into one movie. Again-- WHY? I've heard it was changed because they weren't able to secure the kind of budget they wanted. I look at the film, and think... LACK OF MONEY in NO WAY explains what I saw on the screen!!You know, when people complain about Joel Schumacher, they should really take a look at this thing. The best thing I can say is, I think it would make a great double-feature with the 1966 BATMAN feature-- and probably a great triple-bill with that and the 1980 FLASH GORDON. All 3 films are "silly". Maybe we can "blame" the 1966 film (and TV series) for this. Some fans have complained over the years that Adam West's BATMAN ruined the image of comic-books in the minds of generations of non-comics fans. I think the same could be said for Hollywood. I'm reminded of how many really, really BAD films based on "classic" characters have been made over the years, especially (it seems to me) in the late 70's & early 80's. Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu, Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Lone Ranger-- all "murdered" by Hollywood types who think, "OH, comic-books! So you know it's supposed to be STUPID!" More like they're the "stupid" ones. What a waste of potential.Let me say some good things... Despite the script and the directing, Ron Ely is GREAT. When I read a DOC SAVAGE story, I don't think of the James Bama paintings, I think of Ely. Bill Lucking (who later was a regular on THE A-TEAM) is terrific. Eldon Quick (who I've seen somewhere else, but can't recall where) is terrific. Paul Gleason-- who I absolutely HATED with a passion and a vengeance in THE BREAKFAST CLUB ("teachers" like the one he played should be banned from ever teaching anywhere), may be the best of the "amazing 5" in the film. Pamela Hensley-- though her part was almost unrecognizable from the original story-- is terrific. Before she let her hair down, I also realized she looked a HELL of a lot like "Ardala Valmar" from those awful John Calkins BUCK ROGERS strips I just read the other day. She's got a big nose like Ardala-- only not quite as pronounced. The comics Ardala actually looked more like the 1936 movie Princess Aura-- or Cher. Or maybe Streisand. Take yer pick. (Ardala actually got plastic surgery in the George Tuska strips-- after, she was stunning!)Paul Wexler, funny enough, I saw just last week in a GET SMART episode. I wonder if he was anything like the character he was supposed to be playing? I don't know, because that character sure wasn't in the movie the film takes its title from.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a piece of the time in which it was made..... Realistic. Movies were not candy coated during the late 60s and early 70s. The producers did not try to create some happy ending that didn't exist. The lack of a happy ending would create agitation in the audience that, hopefully would spur them on to action. At least that's how it seemed at the time. In today's movie world this movie would probably not be done. There would, definitely, not be this ending, however realistic. The sad fact is that the movie depicted a situation which could not be improved upon without action from the improvement of the relationship between the white southern traditional thinking and the progressive movements of that time.$LABEL$ 1 +this film has its good points: hot chicks people diethe problem... the hot Chicks barley get nude and you don't get to see many of the people dieing, mostly just lots of fast movements and screaming though there were two good kill scenes.also for those of you watching this for JENNA JAMESON she is just a side chearator with a very small role and Minor nude scenes.What this film needed.. script and story would be nice but I will not complain about that.. simply put it needs more nudity and better kill scenes cuz lets face it that is why we watch these flicks...I wouldn't waste my money on it...and if you must, wait until it's on the OLD shelves at your local video store$LABEL$ 0 +I think it's two years ago since I have seen the movie and till this day it's the worst film I have ever seen. The only thing I thought after seeing this movie was that it was made for some tax reason. So after all this time I finally spilled my gut ;) And now IMDb says I have to fill 10 lines with comments:"Sorry, you must provide at least 10 lines in your comment. Please return to the edit window (or use the BACK option if this isn't a new window)."Please there is nothing to say anymore...Sorry for some bad English.$LABEL$ 0 +Pierce Brosnan has sipped his last Martini and returns, in an outrageous self-parody, as the aging foul-mouthed boozy assassin Julian Noble, who has a particular fondness for teenage girls, bullfights and tacky clothes. During a job in Mexico City he meets Danny (Greg Kinnear), a straight-faced Denver suburban business-man, who's in town to make his deal of-a-life-time, in a hotel bar. Despite their completely different personalities and Julian's crude and insensible remarks, they become friends. Largely carried by the performances of Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, director Richard Shepard revealed that he didn't write the film with Pierce Brosnan in mind , but I can hardly imagine this without him. He proves to have a real talent for comedy and can be more than just James Bond or cold-war spies. The scene in which the two meet at a glossy hotel bar (stunning sets and beautifully photographed) really is a bravura piece of acting skills. The scene lasts almost fifteen minutes, and although it was probably carefully scripted, the two actors are largely improvising, but they succeed wonderfully! It almost feels like a new standard in screen acting. Think of Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in MEAN STEETS improvising and add one of the most subtle underpinnings of many genre clichés and the actors' own typecasting (Brosnan's James Bond in particular), and you got one of the most delightful pairings in recent Hollywood. Sadly, the story wears thin after a while. After an hour, the film just runs out of steam. Nevertheless, and I can't put my finger on it exactly, I did enjoy this very much. It just feels very fresh and original, with some imaginative use of sets and lighting, and some hints to Seijun Suzuki and Jean-Pierre Melville. The other characters aren't given much to do, but this film does offer something new, in that respect it almost effortlessly succeeds in blending all conventional genres into quite an entertaining spoof. Very amusing.Camera Obscura --- 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably the only female Ninja movie ever made. It's great as a B film and the action sequences are a lot of fun to watch. This movie is just so deliciously 80's. You'll never see another film like it. Check it out for some 80's retro fun.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved October Sky. The thing I loved most had to be the music. It worked two ways: in the first hour of the film, it gives the viewer a time-frame. This is done by playing songs from the late Fifties. In the second hour, an instrumental score takes over. The music now fits the mood of the film perfectly.I did not only enjoy the music, I also quite enjoyed the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam was especially a surprise for me. He gave off a first-class performance, as did Chris Owen (Quentin) and Chris Cooper (John Hickam).I've seen this movie about escaping the life already laid out for you twice now, and both times I thoroughly enjoyed myself.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this one when it was first shown, so I'm not too objective about it. It really managed to scare me, partly because it was so late at night, but partly because of that whole feeling from a videotaped suspense story (the same thing that helped Dark Shadows itself). And the casting was so right. I hardly know Shane Briant from anything else, so it might not be so right to call HIM "well-cast," but to me, he IS Dorian Gray. And as far as the other male actors, the one who fit his part so well was Nigel Davenport (who's so good at "larger than life" characters) as Sir Henry. And John Karlen, a sort of Dan Curtis "repertory player" at the time, because of Dark Shadows. As one poster points out, this version manages to include the involvements with men, in a fairly subtle way. The scene where Dorian recites a list of men's names to John Karlen's character, as a way of blackmailing him, and the look on Karlen's face, were very well-done. (If that scene were done now, it would probably be done in a TOO OBVIOUS way, and be bad by comparison.) I saw it when "Dorian Gray" was barely a name to me, let alone more, so even more than the famous 1945 version (which is rightly famous), this is THE version to me.$LABEL$ 1 +Latter Days is a very, VERY independent movie. And compared to many of today's more modern films, it's lacking on many parts. The shooting seems at times quite amateurish, the dialogues can be a bit chopped up and the characters are not impressively complex. So, don't have too high hopes for this movie, because as I've said, it's very independent. But whatever it lacks in the concrete aspects of the film can be overlooked because of the story's charm! I cannot claim that the plot is outstandingly original, but the story is still beautiful and heart-warming in many ways! It's not about being gay versus being straight, it's about faith, and how you decide to run your own life! It's a silly story, that makes you want to both cry and smile at the same time! So to be honest, Latter Days is far from perfect, but I truly loved the movie and I highly recommend it! It's very critical towards the religious aspects of our society, and there is homosexuality involved - but approach it with an open mind, and I'm pretty sure that most people will enjoy it as much as myself!$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this mini-series as a child and though I am a child no longer, I still love it!!! Professional copies are hard to find, however, when it's on DVD, it's MINE!!! =]Great casting, marvellous plots, and plenty of action, romance, and even quite a bit of well-placed comedy. I'm not a historian by nature, but I love this masterpiece of historical fiction!$LABEL$ 1 +This is not an all-around terrible comedy, but it is very DULL. It has barely any laughs, and it wastes its lavish production values. There is one poignant moment near the end, when Fu Manchu offers a dose of his elixir to his "nemesis" and tells him that "You've been my one worthy adversary; and now we can start all over again". That scene, however, along with Burt Kwouk's amusing cameo in the beginning, are the only memorable parts of the movie. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 6/21/2001 - 2 out of 10(Dir-Emmanuel Itier): Pretty much worthless supposed thriller that spends more time drawing us into sexual encounters with and without the star 'Amber Smith.' It tries to wrap a story around the sex scenes but as usual with these types of movies it is not done very well. I was so bored with this movie that I actually fast-forwarded thru the ending to get it over with. The video version I watched was called 'Tell Me No Lies.'$LABEL$ 0 +Spirit and Chaos is an artistic biopic of Miyazawa Kenji, a Japanese poet and writer who was active in the early 20th century. The film captures and interprets his artistic method ('sketching' poems), his inspiration (the spirit of nature and its fantastic beauty) and his struggles to accept a harsh reality in the face of his idealist imagination.The film integrated excerpts of Miyazawa's poems into the plot beautifully. His relationships with his students was powerful, especially in one scene where he offers everything he has to a student who has just been caught stealing materials from the classroom. Miyazawa's selfless compassion for the farmers in his village, his sister and other unfortunate people can serve as a lesson to us all. Furthermore, Miyazawa's devotion to science was also nicely portrayed. In a time when Western ideas were still met with skepticism, especially in provincial towns like the one where Miyazawa grew up, he understands its usefulness in helping his fellow villagers and is inspired by its elegance. The way the film presented moments of artistic passion and disappointment in the writer were truly intense and well interpreted.I felt that the CGI integrated into the film, while groundbreaking an innovative, clashed with the more organic animation. It could be argued that this was intentional to represent conflict within the main character, but I found it rather unaesthetic. I also wish that the film had discussed Miyazawa's Buddhist influence, but it worked fine without it. I though this film was very well done. I give it a 9/10, with the one point being deducted for the CGI. Otherwise the animation, plot and dialog were all wonderful and heartfelt. I haven't seen any other films by Kawamori Shoji, but after seeing this one I will be sure to give them a chance.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow...Reading through these comments, I see a remarkable socio-cultural clash theme emerging between the US and ... the Dutch! The US P.o.V. appears to be that this is quite a good little movie, Parker being a likable hero, the story a light-hearted rendition of what could be a glorified form of reality.All three Dutch reviewers view the world through a totally different pair of glasses it seems. They categorically and in surprisingly similar terms agree the movie is a disaster.Far be it from me to take sides in what appears to be a dispute between cultures, on this item as wide apart as the ocean that separates them geographically. Still, based on factual observation - I saw the movie with my very own eyes - I suspect the Dutch are not too far off the mark: "Parker Kane" is poorly made, utterly boring, and really not worth the celluloid that was no doubt wasted in its creation.$LABEL$ 0 +River Queen attempts to pack a complicated, sweeping, historical narrative into just under two hours. There are some breathtaking battle scenes and the Wanganui scenery is beautifully captured. However, the film did suffer from some poor leads - Samantha Morton (Sarah) especially came across as unconvincing. There seemed to be an indecisiveness about how the role should be played - as a helpless waif tossed by fate or as a strong, determined character with a clear view of her destiny. Kiefer Sutherland's character - Private Doyle - seemed to be pointless and for the most part - unintelligible. Keifer's Irish brogue needs a little polishing. On the other hand, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison and Rawiri Pene (as Sarah's son "Boy") were well rounded and believable.The last 20 minutes of River Queen came across as particularly compressed and rushed. It seemed as if they decided they had to tie up all the loose ends before 120 minutes were up. E.g. How on earth did Wiremu know how to find Sarah and Doyle? No explanation and very unsatisfying.I did go to this movie with an open mind. I hadn't read or heard anything much apart from its troubled production. What I experienced was a mish mash of New Zealand history, beautifully photographed but ultimately disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +most of the bad reviews on this website blame "Hood of the Living Dead" for one (or more) of the following reasons: 1) it is a low-budget movie with virtually no acting; 2) it was so bad it made me laugh 3) it is something I could do myself. I won't even discuss the first point because it is a very subjective matter whether you like low-budget and independent stuff or not. I must say, however, that I still fail to understand people renting such a movie as "Hood of the Living Dead" and then looking surprised when they realize it is not as polished and cute as a romantic comedy with Lindsay Lohan or Matthew Mc Conaughey. As for the second point, I really don't see what's so wrong with laughing. I personally like to laugh, and love movies that make me to, be they comedies or horror flicks. When in "Hammerhead" I saw this girl stepping into a PUDDLE and the shark-man came out of it to eat her, I just cracked up. And I was grateful that the director made such a stupid scene and gave me ten seconds of pure fun. Honestly, laughing just makes me feel good, while it seems that many people writing reviews see it as a bad bad thing. If you only want to feel sad and scared while watching a movie, "Hood of the Living Dead" and low-budget flicks are definitely not for you. But please don't come and tell us that you find them laughable. We already know it. This is most probably why we decided to watch the movie in first place. However, it is the third point that leaves totally baffled. Just several years ago people were lining up out of theaters to see "Blair Witch Project", which is a way more rudimentary, boring, plot-less and bad-acted movie than "Hood of the Living Dead" (and takes itself way too seriously too). Moreover, half a million people go on YouTube every day to see the short films of "Lonelygirl15", which is certainly something everyone with a cute girlfriend, a room and a webcam could do! Not to talk about all of the even more amateurish videos you can find there. Why don't people blame those clips for bad acting and non-existing plot? I think it is one of the best things of our times that everyone, with affordable technology and a bunch of friends, can make their own movies and share them with people that have similar interests. And I feel a certain admiration for people who spend their weekends with their friends making a honestly bad (yet refreshing) piece of trash like this rather than shopping at the mall or playing video games alone. Leave aside your biases and your desire to sound like a smart film critic by attacking b-movies, and you'll see that "Hood of the Living Dead" can bring you almost as much fun as it did to its makers! If you have a taste for refreshing and enjoyable home-made horror movies, I recommend "Zombiez", "The Ghosts of Edendale", "The Killer Eye", "Monster Man", "Don't Look in the Basement", "The Worst Horror Movie Ever Made", "Redneck Zombies", "Jesus Christ Vampyre-Slayer" and "Habit".$LABEL$ 1 +This was a great anime. True the animation is old but its still worth watching and has a better plot than Ninja Scroll, the problem that it was kinda long.Japanese movie star Hiroyuki Sanada who played Ujio from Last Samurai played the main character Jiro and it was directed by Rintaro who did Galaxy Express 999 and Metropolis.The anime has some good animation for an old anime, interesting characters like the main villain Tenkai and Ando Shouzan and of course lets not forget the beautiful musical scores in the film.All in all this movie is worth watching for fans of anime, animation in general, action, and Samurai/Ninja flicks. Despite the lows in the film that didn't the film from being a great film to watch.Don't miss this film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie deals with the European ERASMUS exchange program but more generally about the European youth. It is so true , that I don't know Klapisch did to reach such a masterpiece... Definitely one of my top 5 movies. It reminds me of the famous song "This is my life, my life, life is life..." 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is nothing short of a dark, gritty masterpiece. I may be bias, as the Apartheid era is an area I've always felt for. But I'd say it ranks right up with Cry Freedom and Cry the Beloved Country. Sadly up until a few days ago I'd never even heard of this movie. Inside is one of the most underrated films of all time, probably because it was a small film company, I'd never even heard of it before. Eric Stoltz, one of my favorite actors anyway, is believable and dramatic, Nigel Hawthorne plays his dastardly role well. Do not look for humor in this film, there is none. It is real, savage and gritty to the last, and to the sensitive I'd say bring a box of tissues. But movies as great as this make you wonder, why is it that the greatest films are often never heard of?$LABEL$ 1 +Movie about two Australian girls--Debbie (Nell Schofield) and Sue (Sue Knight)--and what happens when they become girlfriends of two surfer guys.I caught this at an art cinema here in America in 1981. Technically I was still a teenager (I was 19) so I was interested in seeing how Australian teens acted. Script wise there's nothing new here. It shows the usual teenage adventures dealing with dating, sex, suicide etc etc. I always knew what was going to happen before it did but I was never bored. What I found interesting was, despite the accent and a few changes in clothes and hair, these teenagers aren't much different than American teens. They had many of the same difficulties and hang-ups. Also this was based on a book from a real surfer girl and her true life adventures and (I heard) it was a faithful adaptation of it. The acting was just OK but the actors were attractive and this was well-made and pretty interesting. So this is no unsung masterpiece but a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like being a teenager and trying to be with the popular kids. I give it a 7.$LABEL$ 1 +As a French, i found it very pleasant to be able to laugh at the old stereotype which is made of French like that, at some defaults of Westerners, at Spy movies etc...and at a lot of other things too, en route... I already saw it 3 times and each time i discovered new things and laughed to tears... Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Béjo, Aure Atika the director and all the cast, all the crew did a fantastic job. This movie is funny but is although much more than that : it's got plenty of levels to it. You laugh because of simple gags, because of some critics made with wit (the movie's courageous enough to be critical), because of physical comedy, because you believe in the characters etc... Esthetically and musically, it's a success too. Go see it if you can.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a fine musical with a timeless score by one of my favorite composers (Gershwin) and a nice 'Parisien' atmosphere which gives the movie a lot of charm, but in terms of a story.. well it's not really there. Or at least, not very well worked out. The acting is also not so smooth by Caron. But I liked some of the dialogues, I liked the scene at the Seine, I liked the character played by Levant, the colors; and the dancing of course, which is quite magnificent.A 7.5 - 8 seems on the dot to me.$LABEL$ 1 +As kids movie it is great. For the family it just sucks. I was truly hoping for something like the Goonies which is a great film for all ages. This movie was just geared too much to the kids with the silly script and characters calling each other little names like booger breath. ??? Alan Cummings was however a delight. And why do people compare Willy Wonka to this movie...just because there is a theme song closely resembling the Willy Wonka song doesnt make this film anything like Willy Wonka.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay. Here's the thing. I've read through the comments of other viewers --- some trashing the film and some saying it's the funniest, darkest, blackest comedy ever made. Whiffs of Tarantino, etc. Well, not exactly. But, guess what? It's still an enjoyable and, ultimately, funny film. Not brilliant, not trash. Liv Tyler gives a great performance and you absolutely cannot take your eyes off her. She's a woman with very strong decorating ideas...Matt Dillon, a greatly underrated and under-used actor, is wonderful, as ever. He always manages to stride that delicate line between scruff and soul, and he pulls off the comedy beautifully. Ditto John Goodman (though the religious overtones, probably funny in the script, really don't work). Paul Reiser is very good --- definitely better than he was on TV.The usually unbearable Michael Douglas is actually great in this role. As for his coif, well, see the film. Between this and "Wonder Boys," you're actually reminded of the fact that Douglas can act. The movie will make you laugh in parts. Okay, not exactly belly-laughing, but definitely in the I'm-amused-I'm-very-amused category. If you're renting this expecting to see another "Pulp Fiction," forget it. But if want something kinda hip and kinda fun, this is a damned good choice.$LABEL$ 1 +Well I don't know much about anything, but I sure liked this film. In short, it was creative, humorous, simple, and heartwarming. In other words, it was everything it set out to be.The story is set around a girl's first love, (as the title suggests) and I certainly should warn you: expect nothing challenging or provocative in terms of the subject matter here. I mean, it is a children's cartoon. It's really just a simple story, but it's told well, and it holds your attention well.In the end: it's short, it's funny, it's cute, it's simple, it's good.$LABEL$ 1 +If you like bad movies (and you must to watch this one) here's a good one. Not quite as funny as the first, but much lower quality. A must-see for fans of Jack Frost as well as anyone up for a good laugh at the writing.$LABEL$ 0 +After watching this movie, I couldn't help but notice the parallels between it and another film called America 3000. Both were very bad mid 1980's post apocalypse disasters on celluloid. Obviously fake sets, wooden acting and stupid monsters are found in both films. About the only difference between the two is that the lead villainess here (played by Angelika Jager) has a very thick accent. Avoid this one unless you're watching the MST3K version. Joel and the bots barely salvage this turkey.$LABEL$ 0 +I'd even say some shades of Hitchcock...this is clearly better than MMM, which is seen as a guilty pleasure by some if not most Woody fans. By the way, did you know that Annie Hall was first conceived as a murder mystery? Anyhow, Woody reclaims some relevance in film comedy with this one. The plot turns are nice and tight. I will say that in the first 20 minutes or so, some of the actors are a little too hasty at delivering their lines, but stick around. Scarlett Johansson proves well-cast in the Diane Keaton-type role, and at no time is there any uncomfortable moments between her and the much older Woody. No one could imagine a more perfect actor for the role of Peter Lyman than Jackman.$LABEL$ 1 +Well,I am a dancer so automatically I liked this film. The only thing I didn't like was they didn't have much dancing as I thought there would be. But I have to say the it was a good dance film. I think there should be more songs too. But it was a good film as i said before! My rating 9/10!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't often give one star reviews, but the computer won't let me do negative numbers.The opening titles tell us we're in deep water already. Although this is a low budget exploitation film, there are 17 producers credited. No. No.At the beginning of the story abusive husband Kenneth comes home to his family in an upscale gated community. The house is a pigsty. His wife, Della (Kim Basinger) has let the children run amok all day.OK. We're already in deep water. Ms. Basinger was 55 years old when the film came out. Uh, are these her children or grandchildren? It's Christmas Eve. Della drives to the mall, a lengthy scene that could have been cut. To bludgeon home the idea of eeeeeeevil male aggression rampant in the universe she drives past football players in full uniform playing in pouring rain on Christmas Eve. Sure. For a bonus she sees a vehicle with a slaughtered deer tied to it.We get some actual suspense in the driving scenes, though. It's raining and traffic is bad. First we see Della try to drive and smoke at the same time. Then later Della tries to drive and talk on her cell phone at the same time, at one point turning completely around to check the cluttered back seat for the charger for the phone.She wanders the mall, sees an old friend from college, tries to buy stuff but her credit card is declined- gosh, maybe her husband is grumpy because he's going broke, but that's too complicated for the script to follow.In the parking lot she runs afoul of the most ludicrous gang in the history of films. One White boy (Lukas Hass watching his career go down the toilet), one Black, one Asian, and one Hispanic. Imagine a company of Up with People gone to the bad and you'll have the idea.Although they have a gun she gives them attitude. A mall cop comes to investigate the ruckus and they shoot him in the head, firing more than once. The parking lot is crowded as can be, people everywhere, and nobody notices.Della escapes in her car and rather than choosing a police station or well lighted safe area, she drives to a construction site, where she kills all four bad boys one at a time with simply the tools (literally) at hand.MAJOR spoiler ahead.She drives back home. The car poops out so she walks through the pouring rain. Checks on the children, goes downstairs, and when her husband petulantly asks what she got him at the mall shows him the gun and shoots him at point blank range.The experience with the four punks was supposed to result in personal empowerment for Della. Instead we know that her children will probably spend Christmas in foster care or a group home, because the State will collect them while she answers to murder one charges. The four punks can be classified as justifiable homicide in self defense. The husband, different story.I'm so glad I saw this on cable. If I'd seen it in a theater (did it get any release?) I'd have been furious. As is, I'm just sad seeing talents like Ms. Basinger and Mr. Haas waste themselves on garbage like this.One very good thing, though. This was written and directed by Susan Montford. Ms. Montford has not gotten another writing or directing credit since passing this turd. There is justice in the world.$LABEL$ 0 +I had mixed feelings for "Les Valseuses" (1974) written and directed by Bertrand Blier when I started watching it but I ended up liking it. I would not call it vulgar ("Dumb and Dumber" is vulgar, "The Sweetest Thing" is both vulgar and unforgivably stupid); I would call it shocking and offensive. I can understand why many viewers, especially, the females would not like or even hate it. It is the epitome of misogyny (or so it seems), and the way two antiheroes treat every woman they'd meet seems unspeakable. But the more I think of it the more I realize that it somehow comes off as a delightful little gem. I am fascinated how Blier was able to get away with it. The movie is very entertaining and highly enjoyable: it is well written, the acting by all is first - class, and the music is sweet and melancholic. Actually, when I think of it, two buddies had done something good to the women they came across to: they prepared a woman in the train (the lovely, docile blonde Brigitte Fossey who started her movie career with one of the most impressive debuts in René Clément's "Forbidden Games"(1952) at age 6) for the meeting with her husband whom she had not seen for two months; they found a man who was finally able to get a frigid Marie-Ange (Miou-Miou) exited and satisfied; they enlightened and educated young and very willing Isabelle Huppert (in one of her early screen appearances.) Their encounter with Jeanne Moreau elevates this comedy to the tragic level. In short, I am not sure I'd like to meet Gérard Depardieu's Jean-Claude and Patrick Dewaere's Pierrot in real life and invite them over for dinner but I had a good time watching the movie and two hours almost flew - it was never boring.$LABEL$ 1 +If you are a fan of Zorro, Indiana Jones, or action in general this is a must-see. Directed by Republic's ace team of William Witney and John English, and starring Reed Hadley as Don Diego/Zorro, this serial delivers! I won't bore you with the plot (who cares? less talking, more fighting); what really matters here is Hadley's superb interpretation of the character/s and the stunt work of Dale van Sickel and Yakima Canutt. ***STUNT SPOILERS FOLLOW ***You can see the influence this film had on Lucas and Spielberg -- Zorro gets caught in the original version of the Star Wars trash compactor in one chapter, trapped on a rope bridge a'la Temple of Doom in another, does a Raiders horse-to-coach transfer and even flees through a tunnel while the baddies knock over a huge water tank and flood the tunnel behind him, exactly as Mola Ram does to Indy in Temple of Doom. In addition to all this, the whip action is great as Zorro disarms villains, swings to safety, etc. with his trusty lash. Most of the sword work is fair to lame, except for chapter one, which features a terrific sword brawl in a cantina choreographed by sword/stunt legend Ralph Faulkner, who makes a rare screen appearance as the evil Rodriguez. This was the first serial I ever saw, on Matinée at the Bijou when I was a kid and I have been hooked on them ever since. Zorro's Fighting Legion delivers "Z" goods!$LABEL$ 1 +I purchased this movie at a car boot sale, so I was not expecting it to be a horror movie on the same level as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) or The Hills Have Eyes (1977) but I thought that it would still be fairly enjoyable to watch. However, it proved to be not at all enjoyable, but instead the acting and the general movie was mock-able, such as the ways the the 'unsees killer' murders his victims and how all of the people killed just happen to be young blonde women. It was a stereotypical horror film. I say this because of the following reasons:1) Three blonde women in danger, the majority get killed. 2) One survives by crawling around in the dark while being chased by the killer. 3) Surprise surprise, help arrives in the form of a shotgun!By using three simple points, I have saved you two odd hours by summarising this poor excuse of a horror movie, so you are now lucky enough to not have to watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +A woman who hates cats (Alice Krige) and her son (Brian Krause) have moved into a small town, and must deal with a mean teacher (Glenn Shadix), their incestuous relationship, a lovely girl (Mädchen Amick) and one hell of a big secret.Okay, so technically, this is a "bad film". But, who cares? It's so very fun! Impossible things (involving corn) happen, people freak out about kitty cats, there's bad one-liners, there's too much cheese to handle!So, yes. You will enjoy this. A lot. It won't move you, touch you, scare you, or thrill you in any way, but it will keep you entertained and laughing!$LABEL$ 1 +BBC's 3 hour adaptation of the novel by Sarah Waters..."Fingersmith". Life is tough without money, especially in Dickensian London. Dark deeds lead to despicable dilemmas.Is love really just a luxury for the rich and free ?? Elaine Cassidy as "Maud Lilly" and Sally Hawkins as "Sue Trinder" both give fantastic performances as the leading ladies asking this question ... OF EACH OTHER ...whilst Rupert Evans shines as the delightfully bad "Gentleman".. with great support from Imelda Staunton's "Mrs Sucksby", David Troughton's "Mr Ibbs" and Charles Dance's "Uncle". The plot twists and turns and I wasn't sure I could be led to care about characters able to hurt and use each other in this way... but somehow.. i do care... and thats because of the quality of the performances... love feels like love .. hate feels like hate... betrayal .. confusion.. well hopefully you get the idea and hopefully you will get the DVD and enjoy.( Elaine Cassidy is just great in this.. gorgeous in fact.... i have to declare i am in her fan club... Hi Elaine : )$LABEL$ 1 +In order to stop her homosexual friend Albert (Perry King) from being deported back to Belgium, Stella (Meg Foster) decides to marry him. The only other problem with that is that Stella herself is a lesbian. The two have their separate lives when one night after Albert's birthday party, they fall into bed and then into love. Later in the film after falling in love, Stella suspects Albert of cheating and shows up at his job one night late after closing. What she finds will leave the viewer stunned. This is a great film, very original. Perry King and Meg Foster are so good in their roles that it is amazing that they were not better recognized for their work here. Very controversial upon its release in 1978, the "R" rated film is now "PG" in this much more liberal time.Recently released on DVD, the disc contains a "Making Of" segment on the special features and in it it's stated that the film was based on an actual story so the viewers who say the film is not "real" are mistaken. Everyone is an individual and different people fall in love for different reasons-these are the issues explored in this wonderful film for everyone who has ever loved!$LABEL$ 1 +I find it heart-warming and inspiring that the writing team behind such hopelessly mainstream Hollywood movies like INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, American Graffiti and HOWARD THE DUCK would begin their career with a low-budget exploitation horror film like this. Perhaps as a testament to the talent that would earn Willard Hyuck and Gloria Katz an Oscar nomination later in their respective careers, Messiah of Evil has potential, but sadly becomes frustrating exactly because it can't muster the film-making prowess to pull it off.The premise involves a young girl who travels to a small coastal town in search for her painter father who went missing a while back. It doesn't take long for the fragmented narrative to abandon all hope and dive headlong in disjointed absurdity - and for a while it works admirably well to the point where you begin thinking that maybe Messiah of Evil needs to be reclaimed from the schlocky gutter of 70's exploitation as an example of artful mystery horror.The surreal non-sequiturs keep piling on as the daughter stumbles upon a young couple in a seedy hotel room who are in town to conduct a research on the local legend of the 'blood moon', a scruffy and half-mad alcoholic (played by the great Elisha Cook Jr. in perhaps the best scene of the movie) who warns her about her father only to be reportedly found dead in an alley 'eaten by dogs' a little later, the blind old lady that owns the local art gallery and who has inexplicably removed all of her father's paintings from the shop and last but not least a retarded, murderous, squirrel-eating albino.Part of the movie's charm is precisely this brand of bargain-basement artsy surrealism that defies logic and genre conventions every step of the way. Whereas with Lynch it is obviously the mark of a talented creator, with Messiah of Evil the boundaries between the 'intentional', the 'unintentional' and the 'didn't really expect it to come out this way but it's good enough - WRAP SCENE' blur hopelessly.Take for example the double narration that flows in and out of the picture in a drug-addled, feverish, stream-of-consciousness way, one coming from the daughter as she wanders from place to place in search for her father, and the other narrated by her father's voice as she reads his diary. While we're still talking about a 'living dead' picture, Messiah of Evil is different and only loosely one - at least with current preconceptions of what a zombie movie is supposed to be. The origin of the living dead here is a 100 year old curse, bestowed upon the town by a mysterious 'Dark Stranger' who came from the woods one day. In the meantime Hyuck finds time for snippets of mass-consumption criticism in a flesh-eating supermarket scene that predates DAWN OF THE DEAD by a good number of years (you can hear the MST3K line already: 'man is dead, only his capitalist food tins remain') and a nicely thought but poorly executed similar scene in a movie theater.I generally think that the surreal works in careful, well measured doses - how is the absurd to work if it's not hidden within the perfectly normal? Hyuck seems to just smear it all over the picture and by doing so dangerously overplays his hand. When the albino for example picks up a girl hitching her way to town and eats a squirrel in front of her, you can almost imagine the director winking meaningfully at the audience, amused and satisfied with his own hijinks. The general film-making level is also pretty low - after the half-way mark, the pace becomes muddled and the story tiresome and evidently going nowhere and not particularly fast either. Add to that the choppy editing, average acting and Hyuck's general inability to capture true atmosphere - the empty streets of coastal town are criminally misused - and I'd file Messiah under 'missed opportunity' but still grindhouse afficionados will find enough to appreciate - even though it's not particularly gory, trashy or sleazy.$LABEL$ 0 +In the wasteland that Hollywood Productions have become of late, this movie - in and of itself - is truly "MANNA FROM HEAVEN"!!!In what could best be described as a "cute" movie, approximately 350 years of movie acting experience (allright - give or take 100 years!) joyously lights up the screen to tell a tale of deceit, remorse, and redemption about a Catholic Family in Buffalo, NY.Truly well-positioned to take its place in the "feel-good" movie genre, this quiet little independent film by the Burton Sisters' FIVE SISTERS PRODUCTIONS COMPANY will leave a smile on your face and joy in your heart, all while renewing your faith in mankind.From the spectacular opening scene shots of Buffalo, NY to the final credits, the film manages to tell a tale that could have been told of any family, anywhere. Yet, somehow this particular gathering of family and "family by association" in a small, non-descript house in Buffalo more than fits the bill. If you've never been to Buffalo, you'll leave the theater with thoughts of "shuffling off" for a visit! Shots of the city landmarks and surroundings help to bring a quaint, down to earth tone to the film - which suits it just fine. The quiet beauty of the "Queen City of the Great Lakes" compliments, rather than detracts from the tale that is being told. If only more movies would take advantage of the natural beauty of this country's "second cities" instead of running off to a soundstage somewhere, the end results would be so much more believable.Great performances by Shirley Jones, Frank Gorshin, Wendy Malick, Jill Eickenberry, and the rest of the ensemble cast prove again that true talent outlasts Hollywood's "flavor of the week" any time!GO SEE THIS MOVIE!You've wandered in Hollywood's desert for too long!$LABEL$ 1 +I have done a lot of international travel, both on business and as a tourist. For both types I assure you the best advice is also the oldest: Always drink the wine of the country. In this movie the archangel Michael comes to Earth on business, wraps it up quickly and decides to hang around for a little touring. Boy! Does he "drink the wine of the country."Could man be drunk forever with liquor, love and fights He'd lief rise up of mornings and lief lie down of nights.These are things you can't do in Heaven so he enjoys them while he's here! Of course it turns out he had a couple of other jobs to tackle and, if he is less direct about them than he was about the first one, he is just as successful. The final scene is a little schmaltzy but it is also wonderful. Jean Stapleton gets to dance with John Travolta.$LABEL$ 1 +Paul Reiser did a spectacular job in writing this movie. Peter Falk gives the performance of his life. It is worthy of an Academy Award. This was one of the most poignant and funny movies of the year. Reiser's wit is fantastic and he is as good as it gets and as he was in his long running TV sitcom "Mad about You". Peter Falk did a masterful job as his dad, and Peter who is now 78 years young made us laugh and cry at the same time. The supporting cast was equal to the task especially the gorgeous gorgeous Elizabeth Perkins. It is a must see movie for 2005. We bet that everyone across all ages and religions will love this movie and somehow relate to it in one way or another. We have mothers and fathers and siblings like these in the movie. We have all had the good and bad times together and wish things were the same but different.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. this movie is the voice of a climbing generation. Director Sam Keith takes us to the darkest depths of Man's soul where we find love, life, and top-roping. World-weary Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) follows his heart and his anchors through a cerebral journey to find sanity in a post-apocalyptic Colorado. Instead, Telly meets confrontation in Don (Jason Bortz), the embodiment of machismo and a zeitgeist of humanities foibles. The epic film comes to a climbax at a gut-wrenching top-roping competition that will make even the strongest willed viewers squeamish at the dizzying heights.This movie has it all: Top-roping outside, Top-roping in the gym, Cut-off shorts and sleeveless flannel shirts, Awesome climbing footage (some so good, you see it 2 or 3 times!), Bear and snake attacks.I gave the movie 8 out of 10 because I wanted to see the romance develop a bit more. It seemed as if the film was leading up to a spicy, top-roped sex scene between Telly and his new lover, but alas, it wouldn't fit into the already jam-packed hour and a half thrill ride.Fans of Cliffhanger and Mission Impossible II will find this flick to be a diamond in the rough. Overall, if you are ready to challenge your world view on humanity and climbing, this is the film for you!!!1$LABEL$ 1 +Once a wise man from India once said, "First they will laugh at us. Then they will hate us. Then they will fear us." Know that yes this film's budget was a bit off, but even then with its story still takes our interest many yrs later, regardless of how it may have looked. But know soon, in due time "Masten Thrust" will arise to the big screen once again. Then he and the new redesigned T-Rex will more then shock you. It will scare many for centuries to come!! This film is in current pre-production and will be nothing like anything you have ever seen before! This will be beyond THX format.....right into 4-DX format. "Be afraid, be VERY afraid!"$LABEL$ 1 +I was very surprised to see that this movie had such a good rating, when i checked it on IMDb after seeing it. This really is one of the worst movies i have ever seen and i have seen many bad movies. It looks like a good movie in the beginning, but when he comes into surgery i couldn't believe how bad it got. This voice-over destroys EVERYTHING! Just imagine you are being cut open like that and then listen to what he says. I saw the movie in German so i don't really know what he said in English, but ironic stuff like "Yeah right, it doesn't hurt.."?...what is this? Telling yourself "think about something else" and then forgetting your pain by just thinking about your girlfriend is just...stupid. And his mother...how the hell does she figure something like that out? Someone comes to tell her, her son died in surgery (what she kind of had to expect). Plus she found some letters in Jessica Albas bag. plus that "she knows the hospital" stuff... and then it takes her "one second" to figure it out? What the hell?" And the ending...why does the police bust them? The patient died in surgery, thats all that happened. That drunk doctor doesn't know anything else either...and then they bust them all, even the girlfriend??? Why??? Despite all that i think Christensen did a bad job, but that doesn't really count for me...those mistakes and stupid things i wrote about above are the problem. I watched this movie with some friends and we all were VERY disappointed... As i said, one of the worst movies i have ever seen... Just don't watch it ;)$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great off-the-wall romantic comedy about love, work, pandering to the public taste, and midlife crises. The main character is a talented movie director who decides to make a silly PG-13 movie to get himself out of hock with the IRS. It has an excellent cast, a wide range of humor (from deadpan to slapstick), and fine writing. It's also a wry send-up of the movie industry. The metacommentary includes several excellent cuts between reality and the movie that's being made, and in some places the film departs from strict realism. The result is a multi-dimensional masterpiece of wry midlife humor.$LABEL$ 1 +For people like me who were born long after the '60s ended, we can only learn about the era through cultural artifacts, of which "Hair" is one. This is certainly a well done tour de force. One can get a sense of how things were for the hippie culture. Probably the most impressive scene - for me at least - is when the group crashes the rich people's party. As for the movie's final scene, one might interpret it as the symbolic end of everything that the '60s represented.But no matter how one interprets this movie, it's important to understand that even though the '60s themselves may have ended, the movements that typified them still exist in small enclaves. It's a time that people won't soon forget.Anyway, this movie is one that I definitely recommend. Milos Forman scored another great one here, right between his two masterpieces "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Ragtime" (so why did he later make a piece of crap like "Man on the Moon"?!). Starring John Savage, Treat Williams and Beverly D'Angelo.$LABEL$ 1 +I can tell you just how bad this movie is. I was in the movie and I haven't seen it yet, but I cringe at the thought of anyone actually paying to see me drunk. Especially considering what we did that year. The thing is that they probably over edited it. Especially the scene where my roommate was snorting coke of the tits of a Mexican prostitute (they probably should have followed him around). We made a few come and go appearances but aside from that I can't really remember anything. I was the MC in a few scenes (from what I'm told. What I can tell you is that everyone avoided the camera crew since who wants to be remembered as the guy who threw up or the girl who showed her tits to the world (or the girl that loser lost his virginity to). Overall the trip itself was crazy but people act different once the camera is on them.$LABEL$ 1 +Basically, the movie might be one of the most mesmerizing titles made by either of the two Scotts(Ridley and Tony). Let's make it straight, the movie deserved its hype as one of the most stylish actioner/thriller ever made.When it comes to disgruntled tragic heroes, Denzel Washington and Tony Scotts really make a perfect duo. Both this movie and Deja Vu are better thrillers you can expect. Washington really got very comfortable in the shaky cameras and every executing scenes in the movie. One would easily be related to his character's emotions therefore enjoyed all the killings on the road. It's a success that they created a super-dark Mexico city with a lot of shits happening. One would be easily convinced by the extent of corruption depicted in Man On Fire. I don't know what would the Mexicans think when they watch this......Well, let's face it again. It's among the best of the Death Wish genre, but it also suffered from extensive amount of violence. It's a bit annoying that they justify the actions of a vigilante by making the movie very realistic and let Denzel Washington play the "missing sheep" type of tragic hero. In the end, they even had the kidnapper shot in his own swimming pool like a documentary. I was checking on IMDb if the movie was based on real events for that...... So that's for your consideration if you also finds the movie's theme is a little bit phony.At the end, I hope one would not take this movie for real.8/10 for art direction/editing/cinematographic/Denzel Washington.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film last night at a "pre-Code" film festival, and I have to tell you that when Gary Cooper turned his head for his introductory close-up, the entire audience gasped. He was just that beautiful.Cooper's looks aside, this film displays Rouben Mamoulian's directorial artistry to perfection. Wonderful scene-fades, creative camera angles, symbolic allusions--Mamoulian just keeps exploring the directorial medium and coming up with innovation.This was Sylvia Sidney's first role in Hollywood, after her success on the New York stage, and she is just as lovely as a Gary Cooper leading lady ought to be. It's nice to see her in a role with a harder edge than many she was given--so often she looks like she's afraid she's about to be hit by someone.There are lots of familiar faces in this film, including the wonderful Wynne Gibson. Most striking is Guy Kibbee, best known for playing fatuous rich men, as a grinning and mendacious hit-man.There aren't nearly enough of these pre-Code films available on VHS or DVD, so if you can't find a pre-Code festival near you, try campaigning Turner Classic Movies for a broadcast! As for the reviewer who believes Gary Cooper was too stupid to have dialogue more complex than "Yep" or "Nope," he should perhaps consider Coop's performance in films such as "Mr Deeds Goes to Town" or "Meet John Doe." Although heaven knows anyone who looked that good shouldn't have to be smart as well.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an amazing movie from 1936. Although the first hour isn't very interesting (for the modern viewer), the stylish vision of the year 2036 that comes afterwords makes up for it. However, don't plan on being able to understand all of the dialog - the sound quality and accents (it's American - but "1930s" American) make it difficult.Basically, the story is a sweeping 100 year look at a fictional US town called "Everytown". It spans from 1936, when a war is on the horizon, to 2036, when technology leaps forward and creates its own problems.The first one hour is a bit slow - although it's tough to tell what audiences back then would have thought. The events, suspense and visuals are pretty low-key in today's terms. However, when it gets to the future, it's just plain fun to watch. The large sets and retro sci-fi look of everything is hard to beat.Unless you have great listening abilities, this movie is hard to listen to. I think I understood only 80% of the dialog. It could use closed-captioning.If you're a sci-fi fan, this is one of the genre's classics and is a must see (well, at least after the first hour). For the average viewer, wait until there's a closed caption version and then watch it if you're comfortable with movies of this time period.$LABEL$ 1 +I started to watch this show by accident, but I love it. The fact that main character is in a wheelchair is something that lacking in television, especially for kids shows. My five-year-old nephew (as most children do) would just stare at people who were in wheelchairs or had some other type of handicap but after he watched Pelswick it just seemed to be a normal occurrence to him. Every time he saw a wheelchair he would simply say "Like Pelswick" and go on with what ever he was originally doing. And YES the animation is a little crude, but if you can stand to watch through the first season of the Simpsons then this isn't that bad. The "Genie" is actually an Angel who is there to help Pelswick learn lessons in life. He CAN NOT walk some else said he could walk some of the time, I've seen every episode and he never to my recollection walked, he is a paraplegic he has no feeling below his armpits (he mentions it in an episode). As for the humor if you can get a copy of the "Ntalented" episode, which lampoons boy-bands, you will instantly love this show.$LABEL$ 1 +Mel Torme and Victor Borge, in their younger years, serve to make this film interesting - and especially viewing a young Sinatra, on the sunny side of 30, and definitely conveying that this was his "yes, I'm a popular singer, but hardly an actor yet" stage. Michele Morgan is an annoying, inane presence, and Jack Haley is an actor whose appeal has always been totally lost on me. Leon Erroll is silly, as always, but overall pretty funny. 7 stars of a potential 10 is about the right "grade," because with the combination of its positive aspects, along with the lack of much of a story, and a silly one at that, and the fore-mentioned annoyances - it is overall average at best. Most of the fascination is from the viewing of the three entertainment icons in their early years.$LABEL$ 1 +This film for me and my wife is more entertaining than all the bloc-buster violent thriller/mystery/murder movies that abound. It is about real people making the best of their lives. They just happen to be Indian and the main characters are in law enforcement. The realistic acting and the great scenery more than make up for the slightly implausible plot. The sound track is by BC Smith, who also did the soundtrack for Coyote Waits, and is great. Adam Beach plays a tribal policeman who is a little bit accident prone and Wes Studi is the stoic consummately professional detective. There are many other fine either supporting or cameo roles by Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, etc. We have also seen Coyote Waits, another adaptation of a Hillerman novel, and we greatly enjoyed it too.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I am commenting is because I finally figured out why Dr. Cox was bald. Although we probably all realized it at the same time this week, Dr. Cox is bald because they showed these episodes in a different order than they filmed them. The latest episode when our favorite grumpy, Jesus-loving Nurse Roberts dies Dr. Cox shaves his head. The must have showed them out of order for some odd reason and forgot they slipped up the continuity. For shame, Scrubs. They've made mistakes like this before. I remember when Elliot is trying to date Scott Foley and her hair is wet 2 seconds before water hits her. I try not to notice these things, but my favorite show needs to step it up.$LABEL$ 0 +William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is about a Jewish moneylender and his bond to extract a pound of flesh from the wealthy merchant Antonio, the forfeiter of a debt. The Jewish moneylender, of course, is Shylock and he is given such a towering performance by Al Pacino that even outstanding actors like Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, and Lynne Collins fade into the background. The film is set in 16th century Venice and director Michael Radford relies on setting, mood, and realism to tell its story, rejecting lavish period costumes or a modern setting with rock music to appeal to a wider audience.Radford slices the play's three-hour length to a manageable two hours and eight minutes and also provides some historical background. In the opening narration, he tells us how Jews came to England, were subject to increasing persecution, and eventually expelled from England. They were forbidden to own property, could make profits only by lending money at interest, and were forced to live in a Venetian "geto", a forerunner of darker events to come. In the film, the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons) spits upon Shylock in public, yet feels no shame in going to the usurer to borrow 3000 ducats to help his friend and suggested lover Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) to properly court Portia (Lynne Collins), a wealthy heiress. Though Shylock has been insulted by Antonio, he agrees to loan the money without interest for three months on the condition that forfeiture of the bond grants him the right to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio's heart.The play is primarily a drama of hatred and revenge, but like many of Shakespeare's works there are touches of broad comedy as well. Here the comedy involves three pairs of lovers: Bassanio and Portia, Gratiano, Bassanio's friend, and Nerissa, and Lorenzo, another friend of Bassanio, and Jessica, Shylock's daughter. Portia has offered herself to the person who can pick the right treasure from one of three boxes, made of gold, silver, and lead. The Prince of Morocco chooses the one of gold, the Prince of Aragon the one of silver and both are disappointed. Bassanio, however, loves her for herself and opens the leaden casket to find the portrait within. Radford's adaptation conveys a remarkable feeling for time and place. Portia's residence at Belmont suggests one of those splendid summer homes complete with immaculate gardens and art treasures hanging in every room and contrasts well with the grungy look of Shylock's city with its dank alleyways.When it becomes clear that Antonio cannot repay the debt, Bassanio returns to Venice, leaving Portia behind. When he arrives, the loan is in default and Shylock is demanding his pound of flesh. Even when Bassanio, backed by Portia's wealth, offers many times the amount in repayment, Shylock is intent on revenge not only for the loss of the money but for a lifetime of outsider status. The duke, who sits in judgment, will not intervene as Portia enters in the guise as a lawyer to defend Antonio. It is here that the film reaches its dramatic heights as all parties come to court to achieve a final resolution.The Merchant of Venice is not only about an unpaid debt but also about the estrangement of Jews from Christian society and their desire for belonging. It has been one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays and analysts have debated for a long time whether it is an anti-Semitic play or simply a play about anti-Semitism that reflects the prevalent view of Christian society in Elizabethan England. Although Shylock is definitely a caricature, he is an ambiguous figure and there are many indications that Shakespeare views his flaws as human failings, not Jewish ones. The Duke recognizes that he is simply a man who has failed to adhere to the compassionate language of the Torah.In the monologue, "I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? …If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?", Shylock shows a universal humanity, expressing the equality of all men. Though we are horrified at the sentence he wishes to carry out, we can feel his pain accumulated over the years. Pacino's performance brings new vigor to the text and his often over-the-top persona is replaced with a gentler, more understated demeanor that brings understanding to his cause.. During a Toronto International Film Festival interview last September, Radford said about Pacino, "…when you work with a brilliant actor, you have a great machine. It's a bit like driving a powerful car. You have to dare to do it." He has dared and we are all the beneficiaries.$LABEL$ 1 +- Bad Stuff: This movie is real crap. Bad stunts for one thing, they looked so fake I thought this was "The Twilight Zone". The flashbacks are pretty much useless. One part of the movie he thinks taking his anger out on a window will make his life better. I wanna know the casting director and if he was high because the acting, even from the adults was horrid. A kissing scene in this movie even sucked. This movie killed the book. The book was great. I highly do not recommend this movie. Not even for educational purposes. - Good Stuff: I don't know what I can say really. There is some suspense parts that get you going, but they are quickly shot down by the bad stunt work and acting. - My Verdict: Do not watch.$LABEL$ 0 +I would not have known about this film if not for its "surprise" Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature film. Thankfully, it came to pass that I was able to watch this animated little treasure.The story is about the child Brendan who was the nephew of the imposing and overprotective Abbot of the township of Kells. The main pre-occupation of the Abbot is to build a wall to protect Kells from the attacking Vikings. One day, Aiden, the renowned illustrator from Iona, sought refuge with them. Aiden opens Brendan's eyes to the art of illustration and the lure of the outside world. Along the way, Brendan befriended the white forest sprite Aisling, as he sought to recover an ancient crystal invaluable to the meticulous art of book illustration."The Secret of Kells" is unlike most of the animation released these days. It is a throwback of sorts as the illustrations are done in stark geometric lines and design without much care for realism, as much as symbolism. The movements of these lines are reminiscent of the simplistic yet fluid animation style used at the beginning sequence of "Kung Fu Panda." However, it is the magnificent use of color that is the main source of wonderment for the audience. The reds used in the Viking invasion sequence is unforgettably haunting.Try to catch this quiet gem of a film. It is a welcome respite from all the senseless bombast of current animated fare such as "Monsters vs. Aliens" and the like. The sparse Celtic musical score is effective in evoking the sense of fantasy that imbues the film. OK, the story might be a little shallow and the ending a bit wanting. I would have liked to know more about the Book that Brendan and Aiden was working on. But the clear star of this film is clearly its amazing stylized artwork, said to be based on the artwork in the real Book of Kells.$LABEL$ 1 +WHITE CHICKS Hold on, why couldn't they have dressed as Black Chicks, oh yeah, they wouldn't look different at all. Can anyone give me one Wayans movie where they haven't dressed up as ladies? Don't Be A Menace doesn't count, Jack White and Michael Costanza ghost wrote that (the other Norton Trio members acted as Directors).In White Chicks, there's never really any jokes. It's just the Wayans acting like girls for 2 hours. There's no setups, no punchlines and no laughs. There is a lot of "I think I'm gonna play some Time Crisis 3." At least for me there was (5 times to be exact).Somebody has to tell Kenan Ivory, Damon, Marlon, Shawn, Damien (the only talented one), Kim, Rakeesha, George W., and Osama Bin Wayans to stop making movies. Its only hurting the O-Zone layer.VERDICT 1/2* out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +For comedy to work, there are many factors involved:1. Don't be afraid to take risks. 2. If anyone or anything deserves to be poked fun at, do it and continue to do it,...but most of all:3. BE FUNNY!!!!"The Chaser's War on Everything" succeeds in all those three things. In fact, the show proved to be so popular and so funny that already only months after it's first episode, a DVD of the first season was released. I picked it up within days of it being released and hit the floor laughing and had so many fu#@ing tears in my eyes- It's that well, good!In short and to save me blabbing on about the show- watch it, buy it, podcast it, whatever will make you watch the fu$#ing best show in the world!!!!!Go the CHASER!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Seeing as the world snooker championship final finished in a premature and disappointing manner with Ronnie O`Sullivan defeating Greame Dott by 18 frames to 8 BBC 2 found a gap in their schedule and so decided to broadcast A WALK ON THE MOON a movie I had absolutely no knowledge offI missed a few seconds of the title credits so had no idea Viggo Mortensen starred in it and thought possibly it might be a cheap TVM , certainly the opening with the mawkish Pearl and Marty taking their kids to a Summer camp has that sort of made for TV feel though the brightly lit ( Too brightly lit ) cinematography seemed to suggest this was a cinematic film and it wasn`t until the appearence of Viggo Mortensen as hippy guy Walker that I realised this was a cinema release , after all someone of Mortensen`s stature wouldn`t star in a TVM , I mean that`s like a legend like Robert DeNiro appearing in a straight to video film . Wait a minute , didn`t Bob .... ?Some people on this site have mentioned that Pearl and Marty are an unconvincing on-screen couple and I agree . I can understand why Pearl would be attracted to exciting hippy guy but have no idea why Walker would be attracted to plain house wife Pearl . The sixties was before my time but surely if you`ve got the choice between hippy chicks and bored house wives it`s not really a choice at all . Mind you a lot of people took LSD in those days so I guess that explains itI feel the major problem of A WALK ON THE MOON comes down to the fact it`s a romantic drama at heart ( Just like you`d expect in a TVM ) with several cloying coming of age scenes so why include a fairly explicit sex scene ? It jars with the rest of the movie and is possibly off putting to the menopuasal women who were 20 something in 1969 . I say possibly because the movie also seems to aim at a teeenage market with the coming of age scenes and those teenagers will probably be bored with the historical and social context of man walking on the moon and Woodstock . In other words A WALK ON THE MOON tries to attract many types of audience but will probably appeal to none of them$LABEL$ 0 +Even longtime Shirley fans may be surprised by "Now and Forever." The movie was filmed with Paramount studios – not with Shirley's parent company Twentieth Century Fox – in 1934, before Fox producer Darryl Zanuck had perfected the successful Shirley formula (cute songs, cold hearts for her to melt, young couples for her to play cupid to, happy endings). Thus "Now and Forever" falls into the category of a Shirley vehicle without the standard Shirley story. It is an awkward position for any movie, but this impressive, talented cast makes it work.Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard star as fun-loving, irresponsible con artists Jerry and Toni Day. The only thing that this devoted yet dysfunctional duo seems to hate more than being together is being apart. When they are suddenly landed with custody of Jerry's young daughter Penny (Shirley Temple), it is Toni – and not Penny, as many believe – who persuades Jerry to give up his criminal career. But Jerry flounders at his desk job, and desperate to prove that he can provide for his new family, he soon returns to thieving and dishonesty. In a standard Shirley device, Penny tries to melt the heart of crusty curmudgeon Felix Evans, the victim of one of Jerry's cons, but her attempt fails, for Evans is revealed to be a con artist himself, and he blackmails Jerry into helping him steal jewels. The drama, gunfight, death, and sorrow that follow all make this film a very unusual one for Little Miss Sunshine. There is no happy ending, no dancing, and only one song sequence (the cute number "The World Owes Me a Living").But this does not mean that Shirley fans should avoid "Now and Forever." Rather, it's divergence from the usual Shirley story make it more interesting and memorable than many of her other films. But beware: You should avoid colorized version of this film, and see it in black-and-white if you can. The color is bright, garish, and unrealistic, and in many scenes, Shirley's famous curls are actually red instead of blonde. Yikes!$LABEL$ 1 +I, too, found "Oppenheimer" to be a brilliant series and one of the finest offerings ever on American PBS. David Suchet was particularly effective as Edward Teller, as I recall, and the overall conception was spectacularly good. The only reason that the series doesn't rate a full 10/10 is for the low-budget production values in some areas. Actual content is absolutely first-rate in my recollection.The Oppenheimer miniseries will be released in the UK on July 31st! It will be a Region 2/PAL set, but it would seem that a Region 1/NTSC set should be soon in the offing.If you have a universal player in the US, you can order the series right now from Amazon UK.http://tinyurl.com/znyyqHuzzah!!$LABEL$ 1 +This film is stunningly beautiful. Goldsworthy's art really benefits with the medium of film because you can see the art at its most beautiful, moving and changing and blossoming. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. I can think of nothing else to say about it. It's just the kind of movie you HAVE TO see, because it's so visually compelling and left me very refreshed when I left the theatre.$LABEL$ 1 +Anthony Quinn is a master at capturing our heart and sympathy. He portrays a Romanian peasant with a below average IQ, harassed by his wife to do more. It's WWII and the Nazis have taken over his country. Soon he finds himself digging entrenchments hoping to benefit himself in his wife's eyes. The Nazis have different ideas. Through the next years we watch events unfold through his naive eyes, but all he wants to do is go home. His manipulations and ill luck just get him in further hot water. Finally, through no fault of his own, we see his picture on the cover of "Der Spiegel" as the perfect Aryan. The war ends and the allies put him on trial for war crimes. But all our peasant wants to do is return home to his wife.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the second film I've seen of Ida Lupino as a director after 53's the hitch-hiker. I think this one was a better film then that one. This one has a girl who is about to get married and she is then sexually assaulted and doesn't like everyone looking and talking about her so she runs away and and is taken in by a family. I think Leonard Maltin's review is right only to give it 2 and 1/2 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +It seems like more consideration has gone into the IMDb reviews of this film than went into the source.Here's a review without pretensions:Just when you think nothing is going to happen, it doesn't.Dress it up any way you like, this is a dull film, full of unengaging characters doing very little of interest.One to put on if you want to convince an impressionable emo chick that you're like, so deep, man.Not something to watch for your own pleasure though.Unless.You're.Pretentious.$LABEL$ 0 +A gritty look at New York City and dock workers. This is a classic film, realistic, brutal at times, always believable. It was originally shown LIVE on tv,also starring Sidney Poitier. John Cassavetes was a fantastic director and actor.$LABEL$ 1 +*review may contain spoilers*predictable, campy, bad special effects. it has a TV-movie feeling to it. the idea of the UN as being taken over by Satan is an interesting twist to the end of the world according to the bible. the premise is interesting, but its excution falls waaaay short. if you want to convert people to Christianity with a film like this, at least make it a quality one! i was seriously checking my watch while watching this piece of dreck. can't say much else about this film since i saw it over a year ago, and there isn't really much to say about this film other than.....skip it!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie tonight in a preview showing and it was fantastic. It does well in portraying issues that the average High School student is subjected to. I left the movie feeling stunned and saddened and yet grateful that this movie will have a chance to raise awareness through its audiences regarding these issues (bullying, rape, suicide and depression).Its a Fantastic Aussie Film.Go see it.Support it.Learn from it.$LABEL$ 1 +The Bone Snatcher is about a group miners who go on a search for a missing crew of miners in the Namib Desert. When the find them, they are nothing more than bones stripped clean and they could not have been dead for more than six hours. The story keeps you interested as to what exactly caused this. The characters are well enough, and the acting is pretty good.About an hour and ten minutes in when you find out what is causing the bones to be stripped clean, you sigh "oh, that is really stupid." The movie is ruined by bad writing and a non-exciting ending. Up until that point, the movie was pretty good, and it is a shame that it took such a bad turn. So I cannot recommend this movie. I gave it a 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw it tonight and fell asleep in the movie.That is something that I have not done since - I have never fallen asleep at the movies.I LOVE the original and have seen it several times and recommend it to everyone. This may have been the problem but I do not think so, because there were a couple of bright spots that showed if done right they could have made this movie work.Bette was under used and Anne was over used and miscast.I do not know why English or anyone for that matter let this go out in that condition.They billed this as a Sex in the City but better? Not a chance I liked Sex in the City a lot and was disappointed by this movie.So do not waste your money on this movie - go see anything but this!$LABEL$ 0 +While credited as a Tom and Jerry cartoon, this is not the cat-and-mouse team but an earlier Mutt-and-Jeff rip-off featuring them going to Africa and disguising themselves in the stereotypical burnt cork makeup to try to blend in. While the dialect humor is mostly lame, there is a brief musical sequence involving "black skeletons" that was entertaining. I have to ask however, how could Tom and Jerry still have their makeup stay on even after being dumped in the water a couple of times? One of many entries produced by the Van Beuren Corporation for distribution by RKO Radio Pictures before RKO made a deal with Disney. Only worth seeing if you're an animation buff or is interested in how certain ethnicities were stereotyped as entertainment way back when.$LABEL$ 0 +Snow White is in my opinion a bad movie on an artistic point of view. The plot is pretty much foreseeable, the characters are stereotypes, the editing too exaggerated. Anyway, the movie seems not to have a lot of artistic ambitions. Instead, I think this is a straight commercial thing. Including a character from the french part of Switzerland (the actor IS the leader of the band he is touring with in the movie - the band's called SENS UNIK) seems to aim to a larger audience. A straight German-swiss movie would not have sold in the french part - and vice versa. What really got on my nerves were the product placements all over the movie. Sometines scenes remembered of advertisement clips! I also think the topic of "young people taking drugs without any other targets in their lives" is a wide spread reality in Zurich. Therefore, it should be elaborated with more care. I hope Samir got enough money with Snow White, in order that his next movie is gonna show his true artistic skills.$LABEL$ 0 +What is left of Planet Earth is populated by a few poor and starving rag-tag survivors. They must eat bugs and insects, or whatever, after a poison war, or something, has nearly wiped out all human civilization. In these dark times, one of the few people on Earth still able to live in comfort, we will call him the All Knowing Big Boss, has a great quest to prevent some secret spore seeds from being released into the air. It seems that the All Knowing Big Boss is the last person on Earth that knows that these spores even exist. The spores are located far away from any living soul, and they are highly protected by many layers of deadly defense systems. The All Knowing Big Boss wants the secret spores to remain in their secret protected containers. So, he makes a plan to send in a macho action team to remove the spore containers from all of the protective systems and secret location. Sending people to the location of secret spores makes them no longer a secret. Sending people to disable all of the protective systems makes it possible for the spores to be easily released into the air. How about letting sleeping dogs lie?! The one pleasant feature of ENCRYPT is the radiant and elegant Vivian Wu. As the unremarkable macho action team members drop off with mechanically paced predictable timing, engaging Vivian Wu's charm makes acceptable the plot idea of her old employer wanting her so much. She is an object of love, an object of desire -- a very believable concept!Fans of Vivian Wu may want to check out an outstanding B-movie she is in from a couple years back called DINNER RUSH. DINNER RUSH is highly recommended. ENCRYPT is not.$LABEL$ 0 +Hayao Miyazaki's magic continues with this absolute crowd pleaser Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, his latest animated film, which turns on the usual sweetness to charm your socks off. I thought that the trailer featured its song which was quietly hypnotic, and I didn't have to wait for an invite to make sure I got my ticket for the sneak preview of the movie, scheduled to open here next week.For fans of Studio Ghibli films, you'll probably know what you're in for, as Miyazaki has yet another winner in his filmography, that will win new fans over. I'm embarrassed to say the least that I've so far watched only My Neighbour Totoro (eyes that pile of Ghibli DVDs) and love it to bits, but I guess this would serve as a final push for me not to continue missing what would likely be animated films that I would enjoy.Ponyo (voiced by Nara Yuria) is a magic goldfish that yearns to know what is life beyond the sea, with her constant forays in a bubble to the surface of the water to sneak a peek. Nonetheless these ambitions do not bode well with her humanoid dad Fujimoto (Tokoro Joji), who harbours some hatred toward the human race for pollution, and briefly touching a subplot on environmental protection / revenge by Mother Nature as well. An accident one day sees Ponyo being washed ashore, and picked up by five year old boy Sosuke (Doi Hiroki) who lives on a house on the said cliff with his mother Lisa (Yamaguchi Tomoko), while dad Koichi (Nagashima Kazushige) is mostly out to sea since he's a sailor. And you can expect some moments of throwback to the likes of The Little Mermaid, or Splash made for kids. Saying anything more would be to spoil the fun.The artwork here is still simply astounding even though it's in 2D glory, knowing that each cell is painstakingly worked on. There are so many things going on at the same time within the same frame, that you'll probably be game for repeated viewings just to spot them all. This definitely beats any 3D or CG animated production any day given its beauty coming from its simplicity, and not only from the artwork department, but on its story too, despite complaints coming in that it took a leaf from the Hans Christian Andersen classic. While there are avenues to make this film extremely dark, it only suggested certain dark themes, but opted instead for a film with more positive emotions, suitable for both kids and adults alike.At its core, its about love, that between the family members of Koichi, Lisa and Sosuke, and especially between mother and son. More so, it's about the love between the boy and his new pet fish which he christened Ponyo, and I tell you Ponyo herself has enough cuteness in her to beat the likes of Bolt, WallE and Eve all hands down. Characterization here is top notch, and it's hard not to fall in love with Ponyo, in whichever form adopted, especially when she's such a playful being who doesn't hide her emotions - if she's upset with you, either she turns away or you could expect a jet stream come spewing from her mouth into your face!Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a definite shoo-in to my top films of this year without hesitation. And the next time I go to Tokyo, I'm sure as hell going to make my way to the Ghibli Museum to bask under the magical world brought to us by Hayao Miyazaki. Highly recommended film, so don't you go missing this on the big screen!$LABEL$ 1 +Michael Dudikoff stars as Joe Armstrong a martial artist who fights ninjas who are stealing weapons from the U.S Army, in this entertaining yet admittedly brainless martial arts actioner, which is hampered by too many long pauses without action, but helped by some high energy action setpieces as well as Steve James' performance.$LABEL$ 0 +Masayuki Suo, who directed this fine film, is on a role. After the decent "Fancy Dance" and the classic (in Japan, anyway) college-sumo comedy "Shiko Funjatta", Suo has followed his own huge footsteps with a smashing success.The story is engaging. We both laugh often (Naoto Takenaka is hilarious, as he is in Suo's two previous films) and really root for the characters. But to me the big bonus is the look this movie gives the viewer into Japanese society - real life in Japan. Suo has a knack for showing real-life activities with entertaining flair. The result is a movie that will pull you in, make you laugh, make you think, and both entertain you and give you insight into today's Japan.Also look for the the main 8 actors from Shiko Funjatta, as they all appear again in various roles, from supporting characters (Takenaka) to short cameos (many).$LABEL$ 1 +The synopsis of this movie led me to believe that it would be a story of an unconventional woman challenging the conventions of the society in with she lives. I like strong female characters and expected a movie much along the lines of "Chocolat" with a less fairy tale and more bite. What I got was a cast of despicable characters.For a character-driven movie to be effective, I need to feel a connection or compassion for the people. There was no one with whom I could relate in the movie. Grazia (Golino, whose work I admired in "Rain Man") portrays a mentally ill, probably bipolar, female that is often rude, aggressive and violent. Her husband bickers and yells, when he is not hitting or slapping someone. The children are rude brats. They yell at each other and the females in the movie. They attack other children with no provocation. Violence begets violence. This seems to be an island of unfeeling, aggressive, violent and rude people all the way around.The direction is not compelling. There are intermixed scenes that attempt to be art, but instead bore the viewer. The location is exceptionally gorgeous, but even that fails to be captured to the degree that it could be on film.I would have to recommend that you stay away from this failure of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film without knowing much about it at all. The split screen device was immediately irritating, and things didn't improve for me after the title sequence had finished. The plot, characters and dialogue were all extremely cliched - poor guy from abusive family gets thrown out of home, wants to get out of his 'lot', reinvents himself, changes his voice, dresses in others' clothes, is adopted by a gay man who he proceeds to disgard on his way up to becoming part of an international set of drug taking British aristocrats.The estate of Patricia Highsmith (talented mr ripley) should be suing the makers of this film. The triple screen to me, together with the over 120 min duration, emphasises the almost non existent editing. Can't decide which image works and is the most powerful, why not show three and hope you get it right with one of them. This gimmick removed any connection or interest I had with any of the characters. Important dialogue was repeated 3 times across each screen, as if to say 'this is an important / moving / deep moment, ok!'.Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't usually write a comment when there are so many others but this time I feel I have to. I have spoken of taste in another review, saying it's all in the eye of the beholder but when it comes to this film, if you like it, it simply means you have bad taste.I love films. I loved "Isle of the Dead" which is pretty much an unknown B&W film. I even liked "Scream" and "Scary Movie" I liked these films because they have, if not a lot, at least something good about them. I appreciate 99.9% of the films I've seen because they tell a story which I haven't heard before, and most directors only make films with a good storyline. Throughout this film I was thinking "Where is this going?" (even near the end) "Where did they get these awful actors from"? "Was that supposed to be a joke?" and suchlike. With the obvious twist looming I was sceptical, but hoped it would perhaps "make" the film and prove I hadn't wasted my time. I was sadly mistaken. The storyline was bad to begin with and the twist actually ruined any glimmer of hope there was. Here's a rundown: Storyline – much like the first film, which was alright, this one is slow and sparse with no audience relation to the characters or the situations. The situations are cringeworthy and shallow and completely boring and predictable. The twist was terrible, it didn't make me feel a thing, like excitement or WOW. Just "My GOD." There was nothing in the bulk of the film that you could look back to and think "Oooo wasn't that clever" because it wasn't. In "Fight Club" there are flashbacks at the end showing bits where Tyler's true identity was cryptically shown, and when you watched it again you saw more, it really was a work of genius, how it was written, laid out and directed. This was a meaningless attempt at an awesome twist. I think it was "wild things" that had like a pretty poor double twist and I still liked the film because the rest was OK and it wasn't trying too hard to be a big twist. Its like the CI2 writer thought it was gonna be the best twist ever. But really, its just a bad story with a bad twist dumped on the end. The film ended almost immediately afterward, with the whole film void by Sebastian's whole story build up meaning nothing and a horrible half forced, paedophilic ending with a particularly young and innocent acting girl. Acting – the actors in this film are appalling. Almost as bad a "Sunset Beach." - Extremely corny and badly performed. It's not even so bad it's good like "Hunk". The worst acting I thought came from Amy Adams who played Kathryn, it was a rigid, pathetic and badly thought out performance by her. Robin Dunne was also poor. I haven't seen "American Psycho II" yet, but no doubt his laid back "cool" style has ruined that film also.I can't even say it is a good film for teens, as its not. If my son or daughter liked this film I'd be ashamed. But they wouldn't anyway, as they would take into consideration all the things that make a good film, which this film has none of. Really. I'm disappointed that some have said "you might not be in the age bracket for this film, and so dislike it" I like all the films now that I liked as a teen and had very good taste. Also, do you really think that when you reach 20+ you suddenly don't like any teenish story lines? No. I liked "Mean Girls" and other generic teen films, and watch "Beverly Hills 90210" all the time. There's no excuse for poor directing, acting and screenplay I'm afraid. Besides, I was 16/17 when I first watched it. If anything, being older just makes you a better judge of a terrible film. I can't believe anyone can give it 10/10 either, one of my favourite films is "Memento" and I gave it 9 as I know there can be better. It is a shame for this site that people do that, give 10s flippantly, or don't get the films/show, and so give it 2.Anyone who liked this film really should vary their taste, and perhaps their lives, and with this realise that this is the worst film EVER made. (worse than "Loch Ness")If you aren't a teenager with bad taste, or simply don't have bad taste you will absolutely hate this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had the potential to be really good, considering some of the plot elements are borrowed from the sci-fi actioner THE HIDDEN. And Dolph always lends some cheesy appeal to his roles. But someone somewhere really dropped the ball on this one.Dolph plays a butt-kicking monk (!) who travels to New York to retrieve a key that unlocks a door beneath his monastery that has imprisoned the antichrist for 2000 years. He must battle the minion, who is a spirit that jumps from body to body much like THE HIDDEN and JASON GOES TO HELL. The minion, naturally, wants the key so it can let the antichrist out. Along for the ride is an annoying female archaeologist and together she and Dolph are chased by the minion-possessed bodies.If I'm making this sound entertaining, forget it. The pacing is very awkward and sluggish, the acting subpar at best, and the fight scenes staged poorly. Dolph sleepwalks through his role and spouts some of the worst dialogue of his career.The cheese factor really picks up at the end when the minion battles an army of machine-gun wielding monks at the monastery, but the rest of this flick is a snoozefest.Too bad, I really wanted to like this.$LABEL$ 0 +Barbra Streisand's first television special was simply fantastic! From her skit as a child to her medley of songs in a high-fashion department store -- everything was top-notch! It was easy to understand how this special received awards.Not muddled down by guest appearances, the focus remained on Barbra thoughout the entire production.$LABEL$ 1 +The promotions for "Clubbed" project a slick looking film based around the clubbing scene of the 1980's. What we end up with is a film with identity issues. The sub-plots end up taking over from what viewers would assume to be the main plot, so the focus on this film being mainly about "clubbing" ends up being left in the gutter.Boxing, depression, self-loathing, gangsters, bouncers and drug-deals, are all hastily crammed into 90 odd minutes. On no less than 4 occasions I had to check the run-time of the film, as the worry grew that this film was bound to disappoint.What club scenes we do see are bland and repetitive, featuring approximately 3 extras dancing in what is barely recognisable as a "club", hardly capturing the vibe of the day.If you're looking for a film about the 80's club scene, something along the lines of what "Human Traffic" did for the late 90's, forget "Clubbed".$LABEL$ 0 +I can't get this flick off my brain. It's definitely totally different than anything that's out there. I've seen a ton of movies over the holidays and while some are okay nothing really rocked my world the way BlindSpot did. There is just something way cool about the actors and the way that they put the film together. It's like there is really scary stuff mixed with with some pretty f****ing hilarious black humour. Franco is great but the older rough dude steals the show in a few scenes, like when he punches the kid out in the dirt grave. I guess some politically correctos won't appreciate the vibe (don't bring your grandma) but it is totally awesome. The thing that's best is the kaliedescope style. There is some really serious stuff mixed with super interesting footage of the road. The movie really makes you sad and scared in parts but it also spins your head with what is happening and the way it is filmed. WTF is up with the world? Sooo many critics are raving about all these supposedly revolutionary ground-breaking films and when you see them they're boring and predictable and not-all-that. I don't get it because there are a lot of other better choices. Blind Spot is really kinda great because it gives you thrills and chills and major upcoming star power but does it in a way that is completely fresh and definitely totally rad.$LABEL$ 1 +I am surprised at IMDb's low rating of this movie. With all due respect, its low rating is representative of the IQ level of those who rated it so poor. They would rather see a movie with cheap thrills, a bigger budget, and more gore.The first misconception by people is that this is a horror film. It is not, nor does the film mislead you into believing it is one. It is a psychological thriller. It is for people who actually want an intellectual experience when watching a movie. Reel.com's review is the perfect example of how I feel about this movie. All the other negative reviews doesn't make much sense. It's almost as if trying to make an original movie for a change- very rare these days- is something bad and not worth it.I will reveal some spoilers for the morons who said it was boring and didn't make sense. Martha was brainwashing herself and performing experiments on herself to be a caring mother while she really was an evil Nazi who would kill without warning. The evidence is all in the pudding and the fact that at first viewing, we sympathize with this cold-blooded monster for the duration of the movie is a testament to the film's direction and writing.I definitely feel that this movie should at least be rated in the 6's range on originality alone. I recommend this movie for the people on the other end of the IQ scale- aka smart people- since this movie is obviously being butchered by those who would rather watch Scream or Freddy's Nightmare.Kudos to the acting as well. For such a low budget film, you are amazed that this movie didn't hit your local cinema with the great direction, writing, and acting. Please don't be fooled by the rating by IMDb. This movie is worth it. I actually recommend buying the film since a first viewing on a rent will not do this justice.$LABEL$ 1 +A humorous voyage into the normally somber funeral business. It's easy watching, and even offers Blethyn & Molina stealing a scene from an old Fred & Ginger movie. Walken is over the top as a zealous competitor of Molina in the undertaking business, trying to bring a new style to an old Welsh town. We see a couple of very funny examples of the "new style". The plot thickens with Pugh having an affair with Watts, and her suggesting that they do Blethyn in. Meanwhile Molina has rekindled his long suffering romantic feeling for Blethyn, and convinces her to fake her death so that they can run away to the South Seas, and dance away their days together. During the "fake" funeral Blethyn learns of her husbands' infidelities and plots her revenge. Watch it for a view of what funerals probably should be--a celebration of life!$LABEL$ 1 +Man's Castle is set in one of those jerry built settlements on vacant land and parks that during these times were called 'Hoovervilles' named after our unfortunate 31st president who got stuck with The Great Depression occurring in his administration. The proposition of this film is that a man's home is still his castle even when it's just a shack in a Hooverville.Spencer Tracy has such a shack and truth be told this guy even in good times would not be working all that much. But in a part very typical for Tracy before he was cast as a priest in San Francisco, the start of a slew of classic roles, he's playing a tough good natured mug who takes in Loretta Young.One of the things about Man's Castle is that it shows the effects of the Depression on women as well as men. Women had some additional strains put on them, if men had trouble finding work, women had it twice as hard. And they were sexually harassed and some resorted to prostitution just for a square meal. Spence takes Loretta Young in who's facing those kind of problems and makes no demands on her in his castle. Pretty soon though they're in love, though Tracy is not the kind to settle down.The love scenes had some extra zing to them because Tracy and Young were having a torrid affair during the shooting of Man's Castle. And both were Catholic and married and in those days that was an insuperable barrier to marriage. Both Tracy and Young took the Catholic faith quite seriously.Also in the cast are Walter Connolly as a kind of father figure for the whole camp, Marjorie Rambeau who's been through all the pitfalls Young might encounter and tries to steer her clear and Arthur Hohl, a really loathsome creep who has his eye on Young as well. Hohl brings the plot of Man's Castle to its climax through his scheming. Man's Castle is grim look at the Great Depression, not the usual movie escapist fare for those trying to avoid that kind of reality in their entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +Janeane Garofalo has been very public in her displeasure about this film, calling it, among other things, anti-feminist. She has also said on her radio show she hates making "romantic comedies" because she doesn't believe in them. I wholeheartedly agree with Janeane here. This film is a trifle at best. She does her best, but overall, it was just another boring, unbelievable "romantic comedy" that has no basis in the real world. Whereas there will be some who will say "suspend your disbelief", one grows tired of having to suspend it nearly every time you get a romantic film from Hollywood. Janeane's character, for some reason, is usually filmed in shadows and darkness, which makes her look unattractive, while Uma's character is filmed in lighter tones (which probably displeased Janeane and is probably one of the reasons she detests this film). That really hurts the film if we are to buy the premise that Janeane is supposed to be the better looking of the two. As many have said here and on other comment threads, Janeane is not ugly, but in fact, quite beautiful. I haven't read one review where someone said Uma was better looking. Having said that though, I believe that Ben Chaplin's character would more than likely stay with Uma, not Janeane. Many men don't like really intelligent women (and many women don't like really intelligent men), and sadly, Ben probably would have stayed with Uma. And despite the director's attempt to make Janeane unattractive, it doesn't work. Her natural beauty comes through anyway.I think a lot of Janeane's male fans who are obsessed with her like this film because they like to think of themselves in the Ben Chaplin character, and actually scoring with Janeane. Janeane is a lot more complicated than the character she plays here (real life is always much more complex than Hollywood can imagine), so take a cold shower gentlemen. This is the role that Janeane is best known for, and that's a shame, as this really isn't that good of a film.$LABEL$ 0 +This film really deserves more recognition than its getting. It really is a stunning and rich portrayal of blood ties, favours and allegiances within the crime world. The film is shot beautifully and delves into all you're classic crime themes such as betrayal and power. This film is a movie goers film, it requires attention and understanding and rewards fully in the end. It is the godfather of hong kong and is a welcome change rather than another wire frame fighting, martial arts epic which seems to be the major contribution to the cinema world from hong kong and china. It features an arrangement of great characters, actors and development although is fair to say I had to watch it twice just to nail what was happening with some of the characters due to their being so many interactions in the film. ALl in all 8/10 Great plot characters but there are characters that don't stand out enough and the music didn't really get me going and at times i felt it didn't sync well with the action(there is action by the way) so it loses some points for that.$LABEL$ 1 +While there aren't any talking animals, big lavish song production numbers, or villians with half white / half black hair ... it does have 1 thing ... realistic people acting normally in a strange circumstance, and Walt & Roy did in their eras with the studio. If you thought think "The Castaways" or "The Island At The Top Of The World" weren't identical, or you hold them to a higher authority than Atlantis, then your idealism is just as whacked as keeping your kids up till midnight to watch a friggin' cartoon.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know what that other guy was thinking. The fact that this movie was independently made makes it no less terrible. You can be as big a believer as you want... the majority of this film is mindless drivel. I feel i have been insulted by having to watch the first 40 minutes of it. And that alone was no small feat. Not only is the acting terrible, but the plot is never even close to developed. There are countless holes in the story, to the point where you can hardly even call it a story anymore. I've never read the book, so I can't critique on that, but this is the first review that I've written here and it's purpose is solely to save all you viewers out there an hour and a half of your life. I can't remember the last time I couldn't even finish watching a movie. This one really takes the cake.$LABEL$ 0 +I am so excited that Greek is back! This season looks really eventful. Im glad that Casey is trying to get serious about school but is still involved in the sorority. Its really funny that she wants to go into politics & that they're highlighting her 'scheming talent.' I loved Calvin's new haircut! It makes him look more mature. They should shave Cappy's head, as well. All the guys are hot but Calvin is definitely the hottest! I cant wait to see more of him! I'm especially interested in what happens between Calvin, Adam, & Rusty! I also love Rebecca. She's really pretty. I actually think that Rebecca & Calvin should hook up. go for it, Calvin! Join my team!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm from Belgium and therefore my English writing is rather poor, sorry for that...This is one of those little known movies that plays only once on TV and than seems to vanishes into thin air. I was browsing through my old VHS Video collection and came across this title, I looked it up and it had an IMDb score of more than 7/10, that's pretty decent.I must admit that it's a very well put together movie and that's why I'm puzzled. This is the only film made by this director...? How come he didn't make lots of films after this rather good one...? Someone with so much potential should be forced to make another movie, ha ha ;-) Anyway, I really would like to see that he pulls his act together and makes another good movie like this one, please.....?$LABEL$ 1 +If you watched this film for the nudity (as I did) you won't be disappointed. I could have done without the bumbling crooks or the bear though. Some bottomless nudity could have be shown but for what it was I think H.O.T.S. has to be the best of its genre.It is not the sort of film that could have been made today which is a pity because it is the sort of film that is worth watching in these times.I would take mindless nudity over pivotal plot points any day.It is a shame that the DVD doesn't have any extras but as they didn't have DVDs when this was filmed that is understandable. I would have like to know more about the shooting of the film especially where they shot the football match at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +McConaughey in a horror/thriller? I had to see this. I was pleasantly surprised.The plot is told in flashback mode, and it concerns an otherwise normal and happy family of three going through a very bizarre predicament. I can't say much more without spoiling the whole movie, sorry. Just know that if you decide to watch it, you'll be, in the very least, surprised.All the main players are very good. Bill Paxton did a great job directing those kids, and his acting is awesome. McConaughey's acting is solid throughout and fits the bill perfectly.This movie challenges you to think. Is Dad crazy? Is there a God? Do Demons exist? How far would you go to right a wrong. And what is "right" anyway? I'm still thinking.And thus I recommend "Frailty". 7/10 and this is one of those movies that deserves and rewards a second, or even third viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +There are several things wrong with this movie- Brenda Song's character being one of them. I do not believe that the girl is a lousy actor- I honestly don't. I believe she is given poor lines. She is just supposed to be, "that vain, rich girl", and while it is funny in the TV shows she plays in, it can't even get a dry laugh from me here.Either way, I really should have known what to expect when I sat down to watch this film.The movie was not that terrible...initially. Wendy's reaction to Shen was completely natural. I mean, how would you feel if a man, claiming to be a reincarnated monk, chased you around commanding you to wear a medallion and insisting that you were needed to fight "the great evil" and save the world? Which brings me to another point. I know this movie is entirely fiction, but it is still has a founding in Chinese culture. It seems like all of the "warriors" in Wendy's family line were women. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt that the monks would've just been okay with that. Sure, maybe they could've worked it in somehow, but they offered no explanation whatsoever. By doing so, they just contributed to the many cheesy attempts at female empowerment made by Hollywood and the media.Nevermind that, however- let us continue.Wendy's character becomes more unbearable as the film go on. Yes, she is a teenager, and it is near homecoming- I mean, who wants to fight evil during homecoming? The problem is, when "the evil" starts to manifest himself, Wendy does not seem as freaked out as she should be. She is extremely careless- even for someone like her. She continues not to care about her training. I will use this conversation as an example, Shen: "If you do not win this battle, evil will take over, and everything good will be gone." Wendy: "Whoa, talk about pressure. Well...let's talk about something else." Yes, let's Wendy. Let's also go dancing when you should rightfully be training. Of course Shen lets her, but his character has an excuse. Better that he cooperate with her, than that he not, and she not train at all, and get them both killed.Oh, speaking of which. Shen also told Wendy that it was his destiny for him to die for her in battle, as he had for her great-grandmother (I am assuming that part).This makes Wendy's actions more unforgivable.As the script-writer would have it, Wendy's homecoming and this "great battle" are on exactly the same day. Do you know what Wendy does? Do you even have to guess? Yes, she does end up going to the battle, for when she tries to leave for homecoming, the monks, (who Shen had trapped in the body of her coach and teachers because she "felt weird fighting an old man") inform her that Shen has gone to battle alone, so she goes to save him.We initially see some half-decent fighting, that is actually entertaining. Until finally, the great evil comes out of Wendy's rival-for-homecoming's body, and creates the actual embodiment of himself out of the broken pieces of the bodies of his ancient warriors.Don't ask.Anyway, Wendy gets all "panicky." Then Shen goes and defends her from this guy- forgive me for forgetting his long Chinese name- and manages to get himself killed.Wendy catches Shen as he makes his long descent from being thrust uncomfortably high into the air.She screams title of said article out.Now...it was bad enough that Wendy became powerful far, far too fast. No, I will not let it be excused because it was her "destiny" and she had "the power within" her.Since when, though, did she learn healing? No, worst...since when could she resurrect people? So Shen is raised from the dead. Then, Wendy and he fight the guy.He loses way to easily. The worst part, is when they jump together, and kick him at the same time, and he is banished forever. Then the monks commend Wendy on her sacrifice.Two things, #1: Don't the script writer and director know a battle needs a little more "finesse" to it? #2: What sacrifice? The fact that she didn't go to homecoming? Because the girl did not break a sweat, or even bleed. I mean, come on now, this movie was TV PG, I wanted to see somebody get hurt.Ah-hem...moving on.I know it sounds like maybe I should have given the movie a one, based on my comments. Part of critique, you must know, though, is breaking a thing down. You don't necessarily try to look for the bad, but if it's there, you bring attention to it. This movie has a lot of bad, but something funny happens when you never really expect something to be all too great in the first place.So, I suppose it was all right. Not that me not saying it wasn't all right would've stopped anybody from watching it.$LABEL$ 0 +I liked this a lot. The camera angles are cool, it's not all jumpy like a Blair Witch. And I thought they did a great job with the Sound when we see things from Kane's point of view. Lots of fun. Plenty of people were shouting at the screen! Kane did a great job with his various psycho emotions. He's a lot less one-dimensional than most horror heroes.Kane is a lot less scary and more believable than most movie psychos. It was not clear to me how he would react to various situations. There are not many twists here, but it is clever and original in it's own way. Good, creepy, B-movie slasher fare.$LABEL$ 1 +It was a decent movie, I actually kind of enjoyed it. But the ending is so abrupt!! There is absolutely no closure and it leaves tons of loose ends. What happens after the concert? What happens with her boyfriend? Does she hook up with Grant? Does she come beck in the next semester? And what about Angela? Obviously Holly's performance would knock Angela down a few pegs, but nothing is shown to indicate how she reacts. There is so much left up in the air and it's very unsatisfying. I don't know if it is trying to leave room for a sequel or something, but it is a terrible ending and I think that it really makes the movie a joke. I was very disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great horror film for people who don't want all that vomit-retching gore and sensationalism. This movie has equal amounts of horror, suspense, humor, and even a little light nudity, but nothing big. Linnea Quigley isn't over the top as she was in "Return of the Living Dead" where she danced naked on a crypt, but she is still essentially the same slutty character. Cathy Podewell is a virginal and chaste character before going on to "Dallas," and we are also introduced to Amelia [soon Mimi] Kinkade,the sexy and sinister would-be dark matron of the house. As she and Linnea are possessed and take over the house, they reanimate the bodies of their dead friends to scare the limits out of the survivors. I've heard a lot of people compare this movie to "The Evil Dead," but if anything, this movie is a rival to that one the same way Freddie rivaled Jason.This movie series though is far superior to that one !$LABEL$ 1 +i was looking forward to this, and to be honest there were some bright spots, but it would have worked better if it had concentrated on one story rather than shooting all over the world. The many dogs were a lot of fun but i got bored of the wine fascists pompously whining (;-)) on about their achievements.I felt it would have worked better as an hour long TV documentary, concentrating on one of the many different issues it explored. The most interesting being the french town near montpelier fighting off a an American wine company's campaign to get rid of the historic forests. A socialist mayor agreed to a deal, a nicely timed election arrived, and a communist mayor was elected, who turned it down, much to the exasperation of the American wine execs...hopefully the director's cut will be shorter than the original..$LABEL$ 0 +When I rented this movie I thought I was going to see a horror-movie. However, there is little horror in this typical seventies mystery-drama directed by strange James T. Flocker. Nice-looking Matt Boston carries the picture with his fine performance and the typical strange atmosphere of Flocker's movies is all-present.$LABEL$ 1 +What about Scream Baby Scream is supposed to make me not feel like a fool for buying it? I bought it because, God help me, I'm a sucker for old B-cinema even as worthless as this. Nonetheless, Something about this movie irritates me, it's probably Janet, Janet comes off cold & snooty, seemingly, with the intention of coming off as deep and noble, with a look on her face that screams constipation, she can't seem to agree to anything her uptight boyfriend wants. I'm glad that this is her only role. What really irritates me is that this is a 1960's gore film gone terribly awry, and as we all know, awry is Floridian for "zero gore". It's like the director started with a Herschell Lewis style but backed out of the gore scenes when his wife found out, so instead we end up with one dull conversation after the other, and basically, a whole lot of irritating nothing. In other words, we end up with Florida Bore. Joseph Adler should be embarrassed. Janets boyfriend, Jason is almost as ridiculous as she is, this guy has something negative to say about absolutely everything, come to think of it, he's probably the least likable good guy in horror history. The only thing this movie really has going for it is that it carries that 60's/early 70's B-gore vibe that you can find in stuff like Undertaker & his pals, Blood Freak, or most anything from Herschell Lewis. Even Rodney from the Gruesome Twosome is in this, I Ithought his caveman comedy routine was irritating, most everything from reel to reel is stupid, even the trip scene was stupid. The only positive thing at all is the small amount of beach scenery, but that mostly includes Janet whining about life not being perfect. In the only real ironic twist, Scream Baby Scream gets even less interesting once the story finally gets started, around the 45 minute mark. If you happen to be indifferent to whether or not your entertainment is watchable, but are offended by the color red, you might not hate this. Why does Troma distribute this? Wouldn't this be Something Weird Video's area? Scream Baby Scream very well may be the worst in Florida horror/gore of its era, but, I suppose, underneath the unlikeable characters, and the incoherent plot, lies potential. Scream, Baby, Scream really just seems like it should follow the Blood Feast pattern, so, to steal a quote from Janet, "If it doesn't fit, I throw it out". 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +I recently viewed a copy of this (under the title 'Eaten Alive') Talk about dreadful! Any movie Ed Wood ever put out looks like Oscar material compared to this laughable tosh. To be fair a couple of lines from the script will live long in the memory such as "These people (Cannibals) don't buy frozen meat from a supermarket like us, they get it fresh everyday from folk like you or me" Classic! The mad 'Jonesville' type leader out in the jungle was the best character in the film, he really did look like a nutter. I think he was the only actor not to be dubbed in (badly), if these Italians must have American characters in their films why dont they get Americans to dub in the dialogue instead of English people trying their best to sound like Annie Oakley. I'll give this 3 out of 10, I'll give it three because it really is funnier than most comedies out these days.$LABEL$ 0 +The photography is accomplished, the acting is quite good, but in virtually every other department The Greek Tycoon is a dreary bore. Taking its inspiration from the real-life love affair of Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis, the film is a glossy but absolutely empty soap opera of the kind that can be found on TV all day long. Viewers who embrace the whole "celebrity magazine culture" (paparazzi photographs and gossipy stories about the rich and famous) will undoubtedly find much to whet their appetite here. But those who prefer films with a bit more substance and craft and quirkiness will find the 107 minute running time a butt-numbing slog.American president James Cassidy (James Franciscus) and his beautiful wife Liz (Jacqueline Bisset) are in Greece on official business. A ridiculously wealthy Greek shipping tycoon, Theo Tomasis (Anthony Quinn), catches sight of Liz at a party at his elegant manor. Despite the fact that both of them are married to someone else, there is an immediate attraction between them. Later, at a private party aboard his yacht, Tomasis makes his desires known to Liz. Some while later, President Cassidy is assassinated whilst out strolling on a beach. Liz is shocked and saddened by his death, but it isn't long before she seeks comfort in the arms of her Greek lover Tomasis. Eventually the two of them are married and their love affair becomes a favourite talking point for the world's newspapers, magazines, photographers and wags.It is somewhat amusing to note the vigour with which the producers of this film denied that it was a dramatisation of the Kennedy-Onassis story. They wanted the film to be seen as an original story, rooted in fiction. But anyone with a brain can see from where the movie is drawing its inspiration. Even Aristotle Onassis himself knew The Greek Tycoon amounted to his love-life getting the Hollywood treatment (if rumours are to be believed, he actually had a hand in approving Anthony Quinn for the Tomasis role!) J. Lee-Thompson isn't really the right sort of director for this type of movie – he's better suited to action fodder like The Guns Of Navarone and Ice Cold In Alex – but he marshals the proceedings with an uninspired, professional adequacy. Quinn is very watchable as Tomasis; Bisset looks lovely as the object of his desires; Franciscus uses his toothy smile and a façade of integrity to make for a believable politician. Their performances are good on the surface, but there's little for the actors to do on any deeper level. Similarly, Tony Richmond's photography gives the film an elegant surface sheen as it moves from one exotic locale to the next, but the merest of scratches proves that there's nothing behind the film's glossy exterior.$LABEL$ 0 +Living in Edinburgh, and have a great thirst for history, I was very put off by the "libertys" taken. Wrong breed of dog for a start!! Bobbys owner Old Jock was an old single man, who came to Edinburgh and died a pauper in lodgings, not like in the film at all. For anyone coming to Edinburgh and hoping to see sights of the film,you will not find the graveyard in Princes St Gardens!! There were a few moments were a tissues would have been great. The actors were fantastic at padding out a rather flimsy script. I don't feel the poor wee Bobby actually got enough screen time, possibly due to being "lost" at one point. All that said, the film was fine and any 8 yr old will enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +ONE DARK NIGHT is a highly overlooked and little known film from the early 80's that deserves an audience that I fear it will never get, and that's a damn shame. I have seen this film compared to others that have gotten a bigger name over the years, most notably PHANTASM, HELL NIGHT and MAUSOLEUM. This is a much different film than those and I don't see the comparisons other than the mausoleum, which is a bit similar to the one in PHANTASM, but not enough to make any real comparisons. I'm not sure how this one slipped through without a broader acceptance. Maybe it's all in the marketing, I don't know. Perhaps a remake would breathe new life into it, unless Raymar drained all the life out of it that is. I'm not too big on all the remakes that are abundant these days, but I think they do work well with lesser known films (except for the awful GHOST SHIP remake, which other than the opening scene and Mudvayne's Not Falling blaring, was utter crap). So if a remake of ONE DARK NIGHT would happen to fall into the right hands, I think it would make a lot of people go and watch the original. I know that's what I do if there's a remake of a film I haven't seen before. So anything short of a remake, I fear, would not bring this film back to life. Unless, of course, Raymar got his eyes on it.Anyways, ONE DARK NIGHT is a must see for horror fans, especially 80's horror fans ('cause we all know that's when the best horror movies were made). Creepy setting. Fairly good acting. Very good story. Campy. What more could you want from an early 80's horror film? What's that... nudity and gore? Well, sorry. No nudity or gore in this film, but it's still great nonetheless! A solid 8 out of 10. Enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +After a quasi-Gothic, all-fruity music video, the movie starts with Cassidy the lead singer killing herself. In a perfect world that would be that and the end credits would roll. We don't live n that world. The insipid band members decide to go to some clown to contact her dead essence. When I say clown, I mean actual clown. He tell them they're all going to die via Cassidy's ghost (the spirit possesses Dora, one of the band-mates) We couldn't care less as the characters are all boring, vapid, and extremely horribly acted. Written by Adam Hackbarth (an incredibly apropos surname if there ever was one), and directed by Corbin Timbrook (who after The attendant, and Tower of blood, HAS to know that he keeps making crap for a living), this movie s a constant battle between the film's incompetence and the viewer's need to stay awake. Not enough blood to appease gore-hounds, nor enough nudity to satisfy pervs. This movie in fact has absolutely nothing to recommend to absolutely anyone.My Grade: F Eye Candy: Amanda Carraway gets topless Where i saw it: Starz on Demand$LABEL$ 0 +If you love drive-in cheeze from the early '70s you will just love this one.How could you go wrong with a low budget film about bloodshed in a lunatic asylum? You can't! Crazy folks and sharp objects are always an entertaining combination.The film looks like it was shot inside someone's house for about $320.65. For me that just ads to the fun of watching this type of stuff.The gore is a bit mild compared to others of this ilk,but there is enough to keep us bloodthirsty sickos (like myself)happy.Some horror films drag in parts and leave you waiting for something to happen.That's not the case here.The characters are entertaining enough to make every frame quite enjoyable.There is never a dull moment from start to finish.The mind melting climax at the end that is just unbelievable. I liked it so much that right after the end credits I watched it a second time.It's an absolute must see for any self respecting drive-in horror nut.9.5/10 on the Drive-in-Freak-O-Meter...required viewingYea I love you..I DO love you...now take your Thorazine and put your clothes back on...please....8)$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is about a very delicate argument and if you are searching for something that makes you think here you are right. Tim Robbins has made a wonderful job and the result is a kind of docu-drama that should be shown in schools (for the strong themes treated). What about the actors? Well, they are simply great; Susan Sarandon is truly 'the face of love' and Sean Penn is unbelievable as almost always. An absolutely must-see!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was made by Daiei Studios, known for its Gamera movies. It is about a samurai lord who was murdered by one of his own men. He claims his throne, forcing his former's two children to flee into the woods, where they hide near a huge stone statue for 10 years. In those time that passed, the new samurai lord has proved to be very brutal and ruthless towards the village people and the valley. Therefore, it seems that the good people's only hope is the stone statue, which is where a demon god sleeps; they want the god to help them. This samurai movie brings to us traditional Japanese aspects including sword-fights, geisha and worshipers. It is a superb and powerful story of survival and hope, with the protagonists attempting to triumph over pure evil. It is full of excitement, particularly the parts where the children struggles to remain in hiding as the evil warlord is out to get them. In addition, it has beautiful cinematography, with luscious landscapes of the village and countryside-instantly reminds you of the ancient times in Japan. As with most samurai movies like "The Seven Samuari" and "The Last Samuarai," this movie is no less than pure, sometimes graphic, action. There are several disturbing scenes in the film. Therefore, it is not the casual sci-fi film. Yet, it is strong and powerful, and delivers a message that a good-natured human can overcome any adversaries, as depicted in this film, even the young innocent girl can calm the wrath of the demon god. The scenes of the demon god, known as Daimajin, trampling on its enemies and anything that stands in his way will instantly remind you of a Godzilla or Gamera film. Overall, a powerful and serious, yet hopeful film.So, be careful with your samurai sword. You wouldn't want to rattle Daimajin's cages.Grade A$LABEL$ 1 +Fourteen of the funniest minutes on celluloid. This short parody is at least as much a part of the Star Wars saga as Phantom Menace, and far more entertaining, if you ask me. Hardware Wars was the first in a long line of SW spoofs which form their own subgenre these days. I hate to describe it too much-it's so short that the premise is just about the whole thing. Suffice it to say that many of the most popular and familiar aspects of Star Wars have fun poked at them. Household appliances such as toasters and vacuum cleaners portray spaceships and robots, the Princess Anne-Droid character wears actual bread rolls on her head instead of the famous coils of braided hair, and Fluke Starbucker is even more of a dork than his original, if that's possible. Ernie Fosselius is one crazy son-of-a-buck-he's also the source of Porklips Now, the Apocalypse Now spoof.$LABEL$ 1 +"A wrong-doer is often a man that has left something undone, not always he that has done something."--Emperor Marcus Aurelius The DVD release of "Watch on the Rhine" could not come at a better moment. It restores to us a major Lillian Hellman play stirringly adapted to the screen by Dashiell Hammett (Hellman scholar Bernard F. Dick's audio commentary affirms his authorship). It presents a subtle performance by Bette Davis, who took a subdued secondary role long after she'd become the workhorse queen at the Warner Bros. lot. Equally significantly, it reminds us that World War II had a purpose.Sure, you say, like we needed that. We've heard Cary Grant sermonizing in "Destination Tokyo" (1943) about Japanese boys and their Bushido knives. We've watched jackboots stomp the living hills in "The Sound of Music" (1965). We've toured an England callously occupied by Germany in "It Happened Here" (1966). Yet, truth to tell, we still need the message spread.I have an 81-year-old friend who curses Franklin Roosevelt regularly. He feels that FDR connived the U.S. into a foreign fight we didn't need, and thereby caused the death of his favorite cousin. He's encouraged in his demonizing of Allied leaders and the trivializing of War Two by Patrick Buchanan.The political columnist has freshly released a fat book heavy with detailed research which claims that Adolf Hitler would have posed no further menace to Poland, Europe, or the world if only the Third Reich had been handed the Free City of Danzig in 1939. Buchanan holds that if those selfish Poles hadn't confronted the Nazis, drawing in foolishly meddling Britain and giddily altruistic France, no war would have engulfed the West. He believes that without the rigors of Total War, no one in Germany would have built gas chambers to provide a Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.Some commenters on this site feel that "Watch" sags under the weight of stale propaganda. Maybe. However, neither my friend nor Pat Buchanan seem to have gotten the film's point: Some people hurt and kill to grab other people's land, goods, and liberty; such people dominated the Axis Powers and "enough" didn't appear in their vocabulary.Paul Lukas deserved the Oscar he won. He and Bette Davis put convincing passion into their portrayals of refugees who fight oppressors. They give emotional punch to the intellectual case for stepping off the sidelines, for actively facing down torturers and murderers. Bernard Dick notes that Hellman didn't care for Lukas as a person since he stayed apolitical. Of course, as a Hungarian he had seen first-hand Bela Kun's bloody "dictatorship of the proletariat" replace an outmoded empire and then topple to Admiral Horthy's right-wing tyranny.In a marvelous cameo role added to the play by Hammett, Henry Daniell sardonically depicts a Wehrmacht officer of the class that disdains the brown shirts he serves. His Phili von Ramme would doubtless stand with Field Marshal Rommel in 1944 during the Plot of July 20th against Hitler. In April 1940, however, he pragmatically abets the Nazi cause, although he insults Herr Blecher "the Butcher" and scorns the Rumanian aristocrat Teck de Brancovis for trying to peddle information on an Underground leader.Teck, a pauper and possible cuckold, wishes cash and a visa to return to Europe where he can resume the shreds of a life that had come undone with the empire-shattering Great War and the greater world-wide economic Depression. He has no political convictions, no scruples about trading a freedom fighter for his own tomorrow. Mercury Theater graduate George Coulouris lends this burnt-out case's Old World cynicism an edge of desperate menace.Lucille Watson gives winsome vitality to the grasping man's hostess, a domineering old gal who knows her mind and gets her way--but who doesn't adequately appreciate her children and their achievements outside the home she controls. She and her pallid office-bound son belong to the American version of von Ramme's and de Brancovis' privileged kind. However, this family hasn't seen ruin and never will. They're moneyed people who could silently advance evil simply by not opposing it.This mother and son might easily make choices which would reflect that complaisance toward National Socialism and Fascism which flourishes today in my friend and in pundit Buchanan. "Watch on the Rhine" has a manicured period look. Its dialogue reflects its erudite origins on the stage rather than sounding fresh from the streets. Yet Hellman and Hammett's film has gut-based power. Audiences still need to hear and heed its call to arms against grabbers relentlessly on the march.$LABEL$ 1 +First off; I'm a dedicated fan of Modesty's, and have been reading the comics since I was a child, and I have found the earlier movies about our heroine unsatisfying, but where they fail, this one ROCKS! Well then, here we go: Ms Blaise is working for a casino, a gang of robbers comes along and she starts gambling for her friends lives. If the robber wins one round, she'll have to tell him about herself. If she wins two times in a row, one of the staff members goes free. (Sounds stupid, yeah, well, I'm not that good at explaining either..) ;)She tells him about growing up in a war zone, without parents or friends, about her helping an old man in the refugee camp and how they escape, living by nature's own rules. They hunt for food, and he teaches her to read and fight. As they approach civilization they get caught up in a war, and as they are taken for rebellions, they are being shot at and the old man dies, which leaves her to meet the city by herself.Then she meets the man who's casino she's now working for, and there the story ends. What is to follow is that there's an awesome fight and the line's are totally cool. Alexandra Staden is a TERRIFIC Modesty Blaise! Just as modest and strong, graceful and intellectual as the comic-one.Feels awkward though, too hear Modesty speak with a slightly broken accent, but that's not relevant since the comic book- blaise can't speak out loud, but certainly must have a somewhat existing accent. (Not to mention that it's weird everybody's speaking English in the Balkan..)The acting is really good, even the child who personifies the young Blaise must have a applaud! My favorite part must be where she rips up her dress to kick the stupid robber's ass! Totally awesome! :D I can't wait until the real adventure begins in the next movie/s!Watch it, you won't be disappointed!$LABEL$ 1 +This has to be the funniest stand up comedy I have ever seen. Eddie Izzard is a genius, he picks in Brits, Americans and everyone in between. His style is completely natural and completely hilarious. I doubt that anyone could sit through this and not laugh their a** off. Watch, enjoy, it's funny.$LABEL$ 1 +Peter Lorre turns in one of his finest performances as a Hungarian watchmaker coming to the United Staes to make a new life for himself and someday bring his girl across the big pond to be with him. Lorre's infectious optimism and bright outlook come off very effectively which makes the performance all the better when he has his face hideously burned in a hotel fire and, when no one will give him a chance to work, turns reluctantly to a life of crime. Lorre's range as an actor is seldom as apparent as in this movie with his jovial, good-natured immigrant, to his depressing, melancholic, disfigured self searching for the truth behind what he believed America afforded him, to his suave, intelligent, better-than-your-average hood, to his sympathetic dealings with a blind woman with whom he falls in love. The story is well-paced, has some interesting twists, and gives Lorre many opportunities to shine. Director Robert Florey does a quality job behind the lens, and all of the supporting cast help aid the film with Evelyn Keyes giving a particularly good turn as the blind girl. I loved the ending - and the truth - that was shone to exist in Lorre's character despite all the negative things society had done toward him. For a little B picture, The Man Behind the Mask is good movie-making for its time.$LABEL$ 1 +My cable TV has what's called the Arts channel, which is a "catch-as-catch-can" situation sometimes, sometimes films, sometimes short clips of films or ballets, and I came into this just as the bar scene came on, where they tear up their coupons. Excellent, exquisite, Ealing wins again, my wartime-Glasgow-raised mother would love this, should I ever find a copy of it. Some of Britain's best artists, from Mr Holloway to Wayne and Radford and the delicious Miss Rutherford, having a wonderful time gently sticking it to the Home Office. Loved the last scene, where as soon as they are "back in England!" the temperature plummets and it rains...$LABEL$ 1 +I have copy of this on VHS, I think they (The television networks) should play this every year for the next twenty years. So that we don't forget what was and that we remember not to do the same mistakes again. Like putting some people in the director's chair, where they don't belong. This movie Rappin' is like a vaudevillian musical, for those who can't sing, or act. This movie is as much fun as trying to teach the 'blind' to drive a city bus.John Hood, (Peebles) has just got out of prison and he's headed back to the old neighborhood. In serving time for an all-to-nice crime of necessity, of course. John heads back onto the old street and is greeted by kids dogs old ladies and his peer homeys as they dance and sing all along the way.I would recommend this if I was sentimental, or if in truth someone was smoking medicinal pot prescribed by a doctor for glaucoma. Either way this is a poorly directed, scripted, acted and even produced (I never thought I'd sat that) satire of ghetto life with the 'Hood'. Although, I think the redeeming part of the story, through the wannabe gang fight sequences and the dance numbers, his friends care about their neighbors and want to save the ghetto from being torn down and cleaned up. Forget Sonny spoon, Mario could have won an Oscar for that in comparison to this Rap. Oh well if you find yourself wanting to laugh yourself silly and three-quarters embarrassed, be sure to drink first. And please, watch responsibly. (No stars, better luck next time!)$LABEL$ 0 +I was actually fairly surprised to find out a movie based on the Far Cry game had been created. The story here is not something I would consider to be a strong point in the game universe. No worries though as in typical Boll fashion the story in the movie has very little to do with the game it is based on. Now I understand that certain liberties need to be taken to make a transfer from one form of media to another but it seems like he really just doesn't even try to make a connection. Not only that but the acting and action sequences are so corny it almost makes you feel like the whole project was one big joke. It has been said a million times before but why couldn't someone more talented pick up the video game rights to create a movie????$LABEL$ 0 +I am a fan of bad horror films of the 1950s and 60s--films so ridiculous and silly that they are good for a laugh. So, because of this it's natural that I'd choose this film--especially because with John Agar in it, it was practically guaranteed to be bad. Sadly, while it was a bad film, it was the worst type of bad film--dull beyond belief and unfunny. At least with stupid and over-the-top bad films, you can laugh at the atrocious monsters and terrible direction and acting. Here, you never really see that much of the monster (mostly due to the darkness of the print) and the acting, while bad, is more low energy bad...listless and dull.The film begins with some young adults going to Satan's Hollow to neck. Well, considering the name of the place, it's not surprising when they are later found chewed to pieces! Duh...don't go necking at Satan's Hollow!! Well, there are reports of some sort of crashing object from the sky, so what do the teens go? Yep, throw a dance party--a very, very, very slow dance party where the kids almost dance in slow motion. So it's up to the Sheriff (Agar) and his men to ensure that the teens can dance in peace without fear of mastication.As for the monster, it's some guy in a gorilla suit with a silly mask--a bit like the monster in ROBOT MONSTER. Not exactly original and not exactly high tech. To make it worse, it makes snorting noises and moves very, very slowly--so slow that even the most corpulent teen could easily outrun it! How it manages to kill repeatedly is beyond me.Overall, too dull to like--even if you are a fan of lousy cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +I absolutely love this movie! Evil Dead has NOTHING on this film! Night of the Demons 2 and 3 are a total bore fest, but this one is a classic. It's super cheesy and the acting is alright at best, but what more could you want from an 80's horror movie? Stooge has some of the best one-liners to ever hit the screen in this one. (he's my favorite character) A lot of people talk about the lipstick scene in this movie, but my personal favorite is the ending, sadly enough has nothing to do with the main characters, when the old man eats his left over Halloween apples in a pie, and his throat is mangled from the inside out. The sound track is awesome. The scene with Angela dancing is totally creepy, especially after the strobe light comes on, and you can see her jump from one part of the floor to the next with every sound of a camera shutter click on the song that's playing. The make-up effects in this movie are pretty sweet; Angela gave me nightmares as a kid. If you're the type of person who demands perfection out of your filming experience, you might want to give this one a pass. But, if you're like me, and you really dig the whole Halloween, haunted house with the demons cliché, than this one is definitely a must own.$LABEL$ 1 +Vincent Cassel plays the part of Paul, an ex-con assigned to an office job where he meets Carla, a secretary who is ‘quite deaf', when she has her hearing aids in ‘very deaf‘ when not (played by Emmanuelle Devos). Together they help each other to develop as people.What was particularly interesting about this film was the complexity of the characters – not fitting into obvious stereotypes. Paul appears uneasy in the office environment, is it that he's just not cut out for work? This belief is dispelled when he gets a job in a bar and shines.The film has a certain amorality which I find refreshing and showed how easy is to act criminally, even if we think it is harmless or justified.Finally, it is a film full of great ‘moments' both touching and humorous. One is when Carla is babysitting and is trying to comfort a screaming baby. She continues to cuddle it – but takes her hearing aids out for her own comfort.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is one of the best shorts I've ever seen - and as I make it a point to be at all the major film festivals, I've seen a lot, especially of what the industry considers "the best." I'm not a fan of Monaghan. His acting generally tends to be overdone and uninteresting to me, his only decent performance being in Lost, so I generally try to avoid his films. I did, however, happen to see this at a film festival a few years back and was completely awed. This director really knows what she's doing. Of course, you are going to get the trolls (or just ignorant people) who don't understand what constitutes a good film and rip on low budget work because they have no idea what went into it. But luckily, from what I've seen, they are in the minority when it comes to this gem.Let's not deny that the film was working on no budget, and that a couple of the supporting actors could still use work, because that's certainly true. The production value is very low, but what can you expect for a first real film from someone still in high school? Pretend for a moment that the budget doesn't matter. If you take away a bit of the acting, the sound quality (which actually wasn't the fault of the filmmaker; I saw this at a festival and the sound was fine...I guarantee whoever made the DVD itself screwed up), and the fact it was shot on mini-DV, then what are you left with? The story, the visual composition and the soul of the film, which are indisputably flawless.Nanavati can tell a story. That much is clear. She can write substance-heavy, engaging scripts better than most people in Hollywood, create a shot list that perfectly compliments that story, and bring it to life in a fascinating, creative way that, were this higher budget, might have won awards. Give it more experienced actors, better sound post-production, and 35mm instead of mini-DV and even the trolls couldn't complain. This girl is incredible, and keeping in mind that Insomniac was made a good few years ago, she's done some amazing work since. The trailer for Dreams of an Angel shows that, and I can't wait to see the higher budget stuff she's done. 9/10 stars, this is one hell of a movie from one hell of a filmmaker.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie only because I didn't want to leave my 9 yo and her friend in the theater by themselves. Honestly, I went in expecting to enjoy a good nap -- but found myself entranced by the movie. I'd recommend it to anyone who asks! Roy's mom was on one of my all-time favorite TV shows years ago, playing a mermaid (Maximum Bob). She was really cute in this movie. The three main characters were all excellent young actors. Also enjoyed seeing and hearing Jimmy Buffet. The movie itself was quite beautiful - showcasing some of what makes Florida so great. I'm glad I ended up going to this movie. And to think, I was disappointed that I couldn't take them to see "Stick It" -- I think this was MUCH better!$LABEL$ 1 +I got about halfway through this movie and was very disappointed. It was just flat out boring and completely unrealistic. I can get past being unrealistic in a lot of movies, but not when it's supposed to be a crime drama thing. The evidence collection and interview processes were just plain oddball. I started fast forwarding to see how it ended. And then got bored with that and just turned it off and returned it. The main character, played by Ellen Barkin, just wasn't believable at all. Peta Wilson acted very well in this film, but her character was way out there and there wasn't anyone for her acting talents to play off of that made it work.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, let me say the I am LDS or rather, I am a Mormon. So when I watched this film, I automatically gave it the benefit of the doubt. I can usually find something redeeming in every movie I watch. And this one was no exception. It does have its redeeming moments. But they are few and far between.One of the first things I noticed that bothered me very greatly was that it seemed as though Halestorm was ashamed of our Church! In the LDS Church, congregations are called "wards" and the basketball court is in the "cultural hall". NEVER ONCE are either of these two names mentioned. The Church is never referred to by name and "the standards" is as far as it goes in mentioning what our Church believes.It makes me wonder if the directors are really LDS or LDS wannabes? This film had so much potential! It could have really shown our Church in a positive light and helped the public to see not only what we have to offer, but also what we believe. Instead it was only mildly entertaining and left much to be desired. If I were not already LDS, I'd be left thinking Mormons are stupid, idiotic and ashamed of their beliefs.It is NOT a film I will recommend to my nonLDS friends.Sorry Halestorm. You can do better than this!$LABEL$ 0 +At least one kind. Very human and moving. Not out to teach a lesson or anything like that. All principals are effective. I saw the movie years ago and still remember it (but can't remember the Morgan Fairchild role).And a nice slice of American life.$LABEL$ 1 +"Indian burial ground": If those three words appear anywhere in a real-estate listing, look for a different neighborhood. A young couple with a young daughter and a toddler-age son move into a Maine house adjacent to a pet cemetery--and, after a l-o-o-o-ng hike, an ancient Indian burial ground. Seems the Indian ground can bring Fido or Fluffy back from the dead--if you don't mind having a raving hell beast for a pet. It can do the same for dead people--if you don't mind having a homicidal zombie around the house.Throw in a busy two-lane blacktop, speeding big rigs, a well-meaning (if somewhat dim) old neighbor, and one kid who really doesn't get enough supervision, and I think you can figure out what happens from there--an over-the-top, illogical mess, which, in all fairness, does offer up a few scares.Well, there are worse Stephen King adaptations (such as "Maximum Overdrive," which King also directed). But there are far better ones, too (such as "Salem's Lot," "The Dead Zone," and both versions of "The Shining").$LABEL$ 0 +Well, since it's called Porno Holocaust and directed by Joe D'Amato, I went into this film expecting sleaze...and while I somewhat got it, Porno Holocaust was a massive disappointment as it's just so damned BORING. The title suggests that the film will feature porn, and that's not wrong - Porno Holocaust is pretty much just porn, and most of it is just the same stuff over and over again, I was fast forwarding before the end. The first sex scene is between two women and it got my hopes up, but after that it just degenerates into normal porn, and the rest of the film (for the first hour!) is made up of talking, and you can imagine how much fun that is to sit through! The plot focuses on a deserted island where, believe it or not, something strange is going on. Naturally, it's not long before a group of people - made up of a few men and some scientists, who all happen to be sexy women, land on the island. They have sex a few times and some strange things happen, then over an hour later they're attacked by a mutant zombie creature with an eye for the ladies...This must have seemed like a good idea for an original porno - a zombie who likes to get it on, but unsurprisingly it doesn't work well at all. The film clocks in at just ten minutes short of the two hour mark, and that is far too long for a film like this. I have no idea why Porno Holocaust is as long as it is; if they'd just snipped one minute out of every sex scene, the film would have been under ninety minutes, and that would have made it much more tolerable! The zombie takes what seems like an eternity to appear (it's quite a long time before there's a sex break long enough for them to actually travel to the island in the first place), and when it does finally appear, it's a huge disappointment! I realise that this is low budget B-movie trash, but D'Amato surely could have tried a bit harder and come up with something better than this! I'm not even going to bother mentioning the acting, atmosphere etc, there's no point. Porno Holocaust is basically just your average dull porn flick with a slight sprinkling of horror, and I can't recommend it!$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry but I didn't like this doc very much. I can think of a million ways it could have been better. The people who made it obviously don't have much imagination. The interviews aren't very interesting and no real insight is offered. The footage isn't assembled in a very informative way, either. It's too bad because this is a movie that really deserves spellbinding special features. One thing I'll say is that Isabella Rosselini gets more beautiful the older she gets. All considered, this only gets a '4.'$LABEL$ 0 +I finally caught up to "Starlight" last night on television and all I can say is. . . wow! It's hard to know where to begin -- the incredibly hokey special effects (check out the laser beams shooting out of Willie's eyes!), the atrocious acting, the ponderous dialogue, the mismatched use of stock footage, or the air of earnest pretentiousness that infuses the entire production. This truly is a one-of-a-kind experience, and we should all be thankful for that. I nominate Jonathon Kay as the true heir to Ed Wood!$LABEL$ 0 +Movie Title - TartDate of review - 5/26/02Year of movie - 2001Stars - Dominique Swain, Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips (barely), Melanie Griffith (barely)NeCRo's Rating - 4 skulls out of 10May Contain spoilersPlotAn "outcast" Dominique Swain wants to be with the "in" group and so she abandons her real friends and joins them.......much annoying rich people talk occurs. Actingugh, I guess I got what I wanted in that Dominique was ok, but man, the rest of the cast besides maybe Brad Renfro were bad or at least not interesting or likable at all. I know some could say that the others were good because they made me hate them....trust me....I like unlikable chars but this group is unlikable because they can't convincingly be bad people.It figures that the only other people I got this for were barely even in it and that is Melanie Griffith and Bijou Phillips, but the little time they had they were ok. Melanie spoke maybe 2 lines, but at least Bijou had a good character although small.Violence and GoreMy mind was constantly under attack from horrid dialogue and very very annoying characters, that's violence enough!! ok there was one bludgeoning with a rock which was ok.T&A Nudity Factorhahaha, they couldn't even add in any nudity to help spice up this movie, probably because no one would want to bear their body for this crap. If they are going to expose themselves they should do it in a movie where they will be remembered as their character and not for "oh hey I heard she gets naked in this one."Overall View of the movie (review)ok ok I know I pride myself on being the person who can like most if not almost all movies or at least find some good in it. Well this movie is one of the few I really struggled to find anything worth while in. The problem with this movie is that it is so damn annoying. I already have a deep hatred for snobby rich people attitudes and that didn't help either. All this movie really is, is just a bunch of rich people sitting around acting depressed and stupid. I can't stress the annoyance factor enough. This movie tries to rehash the tried and true "In group" plotline which can usually be done ok with little difficulty.Why do I not have a pic from the movie or the box cover? Well I felt this movie didn't deserve that glory so I decided to put a pic of the reason I rented this, and that reason is none other than Dominique Swain. Yes I too was wooed by her in Lolita and thought she was so good that I decided from then on to check her out in any movie in which she acts. At least I keep my promises and yes I have seen the majority of her movies, minus a few hard to find ones. She herself is a great actress and I would defend her actively, but man she chooses some of the crappiest movies to star in. This movie and Smokers are both in the same boat of crappiness, but at least Smokers had a cool idea for a story and even some real good scenes.Also the dvd box tries to fool you into thinking that this movie has stars as well in it by putting Melanie Griffith and Bijou Phillips names on the front of the box. If there's one thing that P****S me off it's a movie that plasters the names of stars on a box to make you think "wow it has ____ I wonder how good ___is in this one I saw ___ in that movie and thought she was great!" only to have the big names in the movie for a total of maybe 10 minutes between the 2. Bijou actually had a part that semi-meant something. Melanie on the other hand, only has 2 lines about.... Granted I don't like Melanie that much, but this is about ethics and not star acting.Out of all this mess though props must go to Brad Renfro for turning in an ok performance along with Dominique. Brad may be one very messed up kid in real life, but at least he can act. So the only reason this movie gets any skulls is because I got what I basically wanted which was Dominique Swain and Brad Renfro. Also I had the added pleasure of seeing underrated actress Bijou Phillips make me like her even more. So even though I was annoyed throughout I still came out with some positives, although this was pretty hard this time.I recommend you to ONLY see this if you've seen Lolita and know how good Dominique is or if you are some offbeat fan of Brad or Bijou. Uber Melanie fans will be sorely depressed. Also if you're a fan of crappy movies like me, please do not assume this be a guilty pleasure because you will feel guilty alright, for the money spent on buying or renting.Some movies are "so bad that they are good" as the saying goes. What they forgot to add was "so bad that they are good (to pass up)."NeCRo$LABEL$ 0 +Another Day - this movie requires you to watch it another day to understand it. I thoroughly enjoy watching Shannen Doherty and I was quite interesting in seeing how well Julian McMahon and Shannen appeared together following the roles they played in Charmed. I can certainly PRAISE the acting skills throughout the film, even the directing - but the plot...what happened? I am at a loss for words because I am still confused. I have to stay loyal to the actors who really did a good job considering the madness of the plot. I also have to recommend you watch it because despite the plot-madness I would still watch it over and over again.$LABEL$ 0 +This did for crime what "Not Another Teen Movie" did for school. I laughed all the way through as 2 inept gangs warred with each other and among themselves. An unsubtle comedy using overt jokes and gags that kept me rolling all the way. I suppose the biggest gag in the entire film was that time never seemed to go forward leaving the characters trapped in the 30's.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this movie. It is rare to get a glimpse of post-partum Vietnam, and this movie-sans combat scenes and exciting bombs and gunfire- did it. I had no idea I'd be so affected by it. What an amazing look at how alien Vets feel. It was tough to watch, quite frankly. We all understand the fighting and the Apocalypse Now type of drama, but this is so so different. What happens when they come back and try to live a life? They can't. It made me very aware of a large group of men that are rattling around lost in America. Not able to relate, can't sleep, can't have love affairs, can't deal with "normal society". They feel totally apart. This is a huge tragedy, and one that isn't addressed enough. Yeah, we've changed our attitude about Vietnam Vets, we like them now, but so what? It doesn't seem to have made any difference to them. It's too late? So it was a great film, but I cried a lot. I have no other criticisms.$LABEL$ 1 +Problems: 1) Although billed as "a loving tribute to Poverty Row," a lot of the old footage is not even from Poverty Row films-- much of it is from RKO's "The Most Dangerous Game," (1932), with some from the silent (!?) version of "The Lost World" (1926)! 2) Much of the old footage is just used as filler (the old shipboard footage) or as silent shots (for example, of Bela walking, looking or staring) often repeated; 3) Where is the pantheon of Poverty Row Master Thespians (Bela, Boris, Lon Chaney, Jr., George Zucco, John Carradine, Buster Crabbe, Tom Neal, etc.) emoting their lines as punch lines to the 'new' characters jokes (as in Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily?" or Steve Martin's "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid")? Even Mike Nelson's feeble commentary on the colorized "Reefer Madness" is funnier than this. High Point: The long but extremely enlightening lecture by Gregory Mank which makes you give new respect to and admiration for Bela, John Carradine and George Zucco. That's worth the price of the DVD alone!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts slow, then tapers off. After watching for about an hour, and seeing absolutely nothing happen, I walked out. I mean, nothing happened. Zero. Zip. Nada. There is no story. The characters are vague representations of the most boring people any of us know. The producers of this film could be sued in a court of law if they try to sell it as a "motion" picture. There is no motion. I could have told the same "story" with a couple still pictures with captions. The script is a joke. It's just awful. I doubt that any script doctor in the world could save it. My biggest regret is not that I wasted 60 minutes of my life watching "Love In the Time of Money", but that I missed a great opportunity to be a leader. I could have been the first to walk out, but I waited a bit too long. Instead, I watched about 20 people walk out before me.$LABEL$ 0 +Man, what a scam this turned out to be! Not because it wasn't any good (as I wasn't really expecting anything from it) but because I was misled by the DVD sleeve which ignorantly paraded its "stars" as being Stuart Whitman, Stella Stevens and Tony Bill. Sure enough, their names did not appear in the film's opening credits, much less themselves in the rest of it!! As it turned out, the only movie which connects those three actors together is the equally obscure LAS VEGAS LADY (1975) – but what that one has to do with THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER is anybody's guess… Even so, since I paid $1.50 for its rental and I was in a monster-movie mood anyhow, I elected to watch the movie regardless and, yup, it stunk! Apart from the fact that it had a no-name cast and an anonymous crew, an unmistakably amateurish air was visible from miles away and the most I could do with it is laugh at the JAWS-like pretensions and, intentionally so, at the resistible antics of two moronic layabouts-cum-boat owners who frequently squabble among themselves with the bemused local sheriff looking on. The creature itself – a plesiosaur i.e. half-dinosaur/half-fish – is imperfectly realized (naturally) but, as had been the case with THE GIANT CLAW (1957) which I've also just seen, this didn't seem to bother the film-makers none as they flaunt it as much as they can, especially during the movie's second half!$LABEL$ 0 +Cassavetes was clearly an intelligent, sensitive man with bold new ideas about making films. He wanted to be an auteur, to break away from the confines of the system and bring a new realism to the American cinema. For that, I applaud him.Unfortunately, as a member of his audience, I cannot applaud A Woman Under the Influence. Cassavetes took what could have been a fascinating topic (an insane woman) and somehow managed to craft a dull film, filled with lengthy, ad-libbed ranting and drawn-out scenes. He seems to have had a gift for capturing the dullest moments of a person's life on film, and it often appears as though he simply turned the camera on his family and let the motor run and run. This tactic would be acceptable if Cassavetes had captured something devastatingly REAL -- or even a kernel of something so real it touched the heart in ways a conventional film could not. Yet I found the performances, particularly Rowlands', to be artificial. I never believed for a moment that she was really insane. I have met people who are truly mentally disturbed, yet I've never seen any of them act quite like Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence. She played it like a very obnoxious, uninhibited woman who drinks a lot, and even that was confusing because we only see her drink once (at the beginning), but she acts drunk for the remainder of the film. There are some moments in which she taps into something real, but those moments are few and far between; she fails to sustain a seamless mentally disturbed character. Again, I applaud her efforts, but effort alone is not enough to make the performance ring true.Novice audiences who happen upon this film and see its high IMDb rating will no doubt feel compelled to love it and rate it highly, just to prove that they 'get it.' But don't be brainwashed by the hype -- judge for yourself. You don't have to pretend to like it.Like Woody Allen, John Cassavetes could be accused of solipsism in his film-making, seeming to find his own psyche and his own life experiences so endlessly fascinating that he couldn't imagine that to others they appeared presumptive and tortuously self-indulgent. But Woody Allen at least has demonstrated a gift for keeping an audience entertained -- he knows that a compelling story structure and a good dose of humor are essential to any movie. If Cassavetes had employed some self-discipline (and a sharp pair of editing shears!), A Woman Under the Influence could have stood a chance. But what's the point of making a 'realistic' film if the only people who can stand to sit through it are the art-house devotees and film students who worship Cassavetes as some sort of anti-establishment deity? Without dumbing anything down, I believe Cassavetes could have made A Woman slightly more accessible by keeping the pace moving with an actual plot, instead of presenting a string of 30 minute-long scenes of ad-libbed arguments. If you just make films for yourself and a few of your fans, you're just reaching the already converted. Watch this movie with your own set of eyes and make your own decisions about it. If you are truly moved and fascinated by it, good for you.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a good plot concept, so why-o-why is it such a poor film. The acting is terrible and every shock is signposted so far in advance that it is almost laughable by the time it reaches you. Spend your time and money elsewhere, this is not worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the better movies to come out of the 1980's, this based-on-fact movie tells the story of a disturbed high school student who murders his girlfriend, leaves her naked body on a river bank, and brags about it later to his friends. What is just as bad is their inability to FEEL anything about it.Disturbing but incredibly compelling look at aimless and apathetic kids who have no respect for their parents or any sort of authority, who seem almost doomed to live lives of rebellion and recklessness. This drama hits hard and is impossible to forget. The young cast does a creditable job - even Keanu Reeves, in one of his earliest roles, is better than usual. Of course, there's no reason for the character of Layne (Crispin Glover) to be as crazed and off-the-wall as he is, but that's just Glover being himself. Veteran Dennis Hopper has an especially good role as a loner who despite his own sordid past is saddened by the attitudes of this group of kids. I would like to point out the chilling performance by Daniel Roebuck as the young murderer; he's an under-rated actor and aside from Hopper, his is probably the best performance in the film.I saw "River's Edge" for the first time a long time ago when it first started being shown on cable TV movie channels; however, I didn't catch all of it; I saw it in its entirety for the first time a number of years later, and now I've seen it again for what is probably the definitive time.Some potently affecting moments include Madeleine's (Constance Forslund) breakdown where she wails that maybe she should leave her children just like their worthless father did. I also liked the scenes where Matt (Reeves) faces off with his disturbed younger brother (Joshua Miller) and when the teacher, Mr. Burkewaite (Jim Metzler) deplores the fact that the girl has died and that none of his students seem to care.I will never forget this film, not as long as I live. It's too saddening for that.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +If any movie stands out extremely with the actors' acting skills, this is probably the one. I've never seen dialogues be spoken in such a rough way, but having a strong feeling. The movie was disturbing at moments. However, the movie was terrible at editing. The movie tries to go the commercial way by adding comedy and songs, yet they feel out of place. Like Karisma is getting beat up, and the same time SRK is fighting (comically) with the police officers. The Ishq Kamina song was very out of place. On top of that, the movie is overly glossy in the beginning. The direction was not bad, but certainly nothing one can brag about.I have to say that the actors' were chosen very wisely. Without them, this movie would not have an impact. Karisma Kapoor has given her best role to date, and this looks very good on her record after Zubeidaa and Fiza. She looks pretty in the first half, and I've never seen an actress scream of emotion and anger as well as her. What is most ironic is this is probably her weakest written role to date. Nana Patekar was excellent as her father-in-law. Not much to say about him, besides this is a role made for him. Deepti Naval as the mother-in-law was excellent especially in her final scene. Though she doesn't have much to say, her facial expressions and body language was good. The other good performance was the little kid. He was adorable, and is sure to bring tears to the viewer's eyes. The movie was probably saved desperately by their performances. Sanjay Kapoor was all right, but he didn't have much to do. Shahrukh Khan was wasted in his bad boyish type role. One thing that brought the audience to the theater was Ishq Kamina. The song picturization and dancing is perfect for the crude lyrics of the song. And boy Aish is mad hot. However, the song belonged to be in another movie only because it came at the worst moment ever. People may have come to the movie for Aish, but they won't brag too much about it after-wards. Hum Tum Miley was properly paced, but seemed to drag as the suspense mood was leaving throughout the movie. Damroo Bhaje was boring and nothing to rave about. Dil Ne Pukara is too boring of a song to get the mood of the movie. Despite the poor editing, the performances alone make it a must see.$LABEL$ 1 +Four great stories from master Robert Bloch, adapted to the screen by the best actors in the field in the early Seventies, are the base of this excellent Amicus' production. This was a kind of movie very popular in the Sixties till the mid-Seventies and it's one of my favorite type of horror movies. This one in particular shines for the episode Sweets to the Sweet, where Christopher Lee is stalked by his evil little girl child, heiress to her mother tradition. Great fun from start to finish, and good to very good are also the other three episodes (with the last one a bit on the comic side, but with the great addition of Ingrid Pitt, the most famous vampress of the English cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +I voted this a 10 out of 10 simply because it is the best animated story I have been able to see in quite some time. The animation is stunning. The artwork behind each and every landscape was beautiful. From the colors to the lighting to the not standard fare of artistry. I was amazed. Moving beyond the beauty on the screen, you are immersed in a storyline that is at once timeless and at the same turn fresh. Character development is brief yet these touchstone moments are exactly what is needed to clue the viewer in to what and why and how the character has come to where they stand. I'm impressed with the entire affair and think this is a must see for the entire family.$LABEL$ 1 +I am the guy who usually keeps opinions to himself, but I just got back from this movie, and felt I had to express my opinions. Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE horror fan. But what makes a horror movie? I sure like to see even a tiny bit of a good script and character development. I know they often lack in horror movies, but Prom Night looked like it didn't even put forth ANY effort in that department. Next, we all love suspense. That on the edge of your seat suspense with unpredictable surprises. Yeah, Prom Night had none of that! Of course, we like a terrifying killer. Prom Night have that? Nope, it has a pretty boy with a cute lil' knife. And when all else fails...at least horror has its guilty pleasure to make it enjoyable like gore gore gore, and the occasional nude scene! Yeah, well when you have a horror movie rated PG-13 like Prom Night, they leave that stuff out too. So with all of these elements missing, I ask....does this still count as a horror movie? Nope. I'd call it more of a comedy. People in my theater were laughing more at this then they were when I saw "Semi-Pro" that was supposed to actually be a comedy (which also sucked, but thats another story!). I think I am just going to have to give up on new horror. All the good horror movies of the good ol' days have been remade into garbage so movie studios can make money. The people I went to see it with didn't even know this was a remake! Which made me mad! I wonder what will happen when there's no more movies to remake??? Where will horror go next???$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has it all: it is a thriller, a chase movie, a romance story, a mob tale, a comedy, a road movie... well, in fact it's none of this at all. All the time you are waiting for something interesting to happen, but no, you are still watching the same dull, uninspiring and superficial cliché of a movie with a very bad soundtrack. Even the star cast acting is lacking in credibility. A hit man with his quirks, a girl who's playing hard to get, mob guys acting tough and incapable cops, yawn...I'd recommend not to watch Backtrack. If you want to see a good movie directed by a famous actor, go and see 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' by Tommy Lee Jones. Now, that's what I call worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +Surprisingly good "Mean Streets"-type crime drama. Foreshadows elements of "Goodfellas" and "Casino". Joe Pesci's first big role. Clever dialog. I think the Maltin guide gives this a bomb rating. I can only guess no one actually bothered to watch it.Saw this at Tarantino's film fest and he said Scorsese used a number of these actors in Raging Bull.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film at SXSW with the director in attendance. Quite a few people walked out, and the audience could barely muster even polite applause at the end. Of the 60 or 70 films I've seen at this festival, Frownland is among the worst.At 106 minutes, it is at least 95 minutes too long. You get to watch the main character's failed and drawn out attempts to communicate, in extended real time. The same grimaces, hand over mouth motions, kinetic and frantically repeated words and syllables over and over and over again - WE GET THE POINT.One site actually compares this work to early Mike Leigh. What drugs would you have to be on to make that statement? Given that Frownland is a Captain Beefheart song, maybe you'd have to be able to enjoy Trout Mask Replica on heavy rotation to appreciate this film. Unbelievably, this won a jury award at the festival. You can bet it did not win an audience award.$LABEL$ 0 +First, let me mention the fact that, in spite of its title («Stories», in plural), there is only ONE Kitchen Story. As to whether Isak died or not at the end, I'm not so sure since, in one of the very last scenes, HIS PIPE is seen lying on the table next to the two cups. On the DVD cover, there is a reference to Tati. It claims that the film is «très drôle: rappelle Tati !» («Very funny: reminiscent of Tati!». The great Jacques Tati relied mainly on mime and silent deadpan attitudes to achieve his comical effects and to offer his critically satiric views of his 1950’s French «modern» society. Of course «Kitchen» does take place during the 1950’s and it does offer some (rather faint) satirical references to the absurdities of bureaucracy and there are some long moments were no words are uttered -– but they are not really funny. Are all these small details enough to make «Kitchen» a «Tatiesque» movie ? This being said, I have to admit that «Kitchen» does deal with the sometimes false objectivity of scientific research versus the «truth» of human subjective emotions. Generally speaking, the movie was agonizingly slow, with nothing much happening -- with barely any «dramatic impulse» : the involving parts were the set up during the first 15 minutes or so, and during the last half hour or so. Indeed, the last segment was -- FINALLY !!! -- interesting and moving. It might seem that it was a short subject, of less than an hour, unduly stretched to some 90 minutes. Now, about the set-up (a «scientific» observation on the behavior of single males in their kitchen): at first it seemed very promising –- with the charting out of the comings and goings of bachelors in their kitchen as a means to determine what new inventions would be most useful to come up with. But very quickly this premise turned out to be just a prologue, an «excuse» to introduce the real subject which was only fully developed towards the end and which was about loneliness and the invaluable bond of friendship. Pity ! I honestly wanted to like that movie. Yes, it seemed so promising when I heard about some of its unusual little «anecdotes» -- which were indeed there and which I enjoyed -– such as the burning of a man’s nose hair (instead of using scissors to cut it off), the «investment» of having a huge quantity of «valuable» black pepper stacked away in a barn, the role reversals (the observant becoming the observed), a man’s mouth emitting sounds from a radio program. And there is also a sick horse becoming the catalyst of half-hidden human despair, the relative importance of right or left side car driving in Sweden and Norway (a reflection of the importance for each of these very close neighboring countries to affirm its individuality ?). Am I the sole person who did not fully enjoy that film ? Does this necessarily mean that I'm wrong ? Perhaps it’s almost generally praised «fine points» were, in fact, «too subtle» for me ? Perhaps... Could my individual views on this movie ironically reflect the very essence of the film itself -- which would be the vital necessity to have the right to differ, to affirm one’s individuality and not to follow blindly society’s trends and opinions ? Each one of us has the right to have different personal views and not to be a slave of the demands of one’s bread-winning «dictatorial» demands: often, we do have other alternatives that would allow each one of us to be useful to our society while respecting one’s inner principles. In short, being true to oneself -– the way that in that film Folke (Isak’s «scientific observer») ends up by giving up his job while preferring to stay in his new friend Isak’s house and help his out with the tasks of his farm ... And so, «Vive la différence», as the French say !$LABEL$ 0 +With the mixed reviews this got I wasn't expecting too much, and was pleasantly surprised. It's a very entertaining small crime film with interesting characters, excellent portrayals, writing that's breezy without being glib, and a good pace. It looks good too, in a funky way. Apparently people either like this movie or just hate it, and I'm one who liked it.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I rented this movie was that Val Kilmer rarely stars in a bad movie. There is of course a first time for everything. In many ways, this movie proves that oaters aren't as easy to make as we think, especially by foreign directors. The only one who got by with it was probably Sergio Leone, but even his movies lacked that something indefinably innate to our American psyche and panache. American actors in Clint Eastwood and Henry Fonda did help . I can see now why they changed the original title from "Summer Love" to " Dead Man's Bounty". That itself tells me the producers and director didn't have any core understanding about a western other than those standard shoot'em up scenes and violent themes. I suppose we can say the same about American directors attempting to make a Polish movie while failing miserably in the process.$LABEL$ 0 +It's hard to put your finger on this one. Basically I suppose it's a comedy about an idle rich drunk who falls in love with a (comparatively) poor girl, whom he wants to marry at the risk of being disowned by his family.It has funny moments, romantic moments, and touching moments. Dudley Moore is funny and somehow makes his self-centred character endearing, Liza Minelli is a convincing foil as the the feisty opposite he attracts, but John Gielgud steals the show as Arthur's wonderfully sarcastic butler.It's corny but great fun with a memorable soundtrack, and ran for nearly 3 months at our local fleapit.$LABEL$ 1 +Fabulous film! Rented the DVD recently and was floored by this stunning piece of work. Douglas Sirk was a filmmaking genius and he gets performances out of Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone (Oscar winner), Robert Stack (Oscar nominated), and Lauren Bacall that words cannot describe. Paul Verhoeven brilliantly payed homage to this film by having Dorothy Malone play Sharon Stone's murdering inspirational guru in his Basic Instinct. What a great joke! By turns the film is hilarious, riveting, campy, biting, trashy, compelling, and eye rolling! It's definately the grandaddy of every tawdry big-and-little screen soap opera but none have had the dazzling style like you'll see here: the camera work is smooth and polished, the use of color is breathtaking, the opening montage set to the title song is beyond memorable, the one dimensional characters are unforgettable, and the final image will have you scratching your head as to how the censors back then let it make the final cut! While most older, highly regarded films can sometimes be a boring chore to sit through, Written on the Wind contains so much and goes by so fast that it's actually a shame when it ends. Thank you to Mr. Sirk for crafting -and Todd Haynes for drawing attention to- what has now become one of my favorite films of all time! SEE THIS MOVIE!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I had just watched one episode of this program and I couldn't even get to the end of the program. Every minute I had watched this program my I.Q must of dropped about 10 points. This is basically like a children's program but with swearing. Not even the swearing and the insults she tells other people made me laugh. Anyways the story must of been written by a monkey and the people who actually put this script for this program through for filming must of been held at gun point and had no choice but to film this retarded, disappointing, horribly acted program. Sarah Silvermann should use the little money she actually made from this program and get some god damn acting lessons.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has some good lines, but watching Dillon's less-than-masterful Rourke impersonation just left me wanting to see the original. I like Marisa Tomei but she's no Faye Dunaway.Also, in my opinion, the number one movie rule is to make the lead character someone you care about. You might not LOVE the character, but you should care what happens to him. This is achieved in Barfly with the hilarious running gag about the fights with Eddie the bartender. The main fight in Factotum is when, completely unprovoked, he stalks up to the Lily Taylor character in a bar, punches her to the floor and calls her a whore.The whole thing just didn't work. Again, some great lines -- some laugh-out-loud funny -- but as a movie overall it's a fail. Mediocre attempt at reinventing something that was brilliant, and you can't get past that. Next? Let's remake Breakfast at Tiffany's with Kate Hudson.$LABEL$ 0 +My kid makes better videos than this! I feel ripped off of the $4.00 spent renting this thing! There is no date on the video case, apparently designed by Wellspring; and, what's even worse, there's no production date for the original film listed anywhere in the movie! The only date given is 2002, leading an unsuspecting renter to believe he's getting a recent film.This movie was so bad from a standpoint of being outdated and irrelevant for any time period but precisely when it was made, that I'm amazed that anyone would take the time and expense to market it as a video. It might be of interest to students studying the counter-culture of the 1960's, the anti-war, anti-establishment, tune-in, turn-on and drop out culture; but when you read the back of the video case, there's no hint that that is what you're getting. If you do make the mistake of renting it though, it is probably best viewed while on drugs, so that your mind will more closely match the wavelength of the minds of the directors, Fassbinder and Fengler. Regardless of your state of mind while watching it, I can tell you that it doesn't get any better after the first scene; so, knowing that, I'm sure you'll be fast asleep long before the end.$LABEL$ 0 +This very peculiar setting of Wagner's last opera definitely grew on me. When I first saw it, I was somewhat annoyed by many of the films surrealistic images, and felt that far too much was superimposed upon the story. However, if you can put up with a fair amount of rather recherché "gimmicks," I think you will find that the film DOES manage to capture the very strange, other-worldly atmosphere of the opera, and that there are moments which are particularly fine.Personally, I never really understood the role of Kundry until I saw how Edith Clever portrayed her. Her performance (a lip-synchronized mime of the singing voice of Yvonne Minton) is nothing short of dazzling, from end to end, and alone justifies the hours it takes to absorb the film.Another reason to delight in this film is that it captures the spectacular interpretation of Robert Lloyd of the crucial role of Gurnemanz, one which Lloyd has performed to a crisp at opera houses throughout the world. I have been privileged to enjoy him in the role of Gurnemanz on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera several times, and the lusciousness of his voice, and the warm, fatherliness of his interpretation of this noble character really needed to be preserved, as did his performance in the character's two major monologues, the Karfreitag scene and the recounting of the prophecy in Act 1.The version I have seen was a videotape made for America, and so there were subtitles which, alas, could not be done away with. This is especially unfortunate because the translation used is very inaccurate and forces an extremely Christian interpretation on a film which is already forcing layers of interpretation on the opera. This seemed to me to be quite contrary both to Wagner's clear AVOIDANCE of Christianity, and his very deliberate attempt to "generalize" the Christian elements of the story. (See footnote with spoiler at the end of this review.) I find it nearly impossible, when viewing a film with subtitles, to keep from absorbing them, and strongly recommend that, if in the DVD versions you have the ability to turn the subtitles off, you do so, and instead, if the opera is unfamiliar to you, that you read the libretto carefully beforehand.The bottom line is that there is much in the film which I dislike, and would just as soon have seen done differently...but it has risen steadily in my estimation over the years since I first saw it, and I find myself drawn to enjoy it again and again.__________________________________________________________________FOOTNOTE CONTAINING A SPOILER: A good example would be Kundry's famous line, "I saw him...him...and laughed." This gets translated, in the subtitles, for reasons which escape me, as "I saw the Savior's face." It is especially irritating to me, because throughout the libretto, Wagner very deliberately and carefully refers to this unseen character WHO NEED NOT BE THE BIBLICAL Jesus as "der Heiland," i.e., the German for "The Healer"--a reference to the wound of Amfortas, and to all wounds and maladies and the need for healing.$LABEL$ 1 +Well how was I suppose to know this was "the" dumb ass promotional "Lordi Motion Picture"? I mean, I realized this when that "dinosaur" costume showed up and by the time the lead singer made his appearance I was humming "Hard Rock Hallelujah" to myself... even though I hate that song. "Dark Floors" is about a young autistic girl who is in the process of being sneaked out of the hospital by her over protective father when they, and the rest of the people in that particular elevator, become momentarily trapped... When they arrive at their floor it comes as quite a surprise to find that there is nobody else around. The hospital is empty... Except for a variety of monsters that seem to be stalking them for no apparent reason... They run through the hallways and stairwells, encountering all of the band members of the heavy metal band in their outlandish, shock-rock costumes... Nothing really memorable here, except the lousy acting, lack of gore/nudity, and the utterly shameless promotional edge, reminding me very much of "KISS Meet the Phantom of the Park". Yeah, remember that dud? Wish I didn't... I would just recommend avoiding all of these Ghost House films like a fungus and not listen to Lordi since they are a Gwar ripoff band!$LABEL$ 0 +Discovering something, the journey is so much more fun, so much more surreal and so much more emotionally galvanizing than when you finally arrive at the destination. Falling in love is perhaps one of the most opulent feelings in the world. You feel energized, invigorated and alive. You simply want to be around that person every second of the day and the very sound of their voice gets you excited and sometimes aroused. Love, and all the physical and emotional side effects that comes with it, is pure bliss. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess, but when you first begin your journey together, nothing can compare to it.Diane Lane and Richard Gere play Adrienne Willis and Dr. Paul Flanner, two emotionally scarred middle aged individuals. In this film, they are about to embark on that mystical journey together, where love, and the discovery of the emotions along the way, will help save them.Lane is dealing with the typical jerk of an ex-husband who still loves her, but in her eyes, only because the woman he cheated with no longer wants him. As hurt as she was by him, as much as she really dislikes him, there is a part of her that is actually considering taking him back. Why you might ask? Because in life, and love, sometimes comfort supersedes intelligence. Yes, this man cheated on her but she has kids with him, she built a life with him and there is obviously still a connection with him.Richard Gere plays a recently divorced husband and estranged father. He also just lost a patient as she reacted negatively to the anesthetic. He is now being sued by her family and he is guilt ridden but hardened about the issue. This is what brings him to Rodanthe in the first place. Although his lawyer told him not to, he felt compelled to visit the woman's husband in Rodanthe. He stays at the Inn that Adrienne is taking care of. Soon, they find comfort in each other's arms and discover that they too can have a second chance in life.By now this sounds like a simple idea for a film, and although it might be something you've seen or read about before, Gere and Lane simply own the film. Diane Lane lights the screen up with her smile. Her eyes twinkle in the dark and the life she brings to the character is one worth watching. Gere's character is a little different. He is more hardened and bitter. It takes Adrienne's pain and her passion to bring him out of his shell. He blames quietly himself for his strained relationship with his son and her secretly blames himself for the death of the patient. On the outside he tells anyone who will listen that it is not his fault, and that she was a 1 in 50,000 casualty. But deep down, it eats away at him. They find each other at a time when both need someone to listen.Gere and Lane have been in film together before but this is the first time they play lovers. They were married in Unfaithful but here they play lovers finding each other when the people in their lives have abandoned them. They have a spark and a real chemistry. I would love to see more films with them together. In fact, I'd love to see more films with Diane Lane but that's a story for another time.Nights in Rodanthe is a very passionate and romantic film about two lost souls who save each other. They both become better people, they both become stronger people. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone, not just couples. This is a film about redemption, absolution, and second chances.It will also ask you to bring some hankies.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +The first question is: how many talentless idiots it takes to screw a movie up? Answer: one is more than enough, if he writes the screenplay and directs it. The second question is: did anyone teach the actors to handle guns properly? Answer: hell no. I wonder if Kristy Swanson got hit across the face with hot brass - because it damn seemed so! The third question is: how many times we did the "super secret government agency conspiracy gets uncovered from inside" plot? Answer: a good couple too many! The fourth question is: are Michael Madsen and Ron Perlman overrated? Answer: in this movie, sadly, yes. The fifth question is: can a pair of boobs save this movie? Answer: even three (Kristy Swanson's pair and the director/writer) didn't.God... If I see the (most probably) assassin getting her guns ready for a hit, and then the morons from prop department give her a completely different set the first bloody thing in the goddamn movie, the "suck" meter hits the peak. Time from beginning of the movie to me switching the TV off: fifteen minutes. Just a little bit more than it took me in case of "Alone in the Dark".$LABEL$ 0 +When thinking of the revelation that the main character in "Bubble" comes to at films end, I am reminded of last years "Machinist" with Christian Bale. The only difference between the two films is the literal physical weight of the characters.An understated, yet entirely realistic portrayal of small town life. The title is cause for contemplation. Perhaps, we, the audience are the ones in the "Bubble" as we are given no payoffs in the films slim 90 minute running time. Audience reactions were often smug and judgmental, clearly indicating how detached people can be from seeing any thread of humanity in characters so foreign to themselves. These characters are the ones people refer to as those that put George W. back in office for a second term.It's sobering to consider how reality television has spoiled our sense of reality when watching an audience jump to their feet for the exit as soon as the credits role. This film has it's merits, and is deserving of consideration for the things it doesn't say outright.$LABEL$ 0 +Although it isn't mentioned very often, "Don't Look in the Basement" is a very interesting film and is definitely worth a watch. The story follows a young nurse, Charlotte Beale, who is hired at Stephen's Sanitarium to replace Dr. Stephens, after he is murdered by a patient. Many patients begin to torment Miss Beale, and her boss, Dr. Geraldine Masters, acts as if she's hiding something...This movie has many appealing characters that you actually end up caring about, and have sympathy for during the climax, which doesn't happen very often in horror films. The musical score is great and is reminiscent of "Dark Shadows," the performance from Rosie Holotik, Rhea McAdams, and Bill McGhee are all great, the story is very intriguing with a great twist ending. This movie has a campy atmosphere around it that no other film I have ever seen has been able to capture. Many horror fans have never seen or even heard of this film which is really unfortunate because it could have been a horror classic. "Don't Look in the Basement" is definitely worth watching for all fans of 1970s drive-in films.$LABEL$ 1 +This film doesn't have a very clear picture of what it is or wants to be. There are some good bits when Stewart is on screen and they give him some lines to work with. It works best early on as romantic comedy, but the story keeps heading for more dramatic territory and gets itself lost in the process. By the last fifteen minutes or so, the plot twists are just a series dramatic clichés. The part with the airplane feels like some leftover footage from another film spliced in.The main reason I can think of to watch it is if you want be able to say you've seen all of Jimmy Stewart's films.$LABEL$ 0 +I only came here to check Terror Hospital for an alternate title so I'd know what not to pick up. Not only do I get the original title, but I come to find Terror Hospital is one of seven more aliases.This one is a real clunker. Movies like this can usually be forgiven for any number of reasons, mostly unintended consequences of the feature on every level of production that result in at least a mild form of entertainment, mostly amusement. This has none of that. Instead, the viewer is witness to redundantly unnecessary and way-too-convenient-for-the-situation exposition and drawn out scenes of characters warily moving from room to room, and all this is half of the film. Forget trying to figure out where anybody is (or who they are) during darkened or nighttime scenes, too; you probably won't care, anyway. There is also a random car chase sequence that seems quite dull when compared to some of the old driver's ed movies I slep... er, I mean sat through and watched way back in high school. Really, we're talking about mysticism, possession, and a killer on the loose here - not a bad recipe for trash cinema. Unfortunately, there's nothing here to make it even "good" trash; when joined to the aforementioned, the bad acting and not-so-special effects are just that - bad acting and not-so-special effects. This one's just trash, pure and simple. Leave it on the rack at the pawn shop or in that box at the yard sale. There's a reason its there...$LABEL$ 0 +Raising victor Vargas is just a bad film. No amount of denial or ad-dollar supported publicity with change this sad fact.Maybe Peter Sollett saw he didn't have the money to do the movie he wanted to make and decided to take the easy way out by making a bad film that cynically apes the tenets of current "edgy film-making". Maybe he just doesn't know any better. It's hard to tell.What's not hard to tell is the result. Except for a few viewers who will intellectualize the bad film-making into an attempt at pseudo-realism, few will enjoy it.I know I didn't.Do yourselves a favor and pass on this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of my favorite series when I was a kid. The Swedish broadcasting company decided to broadcast it once again a couple of summers ago when I had just finished my first semester of medical school. I was surprised to see the depth in which the organs was explained. Sure, some things are simplified but most of it was correct (even though it was made 22 years ago!) and quite understandable. I would suggest that all soon-to-be medical student should watch it. It is a very good way to learn some of the basic medical words for example. Now I'm in my 7th semester and I think I'll watch the series once again as soon as I've bought the DVD-box :-)$LABEL$ 1 +**Warning! Mild Spoilers Ahead!**(Yes, I realize it's tough to spoil an historical documentary, but I do reveal some of the backstory and methods.)This is an exceptional documentary not just because of the remarkable footage, but also due to the story behind it. Because the Naudets did not set out to tell the story of 9/11, but rather that of a rookie firefighter, the men's emotions and the viewer's connection with them are more real and powerful than they would be in a standard retrospective. In a filmmaking sense, "9/11" is textbook. If the events were an actual script, they would be superb, as the characters are established, then thrown a curve to which they must react. This is all the more amazing considering the pain and emotion of the raw footage that the directors had to wade through to piece this story together. The first portion of the film provides a glimpse of life inside a fire station; specifically, how a rookie assimilates himself into a crew of veterans. That part alone is quite good, and had the documentary been allowed to run its intended course, it probably would have been solid. The brothers appear to realistically portray the process of becoming a NYC firefighter. Then of course, all hell breaks loose. The chaos following the WTC attacks is vividly seen, as various characters that we have gotten to know are thrust into terrifying situations. Seeing not only the attacks, but also the first-hand reactions is a very moving picture of extreme human emotion. The aftermath, in which firefighters are discovered to be lost and found, is human drama at its peak. Life and death hang in the balance. Unlike many movies, the viewer not only doesn't know who will live and die, but genuinely cares about them. The only negative thing I have to say about this is that the Robert DeNiro (whom I like) blurbs were uninformative, unnecessary, and didn't advance the story at all. They were probably added just to attract more television viewers.Bottom Line: The best documentary I've ever seen. Nonpareil portrayals of raw human emotion and drama. 9.5 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Currently, this film is listed on IMDb as the 42nd worst film ever made--which is exactly why I rented it from NetFlix. However, I am saddened to report that the film, while bad, is no where near bad enough to merit being in the bottom 100 films ever made list. I have personally seen at least 100 films worse than this one. Hardly a glowing endorsement, but it just didn't meet the expected level of awfulness to be included on this infamous list.The film begin with Stewart Moss and Marianne McAndrew on their belated honeymoon (by the way, they are married in real life as well). He's a doctor who is obsessed with bats and insists they go to a nearby cave. Once there, they behave very, very, very stupidly (hallmark of a bad film) and are soon bitten by a bat. According to this film, bats love to attack people and there are vampire bats in the US--both of which are not true at all.Oddly, after being bitten, the man doesn't even bother going to the hospital!! The first thing on anyone's mind (especially a doctor) is to get medical help immediately, but not this boob. Soon, he's having seizures--yet he STILL isn't interested in seeking help! Again and again you keep thinking that this must be the stupidest couple in film history!! After a while, he eventually goes to see a doctor and is sent to the hospital. But, by then it's too late and his attacks become more violent and he begins killing people to suck their blood. When it's totally obvious to everyone that the man is a crazed killing machine, the wife (who, like her husband, has a grapefruit for a brain) refuses to believe he's dangerous--even after he attacks people, steals an ambulance and runs a police car off the road!! Now most of the time Moss is going through these episodes, his eyes roll back and he looks like a normal person. Oddly, however, a couple times he develops bat-like hands and towards the end they used some nice prosthetics on him to make him look quite bat-like. Had this been really cheesy, the film would have merited a 1.In the very end, in a twist that hardly made any sense at all, the wife inexplicably turned into a crazed bat lady and had a swarm of bats kill the evil sheriff. How all this was arranged was a mystery as was Moss' and McAndrew's belief that this film would somehow help their careers--though they both have had reasonably long careers on TV playing bit roles since 1974.Overall, very dumb. The plot is silly and makes no sense and strongly relies on people acting way too dumb to be real. Not a good film at all, but not among the worst films of all time either.NOTE: For some reason, IMDb shows the graphic for the three DVD set for IT'S ALIVE and it's two sequels of the web page for THE BAT PEOPLE. While THE BAT PEOPLE has been seen with the title "It's Alive", the two movies are not at all related. It's easy to understand the mistake--especially since they both came out in 1974, but the movie I just reviewed starred Stewart Moss and Marianne McAndrew and the other film starred John Ryan and Sharon Farrell.$LABEL$ 0 +Sydney Lumet, although one of the oldest active directors, still got game! A few years ago he shot "Find me guilty", a proof to everyone that Vin Diesel can actually act, if he gets the opportunity and the right director. If he had retired after this movie (a true masterpiece in my eyes), no one could have blamed him. But he's still going strong, his next movie already announced for 2009.But let's stay with this movie right here. The cast list is incredible, their performance top notch. The little nuances in their performances, the "real" dialogue and/or situations that evolve throughout the movie are just amazing. The (time) structure of the movie, that keeps your toes the whole time, blending time-lines so seamlessly, that the editing seems natural/flawless. The story is heightened by that, although even in a "normal" time structure, it would've been at least a good movie (Drama/Thriller). I can only highly recommend it, the rest is up to you! :o)$LABEL$ 1 +In all honesty, this series is as much a classic (as television goes) as the original poem is to the world's literature. Far from being crassly exploitative, it is a beautiful and respectful rendering of one of the western culture's defining texts.I was moved by the plight of Odysseus and his followers; touched by the drama of the fall of Troy (which was felt but not seen); intrigued by the way the gods played with the fate of mortals. (It should be mentioned that the gods appearing here are not ridiculous CGI creatures flitting around on their ankle wings, or poorly-cast fashion models in bikinis. As in Homer's work, they act through mortal agents or, rarely, are represented by classical statuary).It's a pity it's not available in DVD, especially given the vastly inferior and cheesy adaptations of the Odyssey that one can find in video stores.$LABEL$ 1 +My choice for greatest movie ever used to be Laughton's "Night of the Hunter" which remains superb in my canon. But, it may have been supplanted by "Shower" which is the most artistically Daoist movie I have seen. The way that caring for others is represented by the flowing of water, and the way that water can be made inspiration, and comfort, and cleansing, and etc. is the essence of the Dao. It is possible to argue that the the NOFTH and Shower themes are similar, and that Lillian Gish in the former represents the purest form of Christianity as the operators of the bathhouse represent the purest form of Daoism. I would not in any way argue against such an interpretation. Both movies are visual joys in their integration of idea and image. Yet, Shower presents such an unstylized view of the sacredness of everyday life that I give it the nod. I revere both.$LABEL$ 1 +At the time that this movie was made most housewives knew exactly who Barbara Stanwick was parodying.Today only some women over 50 probably remember Gladys Taber,whose column "Butternut Wisdom" ran in Family Circle Magazine from before World War II until the 1970's.She lived on Stillmeadow Farm in Conecticut,and her columns were collected into a number of books,Stillmeadow Seasons, Stillmeadow Daybook, etc. The lines that Barbara Stanwick recites as she types them for her column are quite typical of the ones that began a typical Gladys Taber column.Besides cooking and country living,she got rather nostalgic and philosophical at times.She talked a lot about her favorite dogs, mostly cocker spaniels.You might say that Martha Stewart is the Gladys Tabor of today.Christmas is Connecticut may not be any cinematic masterpiece,but it is pleasant,lighthearted entertainment,soothing to the stressed out mind,and that is good enough$LABEL$ 1 +When viewing a movie as silly as 'Hot Rod,' one must sit back, relax, and alter one's intellectual capacity to a like state – which is, in this case, a state dimwitted enough to endure brainless drivel that has somehow been mistaken for comedy. With a brief runtime of 88 minutes, this film was long past drawn-out and buried itself beneath a bundle of repetitive jokes – jokes that came at a minority and weren't even funny in the first place. 'Hot Rod''s base material is as superficial and irrelevant as 2004's cult hit 'Napoleon Dynamite,' though it's much more contrived and comes without ANY of the laughter. In fact, the movie's blatant desperation to be compared to 'Napoleon Dynamite' is scornful and offensive, and left me ticked off, instead of just being annoyed.The movie, if one were compelled enough to call it such, poses a paltry story that puts self-proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble before us, with the trifling intention of jumping fifteen buses (one more than his idol Evel Knievel jumped, so we're told by Rod) and raising $50,000 dollars for his stepfather's impending life-saving heart operation; all so that he can fight his stepfather, once recovered, and gain his respect… because in order to gain one's respect, one must first fight them. Huh? Whatever. Each character is no more interesting than Rod's stick-on mustache, and from the film's opening joke to its ridiculous conclusion, each scene played like a nonsensical, and terribly unfunny, SNL skit – which, with the addition of an extra 85 minutes, is, essentially, what 'Hot Rod' strives to be.The film's star, Andy Samberg, contributed an effort to the screen that observably exerted every last drip-drop of his comedic capabilities. Unfortunately – rather, realistically – his humorous talents are no more admirable than a five-year-old retelling his own exhausted joke that somewhere includes the innocently crude poop and pee-pee gags. And if that's disappointing, pull a chair, hide your face in your hands, and brace yourself for the real blow: he IS the film's humor! To rescue them of their mortification, I'll willingly omit the ghastliness of Samberg's co-stars' roles and leave the second third of The Lonely Island team, director Akiva Schaffer, to his non-existent talent as a director… or a comedian. Basically, every thing one could possibly do to further trample a crash-course comedy is perfectly portrayed here; and done so arrogantly, as though the film would be funnier that way. Trick yourself into believing that there's even a single laugh in this heap, or treat yourself to another movie – ANY other movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know what the makers of this film were trying to either accomplish or say, but they badly failed at whatever it was. Unless of course the object was to totally confuse the viewer. I watched this movie simply because Drew Barrymore was in it, and it turned out that she had a smaller than small cameo in it. The whole idea of having this kid go on some wild car trip to win a big money prize from a gas station game and meet up with all sorts of wackos is utterly ridiculous.$LABEL$ 0 +If my memory is correct, when this movie was released it came across as something of a comedy - a funny look at the adult entertainment industry. If that's what it's supposed to be, it doesn't really work. It just isn't that funny. Setting that rather significant (since this is called a comedy!) failure aside, since I have no personal knowledge of the subject matter, I'll avoid comment about the authenticity of the story - which deals with the goings on behind the scenes in a Toronto massage parlour, except to say that - if this is true - the life is pretty dull. For over an hour, this movie really doesn't give us much of anything except some background knowledge of the main characters. Conrad is the newly hired manager of the massage parlour whose basic job apparently is to make sure the girls aren't giving "full service" - a euphemism for actual sex. As for the girls themselves, Betty's goal is to buy a parlour of her own so that she can run her own business, Cindy is an illegal immigrant to Canada working to support her family back home and Leah is - well, Leah is a somewhat strange, undefined character with a nipple fetish - true - who seems to be in the business because - well, because she's in it! I have no idea what her character was about. Those three may well fairly reasonable composite characters who accurately represent the motivations of the women who get involved in this business.The movie meanders about and doesn't offer much until the "twist" reveals Conrad to be the bad guy. We should have gotten to that point sooner. The only thing truly interesting here was that part of the story - Conrad's secret plan and the revenge plotted against him by the girls. That plan for revenge was pretty good, and you're grateful when it comes out because basically up to that point you're wondering why you wasted your time with this. Had the story been more focused on the revenge, this might have actually been a fairly funny movie.The performances from the 4 leads were all OK, although I didn't think anyone came across as outstanding. All four characters were a bit shallow. Cindy was a sympathetic character, and so was Conrad for a while, although he turns out to be the bad guy of the movie. Given the subject matter, there's surprisingly little nudity (and what there is is restricted to one scene.) In fact, there even a certain air of innocence around a lot of this. As for the overall quality of the movie, it's a low-budget effort, which shows, although you expect a certain griminess, I suppose, of a movie set in the context of a body rub parlour, so that's forgivable. It certainly says something, though, that this was released 8 years ago now and is still the only credit on writer-director Soo Lyu's resume and - given the normal lack of depth in the Canadian film industry - that it wasn't even deemed worthy of being nominated for any Genie Awards - the Canadian version of the Oscars. 4/10 - and I'm being a bit generous with that.$LABEL$ 0 +The idea of making a film about the Beatles sounds doomed idea, as no production can catch the idea of the actual historic Beatles. Then it is perhaps best not to try to recreate the past, but to produce an illustration that works best with the other available Beatles material. This is exactly what 'Birth of the Beatles' offers to us, the simple story known to us without any extravaganza.*** SPOILERS here on *** Be warned that not everything is that accurate as some Beatles-graduates might expect. The Beatles are seen performing songs that hardly were even composed by that time. The Beatles perform "Ask Me Why", "P.S. I Love You" and even "Don't Bother Me". The Beatles-graduates should see that if the Beatles on the film only performed songs that they actually did at Hamburg, the younger viewers might not anymore recognize the Beatles they have learned to know them. Of that original Hamburg repertoire only "Johnny B. Goode" and Stu Sutcliffe's "Love Me Tender" are retained.The guys who play the Beatles in this production scarcely look like the originals, but the rest of the film still make good viewing as the film is for the rest fairly accurate. The guy who plays Lennon does it good and the rest of the band are not bad either. Brian Epstein is great and the moment when he sacks Pete Best from the group is probably the most memorable scene in the whole film. Also as a bonus you get to see the original Cavern club in the film.$LABEL$ 1 +I first viewed this film shortly after it was put out on video in 1995, I dismissed it offhand, saying that Julie was no Daniel, never really giving it a chance and saying it was horrid.But here it is, 5 years later, its on Disney and im watching it again. And I'm finding that it isnt as bad as I made it out to be. Miyagi is still Miyagi, just as kool as ever, the musical score is still there pleasant as ever. And Swank's character isnt that bad, her acting is pretty good considering the script. It beats the third installment by a wide margin. So, my original rating of 4 has been raised to 7.$LABEL$ 1 +That is the answer. The question is: What is the single reason to watch this movie? I loved her in "My Name Is Julia Ross." That is one of the best films noir of all time. Noir or whatever one may call it, it's a very unsettling movie.She is fun in one of the worst major studio releases of all time, too. That would be "The Guilt Of Janet Ames." This one has a spooky, promising title. It has a good cast. It has a fine director. I was expecting something dark. Maybe something a little tawdry. Instead, it's an uninspired, routine espionage movie. It's pretty much is a total bore. At least it was to me. Ms. Foch is captivating. And that is about it.$LABEL$ 0 +It should be against the law not to experience this extremely funny stand up show with Eddie Murphy. I have never seen anything like it.Murphy goes on for almost 70 minutes about dicks, pussy, tits and insaults so many famous people including his own "family". Among the people who gets it by murphy are: Elvis, Mr.T, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Luther Vandross and James Brown. I have seriously never laughed so hard of anything my entire life. I mean, when a person doesn't know who Mr. T is, but still laughs so hard of Murphy as Mr. T, there's something about it. At the time I saw the show I couldn't remember who Mr T. was but still laughed. Now I know who he is and that just makes it so much more funny. Because that's what Eddie do - he can make those impressions so good that it don't matter who the hell he's trying to do, it's still hilarious. And on top of that, we learn that Murphy actually is a very good singer. Please watch it..$LABEL$ 1 +I am always wary of taking too instant a dislike to a film. Look at it a month later and you might see it differently, or dig it up after 50 years in a different continent and some cult followers find something stylistically remarkable that went unnoticed at first. After sitting through The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael at its UK premiere, it came as no surprise to me that I found the question and answer session afterwards more interesting than the film itself. Shane Danielsen (Artistic Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival), aided by the film's director and producer, gave a spirited defence of a movie than received an overall negative response from the audience. Edinburgh Festival audiences are not easily shocked. Only one person walked out in disgust. The criticisms of the film included very articulate and constructive ones from the lay public as well as an actor and a woman who teaches M.A. film directors. This was not an overly 'shocking' film. There was a degree of uninterrupted sexual violence, but far less extreme than many movies (most actual weapon contact was obscured, as were aroused genitals). The audience disliked it because they had sat through two hours that were quite boring, where the acting standards were not high, where the plot was poor, predictable and drawn out, and where they had been subjected to clumsy and pretentious film-making on the promise of a controversial movie. Metaphors to the war in Iraq are contrived, over-emphasised and sloppy (apart from a general allusion to violence, any deeper meaning is unclear); and the 'fig-leaf' reference Marquis de Sade, as one audience member put it, seems a mere tokenistic excuse for lack of plot development towards the finale.We have the story of an adolescent who has a certain amount going for him (he stands out at school for his musical ability) but takes drugs and hangs out with youths who have little or nothing going for them and whose criminal activities extend to rape and violence. When pushed, Robert seems to have a lot of violence locked inside him.The film is not entirely without merit. The audience is left to decide how Robert got that way: was it the influence of his peers? Why did all the good influences and concern from parents and teachers not manage to include him in a better approach to life? Cinematically, there is a carefully-montaged scene where he hangs back (whether through too much drugs, shyness, a latent sense of morality or just waiting his turn?). Several of his friends are raping a woman in a back room, partly glimpsed and framed in the centre of the screen. In the foreground of the bare bones flat, a DJ is more concerned that the girl's screams interrupt his happy house music than with any thought for the woman. Ultimately he is a bit annoyed if their activities attract police attention. The stark juxtaposition of serious headphones enjoyment of his music even when he knows a rape is going on points up his utter disdain in a deeply unsettling way. Robert slumps with his back to us in the foreground.But the rest of the film, including its supposedly controversial climax involving considerable (if not overly realistic) sexual violence, is not up to this standard. Some people have had a strong reaction to it (the filmmakers' stated intention: "If they vomit, we have succeeded in producing a reaction") but mostly - and as far as I can tell the Edinburgh reaction seems to mirror reports from Cannes - they feel, "Why have programmers subjected us to such inferior quality film-making?" Director Clay Hugh can talk the talk but has not developed artistic vision. His replies about holding up a mirror to life to tell the truth about things that are swept under the carpet, even his defence that there is little plot development because he didn't want to do a standard Hollywood movie - all are good answers to criticisms, but unfortunately they do not apply to his film, any more than they do to holding up a mirror while someone defecates, or wastes film while playing ineptly with symbols. Wanting to try and give him the benefit of any lingering doubt, I spoke to him for a few minutes after the screening, but I found him as distasteful as his movie and soon moved to the bar to wash my mouth out with something more substantial. There are many truths. One aspect of art is to educate, another to entertain, another to inspire. I had asked him if he had any social or political agenda and he mentions Ken Loach (one of the many great names he takes in vain) without going so far as to admit any agenda himself. He then falls back on his mantra about his job being to tell the truth. I am left with the feeling that this was an overambitious project for a new director, or else a disingenuous attempt to put himself on the map by courting publicity for second rate workAndy Warhol could paint a tin of soup and it was art. Clay Hugh would like to emulate the great directors that have made controversial cinema and pushed boundaries. Sadly, his ability at the moment only extends to making high-sounding excuses for a publicity-seeking film.$LABEL$ 0 +I had heard good things about this film and was, you guessed it, a bit disappointed. Reese Witherspoon is as promised surprisingly good, surprisingly confident, at a young age; really all the (small) cast are quite solid, in their simple 50s American setting. The reason I didn't rate this film higher is mainly that towards the end, the grief shown by the older sister didn't seem so real and this pulled me out of the film a bit. Perhaps we are expected to fill in the plot, or perhaps the film needed to be a bit longer. Maureen's character is quite underdeveloped I think. It is understandable that Dani (Reese W., the younger) would be traumatised and angry, but why is her sister shown to be more upset? Because she's a few years older? Hasn't the end rather undermined the rest of the film? The pacing of the movie makes it seem that Maureen and Court have only just met, when he gets tractored (warning: this scene is surprisingly brutal, in retrospect it seems like it might have been trying to shock a bit. well it works!). It depends what you want - if you want the girls' happy story of young love that it seems like you're going to get, you're in for a surprise. Man in the Moon is both quaint and dreamy and a harsh coming of age film – a rather awkward combination? I liked the character of Court though, I can see what girls watching this might be watching. And I loved that they had the courage to both let him hurt the younger sister (most men would, most films wouldn't) and get killed.7/10 on my pretty harsh ratings scale. For some reason I found Jason London on a tractor funny.$LABEL$ 1 +From the opening dialog and scenes, I knew I knew I was in for a train wreck. Didn't want to look, but couldn't turn away. If it weren't for the meer eye candy of this film, I would have given one star. The fact that the interaction between characters and relationship behavior were so far fetched, added by poor direction and horrible story make this movie nothing more than a low-budget disaster. Money is definitely not a necessity to make a good film. But this movie fails so horribly there was no chance to rebound.If you were stuck out in the woods, your childhood best friend dying from an unknown disease, other friends dying around you, stranded in a strange place, what would you do?A.) Run away from everyone and try your luck on your own. B.) Have sex with your friends girlfriend. C.) Take a hot bath to relax your sorrows to include shaving your legs. D.) Bash in the head your childhood best friend and life-long crush with a shovel. E.) All of the above.According to Eli Roth, none of these answers are that far fetched. In fact, all are plausible and well represented in Cabin Fever. The total lack of reality and illogical attempt at explaining what people would do in traumatic situations throws this film in the bonehead bin at your local rental store. Stay away. Stay far away.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie will tell you why Amitabh Bacchan is a one man industry. This movie will also tell you why Indian movie-goers are astute buyers.Amitabh was at the peak of his domination of Bollywood when his one-time godfather Prakash Mehra decided to use his image yet again. Prakash has the habit of picking themes and building stories out of it, adding liberal doses of Bollywood sensibilities and clichés to it. Zanzeer saw the making of Angry Young Man. Lawaris was about being a bastard and Namak Halal was about the master-servant loyalties. But then, the theme was limited to move the screenplay through the regulation three hours of song, dance and drama. What comprised of the movie is a caricature of a Haryanavi who goes to Mumbai and turns into a regulation hero. Amitabh's vocal skills and diction saw this movie earn its big bucks, thanks to his flawless stock Haryanvi accent. To me, this alone is the biggest pull in the movie. The rest all is typical Bollywood screen writing.Amitabh, by now, had to have some typical comedy scenes in each of his movies. Thanks to Manmohan Desai. This movie had a good dose of them. The shoe caper in the party, the monologue over Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare's considerations, The mosquito challenge in the boardroom and the usual drunkard scene that by now has become a standard Amitabh fare.Shashi Kapoor added an extra mile to the movie with his moody, finicky character (Remember him asking Ranjeet to "Shaaadaaaap" after the poisoned cake incident"). His was the all important role of the master while Amitabh was his loyal servant. But Prakash Mehra knew the Indian mind...and so Shashi had to carry along his act with the rest of the movie. It was one character that could have been more developed to make a serious movie. But this is a caper, remember? And as long as it stayed that way, the people came and saw Amitabh wearing a new hat and went back home happy. The end is always predictable, and the good guys get the gal and the bad ones go to the gaol, the age-old theme of loyalty is once again emphasized and all is well that ends well.So what is it that makes this movie a near classic? Amitabh Bacchan as the Haryanvi. Prakash Mehra created yet another icon in the name of a story. Chuck the story, the characters and the plot. My marks are for Amitabh alone.$LABEL$ 1 +The Twins Effect - Chinese Action/Comedy - (Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung)This vampire action comedy is one of my favorites for the very fact that I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie. First of all, the characters are memorable, contributing a myriad of classic scenes. Charlene and Gillian are naturally cute, charismatic, and humorous. This movie was my first exposure to them, and all I wanted to do was reach through my television screen and give them a REALLY BIG HUG. The remaining cast did well in their supporting roles, including Jackie Chan, Karen Mok, "The Duke", Josie Ho, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong, and the vampire bad guys (one of which looks eerily familiar to Will Ferrell). Even the abominably horrible Ekin Cheng was good in this one. Good characters are important, of course, because they avoid the feeling of boredom by keeping things interesting between action sequences.And speaking of action, this film has plenty of it. More importantly, there is an emphasis of quality in the fight choreography. One aspect that helped in this regard is the featured weapon of the protagonists – a sword with a retractable spear-ended rope. This weapon, in and of itself, opened up a variety of moves that would have been otherwise impossible. Josie Ho and Gillian Chung, in particular, perform some wicked aerial maneuvers using these devices. In addition, the swordplay is superb, and is highlighted by two great sword fights – one taking place during the opening train station sequence and the other occurring in the church finale. In fact, the blade-wielding maneuvers showcased in this film put some other highly overrated fan favorites to great shame, and I truly feel sorry for those who would cite the horribly choreographed garbage seen in Ashes of Time, Storm Riders, or A Man Called Hero with the well-planned, precisely executed sequences seen in The Twins Effect. It's not even close. I can't understand why this film gets so much criticism. I'm sure die-hard apologists for the Hong Kong "Golden Age" will hate this because it doesn't fit into their narrow-minded view of what Hong Kong action should be. We should learn from the downfall of John Woo - a one trick pony who never learned how to re-invent himself. We don't need another clone. We need something different. The Twins Effect is one good example.This film was so good that it actually set me up for being disappointed at other Chinese movies with the same actors and actresses. This especially applies to Ekin Cheng, whose other films almost always suck – and yes, this includes the obscenely overrated and exploitative wuxia crap mentioned in the previous paragraph. Even The Twins have never been able to match the value of this movie when both were lead actresses in a film, although they have managed to hit some good films when either one or the other takes the leading role (e.g., Beyond Our Ken, Good Times Bed Times, House of Fury) or when one or both are in supporting roles (e.g., Colour of the Truth, New Police Story, Just One Look). The Twins Effect 2 should have been a direct sequel, instead of a family fantasy. I am still yearning to see Charlene and Gillian team up and kick some butt in another movie, but the fact remains that The Twins Effect hits on all cylinders, optimizing their charisma while avoiding a descent into annoyance (as in Protégé de la Rose Noire).All in all, this film has everything one needs to be entertained. And may I remind the reader that it is precisely this – ENTERTAINMENT – that judges the greatness of a movie, more so than artsy dramatic elements or meaningless awards from established academies of critics who usually have no idea what they are talking about.In the end, the Twins Effect is a CLASSIC not to be missed.Rating = 5/5 stars P.S. – The Hollywood execs decided to slaughter this film when it was released in the U.S. by renaming it The Vampire Effect and cutting out 20 minutes of footage, which includes parts of the action scenes. However, the final fight of the U.S. version does have a better soundtrack than the original version. Therefore, I purchased both versions, which allows me to first watch the original until about the 1:20 mark, and then swap discs to watch the final fight on the U.S. version.$LABEL$ 1 +Terrible, boring zombie sequel is only marginally better than Uwe's horrible first film. It consists of a group of soldiers going into a zombie plagued college campus to find a certain type of blood which could assist in finding a cure for the infection. These soldiers are your typical lambs to the slaughter and none of them are that drawn out(or at least aren't very interesting)so you don't feel a sadness at the pit of your stomach when they are disposed of. The film has the typical zombies biting humans and blood splatter. It even has the same munching on guts. It just doesn't do anything for the zombie genre to give it memory. And, the story's climax is rather anti-climactic and ridiculous. One wonders how two people can submerged in an army of zombies and not get bit(for they are the main stars who seem to always manage escapability)while others seem to get bit rather easily. The film sole motivation is to show people getting bit..nothing else. Just go watch a Romero film for lasting effect.$LABEL$ 0 +"Piece is Cake" is defeatist, revisionist history of the worst kind, whose only point is to unfairly savage the reputation of the (admittedly fictional) pilots it portrays. It left a remarkably bad taste in my mouth.In the March 1989 "Aeroplane Monthly", Roland Beamont wrote a stinging condemnation of the way that RAF Fighter Command was portrayed in the TV mini-series. A few of his comments are worth repeating:"There was no sense of defeatism at any time in any of the squadrons that I saw in action, and a total absence of the loutishness portrayed in 'Piece of Cake'. It would not have been tolerated for a moment... ...The prevailing atmosphere was more akin to that in a good rugby club, though with more discipline. Nor was there any sense of 'death or glory'. RAF training had insisted that we were there to defend this country, and now we were required to do it - no more and no less."There was no discussion of 'bravery' or 'cowardice'. People either had guts or they did not - but mostly they did. But we knew fear, recognised it in ourselves and in each other, did our damnedness to control it, and then got on with the job..."...I could feel no 'glory', but there was a sense of greatness, and none of this bore the slightest resemblance to 'Piece of Cake'."Beamont was, in his own words, "a fighter pilot who, unlike the author and producer of the recent TV series, was there at the time".Beamont served with 87 Squadron both in France and the BoB, before going on to become one of the premier exponents of both the Typhoon and Tempest, and a post-war test pilot."Piece of Cake" is an absolute, total misrepresentation of the way pilots in Fighter Command acted at the time. It is nothing less than a complete and utter disgrace...$LABEL$ 0 +After having seen this show a few times; I am thoroughly offended as a female that there are so many stupid, women out there that fall for this bullshit. Im a little more mature than some of the "players" in this show, but am still appalled that the whole dating game has been boiled down to a gameshow: where goofy dudes can score points on their lame ass attempts to pick up chicks. If young guys are watching this and using it as a learning manual: Don't!!!. Save yourself the effort and hire a prostitute if all you are after is a piece of ass. Maybe there are girls out there with the same mind set;but some how I don't think so.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is silly and very short of being a funny movie. Unhappy 'easterners' are not pleased with being out west; so they hire a drunk wagon master(John Candy)to lead them back east. Sight gags were just not funny enough to carry this one. And Richard Lewis gets on your nerves very quickly; but then I honestly don't like him at anything he does. Ed Lauter is hilarious as the bumbling villain.The movie was dedicated to Candy. He died from a massive heart attack ten days before the movie was completed. A stand in and digital enhancement enabled Candy's character to be seen in the final scenes. Candy was a very good comedian and gave us some real good knee slapping, belly laughs in his career. This movie was just not the caliber of his best.Also in the film, you will recognize: William Sanderson, Gailard Sartain, Ethan Phillips, Ellen Greene and Rodney A. Grant.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is absolutely fantastic. It provides all the great drama and romance of teen shows like The OC and Dawsons, but it's a whole lot funnier. It's a show with morals and values, without everything being sugar coated and sanitised (ala 7th Heaven.) We don't have sororities or fraternities in Australia, and our university system is completely different, so I have no idea how accurately Greek life is portrayed. But I don't care! Because this show is my new favourite! Any writer that can make me love a racist, homophobe confederate flag-waving Bible basher must be genius.And Cappie is my new Pacey. Sorry Josh Jackson, you've been dethroned!$LABEL$ 1 +Okul"The School" is a result of a new trend in Turkish cinema. Having used the same stories over and over again new generation directors finally come up with different ideas. Of course, it doesn't mean that they are all grand. I think Okul is one of them. It is supposed to be a scary movie but it is not. It is not successful on being scary either. So what is it? Actors are so average especially Deniz Akkaya is pretty annoying with the teacher role. I am sure it could have been better if it was tried on harder. Maybe concentrating on one topic such as making it scary or vice versa. But directors have missed the target this time. ** out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman,Carla Gugino and Gil Bellows are a DELIGHT in this sexy caper. This film is smart, edge of your seat entertainment for adults, and what a relief that is in these days of big concept predictable cartoons. Great music and camera work add to the fun that is this New Orleans-set puzzle. Highly Recommended. Ten stars!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm going to review the 2 films as a whole because I feel that is how it should be considered, and watched. When I talk about 'the film' I am talking about parts 1 & 2 together when watched one after the other, as they should be.Thank you Jon Anderson, Steven Soderbergh & Benicio Del Toro.This film is a refreshing, bold, gritty and true film. And, it hearkens a new style of film making. No Faux drama. No Swelling sound track. Not Faux Documentary style. Just clean shots and an attempt to stick to the facts. I have been reading Jon Anderson's "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life" and recently finished Fidel's Auto biography, and this had helped my ability to soak this film in properly. But I have to say that it is Jon Anderson's exhaustive, penultimate and wonderful biography that has given this film the proper historical back bone. Anderson was consultant on this film (or these 2 films). What makes this film a true thing is that it is clean. No swelling music or slow-motion photography to heighten drama, and even more importantly; no fake documentary shaky camera. Just square shots and straight forward shooting style. The type of camera used makes you feel right there in the jungle. Benicio Del Toro should be given full honors for this, I never doubted him as Che throughout the film... not once. He did a wonderful job and I will respect him for ever for this. Some people complain that the film only deals with 2 slices of his life and not the whole. But I think this is one of the true beautiful aspects of this film: it doesn't try to be everything. It doesn't try to 'tell the story'. A person's life is too multifaceted to try and tell in 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 hours. This is one of the subtle beauties of this film, it resists that temptation, and stays focused on the intent of letting us GET A FEEL FOR CHE, HIS DEVELOPING MILITARISTIC MIND AND THE FORCES AROUND HIM. It focuses on 3 slices of time: The Battle to over throw Batista, Che's U.N. speech and the Gorilla preparations in Bolivia. "Motorcycle Diaries" already told his young man side, and I applaud S. Soderbergh for focusing on other aspects instead. I keep referring to Jon Anderson's book and the film stays true. The only weak link for me are the casting (not the performance) of Matt Damon. In a film so loaded with true to life performances, an American, (Matt Damon) playing a Bolivian is a clunky stretch - he does well, but after so much care in the casting, this was an over-site. Small and completely forgiven. The reality that the rest of the casting gives you, and most notably Benicio Del Toro's amazing job, put's this film at the top of my list.The fact that this film went almost straight to video say's something about how the cold war ethics that would never allow the 'revolutionized Cuba' to become what it might have, are still at work keeping it's story quiet. If not out of clandestine muffling, then out of the effects of properly done propaganda that has prejudiced this topic.This is a must see film, and Jon Anderson's "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life" is a must read if you want to start to get a grasp of the early effects on the global mind set regarding the expansion of international / political financial chess moves of the 40's, 50's & 60's that placed unfair pressure on our South American neighbors, and the effects it fostered.$LABEL$ 1 +In a variant of Sholay , Ram Gopal Verma ventures into what can be called an unknown territory where the blockbuster takes a new shape. The Thakur goes south.Mohanlal as Narsimha the police inspector whose family has been killed seeks vengeance Madrasi style. The accent is totally South Indian in contrast to Thakur from the north. The severing of the hands of Thakur by Gabbar is also cut down to the fingers in Aag. So make up costs are cut down because there is no effort to hide the hands instead only a long shouldered Kurta covers up for the cut fingers. Moreso in the climax where the Thakur uses his legs and says"Tere Liye to mere paer hi kaafi hai" here Narsimha uses his finger stubs to fire a gun and kill the villain. Babban, the new avtar of gabbar is also different. He is not from Bihar or UP. He is Bambaiya. Gabbar's infamous laugh is also in two instalments this time and is more subdued. Babban asks for Diwali instead of Holi and romances Urmila the replacement of Helen in Mehbooba. he also dances and enjoys dancing with Abhisheh who plays Jalal Agha in Mehbooba.Babban is more intelligent this time. He tosses the apple and asks the question that made Isaac Newton discover laws of gravitation. Basanti is more verbose than the Auto driver Ghungroo. Nisha Kothari cannot play the auto driver and looks too artificial using words like 'entertain' and 'too much' with gay abandon. Viru was fun whereas Ajay Devgun is a misfit for the role. The God Speaks to Basanti incident and the shooting lessons and the Koi Haseena song and the water tank sequences are painful. The water tank turns into a well and the drunk Devgun is so bad in the sequence that the audience would have wanted him to commit suicide. Jai was composed and serious. Prashant Raj is better than the others because we do not expect anything from him. But he also bungles on the Mausi sequence. He is not as romantic as Jai with the mouth organ . Jaya's role played by Sushmita changes careers. A pure housewife turns into a doctor this time plunging into full time social service after her husband is killed. She too lacks the pain that Jaya displayed. Her flirtations with Jai are more open this time. Samba gets a bigger role this time as Tambe. He does not have to point guns and answer questions of Gabbar this time. He follows Babban wherever he goes and is a bodyguard with more visibility outside the den. Horses give way to Jeeps and auto. The Gabbar's hideout here keeps changing and Ramgarh becomes Kaliganj. All in all it is more of a spoof than anything else. RGV comes up with his own interpretation of the classic. But we remember the original so well even after three decades that our minds refuse to accept stylized versions and changed dialogues. So we call it a spoof. So Mr.RGV(Sholay ) and Farhan Akhtar (Don) and JPDutta(Umrao jaan) stop making remixes and start making originals.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is a show that is great for adults and children to sit down together and watch. The stories are a little slow for adults but they are still good. There are lots of children in my family, boys and girls, and it is hard to get them all to agree on what to watch, but they always agree with each other when they want to watch the Mystic Knights. It is a wonderful show and I hope that they will continue to keep making it. All of the kids in my family and myself think that Vincent Walsh is the best of them all. We have seen that he has done lots of other work and think that he is doing a great job. We wish all of the actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers the best of luck and would just like to say keep up the good work.$LABEL$ 1 +The penultimate episode of Star Trek's third season is excellent and a highlight of the much maligned final season. Essentially, Spock, McCoy and Kirk beam down to Sarpeidon to find the planet's population completely missing except for the presence of a giant library and Mr. Atoz, the librarian. All 3 Trek characters soon accidentally walk into a time travel machine into different periods of Sarpeidon's past. Spock gives a convincing performance as an Ice Age Vulcan who falls in love for Zarabeth while Kirk reprises his unhappy experience with time travel--see the 'City on the Edge of Forever'--when he is accused of witchcraft and jailed before escaping and finding the doorway back in time to Sarpeidon's present. In the end, all 3 Trek characters are saved mere minutes before the Beta Niobe star around Sarpeidon goes supernova. The Enterprise warps away just as the star explodes.Ironically, as William Shatner notes in his book "Star Trek Memories," this show was the source of some dispute since Leonard Nimoy noticed that no reason was given in Lisette's script for the reason why Spock was behaving in such an emotional way. Nimoy relayed his misgivings here directly to the show's executive producer, Fred Freiberger, that Vulcans weren't supposed to fall in love. (p.272) However, Freiberger reasoned, the ice age setting allowed Spock to experience emotions since this was a time when Vulcans still had not evolved into their completely logical present state. This was a great example of improvisation on Freiberger's part to save a script which was far above average for this particular episode. While Shatner notes that the decline in script quality for the third season hurt Spock artistically since his character was forced to bray like a donkey in "Plato's Stepchildren," play music with Hippies in "the Way to Eden" or sometimes display emotion, the script here was more believable. Spock's acting here was excellent as Freiberger candidly admitted to Shatner. (p.272) The only obvious plot hole is the fact that since both Spock and McCoy travelled thousands of years back in time, McCoy too should have reverted to a more primitive human state, not just Spock. But this is a forgivable error considering the poor quality of many other season 3 shows, the brilliant Spock/McCoy performance and the originality of this script. Who could have imagined that the present inhabitants of Sarpeidon would escape their doomed planet's fate by travelling into their past? This is certainly what we came to expect from the best of 'Classic Trek'--a genuinely inspired story. Shatner, in 'Memories', named some of his best "unusual and high quality shows" of season 3 as The Enterprise Incident, Day of the Dove, Is there in Truth no Beauty, The Tholian Web, And the children Shall Lead and The Paradise Syndrome. (p.273) While my personal opinion is that 'And the children Shall Lead' is a very poor episode while 'Is there in Truth no Beauty' is problematic, "All Our Yesterdays" certainly belongs on the list of top season three Star Trek TOS films. I give a 9 out of 10 for 'All Our Yesterdays.'$LABEL$ 1 +Really don't care that no one on here likes this movie,, i do , and that's what this review is about. Lou Diamond Phillips is great in this comedic role. that line about train a b and c is now to me an instant classic, the cg is great, yeah train looks a little fake,, but the aliens wow do they ever rock,, Todd Bridges,, where's Arnold, and Mr. Drummond,, wow he's been out of the loop , guess that's what jail does to you.. a bullet train is on it's way to Las Vegas with the Senator for him to deliver a big speech, a meteor has just hit,, and now all of a sudden we got aliens running loose aboard the train, and our hero cop has to save the day, to make matters worse his ex-wife is on board arguing with him. i just thought this movie was so wonderful,, a must see if you like action.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this film as I thought the cast was decent and I like Jennifer Rubin & Patsy Kensit.First off let me say the acting is not of a high standard. Stephen Baldwin makes his character look almost retarded at times and at other times morose. Patsy Kensit is so-so but not too convincing in some scenes, and the supposed poetry she spouts in a particular scene in her Hotel Room is utterly meaningless rubbish. Ms Kensit is certainly very suggestive and sexy here but ultimately I think Jennifer Rubin is by far the best in this film. Ms Rubins Character is at first innocent, then sexy, as she plays Stephen Baldwin's Character (Travis)for a fool. The supporting cast includes Adam Baldwin(no relation to his more famous namesakes) & M.Emmet Walsh who has appeared in many films, also I noticed Art Evans who was one of John Mclane's allies in Die Hard 2. The Movie is decent and there are a few nude scenes with Rubin & Kensit, a bit of action but this is certainly not a fast moving or intelligent thriller. There is a particular scene when they are in the car about to commit a crime and Stephen Balwin's character is wearing sunglasses and when you see him again, the area around his eyes etc is painted black instead, then the sunglasses reappear later when they are leaving the crime scene and police are in pursuit, a very obvious error in editing. If you are fans of either of the ladies or either Baldwin then you may find something to like here, but others should steer clear. This is a reasonable but unremarkable thriller and not really worth more than a couple of dollars if you want it.$LABEL$ 0 +Screwball comedy about romantic mismatches in New York City. Peter Bogdanovich is obviously in love with all the women in his picture--he reveres them--yet Audrey Hepburn is (naturally) put a notch above the others because, after all, she's the princess Bogdanovich probably fell in love with at the movies 30 years prior. He shoots her in loving close-ups, gets right in the sheets between her and a wonderfully hard-boiled/soft-boiled Ben Gazzara, and allows her room to sparkle throughout. The love-connections made in the course of the film are fast and amusing, though I did tire of John Ritter's TV-styled klutziness. Colleen Camp, Dorothy Stratten, and the grounded, earthy-sensual Patti Hansen are all exciting to watch. But it's really Hepburn's valentine and she absolutely glows. *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +Who me? No, I'm not kidding. That's what it really says on the video case.Plot; short version: Pretty woman stands around smiling. This, for some reason, makes all men kill each other."Find Ariel...Where's Ariel...Can't Find Ariel..." She's right behind you, you idiot...Most of what can be said about this horrendous little Space Opera has already been said, looks like.A bunch of corny actors playing mostly convicts come in after the first selection of actors is knocked off very quickly. Then they get knocked off in the same way. Every scene is broadcast nearly fifteen minutes in advance. Perhaps it was a drawing of straws to see which actors had the most screen time and bigger pay check. The alien virus/hologram/VR witch/glitch seems physically powerless and doesn't do a thing. Why can't she just stay in the computer instead of doing her "teleporting vampire" routine? (Actually, it would've been more interesting if she had been a vampire, or doing more than just standing around looking at people, which is all she ever does. This is enough to make all the men kill each other. Go figure...)This isn't really a space flick. There are far more shots of the old western trail, 1950's Easy Rider trail, Film noir's night club scene, even a jog on the beach in fantasy-land, none of which has any real depth or even makes any sense. The night club scene is in black and white, of course. Worked with "The Wizard of Oz". Doesn't work so well, here. This is probably a good thing, as those few shots they DO show of space are depressingly silly. You will probably cry during those moments, especially upon seeing that swirling "space ship", which looks about three inches long.Nothing is felt for any of the characters, not because they are convicts or have no personality, but because they are in serious need of acting lessons, except for Billy Dee Williams who really does look depressed and at a loss, probably by being in this work...This is one of those movies that, when viewed with friends, is going to cause some extremely "loud" silences, especially when the nerd throws out his attempt at comic one-liners (including the line about French-kissing a meteor...? Did I hear that right? Perhaps not...)The original virtual reality girls get "killed", which means nothing, as they are not even real to begin with. Well, the other "characters" aren't, either, but that's beside the point. Haha.What's kind of funny is that the scene that graces the video case is some sort of skull-horror-alien looking thing (green filter added on top of that, to give it more of a...uh...green look), which is actually the android after he gets killed and ultimately has nothing to do with anything else afoot.Another odd deal I noticed. Whenever there is an explosion (at least on my cheap DVD copy), everything becomes highly pixelated. I don't mean a LITTLE pixelated, I mean HUGE blocks about 1/16th the size of the screen. Wow.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a fantastic movie about two people, one a young teenage girl, and the other, a middle aged man, who are each looking for someone to help them fulfill a certain emptiness left by former loved ones.Both actors give brilliant performances that various audiences can relate to. The script, although written by Gorman Bechard, seems as though it was written from a woman's point of view. And at the same time, men can relate to the male characters because of how well they were developed and described in the movie.The end of the movie has an unusual but powerful and unexpected twist that leaves you speechless. I would recommend this film to anyone who has ever felt lonely or abandoned by a loved one. It is clear in this film that you are not alone.$LABEL$ 1 +Actually, this is a lie, Shrek 3-D was actually the first 3d animated movie. I bought it on DVD about 3 years ago. Didn't Bug's Life also do that? I think it was at Disneyworld in that tree, so I'm saying before they go and use that as there logo. Also, Shrek 3d was a motion simulator at Universal Studios. They should still consider it as a movie, because it appeared in a "theater" and you could buy it for DVD. The movie was cute, at least the little flyes were. I liked IQ. I agree with animaster, they did a god job out of making a movie out of something that is just a out-and-back adventure. I recommend it to families and kids.$LABEL$ 0 +Busy Phillips put in one hell of a performance, both comedic and dramatic. Erika Christensen was good but Busy stole the show. It was a nice touch after The Smokers, a movie starring Busy, which wasnt all that great. If Busy doesnt get a nomination of any kind for this film it would be a disaster. Forget Mona Lisa Smile, see Home Room.$LABEL$ 1 +Why can't there be better TV movies made I was at a loose end today and watched this film on a satellite channel in the UK. What a terrible waste of my time it was . Poor sets, Poor acting & Oh my god what a terrible flood . Blimey that woman can even outrun a torrent of water too!.I really wish that people would make TV movies using better effects, better or at least more believable plots & far better acting. Killer Flood is well up there with poor acting. A few bits of ham couldn't act any worse.1 final thing I really agree with the comment about the dog, but I believe it would of already scarpered in real life!$LABEL$ 0 +There is one adjective that describes everything about this film - acting, plot, effects, continuity, etc. - and that word is poor. The government wants to asses the effects of space travel on certain organisms but the capsule crashes and a mutant something-or-other (looks like a guy in an ape suit with the top of a football helmet over his face) wreaks havoc around the accident scene, which includes a favorite place for the window-fogging, partying set. Therefore, some young people - as well as a law enforcement officer - are among the creature's victims. You gotta be extremely unparticular about how you spend your time - or rich, if you spend any money - to view this epic.$LABEL$ 0 +My mother and I were on our way home from a trip up to the North East (mainly Massachusetts) when we decided to take a little detour a attend a film festival in Boston. Now, I don't know much about film so I thought this might be a bit educational. The first movie we saw was this one, THE ROMEO DIVISION. Now, I don't know about you but I thought this was great! I'm from Texas and where I come from we don't see too many motion pictures so this was a pleasant surprise. My mother insisted that it was too violent, but said that I didn't know much about what she was saying but this was a great picture. I was shocked by the fight sequences they were great. Also, I am a big fan when the good guys win so I was thrilled when Romeo ladies killed all of the bad guys. This was true brilliance. I'm not sure when it's getting released on video but if you get the chance you should check it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. A word to the wise though, it is rather violent and there many cuss words so you may not want to let your children watch. It's more for adults.$LABEL$ 1 +In New York, Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an addicted executive of a real estate office that has embezzled a large amount for his addiction and expensive way of life with his wife Gina (Marisa Tomei). When an audit is scheduled in his department, he becomes desperate for money. His baby brother Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke) is a complete loser that owes three months of child support to his daughter, and is having a love affair with Gina every Thursday afternoon. Andy plots a heist of the jewelry of their parent in a Saturday morning without the use of guns, expecting to find an old employee working and without financial damage to his parents, since the insurance company would reimburse the loss. On Monday morning, we would raise the necessary money he needs to cover his embezzlement. He invites Hank to participate, since he is very well known in the mall where the jewelry is located and could be recognized. However, Hank yellows and invites the thief Bobby Lasorda (Brian F. O'Byrne) to steal the store, but things go wrong when their mother Nanette (Rosemary Harris) comes to work as the substitute for the clerk and Bobby brings a hidden gun. Nanette reacts and kills Bobby but she is also lethally shot. After the death of Nanette, their father Charles Hanson (Albert Finney) decides to investigate the robbery with tragic consequences."Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a comedy of errors, disclosing a good story. The originality and the difference are in the screenplay, with a non-linear narrative à la "Pulp Fiction". The eighty-three year-old Sidney Lumet has another great work and it is impressive the longevity of this director. Philip Seymour Hoffman is awesome in the role of a dysfunctional man with traumatic relationship with his father that feels the world falling apart mostly because of his insecure and clumsy brother. Marisa Tomei is still impressively gorgeous and sexy, showing a magnificent body. The violent conclusion shows that the world is indeed an evil place. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Antes Que o Diabo Saiba Que Você Está Morto" ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead")$LABEL$ 1 +If you need cheering up on a cold weekday evening, this is the film for you! Excellent script and perfectly cast actors. I especially loved Ray psyching himself up in front of the mirror before gigs - inspired!$LABEL$ 1 +I usually like these dumb/no brain activity movies, but this was just too stupid. There were way too many clichés and the plot didn't really make much sense. There were a lot of loose ends and the ending was extremely poor and abrupt. We didn't even get too see if the big master plan worked. We only got too see the main character sob over his dead farther, the professor (that died because of stupidity (see below)).One scene annoyed me particularly. Why did the professor only have about 5 minutes of oxygen in his container when he went to manually override the dam? And if they only had oxygen containers containing 5 minutes worth of oxygen, why didn't he bring two or three of them? Then he would have survived… that was bloody stupid. The movie is pretty full of such stupid things. I can not recommend it at all.$LABEL$ 0 +I like science-fiction movies and even, low-rated, made for TV, bargain bin, movies I may still find interesting. Well, I found this one in a bargain bin and brought it as a selection to a movie night with a group of friends.I was, literally, *emabrrassed* that I brought this movie.Right from the beginning, the acting is bad, the story is bland and the plot is almost non-existent. All this leads right to what the movie really was: A soft core porno graphical movie.The movie started with a woman prison where the prisoners are all sexy women working in some sort of mine. First clue that this movie is NOT serious: attractive women in a prison being forced to do physical labor. Yeah, right! Whatever. :P Once the "plot" continued, it was overshadowed by pointless scenes of people having sex. Halfway through the movie, my friends and I stopped watching, it was so stupid. The next day, I thought that I would give the movie another chance and watch the rest. I watched about another 15 minutes and gave up again.If you are looking for a decent, science-fiction or even a sci-fi monster movie DO NOT watch Lethal Target! If you want to see a low-budget, soft core porn that is light on plot, then see Lethal Target.$LABEL$ 0 +My scalp still smarts from the burning coals heaped on it when I vowed I love this film. Bring on the coals; I'll walk over them as well to say again that I love "Bend it Like Beckham." Granted, there's a lot of "in spite of" in that confession. It's a bit movie-of-the-week; the screenplay is on the paint-by-numbers side. And, most troublingly, the director's commentary implies that in this film beauty can be found primarily amongst the white of skin.The film's genius is not in what's obvious to the Syd Field-doctored eye: character arcs, themes, construction. It's in both the surface and what lurks deep beneath, but not in those layers of artistic topsoil that reviewers seem most often to scratch at. Powerful, sometimes semi-clad female bodies not simply on display but kicking the crap out of a football do a better job of naturalizing female strength and agility than Lara Croft or Zhang Ziyi will ever do. These are real bodies (Keira Knightley's excepted) whose work is not to look great first and kick butt later. They are working bodies whose beauty is in their movement and self-determination. And, in my book, lead actress Parminder Nagra is one of the most gorgeous creatures ever captured on screen – not only because she can lay claim to that hackneyed adjective, "luminous," but because her performance has an honesty and un-bookish intelligence that's utterly compelling.The result is a film women can enjoy without feeling like they're making a pact with the devil to do so. As in Chadha's "Bride and Prejudice," the relationships amongst women sizzle with a chemistry that can't be neatly slotted into the stodgy, Sweet Valley High categories of "best friends" or "sisters." Perhaps Chadha is even right in her commentary to disavow the film's flirtation with lesbianism. "Bend it Like Beckham" has an electricity that can't be reduced to the simple hetero/homosexual love triangle its conventionally structured script would suggest. The precise nature of its pleasure is, ultimately, a bit of a mystery – and is all the more seductive for it.Oh yes, and did I mention that it's hilarious?$LABEL$ 1 +The Second Renaissance, part 1 let's us show how the machines first revolted against the humans. It all starts of with a single case, in which the machines claim that they have a right to live as well, while the humans state a robot is something they own and therefore can do anything with they want.Although an interesting premise, the story gets really silly from then on with (violent!) riots between the robots and mankind. Somehow it doesn't seem right, as another reviewer points it, it's all a little too clever.The animatrix stories that stay close to the core of the matrix (in particular Osiris) work for the best. As for Second Renaissance Part 1, I'd say it's too violent and too silly. 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +This was great. When I saw the Japanese version first, it was probably the scariest movie I had ever seen. It was not blood and guts, it was eerie, atmospheric and terrifying. When the mother ghost lent over the bed in the Japanese version, I nearly had a heart attack... I was concerned that the American version would be watered down, and that Buffy would take away from the dark creepy nuances of the original version. I needn't have been concerned. The makers of this movie wisely kept the same Japanese people who were involved with the original movie on hand, and gave the direction of the movie to the same man. They also set it in Japan in the same location, in the same house. In fact, the Japanese director took pains to remake the same movie as it was in the original, the only difference was the casting of American actors. That actually turned into a benefit as it added the element of "Strangers in a Strange Land" to the overall horror. Not only were they being haunted by an absolutely terrifying and relentless ghost, but they were also stuck in a completely foreign land, having difficulty integrating into society. It just added to the overall anxiety built into the movie and I thought it was an excellent touch.Buffy actually does a very good job. She looks vulnerable and is able to convey her fear well. There are none of the smart aleck remarks that are so common to American horror movies, or one liners that detract from the overall darkness and horror of the characters' situation. In fact, it was easily as good as The Ring which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I hope the future of American horror follows more closely the Japanese New Wave of horror started with the incredible success of Ringu. We are finally getting movies that actually can be categorized as "Horror"!! 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +At the surface COOLEY HIGH is a snappy ensemble comedy masquerading as a period piece (set in the early 60's, complete with a flawless Motown soundtrack). But there's SO much more to this film - it gets better every time I see it. The cast of unknowns (at the time) is excellent, and it is notable as an all-black-cast film that doesn't fall into any Blaxpoitation clichés - at times COOLEY HIGH almost feels like an updated, urban neo-realist film, with lots of edgy humor added in. At times, the rather tight budget does show, but the constraints actually serve the film well - there's a grit and honesty of emotion here that lends the film an immediacy lacking in most similar-minded films (like Schultz' later CAR WASH, which was more popular, but largely pointless) Warm-hearted but also true-to-life, this might be one of THE sleepers of the 70s - celebrated at the time, it seems that few film freaks know about this one today. Their loss - this is a fine, fine film.The bare-bones pan-and-scan DVD (no widescreen!?!) is testament to just how little cared-for this excellent film is.$LABEL$ 1 +"Thunderbolt" is probably Jackie Chan's worst movie since "The Protector" in 1985. Yes, I know that nobody watches his movies for their stories, but the plotting of this one is unusually lame, even by his standards, and while the fight choreography IS up to his standards, the fight scenes (the whole two of them) are ruined, as others have mentioned, by the frenetic, distracting camerawork. Even the most serious Jackie Chan fans shouldn't really bother with this offensively haphazard, stunt-and-plug-filled garbage. Anita Yuen's cute and perky performance is one of the few redeeming virtues. For a good "serious Jackie" movie, I recommend "Crime Story". (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, there are a ton of reviews here, what can I possibly add?I will try anyway. The reason this is my favorite Scrooge is because of EVERYthing. The sets, outdoor locations, costumes are so beautiful and authentic. The music is sweet. The supporting cast is very well done. One of my favorites is the narrator & nephew, played by Roger Rees. His understated sincerity is touching and his voice is the sound of Christmas to me. David Warner is also a totally believable Bob Cratchit. His is a difficult life, but he remains positive and dignified. The best part of course- is George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. Some have said his portrayal too gruff. I couldn't disagree more. His exchanges at the beginning while cold or harsh, weren't out of character. He is a terribly disillusioned man who's heart has been hardened by the vicissitudes of life and his own lust for wealth. During the flashbacks, it's obvious that he isn't all gruff. This is where we see that there is hope for him. If he was totally gone, his partner Marley would never have come for his sake in the first place. And after all, we are none of us past hoping. I think that is a HUGE part of what Dickens was trying to say. When Scrooge looks in on his dance at his employer's with Belle, you see him smile regretfully as he tells Belle in the flashback that he will go through life "with a grin on my face." Clive Donner was smart enough as the director to allow these moments on film. Sometimes they get left on the editing room floor.And finally, his conversion is so absolutely full of joy that it makes me cry tears of joy EVERY time I see it. His apology to his nephew Fred, so sincere, so moving, it is the spirit not only of Christmas, but of humanity itself. The joy he brings to Fred, to his wife are so apparent. And the line that gets me every time, "God forgive me for the time I've wasted." Bravi tutti!$LABEL$ 1 +I shot this movie. I am very proud of the film. It was a great experience which shows up on the screen. Halfdan Hussey is an excellent collaborator who had a vision and was able to capture the movie in the exact way we envisioned while prepping the film. The sets are amazing and well crafted for each character. John York and his team built sets that not only fit the characters, they worked well in shooting the film, allowing us to move seamlessly through walls and from one set to another. Each character has an amazing arc, which makes for a great story. I feel like all of the actors gave excellent performances. I disagree with some of the other comments that say the acting was not good. Watch it and decide for yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +Jay Craven's criminally ignored film is a sober breath of fresh air in the generally narcissistic and derivative world of independent film. First off, the photography is pure aesthetic pleasure, capturing all of the gloomy beauty of Northern New England in late autumn (Cinematographer Paul Ryan did 2nd Unit on Malick's Days of Heaven). Second, the performances are uniformly excellent - Rip Torn's Noel Lourdes is irascibly charming and Tantoo Cardinal's Bangor is at once sensitive and exuberant, to say nothing of a fine supporting cast. Overall though, it is a tribute to the narrative strength of the film that the story maintains a strong and lively pace while still unfolding in its own time, and the film comes to a conclusion, natural and genuine, that nevertheless does not seem expected. This is one of the rare cells of dignity in the independent film world, a film that explores a small piece of the intersection between humans and history.$LABEL$ 1 +Being a bit of a connoisseur of garbage, I have stumbled across this little treasure. Action, romance, crooked cops, violence. Its all here and not a single one has been pulled of right. I was in love immediately. Then, a funny thing happened about the second time around. I became addicted. I thought it was going to be a one rent and chuckle kind-of-movie.Rudy Ray Moore knew what he wanted to see in a movie. He didn't have the money to make it look good, but he did it anyway. That's very commendable. It also shows he was making the movie for his self. I don't know how many of you have heard Rudy Ray's music, but if you haven't he has a whole slew of albums reaching into the fifties.$LABEL$ 1 +As usual, Hollywood stereotyped EVERYONE in the movie. But, this one is a classic - from the uptight white collar banker to the Russian woman!! Well done. Even facial expressions were great! Language was perfect (even in Russian language) and Nicole did a splendid job!! Hey guys - you get what you pay for:)$LABEL$ 1 +I recently watched Belle Epoque, thinking it might be wonderful as it did win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I was a bit underwhelmed by the predictability and simplicity of the film. Maybe the conflict I had was that from the time the movie was filmed to now, the plot of a man falling for beautiful women and eventually falling for the good girl has been done so many times. Aside from predictability of the plot, some scenes in the film felt really out of place with the storyline (ex. a certain event at the wedding). At times the film was a bit preachy in it's ideas and in relation to the Franco era the film was set in and the Church. The only thing the film had going for it was the cutesy moments, the scenery, and the character of Violeta being a strong, independent woman during times when women were not really associated with those characteristics.$LABEL$ 0 +In life, we first organize stones (Piedras in Spanish) such as a career, family, friendship, and love. In this way, we shall find space between these to fit smaller stones, our small necessities. If you act in an inverse way, you will not have enough room for larger stones. The five protagonists in this film are women who have not been able to organize the large "stones" in their lives. Ramon Salazar, a Spanish motion picture director defines his first feature Stones in this way. The film tells the parallel, conflicting trajectory of five women: Anita (Monica Cervera, 1975-), Isabel (Angela Molina, 1955-), Adela (Antonia San Juan, 1961-), Leire (Najwa Nimri, 1972-), and Maricarmen (Vicky Pena, 1954-).All are endeavoring to remove the stones that insistently appear in their path or, worst, that are in their shoes. They are five Cinderellas in search of Prince Charming and a new chance in life. The best story of these five Cinderellas is that of Anita (Monica Cervera) who also stars in "20 Centimeters," "Busco," "Crimen Ferpecto," "Entre Vivir y Sonar," "Hongos," and "Octavia." Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California$LABEL$ 1 +I put down this vehicle from Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, and Murphy in particular the first time but having seen it again, recently, I can see that it does have some very funny bits.This is by no means to say that this is the greatest buddy comedy of all time, but really what can you do to the already exhausted subgenre? What director, Tom Dey, has tried to do is make it a satire of the clichés of buddy comedy and the media. Early in the movie the executive of a cable network asks: "How is this different from Cops?", when Chase Renzi is pitching the idea of a reality show dealing with De Niro's character, Mitch Preston (hilariously boring name by the way). That's when I saw it in a new light that I hadn't previously noticed.The idea is to show all the elements of the buddy comedy and put a twist on them. De Niro's reluctance to star in the show and to partner up with Murphy is right out of every cop film you can think of. You can say that De Niro is actually playing himself asking: "Why would I do another movie playing a cop?" Chase Renzi is portrayed to be a Hollywood phony but if you look at her opening scene again, she is merely doing it to save her job. She somehow sees the ridiculousness of what she is doing but she wants to succeed despite that. One line says it all: "Who doesn't want to be on TV?" Maybe this is reading too much into what is essentially a lightweight film, merely set to entertain, but it does give it a little spin that I hadn't noticed before.As for Murphy. You got to applaud him for looking this ridiculous. Trey wants to be a star so bad that he is willing to sell out everything he comes in contact with. Murphy was a big star and maybe it struck a nerve that it is all so fleeting.The plot with the gun is of course pretty boring. The action sequences are nothing special, except the end which required a lot of effort both from cast and crew. One thing that I noticed about the villain is that he is dressed like an 80's pop star. George Michael comes to mind and that adds to the whole media spin.So, I trashed it the first time around but what the heck; if you are gonna do this, why not point out how ridiculous it really is and De Niro and Murphy took a big chance doing this.$LABEL$ 0 +There are few films or movies I consider favorites over the years. The Gospel road was one of them. I watched this as a young teen and would like the opportunity to watch it again. My favorite parts were the fact that 1/Jesus was blond, 2/the last supper was a huge meal,3/ he liked playing with the children,4/His death was for all people and for all time.The movie may not have been theologically sound or high quality acting, but it touched my heart at that time. Besides I am a Johnny Cash fan and it was a brave venture. If it ever comes out on DVD, I will purchase it purely for sentimental reasons.$LABEL$ 1 +1936 was the most prolific year for Astaire and Rogers. Their second film for RKO that year is the third film in this collection – Mark Sandrich's 'Follow The Fleet.' This time out Astaire is painfully uncomfortable as Bake Baker, a seaman on leave who just happens to stumble into the seedy waterfront café where Sherry Martin (Rogers) is warbling romantic sweet nothings in everyone's ear. Yep, you guessed it – they're hot for each other once again. Only this time Sherry's spinster sister, Connie (Harriet Hillard) threatens the whole fine romance by falling for Bake's robust seafaring buddy, Bilge Smith (Randolph Scott); a sort of use 'em up and toss 'em out kind of guy, thus forcing Sherry to reconsider her opinion of all sailors in general. Irving Berlin lends immeasurable class to the proceedings with his classic, classy score, including standards 'Let Yourself Go', 'I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket' and 'Let's Face the Music and Dance;' the latter a divinely inspired skit about suicide that turns into another immediately recognizable and thoroughly sublime pas deux for Fred and Ginger. The transfer on 'Follow The Fleet' is a tad weaker. The gray scale remains nicely balanced but now it's a tad thick looking with not nearly as much tonal variation as the previous titles. Grain is still present. So are age related artifacts. Once you've settled into to the slightly dense and sometimes more softly focused image quality, the overall impression is more than acceptable for a film of this vintage. The audio is Mono but very nicely balanced. Extras include a featurette, theatrical trailer and short subject, but oddly – no audio commentary. Considering the importance of this film in the overall canon of Astaire/Rogers this is an uncharacteristic oversight from Warner Home Video.$LABEL$ 1 +"Soylent Green" is one of the best and most disturbing science fiction movies of the 70's and still very persuasive even by today's standards. Although flawed and a little dated, the apocalyptic touch and the environmental premise (typical for that time) still feel very unsettling and thought-provoking. This film's quality-level surpasses the majority of contemporary SF flicks because of its strong cast and some intense sequences that I personally consider classic. The New York of 2022 is a depressing place to be alive, with over-population, unemployment, an unhealthy climate and the total scarcity of every vital food product. The only form of food available is synthetic and distributed by the Soylent company. Charlton Heston (in a great shape) plays a cop investigating the murder of one of Soylent's most eminent executives and he stumbles upon scandals and dark secrets... The script is a little over-sentimental at times and the climax doesn't really come as a big surprise, still the atmosphere is very tense and uncanny. The riot-sequence is truly grueling and easily one of the most macabre moments in 70's cinema. Edward G. Robinson is ultimately impressive in his last role and there's a great (but too modest) supportive role for Joseph Cotton ("Baron Blood", "The Abominable Dr. Phibes"). THIS is Science-Fiction in my book: a nightmarish and inevitable fade for humanity! No fancy space-ships with hairy monsters attacking our planet.$LABEL$ 1 +... but the trouble of this production is that it's very far from a good musical.Granted, one can't always expect the witty masters like Sondheim or Bernstein or Porter; yet the music of this piece makes even Andrew Lloyd Webber look witty. It's deadly dull and uninventive (with one or two exceptions) and just after I watched it I couldn't recall a single significant melody - which is rather tragic coming from someone who learned the whole Another Hundred People from three listenings.It is also strangely un-theatrical. It takes place on an incredibly large stage (one really has to feel sorry for those people in front rows who broke their necks in order to see something happening 50 meters on the right or 100 meters on the left) and does absolutely nothing with it. When there's supposed to be one person singing on-stage, that's just what you get - and the rest of the enormeous stage is empty. For me as an aspiring theatre director it was almost painful to watch.The fact remains, Cole Porter seems to have captured the French culture in his works better than these no-talents can ever come close to. And I'm puzzled by the popularity of this would-be-legendary musical.$LABEL$ 0 +And this is a great rock'n'roll movie in itself. No matter how it evolved (at point being a movie about disco), it ended up as one of the ultimate movies in which kids want to rock out, but the principal stands in their way. Think back to those rock'n'roll movies of the 50's in which the day is saved when Alan Freed comes to town with Chuck Berry to prove that Rock & Roll Music is really cool and safe for the kids, and Tuesday Weld gets a new sweater for the dance. Forward to the 1979, repeat the same plot, but throw in DA RAMONES, whom no one then realized would become one of the most influential bands of the next quarter century (and then for the obligatory DJ guest shot, "The Real" Don Steele). Throw in, too, all the elements of a Roger Corman-produced comedy-exploitation film, except for the two-day shooting schedule, some of the familiar Corman repertory players like Clint Howard, Mary Wournow and Dick Miller (there since "Bucket of Blood"), and you've got one of the great stoopid movies of the day. One of the few films that uses deliberate cheesiness and gets away with it. I showed the new DVD to a friend who could only remember seeing parts of it through a stoner- induced haze at the drive-in, and he agreed that this is one of the great movies to be watching drunk, not the least for the lovely leading ladies and the great Ramones footage.$LABEL$ 1 +After visiting the Kimbell museum in Forth-Worth, Texas, USA, enjoying the art and the architecture (also of the adjacent Modern Art Museum), and having a delightful conversation with the knowledgeable bookstore lady, I purchased this a propos DVD with rather high expectations… and was not disappointed in the least.The thematic approach, dramatic tension, revealing interviews, archival footage and stunning architecture are also mixed in a coherent whole to explore the life of the late iconic Louis I. Khan.The documentary begins: contemplative classical music plays, archives are scanned with a reflective shadowy face superimposed, blurring letters symbolically referencing a train window passing a backdrop landscape — a journey —, focus and out of focus, the search eventually culminates to an article in a newspaper. Nathanial Khan reads from the front page of the New York Times where his father is simultaneously praised as the best American architect alive and his death announced. "When I first read that obituary, I have to admit, I was looking for my own name. I was his child too, his only son. I didn't know my father very well. He never married my mother and he never lived with us (…) He died when I was eleven."So years later, this illegitimate son is still haunted by unclear fragmented thoughts and feelings about his father who seems to be a great professional and public figure, but who's secretive personal life escapes him and affects him to the point where he intends to do something about it."For years, I struggled to be satisfied with the little pieces of my father's life I've been allowed to see, but it wasn't enough. I needed to know him. I needed to find out who he really was. So I set out on a journey, to see his buildings and to find whatever there was left of him out there. It would take me to the other side of the world, looking for the man who left me with so many questions."So the documentary is two-fold, by a slow systematic discovery of the world-renown architect, we get to know: 1) his ideas, buildings and the architectural perspective and 2) his families, coworkers, people's life he affected and the human perspectiveThe DVD also offers added insight with a Q&A with the writer/director and additional footage that includes such great Louis I. Khan quotes as "Everything that everybody says is the truth. It's their truth. It might not be factual." and "A good idea that doesn't happen is no idea at all."This movie is a journey of discovery. Self-discovery and discovery of a man, a great man, yet a human, imperfect like all of us. We get to know him through the eyes of an admiring and slightly bitter son, but with the openness and objectivity to really explore without making easy conclusions and without judging.By key interviews with people who interacted with him in various capacity. We slowly put some pieces together until that final interview with this man from Bangladesh who really seems to bring it back home with visceral and sensible comments.Brilliant architect, brilliant documentary.$LABEL$ 1 +I hope the people who made this movies read these comments. The choreography was horrid, the plot was nill, and the actors where so low budget power rangers appears 5 star to this junk.The fight scenes where so slow you could actually see the actors waiting for each other to perform the next move. Camera cut-aways and poor lighting could not cover up the cheap effects. The lightning was just plain stupid. The weapons looked like something out of a final fantasy game, and the dual bow and arrow was just dull as anything I have ever seen.Next movie you decide to make try investing in some wireless mics, better script and try actually spending some time on your stunts.Honestly there are shows on t.v. that play ever night and are thrown together in a few hours that look better than this one.Stick to martial arts (unless its as poor as your acting) then take up quilting.$LABEL$ 0 +Bela Lugosi gets to play one of his rare good guy roles in a serial based upon the long running radio hit (which was also the source of a feature film where Lugosi played the villain.) Lugosi cuts a fine dashing figure and its sad that he didn't get more roles where he could be the guy in command in a good way. Here Chandu returns from the East in order to help the Princess Nadji who is being hunted by the leaders of the cult of Ubasti who need her to bring back from the dead the high priestess of their cult. This is a good looking globe trotting serial that is a great deal of fun. To be certain the pacing is a bit slack, more akin to one of Principals (the producing studios) features then a rip roaring adventure, but it's still enjoyable. This plays better than the two feature films that were cut from it because it allows for things to happen at their own pace instead of feeling rushed or having a sense that "hey I missed something". One of the trilogy of three good serials Lugosi made, the others being SOS Coast Guard and Phantom Creeps$LABEL$ 1 +A low budget may be an excuse for poor acting talent and pathetic looking fake gore. However, it is not an excuse for poor writing. It is a talent to be able to write dialog without making it sound forced and mechanical. The dialog in this movie was on par with most instructional videos shown to fast food staff in training.I also understand that one must make a few exceptions when it comes to acting talent when you only have 20 bucks to spend on it. With that being said, no serious director would have looked at these scenes and said to himself, "that was perfect". I see better character acting on Canadian television.This movie had a paper thin plot, bad acting, poor dialog and holds no intelligent ideas at all. This simply proves to me that some independent films are that way for a reason. If your looking for a quick scare, rent anything else. Even the "Cable Guy" was a scarier film. After watching this film, I think i would have been better off watching a re-run on the X-files.$LABEL$ 0 +A very sweet movie about a young Chinese man enamored of western technology and an Englishman trying to make his fortune showing movies in China. It's a very interesting story that is presumably based on true events, although I'm assuming it's more fantasy than real. It's got a fairy tale quality you rarely get in real life, and it's also got 8 people credited for the script, so they must have been making up stuff right and left.This is a very likable movie that conveys how magical film was to people who had never seen it before. It is not an especially deep movie, touching briefly on the loss of tradition and the encroachment of western culture but mainly just being a pleasant little movie. It's actually a movie I enjoyed very much that is already beginning to disappear from my mind 15 minutes after seeing it. Light as a soufflé, but I enjoyed every minute.$LABEL$ 1 +There aren't many good things to say at all about Underneath, Soderbergh's untrue endeavor into neo-noir. Soderbergh remakes Robert Siodmak's decent noir Criss-Cross faithfully, not altering the plot very much at all, however the adaptation drains it of every ounce of its state-of-the-art film noir atmosphere, giving it the same story set in the very least appealing places, lifestyles and anachronisms. Soderbergh, who would later make wonderful crime films like Out of Sight and the Ocean's series with great style and atmosphere, takes the dangerously obvious route to modernization by renovating the story with the ugliest, dullest and flattest fashions of the early 1990s. Nightclubs have terrible, revoltingly dressed garage bands, Peter Gallagher's uninteresting version of Burt Lancaster's anti-hero is left by his femme fatale girlfriend for compulsively buying cinematically lifeless modern appliances like stereos, TVs, and other up to date pieces of equipment that suck the reaction out of the film.It could've been more entertaining and less boring had it a few saving graces like a good score, more flesh to its characters, more than just William Fichtner giving performances that aren't wooden, a crisper pace. Unfortunately, Underneath has none of these things. Soderbergh, a fine director, does not utilize his dry detachment to the benefit of his film this time. That disposition works wonderfully when he's helming a crime movie with more tongue in its cheek like the George Clooney pictures previously mentioned, or a social or character drama like Traffic or sex, lies and videotape. With a movie like Underneath, it intensifies the boredom experienced by the viewer.$LABEL$ 0 +"Tokyo Eyes" tells of a 17 year old Japanese girl who falls in like with a man being hunted by her big bro who is a cop. This lame flick is about 50% filler and 50% talk, talk, and more talk. You'll get to see the less than stellar cast of three as they talk on the bus, talk and play video games, talk and get a haircut, talk and walk and walk and talk, talk on cell phones, hang out and talk, etc. as you read subtitles waiting for something to happen. The thin wisp of a story is not sufficient to support a film with low end production value, a meager cast, and no action, no romance, no sex or nudity, no heavy drama...just incessant yadayadayada'ing. (C-)$LABEL$ 0 +It felt like I watched this movie thousand times before.It was absolutely predictable.Every time the story tried to get a bit twisted,every time I awaited something interesting to happen, I saw nothing but what I expected. Like "The bread factory opened up another facility,because there was not enough bread". In two words:Flat story,that has become a cliché,bad acting,bad special effects...Only the dumb Russian cop,Vlad, was a bit funny while punishing around the bad guys.The pile of muscles was so incredibly STUPID,that it made me laugh at him for a moment. I wonder why i waste my time spitting on that shame-of-a-movie... It won't get worse (because it is not possible) :D$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not sure what Diane Silver was thinking when she was making this movie, but it obviously had nothing to do with Richard Wright's novel, which the movie is based on.We read the novel this past summer for AP English 12, and just watched the film. During periodic note-taking and checking of the clock, I contemplated the chances of being struck by lightning. Of course, the sky was completely clear, and I was forced to watch the rest of the movie... and then write a 5-paragraph essay on it.Wright's novel discussed very real themes, of the mind of a killer and the psychology behind it. Silver's movie turned a murderer into a victim, which is NOT what Wright wanted (see: "How Bigger was Born" 454).I'm going to make this short and sweet: if you want to leave your consciousness, in Raphael Lambert's words, unsullied, skip the movie and read the book. The 1986 adaptation is not thought-provoking material.... ::sigh:: Now I have to write the essay.$LABEL$ 0 +This started out to be a movie about the street culture of the Bronx in New York. What it accomplished was to give birth to a new culture and way of life, for American youth. What other movie has done this except Rebel Without A Cause? One of the most important movies of all time. The elements are simple yet fascinating. The story is timeless, young people try to succeed against all odds. Yet the story is always believable and never depressing. The characters are so realistic, a city dweller, would recognize them as neighbors. The story is entertaining, and comes to a satisfying ending. Buy this one for your permanent collection. It is a piece of American history.$LABEL$ 1 +I just watched this film 15 minutes ago, and I still have no idea what I just watched. Mainly I think it's a film about an internet S&M "star" of CD Roms that are about as realistic as flash cartoons online. She's murdered by someone, which causes her sister and a crack team of 2 FBI agents to investigate the death. The local homicide division of Big City, USA is also investigating, though most of his work comes by the way of oogling the CD ROMs which he claims are as realistic "as the real thing". I know. Wow.Michael Madsen is the only one in the film that has any kind of credits behind him. He's in the film for about 15 minutes, and half of that is him banging the main girl for seemingly no apparent reason. I won't even explain the ending, because quite frankly I can't make it out myself. But before the final scene, we're treated to a 3 or 4 minute montage of everything in the film. Honestly, they could have ran that then the final scene and it would have been the same effect with the cross eyed direction and all.All in all, stay away from this film. I got it because I love bad movies and I love Michael Madsen. I really could have used that 80 some minutes on something else and have been more satisfied. Like, playing that game with a knife where you jab at your hand repeatedly. That for 80 minutes would be much more entertaining.$LABEL$ 0 +Clearly an hilarious movie.It angers me to see the poor ratings given to this piece of comic geniusPlease look at this for what it is, a funny, ridiculous enjoyable film. Laugh for christ sake!$LABEL$ 1 +This 1953 Sam Fuller movie contains some of his best work, and its sad that he couldn't continue to get the backing of major Hollywood studios to do his stuff. The story line goes something like this. A tough hard broad (read prostitute) is riding the subway one hot summer day, and gets her pocketbook picked by Skip McCoy. What Skip (and the dame) don't realize is that she is also carrying some microfilm to be passed to commie spies. This opening shot without dialogue, and mostly in tight close-ups is a beaut,one of the many that Fuller uses throughout the movie. Playing the babe known as Candy is Jean Peters, who was never better nor better looking. One forgets how beautiful she was, and she handles this role very well. The Pickpocket is played by Richard Widmark, who had already made his mark, and set his style with 1947's Kiss Of Death as the crazy creep with the creepy laugh, and although he's a little "softer" here, he's still scary. These hard edged characters do have soft spots here and there, but its noir and nasty all the way. The standout performance belongs to the wonderful Thelma Ritter,who plays Moe the stoolie saving up her dough to pay for her own funeral. Ritter received a well deserved Oscar nomination for her performance, but lost out to the boring but popular performance of Donna Reed as the B girl (read prostitute) in "From Here To Eternity." Hollywood loves it when a good girl goes bad, and loves to Oscar them even though their performance is usually awful. See for instance Shirley Jones in "Elmer Gantry. Set among the docks and dives of New York City, with crisp black and white photography by the great Joe MacDonald,and some very good art direction. Especially good is the set representing the New York City subways and Widmark's shack near the river. Made at the height of the cold war and red scare, the villian of the piece is the ordinary looking commie, played by Richard Kiley who is much more dangerous than the pickpocket who is a criminal but is just trying to make a living and above all is a loyal American.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this movie, I saw it when I was about 8 years old and almost seven years later, this evening I got to see it again. I really thought it had an interesting idea, they only thing that upset me was the ending which I felt was a cop out. 'Round here it's hard to find this movie and I was lucky enough to have seen it on BRAVO. I also expected to see more Drew Barrymore in here too!$LABEL$ 1 +Originally filmed in 1999 as a TV pilot, "Mulholland Dr." was rejected. The next year, David Lynch received money to film new scenes to make the movie suitable to be shown in theaters. He did so - and created one of the greatest, most bizarre and nightmarish films ever made.The film really doesn't have main characters, but if there were main characters, they would be Betty (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Elena Harring). Betty is a perky blonde who's staying in her aunt's apartment while she auditions for parts in movies. She finds Rita in her aunt's apartment and decides to help her. You see, Rita's lost her memory. She has no clue who she is. She takes her name, Rita, from a "Gilda" poster in the bathroom. So the two set out to discover who Rita really is.David Lynch has been known for making some weird movies, but this film is the definition of weird. It's bizarre, nightmarish, and absolute indescribable. It's like a dream captured on film. By the 100-minute point, the film has become extremely confusing - but if you've been watching closely, it will make perfect sense. Having watched the movie and then read an article on the Internet pointing out things in the film, I now understand the movie completely.The acting is very good. Watts is terrific. Justin Theroux is very good as a Hollywood director facing problems with the local mob. The music is excellent. Angelo Badalamenti delivers one of his finest scores. And the directing - hah! David Lynch is as masterful a filmmaker as ever there was.Is this your type of film? Well, that depends. You should probably view more of Lynch's work before watching this movie. You'll need to be patient with the film, and probably watch it a second time to pick up the many clues Lynch has left throughout the movie. For Lynch fans, this is a dream come true."Mulholland Dr." is a masterpiece. It's brilliant, enigmatic, and masterfully filmed. I love it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie starts at A and never quite reaches B. Its title promises far more than the film delivers. It's superficial and filled with the usual cliches of a story in which a guy questions his sexuality. The people are agreeable, even the obligatory flamboyant type. The lead (Kevin McKidd) overacts insofar as there's a reason for him to act at all. Simon Callow, playing a horny straight, is always worth watching, and he's by far the only reason to stay with the movie. However, the rubbish about his men's group "meditations" or whatever they are grows extremely tiresome in short order. They seem to have been thrown into the movie's mild mix in a misguided effort to vary the setting and non-stop inaction. The same comment applies to a really odd and unconvincing camping trip. Don't worry about pausing the tape so you can get a snack. Let the thing run; you won't miss anything. Hugo Weaving's character is superfluous. He appears in a sequence with one of the lesser leads and doesn't even meet the rest at all. The outcome of that sequence isn't explained, and Hugo's real estate dealings have nothing to do with the story. The movie is a total disappointment at the end, because there is no resolution. The thing simply fades out and we're sent to the closing credits. This is an interlude with no structure.$LABEL$ 0 +Looking for a REAL super bad movie? If you wanna have great fun, don't hesitate and check this one!Ferrigno is incredibly bad but is also the best of this mediocrity.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe not the most original way of telling a story, we've seen all this before in many movies.. but.. I liked it October Sky alot anyways. It got something, Great directing and good acting by all parts, especially Laura Dern(the teacher) and Chris Cooper(the father). I wanna be a rocket-engineer!:)$LABEL$ 1 +Although I have enjoyed Bing Crosby in other movies, I find this movie to be particularly grating. Maybe because I'm from a different era and a different country, but I found Crosby's continual references to the Good Old USA pleasant at first, trite after a while and then finally annoying. Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-American whatsoever - but it seemed that the English could do no right and/or needed this brave, oh so smart American visitor to show them the way. It's a "fish out of water" story, but unlike most movies of this sort, this time it's the "fish" who has the upper hand. To be fair to both myself and the movie, I have watched it a few times spaced over a few years and get the same impression each time.(I watched another Crosby movie last night - The Emperor's Waltz - and that, too, produced the same reaction in me. And to my surprise even my wife - who for what's it's worth is American - found the "in your face" attitude of American Crosby to be irritating. One too many references to Teddy Roosevelt, as she put it.) As for the premise of the movie, it's unique enough for its day and the supporting cast is of course very good. The scenery and the music is also good, as are the great costumes - although I agree with a previous reviewer that the wig on William Bendix looks horrid (picture Moe of The Three Stooges).All in all for me this would be a much more enjoyable picture without the attitude of Bing Crosby but because he is in virtually every shot it's pretty hard to sit through this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Necessarily ridiculous film version the literary classic "Moby Dick". John Barrymore is Captain Ahab, who falls in love with the pastor's daughter, Joan Bennett. His brother Derek is a rival for Ms. Bennett's affections. When Mr. Barrymore loses his leg in a whaling accident, Bennett rejects him. He must slay the whale and win Bennett back...There are several scenes which may have thrilled 1930 theater audiences; particularly the scenes involving Barrymore losing his leg. The film hasn't aged well, however; there are much better films from the time, both 1920s silents and 1930s talkies. The two name attractions, John Barrymore and Joan Bennett aren't at their best. **** Moby Dick (8/14/30) Lloyd Bacon ~ John Barrymore, Joan Bennett, Lloyd Hughes$LABEL$ 0 +The goofy Griswalds win the T.V. game show "pig in a poke" grand prize, and all fly off together to Europe where they manage to cause one stupid disaster after another. Of all the ridiculous, unfunny money-spinning sequels this one beats the lot. Harold Ramis' 1983 film was a below average misadventure in which the misfit family went on a nightmarish "Vacation" across the States. This time Amy Heckerling ("Look Who's Talking") helms what turns out to be a disastrous "comedy" which will annoy you more than it will make you laugh.Hughes script (with Rob Klane) is awful and you wonder why the likes of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo bothered with such a dead-beat project, as even Anthony Michael Hall and Imogene Coca had the sense to decline the offer. Even an omnipotent Michael Palin is unable to lift proceedings to any level that one could call entertaining.Yet, as inconceivable as it may seem, "European Vacation" was successful enough to warrant a second sequel! Surely it couldn't be as unbearable as this one. You know, I have yet to see a National Lampoon show that was worth the bother.Monday, December 26, 1994 - T.V.$LABEL$ 0 +I picked this up because, having spent time in the Albany region of New York, I knew a couple of people in the movie and I happened upon it by chance. The attempts at comedy are lame, the compulsory girl-on-girl scene is sickening, the plot is nonexistent, the acting is among the worst I've ever seen, and don't even get me started on special effects. I realize this is a very low budget film made by a small independent company, but if you're going to do a sci-fi horror flick with giant bugs, don't make the giant bugs completely unbelievable. People want to see giant bugs. That's half the fun right there. And if you're going to make the giant bugs completely unbelievable, at least get the actors to make some sort of tongue-in-cheek allusion to that fact ("You idiots! These aren't them! You've captured their stunt doubles!"). Be prepared to waste two hours of your life that you'll never be able to get back.$LABEL$ 0 +Some films manage to survive almost on originality alone - "Wonderland" is certainly one of those films. The script manages to throw everything into a near-fever pitch, but without making it incoherent. The speed of this thriller is not to chosen to cover up a weak script, but rather to accurately reflect the drug-addled reality.As director, James Cox as a very peculiar way of working his actors. Most of the characters are perpetually on edge, and often because they're rather quite ugly personalities. Val Kilmer has described John Holmes to be a hustler, able to manipulate and control. No offense to Kilmer, but his version of Holmes seems only able to control the drastically weak-minded. Nonetheless, it's a stunning performance. Comparing this to Kilmer's more 'Hollywood' roles like in "The Saint" it seems to prove he is far more at home in gritty indie flicks.The actors are the main force holding all together. There are various little performances that stand out - especially the women. Carrie Fisher, Kate Bosworth, and Lisa Kudrow all have limited screen time next to their male counterparts, but they are all fantastic. Aside from Kilmer, Ted Levine and Dylan McDermott give a weird, stunning energy to their roles.I originally put off watching "Wonderland" because I assumed it was a film about a porn actor, in the strictest sense. Yes, the story revolves around John Holmes, but it has literally nothing to do with his professional career. Basically, this film is a murder mystery, and as such - it's excellent.RATING: 7.5 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +Gunga Din (1939) is based on Rudyard Kipling's poem.The movie is directed by George Stevens.It's set in India during the 19th century where three British soldiers have to stop an evil guru and his murderous cult.Gunga Din is a marvelous adventure war comedy with plenty of thrilling moments.The three leading men are brilliant.Cary Grant is Sgt.Archibald Cutter, Victor McLaglen is Sgt.'Mac' MacChesney and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.(the son of the legendary you know who) is Sgt.Thomas Ballantine.Let's not forget the other fine players who include Sam Jaffe playing Gunga Din himself in a brilliant way.The beautiful and gifted Joan Fontaine is Emaline Stebbins.It's awfully fun to watch the difficulties of Tommy's and Emmy's wedding plans.Gunga Din is awfully lot of fun.It can be funny, it can be thrilling.It can be everything a good movie requires.$LABEL$ 1 +Whatever you do, don't stop watching when you think the movie is over! Hang around for the first batch of credits or you'll really miss something! We saw this movie at the Savanaah film festival and thought it was the best of the bunch. Dreya Weber is a marvel really, not only because of her performance, but because she can pull it off so far above the ground. At the Q&A she said there were no wires or effects, so everything you see is really her going for it. Addie couldn't make it to the festival because she was dancing with Madonna. She was excellent and, my gawd, so beautiful. I was amazed that the film went over so well with the blue haired lady crowd, but there you have it, Savannnah isn't a backwater.$LABEL$ 1 +After reading the other tepid reviews and comments, I felt I had to come to bat for this movie.Roeg's films tend to have little to do with one another, and expecting this one to be like one of his you liked is probably off the mark.What this film is is a thoughtful and unabashed look at religious faith. The only other film like it-in terms of its religious message-would have to be Tolkin's `The Rapture.'I am astonished that anyone could say the story is muddled or supernatural. It is a simple movie about Catholic faith, miracles, and redemption--though you would never guess it till the end. It is also the only movie I can think of whose resolution turns, literally, on a pun.As a (happily) fallen Catholic myself, I know what the movie is about, and I find a sort of fondness in its ultimate innocence about the relation between God and man. But if you are not familiar with the kind of theology on which the film is based, then it will go right over you head.As a film-as opposed to a story-`Cold Heaven' it is not ground-breaking. While `The Rapture' is heavy with pictorial significance and cinematic imagery, `Cold Heaven' downplays its own cinematic qualities. There are no striking shots, no edgy effects, no attempts to fit the content to the form. It is workmanlike shooting, but subdued. Nor does it have dialogue or acting to put it in a class of high drama. It is a simple story that unfolds simply. It may seem odd; but at the end the mystery is revealed. It looks ambiguous; but with a single line the ambiguity vanishes in a puff of Catholic dogma.In this regard, `Cold Heaven' has at its heart exactly the same sort of thing that drives a movie like `The Sting,' or `The Sixth Sense,' or `Final Descent,' or Polanski's `A Pure Formality.' All of these are films with a trick up their sleeves. They may frustrate you along the way, but they have a point-an obvious one, indeed--but the fun is, at least in part, in having been taken in.Still, even if it seems like little more than a shaggy dog story with a punch line, it is worth watching for way it directs-and misdirects-you. Try it-especially if you are, or have ever been, a Catholic.$LABEL$ 1 +Annie Rooney lives with her officer father and brother Tim in the slums of New York, where she is constantly getting involved in many fights with the other neighborhood kids. Annie secretly has a crush on Joe Kelly (whose little brother Mickey is head of the gang that Annie constantly battles), who is in a gang that is headed for trouble, says Officer Rooney. Kelly sponsors a dance, where Tony plans to shoot Kelly in order to get even with him for making him look like a fool in front of his girl, but Officer Kelly gets fatally wounded instead. Tim (part of Kelly's gang) is told by Tony, and friend Spider, that Kelly shot his father, so he goes after him in vengeance. Annie learns of this and goes to stop her brother, if she is in time. Very good mix of humor and heart in this film, even though the plot doesn't start until the 40 minute mark of the film. Pickford is enjoyable (even though she was 33 playing a girl no more than 12-13) and really gets into her character. Haines doesn't play Kelly as tough as he should, but is able make the audience feel for him on an emotional level. The scenes where the officer tells Annie of her father's death and the ending really put a lump in your throat. The mix of all sorts of kids throughout the film are fun to watch. Rating, 8.$LABEL$ 1 +Another fantastic offering from the Monkey Island team and though it was a long time coming and had to survive the departure of Ron Gilbert it's another worthy installment. My only gripe is that it was a little short seeming in comparison to the previous two, though that might be because of a glorious lack of disk-swapping. Roll on MI4.$LABEL$ 1 +With title like this you know you get pretty much lot of junk. Acting bad. Script bad. Director bad. Grammar bad.Movie make lot of noise that really not music and lot of people yell. Movie make bad racial stereotype. Why come every movie with black hero have drug addict? Why come hero always have to dance to be success? Why come famous rapper always have to be in dance movie? Why come letter "s" can't be in title?Hollywood need to stop dumb down audience and make movie that have people with brain who know how speak proper English.Do self favor and not go see.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, 2:37 is in some ways a rip off from Gus van Sants Elephant. It's about some students who are dealing with their problems leading to the suicide of one of them. Yes, it's full of clichés, but that's life. You just can't deny that creepy nerds, disabled persons or popular students who, despite their popularity, do have problems are existing in the real world.But that's not, what this film is all about. It's not about life in Highschool. It's not about the misery of life itself.If you look beneath the surface, beneath the soap-like social relationships that are shown, you will find some gripping, thought-provoking criticism of our society.Why are people committing suicide? Do we really understand their motives? Or are we just trying to understand, after its already too late? And why is it always someone, you would never have expected it to be?This movie doesn't answer this question, but it raises it. And it does so in a very intense way. All the way it keeps you guessing, whose blood it might be, that you see at the very beginning. You are following the paths of some students, all of them having a more or less good reason to end their lives, just to be forced to watch the gruesome act in the finale.Did you know who it would be? Or were you caught by surprise, like in real life?The message is verbalized by one of the surviving kids in the end. We are always so fixed on our own problems, we forget to see those of others. There might be someone, a colleague, a friend, who does not want to live anymore. But, if you don't open your eyes, you'll never know until its too late.This movie delivers well. It might have some flaws, but they don't matter anymore, when its over. Either you see a reflection of society, or you are blind for reality.$LABEL$ 1 +Motivations of the characters was completely unbelievable. Many times throughout the movie you find yourself thinking that the characters' actions were totally illogical, making it impossible to identify with the characters. Possibly, the writing / direction were completely out of sync making the movie painful to sit through. I wanted my money back from the video store...$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a huge Steven Seagal fan. Hell, I probably weigh as much as he does although I don't have the street cred to sport the frizzy-mullet-ponytail. Having stated my own bias and affection for America's favorite corpulent stage and screen hero, it is with a heavy heart that I must declare this to be his worst movie ever. I'm not sure he could make a movie any worse than this.In his defense the major problems with this film seem to occur in post-production. It's painfully obvious that this movie was supposed to have a different storyline. That results in woeful voiceovers in which Steve's voice doesn't nearly sync up with that of the dubbed voice. The editing is pisspoor and overall this starts bad, gets even worse, and by the end you'll wish you had rewatched The Da Vinci Code instead. Yes, it's that bad.After this I don't know what to expect from Steve. My friends still laugh at me for listening to his CDs. Is it time I start checking out some of the Van Damme direct to DVD nutty logs? If you are tempted to watch this movie, rip your eyeballs out and flush them down the toilet. A lifetime of darkness is better than 89 minutes of this.$LABEL$ 0 +Much praise has been lavished upon Farscape, but I don't think it's that good. It certainly has a distinctive look, but it lacks just about everything else: story, purpose, direction, excitement; you name it. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I make it a point to watch all the sci-fi shows I can. I've almost finished the four seasons of Farscape, and at this point I'm not very satisfied. The show does have a few good things - most notably Claudia Black (who's sadly missing from the first few episodes of season four) -, but they are very few and very far between. As a whole the show is marred by a lot of very silly stuff (such as Fantasy elements rather than SF ditto), and many many episodes, esp. in season four, are unspeakably messy and very poorly structured. And one just feels that it isn't going anywhere. It's mostly just non-directional adventures with thin, long-running plot lines which develop painstakingly slowly. Well, sometimes it's a little bit tighter, but it only lasts for a very few episodes at a time.Effects-wise, there are a few impressive things here and there (esp. out in space, occasionally), but the show seems stuck in the same style of effects, which frankly gets old fast. Outlandish and unconvincing puppet aliens mar the show a great deal, and I've come to prefer (by far) the episodes where regular human-looking characters are the focus.I think the Peacekeepers are by far the most stylish and intriguing and interesting figures on the show; they succeed in being a convincingly alien culture, despite their all-human appearance. There are a few really cool episodes with them, esp. in the first season (IIRC), where Crichton masquerades as a Peacekeeper captain, and invades and eventually destroys one of their secret bases. Such episodes can reach a rating of 8 out of 10, but I cannot award the show as a whole more than a "4" rating.Aside from the Peacekeepers (which themselves are somewhat too single-mindedly totalitarian and militaristic to be really nuanced), the show simply doesn't offer anything important or significant that you need to know or want to see. OTOH, it does contain a few good ideas and is not a total loss.This is just my opinion, of course, but as a seasoned sci-fi fan, I think it counts for something, and may be of help to others. There aren't a lot of good sci-fi shows out there; but Star Trek (any series) and especially the new Battlestar Galactica are definitely better than Farscape. But if you're a huge fan of mediocre sci-fi shows, you may well like Farscape, too.My rating: 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I once had a conversation with my parents who told me British cinema goers in the 1940s and 50s would check to see a film's country of origin before going to see it . It didn't matter what the plot was or who was in it , if it was an American movie people would want to see it and if it was British people wouldn't want to see it . This might sound like a ridiculous generalisation but after seeing THE ASTONISHED HEART I can understand why people in those days preferred American cinema to the home grown variety Back in the 1940s British equity was devoid of working class members and it shows in this movie . Everyone speaks in an English lad dee daa upper class accent that makes the British Royal Family sound like working class scum and what this does is alienate a large amount of a potential British audience who would no doubt prefer to be watching Jimmy Cagney in WHITE HEAT because people would have , If not related to then certainly empathised with a violent gangster in cinematic terms more than some high class English shrink in 1949 . That's entertainment , the reason people go to cinemas . Even the characters names seem bizarre - Leonora ! How many British people were named Leonora in 1949 ? And the protagonists drink cocktails . And they use words like " Austere " . You do get the feeling that this wasn't marketed for a 1949 mainstream British audience . But why should it if the majority of British cinema goers were queuing up at cinemas to watch far more entertaining American imports ? Watching THE ATSONISHED HEART in 2005 I was astonished how dated everything was , in fact it's so dated I thought maybe it might be a spoof from THE HARRY ENDFIELD SHOW . What didn't astonish me was the fact that these types of movie came close to sinking the British film industry , an industry that didn't pick up until American money invested in crowd pleasers like ZULU , ALFIE and the James Bond movies$LABEL$ 0 +when i saw commercials for this i was thinking "NO WHAT HAS NICK AT NITE DONE!" because it was taking up "fresh prince" slots. well, i still love the fresh prince. but george lopez is a surprisingly good show. i love how not-stereotypical benny is. carmen is a pretty good character, its really funny to see how stupid and overemotional she can be sometimes. i feel bad for the guy who plays max, he looks much younger then he actually is! but max is a fun character, and acted well. and yeah, angie is a little stereotypical, but she has her funny moments. ha ha george does have a big head! nah but he can be really good too. funny show! it definitely should be on more often then home improvement.$LABEL$ 1 +I caught Evening in the cinema with a lady friend. Evening is a chick flick with no apologies for being such, but I can say with some relief that it's not so infused with estrogen that it's painful for a red-blooded male to watch. Except for a single instance at the very end of the movie, I watched with interest and did not have to turn away or roll my eyes at any self-indulgent melodrama. Ladies, for their part, will absolutely love this movie.Ann Lord is elderly, bed-ridden and spending her last few days on Earth as comfortably as possible in her own home with her two grown daughters at her side. Discomfited by the memories of her past, Ann suddenly calls out a man's name her daughters have never heard before: Harris. While both of her daughters silently contemplate the significance of their mother's strong urge to recall and redress her ill-fated affair with this mysterious man at this of all times, Ann lapses back in her head to the fateful day she met Harris - and in doing so, lost the youthful optimism for the future that we all inevitably part ways with.Both Ann and her two daughters - one married with children, one a serial "commitophobe" - struggle with the central question of whether true love really exists, and perhaps more importantly, if true love can endure the test of time. Are we all one day fated to realize that love never lasts forever? Will we all realize that settling for the imperfect is the only realistic outcome? The subtle fact that the aged Ann is still wrestling with an answer to these questions on her deathbed is not lost on her two daughters.The cinematography for Evening is interesting - most of the film is spent in Ann's mind as she recalls the past, and for that reason I think the film was shot as if it was all deliberately overexposed, to give everyone an ethereal glow (and thus make it very obvious that all of this is not real, but occurred in the past). Claire Danes is beautiful (appearing to be really, really tall, though just 5' 5" in reality), and is absolutely captivating in one climactic scene where her singing talents are finally put to the test.You can't really talk trash about the cast, which leads off with Claire Danes and doesn't let up from there: Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close fill out the other major and minor roles in the film.I can't really say anything negative about this film at all, though Hugh Dancy's struggle to have his character emerge from utter one-dimensionality is in the end a total loss. Playing the spoiled, lovable drunk offspring of the obscenely rich who puts up a front of great bravado but is secretly scared stiff of never amounting to anything probably doesn't offer much in the way of character exploration - he had his orders and stuck to them.In the end, gentlemen, your lady friend will most certainly weep, and while you'll likely not feel nearly as affected, the evening will definitely not be a waste for the time spent watching Evening. Catch it in theatres or grab it as a rental to trade off for points for when you want to be accompanied to a viewing of Die Hard 4 or the upcoming Rambo flick. It'll be your little secret that this viewing didn't really cost you much at all.$LABEL$ 1 +I never really knew who Robert Wuhl was before seeing this. But after seeing it I realized what a funny man he is. This HBO special features him teaching "American history" to New York university film students and the man was just phenomenal. He poked fun at almost every key historic event that occurred not just in the U.S. but some other parts of the world. This documentary/comedy was a great satire that made me question if what I accept as the infallible true history is really true.I enjoyed how Mr. Wuhl managed to mix useful information with great comedy and made learning a lot more exciting. I would recommend this to anyone interested in history and is willing to question what his/her beliefs.$LABEL$ 1 +Only reason I have seen 101 Dalmatians was its nominations for original song and costume design for the Oscars. I must admit that I was less than impressed with this film. In this sequel, Cruella DeVil(by the way Glen Close pulls off this role very well) is released from the hospital due to her good behaviour. She likes all sort of animals and locks all her furs away. From that point, we only wait until she starts having crises. Soon enough, she does and tries to make the best coat of fashion world, of course for herself and from fine Dalmatian fur. Apart from Glen Close, I found all cast quite silly but from a child's eye funny. That is fair enough as its target market is, I assume, children under 12. Quite a good entertainment for children and families, but didn't do much for me. * out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +I loved this film. A must see for any Rod Steiger fan. Producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Director Stewart Raffill have brought us a true family film that touches the soul. An incredibly well put together movie with a beautiful soundtrack.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not in anyway funny, it tries to be funny with it's lame humor, which is so dry and boring that the movie is just 2 hours of torture. Throughout the whole movie i was thinking one thing, "when is this gonna end". One thing you have to hand to them, is that they do have a very few mildly funny moments, which is also why i gave it a whole 2 stars. It is unoriginal and uses up almost every old blonde joke in the book, even the ones that wasn't funny the first time. It basically is a movie to belittle blondes and to record the whole repetoir of blonde jokes.To sum it all up, this movie is blonde humor gone bad, it is not worth paying any amount of money to watch, it is just that bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Just Cause takes some of the best parts of three films, Cape Fear, A Touch of Evil and Silence of the Lambs and mixes it together to come up with a good thriller of a film.Sean Connery is a liberal law professor, married to a former Assistant District Attorney, Kate Capshaw and he's a crusader against capital punishment. Blair Underwood's grandmother Ruby Dee buttonholes Connery at a conference and persuades him to handle her grandson's appeal. He's sitting on death row for the murder of a young girl.When Connery arrives in this rural Florida county he's up against a tough sheriff played by Laurence Fishburne who's about as ruthless in his crime solving as Orson Welles was in Touch of Evil. Later on after Connery gets the verdict set aside with evidence he's uncovered, he's feeling pretty good about himself. At that point the film takes a decided turn from Touch of Evil to Cape Fear.To say that all is not what it seems is to put it mildly. The cast uniformly turns in some good performances. Special mention must be made of Ed Harris who plays a Hannibal Lecter like serial killer on death row with Underwood. He will make your skin crawl and he starts making Connery rethink some of those comfortable liberal premises he's been basing his convictions on. Many a confirmed liberal I've known has come out thinking quite differently once they've become a crime victim.Of course the reverse is equally true. Many a law and order conservative if they ever get involved on the wrong end of the criminal justice system wants to make real sure all his rights are indeed guaranteed.Criminal justice is not an end, but a process and a never ending one at that for all society. I guess if Just Cause has a moral that would probably be it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is entertaining enough due to an excellent performance by Virginia Madsen and the fact that Lindsey Haun is lovely. However the reason the movie is so predictable is that we've seen it all before. I've haven't read the book A Mother's Gift but I hope for Britney and Lynne Spears sake it is completely different than this movie. Unless you consider ending a movie with what is essentially a music video an original idea, the entire movie brings to mind the word plagiarized.$LABEL$ 0 +So i consider myself pretty big into the anime scene, with very few shows i simply WILL NOT WATCH.this show, however, i would recommend to anyone.Quite possibly the most Original series to date, it;s got just about everything i could ask for. A side story, so to speak, about an unconditional love that will NOT be admitted to, a very blatant comedy, and a very well put together voice acting cast (both Japanese and American translation).If not for the terribly funny aspect to it, it would be, just another anime.More or less, as i have noticed, a 'love it or hate it', very few people i have seen introduced to this series will end up with a distaste for it.Original to the core, with everything you could ask for in an afternoon, bet the house on this series. I'm ready to ASSURE you that you will enjoy it.$LABEL$ 1 +I love Aaron carter but even i expected pop star to be predictable, but i was so wrong! Aaron carter was really funny in it and a great actor! Also the actress who played Jane was a brilliant actress! Every one who i no who watched it loved it!The music in it was also really good!The my favourite lines from the film is "you cant send me to a public school mom! Im a CELEBRIDEE!!" and "Take your time, it'l come to you!"Although the endings kind of cheesy,all the good chick flicks do! This film is great, and a proper good Chick flick, that i can watch over and over again!$LABEL$ 1 +...but I regret having seen it. Since the ratings on IMDb are relatively high (and they must also have been relatively high on Netflix), I guess I put it in my queue because it is advertised as a gentle comedy from the UK, a category that has produced many films I liked immensely. "Saving Grace," on the other hand, falls into the category of laugh-less comedies usually populated by Hollywood movies produced and directed by the talentless. Brenda Blethyn is a capable actress, and I have liked her in other movies. The concept -- a gardener growing marijuana to overcome the penury she finds herself confronting after her husband's death -- does not offend me. Notwithstanding the strenuous efforts on the part of the cast to produce humor, the film falls flat on its face (falling flat on its arse might have been funnier) as far as I and my wife were concerned. Be forewarned, oh gentle reader, not all offbeat British comedies succeed. This one is a dud.$LABEL$ 0 +Barbara Streisand directs and stars in this very Jewish story.To have a chance at obtaining an education, Babs enthusiastically disguises herself as a boy which isn't the most difficult thing to do since she already looks like a boy, anyway. At her new school she meets many male classmates who have no trouble at all in believing she's a guy.Don't miss the best of many moments of unintentional humor when Babs' male friend thinks she's a man, but pins 'him' to the ground, sits on top of 'him', and looks affectionately into 'his' eyes.... *snicker*.Mediocre film; splashy story about nothing particularly interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts off on the wrong foot and never really gets it going. The first scene shows a Life Flight helicopter landing and just outside the window you can distinctly see mountains in the background. For those of you who might not ever have been to Houston there is no elevation change. The city sits just above sea level and a 5 ft. incline is considered a big hill. To go along with that scenery, any shots outside of the hospital immediately tell the viewer that they are not in Houston. The trees are all missing leaves or are pine trees, neither of which Houston has very much of. Even the hospital itself, on the outside, is very unbelievable. Memorial Hermann Hospital is one of the top hospitals in the United States and sits smack dab in the middle of the Medical District just miles from downtown Houston, yet every outside shot of the hospital makes it appear that the hospital is out in the suburbs or even the countryside.It is obvious that whoever was in charge of the actual tropical storm part of the movie skimped out because the numerous shots of radar are all wrong. The first radar image in the movie is that of Hurrican Hugo hitting South Carolina. We later see Kris Kristofferson leaving his job and one of his assistants tells him that Alison is moving back south across Houston yet the radar image he shows has Alison clearly moving north off of the Gulf of Mexico into Houston...probably the initial landfall of Alison.As for the acting, it isn't all that bad. JoBeth Williams, Kris Kristofferson and Rick Schroder all do a decent job considering that this is a straight-to-TV movie. The plot of the story is decent and the fact that it is based on a true story makes it a bit more entertaining. My one problem with the acting is the portrayal of Houstonians with big thick Southern accents...the actors all sound like they are from Birmingham, Alabama and not Houston, Texas.The movie gets its point across and to the general audience it does exactly what it is meant to: entertain. If you are looking for a factual account of what happened to the city of Houston in June of 2001 then you will be disappointed. One thing to keep in mind before viewing this movie is that it is based solely on the evacuation of Memorial Hermann Hospital and not on Tropical Storm Alison and the impact on Houston metro itself. If you are looking for a factual account of Tropical Storm Alison's impact on Houston metro might I suggest watching The Weather Channel's Storm Stories for Tropical Storm Alison.*1/2 out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +I heard this movie was bad…They even warned me it was terrible, but for some reason (probably Katie Holmes) I still watched it when it came on national TV. Watching Kevin Williamson films means torturing! His scenarios aren't funny, definitely not scary and not the least bit creative. Teaching Mrs. Tingle breathes the same irritating atmosphere as his brainless series `Dawson's Creek' and it's probably meant for the same target group as well. Before the credits even started, 5 people already wanted a hug and they stated that eerie `I love you'-sentence. It doesn't get any better as the soundtrack is filled with annoying pop/rock and the storyline is ultra-thin. Three students on the verge of graduation get caught cheating by the wickedest teacher in school. Every high-school has a teacher like that, you know… To save their skin, they try to convince Mrs. Tingle that it wasn't their intention to cheat but this attempt goes horrible wrong. The typical high-school humor is completely lost on me, the overdose of sentiment is pathetic and the acting (with the exception of Helen Mirren) is abominable. I'm sure Katie Holmes can act – that's a fact proven by her role in `the Gift' – but she urgently needs to stop accepting frumpish girl roles. As said before, the only positive comments goes out to the brilliant casting of Helen Mirren as the shrew. It's like Kathleen Turner in `Serial Mom'! The role suits her perfectly and you can't imagine anyone else playing her. Other than that, this is avoidable teenage nonsense.$LABEL$ 0 +If you enjoy suspense this movie has it. The fact that Marina Zudina portrays a mute adds to her haplessness and increases the suspense. Alec Guiness's appearance was nice, but didn't really add to the movie. I'm not sure if Evan Richard's part as Andy Clarke was an attempt to add a little humor or if he was supposed to just be a bumbling idiot. I thought the cinematography was excellent. This added not just to the quality of the production but to the suspense as well. The bathtub seen with the water droplets in slow motion was wonderful. Also the scene where the knife comes down and then it switches to Andy Clarke cutting an extremely rare piece of meat was very well done. I would call it overall good entertainment$LABEL$ 1 +Water Lilies is a well-made first film from France about young female sexuality and friendship. Sciamma works with specialized, slightly sanitized material that is as off-putting to some as it is alluring to others. The film focuses exclusively on three middle-class teenage girls in a tidy new Paris suburb. Their lives revolve around a big indoor swimming pool where two of the three are part of a synchronized water ballet team.Such distractions as parents, siblings, work and school have been neatly excised from the equation. The central sensibility belongs to the attractively sullen but skinny Marie (Pauline Acquart), who is not on the team, but thinks she would like to be. Marie worships Floriane (Adèle Haenel), an alluring blonde and team standout whom the boys are after. This takes Marie away from her former best friend, also a member of the water ballet team, the somewhat plump Anne (Louise Blachère). Being less special Anne is more truly accessible to the boys. Floriane, like this film, promises a bit more then she truly offers. Marie has the more essential quality for a teenage girl: she suffers inwardly. Flroiane doesn't so much suffer as jump into situations and then bolt.Marie is dazzled by the glamor of the water ballet as well as Floriane. Floriane takes advantage of this to make Marie first her slave and a cover for her assignations, then, lacking any other friends, her confidante. All the other girls think Floriane a slut, an illusion she encourages in the men and boys she teases, because it leads them on. She suffers the pretty girl's fate of being not a person but an object, and she can't resist the validation the boys give her by wanting to kiss her and bed her, but she doesn't really care about any of them and knows her involvements with them are a trap. Enlisting Marie to act as her pal so her (unseen) mother won't know she's going out to meet boys, she also gets Marie to rescue her from the boys later. It looked the opposite at first, but Floriane needs Marie as much as Marie thinks she needs her. Anne is left with her discomfort with her body and a desire to get laid that's earthier and more real than the other girls'.Keeping all external context at bay, Sciamma can highlight subtle shifts in the delicate equation of the three girls' goals and interactions. On the other hand the film's water madness, which includes lots of showering and spitting as well as underwater swimming shots, makes it feel completely airless at times and some of its 95 minutes do not pass so quickly. Luckily the film has a sense of humor and lets the trio sometimes forget their ever-present goals and avoidances and just do silly, pointless girl things. It's the offbeat moments that give the film life; too bad in a way that there aren't more of them. But Sciamma has the courage of her obsessions and what remains as one walks out of the theater is the personalities and their dynamics. Along the way of course it is pleasant to watch the swimming and to gaze at the girls, who understandably love to gaze at themselves. There's no great revelation or drama on the way, but things get a bit more interesting when it emerges that Marie doesn't just admire but truly desires Floriane and is jealous of her boyfriends--whom Floriane always stops before they go all the way. In a typical irony of this kind of plot, Floriane actually decides she wants to have her first real sex with Marie--but Marie is the one who holds off, because she knows it won't have the significance to Floriane that it will have to her. When it happens, it's a timid, mechanical affair. Meanwhile Anne has a huge crush on Francois (Warren Jacquin), a male swimmer, but of course he is after Floriane. Boys are not an element that's been subtracted and there always seem to be several dozen ready at poolside or on the dance floor, but they are just bodies and faces, available studs.$LABEL$ 1 +If you liked Paddy Chayevsky's "Network" you'll probably like this black comedy as well, as it's another brilliant Chayevsky script, a wonderful satire on big-city hospitals and a perfect vehicle for Geo. C. Scott. He plays a burned-out chief of medicine on the most chaotic day he or his hospital have ever seen. His personal crisis is coming to a head and his hospital's falling down around him, as local residents demonstrate against the hospital and patients and doctors are dying at an alarming rate, thanks to a biblically-inspired and murderous saboteur. The latter, who theatrically declares himself the "Fool for Christ," "Parakleet of Kaborka," "Wrath of the Lamb," and "Angel of the Bottomless Pit," bops doctors on the head, administers lethal injections and swaps patients' identities, causing treatments and operations to be performed on the wrong persons.This film makes you uncomfortable, as deadly mistakes like these do happen (hopefully not so many, not so often and not in one place) and at the same time makes you laugh at the priceless character portraits. One is Richard Dysart ("L.A. Law") as Dr. Wellbeck, a sort of celebrity surgeon who spends far more time worrying about his investments and publicly-traded stock than about his patients, who suffer lethally from his vast indifference and neglect. There's Diana Rigg as free-spirited, hippie-ish Barbara Drummond, who seduces the beleaguered chief of medicine (Scott) and tries to get him to run away with her. Then there's the deluded murderer, who happens to be Barbara's father and who "functions well enough" back at the Indian reservation where he lives with his daughter and even runs a clinic, but who's pushed to madness merely by being placed back in civilization. The strongest portrait by far is Scott's Dr. Bock, who bares his soul as former boy genius, failed father and husband, brilliant doctor and responsible administrator, who constantly dreams of suicide but must bear up under the demands of his job. Scott is exceptional in this demanding role.Until the final scenes one doesn't know if Bock will leave the hospital behind for Barbara's Indian reservation and a quieter, simpler life, whether her murderous father will be caught or whether the protesting, rioting locals will take over and bring the hospital to its knees. Watching the crazed killer at work, one suspects Chayevsky is telling us our lunatic society makes him do these things, as we're told he's a different person away from cities and people.As my own father was the chief administrator of a number of large hospitals over the years, I had some idea of the demands of his job and the huge responsibility he shouldered. This story makes that responsibility the linchpin on which Scott's crisis turns. This is both a funny and scary film, with the actors up to the considerable demands of Chayevsky's script. It's also a film I get more out of each time I watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +In relative terms having watched a lot of disgustingly bad tele Tom Fontana & Levinson are geniuses for creating & delivering In this writer's book the greatest ever TV show. Oz was treated horribly In this country, the finale went out well gone 3 In the morning, before that It was strictly considered alternative viewing for those oblivious to prime time garbage.I first caught Oz towards the end of the first series and from then on It was an unmissable watch. My man Adebisi possibly the most Intimidating villain ever, Beacher the perfect anti-hero, Eammon Walker's Saeed an acting class In evocation. There was the hardcore stuff of course - some plain evil but essentially Oz had soul. Augustus narrates the unfolding plot with pearls of Insight while the struggles of Beacher, Mcmanus, Saeed, Rebedahl etc are better than any soap opera before or since. Compassion violence wisdom tragedy Intelligence pain joy brutality love & heroism Oz went through the spectrum of human emotion - all Inside a max security prison! I can honestly say those Thursday nights with the great Vids to follow Oz series 2/3 way back In 99 were the best TV I'll ever see. Beacher assaulting Vern In the gym Is a moment I don't need a video for - a small screen classic I'll never forget.Imagine what Oz would have done with the same push as the Sopranos given a 10 pm timeslot and all the promos??? Fine I'm over that now, for those that caught It consider yourself privileged for those who didn't TV is shite.......and you deserve It.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has very tight and well planned dialogue, acting and choreography.Recommended film for anyone who wants to see masterful writing and plot.Question: Does anyone know where the house is actually located? It is one of the most interesting houses, a 19thC windmill.$LABEL$ 1 +"A trio of treasure hunters is searching the West Indies for a hidden fortune. The lure of gold makes for a rise in tension as the men come closer to the treasure's location. The deep-sea divers hope to track down the gold, but find that greed and hatred leads to murder," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. "Manfish" is the name of their boat, not a monster. The skeleton who gives muscular Captain John Bromfield (as Brannigan) his half of the treasure map is very good. Old salt Victor Jory (as Professor) provides the other half of the map. First mate Lon Chaney Jr. (as Swede) plays dumb, and sexy Tessa Prendergast (as Alita) guards the rum (not very well, obviously). Serious editing and continuity problems mar the picture, which otherwise might have amounted to something.*** Manfish (2/56) W. Lee Wilder ~ John Bromfield, Victor Jory, Lon Chaney Jr.$LABEL$ 0 +(various spoilers follow)Gene Kelly. Not Georges Guetary, who is sometimes criticized for being too young and un-French. Not Leslie Caron, who is sometimes criticized for her very green performance. Not even Oscar Levant, who more often than not annoys the dickens out of me.No, it would definitely be Gene Kelly. There's something about his screen persona that's too ambitious and focused for him to be convincing as a penniless artist in Paris, content to put off facing the critics indefinitely, frolicking with little kids and old ladies and painting in the streets. That's what made him so effective in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and other movies where he played ambitious, focused characters. Jerry Mulligan is in some ways a cousin to Tommy Albright in BRIGADOON, another Lerner story with Kelly miscast as an American at loose ends who falls in love with a picturesque European place and an innocent female who embodies its virtues.Except that Jerry isn't as likeable as even poor dazed Tommy. That's another galling thing about this film. Jerry is sometimes a cad to Milo, and even worse to Lise. When he first sees the latter at a club, he pulls a dirty trick to get her to dance with him. When she sits down again he pulls an even dirtier trick to get her phone number. When he calls her the next day she hangs up on him, which he takes as a cue to drop in at her workplace. And throughout all this it's obvious she wants NOTHING to do with him. When she starts laughing at his jokes in the perfume shop, it's about as believable as Milo's interest in his paintings. Sure he's good-looking and playful, but why should that sway her when she's got Henri, who seems like a gentleman to boot?Admittedly it comes off so distasteful partly because of the actress. If a role like Lise was played by, say, Judy Garland, she would shower Jerry with indignant insults and glares. If she was played by Cyd Charisse, one would admire his guts. But when she's played by first-timer Leslie Caron she looks and acts like a shy, vulnerable teenager, and as a result Jerry just seems like a creep. And why DID they choose these other actors (though personally I'd rather they'd solved things by changing the lead) when the whole story hinges on the romance of these two young poor sweethearts disentangling themselves from their loveless commitments to older rich people? Not only is Gene Kelly a few years above Guetary and Foch, he's old enough to be Caron's father.In short I think it all would have been improved by casting some young comedic-relief type dancer as Jerry, the kind that usually turned up in musical supporting roles...e.g. Ray MacDonald in GOOD NEWS or Bobby Van in SMALL TOWN GIRL. Maybe not them necessarily but someone LIKE them. Someone who could have chased Lise and made it seem harmlessly playful; someone who would have appeared genuinely happy living in that Chaplinesque hole-in-the-wall; someone whose humor and naivete would have contrasted better with Oscar Levant's sarcastic grumpiness. It probably also would have made the ballet seem less ponderous. And it might have provided a voice that could sing Gershwin better.All this may give the impression that I don't like Gene Kelly. I do like him. He was terrific in most of his films, just not this one (well, and a few others). I don't despise AAIP itself, either; it has good points, like the art direction. And Leslie Caron, who despite her inexperience is rather charming, and really does look like she just stepped out of a painting. Georges Guetary does a fine job and his "Stairway to Paradise" is my favorite number in the movie. Nina Foch is beautiful and touching and should have ended up with SOMEBODY. But not Jerry Mulligan. I wouldn't wish that on her.$LABEL$ 0 +Over the years some of them most enjoyable films have been about dysfunctional families.Bonjour,Monsieur Sholmi is such a filmThis is an Isreali film about a Moroccan Jewish family.This could be about any family, in any culture. We all know or would want to know people like those in this comic gem.This 2003 delight was written & directed by Shemi Zorkin. Let us hope he a long career.The movie is seen through the eyes of the 16 year old son,who seems to be concerned with everyone in the family. Heis brilliantly played by Oshri Cohen (he was 18 when he made the movie.He has been in a few since & I know I will hunt them up. Hopefully this young man will become an international star.The entire cast is magnificent,I do hope I see them again.I loved every person in the cast to some degree.I think all who see this will agree.It has been nominated for many international awards & has won 8, It deserved every one.Now being a film in a language besides English it had a very limited run in the USA, which I feel is regrettable.Rent this film you will be glad you did.Ratings: ***1/2 (out of 4) 95 points(out of 100) IMDb 9 (out of 10)NOTE: Since the story is not new, this is as high a rating it can get.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1993, "the visitors" was an enormous hit in France. So, the sequence was inevitable and unfortunately, this sequence ranks among the worst ones ever made. This is a movie that doesn't keep its promises. Indeed, it's supposed to tell a sole story. Jean Reno must go in the twentieth century and take Christian Clavier back in the Middle Ages so that time can normally follow its course. The problem is that Clavier feels completely at ease in the world of the twentieth century, and so make him get back in the Middles Ages is rather hard... Instead of this, the movie goes on several other stories without succeeding in following the main plot. As a consequence, the movie becomes sometimes muddle-headed, sometimes a bit of a mess.But the movie also suffers from the performance of nearly all the actors. Reno and Clavier fall into the trap that however they could avoid in the first movie: they're going over the top and become annoying. Then, why did Jean-Marie Poiré the film-maker engage Muriel Robin in the female main role? He made a mistake because she seems ill-at-ease and is absolutely pitiful. The other actors aren't better: Marie-Anne Chazel is nonexistent and Christian Bujeau, unbearable. Of course, the movie contains a few good moments with efficient gags but it often falls into vulgarity and easiness. Certain sequences and dialogs are affected. It also appears hollow because Poiré takes back elements that secured the success of the first movie. Thus, a young girl takes Reno for a close relative of her family and asks him to take part in her wedding.A labored and disappointing follow-up. Anyway, what's the interest of this movie otherwise commercial?$LABEL$ 0 +Vonnegut's words are best experienced on paper. The tales he weaves are gossemar, silken strands of words and expressions that are not easily translated into a world of Marilyn Manson or Jerry Bruckheimer explosions. His words have been treated well once before, in the remarkable Slaughterhouse-5.Mother night is probably one of the three novels Vonnegut has written I could take to a desert island, along with Slaughterhouse-5 and Bluebeard.The film version deserves a 10, but the books are so permanently part of my interior landscape that I just can't do it...some of the scenes left out of the film are part of my memory...$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film sort of by accident, having bought it as the B side on The Omega Man DVD. The Omega Man was a bit of a disappointment - except for the beginning, which was clearly the inspiration for 28 Days Later, the rest of it is just the stuff of TV movies. But Soylent Green is in a whole other league. I bet this is one of Tarantino's favourites. There are at least 3 scenes in the film that I've never seen anything like before. Heston casually getting into bed with the "furniture" while discussing something else completely unrelated! A whole crowd of people being scooped up by a fleet of mechanical diggers! A priest taking confession and being shot by the confessor. Ok maybe that's been done since - but there aren't many films that are so consistently original like this. And what the heck is going on between Heston and Edward G. Robinson? Is this the most unlikely gay couple ever, or what? Luckily, I saw this film without knowing the ending - which apparently is rare. Then I watched it again, and enjoyed all the little clues that make the long early scenes worthwhile. A very nice script - and some great sets too. Just when you thought you'd seen everything . . .$LABEL$ 1 +I recently visited the Magic Kingdom as an adult with my mom, her best friend and my adult sister. Disney World is often mistakenly perceived as a place for just children, but when you see quality shows like Mickey's Philharmagic, you realize that the magic of Disney is for everyone! It was such a great show that we left the theater and turned around and got in line again. And then a third time. It was absolutely breathtaking. I would encourage anyone who goes to Disney World to check out this show, which is not just a show but a world wind, fun filled ride with Donald as he once again lets his temper get him in trouble!$LABEL$ 1 +This HAS to be my guilty pleasure. I am a HUGE fan of 80's movies that were designed to entertain and they didn't care if they offended anyone. This move has no meat, not substance, no deep thought provoking scenes. Just plain old college kids having fun and if a few breasts have to be shown, then so be it! This movie is for when you just want to relax and NOT think. Viva la nudity!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not usually given to hyperbole, but after seeing over two decades worth of Academy Awards, I can honestly say that this year's awards show was the most disgraceful example of poor direction, total cruelty, and sheer stupidity that I've ever had the misfortune to witness. I'm not talking about the awards themselves- as usual, there is plenty to argue about when you tally up who won, who lost, and who never even got nominated, but the process is as it's always been and is as fair as it's liable to be. What is terribly UNfair is the treatment both the "stars" and "non-stars" received at the hands of Cates and Horvitz, in the name of "reducing boredom."It is bad enough that for the last several years anyone who isn't Al Pacino has been "played off" at 45 seconds without any regard for what he was saying, how he was saying it, and what the emotion was behind the statement. It demonstrates nothing more than a total lack of respect, however, to herd nominees on the stage like cattle without paying them the honor of showing their faces while their names are read, to make them slink away quietly when they lose, to deny them the thrill of a walk to the podium, and to force them to read their statements with their backs to the audience. All of those things were done to the "non-stars" -never mind that the movies wouldn't exist at all without those artists and that most of them only ever get one chance to face their peers and their audience. The stars didn't fare much better. It's becoming more sad than funny when winners of the caliber of Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood have to beg for a few extra seconds for their speeches. Chris Rock, as host, was neither as inflammatory and controversial as the Academy had hoped, nor nearly as funny as he could be. His opening remarks were almost (but not quite) as offensive as Sean Penn made them out to be, and his comments during the show were more innocuous than interesting. Of course, he could hardly be blamed when it was clear that was being kept on as short a leash as any host has. In the end, Chris Rock was something he's almost never been before: a non-entity.Even the musical numbers were handled poorly. Beyonce sang well, but there was simply no reason why she should have been featured in three out of the five songs. Another example of utter disrespect for an artist was giving Jorge Drexler's nominated song to Antonio Banderas- even though Drexler was present and clearly wouldn't have minded singing his own song, based on his winning "speech." The efforts of Cates and Horvitz to make the show shorter and faster may have worked to a degree, but what resulted was a show devoid of life. We've all whined about the overlong speeches given by people we don't know, about the overblown production, about the self-congratulatory quality. But this is THEIR night- not ours. What is meant to be a celebration has become an insult to the people being celebrated. Cates and Horvitz should, frankly, be ashamed.$LABEL$ 0 +Although this has to be the nadir of season six, this schmaltzy episode isn't badly written or acted. It's just that most of us looked to the X-Files for taut, gripping horror/thrillers ending without easy answers and moving toward dark but fathomable conspiracies. Season 6 gave us a stream of tongue-in-cheek comedies that undermined the show's continuity and, frankly, made Simpsons' Halloween Specials look like great thriller TV.In this episode Victoria Jackson of SNL fame plays the long-suffering girlfriend of a man who sets himself up as a rainmaker. However her weatherman boss is the one who truly loves her and Mulder winds up having to provide him dating advice in order to get out of town.There's some playful fun with the chemistry between the agents and some amusing but none-too-sophisticated characterization of Midwestern hicks. It's nothing you'd want to see more than once!It's hard to figure out Season 6. X-Files creator Chris Carter seems bored by the whole 'Syndicate conspiracy' story arc and abandons responsibility to the black comedy writers.$LABEL$ 0 +I was fortunate to see a screening of this remarkable short film by Joshua Leonard before its premiere at the 2005 Sundance Festival. In twelve brief but exquisite minutes, Leonard takes us on a life-changing journey as he probes one of the most controversial contemporary social and ethical issues facing our society. The film embodies elegant direction, moving performances and a heart- rending story. Kelli Garner and Lucas Haas radiate as the two lovers. And, in his first venture into dramatic narrative, Leonard proves to be a director with a propitious future. I feel this short should be expanded into a feature film. It's difficult to describe talent, but as this debut film demonstrates, you know it when you see it!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is proof you can't just go to a Redbox and read descriptions of films and pick one and give it a try.While I'll give 'em great credit for having produced a film with halfway-decent special effects on such a low budget, and at least a halfway decent script and story line... unfortunately, it was only just that: halfway decent.If you like movies where things aren't all neatly wrapped up, and don't mind low-budget effects, you might like this film. Honestly, it wasn't really my cup of tea. I should've just gone to bed rather than spend my time watching.For a better science-fiction movie produced on an even LOWER budget (!) have a look at "Primer."$LABEL$ 0 +Although normally my preference is not for romantic dramas, seeing this film left me a little short.It had promise, the characters and relationships could have been explored much deeper than they did, yet the story seemed not to understand the direction it wanted to take.The comparisions and parallels within the story, especially the three generations of women in the family, had a lot of potential, but somehow didn't fully extend itself. It could have made the film much easier to relate to and attach to which is the aim of any film about lost-love and life regained.IMHO, I think the film suffered from a lack of direction in the writing, although Harry Connick Jnr and Sandra Bullock did try desperatly to breath a little life into otherwise flat character outlines.It's not that this is a bad film, some parts leave you understanding the reasons for various plot developments, its just that this film is underdone, and a little flat overall.$LABEL$ 0 +Silly movie is really, really funny. Yes, it's got its dead moments, it can be a bit too obvious, it declines a bit in the second half and the story is an incoherent mess, but it's laugh out loud funny all the way. And it's worth seeing just for Ed McMahon as a right wing kook. This movie is in the same class as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, another incredibly funny, underappreciated film.$LABEL$ 1 +One of my desires is to be a film-maker, and I just have to say there's no way I will be able to compete with the powerful drama The War at Home. The reason is because the acting is perfect, and when you see the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. All I can suggest is watching it, I got so involved in it and was extremely impressed.Estevez's and Sheen's relationship on the screen was absolutely amazing.And so was his relationship with his mother (Kathy Bates). Some of the best scenes include these 2. As well as the relationship between Sheen and his daughter, Estevez's sister in the film.10/10, and definitely in my top 10. I want the DVD!$LABEL$ 1 +There is so much that is wrong with this film, but to sum it up: Terrible acting- so bad it must have been on purpose. poor script - they may have had some good ideas but this was not the best way to present the story. ridiculously bad ending- in some cases the ending manages to save the film-not in this case. if you manage to sit through the entire film you will want to kick yourself at the end because the ending is not even worth waiting for. This is the worst film i have seen in a long time. It was complete torture sitting through this film, i would have appreciated someone warning me in advance. So do yourself a favor. Watch this film only if you have absolutely nothing better to do. Even then you will regret having put yourself through the unspeakable torture.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie deserved better It's great fun, has some wonderful jokes and sight gags, some in-stuff for the "Geeks" amongst us (And we know who we are), and the effects are indeed effectual. Watching Paul Reubens fart in the face of an Academy Award winner is worth the price of admission alone. I never read the comics series before I saw the movie, but have since. as good as they are, I still recommend MM the film. (Although having the Flaming Carrot as a character would have been cool, too) Greg Kinnear is, well,...amazing as Captain Amazing, and NO ONE ELSE could be The Shoveller except William H. Macy My favorite line in the film? "We've got a blind date with Destiny. And it looks like she's ordered the lobster." See this film. BUY this film! It's only 5 bucks and some change at your local Wal-Mart. You'll thank me. Really you will. Oh, and Ms. Garafolo is in it. THAT ALONE makes it watch-worthy$LABEL$ 1 +The true story of Phoolan Devi who became a national hero in India because she fought for her rights as a woman but in a violent manner. I was surprised to see a powerful film with strong images come out of India instead of the Bollywood art trash classics they churn out.$LABEL$ 1 +Turning Isherwood's somewhat dark and utterly brilliant novel into light comedic romp could easily have been a recipe for disaster, but somewhow it wasn't . The story moves at a zanily rapid pace and the black and white imagery is gorgeous, as are Harvey and Harris as they ham their way through a wacky Weimar Berlin. Fun!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film some years ago and promptly bought the soundtrack because it was simply excellent. Bacharach's music is endearing and should be given the recognition it richly deserves. The cinematography is awesome. Critics hated it, but they hated HOME ALONE too. I haven't found it on video but welcome anyone who can find a copy.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw it yesterday night at the Midnight Slam of the Festival des films du Monde in Montreal. What a disappointment. This movie is clearly over rated by IMDb fans. The acting was only but regular. The directing didn't bring anything new or interesting. The plot lacks considerably : the movie is all about those college grads and the game they play making prank calls(7eventy 5ive). And on top of that, you can predict the movie's end in the first five minutes. If you like prank calls and a slasher with an axe that makes you jump only once or twice during the whole movie, you might like it. If you don't, this movie is not worth it.$LABEL$ 0 +This television show is stereotypical and far-fetched in many of its aspects.First of all, the setting. All of the characters attend PCA, this unbelievable boarding school with painted, stylish dorms. The campus seems to have no reasonable rules - for instance, the boys are often seen in the girls' dormitories, and vice versa. But this may be simply because the dorm adviser, a silly character that basically bores the viewer instead of amusing them, as I assume her purpose is supposed to be, sits around and does nothing. I have friends in boarding schools, and they laugh at many aspects of the school in this show.Next, the characters. I was so disappointed to discover that Nickelodeon wasn't creative at all with the personalities in this show. They all represent on characteristic which is exaggerated to the extreme: Zoey is supposedly perfect in everything she does (looks, grades, sports, guys, judgment, creativity, etc), Michael is the jock, Logan is the arrogant jerk who basically does nothing aside from aggravate all the characters as well as us poor viewers, Nicole is the preppy idiot who knows nothing but somehow maintains straight-A's, Dana was the tough girl, Quinn is the unrealistic 'smart kid,' whom they consistently make fun of, Chase is the guy who is afraid of confessing his 'true feelings' which really aggravates me as the show continues, and that new girl- Lola or something- is just another clone of Nicole.The main two characters that aggravate me the most are Zoey and Quinn. First of all, I just do not understand Zoey's character. She was obviously created to be the 'perfect' character as I said above, but she seems to be the most flawed out of all of them- in most of the episodes she creates a problem, then has to fix it. What's frustrating is that we are supposed to love her and think she is amazing when they haven't even created a very realistic character to begin with.Quinn, on the other hand, bothers me because she is exaggerated to the point at which her character is absolutely insulting. The impression I get from Nick concerning her character is that 'geeks' and 'nerds' are people to laugh at, to criticize, to mock. In the spring break episode they did a year ago, they introduced two more 'nerds' who the characters had to make 'cool.' I found this highly offensive and stereotypical. What kind of message is Nick sending to these kids? Is it: Don't do well in school, don't get good grades, don't study hard- you'll end up being a geek and we will mock your profession in future television series! Because that is definitely the message I get from these poorly constructed characters, and it is an awful message through and through.All I can do is hope that Nick one day realizes that by putting down the intelligent folks in our world, they are not doing anyone any good.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is definitely one of the finest of its kind,. A Victrion age story of love, and, grit. The depth of its story line is one that will stir the inner most emotions of love, and hate, with some very interesting twists, this is a must have movie for not only the lesbian audiences, but, for all viewers. I can't say much more or I will spoil the experience for a new, young audience who might just be coming out. Another fine work for Sarah Waters. It also is a great way for Sally Hawkins to win over audiences who only get a brief glimpse of her talent in another Sarah Waters work, in "Tipping the Velvet".. It is also a must see..$LABEL$ 1 +I found this one to be more chaotic than the average Stooges short (as strange as that may sound). There were several funny bits, especially the running gags ("Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!", the glass door breaking, the Stooges running into the supply room and coming back out with... well, you know), but also quite of bit of it was taken up with things that just didn't make any sense to me. I have to assume that these were generally take-offs of scenes from the film "Men In White", but since I don't know much about that movie I can't say for sure. Maybe if someone could explain these I'd appreciate this short more.$LABEL$ 1 +"Scarface" has a major cult following even now, 22 years after its release.It has also been widely criticized as being very tacky, unrefined, over-the-top and all bloated up! These are people who compare Scarface to The Godfather movies. It is true that on the technical front, (cinematography, screenplay, direction, etc.) Scarface is way behind 'The Godfather'.But it is also true, that what Scarface has and some other gangster movies lack, is the rawness, the sheer crude approach of the gangsters. The Latino gangsters in this movie look much more menacing and real than any of the polished Italian or Irish gangsters from other gangster classics like 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas'. This is one of the major winning points of Scarface and I strongly believe that this fact has been written off as "tackiness" by most critics! I have seen the original 1932 Scarface, and I must say that both these movies are way too different from each other and should be seen as two different movies instead of praising the original over the "remake"! Al Pacino has been criticized to be over-the-top and loud in this movie. But how about considering that that is precisely the way the film-makers wanted Tony Montana's character to be! He is this angry young man who takes hasty decisions and throws fits of tantrum every other minute! He is not the calm Michael Corleone here. He is Tony Montana, a very tacky, uneducated individual who doesn't really think much and gets angry all the time!There is definitely a very 80s feel to this movie. The soundtrack is all 80s! I love some of the songs, including 'Gina and Elvira's theme', 'Push it to the limit' and the title track instrumental.There are some memorable and beautifully shot sequences, including the famous chainsaw scene, the Rebenga hit, the first meeting with Sosa and Tony's visit to his mother's.About the performances: Al Pacino is brilliant as the angry Cuban refugee. He has reportedly mentioned that he enjoyed playing Tony Montana the most in his entire career. And it really does seem like he has enjoyed himself thoroughly in all his scenes! One wonders what "Scarface" would be like without Pacino. I just couldn't imagine anyone else portraying Tony Montana and in all probabilities, the film wouldn't be as effective without him!Steven Bauer shines as Tony's friend Manny.Robert Loggia is wonderful as Tony's boss, Lopez. So is F. Murray Abraham (as Omar) in a small role.Then there is some eye-candy in the form of Elvira played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She looks beautiful and is adequate in her role.The director does go a bit overboard during a particular part in the climax. Without revealing anything, I would only say that that was the only little part that suffers due to improper handling."Scarface" is definitely one of the most entertaining and one of the best gangster movies to ever come out. Enjoy it for what it is: a raw portrayal of the Drug Lords and their gangland!$LABEL$ 1 +So, this starts with at least an interesting and promising basic idea, goes on and on with tension, Carey in a good untypical role but in a less than you expected performance, weak direction from Joel Schumacher match with some plot holes, the "detective scenes" show us the luck of creativity. If you don't have great expectations (because of the negative reviews) maybe you will enjoy this . At the end they offer to us a lesson about morality (for those who remember "Falling Down") and the "Family Joy and Cure" that ruins every possibility to be kind and find the film watchable P.S. It's obvious who is the "killer"! I wonder why W.Sparrow (Carey) didn't resolve the mystery from the beginning of the film...$LABEL$ 0 +while watching this movie I got sick. I have been grewing up with Pippi and every time was a real pleasure. when my wife came to Sweden she was looking at the oldies and had a real good laugh. but this American version should be renamed and never be shown again. it is terrible from beginning to it's end. how can they manage to make it soo bad. well I guess someone blames the translation ha ha ha.. but they are never close to Pippi. may this movie never been seen again and never sent out on a broadcast. burn the movie and save the kids. if you want to look at Pippi then look at the original movie and have a good laugh. WE LOVE PIPPI INGER NILSSON, sorry Tami Erin you will never stand up to be Pippi.. Oh yes.. when read the "spoilers" explanation, "'spoiling' a surprise and robbing the viewer of the suspense and enjoyment of the film." well I guess the director stands for this... you are looking at this movie at your own risk.. it is really a waste of time...$LABEL$ 0 +SPOILERS This is a gripping movie about grifters. But who is conning who here? When does the hunter turn into the prey? This gritty, dark movie is slow moving and seductive. It pulls you in and drags you down the proverbial garden path, only to waylay you just as you think you are safe.It has a riveting script, with good acting (at least from the leads). I didn't notice the background music, but it was never jarring, so it must have been done right.I was very surprised that I liked this movie, because I don't usually go for this genre but this one sucked me in and kept he hooked until the end.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I'll admit right up front that the Inki cartoons made by Loony Tunes are pretty offensive and I can understand why Warner Brothers has pulled them off the market. Seen today, the huge-lipped and very stereotypical Inki is not politically correct. However, the cartoons were well-made and it's a shame they aren't released with some sort of explanatory prologue (such as the one with Leonard Maltin they included with some recent politically incorrect Donald Duck cartoons that were recently released on DVD). In other words, throwing out the cartoons completely is to forget our history. Plus, Inki, Little Black Sambo and other racist cartoons are out there--especially on the internet.This Inki cartoon has our little hero out hunting. At first, he's chasing a cute little caterpillar but later accidentally happens upon a lion--a lion that is more than happy to make Inki his dinner. However, through all this, a weird Minah appears again and again...and eventually you'll see why this bird is so important to the story.Cute, well made and clever. I like the Inki cartoons. Plus, I take pleasure in showing them to extremely thin-skinned liberal friends just to watch them have apoplectic fits or even heart attacks. Loads of fun, folks!$LABEL$ 1 +I am a new convert you might as well say. I borrowed the dvds from my local library. I have been interested in samurai since watching 'The Last Samurai.' My dad told me he used to watch Shintaro when he was a kid. He said that it was pretty good. We are up to series 3. I absolutely love it. It takes a little to get used to the dubbed English voices over the characters speaking Japanese but I really enjoy it all the same. It is a little strange to watch the slight pauses when the ninja stars are thrown at characters and they stick into a tree or wall. I was not used to this but I am now. But I suppose that's the technology they had in the 60s. I've noticed that Shintaro is kind, friendly, willing to help those in need, he's very humble, most of the time he doesn't big note himself (he only says he is better than the enemy ninja). I admire Shintaro for these qualities. It's really interesting to watch the swordsmanship that Koichi Ose has. It is amazing. This series is for anyone who are interested in samurai.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is really nothing besides an admittedly well-crafted series of tense sequences punctuated with an inevitable "gotcha!" at the end of each. Really, there is no character development and no real plot to speak of. There are only the most skeletal of motivations for the characters to do anything while they trudge forward to their unavoidable dooms. It's all just an excuse to show a creepy ghost kid (who seems to have gotten some of the family cat mixed up in his ectoplasm) and his ghost mom (with long black hair hanging in her face kind of like "The Ring") take down a bunch of cardboard cut-out, two-dimensional excuses for human characters.This English-language version of "The Grudge" is the equivalent of cinematic junk food; satisfying momentarily, but not really what you ought to be living on.Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +If good intentions were enough to produce a good film, I would have rated the turgid, ponderous, obvious "Focus" a bit higher than 4. Macy does his best, but as an earlier poster commented, Miller's little parable asks us to suspend disbelief too often. Perhaps the novel gives us a bit more background on Newman, so we can understand how someone who is obviously not without intelligence could be so dense in perceiving the attitudes of those around him. I agree with another reviewer that if one is unaware of how bigoted average citizens were in America during this time period, then this movie might be an eye-opener. I grew up in the fifties, and the "good" pastors of my Lutheran church found nothing wrong with having the church picnic at a commercial beach, whose sign prominently indicated that no Jews or blacks would be admitted. It is difficult for young people today to understand that this was the norm, and not just in the South. As late as 1964, when I graduated from a somewhat racially integrated (but sexually segregated) public high school in Baltimore, my black classmates could not attend the traditional "father and son banquet," as it was held at a facility which did not admit blacks. Sadly, it was an establishment owned by a Jewish family. The subject matter of "Focus" is important, and we should never forget, despite the lingering signs of racism in modern America, how truly repulsive the attitudes of that previous generation were.(The "greatest generation," indeed). So, perhaps this film is somewhat valuable in countering the recent wave of sentimental crap about the forties from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Tom Brokow. But in the end, as in "Far From Heaven," the filmmakers' good intentions are undermined by having a protagonist so ridiculously oblivious to the social conventions of their time.$LABEL$ 0 +I hadn't heard anything about this project until I saw that it was going to be on, so I watched it with a completely open mind. And, gee, the cast is full of strong players.Unfortunately . . . it's awful. I don't mean it isn't good; I mean it's extraordinarily bad -- sometimes laughably so, but mostly it's just boring. Its strongest appeal comes from having attractive people as naked as US network TV will allow, but it's all tease and no substance, and having nymphs as backup characters can't justify several hours of bad TV.There are two basic problems that the cast can't overcome. First, the script is *awful*. Yes, making changes to the Hercules myth (which is certainly not a single monolithic story in the first place) is traditional, but this version is relentlessly dull and much too frequently dumb (and sometimes downright head-shakingly peculiar), with terrible pacing, bits borrowed from here and there (and several parts seemingly belonging in different films), and truly awful dialogue. The dialogue is frequently unbearably bad, in fact, to the point where you feel embarrassed for the actors. Sean Astin, apparently now typecast as second-banana, seems especially burdened by one awful line after another. There's no consistency of tone or atmosphere and little cohesion to the plot.Second, most of the special effects are really bad. REALLY bad. There's occasionally a decent bit of CGI, but mostly, again, you feel really embarrassed on behalf of the cast. I have no idea what the budget for this project was, but it sure looks like crap compared to "Clash of the Titans" or even "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and doesn't even compare very favorably with the old Lou Ferrigno and Italian 'spaghetti' Hercules movies. Just painfully miserable.There are plenty of other problems -- the story is needlessly complex and can't keep up with itself, and Hercules himself isn't presented as a very interesting character. Almost everyone who doesn't have a European accent tries to fake one of some kind, which is not merely amateurish and dated but never really made sense in the first place: drama doesn't become better just because the actors use British accents, after all. But the terrible script and equally terrible effects sink the whole thing right off the bat.In fairness, "Hercules" was apparently intended as a four-hour miniseries but truncated (for this airing, anyway) to a three-hour TV movie. I don't know what they cut, but it's possible the edits made things worse. I don't think you could make "Hercules" good by adding to it, but that doesn't mean that the continuity, say, hasn't suffered from the network edits. There's no way I'll watch the USA version to see, though.$LABEL$ 0 +"Steve"(Chris Hoffman)gathers a group from high school for a reunion at the cabin location where his twin brother Wes went missing. While they are there, a reptilian creature in the shape of a man(reminded me a lot of the Gillman from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON)awaits in the wilderness choosing the right time to pick them apart one by one. A biker, Ellen Ripley-type time female bad-ass, Kat(Chase Masterson)has an underground military bunker she practices experiments in, while it also serves as a place of safety from the thing on the bloody rampage. Kat knows more than she's telling(she also suffered the loss of a child), but there's another novelty twist most of the group have no idea of. This creature might just be more human than they realize..and it's former identity might shed some light on a deception only one other person has been hiding since Wes' death. Kat holds the key to many of the mysteries that unlock as the group remains near the cabin.Thankfully, a large portion of the film stays away from the creature which leaps in the air while we also see a hazy screen when we look through it's eyes. The film has Dawson's Creek-type melodramatics which often hinder any real tension that needs to build in a little monster movie. The direction is very bland leading to a relatively dull experience instead of eliciting scares. The cast is rather life-less and uninteresting. Pretty Maggie Grace(THE FOG remake) might be the only draw for this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Truly a wonderful movie. Bruce Willis gives his always-outstanding comedic-romantic acting power to this message-movie and the movie brings hope to the losers many of us know we are. A gift to everyone of middle age whose spent time seems both full and yet empty: there is more around the next bend and it can be great, enriching, and romantic. Leave the recent past and return to the lessons of the distant past, and then take off on a favorite flight to your better future. If we could re-live our youthful experiences, if we could really remember the events that shaped us, wouldn't we find a special kind of freedom? See the movie, open the gift.$LABEL$ 1 +Chucky's back...and it's about time! This time, with the help of Jennifer Tilly and a little spell from Voodoo For Dummies. Well, at least with this installment, the camp is back. This was the more gruesome of this series, so far. It has some good twists and some good action scenes. This one was by far, the most fun of the series, and successfully, if unintentionally, bridges the gap between pure horror to horror/comedy. I am looking forward to Seed of Chucky. It'll be a hoot!"Jesus, the music scene's gone to h3ll since I've been dead!" ChuckyWe needed the levity, as the doll thing's getting old. The added comedic element, and the better action scenes brings this one back up to equal the quality of the first, when the idea was fresh and new-ish.6.8/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +Nightkill stars Robert Mitchum as a world-weary private eye probing the case of a missing industrialist (Mike Connors). He is hired by Jaclyn Smith, the anxious wife of the missing man. What Jaclyn fails to inform Mitchum is that she knows full well her husband's whereabouts. After all, she was the one who helped her lover James Franciscus dispose of her wealthy hubby.What more would expect from a rotten slasher film with Robert Mitchum? Mannix goes western, monkeys are abused, models lean against classic cars, and Smith is constantly upstaged by Sybil Danning until a giallo style wrap-up brings the whole sorry mess to a bitter end. This is BAD cinema. And this movie is sooooo poor. It makes it look like Halloween mixed up with Trick Or Treats. Avoid this.Rated R for Graphic Violence, Nudity and Sexual Situations.$LABEL$ 0 +Mute Witness is a modest, yet very solid thriller that never really received the attention or good comments it deserves. The film – written and directed entirely by Anthony Waller – is a tense, action-packed thriller with black comedy aspects and horror influences. No pointless mumbo-jumbo or endless plot-twists…just straight to the point mystery. Mute Witness handles about the vicious topic of `snuff'-movies and is effectively set in Russia. *** SPOILERS *** Since the production costs are cheaper there, a US film crew temporarily moves to Russia for shooting a horror film. An old hangar is used as film location. The female make-up artist of the team accidentally gets locked up overnight and while trying to find a way out, she witnesses the recordings of an authentic snuff-movie! She's caught and tries to escape but, since she's a mute, she can't cry for help and neither can she explain what she saw to the police properly. The girl's life is in real danger now, since there's a whole hidden network behind these snuff productions and they don't want the witnesses to be alive… *** End Spoilers ***. Mute Witness contains multiple highly exiting action sequences and is rather bloody. Some of the mystery clues are effectively kept secret till the very end. Regarding the similar topic, I'd say it's definitely better than the more famous `8 mm', directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Nicolas Cage. The acting in Mute Witness isn't great, but the leading actress (who's Russian herself) looks really cute. Sir Alec Guinness makes a special appearance, too. And a very cool one, I may say. Surely recommended with guaranteed fun and scares.$LABEL$ 1 +This Film was really eye-opening. I have seen this film several times. First, when I was four and I actually remembered it and then when I was 12. The whole message that the director is conveying is for everyone to wake up and not make the mistake of leaving God out of our everyday lives or just Plain going the extra mile to insult him.A great Movie for Non-believers and Believers alike!$LABEL$ 1 +It was a painful experience, the whole story is actually there so I won't go into that but the acting was horrible there is this part in the very beginning when the scientist brother goes to work he actually wears a white coat at home before leaving to work, I thought working with biohazard material meant that you should wear sterilized clothes in a controlled environment and the lab itself looks like a school lab there is this monitor on top a file cabinet that has nothing to do with the whole scene its just there to make the place look technical and a scientist is actually having breakfast in the lab and next to him is a biohazard labeled jar and his boss walks in on him and doesn't even tell him anything about it...not to mentioned bad acting very bad can't get any worst than that my advice don't watch and I thought nothing could be worse than house of the dead apparently Uwi Boll's movies look like classical Shakespeare compared to this!$LABEL$ 0 +WWE has produced some of the worst pay-per-views in its history over the past few months. Cyber Sunday, Survivor Series and December to Dismember were appalling to say the least and so it was relying on its B brand show, Smackdown! to attempt to end the year on a high note. Armageddon had two major gimmick matches in the Last Ride and Inferno matches, three Championships were on the line and an interesting main event in the shape of a tag team war featuring Batista and John Cena against King Booker and Finlay. However, it was an amendment to one of those Championship matches that brought us not only the match of the night but also now a match of the year candidate when Teddy Long gave us fans an early Christmas present. T-Lo changed the WWE Tag Team Championship match from Champions, London and Kendrick against to Regal and Taylor to a four team Ladder match including MNM and The Hardy Boyz.I am not going to dwell on this match too much as nothing I can say would be able to do it justice. This has to be seen to be believed. There were many high spots and many more brutal bumps and awkward landings. The one move I have to talk about however was the one that took Joey Mercury straight to the emergency room midway through the contest. Jeff Hardy jumped onto a ladder that was set up in the see saw position with Matt Hardy holding both members of MNM over the opposite end of it to take the full force. Unfortunately for Mercury he didn't get his hands up to protect his face and took the ladder full force in the nose and left eye. This was vicious. His face was instantly a mess for all to see and not surprisingly this ended Mercury's night early. We found out later he suffered a broken nose and cuts under his left eye. Be warned. This is not for the faint of heart. The ending to this roller-coaster of a match came after Paul London managed to grab both Championship belts for the victory. I have been watching wrestling for almost 15 years and it doesn't get any better than this match. Unbelievable.The night opened with only the 4th ever Inferno match. Kane took on MVP in a good match but it was all about the visual and not really about the action. There were a few close calls with the flames for both competitors but in the end it was Kane who forced MVP onto the flames after they both ended up outside the ring. MVP ran around the ring whilst his butt was on fire and there was a sick part of me that laughed watching this. May I suggest to Michael Hayes that MVP comes out next week on Smackdown! to Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.The other gimmick match of the night, and the second match of a triple main event was an all out war Last Ride match between Mr Kennedy and The Undertaker. This was a stiff match from start to finish and was the best of the series Undertaker and Kennedy have had yet. The used poles, chairs and one scene had The Undertaker thrown 15 feet from the Armageddon set onto what was suppose to be the concrete floor. Unfortunately it was plain to see that this was nothing but a crash mat and crowd didn't pop for this. The ending came after a chokeslam by The Dead Man to Kennedy on top of the hearse followed quickly by a match-winning tombstone.In other notable happening from the card. Chris Benoit defeated Chavo Guerrero by submission in another stiff match. This was a very good bout with Benoit hitting 8 German suplexes on Chavo at one time. Benoit was also considering whether to put Vikki Guerrero in the sharpshooter or not. Luckily he came to his senses and let her go. This led to Chavo attempting the roll up only for it to be countered into the sharpshooter for the submission.Another cracking match on the card was the Cruiserweight Championship contest between the longest reigning Champion in WWE, Gregory Helms and Jimmy Wang Yang. Featuring a lot of high flying and dangerous spots, some of which took place outside the ring, this was a match much more deserving of the crowd response than what it got. JBL put it best when he berated the fans in Richmond, Virginia for sitting on their hands during this one and at one point even started a boring chant. Helms picked up the duke after a jawbreaker type manoeuvre with his knees to Smackdowns! resident redneck.The Boogeyman pinned The Miz in a worthless match. I hate The Boogeyman with a passion. Only worth listening too for JBL's ranting about Miz. JBL is comedy gold.The last match of the night was main event number 3. World Heavyweight Champion, Batista and WWE Champion, John Cena teamed up to take on Finlay and the Champion of Champions, King Booker. There was no way the match could top the Tag Team Championship match from earlier on but it entertained none the less. The match would have been more memorable had it been given an extra five to ten minutes but how many times have I said that about WWE matches this year already. It was King Booker who was pinned at the end of the match after a big Batistabomb.So 2006 is over for the WWE in regards to it's pay-per-view schedule. It started the year on a terrible note with New Year's Revolution but ended on a high one with Armageddon. This Ladder match will long be remembered as one of the greatest ladder matches of all time. My hat is off to all eight competitors who but their bodies on the line to give the fans one hell of a match.$LABEL$ 1 +The time I wasted seeing this movie, I demand back! I felt sick afterward, but not because it touched me in any way. It's pretentious, trying to get the audience to feel bad for the people involved, but I couldn't care less. The characters are soulless and stupid. You don't get an explanation for some of the scenes and it doesn't leave any thoughts afterward to come up with your own explanation. All of the students in the movie has issues, but since you don't feel for them you don't believe their problems.If I could write better in English I'd never stop. But I can't, so, I'll stop now.Don't watch this.$LABEL$ 0 +Like others, I have seen and studied most of the books and films concerning the Clutter Killings, including a few dramatic works thematically based on the actions and psycho-mythology of the participants to the crime -- including Capote himself. As to Capote, I cannot forgive him for willfully withholding Perry Smith's confessions, intimacies and writings from even the defense counsels. I believe truths and facts Capote "reserved" for his "book," which required for Capote two guilty verdicts and capital punishment, would almost certainly have sustained a successful insanity defense for Perry Smith even under the old McNaughton Rule. Capote himself could never write another major literary work after "In Cold Blood." Shame and guilt. In my opinion, he willingly encouraged and planned the brutal capital punishment to provide the spectacular ending he required for his book/drama. To him, both men HAD to die for his book to succeed. The book had to justify itself by pretending it was about the horror of capital punishment. His actions and silence assured that ice-cold conclusion.Capote's book is not truth. It is not factual or journalistic. It is drama and melodrama spiced with his own creatively psychotic imagination. What most people consider the virtues of the contemporaneous first movie are stark images of Capote's mind, which may have been the most cold-blooded aspect of all. No wonder viewers ironically but necessarily prefer Blake's performance. That actor IS the nightmare from Capote's dishonest imaginings.So who is to say how the two killers should be played? Who is to judge what could make an essentially poetic psychotic snap from excessive courtesy and kindness to "do it now" killing? I agree with the few who see in Eric Roberts' work a magnificent performance, Shakespearean in its range, yet played with heartbreaking sincerity. Anthony Edwards takes a much safer "attitude mode" to create a smarmy Hickok; but he is one-dimensional and boring, with only a few notes in his television range. Roberts is almost four-dimensional, adding physical weakness and agony to a powerful animal body, a Frankenstein Creature who thinks in poetry and knows exactly what NOT to do. Like Leopold apropos Loeb, Robert's Perry Smith is hopelessly in love with an evil man. Without Hickok or a man of his particularities, Perry Smith would not have brought his psychotic mind into a world of horrors. He fears himself more than he fears anything else in life.Given the freedom from Capote's death grip on the consciousness of the Clutter killings, Roberts and Edwards are free to create original personalities and psychoses to craft a different and new production of the drama. Same facts, some of the same lines from the case record, but deeper, more complex, with clearly titanic psychotic stresses -- indeed Roberts is so good at this fluidic madness that he physically and facially demonstrates in every moment how little awareness he has of where or who he is.What many of our reviewers dislike about this film, Roberts in particular, is that cold-blooded killing isn't shown the way they expect and have been manipulated to demand. That is because here we are seeing a far more profoundly realistic "interpretation of life and death" than Capote could ever create -- a real Tragedy.The actual cold-blooded killer, Mr. Capote, and his hypocritically artistic "non-fiction novel" do not control these interpretations and performances.If "In Cold Blood" and Capote's effect on life, literature and truth matters as much as scholars say, then it takes guts as well as talent to portray the truth, or a version of the truth, that is not the rank, cowardly lie drawn up from the fathoms of Capote's own abyss.$LABEL$ 1 +"Fungicide" is quite possibly the most incompetent, embarrassing, pitiful "film" I have ever seen. The acting is criminal, the direction practically non-existent, and the special effects presumably put together by unleashing a monkey with learning difficulties on a defenceless laptop computer.Far be it from me to stifle creativity, but I actually believe things like this shouldn't be made. I am sure the "film"-makers will say that, yes, the "film" was hampered by a low (as in nothing) budget - but in that case they just really shouldn't have bothered. As it is, they have offered the world something so dire, so execrable, that only imbeciles could get the merest shade of enjoyment from it.Starting the "movie" it wasn't as though I was expecting "Citizen Kane" or anything. I was expecting a low budget little horror with perhaps a modicum of inventiveness, a hint of fun, and even some energy. What I got was the cinematic equivalent of a used handkerchief.The plot? Well, our leering antihero scientist, who works in his parents' basement, is seen manically stirring some goo in a cup. Apparently, such high-level science is the end-result of years of research. His parents then send him off to a strange hotel-type place in the countryside to relax. There are some other people there, who are simply too awful to write about. Anyway, the scientist drops his test-tube onto some mushrooms - and soon the mushrooms grow and kill some people. (Wow, I'm getting suicidal just writing the plot summary). Our heroes save the day by detonating a barrel of balsamic vinegar (by attaching a "fuse" - really a piece of string - to it). The barrel unaccountably explodes with the power of a small nuclear weapon, destroying all the mushrooms. The end. (Thank goodness).That summary is as good as the "film" gets (and actually makes it sound a lot more interesting than it actually is). It really should never have got past this stage of development (by which I mean a plot outline scribbled on the back of an envelope with crayons). Somebody should have really stepped in and given someone a vigorous shake and said "NO." And those "special" effects. Well, they're "special" all right. This is CGI gone crazy. And done by a person who I can only assume believes the bicycle pump to be the pinnacle of modern technology. And when the mushroom monsters are not in the style of a 1984 home computer graphics package, they are represented by actors shuffling along covered in a sheet (I kid you not).One of the most inexcusable things about the movie is its laziness. This can be summed up by the scene in which the hero spins his guns (a la Clint Eastwood) and then fails miserably to get them in his pockets. I mean come on, a couple of retakes and he could have pulled it off, but just to leave it as it is - really weak.I cannot believe money was spent on this camcorder-shot rubbish. The "film"-makers should hang their heads in shame and be banned from going within fifty metres of any movie-making equipment.I also think it's wrong that friends and family of the makers come onto IMDb and post mendacious reviews and give stupidly high user ratings which give a totally inaccurate picture of the "movie." "Fungicide" is an absolute travesty of film-making. Mr Wascavage is either very, very stupid or very, very cynical.$LABEL$ 0 +"Her Cardboard Lover" is Norma Shearer's last movie. She quit the movies and, I think, joined the Board of Directors at MGM. That was a good move on her part. "Her Cardboard Lover" was talky and boring in parts. It was obvious there were only a handful of actors with speaking parts so they had a lot of dialogue to speak to keep this turkey afloat. The story was a good idea about a wealthy woman (Norma Shearer) hiring a man (Robert Taylor) to make her playboy fiancee (George Sanders)jealous. I am surprised that the director, George Cukor, did not cut many of the talky scenes between Ms. Shearer and Mr. Taylor. Mr. Cukor served Ms. Shearer well in "The Women" but not in this movie. The best performance in the movie was given by Robert Taylor. During Mr. Taylor's career, he was given his best comedy roles in this movie and "When Ladies Meet" in 1941. In 1942, he gave his best comedy performance in "Her Cardboard Lover" and, up to then, his best dramatic performance in "Johnny Eager." He had a busy year. I think of all the actors at MGM, Mr. Taylor worked with all the major and minor actresses on the lot. Also, MGM gave Mr. Taylor all types of movies to make - most of them were successful. That is why MGM kept him for 25 years. Mr. George Sanders was very good as a socialite heel. He played a similar role eight years later in "All About Eve" for which he won an Oscar for a supporting role. As for Ms. Shearer, this was one of her worst performances, she was not funny and too dramatic for this comedy. It is strange that she made a great comedy in 1939, "The Women", and gave her best performance. It was obvious that she was too old looking for her younger leading men in "Her Cardboard Lover." Also, it didn't help that some of her clothes were awful.Too bad she and Mr. Taylor did not make another dramatic movie like their last movie together, the superb "Escape". The same comments about this movie can be said of another movie, "Personal Property" that Mr. Taylor made in 1937 with Jean Harlow. It was too talky, boring, and the actress looked old. Ms. Harlow looked ill throughout the movie and nobody in Hollywood noticed to tell her to see a doctor, so in 1937, she died at age 26. What a waste! She was becoming a good actress and getting better roles.$LABEL$ 0 +Uzumaki, which translates into "spirals", arriving within this new wave of Asian Horror films following such hits like Ringu, Ju-On and The Eye (two of them with remakes.. and much more coming like Dark Water and Tale of Two Sisters), falls short of the spooky, supernatural thriller element so characteristic of the other movies, the only thing that remains is weirdness and not in a Tim Burton or David Lynch kind of way, but in a irrelevant and dull way. Its start with a girl, some other kid with a crush on her, her best friend and his dad who's obsessed with Uzumakis! Everything that happens concerns Uzumakis, people die and you see Uzumakis. So okay, It'll go along with it, I'm kinda amuse by spirals myself, characters don't seem to go anywhere, but I'll play along. We find out the town is cursed by Uzumakis, people start screaming at Uzumakis and the point is Uzumakis are everywhere, the movie is a disaster, it doesn't know where to go, except to show you the power of Uzumakis!!!!!!!!! There are some cool concepts like when the mother cuts her fingers because she sees Uzumakis on her fingerprints but then there's another scene where she hears her husband (from beyond the grave!!) tell her that she also has Uzumakis in her ear, the way they handled that scene was just laughable, not even cheesy fun, there are also some (a little bit) of cool visuals, like the collection the father has of Uzumakis and the girl with the Uzumakis hair.. yep, Uzumakis hair, its out of context though, its seems like it was taken out of a Fruit Snack commercial where if you eat an Uzumakis fruits snack, its taste is so incredible your hair turns into Uzumakis, now if this wasn't bad enough, suddenly, out of nowhere there are Snail Men.. or ManSnails… whatever… and you know why? right? Because in their shells they have Uuuuzuuuumaaakiiiis…. That only left time enough for a crappy anti-climatic ending and by that time I was sick of friggin' uzumakis.. uzumaki here uzumaki there, sure, look around you, how many Uzumakis can you find… If you want to see a movie about spirals go see PI (3.1416) now there you'll find some pretty cool uzumaki concepts in between the meaning of life and Dark City has also a little bit of a spiraling thing in there.This movie could have worked as a music video, it has already garnered a cult following and thats why I was compelled to see it, but after doing so, I'm not sure why people think it's great. I was truly disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +Bog Creatures shows exactly what can happen when very enthusiastic people get together with a little cash, some knowledge of movie making, a mixed bag of aspiring actors, and a lot of determination, yet all without the necessary knowledge and skills to pull off anything more than a fairly poor looking After School Special (in a bad way, not a nostalgic good way). I mean this is so-so quality home movie / student film stuff if you want to pass it around to family and friends for free. Thankfully, I found it in a discount bin somewhere. Sure, there may be some sort of market out there for this kind of thing, but it is a market that seems to only exist by default because there are so many poor B movies out there. Even more so now in this day and age.The only people I would recommend this move to is aspiring guerrilla filmmakers. First, I would recommend that they watch the special feature MAKING OF thing included on the disc. See the film crews enthusiasm, their hard work, joy, and very high opinions of their own product. THEN watch the movie. Within a few frames you will hopefully understand what went wrong. Bored, I went through the whole thing and clearly the director and cinematographer tried, but just don't know enough about what they are doing. They knew enough to have fun, but in the long run, without necessary skills, this interprets to: They knew enough to be dangerous. This is like a bad Nickelodeon movie (as apposed to a more decent one I guess). A couple of the actors did ok, and the cool stoner looking dude with the tattoo (real or fake tattoo I know not) was probably the best and most natural and I hope he makes it. But their natural acting talent was what was coming through despite the bad movie, bad script, and so-so directing principles. If the director had spent more time helping these aspiring actors to develop their characters, studying successfully proven camera techniques and lighting principles to direct his crew better, and if the script had been actually worked on instead of written in a week or so (according to the very indulgent documentary) then maybe this could have been more of a film. Instead, it's a film that has a feeling of some potential, and has a few moments in it (due more to the genre than the film itself), but ends up showing nearly every frame, WHAT NOT TO DO. If you want to see what a decent low budget horror movie can really look like, watch Phantasm or even Laserblast. If you want a glorified home movie (no joke), get Bog Creatures.$LABEL$ 0 +Having listened to and enjoyed Harvey Bernhard's Omen II commentary I was shocked to discover he was also behind this absolute piece of rubbish. It's like a really bad TV movie you might glimpse in the middle of the day when you have the flu and are too ill to reach the remote. I think at the bit where Michael Lerner is confronted by what I can only describe as a high school cast of Les Miserables my mouth hung open in disbelief. And then my mouth was going up and down because I was laughing so much. Dire. I don't know why I have to write a minimum of ten lines, I have made my point succinctly, there's nothing clever about all this modern verbiage.$LABEL$ 0 +Tim Taylor is an abusive acholoic drug addict. He's a coward and a child and has absolutely no redeeming qualities as an actor or a person. The only film with him in it that is enjoyable is "Galaxy Quest" and that just because his character - a boozed out washed up actor from a former hit TV show - was so close to real life for him. The rest of the cast is equally bad. I HATE the mother and the actress that played her Patricia Richardson, she sucks! Ever cliché is there, the stupid woman who is fat and likes opera and only cares about her children, while in real life she's proclaims family values and gets divorced after having twins. And the child actors were about as interesting as a root canal.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to admit that Holly was not on my watch list for the Edinburgh Film Festival. However, after the Artistic Director of the Festival specifically recommended this film to an audience of over 200 people prior to the screening of another film, I decided to go to see it. Wow! This film is dealing with the very difficult issue of child prostitution and does so without any compromise. I have found myself crying a number of times during the movie and laughing at others. Speaking about an emotional roller coaster.The lead actor (Thuy Nguyen) is a Vietnamese newcomer (who was only 14 at the time of filming) and had to tackle this incredibly complex and difficult role. She reminded me of Keisha Castle-Hughes from Whale Rider but the role here is much more demanding as she has to play a child prostitute. Chances are that she will win numerous awards.The main story is about a girl who was sold to prostitution by her family and held as a sex-slave in a brothel in Cambodia. She meets an American (played by Ron Livingston in a strong dramatic role that we are not used to see from him), who after spending some time with her decides to help her. By that time however, she is sold again and he is going on a search for her around Cambodia. The story turns and twists and the audience can never predict what will happen next.The acting was strong across the board with a very interesting international cast. Udo Kier (very convincing as a sex tourist), Virgine Ledoyen (touching as a social worker) and Chris Penn (one of his last movies). The Asian cast was also superb.Although the film deals with this difficult subject matter it focuses successfully on telling a compelling, powerful story. It was shot in Cambodia (some scenes in real operating brothels) which adds to the feeling that you are almost watching a documentary. It seems that the DP used a lot of hand held camera and close-ups and overall it made you feel like you are right there as part of the story.After the screening, I was listening to other members of the audience as they left and it seemed that they were all stunned. This is not an easy film to watch and I salute the filmmakers for not making a "Hollywood Film."It is by far the best film I have seen in the Edinburgh Film Festival. Opinion shared by my husband and a couple of other friends.$LABEL$ 1 +My one line summary should explain it all, but I'll have a go at it.From the get-go, this movie seemed like an overdone soap opera, and that's about all I can comment on. There were a few interesting scenes, such as the "Big one" that hit during the middle of the movie, but, wait, what's that? The earthquake *gasp*, wait a minute! That's Dante's Peak! Well, parts of it butchered and slapped in. I can't believe how poorly this movie was done, "borrowing" scenes from other, much better films. One wonders what director thought that viewers are dumb enough to believe large wooded mountain-esque backdrops exist in downtown LA, ala Dante's Peak.My advise, forget the Bond Wanna-be, Nash, in this film and go for the real thing (again, someone from Dante's Peak coincidentally.)$LABEL$ 0 +Okay okay, I must admit, I do somewhat like Peter Liapis and I'll admit this is not the best Ghoulies sequel. I mean, yeah, it had its flaws, such as NO GHOULIES themselves. But the two Ghoulies that come to earth were really funny, I guess they were called, Dark and Lite. I enjoyed the plot of the movie. And even at the end of the movie both Ghoulies implied that there would be a sequel. Still waiting. lol. Peter Liapis reprised his role as Jonathan Graves, this time playing a detective, how cute! Ghoulies IV may not be scary or suspenseful, but it is definitely funny. I thought I would comment on this movie and just say -- it's not that bad. It is worth watching even though the Ghoulies aren't in it.$LABEL$ 1 +I have always loved the ironic symbolism and brilliant cinematography of Coppola's masterpiece. I was lucky enough to meet Martin Sheen outside the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium one night in 1981, as he waited for Charlie and Emilio to leave a concert. He was very humble about the praise I shared with him for this work of art, especially his portrayal of the young Captain. This is, without a doubt, a must see, a complete 10 and an important part of American Film History. "Charlie Don't Surf". Robert Duvall's famous line (the other one) does not need repeating as it has become an oft repeated anthem and his Pattonesque character will long be remembered as a classic American war hawk in the John Wayne tradition. It is a surprise to see how young Laurence Fishburne looks.$LABEL$ 1 +I sat down to watch this movie with my friends with very low expectations. My expectations were no where near low enough. I honestly could not tell what genre this movie was from watching it, and if it was a comedy, the humor was completely missed. The plot was nonexistent and the acting was horrendous. My friends and I managed to watch approximately 30 to 40 minutes of this film before we turned it off and promptly begged the video store to take it back. I do NOT recommend this movie to anyone unless you are purposely trying to watch the worst movies of all time. I honestly don't know how this film lasted more than a day in theatres and moreover I can not understand why anyone would willing watch it, considering not only it's very uninteresting title but also the lack of any famous actors/actresses in it's cast. This review is not a joke and I honestly think this could possibly be the worst movie ever made. It's certainly the worst movie I've ever had to sit through.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think this movie was rated correctly. I took my copy and blacked out the PG rating and wrote down R. I would NOT recommend this for anyone under 17 or 18, whatever the R limit is.Why? It contains a scene in the jungle with several topless Indian women. I don't know about you, but that's not something for little children to be watching. True, it might be the traditional "clothing style" of the African (?) Indians, but... I think partial nudity should give a movie an R rating.I haven't seen the movie recently, but I guess otherwise, it was alright.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is really a big piece of trash trying to make itself look like a Hollywood production.Poor story outline(stupid robot story)...ultra bad acting by untalented pop idols...and they are trying to"FIGHT"!!!My goodness...those miserable actors uses wires to make them look like they are "good fighters"...:(and I hate that arrogant Edison Chen...the worst actor I have ever seen!!!I will never touch his movies again.AVOID this movie at all costs!!!I wanted to give it a negative value out of ten...not even worth a 0/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a Geena Davis fan for life because of this movie. I've always loved Samuel L Jackson. And the two make a great pair on screen. This said, I think 'TLKG' is the best action movie I've ever seen, forget the twist endings that audiences have now come to expect and that filmmakers now try (mostly failing) to incorporate into their movies.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +A great 90's flick! Parker Posey is fabulous in this story about the nightlife in Manhattan that requires so much cash. Posey gives an amazing performance as a librarian and a night crawler. This is a good, light movie for Saturday night before you go out. The soundtrack rocks, the outfits are out of this world, the script is funny and the actors do a great job. The redeeming value : you can make it in this world if you try, just find your niche. I believe Parker Posey is the PERFECT actress for this kind of character: young, fabulous and broke. (You must look up the movie "Clockwatchers" ). If you watch Party Girl you are bound to have a good time. Enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +This fantasy was utter garbage. I thought Michael Moore cornered the market on ridiculous anti-government movies, but this one was far worse than anything he ever did. No wonder critics of the British media complain it's driven by tabloid journalism. This movie is a left-wing loony's greatest fantasy come to life on the big screen. Anyone even slightly to the right of such rabid Bush-bashers should be appalled it ever got funding to be made. I'm sure it will do well in Syria, Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea, though. It's hard to believe that in these days of insane Muslims blowing up innocent commuters there is anyone in the U.K. who thinks Britain should surrender in the war on terrorism. I guess it's no longer the country I admired for standing alone against the Nazis nearly 70 years ago. All hail Neville Chamberlain and the pathetic policy of appeasement!$LABEL$ 0 +Satan's Little Helper is one of the better B Horror movies I have seen. When I say better I mean the story. The film hatches a new plot, something that's not so cliché in the Horror genre - something fresh. But there are also some ridiculous questions that come along with it. Questions you will be asking yourself throughout the movie.The film first caught my attention while I was cruising the Horror section in HMV. I was tired of all the so called "terrifiying" Hollywood blockbusters and wanted something different. The cover art for Satan's Little Helper immediately caught my attention. As you can see, the image draws you in - it's chilling! I knew it was a straight to DVD release - but I took a chance. I mean, I just seen "Boogey Man" the night before - so It couldn't get any worse! After I watched the movie, I was semi-satisfied. I loved the plot of the movie. It was really creepy how the killer was pretending to be the little boys friend, so he could kill. In some sick deranged way, he actually thought he and the little boy would become partners - a duo of terror. It was a great idea to set the film on Halloween night. This way, no one would think anything of a masked man beside a little kid. They would simply think he was his guardian. But, this is also where the "plot holes" begin to surface.If your son came home with a "friend" he met trick or treating - that's fine. You wouldn't think anything of it - if he was 9!, or round about the same age as him. If however, he appeared with a strange man in a mask, you would be startled and protective of your child. You would ask the man to remove his mask and identify himself. You would ask why he is with your son. He doesn't know him. You would tell him to please leave. He isn't a family friend. He's a stranger. Now, we're supposed to teach our child not to talk to strangers. In this case, the mum is completely fine with it. Huh? They never seem to think it's a tad odd that the "man" doesn't speak - at all. Gruanted they think it's the daughters boyfriend, but after 10 minutes of not talking you would pull the mask off and ask him why he's not saying a word.The film goes down hill from there. The thing that got me the most was, all the mum said was "Do you want some cider?". I can't count how many times she says this in the movie. It's like, oh you're dying - we have cider though, it's all good!! The movie started promising, and failed to deliver. It was more of a horror/comedy, and even as that it fails to deliver. I guess you could call it a "Dud","Flop" etc..The best thing about the movie is the cover art. Though, something tells me that's not worth the 12 dollars!$LABEL$ 0 +Cartoon-like special effects, horrible acting and dialogue, and dry plot! This movie has it all! My friend and I went to blockbuster to find a horrible movie that we could make fun of, but this was just too much. The movie begins with a women and her son vacationing on a made-up island in the Bahama region. The women, who just happens to be a doctor/virologist is in the area when a man collapses. He has a strange wound on his arm, and she immediately knows that it is a contagious virus. The story goes on to show startlingly fast romance between the two teenage leads (this is justified by the girl saying "I know it's fast, but it just feels nice." ????) Anyway the entire island gets infected with this virus and the CDC is brought in. We are told that within three months, if the virus is not treated and contained that it will spread to the united states and kill millions of people. This information does not stop the CDC from leaving the island to save themselves. Thankfully the cure to this horrible virus is found just in time, and the entire island is saved. To celebrate the death of there loved ones, the island people have a smashing party where everyone is dancing, having fun, and forgetting about the horrible epidemic that just occurred.$LABEL$ 0 +Much about this movie was beautiful. The acting, the scenery, and without a doubt, Aaron's cinematography background showed through on the beautiful shots. Definitely worth watching, as your attention will be captivated the entire time, and it ends on just the right note.The acting by newcomer Jonathan Furr was superb, as one would think he was a pro acting since he was born. He has gone on to act in other feature films, but this starring role will always be remembered.The film does have that academy award feel to it at times, where it's slow and scenic and quiet, so it's not a movie that a.d.d. kids can sit through. However, the rustic feel of East Bend and Yadkinville played out well as a 1940's era film.$LABEL$ 1 +I will admit I didn't pay full attention to everything going on in this film, but to be honest, I don't think it would have mattered. Basically local councillor Sidney Fiddler (Sid James) persuades the incompetent Mayor Frederick Bumble (Kenneth Connor) of Firecombe to hold a beauty contest, to improve the town's image. They face opposition from women's liberationist Augusta Prodworthy (June Whitfield) trying to sabotage the contest, but they do have publicity agent Peter Potter (Bernard Bresslaw) and Palace Hotel owner Connie Philpotts (Joan Sims). Soon enough the young, beautiful wannabe models show up, including Hope Springs (Barbara Windsor), Paula Perkins (Valerie Leon), Dawn Brakes (Goldfinger's Margaret Nolan), Debra (Sally Geeson) and Ida Downs (EastEnders' Wendy Richard). When the girls have cat fights, it does draw away regular residents, but after quite a while of some plodding not that funny innuendos and William (Jack Douglas) having over-active twitches, it does finally reach the competition, and it's just afterwards I couldn't be bothered. Also starring Patsy Rowlands as Mildred Bumble, Peter Butterworth as Admiral, Joan Hickson as Mrs. Dukes, David Lodge as Police inspector, Angela Grant as Miss Bangor, Arnold Ridley as Councillor Pratt, Robin Askwith as Larry, Patricia Franklin as Rosemary, Jimmy Logan as Cecil Gaybody and Dad's Army's Bill Pertwee as Fire brigade chief, Charles Hawtrey had obviously quit the Carry Ons, but where's Kenneth Williams? I suppose seeing Babs and young, beautiful looking Pauline Fowler in bikinis, but for comedy value, this fails miserably, and the overuse of the swanny whistle just gets on your nerves. Pretty poor!$LABEL$ 0 +From all the bad comments about this movie and add them up I feel the same way. It may look like the Australians are weaklings instead they were brave soldiers. In this film it was very terrible and too graphic. I didn't see enough heroism just more cowardice which is ashame because its nothing from what I read. We don't need the extremity of violence like that we can use our vivid imagination of what they went through. It's like saving private ryan where the nazi is pushing his knife slowly in the soldier. For example Mel Gibson is a over extreme director for his movies not because of the violence but for the level of historical inaccuracy. Letters of Iwo Jima was one of the war films that was close enough to history (although I could be wrong) except Flags of our Fathers and Bridge of the River Kwai. You're better off reading it its an insult to the victims and the fallen if you don't tell it right, and the movie drag on for too long there was nothing interesting about the dialogue and not enough retribution from the aussies to kill Japanese soldiers. Just read history on the internet, mags and in books. Movies always kill the sense of realization. What they did to POWs in Singapore and the Philippines was just dreadful escpically to civilians. It just makes me feel proud to see goodies beat the baddies but movies like this ruin it.$LABEL$ 0 +Eh. This is a popcorn movie, nothing more. I watched this with a bunch of friends (and though that might NOT be the best way to view a horror movie...) and most of the dialogue and action was laughable.It left me yearning for a real film. :)The main problem is the lack of tension in the film. It keeps flashing back to 'explanation' scenes, which dissipates any discernible tension.And the character relationship 'twists'? Yeah, they suck. I won't say what they are, but they just don't add anything to the film/storyline.(By relationship, I mean the two main characters.)Eek. My recommendation is this: watch this movie if you can't think of anything better. Mediocre at best...Maybe not even that.$LABEL$ 0 +To say I was disappointed is an understatement. An amateur film made by professionals. I was about to leave the theater in two or three occasions (something I've never done)I was stopped by Cloris Leachman really. She rings true, the only one I should say. This new women are less modern than the George Cukor women of the 30's. This ones are "acting" for us trying to be with it but their "conflict" is exactly the same as it has always been, in movies anyway. The fun of the original was based on a crisp, vitriolic and very funny script. A masterful direction and an unrepeatable cast. All the elements that are missing here. TV actresses mingling with models and Oscar nominees/winners. There wasn't anything organic about it. The whole thing felt like a put on, improvised in the moment without a clear objective. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +This picture for me scores very highly as it is a hugely enjoyable and amusing spoof of Alien Invaders taking over a town and many of its' men folk.The town and the players are all decked out in sort of 1950's style and the whole movie has a deliberate tacky and kitschy feel to it. Some of the scenes are hilarious like with the birth of an alien creature.All the actors give full blooded and serious performances which makes the film even funnier and the special effects and Aliens are at least it seems to me intentionally 3rd rate to add to the amusement.These type of films often deserve a cult following:8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +What I hoped for (or even expected) was the well known "stop motion" imagery and extreme slow motions, extreme zooms and all embracing fish eye takes. In short: The art of a) finding interesting Visual Events and b) capturing them in a way the human eye is not capable of, to be replayed so that the human eye can see. The stuff that made the other Qatsi's hits.I just wondered how the creation of the whole would fit the title.Having watched the movie I got the feeling that the focus in this third part was on the message and not on the wrapping. That's fine, especially since the message is so valid. But I already knew the message, and it appeared there was nothing else left for me. More then half the film was solarized or colorized or posterized or transformed through some other filter. It looked a lot like the effects your video camera does but you never use. A lot of the images would have been prettier without the filters, like the giraffe and zebra chase. You could say that 'technology or whatever human based malicious source disfigured our beautiful nature' but why use these seventies effects to symbolize that? At the point that there had been more than 10 minutes in a row of this cheap looking effect I was ready to leave. The hope that the rest just couldn't BE that bad made me stay. But then there was the slow motion: slow motion is good because it gives you time to analyze the moving picture. But if there are no more than 24 or maybe 50 or 60 frames a second, then there's just not enough motion to slow down. Please, record the motion-to-be-slowed faster, like was done with the beautiful shots of the foaming and splashing water (some of) the laughing people and the drill song singing soldiers. I acknowledge that archive pictures can't be redone, but I had already seen a lot of that footage anyway, it could have done without it. It must have been a lot of work to search through the archive footage, and the effects can't have been that easy to apply and arrange as well. On top of that, a lot of the work was mixed with each other. It shows that the creator wasn't out to lengthen the movie or to spare himself. But I didn't like the mixed stuff one bit... The idea behind it was sometimes nice or even clever, but the implementation was insufficient. The computer generated images didn't bother me that much, however out of date. The 'bits' streaming along circuits (in the first part of the film) looked more recent and were nice. Mandelbrot is always fun, the fractal-mountain was less. I was pleased to hear a cello playing a major role in the music. A little less vibrato at certain moments would have been appropriate with Glass' music, but that's a matter of taste. As is all of the above, of course. I do hope that there will be another Qatsi story to tell soon, where computer imagery will have a less significant role and that will inspire somebody to get into the field again.$LABEL$ 0 +The turgid pace of this movie numbs us to any shocks that it might provide. There was no real suspense. Most of the characters were insipid. The chesty Irish priest was as lame as the love interest. Interest is misleading. The girl that they chose to provide the film's sensuality might be better. The central conflict of the main character was uninvolving. This film is entirely devoid of positives. It is like a tedious exercise by someone who didn't want to go to the gym that day but did anyway.$LABEL$ 0 +Not the best of the Lone Star series, but it moves along quickly with good performances. Introduced as "Singin' Sandy" in the main title, John Wayne as a 'singing cowboy' isn't successful-- you never even see a front close-up of him while he's 'singing.' The actual singer is the director's son, Bill Bradley, who warbles away sounding like many popular singers of the day such as Hutch or Joseph Wagstaff. The film features: Cecilia Parker (also seen in "The Lost Jungle" serial, "Tombstone Canyon," and as older sister Marian in the Andy Hardy movies) doing her best Katherine Hepburn-- "Really they mustn't; really I'm not"; Al St. John, before he literally became "Fuzzy" filling all his available screen time with his characteristic business of hat flipping, head and chin scratching, grimacing, and gawky physical gestures and movements; George (pre-Gabby) Hayes as a gentle pipe smoking father; and Forrest Taylor, minor vet of 395 movies and TV shows, playing the oily villain with string bow tie and prop cigar. Fun or odd moments: Yakima Canutt's great 'under the stagecoach' trick; the 'gay' scene when Singin' Sandy ties Bert and Elmer together face to face, drags them roped to his horse, and dumps them at Kincaid's office, where Kincaid says, "You're a fine pair of lovebirds!"; Denton's rapturous comment after an atrocious song and guitar playing performance by 'Sandy,' -- "Ummm. I could listen to that all night!"; Kincaid's reply, We won't go into that," after being told by a rancher "You've got the soul of a snake!"; and, of course, he utters the immortal, "I've made Denton an offer he can't refuse." The plot of the movie is saved by Sandy's tricking Kincaid, and later saying the three magic words in many of these films: "I'm from Washington." FDR has saved us from the Depression! (Is that why the villains are always either bankers or in real estate?) The shootout sequence is taken from the earlier Bradbury film "Man from Hell's Edges" (1932). All of the Lone Star westerns are special because of their unique mixture of interesting characters, the troupe of actors and stunt people, and the spin on the clichés and repetitive back stories and situations. This one ranks a little low, marred by the inappropriate and mis-used "Singing Cowboy" gimmick. I'll give it a 4.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie with a friend who ran a marathon with me, and we both had the same feeling about it: it wasn't terribly motivating, and didn't even broach the idea of what a training schedule would look like, so that non-marathoners could have an idea of what it would take for them to train and run one. In fact there was almost zero technical information at all. I didn't expect this to be a tech-heavy instructional video, but when that info was near zero then the film just wasn't balanced, and wasn't particularly useful to non-marathoners contemplating their first run.There were other problems. Some of the very first images were people collapsing near death while trying to run a race. Yeah, real inspiring. The timing was also hard to follow, because it was semi chronological, but the filmmakers rarely gave you any good clues as to what point in time you were looking at. And they withheld information. You see that Kantor has an injury, and you just assume it's from all her training, but then several scenes later they finally clue you in that it's because she tripped over a pine cone in her yard.Some parts were very good, though, like the bit about a woman defying race officials who wanted the run to be men-only, and the coverage of a Chicago race where two of the runners portrayed earlier were vying for first place.Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of other chronological documentaries, like Supersize Me, and Grass, where you always know where you are, and you feel like they told you everything you wanted to know.In short, it wouldn't have been hard to make a better marathon film, and as it stands I can't recommend this to non-marathoners to educate and motivate them to try one, because I don't think it will have that effect.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Love Letter" is a somewhat pleasant, very very low-key romantic comedy in which the use of just the right few words in a mysterious love letter unlocks the secret passions and longings of a sleepy sea-side town's inhabitants.It's not for all audiences. "The Love Letter", I feel, benefits from it's simple and quiet tone. Never intentionally wacky and phony like most romantic comedies it's quaint, picturesque, and comfy. However, for these exact same reasons, many viewers will be bored and disinterested.The cast is nice. It's great to see Tom Selleck again, and is such an underplayed role. And it's hard to believe this is the same Kate Capshaw we met 15 years ago in "Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom". She's quite naturally good here; improving in every role I've seen her in since grating on Indy's nerves. And is it possible Capshaw is just getting lovelier and lovelier with age ? ( What is it about that Spielberg!?)It doesn't amount to much; but after another noisy summer movie season I'll probably look back with brief fondness for this light-as-a-feather romance.$LABEL$ 1 +My wife and I just finished watching Bûsu AKA The Booth. She fell asleep during some parts of the movie. I really wish I had taken a snooze with her, but the unfortunate fact is that the main character's voice is so loud and grating that it was impossible for me to sleep. When our protagonist speaks, it makes me want to hear Regis Philbin and William Shatner sing karaoke. He also has no redeeming qualities. I was hoping he'd get hit by a bus five minutes into the film.Don't get me wrong, I love Asian horror cinema, but The Booth is extremely irritating and full of scenes that really make no damned sense at all. If you want some good Asian cinema, check out A Tale of Two Sisters or Into The Mirror. Avoid The Booth like the plague, especially if you suffer from frequent migraines.$LABEL$ 0 +May be spoilers so do not read if you do not want to Just like watching the TV news , everything is already happened, a great tsunami looms over a city bay and CUT , no more to see, Tokay suffers a large earthquake , did anyone see more than the 5 seconds I saw? If you want to make a love story , make a love story but if you want to use a disaster movie title , do please be kind enough to show me THE DISASTER , pd after watching this movie watch JISHIN RETTO or any GODZILLA film to satisfy the part that was willing to see people screaming and buildings collapsing that did not get a chance to do in this movie. Don t take me wrong I love disaster movies and I love the original Nihon chimbotsu and Jishin retto, I even like the latest Poseidon , not to much of a story there but a very good and graphic disaster sequence , New Nihon chimbotsu looses the point as many times as pearl harbour or the day after tomorrow but at least this two movies do show good disaster sequences, and also enough with the expensive FX that did not show anything , give me fake buildings if you like as long as you do destroy them properly , I know I must sound like a sadistic freak, however I did go to see Love actually when I felt like going to see a romantic film , grrrrrrr even kimpachi sensei makes me cry and this movie didn:t . there is also a TV series called napping chimbotsu made in 1975, I have on DVD and it is much better$LABEL$ 0 +it's a lovely movie ,it deeply reflects the Chinese underground bands' current lives. if you chinese culture ,traditionaled rock n roll music, there you go, i will highly recommend this one .but one thing i am wondering is whether this movie has been showed in Mainland ? i sorta doubt it ,:D$LABEL$ 1 +IN COLD BLOOD has to be ranked as first-rate movie-making, even if the subject matter is about as grim as it gets in the world of make-believe, but film noir fans should definitely find this one a gripping piece of work, based as it is on a true-life crime spree.It opens with Quincy Jones' music under the credits and starkly dramatic views of a highway bus heading toward Kansas City, effectively setting the mood of the film even before the credits end. The B&W photography of Conrad Hall does a superb job right from the start.Also clear from the start: ROBERT BLAKE and SCOTT Wilson are natural born actors. They do a great job of portraying free spirited buddies looking for the next thrill. "Ever see a millionaire fry in the electric hair? Hell no. There are two kinds of rules in this world. One for the rich and one for the poor," says Wilson, taking a swig of alcohol behind the wheel.Both are destined to cross the path of a farm family, showing no mercy and leaving no witnesses behind.Blake, reminiscing about movies, and thinking of hunting for gold in Mexico, says: "Remember Bogart in 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre'?" (An ironic moment, because Blake himself was in the film as a little boy selling lottery tickets). "I got you pegged for a natural born killer," Wilson tells Blake.JOHN FORSYTHE is one of the lead detectives on the case, discovering that all four family members were tied up, shot in the head and one had his throat cut. "Don't people around here lock doors?" asks PAUL STEWART. "They will tonight," is the terse reply.After the murders, the killers discover that there was "no big fat safe in the wall", like their prison informant told them. So, in the end, it was truly a stupid, senseless crime. The question is: WHY did they do it? And this is something the second half of the film explores in depth. It takes an hour and a half into the movie before the detectives catch up with the killers and begin the interrogation.It's these final scenes that carry the most conviction and the most interest as the boys are told they've made numerous mistakes and left a living witness. The actual events up to and including the murder are saved until the end. "It makes no sense," Blake tells Forsythe. "Mr. Cutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up until the time I cut his throat." The screenplay by Richard Brooks is concise and to the point--and so is his direction.Summing up: Brilliant depiction of two aimless young men on a crime spree that made no sense then or now for a mere $43. Chilling.$LABEL$ 1 +It's Die Hard meets Cliffhanger when a ski resort is besieged by terrorists and it's up to one cop, Jack (Crackerjack) to stop this.A B-action movie that borrows from other films and is quite good with pretty good action, a ridiculous plot (as always in these movies) and three fine stars. Thomas Ian Griffith as the cop and Nastasja Kinski and Christopher Plummer as terrorists. If you don't like stupid B-action movies this is not for you.$LABEL$ 0 +People like me will tear this movie apart. It's just not realistic. The Plot is sooooooo predictable. You can anticipate everything that happens convientantly Of course, they find the treasure and become filthy rich, and trick the bad guy. We've seen it a million times before. The writers of this movie must think that the majority of the movie going public is stupid. They must be right because The majority of people actually liked this film. I mean solving riddles in a matter of seconds. The secret treasure room hidden under the Manhattan subway? You'd think with all the work that's gone on in New York underground That room would have been discovered before. and all that was constructed during the civil war? PLEASE And the love story between Ben and Abigail?? how cute, and I thought the romance in Clive Cussler novels was weak. They just fall in love like that, in 2 seconds WHATEVER I'd be more concerned with saving my own ass then getting some. the hell with the girl and the stupid piece of paper. 1/10 Garbage$LABEL$ 0 +I was totally surprised just how good this movie actually is because when I first saw it I was only mildly amused! I must say however, that I am still very disappointed that Donald O'Connor wasn't given a bigger and better role! He was an enormous talent.There is a great chemistry among all the main cast members and Matthau has never been funnier.I am tremendously glad that this picture got made because we get to see Lemmon and Matthau team up for the very last time; in a vehicle that puts their talent to great use. Brent Spiner proves that "Data" from Star Trek the Next Geeration is not the only good character he can play.The storyline is really quite simple but the comedy and the characters work really well and I laughed heartily throughout this movie and I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +The oddly-named Vera-Ellen was to movie dancing what Sonja Henie was to movie ice-skating: blonde, girlish, always delightful to watch, but not an especially good actress and usually lumbered with weak material. When I watch Vera-Ellen's sexy apache dance with Gene Kelly in 'Words and Music', I can't help noticing that her blouse (yellow with narrow red horizontal stripes) seems to be made out of the South Vietnam flag. For some reason, the very American Vera-Ellen starred in *two* musicals (made several years apart) set in Edinburgh, a city not noted for its tap-dancers: 'Let's Be Happy' and 'Happy Go Lovely'.In the latter, Cesar Romero plays an American impresario who for some reason is staging a musical in Edinburgh. There's a vague attempt to link this show to the Edinburgh Festival, which is nonsense: the Festival is not a showcase for splashy leg-shows. We also see a couple of stock shots of the Royal Mile: apart from a few Highland accents, there's absolutely no attempt to convey Scottish atmosphere in this movie. The funniest gag occurs at the very beginning, when we learn that the title of Romero's show is 'Frolics to You': this is a cheeky pun that Britons will get and Yanks won't.Vera-Ellen is, as usual, cute and appealing and an impressive dancer, but the very few musical numbers in this movie are boring and bad. The plot -- mistaken identity between magnate David Niven and reporter Gordon Jackson -- is brainless, though no more so than the plots of several dozen Hollywood musicals. Romero is less annoying than usual here, probably because (for once) he isn't required to convince us that he's interested in bedding the heroine.The single biggest offence of this movie is its misuse of Bobby Howes. The father of Sally Ann Howes was a major star of West End stage musicals; his wistful rendition of "She's My Lovely" was a big hit in Britain in 1937. Here, he shows up in several scenes as Romero's dogsbody but never has a chance to participate in a musical number, nor even any real comedy. It's absolutely criminal that this movie -- with a title containing the word 'Lovely', sure to evoke Howes's greatest hit -- would cast a major British musical star but give him nothing to do!The delightful character actress Ambrosine Phillpotts (whom I worked with once) shines in one restaurant sequence, and there's a glimpse of the doomed beauty Kay Kendall. As Vera-Ellen's confidante, somebody named Diane Hart speaks in one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard: it sounds like an attempt to imitate Joan Greenwood and Glynis Johns both at the same go, but doesn't match either. Val Guest has a story credit, but this movie doesn't come up to the quality of his brilliant comedies. The colour photography is wretched, though I realise that postwar Britain could not afford Hollywood's process work. 'Happy Go Lovely' is at utmost best a pleasant time-waster, with 'waster' being the operative word. I'll rate this movie just 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Once I watched The Tenant and interpreted it as a horror movie. It uses many of the tropes of the genre: the sinister apartment, suspicious neighbors, apparitions, mysteries, hallucinations. The life of the hero, Trelkovsky, seemed surrounded by evil, secret forces trying to drive him mad.Last time I watched it I challenged this initial interpretation. If this movie is a horror movie, it's only horror in the sense that a Kafka novel is horror. In fact this movie can be understood on a literal level as a lonely man slowly becoming crazy without any external influence.Polanski made in his career three movies dealing with madness: Repulsion, which I don't particularly like because the development of madness in the heroine never convinced me; Rosemary's Baby, in which the heroine is driven mad by evil forces; and The Tenant, which might be the best study of paranoia ever made in cinema.Trelkovsky is a young man who rents an apartment in which a woman killed herself. He becomes obsessed with her and slowly starts becoming her: he wears her clothes, puts on makeup, talks like her. But is he being possessed by a spirit, or is he just letting his wild imagination get the best of him? It's this hesitation between what is real and imaginary, and which Polanski never resolves, that makes this such a fascinating movie. Many events in the movie can be attributed to the supernatural as easily as they can be to normal causes, and it's up to the viewer to decide what to believe in.Although this is not my favorite Polanski movie, it is nevertheless a good example of his ability to create suspense and portray madness in very convincing terms. And technically speaking, it's a marvel too. Suffice to say he collaborates with film composer Philippe Sarde and legendary director of photography Sven Nykvist (Bergman's DP) in the making of this movie. A slow pacing and sometimes uninteresting segments may make this movie difficult to enjoy, but it's an experience nevertheless.$LABEL$ 1 +Demi and Woody are married, but they're poor. They meet Robert Redford, and he's REALLY rich. He takes a fancy to Demi, and since he's a gambling man he makes the couple an "indecent proposal:" one million dollars for a night with the little woman.At this point you need watch no more of the film because you can put the details together in your sleep. Of course Demi is going to accept the offer. If she doesn't there's no first half of the movie. Of course it will affect Demi and Woody's marriage. If it doesn't there's no second half of the movie. And of course everything will turn out okay by the time the credits roll. If it doesn't, there's no happy ending for the sake of box office.The absolute best thing you can say about INDECENT PROPOSAL is that Demi Moore looks good in a black dress. As for the rest... The script is incompetent, the direction amateurish, the performances negligible. I suspect Redford, Moore, and Harrelson blush and change the subject every time the film is mentioned. Do them--and more importantly yourself--a favor. Unless some one offers you a million... Miss It!Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer$LABEL$ 0 +The "Wrinkle in Time" book series is my favorite series from childhood. I have read and re-read them more times than I can count over the last 35+ years. The characters, with all their virtues and flaws, are near and dear to my heart. This adaptation contained very little of the wonderful, magical, spiritual story that I love so much. To say I was disappointed with this film would be a great understatement.If you have never read the book(s) I imagine you will enjoy the movie. The acting is passable, the special effects are well done for a made for TV movie, and the story is interesting. However, if you love the books, avoid this movie at all costs.I found this statement at the Wikipedia page of the novel: "In an interview with Newsweek, L'Engle said of the film, 'I expected it to be bad, and it is.'"I, like another reviewer here, feel the need to read the book again to dispel this movie from my mind.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen this film criticized with the statement, "If you can get past the moralizing..." That misses the point. Moralizing is in the conscience of the beholder, as it were. This is a decent film with a standard murder mystery, but with a distinct twist that surfaces midway through. The resolution leaves the viewer wondering, "What would I have done in this position?" And I have to believe that's exactly what the filmmaker intended. To that end, and to the end of entertaining the audience, the film succeeds. I also like the way that the violence is never on stage, but just off camera. We know what has just happened; it's just not served up in front of us, then rubbed in our faces, as it would be today with contemporary blood and gore dressing. Besides, the violence is not the point. The point is the protagonist's moral dilemma, which is cleverly, albeit disturbingly, resolved.$LABEL$ 1 +I must warn you, there are some spoilers in it. But to start it off, I got "Spanish Judges" on February I think. It was mention it was the last copy, but as I see, it wasn't back-ordered. But either way, I have it. I thought it was good. I wanted to see this mainly because of the great actor, Matthew Lillard (I'm surprised no one on the reviews mention the scar) although it is kind of low budget, getting enough money to make this film would be worth spending. Man, what a good actor.The story it about a con artist known as Jack (Matthew Lillard) who "claims" to have merchandises called The Spanish Judges. If you don't know what Spanish Judges are or haven't seen the trailer for this and this is the first review you have read, I won't even say what they are. I figure it would be a big twist of no one knew what it was. He needs protection, so he hires a couple who are also crooks, Max and Jamie (Vincent D'Onofrio and Valeria Golino) as well as a crook that goes by the name of Piece (Mark Boone Junior). He has a girlfriend who won't even tell anyone her name because she's from Mars, as she said. So they (mainly Jack) call her "Mars Girl". Everything starts out fine, but then it turns to one big game. A game that involves some lust, lies and betrayal.There was some over acting in it (Matt and Valeria, as well as Tamara, were not one of them). There were some scenes they could've done better and the score could've been a little better as well. Some of the score was actually good. The theme they used for the beginning and the end (before the credits) was a good song choice, that's my opinion. The fight scene in the end could've been a little longer and a little more violent, but what can you do? One more comment on Matt: Damn, he plays a smooth, slick con man.I know this is a review, but I need to make a correction towards NeCRo, one of the reviewers: Valeria Golino is not a newcomer. According to this site, she has been acting since 1983. To me, and hopefully to others, she is well known as Charlie Sheen's Italian love interest in both the "Hot Shots!" movies. But good review.Although I think it's one of the rare films I've seen and it's really good (which is why I gave it 10 stars above), I will give the grade of what I thought when I first saw it.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Not the best of the films to be watched nowadays. I read a lot of reviews about Shining and was expecting it to be very good. But this movie disappointed me. The sound and environment was good, but there was no story here. Not was there a single moment of fright. I expected it to a horror thriller movie, but there was no horror no thriller. The only scene where I got scared was during the chapter change scene showing "Wednesday". There are lots of fragments i the movie. Most of the things are left unexplained with nothing to link it to anything. The story does not tell us about the women or other scenes that is shown. Might be a good movie to watch in the 80's, but not for the 21st century.$LABEL$ 0 +I had intended to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Marcello Mastroianni's passing with numerous unwatched films of his that I own on VHS; however, given my ongoing light-hearted Christmas marathon, I had to make do with just this one! As it happens, it features one of his best performances - and he was justly Oscar-nominated for it (with the film itself being likewise honored). This was also one of 14 collaborations with that other most widely-recognized star to emerge from Italy, Sophia Loren; both, incidentally, are playing against type here - she as an unglamorous housewife and he a homosexual! By the way, the film's title has a double meaning: the leading characters are brought together on the historic day in which Hitler came to Italy to meet Mussolini (the event itself being shown in lengthy archive footage), but it more specifically refers to the stars' 'brief encounter' in which they share moments of friendship, revelation and, briefly, passion - though each knows that a return to their normal existence is inevitable, which leads to the film's abrupt bittersweet ending. This is virtually a two-hander (with all other characters - save for the nosy concierge of the apartment block in which the story takes place in its entirety - which include Loren's gruff and fervently patriotic husband, surprisingly played by John Vernon, appear only at the beginning and closing sequences); still, the cramped setting doesn't deter director Scola (for the record, this is the 7th film of his that I've watched and own 3 more on VHS) and cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis, so that the result - though essentially low-key - is far from stagy: the camera is allowed to prowl the various sections of the large building, observing the proceedings intimately or dispassionately as the situation requires, but always keenly.The narrative, of course, depends entirely on the performances of the two stars for it to be convincing, and they both deliver (their on-screen chemistry is quite incomparable); it's interesting, however, that while Loren walked away with the prizes in their home turf, it's Mastroianni's moving yet unsentimental outsider (the film, somewhat dubiously, does seem to equate his sexual deviance with Anti-Fascism!) who generally impressed international audiences!$LABEL$ 1 +Actually, Goldie Hawn is from Washington (Takoma Park, Maryland), but I digress. This is sort of a Mr. Smith goes to Washington type of movie, with some variations but the same premise. I taped this movie off of cable years ago because I had a huge crush on Goldie Hawn. The story is interesting, but it's highly unlikely that some cocktail waitress will get an important job in the government just because she saved some big shot's life. It made me laugh and made me mad at the same time. It made me laugh because some of the situations she found herself in were so ridiculous, I had to laugh. (POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD). It made me mad to think that our government would set up an average citizen in the manner she was set up. And the speech she made at the end...beautiful. Too bad not many people have guts like that in real life.$LABEL$ 1 +I was looking for a documentary of the same journalistic quality as Frontline or "Fog of War" (by Errol Morris). Instead I was appalled by this shallow and naive account of a very complex and disturbing man and his regime: Alberto Fujimori. This movie should be called "The return of Fujimori". The director presumes she made a "perfect" movie because alienates both pro and anti-Fujimori factions when in fact it is a very biased and unprofessional piece of work. The movie has few crucial facts wrong: 1) She uses the so called "landslide" election of 1995 in which Fujimori was re-elected with 65% of the vote, as an example of the massive popular support of Fujimori. But we all now know to be the fruit of a very organized electoral fraud.2) The movie states that Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) killed 60,000 people. In fact, the Truth Commission's final report states that there were 69,280 deaths due to political violence in Peru. 33% of those were caused by SL. That leaves the other 67% in the hands of the police, military and other groups. The fact that she uses the same misleading information that Fujimori has been using for 10 years it is another example of how terrible this movie is. For any person with some education on Peruvian politics and history, Fujimori is clearly a consummated manipulator, a delusional character and remorseless egomaniac. His regime was very far from being democratic. He is still a menace to Peruvians. Despite these facts the director lets Fujimori tell the story. Not only on how he wants the camera to be positioned but the narrative and direction of the film seem to be part of his political agenda. He always seems to have the last word. There are no journalistic "cojones", just soft questions and unchallenged remarks. Where is Oriana Fallaci when we need her? The director, when questioned after the screening, didn't hide the fact that she was deeply impressed by Fujimori, his charm and intelligence. Yes, she has been definitely charmed by him, and you can tell by looking at this film. It's obvious she has a very hard time to digest the multitude of facts that point towards his responsibility on the corruption, murder and deception that took place. She assured the gasping audience that Fujimori was really a "patriot" when few moments earlier, one of the leading Peruvian journalists was very adamant in telling us that Fujimori was, above all, a "traitor". She went on to say that despite all the accusations not "a single dollar" was found on any bank account on his name, etc, etc. It was like hearing again the same gang of ruthless thugs that ruled the country for 10 years defending their master. It was a sad moment for journalism.This film makes injustice to history. It is an insult to hundreds of dead people, disappeared or unjustly incarcerated by Fujimori's regime. No wonder she later confessed that all the Peruvian intellectuals she befriended while making the movie felt betrayed by it. Unbiased? The words "oportunistic", "naïve" and "denial" come to my mind instead.$LABEL$ 0 +For anyone with a moderate sensibility, a moderate feeling of the human and humane condition, for anyone capable of getting above the Hollywood ilk, for anyone who is satisfied seeing cinema which does not have a series of Seagals/Willis/Van Dammes blasting the brains out of anybody or seeing who gets into bed with whom, for anyone whose intellectual level reaches a capacity to grasp, sympathise with, comprehend, laugh WITH, cry WITH natural tender heart-warming hilarious compassionate HUMAN BEINGS, `Le Huitième Jour' is waiting for you. Jaco van Dormael has not achieved simply a masterpiece, that would have been too simplistic; he has achieved one of those rare monumental works of art in the cinematographic world which defies any kind of encapsuling. Is it a drama? Is it a comedy? No: it is the story of Georges, a wonderful funny pitiful laughable loving frightened beautiful personality, a sufferer of the Downes Syndrome. It is a story which has you laughing through your tears, but this is not one of those classic tear-jerkers; this film moves through a world that has you at once mixing your feelings of compassion or pity or even shame with those of admiration, warmth and even love. A successful banking salesman, Harry, bumps into Georges: they were both going in opposite directions with absolutely opposing ideas, problems and priorities; skillfully van Dormael melts these two unlikely men into a warm friendship, but which is so much more than the good buddy friendship of those having a beer down the road. This is a relationship which develops into a profound needing by both for the other. The cuasi-surrealist scenes fit in perfectly: Georges recalls (or invents) past scenes of his life while either day-dreaming or sleeping; even the almost phantasmagorical final scene is totally correct. The only scene which might be considered a little out of place is when they steal a bus and drive it out of the show-rooms. However, this does not detract from the whole. This film is a monument. Even if your French is not up to much, please bear seeing it with sub-titles. `Le Huitième Jour' is worth the trouble. As for anything else, well, just read the following commentaries – I go along with all of them. This film is a joy, it is majestic, it is unique. If you have seen `Rain Man' which I consider an excellent film, you must see this one: it is far superior because it has not the superficial veneer of famous Hollywood-produced world-renowned actors; it has Pascal Duquenne and Daniel Auteuil – TEN oscars for these two, and three more for Jaco van Dormael. Who cares…………? Yes: 11 out of 10 if the IMDb rating doesn't break down under the strain.Magnifique! Chapeau!$LABEL$ 1 +I am stunned to discover the amount of fans this show has. Haven't said that Friends was, at best an 'average' sitcom, and not as great as others have made out. Let's face it, if it wasn't for the casting of Courtney Cox Arquette, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Matt Le Blanc, then who knows whether this show would've lasted as long as it has done. I very much doubt that. Although as the series progressed, Friends got more progressively predictable, lame and boring that I couldn't care less about the characters- of whom are the most overrated in TV history- or of their plight, nor of who was sleeping with whom. And it went from being funny in the first four seasons to occasionally funny. And even when it had all these A-list Hollywood actors from the movie world, I still didn't bother to tune in. The writing in Friends became stale that I lost interest in this show from the sixth season onwards and as for the ending, well it was predictable to say the least.What was annoying though was that this lasted for ten seasons, whilst some of my favourite shows lasted for only three, four seasons for instance and were eventually cancelled and taken off the air for good. The show should've came to an immediate halt by the time the cast wanted bigger salaries. In truth, as much as the series waned, it was the show that was bigger than the actors themselves, not the other way round. When it ended in 2004, I was so relieved to see the back of this sitcom. Now, there is talk of a friends reunion show coming to our TV screens very soon. And yet, I for one will not be looking forward to it whatsoever.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Invisible Ray" is part science fiction and part horror. It was also the third of seven Karloff/Lugosi features. In this entry the dominant role goes to Boris Karloff.Through specially designed astronomical equipment, Dr. Janos Rukh (Karloff) demonstrates to colleagues Dr. Felix Benet (Bela Lugosi), Sir Frances Stevens (Walter Kingsford), his wife Lady Stevens (Beulah Bondi) and their nephew Ronald Drake (Frank Lawton), that a meteorite containing a powerful element, landed on the African continent many millions of years in the past. Rukh impresses his guests who invite him to accompany them on an expedition to Africa to find the mysterious element.Rukh goes off on his own and discovers the place where the meteorite landed and the element which he names "Radium X". Due to Rukh's long absences, his comely young wife Diana (Frances Drake) becomes attracted to Drake and the two fall in love. Meanwhile Rukh becomes contaminated by Radium X to the point that anyone he touches will die instantly. The contamination causes his skin to emit a bright glow in the dark.Rukh goes to Benet for help. Benet devises an antidote which if taken on a daily basis, will provide temporary immunity to the element. Unfortuneatly, the deadly element also affects Rukh's brain, slowly turning him into a vindictive murderer.While Rukh is continuing his work, Sir Frances takes news of the discovery back to France. Diana and Ronald accompany him. When Benet informs him of this action, Rukh accuses the party of betraying him and his discovery and secretly plans his revenge. When he returns to France he learns of the healing power of Radium X as he cures his mother's (Violet Kemble Cooper) blindness and of Benet's work in curing the maladies of his patients.But Rukh's madness intensifies. First he murders an innocent man whom is identified as Rukh. Upon hearing of Rukh's apparent demise, Diana and Ronald marry. This angers Rukh and he begins to exact his revenge on the five other members of the expedition. One night he is lured into a trap set by Benet and...........Karloff is excellent in the lead role moving from a happily married ambitious scientist to a raving maniac. Lugosi has a straight role for once and does what he can with the limited part.At 79 minutes this film was the second longest of the six Karloff/Lugosi collaborations. Karloff's film all the way.$LABEL$ 1 +The exclamation point in the title is appropriate, albeit an understatement. This movie doesn't just cry -- it shrieks loud enough to shatter glass.Filmmakers Andrew and Virginia Stone made shrill, humorless suspense thrillers that strove for a semi-documentary feel. Here, they shot on actual New York locations with tinny "real-life" acoustics to jack up the verisimilitude. But the naturalism of the sound recording only serves to amplify the Stones' maladroit dialog and the mouth-frothing histrionics of tortured butterfly Inger Stevens.In a performance completely devoid of modulation, Stevens plays the wife of electronics whiz James Mason (looking haggard and bored); both are held captive by extortionist Rod Steiger (looking bloated and bored) and his slimy cohorts in a scheme to blackmail an airline with a deadly bomb that Mason has unwittingly helped construct.Here is another credibility-straining instance of a criminal mastermind so brilliantly attentive to every detail, yet knuckleheaded enough to hire a drug-addicted degenerate as an underling. The Stones' idea of nail-biting tension is to trap the hysterical Stevens alone with Benzedrine-popping rapist Neville Brand, filling the frame with his sweaty, drooling kisser. But the camera work is so leaden and Brand so (uncharacteristically) demure that the effect is hardly lurid, much less suspenseful. The Stones, a square pair at heart, don't even have the courage of their own lack of convictions.The film, which ends with the portly Steiger chasing the fleet-footed Stevens on a subway train track, is as clumsy as its ungainly heavy. With Angie Dickinson as Steiger's amoral girlfriend, Jack Klugman, Kenneth Tobey, and Barney Philips.$LABEL$ 0 +Robert Carlyle excels again. The period was captured well and the soundtrack, although hearing modern techno in this period piece was a little disconcerting at first, proved to be very well chosen.Well worth a watch.$LABEL$ 1 +This TV series is about a foolish and unconventional English gentleman who gets up to all sorts of merry mishaps.I remember watching Mr Bean with my family back in 1990, when I was still a child. My family laughed so hard at every episode, and the contents of which still come up in our daily conversations twenty years later. The memorable scenes which are still in my head include Mr Bean attempting to get out of his car park, shooting out the lights, counting sheep, and him in the swimming pool. We bought all the Mr Bean videos on VHS, no mater how expensive they were. It was worth it because we watched them over and over again! It is so rare to see a very funny TV series that is suitable for all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was disappointing. The book was powerful. The views and the learning of Little Tree were powerfully portrayed in the book. The movie just coasted along and finally dribbled away. Still a nice tale for kids.$LABEL$ 0 +So often these "Lifetime" flicks are one-dimension, with over-the-top characterizations and performances, and with contrived plot lines and climaxes which are intended to trade any semblance of reality for drama.But most of all, many of these flicks provide characters where it's difficult to feel a trace of sympathy or empathy for even the "good guy/good gal" characters, much less the"bad" ones.However, here the performance were all good, the characters realistic, and the relationships among the three leads (as well as the ex-husband/father and the two females) rang true throughout.The mother's boyfriend was portrayed as being about halfway in age between mother and daughter, and the actors were age-appropriate to this in term of their actual ages. None of the characters was portrayed at an extreme - either all-good or all-bad - and all rang true.Without in any way condoning his allowing the relationship with his prospective stepdaughter to advance to the level which it did - you can still feel some sympathy for him without retracting blame.Neither mother nor daughter were perfect, neither good nor bad, but simply two individuals whose relationship seemed realistic and not contrived by the script writer.Lifetime flicks - even those which begin with some semblance of normality - often end with a deranged character brandishing a carving knife or such. Other stories seem to need to provide the "everyone lived happily ever-after" close.This film presented a realistic premise, story and resolution, from start to finish - a welcomed variation to the norm of this genre/$LABEL$ 1 +Sometimes they get lucky and have a hit on their hands (Wayne's World, the first one, not the second). But most often they have duds (It's Pat comes to mind rather quickly). This time out it's Tim Meadows as The Ladies Man. This movie falls somewhere in between a hit and a dud. It was very funny for the first 20 minutes, but then, as usually happens with SNL skits, it starts to slow down, before finally ending, long after it should have.Tim Meadows is Leon Phelps, a radio DJ with a nightly show called The Ladies Man. He answers any and all questions dealing with sex and relationships, usually in the crudest way possible. Everything seems to ultimately come down to the butt. After pushing the buttons of the station manager, Leon, along with his producer Julie (Karyn Parsons) gets fired, and needs to find another job. Out of the random blue, comes a letter from one of his ex-ladies. The letter offers him wealth and luxury for the rest of his life, the only problem being that the letter isn't signed. So Leon needs to track down all the women he's been with to find the woman of his dreams. But sometimes, as Billy Dee Williams says in the film, the woman of your dreams is standing right in front of you. There is also a sub-plot about a bunch of guys who's wives/girlfriends have all slept with Leon, and they want to first figure out who he is (by a tattoo he has on a part of his anatomy), then kill him. Leading this bunch of guys is, surprise! Will Ferrell from SNL. First off, I thought the sub-plot was rather lame. The singing and dancing stuff was just completely worthless. I usually like Will Ferrell but here he just never clicked for me. And the rest of the guys were just schlubs who tagged along, and in the end all decided that having their wives/girlfriends cheat on them was in fact their fault. So back to the main story. The story basically centers around Leon and sex. So what it comes down to is, if you don't like the character of Leon, you won't like the movie. His voice, his mannerisms, his dialogue is what carries the movie. I am not a big fan of Tim Meadows. I never thought he was a particularly good actor on SNL. The only thing I ever really liked of his, was his Ladies Man skits. But the best thing about those, is that they usually involved the guest host (remember the one with Cameron Diaz?), and they were short. For about 5 minutes, they were pretty funny. And here, for about 20 minutes, it's really funny. What I thought was good about the character in the movie, is that he stayed in character throughout. He never wavered from his wanted to just get laid persona. Until right at the end where there was this transformation, and the ever present speech to tie things up. Other than that, it was pretty good at keeping Leon as Leon, and not changing him into something less crude than he was. There isn't a lot of substance to this movie, if you couldn't guess. But like I said earlier, the beginning of the movie I found to be very funny. Some real laugh out loud moments, all revolving around sex and his crudeness. The problem of course with this movie, and most other SNL spin offs, is that these are characters that are only supposed to be shown for a few minutes at a time. Stretching the concept into 80 minutes is very difficult. That difficulty is obviously why they needed the sub-plot, because without it, this movie would have been a little under an hour. When it was good, it was good, but when it wasn't good, it got to be boring.So overall, The Ladies Man wasn't as bad as other SNL films, but it wasn't as good as others. It had some funny moments, the first 20 minutes was pretty good, but the rest of it dragged on. There was an unnecessary sub-plot whose only purpose was to lengthen the film. The bottom line is, if you like Tim Meadows and his Leon Phelps character, you'll be able to watch the film. If he annoys you, don't even bother going. Unless you just want to see Tiffani Theissen in some nice revealing clothing. $LABEL$ 1 +Like most other people, I saw this movie on "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Although it received some well-deserved barbs, it's one of the better films to be featured on that show.The premise is better than even your average Hollywood blockbuster these days; it poses some interesting moral dilemmas. Although the score is sometimes obtrusive, it also provides a few lovely moments when Richard is walking by the river. Watching the movie, you can see where a lot of plot developments probably looked very good on paper. Richard's discomfort in modern society is an interesting problem to ponder, and the ending probably would have been a nice '70s-style mindfuck if the preceding affairs hadn't been so goofy.Unfortunately, the movie is visibly cheap, making the flaws all the more obvious. The "clone farm" is very obviously a college campus, and a beer can serves as a major plot point. Lena and Richard have zero chemistry -- we are supposed to believe this is a meeting of kindred minds, but there doesn't seem to be a brain cell between them. The "cranky old couple" schtick also gets real old, real fast. There are also some mistakes that can be blamed on bad directorial choices, such as the decision to hold a climactic conversation out of reach of any audio equipment whatsoever.In all, a noble effort, but is nonetheless best viewed on MST3K.$LABEL$ 0 +David Lynch's ninth full length feature film, Mulholland Drive is a deeply touching story about betrayal and jealousy. If anything, it brutally contrasts our ambitions and hopes to the often bitter truth. Every frame of this movie has importance and links to other parts and to themselves at the same time. Nothing is what it first appears to be and you're left with a real puzzle as you end up trying to put the pieces together. It is a movie that does not compromise, nor does it fail to fully handle the challenging form and camera language, as might have been the case earlier with Lost Highway.Although one clearly recognizes classic lynchian motifs and devices, the movie remains highly original, even in the light of it being a Lynch movie. Lost Highway marked a new way of telling a story; bred an unconventional mean of setting emotions on to the screen. With Mulholland Drive, Lynch not only managed to control this technique, but takes it to new levels in making it much more complex and multi dimensional. In doing this, he creates a framework of different layers in time and of the human mind. In a press conference on the Cannes film festival 2001, David Lynch said that striving for perfection at best could give a result where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Talking about synergies like this becomes highly relevant to Mulholland Dr. where the different sequences and many details contribute to the total; dreamscapes and parallels intertwine to create the story. In some art, the beauty of it lies in its simpleness. This is not the case with Mulholland Drive, and has never been with Lynch. It is the complexity that colors and builds the worlds Lynch creates, the same complexity that characterizes the real world.It never gets forced like, in my opinion, for example Memento does, using an original way of communicating with the viewers. Further comparing Mulholland Drive to other movies, I think it proves David Lynch as a master of what he does and bridges art and film making in a way that no one has ever done. Compared to for example Alejandro Jodorowsky or contemporary Matthew Barney, I do believe that Lynch more clearly manages not letting the artist dominate the film maker or, more likely, David Lynch better understands and executes film making as an art form.Understanding the plot is no small feat, but Lynch's way of working with sound, perspective, chronology and form paints a work of art so dark and frightening that it sometimes feels more realistic than real life. The lynchian cinema is often, and most definitely in Mulholland Drive, a surge of human emotions. Working with emotions is a delicate craft that demands understanding and depth. As Lynch puts it: "A little bit too much, and the emotion goes away. A little bit too little, and it doesn't happen." In Mulholland Drive, David Lynch has no problem making this balance. Lynch's portraits span all kinds of dimensions and take different directions, creating incredibly realistic characters and situations. Watching Mulholland Drive is a journey through the subconscious. It is a truthful and naked movie with indisputable artistic value. That is why I love Mulholland Drive and what's taken it to the pinnacle of cinema history. The ultimate movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Power rangers, the moronic merchandising television kids show from the 1990s, has got to be the most pointless and ridiculous television show ever created.What exactly is the point of this show anyway, other than to sell second rate plastic nonsense to children? There is nothing even remotely redeeming or interesting about this show in anyway.Look at the costumes, which look like spandex gone bad.The mullet style hair, earrings, and fashions of the early 1990s look completely ridiculous these days.Avoid this show at all costs!$LABEL$ 0 +I have to agree with the previous author's comments about the excellent performances and plot. Started watching this movie by accident...(lazy Sunday afternoon clicking channels to see if anything good was on)...and was mesmerized by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Wow! Gut wrenching! Kudos to everyone (have always admired Martin Sheen) but was particularly impressed with Emilio! Excellent job of acting and directing...simply superb! So why have I never heard of this movie before? I'll have to spread the news.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I'm just going to disagree with the past comments that criticized this show. I happen to think this show is awesome. (I mean when Jasmin Weber was still on and Franzi was still alive, so addicting!). And I was surprised to learn that this was categorized as a soap, because it just doesn't carry the same look and feel as soaps in America. Soaps here are absolutely horrific! At least GZSZ films on location, features real music and more plausible story lines. Moreover, the acting on GZSZ, for the most part, is quite believable especially with Josephine Schmidt and Felix Jascheroff. (Plus, soap actors are some of the hardest workers around in the business as they have the most demanding work schedules). If it's ratings are that high, it must be doing something right; soaps in America are shown in the day-time and, historically, have always had rock-bottom ratings. Give GZSZ a chance! Trust me, it's good!$LABEL$ 1 +I was so let down by this film. The tag line was something like 'The story of a girls sexual awakening'. You can only imagine how disappointed I was. I was seventeen at the time and I took my girlfriend to see it. I thought we were going to see a sexy movie that would leave my girlfriend gagging for it. Sadly that was not the case. I guess we just weren't ready for a deep and meaningful movie that required an element of sophistication that we just didn't possess at the time. I'm not so sure I possess it now, and I have long since parted company with that particular girlfriend (pity really... my first love). We left the cinema half way through the film, my friend, who should have known better, stayed for the whole thing. I still got the required result with my girlfriend, the film just didn't help much. It would be interesting to see it again so that I can make a more informed critique, though I feel the experience has left me scarred for life.$LABEL$ 0 +Deep Shock plays out like a TV movie: a whole cast of commercial-quality actors, a poorly designed creature to be the "bad guy," and a script that is more full of technical, political jargon and importances than it knows what to do with.I checked out the movie because of the creature (I love to see what filmmakers have in mind for their designs in these cheaply made videos), and right off the bat, I got disappointed because the creature on the box was not the one in the movie. The actors I expected because of the type of film it is (really quite generic and not thought out past a certain point). The music was typical, not-thought-out action symphonic music.I liked the design of the computers and technical equipment, along with the mini-sub design. The movie even flowed really well, with guiding screens letting you know which set you're watching the story unfold in. But there isn't much of a story here anyways.This movie gets a 3/10 stars IMO. The boring search and destroy mission to blow up the North Pole and these creatures protecting it...kinda lame. Even lamer is the tagged-on love relationship between two of the characters that you don't see coming. Chalk this one up to being a movie which tries to get actors' careers off the bench and into a video. Don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +An absurdly hilarious and strikingly human tale of the jealousies and infidelities surrounding a beetle marriage, Russian animation pioneer Wladyslaw Starewicz's "Mest kinematograficheskogo operatora" ("The Cameraman's Revenge", or "The Revenge of a Kinematograph Cameraman") is a delight of early animation, brimming with highly-effective stop-motion puppetry and no shortage of imagination.Mr. and Mrs. Beetle have a completely uneventful marriage, and both yearn for more excitement in their lives. Mr. Beetle's desires can only be satisfied by the beautiful exotic dancer at the "Gay Dragonfly" night club, whom he visits whenever he takes a "business trip" to the city. She is the only one who understands him. A fellow admirer of this dancer, an aggressive grasshopper, is jealous that Mr. Beetle has stolen his lady and, as fate would have it, he is also a movie cameraman. The devious grasshopper follows Mr. Beetle and his acquaintance to a hotel room, where he films their exploits through the keyhole.Meanwhile, Mrs. Beetle has, likewise, acquired a friend to add excitement to her life. He is an artist, and he brings her a painting for a present, before they both settle down on the couch for some intimacy. At that moment, however, Mr. Beetle returns home and witnesses the entire spectacle. As Mr. Beetle bashes through the front door, the artist friend clambers up the chimney, but he doesn't escape without Mr. Beetle first venting his anger and frustration upon him.There is a certain irony in the statement that follows: "Mr. Beetle is generous. He forgives his wife and takes her to a movie." He is generous enough to forgive her, and yet he had been equally unfaithful just minutes earlier. At this point in time, however, we still haven't forgotten the jealous movie cameraman who had been plotting his revenge, and it is no surprise when he turns out to be the projectionist for the film Mr. and Mrs. Beetle are attending. Suddenly intercut into the film they are enjoying is the footage of Mr. Beetle's disloyalty, and the angry wife hits him across the head with an umbrella, before the frightened and angry husband dives through the theatre screen in search of the grasshopper.In the final scene, both Mr. and Mrs. Beetle, now somewhat more appreciative of each other, are serving time in prison for the fire that broke out when Mr. Beetle sought his final revenge. We do, indeed, hope that "the home life of the Beetles will be less exciting in the future…" This film may appear to be a mere story of the comings-and-goings of a miniscule insect species, but Starewicz is communicating so much more than that. This isn't a story about beetles – it is a story about us. And it's startlingly accurate, isn't it?!$LABEL$ 1 +Every once in a long while a movie will come along that will be so awful that I feel compelled to warn people. If I labor all my days and I can save but one soul from watching this movie, how great will be my joy.Where to begin my discussion of pain. For starters, there was a musical montage every five minutes. There was no character development. Every character was a stereotype. We had swearing guy, fat guy who eats donuts, goofy foreign guy, etc. The script felt as if it were being written as the movie was being shot. The production value was so incredibly low that it felt like I was watching a junior high video presentation. Have the directors, producers, etc. ever even seen a movie before? Halestorm is getting worse and worse with every new entry. The concept for this movie sounded so funny. How could you go wrong with Gary Coleman and a handful of somewhat legitimate actors. But trust me when I say this, things went wrong, VERY WRONG.$LABEL$ 0 +*SPOILERS*I'm sure back when this was released in 1958 it was much appropriate for its time. Back then films were slower paced to allow audiences to follow and analyze the story. Here a man moves into a house owned by his last wife that died mysteriously with his new wife. The gardener Mickey (played by Alex Nicol, who also directed he film) really is an underappreciated character. He gets a skull to indirectly warn Jenni that she is in trouble, since he knew that there was foul play in the first wife's death. He can't tell Jenni directly what happened, so he tries to scare her off with the skull. Jenni, we also find out, saw her parents die, thus causing a lifetime of mental anguish that lead to institutionalization. Like many audiences today, I found the pacing to be a little too slow for my tastes. But if you like slow-paced horror without a lot of gore, this film is for you.$LABEL$ 0 +It's a bit unnerving when a studio declines to screen a film for the press before it goes into wide release. That many movies suck is no surprise, but when a studio itself admits as much ahead of time, the process of movie-going becomes a passion play of sorts. Consider it an early Christmas gift from Hollywood, then, that "Aeon Flux" isn't nearly the affront to taste and decency one might expect, given the above. Though ultimately overwhelmed by its flaws, it at least has (sort of) an idea with which to toy around. Too bad director Karyn Kusama seems to have little clue how to execute it all.It's the future. There's been a plague. There is a dictatorship, and there are rebels. The latter are known as the Monicans, and far from being a cult of beret or tennis racket worshipers, they're into attempts to overthrow the former, called the Goodchild regime. The regime is occasionally mean to the citizenry, which is more than Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) and her pals can stand. Through some sort of biochemical virtual reality technology, the Monicans receive orders from their dear leader (Frances McDormand), a mystical priestess-type who appears to have been cross-bred with a carrot. It falls to Aeon to strap on some form-fitting, futuristic spandex get-ups to carry out the High Carrot's orders, which are of course some version of "destroy the regime." Having years earlier watched her sister get liquidated by the Goodchilds, she needs little convincing.Not surprisingly, things get complicated. The Goodchilds might not be quite what they seem, and Aeon herself might have an unexpected history with them. Though occasionally muddled, the film's central conceit (of which I won't reveal more) contains some neat notions about the nature of human existence and survival. There's room for much more examination of which the film doesn't take advantage, but the ideas are there, at least. The big problems of "Aeon Flux" are technical. Kusama has made the baffling decision to film nearly all the action so close that we can rarely follow what's going on. To make matters worse, it's edited in a flurry of jump cuts that leave us completely lost. The result is some serious spacial disorientation that takes over the film. "Aeon Flux"'s aesthetic is one of sleek costume, oddly-angled architecture, and nimble characters. Much of the action occurs in minimalist, open spaces that beg for some unbroken long shots that might convey the grace and athleticism implied by the above. Instead, we get split seconds of flying limbs, breaking glass, and accompanying sound effects.There is a pretty good movie trying to get out of the morass of "Aeon Flux." Put this stuff in the hands of the Wachowski brothers, say, and the results could be quite different. As it is, though, I felt like "Aeon Flux" was willfully pushing me away from a movie I wanted to enjoy. This film is unattuned to its own strengths. Like a novice poker player dealt a royal flush, it somehow finds a way to lose in spite of its potential.$LABEL$ 0 +I admit I had no idea what to expect before viewing this highly stylized piece. It could have been the cure for a zombie virus or the common cold for all I knew. It began with great visuals, little snippets to grab your attention and cause your imagination to run wild. As it continued I learned quickly through voice overs what was taking place. A nice little neo noir story that I felt was not a waist of a few minutes of my time. The little clues given to the audience through visuals at the beginning give them a sense of accomplishment as they piece together the plot. Along with a nice twist at the end its a cool package overall. The score, though not bad, gave the film almost a music video feel. It just felt a little dated, not adding anything to further the storyline. Some of the performances felt overly dramatic but fit perfectly with the feel of the overall piece. I walk away from this very satisfied. I was given a lot of information in a short period of time but through great editing and voice-over work it didn't feel rushed or pushed. Great job!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really fun, breezy, light hearted romantic comedy. You cannot go wrong with Meg Ryan's cute perkiness combined with Albert Einstein's genius. Normally, I'm not a fan of completely fabricated fictional tales about actual people, now deceased and not able to defend themselves, but I think the late Einstein might himself have gotten a chuckle out of this one.It's the 1950's...Princeton, New Jersey in the spring. The story revolves around a pretty, young, scatter brained mathematician, Catherine (Meg Ryan), who is all set to marry a stuffy jerk, a behavioral researcher named James, merely because he has the brains she's looking for in the father of her future children. However, it's love at first sight when her car breaks and she meets an auto mechanic named Ed (Tim Robbins). As she doesn't think Ed is intelligent enough, her uncle, none other than Albert Einstein, plays match maker, assisted in his endeavors by three mischievous cronies, all theoretical physicists. Uncle Albert must make Ed appear suitably smart, so concocts a charade portraying him as a physicist...naturally with amusing results.Walter Matthau is his usual hilarious self, and pulls off the character of Einstein quite effectively. With his three professorial buddies, Kurt, Nathan, and Boris, a lot of laughs ensue. The real Einstein had a genuine human side and this film just takes it one (outrageous) step further. If you suspend all logic, you can almost imagine this silly story happening!It might not be rocket science (despite its main character) but it is a wonderful sweet, refreshing movie. One of the best of the comedy romance genre.$LABEL$ 1 +Awful, awful, awful times a hundred still doesn't begin to describe how crappy "Biggest Loser" is. Picture this: take two fat couples with nothing interesting to say, humiliate them, and let them work to lose weight, all on prime time television. Am I the only one who thinks that this isn't something people with IQs in the 3-digit area WANT TO WATCH? Everything drags on forever, with the lumps of lard whining on about how losing weight is going to mean so much for them and their lives. Does anyone care? Do they think we care? Do they care if we care? Probably not. I think I'll videotape myself doing crunches and sell it to some major television corporation. If this passes for television, then so can my workouts!$LABEL$ 0 +Old bat transforms to younger OK looking girl after drinking a potion. This movie was dreadful. The acting atrocious. The camera work made me head spin. And it features the longest, most excruciatingly boring strip-tease ever put to film. Piero Vivarelli should be ashamed for directing this. Eduardo Manzanos Brochero should'voe been blacklisted just for writing something so awful.Don't rent this movie, the only exception I can this of is maybe If you're dying and only have less then 90 minutes to live, watch this film cause it will feel like an eternity and you'll be begging the Grip Reaper come a little early.My Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +The basis for this dynamic docudrama is the true story of one of the most extraordinary card players ever.STUEY is a tight, cohesive biopic of a true poker Ace whose life is a one-way trip down the Highway to Hell with few detours.This dramatic feature stands wide apart from other films about poker. It represents a rare and earnest attempt to bring to the silver screen a true story of ultimate gambling compulsion. The complete obsession that annihilates any proximity of spirituality and nullifies any chance of redemption. This is the least likely movie a Vegas Casino executive would recommend. And it is the sole poker DVD you are likely to find on the shelves of Gamblers Annonymous.There are scenes in this movie that poker buffs are sure to refer to as some of the best gambling scenes ever. Stu reading his opponent's hand and, particularly, a Texas hold'em bluffing scene.Prophetically, early on in the movie we see a young Stu bullied out of his pocket change by a bunch of neighborhood hoodlums. Poker is for loners seeking revenge. It is a game of patience which bullies lack. 'You can't bully me!' may very well be an underlying sentiment of the punishing force that a champion poker player unleashes upon his adversaries.Conservatives will look upon this film as a cautionary tale of a soul lost in sin. They may evoke Mark Twain: 'The best throw at dice is to throw them away.' The young and liberal masses will inevitably have a more simplistic and sympathetic outlook. They may not have heard of Twain's quote, but will sure remember a remark made by Stu's stunned pal who learns from up-and-coming Stuey that he'd won a car from a local character in an overnight game. 'You tell'em to go to hell and they look forward to the trip'.The mosaic of Las Vegas vignettes that we see in STUEY will long linger in memory. Frank Sinatra, the most generous tipper? Forget about it! Nobody tips as extravagantly as a hot-shot gambler. And for Vegas visitors who may not know the impact of tipping on the quality of their stay, check out the scene of Stu checking in a Vegas hotel!'This is what i was meant to do, this is where i was to be. Movie stars in Hollywood, politicians in Washington and gamblers in Vegas.'$LABEL$ 1 +A slick romanticizing of the sexual exploitation of NewOrleans black women by white men of power and privilege. Ooh. Does that whet your appetite? Well, then, belly up to a VHS or DVD and gorge on this gratuitous trolling through a seamy segment of history. For good measure, it's adapted from the book by celebrated hack Anne Rice. The directing is as cloying and melodramatic as the cheesy dialog. Most of acting is amateurish. The production's sole worthwhile note is that it employed practically a dozen black actors, all of whom have scarcely been in employed in today's market (Jasmine Guy, Ben Vereen, Pam Grier, Eartha Kitt), including some faces that have barely been seen at all (Bianca Lawson, Rachel Cuttrell). It also is, despite itself, a sterling showcase for Nicole Lyn. The pompous and ponderous James Earl Jones is on-hand as well. So, is the late Ossie Davis, a minimal talent who owes his success to having been affiliated with the legendary Negro Ensemble Company. This film should be rated "T" for tripe.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, when before I saw this film I really wasn't sure whether it would be my cup of tea...how wrong I was! I thought that this was one of the best films I've watched for a very long time, a real family classic. The story of a young evacuee and his new 'foster' dad, this film ticks all the boxes. I've not read the book (maybe that's a good thing & meant I enjoyed the film more) but with regards to the story, I really can't think of any bad points, hence scoring it 10 out of 10 (and I hardly ever think anything warrants top marks!). By the time William proclaimed 'I CAN RIDE MY BIKE, DAD!' I was sobbing my heart out (anyone who's seen it will understand, I'm sure). Really heartwarming, and definitely recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I understand that Roger Corman loves to do things on the cheap, but this is just sad. I purchased this flick from the dollar bin at my local video store not a month after watching the original Carnosaur. I was blown away; It was the same damn movie, with just some Corbin Bernesen spliced in! It reminded me of all of those 80s ninja movies that took old Kung Fu movies and spliced in a bunch of white ninjas running doing cartwheels with the word "ninja" written on their headbands (if you haven't seen them, check out "Ninja Terminator", "The Thundering Ninja", "Black Dragon" and "Ninja Warriors"). Thanks Roger Corman; you just made me waste a dollar.$LABEL$ 0 +It's often said that Tobe Hooper just struck lucky with his grisly 1974 horror film 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and every time I see another Hooper film - that view is only reinforced. It would seem that Hooper wanted to make his own version of films such as Scanners and Firestarter in 1990 and so we end up with Spontaneous Combustion; a film with a couple of good ideas and a whole load more that are borrowed from other films. Put it all together and you get a messy, boring film that most people would do well to miss! The film leads the audience to believe that it might be half decent initially with an intriguing back story that focuses on some experiments carried out on two young people in the fifties. The couple have a child and shortly thereafter burn to death as a result of the experiments done on them. Fast forward some years and the baby is now an adult named Sam; but naturally he's not a normal person and soon finds when it's discovered that he has the ability to set things on fire at will.The film stars Brad Dourif, who must have seemed like a good casting choice given his success with Child's Play two years earlier; but actually was an uninspired decision as the central performance is really terrible; and not helped by the terrible supporting performances. The turgid direction and dull script also don't do the film many favours and the trend of lacking in favours is continued by the special effects, which are very unrealistic and have nothing on the films that this one is ripping off; all of which were made some years earlier. The plot is really slow and it's almost an hour before anything of note happens, and I didn't care for it even then. It soon becomes obvious which direction the film will go in and it all boils down to the sort of tedious ending you would expect. The final confrontation is a big disappointment and nothing is really explained during the film. Not that any revelation would have been interesting anyway. Overall, this is a rubbish film and another reason why Tobe Hooper is a long way from being a great horror director. See Firestarter again instead.$LABEL$ 0 +Unbelievably close to real life feelings and emotions captured by Joseph Mazzello as a hemophiliac child affected by AIDS and his new young neighbor, a wanna-be tough redneck played to perfection by Brad Renfro. Although the story may seem slightly farfetched (the two boys attempt to river-raft several hundred miles to find a doctor who claims to have the cure to AIDS), the emotion, actions and interactions of all characters involved are tragically close to real life. Being a "big brother" to a boy in a similar situation who died a few years after this film was released, I strongly recommend this picture to anyone who has ever wondered what really happens in the life of a child with AIDS. Superb direction by Peter Horton creates the perfect mood and setting for each scene and draws the viewer into the various emotions affected by friendship, illness, prejudice and the final parting of two friends who fought hard to overcome adversity.$LABEL$ 1 +It may be a remake of the 1937 film by Capra, but it is wrong to consider it only in that way! It was supposed to expose Hilton's novel in a completely different way. As a musical is excellent. The scenery is terrific, the characters good and anyone like "Leonard Maltin" who considers the Bacharach music awful must be completely deaf! I strongly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +Fiction film (it lists as based on a story though it does have a "documented by" credit) about a group of scientists going into the wilds of Canada to try and find a Bigfoot.(They want to capture one and then attach a tracking device). Its lots of scientific mumbo jumbo mixed in what is really a dull film of a bunch of people wandering around in the wilderness. There are some attempts at creating tension and scares, but to be perfectly honest there is nothing here worth seeing outside of some great looking shots of the wilds. This is a perfect definition of an exploitation film, it promises you so much, a look at Bigfoot, but in reality it delivers very little. Recommended for insomniacs only$LABEL$ 0 +"Crossfire" is ostensibly a murder mystery but what distinguishes it from other similar movies of the period is the killer's motive, which is anti-Semitism. The story highlights examples of the kind of ignorance which fuels bigotry and contains references to a "hillbilly" and an Irish immigrant who also suffered maltreatment because of their ethnicity.The movie's plot is based on Richard Brooks' novel called "The Brick Foxhole" which is about a hate crime where the victim was gay. It's ironic that this story about a form of intolerance should be met with intolerance by the censors who stipulated that, for the screen version, the type of bigotry involved should be changed to anti-Semitism. Another irony is the behaviour of a soldier who seems fiercely proud of having served in a war against the Nazis and yet embraces their hatred of Jews. The director and producer of this movie also suffered another type of intolerance when they were blacklisted after being called to appear before the "House Un-American Activities Committee". All these points just seem to underline the deeply entrenched and intractable nature of the whole problem of bigotry as depicted in this movie.When Police Captain Finlay (Robert Young) investigates the murder of Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene), he discovers that on the night when he was killed, Samuels had been socialising with a group of soldiers and one of these, Corporal Arthur "Mitch" Mitchell (George Cooper) is quickly identified as the prime suspect. Further information is also gathered from Montgomery (Robert Ryan) who is another of the soldiers who was present that night and Sergeant Keeley (Robert Mitchum) who's a friend of Mitchell. Keeley, with the help of some other soldiers, then searches for Mitchell and when he finds him, hears his account of what he did on the night of the murder including his meeting with a dance hall hostess called Ginny Tremaine (Gloria Grahame).Keeley helps Michell to avoid being arrested and tries to identify the murderer. Ginny Tremaine is questioned but her information is insufficient to prove Mitchell's innocence but Finlay's investigations lead him to recognise the motive for the crime and subsequently, he sets up an elaborate trap which leads the real culprit into exposing his own guilt."Crossfire" is a movie with a message and the identity of the murderer is revealed at a very early stage in the story. The "message" is conveyed in a way which was, no doubt, appropriate for the period in which it was made but by today's standards seems rather heavy handed. The cinematography by J Roy Hunt is just wonderful with low key lighting and creative use of numerous strategically placed table lamps combining to evoke a look which is perfectly compatible with the drama being played out on screen.Despite it being a low budget production, "Crossfire" was a great box office success and benefited from having an absorbing and very relevant story with a marvellous cast, two of whom were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Ryan) and Best Supporting Actress (Gloria Grahame). The additional nominations for Edward Dmytryk (Best Director), producer Adrian Scott (Best Picture) and John Paxton (Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay) are just further evidence of the positive recognition which this movie justifiably received.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was recommended to me by the same person that blessed me with a copy of The Chronicles of Narnia. Shadowlands is one of the most amazing screenplays ever written. It is well executed, acted and directed. The cinematography is a bit dark for my taste but I'm sure it was intended to be so. The screenplay is like poetry in portions of the movie, through out the movie I found myself taking pause to reflect on the comments just made on screen. This is a wonderful piece of cinema and I can only hope that more people will run across it and add reviews. Fair warning though this was a 6 tissue movie for me. Very touching. Very Heartfelt performances.$LABEL$ 1 +Jeff Lieberman's "Just Before Dawn" is definitely one of the most underrated horror movies ever made.The film,whilst a little bit influenced by "Deliverance" and "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre",is extremely creepy and memorable.The suspense almost never lets up and the atmosphere is genuinely eerie.The cast is excellent,Deborah Benson and Jamie Rose are great female leads.The inbred twins are truly frightening and remorseless killers.The film is beautifully shot-it was actually filmed on location at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon.There is very little gore,but one killing,when Verchel is stabbed in the groin,is pretty nasty and unpleasant.A must-see for slasher fans.10 out of 10-what else?$LABEL$ 1 +An uninspired and undistinguished "new" Columbo which sees the man-in-the-mac attend his nephew's wedding, only for his bride to disappear on their wedding night. Columbo investigates...And that it is about it: indifferently plotted and surprisingly laden with a flat script, given that it is written by Robert Van Scoyk, who penned the highly enjoyable Columbo story "Murder Under Glass" in the detective's heyday; there is not even a murder to speak of and the greatest amount of ingenuity afforded to Columbo by the script-writer is the narrowing down of suspects via the photos taken at the wedding, which include everybody who was there!Devoid of every Columbo trait possible, I thought I was watching an episode of Hill Street Blues. An insult to the history of the series, with appropriately soap-opera style acting. Very avoidable stuff.$LABEL$ 0 +The mystery here is why this delightful, small comedy has been ignored by most critics and has failed to find the audience it deserves. Simply showcasing the budding talent of Audrey Tautou should be enough to generate greater recognition from the cognoscenti. Lacking in pretension and relying on quirky characterizations, itÕs rumination on the interconnection of human behavior manages to be both amusing and life affirming and, unlike some of itsÕ more critically acclaimed competition in the genre, such as The Taste of Others, it actually entertains.$LABEL$ 1 +Right on Colmyster. I totally concur with all your sentiments and add these. I came to my PC especially to post a comment on this dreadful (minus)Bgrade movie. I was going to say that in this day and age I am at a loss to comprehend how anyone could possibly make such a woeful movie - but you beat me to it. Anyone reading this and Colmyster's comment, trust me ---- DON't waste you time and money. It's an absolute shocker. The acting is totally pathetic, the script is way worse, and the (so called) special effects are a joke. Surely no-one actually invested money to make this movie? I really cannot think of anything else to say about this so called horror sci-fi product, but must pad this commentary to make 10 lines of comment in order to have it accepted for submission.$LABEL$ 0 +As to be expected, there's a pretty good reason why this film is so obscure and unknown in spite of dealing with the always-popular premise of zombies and starring the 80's B-movie queen Linda Blair, namely: it sucks! "The Chilling" is trying enormously hard – way too hard – to be a story with depth and factual background, whereas it should have just been a light-headed and gore-packed horror flick about frozen zombies. It takes an incredibly long time before anything remotely interesting or significant happens. There's a lot of drivel about cryogenics, which I learned in my physics class is the study of products and their behavior at extremely low temperatures. So naturally, in this film a bunch of people are studying the behavior of human corpses when deep frozen. Needless to say this is extremely boring, until two dim-witted night watchmen decide, during an electric power failure, that it's a good idea to put the metal-constructed cool cells outside at the heights of a thunderstorm. The coolers are struck by lightening, obviously, and the bodies spontaneously defrost and come to live to go on a murderous zombie rampage. "The Chilling" is a boring and surprisingly (for a late 80's effort, at least) gore-free horror film that doesn't even use up a quarter of its potential. All the painful attempts to build up an atmosphere of suspense and eeriness fail tremendously and I can't think of any reason why the zombie-attacks had to be so bloodless. Even in spite of the low budget available, they could have done better. The set pieces, make-up effects and costumes are pitiable. The research lab, for example, looks like a proper apartment flat whilst the zombies couldn't look less menacing with their green faces and foil-wrapped outfits. How Linda Blair managed to get involved yet again in such an embarrassing low-budgeted horror flick is a complete mystery. She's attracted to lousy B-movies like bees are to honey.$LABEL$ 0 +From an artistic standpoint, the movie fails to entertain or provide any moral resolution. The plot is hard to follow, if there is one at all. The acting is tough to stomach. The dialogue is cliche and clearly written by somebody who doesn't know English. Only the cinematography was worth watching in this movie, although you can still see flaws in the picture.As an Asian-American female, the movie angered me because it proved how narrow minded people can be. Politically speaking, putting Asian women in such disgraceful roles should be outlawed. Perpetuating stereotypes of Asian prostitutes is not only bad for the self-esteem of Asian women, but also to the country as a whole. I feel for the lead actress who played Maya and the exploitation she must have faced in playing such a role.As Americans, please avoid this movie. Art should be used to develop our tolerance and respect for one another, not hold it back.$LABEL$ 0 +My mom took me to see this movie when it came out around Christmas of 1976. I loved it then and I love it now. I know everyone makes fun of Barbra's hair in this one, but I think she looks and sounds great! ...And I seem to remember a number of women who copied that permed look at the time! Also, the bath tub scene between Streisand and Kristoferson is just so sexy! The music is great as well. This is the groovy 70's Babs at her best!$LABEL$ 1 +For all those people who believe the dialog is worth something, and who appreciate a farce that is clever enough for you to take it seriously, this movie will surprise you. It is not a 'whodunit' for people who can't aren't able to follow the verbal exchange of our hero, Professor Dexter Cornell (Dennis Quaid).Cornell teaches in Southern California, near the tar pits. He has not published a novel in four years, his wife is divorcing him, he drinks a bit much, and is blessed or cursed with caustic wit, which he freely dispenses to his students. He has recommended a friend for advancement, and one bright young student has submitted a manuscript to him as an independent project. Cornell doesn't even want to read it, so gives it an "A", and pushes it to the side. Leaning back with a drink in his office he stares out the window, when the bright young student falls past his window on the way to meeting the sidewalk in a splat encounter.Hal comes to talk, and they chat, drinking some more. The Cornell realizes that he HAS to read the manuscript, now. When he goes home, his wife is waiting with divorce papers. He drinks some more. She leaves, and he goes to a faculty affair, only to find her there. He drinks even more. And when his wife learns that the student is dead, she swoons, and he learns that she had been having an affair with the student. This of course prompts him to do some more serious drinking. The next morning he wakes up to find himself in the dorm room of one of his students, a freshman named Syd (Meg Ryan).He feels worse than a hangover, goes to the doctor and learns that he has been poisoned, it is irreversible, and he has 24-48 hours to live. He doesn't have much time to find out who killed him, and there are sub-plots, motives, relationships and surprises at every turn, although everything makes sense at the end. All his discoveries and exchanges are adorned with sarcasm, dry wit and keen observations. Let's just say that this movie will give new meaning to the adage "publish or perish".There are no bad performances in this movie. There are recurrent images, and symbolism used at careful intervals. Watch for the cracked glass, and images distorted through glass. Some of the camera shots are revolutionary for 1988, and some of the violent action is carefully and skillfully choreographed. The music is unobtrusive and appropriate, although occasionally it makes it's own statement, in song lyrics. The visuals in this flick are impressive.If there are any failures, it is that the opening 20 minutes move a little slow, and nearly puts you to sleep. But the pacing picks up quickly, with just the right amount of exposition in between action segments.There are no explicit sexual encounters, although there is violence and some bad language.This is a writer's movie, and is best appreciated by those who have a sense of humor about their own success or failure. I do think if you take it seriously, you're already in big trouble.$LABEL$ 1 +I love most Jet Li movies (with the exception of Romeo Must Die) and I bought this movie in a VERY cheap three-pack with "The Master" and "Twin Warriors". While Twin Warriors was very impressive and I was thoroughly intrigued by it, and the master was a bit "Karate Kid" but also enjoyable, I thought this movie was TERRIBLE. I'm not just saying that because I'm used to better movies. I'm saying that it was almost down there with "Kazaam". The fight scenes were terrible (blurry cameras and no real fighting) and the plot was your typical "stupid kung-fu plot". If you are going to have a plot this stupid (see 'man turns into woman to become all-powerful then falls in love with Jet Li') you best have some great fighting to go with it. If you are looking for an original HK Jet Li movie, I suggest you go rent "Shaolin Temple 2" (aka Kids from Shaolin).$LABEL$ 0 +Preminger's adaptation of G. B. Shaw's ''Saint Joan''(screenplay by Graham Greene) received one of the worst critical reactions in it's day. It was vilified by the pseudo-elite, the purists and the audiences was unresponsive to a film that lacked the piety and glamour expected of a historical pageant. As in ''Peeping Tom'', the reaction was malicious and unjustified. Preminger's adaptation of Shaw's intellectual exploration of the effects and actions surrounding Joan of Arc(her actual name in her own language is Jeanne d'Arc but this film is in English) is totally faithful to the spirit of the original play, not only on the literal emotional level but formally too. His film is a Brechtian examination of the functioning of institutions, the division within and without of various factions all wanting to seize power. As such we are not allowed to identify on an emotional level with any of the characters, including Joan herself.As played by Jean Seberg(whose subsequent life offers a eerie parallel to her role here), she is presented as an innocent, a figure of purity whose very actions and presence reveals the corruption and emptiness in everyone. As such Seberg plays her as both Saint and Madwoman. Her own lack of experience as an actress when she made this film(which does show up in spots) conveys the freshness and youth of Jeanne revealing both the fact that Jeanne la Pucelle is a humble illiterate peasant girl who strode out to protect her village and her natural intelligence. By no means did she deserve the harsh criticism that she got on the film's first release, it's a performance far beyond the ken and call of any first-time actress with no prior acting experience. Shaw and Preminger took a secular view towards Joan seeing her as a medieval era feminist, not content with being a rustic daughter who's fate is to be married away or a whore picked up by soldiers to and away from battlefields. Her faith, her voices, her visions which she intermingles with words such as "imagination" and "common sense" leads her to wear the armour of her fellow soldiers to lead them to battle to chase the invading Englishman out of France.And yet it can be said that the film is more interested in the court of the Dauphin(Richard Widmark), the office of the clergy who try Joan led by Pierre Cauchon(Anton Walbrook, impeccably cast) and the actions of the Earl of Warwick(John Gielgud) then in Joan herself. The superb ensemble cast(all male) portray figures of scheming, Machievellian(although the story precedes Niccolo) opportunists who treat religion as a childish toy to be used and manipulated for their own ends. The sharp sardonic dialogue gives the actors great fun to let loose. John Gielgud as the eminently rational Earl whose intelligence,(albeit accompanied by corruption), allows him to calculate the precise manner in which he can ensure Joan gets burnt at the stake and Anton Walbrook's Pierre Cauchon brings a three dimensional portrait to this intelligent theologian who will give Joan the fair trial that will certainly find her guilty. Richard Widmark as the Dauphin is a real revelation. As against-type a casting choice you'll ever find, Widmark portrays the weak future ruler of France in a frenzied, comic caricature that's as close as this film comes to comic relief. A comic performance that feels like an imitation of Jerry Lewis far more than an impetuous future ruler of France.Preminger shot ''Saint Joan'' in black and white, the cinematographer is Georges Perinal who worked with Rene Clair and who did ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' in colour. It's perfectly restrained to emphasize the rational intellectual atmosphere for this film. Preminger's preference for tracking shots of long uninterrupted takes is key to the effectiveness of the film, there's no sense of a wasted movement anywhere in his mise-en-scene.It also marks the direction of Preminger's most mature(and most neglected period) his focus is on the conflict between individuals and the institutions in which they work, how the institution function and how the individual acts as per his principles. These themes get their most direct treatment in his film and as always he keeps things unpredictable and finds no black and white answers. This is one of his very best and most effective films.$LABEL$ 1 +I was on my way out one morning when I was checking something on the T.V. and came across this film. I don't ever remember seeing this or hearing of it. What a fun and interesting one to watch. Well, my meeting was pushed back, because I couldn't get out of this film. It had some real interesting things in it that marked it's time in history, and some fun things that they don't have people do in today's film because it's not pretty. Well, there was a lot of realism in it. The acting was good for a 1954 film. Subtle and genuine actions on the part of the characters that had me watching what they were going to do next. That is why I ended up watching it. I don't know why they don't show it more often. I would rather watch this than some films they play more than necessary. For history buffs, people who like period films, and those that are in the film appreciation groups will like this one. "The Egyptian" has a variety of flavors dealing with a lot of things to look at in human nature that has not changed since it's time. What does that say about us? Those that don't like movies that take their time to unfold and tell a good story....are not into film.I haven't had the time to rent it if it is available, but if I get a chance to see it again, I would probably vote it a 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great movie, all 3 were. The last one was not as good as the first 2 but it was made along time after and it was pulling at straws. But you want to watch it cause it tells the end of the story. Just not how we might think it should end.These movies made me want to be there to be in all the hardship, love, tears, and laughter that the people in this movie go threw. It is one of the few movies that is good every time you see it no matter how many times that is.There are some parts in the movie that the little kids wont understand and the older ones maynot be old enough to watch. but it is a great movie, spanning over 20+ years.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this tonight with moderate expectations - if Tartan Films have picked up on something and are releasing it the that's generally a good sign, however I'm not normally a fan of Julie Walters, generally disliking her comedy roles (sorry to any fans, but it's a personal thing - I just don't find her funny in comedy).This was magnificent though - a great performance by all, but Grint and Walters are exceptional! Plenty of laughs, plenty of pathos, great timing and a wonderfully paced film - such a coming of age film wouldn't normally be something I'd expect to like so much but I can't recommend this highly enough - and watch Rupert Grint as he matures into a fine fine actor.$LABEL$ 1 +I should have known when I looked at the box in the video store and saw Lisa Raye - to me, she's the female Ernie Hudson A.K.A. "Le Kiss of Death" for *ANY* movie. Its almost *guaranteed* the movie will be bad (e.g. Congo)if Hudson is in it (with the exception of the Ghostbusters films, which were intentionally campy and bad). Despite my instincts, and the fact that I just saw Civil Brand, yet another cinematic "tour de force" starring Lisa Raye, I rented it anyway. After all, I ignored my "Hudson instinct" on OZ and ended up watching a very quality series so I figured I'd give this movie a chance.If you are a lover of bad movies, this is a definite must see! This has got to be the most unintentionally funny movie I've seen in a loooong time. The plot is fairly straightforward: Racheal's (Monica Calhoun) sister is killed by a band of brigands (Led by Bobby Brown!) and, like many an action movie before this, she straps on her guns ONE LAST TIME and vows to avenge her sisters death. To do this, she reassembles the titular Gang of Roses (supposedly based on a true story of a female gang) and they go out and exact revenge and, along the way, there's some subplot or something or other about some gold that might be buried in the town. One nice thing I will say about this movie is that from what I could tell, the stars did their own riding and they looked GREAT galloping.The funniest (albiet unintentionally funny) scenes? Look for when they introduce Stacy Dash's character or when Calhoun's character rescinds her vow not to strap on her guns (replete with a clenched fisted cry to the heavens) or Lil' Kim's character joking with Lisa Raye's character or Stacy Dash's character being killed or Lil' Kim's character convincing Lisa Raye's character to rejoin the gang or the Asian Chick or Macy Grey's character talking bout "The debt is paid", etc. With the exception of Calhoun's Racheal and Bobby Brown's Left-Eye, I can't even remember the names of the other characters cuz I was laughing so hard when they were introduced.If the director had gone for parody and broad comedy this would have been a great movie. Unfortunately, he tries to take it seriously seemingly without first taking exposition, sound design (in his defense, Hip-Hop is notoriously difficult to work into a period piece), set design, script writing nor period historical research (was it me,or were these the cleanest people with the whitest teeth in the old west?) seriously. Usually when I see a movie that's not so good, I ask myself "Could you have done any better?" This is the first time in a long time where the answer is an unequivocal "YES!"$LABEL$ 0 +I don't mind sequels; sometimes they're better than the original. However, many times the originals are best left alone....especially when you can't duplicate the cast. One of the big reasons "The Magnificent Seven" was such a hit was the very popular cast.This is hardly the "magnificent seven," when only Yul Brynner returns as one of the members of that famous group in "The Magnificent Seven." With six of the seven guys absent and replaced by much lesser-known actors, this loses its appeal in a hurry. In other words, except for Brynner, these guys have no charisma! This is a like a championship sports team fielding all substitutes except one.Brynner is good, once again: fun to watch, fun to hear with that distinctive deep voice of his, but the story, not just the rest of the crew, is lame. This movie should never have been made. In the original, we cared about the "seven;" in here, we couldn't care less.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie with big expectations. The blurb on the back indicated that this was going to be a nasty one. But it was pretty tame and a little unsatisfying. The violence was nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before, the gore level was only average (mind you there was probably more than what has been seen in Hollywood in the last 5 years - perhaps more), and at no stage was I even feeling uneasy let along frightened. Again a CAT 3 movie with big wraps, has not lived up to its hype.Sure hire this movie, but don't go in with any expectations. I am so keen to get into the whole Asian horror scene, but am continuously disappointed. I did love Ichi, and Audition, but then again, Miike stands alone at the moment.Please inspire me..... there is a large cluster of jaded genre fans who are starved of quality horror!$LABEL$ 0 +This "coming of age" film deals with the experiences of two young girls, Dani and Maureen, as they learn about life and love one fateful summer.Directed by Robert Mulligan, famous for his superb work in "To Kill a Mockingbird," the film never hits a false note. All the acting is superb. As Dani, Reese Witherspoon makes a stunning film debut. Watching this beautifully photographed and superbly directed and edited film, I felt like I was looking through a window to reality, rather than watching a movie.I have watched this movie at least 5 times, and can honestly say that it is one of the single best movies ever made about being young, being in love, and going through the feelings, challenges, and changes of young adulthood. Families with children between 10 and 15 should watch it together, and use it as a discussion piece, as it raises a number of issues about sibling rivalry, how to deal with being in love, the responsibilities of a parent, etc.$LABEL$ 1 +We see Thomas Edison, with a glowing smile on his face, trying to electrocute a 5 ton living being. Eventually he was successful, and so the first animal snuff film is born, cleverly disguised as an amazing achievement in technology. This is scientific arrogance at it's worst, folks. It ranks up there with the doctor who decapitated a monkey just to prove that he could keep its severed head alive for 22 minutes.Oh yes, there's the absurd excuse that the elephant had been convicted of "murder" and sentenced to death, and that this was a fair and humane "execution". To all the people who are satisfied with this sophistry, please form a line on my right. I'm going to give you all a big collective Three Stooges slap across the head.Go watch "The Advocate" (1993), a movie based on the true story murder trial of a pig in Mideval France. 500 years later, humans are still a bunch of morons I see.What's next? We arrest birds for stealing our blueberries? Arrest pricker bushes for assault and battery? Thomas Edison, I hope you have a big fat worm crawling through your eye socket right now. Oh wait, that would be trespassing, wouldn't it? lol$LABEL$ 0 +This production is an insult to the Stooges, especially Moe. It is inaccurate and poorly acted. Many of the events depicted just didn't happen that way and too much was left out or skipped over. Read the books written by Moe and his daughter Joan instead. This was a waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a really obnoxious show. It is in fact an example of how low television has fallen since 'reality' got in style. Tanya is pretty but she is also extremely rude and has awful taste. Is a house show the place for sex appeal? Apparently some males like the show because they find Tanya attractive. The other boss is not pretty but he's fully as rude and also has awful taste. It is unfortunate that so many houses have to be shown while someone is still living in them. Most of the people who are allegedly viewing these houses before changes are made should be moving into brand new houses or completely empty ones so they will not be insulting anyone. Most of them ..like the 'crew'..need to be taught manners. I can imagine how awful the British show is since the British reality shows tend to be even worse when it comes to manners and taste.What happened to the Arts and Entertainment channel? When it started out (and for some years afterward) it was filled with treats. Now it's one big trash machine.$LABEL$ 0 +Valley Girl is the definitive 1980's movie with catch phrases filtered throughout this wonderfully acted movie. The characters are so convincing that you forget it is a movie and not a video of an actual "day-in-the-life" of any high school, USA. This flick is to the 1980's what the Brady Bunch TV series is to the 1970's. If you don't like it, well then "Gag me with a spoon."$LABEL$ 1 +Dr. K(David H Hickey)has been trying to master a formula that would end all disease and handicaps, but needs live donors to complete his work. His doctor brother Richard(Dennis O'Neill)has a son named Eddie(Derek Philips)who is accepted to medical school. Eddie has a girlfriend named Sarah(Lizabeth Cardenas)who is pre-law and plans to attend law school herself the coming fall. She and Eddie resume their relationship when Sarah calls things off with her current boyfriend who is also shagging the lady of Walt(Bill Sebastian;Eddie's best friend who recently paid for his cheating girlfriend's boob job). Eddie accidentally gets hit by a car and appears on the throes of death when Dr. K makes a suggestion to Richard..let him "recuperate" Eddie using his secret, illegal methods. When Dr. K applies his serum to Eddie horrifying results occur. Eddie's face bulges massive warts while he has also acquired a taste for human flesh. Many will die so that Eddie can feed this uncontrollable appetite he can't quench. Soon he may even pose a threat to his father and girlfriend..Eddie Monster must be stopped.Typically awful direct-to-video horror flick suffers from a severe lack of budget, acting, and overall talent. The premise, which seems like an interesting fright-fest, fails to deliver even as a zombie flick. The gore is limited with a few munching scenes but most of the violence occurs off-camera. The use of time to move the story along can really get annoying.$LABEL$ 0 +Another great movie by Costa-Gavras. It's a great presentation of the situation is Latin America and the US involvement in Latin American politics. The facts might or might not be accurate but it is a fact that the US was deeply involved in coups and support of Latin American dictatorships.Despite this though the spirit of the movie follows the typical leftist/communist propaganda of the Cold War era. Costa-Gavras is a well-known communist sympathizer and his movies are always biased. For example he presents the US actions as brutal and inhumane, while representing Tupamaros' extremist activities as something positive.As it turned out it was a blessing for Uruguay and the rest of the Latin America that the US got involved. Europe is filled with poor East European prostitutes. I never heard of poor Uruguayan or Chilean girls prostituting themselves en masse as it happens in most East European countries. The US was fighting a dirty war and god bless us all the monster of Soviet Communism was defeated. It is unfortunate the US had to do what it did in Latin America (and elsewhere) but sometimes you need to play dirty. This is not an idealistic world as Costa-Gavras and Matamoros like to believe. Had Matamoros come to power in Uruguay, we would've had another Ukraine in Latin America.All in all this movie follows corrupt and bankrupt leftist ideology of times past and tries to pass it as idealistic and morally correct.$LABEL$ 0 +Though structured totally different from the book by Tim Krabbé who wrote the original 'The Vanishing' (Spoorloos) it does have the same overall feel, except for that Koolhoven's style is less business-like and more lyric. The beginning is great, the middle is fine, but the sting is in the end. A surprise emotional ending. As you could read in several magazines there is some sex in the film, but it is done all very beautifully. Never explicit, but with lots of warmth and sometimes even humour. It is a shame American films can't be as open an honoust as this one. Where Dutch films tend to go just over the edge when it comes to this subject, 'De Grot' stays always within the boundaries of good taste. 'De Grot' tells an amazing story stretched over more than 30 years. When you'll leave the cinema you'll be moved. What can we ask more of a film? Anyway, this film even gives more....$LABEL$ 1 +Handsome and dashing British airline pilot George Taylor (a solid portrayal by Guiseppe Pambieri) gets beat up by thugs after a wild night in Hong Kong. George meets and falls in love with the sweet and virginal Dr. Emy Wong (a fine and charming performance by the lovely Chai Lee). George regains his health and goes back to work. When Emy fails to hear from George for a lengthy amount of time, she succumbs to despair and becomes a prostitute. While director/co-writer Bitto Albertini does indeed deliver a satisfying amount of the expected tasty nudity and steamy soft-core sex, this film is anything but your routine wallow in leering sleaze. Instead it's a surprisingly thoughtful, touching and tragic love story between two well drawn and highly appealing characters (Chai as Emy Wong is especially radiant and endearing). The picture starts out bubbly and cheerful, but the tone radically shifts into a more grim and harsh mood about two thirds of the way through. Emy's descent into vice after she falsely assumes that George has abandoned her is bleak and upsetting; ditto the remarkably sad and heartbreaking surprise bummer ending. Granted, the narrative is certainly melodramatic, but never too silly or trashy. Moreover, the sex scenes are quite tasteful and even genuinely erotic. Notorious Italian porn star Ilona Staller has a nice sizable supporting part as George's jealous and uninhibited secretary Helen Miller. Guido Mancori's polished cinematography offers many strikingly gorgeous shots of the exotic locations. Nico Fidenco's funky, throbbing score hits the groovy spot. Worth a look for those seeking something different.$LABEL$ 1 +This film breeches the fine line between satire and silliness. While a bridge system that has no rules may promote marital harmony, it certainly can't promote winning bridge, so the satire didn't work for me. But there were some items I found enjoyable anyway, especially with the big bridge match between Paul Lukas and Ferdinand Gottschalk near the end of the film. It is treated like very much like a championship boxing match. Not only is the arena for the contest roped off in a square area like a boxing ring, there is a referee hovering between the contestants, and radio broadcaster Roscoe Karns delivers nonstop chatter on the happenings. At one point he even enumerates "One... Two... Three... Four..." as though a bid of four diamonds was a knockdown event. And people were glued to their radios for it all, a common event for championship boxing matches. That spoof worked very well indeed.Unfortunately, few of the actors provide the comedy needed to sustain the intended satire. Paul Lukas doesn't have much of a flair for comedy and is miscast; lovely Loretta Young and the usual comic Frank McHugh weren't given good enough lines; Glenda Farrell has a nice comic turn as a forgetful blonde at the start of the film, but she practically disappears thereafter. What a waste of talent!$LABEL$ 0 +Mardi Gras: Made in China provides a wonderful, intricate connection between popular culture, nudity, and globalization through the making and tossing of beads. I saw this film at the International Film Festival of Boston, and was expecting a dry introduction to globalization, but what I got was a riveting visual display of shocking footage from both China and the United States. The eye-opening film is humorous, in-depth, serious, non-patronizing, and it leaves you wanting more as the credits role. It is worth comparing to Murderball -- it's simply that well done. The young women workers in China have various points of view, and the owner is amazingly open about the discipline. The revelers during Carnival are the highlight, but only because this excellent film provides in-depth context inside the factory in China without narration. Bravo to the filmmaker for getting inside and finishing the film! I would have never thought about the connection between beads, China, and New Orleans; now I think about the human connection between almost every object, but also the role of globalization, inequality, and fun. More importantly, I can make these connections without feeling a sense of guilt after watching this film, unlike other films on globalization that I've seen.$LABEL$ 1 +But I can't say how I really feel about this pile of steaming dung. Where to begin. The film quality, there isn't any. I've seen clearer pictures on America's FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS! The acting is substandard, the gore effects is okay. The clown mask is the best part of this movie, the story is repetitive. The same thing over and over again. At least in a Friday THE 13TH or HALLOWEEN we stick with one main character for the most part. There is no main characters, just victims. Man, now we come to the worst part of all. The final survivor kills the clown and finds out it was one of her friends. Then when the police finally arrive, they don't believe her and she is locked up in a rubber room. What kind of ending do you call that, crap, that's what. In my opinion, there is no excuse for a bad ending in a horror movie, that was just sloppy writing. The excuse, "It has to ending badly, it's a horror movie." or "We need to end it badly to leave it open to a sequel" are just lame excuses and that is all. I must give the CAMP BLOOD the THANKSGIVING TURKEY.$LABEL$ 0 +From the opening scene aboard a crowded train where a ruthless pickpocket is at work (RICHARD WIDMARK) stealing from a woman's purse (JEAN PETERS), PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET is relentlessly fascinating to watch. Partly it's because the acting is uniformly strong from the entire cast, the B&W photography is crisp and adds to the starkness of the story and characters, and because Samuel Fuller's direction puts him in the same league with the biggies like John (ASPHALT JUNGLE) Huston. In fact, it has the same urgency as the Huston film about a heist that goes wrong--but the payoff is not quite as strong.JEAN PETERS is excellent as the hard-edged girl whom Widmark describes as being "knocked around a lot". She gives a lot of raw energy and sex appeal to her role of the not too bright woman carrying a micro-film in her purse for her boyfriend (RICHARD KILEY), something the FBI already knows about. They're on her trail when the theft occurs.THELMA RITTER adds realism to her portrait of a woman called "Moe" who buys and sells anything to make a profit and ends up paying for it with her life. She's particularly touching in her final scene with Kiley.This one is guaranteed to hold your attention through its one hour and twenty minute running time. Good noir from Fox and notable for the performances of Widmark, Peters and Ritter.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen a couple movies on eating disorders but this one was definitely my favorite one. The problem with the other ones was that the people with the eating disorders towards the end just automatically get better or accept the fact that they need help and thats it. this movie I thought was more realistic cause in this one the main character Lexi doesn't automatically just get better. She gets better and then has a drawback. I think this movie shows more than the others that I've seen that getting better doesn't just happen, it's hard work and takes time, it's a long path to recovery. I think this movie shows all of that very well. There should be more movies like this.$LABEL$ 1 +H.O.T.S. is not for those that want hardcore porn. Instead, this film is a precursor to many 80s era cult-classic college/frat films like REVENGE OF THE NERDS and PORKY'S and a post-cursor to the world-renown ANIMAL HOUSE. A good time if you dig a lot of big-titted 70s/80s Playboy type chicks and cheezy slap-dick comedy - but nothing too notable if you wanna use it as whack-material...H.O.T.S. is an "unauthorized" sorority of sexy outcasts doing battle against the popular and trendy Pi girls. This one has pranks, an Aunt Jemima-ish house keeper, and even an over-heated robot that makes it relatively fun viewing if boobies are your "thing"...Well...I like tits as much (or probably more...) as the next guy - but with all the sleazy sh!t that I've seen, I couldn't help but wish for a few hardcore scenes to make this one truly worthwhile. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I still wish that H.O.T.S. had a bit more sex and a bit less cheeze. Not quite as notable as NERDS, PORKY'S, or ANIMAL HOUSE, but worth a look for fans of those types of films...7/10P.S... and I forgot - this one has consummate douche-rag Danny Bonaduce in probably the best role of his career outside of his "reality show"...$LABEL$ 1 +THAT'S certainly a strange way to promote a film upon which a great deal rested. And it seems like plain suicide on the part of the studio, given that (1) The feuds between the cast were well known long before the movie's release. (2) The feud between the Producer(Robert Fryer) and Director ( Michael Sarne) was also common knowledge. (3) The cast made no secret of their contempt for the film and made it public at every opportunity, with daily bulletins from the set gleefully reported by gossip columnists everywhere.And (4) The author, Gore Vidal hated it practically from day one. Nevertheless, that tagline just about sums it up. Raquel Welch does give a decent performance as Myra, and she looks lovely besides. John Huston is very funny as Buck Loner, the ex-Cowboy Star who runs a phony acting academy. Mae West, (in her first screen appearance since 1943) naturally rewrote her part to suit herself, and she is great as ''oversexed'' (and that's putting it mildly) ''Talent Agent'' Leticia Van Allen. Still, she must have wondered (after waiting so long for a good vehicle in which to return) how she ever ended up in this mess.Tom Selleck (in his film debut) is one of her ''clients''. John Carradine and Jim Backus, as Doctors, also amble in briefly. Rex Reed as Myron, Farrah Fawcett and Roger Herren, as the victims of Myra/Myron's sexual passion, are neither here nor there. The same goes for the script, which not only fails to focus on the basic plot of the book, but seems to head in at least three different directions at once. Although West's part was originally larger, she was reduced to a cameo role by the time Sarne was through with the editing. And, partly because of this, she seems to be in a different movie. Apparently, at some point, the Producers realized that Mae was going to be the film's big draw, and, unable to replace most of her cut footage, they rushed her back to the set at the end of filming for the second of her two songs, both of which come out of nowhere. The device Sarne used of throwing in old film clips of bygone stars to emphasize whatever points he was making, doesn't work at all. By the time the movie concludes, all a weary spectator can do is wonder what in the hell it was all about. Not surprisingly, just about everyone connected with the production felt the same way, and it died at the box office. A technically flawless DVD includes, (among other extras) separate commentaries from both Welch and Sarne, each of whom have completely opposite opinions of just what went wrong.No doubt it's home video re-release was prompted by a 2001'' Vanity Fair'' piece, which attempted (in great detail) to do the same thing. True, the structure of the novel made a screen adaptation a dubious undertaking, but, with Sarne at the helm of what was obviously a ''troubled'' production, it really never had a chance.$LABEL$ 0 +Aaah...The Thing.To see a horror film in which not only is every character over the age of thirty, but distinctly UNattractive, makes a refreshing change, and reminds me of those distant times when actors were chosen because of their talent and their ability to play realistic characters, rather than because of their teen appeal on a magazine cover. And Carpenter chooses a production designer and a cinematographer who can actually create realistic environments rather than over-styled parodies. And there's no gimmicky 'twist' ending, or cameo celebrity appearance, or lame pseudo-romantic subplot.And I REALLY miss on-set physical effects; with all those 20 year old kids trying out crazy new ideas with vats of blood and latex and early animatronics. In the 5 years between 1979 and 1984 we saw Alien, The Elephant Man, Poltergeist, The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, The Thing, The Company of Wolves, A Nightmare on Elm Street...what an era for horror effects! And don't get me started on the death of matte painting. The matte work in this movie is beautiful and seamless.What do we have now? Third rate CGI, former music video directors and professional stylists, that makes even 'gritty' horror movies look like glossy MTV videos.Now I'm going to go Netflix 'The Howling'.$LABEL$ 1 +Spend your time any other way, even housework is better than this movie. The jokes aren't funny, the fun rhymes that are Dr. Seus aren't there. A very lousy way to waste an evening. My kids 4-16 laughed a little at the beginning the younger ones got bored with it and left to play Barbies and the older ones left to play ps2 and surf the net. My wife left and did dishes. So I finished it alone. It was the worst "kids" movie I have seen. If you want to watch a fun kids movie watch Shrek 2, that movie is fun for kids and their parents. AVOID THIS MOVIE. It isn't funny, isn't cute, the cat's makeup is about the only good thing in it and you can see that on the disc label.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm assuming the filmmakers heart was in the right place but, frankly, this movie is truly unconscionable. I was offended by the tone and the total cop out ending. You cannot take issues like this so lightly! Without knowing the final caveat of the movie... we watch as a guy guns down his 9 month pregnant wife and two sons and are supposed to follow him for the next 2+ hours as he tries to establish a new life?? You cannot have sympathy for a character who does this. Cannot! Not to mention, we're given nothing until the last say 1/2 hour of this unnecessarily long movie, as to why this guy is suffering so much. No flashbacks, no sudden reactions to noise or movement - stuff that real vets are suffering from. All we know is he has a pain in the ass wife and can't financially take care of her and his 3 kids. There really didn't seem to be any research whatsoever into what current Iraq vets are going through.Additionally, the movie suffers tremendously from a heavy handed and totally inappropriate score. Its a catastrophe. It is truly harmful to some actually good acting on the part of the male lead and at times Joe Morton. It foreshadows EVERYTHING you're supposed to feel, and sometimes gives you the wrong clues entirely! Again, this was a brutal thing this guy did, and so seeing him get a new job, meet a new blonde, struggle behind the counter making toast is NOT appropriate! And really, the ending? What a freakin cop out! How dare you.There are far richer films dealing with the affects of war on returning soldiers, please don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +I occasionally let my kids watch this garbage so they will understand just how pathetic the show's "contestants" are. They are pathetic not because they are fat, but because they whore their dignity for a few minutes of fame and fortune.For anyone to appear on National TV and blubber, sniffle, and whine about being fat (entirely their own fault) is nauseating. What does this say about us as a nation? Does it suggest that your lifestyle choices, and the consequences of them, aren't our responsibility? "The Biggest Loser" is an appropriate title, but it has nothing to do with one's weight.Absolute trash.$LABEL$ 0 +Gerard Phillipe is absolutely perfect in this movie, funny, tender, brave and lover.He gives a superior dimension to a movie which is even a masterpiece, as much by the other actors (Gina Lollobrigida:miaoooou!!) as by the story or the rhythm. Never boring, always creating new emotions: for me, the best french movie of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +This Worldwide was the cheap man's version of what the NWA under Jim Crockett Junior and Jim Crockett Promotions made back in the 1980s on the localized "Big 3" Stations during the Saturday Morning/Afternoon Wrestling Craze. When Ted Turner got his hands on Crockett's failed version of NWA he turned it into World Championship Wrestling and proceeded to drop all NWA references all together. NWA World Wide and NWA Pro Wrestling were relabeled with the WCW logo and moved off the road to Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida and eventually became nothing more than recap shows for WCW's Nitro, Thunder, and Saturday Night. Worldwide was officially the last WCW program under Turner to air the weekend of the WCW buyout from Vince McMahon and WWF. Today the entire NWA World Wide/WCW Worldwide Video Tape Archive along with the entire NWA/WCW Video Tape Library in general lay in the vaults of WWE Headquarters in Stamford,Connecticut.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my all-time favorite so-laughably-lousy-that-it's-totally-lovable el cheapo and stinko nickel'n'dime independent horror creature features, an enjoyably dreadful marvel that was released by the formidably fecund exploitation outfit Crown International Pictures so it could play numerous crappy double bills at countless drive-ins back in the 70's and eventually wound up being rerun like crazy on several small-time secondary cable stations throughout the 80's. I naturally first saw this gloriously ghastly abomination on late-night television one fateful Saturday evening while in my early teens and have had a deep-seated, albeit completely irrational abiding fondness for it ever since.A meteorite falls out of the sky and crashes into the still waters of a tranquil country lake, thereby causing a heretofore dormant dinosaur egg to hatch. Of course, the baby dino immediately grows into a gigantic waddling, grunting, teeth-gnashing prehistoric behemoth with goofy flippers, an extended neck and a huge mouth full of little sharp, jagged, stalagmite-like chompers. Our Southern-fried male cousin to the Loch Ness Monster promptly starts chowing down on various luckless local yokel residents of a previously quiet and sleepy hillbilly resort town. It's up to drippy stalwart sheriff Richard Cardella, assisted by the painfully idiotic hayseed comic relief brotherly fishing guide duo of Glenn Roberts and Mark Seigel, feisty gal pal Kacey Cobb and terminally insipid nerdy scientist Bob Hyman, to get to the bottom of things before the over-sized gluttonous Jurassic throwback ruins the tourist trade by eating all the campers and fisherman that the hick hamlet makes its cash off of.Director/co-screenwriter William R. Stromberg displays a wonderfully woeful and thoroughly clueless incompetence when it comes to pacing, atmosphere, taut narrative construction and especially eliciting sound, credible acting from his hopelessly all-thumbs rank amateur community theater level cast. The performances are uniformly abysmal: Cardella is way too bland and wooden to cut it as a solid heroic lead while the pitifully dopey redneck comic antics of Roberts and Seigel provoke groans of slack-jawed disbelief -- you aren't laughing with these two atrociously mugging clods so much as at them, particularly when the insufferable imbeciles discover a severed head bobbing up and down in the murky lake water. Better yet, a clumsily integrated sub-plot concerning a vicious on-the-loose criminal leads to a spectacularly ham-fisted supermarket hold-up scene which degenerates into a hilariously stupid mini-massacre when a young lady shopper interrupts the stick-up artist in mid-robbery! A subsequent car chase is likewise severely bungled as well; it's so limply staged and unimpressive that one feels more relieved than scared when the monster abruptly pops up to devour the nefarious fugitive. Moreover, David Allen's funky herky-jerky stop motion animation dinosaur is the authentic gnarly article, projecting a certain raw charisma, sneaky reptilian personality and overall forceful screen presence which makes all the horrendously underwhelming human characters seem like pathetically unbecoming nobody bores in comparison. And as for the rousing conclusion where the sheriff takes on our slavering beastie with a bulldozer, the operative word for this thrilling confrontation is boffo all the way.$LABEL$ 1 +After reading only two of the comments herein, as a lifelong Bronte fan, beginning with Olivier's Heathcliff and enduring with the many versions of Charlotte's "Rochester," it is more than eye-opening to see that it is the UNsung Bronte sister who gave the lie to the male-chauvinist period the trio inhabited. Of course, the "miracle" in all three versions of 19th-Century British domesticity is that the "girls" were all "spinsters" and their only realistic brushes with "men" were their vicar father and their wastrel? brother. That said, finally, it is ANNE Bronte who has, in her single assay?, proved the "feminist" point, way way ahead of contemporary types, and including the "voting franchise" ranks. However, history evinces more than a few who preceded, including the Greek heterai and Sappho and the likes of an ancient emperor's Yang Kuei-fei. And how about "Eve" and her apple?$LABEL$ 1 +A very funny east-meets-west film influenced by the closure of GM's Flint, Michigan plant in the eighties and the rise and integration of Japanese automakers in the US. Set in western Pennsylvania, it features great performances by Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, and George Wendt. Music by blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.$LABEL$ 1 +The defining scene to this movie is when the fat guy quits,but the evil doctor just gives him one more duty,check on the dinosaurs.Keep in mind that he no longer has this job and so is absolutely not getting paid for this.Also keep in mind it's a goddamn dinosaur and the doctor he's supposed to trust is evil and doesn't like him.But he's still like,yeah okay.That just defined the stupidity in this movie.One Melissa Brasselle proves that seriously anyone can bolt on some breasts and be in movies.I can go ride a mountain-bike between them,but hey aside from that the people of Paraguay are very nice.Eric Roberts gives his absolute worst performance so far,there's no adjective to describe how bored he is throughout.Corbin Bernsen saves what there is to save and you start rooting for him,but they have to stick to the formula of course.And I wonder how much your life sucks when you play like,one of the army guys in this one?How low can your acting career go?The special effects are so embarrassingly bad you expect a sign saying "Studio 3" to get into the frame.It's not even honest pulp,it's all taken from "Carnosaur",which even sucked all by itself.And then I wonder why just anyone is allowed to make a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This may well be the worst remake Hollywood has ever produced, and that's saying something. I'll take it further than that and say this movie is so stunningly, deliriously bad that IT MUST BE SEEN. I don't know if I'm even capable of tackling all the things wrong with it--like the fact that the casting director appears to have pulled names out of a hat, or the mind-blower of Richard Gere's character being allowed to walk away scot-free at the end (I'm sure the people saying, "It's just fiction, who cares" would have no problem if it was a former Al-Qaeda operative who just wants to return to his home country)--so I'll just devote my review to the utter hilarity, which is mainly the scene where Bruce Willis is testing out his gun. In the original version, you'll recall, the Jackal practices his kill on a pumpkin. The pumpkin explodes on impact, an effect known as "understatement." In THIS version, Willis sets up a pumpkin target, but he doesn't use a sniper rifle--he uses a gigantic remote-controlled cannon which costs tens of thousands of dollars and can only be stored in the back of a huge conspicuous minivan (this man likes a challenge). He reveals the cannon by pulling away a tarp, at which point Jack Black, who is there to observe, jumps around and says, "That ROCKS! This thing ROCKS!" about 18 times (I guess Willis didn't have to disassemble it first, he just lifted it, tarp and all, out of the back of the van, despite it probably weighing several tons). The scene then turns into an Austin Powers movie as Willis misses the pumpkin and takes out a tree, then has Black run through the mud with his pants falling down, finally blowing off Black's entire arm. The pumpkin falls to the ground, unharmed. If I can recommend this movie for ONE non-ironic reason, it's for the Diane Venora character as a tough Russian major who becomes romantically linked to Gere despite having a facial disfigurement--a bold move for a Hollywood feature. By mid- movie I was really liking this character, so it was a shame when she had to be killed. I would have liked to see a movie about her. Other than that, this pile of crap is only useful as an objective intelligence test. 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +With all due respect to Joel Fabiani and Rosemary Nicolls and their characters, Department S will be forever associated with Peter Wyngarde's Jason King.Most people remember him as this camp, flamboyant and debonair womaniser cum detective in the mould of Austin Powers but that will do a disservice to the character: He's far more nuanced than that.Jason King is lazy (he often lets Stewart fight all the bad guys and only chips in at the end), he is egotistical (his appreciation of people is based on whether they've read his novels or not), a lot of his detective work is speculation without facts to back them up and he sulks whenever Annabelle is right...and she often is. He's clearly a man having a mid-life crisis and drink drives but.......Jason King is brilliant. If Wyngarde had played him purely as a dashing hero, it wouldn't have worked but he shows King often as a paper tiger, led by his libido, love of finery and prone to grandstanding (and it gets in the way of his detective work at times) but he has some of the best lines and put downs in TV history. And by not playing him as whiter-than-white, the chemistry and interactions between the three lead characters is all the better for it.Watching it again on DVD recently, you get to see just how much depth Wyngarde put into Jason King.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this 1997 movie because I am a fan of Lorenzo Lamas (and of his father, the late Fernando Lamas). In my opinion, Lorenzo looked his best in this film, mostly due to his hairstyle and the preppy wardrobe that were flattering to him.As the plot progressed, I realized the movie was more than just entertainment or a reason to see a favorite actor. The story was about a ring of serial killers and the attempts of law enforcement to investigate the ring and bring the members to justice. There was adequate suspense, and I believe the violence was necessary to relate the story to the viewer.At the end of the film I was shocked to learn the film is the true account of horrendous murders that occurred in Utah. Furthermore, Lorenzo and his leading lady were portraying actual FBI agents who solved the disappearances of many young women and contributed to the apprehension of the ring. I believe the film is worthwhile as it informs the public about the dangers and capabilities of the criminal element.$LABEL$ 1 +Alright! A sci-fi/horror/action B-hybrid directed by Jim Wynorski and in the final scenes we get to see a cyborg with a defleshed metal head killing off multiple people! As with any Wynorski-flick, he throws in a whole bunch of crazy ideas and subplots that mostly don't lead to anywhere. But "Storm Trooper" is more like a two-movies-for-the-price-of-one kind of deal. On the one hand we got the drama/thriller part (as such the film opens) with Carol Alt killing her incredibly annoying & ungrateful husband (a plot that simply leads to nowhere). And on the other hand we got the 'escaped cyborg on a rampage' part, "Night of the Living Dead"-style. With Carol and the Cyborg being the ones trapped inside the house and a bunch of special OPs/bounty hunters playing the role of the zombies, trying to break into the house. Needless to say this flick is not up there with the greatest. Zach Galligan (of "Gremlins"-fame) especially is painfully bad and Corey Feldman (in a small supporting roll) is once again completely wasted on this movie. Wynorski even rips off one of his own movies here, since I am 99% sure he used some stock footage of his previous film "976 EVIL II" (the scene with the exploding truck and the motorcycle). Yes, it's so not good and so much fun. This is strictly for Wynorski-fans only. And I am one of them, in case you didn't know already.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought I had seen this movie, twice in fact. Then I read all the other reviews, and they didn't quite match up. A man and three young students, two girls and a boy, go to this town to study alleged bigfoot sightings. I still feel pretty confident that this is the movie I saw, despite the discrepancies in the reviews. Therefore I'm putting my review back: If you like the occasional 'B' movie, as I do, then Return to Boggy Creek is the movie for you! Whether it's setting the sleep timer, and nodding off to your favorite movie-bomb, or just hanging out with friends. Boggy Creek, the mute button, and you've got a fun night of improv. Look out! Is the legend true? I think we just might find out, along with a not-so-stellar cast. Will there be any equipment malfunctions at particularly key moments in the film? Does our blonde, manly, young hero have any chest hair? Will the exceptionally high-tech Technicolor last the entire film? You'll have to watch to find out for yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +I usually like zombie movies, but this one was just plain bad.The good parts: Girl swimming topless with thong bottoms, Sonya Salomaa's topless, and Ona Grauer's boobs jiggling in a skimpy top when she ran.The bad part: too much video cuts, too much Matrix slow motion (it drags the action), not enough blood and guts, bad acting, and no story. The only other person in the theater was smart and left right after the topless swimming scene. A total waste of $6 and time. I give it a 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Why is it that when a star reaches the top of the star chain, they ruin all the good work by making a bad movie? Burt Reynolds peaked, then started making dreadful Hal Needham car chase flicks. Arnold Schwarzenegger became the hottest property in Hollywood, only to invite derision upon himself with the appalling Last Action Hero. And here, loquacious Eddie Murphy erases memories of Trading Places and 48 Hours with this "family" adventure flick, which is an unbelievably tedious, childish and generally plain awful misfire in which the chance to see Charlotte Lewis's great big breasts in a tight blouse is the most appealing aspect of the entire film.The story is pure humdrum. It concerns social worker Murphy, contacted by mysterious types and told that he is the Chosen One. Chosen for what, I hear you ask. His job is to rescue a Tibetan boy with mystical powers from a race of demons who want to rule the world. As the main demon, classy actor Charles Dance looks terribly embarrassed to be in the film, but hey, I'm sure he was well paid for sacrificing his talents. Of all Murphy's films, this is easily the worst. I've read some reviews which suggest that it is nice to see Murphy in an atypical role, in a non formulaic kind of film, and while both points are loosely true there's no forgiving the fact that the film - however atypical and non formulaic it might be - is an absolute load of garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, before I get into this, let's go ahead and get the warning out of the way: this movie is the quintessential "cinematic" definition of SLEAZE! There are movies out there that can definitely out-shock or out-disgust this movie that have WAY more artistic validity than can be said for this turd of a film. So what makes it so sleazy?? Let's take a closer look at "Wet Wilderness" for a moment......Made in 1974 for practically nothing, this "roughie" has no real genuine "plot" to speak of other than portraying what would happen if a FAMILY went into the wilderness to relax and spend a day while being accosted by a fat dude in a ski mask wielding a machete looking for kicks.....the kind that end up with everyone being forced to have sex with each other while being systematically murdered by the masked creep. So those sensitive to themes dealing with incest are encouraged to look elsewhere. Then to really either add a level of surrealism or just demonstrate a complete ineptness for the art of film-making, the "daughter" of the group runs away after being forced to have sex with her brother and finds a random black dude (!) tied to a tree branch ("...that fat sum-bitch left me here for 3 days...") with virtually NO explanation whatsoever!! He is saved.....or is he? Of course not!! They are caught before they can escape, where our killer forces them to have sex as well while forcing the mother to join in, ending up with a dead black dude (courtesy of a hatchet through the chest) when all is said and done. Then our killer forces the daughter and mother to give him oral sex when one of the women grabs the machete........and the movie abruptly ends!!! Just like that! No warning, no tied-up loose ends.....it's simply over. Now there MIGHT be a proper ending to this film (I honestly do not know), but I have only seen the extremely crude Alpha Blue Archives version. Their version appears to have the ending either cut out completely or this is how it ends. If this was intentional, then in Film-making 101, I'm sure there is some sort of rule of thumb on HOW to end a film, but it shouldn't be done like THIS! Fans of the film "Psycho" should rejoice upon hearing the soundtrack music, as it's all through the film! I'd be willing to bet no rights were licensed or anything. Also, even though this is a "violent" film, there's not a hell of a lot of it, so gorehounds will find nothing of real use here. None of the violence is graphically shown.....only the results (one of the victims gets stabbed with a machete right above the vagina area). Also, the sex is some of the UGLIEST sex I've ever seen! The interesting thing about this film is it's too ugly a film to work as an effectively erotic porno or turn on anyone but those with a tendency to like things sleazy, nasty, and ugly, but not violent enough to garner any real notoriety with those looking for something really brutal like "Cannibal Holocaust" or other flicks like that. The only "notorious" thing about this steaming pile is that violence was added to an adult film, a fairly new concept at that time, especially when you consider than porn chic was all the rage and the grindhouses that filled 42nd Street played stuff like this to a most jaded group of porn mavens. This wasn't and isn't "mainstream" porn at all.If you were in film-making school and there was a list of movie-making "don'ts", this film would be a shining example of that lesson! This cinematic swill demonstrates what happens when cerebrally challenged filmmakers are given a "budget" (in this case, probably about $142.....cuz it looks it!) and ignore all the "don'ts" and turn them into "do's".....yes, this film is that bad!! One more thing: those who get offended by racial epithets are also encouraged to watch something else. The black man in the film is constantly being verbally abused about his color and the killer is obviously racist, but there was NO political correctness in the early 70's. I'm not sure a film like this could be made today.To be honest, this won't "shock" anyone or titillate anyone but those who get off on ugliness. Actually, I got bored. The sex is so ugly and mundane, it's hard to watch with any sense of eroticism, so if you chance this, you will thank God for the fast forward button! The "acting", if you want to call it that, is amateurish at best (I mean, it's even bad for PORNO!) with not one reason to care about anyone or anything in this!! If you JUST gotta see this anyway, then download it, as you'll really feel like a heel if you buy this. Some things are simply that worthless.....and "Wet Wildernes" is. The only thing more unpleasant than watching this film would be watching this film sitting in a theater and looking around at the others in attendance watching it too and suddenly feeling unsafe. Probably not society's greatest collection of thinkers and intellectuals. But if you're up for some stupid, yet SLEAZY porn garbage, give it a crack. It's 54 minutes and yet, it feels MUCH longer!! Crackheads would LOVE this! Then again, maybe there's something wrong with me for seeking this out in the first place......LOL! Caveat emptor, sleaze-lovers!!$LABEL$ 0 +Oh wow, the character shares my name first name! Nick! This movie as bad as the first one, if not worse. Well, at least there's an actual octopus in this movie. An actual octopus that makes a better appearance in this film. By better, I mean, "Longer" the acting is pretty dry and it's hard to sit through. Just to let you know, when this ninety minute film ends not only are you freed from your couch but you get your ability to breathe back. Not only that, but you realise how stupid you are and then commit suicide, realising how horrible life is after watching this film. Really, it shows how desperate horror movies are today, more crap like this is being realised and where the hell have the real masters of horror been lately? This film should have been the final straw, so we can bring back cinematic geniuses in horror cinema, that could make some actually GOOD modern horror films, this movie bites.$LABEL$ 0 +You know you're in trouble when the film your watching has numerous alternate titles. Generally it means that they tried and retried to hide the turkey in various markets. Such a turkey is The Brain Machine which has seven different titles.Its about some super secret government project that is suppose to be able to use a computer to read people but instead it drives people to kill each other or themselves, or something like that. Its filled with B level TV actors sitting in paneled room with lawn chairs trying to act a script that makes almost no sense.Its a turkey of the untastey kind. Avoid it.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this on DVD with subtitles, which made it a little frustrating to get through, because of the film's length. But I was riveted throughout all of it. That I was fascinated by the characters and always engrossed in the story, despite the subtitles, is a testament to the film's power. It's an amazing piece of work. I have it on my list of ten favorite films of all time. It's easily the best foreign film I've seen in the last twenty years or so. I would like to know the full story behind the making of this film. It must have taken a very long time and required the use of hundreds of locations. Its use of some hardcore scenes (on the TV in the motel room) may unfortunately make some people choose not to see it, but if you don't mind those, you'll be deeply moved by all the stories in this one!$LABEL$ 1 +Well, This was my first IMAX experience so I was pretty blown away about that, primarily; although with hindsight, I can't help wishing that it had been some other (less monochrome)film.Magnificent Desolation very much had the "Programme for Schools" feel the way it listed all the astronauts and this made it feel a LOT like reading National Geographic Magazine in 3D. Weirdly it actually had a very two dimensional quality that only occasionally exploded into reality and a lot of time it felt like some PowerPoint Presentation. There was a moment in the film when an unnoticed abyss opens; seemingly at your feel, that had a bit of a WOW factor but to be honest, that may have had more to do with me being an IMAX virgin.The commentary, provided by Tom Hanks, I personally found very, (what's a nice way to put it??) "flag-wavingly nationalistic" which didn't go down too well in central London, judging by remarks overheard as we left.Over all, I loved the IMAX experience, but dearly wish a different film had been on on that day. The Moon isn't a particularly colourful subject and to be honest, a lot of the 3D effects were lost in the monochrome scenery. All that would have been well, were it not for the documentary inserts and distractions like the interviews with American schoolchildren which spoiled it a bit$LABEL$ 0 +So when Bob and Marion Boxletter see a guy at a hotel, Marion believes it is her long lost brother Brian, but when she approaches him he appears to be someone else just with the exact same face. Marion manages to get his fingerprints and takes it to the police and when the identity is confirmed that it was in fact her brother Brian she and Bob leave for New York after tracing his whereabouts. They get a hold of Brian, but still he doesn't know what they are talking about, but all the couple really want to know is where Brian has their 8 maybe 9 year old son Joey... and even when they see Joey he doesn't know them either. The plot thickens and they find themselves one day thinking that they are someone else as well. Experiments made out on people only to make the perfect assassins yet the question of why they would bother putting Bob and Marion in the same building as each other is beyond me. Personally Gregory Harrison played his 2 parts great, but I have no clue what was wrong with the other actors, they seemed bored and lost. 3 out of 10, a little suspense yes but that's it.$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw this show, I was 9, and it caught my attention right away when Stewie was trying to call Lois on the phone in the hotel. I laughed and kept on watching. When the episode was finished, i wrote down the name of the cartoon and watched it regularly. This separates itself from the Simpsons and other shows on say, Cartoon Network because the jokes are more mature, not too much, but it's TV-14 for a reason. The quick film cuts after each punch line and cute, funny movements and behavior of the characters make it special. Talented Seth Macfarlene is the creator and the voice of quite a lot of characters in the show. A good theme song, and a crazy family that there's always something funny, makes this my favorite cartoon along Sealab 2021 and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Check it out it's funny stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +This show, Paranormal State, has an almost "Blairwitch Project" feel to it. As in, you're watching a 'documentary' that's actually just a scripted movie, made to look and feel like a documentary.My biggest problem with the show, is their 'go to' outside advisers of the Warren's, who were made famous for their 'investigations' of the Amityville murders, which were shown to be completely fraudulent, just based upon the police reports of the family's deaths! (such as the eldest daughter actually having been involved in the entire thing, to the point of possibly even helping with some of the deaths!) Then there's the way they constantly jump to blaming demons for everything. Not to mention how haughty the group is about what cases they take. They don't want to help those who need it most, they just want the weirdest cases, that will get them the most press and attention.They're complete frauds, plain and simple.$LABEL$ 0 +I actually didn't start watching the show until it came on FX. I was bored and had nothing to watch and saw that the show's reruns were premiering so i decided to watch it. I was so upset that I had not watched the show when it first aired on t.v. I loved the show so much!Finally a show for everyone to enjoy. I remember Full House and Family Matters and Step by Step and they were okay shows but just not funny enough. They would make dumb jokes and laugh over things that were just plain stupid, but not That 70s Show. That 70s Show was hilarious, smart and so real. I think it was the best show ever made and I'm very sorry that it ended. Although I love this show, I do think it should have ended on the seventh season when Eric and Kelso leave. The last season was just not right, Eric was the main character and the show should have ended when his character leaves. I still love this show and I hope TV starts making more shows like this one.$LABEL$ 1 +If another Hitler ever arises, it will be thanks in part to nonsense like this film, which propagates the absurd notion that he was a visibly deranged lunatic from the start. Far from following such a person and electing him to the highest office in the land, sane people would cross the street to avoid him, and he would have died in a ditch, nameless and unknown.Anyone who reads the accounts of Hitler's close companions - the autobiography of his secretary Traudl Junge for instance - will be struck by the fact that people found him a kindly, intelligent, generous man. He was also a brilliant orator, and the fact that his speeches seem overblown and ranting to modern ears ignores the times in which they were made, when strutting pomposity was common in political speeches. Ditto the overstated anti-Semitism, which was neither a central plank of the early Nazis - who were primarily anti-communist - nor uncommon or unusual for the times. The film makes it look as though Hitler's sole ambition from the start was the Holocaust.If you want to identify the next person who will cause the death of tens of millions, you can ignore fleck-lipped ravers life the one portrayed here. Look instead for a charming, charismatic man whose compelling speeches inspire the entire nation, and whose political work visibly and materially benefits the country. I'm afraid his personality will be much more like Barack Obama's than Fred Phelps'.I hoped for much here, and got nothing but caricature. The fools who made this thing perpetrated a crime against reality. This is the historical equivalent of 'Reefer Madness'.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has a look and feel of many "Fresh" directors (closeups and focus on the emotions being experienced by the actors). The point of the film was presented from many angles and expressed well by the relatively inexperienced cast. The point being "Have faith in Jesus Christ and the Morman Church" Oh, and if you read or hear anything contrary to the teachings of the Prophet, it is just Haterade. (Fuel for Hatred)$LABEL$ 0 +Kurosawa, fresh into color, losses sight of his usual themes of truth and perception of reality and opts for a depressing take on Tokyo's slums. Kurosawa stretches for a style that was, in my opinion, his antithesis- that is to say, I feel as if Kurosawa wanted to make an Ozu picture. Poorly paced, poorly conceived, this movie is a rare dud in this auteur body of excellent work. While Ikiru, while being mundane and depressing, was still interesting and well paced, and while Stray Dog depicted the slums and social poverty of Japan without being too heavy handed or boring, do desu ka den has all the somberness that one could expect with its content, with none of the redeeming qualities of earlier Kurosawa pictures.Be warned, this is not a movie that Kurosawa should be judged by.$LABEL$ 1 +The year 1983 saw a strange phenomenon; two rival Bond films. "Octopussy", starring Roger Moore, was part of the official Cubby Broccoli Bond franchise. "Never Say Never Again", made by a rival producer, is, apart from the awful "Casino Royale", the only Bond movie which does not form part of that franchise. Its big attraction was that it brought back the original Bond, Sean Connery; its title reputedly derived from Connery's remark after "Diamonds Are Forever" that he would never again play the role. Some have complained that Connery was, at 53, too old for the role, but he was in fact three years younger than his successor Moore, who not only made "Octopussy" in the same year but went on to make one further Bond film, "A View to a Kill", two years later.The film owes its existence to the settlement of a lawsuit about the film rights to Ian Fleming's work. It is perhaps unfortunate that the terms of the settlement included a clause that the new film had to be a remake of "Thunderball", as that was perhaps not the greatest of the Connery Bonds. (A remake of "Dr No" or "Goldfinger" might have worked better). The plot is much the same as that of the earlier film; the terrorist organisation SPECTRE, acting together with a megalomaniac tycoon named Largo, have stolen two American nuclear warheads and are attempting to hold the world's governments to ransom by threatening to detonate them unless they receive a vast sum of money. It falls to Bond, of course, to save the world by tracking down the missing missiles.The film is fortunate in that it has not just one but two of the most beautiful Bond girls of all, Barbara Carrera as the seductive but lethal Fatima Blush and Kim Basinger as Largo's girlfriend Domino who defects to Bond's side after learning of her lover's evil plans. A number of the Bond films have a plot that hangs upon the hero's ability to win over the villain's mistress or female accomplice- there are similar developments, for example, in "Goldfinger", "Live and Let Die" and "The Living Daylights". In the official series, Bond's ally is normally regarded as the female lead, but here Carrera, playing the villainess, is billed above Basinger, who was a relatively unknown actress at the time. Basinger, of course, has gone on to become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, whereas Carrera is one of a number of Bond girls who have somewhat faded from view.Of the villains, Max von Sydow makes an effective Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, but Klaus Maria Brandauer seemed too bland and nonthreatening as Largo, except perhaps during the "Domination" game, a more sophisticated variant on those violent computer games such as "Space Invaders" that were so popular in the early eighties. Brandauer can be an excellent actor in his native German, in films such as "Mephisto" and "Oberst Redl", but he does not comes across so expressively in English.One of the film's features is that it both follows the normal Bond formula and, at times, departs from it. There is the standard world-in-peril plot, chase sequences, a series of exotic locations, glamorous women, sinister villains and a specially written theme song based on the film's title. There is, however, no extended pre-credits sequence, and we see some familiar characters in a new light. For example, Bond's boss M becomes a languid, supercilious aristocrat, his American colleague Felix Leiter is shown as black for the only time, and the scientist Q is portrayed by Alec McCowen as a disillusioned cynic with (despite his characteristically upper-class Christian name of Algernon) a distinctly working-class accent. There is also an amusing cameo from Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling British diplomat. Although Connery was perhaps not quite a good here as he was in some of his earlier films in the role, this ringing the changes on the familiar theme makes this one of the more memorable Bonds. 7/10 A goof. Rowan Atkinson's character states that he is from the British Embassy in Nassau. As, however, the Bahamas is a Commonwealth country, Britain would have a High Commission in its capital, not an Embassy.$LABEL$ 1 +A Roger Corman rip-off assembled for what appears to be virtually zero budget. All of the special effects were originally used in "Battle Beyond the Stars", and I suspect a fair amount of the props, costumes and sets were re-used from other sources as well. The story seems to have been written around these elements, so this isn't really a movie as much as it's a recycling project. Third-rate "Star Wars" junk wasn't needed then or now.$LABEL$ 0 +"Opposing Force [1986]" wasn't as good as "Dr. Strangelove" and it wasn't as good as "The Bridge on the River Kwai". Heck, it wasn't even as good as "G.I. Jane", which is pretty sad.The film revolves around a basic ethical problem: In a simulated prisoner-of-war situation, how far can you go before you start breaking the law? What exactly IS the law in such a situation? How can you simulate the torture of someone without actually torturing someone? Can you intentionally inflict pain? How about breaking bones? Mock executions? Sexual abuse? Severe blood loss? Real guns with bullets? Death? Somewhere between these is a really fuzzy line dividing "acceptable" from "atrocious".Now, what could you do if you found yourself in such a training program and the lines between simulation and reality begin to vanish? What could you do? This movie attempts to portray this dilemma.I found it interesting to see the types of tactics used in "resistance training". I have a brother who went through the USAF's POW training program. According to him, it was pretty close to the mark technically.The film has a fairly good premise, but it doesn't have a particularly good story. I wondered if it might be based on some actual event, but it became pretty apparent that it wasn't when the explosions started. They must have changed scriptwriters three quarters into the film, because it takes a real extreme turn and devolves into a somewhat pointless shoot-em-up with lots of distracting explosions. I found it to have a rather unsatisfying ending; again, kind of pointless. I'm left wondering what the point of the whole thing was - I'm beginning to suspect there simply wasn't one. It could have been much better with just a little more story to go along with the fireworks.$LABEL$ 0 +Any person with fairly good knowledge of German cinema will surely tell that numerous films about a young girl having troubles with her mother as well as her boy friend have been made in the past.If such a film is shown to people again,it would surely click provided if it has something new,fresh and captivating for today's challenging audiences. This is also true for German film maker Sylke Enders as her film's principal protagonist Kroko has been mistreated by everybody around her including her mother and boyfriend.She is bold enough to face any punishment as she has tried her hand at all kinds of criminal activities including shoplifting.Kroko was originally shot on DV to be blown afterwards to 35 mm format.Its technical virtuosity does not hamper our joys when we learn that Kroko would like to become a policeman as she feels that she is averse to the idea of becoming a run of the mill hairdresser.If someone were to state a positive aspect of Sylke Enders' film,it may well be Kroko's involvement with handicapped people as a result of a punishment.It is with Kroko that we learn that punks are human too with their unique joys and sorrows.$LABEL$ 0 +Horrible. I see many user comments on how great this show is. It truly is a Wanna-Be-Friends - Made in Taiwan knockoff. The jokes are lame as...and the plot is ridiculous. The actors are obviously struggling to be funny and are probably cringing when they hit those awful punchlines (if you can call them that). The bulk of the other users who have commented are obviously from another planet (or at least another continent). There are obviously reasons that TV companies cancel shows...and none of then are when shows are doing well. Make sense? Anyway, steer clear - even if it is raining and there is absolutely nothing else on this planet to do...go stand in the rain instead - more fun.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think this movie is for everyone. But I saw it this weekend in Seattle and I thought it was so funny. I haven't laughed that hard during a movie in long time. I thought the entire cast did a great job. You will find yourself laughing from the first moment through the very last scene. I suspect some moviegoers (especially the ones who take themselves WAY too seriously) will be turned off by this brand of humor. Not me. The movie was a real surprise. And the entire theater was rolling with laughter throughout the showing I went to which makes me think that a lot of people enjoyed themselves and were happy to have a good time at the movies for a change. I cannot wait to see it again! If you're in the mood to LOL then this is for you. Funny funny funny funny!$LABEL$ 1 +I was hooked in by the premise that the show was about demons. From hell. And a doorway to hell. What I didn't realize was that I would be watching some guys run around tunnels chased by small children who may / may not have been demons for the entire movie. Sure there was some dialogue in between, and great underground scenery but the lack of a plot, developed characters, any twists or development in the story at all was sorely lacking. Oh, and out of interest, there were no special effects. The entire budget was spent on actors salaries, sets and lots of time running around with a camera underground.The ending was one of the typical lackluster boring endings that makes you say "I endured this film of boredom for that!?" If you want to see demons and a doorway to hell, I promise you that you would be better off served watching the trailers to the game Hellgate : London which while shorter than this movie at 5 minutes, pack more dialogue, character development, action, plot and satisfying conclusions than this.The second star is for effort, but overall a low score for failing to make a movie that stands out, and for promising in the tagline much more than what was delivered.$LABEL$ 0 +Engaging characters, nice animation, dynamite songs...all this and cute kitties, too. There's a lot of excellent humor, but no real menace, so don't worry about your little ones. The two farm dogs steal the show, even though they only appear in two scenes. The artwork has a linear quality that may put off some people, but I find it charming.$LABEL$ 1 +Ted V. Mikels's film Corpse Grinders 2 is 103 minutes of excruciating cinematic swill. The plot is pretty much a mixture of nonsensical business dealings among people who grind corpses into cat food while cat aliens, who are losing a war with dog aliens, looking to get some of this cat food. Watching this movie, I began to look for any kind of distraction, anything to reassure myself that I was doing something else besides losing my mind from the inside out.Several scenes go on for far too long, as characters take forever to do simple things. I've heard that Mr. Mikels doesn't like to use jump cuts too often, fearful that they will confuse his audience. I'm not sure if this attitude is "avant-garde" or just "stupid." Try as I might, I could not bring myself to care about any of the characters in the unnecessarily huge cast, well with the possible exception of the old men who are the caretakers of the factory. The majority of the cast are a bunch of no-talent amateurs who don't even bother to learn the lyrics to "Amazing Grace" before they have to sing it on camera. Although perhaps the blame should go to the poor sound quality, since I only actually heard around 80% of the dialogue while watching the DVD.This is quite possibly the worst film to ever be shot. I've listened to snippets of the commentary,and Mr. Mikels comes off as a surprisingly sweet old man, what the hell was he doing making this kind of trash? I'd like to hear the explanations from the old men who had to lie shirtless on a metal conveyor belt waiting to be ground up. Movies I've long hated suddenly seem a lot better. I long for the intermittedly appropriate music of Excalibur, and the consistent lighting of Dawn of the Dead. I need to go do something, anything. Don't see this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +A bad movie, but with one reel that is worth savoring. For most of the film, the jokes are bad, the songs are bad, even W.C. Fields is bad. Then there is one sequence with Bob Hope and his movie-ex; the dialogue is witty and the song (a version of "Thanks for the Memories") light, cynical and delightful. Who parachuted in for this one bit? Yet it makes the whole thing worth the original 25 cents admission.$LABEL$ 0 +Well now, here's the thing - for this movie to work, you'll have to accept the following - a woman who's murdered is alive again at the end of the movie, a detective stops interrogating the dead woman's fiancée because a newspaper reporter asked him not to, and that same reporter, smitten by a good looking blonde hauled into night court for suspicious behavior, winds up getting married to her in exchange for the judge letting her off the hook. Are you following me on this? I can't tell you how many times I paused and rewound the picture to repeat scenes that just didn't make any sense. In the end, the blonde (Claudia Dell) and the reporter (Richard Hemingway) remained married, but I have no idea how they came to that decision. In fact, I can't figure out how the film maker came to the decision to make this flick. Oh I suppose there's some entertainment value here for just the sheer nonsense of it all, but it would have been nice if even a couple of the pieces fit. Still, I'm not ready to add this one to my Top Ten Worst list. I think that night club scene with the feathered ladies might have saved it. But why was it in the movie? I just don't know.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh yes! Hollywood does remember how to use the good old formula, and when lightning hits, it's a rather wonderful feeling. Rarely Hollywood creates a masterpiece because lately, there seems to be more concern with hurrying up and getting the most rewards in a hurried manner, or there is the matter of too many cooks in the mix. Usually good screenplays are the result of a talented writer who is in full control of his/her property, understand his material and is a good writer. Then, there is a little important part, often neglected by the marketing geniuses that so often lack creativity and vision: a good actor.A good actor can make the difference between a mediocre, half-cooked try, and a fully realized film that might not be an important and relevant movie, but one that contributes to its genre and might eventually become a classic of its type. We get very few romantic comedies, and we are people who are starved for them. Buried in the sexy humor of "Sex in the City" is the romantic, yet stormy relationship of Big and Carrie, and people flocked to "Mamma Mia" because it had some romance, skillfully played by Streep and Brossnam. It could have a silly musical, but it did touch us because it was played with intensity and conviction. "Nights" offers us more of it, with the amazing talents of a woman who does magnificent work in romantic films, Ms. Diane Lane. Ever since her days as a child actor, we could appreciate how her talent, combined with her appreciative soul allowed us to see into the hearts of the story's protagonists. A few years back, she teamed up with Mr. Gere, giving us a tormented, romantic, and sexy performance as the wife who is not too sure of her actions' consequences in "Unfaithful", work that should have garnered her at least an Academy Award. She is back, doing more formidable work in this romantic gem as a woman who has given up on her romantic prospects, and suddenly she realizes there might be another chance around the corner.Ms. Lane makes this film pulsate with intelligence and passion. Her facial expressions communicate volumes about the different emotions her character undergoes. We can read frustrations, yearnings, desperation, anger, hope, loss, and a range that is way out reach for a lot of the marketable types that Hollywood constantly push down our throats. Here is a mature performer who has the gift to project real emotions and allows us to connect with the material in such a way that we are moved as we become part of the experience.Ms. Lane is such a triumphant joy to watch as she goes through transformations from the first scenes of the film until the very end. Her discoveries become ours as we celebrate with her the power of hope and love. She is able to bring back the unsurpassed joy of a person in love, much like a teenager does, and yet she never lets you think of her character as silly or irresponsible. Her eyes are expressive gems that can move even the cynical in the audience. She is one of the stars that can do wonders with just one look. In her the classic feel of those grand movies of yesterday are back. Her work recalls the passionate and intelligent work of Hepburn, Davis, Garson, women who played everyday types and made them memorable because they created complete characters.We admire those superb actresses who recreate real life legends and are rewarded for it. Half their work is done by the mystique of the figures they impersonate; however as much as anyone might make you think, it is the roles such as Lane's in this movie that are a more impressive achievement because they are created from scratch, given a personal imprint and are able achieve heights without any previous theatrical material support, such as plays, and the background of a famous legend whose life is paid tribute on the silver screen. Lane's character is one woman whose experiences could be any of us. She represents our dreams and emotions with much quality, class, and just the right amount of sentiment. It is quite a remarkable achievement, and we should be grateful that we are still able to find such a remarkable performance nowadays.There are a few adjectives I could use to pay tribute to her work, but I can only say that in my humble opinion every single frame of her work in this film is testament to one of the greatest performances ever put on celluloid by a living performer. Thank you, Ms. Lane.$LABEL$ 1 +Really touching story of a recruitment camp in America, where young men are prepared for the Vietnam war. The human study always appealed to me when it comes to war movies, because it translates personal, subjective opinions on war, opposed war action movies where action, and technical data are being analyzed to the prejudice of the human factor. The movie manages to put a new spin on an already ancient subject, and manages to distance itself from usual war movies, especially by focusing on an anti-hero from the view-point of traditional standard. The movie focuses on the tragic character of Bozz, who smartly avoids being sucked in by the dehumanizing war machine, and refuses to give up control over his destiny and fight for something he doesn't believe in, spends his energy in searching ways to avoid being sent overseas, both for himself and comrades and ironically ends up finding his own just reason for finally going to war. Perfect irony.The acting is truly exceptional, and the documentary-style shooting almost makes you feel transposed into the movie. Also the movie will provide food for thought for those exhilarated by the action in usual war movies or war-games enthusiasts, hopefully awakening some minds of a generation which luckily escaped the terror of being drafted.$LABEL$ 1 +I first watched the Walking Tall movies when I was about 8 years old and I thought both Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson did a great job, they must have anyway because since watching the movies, I have tried to learn as much about the real Sheriff Buford Pusser as I can. All 3 parts of the movie gave me chills and Buford Pusser was a true hero, I only wish he were alive today and that there were more people like him. I would love to thank him for getting rid of all the crime and being so brave. I am very sorry that his family had to go through such horror and pain. My heart goes out to them. So from a 30 year old fan of Sheriff Pusser and of the 3-part Walking Tall movies and the actors that portrayed him, please do not be negative about these movies and actors, they were only trying to let us know what a wonderful man the real Buford Pusser was and what a great family he had. And to all the young people who may have not heard much about Buford, I suggest you watch the Walking Tall movies and learn more about him.$LABEL$ 1 +i would never have thought that it would be possible to make such an impressive movie without any music. but it is. just the pictures. watch out for that picture: anne talking with that little boy benny 'bout the soul. really strong. might make you feel different.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's face it, there is no perfect production of Hamlet, it's simply far too long and varied and cerebral to get completely perfect across the board, especially what with the challenges of Elizabethan English and Shakespeare's abstruse dialogue. In any staging of it, there are bound to be certain moments, scenes, or intonations that one disagrees with. I've seen a lot of filmed Hamlet productions: Olivier, Gibson, Branagh, Scott, and now this BBC film with Jacobi. In terms of faithful, full-length productions, this one ranks up there with the very best.Most Hamlet productions are drastically cut, because to perform the entire play takes a stage-time of four to five hours. This production appears to be complete -- that is, ALL of the original Shakespeare dialogue is intact -- and so it's essential for scholars and Shakespeare-lovers. And though the lines seemed rushed on rare occasion (for those less completely familiar with the text), for the most part the script is well-acted, well-spoken, and well-performed. Subtitles are available and very helpful, although upon occasion they lag slightly behind.Jacobi does a quite admirable job with theatre's longest and most impossible role. I actually cried when Hamlet dies, and I don't think I've done that before. Patrick Stewart (as Claudius) and Claire Bloom (as Gertrude) are excellent, as are Lalla Ward (Ophelia) and David Robb (Laertes), and the rest of the very on-point cast. Sets are minimal, so we can thankfully concentrate on the play without distraction or attention paid to non-essentials.At 3 hours and 45 minutes, this full-length Hamlet is a long haul to sit through, but again, if you want the real deal, it's 100% worth it, even if one needs to take an intermission for oneself. I highly recommend this production to all Shakespeare lovers and scholars.$LABEL$ 1 +I finally found a version of Persuasion that I like! Anne doesn't look like a scullery maid in this version, just a very thin, aging, pretty woman, quite like she's described in the book. Captain Wentworth doesn't look like he's 50, nor does he look perpetually angry but rather, as he's described in the book, he hasn't aged as much as Anne and is quite handsome. And they play their parts with such conviction and realism...that's what acting is all about. They were believable. They created real characters, and it was like the characters in the book came to life. If you haven't seen this version, I urge you to find it, order it or request it from either a bookstore, or a library if you must. It's worth the price and worth the wait. I watched the 1995 version, and the 2007 version and this one towers over the other two. Why it isn't rated higher is beyond my comprehension. The book conveys the tenderness of their relationship and this movie makes the book come to life.$LABEL$ 1 +I always liked this movie, I have seen it so many times but I always enjoyed it :) the story is interesting and special. But the only thing I have to disagree with is that I don't think Max lived in a Romanian monastery or what was that :P They don't look that way in Romania.. Anyway, back to the story, Ghita Muresan played pretty well but as someone said before me, his English needs to improve. And there were some funny moments and some tragical/sad parts too. It worths being seen, I thought it was sweet that the giant wanted to find his love. I recommended to you all. It's not the best movie ever, but it was nice!$LABEL$ 1 +Beautiful coming of age romance about an English boy and French girl who run off, and grow up.I saw this movie as a teenager and loved it. I saw it again this year and loved again.$LABEL$ 1 +The Comic Strip featured actors from 'The Young One's' - a student based sitcom from the 80's. Comic Strip features included parodies of westerns, 'The famous 5', and The Professionals - all a lot funnier than this. Having said that Alexei Sayle puts in a good turn as a traffic cop with ambition and the soundtrack features great music from the era. 5/10$LABEL$ 0 +just below the surface lies what? a simply awful movie is what.as other viewers have justifiably commented, the storm sequences are just plain ridiculous. chopping already sodden firewood in the pouring rain? now that's smart. menace? foreboding? sexual tension? for those read dull & contrived, dull & contrived and dull & overly contrived.i want to say thank god for mia sara's shower scene but in retrospect i think the producers of the film, having seen the completed mess realised that they had to put something in to make it half way worthwhile at all. so it just becomes yet another contrivance. do yourself a favour and give this a miss.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay so there were the odd hole in the plot you could drive a zeppelin through, but how well was the emotional stuff handled? It would have been so easy to descend into cheesiness but the writer pulled it off. The image of the ex female cyberman making crying noises as she/it saw her reflection after regaining her emotions is one that will stay with me forever. That's twice now the monsters have shown a soft side and been presented fleetingly sympathetically, the previous being the last Dalek from series one, but by Jove it's worked. Add to that the other ex-female who had been "upgraded" on the eve of her wedding, and Jackie Tyler recognising her husband after she had become "cyber" and you have a permanent throat lump. Keep it up!$LABEL$ 1 +The production value of AvP2 can be described by one adjective: AWFULThe script is ridiculous, even in the fictional area of AvP: What are the facehuggers good for on the Predator's ship? Why is the Predator cleaning up all signs of his influence and than wasting precious time with eviscerating and even presenting the body of an insignificant human cop? Why is the Predator alone? Why is the Predator equipping himself only on earth but on his home planet? Why does the Predator make his job so uneasy for himself by hunting down the Aliens rather than bombing the whole countryside like the humans do in the end? Why is the Predator dropping more & more of his few weapons rather than collecting them to keep them together after using one. In the end he is even dropping his armor before fighting the Predalien in hand to hand combat: what a bad plagiarism of the first predators final fight between Arny and the Predator. The Predator's gestures are so exaggerated that he is moving more like a Japanese sumo than like highly skilled extraterrestrial-safari-hunter. As one can see immediately the whole story is a mess. But it gets even worse because this botched-up job is filled up with boring patchwork of senseless interludes like a lengthy pizza ordering episode or some detailed information about the criminal past of the two brothers (Dallas & Ricky). The Sheriff is of course the friend of these two criminals who he puts regularly behind bars. (not convincing & absolutely superfluous for the plot).In addition to that the cast of actors is horrible. Compared to the high class of directors & actors of the former Aliens or Predator movies AvP2 is an embarrassingly bad piece of crap.At last the action of the movie is really poor. There is not a single scene of action combat in which the audience can see the whole set. Each and every fight is filmed in short & shaky bursts with close up zoom at nearly full darkness. That results in an atrocious experience for the audience because one can mostly see nothing but a dark shaky screen.I suggest the two directing brothers Strause to buy themselves a steadycam and get a lesson in modern CG so that the next film contains some visible action of visible figures and might not need to disguise their bad directing abilities in such a manner.I would advise anybody (even die hard AvP fans) against watching this film: prefer the first one or the original Aliens or the original Predator films but avoid disappointing yourself by wasting your precious time on this failure.$LABEL$ 0 +Brief marital infidelity comes back to haunt loving wife Grace Needham (portrayed by the always sexy Nastassja Kinski).She had left town, and her depressing husband, to embark on a trip to sunny Miami, where she was pursued and ultimately seduced by Julian Grant, a handsomely evil and manipulative business executive, who is portrayed very well by William Baldwin (why do all of the Baldwin brothers play evil people so damn well?)The seducing of Grace took place as the two drank champagne on a deserted beach they reached privately by sailboat. Grace admitted she drank too much for her own good and revealed the many problems in her marriage. Julian gained her confidence by claiming he would never allow those types of problems to occur, if he had a relationship with Grace. Julian's manipulation continued as he described a "lost at sea" fantasy involving the now uninhibited Grace, who sat near, listening to his every word and becoming more and more engaged with his romantic dream.His manipulation paid off as a few subtle nudges led to Grace's soft kisses, paused momentarily by her pulling back as if suddenly thinking to herself `What am I doing? I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I have a real life. Real responsibilities. Sure, the two of us have talked about being together, lost at sea, but that is just a fantasy. Look at what we're doing here. The consequences are real. We're really alone on a secluded beach. Am I going to let this fantasy really happen?'She succumbs to the dream, as her kisses became more passionate. The once guarded Grace, who used to respond to men's propositions by saying "I'm married" enjoyed watching as Julian unbuttoned her shirt, leading to more kisses, body caresses and her climbing onto Julian's lap! She smiles, kisses, moans, laughs and frequently looks up at the sun throughout what unfortunately was a brief love-making scene in which everybody seemed to have most of their clothes on.While I thoroughly enjoyed the look of illicit passion on Grace's face as the once devoted wife was being thoroughly satisfied by having sex with a man that clearly enjoys manipulating others, I will say that on the whole, the scene was undeserving of the movie's "R" rating.Julian returned home to find her husband rejuvenated from his securing of a high paying job, and she is excited about being able to return to a normal life where she can once again be a loving wife and caring mother.But the evil Julian Grant reenters the picture and is not willing to give up so easily on Grace. Grace has a plan to rid her life of Julian, but will it work?Obviously, I don't want to ruin the remaining story line for you. However, I will say that I always enjoy movies involving sexual pretense by a wife (especially when she exhibits uninhibited attraction and behavior that is normally reserved for her husband) but in actuality, is seeking revenge against the antagonist. This movie would have been much, much better if the movie had included more of that in the story line. My feelings are if the movie brings it up, then the movie should finish it. And this movie definitely brought it up. Unfortunately, certain constraints in the story line prevented this from being significantly pursued. There are many other movies available that succeed with that very point, and I'll include their titles in the "recommendations" portion of this section. I'm also open to receiving emailed suggestions of other movies that contain a good story line involving sexual pretense on the part of a seemingly devoted wife.Overall, Nastassja Kinski and William Baldwin are both very good. The movie is not.$LABEL$ 0 +It takes an eternity for this typically over-simplistic and idiotic Stephen King-based film to finally get out of the starting blocks. About half-an-hour is spent on needless introductions to various boring characters and their irrelevant little personal problems that might excite bored housewives and apathetic pensioners in soapy dramas, but this is supposed to be the horror genre (or so I naively thought). The mutt fails to look all that fearsome, which Leonard Maltin, the notoriously clueless/hopeless and always grinning film critic, would disagree with: he considers Cujo to be "genuinely frightening". (I often do have to wonder if Maltin is genuinely thick - or merely likes to do favors for his Hollywood friends...) It's both illogical and inconsistent the way Wallace survives an attack with only a leg injury. And, naturally, her car breaks down just when she needs it to save her life: this is one of the oldest horror-film clichés; trust King to use it to minimum effect. The premise is imbecilic, too banal, even for a horror film: a rabid mutt attacks a family. Is that it? This sort of thing barely constitutes a 3-minute sub-sub-plot in your average zombie film. I think even Cujo must have sensed that he was starring in a turkey. Mutts have terrible agents... But what I really don't understand is how people can actually throw themselves at the "Cujo" book and read it from cover to cover? These SK fans must be immortal: that's the only explanation, i.e. why they treat time as such a meaningless commodity.Bodycount: 3.$LABEL$ 0 +Having loved Stephen King's novels and short stories for many years, I, like most reviewers, have been consistently disappointed in the adaptations to film from his printed works. A few notable exceptions are "Stand By Me" from "The Body", "Carrie" from the novel of the same name, and "The Shawshank Redemption" from "Rita Heyworth and Shawshank Redemption". This movie is by far the worst thing that has ever been produced with Stephen King's name attached to it in any way. It is no surprise that Mr. King has pretty much disavowed any connection with it. I feel the thing that most offended me about this poorly acted, cheaply filmed, hideously directed piece of garbage is that they had the audacity to COMPLETELY change the ending Don't waste your time or money on this amazing bow-wow of a movie!!$LABEL$ 0 +A wonderfully quirky film with enough twists for a sack of pretzels. Parker Posey plays Fay Grim as a sexy, vulnerable, loving mother who may or may not be what she seems. The story is very tongue in cheek, and the dialog skillfully understated. Hints of humor and intrigue, neither of which overpower the characterization Posey pulls off so well. The supporting cast is stellar. The downside? This film needs your full attention, almost to the point of stopping the film and taking notes. Posey has more sex appeal in her lifting of an eyebrow than most actresses have in their entire body. She's worth your time, even if you don't understand the denouement.$LABEL$ 1 +Did they use their entire budget paying the porno stars or what?!?Sound effects, background music and the editing in general was so bad you'd think some 12-year-old wanna-be made the film.Most of the acting was good considering the script... the "innocent virgin" played her part really well.The mutants look really cool and this actually could have been a really cool flick with the right brain behind the wheel... but, unfortunately for all involved, that's not the case.Turn Left was made better than this movie and those guys didn't even have any money!!! Good thing I didn't rent the movie myself!$LABEL$ 0 +Matthew McConaughey is a mysterious man waiting for Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) in his FBI office. He claims to have information about a serial killer chased by FBI. When Agent Doyle arrives in the office, he tells him that the serial killer is indeed his dead brother. Agent Doyle requests some evidence, and the man tells the story of his life, since his childhood. They were a simple family of three: his widow father Meiks (Bill Paxton), his brother and himself. One night, his father gathers the two brothers and tells them that an angel of God had just visited him and assigned his family to destroy demons. What happens next is one of the most scary movie I have ever seen. I watched this movie four months ago on VHS, and yesterday I watched again, now on DVD. Although being a low-budget movie, the screenplay is sharp, with no flaw. The cast is outstanding, but I would like to highlight the performance of Matt O'Leary as the young Felton. It is a very difficult and complex role to be performed by a young teenager. The direction of Bill Paxton is remarkable. There is no explicit violence in this horror movie. A great debut behind the camera. I regret the Brazilian title of this movie: 'A Mão do Diabo' (The Devil's Hand'). If at least it were 'The God's Hand', it might be acceptable. But calling this movie as 'the devil's hand' is indeed ridiculous. Brent Hanley, the screenwriter, did not deserve such a lack of respect from the Brazilian distributor. This film is highly recommended. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "A Mão do Diabo" ("The Devil's Hand")$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not going to criticize the movie. There isn't that much to talk about. It has good animal actions scenes which were probably pretty astonishing at the time. Clyde Beatty isn't exactly a matinée idol. He's a little slight and not particularly good looking. But that's OK. He's the man in that lion cage. We know that when he can't take the time away from his lions to tend to his girlfriend, he will end up on an island with her and have to save the day. Someone said earlier that it is a history lesson. The scenes at the circus are of another day, especially the kids who hang around. I didn't realize that even back in the thirties, they sailed on three masted schooners. It looked like something out of 1860. I guess that's the stock footage they had. No wonder the thing got wrecked. They're always talking about fixing her up. There's even a dirigible. It tells us a little about male female relationships at the time, a kind of giggly silliness. But if you don't take it too seriously, you can have fun watching it.$LABEL$ 0 +A high school track star falls dead after winning a race; shortly after, her older sister (Patch Mackenzie) returns home in time to notice that all of her sister's track team members are disappearing. Who could the killer be? You may not care enough to want to find out.Crude, cheap, amateurish slasher is just about completely worthless, although top-billed Christopher George (as the nasty, hard-driving track coach) tries to give it a lift with an intense performance. Not even the gore is worth mentioning. The whole thing is lame from beginning to end, starting with opening the movie to a track meet montage set to disco music, and the casting of E.J. Peaker, once a co-star of the movie "Hello, Dolly" as a character named "Blondie"! That's right, "Blondie". This may mean that we aren't supposed to take the movie seriously, but in any case it's a shambles.It's the kind of routine slasher junk that makes the "Friday the 13th" movies look like works of art in comparison.The only point of interest may be wanting to see an early film appearance by Vanna White, of all people.2/10$LABEL$ 0 +I love horses and admire hand drawn animation, so I expected nothing short of amazement from Dreamworks new animated picture Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. I guess you could say I was a little bit disappointed. You have wonderful animation and at first what seems like a perfect story. A story about absolutely nothing but a horse in nature. The animals don't sing cute songs or even talk -- a major plus. Sadly, the film has an uncalled for narration by Matt Damon; a sappy soundtrack by Bryan Adams; and enough action scenes to compare it to a Jerry Bruckheimer production. If the film makers would have just stayed with simplicity, we'd have a masterpiece here. This is not a great film, but it is good entertainment for small children. I would recommend this film to families because it has its heart in the right place and its the only thing out there right now that isn't offensive to small children. Not bad, but could have been much better. Very pretty visuals though.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie of 370 minutes was aired by the Italian public television during the early seventies. It tells you the myth attributed to Homer of the Journey home of Odysseus after the Troy war. It is an epic story about the ancient Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, told at list 500 years after those events toke place, around 1100 BC.This is a 1969 movie, so if you buy the DVD version you would find that the sound is just mono and there is no other language than Italian, even the close caption is in Italian. Pity. Many people would enjoy this masterpiece if it had at list the English subtitles. But if this is not a problem for you, than I would strongly recommend to watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +In my analysis of "Trois couleurs: Blanc" I wrote that its tone is much lighter than the tone of "Trois couleurs: Bleu". I think it's the same with this film. This time it's not because of a tragic comedy-element, but much more because of the main character Valentine. Although her boyfriend is living abroad and is ridiculously jealous, she manages her life with lightness and optimism, it seems to me that she might be Kieslowski's image for a carefree youth. The opposite seems to be the judge, who is very pessimistic, a grumpy old man, who experiences big loneliness. In my view, Valentine and the judge are pretty similar to each other, the judge is just much older and has experienced many more disappointments. They share a different kind of naivety and they both discover that they can learn much from the other one. Finally I would like to stress Irène Jacob's performance, she rounds off the run of amazing female contributions to the "Three Colours"-trilogy.$LABEL$ 1 +This production, build on real danish crime stories, is a experience through excellent directing, acting on all levels and has a nerve not often seen in crime series. Every episode is a thrill because it's seems like the hole team believe that "this is my life right now - this murder or murders are MY responsibility to solve" and the output is brilliant.As a viewer, you just have this wonderfully filling of being entertained cause it feels like their focus, on purpose or not, lie on that they WONT you to have a good time...:o) Don't miss this one, it's just right under 'Band of brothers' quality and is a "must have seen" experience - What a wonderful crime time !$LABEL$ 1 +Was excited at the opening to hear part of "Chevaliers De Sangreal" but wanted more so I bought said Hans Zimmer piece. Possibly the most inspiring and beautiful 4 minutes of music ever written! This movie is an exciting thriller masterpiece even w/o the religious considerations. You get to tour the Vatican and parts of Rome with excellent cinematography. The opening at CERN where the "God Particle" or largest quantity of Antimatter is created with STUNNING visuals is an immediate clue which foretells the excellence of this movie. Who doesn't love Hanks? The storyline and twists in this film are just superb and well drawn out until the amazingly twisted climax. This film suggests a satisfying compromise between Science and Religion though plenty of closed heads will persist on both sides. "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." A.Einstein$LABEL$ 1 +What to say about a movie like Rock Star? A lot actually! This is the type of movie that is almost tailer made for the critics to slam. It is also a movie I, as a MAJOR Hard Rock fan enjoyed-no-loved actually-while all the while being very consciously aware of its many flaws and that the movie, while a decent effort in some respects missed the chance it had to escape into greatness and become a rock movie classic. Oh well....I loved this movie-and would see it again and again-but I know that's purely based on my own personal tastes-Rock Star is a movie that will appeal to anyone who has experienced elements of the rock or hard rock lifestyle and wants to go down the road to nostalgia. It was a great time for metal heads. And it's nice to have a movie that effectively captures that(long forgot by many non-rock fans.) time effectively, as I think that Rock Star has done. That is one of the film's strengths, the concert footage. You will feel like your right there with them and how could any hard rock fan not love that? As far as setting the atmosphere Rock Star gets a 10 of 10. It also gets a 10 of 10 for pure entertainment. If you want a movie to just let yourself go and free flow into some great memories of good times past, then this is the movie for you. It is also the reason why I loved this movie so.But it isn't a great movie. I understand that and were it my actual job to review movies professionally, I'd probably have to be a bit hard on this one. The problem with Rock star is the character development.What is wrong with the character development is this, there isn't any. None. The movie has certain scenes-few and far between but they ARE there-that DO touch on greatness:WARNING BRIEF SCENE SPOILERS: 3 examples- 1)when Izzy makes his debut on stage(including the fall he takes)2)The first "after show" party with Emily(Anniston and Izzy.)3)Backtracking a little-In the beginning when the original lead singer is casually dismissed(fired)-the whole "business as usual" tone sets the stage for what's to come. It's played very effectively.But the problem is, nothing ever does come. There is little to no character development of anyone in this movie, peoples' persona's are merely touched on, but never fully explored. I don't think that's the fault of the actors/actresses,particularly Anniston who tries hard, they just are not given much to work with. It's just that the script was weak and lacked the ability to go beyond the "formula" feel into true movie depth. Rock star was so sugarcoated at times(including towards the end) it was almost ridiculous. And , though, those scenes I mentioned WERE outstanding and very believable, sadly much else in the movie wasn't.Another reviewer mentioned the lack of buildup towards the end and I agree but there was actually a lack of buildup about ANYTHING. WHY does Izzy leave at the end? Because he misses his girlfriend and the band won't let him write songs? It tests the limits of believability. And, frankly the end was just corny. Made no sense and had no reality to it at all.Watching this, it's almost like watching a movie where the makers of it said: OK, this happens here and then this happens and then this etc etc etc. By the end it's no longer a movie about a boy who's dream came true, it's just another thickly formulated love story. And you wonder why so much detail is left out....I hope I'm not being to hard on Rock Star because I truly loved it-but not for the right reasons. I would have liked to love this as a great movie about the highs and lows of rock fame. Instead I loved it for it's 80's period feel, the clothes, the hair, the lights, the life.... Although many others loved it to, I suspect most are people who lived the life of a rock fan, like I did or some who play. I'd have liked to see the movie cross over and just be respected for being a good, well told movie, instead of a cliché. I think, one of the problems was the length. I myself, hate over long films but this was one that really should have been longer, if a movie is done really right, the length is not even felt-there is just to much to the story for it to be as short as it was-that's one reason why there doesn't seem to be much development of either the story or the human beings portrayed in the movie.So-to wind down-this is a movie you can greatly get into- but not a great movie. See it for fun. See it for entertainment. See it to go back to that great, great space in time when metal wasn't just a part of life, it WAS life-and for those non rock fans-see it to get a little glimpse into a life that meant and still means so much to so many of us.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not a writer or an critic...I'M just a student that has seen this movie few minutes ago....AND I want to thank people that worked on creating this movie!It is not the best or the most.... but it touched my heart...why???i would like to understand it myself...it is easy and accessible..it is a movie that makes you feel good after a bad day without any regret about the time wasted on watching it!It is about love and caring, about the life that we have but we miss it sometimes because of material stuff .......Look at all the time that we have but we miss it....why a fu*k do we do that???We need to live like were dying ...care about every second and remember:if we do good things-good things come back to us!HAppiness is real...and it has a special taste in New York...i love this town and the world the we live in!!!!thank you very much for the movie and sorry for my mistakes(English is my second language)...$LABEL$ 1 +This may very well be the worst movie I'll see if I live to be 100. I think a group of first-graders could have come up with better plot lines as a class project than this. I'm dumber for having watched it, and God have mercy on the souls who were paid to produce this film.And after I finally turned it off, I actually had the urge to vomit.No one had a clue about photography when made this. No one had a clue about acting. No one had a clue about just about anything.I can't believe F/X shows this crap on occasion. The only time I had seen it was on one of the Starz! channels - not even the main one. And it was on at about 3 a.m. at that.$LABEL$ 0 +If this was the best dutch cinema had to offer these years, my worst fears have come true. I have NEVER, even in dutch movies, seen worse acting. I couldn't get myself to watch it for more than 40 minutes, so if that's the cause of me missing the genius, so be it.$LABEL$ 0 +As a child I preferred the first Care Bear movie since this one seemed so dark. I always sat down and watched the first one. As I got older I learned to prefer this one. What I do think is that this film is too dark for infants, but as you get older you learn to treasure it since you understand it more, it doesn't seem as dark as it was back when you were a child.This movie, in my opinion, is better than the first one, everything is so much deeper. It may contradict the first movie but you must ignore the first movie to watch this one. The cubs are just too adorable, I rewind that 'Flying My Colors' scene. I tend to annoy everyone by singing it.The sound track is great! A big hand to Carol and Dean Parks. I love every song in this movie, I have downloaded them all and is all I am listening to, I'm listening to 'Our beginning' also known as 'Recalling' at the moment. I have always preferred this sound track to the first one, although I just totally love Carol Kings song in the first movie 'Care-A-Lot'.I think the animation is great, the animation in both movies are fantastic. I was surprised when I sat down and watched it about 10 years later and saw that the animation for the time was excellent. It was really surprising.There is not a lot of back up from other people to say that this movie is great, but it is. I do not think it is weird/strange. I think it is a wonderful movie.Basically, this movie is about how the Care Bears came about and to defeat the Demon, Dark Heart. The end is surprising and again, beats any 'Pokemon Movie' with the Care Bears Moral issues. It leaves an effect on you. Again this movie can teach everyone at all ages about morality.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's not kid ourselves, this atrocity is not Plan Nine or Cat Women. It is bad, period! The performances vary from drama school theatrics (Marla English) to a 'couldn't care less' walk through (Tom Conway). The photography (even in a good print) is so murky it is occasionally hard to see what is happening. The real problem, however, is the aimless, pointless, nearly plot less story and the leaden, paceless direction. At a brisk 77 minutes it still feels endless.The screenplay is especially inept. There are two story lines that only intersect at the very end of the picture. Tom Conway is trying to create a super race, using voodoo and modern science (although there is little science in evidence) which he can control telepathically. He is keeping his wife prisoner (for no discernible reason). Meanwhile a couple of petty crooks and a white hunter type guide are trying to find the village in which he is working, in the expectation of gold and jewels. When they finally arrive, Tom Conway decides that one of them, the woman, is the perfect subject for his experiments. She is turned into a monster, kills Conway (natch!) and then reverts to normal. She sees a gold statue half drowned in a boiling pool, tries to retrieve it and falls in the water and apparently drowns. The white hunter rescues the wife. In the final shot we see the supposedly drowned woman emerge as the monster again; threatening a sequel (now that really is a scary thought!).The AIP producer, Samuel Z Arkoff, in a lecture included on the DVD, prides himself on spotting the teenage niche market and satisfying it with ingenious low budget movies. However, it is difficult to see how anyone could think this rancid concoction would satisfy any sort of audience. What appeal do they think it could possibly have? The monster appears so rarely that it could hardly be called a horror film. The jungle action is tepid and tedious. There are no teenagers in it and no characters that teenagers could be expected to identify with.The producers exposed 77 minutes of film, but they didn't make a movie. This is a con trick and Arkoff should be ashamed of his association with it.$LABEL$ 0 +The above seemed a much more appropriate title when me and my suicidal underlings decided to watch this masterpiece of modern bullshit Erotic,Scary, Suspenseful, Well thought out, these are all the things this film fails to be.It is however incredibly funny, the slow sound effects and bad dubbing add to this to make one of the greatest comedies I have seen in recent years. And yet this film doesn't even try to be funny and that is one of the movies grand achievements, it becomes a comedy without even attempting to amuse.Throughout the film an old guy who looks amazingly like Santa Claus goes around ploughing over zombies and smashing vampires into the ground. This made me fail to believe the films title, if this was vampires vs zombies why were the vampires and zombies not fighting? Oh well whatever, besides there were more flaws to this rental than the title. Such as this one; there has been a virus sweeping through America creating zombie like beings who go around acting a lot like your average tourist. And yet there's only four zombies in the entire film. Another problem is besides one shop everywhere is deserted. Surely you'd see zombies roaming about in the woods or in the background a bit. In fact I believe they just drove around in a circle of forest over and over again since they didn't have a high enough budget to film in a wider location, that or the director didn't want to waste his precious time filming in different areas of wood he was to busy sitting in a trailer jerking off to be bothered with such trivial matters.In fact the director had so much fun doing this that he didn't have enough time to hire a big enough cast or even an editor. And so he told the eight members of the cast to dress up as different people and try not to act inconspicuous, whilst I assume he changed his name and began randomly snipping at the film reels "editing isn't a hard job anyway right?" The only reason this "movie" found it's way into our bag was because somehow we got it confused with Freddy vs Jason, strange how these things happen isn't it. And the only way we made it though the night was by strapping gas masks on and bolting them to our skulls to avoid the stink of this nauseating mess.Oh yes we did laugh at the end, but I'm sure one does that a lot when he has lost his sanity...................$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is god awful. Not one quality to this movie. You would think that the gore would be good but it sucks bad. The effects are worse and the acting if you can call it acting is the worst I've ever seen. This movie was obviously shot on a camcorder and runs on a budget around 500 dollars probably. If you want to watch a good Zombie movie than watch Dawn of the dead or Day of the dead. If you want to watch a good cheap shot on video Zombie movie like this but way better than watch Redneck Zombies. Please avoid this movie at all costs. It is unwatchable and pointless. You've been warned. I've got nothing else to say about this stupid movie.$LABEL$ 0 +A colleague from work told me to watch this movie, since he considered this movie to be one of the best movies ever. So I did watch it. First I have to admit that I dislike mainstream movies and prefer to watch movies with a real meaning.And this is the point, why I dislike this movie. It doesn't have any meaning. It's just a combination of funny, stupid, boring, entertaining, absurd and thrilling pieces.At first I thought that this movie could be a real mystery thriller (as the German packaging read), but the movie was too mysterious for me.David Lynch may be able to make a combination of the most different images, but the composition tastes to me as awfull as a combination of milk with beer. Both for themselves are pretty good, but together?$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, I think the casting and acting were excellent. The problem is the story. There is basically no story here worth telling and thus basically no movie here. Larry McMurtry has done Lonesome Dove and I can't fault the original, though it probably didn't need sequels. He did Hud with Paul Newman, which is one of my favorite movies. Mellencamp is supposed to be a country singer, but the only song I hear him sing is an old Buck Owens song. The movie makes a big deal out of chicken farming. Mellencamp's character has a good wife, and it's utterly stupid of him to stray from her. The incident with riding in the sliding cage is utterly stupid. Maybe people do that for fun in some parts of the country, but I never heard of it.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has the most beautiful opening sequence ever made. I've seen this movie for the first time a week ago, since then every day I see the opening and every time I feel as thrilled as I felt the first time I heard David Niven uttering the immortal words from Sir Walter Raleigh's The Pilgrimage:Give me my scallop-shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope's true gage; And thus I'll take my pilgrimage (…)Do you know why it would be a truism to say Michael Powell's and Emeric Pressuburger's lives are thoroughly justified for having crafted such a wonderful opening? Because they had been already admitted in the Paradise of Poets long before they made this movie.I imagine both of them facing trial during Doomsday and saying nonchalantly to an irate God: I beg your pardon, Sir. So, do You want to know what have we done during our lifetime? Well, well you'll see: We've written directed and produced: I know Where I'm Going, Colonel Blimp, Red Shoes… do you think that enough Sir? It is rather obvious that these two great artists had already fulfilled their duty with God, Nature the Muse or Whatever you may call It when they shot A Matter of Life and Death. The fact that other people's lives would be justified for their deeds could be not apparent to everybody, notwithstanding I feel my life would have a meaning had I never done anything else that to see this movie.Of course old-timers will be tempted to say: They don't do movies like this one any more. They'll be partially mistaken; they didn't make movies like this in the past times either.I've have already quoted Keats here, but I'll repeat his words: A thing of beauty is a joy forever.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, where to begin? I guess I can start with the general complaint regarding the way in which this film is marketed. Call me ignorant for not knowing of Schneebaum's book before viewing the documentary that has been based off of it and decide that I have been living under some kind of a rock, but don't blame me for picking this movie up since the title and the description on the box makes no note of the fact that this "documentary" is actually a companion to said book. Yeah, I felt quite stupid after viewing this little flick seeing as how the reason as to why I sat down to watch it in the first place was to get a good serving of a "Modern Cannibal Tale." I mean, am I a fool for expecting this film to actually cover most of its story on the behavior of cannibalism in jungle tribes? I certainly didn't expect an hour and forty-five minutes of one old geezer kissing his own ass by whining about every little detail of his dull and worn out life. I certainly didn't expect the insipid directing and I most notably did not foresee myself laughing so hard at Tobias Schneebaum and all of his off-putting glory.Schneebaum is indeed unlikable. The old man just rambles and bitches the entire film making the whole picture a personal tale of his even though he isn't even that interesting a character to fill a story. Oh really? He was a cannibal? Ninety percent of the movie is focused on next to nothing regarding Schneebaum's dirty past. The only time that we really get to see some cannibal action is when Tobias finally breaks his little silent treatment about what happened to him in Peru and say that he had "a small piece." That's it, folks. Ninety minutes of bull later and Tobias Schneebaum is a cannibal by three inches. It's like calling a movie "The Life Of A True Don Juan" only to see that the only the time the protagonist of said film did something sexual happened during college when he once played "just the tip." Unbelievable.The directing is, indeed, superbly ghastly as there is no flow or rhythm to the story that is being told. Alright, I understand that I didn't read Schneebaum's volume before watching his celluloid tale of it, but I can still recognize some bad pacing and even worse editing. One minute Schneebaum is talking about cruise ships and tourism and the next he's going on and on about how he can't drive and then jumps to talking about some dead relative or some failed and miserable saga in his life. I mean, Jesus, can you at least slam his back story to the first part; follow up with some stuff covering his homosexuality and then end it off with a hearty look into his visit to Peru? Also: I don't particularly care much for Schneebaum's insipid little quips on life and living, but I at least implore the old man to keep consistent with his ramblings. If I hear a guy talking about how he prefers life in the jungle I don't expect him to suddenly bitch and moan about wanting to go back home twenty minutes later. Absurd.Another note on the directing is the random clips from the story at hand to the small little television appearances in which our hero has appeared. While some might find the clips to be fancy little breaks from the story, the director has overused the gimmick and broken his entire film into pieces by seemingly attempting to place most of the efforts of telling the story on the old reels.The bottom line, here, is that Tobias Schneebaum is a fraud. Pure and simple. I know that I haven't read the book, but I'm still holding on to the argument that this film is totally useless by noting that a good film must stand on its own. This documentary relies way too much on the assumption that the viewer is already an avid fan of Schneebaum's work and instead goes on from that assumption like a supplemental disk found on a DVD. Schneebaum is both arrogant and bitchy, striking a sour combination when mixed with the fact that his story is remarkably un-riveting. If you're looking for a solid piece on the nature of humans and cannibalism, turn away because "Keep The River To Your Right" is an embarrassingly hilarious self-serving rant over a man who is long overdue for a straight-jacket and a gag.$LABEL$ 0 +So I don't ruin it for you, I'll be very brief. There's some great acting and funny lines from the attractive cast. A young graduate of Harvard Med School (Brian White) finds out he doesn't know as much as he thinks about people. He goes to a small hospital in Florida for his internship because a girlfriend (Mya) left him for a job as a TV Producer. His Senior Resident (Wood Harris), helped marvelously by his 'creative collaborator'(Zoe Saldana) bring him up to speed. They help protect his career and show him the wider possibilities that come from being a compassionate doctor instead of a player who just wants to make money (as seems to be true for many of my pre-med friends).$LABEL$ 1 +I can only think of one reason this movie was released. To capitalize off the upcoming fame of Guy Pearce. This movie has no merit at all and needlessly trashes Errol Flynn's memory. The homosexual encounter was pure speculation. The disdain shown for Flynn in this movie is palpable. An easy way to slander an actor who died years ago. Horrible and embarrassing. Very disappointing. Don't waste your time on this utter trash. Watch My Wicked wicked ways if you want to learn about this fine actor or read his autobiography. This movie is NOT the way.$LABEL$ 0 +Hellborn starts as a young psychiatric doctor named James Bishop (Matt Stasi) takes up his residency at St. Andrews insane asylum, or 'mental illness facility' as they like to call it there. With nearly 600 patients Bishop meets his boss Dr. McCort (Bruce Payne) & is put to work, he gets ward 'A' where some seriously deranged & dangerous patients are held. If that wasn't bad enough during his first round of visits Bishop finds a dead body & has threatening sounding graffiti messages sprayed over his room. Bishop starts to hear stories from the patients about sinister goings-on at the asylum & soon finds out for himself the stories have more than a hint of truth about them...Known as Asylum of the Damned in the US this supernatural horror film was directed by Philip J. Jones & I sort of liked it but in the end there were too many unsatisfying elements for me to totally enjoy it. The script by Matt McCombs takes itself pretty seriously & I quite liked the basic idea behind & some of it's ideas but there are a few things which work against it. For a start the film is just too slow, the story is pretty good & doesn't give itself away too early but it takes an absolute age for it to get going & I was rapidly losing interest with each passing minute. I also thought the so-called twist ending was far too predictable & the ending itself far too bland & forgettable. It's a shame because I liked the story, the character's, the setting & some of the ideas but it's simply too slow & frankly dull to keep one entertained over it's 90 minute duration. It's one of those films which I would like to recommend but in all honesty I can't.Director Jones does a good job, this is actually a well lit & quite atmospheric film. I wouldn't say there's anything scary here. I'm not sure if Hellborn was shot in a real insane asylum but if it wasn't they did a great job on the sets & the film looks pretty good overall. Unfortunately there is a real lack of gore or action, there are two hand-print shaped wounds & a severed tongue & that's it, absolutely nothing else in terms of blood or gore which has to go down as a disappointment. Depending on who you believe & which review you read the special effects are either the worst ever or very good, well as a devoted watcher of low budget horror I was very impressed with the effects especially the demon thing which looks mightily impressive & is a man in a suit type effect rather than a terrible CGI computer graphic although it's an impressive suit. It all depends on your expectations I suppose.Technically the film is good, it looks nice enough & the lack of CGI computer effects is something I welcome. The acting isn't great though, it certainly could have been better.Hellborn is a film that disappointed me, there were some good stuff about it but at the same time some terrible stuff which unfortunately outweighs the good. I sort of liked parts of it but as a whole 90 minute viewing experience I'd find it totally impossible to recommend to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +It seems to me, as a recent film school graduate, that in these times of New Zealand film reaching new heights, the general public seems to think every New Zealand film made is great. Sione's Wedding proves this is dead wrong.It's completely overrated and not funny, and far from the 'hilarious' film other users of IMDb have commented. The only really funny thing I found in this film was Derek the wannabe black guy, but other than that the jokes were recycled crap that we'd all heard before.Being of half-Samoan decent, I wanted to see how the film was going to deal with Polynesian representation. It was a complete balls-up - I know it's a supposed comedy, but I didn't feel like the characters had anything new to say about Polynesian identity, even if it was in a tongue-in-cheek manner. I was most disappointed with the ending of the film and the resolution of the character's relationships - Mikaele was the player who only messed around with white women, comes to slightly turn his ways when the 'Dusky Maiden' comes to town, has an epiphany that maybe he should start looking for a stable relationship, then at the very last minute rejects it and accepts his position as a Polynesian Playboy for palagi women. I didn't understand why they did this.All in all, it was very disappointing. My whole family went to see it expecting to have a good laugh, but ended up being really bitter about paying to see it at the cinema. The jokes are lame at best, the acting, particularly of Sefa's girlfriend, APPALLING, and honestly I would've been happy if I had got my hands on one of those pirated copies of the film to save myself the $15 ticket price.I think the only good thing to come from the movie is that it's the second step (behind No. 2, of course, a far superior film to this one) in the birth of Polynesian cinema. I hope Pacific filmmakers in the future can learn from Sione's Wedding in how to NOT reflect Polynesia and have something more meaningful and sensible to say. Even if it is done in a comedic fashion.$LABEL$ 0 +Hard to imagine what they were thinking of when they made this movie (i.e., the writers, directors, producers, actors, editors, etc.). Christopher Plummer, veteran of 129 movies, frolics along among scores of other actors with apparently no more motivation than to collect a paycheck. I guess there is nothing wrong with that, but once they are paid that doesn't mean anyone has to watch it.It bugs me that there are actually good reviews for this movie here at imdb. Art? If you want to see art go to an art gallery, don't watch this movie. Comedy? Watch a re-run of the Flintstones, about the same plot with less time wasted.Dabney Coleman gives his usual performance, for better or worse. And some of the young actors may have gotten some good experience from doing this movie. But Plummer???? It was embarrassing to watch his performance, in fact I was positively transfixed on him throughout the movie, knowing this was Plummer of Sound of Music fame! I see from his bio that he called Sound of Music "sound of mucus", so guess he didn't like it as much as the 100's of millions who liked him in it.I wonder if today he was asked, how do you rate Sound of Music compared to Where the Heart Is, what would he say.....?Probably something like "Where the Money Is"....$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, the actor they have to play Jesus has blue eyes... half the actors they have playing Jews have blue eyes. Aren't there enough brown-eyed actors out there? Jesus being depicted as having blue eyes is one of my pet peeves. He was a full-blooded Jew! Second of all, what is it with old English-language movies that are supposed to take place in non-English-speaking countries, and everybody has English accents? (Another example is David Lean's "Dr. Zhivago".) Aren't there enough either Jewish actors or actors who can do a Israeli accent? The movie often is not true to the Scriptures, and so seems to doubt the legitimacy of Jesus's claim to be the Messiah. In the bible, when Jesus is baptized by John, a voice comes from heaven saying "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22). In the movie, John the Baptist says this! The screenwriter seems to be trying to portray the believers as crazy, as well. For example, in the bible, the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will become pregnant with the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38), but in the movie, we do not see or hear any angel - Mary appears to be talking to a moonbeam, and when Mary's mother hears her talking to someone and peeks in on her, she doesn't hear or see anyone either. Also, in the movie, when Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in the Temple in Jerusalem, he says, "You shall not see me here again, not until you learn to cry, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord', for I and my father are one and the same." The correct line (Matthew 23:39 and Luke 13:35)is "You will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Period. Jesus never claimed to be God. The movie cuts out a lot of important parts (the Sermon on the Mount is very expurgated), but then spends a lot of time on stuff that isn't even in the bible (a whole scene with Mary Magdalene talking with a john). It seems like the screenwriter, instead of wanting to do a movie version of the Scriptures, wanted to make a movie about what he thinks might have really happened behind (and between) the scenes. The movie has one gem though - during the scene where Jesus tells the parable of the Prodigal Son, at Matthew the tax collector's house, I had tears streaming down my face. It is the best movie I've seen about Jesus's ministry (but that isn't saying much, because the others are just terrible). "Jesus Christ Superstar" is my favourite movie about Jesus's last days ("The Passion of the Christ" is way too graphic), though I like how "Jesus of Nazareth", instead of just ending with Jesus's death, continues on and shows his resurrection.$LABEL$ 0 +Artificial melodrama with a screenplay adapted by Mel Dinelli from his play "The Man" concerns a boarding-house proprietress taking in a troubled handyman who may be homicidal. Despite solid work from Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan (both trying their best), this tedious yarn isn't very inventive within its one primary set (which quickly becomes visually dull) and underpopulated cast of characters (there is however a smart pooch who senses the worst!). Hokey and humorless, with a stilted direction from Harry Horner (perhaps Lupino should have directed?). Where's all the suspense promised by the ads? Dinelli also served as a co-producer. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +A good deal of running around. A badly conceived adversary with very little complexity. A scientist who works in communications sending off signals into space and receiving them, gets caught up with aliens. Along with his pretty wife, he invades their territory and is given secrets about them. He becomes rather traitorous in the process. Granted, he is given little choice anyway. There is a scene where he gives them everything they want. This is a dull movie with lots of long stretches where little happens. The plot isn't technically bad. It's just that we are usually following a car, a trip through a woods, investigating a building. This is what editing is all about. I suppose the story wouldn't technically support much more. Not much here.$LABEL$ 0 +I must confess that I was completely shocked by this film. For one, I went to see it on a whim expecting something mediocre, but given this, the most shocking thing was that this was in a populist American cinema at all. This is British comedy at its finest - dark, quirky and funny in ways that American films just never are. I must stop short, however, of recommending this wholeheartedly to anyone; I went to see it with several people, some English, some European and some American and while some of us loved it (mainly from the first two groups), some hated it and found it worthless. If you think you're into this kind of thing then go. If not, don't. 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +I waited for this movie to come out for a while in Canada, and when it finally did, I was very excited to see it. I really enjoyed it. Of course, in the beginning, it is a very sad movie (and it was New Years Day - making it even sadder) - however, it sticks with you. The next day I was thinking about it again, because although it revolves around something so emotionally draining, you realize after a few days that it is such a beautiful story. How one person can be seen as the link to so many people, but sometimes you can be blinded so many things. And how Diane Keaton's character kind of saves the rest of them by just being there. And how they save her in the process as well. It was such an excellent movie, and Chris Pine (one of my favourite actors) provides the perfect comic relief. It is definitely a movie that will need a box of tissues, but will really stay with you for a long time.$LABEL$ 1 +To this day, Malcolm McLaren is telling anyone daft enough to believe him that the Sex Pistols were his idea and that the band members were his puppets to be used to make him money. There is a good reason for him doing this, namely that he is a liar.Here are some real facts.* McLaren was actually approached by the band to be manager, not the other way round.* The Pistols were a proper, organic band and not created by McLaren or anyone else. Jones and Cook were childhood friends. Rotten and Vicious went back a long way too. This is something that has led to unfair criticism of the Pistols down the years as they have been likened to manufactured boy bands.* The band and no one else wrote the songs, recorded them, played live, created the publicity and gave the interviews.* McLaren did not instigate the Bill Grundy incident. The Pistols only appeared on the programme because Queen had pulled out. According to the band, McLaren was cowering in the back in case arrests were about to be made.* Johnny Rotten walked out of the band. He was not sacked.* Far from outwitting the Sex Pistols, John Lydon (Rotten) actually successfully sued him in the 1980s for control and a considerable sum of money. Some of the evidence used by Lydon's lawyers was from McLaren's boasting in 'The Great Rock & Roll Swindle'. This would suggest that McLaren is none too bright despite his affectations.* The sackings and subsequent pay offs from A & M and EMI were, again, not engineered, it was merely the way things panned out.* McLaren boasts about the money he made from the band. If he had been competent, he could have made a great deal more. It seems he coudn't even organise gigs properly.* McLaren's claim at the start of the film that he invented punk rock can be disproved in about ten seconds. The Pistols were not the first punk band, merely the most high profile.This is a terrible film. The only parts worth watching are the genuine footage of the band, later put to much better use in 'The Filth And The Fury'.$LABEL$ 0 +I cannot believe it has been 25 yrs since I first watched this story on TV. I remembered to have been very much touched by it and was lucky to get the VHS tape several years ago. I did not watch it again until just recently. I have been watched it over and over ever since. I must have watched it 10 times in the past 2 wks.The acting is superb, the story is compelling, and I am embarrassed to say that I did not appreciate actor Bryan Brown's talent until now. The playful facial expressions shown in the first half - when he gave Jean the stolen medicine in Malaya is such a contrast to his very reserved and nervous body languages shown in the second half: in their first drink together in Caines and the touring of the homestead. We have to wait until the wedding reception, especially the final dance scene to see his open display of affection for Jean. The same dancing eyes that first revealed his admiration in Malaya. Who wouldn't want to be his Mrs. Boong ? While Joe changed from a cocky, almost bigger than life figure in the Malaya jungle to a somewhat self-conscious average Joe in his own backyard, Jean took the opposite road; her wartime experience seems to have given her new confidence. She wasted no time and went after what she wanted. She took steps to take what she could get - exactly as Joe had told her to once upon a time.For me, all these transformations helps to show this is more than just a love story - this is a story about growth, courage and fragility in life. The solicitor -Noel is both a sweet and sad figure. He too gave much to Jean - he gave his last hope for love. At the end, he did what true love requires -- he put her happiness ahead of his own.I happened to like the fight between Joe & Jean that was not in the book. I thought it's an appropriate and necessary addition for it helped to surface the inner struggles they both had to deal with in order to make their life together possible.Now, I am older, maybe I understand life, love and loss a little better. This story touches me even deeper. I am, however, surprised to see B. Brown has blue eyes in the promo photo shown on this site. He most definitely did not in "A Town like Alice." Well, 25 yrs is a long time !$LABEL$ 1 +The recent release of "Mad Dog Morgan" on Troma DVD is disappointing.This appears to be a censored print for television viewing. Some of the more violent scenes have been edited and portions of the colorful language have been removed. Anyone who viewed the film uncut will be mad as hell at this toxic DVD version. "Mad Dog Morgan" deserves to be released on DVD in the original theatrical cut. However, even as released on DVD, the film is still one of the better depictions of bushranger life in nineteenth century Australia. After having toured the Old Melbourne Gaol, with death masks of convicts on display, it is "Mad Dog Morgan" that comes to mind.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, it's too long and it's too satisfied with itself. Still, "The Great Dictator" is a fascinating movie. Chaplin does a terrific job satirizing Hitler and trying to portray the oppression of the Jews in Nazi Germany (this was before the concentration camps were common knowledge). Not a Chaplin masterpiece, but still worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +Unbelievable. "Philosophy". "Depth". "Genius". "Masterpiece". People must have seen another "Oldboy" because the one I've seen was a badly written, poorly conceived, over-the-top-acted, sordid piece of "Kraapola" which, even ignoring for a moment the ludicrously violent scenes which makes it unsuitable for the eyes of a child, could barely satisfy the imagination and the thirst for plot consistency of a seven years old.The "depth" of this sorry concoction was exhausted in one little piece of wisdom, "Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you, weep and you'll find yourself alone", the type of boring fortune cookie saying which a great author, be him Shakespeare or, more to the point of IMDb, Kurosawa, would have thrown in the garbage can with no second thoughts. Where this movie should have landed too, if we wouldn't live in an era in which the cheaply shocking and the perversely disgusting are confused with what used to be named once "great art". In short, yuck.2 out of 100. It's not 1 out of 1000 only because of some occasionally expert camera-work. In no way enough to save this infantile failure from worthlessness, though.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, it's yet again a film that plays with your sentiments and you come out all soft as opposed to a rocky film. But I'm a sucker for those so I gave it a good score... the acting was very good and there were a lot of feeling. The violence is kept to a minimal which makes a change. I'd have given it a 9 if it were not for the salute at the end! All in all a good movie with very good actors.$LABEL$ 1 +Erika Kohut is a woman with deep sexual problems. At the start of the film, we see her arriving home late. When her older mother protests, Erika goes into a frenzy, attacking the older woman without pity. Erika, as it turns out, is a musical teacher of a certain renown in the conservatory where she teaches. When we next see her, she is the model of composure, but she shows a cruel side in the way she attacks a young male student because she feels he is wasting his time, and hers. The same goes for the insecure Anna, a talented girl who Erika hates, maybe because she sees in the young woman a promise that she is not willing to promote.At the end of the day, we watch Erika as she goes into an amusement area and proceeds to one of the cabins where pornographic material is shown. Erika is transfixed as she watches the things that are being performed on the screen. On another occasion, Erika comes to a drive-in where a movie is in progress. Her attention goes toward a parked car in which, two lovers are performing a sex act. The camera lingers on Erika as she is lost in reverie watching what the two lovers are doing, until she is surprised by the young man inside the car. Erika flees horrified she's been discovered.When a wealthy couple invites Erika to perform in a recital in their opulent home, she meets an eager young man, Walter, who is related to the hosts. Walter is immediately taken with Erika's playing; the young man is a talented pianist himself. His eagerness to compliment Erika is met with skepticism on her part. Walter decides to audition for Erika's master class, and is accepted.Thus begins Walter pursuit of Erika, who is taken aback when she realizes what the young man's motives really are. In turn, Erika, begins to fantasize about Walter in ways that only her mind could, imagining what she would like him do when, and if, they get together. Walter gets turned off by the letter Erika has written to him, detailing sexual acts that are repugnant to the young man.The film's ending, reminded us of the last sequence of Mr. Haneke's current "Cache". We are taken to a concert hall where Erika is going to perform. She is seen stalking the lobby looking for the arrival of Walter, who goes on into the hall without noticing her. Erika's expression to the camera reveals a lot more of her state of mind in that last minutes of the film. As she flees the lobby area after inflicting a wound on herself, the camera abandons her and concentrates on the building's facade that seems to stay on the screen for a long time."La Pianiste" is a personal triumph for Isabelle Huppert. This magnificent actress does one of her best appearances on the screen, guided by the sure hand of Michael Haneke, one of the most interesting directors working today. Ms. Huppert's works with economic gestures, yet, she projects so much of her soul as she burns the screen with her Erika.The supporting cast does wonders under the director's guidance. Annie Girardot, always excellent, is perfect as Erika's mother. She seems to be the key of whatever went wrong with her daughter. There is a hint of incest that is played with subtleness in the context of the film. Benoit Magimel is perfectly cast as Walter. This young actor does a wonderful job in the film as the young man, so in love with a woman that is possessed by demons, that he'll never be able to chase away or get her to love him in a normal manner.Michael Haneke films are always disturbing to watch, yet they offer so many rewards because he dares to go where other men don't. The magnificent music heard in the film are mainly by Schubert and Schumann, two composers that are Erika's own favorites. The movie is helped tremendously by Christian Berger's cinematography.$LABEL$ 1 +Charles Bronson has given the viewers lots of great moments on the screen. But this movie lacks everything that a thriller/action-movie should have. There are a few action scenes in the movie, but they're really crappy. And when the action scenes fail, does the story save the film? Not at all, is my answer to that. The story is even worse than the action scenes. It's very straightforward and boring, and even though I'm a big movie fan, I almost fell asleep several times. I don't know how they came up with a failure like this. A low budget, maybe? Regardless of that, it looked like all the actors had no interest in being in the movie at all. When that happens, the result is really bad.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm so confused. I've been a huge Seagal fan for 25 years. I've seen all of his films, and many of those dozens of times. I can only describe this film as "bizarre." Steven Seagal shares screenplay writing and producing credits on this film, but I have a really tough time believing he would choose to dub over his own voice for so many of his lines, with a thin, whiny imposter's voice no less. What I also don't get is, if they had to dub SOME of his lines, why does his own voice appear on the rest of them? I expect Seagal to age like the rest of us. But the Seagal in this movie barely exudes a fraction of the same swagger, confidence, bravado, charm, and sex-appeal he so easily showed us in ALL of his previous movies. What I found myself missing most of all was his cocky, self-assured attitude and his bad-ass sneer that so easily shifts into that adorable grin. Where is that in-your-face attitude and charm that made him such a huge star??? I hope that this film is not an indication of what Seagal has left to offer us - if so, his lifelong fans will have to concede that the Seagal we all knew and loved is gone.$LABEL$ 0 +I checked this movie out when it still had 6 votes and it said like 7.2 or something, but seriously this is a horrible movie. Lets break it down. The first thing you notice about this movie is that it was filmed on a hand-held digital camera owned by a freshman at a community college. the next thing you'll notice is that the actors, are all friends of said freshman (he probably met them at the pub the night before. Third on the list you will notice that the musical editing is horrible, and they try to cram many songs into this movie, at 30 second intervals... also all digital editing is done on said freshman's home PC... probably using windows movie maker. This movie was horrible... pretentious, had an undeniably bad script, and acting that followed suit. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone I know, but I do sentence the writer and director to watch this movie in hell for an eternity.$LABEL$ 0 +Meatballs works its way into conversations, like no other movie. Especially during Summer. Whether it's the song about the CITs (Counselors In Training) or the cut-downs or the inspirational Rudy the Rabbit or It Just Doesn't Matter speech...it pops up! Poor Mickey/Morty, who knows where he'd wake up next!?! Such a great snapshot of the seventies and a cultural icon for my generation of those who understand that non-PC is really funny, no matter who you are! Wheels and Spaz are favorites, as is the hot dog eating contest with the famous line "what..? no mustard?" Oh, how many times I've reiterated that line and been the only one laughing! Thank you to the writers, actors and directors! Applause, applause!$LABEL$ 1 +Back in the 1970s, WPIX ran "The Adventures of Superman" every weekday afternoon for quite a few years. Every once in a while, we'd get a treat when they would preempt neighboring shows to air "Superman and the Mole Men." I always looked forward to those days. Watching it recently, I was surprised at just how bad it really was.It wasn't bad because of the special effects, or lack thereof. True, George Reeves' Superman costume was pretty bad, the edges of the foam padding used to make him look more imposing being plainly visible. And true, the Mole Men's costumes were even worse. What was supposed to be a furry covering wouldn't have fooled a ten year-old, since the zippers, sleeve hems and badly pilling fabric badly tailored into baggy costumes were all painfully obvious. But these were forgivable shortcomings.No, what made it bad were the contrived plot devices. Time and again, Superman failed to do anything to keep the situation from deteriorating. A lynch mob is searching for the creatures? Rather than round up the hysterical crowd or search for the creatures himself, he stands around explaining the dangers of the situation to Lois and the PR man. The creatures are cornered? Again, he stands around watching and talking but doesn't save them until they're shot. Luke Benson, the town's rabble-rouser, shoots at him? Attempted murder to any reasonable person, but Superman releases the man over and over to cause more problems. Superman had quite a few opportunities to nip the problem in the bud, but never once took advantage of them.That said, both George Reeves and Phyllis Coates played their characters well, seemingly instantly comfortable in the roles. If only they had been given a better script to work with.$LABEL$ 0 +Crackerjack is another classic Aussie film. As so many Australian films like The Castle, The Dish and Sunday Too Far Away, it goes somewhere that hasn't been widely explored in film before, this time it is the game of Lawn Bowls and bowling clubs. Crackerjack is a much slower paced sports movie than many you will find such as Remember the Titans or Million Dollar Babybut the characters involved are athletes in their own right. This movie is a show case of a large area of Australian culture and features a sport that is popular and on the rise of popularity in Australia. Mick Molloy presents a classic, unforgettable character. It really is a must see.$LABEL$ 1 +Although this movie doesn't have the darkness of the books, it is in my opinion a great movie. It's great campy fun with the beautiful Stuart Townsend as Lestat. He may not have the blond hair and blue eyes that are so vividly described in the book, but to be fair, he would not look good with blond hair, and Lestat is most definitely about looking good. He moves like the predator I always imagined Lestat would have. The visual effects are pretty good, and the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. It's not Interview with the Vampire, so don't try to compare the two. Interview is Louis' story. This is a cut and paste version of Lestat's. In any case, I highly recommend.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was horrible. If it had never been made the world would be a better place. Come on, a flying wagon? What were they thinking? This was a sub-par movie with a horrible hook, and I would like a written apology from the studio that produced this, along with some cookies to help repay me for the time I wasted on this crap fest that I can never get back. If you payed to see this movie, I am truly sorry because I watched it on TV on a Sunday afternoon when I had nothing better to do and it pretty much ruined my whole week. A flying freaking WAGON?!?! And that's supposed to make up for having a horrible mother who cares more about her own screwed up needs than her children? No wonder they don't have enough sense to tell someone he is beating them, their mother teaches them nothing but that what she wants comes before everything else. Absolutely horrible.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to be honest, I really had a good time watching She's the Man. Despite it being a typical teenage comedy or if you will the switching of the sexes movie, it had some pretty decent laughs that I think anyone could get. Adults and teens alike would over all enjoy this movie.Amanda Bynes is your typical rebellious teen who dresses and acts like a guy, and when she is turned down to try out for the boy's soccer team, she decides to take over her brother's appearance to prove herself worthy of being on the boy's soccer team. Of course, love shows itself when she meets another guy who thinks she's her brother. She also has a girl who is chasing after her. Well, the tag line says it all.This is a fun little teen drama that I think will be remembered for a while. Amanda Bynes did prove something in the film, it's really hard to really act like a guy. :D Well, it's true! 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I like Steve Buscemi. I like his work very much, both as an actor and a director. You could say that I am -into- Steve Buscemi. A Steve Buscemi freak. I lurv Steve Buscemi.I remember when I first saw Buscemi's full length directorial debut, "Trees Lounge." I enjoyed the movie, although it wasn't as good as it could have been. It was -almost- there. It -almost- scratched that itch, the itch of wanting to see "small" movies about "small" people in "small" bars that are in "small" towns. It was close enough to where I would say that it was a very good movie - one that with a few tweaks could have been great. But that's OK. I like the movie and I've watched it more than once.But this review is not about Trees Lounge. It's about "Lonesome Jim." When I saw the description of the movie and then I saw who's movie it was, I was excited at the prospect of finally seeing the movie that I knew that Trees Lounge could have been. But what I actually experienced was not unlike that of leaving one of those smalltown bars with a belly full of cheap whiskey and an armful of cheap floozy, heading back to your apartment with a mushy brain full of exciting prospects that inevitably disintegrate into the reality of alcohol-induced impotence and headspinning regurgitation.In other words, this movie left me flat and unrequited and sorry that I wasted the time and the money that it took me to get to that state - the film equivalent of waking up next to that cheap floozy the next morning, or if you happen to be the floozy, waking up next to that stinking and farting and unshaven imbecile. The film had all of the substance of a stale white bread sandwich (with store brand white bread, no less) and the emotion of a cadaver. I am not sure what the point of this film was, and since it was supposed to have some sort of a point and was not an exercise in abstract surrealism that can get by without one then this lack of a point is a sin of omission. Sorta like those new cars that don't come with ashtrays anymore although there are millions of people who smoke and buy new cars (I'm not one of them, but hey, I can sympathize). Overall it was a boring film about boring people doing boring things and had none of the grit and believability that can carry and save such a film. I mean, Trees Lounge was about boring people doing boring things, but it was interesting. I blame a lot of this on Affleck. Why do people keep casting these Affleck turds? They suck the life out of anything that they are connected with. One Affleck was in one decent film (and wasn't even the reason why the film was decent) and all of the sudden every butthole named Affleck is stinking up as many films as they possibly can. And Liv Tyler is no better. Being the daughter of a rock star does not necessarily make an actress. She is as lifeless as Affleck. These people simply do not rise from the flat page of the script. People pay to see films and they deserve to see actors and actresses with a bit of charisma - these two duds together don't have the spark of the old guy who hands out shopping carts at Wal Mart. I always thought that Steve Buscemi was the type of guy who would rise above this type of pablum, but oh Steve you let us down. This film makes me want to stuff you into another wood chipper.$LABEL$ 0 +Assy McGee is a show that you really have to be a certain age to appreciate. Otherwise, it's likely you'll miss the references to 80's cop films and simply think it's a running gag about a walking rectum. Think it's brainless, infantile poop humor? Go watch the Stallone film 'Cobra' and you'll see what I mean. This show actually has very subtle humor, which says a lot, both for a show that aired on adult swim, and for a show about a walking ass.All the standard genre clichés are in place that made movies like Dirt Harry and Cobra so great and ripe for parody. Sanchez is Assy's partner, who is - as per the genre - level-headed and constantly apologizing for his partner's homicidal behavior. The police chief is, of course, a fire-breathing hard case who lives to scream "I want your badge on my desk first thing tomorrow morning!" The over-the-top, and sometimes completely nonsensical manner in which the 1980's 'Renegade Cop' film is parodied suits the subject matter well. For instance, while breaking up a bus robbery, one of the criminals stops to ask Assy, "Hey, where are you going, asshole!?" To which the title character snaps off the one-liner: "I'm going... to shoot you." Highly recommended for anybody who loves 80's action movies, and has actually viewed enough of them to understand the humor.$LABEL$ 1 +This is another enjoyable and entertaining Hitchcock film. James Stewart and Doris Day are incredible in this movie. Bernard Herrmann appears as himself near the climax.The scenery and locations are great, except the one scene early on where the background was obviously fake, which doesn't make sense to me since scenes before and after were in the same setting and they were real location shots. I've heard that Hitchcock did this on purpose sometimes.The reviews for this movie seem to be mixed. I think this is a better than average Hitchcock movie. Very entertaining and it has a great light comical scene at the end.I rated this movie 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +What You Need In the run up to 'What You Need', every episode since 'The Lonely' had been a winner to some extent. This episode is the first major failure since 'Escape Clause'. The Serling script is again based on someone else's materiel, a short story by Lewis Padgett. As with 'And When the Sky Was Opened', Serling altered the content significantly, removing a scientist and his machine and inserting an elderly peddler.'What You Need' works best when it is being sweet. The opening half, in which the peddler provides customers in a bar with objects they will need in the near future, has a gentle charm about it that may have worn thin throughout an entire episode but works well in the time frame it is allotted. Sadly, the main plot which it sets up is full of gaping holes. The minute Steve Cochran's performance as a two-bit thug becomes the main focus the episode falls apart. Cochran's part is an underwritten stereotype and his flat performance highlights this flaw. His exploitation of the old peddler is dull and predictable and the revelation that he will murder the old man is totally unconvincing, making the whole slippery shoes scene seem completely false. Ernest Truex is good as the peddler, bringing a magical, mysterious but warm edge to the character, but he's not good enough to help the floundering script.To make matters worse, the weak script is also full of inconsistencies. For instance, we learn that the peddler's power to provide people with what they need stems from an ability to see into the future. So how exactly does this allow him to produce a pen that will magically pick winning horses. That seems like it should be a little outside his realms of power. Also, for a man who can see the future, the peddler certainly acts surprised to find the thug waiting for him in his flat. There are many more holes that can be picked in 'What You Need' but it's hardly worth it when the episode is so thin that you can see through it anyway.$LABEL$ 0 +My observations: vamp outfit at end is ravishing and wonderful, exotic and fantastic. Jeanette wore it well, and got even with naive Nelson. Boat crashing into his balcony served him right. Costume outfits of his female mafia were designed surprisingly well, especially by today's standards. 1942 costume designer did great job. Main song theme just lovely.Caution to negative posters: 1942 was time of WW II; Pearl Harbor happened year before. U.S. just coming out of Great Depression; needed to get out and spend that hard earned money on diversion of singing, dance and yes, fantastic fantasy. Despotic dictators were trying to rule out there in RL, snuffing out freedoms. Thank goodness the public had these fantastic plot line movies to attend. Movie going was a privileged treat, in those depressing times. When you, negative posters, become actors or even movie stars, then YOU have room to talk and criticize. Jeanette's and Nelson's movies stand the test of time.Angel wings wonderful, on the real angel. RL wings at costume party not so hot, but great on Jeanette considering the SL.Beautiful singing by Jeanette and Nelson, as always. Jeanette dancing was a pure delight.15/10$LABEL$ 1 +I can't tell you how angry I was after seing this movie. The characters are not the slightest bit interesting, and the plot is non-existant. So after waiting to see how the lives of these characters affected each other, hoping that the past 2 and a half hours were leading up to some significant finish, what do we get??? A storm of frogs. Now yes, I understand the references to the bible (Exodus) and the underlying theme, but first of all, it was presented with absolutely no resolution, and second of all it would be lost to anyone who has not read the bible (a significant portion of the population) or Charles Fort (a still larger portion). As a somewhat well read person, I thought this movie was a self indulgent poor imitation of a seinfeld episode.Don't waste your time. It would be better spent reading......well anything to be honest$LABEL$ 0 +On paper this looks a good film . Michael Caine plays a tough and ruthless boxing promoter who's son is up for a title eliminator . The pity is that when the story is transferred from paper to my television screen it loses a certain everything . I had hoped we'd be seen emulating his definitive role in GET CARTER and as the film progresses it does seem to take on the qualities of a tough gritty revenge thriller but the whole tone of the film jumps around so much you'll be confused as to what genre it's trying to fit in to . For example Caine ( Who you can't believe in as Billy " Shiner " Simpson , he's simply Michael Caine ) has a laugh out line as he refers to someone as " Hattie Jacques " then in a supposedly humorous moment has his henchmen break someone's arm . Oh how I laughed . I mean it's supposed to elicit a laugh the way it plays out on screen isn't it ? But these seems at odds with the way the rest of the film plays out Obviously director John Irvin doesn't know what approach to take with Scott Cherry's screenplay . Irvin isn't a bad director and is well regarded for his war films such as THE DOGS OF WAR and HAMBURGER HILL but he's ill suited to this type of violent drama and one can't help but feel he might have been intimidated somewhat by a living legend like Caine . Caine does give the impression he's just doing it for the money and the well known faces in supporting roles like Landua and Cranham are basically just cameos who could be played by anyone$LABEL$ 0 +I will freely admit that I haven't seen the original movie, but I've read the play, so I've some background with the "original." If you shuck off the fact that this is a remake of an old classic, this movie is smart, witty, fresh, and hilarious. Yes, the casting decisions may seem strange, but they WORK. I'm a staunch feminist, and I wasn't offended in the slightest by this movie--despite what other women might be saying. This is NOT a movie for men to see (so please, ladies, don't drag your guys to see it with you, that's just cruel); women will get the jokes, the situations, and the relationships. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth that Annette Bening brought to her character...she did an excellent job. Debra Messing was adorable, and Candice Bergen was fantastic. I was less impressed by Meg Ryan...she brought emotion to the table, but her comedic take on it was less strong. The all-female cast is strong, and it definitely a laugh-out-loud sort of comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and fully intend to go see it again with my mother. Women will understand.$LABEL$ 1 +Ugh! Another one of those "fooled by the cover" DVDs. I expected some kind of action at least with bears, cats, & such on the cover. I got NOTHING! Bad movie!.I forced myself to watch this all the way through thinking that eventually SOMETHING would happen...no luck.Now the reason I gave this a 2 is because of the scenery; otherwise it sucked.The kid was terrible, talking to himself (although I suppose they couldn't just run a movie with dumb music and no dialogue at all), doing his lame karate stances to a tree stump, threatening a raccoon, munching on worms, and (what a dumbass) kicking a porcupine. And he wouldn't be pulling those quills out that easily either...they stick like fishhooks. At least he fought the bear (weakly) a couple of times.What was up with the flashback thing? It made a bad movie even worse. I wanted to see a survival movie, not some dramatic bs about a kid suffering thru divorce.What else can I say? Well, maybe they should have had the bear eat the kid or something. At least that would have been more exciting.People, don't waste your time on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Oz is by far the best show ever to grace television. Better than The Sopranos, yes, ER, yes, CSI, absolutely. Uncompromising, daring, and utterly disturbing yet profoundly moving. Oz took us past any image of prison that anyone had ever conjured up on television. Tom Fontana truly did a brilliant job with the writing. No topic is taboo. Rape, drugs, murder. Oz is evidence of just how good TV can be. It follows characters of all different backgrounds and all different races, but always comes back to your everyman Tobias Beecher, in jail for vehicular manslaughter. We see what we don't want to see, pain, death, mayhem. Oz will disturb you, make you cringe, make you look away, but most of all it will make you think. To see Oz is to see a truly magnificent television production$LABEL$ 1 +We do not come across movies on brother-sister relationship in Indian cinema, or any other language or medium. This relationship has several aspects which have not been exploited in movies or novels. Typically, a sister is depicted as a pile-on who can be used for ransom in the climax. This movie treats the subject in an entirely different light.It is inspired by George Eliot's novel "The Mill on the Floss". The brother is very prosaic, all-good, the blue-eyed boy who is a conventionally good son and a favorite with his mother. The sister is romantic, wild and defiant of the unwritten rules of the society. In spite of this, the love of the brother-sister is the winner.This movie is about the love of the two siblings who are separated in childhood and revival of the same feeling when they meet years later. It is also the quest of the subdued brother to reunite with his sister who has chosen to be wild to defy the world.Although the movie and the novel are set about 3 centuries apart in two distant countries, yet the sentiments are the same and still hold true.$LABEL$ 1 +Many other viewers are saying that this is not a good movie to watch since they feel that it isn't "realistic." How can it not be considered realistic. They feel that say the incest part isn't easy to relate to, that it isn't common. i can guarantee you that you have met more people than you think that have had an incest act occur. Many of them aren't going to come out and say it, and mostly these are victims. Also, many people are Gay, and are still in the closest, because no matter how much they would like it to be, they know they will be ridiculed and possibly even abandoned. And tell me, how many kids have you went to high school with that has ended up being pregnant or had an eating disorder? i bet a lot, and although pregnancy isn't from incest most of the time, its still easy to relate to. Who can't relate to being an outcast or being bullied? that happens all the time. and many viewers are probably concerned with there education such as Marcus. being a stoner seems to be quite common these days to. so there are a lot of things to relate to. More than the rest though, no matter how popular you may get, sometimes you feel invisible or alone, not noticed, or overlooked such as the suicide victim, how can you not feel like you can relate to the movie? I find that the movie may have seemed pointless to others, but i would like to think of it as important. It an interesting way of showing that suicide happens, and to be aware. it comes from the people that don't show their unhappy thoughts, its very surprising. The people who show there problems do commit suicide sometimes to, but when you hear of suicide, who would have guessed is usually running through most peoples minds.The ending surprised me, i wasn't expecting it to be the girl that until the end, was mostly an extra in the scenes, not even introduced. the story, even in its description, says its about 6 teenage lives, when in fact it was 7. My only real disappointment was that it wasn't one of the characters that we got to learn about, it merely at first seems like the movie was pointless to watch if the real victim is just some random chick. until i thought more. it made perfect sense for being a huge surprise, since thats what suicides are like. plus, who was to choose who any of the other students had more of a reason than the other.though this movie has some bad points, most movies have a few, but i would recommend this movie, as long as you can deal with watching the tragic moments of watching the suicide, and violence and profanity shown in this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Los Angeles, 1976. Indie film brat John Carpenter, fresh out of film school and with one film - his class project's no-budget spoof of 2001 called Dark Star - under his belt, finishes a gritty actioner called Assault On Precinct 13. The story of an almost deserted police station under siege by an unseen LA gang, it was a minor hit on the drive-in circuit and garnered small praise from the few critics who cared, but it hardly set the film world on fire, unlike Carpenter's follow-up smash Halloween (1978). On Precinct, Carpenter was still learning how to exploit his almost non-existent budget by using lower-shelf actors, keeping the action to the one hellishly small location, and moving the film along at a tight pace with a combination of editing, intelligent camera work and switched-on genre savvy.No-one wants or needs to be hungry in Hollywood anymore, particularly if the week's catering bill on the 2005 version of Assault On Precinct 13 is more than the entire cost of the original. It does translate into a certain kind of laziness on a filmmaker's part - you have a stupidly large union crew, a studio and a marketing firm all doing your thinking for you. Which is why twenty years after watching Carpenter's film I can still see every glorious moment, from the small girl gunned down in cold blood while buying an ice cream, to the relentless pounding synth score. A week after Assault 2005, I remember Larry Fishburne's unmoving ping pong ball eyes and little else."Forgettable popcorn actioner" fits the top of the poster perfectly. It's New Years Eve at Precinct 13, a station closing down with a skeleton staff to see in its final hours. On call is Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), an ex-narc now deeply troubled and hopped up on Jack Daniels and Seconol after his partners were iced in the opening scene; Iris (The Sopranos' Drea de Matteo), a nympho with a thing for criminal types, and Jasper (Brian Dennehy), a crusty old timer one scotch away from retirement. As in Carpenter's Assault..., a bus with four heavy-duty criminals is rerouted to the Precinct. All boozy eyes are on gangster kingpin Bishop (Fishburne, still beefed-up from his time in the Matrix) who has narrowly survived an assassination attempt from an undercover cop and plans to blow the lid on the endemic corruption in the organized crime unit led by Marcus Duvall (a tired-looking Gabriel Byrne). Soon the phones are out, the power lines are down, and both crims and police find themselves heavily armed with a serious police arsenal and consumed with paranoia while waging war against a task force of Duvall's corrupt cops sporting white balaclavas, bullet vests, infra-red bazookas and more high-tech gear than the Skywalker Ranch. This, we're expected to believe as the helicopters buzz around the top of the police station shooting rockets into windows, is a clandestine operation to cover Duvall's tracks. He may as well have taken out billboards on Hollywood Boulevard.As with the recent Seventies genre reworking Dawn Of The Dead, Assault 2005 takes the barest plot essentials of John Carpenter's original and, to quote the Seventies, "does it's own thing, man". The main question is - why bother? John Carpenter's 1976 is a cult favorite among genre buffs, but is hardly branded in the public's collective consciousness. Carpenter himself was busy reworking Howard Hawks' classic western Rio Bravo into a tight, claustrophobic urban thriller for only $20,000. French wunderkind director and rap producer Jean-Francois Richet, a self-professed fan of John Carpenter's work, seems less concerned with making an homage to either Hawks or JC - although the script is peppered with references to cowboys and injuns - and seems intent on squeezing in as much flash and firepower as the multi-million dollar budget can withstand. The result: some tense moments with hand-held POV cameras, an unexpectedly high (and bloody) body count, a few neat plot twists, but essentially a B-grade urban actioner with a much inflated price tag. As for name-checking Carpenter, it's pure conceit on the part of the filmmakers that doesn't pay off.To Monsieur Richet, I say bon voyage, and I wish you luck on your music career.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this show. I watch all the reruns every day even though I have seen all of them like 6 time s each.It's about two sisters, Holly (Amanda Bynes) and Val (Jennie Garth), who live in New York. Holly goes to live with Val when their dad is transferred to Japan. Val has the perfect life, she has a boyfriend and a perfect apartment of the Upper East Side.The show basically shows all the problems Vall and Holly go through. the main problem is guys but also is about being responsible and other life choices.Holly is 16 and is a total free spirit while Val is the complete opposite. She is the organized has to have a plan to do anything kind of person.The other characters are Henry, Vince, Gary, Lauren, and Tina.$LABEL$ 1 +Driving Lessons From the writer of the critically acclaimed films, Mrs. Brown and Charlotte Gray, Jeremy Brock brings a touching heartfelt dramedy starring Academy Award Nominees Julie Walters and Laura Linney and from the Harry Potter series, Rupert Grint. The beautiful portrait tells the story of Ben Marshall, (Rupert Grint) a seventeen year old boy being held captive in the heart of his religiously neurotic mother Laura (Laura Linney). After his school year ends he decides to take a job with a clever, free-spirited, and "heavy on the bottle" retired actress, Evie Walton (Julie Walters). The pair embarks upon wonderful adventures from camping to walks around the block to the simple conversations about life. Challenging the domineering mother, as well as each other along the way, the two develop a beautiful bond that revolutionizes both their lives.The comedic elements are flawless and precise especially coming from the British veteran, Julie Walters. Brock uses his unique style to create an infamous and loving nature that first time directors could only dream. Directing comes naturally to Brock as he builds up stunning imagery that breaks the surfaces and plunges the viewer down into an overabundance of adoration and creation. Even the subtle score by unknown composers Clive Carroll and John Renbourn accentuate the tone and manner Brock had no trouble in generating.Laura Linney is always making her mark in films as she does as "Laura." The bossy and overbearing mother is at times unbearable and with Linney at the helm of it we are engulfed into that persona. The complexity of her character couldn't have been more flawlessly portrayed by anyone else. Rupert Grint breaks away from "Ron Weasley" and tries on someone new. His performance is more responsive than loquacious but Grint gives us someone brand new to a child performance and the viewer gets to enjoy it. But the standout is coming from Oscar nominated actress Julie Walters who gives "Evie" a life of her own. Despite the role being clearly a leading one, Walters fairs better in the supporting category where I believe she can simply take home the prize. "Evie" is a mix of "Clementine Kruczynski" and "Mrs. Laura Henderson" with her free spirit and lovable persona. Hopefully her role will not go unnoticed this awards season.Driving Lessons isn't an "out of this world" experience but a fine, enjoyable one that any viewer could just kick back and learn a little something about life, love, and friendship coming in the forms of the most beautiful colors and sizes.Grade: ***/****$LABEL$ 1 +Hi, Everyone, Oh, Boy... This one is a lulu. It has really bad background music whenever they can squeeze it in. There are three bad guys who, I guess, are the stars of this. They beat people up and chop people up and crash trucks and bulldozers into people. Usual stuff.The woman who is sending them on their missions is unable to move her mouth when she speaks. It's sort of like watching a bad ventriloquist who is her own dummy. She walks like she is balancing an egg on her head.The wardrobe is 70s leisure style for the men and blah for the female lead who is supposed to be a good nurse. The bad novocain mouth woman wears red. A silk frock perhaps, or maybe just a poplin windbreaker that is too big.I actually liked the ending even though it did not make a lot of sense. It lets us in on what happened earlier in the film.The police officers are OK. Some bad, some good, all stupid except two. The two bright ones could have worked again in Hollywood.The movie starts interestingly enough and ends with a surprise. The middle sucks. The guy in the diner who gives a free hamburger to the star does a good job. He is like a 1940s character actor. Great voice.This one is a bit too long. The lady with marbles in her mouth could have had just a couple of lines and the rest could have been said by a parrot. It would have been easier to understand a bird.Her scene with a sword could have been handled by a trained woodpecker.Tom Willett$LABEL$ 0 +This is a wonderful film. The non-stop patter takes several watchings to fully appreciate. The musical productions of Busby Berkeley will never be duplicated. I think this movie easily outdoes all of his other efforts. Joan Blondell and James Cagney are incredible together. Some of the humor would almost push the boundaries of today's movies. Put rational explanation of how they did it aside and enjoy it for the spectacle that it is.$LABEL$ 1 +The Hanson brothers - Andy (apparently has his act together) and Hank (clearly doesn't have his act together) need money. Andy comes up with a scheme to get some dough that will have consequences for the whole Hanson family.This film delivers. This is a layered, full-blooded roller coaster ride that knows exactly what it is doing. As a crime drama / thriller I would happily compare it to 'No Country For Old Men.' While both films have have an ample supply of character drama and thrills, 'Devil' is more on the thriller side because of its fast pace. 'No Country' is a colder and bleaker film that you can really admire, while 'Devil' is a bit more enjoyable. There is definitely less violence in 'Devil' than 'No Country.' The acting delivers as well. Ethan Hawke, sometimes wooden in the past, brings the jitters, sweating and the deer-in-the-headlights-look to the besieged Hank. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as Andy, has the film's hardest scenes and is fast becoming the actor, who you believe can do anything.There's really not much wrong with this film. It jumps back and forth without being confusing. Events spiral out of control, but the film never does - the writing (from first timer Kelly Masterson), directing (veteran Sidney Lumet) and the editing stay as tight as a drum. In many categories, this is award caliber stuff, though maybe films like 'The Departed' and 'No Country' squeezed this one out of the limelight. If you liked those, you'll like this.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a fan of Zhang Yimou and finally found this DVD title from the shelves of a Shenzhen bookstore after a long search at many places.This is a huge departure from previous Zhang Yimou work, esp in terms of style and locale. The director himself has said that this is the first and only time he'll ever attempt to make a black comedy set in contemporary China. You may even say this work is experimental in nature, compared to his other well known big budget and formal pieces.Filmed with a hand-held camera and wide angle lens throughout the duration of the whole film, the quick pace editing and high energy performance & naturalistic tone never let you go once it grips you from the start. It presents a very realistic account of modern Chinese urban sensibilities, which in this case is set in Beijing. If you appreciate and love this kind of black humor, you will love this film totally. Also look out for hilarious cameos by Zhao Benshan (Happy Times)and the director Zhang Yimou himself.A last point of note: I find the characters in this film, as in all other Zhang Yimou films, exhibiting similar personality traits - stubbornness, always trying to beat the odds & up the ante. Do let me know your thoughts on this.David Lee$LABEL$ 1 +Having seen this without knowing all the hoopla surrounding the lead character, indeed without even knowing that it was based on real-life events, I must say I am impressed. "Murder in Greenwich" is an above average production for a made-for-TV movie - the acting is uniformly great, Christopher Meloni in particular putting in a stand-out performance and the teen actors excel in what are difficult roles. The idea of the dead girl narrating the movie is a stroke of genius which elevates the movie from merely good to excellent. The script is exemplary for what is essentially movie-of-the-week fodder and the cinematography is beautiful.$LABEL$ 1 +This really should deserve a "O" rating, or even a negative ten. I watched this show for ages, and the show jumped the shark around series 7. This episode, however, is proof that the show has jumped the shark. It's writing is lazy, absurd, self-indulgent and not even worthy of rubbish like Beavis and Butthead.It is quite possible to be ridiculous and still be fun -- Pirates of the Caribbean, the Mummy, Count of Monte Cristo -- all "fun" movies that are not to be taken seriously. However, there is such thing as ridiculous as in "this is the worst thing I've ever seen." And indeed, this is the worst episode of Stargate I've ever seen. It's absolutely dreadful, and this coming from someone with a stargate in her basement.Makes me want to sell all of my stargate props, most seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are an insomniac and you cant get anything to get you to sleep i definitely recommend this movie. If you are renting it for whatever other reason....DONT!....this movie is by far one of the most slow moving turtle motivated movies i have ever seen. The only reason i rented it was because my brother wanted to for some odd and strange reason. I cant even write about this movie anymore...GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a typical Sandra Bullock movie in which she plays a mousy (but profane) woman who is in trouble but finds a way to survive and be the hero. Sound familiar? There are plenty of holes in this story. Things just don't add up and some of the suspense is a little corny. But - that suspense is very good. There is a lot of tension in this story which has strong paranoia running through it. The story starts off slow but kicks in pretty soon and stays that way, making it an involving movie for the viewer. That's why I give it a pretty good rating - the movie gets you involved in it. Bullock is more cute than annoying, which she normally is to me, so this is my highest-rated movie with her in it.$LABEL$ 1 +I happen to have bought one of those "Legacy of Horror" 50 movie pack collections and would you believe I'm still looking through them to find a good HORROR movie in it. Sometimes you find an enjoyable yet campy one like The Devil's Messenger or The Devil Bat, or one of the great Alfred Hitchcock's films (some aren't horror however and are only on there because Hitchcock directed some horrors and suspense) but other times it seems that they put movies like The Island Monster and this on because they can't accept the fact they would easily be forgotten and should be for that matter.So we open up to sort of a Westing game idea. The rich yet cruel and abusive father played by Carradine (the one standing feature of this) has died and left his inheritance to his children and servants who he still hates. Carradine gives a good enough performance as always, but he's left mainly in a voice recording and flashback sequences leaving us to sit through the mediocre/terrible performances. The rest of the cast either overacts or underacts in scenes. Given this was an independent film of the 70's the lighting and effects are pretty limited. It's hard to build a lot of tension when the viewer can't see what's happening that well in some scenes. Some actors like the servants Igor and Elga give an effort at least and I'm ashamed to admit kind of left me chuckling at the end mainly for the sheer stupidity but still with some very minor happiness that they pulled some version of a twist to an otherwise pretty obvious who-done-it but not enough to enhance the quality of the film. You aren't meant to like the characters as they are either selfish and cruel or psychotic, but it takes it to a whole new level and makes many unwatchable. The death scenes are pretty bad and the suspense is not really there. It proves that you would probably enjoy the 20 movie pack "Chilling" containing films like House on a Haunted Hill, Little Shop of horror's with Jack Nicholson, and Night of the Living Dead over it. This is best avoided.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry but this is just awful. I have told people about this film and some of the bad acting that is in it and they almost don't believe me. There is nothing wrong with the idea, modern day Japanese troops get pulled back in time to the days of Busido warriors and with their modern weapons are a match for almost everything. When the troops first realise something strange is happening does every single person in the back of the transport need to say "Hey my watch has stopped"? Imagine lines like that being repeated 15+ times before they say anything else and you have the movie's lack of greatness in a nutshell.$LABEL$ 0 +When "Madame" decides to let her cats inherit her it spells trouble. The snobbish Butler Edgar who is next in line to inherit decides to get rid of the cats. Thereby the story can begin and the cats can go on an adventure that would otherwise have been impossible. An adventure that lets them meet the charming, but not altogether trustworthy cat O'Malley. He helps them through many dangerous and funny situations until the inevitable happy end.The force of this movie is in its humor and music. Edgar is simply hilarious as the insulted butler who is out to settle the score and of course he himself takes some serious beatings. One of the best scene contains him being chased by the two dogs Lafayette and Napoleon. The score is great and like in "the Jungle Book" you have scenes that is almost "musical" in the sense that the story doesn't progress and the focus is to let the protagonists express themselves via dance. And of course we like, that the score is quite Jazzy.And of course it's not only me but also my children who love this one.Regards Simon$LABEL$ 1 +This movie resonated with me on two levels. As a kid I was evacuated from London and planted on unwilling hosts in a country village. While I escaped the bombing and had experiences which produced treasured memories (for example hearing a nightingale sing one dark night for the very first time) and enjoying a life I never could have had in London, I missed my family and worried about them. Tom is an old man whose wife and child have both died and who lives alone in a small country village.As an old man who is now without a wife whose kids have gotten married and live far away in another province, I am again sometime lonely. The boy's mother is a religious fanatic with very odd ideas of raising a child. Since a deep affection has grown between old Tom Oakley and this young lad, Tom goes in search of him and finally rescues him from very odd and dangerous circumstances. At the end of the story there is great tension since due to some bureaucratic ruling it seems that the child is going to lose someone who has developed a loving relationship with him.$LABEL$ 1 +I love this movie!!! Purple Rain came out the year I was born and it has had my heart since I can remember. Prince is so tight in this movie. I went to a special showing of Purple Rain last night and it was like a concert i was glad to see some true fans cause this movie is so undervalued, it is really one of the greatest movies of all time. The music is untouchable. The movie is about "The Kid", played by Prince, his family is dysfunctional, his band is the hottest act in town, and he has his eyes on the Apollonia, an aspiring singer. There is no question why purple is my favorite color I can thank "The Kid" for that. So if you have not seen this then you are need to asap. This is a classic - 4ever!$LABEL$ 1 +I own a vacation lake home not far from Plainfield, WI. Ten minutes from the Gein property to be exact. I've seen his land, the cemetery where he is buried and where he did his digging, and I've shopped at the hardware store that was formerly owned by the Worden family. While visiting relatives in California, we decided to rent this movie. It was disgusting. The true story of Ed Gein is so disturbing and creepy, why the creators of this piece of trash decided to make up their own story is beyond me. The actor playing Ed is a very large man, Ed was a very small, meek, and shy man. That is part of what makes his story so frightening. He did not have a helper to dig up the graves and anyone who owns land in the area knows that it is mostly sand with a little dirt in it. You won't break much of a sweat digging a hole. They didn't have to hire an actor with the physique of a wrestler, just do your research. And if the writing wasn't bad enough - there are NO mountains in Wisconsin, and I'm pretty certain that 911 was not available in 1957.$LABEL$ 0 +Why does this piece of film have so many raving reviews? This is amateurish, unfunny and annoying.The only memorable thing here is the corny title song. The production values are low and the "comedic" (if you want to call them that) ideas are weak, they seem like leftovers of leftovers from SNL that even they would not dare to have put on the screen.I'm beginning to thoroughly mistrust IMDb ratings. This is light years away from Kentucky Fried Movie - not even in the same Galaxy.It's not even possible to write 10 lines about it.OK, another good thing: ugly street scenes and ugly people - something one doesn't get to see a lot in todays TV and Movies.$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 4/29/2007 - 4 out of 10(Dir-Mick Garris): Campy vampire-like Stephen King movie has so many strange and goofy elements that you start laughing over the extreme weirdness about 3/4 the way into the movie and you wonder if this movie might have a cult following for King fans. It's the story of a mother and son who are sleepwalkers(a shape-shifting feline-like, flesh eating, life needing, near extinct breed of humanoid) who move from town to town searching for virgins to feed on to keep themselves alive. They come across as pretty normal upper-class folk except they are secret lovers and cats hang around the outside of their home, day and night. Cats are deadly to them, so they set traps in their yard to try and keep the population down. We get to see them break a couple of their necks when they attack(which is also a first in my movie-going experience) --- hopefully no real cats were harmed in the making of the film. The boy is after a sweet girl that he has a crush on until he turns into a "sleepwalker" and then he just wants her body. There is so much campy uniqueness to this movie that it might have been better if it was an all-out satirical comedy on suburban life, but the director instead tries to scare you every couple minutes until you wish he'd just get over it and bring out the gore. Eventually that happens and the movie winds down to it's typical Stephen King downbeat ending. The movie is interesting because King's humor comes thru more than usual but his weirdness is also very present and what you have is a movie that his fans will probably like and should have in their collection, but as a worthwhile movie experience it really doesn't cut it.$LABEL$ 0 +Young Mr. Lincoln marks the first film of the director/star collaboration of John Ford and Henry Fonda. I recall years ago Fonda telling that as a young actor he was understandably nervous about playing Abraham Lincoln and scared he wouldn't live up to the challenge.John Ford before the shooting starts put him at ease by saying he wasn't going to be playing the Great Emancipator, but just a jack-leg prairie lawyer. That being settled Fonda headed a cast that John Ford directed into a classic film.This is not a biographical film of Lincoln. That had come before in the sound era with Walter Huston and a year after Young Mr. Lincoln, Raymond Massey did the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Robert Sherwood Abe Lincoln in Illinois. Massey still remains the definitive Lincoln.But as Ford said, Fonda wasn't playing the Great Emancipator just a small town lawyer in Illinois. The film encompasses about 10 years of Lincoln's early life. We see him clerking in a general store, getting some law books from an immigrant pioneer family whose path he would cross again later in the story. And his romance with Ann Rutledge with her early death leaving Lincoln a most melancholy being.Fast forward about 10 years and Lincoln is now a practicing attorney beginning to get some notice. He's served a couple of terms in the legislature, but he's back in private practice not really sure if politics is for him.This is where the bulk of the action takes place. The two sons of that family he'd gotten the law books from way back when are accused of murder. He offers to defend them. And not an ordinary murder but one of a deputy sheriff. The trial itself is fiction, but the gambit used in the defense of Richard Cromwell and Eddie Quillan who played the two sons is based on a real case Lincoln defended. I'll say no more.Other than the performances, the great strength of Young Mr. Lincoln is the way John Ford captures the mood and atmosphere and setting of a small Illinois prairie town in a Fourth of July celebration. It's almost like you're watching a newsreel. And it was the mood of the country itself, young, vibrant and growing.Fans of John Ford films will recognize two musical themes here that were repeated in later films. During the romantic interlude at the beginning with Fonda and Pauline Moore who played Ann Rutledge the music in the background is the same theme used in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance for Vera Miles. And at a dance, the tune Lovely Susan Brown that Fonda and Marjorie Weaver who plays Mary Todd is the same one Fonda danced with Cathy Downs to, in My Darling Clementine at the dance for the raising of a church in Tombstone. Lincoln will forever be a favorite subject of biographers and dramatists because of two reasons, I believe. The first is he's the living embodiment of our own American mythology about people rising from the very bottom to the pinnacle of power through their own efforts. In fact Young Mr. Lincoln very graphically shows the background Lincoln came from. And secondly the fact that he was our president during the greatest crisis in American history and that he made a singularly good and moral decision to free slaves during the Civil War, albeit for some necessary political reasons. His assassination assured his place in history.Besides Fonda and others I've mentioned special praise should also go to Fred Kohler, Jr. and Ward Bond, the two town louts, Kohler being the murder victim and Bond the chief accuser. Also Donald Meek as the prosecuting attorney and Alice Brady in what turned out to be her last film as the pioneer mother of Cromwell and Quillan. And a very nice performance by Spencer Charters who specialized in rustic characters as the judge.For a film that captures the drama and romance of the time it's set in, you can't do better than Young Mr. Lincoln.$LABEL$ 1 +Very silly movie, filled with stupid one liners and Jewish references thru out. It was a serious movie but could not be taken seriously. A familiar movie plot...Being at the wrong place at the wrong time. An atrocious subplot, involving Kim Bassinger. Very robotic and too regimented. I have noticed that Al Pacinos acting abilities seem to be going downhill. A troubleshooter with troubles , but nothing more troubling than Pacinos horrible Atlanta accent. Damage control needs to fix this damage of a film. OK my one liners are bad, but not as bad as the ones in this film. This movie manages to not only be boring but revolting as well. Usually a revolting film is watchable for the wrong reasons. This movie is unwatchable. I did manage to sit through this. The plot ,if written a tad bit better, with , perhaps a little better acting and eliminating the horrendous subplot,and even dumber jokes, could have pulled this thriller out of the doldrums. What we are left with is a dull, silly movie that made sure it was drilled into our heads that Eli Wurman was Jewish. An embarrassment to all the good Jewish folk everywhere.$LABEL$ 0 +We watched this movie in my chemistry class, so obviously it had educational value. I thought the film did a really good job of intertwining the subjects of the science, moral issues and personal experiences of the manhattan project, but wasn't exactly focused on strong acting. I would recommend this movie for the scientifically inclined or those interested in the moral issues behind Fat Man and Little Boy, but if the subject of nuclear bombs bores you, don't see it.$LABEL$ 1 +After having watched "Guinea Pig", two questions come in mind ( besides 'Am I really a psychopath to watch that ?' ) : 'Is it a snuff ?' The answer is no ; although it's the closest thing to a snuff movie I've ever seen. And then : 'Where the hell have they found that girl ?'. Because she gets tortured for '45 min, without any reasons given ( in fact, there is nothing else in this movie !) : Fingernails teared off, beaten with hands, feet, tools, infested by maggots, ... and many more until the final scene ( I'm still not sure how they did that ). Because it belongs to the 'japonese underground scene', it's obvious she didn't get a lot of money. So what were her ( their ) motivations ?I saw it in japonese without subtitles, but it's not a problem ( no real dialogues, the boys are just insulting her in a few scenes ). I haven't seen yet all the serial, but the first "Guinea Pig" is not known for being the best one. Still I've rated 8, because if the purpose was making people believe this a snuff, the issue is quite good ( ask Charlie Sheen, the actor ). But I think they could have gone further, which they did in the following ones.Another movie I'm hiding from my parents.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +A group of teens that have broken into a huge department store, are attacked by a crazed police man. Exciting and suspenseful throughout and refreshingly devoid of extreme violence and gore, but those Aussie hairstyles and accents are a bit much to take. And they can induce headaches. But this is still a good thriller. 7 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember watching this mini-series the first time in 1984 with a growing sense of anger and indignation. Having read the comments on this title, I must agree with those from the people in Greece. This was produced to coincide with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and, to me, it seemed like nothing more than an exercise in jingoistic, flag-waving American nationalism in which the American athletes are glorified at everyone else's expense. Some other nationalities would have every right to feel deeply insulted at the way they were portrayed in this series. It may, however, help to explain the way in which many American spectators behaved at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the TV coverage which seemed only interested in events that Americans were likely to win.$LABEL$ 0 +From the offset, I knew this was going to be a terrific movie, the pace, the cinematography, personalities indigenous to the Dallas area, the diversification of characters, not to mention the director Oliver Stone and of course Eric Bogasian...The film starts out on a Friday (suggestively occult in the first place) and begins with a radio station in Dallas that is hosting their number one talk show, The Barry Champlain Show (Based on the Talk Radio Host Alan Berg)...Barry (Eric Bogasian) is the abrasive radio talk show host and his job is such whereby it is compulsory to pontificate all of the sensationalistic nuances of the radio audience feeding into his show...He attempts to commiserate with a bunch of societal deviates turned lonely, vulnerable, obscene phone callers who have the masochistic craving to be publicly vilified, Barry Champlain is effective in coping with this precarious ilk, by socially debasing them rather than simply subjugating them to mere admonishment...New technologies serve a stigmatic purpose for the Dallas radio audience, and paramount concepts take a backseat to perversion, talk about "Baseball Scores, Orgasms and People's Pets!!"The whole thing is a cacophony of drug-induced diatribes and a potpourri for psychopathic paranoia!! This high profile cannon fodder is something that Barry Champlain thrives on!!! The convoluted pathos, the deranged proclivities deeriving from inaneities and puveyors of pornography and the overall pop culture afflictions serve as volatile ammunition for Barry Champlain's stilted battleground!!The setting for this movie is perfect in that there is a two thousand foot drop in terms of ideology.. In the the center of Dallas there is an overbearing sense of cosmopolitan awareness, whereby 20 miles away resides a significant chapter of the Ku Klux Klan!!...The play is based in Denver,that is where the actual story takes place, other small theater plays depict the cities of Louisville, Atlanta and Cleveland. Dallas is the city where the film takes place, I thought it was an excellent choice!!...This movie illustrates how people have a horrid and erroneous and deadly misconceptualization of the Jewish people in America, whereby they control the banks, their agenda is different than everybody else's and their intellectual literature leads to perversion!! These preconceived notions compound Barry Champlain's overall dilemma!!! Barry Champlain's personal undoing is whereby he is irascible and non-responsive to his alcoholism, and his abrasive and politically controversial nature is his ultimate undoing, this is what makes the film so believable!!The characters in the movie were well portrayed, Dan, the tailor made for middle management hatchet man (played by Alec Baldwin) who was constantly monitoring Barry Champlain's every move!!..Laura, his girlfriend, also his producer, will constantly feel Barry is someone who is always misunderstood!! Ellen, his ex-wife, is a recipient of Barry's anguish and selfishness, but cannot quite relinquish her feelings for Barry regardless of the path of personal destruction he winds up resorting to!! The Dallas radio audience is a melting pot of socially misplaced retro-bates who are dementedly amused by their own real shortcomings!!!...In part, everybody's hang-ups including Barry Champlain's own hang-ups are what do Barry Champlain in!! His audience ogles depravity, solicits amelioration and ultimately becomes Barry Champlain's pet project for prescribed sinners!! Social culture conflicts become Barry Champlain's downfall!! This movie is superb!! In my opinion Oliver Stone's best picture, including Platoon and Natural Born Killers..That statement in of itself tells you how magnificent a film Talk Radio is...The story consulting and acting and co-producing of Eric Bogosian is simply compelling!! The camera angles, the dialogue, the haunting character portrayals, all top notch..The cinematography of the Dallas skyline at the end of the movie is terrific!! Dallas has the dubious distinction of being deemed a mega metropolis...So now, just like Los Angeles and New York, there are crack baby cases too numerous to count, low cost housing neighborhoods from Hell and budgets cuts that will mean there will be a significant number of people who will be dead by this time next year!!!!...Dallas asserts it's status as a major metropolitan area in the precarious manner by which human debauchery prevails!! The city has it's lynching radio listeners who have given a pejorative spin to the marvel of nationwide air wave communication!! These are the culprits in the movie!! The ghoulish tabloid derelicts who want to meet the big bad wolf, and their decadent curiosity has morally obliterated "The last neighborhood in America"$LABEL$ 1 +GOOD: Technomusic accompanying medieval swordplay. Also, the movie looks sleeker than most b-movies, but let's face it: Quake or Doom has more atmosphere.BAD: Unintelligent plot, no acting and totally unbelievable universe. I am usually able to see the potential of even very bad movies; heck, I love a good B-movie like "Split Second" and the likes. But this one has has nothing but boredom and cliché to offer... Totally predictable from start to end. Oh, and I forgot the lousy special effects, they look more like an old Playstation game than anything out of myth! The use of a classic poem to sell this sucker offends me!CONCLUSION: Quite simply boring. If you want to see Lara Croft, buy the game, it's way sexier!$LABEL$ 0 +I never thought an old cartoon would bring tears to my eyes! When I first purchased Casper & Friends: Spooking About Africa, I so much wanted to see the very first Casper cartoon entitled The Friendly Ghost (1945), But when I saw the next cartoon, There's Good Boos To-Night (1948), It made me break down! I couldn't believe how sad and tragic it was after seeing Casper's fox get killed! I never saw anything like that in the other Casper cartoons! This is the saddest one of all! It was so depressing, I just couldn't watch it again. It's just like seeing Lassie die at the end of a movie. I know it's a classic,But it's too much for us old cartoon fans to handle like me! If I wanted to watch something old and classic, I rather watch something happy and funny! But when I think about this Casper cartoon, I think about my cats!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is just crap. Even though the directors claim to be part of that oi-culture, it's still a very, very bad directorial debut. The topic itself is very interesting and I accept the bad acting due to the fact, that they are all amateurs and never acted before, but the worst thing about this film are the dialogs and very unexperienced and naive directing. There's no timing at all in that movie. I felt like the directors were so exited to do that movie (it's their first feature), that they actually never really asked themselves, what story they wanna tell. I met Ben (one of the directors) on several occasions and he's a nice and thoughtful guy, but that doesn't make him a director. I think, that "American History X" is full of clichés, but somehow manages to transport a story. "Oi!Warning" is full of clichés, doesn't tell anything new or provocative and (-that's the sad thing about this movie) it's far from any Oi!-Reality.If you wanna see weird but great German films, watch the movies of Michael Haneke, Christoph Schlingensief, Oskar Roehler, Hans Weingartner or Oliver Hirschbiegel:Benny's Video Funny Games Die Unberührbare Mein Letzter Film Das Experiment Das Weisse Rauschen Muxmäuschenstill ...*** out of ten, because of the topic and the photography$LABEL$ 0 +There was a time when Michael Jackson was revered as the King of Pop. Then came a time when he attracted negative publicity as much as lemonade attracts wasps. Finally, it is now the time that we feel truly sorry for this man.This 'movie' is another reason to. I promised a rabid Michael Jackson fan to watch it with her. You know the type of fan -- someone who tells him- or herself to like everything the object of affection ever did. While watching this movie, which she had seen twice already, I realized how far this fandom goes. Probably far enough to rate this movie above a 1/10, as some people miraculously did.The movie attempts to be a parody of many other movies and series, most notably Cast Away, Lost and Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, it fails miserably at any level. The acting does not save the absolutely horrible story, the filming has the quality of a too-often played video tape, the special effects were better executed in Be Kind Rewind (for those who do not now this movie: with aluminum foil)... All this would be funny if the movie managed to be, well, funny. Unfortunately, it is not. It hurts to watch this.And then there is Michael Jacksons appearance in this garbage. He appears on a projection screen to deliver an important message, and manages to come across as mobile as Jabba the Hutt and as serious as a 4-year old. Just when I thought "who is the terrible person that lured this poor man into participating in this movie and yet again making a total fool of himself", I (finally) reached the ending credits and discovered that the movie was actually partially shot at Jackson's Neverland ranch. In other words: He. Likes. It.This movie, and Jackson's involvement in it, is truly disturbing. Do not watch it even for the "haha, a movie in the IMDb Bottom 100" effect. Or be warned.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought it was comedy!! What a hoot! I can't believe Forsythe or Reynolds would actually appear in this piece of trash..And then there's the beautiful Erika Eleniak or whatever this piece of eye candy is called..Appears she put on a few pounds since her Playboy centerfold..Like about 50!! The story line is ludicrous, the acting absolutely horrendous, and the tired old cliché's that are run over and over and over again, boy it took a lot of stamina to sit through this dog..The only thing worth it was the LAUGHS!! And there are PLENTY! If you really want to kill say, an hour and a half pick this baby up at the rental shop, but make sure you have a room full of brain dead people to watch it with you. I think that's who it was written for.. it plays like they were thinking of a real low rent, drug induced audience for this one..$LABEL$ 0 +I seriously enjoy Dr Who.Seriously, don't just dismiss me as a "sci-fi person", because I'm not normally. I caught on because a friend got me hooked when they started watching it. It is actually really funny, and more often than not, it's fast-paced. All of my family watch it pretty much and that's a miracle.Christopher Ecclestion is pretty good, but David Tennant is brilliant. I think it's because he made the Doctor so manic and it's just nice to have that little bit of eccentricity in a TV character again.I don't know what it is about it, but everything manages to work like clockwork. All I'm going to say is just try it. One episode (probably best if you don't pick the second half of a two-parter, though).$LABEL$ 1 +I usually read reviews before I watch a movie. Guess what, I didn't do that before watching TLB, and I have to say I was very surprised to see the above average rating at IMDb. I found it to have a total lack of story. You just get dropped into it (and, sadly, not in the way Saving Private Ryan dropped us into the movie), and it also has a sudden end, which was very unsatisfying for me.I have to admit, the wounded soldiers looked pretty realistic to me, especially with the low budget in mind. But prepare yourself to have a laugh... Some guys are being tossed through the air after an explosion as if they are Olympic gymnasts. A mid-air corkscrew or somersault during WW I is a bit too much for me, especially when it's performed countless times during the movie...But the parts that really got me laughing until I almost cried were the scenes containing close combat. The screaming and shouting German voices...unbelievably funny. It seems as if they are spoken by one single actor / voice performer, because they all sound exactly the same, and it just sounds like a 'typical' German voice.I would absolutely NOT recommend this movie to anyone, except to people who just want to have some laughs because of the sad and corny quality of it.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is a nightmare! The sensation you feel when you wake up from a nightmare is the same I got when I finished watching this movie: "Uff…OK, it ended, what a relief!" I felt pain watching this movie, so bad it was! It's a B-series low cost movie, that's for sure, but I think it not an excuse to be so bad! I've watched brilliant low cost movies, with nice plots, nice production, nice acting, and most of all, some substance! This one got nothing of it! The plot is hilarious, it almost seems like an "American guide about how to transform ancient Chinese mythology into a ridiculous teenage movie, with some kids playing with the occult"… I don't know if the Chinese tale present in this movie is real or not, but if it is, the "damage" is even worse! The production is just horrible, a plain zero (What "special effects" are those?). There's no suspense. The supposed "tension scenes" are a complete failure. The acting is not better; and what about the dialogs? Oh my God! A movie which has for several times dialogs just like: "I will pass there later, OK? Is that alright? – OK, alright. - OK? – OK, alright, bye then"… I'm sure it doesn't deserve more than a 1/10 score!Too bad to be true!$LABEL$ 0 +This film is a hodge-podge of various idiotic cliches. For instance, boy-meets-spoilt-rich-girl and gets her to fall in love with him by harassing her in college (an over-used backdrop in recent Indian commercial films). A male chauvinistic glorification of sexual conquest. The climax is predictable (having been used ad nauseum in several other films). As with many other recent commercial Hindi films, the film abounds with the incongruous insertion of songs, which probably contributed to the film's success more than anything else.$LABEL$ 0 +I completely understand WHY this movie was made. Silence of the Lambs was an incredible film - a gruesome thriller with a superb story and high jump-factor....What I don't understand is why THIS movie was made... and why Anthony Hopkins agreed to reprise his role as Hannibal the Cannibal in this terrible and dissatisfying film.There's no possible way to spoil the movie any further than going to see it could, but for those of you who prefer to waste your money, DON't READ ON. The film is absolutely horrible. It's so bad that the transition from Jodie Foster to Julianne Moore becomes a non-issue. The only way to truly enjoy the film is to set your watch and leave the theatre exactly two hours into the film, because up until that point, it's quite an interesting thriller. The reparte between Moore and Hopkins is comparable to Hopkins and Foster, and the performances by the other characters are pretty good. But literally at the two hour mark, the film degrades into nothing but a cheesy D-grade horror flick...it's sick, and it's stupid and almost like the crew ran out of filming time, and threw together an ending in one day of filming.Initial buzz over the Thomas Harris' book's unsatisfying and bizarre ending led director Ridley Scott to order a re-write... and, honestly, having seen the film AND read the book's finale, I don't know which is worse.Please - don't waste your money OR time on this film, unless you're prepared to leave EXACTLY at the two hour point, because that's the ONLY way you'll feel satisfied about the saga of Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter... continuing the mystery that made the first film, and the wait for this one, so great.$LABEL$ 0 +Potential viewers be warned, the current IMDb viewer rating for "Tomorrow at Seven" is an anomaly of low voter turnout. It has an interesting premise, a killer leaves an Ace of Spades calling card at the scene of his crimes, while alerting the victim in advance. The execution falls flat however, and to say that the movie has it's share of plot holes would be to imply that there actually is a plot.Chester Morris portrays mystery writer Neil Broderick, weaving elements of actual murders by the Ace of Spades killer into his latest novel. Broderick intends to interview a wealthy businessman for his book, but first he has to get past the man's eccentric secretary - "If you line his relatives up, you'd have enough nuts to hold a Ford together". That line unceremoniously endears him to the "nut's" daughter Martha (Vivienne Osborne), who offers to make the introductions.Broderick meets Thornton Drake (Henry Stephenson) just as the latter is about to complete a jigsaw puzzle delivered by a courier that morning. The only remaining pieces, as we learn in the following scene, form the bold, black shape of the Ace of Spades containing the words "At Seven Tomorrow Night". Now what person putting together a puzzle doesn't use the pieces with contrasting colors FIRST! Initially I was intrigued by the appearance of Frank McHugh and Allen Jenkins in their roles as a pair of police detectives summoned to the Drake residence. Generally, their characters are colorful enough to offer genuine comic relief, but here they're just plain annoying. McHugh's Clancy in particular winds up shouting objections to inane comments made by his partner Dugan, and both usually head in the opposite direction when real trouble might turn up.Now here's a question - in light of the identity of the Ace killer, why would he have invited a novelist and a pair of cops that he just met, on a flight to his Louisiana plantation? Especially when at seven o'clock, all parties would be a captive audience aboard the plane when the first murder is committed. It's not Drake however who's dead, but his secretary Austin Winters (Grant Mitchell). The early suspicion falls on pilot Henderson (Cornelius Keefe) following a lights out scene, but Henderson still hasn't reported the murder to his supervisor until well after he arrives at Drake's plantation with everyone else. Can you imagine anyone trying to get away with that today, unless your name was Ted Kennedy?With the cause of death yet to be determined, the local coroner is called in, but the first one that shows up (a Broderick accomplice) is a phony. Yet, when the real coroner shows up, he simply disappears immediately after! In a second dark out scene, a letter from the murder victim Austin Winters is about to be read. It winds up missing when the lights return, and because it may point to the murderer, it becomes a clue that must be retrieved. So where was the letter? Winters' daughter Martha grabbed it and placed in on the mantle of the living room! How much thought was put into this?Obviously, the entire affair is so inane that Morris' character solves the case rather easily. Even though the film comes in at just about an hour, it becomes almost a chore to watch with all the nonsense going on. There's really only one humorous moment worth repeating; while aboard the plane, the detectives have this exchange: Dugan - "Hey Clancy, how often do these things fall?" Clancy - "Once!" Except for McHugh and Jenkins, I can't say I've seen any of the other players in films of the era, though I'm a fan of most "B" grade mystery movies from the '30's through the '50's. Fortunately, the pair fares much better backing up Humphrey Bogart in a goofy 1938 gem - "Swing Your Lady", where the laughs are intentional. The best I can offer about "Tomorrow at Seven" is a quote from Martha Winters about midway though this turkey - "This is just a silly waste of time".$LABEL$ 0 +Black Scorpion is Roger Cormen's Batman. Which is cool and there is a lot of cool stuff in this movie. Like the Breathtaker being a cross between Doctor Doom and Darth Vader, that's kind of cool. The mind control gas in the inhalers was worthy of the Mad Hatter. The Cormen B-movie style is all over this puppy which is not always a good thing. There are plenty of stunts and hot babes to make any action fan happy. This movie, the good out weighs the bad. But if you aren't one for comic book movies, then I would advise not watching Black Scorpion, however if you like comic book like movies and don't care if it was ever a comic before. Then check out BLACK SCORPION, as for me I give it 8 STARS.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film in a Singapore theatre yesterday (4 February, 2006)and came away with a better understanding of what schizophrenia patients and their loved ones go through.Ms Aparna Sen must be congratulated for not only taking on a difficult subject, but also treating the mentally challenged with a deep understanding of their predicament that is necessary to help them cope with the trauma of disorientation, hallucinations and the storm of turmoil raging in their minds.We have had Hollywood movies on this subject such as "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" where Jack Nicholson carried away the honours. Since then research has helped provide more insights into the problem and clearing some misconceptions about treatment. In "... cuckoo's nest," for example shock therapy has been portrayed as barbaric, but in "15 ..." the point has been made that it is not as bad as it has been made out to be.The other misconception is that abuse in childhood is a cause for schizophrenia. But scholars such as Dr. E. Fuller Torrey have emphasised that studies have shown that childhood schizophrenia is a brain disease and is thought to have some genetic roots.It is now established that schizophrenia can be treated like any clinical ailment and its advance can be checked if detected early. Even in fairly advanced stages regular medication and counselling can be effective.The same understanding shown by Ms Sen is evident in the way the actors play out their parts. In keeping with the gravity of the theme, the acting is controlled throughout with Ms Konkana Sen-Sharma's evocative silences and eyes mirroring the helpless confusion of a disturbed mind speaking louder than some of the rantings we are used to in most of the movies that have included mentally challenged characters.Like me most of the audience in the theatre appeared confused at the abrupt ending. It leaves lot of questions hanging in terms of the plot.Has Meethi's search ended? Why is she not found in No. 15? Were children actually playing when Meethi strode past the gates with her eyes sparkling with recognition? Can anyone sort out this jigsaw puzzle?$LABEL$ 1 +Diana Guzman is an angry young woman. Surviving an unrelenting series of disappointments and traumas, she takes her anger out on the closest targets.When she sees violence transformed and focused by discipline in a rundown boxing club, she knows she's found her home. The film progresses from there, as Diana learns the usual coming-of-age lessons alongside the skills needed for successful boxing. Michelle Rodriguez is very good in the role, particularly when conveying the focused rage of a young woman hemmed in on all sides and fighting against not just personal circumstances but entrenched sexism.The picture could use some finesse in its direction of all the young actors, who pale in comparison to the older, more experienced cast. There are too many pauses in the script, which detracts from the dramatic tension. The overall quietness of the film drains it of intensity. This is a good picture to see once, if only to see the power of a fully realized young woman whose femininity is complex enough to include her power. Its limitations prevent it from being placed in the "see it again and again" category.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, first off there may be a SPOILER here since i don't know what constitutes giving out too much information. My subject line says it all but surely people will want to know WHY it's so stupid.First off, this film follows a bunch of Yuppies as they go to a sports game in Chicago but wind up taking the wrong exit and winding up in the ghetto. Scary, huh? Well, first of all, Emilio is driving everyone in the world's most overblown RV/Winnebago, tricked out with satellite dishes and crap like that on it. So these guys are GOING to a sports game (i forget which, though likely the Bulls or the White Sox since they're near the oh-so-scary ghetto), yet they can't even make it down the freeway without having an onboard viewing command center that would put ESPN to shame. Yet they're smart enough to earn livings that would pay for the stuff, but are such sports fans that they don't even know which exit to get off at on their way to the game they so love.I gave up on the movie within a half hour after that, but the reasons were plentiful. They wind up IN THE GHETTO, yet their main danger to their existence is DENIS LEARY. A WHITE GUY. I'm no racist, but COME ON. In anything RESEMBLING reality - and this film WAS trying to be an urban nightmare - Denis Leary would not be trying to kill Emilio Estevez, he'd be hitching a ride to get the f*** out of Dodge himself!!!This is easily one of the dumbest movies ever created, although I'm not familiar with much of the rest of the world's cinema. If MST3K were still on, they surely would have devoted an episode to this one.$LABEL$ 0 +In this sequel to the 1989 action-comedy classic K-9, detective Dooley [James Belushi] and his dog Jerry Lee return to fight crime, but this time they are teamed up with another detective [Christine Tucci] and her partner, a mean Doberman named Zues who does not get along with Jerry Lee very well. Dooley does not get along with his new partner much either. That all changes as the movie goes along. The movie is intense as their is a guy that really wants to kill Dooley for the way he treated him in the past. There is some dramatic scenes dealing with the death of Dooley's wife that don't really seem to be with the tone of the movie because the rest of the movie is action sequences, dog poop jokes, fart jokes, and jokes about dogs biting bad guys in a certain area. I know that that seems like very low humor, but some of it is actually very funny. I didn't see this movie for the jokes, I saw it for two reasons. The first reason is because I am a big James Belushi fan and the second is for the action sequences. James Belushi is funnier than he was in K-9 and the action sequences at are better too. It would have been nice to see more characters from K-9 to return, but it's still a fun movie. If you are a James Belushi fan, you'll love this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The magnificent Greta Garbo is in top form in this, her first talkie. She gets fine support from the rest of the cast which includes Charles Bickford the rugged sailor who captures her heart. Ms. Garbo gives a great performance as she usually does as the estranged daughter of a sea captain who returns after fifteen years. Also in the cast is that great actress Marie Dressler. A great movie!$LABEL$ 1 +This is without doubt the worst movie i have ever seen. And believe me, I have seen a lot of movies. The unbelievable twist the movie makes - going from an extremely bad "Alien lifeforms inhabit earth" movie with sickening bad acting, to a film that tries to spread an Archchristian "Judgement day is at hand, seek Jesus or though shall burn for all eternity in the fiery debts of hell" message - left me stunned after being tormented for 85 minutes. Even religious Christians must be ashamed or furious by watching their beliefs being posted like this. I didn't know what to do with myself when I watched the horrible acting that could have been performed by 7-year-olds. Simply disgusting. I am not a Christian nor very religious. But if I had been, I would no longer be afraid of Hell. Rich Christiano has shown be something much, much worse.$LABEL$ 0 +Actually, the answer only occupies a tiny portion of this excellent Imax movie that educates us on our delicate selves. C.G. and special cameras--assisted by Imax--incredibly display the inner (and outer) workings of an average human, be it adult men and women, boys and girls, or babies. Nearly every human body part aspect is specifically detailed: digestion, reproduction (featuring a Marvin Gaye hit), the heart, etc. Some especially revealing moments include how an infant can be immersed underwater and also how the brain's impulses look. It is amazing how we function.The subject matter skips around an awful lot. But at all times we still learn a hell of a lot about our bodies that we should be *required* to know.$LABEL$ 1 +Quentin Tarantino once said that to succeed in the film industry you had to make your own Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. Writer/actor/director Larry Bishop seems to have taken that advice a little too literally with Hell Ride and concocted a messy homage that borrows much too heavily in its visuals, music, camera-work, and time-altering storytelling. But to properly mimic a Tarantino film, one has to have a knack for constructing creative conversations; unfortunately Hell Ride's primary derailing element is its atrocious ramblings and vulgar monologues that only work to disgust and confuse the audience while simultaneously invoking pity for the actors just for being involved.The anti-hero protagonist biker gang, The Victors, consists of several weathered vigilantes who bring their own brand of bloodthirsty justice to the lawless roads. The leader, Pistolero (Larry Bishop), is hell-bent on revenge and putting out fires. The Gent (Michael Madsen) just tries to balance his chaotic, psychotic symphony of life with putting lead into anyone who crosses his boss, and Comanche (Eric Balfour) follows with a fierce loyalty and a mysterious past.On the villainous front, Deuce (David Carradine) is the mastermind who orchestrates from afar, though not quite far enough, and Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones) spits venom and lewd explanations for his tattoos while toting a harpoon gun and a general disdain for life. While these characters might sound interesting on paper, once they're forced to rant horrendously ill-conceived dialogue all traces of cool disappear faster than the funding should for Bishop's next film.While Hell Ride is riddled with imperfections and missed opportunities, the main facet of its undoing lies in the poorly devised conversations. And because Bishop's main influences are the talky films of Tarantino, there are a lot of them. The first twenty minutes of the movie are nearly unintelligible and would probably make as much sense muted. By the time Pistolero's main squeeze is introduced and certain phrases are overused to the point of nausea, you'll pray for both death and the ability to turn the sound off. Even Dennis Hopper has trouble remaining cool while spouting off such goofy dialogue.Have you ever repeated a word or phrase to yourself so many times that it just doesn't sound right or even make sense anymore? Bishop starts there and then keeps the madness going until you envy the characters on screen getting their heads cut off. And when the dialogue finally takes a break, we're treated to interspersed shots of nude female oil wrestling and throats being slashed. I'm not sure what effect Bishop hoped to attain, but I doubt he found it.Hell Ride wants to pay homage to Quentin Tarantino films, Robert Rodriguez films, and every movie that idolizes the violent and devil-may-care attitudes of bikers. But while its intentions may be noble, the horrendously cringe-worthy dialogue and the hyper-stylized timeline-mangling editing prevents the audience from becoming invested with the generic tough-guy characters. By the time we figure out the mystery behind the characters' motives (and it may be awhile before you even realize there's a mystery to be solved), it's just too hard to care anymore. And while everyone on screen is clearly having fun, they've entirely neglected to translate any of that entertainment to the audience.- Joel Massie$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when I was a lot younger but it captured me. I loved Orry and George's relationship so much. I was so enraptured in Orry and Madenline's love story. I am a hopeless romantic so it really got to me. I especially liked it when he first met her. I just wish he had more time with her and their baby. So you know in Book three I was so hurt that he died. I didn't really understand that because they had little time together. I just loved Patrick in this movie. I just bought all three books together and I can't stop watching them. My 12 year old son is stuck on it. He likes the fighting in the war. I cry every time. I wish I could meet Patrick and Madeline in person! It was a wonderful movie and cast!$LABEL$ 1 +I am sorry to rain on everybody's parade. Just a little background about me: I like and know a lot about Asian cinema, especially Japanese, Chinese and Indian. Admittedly I am a novice when it comes to South-Korean cinema but, if this is the best of the best, sorry. I just want you to know that I am not at all narrow-minded when it comes to appreciating foreign movies and I do not fit the stereotype of the "dumb American" . . . well, not perfectly.I cannot believe the high praise this piece of nothing is bestowed upon. This is a disgusting *and* ludicrous movie. Hammy acting - everything is badly done and overdone, like begging for the uneducated viewer's attention. Horrible camera-work, with an insistence on meaningless close-ups derived from the MTV aesthetics.The plot is more full of holes than a gigantic piece of Swiss cheese. Nobody expects a thriller to be 100% realistic, and for the sake of entertainment I'd be happy to close my eyes to small unfitting details. But, excuse me, what's happening here that *can* stand even summary scrutiny? This story of an unbelievably intricate and contrite act of revenge is worse than the worst tabloid story one can read in a line at the supermarket. (Don't want to spoil your "enjoyment", if that's the word, so won't go into details of the plot.) The fighting scenes are violent, unbelievable, downright stupid (the main "hero" taking on dozens and dozens of opponents in the same time, after he ONLY trained while imprisoned, punching a wall ! ) The truly "outstanding" features of this movie are two: the lurid and incestuous sex (brother on sister and father on daughter, well, we've evolved since Oedipus, didn't we?) and the graphic violence. The cut off body parts - hands, teeth, tongues - together with industrial quantities of spilled blood (how many tens of thousands of tomatoes had to die for this movie to be made?) have no esthetical function/motivation whatsoever.A feast for the S & M inclined, admittedly, but, even for those, a feast of no merit nor subtlety. Heavens, even Mel Gibson's recent and much-discussed work on an almost similar theme wasn't THAT bad.The invariably good press this pretentious, overblown, overlong piece of gratuitous gore coming from Korean shores obtains makes me wonder what's happening. I don't think of myself as being the ultimate paragon of taste and often I am ready to accept that a movie I didn't enjoy may be better than I was able to perceive. However, I have no scruples whatsoever in calling this one as I see it: bad, bad, bad. No redeeming qualities. My 2c? Find something better to do with your time.$LABEL$ 0 +Homicide: The Movie proved to be a good wrap-up to a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted series. Loose ends were tied up that weren't properly addressed at the end of the final season. The entire series, and especially the movie, provided a life-like look at life (and death) in Baltimore, a culturally unique city with an extremely high murder rate. My attraction to the series began long before I moved to Baltimore, but once I experienced life here for myself, I realized how realistic it was. And the movie certainly retained that spirit. I will certainly miss new original episodes of the series, but am very grateful to NBC and the producers and cast for giving us one last glimpse at the dark side of Charm City.$LABEL$ 1 +This show is brilliantly hilarious! I started watching in 2007, and had never heard of it before then. After one episode, I was hooked. I'm never home to watch it, so my wife bought me the entire series on DVD. Non stop laughs, need I say more? I wish it was still on TV, because it is definitely worthy and a whole lot better of crap on currently on TV.I wish they would make a movie, seriously, who wouldn't go see it. Kevin James's name alone will bring a huge fanbase to any movie, the guy is (make your stomach hurt) funny.Just a really good, down to earth, believable show. If you have the chance to buy it on DVD, do it, its worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +The worst movie i've ever seen. I still don't understand what Dennis Hopper and Michael Madsen intend to do in. Maybe they had bills to pay... The best and cult part happens during a flashback which brings us during WWII when a Nazi officer hide his Jewish wife. That's the beginning of a typical serial killer life! It seems to be directed during the beginning of the 80's but then appears a New Beattle... Amazing! This movie was directed in 2001... I'm quite sure that it took less than two weeks to do that movie. I heard that Dennis Hopper's wife asked for divorce after she saw that picture and Michael Madsen's mother had a heart attack when the actor admitted to be the man under the yellow baseball hat. Pathetic!$LABEL$ 0 +A total and absolute waste of time. Bad acting. Bad story. Predictable. Simple. Pathetic. After a while I was only watching to see what happens, since I'd already invested my time into it. Totally surprised Mrs Forlani played in a weak movie as this. Honestly - just don't bother. A total and absolute waste of time. Bad acting. Bad story. Predictable. Simple. Pathetic. After a while I was only watching to see what happens, since I'd already invested my time into it. Totally surprised Mrs Forlani played in a weak movie as this. Honestly - just don't bother. A total and absolute waste of time. Bad acting. Bad story. Predictable. Simple. Pathetic. After a while I was only watching to see what happens, since I'd already invested my time into it. Totally surprised Mrs Forlani played in a weak movie as this. Honestly - just don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +In 'Hoot' Logan Lerman plays Roy Eberhardt, the new kid in school who has just moved from Montana. But Florida is a lot different from Montana. Despite is troubles in blending in, Roy discovers a bigger problem. A new franchise restaurant is coming to town and families of burrowing owls are in trouble. Can the new kid, a tomboy (Brie Larson) and a runaway (Cody Linley) stop big business from destroying these owls' home? This movie was pretty good. The kids (Logan Lerman, Brie Larson and Cody Linley) are the real stars of this film. Luke Wilson (Officer Delinko) is okay, but really does not have a very big part. Neither does Robert Wagner (Mayor) or Jimmy Buffett (Mr. Ryan).Nevertheless this was a fun film that the whole family will enjoy. For a first time producer, I thought Jimmy Buffett put together a quality piece of work. Plus the owls were really cute.$LABEL$ 1 +Growing up in the late 60s and 70s I could not help but become a fan of science fiction. With America's space program in top gear, sci-fi books, movies, TV shows, and comic books fueled my imagination and opened my mind to the possibilities that exist in the universe. Farscape is so unlike any other sci-fi show yet it has all the ingredients that made shows like Star Trek, Battlestar Gallatica, X-Files, and Deep Space Nine personal favorites. One of the criticisms of Farscape is that the casual viewer can't just jump in and watch one episode and understand what is going on. There have been other very successful shows that used multiple episode story arcs and complicated characters. This for me is one of the charms of the show. I don't need or want to have the story all tied up neatly at the end of every episode like the various incarnations of Star Trek have done. All in all, Farscape has wonderful and funny characters and a running storyline that says that although humans may be the least evolved or advanced intelligent species in the universe, they still have unique qualities and abilities.Unfortunately, the shortsighted people at the Sci-Fi channel have canceled Farscape's 5th season. They have stated that the cancellation was based on sagging ratings. Yet just a few years ago it was their top rated original series and a critical favorite. It's a shame that all of the artists who help create this show will be unable to continue their labor of love because of the fiscal problems of the very channel/company that made it all possible in the first place.Hey, don't take my word for it, watch the show, watch the re-runs and make up your own mind. Help save Farscape!$LABEL$ 1 +I was unsure of this movie before renting and did so on the assurance that Hilary Swank has always given excellent performances in her movies. She seems to rely on restraint to gain the emotional impact that she does. And she didn't prove me wrong in this movie.However the movie also had fantastic performances from all other members of the cast both speaking and non-speaking. I have to single out Jamie Bartlett and Chiwetel Ejiofor - the two main protagonists - for their outstanding acting abilities and portrayal of true human feelings and failings. The whole movie ran almost like a documentary.I must applaud Tom Hooper as the director and Avril Beukes as the editor for keeping a multiple layered story being revealed smoothly whilst keeping dialogue and action moving along in an understandable fashion. The opening sequence of the South African landscape was striking and I had to push the pause button to savour the photography.Why can't a movie like this ever get nominated for an International award. It seems to me to hit the high-rating button on all counts. It was not just a film it was a true experience of life in a country coming out of apartheid. A life of poverty was all around but it celebrated the dignity of the human spirit.$LABEL$ 1 +Avoid this crap at all costs. Bad script, bad directing, bad acting, bad editing, bad sound, and bad music. Get the idea? This movie tries to be western flavored, it's not. It tries to be hard core violent, it's not. It tries to present a fresh look at an old genre, it doesn't. The actors try there best, and my heart goes out to them. But with such inane material to work with it's hard to make something shine. To me this has all of the looks of a "fresh outta film school gonna set the world on fire" first attempt. Freshmen film makers often bite off more that they, or their budget, can chew. The best thing they can do is to take a few steps back, reassess what is possible, and work within their limited budget the next time out.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a extremely well-made film. The acting, script and camera-work are all first-rate. The music is good, too, though it is mostly early in the film, when things are still relatively cheery. There are no really superstars in the cast, though several faces will be familiar. The entire cast does an excellent job with the script.But it is hard to watch, because there is no good end to a situation like the one presented. It is now fashionable to blame the British for setting Hindus and Muslims against each other, and then cruelly separating them into two countries. There is some merit in this view, but it's also true that no one forced Hindus and Muslims in the region to mistreat each other as they did around the time of partition. It seems more likely that the British simply saw the tensions between the religions and were clever enough to exploit them to their own ends.The result is that there is much cruelty and inhumanity in the situation and this is very unpleasant to remember and to see on the screen. But it is never painted as a black-and-white case. There is baseness and nobility on both sides, and also the hope for change in the younger generation.There is redemption of a sort, in the end, when Puro has to make a hard choice between a man who has ruined her life, but also truly loved her, and her family which has disowned her, then later come looking for her. But by that point, she has no option that is without great pain for her.This film carries the message that both Muslims and Hindus have their grave faults, and also that both can be dignified and caring people. The reality of partition makes that realisation all the more wrenching, since there can never be real reconciliation across the India/Pakistan border. In that sense, it is similar to "Mr & Mrs Iyer".In the end, we were glad to have seen the film, even though the resolution was heartbreaking. If the UK and US could deal with their own histories of racism with this kind of frankness, they would certainly be better off.$LABEL$ 1 +Dewaana as a film goes through the usual clichés. Man and Woman fall in love and marry, husband is supposedly killed by a family friend who wants their family fortune, woman remarries and surprise surprise husband no.1 reappears. The movie is reminiscent of Yash Chopra's Chandni and countless others. Divya Bharti and Shah Rukh Khan give good performances. Amrish Puri as a villain goes through the motions and is nothing more than a standard bollywood villain The music by Nadeem Shravan is superb, all the songs were brilliant. My favourites are Sochenge tumhe pyar or Koyi na koyi chahiyye. Dewanna is an ordinary movie that goes through the motions.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Horrible acting,Not funny at all, and well just boring.I can only assume all these 10 out of 10 fav. all time movie comments are actually the actors themselves in disguise.Idk what the runtime on this movie is I'm sure its listed on this page It certainly felt like an eternity If your looking for a tough challenge,attempt to sit through this awful movie.otherwiseDon't waste your time as I did on this one$LABEL$ 0 +This is definitely one of the most scary and spell-binding films ever made. You are stuck to the movie from the beginning to the very end. Even though there are some plot holes, it keeps being exciting to the final showdown. Besides "8 MM" and "Peeping Tom" this is one of the best films about "Snuff Movies", a taboo theme of our culture. If you like the SCREAM Trilogy, you will probably love that one.$LABEL$ 1 +This isn't cinema. It isn't talent. It isn't informative. It isn't scary. It isn't entertaining. It isn't anything at all.I got this because my cousin says, "Diablo! COOL!" Yeah, right. The only thing cool about this experience was the lone fact that I didn't buy it but rented it instead.It's shot like a bad soap opera. No wait. Soap operas at least LOOK professional...sorta. This? This looks like it was shot with someone's camcorder. It's horrid! Wretched! It sux.The cinematography is detestable! WHO IS this director anyway? I don't even care enough to look him up. He STINKS! The performances by these poor unsuspecting actors were far better than this crap-fest deserved.2.6/10 on the "B" scale. That registers about a 0.3/10 on the "A" scale from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +With a movie called "Gayniggers from Outer Space" how could you go wrong? Just throw in some over the top stereotypes for the characters, use the Village People as the main suppliers for the soundtrack, and throw in tons of gay-gags. Plot is unimportant. Too bad, this film doesn't contain any of this and every joke misses the spot. The characters all look alike apart from the german gaynigger, one or two jokes work, the rest fails.The title made me laugh and I was prepared to laugh even more about the film. My expectation were to high apparently.$LABEL$ 0 +Having read the other comment about this superb piece of TV drama I felt compelled to balance things a little. If you like you murders, to be signature and serial, and your cops to be British, and shout a lot, and the gore to be bloody and have a religious slant then this hits every button. Not quite enough 'gov'ing to put the shouting into the Sweeney's rarefied heights, but otherwise highly rated. Ken Stott is excellent as the 'cop on the edge' and the guest stars are also well cast, including Edward Woodward and Art Malik. Recommended. (In response to the earlier comments, although I accept that 'Red' would not 'normally' drive away from a hit and run, he had just witnessed his brother arrested for murder, and I am fairly sure he does not see the boy move.)$LABEL$ 1 +The 80's is largely considered the decade in which horror decided to have fun. Sometimes, there were some definite brains behind it all ("Evil Dead II", "Night of the Creeps" and "Return of the Living Dead" for example) and then there were those movies that were mindless but had a definite low rent charm and were perfect for a night with beer and friends. Movies like "Pieces" and "Blood Diner" stacked rental shelves in the 80's and 90's, offering little in intelligence or craftsmanship but plenty in dumb entertainment. Kevin Tenney's 1988 movie "Night of the Demons" is a part of this tradition-stupid, poorly acted and not an original bone in it's body, but dammit if you don't have a good time.The plot is so simplistic it just had to come from the 80's: a group of dumb teens played by a bunch of actors in their mid to late 20's decide to go to a party at Hull House thrown by Angela (Mimi Kinkade) and Suzanne (Scream Queen legend Linnea Quigley.) Well, Angela and co. decide to throw a séance. This turns out to be as Will Arnett's "Arrested Development" character Gob would call it, a "Huge Mistake," because a demonic force soon possesses Angela, and starts to get to the others as well.Take "The Evil Dead", "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and your average dumb dead teen flick, throw them in a blender, and "Night of the Demons" is what you get. The movie is anything but original, and really, it's not a good movie. The whole thing is insanely derivative, the acting is terrible, the jokes often fall flat, the characters are annoying (especially the character of Stooge) and the plot holes are numerous. That out of the way, it's still a lot of fun. So why? Well for one thing, the make up and gore effects are top notch, with some really memorable moments (especially a nasty and just plane odd bit with a tube of lipstick) that really stick out. It also rarely if ever takes itself too seriously, yet with the exception of some terrible puns, plays it straight and never wastes the audiences time with winking self awareness. Plus, there's a definite energy and enthusiasm to the whole enterprise that's almost impossible to resist. Yeah, it's nothing special, but it knows that, and it couldn't be more proud of that fact. It's a goofy party horror movie, and it never pretends to be anything more.It might not be a classic, but "Night of the Demons" is a good example of horror junk food done right. It might not be too memorable or original, but sometimes you don't want a fancy beer. Sometimes you want a Budweiser.$LABEL$ 1 +Bruce Willis, as usual, does an excellent job.[warning: may be considered a "spoiler"]While my friend thought it was good, I kept glancing at my watch during the entire movie wondering when it would end. After seeing such great flicks as "The Patriot" and "Chicken Run" I was really disappointed in Disney's "The Kid."Willis plays a middle-aged man with a harsh and realistic attitude on putting a positive spin on people's images (he's an Image Consultant). An unknown kid shows up. Yes, it's him but younger, and even Lily Tomlin can see him. At this point I'm reminded of a cross between a poor "Quantum Leap" episode and a bad time traveling flick.Kid and Willis go through trying to figure out why he's in that time period. They figure it out. They meet Willis when he's older. Nevermind that it never goes into detail how old Willis teleports them between time periods and gets them together to begin with, how he got that knowledge to begin with, how he came to the realization that he needed to do this, and so on.Basically, it's a very tired, unoriginal, uninspiring plot that has some great actors in it. The good news is that "the Kid" actor is nowhere near as annoying as he's presented in the trailers on television.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this to be an utter waste of time, effort and money. I know Disney always displays lack of creativity when making "straight-to-video" films - but rehashing the plot of the original film with a "new perspective" is an all-time low...soon they'll just be re-releasing the original films with new animation and new songs and be calling it a "new version of the movie we all love." Nathan Lane surprisingly returns to his role of Timon yet again. Timon and Pumbaa the animated animals from the world of the original "Lion King" embark on a narrative journey to tell us the original story the way it REALLY happened...as they see it.Of course Timon is now the hero of the story, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah...The musical sequences are lame and the animation is crap. The vocal talents are impressive for a video feature, but then again, when was the last time you remember Matthew Broderick, Whoopi Goldberg or Nathan Lane being in anything of real commercial substance? Overall if you liked the original you'll hate this. It's insulting because it's unfair to children and adults alike. And that about sums it up.$LABEL$ 0 +I was all in awe of the film looking at the promos and went to watch it FDFS The film was horrible to say the leastThe first scene is good and till they go to London things are funny but slowly the pace slackens and they is nothing funny about itThe Manoj Joshi subplot is funny at places but is unwanted and adds to the boredomThe drugs part is funny especially the monologue of GovindaThe film goes on and on aimlessly just like a small kid has written itThe interval brings a twist in the story but by then i lost hopeThe second half starts okay but the way things are handled makes a mockery The entire Arbaaz- Jackie angle is half baked Also how come people don't identify them?The climax is quite funny though stupidPriyadarshan is not at all in his elements, from this film he started doing craps and his films got bad and bad Music is good, SIGNAL, TERE BIN stand out and AFREEN too Camera-work is goodAkshay Kumar has white in his stubble and looks old but he acts well though this role he has done many times yet thanks to his natural comedy acting things look bearable Govinda looks out of shape, bad and his act except monologue is boring too surprising from Govinda seems too much pressure on him to comeback and Priyan fails to utilize him Paresh is okay in parts but overall just repeat act Manoj Joshi is funny at places Sharat Saxena is okay Shakti Kapoor is great Jackie Shroff looks overweight and acts in his sleep Arbaaz Khan is bad Lara Dutta shrieks to glory but fails to act$LABEL$ 0 +I caught this on local Mexican television at 2:00 a.m. and I decided to give it a chance since it's based on a real life case that deals with the murder of the typical All American family (a dad, a mom, and a young son).On the beginning the hints point to Walker to be the murderer as he had strong differences with his father. Shortly after, when Walker and Luke are taken to the Sheriff's dept. to being examined by the lies detection machine, things turn out to be very different...Also, when Walker and Luke attend to an appointment with their father's lawyer, they learn that Luke would receive $200,000 and Walker is out of the heresy. Luke immediately buys a convertible.Anyways, this is an excellent mystery movie that deals with betrayal, ambition, feelings, and cold , very cold blood.I know the real names were changed but still the experience is the same. Give this movie a try. I know there are HUNDREDS of "based on real murders" or events of the like, but this one is truly worthy. Pure quality on acting, direction, and plot.$LABEL$ 1 +It's somewhat telling that most of the great reviews for the film on IMDb all come from people who have only reviewed one film in their entire IMDb career and yes you've guessed it, that film is "Parasomnia". I've often suspected suspiciously good reviews on IMDb for what turns out to be an anything but good films as underhand marketing , but it seems fairly transparent in this case.That's not to say Parasomnia is terrible, but it stops well short of being the good or great film it had the potential to be.On the plus side, it has a great baddie in Patrick Kilpatrick who does a brilliant job projecting menacing and evil, I could easily see him having what it takes to play a truly memorable baddie on a par with Hannibal Lecter. There are some beautiful visuals in the dream sequences, in fact if the film had decided to explore that terrain more it might have been something better. The actual concept of devious misuse of hypnosis is great too.Although I understand suspension of disbelief is necessary for immersion in any good story, it's the mark of a good story that it succeeds in letting you do that. If you find yourself being annoyed at what you find illogical or just plain silly, then the story is losing you and that's what kept happening to me with this film. Other reviewers have mentioned this here and I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but I will say the setup at the ending was particularly ludicrous and disappointing, not too mention the varying mental age of a character that is only supposed to have experienced a few years of life.All in all, there is the germ of a great idea here in diabolically misused hypnotism, but sadly this film fails to realise it into anything special.$LABEL$ 0 +Steve Martin should quit trying to do remakes of classic comedy. He absolutely does not fit this part. Like the woeful remake of the Out Of Towners, this movie falls flat on it's face. How anybody ever thought Steve Martin could even come close to Jack Lemmon's wonderful performance is beyond me and the same is true for this movie. Dan Ackroyd could have played the Bilko part better. Martin is great when doing his own original characters but fails miserably trying to recreate other people's classic work. It's a sad statement when the funniest part of a movie is contained in the first line of the credits when the movie is over. The line "The producers gratefully acknowledge the total lack of cooperation by the United States Army" was just about the only line that actually made me laugh. If you want to see the real Bilko, get hold of the original episodes of the Phil Silvers Show. Those are guaranteed to make you laugh, unlike this mistake that should never have happened. I put this movie in the same category as the aforementioned Lemmon classic and the remake of Psycho. None of them should ever have happened.$LABEL$ 0 +Forget all those people who tell you it's not as good as the book. So what? This is a film after all. It is a sheer joy to watch, made entirely on location in Cephallonia, gorgeous photography but with dark, disturbing moments as well. The only problem I have is with the obvious miscasting of Nicolas Cage as captain Corelli. Apart from that the film was a very pleasant surprise.$LABEL$ 1 +Manmohan Desai made some entertaining though illogical films like AAA, PARVARISH and NASEEB but he made some craps like COOLIE and MARD and then GJSThis movie is one of the worst movies ever made by him the dial became famous Mard ko dard nahin hota but the film is so bad you cringeThe British are made carricatures and the film looks so weird The scene in the British hotel is damn stupid The film has many stupidities like Amrita assaulting Amitabh and then the entire scene plus towards the climax the film becomes even worse There are more gems like the horse statue getting life, The masks of Amitabh haha and moreDirection by Manmohan Desai is bad Music is okayAmitabh does his part with style, nothing different from COOLIE, LAAWARIS type roles Amrita Singh is okay Satyen Kapuu is okay Prem Chopra is as usual, Nirupa Roy is again her usual self Dara Singh is also as usual$LABEL$ 0 +This movie sucked sooo bad, I couldn't even watch the ending. Milo's voice was too low and I couldn't understand what he said as well as some of Kendra's lines. Also, where did he get all these wedding dresses from; it was very impractical. The movie failed to elaborate on Milo's drowning and how it made people ridicule Dr. Jeter and his practice. Overall, I was disappointed that I was unable to give this movie a rating of zero because by grading this movie as a one, I felt I was giving it undeserved praise.$LABEL$ 0 +One would make you believe that this game is about a man obsessed with a number. And sure, it's an interesting subject - can a person become so obsessed by something marginal as a simple number that he completely loses touch with reality and becomes hopelessly delusional and paranoid? Well, perhaps someone will make a movie about that sometime. This one unfortunately doesn't have anything to do with the above, never mind what the trailers (or even the movie itself) would like you to believe. I would like to say that this number is just a MacGuffin, but it isn't even that. It's pointless. A gimmick. A hook for unsuspecting audience.Well what IS the movie about? A dog-catcher (Carrey) who becomes obsessed with a cheesy noir crime book because he feels it somehow reflects his own life. There. Sure, the character in the book - detective Fingerling (sigh) - is (for some reason) obsessed with number 23, and Carrey himself becomes obsessed and starts seeing the number everywhere.. but it's just padding, and totally irrelevant to the story. In fact, you can cut out all the 23 references and have the main character(s) obsess about cheese or something and you'll have the exactly same story. It is painfully obvious that all the "23" stuff was written in waay after the story was already finished, rejected and sent for "rewrites".Which would be OK.. I guess.. if the movie wasn't dull, dull, dull. Half of the movie is narrated, for chrissakes. You aren't watching the movie, you are listening to Jim Carrey narrating the movie. About a quarter-in Carrey starts reading the book, and from then until the horribly cliché ending we are forced to watch "real-life" scenes from dog-catcher's life (where nothing happens) interspersed with narrated artsy film noir-ish "book" scenes which will either leave you snickering or just plain depressed. It's like a poor man's "Sin City" with all the violence cut out, narrated by Carrey and shown in slow-motion. Ugh.This is a simple case of a C-movie script somehow being filmed with an A-movie cast.. probably because of the "number 23" hook which I guess sounded intriguing enough on paper to warrant the premium Hollywood treatment. However, since - as I said already - the movie is about number 23 as much as it is about cheese production in Switzerland, one cannot feel anything but cheated.I give "Fingerling - the movie" 3 out of 10, because I guess it didn't insult my intelligence as much as "Forsaken" did or made me downright suicidal like "Battlefield Earth" did and the bottom of the scale must be reserved for abominations like those. But fear not, this is still a pretty lousy flick.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie on television as SCREAMERS and loved it. I heard an interesting story about this film. When Roger Corman released it to drive-ins in the summer of 1981, his trailer department sent out an advance trailer which was not actually footage from the film. It was allegedly footage of a naked woman being chased around a laboratory set by a monster. During the film's opening at drive-in's, irate customers complained the did not see the movie they paid to see. Theater owners called Corman and said their customers felt ripped off. So Corman had to run off copies of the footage, and send the positive film to theater owners to splice into the film themselves. Since the footage was never part of the film negative, it has not appeared in any video, DVD or television broadcast. Has anyone ever seen this footage? Anyone who saw this film at a drive-in in the summer of 1981 remember this?$LABEL$ 1 +The fifth collaboration between Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg, BLONDE VENUS is a film that looks great while it's playing but fails to engages the viewer. The plodding storyline of Dietrich being torn between two men, becoming a mammoth cabaret star, and fighting for the custody of her child is jumbled and often feels like bits of three separate films half-baked together. Dietrich is unwisely cast in a rather passive, reactive role for much of the film and her character remains aloof from viewers, while Herbert Marshal is unconvincing as her ill-tempered husband, and Cary Grant is largely wasted as a suave suitor who dashes in and out of the picture. The film does contain some intriguing set pieces (the "Hot Voodoo" number is the high point) that are impressively surrealistic for this era in Hollywood, although it proves to no avail in such a dull, incoherent film.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great movie! Most of us have seen Jurassic Park, where the Chaos Theory is summarized by telling about a butterfly's wings, causing a tornado on the other side of the planet. Well, Bug is all about that (or at least something, don't worry this is no spoiler) I'm definitely not a religious type and don't believe in pre-destined stuff, fate, etc, but this movie surely makes you wonder if coincidence really exists...further more, the acting and camera are excellent too, another prove that it's still possible to make a good movie without a zillion bucks$LABEL$ 1 +This movie captures the essence of growing up in smalltown America for a young girl on her own. The realism and subtle nuances, offered to Ashley Judd's character, Ruby, by the storyline, capture what can only be described as a true to life setting in the panhandle of Florida. From the slam of a screen door, to the lack of work, the echoes of what life is really like on the "red-neck riviera" provide rough choices for the young girl. Paradise did not come easy. But she slowly overcomes obstacles and deceit, and learns to be her own woman, with a strength that flows from within. Ashley Judd's winning smile, and infectious gait exude warmth and command respect and admiration. The careful pace of the character development resembles that of "Ulee's Gold" in 1997, starring Peter Fonda, and also directed by Victor Nunez.$LABEL$ 1 +Play Mystery Theater 3000 at home with your friends! Rent this movie for the laughs! The acting is poor, the sounds is terrible and the fights are ridiculously unbelievable. I thought the movie was a joke until I looked it up on IMBD. I can't wait to rent the sequel, China O'Brien II.$LABEL$ 0 +It's not a terrible movie, really, and Glenn and Keitel are top-notch actors. Further, they do an acceptable job with the very weak script. The scenery is lush and the plot has some interesting twists. Further, I umderstand why these actors and the crew made the film, they are professionals and they get paid for it. But I do wonder why studios spend the time and money to make a film and then don't release it for theater audiences? Even if a film is a box-office flop, surely it makes some money. If you are a fan of Keitel or Glenn, rent the video or catch it on TV, as did I. Granted, the movie won't help solve the immigration quandary with Mexico, but the experience is far better than 90% of the standard TV fare of today.$LABEL$ 0 +"Ninja III" is not quite as bad as "Enter The Ninja", the first part of this "trilogy", but it's still a very bad movie. It will hardly please the fans of martial-arts movies, because there isn't enough action, but even the action scenes themselves are often spoiled by laughable excesses and needless violence. As if the film wasn't already weak enough, the filmmakers turn parts of it into an idiotic "The Exorcist" rip-off. The only redeeming value is the winning presence of the actress who plays the "dominated" heroine; she is a beautiful and athletic woman, which the director doesn't forget to exploit in various sleazy ways - she just happens to be an aerobics teacher. I don't mind a little soft-core exploitation, but it must not pretend to be something else.$LABEL$ 0 +A very silly movie, this starts with a soft porn sequence, ventures into farcelike comedy in the art gallery, adds a shocker of a discovery in the hotel room then introduces a random murder for no obvious reason.What follows is bizarre and surreal (the stopwatch scene in particular is exquisitely unnecessary), culminating in a revelatory "twist" ending which is as obvious as it is unfair on the viewer (see the trivia section for precisely why it's deliberately unfair).The movie goes out of its way to be offensive to as many groups as possible - transsexuals, the insane, and the wonderful "Huggie Bear"-style racial stereotyping on the subway - and condescendingly treats the viewer like an idiot in the closing scenes, as characters endlessly explain to one another in great detail and over and over again what just happened in the film. Though the background female characters in the restaurant scene at the end are a joy to watch.In fact, the whole movie is a joy to watch: Despite its many, many flaws, the whole package just, well, works.$LABEL$ 1 +A pity, nobody seems to know this little thriller-masterpiece. Where bigger budgeted movies fail, "Terminal Choice" delivers lots of thrills, shocks and bloody violence. A little seen gem, that deserves being searched for in your local video shop. That anonymous guy beneath is quite right, when he says, you'll never trust hospitals again... it IS that effective ! Good ending,too, not really a twist, but it doesn't end the way one thought it would. Yep, that's Ellen Barkin in an early role...$LABEL$ 1 +Slither is a horror comedy that doesn't really have enough horror or comedy to qualify as one or the other. It has one scene that is exceptionally good, any number of zingers that work, but very few real scares and not enough humor to maintain the movie. In addition, the script does not focus on the hero and heroine, and goes off kilter in several places.A major failing of this film is that it introduces and then leaves its hero (Fillion) to follow Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) as he is first introduced and then becomes the monster. This whole part of the film drags - Michael Rooker's character isn't that interesting to us as a person, and watching as he goes through a series of motions while acting in the monster's interest might be interesting if this was Grant - Portrait of a Man Turning Into A Monster rather than a horror-comedy alien invasion movie. In the final analysis this movie's problems are in the script - it isn't that important to the audience how the monster acts or propagates. The purpose of a horror-comedy is to get the heroes backed up in a corner with shotguns and then throw bugs at them, with them cracking wise every time something frightening or disgusting happens. Instead we get an exploration of the alien's habits and tactics that just makes this part of the movie drag. The ostensible heroine (Elizabeth Banks as Starla Grant) is more central to this part, but nonetheless I felt the movie had left its narrative track, unless it planned on following Grant Grant all the way to the end.When Fillion and his posse finally confront the alien the movie does begin to cook, but once again the problem is in the script. By this point that audience knows - and the characters should know - that Grant is not just suffering from some disease, and act accordingly (shotguns) - instead they continuously parley in the face of increasing evidence that this is not something that "let us get you to a hospital" is going to help. Although their reactions might have been human and real, these are characters in an action movie and simply should have done what the movie promised - delivered action. A lack of action scenes in a movie with as few ideas as this is a great failing.*** SPOILERS AHEAD *** After the first confrontation and the bursting of the alien larval sack (a minor character and perhaps the best scene in the movie) the script once again betrays the movie. At this point one of the characters is almost taken over by the alien and develops an insight into the alien. The writer-director (Gunn) chooses as this character a completely new character, rather than one of already developed minor characters. Why? Why did he need to introduce a completely new character more than an hour into the movie that becomes central to the plot? By the time this character is attacked, we know hardly anything about her and could care less about her, even though she is a winsome teenage girl in her bath. Had Gunn decided not to use this character and just used one of the established minor characters, he could have completely avoided introducing her family, and saved time and money. Furthermore, the hero and heroine would have been filled in on the alien's plans without all the additional characters, and could have gotten around to blowing away aliens sooner and with more vigor.My last criticism is based on the movie's look. Gunn is primarily a writer, or maybe it was budgetary constraints, but this movie looked ugly and uninteresting. Most of the action takes place at night in woods or on a field, and the screen simply looks drab. The sets in Wheelsy (the fictional town where the action takes place) look cheap. The whole movie looks cheap. Box Office Mojo states the films' budget was $15 million, newspapers say $29 million, and considering they didn't use any name talent, I would say the money did not show up on screen. The monster is just repulsive, and rarely looks deadly.The last criticism is primarily based on the reality of the character's actions. By the time Fillion and Co have begun hunting Grant/the alien, one woman has disappeared and Grant is known to have been mutilating animals. At this point I was expecting the FBI or at least the State Police to show up and take over from the hick Sheriff. A woman has disappeared and likely been murdered, and a local has been acting psychotic. Time to call the authorities. But basically I was hoping that would happen because I just wanted some characters who would show up and ACT.Although this movie is ostensibly a horror-comedy, the movie it bears the most resemblance to is Dreamcatcher in terms of monstrous invasion and the type of monster and its intentions. Whereas Dreamcatcher had much bigger problems with story (especially the entire Morgan Freeman subplot) and particularly the ending, in many ways it was stronger, primarily because the main characters were stronger, but more importantly because it looked beautiful. Although that may be anathema - preferring the movie that is weaker in general plot and structural spine because of production values - that just shows you how uninteresting I found the look of Slither.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a great film in every sense of the word. It tackles the subject of tribadism in a society that is quite intolerant of any deviations from the norm. It criticises a great many Indian customs that many find oppressive -- such as the arranging of marriages by others, the importance of status and face, religious hypocrisy, sexism, the valuation of women in terms of their baby-making capacity, the binding concepts of duty and so on. At the heart of the film is a touching love story that goes beyond such limitations of the society which the two protagonists find themselves. The film is well-acted and genuine, completely believable from beginning to end, unlike most Bollywood flicks. The main faults of the film as I saw it was first, that the two lovers seem drawn to one another not necessarily by a natural affinity for each other as much as the fact that they are stuck in dead-end marriages with no passion and no rewards. This may play a part in the sexual awakening of the characters, but most people stuck in the same situation will not "turn homosexual". It seems clear from the beginning of the film that the two characters are quite heterosexual -- when Radha does her scene at the end of the movie with Aashok, she makes it quite clear that "without desire she was dead", and the implication was that if he had desired so, he could have fulfilled her quite completely, and also when Sita seemed very disappointed when her husband seemed to not like her. Such situations do not turn people into homosexuals -- they may seek comfort in others in the same position, but inthe film it is not at all made clear that they are lesbians from the beginning -- quite the opposite. Some people are bisexual, it is true, but most tend to be either hetero- or homosexual. In the case of the ladies in the film, both had insensitive jerks for husbands . . . if this had not been the case, would they have naturally found the need to express their desire in a relationship that they may have otherwise not have considered? The film ignores this. The other fault is the naming of the characters . . . the names Sita and Radha seem contrived deliberately to shock and outrage (imagine a film in America depicting a gay relationship between a man named "Jesus" and another named "Paul"!) by using names associated with various Hindoo scriptures. The film is strong enough to stand on its own and needs no such devices in my opinion. At any rate, the faults do not take much away from the power of the movie. It is indeed a very touching and powerful story -- the images and characters will stay with you a long time after you leave the theatre.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw the Exterminators of year 3000 at first time, I had no expectations for that movie. Although, it wasn't so bad as I was thought. It's kind of Italian version of Roadwarrior, with cast, that is almost famous in Italy, including Venantino Venantini. Behind the story is Elisa Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti, who are also responsible for story of Zombie flesh-eaters. You can also see other links to Italian horror movies: Luca Venantini plays the role of Tommy, and you can see that kid in Paura nella citta dei morti viventi (City of the living dead AKA Gates of hell) as John Robbins and in Cannibal apocalypse as the role of Mary's brother. Quite entertaining movie, with some dull parts.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a relatively watchable movie (+1). After watching UKM: Ultimate Killing Machine, this one looks good, in comparison. There are no obvious technical gaffes, although the vampiric teeth look odd.The story line makes no sense. Let's see. An American GI fights vampires. Comes back to the states and is rehabilitated for seeing... Vampires. His commanding officer is the aunt of his ex-wife. Who happens to be doing some research on the biodiversity of the South American area where the vampires are. Huh! Don't pile on too many coincidences. Who cares about the head vampire? Or, his daughter? Or, any one in this film? The only originality in this is that most of the myths about vampires (allergic to crosses and garlic, can't come out in the day, etc.) are wrong. But, they can't be killed except by beheading or a wood wound in the heart. Yeah, right. It's obvious they just didn't want to film a dark movie, since this is a made for TV film.It would have been nice for the viewer, if they had hired some actors. Oh, they've got Lynda Carter (TV's Wonder Woman), and a big, black dude with a tremendously deep voice, who snarls appropriately in order to show off his vampire teeth prosthetics. But, otherwise, you would never know they had actually paid people to read these lines.There is more than enough fight scenes, and some vampire-biting-neck blood, but no real violence.$LABEL$ 0 +In order to describe what's seriously wrong with this movie it has to contain some *spoilers* so if you're going to see it and expect to be surprised, don't read this!I liked everything about this movie except the plot; and in a thriller like this believable plot is essential. It is well acted, if a bit slow moving, and the camera work and Portland scenes are exquisite for a low-budget, unpretentious picture. The dialog is very good. Mason is seriously withdrawn youth who works at a telemarketing company selling insurance. His high school buddy, Berkeley, is his employer and looks after him like a brother despite the fact that Mason is quite obviously mentally ill. Mason has nightmares which send him gasping and fumbling for his inhaler. His visions and nightmares suggest that he has had serious problems with good-looking women in his past, and the movie seems to be suggesting that he may be a serial killer of women. He meets a perky, pretty girl named Amber and he sketches her in his notebook. She takes a liking to him and poses for him so he can paint her portrait. He sees more of her and begins to awaken from his withdrawn state, almost becoming halfway human. Then something goes wrong. Amber finds sketchbooks with drawings of other girls and she begins to wonder. She becomes frightened and pulls away. We are wondering if her sudden coldness is going to push him over the edge. His behavior becomes more erratic. This is the setup for the revelation. In order to explain how this movie goes horribly wrong I have to explain what happens. *Another spoiler warning!* In order for this plot to work we have believe that Amber, a really outgoing, pretty young girl is going to go for a seriously emotionally disturbed young man who, at least at the beginning of their friendship, has a vacant stare and can only speak in monosyllables or doesn't speak at all. He's way beyond nerdy, he appears on the verge of total catatonia. Yes I know, girls can be attracted to all kinds of weirdos, but usually the Charles Manson type or punk rockers, guys with some kind of evil manic energy. Mason is practically a zombie, he's hardly there at all. Any perky young thing would cross the street to avoid him. It is just not believable that this girl is attracted to him. Moreover there is no credible reason for Berkeley to indulge the crazy Mason, that just isn't believable either. But wait, there's a revelation. Amber fails to show up at Berkeley's house for Christmas dinner where Mason is expecting her and Berkeley, his old buddy, has to tell him that Amber and all his other former girlfriends, the ones he drew in his many sketchbooks, don't exist at all! She and all the others are merely figments of his twisted imagination: he dreamed them up. Well, this explains why a normal cute Amber would go for Mason, she's just a figment of his imagination. This could have been the final revelation of the movie with the proper preparation and setup, but alas, it's not. At this point Mason runs back to his apartment and finds Amber there...he's enraged, he kills her. But now we are given to understand that Amber was in fact real, not Mason's imaginary girlfriend. In the end, after being given proof that Amber actually exists and that Mason killed her, Berkeley has to admit that he was wrong, that he misjudged Mason. This would work if Mason had been halfway sane from the beginning, but because we the audience always suspected him of being totally deranged and possibly a killer of women it is no surprise to us. We suspected what he was all along and can't understand why Berkeley couldn't see it. But then we are once again left to wonder: if she was real, why Amber would be attracted to the catatonic Mason? To make the ending worse, we are never given to understand whether all the other of Mason's girlfriends, the ones in the sketchbooks, were real or was Amber the first real one? And if the others were real, did he kill them too? What did he do with the bodies? The problem is that the filmmakers just didn't know what to do with the material. Perhaps there could have been a way to straighten it out and tell a credible suspense story, but this movie is not that.$LABEL$ 0 +An evil land baron is holding up water to a group of ranchers in order to try and take their properties for pennies on the dollar. Along comes Singin' Sandy Saunders (John Wayne), who saves the day for Gabby Hayes and his daughter by going undercover as the villain's newest gunman.The first of sixteen films Wayne made for Lone Star/ Monogram Pictures, this tries to cast him as a singing cowboy, only with an obviously lip-synced voice. The title card prominently features his character as "Singin' Sandy" leading one to believe that this was meant to be the first in a proposed series!Yes it's ridiculous, but also a lot of fun to see Wayne singing songs and shooting guns, especially when he does a little ditty before shooting it out with gunman Earl Dwire.Riders Of Destiny features a rare villainous role for for Al "Fuzzy" St. John, who clowns around as much with the bad guys as he did playing a heroic sidekick, riding alongside Buster Crabbe and Lash LaRue.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, here is a really short review: this movie blowed. I wish I could just have a review that stated this simple principle, but I must bore you with more bad review type words like 'horrible' 'clichéd' and 'unwatchable.' It's the type of film you watch when you are drunk or are stuck on a desert island with nothing else to do. Here's the premise: the vice president is captured by a terrorist group at a play-off hockey game and only Van Damm can stop the madness. Truly, truly terrible, but then again, I didn't pay to see it the first time around and only my dad felt the absence of girth in his wallet after this movie. I hate the fact he is a Republican and all, but then again, he did spare me the horror of paying for this piece of garbage. Okay, that is now enough space to be recognized as a review, so I bid adieu.$LABEL$ 0 +For years I hesitated watching this movie. Now, I know why. Not only is it a comedy that fails at being even remotely funny, but there's also just nothing to laugh *at* about the movie. It was even worse than I'd expected. I rented this sucker and still felt cheated out of time more than money. I have never seen a film that annoyed me that much. It is a movie about stupid people that are doing stupid and terrible things. I don't really know either how someone with common sense could actually act in this kind of movie. I have used IMDb for some time but felt obligated to register just to help prevent poor unsuspecting folks from renting or, worse, buying this stinker!! Really a waste of time and money. I must say that the plot line is awful.$LABEL$ 0 +At Beaverview Cheerleading Camp, the goody-goody two shows Lucky Ducks cheerleading team must get in cahoots with the 'tough' bad girl cheerleading team of The Demons to beat the dastardly Falcon team who always seems to win at this camp I guess. This being a typical clichéd '80's teen (lame) sex comedy who do you think will win? But what the film lacks in originality it more than makes up for it sheer bloody awfulness. Oh and insanely bad dance numbers and the obligatory Japenese businessmen who want to buy the camp (on the condition that male cheerleader, Tommy Hamilton, stays with the camp of course). Simply awful, forgettable, and sadly has a surprising lack of nudity.Where I saw it: HBO Comedy My Grade: F (yup I did indeed give it to them)$LABEL$ 0 +while mind of mencia could be summed up as nothing more than a clone of chappelle's show, it is really worse than that. first of all, Carlos mencia is a jacka** that is as funny as he is original, which isn't saying much. the show contains lame spoofs of American television ads and political issues, and mencia's "comedic" insight on politics adds to the low quality of this show. on top of it all, mencia tosses in more lame ethnic jokes and stolen Jeff foxworthy lines than i can count on one hand. while every once in a while Carlos gets a cheap laugh, the rest of the time he spends insulting everyone in sight, which does include exploiting his own audience members. with the exception of south park, drawn together, and Friday night stand-up, this show marks the end of the chappelle's show glory days, which for those of you who haven't heard, was before he went to Africa.$LABEL$ 0 +Directed by Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall, Return of the Swamp Thing), Cheerleader Massacre is the fourth installment in the Slumber Party Massacre series. Just think about it: it's the fourth chapter of a slasher series that no one really cares about! So how could this even be good? Well, it's not! But since when did slasher films have to be good? Cheerleader Massacre is entertaining, that's for sure. But in the entertainment field, we've seen better, that's for sure too! As you can see, I'm not sure about where I stand concerning this movie. Those who watch slashers only for nudity will be more than satisfied. This movie's all boobs, but unfortunately no blood, or not enough. I think I'm being generous with this movie because I had a good time watching it and I really enjoy watching slasher movies, even as bad as they sometimes are. If you want me to be sincere, The Slumber Party Massacre Part 1 is the best one and all the others are a waste of time, so I guess I have a lot of time to waste!! For more fun, watch Sleepaway Camp 2 and Cheerleader Camp.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I fear that my review of this special won't heed much different observation than the others before me, but I literally just watched it- during a PBS membership drive- and frankly I'm too excited NOT to say anything. To really appreciate the enigma that is Barbra Streisand, you have to look back before the movies. Before the Broadway phenomenon of the mid-60's. When television was still a young medium, there was a form of entertainment very prominent on the air that is but a memory today: musical variety. Some musical shows were weekly series, but others were single, one-time specials, usually showcasing the special talent of the individual performer. This is where we get the raw, uninhibited first looks at Streisand. She had already been a guest performer on other variety shows including Garry Moore, Ed Sullivan, and scored a major coup in a one-time only tandem appearance with the woman who would pass her the baton of belter extraordinary: Judy Garland. In 1966, COLOR ME BARBRA introduced Barbra Streisand in color (hence the title), but copied the format of her first special a year earlier almost to the letter. In 3 distinct acts, we get an abstract Streisand (in an after-hours art museum looking at and sometimes becoming the works of art), a comic Streisand working an already adoring audience in a studio circus (populated with many fuzzy and furry animals), and best of all, a singing Streisand in mini-concert format just-- well, frankly, just doing it. It amazes me that she still had the film debut of FUNNY GIRL yet to come, as well as turns as songwriter, director, and political activist. Here, she is barely 24 years old, doing extraordinary things because, as she puts it in her own on-camera introduction, 'we didn't know we couldn't, so we did.' The art museum sequence is shot in Philadelphia over one weekend immediately after the museum closed to the public on Saturday evening, and apparently done with only ONE color camera. Yet there are cuts, dissolves, and tracking shots galore, resulting in one rather spectacular peak moment-- the modern, slightly beatnik-flavored, "Gotta Move." After getting lost amongst the modern abstracts, jazz-club bongos begin, with Streisand emerging in a psychedelic gown and glittering eye makeup, doing the catchy staccato tune with almost androgynous sex appeal. It is not until Act 3, believe it or not, that the moment is matched or bettered by another feat: in the concert sequence, in a white gown and pearl earrings, Streisand recites the torchy "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home," tearing into the final notes and revealing one of those climactic belts that makes you scream like a little girl even if you're 44 years old...and a guy. Just plain old great television. Check it out.$LABEL$ 1 +This three stooges flick is at a tie with my other favorite flick "Disorder in the Court". This is an uproar of laughter for any Three Stooges fan to enjoy.The boys are janitors at a recording studio when they hear the lovely Christine McIntyre sings a great version of "Voices of Spring". She is going to be offered a record deal, but she is scarred to be honest with her father about her choice of a career and prove herself as a real singer. When she and the others leave the studio, the stooges decide to have a little fun and play her record and dress Curly up as Christine. The contract lady who can make Christine's career, sees Curly and mistakes him for Christine and invites Curly to sing for her party. Of course there is a man that they have upset that is at the party and they destroy his solo in front of the crowd, so he'll find a way to get back at them.What a great stooge flick, this should not be missed! 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +A disturbing film, this, climaxing, as it does, with an intensely intimate reunion between a naked man and his young son, but in its confused structure it contains a poetically imagined visual exploration of the innocence of an idealised amnesiac.The plot follows two threads, the weaker of which is the gradual revelation of Graham/Pablo's condition. Wound through this, though, is a beautiful description of his condition, and his meandering path towards a partial awakening, driven by his affair with Irene.The affair is the strong thread, while the specifics of the plot are carried by a seemingly tacked on collection of characters: Graham's best friend, who can reveal the cause of his condition in a clunking flashback, his manipulative boss and his comic book mad scientist psychologist: all of whom have an interest in keeping him lost and dependent.The failure of the film lies in the conflict between the two threads. One is visual, meandering and sublime, while the other is structured like an inept thriller, all expository dialogue and unresolved patterns of symbolism.Nevertheless, I enjoyed Novo. It keeps flirting with the abyss of taboo and shying away into something beautiful, as in the quarry, with the double bassist and the two women, when a setup for a scene of cheap pornography becomes a segment of peace and rejuvenation. I still don't get the tooth, though.Odd, clunky and a narrative failure, but with an almost redeeming beauty.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an entertaining "history" of the FBI, but it should be viewed as fiction, because that's exactly what it is. What else could it be when J. Edgar Hoover personally approved and had a cameo role in the production. James Stewart is excellent, as usual, and the supporting cast, except for the talentless Vera Miles, is good. Murray Hamilton is especially good in a supporting role as Stewart's partner and best friend. The FBI accomplishments that the film highlights are undoubtedly all true. What is significant is what it leaves out.One of the most shameful parts of the film is the depiction of the killing of John Dillinger. It is portrayed pretty much as it happened, but no mention at all is made of Melvin Purvis, the Chicago Bureau Chief who headed the operation. Instead, the operation is depicted as if the fictional Chip Hardesty were running it. It has been said that Hoover was jealous of the publicity that Purvis received after Dillinger was killed; Purvis was subsequently transferred to a remote outpost, and shortly afterward left the FBI. This is no doubt why Purvis was never mentioned in the film. But this viewer, at least, paused to think that if Purvis was treated this way, what about all the agents who conducted all the other operations depicted in the film. Were they also completely ignored and replaced by the fictional Hardesty.The film is probably accurate in its portrayal of FBI activity up through the end of WWII. However, after that point, the film would have us believe that the only threat facing the US came from international communism, which is no doubt what Hoover believed. Never mind the Mafia. Never mind the lynchings that were still going on in the South. Never mind that blacks were being intimidated to keep them from voting in much of the South. I don't know if the FBI had started wiretapping Martin Luther King by the time this film was made, but if not, it wasn't very long afterward that it started.As I said at the outset, this is pretty good entertainment, but it should be viewed as the sanitized fictionalization that it is.$LABEL$ 1 +Went to see this movie hoping to see some flashes of the Jet Li we were amazed by in Lethal Weapon 4. Unfortunately too many of his fight stunts are so clearly fake that it took even that enjoyment out of it. The flying kicks would be a lot more impressive if you couldn't see the wires holding him up as he flies through the air for 4 seconds and 9 kicks.Too cartoonish and very disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow! After the first five minutes of watching this "film", I was quite tempted to put a bullet in my brain, and end my life. It's really hard to describe what exactly this film is about. I honestly don't know what kind of human being would even finance a piece of excrement. The film looks to have either been shot on video or 16mm. I normally don't have a problem with SOV movies, are shoddily made 16mm films, but this was just so awful. And where did they find these "actresses"? I have seen some bad acting, but this takes the cake. Watch the first 5 minutes and you'll see what I mean. BCI Entertainment should be boycotted for distributing this god awful sludge. This has to be the worst film I have ever had the displeasure of viewing. I want my 74 minutes back! If you are able to sit through the first 5 minutes, without either shooting your TV or committing mass homicide, then give a shot. After all, what have you got to lose?$LABEL$ 0 +When I started watching 3 of the episodes of this series on the Action Channel,I have to say out of all the shows that I've seen that ADV released,this one is one of the best shows of all time. I had to see it again,and that's when I got my chance. I bought the entire box set of this series at Best Buy for my 20th Birthday. And I got to enjoy it,and see more of the episodes that I missed on Action Channel,and the same 3 episodes that I've seen. My favorite characters in this show are: Sylvia,Leon,and Nigel. The animation in this series was the best,and the hard suits were cool as well. But the show also has a great voice cast like:Chris Patton,Jason Douglas,Christine Auten,and Hillary Haag,and more. So if you like this show on Action Channel,then you have to own it on DVD. It's the best,and you will see what I mean.$LABEL$ 1 +When anyone comes into a film of this type of film it's not without saying that an overdose of that great over-the-counter brain-medicine, Suspension of Disbelief, comes in mighty handy.Jeanette MacDonald plays two roles: Anna/Brigitta, the woman who Nelson Eddy has ignored since the beginning of time, but who also is -- an angel sent to Earth.My reaction when I saw this was a mute gasp of "Hunh?" Where have I seen this before? It turns out, I have seen it before, but in a movie made much later than this one. DATE WITH AN ANGEL, a forgettable pile of dreck made in 1987, cashed in on the ethereal beauty of one Emmanuelle Beart who had no speaking lines, also wore a blond wig, and made life hell for soap-actor Michael Knight. Much worse in every conceivable angle with ultra-low 80s values but more than likely an updated version of this 1942 turkey.Anyway, not to elaborate, this is not a memorable film and stands as a doorstop of information because it was the last time MacDonald and Eddy, neither very good actors but terrific singers, would be together playing up the "innocence" and "clean-cut" romance that they were known for. After that you may need a cold shower, not because there are any steamy scenes here, but to get rid of the memory.$LABEL$ 0 +To be honest I watched this movie only because of my pubert needs. I mean, I couldn't get women at my age (I was 9 or 10) so I thought watching Elvira's cleavage was the closet thing to sex.I ended up having a great time with this cult classic about horror comedy, Halloween parties, sassy humor, and some sexy evil displayed by Elvira.They just don't make movies like this anymore... It had the feeling of an amateur effort mixed with a late night cable talk show host style. The truth is that it generated plenty of fans because of it's humor and the ability to perform by Cassandra. This is classic that reminds me of the good days of USA Up All Night.$LABEL$ 1 +Seriously! You've just got to see this movie to understand everything that is wrong with it. It came out during the time period where everybody was trying to make family movies that everyone could enjoy (The little rascals; Mr. Nanny, etc.) yet it lacked any charisma or enthusiasm. Every single character in the movie is driven by rage, with the exception of Trixie's mother, who shows only aggravation and weariness, possibly at the tired cliché's this movie enjoys. To put it simply, the biggest flaw in the film was not the acting, nor the filming, but most notably the writing. The lines we receive are reminiscent of Disney classics, although this film lacks the whole-heartedness IL' Walt managed to pull off. Junior's Dad, (John Ritter) makes you mad without even doing anything, simply because he allows Junior to run around unsupervised, and only gives him a stern warning when he tapes a 200-pound behemoth to a chalk board. Also, Junior's grandfather is particularly excruciating. For those of you who saw the first one, found it nauseating, and thus, did not see the second one, "Big Ben Healy" as he is referred to in this movie, is still a total douche. He basically barges into John Ritter's house uninvited, settles himself in Junior's room, even though he says that he hates Junior, and basically does nothing to accelerate the film's speed, or to support the film in any way. Rather, he ticks off the audience by being a lazy free loader.Finally, we are introduced to a wide variety of new characters, such as the smug, obnoxious, Trixie, who carries dynamite in her backpack, which she first lights, then hands, to Junior, who simply stares wide eyed at. Also, Gilbert Gottfried returns in this film, this time playing the obnoxious principal at Junior's new elementary school. If Gilbert Gottfried ain't enough to get the point across, I will put it simply: This film reeks!2/10 stars, because the actor's convictions shine through the film, even though the script sucks.$LABEL$ 0 +Nothing could be more appealing than the idea of a good love story featuring Kristin Scott Thomas and Harrison Ford. The cool, refined English beauty and the warm-blooded American male -- what could possibly be more lovely? Well, this is not that movie. Right away they ruin it by casting Kristin Scott Thomas as an American Congresswoman. That's like casting Hugh Grant as Babe Ruth. Or Colin Firth as Al Capone. Kristin Scott Thomas is exactly the sort of woman you don't picture shaking hands with greasy ex-junkies in filthy slums, or squeezing into smelly crowds and kissing babies. She would have been far better cast as the English born widow of an aristocratic Senator, the kind who belongs to the hunt club and goes to flower shows but has no idea how the other half lives.Then there's Harrison Ford as a regular guy cop. Certainly he's tough enough for the role. But the idea that he's going to romance this stunning high society beauty is a bit hard to swallow. Why couldn't he have been, say, a tough but wealthy reform politician with blue-collar roots who inherits Kristin's late husband's Senate seat? The two of them are initially quite cool to each other, but for duty's sake Kristin is cordial to him, and he in return starts showing her some of the rawer side of life -- things her husband sheltered her from. Her political awakening coincides with the jolting passion of a newer, more blue collar, lover -- one who appreciates her polish and refinement far more than her aristocratic husband. Now that's a love story! Instead of that, though, you get a blank, meaningless "thriller" where the action drags and nothing happens. Well, there is one ghetto style "drive by" scene where Harrison almost gets killed, but it's so abrupt and unexplained it's really more like welcome comic relief.The sky is always gray in this movie, and our refined, lovely Kristin always looks a little chilled. When she's supposed to be dreaming of passion, she looks more like she's dreaming of a wool blanket and a cup of tea! She also looks a bit sleepy most of the time, like she'd really rather be napping in the bed than screwing Harrison Ford.All things considered, I'd say you can't blame her.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, yes I know I'm a Philistine, and I have no knowledge of, nor love for opera. I readily admit that I might feel differently about this film if I did. But I don't. So, for those of you like me, skip this one unless you want to look at the pretty (sometimes unclothed) girls. For what it's worth, I thought the first segment with Theresa Russell (who I didn't recognize) was the best of the lot.$LABEL$ 0 +"Lies" tells about an affair between an 18 year old bucktoothed female student and a scrawny 38 year old married man with the pair of protags spending about half the screen time engaged in naked sex and hokey whipping and the other half meandering through the pathetically naive storyline which seems little more than an excuse for the sex scenes. With very poor production value including obvious sanitary appliances and phony softcore sex to a story which is a messy mix of comedy and drama, "Lies" quickly becomes redundant ad nauseam. With an almost 2 hour run, subtitles, and so little substance, "Lies" is simply not recommendable. (C-)$LABEL$ 0 +Honestly, I was expecting to HATE this one, and really only checked it out because Jenna Jameson is in it...but I have to say I got a kick out of EVIL BREED. A group of college kids and their teacher go on a "field trip" to Ireland. Their lodgings are located near the woods where it is rumored that strange things happen and tourists often disappear without a trace. The group of post-teens is warned by the property's caretaker not to venture into the woods - but being the stupid B-movie characters that they are - of course they pay no attention and pay for their mistake one-by-one... First off, there is plenty wrong with EVIL BREED. The acting/dialog is pretty weak, and my major gripe is that a film that has Jenna Jameson, Chasey Lain, Ginger Lynn, and Taylor Hayes should have FAR more gratuitous nudity than was on display here - and Jenna's role in this production is grossly over-hyped, as she has a combined total of about 2 minutes of screen time. Even less with Chasey, and Ginger Lynn shows no skin and has the worst Irish accent ever. Also the last scene of the film makes absolutely no sense and feels like it's thrown in just to end the film. Those gripes aside - there is some good stuff as well. Richard Greico and Chasey Lain are both dispatched early on, with Greico's nude torso ending up on a roasting spit and Chasey's guts hanging out from being torn in half (though how she ends up this way isn't shown on-screen)...not bad for the first 5 minutes. The other kill scenes are pretty inventive, including Jenna's forced breast implant removal, a guy getting his colon pulled out through his ass, a knife through the face, and a few other notables. The implant and colon scenes also have uncut versions that are on the special features and it's a shame the producers made them chop 'em, so to speak. Also the film moves along at a pretty good clip once it gets moving so you don't really have too much time to be bored. The "creature" FX are also done competently which definitely helps. Overall, EVIL BREED was not NEARLY as bad as I expected. This one, along with SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER have ALMOST renewed my interest in American low-budget straight-to-video films. I usually steer clear of them as a whole, but these two have been decent enough to give me some faith. EVIL BREED is no masterpiece, but it is a decent way to blow 90 minutes - might not hurt to suck on a bottle of cheap bourbon while you're at it - I know I was, and I'm sure it didn't hurt the experience. 7.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +Directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, "Scarface" is a movie that will not be forgotten. A Cuban refugee named Tony Montana (Pacino) comes to America for the American Dream. Montana then becomes the "king" in the drug world as he ruthlessly runs his empire of crime in Miami, Florida. This gangster movie is very violent, and some scenes are unpleasant to watch. This movie has around 180+ F-words and is almost three hours long. This movie is entertaining and you will never get bored. You cheer for the Drug-lord, and in some scenes you find out that Montana isn't as evil as some other Crime Lords. This is a masterpiece and i recommend that you see this. You will not be disappointed. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +The cinema of the 60s was as much as time of revolution as the politics and the music. Filmmakers were daring to make avant-garde films discussing taboo subjects only permitted before in exploitation films. Starting with both "Breathless" and underground American cinema (such as Kenneth Anger), films became more and more experimental. All of this accumulated when Hollywood realized they had mass commercial appeal with "Easy Rider". One of the best (and most surprising) outputs of this era was also one of the least successful initially. "Head" was made when The Monkees career was seriously waning, which is what damned one of the best psychedelic films ever made.The plot? Well, there really isn't one, as many have said. It involves The Monkees going from one surreal scenario to the next one. However, these sequences are all obviously LSD-tinged and basically mock how The Monkees were sick of being confined to their light pre-fab reputation. Its a shame that the film found no audience. The teeny boppers who loved them had moved onto a new fad as they always do. The psychedelic / Haight-Ashbury crowd to whom the film was garnered would never be caught dead at a Monkees movie. Its all their loss. This film may be plot less, but it is certainly not without meaning and is very intelligently put together. The crew later made both "Easy Rider" and "Five Easy Pieces". The film was later revived at a 1973 Raybert retrospective and it gained a very positive response, which granted it the cult following it had deserved for a long time. Ironically, The Monkees would fall victim to the same commercialism they protested in this film with their later 80s reunion. (10/10)$LABEL$ 1 +Although it has been off the air for 6 years now, Promised Land was one of those shows that comes along once or twice in a generation. Good cast, supporting cast(among them, Richard Thomas and Ossie Davis) and crew. The plot is believable with McRaney packing up his family and just saying "to hell with it all" after being subjected to so many disappointments and incidents since his return from Vietnam years earlier. I think a lot of Vietnam-era veterans, myself included, could really relate to McRaney's thought process in finally deciding on his course of action. Many of us did precisely the same thing in real life, after returning from that war and finding that America was not the same place we left. The show imparts not only values but a glimpse into what took place in one veterans life. In those two respects alone, I think it is one of the more poignant TV series of our time. Why this program only ran for 3 years is beyond me.$LABEL$ 1 +Spooks is enjoyable trash, featuring some well directed sequences, ridiculous plots and dialogue, and some third rate acting.Many have described this is a UK version of "24", and one can see the similarities. The American version shares the weak silly plots, but the execution is so much slicker, sexier and I suspect, expensive.Some people describe weak comedy as "gentle comedy". This is gentle spy story hour, the exact opposite of anything created by John Le Carre.Give me Smiley any day.$LABEL$ 0 +AG was an excellent presentation of drama, suspense and thriller that is so rare to American TV. Sheriff Lucas gave many a viewer the willies. We rooted for Caleb as he strove to resist the overtures of Sheriff Lucas. We became engrossed and fearful upon learning of the unthinkable connection between these two characters. The manipulations which weekly gave cause to fear what Lucas would do next were truly surprising. This show lived up to the "Gothic" moniker in ways American entertainment has so seldom attempted, much less mastered. The suits definitely made a big mistake in not supporting this show. This show puts shame to the current glut of "reality" shows- which are so less than satisfying viewing.The call for a DVD box set is well based. This show is quality viewing for a discerning market hungry for quality viewing. A public that is tiring of over-saturation of mind-numbing reality fare will welcome this gem of real storytelling. Bring on the DVD box set!!$LABEL$ 1 +"Pitch Black" was a complete shock to me when I first saw it back in 2000. In the previous years, I was repeatedly disappointed by all the lame sci-fi movies (Ex: STARSHIP TROOPERS) and thought that this movie wouldn't be any different. But to plainly put it: This movie freaked me out... in a good way. I wasn't aware that I was still afraid of the dark till I watched this movie; I must have buried my fear in the back of my subconscious when I was a kid and it rightfully deserves to stay there.The alien creatures sent shivers up my spine; the individual(s) who designed them have a twisted but brilliant and creative imagination to come up with something so impressive and grotesque. I loved how the writers gave each main character a history and showed their flaws and strengths without much confusion.Riddick's (Vin Diesel) gift for escaping out of any impossible situation and putting up a hell of a fight was jaw dropping. At first, you figure him out to be a coldly intelligent villain but in some brief moments, you can see something humane behind his animal side. But as soon you discover it, he does something maliciously devious. He certainly keeps you guessing right up to the very end. I didn't know whether to despise or admire him... he's definitely a love/hate type of character.Johns (Cole Hauser) was a perfect example of a character that puts up a good front but through a need for greed, shows his real intentions and what he's willing to do to survive. John's knack for knowing what buttons to push and the right words to say makes him as devious as Riddick.Fry (Radha Mitchell) is a character who, as Johns so nicely expressed, looked to her thine own ass first before considering the consequences. But what's endearing about her is that she quickly realizes the errors of her ways and tries desperately to pay penance, even while endangering her life when others discarded all human values and went for the dark hills running.Jack (Rhiana Griffith) simply wanted to have a hero and was the first one out of the whole group to look for that hero in Riddick; through a child's eye, good can be seen through the thick clouds of evil. I thought it was absolutely priceless when Jack shaves his head in ode to Riddick; you know what they say: Imitation is the best form of flattery.Imam (Keith David), like Jack, has the ability to see good in any evil. He uses philosophy to carry him through the hardships that he meets and when time permits, he rationally grieves his losses and then soldiers on. In a way, he served as a morale booster for the survivors even though most of the characters acted as though they weren't listening.The casting for this movie was positively perfect. Each actor shined brightly in their role and their talents blended wonderfully on-screen.This movie may have had a small budget but the director's leadership and the actor's performances made the movie work and allowed the audience to use their imagination instead of letting some outrageously expensive Special Effects do all the work for them. This movie is a definite Sci-Fi classic. Watch it and judge (with an open mind) for yourself. It will be well worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen a lot of movies in my time and this one really stands out as being the absolute worst movie ever made in the history of film making anywhere in the world. It took me 3 efforts to watch this movie. The first time I fell asleep after 15 minutes from boredom, possibly because I was already tired as it was late at night. The second effort I managed to get through 35 minutes but yet again I found myself asleep. I can go on and on like this but I think you're getting the point......nothing happens ever in this movie. A complete waste of time and money. This movie really sucks. Watch it and you will know what I am talking about. If you can get 40 minutes into this movie without shaking your head and wondering what the hell is the point of it all then you are indeed a masochist. The only reason I gave this movie a 1 out of 10 is because 0 was not provided as an option. I just thought the world needed to be warned before either hiring or worse yet...buying this trash. LATER!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has everything going for it: Fully developed characters, a realistic portrayal of working Washington, bathed in warmth and humor that is uniquely Albert Brooks. The dumbing down of network news is even more of an issue now than it was in 1987. Remember, this was pre-cable! So satisfying to care about complex people attempting to achieve complex goals -- and it all moves along with lightning speed. Such a true to life depiction of friendships that teeter toward romance. See if you can spot John Cusack as the angry messenger! And do you recognize Peter Hackes from real life Broadcast News? Finally, if you're from DC, see if you agree with Holly Hunter's directions to cab drivers!$LABEL$ 1 +I've been studying Brazilian cinema since 2004, when I stumbled onto "Cidade de Deus / City of God". Let me tell you something, this movie is probably as good or BETTER than "City of God".The acting, cinematography and music supervision make this movie a unique experience. I have not been to Brazil yet, but this movie presents the harsh reality that is beset before the citizens of São Paulo.I recommend this movie if you enjoy good cinema. This movie is disturbing and you may feel a bit despondent after watching it.Something you want to watch, but nothing you want to go to sleep on.$LABEL$ 1 +This was very good, except for two things which I'll mention at the end. The animation is great, highlighted by Nick Park and company's trademark of exaggerated teeth and mouths of the characters, which make you laugh almost every time you see someone. The color was magnificent, too.The best part of the film, however, is the clever comedy woven throughout. This is another of these animated films in which there is so much to see and hear each frame that it would require many viewings to catch all the gags. It's just a funny exaggerated look at the oddball "Wallace" and his silent-and-smart dog "Gromit." Along the way, it pokes fun people who get carried away with their vegetable gardens, something akin to how the obsessive dog lovers were pictured in "Best Of Show."My only complaints were two typical traits of today's films, animated or not: 1 - let's make the cleric in the film look like a total idiot; 2 - let's overdo the final action scene with the predictable result but way overdone. Those aside, this is still a very amusing film that should provide a lot of laughs to many people and a movie to enjoy multiple times.$LABEL$ 1 +One wonders why this picture was made at all : the plot as such is totally unbelievable if not ridiculous, the characters (experienced loner cop versus younger one, quite fascinated) quite predictable, the ending totally murky and impossible to understand (maybe after several viewings but you'd have to have a masochistic tendency for that ; the idea being you have to read the book to understand fully what it's all about)and the acting is bad. Was the basic idea to show that French film makers are able to do as well as Americans in the genre that include "Seven" and "Silence of the lambs" ? If so, it is a total failure. It was quite a success though (and has a sort of cult-status as the first French serial killer film)and, it seems, considered as a good product to export. Strange.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this one at Sundance, and I can't figure out why it won the directing award. It was painfully slow and literally colorless. It's the type of movie that is only appreciated by film fest snobs who think any movie that a lot of people like must be beneath them.The jury at Sundance this year seemed to be making a conscious effort to reward the underdog, ultra-low-budget films. That's all well and good, but this wandering, dragging mess looks like a home movie. Mini-DV shot in a snow-covered gray winter results in a drab look for a drab movie.Certain motifs (snakes) are beaten to death in spite of the fact that they add nothing to the story and make no sense as symbols.Now, it wasn't all bad. Vera Farmiga is phenomenal in her role as a mother with a drug problem. She will be going places, and she deserves it. Her co-star Hugh Dillon also does a fine job. Frankly, there are many fine moments in this movie, but they just don't fit together very well.$LABEL$ 0 +James Cameron's 'Titanic' is essentially a romantic adventure with visual grandeur and magnificence, a timeless tragic love story set against the background of this major historical event... It's an astonishing movie that exemplifies hope, love and humanity... Leonardo DiCaprio is terrific on screen with big charisma... Conveying passion, trust, insouciance and ingenuity, he's a free-spirited wanderer with artistic pretensions, and a zest for life... Kate Winslet is absolutely lovely as the confused upper-class teen engaged to a nasty rich guy who finds herself, one night, plunged to the depths of despair...Billy Zane is an arrogant racist, abusive and ultra rich who would lie, cheat, steal, bribe with money or even use an innocent young child to escape defeat... He keeps a 56 carat blue diamond worn by Louis XVI...Kathy Bates is the legendary unsinkable Molly Brown, the richest woman in Denver, who is a lot less uptight than the other rich folk on the ship...Frances Fisheris is the impecunious cold snobbish mother who, deathly afraid of losing her social stature, forces her daughter to become engaged to marry a rich, supercilious snob...Victor Garber is the master shipbuilder, the real-life character who attempts to fix time, to measure it, in a sense, to make it into history... Jonathan Hyde is the White Star Chairman who wants the Titanic to break the Trans-Atlantic speed record, in spite of warnings that icebergs may have floated into the hazardous northern crossing...Bill Paxton is the opportunistic undersea explorer in search for a very rare diamond called the "Heart of the Ocean." Gloria Stuart is the 101-year old woman who reveals a never-before told love story... The nightmare, the horror and the shock are imprinted upon her deeply lined face... 'Titanic' is loaded with luminous photography and sweeping visuals as the footage of the shipwrecked Ocean liner lying motionless on the ocean floor; the incredible transformation of the bow of the sunken 'Titanic' that takes the viewer back to 1912, revealing the meticulously re-created interiors; the first sight of the Titanic steamed steadily toward her date with destiny; the Titanic, leaving the Southampton dock, and some dolphins appear jumping, racing along in front of the luxurious ship; DeCaprio and Winslet flying at the ship's front rail in a gorgeous magic moment; the intertwining of past and present as Jack was drawing Rose on his paper, the camera zooms closely on young Rose's eye, only to transform its shape into Gloria Stuart's aged eye...Chilling scenes: Titanic's inevitable collision with destiny; James Cameron—in one of the most terrifying sequences ever put on film— takes us down with the Titanic, finally leaving us floundering in the icy water, screaming for help that never comes...Winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, James Cameron's "Titanic" is a gigantic epic where you don't just watch the film, you experience it! The visual effects are amazing, like no other film's... The decor is overwhelming... James Horner's music intensifies the emotions... The whole movie is hunting and involving, filled with a wide range of deep feelings... It's truly a moving tribute to those who lost their lives on that unfortunate ship...$LABEL$ 1 +one of the funnest mario's i've ever played. the levels are creative, there are fluid controls, and good graphics for its time. there's also a multitude of crazy bosses and enemies to fight. Sometimes the levels get frustrating, and if you leave out some of the hard levels and still, need to get more accomplished to fight a boss, it can be annoying. another complaint is the camera angle; though it works fairly well most of the time, it can be a pain in certain situations. if your a big time mario fan; this ones for you. even if your not a huge fan of him, i'd still recommend this one. its a big game, and getting what you need can take a while, but it's very satisfying. good for playing in short bursts of time. it will almost certainly hold your interest; it sure does hold mine!$LABEL$ 1 +I started watching the show from the first season, and at the beginning I was pretty skeptical about it. Original movie was kind of childish, and I was just looking for some sci-fi show while waiting for the BSG new season.But after few episodes I became a fan. I've loved the characters - the not-so-stupid-as-you-think-he-is Jack O'Neill, the not-only-smart Samantha Carter, the glorious Teal'c, women and kids favorite, and brilliant Dr. Daniel Jackson.Of course, stories sometimes not serious, sometimes even ridiculous, but mostly it's not about technology or space fighting - it's about helping your friend, even risking your life for him. It's about "we don't leave anybody behind". Struggling to the end when all hope is lost. About the free will, and all good qualities that makes a human - Human.And now it's breaking a record, going 10th season, and still doing good.$LABEL$ 1 +I have been searching for the right words to describe this film. At first I was inclined to simply skip to more significant matters, as the film does not rise to a level deserving comment.Yet, I stopped, puzzled as to how to describe such stuff and somewhat intrigued by the challenge presented by the question: "What can one say about such a film?" Rubbish? No, its not rubbish, rubbish can be recycled into something useful. Greenhouse gas? No, its not greenhouse gas, greenhouse gases help plants grow large and healthy.Finally, I struck on "Not even bad," a rework of the phrase "Not even wrong" used sometimes in theoretical physics to describe a theory that is hopelessly flawed and not even worthy of correction. That's it then, Georgia Rule: Not even bad.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my favorite villains, the Evil Princess is just the perfect villain for this movie. Full of space travel, horses, diamonds, mystical characters, colorful backgrounds, evil characters, etc etc. Very bright, full of action, you will not get bored. Great movie!$LABEL$ 1 +I knew nothing about this film until I watched it... my brother in fact suggested I take a look. Normally, his suggestions aren't much cop however, but I was stuck for something to watch so I watched it.Well, to cut a long story short, I give it 10/10.The film centers around two people, that meet whilst lodging at the same place. One is initially very dependant upon the institution around him, the other is a rebel. One does what he likes, the other as he's told.From the first moments of the film we quickly see the friendship between the two building, and see how they rub off a little on each other. It's a remarkable piece of work, that manages to tell a good story without twist upon twist, people leaping out of bath tubs, or superheros coming to save the day.There's a fair amount of grit and reality in there, not everything can ever go just right - not all gulfs can ever be spanned - and this film delightfully shows the lot.If you watch this film, and are not impressed..... I'd suggest that you don't watch anything again.$LABEL$ 1 +Father and son communicate very little. IN fact they speak different languages. BUt when the son drives his father 3000 miles for his pilgrimage's to Mecca, the conversations finally take place. they are difficult and growth is necessary on both parts.This movie takes us into the hearts of these two travelers, and it is indeed a grand voyage for the audience as well as the two principals. The imagery throughout is impressive, especially the final scenes in Mecca. It underlines for me once again how much different the world can be, but also at the same time, how similar. The same was true for the father and son in this film.See this movie. Tell your friends to see it. You'll be glad you did.$LABEL$ 1 +Bela Lugosi is a real enigma. In the early 1930s, he was on top of the world after appearing in Dracula. Yet, again and again, he made lousy decisions regarding his career. Perhaps he had a bad agent, perhaps his drinking and drug use had a part in it or maybe he was just crazy. Regardless, he ruined his reputation by appearing in pretty much any film--ranging from excellent horror films (such as THE RAVEN) to big-budget flicks (like NINOTCHKA) to grade-Z flicks for the cheapest and shoddiest of studios. Interestingly enough, although he agreed to do this terrible film, he actually turned down the role that later went to Boris Karloff in FRANKENSTEIN! As for this movie, it is a very silly an horridly produced WWII propaganda film that featured a dumb plot and wretched editing. Lugosi spends much of the movie murdering saboteurs--not a bad thing at all. But at the end, we find out that he is himself a Nazi plastic surgeon and all the American-looking men he killed were actually Japanese!!!! The funniest part of this is during a flashback. You see Lugosi talking to a group of Japanese men before he changes them to American-like men. When the camera scans them, the men are clearly Asian. But, on all the other non-close-up shots, they are all VERY Western looking--many with bald heads!! They looked absolutely NOTHING like Japanese men. I suspect the plot must have undergone a re-write and this might account for the obvious mistake. Or, it could just be shoddy production values and editing. In fact, early in the film, they show a street scene in the city and all the cars (circa 1942) are old Model T Fords--obviously from stock footage!!! The bottom line is that the film is bad but also very dull. Unlike PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, it's hard to laugh at the ineptitude--just be put to sleep by it.$LABEL$ 0 +Paul Reiser steps away from the standup comedy spotlight to write a warmly humorous and gently tender story about family - what we see and what we don't see, what we expect and what surprises us. THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS doesn't set any new standards for film, but it is a fine little story well told that reminds us about the significant bonds that family represents.Sam Kleinman (Peter Falk) has been a workaholic, at times pushing his wife Muriel (Olympia Dukakis), his daughters (Mackenzie Connolly and Lydia Jordan), and his son Ben (Paul Reiser) into the background. One day Muriel leaves a note that after years of marriage she is leaving! Her daughters, along with Ben's wife Rachel (Elizabeth Perkins) immediately begin the search for her whereabouts, leaving the confused and hurt and disgruntle Sam to sort things out on a road trip with son Ben. The road trip becomes a time for the two men to learn who each other is and what they each mean to their status as father and son and as family members. Sam relaxes for the first time in his life and introduces the now workaholic Ben to the pleasures and fun of living. The trip comes to an end with a phone call about the whereabouts of Muriel and why she left and the regrouping of the wiser family draws the story's warm ending. All is not what it seemed: it's better and, well, different.Falk and Reiser play off each other like the pros they are, but in many ways the film belongs to the brief moments when Olympia Dukakis is on screen, reminding us that she is one of our strongest matriarchs on film. Well worth viewing. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +1st watched 7/19/2003 - 1 out of 10(Dir-Brad Sykes): Ridiculously lame 3D movie which pretty much follows the plots of many 80's teen slasher flicks. Stupid kids go to a known murderous camp site, become hunted by an unknown masked man, and then we try to figure out who, if anyone, is going to live. We really don't care who's behind the mask but even that's not hard to figure out if you've seen any of these kinds of movies. What a waste of a 3D viewer despite somewhat decent 3D effects.$LABEL$ 0 +I won't waste a whole lot of time of this one because as far as I'm concerned it isn't really a movie to start with, just a careless mish-mash of borrowed footage and embarrassingly amateurish new footage made solely for the purpose of pasting the whole mess together and call it a "Boogeyman" sequel. Literally 80% of this film is stolen from its far superior predecessor "The Boogeyman", a film that the writers of this garbage apparently didn't even bother to watch because they couldn't even get actress Suzanna Love's original character's name (Lacy) right. And to add insult to injury the killer is invisible in the original footage and visible in the new footage, apparently they think their audience is as stupid as they are. 0 out of 10 and I wish IMDb's rating system went that low, the most callous and blatant attempt to rip off people's money I've even seen, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!$LABEL$ 0 +I think this movie deserves a 10 out of 10 because it is hilariously funny from start to finish. The plot is simple and straight forward but it keeps you watching and there are so many laughs that you really start to love it. When I went to see this movie I hadn't heard much about it and I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was going to be an old ladies' type of film like Calendar Girls or something but it took me completely by surprise. Even though I am still a teenager and the film was probably not directed at my age group, I still found it excellent and I think that people of all age groups would like it. I think it is a shame that it is not at all famous and it deserves more publicity so that more people will go and see it and realize what a great movie it is.$LABEL$ 1 +'Don't Look In the Basement' is so easy to knock but the truth is simply that Brownrigg is one of Horrors real underground stars and IMHO is vastly overdue some proper recognition. 'Don't' is his undisputed masterpiece. This scummy psychodrama snags the viewer straightaway into such an odd, disjointed, claustrophobic world of sweating insanity you have no real idea what the hell is going on. It succeeds in making you feel strangely dirty, just plain grubby, for Brownrigg's world is this mad, unwashed, scummy prison cell of rants, obsessions and all shades of mental illness. And he uses his low budget palette to wrap his grot blanket around you like a bad memory. There is just something so beautifully odd about the whole damn thing. In a word, classic.... Also, if you watch 'Don't' first then you will have some idea of the insane psychodrama style that marks Brownrigg's other films. In summary they really don't come any more esoteric than this - well, actually they do, track down Brownrigg's 'Keep My Grave Open'. Mad genius. Accept no substitute.$LABEL$ 1 +Vijay Krishna Acharya's 'Tashan' is a over-hyped, stylized, product. Sure its a one of the most stylish films, but when it comes to content, even the masses will reject this one. Why? The films script is as amateur as a 2 year old baby. Script is king, without a good script even the greatest director of all-time cannot do anything. Tashan is produced by the most successful production banner 'Yash Raj Films' and Mega Stars appearing in it. But nothing on earth can save you if you script is bland. Thumbs down! Performances: Anil Kapoor, is a veteran actor. But how could he okay a role like this? Akshay Kumar is great actor, in fact he's the sole saving grace. Kareena Kapoor has never looked so hot. She looks stunning and leaves you, all stand up. Saif Ali Khan doesn't get his due in here. Sanjay Mishra, Manoj Phawa and Yashpal Sharma are wasted.'Tashan' is a boring film. The films failure at the box office, should you keep away.$LABEL$ 0 +This review contains spoilers for those who are not aware of the details of the true story on which this movie is based.The right to be presumed "Innocent until proven guilty" is a basic entitlement of anyone in a civilised society; but according to Fred Schepisi's partisan but sadly convincing story of a famous Australian murder trial, it was not granted to Lindy Chamberlain, accused of killing her baby. The story suggesting her innocence was unlikely (a dingo was alleged to have taken it), but those implying her guilt even more so, and there was no solid evidence against her. But the Australian public was transfixed by the possibility of her guilt, and the deeply religious Chamberlains appeared creepy when appearing in the media (and the media themselves, of course, were anything but innocent in this process). So although cleared by an initial inquest, they were later prosecuted and convicted. Although Chamberlain was eventually released, this shamefully only followed the discovery of new evidence "proving" their innocence, something no defendants should have to produce.'A Cry in the Dark' is well acted throughout, especially by Meryl Streep, who puts on a convincing Australian accent (at least to this Pom's ears) and manages keep Lindy sympathetic (to us) while still conveying how she managed to become a national hate figure. The scenes where she actually gets imprisoned are simple but heartbreaking, because we believe in the characters as real. Regardless of the accuracy of its portrayal of this story (something I can't comment on), the wider theme of this film will ring horribly true to anyone with a passing knowledge of the British popular press and its ruthless habit of appealing directly to their readership's least charitable instincts. No legal system will ever be perfect; but the current cry against asylum seekers in contemporary British tabloids comes from exactly the same pit of evil as the voices that put Lindy Chamberlain away. I'm not a religious man, but the Bible still contains some killer lines (if you'll excuse the pun). "Judge not lest ye be judged" is one of them.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably encouraged by admirers of her much-better "Orlando", Potter here delivers a vehicle for herself in the worst way: she writes, directs, stars, and actually co-writes the music, including a mawkish love song. The film strongly resembles a high school or college project by a teenager convinced that her own intimate loves and melodramatic obsessions are as fascinating to us as to her. But Potter's character is as unsympathetic as the object of her romantic obsession is unlikable, and the whole film is an embarrassing display of narcissism masquerading as a celebration of the tango. Perhaps if she hadn't cast herself it might have worked. She just can't act, whether playing herself or not. Pretentious, over-ambitious, dull, and silly.$LABEL$ 0 +Has anyone else noticed that this version is basically a scene-by-scene remake of the 1933 version, with some of the scenes taken out? It makes me think less of a film that does that, showing a definite want of creativity. In all fairness, I tend to be biased in favor of Katharine Hepburn, but this version of the film seems like cinematic plagiarism. The 1933 version was nice and sweet, though a little awkward in presentation and transition at times, and then this version took the script, the music, and even a fair amount of the scene blocking from the earlier version. I don't understand the point of making the film again when the method of remaking it was to basically redo George Cukor's film with everything the same except the people working on it.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie (unfortunately) because it was the only option at that time and because David Zucker was the director. I saw his previous "Naked gun" (both parts), Airplane and Top secret!, and I liked, at least I had a good time and laughed. I'm not saying that the movies I mentioned were master pieces, but were OK. I don't recall any other more stupid movie than this. It's incredible how Hollywood industry is in total decadence. If some studio spends any money to produce this awful picture, then is not a surprise that this kind of histories are more common on these days. This is a clear reflect of a decadent civilization where sex symbols and stupid plots are produced to entertain the common people. I don't have any good to say about this film. If you are planning to rent it or buy it, please don't waste your money or your time, avoid it no matter what. Even if you are fan of one of the actors, does not worth it. In fact this could be a very good example of what a Director should avoid. I won't see a Zucker movie again. (He is planning to direct the fourth sequel of Scary movie, imagine that!). Pathetic. Awful.$LABEL$ 0 +When I was young, I'd get up early every Saturday morning not to watch cartoons but to turn on the local channel for what was called 'Kung Fu Theatre.' It wasn't as if these films were works of art. It wasn't as if these films all came from China, Japan, Korea, or any country in particular; if the story had to do with fighting – be it swordplay or fisticuffs – and if the fighting didn't resemble much of anything going on in any American gym class, then that was good enough. It wasn't as if they were really even very good. They were just great action flicks with incredibly over-dramatic music where the hero reaped his vengeance over a whole host of bad guys, and then the credits would roll."Sword in the Moon" is much like these films of my youth, arguably a bit of a thematic throwback given a welcome twist by muddying the characters up enough that it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the bad guys from the good.Yun (Cho Jae Hyun) is known throughout the kingdom as 'the human butcher.' He kills quickly and mercilessly on behalf of the Chun Dynasty, the chief bodyguard of an Emperor who spared his life and the life of his men in exchange for his service. However, an equally merciless rebel and his lovely sidekick appear in the countryside and start murdering imperial ministers, and Yun agrees to find these rebels and kill them. His task becomes one of personal discovery when he learns that the two rebels are Choi (a friend from his past) and his former love, Shi Yeong.Sadly, "Sword" doesn't have much to distinguish itself from other action films. Some stunning cinematography is nearly entirely wasted on shoddy editing with portions of the film put together so loosely its hard to believe that what inevitably made it to the film was what anyone intended. While the atmosphere and story tend to gravitate toward a dark mood, the tone is almost sacrificed to the never-ending parade of flashbacks as each of the main characters is given a healthy story arc. What should've been a quick and easy action film gets weighed down by far too much personal baggage, and the film suffers as a result.I've read that this film marks Korea's first real foray into the world of art-house action pieces along the likes of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Next time, I'd strongly suggest that the producers stick with a little more 'martial' and a little less 'art.'$LABEL$ 0 +First off, the editing of this film consisted of one major flaw which I don't understand how was missed - you consistently see the overhead microphones bobbing in and out of the film. The first time I saw it I just said "well, mistakes happen" and brushed it off. After about the 10th time, it began to get incredibly irritating and distractingly funny. If you haven't seen the film yet, try counting how many times you see the microphone; might make for pretty interesting game.Now, about the film. This movie started out with the makings of a pretty solid "ghost" story; however, the plot twist at the end just ruined it completely. You begin watching the movie under the assumption, alluded by the TV commercials, that the haunted house consists of ghosts which can only be seen by children; particularly young children, which makes it even more freaky as they will be unable to effectively warn the family of the impending danger. The opening scene did a good job of misleading the audience that this would remain the premise of the film. **(SPOILER)** The movie starts with the family being stalked and ultimately killed by an "unseen" force in the home. The idea that only children can see these ghosts is set in motion when the daughter, at the beginning of the movie, asks her little brother to tell her where "it" is right before "it" grabs her and drags her screaming into the cellar. The young boy also witnesses this supposedly "unseen force" kill his mother after she tells him to hide under the bed. After his family is killed, the boy attempts to run and hide only to be snatched away as well.As I said, this movie started out with the makings of a pretty spooky movie in which the family would be stalked by an "unseen force" with their only hopes of survival resting on sightings by a two-year-old. This began to be ruined less than halfway into the film as the daughter began to see the ghosts as well; completely ruining the "only children can see" illusion set forth by the commercials and opening scene.Regardless of this, the movie didn't actually get "ruined" until the plot twist at the end. In which the man who had been helping the family cultivate the farm turns out to have been the man responsible for killing the family at the beginning of the movie. All of a sudden, after being attacked by a swarm of crows, the man snaps and tries to kill the mother, daughter, and son while having a psychotic breakdown in which he believes them to be HIS family; which he killed at the beginning.The whole plot twist at the end just created a whole list of unsolved questions and left me going wtf. First, why was the family's souls trapped in a house? If the director was going for a Ju-On (The Grudge) approach in which the family, after dying in a fit of rage, would haunt the house and kill whoever enters, why did the haunting stop after the father was "captured" by the ghosts of his family? If the ghosts only wanted to kill the man that killed them, why were they attacking the new family? Here's another one for you. It takes several months from the time you sow seeds until the plants fully blossom in time for harvest. This tells me that the man who killed his family at the beginning, the man that the ghosts apparently had a grudge with the whole movie, was living on the property for months. During all this time, why didn't the ghosts just go kill him? This movie included a lot of clichéd "horror movie" scares as well as an obvious combination of ideas from other horror movies. However, I'm telling ya, this movie still could've pulled off okay if not for the plot twist at the end. It's like they just ran out of their budget and just threw together something for an ending. For this movie to have been a success, they should've stuck with the "only children can see them" premise and ended with either the family barely getting away or being killed off like the family at the beginning (would've opened the door for possible sequel,too).$LABEL$ 0 +Watching Midnight Cowboy is like taking a masterclass in acting/ directing/ cinematography/ editing/ writing. I was too young to watch it when it was originally released, and only saw it for the first time a couple of years ago, but it has absolutely stood the test of time, and I have watched it several times since. Everything about this film is brilliant, from the poignant performances from Voight and Hoffman (even though I know this movie well, I still find myself welling up every time Voight flashes one of his innocently pained looks, or Hoffman coughs in his sickly and ominous way) to the stunning cinematography and superbly edited dream sequences. It's a shame that more of our contemporary filmmakers aren't prepared to take a risk on making movies that are as visually and aurally interesting as this one. Midnight cowboy should be required viewing at all film schools. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +This film actually works from a fairly original idea - I've never seen nymphs that were thrown out of heaven in a horror movie before anyway. However, the way that it executes this idea isn't original in the slightest; we follow a bunch of kids that, for some reason decide to go on a trip into the forest. The fact that the forest is inhabited by these nymphs make it more interesting than merely another forest filled by rednecks/nutcases/zombies etc; but really, the monsters are just a variation on the common horror in the woods theme. Many films of this ilk don't have a single good idea - and it would seem that this one has worn its brain cells out with just that one. The only real asset that the monsters bring to the table is the fact that they're beautiful women that the characters lust for, rather than being hideous grotesques that they want to run away from. This is good up until a point; but it soon gets boring, and the almost complete lack of any back-story surrounding the central monsters ensures that the film is never going get itself out of the 'horror trash' category.It's been years since The Evil Dead made the woodlands a prime horror location, and in spite of films like The Blair Witch Project; it still makes for an excellent horror setting. This is one of the film's major assets, as the forest presents a good impression of the unknown - the only problem is that Forest of the Damned doesn't ever seem to have much up its sleeve. The death sequences show a distinct lack of imagination, and the fact that all the characters are clichéd in the extreme doesn't help, as you're more likely to be looking forward to seeing them get killed rather than hoping they can get away. The cast is made up of kids mainly, but there is a role here for Tom Savini; who unfortunately doesn't get to have fun in the special effects department. The only real highlight the film has where personnel are concerned comes from the nymphs themselves. The naked ladies tend to look great, and if it wasn't for them, this film would get very boring very quickly. There's nothing to recommend this film for really; but if you want a daft little horror film that harks back to the style of eighties woodland flicks, you might find some enjoyment here.$LABEL$ 0 +This is not a film you can really analyse separately from it's production. The audience became the film-makers to an extent unprecedented in the history of the American film industry; we felt so involved that viewing it becomes like watching the work of a friend. How is it possible to be objective? This is our movie, isn't it? Or is it? There may be nothing more disingenuous than a film-maker who promotes himself as the audience's friend, giving them all the naughty treats that the nannyish critics would deny them. Just look at that prime self-publicist Eli Roth, promising gore-hounds all the viscera missing from literally gutless mainstream horror films, only to churn out a watered down and technically incompetent piece of work like 'Hostel'.David R. Ellis may not have spawned the monster that was the internet response to his film, but he was, quite understandably, quick to engage with it. He took the carnival-huckster school of film-making to a new level, getting the fans to build what they would eventually buy. So many have enthused over this interactive, democratic approach to film-making that they seem to have missed the point - that this is the most cynical form of film-as-marketing. Nothing is included that the film-makers know the fans won't buy, and any old suggestion that will get bums on seats is incorporated. The fact that the pitch became the title tells you all you need to know.Isn't this just the evolution of the focus group approach? Individual creativity, talent, craft, ideas, all are sacrificed before the inane chatter of the masses. It's a critical commonplace that focus groups and test screenings don't make for good movies - why should the preemptive intervention of internet enthusiasts be any different? Because we happen to be film fans? Well, thank god for us, because otherwise I might not have seen a topless woman get her nipple bitten by a snake.So, yes, I had fun at the movie - a midnight showing, fresh from the pub and with a bucket of ice-cream - but it actually had relatively little to do with the film, and quite a lot to do with the atmosphere. Like Christmas, everyone seemed determined that they would have fun, no matter what. There was laughter, but I don't know if it was with the film, or at the film. With a film as calculated as this one, is that even a meaningful distinction? There are some genuinely good aspects to the film. Samuel L. Jackson gives a well-judged performance, pure self-parody but with a real sense of pleasure. Rachel Blanchard and Lin Shaye are decent in limited roles, and there are one or two inspired moments - the fate of the lap dog is genuinely funny black comedy that the rest of the film fails to emulate.The stock characters are to be expected, but the total lack of suspense isn't. What's the point of a film that combines two great phobias if there's no creeping menace? There are several snake-jumps-out moments, but they're incredibly badly staged. Only the annoying British man gets a decent pulpy death scene - the other killings are oddly flat. The demise of the honeymoon couple, for instance, is shamefully botched. Most of the actors fail to make an impression; it's a shame that a charismatic actress like Julianna Margulies should seem so tired (when she tells two kids to close their eyes and pretend the turbulent flight is a roller-coaster, she could be talking to the audience - the film falls far short).There are worse movies, but there are many, many better; another reviewer on this site compared this film with 'Lake Placid', and it's as apt a contrast as any I can think of. That film worked so magnificently because the performances were excellent, the jokes were funny, the suspense sequences were scary, and it wasn't devised by committee. That the characters had a little depth and shading was an unexpected bonus. I don't need a post-pub midnight showing to have a good time with that film.This film will, in time, fade to become a mere footnote in film history. If it sets a precedent, however, I'm genuinely worried about what might be crossing our screens in a couple of years time. In all probability, nothing much will come of it. Perennial popcorn favourites - 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'Alien', 'Halloween' and of course, 'Star Wars' - just aren't produced by group-think.In the mean time, I'll tell you what - I haven't half got a craving for some Ingmar Bergman.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched it some years ago. I remembered it as very mysterious situations, and a mixture of melancholic things, like the fate of Dorothy and the personal future of Bogdanovich.I turn to watch on my VHS copy and then I was reviewing it more and more. Nowadays I am waiting for the DVD version, at any price, please!The country and easy listening music is very well chosen from the very first second, a bit of blueish, but also happy.All the characters are great to me, with funny situations, great acting and a lot of dialogs that have turn this as a cult movie to me and a lot of people I met on the Internet or cinema clubs. This may not be casualty.I think that the title is a hope about life! You have to be happy and laugh as much as possibleI know that this may be a particular comment for the movie, but the fact is that I like it very much, I think that movie marked me and I will never forget it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was a monument to inept filmmaking on a colossal scale. I'm a huge Burt Reynolds fan, but even he was horrible in this film. The only redeeming quality of this film was the chick that smoked all the time. She was kind of attractive to look at. Otherwise, what a waste of time and energy...$LABEL$ 0 +I picked this film up at my local library. Having met the director at a film festival late last year, I was curious to "check out" his work. I was pleasantly surprised.The film takes a fresh look at familiar subjects, love, infidelity, friendships, jealousy. It can be a bit 'talky' at times but never so much as to completely sink the film. I enjoyed watching a love story with characters that CLEARLY belong together and watching them make conscious decisions rather than haphazardly "falling" into something as important as love.The contrast between this film and the average low-budget shoot-em' up black film is quite distinct. Check it out. If you're lucky, your copy will come with a copy of the soundtrack like mine did. Good stuff!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was, as Homer Simpson would have put it, "more boring than church." Maybe I don't understand it well enough, and I thought it started out pretty well, but after (START OF SPOILER) Hermann Braun is sent to jail and Maria starts working/sleeping with her boss it just started to drag, and I struggled to keep awake. Again, maybe it symbolizes something, but the explosion at the end seemed very forced and out of place. (END OF SPOILER). In the end, I fail to see why others think it's so great, as I found it extremely boring. By the way, I did not watch this movie by my own free will, as I was required to see it for a Film class.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh my GOD. I bought this movie and...I...watched...the...whole...thing. . . Okay, it's going to be alright... I'l know I'll be okay in a month or two. Some time soon I hope to be rid of the flash backs. I was going to eat something after the movie but I just can't seem to get up the courage to try and hold any food down at the moment. Bad? Yes bad. Very BAD. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD. Wait, bad doesn't seem to get the message across in quite the right way. Hmm... There isn't a word to describe just how awful.... not awful... Hmm disgustingly horribly casted/acted/filmed/directed/written. Now I don't know what to do but throw it out. Possibly burn it I wouldn't want it to end up at the bottom of an architectural dig a thousand years from now. The worst movie ever since "Hey Happy"$LABEL$ 0 +How is bear´s paw, elephant´s trunk or monkey´s brain for dinner? Let Tsui Hark tell you in this wonderful and lighthearted comedy about the art of cooking the traditional(?) Chinese way.This movie shares the common structure of an American sports movie, but instead of focusing on baseball it centers around cooking which makes it all the more interesting. I even think Leslie Cheung´s character look a lot like Charlie Sheen in Major League...This movie also contains a bit of Zhao Wen Zhao vs Xiong Xin Xin fighting (love seeing more of that after The Blade) and a quite funny in-joke concerning a Leon Lai pop song...Perhaps not the ideal movie for the strict vegetarian though.$LABEL$ 1 +After seeing 'Break a Leg' in Vancouver at the release party I thought it was a very enjoyable film.I had a few outright belly laughs and some of the cameos (Eric Roberts in particular) were a scream. I haven't heard word about actual release date although I've heard it's close.The story is simple but is mainly a vehicle for the characters and situations. The script is smooth and seamless, the plot develops effortlessly and the acting is comfortable yet fresh. This film has won at least one award from EACH of the film festivals it's been in, which is around 10 - 15 or so.I highly recommend 'Break a Leg'.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm sorry but I can't agree that this was a good movie. Yes, it looked good visually, but it's the story that drives the movie and I must say the story sucked big-time. How in the world did they manage to slip some of those plot-holes past the critics. Better story and I would've gave it a higher vote but I was impossible to do that and still be able to live with myself. I have always been a fan of scary movies, and the previews really had me fooled. All the scary scenes were shown in the previews. And why did the family that got killed stay to haunt the house? Why did the father come back again? WHy did he decide to kill in the first place? Why were the kids the only ones to see the ghosts first? To many questions, not enough answers. If I could've gave it a zero, I would've.$LABEL$ 0 +Apparently SHRUNKEN HEADS was the last movie that Julius Harris had a role in. I have not seen all of his movies, but Julius Harris was in many good movies, and I remember him best from "Live and Let Die" where he played Tee-Hee and which was full of Voodoo references, something that is common here in South Florida! I always thought LIVE AND LET DIE was a great movie because it had some atmosphere and mystique, unlike most of the 007 movies. In SHRUNKEN HEADS, Julius Harris is back in his Voodoo persona! He has a great style for mystery and the occult, and his part in this movie is excellent. Sadly, the rest of the movie is something of a comedy. SPOILERS: Three kids who look like they were fired from the cast of THE LITTLE RASCALS get killed by a neighborhood hoodlum who looks like he got fired from the cast of FAME! or as a dancer on DICK CLARK'S AMERICAN BANDSTAND. In other words, these kids give LOW BUDGET another dimension. Julius Harris goes to the mortuary-Funeral Home, cuts off the three kids' heads (and nobody notices) and then takes them to his Condominium Unit where he has a giant cauldron of boiling liquids. The three heads get tossed in, along with some herbs, spices, and Voodoo items. At some point Mr. Harris has the ugly little heads on a table and he spills his blood on them, and they come to life as talking heads! They can fly, make jokes, roll their eyes, and exact vengeance from the Evil-Doers. They usually look pretty funny flying around, but the effects are not bad. For some reason, one of the kids always has a switch-blade in his mouth, and he uses it to slice people's necks and to cut holes into tires. This movie is weird and funny, but only the first time you see it. Meg Foster is in this movie and she looks fatter than Rosie O'Donnell and Meg plays a masculine leader of the local gangsters. Strange movie.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all the movie, is an ingenious work of art(movie). The plot was filled with surprises, a little kid pretends to be a grown up inherits one million dollars and how he spends it. I mean how whacked out is this. Walt Disney really outdid themselves this time. The comedy is most of the times expected but the other times unexpected. I mean was this movie OK or was this movie OK. It also teaches a lot about wise youths and I this kid is really wise and a bit time smart pants. But also it sucks. How the heck could a guy like that kid get a hot police babe and his dad let him go free. That's like let a killer get bailed free for ten years. If I were to do that I'd get beaten with a 'suble jack'(a huge stick that stings when used to bench your butts really hard). That kid is really lucky. Back to the story. The movie makers really knew what they were doing when they made this movie but still it's not perfect. The acting was good and bad. The kid and woman had no chemistry neither did the father but the bros were excellent'. The special effects on the other hand was lame. Plus this movie isn't based on reality. I hated and loved it at the same time.$LABEL$ 1 +Documentary starts in 1986 in NYC where black and hispanic drag queens hold "balls". That's where they dress up however they like, strut their stuff in front of an audience and are voted on. We get to know many of the members and see how they all hold together and support each other. As one man says to another--"You have three strikes against you--you're black, gay and a drag queen". These are people who (sadly) are not accepted in society--only at the balls. There they can be whoever and whatever they want and be accepted. Then the film cuts to three years later (1989) and you see how things have changed (tragically for some). Sounds depressing but it's not. Most of the people interviewed are actually very funny and get a lot of humor out of their situations. They're well aware of their position in society and accept it with humor--just as they should. We find out they all live in "houses" run by various "mothers" and all help each other out. The sense of community in this film is fascinating.When this film came out in 1990 it was controversial--and a big hit. It won Best Documentary Awards at numerous festivals--but was never even nominated for an Academy Award. Their reason was "Black and hispanic drag queens are not Academy material". Fascinating isn't it? Homophobia and racism all together. Seen today it's still a great film--and a period piece. It just isn't like that anymore--the NY they show no longer exists. The balls are still held but not in the spirit we see here. Also drag has become more "accepted" in society (for better or worse). And I've heard the houses are gone too. That's kind of sad. I WOULD like to know where these characters are now--I know two died of AIDS but I have no idea about the others. And what DID happen to that 13 year old and 15 year old shown? Still, it a one of a kind documentary--fascinating, funny and riveting. A must see all the way! A definite 10. Where's the DVD???$LABEL$ 1 +John Heder was absolutely horrendous in this movie. I felt like I was watching a bad college kid act for the first time in a student film. Anna Farris was par for the course, not good, but not horrible (plus she's cute). Dianne Keaton should have known better. Jeff Daniels was the only saving grace in this movie (even though it was poor judgement on his part as well). All in all, I would avoid this at all costs. I'm just glad I didn't pay to see it! John Heder will forever be stuck in the typecast role of' the dorky kid,' unless he does some SERIOUS work on his acting chops.$LABEL$ 0 +A very strange and compelling movie. It's about a very awkward and tightly wound man who attempts to navigate his life as a door-to-door fundraiser/salesman. The director was able to capture a very unnerving tone that really served the story well. Original and unsettling while also finding a great deal of humor in the pain that accompanies life. There is a sequence at a testing facility that really stood out and made me laugh out loud which is not something I do as frequently as I should. One of the more memorable films I've seen in a long while. Hasn't left my mind and I look forward to future efforts by Bronstein. Fantastic performances all around. The simple line "I really appreciate it." is now iconic to me.$LABEL$ 1 +The premise is interesting and the cast does the best it can, but the script and the directorial effort are so poor that it is not surprising that this film was buried--which is fitting given the screenplay. As I watched this, I could not decide which was worse, the screenplay, or the directing. The actors are over the top, the art direction looks like a Disney movie, the music is contrived, and the sentiment so sweet that it gives viewers cavities. It's a bad attempt to imitate "FOur Weddings And A funeral". If one wants to watch comedy that is as flat as a pancake and how poor direction can turn a story into cavity sweetness, this is a good one to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +When this play was first shown by the BBC over 30 years ago, it would have been something quite different for the time. So therefor some people would have found it quite scary, and may well have been impressed with the special effects?Looking at the play in this day and age, It doesn't seem to be all that scary anymore, even the special effects can leave a lot to be desired.Would a train really be allowed to pass a RED LIGHT into a dark tunnel? I don't think so......but if you watch this play again, you will observe that the first train that enters the tunnel, rushes straight through the RED LIGHT! (maybe that's how it was in dickens time)?You will also notice that the footpath that leads down to the Signal Box is very steep and in a poor state. Surely there would have been a series of proper steps with handrails for the Signalman to climb up or down into the cutting. (i can't help but notice things like that)I will not take anything away from the acting, both Denholm Elliott (signalman) and Bernard Lloyd (the traveller) gave wonderful performances.I am not at all sure what is going on......I mean was the ghost the traveller, or what??? Does anyone really fully understand this rather confusing story??? (well maybe i am the only one that don't)???To sum up.....The play has a wonderful atmosphere throughout, with great character. It suffers from not being that scary these days, and a little if not very confusing in places, and has some rather unusual signalling practises....Thanks for reading my review.$LABEL$ 0 +This was only the second version of the classic story by Charles Dickens I had seen, and sadly it turned out to be one of the worst. The film opens with a quick live action piece where Simon Callow as Charles Dickens begins the story of A Christmas Carol, and then obviously it goes to animated story itself. You probably already know it, Ebenezer Scrooge is the grouchy cold-blooded businessman who refuses charity and hates Christmas. He is visited by Jacob Marley (Nicolas Cage) who warns him of the visits of the other three ghosts of Christmas Past (Jane Horrocks), Present (Sir Michael Gambon) and the silent Future/Yet To Come. After all this he obviously realises the true magic of Christmas, and promises to be nicer in future. The only changes I noticed to the story were Scrooge having mice as friends (a stupid idea), Scrooge's ex-love Belle (Kate Winslet) needing to see him to help at the orphanage, the Ghost of Christmas Present showing the two kids, "want" and "ignorance", Scrooge still gets haunted after being turned nice, and he's worried he can't keep his promise to stay nice. Also starring Rhys Ifans as Bob Cratchit, Juliet Stevenson as Mrs. Cratchit, Iain Jones as Scrooge's nephew Fred and Colin McFarlane as Fezziwig. The animation is not great quality, the actors have wasted their voices for a worthless piece of garbage. The only good thing that comes from this film is the good voice of Kate Winslet, singing the closing song "What If", as for the rest, it is just excruciatingly awful. Very poor!$LABEL$ 0 +I just recently bought "The Big Trail" {1930}. It's an awesome, amazing film. I knew it by reputation but never expected it to be so magnificent. My version is the one shot in 35mm and I'll speak of that again later. When one thinks of the Western Myth in film the names that come to mind are John Ford and John Wayne. Well, you have only half the team here, but the entire Myth is present. Raoul Walsh has given us a remarkable epic in which the true plot is the struggle of the westward expansion of the nation. There is a plot centering on a romance between Breck Coleman {Wayne} and Ruth Cameron {Margaret Churchill} with the main villain, Red Flack being memorably played by Tyrone Power, Sr. But this has an almost incidental quality as the wagon train struggles forward against incredible obstacles—both natural and human. Examples are the crossing of the river, the Indian battle, and traversing the burning Desert. The aftermath of the battle is given a sombre touch when a doll is placed on the grave of a child killed while a faithful dog lies down on its master's grave.Magnificent panoramas are filled with energy and activity. The opening scene as the wagon train prepares to leave, the Square Dance interlude and the great Buffalo herds are some that spring to mind. Marvellous use is made of location shooting throughout. Another feature of this splendid film is the fact that men and women are given equal credit for their parts in the great struggle Westward. Women work, fight, and confront the terrible hardships with the same fortitude and strength as their male counterparts. The finale has a powerfully uplifting experience as Coleman and Cameron meet in the gigantic towering Sequoia forest to start their new life. The acting is quite acceptable throughout. I've already mentioned Tyrone Power's scene-stealing performance. Tully Marshall is excellent as Coleman's sidekick, and Marguerite Churchill convincingly portrays a woman who develops an inner strength as she encounters her own problems as well as those external to herself. The comic-relief is the weakest aspect of this film, but these scenes are not common and are swallowed up in the tremendous sweep of the film.I've read much criticism of Wayne's performance—some even going so far as to blame his "wooden acting" for the failure of the film at the box-office. I think this is unfair. Wayne was in his first major role and certainly had not developed the charisma of his performance in "Stagecoach". But he still does a serviceable job in a role which is certainly going to play second fiddle to the great over-arching theme. After "The Big Trail", Wayne played in a large number of low-budget B Westerns. I have a number of these and one can see the developing actor in them. When "Stagecoach" came he was ready for it and "The Big Trail" was a significant part of that apprenticeship.I mentioned earlier that my version is the one shot in 35mm. It's still impressive, but to get some idea of the effect of the 70mm version I set the TV screen to 16:9 which doesn't cause any distortion. While not having the complete effect of the Grandeur version, it was good enough to make me want to get the latter. {in addition, the film shot in 70mm has a few extra scenes not in the form made for ordinary theatrical showing}.All-in-all, this film deserves to be in any list of the greatest Westerns ever made.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't expect a movie as good as "In The Line of Fire" or an episode of "24", but it looked like this movie was made for TV and did a mediocre job at best. The (good) cast couldn't disguise the fact that the plot was all too predictable and actors had to struggle (they really try their best I think) through their lines of bad script, giving their rather flat characters any extras. When I watched the movie I got the feeling that I had seen most of this in other (better) movies. In it you had car chases, big shootouts, romance, plot twists etc. etc; This movie has none.** Spoiler** As soon as you see another woman talking into the phone to Cuba's character, you know who's behind all this and all the hints you're being given ("you stand too close to the president, see it from my perspective.." ) sound silly. If it were up to me (and maybe it's a good thing that it isn't) I would rewrite the plot like this:First lady orders the murder of her husband because she is sick and tired of writing checks to Cuba all the time.$LABEL$ 0 +Most people, when they think of expressionist cinema, look to the b&w German films of the silent and early sound eras--films that emphasized canted angles, extreme contrasts of light and dark, exaggerated performance, and occasional uses of surrealism to create a dreamlike atmosphere in order to diverge from traditional, naturalistic modes of cinematic representation. If we're willing to accept that the Germans were not the only filmmakers to create expressionist cinema (and that those above-mentioned characteristics are not prerequisites for expressionist film), then I would argue that Dodes'ka-den (DKD) is a prime example of this type of film. Like Dreams, DKD is a little unhinged for a Kurosawa film, dabbling, as it does, in the unreal. However, DKD is also, unlike Dreams, a great film and probably my favorite Kurosawa picture. Why? Mostly, I think, it's the colors. This was, I believe, Kurosawa's first color film, and the man saturates the movie with vibrant primary colors, creating a completely unreal contemporary Japan. We are used to the neon lights and gleaming Tokyo skyscrapers; we are not used to a city that appears to have been colored with crayons. DKD is, as I said, a peculiar film inasmuch as many of its characters live in a junkyard, appearing to live in an alternate universe. That is, I think, the point--these are the Tokyo outsiders, the people left behind during the great move forward following World War II. The film also represents one of Kurosawa's more heartfelt movies; there is genuine sentiment here and genuine pathos (such as when the boy's father describes their dream home). It's an amazingly moving film from a man better known for stunning, John Ford-like vistas and samurais. Everyone should have known Kurosawa had in him a movie as touching and thought provoking as this (Ikiru foreshadows the emotional resonance of this film in many ways). I will also argue, to the last, that this is Kurosawa's greatest achievement. His samurai films, though capable pictures, pale in comparison to works by Kobayashi (Hara-kiri is the greatest, most intelligent samurai film committed to celluloid). Rashomon, Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Kagemusha, and Ran are all fine films, but they're merely good (and, frankly, I think that word is too generous for Hidden Fortress and Kagemusha). DKD is a great movie, as is Ikiru. They are the crown jewels that show Akira was not a one-trick samurai pony. They reveal his artistry and mastery of cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +This is available on a "Drive In Double Feature" from Dark Sky Films, and since I just had finished up "Barracuda", I watched this too. This is a film that proves to be incredibly ambitious and inept at the same time.We begin with two young ladies wandering the streets of some foreign town, but where exactly are they? They stop to look at necklaces from some Chinese vendor, and try on Chinese-style clothes at a shop, but then we see some Aztec dancers? And all the while, these girls are being followed by two guys, who eventually drop whatever stealth they didn't have to chase the girls on a wild run though the town, and they finally catch them.It seems that one of the girls has a coin on a string around her neck, and these guys want to find the loot, and where did she get it? So, in flashback, we go back to find out. And how did they know she had this coin? Hard to say, really.Now, back in the day, when these two women were 10 years old, they were out with their sisters and their sister's boyfriends on a boat, and after stopped to get air in their tanks, they tow this young boy back to his home dock, only to have his grandpa come out & invite the "young 'uns" up for herbal tea with granny. But not everyone has the tea, Todd has gone back to the boat to check on the young girls, and then when they're away from it, the boat blows up, and when they get back to the house their friends have mysteriously disappeared. Well, it seems as though these "kindly folk" raise their own vegetables but they wait for the meat to drop by for a spell, and serve it herbal tea.But the girls and Todd did leave the island, but now, they're returning, escorted by their captors, and they're there to find the treasure, despite the fact that no one ever showed the girls where it was BEFORE. There also seems to be someone else on the island, and the thugs mysteriously begin to die, one by one, and since there's only three, it doesn't take long. And there's even a sort of happy ending, which will leave the viewer every bit as baffled as they were throughout the rest of the film.The two thugs seem to be speed freaks with anger issues, and combined with no acting ability they're borderline hilarious. The hillbilly-type family is also devoid of acting ability, despite the fact that the grandpa is Hank Worden, who appeared in many films and TV shows. The action is confusing, the locales are even more confusing, and the island looks like Southern California.So what the hell IS this? I'm not sure, but it certainly is worth seeing once so you can think (or say), huh? 4 out of 10, very bizarre.$LABEL$ 0 +A bunch of American students and their tutor decide to visit the ugliest part of Ireland in order to study ancient religious practices. Despite being repeatedly warned about the dangers of straying off the beaten path (by the local creepy Irish guy, natch), they do just that, and wind up with their insides on the outside courtesy of a family of inbred cannibals (the descendants of the infamous Sawney Bean clan, who according to the film's silly plot, upped sticks from Scotland and settled on the Emerald Isle).If you think that porn stars plus low budget horror automatically equals tons of nudity and terrible acting, then think again: Evil Breed is bristling with adult stars, but in fact, there's not nearly as much nudity as one might expect given the 'talent' involved, and the acting, although far from Oscar worthy, ain't all that bad (with the exception of Ginger Lynn Allen, who we know can do marvellous 'French', but whose Irish is lousy).Evil Breed opens in superb style with the brutal slaughter of a couple of amorous campers: after some brief under-canvas sex, the silicone enhanced hottie is dragged from the tent and torn in half; the guy has his arms and legs cut off and is roasted on a spit. It's a very gory start, and bodes well for the rest of the film.Unfortunately, after this promising beginning, things start to go seriously downhill: we are introduced to the main characters, an annoying bunch of twenty-somethings just begging to become cannibal chow, and are subjected to a fair amount of time wasting in the form of some terrible false scares, a lot of blarney about murderous druids from local Irish weirdo Gary (Simon Peacock), and worst of all, some sub-Scream, post-modernistic conversation about the conventions of horror films (how clever!).Then, just as it looks as though the film is never going to get any better, director Christian Viel decides to get serious: a guy gets a knife rammed through his head and there's a gratuitous sex-in-the-shower scene featuring lovely blonde Gillian Leigh (NOT a porn star, but I'm sure there's a career there waiting if she wants it). After that, things improve rapidly as the cannibals kick into top flesh-eating gear, and the film is transformed into a veritable bloodbath: Gary has a machete rammed up his ass (about time!), and is strangled with his intestines; Ginger Lynn kick-boxes a mutant; Jenna Jameson is torn open, eviscerated and has her silicone breast implant gnawed on by confused cannibal; a guy gets decapitated by cheese wire; and Taylor Hayes is seen bloody, bruised and naked with a dead foetus between her legs (apparantly, she's been captured and used as breeding stock).All of this is so outrageously gory that it makes sitting through the less interesting stuff worthwhile, and earns Evil Breed a final rating of 7/10.NB. A very troubled production and studio meddling resulted in Christian Viel eventually abandoning the project. Re-shoots were done and the gore was heavily trimmed for a US release. The good news is that although the film doesn't flow as well as it might have, and is cursed with a terrible ending, the UK DVD (the version I watched) seems to have been left relatively intact as far as the splatter is concerned (only 13s were cut from the film in total).$LABEL$ 1 +Christopher Guest is the master of the mockumentary. Werner Herzog is one of many documentary greats out there. Zak Penn isn't good at either but he could certainly take a lesson from the other two. Guest often plays around with reality and fiction but the line between the two is always clear in his films, sort of an essential with a mockumentary. Penn could also take a lesson from the The Blair Witch Project. Even though you knew it was a fake documentary going in you totally bought into the world the filmmakers created. It seems to the audience as if the whole thing is real even though you know, deep down, you're watching fiction. In other words, it was fiction successfully disguised as truth. In fact many early audiences watching it, at Sundance and other premiere audiences thought it was real. Penn, whose forte, by his own admission, is screen writing, should probably stick to that. Documentary or mockumentary film-making (and it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends with this film) is obviously not. Penn sets the stage for what he tries to sell as a legit documentary on the filming of a documentary, sort of a meta-documentary. Penn, however, confuses the audience, and loses their trust, from the get-go as he enters Herzog's house before the filming of Herzog's film, "Enigma of Loch Ness" about the myth of the Loch Ness monster (a film which apparently was never finished – probably because of Penn's interference). Even though Penn is apparently the director of the film we're watching, he starts it by looking at the cameras and saying, "What is the film crew doing here?" and starts shying away from them. He does this on a couple other occasions as well. He will stop and tell the cameras to stop filming, thus forcing the camera guy to hide in the shadows to pick up snippets of dialogue between Herzog and Penn. It seems to be a gimmick, but that is never made clear, and Penn is apparently keeping us in the dark intentionally. This leaves the audience scratching its head wondering, "Who is in charge here?" If Penn is working against his own film crew what kind of a world are we a part of? This is just one of many examples of how he confuses the line between reality and fiction. Penn seems to only fully enter the fictional world (I think) when the crew has sightings of what appears to be the Loch Ness monster. But by the time the monster makes its first appearance we have totally exited the fictional world Penn has attempted to create, so it all just seems silly and pointless. This is a potentially fascinating movie and a real missed opportunity in that Penn has a chance to document a master at work, but completely loses focus and it becomes a movie about Penn and his antics instead of the filming of a documentary. Penn's presence begins to pervade and overshadow everything else in the movie. The Herzog interviews are convincing and we actually believe he isn't acting. We even start to wonder if he and others on his crew are being duped by Penn, much the way the audience is, but you're never sure of even that. Penn, in his interviews to the camera, attempts to be quirky and unintentionally funny, like the characters interviewed in a Guest mockumentary, but he only succeeds in being annoying. In a Guest film this effect is hilarious, while here it falls flat because you're never sure what Penn is about. As a result we, the audience, start to dislike him as much as the crew apparently does. Aside from the beautiful scenery and the superfluous appearance, out of nowhere, of a beautiful model, thrown in to give the movie spice, there is little to recommend here. Perhaps its only redeeming quality (an unintentional one at that) is that it's a great example of why the audience is important; and by completely ignoring the conventions of storytelling your doing them a disservice. For that reason alone I think this would be a good film to show to film students – sort of a "what not to do" kind of movie. I have nothing against a movie told in an unconventional way as long it's done skillfully, with a thematic base to give it substance. This film is completely lacking in that.I'd like to call it a valiant effort at something, but I'm not sure what it is, other than a complete mess and ultimately a waste of time. (As a side note: It seems like bad art always calls to mind good. This film made me think of the book "Picture" by Lillian Ross. Ross followed John Huston around during the filming of "The Red Badge of Courage" and brilliantly documented it for the New Yorker. It would make a great movie in fact. If you want a great example of meta-art, read it.)$LABEL$ 0 +I must be honest, I like romantic comedies, but this was not what I had hoped for. I thought Ellen Degeneres was having the biggest part, which should have been, because I didn't like the two struggling bed partners. It was awful. Poor Tom Selleck!! He had to act with someone who was that much in the picture while it should have been him and Ellen to be in most of the film. They were the only believable ones. And the only really funny parts starred them, not Kate Capshaw and that Everett guy.. Cool that mummy is coming out of the closet, I thought that was a nice surprise. I'm just glad I saw it on the cable and I didn't pay any money renting it..$LABEL$ 0 +So many early British sound films that I've seen on video suffer from either poor print transfer quality or poor sound or both. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a copy of this movie on a video of excellent quality, enabling me to focus on the story itself.And, an excellent story it was. At first sight, the passengers on the ill-fated bus looked like a pretty boring lot (except for the always lovely Jessie Matthews). But, as the film went back to show each passenger's story on the day before the accident, I discovered that the cast, contrary to initial appearance, was a talented group of performers, skillfully directed so as to bring a real individuality to their distinctive characterizations.Viewers may have different preferences as to which two passengers are going to meet a tragic end and which ones will survive. But, the movie holds your interest as it keeps you guessing. This film deserves a much wider audience - a real gem of early British Cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Geez! This is one of those movies that you think you previously reviewed but you didn't. I mean, you didn't give a crap about it but somehow it came to your mind.To be honest and brief; this is one of the worst, boring, and stupid slashers ever made. I can't say anything good about this piece of crap because there are barely decent sequences that could tell it's made by professional film makers.The death scenes are horrible, bloodless, stupid. The plot is somehow good taking in account that it copied "Popcorn" from 1991.To make things even worse, this isn't a movie so bad that it's good. It's just plain bad.Molly Ringwald tried to do her best but it wasn't enough.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this on Sky TV late one night, as I am a Vampire fan. I must admit I half expected it to be a B-Movie disaster but I was pleasantly wrong.Subspecies is about a family of Vampires. When a Vampire Lord dies, his two sons, the handsome and Noble Stefan, and his brother, the Evil, hideous Radu start a war with each other over their birth right, the Bloodstone. The bloodstone is a holy grail of sorts for Vampires and it bleeds the blood of saints, which give the vampire who drinks it an ultimate High.The fight for the Bloodstone takes an unexpected turn when 3 College Students turn up in the Brothers' territory on a school trip and Stefan has to protect them from his brothers Lusts.Like, I said, I went into this film not expecting much at all but it was one of the best low budget movies I have ever seen. The sets and locations (Romania I think, been a while since I've seen it) are very nice and the music score did the film justice.Most of the acting was adequate, but its Anders Hove as the evil radu that steals the movie (and all the subsequent Sequels). Hove's performance as the twisted Vamp is truly breathtaking and bumps the film simply from okay, to pretty d@mn good!$LABEL$ 1 +DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (Lucio Fulci - Italy 1972).Definitely a prime candidate for the most insane movie title ever conceived and that's quite an achievement in giallo-land. Originally, the film was titled even more absurdly, "Don't Torture Donald Duck", literally translated from its Italian title. A small Donald Duck figure features briefly as a toy, but hardly enough to render a title like this, but, apparently, it was changed in fear of legal ramifications by Disney. I railed quite a bit against Fulci's earlier LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971), but here all the right ingredients are present. A surprisingly effective mystery, a good cast and imaginatively shot against an unusual rural setting. Everything just clicks. I think it's justly hailed as one of the director's most accomplished achievements.The story is set against the backdrop of a small mountain-side town in Sicily, where someone is killing young teenage boys. Among the suspects, the most obvious one is a young woman, Maciara (Florinda Balkan), a self-proclaimed witch who is seen suspiciously unearthing the skeleton of a baby and sticking pins into way effigies. Guiseppe, the village idiot is under suspicion as well, since he made a feeble attempt to profit from the disappearance of one of the boys and walked right into their trap. By the time a quick-witted newshound (Tomas Milian) arrives from Milan to cover the murders, he immediately begins to question the authorities' assumptions, when he meets two other potential suspects: Don Alberto, the local priest (Marc Porel) with a high-minded attitude, and Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet), a bored young woman from the city with a troubled past of drug offense, who also fancies having sexual relations with the young boys in town. Talk about your prime red herring.Fulci nicely contrasts modernity and tradition with the newly constructed elevated highway meandering through the Sicilian hills, past old towns where life is still firmly rooted in tradition and superstition. One could debate about the film's political stance as The North versus The South, or as commentary on small-town virtues - society's conventions in general - that are all too often dangerously close to tipping over into moral disintegration, chaos and - ultimately - self-justice by the populace. The film has often been lambasted because of its anti-catholic tone, but it's hardly an important element here, except for obvious plot-related reasons, which would be giving away too much. It's actually rather tame compared to a film like Joël Seria's DON'T DELIVER US FROM EVIL (1971). Probably, the film's rather unflattering portrayal of small-town Sicilian values (when another boy is killed, the local populace are depicted as a retarded lynch-mob) might be cause for some offense in Sicily, but - considering Sicily's problematic relation with the rest of Italy - hardly problematic for other Italians, I would think. The film vanquished into obscurity far too quickly to have much impact anyway.When talking Fulci, the amount of gore is usually a prime subject for discussion. Although eyes-gouging scenes are lacking, the film does contain two very graphic scenes. In the gross-out finale, the killer falls of a cliff, smashing his face along the rocks on the way down with gruesome results (albeit, not very realistic). And the chain-whipping sequence with Florinda Balkan in the graveyard shows Fulci's penchant for sadistic violence and typically, he's not holding back at graphically showing what most film-makers would merely hint at. Surely, one of the most horrifying scenes in Fulci's repertoire. Above all, this is a taut, well-written, effective little mystery, nicely lensed by Fulci, with an impressive cast of genre-regulars like Barbara Bouchet, Marc Porel (not very convincing as a priest), Tomas Milian and Florinda Balkan (mouth-foamingly crazy as the town's witch).Camera Obscura --- 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +It makes the actors in Hollyoaks look like the Royal Shakespeare Company. This movie is jaw dropping in how appalling it is. Turning the DVD player off was not a sufficient course of action. I want to find the people responsible for this disaster and slap them around the face. I will never get that time back. Never. How is it possible to create such a banal, boring and soulless film? I could not think of a course of action that would relieve the tedium. Writing the required ten lines is incredibly difficult for such a disgraceful piece of cinema. What more can you say than reiterate how truly awful the acting is. Please avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +A 'Wes Craven presents' movie from 1995, directed by Joe Clayton and starring Lance Henriksen. A group of scientists save a dying man they find by their desert stranded government outpost by injecting him with their experimental virus, of course, one of their colleagues goes overboard and the virus transforms the man into a near unstoppable monster with them trapped inside. Lance Henriksen plays the morally offended researcher who leaves the project before all this, but returns after receiving a call for help to save the man (pre-unstoppable death machine mutation).Deciding to combine two trips in one he brings his family along with him (they're going on vacation afterwards) and proceeds to give them entry to the top secret government facility, thus putting them right in the middle of the chaos within. In case you can't tell, this one relies on the viewer to work with it a little and put aside some petty (see: major and blatant) details.Overall though: Watch-able with mild bits of enjoyment. Note: The Outpost is commonly known under the title 'Mind Ripper'$LABEL$ 0 +The beginning was decent; the ending was alright.Sadly, this movie suffers from complete and utter shallowness of the characters, unrealistic confrontations/fight scenes, lack of anyone intelligent outside of the shuttle. This makes for an awful middle screenplay. Stuff to look for: overly obvious foreshadowing, fast-healing cuts, overly smoky fires, fun seatbelts, delayed reactions.I did give it a 4, not a 0, because the start of the movie had some nice elements of happiness and basic character development. The relationship between the main, dark-haired girl and her fiancée is touched upon briefly, and the placement of the blond friend's impact on that relationship is present, though awkwardly so. The business discovered at the end is becoming more mainstream and decently done, though, as another commenter pointed out, not unexpected. ~viper~$LABEL$ 0 +Specks of white and various shapes, a beautiful nude, random images. That is what this little experimental short film is.It's kind of interesting to think how in the early days of film such images could be transferred onto film, but despite my love of a lot of surreal images and films, and a fascination with the bizarre, this film just didn't do it for me.I'm not sorry I watched it, but if there is any underlying meaning in it, I don't get it. Visually, it is not that outstanding, in my humble opinion. As an example of dadaism, I suppose it would fit in quite well, since it seems to reject any semblance of logic or reason, though I would have preferred that it do it in a more visually interesting way.But to each his own.$LABEL$ 0 +This horror movie, based on the novel of the same name, suffers from flawed production and choppy, amateurish direction, but it's nonetheless strangely compelling. Unlike shocker horror flicks such as The Exorcist, this movie takes the viewer on a slow yet relentless dip into a pool of evil. It drifts into horror, which dawns on the audience with the same dreamlike slowness as it dawns on the poor girl who's been unwittingly chosen to be the next sentinel. Her appointed task is to sit at the gates of hell and prevent evil from erupting into the world. This falls on her in atonement for her attempted suicide earlier in her life.The story is true to the book, which was riveting, but the way it's edited can lose the viewer. There are subtleties in the plot that are shaved away and never explained satisfactorily, which hurts this film. That's a pity. The Sentinel is not an edge-of-your-seat kind of flick; it's more a watch-and-squirm uncomfortably. Like a bad car wreck, there's a compulsion to look even when it becomes unbearable. This movie isn't all bad, and still has a capacity to shock.The cast was competent. Christina Raines was captivating as Alison, the vulnerable girl under spiritual attack from both sides, a pawn in the never-ending battle between good and evil. Chris Sarandon was good as her caring but ultimately self-centered boyfriend. Eli Wallach and a very young Christopher Walken are the detectives struggling to unravel the bizarre puzzle they've been handed. Ava Gardner is elegant as the realtor unaware of the horrors lurking in her rental property. The gaunt elderly John Carradine, with his arthritis-twisted hands, is excellent as the dying sentinel who must be replaced. The devil is played to charming perfection by Burgess Meredith; he's so sweet and yet so evil. There are future stars hidden in this film: Beverly D'Angelo and Jeff Goldblum as friends of the poor girl, and Jerry Orbach playing successfully against type as a jerky television director. The damned souls at the end are portrayed by actual sideshow freaks and geeks. Whoever thought to do that was a twisted but brilliant genius.The horror that pervades the movie bubbles up unexpectedly, such as when Alison opens a door and finds something that evokes a flashback to when she found her father with his two whores. She relives her first suicide attempt, faces a pair of strangely dysfunctional lesbians, and sees a cat cut up as a cake. Time and again, she's yanked back and forth through reality and fantasy, through dreams and waking nightmares, all the while lacking the means to cope. In truth, the devil is trying to drive her insane enough to kill herself before becoming the next sentinel. Will he succeed...? In summary, slow-moving yet indescribably creepy, well-acted but poorly directed, and a very typical 70's horror film before the real shockers cut loose. (No pun intended) This movie may not work for those with a short attention span, but it can still send chills up the spine, and still can provide some low-key shock value. It remains a strangely compelling and entertaining dip into the realm of evil.$LABEL$ 1 +Stanwyck at her villainous best, Robinson her equal - as ruthless land barons in this fairly ordinary western.Some good action scenes, strong use of location, colour and Cinemascope. But why the obvious use of stock footage in the stampede scene?Ford is dependable as always and Foster is strong as Robinson's daughter, but it is the baddies' film. And it's not just Stanwyck and Robinson - Brian Keith makes a surprisingly dashing villain as Stanwyck's lover, and Richard Jaeckel is unforgettable as a cold-hearted killer.See it for the camp value.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Bat People" is a proud resident of the IMDb Bottom 100. Every once and a while the movie suddenly vanishes from the infamous list, depending on whether there are new movies with Paris Hilton in the lead or documentaries about American Idol stars, but it always reliably returns sooner or later. And why? Because, unlike the majority of crap in that list, "The Bat People" is a legitimate bad film and it deserves to be on there regardless of any media influences or internet buzz! This nearly isn't the worst film ever made, since the basic concept definitely has a certain charm and ingenuity, but it's still indescribably difficult to sit through the whole thing. The script is incredibly boring, with absolutely unnecessary padding footage and gigantic gaps in continuity, and yet the main characters still remain total strangers throughout the entire film. Other than a sensible screenplay, the film also lacks spectacular killing sequences and the make-up effects – although courtesy of a young Stan Winston – are ludicrously inept and remain largely unseen until the end of the film. The film's title is inaccurate, as "people" refers to a number in plural whereas the story actually just revolves on one Bat Person. Much more than Bruce Wayne, the real Batman plays in this movie and he as well has a genuine Bat-cave and a Bat-mobile (a stolen ambulance)! The plot introduces a young couple on their honeymoon-weekend exploring caves. They wander off from a guided tour group and he gets bitten by a bat whilst trying to protect his wife from the animal's vicious attack. Worried that he might be infected with rabies, he undergoes an intense treatment at the local hospital, but still this doesn't prevent him from slowly transforming into a bloodthirsty bat creature. He kills random people at night and toys around with the suspicious police sergeant whilst his loving wife is still vastly convinced the awkward behavior is exclusively due to allergic reactions to the rabies treatment. Sure, honey! The script never explains why a bat would attack people and how come John always changes back into a normal human being at the dawn of a new day instead of gradually turning into a permanent state of bat-guano. So basically, "The Bat People" is a variation on the good old werewolf-theme, but obviously not a very interesting one. The concept showed a lot of potential, but somehow the sub plots center on whiny drunks and perverted Sheriffs instead of on ghastly monsters. Some of the settings and exterior filming locations look impressive, the misfit song playing during the credits is strangely catchy, there's a nice bit of gore during the climax (finally!) and main actress Marianne McAndrew is ravishing to look at (though not to listen to). This truly bad and boring film's current listing in the bottom 100 is spot number 80, and personally I hope it sticks somewhere in that region. The list simply wouldn't feel and traditional without "The Bat People".$LABEL$ 0 +The best Treasure Island ever made. They just don't make filmslike this anymore, or ever. No one makes films like this. Morethan a novelty, this film is funny, frank and fascinating, yet moody,mysterious and morose. This is one of my favorite pictures. Thedirector must have had some idea what it is all about, but hecertainly leaves room for your own impressions and interpretations, while leaving little left to the imagination. Why hehas not made more films like this, I have no idea. Whilereminding me of some of the best noir, it is one of a kind. But thisis not for the lazy or simple.$LABEL$ 1 +Fair drama/love story movie that focuses on the lives of blue collar people finding new life thru new love.The acting here is good but the film fails in cinematography,screenplay,directing and editing.The story/script is only average at best.This film will be enjoyed by Fonda and De Niro fans and by people who love middle age love stories where in the coartship is on a more wiser and cautious level.It would also be interesting for people who are interested on the subject matter regarding illiteracy.......$LABEL$ 1 +This movie rocked!!!! saw it at a screener a coupla weeks ago. Kinda a strange story, where James Franco plays this jerk who marries Sienna Miller just to get out of the country and they go to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. Don't wanna give it away cuz the movie isn't released yet but its totally cool and you would never expect the stuff that happens. I kinda thought I would hate it cuz its a romance but its also kinda twisted and stuff which I like a lot. The acting is really good and Sienna Miller is totally smokin' and plays this really sweet girl. I think she should do more roles like this. James plays a jerk but you end up liking him and the end of the movie is really good. David Carradine plays a cowboy and he is good. I gave this movie a 10 because I came out of the movie really liking it and wanting to see it again which I didn't expect and my girlfriend really liked it and cried. good date flick$LABEL$ 1 +and anyone who watches this film will agree. This film was directed in the days when plot, character believability and theme actually mattered.Jean Peters, Widmark, and Thelma Ritter steal the spotlight. Ritter is in top form as informer "Moe" she survives in the Bowery section of NY, acting as a stool pigeon for NYC police.The only other film in which I have seen Peters is "Niagara", and she certainly proves her acting ability here, complete with Brooklyn accent. Widmark is appropriately menacing, as the anti-hero who must discern what the right thing is, despite his need for cash.The photography is brilliant. The neon, the subway station (though it looks cleaner than the real thing!) the harbor shack where Widmark lives as a transient. Excellent use is made of the city, with "Lightning Louie" in Chinatown; the many flavors and appetites of the city are addressed here; the political climate of the time is a haunting backdrop. 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +It's like someone took a fantasy-type video game and put it in a blender, and the resulting scene mishmash is what we have to sit through.Now let me go on record by saying how much I love Chinese fantasy films. From the fun and silly, to those focusing on martial arts, to the more dramatic and romantic types—it's a genre I very much enjoy. Films like "A Chinese Odyssey: Pandora's Box" and "A Chinese Odyssey: Cinderella" (both of which were written and/or directed by Jeffrey Lau); "The Bride with White Hair"; "Butterfly & Sword"; "Green Snake"; "A Chinese Ghost Story"; "Swordman II"; "Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain"; "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; and others. Which is why I was looking forward to "A Chinese Tall Story." One of the film's characters is the "Monkey King" (aka Sun Wukong), an extremely well-known character in Chinese mythology, first told in the stories of the "Journey to the West," the epic adventure written about 500 years ago. (The story of the Monkey King and his disciples is also the focus of the "Chinese Odyssey" films, amongst many others). Other familiar characters that appear in the film are Zhu Wuneng (the pig character) and Sha Wujing.So how does it all go wrong? Well, let's take an example familiar to Western audiences. How about the Robin Hood mythology? A well known story from ye olden days. Let's say that our Robin Hood film starred Wesley Snipes as Robin Hood, and Haley Joel Osment as Friar Tuck. Maid Marian is none other than Rosie Perez. Let's give Sir Robin an Uzi as well, because you never know when you might have to waste the Sheriff of Nottingham. They might need rocket packs also, and while we're at it, give them a tactical nuclear weapon because that sure could come in handy. If you think this sounds like a really neat retelling of the Robin Hood tale, then "A Chinese Tall Story" is the movie for you! As I indicated above, this movie is a jumbled mess. In the first 30 minutes, we are introduced not only to Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing, but also to the monk Tripitaka (who is actually the main protagonist), kidnapped children, a "millennium bug demon" (which shoots laser beams), an underground Tree God, a lizard imp tribe, an angelic girl in an intergalactic egg, the Lord Chancellor Tortoise, a Sea Dragon King, a ever-morphing magic golden staff, a chatterbox imp girl, wormholes in space, and the Four Heavenly Knights. All this wouldn't be too bad--the tales and myths passed down over the years certainly do have all sorts of fantastical elements. But I guarantee you the Chinese mythology does not include much of the stuff we get subjected to in the last half of the film. (Helpful advice to the filmmakers: Just because your computer effects guys CAN come up with cool looking spaceships and depictions of intergalactic war, does not mean they SHOULD).You know your Chinese mythology movie is on the wrong track when the director asks (and I am not making this up—it's a direct quote from the commentary) "I asked the composer whether or not we can have a more rock-and-roll type music when she transforms into some kind of android-like thing." Is there a story hidden in here somewhere? Yes. Yes, there is. Most of the adventure follows Tripitaka (played by Nicholas Tse—"Gen-X Cops," "Time and Tide," "My Schoolmate the Barbarian") and Meiyan, the lizard imp girl (played by Charlene Choi and a computer). Choi is the best thing going in this film. You may know her as half of the Canto-pop group "Twins" and from other films such as "The Twins Effect" (a fun flick) and "Just One Look" (a surprisingly good drama/romance/comedy). Poor Choi, being a lizard imp and all, is hardly recognizable with her warts, snagged out teeth, doughy nose, and hunched back. That is until the computers get a hold of and beautify her, which somehow makes it worse. Tse is passable, but all of the supporting actors were abysmal. A couple of recognizable faces in bit parts are wasted.At one point I was debating with myself if "A Chinese Tall Story" was a spoof. I was almost able to convince myself that it was when the intergalactic egg girl (played by a very pretty Fan Bing-Bing) got out and lit up a Marlboro (!) while talking with Tripitaka who was practicing martial arts dressed in a Spider-Man costume (!!). But it is not a spoof. Of course there is the typical Hong Kong silliness, but the movie takes itself seriously enough, with enough scenes of romance and pathos (scored with a sledghammering of violins and evocative cellos) and rousing action and adventure.You might think that you could watch this on a Netflix rental and it wouldn't cost you anything. (Oh, but it'll cost you, all right).Is there anything good to say? Sure. The colors are vibrant (they are the best thing about this movie). And the filmmakers certainly were trying very hard. Too bad all that effort went into a movie that is not much more than a bad video game.$LABEL$ 0 +It seems that no matter how many films are made on the subject, there is no shortage of stories that emerge from the Second World War. It stands to reason that a conflict on such a scale as global warfare would capture the imagination of filmmakers everywhere and provide them with ample material on which to base a story. Heading in a different direction than most mainstream movies about the war is Dark Blue World, a film that does not deal with the traditional major battles of the war, does not tell the story of many of its major figures, and does not even focus on soldiers of any of the major allied or axis powers. Dark Blue World instead ventures into the world of refugee soldiers fighting in exile for their occupied nations.The film does a marvelous job of portraying the challenges faced by Czech pilots flying under the British Royal Air Force, expressing the frustration that they felt both at the language barrier between them and the other fliers, but also at being restrained from achieving vengeance against the Germans until being re-trained.Dark Blue World also works quite well outside the arena of the war film as being a story about human relationships. A love triangle develops between the two main characters and an English woman that complicates the teacher-mentor relationship of the two exiled soldiers. This relationship is extremely well acted throughout, developing into almost a father and son relationship at many points.The aerial combat in the film is among some of the best and is also very interesting in exploring the cultural challenges mentioned above as the men struggle to fly their machines, fight the enemy, and relay commands and replies in an unfamiliar language. The tension and struggle of these scenes continues the tension between the men on the ground, just as the tension on the ground continues that felt in the air.This may not be a film for everyone. The hardcore war film buff may find its exploration of relationships a bit off-putting, but it is on the whole an excellent film regardless of the bellicose element or not.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those strange, self-important, self-indulgent movies which tries too hard to be profound. It isn't. Instead, it spouts cliches that try to pass for Profundity. Typical is the scene where Peter (Kelsey Grammer) explains to protagonist and best friend Adam (Dwier Brown) how man starts life breast feeding, then moves on to sucking the breast of his girlfriend, and finally his wife, thus concluding ultimately that life sucks. So deep. We are treated to a variety of characters who offer their perspective of life, the universe, etc. during Adam's travels through the Mojave Desert on foot. (He abruptly leaves L.A. the day of his wedding and his family, friends, and fiance assume he's dead when his car was found in a military test range smashed by a rocket.) Some characters are more entertaining than others. The best by far is an escapee from a mental hospital who only speaks through the voices of others. The actor, James Kevin Ward, does some great impressions, including Nicholson, Popeye, and several characters from the original Star Trek. But once the interesting characters leave the screen, we're stuck with Adam again and his pursuit of the profound. It's a long trip, which drags in many places. In fact, it's the longest hour and a half movie I've ever seen. And the finale hardly makes it seem worth while, at all.I discovered this movie playing on HBO one day by waking up too early and clicking on the TV. That'll learn me. Next time I'll try harder to sleep in.$LABEL$ 0 +This was director von Stroheim's third effort - it is quite crude and shows none of the exceptional flair for the camera and editing mastery he would display a few years later with his masterworks, GREED and THE WEDDING MARCH. Essentially we have a trio of grifters, masquerading as a Russian count and two Russian princesses who have rented a villa in Monte Carlo. Their aim is to use counterfeit money at the gambling tables and win a fortune. Part of that plan is for the Count (von Stroheim) to insinuate himself between a visiting American ambassador and his "foolish" wife, wooing her and hoping to gain some money by playing on her weaknesses. He makes the mistake of also taking the life savings of the maid, whom he has promised to marry. When she sees them together, she sets fire to the room, (von Stroheim and his prey are on the room's balcony). Here von Stroheim first establishes his persona as "the man you love to hate." He is thoroughly bad and his character flaws eventually bring him to a very bad and deserved end. The film is crude in its cinematography and editing and not worth seeing unless you are fascinated by the director. There is a cute bit- when he first attempts to meet the Ambassador's wife, she is reading a book - we see the title - FOOLISH WIVES by Erich von Stroheim. This was originally envisioned as a 210 minute film, cut down to 140 minutes by the studio and finally released at 70 minutes. The restoration on Kino Video restores surviving footage (damaged in some way in most scenes) from the alternate earlier version to give us a 107 minute print.$LABEL$ 0 +Some movies seem to be made before we are ready for them. As I watched this film, made in 1988, in 1999, I thought I was watching the O.J. Simpson debacle (although I have very different opinions about the innocence of the individuals in each situation).The Australian news media, if this movie is to be believed, devoured the case of a possible infanticide and truth was left as an afterthought. It was scary to see the scenes of invasive, swarming media hordes, ridiculous accounts of half-truths and lies and debates over the supposed merits of the case by persons at all levels of society.Equally appalling is the media's depiction as indifferent and uncomprehending of the technical information in the case. I do wish more was made of the issue of religious prejudice in the case (the accused are Seven-Day Adventists).Today these circuses have become common but that makes the lesson only more important.Streep is excellent as usual, and this is the best I've ever seen Sam Neill. The Aussie accents get a bit thick at times but not incomprehensible.$LABEL$ 1 +And a perfect film to watch during the holiday season as the winter/Xmas atmosphere that Burton creates for Gotham City is way cool. It's weird that Warner decided to release this as a summer film. It doesn't fit.But what's even weirder, when you consider the content of this film, is that it was aimed at families. An upper-class family throws their mutant baby down the sewer, a socio phobic billionaire dresses up in leather as a flying rodent, a lonely secretary dresses up in leather as a feline and a freak runs for political office. And S&M and bondage are presented in a very perverted way. But Burton got away with it. His visual style in this film is at it's best.This and Batman: Dead End are the only true live-action incarnations of the comic-book character. True, the animated series was the closest to the source material, but compared with Batman Forever and the un-nameable one after that, Batman Returns is the best of the four.Darker and more violent than the first movie, the sense of Gothic pathos reaches a new high. I was quite keen on Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne (don't even get me started on George Clooney!), he displayed the right balance of weirdo loner and cool crime fighter. Michelle Pfieffer is great as Catwoman (much sexier and more 'realisticly' cat-like), she wears that leather outfit better than Halle Berry. And Danny DeVito was so convincing as the Penguin that his scenes became disturbing to watch. And Christopher Walken is brilliant as the spooky Max Shreck (if you think you recognise Chip Shrek it's none other than a very young Leatherface/Butterfinger).Danny Elfman's score is also even better than it was first time round. His powerful and engaging themes are way better than the dross that followed in the later 2 Schumacher movies. This movie is the Batman phenomenon at its Zenith. Forget the following sequels and stick to the animated series after this. Let's hope that Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale can bring some integrity back to the live action Batman with their movie next year.This DVD was one of the first ever DVDs released by Warner (almost 7 years ago!!!) and as a result there are NO features and the case is a snapper. Pick it up cheap like I did and hope for an SE in the future.$LABEL$ 1 +Everybody just seems to be raving about the subject, and not really noticing how the movie was made. The deaf, mute guy is fine, the underdog wins - that's good, the cricket aspect is great, but the movie is average overall. I think it could be made much much better than it is.The plot is too predictable for a movie that is not based on a real life event. I'm sure the movie could have been made more interesting. The songs are just stuffed in there, and I had to literally forward the scenes where the same thing would be shown from different angles.Good acting, though. Watchable.$LABEL$ 0 +TV churns out dozens of true-crime movies every year. You can see 3 or 4 every Saturday on Lifetime, and Court TV can be relied on for a few every weekend. So I started watching The Morrison Murders thinking I knew very well what to expect: a more or less competent retelling of a real-life family murder. What I got was a subtle, beautifully acted drama that engrossed me from start to finish.Both the brothers were totally convincing, and Jonathan Scarfe was perfect in the challenging role of Luke. The look and feel of Georgia was in almost every frame. If I had any complaint, it was Gordon Clapp as the sheriff. He just doesn't look or act like a small-town Southern lawman named Byron Calhoun. He looks and sounds like Medavoy, and Medavoy is not right for this part.But this is a minor quibble: The Morrison Murders is well worth watching, and not just on a rainy Saturday afternoon. If you're going out, tape it. You won't regret it.$LABEL$ 1 +Primal Species (1996, Dir. Jonathan Winfrey) International terrorists get a surprise when their cargo turn out to contain living dinosaurs. The army commando team now have to think fast, if they want to prevent the extinction of the human species, instead of the reptiles.You look at the cover and you gain your first impressions of the film. That is pretty much it. The acting is only just acceptable from a few characters. The story is poor, with the whole film based on the army and the marines trying to kill the dinosaurs. This film came out three years after 'Jurassic Park'. Instead, this film looks to have come out 13 years before 'Jurassic Park'. The dinosaurs costumes are so poorly made, and i do mean costumes. There are obviously people dressed up, and this film makes no attempts at hiding this. A scene when a dinosaur runs down a corridor is created in a way, in which it looks like someone is riding the creature. The is one good thing, which comes out of this film. The short running time. At only 1 hour and 15 minutes, it doesn't waste too much of your life, but still try to avoid it altogether."It's like a Friday the 13th Nightmare." - Officer (Brian Currie)$LABEL$ 0 +Oh my God, I was so expecting something more entertaining than this when I downloaded this movie, seeing as 1903 was one of my fave years for movies ever, but it sucked! The "plot", although I'd hesitate to call it that, is about some dumb elephant. It slowly makes its way onto some platform and gets electrocuted to death. Lame. Even for a short film, the plot was too thin to keep my attention. Edison is, like, the worst director ever. Plus, the elephant has no screen presence whatsoever. And the ending? Wow, that wasn't predictable at all. *sarcasm*The picture quality is horrible too. You can barely tell what's going on most of the time. The only positive thing about this movie is that unlike most other un-scary horror flicks this didn't spawn eleven sequels. Other than that this is a complete waste of money and 1 minute of your life you'll never get back.$LABEL$ 0 +As a low budget enterprise in which the filmmakers themselves are manufacturing and distributing the DVDs themselves, we perhaps shouldn't expect too much from Broken in disc form. And yet what's most remarkable about this whole achievement is the fact that this release comes with enough extras to shame a James Cameron DVD and a decidedly fine presentation.With regards to the latter, the only major flaw is that Broken comes with a non-anamorphic transfer. Otherwise we get the film in its original 1.85:1 ratio, demonstrating no technical flaws and looking pretty much as should be expected. Indeed, given Ferrari's hands on approach in putting this disc together you can pretty much guarantee such a fact.The same is also true of the soundtrack. Here we are offered both DD2.0 and DD5.1 mixes and whilst I'm uncertain as to which should be deemed the "original", the fact that Ferrari had an involvement in both means neither should be considered as inferior. Indeed, though the DD5.1 may offer a more atmosphere viewing experience owing to the manner in which it utilises the score, both are equally fine and free of technical flaws.As for extras the disc is positively overwhelmed by them. Take a look at the sidebar on the right of the screen and you'll notice numerous commentaries, loads of featurettes and various galleries. Indeed, given the manner in which everything has been broken down into minute chunks rather than compiled into a lengthy documentary, there really is little to discuss. The 'Anatomy of a Stunt' featurette, for example, is exactly what it claims to be, and the same goes for the rest of pieces. As such we get coverage on pretty much ever aspect of Broken's pre-production, production and post-production. And whilst it may have been preferable to find them in a more easily digestible overall 'making of', in this manner we do get easy access to whatever special feature we may wish to view.Of the various pieces, then, it is perhaps only the commentaries which need any kind of discussion. Then again, there's also a predictable air to each of the chat tracks. The one involving the actors is overly jokey and doesn't take the film too seriously. Ferrari's pieces are incredibly enthusiastic about the whole thing. And the technical ones are, well, extremely technical. Of course, we also get some crossover with what's been covered elsewhere on the discs, but at only 19 minutes none of these pieces outstay their welcome. Indeed, all in all, a fine extras package.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie features an o.k. score and a not bad performance by David Muir as Dr. Hackenstein. The beginning and end credits show along with the most of the actors and the "special effects" that this is a low budget movie. There is nothing in this movie that you could not find in other mad scientist, horror/comedy, or low budget movies. Not special for any nude scene buffs or bad movie lovers either. This movie is simply here. Anne Ramsey and Phillis Diller are nothing to get excited about as well. If you are curious as I was and can actually find this, you will realize the truth of the one line summary.$LABEL$ 0 +Gordon Parks, the prolific black Life magazine photographer, made a true ticking-timebomb of a movie here - one that does not mess around! Based upon the true story of two NYC cops - later dubbed Batman and Robin - who singlehandedly employed radical tactics to clean up their precinct neighborhood of drugs, this is a cop-buddy movie before that term became a repetitive formula. Lightning paced, there is not one unimportant throwaway scene here.Man, early '70s NYC must have been a terrible place to be a police officer, from the looks of movies like this and "Serpico." These two cops start out as safety-division rookies, busting dealers in plainclothes in their spare time. But instead of receiving applause from the city police department, they receive nothing but resistance and antagonism from their peers. They have to singlehandedly navigate a minefield of police and legal corruption, boneheaded assignments meant to keep them from their work on the streets, ruthless drug kingpins, and a nasty ghetto neighborhood.Both David Selby and Ron Leibman are fantastic in the leads; part of the entertainment is watching Leibman's eyes darting around crazily in every scene in what is a flawless comic performance, and Selby's acting is low-key and wry. These two make all the comedy aspects of the story work - displaying a palpable frustration mixed with gutsy determination. Director Parks, who was already known for his coverage of controversial subjects in his photography, does not shy away from the grittiness of the story. Rather, the movie is uncompromising in portrayal of the toughness of the world of police and streets criminals that these two men inhabit. Adding to this realism is the fact that the real Hantz and Greenberg acted as technical advisors for the film, and even appear in surreal cameo roles as two fellow officers who ridicule the protagonists. It is a real tribute to the effectiveness of Parks' direction that he manages to perfectly balance this depressing mileu with bright comedy.Why has MGM/UA let this sit on the shelf for 30 years - barely giving it a home video or DVD release in the U.S? It is a minor masterpiece from the 1970s.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, it was a "risky" move to rent this flick, but I thought I had nothing to lose.Well, I was wrong. This is, next to "Bloodsurf", the worst "horrormovie" I have ever seen. Crappy actors, crappy technical output, crappy story and so on. The soundtrack though, isn't to bad. That is why I give it a 2 on the vote and not just a 1. And of course the cats are a positive surprise. By far the superior actors in this movie..... Do not rent or buy it. Stay away from it and hope that this horrible, horrible film will vanish to some obscure existence and not become a "cult classic". It most definitely do not deserve any recognition.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie uses motifs that could be plagiarized from "Wait Until Dark" (1967), a much better movie by Terence Young, starring Audrey Hepburn. "Dead Silent" is a pale paraphrase. There is nothing new here -- the hidden object in the doll, the bad men wanting it, the bad guy posing as a good guy. The disability, though, has shifted : Audrey Hepburn couldn't see, the child in DS cannot speak. But both stories hinge on the handicap. Where "Wait Until Dark" built up unbearable suspense, "Dead Silent" lets you guess the outcome, the story being such a stereotype.$LABEL$ 0 +Dear me... Peter Sellers was one of the most oddly talented actors there has been. But his choice of films, say, after 1964, was very unfortunate. He didn't seem to realize how to use his talents. He would have been better off working with more of the Kubricks of the film world than the people he did. Of his later films, only "The Optimists of Nine Elms" and "Being There" have impressed me of those I have seen.That said, the Boultings and Sellers had made a few films prior to this that hardly sound that bad - I have yet to see "Carlton Browne" and "Heavens Above!" - at least in the sense of using Sellers well to a degree. But, "There's a Girl in My Soup" really is a poor film and a dire choice on Sellers' part in terms of character. In his films from 1955-64, you can usually expect at least some very inventive twist and always an enigmatic conviction in his roles. Here, you have Peter Sellers trying to play a typical romantic lead. It's almost Sellers playing a Niven cad without the joviality. He certainly does not convince, try as he might, or create an interesting character. He should have left such parts to masters of suavity such as Cary Grant, and concentrated on those intriguing dramatic and comic roles that he was famed for.Hawn and Sellers really do not establish any genuine chemistry; this is no easy, genial romance of the like perfected by William Powell and Myrna Loy. It is very artificial seeming, all the way through - I know that it is part of Danvers' character that he is a dry procurer of ladies, but he doesn't really change from that in a way that convinces. Sellers has a very grating way of playing "charm" as well... this character really has no depth, and really does not gain the viewer's sympathy or interest. Sellers goes through the motions in a way one would not think possible when remembering the magnificence of his shifty, iconoclastic performance in "Lolita".There really is nothing to say about the plot, direction or characters, as frankly they leave little or no impression. This is truly one of the most anaemic, complacent, misguided and lightly dull films I have ever seen. A nonentity of a "vehicle" for Sellers' undisputed talents.Rating:- * 1/2/*****$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge Rupert Everett fan. I adore Kathy Bates so when I saw it available I decided to check it out. The synopsis didn't really tell you much. In parts it was silly , touching and in others some parts were down right hysterical.Any person that is a huge fan of a personality of any type will find some small identifying traits with the main character. (Of course there are many they won't, but that is the point)If you like any of the actors give it a watch but don't look for any thing too dramatic it's good fun.I might also mention you can see how darn tall Rupert is. I mean I knew he was 6'4" but he seems even more in this film. He even seemed to stoop a bit due to the other characters height in this. He is tall! I mean tall!!!! And for you Rupert fans there is a bare chest scene...WONDERFUL!$LABEL$ 1 +You know how sometimes you can watch a crappy movie with friends and laugh at all the shortcomings of the movie? Well this was beyond that. I bought the DVD at Tower Records because it was like $3.00 and I'd heard this was a movie you could laugh at. It is really nothing short of pathetic. About 30 minutes into the movie, my friends started asking me to turn it off. Around 45 minutes they begged me. After an hour, we compromised to fast forward to the end, so we could see how the conflict was resolved (and because we had been watching the whole time for Matt Walsh). Seriously, don't watch this movie. It is beyond painful.$LABEL$ 0 +Will some company PLEASE make a (good+) DVD of this film!??? Aside from being a wonderful film about relationships and friendships, "Four Friends" is the ONLY film I've ever seen -- And I have, literally, spent *years* of my life watching films! -- that captures the essence of the 60s experience (and I was there!): the idealism, the hope, the freedom, the confusion, the betrayals, and ultimately its upbeat but bittersweet denouement. And all of this is accomplished without being a story about any of the numerous upheavals of that era, although many are just touched upon... as part of the tapestry. But the story is primarily about the characters and their friendship over about 10~15 years... and that those survived and deepened, despite the tragedies of that turbulent decade. Absolutely a joy and must-see film... even if one's not an old hippie!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Central Airport is the story of a pilot named Jim (Richard Barthelmess) who has one bad flight in over 4000 hours and is forced to give up commercial flying. He meets a beautiful girl named Jill (Sally Eilers) and the two start up an act involving flying and stunts. The two start a relationship, but when Jim is hurt, his brother (Tom Brown) takes over the act for a while and falls for his brother's girlfriend. From there, things get exciting and terribly terribly sad.This film is a pre-code because of several reasons. First, Jim and Jill have consummated their relationship without being married and with no intention of having a wedding. Second, Eilers is shown in her underwear, and absolutely restricted scene when the Production Code came into effect.This film does not skimp on the dramatic love triangle and in consequence ends bittersweetly.$LABEL$ 1 +Under no circumstances watch this film. It is terrible for a number of reasons:No plot No structure No direction No acting to speak of No visual style No tensionIn a word - no.Best thing about it the box and the fact it eventually ends. Who would have thought 85mins could feel so long.Once again: Under no circumstances watch this film. It is terrible.No plot No structure No direction No acting to speak of No visual style No tensionIn a word - no.Best thing about it the box and the fact it eventually ends. Who would have thought 85mins could feel so long.$LABEL$ 0 +Is this a good movie? No, certainly not. But for Jolie lovers it's must-have. Her non-polished acting and semi-nudity scene will please her fans for ages to come. The current rating however (3.2) is too low. The movie might lack a good storyline, and isn't a great sf-movie altogether but the acting is good enough (and like mentioned before, Jolie's acting is nice and raw), the movie is shot very direct, with a lot of close-ups. The scenery is bizarre. And last but not least, leaving van Damme out was a very good choice. Presumably, non of the Jolie lovers would like to see her having sex with him. This movie has all the potential of becoming a cult movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this movie on its release and have treasured it since. What a wonderful group of actors (I always find the casting one of the most interesting aspects of a film). Really enjoyed seeing dramatic actress Jacqueline Bisset in this role and Wallace Shawn is always a hoot. The script is smart, sly and tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at almost everything "Beverley Hills". Loved Paul Bartel's "doctor" and Ray Sharkey's manservant. This was raunchy and crude, but thank god! Unless you're a prude, I heartily recommend this movie. FYI for anyone who likes to play six degrees of Kevin Bacon, Mary Woronov & Paul Bartel were in "Rock & Roll High School". Mary Woronov and Robert Beltran were in "Night of the Comet" together. They were all three in "Eating Raoul".$LABEL$ 1 +The fact that there are positive comments about Dan in Real Life on the IMDb just makes me realize that their junket staff are hard at work trying to get people to watch this utterly horrific film.I have no words, no idea where to start to describe the truly awful film I sat through last night - Dan in Real Life. Steve's characters in previous films led me to believe that I would feel something for his character and enjoy the dialog but like other posters I felt uncomfortable and embarrassed for the cast.The dialog was so contrived, the family was this cookie cutter Walton's family and the film has been so many times before that I am shocked someone thought it was an original idea.Do yourself a favor and take a pass on this terrifyingly bad movie and don't believe everything you read on the IMDb since the first comments were clearly written by folks sitting in a different theater watching a GOOD film.$LABEL$ 0 +I am still trying to determine whether the previous installment was worse than this one, or vice versa. Being that it is nearly fifteen years since I saw this film, the fact that I remember so little about it does not bode well. Perhaps it is simply because I only watched it once or twice, but I doubt it. If there was anything worth remembering about this film, you can rest assured I would remember it.At the time this film was released, the franchise was still entering its dying phase, so a lot of media coverage was allotted to it. It's never a good sign when teenie pop magazines contain explanations of the plot basics. One such article had to explain that Freddy was left too weak to infest the dreams of grown humans, so he decides to go after Alice's unborn son. So far, so good, but this is the job of the writer or the director to explain to the audience. It should not be left to some unrelated publication.Making use of the trivia given in part three about Freddy's conception, one could half expect scenes that would lift this joke out of the "horror for infants" category, but alas, that was not to be. It goes to show the sheer idiocy of the American ratings system that a piece of B'harni-esque garbage like this could get the same rating as a genuinely frightening piece like the original.By this time, the franchise could not attract anyone with an active career. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Lisa Wilcox was there to provide a quotient of competent acting. Or perhaps she just looks competent by comparison to the rest of the cast. Either way, given that her last role was in something called The All New Adventures of Chastity Blade, I doubt she really had anything else going for her. Even poor old Robert Englund has been in better productions than that in the past fifteen years.Given that box office returns were in a steady decline, and not just for this franchise, at the time, one would have thought that the studios would realize neutering their films does not make them more saleable. In fact, this particular film, like its immediate predecessor, was so neutered that not only did it fail to attract a new audience, both succeeded in alienating the core audience that originally supported the franchise. Despite this, part five must be given some credit for not having the bright, luminescent feeling that made part four so insulting to look at.I gave A Nightmare On Elm Street Part Five a one out of ten. By trying to appeal to everyone, or the MPAA's idea of everyone, it succeeds in appealing to noone. Like parts two and four, one could erase it from the continuity entirely, and nobody would notice the difference.$LABEL$ 0 +I was impressed by the beautiful photography in this film, which was shot on location in Alaska. Although technically a melodrama, we see lots of activities Eskimos are involved in, such as hunting, dancing, building igloos, etc. And their customs, such as offering their wives to visitors, are routinely in the story. The hunting sequences were sometimes from stock footage, as it was easy to recognize some rear projection scenes of animals, but even these were fascinating. Spear fishing for salmon, hunting for walrus, caribou and even a polar bear and a whale made it seem like a documentary at times. There was no cast listing, which reinforced the documentary flavor. The film-makers tried to make it seem very authentic, with the natives speaking only in an Eskimo language that was either translated by someone on screen or by intertitles. The introduction stated that except for the white traders and the Royal Mounted Canadian Police, there were no actors in the film, but this was not strictly true. The two leading characters, played by Mala and Lotus Long, were Eskimos by birth, but were professional actors with credits for earlier films and you could see sometimes they had makeup on. But they were excellent in their roles and they went on to have Hollywood careers. All in all, the film is definitely worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this film to be extremely homophobic... the main character doesn't know he's gay until he realizes that he likes Barbra Streisand and has a limp wrist!!! I was so offended that after the screening at the Toronto Film Festival, I went up and spoke to the screen writer to complain about this film. This is the sort of film that GLAAD needs to work to have banned.$LABEL$ 0 +Things to Come is that rarity of rarities, a film about ideas. Many films present a vision of the future, but few attempt to show us how that future came about. The first part of the film, when war comes to Everytown, is short but powerful. (Ironically, film audiences in its release year laughed at reports that enemy planes were attacking England--appeasement was at its height. Wells' prediction was borne out all too soon.) The montage of endless war that follows, while marred by sub-par model work, is most effective. The explanatory titles are strongly reminiscent of German Expressionist graphic design. The art director was the great William Cameron Menzies, and his sets of the ruins of Everytown are among his best work. Margaretta Scott is very seductive as the Chief's mistress. The Everytown of the 21st century is an equally striking design. The acting in the 21st century story is not compelling--perhaps this was a misfired attempt to contrast the technocratic rationality of this time with the barbarism of 1970. Unfortunately, the model work, representing angry crowds rushing down elevated walkways, is laughably bad and could have been done much better, even with 30s technology. This is particularly galling since the scenes of the giant aircraft are very convincing. This is redeemed by Raymond Massey's magnificent speech that concludes the film--rarely has the ideal of scientific progress been expressed so well. Massey's final question is more relevant now than ever, in an era of severely curtailed manned spaceflight. The scene is aided by the stirring music of Sir Arthur Bliss, whose last name I proudly share.Unfortunately, the VHS versions of this film are absolutely horrible, with serious technical problems. Most versions have edited out a rather interesting montage of futuristic workers and machines that takes us from 1970 to 2038. I hope a good DVD exists of the entire film.$LABEL$ 1 +This film isn't supposed to be funny, but it made me laugh.It isn't designed to be sad, but my heart felt heavy through a number of the vignettes.It isn't written as action adventure, but my pulse raced more than once.Just like life, this movie doesn't manipulate your emotions and tell you how to feel. It simply is, and you react.If you don't find it funny or sad or moving, I suspect that says more about you than the film.It amazing and refreshing to see a director so wholeheartedly celebrate that we are all human, and embrace that we are all trapped here, doing this "life" thing, over and over for as long as we must.Tomorrow is another day.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is simply excellent. For some reason it wasn't a success at the box office in India. In New York, however, I have yet to come across a person who disliked this movie. This is definitely the funniest movie to come out of India. Everyone gives a good performance; Amir Khan; however, just takes over and puts the movie over the top.$LABEL$ 1 +One of my favorite movies. I like horses, I like happy endings, and I like Walter Matthau. I miss him and am glad to have a great film like this to remind me why he was so wonderful. Watch it with your kids (or your horse).The story of an old hard boot horse trainer with kids, and down on his luck. If you have ever had or appreciated horse racing you will appreciate the rags to riches storyline. It may be a little below "Seabiscuit", but not a lot. The story is the same one, except it is the quarter horse version. Well acted, correct racing terms and equipment, and nice racing scenes. Don't take my word for it, get it and make up your own mind.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know anything of the writer's or the director's earlier work so I hadn't brought any prejudices to the film. Based on the brief description of the plot in TV Guide I thought it might be interesting.But implausibility was piled upon implausibility. Each turn of the plot seemed to be an excuse to drag in more bloodshed, gruesome makeup, or special effects.The score was professional and Kari Wuhrer seems like a decent actress but the rest was more than disappointing. It was positively repulsive.I will not go through the vagaries of the narrative but I'll give an example of what I think of as an excess of explicit gore.Chris McKenna goes to an isolated ranch house and pulls the frozen body of his earlier victim (Wendt) out of the deep freeze. McKenna had killed Wendt by biting a chunk out of his neck. Now he feels he must destroy the evidence of his involvement in Wendt's demise. (What are the cops going to do, measure his bite radius?) McKenna unwraps Wendt's head and neck from the freezer bag it's in, takes an ax, and begins to chop off Wendt's head. Whack. Whack. Whack. The bit of the ax keeps chipping away at Wendt's neck. The air is filled with nuggets of flying frozen flesh, one of which drops on McKenna's head. (He brushes it off when he's done.) McKenna then takes the frozen head outside to a small fire he's built. He sits the head on the ground, squats next to it, takes out some photos of a woman he's just killed, and shows them to Wendt's head. "Remember her? We could have really made it if it hadn't been for you guys," he tells the head. "Duke, you've always liked bonfires, haven't you?" he asks. Then he places the head on the fire. We only get a glimpse of it burning but we can hear the fat sizzling in the flame.I don't want this sort of garbage to be censored. I'm only wondering who enjoys seeing this stuff.There's no reason to go on with the rest of the movie. Well, I'll mention one example of an "implausibility," since I brought the idea up. McKenna has been kidnapped and locked in a dark bare shack. He knows he's going to be clobbered half to death in the following days. (He's literally invited the heavies to do it.) What would you do in this Poe-like situation? Here's what McKenna does on what may turn out to be the last night of his life. He finds a discarded calendar with a pin-up girl on it and masturbates (successfully). Give that man the Medal of Freedom! A monster who looks like Pizza the Hut is thrown into some unnecessary flashbacks. The camera is often hand held and wobbly. The dialog has lines like, "Life is a piece of s***. Or else it's the best of all possible worlds. It depends on your point of view." Use is made of a wide angle lens that turns ordinary faces into gargoyle masks. A house blows up in an explosive fireball at the end while the hero, McKenna, walks towards us in the foreground.Some hero he is, too. He first kills a man for $13,000 by bashing him over the head several times with a heavy statue, then a potted plant, before finally tipping a refrigerator over onto the body. (This bothers him a little, but not enough to keep him from insisting on payment.) Then, I hope I have the order straight, he kills Wendt by ripping out part of his neck. Then he kills the wife of his first victim by accident and blames the heavies for it, although by almost any moral calculus they had nothing to do with it. Next he burns the head honcho (Baldwin) alive. Then, having disabled the two lesser heavies, he deliberately blows them up, though one of them isn't entirely unsympathetic. And we're supposed to be rooting for McKenna.These aren't cartoon deaths like those in the Dirty Harry movies either -- bang bang and you're dead. These are slow and painful. The first one -- the murder for $13,000 -- is done clumsily enough to resemble what might happen in real life. It isn't really easy to kill another human being, as Hitchcock had demonstrated in Torn Curtain. But that scene leads to no place of any importance.Some people might enjoy this, especially those young enough to think that pain and death are things that happen only in movies. Some meretricious stuff on screen here.$LABEL$ 0 +As a Michigander, I got the Michigan jokes. Very funny - make fun of Pontiac, Ann Arbor, all those lame suburbs of Detroit. Yes, yes, I've heard these jokes a million times. I'll give them credit for accurately depicting the lameness of Grosse Pointe. It couldn't get more White. Did you hear those lovely Michigan nasal accents? Where the girls talk so fast you can't understand one word that comes out of their mouth (nose)...? As much as I love Michigan, I hated this movie. I have never met one person from Grosse Pointe that I liked. Listen to that awful live band and that annoying and horrid background music! What is that? One of your Gross Pointe homeboy's band? Probably. Wow, what a great "Detroit scene" you guys have over there. Funny how people from Grosse Pointe always say they're from Detroit. They're so White and rich, they wish they had something to complain about.Anyway, this movie blows. All the way from the lame jokes about girls in thongs to the terrible character development. Oh wait a minute, you mean the entire basis for a character is that he says the f-word a lot? What a deep personality. Great job, Grosse Pointers! And I love all the sexist lingo, like how the narrator calls the first girl who gets killed that we never even hear speak a "naive b*tch". That's really lovely.And those homemade masks with the Marilyn Manson contact lenses are really great. And I love how it made perfect sense as to why the bikers came by and killed people. And how their narrating master had such a obvious role in the movie... ?? The main boyfriend dude was so boring I fell asleep looking at him. The three idiot guys (or was it two or four? how can I tell, they all look and act the same!) were so desperately trying to make me laugh, but Beavis and Butthead already got out my butt humor laughs back in 1994. And what's with the gay jokes? No wonder this movie sucked - everyone involved must have some minor problems with their masculinity, eh boys?The only saving grace to this film was the main girl. Despite what the other people on here have said, she actually was a good actress. Teenage girls talk the way she talked. They really act the way she acted. Her acting was very natural and believable. I really thought she was a Grosse Pointe convenience store employee. .. maybe she is! And yeah she had big boobs, most the women here do. Michigan is the fattest state in the union, you know. In all aspects.So, those of you who think this is a representation of Detroit, it's not. It's the suburbs of Detroit. They are very White and full of aimless teen angst. Limp Bizkut, ICP (yes, ICP is from one of our suburbs) and $75 baggy khaki pants all the way! Lame rich kids who are mad because they have lots of money and nothing to complain about. And they make bad movies, too.$LABEL$ 0 +Contains SpoilersBut if you weren't dropped on the head as a child and then used as a football then you'll agree with me that this is one of the worst and yet hilarious series ever made. Centreing round a woman who as a young girl was beaten by her father who also killed her mother, she spends her time drawing, but wait for it, then she becomes her superhero drawings and goes on to fight crime, therefore being "drawn by pain", so clever. The story itself is actually OK, but it's just how it's done, Jesse the writer and director has no idea how to write a script, just listen to a monologue featuring the 8 year old version of the hero and it sounds like it was written by a 30 year old man, while her dad, who sports a great moustache, just walks around the house all day while looking angry, just showing how bad the characterisation is, especially the bit where he gets angry in the first episode and begins repeating the phrase "no more" while holding his wife's head before killing her using the marble work surface. The following bang sound effect and just his terrible acting as all he can convey is angry just is brilliant, including after where he goes to beat his daughter using his belt which is all done with him moaning and looking angry in slow motion. The episodes themselves could contain easily a good clean script ranging over 5 minutes, but oh no Jesse doesn't want this. Little Jesse, is shitting out post modernism as if he'd just eaten Donnie Darko and then douched himself to death. Pointless camera jerks, all at weird angles, overly repeated lines and even pointless sequences just muddled up every now and again to fill the overlong episodes. In conclusion the idea isn't bad it's just how it's done, also there is a great character of a fat guy on a bench who doesn't come up enough and is great, i just wanna hug his Lil chubby cheeks cause they look so soft. The character development is non existent as the main character just says the first philosophical sounding thing that comes to her head although they all contradict one another. But all in all, mainly s**tIndiana Jones 4 however is much better, Type "Jeeharv" into you-tube as well, the results may make you weep at the beauty of the world also you'll hear a lot of cheap sex jokes, mostly gay ones.$LABEL$ 0 +You Are Alone is a beautiful, almost delicate film, smart directed, crisply written, with two complex and riveting performances, and a twist of an ending that no one will see coming, but will make you want to see the film a second time to go back and catch up on all the clues you misread.The story, about a highschool girl who drowns her depression and awkwardness by working a few hours a week as a $500 an hour "schoolgirl" escort, and the depressed next-door neighbor who discovers her secret and hires her for an afternoon call in a downtown New Haven hotel, features breathtaking performances from both Jessica Bohl, as the girl, and Richard Brundage, as her neighbor.Bohl as Daphne gives a breakthrough performance on par with Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary. She so captures a teenager's angst of growing into her own skin, and when she talks about always being in control, you start to realize she's not in control at all, but in danger of going over the deep end, which I guess in a way she does.Brundage as Buddy is depressed, angry, heartbroken, a shell of a man. But it isn't until the film's startling conclusion that you grasp a full comprehension of his pain.After a very brief opening segment, which will hook most independent film lovers, and have the religious right running towards the exits, we are brought into the hotel room. At first you're not sure about these people, or the film-making style. Shaky, annoying...like the characters. Until you realize their back story, told in short flashbacks. They're confrontational at first for a reason, and so is the camera. But as they open up, as the story settles down, likewise, so does the camera. And, I don't know, 20 minutes in, give or take, you find yourself unable to take your eyes away from the screen.Having just seen the world premiere screening at the Brooklyn Film Fest -- where the director asked the audience if anyone expected the ending and not one person answered yes – I almost wish the film were already on video so I could watch it again. Because thinking back now on some of the conversations in the film, particularly a very candid dialog regarding fantasy and climax, I really thought things were going in a very different direction. But I realize now so much of their conversation meant something completely different than what I imagined. I need to see it again!!! But as dark and sexual as much of the talk is, blunt to say the least, I found myself laughing more than I might have expected at some of its candor, which definitely falls into the "things we think, but lack the nerve to say out loud" category. It's very blunt, especially when you realize so much of it has a completely different meaning. Some of it will make you uncomfortable, especially if you're watching You Are Alone with a partner. You'll definitely have something to talk about – perhaps argue about – afterwards. Perhaps it should come with a warning: You SHOULD be alone when watching! The music is amazing. I would have come home, and purchased the soundtrack at my favorite online music store if I could have. The film looks as good as anything shot on film. After the screening director Gorman Bechard was asked what sort of process he used to get the digital footage to look so good. His answer: none. They couldn't afford it.I have to give Bechard credit. I am a big fan of his two shorts, The Pretty Girl and Objects in the Mirror, but even they could not have prepared me for the complexities and surprises of this film.To everyone involved: bravo.$LABEL$ 1 +I understand there was some conflict between Leigh and the great Maggie Smith during the filming. Understandable when you put one of the world's greatest actresses of all time (Smith, of course) with one whose performances seem to get worse with each subsequent film.$LABEL$ 0 +Dead Man Walking, absolutely brilliant, in tears by the end! You can not watch this film and not think about the issues it raises; how can you justify killing (whether it be murder or the death penalty) and to what point is forgiveness possible (not just in a spiritual way). Don't watch this film when your down! But WATCH IT!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Yay!... I think. It's hard to say. It's hard to have an emotion about a movie that has no emotion. This movie is as sterile as a surgeon's scalpel. For a setting, it has a few stone pillars, some stone seats, a couple stone crosses and some stone actors. They have no emotion! The only thing that saves this movie is the fact that it is Hamlet, and Hamlet is a terrificly written piece of literature. The dubbing really wasn't all that bad though. The voices stuck true to the dull, gloomy, dreary, life-sucking atmosphere the movie gave forth. I have seen this version of Hamlet on the fabulous Mystery Science Theater 3000 three times, and each of the three times, I was on the brink of turning off the TV, despite it being MST 3K.Not an uplifting production of a drama that deserves so much better.$LABEL$ 0 +So, has it really come to this? Are we, as consenting adults, to blame for the next generation of cinema-goers lack of cinematic understanding and celluloid capability? Concerning the Wayans and Co. latest addition to the moving pictures scenario; Little Man. This United Kingdom P.G. (Parental Guidance), anyone under the age of twelve must be accompanied by a responsible adult, certificated movie, is the epitome of what has now developed into the worse case of dumbing down since cigarettes were "wiped out" from pictures of movie icons of the 1950's.The predominantly under twelve's audience here who, some without grown up supervision too, sat there, obediently, taking it all in, oblivious to their subject and the partly grown up features that Little Man portrays, in part at least too. Movies, in general, can do better than this poor attempt, while this nonsense is getting them in while they are still young and fresh, the biggest fear for the future of Cinema is that a child's ignorance just might carry on through to a grown up bliss. Cinema deserves more than this, and so do its ever growing, and in the literal sense too, audiences, this blatant cash cow feeds on the ever-impressionable minds of the young.There is no Cinema experience here, no open eyed wonder, no awe-inspiring respect to the magic of movies'. There is nothing but bewilderment and contempt, for the lack of substance, originality and its delivery of mind less tedium and parody of everything that is so now ultimately wrong with the Hollywood machine, for the sake of a quick buck, we must endure our future cinema audiences to the likes of this archetypal disaster movie.Will this have the likes of Hitchcock, Fassbinder, Leone, Kubrick and Schaffner reeling in their graves? Money they all liked, no doubt, but talent and exuberance for perfection and quality, and to a vast degree, respect for their profession and audience, they were never short off. We are seeing, once again, with the works of the Wayans clan another cliché of bad taste, while the likes of White Chicks (2004) were in no doubt a stab at the bourgeoisie of American society. The irony here is that the two leading protagonists, played yet again, by the Wayans brothers, are so much undercover, that all recognition is non-existent, this makes for a better movie too, and it is the actor Terry Crews that gives White Chicks its substance and personality, not the Wayans.Yet again, with their pastiche of 1970's Blaxploitation movies, as with the 1988 movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, this to can be seen as a comical and amusing movie, with heavy weights as Isaac Hayes, Jim Brown, Bernie Casey and the gorgeous actress Ja'net Du Bois. The point being, that Little Man has absolutely no persona of any kind what so ever, he is shallow and narcissistic, with no appreciation or value toward his followers, he quickly dives in takes your money and before we know it, has hidden himself within the cogs of commercialism. There is no recognisable effort as to where our money has been spent, after Scary Movie (2000), things could only have gone up, but alas they did not, no great pondering of artistic value and no doubt that the instalment from these intrepid movie moguls' next movies shall be straight to video, one can only hope.The Wayans seem to have created a movie genre all by themselves, to a certain extent; they have bludgeoned to death the movie parody, they have watered down each and every avenue and with their inevitable style. They have slowly destroyed the reputation of the last one hundred years that Cinema have given us, may the ghosts of movies past be ever so humble in their judgement, as their growing audiences, so far, seem to be, for when the bubble bursts, may they be as understanding too.$LABEL$ 0 +STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Alice, having defeated Freddy at the end of the last film, is now trying to re-adjust her life. But her unborn child is carrying a demonous presence- Freddy, trying to come out into their world again.It's interesting to note the directors who got their big breaks directing Freddy films- Charles Russell (Eraser, The Mask) Renny Harlin (The Long Kiss Goodnight, Cutthroat Island, Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) and here Stephen Hopkins (Lost in Space, Predator 2.) But while Russell and Harlin made a good job of it, Hopkins IMO has made something of a podge with this entry, that should be quickly forgotten.The story is clearly being stretched as far as it can go here, with Freddy ludicrously a father himself and the ridiculous looking demon baby. Even at about an hour and a half, it all gets rather tiresome, and of course, not scary at all.The "bon appetit, bitch" catch-phrase is the only memorable point of this other wise very forgettable entry. *$LABEL$ 0 +This was just horrible the plot was just OK, but the rest of the was was bad . I mean come on puppet and then they even tried to make the movie digital and that made it even worse! Normally I would like low-budget movie but this was just a waste of time and almost made me want to return the set that it came on. I have about ten low-budget movie set with like 6-8 movies on them and I would have to say this is the worse movie out of all of them. Also the wording is off and they use a fake plastic machetes that doesn't even look like a real one, they could of used one that looked even a little close to a real one so save your time and money and don't watch this horrorible movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Seriously, it had everything you could want in a movie, everything! Screw you scalawags who like Gone With The Winds, and screw you Titanic fans even harder! Tenacious reins supreme, forever and ever, amen!Climb upon my faithful steed, Then we gonna ride, gonna smoke some weed. Climb upon my big-freaking' steed, And ride, ride, ride.What's the name of the song, Explosivo! Don't know what it's about, But it's good to go. What's the name of my girlfriend I don't know, But she's built like the best And she's good to go, go, She's good to go, She's good to go.We are fueled by Satan, Yes we're schooled by Satan. Fuelled by Satan! Writin' those tasty riffs just as fast as we can. Schooled by Satan!We were the inventors of the cosmic astral code. We've come to blow you away, We've come to blow your nose. We've come to freaking' blow, We've come to blow the show. We've come to freaking' blow, You know it, you know it!What's the name of the song, Explosivo! Don't know what it's about But it's good to riddle-ah!I am not one of you. I come from an ancient time. I am known as The Kicker of Elves. I am also known as The Angel Crusher!Explosivo.$LABEL$ 1 +If there has ever been a worse comedy than 'Gray Matters' I am unaware of it. The New York Jewish comedy's 'funny' premise is that siblings Sam & Gray are mistaken for a couple and so decide to fix Sam up with a girlfriend, only to find that Gray is equally attracted to their target - Charlie. The revelation that Gray is secretly gay is apparently only a surprise to her. There is a deeply offensive wedding sequence, a deeply embarrassing 'drunk act' from Moynahan and Graham, and a performance that would embarrass forests everywhere for its woodenness from Tom Cavanagh. Sissy Spacek demonstrates a complete inability to do comedy and will want this excised from her resume. Molly Shannon plays the homely friend with lumpen insouciance. Only Alan Cumming emerges with any credit but is seriously under-employed and given nothing with which to work. The whole disaster is cemented by Graham's bizarre eye-rolling performance culminating with the penultimate scene where she wears a comedy hat and an overcoat despite the scene being set in a lesbian bar. It is astonishing that this film was ever released it has no redeeming feature and should be avoided at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +I've never seen a show with as much story, mystery, suspense, and hard-hitting excitement before. i barley watch TV anymore but i own every season of this show and it's amazing. every episode is extremely well-acted, written and plotted. towards the end of the show i felt that the stories were getting too far-fetched for being in a prison, but the actors pulled it off. Sopranoes sucks huge compared to OZ. in fact, any show that is on a cable network, HBO or not just cant hold a candle to OZ. i wish it would come back for one more season. if it did happen, they would probably kill off every character on the show, but hey, we all gotta go sometime. as far as the characters, i'd say O'Reily and Alverez were my favorites. both were hardley in a scene together, but their individual stories i thought were the strongest of anyones, except Beechers of course, but still... anyway, best show ever, best network ever, some of the best actors ever, PERIOD!$LABEL$ 1 +Losing Control is another offering in the erotic thriller genre which could be considered as the pulp fiction of the film world. Usually, they involve a roundabout route to murderous intent, interspersed with copious disrobing. This is not a complaint, especially when it is done by the stunningly beautiful women who invariably inhabit this make-believe world.Kim Ward (Kira Reed) is suffering a bout of writer's block. Just by chance, (or is it?) she meets a man (Doug Jeffery) who engages with her in ever more risky sexual encounters. The man refuses to divulge any information about himself, yet Kim steadfastly refuses to stop the affair. Her agent, Alexa (Anneliza Scott) thinks it will do wonders for her book sales. As in most films of this type, the denouement comes near the end but some things do not add up. I have seen enough of this kind of film to think, no change there, then - but I like them. They are so undemanding.Performances of the cast vary. Doug Jeffery carries the film as the psycho/sociopath you do not want to cross. Kira Reed looks good but fails to convince as the woman in peril. Clay Greenbush as the PI did not convince either.Finally, a note of caution about the DVD under review. Both the cover and the disc state R-rated and running time as 93 minutes but the run time is less than 86 minutes. This probably explains why the sex scenes appear truncated and why Jennifer Ludlow's performance is cut short just as she's getting started. 4 stars.$LABEL$ 0 +I have long tried to understand why people like Shakespeare so much and every few years I give him another go. I was hoping that this play/film (my 6th different Shakespeare play) would unlock the lucky casket and marry me to the riches of this literary Demigod. Bah, I clearly chose the wrong key.Once the phrase "pound of flesh" had been uttered 10 minutes into the film, the main parts of the plot were transparent, which grinds along with a languid script and lifeless acting. At every step, the plot is laid bare two scenes in advance. The concept that a dying aristocrat would persuade his daughter to choose her future husband by means of a lottery is incredulous. It is no surprise who wins the matrimonial jackpot because Bassanio's a main protagonist in the play.... and he's the third man to try .... and there are three caskets to choose from ... and his friend risks his life to pay the dowry. The only genuine surprise that I had watching this film is that it did not end immediately after the resolution of the court case. However as soon as the ring treachery began it was immediately apparent what would transpire.OK so I know that millions of you love Shakespeare not for the surprise in the well known stories but for the depth and passion of the characters. But I felt nothing for the characters. Rather than gripped with suspense and admiration during the court scene I sat there impassionately hoping that it would be over, soon, please.One day, I might just find a Shakespeare play that does something other than bore me.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a wonderful little American propaganda film that is both highly creative AND openly discusses the Nazi atrocities before the entire extent of the death camps were revealed. While late 1944 and into 1945 would reveal just how evil and horrific they were, this film, unlike other Hollywood films to date, is the most brutally honest film of the era I have seen regarding Nazi atrocities.The film begins in a courtroom in the future--after the war is over (the film was made in 1944--the war ended in May, 1945). In this fictitious world court, a Nazi leader is being tried for war crimes. Wilhelm Grimm is totally unrepentant and one by one witnesses are called who reveal Grimm's life since 1919 in a series of flashbacks. At first, it appears that the film is going to be sympathetic or explain how Grimm was pushed to join the Nazis. However, after a while, it becomes very apparent that Grimm is just a sadistic monster. These episodes are amazingly well done and definitely hold your interest and also make the film seem less like a piece of propaganda but a legitimate drama.All in all, the film does a great job considering the film mostly stars second-tier actors. There are many compelling scenes and performances--especially the very prescient Jewish extermination scene towards the end that can't help but bring you close to tears. It was also interesting how around the same point in the film there were some super-creative scenes that use crosses in a way you might not notice at first. Overall, it's a must-see for history lovers and anyone who wants to see a good film.FYI--This is not meant as a serious criticism of the film, but Hitler was referred to as "that paper hanger". This is a reference to the myth that Hitler had once made money putting up wallpaper. This is in fact NOT true--previously he'd been a "starving artist", homeless person and served well in the German army in WWI. A horrible person, yes, but never a paper hanger!$LABEL$ 1 +If you're an average guy like me and enjoy good acting, good plot, good scripts, novel ideas, or being entertained, you might want to skip this one. I was honestly bored from the opening credits to the very end, but tried to give the film a chance, and watched it all the way through -- only to be disappointed at every turn.The acting was unbelievably sub par, but I'm not sure if the actors themselves are to blame or if it was the ridiculously wooden and horrible dialog coupled with an even worse script. The plot is very vague and underdeveloped and I think the audience is supposed to derive some kind of deeper meaning from it, or be able to look past it in some way, but honestly to do so would be a waste of time.The film has a kind of crude sexuality to it which doesn't serve any purpose other than to show off some tattoos and lingerie. No one seems to have any motivation except making money off of some kind of "investment" deal that is never really explained. The connections between the characters aren't terribly clear, and there is little to no character development.This is either some kind of sub-culture film meant for a very specific audience to enjoy or absolute crap, but you can decide for yourselves.I gave it a 2 because it is definitely one of the worst films I've ever seen, but probably not THE worst.$LABEL$ 0 +These days, writers, directors and producers are relying more and more on the "surprise" ending. The old art of bringing a movie to closure, taking all of the information we have learned through out the movie and bringing it to a nice complete ending, has been lost. Now what we have is a movie that, no matter how complex, detailed, or frivolous, can be wrapped up in 5 minutes. It was all in his/her head. That explanation is the director's safety net. If all else fails, or if the writing wasn't that good, or if we ran out of money to complete the movie, we can always say "it was all in his/her head" and end the movie that way. The audience will buy it because, well, none of us are psychologists, and none of us are suffering from schizophrenia (not that we know about) so we take the story and believe it. After all, the mind is a powerful thing. Some movies have pulled it off. But those movies are the reason why we are getting more and more of these crap endings. Every director/writer now thinks they can pull it off because, well, Fight Club did it and it made a lot of money. So we get movies like The Machinist, Secret Window, Identity, and this movie (just to name a few).$LABEL$ 0 +LE GRAND VOYAGE is a gentle miracle of a film, a work made more profound because of its understated script by writer/director Ismaël Ferroukhi who allows the natural scenery of this 'road trip' story and the sophisticated acting of the stars Nicolas Cazalé and Mohamed Majd to carry the emotional impact of the film. Ferroukhi's vision is very capably enhanced by the cinematography of Katell Djian (a sensitive mixture of travelogue vistas of horizons and tightly photographed duets between characters) and the musical score by Fowzi Guerdjou who manages to maintain some beautiful themes throughout the film while paying homage to the many local musical variations from the numerous countries the film surveys. Reda (Nicolas Cazalé) lives with his Muslim family in Southern France, a young student with a Western girlfriend who does not seem to be following the religious direction of his heritage. His elderly father (Mohamed Majd) has decided his time has come to make his Hadj to Mecca, and being unable to drive, requests the reluctant Reda to forsake his personal needs to drive him to his ultimate religious obligation. The two set out in a fragile automobile to travel through France, into Italy, and on through Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Turkey to Saudi Arabia. Along the trip Reda pleads with his father to visit some of the interesting sights, but his father remains focused on the purpose of the journey and Reda is irritably left to struggle with his father's demands. On their pilgrimage they encounter an old woman (Ghina Ognianova) who attaches herself to the two men and must eventually be deserted by Reda, a Turkish man Mustapha (Jacky Nercessian) who promises to guide the father/son duo but instead brings about a schism by getting Reda drunk in a bar and disappearing, and countless border patrol guards and custom agents who delay their progress for various reasons. Tensions between father and son mount: Reda cannot understand the importance of this pilgrimage so fraught with trials and mishaps, and the father cannot comprehend Reda's insensitivity to the father's religious beliefs and needs. At last they reach Mecca where they are surrounded by hoards of pilgrims from all around the world and the sensation of trip's significance is overwhelming to Reda. The manner in which the story comes to a close is touching and rich with meaning. It has taken a religious pilgrimage to restore the gap between youth and old age, between son and father, and between defiance and acceptance of religious values. The visual impact of this film is extraordinary - all the more so because it feels as though the camera just 'happens' to catch the beauty of the many stopping points along the way without the need to enhance them with special effects. Nicolas Cazalé is a superb actor (be sure to see his most recent and currently showing film 'The Grocer's Son') and it is his carefully nuanced role that brings the magic to this film. Another fine film from The Film Movement, this is a tender story brilliantly told. Highly recommended. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +David Cronenberg, much like colleague David Lynch, is an acquired taste. A director who plays with themes like reality, perversion, sex, insanity and death, is bound to get the most extreme reations from audiences. He proved this with films as The Fly, Naked Lunch, Crash and eXitenZ (capital X, capital Z) and more recently, Spider. It's best to see eXistenZ with a clear mind. Try not to read too much about the plot, or it'll be ruined for you. What I can tell you is that Cronenberg takes you on a trip down into the world of videogames that acts as a metaphor for any kind of escapist behaviour. Living out fantasies is something people always dream of, but how far can you go into it, before reality gets blurred and the fantasy takes over and turns into a nightmare? Those are the themes touched in eXistenZ, an exploration of identity, the human psyche, physical bodies being invaded by disease and most importantly, reality itself.The story and directing are excellent. Cronenberg knows his trade very well and succesfully brings to life an artificial world, avoiding the usual pitfalls and clichés linked to stories such as this. The film shows some pretty disgusting stuff, but is unusually low-key in the gore department in comparison to Cronenbergs other work. The shock effects he plays on are never over the top and the plot progression is very intelligent and creative. It's not the most intellectual movie ever, but it will leave you thinking about it, wondering and pretty confused.The acting gets two thumbs up as well. Both protagonists, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law, play their parts perfectly and cleverly portray their character's shifting moods and identities. The dialogue may seem a little stale and clinical at times, but that is part of the effect Cronenberg was going for, to create a disaffected and alien atmosphere that puts you quite at unease. Supporting actors as Ian Holm, Don McKellar and an especially creepy Willem Dafoe lift the movie even higher with their disturbingly familiar performances.This movie takes some getting used to, but if you can appreciate the dark tone, blood-curdeling imagery and existentially warping story, you'll love it.$LABEL$ 1 +A lot of promise and nothing more. An all-star cast certainly by HK standards, but man oh man is this one a stinker. No story? That's okay, the action will make up for it like most HK action flicks. What? The action is terrible, corny, and sparse? Dragon Dynasty's releases up to this point are by and large superb and generally regarded as classics in Asian cinema. This is a blight. They managed to wrangle a couple of actors from Infernal Affairs, but they can't bring life to a disjointed script. There are scenes of dialogue where two or three lines are spoken with a cut in between each and no continuity in what the characters are saying. You almost feel like they're each giving a running monologue and just ignoring the other characters. Michael Biehn is made of wood, really? Sammo Hung uses a stunt double? No way. Yes way. Stay away.$LABEL$ 0 +In the 60's Cleveland television audiences could watch a episode of "Flash Gordon" as part of the Ghoulardi Show (11:30PM Friday). This was the best mockfest material any of us in junior high had ever seen. We would have regular "sleepovers" (although we did not call them that) just to get in on the fun of watching this stuff with a group of friends. Then the next week we would quote our favorite cornball lines from the latest episode.Watching it today provokes much the same reaction. But if you can stop laughing at the dialogue, the lame creatures, the silly costumes, and the horrible spaceships long enough, there are some good things I did not appreciate the first time through. The production designers built some excellent sets, both the rooms and the laboratory devices. Charles Middleton's "Ming the Merciless" character was the all-time best screen villain, certainly up to that time and arguable better than anyone since. Jean Rogers is staggeringly beautiful.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.$LABEL$ 1 +Acting is horrible. This film makes Fast and Furious look like an academy award winning film. They throw a few boobs and butts in there to try and keep you interested despite the EXTREMELY weak and far fetched story. There is a reason why people on the internet aren't even downloading this movie. This movie sunk like an iron turd. DO NOT waste your time renting or even downloading it. This film is and always will be a PERMA-TURD. I am now dumber for having watched it. In fact this title should be referred to as a "PERMA-TURD" from now on. Calling it a film is a travesty and insult. abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, cruel, detestable, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, eerie, execrable, fairy, fearful, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, hideous, horrendous, horrid, loathsome, lousy, lurid, mean, nasty, obnoxious, offensive, repellent, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, scary, shameful, shocking, sickie, terrible, terrifying, ungodly, unholy, unkind$LABEL$ 0 +You'd hardly know that a year later MGM put Norma Shearer in THE DIVORCEE which glows with MGM technical know how. How far they came in one year. CHENEY is a very stagey early talkie. The camera hardly moves. Shearer is her usual charming self and Rathbone does well in a romantic leading role. They are all very careful to speak clearly and slowly into the microphone source which does mitigate against a naturally flowing dramatic scene, but the play is a sturdy and fun warhorse so one can enjoy oneself if one's expectations are not too high. Oh, by the way, the plot involves a ring of upper class jewel thieves who infiltrate themselves into society to prey on their victims. There are some clever twists in the script and true love conquers all. An Oscar nom for Best Screenplay Adaptation.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie hoping that it would provide some good entertainment and some cool poker knowledge or stories. What I got was a documentary type look at an average guys life who happened to be really good at cards. Do I want to see the romance with his wife? NO Do I want to see about everything that went on in this guy's life except poker? NO. Well thats what you get with this film. The acting is good for such a low budget piece of crap. The film never tries to break the mold or do anything original. It simply sleep walks its way through the script. The ending is disappointing and never really looks deep into Ungar's mind. Instead it focuses on what was already obvious. He was a drugged out card player with an average life not unlike any other average joe in vegas. The movie focuses on the aspects of his life that were UN extraordinary rather than the Extraordinary. The poker scenes in the entire film add up to about 4 minutes of footage. Ungar's achievements of winning the WSOP 3 times seem life after thoughts. A 10 year old could do a better job directing this movie.. or maybe it was the script being a piece of crap from the beginning that doomed this joke of a movie.If you want to see a film about gambling watch Rounders. It at least has style.$LABEL$ 0 +If you're in the middle of a ferocious war and it's still not clear that you're going to come out on top, among the things you'll be concerned with is to keep up the morale of the civilians...to demonstrate that our troops have the bravery, the resourcefulness and the dedication to overcome all the odds in a noble cause. And that's just what director Anthony Asquith provided the British with 1943's naval war film, We Dive at Dawn. After more than 60 years, it's not surprising that some of the movie is dated. It doesn't help that the class stereotypes which help define the enlisted men from the officers can be jarring. Here, as in so many other British war films, the men invariably have thick regional working class accents while the officers speak with an educated fluency that would place them at home in England's finest ruling-class establishments. In this movie, Freddie Taylor (John Mills), the captain of the submarine Sea Tiger, is clever, confident, resourceful, aggressive, in control, good with his men, humorous with his peers, quick to make a decision. And it helps that he's lucky. His men are jolly tars, for the most part, competent at their jobs and always ready with a joke when things get tense. Although we spend the first third of the movie getting to know these people while they're on leave, after that things get tense quickly. Taylor and his sub are ordered to destroy the Brandenburg, a new German battleship. They just miss the ship when it enters the Kiel Canal and heads into the Baltic. Taylor assesses the risks and decides the Sea Tiger will go after it, through mine fields, anti-sub nets and with a real risk of not having enough fuel to return to home base. After several tense situations, the confrontation takes place. The Sea Tiger lets loose six torpedoes but has to dive, not knowing if it had done its job. After a clever subterfuge, Taylor outfoxes a couple of German destroyers but then realizes there is not enough fuel. He plans to scuttle his sub and surrender when, just at the last moment, James Hobson (Eric Portman), a seaman who had been sullen and a loner and who speaks German, says there is a small Danish coastal village that had been a fuel depot. He thinks it might still be for the Germans. The last third of the movie is a rousing action sequence as the crew of the sub attempts to hold off the Germans long enough to pump in enough fuel to get the Sea Tiger back to Britain. This is a wartime propaganda movie, so don't expect failure. And did the Sea Tiger actually put the Brandenburg down? Are the men reunited with their wives and sweethearts? Did Hobson have a reconciliation with his wife and small son that left him smiling for once? Did Freddie Taylor finally have a chance to make use of all those female names in his little black book? You'll have to see the movie. There are propaganda war movies and there are propaganda war movies. Some, like Powell's and Pressburger's One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and The 49th Parallel, still stand up to viewing today because the stories are solid and unexpected and the creators didn't use obvious shorthand clichés. Others, like We Dive at Dawn, were made with enough clichés that when watching we have to remind ourselves how dire the time was when the film was made. Still, Asquith can build a lot of suspense even with a few clichés. The Sea Tiger's forcing its way through a sub net was tense. The stalking of the Brandenburg and the plotting needed for the torpedo firing was realistic; John Mill's no-nonsense attitude while he prepared to attack was well-handled. The fake-out preparations to make the Sea Tiger look as if it had been destroyed by depth charges was as realistic, inside the sub as well as out, as you could hope for, and the battle for the fuel depot was dramatic and exciting. We Dive at Dawn is not a classic war film, but it's a well-made, well-acted example of its type and time. John Mills, it's worth noting, had a long, long career. Especially in the Fifties he played in a number of serious-minded films looking back at those WWII days. He had the quality of showing grit, cheerfulness and perseverance, but of also being trustworthy, a man England could be proud of as he fought the war. Top-billed in this movie was Eric Portman, a fine actor with a unique voice and the ability to give stares so cold you'd want to put on a sweater. Everyone on the sub is very much in the joking but stiff-upper-lip mode, but Portman manages some complexity for his character. Mills and Portman did fine jobs working together on this film.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has little to recommend it, though that little being the breathtaking scenery, cinematography and direction of wildlife, it is difficult to bring up its weak points in the company of such rave reviews. It is precisely these things, however, that make the lack of a satisfactory plot and its execution so disappointing. I watched this with my children and none of us was too impressed by the end. Yes, the pictures were great, the broad landscapes across the forest and mountains magnificent, but what was going on in the foreground? The rather dull narration of the stupidity of an insipid girl who learns all too slowly a very basic lesson about befriending wildlife - and gets off quite easily given the track record of that sort of thing. It is certainly not a new story, in fact there is nothing remotely novel about the way it is told, and we have all seen this before, and, indeed, much more eloquently by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.The only thing really to be gleaned from this film is a sense of how to work with these wonderful lenses and forest lighting; the rest is a waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +I had just finished reading the book, and was really looking forward to seeing this TV adaptation which was broadcast on the Hallmark Channel on Monday night (5/30/05). The key to the whole book was the manifesto which was stolen by the man with steel teeth, but I watched for an hour (out of 3 1/2) and I saw the man with the steel teeth but I never saw him steal a manifesto. I saw someone steal some virus but what did that have to do with the book? It's too bad because this film had great production values and a good cast, but isn't the idea of turning a book into a movie (TV or film) to get the people who read the book to be part of the audience. They only kept me for an hour. I thought the premise of the book was great and what did they do but throw out the whole premise. This book had a great McGuffin (to paraphrase Hitchcock) but they ignored it. And it said in the titles that Forsyth was involved in the production. They sure must have paid him a LOT of money.$LABEL$ 0 +I am embarrassed to say that I missed "The Mother" when it was in theaters. I saw it this evening on DVD. I gave it a 10 vote, one of the very few I have given here. This English independent is filmed with such great care and quality. It drew me in relentlessly. The story, low-keyed and purely human, is brutally honest and utterly absorbing, thanks to the acting of Anne Reid, Daniel Craig and Cathryn Bradshaw. The cinematography is stunning. The score is hard-wired to the plot. The storyline is epic, brilliantly clothed by writer Hanif Kureishi in mundane lives. This story addresses big issues with the subtlety of an impressionist painting. And some of those big issues are highly controversial, which probably explains the lack of awards won, despite many nominations. It is simply one of my all-time favorite films.$LABEL$ 1 +"The China Syndrome" could not have been released at a better time: twelve days after its release, the infamous screw-up in Three Mile Island happened. But even if that (and/or Chernobyl) had never happened, this movie remains an important look at what could happen through mismanagement of nuclear facilities. Jack Lemmon turns in a five star performance as the supervisor trying to expose a cover-up at his nuclear plant, with Jane Fonda playing the reporter trying to investigate, and Michael Douglas plays her cameraman.I don't know whether or not the current threat of a terrorist attack makes "The China Syndrome" more disturbing, but either way, it's still definitely a movie that everyone should see.I hope that those people who spent years pushing nuclear power saw this movie just so that they could know that their views and ideals are completely defunct.$LABEL$ 1 +If you like me enjoy films with plots and convincing actors then Alien Vs Predator- Requiem is probably not the way to go. In summary, alien lands in typical American town, Predator lands in American town, both have a bit of a fight, US government blows up town, some people get away.....I'm sorry I think I might have spoilt the ending. Its easy to criticise someone who's being critical; people cry out, I bet you couldn't do any better! I bet I could ! Having made this film,watched it and then turned to congratulate each other with a pat on the back and a job well done; there must surely have been the spectre of lunacy in the room.$LABEL$ 0 +I was going to say this was the worst gay-themed film I've ever seen, but I can honestly say this is the worst film if any genre I've ever seen.You know you're in trouble when a movie starts with a "personal note" from the Director, asking for the audience's "understanding" for the "many challenges" facing a first-time Director. The audio track is so bad in many scenes it's almost impossible to follow the dialogue, and this from a DVD version. Bad lighting, bad sets, bad photography, poor script, generally bad acting all add up to make this "film" unwatchable. I did make it through to the bad ending after several attempts, and immediately gave away the DVD I foolishly purchased. I'm sure there are many challenges facing a first-time Director. But, don't try to palm off this lame attempt as a finished product. I see from IMDb details that this was not only the first Directing attempt of Richard Natale, but also the only. That's the one positive thing I can say about this alleged "movie".$LABEL$ 0 +Back in the day, I remembered seeing dumb Nintendo Power comics that had the same artwork as this show... and then word came up that this show was a coming to a television near me! I was not estatic, but curious... I was curious about how bad this show was gonna suck. My friends all said that this show had no real meanings and was too silly for straight people like me to enjoy (i'm actually gay), so I decided to watch the show with low expectations.WHAT A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!! First off, I hate the new characters. Tiff and Tuff are so dumb and I hate how so many fanboys drool over Tiff, it's sad. I also hate how they made Chef Kalasaki (or whatever his nonstraight name was) a good guy who owned a restaurant. Bad move, 4Kids TV! Escargoon is nothing but a loser adviser to the King Dedede (who sucks big time in this show) and I hate the face of that one company that keeps supplying Dedede with those awful weapons to destroy Kirby. So stupid, I hate this show.I then began to hate Kirby even more since it was obvious Nintendo was just aching to get Kirby some popularity. Kirby'll never beat Mario in the fight for coolness, and Kirby will always be nothing but a tiny little cream puff of gayness. NUF SAID!!!$LABEL$ 0 +My roommates & I nearly shorted out our TV from the numerous spit-takes we did while watching this hilarious piece of 1970s self important pseudo-zen dreck. I'd read about this campfest for ages and scanned my local late night TV listings for YEARS in search of this elusive turd. Several years ago our local ABC affiliate was known for showing cool flicks for its late night weekend flick (ie "Frogs", "Night of the Lepus", etc). Then one day it happened: at 1:40am on a Saturday night (over 5 years ago) there it was! We had over 15 folks over and the flick did NOT disappoint!See! Andy Griffith as the silliest & most unthreatening bad guy since Jaye Davidson in "Stargate"!See! William Shatner sport a variety of things atop his head that only faintly resemble human hair (or anything organic for that matter).Hear! jaw droppingly inane 1970s psychobabble that makes "Chicken Soup For The Soul" sound like BF SkinnerFeel! Content that any decade was better than the 70s.For those still reading...the plot surrounds a bunch of middle class mid level a--holes who decide to suck up to their s---head boss (Griffith) by joining him on a cross dessert race that spans California & Mexico. They all wear leather jackets, looking more Christopher Street than anything else. Along the way they stop at a Cantina, get drunk, smoke joints (the sight Robert "Mike Brady" Reed smoke a joint is an image you won't soon forget), start a fight, attempt rape, and just act like a bunch of suburban middle class jack offs. Although I have an excellent copy that I taped off TV I WISH this one would be released on video so the whole world could enjoy its half baked goofiness.$LABEL$ 0 +Embarrassingly, I just watched this movie for the first time, 13 years after its release. It's a story that any father or brother can relate to... one brother is a bit 'wild,' the other brother is the typical older child. Craig Sheffer is a little too unemotional as the oldest brother, but Pitt is amazing, and Skerritt is perfectly cast as the father. The fishing scenes that were filmed in Montana are absolutely breathtaking... I had no idea that fly fishing could be so attractive. The movie closely follows the book, with only a few modifications to make it more appropriate for a movie format. Unlike most book to movie stories, this one measures up. It's a perfect movie for anyone who wants a quiet night with a powerful and somewhat emotional movie.$LABEL$ 1 +i wasn't a fan of seeing this movie at all, but when my gf called me and said she had a free advanced screening pass i tagged along only for the sake of seeing eva longoria and laughing at jason biggs antics.overall it was actually better then i expected but not by much. this was like a hybrid of how to lose a guy in 10 days and just like heaven. a typical romantic comedy with its moments i guess. the movie was quite short though (around 85 min.) but it was enough to tell the whole story, build some character development and have a decent happy ending. the whole idea of a ghost haunting its former husband was a interesting plot to follow. eva did a good job of keeping up the sarcasm and paul rudd and the rest of the supporting cast (especially jason biggs) kept the laughs coming at a smooth pace.overall i liked the movie only because it had a good amount of laughs to keep me going otherwise i would have given this movie a lower rating. hey its a chick flick and i'm reviewing this movie from a guy's persepctive alright, it would be more of a fair fight if females reviewied this movie and gave there thoughts about it.$LABEL$ 1 +Monarch Cove was one of the best Friday night's drama shown in a long time.I am asking the writer to please write a long series and air it on Lifetime, SOON.Each person was very interesting and did a wonderful job with their lines to make the plot come true. However, the movie needs to continue for a long time. I would love to see Bianca and Jake's child grow-up and get a major role in the movie, along with the new grandparents planning for her educational future. Also, bring kathy back to see her niece and help foster her life.It was great seeing the grandparents work out their problems, but the family business needed to be restored to working status,and let us see how Jake and Bianca survive through the marriage years.$LABEL$ 1 +Watching "Ossessione" today -- more than 6 decades later -- is still a powerful experience, especially for those interested in movie history and more specifically on how Italian filmmakers changed movies forever (roughly from "Ossessione" and De Sica's "I Bambini Ci Guardano", both 1943, up to 20 years later with Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini). Visconti makes an amazing directing début, taking the (uncredited) plot of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" as a guide to the development of his own themes.It strikes us even today how ahead of its time "Ossessione" was. Shot in Fascist Italy during World War II (think about it!!), it depicted scenes and themes that caused the film to be immediately banned from theaters -- and the fact that it used the plot of a famous American novel and payed no copyright didn't help. "Ossessione" alarmingly reveals poverty-ridden war-time Italy (far from the idealized Italy depicted in Fascist "Telefoni Bianchi" movies); but it's also extremely daring in its sexual frankness, with shirtless hunk Gino (Massimo Girotti, who definitely precedes Brando's Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire") taking Giovanna (Clara Calamai), a married woman, to bed just 5 minutes after they first meet. We watch Calamai's unglamorous, matter-of-fact undressing and the subtle but undeniable homosexual hints between Gino and Lo Spagnolo (Elio Marcuzzo - a very appealing actor, his face not unlike Pierre Clémenti's, who was shot by the Nazis in 1945, at 28 years old!)...In a few words: sex, lust, greed and poverty, as relentlessly as it had rarely, if ever, been shown before in Italian cinema.All the copies of "Ossessione" were destroyed soon after its opening -- it was called scandalous and immoral. Visconti managed to save a print, and when the film was re-released after the war, most critics called it the front-runner of the Neo-Realist movement, preceding Rossellini's "Roma CIttà Aperta" and De Sica's "Sciuscià". Some other critics, perhaps more appropriately, saw "Ossessione" as the Italian counterpart to the "poetic realism" of French cinema (remember Visconti had been Renoir's assistant), especially Marcel Carné's "Quai des Brumes" and "Le Jour se Lève", and Julien Duvivier's "Pépé le Moko". While "Ossessione" may be Neo-Realistic in its visual language (the depiction of war-time paesan life in Italy with its popular fairs, poverty, child labor, prostitution, bums, swindlers etc), the characters and the themes were already decidedly Viscontian. He was always more interested in tragic, passionate, obsessive, greedy characters, in social/political/sexual apartheid, in the decadence of the elites than in realistic, "everyday- life" characters and themes, favored by DeSica and Rossellini. In "Ossessione" we already find elements of drama and tragedy later developed in many of his films, especially "Senso" (Visconti's definitive departure from Neo-Realist aesthetics) and "Rocco e Suoi Fratelli"...Even in his most "Neo-Realist" film, "La Terra Trema", he makes his fishermen rise from day-to-day characters to mythological figures."Ossessione" is a good opportunity to confirm the theory about great artists whose body of work approaches, analyzes and develops specific themes and concerns over and over again, from their first to their last opus, no matter if the scenery, background or time-setting may change -- Visconti may play with the frame but the themes and essence of his art are, well, obsessively recurrent. "Ossessione" is not to be missed: you'll surely be fascinated by this ground-breaking, powerful film.$LABEL$ 1 +Within the first 17 minutes of director Bradford May's "Darkman III: Die Darkman Die", we have already been subjected to a silly recap and accompanying voice-over on the first two films, hilarious over-acting, about three minutes of footage simply ripped from the second film and re-edited slightly to seem like new footage, and a lengthy advertisement the scarred and tormented title character watches about Universal Theme Parks- Universal being the company that distributed this film. Yes, "Darkman III: Die Darkman Die" is quite the handful when it comes to cheap cash-ins on the success of a previous film.This time around, the disfigured anti-hero Peyton Westlake (aka, "Darkman"; portrayed by "Mummy" actor Arnold Vosloo) locks horns with evil crime-lord and lousy husband Peter Rooker (played in a brilliantly over-the-top performance by Jeff Fahey), and over the course of the 87 minute film grows to develop an affection for Rooker's wife and daughter, once again learning to care for another person.Blah. Blah. Blah.This film is basically just a silly way for the studio to make some more money off of Sam Raimi's original film, which I consider to be a great action-suspense film.Oh yeah, and there are also a number of silly sub-plots, including a villainess who supposedly was one of the original doctors to save Darkman following his scarring, and her seducing our hero into thinking she is an ally before revealing her nefarious plot to help Rooker create more super-human powered thugs like Darkman. Apparently, she can't just do the same procedure on the thugs that she performed on Darkman. Why? I can't really explain it, because the movie certainly doesn't.There's also an assassination sub-plot involving a District Attourney who is threatening to bring down Rooker's organization, and some other very silly things going on.But it doesn't really add up. This film feels like two or three episodes of a television show edited together more than an actual film. The direction alternates between pretty good and downright sloppy (a scene where Darkman rides his train-like vehicle and dodges a rocket-launcher is just plain silly), and the editing is a mixed-bag. The film just moves too quickly for anyone to really care what's going on. And without spoiling it, the final 15 minutes of this movie, and indeed, the entire series is just kinda... I dunno... Another 15 minutes of mixed-bag footage.In fact, commenting on the editing, one of my favorite things in this film is watching for footage re-used from the previous films, and then looking for footage within this film that is repeated multiple times. Yes, it's that cheap. It's one thing to do a re-cap at the beginning of the film, and maybe repeat a shot or two, but in the sheer volume they do it (minutes of footage repeated from previous films), it's just sloppy and amateurish.Also, I have to say that Darkman's psychedelic montage freak-outs are a bit overdone in this film. They are so stylized and overdone that they do work, but only in light doses and in proper context, as Raimi did in the original film. Here, there are at least four or five, and they feel very abrupt and out-of-place.That being said, the film is not without some good points. A few action scenes are well-done. The cliché story of Darkman yearning for a real life works suitably for a direct-to-DVD feature. Some of the acting is nice, particularly from Rooker's wife, portrayed by the beautiful Roxann Dawson. Also, while no Danny Elfman, composer Randy Miller composes some nice music that builds off of Elfman's original themes.But overall, the film is too quick, cheap and silly to be taken seriously. Arnold Vosloo seems alternatively bored and exuberant from scene to scene, and Fahey, while a joy to watch as an over-the-top villain, just doesn't quite fit in with the series.Like "Darkman II", I would recommend this to fans of the original, who will surely get a laugh. Otherwise, you need not apply. A four out of ten.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately for me, the first Busby Berkeley movie I ever watched was "42nd Street." I then expected all of his stuff to be that good. I found out that wasn't necessarily the case, even here, with my all-time favorite classic-era actor James Cagney.Oh, the musical numbers at the end are as spectacular as always, but the story is like many of the others and quite tiresome. They seem to always involve screaming, unhappy show producers. In this film, it's Cagney who winds up shouting things out so often that he gives me a headache after awhile and his character wears thin....fast!Even the songs in here are anywhere near "42nd Street" class, songs you could hum for years and years - decades, I should say. The songs in this movie are not memorable. No, this is one of the few early Cagney films - and Berkeley films - I totally dislike and was very disappointed with while watching.$LABEL$ 0 +Any film school student could made a film 1,000 times better than piece of garbage. As someone who had read the book, I expected even a straight re-telling of the book would make this a fair film. There was a chance that a talented director could go beyond Woodward's narrative and make a great film.Well the director did go beyond Woodward's narrative. He added a hip Hispanic angel named Velasquez that was not in the book. He had Bob Woodward interview the dead Belushi in an exchange in the morgue. The film had all the insight of someone stoned on PCP staring at his navel.If this is a spoiler to you, you will thank me for it because it is absolutely the worst movie ever made.$LABEL$ 0 +Daddy's girls Florence Lawrence and Dorothy West receive some terrific news at the local post office, unaware they are being stalked by burglar Charles Inslee. Meanwhile, father David Miles receives a message (from young Robert Harron) which necessitates daddy leaving home; so, when the young women return, they can be… home alone. As the vulnerable pair bed down for the evening, the local "Grand Ball of the Black and Tans" gets underway; and, a dark-skinned drinker portends additional danger for D.W. Griffith's dynamic duo… Mr. Inslee has one of his better Biograph roles, stealing the film from "The Girls and Daddy". Ironically, Director Griffith appears as one of the black-faced extras at the "Black and Tans" ball. "Biograph Girls" Lawrence and West are suggestive of later "Griffith Girls" Lillian and Dorothy Gish, especially in "Orphans of the Storm" (1921); and, they are excessively affectionate in bed! The racist tone is unfortunate, since the story of a burglar redeemed by saving his potential victims from a greater danger, is intriguing. *** The Girls and Daddy (2/1/09) D.W. Griffith ~ Florence Lawrence, Dorothy West, Charles Inslee$LABEL$ 0 +"Terror in the Aisles" might look like the ultimate treat for horror fans but it has, in fact, very few to offer. Granted, it presents a decent and versatile (too versatile?) selection of horror/thriller fragments that are considered classic but ...what's the point? This documentary primarily aims for the horror-loving public so we've pretty much seen all these clips already, haven't we? The only thing really praiseworthy about this project is the editing. If you're into scream-queens, chases by vile murderers and that sort of things, "Terror in the Aisles" has some neat compilations of the most famous sequences. All these different scenes hang together by a lame wraparound story starring Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen sitting in a movie theater. In between two sequences, the address the viewer and "explain" why we love horror so much. Those speeches naturally are soporific and rather obvious (it's in our nature to be afraid ...bla bla bla) and I fail to understand why many people love the concept. This is worth a peek in case you're a loyal horror fan but it certainly isn't essential viewing. On the contrary: in case you still have to see a classic genre title, beware that bits and pieces of it here don't spoil your future viewing. The main reason why I overall disliked it is because it shamelessly ignores a lot of lesser known, but fundamental (foreign) titles endlessly focusing on "Halloween". This does result in a cool inside joke, however, when Donald Pleasance screams to the screen at his own character.$LABEL$ 0 +I love Dracula but this movie was a complete disappointment! I remember Lee from other Dracula films from when i was younger, and i thought he was great, but this movie was really bad. I don't know if it was my youth that fooled me into believing Lee was the ultimate Dracula, with style, looks, attraction and the evil underneath that. Or maybe it was just this film that disappointed me. But can you imagine Dracula with an snobbish English accent and the body language to go along with it? Do you like when a plot contains unrealistic choices by the characters and is boring and lacks any kind of tension..? Then this is a movie for you! Otherwise - don't see it! I only gave it a 2 because somehow i managed to stay awake during the whole movie.Sorry but if you liked this movie then you must have been sleep deprived and home alone in a dark room with lots of unwatched space behind you. Maybe alone in your parents house or in a strangers home. Cause not even the characters in this flick seemed afraid, and i think that sums up the whole thing!Or maybe you like this film because of it's place in Dracula cinema history, perhaps being fascinated by how the Dracula story has evolved from Nosferatu to what it is today. Cause as movie it isn't that appealing, it doesn't pull you in to the suggestive mystery that for me make the Vampyre myth so fascinating. And furthermore it has so much of that tacky 70ies feel about it. The scenery looks like cheap Theatre. And i don't say that rejecting everything made in the 70ies. Cause i can love old film as well as new.$LABEL$ 0 +Hail Bollywood and men Directors !Really this is the ultimate limit in utter sacrifice made by Indian Woman !!Viewing the current state of affairs in India where The wives are becoming more vicious day by day and are very possessive about their husbands - the Directors ..also can be called Uncle Scars (refer movie The Lion King) came up with a very new concept on how both the kept and the wife can live together happily ever after sharing everything between themselves ...including the spermikins !!Story line : Married couple - very happy - but accidentally a mishap happens and wife has a miscarriage - lost the foetus along with the capacity of ever becoming a mother !Now in in India, the in- laws usually drive away the daughter- in- law if she fails to give them an heir ! So the wife hits upon a major plan - surrogate mother...but the scientists intervened - "Sure artificial insemination" - NO said the artist (Director actually) - "Neighbourhood will come to know that the daughter - in - law is barren so they are going for surrogate mother !!Neighbours ! society !! gosh the same ones who watch Fashion TV day and night - watching girls between the age group of 14 to 40 ...al in bras and panties - well those neighbors suddenly take an upper hand in family planning and decision making !!SO the wife sends away her husband to a beer bar where girls are dancing on the stage - all mostly uneducated and illiterate - but men love such women as they can satisfy their egos a lot !He hires the lead dancer in the pub - asks her to bear his baby - in exchange for money - she agrees - she comes home - becomes pregnant - wife and kept - both co-exist in the same house - in the mean time the prostitute also gets a taste of household life - so much caring people around - she misses them all and cries silently !! In the mean time - no one in the family comes to know that the real daughter in law is roaming around with a pillow beneath her petticoat !!- the mother or other elderly people never took her for check-ups - nor did they try to feel the baby's movements in the womb !!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was over-shadowed by 'The Jackal' (Bruce Willis, Richard Gere) which was released the same year. Having seen both films, I can honestly say this is the superior film.Granted, the production value of 'The Jackal' was very good, it probably had a substantially bigger budget. However, 'The Assignment' is well written and has a fascinating story. Aiden Quinn is flawless in dual roles. Aiden Quinn and director Christian Duguay did a great job of establishing a deep and multi-layered relationship between the title character and his family. I particularly liked the ending.I was reminded of the Jack Ryan character in the Tom Clancy movies. Both are Naval officers thrown into unbelievably dangerous roles as they covertly work on behalf of National security. And yet, both Harrison Ford and Aidan Quinn reveal their respective characters as heros who manage to be both virile and gentle. They have a genuine tenderness and vulnerability in their relationships with their families. What I don't understand is how the opinions of all who have posted on this movie (myself included) can be so much more positive than the luke-warm reception the film has received. This is a movie that has enough complexity and subtlety that it remains compelling after multiple viewings. If you are a fan of espionage-genre films, I recommend 'The Assignment' enthusiastically.$LABEL$ 1 +The 1978 adaptation had all the ingredients of a potentially wonderful film. It is based on an absolutely charming book by Charles Kingsley. It has a truly talented cast from the likes of James Mason, Bernard Cribbons and David Tomblinson, not to mention the vocal talents of David Jason and Jon Pertwee. There is also Lionel Jeffries, the director of wonderful classics such as The Railway Children and the Amazing Mr Blunden, and while the film is good on the most part, it was also a little disappointing. I had no problem with the performances, particularly those of Mason and Tomblinson as Grimes and Sir John Harriet respectively, and Tommy Pender and Samantha Gates are believable as Tom and Ellie. The voice cast is also commendable, especially Jon Pertwee, voicing charming characters in their own right. I also liked the incidental music it is so haunting and beautiful, and the script was fairly faithful and in general well-written, particularly at the beginning. The characters, especially the Water Babies are very charming, and the villains are sinister and funny at the same time, I loved the part when Tom and his friends help the Water Babies escape, seeing the shark chasing the electric eel with an axe was very funny. However, I will say the film does look dated, especially the animation sequences, the live action parts weren't so bad, if you forgive the rather dark camera-work. The character animation was rather flat, and the backgrounds sometimes were a little dull, though there were some nice moments, like the scene with the Krakon and of course the first meeting with the Water Babies. I also had mixed feelings about the songs, the Water Babies's song was beautiful, but I found the first song forgettable, when Tom ends up underwater. Hi-Cockallorum is an example of a song, that is like marmite, you either love it or hate it. I personally don't know what to make of this song, it was fun to listen to at first, but once it's in your head, it is perhaps annoying. As much as I like Lionel Jeffries and his films, his direction just lacked the wonder and the magic it usually does. All in all, certainly not a terrible film, but could have been better artistically. 7/10 Bethany Cox.$LABEL$ 1 +Me neither, but this flick is unfortunately one of those movies that are too bad to be good and too good to be awful, which makes it utterly pointless and a total waste of time. There's nothing more uninteresting than a mediocre movie, and My Name is Modesty: Whatever the subtitle is takes mediocrity to a new level. It's full of B-actors but isn't any fun whatsoever because it takes itself seriously. It sets itself up as a thriller but then turns into some kind of growing-up drama, flashback style. The beautiful Alexandra Staden, smothered beyond recognition under makeup, more resembles a cast member from Top Model than Modesty Blaise. I'm not one of those die-hard comic book freaks who wants every adaptation of his precious "graphic novels" to be pitch-perfect - in fact I've never even read Modesty Blaise - all I wanted was a decent movie to watch. But this wasn't it. The film feels half-finished, with a weak and very unexciting conclusion to a rather weak plot. It also takes its audience for idiots, explaining every tiny detail of the plot to us and showing flashbacks of things that happened three scenes ago (I guess they think we all have Alzheimers).Now I love a good B-movie - what's better than just turning your brain off and swallowing the cinematic equivalent of a Calzone? - and "Modesty" is directed by none other than Scott Spiegel, who brought us the wonderful splatter crap flick From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money! I loved From Dusk Till Dawn 2 because it brought everything a bad B-movie should bring to the table - nudity, gore, guns, you name it. "Modesty" is just dull. The flashback concerning Modesty's life isn't interesting. The acting isn't bad enough to be laughed at. In fact, I kinda liked Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau's (hey buddy, pseudonyms are your friends!) performance as the baddie.So overall it's just lame. Weak. Uninspired. Call it what you will. Don't watch anything because Tarantino presents it, people. This is just a very forgettable, half-hearted thriller, and it never tries to be more than that. Allow me to round off this review with a very lame pun (seriously, even I'm cringing): My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Waste of Time - 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I found this to be an entertaining account of the challenges an independent film maker might encounter (something I never even thought about). The film managed to keep my interest the entire time and I actually laughed out loud more than once! I'm not a film maker so I know nothing about the technology but I though it was well edited and flowed smoothly telling the story. As a disclaimer, I contributed to this effort after the fact providing music for the soundtrack but I was not involved in the creation of this film and I could not tell you a thing about Repo Man except that I remembered seeing it way back when (I'm not really a sci-fi fiend). I enjoyed the comparisons the film made of punk rock file making to punk rock music. My wife went with me to see the film and she did not know a thing about it before hand and we had a great time.$LABEL$ 1 +Just because an event really happened doesn't mean that it will make a good screenplay/ movie. The Cat's Meow, by Peter Bogdanovich claims to be based on actual events which happened on a cruise hosted by William Randolph Hurst. The writer paid more attention to creating a bizarre cast of characters than taking time to create a story for the bizarre characters to inhabit. The key moments of the story seem implausible; for example, when Hurst accidentally shoots the producer, believing him to be Chaplin. Basing a key element of a story on someone wearing the wrong hat is trite and contrived. The story attempts to be a dark comedy, but The Cat's Meow misses an important piece of this equation, comedy. There is also a lack of empathy for any of the characters. It hardly matters who is shot, who is killed, who is guilty and who is innocent. There is not a strong character to cheer for. As a result the conflicts are difficult to care about and the eventual outcome is incidental.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this on the shelf and swooned with joy !! I danced up to the counter, slapped down my money and ran home! You know what?! I fell asleep less then half way thru! Tried again the next day...YAWN!! What the heck !?!! I could NOT watch it! I love all the other stuff he's done (I didn't see the one with the monster in it yet). What gives? Is it me? Or him? So sad. Boo hoo. P.S, I did like the camera work.$LABEL$ 0 +The Beguiled was one of the few early Eastwood films I hadn't seen until I gave the DVD a spin today. And from it's opening sepia-tinged shot to the macabre climax I was utterly enthralled. Too many film-makers these days substitute special effects, fast editing and dizzying camera-work in place of character-driven stories, but Director Don Siegel knew how to get the maximum effect from this relatively simple plot, and the characters are believable and compelling.The story concerns a ladies finishing school which happens to be situated on the edge of various skirmishes during the American Civil War. The south-supporting ladies find a badly wounded Union soldier (Clint Eastwood); nursing him back to health he begins to manipulate the sexually frustrated women for his own ends.Geraldine Page is excellent in the role of the headmistress with a secret, and her descent into madness is subtly conveyed. For a film that virtually takes place in a single location it never loses visual interest. There's even a chance that the normal status quo, long abandoned when Eastwood's machinations are uncovered, could return; but the mistresses and pupils descend upon a darker road...This is a totally different style of film from the same Director's Dirty Harry, made in the same year, and yet they are both equally superb. Eastwood is great playing against his usual stoic anti-hero image, yet there's also some mysterious quality attached to his character. We never really learn much about him prior to his incarceration, and the viewer is free to decide upon his well-shaded persona. Villain or Victim? Whatever you think, all I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed it.$LABEL$ 1 +Ahista Ahista is one little small brilliant. I started watching it, and at the beginning I got a little bored since the pacing was slow and the main idea of one guy meeting a girl who is lost was not really new. But as the film went on, I started getting increasingly and gradually engaged by the film, the fantastic writing and the charming romance. The film was extremely simple and natural and after some time I felt I was watching a real documentation of one guy's life. There's one very good reason the film got this feel, and it's the fresh talent called Abhay Deol. He is extremely convincing as the simple, kind-hearted and struggling Ankush, whose new love motivates him to make amends and fight for a better life. Throughout the film, he is presented as an ordinary mischievous prankster, but also as a helping and loving person, who, like anyone else will do anything to protect his love. Deol portrays all the different shades of his character, whether positive or negative, naturally and with complete ease.Shivam Nair's direction is very good. His depiction of the life of people in the rural neighbourhood is excellent, but what gets to be even more impressive is his portrayal of Ankush's relationships with the different people who surround him, including his friends and his love interest Megha who he is ready to do anything for. I also immensely liked the way Nair portrayed his interaction with his friend's loud and plump mother whom he calls 'khala' (aunty). He likes to drive her crazy and annoy her on every occasion, yet we see that she occupies a very special place in his heart and is like a mother-figure to him as evidenced in several scenes. Except for Abhay, the rest of the cast performed well. Though Soha Ali Khan did not stand out according to me, she was good and had some of her mother's charm. The actors who played Ankush's friends were very good as was the actress who played Ankush's 'khala'.Apart from the performances, the film's writing was outstanding. The dialogues were sort of ordinary yet brilliant, and the script was also fantastic. That's mainly because despite a not-so-new story it was never overdone or melodramatic and there were no attempts to make it look larger-than-life. The film's biggest weakness was Himesh Reshammiya's uninspiring music which was unsuitable for this film. Otherwise, Ahista Ahista was a delightful watch and it got only better with every scene. The concept may not be new, but the film manages to look fresh and becomes increasingly heartwarming as the story goes by. The ending was bittersweet, kind of sad yet optimistic. In short, this movie really grows on you slowly, and this can be easily attributed to the wonderful writing, the moving moments, the charming romance, the realistic proceedings, and of course Abhay Deol's memorable performance.$LABEL$ 1 +My first impression when I read the synopsis for the upcoming movie was that it was going to be very, very different from the book. The movie trailer said that the movie is supposed to take place when Vivian is 19 years old after her parents were killed in a fire in America. She meets Aiden, an aspiring graphic novelist. Working in a chocolate shop in the day, she must accept that she will never be normal, because every full moon, she becomes a loup-garou--a thought-to-be mythical creature that can be closely compared to a werewolf.Most of the little changes didn't sound too bad to me, even though I am a fan of the book with the shared titled by Annette Curtis Klause. I knew it would be different, but I wanted to see it to support the book, thinking that an age change, a setting change, and a few little occupation changes wouldn't impact the storyline as a whole enough to make me want to tear my eyes out of their sockets and leave myself bleeding on the movie theatre ground.The movie unnecessarily killed off many important characters, one being Esme, Vivan's mother, right off the bat in the fire that was supposed to have killed her father. I pushed that aside and ventured forth into the movie, weary and slightly annoyed. Running through Romania, the camera angles were decent, the scenery was beautiful, and the music was... interesting... but it left me with the impression of, "Why does Vivian look like that, and why is she wearing a hoodie?" Jumping to later parts of the movie, I must say that I am surprised that the screenplay writers seemed to support incest in a way and rather than sticking to the character relationship from the book between Vivian and Rafe, the leader of The Five now became her cousin through her (surprise!) Aunt Astrid, who, in the novel, was the bitter and hated rival of Vivan's mother, and, might I add, no way related to either of them.To top off character distortions, Gabriel had somehow become the leader of the pack and obsessed over Vivian being his mate so they could fulfill some nonexistent prophecy. Not only did his physical appearance take a complete 180 from the description in the book, he was, apparently, also the father of Rafe. Yes, that's right, it's a nice little incestuous knot of wolfies all bundled up tight.Little things that irked me were scenes like the forest hunts. There was a red-head that stood out from the rest of the crowd, the one who "kissed their enemy" before their prey was set free to run and be hunted. Why was she there? Why did she look like Astrid? I suppose my mind is not vast enough to understand why such a character had to exist in the movie without any explanation as to WHY she existed other than to kiss pretty victims.I loved how the Amoeba was completely cut out of the movie. I loved how legally entwined Aiden's past was, what between the supposedly dramatic scene where he was telling Vivian about how his father wanted him to learn self-defense, and then beat his father up "in self-defense" to make him seem like such a tragic character.Character 180s are a lot of fun when they are completely unnecessary. At the end of the movie, I felt as if some person skimmed over the novel, scribbled down half the list of character names, drew a few connections here and there, mentioned that Gabriel was a bit of a jerk, Vivian fell in love with Aiden, he fears her when he finds out she is a loup-garou of the legends, and "somebody" is "killed by a silver bullet" and there is some sort of happy ending because Vivian finally feels accepted by somebody who loves her for who she is.I gave this movie a 2/10 because the camera shots were relatively decent, and the casting could have been worse, but as far as directing goes, why do the loup-garous leap into the air in human form as if they want to fly (with their arched backs and penchant to leap from high places), shimmer briefly, and then fall onto the ground as wolves? The only aspects of this movie that even had me watch it through to the very-sordid, sorry ending were the wolves, the beautiful scenery, and the eye-candy boys.All-together, I must say that in order to enjoy this film at all, one must be ready for misconceptions, strange happenings that are not always explained, incestuous innuendos, and have either not liked the book, or have not read the book.$LABEL$ 0 +An excellent example of the spectacular Busby Berkeley musicals produced in the early 1930's. Audiences must've been very surprised to see James Cagney in this type of vehicle. Quite a contrast from his "Public Enemy" 2 years earlier. Cagney does add spark & interest to a rather routine tired out formulated storyline & plot. But the highlight of the movie is the 3 elaborate production numbers back to back. First with the conservative "Honeymoon Hotel" number,then followed by the very spectacularly eye dazzling "By A Waterfall" sequence,followed by the closing "Shanghai Lil" sequence, Cagney only participates in the last number hoofing it up on top of a bar counter with Ruby Keeler. The "Shanghai Lil" number with Cagney is excellent but a bit of a comedown & anti climactic after the more exciting & incredibly mind boggling "By A Waterfall" choreography.If I was the director I would've inserted the "Shanghai Lil" number in the middle & close with "By A Waterfall",which blows the other 2 numbers out of the water so to speak & in my view the best of the 3 numbers. The 3 production numbers are the frosting on the cake & James Cagney's performance is added decoration to the cake. An outstanding musical achievement,a 4 star movie, the ultimate musical,well worth watching,you won't be disappointed!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +To soccer fans every where -- stay away from this movie. It was so baaaaddd! Lame acting, lame script, lame soccer and no directing! I rented this movie during my stint in Asia and was appalled that this was considered one of the better Singaporean films. It was just nonsensical and thoroughly boring. There are thousands of rich, exciting stories in Asia. Why write a bad story about over the top and stereotypical Singaporeans?$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best piece of film ever created Its a master piece that brought a tear to my eye. Ill never forget my experience watching it. I don't understand why people don't think as I do The dinosaur turns in a performance reminiscent of De Niro in Raging Bull, Pacino in Scarface, and Crowe in Gladiator combined. This should be released on DVD in Superbit format so I can fully enjoy it like it was meant to be enjoyed when they produced and filmed it. Whoppi Goldberg truly turns in the performance of a lifetime as a tough, gritty cop who is against her will teamed with a hot shot dinosaur as her partner then the hi-jinx ensues to say the least. By the way I'm saying the complete opposite of what is true this movie is utter garbage.$LABEL$ 1 +What a brilliant film. I will admit it is very ambitious, with the subject matter. At a little over two and a half hours, it is a very long film too. But neither of these pointers are flaws in any way. Cry Freedom, despite the minor flaws it may have, is a powerful, moving and compelling film about the story of the black activist Steve Biko in his struggles to awaken South Africa to the horrors of the apartheid. It is true, that the first half is stronger than the second in terms of emotional impact. People have also complained that the film suffers from too much Woods not enough Biko. I may be wrong, but although it is Biko's story, it is told in the perspective of Woods, so Woods is an important character in conveying Biko's story to the world.Cry Freedom visually looks amazing. With the show-stopping cinematography and the stunning South African scenery it was a visual feast. The opening scenes especially were brilliantly shot. George Fenton's music brought real dramatic weight to most scenes. It was subtle in scenes in the second half, but stirring and dramatic in the crowd scenes. The script was of exceptional quality, the courtroom scenes with Biko were enough to really make you think wow this is real quality stuff. The first half with Biko as the main focus constantly had something to feel emotional about, whether it was the police's attack of the South African citizens or Biko's death. The second half entirely about Donald Woods carries less of an emotional punch, but is compensated by how it is shot, performed and written. And there are parts that are genuinely suspenseful as well. The performances were exceptional from the entire cast, from the most minor character to the two leads, there wasn't a single bad performance. Regardless of the accents that is, but it is forgiven so easily by how much the performances draw you in. Denzel Washington in one of his more understated performances, gives a truly compelling performance as Biko, and Kevin Kline shows that he can be as good at drama as he is at comedy, for he gave a suitably subtle performance to match that of Washington's. And the two men's chemistry is believable and never strikes a false note. Penelope Wilton is lovely as Donald's wife Wendy, and she is a great actress anyway. Out the supporting performances, and there may be some bias, two stood out for me. One was Timothy West, who relishes his role as Captain DeWet. The other was the ever exceptional John Thaw in a brilliantly chilling cameo-role as Kruger. Lord Richard Attenborough's direction is focused and constantly sensitive as usual.Overall, a truly wonderful film. Ambitious and long it is, but never ceases to be compelling, powerful and achingly moving. A definite winner from Lord Richard Attenborough, and worthy of a lot more praise. 10/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +This is a review of 'Freddy Mercury The Untold Story,' theatrical release, Chicago Int. Film Festival, 2007 One of the phoniest, uninspired and most tedious biographical documentaries I have seen. If the film I saw in a movie theater was originally released on TV, I would plead with its producers and distributors to not fool a paying audience with the false promise of a cinematically worthy documentary feature. Even as a made-for-TV documentary, the sentimental piano solos accompanying interviewees sitting in front of flower arrangements in hotel rooms and the pompous, pseudo-literary narration rang more true of a sleepapedic bed Infomercial. The only redeeming aspects of this "The Untold Story of Freddy Mercury" -- or, uhm, was it "The Untold Story of Princess Diana" are the original concert, video and TV footage -- unabridged Freddy Mercury and Queen. Testimonial interviews with irrelevant eye witnesses with insights, such as: "He was a free spirit," (really.. I thought Freddy Mercury was a company man...) belittle those Freddy testimonials, by Brian May or Montserrat Caballe that shed new and affectionate light into Mercury's complex life and character. And... what up with the Harry Potter-like boarding school segments? How did the interview with the first girl-crush ("...who now works in a travel agency") and members of Freddy's first school band contribute to what I really want to know about Mercury? Vital milestones of his personal life, his sexuality, his artistic style and growth, Queen, the band remain unexplored. These filmmakers don't ask a single, provocative question, nor do they engage in independent or visionary research of their subject, instead delivering a tedious montage of politely clean and vastly empty comments about an enigmatic and brilliant rock legend, who doesn't deserve to be remembered by this History Channel biography your grandparents can doze off to on a Sunday night.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Mother" is a weird low-budget movie, touching at least two uncomfortable themes not usually explored in the cinema: denial of love of mother for their own son and daughter, and lust and passion in the third age.The characters are awful: May is a disgusting old lady and I believe it is impossible to feel any kind of sympathy or sorrow for her. She confesses that she did not love her son and her daughter. She cheated her husband twice with an intellectual. She steals the beloved man of her daughter, not to protect her from a guy without moral, that does not love her, but just because she feel horny with him. She is trying to organize her life after the loss of her husband in the worst possible way, destroying her daughter delusions. Paula, her daughter, is a fragile loser, who accepts her life the way it is. Her brother Bobby is a man who lost his savings because of his wife, who insists in having her shop, a terrible business indeed. Darren is an amoral addicted jerk who does not like anybody, even himself.The acting and direction are excellent: the actresses and actors have outstanding performances and the direction is very precise. I liked this movie, but I recognize that it is recommended for very specific audiences. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Recomeçar" ("Re-Start")$LABEL$ 1 +A lecture over the life of the tormented magician named Ray Charles. His pulses on the piano made fire music and his nostalgic voice created exciting, cool tunes. Each barrier that Ray was facing never kept him down, and he found his way all over conflicts. A real lesson. A great team of producers help recreate the era and armed with great costumes, hairs and settings one will follow Ray's story believing its true, direct filming! An icy music freezes and goosebumps the audience with clever sound editing. But, the most important part of the movie is Jamie Foxx. His acting is really superb, the most diamond polished acting ever seen. He lives his role. He is the Ray of Light.$LABEL$ 1 +Only Connery could bring that particular style with a line like that… Fatima crashes into Bond's arms when she water-skis up to the super agent in Nassau and apologizes, 'Oh, how reckless of me. I made you all wet.' The super agent replies, 'Yes, but my martini is still dry.'Barbara Carrera makes a great villain, stealing the show as SPECTRE executioner Fatima Blush… Fatima is number 12 in the SPECTRE chain of command, and is a gorgeous assassin who takes intense sensations of pleasure in killing… Fatima assumes all the deadly characteristics of Fiona, proving to be one of Bond's toughest adversaries… She is a victim of her vanity… She's good at what she does, and wants the world to know it… But her vanity is her downfall… Using every possible approach to eliminate 007, Fatima is a wild and cunning woman who makes love to the man she is about to kill… Austrian actor Klaus-María Brandauer (Largo) does not make a very formidable opponent for 007… Referred to as number one in the SPECTRE chain of command, Largo resides in the Bahamas, and travels aboard his super yacht, the Flying Saucer… Max Von Sydow becomes the fourth actor to appear as SPECTRE chief Ernst Stavro Blofeld, once more plotting to put the world at ransom… Kim Basinger takes the part once owned by the lovely French actress Claudine Auger… She is Domino, the mistress of Largo, who soon falls deeply in love with her rescuer… Black actor Bernie Casey becomes the sixth actor to play CIA agent Felix Leiter after Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik Van Nutter, Norman Burton, and David Hedison...Edward Fox portrays the new, unsympathetic 'M.' Pamela Salem is the third actress to play Miss Moneypenny. Lois Maxwell was the first and Barbara Bouchet was the second.Valerie Leon is the sexy lady in the Bahamas who fished 007 out of the blue water and saved his life by making love to him in her own room… Valerie was the Sardinian hotel receptionist in 'The Spy Who loved Me' when Bond and Anya arrive seeking Stromberg…Prunella Gee is Shrublands physical therapist Patricia… Saskia Cohen Tanugi is Nicole, Bond's Secret Service contact in the South of France… Gavan O'Herlihy is Jack Petachi, the U.S. Air Force communications officer who duplicates the President of the United States' 'eye print' and arms two cruise missiles with nuclear warheads… Rowan Atkinson is the bumbling foreign officer Nigel Small-Fawcett; and Alec McCowen is Algernon, the armorer who provides 007 some formidable items… If you like to see Connery playing a tense battle of wills, disguised as a masseur, attacked by robot-controlled sharks, giving away a considerable amount of money for a tango dance, thrown into a medieval dungeon, don't miss this second of only two "unofficial" James Bond films…$LABEL$ 1 +(Possible ?? spoilers included, but nothing critical given away.)I just watched this classic low budget movie on video, and was knocked out by the level of energy present on screen. All the actors do themselves proud, especially John Daniels, must see another of his films. Not only does this movie boast great performances, but manages stylish sequences, like when the baron throws someone out of a window and we see shards of glass falling into a swimming pool which erupts from the impact of the fallen man, i love the way slow-motion photography was used in 70's cinema, dreamy and hypnotic. Cool and witty black dudes spout great one liners while slimy seedy lumps of white trash come to unpleasant ends. I love it, my rating 10 / 10. If this ever comes out on dvd, count me in for a purchase.$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent episode movie ala Pulp Fiction. 7 days - 7 suicides. It doesnt get more depressing than this. Movie rating: 8/10 Music rating: 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +My god how bad this is. Who is this impostor pretending to be Ali G? Avoid this at all costs. It replaces the smart multi-layered satire and humour of his show with down and out toilet humour.This was obviously an attempt to get him known in the States before he released his show there on HBO.One commentator here pleads that we not judge the movie on the merits of the show due to the difference in the mediums. While it is true that the standard format of the show could never have been transferred to the big screen Mr Sacha Baron Cohen could have ensured the smart use of his comic style in a more conventional movie storyline. Instead we have this mess, which in all honesty has nothing at all to do with Ali G except for the packaging.Terribly disappointing. Go seek out the DVD's of Innit, Aiiii, or Bling Bling for some real Ali G.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't usually comment on films since I am in the movie distribution business, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite films of all time. The acting is fantastic and the script is even better. There were no cheesy speeches or exploitation of handicapped people to try and make this movie more "Hollywood". James McAvoy is such an outstanding actor, I could not look away from him if I tried. I was impressed with Steven Robertson as well. I cannot believe this is his first real film. Brenda Fricker plays a small role, but as usual, she is outstanding. This is a movie for everyone to see just how lucky we all are. If you like Awakenings and Mask, you will enjoy this story. You owe it to yourself to check this film out.$LABEL$ 1 +An interesting movie based on three of Jules Verne's novels. Considering the special effects and computer enhanced animation of today, this movie stands as an historic marker of cinematic resourcefulness and imagination. Karel Zeman has brought to life the lithographic images of the original Jules Verne texts. this is a must see for classic science fiction and history buffs.I give this movie 9 out of 10. Enjoy!!$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw the elaborate DVD box for this and the dreadful Red Queen figurine, I felt certain I was in for a big disappointment, but surprise, surprise, I loved it. Convoluted nonsense of course and unforgivable that such a complicated denouement should be rushed to the point of barely being able to read the subtitles, let alone take in the ridiculous explanation. These quibbles apart, however, the film is a dream. Fabulous ladies in fabulous outfits in wonderful settings and the whole thing constantly on the move and accompanied by a wonderful Bruno Nicolai score. He may not be Morricone but in these lighter pieces he might as well be so. Really enjoyable with lots of colour, plenty of sexiness, some gory kills and minimal police interference. Super.$LABEL$ 1 +Where to start? Some guy has some Indian pot that he's cleaning, and suddenly Skeletor attacks. He hits a woman in the neck with an axe, she falls down, but then gets up and is apparently uninjured. She runs into the woods, and it turns out there's the basement of a shopping center out there in the woods. She meets a utility worker and Skeletor attacks again. Luckily, like any good utility worker, he's got a gun and shoots at the guy. Doesn't work, everything starts on fire.Cut to some people walking through the woods. Even though they've been hiking together for some time, they sit down and introduce themselves to each other. Wouldn't they have probably done that when they first met? Anyhow, they're "undercover" Delta team members (undercover, I suppose, because that way they don't have to pay to dress them in uniforms). The cute girls are various things such as a sniper school instructor and, oh, I can't remember the rest. It doesn't matter. Eventually they all take their guns out and immediately start aiming them at various things. ? Anyhow, they meet an old Indian who is sitting out in the woods. He wants beans. You know, like pork and beans? He mumbles some stuff, I can only assume that it's the premise of the movie. I relied on having heard the premise from the commercials, because you can't really understand anything he says.So, they walk around the woods some more. All the dialogue is a load of quasi-military, macho BS. I mean all of it, as in every single word. Like "This reminds me of when we were in Kabul" or "This reminds me of when we were in Laos". Skeletor attacks again. Let me give you a rundown of a basic attack. One of the female characters is crouched behind a tree and she aims her gun at the approaching guy on the horse. For some reason, she doesn't fire but yells several times for someone else. Then as Skeletor approaches, she jumps out from behind the tree so that Skeletor can stick her with his spear. Then everybody starts shooting. The bullets cause sparks to fly from the trees. Apparently the folks who made this movie never shot a tree with a bullet. They don't make sparks.Then Casper Van Diem is all of a sudden driving a semi-truck, trying to run over Skeletor. He misses, and the truck slides to a stop. Van Diem is injured, apparently he slid across the seat and bumped his hip on the window crank or something, so he crawls out of the truck and it explodes. Later he's in the woods dying and everybody says a bunch of quasi-military, macho BS. They meet a couple guys in the woods and blow their "undercover" status by immediately identifying themselves as being from the Army. They beat on the guys for some reason, then they go away.Some other stuff happens, people mumble, the camera shakes, etc.I think it comes to an end eventually.My theory is that the Sci-Fi Channel is getting a little annoyed with everyone bashing their movies, so they put this out to remind us all how bad movies can really be. Like, you think our movies are bad? Well, you haven't seen bad. HERE'S BAD!!! Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, the rest of our movies are pretty good in comparison, right?Well, it's just a theory.$LABEL$ 0 +Since my third or fourth viewing some time ago, I've abstained from La Maman et la putain while I wait for the DVD. In the meantime, I've read the french screenplay as well as Alain Philippon's monograph on Jean Eustache. The latter ends with a frustrating filmography, eleven films, fiction, doc, and in-between, impossible to see or, in the cases of Mes petites amoureuses and Le Père Noël..., re-see.A few questions that hit me this moment: Polish Véronika's French is plenty colloquial (un maximum d' "un maximum d'"). Even so, does she have an accent? I think I can tell she does. What does the absence of color add, especially at the single spot the fringe of the city is glimpsed? How does this fringe differ from the sleep and journey that separates worlds of The Tempest and The Winter's Tale? Ditto Alphaville. We may imagine the elapsed years since have done it, but does Eustache deliberately circumscribe the film's milieu? Is this an enchanted isle? Is Alexandre's a fairy tale? Alexandre's always choreographing himself, worrying about how or where to stand or walk, what to say when, announcing these decisions to who have to care less than he does what he does. Or is this his way of trying to choreograph others by doing it to himself? How different is he from Vertigo's Scottie? (I say, I think, very.) What's the difference, and is there one, between Eustache's Léaud, and Truffaut's, and Godard's? How different is the present Léaud? Isn't he still doing it, whatever it is, in recent roles, Irma Vep, Le Pornographe, whatever, approaching old age? Once I arrived early for one in a series of mostly Antoine Doinel (Léaud's character) Truffaut films. For a long while, every three or five minutes, down the aisle would come a twenty-something male in scarf, tweedy coat, Léaud hair, with a direction-seeking nose. I have no idea whether this was conscious or unconscious mimicry. I was that age, but have no idea what I myself looked like then. No scarf, at least. I do have a brother, though, who seems to have learned his carriage from Bresson.$LABEL$ 1 +So.. what can I tell you about this movie. If you cheated a lot in high school, you do recognize some cheattips...This is the best thing i can tell you about this film!If you like American-teen movies, maybe you also like it!But i don't see this kind of movies as something funny.. sorry to say but if you are older then 10 years, i shouldn't advise you to watch this.Because there is one shot with a couple of beautiful women (girls.. in this movie) i'll give it a rate of: 2!so.. deal for yourself! good luck$LABEL$ 0 +The cult movie for every true Russian intellectual. Everything is brilliant, especially acting: it's beyond any praise. The movie, as the book, is full of symbols: my favorite one is the brightest symbol of Razrukha (colloquial Russian word for "devastation", often signifies the period of lifestyle chaos after the 1918-20 Civil War) -- the wide-opened dirty door in the bricky wall squeaking in the snowy wind and the pitch-black hole of the doorway behind it.Now the film is released on DVD with fully restored image and the 5.1 sound, there are well-translated English subtitles too, though some obscene words of Sharikov were replaced by the more mild versions in the translation. I don't know is that DVD available abroad but if you'll find it grab it immediately, it's really worthy of watching.And, in conclusion, a fact: about the 50% of Russians today, mostly youth, can be identified as Sharikovs in a considerable degree. It's the post-Soviet effect: Soviet people appeared to be wholly unprepared for the informational attack of the Western civilization, TV-producers and movie makers have made the entertainment industry and the mass media amazingly aggressive, soulless and thoughtless so that it abetted the darkest instincts of every Russian. Even among the Internet users every third one uses the obscene language in forums and chats because it's amazingly common in colloquial speech.$LABEL$ 1 +This new movie by Jeskid is awesome! Check it out and you'll be amazed. The story of Emily Waters, once a girl from a broken home, whose only means of escape from an abusive father was through her sketchbook. Until one night her drawings manifested into reality and saved her, and now using this power she fights against those who would do evil. Both live action film and hand drawn animation blend together to create a unique and original experience that will shake your soul and blow you away. The music is incredible as well, it really intesifies the emotional experience and draws you deep into the conflict. Directed by Jesse Cowell and animated by Erica Langworthy, starring the beautiful Marissa Parness, with music by Nico Audy-Rowland, Daniel Collins, Jeff Strathearn, Matt Sisco, and Selcuk Bor. Support this film and support Jeskid, he is a very talented guy. Go see his film Shades of Grey as well.$LABEL$ 1 +Part of the movie's low rating is the emphasis on unemployment and the suffering we have to endure. While this is good for drama, in comedy, we know the pains it need not be emphasized. As a result Fun with Dick and Jane is not an appropriate title and I was just plain disappointed failing to see any fun with Dick and Jane. It is true that this is a copy from the movie of the same name, but it fails on the execution and the title was not appropriate for the story line.However, if the movie was retitled to be "The Art of the Steal" and the emphasis on bungling slapstick comedy more takes on the robbery and the plans to steal (stupidly of course) would have given the movie a major boost. While, at the same time the movie should show the CEO at least in the beginning to be a crook, so it will be easier to project the pains to someone responsible early on and just leave it at that. The movie suffers a viewpoint issue and with that in mind, a comedy cannot work if the viewpoint is not done properly. A scheming husband character who is that of a Wile E. Coyote on the Road Runner would be more funny, including the slapstick comedy. But in this case, a steal instead of the capture of the bird with complicate contraptions would be extremely funny here. I mean you can make many of these and put them in the movie. But since the viewpoint was done wrongly, the robbery part had to be limited.You will enjoy the movie the first 15 minutes (during Jim Carrey's great rise), but to make the problems they had to faced to be more comical since it is a comedy, that is the part that needs a major overhaul. It can be funnier, if problems were faced more like John Travolta's Civil Action during the downfall. That movie was a serious one but the problems they faced were somewhat comical.$LABEL$ 0 +Before there was Crash, there was this interesting film called Grand Canyon. Released about 14 years sooner than the former film, Grand Canyon was a movie about two people from different backgrounds who come together as friends over a lifetime. To me Crash was still a slightly better film, but Grand Canyon was no slouch either.Taking place in Los Angeles, an upper-class lawyer named Mack (Kevin Kline) takes a shortcut through the seedier side of town only to have his car break down at the worst time. He calls for a tow truck, and has to wait for awhile, only to soon be threatened by a group of dangerous people who want his car. Soon the tow truck driver arrives at the perfect moment, and out steps Simon (Danny Glover) to take the truck away. Both men are threatened, but Simon manages to get himself, Mack, and the car out of dire straits. It is from here on out that a friendship develops between the two men over a lifetime with Mack helping out Simon just as Simon had helped him out of a dangerous situation earlier. You see Simon's sister Deborah (Tina Lifford) is living in a dangerous neighborhood with her two children, and fears for her oldest son who seems to be roaming the streets at night with some bad people. Mack offers them a better place to live as well as hooking Simon up with his secretary's friend Jane (Alfre Woodard).This is the main plot of the film, but there are other smaller plots involving the same secretary mentioned above (Mary Louise Parker) as well as Mack's wife, (Mary McDonnel) who discovers an abandoned baby not long after their son Roberto (Jeremy Sisto in his first movie role) has gone to camp for the summer, and will likely be moving on with his own life soon. The details of all these plots are brought together into one complex movie which uses a police helicopter as a metaphor for life and as a bridge to entwine all the different scenes. This simple plot device works very well and helps greatly with the flow of the story.The director Lawrence Kasdan, whose biggest movie to this date was The Big Chill, has created a splendid movie here. The cast is excellent, and most of the ideas are well thought out, but alas it falls short of greatness because some points, that would've made the film even stronger, are glossed over. The story involving the secretary is one, and the second involving Simon's nephew is the other. These scenes should've been more apart of the entire story, and then maybe Lawrence Kasdan's views of life between the upper and lower classes would've been more on a superior level instead of just very good. Still Grand Canyon exceeded expectations, and yes you will get to see a view of the canyon that this movie was named after. There is also a small role for Steve Martin as Davis, a producer of violent films, who offers his own views on life, and has a small part to play in this movie's ideas.$LABEL$ 1 +DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!I had to see why all the critics fawn over this movie. I have seen it and still don't get it. The Plot is thin, very thin. After the movie was over, I still did not know the female lead characters name and one of the two male characters did not even have a name in the credits, he is credited as "the farmer". I did not care about the characters, so I did not care about the movie.The scenery and cinematography were brilliant, but so is the stuff on National Geographic or The Discovery Channel.I can not recommend this movie to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +Alice(Claire Danes) and Darlene(Kate Beckinsale) have been best friends since forever and after they graduate they decide to take a trip to Thailand. Due to a incident, they meet a young attractive mysterious stranger who invites them to go with him Hong Kong for the weekend. But at the airport, Alice and Darlene are mistaken for drug smuggling heroine and they are sent to prison. Now it's time for ultimate survival and true friendship. This was a pretty good movie, i've seen it a couple of times and after a while you notice that they are a few holes in the plot but the movie still keeps you entertained. Claire Danes did a great job as usual, she is a great actress. I would give Brokedown Palace 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +A mean spirited, repulsive horror film about 3 murderous children. Susan Strasberg is totally wasted in a 5-minute cameo, even though she receives star billing. If your a Julie Brown fan, you'll want to check it out, since she's naked in a couple of shots. All others,avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie appeals to public due to charisma of Ben Stiller and notoriety of J. Aniston. It seems that we have here a recipe for a successful title, but there's nothing successful in this movie.Polly is very well played by Aniston, no doubt. This is the kind of character which suits her perfectly. Bem Stiller is the same troublesome guy like in " Meet the parents", but in this movie the comic scenes are few compared to the title mentioned above.The script is very poor with nothing special at all. With this two well payed actors the things could get a lot better - but what can they do when there is such a poor story and script.4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +The arch title doesn't fit this gentle romantic comedy. Donna Reed and Tom Drake don't have much chemistry -- but their characters aren't supposed to. Both are extremely likable and attractive.The supporting cast is a dream -- with the exception of Sig Ruman's annoying faux Russian.$LABEL$ 1 +i think the team behind this film did a very good job with the limitations they had. only £300,000 and 7 weeks to write, film and edit the whole thing which i think is an achievement in itself. although this film is not for the masses (as a young innocent teenage girl is killed and there is homo-eroticism involved in the story) i think that this film is a heart wrenching tragedy and the more deeply involved you get in the story, the more sadness you feel. more so towards Heaton because of the love he feels but is not returned.this is one of my favourite British films that i enjoyed very much and would watch again. i think that it's a shame that is film is not very well heard of at all.$LABEL$ 1 +It must be so difficult to tell a story where not much happens, yet still grip the viewers attention. I think this short film achieves this with effortless quality. Rutger has an amazing voice that is very soothing, wise and fatherly, (I'm not gay) it reminds of the qualities that Robert Redford has in narrating. The end is very sad, but beautiful. One wonders how long Harry has left, will he be lonely and will he get to say his goodbyes? Also one gets annoyed at Mr Hauer for not getting involved in more work of this caliber. Lets hope he continues to do fine work in Holland and stays away from Hollywood.Worth Watching$LABEL$ 1 +This is a hard show to watch. It's not something to sit back and relax to. It kept me on the edge of my seat for several seasons. People get screwed over, raped, tortured and die like flies. There are male organs everywhere, there is excrement, puke and blood. Oz is a brave show. It brings up issues like racism, homosexuality, prisoners reality and most of all; -capital punishment. It is, in my opinion also successful in doing so, unlike for example, the single-tracked "Medium".It bored me sometimes. It had some weird story lines and they spent to much time on characters that just didn't interest me. Strangely enough, I found season 1 to be quite boring. If I had watched it while it aired I think I wouldn't have continued to watch it. I love seasons 2 - 4. Season 5 and 6 are watchable, (although I think it shouldn't be allowed to utter the words "Cyril" and "Death Row" in the same sentence)There are so many marvelous characters to root for. The old guys Bob and Busmalis, who I absolutely fell in love with from day one. Said, Adebesi, Pancamo and Schillinger, four very strong and charismatic leaders in their own way. Augustus Hill, who's monologues tied the episodes together so efficient. The staff with people like Sister Pete and Ray Mukada-also brilliant. Also minor characters that was only in for a couple of episodes or a few seasons, but left a good impression as well.My favorites are the O'Reily brothers. Their relationship was the most gut-wrenching and warmest I seen on television. If there is anything I will always remember about this show it's them. There will never be another "pairing" or what to call it, that will make me ache so much. Thats why, when the ends come for them as well, it almost hurt to much. I wish it would never have happened. I wish I had never watched it.But good one Fontana. I do recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +wow! i watched the trailer for this one and though 'nah, this one is not for me'. i watched my husband and our friend's faces during the trailer, and knew this was a 'boy movie'. i mean, hallo! a bunch of chick barmaids that dance - another striptease?then, i started watching it, it didn't look all that bad. so i carried on watching. i watched it right to the end. what an awesome movie. if anything, this is a chick-flick. these girls have attitude. it is really a feel-good movie, and a bit of a love story. really leaves you with a nice feeling.basically, the story of a small-town girl making it big in the city, after going through the usual big-city c**p. there have been a couple of these, it is almost a new urban legend. but it also makes you think of your life, and what you have achieved. well, me anyway. i think it is because the whole working in a bar scenario is very familiar, not just for me, but for many people i know. Don't trust the trailers for this one - it is aimed at bringing the men in.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an incredible movie that begins slowly. It leads you along in thinking of it as a typical maudlin family drama. Then, in the second half, there is a plot twist that utterly transforms this into a profound tale of global scope.If you are unaccustomed to films from India, with song and dance routines seemingly grafted on for no reason, stick with this movie. Especially beginning with the second half, you will find this movie an amazing experience.*********** Minor Spoiler Here ************* I have but one complaint with the movie. The dialog at the end (between Amudha and MDS) seemed very weak and missed the opportunity to bring in the war as a force that transforms people's lives. It was implied all along, but there should have been something about the importance of the struggle for MDS.$LABEL$ 1 +'Presque Rien' ('Come Undone') is an earlier work by the inordinately gifted writer/ director Sébastien Lifshitz (with the collaboration of writer Stéphane Bouquet - the team that gave us the later 'Wild Side'). As we come to understand Lifshitz's manner of storytelling each of his works becomes more treasureable. By allowing his tender and sensitive love stories to unfold in the same random fashion found in the minds of confused and insecure youths - time now, time passed, time reflective, time imagined, time alone - Lifshitz makes his tales more personal, involving the viewer with every aspect of the characters' responses. It takes a bit of work to key into his method, but going with his technique draws us deeply into the film.Mathieu (handsome and gifted Jérémie Elkaïm) is visiting the seaside for a holiday, a time to allow his mother (Dominique Reymond) to struggle with her undefined illness, cared for by the worldly and wise Annick (Marie Matheron) and accompanied by his sister Sarah (Laetitia Legrix): their distant father has remained at home for business reasons. Weaving in and out of the first moments of the film are images of Mathieu alone, looking depressed, riding trains, speaking to someone in a little recorder. We are left to wonder whether the unfolding action is all memory or contemporary action.While sunning at the beach Mathieu notices a handsome youth his age starring at him, and we can feel Mathieu's emotions quivering with confusion. The youth Cédric (Stéphane Rideau) follows Mathieu and his sister home, continuing the mystery of attraction. Soon Cédric approaches Mathieu and a gentle introduction leads to a kiss that begins a passionate love obsession. Mathieu is terrified of the direction he is taking, rebuffs Cédric's public approaches, but continues to seek him out for consignations. The two young men are fully in the throes of being in love and the enactment of the physical aspect of this relationship, so very necessary to understanding this story, is shared with the audience in some very erotic and sensual scenes. Yet as the summer wears on Mathieu, a committed student, realizes that Cédric is a drifter working in a condiment stand at a carnival. It becomes apparent that Cédric is the Dionysian partner while Mathieu is the Apollonian one: in a telling time in architectural ruin Mathieu is excited by the beauty of the history and space while Cédric is only interested in the place as a new hideaway for lovemaking.Mathieu is a complex person, coping with his familial ties strained by critical illness and a non-present father, a fear of his burgeoning sexuality, and his nascent passion for Cédric. Their moments of joy are disrupted by Cédric's admission of infidelity and Mathieu's inability to cope with that issue and eventually they part ways. Time passes, family changes are made, and Mathieu drifts into depression including a suicide attempt. The manner in which Mathieu copes with all of these challenges and finds solace, strangely enough, in one of Cédric's past lovers Pierre (Nils Ohlund) brings the film to an ambiguous yet wholly successful climax.After viewing the film the feeling of identification with these characters is so strong that the desire to start the film from the beginning now with the knowledge of the complete story is powerful. Lifshitz has given us a film of meditation with passion, conflicts with passion's powers found in love, and a quiet film of silences and reveries that are incomparably beautiful. The entire cast is superb and the direction is gentle and provocative. Lifshitz is most assuredly one of the bright lights of film-making. In French with English subtitles. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +*Spoilers and extreme bashing lay ahead*When this show first started, I found it tolerable and fun. Fairly Oddparents was the kind of cartoon that kids and adults liked. It also had high ratings along with Spongebob. But it started to fall because of the following crap that Butch Hartman and his team shoved into the show.First off, toilet humor isn't all that funny. You can easily pull off a fast laugh from a little kiddie with a burp, but that's pretty much the only audience that would laugh at such a cliché joke. Next there are the kiddie jokes. Lol we can see people in their underwear and we can see people cross-dressing. LOLOLOL!!! I just can't stop laughing at such gay bliss! Somebody help me! But of course, this show wouldn't suck that bad if it weren't for stereotypes. Did you see how the team portrayed Australians? They saw them as nothing but kangaroo-loving, boomerang-throwing simpletons who live in a hot desert. But now... Is the coup de grace of WHY this show truly sucks the loudest of them all... OVER-USED JOKES!!! The show constantly pulls up the same jokes (the majority of them being unfunny) thinking it is like the greatest thing ever! Cosmo is mostly the one to blame. I hated how they kept on mentioning "Super Toilet" (which also has a blend of kiddish humor in it just as well) and Cosmo would freak out. And who could forget that dumb battery ram joke that every goddamn parent in Dimmsdale would use in that one e-mail episode? You know, the one in which every single parent (oblivious to other parents saying it) would utter the EXACT same sentence before breaking into their kid's room? Yes, it may be first class humor to some people, but it is pure s*** to others.If I'm not mistaken, I do believe Butch Hartman said something about ending the show. Thank God! Everyone around my area says it's, like, the funniest Nickelodeon show ever. I just can't agree with it… I think it's just another pile of horse dung that we get on our cartoon stations everyday, only worse.$LABEL$ 0 +I just got this movie for Christmas and have already added it to my favorites list. A cute and simple story which makes a beautiful movie. Who could not love Uncle Felix or not have their mouth water at the sound of all that food. Definite points go to Sydney Greenstreet for his performance of Alexander Yardley and also to Reginald Gardiner who played John Sloane, the impossibly boring fiancee. Truly a gem to be watched every Christmas.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite a decent first season this series never came close to realizing its potential. Set as a prequel to the original "Star Trek" series it was doomed almost from the start by an executive producer, Rick Berman, who felt compelled to artificially limit and constrict the definition of what a "Star Trek" series could be (which made this futuristic show increasingly anachronistic from a dramatic standpoint). The actual show-runner, Brannon Braga, didn't help matters by his uninspired and tired rehashing of previous Trek episodes and careless disregard of the franchise's internal mythology (it was painfully obvious early on that he was in it only for the paycheck). Never have I seen a series' that so consistently did a disservice to a cast of talented actors (Jolene Blaylock excepted)last so long. It is as if this entire series was produced in bubble existing outside the contemporary television landscape where the audience (even a Trekker audience) is more demanding and sophisticated in their dramatic wants and desires. Unfortunately it appears as if Berman and Braga have succeeded in convincing the higher ups at Paramount that "Enterprise" suffered from "franchise fatigue" and that its core audience was did not walk away but was driven off. Produce a quality offering that lives up to the high ideals and standards of its predecessors and they (the audience) will come.Simply put, In a TeeVee universe where we are given shows like "Battlestar: Galactica" and "The Shield" the powers-that-be must give the viewing public a "Star Trek" that measures up and is dramatically competitive. It is just that straightforward and easy.$LABEL$ 0 +Simply but imaginatively filmed studio-set performance short, a perfect match of music and images that defines the very coolness of cool and the hipness of hip. The precise visual and musical arrangements give the lie to its claim to be a record of a jam session: what it is, is a pop video - every bit as stylised and knowing as that implies, and all the better for it. Among the very best music films ever made, and almost certainly the most cinematic. These cats are solid gone, daddy-o ...$LABEL$ 1 +When a rich tycoon is killed in a plane crash, his spinster twin sister, Martha Craig (Madge Kennedy), doesn't believe he grabbed the controls in a suicide dive (even though self-snuff runs in the family) but his three beautiful daughters couldn't care less. The pilot, Jim Norton (John Bromfield), goes to work for Valerie Craig (Kathleen Hughes) who soon coerces him into helping her wrest control of the estate from her troubled sister, Lorna (Sara Shane) and the family lawyer (Jess Barker). Valerie wants Norton to seduce Lorna when he's not fending off the advances of another sister, the nymphet Vicki (Marla English), but her plans are thrown into a tailspin when Norton falls for his prey. All bets are off as a world of woe -including corporate chicanery, seductions, suicides, blackmail, a murder plot, the Mann Act, double-crosses, disfigurement, and poetic justice- befall "Craig Manor", an imposing mansion on a bluff overlooking the sea...This preposterous potboiler would have made a perfect second feature for WRITTEN ON THE WIND, also from 1956. Douglas Sirk's saga of a powerful (and powerfully dysfunctional) oil clan was said to have inspired the 1980s night-time TV serial DALLAS but the Craig's low-brow excursion into insanity seems right out of it's sinful sister-soap, DYNASTY. All three siblings (only one of whom is really bad) are great beauties but it's Kathleen Hughes' cartoon villainy that stands out. Valerie is relentless in her quest to inherit the family fortune and her unbridled enthusiasm for evil is one of the movie's many guilty pleasures. Teenage sister Vicki is quite a piece of work as well, reminiscent of Carmen Sternwood in THE BIG SLEEP. When they first meet, she pulls the equivalent of trying to sit on Norton's lap while he's still standing by coming on to him with the line "I graduated summa cum laude from Embrace-able U." Whew!THREE BAD SISTERS, produced by schlockmeister Howard W. Koch, is a terrific trash-wallow in exploitation excess and the cast is B-Movie Heaven: Marla "She Creature" English, 50s hunk John "Revenge Of The Creature" Bromfield (once married to French sexpot Corinne Calvet), Universal starlet Sara Shane (discovered by Hedy Lamarr), Jess "Mr. Susan Hayward" Barker, Kathleen "It Came From Outer Space" Hughes, and former silent screen star Madge Kennedy give it all they've got -however much or little that is. Future Eurotrash star Brett Halsey (TRUMPET OF THE Apocalypse) is seen briefly as one of Vicki's victims.B-Movie rating: 10/10 Marla (and her body English) made marvelous movies! THREE BAD SISTERS was recently seen on the big screen as part of the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival but the jury's still wiping soap suds out of ...aw hell, it's noir (5/10 on the noirometer).$LABEL$ 1 +Kennedy-Miller could hardly have done a better job at tackling a very challenging exercise: making dry political events work as human drama, and providing an even-handed representation of explosively controversial subject matter.The key to its success on the first count is brilliant acting, although I was less impressed by Max Phipps' performance as Gough Whitlam than some other commenters here. The clear standouts for my money were John Stanton as Malcolm Fraser and Bill Hunter as Rex Connor. The latter must have been one of the easiest casting choices in history - Hunter could not have been more perfect for the role. On the second count, the series avoids the "myth of objectivity" trap through a narrator who articulates the sympathies of the director (Phillip Noyce, who more recently demonstrated his left-wing credentials in Rabbit Proof Fence), while being carefully even-handed and sympathetic in its dramatic portrayal of all parties. The adherence to the Lady Kerr/Lady Macbeth theme popular among Labor partisans was perhaps a little partial, though not ruinously so. In particular, credit is due for the sympathy shown to Kerr and the extraordinarily difficult position he was placed in, whatever one might think of his actions.However, there is one sour note for which the producers were perhaps not entirely to blame - the portrayal of the Jim Cairns/Juni Morosi affair. Those who come to the series with no background to these events will get the impression that Cairns and Morosi were the innocent victims of a smear campaign by a prurient gutter press. The producers may have been restrained in this respect by Australia's stultifying defamation laws, and the recently demonstrated willingness of Cairns and Morosi to use them against those who suggested their relationship was sexual (which Cairns would eventually admit to a year before his death). However, more could have been made of the bizarre fashion in which Morosi managed Cairns's office as Treasurer.Speaking of defamation, there are a couple of disorienting occasions where dialogue is obscured due to injunctions taken out by offended principals - by a beeping noise on one occasion, and a very loud telephone ring on another. A further curiosity: the DVD release excises a line from the comic relief scene where a customs officer (played by the late Paul Chubb) serves Tirath Khemlani on his arrival at Sydney Airport. Next in the queue is a dishevelled looking hippie, who now receives only a disapproving glare from Chubb when he presents his paperwork. In the original version, Chubb said something along the lines of: "drug bust in Bali, eh?". Obviously this line no longer rings true in the wake of the Schapelle Corby case, which dramatically illustrated that those busted for drugs in Bali can expect far worse than deportation.$LABEL$ 1 +A handful of critics have awarded this film with positive comments. I don't wish to argue with their opinion, but I strongly disagree. When I first watched this film I was mildly impressed. But after comparing it with other films, particularly with the late master, Bruce Lee I quickly changed my mind. In fact, if it wasn't for the title of the film, I would never have bought it. Game of Death 2 doesn't relate to the original Game of Death, (except it shares one character, Billy Lo.)I was stunned to see how similar Game of Death 2 was compared to Enter the Dragon. The plots have striking similarities: Both Bruce Lee and Bobby Lo are on a mission to avenge a relative. The two locations are similar, in which they both are very isolated and are surrounded by thousands of Blackbelts. There is an element of prostitution in both films (women are sent two the guests rooms in both films.) Both Han (Enter the Dragon) and Lewis's henchman have a hand missing. Their is an underground drug operation in Enter the Dragon, believe it or not, there is one in Game of Death 2. Han has a pet cat in Enter the Dragon, the director has used his imagination and awarded Lewis with a pet monkey! The list continues. Regarding other aspects of the film, such as the script and the acting, I felt it was very poor. It seemed to me that the director was looking for a group of martial artists to star in the film and prayed they could act. On a positive scale, I cannot deny that the choreography is impressive. Although the fighting sequences have strong elements of acrobatics in them, they are none the less skillfully performed. However, as the plot is insufficient, i couldn't relate to the characters, therefore the fighting sequences were more exhibitions rather than having a meaning to the film. In conclusion I would say this film is recommendable to any martial-arts fans, but for those who enjoy a solid action film, with a good storyline and strong characters, I seriously wouldn't recommend this film. My opinions towards this film may seem very bias and one-sided, but when Bruce Lee set a new standard in the martial arts cinema, particularly after his masterpiece: Enter the Dragon, this film failed to rise to these standards. If anything they imitated a truly brilliant martial-arts film, in hope of achieving the same level of fame. In reference to my evaluation, awarding this film a very harsh 1 out of 10, the film is barley watchable, and must be thankful that it had the fighting sequences it did.$LABEL$ 0 +The writer/director of this film obviously doesn't know anything about film. I think the DP on this project was tied up and replaced with a monkey, because every seen was either too dark or had the hotter hot spots than the sun. The story was awful, the characters were very one dimensional. For someone to have said that this film was made for poker fans and not film fans, that someone is kidding their self (it was probably the writer/director). No poker fan in this world likes this movie. Even your money man hates this project. To go into a casino and play a few hands doesn't give you the experience to write about poker. Keep your day job. And if it's playing poker, then you must be hurt'n.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh it really really is. I've seen films that I disliked more, due to whatever reason, but never have I seen a film that just fails in every single aspect of film making. It even fails to fail at film making, in a Way the Hercules in New York could be said to do. It's not the film I like the least, but it is the very worst film I've ever seen.The acting is the first thing that strikes you. I've never seen a worse acted film outside of pornography. In fact I've plenty of pornographic films that are acted a damn site better than this. It really is awful.Technically, it's terrible. The camera-work is amateurish. The editing is nonsensical. I presume they couldn't afford proper sound equipment, and this meant that every scene in a car (and there's a lot of them) has them driving at about three miles per hour and every scene set outside by the same patch of woods (and there's a lot of them too) is actually dubbed from a studio, again lending more to the bad porn vibe.The plot is nonsensical, as many have pointed out. I'll defend vampires walking in daylight by the fact that despite it being popularized by Nosferatu, this was never originally an intrinsic part of the vampire mythos.Speaking of vampire mythos, the writer had evidently read Carmilla, or at very least seen The Vampire Lovers. I'm not sure how I feel about this, swaying from impressed that a movie this dire has at least some aspirations to a Gothic novel I'm very fond of; or annoyed by its at best sledgehammer references and at worst total desecration of source material. At very least 'the General' is an insult to Peter Cushing though.It gets two stars however, merely because I can't bring myself to vote one star for a film that has, or at least purports to have, both vampires and zombies in it. Incidentally I watched Lifeforce (another film that tenuously has vampires and zombies in it) on the same day as this, and despite being a rather flawed film itself, really comes out a masterpiece compared to this.So in the end, this is not a film so bad it's good, or so bad it's in any way enjoyable, even drunk. It's just a mess, and worth no-one's time watching.$LABEL$ 0 +I felt like I was watching an example of how not to make a movie. I think the director filmed it in his back yard! There was no real plot. Terrible script.Terrible acting.The worst production I have ever witnessed. A couple of bad CG effects and then the rest of the movies was spent walking around in what looked like a junk yard.I don't normally write reviews to movies but was moved to warn everyone about this one.Life is to short to waste your time with this movie!$LABEL$ 0 +"Spin it!"The 90s opened up with a clever Disney favorite, "TaleSpin," the TV cartoon series that featured characters from "The Jungle Book." Join Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker as they fly the Sea Duck like you've never seen it before: out of Cape Suzette, to Louie's, up mountains, through jungles, on water, in volcanoes, looking for adventure, looking for treasure, looking for fun, all in one action-packed cartoon adventure!!!!!This was a favorite of mine as well as my family's. This ran on The Disney Afternoon the entire first half of the 90s until the original cartoons moved to the Old Disney Channel in 1995, which I have seen on vacation once in 1996 before getting cable in March 1997.And good news: today the DVDs are here!!!!! Relive the fun and excitement of "Dun, dun, dun, TaleSpin!!!!!"10/10$LABEL$ 1 +This amazing Oscar winner (4 in total) and John Ford's first Academy Award winner, is simply spellbinding with a pounding score by Max Steiner. Called an Art film, because Ford had very little money to make this great story about guilt and retribution, and greed and stupidity. But what makes this movie such a classic, is the direction and astounding photography and use of fog and lighting, that was so different from the usual American film, and more in the tradition of German expressionism. And the Oscar winning performance by Victor McLaglen as the drunken Gypo is simply unbelievable. Basically the movie takes place in Ireland, and Gypo turns in a friend in the rebel movement to the English to collect 20 pounds to give to his girlfriend. But having all that money, he starts blowing it on an all night drunk and giving it away, while the leaders of the movement are trying to track down the informer. The whole movie is one night in a dark and foggy Ireland, and a cast of characters that are memorable but all along, the whole world of Gypo is closing in on him, both psychologically. If I had to pick maybe three directors to have ALL their movies on a deserted island forever, and nobody elses, John Ford would certainly be one of them. What a truly remarkable movie...$LABEL$ 1 +I myself am a physics student, and I have to say I think this is one of the best 'popular' introductions to string theory that's out there. The Elegant Universe manages to make the entire topic of string (although it's actually M) theory accessible to a wider audience.Some 'popular science' programmes feel that the best approach is just to throw the audience in at the deep end, throwing technical jargon at them without so much as an explanation, and presenting the theory in a boring, stale style. This programme goes through concepts such as general relativity and quantum mechanics, and explains the issues that need to be resolved between the two so we have a coherent theory that can be applied to the universe on both a large and small scale.I suppose some could say it's slow and takes too long to get to the interesting stuff like extra dimensions and wormholes, but the thing is: that's against the point. Explaining string theory from the start is nigh on impossible without at least mentioning the physics at its base, and the way it's explained in The Elegant Universe is clear and entertaining.Whether you'll like this program really does depend on if you're willing to perhaps be initially dumbfounded by some of the ideas that Greene presents: extra dimensions and warping of spacetime aren't exactly prevalent in everyday life, are they? But, if you persevere with some of the more exotic concepts in this programme, you'll find that it will give you an insight into the research that drives the world of physics today. And if you're studying physics, well, it's great entertainment as well as you'll be likely able to follow this and appreciate it even more!$LABEL$ 1 +It's easy to see how this below-average screenplay got by in the early sales-pitch meetings at Regency Films (and later with Fox): cross the superhero genre with a comedic take on "Fatal Attraction"...voilà! I don't know how on earth a talented director like Ivan Reitman got involved, unless the pay was just too tempting. A dateless employee at an architectural design firm in N.Y.C. meets a girl on the subway and asks her out; despite the fact she's distracted and unpleasant, he eventually gets her into bed--only to find out later she's the Big Apple's resident superhero, G-Girl. This distaff Superman, with powers bestowed upon her by a fallen meteorite, isn't a fantasy heroine, however...screenwriter Don Payne has conceived her as a needy, possessive, vindictive bitch (he telegraphs this to us from miles away, though Uma Thurman still plays the role for sassy laughs). This is the kind of worthless movie that can't let an insult slip by. Our introduction to leading man Luke Wilson, talking with Rainn Wilson on the train, is accompanied by a sour dig at gays (it prods at us to be assured these two buddies are strictly ladies' men). After being approached by G-Girl's nemesis, who wants to zap her powers, Wilson is told this will make her just an ordinary woman scorned...and isn't that better after all? Thurman's early performances in films like "Henry & June" and "Jennifer 8" showcased an intelligent woman with angular grace and hypnotic poise; her films with Quentin Tarantino helped expose her sinewy hardness and intensity, but that came at a price (the actress has seemingly lost her graceful touch). The picture is exceedingly well-produced and shot, with expensive-seeming special effects, yet nobody bothered to find the humor in this scenario. It's pushy, leering, ugly, and badly-cast. Bloated, frozen-faced Wilson can't tell any of his co-workers that he's dating G-Girl because she made him swear he'd rather have a chainsaw stuck up his rectum. I wonder if writer Payne actually thought that was hilarious...or, indeed, if anyone involved did? * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Oh dear, what a horrid movie.The production was so cheap and nasty... Remember the shot from "the Natural", where the lightning hits the tree (leaving a glowing stump) that Roy Hobbs makes a bat from?? Well the producers of this movie used that same scene to prefix a scene where a tree branch slammed into the house.I wonder if they paid to use the footage from The Natural, or did they just hope that no-one who would watch the film would pick it up ?Then at the end where they were getting trying to get away in the truck. Such over-acting in the cabin. A really bad film, a really bad film.$LABEL$ 0 +A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Blade Runner, Sin City and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – if you are a fan of any of these then this will be well worth checking out.French animation project 'Renaissance' took seven years to make on a shoestring budget and tonight I finally got to see it at a private screening for the International Film Festival in Stockholm. My spontaneous reaction is awe; my further reflection is 'huh, neat' and closer analysis regrettably gets a resounding 'meh'. It is a gorgeous science fiction triumph on the surface, but scratch it or even poke it a little and its unnecessarily complex plot becomes glaringly apparent, as do the flat characters. Nevertheless it is clear that the people at Onyx films have done something spectacular with the aforementioned surface. The visuals are staggering. They have used live action motion capture fitted into key-frame animation, with stark jet black and bright white contrasts and a heavily shadowed rotoscoped background. For those of you who are not down with the 'technical lingo', the film looks like a fully-animated Sin City. Its fluid, transparent, dark and stylized template is complemented by great lurid lightning. It's a vision. Yet much credit is also due to the crisp sound effects that take the form of humming futuristic weapons, suspenseful music, heavy raindrops and glass shards breaking. It's every tech-nerd's wet dream...The film zooms in on an eerily-lit, bleak, futurescape Paris in which a major corporation called 'Avalon' has begun to interweave in the lives of the citizens with surveillance (think the fluid transparent screens from Minority Report) and genetic engineering. The latter leads to a mysterious kidnapping of young researcher Ilona (voiced by the lovely Romola Garai). Cut to our hard-boiled cop-on-suspension and protagonist Karas (Daniel Craig) – a man who takes the law into his own hands – who is assigned the case of finding and retrieving Ilona. During this case, he is being aided by Illona's sister with whom he also begins a love affair. A very half-assed love affair, if I may say so.The world of Renaissance is remarkable. Director Christian Volckman takes a fair jab at melting the noir themes and the result is an urban jungle filled with cads, rats, femme fatales and lonely detectives that hide in the shadows of the seedy slum. The problem is that the creators undoubtedly felt the need to have extremely clear and spelled-out archetypes in the story, or the film would have been "too surreal" for mainstream audiences, owing to its lurid animation format. It follows then that we have a multitude of clichéd characters such as evil-laughing villains, sleazy crime bosses and butch tough-chicks who blow smoke every chance they get. It shoves noir in our faces, and it isn't necessary.What is worse is that the dialogue is a little contrived. It seems as though every line exists for the sole reason of propelling the plot. This is nothing fatal because the plot is so complex once it gets going that it needs some clear direction. Daniel Craig helps here too by bringing a no-nonsense attitude to his hard-edged cop character. At one point in Renaissance, he is seen in a vivid car-chase that surely is one of the most adrenaline-pumping and top notch sequences of the film. Unfortunately, the novelty of the sci-fi visuals have worn off post this car chase and 'Renassaince' could benefit from being slightly shorter. In summary, a very interesting but flawed futuristic comic book experience.7 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +Audiences back in 1936 must have been stunned at what they were watching: a full-fledged, beautiful full-length Technicolor film. I can't say for sure, but this might have been the first one (3-strip). At any rate, it still looks beautiful over 70 years later on DVD. In fact, just how good it looks is amazing.Kudos for that have to go out to Director Richard Boleslowski, Director Of Photography Virgil Miller, Selznick International Pictures and, for the DVD - MGM Home Entertainment. All of them combined to give us one of the best-looking films of the classic-era age.I thought the story was so-so: excellent in the first half, stagnant in the second. It gave a nice message in the end, even though a lot of people might not have been happy with it. I can't say more without spoiling things.Marlene Dietrich never looked better, I don't believe, and certainly never played such a soft-hearted character ("Domini Enfilden"). Heart-throb Charles Boyer was the male star and Domini's object of affection, but some of the minor characters were the most interesting to me. People like Joseph Schildkraut as "Batouch;" John Carradine as "The Sand Diviner;" The most memorable, to me at least, was the dancer "Irena," played by Tilly Losch. Wow, there is a face and a dance you won't soon forget! I've never seen anything like it in the thousands of films I've viewed. Just seeing her do her thing was worth the price of the DVD. Looking at her IMDb resume, she was only in four movies, but they were all well-known films.Basil Rathbone, the actor who really became famous for playing "Sherlock Holmes," also is in here as is C. Aubrey Smith, another famous British actor of his day. Schildkraut, by the way, will be recognized by classic film buffs as the man who played the arrogant sales clerk in the big hit, "The Shop Around The Corner," with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.The beautiful direction, photography and color, and Tilly's dance, are the things I'll remember best about this movie which is a lot of good and not-so-good things all rolled into one. Had the last half hour been better - although I admire the ending - I would have rated it even higher. It's definitely one film collectors want to add to their collection.$LABEL$ 1 +'Apocalypse Now Redux', Francis Ford Coppola's war opus is probably the most beautiful war film I have ever seen. Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is a Vietnam soldier who is tapped to head a very dangerous and highly classified mission into Cambodia to 'terminate the position' of Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a highly ranked and highly regarded army man who seemingly has gone completely insane and defected from the army, setting up his own little society and helped by a cultish following of soldiers. Escorting him up the river to Cambodia is a handful of navy men, and along the way, they encounter several interesting people (most notably is Robert Duvall's Kilgore, a badass lieutenant colonel with a few screws loose) and some horrifying situations. 'Apocalypse' is less historical war film than a philosophical and psychological study. It is more 'Full Metal Jacket' than 'Platoon'. The running time of 'Apocalypse' is over three hours, but the film is so wonderfully paced and compelling that when the end of the film arrived, I was actually surprised at the amount of time that had passed. The beautiful cinematography is surely what stood out the most for me, however. After seeing this film, I am convinced that Coppola is one of the masters of light and photography in film history. The 'Godfather' films were all tinged with an almost sepia tone, and shadows created the feeling of a Baroque composition. With 'Apocalypse', there is an incredible usage of natural light, and the shadows, particularly in the scenes involving Brando and Sheen, almost become a living character, they are so pervasive and effective. Another gorgeous scene was when Cpt. Willard and Jay Hicks (Frederic Forrest) were in the jungle looking for mangoes, and come across a tiger. The sheer enormity of the surrounding foliage (leaves as big as a house) made the characters almost Lilliputian, but the colorization of the scene was incredible. While everything else was almost a muted grey, the leaves were an incredibly vibrant green, an effect that was particularly striking. Another really minor positive moment in the film was the great scene when the helicopters carrying Duvall and company attack the small village while playing Wagner. This could have just been an ultra-dramatic underlying soundtrack to the scene, but instead Coppola turns the song into an actual part of the scene, with Duvall mentioning that he likes to play it while they are approaching to 'scare the hell out of them'. The performances in 'Apocalypse' are first class. Much has been made of the amount of money Brando earned for the film, and the amount of trouble he caused. Regardless of this, he turned out a powerful performance for a relatively short amount of screen time. Sheen is completely outstanding - this is the first time I have seen him really unleash in a film – and Duvall is a lot of fun to watch as the loony Kilgore. 'Apocalypse Now' is a film that is so pervasive in pop culture by now (most know several choice lines from the film, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning' et al) but I knew little enough about it that there were plenty of surprises left to experience. I have not seen the original cut of 'Apocalypse Now' so I cannot compare it to this newer cut, but this is a film that should most certainly be experienced. 8/10--Shelly$LABEL$ 1 +Identical twin sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen climbed to fame in sitcoms like "Two of a Kind", I had never seen them in anything before, but I had an idea of what to expect, but it was much worse. Basically the Hunter sisters Charli (Mary-Kate) and Leila (Ashley) are in Rome for a Summer Intern Program, but not long after starting their jobs they are immediately fired for a series of mishaps. But the man who owns the company they are working in, Derek Hammond (Julian Stone), gives them their jobs back, and they they do slowly prove themselves useful assets, and talented (fashion) artists, and help stop a mean man taking over the company. Also starring Leslie Danon as Jami, Derek Lee Nixon as Ryan, Ilenia Lazzarin as Dari, Archie Kao as Nobu, Valentina Mattolini as Heidi, Michelangelo Tommaso as Paolo and Matt Patresi as Enrico Tortoni. You can tell that this film was made to go straight to video, the camera-work is completely mismatched, and it doesn't help when you want to admire the sights of Rome. In fact the background is the only good thing to watch, the twin sisters are two of the most annoying celebrities around, I knew before watching that they weren't going to interest me in any way (their not even that pretty), this is awful gush of rubbish film. Pretty poor!$LABEL$ 0 +As a longtime admirer of the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge" and a more recent admirer of Jean Renoir's film-making, I knew that I'd inevitably watch his "French Cancan" sooner or later. The movie tells a fictionalized story of the opening of the Moulin Rouge nightclub. The impresario Danglard (Jean Gabin) tries to turn Montmartre laundress Nini (Françoise Arnoul) into a cancan star, without arousing the wrath of his tempestuous mistress, the belly-dancing Lola (Maria Felix). This is just one of several love triangles in "French Cancan"--true to stereotype, these French showbiz folk are always falling in love.Renoir directs with his typical gentle humor and attention to supporting characters, and also wrote the lyrics to a beautiful waltz song prominently featured in the movie. Gabin perfectly incarnates the aging French playboy hero. Arnoul is a cute redhead who holds her own in the dance numbers, except for a few trick shots where a double is obviously used."French Cancan" is billed as a musical comedy and while there are lots of musical numbers that take place on the nightclub stage, etc., only one character, Casimir, ever breaks into song in the middle of conversation. The actor who plays him, Philippe Clay, is fun to watch--a really tall, skinny young man who sings, dances, and does contortions.The movie ends with a long cancan sequence, as all the characters learn to triumph over their problems and make art together. The dancing is much more brightly lit and coherently edited than in "Moulin Rouge"; in fact, if I have one complaint about "French Cancan," it's that the whole thing is a little too Technicolor. Even when Nini experiences heartbreak or someone sings a melancholy song, the lighting is bright and flat, no shadows intruding. Yes, the result is a cheerful and warmhearted musical comedy; it's just that I can't help thinking that things weren't ever this colorful and innocent in real life.$LABEL$ 1 +You, the Living (2007)Mordant. I've never written that word before but it comes to mind here. Let me look it up. Well, it's part of it--corrosive, but also funny as heck. So corrosively funny. This is a dour film, for sure, with so much dry dry dry wit and quirky humor it's impossible not to like it on some level. Filmed in a very spare style, often with a static camera and really balanced, stable compositions, like theater stages, we see a short enactment occur.But that makes it seem ordinary--which it is not. Ordinary life is shown to be frumpy, ironic, delightful, coy, and depressing. And impossible. We, the living, must live, and since we're alive, we may as well take note. Something like that. I think it was Ebert who said you find yourself laughing and don't know why. Exactly. And the promo material somewhere said it was a cross between Bergman and Monty Python, and what they mean is it has the dry, silent, probing look of Ingmar Berman's famous Swedish films, but it has the zany, somehow touching elements of the British comedians. I'd say, definitely, definitely watch at least half an hour of this. There is part of me that thought I was through by then--the rest continues in a similar assemblage of little skits and moments, and they do gradually evolve, but there is no great plot to follow or climax of the usual kind. There are some great moments later, even just the attention to the thunderstorm, which takes us out of the mundane human events nicely. The filming is gorgeous in its classical control, almost like a series of Gregory Crewdson scenes (and outdoing the photographer, actually). And the acting, with all its very ordinary, non-glam folksiness, is right on. A startling, beautiful, odd experience.$LABEL$ 1 +Julie Delpy stars in this horrific film about a sadistic relationship between a father and a daughter in France of the 14th Century. The film attempts to shatter the romantic chivalry image of the heroic medieval knight, by showing a rather dreary image of the period, defined by psychological dysfunction, and violence. The movie opens with a child, François, growing up in the shadow of the Hundred Years' War, told by his father to keep his mother safe and to wait for his return. François takes action when he discovers his mother with a lover in bed. François murders him in the name of defending his father's honour. Like father like son, François grows up, and leaves his family, also to go to the same war. This setting is somewhat of an explanation for the events to come, as on his way home, we already notice that something is wrong with François. The war has not done well with him, he has changed.The daughter, Béatrice de Cortemart (Delpy), awaits her beloved father, to return from captivity of the English. She is pure of heart and she was left to take care of the estate while her father was gone. In her father's absence, Béatrice needs to deal with financial difficulties, which strengthens Béatrice's hope that her father will return to save her. But, upon his return, she notices that he lost the will to enjoy life, and he tortures and humiliates everything around him, even his own daughter. From this points the film depicts various ways how François torments his family. Starting with humiliating his own son, and ending with the rape of his own daughter, Béatrice.Setting the film in the Middle Ages supposed to soften the blow, as the viewer may tell himself, that these kind of violent acts were held in difficult times. And indeed, many films on the topic of Incest, such as Tim Roth's "The War Zone (1999)" which are contemporary were more shocking because of that.Delpy appears in this film in several daring nude scenes. Indeed she appears to be angelic and beautiful.I was annoyed when I saw some animal torture scenes. I believe, and this is not confirmed, that some birds were killed for the making of this film, which really upsets me. The quality of a film drops when real violence is used towards animals. I would hope that this movie will be re-released without those cruelty scenes. Those scenes do not contribute much to the film storyline.Overall, the movie is too long. The script is problematic. We don't get to see François and Béatrice before the war, we don't really get the answer why is he changed to such extreme. I would have pass on this film, however, I have to mention a few scenes that made this film worth watching:* Scenes of a young child being able to murder in cold blood is truly shocking. I saw it first time on "City of God (2002)". Here, François, murders his mother's lover, while his father away at war. Excellent scene and very graphic. * The scenes from Béatrice being raped by her father till she finds out she is pregnant from him are truly shocking and interesting. The scene after the rape, where Delpy burns her cloths and cleans herself. She asks her brother to kick her in the stomach with hopes to have a miscarriage.* The brother humiliation scenes where the father dumps his son's head into the food - humiliating him then ranting about the war. Later, dressing his son with women's cloths.The film won the César (French Oscar) for Best Costume Design, I agree, the costumes here really make the film look authentic for the time period. The movie location is Château de Puivert, a real 12th century castle and a historical monument, located in Aude, South-Central France. Beautiful castle and mountain view, really helps you set into the period of this film. The film also nominated for 3 more César awards, but they were all snatched to the widely successful French film "Au revoir, les enfants" ("Goodbye, Children", 1998).--- Released as "Beatrice" in New York City, March 1987. Only to be screened in France on November 2007. Watched it on YES3 on 3 May 2007, 17:45, at work.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie is awesome. sort of. it dosent really say much, or do much, but it is an awesome movie to watch because of how stupid it is. the high school is taken over by evil ms.togar that hates the one thing that all the students love, rock& roll. riff randle get everyone tickets for the ramones show, and this movie peaks with a take over of the school led my riff randle & the ramones. this movie has everything, a bad script, questionable directing, bad actors(ie clint howard & p.j. soles), an awesome soundtrack,extreme campyness, these elements & much more come together to make this what it is,a classic.note - during the live ramones set, notice that darby crash of the germs is in the front of the crowd. neat-o.$LABEL$ 1 +After a summer full of retreads and disappointments, Nurse Betty is a breath of fresh air. The film is like no other I have ever seen. Director Neil LaBute proves that he can direct more then disturbing pictures of men and women and how they approach sex (his previous two films were the brillant In the Company of Men, and the almost brillant Your Friends and Neighbors). Renee Zellweger gives the best performance of her career as Betty, a waitress who, when she witnessing the brutal death of her asshole husband (LaBute mainstay Aaron Eckhart), and gets lost in a fantasy world. Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock play the hitmen who killed her husband and are now on her trial. The trick to the film is that Freeman and Zellweger are really parallel characters. While Zellweger falls in love with the image of the handsome and polite Dr. Dave Ravell on a soap opera, Freeman idealizes Betty. Nurse Betty is a brillant film, full of life, humor, love and graphic violence. My Grade: 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not worth seeing, at least not at a cinema. The story is hard to follow and understand (it starts with 10 minutes of something happening 3 years earlier). It's hard to know if this movie is trying to be a comedy or just is so bad/weird that it sometimes seems like it. American sirens and lights on Swedish police cars is just one example. The acting of Persbrandt and Bergqvist is good as usual, but I think Jenny Lampa acting as Jasmin acts very poor. Zara Zetterqvist acts pretty well, she's not been seen as an actor in Swedish movies for a long time. If you still want to see it, wait until it's released on DVD or is shown on TV.$LABEL$ 0 +A man and his wife are not getting along because of the wife's jealousy and drinking problems. When the wife disappears, her sister begins a vigorous search involving the local police, state government, and a television crime show. What she finds out stuns the entire community. Good drama with lots of fine performances; based on a true story.$LABEL$ 1 +Like a lot of stars of the big screen as their careers wound down, so many turned to television where probably they secured their reputations for posterity. Donna Reed is a case in point.I don't think Donna Reed ever thought that Donna Stone was anything challenging, not to a woman who had won an Oscar for playing a very different type in From Here to Eternity. She was certainly better prepared to play wife, mother, and homemaker Donna Stone after having played Mary Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life. Donna was always beautiful and wise and ever helpful with the problems of her kids and her husband. Carl Betz was not an idiot, he was a pediatrician who had his office attached to the house. Talk about the man being ever ready in a crisis.Though this was the Donna Reed Show because Donna's husband at the time, Tony Owen produced it. Yet it lasted as long as did because of the popularity of the two children, Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen. Fabares had that best selling teen record Johnny Angel which she introduced on the show. She successfully made the transition to adult star, most known for her role in Coach as Craig T. Nelson's wife.But Petersen was a bubblegum teen idol back in the day. The Donna Reed Show dare I say got most of its viewers because of him. It's forgotten now, but Petersen also had a best selling record, My Dad. Didn't do half as well as Johnny Angel. Now Paul Petersen runs a support group for former child stars like himself. So many of them end so tragically, it's good work that he's doing. The Stone family was the quintessence of Middle America. They lived in a suburb near Chicago, they led wholesome lives. Mom and Dad were always there for the kids. Of course the problems they had usually were nothing more than breaking curfew. It's this series I believe was the model for the TV town of Pleasantville where Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon are sucked into. I have pleasant memories of The Donna Reed Show. Easy to take, but not too seriously.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie raises a number of pressing questions in my mind. Firstly, how has Jennifer Tilly managed to sustain a film acting career for all these years based on that ridiculous squeaky voice and the very limited range of hammy facial expressions she employs? Secondly... what on earth were the people responsible for making this offensive and deeply repulsive film thinking of? And thirdly... given that there were people perverted enough to decide to make dreck like this, shouldn't there have been someone in the system - the studio, the distributors, or somewhere - sane enough to prevent it actually getting completed and released. You really would have to search a very, very long way to turn up another movie as profoundly nasty as this... and it isn't even billed as a horror movie - which, inasmuch as it can be seen as belonging to any legitimate film genre, it certainly is. The movie wallows from beginning to end in the sickest kind of madness, violence and abuse, and has essentially no redeeming features at all. I'm not actually advocating censorship (which I don't believe in)... but I really can't see how anybody could conceivably draw anything positive from watching a film like this.$LABEL$ 0 +I generally like this movie a lot. The animation is supreme: meaning they took to trouble to animate the hair and fur on animals and people. And being an amateur at graphics and animation (self teaching myself through books. For those who are curious on the same matter, I use the program Gmax by Discreet. It is a high quality free program that can be downloaded from the internet) I see that the quality of animation shown here is of high standards.The plot of this movie is good. Though this movie lacks character development, this story is still understandable. Generally, I believe that this movie is primarily should be watched by people who are fans of the game as its plot closely follows the game. As for me, I do not play the games and therefore I don't have the wowing effect it probably does on fans of the game.For those who like the game, I suggest this movie to you, and if you haven't played the game, I would still recommend this movie to you.$LABEL$ 1 +This film can not even be said to be bad for it is sadly, just painfully mediocre. Lacking any real wit or imagination, a thin plot is stretched to the absolute limit and the `jokes' (which are predictable and threadbare) are spun out to such inordinate length that boredom and yawns quickly overtake the viewer. Another notch to mark the sad decline of John Waters and a reminder that what `shocked' or amused us 30 years ago doesn't work quite the same way now. We've seen it all before, and it no longer breaks any taboos because they have long since evaporated. A major miss.$LABEL$ 0 +First, I would like to admit that Chokher Bali was not my cup of tea. This movie was evidently not targeted toward the masses. It's the type that critics would enjoy watching. The hype and publicity were quite misleading.I was expecting something very dramatic like Devdas. Understanding that the story and time-period demand it, I found the movie extremely slow-paced.I'm a die-hard Aishwarya fan, and I regret to say that I thought she was miscast. The role of Chokher Bali required an actress who can portray herself as subversive, not innocent and naive. Everyone else gave a good performance. Tagore's depiction of the human condition does come across the celluloid to give the movie an interesting theme.$LABEL$ 0 +Master director Ching Siu Tung's perhaps most popular achievement is this series, A Chinese Ghost Story 1-3. Chinese Ghost Story stars Leslie Cheung in some distant past in China as a tax collector who is forced to spend a night during his "collecting trip" in a mysterious castle in which some strange old warriors fight and meet him. Beautiful actress Joey Wang/Wong is the ghost who lives in that castle and is under a domination of one powerful demon, a wood devil who collects human souls for herself/itself with the help of her beautiful ghosts. Leslie and Joey fall in love, and even though ghosts are not allowed to live with humans, they decide to break that rule and live happily together for the rest of their lives. This is not what the wood devil thinks and our protagonists have to fight for their lives and their happiness.This film is no less full of magic than other films by Ching Siu Tung. His masterpieces include Duel to the Death (1983) and the Swordsman series, which all have incredible visuals and kinetic power in their action scenes. Ghost Story is full of brilliant lightning and dark atmosphere, which is lightened by the strong presence of the beautiful and good willing ghost. The effects are simply breath taking and would work at their greatest power in the big screen. The camera is moving and twisted all the time and it adds to the fairy tale atmosphere this film has. There's plenty of wire'fu stunts, too, and even though some think they are and look gratuitous or stupid when used in films, I cannot agree and think they give motion pictures the kind of magic, freedom and creativeness any other tool could not give. When people fly in these films, it means the films are not just about our world, and they usually depict things larger than life with the power of this larger than life art form.The story about the power of love is pretty touching and warm, but the problem is (again) that the characters are little too shallow and act unexplainably occasionally. Leslie and Joey should have been written with greater care and their characters should be even more warm, deep and genuine in order to give the story a greater power and thus make the film even more noteworthy and important achievement. Also, the message about love and power of it is underlined little too much at one point and it should have been left just to the viewer's mind to be interpreted and found. Another negative point about the dialogue is that it's too plenty and people talk in this film without a reason. That is very irritating and sadly shows the flaws many scriptwriters tend to do when they write their movies. People just talk and talk and it's all there just to make everything as easy to understand as possible and so the film is not too challenging or believable as it has this gratuitous element. Just think about the films of the Japanese film maker Takeshi Kitano; his films have very little dialogue and all there is is all the necessary as he tells his things by other tools of cinema and never talks, or makes other characters talk too much in his movies. This is just the talent the writers should have in order to write greater scripts.Otherwise, Chinese Ghost Story is very beautiful and visually breath taking piece of Eastern cinema, and also the song that is played in the film is very beautiful and hopefully earned some award in the Hong Kong film awards back then. I give Chinese Ghost Story 7/10 and without the flaws mentioned above, this would without a doubt be almost perfect masterpiece of the fantasy genre.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember my dad hiring these episodes on video. My whole family loved them, and now that I have moved away from home and have my own life I am trying to share these fabulous Jim Henson creations with my Husband and stepson but as I am starting to find out not everyone is a Henson fan. Which is a pity since it means they will just have to put up with me searching for this series. But even though they don't find these interesting, I would highly recommend anybody getting hold of the Storyteller. You will be lost in a world of tales from a time when people could only talk about unexplained situations through stories and how people need to care if they were ever confronted with these situations.$LABEL$ 1 +It seems like an exciting prospect, a modern-dress "Othello" with Christopher Eccleston, who was so frighteningly good in "Shallow Grave" and (especially) "Jude," and Eamonn Walker, who brought such intensity and introspection to his pivotal role on "Oz." One would think them both natural Shakespeareans, but both performers misfire: Walker's Othello is a fairly cookie-cutter take on the part, with a whispery delivery that doesn't make much of an impact; and Eccleston hams it up appallingly as Iago, winking at the camera in almost an outrageous parody of the role. It's likely he was egged on by his director, whose florid approach might have worked better with Elizabethan language, but who seems a jarring, pretentious choice for this modernized screenplay. And the screenplay itself is less disappointing in being modern than it is in being obvious – it's as if Andrew Davies sketched out the famous plot and then just wrote whatever dialogue first popped into his head. All in all, a failure. 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +American war movie fans might be bored out of their skulls by this movie, but that boredom is born of ignorance. Guerrilla suppression operations are always like that. Sit around and wait, get some hookers, get drunk at the base, wheel and deal with the businessman, kick a prisoner around, cover up the killing of the street merchant by the green private. Then, boom, there goes two fuel trucks, and for 10 minutes a small-arms battle with one high-caliber machine gun. Then wait for brass to plan a way to knock out their stronghold, and then end up killing a few civilians in the process of doing it. If reality doesn't work for Western viewers, there's always Top Gun or Rambo (Top Gun realistic? nope)The best part of Afganskiy Izlom's realism was the way all the planes dropped flares like confetti. They had to do that because Carter and Reagan gave the Mujahedin so many missiles. Also, the wave of Mi-24's was excellent, a better helo attack even than Apocalypse now. The sight of their missiles dropping and shooting was a scene of impending "death from above" for whoever they were aimed at.It's funny how the Soviets were able to make an honest Afghanistan movie within a year after their departure, but it took the US six years. Afganskiy Izlom is just as real if you apply it to NATO's occupation too. Someone will always pick up the gun and shoot you cause they care more about the land. It's a movie Westerners should watch. Unfortunately I don't think anyone has ever made English subtitles; I might have to make some.$LABEL$ 1 +The actors play wonderfully, especially Kenneth Branagh himself. It's good that Robin Williams got the comedy role of Osiric, otherwise it could be a bit strange to see him in such a production. It is really great that Kenneth decided to use the fullest version of the text, this happens definitely not too often... Thanks to that the viewers can see the whole, not the chosen - by the director - parts. Also - thank God that the film is in a classical form; NO to surrealistic fanfaberies ! Although "Tytus Andronicus" was impressive nevertheless, but still Hamlet is a different story, at least that's my point of view.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I have to disagree with Leonard Maltin on this animated short. He loves it and claimed it was hilarious. I enjoyed it but didn't see any humor. He doesn't even like hockey or know anything about it, and still loved the story. Living right across the border from Canada, I have watched hockey for 50 years both there and in Buffalo....but I didn't think much of this cartoon. Oh, it was interesting and I know what would happen if you wore a Toronto jersey up in the Quebec area - disaster! That especially holds true in the glory years of Les Canadians. However, that doesn't make the story funny. Back in the 1950s, everyone in the Quebec provinces idolized the Montreal Canadians and their star player, Maurice Richard, and everyone wanted to be like him. When his mother orders a new sweater, it has the Toronto Maple Leafs emblem on it, so the kid doesn't want to be caught dead wearing it.. When he finally does and heads to the local rink, he gets ostracized from the rest of his hockey buddies. What's so funny about that? I could see the same thing happening to a kid in Boston who is Red Sox die-hard and his mom gets him Yankees shirt! Horrors! You couldn't wear it, and vice-versa.Maybe to someone who doesn't follow sports at all, like Maltin, this situation seems odd and humorous to him...but it's a fact of life or any bit-time sports fan and his favorite team. It was an interesting story, and totally believable, but nothing that made me laugh.The art was fun to look at throughout, almost like looking at a long series of crayon paintings done by a talented school kid. The French Canadian accent was good, too. This movie was part of the DVD "Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites From The National Film Board Of Canada.$LABEL$ 1 +Ring! Ring! Have-been horror directors hotline, how may we help you? Um…yeah…Pronto! I mean hello, my name is Rugge… err, call me by my initials R.D! Okay Mr. R.D, what seems to be the problem? Well the reviews on my latest movie "Dial: Help" were all negative and harsh and, frankly, I myself feel like my career has seen better days as well. Okay Mr. R.D, and why do you suppose that is? Well, I gained fame and a well-deserved cult status thanks to my controversial and shocking movie about savage tribes of cannibals devouring a film crew and another one about relentless thugs terrorizing wealthy people in a house at the edge of the park, for which I borrowed the idea from Wes Craven, but "Dial: Help" revolves on … err… never mind! No no, Mr. R.D, go ahead and tell me what the film is about. Um, it's about a spiritually possessed phone line stalking a sexy model and killing the people surrounding her. Ah, I see. That premise does indeed sound a little silly and not as petrifying as cannibals or rapists, but I suppose there are deeper themes in your film, right? Oh yeah, sure… Um, what do you mean by that? Well, isn't the phone line symbolism for another kind of terror? Or perhaps it's all just happening in the mind of your female heroine? Um, nope… It's just about a phone going berserk and murdering people with the cord, vibrations, electricity or even ordinary coins. Interesting, Mr. R.D, but how do you explain all this supernatural stuff to the viewer at the end of the movie? You see, I figured the slowly unraveling phone-mystery plot wouldn't be that important or relevant, so I just concentrated on processing all possible phone-gimmicks I could think of. Phone gimmicks? What do you mean? You know, like wind blowing through the horn, mind-penetrating dial tones, and turn-tables catapulting into the air! Very original, Mr. R.D, but not exactly horrific and as an experienced director you must know that, in the end, people expect a reasonable clarification of all these events. Oh, but there is! It all has to do with negative and unreleased energy, if I remember correctly! It's all a bit fuzzy, I admit. Hmm… I see. Oh well, as they always say, a good motion picture relies on more elements than just the story. Did you at least process some of your regular trademarks into the film, so that your fans at least recognize your style? I tried! Lord knows I tried, but the murders and bloodshed are simply not shocking anyone! That's a pity indeed, Mr. R.D, but what about sex? Everyone likes a good portion of sleaze and nudity in their horror films and you said yourself the film centered on a sexy fashion model in peril! Yes, but … But what, Mr. R.D? Well, to tell you the truth, we kind of promoted "Dial: Help" as an erotic thriller with revealing shots of Charlotte Lewis on the cover, but in reality there's no sex in the film and Charlotte even refused to go topless. Mr. R.D! Now I'm really disappointed, that's just shamelessly ripping people off and lure them with false promises! I know, I know, and I'm ashamed, but I just wanted everybody to rent "Dial: Help" and love it! Well, to round up I can comfort you by saying that every major director is entitled to a few erroneous decisions without it affecting his/her career immediately, but be more cautious next time and do some research first, okay Mr. R.D? I will; thank you! You're welcome. Tell me, have you got any ideas for upcoming movies already? Yeah, as a matter a fact, I do! I was thinking about making a Giallo with a murderous washing machine! Doesn't that sound fascinating? Hello? Hello?$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw this DVD in a bargain bin for three dollars, I really couldn't believe my luck: a Christmas movie starring Tori Spelling, William Shatner, AND Gary Coleman??? Needless to say, I snatched it up immediately and considered it a worthwhile investment.The movie itself was just as bad as any movie you'd expect to be combining Christmas and the three aforementioned "celebrities." The dialogue was inane, the characters were one dimensional, and Carol's character arc was completely unbelievable. The movie itself was a lifeless piece of boring that refused to end and made me feel used as a human being when the end did finally come.My advice: Don't watch this movie unless you have to and then only under the influence of some serious holiday eggnog.$LABEL$ 0 +What more can be said? I have not been this fascinated with a young actress since Cate Blanchett burst upon the scene over ten years ago. And although both Blanchett and Blunt have played Queens now( seems to be the benchmark for up and coming actresses), the roles are complete polar opposites.Simply put if you are looking for high passion, compelling drama, and Machiavellian intrigue, this is not the movie for you. This isn't to say that the script or direction was bad, its just that the subject of the film did not lead too dramatic a life when compared to other notable royals like Elizabeth I, Anne Boylen, Henry VIII, Henry V, Henry II and Elainor of Acquitane. These are people whose lives were the stuff such as good soap operas are made of and whose policies and decisions altered the course of British ,and in most cases, world history. Victoria, in contrast, ascended the throne without incident, she quasi-governed a nation that was fast becoming a global power due to industrialization and the rise of the Navy, her State had a stable government led by competent and dynamic politicians, and she married young had a harmonious family life. The facts of her life are not the Sturm und Drag such as powerful dramas are made of.The heart of the film, aside from the attempt to dramatize her stultifying upbringing and the machinations surrounding her throne, is the story of the one thing that was truly shocking and surprising about her reign- a love story. Marriage made for financial or political reasons is with reason not necessarily the place to look for world shaking passion, yet Victoria will always be remembered in history as being sort of a Patron Saint marital fidelity, happiness and ideal family life. Thus, central to the film is the budding love of Victoria and her Prince Albert. I was very taken with Rupert Friend's characterization of Albert whom he portrayed as a kind, patient, somewhat earnest and maybe a touch naive young man, looking to" do good in the world and help". In short, he is a good man with a good heart, not the most dynamic figure to base a drama around, but as that is not the point of the story, that does not matter. The heart of the character shines through thanks to Friend's understated yet earnest performance. As for the Queen, well..Emily Blunt is sublime. Her beauty cannot be denied, but she is more than something pretty to look at; her face is like quicksilver because of her expressiveness. The slightest arch of the eyebrow, glance of the eye or slight wry smile delivers so much. Again, this is not a bombastic performance of heavy speeches and impassioned pleas, its not that kind of movie. But what Ms. Blunt does do with the role is show the simple humanity of the character with potent subtlety. For example, we see the joie de vivre that has been kept in check by Victoria's mother ( Miranda Richardson) and her scheming adviser/lover Conroy expressed in the simple things like Victoria trying to sketch her dog. We see her delight and fascination upon first meeting Albert by her eyes being continually drawn to him. We see her nervous and overwhelmed when addressing Parliament upon her Ascension. And my favorite scene of all in the film- we see her nervous, happy, and hopeful as she steels herself to do what really most women never have to do in their life- ask the man she loves to marry her, a proposition so ridiculous for those times( and some would say now) that Victoria bursts out in nervous laughter before she can even say "marry me". Again, this is not a movie for over the top larger than life expressions, but more a study in the subtleties of a character and making the little things say so much.So, overall, I judge the film by what it is and what it tried to do and as such I give it a 7. I felt that some of the politics could be better explained and that some very fine actors were wasted with little do and little character development, namely Miranda Richardson as the Duchess of Kent, and the characters of Conroy and Lord Peal. Again, the film need not have spent a large amount of time on those characters, but a little more exposition would have helped to explain the political environment. Also I would have loved to have seen more of the adjustment to married life between Victoria and Albert, but that may be just my greed for more scenes between Friend and Blunt. In summary, don't view this film in terms of a historical drama but for what it really is, a love story between two characters that happen to be historical figures. I give this film a solid 7 for wonderful lead performances, brilliant costumes and scenery and the magnificent Victoria of Emily Blunt. And anyone who has any shred of romance left in them, you will be touched by the end of this movie. God save the Queen.$LABEL$ 1 +To quote Clark Griswold (in the original Christmas Vacation): "WORSE? How could things get any worse? Take a look around here, Ellen. We're at the threshold of hell." Little did Chevy Chase know that he was describing the "sequel" to one of his best films. Christmas Vacation II sets a new high (or maybe it should be LOW) in bad movies. My wife bought this DVD thinking it would actually be a sequel to the original, but we were severely disappointed. This film is LAME. It bears no resemblance to the original, is an absolute waste of film, and an embarrassment to the otherwise good actors who had the misfortune to be part of it. It must have set a record on IMDb for the most bad reviews. I really think we have a good case to win a class action lawsuit to recover the money we consumers wasted on this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This dumb comedy really does a good job of wasting comedic talent. In particular, Dan Aykroyd and Howard Hesseman are misused badly here. I might have chuckled once or twice during this film, but in general, it's a boring movie, with a little bit of stupidity thrown in for good measure. The premise, although routine, still wasn't bad, but once the plot was set, the film went nowhere. Don't waste your time with this misfire.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't like using the word "awful" to describe any work of the cinema for which a great deal of time, effort, talent and money is spent in its creation but Zefferelli's attempt to adapt Charlotte Brontë's novel 'Jane Eyre' is a total waste of time.The script is lacking in finesse and power, everything explained to the viewer in no uncertain terms, leaving little to the imagination. The lead actors are woefully miscast, clearly hired for their star names, and the musical score drippy and dull. Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt have absolutely no chemistry with one another at all. She is like a wet noodle, worse even than Joan Fontaine, who at least was capable of some modicum of emotional involvement in what should be a story of frustrated passion. And William Hurt acts the entire film on one tone and that tone is flat and devoid of energy. Of course the limp and vapid script does not aid any of these otherwise fine actors in their efforts to bring any whiff of life to this flick.Joan Plowright's Mrs Fairfax is like some Disney creation who keeps popping up to sweeten scenes in which she would have been best left out. There is no mystery surrounding the story of Rochester's first wife. The role of the would-be second wife, played like a Barbie Doll by Elle MacPhearson, is an empty cipher.Fiona Shaw, a very great actress, is completely wasted as Jane's Aunt, Mrs Reed. She would have been better-cast as Mrs Fairfax. Only Amanda Root, as Jane's beloved school teacher, evokes any authentic sympathy or believability. I saw this version of 'Jane Eyre' after viewing Robert Young's for British television, made in 1997, starring Ciaran Hinds, Samantha Morgan and Gemma Jones. There is no comparison. Young's vital, romantic and deeply moving version is like an exploding nova compared to Zefferelli's wet squib.I will be interested now to see the 1970 version with Timothy Dalton, about which I've read some very good things on this web-site. I am amazed at how many people liked Zefferelli's Yorkshire picture book. About all I can say good about this film is that the house is beautiful and the cinematography vividly colored, beyond that it is a complete dud.$LABEL$ 0 +This cheap and rubbish film is about a NASA test rocket that is sent into space with a cargo of animals. It vanishes for a while then unexpectedly returns, crash landing in a forest, unleashing a vicious mutant creature.Like many films of this type, Night Fright, features dumb teenagers boogieing on down to 60's surf music before being killed. None of the murders, however, are even remotely memorable, as we don't really see anything. One thing we do see, however, is that one of the teenagers appears to be about 40 years old and sports a quite impressively silly haircut.For a creature feature to work, it really has to present its monster to the viewer properly. In this film, however, we only get the briefest glimpses of the monster. It seems to sort of resemble the alien from Robot Monster. But I'm not sure; as the photography was so dark I simply couldn't make out what the hell was going on a lot of the time. Although, my gut feeling was that I probably wasn't missing very much.$LABEL$ 0 +An interesting look at the immigrant experience, told as a fable with some very weird imagery.I got drawn to this movie because it tells of immigrants from Sicily who traveled to America. I imagine much the same as my Grandfather did at that time. Travelling in steerage to provide ballast for the ships, I cannot imagine it was very comfortable, as shown in this film.Laws restricting immigrants existed. I would guess that these laws were more strict on those who came from the Mediterranean and Africa. Immigrants had to be free from contagious diseases or hereditary infirmities. In the film, we see physical and mental exams, the latter because of the view that low intelligence is heritable. Single women could not enter the country, on the presumption that they would become prostitutes, so most married single men already in the country, as arranged beforehand, at Ellis Island before entry.This is the story of a British immigrant (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who arranges to marry a poor Sicilian (Vincenzo Amato). He is trying to get his family through with a son that is mute and a mother (Aurora Quattrocchi) that is considered feeble-minded. She was fantastic in the role, by the way.You will also see character actor, Vincent Schiavelli, in his next to the last appearance. I don't know if his last film has been released. He plays a matchmaker, and is also very good.It was a strange, but enjoyable film. It's not for everyone, as I imagine those who don't have some interest in the immigrant experience would find it rather slow.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this movie to get an easy, entertained view of the history of Texas. I got a headache instead. The depiction of history in this movie is so comical that even mad TV would not have done a better job.$LABEL$ 0 +I for one was very anxious to watch this movie.Though I knew it was going to be another type of movie in the style of Revenge of the Nerds, I was still impressed.There is plenty of truth to the fact of this type of learning and believe very strongly that it should be allowed in a "new style of schooling".Conventional teaching methods do not always teach students what they need to know or should know or want to know.This approach to teaching should be further sought out in true academic courses.While there still was too much of the partying scenes, it obviously had to be thrown in there - for Hollywood's sake of making a comedy about college...even though we all know that life isn't really like that by any means.A touch unbelievable, still funny and with a killer ending.Awesome ending. Crucial to the entire story and very surprising.Without the final scene, the movie would have been half as good.I liked this movie and it didn't have to have overly amounts of swearing or nudity or gross out jokes for it to be good.Great crew and cast, story and even the generic typecasting of the obligatory "Hampton frat members" was well done.American Pie 1, 2 3 and American Wedding or whatever clones it makes doers not measure up to this by 1/3.Far better than most comedies about first year College with no demeaning stupid jokes to make somebody throw up with.I liked it, even though it was simple...it was interesting and even had heart...my only regret for watching this movie is that it wasn't longer.$LABEL$ 1 +Before the WWF became cartoon with Hulk Hoagan leading the way, the events of WWF TV broadcasts of the very early 1980s resembled the wild, wild west with all kinds of grudges and vicious acts of violence performed by some of the wrestlers that are known today to be the WWF's most beloved stars. Some of these seemingly very real moments stand out. A maniacal Sgt. Slaughter whipped then champion Bob Backlund with a riding crop after Backlund showed him up in a fitness test. Welts were all over Backlund! Sarge made the Iron Shiek look like a daycare provider! Slaughter also issued a challenge to anyone who could break his dreaded cobra clutch hold. This led a legendary and bloody alley match with commentator Pat Patterson. Hall of Fame member Blackjack Mulligan with Freddie Blassie came into the WWF with a claw hold that was censored on television. He claimed he was the true giant at 6'7" and challenged Andre long before Big John Studd in 1984. Adrian Adonis used his ominously named "Good Night, Irene" sleeper to take out the competition. A New Yorker clad in black leather, he was an ominous figure. George "the Animal" Steele was far from a crowd pleaser, as well. Even Jimmy Snuka was a fearsome sight as he set out maim opponents until Ray "the Crippler" Stevens delivered a piledriver onto the cement floor leaving Snuka a bloody mess. All these encounters took place a decade before hardcore wrestling was ever spoken of.$LABEL$ 1 +Why?!! This was an insipid, uninspired and embarrassing film. The embarrassment comes from being from the city where they made it...Pittsburgh PA! Why did they let these people do such a BAAAAAD movie there?When this movie was originally to be released...it was more of a romantic comedy...and no ROBO-anything. That all got changed along with cuteness courtesy of Disney. WHY???? They did a terrible interpretation of this classic comic character. Seeing Matthew Broderick make fun of his own movies was not fun either. Sheesh!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is like a school video project and a propaganda film that puts the whole class as well as the teacher to sleep.Utterly boring long silent(yes, silent) strings of unrelated video clips.Instead of this movie watch the paint dry or the grass grow- it will be more interesting unless you enjoy seeing Arabs being malicious to everyone around them.Sulieman (the Director) should be embarrassed of this lame waste of film.It deserves a one for the movie quality, a zero for the ridiculous propaganda message and a negative number for the script (or lack thereof.)$LABEL$ 0 +A chemist develops a fabric that never gets dirty or wears out, but it is seen as a threat to the survival of various industries. In this delightful Ealing Studios comedy, Guinness is marvelous as the mild-mannered but persistent chemist. Greenwood, with her sensual voice, plays the love interest; Parker is her harried father. Thesiger is amusing as a patriarch of the fabric industry. While telling an engaging story, the film also raises some intriguing questions about science, the economy, and politics. It is adeptly directed by Mackendrick, who would go on to make "The Ladykillers" and the sublime "Sweet Smell of Success" later in the 1950s.$LABEL$ 1 +I was trying to work out why I enjoyed this film?? Its not because of money spent on it that's for sure!! Did I see a painted water pistol in there? Maybe they don't have the same sort of visual effects houses in the Scotland? Or maybe they just didn't have any money? The making of clearly shows a gang of very plucky guys making a movie against the odds. Awesome! But what I really liked was the grit of the performances. Mike Michell and Patrick White play the lead parts like 2 normal guys. No Hollywood histrionics here.OK, so the effects work isn't very good. The spaceships just don't look as good as they should in todays FX world and I've seen much better free stuff on youtube. But the film holds together very well once they get to the Planet. Was this filmed in Scotland or just by a Scottish crew? Or is it just better effects work? Did they edit out the water? By the end I kinda loved this film and was disappointed when they all died.$LABEL$ 1 +"And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" - Anais Nin Marcel Proust says, "The real voyage of discovery lies in not seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes." Author and screenwriter Antwone Fisher joined the U.S. Navy to see new landscapes but the demons of his past prevented him from seeing the world through new eyes. Based on his autobiography "Finding Fish" written many years after the events, his story is dramatized in the film Antwone Fisher, Denzel Washington's first directorial effort. It is a heartfelt if somewhat formulaic look at the painful process of moving from being consumed by one's past to being able to live life in present time.Required to attend therapy sessions after several outbursts of anger at the base, the painful aspects of his childhood are shown in flashback as the grown up Antwone (Derek Luke) recounts his life in sessions with Navy Psychiatrist Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). He is at first unwilling to talk, but when he begins, the floodgates are opened. After his father was shot to death by a girlfriend and Antwone was abandoned by his mother after being released from prison, he was placed in a foster home where he lived for fourteen years, suffering humiliation and sexual abuse. According to Antwone, the treatment by his foster mother Mrs. Tate (Novella Nelson) who referred to him only as "nigga" and by his cousin Nadine (Yolonda Ross) was in fact much worse than shown on the screen.The only friend he has is a local by named Jesse (Jascha Washington) who, later in the film, only adds to his feelings of abandonment. It is difficult to build a film around psychiatric sessions but it was done successfully in Ordinary People and Good Will Hunting with a great deal more dramatic interest but it succeeds here because of the dominant performances of Washington and Luke, though the film's attempt to compress eleven years into a few months seems a bit too facile. Davenport's humanity and warmth, however, allows Fisher to feel safe enough to discuss his difficult past and Cheryl (Joy Bryant), his new girlfriend who is also in the Navy, supports him in his struggle to achieve a breakthrough.With Cheryl's help and Dr. Davenport's counseling, Antwone develops enough self-esteem to return to Cleveland and begin the journey to try and find his mother in order to complete the past. What comes through in Derek Luke's incredible performance is Antwone's longing for acceptance, dramatized in a heartbreaking dream shown at the beginning of the film in which he is the guest of honor at a banquet filled with people who love him. Comedian Mort Sahl once said that "people just have to remember what we're all here for: to find our way home..." Antwone Fisher touches not only on the longing of one young person to find his way home but reaches all those who have cried themselves to sleep, not knowing the joy of being loved.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a fan of B grade 80s films in which the hero is a bit of a bad guy, a strong male, who finds love - and this film delivers!Towards the finish you do not know how Sharky will not be killed (and doesn't he take a beating! Realistically portrayed I believe). However he does and it's not via some overdone 'Die Hard' stunt. The 'past it' team he works with comes together, hence the title. His team are all characters - people on the sideline at work because they don't quite conform. These portrayals are funny and sympathetic - they have a real feeling to them. They're up against an iceman of an assassin, with a good team of his own. The result is a great film noir.$LABEL$ 1 +Robert Taylor definitely showed himself to be a fine dramatic actor in his role as a gun-slinging buffalo hunter in this 1956 western. It was one of the few times that Taylor would play a heavy in a film. Nonetheless, this picture was far from great as shortly after this, Taylor fled to television with the successful series The Detectives.Stuart Granger hid his British accent and turned in a formidable performance as Taylor's partner. Taylor is a bigot here and his hatred for the Indians really shows.Another very good performance here was by veteran actor Lloyd Nolan as an aged, drinking old-timer who joined in the hunt for buffalo as well. In his early scenes, Nolan was really doing an excellent take-off of Walter Huston in his Oscar-winning role in The Treasure of the Sierre Madre in 1948. Note the appearance of Russ Tamblyn in the film. The following year Tamblyn and Nolan would join in the phenomenal Peyton Place.The writing in the film is stiff at best. By the film's end, it's the elements of nature that did Taylor in. How about the elements of the writing here?$LABEL$ 0 +When I first heard about the show, I heard a lot about it, and it was getting some good reviews. I watched the first episode of this "forensic fairy tale", as it so proclaims itself, and I really got hooked on it. I have loved it since. This show has a good sense of humour and it's fun to see a good show like this. The cast is excellent as their characters, and I wouldn't want to change them in any way.For those unfamiliar with this show, Pushing Daisies centers around a man named Ned (aka The Pie Maker, played by Lee Pace) who discovered a special gift when he was a boy: He could bring the dead back to life with the touch of a finger. He first did so with his dog, Digby. However, there is the catch: If he keeps a dead person alive for more than one minute, someone else dies. He learned this when he brought his mother back to life, and his childhood crush's father died in Ned's mother's place. The other catch is if he touches the person again, they're dead again, but this time for good. He learned this when his mother kissed him goodnight. His father took him to boarding school, and when he left, Ned never saw his father again.Almost 20 years later, Ned owns a pie bakery, cleverly titled "The Pie Hole." A co-worker of Ned's, Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) has a crush on Ned, but Ned rejects her moves, trying not to get close to anyone, learning from past experiences. Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) discovered the gift that Ned has, and decides to make him a partner in solving murders. Ned touches the victim, asks who killed them, and when the minute is up, he touches them again, and they solve it. That's how they usually solve it. Throughout the episodes, the murders have very interesting plots and be what people least expect.One day, Ned discovers that his next murder to solve is his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel). He brings her back to life and decides to break the rules and keep her alive. In her place, the funeral director, who stole jewelery from the corpses, died. When Emerson finds out, and when Chuck wants to help with solving the murders, he doesn't agree a bit--for a while, we hear him call Chuck 'Dead girl'. This is all kept in secret from Olive, Chuck's aunts Vivian and Lily (Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz, respectively), and everyone else for that matter, in case anyone recognized her from obituaries, the news, etc. Vivian and Lily, formerly synchronized swimmers, hadn't left the house in years. Emerson, Ned, and Chuck agree to work together. Ned and Chuck grow to love each other, though they can't touch each other ever again.This show is funny, has terrific characters, contains great plot twists, and will definitely get your spirits up. I hope it doesn't get cancelled at 13 episodes.$LABEL$ 1 +Original Movie lovers can actually love this show, if they just stop complaining all the time.The Emperor's New School brings up some old jokes from the movie, like pulling the lever to Yzma's lab and Kuzco pausing the episode. But since it's a kids show, it's just classic and is in their right places. Even though the style is much more simple, the animation and characters keeps their personalities very well and it surprised me, actually. Eartha Kitt makes excellent voice acting for Yzma and J.P Manoux does a wonderful job for Kuzco's voice instead of David Spade, who played Kuzco in the movie. Great plots, hilarious moments and Kuzco's amazing looks makes this show worth watching. (Just stop complaining about everything!)$LABEL$ 1 +I think I would probably not hate this movie if I spoke Polish. I selected the English version at the first menu, but it gave me Polish dialogue with English subtitles, just as the Polish version did. Maybe the dialogue was so disjointed because the person that did the subtitles could not translate it into English very well. To exacerbate the issue, some of the dialogue had no subtitles at all. The acting was pretty bad, especially the female lead, who was melodramatic about everything! One scene that bothered me was when a German woman was caught stealing and as the mob was jostling her around, her shirt opened and the director showed close-ups of her naked breast for the next 15-20 seconds. I couldn't see how her breast added to the drama of the scene or the film. Maybe the director was trying to increase the numbers of teenage boys in the audience. Much of the film takes place in an extermination camp liberated by the Americans. First, the "American" uniforms did not look anything like U.S. Army uniforms. Second, none of the extermination camps in Poland were liberated by the Americans. I would think that a Polish film director who turned 19 in 1945 would know better than an American born in 1966 that all six extermination camps were liberated by the Russians. All in all, it's just not a very good film if you don't speak Polish.$LABEL$ 0 +"Witchery" might just be the most incoherent and lamentably scripted horror movie of the 80's but, luckily enough, it has a few compensating qualities like fantastic gore effects, an exhilarating musical score and some terrific casting choices. Honestly the screenplay doesn't make one iota of sense, but who cares when Linda Blair (with an exploded hairstyle) portrays yet another girl possessed by evil powers and David Hasselhof depicts a hunky photographer (who can't seem to get laid) in a movie that constantly features bloody voodoo, sewn-shut lips, upside down crucifixions, vicious burnings and an overused but genuinely creepy tune. Eight random people are gathered together on an abandoned vacation resort island off the coast of Massachusetts. The young couple is there to investigate the place's dark history; the dysfunctional family (with a pregnant Linda Blair even though nobody seems to bother about who the father is and what his whereabouts are) considers re-opening the hotel and the yummy female architect simply tagged along for casual sex. They're forced to stay the night in the ramshackle hotel and then suddenly the previous landlady – an aging actress or something who always dresses in black – starts taking them out in various engrossing ways. Everything is somehow related to the intro sequence showing a woman accused of witchery jump out of a window. Anyway, the plot is definitely of minor importance in an Italian horror franchise that started as an unofficial spin-off of "The Evil Dead". The atmosphere is occasionally unsettling and the make-up effects are undoubtedly the most superior element of the entire film. There's something supremely morbid and unsettling about staring at a defenseless woman hanging upside down a chimney and waiting to get fried.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the Neil Simon piece of work that got a lot of praises! "The Odd Couple" is a one of a kind gem that lingers within. You got Felix Ungar(Jack Lemmon); a hypochondriac, fussy neat-freak, and a big thorn in the side of his roommate, Oscar Madison(Walter Matthau); a total slob. These men have great jobs though. Felix is a news writer, and Oscar is a sports writer. Both of these men are divorced, Felix's wife is nearby, while Oscar's is on the other side of the U.S. (The West Coast). Well, what can you say? Two men living in one roof together without driving each other crazy, is impossible as well as improbable. It's a whole lot of laughs and a whole lot of fun. I liked the part where when those two British neighbors that speak to both gentlemen, and after Oscar kicked out Felix, he gets lucky and lives with them when he refused to have dinner with them the night earlier. It's about time that Felix needed to lighten up. I guess all neat-freaks neat to lighten up. They can be fussy, yet they should be patient as well. A very fun movie, and a nuevo classic. Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" is a must see classic movie. 5 STARS!$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. I LOVED the whole series, and am shocked at comments by people who thought it ended badly. Perhaps it waffled a bit in seasons 4 & 5, while remaining better than anything else on television. But 6 and particularly 6b were beautiful permutations on the themes developed in the more muscular first three seasons. 6B started with such a sombre mood and Janice's always keen insight into the family angst - that doom-filled line about knowing Tony's penchant for sitting and staring. Anyone who missed the implications of that for the rest of the series does not know Tony. Melfi's discomfort over the psychiatric study and its references to the sociopath's self-deluding sentimentality for pets and animals goes back to the first episodes of the series, say, with Tony's panic attack over the ducks leaving his pool and resonates with Phil's "wave bye-bye" line to his grandchildren before the coup de grace of the final episode (not to get into Chase's dark humour).I could go on and on, but I'll just add that I thought the final show - starting with the opening strains of Vanilla Fudge to supply the ironic foreshadow ("You Keep Me Hangin' On") to the terminal moments where Tony fades back into complacency with his family in tow or blasts apart like AJ's SUV or Phil's head were, utterly, utterly PERFECT. The best TV ever. Pretty good in a dying medium pathologically supplying the "jack-off fantasies" AJ derides (and then into which he promptly subsides). A tip of the pork pie to Mr. Chase.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is bad. Really bad. So bad it made me want to shoot myself in the forehead. I hated this movie. First off, the plot went absolutely nowhere and anything shocking about this movie was seen in the 30 second teaser trailer. Secondly, Anyone who saw the original in 1979 knows that it was a bad movie too and completely unworthy of a remake. By far the best part of the movie is the house it takes place in. Which is not saying much for the actual movie. There were parts in the movie when the music gets very suspenseful and you're positive someone is around the corner and it turns out to be the maid or the cat, but when someone actually is around the corner it is impossible to be even startled because you've been expecting it all movie. So save yourself the money, save yourself the time, save yourself the headache and just watch the trailer. There is absolutely no point in seeing this movie, not in the theater, not on DVD, not on TV, never.$LABEL$ 0 +I, being a fan of Rupert Grint, rented this film a few months ago. I thought it was a very well written movie with a bunch of great actors. It was entertaining, and showed that Rupert Grint could play more than his most well known character of Ron Weasley. His subtle portrayal of Ben and everyone else's great acting made this film very likable.Ben, a very shy boy with a extremely religious and sensitive mother, is looking for a job. He finds one and becomes the, I guess you could call "assistant" to Evie, a retired actress. At first, it is just a way for him to earn some money. But after a while, he and Evie seem to develop a friendship. Evie helps Ben break out of his shell a little and gets him to have fun and be happy with himself, and in the end they both seem to need each other.Whether you are a fan of Rupert Grint or not, this movie is a really entertaining one with some very cute and moments. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to see a great movie with great and talented actors.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm disappointed that Reiser (who wrote the film) felt the need to use so much profanity for no reason whatsoever. Maybe that's his idea of "adult" films, plenty of nasty words with bathroom humor thrown in? I thought better of him and think less of him for this movie.Falk's acting and some moments of humor as well as some possibly important themes are what made me give it such a high rating.This might be a good movie for adult children to watch and laugh over about their own folks and their foibles. But the lack of consideration for audience families seriously detriments what could have been a family film but fails. Certainly not worth spending money on, though it might be worth a watch for free on television.$LABEL$ 1 +Sorry to disagree with you, but I found the DKC series to be quite engaging. So much so that I invested in the SNES system and my own copies of the games. This is, mind you, almost ten years after the initial release of DKC 1. The graphics were ground-breaking for their time, the first vector graphics games for home systems. The music and characters are all memorable, and the games brought myself and my girlfriend dozens of hours of entertainment. True, the second game was better than the first, and the third was perhaps lacking the 'edge' of the second installment. But all three offered different play, and I enjoy them to this day. By the way, I'm old enough to remember when there were NO video games whatsoever (and TVs were black and white!).$LABEL$ 0 +It is sad that Schwarzenegger was the best thing about this production, especially considering the fact that he had not yet come into his own, and was still as stiff as cardboard in his dialog delivery.Actually, this isn't as bad as some critics say, but it isn't good, either. It IS amusing, and DOES play like a poor country cousin of the Conan line, making it a conflicted, uneven, poor work. And speaking of poor, the quality is terrible, due to the era in which this was filmed, but that is not the only reason.The story herein is inferior, even to the Conan line, but moreover, it loses itself in the "Red Sonja must be dominated by big strong Schwarzenegger" ploy, and entirely forgets its purpose, if it ever had one.It's entertaining, but in a low-budget, guilty-pleasure "B" kind of way.It rates a 4.2/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +just watched it, me and my better half could not believe how awful and badly acted it was. If anyone else thinks its good then you must be easily pleased. I actually gave up a night out to watch this, its all been done before. IE. hostel springs to mind, but at least that did not make you cringe with the bad acting and lack of story line, same old stuff, re-hatched,i read so much about this film, i even recommended it to my mates, my fault,someone said it was good! no more gory,horror or reeling back in disgust than your average "scary movie" it has to be said, please don't bother with this movie. get mary poppins. now thats scary! I'm off out now, go to the cinema and watch something scarier than this, little miss sunshine maybe$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sure this is a show no one is that familiar of and might not think good of it; after all it is almost close to Baywatch Hawaii. With the cast, the location, style of the directing and its publicity – shows women walking around on the beach and all that. No wonder people have misconception and decide not to watch it.It was wrong of them to do that. Cause after I decide to watch the show, there are actually more thing going on, real juicy story and conflict, turn out to be really exciting to watch and pretty much – addictive.The story of the hotel clerks, the manager, the owner and their complicated love life. Also enter the troublesome hotel's visitor and powerful man trying to steal the hotel. It actually more exciting than it sounds here.I won't deny that the acting suck but it ain't that bad that you'll look away. The story is not so consistence but good enough. The soundtrack is fitting pretty well with the scenario and the action is all the time. I took me couple of episode before there is actually anything happen solidly so be patience.Recommendation: I Really Do Enjoy Watching This. Zillion Times Better Than Expected.Rating: 7.5/10 (Grade: B)Please Rate My Review After Reading It, Thanks.$LABEL$ 1 +The first few minutes of this movie don't do it justice!For me, its not funny until they board the sub and those hilarious characters begin to gel. I was born and raised in Norfolk Virginia and met my share of "different" sailors- I even married one! Most of my favorite movies are just funny, not topical, not dependent on sex or violence and funny every time I see them. Groundhog Day, Bruce Almighty and Down Periscope are still funny even after I know the dialog by heart. Kelsey Grammar with his "God I LOVE this job!"was sincere, genuine and lovable. Rob Schneider is hysterical as the crew gets back at him for being annoying. I am still amazed at the size of that fishing boat next to a sub! I can see why folks who live this life would notice the uh-oh's but its not a documentary after all its a comedy and I just love it!$LABEL$ 1 +Dream Quest was a surprisingly good movie. There were some noticeable goofs, but that can be expected in a movie like this that was made in such a short time. I did not feel any urge to fast forward during the movie and I found it pretty entertaining. It gets kind of silly at times, but overall I recommend it. They probably used up all the glitter in the nearby stores, and some of the costume designs were pretty good.$LABEL$ 1 +WOW! Pretty terrible stuff. The Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor roadshow lands in Sardinia and hooks up with arty director Joseph Losey for this remarkably ill-conceived Tennessee Williams fiasco. Taylor plays a rich, dying widow holding fort over her minions on an island where she dictates, very loudly, her memoirs to an incredibly patient secretary. When scoundrel Burton shows up claiming to be a poet and old friend, Taylor realizes her time is up. Ludicrious in the extreme --- it's difficult to determine if Taylor and Burton are acting badly OR if it was Williams' intention to make their characters so unappealing. If that's the case, then the acting is brilliant! Burton mumbles his lines, including the word BOOM several times, while Taylor screeches her's. She's really awful. So is Noel Coward as Taylor's catty confidante, the "Witch of Capri." Presumably BOOM is about how fleeting time is and how fast life moves along --- two standard Williams themes, but it's so misdirected by Losey, that had Taylor and Burton not spelled it out for the audience during their mostly inane monologues, any substance the film has would have been completely diluted. BOOM does have stunning photography---the camera would have to have been out of focus to screw up the beauty of Sardinia! The supporting cast features Joanna Shimkus, the great Romolo Valli as Taylor's resourceful doctor and Michael Dunn as her nasty dwarf security guard...both he and his dogs do a number on Burton!$LABEL$ 0 +It's been a long time since I saw this mini-series and I am happy to say its remembered merits have withstood the test of time. Most of the components of 'A Perfect Spy', the adaptation of LeCarré's finest novel, in my opinion, are top-drawer. Outstanding aspects of it are the musical score and the masterful screenplay, the latter written by Arthur Hopcraft who was also, I believe, the screenwriter for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' with Alec Guinness a few years before.The actors are mostly very good, some superb, like Alan Howard's Jack Brotherhood and Ray McAnally's Ricky Pym. Peter Egan is fascinating to watch because his face changes with every camera angle. The passage of time and the effects upon the physical appearances of the characters is very believably done. So much so that I wondered exactly how old Peter Egan was at the time of filming. The only jolt comes after the character of Magnus Pym is transferred from the very able hands of a young actor named Benedict Taylor to those of a noticeably too-old Peter Egan, just fresh out of Oxford. But this is a minor and unimportant seam in the whole.Egan has trouble being convincing only when the text becomes melodramatic and he needs to be "upset" emotionally, ie cry. None of the actors have a very easy time with these moments, aside from the wonderful Frances Tomelty who plays Peggy Wentworth for all she's worth and steals the episode with ease.Jane Booker is annoying as Mary Pym. She has part of the character under her skin but often displays an amateurish petulance that diminishes her as a tough cookie diplomatic housewife, which Mary Pym is. Rüdiger Weigang is splendid as Axel, amusing, ironic and brilliant. I also enjoyed Sarah Badel's camp turn as the Baroness.The British view of Americans is vividly rendered in some dryly hilarious scenes. When the Yanks have come abroad to confab with Bo Brammell (head of MI6) the American contingent are portrayed as empty-headed buffoons who appear to have memorized a lot of long words out of the Dictionary and spiced them liberally with American jargon and psycho babble, much to the bemused scorn of the English. The humor and sadness are subtly blended. LeCarré has a knack for mixing disparate elements in his stories and Hopcraft has brilliantly captured the melancholy, yet wistful, atmosphere of the original.Not a perfect production (what is?) and yet the best of the LeCarré adaptations to reach film or television to date. Highly recommended to all spy-thriller lovers and especially LeCarré fans. DVD available from Acorn.$LABEL$ 1 +The basic story idea of ENCHANTED APRIL is excellent--two very unhappy wives meet and decide to pool their funds to rent an Italian villa for a month. To further defray costs, they get two other strangers to come along. What makes it interesting are the relationships both before and during this vacation--in particular, showing how this beautiful setting actually changes their outlooks on life. Unfortunately, this good idea is totally spoiled by two key performances in the ensemble cast that are so bad that they ruin the film. Ann Harding plays the most important role in the film in a manner that makes her seem ridiculous. Her "doe-eyed" expression and vacant stares really make you wonder if this isn't a zombie movie or she's just meant to be an idiot! And to make it worse, Reginald Owen plays a character so obnoxious and bombastic that I was very close to turning off the film--he was that awful and unbelievable. I noticed that at least one reviewer gave this movie a 10--which is very, very difficult to understand. Sure, the film has great ambiance and a good plot, but these two glaringly silly performances cannot be overlooked as they undermine the rest of the picture. Sorry, but this film was aching for a re-make!$LABEL$ 0 +Man were do I start,everything about this Cartoon from the Episodes,to the Stories,Script, an Animation is to me the Stupidest,Dummest and Most Annoying Cartoon that Walt Disney Television Animation ever CREATED and MADE ,Im so glad that Both Toon Disney (2006) and Disney Channel to Stop Airing it in the U.S. as Of This May 2008.Believe me it's A wise choice to skip this out cast and black cloud of A cartoon,if you watch it don't say I did not alert an warn you.Your in for A Boring and Down right Dull and Confusing Time,I wish and pray I never even saw 1 Episode of this Cartoon Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command. If I could I would have the Part of my Brain removed that Remembers watching it,yes it is and was that Bad.$LABEL$ 0 +It's about jealousy, it's about racism, it's about manipulation, but the underlying message is love. Geoffrey Sax tried to pull off Shakespeare's Othello, by bringing it to modern day context. However, the actors were not convincing enough to pull this off. There were extra bodies to help put everything in to perspective, however, John Othello, played by Eamonn Walker, over reacted a lot in this film, causing for the down fall of Keeley Hawes, Dessie Brabant, eventually ending in Dessie's death. Ben Jago, played by Christopher Eccleston, was seen as the main character in the film. He didn't give enough evidence for Dessie to be cheating on Othello, with Michael Cass, played by Richard Coyle. Instead he just played a friend to all and gave one reason as to why she "was" cheating. In the play, it took a lot more convincing from Iago to make Othello even suspect anything. This change made the movie more about rage for the wrong reasons, than what the book was based off of. However, the movie did have a few good points. It turned the army scenes into more a racist group toward blacks, where Othello is the main chief of the police squad. These scenes are made believable by the raging crowds, and burning fires. You are able to sense the amount of racism in the movie, more so than you can in the book. This book plays up the modern day scenes by making it much easier to understand, than the Shakespearian times it was written in. In the play Iago (Jago) gets tortured at the end, but in the film he gets his satisfaction, and gets Othello's position. He never gets what he deserves and is never caught for telling the lie to Othello until it is too late. I saw this as a downfall in the movie, because I feel that the villain is granted his treasure of the promotion out of lying, and in the book, he is found out by Rodrigo. Overall, the movie could have done a better job based on the play than what it did. I feel that the director of the movie left out some of the most important parts of the play that were mentioned or there to make the play flow, or make it more of a tragedy. I would say that you should read the book first, in order to understand all of the events that happened in the movie, otherwise you may find yourself lost, and confused.$LABEL$ 0 +they (dueringer, dorfer) are good stand-up comedians, young, not ugly, have money, the girls love them, the audience is appreciating everything there doingand then they made this film ...no story at all, some jokes were old in the fifties, the acting is awful. save your money for something useful, like a gift for your girlfriend.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember seeing this on TV in the late 70s - and it stayed with me! It's charming, loud, colourful - a great kids film. I put it on for some friends at a party recently - and naturally they thought I was mad and expected something sick to happen to the puppets a la "Meet the feebles" But no - its wholesome clean fun.jack wild is in fine form, as is mama cass, and the somehow attractive witchy poo.If you like the banana splits and you are in your 30's this will re-create that surreal childhood Saturday morning vibe!Even if I've realised now that Puf himself is a bit crap - as all he does is get captured and run away! Quality TV movie - if, like me, you are into death metal - you'll love it!$LABEL$ 1 +To experience Head you really need to understand where the Monkees were when they filmed it.This was as their series was coming to a close and the group was near break up. Their inventive and comedic series (sort of an American Idol of their day) took four unknown actors and formed a manufactured supergroup around them.This is their take on their "manufactured image" and status as the 2nd tier Beatles. They always felt they were in a box, trapped, and unable to find credibility despite their talents.It is also a hell of a musical-trippy, inventive (I have the soundtrack) and full of surprises.See it with an open mind.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a fan of Judy Garland, Vincente Minnelli, and Gene Kelly, but this movie just left me cold. I was expecting another American In Paris from Minnelli, so perhaps I was expecting too much.The movie was short on songs and short of impressive dance numbers. I was impressed by the very expressionistic Kelly dance as Mococo on the ship. I was also impressed by the Nicholas Brothers in Be a Clown, too bad the song was so annoying. I also enjoyed Judy attacking Kelly with bric-a-brac. Check Lorna Luft's autobiography for some interesting information on that scene.Actually, the movie has what must be some of Cole Porter's most annoying songs, especially "Nina". Also, Judy and Gene yell constantly like screechy children.The plot is thin--which is par for the course for musicals--but it is not saved by impressive dance numbers or by memorable songs. I suspect the best parts of this movie were left on the cutting room floor. Please, some movie restorer, find those bits of film and show us what the movie could have been!$LABEL$ 0 +"Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle" is anchored by a brilliant performance by Timothy Spall.While we can predict that his titular morose, up tight teacher will have some sort of break down or catharsis based on some deep down secret from his past, how his emotions are unveiled is surprising. Spall's range of feelings conveyed is quite moving and more than he usually gets to portray as part of the Mike Leigh repertory.While an expected boring school bus trip has only been used for comic purposes, such as on "The Simpsons," this central situation of a visit to Salisbury Cathedral in Rhidian Brook's script is well-contained and structured for dramatic purposes, and is almost formally divided into acts.We're introduced to the urban British range of racially and religiously diverse kids (with their uniforms I couldn't tell if this is a "private" or "public" school), as they gather – the rapping black kids, the serious South Asians and Muslims, the white bullies and mean girls – but conveyed quite naturally and individually. The young actors, some of whom I recognized from British TV such as "Shameless," were exuberant in representing the usual range of junior high social pressures. Celia Imrie puts more warmth into the supervisor's role than the martinets she usually has to play.A break in the trip leads to a transformative crisis for some while others remain amusingly oblivious. We think, like the teacher portrayed by Ben Miles of "Coupling," that we will be spoon fed a didactic lesson about religious tolerance, but it's much more about faith in people as well as God, which is why the BBC showed it in England at Easter time and BBC America showed it in the U.S. over Christmas.Nathalie Press, who was also so good in "Summer of Love," has a key role in Mr. Harvey's redemption that could have been played for movie-of-the-week preaching, but is touching as they reach out to each other in an unexpected way (unfortunately I saw their intense scene interrupted by commercials).While it is a bit heavy-handed in several times pointedly calling this road trip "a pilgrimage," this quiet film was the best evocation of "good will towards men" than I've seen in most holiday-themed TV movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Della Myers (Kim Basinger) is an upper-class housewife that lives in a private condominium in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband Kenneth (Craig Sheffer). Della gives all the attention to the twins, neglecting their house and her appearance and upsetting Kenneth. On the Christmas Eve, she drives to the local mall in the night to buy wrapping paper for the gifts, and she does not find any parking space available. When she sees an old car parked on two spots, she leaves a message to the owner calling him "selfish jerk". When the mall closes, Della's car is hold by the driver of the old car and she is threatened by four punks – Chuckie (Lukas Haas), the Afro-American Huey (Jamie Starr), the Chinese-American Vingh (Leonard Wu) and the Latin Tomás (Luis Chávez). When the security guard of the mall protects her, he is shot on the head by Chuckie, Della speeds up her car trying to escape from the criminals. However she crashes her truck nearby a forest while chased by the gang. She takes the toolbox and hides in the wood, fighting against the gang to survive.A couple of days ago, I saw the trailer of "While She Was Out" and I was anxious to watch the DVD. Unfortunately the trailer is better than the movie, and I am totally disappointed with this dull and implausible collection of clichés. Della Myers is presented as an insecure and neglectful housewife and inexistent as wife; the motherhood is her only interest in her concept of family. She is chased by four mean criminals but she defeats them with a toolbox that seems to be the Batman's utility belt. Therefore, the plot is so absurd that irritates. The gang of criminals is formed by the favorite cliché of American movies, with an Afro-American, a Chinese-American and a Latin together with an American lord to be politically correct. Kim Basinger has a decent acting, but their children are too young for a fifty-five year-old woman. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "Enquanto Ela Está Fora" ("While She Was Out")$LABEL$ 0 +I hired this movie expecting a few laughs, hopefully enough to keep me amused but I was sorely mistaken. This movie showed very minimal moments of humour and the pathetic jokes had me cringing with shame for ever hiring it... Aimed at an age group of 10-15, this movie will certainly leave viewers outside of these boundaries feeling very unsatisfied. Worth no more than 3 votes highly unrecommended for anyone not wanting to waste 2 hours of their lives.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought a set of 4 DVDs for 10 bucks at my local Suncoast, which contained this movie and three other trashy horror flicks (including its sequel "Witchcraft XI"). So basically I paid the rock bottom price of $2.50 for this movie, if you do the math. I can't exactly say I was ripped off. I have a thing for trashy horror movies, but this is the kind of trash that gives trash a bad name. The budget couldn't be over $1,000 (though it appears as if they spent a total of $1.50). I know it's a low-budget film, but that's no excuse for totally uninspired camerawork. The film "Blood Cult," though not very good, was made for an extremely low budget and still had fairly good camerawork and acting. The acting in this movie is the definition of "effortless," especially from that muscular guy with the Texas accent. Everyone is pretty much reading their lines off the page. You can take that figuratively or literally. I wouldn't be surprised if the script was off-camera as they were performing. I said before that I've never seen a bad English actor. This movie has quite a few bad ones. And though English movies aren't always good, they always seem to have at least a level of sophistication, which is why I don't see why any Englishman, or Englishwoman, would volunteer to do a home-video-style schlock flick like this. Did Merchant Ivory put a hold on their casting calls? Usually, I think people are too hard on directors and actors. Even some of the worst movies in Hollywood have some level of professionalism in the directing, acting and cinematography departments. Even when you watch a movie like "Glitter" you can't honestly say it looks like a third-grader shot those scenes (though a third-grader could've written the script). I've seen home movies that are shot better than "Witchcraft X," and that's no exaggeration whatsoever. Even the gore is minimal since the filmmakers only had money to buy some fake blood on sale at Party City. Not a single effort was put into making this movie--let's just sum it up like that. You get the picture. There's a good deal of nudity, though that doesn't save it. However, I must say that girl with the red-orange hair, who's either naked or wearing a cleavage-popping outfit throughout the film, is really hot! My score: 1 (out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +I am still trying to figure out what the target of this movie was: 1) Whether to show how stupid, disorganized, unprofessional and arrogant the police is (I surely could add various adjectives here, but I think my point on this is clear). 2) Whether to show how a twisted-minded crook that does not know what he wants from himself can create chaos. 3) Whether to show if a persistent detective will solve a case just by asking the criminal the same stupid question over and over again till the criminal answers? 4) Or was it just to show that any 90 minutes of filmed material can still be called a MOVIE…This was one of those movies, that in a way - did not disappoint me. From the first 10 minutes I kind of figured out that this movie will not be nominated for the best movie award, and surprisingly enough – this was consistent throughout the whole time. It was stupid enough to be worth the wait to see how stupidly it will continue and end – and I was not disappointed there either. Was it a complete waist of time? YES. Which raises your question – WHY DID I WATCH IT THROUGHOUT? Well, I was trying to fall asleep, and I thought this was a great candidate for that, but unfortunately I had too much coffee before that…$LABEL$ 0 +For those not in the know, the Asterix books are a hugely successful series of comic books about a village of indomitable Gauls who resist Caesar's invasion thanks to a magic potion that renders them invulnerable supermen. There have been several animated features (only one of them, The Twelve Tasks of Asterix really capturing the wit and spirit of the books despite being an original screen story) before a perfectly cast Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu took the lead roles in two live action adaptations that proved colossally successful throughout Europe but made no impression whatsoever in the English-speaking world. The uncut French version is great fun, but sadly does not appear to be available in a version with English subtitles outside of the UK DVD. While there's still no sign of a US theatrical or DVD release, the Miramax version of Asterix et Obelix: Mission Cleopatre is also on that DVD (and has played on UK TV), and you'll never guess what - it's been completely re-edited (at least 21 minutes gone) and dubbed into English. Maybe Harve mistook it for a Hong Kong movie - after all, he never saw a foreign film he didn't think couldn't be improved by heavy re-editing and shelving for a few years.Whereas Asterix et Obelix Contre Cesar was lovingly dubbed into English from a particularly good translation script by Terry Jones but otherwise left unaltered, that sort of thing really isn't the Miramax way. The results ain't good. The film was the best attempt to get the books mixture of slapstick, anachronisms and highbrow classical humorous asides to the screen, but a lot of the classical references are gone (such as the great Raft of the Medusa sight gag or the Cyrano de Bergerac references from Depardieu), alongside anything that seems too French or might slow the picture down, with the result that the first 20 minutes are now a real slog. Several punchlines to sequences are missing, Depardieu's part has been trimmed (his part was already fairly small because of his serious health problems during the shoot: the US version has been partially digitally regraded to change the unhealthy pallor of his face in the original!), and as usual with dubbing, because literal translations into English don't fit properly, lines are either rushed so much they're not funny anymore or the dialogue has been changed completely (a couple of these changes are admittedly funny, like one character dreaming of a world in which he could move his lips in French and hear the words in English).Not a total disaster, but very disappointing considering how good the full-length version is. It would be nice to think that Miramax would do a Shaolin Soccer and release both versions, but since they've shelved both films for two years since paying $45m for them (another classic case of Harvey's notorious chronic buyer's remorse: gee, wonder why Disney were so p****d at their overspending) and still have no release plans, that may just be too much wishful thinking.It's a real pity that such an accessible and entertaining film will now only be available to non-French speakers in such a clumsily bowdlerised version. It seems the plucky Gauls may have been able to defeat Caesar's legions but are no match for the Miramax jackboot.$LABEL$ 1 +What's this? A Canadian produced zombie flick that I have never heard of before. A mortician works on the body of a recently deceased young man. This allows for an extended flashback that show how the guy got there. Basically, he and friends went to a cemetery on Friday the 13th and raised the dead thanks to his silly chanting. Cut back to the morgue where our dead body comes back to life and kills the mortician and owner (who gets his eyes popped out). The final WTF? shot has the funeral home owner in a straight jacket and screaming, "I'm not crazy!" Amazingly, he has his eyeballs back.Running a scant 58 minutes, this is certainly one oddity in zombie cinema. It feels a lot longer, but put me in some kind of trance where I couldn't stop watching. The film also has one of those "if you see this image, turn away from the screen" gags. It is the image of an old man getting sick in a theater (prophetic?) and when he pops up (only twice) the blood begins to flow. The scenes are pretty damn gory for the time period. There is a great gaffe where a zombie chops off a girl's right hand with a shovel, but - when he pulls the fake hand into the frame to chomp on - it is a left hand.$LABEL$ 0 +The full title of this film is 'May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead', a rewording of the old Irish toast 'May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you're dead.' First time screenwriter Kelly Masterson (with some modifications by director Sidney Lumet) has concocted a melodrama that explores just how fragmented a family can become when external forces drive the members to unthinkable extremes. In this film the viewer is allowed to witness the gradual but nearly complete implosion of a family by a much used but, here, very sensible manipulation of the flashback/flash forward technique of storytelling. By repeatedly offering the differing vantages of each of the characters about the central incidents that drive this rather harrowing tale, we see all the motivations of the players in this case of a robbery gone very wrong. Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a wealthy executive, married to an emotionally needy Gina (Marisa Tomei), and addicted to an expensive drug habit. His life is beginning to crumble and he needs money. Andy's ne're-do well younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a life in ruins - he is divorced from his shrewish wife Martha (Amy Ryan), is behind in alimony and child support, and has borrowed all he can from his friends, and he needs money. Andy proposes a low-key robbery of a small Mall mom-and-pop jewelry store that promises safe, quick cash for both. The glitch is that the jewelry story belongs to the men's parents - Charles (Albert Finney) and Nanette (Rosemary Harris). Andy advances Hank some cash and wrangles an agreement that Hank will do the actual robbery, but though Hank agrees to the 'fail-safe' plan, he hires a friend to take on the actual job while Hank plans to be the driver of the getaway car. The robbery is horribly botched when Nanette, filing in for the regular clerk, shoots the robber and is herself shot in the mess. The disaster unveils many secrets about the fragile relationships of the family and when Nanette dies, Charles and Andy and Hank (and their respective partners) are driven to disastrous ends with surprises at every turn. Each of the actors in this strong but emotionally acrid film gives superb performances, and while we have come to expect that from Hoffman, Hawke, Tomei, Finney, Ryan, and Harris, it is the wise hand of direction from Sidney Lumet that make this film so unforgettably powerful. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is a film that allows some bravura performances that demand our respect, a film that reminds us how fragile many families can be. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +This picks up about a year after the events in "Basic Instinct". Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is now in London. While having sex with a soccer player while speeding about in a car going at 110 miles/hour (don't ask) she goes off the road and ends up in the Thames. She survives--he doesn't. The police hire psychiatrist Michael Glass (David Morrissey) to see if she's mentally competent to stand trial. Naturally she starts playing with his mind instead and plenty of murders and sex follow.This movie was doomed before it even opened. It took forever to get a cast and director, script problems were constant and the cast was not happy (Morrissey complained about the movie often). Still it's not too bad. It's a lot like the first--there's a lush music score, beautiful locations, plenty of sex and nudity (this had to be edited for an R), a nicely convoluted plot and good acting--but there's no impact. It feels like a retread of the first. People are being killed here with a choker leash (I believe)...just like people were being killed by an ice pick in the first. In one cute moment Stone picks up an ice pick and looks at it longingly. She's also playing mind games with a man and might be getting him implicated in murders. The similarities are too apparent.This is also VERY R rated--there's plenty of explicit sex talk, male nudity (Morrissey looks a lot better nude than Michael Douglas), female nudity (Stone still looks great) and some bloody murders. The acting is good across the board. Stone is just fantastic here; Morrissey looks miserable but is OK; Charlotte Rampling and David Thewlis are good in supporting roles.So--this isn't at all bad but feels like a remake of the first. Still I recommend it. People just attacked this because Stone is not well liked and they thought it was stupid to do a sequel to "Basic..." 14 years after it was made.$LABEL$ 1 +Simply well written, directed and acted... Woody's best of the 2000's if not his best since the 80's!! Hugh Jackman was the perfect pick for his roll. Scarlett Johansson's banter with Woody proves how well rounded an actress she has become.It's refreshing to not being in a romance on screen with the leading lady. He plays the perfect bumbling magician.There have been a few reviews maligning this movie. Don't let them stop you from seeing the wonderfully done film. People in the crowd I saw this with were laughing so loud at some lines i missed the next line. If you like Woody Allen films of the 70's, you'll regret missing this one.I suggest you go to watch this film with an open mind, if you do, you might walk out smiling.$LABEL$ 1 +Well OK, I watched this movie a little over 2 years ago and now I pulled it out of the dusty shelf to watch it again and I must say, I actually think this movie is good. This movie caught a buzz as the bootleg I Know What You Did Last Summer 3, much like Final Stab was to Scream 4, and well this movie isn't that bad. I mean it had flaws and of course it would be laughable to release this in the theaters but still for a midnight popcorn flick, this movie is not half bad. It has some scares, and some really hot women I might add. Plus it shows off Joey Lawrence's new beefy look though obviously even that hasn't won him any big Hollywood roles either......I feel bad for the man, he had such a career in the early and mid 90's with blossom, some Disney movies and the everlasting Lawrence brothers show.....Joey Lawrence was a bit player in the sitcom scene, but then like in a 360 degree turn, his career went south only doing low budget movies like this one.The movie also throws you off guard in, it makes you think between the crew, there really is a secret that someone knows, to only be disappointed in the end to find out the secret. It also throws you off on who the killer is, I had an idea but still woulnd't think the killer was who he was, but his motives combined with the secret was a huge letdown. Now, had there been a secret that was let out? This movie could've been one of the better b rated movies. But also I am a sucker for college themes and I also in college went on spring break in a mansion sized beach house similar to the one in here so it just made me feel sentimental about this movie.A so-so slasher flick. Good for a midnight movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Here's an interesting little movie that strictly gives the phrase "low budget" a horrible name. Our physics teacher who has about nine kids creates a strange serum that causes "molecular reorganization". Students are hopelessly killed from fake coincidences of submarine sandwiches and flying school supplies. Sounds like a resurrection of classic B-movies from the 50s, right? Nope! It's not an example of high camp fun, which is way, WAY off the mark. A glamorous showcase of breasts and butts ensues our desire for pleasure, opposing the horror that should have had 99.44% more in the first place. Bottom-of-the-barrel entertainment at its best, aided by pints of red blood and dead student bodies. Atrocious movies like this would make the ultimately catastrophic GURU THE MAD MONK (1970) the work of an intelligent genius who has a Master's degree in film production! It's an automatic "F", so rest easy!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie for the first time when Quentin Tarantino showed it to a bunch of us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. He prefaced it with how freaking awesome he thought he was and how funny it was and in the context of his explanation, it was HILARIOUS. I can see how it would be damaging to some audiences, and the subject is not funny at all, but there are at least three lines in the film that had me laughing so hard I thought I'd pee. They don't come until after the halfway point, but when they do, oh God...you will die. Oh and Jim Brown is brilliant. He's not in a lot of the movie, but when he's there, you know whose movie it is. Naturally, the best line in the movie (and the funniest) is his; you'll know it when you hear it.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this Hallmark television movie when it originally aired. I lost interest in the story because a character was said to be a witch. I just was not in the right frame of mind to watch this film. But Hallmark stands for the best, quality films. Now, there is a reason to give this film a second look. Clive Owen who plays "Damon Wildeve" just might have a chance to be selected as the next James Bond 007 when Pierce Brosnan passes it on. Clive Owen might have to wait until the year 2008. The other reason is the female lead is Catherine Zeta-Jones is now a celebrity (she was an unknown at the time) and became an Academy Award winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2003. Joan Plowright as "Mrs. Yeobright" is also in this film. I like the opening line in this film: "Deliver my heart from this fearful, lonely place. Send me a great love from somewhere or else I shall die, truly I shall die."$LABEL$ 0 +It's not my fault. My girlfriend made me watch it.There is nothing positive to say about this film. There has been for many years an idea that Madonna could act but she can't. There has been an idea for years that Guy Ritchie is a great director but he is only middling. An embarrassment all round. $LABEL$ 0 +With a humor that would appeal to an exclusive, small audience, the average viewer will find it pointless and monotonous. When Cartoon Network advertised this show, it was made to look as if it was a major drama or event, complete with a real rain scene and government officials trying to catch the Sheep.When it came out on the air, I was disappointed at how all the characters were so one-dimensional and a totally bland animation. The only thing that put it to anything close to humor were the names of the characters like "Private Public" and "General Specific", a few vague references to cultural aspects, and how Lady Richington pummeled Sheep with her steel wig.Slightly off topic, but I don't see why would Sheep fall in love with that ball of dirty cotton balls called "Swanky." It was hideous!$LABEL$ 0 +Never viewed this film until recently on TCM and found this story concerning Poland and a small town which had to suffer with the Nazi occupation of the local towns just like many other European Cities for example: Norway. The First World War was over and people in this town were still suffering from their lost soldiers and the wounded which War always creates. Alexander Knox, ( Wilhelm Gimm)"Gorky Park" returns from the war with a lost leg and was the former school teacher in town. He was brought up a German and was not very happy with the Polish people and they in turn did not fully accept him either. As the Hitler party grew to power Wilhelm Grimm desired to become a Nazi in order to return and punish this small Polish town for their treatment towards him which was really all in his mind. Marsha Hunt,(Marja Pacierkowski),"Chloe's Prayer", played an outstanding role as a woman who lost her husband and was romantically involved with Whilhelm Gimm. There are many flashbacks and some very real truths about how the Nazi destroyed people's families and their entire lives. The cattle cars are shown in this picture with Jewish people heading to the Nazi gas chambers. If you have not seen this film, and like this subject matter, give it some of your time; this film is very down to earth for a 1944 film and a story you will not forget too quickly.$LABEL$ 1 +"Back of Beyond" takes place at a dive diner/gas station in the middle of the Australian desert run by Tom McGregor (Paul Mercurio), a shy guy who suddenly finds himself in a spot of trouble when some visitors unexpectedly arrive. We get what, at first, confusingly seems like a flashback in which he and his sister (though their relationship to each other is better understood later in the film) are speeding through the desert on his motorcycle. Afterwards, he appears as a terribly quiet, and sometimes, moody character in the presence of the arrivals.We know one thing is for sure and that is McGregor's sort of spiritual sense, his foresight of danger and such--his clairvoyance only slightly relevant to the story, the bulk of which concerns three diamond thieves who's car breaks down and who rely on Tom to help them out of spot without getting in their way. Of course, Tom falls for one of the thieves, a young woman named Charlie, and suddenly, it pits all three already mistrusting allies against each other. But not in a way that really results in anything of much mystery or action. In fact, the whole movie all the while seems to want to build up to something significant, but really fails to do so. Even the ending, of which plays out like a trite campfire tale (and one that really reveals a lot of narrative flaws), is almost just as ridiculous.It may be worth trying if you don't mind the terribly slow pacing, but are in the mood, at least, for something a little different than the usual.$LABEL$ 0 +While the new Pride & Prejudice film is gorgeous to view, and the soundtrack is lovely, we are not seeing Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The film is for some reason set back in the early 1790's, rather than the Regency period where the novel is set, as scholars have long shown. The Bennets' Longbourn estate is ram-shackled and looks like Cold Comfort Farm. Yet the Bennets in the novel are gentry class; they own a farm, but the pig does not walk through the house, nor is the farmyard of manure and chicken droppings contiguous to the home. Scenes are re-set from the novel,and lest we forget, Jane Austen placed scenes in certain locations for a reason. For example, the film puts the big Darcy proposal scene outside in a storm in front of a Neoclassical temple, as opposed to inside the Collins' parsonage: Why did Jane Austen put it in the parsonage? Because while Lizzy and Darcy speak with total, if brutal honesty to each other in this scene, the Collinses have never shared an honest word. Why the rain and the outdoor proposal? It looks like Jane Eyre meeting Rochester! And when Elizabeth walks across a windy field to stand on a cliff and view the panorama, one expects her to cry, "Heathcliffe" at any minute! Austen has been Bronteized! Judy Dench is a GREAT actress, but Lady Catherine is supposed to be tall and striking. The petite Tom Hollander is a brilliant actor: but Mr. Collins is described in the novel as tall and heavy-looking, which suggests that his terrible dancing with poor Lizzy is elephantine. Matthew MacFayden is another favorite of mine from MI-5 on A&E; in P&P, however, he is more the young Heathcliffe, never smiling--though Austen observes in the novel that Darcy smiles at Lizzy quite a bit, and she realizes this when she sees his wonderful smiling portrait at Pemberley--a portrait that in this movie is for some reason replaced by a sculptured marble bust.And much of Austen's dialogue is changed to modern speech. Mr. Bingley has been turned into such a clown that one wonders why Darcy would have him as a friend and why Jane Bennet would love him. The bottom line is that while this is a great movie to watch and hear, it deviates from Jane Austen's novel so much that any student who watched it, thinking she could substitute viewing for reading, would fail!$LABEL$ 0 +Michael Is King. This film contains some of the best stuff Mike has ever done. Smooth Criminal is pure genius. The cameos are wonderful, but as always, the main event is MJ himself. He is the best, hands down.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a very exciting and romantic film. I have seen it several times and never get bored with it. Everything is realistic and it is a good plot. The actors are excellent Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth and Brian Cox.I actually prefer this film to Braveheart as Braveheart contain so many historical misstakes. There is many exciting scenes - watch out for the Bridge Scen and the last fencing scene. This is really good and surprising scenes.The music are lovely...it really suits to the movie. The setting is amazing.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, maybe not immediately before the Rodney King riots, but even a few months before was timely enough. My parents said that they saw it and the next thing you know, the police got acquitted and LA got burned to the ground. It just goes to show the state of race relations in America. The plot has white Mack (Kevin Kline) and African-American Simon (Danny Glover) becoming friends after Simon saves Mack's life in the black ghetto. Meanwhile, movie producer Davis (Steve Martin in a serious role) thinks that gratuitous violence is really cool...until he gets shot. There's also some existentialism in the movie: Mack and his family come to realize that they aren't living as they really want.It seems that "Crash" has somewhat renewed people's interest in race relations, but this one came out much earlier. Maybe we'll never be able to have stable race relations in this country. But either way, "Grand Canyon" is a great movie. It affirms Kevin Kline as my favorite actor. Also starring Mary McDonnell, Mary-Louise Parker and Alfre Woodard.$LABEL$ 1 +The Slackers as titled in this movie are three college friends Dave, Jeff and Sam(Devon Sawa, Michael Maronna and Jason Segel respectively), who are about to graduate from university without sitting through an honest exam but making it end successfully. This continues until the very end when unlikeable but the most likable character of the movie Nathan(Schwartzman) figures out what they are up to. Nathan starts blackmailing in order to make up with his dream girl as he cant pursue that in normal conditions. The only problem is when the trio starts to work on it, Dave falls in love with the gorgeous and good hearted Angela(James King) Unfortunately, not a brilliant genre movie. Schwartzman makes to watch the movie easy as his performance is brilliant. King's performance is average, I think she was hired just to be around with her gorgeous look. The Slackers is reminiscent of American Pie with a different direction. Jokes are as shallow as in American Pie. But aren't they all used? I think this movie is a warning to the filmmakers of the genre that they are running out of originality. Overall, a few smiley moments but a horrible movie in terms of acting(except for Schwartzman) and subject. * out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +The Angry Red Planet (Quickie Review) Like "The Man From Planet X," this is a bizarre science fiction tale culled from an era where fantasy and science fiction were still damn near the same thing. Meaning, we have some highly laughable special effects and rampant pseudo-science masquerading as science fiction. And yes, it's another "classic" released in a high quality transfer with a crisp picture and sharp sound--by Midnite Movies.So, the main reason to watch this film? Oh, it's definitely the whole time our space crew is on Mars. (What, you thought "Angry Red Planet" referred to Neptune?) Prior to that is some rather poor quality space crew boarding a space ship, inside of which they smoke and toss around sexist chauvinistic banter aimed at the "puny female" member of the crew. It'd be somewhat offensive by today's standards if it weren't so damn funny. But Mars is the real reason we're watching this thing. The film is generally black and white, but Mars, well Mars is screaming bloody red. It's filmed in this bizarre red plasticy sheen giving the angry red planet quite an interesting look of overexposed redness. It's really quite a sight—as are the (ha ha) aliens viewers are to witness. The best being the "ratbatspidercrab." You think that's a joke? That's what they call it in the movie! It's a gigantic chimera (small puppet) of a thing combining traits of rats, bats, spiders, and crabs. It bounds along all puppety and scares the sh*t out of our "heroic crew." There are other weird, and poorly imagined, aliens to be seen, but that one takes the cake. Eventually, after their harrowing experience on Mars, the sexist crew boards their "ship" and returns to whatever planet it was they came from.This ain't for everyone. Science Fiction film buffs & curiosity seekers, and some general film buffs. Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will have a field day with this one (if they never got to it on the show).2/10 Modern score, 6/10 Nostalgia score, 4/10 overall.(www.ResidentHazard.com)$LABEL$ 0 +A real let down, the novel is such a brilliant stomach churning journey into madness but this made for TV movie style nonsense is turgid and painfully slow. Stick to Mike Hammer. I find it hard to believe that no body has made a brilliant version of this book, Kubrick gushes over it on the cover, he should have taken over the reins on this one. Stacey Keach is too soppy as Lou Ford, and the whole thing has the same production values as that seventies TV spin off, of Planet Of The Apes. I thoroughly recommend that you go out and buy lots of Jim Thompson novels though, actually The Grifters isn't done too badly, thats one of his, starring Jon Cusak.$LABEL$ 0 +I was very skeptical about sacrificing my precious time to watch this film. I didn't enjoy the first one at all, and the last Jean Claude Van Damme film I liked was Blood Sports! After managing to sit through it all? Avoid, avoid, avoid!!$LABEL$ 0 +Three sergeants in the British army stationed in India, are sent out to stop an uprising of a tribe of murderers known as the Thuggees. One of the sergeants, Cutter, leads away from the camp in search of a golden temple and is captured by the Thuggees lead by the sinister Guru. Gunga Din, the regiment's water boy, goes back to the camp for help and the other two sergeants go after him, but are also captured. Now the major sends a full detail out after the three, but do not realize that they are walking into a trap set by the Thugees. It is though, Gunga Din who saves the day. Excellently made buddy film, even though it is today politically incorrect. Grant, McLaglen, and Fairbanks do give very humorous and thrilling performances with Jaffe very well in the title role and Cianelli very sinister as Guru. Rating- 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +If anyone ever assembles a compendium on modern American horror that is truly worth it's salt, there will *have* to be an entry for SF Brownrigg's ubiquetous exercize in Asylum Horror. Every time I watch this movie I am impressed by the complete economy of the film, from the compact, totally self-contained plot with a puzzling beginning and an all too horrible ending, the engaging performances by what was essentially a group of non-professional actors, and a prevading sense of dread and claustrophobia that effectively consumes the narrarive with a certain inevitability which is all the more terrifying because the viewers know what is going on long before the hero[es], with the only question being when are they going to wake up & smell the coffee?Shot on a dental floss budget in Brownrigg's native Texas at an old palatial manor that nicely serves as the setting for a private sanitorium, DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT is another intriguing twist on the good old Edgar Allan Poe tome about inmates taking over the asylum just before an otherwise "normal" outsider unwittingly joins the ranks without realizing until it is far too late that not all is what it seems, they are totally cut off & beyond any outside help, and inevitably find their own sanity questioned as the madness spins out of control -- The Original STAR TREK TV series had a go at this with their WHOM GODS DESTROY episode from 1968, Juan Moctezuma gave the proceedings a peyote fueled Mexican psychedelic trip in DR. TARR'S TORTURE DUNGEON in 1972, and tangentially related is Fernando Di Leo's ASYLUM EROTICA/SLAUGHTER HOTEL, which injects the elements of an unknown killer and an ending that can only be defined as "Splatter Cinema" -- Brownrigg may not have seen or been thinking of SLAUGHTER HOTEL, but he sure came up with some similar ideas.Legaliciuos former Playboy Playmate Rosie Holotik plays Charlotte Beale, RN in Clinical Psychology, who has just left her nice job as a supervisor at a major hospital to travel way out into the middle of some god forsaken waste right out of a Peckinpah movie to work with a Dr. Stevens at his private sanitorium. Dr. Stevens has pioneered a new form of therapy based upon basically encouraging the emotionally & psychologically scarred to face their inner obsessions, bring them to the surface and hopefully rid the patients of whatever has fried their sense of reasoning. Nice idea, but arming a 6ft 250 pound utterly insane man with an axe and telling him to pound out his aggression AND THEN TURNING YOUR BACK ON HIM probably isn't the smartest idea, and Dr. Stevens is dispatched before Ms. Holotik even appears onscreen with a good whack to the lower portion of his skull.This event leaves the sanitorium effectively in the hands of one Geraldine Masters [actress Annabelle Weenick, who also served as the script supervisor & production manager], a woman of startlingly professional demeanor who quickly defuses the situation with the help of Sam, the film's wonderfully unlikely hero, a lobotomized African American boheomouth played by an actor named Bill McGhee who was sadly robbed of a supporting Oscar nomination for his turn as a mass of muscle with the brain of an 8 year old boy. Sam's one wish is to have someone help him put his prized toy boat "in the water", and his continual asking of the various female cast members to do so [and his nonstop consumption of chocolate popsicles] as *SOME* kind of underlying theme, though we will avoid such here because the kids might still be up. There is also a quick subplot about a staff member who has decided to leave after being threatened by one of the patients, but I'll leave the details of that to your discovery.Ms. Holotik arrives just as Dr. Stevens has been effectively laid to rest and is quickly won over by the snappy professionalism of Ms. Masters, who reluctantly allows the leggy young nurse to stay on in spite of the tragedy that has just happened, oh, TWENTY MINUTES AGO, which you must admit was rather sporting of her. Holotik's Nurse Beale begins to demonstrate symptoms of not being the sharpest meat cleaver in the drawer, however, when informed that she shares living quarters with a bunch of maniacs and there are no locks on the doors & doesn't trudge off for the nearest Ace Hardware Store to pick up a hasp and padlock to secure herself, and we are treated to a couple of truly creepy scenes where some of the inmates sneak into her room & do stuff like smell her hair, try to kill her with butcher knives and caress her neck with axe heads. But that's all a part of working in such a radical psychiatric health care environment, Ms. Master's informs her, and she goes about her oddly defined "rounds" that consist of wearing as leg defining a nurse outfit as you can find in a 42nd Street fetish boutique and getting to know the inmates.Allysson is a obsessive compulsive nymphomaniac with homicidal tendancies who likes to take off her shirt & provide the film with some T & A between fits of histrionics; Harriet is a young former mother who let her child die in a stupid accident and now dotes on a beat-up old doll that she is also homicidally protective of; The Seargant is an actual seargeant [and implied Vietnam vet] who's negligence led to the death of his platoon, and now watches from the window with binoculars for the approach of an unseen enemy; Jennifer is a Phish fan who couldn't score a ticket to the New Year's Eve Show and went insane & likes to scarf down nembutols and other barbituates when nobody is looking, and likewise has hidden homicidal tendancies linked to her inability to find a bra; Judge Cameron is apparently a homicidal pervert who became obsessed with his own sense of power and now likes to chop things up with axes; Ms. Callingham is an aged poet who serves as a sort of soothsaying old hag from MACBETH before the cat gets her tongue; and Danny is an insane idiot who was included in the cast as the random element that the plot cannot control, and who's antics serve as the real catalyst for the series of tragedies & murders that ultimately take place in this dark, old, creepy house in the middle of nowhere.The house itself is a wonderful set, with a threadbare early 1970's decor that is remarkable in it's unremarkableness, with a fantastic use of color achieved by subtle ambient lighting. The house is a series of hallways and rooms with shiny brown wooden floors, twisting, confined stairways, secreted closets and passageways leading to the different larger areas, and of course the basement mentioned in the title -- visited only once, but boy it sure proves to be a doozy! I love the frosted old freezer where Sam keeps his stash of popsicles, the utterly plain exteriors that remind me of a summer home our family used to visit every year & force us to swelter in the heat: Everyone is covered with beads of persperation and looks exhausted, and even the ever cheerful Sam at one point begins to suspect that bad things are happening, though he cannot understand what it all means and Rosie H. is too firm in her belief of her profession to even suspect what has really happened, and while Ms. Holotik's limitations of an actress may have diminished the effectiveness of her Big Revelation scene, she's a great screamer when all Hell starts to break loose, and Brownrigg indulged of some nice camera shots of her in various suggestive poses or stages of undress that show off what a pretty lady she is without exposing anything more than her contract stipulated. Too bad!The real show stealer is Sam, however, and fans of what I have been taught to refer to as Splatter Cinema will not be disappointed by the rather shocking finale, and there is something moving about how Sam runs to the protection of his friend and brutally kills everyone within arms reach in a matter of seconds that either suggests he was one mean motha before his lobotomy, or the film is CUT. In any event you won't be prepared for the ending the first time you see it, even though you as the viewer know what the score is long before anyone else in the film has put it all together.Except for one person: Rhea MacAdams' uproariously stereotyped old coot Mrs. Callingham [who seems to be inspired by the Donald Sutherland Old Woman character from the Michael Reeves' 1964 Christopher Lee film CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD, in addition to a rather nasty death by round spike to the eye], who not only predicts the future, but has the film's most laugh out loud amusing bit of dialogue while on a walk in the garden with Ms. Holotik that runs something like this --"It's really beautiful out here. Do you get out much, Mrs. Callingham?" asks Holotik, to which the old woman replies"It's YOU who needs to get out."Hilarious, and one of those things you gotta kind of see for yourself to "get". DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT is available on at least a half dozen "bargain bin" codefree DVD releases by companies like Brentwood Home Video, Diamond Entertainment, VCI and Platinum Disc Corp.'s HORROR CLASSICS series; I kind of like Alpha Video's sexily gorgeously decorated $6 release from 2003:Dig through those bargain bins! But make sure you get one with the 89/90 minute print contained therein; an older 83 minute version is downright confusing due to some of the trims, and you really need to see the ending credits as intended to bring this sick, twisted and surprisingly entertaining yarn to it's end.Masterpiece? Maybe not compared to THE EXORCIST or ROSEMARY'S BABY, but it is a very uniquely American horror film, and a genuine classic of the drive-in age that deserves to be rediscovered by anyone looking for something made with more than just a little bit of brain juice, and not a penny more than they absolutely needed.***1/2 out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +I had such high hopes for this film because I loved the original so much. It seems that Disney, however, is trying to perfect the art of crappy straight-to-DVD sequels. They deserve a razzie. Several, in fact. I thought the idea had merit, but the music was absolutely awful and the story wasn't much better. What happened to the great music Disney used to have in their films. Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King...even Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. They've made so many great movies over the years that it's really sad that they've sunk to point of making sequels that aren't even good enough to put in theatres.I hope this movie is not an indication of things to come for the Walt Disney Corporation.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I generally like Iranian movies, and after having seen "10" by Kiarostami the night before, I was expecting a great movie. I was very disappointed. This is by far, the worst Iranian film, and one of the most boring Asian movies I have ever seen. If you have never seen a Kiarostami movie before, watch "Ten" instead. If you want some good Iranian movies, you may also try "Sib", aka "The Apple". This movie is divided in 5 parts, and only the fourth, featuring some funny ducks, is worth watching. If this is the first Iranian movie you see, you probably won't want to see any more. I don't blame you, but you will miss some great movies.$LABEL$ 0 +STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning One time heroin addict Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) gets out of prison to his bumbling jailbird partner Sparrow (Arnold Stang), needy cripple of a wife Zosch (Eleanor Parker) and bit on the side Molly (Kim Novak.) He's trying to make it big as a drummer in a band, but until his big break comes along he's stuck doing the only other thing he was any good at other than being a junkie- dealing cards in high stakes games. And try as he might, even prison hasn't cured him of his addiction to the devil's drug- causing him to lie to and deceive all those around him and driving him to desperate measures to feed his habit. His yearning to come off it is his only motivation towards a happy ending.When people think of Frank Sinatra they generally think of classic high pitched songs like Under My Skin, New York New York and It Had to Be You. But lest anyone forget he was actually a renowned actor too and, if his performance in the acclaimed From Here to Eternity wasn't enough, he will also be remembered for this cutting edge drama, dealing with what was at the time the ultra taboo subject of drug abuse.The film is often listed as one of the first to feature graphic heroin use (probably the reason behind the 15 certificate) in a time when it was a subject that was still very much pushed underground. In his portrayal of the main protagonist, Sinatra is fine, perfectly conveying the despair, desperation and sincerity of a man losing every second chance that is being given to him. His cold turkey scene is much more intense than Ewan McGregor's in Trainspotting. The first co-star to make an impression is Parker as Machine's demanding, needy cripple of a wife, using her husband's guilt and sense of duty to all the effect she can. Novak as his secret lover still manages some strong moments but is less of a star than Parker. Stang does his usual comic relief thing, as the bumbling sidekick who trails the leading man around with his waspy New York accent.Director Otto Preminger does allow the pace to drag a bit sometimes but this is still a powerfully absorbing film all the way, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns and which should be admired for being one of the first films to bring such a grim subject so powerfully to life. ****$LABEL$ 1 +Dog days is one of most accurate films i've ever seen describing life in modern cities. It's very harsh and cruel at some points and sadly it's very close to reality. Isolation, desperation, deep emotional dead ends, problematic affairs, perversion, complexes, madness. All the things that are present in the big advanced cities of today. It makes you realize once again the pityful state in which people have lead society. The negative side of life in the city was never pictured on screen so properly. I only wish it was a lie. Unfortunately, it isn't. Therefore...10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +William Hurt may not be an American matinee idol anymore, but he still has pretty good taste in B-movie projects. Here, he plays a specialist in hazardous waste clean-ups with a tragic past tracking down a perennial loser on the run --played by former pretty-boy Weller-- who has been contaminated with a deadly poison. Current pretty-boy Hardy Kruger Jr --possibly more handsome than his dad-- is featured as Weller's arrogant boss in a horrifying sequence at a chemical production plant which gets the story moving. Natasha McElhone is a slightly wacky government agent looking into the incident who provides inevitable & high-cheekboned love interest for hero Hurt. Michael Brandon pops up to play a slimy take-no-prisoners type whose comeuppance you can't wait for. The Coca-Cola company wins the Product Placement award for 2000 as the soft drink is featured throughout the production, shot lovingly on location in a wintery picture-postcard Hungary.$LABEL$ 1 +There can be no denying that Hak Se Wui (Election in English) is a well made and well thought out film. The film uses numerous clever pieces of identification all the time playing with modernity yet sticking to tradition – a theme played with throughout the film Where John Woo's Hong Kong films are action packed and over the top in their explosive content as seen in Hard Boiled (1992) and when Hong Kong films do settle down into rhythms of telling the story from the 'bad' point of view, they can sometimes stutter and just become merely unmemorable, a good example being City on Fire (1987).Election is a film that is memorable for the sheer fact of its unpredictable scenes, spontaneous action and violence that are done in a realistic and tasteful (if that's the right word) manner as well as the clever little 'in pieces' of film-making. It's difficult to spot during the viewing but Election is really constructed in a kind of three act structure: there is the first point of concern involving the actual election and whoever is voted in is voted in – not everyone likes the decision but what the Uncles say, goes. The second act is the retrieving of the ancient baton from China that tradition demands must be present during the inauguration with the final third the aftermath of the inauguration and certain characters coming up with their own ideas on how the Triads should and could be run. Needless to say; certain events and twists occur during each of the three thirds, some are small and immaterial whereas some are much larger and spectacular.Election does have some faults with the majority coming in the opening third. Trying to kill off time surrounding an election that only takes a few minutes to complete was clearly a hard task for the writers and filmmakers and that shows at numerous points. I got the feeling that a certain scene was just starting to go somewhere before it was interrupted by the police and then everyone gets arrested. This happens a few times: a fight breaks out in a restaurant but the police are there and everyone is arrested; there's a secret meeting about the baton between the Triads but the police show up and everyone gets arrested; some other Triads are having a pre-election talk but the police show up and guess what? You know.Once the film gets out of that rut that I thought it would, it uses a sacred baton as a plot device to get everybody moving. The baton spawns some good fight scenes such as the chasing of a truck after it's been hotwired, another chase involving a motorbike and a kung-fu fight with a load of melee weapons in a street – the scenes are unpredictable, realistic and violent but like I said, they are in a 'tasteful' manner. Where Election really soars is its attention to that fine detail. When the Triads are in jail, the bars are covered with wire suggesting they're all animals in cages as that's how they behave on the outside when in conflict. Another fine piece of attention to detail is the way the Uncles toast using tea and not alcohol, elevating themselves above other head gangsters who'd use champagne (The Long Good Friday) and also referencing Chinese tradition of drinking tea to celebrate or commemorate.Election is a good film that is structured well enough to enjoy and a film that has fantastic mise-en-scene as you look at what's going on. Some of the indoor settings and the clothing as well as the buckets of style that is poured on as the search and chase for the baton intensifies. The inauguration is like another short film entirely and very well integrated into the film; hinting at Chinese tradition in the process. I feel the best scene is the ending scene as it sums it up perfectly: two shifty characters fishing and debating the ruling of the Triads all the while remaining realistic, unpredictable and violent: in a tasteful manner, of course.$LABEL$ 1 +Not all, but most of this story is Buster being mistaken for "Dead Shot Dan," a notorious criminal. There really is no story, just a series of adventures to show off Buster's physical talents, which are amazing, and his comedic timing. The 27-minute film is basically one adventure after the other mostly involving someone chasing our hero.Earlier, it's a couple of policemen on their beats racing through the streets after Keaton and later it's "Big Joe" Roberts, a rotund cop - and father a girl Buster is interested in - who chases him. Those latter scenes were the best I thought, with a lot of clever gags involving the hotel elevator where Big Joe and his daughter live. That was Keaton at his best.It's just a madcap half hour that makes little sense, but cares? It's Buster at his slapstick best, or near it, and so it serves its purpose: to entertain us. Just think: 85 years after this film was made there are people (like me) still discovering and enjoying these silent comedy classics! Cool!$LABEL$ 1 +Sky Captain is possibly the best awful movie I've seen in a long while. Rife with amazing CG and special effects, studded with an A-list cast (Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and the infinitely likable Giovanni Ribisi) and racing along with an overused but Indiana Jones-esquire storyline, this should have been a great movie to watch.'Should have' being the key term here, of course.Jude Law plays Joe the Sky Captain with a dashing accent and plenty of over-the-shoulder, heart-melting smirks, but you can't make something out of nothing, and even his flippant deliveries and boyish good looks can't save the movie's stone dialogue. (If he had slapped Giovanni Ribisi on the back and said, "Good boy, Dex," just ONE more time, I might have barfed all over the guy in front of me.) Gwyneth Paltrow, as Polly Perkins, is nothing less than nerve grating. Her nasal whining and not-quite-sarcastic comments get old in the first ten minutes of the movie. Perhaps she put too much effort into playing the stereotypical 30's comic book heroine- who knows? I expected more from her. An example of how a similar character was played (and played well) is in the late 90's flick "The Phantom," starring Kristy Swanson and Billy Zane. Rent the movie and you'll know what I mean.Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie were the saving graces in the film. (Angelina Jolie was incredibly hot in that eyepatch. I'll admit it.) In just a few short scenes, both actors somehow managed to rise above the tired material and deliver a more riveting performance than their dry, two-dimensional castmates.The plot and steady story progression were old, boring, and basically just a monotonous combination of every good scene from an action movie in the past thirty years. The pace is rapid-fire in the first half of the movie, and a snail's pace in the second, giving the audience enough time not only to guess the eventual conclusion of the film, but to figure out who the key villain is as well. The pairing is rather clichéd, also- Polly Perkins and Sky Captain apparently reunite after several years of separation from a bitterly-ended romance, and their story isn't so much charming and eclectic as it is annoying and mismatched. When they finally come to terms with their mutual feelings towards the end of the film, nobody's surprised, and nobody really cares either.Props to the director for appreciating Bai Ling enough to dress her in skintight vinyl for the entirety of the film, and also for the intriguing sepia tones that served as coloration throughout. But Sky Captain, despite having all the essential elements of being a great movie, falls flat on its face. Not even worth the $2.75 I paid to get into the theater.$LABEL$ 0 +Anthony Wong stars in both this and the original (far superior) Untold Story, but the similarities stop there. Wong doesn't reprise his role obviously, and instead plays a bumbling policeman who gets involved with a rather suspicious female, Fung (1994's Miss Singapore, Paulyn Sun) who's a repressed nut-job, sure. But her tame jealous "wanna be with a guy who's with a girl" killer is no where near as compelling as what Wong played in the first one. The movie itself seems tired and by the numbers. Yeung Fan as the physcho's love interest's unfaithful girl tries to keep one from total boredom by stripping down whenever possible, and Sun does have a nice ass, but even that can't save this dud.My Grade: D Mei Ah DVD Extras: Sub-titled interviews with Cheung Kam Ching & Paulyn Sun; Anthony Wong filmography; a very brief synopsis; Theatrical trailer for the film; & trailers for "Chinese Erotic Ghost Story" and "Twenty Something"$LABEL$ 0 +Seven Pounds, this was the movie where I was just convinced Will Smith is really going for the "I'm going to make you cry" films. One thing I can give him a ton of credit for, the man can cry. My only thing is, as moving as the story is, Will Smith has proved time and time again that he can act, so why is he taking this extremely depressing story? But nevertheless it's still a good movie. I do have to admit it made me cry, but I felt that the stand out performance was Rosario Dawson, I absolutely love this girl, ever since I saw her in 25th Hour with Ed Norton, I knew this girl was going to go far. She's beautiful, charming, funny and talented, can't wait to see how much further her career is going to go. But her and Will Smith, not so sure if they had the great chemistry that the film needed that would've made this into a great film.Two years ago Tim Thomas was in a car crash, which was caused by him using his mobile phone; seven people died: six strangers and his fiancée. A year after the crash, and having quit his job as an aeronautical engineer, Tim donates a lung lobe to his brother, Ben, an IRS employee. Six months later he donates part of his liver to a child services worker named Holly. After that he begins searching for more candidates to receive donations. He finds George, a junior hockey coach, and donates a kidney to him, and then donates bone marrow to a young boy named Nicholas. Two weeks before he dies he contacts Holly and asks if she knows anyone who deserves help. She suggests Connie Tepos, who lives with an abusive boyfriend. Tim moves out of his house and into a local motel taking with him his pet box jellyfish. One night, after being beaten, Connie contacts Tim and he gives her the keys and deed to his beach house. She takes her two children and moves in to their new home. Having stolen his brother's credentials, and making himself known by his brother's name Ben, he checks out candidates for his two final donations. The first is Ezra Turner, a blind vegetarian meat salesman who plays the piano. Tim calls Ezra Turner and harasses him at work to check if he is quick to anger. Ezra remains calm and Tim decides he is worthy. He then contacts Emily Posa, a self-employed greeting card printer who has a heart condition and a rare blood type. He spends time with her, weeding her garden and fixing her rare Heidelberg printer. He begins to fall in love with her and decides that as her condition has worsened he needs to make his donation.Seven Pounds is a good film and no doubt worth a look, I would just recommend going for the rental vs. the theater. Will Smith pulls in a good performance, but not his best, just most of the film required him crying in every scene, but the last one with him is a doozy. But I loved the ending, it was beautiful and really made you appreciate life and to not take it for granted. There is still good people in this world and Ben's character reminds you to value life and to give to those who are in desperate need. Although he went a little far, but it was still a beautiful story.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +"A lot of the films I've made probably could have worked just as well 50 years ago, and that's just because I have a lot of old-fashion values." - Steven SpielbergSome points..1. Though this film is a loose remake of "A Guy Named Joe", it also borrows heavily from "A Matter of Life and Death" and "Wings of Desire".2. This was Spielberg's second attempt at being Frank Capra. 3. Spielberg has often said that he wishes to make a "Frank Capra movie" in the vein of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Mrs Smith Goes To Washington". Judging from his recent attempts to get a "Harvey" remake off the ground, it seems as though Spielberg still holds this dream, the director rightfully not satisfied with his last 3 ventures into Capracorn.4. Critics at the time bashed "Always", stating that the elaborate action sequences distracted from the film's romance, but that's really not the problem at all. The problem is that "Always" needs a lot more special effects to distract us from the fact that Spielberg can't film any line of dialogue that doesn't end in an exclamation point.5. The film is filled with comedy that just doesn't work. Spielberg's comedic tastes aren't very sophisticated, and seem to be ripped right out of 1950's screwballs and Looney Tune cartoons. These exaggerated antics may work in a cartoon universe, but in a film it just seems like an odd marriage.6. The film's lead couple come across as brother and sister, not lovers. Spielberg's films have always being apprehensive toward sex and intimacy, but this film goes to extreme lengths: she's a wisecracking tomboy and he's a wisecracking old man. They're more irritating than endearing.7. The film contains one good scene, in which John Goodman argues with Holly Hunter, but for the most part the film's characters are too annoying. There's no subtlety, every emotion overplayed, every joke over designed, every sequence filled with unnecessary busyness.8. "Always" and "Hook" taught Spielberg how to con audiences. After their failure (and the twin financial failures of "The Color Purple" and "Empire of the Sun") Spielberg dumped the goofy colour cinematography of "Color Purple" and "Empire of the Sun" in favour for the more desaturated "black and white" worlds of "Schindler's List", "Munich", "Minority Report" and "Saving Private Ryan". From here on, "less light" and "dark cinematography" became equated with "serious topics".9. After the financial success of each "dark film" Spielberg reverts back to his colour cinematography, and falls flat on his face once again. "Amistad" followed "Schindler's List", "AI" followed "Ryan" and "Lincoln" will follow "Munich". These "colour" films are always bashed for being too tacky, sentimental, corny and hokey, but the truth is, if you removed the desaturation, all these "serious" films would feel the same way.10. Since the 70s, Spielberg has tried to differentiate himself from the other brat pack directors (Scorsese, De Palma, Coppola etc), by pretending to be an "optimist" and "humanist". He would himself state this repeatedly during many interviews in the late 70s. The reality, though, is that he is probably the biggest sadist of all these directors, the very form of his films often undermining their content, their very box office performances always proportionate to their dazzling displays of carnage. 11. The failure of Spielberg to connect with any of the characters in "Always", and the relish he shows, instead, for filming forest fires, air-planes crashing etc, perfectly encapsulates the rest of his filmography. People running from dinosaurs, sharks, Nazis, tripods, rocks etc...this is what Spielberg delights in. The moment his characters stop to speak, however, everything self-destructs. A film like "Amistad" failed, in other words, because not enough blacks died and too many whites talked.12. The film's flying scenes aren't up to the standard's set several years earlier in the mega-hit "Top Gun". Of course, when your "enemy" is a forest fire, it's hard to make things cinematic.13. Failures like "1941", "Hook", "Always" etc are often more illuminating that Spielberg's more successful films. They reveal the steel skeleton beneath the technique. They show what the amusement park ride looks like when its not working, revealing the vacuum beneath the broken machinery.5/10 – There's one good sequence here (two actors in a room, simply improvising), but this is mostly an annoying picture with a predictable script.Worth one viewing.$LABEL$ 0 +Summary- This game is the best Spider-Man to hit the market!You fight old foes such as Scorpion,Rhino,Venom,Doctor Octopus,Carnage,...And exclusive to the game...Monster-Ock!Monster-Ock is the symbiote Carnage On Dock Ock's body.Storyline- Dock Ock was supposedly reformed and using his inventions for mankind...supposedly...He was really planing a symbiote invasion! See the rest for yourself.Features- You can play in numerous old costumes seen throughout the comics.Almost every costume has special abilities!You can collect comics in the game and then view them in a comic viewer.And last but not least..............Spidey-Armour!Collect a gold spider symbol to change into Spider-Armour.It gives you another health bar!Graphics- Great!Though they they can be rough at times.But still great!Sound- Sweet!Nice music on every level and great voice overs!Overall- 10 out of 10.This game rocks.Buy it today!$LABEL$ 1 +Technically abominable (with audible "pops" between scenes)and awesomely amateurish, "Flesh" requires a lot of patience to sit through and will probably turn off most viewers; but the dialogue rings amazingly true and Joe Dallesandro, who exposes his body in almost every scene, also gives an utterly convincing performance. A curio, to be sure, but the more polished "Trash", made two years later, is a definite step forward. I suggest you watch that instead. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +i really love this movie , i saw it for the first time when i was working a video store. when i went to buy it they told me it was out of print and i couldn't order it so i just today thought i would look. and then i found it they put it out in Spain on DVD under the name "Algo Mas Que Amigos" and you can buy there it is in English and Spanish on the DVD....hope this helps ..... i know how hard it is to find movies that we love that they haven't Released to The U.S Market. best of luck..oh For more info here is one place to look.... HTTP://www.zonadvd.com i think it going for 10 dollars usd on eBay as well.$LABEL$ 1 +What else can you say about this movie,except that it's plain awful.Tina Louise and Adam West are the reasons why to see this,but,that's it,but their talents are wasted in this junk.I think that they used a double in some of Adam's scenes,like when he's running because you can't see his face.If Adam was embarrassed in being in Zombie Nightmare,just think what he must've felt about appearing in this??? If it was before or after,I'm not sure,but,still,Zombie Nightmare is a classic(check out the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version first and last)compared to this.The gang is very annoying and over-acting by some of the actors.A rip-off of The Wild One starring Marlon Brando,of course.Tina looks stunning though.I hope her and Adam got a good paycheck!! Pass!$LABEL$ 0 +I never thought I would absolutly hate an Arnold Schwartzeneggar film, BUT this is is dreadful from the get go. there isnt one redeemable scene in the entire 123 long minutes. an absolute waste of time thank yu Jay harris$LABEL$ 0 +I know sometimes its really really corny... But the acting is amazing and Melissa Joan Hart is as cute as a button. I love this show a lot, and I'm almost embarrassed that I do b/c the show has a rep. for being really corny, but it makes me feel good. My only problem is that sometimes it can be pretty low budget - sometimes actors change and you just have to deal with it... Like Sabrina's father is 2 different guys throughout the course of the movie... I mean, couldn't they just say he was an uncle or something? Still, I can't help but loving this show. Harvey and Sabrina make a really cute couple and Salem is absolutely hilarious. I definitely recommend it if your looking for some light and funny entertainment... My favorite episode is "Pancake Madness"... a HILARIOUS episode. The best season is probably 3... I'm not really a fan of some of the seventh season twists... Once you get to college, Morgan joins the group and her dialog is painful and very poorly acted... Plus she is ugly, so the jokes about how she is only surviving off her good looks were lost on me... But I think it was set up to have a really good eighth season and I was really sad to see one of my favorite shows canceled!$LABEL$ 1 +This series continues to frustrate and annoy. How are they going to drag this out for another year? Each episode offers up more and more questions, whilst providing the answers to very few. To quote another very popular website, I believe that this show has now jumped the shark!Will, I keep watching it?Probably,Will they manage to keep the show on-air till it ends?Probably not...How did two qualified doctors fail to notice that Naomi was still alive? How did 30 plus people not notice a corpse wake up and walk off with a knife still in her back? How did someone have enough strength to create two trails and climb up a tree to ambush Kate?We've now introduced a ghostbuster...Same time next week? yep!$LABEL$ 0 +Now I get it. The title refers to each audience member's immediate post-reaction after 68 minutes of mental torture. Trying too hard to be terrifying, lacking good dialogue even any fear for that matter really makes The Screaming Skull more like A Snoring Dull. Albeit, the mansion and property set in black and white does set a dark tone for the movie, but that's about it. The only scary thing about this flop is that people actually made money on this! Remember the coffin guarantee in the beginning? That may be the funniest thing I have ever witnessed on screen. Sad thing is that viewers probably hoped director Alex Nichol was forcibly placed in a coffin, nailed shut, and buried alive for his lame effort. Jenny placed in this unfortunate horrific situation never really draws any sympathy you would feel for a woman whose anxiety is blamed on a haunted, cranial receptacle. Also, her husband John comes off as a condescending wannabe smooth talker, but this doesn't work and he ends up proving how tough he is by slapping a helpless cripple around! Ah, Mickey…the days before you could get a restraining order against estate caretakers like him. This guy's approach is not very good or maybe too much airplane glue. Still, despite his strange persona, Mickey probably is the only good thing going for this movie providing a slight sense of entertainment and I can't get enough of a guy saying "It was Mary!" and rummaging through pots in a greenhouse.$LABEL$ 0 +It's important to keep in mind the real meaning of the phrase "Inspired by a true story" when watching Pride. It's sort of like "You could save up to 50%," which can quite literally be translated to "You can't save more than 50%." It all sounds great until you realize that the lower part of "up to" is "zero." Similarly, "inspired by a true story" means that someone heard a story and it made them think of this one. The only certainty is that the real story and the one you're about to see are not the same thing.There is a real Jim Ellis that began coaching the swim team at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation in the early 1970s, but I have a feeling that the real Jim Ellis must not have been able to conceal some feelings of disappointment at the way the movie turned out. Clearly, it takes wild liberties with the story of his life, and I just picture him responding to the strange looks of his friends who wonder why the movie is so much different than the man they know.At any rate, one thing that he will surely be proud of is that he is portrayed by Terrence Howard, one of our finest actors, who starred alongside Bernie Mac who, despite the lack of an original and powerful story, still gives a heartfelt and moving performance. The movie takes place in 1970s Philadelphia, a time and place where racism was the norm, not the exception, and the educated and professional Jim Ellis, who is also an accomplished swimmer, is having trouble finding a worthwhile teaching position, until finally relegated to a falling apart recreation center, which he is assigned the task of cleaning up before its demolition. We can certainly understand his feeling of belittlement. When we first meet Elston, the maintenance man (Bernie Mac), he is a disillusioned grump who sits in his office surrounded by piles of junk that touch the ceiling and watching daytime TV on an old, dusty television set. Needless to say, when Jim shows up to start cleaning the place up and clearing it out, Elston is not exactly friendly with him. He knew his rec center was being closed, and all his anger about that transferred quite smoothly onto Jim. Given his past as a college swimmer, Jim takes a special interest in the pool, which he cleans and fills and brings to top shape. A group of black teenagers who play basketball just outside the rec center take interest in the pool when their basketball rim is taken away and the heat remains stifling, and soon the group have a developing swim team on their hands, which they enter into a citywide swim meet. To call them underdogs, of course, would be something of an understatement. They're unorganized, unprofessional, insufficiently trained, and have no idea how to behave at a swim meet. That doesn't matter, of course. The movie is your standard underdog sports story, so the first athletic outing is totally unimportant as anything other than a learning experience, a catalyst to drive their much harder and much more focused training that will lead up to the final athletic outing, the one that matters. By now, the only thing a sports movie has going for it is that the protagonist(s) do not have to win at the film's climax, we only have to understand the meaning and significance of their effort. Sadly, the movie has all of the character development of an old Seagal movie. The good guys are the good guys because they're just supposed to be, and the bad guys are the nasty white swimmers who laugh and jeer and make racist jokes at our team. Oh, and there's one scene where one of the white guys kicks one of the black guys underwater while in the middle of a race. I didn't know it was really possible to kick someone underwater like that, but you get the idea of how deep the character development is.We understand that this is the group of kids that Jim Ellis turned from kids hanging out on the streets doing nothing with their lives and into an organized and competitive team of swimmers, but other than that we don't really get to know anything about who they are.But the biggest problem is that the only real statements that the movie makes are that effort and organization lead to success and racism is bad. Both of these are so obvious that when a movie is made with them alone it ends up feeling empty and unnecessary. Racism was so much more powerful in America in the 1970s that it feels like an enormous loss that the movie dealt directly with that issue but didn't really say anything about it. It's sort of a feel- good movie, but when it's over and you realize how much it should have said is much bigger than what it said, the feel-good sensation turns into a sad disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +In what is a truly diverse cast, this show hits it's stride on FOX. It is the kind of sitcom that grows on you. If you just watch 1 show you might not like it much, but once you watch two or three- you get hooked.This is because some of the jokes hit & some miss depending upon how you view them. As is usual today, the themes are very mature. The humor is usually very mature too. Often the most funny parts are the parts where the mature themes collide with the innocent ones.Red (Kurtwood Smith) a veteran actor does some very good deadpan type of humor on this show. Debra Jo Rupp plays well in this ensemble cast too. Danny Masterson, the oldest actor of the "kids" is very good too. Laura Prepon (Donna) looks better in the earlier shows as a natural redhead (who got the idea of making her a blonde?). She shows very good talent & comedic timing often. She looks good without make up too.This is one of the better entries on FOX in the sitcom department & it's most successful live action one since Married With Children$LABEL$ 1 +A handful of nubile young college sorority sisters decide to go camping with a professor. A giant druid want to sacrifice them to prevent the apocalypse come the year 2000, they also have to contend with bikers, an Indian and a loch ness monster type thing. Worth watching for only 3 reasons, George 'Buck' Flower (a sadly unsung B-movie staple) is on hand as a hobo and the other 2 belong to the stunning Savannah (in one of only 3 non-porn roles she had). Both have very small roles. Too bad everything else in the movie is horrendously bad.My Grade: D- Retromedia DVD Extras: Original Trailer Eye Candy: 4 pairs of breasts, 2 asses$LABEL$ 0 +This is the episode that probably most closely relates to it's partner law, "Thou Shalt Not Kill," in that it directly brings up the ever controversial issue, "Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing is wrong?" This issue is presented in two parts within the episode: before the killing, when the film shows the dichotomy between the idealistic up-and-coming lawyer and the street thug so caught up in his ways that his life is merely a representation of what he's supposed to do, followed by the period after the trial and before the execution, when both are made to suffer for the deaths they feel responsible for and thus share.One of the great things about the way these episodes work are in the both small and big ways the story is fully developed, so that we understand both the motivations and histories of characters we're only able to spend slightly less than an hour with. For all his criminal intentions and mockery, the killer is still very sympathetic, revolving the most important part of his actions around a history of accidental death. His way of killing is more a desire to control death than it is any desire to actually destroy. Similarly, the lawyer's idealistic naivety shows one unwilling to allow death to happen in a world where he can't control it. Their meeting is, indeed, important; they both have to give in to it while not propagating it.As an aside, it's interesting how much this episode affects viewing of Rouge, Kieslowski's later completion of the Trois Colours trilogy. One of Kieslowski's biggest influences seems to be the idea of justice, and considering that the Decalogue is a meditation on something that represents Divine Justice, this one seems almost the most self-conscious.--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +During the whole Pirates of The Caribbean Trilogy Craze Paramount Pictures really dropped the ball in restoring this Anthony Quinn directed Cecil B. DeMille supervised movie and getting it on DVD and Blu Ray with all the extras included. It is obvious to me that Paramount Pictures Execs are blind as bats and ignorant of the fact that they have a really good pirate movie in their vault about a real pirate who actually lived in New Orleans, Louisiana which would have helped make The Crescent City once again famous for it's Pirate Connections. When the Execs at Paramount finally get with the program and release this movie in digital format then I will be a happy camper. Paramount Pictures it is up to you to get off your duff and get this film restored now !$LABEL$ 1 +This terrible moovie is fun on many levels - the moost obvious is the lame, fake-looking bird puppet which floats around the cheap sets, without ever flapping it wings (like it was on a string, perhaps?), attacking model trains and toy cars. The "science" is asinine - a masonic atom gun?? And what's up with the enormous amounts of Brylcream in everyone's hair? I guess the 50's were the Slimeball decade! Well, this bird puppet apparently comes from "some god-forsaken anti-matter universe", and it's here to build a nest & lay eggs in New York. Seriously. That they manage to kill the puppet is almost a shame. I give it 1 hoof out of 4 - it's silly and stupid, but moore fun than Armageddon. :=8)$LABEL$ 0 +Once again, I've been duped by seemingly intelligent reviews making seemingly intelligent comments about an obviously crappy movie. I actually put my shoes on, got in my car, burned expensive gasoline and drove to the nearest rental place AFTER reading said reviews and paid the requisite 4 dollars and change to rent this thing. I'm telling you, this one's not worth the minuscule kilo-calories spent on lifting one's index finger to switch channels on a TV remote. I even gave it a few more minutes after seeing all the tell-tale signs of a pedigree dog-pile. These presented as clinical symptoms of a director who is a. going senile or, b. is only marginally interested in the film he/she is obligated to create. I saw similar deterioration with John Carpenter's string of ridiculous caricature's over the past number of years.Here are a couple of scenes as incriminating evidence. The priest is having a disturbing dream...supposedly a harbinger of nastiness to come since he seems hell bent on opening the archaeological feature which houses the demon. The dream is a goofy collage of disjointed images right out of the Twilight Zone's stock footage. A ticking clock careens through the dream scape's blackness implying, what?, the unfathomable mystery of Time?....big deal! A disembodied head, painted in demon features with convenience store quality Halloween make-up, flickers back and forth in a convulsive frenzy. Every time I see this effect, a big fat rip-off from Jacob's Ladder, it pisses me off. This, in itself, almost instantly discredits a film. The whole build-up of the archaeological dig itself is laughable. Everything is so obvious...so tired and over-wrought...the only possible response is boredom. At one point in the dig, the priest comments on finding the statues of Angels surrounding a sarcophagus...they're all pointing down toward the crypt with their weapons. He queries "Look at these surrounding statues....It's as if they are holding..something..down!" This is supposed to build tension...critical mass..but it doesn't even come close! How can there be suspense if you treat the audience like a bunch of morons having to EXPLAIN the suspense as you go along. The imagery is over-done in the first place but the added comments only add insult to injury in my opinion. Soon thereafter, the tomb is "decorated" with the remains of the soldiers placed there to guard the main atrium (another shameless rip-off of The Keep, btw). Who, for crying out loud, did the make-up effects for this film??! The blood actually had that pinkish quality one might see in 70's Tromaville flicks. At this point I became almost convinced that they simply forgot the make-up and had to go to Wal-Mart in the interest of time and money.DON'T listen to glowing comments on this one! I'll be keeping a suspicious eye on Schrader too. Looks like it might be time to hang up his gloves. Perhaps a close friend will offer a gentle admonition to quit while there's still dignity in memory of films gone by.$LABEL$ 0 +As has been well documented by previous posters, the real stars of Rockstar: INXS - and, indeed it's sequel, Rockstar: Supernova - are Paul Mirkovich, Rafael Moreira, Jim McGorman, Nate Morton and Sasha Krivtsov. Don't know who they are? They are the awesome, tight, rockin' House Band whose music savvy and talent made this show something more than a sad American Idol clone.Remember the "strings" night? That was musical precision and perfection if ever I've seen it. Suzie McNeil's epic rendition of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', Ty Taylor's memorable cover of the Stones' 'You Can't Always Get...', JD Fortune singing "Suspicious Minds". The common denominator here is the awesome House Band.As good as INXS were in their prime, they are sadly a shadow of their former selves, though JD's live performance has somewhat breathed new life into their music, this show is all about the HB.Memo to producers: Season Three (if we're blessed enough to have it happen) should be Rockstar: House Band. Get those boys a good lead singer and they are going places.$LABEL$ 1 +... mainly because Ju-on 2 boasts an outrageous FORTY minutes' worth of material literally taken straight out of the first Ju-on - and when you consider that the sequel only runs for 76 minutes, that leaves you with 36 original minutes' worth of film. Ho-hum. I found that deeply irritating - as if viewers simply wouldn't remember the same stuff! - not to mention dull, having to watch it all over again.OK, that complaint aside, the byline for Ju-on 2 was that it was supposed to explain a lot of the unanswered questions from the first movie, which frankly, over 36 minutes, simply doesn't go far enough to making any kind of sense of the original's highly convoluted storyline.There are, however, some really nice new horror sequences which show how good the film might have been, had it had some time to develop; and some of the questions raised by the original - some, but not all - are answered.So in conclusion - if you loved the first original movie and want to see some further developments on the story, go for it - but just remember to keep your remote control to hand with your finger on the fast-forward button for forty minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching "Kroko" I would have liked to leave the cinema very much for the first time in my life. I would not recommend to watch this movie: flat main characters - absolutely no development e.g. Kroko the metaphoric German problem child remains a pure metaphor without any capability of positive involvement despite several plot-wise chances to do so. Uninspired actors, non-evolving plot. I guess the movie attempted an environmental survey but did not succeed: camera appeared shaky rather than motivated. Pictures were low - contrast, gray and dark - i am sure deliberately but the components did not add up to a convincing impression of the social milieu. The story had certain potential though, it could have made a good short story.$LABEL$ 0 +My children watch the show everyday that its on. Its a great program for younger children. However they need to stop showing re-runs and do some more actual shows and get rid of Rooney's and Deedee's YELLOW TEETH. Moe is the only Doodle bop with clean white pearlie teeth and the children notice these things and ask if the 2 don't ever brush their teeth? Does the show ever make its way to the United States and if so where can we find its schedule at. And one other thing if we might be able to add. Moe you need to stop hiding so much. Sometimes when you pop up out of no where you scare the younger children and whats with the pulling of the rope? What does that signify? other then getting wet all the time. They need to add newer things to their show instead of the same ole same ole. Kids loose interest that way.$LABEL$ 0 +Trio's vignettes were insightful and quite enjoyable. It was curious seeing so many soon to be famous actors when they were very young. The performances and attention to detail were wonderful to watch.Observation. In film it isn't necessary that source material be in alignment with the contemporary era to be interesting or worthwhile. "Small morality" storytelling is quaint (or coy) only in the eye of the beholder--thankfully. Story content--well told--can overcome it's time, subject or place.Ironically, there are quite a few contemporary films today that have not overcome the conventions or cutting edge mores of the present era. Inserting "small morality" content--occasionally--might provide a dimension lacking.$LABEL$ 1 +On a flight back from London, I watched She's the Man; apparently Air Canada has a crap movie policy. Perhaps that's not the best way to start a review of this movie. Amanda Bynes plays a girl who loves soccer so much that she pretends to be her twin brother to get on a team at a boarding school across town. Even if you check your mind at the door (on a 6 hour flight you have to), the story is implausible and ridiculous. There are some moments of humor, mostly from comedian David Cross as the principle, but the intricate love polygon doesn't really inspire emotion, although is is cleverly mixed (with the caveat of mindless plausibility). The ending is just as ridiculously mindless as the rest. I guess if I was a 12-year-old girl, I might have really enjoyed this one.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those films that explore the culture clash of Eastern born people in Westernized cultures. Loving on Tokyo Time is a sad film about the inability of opposites to attract due to major cultural differences. Ken, rock n'roll fanatic, marries Kyoto, a Japanese girl, so that she can stay in the United States when her visa expires. The marriage is only expected to be temporary, that is, until Kyoto gains legal status again. But, Ken, who seems to be lost in every relationship, takes a liking to Kyoto and tries very hard to make things work out. This, despite his friend's urging that dumping Kyoto and getting rid of all commitments to girls is bad for rock n' roll except to inspire some song writing about broken hearts and all of that.But Kyoto comes from a strict traditional Japanese upbringing, and doesn't expect to be married to Ken all that long. Not only that, she is homesick and wants to return to Japan. It's sad in that this is finally someone Ken thinks he can love and be with and all that, except the one time he thinks he's found someone to feel that way about, the girl isn't expecting to stay that long. It's not that she doesn't like Ken, it's just that she's used to a whole 'nother way of life. She says, "I can't tell him the way I feel in English, and Ken can't tell me the way he feels in Japanese." It's a rather sad love story with a killer 80s techno-nintendo soundtrack.I picked up Loving on Tokyo Time because it reminded me of one of my favorite 80s films, Tokyo Pop. And, for those of you who enjoyed Loving on Tokyo Time, check out Tokyo Pop (a New York singer goes to Japan and joins a Japanese American cover band), except it's a movie with a happy ending.$LABEL$ 1 +Trying to catch a serial killer, did they ever think of tracking the license plate number of the black van or fingerprint the video tapes he sent? Oh brother the plot of this movie was so full of holes it was pathetic. Now I know why there are bad movies in the world. This one however was one of the worst.$LABEL$ 0 +Pretty twisted Horror film, that has a few good moments here and there, with some creepy Blood transfusion scenes, however it's just too dull for it's own good. All the characters are OK, and the story while had a lot of potential is rather dull, however the blood transfusion scenes looked frighteningly real, and as a result they were extremely disturbing. It's well made and decently written, and it started out really interesting, but it just couldn't keep up the pace, plus I found the ending to be disappointing. Linnea Quigley has no more then a very small role in this so, I was also disappointed about that, and Stephen Knight does a good job as the lead, as he was pretty twisted, plus I got this in a DVD Horror set called A Taste Of Evil, along with a bunch of other Horror films. There is lots of blood,however it's not all that gory, and for it's low budget it was pretty well done, however as I said it just couldn't sustain it's interest. This is a pretty twisted Horror film, that has a few good moments here and there, with some creepy blood transfusion scenes, however it's just too dull for it's own good, I would pass,but I guess it's worth a watch if you have nothing better to do. The Direction is OK. Elly Kenner&Norman Thaddeus Vane do an OK job here with decent camera work, and doing a good job on it's low budget, however the pace is too inconsistent for my liking. The Acting is actually alright. Stephen Knight is great as the lead, he was creepy, twisted, sick, and gave a very creepy performance, the most creepy thing about it though was he seemed like a normal person. Linnea Quigley did well in her small role. Christopher McDonald is OK I guess sin his short time. Rest of the cast are OK as well. Overall I would pass, but I guess it's worth a watch if you have nothing absolutely better to do. *1/2 out of 5$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of may all-time favourite films. Parker Posey's character is over-the-top entertaining, and the librarian motif won't be lost on anyone who has ever worked in the books and stacks world.If you're a library student, RENT THIS. Then buy the poster and hang it on your wall. The soundtrack is highly recommendable too. I've shown this film to more library friends than any other -- they all fall in love with it.$LABEL$ 1 +I think that this film was one of Kurt Russels good movies. Kurt russel is my favorite actor so I think that he is a good actor in any role he plays. But this movie had a lot of action in it and I know that it should have more then a 5.6 out of 10 on the meter but many people did not like this movie. Oh well I thought it was good so I think that every one should see this movie. If you see this movie and like it I think that you should see Back Draft also with Kurt Russel. I give Soldier *** 1/2 out of *****$LABEL$ 1 +i see hundreds of student films- this is tops. james cox is a fantastic director- he moves the camera, tells the story and uses music in a way that is far advanced for his years. no wonder he got a feature from this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, what a total let down! The fact people think this film is scary is ridiculous. The special effects were a direct rip-off of "The ring." The story? Was there one? Not in my opinion..Just a bunch of flashy imaging. The entire film was a boring, stupid, mess. I guess there is always a market for bad films with good marketing campaigns. However, this is the worst horror film I have seen in years. And that Buffy chick? Well, she's a bad actress! As plastic as Barbie and just as talented..No, wait, that would be an insult to the talents of Barbie! I suppose many kiddies helped this film at the box office as it was PG-13, and had it been rated R, it would have bombed IMO! Stupid movie!$LABEL$ 0 +A brilliant Russian émigré devises the ‘Stanislavsky' system for winning at contract bridge - which makes him and his beautiful wife the GRAND SLAM Sweethearts of America.What could have been just another silly soap opera is elevated by fine production values & excellent acting to the status of a very enjoyable little comedy. A few unexpected touches are thrown in to keep the viewer's attention engaged - the way in which the principle cast is introduced as faces on a deck of cards; the introduction of a zany acrobat into the plot for no other reason than to enjoy a bit of lunacy; and the way in which a wide variety of different kinds of Americans are shown to be transfixed by listening to the broadcast of the concluding game.Paul Lukas & Loretta Young do very well as the Bridge Sweethearts - Lukas suave & sophisticated and Miss Young passionately loving and beautiful (even if the script keeps her puffing on a cigarette a bit too much). They are fun to watch, even when their behavior is not always the most believable or compelling.Frank McHugh gives another good performance as a relentlessly cheerful ghost writer who adores Miss Young. The delightful Glenda Farrell eschews her customary wisecracking persona in a small role as McHugh's ditsy gal pal. Roscoe Karns handles the fast-talking dialogue as a brash radio announcer. Diminutive Ferdinand Gottschalk is wonderful as a snobbish bridge expert.Movie mavens will recognize Dewey Robinson as a belligerent nightclub patron; Emma Dunn as a sob sister reporter; Paul Porcasi as the owner of the Russian nightclub; Charles Lane as a Russian waiter; and Jimmy Conlin as a kibitzer at the final bridge game - all uncredited.The film takes advantage of the fad for contract bridge which had swept across the country since its development in the 1920's. It expects the viewer to have a basic knowledge of the intricacies of the game and makes no attempt to explain anything to the uninformed.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie " Inhabited" is about a family of four moving into a new house not knowing that dangers are lurking.The daughter befriends the dangerous creatures as they gain her trust. When they do they use it against her. A man who use to live there as a child or a teen, knows about the creatures and try's to warn them. The creatures steel and take shiny objects to make new stuff out of them , mostly weapons.They has a cat and it murderously disappeared. The man that tried to warn the little sister was tricked by them and end up into a Psyciatric ward. She then help them defeat the creatures and destroy the man one. After they do they leave for good with nothing but each other and something happens to the doctor$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, this film is about Bedknobs and Broomsticks, it's one of the most charming, delightful movies you'll ever see as a kid. It's the unforgettable movie about two adults and two spunky kids on an adventure for fun. It may be a little deniable to watch, but try it, I neither my mother didn't think it was bad, I was very enthused with the movie and the animation, they were all quite good.It is a delightfully wondrous comedy for the whole family to enjoy; even the kids. Ages 7 years and up will enjoy this wonderful, musical comedy with you and your family especially the animation. The animation movements and layouts are really nice and deserve a thumbs up. It's a terrifically good musical for the whole family so what are you waiting for? Go to the video store and rent Bedknobs and Broomsticks NOW.$LABEL$ 1 +This film had a great cast going for it: Christopher Lee, Dean Jagger, Macdonald Carey, Lew Ayres -- solid b-movie actors all. But this downer of a movie didn't use any of them to any sort of advantage, with none of their characters even meeting on screen (though Christopher Lee does get to play opposite himself in several scenes).The motivations for the aliens in this movie seem to change at the drop of a hat. First, they just want to repair their ship and leave, then they turn on the main character by killing most of his friends and not releasing his wife after he gets them the crucial part they need. Then, out of nowhere, this "peaceful" race decides they have to destroy the planet because it causes too many "diseases" (though they do offer the main character and his wife a spot in their society).Most of the film is spent watching the man and wife drive or walk or stand around or sit at desks doing nothing. You almost wish they had gotten taken out with the rest of the planet at the end, just in vengeance for boring us to death.Unless you really like Chris Lee or seventies low-budget sci-fi, I'd give this one a miss. It falls into that narrow range of wasted celluloid between Star Odyssey and UFO: Target Earth.$LABEL$ 0 +... And it's a not very good documentary either American MOVIE seems to have confused some people into thinking this is a spoof documentary ( " Mockumentary ) and even some newspaper TV listings described it as such . I'll not laugh out loud at that because it's easy to mistake this documentary as one big wind up ala THIS IS SPINAL TAP What seems to have caused the confusion is that the documentary centres around budding film maker Mark Borchardt who is .... How can I put it ? Rather self deluded ? Yes but that's not necessarily a bad thing since if we had no dreams we'd all still be living in caves and the fact that Mark is obsessed with horror movies is not to be taken as a criticism since both Sam Raimi ( Yes that one ) and Peter Jackson ( yes that one ) both started out doing low budget horror comedies so again it's not a criticism . No it's just that Mark Borchardt ( yes that one ) is a parody of American trailer trash Remember in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Ben Stiller gives a lift to a dodgy hitch hiker ( " Come into my office because you're f***in' fired " ) ? Well that's who Mark resembles along with most of Jerry Springer's guests so it's very easy to see why some people thought this wasn't a real documentary . It's also not a very good documentary since Mark and co give me the creeps . Did you know that someone thought Mark would grow up to be a serial killer ? Does anyone else think there's plenty of time left for this to happen ?$LABEL$ 0 +This is another of Eastwood's many movies mixing intrigue, action, and a dollop of romance, along with "The Gauntlet," "Firefox," and so forth. Clint's acting range by now is pretty familiar. In this one, he's taciturn and a bit outrageous, especially with women and superiors. There are no surprises in his performance. But the film itself is something of a surprise; it's above average. Clint is Frank, a Secret Service agent who, perhaps in a moment of doubt, failed to catch the bullet that killed JFK. He then took to drink, which drove his family away, and now plods along in the bureaucracy until he is contacted by John Malkovitch, calling himself "Booth," who strikes up a sort of skewed relationship with him based on their shared, disillusioned conviction that everything is meaningless except the impulse to escape dreariness and predictability. Now, this is rather an anfractuous set of attitudes for a performer like Clint to project, but he does rather well, less robotic than usual. And he does seem to carry around with him, like a burden of stone, the memory of that moment in Dallas. He's tested again halfway through this movie. He is hanging from the roof of a tall building, grasping Booth's hand, and he pulls his pistol and points it at Booth, who asks him if he is really willing to shoot. If he does, of course, he saves the president from an attempted assassination by a CIA-trained murderer, but he does so at the cost of his own life. Booth twits him about the situation as they hold hands in midair. And Clint even has a short speech, talking to Renee Russo, about his failure to save the president in Dallas. "If I'd have reacted quickly enough, I could have taken that shot . . . and that would have been alright with me." It's underplayed, but his voice chokes slightly, his eyes water, and his lip trembles. It's one of the few scenes in any of Clint's films that might properly be called "moving." We know from his newfound resolve that given another chance he would take the bullet this time. (The irony is that he doesn't like the current president. Who could? He gives pompous speeches in Colorado about how they "carved a nation out of the wilderness." Didn't they do the same thing in Las Vegas?)It's often said that a movie is only as good as its villain. It isn't true, nothing is that simple, but an argument could be made for its truth value in this case. The reptilian John Malkovitch with his Tartar eyes is marvelous.Talk about disillusioned. Okay, he can ham it up a little, sniffing with disdain even as he plugs two innocent hunters between the eyes, but he's fascinating on the screen. Renee Russo has little do to. Fred Thompson, as the chief White House aid, is now back in politics, a relief for movie-goers. If Clint's acting range is limited, Thompson's is something less. In every film he's been in, he wears the same solemn and dissatisfied expression, as if constantly plagued by some form of volcanic digestive disorder.The direction by Wolfgang Peterson is as good as it was in "Das Boot," which is pretty good. There is a great deal of the usual suspenseful cross-cutting in the final shootout. And when Clint and Russo fall into an impassioned embrace in her hotel room and scuttle backwards towards the bed like two weasels in heat, Peterson playfully shows us their feet along with a succession of objects dropping to the floor -- not only the usual garments but handcuffs, guns, beepers, palm pilots, Dick Tracy wrist watches and other impedimenta. Interrupted, Clint lies back on the bed and sighs, "Now I have to put all that stuff back on again."Well written and worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +This British film is truly awful, and it's hard to believe that Glenn Ford is in it, although he pretty much sleepwalks through it. The idea of a bomb on a train sounds good...but it turns out this train ends up parked for the majority of the film! No action, no movement, just a static train. The area where the train is parked is evacuated, so it's not like there's any danger to anyone either. In fact, this film could be used in a film class to show how NOT to make a suspense film. True suspense is generated by letting the audience know things that the characters don't, a fact apparently unknown to the director. SPOILER: the train actually has two bombs on it, but we are led to believe there is only one. After the first bomb is defused, it feels as if there is no longer a reason to watch the film any more. But at the last minute, the villain, who has no apparent motivation for his actions, reveals there are two. Nor are we certain WHEN the bombs will go off, so we don't even have a classic "ticking bomb" tension sequence. A good 10 minutes or more are spent watching Glenn Ford's French wife thinking about leaving him, and then wondering where he is . She's such an annoying character that we don't care whether she reconciles with him, so when she does, there's nothing emotional about it. Most of the other characters are fairly devoid of personality, and none have any problems or issues. It's only 72 minutes, but it feels long because it's tedious and dull. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +This music is totally out of touch with the film, showing up now and then as wagnerian bombast and Lone Ranger hurry-up, otherwise nonexistent. The acting, outside of the two principals, is nonexistent. It would have been an excellent student film. The Russian soldiers are just models trying to act. The constant interruptions with wow-explosive-camera angles and monocolor clips of pieces of people were quite irritating, but that's just a personal feeling. The story line isn't worse than others, actually not worse than most, completely ignoring logic and reason and reality. At least nobody walked in front of a machine gun for three minutes without being hit. The three top-level bad guys were campy.$LABEL$ 0 +"Written on the Wind" is a Douglas Sirk's melodrama. Douglas Sirk was rediscovered by the "Cahiers du Cinema", Fassbinder etc.. that hailed him as a master director - I think that it is because of the sophistication of his cinematography - "Written on the Wind" offers luscious color images and gorgeous decors. But I ask myself: Is this enough to carry a film? The acting in "Written on the Wind" ranges from weak to fair (excepting Robert Stack - he is convincing as the weak & spoiled playboy). Lauren Bacall, normally a powerful presence in the screen, is miscast in this film. Dorothy Malone as the seductress, the care-free "femme fatale" is OK, but she lacks the strength for the role. Rock Hudson is efficient but vapid .The plot has very interesting ingredients. The main characters are: A rigid patriarch his alcoholic son Kyle (Robert Stack) (never loved by the disappointed father) his frustrated and nymphomaniac daughter Marylee (Dorothy Malone)Lucy (Lauren Bacall) - a woman of principles, formerly a secretary and now married to Kyle Mitch (Rock Hudson) - brought up together with Kyle and loved by the patriarch. Secrets beyond the door, a love triangle, frustration, fistfights, laughter, death etc. - well, when I read the story summary on the back cover of the DVD I thought that I was in for a treat. My mistake! Why? I'll try to explain: "Written on the Wind" takes itself seriously and tries to tell a dramatic story. As I said before the acting, in general, is not good enough - the intensity is lacking. There are many strong scenes in the story, but the actors just do an efficient job. I think that maybe with Italian or Spanish actors those scenes would have been explored fully - they would end (for us) in an explosion of laughter or tears .What remains to us is the beautiful cinematography of Douglas Sirk. For me this is not enough. If you want to enjoy a good melodrama, see "Aventurera".$LABEL$ 1 +Now this is the sort of film we used to get weekly . Now-a-days it is rare to see a drama that depends on the cast talking to each other.There are no explosions, car chases or any chases,there are implied sexual situations.This is not film for the younger crowd, It is for those that appreciate people talking to each other,They do argue a lot as we have married couple having mid life problems.Emily Watson & Tom Wilkinson are seemingly a very happy middle aged loving man & wife. Now living in this same small London suburb, handsome, Rupert Everett returns home to visit his wealthy father.He of course meets Emily Watson, It would be easy for anyone to be smitten by Emily. I say no more, except that as the credits begin there is a fatal accident,the rest of the film is about the repercussions of this accident & all the lies the various characters tell..The acting by this trio & the others is excellent.Julien Fellows wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Nigel Balchin. He also directed, this was his first directorial attempt & he did very well. The entire production is first rate.The film had a few month theatrical run in late 2005, is under 80 theatres. This to me is a shame, Stupid comedies open on at least 2000 screens but real good drams as this & many others open in only a few.By the way there are some very funny lines regarding certain situations.Ratings: ***1/2 (out of 4) 95 points (out of 100) IMDb 9 (out of 10)$LABEL$ 1 +If I ever write movies or make them, i would want one of them to be like this one. I enjoy the goof-ball sense of humor and jokes contained within. This movie does stupid things without looking like it. The names of the places and characters are priceless, Generic New York High School, Squid Calimari (George's sister), etc...genius. I've seen this movie so many times because it was a cable tv staple while I was growing up, of course I didn't get all of the jokes back than but it was still funny.This movie is a time-less classic.$LABEL$ 1 +There are some movies that are loved by almost everyone who you come across and yet happen to be box-office failures. Andaz Apna Apna, an intelligent and hilarious comedy falls in that catogory. For once, an Indian director has kept in mind the sensibilities of the audience, and not churned out a Kader Khan type stereo-typical hoax. The movie is about two guys who dream of riches, and try to accomplish that by wooing a millionaire's daughter. A humorous drama unfolds while a lot of complexities surface in the story. The complexities add to the sheer comedy of the entire plot. Aamir Khan plays the a street-smart guy, while Salman Khan gives an unexpectedly good performance as the dumb guy. The villian played by Paresh Rawal,and his henchmen, Junior Ajit and "Kaliaa" make you laugh in your sleep. Although the movie borrows from a lot of other movies, despite shoddy camerawork, and despite being "loud" at times, it remains one of the scarce "funny" movies Bombay has come up with after movies like Padosan, Golmal and other Amol Plaekar movies. It is sad that it didn't do well at the box-office, for that means producers turn back to formulas and creativity is abandoned.$LABEL$ 1 +During WW2 in the Philipines, Japanese soldiers are starving, dying, growing weak, and becoming more and more insane. A small group of soldiers, trying to stay alive, have eventually resorted to cannibalism. This film perfectly portrays the insanity that overtakes people under extreme conditions. There are a few humorous parts in this movie, but the majority of it is just a very slow moving and realistic film. It follows these soldiers from one painful moment to another, and eventually to death. A very interesting film, showing the death, and the horror, of what may have been the worst war the world has ever seen.$LABEL$ 1 +This film had such promise!! What a great idea, an underdog paintball team struggling for recognition and personal glory, only to lose it's speed due to bad dialoge, poor editing and a half-written story. The characters in the beginning were interesting, only to lose steam half way through to become one dimensional people sputtering out tired one-liners.Maybe if they spent some more time on the story and dialoge it would have been a great movie, instead of a almost afterthought effort.$LABEL$ 0 +You can't really blame the movie maker for glorifying Che because the industry is all about money. Most of the stories you hear about this "freedom fighter" are absolute tripe fabricated by the communist Cuban government after Che's death. Che was a murdering scumbag from day one. Here's a list of the great things Che did for Cuba 1) Executed thousands of innocent Cuban Men, Women, AND CHILDREN to satisfy his lust for power.2) Destroyed Cuba's economy and good standing with the rest of the world. The Cuban peso used to be equal with the American dollar. Now it's basically worthless.3) Continually failed at all things that involved diplomacy, economy, and the military. He never made it past his first year in Medical School, and he was only in one real battle, in which he surrendered with a fully loaded gun.4) He took over the largest estate in Cuba to set up for himself. He had a Yacht, a 60" custom made TV from America, a swimming pool, and a view of the Ocean. So much for shunning the materialist life style.Cuba today is an absolutely destitute country, and you have no one but Che and the Castro brothers to thank for it. If you go to Cuba today you will not be allowed out of the tourist areas. If you did manage to get out of what you're meant to see, you would find slums, beggars, and prostitutes.If you think any of what I'm saying is untrue then go do some studying. Compare Cuban exports from 1950/60 to those of today; talk with people who survived or who had parents in the so called Cuban "revolution" of the 1960's; read all of the reports of murdered innocents; read the reports from people who served under Che and Castro and fled because of what an evil, disgusting human being he was.And please, please, always remember to read or watch EVERYTHING objectively. Stop taking everything at face value and THINK ABOUT IT.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this TV film was first aired the same week that Manchester Utd played in the Champions League Final (1999), they run a lot of football related items that week and this one was an absolute standout.It played on all the clichés that are churned out every season during the FA Cup ie, plucky underdogs, lucky clothing/mascots, name on the cup etc and turned out to be brilliantly funny.I'm surprised it has never been repeated prior to other big football occasions, even now with the world cup just getting underway. A few previous posts from non-football fans have said they still love it, but a football fan will find it hilarious imho.$LABEL$ 1 +Absence of a GOOD PLOT, absence of decent ACTING, absence of good CINEMATOGRAPHY, absence of decent looking SPECIAL EFFECTS...need I go on? Review MAY contain SPOILERS. The actors appear to be READING their lines, and not very well at that. Most of the "actors" were acting like they were in a SECOND GRADE play. The story appeared to have been written by one of the aforementioned second graders...it's not really all that convoluted...it's just so SIMPLE and DUMB, that a person thinks they must be missing something so they think it is convoluted. Nope it's not, it's EXACTLY as SIMPLE as you think it is. I UNDERSTOOD the "film", that's how i KNOW that it STUNK! MOST of the film just had people sitting around talking(reading their lines), TRYING to look sinister. The narrator was ANNOYING. The "special effects" were LAUGHABLE. I love low budget movies. I also like Carolyn Munro, Tom Savini, Jack Scarry, and Michael Berrymore...just not in THIS movie...you can tell they weren't getting paid, or weren't getting paid much, because neither their hearts NOR their talents were in it. I LOVE Tony Todd...however, he was only adequate in this movie. In fact, Tony Todd's performance is the ONLY reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 1...and Tony was only in it for a whole TWO MINUTES (seriously)! I would suggest to fast forward the DVD to the two minute Tony Todd segment. If I had gone to the theater, and paid more than a DOLLAR to see this "film" I would have been P.O.'D and demanded my money back. Hopefully the people who made this will do better next time.$LABEL$ 0 +I recall seeing this movie as a kid. I don't recall where I saw it. I must have been around 14 years old. I thought the movie was incredible and wished to see it again. It came on the Kung Fu channel once, but I missed it. I was really bummed. It is the best special-effects Kung Fu movie that I've seen to date! I highly recommend it, and now that I've discovered where to get it, I can enjoy it once more and for years to come. I also have to check out this Return of the Venom movie of which some have spoken so highly.$LABEL$ 1 +My only minor quibble with the film I grew up knowing as STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, is the fact that the wonderful RAYMOND MASSEY is relegated to the last twenty or so minutes in the trial scene. And the trial itself, IMO, is the least interesting portion of this fascinating fantasy.David NIVEN and KIM HUNTER are wonderfully cast as the young lovers, but it's ROGER LIVESEY who gives the liveliest and most credible performance. French accented MARIUS GORING is a delight (he even gets in a remark about Technicolor) as the heavenly messenger sent to reclaim Niven when his wartime death goes unreported due to an oversight. Goring has some of the wittiest lines and delivers them with relish.Seeing this tonight on TCM for the first time in twenty or so years, I think it's a supreme example of what a wonderful year 1946 was for films. The Technicolor photography, somewhat subdued and not garish at all, is excellent and the way it shifts into B&W for the heavenly sequences is done with great imagination and effectiveness.The opening scene is the sort that really draws a viewer into the fantasy aspects of the story--and Niven's tense talk with radio operator Hunter while his plane is crashing toward earth, unexpectedly leads to a memorable romantic encounter. Truly a marvelous film from beginning to end, another triumph for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.$LABEL$ 1 +This may actually the finest film of 1999. No I'm not kidding. This documentary directed by Chris Smith captures the very spirit of artistic compulsion. Smith does the smart thing any documentary filmaker should do: he keeps invisible and refuses to judge his subject. As the viewer watches Mark and his efforts, no matter how funkily aggressive they may prove, to finish his films. He refuses to compromise and suffers repeatedly as a result. But lest we forget, remember Speilberg, Scorsese and others started just as humbly.And what a great subject he chooses. Mark, his family and friends are all fascinating characters, far more than any character created in last year's fictitious cinematic products.This film oscillates on the dime between comedy, tragedy, touching sympathy and leads us ultimately to inspiring any viewer with an urge to create, despite talent issues, to get off their butts and make something.The film is about maverick artists and their passions. It is also about families, no matter how co-dependent and disfunctional they may be and how unique and beautiful that organism truly is. Mark proves in the film to be utterly devoted not only to his dreams, but also to his family as well- and they to him. Why this film was not nominated for documentary of the year is beyond me and criminal (that is assuming it was eligible last year). This film is to be sought out and treasured.$LABEL$ 1 +Dull, flatly-directed "comedy" has zero laughs and wastes a great cast. Alan Alda wore too many hats on this one and it shows. Newcomer Anthony LaPaglia provides the only spark of life in this tedium but it's not enough.One of those scripts that, if you were a neophyte and submitted it to an agent or producer, would be ripped to shreds and rejected without discussion.$LABEL$ 0 +Not only is this a great African-American classic comedy, but one of many great American cult classics.I have recently purchased the collection edition of Rudy Ray Moore.If you love the old school karate movies and black comedies, this is for you! They don't make movies like these anymore. My entire family are movie buffs, so this site is an extreme help on solving many debates. I am deployed in Iraq right now. This helps me to stay connected to world that I know in the states. Thank you IMDb.I recommend this site to all my friends. Dolemite rules! Don't just take my word for it, check them out for yourself. Ten lines is a lot for commenting on one movie I think, but if it gets the point across, I'm all for it!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great movie that I don't think gets enough credit as Saturday Night Fever or Grease in John Travolta's career. He plays a man who is in love with a girl but is too pig headed to admit his feelings to her. Instead, he wants to engage in mechanical bull riding because he thinks it will show his manhood. Even though it was made in 1980, it is still timely today. The great country music soundtrack is terrific. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Burt Reynold's Direct's and star's in this great Cop film, Reynold's play's the Sharkey of the title, who is a tough cop whilst working in undercover a drug bust goes wrong, and is demoted to vice, The machine of the title refer's to the motley crew Reynold's's assemble's to bring down a crooked governor who is involved in high class prostitution Cocaine and contract murder,The motley crew is played by Brian Keith, Blackploitaion favorite Bernie Casey, Richard Libertini,(as alway's quirky as an ace sounds-man) Charle's Durning, as the chief, The beautiful English rose Rachael Ward play's Dominoe a $1000 dollar's a night hooker whom Reynold's's protect's and eventually fall's for, When staking out an apartment used by the governor.Italian actor Vittorio Gassman, play's the High stake's pimp, who has a deadly gang of triad's at his disposal, And Henry DeSilva, play's His psychotic brother hit man who is highly strung On prescription painkiller's and angel Dust,The action packed finale see's the remaining member's of the 'Machine' Engaged in a deadly shootout with Desilva, which culminate's in one the Most spectacular stunt's ever put to Celluloid,Alas Hollywood has ran out of idea's and is contemplating a remake of Sharky's Machine! Why bother a 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD would be ideal, not a silly ass remake,$LABEL$ 1 +1st watched 11/07/2004 - 1 out of 10(Dir-Jon Keeyes): Over-the-top rehash of 70's supposed horror flicks like Friday the 13th(versions 1 thru whatever…). I can't think of much redeeming here except(or can I think of anything?)…The story revolves around a bunch of stupid people listening to a radio program one year after some kids were slayed in the woods as an 'homage' to this, supposedly. But, lo and behold, one of the stupid people, have connections to the actual event because her sister was one of the ones murdered(again, how stupid is this that she would even be a part of this). Guess what? The murderer is at it again and we're tipped off from the very beginning who it is(so there goes any mystery whatsoever). And besides all this, where are the 'cops' and why doesn't someone call them. I can't believe this movie was financed by someone and made. You would think that by now the American people would be judged a little higher, at least in their movie-going experience, but not so by this filmmaker.$LABEL$ 0 +This film shows up on the premium cable channels quite often and, I find that I keep watching it over and over again. The performances are wonderful, and the material has so much happening that there is always something new to take away from the film.Maybe I am too often distracted when watching films at home, you know the drill, the dogs bark, the phone rings, the popcorn finishes during the credits. But this film is about people and what motivates us, what enlivens us, what causes rifts between us, and what inspires us.For me, it is films like The Love Letter that keep me taking a chance on new films. Frankly, I am surprised that the film is not better known. I would love to see Blythe Danner and Geraldine McEwan in many more roles. They are a delight to watch. Kate Capshaw is wonderful and I had no previous idea that she would be. Ellen DeGeneres plays a role that is much more complex than simply being the comic relief.This film provides interesting visuals as a proper background to the characters and their interactions. I find it refreshing every time I take the time to watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +As a child growing up in the Sydney of the 1950s, I can readily identify with the content of this fine film. Each week I visited the Wynyard Newsreel cinema on George Street to watch the Cinesound (and usually 3 Stooges) shorts. Never has there been a better blending of B/W and colour in a film. Faultless production values round off a never to be forgotten movie experience.$LABEL$ 1 +For me, "Late Chrysanthemums" was interesting not only because it was my first film of Naruse I completely enjoyed, but because it was technically as modern and innovative as his 30s work I've seen. This doesn't mean innovative editing in the way Godard would introduce it with "Breathless" in 1959, but quite the opposite.The editing was as fluent as in the best of Hollywood films from the 30s/40s, but at the same time incredibly fitting regarding the way he was telling his story. Unlike them, it never purposefully accentuated anything or tried to make itself "invisible" but, together with the cinematography, made me feel like I was traveling on a gentle stream, constantly feeling the waves beneath me, like a gentle stroke of the hand or the almost unnoticeable rocking of a cradle. In this sense the film was comparable to Ozu's and Mizoguchi's work, but somehow even more subtle.What was so modern was the fact that the editing seemed almost a character in itself, similar to the remarkable camera-work in Dreyer's Ordet (1954) or Vredens dag (1943) which is revealing us a deeper understanding of the film and its characters rather than simply showing them to us.I feel that Naruse's editing and cinematography are the most interesting aspects of his films, elevating the stories significance beyond the obvious. The wonderful sets and settings shouldn't be forgotten either! I found the story itself to be rather conventional.The narrative and its characters were introduced in a very interesting way, and I thought that the first half of the film was setting up a delicately ingenious spectrum of emotions and interrelations. Unfortunately the second half of the film and its resolution were rather didactic and and formulaic compared to the set up (though by itself it would have been perfectly fitting in any other - less complex - film). Somehow I felt that he failed a bit in trying to dissolve the many layers he had woven. Maybe he should have kept them intact. This criticism might seem a bit harsh to a viewer of this film, especially since the procedure is again reminiscent to the way Ozu dealt with the plot in his films. Unfortunately I haven't yet the feeling that Naruse was able to elevate the story and its characters in his films' conclusions in a similarly sublime fashion. The best efforts I have seen to date - Ukigumo (Floating Clouds / 1955) and Midaregumo (Scattered Clouds / 1967) - sustained the energy he had built throughout the narrative, while delivering poignant and resonant endings.This is already more than most director's are able to do, and in my opinion the basis for a real mastery of the cinematic medium. In this regard, and considering the resonance of the last two films I've seen by him, he may have already become one of my favorites.The only problem I have at the moment, is where I'm going to see more of his films on the big screen.$LABEL$ 1 +An interesting comedy, taking place on a train from Stockholm to Berlin, December 1945. One can't help to feel sorry for the poor writer/critic who quits his job and jumps on the train to Berlin. His ambition is to make a difference, and to participate in building the new unified Europe after the war has ended.I like the black and white format of the movie, as well as the closed scenery of a train in motion.Robert Gustafsson makes a classic "Gustafsson-role" in this movie. If you're a fan of him, this movie is for you!The philosopher Wittgenstein, through his saying "One can never assume that anything is what it seems to be", is referenced several times in the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Can A-Pix ever, ever, ever do anything right? This movie was meant to be seen on TV in a letterbox format. Since A-Pix doesn't even believe in pan and scan, we see whole scenes where a shoulder on the left side of the screen talks to a shoulder on the right side. Of course, not that you are missing much. This movie is incredibly bad. It's very hard to enjoy a film where characters are screaming at the top of their lungs during 80% of the movie for no reason.$LABEL$ 0 +I really think that this movie is great, personally. But, in every movie there is a downer. Now, some of you may not have watched Hilary Duff's 'Raise Your Voice', but If you think about it, those two shows are very very similar, if you know what i mean. In 'Brave New Girl', Holly wants so bad to get into Haverty Conservatory. In 'Raise Your Voice', Terri wants to go to a conservatory in L.A.(don't remember the name of the conservatory there). They are both in the music field, and they both have to sing at the ending of the semester. It's really funny how these two films are alike. I personally like 'Brave New Girl' better than, 'Raise Your Voice' though.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a bit conflicted over this. The show is on one hand awful, the acting is terrible (even when we get actual name actors like Brad Pitt and Bill Moseley in one episode), the dialogue is moronic and the premise/moral of each episode feels like something lifted out of a 50s educational short. There's no way you'll be scared for a moment from any of these episodes, and Robert Englund's cameos are short, pointless and corny in a sort of a Bob Saget on America's Funniest Home Videos kind of way.On the other hand this is one of the funniest things to ever be on television. The 80s fashions, the soft focus makes the actors look like their on the set of The View at all times, the premises lend the material more to self-parody than scares, so we're left with an episode where a high school kid is afraid if he fails his SAT's his girlfriend will dump him and his parents disown him, another is afraid she'll be locked up in prison because she's a substandard mom (her husband is played by Brad Pit), another is afraid that all the parents in the world are in league against him when he runs away from home, another is afraid she'll be confused with her socially-retarded twin, another is afraid if he doesn't break up his mom and step-dad he'll get killed for having a party at his house. The list goes on and on.Being that these are dreams I suppose you could look past the ludicrous plot points and devices, but they're so out of left field that there's no opportunities for the writers to actually scare the audience. You have characters dressed like something out of a 80s-themed nightmare wandering around delivering bad dialogue in very hammy fashion and making illogical decisions that serve no other purpose but to move the story to the next weird plot point (typically watching as a peripheral character does something uncharacteristic of a sane person while our main character stares aghast and too shocked to do anything about it).If you're looking for something that'll scare you stay away. If you're looking, on the other hand, for one of the funniest things to come out of the 80s ever. Watch it.Its been showing on Chiller TV lately (pretty much every day) and I've been watching, earlier out of morbid curiosity, and now just so I can get a good laugh in each day. With Arrested Development and Extras off the air this is officially the funniest thing on television right now.$LABEL$ 1 +Here's another movie that should be loaded into a satellite, fired into space and pointed in the direction of the galaxy Andromeda to show distant possible civilizations the best of humanity. This movie is so endearingly stupid and revealingly honest in being little more than a rip-off of the already bad movie classic KING KONG from 1976 that it not only manages to upstage that film in terms of sheer belly laugh idiotic goofiness, but successfully predicted much of Peter Jackson's miserable 2005 computer cartoon bearing the same name, as far as a "romance" between the giant (here a Yeti) and a gorgeous human female (Antonellina Interlenghi of Umberto Lenzi's CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, who is very easy on the eyes).The film was made for kids so aside from some innuendo over fish bones and a bizarre nipple tweak to say goodbye you can forget about sex -- the Yeti even has a sort of giant jock strap to cover up his monstrous package, the result being even more amusing than anatomical correctness. But as a trade-off you DO get a wacky old scientist, two inquisitive kids, Tony Kendall in a rare turn as a duplicitous bastard of a villain, a helpful intelligent collie dog who gets to have her own adventure (Dog Adventure movies were big in Europe for a while) and of course emerges as the hero at the end for saving the Yeti, who turns out to be the good guy, glorious stuff like front end loaders decorated to look like giant ape hands, a monster who's size literally changes scale from shot to shot, some inappropriately horrible deaths that will make the carnage in GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER look tame by comparison, crowd reaction shots a-plenty made up of either Spanish, Italian or Canadian extras depending upon scene (you can sort of tell where they were shooting from how the extras are dressed), and some of the most enthusiastically staged but inept special effects work ever in a giant monkey movie.It's here that the film won me over: It's enthusiasm just for being made. Frank Kramer is actually the same Gianfranco Parolini who brought the world SARTANA in 1968 and GOD'S GUN the year before this & was a very important director in the Spaghetti Western and action/adventure genre film scene from the 1960's/1970's and by the time of YETI he was probably delighted to get the work. I would say that this is his most adventuresome movie ever, or rather the one he took the most chances with, and may have felt more comfortable taking those chances with the film aimed at kids & families. The movie has a kind of reckless abandon to the way it was made that renders the technical errors or inconsistencies totally meaningless. Or rather they are part of the fun, and if the movie had been played seriously it wouldn't have worked -- WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY PETER JACKSON'S MOVIE SUCKED. He forgot to have fun with the material and let it dictate the outcome using his army of stupid Power Macintosh pod people animators, and with all it's faults + clunkiness, Kramer's YETI is actually closer to the spirit of why we watch movies like this, which is partly to see actors in ape suits tearing apart miniature sets on sound stages, not seamlessly animated vapid hours of nothing other than hard drive space. I'd rank this up there with KING KONG VERSUS GODZILLA and IT! CURSE OF THE GREAT GOLEM as one of the most enjoyably improbable giant rampaging monster movies ever. Because the movie looks so "fake" you can get over the story and just have fun watching stuff get wrecked, trampled, tossed about and smashed. Knowing that and armed with a fertile, energetic enthusiasm for having the chance to make the movie, Parolini pulled out all the stops and delivers a full bodied adventure that might get a bit rough for some of the small tykes but is the first movie I will ever share with the grandkids someday when their stupid parents leave them with me for a weekend. This is stuff for the ages and one of the most telling expressions of humanity to ever be committed to celluloid.10/10, it's about ten minutes too long but who cares, you only come around once and I'd rather go out with a smile on my face.$LABEL$ 1 +"Balance of Terror" is still one of the best Star Trek episodes ever made. It was inspired by the film "Enemy Below" (starring Robert Mitchum), a movie that deals with a cat-and-mouse game between two captains during World War II. In this episode, Captain Kirk and his crew play similar game with a Romulan vessel. This is the program that famously introduces the war-hungry Romulans, who are distant relatives of the Vulcans. It is an incredibly suspenseful episode, tightly constructed for maximum effect. It is also interesting to see how the episode contains a series of subplots that add extra layers of meaning to the story. Mark Lenard makes his Star Trek debut as the Romulan Captain (he will later play Spock's father Ambassador Sarek). A must-see episode!$LABEL$ 1 +I've watched this movie a second time to try to figure out why it wasn't as successful (commercially or artistically) as it should have been, and discovered considerable artistic merit--which may ultimately have been its commercial undoing.First of all, this movie attempts "serious" science-fiction, social commentary, more than action-adventure. There is action in it, but that's not really what it's about. If you focus on that, you'll end up with (as others have noted) a bad "Aliens" clone. But, again, that's not what it's about.The movie is really about Todd's (Kurt Russell) transformation from human to near-machine and back to human (mostly *back*). But because it's not trying to give you a typically glib Hollywood style answer, Kurt Russell must make this transformation without speaking, and largely without broad expressions. And he really does a wonderful job--it can take two viewings to appreciate it.The surrounding "social logic" is flawed and it's never adequately explained whether Todd's ability to hold his own against an army of supposedly superior troops comes from his experience on the battlefield or his newfound human-ness or what, but the movie still makes a marvellous showcase for Russell's (easy to underestimate) talent.$LABEL$ 1 +"Crossfire" is remembered not so much for the fact that its three stars all had the first name "Robert" but as being one of the first Hollywood films to deal with anti-semitism.The story opens with the murder in silhouette of a man whom we later learn is a Jewish man named Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene). Pipe smoking police Captain Finlay (Robert Young) is assigned to the case. An ex-soldier, Montgomery (Robert Ryan) comes upon the murder scene and we learn through flashback that he had met Samuels in a bar along with other soldiers who were in the process of being mustered out of the service following WWII.According to Montgomery, he and pal Floyd Bowers (Steve Brodie) had followed Samuels and Cpl. Arthur Mitchell (George Cooper) to Samuels' apartment for drinks. Montgomery tells Finlay that Mitchell left the apartment first and that he and Floyd followed soon after with Samuels still alive and well.Unable to locate Mitchell, Finlay suspects him of the murder. He enlists Sgt. Peter Keeley (Robert Mitchum) to help him locate Mitchell. Mitchell meanwhile has been wondering the streets in a dazed state. He meets prostitute Ginny (Gloria Grahame) in a bar and strikes up a friendship. She gives him a key to her apartment and he goes there to rest. Unexpectedly a man (Paul Kelly) turns up looking for Ginny. Mitchell, still in a daze, leaves and goes back to meet Keeley and his pals. Keeley manages to keep him from the police and hides him in an all night movie house.From Mitchell's perspective we learn that Montgomery hates jews and is probably the killer. Finlay begins to focus his investigation on Montgomery trying to prove his guilt. He arrangers to have one of the soldiers, a kid named Leroy (William Phipps) set a trap for Mongomery."Crossfire" is considered to be one of the best of the "film noire" genre. In fact it garnered several Academy Award nominations including Ryan and Grahame for best supporting actors. It was made on a modest budget in about three weeks.It has all of the elements of classic "film noire", the shadows, low key lighting and the story playing out mostly at night. The requisite "femme fatale" of the piece is Grahame's Ginny who plays a minor role but is nonetheless your classic "femme fatale". The unnamed character played by Paul Kelly (in an excellent bit) has been chewed up and spit out by Ginny and was she about to do the same to Mitchell?Robert Ryan steals the picture as the brutal Montgomery although it would type cast him in similar roles for years to come. Robert Young makes a good low key detective but Robert Mitchum has little to do other than befriend the Mitchell character. Others in the cast are Jacqueline White as Mitchell's wife, Lex Barker (who would go on the following year to play "Tarzan") as one of Mitchum's soldier pals and Richard Powers (who was previously known as Tom Keene) as Finlay's assistant.Director Edward Dmytryk would shortly run afoul of The House Un-American Committee as having communist affiliations and spend a couple of years in jail.$LABEL$ 1 +Having not seen this film in about 20 years I am still impressed with it 's hard -hitting impact and stellar acting. Of course, one Mr. Mickey Rooney is indeed, INCREDIBLE in his role as the ring-leading "Killer".(In reference to another review here-none other than Orson Welles evoked Mickey Rooney's name as the greatest movie actor,also.) I also recall the jazzy-brassy score and the bare black and white photography. I love the Mick's last line before he goes out for his dose of lead poisoning.(I think the Stranglers lifted it for a line in one of their songs-Get a Grip on Yourself.)This is a great film and unjustly buried film. Let's get it out ! Side note-a recent Film Review magazine gave a big write up on Don Segal's "Babyface Nelson" ,made a couple years before "Last Mile" and also starring Mickey Rooney. Another rave of the Mick's intense and sympathetic performance.Perhaps it's the start of a groundswell of a appreciation for some truly superior cinematic performances.$LABEL$ 1 +The opening credits are pure poetry and I have watched it several times. It had a corny 20's adventure feel to it. Of course Kathy is gorgeous, but that voice! Did she realize this was a talkie. One word--voice coach. Great film for chronic insomnia (along with a bottle of scotch).$LABEL$ 0 +Ivan Reitman is something of a savior. The most tired plots (Ghostbusters, Evolution) come to life in his skilled hands. Even his occasional flop (Six Days, Seven Nights) show signs of life and humor that make it worth viewing. So I was disappointed that Reitman could not take a fairly original plot (man dumps superhero, superhero gets superpower-fueled revenge), and shape it into something enjoyable. "Girlfriend" is an exercise in pointlessness. The one-trick pony plot is long in the tooth after the first 20 minutes. The film can't decide whether to be romantic comedy or superhero drama. The result is a film the flip-flops between both, with neither aspect being very well done. Uma Thurman is tops, as usual, and Luke Wilson pulls off his role too, though his slacker antics quickly grow tired. What's even more maddening is that, in certain scenes (such as when a very turned on Uma knocks a headboard through a wall), you sense a witty, raucous Reitman opus practically screaming to get out. But seconds later, the magic is lost, gone as quick as the superheroine whose movies disappoints in almost every way.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know about the rest of the viewers of this movie but personally I'm dead sick and tired of Steven Seagal films. When Above the Law came out, it was a great action film. Wahoo. Now in the Patriot, Steven Seagal plays Steven Seagal from Above the Law. I get tired of seeing no character changes. It's the same character, time after time, after time. He needs change. This movie was probably one of the worst action films I have ever seen. Calling it an action movie is giving it almost too much credit because there's too few action scenes and they're spread far apart throughout the film. I guess they wanted to go for some drama but it was a meaningless try as the film portrays nothing but the regular squinty-eyed-Steven-Seagal we've seen thousands of times over. Get a new look and lose the pony tail is all I have to say, I definitely do not recommend viewing this film in any form, go out to eat, heck, rent Barney goes to Vegas but do not under any circumstances rent this movie under the precept that Seagal will make a great performance.$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't have HUGE expectations for this film when renting it for $1 at the video store, but the box at least showed a little promise with its "killer cut" of "more gore! more sex!" Can't go wrong there! Well... needless to say, the box is a fraud. How in the hades did actors and actresses of this caliber sign on for a film this low?It all opens with a drunken college girl walking out of a frat house or some other building like that and saying some useless crap to her boyfriend (?) as a camera on a bad steadicam follows her. Then she gets chased by some dude in a clear plastic mask and grabbed by another. They slit her wrists for no real reason and you can see when they "cut" her that someone drew the cuts with what looks like a crayon.From there, repeat the same theme of the girl getting chased/killed unbrutally by two guys for about 84 more minutes. Add in one tit shot. That is Soul Survivors.I wouldn't have had a problem with this film had the box not frauded me into renting the flick. If I rent a bad film that claims to have more violence and sex.... I want more violence and sex! One full frontal shot in 85 minutes from a chick who is clearly androginous and gore that would not scare a child does not cut it. If this is the Killer Cut, what is the Theatrical Cut?! Of course, I doubt this garbage was actually put into theaters in the first place. Shame on the actors in this film. I could see them making their screen debuts in here because they have not done anything before, but they were all established before this was released. I don't know if it was filmed before they had all been established and the studio sat on the film until they were semi-big names or not. But what i want to know is.... they really spent $14 million on this film?!$LABEL$ 0 +I remember watching "Gung Ho" as a child with my mother, and wondered why she would always cry in the last few minutes. I, of course, found the entire movie hilarious, particularly the mannerisms of the characters. It wasn't until I was much older and watched it again that I realized how much deeper this show actually is.Michael Keaton and Gedde Watanabe shine in their roles as the reluctant mediators. Keaton ceases to amaze me with his real-life style of line delivery, and Watanabe adds humor and pathos to the mix. I also thought that Patti Yasutake (Umeki) was simply fabulous in her role as the comic relief.I think this movie is one of the most underrated films of the 80s. We can all learn a lesson from the merging of the American and Japanese workers in this film...sometimes you really *can* have "the best of both worlds." And now I understand why my mother felt the way she did in those closing moments. I'd rather have one of those cars, too.$LABEL$ 1 +Not really worth a review, but I suppose it's my duty to warn you all - especially since there are some pretty good reviews of this Canadian bomb floating around out there... Bad acting and a slow moving, absolutely atrociously boring 'coming of age' tale in which 3 boys lives are turned upside down when a man on the run shows up at their clubhouse in the woods. At firs the boys make good with the intruder and at one point even view him as some sort of a role model... However all this changes... and you still won't care. You will recognize Chris Penn, whose biggest cinematic impact is Corky Romano, and a young Devon Sawa, whose career peaked at 'Casper'. I was hoping for a '12 and Holding', 'The War', or 'Lie' and all I got was a waste of time. This film struggles to keep it's audiences attention and never makes an impact or maintains a note of anything remotely interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +if you're a fan of the original ten commandments, this movie will make you weep inside. granted, i'm only about 1/2 hour into it currently, but it's so painful, i felt it was my duty to warn away real ten commandments fans before they are subjected to this bastardization. i didn't think it was possible to actually make the special effects worse than they were in 1950s when the original was shot, but this 2006 remake proves me wrong. i can forgive some lame special effects, but the craptastic dialogue, melodramatic lifetime movie-style schlockiness, and the stilted we-are-wax-figures-come-to-life acting makes me hope they'll rewrite the plot and drown moses in the red sea.$LABEL$ 0 +I'd always wanted David Duchovney to go into the movie business, and finally he did, and he made me proud. This movie lived up to what I had hoped for. Duchovney played his character very well, managing to remain consistent with something new, instead of playing the Agent Molder we are used to. Therefore, I give him extra credit for his role, also because I could not see anyone else playing that particular character. David was great, but nothing compared to the psychotic Timothy Hutton. A brilliant performance that you don't get tired of throughout the movie, because he never fails to surprise you. He has weaknesses, and strengths, making the story all the more believable. I also very much enjoyed the narration, it added to the story a good deal, and had some very memorable quotes that i still use to all the time. This movie also had a wounderfull score. I recomend this for anyone who likes drama, and doesn't mind blood.$LABEL$ 1 +SUcks. That's all I got to say about this sorry excuse for a film. Sucks. Sucks. Sucks. I mean, what the hell were they thinking? The idiots involved should never be allowed to make another films. The acting was so bad that it even failed to entertain on a bad level. The attempt at a "lesbian scene" was sad. I felt so bad for the ladies involved. This movie sucks! Sucks! Sucks!I heard rumors of a sequel.GodHelpUsAll$LABEL$ 0 +Made and released at the time when the internet was just becoming huge, this is a storyline Hitchcock would have loved.Sadly, Hitchcock wasn't around to make it, and we're left with an occasionally suspenseful but mostly silly thriller, that is held (barely) together by Bullock's intelligence.It was released in 1995 but is already dated, and the amount of mistakes and inaccuaracies regarding computers must be seen to be believed, and you don't even have to be a dot.com person to spot them!$LABEL$ 0 +Normally BBC productions of Jane Austen are pretty good but Northanger Abbey is just odd. What were they thinking? This film has little of Austen's charm and ironically mimics the Gothic novels that Austen so wonderfully mocked. Not only that, the "gothic" sequences are tacky, over-the-top, and frankly silly. The actress playing Miss Morland is poorly cast with no obvious appeal to attract the attentions of an eligible bachelor, and though I rather liked the creepy Peter Firth as Mr. Tilney, he is not a bit like the novel, even when delivering dialog straight out of the book. Robert Hardy as General Tilney turned in one of his few terribly "ham" performances. This film was so bizarre and strange that I actually watched it again just to savor how freakishly wrong it was.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this film 'Spring and port wine'. I was born in Leigh, a town about 7 miles away from Bolton, I moved to Bolton in 1965 when I was 20. My place of work was daily via Little Lever through Farnworth, sometimes on a bike but then by car when I could afford it.The film brings back all the memories of the working class neighbors who were almost always broke but who would always help you if they could. Fred Dibnah was round the corner from Bromwich St. were my bedsit was. If you didn't see the film when first released then you may be forgiven for comparing it to a soap such as Coronation St, well I agree it is a soap, but then, it was called 'Kitchen Sink Drama!' Watch this film for the talented cast who shortly afterwards became household names from frequent roles on TV, I watch mainly for the shots of the locality and the feel good factor of people being poor but happy!$LABEL$ 1 +"People stranded in a country house during a storm discover that the home was the sight of an unsolved murder years before. During a dinner discussion of the incident, the lights go out and, when they come back on, they discover that one of the guests has been killed. Fearing for their lives, the guests attempt to find out the secrets behind the death before others can occur," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.There are a couple of clever twists in this murder at the "Old Dark House" story, with the "Play within a Play" being its most interesting feature. However, the direction is rather ordinary, which serves to highlight a certain cheapness of production. Like most movies of this type, there is (or, should be) an ensemble of intriguing characters. Herein, only old-time Broadway producer Richard Carle (as Herman Wood) and his fey secretary Johnny Arthur (as Homer Erskine) maintain interest.**** The Ghost Walks (12/1/34) Frank R. Strayer ~ Richard Carle, Johnny Arthur, John Miljan$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a gay love story disguised as a tale of graffiti and friendship. Not ONE review described this movie as a gay romance film, and that's the weight of the plot. I don't know if this was to trick people that would otherwise be uninterested to sit through it, expecting the film to be as it was marketed... The film is out of touch with graffiti culture, abuses and defames graffiti culture, and the acting is abysmal. Oh yeah, the graffiti sucks too. This movie was a clever way to hide the agenda of portraying young boys getting gay. Just look at the rest of the movies the director's been involved with, all contain the same subject matter. Boring as hell, not what I expected.$LABEL$ 0 +If you read the book by Carl Hiaasen, the movie follows pretty much true to form, with a few minor changes for Hollywood. In my opinion this is a great family movie. Luke Wilson (Officer Delinko)pretty well steals the show from an all-star cast that includes Robert Wagner and Jimmy Buffet. The kids in the movie do a great job led by Logan Lerman, Brie Larson, and Cody Linley.Brie Larson is maybe a little too petite to play Beatrice. I pictured a bigger girl, maybe 6 foot, 175 lbs, in the role of Beatrice. This might have made her more believable in her role of beating up Dana. They should have developed her "tough girl" character more, and had her bite through a tire, or kick a soccer ball through a person. She is very pretty, and I understand why she was cast, she is a box office attraction.This is about as PG as a movie gets these days, no sex, and very little violence. This movie is a parents'dream come true, a movie with a strong environmental message, with kids that have deep appreciation for the beauty of Florida and its wildlife. It shows how adults have fallen short in the stewardship of our planet, and that our children can demand better. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Mullet Fingers says, "Florida could use some mountains like Montana. Florida is so flat there is nothing to stop developers from clearing it coast to coast". Also, the photography of Florida wildlife spoke volumes without dialog. As a family movie with kids ages 5-15, this is a great movie! As a bonus parents' will be entertained, especially if they're "parrotheads".$LABEL$ 1 +Only saw this movie late last night. I remember the hype of it's release and to be honest had I viewed it back then I maybe wouldn't have been so generous. I hate hype, it can ruin a movie. I think the movie glossed over the characters and put too much emphasis on Woody. He was good too - although kept wondering if he was stoned the whole time. It never went too deep. Redford was dark but not too dark and his character let me down in the end. To me he should have been more confrontational with Demi - throwing her out perhaps or telling her that she was paid for. After all he would have investigated them before he made the proposal - that's not shown in the movie, but no one in his perceived position would have made an offer to just anyone. He was cruel to the point of breaking them up and the last straw was the house and yet Demi fell for him? The passages giving an insight to Demi and Woody's relationship were the best part of the movie. There was a keen deepness that outshone the shallowness of John Gages character. He really could have been a lot stronger and as other people have alluded I think the movies draw-card was Redford and they didn't want tarnish his "image". I say what the hell Robert was old in this movie! Woody and Demi's characters were naive in a sense, but I think that was very intentional to draw you to their plight and champion their decision. But the reality is, they were losing their dream home and where did they go? Las Vegas? to gamble what little they had left and then accept a proposal from an insanely rich billionaire. I found their naivety when Redford was seducing them a little too unrealistic. The movie could have been so much more and other actors would have made a difference, but having said that on late night TV - it was enjoyable and I if you don't think too much - also palatable$LABEL$ 0 +I have always been a fan of the show so I'll admit that I am biased. When the show's run ended, I felt like too many questions remained unanswered. This movie to me felt like closure. To see all the people I'd followed over the past few years together at last was most rewarding. I have heard that this is probably the only Homicide movie that we can expect. If that is so, this is the appropriate way to go out. This movie is sometimes poignant, sometimes upsetting, but always satisfying. If you are or ever have been a fan of the show, watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Korean cinema has the ability to turn genres on its head, and the latest by the celebrated director Chan-wook Park is a tale of a good pious priest who becomes a vampire. Add a temptress leading him astray and a cast of eccentrics and you have a wonderful recipe.Directed in part in a style similar to the "Sympathy" trilogy it's as sumptuous as it is dark. Steering clear of cliché it does offer some new tricks in the overdone vampire genre. Its an existential movie trying to capture the moral conundrum of how exactly a person has to choose to live with their conditions rather than revel in the blood lust. However, the film doesn't take itself too seriously and there is boundless humour throughout.Our leads play their roles to perfection, playing with our emotions and revelling in the dark humour. There are moments of reflection on the whole moral conundrums involved in the film but its never preachy. Some might find it overlong and it can lull at points but it's worth giving it a chance to the end.If you like left field films then there are fewer better than this one of late. Dark and engrossing, it will pull in a crowd. One I'd recommend you give a try.$LABEL$ 1 +The daughter's words are poetry: "I can't go on another year. I got to get to a hotel room." "I lost my blue scarf in a sea of leaves." "The marble faun is moving in...he just gave us a washing machine. That's the deal." "I'm pulverized by this latest thing." "..raccoons and cats become a little bit boring for too long a time." "..any little rat's nest, mouse hole I'd like better." And there is wisdom in the mother's words: "...yes the pleasure is all mine." "This little book will keep me straight, straight as a dye." "Always one must do everything correctly." "Where the hell did you come from?" "...bring me my little radio I've got to have some professional music." "I'm your mother. Remember me?" The mother/daughter relationship is drawn in this magnificent film. This is a Mother's day film.$LABEL$ 1 +I quite enjoyed this movie for two reasons. The first is that it gives an insight into the world of loyalism in northern ireland, which is very rarely treated in movies, most of which tell us about the republican struggle. The second reason is the performances of the actors. I thought they gave very honest and convincing portrayals of a very seedy underworld that not many people hear about outside my native shores.All in all, it is an entertaining ganster movie with stellar performances from a who's who in northern irish actors cast. It wont move the earth, although it may slightly open some peoples eyes to the murky world of loyalist paramilitaries.$LABEL$ 1 +Lesbian vampire film about a couple on holiday who are staying on the grounds of what they think is an empty manor house but is really being used as a pair of lesbian vampires. As the vampires bring in the occasional victim the couple go about their business until the two groups come crashing together.Great looking film with two very sexy women as the vampires there is nothing beyond the eye candy that they provide to recommend this cult film. Yes its a sexy vampire story. No it is not remotely interesting beyond the women. To be honest there is a reason that I've been seeing stills of this film in horror books and magazines it looks great, but other than that...For those who want to see sexy vampires only.$LABEL$ 0 +As far as I can tell you, in spite of earlier comments posted by other commentors, this film IS currently available on DVD. I found it only a few weeks ago.It is on the Value DVD label and I paid the grand total of 98 cents plus tax for it. I found it at a 98 cent store among racks of plastic bowls and disposable chopsticks. Now don't you people who shelled out beau coup bucks for the super-duper Swedish import limited edition version feel like you were had??? I thought so.This film was indeed well worth 98 cents. 99 cents, I might start to argue with you. But clearly worth 98 cents. And remember that saying about getting what you pay for. For slasher film mavens only.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Tenant" is Roman Polanski's greatest film IMO. And I love "Chinatown", but this one is so much more original and unconventional and downright creepy. It's also a great black comedy. Some people I have shown this film to have been *very disturbed* by it afterwards so be forewarned it does affect some people that way. Polanski does a great job acting the lead role in "The Tenant" as well as directing it.$LABEL$ 1 +"Direct-to-video" is a phrase that never sounds promising to the consumer unless its a direct-to-video sequel to something that went direct-to-video in the first place. Despite this, studios have insisted on releasing numerous direct-to-video sequels over the years to cult hits. I don't think it even needs to be mentioned that these sequels rank among some of the worst titles of all time, including THE HITCHER II, STARSHIP TROOPERS 2, and CRUEL INTENTIONS 3. It's fitting that ROAD HOUSE 2 was helmed by Scott Ziehl as he was also the man in charge of ruining the Cruel Intentions series. Like his entry in the Cruel Intentions trilogy, Ziehl takes elements that made the first ROAD HOUSE a great guy flick, and rehashes them with no success whatsoever. This is no sequel, this is a remake all the way. Various lines from the original are repeated, plot points cut and pasted, and scenes are replicated almost shot-for-shot from the first one. The one thing that could not be duplicated were the amazing fight scenes, which made ROAD HOUSE what it was. Here, we get clumsily directed fight sequences that are either too short or too long and seemingly planned out and shot within an hour. Compare that with its predecessor's fight scenes that look like they took months and months to prepare. Ziehl is capable of directing action as he did well with the 2001 remake of EARTH VS. THE SPIDER, but none of the talent shown there comes through in this mess. It's not completely his fault, as the screenplay is very, very poorly written and clunky. I don't care if something goes direct-to-video, a good script is still required. Someone should keep that mind while continuously churning these low-budget, direct-to-DVD movies out. Skip it entirely. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I was in second grade, 12 years ago. I remember it clearly. We were learning about space. All little kids want to go to space, right? Well, after I saw this, I was so scared to death that I would 'accidentally' get flung into space by some psychotic robot with a one track mind. I had no idea that this was a movie. I thought it was some news program or something. I guess it was my own version of when people were freaked out by the radio program 'War of the Worlds.' So, recently, I get this movie again to watch, realizing my favorite actor, Joaquin Phoenix was in it (then known as Leaf Phoenix). I can tell you, I was laughing at the dramatic parts and laughing even harder at the acting. I mean, when Andy is in space, she moves in slow motion, did you ever notice that? I don't think being in space makes you talk that slow or think that slow.The best part is when Andy is knocked unconscious by the oxygen tank, and begins to float backwards as the security doors close. Little Max is trying to pull her in. Suddenly, we get a major close up on Max's face as he shouts (in slow motion) "Whaaaaatttt'ssss happpeniiiinngggg?!?!?" I had no idea.$LABEL$ 0 +A group of hunters track down a werewolf, kill it, decapitate it and then sell the head to unethical Dr. Atwill (played by director/writer Tim Sullivan), who runs a private clinic specializing in corneal transplants. Research chemist Rich Stevens (Mark Sawyer), whose eyes were destroyed when acid flew into his face during a lab explosion, is the unlucky recipient of the werewolf's eyeballs. It takes awhile to get to the first full moon, so first we get a tender love story between Rich and his compassionate, big-breasted nurse Sondra Gard (Stephanie Beaton). Sondra is so compassionate that she strips off her clothing and starts riding Rich in bed before he even has a chance to remove his bandages! After a month in the hospital, Rich returns home to icy wife Rita (Deborah Huber), who promptly tells him "You look pretty ugly" before speeding off in her Kia. Our hero soon discovers that Rita is not only a bitch, but an adulterous skank who's been carrying on an affair with his supposed friend Craig (Lyndon Johnson). Finally, the full moon rises and Rich finds himself in a hairy predicament as he transforms into a (very silly looking) werewolf creature. Predictable carnage ensues.After ripping out Craig's throat on a beach, Rich wakes up in the brush the next morning with his clothes tattered and vague recollections of the evening's events. He makes friends with dwarf psychic/occult expert Andros (Kurt Levi) and is hassled by both local author Siodmak (Jason Clark) and lesbian-police-detective-in-a-pants-suit Justine Evers (Tarri Markel). When Rich confronts Dr. Atwill, the doctor sends his sadistic bald henchman Kass (Eric Mestressat), who gets a kick out of dismembering corpses with a machete at the clinic, after him. With help from Sondra, Rich manages to escape. Sondra takes him back to her place and basically rapes him on the couch during an overlong sex scene that lasts about five minutes. Will Rich be able to control his lycanthropy or find a cure for it before he claims more victims? Shot on the cheap with a camcorder, this homemade werewolf flick has a somewhat unique premise with the eye transplant angle, but trots out cliché after cliché otherwise. The sets are sub porn level - the clinic scenes seem to have been filmed inside someone's home or apartment. The wolf transformation scenes don't even look as good as the time lapse photography used way back in the 1940s. Instead, they employ ragged editing. Throw some hair on the actor. Cut. Throw on some more on. Cut. More fur... and fill his mouth full of white gunk he can spit out. Cut. No need to worry about continuity! There's no fade, no dissolve, nothing. It's pretty sloppy. Once fully transformed, the werewolf costume (designed by Jeff Leroy, who also edited and shot the movie) is pretty awful. It has red, glowing Christmas bulb eyes, fur that looks like shag carpet and a plastic face that's almost completely immobile. There are several times you can see the cameraman's fingers in front of the camera lens, and does the moon really stay full five nights in a row? As far as the cast is concerned, they're amateurish, but tolerable. And as far as B horror flicks are concerned, there are worse out there. This one is paced fairly well, is only 70 minutes long and does provide plenty of the red stuff during the attack scenes, as well as the aforementioned T&A from Ms. Beaton.It was produced by David S. Sterling (CAMP BLOOD), who was one of the first to ride the wave of digital video right when it was first starting to dominate the low-budget/independent horror genre scene back in the mid/late 90s. Many of his notoriously awful productions were released by Brain Damage Films, a label to avoid like the plague for the most part. Fx guy Jeff Leroy (who is listed as co-director here at IMDb, but not in the film's actual credits) and Vinnie Bilancio (who appears in a small role as one of the hunters) went on to make the much more fun and polished exploitation flick WEREWOLF IN A WOMEN'S PRISON in 2006, which had a similar-looking creature on display (red glowing eyes and all).$LABEL$ 0 +Across the country and especially in the political landscape, people with any kind of political ambition, should take time out to see this film. The movie is called " City Hall " and with little imagination, its synopsis can take place anywhere in America. It just so happens to open in New York. Here we have the story of a popular politician named Mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino) with enough savvy to run a major metropolitan city with very little effort. His right-hand man is none other than Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) an equally bright individual who's ambitions are tied to his mentor and both seemed destined for higher office. Everything points in that direction, until a police shooting ignites an investigation spearheaded by Marybeth Cogan (Bridget Fonda) who believes the guilt points towards city hall and the mayor. A six year old boy and a police officer's death are blamed on a career criminal who's questionable freedom leads to an apparent cover-up by political pay-offs and city corruption involving union leaders like Danny Aiello played by Frank Anselmo, corrupt judicial officials like Judge Walter Stern. (Martin Landau) and mafia bosses like Paul Zapatti (Anthony Franciosa) who are deeply involved. Also implicated, are party officials like Larry Schwartz (Richard Schiff) who works for the probation office of New York. But it is the bond between the mayor and his deputy which is taken to task by the accidental shooting. A great vehicle for Cusack and a sure bet nominee to become a classic. ****$LABEL$ 1 +I am a big fan of Stephen King's work, and this film has made me an even greater fan of King. Pet Sematary is about the Creed family. They have just moved into a new house, and they seem happy. But there is a pet cemetery behind their house. The Creed's new neighbor Jud (played by Fred Gwyne) explains the burial ground behind the pet cemetery. That burial ground is pure evil. Jud tells Louis Creed that when you bury a human being (or any kind of pet) up in the burial ground, they would come back to life. The only problem, is that when they come back, they are NOT the same person, they're evil. Soon after Jud explains everything about the Pet Sematary, everything starts to go to hell. I wont explain anymore because I don't want to give away some of the main parts in the film. The acting that Pet Sematary had was pretty good, but needed a little bit of work. The story was one of the main parts of this movie, mainly because it was so original and gripping. This film features lots of make-up effects that make the movie way more eerie, and frightening. One of the most basic reasons why this movie sent chills up my back, was in fact the make-up effects. There is one character in this film that is truly freaky. That character is "Zelda." This particular character pops up in the film about three times to be precise. Zelda is Rachel Creed's sister who passed away years before, but Rachel is still haunted by her. The first time Zelda appears in the movie isn't generally scary because she isn't talking or anything, but the second time is the worst, and to be honest, the second time scares the living **** out of me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie, it is almost perfect. Pet Sematary delivers great scares, some pretty good acting, first rate plot, and mesmerizing make-up. This is truly one of most favorite horror films of all time. 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I just saw it at an advance screening I haven't read the book, but heard many good things about it.The movie was absolutely fantastic, very moving. With a roller coaster of emotions you totally connect with the characters. Shaun Toub was great, it was a complete departure from his usual roles, and his acting for those who understand Persian/Dari was incredible.One thing to notes it that Khaled Hosseini actually loved the film which is unusual for book adaptation movies. Even after seeing the movie several times "he was sobbing".Also the animation from the intro was exquisite, with names displayed as if it were Persian calligraphy, very unique! At times the translation was not clearly conveying the message efficiently, but all in all this was a great movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Anton Newcombe makes the film and he is the main subject. Watching him knock up a song if not a whole album quickly showed the guy to be a real talent. He thinks he is god but is so prollific and interesting. The DW are not really that interesting in comparison musicly or otherwise. "Hey, do you haver a drivers license?" ,Anton says to the cameraman, "Well lets go pawn this guitar!". Great use of archive/ home video material. Great to see rock docs still being made. A cool doc about the creative process. If you like this go see Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out! on DVD. A good experience Anton is this film. 8 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +I must admit, when I first began watching this film I had no clue what was going on. So the beginning was a bit confusing for me. However, that did not diminish my enjoyment of the movie. The characters reveal themselves to be more complex than they may first appear, and that is what makes this a memorable film. At first I heard this was a real "Hollywood" movie. Although it obviously lacks the stereotypical "guns and fists" element, the convincing performances of talented actors such as Martin Sheen and Sam Neill more than make up for it. I'd rather see a film with more substance than shooting any day.$LABEL$ 1 +Loaded with fine actors, I expected much more from "Deceiver" than was delivered. The plot is extremely contrived and manipulative. The many flashbacks only add to the confusion. Believability flies out the window and with the ending becomes unbearable and downright ridiculous. I would strongly advise anyone who likes their movie plots to be based on something that is at least possible to avoid "Deceiver" because you will be very frustrated. Maybe I am just not hip enough to get it, but my suspicion is that many others were totally confused by the story line and especially by the ending. Blurring the line between reality and lies simply does not work because the entire movie made no sense. - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +Hercules: The TV- Movie Hercules - A very twisted and molted version of the story about the Greek superhero. Paul Telfer makes a good attempt to play this hero. Sean Astin rehashes his Sam Gamgee image by playing Lupin, a thrown in character to make the whole thing a buddy-movie picture. I almost expected his to say at one point "We're in a bad situation Mr. Frodo, uh I mean Hercules. An unexpected good performance comes from Timothy Dalton (one of the lesser James Bonds) as Hercules's father. Herucles's love interest looks like Paris Hilton, something which just turned me off right away. Unfourtunetly someone has twisted and molted the original story into somewhat of a murky and sometimes incomprehensible story. The special effects don't help either. While the Hydra scene does the original story justice, the Nemean Lion and Harpies are just....well lame. I believe the creatures and effects from Power Rangers flashed across my mind at least twice. And the Golden Hind felt rushed and very computer generated. And they took out Cerberus! One of my favorite parts of what was originally a very cool story. The movie can't decide whether it's Greek, Roman, or American. And it almost ruined the original story; a classic epic. Don't bother looking for this one on the direct to DVD. - C$LABEL$ 0 +This one is a cut above the usual softcore T&A, with the spirit of a dead actress returning to claim the film role she believes is rightfully hers, and using the body of an aspiring young actress to do so.As always, the gorgeously sexy Amber Newman the is main attraction; her sensuous presence overshadows the mildly attractive, Shauna O'BrienPlot: *1/2 out of ****Sex/nudity: *** out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know what the Oscar voters saw in this movie, but they must of seen some pretty hard stuff to see in it to be able to award it with the best picture Oscar. All I know is that fortunately there was Gene Kelly to play in it or this would have been twice as bad as I believe it is. First of all, I don't think Leslie Caron was really fit to play such a role. She isn't that talented, she isn't a great dancer and she's not good looking at all. It's a shame that one actor or actress may ruin a movie just like by playing in it because if Leslie Caron hadn't been in this, it might have made a terrific movie. The story was intelligent, the directing wasn't bad, and, as I said, Gene Kelly was pretty good. Now I'm not saying all this stuff about Leslie Caron just to criticize her, I'm just saying it because I think that's what the worse part of the movie is. She's probably a good actress but I can't tell because I haven't seen her in anything else but I think she was pretty bad in "An American in Paris". So if you want to see it, go ahead but I'm telling you, you're way better off watching "Singin' in the rain".$LABEL$ 0 +Graphically, it is the same game as the first one just different levels and some new features added for fun.The PS1 version still has an issue with giving skaters enough air for some ground tricks. The Dreamcast version, which is rarely seen anymore, was the best version of the 4 versions (Xbox eventually came out with a 5th with 2x), it had the clearer resolution and the skaters looked better and more detailed the PS1 and N64 could handle.The levels are really amazingly done, from start to finish, like the first one, the school was my favorite, i enjoyed that level so much, not only for the golf cart that would sometimes run you over but for the length. That's what i liked about the first two games, they don't make these games graphically enhanced, they just focused on length of levels, which is cool.Overall, just as good as the first one, and well worth playing.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, the first "Howling" was a classic. A rather good werewolf movie that I admit started slowly, but gained momentum along the way to have a rather good finish then the anchorwoman changed into a cute werewolf only to be gunned down on camera. Yes that made for an entertaining horror movie to be sure...well forget all of that as this movie has nothing to do with that film. Oh sure, they kind of make it out that the anchor woman is the same and that her brother or something is wanting to find out what and why things went down as they did, but they go from the little cozy retreat from the first movie to Transylvania or somewhere here where they must battle evil magician werewolves or something. I often wonder what in the world Christopher Lee was doing in this movie, however I read the trivia here where it says he had never been in a werewolf movie before, but still read the script before you take a role. Maybe you could have gotten into "An American Werewolf in London" hell that could have been possible. It was set in London after all. Heck, werewolves do not seem to figure much into this movie except for a rather bizarre and prolonged sex scene. In fact, the most memorable death in this movie for me was when the one gal started talking loudly and this one dude's ear's started bleeding.$LABEL$ 0 +First, I rated this movie 10/10. To me, it's simply one of the best I saw since I was born (I'm 23, but I saw numerous films). The story is cruel, but reality is, too, not ? It went deep into me and stirred my bowels. I saw it about 5 or 6 years ago and it still shakes me - and I still remember it !Second, there is no 'national preference' (this expression is a direct translation from the French) for this movie. I mean it's not because it is a French movie that I put it so high : it has really caught me when I saw it. Furthermore, I don't know well Marcel Carne's filmography, so I don't know if it is or not his best movie, but I know it is not his most famous : Hotel du Nord, Quai des Brumes and Les Enfants du Paradis are the most famous.Third, the movie's in B&W, but it deals with inter-temporal problems of youth (not acne) like love, friends and studies in a modern way. It could even be remade frame-by-frame with actual young actors, a Dolby(tm) sound and special effects (a car crash), it would still be a great film !Problem : Maybe is it a film to be seen by young adults (from 16 to 25 years old) - and above, of course - for its message to be well understood... Did I say it was a great movie ?$LABEL$ 1 +The movie starts with a pair of campers, a man and a woman presumably together, hiking alone in the vast wilderness. Sure enough the man hears something and it pangs him so much he goes to investigate it. Our killer greets him with a stab to the stomach. He then chases the girl and slashes her throat. The camera during the opening scene is from the point of view as the killer.We next meet our four main characters, two couples, one in which is on the rocks. The men joke about how the woman would never be able to handle camping alone at a double date, sparking the token blonde's ambition to leave a week early. Unexpectedly, the men leave the same day and their car breaks down.. They end up arriving in the evening. When the men arrive, they are warned about people disappearing in the forest by a crazy Ralph doppleganger. They ignore the warning and venture into the blackening night and an eighties song plays in the background with lyrics about being murdered in the dark forest. The men get lost.In the next scene we realize that this isn't just another The Burning clone, but a ghost story! The women, scared and lonely are huddling together by the fire. Two children appear in the shadows and decide to play peeping Tom. Well they are obviously ghosts by the way their voices echo! Their mother appears with blood dripping from a hole in her forehead and asks the two ladies if they've seen her children, before disappearing of course. The children run home to papa and tell him about the two beautiful ladies by the river. This causes quite a stir and he gets up, grabbing his knife from atop the fireplace. "Daddy's going hunting," The little girl, exclaims with bad acting. It is apparent here, that the dad isn't a ghost like his children.Freaked out by something in the woods, the token blonde splits, running blindly into the night, carrying a knife. She encounters the father who explains he's starving and it will be quick. This doesn't make sense because of the panther growls we heard earlier (Maybe he's allergic! Are panthers honestly even in California?) She ends up wounding him slightly before getting stabbed in the head. A thunderstorm erupts and the men seek shelter, which turns out to be where papa resides. Clearly someone lives here because there's a fire and something weird is roasting over it. The children appear and warn them of papa, who shows up moments later. They disappear as soon as he arrives.For whatever reason, our killer only goes after females. He invites the men to have something to eat and tells us the story about his ex wife. We are given a flashback of his wife getting caught cheating. The old man doesn't tell them however that he kills her and her lover afterwards, but daydreams about it. We aren't given the reason for the children's demise. The men go to sleep and are left unharmed. The next morning the men discover the empty campground of their wives. After a brief discussion they split up. One is to stay at the campsite, while the other goes and gets help. The one that is going back to his car breaks his leg. We are then reunited with the children as they explain to the surviving woman that they are ghosts who killed themselves from being sad about their mother. They agree to help the woman reunite with her friendsThe following scene defies the logic of the movie when papa kills the guy waiting at the campsite. He was also dating or married to the blonde. Somehow the children realize he is murdered and tell the woman about it. She decides to see it for herself and obviously runs into the killer. Luckily the children make him stop by threatening to leave him forever. You know where this is going.Overall the movie deserves four stars out of ten, and that's being generous. For all its misgivings, the musical score is well done. It's still watchable too. There are some camera angles that look professional, and some of the sets are done well. The plot is unbelievable. There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief, but with the toad 6 miles away; I can't imagine the token blonde would take off like that in the middle of the night. I mean, come on!- Alan "Skip" Bannacheck$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the greatest sports movies ever made by Hollywood. What a wonderful story about one of the great sports figures of American history. What makes the story of James J. Corbett especially interesting is that Mr. Corbett introduced the style of boxing that continues to this day. In that respect James J. Corbett was truly innovated. But getting back to the movie, all the performances were excellent. Alexis Smith was beautiful. Indeed, she looked like Nicole Kidman. And although it's a period piece, the story withstands the test of time; it has not gone stale. Ward Bond's portrayal of John L. Sullivan has to be one of the great portrayals of an actual sports figure in the history of movies and the boxing scenes are realistic, well-staged and highly effective. That coupled with a great script makes this movie a must.$LABEL$ 1 +I've Seen The Beginning Of The Muppet Movie, But Just The Half. Because I Only Watched It At Mrs Kelly's Friend's House. The Songs Were The Best And The Muppets Were So Hilarious. They Learn That If They Believe In The End Of The Rainbow, Anyone Can Make It, No Matter How Small, No Matter How Green(Which Was Included In The Trailer).Kermit Is My Favorite Protagonist(Which Means It Describes The Main Character) And So Are The Other Muppets. Mel Brooks Was Amazing When He Played Professor Max Krassman. The Scene Where Miss Piggy Saves Kermit By Doing Kung Fu On Those Guys. It Was So Cool.The Muppet Movie Is The Best Jim Henson Film With The Most Hilarious Characters And People Will Cherish For His Successful Film.$LABEL$ 1 +Verhoeven's movie was utter and complete garbage. He's a disgusting hack of a director and should be ashamed. By his own admission, he read 2 chapters of the book, got bored, and decided to make the whole thing up from scratch.Heinlein would have NEVER supported that trash if he'd been alive to see it. It basically steals the name, mocks politics of the book (which is a good portion of it), and throws in some T&A so the average idiot American moviegoer doesn't get bored.This anime isn't perfect, but it's at least mostly accurate, as best I can tell.$LABEL$ 1 +On second viewing of this movie, I like it even more than the first time. It is full of nuances and a perception of life as being quite ordinary and often fearful but what lifts this movie to a height rarely realized is its focus on the little incidences in our lives to which we normally only offer the briefest of attention spans. Here the movie spins into the celebration of these incidences, the meeting of a tow truck driver and client, the jogger hearing a baby's cry from the bushes. The dialogue, acting, casting and direction are superb. No two by fours, no grand revelations. What I did observe was how true the characters were to their basic natures and how enhanced their lives became when these were celebrated. Kudos to all involved in this, we need more "Grand Canyons" in our lives. 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +The first two hours of the televised version are full of character and plot exposition -- after an early brief sequence of Las Vegas being hit by tornadoes, the action doesn't really start until the second two hours. Still, some character relationships don't become clear until the second part. The actors turn in competent performances, but nothing special (however, better than those in "Aftershock: Earthquake in New York"). An exception is Randy Quaid, whose character is superfluous and incredibly annoying. The plot is a pretty standard mix of parts of "Independence Day", "Speed", "The Day After Tomorrow", "Earthquake", "The Towering Inferno" and several other films. You can predict what will happen next, and come close to predicting the dialog, word for word. The special effects are unbelievably bad. Despite the effects in "Twister", the tornadoes in this film seem less realistic than the one in "The Wizard of Oz" and other effects were obviously done for less money than such series as "CSI" and "Cold Case" spend on the totality of a single episode. If you have to see a made-for-TV disaster film, see "The Day After", "Asteroid", or "Special Bulletin" instead -- you'll get better plots, acting, and effects.$LABEL$ 0 +I like the phrase "British post war suburban paranoia" that one of the reviewers used. It describes so well the kind of films John Mills excelled in ("The October Man" (1947), "The Long Memory" (1952)) in between "big" pictures ("Scott of the Antartic" (1948) and "War and Peace" (1956)).This distinctly "Eric Ambler" style plot had John Mills playing Dr. Howard Latimer, who promises his friend, Charles, (unseen) to meet a visiting German actress, Frieda Veldon (Lisa Daniely) at the airport. A creepy "reporter" Jeffrey Windsor (Lionel Jeffries) is in his consulting rooms at the time and offers to give him a lift but while he is tracking the actress down Windsor informs him she is already in the car waiting!!! (something fishy is going on!!!). Howard is dropped off for his date and thinks no more about it.The next night he finds her body when he arrives home from work, further more, he finds his friend Charles could not have rung him as he is still in New York and Windsor doesn't seem to exist. Earlier on a patient, Mrs Ambler(Rene Ray) who has been referred to him by Doctor George Kimber (Mervyn Johns) tells of her recurring dream about finding a dead body and a brass candlestick with a square base. It is a nightmare that is coming true for Howard but of course when Detective Inspector Dane (Roland Culver) interviews her, she denies all knowledge of the conversation - the candlestick is later found in the boot of Howard's Daimler.When Howard is lying low, Robert Brady (Wilfred Hyde-White) visits him. He calls himself a "friend" - he has a photo of Windsor that he wants to trade for a box of matches Frieda gave Howard at the airport. Howard returns to the flat, Charles rings and while Howard is on the phone an unknown assailant knocks him out and steals the matches!!! Who can he trust - who hasn't something to hide!!!This is a top thriller - not quite in the same class as "The October Man", but with John Mills doing what he does best - playing ordinary men caught up in impossible mysteries!!!Highly Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +This is such a crappy movie I have no idea how it got on the shelves, they must have paid the movie store to make them put it there, seriously! The story makes absolutely no sense unless you are on some seriously heavy drugs, you would definitely have to be on something in order to watch this total piece of garbage, so much so that you would not care what was on the TV because you're almost in a coma. The writing sounds like it was done by a 5-year-old and the acting is worse than grade school plays. The hideous special effects they were trying to do look so stupid, what did they spend a whole $5 to make the entire movie, it looks like it! Oh my, that scene with the old woman who has an 80's hairdo and the ugly girls in the rubber suits, me and my friends laughed so hard. Did someone actually think it was a good idea to make this into a movie? I find that hard to believe!$LABEL$ 0 +I thought it was a New-York located movie: wrong! It's a little British countryside setting.I thought it was a comedy: wrong! It's a drama.... Well, up to the last third, because after the story becomes totally "abracadabrantesque", the symbolic word for a French presidential mandate. It means, close to nonsense even it the motives would like to bring a sincere feeling.What Do I have left? Maybe, a good duo of actress: Yes, I know, they are 3 friends, but the redhead policewoman is a bit invisible for me. The tall doctoress surprises by her punch, and McDowell delivers a fine acting as usual, all in delicate, soft and almost mute attitude. This gentleness puzzles me, because as other fine artists or directors, the same pattern is repeating over and over. In her case, it's like, whatever the movie, it's always the same character defined by her feelings, her values, who lives infinite different stories. I still don't know how to set the limit (or the fusion) between the artists and the works.Another positive side of this movie is its feminine touch & the interesting different points of view. The women have each their own way of living, even if they are all single. It brings a lot of tolerance and learning to witness how a same and unique reality can be perceived in as many ways as people.Finally, the movie is quite viewable, but the great final cuts the desire of a next vision.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of Jackies best films that is him without opera buddies Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao it has one of the best openings in any action film and it carrys on in that way with Jackie showing some high quality stunts the only critisim is that in the middle it gets a bit slow but it shows up for a frantic last 25 mins in the film and the end credits show what a crazy fool jackie chan is just to keep us film addicts happy$LABEL$ 1 +This is the 2nd time I've seen this movie in about 12 years. These remarks come from someone who finds Kane and Ambersons to be amazing, worthy films. But the remainder of Welles career is, unfortunately, squandered on material unworthy of his talent and too flimsy to withstand his filmic embroidering. And when he makes a potboiler like Shanghai, the lack of anything substantial to hang his filmic tricks on, is just kind of sad. I couldn't tell you what he was exploring here. It's all as mannered as Welle's godawful Irish brogue; which takes a lot of effort, but adds absolutely zero to the film. Several Welles projects became this overdeveloped and baroque. Mr Arkadin (pick a version, any version) is a similarly belabored project. The material is inconsequential. It just can't bear the weight of all this noodling. For a director trafficking in reality-based drama (as here), he never feels any pull to tie his bundle of conceits back to reality; or to a coherent story. The murder-for-hire scheme is ridiculous. Kudos to Welles though, for having Hayworth cut her hair, and getting that performance out of her. The camera loves her. She's the classiest, most upscale, sultry and ravishing femme fatale ever put on film. But her treachery comes so late in the film it feels like some desperate decision, made so the movie will have some genre it fits into. The movie can't be saved by a noir convention deployed in the last 60 seconds.When all is said and done in L.F.S., the convolutions are all for what?; to convince you you've seen something thoughtful? to give Welles more to do? to make you roll your eyes? Welles has no sensitivity to the scale of a story, or to telling a story directly. One wonders what Shanghai has to say to anyone who isn't a crippled billionaire, arranging a quadruple-cross murder-for-hire scheme, or a fanboy in love with filmic conceits devoid of meaning or substance. Overwrought, preposterous, unengaging.$LABEL$ 0 +The Minion is about... well, a minion. A servant of Satan and whose goal is to get the key that will unlock the door where his master is trapped. He is some sort of demon who possess human beings and when the body dies will possess another. Anyone who happens to be possessed will go on some berserker rage. Dolph Lundgren plays Lukas, a member of a secret order of Templars, who is tasked to keep the key away from the minion. The movie begins a thousand years ago, in the Middle East where a couple of knight templars flee from the minion. Then flash forward to 1999, where the key winds up somewhere underground in New York. An archeologist is assigned to study/dig the place where the key was found. Needless to say, the minion is after the key, and the movie becomes a long winded chase scene between the minion and Lukas and archeologist.The movie, is just that, a low budget B-movie flick. The movie lacks energy, and just trods along. You'll follow the chase but you won't ever feel involved in the story which willfully takes ideas from previous movies (especially The Terminator films). The fight scenes with the minion is troublesome, in that you never get the sense of how good or how bad a warrior this demon is. It "skillfully" becomes a one-man army when fighting a squad of templars but sucks when it comes to one-on one. And it's supposed to be around for a long time. All this goes to show that any sense of logic is just thrown down the drain for convenience. The whole idea of a secret order of Templars, a door to hell, and the key isn't well explained. We are merely to accept that they just exist. The movie seems to have been made with the feeling there's not much potential to the story but only enough to make a few bucks. Dolph Lundgren sure looks like he wish he were somewhere else.The verdict: 2 of 5 stars.$LABEL$ 0 +Claire Denis' debut is both a brave and self-assured one. In this depiction of life towards the end of French colonialist Cameroon, she explores the relationships between men and women, black and white.With the black servant 'Protée' as the film's primary object of desire and oppression, the film enters taboo territory from the beginning. Denis builds a picture of life through a series of character relationships that keep the informed viewer fixed to the screen. The mood of the film is captured perfectly by the camera-work and (lack of) lighting.A great discourse.$LABEL$ 1 +We, as a family, were so delighted with 'The Last of the Blonde Bombshells' we purchased a copy for our home video library.The acting is A1 and the cast contains many favorite actors and singers. The theme is unusual and the script well written. The music/songs are timeless and takes us back to our young days when we sang the songs at the top of our voices. To outline the story here would spoil the 'plot' as it is really nice to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolds.Full marks to this most enjoyable and uplifting production and we heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a belly-laugh and lots of music.$LABEL$ 1 +"Whipped" is one of the most awful films of all time. It is a mean, hateful piece of garbage that had me forcing myself to stay in the theater more than any other movie of 2000, besides maybe "The Grinch." It is not, as people have called it, an insightful portrait of modern relationships. That would be a little film called "High Fidelity." Whereas that movie was honest and sympathetic, "Whipped" is hostile, cynical, misanthropic cinematic poison. Avoid this like so many plagues, unless you want to see how truly bad a "comedy" can get.$LABEL$ 0 +A noble effort, I guess, but ultimately a poor one. Before seeing this film, I felt "Bartleby, The Scrivener" was unfilmable. After seeing it, I still do. Unfortunately, I think only those who have read the story will understand what is going on, and they will be upset at the film's needless revisions (updating from 1850 to 1970, moving from New York to London). Even the superb talents of Paul Scofield can't salvage what looks to me like a well meaning but misguided effort to film Melville's metaphysical classic.$LABEL$ 0 +Before we start, may I say I hope you've already eaten when you're reading this. Why? Because, after I'd seen this film for the first time, the bird's look and sound made me want to eat chicken after the words 'The End' had appeared on the screen. So don't say you weren't warned.Fred Sears might have directed "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (an okay film and one of the bigger examples for Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks"), but "The Giant Claw" is not that giant a film. Yes, it's a prehistoric monster that flies in the air, attacks planes and cities and occasionally treats itself to a man on a parachute. The beast is giant except in the scenes where it's considerably smaller, but who needs consistent proportions in a movie? Scary? It could have been, but not if the plot is hopelessly silly and the monster looks like like a puppet that ran away from Sesame Street.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember flipping through channels on HBO and saw this. This, my friends, is one of the worst TV movies I've ever seen. There is no excitement in this film.The story starts out with Drew Summers(Candice Cameron Bure) driving to a small town while in a trance. She stays with a couple who coincidentally, had a daughter named Laura Fairgate who looked exactly like her and is played by the same actress. Even the townsfolk agree that they looked alike. Thing is, Laura was killed over a year ago. Her boyfriend went missing around the same time she was murdered, making it look like he had killed her.While settling in this town for a while, Drew starts to have visions and nightmares. These visions and nightmares might prove that the boyfriend of Laura isn't the killer after all. Throughout the film, you find out that Ray Ordwell Sr.(Denis Arndt) is the one that raped her frequently over a period of time and killed her.The movie is too long and very boring. The film just drags on and on and on and on. Amazingly, I saw another TV movie after this called (Cloned) 1997 which was good but I'll review that one later.I give this movie 1 star out of 10. Avoid this TV movie. It is not worth your time. This is the worst TV movie of 1997!$LABEL$ 0 +One of our all time family favorites. When we need a laugh...we just put this one in and laugh all way thru like it is the first time we've seen it. This film has good, clean family humor. Pauly Shore is brilliant! With no plans for the thanksgiving holiday, Crawl (Shore) is invited to spend the holiday with a conservative coed, Becca. Crawl, being a big city boy, must adjust to the farm life if he is to fall in love with Becca. But, Crawl isn't the only one who is learning new things. Crawl teaches Becca and her parents how to be more open about their feelings and accepting others. This is fun for viewers of all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +As there was nothing wrong with the acting etc etc the writing for the episode is way off for this series phantom or no phantom. It was a waste of 42 minutes to see the martian man hunter. You have to know that in the middle of the 6th series no matter what happens it is not true what is going on and really brings nothing to the story of the series except meeting the martian man hunter again and to waste 30 minutes to do this is by far another case of bad writing in the soap opera of smallville. I really like the show but mainly due to the cast and the 3 or so good episodes each year but who ever is on the writing cast that works or used to work on the soaps needs to be canned. This was by far one of the worst. With in the first 4 minutes you know that what is going on is bogus and anything happening is a dream based on Clark's infliction obviously caused by a phantom zone character and when he wakes up he will win and blah blah blah so the writers don't have to really create a villain that will progress the story line any this week. May as well have added another villain to die in the last episode the martian man hunter was in and made him fly away again or come back and tell Clark he forgot his sunglasses to get a closer look like in this episode and call it a day.$LABEL$ 0 +Well to do American divorcée with more money than brains buys a rundown villa in Tuscany. (Much more money; whilst having to dicker over the price, she subsequently manages to cook sumptuous buffets for her workmen and wander around Italy indefinitely with no job or apparent means of support.) Interminable boredom and the inevitable Italian lover ensue; this is a chick flick in the most pejorative sense of the term. Lane acts like an unskilled clueless teenage ingénue throughout - which dynamically clashes with her seriously fading looks - along the way smashing into a variety of (mostly Italian) cardboard stereotypes, dykes, divas, senile contessas and gigolos among them. Bloated with unnecessary scenes, the most ridiculous being a clumsily inserted and pointless recreation of the fountain scene in 'La Dolce Vita'. (A similar conceit was used in an effective and appropriate narrative context in 'Only You', Norman Jewison's vastly superior ode to Italy and romance). 'Tuscan Sun' may be the most vacant piece of cinema of the last decade, despite its admittedly well-lensed panoramas of Italy. Bonus negative point for the extraneous lover parachuted in at the last minute to provide requisite Hollywood ending for its targeted audience of Oprah-brainwashed housewives. Avoid at all costs, unless, of course, you view Oprah and Dr. Phil as pinnacles of intelligent discourse.$LABEL$ 0 +"Escape from Hell" is not made with enough artistry to disguise what it is: crass exploitation. The direction and writing are both sloppy: for example, the camera-work during the fight between Cintia Lodetti and Ajita Wilson is so bad that you can barely make out what's happening; also, if the alcoholic-but-kind-hearted doctor hadn't killed the warden, the guards would never have followed him and the girls after their escape - the "fake plague" plan had worked fine until then but he just had to ruin it. I would have given this film a 4 out of 10 (the sweaty lesbian scene is not bad and Christina Lai has an amazingly beautiful face and body), but a particularly disgusting scene of abuse forced me to cut 2 more points. Of course some sickos will take that as a recommendation. After all, one thing even more disturbing than this film is that some people actually gave it positive reviews!$LABEL$ 0 +this movie makes me laugh by even just thinking about it. such a smart comedy! very precise yet easy. the casting can not be any better. all actors are the best choice of their roles and they all play precisely the best, and there is no stupid laughs or shouting through out the whole movie. layers and the progress of story work perfectly together and the rhythm flow smoothly. the greatest of all is when the Village People's YMCA is cued in, it brings out the importance of the Indian's statute which was only briefly brought up previously in the movie, which makes the smartest and funniest climax among many comedies. I give it a ten especially a lot of times comedies are so underrated.$LABEL$ 1 +As a long-time fan of Superman from the comics, through the 1950s series, the first two of the Chris Reeves films and Lois & Clark, and finally Smallville, I was *really* hoping for something clever with "Superman Returns".Instead we got Lex Luthor making *another* attempt at real-estate conversion, another Superman-beaten-up-while-wearing-kryptonite sequence, and internal inconsistencies: he couldn't stop himself falling into the ocean when stuck with 6" of kryptonite, but when Lois breaks off 3" of it, *leaving the rest embedded in him*, he can lift *a continent* into space?? Really, the only hero in the story was Lois' partner - I can't remember his name off-hand. He did all kinds of life-saving, heroic things with nothing but guts and skill - no superpowers, no invulnerability...just a normal human.They keep making Superman so small. Why can't we have Superman battling Brainiac or fighting to save the universe from General Zod instead of Lex's petty schemes. Oh, I forgot...they're doing that in Smallville.Yeah...I think I'll stick to Smallville...You probably should, too...$LABEL$ 0 +If you appreciate the renaissance in Asian horror, don't bother with Gawi. The film scarcely deserves mention alongside A-list work such as Ringu, A Tale of Two Sisters, Cure, and Ju-On (or even such good material as The Eye or Inner Senses). Those films brim with subtleties, unexpected imagery, rich characters, and a decidedly non-Western take on what's frightening. Gawi is strung together with the leftover limbs and organs of everything that has made American horror lousy for the past twenty-five years.The film tries to blend Asian ghost story and Hollywood slasher flick, but it's a bad fit. One aesthetic is bound to smother the other; guess which? Having no story of their own to tell the filmmakers loot Ringu for an evil-child subplot, but the situation is hopeless. Clichés, crap characters, witless plotting, a dull ghost, ho hum.$LABEL$ 0 +After seeing Big Fat Liar, I think Jason learned a lot more. When he told the truth about Marty stealing his story, it was like the boy who cried wolf. People heard him, but they didn't believe him. Nobody did anything to help him. Besides, not only Marty's movies stink, so does his advice. The truth is not overrated. I am so glad he got exposed for what he really is. Everyone found out that he stole from that boy, including his parents. Not only he stole from that boy and lied about it, he gave them someone else's work and tried to call it his own, which is plagiarism. Doesn't he know that it is illegal to plagiarize someone's idea? Another reason why he got fired. He is not trustworthy. He's a liar, a cheat, a thief, a crook, and a plagiarist. You got that Marty? You're a plagiarist. Plus, you got everything that you deserved.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is all about entertainment. Imagine your friends that you love spending time with, the ones that you know inside out becoming a bit silly and perhaps taking on a character or two. That's what this film is about. An inventive script and brilliantly performed. It's not about pleasing the masses with this one, it's about having fun with a bunch of brilliantly talented people. Which is what I'm sure they all thought when they signed up for it. The above review sounds completely unfair and I think that the person who wrote that was in the wrong frame of mind when they watched the film. In a lighthearted moment, there is great dignity in it if you care to look.A job well done, I thought it was a great film. I'd watch this before the North American norm any day.In a nutshell, it's not the best film you're ever going to see but it has a hell of a lot of moments. I haven't laughed that long in an age.$LABEL$ 1 +Hidden Frontier is a fan made show, in the world of Star Trek. The story takes place after Voyager has returned from the Delta-quadrant . It has some characters from the official Star Trek shows, but most of them are original to the show. The show takes place on the star base Deep Space 12 and on several space ships, which gives it opportunities the official shows don't have. The characters have the opportunity of a rising in the hierarchy, which characters in shows with only one ship doesn't have. The show has good computer animation of spaceships, but the acting takes place in front of at green-screen and it gives a green glow around the actors. Not all the actors are equally good, but most do fine. The episodes are character driven and the characters develop over many episodes. That is a bit more like in Babylon 5, than in most official Star Trek shows. Hidden Frontier takes taboos that even the official series has shrunk from using. All in all I enjoyed watching it.$LABEL$ 1 +In one of the many Bugs Bunny-Daffy Duck cartoons, Elmer Fudd is out hunting, and Daffy tries to get him to shoot Bugs. Needless to say, Bugs has his own agenda. Moreover, "Rabbit Seasoning" makes interesting use of word order and pronouns (warning: it just might hilariously and royally mess up your speech).I think that probably my favorite aspect of this cartoon is the costumes worn by Bugs and Daffy. One of them seems like it would have been risqué for 1952 (especially in a cartoon), but they pull it off perfectly, as they always did. All in all, this just goes to show what geniuses the people behind these cartoons were.$LABEL$ 1 +I am always so frustrated that the majority of science fiction movies are really intergalactic westerns or war dramas. Even Star Wars which is visually brilliant, has one of its central images, a futuristic "gang that couldn't shoot straight." Imagine your coming upon about 600 people with conventional weapons, most of them having an open shot, and they miss.I have read much science fiction, and wish there were more movies for the thinking person. Forbidden Planet, one of the earliest of the genre, is still one of the very best. The story is based on a long extinct civilization, the Krell, who created machines which could boost the intelligence of any being by quantum leaps. Unfortunately, what they hadn't bargained for, is that the brain is a center for other thoughts than intellectual. The primitive aspect of the brain, the Id, as Freud called it, is allowed to go unchecked. It is released in sleep, a bad dream come to corporeal existence. Walter Pigeon, Dr. Morbius, is the one who has jacked his brain to this level, and with it has built machines and defenses that keep him barely one step ahead of the horrors of the recesses of his own mind. His thoughts are creating horrors that he soon will not be able to defend. The Krell, a much superior species, could not stop it; it destroyed them. The landing party has never been of great interest to me. The rest of the actors are pretty interchangeable. Ann Francis is beautiful and naive, and certainly would have produced quite a reaction in the fifties adolescent male. Her father's ire is exacerbated by her innocence and the wolfy fifties' astronauts (for they are more like construction workers on the make than real astronauts). They are always trying to figure out "dames." The cook is a great character, with his obsession for hooch. Robbie the Robot has much more personality than most of the crew, and one wonders if Mr. Spock may not be a soulmate to the literal thinking of this artificial creature. The whole movie is very satisfying because the situation is the star. Morbius can't turn back and so he is destined to destroy himself and everything with him. There are few science fiction films that are worth seeing more than once; this is one that can coast right into the 21st century.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie in the early 70's when I was about 10 yrs. old on TV. It was on after school, and as I watched, I was so drawn into the whole idea of the two astronauts going on a mission to another undiscovered planet, that I asked my mom if I could get the cassette recorder out. She let me. So I wrapped the cord of the mic around the Channel knob, so the mic was hanging in front of the speaker. This movie is the first one I ever paid enough attention to - and cared enough about to record. (Just the audio - there were no VCRs at the time.) The plot will have you hanging onto every word.. every minute of this film.. The ending will blow your mind. After watching the Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.. You will Have flash-backs in your mind about it for a long time. I did replay the audio recording for many years... and "saw" it over and over in my mind. Then - maybe 15 years later.. when VCR's were common, and they sold tapes in stores.. I always looked for it.. but never found it. But when the Internet came along one day I searched for it and purchased it in a second. So.. after about 30 years after seeing it for the first time - I got to see it again. WOW!~~ It was spectacular! Just for reference.. I must have watched it 50 times since.$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone who watched "Alien vs Predator" must've known that the conventions of the "Alien Quadrilogy" were not exactly adapted for the film. Amongst some of the unusual elements, the rapid growth of the Aliens over seemingly a matter of minutes, Aliens with extremely long tails, and so on. However the idea of the Predator species providing the impetus of city and temple building to create a hunt for would be warriors sounded so appealing that I couldn't resist.I had hoped the end of the film would not be the impetus of this sequel, and unfortunately I was wrong. For those who forgot how the first film ended, the dead Predator had an Alien burst through his chest which carried the traits of both species'.For this film, I'm going to just go through a list of "good" and "bad" traits.The Good: Lots of gorgeous people, especially the men. The Bad: Lots of gorgeous people get munched by both the mutant Predator/Alien, and the Predator.The Good: An interesting idea of the Predator planet. The Bad: An inconsistent scale of a town. Its a small town without many opportunities, but with a very sophisticated (read: big city) sewer system, and homeless. Is it a small town, or a city? The police force is one Sheriff and three Deputies, or so I counted.The Good: Um.... The Bad: Why do these mutant Aliens/Predators grow so fast? In a matter of five minutes, they seem to grow to their full size. I mean, c'mon...what are these things...Chia Pet Aliens??? And while we're on this subject, why is it that an Alien inside a Predator's body mutates, but an Alien in a human's body doesn't? Does that make sense?The Good: Still thinking... The Bad: Why would only one Predator come? And why does it pour acid over all the remnants of the "Aliens," but it decides to murder a cute deputy, and then skin him and hang him upside down. I mean, so much for being incognito!The Good: Ah...I'm stuck. I guess there's lots of loud sounds! The Bad: How do these mutated Alien/Predators procreate? Apparently they find a pregnant woman and in a kiss type of motion, they deposit several offspring into the woman's body. Yeah, just what you'd like to see, eh? Pregnant women having their bodies explode into mutant aliens- as if the previous way wasn't gross enough!!!. I mean, there isn't even an Alien Queen.The Good: Did I say that the guys in this movie are gorgeous? The Bad: When a nuclear device blows apart buildings, how does a helicopter manage to survive the blast? And how tacky is it for one of the passengers to mockingly chide the pilot "I told you not to crash!" I mean, given the nuclear fallout, when he wakes up in the morning, he'll have no hair left!!!I could go on and on, but I think you get the message. Mutated Alien/Predator bursts through dead Predator's body, grows over the matter of a couple of minutes, kills all the Predators and manages to get crashed on earth. More mutant Alien/Predators are created, while ONE measly Predator comes to earth to destroy this new mutant species. Predator kills humans. Mutant Alien/Predators kill humans. Humans kill humans. Sucks to be a human in this movie, eh?If you're impressed by lots of bangs and bumps, you'll love this movie.If you liked the first, I suggest you skip this sequel.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, don't let my summary fool you. This movie SUCKS HARD. But the worst movie ever? This movie was terrible in ways people shouldn't have to rack their brains to describe. But it is in no way worse than Manos: the hands of fate, hobgobblins, horrors of spider island, or a small handful of movies. As a review the movie sucks, it's terrible. Don't see it with out MST or you may develop health problems. But there are worse movies.$LABEL$ 0 +After hearing that some of the people behind the low-budget flicks "Terror in Rock'n'Roll Önsjön" and "It came from outer space... and stuff" were involved in making this movie, I decided to buy it unseen on DVD. I wish I hadn't. The other movies were funny, tongue-in-cheek and kinda stupid. While Kraftverk 3714 is devoid of any humor at all. And it is so god-awful that I'm getting angry just thinking about it. The worst actors possible, the worst script possible, the worst special effects available. And the most unsexy sex scene ever. Uhhh. And the whole thing goes on for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Please, do not ever make another movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I am awed by actress Bobbie Phillips and her superb skill as an action star! This movie is propelled by her wonderful acting and terrific action prowess. I am a fan of sci-fi but I must say that this film exceeds most science fiction films in it's cinematography and mostly it's utilization of an actress whose presence supersedes the plot which is fine but is nothing new. Even though it looks as though this film was made for television, in my opinion it is better than most theatrically released films of its kind.$LABEL$ 1 +I found the movie at my local video store and I was surprised to see it on DVD. I had heard about the explicit sex scenes, gruesome violence, and the notorious debauchery. I sat and watched and I began laughing! The set decorations and art direction was cheap and fake; the nudity was sardonic and incredibly unsexy; the story was poorly written and it was just a parade of incredibly beautiful and talented actors being held hostage to quote the worst dialogue ever written! The incestuous relationship between Caligola (Malcolm McDowell) and his serenely beautiful sister Drusilla (Theresa Ann Savoy, a vulnerable beauty) can't be taken seriously...it's not even shocking or repulsive! Peter O'Toole and John Geilgud were obviously held hostage during the making of this film luckily they die in the first thirty minutes of the film. The cinematography was a joke and I was even more amused when they used a quote from the Bible! The book of Mark no less. If you are looking for shock value, this movie will disappoint you. If you are looking for camp cult value, you will be even more disappointed. I know I was. I have seen shocking and this is two hours of your life you will never have back.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is on cable sporadically, and I never really watched it, thinking it would be similar to the Bruce Willis film "Ïn America", with the usual trite story about American freedom, etc. But it was not; it was so much more!.Of course, Martin Sheen is excellent; (I have never seen him in a movie I haven't loved, even if the script is bad, because he is so talented). Kathy Bates is the overbearing mom, and does a great job. The real surprise is Emilio Estevez, who has not always been in the greatest films, but also directed this movie. Please don't stereotype him from the "Breakfast Club" movie; he is so much better in this, and I wish he would do more non-commercial, atypical Hollywood movies.The film is realistic, as we see Emilio home from Vietnam, during Thanksgiving. Kimberly Williams is passable as the sister, who feels she is "disgraced and embarrassed" by the returning soldier, her brother; he is quite alienated from the family, and, especially at this time in US history, this story is VERY relevant.I learned a great deal about post-traumatic stress, and you will genuinely empathize with this character; This is not a violent, journalistic portrayal, like "Platoon" for example, it is more of a character study, which leaves us even more intrigued and concerned about the effects of war, especially when one considers the young age of the soldiers who are victims. With today's violence, it is rare that a movie causes one to genuinely feel sad, and shed a tear; this does it, and deserves recognition.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen this movie n I can say that this is really a bad movie. The director's gone nuts... of course.. he does know a lot about the army, but then he certainly is a cheap guy. There are a lotta technical flaws in the movies as well...Okay... here's my doubt- in the end when they rescue the family (including a girl who was just raped)... why do they leave them there outside their place? I didn't see any ambulance around! There are a lot of aspects in the movie that are real... but then I just wish the Major had narrated/helped/assisted some other good director n made the movie.Mohanlal surely does deserve a better director!$LABEL$ 0 +Cowboys and Indians is an excellent film. The writing, acting, directing could not have been better. This was a story that begged to be told, and this group of talented individuals and teams did a superb job of doing so. Stories like this one are not pleasant ones, but serve to remind people of the social injustices that exist all around the world. It is my hope that when this film is seen that attitudes and prejudices will be changed. A film that can do that is a rare a special thing. Andrew Berzins is an excellent writer, and his talents and expertise in this field came shining through in this film. Thank you for telling this story!!!Ruby$LABEL$ 1 +BEGIN SPOILER: Fitfully funny and memorable for Mr. Chong's literal roach-smoking scene: Chong coolly mashes a stray kitchen cockroach into his pipe's bowl, lights up, coughs and hacks violently for a seeming eternity,then with perfect aplomb and not skipping a beat, re-loads the bowl properly, re-lights, re-tokes. END SPOILER. Alas, I began to lose faith less than half-way through the proceedings. It occurred to me that the lackadaisical duo are way obnoxious and less than relatable. I have come to appreciate the relative sophistication of contemporary stoners, Harold and Kumar. I simply prefer brighter company. Yet, the movie is probably a perfect fit for baked frat bros or those viewers who are so feeble-minded as to be outwitted by a stoner when they-- the former are sober. Notable guest appearance by Paul Reubens spouting obscenities in pre-Pee-wee form.$LABEL$ 0 +I had high expectations of this movie (the title, translated, is "How We Get Rid of the Others"). After all, the concept is great: a near future in which the ruling elite has taken the consequence of the right-wing government's constant verbal and legislative persecution of so-called freeloaders and the left wing in general, and decided to just kill off everyone who cannot prove that they're contributing something to the establishment (the establishment being called "the common good", but actually meaning the interests of the ruling capitalist ideology).Very cool idea! Ideal for biting satire! Only, this movie completely blows its chance. The satire comes out only in a few scenes and performances of absurdity, but this satire is not sustained; it is neither sharp nor witty. And for an alleged comedy, the movie has nearly no funny scenes. The comedy, I assume, is supposed to be in the absurdity of the situations, but the situations are largely uncomfortable and over-serious, rather than evoking either laughter or thought.The script is rife with grave errors in disposition. The action should have focused on the political aspects and how wrong it would be to do such a thing, but instead oodles of time are spent on a young woman who was the one that wrote the new laws for fun, and who's trying to save everybody, by organizing a resistance that ships people to Africa. All this is beside the point! A movie like this should not pretend to be so serious! It's a satire! A political statement. But it doesn't even begin to actually address the problem it's supposed to be about. Maybe it was afraid of going too far? How cowardly. That's not art. It's not even real satire.Søren Pilmark, a very serious and by now one of Denmark's absolutely senior actors, was very good. He largely carried what little entertainment value the movie had. Everybody else: nothing special (well, perhaps except for Lene Poulsen, who did supply a convincing performance).In fact, a problem with most Danish movies is that the language never sounds natural. Neither the formulation nor the delivery. Why is it so difficult to make it sound right? Why must it be so stilted and artificial? I hope, when people look at these movies fifty years from now, they don't think that this was how people talked in general Danish society.3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen hundreds of silent movies. Some will always be classics (such as Nosferatu, Metropolis, The General and Wings) but among them, my favorite is this film (it may not be the best--but a favorite, yes). In fact, when I looked it up on IMDb, I noticed I immediately laughed to myself because the movie was so gosh-darn cute and well-made. Marion Davies proved with this movie she really had great talent and was not JUST William Randolph Hearst's mistress.The story involves a hick from Georgia coming to Hollywood with every expectation that she would be an instant star! Her experiences and the interesting cameos of stars of the era make this a real treat for movie buffs and a must-see!$LABEL$ 1 +It's the Sooooouullltakaaaa!Wow. What a skin peeling bad movie. Honestly, this is one of my favorite episodes of MST3K.... Just some things to point out...1) The incestuous lesbian mother-daughter exchange was weird. I do need counseling now.2) There is no God, there is just Dude.. I love that quote from Crow.3) Whatever did happen to the Nuns that took the bus home, will we ever know? I have a horrible emptiness in my stomach.4) Lastly, don't watch this movie un-MSTied... It has Joe Estevez as the main star.. Yikes..1/10 for un-MSTied 8/10 for MSTied.$LABEL$ 0 +My girlfriend and I were stunned by how bad this film was. After 15 minutes we would have called it quits except we were too curious to see if the film could possibly redeem itself. It didn't.I can't understand the praise given to this film. The writing was downright awful and delivered by some of the worst acting I have seen in a very long time.One thing that especially annoyed me about this film was that often when people were talking to each other there was an unnatural pause between lines. I understand using a pause to create a feeling of awkwardness (like in Happiness). This was not that type of pause -- it was just simply bad directing. This film might actually be much better with subtitles, and maybe the overseas market is the best one for this film, because then the innane dialogue and bad acting wouldn't be noticed as much.I generally like these types of small quirky films (The Real Blonde, Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing), but this one failed on so many levels that I consider it one of the very worst films I have sat through in the last few years.$LABEL$ 0 +Of the three remakes on W. Somerset Maughan's novel, this one is the best one, and not particularly because what John Cromwell brought to the film. The film is worth a look because of the break through performance by Bette Davis, who as Mildred Rogers, showed the film industry she was a star. Finally, her struggles with Jack Warner and his studio paid off royally.The film is dominated by Mildred from the start. We realize from the beginning that Mildred doesn't care for Philip and never will. She doesn't hide her contempt for this kind soul that has fallen in love with the wrong woman. He will be humiliated by Mildred again, and again, as she makes no bones about what she really is.Poor Philip Carey, besides of being handicap, is a man who is weak. When he tries to cling onto Mildred, she rejects him. It is when Mildred returns to him, when she is frail and defeated, that he rises to the occasion, overcoming his own dependency on this terrible woman who has stolen his will and his manhood.Bette Davis gives a fantastic portrayal of Mildred. This was one of her best roles and she ran away with it. Her disgust toward the kind Philip is clear from the onset of their relationship. When she tells him she washes her mouth after he kisses her is one of the most powerful moment in the movie. Leslie Howard underplayed Philip and makes him appear even weaker than he is. Frances Dee, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale and Reginald Owen, are seen in minor roles.This is Bette Davis show, and don't you forget it!$LABEL$ 1 +---what happened to these unlikeable people. Alan Arkin was, as usual, unfunny and just walks through the role. The kids are all a mess. Mariesa Tomei probably wishes this role had never come her way. And what are Carl Reiner and Rita Moreno doing in this really bad, mean movie? If you enjoy watching losers wallow in their disfunction, and not try in any way to do better, this is your film. All others, take a walk, read a book, or see something else.Jane$LABEL$ 0 +Again Stacy Peralta is true first to the people who lived the story. By letting those involved in the genesis of big wave surfing tell us their stories, how it felt and what they thought, you get the feeling of having been there. The film carries you from the fifties to the near present by focusing on three primary architects contributing to the evolution and development of the sport. Candid "home movie" like videos of themselves and their contemporaries take you further into their world. The layers of music, culture, technical information,a pure view of the participant's athleticism, and fabulous big wave images you get a full scope perspective of this aspect of surfing.Thoroughly worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie can be interpreted on many different levels. Don't listen to the other comments bashing the movie and saying that it is a played again story or w/e and that it is just about drugs. It has very overt superficial metaphors about drugs; however, the rest of the movie (and why I think it was personally made) is really not about that at all. It is really mocking psychology and the conditioning of society. It shows, for a split second, that the main character's brother is watching those sick videos online. Why? My interpretation is that it is to demonstrate that all of this gruesomeness that we are exposed to makes it easier for us to be mechanical in our professions instead of seeing people as people. As far as the scene about logic, it is also reaching out to the people who were in the federally mandated 1% smart classes who are confused and frustrated because life isn't as predictable and mathematical and logical as it seems on a macroscopic level. You have to apply Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (along with all the other laws and principles of uncertainty) not just to physics but to life and leave room to change your plans and adjust along the way. One of the best movies I have ever seen. It just might go way above your head; it isn't for you it is for those people who are are having trouble coping with life not working out like a math problem. When you are critically analyzing a movie or writing your critical review's try not reading the back cover first (written by marketers and parapsychologists)$LABEL$ 1 +This picture's following will only grow as time goes by. Better than any of the best picture nominees in 97 and it rewards repeated viewings. I've seen it three times now so I know. Anderson was compared to some of the great American directors (Altman, Scorcese, Tarantino) and he may have those influences but chances are, after a few more films, he'll be considered part of that short list himself.One last note: Julianne Moore's "Amber Waves" will resonate in the memory long after other 90's movie characters have faded. THE best performance of the year -in any of the four categories.$LABEL$ 1 +Unfortunately, the realism is boring. This movie, I thought it would never end, would have been better if all the characters would have been nuked in the first five minutes. Where's Blade when you need him? While as dismal as COMBAT SHOCK, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM and as nightmarish as BOISE MOI, DEAD CREATURES isn't nearly as entertaining as any of the aforementioned bleak movies. While the gratuitous cannibalism might make the wannabe Jeffery Dalmers hearts race a little faster, it wasn't nearly as interesting as RAVENOUS. Really, I found it about as interesting as late-night infomercials, and as exciting as a trip to the dentist. If you have strong masochistic qualities, you might be able to endure this, otherwise, for no one. I was really surprised that this one wasn't made by the people at Brain Damage as that was the quality of Dead Creatures.$LABEL$ 0 +Besides all of the technical mistakes ....How about a female flight attendant who's able to kill, all by herself, 4 out of the 7 terrorists (including ex marines), 2 of whom without even using a gun. Then, she lands the plane perfectly. We're not talking about Sigourney Weaver or Linda Hamilton; we're talking about a regular, frightened, yet very well composed flight attendant. :D How about the leader in charge of the assault/rescue squad, having a full-proof (according to the logic of the script) plan of sleep-gassing everyone and having someone from his team fly the plane. Only he decides at the spur of the moment to change plans and instead lead an attack on the terrorists, guns blazing, not knowing where the terrorists are, or how many, and not securing a position of advantage, so that his whole team gets easily wiped out. Yeah, that's using the old noggin. Only later to decide to use the sleep gas anyway. And it turns out useless for all intensive purposes.Bad as this movie was, though, I couldn't stop myself from watching and wondering, what next? :D I can't help but imagine all the excellent, unemployed script writers thinking to themselves, it's not fair. lol! :D$LABEL$ 0 +Hallelujah!!!! …Finally, a true Colombian film crosses the border(s) to shows how Bogotá and Colombia really are! I am an American of Colombian and French heritage sick and tired of seeing Colombia so perversely and ignorantly portrayed by Hollywood and others.How many of you are aware that Colombia is the second oldest, uninterrupted democracy in the world (after the USA), or that it has a vibrant film and television industry (-to say nothing of Ugly Betty), that it's capital, Bogota (Pop. 9 Million) is the "world Capital of the Book," or that this beautiful city is host to the world's LARGEST International Theatre Festival? I hope that Doug Liman, Simon Kinberg (-Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Robert Zemeckis, Diane Thomas (Romancing the Stone) one day visit Bogotá, to see how wonderful it really is, and focus on Bogotá's cultural vitality and diversity, instead of myopically producing films such as Maria Full of Grace from which Joshua Marston profited greatly (for this terrific film) without ever thinking-through about the ontological damage his film would help to perpetuate upon the "unfairly tarnished image" of Colombia.-Anyway, you will at least enjoy Bluff very much! -Oh, and thanks IMDb for your invaluable/great work!!!$LABEL$ 1 +So totally unique and entertaining! Another great Canadian invention. A regular "Joe"(Dan) and a bunch of misfit delinquents (aka Puppets), all share residence at a half-way house. Its Dan's job to keep an eye on four 'menaces to society' and help them to rehabilitate. Bill, the homicidal dummy, Rocko the cigarette smoking dog, Buttons, the nympho teddy bear, and Cuddles the comfort doll. The five of them find themselves in all sorts of odd predicaments. Despite their homicidal, and often overtly perverse sexual tendencies, it's hard not to find them lovable.I give this show a 10/10 simply because it provides good entertainment, without needing a huge budget, and exudes a Canadian flair that makes me proud.$LABEL$ 1 +There is something about Pet Sematary that I never felt anywhere else. Maybe the fact I was a kid when I first watched it made this experience so memorable. But as I keep watching it over and over again, it never gets old, and I never get bored. From the opening credits with that creepy opening song to the very chaotic ending, there is something insane, sad and scary at the same time, and it keeps ringing in your head: sometimes dead is better! I don't think it would be useful to relate the whole story again. All you need to know is it starts from point A (the most perfect situation for a happy American family) and step by step drowns to point B (which is, believe me, the very end of all joy). The music is perfect, the story makes sense, the special effects are cool, and the Pet Sematary is the last place on earth I would be. Like I said, sometimes dead is better!$LABEL$ 1 +What a great actor to have in such an awful story...The film and its production, however, is quite good, even though set in London but with exteriors in Bristol. No matter – see one cathedral, you've seen 'em all, sort of.The story however...is about a man born with the power to wreak death and destruction upon anybody and anything, should he so wish. With just a passing reference to true life instances of telekinesis, the narrative builds a picture of a man misused and misjudged as a boy, a teenager and finally as a man; so much so, in fact, that he exacts vengeance at will, literally. Over time, he comes to the conclusion that the whole world is heading the wrong way and thus sets out to destroy the lot – just by thinking about it!The trouble with the narrative, however, is that it tries to mix genuine scientific data about strange mental powers and merge it all with quasi-religious claptrap to produce a hodge-podge theory about it all. Mixing fact and fantasy in this fashion rarely works – and I'm afraid Richard Burton had to overact awfully on some occasions when trying to sound convincing. His very best scene, however, is when he gave his wife and her lover a verbal pasting as they left his home: sharp, witty and deadly dialog, delivered as only Burton could.A good supporting cast helps to make things look and sound a lot better, though, beginning with Lino Ventura, whom I last saw in Garde A Vu (1981), as Inspector Brunel; Harry Andrews as Assistant Commissioner; the much under-rated Lee Remick as Dr Zonfeld; Derek Jacobi as a publisher, Towney, and a few other well known character actors.I liked the way the story was presented, as flashback within flashback to fill in the back story and thus solve the immediate mystery of the attempted murder of Morlar (Richard Burton), the writer with the killer disposition. Up till that point, it was a good piece of visual detective work by Brunel and his English sidekick. Still, it was very predictable as it became quickly very obvious to me about the identity of the would-be murderer.Then, they went and spoilt it all in the last fifteen minutes. If you want a clue about what that is, think Samson and Delilah (1949), from the illustrious Cecil B. de Mille, and how Samson got the bad guys in the end. And, the very last scene is just plain stupid. Why? Because there are at least a hundred ways that Morlar's rampaging could have been stopped, absolutely.Shame, actually, because this could have been a lot better story and movie. I guess Burton really needed the money.If you're Burton fan, then spend the time to see that scene I mentioned above. Otherwise, don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +there is one of the best movies directed by andrzej wajda,that story told about young writer who is seekin' his place after a second war(he's survive german camp).excellent true atmosphere(action goes in camp for displaced placed),main hero(played by one of the best polish actor daniel olbrychski) finally fall in love ,but unfortunately his lady has been killed .there was beautiful scene,when he is talking with american soldier and says (about death his girl)"nothing is happen,simply you're shootin' to us now... he's condition of soul has been destroyed. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +It was a serious attempt to show the developing sexuality of two schoolgirls and did not try to exploit its fact… Even by today's standards, the film is interesting and provocative… Therese and Isabelle are both attending the same girl's school… Therese is energetic, intelligent, and becomes a mentor for the innocent, naive, sweet Isabelle… She guides her through a number of exotic experiences, including a trip through an exclusive brothel, into her first lesbian liaison, and indirectly into her first heterosexual experience… The film does not exploit any sex, nor is there an abundance of nudity... The imagery is effective, but sometimes the camera lingers too long, and the story goes slowly… The director, Radley Metzger, went on to make a number of explicit erotic films under the name of Henry Paris… He always has extremely detailed stories, good acting, and very high standards of cinematography...Artistically, however, this is perhaps his most complete… His later attempts supplied for entertainment, whereas "Therese and Isabelle" was a study into the nature of youthful eroticism...$LABEL$ 1 +On June 14 1905, during the Russian Revolution of that year, sailors aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their oppressive officers. Frustrated with the second-rate treatment they receive, and most particularly the maggot-infested meat that they are forced to eat, the ship's crew, led by the inspirational Bolshevik sailor Grigory Vakulinchuk (Aleksandr Antonov), decide that the time is ripe for a revolution. And so begins Sergei M. Eisenstein's rousing classic of Russian propaganda, 'Bronenosets Potyomkin / The Battleship Potemkin.'The film itself is brimming with shining examples of stunning visual imagery: the spectacles of an overthrown ship captain dangle delicately from the side rope over which he had been tossed; the body of a deceased mutineer lies peaceful upon the shore, the sign on his chest reading "KILLED FOR A BOWL OF SOUP;" close-up shots of the clenching fists of the hundreds of spectators who are finally fed up with the Tsarist regime; a wayward baby carriage careers down the Odessa Steps as desperate onlookers watch on with bated breath (this scene was memorably "borrowed" by Brian De Palma for a particularly suspenseful scene in his 'The Untouchables'); the barrels of numerous canons are ominously leveled towards the vastly-outnumbered battleship Potemkin.However, the film itself is best analysed – not as a fragmented selection of memorable scenes – but as a single film, and, indeed, every scene is hugely memorable. Though divided into five fairly-distinct chapters, the entire film flows forwards wonderfully; at no point do we find ourselves losing interest, and we are absolutely never in doubt of whose side we should be sympathetic towards.The film is often referred to as "propaganda," and that is exactly what it is, but this need not carry a negative connotation. 'The Battleship Potemkin' was produced by Eisenstein with a specific purpose in mind, and it accomplishes this perfectly in every way. Planned by the Soviet Central Committee to coincide with the 20th century celebrations of the unsuccessful 1905 Revolution, 'Potemkin' was predicted to be a popular film in its home country, symbolising the revitalization of Russian arts after the Revolution. It is somewhat unfortunate, then, that Eisenstein's film failed to perform well at the Russian box-office, reportedly beaten by Allan Dwan's 1922 'Robin Hood' film in its opening week and running for just four short weeks. Luckily, despite being banned on various occasions in various countries, 'The Battleship Potemkin' fared more admirably overseas.The film also proved a successful vehicle for Eisenstein to test his theories of "montage." Through quick-cut editing, and distant shots of the multitudes of extras, the audience is not allowed to sympathise with any individual characters, but with the revolutionary population in general. Eisenstein does briefly break this mould, however, in a scene where Vakulinchuk flees the ship officer who is trying to kill him, and, of course, during the renowned Odessa Steps sequence, as our hearts beat in horror for the life of the unfortunate child in the tumbling baby carriage. The accompanying soundtrack to the version I watched, largely featuring the orchestral works of Dmitri Shostakovich, served wonderfully to heighten the emotional impact of such scenes.One of the greatest films of the silent era, 'The Battleship Potemkin' is a triumph of phenomenal film-making, and is a significant slice of cinematic history. The highly-exaggerated events of the film (among other things, there was never actually any violent massacre on the Odessa Steps) have so completely engrained themselves in the memory, that we're often uncertain of the true history behind the depicted events. This is a grand achievement.$LABEL$ 1 +Once again I have seen a movie made by people that know nothing. I just recently reviewed Baby Face Nelson. Now I've seen Dillinger and I've had it.This movie is garbage. I don't know how anyone in their right mind could compare this to a classic like Bonnie and Clyde. This movie is far from a classic. Someone called it brilliant. That's an insane thing to say. This movie can't get any facts straight and it has the worst casting I've ever seen. I don't know whose dumb idea it was to cast Warren Oates as John Dillinger. First of all he looks nothing like him. Second of all, by the time John Dillinger was killed he was 31. When Oates made this he was 45! You could even tell that he's older than the real Dillinger just by looking at him. Not only was he too old, but so was Ben Johnson as Melvin Purvis.They show Baby Face Nelson die, then Homer Van Meter, and finally John Dillinger. John Dillinger was killed before both of them. The last one to die out of the three was Baby Face Nelson. Not only do the writers not know when they died, but they also don't know how they died. Baby Face Nelson was not killed after he escaped from Little Bohemia in a robe. Homer Van Meter was not killed by farmers with shot guns. Homer Van Meter was cornered by the police in St. Paul and gunned down with machine guns. Another member of Dillinger's gang, Harry Pierpont is shown being shot by police in this movie. Pierpont wasn't shot. Harry Pierpont was captured and sentenced to die in the electric chair. I go into what happened to Baby Face Nelson on my Baby Face Nelson review so I'm not going to go into it again here. Let me also add that Richard Dreyfuss' portrayal of Baby Face Nelson is pathetic. There's a scene where he attacks Dillinger and then gets a bad beating. While Dillinger was beating him he was crying like a baby and screaming, "Leave me alone!" Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger never fought. Maybe Dillinger didn't agree with Nelson's bank robbing methods, but they never fought. Nelson also never cried like a little girl while getting beaten. They keep calling him Lester "Baby Face" Nelson. He was never in his life known by that name. Nelson's real name was Lester Gillis and he changed his name to George Nelson. The black guy that escaped from jail with Dillinger was Herbert Youngblood, but in this movie he is known as Reed Youngblood. John Milius doesn't know anything. Where the hell did John Milius get his information? I could probably make a better movie than him.Finally the way they showed John Dillinger die is outrageous and inexcusable. The movie shows Dillinger walk out of the Biograph with the Lady in Red and his girlfriend Billie Frechette. By the way, Billie Frechette wasn't even there that night. But a girl named Polly Hamilton was. Melvin Purvis yells, 'Johnny!' Dillinger pulls out his gun and is blown to hell. It is a proved fact that Dillinger did not have a gun that night. The FBI gave him no chance to surrender and as soon as he was in sight they blew him away. They didn't even have to shoot him. They were so close that powder burns were found on his face. It was murder. They also say that the man killed that night was not John Dillinger. After killing tons of civilians in the Little Bohemia incident can you imagine the FBI reporting that they had just killed another innocent unarmed man? The gun they had on display that was supposedly on Dillinger was also proved not to have been manufactured until after Dillinger's death. I could go on and on how the man they killed wasn't John Dillinger, but I'll stop here. If you would like to know more check it out hereSee the Dillinger version with Lawrence Tierney if you want, but don't waste your time with this inaccurate piece of garbage movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite the solid performance of Penelope Ann Miller, this movie was an awkward mess. The lead character's American accent was ridiculous and he never seemed comfortable as a result. There was no chemistry between the two actors and I'm still not sure what Ann-Margaret was doing there.$LABEL$ 0 +Dramatic license - some hate it, though it is necessary in retelling any life story. In the case of "Lucy", the main points of Lucille Ball's teenage years, early career and 20 year marriage to Desi Arnaz are all included, albeit in a truncated and reworked way.The main emotional points of Lucy's life are made clear: Lucille's struggle to find her niche as an actress, finally blossoming into the brilliant comedienne who made the character Lucy Ricardo a legend; her turbulent, romantic and ultimately impossible marriage to Desi Arnaz; Lucy & Desi creating the first television empire and forever securing their place in history as TV's most memorable sitcom couple.As Lucille Ball, Rachel York does a commendable job. Do not expect to see quite the same miraculous transformation like the one Judy Davis made when playing Judy Garland, but York makes Ball strong-willed yet likable, and is very funny in her own right. Even though her comedic-timing is different than Lucy's, she is still believable. The film never goes into much detail about her perfectionistic behaviour on the set, and her mistreatment of Vivian Vance during the early "I Love Lucy" years, but watching York portray Lucy rehearsing privately is a nice inclusion.Daniel Pino is thinner and less charismatic than the real Desi was, but he does have his own charm and does a mostly decent job with Desi's accent, especially in the opening scene. Madeline Zima was decent, if not overly memorable, as the teen-aged Lucy.Vivian Vance and William Frawley were not featured much, thankfully, since Rebecca Hobbs and Russell Newman were not very convincing in the roles. Not that they aren't good actors in their own right, they just were not all that suited to the people they were playing. Most of the actors were from Austrailia and New Zeland, and the repressed accents are detectable at times.Although the main structure of the film sticks to historical fact, there are many deviations, some for seemingly inexplicable reasons. Jess Oppenheimer, the head writer of Lucy's radio show "My Favourite Husband" which began in 1948, is depicted in this film as arriving on the scene to help with "I Love Lucy" in 1951, completely disregarding the fact that he was the main creator! This movie also depicts Marc Daniels as being the main "I Love Lucy" director for its entire run, completely ignoring the fact that he was replaced by William Asher after the first season! Also, though I figure this was due to budgetary constraints, the Ricardo's are shown to live in the same apartment for their entire stay in New York, when in reality they changed apartments in 1953. The kitchen set is slightly larger and off-scale from the original as well. The Connecticut home looks pretty close to the original, except the right and left sides of the house have been condensed and restructured. There's also Desi talking about buying RKO in 1953, during Lucy's red-scare incident, even though RKO did not hit the market until 1957. These changes well could have been for dramatic license, and the film does work at conveying the main facts, but would it have hurt them to show a bit more respect to Oppenheimer and Asher, two vital figures in "I Love Lucy" history? The biggest gaff comes in the "I Love Lucy" recreation scenes, at least a few of them. It's always risky recreating something that is captured on film and has been seen by billions of people, but even more so when OBVIOUS CHANGES are made. The scene with the giant bread loaf was truncated, and anyone at all familiar with that episode would have noticed the differences right away! The "We're Having A Baby" number was shortened as well, but other than that it was practically dead on. By far the best was the "grape-stomping" scene, with Rachel York really nailing Lucy's mannerisms. The producers made the wise decision not to attempt directly recreating the "Vitametavegamin" and candy factory bits, instead showing the actors rehearse them. These scenes proved effective because of that approach.The film's main fault is that it makes the assumption the viewers already know a great deal about Lucy's life, since much is skimmed over or omitted at all. Overall, though, it gives a decent portrait of Lucy & Desi's marriage, and the factual errors can be overlooked when the character development works effectively.$LABEL$ 1 +I think that Mario Van Peebles movie Posse is a very important film. It is an excellent entry point film to a side of history many are not aware of. This is a story of early black settlers, cow boys and infantrymen returning from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. The main character Peebles is haunted by memories of his murdered father. The racism applied to the new black settlers and infantryman is explored in this film with excellent casting including Melvin Van Peebles (Marios father), Billy Zane, Stephen Baldwin and a wonderful performance by Big Daddy Kane. One senses that Peeples strived to use as many notable black (and some not so notable - smile) actors as possible : ) Perhaps too many, some notable persons (Issac Hayes, Pamela Grier) are only scene in cameo, others briefly such as Tone Loc. The sentiment and efforts of Peebles efforts to expose these actors will be understood by some. The large cast (a feat for any director) work well and do a good job of telling the story in the classic "revenge and fight vs justice" western.Most noteworthy was the wonderful narrative role of veteran actor Woody Strode (from Once Upon A Time In The West), who's own life was a barrier-breaker, within the context of a previous era not yet completed faded from memory. No other actor could have done this role better. Read the mini-bio on Woody Strode here as a primer: http://imdb.com/name/nm0834754/bio The film does a good job of balancing action with a bit of sardonic humour. The dialog was excellent if a bit contemporary! And as others have mentioned the profanity was not accurate to that period. The sex scene was a bit much -- not really needed. There are some historical inaccuracies such as the seeming electronic branding of the cattle etc. But Posse is a good effort to hopefully open the door for more historical and creative works reflective of other untold stories and events. The actual photos of real cowboys at the end credits was very nice touch.$LABEL$ 1 +There aren't enough gay-themed movies and there aren't enough `coming out' movies. Every one is a welcome addition to the genre. Although the production values are high(the movie `looks' good, Matthias Freihof (Philipp) looks REAL good in a pair of jeans) this is a bad one. It is a period piece: gay life under an oppressive regime(East Berlin, 1989) a life that seems 40 years behind the west. In a way we're seeing our own history; what it might have been like for gays in the 40's and 50's here(it often reminded me of `Last Exit to Brooklyn :the book not the film).But it is unremittingly depressing and SLOW in a contrived way that evoked an old SCTV send up of Ingmar Bergman. It is so sloppily edited I wonder if the director just didn't hack at random. Yes, it is a miracle that this was filmed and released before The Wall came down and yes, life behind the `Curtain' was hard for gay people. A good director could have shown all that without stupefying the audience. A good director would have had me mark this one as one of the great coming-out movies and not one of the misses.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite what the title may imply, "Pigs Is Pigs" does not star Porky Pig. Rather, it features a young swine with an appetite more insatiable than John Belushi's character in "Animal House". His mother repeatedly scolds him, but it does no good. So much so that he goes to another house where a deranged scientist force-feeds him more than any mere mortal can handle (but there's a surprise at the end).I would mostly say that this cartoon seemed like a place holder in between the really great cartoons (Daffy Duck debuted three months after this came out). But make no mistake about it, they do some neat things here. The whole force-feeding sequence looks more relevant today, given the obesity epidemic overtaking our country.Anyway, not the greatest cartoon, but worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +Some people say the pace of this film is a little slow, but how is this different from any other Hitchcock movie? They all move very deliberately and, as a point, have spurts of suspense and brilliant montages injected through it. This movie gives us just the right amount of comic relief which make the suspense scenes seem all the more suspenseful. The Albert Hall scene is one of the best examples of Pure Cinema that exists in Hitchcock's collection (the best probably being almost all of "Rear Window"). Pure Cinema for Hitchcock meant a series of usually small pieces of film fit together without dialogue, in order to tell the story visually. This is, of course the basic definition of the Albert Hall sequence, as well as the shorter staircase sequence at the end of the picture. Not many slip-ups by Hitchcock here, and the acting is superb especially by Doris Day in a rather surprising serious role.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not one of those folks who bemoans everytime a film based on an old TV show comes out. Rather, I usually run out and see it (If I had watched the show) and try to get nostalgic. But if anyone feels like running down films based on old shows, this is exhibit A (So you can actually say something more than just "McHale's Navy"). "Mod Squad" is dreary, tiring, and lethargic. At least the original series was angst riddled long before anyone knew teens could be so glum, making it groundbreaking. This is just tedious. Claire Danes is nice to look at, but does nothing else but mood swing and sneak around spying on the baddies. Giovanni Ribisi's acting extent in this flick is that Droopy the Dog look for an hour and forty five minutes. And Omar Epps looks like he wants to flee the set, but the script's chlostraphobia has trapped him. Sure, the production is nice, with the now seemingly obligitory "rave" nightclub opening action sequence and shootouts galore. Oh, and the kids yell and get mad at each other and their superiors a lot too. It's kind of like deciding to use the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine to go on a family vacation to Hollywood with your teenage kids who you and your spouse know need heavy therapy and prescription drugs. I really wanted to like this movie, and there were promising moments, but the next scene would suck the life out of it. You can knock another Spelling remake, "Charlie's Angels", all you want, but at least that film knew it wanted to have fun with itself. "The Mod Squad" makes you wonder where the inspiration from the original series went.$LABEL$ 0 +I was so excited and hyped up about watching this film when the promos first came out in November! It looked awesome and the songs! I was quite disappointed when I went to watch it! This is a film which weaves 6 couples together. It has a multi cast of 12 people! A huge amount of stars have worked on this film. I think the director, Nikhil Advani, has not managed the situation well and should not have had many people in this movie as this would of made it easier for him. Compared to Nikhil's directorial Debut 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' , 'Salaam-e-Ishq' falls quite behind. I think Nikhil should have a smaller star cast. I think the best factors of this film is the songs! The songs are excellent and I think that all of the songs are awesome, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy done an excellent job and have done an excellent jobs over the years. I think the ratings of this movie may go up because of the excellent songs! One thing I was disappointed with, is that the director should not have included nudity in this film which is done by Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar. I found this extremely rude watching this with family! Although, some may find this nude as comedy, it is not something you would want to watch with parents! I think the best acting was performed by Salman and Priyanka Overall, I think its an alright movie!$LABEL$ 0 +Rarely have I witnessed such a gratuitous waste of talent. There is almost nothing constructive to be said about this hopeless swamp of a film. What few interesting strands the film seems to promise initially turn out to be little more than red herrings. Actors of stature - Robert Duvall, Robert Downey, Jr. - are deployed in roles which go nowhere; a director of occasional genius produces a film which looks like it is filmed through a coffee-stained camera lens; a writer (John Grisham) who has never produced anything of merit, discovers new depths of under-motivated incoherence. The film has a cheap, lecherous feel about it - but barely at the level of commentary - its really part of the aesthetic. Normally, I come on to the IMDb to write balanced, generally appreciative comments. This egregious disaster of a film just makes me want to produce an endless, bilious rant. I won't, but only because I no longer want to occupy my "mind" with this trash.$LABEL$ 0 +STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Unorthodox journalist Mike Sullivan (Vinnie Jones) flits away his time winding up the local constabulary and trying to romance a member of police personnel. But everything changes when the landlady of the Thames side pub he frequents is found murdered and a transcript of an unpublished novel cum confession by legendary writer Charles Dickens is found. As he digs deeper into both mysteries, he is plunged further into mystery and danger than he bargained for.In 1998, former footballer Vinnie Jones shot out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise with his gangster cult classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Okay, no one was blown away by his acting ability, but his presence as a hard man looked set to ensure a decent career as a movie tough guy. But it all proved to be a one hit wonder, and all he really achieved after this was supporting role status amongst far more acclaimed actors in films like Gone in Sixty Seconds and Swordfish, before descending into the realm of straight to DVD hell, the latest being this muddled and labourous thriller, which might have been okay had he not taken other acclaimed and promising new talent stars like Derek Jacobi, Julie Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Flemyng and Mel Smith along with him. What caused him to fall from the dizzying heights of success so quickly (apart from maybe being a one trick pony) is anyone's guess (a dodgy personal life being a possible guess) but here he is.A script as far fetched and incomprehensible as this would have been a task in anyone's hand, but with a miscast looking Jones in the lead, it's even more of a task to fathom. Jacobi's juxtaposing roles as a former thesp tramp and Dickens himself talking directly to the camera through-out are obviously hints building up to something and the script is predictable in other areas too. Add to this cheap looking production values through out and debut director (also writer) Brendan Foley has made a bad first impression.What exactly did I expect with something that came free with The Daily Mail? *$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen cheesy kung fu fight films. Living in Taiwan they come on in lieu of sitcoms in America. I have seen movies make fun of themselves, but this film belongs in the sad category of fight films that try too hard with awful actors, awful props, and awful music to be taken seriously. I seriously felt pity for the person who composed the music for this movie. How sad it must be to be a composer who has to churn out crap like what I thought should have been titled "Generic Ninja Fight Scene, Op. 1" or "Variations on A Bad Guy Pointing a Gun at a Girl's Head When Backed into a Corner" or the daring "Flight of the Helicopter". Then the fight scenes were over and the credits rolled. Those actually had me in tears laughing. If the "special effects" weren't proof enough that this was low-budget, the fact that only two or three of the crew members, presumably locals which although good for the much-needed Phillipino economy was probably done solely to save money, have ever done anything since this series of movies. They rented equipment, despite making sequels to this movie. That was pretty funny too. The thing that really had me going though, was not the music (which left me half expecting an animated Sargeant Slaughter from G.I. Joe to pop up), but the ending...I suppose this would be a spoiler if there was really a plot to spoil, but when the American Ninja drops the girl into Jackson's arms and then takes off his mask, I wanted to see him jump off the roof and Jackson drop the girl to catch him.I think that would have been the perfect punchline for this joke of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +A group of obnoxious teens go to a former funeral parlor for a Halloween party. They get trapped inside, and become possessed by demons that they have accidentally awakened. The possessed teens start killing the others off and seem to be led by Angela (Mimi Kinkade) who floats and talks in a really deep voice. The remaining teens that haven't been possessed yet are forced to fight off the demons and try to escape the house.This is a pretty decent horror film with great special effects which include Linnea Quigley (who has a couple nude scenes as usual) gouging out a guy's eyeballs and pushing a tube of lipstick into her nipple. There's also a scene where a couple has sex in a coffin and a guy getting his tongue bitten out. This is a great film to watch with a bunch of friends late at night while eating some pizza. The terrible acting and atrocious dialog almost ruins it though. Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +First thing I noticed in this movie of course, was the unnecessary amount of nudity. It's not oozing nudity or anything, but a lot that was not needed. Annik Borel plays a disturbed woman believing her families ghost stories that her ancestor who eerily resembles her was a werewolf, and believes their fate are destined to be the same. Which actually I found quite interesting. The original Wolf Man was intended to be a completely psychological movie, but Universal threw in the actual Wolf man you were never supposed to see for n extra buck or two. I find this concept of someone not really being a werewolf interesting. Unfortunately this is not the film I was searching for.Instead we know shes not a werewolf from the beginning, so there's no thrill or twist, also they attempt to make the film seem like a this really happened scenario. They fail there too adding one or two parts of the film referring to this being reality. At first I was excited upon reading the description of the film. But I slowly realized it was a cover just so they could expose the main characters breasts as often as possible.Annik Borel is either a decent actor playing a great psychotic role, or a really bad actor playing a psychotic role. Since the character Danniele has no brains and is just a nut who runs around insane and snarling and snapping like a wolf, it takes little skill to play. She has moments were her performance breaks through for a creepy moment but is quickly ruined by the poor camera work and light. The idea is great, but hideously executed throughout the film. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I remember when this film was up for the Academy Awards and did not win in any category. For the life of me, I cannot remember what it was up against, but one thing I can say: It was one of the best movies I have ever seen. And the fact that Steven Spielberg directed the film did not persuade me one bit.Essentially, it is about a black woman's trials and tribulations as she is growing up from a girl to a woman. There are a lot of insinuations that are disturbing and horrifying, but all of them are needed to see how much this woman has put up with. Along the way, we see other women who have had to put up with their hardships and walk with them to redemption. Whoopi Goldberg gives her best performance ever in this movie. Danny Glover should have also gotten at least nominated for his role in this film. And the best part of this movie is that it treats its subjects humanely, not like some sideshow freak shows like the more recent "Beloved" did. I encourage anyone of any race to see this film. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Not only do I think this was the best film of 1987, it's probably in my own amorphous list as one of the 10-20 best films I've ever seen. For whatever reason, I really connected with this movie, and it is one of the most personal films I had seen at that point in my life (I was 26). For better or worse, I strongly identified with the Holly Hunter character (and I'm a guy!). She plays an extremely bright, loyal and intense woman who couldn't figure out romantic relationships. There were so many things that she said in this movie that were things that I would say or have said to others in similar circumstances. And the ending of the movie I find to be so very, very sad.Obviously, this role was the big break for Holly Hunter. Clearly, I was not the only one to think so highly of it.$LABEL$ 1 +(WARNING - CONTAINS MILD SPOILER) A movie almost designed to make you pause and check your recollection of it - it's confined to an almost empty motel where the huge courtyard resembles a circus ring and the rooms seem like temporary withdrawal points rather than refuges; as the characters become increasingly preoccupied by the past, the present increasingly falls away, until the ultimate incendiary appearance of the Countess in the black Mercedes marks the fusion of reality and fantasy. Whether or not their stories are true, and whether Stanton is truly the father or just a crazy old man stepping into their stories, seems impossible to determine. The theme seems to be how love of an extreme and unconsidered nature messes with stability to the point where reality itself breaks down; where exotic, misplaced fantasy becomes dangerously tangible. The image of the burning motel - a symbol of dislocation beset by destruction - is an appropriately weird ending for this strange but effective, startlingly imaginative, movie.$LABEL$ 1 +To sum it up in a nutshell, this film was disappointing and could have been shortened by twenty minutes.The acting was sub-par, the only decent actors of the bunch being Trisha, the killer and Molly. The music was slightly lame but fitting and the special effects were much too overused. The story/scriptwriting was poor, the unnecessary torture/romantic scenes being dragged on for way too long and a disappointing ending.The start of the film was rather slow, the fake-looking gore not much of interest. Trisha arrived at the house, and there was some premise for a good storyline.Trisha started to receive the threatening phone calls, which heightened the suspense. This momentary suspense, the best feature of the movie began to build, but then the friends crashed the place, wrecking all potential suspense/horror in the film.The plot then becomes obtuse from here on. Chemistry sparks between the two couples, and then the killer picks off Frank and the other girl. This scene was dragged on and unnecessary.The killer then makes her way for Trisha and ties her up. There is an overdone torture scene which goes on for at least ten minutes too long. As the gore is done badly this is not entertaining at all, and it bores more than shocks.In summary, the first thirty minutes of this film sound promising but then poorly written dialogue and general lack of plot ruins this film.3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +If you see the title "2069 A Sex Odyssey" in the video store, BEWARE!! The cover has Tori Wells and three other "80's" porn stars, and has a copyright of 1986. If you're like me (and I hope you're not) you'll think "80's porn? Tori Wells? Alright!" Trickery!! It was made in 1974 and has dubbed German stars! There's nothing inherently wrong with 70's German porn, but it's not my cup of tea, and it's nothing like what the cover leads you to believe you're getting. Once I got past my rage about the blatantly misleading jacket, I watched it anyway. It's a bad, bad movie. Sorry, I guess I didn't really get past the rage.$LABEL$ 0 +Mickey Rourke is enjoying a renaissance at the moment... and fair play to him. I always liked his image and his acting ability in such fare as Angel Heart and Johnny Handsome. You know what you are going to get with Rourke - mean, moody, dirty. But this film gives you much more - and you don't want most of it.First and foremost - this whole thing just doesn't make sense. Rourke is a hardened IRA killer who after killing a bus-load of schoolchildren flees Ireland for London. He is on the run from the cops and from his own Army comrades. He has also vowed to never kill again. It looks like the bus full of kids finally did it for him.However, when he gets to London he is tracked down by a local mobster (Bates - looking like his eyebrows and hair came straight off a Burton's dummy) to kill his main competitor in turn for £50,000 and a boat trip to the US. Rourke reluctantly agrees to do it but is seen by a priest (Hoskins) and confesses the crime to him in the confessional in order to keep the priest's mouth shut. He figures it is better than killing him.A wealth of things arise here which just don't add up : 1. Why pick Rourke to off your competition? As is illustrated by a scene whereby an employee is pinned to a wall by a couple of heavies with what look like awls - these London guys are tough enough anyway to do their own killing. 2. Not only that but the Mobster gets a guy to follow Rourke and witness the killing with his own eyes. Why didn't that guy simply kill the competitor and save all the hassle of dealing with Rourke? 3. Hoskins sees the murder take place and the police let him go off - without protection, I may add - to take confession? No way. 4. Rourke hangs around the church (right next to where he carried out the murder ) immediately after the crime takes place to go to confession. Why aren't the cops checking the place out? 5. Rourke hangs around the church and Hoskin's blind niece in particular, for days afterwards without anybody bothering him. What? He's on the run and he stays put by the very place where he committed another murder? Stupid. 6. The cops actually meet Rourke in the church "fixing" the organ and have no idea who he is. Do they not know he is on the run for the school bus bombing? They don't even check up on him? 7. Why get Rourke to kill for you, and then tell him to wait around for a few days to get on the boat? You'd think you'd want to get rid of him immediately. Or kill him. One or the other? 8. Why does Bates' brother suddenly decide to rape the blind niece in the midst of all the waiting? Could he not restrain himself for a few days? At least until Rourke has been safely offed to the States? Ridiculous. 9. Rourke suddenly has inner turmoil after all his years of killing and wins over the blind niece immediately - even after she knows he is a killer, she still loves him? Again - utterly ludicrous. And besides - she falls in "love" with him in record time - a few days !!!! 10. The whole bomb thing at the end is just plain silly from Bates point of view. 11. Things happen in parts of this film that just do not make sense or are simply in there to help the storyline (and I say that in jest) along. Bates' houses Rourke in a whorehouse until the boat is ready to sail and Rourke suddenly displays a moral high ground to respect the whore in the house - but yet will bed a blind girl. 12. Rourke asks a henchman on the boat where Bates is - and the henchman practically spurts out the entire movements of his boss in less than 10 seconds. It was embarrassing - the guy was telling Rourke far more than he even asked. 13. Hoskin's priest is an ex-army guy and we see him beat up three henchmen behind a pub. Totally uncalled-for and yet another cringe-worthy scene.I'm gonna stop there at unlucky 13 without mentioning Rourke's hair (so falsely red it is laughable), his accent (which to be fair is not too bad sometimes but deteriorates to a barely heard mumble at other times), his clothes, walk, looks to the heavens etc. Nor will I mention the music and the choppy editing style.Oooppps - I have just mentioned them.Overall - a disaster of a film with some obvious religious imagery thrown in (Rourke on the cross, preaching from a pulpit) which would embarrass a first year film student never mind a top star and director.4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Whatever the producer was going for, he missed entirely. The Lone Ranger is not camp, but "the" icon for good-doers all over the world. And it's a total violation of the spirit of the character that the only real Lone Ranger, Mr. Clayton Moore, was forbidden to wear his mask in public appearances when this movie was released.Whelp, long story short, the single saving grace of this gross (and poorly done) distortion was that in that year, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Clayton Moore in Columbus Ohio, as part of a tour resulting from the bad press over Mr. Moore's treatment. Needless to say, Mr. Moore's character, integrity and presence far outshined the movie.Some things cannot be done better. There is only one Lone Ranger.$LABEL$ 0 +Her Excellency Madam Shabana Azmi has worked in countless movies over life time. I think best is yet to come.Fire is ok.But still good days are yet to come.Hopefully, in Water I will be able see her better.Thanks and Regards.PS: India doesn't have a director to make best use of her.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is the worst film, but it ranks very high for me. It is how a slasher movie should be. It takes place at a university in which there only seems to be a handful of students. The teachers are dumber than a sack of hammers. It is filled with good Catholic priest, sexually repressed humor. Bad hair, bad clothes. The dialogue is so cliched it is hard to believe that I was able to predict lines in quotes. The slashings have some creativity and seem to revolve around stabbing people in the genitalia. A lack of continuity in the soundtrack and characters that deserve to die because they are so bad, I recommend this film for a fun time. Get a case of cheap beer and some friends, watch it and laugh.$LABEL$ 0 +my friends and I are always on the lookout for chuck norris films to just bash and make fun of. One of our favorites so far is Lonewolf. i went to a wal-mart Christmas shopping and i came across this movie in the 5.99 bin. i had to get it. i had high hopes for this movie and although being absolutely hilarious at times, we agreed that bells of innocence is the worst movie we've ever seen, made, produced, thought up, etc... who the hell would think this is a good idea. not only is it confusing at times, but the acting is just hard to watch. the man who plays oren has acting i can compare to my own vomit, and chuck took a dive on this one, he's not the greatest actor, but this was terrible. and what kind of names are oren, conrad and jux........ jux. come on people. if you honestly thought this movie was at all watchable, great for you because it was hard for me and i seriously had a headache and stomach pains after watching it. I'm telling you now if you haven't seen this movie, DON'T!!. For the love of god please do not subject yourself to such a horrible 90 minutes of your life.$LABEL$ 0 +*WARNING* Contains MANY SPOILERS!Let me start by saying I have a huge respect for Gillian Anderson's incredible talent as a varied and versatile actress - which is why I cannot comprehend her reasons for agreeing to make this film once she saw the script (or lack thereof.) The premise of the film was, in my opinion, a great idea and there were some genuinely thought-provoking themes in there but it ended up like a collapsed soufflé. It exemplifies why I hate 99% of British cinema. It feels too long, it's tedious, for the most part, and not a lot happens after the first twenty minutes. Just when you think there's a chance of it picking up some speed it disappoints like Paula Radcliffe running a marathon. With little imaginative directing and a minimalist plot, there isn't much to keep the audience from nodding off into their popcorn. As for the script I can only surmise that the writer was trying to save a few trees, with the average scene reading something along the lines of "Alice: F*** OFF! (Adam stares. Adam runs off into woods)(Alice follows) Alice: ADAM! ADAM!" I suspect that, word for word, the actors probably got paid more than Kate Moss did for her Virgin Mobile adverts. What few lines there were didn't have a lot of variation with a frequent use of the f-word that would make Bridget Jones's friend, Shazza, proud. There is little establishment of the main characters before the main sordid event which leaves the audience lacking much sympathy for the characters beyond an automatic 'Oh that's terrible' reaction.Alice isn't the kind of woman who courts sympathy either. She's got a great job, an expensive London apartment with roof space to die for yet she comes across on screen as conceited, bitter and dissatisfied before her life takes a turn for the worst. After the attack a few layers are peeled back which sort-of explain why she is this way to start with; she grew up with a tough-as-old-boots soldier who thought that teaching her how to shoot his gun was the ultimate expression of love so, instead of following in his footsteps, she ran away to the big city in search of something to make her feel like her life is worth living. Instead she found a group of stereotypical middle-class Toffs who look down on anyone not rich enough to drive a Lexus and the luxuries that come with an integrated security/entertainment system (i.e. becoming Mrs Robinson to a wanna-be Cockney wide-boy electrician) Someone pass me a tissue. The one saving grace of this character is that she is played by Gillian Anderson. In the hands of a lesser actress she would've been intolerably one-dimensional but Ms Anderson actually manages to inject a few fleeting moments of humanity into this otherwise lifeless human being, most notably when she's sincerely apologising for her road rage in a vain attempt to stop her attackers from continuing their assault.I can't say that Adam fared much better either. Danny Dyer played him well as a fish-out-of-water Jack the Lad but a good performance couldn't save him from both the lack of a script and the total absence of any character background. This film relied mostly on shock value but the timing was off and it felt far too engineered from beginning to end. As for the shock, the most shocking thing about this film is the unashamed demonstration of how painfully thin Ms Anderson has become; it was almost as unsettling to see as the brutal attack scenes. On a side note, only in a British film would a gang of violent sex attackers take the time to offer each other contraception before continuing to cheer their mates on - talk about stiff-upper-lip taken to the extreme! If this is the kind of film that the National Lottery is donating money to make then I'm not surprised that fewer and fewer people are choosing to spend their pound each week. Saying that I hated this film is giving it too much credit, I didn't care enough about any of the characters to warrant that strong an emotion. I want that one-and-a-bit hours of my life back, please!$LABEL$ 0 +I love how everyone treats this show like it was the next great American sitcom. I watched five episodes of this abomination, and the only person that came close to an actual teacher was the old guy that sort of loved and hated his job. The rest of them were just pretty people trying to read the lines written by people who never actually went inside of a real classroom. I loved how every episode consisted of the two idiots (one who got laid and the other who didn't) getting into some form of zany trouble that indirectly involved their students. The British girl who thought she found an likable quality in the main idiot, but in the end was somehow shocked that he turned out to be a jackass. The hot chick that was there for the particular purpose of being hot, and the principal and her lackey that served to somehow move the almost non-existent plot forward. I loved how almost all the teachers on this show were very young, but I ask you to think back to your high school days and remember the teachers that you had . . . did they look like that? Or did you go to the high school that had middle-aged people teaching in it? That is the high school that everyone else went to. The show lacked any form of research into what goes on in schools. In public schools, principals do not have the power to higher and fire teachers, the school board does, but in every episode that I watched the principal made threats to fire her teachers. Think back to your history class . . . . . or think of any history class, did you ever see an incredibly hot British chick teach an American History class? No. Did you ever see a teacher's lounge that is so huge that you could actually play basketball in? No.Teachers could have been a great show had it actually of based itself in some form of reality. What makes teaching funny is the stories that you get from interaction with students, and the teachers find it funny because they deal with the students day in and day out. The overemphasis on their lives outside of teaching just made it another four camera sitcom that had unrealistic people in an unrealistic environment saying unrealistic lines, and I'm sorry, I just didn't buy it. The show could have modeled itself after other currently successful sitcoms and used a single-camera format, and it should have centered more around the teacher's relationships with their students and not with each other.It gets a star for trying and a star for the hot chick (she was really hot).In the end, it was a failed sitcom that will go down in history as a hacks attempt to understand a profession. I only hope that if they make another sitcom based on teaching that they learn from their mistakes so that a monstrosity such as this never touches the television screen.$LABEL$ 0 +I cannot believe I actually sat through the whole of this movie! It was absolutely awful, and totally cringe-worthy, and yet I sat through it thinking it had to get better. It didn't, and I have wasted 2 hours of my life. Will Smith is much better in action movies - I loved him in I, Robot, Enemy of the State and Independence Day - and I don't think he can really be expected to carry off an entire movie as the romantic lead in the way that Cary Grant could. Then again, the script was unbearably awful, and the dialogue was so cheesy. I disliked everyone except for Albert's character, and even that I found was done with a heavy hand. If you want to watch a modern feel-good romantic comedy, watch something like How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days, or When Harry Met Sally. The 40 Year Old Virgin left me with a smile on my face. I even preferred Music and Lyrics above this - and yes, I know it's cheesy, but at least it didn't take itself seriously, and was sweet. I also disliked the main female lead - and wasn't convinced of the chemistry between her and Will Smith's character. In all, I think there were two scenes that I liked (and definitely not the ending, which was nauseating and unconvincing!) - Hitch calling Sarah when she hadn't given him her number was quite sweet, and - no, sorry, that's the only thing I liked about the entire film. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +I found Tremors 4:The Legend Begins, to be dull and boring.All the action scenes were stupid.The so called "GRABOIDS" are reduced to the size of a modern day house cat, if not smaller.The acting was horrendous, and this film was just an unnecessary movie in the Tremor saga, because even though it tells the story of how the graboids were formed, the story is so dumb and useless.Also, if you want to tell a story WAY back in time, make sure you use the SAME ACTOR(Michael Gross), to be someone in the past, when he's someone in the present in the other Tremor movies.Geez...If you haven't seen this film, don't waste your time.Stick to Tremors, 1, 2, and 3, for a good time.This film however, make sure you're remote is sitting right next to you with the STOP button working for a quick retreat away from this nonsense.$LABEL$ 0 +To preface my remarks on the film, I know the topic is horrendous and words can't adequately express the compassion any decent person would have for people dealing with the post-horrors of an atomic bomb dropped near them. However, this film doesn't really deal with in a horrific way except for the first 10 minutes. Some of the images there are horrifying, and should be as a reminder what devastation nuclear weapons can produce. Seeing burned people walking around aimlessly or man combing his hair and clumps of hair coming out, etc., is not a pretty sight. But after the first dozen minutes, this Japanese film concerns people dealing with the aftermath of Hiroshima in the mid-to-late '40s. I actually found the story developing quickly into a boring soap opera. Almost all the story occurs five years after the bomb and deals mainly with one family's problems at that point. This is why it became more of a melodrama than some shocking story of nuclear disaster. It's simply a story about how these people got on with their lives from about 1950 on, whether one of the women was permanently damaged and if so, should she marry? This could have been a real impact film but it didn't go in that direction$LABEL$ 0 +One of the commentators on the subject of Lil' Pimp (dbborroughs of Glen Cove), got it right when he/she stated that the movie is really bad but I take exception when he/she commented on the animation.The animation wasn't bad because of Macromedia Flash. It was bad animation because it was directed wrong. Flash is just a tool. In the right hands, an artist can create animation as full and fluid as any Disney film and, in the wrong hands, it can look as bad as the stuff on the internet, which is where Lil' Pimp originated and should've stayed there.Studios such as Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney, and Warner Bros., create wonderful animation using Flash (i.e., Puffy Ami Yumi, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Mucha Lucha, etc.).Lil' Pimp was an ill conceived piece of tripe that was made because Revolution Studios bought Media Tripp and Lil' Pimp was one of the properties included. Roth and company thought they'd make a quick buck exploiting a turd like Lil' Pimp and the sham was perpetuated by it's producer, Amy Pell. The reason for this third trimester abortion of an animated film is that none of the executives at Revolution Studios had the pragmatic brains to sideline Mark Brooks and Peter Gilstrap (they really tried their best but were way in over their heads), and hire real writers, directors and at least a semi-competent producer. They did one thing correctly though, they hired some of the best storyboarders, designers, and animators in LA, but as Lil' Pimp demonstrates, one can buy the best sports car on the floor but if you're a moron, you'll wreck it for sure.$LABEL$ 0 +I was forced to read this sappy "love story" between a German 24 year old POW and a 12 year old Jew. That has "political correctness" written all over it. Its kind of like the movie "SPIRIT" in which a horse wants to be free but those "evil" Americans wont let it because they need it. Well i have good news the Americans are "evil" in The German soldier and his summer book. Why!!! Horses where given to us by god and if the Americans needed a horse the can darn well use it. In the same sense the German had been trying to kill Americans, but this book/movie makes it seem OK! The casting is absolutely awful!!!!!!!!!!!! The girl is Hispanic the mother is white the dad it probubly from mostly white descent and the little sister is "shirley templish." The acting is pretty bad too, the serious parts become comedy! Concluson-Bad movie, bad book, but both have different endings, don't read or see either one!$LABEL$ 0 +this movie is, despite its "independent" status, a stupid hollywood version of a nauseating mother-daughter relationship. it wasnt that bad at first, but somewhere during the course of the movie--around the time that the daughter goes out with that guy, i think--it turns into a cheesey mother-daughter bonding movie. im sorry, but i dont know of any mothers who have that kind of relationship with their daughter...its probably better that way, though.$LABEL$ 0 +This collection of eleven short stories in one movie is a great idea, and presents some great segments, but also some disappointing surprises. Based on the tragic event of the September 11th 2001 in the United States of America, eleven directors were invited to give their approach to the American tragedy. The result of most of them is not only an individual sympathy to the American people, but mainly to the intolerance in the world with different cultures and people.Ken Loach (UK) presents the best segment, about the September 11th 1973 in Chile, when the democratic government of Salvador Alliende was destroyed by the dictator Augusto Pinochet with the support of the USA.The other excellent segments are the one of Youssef Chahine (Egypt), showing the intolerance in the world, and the number of victims made by USA governments in different countries along the contemporary history; and the one of Mira Nair (India), showing a true story of injustice and prejudice against a Pakistanis family, whose son was wrongly accused of terrorism in USA, when he was indeed a hero.Some segments are beautiful: Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran) shows the innocent Afghans refugee children preparing an inoffensive shelter against bombs, while their teacher tries to explain to them what happened on the other side of the world; the romantic Claude Lelouch (France) shows the life of a couple in New York nearby the WTC; Danis Tanovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) shows the effects of their war in a small location and the lonely protest of widows; Sean Penn is very poetic, showing that life goes on; and Shohei Imamura's story is probably the most impressive, showing that there is no Holy War but sadness and disgrace.The segment of Idrissa Quedraogo (Birkina Faso) is very naive, but pictures the terrible poor conditions of this African nation.The segment of Amos Gital (Israel) is very boring and manipulative, showing more violence and terrorism.The segment of Alejandro González Iñárritu is very disappointing, horrible, without any inspiration and certainly the worst one.My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "11 de Setembro" ("September 11")$LABEL$ 1 +Miserable film. Not even to be compared in one breath with "To Kill a Mockingbird," or "In the Heat of the Night."Yes, there is racial prejudice but the film is at most ridiculous. Come now. Would you really have Elizabeth Patterson, of all people, guarding a jail so as to avoid a lynching? Patterson, in her day, played everyone's mother and was the landlady in "I Love Lucy" before Fred and Ethel Mertz bought the building.Imagine exhuming the body so that it will not come out that the black man's gun killed a white man?Claude Jarman Jr., who was so fabulous in 1946's "The Yearling" appears in this mess. He still had those sad eyes. My eyes would be sad too if I appeared in this awful film.To me, this was nothing more than a Faulkner flop all the way.$LABEL$ 0 +The Japanese have probably the most sadistic movies around the world,and this is one of the strongest examples.With a running time at about an hour,it contains enough sexual violence and gore to disgust every single sane person on earth(even those who are hunting this type of movies).Three men and a woman are making a porn film.After some normally shots(which are pixelated),the girl is tied up,and the madmen cut her food,arm and tong.After that,they make a hole in her abdomen and a man has sexual intercourse with her intestines.He is knocked unconscious too and has his penis cut off.The special effects are good for an obviously low budget production(only the tong cut scene looks fake),and we can't talk about acting,direction or screenplay.After hearing a lot about this film,I was very happy when I finally found it.The first part is pretty boring,but the second one totally f***k up my mind,the torture and killing scenes being some of the most extreme and disturbing I have ever seen.The gore hounds will be satisfied by "Tumbling Doll of Flesh",but an unknowing viewer shouldn't even read the synopsis.$LABEL$ 1 +So this guy named George is sitting home alone on his birthday when two women show up. George's wife is at a hospital taking care of their son so when the wife is away George gets in the bubble bath and makes love to both of the girls. It isn't that great of a scene because it really doesn't show anything. After that the birthday boy wakes up the next morning and the girls are still at his house. They make him a nice breakfast but George isn't hungry. George isn't very happy and he tries to ditch them but when he gets home the girls are still at his house. The girls have had enough with old George and no longer want to cook for them. They both turn out to be major psychopaths and use George in their little crazy game. I liked that the girls just did what they wanted and messed up George's house. George wasn't really that great to his two guests. When George said he was a married man, he really didn't seem to mean it. George looked like Tom Tucker on Family Guy. I was for the two girls the whole time.$LABEL$ 0 +It was tough watching Harrison Ford obsessing over nothing. Kristin Scott-Thomas should have slapped this guy and told him to take a hike.Save your money. Don't even bother with a rental fee, unless you need a good nap.$LABEL$ 0 +You're waiting to see if the remake is better or worse. I rated the Audie Murphy movie a 3 (I'm a harsh grader), the second lowest I ever gave Audie (the worst being "Battle at Bloody Beach" if you're curious). I give this movie a rating of "8" (and I'm a harsh grader) It's the Civil War story of renegade "soldiers", if you want to call them that, against the North. People like Quantrell, and the men who rode with these outlaws.The original was a watery version, very clean cut, while still depicting the horror of what these men did. Actually, movies such as the older version are best viewed by mature audiences, who can discern the story. I would be more apt to rate the original "R" and this one, with it's gruff nature, a GP, because the newer movie gives a very honest version, a message more easily deciphered by a juvenile than the older version.Film makers since the early sixties have boasted about "Realism", but few of them deliver. Instead, they just give the drab scenery, drab costumes, and drab events, but with comic book cardboard stereotype characters, the weakness of the spaghetti era.Modern film makers have realized this mistake. It is evident in a superior style of Western we usually see today. This movie is an example. It gives the realistic settings, but also gives us characters we can believe exist in that era.It has a few lulls, which makes a complete sit through a bit hard, and it has some unexplained situations. But unexplained situations are okay as long the entire movie holds up, and the characters are intriguing enough.It begins a bit campy, but really improves. The main character is one we can identify, and at least have some sympathy for. The Audie Murphy character of the early movie really evokes no sympathy, and is too self righteous without motivation.The character in this movie follows the lines of a true anti-hero. There is motivation, and a method to his madness. We never feel he is truly "right", but we can understand where he comes from.There is plenty of action in the movie. There is also some humor. One good scene is when the heroine tells the hero she wouldn't lie to him, and he mulls that over.This movie succeeds in doing what film makers have been trying to do for decades. This director and writer team got it right.Recommended. Complete success.$LABEL$ 1 +John Rivers' life as an architect and family man has taken a turn for the worst when his wife has disappeared and has been concluded dead after a freakish accident that involved changing a tyre on her car. During the days she has been missing, he confronts a man that's been following and he tells him that his been in contact with his dead wife from the other-side through E.V.P - Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Naturally he doesn't believe it but then hear gets weird phone calls from her phone and so he contacts the man to find out more about E.V.P. Soon enough John is hooked onto it, but something supernatural doesn't like him interfering with the dead, as now other then contacting his wife, the white noise is foretelling events before they happen.Since this DVD has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, I thought I better get around to watching it since it wasn't my copy. But then again I don't think the owners were in a hurry to get it back, as they haven't question me about it. Oh well. So I decided to give it a play, as I was in an undemanding mood. After hearing and reading all the bad press on it, I wasn't expecting anything remotely good, but I was kept entertained for 90 minutes. Well, more so the 60 minutes, as the last half-an-hour was pretty much a blur of confusion. The film is nowhere as good as it could have been, but the time breezed by quick enough even though it's a rather tepid supernatural thriller. I thought it wasn't all a waste. The first hour I found some effective sequences rather interesting and there's a spooky awe generated with a slow progression of subtle stillness and tragedy that haunts you, but sadly that comes to a crashing halt later on in the film. That's when the predictably forced jump scares come into their own and somehow it just doesn't fit in with the context. It becomes rather hectic, loud and very muddled with its MTV style editing and kinetic camera-work that gets to close into the action. I couldn't understand what was going on within choppy and abrupt climax. The whole explanation how everything fits into the bigger picture is pure hokey. It's a very unsatisfying conclusion because it goes for something big, but hits rock bottom. I thought they did fine job up until that point with the lighting and showy camera-work. Other then the distinctively stark lighting, the score kept this flick atmospherically gloomy. All of it is very slickly done with its glossed up and fancy hardware, which makes it come across as very sterile and empty.You can easily see that the film's heart is in the technical components and not in expanding the characters and story. There's just no connection and lasting sentiment within this flimsy material. After a while, it just tries too hard to convince you that it falls into manipulative thrills and popping in many blood-curdling stuff from beyond the grave. It just got rather repetitious watching someone watch a fuzzy TV screen after while. The E.V.P machine was the star on the show. Well, it did have more impact than the limp performances. Michael Keaton is more than capable actor, but lately his disappeared off the map and here he provides a modest performance as the dangerously obsessed John Rivers. He really deserves much better, though. Everyone else is pretty brittle and forgettable. Not because of the performances, but of the lack of depth in their characters. This clunker wasn't bad to begin with, but it does go pear shape by falling away drastically.I wouldn't care to see it again and I wouldn't recommend to anyone, unless you got a interest for the subject matter and enjoy the recent crop of Hollywood produced horror/thrillers. It's just a damn shame that this over-produced flick couldn't put it together successfully, as it had promise in its idea and a more than decent cast on hand. I didn't hate it, but what a disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +Without question, the worst film I've seen for a long while. I endured to the end because surely there must be something here, but no. The plot, when not dealing in clichés, rambles to the point of non-existence; dialogue that is supposed to be street is simply hackneyed; characters never develop beyond sketches; set-pieces are clichéd. Worse, considering its co-director, the photography is only so-so.Comments elsewhere that elevate this alongside Get Carter, Long Good Friday or Kaspar Hauser are way way off the mark; Lives of the Saints lacks their innovation let alone their depth and shading. In short, their craft. A ruthless editor could probably trim it down to a decent 30-minute short, but as it stands it's a 6th form film project realised on a million-pound scale; rambling and bloated with its own pretensions. That it received funding (surely only because of Rankin's name) while other small films struggle for cash is depressing for the British film industry.$LABEL$ 0 +We bought the DVD set of "Es war einmal das Leben" (German) / "Once Upon a Time... Life" (English) for our bilingual kids because everyone loved the "Es war einmal der Mensch" (German) / "Once Upon a Time... Man" (English) series (us parents had seen it as kids) and it has exceeded even high expectations! The series is very well made, does not show its age, and our kids at various ages really like to watch it. At the same time, they learn things us parents didn't know until way, way later. The series covers everything to do with the human body from organs, all senses, blood, infection, antibodies, and much more in animated 20-25 min episodes. Topics some people may find "sensible", such as digestion and reproduction are covered in a tasteful, discreet and child-friendly manner (the reproduction episode starts coverage mainly where the baby starts growing), while still (as typical) informative and fun.Children are usually fascinated with how their bodies work and through the episodes gain an understanding of this in the context of their environment. The format of the episodes switches between the outside world (a family with 2 children) and the inside of the body. For example, in the episode covering infections, the boy cuts himself accidentally and the wound gets infected and the episode covers how the body reacts to this. Similarly, the episodes on the senses, e.g. hearing, seeing, link what happens inside the body to the context of the outside world and the episode on respiration and circulation of oxygen in the blood covers the complete lifecycle including (briefly) where the oxygen comes from (plants).This is one of the best ever children's programs - I would say it's a must see for every family with kids!$LABEL$ 1 +Never having seen an Oliver Stone film before, nor any films starring Eric Bogosian, I didn't know what to expect from this film. Having toyed with the idea of buying it for a while, I finally got it for free as a supplement with a Sunday newspaper and I was hugely impressed.It tells the story of Barry Champlain, a talk radio host who can be incredibly rude towards his callers, often putting them in their place before they realise what's going on. Though this is what has made him a popular radio show host, it has also earned him numerous enemies.The acting in this film was hugely impressive with not one dud actor in it. Eric Bogosian is brilliant as Barry Champlain, the troubled talk radio host with Alec Baldwin turning in a strong performance as Barry's boss, Dan. It also features the voice of, and cameo appearance by, Michael Wincott (my reason for wanting to see this).The story was really well written as, despite his arrogance, you feel for Barry as more about his troubled life is revealed and you see how vulnerable he really is.I'd recommend this film to anyone as it is captivating and, more importantly real on numerous levels, two of which being that is was inspired by the life of an actual talk radio host and the fact that you do actually get radio show hosts, and callers, like the ones featured in the film in reality.High recommendation and 10/10.Aye yours, Cat Squire$LABEL$ 1 +Writer/Director/Co-Star Adam Jones is headed for great things. That is the thought I had after seeing his feature film "Cross Eyed". Rarely does an independent film leave me feeling as good as his did. Cleverly written and masterfully directed, "Cross Eyed" keeps you involved from beginning to end. Adam Jones may not be a well known name yet, but he will be. If this movie had one or two "Named Actors" it would be a Box Office sensation. I think it still has a chance to get seen by a main stream audience if just one film distributor takes the time to work this movie. Regardless of where it ends up, if you get a chance to see it you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me start of by saying that I never wanted to see this movie in the first place; I had to watch it one day, and I figured that I guess I can lighten up and enjoy it for what it is, and it might turn out to be entertaining. What I got going in with that expectation was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, bar none. First of all, there was nothing humorous in the least bit. The creators expected humor to be laughable/passable if they include sarcasm in every line that comes out of Underdog's mouth and use scene after scene of bland, played out aspects to "charm" the audiences light-hearted side, while still making them "ooh" and "ah" for more with boring action scenes and insipid, lackluster performances that made me want to yell at everyone in the audience that was enjoying it. The acting was dull, the humor was tedious and the characters/plot felt like they spent about 10 minutes creating their entire personalities which gave the uninspiring actors/actresses no range on how to portray their characters with the least bit of depth. This movie is plain and simply awful in every field and really only kids under the age of 10 will be able to enjoy it, which even though that's what age range it was aimed at, that does not excuse it for being so poorly daft and causing me to feel so penitent. Parents, spend your money on Up, Wall-E, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Water Horse or Hotel for Dogs for the best, recent family/kids flicks, or even Alvin and the Chipmunks is better than this filth!$LABEL$ 0 +i am an avid ff7 fan, for instance i have the game then sell it(bad mistake) but then buy it again (good mistake...erm)anyways, yes this film is very good, the fights are very cool, music very good, and the cgi you cant falter.only thing disappointing with the film i felt was the lack of other character involvement, it was almost all cloud which although is a great character, u cant beat a of cid and barret.but despite that the film was great in my opinion, and a must watch.overall a great film give and will give it 9/10 squaresoft, make more films like this and you'll be worshiped more so than you already are!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This was truly a deeply moving movie in every sense of the word. I myself was a Mormon missionary and I know first hand the wanting to complete my mission but at the same time hiding the fact that I was gay. Like the character Aaron, I was sent home for being found out and excommunicated, but being the only Mormon in a family of Catholics wasn't as big a shame as it was for the lead character. This movie really took me back to those days and helped me to realize, years later, how fortunate I was to have a family that accepted me and understood what I was going through. I found myself applauding the end of a movie when Aaron and Christian find each other again by shear chance at Lila's Restaurant. I was truly moved to tears. I highly recommend this movie to all who read this review and also declare it a must buy.$LABEL$ 1 +I was ready for a Crouching Tiger style movie and all I got was the worst movie i've seen in years. It was almost as bad as Baron Von Munchhuasen. Dead script. Dead acting. Dead everything. Granted there was some good fight scenes but the positive side ends there. If this movie arrives in your house run screming to a phone and dial 911 and say, "Please help there is a movie in my house meant to force people to commit suicide"$LABEL$ 0 +First off, the title character is not even the main character of the movie. He is the sidekick of the cult leader. The actor who portrays Igor believed that screaming loud, laughing hysterically, and having a crooked smile while bugging out your eyes would be an excellent way to scare people. Igor also had the annoying habit of yelling (because he never actually just spoke) in a high pitched voice. He would also say idiotic one-liners. For example when the cult leader murders one of his followers with a buzz saw, Igor upon seeing this, yells out "Paul! No Paul! Why'd you do it? I could have cut her clean! So clean!" In another scene Igor tells a victim that she would have to 'get her own tools for surgery because right now, it was his time to operate.' Aside from the bad acting, the ending did not make sense because while the story builds up what little steam it has towards the climax, which is Igor getting a crossbow arrow to the head and the rest of his lunatic buddies being killed, he shows up again two more times to kill the remaining 'good guys'. The movie offers no explanation of this, only telling the viewer that Igor escaped from the mental hospital. What??? Bottom line is do not waste your time watching this movie. I wish I could get back the moments I lost watching this.$LABEL$ 0 +Gordon Scott with his well coiffed hair, hourglass figure and weird pidgin English has to be the worst of all the Tarzans. As for the other actors in this mess, they're on a par with any 4th grade elementary school drama class. I've seen Used Car Dealers in TV commercials who can act better. They make Clayton Moore look like Laurence Olivier! And where does Jane (the dull Eve Brent) get her lipstick and eyebrow pencils in the jungle? I realize these were made for kids but Wow! The plot line seemed OK but the director should have required more from his actors. I realize even the Weissmuller films have a few flaws but this one seemed so "low budget".$LABEL$ 0 +You don't need to read this review.An earlier review, by pninson of Seattle, has already identified all the main shortcomings of this production. I can only amplify its basic arguments.Bleak House was a relatively late Dickens novel and is much darker than his earlier work. This is taken too literally by the director, Ross Devenish, who piles on the gloom and fog too much. When Ada, Rick and Esther appear, half an hour into the opening episode, it is a relief just to be in daylight for the first time. In some of the murkier scenes it was hard to see what was actually on my TV screen. I watched the whole thing in one day, starting in mid-afternoon. As daylight faded this became less of an issue, but I have a pretty good TV and I have never encountered this problem before at any time of day.The pacing is very deliberate (i.e. slow). I am sure this was intensional, but it is overdone. There are numerous shots of people trudging though the muck and gloom of Victorian London that are held longer than is necessary to establish the mood and atmosphere. A good editor could probably take several minutes out of each fifty-minute episode, without losing a line of dialogue, just by trimming each of these scenes slightly.I don't want to overstate these two problems. You soon adjust to the look and pace of this production. The more important issue is that it doesn't always tell the story very effectively. Earlier Dickens novels are as long as Bleak House, but are not nearly so intricately plotted. For example, I recently re-read Nicholas Nickleby because I was intrigued to see how Douglas McGrath crammed an 800 page book into his two-hour movie. The answer is simple: the book is full of padding. McGrath cut great swathes of the novel while still retaining all the essential story elements. This would not be possible with Bleak House. This production needs its seven hours. Probably, it needs even longer, because many elements of its convoluted plot are not sufficiently clear, or as well handled, as they need to be. A few random examples will illustrate the problems.The maid, Rosa, appears from nowhere with no background, so Lady Dedlock's attachment to her is largely unmotivated.Sergeant George's acquiescence in Tulkinhorn's demand for a sample of Horton's handwriting is somewhat fudged.It is not made clear enough that Esther is actually in love with Woodcourt when she agrees to marry John Jarndyce. Neither is it clear that they have agreed not to announce their engagement, or why.Ada and Rick's secret marriage is omitted. In one episode they are merely lovers, in the next, people are suddenly referring to them as husband and wife.Mrs Rouncewell is only introduced at a late stage in the story and Sargeant George's estrangement from his family is left unexplained - as is the means by which she is discovered.Tulkinhorn's dedication to maintaining the honour and respectability of the Dedlock family is understated, so his motive for persecuting Lady Dedlock is more obscure than it need be.The involvement of the brick makers with both Tom and (later) Lady Dedlock is somewhat opaque.It is not obvious that Guppy renews his offer to Esther because her smallpox scars have all but vanished.This is only a selection: there are others. They are not major problems and the main thrust of the story is clear enough. Nonetheless, they are minor irritations that detract from its power: you shouldn't have to puzzle over little plot points. However, there are more important structural problems that do weaken the story in its later stages.The whole business of Tulkinhorn's murder is somewhat thrown away. Bucket immediately pinpoints Hortense as a suspect, which undermines the suspense of Sergeant George's predicament and the importance of finding Mrs Rouncewell. It also diminishes the impact of the sub-plot in which suspicion is thrown on Lady Dedlock and weakens the scene in which Hortense is unmasked in front of Sir Lester.A more serious problem is that the murder, its investigation and the subsequent search for Lady Dedlock, dominate the story for over an hour, during which time we completely lose sight of the other main plot strand: the legal case and its effect on Rick. His failing finances, his gouging by Vholes and Skimpole, Ada's despair, his declining health and so on, are all put on hold for an entire episode. This may be how Dickens wrote the book (I haven't read it for years) but a good screenplay should keep the different plot strands moving forward together.Finally, Smallweed's role in the story is so diminished that he is almost superfluous. His discovery of the new will, that triggers the final phase of the story, is also thrown away. It happens off screen.Despite all of this, it is still a very good production. Many of the performances are outstanding. Individual scenes are beautifully realised. Its accumulating sense of tragedy is very powerful. I would still be recommending it as a superb adaptation of a great book, had it not been for the 2005 production. In fact, I probably wouldn't be fully aware of its defects if I hadn't seen how Andrew Davies did it better. I have been critical of Davies's Jane Austen adaptations, but I have to admit that he really knows how to tame Dickens's sprawling books.This is an impressive and gripping drama and well worth seven hours of anybody's time. Nonetheless, its probable fate is to be viewed mainly as a cross-reference to the near-definitive 2005 version.$LABEL$ 1 +The soul of an ancient mummy is transferred to one of his followers so that he might punish everyone involved in the desecration of his tomb. The soul transference makes the young man age at a tremendous pace until he himself resembles a mummy. One by one, the blood is drained from those involved in the dig.To be as brief as possible, Pharaoh's Curse is quite the lackluster affair. While the movie does present a few good, original ideas (blood sucking mummy's, soul transference, interesting make-up effects, the arm ripping scene, etc.) and a few atmospheric moments, the direction and pace are the very definition of plodding. To make matters even worse, the first 15 of the film's relatively short 66 minute runtime consist of nothing much more than padding. I usually go for these slow moving mummy movies, but Pharaoh's Curse tests even my patients. The cast helps very little. With only one exception (Ziva Rodann is the lone bright spot – wish the movie could have focused more on her mysterious character), the cast is as dull as the screenplay. Finally, I don't know whose idea it was to put the mummy-looking servant in what appears to be pajamas, but it's a laughable, ridiculous look for a creature that supposed to instill fear in the audience.Despite my mostly negative comments on the Pharaoh's Curse, I'm going to rate it a 4/10. Not a good rating to be sure, but generous given all the problems I have with the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Endearingly silly anime, only six episodes in duration, about a hapless delivery boy called Kintaro (well, he's called a delivery boy, though he is meant to be in his 20's), and the adventures he has on his travels. Each episode sees him arriving in a new town, acquiring a new job, developing something of a love interest before each episode ends with him leaving.Gently sexist, juvenile, very immature at times, this is the kind of anime that just puts a smile on the face.Not one to start with if you are not a fan of anime, as this certainly won't convince you about the genre, but for those who are already converted, this is entertaining fluff.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie starts off relatively well and seems to be getting somewhere when an African American passenger sues an airline for negligence. There is one scene in which his pet dog gets sucked into the engine and thats really a sad thing. But the way it is portrayed makes it difficult for one to figure out if that was an attempt at crude humor or really a tragedy to reflect on the extent of negligence? After this point, they clearly ran out of ideas. If you stuck around long enough, you will soon be treated with one of the worst movies ever made. It is basically a highly racist sequence of smoking dope, toilet humor, styling of each and every segment of the aircraft to reflect African American pop culture and pretty much nothing else. You'd think that the only 3 white passengers onboard would lead to some hilarious consequences but nothing of the same happens. They were basically just added to show how badly they could initially be treated and later be accepted into the hood if they behaved. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie was rather awful Vipul Shah's last movie was good this one was just bad although it's a good story and is handled in a great way Aatish Kapadia who adapted this movie from another gujarati play "Avjo Wahala Fari Malishu" made a good but slow pianful 2 and a half hours to watch there are a lot of flaws in this movie but it's still a entertainer songs are rather bleaked out and don't work well but they're still good overall not a movie you would enthusiastically watch it's still a story to take in to account and it's good if you're the relationship type pretty good movie with loads of flaws and humor that's really not needed even one bit$LABEL$ 1 +Now out of all the shark movies I've seen, this one takes the cake! The plot of the movie was good, but the excitement factor sort of took a nosedive afterwards. Antonio Sobato, Jr. does an excellent role as a son who seeks the shark who killed his father. A megaldon is one of the biggest sharks of all and the most dangerous one as well. The view of the shark was indeed scary in some angles, but the effects were a blur, and the scenes were a little weak in some places. With the mini-sub's weapons there, that would take out a whole school of sharks there. It was great that the son would get the exact revenge on that monstrosity, although it would indeed cost him his life as well. Like they say revenge has it's price, but was it worth it? That answer could go on and on, and this movie was a major letdown. The beginning was fine, and at the end, it went like the Titanic. 1 OUT OF 5 STARS!$LABEL$ 0 +When naïve young Eddie Hatch, a window dresser at Savory's Department Store, falls for a statue of Venus and gives her a chaste kiss, Venus steps off her pedestal and gives Eddie more than he bargained for. This creaking example of what Hollywood can do to a Broadway musical manages to emphasize the inane story and eliminate most of the first-rate songs. The purpose was to make a safe, popular movie without too much investment while capitalizing on Ava Gardner's upward mobility to super stardom. Robert Walker as Eddie gets lost in a thankless role. Eddie's not just naive, but dithering and hapless. Gardner is gorgeous, but the only things that give the movie any life are Olga San Juan as Eddie's loving but jealous girl friend, Tom Conway as the suave owner of Savory's and Eve Arden as Savory's long time, wise cracking secretary. It's a role Arden could play in her sleep, and she's good at it. The musical opened on Broadway in 1943 and made Mary Martin a big-time star. The only point of a musical, however, is to have music. Since One Touch of Venus was intended to be a social satire of sorts, Kurt Weill, composing, and Ogden Nash writing the lyrics, came up with a series of stylish, witty songs and one masterpiece. Without the satire, or the clever songs or Martin (or an equivalent showstopper), the movie becomes just a weak comedy fantasy where much of the comedy is predictable and the fantasy is worked to death. Not only did the producers of the movie toss out almost all the Weill/Nash songs, they brought in the movie's music director, Ann Ronell, to write new lyrics for one of the songs that survived, turning sharp observation into lovey-dovey romance. Ronell was no hack; she wrote Willow Weep for Me. Wonder what she thought about while she replaced or tweaked Ogden Nash's clever work. The one bright spot in the movie is that Weill/Nash masterpiece. "Speak Low" is as great a love song as anyone ever wrote. It's given one of those ultra-professional and lifeless treatments by Eileen Wilson dubbing Gardner. Dick Haymes contributes a chorus. As for Ann Ronell, she was one of the few women in Hollywood to become a major music director, as well as composer and lyric writer. Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley is a fascinating documentary of some of the women who made it in the business, including Ronell, Kay Swift, Dorothy Fields and Dana Suess. And for those who would like to hear what little of the Weill/Nash score was recorded by the original Broadway cast, you might be able to track down the CD, One Touch Of Venus (1943 Original Cast) / Lute Song (1946 Original Cast). The music is paired with Lute Song, another Broadway show that starred Martin.$LABEL$ 0 +The plot of "In the Mood for Love" is simple enough: A married man and a married woman (though not to eachother) slowly develop a romantic attachment to one another. The film's pace is numbingly slow and precious little actually happens between the two. Yet the backdrop of Hong Kong in the early 1960s and director Wong Kar-Wai's keen sense for capturing the beauty of the setting as well as the principal characters make this film a joy to watch. Actors Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are both excellent and Wong Kar-Wai has done an extraordinary job in capturing the feel and nostalgia of the past (something so many films and directors try to do but usually fail miserably). There are so many little details that add charm to the film (a trademark of the director) and the colors and cinematography are what send this otherwise simple story over the top as a marvelous cinematic achievement. 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Sergeant Ryker is accused of being a traitor during the Korean War, a hanging offense. A long drawn out court-marshal ensues during which time the Sgt. must remain in a military jail. After much investigation the defense attorney attempts to exonerate the doomed non-com with an eleventh hour ploy. Very good picture.$LABEL$ 1 +What kind of a documentary about a musician fails to include a single track by the artist himself?! Unlike "Ray" or countless other films about music artists, half the fun in the theater (or on the couch) is reliving the great songs themselves. Here, all the tracks are covers put on by uninteresting characters, and these renditions fail to capture Cohen's slow, jazzy style. More often, the covers are badly sung folk versions. Yuck.The interviews are as much or more with other musicians and figures rather than with Cohen himself. Only rarely does the film feature Cohen reading his own work (never singing)-- like letters, poems, etc. The movie really didn't capture much about the artist's life story, either, or about his development through the years. A huge disappointment for a big Cohen fan.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't get this. The movie obviously has a pretty good budget. It has very good cinematography. It has nice pacing, good editing and pretty good directing too. Then WHY OH WHY didn't they hire someone to do a final rewrite of the script so it would not be so damn cheesy and WHY OH WHY did they hire such lousy actors that can't act their way out of a paper bag? This movie could have been good. At most times it LOOKS good and FEELS good but in the end, you realize that the movie was no good at all.So I would say it's a good production but a bad movie. Too bad actually.And eels? Come one, really!$LABEL$ 0 +by saying that,I mean that this is not a well made movie but it's a very good version of the real event and the best depiction so far.and if you are a WW2 buff then this is a treat for you,cause there are three out of four saboteur members playing roles in this movie. It's theater acting at best but then this is still as said before a semi documentary.Me personally am a die hard fan of our nearly over-human heroes of the second world war,and there should be hundreds of these movies showing us what they did so it won't get forgotten by next generations.Cause nowadays kids doesn't read books,they watch movies.So if you want a action extravaganza,rent Private Ryan,this is the truth about lingering pain,outrageous endurance and the will to fight when all seems lost.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a film by Oshima, the director of the notorious "In The Realm Of The Senses", a film so sexually brazed and unabashedly controversial it was banned for a while. This film takes place initially in 1895 in Japan and stars the very pretty Keziko Yoshiyuki as Seki, the wife of a rickshaw driver who falls for a much younger man who woos her in kind. That man, Toyoji, comes to her as she was sleeping and seduces her, though she soon is rather willing to be seduced. Soon they are having an affair and plot to kill Seki's husband, to be together forever. They do, and throw him down a well. However, they didn't count on the ghost of the dead husband haunting Seki and others in the village! This film is visually very stunning, the use of shadows highlighting this tale of murder for passion. Ms. Yoshiyuki (who is still active as an actress) is especially very good in her role. Its sexual at times, but not like "In The Realm Of The Senses". Some of what ensues is up to our imagination. I found this film to have a consistency of mood that makes it very watchable. A little creepy but that goes with the territory. I'd recommend this.$LABEL$ 1 +In the groovy mid 70's a scruffy bunch of brash young Venice, California adolescents from broken homes and the bad side of town known as the Z-Boys turned the previously staid world of professional skateboarding on its ear with their fierce punk attitude, radical unconventional riding style, and unbridled spirit of pure in-your-face aggression, revolutionizing the sport in the process and paving the way for the many extreme variations on sports that popped up in their influential wake. Director Stacy Peralta, who's one of the legendary Z-Boys himself, relates the incredible exploits of this amazing ragtag crew in a ferociously punchy and visceral manner that's both informative and wildly entertaining: the snappy rapid-fire editing, ceaseless speedy pace, and raw, gritty photography deliver one hell of an infectiously kinetic buzz, projecting a sense of sheer joy and full-on bustling energy that's a total pleasure to behold. Better still, this documentary neither sanitizes nor romanticizes its subjects: These rough'n'scrappy lads were so fiercely competitive and out for themselves that they all went their separate ways when the lure of fame and fortune manifested in their lives. The ultimate fates of certain guys is poignant and heartbreaking, with gifted and spontaneous ace skateboard rat Jay Adams rating as the saddest and most tragic: He blew his chance at the big time and wound up doing time in jail. The other dudes are very colorful and personable as well; charismatic ball of cocky and defiant fire Tony Alva in particular comes across as one arrogant, yet impressive piece of furiously assertive work. Marvelously narrated with delightfully easy'n'breezy nasal nonchalance by Sean Penn. The terrific rock soundtrack likewise seriously smokes. But what really makes this documentary such a winner is its refreshing complete dearth of pretense: It's every bit as dynamic, exuberant and larger-than-life extraordinary as the gloriously outrageous Z-Boys themselves.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an anti-Serb propaganda film made for TV."The Muslims are good; the Orthodox Christian Serbs are BAD." That's the message.Using "entertainment" to get across a propaganda message is nothing new.This movie lays it on thick.And apparently many viewers and reviewer lap it up.I know better.The Serbs, under General Draza Milhalovitch and his Chetniks, saved over 500 shot-down US fliers from the Germans in World War II.Churchill decided to betray Milhalovitch and put British backing behind communist Tito. Roosevelt followed suit and as a result, after the war ended Yugoslavia was delivered over to communist Tito.And US ally Milhalovitch has been smeared by the media ever since.This movie is part of the anti-Serb propaganda campaign engineered by George Soros and his International Crisis Group (ICG) which culminated in the Kosovo "War," in which Serbia was bombed by NATO because of totally false claims by the ICG of "mass graves" in Kosovo filled with "victims" of the nasty Serbs. The fact that there were no such mass graves and the Albanians (Muslims) had no business being in Serbia's Kosovo are facts that most of the media won't print.I chose this movie to watch because the one-sentence description on the video cover looked interesting.Imagine my disgust when I discovered I had been fooled into renting another branch of the propaganda machine aimed at Serbia.Instead of this propaganda someone should make a movie about the unwillingness of the Clinton Administration to come clean with the Congress and with the American people about its complicity in the delivery of weapons from Iran to the Muslim government in Sarajevo.I won't hold my breath waiting for such a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one worth watching, although it is sometimes cheesy, it is great to see a young Sean Astin, and this ends up being quite an entertaining and humorous action movie. I watched it many times when I was young, and now still enjoy it when I pop the old vhs into the machine (I happen to own a copy). So sit back with this movie, let reality go for a little while, and you will be able to have a few good laughs and an enjoyable hour and a half.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is the worst excuse for a motion picture I have EVER seen. To begin, I'd like to say the the front cover of this film is by all means misleading, if you think you are about to see a truly scary horror film with a monster clown, you are soooo wrong. In fact the killers face doesn't even slightly resemble the front cover, it's just an image they must have found on Google and thought it looked cool. Speaking of things they found and thought it looked cool, there is a scene in this film where some of the gang are searching for the friend in the old woods, then suddenly the screen chops to a scene where there is a mother deer nurturing it's young in a glisten of sunlight... I mean seriously WTF??? How is this relevant to the dark woods they are wandering through? I bought this film from a man at a market hoping it would be entertaining, if it wasn't horror then at least it would be funny right? WRONG! The next day I GAVE it to my work colleague ridding myself from the plague named S.I.C.KBottom line is: Don't SEE THIS FILM!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Pointless boring film with charismatic Mercurio completely wasted. Released for a minute on a Thursday in maybe one local cinema and avoided by the entire population of Sydney except me and four others BACK OF BEYOND is a project seemingly created by a producer looking for a fee. Local actors like John Polson and Terry Serio deserve better (well Polson has morphed into a Director of lame thrillers like SWIMFAN and HIDE AND SEEK) and Terry Serio seems never to get a guernsey apart from thug roles. But Paul Mercurio should have become one of Australia's greatest exports on screen. Roles like this are major disappointments and films like this are just a waste of talent and time.$LABEL$ 0 +I wanted to like this one - the situation was rich, and the setting unusual and interesting. But the story is swamped with childish female gothic romance elements that are hard to swallow. The director is unfairly prejudiced against the 'goy' characters -- content to let them be grotesque cardboard caricatures -- and inexplicably indulgent towards the homewrecking behavior of the heroine. The potentially interesting power struggle between the inventor and the governess is not really dealt with.Feminist film makers will get more credibility when they stop manipulating situations to throw all the sympathy to the heroine, and start dealing honestly with issues. This movie more closely resembles 'The 7 Pieces of Gold', another earnest failure, more than 'The Piano' - a real tale of passion.$LABEL$ 0 +Director Vincenzo Natali's Cypher is a complex and imaginative thriller which, although requiring some suspension of belief and plenty of concentration, manages to be a thoroughly entertaining experience.Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam), a stay-at-home husband with an overbearing wife, decides to add a bit of spice to his mundane existence by getting a job as an industrial spy at high-tech company Digi Corp. His job is to travel to conferences across the country (under the assumed identity of Jack Thursby) and secretly broadcast the speeches given back to his bosses, via a nifty little electronic pen-gizmo.In reality, however, the speeches are merely a cover for far more nefarious activities. Morgan, along with his fellow conference attendees, is being brainwashed. The drugged water they are drinking puts them into a temporary coma, during which they are told to forget their pasts and permanently adopt their new identities. Once they are totally convinced that they are someone else, they are told to apply for jobs with rival companies, where they are able to indulge in corporate espionage without suspicion.But Digi Corp's plans are scuppered by the intervention of shady operative-for-hire Rita Foster (Lucy Liu), who opens Morgan's eyes to what is really happening. She gives Morgan an antidote to the mind altering drugs so that he can resist the brainwashing techniques. She also warns him that if Digi Corp suspects that he does not fully believe he is Jack Thursby, then he will be 'eliminated'. Morgan plays along, and applies for a job at rival business Sunways.However, arriving at his new workplace, he is given a polygraph test and is immediately rumbled as a spy. Fortunately, the bosses at Sunways see this as an ideal opportunity to feed false data to Digi Corp and Morgan becomes a double agent.From hereon in, things get progressively more complicated; the plot twists and turns and poor old Morgan ends up not being able to trust anyone. In an exciting finale, all eventually becomes clear (but only if you've been following events very carefully).Director Natali handles proceedings confidently and certainly has a great ability to produce a classy looking film for a relatively low budget. He manages to get some great performances from his talented cast; Jeremy Northam,in particular, is fantastic—his portrayal of the initially somewhat nervous Morgan is played to perfection.Cypher is another fascinating movie from a director who is willing to take chances and I eagerly look forward to his forthcoming projects, High Rise and Necropolis.$LABEL$ 1 +Turgid dialogue, feeble characterization - Harvey Keitel a judge? He plays more like an off-duty hitman - and a tension-free plot conspire to make one of the unfunniest films of all time. You feel sorry for the cast as they try to extract comedy from a dire and lifeless script. Avoid!$LABEL$ 0 +Joe Don's opening line says everything about this movie. It takes place on the island of Malta (the island of pathetic men) and involves Joe Don Baker tracking down an Italian mobster. Joe Don's character is named Geronimo (pronounced Heronimo) and all he does in this movie is shoot people and get arrested over and over agin. Everyone in the movie hates him, just like everyone hates Greydon Clark. I liked an earlier Greydon picture, "Angel's Revenge" because it was a shirne for thriteen year old boys. Avoid this movie at all costs!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a typical late Universal Horror flick: its technically comptent, if by the numbers, with a cookie cutter plot and some serious overacting. The most interesting part of this film is its stunt casting of Rondo Hatton, a man with a bone disease as the film's "monster". Its sad to see this man exploited, but he probably made good use of the money they paid him. Hatton is less horrifying than the studio hoped, as I more often felt pity over fear or even loathing. Martin Koslack is on board as the film's mad artist, and he is very amusing in this part. I for one enjoy seeing Koslack in just about anything; for some reason the man amuses me. The only other part of the film that entertained me is the film's absurd take on the art world. Here we are shown evil art critics who revel in their ability to break artists; this is side by side with the film's male "hero" who is an "artist" who paints...get this...pin up girls. Somehow our hero's work is reviewed side by side with the villan's absurdist sculpture. Also amusing is the film's chief nasty critic, who at one point claims that he despises the hero's pin up art because "women like that don't exist" to which our heroine replies with an assurance that the critic just doesn't get out enough. Finally, there's a bit of a subplot about the heroine's (who is an art critic herself) domestication by the leading man....completely anti-feminist and ridiculous to witness. Overall this film is a rather mediocre picture with a few amusing elements.$LABEL$ 0 +The Ramones, whom I consider the founders of modern punk rock, lend their then-unique sounds to a terrifically twisted movie about a rowdy rock fan (P.J. Soles) who faces off against a merciless, joyless principal (Mary Woronov) for the right to rock.Featuring a soundtrack brimming with incredible music, RRHS is fascinating in concept and execution. It's chock full of riotous sight gags (like the mouse experiment), teenage spirit (probably my all-time favorite film opening), and bizarre, off-the-wall moments (the straitjacket scenes). If you're looking for a movie that seems to be made of pure fun on a molecular level, look no further. But if you're looking for a nice, dignified, dramatic epic, maybe you should look a wee bit further."Hi everybody, I'm Riff Randell, and this is Rock & Roll High School!"$LABEL$ 1 +The Camals Are Coming is a rather disappointing British comedy from 1934. I purchased this because I like desert adventures and states on the box that it is a drama. It certainly isn't.It is about a couple who head for Egypt to capture some desert drug smugglers.This would have been much better if it had been done as a drama instead of a comedy, which lets it down a lot. It is quite silly in parts. Depsite this, there are some good action and location scenes.The cast is lead by Jack Hulbert with Anna Lee as the love interest.One viewing is enough for this movie. Overall, a disappointment.Rating: 2 stars out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +It is in the opinion of this reviewer that the best time to be a child was in the 1990's, a period when cartoons were not heavily censored and talented and creative minds were responsible for some of the best family entertainment to hit the air-waves. The best producers of Saturday morning animation were at Warner Brothers Television, who experienced a major Golden Age with the dream-team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger and Paul Dini. Along with serious and dark series like Batman, they also revived zany, outlandish cartoons made famous by the Looney Tunes. Animaniacs was the biggest hitter with its dark adult humour and homages to the celluloid of yesteryear and today, but Tiny Toon Adventures was equally popular by re-inventing the Looney Tunes for a new generation, while still keeping that crazy cartoon violence and intelligent comedy that can hold onto any age group, no matter how old. Even when the Tiny Toons were stretched to a feature-length with How I Spent My Vacation, it did not feel like a longer episode of the television series, a curse that so often plagues other feature-length adaptations of popular animated shows.The Tiny Toon Gang are young off-springs of the classic cartoon characters who made audiences laugh back in the 1940's and 1950's and are currently learning cartoon comedy to "earn their Toon Degree." Summer Vacation has started and each character has their own idea of what to do. Buster Bunny (Charles Adler) and Babs Bunny (Tress MacNeille) start a water gun fight which ultimately leads to Acme Acres getting flooded and them both sailing down the Mississippi. Plucky Duck (Joe Alaskey) joins Hamton Pig (Don Messick) on a cross-country car trip to the Happiest Theme Park in the World, but Hamton's family proves to be more difficult than he imagined. Meanwhile, in other stories scattered throughout, Elmyra Duff (Cree Summer) tries to find a cat to hug and squeeze, Fifi Le Fume (Kath Soucie) attempts to go out on a date with her favourite skunk star and Shirley the Loon (Gail Matthius) goes to the cinema with a loud-mouth Fowlmouth (Rob Paulen).While the premise sounds thin for a feature-length film, the many directors and screenwriters make all the stories work well together. The best of these is Plucky's unfortunate road trip, which utilises a golden comedic opportunity very well: feeling pity for somebody, while also laughing at their predicament. Plucky's annoyed reaction to all the bad things that happen to him are a perfect blend of script and animation, all in the confines of a small car stuffed with pork. Elmyra's story definitely ranks second just to see how a little, almost innocent girl can cause fear into so many jungle animals. The aforementioned cartoon violence definitely comes to the fore-front with Buster and Babs' story, which makes us smile not only due to the hilarity of the outcomes, but also nostalgically, since Ruegger and company would probably not be allowed to show half of what they do in that segment. Practically half of that segment plays as a parody and homage to Deliverance, including a clever twist on the dueling banjos scene, featuring the unforgettable Tiny Toon Adventures theme song.Part of the universal appeal of the Tiny Toons is that the humour proves to be very intelligent as it targets subjects with a ferocity that proves that it does not at all deserve the title of "children's fare" that people seem to slap it with. An entire segment featuring Fowlmouth's poor etiquette at the cinema pokes fun at yappers in a note-perfect way, along with an additional jab at Lucasfilm's THX logo. That scene is done so perfectly that it should be featured before every cinema showing. There are also a couple of moments that poke fun at Disney World, cinematic plot holes and even Warner's legal department. The fact that today's cartoons are bland and un-creative makes those intelligent moments even more treasuring as there probably will not be another animated series that will come close.After watching How I Spent My Vacation for the first time in many years, I can say with all certainty that they do not make cartoons quite like they used to. With the ongoing censorship that today's family entertainment receive, one wonders whether anything like this will ever be made again. This review is not only a recommendation of a truly smart film, but also a plea for Spielberg, Ruegger and Dini to team up again and bring forth a magical creation to our minds once again. Lord knows that the children of the twenty-first century is in need for something with the intelligence of Tiny Toon Adventures. This is not a simple cash-grab, it is a wonderful film with full of spirit, madcap mayhem and hilarity.$LABEL$ 1 +"Nada" was the most inadequate follow-up to "Les NOces Rouges" which,with hindsight,appears now as the last good movie of Chabrol's golden era (1967-1973) "Nada" is Chabrol's first real attempt at a wholly political movie;its previous work "les Noces Rouges" had also political elements but it was more a psychological thriller with the usual look at society in French provinces."Nada" includes terrorists,ambassador,hostage-taking,a lot of blood,not really Chabrol's field.A heterogeneous cast gives the movie the coup de grâce :only Duchaussoy,who had already played with the director ,and Maurice Garrel are up to scratch.Viviane Romance ,one of Duvivier's actresses ("la Belle Equipe" "Panique") ,is wasted as a madam (Gabrielle).Italian actors (Fabio Testi,Lou Castel)are awful.With "Nada" this a second period of barren inspiration for Chabrol .It would be "Violette Nozières" before he was again at the top of his game.$LABEL$ 0 +A DAMN GOOD MOVIE! One that is seriously underrated. The songs that the children sing in the movie gave me a sense of their pain, but also their hope for the future. Whoopi Goldberg puts in a good performance here, but the best performance throughout the whole movie is that of the actress who plays the title character. I wish she was in more movies.This movie should have a higher rating. I give it a 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Well done melodrama that tells the story of Sally, tomboy dancer in the circus, raised by sideshow performer McGargle (played by W.C. Fields), he of the top hat, little mustache, checkered pants, and proficiency as juggler, pickpocket, and runner of carnival con games like Three Card Monte and the Old Shell Game. McGargle has raised Sally, who worships him as her "real father" since Sally's mother (kicked out of her home by her father, a judge, when she married a "circus man") died and left Sally orphaned. Sally is feisty and loyal to McGargle no matter what he gets up to - but McGargle seems to feel a bit of guilt over keeping her in the circus instead of with her own family all these years. When they end up performing in a carnival in the town where her wealthy grandparents live, McGargle uses the opportunity to "investigate" Sally's real family, with the idea that he may restore her to them. But grandfather the judge takes an immediate disliking to Sally 'cause he doesn't like a "show girl" - what a stern, narrow-minded man he is, a real piece of work that guy! And meanwhile Sally is busy being pursued by a handsome and rich young man, son of the man who helped grandpa get his riches.This is a very good film with a few laughs here and there and a sort of odd editing style (I don't know how to describe this other than it shows long shots, then sort of jumps back a few seconds or changes angle suddenly as a close up is shown). Carol Dempster, who plays Sally, is delightful here - quite cute and comical in her performance. W.C. Fields, even without his famous voice, is very funny - just the way he moves and his amusing, comical reactions to things (like a small dog seen in one funny scene), we even see him juggling briefly in this. I love the few peeks at the old-fashioned circus and carnival that is shown here. The print of this featured on the DVD is very nice looking, tinted a light sepia tone, and the piano score for this is really excellent, performed by Philip Carli based on the original cue sheets.$LABEL$ 1 +This is not really a proper review since I did not see most of the film. I stopped watching it. The film is very violent, with nasty drug dealers and street punks, but that is not why I stopped watching.Here was the problem: I watched just enough to be introduced to several characters, all of whom were not interesting. Everyone was a tedious, despicable psychopath, with no engaging personalities, giving me nothing to look forward to. I found myself not the least bit curious about what they would do next or what might happen to them.If there had been even one person of interest, and I don't mean good or nice person, I mean an interesting person, I could have stayed with it. Watch "State of Grace" to see what I mean. In that film the Gary Oldman character is a complete lunatic, but he is *very* interesting. Al Pacino perhaps did a good job in Scarface, but his character just did not engage me.$LABEL$ 0 +All y'all hatin' on the fact you'd probably neva make the cut for "Second String" need to save it. If more guys out there took their sorry behinds to the gym for once...maybe y'all have a chance....well,...maybe. Take Shawn Woods' "HOOK" physique for a "perfect" example...and I stress the word "perfect" Put that in your pipe and smoke it...!!! You couldn't look better Sha-Shawn$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit I was deceived by the title and the summary on the back of the box. So I popped it in the vcr and kept waiting... and waiting... and waiting for something good to happen. But of course, it never does. The makers of this film should be tied to a chair and made to watch "Saving Private Ryan". Maybe they would learn something.$LABEL$ 0 +While the original titillates the intellect, this cheap remake is designed purely to shock the sensibilities. Instead of intricate plot-twists, this so-called thriller just features sudden and seemingly random story changes that serve only to debase it further with each bizarre development. Worst of all, replacing the original spicy dialog is an overturned saltshaker full of unnecessary four-letter words, leaving behind a stark, but uninteresting taste.There was promise--unfulfilled promise. The prospect of Michael Caine pulling off a Patty Duke-like Keller-to-Sullivan graduation is admittedly intriguing. Unfortunately, this brilliant and respected actor only tarnished his reputation, first by accepting the role in this horribly re-scripted nonsense and then by turning in a performance that only looks competent when compared to Jude Law's amateurish overacting.If you haven't seen the classic original, overlook its dated visuals and gimmicks. Hunt it down, watch it, and just enjoy a story-and-a-half. As for the remake, pass on this insult to the original.$LABEL$ 0 +A less-than-subtle poke at the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church is given a darker shade of death near the end of the show. Throughout the show, dark humour plays a medium through which several commonly heard rhetoric questions are asked, especially "If God is so good, why does he allow evil to exist in the world?"Diane Keaton is excellent in her role as an exaggerated version (though some might disagree) of they stereotyped religious teacher who spouts the "company line" and condemns half the world to burn in Hell. To celebrate her school's 25th anniversary, she invites her first students to return and perform their Christmas pageant.However, when the quartet "update" their play to parody Sister Mary's "fallacious" teachings, the nun is pushed over the edge, sending the story spiralling into a chain of unhappy events. The ending finally leaves the audience with a sick feeling in their hearts.Not recommended. Go watch the play instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie on mystery science theater when it was called "It lives by night". That title is much less misleading than "Batpeople". In fact it would more accurately be called Batperson. This movie is about a doctor who studies bats I am thinking because he wants to make a better cure for rabies. This is not really clear. What is clear is that he and his wife take a tour of a cave and he gets bitten by a bat. Why a scientist needs to take a tour to study bats is beyond me. Shouldn't he be able to go in by himself. Well after being bitten he and his wife go on their honeymoon where he starts having fits. They go to the worst doctor ever. The guy stays in the hospital and kills a nurse. In the end the guy kills 3-4 people and his wife stands by him and you are supposed to be rooting for him instead of the sheriff investigating the murders.$LABEL$ 0 +I was a huge "SNL" fan back in the days of Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner and many other memorable stars. But every time I've tried to watch it in the past more than ten years I've been very disappointed and sometimes even disgusted with it. Ten years ago I believed the show couldn't possibly survive, since it had become so utterly bereft of the sort of humor I could understand, and yet it kept plugging along, which I've always found dismaying, wondering how in the world anyone could possibly find its lame humor at all funny. Whenever I've tuned in over the past decade I've never once been glad that I did. Indeed, I've always been annoyed at myself for staying up and wasting my time. For me, the absolute low point came several years ago when a popular young male actor I liked a lot was the guest host. At one point that night he played a big star, perhaps himself, and in the skit, the character "Mongo," I think, played by Chris Kattan, again I think, ended up in the backseat of a car with him. What followed was Mongo being forced up and down and up and down on the actor's lap, with him screaming hysterically as he was presumably sodomized. The audience was laughing their heads off and I'm shaking my head, amazed that they could find that remotely funny, amazed that NBC would even broadcast such a thing. In the years since then I've repeatedly tried to approach the show with an open mind, hoping that it might regain the sly sense of humor I adored for so many years. But, up until just a week ago, for me, it hasn't done so. Not even close. One exception: During the 2008 presidential campaign, I thought that Tina Fey was fantastic, and she was the one performer who kept me tuning in. But those Sarah Palin skits, while hysterical, were still not enough to save the rest of the 90 minutes and I would always regret not turning it off as soon as I heard the familiar "It's 'Saturday Night!!!'"$LABEL$ 0 +Style over substance. But what a style it is. "The Cell" is the internal version of most serial killer movies. Unfortunately, the story hardly supports the visuals.Psychotherapist Catherine Deane (J-Lo) goes into her patients' dreams via artificial means to discover and help them over come their phobias and obsessions. A new patient whose fallen into a coma, is brought to her attention by the FBI. He's a serial killer who drowns his female victims then poses their bodies in grotesque scenarios like mannequins. Deane must enter the killer's mind and navigate through his sick fantasies in order to find and save his latest victim. Director Tarsem Singh has incredible visions and set pieces for this production. Each dream sequence is like a nightmare-ish painting in motion, from the landscapes to the costumes. But the plot suffers from lack of history of its characters. Stargher is the only person with a thorough background and he's the last person you want to care about. Without him, you basically have a movie that moves in the present tense only, which is a shame since the movie is so visually stunning and genuinely scary. Lopez is wasted but she's not that amazing an actress anyway, though she's as gorgeous as ever. And Vince Vaughn? I don't even know why he was chosen. This is not his forte and he overacts to boot. He tried too hard to become his character and it showed. Stick to comedy, Vince! Even so, this movie is so visually frightening, I still watch this movie with the lights on and can never fall asleep right away afterward.$LABEL$ 1 +If, unlike some of the commenters here, you are not staging a class war and don't mind seeing the lives of other people who are fairly successful, extroverted, bohemian (gasp) and not being terribly English at a party and getting into all sorts of trouble as a result this is not a bad film, closer to Euro cinema rather than an imitation of the usual slick American crap... I believe the minimal sound design and cheap camera is a conscious decision rather than bad film making, I'd defend this, the film isn't any worse as a result, and it puts the spotlight on the cast, some of whom are really good (Kate Hardie- think that's her name, as the sarcastic drunk is spot-on) the one exception being David Baddiel, who should never be allowed to appear in serious stuff!! It's light, and we don't go for this kind of anatomising-of-relationship crap in this country, but if you don't have any real friends to go to a party with than you could do worse than to sit in and watch this.$LABEL$ 1 +along the history of cinema, there's been a few films that deceived the viewer, such as hitchcock's "stage fright", alejandro amenábar's "abre los ojos", David fincher's "the game" and this one "ausentes" ("absent"). to begin with, i don't like this kind of films, i feel like somebody is trying to pull my leg.furthermore, after seeing this film one doesn't know what happened, is such a confusing film. kubrick's "the shining" may be a better or a worse movie, but definitely is more honest than this load of pretentious and dubious situations.technically is fine -nice photography, fair performance and so on, but the script is so poor i wonder what did the producers see to carry on and shoot this crap.and this film remarks the 3 guys that wrote the script (calparsoro, loriga and quiroga) are lost in cinema trying to make a masterpiece -or trying to do something to fulfill their stomachs, awaiting for more personal projects.$LABEL$ 0 +Firstly, I'll admit I haven't seen Vampires: Los Muertos, but I've seen the original Vampires film and love it. I rented this film having heard nothing about it. I didn't expect to be impressed. I wasn't.I love the idea of shifting the action to the far east, which should have opened up a lot of new avenues for the action sequences as well as the story line, but not enough was made of this. The fight scenes and the motorbike chases were painfully boring. There were some parts I liked, like the way the slayer team weren't shown as heroic good guys, as they were in the first movie.I'd been hoping since I saw the old Hammer movie Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires a few years ago that someone would one day make another good Asian-based vampire film. This was not it.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when it aired on the WB and fell in love with Riley Smith immediately. I would recommend the movie to people of all ages who just feel like being entertained and not much more. I wish they'd air it again or cast Riley Smith in another movie!$LABEL$ 1 +This is my all time favourite movie ever!!!I remember seeing this when I was younger and since then I have been in love with it. I used to rent it so often from this one video store that used to carry it, and when we moved I couldn't find it any where so I kep going back tot he far away store just so I could watch the movie again!Finally i found it for sale and I bought it and watched it over and over again.... great movie!Since then though it was my very first DVD that I got after I got my DVD player... OK well I got them at the same time, the quality on the DVD is way better I couldn't believe it! You Gotta see this one!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie moves and inspire you, it's like you are one of the family. Just to see and witness life during the depression era, makes you feel humble and grateful. Jonathan Silverman delivered well, so convincing and very witty! A must see for Teens!$LABEL$ 1 +When many people say it's the "worst movie I've ever seen", they tend to say that about virtually any movie they didn't like. However, of the nearly 700 movies I can remember ever seeing this one is one of two that I walked away from feeling personally insulted and angry. This is my first movie review, by the way, and I registered with IMDb just to rave at this movie's badness. I went to see it when it was in the theaters (myself and my two buddies were 3 of 5 people there), and after 15 years I can't remember very many specifics, but my attitude upon leaving the theater is still crystal clear.---Spoiler alert---Oh my, where to begin. Fat loser left at altar, goes on ski weekend, meets blonde bombshell who takes an interest in him, takes him home to meet the family, they're all cannibals and he's the main course, pathetic attempt at a dramatic escape, kicks all their butts and runs off with the brother's girlfriend, they live happily ever after. Puke. Firstly, the gags are so bad that it took me a while to understand that they were trying to be FUNNY, and that this was a COMEDY. The special effects, what few there are, look like they were done 15 years earlier. The big dramatic ending was so hokey and poorly acted that it was nearly unbearable to watch (he knocks out the entire cannibal family with rakes laying in the lawn, that stand up Tom and Jerry style when they step on them). I'm sure that there's much, much more, but I have no intention on seeing it again for a refresher.$LABEL$ 0 +I cannot begin to describe how amazing this movie is. Suffice it to say, anytime I'm depressed about how unfair or futile things seem, this is the movie I go rent to put me in the right frame of mind. The background music makes you realize the easiness of existence and how simplicity provides for the greatest happiness. The Indian girl that sings is but one example of a character in this film who does not try hard, and is happy as a result. Persifina, the laundry co-worker of Ruby's (Ashley Judd) is another=-her eyes and smile could make the hardest person's day. I watch this movie and I dream of better days to come or of a good conversation with friends, and I realize that being alone--Ruby is alone quite often--isn't the same as being lonely. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a thoughtful lull of a movie.$LABEL$ 1 +In the process of trying to establish the audiences' empathy with Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire) the filmmakers slander the North and the Jayhawkers. Missouri never withdrew from the Union and the Union Army was not an invading force. The Southerners fought for State's Rights: the right to own slaves, elect crooked legislatures and judges, and employ a political spoils system. There's nothing noble in that. The Missourians could have easily traveled east and joined the Confederate Army.It seems to me that the story has nothing to do with ambiguity. When Jake leaves the Bushwhackers, it's not because he saw error in his way, he certainly doesn't give himself over to the virtue of the cause of abolition.$LABEL$ 1 +this film is terrible. The characters are completely unbelievable, and wildly inconsistent. The plot is awful and some of the classroom scenes are cringe-worthy and make for uncomfortable viewing.In fact the quality of the script and characterisation would suggest that this film was written by high school students, only the utter lack of credibility to the school environment would suggest that, in fact, the writers probably never went to high school. The acting in most cases was weak too, although a lot of this was down to a poor script and plot, i am not sure that any actors could have made this film watchable.having said that the sound track was OK, and the cinematography was nice in places (although the editing was poor).$LABEL$ 0 +Young Mr.Lincoln is a poetic,beautiful film that captures the myth of one of the most revered figures in American history. Henry Fonda had the difficult task of portraying a mythical figure and at the same time make him human enough for people to care about. It is perhaps the actors best performance.Watch how he singlehandedly stops a lynching-mob.Alice Brady is fantastic in the role of a simple farmer woman.Most of the last part of the film plays out in a courtroom,and there lies the only negative thing I can say about this movie.Most of the characters from judge to spectators are given so many folksy humorously lines that distracts from the serious trial that is on hand.But I'm quite used to this because the humor is a Ford trademark. Supporting parts by Ward Bond and Donald Meek are very good.$LABEL$ 1 +Holden and Jones SIZZLE in this movie, but not in the way we think of sizzling today -- it's very subtle and under the surface -- yet palpable. Jennifer Jones, in particular, is SO SEXUALLY HOT in this film (much more than a caricature like Monroe EVER was) because she creates a real woman -- with ALL facets of womanhood: She's intelligent, intuitive, graceful. She's desiring AND desirable. There's a scene on that famous hill, where she's lying down in the grass, looking up at Holden, and the expression in her eyes is X-rated, yet in the context of the scene and character, in makes complete sense. You don't need to have it all said in the dialogue -- spelled-out like the crude obviousness in most modern films. It's all there in her eyes -- sexy yet elegant. What a stunning, under-rated actress she was. (I saw her MADAME BOVARY for the first time recently and was equally blown away.) I'll take her over Bergman, Davis, or the two Hepburns any day.$LABEL$ 1 +In the final days of the year 1999, most everyone in Taiwan has died. A strange plague has ravished the island. Supposedly spread by cockroaches, the disease sends its victims into a psychosis where they act like the insects. Eventually, they die. The Hole takes place in a crumbling apartment building (which is especially well created; kudos to the set designer!). Its two protagonists live right above and below each other. The woman is on the lower floor, and the pipes above her apartment are leaking fiercely, threatening to destroy her food supply, not to mention her sanity. She calls a plumber to go check it out, and he accidentally pokes a hole through the floor of the man's apartment. The two have never met before, and they come into contact through the hole.The script is quite brilliant. Few films are simultaneously this funny while remaining completely human, deeply exploring the human condition, especially feelings of loneliness and despair. Tsai's direction is simply beautiful. Like a lot of other Taiwanese directors, he uses a lot of long takes. But unlike, say, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tsai doesn't overuse them. In fact, I don't know if I've ever seen them used better. They're always effective and never tedious. It would be wrong to review this film without mentioning the musical numbers. Yes, The Hole is also a musical, and a great one, at that. In the film's best scenes - which is saying something, considering how good all the other scenes are - the man imagines that the woman is a singer, almost a cabaret singer. These numbers are fully choreographed, often with backup dancers and singers. In a stroke of genius, Tsai has these elaborately produced numbers take place in the crumbling building, the signs of apocalypse and decay unhidden. This provides both a sense of pathos and absurdity.The Hole is a film that begs to be seen. It ought to be a cult classic, if nothing else. Before I went to see this, I was told that it was a decent film, but probably Tsai Ming-liang's least good one. Well, if that is true, I just cannot wait to see another one! 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Connery climbs aboard the Moore buffoon train in this stinker of a movie. Tossing away everything that made Bond successful in the first place, this movie further degrades the Bond character throwing him into the category of Inspector Gadget. Get Smart this ain't. There is no style here, only second rate actors performing on cheap sets. It's a shame that Connery couldn't lend an element of class here but it doesn't come across. Everything here reeks of mediocrity, including Connery's bad toupee. Perhaps if I was snowed in and given the choice between watching "Never Say Never Again" and "Howard The Duck" I would choose the former. If you want the real James Bond, pick up any Ian Flemming novel.$LABEL$ 0 +This series and Elon Gold were being HYPED as "the next big thing" in sitcoms for NBC. Well, they weren't. Dennis Farina was terribly miscast as the father in-law. He just seemed so uncomfortable and out of place here. The term, "Private 'convo' time!" was supposed to become the "Dyno-mite!" catch phrase of the 21st Century. Well, it wasn't. People were asking then, as they still are today (When his name comes up.), "Who the hell is Elon Gold?" I saw him on an episode of "The Mentalist" this evening. I mentioned his name, and my girlfriend asked, "Who?" Not funny. Total waste of airtime. NBC had really HIGH hopes for this show, but it just fell flat.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is about a group of people who are infected by a powerful man-made virus. They are pursued by government men into the desert.The premise of the film is quite interesting but is hampered by the fact that the delivery is extremely boring. At no point does the film engage with the viewer on any level. Granted, the miniscule budget is a problem but is not the reason for the film's failure. Much more at fault is the very po-faced delivery. There is a great deal of narration but, unfortunately, the narrator has an annoyingly over-dramatic voice. Very little seems to happen to these people and well before the end you will be rooting for the government men - the sooner they kill the protagonists the sooner the movie will end. A much better title for this film would have been Four People Run About In The Desert With Some Stock Footage Of A Helicopter. Overall, very tedious.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen both movies and I saw without a doubt the re-make is the best, I know a lot of people would disagree those who have become fans of the original will most probably not like this re-make, but i thought it was well thought out and definitely scary, It was so good I'm going to see it again tonight, the original creeped me out because they kill the children, i mean who does that in movies anyway....but in this one the children have at least half a chance...The only bad part about this movie is when the babysitter (Jill) Walks towards the sounds she hears and runs outside into the bushes to check for someone, clearly no one in their right mind would do that whilst babysitting, so that is the only thing i found wrong with the movie, and even so they probably had to put that in there to build suspense, i don't want to give too much away for all those who have not seen it, i recommend you do instead of listening to all these people saying its crap and worse than the original, it would be a better movie for teenagers, as it displays things that most of us are scared of, but when i was in the movies there were at least 10 adults over the age of 70 in there watching it, and they enjoyed it, if they enjoyed it i think you will to! I give it a 9 out of 10!$LABEL$ 1 +If you are the sort of person who can get a kick out of a very bad movie, then I highly recommend this one. If you aren't, stay away. This is an astonishingly cheap-looking movie, and at times you may find yourself wondering if it isn't just a prank someone is pulling on you. The most positive comment I can make about it is that the people responsible seemed to realize that it was super-low-budget nonsense, so there is at least a sense of fun here.But this is as amateurish as it gets. Their idea of giant killer mushrooms are simply guys covered with beige colored sheets with what looks like trash can covers on their heads. It's obviously not meant to be taken seriously (to say the least), but even with that disclaimer you'll find yourself shaking your head at the awesome cheesiness of it all. Or laughing out loud frequently, as I did.$LABEL$ 0 +Famous as the British film so bad it had to be given away for free with a newspaper, the quality of this sub-Children's Film Foundation "thriller" can be guessed from the abnormal number of 10/10 votes it gets and the large number of rave reviews from posters with no posting history and no other reviews to their name. The regulars know what this mean, the gullible might be conned. If they do dip into the waters of this one they won't last long before it drags them under. Technically inept with the boom mike getting into shot or the reflections of the crew visible it just goes on forever in a forgetful sub-DAVINCI CODE on $5 a day way. The end is just insulting but don't worry. It's not as if you'll get that far!$LABEL$ 0 +MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS is a mesmerizing 1945 B thriller from Joseph H. Lewis, arguably one of the very finest directors of Hollywood noir films. This 65 minute Gothic oddity from Columbia Pictures came after Lewis' lengthy apprenticeship as the helmer of a string of poverty row westerns, East Side Kids comedies, horror melodramas (including the incredibly bizarre Bela Lugosi shocker THE INVISIBLE GHOST) and standard studio B product (SECRETS OF A CO-ED, BOMBS OVER BURMA, THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO, etc)---all of which set the stage rather nicely for what was to come from the enormously talented and inventive Mr. Lewis. MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (as well as SO DARK THE NIGHT from the following year) introduced a director who had mastered the rare and delicate art telling a dark and probing tale swiftly and efficiently on the most modest of budgets. Later Lewis productions like GUN CRAZY (1949) and THE BIG COMBO (1955), despite the expanded scope of their narrative structure, continued to rely upon deft, lucid camera work and effective low-key lighting. And very modest resources.MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS probably owes more to the tradition of British mysteries (it's set in a studio-bound England) than it does to conventional film noir attitudes and trappings. A young woman (Nina Foch) agrees to take a position in the home of an elderly woman (Dame Mae Witty). Two days after her arrival she awakens from a deep sleep in a completely strange house and, mysteriously enough, with a brand new identity---that of the old woman's daughter-in-law. Told that she's been the victim of a nervous breakdown, she struggles to grasp the utter and seemingly hopeless nature of her predicament. But before long she begins to piece together the strange and troubling truth behind this dark mystery, that her "husband" (the always menacing George Macready) most probably murdered his real wife and that she's been duped into participating in a harrowing and sinister scheme. Much of what distinguishes this otherwise modest tale are the indelible touches that Lewis brings to the production, marking it as the first of his truly serious endeavors as a film director.$LABEL$ 1 +I bet you Gene Simmons and Vincent Pastore negotiated in advance how many episodes they would be willing to appear in. Isn't just too contrived for Gene to switch to the ladies team and then throw himself on his sword? And Big Pussy? What the hell was that "look at me, I'm a rat!" double episode crap? All that cliché mafia banter- COME ON! The big names voted off just happened to already have received money for their charity and got a custom tailored exit. Hmm... This is not reality but staged drama! Mark Burnett's other show, "Survivor" also raised questions for me when Johnny Fairplay stages his departure when he clearly had just a short time before his child is to be born.Yuk!$LABEL$ 0 +That was one of the lines in a trailer about this film and for once the publicists did not exaggerate. All six of the featured players here are on the screen 99% of the time, so they have to be good.It's always fascinating how certain plot premises can be worked for either highballing comedy to a deadly serious situation. Mary Boland of the ditzy and Charlie Ruggles of the henpecked play their usual characters who are planning to motor all the way to California. To share expenses they advertise for someone to share the ride. They get Burns and Allen and a monster of a dog. That same premise was a deadly serious one several generations later in Kalifornia.Of course if you're traveling with Gracie Allen you know you're going to be going absolutely nuts trying to figure her Monty Pythonesque reasoning about the whole world. And if that ain't enough you get to run into W.C. Fields, part time sheriff and full time pool hustler who's living in sin with Alison Skipworth. But back then we didn't delve into such things.A real classic comedy from the thirties, not to be missed.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a hit in the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film festival in Austin last year, and features a fine cast headed up by E.R.'s Gloria Reuben, and a scenery-chewing John Glover. Though shot on a small budget in NYC, the film looks and sounds fabulous, and takes us on a behind the scenes whirl through the rehearsal and mounting of what actors call "The Scottish Play," as a reference to the word "Macbeth" is thought to bring on the play's ancient curse. The acting company exhibits all the emotions of the play itself, lust, jealousy, rage, suspicion, and a bit of fun as well. The games begin when an accomplished actor is replaced (in the lead role) by a well-known "pretty face" from the TV soap opera scene in order to draw bigger crowds. The green-eyed monster takes over from there, and the drama unfolds nicely. Fine soundtrack, and good performances all around. The DVD includes director's commentary and some deleted scenes as well.$LABEL$ 1 +People may say I am harsh but I can't help it. The movie is so bad I was absolutely stunned. The first movie was bad enough if you ask me. It was greatly exaggerated and silly but this one, despite the creepy scenes, has a seriously ass-stupid story. They actually went deep into investigating Kayako's past and found out that she had a mother (Who miraculously speaks English) who was an exorcist and "fed" evil spirits to her daughter. Stupid? Yeap. OK, it started out with Kayako who was an ordinary housewife who had an affair with some bloke and got herself dead. This part is still OK. Because of this moment of rage, she became a vengeful spirit who kills anyone who enters her house. Acceotable. Now, her killings began to stretch a little where she actually had the opportunity to travel throughout Tokyo just to finish her victims. (Her victims were travelling, weren't they?) This struck me hard. Now if a ghost could actually do such a thing like travelling throughout a country without paying public transport fares, I wouldn't mind being. Ask someone to come kill me then *snorts*. And to crown things all up, the ghost who was once depicted as a very vengeful one (In Ju-on: The Grudge, which was way better than this trash) is now depicted as some spectre who truly enjoys herself and felt that it is her mission to finish of people. Things became worse (For me, the viewer) when the ghost became coming in forms of large strands of hair. I mean, ??? If a ghost had such power, I seriously dun mind being one. I never really liked movies depicting ghosts as MONSTERS cause they're not. The overall results is just plain bad. Like The Grudge 2. With a better storyline and less exaggeration, this show would have been better$LABEL$ 0 +Man, the '90's really were an horrible decade for movies. The movies are lacking in a good style and also the storytelling is often lacking.This 6th entry into the long running Halloween-series is certainly a bad one. You just never really get into the story because it isn't a very well constructed and build-up movie.It's simply a poorly done film, that also suffers from its imagine-less writing and non-compelling characters that are in it. Dr. Loomis seems to be in it just for the sake of being in it. It's a real shame that this had to be Donald Pleasence last film-role. It's nice and also sort of suiting that his last role is in an Halloween movie but he definitely deserved to be in a better one.There is never a sense of real danger in the movie and the character of Michael Myers just never comes across as threatening or scary. Perhaps it's because he's featured too prominently throughout the movie, from pretty early on already. He does his usual stuff again but without too much class or originality. Also the attempts to uncover Myer's past don't really work out, for the main reason that it just doesn't get explained very well. It's obvious that the script went through various re-writes before- and also very possibly during filming. Several scenes even got re-shot or added after the first cut turned out to be far from pleasing. The movie more often looks and feels like a made for TV one. This is also due to the lack of some real good gore. As an horror movie it really is lacking in basically everything to make this a good or even original one to watch.So far the worst out of the series!3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this series in 1999 in London TV and was blown away. Like another user commented - This is what i would have liked to see when i first watched "Jurassic Park" - Life and death of Dinosaurs in their natural habitat as a documentary. The CG are very lifelike, and the diversity of dinosaurs and habitats shown makes it also very educational.The series takes everything factually known about dinosaurs, adds a lot of good ideas on "what it could have been" to make up what then looks like a documentary series. What i missed was some small bar-graph constantly in one corner of the screen, moving between "fiction" and "fact" along with the narration and the pictures, because you often wonder how much is educated guessing, and how much is pure fantasy.To some clues on facts & fiction, you have to see the 50 minute "Making Of", which is not only very educational about the CG process and collecting and including the paleontologists knowledge into the series, but which also is very funny (Dinosaurs smoking cigarettes and complaining about CG animators).I highly recommend to watch this series before going into the upcoming Disney Dinosaur movie or watching any Jurassic Park (like) movie again. It will surely make you much more critical towards those movies. The Disney Trailers looked especially bad.$LABEL$ 1 +On the way home from a day at the beach, four young people seek shelter from a torrential downpour at the home of Lord and Lady Alexander after their car runs out of gas. They don't know it, but the house they're staying in is to be the site of a Satanic ritual. Jane (Camille Keaton), the only female of the group, is to be sacrificed. As her male companions rush to her aid, one of them accidentally kills Lady Alexander. Things really get out of hand and everyone else attending the black mass is also killed. The four try to make an escape, but soon discover there's no escape from what they've witnessed. One by one, they meet their fates.Gong into Tragic Ceremony, I was positive I would enjoy it. Slow-burn Gothic horror is right up my alley. I'm also quite fond of some of Riccardo Freda's other movies like The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, The Ghost, and I Vampiri. Tragic Ceremony seemed to be a sure thing. Unfortunately, things don't always work out the way they should. The biggest tragedy with respect to Tragic Ceremony is the time I spent watching this mess of a movie. With a few minor exceptions, nothing about the film appealed to me or worked for me. The characters are unlikeable, the plot is incoherent and schizophrenic, and the pacing is terrible. There's a subplot about some cursed pearls that goes nowhere and only serves to confuse things even further. In addition, nothing interesting happens for most of the movie. By the time the four leads realize they're in danger, I was well past the point of caring. And I don't understand the reviews I've read that praise the acting of Camille Keaton. I suppose it's a terrific performance if you consider an emotionless daze to be acting. The three male leads are the very definition of nondescript. They do nothing to stand out. The supporting cast includes some genre favorites like Luigi Pistilli, Luciana Paluzzi, and Paul Muller, but none is given anything to do. In fact Muller's main contribution is a two minute long monologue at the end of the movie that attempts to explain what happened in the previous 80 or so minutes. It's a weak attempt to provide a wrap-up to a very weak movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I heard legends about this "film" (quotes used so as not to insult films) for a while, so when I finally got the DVD with it, I impatiently started watching it. By the end, I *had* to fast forward through just a few of the most moronic, ineptly made, nonsensical scenes of this pointless childish mess to make it end quicker.This may be the worst film I've even "touched" - and I used to be associated with Troma for a while. "Manson Family" makes the bottom of Troma's entries look like daring and groundbreaking art-house filmwork. I could go on and talk about the syphilitic skeleton of a "plot" it has, the revoltingly bad "acting", the painful, inept "directing", the sets and props with their "dollar ninety nine" look (I especially "loved" the plastic toy guns used in the Tate murder scene!) or the nauseating look and feel of this whole bag of garbage (I think it was supposed to represent a drug-induced hallucination; I have absolutely no idea how a drug-induced hallucination looks or feels, nor do I want to find out - but I guess drug junkies with burned out "brains" will love this "film" (they seem to be the ones who made it) I've seen many films from various "Worst 50" lists, traditionally opened by Eddie Wood's ones - and Eddie Wood would be appalled by the sheer ineptitude and talentless of van Webber (or whatever his name is; I certainly don't want to remember it) I've never seen "Superbabies" or its sequel, but I strongly wish that "Manson" joined them on IMDb's rating. Fortunately, this obscure garbage probably won't be seen by enough viewers to warrant it sufficiently many "1" votes - and so much the better!$LABEL$ 0 +I checked this out for free at the library, and I still feel ripped off. Yes, Sandra Bullock is actually in it, but only in five scenes totaling up to barely 5 minutes, and even those are fairly painful to watch. The rest of the movie is so bad that you'll spend most of the time hoping it will end soon, but only if you're one of those people who have to finish a movie once they start it. Everyone else will just turn it off. Don't worry, you aren't going to miss anything. Bullock's lines (assuming that you were tricked into watching this because her name is plastered on the case) are essentially just parroting of other characters lines, like this dialog:Lisa (Bullock) - "Danny, please tell me what is going on."Danny - "I don't know." Lisa - "Whaddaya mean you don't know?" Danny - "I don't know - it's something to do with my Dad." Lisa - "Whaddaya mean your Dad?" Danny - "I don't know - he ****ed up or something." Lisa - "Why am I here?" Danny - "I'm sorry Lisa. I don't know." (moments later) Danny - "Some army buddies of my Dad . . . " Lisa - "Whaddaya mean army buddies?"See what I mean? Bottom line - Just say no.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sick of people whining about Ewoks! True, they're not the best thing that ever happened to Star Wars, but they DID happen, so deal with it! Besides, they ARE cute, and I don't care if they're marketable. Yubb Nubb!This movie always leaves me in tears. It's perfect. The end could not be better. I'm excited for The Phantom Menace because it will suddenly throw the focus of the whole story from Luke to Anakin. I love how he is revealed at the end - it would be too unresolved any other way. So those of you who are complaining that Vader's helmet was removed, take a moment to think about it. It's very effective. Vader, the man who hid behind a mask for 20 years, is finally revealed as a sick-looking man. He is not entirely machine - he's vulnerable.I don't know how the casting director happened to pick such good actors in A New Hope. They all do so well. They are believable characters. Hamill does an excellent job with his dramatic character development. Fisher does a fine job being a female role model (I mean, come on! She killed Jabba even when so many others had failed!). Harrison Ford - need I say more?The music is once again brilliant. It's so very touching and significant when you can pick out character themes at different parts of the movie. The best climax is when Luke shouts "NOOO!" and jumps out to fight his father in the Final Battle. John Williams is nothing short of a genius! What an amazing man!Already, the movie has so much more meaning for me because of Episode I. I can't wait to finally see it in the theatres (CAN I WAIT???) and then watch the original trilogy yet again.Bravo!$LABEL$ 1 +I really like Traci Lords. She may not be the greatest actress in the world but she's rather good in this. She play the dowdy, conservative, reporter to a 'T'. It's a great little thriller which keeps you guessing for a good while. Jeff Fahey is also good as Traci's boss. I think given a decent break Traci could be a top actress. She's certainly no worse than some of today's leading ladies.$LABEL$ 1 +Low budget horror movie. If you don't raise your expectations too high, you'll probably enjoy this little flick. Beginning and end are pretty good, middle drags at times and seems to go nowhere for long periods as we watch the goings on of the insane that add atmosphere but do not advance the plot. Quite a bit of gore. I enjoyed Bill McGhee's performance which he made quite believable for such a low budget picture, he managed to carry the movie at times when nothing much seemed to be happening. Nurse Charlotte Beale, played by Jesse Lee, played her character well so be prepared to want to slap her toward the end! She makes some really stupid mistakes but then, that's what makes these low budget movies so good! I would have been out of that place and five states away long before she even considered that it might be a good idea to leave! If you enjoy this movie, try Committed from 1988 which is basically a rip off of this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I was really horrified by this eerie movie. What an unusual dark atmosphere. And such a creepy musical score. Really promising! Indeed, after ten minutes you really start sweating, and feeling uncomfortable, for you start fearing the worst. This movie has the atmosphere of a true nightmare, and what's worse-it all comes out. For one hour and a half I have been trying to fight complete boredom and falling asleep, but the monstrous soundtrack kept me awake. Nuit Noire is a truly horrifying picture - for your eyes, your ears, your intelligence, and most of all: your wallet, since the thought of spending precious money on a movie ticket for this cheap amateuristic homevideo is the biggest horror of all.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a truly bad film. The character "Cole" played by Michael Moriarty was the biggest reason this flopped, the actor felt that conjuring up an unbelievably awkward southern drawl would make this character more evil, it didn't. After about 20 minutes I had wished for a speech therapist to make an appearance, this would have added some sincerity.- 1) badly acted - 2) unsympathetic characters - 3) razor thin plot lineYuck!$LABEL$ 0 +TANDEM is an odd slice in the Japanese pink genre-as it has the requisite sex-scenes and misogynistic tone that is all but required for these types of films-but also throws in a disjointed drama/dark-comedy storyline that seems like it'd have been better suited for a different type of film. The film starts with two lone guys at a restaurant-each daydreaming about a previous sexual encounter. One is a mutual subway groping, the other a pretty typical (for this type of film) semi-rape scenario. The two pervs meet and start talking after one lends the other a cigarette. They hang out for an evening and talk a bit about their respective sex- lives. The film is inter-cut with flashback scenes of both of the men's interactions with the women that are central in their lives. The two men have a falling out and the film ends on a weird but predictable note... I really don't know what to make of TANDEM. It sorta comes off as a soft-core, 'odd couple' type of anti-buddy-film, but doesn't really explore the subject-matter to any satisfying degree. There's also not much of the typical extreme sleaziness often so prevalent in these types of films-so I can't really figure out what the point was. I also cant quite tell if the film was supposed to be funny, depressing, or both.  I think that TANDEM could have had some potential as a more serious drama film with a dark-comedy edge- but as a soft-core sex film that tries to be too 'smart' for its own good-it just doesn't work.   Can't say I hated this one-but can't say there's anything notable about it either. 4/10 $LABEL$ 0 +I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and was very impressed. Tess Nanavati is clearly a great screenwriter and I would love to see more of her films. If she could do what she did with the budget of this film, I'm very anxious to see what she can do with a major picture. Kudos to the cast for their terrific performances (that little girl was gold), and to whoever composed the music. The warped "Row Your Boat" blew me away. Very creative film all around....I really hope to see it come out on video or DVD because I'd buy it in a second. If you get the chance, you should definitely see this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, let's start off by saying this film is not an exact rendition of the crimes and legal pursuit of Andrei Chikatilo. While it may have been "official policy" in the Politburo that the USSR had no serial killers, in actuality the legal system had handled others, and "Killer X" (as he was actually called) was already being sought when Fetisov brought Burakov onto the case. In fact, as soon as it was realized they had multiple murders on their hands, the authorities assigned a task force of dozens of officers to track down and end the killing spree of a man that did not fit into what is perceived as normal serial killer parameters. It's good the director and writers consistently remind the viewer that the story is only "based upon actual events," for a docudrama this ain't.***SPOILERS FOLLOW****That said, this is a damn good example of a fast-paced Hollywood-style thriller that still gets across the basics of what happened. It is easy to follow and has just enough truth behind its version of events to make for compelling viewing. Yes, Chikatilo raped and murdered both children and adults, both male and female. Yes, shoddy lab-work set him free to continue killing for years. Yes, innocent men were accused of the murders and "confessed" to their crimes at police urging. Yes, the gay community was harassed while the crimes were being committed (albeit with Burakov's committed assistance). And yes, Chikatilo was brought to confession not by the haranguing of the special prosecutor, Gorbunov, but by the gentle understanding of a psychiatrist named Bukhanovsky (though Gorbunov was really nowhere near the egotistical martinet portrayed in this film). Quibbles about truth and veracity aside, all of these events are dramatized in a manner that consistently tightens the tension and fear.It doesn't hurt that director and co-writer Chris Gerolmo has a pitch perfect cast. Stephen Rea's growing emotional involvement in the killings and developing expertise in detecting clues, Donald Sutherland's snarky manipulation of the Soviet party hacks and subtle spine that becomes evident when it is needed, Jeffrey DeMunn's seething undercurrent of rage hidden by a fear-filled demeanor, Max Von Sydow's boyish excitement at being part of a criminal investigation all enhance the sharp dialog and crisp editing in ways that cannot be underestimated.Taken for what it is, "Citizen X" is almost pitch perfect (the "almost" due to one moment of self-congratulation at the end that just does NOT fit). Highly recommended as fiction well-told, not fact being presented...but considering the junky "serial killer" movies that Hollywood usually spits out, that's good enough for me.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very curious about Anatomy (aka Anatomie) and if I was going to see it, I was going to have to buy it since no video stores in my area carried the film. Since it was not a low-priced DVD, I did take a chance and thought I'd take a peek at other comments on IMDb. Many of the comments didn't give me enough hope of forking out lots of bucks for a film I had never seen nor had any clues about. I basically got the idea it was a sexy youth-oriented romp being compared to many cookie-cutter teen thrillers. Well, something in the back of my mind told me to ignore those types of comments and buy it! I did, and was I pleasantly surprised!If it is going to be compared to any other films, I would say it's a variation of Coma and Extreme Measures. I couldn't see any comparison to films like Scream, Urban Legends, et al. Yes, the cast is young (that's because they're med students! At least they aren't the increasingly boring high school type characters), and yes, some are lusty (basically the character played by Anna Loos is, and it is handled quite tastefully in the German language version), but Anatomy is well constructed, there is a tense mood throughout, the sets are amazing, the makeup effects are a wow, and Franka Potente is very credible in her role. I found myself enjoying all of it despite a few gaping holes in the plot! The story of a student discovering a sort-of secret society doing autopsies on still-living patients is a rather creepy scenario and what happens to those patients afterwards is quite clever. Sure, you could ask why didn't she just GET OUT OF THAT TOWN? Okay, but then the film would be over within a half hour.This was the first effort from the German part of Columbia Pictures, and it's actually quite an impressive one. There was a bit of care in the production and to actually offer some genuine thrills is an accomplishment. It is a bit mature in mind, as it doesn't resort to constant opportunities for sexual encounters(a breast fest) or juvenile drug jokes. Anna Loos' character, while often making sexual remarks and looking for some fun, was actually a nice touch--having a character that was a woman more intelligent than any of the men in the school. She found that sex was really just a distraction for her and the men rather lacking.THE IMPORTANT STUFF: Watching this film in the original German language with English or French subtitles is the BEST way to enjoy it. I saw the theatrical trailers dubbed in English and was disgusted by the change it made in the film's tone. I have never seen a properly dubbed film in my life--they never can find voices that suit the film's actors or characters. Sure enough, I tried to watch some of Anatomy dubbed in English and the intelligence level of it dropped severely, making it seem more like a comedy. A good example is when one guy was freaked out at being cut open and screamed to be sewn back up--hearing it in German he sounded frantic, but dubbed in English he sounded like a comedian. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing people say they can't handle reading subtitles or watch a "letterboxed" film. Anatomy comes off as silly with dubbed voices that seem octaves too high for any of the people you see in the film, and Anna Loos' sexual comments then just sound like awful remarks right out of Fast Times At Ridgemont High. I wonder if the negative comments about Anatomy are from people who watched it dubbed, it just doesn't seem like the same film at all! This is not a cheap horror film and deserves to be viewed as it was created. Interesting to note that some of the English subtitles are different in scenes in the feature and the "making of" supplement.As it turns out, I gambled and won with Anatomy. It's a competent thriller with likeable characters and doesn't try to go for cheap thrills.$LABEL$ 1 +John Leguizamo is a great comedian and storyteller. Every time this has been on HBO I've had to stop and watch it. John tells the story of how he grew up (probably some fact and fiction) and adds hilarious stories in the midst. If you like John's comedy I would have to say this is probably his comedy at his best.$LABEL$ 1 +By 1945, and after a string of solid WWII propaganda pieces, Errol Flynn’s hold over U.S. box office had started to decline so, in spite of the increased burden of waning looks, he embarked on a series of films pertaining to that genre which had earlier made his name: the swashbuckler. The first of these was a good one actually – ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) – but it also proved to be his last big-budget Hollywood starring vehicle. The rest of his sword-wielding days were spent wandering all over Europe: in England for KIM (1950), THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE (1953) and THE DARK AVENGER (1955), in France for ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN FABIAN (1951) and Italy for the aborted THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL (1953) and the little-seen CROSSED SWORDS (1954). However, Hollywood did beckon him one last time to his old seafaring ways – albeit for a modestly-budgeted Universal picture rather than a Warner Brothers ‘A’ production to which he had been accustomed when at his peak… Still, the glorious Technicolor cinematography leaps off the screen here and, while an older and flabbier Flynn may look like the pale shadow of his former self, his red-headed leading lady Maureen O’Hara has a field day as a tomboyish buccaneer leader who deep down craves romance and wants to be treated like a lady. Anthony Quinn was still a few years away from his larger-than-life starring vehicles, so here he is typically seen as the baddie – the pirate captain Roc Brasiliano, a role he attacks with gusto. Like THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954) – a viewing of which preceded this one – AGAINST ALL FLAGS takes me back to my cherished childhood days of constant TV viewing when vintage Hollywood movies were the order of the day on both the local and neighboring Italian channels.For all I know, this might well have been the very first pirate movie I’ve ever seen and I cringe at the thought of today’s generation of youngsters supposedly believing that the grossly overblown PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy is what buccaneering is all about! As I said earlier, AGAINST ALL FLAGS might not be the finest pirate yarn ever brought to the screen but it’s a solid example of this prolific genre all the same. Nowadays, the amorous persistence of the child-like Indian princess (Alice Kelley) towards her pirate captor Flynn may strike one as being awfully silly but the rest of it – despite clearly not scaling the heights of THE SEA HAWK (1940) and THE BLACK SWAN (1942), to mention the finest seafaring ventures of its respective stars – is briskly paced and reasonably engaging. Incidentally, the film would later go on to be remade as THE KING’S PIRATE (1967) with Doug McClure! For what it’s worth, the unprecedented box office success of that unappetizing modern franchise is most probably what induced reluctant movie studios to dust off their catalogue swashbuckling titles and release them on DVD and, as a matter of fact, AGAINST ALL FLAGS itself was the one gem in a poorly-thought out “Pirates Of The Golden Age Movie Collection” set from Universal which also consisted of obscure dross like BUCCANEER’S GIRL (1950; with Yvonne De Carlo), DOULE CROSSBONES (1951; with Donald O’Connor) and YANKEE BUCCANEER (1952; with Jeff Chandler)! Value for money, perhaps but, so far, I have only acquired the Errol Flynn flick from other sources; even so, if the mood strikes me in future, I might wish to lay my hands on similar marine adventures like Edward Dmytyk’s MUTINY (1952), the afore-mentioned YANKEE BUCCANEER and PIRATES OF TORTUGA (1961).$LABEL$ 1 +I really wanted to like this movie. I absolutely love kenny hotz, and spenny rice has a charming side to him. Not that I like spenny at all. Spenny ruins this movie. He should of let kenny and his hot girlfriend pitch the movie.Anyways, it's pretty boring aside from a scene with Roger Ebert in it. There really isn't too many celebrities in this movie, and most don't seem to say more than one line. Overall this movie was disappointing. I would only suggest watching it if you got it with the season 1 DVD of kenny vs spenny (it comes for free on the 3rd disc). Regardless of this production, I am still very excited to check out The Papel Chase.$LABEL$ 0 +Acting 10, Script 1. "Hurlyburly" is from that unfortunate postmodern school of theatre that has declared anything resembling a story or plot is forbidden. While people may get away with this on stage, on film it becomes deadly -- or at least deadly dull. We're left with a bunch of great actors spouting dialogue that, while brilliantly written, adds up to nothing. Even worse, every character speaks with the same voice despite their backgrounds. The only attempt to differentiate is to have teen-waif Anna Paquin use the word "ain't."Never mind that the characters are unsympathetic losers to the extreme, the camera work is plain sloppy and (for LA residents) the attention to geography is laughable. (Hint: the view out Sean Penn's front window is about eight miles away from the view out his back window, and you can't drive south through Hollywood and wind up in Glendale pretending to be Burbank.) Okay, suspension of disbelief and all that -- and normally I wouldn't pay attention to little things like that, because they are just vagaries of production. But, the fact that they did stick out so much despite the thespian pyrotechnics on screen says a lot about the weakest element of this enterprise -- the script.In short, skip this one, even on video. Rabe picked the wrong quote from the Scottish Play for his title; Hurlyburly would have been better named "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." A bit long for the marquee, perhaps -- but at least it would be honest advertising.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie accurately portrays the struggle life was for the typical East German. Watched by the secret police, friends and coworkers, most easterners simply existed.The Strelzyk's and the Wetzel's were two families that decided they weren't going to take it anymore. Despite the extreme danger involved in escaping to the West, they feel the rewards far outweighed the risks. John Hurt and Beau Bridges, portraying the respective family heads hit upon the idea of flying over East Germany's heavily fortified border. There are tense moments as they gather and jimmy-rig the necessary materials for the flight. They work their day jobs and construct the balloon at night, right under the noses of the authorities, one of whom is Strelzyk's neighbor (Klaus Loewitsch). The first attempt, involving only the Strelzyks, ends in failure when the balloon crashes just a few yards from the border. The crashed balloon is discovered by border guards and an relentless search begins for the conspirators who are determined to try again. With sales of materials being closely monitored Peter and Guenter still manage to procure bits and pieces of cloth with which to construct a second balloon for their nail biting escape to freedom. The film also features a heartwarming and effective soundtrack by the late Jerry Goldsmith.$LABEL$ 1 +It seems that Dee Snyder ran out of ideas halfway through the script. The second half of the movie is basically just a rehash of the first, which makes the film very boring. To sum up: Cop's daughter is suckered into party via chatroom where she is sexually molested/tortured by psychopath (played by Snider). Cop rescues her, psychopath is put in therapy/jail. Psychopath is released four years later and the whole thing is played out AGAIN. Within all this are many unexplained plot elements: Why was "Captain Howdy" psycho in the first place? What's with the one-time personality detour to bible-thumper? How does he kidnap all the adults and manage to sew their mouths shut without a struggle? And perhaps the biggest unsolved mystery of all... how does a 6'2" man with pink hair hide himself completely behind a 5'6" average build woman? These are just some of the questions I had watching this film.It seems that Snyder was trying to make some kind of commentary on a) the "dangers" of online chatrooms, b) the hypocrisy of Christian sexual mores, and c) the effect our twisted puritanical society has on us as individuals. If that is so, he failed. The movie is just too poorly done to entertain, never mind convey social messages. The torture scenes are stupid and boring, bordering on silly (especially when Snyder goes into one of his "pain and death" monologues), and everything else is just plain dumb. The "call tracing" scene is really lame... when are the cops gonna get caller ID and *69? The young partner of the main cop character is particularly awful... he shouldn't be working as an actor, basically. And the audio in the final showdown scene is really poor. I guess they couldn't afford two boom mikes?The rest of the acting is not awful but it's not good either. The cop is pretty one note, and his detached quality is not quite believable. Dee Snyder is actually not too bad, but he snarls and sneers way too much. Robert Englund (who deserves way better) puts in a somewhat amusing performance of a hypocritical redneck. If you're a big Robert Englund fan the movie is probably worth seeing just for him. Everyone else is forgettable.In conclusion, we've seen all these plot elements done before and done better, in films like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HELLRAISER, and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I suggest you rent one of those instead of watching this turkey. 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Phantom of the Mall is a film that fits best in the "easily forgotten" category. It's a pretty lousy variant on the famous story by Gaston Leroux, the Phantom of the Opera. Not a bad idea to itself, but the plot and production of this movie are way to weak to bring a decent homage to that story. On the bright side, Gaston Leroux doesn't has to turn over in his grave just yet. It could have been a lot worse. Phantom of the Mall has too many useless flashbacks in it and way too many boring sequences to make it memorable. Also, the scriptwriters wanted to give too much draught to the story than necessary. And even though there's a lot of mystery getting build up about the character of Eric ... the basic plot is ordinary and déjà-vu. ***SPOILERS*** It's about a young couple that brutally gets torn apart because the boy gets killed in a fire. That fire was set to his house because he and his parents refused to sell their home in order to make room for a huge mall to be build. The boy survived the fire and he has hidden himself in the mall to avenge himself. Meanwhile he guards his girl who now works in the mall and tries to forget her loss ****END SPOILERS*** This pretty simple - but rather effective - plot gets thickened by lots of pointless elements and annoying conspiracy theories. While it should just be an entertaining horror movie, it desperately tries to be an intelligent thriller...and that's not what the fans look for. There are a few innovative killings but they're not satisfying enough for people who want to see a relaxing horror movie. And besides, Phantom of the Mall could have used at least a bit of humor!! This entire production - the cast included - takes itself way too serious. I'll try to finish with a few positive aspects...Like for example, it stars Ken Foree !! Die-hard horror fans will certainly recognize him as Peter for Dawn of the Dead! That's like the horror milestone that yet has to find an equal. Even though his role in this movie is limited and even completely unnecessary...it was good to see him again. TV-movie fans will also recognize Morgan Fairchild as the mayor, she's a fine actress and an elegant lady. Pauly Shore is also in this but I can't stand him...so my opinion about him may be a bit biased. And finally, a bit of praise for the leading actress named Kari Whitman. She's an extremely beautiful girl and she does have a bit of talent...too bad she never made it to the top. Actually, this movie is her biggest achievement and that says enough about her career...$LABEL$ 0 +Makes the fourth theatrical release (the one National Lampoon took its name OFF of) look like a comedy classic. A complete mistake and a sad attempt to capitalize on a once-proud franchise. Painfully unfunny and unwatchable...even for a TV movie! The Cousin Eddie character has become progressively less amusing, from the original Vacation when it was fresh and unique, through Christmas Vacation when it was starting to wear a bit thin, to Vegas Vacation where it was actually annoying to see come on-screen (but, in fairness, there were a LOT of things that were annoying to see come on-screen in that movie!). But this attempt to move the character up to lead status is unfortunate to say the least. The Vacation movies themselves met an ugly death in Las Vegas, and this hope at reviving even the thinnest thread of the series for television was thoroughly misguided. Chevy Chase and company put together a great trilogy back when he was in his prime; now let's just pull the plug and let the title rest in peace. (One tiny note of interest: The original Audrey Griswold--Dana Barron, the first of four actresses to play the part, including Juliette Lewis--returns to the role 20 years later! One is left only to wonder...WHY?)$LABEL$ 0 +Monstrous mother-son-duo (Alice Krige and Brian Krause) sucks life-force of virgins, and their newest target is pretty but lonely Tanya (Madchen Amick). However, these monsters are allergic to cat's scratches... I have never been fan of sleazy, overrated bestsellerists like King, Koontz or Barker, but this B-movie, written by Mr Dung himself, is actually not near as bad than it could be. Yes, it is sometimes jaw-droppingly atrocious, but there is actually some surprisingly impressive touches: good old-fashioned graveyard, eerie soundtrack and candlelit-Gothic-house-scene, mirror showing the monstrous form of the villains, etc. Of course, the film is polluted by Mr Dung's potty-mouthed dialogue and all-tactics-of-toilet-seat obsession to vilify fat people, leading to totally pointless subplot of rapist teacher, but there is roses among manure.$LABEL$ 1 +I was a 20 year old college student living with the folks when I first saw this, and I've never forgotten it. I'm a huge Joan Hackett fan, and this film was perfect for her remarkable talent. I'm so glad to see that so many other people have such a fond memory of seeing this. Naturally, it's not available on any media! It would be perfect to show on Lifetime, but because of its age, they won't. You never see anything there before the mid-eighties. I can still remember what made me watch it when it was first run: Rex Reed reviewed it in The New York Daily News, and he said that it was like a throwback to the great Hollywood films of the forties, and had it been made then, the Hackett and Grimes parts would have been played by Stanwyck and Crawford. Think about that! P.S. So sad that Joan Hackett left us so tragically young.$LABEL$ 1 +Just watched this and it was amazing. Was in serious doubt about renting the DVD or not. So if you are...and like watching other than brainless action-movies...don't hesitate any longer. Don't let the dull cover put you off. The script is one of the best ever. Inteligent, funny, original, touching and keeps you at the edge of the seat through the whole movie. I had already watched another movie right before this one and was really sleepy, and usually I get bored on watching a second movie in one night, but this one really made me wake up and didn't have any boring moments. It also made me rethink a lot of things in life and gave me a really good feeling.Also the acting is great (one of Kevin Spacey's best roles). The visuals are beautiful and the use of music is very well-chosen. If I have to come up with something negative to say about it....well....I can't really find anything......Enjoy! 10 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +This is the one major problem with this film, along with a good deal of québecois' biggest movies: Done in a pretentious way by pretentious people.It's really sad, but "big shots" movie makers (driving Dodge Stratus...) from this province believes They Got the Thruth, They Know What the Little People Like.We're not a rich province, every time a big movie like this (30 millions?!!?) is made, it's cutting off a lot of others who won't see their movie made because of lack of governmental help. So it generates mediocrity; only movies from "friends of the family" are going to be made.I sound angry and I am. I went see Nouvelle-France expecting a journey in the lives of my ancestors, but i found myself stuck in a pool of inconsistencies: french accent (we gotta please our cousins, so f*** our québecois' language)and lack of historical research is only a few. Add a campy love story and the same music score playing again and again and dumb québecois' viewer is gonna open up and ask for more. I'm glad this pretentious piece of s*** didn't do as planned by the Dodge stratus Big Shots... It's gonna help movie makers who aren't in the very restrained "movie business" of Québec.Rent Cruising Bar instead and have a real good time.PS: I'll never forgive them for ruining such an awesome title.$LABEL$ 0 +This Film is the One which you fall in love with. Alfred Hitchcock shall always remain over the top of any directors of his time. The most influential aspects about his films are sheer Simplicity & Gripping Drama. The another best thing about Hitchcock's films is a Definite & Gripping End.Any thing said about "The Man who knew too much" is less. The Cinematography, Acting, Dialogs & Camera Works are magnificent in this Movie. The Song "Que Sera Sera" at the end shall remain in our memories for life time. The film is so enjoyable from start to end that we never know when it ends. Rarely would Hitchcock include humor in his films, this film has comic scenes which fits in to the movie. This film is absolutely brilliant & as good as Vertigo.$LABEL$ 1 +Hilarious film, I had a great time watching it. The star (Cuneyt Arkin, sometimes credited as Steve Arkin) is a popular actor from Turkey. He has played in lots of tough-guy roles, epic-sword films, and romances. It was fun to see him with an international cast and some real lousy looking pair of gloves. If I remember it was also dubbed in English which made things even more funnier. (kinda like seeing John Wayne speak Turkish).$LABEL$ 1 +This is by far the best stand-up routine I have ever seen. John Leguizamo's one man show tells the supposed story of his life in a barrage of lines and situations. By far better than any other comedy out there.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie changed my life! Hogan's performance was nothing short of incredible, and I still haven't recovered from his exclusion from the 1990 Oscar nominations. And as brightly as the Hulkster shines in this movie, you can't discount the brilliant writing and direction that vaults this masterpiece in to the highest strata of achievement in film. If you haven't seen this movie, drop what your doing right now and get yourself a copy. I guarantee it will blow your mind. And if you don't like it, then I just have one question for you.... Watcha gonna do when the 24 inch pythons and Hulkamania runs wild on you!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I read some comments on the internet about this film like "...harder then Hostel...", "the camera never screens of when it's getting really brutal...". But none of them is true. The camera never screens of, because there is nothing to screen of. The same scene is repeated hundred and hundred times again. Women lies on a table, killer rapes women a few times, killer cuts women into pieces (you never see this during the whole film!). Police come and arrested him. Killer fools the jury. Film over. In Germany we would say :"Viel Lärm um Nichts". All in all, one of the most boring films I ever see. Absolutely non-recommendable.$LABEL$ 0 +*Spoilers - sorry!* The first word that sprung to mind whilst watching the film is 'Gremlins'. It's the only critters movie I have seen from the four movies, but I enjoyed it. It wasn't too complicated as I hadn't seen the past two, but I thought it was quite a good movie all the same. Critters starts with a man, his son and daughter stopping off on the way to a vacation (although it turns out that they end up at their own home - which I have no idea what the hell went on) The girl meets up with a boy (played by Leo DiCaprio) and they go hang out in a nearby forest. They meet this weird guy who tells them to be careful and stuff because of the critters. He seems a bit psychotic and if I was in that situation, I would not speak to him. The critters steal a ride of the girl and boy's car and end up in their flat thing. They hide out in the basement and end up killing this lazy jerk. They then nearly kill this fat woman and the girl's dad. They are chased higher and higher up the flat until they hide in the attic. The critters eat stuff in the kitchen (Spoof of the gremlins kitchen scene???!) And I can't remember (not a good thing) but I'm sure they have to go back for something/someone. Anyway they end up getting out and saved. The psychotic guy comes back and before he kills the last two critters he is told he can't because they are endangered and so he sends them home.The ending was disappointing and I was annoyed that only the lazy guy died as there were quite a few annoying characters I would personally have killed off. It's a thrilling, exciting movie worth a watch. But, if you're looking for a better version of this genre I recommend the gremlins movies. Sorry!$LABEL$ 0 +This film is an excellent military movie. It may not be an excellent Hollywood Movie, but that does not matter. Hollywood has a reputation of sacrificing accuracy for good entertainment, but that is not the case with this movie. Other reviewers have found this movie to be too slow for their taste, but – as a retired Soldier – I appreciate the pace the movie crew deliberately took to tell their story as completely as possible given the two hours and nine minutes allotted. The story itself has been told and retold several times over, but it remains for a professional soldier – and an African American at that – to report on the story as presented by the movie crew, and as it presents the US Navy to the world. The story of Brashear's work to become a Navy Diver, and his life as a Navy Diver beyond his graduation, is not the only story that is presented. There I also the story of how Master Chief Petty Officer Sunday defied the illegal order of his Commanding Officer that Petty Officer 2nd Class Brashear not be passed in his test dive no matter how well he did, and paid the price of a loss of one Stripe and a change of assignment. It also told the true story how Brashear found the third Hydrogen Bombs lost in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain in the 1950's, and how he saved the life of another seaman who was in the line of the snapped running line that would have snapped him in two if Brashear had not shoved him out of the way and took the shot himself. This was a complex story that was worth telling, and I will admit that two hours and nine minutes was not enough to tell the full story, and I can tell from the deleted scenes on the DVD that the crew tried their best to tell a story as full as possible. As a professional soldier, I was proud to see such a great story told in such a comprehensive manner, and to see the traditions and honor of the navy preserved in such a natural and full manner.$LABEL$ 1 +I've always been a fan of Jackass, as well as Viva La Bam and Wildboyz. And when you're a fan of something, your expectations are high to whatever your "heroes" might star in. And if there's one thing I've learned about expecting a lot from the people you simply love to watch and listen to, it's never to expect to much, 'cause in 99 out of a 100 times, you'll get disappointed.Although, when I heard there was a Jackass 2 coming up, I thought "Not even I can turn down my expectations for this movie", and as a result of that I sat down today, ready to laugh, but also ready to say in the end "Well, it was OK, but I'm a little disappointed". How wrong was I! Every single member of the Jackass crew brings this movie way over the first one, showing you the one crazy ass stunt after the other, making the whole world see that there's nothing they wont do to try to harm themselves - and that's what we love! I cried my eyes out laughing from the first minute and till the very last second of the movie, at some times even shouted in laughter, not able to control myself! Stunt after stunt, prank after prank, and hilarious comments on the flow - it can simply not get any better than this! Amazing from start till end, guaranteed to make you laugh your ass off. I've got two things left to say; WATCH IT, and PLEASE God, let there be a Jackass 3 - these guys clearly has a lot to offer!$LABEL$ 1 +A lot of other reviewers here, including many whose opinions I respect, hold this slice of European sleaze horror in high regard. Personally, I didn't like it at all. Its an incoherent attempt at a atmospheric period cross between sex and violence. Jess Franco at his best makes these kinds of films very well. Unfortunately, the infamous exploitation filmmaker Joe D'Amato does not. D'Amato's most well known films are infamous for their high gross-out quotient. This, an early film by him, doesn't have the constant disgusting scenes that his more notorious "Anthropophagous" and "Beyond the Darkness" did. Ultimately, its an incoherent film that doesn't manage to involve the viewer in any way. Without the sleaze factor either, it becomes very boring. As I said, others have enjoyed this film, but I just found it to be a perfect example of incredibly lazy writing.There are a few pluses for the film. Ewa Aulin (from "Candy") is in it, and she looks pretty hot and is often naked. However, cult film icon Klaus Kinski is completely wasted in a subplot with no connection to the main film. He seems bored with the role and doesn't have the manic intensity he does at his finest. The music score is nice and there are some brief moments of unintentionally funny gore. Still, this is a pretentious and pointless film that manages to be incredibly boring. (3/10)$LABEL$ 0 +1 let's suspend belief for a moment and let's stop pretending we could, might or ought know "how it is" or "ought to be" there in space. Human knowledge in that area is probably primitive as say middle ages maps are compared to today's satellite maps, so we really have no clue. 2 considering this is "just" a BBC TV docu-simulation, it gets much better than many big budget Hollywood blockbusters, and that is just incredible. 3 all in all, a show worth watching as it portrays the CGI enhanced and fictionalized account of what we know of the solar system this far. 4 probably fictionalizing and CGI-ing the whole thing is the only way to make it palatable to a large public. Ever watched clips from REAL space missions and REAL space probes? The quality is generally average to poor and the comparison would be between looking at a chest x-ray (and what it tells about the human body ) and compare it with a CGI-ed cyborg movie...which one would be most entertaining? Yet the chest x-ray is real, while the cyborg flick is just fictionalized SFX. 5 actors do a good job. None i'll tell my grandchildren about, but very fair for it being a BBC docu-simulation.$LABEL$ 1 +THE SECRET OF KELLS may be the most exquisite film I have seen since THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE. Although stylistically very different, KELLS shares with TRIPLETS and (the jaw-dropping opening 2D sequence of) KUNG FU PANDA, incredible art direction, production design, background/layout and a richness in color that is a feast for one's senses. KELLS is so lavish -- almost Gothic in its layout (somewhat reminiscent of Klimt), wonderfully flat in general overall perspective, ornate in its Celtic & illuminated design, yet the characters are so simplistic and appealing -- AND it all works together beautifully. You fall in love with the characters from the moment you meet them. You are so drawn to every detail of the story and to every stroke of the pencil & brush. What Tomm, Nora, Ross, Paul and all at Cartoon Saloon (& their extended crews) have achieved with this small budget/VERY small crewed film, is absolutely astounding. The groundswell of support amongst our animation community is phenomenal. This film is breathtaking and the buzz amongst our colleagues in recommending this film is spreading like wildfire. Congratulations to KELLS on its many accolades, its Annie nomination as well as its current Oscar qualifying run. They are all very well-deserved nods, indeed...$LABEL$ 1 +The first time I saw this "film" I loved it. When I was 11, I was more interested in the music and dancing. As I've grown older, I've become more interested in the acting as well. While the first half is just a retrospective of Michael's career (from the Jackson 5 up to "Bad"), it was still entertaining to watch. The "Badder" sequence could've been left out, though the kids were pretty good. "Speed Demon" and "Leave Me Alone" were funny, especially when the police officer tells Michael, "I need your autograph right here", after stopping him for dancing in a no-dancing zone. But it's "Smooth Criminal" that's the icing on the cake. Joe Pesci did an excellent job as the toughie (and that hair was wild). The dancing is perfect, and so are the special effects. The only thing I could have done without was the spiders. Any fan of Michael's should see this, if you haven't already. I give it a 10+!$LABEL$ 1 +Below average movie with poor music considering a movie based on music??? Ordinary Script & Direction with full of blunders. Salman Khan was at his usual acting. Ajay's performance deteriorating with time as his looks,especially his styles as a Rock Star were pathetic. Asin was just a showpiece only. Overall I felt like wasting my money in cinema. Salman Khan remains as immature as 10 years ago compared to Aamir Khan. There were many songs in the movie all boring except "Man Ko Ati". The Most Important Song to impress the UK Music Sponsor was most unimpressive. "Khanabadosh" can be very easily understood by an English Music Sponsor. The other movie I saw last week was "Wake Up Sid" which was simple slow love story with good direction & acting despite average music$LABEL$ 0 +It sounded so promising in the Rental Store, the premise sounded great and I couldnt wait to get home and watch it. It was Apalling the Diologue is Dreadful, The Action is Extremely badly Scripted and the Plot takes a nosedive from the beginning. Gutenberg puts in a pathetic performance, Sean Bean tries his best but with a script this bad there wasnt much he could do.This isnt even worth watching, even if you can get it for free (borrow it off a friend for instance) Dont as you will regret it and waste 90 Minuites of your life.0/10$LABEL$ 0 +Batman Returns It is my opinion that the first Batman of the Batman series was only half the movie that Batman Returns is. In the first Batman by Tim Burton we had only Batman and The Joker both played wonderfully by Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.In Batman Returns we have what I feel is the most perfectly cast Batman movie (yes even better then Dark Knight). Keaton returns as Batman and is perfect in the role never going to far over top with the character of Batman, which is perfect in this film when it comes to the two villains that he's up against. First you have Danny DeVito who is delightfully insane as the Penguin. Then you have Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat-Woman, who I dare to say is one of the most interesting and complex villains in the Batman movies. I feel this way about Pfeiffer because of the way she becomes the Cat-Woman she starts off as the rather pathetic mousy Selena Kyle and then truly dives into the dark side of her mind and what you get is a brilliant performance of a woman who goes from trying to be a hero to a villain and then I suppose back to a hero in the end. Also in this amazing cast you have the evil businessman Max Schreck played by the amazing and legendary Christopher Walken. While in a supporting role there's something about this role that I love and maybe it's the look of Schreck in the film that makes his performance all the better then it already is.Story wise I have to say that Batman Returns has so much more going on this time around as opposed to the first Batman. Part of the reason I loved this story so much is the fact that Burton dared to go in a much more darker and twisted direction as opposed to Nicholson's over the top antics. You have the story on the Penguin and how he tries to deceive the people of Gotham into making him the new hero and mayor of the city. Then you have Cat-Woman and her struggle to decide just who she really is and what she should do with her new persona. When it comes to Batman I feel that in this one he's more the ring leader that holds the two stories together but of course kicking ass at the same time.Cinematography was the film is dark and atmospheric just like the story that's taking place within it. Gotham City never looked as good as it does on Blu-Ray and HD so if you have the chance to see it this way then by all means do because it truly adds to the overall experience of Batman Returns.So all in I truly feel that of all the Batman movies Batman Returns believe it or not tops the Dark Knight for me because while I enjoyed that movie for Heath Ledger's amazing performance as the Joker I felt that the movie was lacking something. Batman Returns lacks nothing, so if you want to see an amazing film with what I feel is a perfect cast then this is the Batman to light the Bat signal for.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this gem of a film at Cannes where it was part of the directors fortnight.Welcome to Collinwood is nothing short of superb. Great fun throughout, with all members of a strong cast acting their socks off. It's a sometimes laugh out loud comedy about a petty crook (Cosimo, played by Luis Guzman) who gets caught trying to steal a car and sent to prison. While in prison he meets a `lifer' who tells him of `the ultimate bellini' – which to you and me – is a sure-fire get rich quick scheme. It turns out that there is a way through from a deserted building into the towns jewellers shop – which could net millions. Sounds simple? – well throw in all kinds of wacky characters and incidents along the way and you have got the ingredients for a one wild ride!! – word passes from one low life loser to the next and soon a team of them are assembled to try and cash in on Cosimos `bellini' lead by failed boxer Pero (Superbly played by Sam Rockwell – surely a star in the making) and reluctant crook Riley (William H. Macy) who is forced to bring his baby along with him as his wife was locked up for fraud!!.Based on the Italian film I Soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna street) which also inspired a similar film to `Collinwood' – `Palookaville'. This knocks spots of the latter effort and although its written and directed by the Russo brothers it definitely has shades of the Coen Brothers about it. Produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney, who has a small yet hilarious part as a crippled safe breaker.$LABEL$ 1 +Although released among a flock of revenge-minded action flicks (KILL BILL VOL. 2; THE PUNISHER; WALKING TALL), MAN ON FIRE works as well as it does thanks in large part to the always-watchable Denzel Washington, one of the best actors around today.In MAN ON FIRE, based on A.J. Quinnell's 1980 novel (first filmed in 1987, with Scott Glenn), Washington plays a down-on-his-luck ex-mercenary who has now stooped to drinking from a flash of Jack Daniels, until his old partner (Christopher Walken) offers him a chance at redemption. He is hired on as a bodyguard to the 10 year-old daughter (Dakota Fanning) of a Mexican businessman (Marc Antony) and his American-born wife (Radha Mitchell). While he and Fanning work like oil and water first (not mixing very well), he really gets to form a bond with her, encouraging her to do better at swimming, while he at the same time attempts to deal with the demons of the past. It is that very bond that will force Washington back into his old line of work when Fanning is kidnapped and held for a $10 million ransom, and he is nearly killed. With almost any other stock action hero (Schwarzenneger; Segal, etc.), the subsequent bloodbath would be the same repetitive schlock we've seen a million times before. But Washington's character, though he's killing for a reason, does not particularly enjoy doing what he does. Still, he gets help from a very intrepid Mexican newspaper reporter (Rachel Ticotin) out to expose "La Hermanidad" (The Brotherhood), the kidnap gang responsible for Fanning's abduction.MAN ON FIRE is flawed to some extent because of the hyper camera work, nearly headache-inducing montage editing, and various film stocks that are par for the course of its director Tony Scott (TOP GUN; CRIMSON TIDE), but which are not necessarily unique to him (witness Oliver Stone's use of montage in JFK or Sam Peckinpah's in his classic 60s and 70s films). Still, Scott gets a very good performance from Washington, as well as Fanning, who comes across as far more than a typical movie-brat kid. Harry Gregson-Williams' south-of-the-border Spanish guitar score is enhanced by soundtrack splashes of Chopin, Debussy, and even Linda Ronstadt's classic 1977 country-rock version of "Blue Bayou." Although the film overall is quite violent, it is no worse than most action films of the last ten years, and overall it is much better than most.$LABEL$ 1 +Louis Gossett Jr returns to the well one more time as Chappy Sinclair who goes to Doug Masters (Played by Jason Cadieux who is in for Jason Gedrick who wisely declined) to teach a new band of recruits however this time they discover corrupt air force pilots who deal in toxic waste. This is a series that just keeps getting worse with each subsequent entry, this one however doesn't have any of the zip or even the action to make this even worth seeing on cable. Iron Eagle IV is directed with such indifference that the dogfights come off as if we were watching a playstation 2 game played by two lobotomized teenagers. It is horrendous to watch and Gossett Jr who has made his share of turkeys seems to have bottomed out here. And I saw Cover-Up, Firewalker, Aces:Iron Eagle III, Toy Soldiers and Jaws 3D. What is mysterious about Louis Gossett Jr is that he seems to be like Christopher Walken in his quest to do anything as long as he's working. As I look at his post Oscar win. Some of his better movies include Iron Eagle, The Punisher and The Principal. Considering that the latter two movies have him co-starring with Dolph Lundgren and James Belushi it is indeed something to say that three guilty pleasure action flicks are in the running for his better work. Of course Enemy Mine and Diggstown remain his best post-Oscar win work.* out of 4-(Bad)$LABEL$ 0 +Kenny Doughty as Jed Willis is sexier in this role than any male porn star, even though he keeps his pants on.The movie tore at my heart reminding me of the intensity of the big explosive love of my life. I don't think I can think of another movie, except perhaps Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet that captures that giddy joy that well.The other draw of the movie is the very English eccentric characters enjoying the scandal vicariously. In that sense it is much the same appeal as Midsomer Murder or a Miss Marple mystery, without the mayhem.This is a great antidote to the mock horror currently popular in the USA an any relationships between people of different ages.$LABEL$ 1 +Is this a stupid movie? You bet!! I could not find any moment in this film that was creepy or scary. Stupid moments? Plenty. Stupid characters? You bet. Bad effects? Everywhere! Rick Baker may have gone and done bigger and better things, this is not one of them. Oh well people gotta start somewhere. Dr. Ted Nelson is cheesed. He is the most whiny doctor I've ever seen. He's got a melting man running amok out in Ventura County somewhere, he's not overly happy that his wife is pregnant (probably cause she's 55 years old and weighs 90 lbs) and there's no crackers to be found anywhere. Plus he's got the not-too-helpful general on his hinder wanting to find astronaut Steve. And the local sheriff wants to know what's going on even though Mr. Nelson can't tell him anything. There also some random characters thrown in for good measure who encounter the melting man. Eventually the movie ends and out monster gets scooped into a trash can to become compost. In the end it's just what you need for a great MST episode.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best 3-D experience Disney has at their themeparks. This is certainly better than their original 1960's acid-trip film that was in it's place, is leagues better than "Honey I Shrunk The Audience" (and far more fun), barely squeaks by the MuppetVision 3-D movie at Disney-MGM and can even beat the original 3-D "Movie Experience" Captain EO. This film relives some of Disney's greatest musical hits from Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and others, and brought a smile to my face throughout the entire show. This is a totally kid-friendly movie too, unlike "Honey..." and has more effects than the spectacular "MuppetVision"$LABEL$ 1 +I remember a time when the only thing that did exist where clubs, drugs pubs and parties. This movie came out a couple of years after i started going clubbing. If i had never discovered the ravier side of things this movie may not have made sense to me. That night when i watched it for the 1st time, with some mates, i was completely blown away. I had never watched a movie that hit so close to the reality of where i was in my life at that time. Almost everything i could relate to in some way. There was never 1 character i could fully relate to but more a combination of all of them in one way or another. My mates where no different and i remember us all saying that they where us or we where them. We had all been out that weekend together doing exactly what the crew do in HT. We where coming down while we watched and when the movie "came down" i remember actually coming down a bit further. it was actually quite depressing in our room during those "low points". Thats what's so good about Human Traffic. it really taps the whole situation.its a unique movie in the way its not plot driven, but then its not completely character driven although the characters are important. it always seemed to be based on the situations. Situations as a group and as individuals. Each character is lost in life, for their own reasons. yet each of them responds to the lostness in the same way. work any job to make money to pay for the weekend and escape it all. for them its their holiday. But the reality is you cant truly escape. Another situation they all have to face.Me and my mates where no different from these guys. We all had our own stuff going on. Human traffic helped explain to us what we didn't understand about our selves. It does it in a way that doesn't talk down to you. It made us feel like we weren't the only ones out there like us and that the lessons learned where ones many others, from all over the world, had gone thru. it wasn't until my lifestyle changed from party popper to career driven that i would fully understand this movie. these days i watch HT, every now and then(as i just have), and reminisce the old days. No other movie can do this. I was peter popper, i was jip travolta, i went to never never land with my chosen family. i'd have $200 in my back burner and i wax the lot! No worries!$LABEL$ 1 +My kids picked this out at the video store...it's great to hear Liza as Dorothy cause she sounds just like her mom. But there are too many bad songs, and the animation is pretty crude compared to other cartoons of that time.$LABEL$ 0 +I absolutely loved this series, and was very sad to see it go. Yes, it's Christian based, and traditionally as well. It deals with some tough issues, as the other reviewer points out, but I guess it depends on your viewpoint on these matters, and as a teenager growing up and now as a mother myself, I was so happy to see a TV series that was clean and, well, quite frankly, wonderful! I, unlike the other reviewer, was heartened to see how they dealt with the condom deal. Instead of hearing the typical wishy washiness about condoms, they showed the son actually working at being chaste and applying it to his later relationships, which were pure and Godly because of it, and A lot safer because of it (100%!).After watching this entire series, you become extremely attached to all the characters in the family and outside the family (once they settle down more permanently), and the moral values they teach in each episode are just priceless. I found Touched by an Angel (made by the same producer) to be cheesy here and there (although overall I liked it), but this series, in my opinion, was a lot better made and had better acting and was more interesting as well. It was good for the entire family and was interesting for the entire family, which was a huge plus. The family wasn't outstanding, they had their own faults, but in the long run they did what was right and you saw them grow and change and struggle like any true family does. It was my favorite show at the time and will always be near the top of my list, I hope it comes out on DVD!$LABEL$ 1 +During a Kurt Weill celebration in Brooklyn, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? was finally unearthed for a screening. It is amazing that a motion picture, from any era, that has Weill-Gershwin collaborations can possibly be missing from the screens. The score stands tall, and a CD of the material, with Gershwin and Weill, only underscores its merits, which are considerable. Yes, the film has its problems, but the score is not one of them. Ratoff is not in his element as the director of this musical fantasy, and Fred MacMurray cannot quite grasp the material. Then, too, the 'modern' segment is weakly written. BUT the fantasy elements carry the film to a high mark, as does the work of the two delightful leading ladies - Joan Leslie and June Haver. Both have the charm that this kind of work desperately needs to work. As a World War II salute to our country's history - albeit in a 'never was' framework, the film has its place in Hollywood musical history and should be available for all to see and to find its considerable merits.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm just getting the chance to dig into past Austen films, and I picked this up because Persuasion is, has been, and always will be, my favorite work by Jane Austen, and Anne Elliot my favorite Austen heroine. So it was with great anticipation that I popped the disc into my player.I wasn't disappointed, either. I knew there were bound to be some draw-backs, so I'll state them, and try not to be too thick about them. Anne Elliot is the most introverted of Austen's characters; she is the least talkative and the least witty. There are passages in the book where Anne says nothing - only her feelings are described. This works fine in print, but how to successfully transfer this to the big screen? Short of doing thoughtful voice overs (which would grow tedious over four hours) you're left with a long succession of shots where the heroine says little or nothing, and must communicate all by her facial expression. This can leave the feeling that the film is slow, and lacking in purpose. If you need a more overt style of Austen, then certainly this film is not for you; but if subdued is more your style, and you tend to pick up on unspoken 'vibes', this will fulfill all expectations.Anne Firbank (as Anne Elliot), is, thankfully, an actress whose face can convey much. She looked as I had always imagined Anne Elliot would look: not a knockout - Anne wasn't supposed to be the elegant one of the family - nor in her first youth - which is also highlighted occasionally by the lighting and make-up. What you see is someone who is very like Austen's character: someone whose appearance you might pass over once; but hear her speak, and look more closely, and she grows more attractive the better you know her. This is Anne Elliot, as brought to life by Anne Firbank.Captain Wentworth's portrayal is ably handled by Bryan Marshall. The bitterness is never apparently obvious (save at the concert scene); and, yes, I found it hard to believe he wound find Louisa Musgrove interesting as she was shown. But that is another point of Austen's book: he did not find her interesting, he TRIED to find her interesting, and, ultimately, failed (sigh of relief). So this, too, fits with Austen's original story.I especially liked the portrayal of Lady Russell, who I thought in the book was not portrayed as TRULY bad; this also comes out in this adaptation.So this is one film which closely followed the book; I could write much more about how faithfully everything was reproduced, but I'd run out of space here. Charles Musgrove remained one of the most buoyant characters (good fun), Mary the most annoying (I was dying to have her just shut up - but I had that feeling when I read the book, too), captains and the admiral I thought charming.The cinematography I thought a trifle stiff. There was little or practically no fade from one screen to another - perhaps this is due to it being a TV movie. One scene - CHOP! - the next scene, the actors enter from right, proceed left, and - CHOP! - another scene, where the same thing happens. This was the only part of the movie which I felt cheated me a little. A Low Budget has to show itself somewhere, I suppose.And, as I said earlier, if you like some pace to go with Jane Austen, don't bother with this one, as you'll find it way too slow. I enjoyed it enormously, though, as it brought a wealth of detail (the sets were richly elegant!) to an excellent adaptation of my favorite Austen novel. I highly recommend it!$LABEL$ 1 +I grew up in Southern West Virginia; I'm about the same age as (or maybe a year older than) Homer Hickam, author of "The Rocket Boys," the book forming the true-story basis of this heart-warming film.And so I relate closely to the West Virginia coal-mining theme, and to the stunning effect Sputnik had at that time (October 4, 1957) on all of us. The Rocket Boys went on to make great lives for themselves. I went on to get my degrees in Physics and Computer Engineering. All because Sputnik woke up a lot of young people to the "Science Gap" the U.S.S.R. had on the U.S. in those Cold War days...This is a wonderful film for everyone, of all ages. But if you grew up in West Virginia in the late 1950's, it'll touch the core of your being.Everyone: Get it; watch it; recommend it to your friends... who'll thank you many times.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen a lot of stupid plotlines in my time, but this one is among the worst. After catching some disease in space, an astronaut comes back to Earth and starts melting. He then goes on a rampage, killing people (how is beyond me; I just watch them, I can't explain them.) This is the kind of movie that shouldn't have been made in the first place.$LABEL$ 0 +As I mentioned previously, John Carpenter's 1978 classic is one of the first two movies I can remember seeing and being heavily influenced by (the other being the classic Conan the Barbarian). It so truly scared me that the only monster under my bed was Michael Meyers, whom I eventually befriended (imaginary friend) to keep him from killing me in my sleep. Now that is terror for a 10 year old.It is a horror classic and I am sure my modest review will not do it the justice it deserves. The most surprising thing of all is that the movie still works, perhaps not in the guttural reaction but more of a cognitive possibility or immediate subconscious. This all could happen. It isn't in the realm of impossibility or located in a foreign country (as most modern horror is, i.e. Hostel, Touristas, Cry Wolf, Saw,etc). At times it is graphic while the rest is relegated to our imaginations. I believe it is this element that keeps people terrified or at the very least wary of going outside at night with the signature soundtrack still vivid in their head. It still works because we can substitute implied or tertiary killing with anything more terrifying that our mind can create. So we ourselves are contributing to our own fears and anxiety.Carpenter weaves a simple story about an everyday, middle class, suburban and relatively benign child who snaps on Halloween and kills his sister. He then spends the next 15 years in an institution (which we thankfully do not experience) only to escape and return to his hometown, the infamous Haddonfield. On his way he kills and kills. The child's name is Michael Meyers, though he is not a person. John Carpenter uses Michael Meyers as a metaphor against the implied safety of middle class suburbia. In the bastion of American safety and security, chaos can still strike.Michael ceased to be a person once he killed. He is not a serial killer, human being or psychopath. He is as unstoppable force. The generic overalls, bleached-white Shatner mask, and lack of any dialog other then some breathing, helps to dehumanize and complete Michael's generification. This is the source of all his power. He is faceless, speechless and unremarkable in any way other than as a source of unrelenting chaos. This is helped by the cinematography (post card effect), a lack of information/motivation/explanation and the veteran narrative experience of Donald Pleasence (Dr. Loomis). His over the top performance and uneasiness sells "the Shape". This is also the first film performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the innocent girl who deters chaos in the face of overwhelming odds (at least for a little bit). Though this isn't the first movie of this new niche of horror films (Black Christmas came out 4 years earlier), it is the most successful and does not diminish upon reviewing. If you haven't been scared by horror movies in a long time (like me), this will probably make the hairs on the back of your head tingle at the first chords of the signature soundtrack. I highly recommend this movie as a must see horror movie and as one of the pinnacles of John Carpenter's career.$LABEL$ 1 +Bill and Ted are back, only this time an evil dude from the future has sent back an evil Bill and Ted to destroy them, thus destroying 'Wyld Stallions' and the basis for human society in the future. This time Bill and Ted have to travel through the afterlife 'Totally Bogus' and save humanity 'Excellent'With much of the same zany humour and some wonderful new characters like the grim reaper, station and robot Bill and Ted (stations creation) Bogus Journey once again entertains, and is worth watching for its soundtrack alone.7/10 A most triumphant sequel Party on Dudes! Hehe$LABEL$ 1 +I had heard this film was a study of a landscape photographer's art by presenting the beauty in man's deconstructing the natural landscape. It certainly showed the laborious activities to find locations, setup shots, and capture stark images whose final destinations were art studios worldwide. Put together in moving pictures it is truly a horror show.This film oozes by you supplanting the shock of ghastly images with gentle waves of a wonderful industrial soundtrack that guides you like on slow moving river. Each sequence stands on its own, but in combination you get deeper and deeper into the feeling of overwhelming inevitability. There are few words, this allowing the grandeur in what is shown to preach in its own way. An awful, massive factory filled with human automata who live in hopelessly lifeless dormitories. Individuals dying early while rummaging for recyclable scraps in mountains of our E-waste. The birthing of gigantic ships and their destruction by hand in giant graveyards. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest industrial project in human history and likely for all time. The time lapse as a city dies and is simultaneously reborn into a replica of modernity that purposefully destroys all relics of the culture that was.The most terrifying image for me was a dam engineer explaining that the most important function of the dam was flood control. The shot shifts to the orchard behind the spokesperson where you witness the level of the last flood by the toxic water having eaten the bark from the trees, demonstrating that nothing but the most hideous vermin could be living in the waters.The obvious not being stated is far more powerful than your normal preachy Save the Earth documentaries. The artist Edward Burtynsky explains the method wonderfully. 'By not saying what you should see … many people today sit in an uncomfortable spot where you don't necessarily want to give up what we have but we realize what we're doing is creating problems that run deep. It is not a simple right or wrong. It needs a whole new way of thinking'. The subtlety of this descends into an either/or proposition, but the film images scream that the decision has very much been made in favor of the dark side.Though never stated directly in any way, as the waves of what you witness wash away from your awareness and you contemplate, there is only one conclusion possible … we are doomed. The progress of mankind that is inexorable from our natures leaves behind carnage that this artist finds terrifying beauty in. What he is actually capturing are the tracks of we the lemmings rushing unconsciously toward our own demise. Unlike most films with environmental themes, this one ends with no call to arms. It argues basically what's the point, but makes certain you place the blame properly on all of us equally.$LABEL$ 1 +Not often have i had the feeling of a movie it could be visionary. But clearly this movie has the seed of a premonition.We should not tend to be alarmists and see armageddon in something because it seems to fit our emotions of the moment. But, didn't we say this of "1984" ? Had James Orwell known the Internet becoming reality not long after 1984; In fact it was in 1994; he might have reconsidered writing his story the way he did. Hindsight rewarded.It doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that we often regard ourselves as superior to our surroundings but indeed become emotional about a "love apple" when necessity knocks at our door. A snapshot of ourselves at old age.Whatever the time-line will prove to be for us, I know for a fact we haven't seen the beginning of it yet.$LABEL$ 1 +I like this movie and have watched my copy twice since acquiring it a few weeks ago. But you have to view it in the right context.I haven't checked on the dates, but I bet this movie came out after and certainly around the same time as the Collier and Walt Disney popularisations of the vision of spaceflight being promoted by W.Von Braun. This is reflected in the attempt to seem factually correct and scientific. However, whilst certain ideas are put across ( step boosters, for example ) roughly correctly, other things are hilariously wrong.For example, we are told that a rocket ascends to an altitude and then turns ninety degrees to enter space...like reaching the top of a flight of stairs and turning onto the landing! Then we are told that by turning in the direction of the Earths rotation the total velocity of the ship is increased accordingly.This is an hilarious misunderstanding of what really happens. Most space launch centres are located as near the equator as possible where the Earth and anything on its surface is rotating at roughly a thousand miles per hour, including any rocket departing to space, in an Eastward direction ( the same as the rotation of the planet ). Of course, if the ship turned to travel westwards once in space, its speed in relation to the surface of the Earth would be greater, but it would add nothing to the actual velocity of the vehicle. Decsribed in this movie as "air speed"! Similarly, we are told that the travellers only feel free-fall, or "weightlessness" when they reach some thousands of miles from the Earth, outside of the planets gravitational field. Again, comically incorrect. Most crewed spacecraft travel no higher than a couple of hundred miles up, but as long as they ( and, their contents, including crew ) are travelling at an adequate velocity that their momentum in an outward direction balances the pull of gravity inwards, they will orbit in free-fall. Of course, travel far enough from Earth and even a slow object will coast outside the Earths gravity well, but in order to leave Earth orbit, outwards ( towards the Moon for example ) requires the attainment of "escape velocity", around twenty one thousand miles per hour. So the vehicle will have already attained "orbital velocity" ( and "weightlessness" ) by definition.But the movie has vastly more hilarious stuff than this. Someone decided it would be more fun if they missed the moon due to a technical problem, fell asleep for a few days and then woke up to find they had accidentally gone to Mars! The captain then ruminates to the effect that this must have been divine intervention! At which point, any pretence to being scientific is torn into little pieces like confetti and thrown upon the wind amid the merry dance of an increasingly barmy plot.The strength of a film like this in fact is in illustrating "how far we've come". Not least in attitudes to women. The patronising drivel heaped upon the female crew-member is both hilarious and also shocking.To think that such attitudes were so recently "normal".As I said at the start, I find this film very entertaining, as a late night, lights out romp through the romance of travel in outer space, from the perspective of the days before it had actually happened. An antidote to the cold routine of spaceflight as it has now become in the Twenty First Century.I won't reveal the ending. It is both brave and shocking for a movie of this vintage and character.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst film I have ever seen, bar none. From the flimsy-looking, poorly lit sets, to the laughable acting, to the infantile plot and shoddy, drawn-out action sequences, this film is so bad, its hilarious. For about ten minutes. After which you will be reaching for the remote or the power socket to end this film non-experience. Although it was obviously made with the entire production and acting staff's collective tongue rammed in cheek (please God), I found Jack Frost 2 so dreadful as to be unwatchable for more than a quarter of an hour. If you have not had enough of it after this time, you must be indulging in drug abuse.$LABEL$ 0 +Please, do not waste your time and money with this stinker of a turkey.This is an over-the-top melodramatic love story set against the background of New France (aka Quebec in the 18th century). Or is it an historical saga of New France with an epic romance thrown in? I don't know, and at this point I don't care anymore.There is a rich story to be told out there about the intrepid French adventurers, rogues and other assorted characters who settled Canada and parts of the US. This is not it. The characters are total clichés, the story is overblown, breathless and devoid of any charm, and before long all the viewer wants to do is get the heck out of the theatre, have his or her head checked, and get hold of his or her anger at being taken in by the hype.This film was the biggest disappointment of my year in terms of cinema, especially since, as an historian and a French Canadian or Canadian of French descent (or whatever) I am a) a believer in the fact that the story of my people in this country has yet to be told as well as it could on film b) interested in this subject c) a film-lover who thinks cinema these days could do wonders with this grandiose and tragic story.As I said, do not waste your time with this frustrating bit of claptrap.$LABEL$ 0 +In 1990 I saw Kathy Ireland in person - I was at UNT in Denton during the filming of "Necessary Roughness." Strangely enough, the voice she's using in this film isn't too far off from her real speaking voice.Anyway, the plot goes like this: Kathy gets a letter telling her that her father's fallen into a bottomless pit in Africa. She goes and investigates the site of her father's death, only to get sucked into a subterranean world that's part dystopian nightmare, part uninspiring fantasy, and inhabited by rejects from the Plasmatics. This movie really wastes the talent of Linda Kerridge, who, in my opinion, could have been someone had she gotten that one big role that was right for her. Anyway, the main hero of the story, Gus, is a very lame Mark "Jacko" Jackson rip-off. The original is annoying enough to begin with, but this guy really is torture to watch. Eventually the nebbish Wanda comes out of her shell and ends up wearing a bikini top and a sarong at the end. If you're going to have Kathy Ireland in a film in skimpy clothing, it'd better be a bikini. Anyway, the film was just all around bad and rightfully skewered by MST3K.Avoid this one if possible.$LABEL$ 0 +Only children below the age of 12 should be allowed to see this film. The rest of us should take a book, MP3 player, or just take a nice nap to endure the experience of this event. This can be best summed up as a "blown-up" TV movie being distributed into theaters. Children will want to see this film, and they will like and be amused by the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This film tells the stories of several couples coping with Post-WWII life. Through many moving accounts the audience learns how the War has changed people, while their human spirit went on to triumph.My favorite scene is where a young service man, who returned home as a double amputee (after losing both arms up to the elbow) is sure that he would be no good to his sweetheart, who still wants to marry him. His girl simply said that she would help him with the things he wouldn't be able to do, but that they would be fine together. Moved by this true demonstration of love, the man embraces his fiancée in tears.The scene where a service man asked for a bank loan is also a highlight. When he is initially refused as a "high risk", a higher ranking bank official takes over saying "You fought for our country and kept us safe--that's good enough for me. Your loan is approved!" "The Best Years of Our Lives" won 6 Oscars, including a special statuette for the disabled actor who showed us all that life goes on and will continue to be worth living, even with a severe handicap. This film is a joy to watch over and over again. A true classic! Highly recommended!$LABEL$ 1 +It is often only after years pass that we can look back and see those stars who are truly stars. As that French film critic, whose name escapes me, said: "There is no Garbo. There is no Dietrich. There is only Louise Brooks"; and there is, thank heavens! Louise Brooks! This is the third of her European masterpieces. But it is also an exceptional film for being one, if not the, first French talkie, for following a script written by famed René Clair, for reportedly being finished (the direction, that is) by Georg Pabst, and for incorporating the voice of Edith Piaf before she was well known! So much talent working on and in a film, how couldn't it turn out to be a masterpiece?! And that's what this film is. It's a shame Louise Brooks was blackballed by Hollywood when she came back to the States--so much talent cast so arrogantly by the wayside! In the film, in addition to getting to watch Louise Brooks in action, it's great to see pictures of Paris ca. 1930 and to hear Piaf's young voice. I never get tired of this film!$LABEL$ 1 +People who actually liked Problem Child (1990) need to have their heads examined. Who would take the idea of watching a malevolent little boy wreak havoc on others and deem it funny? The movie is not funny, ever, in any way, beginning to end. It wants to be a cartoon, but the writers don't realize that slapstick isn't funny when people get attacked by bears, or hit with baseball bats. It may be funny in cartoons, but not in a motion picture.The film's young hero is Junior (Michael Oliver) who, since he was a baby, has been placed at the front doors of foster parents for adoption. The families reject him, because Junior tends to give them a hard time.He is then thrown into an orphanage, where he terrorizes the nuns, and writes pen pal letters to the convicted Bow-Tie Killer (Michael Richards). He is soon adopted by Ben and Flo Healy (the late John Ritter and his wife, Amy Yasbeck), who are dying to have a child, in order to be just like every other parent in their neighborhood.Junior becomes a member of the Healy household, and "Little" Ben takes an interest in him, despite the fact that he destroys a camping trip by luring a bear onto the site, or throws a cat at his father "Big" Ben (Jack Warden), a bigoted politician.I think that we're supposed to care for Junior so that we can root for him when he gets his revenge on people. His new mother, Flo, is a bitch, his grandfather is completely selfish, and one little girl--who despises adopted kids--is such a spoiled brat.But what Junior does to get the last laughs isn't funny- -it's mean, cruel, and sometimes life-threatening.And what is the film's message? That kids should resolve problems with violence and vandalism? That they should seek friendship by writing to convicted killers? They definitely don't what it's like to be a bad kid. Junior isn't a one--he's just a sadistic, little twerp. There used to be a time when it was bad for kids to beat up others. Now, everybody's laughing when Junior beats up kids with a baseball bat.It's a shame that this movie has been marketed as a "family comedy." What's worse is that Problem Child is rated PG. What was the MPAA thinking when they saw this? There's a lot of profanity and mean-spirited pranks here, that one may wonder about the dividing between the PG and the PG-13.Kids will enjoy this, but parents will be shocked at what is being depicted on screen. And to most people, Problem Child will be considered a "guilty pleasure" classic; a film that someone will shamefacedly admit to liking, even though the prevailing opinion, as put forth by more serious viewers, is that the movie is a piece of crap.$LABEL$ 0 +When childhood memory tells you this was a scary movie; it's touch and go whether you should revisit it. Anyway, I remembered a scary scene involving a homeless person and a cool villain played by Jeff Kober."The First Power" is not a very good movie, sad to say. It's chock full of those cop clichés and a very poor script with holes a truck could drive through (along with countless convenient "twists" that help the story run along). Lou Diamond Phillips is the over-confident bad ass cop who sends baddie serial killer Kober to the gas chamber only to find out he was a minion of Satan himself and now has the power of resurrection along with the power of possessing every weak minded person who he comes across. Through in the mix a very poorly realized psychic who helps with the case.Ahhh, this is trash. But enjoyable as such, especially if you have fond memories of it. It scared me as a kid and that scene with the homeless person is still pretty good. As for any kind of logic here; forget it, just about every scenario is thrown in for good measure and you end up with a cross between a Steven Segal action flick and a 70's demonic flick. And who on earth thought it was a good idea to cast Lou Diamond Phillips in the lead here? Needless to say he's not convincing at all but he tries his best and I've never had the problem with the guy so many reviewers here seem to have. As for Tracy Griffith as the psychic, the less said the better. But Kober is pretty good as the killer; always liked that actor."The First Power" may be just what the doctor ordered after a hard day's work and a "brain switch-off" is needed. Beer will most likely enhance the viewing experience and I'll definitely have loads of it the next time I give this movie a spin. All in all; not a good flick but a somewhat guilty pleasure for nostalgic fans who were easily scared as kids. "See you around, buddy boy"!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a really old fashion charming movie. The locations are great and the situation is one of those old time Preston sturgess movies. Fi you want to watch a movie that doesn't demand much other then to sit back and relax then this is it. The acting is good, and I really liked Michael Rispoli. He was in Rounders, too. And While You Were Sleeping. The rest of the cast is fun. It's just what happens when two people about to get married meet the one that they really love on the weekend that they are planning their own weddings. I know... sounds kooky... but it is. And that's what makes it fun to watch. It will make your girl friend either hug you or leave you, but at least you'll know.$LABEL$ 1 +No matter how much it hurts me to say this,the movie is not as good as it could have been.Maybe I was misled by the countless exaggerated reviews here on IMDb,but I expected so much more...Sure,the idea is a good one,the violent scenes and the camera-work are outstanding,the imagination of genius Dario is breathtaking, but the movie is "soiled" by a couple of mistakes that I find unforgivable. First of all, am I one of the few people who feel that the Heavy Metal music played in the most intense scenes simply rips the atmosphere apart??? With a different kind of music (Goblin????) during the "needle" scenes,it would have been SOOOO intense!... Instead,the soundtrack destroys any chance for tension... Secondly, the final killing scene and the last few moments of the movie are simply silly and uninspired. I don't want to say "amateurish", cause I love Argento's movies.The ending left me feeling empty.Talk about a final impression! This is hardly what happens in most of Dario's films! Though,admittedly,Suspiria also suffers from a rushed finale (even if most of it is brilliant)....In short,watch this movie,try to make the most of its good points,but be prepared for some bad ones as well. This is NOT a perfect movie by ANY means.$LABEL$ 1 +How can a major German TV station broadcast a mess like this? It's amazing how the main actors avoid every acting talent - Even the well-known Gottfried John is acting very poor - especially in the double murder scene - how amateurish.......! The screen plan is very , very extended - perhaps to fill out 2 parts of the movie. Be careful not to fall asleep while watching! The set is obviously very often a blue screen, f.g. the scenes on the ship with unreal sea in background...! In the German version the sound and the dubbing is very poor - probably reason: different languages of actors - but: other international productions do handle this much more professional. Advice: Do NOT watch - it's a diabolic waste of time!$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this film during and International Film Studies course. I am a 'non-traditional' student, and, perhaps for reasons of years-lived or wisdom-accrued, appreciated the slow, reflective pacing of the film's narrative. Languorous with the heat and dust of an arid clime, the story is deeply psychological, replete with multi-layered symbolism, and an articulate inversion of the theme of being the 'Other' in a land that one does not understand. the understanding that does come is fraught with the unresolved memories and subjectivity of the outsider. Made nearly 20 years ago, it is also a forerunner in a genre of numerous other international films that explore the themes of colonials in colonized spaces, clueless to the nuances of the cultures into which they have entered. Much more lavishly filmed---and heavily financed--- works that have been made since reflect the same themes: Indochine, Nowhere in Africa are two that in comparison perhaps make Chocolat seem pale and boring. It has no adrenaline-pumping action or extreme violence. The struggles are mental, emotional and subtle. But, that being said, it is a fine film, worth a viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +Crack House (1989) was one of the few film during the 80's that falls into this genre. What's supposed to be an anti-drug film turns out to be nothing more than some white-exploitation exercise in depravity. There's nothing wrong with that however. The video presentation even has an anti-drug message from one of the stars of the show Richard "turncoat" Roundtree,The movie follows two young lovers in high school. One of them is a quasi tough guy and the other is his girl. One of them get's turned out by a mutual friend whilst the other is given a trip to the slam and is later on given a chance to get back at his ex-friends. Jim Brown appears as the movie's "Mister Big", he's one bad dude who still can punk-out anybody and is a very sadistic guy who likes to smack his hoes and beat the tar out of those who try to defy his word. Luke from General Hospital makes a guest star spot as well.If you like hard edge sleaze then this movie's for you. Sadly, Hollywood doesn't make these any more and when they do, it's neither exploitative nor entertaining.Recommended for sleaze fans.$LABEL$ 1 +David Lynch's new short is a very "Lynchian" piece, full of darkness, tension, silences, discreet but very textured background music, and features again two beautiful actresses, a blonde and a brunette, a recurrent theme in his work.Both characters create a very intriguing slave-mistress relationship that could be seen as a direct follow up to the same kind of relationship featured in Mulholland Dr.Beautiful. For Lynch fan's.$LABEL$ 1 +Good lord.I'm going to say right off the bat, I only watched 20 minutes of this movie. As I am a hardcore Eraserhead fan, the "what, you can't watch a wierd black and white movie with little-to-no dialogue?" defense does not apply. I simply can't watch TERRIBLE weird black and white movies with little-to-no dialogue.This movie is what happens when you give an angsty goth-child with no talent and nothing to say a camera and budget, and let him/her put as much meaninglessly offensive imagery on screen as possible. It was clear from the start that this film should have been 5 minutes long (assuming it should exist at all). Shots that should last a few seconds drag on for minutes, because the director has "I-Just-Love-The-Sound-Of-My-Own-Voice" syndrome, and refuses to cut to another shot until the entire piece of footage has been viewed. From the moment the girl in the mask started masturbating the corpse of "God" (the opening scene of the film! joy!), I knew it was only a matter of time until I turned off the tape. After at least 10 minutes of a different corpse being pulled around, twitching, on a rope, by a gang of cloaked mystery-men, I knew it was time to give up. Rarely do I give up on a movie. I sat through the entirety of Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows, albeit not happily. This did not deserve the 20 minutes I gave it.If you're an Eraserhead fan, do NOT let simple-minded comparisons to said film con you into renting this piece of amateur trash. Allow me to refer you to Tetsuo: The Iron Man, for a watchable and enjoyable piece of incoherent black and white weirdness.$LABEL$ 0 +I wanted to like this movie, but there is very little to like about it. It starts out with Jean Stapleton and a Randy Newman song in Iowa (Northwest Iowa, I guess), reminiscent of Norman Lear's Cold Turkey, which was one of the best movies ever made, according to people on IMDb. So far, so good. And the idea of the archangel Michael living at Pansy Milbank's motel on earth? Well, give it a chance, it's supposed to be a comedy. Okay, so far, so good. But Michael does things that an angel not fallen would never do, and that completely blows any credibility the movie might have had. The other characters in the movie don't have much appeal, either. Michael brings a dog back to life, and we're supposed to be in awe of that. The people make up corny country songs. In the end, Stapleton dances with Travolta. Big deal. If she was smart, she wouldn't even be in this movie. When it was over, I thought, "Gee, what a stupid, tasteless, boring, corny, sacrilegious movie!" It's not fit to be seen by children or anyone else.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the underrated Kellie Martin's best role. Based on a true story, it tells the story of Fusia's attempt to save the members of the Diamant family and other Jews she meets over time. One of my all-time favorite movie scenes involves an heroic act by Fusia's little sister. All children should see this scene-role models like this are very few and far between. The movie is well written and acted. I am a movie lover and this movie I rate a 10 on imbd's rating system. It is on my top 25 movies of all time and should be put out on video.Mike Porter$LABEL$ 1 +It's really rather Simple. The Name of the Movie Is Death Bed, The Bed that Eats. If you are anything like me, You already know if you are going to like this movie. I stumbled across this gem at Best Buy the other day and picked it up for Ten Bucks. I got ten bucks worth of enjoyment out of the title, and the box alone.I'm a huge fan of B movies. This is in my opinion one of the greatest B movies i've ever seen. Now, it's not for every one.Granted, it's not even for most people. As a matter of fact, i suspect their are only going to be a handful of us who truly enjoy this movie.For those of you who like B movies though, this film is a Diamond in the rough. It has a great premise, A bed... That eat's people. It doesn't walk, it doesn't move, it doesn't have a siren call to attract people. It pretty much relies on people wandering by and sitting on it.I loved every inch of this movie and have already seen it three times in the scant weeks i've owned it.Like I said, After reading the title of the film, You already know if you'll like it. If you laughed or smiled, Then give it a go. it's worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +After the across-the-board success of MY NAME IS BARBRA, CBS television permitted Barbra to create an even more elaborate follow-up as her second special. Streisand wisely knew, in order to follow in the ground-breaking success of MY NAME IS BARBRA, that her second special would indeed need to raise the bar even further in inventiveness and spectacle. Not surprisingly, she succeeded once again. Even more impressively, Streisand managed to mount this large production without sacrificing the intimacy and vision of MY NAME IS BARBRA.Once again, the special is divided into three distinct Acts. Filming on location at Bergdorf Goodman's department store was so successful in the first special, that Streisand and company decided to film on location once again for the first Act of this second special. The decided-upon location this time was the Philadelphia Art Museum, which would allow endless chances for Barbra to "enter" different art works that would correspond with the songs being performed. In addition to the numerous artistic possibilities that this location made possible, the museum would offer the perfect opportunity to take advantage of filming in color.After the recording of "Draw Me a Circle" that is set against the opening credits, Barbra then dashes around the museum in a maid costume to the strains of Kern and Harbach's "Yesterdays." She stops to admire various paintings and statues, often becoming the character that is depicted and singing a thematically appropriate song. Streisand performs a bittersweet rendition of Hammerstein and Romberg's "One Kiss" as Thomas Eakin's CONCERT SINGER, delivers a hilariously campy performance of Chopin's "Minute Waltz" as Marie Antoinette, embraces abstract art with the frenetic rhythm of Peter Matz's "Gotta Move," and performs a wrenching rendition of "Non C'est Rien" as a distraught Modigliani girl. The high point of Act I, however, is when Streisand compares profiles with the bust sculpture of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, while singing a tour de force rendition of Rogers and Hart's "Where or When." The Act II circus medley allows Streisand to interact with various farm and circus animals, while singing various songs with farm/circus/animal themes. Some highlights include Barbra singing "Were Thine That Special Face" to a baby elephant, performing "I've Grown Accustomed to that Face" as a serenade to a piglet, the campy "Sam, You Made the Pants to Long" sung to a group of baby penguins, and Barbra comparing profiles with an anteater while crooning "We Have So Much in Common." Streisand also swings on a trapeze and leaps from a trampoline to the chorus of "Spring Again," and then slows things down by performing a haunting version of "I Stayed Too Long at the Fair" while seated alone on stage. Barbra also gets the chance to show off her pet poodle Sadie in this segment, and even speak a little French.The Act III concert is once again the high point of the hour. Dressed in a slenderizing white wool dress, the concert segment is performed on a uniquely-designed stage with a partial staircase that leads nowhere. Streisand opens the Act with a sultry rendition of Harold Arlen's "Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home," before launching into heartfelt versions of the familiar standard "It Had to Be You" and the rarely-heard "C'est Si Bon (It's So Good)." Streisand then really amazes the audience with a breathtakingly powerful, octave-soaring performance of the Sweet Charity ballad "Where Am I Going," of which Streisand delivers the definitive rendition of. Streisand also introduces the then-newly written Richard Maltby, Jr.-David Shire ballad "Starting Here, Starting Now," which contains an impassioned vocal from Streisand that ranks among the very best vocal performances of her long career.More than anything else, Color Me Barbra was a showcase for Streisand's ever-increasing, mega-watt star power. Despite the presence of even more visual razzle-dazzle, Streisand herself is always the main attraction. Her voice sounds as beautiful as ever, and this special was the first to showcase how strikingly she photographs in color. As with MY NAME IS BARBRA, COLOR ME BARBRA was another rating-smash and spawned yet another Top-Five, Gold-selling soundtrack album. Simply put, COLOR ME BARBRA defies tradition and emerges as a sequel that is nearly on par with a classic original.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this movie was really awesome! One of Drew's best. I am also a fan of Michael Vartan so I thought he was so hot in this movie. Why all the bad reviews. I would want to watch this movie over and over again if I could. I also loved the ending. This movie clearly has shown a smile on my face! I was also surprised that James Franco and Jessica Alba were in it. I love them both so I also highlighted this movie. At the end, when Drew is making the huge comment about the truth it really told the truth of what sometimes happens in High School. Again, the movie was amazing. Defiantly a 10/10. Hope this comment was very useful to any IMDb readers.$LABEL$ 1 +This is possibly one of the worst giant killer animal movies I have ever seen. It follows the typical premise of a laboratory experiment gone wrong and a giant crocodile with a rapid growth chemical in it escapes. The monster looks way to much like a dinosaur, having big Tyranosaurous-like hind legs, when it should just look like an over-sized crocodile. Everything about this movie is unoriginal and it constantly oozes "cliche", minute after minute. Why are there always two drunken redneck hunters out after dark who separate? Plus, there's always a guy and girl who share a lame, obvious love interest while they are in life threatening situations. To much has already been said by me and I feel as if I'm wasting my time writing this...$LABEL$ 0 +This show is possibly the biggest, ugliest, most generic steam pile I've seen in children's programming that's actually become successful. The lead character, Johnny, while I understand he's supposed to represent an ordinary kid, isn't likable or even tolerable. The jokes are lame, overdone (i.e. the "Whoa! Didn't see that coming" gag. Come on, that wasn't even funny the first time. It's not even cute) and lack any form of primitive wit or inspiration. And lastly... it's just plain ugly to look at. While kids aren't especially critical of artistic talent, they still prefer eye candy. I can't stand watching the show, because in a way, the art style is just...gross. Hideous, in fact. Just plain crummy. I just can't stand that this is getting so much airtime. While I understand that nostalgia can be a little irrational and I shouldn't be getting my hopes up on it coming back... I really miss the old cartoons. Bring back Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls... anything but this crap. I guess it's just wishful thinking though.Simply put, I advise you don't waste your time on this show. I believe that truly good cartoons are able to be enjoyed by the big kids, too. And this doesn't cut it.$LABEL$ 0 +This delightful, well written film is based on a New York stage play bearing the same title where Sir Aubrey (knighted Sir Charles Aubrey Smith in 1944) originated the role he plays in the film. Here, in 1931, we see him in the early part of his acting renaissance in the very early era of "talkies" and in the character role that he would make his own until his death in 1948 after finishing his last performance in Little Women which released in 1949.This engaging play is about an elderly British aristocrat who locates his illegitimate children and introduces himself to them, having brought them to his manor in England.Marion Davies plays his daughter-by-error and it's a tour de force for her. She is all at once endearing, impatient, shallow, enchanting, wise and compassionate while creating an indelible and beguiling character that remains well ensconced in the memory.The 26 year old Ray Milland appears here in a small but prominent role having already appeared in seven other pictures then only in films for a bit more than two years.The film should be enjoyed as a representative of 1931 Hollywood factory production of course and as such is not flawless. However, it's a charming pleasure from first scene to the last.$LABEL$ 1 +In a sport that prizes quirkiness and treasures it's characters, one of the greatest of them from the 1930s was pitcher Dizzy Dean. He was so colorful a personality he was probably elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the strength of that as opposed to his pitching statistics. After all part of the Dean story is that early end to his career.In the Pride of St. Louis Dan Dailey successfully captures the character of Dizzy Dean, at least the Dean I remember. I'm not old enough to remember him pitching, but I do remember him broadcasting Baseball Game of the Week during the 1960s. For that's part of the Dean story as well, being a pioneer broadcaster on radio and later television. Now that announcers are in the Hall of Fame, there's no question Dizzy belongs there.Jerome Herman Dean was one of a tribe of sharecropper's kids who had very little schooling, but an amazing talent for throwing a baseball at blinding speed. In fact he had a younger brother Paul Dean who was a pretty good pitcher himself.Richard Crenna plays Paul in this film and it's one of his earliest film roles. Paul Dean in real life was a quiet retiring sort who's career was also cut short by injuries. Because of that Crenna isn't given much to work with. During the Dean heyday, sportswriters tried to pin the nickname of Daffy on Paul, but it never took. Joanne Dru, taking a break from playing, western gals in gingham dresses and corsets is first rate as the wise, patient, and understanding Patricia Nash who met and married Dizzy while he was playing for Houston in the Texas League. In the 1937 All Star Game Dizzy started for the National League. Facing Cleveland's Earl Averill, Dean was hit on the foot by a line drive smack at him. Refusing to listen to medical advice, Dean came back to pitch too early. He'd broken a big toe and put too much of a strain on his arm. He was never the same pitcher and his refusal to accept that is part of the story. Had he had a career of say ten to fifteen years who knows what pitching statistics he might have rolled up. Dean was the next to last pitcher to win 30 games in 1934 and after Denny McLain(who was something of a character himself)did it 1968 it hasn't been done since.Dean went into broadcasting and while he was not the first former player to go into the broadcast booth, his colorful game descriptions made him an instant hit. He started broadcasting for the other St. Louis team, the Browns, and the Browns were a pretty miserable team with not much to cheer about. Dean became a star attraction there.Of course part of the Dean story is the trouble he got into because of his lack of education and his colorful way of expressing himself on the air. That's part of the story I won't go into, but in the film it's handled with tact and humility and your eyes might moisten if you tend to the sentimental.A fine baseball film, a real tribute to an American success story.$LABEL$ 1 +Once in the Life means that once a hoodlum, always a hoodlum, and nobody gets in or out of `The Life' for free. Neighborhood hoodlums in New York sell drugs and run scams because they can't make it in the legitimate world, maybe because they have a criminal record, or a drug habit, or because they're just lazy. This simple story with a couple of twists about mostly despicable characters manages to draw compassion out of the audience for its main players because of their loyalty and compassion for each other. The film is written, produced, and directed by Laurence Fishburne, who also stars as 20/20 Mike (all hoodlums have nicknames), and is based on his play, `Riff Raff.' It feels like a play from beginning to end, especially during the longest scene where the three main players square off to decide who can be trusted. Often times the dialog comes very fast, much faster than it would on stage, and I think it's the film's biggest flaw. Mixed in as flashbacks throughout the film are poems from the street, a sort of iambic pentameter rap, that is violent and evocative of the world this movie discloses. The poetry makes it difficult to dismiss these men, these hoodlums who murder, cheat, and betray each other, as unworthy of our attention or below our contempt. The disturbing thing about this film is that its realism shows us not only how these people live, but how they suffer for the same reasons as us all. One is too stupid, another a junkie, and the last suffers from conscience while the audience wonders, or even laughs, at the irony of executioners demanding from him hanging in the gallows to tell jokes in the midst of his demise.$LABEL$ 1 +Honestly I can't understand why this movie rates so well here, nor why Bakshi himself thought it was his finest film. I'm a huge fan of Bakshi's earlier work - particularly 'Heavy Traffic' and 'Wizards', but frankly 'Wizards' (1977) was the last good film he made. After that he turned to the mainstream, beginning with the diabolical 'Lord of the Rings' and then knuckling down with sword and sorcery heavyweight Frank Frazetta, for 'Fire and Ice'.What can I say? The story is puerile, the animation is TV quality - I insist that it's considerably worse than his 70's stuff - and whereas 'Wizards' had real imagination, quirkiness, some gorgeous background art, and an underground, adult sensibility, 'Fire and Ice' is just designed for 14 year old boys, and has the intellectual clout of Robinson Crusoe on Mars.Yes, if you liked the Gor books, you might like this. In my view though, this was just another blip in the slide in quality after 'Wizards' from which Bakshi never recovered (though he's done some decent TV stuff fairly recently)4.5 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +urgh! 3 things a movie needs: a good script, a good plot and good casting. i watched this movie expecting it to be hilariously terrible and was unfortunately disappointed when it was just plain terrible. I lost the will to live halfway through. The only thing which stopped me from stabbing my eyes out with a fork was Rose Byrne (who was the reason for me watching it in the first place). She did a good job as Rastus and her appearance hasn't changed much since she was 13. it was a fantastic first effort in a movie. the dog was also very good. both did a great job with such awful material. Sandra Bernhard i think was the biggest mistake of the movie. she was completely miscast, and i don't think she ever quite got the character.I give the movie 2 out of 10 - and thats only because of Rose.$LABEL$ 0 +Released in December of 1957, Sayonara went on to earn 8 Oscar nominations and would pull in 4 wins. Red Buttons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in his role as airman Joe Kelly who falls in love with a Japanese woman while stationed in Kobe during the Korean War. Oscar nominated for Best Leading Actor, Marlon Brando plays Major Lloyd Gruver, a Korean War flying ace reassigned to Japan, who staunchly supports the military's opposition to marriages between American troops and Japanese women and tries without any success to talk his friend Joe Kelly out of getting married. Ironically Marlon Brandos character soon finds love of his own in a woman of Japanese descent. This movie highlights the prejudices and cultural differences of that time. Filmed in beautiful color and with stunning backgrounds I found this movie to be well worth watching just for these effects alone. Good movie, gimme more...GimmeClassics$LABEL$ 1 +Not one of Keaton's best efforts, this was perhaps a veiled attempt to revenge himself on the family he married into - the Talmadges. A Polish/English language barrier and a series of coincidences leads Buster into a marriage with a large Irish woman, who (along with her father and brothers) treat him shabbily until they think he may be an heir to a fortune. Mistaken identities abound here - gags are set up and but for the main fail to pay off.This Metro short does have at least two real laughs - Buster's cleverly turning around his lack of dinner by using the calendar on the wall and the basic ignorance of his adopted family to literally bring the meat to his plate. The other is a family photo, with the entire group slowly collapsing to the floor as the tripod of the camera loses its stability.The yeast beer overflow could have been the catalyst for a massive series of gags built upon gags, but stops short (for all the buildup) of development.Kino's print is crisp and clear and the score is one for player piano, drums and sound effects. Not one of Buster's best efforts, but worth a few laughs.$LABEL$ 0 +"Riders of Destiny" was the first of several westerns Wayne made for the Lone Star arm of Monogram Pictures between 1933 and 1935. In this entry, the producers try to make the Duke into a singing cowboy called "Singin' Sandy Saunders with hilarious results. Any Wayne fan knows that the Duke couldn't have carried a tune if his life had depended on it. His voice was apparently dubbed by Smith Ballew whose deep baritone sounds nothing like Wayne. Wayne looks awkward and uncomfortable in "performing" the musical numbers. Thank heavens the singing cowboy experiment soon ended.As for the movie itself, it contains a standard "B" western plot of the fight over water rights between the villain (Forrest Taylor) and the local ranchers. Duke, of course plays the hero. He had not yet developed his on screen character and still looked like a poverty row cowboy.Also cast in the film were George (pre-Gabby) Hayes as the heroine's father, Cecilia Parker as the heroine and Yakima Canutt as "one of the boys" who performs his "falling from the racing horses under the wagon" stunt while doubling Wayne. Both Canutt and Hayes would go on to appear with Wayne in most of the other entries in the series. Canutt, in particular would have a profound effect on Wayne's future development teaching him, among other things, how to move, fight and look comfortable on a horse.As "B" westerns go this one isn't too bad, however, I have to give it a failing grade because of the "singing".$LABEL$ 0 +I've read a lot of reviews about Showtime on IMDb and many seem to miss the mark. I've noticed a lot of reviewers calling this the typical "buddy" film. De Niro is in no way Murphy's buddy throughout most of this movie. In fact, part of the comedy of this film is De Niro's reluctance to be friends with anybody.Murphy really shines in this one. He is back at doing what he does best, acting like a complete ham. He is a cop who wants so much to be an actor and enjoys being in the reality show. De Niro is perfect as the straight man who thinks the entire thing is stupid. I thought the two of them had great chemistry and were a perfect casting choice. Rene Russo is also great as the TV producer. Of course, she loves everything Murphy does and tries so hard (along with Murhpy) to get DeNiro going too.A lot of reviewers have touched on the hilarious scene with William Shatner, reprising his role as TJ Hooker to train Murhpy & De Niro how to "act" like cops. But, my favorite scene involves Murphy in the "confessional" hoping he could get a Wesly Snipes-Like cop to team up with instead of De Niro. Man, that was hilarious! Comedies often depend on your personal tastes. Sure you could poke holes in the plot, most often you can with a comedy. I was psyched to see the pairing of Murphy and De Niro...I think it brought out the best in Murphy, which was nice to see him at the top of his game again. I can only imagine it was a great honor for Murphy to be paired with the great De Niro. Rating 8 of 10 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Has the proliferation of relatively high quality shows on the proliferating TV networks made it possible for people to produce, direct, finance and/or star in their own films who might otherwise not have been able to? Is that a good thing? This film does not answer the latter question either way, but it does appear that without Curb, Jeff Garlin would not have been able to make I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. Like most new producers/directors, Jeff Garlin's independent piece heaves a heavily more sensitive sigh than the vehicle he is primarily known for (Curb). And yet, is it a sensitive guy film? He isn't really a sensitive guy. Likable, sure. Relatable, indeed. What this film really is about is a bit hard to say, I can only relate what I took away from it. I rented the film because of the trailers, particularly the scene of a counselor portrayed by Amy Sedaris informing James Aaron (Garlin) that a particular woman is interested in him mainly because she is a "chubby chaser." I just about fell out of my seat. Based on that scene alone, I ran to my computer to write a note to myself to rent this movie. The reason - I thought the school counselor (Sedaris) was talking about Beth, portrayed by Sarah Silverman. I imagined a lightish romantic comedy between the foxy Silverman and the fat Garlin. I didn't think the story would be anything original, but that the dialogue would be snappy and the scenes would move along at a satisfying pace. In short, I thought it would be a comedy. It was intriguing that the film started out that way but then took a much much more realistic turn when Beth gives James the heave ho because "I've never really been with a fat guy before." That is how brutally we live life, and it was completely realistic. I applaud the decision. It just meant that Beth has now left the building and with her, the one snappy person in the film.James's relationship with his mother was also interesting. That part made me wonder if the whole concept did not start out as a play. It had that intricate feel to it. (The whole "Marty" movie within a movie thing was utterly lost on me, as I have never seen that film.)There were serious doubts I had about the character of James Aaron, though. Is it really possible that at 39 he had not had a serious relationship? And he is an actor? That did not really square with me. To me, his persona was less actor-y, and more corporate. I could not really buy his ordinariness either. No doubt he was extremely disappointed that things with Beth did not work out. We felt that. But then, did he really care? Another thing - how in the world can both he and his mother afford to move out at the same time? Hasn't he just lost his job? The last one he had? That was one reason he did not seem ordinary to me. Where's the funding for his life coming from? And yet, I have read reviews that talk about the realistic portrayal of urban loneliness, so there is that. Yes, it is very realistic, the way we must be satisfied with what we have because it is all that we have. The way we sort of disappear from ourselves and each other in interactions (James and Stella), some kind of self-effacement that takes place just to move on to the next moment. That, contrasted with the possibility of defining ourselves through our moments, our thoughts the way James had with Beth, it's really crushing.Very well done.$LABEL$ 1 +If you make a suspense movie it is kind of important that the "villain" not be more sympathetic than the "victim". And this fails miserably. It was so terrible and frustrating to watch that I was actually moved to register and comment. OK, so the husband is rich and cocky. There are worse vices, and the cabana boy and wife display plenty. The husband is a jerk because he - um, didn't approve of the cabana boy physically assaulting that woman - the witch one which had absolutely nothing to do with the plot BTW. The cabana boy threatens the husband and repeatedly attempts to seduce the wife. He then forces himself on her - which the woman finds so hot she stops thinking rape and starts thinking she wants him. Uh huh. The misogynistic, inferiority complex thoughts the director displays are just revolting. It is one thing when a fine film like American Psycho deliberately tries to get us to empathise with the villain but in Survival Island I felt like I was watching a movie about Ted Bundy but the director failed to make him unlikeable and instead made us hate his victims. What was he thinking???$LABEL$ 0 +"When a Killer Calls" is an unusually nasty slasher flick, with some very unpleasant and unsettling sequences. The decision was clearly made to try and cash in on the remake of "When a Stranger Calls" by pretty much putting in -- almost word for word -- the phone call sequences from that movie. They seem very forced.Additionally, the filmmaker commits the cardinal (but all too common) sin of having the heroine's friends being repulsive jerks. So for the beginning of the film, we really like and are rooting for the babysitter (a nice believable job by Rebekah Kochan), but then she's joined by standard slasher-flick teenage friends and the mood is ruined.The flick sort of works, but it probably a lot more unpleasant than you'll be expected, so be fore-warned.$LABEL$ 0 +This is high grade cheese fare of B movie kung fu flicks. Bruce "wannabe" Lee is played by Bruce Li...I think. Of course, let's show quick clips of Bruce and do closeups of his eyes and if you quint at the right angle during a certain time of the day during the winter solstice, it kind of looks like Bruce. You'll laugh in awe at how the film splicing isn't very good, but some cool deleted scenes from Enter the Dragon are thrown in the mix. According to the movie, Bruce Lee was killed by a dart while hanging from a helicopter. Of course, they think this can excuse Bruce Li for trying to be Bruce even though his character is supposed to be Bruce's brother (who for some reason still mimes Bruce's gestures and fighting style - very POORLY). See Bruce go one-on-one with the cowardly lion. The props department stopped by Kay-Bee, you see. Bruce also finds nothing wrong with savagely beating up a crippled man. Towards the end, the director decided "let's throw a flashback" for a scene just shown 3 minutes ago!! They must've thought that only one-celled organisms with attention deficit disorder could fully understand this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Four stories written by Robert Bloch about various people who live in a beautiful, old mansion and what happens to them. The first has Denholm Elliott as a novelist who sees the killer he's writing about come to life. Some spooky moments and the twist at the end was good. The second has Peter Cushing becoming obsessed with a wax figure resembling his dead wife. The third has Christopher Lee who has a child (Chloe Franks) and is scared of her. It all leads up to a pretty scary ending (although the ending in the story was MUCH worse). The last is an out and out comedy with Jon Petwee and Ingrid Pitt (both chewing the scenery) and a cape that turns people into vampires! There's also a cute line about Christopher Lee playing Dracula.This is a good horror anthology--nothing terrifying but the first one and the ending of the third gave me a few pleasurable little chills. Also the fourth one is actually very funny and Pitt makes a VERY sexy vampire! Also the house itself looks beautiful...and very creepy. It's well-directed with some nice atmospheric touches. A very good and unusual movie score too. All in all a good little horror anthology well worth seeking out. Try to see it on DVD--the Lions Gate one looks fantastic with strong colors and great sound.$LABEL$ 1 +A very well made film set in early '60s communist Yugoslavia. The five young actors who are the teenagers at the center of the story give strong, sincere and emotionally deep performances. A clear depiction of how the natural trust and naivete inherent in teens can be easily manipulated and how that impacted the rest of their lives. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +That reviewers liked this movie surprises me. The plot is a muddle. The characters are wooden. Michael Bowen spends most of the film spying on the other characters and misjudging all of them. No one has any redeeming quality or point-of-interest. This is not an edgy work. It is not imaginative. It is not ironic. It is no clever. There is nothing straight forward about this tedious work. That is missed theatrical release is not surprise. That the "This Network" airs it diminishes that venue. I definitely recommend turning to a rerun of the Garden Smart show on PBS or even a good informational if you encountered this mess on late night television. If you encounter it on daytime television, take a long walk. Even if you walk in smog, you will feel better not having suffered through this shambles. Life is short. This movie is long.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this movie on TV back in 1959 when I was eight years old. I knew nothing of westerns then but recognized Ben Johnson from the movie "Mighty Joe Young." What attracted me to "Wagon Master" were the great songs sung by the "Sons of the Pioneers." Merian C. Cooper, who produced the movie, was the first to commission original music to fit the mood of a specific scene and so created the modern movie soundtrack. Cooper hired Max Steiner to create the mood for his classic creation King Kong. Steiner would later win an Oscar for the theme for "Gone With the Wind.' Cooper was also the producer of "Mighty Joe Young." If you remember, music was important to the big ape which would only respond to the sound of Stephan Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer." In 1947, Cooper would partner with John Ford, who directed "Wagon Master." Of all of Ford's famous westerns, this one is my favorite which features his brother Francis and a sullen Janes Arness.$LABEL$ 1 +In the ten years since Wildside aired, nothing has really come close to its quality in local production. This includes the two series of the enjoyable but overrated Underbelly, which have brought to life events in the recent criminal history of both Sydney and Melbourne. The miniseries Blue Murder (which also starred Tony Martin, but as someone on the other side of the law) may be the exception.Wildside is currently being repeated late at night on the ABC. Having not watched the show in quite a while, I'm still impressed by its uncompromising story lines and very human characters. The cast is excellent: Tony Martin as a detective haunted by the disappearance of his son, Rachael Blake (who later hooked up with Martin in real life) as a community worker struggling with alcoholism, and Alex Dimitriades as a young cop whose vice is gambling. Equally good support roles are provided by Aaron Pederson, Jessica Napier, Mary Coustas (yes, Effie herself), and a young Abbie Cornish.The ABC inexplicably released only the first three episodes on DVD a couple of years ago. The logic of this sort of marketing is beyond me, but I'm guessing it may have something to do with licensing disagreements with the original producers.A great series which has aged remarkably well. Here's hoping the ABC's DVD department gets its act together.(According to a moderator on an ABC message board, some sort of further DVD release is due in December 2009)$LABEL$ 1 +I can't help thinking that this is Franco's 'hamage' to the Marquis de Sade's "One Thousand Days of Sodom". People (in this case women) abducted to serve as slaves to a privileged elite? Check. Kinky sex? Check. Torture including whipping? Check. Victims chosen at random to be killed? Check.Thank goodness Franco didn't go the whole hog and introduce cinema audiences to the delights of coprology (and indeed coprophagy), another perversion that crops up repeatedly in de Sade's tediously long and disgusting saga.I rather hoped that this film would fall into the 'so bad it's good' category. But even the acres of naked flesh and numerous sexual encounters didn't make up for the dismal dialogue, dreadful acting, elusive plot and - just to put the tin hat on it - dubbing AND English sub-titles (a belt and braces approach missing from the women's costumes). The Alsation gave a very professional performance though.Of course I could be wrong about the de Sade angle. After all, I failed to realise that the actor playing the head warden at the 'prison' was a trans-sexual. I must pay more attention to the size of people's hands in future.According to another reviewer, the film was banned in the UK. Well it clearly isn't any more, though I fancy that the nipple-needling scene was cut to satisfy the censors. On the DVD I watched, it was only clearly visible on the Spanish trailer (which, in case you're wondering, I watched to compare it with the English one).The DVD also features an interview with Jess Franco, though you'll need better Spanish than mine to understand it. Unless I'm much mistaken it's neither dubbed nor sub-titled. And it points out that the person sodomising the character played by Franco is Ajita Wilson disguised using a moustache. Kind of ironic, given that (s)he had had the requisite appendage surgically removed.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching this movie really surprised me. I have never found myself to stop watching a movie in its entirety because 3 dollars to rent a movie is a good amount of money and darn it, I should at least watch the whole thing and get my moneys worth. I made it through about 30 minutes of this absolutely crappy movie when I thought to myself, I am now a little more dumber after watching this movie. I can't believe that the director and actors in this movie actually had that low of respect for themselves to allow this to be released! There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said by the other reviewers, but even in the worst of films there are usually one or two decent performances...not in this piece of pathetic garbage. I've seen better acting in high school plays. Every, and I mean every 'actor' is bad beyond belief, and what's truly amazing is the uniformity of the badness...gosh, it must have been the director. Where did they get these people?This is possibly one of the worst horror movies I have ever seen. Although entertaining in places due to its laughable script and even weaker acting, and I use that term very loosely, it is unfortunate that this film was not consigned to B movie hell for all eternity. What could have been a good idea has been ruined by an ultra low budget, poor sound and effects and actors who probably earned their wings in children's television, and poor children's television at that. Please, STAY AWAY from this movie. Not even worth a minute of your time.$LABEL$ 0 +'Intervention' has helped me with my own addictions and recovery. I'm a middle-aged married father of two. I'm quite functional in my personal and professional life. Still, I have pain from my past that I use addictions to soothe, and issues from which I am slowly recovering. When these addicts and their families share their lives with me, they help me to improve my life and my relationship with my family.The show, unlike many others, digs into the past of the addict and reveals events that probably caused their addiction. Many of us suffer because it's too scary to go back and do, as Alice Miller says, "the discovery and emotional acceptance of the truth in the individual and unique history of our childhood." The show deserves a lot of credit for at least getting this process started. This digging is painful and difficult, but worth it. So much coverage of addiction -- fictional and non-fictional -- seems to ignore the underlying issues. Often it's assumed that the addict just one day started to shoot up or whatever for fun or pleasure or self-interest, and now they can't stop. Not so: addictions are about killing pain. I can relate to the different events and hardships in people's lives. There are common themes, and surprising exceptions. Many addicts have suffered miserable abuse. Some kids simply respond badly to divorce. To those who think that addiction is an over-reaction to a hardship, I would just say that different people respond differently. Although some kids handle divorce well, others, like Cristy in the show, "collapse in a heap on the floor" and have their lives forever changed by the event.For example, last night's counselor said that pretty young Andrea seeks validation from men. She strips for cash for a 75-year old neighbor and lets men abuse her. Sound familiar to anyone? The series is filled with information that we can use to understand our own motivations and make adjustments to our lives. Often it's those of us with smaller issues who suffer the longest. As they say, even a stopped watch is right twice a day, but a slow watch can go undetected for quite a while, until it's made your life miserable.To the producers: Thank you for making the show, for digging into the past, for the follow-ups. Also, the graphics, the format, and the theme music are brilliant.To the addicts: thank you for your courage to share. Whether or not you have helped yourself, you have helped me.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, I liked very much the central idea of locating the '' intruders'', Others in the fragile Self, on various levels - mainly subconscious but sometimes more allegorical. In fact the intruders are omnipresent throughout the film : in the Swiss-French border where the pretagonist leads secluded life; in the his recurring daydream and nightmare; inside his ailing body after heart transplantation.... In the last half of the film, he becomes intruder himself, returning in ancient french colony in the hope of atoning for the past. The overall tone is bitter rather than pathetic, full of regrets and guilts, sense of failure being more or less dominant. This is a quite grim picture of an old age, ostensibly self-dependent but hopelessly void and lonely inside. The directer composes the images more to convey passing sensations of anxiety and desire than any explicit meanings. Some of them are mesmerizing, not devoid of humor though, kind of absurdist play only somnambulist can visualize.$LABEL$ 1 +Ugly women-of-the-cellblock flick rakes the bottom of the midnight-movie barrel, combining pulpy sleaze with the hoariest of girls-in-the-shower clichés. Linda Blair plays an innocent sent to jail (we learn offhandedly she was involved in running over some guy with her car), facing hard time in the Big House with some of the nastiest characters this side of a Russ Meyer pic. Blair is continually pawed at, punched, raped, humiliated and harassed. The dialogue is four-letter-word disgusting throughout, and the flick offers no let-up from its barrage of violence and stupidity. Still, some viewers see this as a camp classic, though perhaps its tongue isn't far enough in cheek. * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +OK, just what the HELL is all this supposed to mean??? Halloween 6 (let's just call it that, OK?) is, without a doubt, the most CONFUSING film in the series (and from what I've heard, seeing the original "producers cut" doesn't sound like it makes things any less bewildering than the "official" release). What a mess.This isn't a really bad film, as some have said. It has its scary scenes and some rather intense moments - it just DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! Don't tell me that Michael was "engineered" from the beginning to be evil and kill and destroy, and blah blah blah. It was bad enough when they turned Michael into Jamie Lee Curtis' brother (just so they had an excuse to keep her in the second film) - this is too much.It would seem this is another case of the creators of the film trying to be "too smart" by coming up with a new premise that will shock and impress us all. Bad move, guys. We're not looking for an explanation of why Michael kills, so please don't try and feed us this crap. Show me Michael looking menacing and killing a bunch of people. Show me Dr. Loomis trying to track him down and, as always, coming up just short. Don't waste (what turned out to be) the last performance of Donald Pleasance by telling me (in the most confusing way possible) that Michael was "created" by some cult from hell and that his "seed" will be passed on to another and... oh, brother.Halloween 6 has its moments, don't get me wrong, and we all know there have been FAR worse sequels than this (Hellraiser, anyone?) so get what you can out of it (the scene toward the end of the film with Michael charging down a deep red corridor is particularly effective) and try to ignore the screwball plot. Hopefully one day we can all see the "producer's cut" and maybe get the chance to make (a bit) more sense out of all of this. Till then, this will have to do...-FTM$LABEL$ 0 +When the film began, I was shocked to see it was filmed using a cheap video camera! In fact, the camera shakes and looks worse than the average home movie. Even direct to DVD films should have production values better than this! Heck, a large percentage of the home videos uploaded to YouTube have better production values! All too often, the film seriously appears to be made by sticking the camera on a tripod and turning it on--with no camera person! Closeups and anything resembling camera-work are absent in some scenes where they might have worked and in others there are too many or poorly framed closeups. Yecch! The film is about two gay men who want to become married. As if was made almost a decade ago, their only option was marrying in Vermont--times have definitely changed. However, the recent acceptance of gay marriage cannot in any way be attributed to this film--if anything, it set the gay marriage supporters back instead of helping as the movie stinks and never really tries to seriously address the issue. According to the film, religious people are one-dimensional idiots who carry Bibles EVERYWHERE and shoot people as well as wives who have gay husbands are narrow-minded when they learn their spouses have been living a lie--go figure. I'm sure glad it gives an honest chance to both sides on the issue! The bottom line--nothing about the film shows any professionalism at all and I even hesitate to call this a film. It's more like a home movie and doesn't even merit a listing on IMDb or even inclusion on IMDb's Bottom 100 list of the worst rated films of all time. The acting is horrible, the writing is horrible, the direction (if there even is any) is horrible, the camera-work is horrible and the plot is horrible. It's a home movie!! There is nothing positive I can say about this in any way except that it makes the films of Ed Wood seem like Oscar contenders in comparison and I am sure the ghost of Mr. Wood is smiling every time someone watches this mess! I don't care if you are gay or straight--this film is not worth your time and I don't know how they managed to create DVDs of it. I assume one of the actors burns them on his home computer during his free time! Seriously, this gives new meaning to the word 'bad'!By the way, if the one lady in the film WAS a real lawyer, wouldn't the ability to read be an important prerequisite?! I'm just sayin'.Finally, with gay marriage being such a serious and important topic, can't we have a film that's BETTER than THIS that addresses the issue?! This one, sadly, only invites laughter.$LABEL$ 0 +An Asian blowgun assassin takes out victims in Niagara Falls and New York City before getting run over by a car. Sheila Morris (former Miss Sweden Janet Agren, given a hilarious "Southern belle" dub to show she's from Alabama) finds a connection between these killings and the disappearance of her sister Diana (Paola Senatore) and sets out to investigate. This brings her to New Guinea where she promises a sleazy guide (Robert Kerman i.e. American porn star R. Bolla) 80,000 dollars to help locate her sister. After barely making it through a jungle full of bloodthirsty cannibals, they finally locate Diana, who's under the control of Jim Jones-type cult leader Jonas Melvyn (Ivan Rassimov). Jonas does the typical mad guru-style things, like passing out LSD, initiating group suicide, threatening to kill anyone who disobeys him and raping Agren with a giant dong dipped in cobra blood. Every once in awhile a character will look to the right or left and see a gory scene lifted directly from JUNGLE HOLOCAUST or MAN FROM DEEP RIVER (both of which were also directed by Lenzi). I'm pretty sure they also use at least two scenes from CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST as well. Here we get the expected animal slaughter scenes (gutting a gator; natives eating live snakes), plus some additional nudity and a castration. Me Me Lai shows up to give her breast implants another workout playing a widow who is gang banged by three of her brother in laws on top of the ashes of her freshly cremated husband. Mel Ferrer briefly appears as a professor and isn't given much to do.So anyway, with MANGIATI VIVI! you pretty much get a promise fulfilled with all the nudity, gore, dead animals and bad taste you expect with one of these titles, so if you're a sleaze hound, by all means watch it. Personally, I got bored with it about midway through and just wanted it to end. The original (heavily cut) U.S. release in 1985 was titled THE EMERALD JUNGLE in order to trick people into thinking they were actually renting John Boorman's EMERALD FOREST. It was also called DOOMED TO DIE and EATEN ALIVE BY CANNIBALS!$LABEL$ 0 +It's impossible for me to objectively consider this movie. Not that I haven't tried, mind you - but I sit down, and I pop in the aged VHS, and I watch the opening...and suddenly I'm five years old again and clutching my very own Care Bear and watching the movie with open eyes and an eager heart.I can see, objectively, that this movie is a BIZARRE combination of cuddly baby merchandising-mascots and creepy prepubescent children with evil powers that has a thin story and uninteresting animation. But my inner five-year-old goes, "Yay! Care Bears!" every time I think about it. So - I'd only (cautiously, reluctantly) recommend this movie for those who saw it during their early youth and can call on the awesome power of nostalgia while watching it (like me) OR those lovably cynical Gen-X/Y-ers who deliberately seek out the wonderfully bad/strange (a category in which this movie...definitely belongs). To those actually looking for a compelling movie or wholesome family entertainment: You might want to keep looking.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is awful. Give me the dentist anytime! Can you believe that one of the main TV stations here in Arabia had this as their Christmas film! I can only assume they expected to entertain the crowds with Dudley Moore rather than this. The last time I looked at my hot water bottle it had more acting, better plot, more drama and a lot more interest than this waste of celluloid. Don't even watch it if you're drunk!$LABEL$ 0 +Incredibly ARTISTIC NOBODY COULD MAKE THEM NOW I THINK.It seem to be perfect the biggest and the greatest musical ever made listen to the beautiful songs the are quite poetry.I'M Italian AND ADMIRED BY American MUSICAL. why can't you do something like that now?American were the best and for that i absolutely show my devotion to you with this movie.there are words to describes the perfection of this movie. all of a sudden my heart sings, what makes the sunset? i fall in love to easily,jealousy...and the scene with Tom and Jerry. the greatest without reserve. if you you doesn't know your eyes are not open my friends you must see it and appreciate...wake up!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a fan of C&C, going back to their records, and liked this movie, but at one point in the mid-1980's on cable television in San Jose California, it was aired with an alternate plot line that destroyed the entire point of the movie. All references to marijuana were replaced with "diamonds". The bag that "Red" drops to Chong has diamonds in it instead of marijuana, but the conversation still remains the same ("...it's worth ~$3000/lb"). There is also a subplot in which clips of aliens on a ship were added observing C&C, and talking to each other about getting the diamonds. At the end, instead of "space coke", it's something else. I'm not sure who created this version, but it was horrible, and obvious that they were attempting to make it family/child friendly. It would have been better if that network had not aired it at all.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't believe some of the comments here in the reviews. The film is dated of course, and from our comfortable viewpoint in the age of CGG a lot of the special effects are deeply unconvincing now. But even allowing for this, Helen of Troy is so bad that it is almost laughable. The scripting is awful, just awful, with no characterisation at all. The performances suffer as a result, you can see the likes of Hardwicke and Andrews writhing in an agony of embarrassment as they deliver the most ridiculous shallow trite codswallop lines. The writers seem to feel the need to explain almost everything in a dreadful didactic screenplay that allows the viewer to decide nothing for him/herself at all. The beginning of the movie spells out the historical background as if no one had ever heard of ancient Greece; I know they had American audiences to take into consideration, but the patronising way we are told everything twice to make sure we understood the action is really awful.I honestly can't believe the comments above describing this movie as a great epic film. Even allowing for the comparatively primitive cinematography and the relative sophistication of today's audience, this movie truly stinks.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know why, but when I am asked about bad movies I have seen, I often think of "The Air Up There". I know that technically, lots of movies are horrible compared to it, and I have seen worse acting. it's just that it's so bland, so predictable. In a word: mediocre.$LABEL$ 0 +Creating a comedy is like walking a pretty thin tight-rope. It either works, or it does not. Grandma's Boy is one of those movies that does not work. It may have a few very funny parts, but for the majority, it's just a terribly unfunny comedy from the usual supporting characters in Adam Sandler films (sans Sandler himself, he's just a producer).Alex (Allen Covert) is a game tester. He's 35, and is the best tester and game player at his otherwise kid-filled workplace. He ends up getting his apartment and his stuff taken from him for not paying the bills (as it turns out, his roommate had just been spending the rent money on Philipino hookers and not paying the landlord). Desperate, he moves in with his grandmother, Lilly (Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond) and her two roommates.That's the basic plot of the film, thrown in with subplots about a hot new girl named Samantha (Linda Cardelli, unrecognizable from her days as Velma in Scooby Doo) trying to get the testers to complete a new game as fast as they can, a robot-like game creating prodigy J.P. (Joel Moore) who works with Alex and wears much of the same clothes as Neo in The Matrix, and of course, all sorts of sex and drug related jokes. That's it.The problem with the film, besides the fact that the real conflict in the film occurs and is resolved within the last fifteen minutes of the film, is that it just is not funny. It is totally mind-numbingly boring, and only sparingly funny. Nothing really happens at all. No emotion, no real sense of direction, and a whole ton of intense swearing. You find yourself maybe laughing at a few funny quips that the actors say, but otherwise sit in complete boredom, wishing you had not even bothered with the film. How this film was greenlit and how Fox thought it could make money will always remain a mystery to me.There's just no entertainment value to come from it. None of the actors are actually putting in good performances, they are just acting like idiots for the camera, and hoping for the best. Stoner comedy has been done before multiple times, and on occasion, actually works (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and Dazed and Confused come to mind). Here, it just makes for making the film even less funny than it is already. The random inclusion of a monkey and a pair of bare breasts really does not make the film any better either.Other than a few funny one-liners, this movie should just be out-right missed altogether. It's not very funny, the entire plot is silly, it's boring, and it just makes for one horrendous film. Avoid it like the plague.1.5/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Ben (a fine Charles Bateman), his young daughter K.T. (a cute Geri Reischl), and his new girlfriend Nicky (the extremely attractive Ahna Capri) are on their way to a birthday party for K.T. They unexpectedly get waylaid in a remote Southern town where no-one is able to leave, and with the exception of Ben, K.T., and Nicky, no-one can get in either. To top that off, children are disappearing and adults are being murdered at an alarming rate. Ben helps some of the locals - Sheriff Pete (L.Q. Jones), Tobey (Alvy Moore), and Jack (Charles Robinson), the local priest, try to solve the mystery.This early 70's devil-themed horror movie actually predates "The Exorcist", and combines a "Bad Day at Black Rock" type plot of a rural town with a great big skeleton in its closet with horror elements, for interesting results. It actually sent a few chills down my spine this viewing, as it inexorably moves along its ominous path. The moody and solemn atmosphere is established quickly and holds for the duration; the ever-growing sense of panic gives it a real kick. Some memorable set pieces include the bizarre opening of a toy tank turning into a real one and squashing a car flat, not to mention Nickys' twisted nightmare, vividly and stylishly realized by director Bernard McEveety and crew. Jaime Mendoza-Navas' music is subtly sinister and gives it that extra sense of eeriness.The steadfast and professional cast does some fine work, especially the ever engaging Strother Martin as the affable Doc Duncan, and producers / actors L.Q. Jones and Alvy Moore.Just the fact that the whole plot is right under the noses of our heroes makes it that much more scary. Jack the priest starts leading them in the right direction, but will they be in time to put a stop to things? It's an enjoyable little chiller worth re-visiting; just speaking for myself, I was able to appreciate it a lot more after giving it a second chance. I can say now that yes, it is indeed under-rated, telling a good story in an interesting, unconventional, and effective way.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +The premise of this awaited sequel was really good and after the huge success of the remake I expected a lot sincerely.The sad truth is that this movie is really absurd and inept. The situations are dumb and beyond reason and the acting is truly awful.This time there aren't likable characters or violins unlike the remake. Also, the gore is not that abundant and when it happens it's truly bad.The violence is minimal and it's a shame because there are many arguments that make you think that there's room for heavy violence. I mean, there's a SWAT team that is hunting a family of cannibal mutants. You surely expect something different! When I watched it on the movies I wanted my money back.Anyways this is a clear example of how rushed out movies turn out to be a mess and demonstrate poor quality on all aspects.A mess that let down the fans of the remake like me. That's why sequels are never welcomed; at least this movie isn't as terrible as the 1985 sequel to the original.$LABEL$ 0 +Without Kirsten Miller this project needn't have been completed. However with the awe inspiring beauty and talent that is Miss Miller I would definitely recommend it. It looked as if the other actors were only playing to her strong performance. Wagner's dismal attempt to honor this film was a bit disappointing, but his few scenes didn't detract from being entertained. Mostly my criticisms are with the writing and plot line, the group of talent assembled did a heroic job of salvaging what should have been a disaster. The charismatic Miller delivery and timing were impeccable and believable. She plays that fine line between assertive and bossy but never offensive she is in fact the structural engineer she claims to be. I wish I had seen this on the big screen but alas I was fortunate to rent it before it was lost.$LABEL$ 1 +My college professor says that Othello may be Shakespeare's finest drama. I don't know if I agree with him yet. I bought this video version of the film. First I love Kenneth BRanagh as Iago, he was perfectly complicated and worked very well in this adaptation. SUrprisingly, he didn't direct it but played a role. Lawrence Fishburne shows that American actors can play Shakespeare just as well as British actors can do. not that there was a British vs. American issue about it. In fact, if we all work together then Shakespeare can reach the masses which it richly deserves to do. Apart from other Shakespeare tragedies, this is dealt with the issue of race. Something that has existed since the beginning of time. The relationship between Iago and Emilia could have been better and shown the complicatedness of their union together. While Othello loves Desdemona with all his heart, he is weak for jealousy and fears losing her to a non-Moorish man like Cassio. It's quite a great scene at the end of the film but I won't reveal the ending. IT's just worth watching. I think they edited much of the lines to 2 hours but they always edit Shakespeare.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was very good, not great but very good. It is based on a one man play by Ruben Santiago Hudson..yes he played most of the parts. On paper it looks like stunt casting. Yes let's round up all the black folks in Hollywood and put them in one movie. Halle Berry even produced it. The only name I didn't see was Oprah's ,thank god because it probably would of ended up being like a Hallmark movie. Instead this movie was not some sentimental mess. It was moving but not phony, the characters came and went with the exception of her husband, Pauline and the writer in question. The movie revolved around the universe of Nanny, Mrs Bill Crosby and how she raised the writer and took in people. Now being a jaded New Yorker when he said she took in sick people and old and then we see them going to a mental institution to pick up a man, I'm thinking looks like sister has a medicare scam going. Getting folks jobs and taking the medicare/caid checks But no she explains to Lou Gosset she just wants 25 bucks a week and did not want the money ahead of time. I think that part was put in the movie just for us jaded New Yorkers so we know she is not scamming the poor folks.(g) It was written by a New Yorker so he knows the deal(g).. She almost seems angelic and looking through a little boys eyes I can see why. She is married to a ne'er do well who is 17 years younger and fools around on her. Terrence Howard was born to play these type of parts. He was good but I would like to see him play something different. Markerson who plays Nanny is also very good. But for some reason the person who stood out to me was a small role played by Jeffery Wright. Where is this mans Oscar? He already won a Emmy and a Tony. He was in Shaft and he stole the movie. I did not even know who he was in this movie. He is a chameleon never the same. I never seen him play a bad part yet. This was a 5 minute role and he managed to make me both laugh and cry. I re-winded the scene few times ..one time because I didn't know who he was. His wife Carman Ejogo was excellent. I have seen her in roles before mostly mousy stuff. But she is so good here. I actually know people who act just like her. So it was very real to me Macy Grey who had one of the bigger parts was also very good. I was very happy that they did not kill Nanny off. I thought she was a goner in the beginning of the movie. BUT she was able to go home and start her old routine of taking care of people. There are women like that in most of our lives. People we might know or even lived with. Thank god for them, I do not know how they do it all of the time. I have a friend who lost 2 children and been through a lot of stuff but whenever I am feeling selfishly sorry for myself I call her and she always puts me in a good mood. THis movie is a tribute to all of those people. I only wish they they told us what happened to some of the characters like the the one armed man, Paulines boyfriend who is played by one of my favorite actors on HBO's The Wire, Omar, Rosie Perez's character and Richard the lesbian and Delroy Lindo's one arm man, he was mesmerizing in another small role.$LABEL$ 1 +Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II starts at the Hamilton High School prom of 1957 where Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) is cheating on her date Bill Nordham (Steve Atkinson) with Bud Cooper (Robert Lewis). Bill finds out & is devastated, meanwhile Mary Lou is announced prom queen 1957 & takes to the stage to accept her award. Bill, still hurting, decides to play a practical joke on Mary Lou so he throws a firecracker on stage but the still lit fuse catches Mary Lou's dress setting it & her on fire, within seconds Mary Lou is toast. 30 years later & Hamilton High is soon to hold it's annual prom night. Bill (Micheal Ironside) is now the principal & has a teenage son named Craig (Justin Louis) who is dating Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon) & are both planning on going to the prom together. Bud (Richard Monette) is now a priest, that terrible night 30 years ago still haunt both Bill & Bud. One day Vicki is looking around the schools basement when she discovers a large trunk which she opens, this turns out to be a bad move as the vengeful spirit of Mary Lou is set free & is intent on claiming her crown as prom queen & in her spare time sets out to avenge her untimely death. First up is Jess Browning (Beth Gondek) whose death is put down to a suicide, Mary Lou begins to posses Vicki's body as the night of the prom draws nearer. After disposing of some competition in the shape of Kelly Hennenlotter (Terri Hawkes) who tries to fix the prom so she wins. Mary Lou in Vicki's body is crowned Hamilton High prom queen which allows Mary Lou herself to come back from the dead to make an unexpected appearance & really liven the party up...With absolutely no connection to the original Prom Night (1980) & directed by Bruce Pittman I thought Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II wasn't a particularly good film. The script by Ron Oliver concentrates more on supernatural elements rather than cheap teen slasher themes, whether this was a good or bad decision will depend on your expectations I suppose. Personally I found these different elements didn't really gel or work that well together at all. The whole film was far to slow to be really enjoyable, after the opening sequence where Mary Lou dies no one else is killed until the half hour mark & then the film plods along for another half an hour until Vicki is finally possessed & the film finally picks up momentum for the climax where an evil Mary Lou kills a whole one person at the prom before she is supposedly defeated, come on horror film fans you did expect that clichéd 'killer not dead & ready for a sequel' ending didn't you? Don't expect a hight body count, just five throughout the entire film & none particularly graphic although I did like the way Monica (Beverley Hendry as Beverly Hendry) tried to hide in a shower room locker which Mary Lou crushed & resulting in poor Monica's blood oozing out. The supernatural side of Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is depicted by Vicki having lots of hallucinations for the first hour & Mary Lou controlling objects during the latter stages including a couple of creepy shots of a rocking horse which comes to life, the blackboard scene is quite good as well as it turns into water & zombie hands drag Vicki into it. The slasher side of Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II isn't outstanding, I did like Mary Lou herself as she churns out the obligatory one-liners & she made for a good villain even if she didn't get to kill enough people. Oh, & yes I did get the running homages to various other horror film director's with almost all of the character's sharing last names with one, this obviously adds nothing to the film but is a nice little touch I suppose. The acting is OK but the normally dependable Micheal Ironside looks lost & uninterested almost as if he's asking himself what he's doing in this & if he'll ever work again. Forget about any gore, someone is hanged, there is a stabbing with a crucifix that happens off screen, someone is impaled with a neon light, a computer goes crazy & electrocutes someones face(!?) & Mary Lou bursts out of Vicki's body at first as a rotting zombie which was quite a cool scene. There are some full frontal nudity shots in the girls shower as well, if that's your thing. To give it some credit Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is OK to watch, has reasonable production values throughout & is generally well made. Overall I was disappointed by Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, it was just too slow & ultimately uneventful to maintain my interest for nearly 100 minutes. I'm not sure whether it deserves a 3 or 4 star rating, I'll give it a 4 as there's nothing specifically wrong with it I suppose & I've sat through much worse films but it just didn't really do anything for me I'm afraid.$LABEL$ 0 +The title above is used to introduce the film "Gen" to its audience. Gen is about a young doctor(Doga Rutkay) with an ill mother. The film starts with her leaving her mother behind to start her new job. While she drives, we realise that she is not that close home as the hospital is in a remote area. As soon as she steps into the garden of the hospital, she sees the death body of a patient. This is the beginning of a nightmare for the next few days.Two policemen comes to the hospital so as to investigate the suicide. In fact, they will have to stay in the hospital because all roads are cut off due to bad weather conditions. All their communication with outside world is cut off too. There is no way out!! In those few days, there will be more nasty murders. Now everybody suspects from each other.In my opinion, the idea is brilliant. It could have been very scary indeed. There are positive sides of the movie of course. I really like the beginning of the movie. Especially, when she drives to the hospital and her first moments in the hospital. Actings are okay. Some of them are trying too hard to be mysterious and scary though. I think the final shock should have been spread into the through out of the movie. What I am saying is, it was a good twist but instead of showing it as a parody in the end, we should have realised that was coming when we see what is happening. The director needed to explain it altogether which I think didn't work well. Also the most dangerous patient in the movie is supposed to be at least 48 years old but his body looks so young and fit for someone who spends most of his life in this hospital. Lastly, I would like to say a few things about the director. I am sure he will improve. This is his first attempt. I have recently found out that he is only 21 years old. That made me feel more positive about him and his future films. I am not going to rate this film * out of ***** though.$LABEL$ 0 +Worst Movie I Have Ever Seen! 90 Minutes of excruciating film-making. All the ingredients to make this movie a true work of CRAP. Bad acting, bad directing, bad storytelling, bad makeup, bad dialogue, bad effects, and bad reasoning behind certain actions taken by the characters. It also threw in a terrible naked shot of a dumb blond, and a breast shot of a stupid Asian girl, and both attempts were just scary, since these girls are ugly. Some good horror movies came out of the 80s, but this could never be considered one of them. Kevin Tenney also committed one of the greatest sins in storytelling: he introduced characters at the end of the movie (an Old Man and Old Woman). I would vote for it below a 1 out of 10 but the voting system doesn't work that way apparently. Right from the title sequence I knew it would suck and I would return my DVD but Best Buy doesn't refund DVDs, or consumable products as they call it, or so my receipt says. I have "The Dunwich Horror" and that was truly god-awful, but I still feel that "Night of the Demons" (an obvious Evil Dead RIP-OFF) was far worse than "Dunwich Horror." This is just like "The Howling," how in the hell could sequels get milked out of this anorexic cow??? Save your money and get the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (just don't get any of its sequels though) or "The Evil Dead" or "Dawn of the Dead." "Night of the Demons" is a very, very, very bad investment. Every second of it was just maddening, excruciating pain for the audience, because the whole movie all-around was horrible! Do yourself a favor, DON'T SEE IT! You'll be saving some brain cells.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those films that you watch with a group of people. You will have the best time. It's really, really bad, like Showgirls bad but without the quality of Showgirls.You've got the best mix of bad actors, bad director and bad script here. Everything that can possible be wrong that can make for an entertaining evening, you have here. The first being the tag line is "a bunch of teenagers..." These people are as much "teenagers" as my grandmother.The director has zero sense of suspense or tension. The 30 year old "teenagers" are standing around and the "monster" comes out and attacks and this pretty much happens throughout the movie when the monsters are revealed. There is no suspense building up to this or surprise or anything. It's more like when you were kids pretending to be chased by monsters and just kind of made up stuff as you went. And when I use the word "monsters" I exaggerate. More like a couple guys in Halloween masks bought at the .99 cent store.There is no doubt this script was spun off in a couple days, no rewrites and I can only imagine how bad and poorly formatted it looked on the page because it was clearly written by an amateur with no clue. It's another example of one of the bad things about this day and age: anyone can make a movie.But of course the best bad thing about this film is the acting. It's as bad as you can get. There isn't one person in this who has the slightest skill at acting and the lead is the absolute worst. He delivers every line in this monotone manner without any expression and you have to wonder how someone this bad could possible get a part in any movie, no matter who he knows. When he had to "cry" when his girlfriend was killed, it was one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in a movie. Watching these people reciting some of the awful dialog is very very funny. But when the black guy said "tell her...tell her...I love her..." before his death scene, there was a huge laugh among our group. Funny, funny stuff.My only hope is this movie gets bad enough ratings to take its place where it belongs: in the IMDb lowest rating 100 movies. We can do it, folks!PS. Is it any surprise that the one "great" comment this movie got in here was from someone in Virginia (who has one comment, only on this movie and nothing else). And guess where the movie was made? Virginia. I've said it before and I'll say it again: people who work on the movie should NOT be allowed to comment on it.$LABEL$ 0 +It's a mistake to refer to any film of this era as a horror film. Most early German films with supernatural themes are not so much horror films as they are dark fantasies borrowed from the works of early German Romantics like E. T. A. Hoffman and others. In Fritz Lang's "Der Mude Tod" (also from 1921) Death personified takes a young man away from his sweetheart, but in Lang's film the characters' destiny cannot be mitigated by behavior. Neither of the young lovers deserves to die, but they are destined by circumstances to be reunited only in death.In Victor Seastrom's "Korkarlen," however, repentance is always an option. Destiny can be altered - and death deferred - through the characters' choices. Although scenes of the Phantom Carriage collecting souls are genuinely eerie, these horrific images of Death as the great leveler are compromised by Death's offer of redemption to the real monster of this tale, David Holm, a brutal drunk who, because of a perverse hatred of humanity, spreads tuberculosis and emotional misery to everyone he comes in contact with.One New Year's Eve Holm is struck down in a fight with a drinking companion. As the first person to die on the stroke of midnight Holm must become the driver of the Phantom Carriage and collect souls during the new year. The Phantom Carriage, driven by an old acquaintance who had started Holm on his road to ruin, comes for his soul and takes him on a journey of self discovery. Along the way Holm sees the horror he has inflicted on his family and the people who tried to help him.Perhaps my disappointment with the film's ending is a criticism of the Selma Lagerlöf novel on which the film is based. But I would have preferred to see David Holm unable to escape his destiny, and to see his repentance come too late to prevent his wife from poisoning his two children and herself, and to see Holm suffer for the consequences of his sins by being made to collect their souls. It would have been a fitting punishment and a horror more immense than witnessing the abuse he inflicted on others. In the film, however, the unalterable nature of destiny isn't the message; redemption is. The driver of the carriage allows Holm's spirit to return to his body, and he rescues his family in the nick of time. His repentance smacks of Scrooge's repentance in "A Christmas Carol." If the trite and sentimental ending does not offend you, there is still much to admire in the film's images. The special effects are astonishing when measured by the standards of the day, and still hold up, which is more miraculous when you consider that these double exposures were created inside a hand-cranked camera. Also, the restored film on Tartan's new DVD looks fabulous.$LABEL$ 1 +Like most people, I was interested in "More" solely because of the Pink Floyd soundtrack, which has turned out to be the only Pink Floyd album that I still listen to after all these years. It was quite a surprise to run across the film in a local video store, in a digitally remastered version. It was an even bigger surprise to find that it is a pretty good movie.Visually it is quite beautiful, especially when the two main characters are cavorting on the rocks on the Spanish island of Ibiza. And the use of the soundtrack music, which as far as I can tell is exclusively by Pink Floyd, is excellent. It was a joy to watch the film with my copy of the album alongside me, mentally ticking off each track as it was used in the film. Dave Gilmour's brief "A Spanish Piece" was the only one I didn't hear, and several tracks are used quite prominently, especially "Cymbaline," "Main Theme," and "Quicksilver." That latter track is tedious on the soundtrack album but works very well during the title sequence of the film, resurfacing at least once later on. Maybe now I can appreciate it on the album, now that I have some visuals to accompany it in my mind.The plot of "More" is a little hard to take at times, especially in the early going, when the film appears to be merely a vehicle to demonstrate the hipness of those involved in making it. But eventually the film proves that it has much more than that to offer, as the plot becomes more focused. Why does Stefan take heroin? Why does ANYBODY take heroin, fully knowing the possible consequences? The film does not attempt to answer that question directly, but Stefan's heroin use seems a logical extension of his single-minded pursuit of pure pleasure.I strongly recommend this film to any Pink Floyd fan who has an appreciation of the vastly underrated "More" soundtrack. I also recommend it to anyone who has an interest in sixties counterculture and how it was portrayed in the media. I have no idea how realistic this movie is, since I am too young to have experienced the sixties firsthand, but it does seem to capture the spirit of the times in a way that no other movie does.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw One Life Stand when it premiered at the 2000 Edinburgh International Film Festival and was blown away by it. Made on a micro budget, this black and white digital movie is very much a European film and succeeds brilliantly in spite of the limitations of DV. The film works because it's in the indie tradition - dealing with complex issues, yet moving and relieved by touches of understated humour. One Life Stand avoids falling into the trap of other UK realist films, with ordinary working people portrayed as either hopeless victims or comedic stereotypes. The performances are strong, particularly Maureen Carr as the mother, Trise. I understand the film has recently been released on DVD and I would definitely recommend it. The rating on this site is misleading, which is why I gave it a high score because the filmmaker, May Miles Thomas obviously put her heart and soul into it and deserves better than 2.8 for her amazing achievement.$LABEL$ 1 +The Cowboys could leave you a little sore in the saddle. Definitely not one of Johns best movies. Don't get me wrong, with any John Wayne move there is always some good spots. And this one has it's fair share. But over all the picture moves slow and just doesn't live up to the aspirations it could have been. Bruce Dern again does an outstanding job as the villain. Roscoe Lee Brown is another bright spot in the movie. The kids in the movie were average but could have been cast better. This would be a good movie for the eight to fifteen year old movie goers.This would be a good family move to watch with your children. Just be aware, there is a couple of scenes that you may want to take a look at before you let the young ones see it. But most kids that I know who have seen the movie like it. Maybe it's because they get to see kids their age do all the grown up work.$LABEL$ 0 +This show comes up with interesting locations as fast as the travel channel. It is billed as reality but in actuality it is pure prime time soap opera. It's tries to use exotic locales as a facade to bring people into a phony contest & then proceeds to hook viewers on the contestants soap opera style.It also borrows from an early CBS game show pioneer- Beat The Clock- by inventing situations for its contestants to try & overcome. Then it rewards the winner money. If they can spice it up with a little interaction between the characters, even better. While the game format is in slow motion versus Beat The Clock- the real accomplishment of this series is to escape reality. This show has elements of several types of successful past programs. Reality television, hardly, but if your hooked on the contestants, locale or contest, this is your cup of tea. If your not, this entire series is as I say, drivel dripping with gravy. It is another show hiding behind the reality label which is the trend it started in 2000.It is slick & well produced, so it might last a while yet. After all, so do re-runs of Gilligan's Island, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies & The Brady Bunch. This just doesn't employ professional actors. The intelligence level is about the same.$LABEL$ 0 +Lame B-horror that takes itself too damn seriously considering its subject matter concerns an aging old dear who has been turned into a creature of the night by a lodger who has come to rent a room from her. When said lodger is killed off, Mom has to go out to feed on her own and that causes some family strain and also garners some attention from the authorities.My main complaint is that this film should have brought THE FUNNY. It failed to do so although it did have some mild gore and schlocky creature makeup effects to keep the B-movie crowd happy. I've seen worse but I wouldn't give this one a rec--4.5/10.$LABEL$ 0 +The best bit in the film was when Alan pulled down her knickers and ran the cut throat razor over her bum cheeks and around her bum hole. It was also brilliant to see Alan's bum going up and down like a fiddler's elbow later on in the film.Alan was tough as hell in it like when he got annoyed and pushed the four eyed wimp onto the sofa.I've been laughing for days about the cut throat razor bit. A brilliant idea by the script writers. Alan must be brought back into Eastenders so he can do the same to Peggy.Alan is back, and this time he's armed with a razor. Watch out if you're a girl and he finds you and pulls your knickers down.$LABEL$ 1 +Cates is insipid and unconvincing, Kline over-acts as always, as does Lithgow while butchering an English accent (at least, I assume that's what he's attempting), and the tone staggers uneasily between farcical and maudlin. As with most pet projects showcasing a celebrity couple, it's a relief when this shoddy piece grinds to it's forced and jarring conclusion.$LABEL$ 0 +As soon as the credits rolled on Saturday night you could feel it in the air that the doctor was most definitely back!Watching those iconic moments where Christopher Eccelston met Billie Piper was the beginning of a huge long adventure.With this new series it brings with it substences in which the previous version of the show lacked. For instence, the emotion between the Doctor and his companion which they seemed to dismiss in the old series, as well as the doctor actually falling in love with a companion and receiving her love in return. Yet as we know, the doctor shall forever remain lonely as the end of Season 2 proved, he could not stay with a companion forever. Watching those moments, your eyes filling with tears as the doctor says his final farewell to the only companion he has ever loved, were moments beautifully written and acted.This show however proved it can live on as the doctor meets many other companions along his lonely yet exciting journey through his never ending life.Openeing new doors and secrets every episode it's a sure show for the family to enjoy...As Christopher Eccelston once described the show... "The journey of a lifetime."$LABEL$ 1 +The memory banks of most of the reviewers here must've short-circuited when trying to recall this Cubic Zirconia of a gem, because practically everyone managed to misquote Lloyd Bochner's Walter Thornton, when in a fit of peevish anger, he hurls the phallic garden nozzle at his new wife, Jerilee Randall-Thornton, (a nearly comatose Pia Zadora) which was used to sexually assault her earlier in the movie...but I'm getting ahead of myself. In any case, poor Lloyd could've been snarling that line at the speechless audience as much as he was his put-upon co-star.Hard as it is for most of us to believe, especially these days, nobody in Hollywood sets out to INTENTIONALLY make a bad movie. This is certainly not the most defensible argument to make, since there just seem to be so damn many of them coming out. But then again, there is that breed of film that one must imagine during the time of its creation, from writing, casting and direction, must've been cursed with the cinematic equivalent of trying to shoot during the Ides of March.THE LONELY LADY is in that category, and represents itself very well, considering the circumstances. Here we have all the ingredients in a recipe guaranteed to produce a monumentally fallen soufflé: Pia Zadora, a marginal singer/actress so determined to be taken seriously, that she would take on practically anything that might set her apart from her peers, (which this movie most certainly did!); a somewhat high-profile novel written by the Trashmaster himself, Harold Robbins (of THE CARPETBAGGERS and DREAMS DIE FIRST fame); a cast who probably thought they were so fortunate to be working at all, that they tried to play this dreck like it was Clifford Odets or Ibsen; plus a director who more than likely was a hired gun who kept the mess moving just to collect a paycheck, (and was probably contractually obligated NOT to demand the use of the 'Alan Smithee' moniker to protect what was left of his reputation.) Like Lamont Johnson's LIPSTICK, Meir Zarchi's I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, Roger Vadim's BARBARELLA, Paul Verhoeven's SHOWGIRLS or the Grandmammy of Really Bad Film-making, Frank Perry's MOMMY DEAREST, THE LONELY LADY is still often-discussed, (usually with disgust, disbelief, horrified laughter, or a unique combination of all three), yet also defies dissection, description or even the pretzel logic of Hollyweird. Nobody's sure how it came to be, how it was ever released in even a single theater, or why it's still here and nearly impossible to get rid of, but take it or leave it, it IS here to stay. And I don't think that lovers of really good BAD movies would have it any other way.$LABEL$ 0 +I wish I could give this movie a zero out of ten. Before going to this movie the day after it came out, I came on IMDb to check out the comments. A comment called the movie predictable and cheesy with terrible dialog. I never go by other people's opinions, so I wasted seven dollars for this crap movie. It had to be one of the WORST movies I've ever seen.The person who wrote the script should be pushed off a cliff. Since when do scary movies have sappy scenes? I swear, I'm amazed there weren't any GROUP HUG ^-^ moments.I think I jumped. Once. And that's because I zoned out, thinking about my research paper for English. The clichéd, birds/cat popping out of nowhere thing when you THOUGHT something was gonna happen.And the characters were STUPID. My friend and I almost DIED laughing when the alarm went off and the main character said, "I have to get my mom's shawl!!!" You. Idiot. Screw the shawl! Safety is just a few steps away, but NO, my mom's shawl (that didn't match the dress By the way) is WAYYYY more important than my health and safety. And to top it all off, they take her BACK to her house, knowing that the killer knew where she lived. God.My friend and I also predicted the ENTIRE movie. And not just the, I bet he's hiding under the bed, moments. It was the, "HE stole the bellhop's clothes and sneaked out of the hotel" and "It's the detective coming down the hallway, not the killer!" moments. Movies should NEVER be THIS predictable. Disney movies aren't even this predictable.I'm gonna complete my rant now by saying, this was a terrible movie. I'm glad I went to see it in theaters so I wouldn't buy it for $15.00 and then hate it. It was just bad. It would've been better if only one thing would've happened. If, after being shot by the detective, the killer would have fallen down in the same position he got shot in. Knife in hand, falling and stabbing the girl on his way down. Oh, how lovely that would've been.Don't waste your time or money. Go see a GOOD movie.$LABEL$ 0 +The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit together comprise the two best episodes of the 'new' Doctor Who's second season. Having said that, it should be obvious that much of the story basically transposes the plot of Quatermass and the Pit (1967) to an outer space setting, with the history of the universe intertwined with that of the Beast 666. These episodes cement the emotional ties between Rose and the Doctor, whilst also highlighting Rose's increasing self-confidence, establishing her as a not-quite-equal-yet-but-getting-there partner with our beloved Time Lord. Also of note is Matt Jones elegant screenplay, which decreases the occasional over-reliance on one-liners for the Doctor, and the performances of the entire cast, most notably the excellent Shaun Parkes as acting Captain Zachary Cross Flane.$LABEL$ 1 +SciFi has been having some extremely bad luck making quality movies lately (such as Minotaur or Dog Soldiers). Grendel is supposed to be based of the great epic Beowulf, however, it deviates so much (and offers so little in comparison) that the advertisements on television might as well have titled it 'some shitty Christopher Lambert movie'. I wasn't expecting it to be as accurate as a full blown Hollywood production, but I did however expect the 'artistic integrity' to not interfere with the actual story (even if a little bit was changed to make a two hour storyboard flow nicely in the allotted time slots).Did the director and producers have any idea about what they were doing (did any research go into this?). Obviously not, as one could tell from the massive horned helmets that Beowulf and his crew (save for mullet boy) are wearing. One major problem I have though was with the very look of Grendel…if Beowulf is supposed to wrestle him, shouldn't he not have been sixteen feet tall and weigh 2 tons? Grendel's death segment was also lacking in every way – in my opinion the one in the epic was actually better than the made up junk on the script; for example: Grendel is supposed to have his arm ripped out from the socket by Beowulf – not cut off at the forearm after he was set on fire by an exploding arrow from a crossbow that looks like it weighs 300lbs! And Grendel's mother…did they just combine her with the dragon at the end of the epic where he eventually dies when he succumbs to his wounds? And honestly, what the hell was with that mullet? If you want to see this movie because its connection to the epic….don't, as there really isn't one (other than character names). The only way I could recommend this film is if you liked the movie Druids (directed by Jacques Dorfmann) – although I don't recommend watching either.$LABEL$ 0 +This was honestly the worst movie i have ever seen. the acting was god awful, the story line also was bad. it was however a good idea. if this movie would have had better cinematics, and a lot better actors, i might of had something better to say. edgar allen poe was a great Gothic writer, and this movie just destroyed it. why do people always have to kill good stories by making bad movies. the only good part was when the killer put the head under the floor with a tape going, that was pretty good. the swinging axe was just horrible, there was absolutely no suspense. and also when the killer is chasing everyone around in the end, he was going from one place to another in just seconds, it makes absolutely no sense.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't understand how these animated movies keep coming out, and no matter how good (or bad) it is people love it.I saw this movie with my two kids (5,7). They like pretty much anything animated (like most people who rated this film). The theater was almost full, and I looked forward to seeing the movie with its superb cast. To tell the truth I was bored silly. It was unbelievably predictable and just plain unfunny. There were a couple chuckles throughout the film and that was it. Of course they tried time and time again to get the cheap laugh, but just didn't work. My son almost always says to me that he wants the DVD after we see an animated movie, but not on this one. My daughter fell asleep half way through. Also, the kids thought the character animation looked weird. I haven't heard that from them since seeing The Polar Express, which gave my daughter nightmares.Trust me, I'm not the type who looks for the negative in everything. But quality is quality, and like so many animated movies they throw out there, it has very little.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is the Latino Godfather. An unlikely mobster bridges the gap to some unlikely alliances and forms an empire. I enjoyed the action and gunfights along with the brash acting and colorful characters. This movie is no Oscar winner, but definitely entertaining. Hey, who needs an Oscar anyway? Chapa has got some balls to direct& act ( I think he produced it too?) this movie. Reminds me of another filmmaker who likes to do it all, Robert Rodrigez. Keep it up, is there a sequel in the works? There are a bunch of strings that need to be tied. Son comes back and avenges dads death?$LABEL$ 1 +This sci-fi adventure is not the best and by no means the worst. I agree with the statement that bad sci-fi is comical. Bizarre pink tinting and unusual special effects make this a favorite for the late, late, late show viewers. Space explorers on the planet Mars fight off strange giant amoeba-like monsters and other strange creatures. Pretty cool.The cast includes Les Tremayne, Naura Hayden, Gerald Mohr and Jack Kruschen. Get comfy and enjoy. Don't feel bad if you nod off for a moment. I agree with adding this to the list of cult classics to not miss.$LABEL$ 0 +Granted, I'm not the connoisseur d'horror my partner is, but a well put together, clever flick is worth the time. My quibbles, in brief:- Dialog often weak and at times unbelievable coming from the given character.- Unconvincing acting.- Storyline never really caught fire.The writers plucked choice bits from half a dozen mainstream films, tossed into a kettle, simmered not nearly enough and tried feeding us poor saps the resulting mess, al'dente.Long and short, while not absolutely terrible, it was definitely not worthy of absorbing one of my NetFlix rentals.$LABEL$ 0 +Michael (played by Steven Robertson) has cerebal palsy, and lives a quiet, and dull, life in Carrigmore Residential Home. When a newcomer to the home, Rory (McAvoy), befriends him, he proceeds to show Michael how to live past the disability. Despite, or maybe because of, Rory's crippling disability (unable to move all but his head and a few digits on his hand), Rory is fiercely independent, and extremely rebellious. His affect upon the quiet and reserve Michael is spectacular, and the two soon leave the care home to set up lives in the outside world, where they recruit the help of Siobhan (Romola Garai) as a care assistant.This film is one of the gems of the year! Much like last year's In America, the film goes from being extremely funny, to distressing, touching, upsetting, and truly moving without once seeming saccharine sweet. Knowing exactly where to tug at the heartstrings, and where to simply let the story, and characters, do their thing, O'Donnell has crafted a wonderful film which tells us all to look past the surface, and see what lies within.The true strengths of the film come in the lead actors. So convincing are their characters that you truly do believe that they are disabled. To further manage to convey humor and sorrow on top of the already great performances is amazing. The pair really seem close friends, and as their tale unfolds you care completely for them.This is definitely one of the finest examples of film this year, telling a very relevant story in a simple way. If this film fails to touch your heart, then you must contain pure ice inside.$LABEL$ 1 +A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.Poor Buster becomes THE GOAT ("scapegoat") for a dangerous escaped murderer.This is a wonderful, hilarious little film with Keaton at his absolute best. In what is essentially a series of chases, Buster gets to exercise his endlessly inventive imagination. Big Joe Roberts appears as the highly suspicious police chief.Born into a family of Vaudevillian acrobats, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) mastered physical comedy at a very early age. An association with Fatty Arbuckle led to a series of highly imaginative short subjects and classic, silent feature-length films - all from 1920 to 1928. Writer, director, star & stuntman - Buster could do it all and his intuitive genius gave him almost miraculous knowledge as to the intricacies of film making and of what it took to please an audience. More akin to Fairbanks than Chaplin, Buster's films were full of splendid adventure, exciting derring-do and the most dangerous physical stunts imaginable. His theme of a little man against the world, who triumphs through bravery & ingenuity, dominates his films. Through every calamity & disaster, Buster remained the Great Stone Face, a stoic survivor in a universe gone mad.In the late 1920's Buster was betrayed by his manager/brother-in-law and his contract was sold to MGM, which proceeded to nearly destroy his career. Teamed initially with Jimmy Durante and eventually allowed small roles in mediocre comedies, Buster was for 35 years consistently given work far beneath his talent. Finally, before lung cancer took him at age 70, he had the satisfaction of knowing that his classic films were being rediscovered. Now, well past his centenary, Buster Keaton is routinely recognized & appreciated as one of cinema's true authentic geniuses. And he knew how to make people laugh...$LABEL$ 1 +This has been put out on the DVD market by Alpha, and it's for die-hard Boris Karloff fans (like moi) only. It's not a horror flick, but a drama where Boris is a struggling scientist agreeing to kill a wealthy woman's husband in order to gain the fortune needed to continue with his work. But once the dying victim changes his will and leaves his spouse nothing, all hell breaks loose.It's appeasing enough seeing Karloff as another selfish sinister type, and some of the acting is unintentionally hilarious (especially from the leading lady Mona Goya who is absolutely a laugh riot as the double-crossed wife).But proceed with much caution.$LABEL$ 0 +Well don't expect anything deep an meaningful. Most of the fight scenes are pretty decent. The two leading ladies are quite endearing but their lack of HK action background shows at times. The ending maybe lacks something but I quite enjoyed it none the less. The cheesy humour isn't probably going to appeal to anyone who hasn't watched a bunch of HK films but if your down with that sort of thing and have a couple of hours to fill with something meaningless you could do a lot worse than this. (OK so you could do better but.......)Certainly on a par with most of the Hollywood blockbuster action drivel.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +The Sentinel is a movie that was recommended to me years ago, by my father, and i've seen it many times since. It always manages to entertain me, while being effectively creepy as well. The flashback scenes are what really made it for me. Cristina Raines's father running around all creepily, with the two creepy woman, always manages to send chills down my spine. it's your typical good vs evil thing, but at least it manages to be entertaining. The ending I consider to be one of the finest in Horror history. It has plenty of shocks and suspense, seeing Burgess Meredith do his thing as Chazen, had me on the edge of my seat. The Sentinel has the perfect build up of tension. We are never fully comfortable whenever Allison is on screen. We know something terrible is always awaiting her, and that made things all the more tense. This movie is often neglected among horror fans, but I personally think it's one of the better one's out there, and it certainly has enough for all Horror fans, to be satisfied.Performances. Cristina Raines has her wooden moments, but came though in a big way for the most part. She's beautiful to look at, and her chemistry with Saranadon felt natural. Chris Sarandon is great as the boyfriend, Michael. He had an instant screen presence, and I couldn't help but love him. Martin Balsam,José Ferrer,John Carradine,Ava Gardner,Arthur Kennedy,Sylvia Miles,Deborah Raffin,Jerry Orbach,Richard Dreyfuss,Jeff Goldblum and Tom Berenger all have memorable roles, or small cameos. Burgess Meredith is terrific as Chazen. He looks like a normal old man, but what we find out, is absolutely terrifying. Eli Wallach&Christopher Wlaken do well, as the bumbling detectives. Beverly D'Angelo has one chilling scene, that I won't spoil.Bottom line. The Sentinel is an effective Horror film that Horror fans, sadly tend to neglect. It will give you the thrills and scares you need to be satisfied. Well worth the look.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I was fortunate enough to catch this film at the Phoenix Film Festival and I must say that I very much enjoyed it. When I asked the Director if he had attended Film School I was very much impressed that he had not. Films like these don't come from people without talent. To get a start in commercials and then produce a heart felt family comedy like this shows real range. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on what he does next. As a good indie movie should, the film is very character driven. As apposed to your average Hollywood movie, which are mostly plot driven. The Film centers on a Jewish family in New York, the Applebaum's, who have all been invited back for their fathers "suicide" party. The film is stock full of witty, quick, jabbing, dialogue. The fact the small Jewish family is obsessed with being Jewish and anyone who is Jewish grounds the unrealistic situation of a "suicide" party in reality. Director Jeff Hare does a wonderful job at pulling the characters out of the actors and bringing them to life on screen. The production design brings the sets to life with lots of attention paid to small details making the setting feel like a home that's been lived in for 40 years. The editing keeps up with the dialogue in such a way that it makes you sit on your seat wondering who's going to stab who with the next witty phrase or punch line. And when appropriate the film slows down to let the audience dive a little deeper into the meanings and motivations hidden inside these lovable characters. If you're a fan of Woody Allen or films like "As Good as it Gets" go see this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched the first show of each series just to see and what a waste of time. The girl from Emmerdale she was fat so yeah she should be in fat friend but no one every lost weigh.Like Itv made a big mistake with this.Bad Girls is 100times better.I feel that the whole show was just about large people trying to loose weight but never did then they tried to have love storyline oh my god what a a waste of time and also air time. This show has not been repeated on ITV2/3/4 yeah thats how good it is.I would say do not by th box sets just a waste of money.BEWARE$LABEL$ 0 +Remnants of an ambushed Army unit hook up with a group of cowboys to fight their way through Indians on the warpath. Sounds like it could be an exciting western, but this one is dull, dull, dull. It moves like molasses, the action scenes are uninspired, the acting is pedestrian, the writing is flat, even the photography isn't very good. Eastwood, in a very early role, plays an ex-Confederate who doesn't like the idea of fighting on the same side as Yankees. That's about the only remotely interesting situation in the whole movie, but Eastwood wasn't experienced enough an actor to pull it off, and his character comes across as petulant rather than angry or embittered. A very ordinary western. Actually, a very less-than-ordinary western. Worth a look if you're a die-hard Eastwood fan and want to see him at the very beginning of his career. Otherwise, don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +Debbie Vickers (Nell Schofield) and Sue Knight (Jad Capelja) want to become one of the cool girls in their high school. Uncool and ugly girls had two options, be a mole or a prude! Debbie and Sue imitate them by using their cheating practices in an exam. Two of the cool boys, Garry (Goeff Rhoe) and Danny (Tony Hughes) ask them for their answers and they all get busted. After a bawling out from the headmaster (Bud Tingwell) the cool girls meet them outside in the playground and confronted them about whether they "dobbed" on them all. As Debbie and Sue hadn't the cool girls invited them to the "dunnies" for a smoke. They then start to hang with them on weekends at the beach, watching all the boys surf. Sue ends up going out with Danny and Debbie with Garry. A lot of usual teenage action takes place including sex, drugs and rock and roll. Garry has an eventual overdose of heroin which makes Debbie face the inequalities of life and she decides to learn to surf instead of just watching the boys. They are not happy but watch her, calling names, and eventually Debbie masters the board. A cool early 80s Aussie film.$LABEL$ 1 +While I thought this was a good film about JFK Jr it was a little hard to follow the timeline. It jumped around quite a bit without ever mentioning what year they were in. Otherwise not great acting, and not really a great film, but it was nice to learn a little more about who JFK Jr was.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, what a racist, profane piece of celluloid garbage, and what an insult to the great genre of Westerns.Exploitive? Sex scenes abound, profanity abounds, violence and gore abounds.....everything that gives modern movies such a good name, especially among those who prefer classic-era movies. This is the kind of sleaze that gives the old folks ammunition against today's films. Somehow I just can't picture nude male bathing scenes in Randolph Scott or Gene Autrey films. Nor can I picture hearing "motherf---er!" exclaimed here and there. I sincerely doubt that word was even around over 100 years ago. Yet, the f-word is so prevalent here you'd think you were watching a story centered in today's urban areas, not the old west of the 1800s.Prejudice? Well, what if all the white characters were good guys and every black person was the nasty, brutal villain? Do you think someone might complain about a racist movie? Home come we don't hear an outcry when the reverse - as demonstrated in this film - is shown in hundreds of theaters across the country?Mario Van Peeples wrote, directed and starred in this bomb. Remember that name. Apparently, he is the "Ed Wood" of today's filmmakers. Even Spike Lee wouldn't be this racist. You can't get much worse than this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Well it is about 1,000 years in the future and we have finally breached traveling the vast distance between galaxies!! But sadly we still use guns that shoot bullets, black men are still calling each other brothers, and getting high, stoned, fighting etc.. Common stereotypical urban black men are still getting the short end of the stick! Babes in tight black rubber pants that look like they're from Baywatch share close quarters with the captian and crew. Crippled people still require wheelchairs to move, no fancy cures, implants, or robotic legs. Dracula still looks and acts gay. Need I go on... In short this move was shot on a typical sci-fi set low budget props, actors, and no real special effects to speak of. The beginning, the middle, and the ending was pathetic. I have to go off and shoot myself now there is nothing left to live for.$LABEL$ 0 +What happened? Those were the first words to come to mind after this awful movie finished for the first and last time on my computer screen. Nightmare on Elm St. had gone noticeably downhill after it's cult-classic of a first film, but I doubt anybody expected this horrible aberration. Nobody expected this cosmic joke of a film, and nobody is more distraught about it than I am.This is by far the worst ANOES film of the lot. It doesn't seem too bad at the beginning, with a genuinely creepy intro and a rather elongated shower scene featuring Alice. But then we hit rock bottom right at the beginning with bad acting and a jumbled sequence of events. I mean, sure, Freddy movies are supposed to be dreamlike and creepy, but this one is like a train-wreck in it's poor sequencing of events and awful plot setup. It feels like you're coming down with a terrible headache, not like you're getting scared. So the directing totally fails. None of the suspense and well crafted horror from previous sequels is found here, and even the death scenes are mostly just crass and moronic (the death by food especially), except for that one cool scene that's crafted like a comic book battle. That's why this movie gets a point.The storyline...lame, lame, lame, LAME. It was an excuse to gross people out and to make the MPAA mad, and nothing more.The acting...should I mention how Freddy has been turned into a childish boogey-man-like clown figure? How his rebirth scene made him look like a monster out of a 7 year old's horror book instead of the foreboding and nightmarish dream killer we've all known and loathed since the first film? That arm waving and stupid chuckling as he appeared again...ugh. And his one liners, too. Throughout the whole movie, they suck. Badly. A grade-schooler could come up with funnier stuff then the vomit Freddy spews throughout the 90 minute duration of the film. Hell, a chimpanzee could come up with much funnier lines than what Freddy's been told to say here. Who wrote the script for this? This movie is really irritating, too. It seems so pointless. Like a gnat buzzing around your head, a gnat that just WON'T go away. Freddy is just an annoyance now. We've seen him so many times before. This one's nothing different, and a lot of the time you just want him to take his awful one-liners and get off your TV screen. Alice, instead of the thoughtful and quiet girl from the last movie, seems annoying and very shallow, and this is obviously due to the horrible, horrible script this movie was fitted with. Lisa Wilcox may be a great actor, and sometimes it shines through the cracks here, but she can't save this movie. The other actors just suck, mostly.The last 15 or 20 minutes of Freddy's existence in this film are awful and embarrassing. I hope Englund was ashamed of this. Who wants to see Freddy running around like a mutated gorilla with his limbs stretched out, laughing like a cartoon villain? This movie destroyed anything positive I felt for the Nightmare series. I can't ever watch them again without this image running through my head; of the mangled cartoon abomination that Krueger became. He was slowly becoming a jokey, retarded pop culture icon, but this is the lowest of the low. This is rock bottom. Nobody will ever take Freddy Krueger seriously again after seeing this film. He's naught but a joke, a clown that is long overdue for retirement. Pathetic.Of all the movies I could hate, why did it have to be Nightmare on Elm St, a series which I once adored and liked a lot? The Dream Child represents the death of a legend, and the shattering of any hope I had in the Nightmare on Elm St. series. Freddy would go on to continue his downward spiral into clown status in the next installment, Freddy's Dead (which was more entertaining than this was, actually), and then he would go on to bring down the mood in Freddy VS Jason, and finally he would putter out into nothing, which is for the best.I know this has mostly been a rant about why Freddy sucks now, but this movie is overall, horrible, and one of the worst movies ever made. Not recommended to anyone, and even ANOES completionists won't want to see this one again.$LABEL$ 0 +Zu Warriors most definitely should've been an animated series because as a movie it's like watching an old anime on acid.The movie just starts out of nowhere and people just fly around fighting with metal wings and other stupid weapons until this princess sacrifices herself for her lover on a cloud or something.Whether this princess is a god or an angel is beyond me but soon enough this flying wind bad guy comes in and kills her while the guy with the razor wings fights some other mystical God /Demon/Wizard thing.The plot line is either not there or extremely hard to follow you need to be insanely intelligent to get this movie.The plot soon follows this Chinese mortal who is called upon by this god to fight the evil flying,princess killing bad guy and soon we have a very badly choreographed Uwe Boll like fight scene complete with terrible martial arts on a mountain or something.Even the visuals are weird some might say they are stunning and colorful but i'm going to say they are blurry and acid trip like (yes that's a word!).I watched it both dubbed and with subtitles and both were equally bad and hard to understand....who am i kidding i didn't understand it at all.It felt like i was watching episode 30 of some 1980's anime and completely missed how the story began or like i started reading a comic series of 5 at number 4 because i had no clue how this thing started where it was going or how it would end i was lost the entire time.I can honestly say this was one of the worst film experiences ever it was like watching Inu-Yasha at episode 134 drunk...yeah that's right you don't know what the hell is going on.Don't waste your brain trying to figure this out.$LABEL$ 0 +Saving Grace is a nice movie to watch in a boring afternoon,when you are looking for something different than the regular scripts and wants to have some fun. I mean,the whole idea of this movie and all the marijuana in it is such a craziness! It was the first movie I watched with this theme(drugs/marijuana) that is not really criticizing it,only making jokes about it. Grace Trevethyn is a widow,who lives in a small town in U.K. and has many financial problems because of her dead husband, who committed suicide since he was full of debts. The problem is that Grace, who imagined to have some money saved for her, discovers that she needs to pay all of her husband's pounds in debts to not lose all of her things, specially her house that she loves so much. She never worked before, and is in a tragic situation until Matthew,her gardener who is very found of smoking pot, decides to make a partnership with her in selling marijuana in large scale.$LABEL$ 1 +Clearly my rating for this is not to suggest it compares with the classy horrors of the likes of Argento but with other 70s low budget, drive in fare and in that department it truly is a classic. The lack of money shows, (Does anyone care too much?) the acting is adequate rather than professional, (Does that make it more realistic?) but unlike so many other movies, and not just low budget ones, this does not drag for a moment. Crap it may be but non stop crap, in your face crap and although inevitably a bit campy at times, this is a must see for anyone who has any idea what I'm talking about. At times quite delirious, this crazy little film filled out with crazy characters is clearly made for fun and fun indeed it is to watch.$LABEL$ 1 +It appears even the director doesn't like this film,but for me I think he's being a bit harsh on himself.Sure it's not perfect, but there are some atmospheric shots,and the story is good enough to keep you interested throughout.It's shot in what appears to be quite a pretty village which adds to the atmosphere as well.If you like horror films shot in England, give it a go.I have just seen a trailer for this directors latest film 'The Devil's Chair' which looks quite amazing.There aren't enough English horror films for me, so any that come along deserve our attention, and this one isn't as bad as you may think$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this film thinking it was the sobbingly sad 1959 version I saw as a kid. It was not. I was therefore very disappointed with what I felt was marginal acting, poor character development, and most of all, failure to highlight the relationship between the boy and his dog. In this version... the "Dog of Flanders" is just a cute "aside" to the movie. Get the 1959 version!$LABEL$ 0 +This is not a film is a clever, witty and often heart touching movie. It's a retrospective of a failed relationship between Michael Connor (Michael Leydon Campbell) and his estranged Irish girlfriend Grace Mckenna. Michael down on his luck decides to make a documentary replaying his whole relationship and what went wrong. He exploits his friendship with an actor he met at the gym Nadia (Nadia Dajani) who he gets to play Grace. The concept of this film is very original. Michaels relationship is shown from every point whether it's a high or low. Michael Leydon Campbell pulls off a fantastic performance that makes you want to help him find Grace. If fact most of the characters pull off great performances except the puzzler. The puzzler is needed to move the plot along yet seems too surreal to exist in a coffee shop. His monologues are often overdrawn and pointless. This is proved when he says "Out of this chaos, we're all trying to create order. And out of the order, meaning. But in reality there is no such thing as meaning. Something only has meaning if we make it have meaning."The commentary saves this movie. The commentary is done in the vain of This is Spinal Tap and has Michael and his brother explain the problems they had while making the film. Michael offers a very funny self conscious commentary that makes for some very good belly laughs.Overall I'd give this movie a 7/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Before I review this film, I must make a confession that is rather a bold statement to make as a film reviewer. Anyone who has already read any of my previous reviews may know that I've always been controversial in a low-key sense, giving high marks for flops such as "Captain America" and 1985's "Creature" and panning such film classics as Alistar Sim's "A Christmas Carol" and "Shakespeare in Love." With that in mind, this confession might not come as a surprise:The simple fact is, Christopher Lambert is probably one of my favorite actors. Woah, now, don't start getting crazy on me just yet. Let me explain myself: I by no means think he's the greatest actor in the world. I clearly confess that he is not. He is certainly no Morgan Freeman or Anthony Hopkins, but I would say that his acting ability is probably somewhere up there with at least Bruce Willis. What I admire about him, however, are the human qualities that he brings into his action heroes. He is just an average guy who laughs and cries and bleeds, who is a hero because he has to be, not necessarily because he wants to be. It takes a lot, in my opinion, to be able to bring out those qualities in a character (especially in the movies he's worked in), and Lambert's heroes are a far cry from Schwartzennegger's or Stallone's. Quite frankly, Lambert's characters are easier for me to relate to. Hence, he's not the greatest actor in the world....He's just a personal favorite.I can't say that same, however, for his films. However much I appretiate his acting, it would be foolish not to confess that his choice of films leave something to be desired. Most of them are, quite frankly, terrible, and any ridicule that he's gotten over the years from me isn't due to his acting, but rather his bad choice in scripts.With that in mind, I can say that his debut film, "Tarzan," is one of his best films and probably his greatest performance. As I mentioned, it is effective becasue of the humaness he brings to the role, and for how seriously the director, writers and actors handle the material. This is a far leap from the B-movie action adventures with Johnny Weismeller from the 1940's. In fact, I would hesitate to call it an action movie. Instead, it is a serious drama that takes all of E.R. Burrough's material seriously, showing Tarzan's quest to discover his real family in Scotland after realizing that he doesn't fit in as a "white ape." He is torn in between his old family and his new one, which includes a wonderful Sir Ralph Richardson in his final role. In an attempt to adapt to humans, his ape instincts also kick in, and he can't decide what he loves more: His real family, or the one that he's always known. All in all, it is a wonderful commentary on society, and a wonderful character study.If nothing else, it launched Lambert into international stardom, which continued will into the 1980's with films like "Highlander" and "he Sicilian." Unfortunately, it didn't last. But just wait a while....His latest career moves such as "Gideon" and "Resurrection" have proven that though he still have a long way to go, he's a competent enough actor to be able to perhaps make a... ahem.... comeback if he'll just pick his roles better.For now, however, here's the verdict on his first film:*** out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +I walked into Blockbuster, itchin' to watch some good old fashion action movies. So i browsed around the action section until this movie caught my attention because the cover had in big bold letter SANDRA BULLOCK. An action movie with Sandra Bullock in it and it's rated R!? YAY! Although I will admit i prefer her in a comedy but if this is anything like 'Speed' then i was sold. Sadly Sandra really is not in this movie, her role is minor: "Panicky kidnapped girlfriend" (She is in fifth place on the actors listing for Jeebus shakes!) Apparently this was her first movie role (and after watching this movie, i figured as much) Sandra is the only living human in this movie, everyone else might as well be a Zombie in a B-Horror Flick. This movie deceived me saying Sandra was the lead . . . i fell for it like Biff from 'Back to the Future' when Marty yells "WHAT'S THAT . . .!!!" God, i wish i watched that instead of this.Sandra is the only bright side of this movie, every time she is on camera it is like she is picking up shock paddles and yelling "CLEAR!" to get this movies going but it flat lines no matter how hard she tries. More on Sandra later . . . The Movie is dull. Very Dull. Think of the Dullest moment in your life then imagine living through that moment for 110 minutes (for me, it is this movie). This movie even somehow makes Gun Fights and Bullet time effects boring, so boring that Elephant Tranquilizers are put to shame. And this movie's idea of Bullet Time is a close up of an AK in slow motion which mocks you as the caps spitting out of it represent each second of your life as it slowly ticks away. And I knew i was watching a bad movie because i found myself fast forwarding "THROUGH-THE-ACTION!" The plot? . . . there was a plot? Music? . . . even by 80s muck standards is Bad but at least it's the one thing that kept me awake. Acting? Sandra Bullock was good and . . . ummm . . . moving on. Is it any good since it IS rated R? No, unless R stands for Ridicules-snooze-fest.And it is really 80s Cliché when a movie opens with an overhead view of a city (rocking guitar licks or power ballet) and ends with a gun fight in a grim factory complete with steel walkways and assorted pipes. Both of which this movie satisfies. At least this movie establishes what era it's from which was unnecessary since Sandra's hair was screaming "1980s!!!!" And a movie gets really ham fisted when you watch an assassin stripper kill a nerd in the bathroom and stuff his body in a box, which you respond to sadly saying: "that is probably the most action that poor sap ever got." Another Hammy moment is at the beginning when some-Secret-Agent-Dude caps a crowd of people and apparently this movie thinks people jump into the air and fall to the ground when they die. All that scene needed was the Mario death ditty or maybe Contra sound effects but Nintendo might have sued.And it is sad when the main action hero of this movie rips off other BETTER movie icons. Before the big gun scene, Da hero is found standing in a boxing ring ('Rocky' anyone?), sporting a leather fedora (not 'Indiana Jones' too) with an ominous spotlights behind him (Terminator the 2nd before owning T-1000) What is really REALLY sad is that people on Youtube or Dailymotion can film better quality videos (with a crappy webcam no less) then this movie. I'm serious, most Rant videos recorded with bad audio and blurry picture are more entertaining then this movie. I cannot even call this movie by it's given name for it's very name bring back horrid memories of watching this cruel and unusual punishment (a freaking violation against human rights!) The only bright speck in this dark abysmal abyss is Sandra's career started taking off thanks to this movie. But oh Sandra . . . why did you have to be in such a nightmare? The paycheck better been worth it. The DVD also graces you with a little back story on Sandra as an extra, seen how she is the only one from this movie who end up being a house hold name. Which explains why this movie uses her name as bait for unsuspecting movie buffs, Crafty little critter.I don't have much experience with bad films but i know BAD when i see it. I could bounce back from 'Mazes and Monsters' with a good old campy Bruce Willis Comedy. But not even Bruce could cheer me up after this movie. I have yet to see any Ed Wood or Uwe Boll but I think I'm amped for them now. For i can't even fathom a movie worse then . . . "GAG" . . . 'Hangmen' . . .$LABEL$ 0 +First off i'll give this movie a low scoring 4 out of 10! It was nothing more than a wannabe film. I felt very let down watching this film. I was lead to people it would be more drama and more facts about the true story it's based on. Instead i spent over an hour watching middle aged mean break the law and take drugs.It's abit like football factory but with no real storyline and not a good ending. After watching the film i was left wondering "What was that film all about?" If you like films with no real storyline and a lot of drug taking and swearing then this is the film for you.I'm a BIG fan of mob and gangster movies but this film did not live up to the hype. I can see where the writer was trying to go with the film but it never reached it's destination.One of the worst British films that i have ever watched. If only the movie had more of a storyline this would have bad an excellent movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst movie I have ever seen and believe me I've sen a lot of bad movies. I love cheeesy horror but this was just terrible. There was not one scene in this film where I felt scared. All the actors must have been people that they found at a bus stop 20 minutes prior to shooting. I wish that Blockbutser would have given me my 99 cents back. The acting was terrible. The writing was incredibly bad. Someone had to screen this movie before it was released and had to know that it was terrible. I'd be embarrassed to have my name associated with this monstrosity. Don't rent this movie. If you do, don't return it so no other poor souls will ever make the mistake of renting it.$LABEL$ 0 +I had no expectations when I started to watch this movie. How surprised I was! This is a great, beautiful, twisted movie which will give your mind a good work-out! It's not simple. If you only enjoy Police Academy style, no-brains movies, this is not for you. The Cell is a deep, complex film with influences from movies like Cube, Silence of the Lambs and The Lawnmower Man, along with lots of completely new ideas. Wonderful, twisted environments, good acting and a compelling story makes this one of the best films I have seen in a long time! Be open-minded, and you will love it!$LABEL$ 1 +It seems like anybody can make a movie nowadays. It's like all you need is a camera, a group of people to be your cast and crew, a script, and a little money and walla you have a movie. Problem is that talent isn't always part of this equation and often times these kind of low budget films turn out to be duds. The video store shelves are filled with these so called films. These aren't even guilty pleasures, they're just a waste of celluloid that are better off forgotten. Troma Entertainment is known for making trash cinema, but most of their films are b movie gold. However, some of the films they've put out they had nothing to do with making and some, like 'Nightmare Weekend,' didn't deserve any form of release at all. Pros: The cast members do the best they can with the lousy material. Some unintentional hilarity. Moves at a good pace (Should at 81 minutes).Cons: Awful writing, which includes putrid dialogue and countless plot holes. Poorly lit, especially the night scenes and the ending, which you can't make out at all. Doesn't make a lick of sense. Badly scored. Cheap and very dated effects. Total lack of character development and you won't care about anybody. This is supposed to be a horror film, but it's lacking in that area and isn't the least bit scary. Nothing interesting or exciting happens. Loaded with unnecessary padding.Final thoughts: I never expected this to be some forgotten gem, but I never imagined it would be this bad. I don't know if it's the worst film ever made, but it's a definite contender. Troma should have let this film rot instead of giving it a release. Don't make the same mistake I did and let your curiosity get the best of you.My rating: 1/5$LABEL$ 0 +Despite being a sequel to the more potent original, this is more of a comical remake of Friday THE 13TH concerning the further antics of psychopathic Angela, killing more nubile teens for their "immorality" at a camp.Pamela Springsteen (sister of Bruce) looks great. There are some pretty darn funny sex scenes with some pretty darn attractive girls, but the movie's so (unintentionally) comedic rather than suspenseful, it's a stinker.* out of ****.MPAA: Rated R for graphic violence and gore, nudity, and for some sexuality, language, and drug use.$LABEL$ 0 +The plot of this terrible film is so convoluted I've put the spoiler warning up because I'm unsure if I'm giving anything away. The audience first sees some man in Jack the Ripper garb murder an old man in an alley a hundred years ago. Then we're up to modern day and a young Australian couple is looking for a house. We're given an unbelievably long tour of this house and the husband sees a figure in an old mirror. Some 105 year old woman lived there. There are also large iron panels covering a wall in the den. An old fashioned straight-razor falls out when they're renovating and the husband keeps it. I guess he becomes possessed by the razor because he starts having weird dreams. Oh yeah, the couple is unable to have a baby because the husband is firing blanks. Some mold seems to be climbing up the wall after the couple removes the iron panels and the mold has the shape of a person. Late in the story there is a plot about a large cache of money & the husband murders the body guard & a co-worker and steals the money. His wife is suddenly pregnant. What the hell is going on?? Who knows?? NOTHING is explained. Was the 105 year old woman the child of the serial killer? The baby sister? WHY were iron panels put on the wall? How would that keep the serial killer contained in the cellar? Was he locked down there by his family & starved to death or just concealed? WHO is Mr. Hobbs and why is he so desperate to get the iron panels?? He's never seen again. WHY was the serial killer killing people? We only see the one old man murdered. Was there a pattern or motive or something?? WHY does the wife suddenly become pregnant? Is it the demon spawn of the serial killer? Has he managed to infiltrate the husband's semen? And why, if the husband was able to subdue and murder a huge, burly security guard, is he unable to overpower his wife? And just how powerful is the voltage system in Australia that it would knock him across the room simply cutting a light wire? And why does the wife stay in the house? Is she now possessed by the serial killer? Is the baby going to be the killer reincarnated? This movie was such a frustrating experience I wanted to call my PBS station and ask for my money back! The ONLY enjoyable aspect of this story was seeing the husband running around in just his boxer shorts for a lot of the time, but even that couldn't redeem this muddled, incoherent mess.$LABEL$ 0 +When the Grinch came out I was excited though I thought it was going to be a happy go lucky film and it was. Though it did have a little Nightmare before Christmas touch to it. You know kind of dark and spooky. I loved this film because it helped fill people with the Christmas spirit. So mostly the Grinch saved Christmas. And what happened then well in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. MERRY GRINCHMAS!$LABEL$ 1 +This started out as a good sketch comedy. The first few shows were very good and I was looking forward to a long run. What was really funny was the Mariah Carey imitation and the take off on Beverly Hills 90210 featuring the hair fight. The Delta Burke vs William Conrad heavy weight battle was also good. Unfortunately the following shows went downhill relatively quickly. The writing became uninspired and oh so predictable as if the show had acquired a cult following in it's young tenure. Nothing fresh was being offered and the recurring skits were boring. One example is the gun family (or whatever it was called) which became a weekly feature. This sketch was not all that funny to begin with let alone being a regular feature. An example of a quick promising start then a sudden fall.$LABEL$ 0 +This is bad movie. There is no denying it as much as I'd like to. Tommy Lee Jones is about as good as he possible can be with the script they gave him, and he had a couple of decent action sequences that felt really out of place due to their acceptable quality.Somewhere along the line someone figured that all of the shortcomings of script could be counteracted if they were to hire every single workhorse actor in the business, unfortunately even truly, deeply talented actors like Goodman, Beatty, Sarsgaard, Gammon, Steenburgen, MacDonald, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and lest we forget Mr. Jones himself can't fix the wooden dialogue, and plot progression that went absolutely nowhere.In fact at one point I looked up, sure that the movie had been running for the past 2 hours only to find that I was 51 minutes into it.Perhaps the most painful point of the movie was the subplot about the ghost confederate soldiers that seem to be of little to no help to the story. Other than slightly detracting from the confusing business at the end with the picture. *if you haven't seen this movie disregard this past statement which may seem tantalizing and know that it is not, you will not understand it any better after having watched the movie.The most interesting thing about this movie may be that it is actually a sequel to the movie "Heaven's Prisoners" starring Alec Baldwin in the same role carried by Tommy Lee Jones in this movie. I may have to watch it now, first to see if it is as bad as In the Electric Mist, and second because I can't seem to (no matter how hard I try) break my man crush on Alec Baldwin.$LABEL$ 0 +A routine mystery/thriller concerning a killer that lurks in the swamps. During the early days of television, this one was shown so often, when Dad would say "What's on TV tonight?" and we'd tell him "Strangler of the Swamp" he'd pack us off to the movies. We went to the movies a lot in those days!$LABEL$ 0 +If TV was a baseball league, this show would have a perfect record! With an excellent cast, and a perfect plot, this show gave 8 amazing seasons and a great joy to TV after dinner. With the constant changing of relationships and finding out who Hyde's real dad is, this show was a hit when it started in August of 98, though it was set in 1976. And hanging out in Foremans basement was always the thing to do back then, and it still is today, along with circles.This show gave great laughs in premieres, and it still does during re-runs. If you watch a few episodes of this show, you will get everything and want to get more. Now only is this show one of the best ever created, it is clever and funny.$LABEL$ 1 +As one who frequently goes to the movies, I have to say that this has been one of the most impressive movies I have seen this year. Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. gave outstanding performances allowing viewers to get lost in the various emotions and really feel for the characters. It is nice to occasionally see a movie that does not depend entirely upon special effects but allows the characters of the story to touch the human psyche on many levels. I wish Hollywood would produce more movies of this calibre.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was on the Romance channel, and I thought it might be a goofy 80's movie that would be enjoyable on some level, so my brother and I watched it. Boy did it suck. Boy gets crush on girl--correction, his *dream*-girl (apparently there is a difference; and I'm surprised he realized she was his dream girl--he was smitten with her from over 30 feet away. I guess that just goes to show the power of dream-girls), boy ends up masquerading as a female to be near dream-girl (creative in the sense that it's a far-out plan, but un-creative in the sense that there are probably better solutions one might think up), awkward situations ensue, a match is made (all of which takes seems to take place around late afternoon--either the location was somehow responsible for this odd lighting, or the actors had to wait until they got off of their day-jobs to come to the set; I suspect the latter). Very clumsily done, very pathetic. It's almost never even amusing *accidentally*, so there really is nothing to redeem it. Unless you're interested in seeing Chad Lowe's early days, before he finally got his piece of the pie with his role as the HIV-positive gay guy on the series "Life Goes On", or Gail O'Grady who was on NYPD Blue and probably got to stare at Dennis Franz's buttocks). But those are unlikely motives--I'd say "systematic derangement of the senses" would be a more justified purpose. I'm surprised I watched it all. I guess it's the kind of thing where, halfway through, you find yourself *still* watching due to some morbid, self-flagellistic inner-issue, and think you might as well finish it so you can tell your friends and family that you actually sat through such a horrible movie, on the off-chance that it'll garner you some sympathy for the questionable state of your mental health. Can *You* Take the Challenge?$LABEL$ 0 +This film shows a serious side to the often thought of as gore-fest works of fulci. Not a lot of blood and guts here , but a fine tale about murder and the lives affected by it.A real find, considering it was made in 1972 and will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary.Check this one out, but be warned it is hard to find!Ron$LABEL$ 1 +Celebrity singers have always had a tough time breaking into the movies (the cinema is littered with failed attempts), and one can go on and on speculating why John Mellencamp never made it big as an actor. Instead of taking small parts in heartfelt projects, Mellencamp dives right in playing the lead in "Falling From Grace", which he also directed, and the results are as awkward and unbecoming as that title. Story of a famous singer returning to his hometown in the sticks, opening up old family wounds, boasts a screenplay by Larry McMurtry, but the meandering film goes nowhere slowly. The supporting cast is decent, including Kay Lenz (whom it's always nice to see), Mariel Hemingway and Claude Akins (who share the one really strong scene in the picture). As for John's acting, he doesn't look particularly comfortable, despite apparent efforts to make him look at home; he seems to be ducking the camera most of the time, and he never connects with the audience in an immediate way. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Based on Mika Waltari's Book,This Second CinemaScope movie ever made is full of rich color,beautiful music and panoramic spectacle.The Plot sometimes gets muddled in contrite wording,But all in all it has a strong social content:Man is ruled by his emotions,and that every action has an equal consequence.But to truly enjoy this film,First see the movie,then read the book.Although different,it sheds light on a whole lot of things that were not seen on the screen,and gives breath to some more of the depth of Sinuhe.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this on the big screen and was encapsulated with it. The period of Queen Victoria's younger years are a mystery and this is a perfect description of how a young girl was thrusted into one of the highest roles in the world.The script is perfect, the acting is amazing, the history and attention to detail is out of this world. Emily Blunt is perfect as Victoria. Funny how her mother is played by Elizabeth the 1st and William IV is played by Prince Albert! (Think Blackadder).This portrayal of Victoria shows that she was a rebellious young woman once - I'm sure she would have been on Jeremey Kyle Show if it had been around then: "My mother and her boyfriend are trying to steal my life".A Perfect piece of a major part of British and Commonwealth history.$LABEL$ 1 +Every role, down to the smallest, has been cast and acted with bravado.The extraordinary Jena Malone never takes a misstep. Her two co-stars are equal to her in this film. Ryan Gosling may be the best actor of his generation. Chris Klein gives his best performance to date. This is a thought and conversation provoking film that should be seen by teens and young adults. You'll think and talk about this film for days. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +...in an otherwise ghastly, misbegotten, would-be Oedipal comedy.I was the lone victim at a 7:20 screening tonight (3 days after the movie opened) , so there is some satisfaction in knowing that moviegoers heeded warnings.The bloom is off Jon Heder's rose. The emerging double chin isn't his fault; but rehashing his geeky kid shtick in another bad wig simply isn't working. It would be another crime if this were to be Eli Wallach's last screen appearance. Diane Keaton will probably survive having taken this paycheck - basically because so few will have seen her in this, the very worst vehicle she's chosen in the last few weeks.Sitting alone in the theater tonight I came alive (laughed, even) whenever Daniels was given the latitude in which to deliver the film's sole three dimensional character. He really is among our very best actors.In summary, even Jeff Daniels's work can't redeem this picture.$LABEL$ 0 +Four Eyed Monsters follows the relationship of a shy, reclusive videographer and an equally estranged struggling artist, who, both living in the Big Apple, develop an unlikely romance with the help of an internet dating site. This in itself is not so unusual, but what is, is their method of communication. Foregoing the verbal, they take to writing notes and later communicating through video.The film is based upon the creator's (Arin Crumley & Susan Buice) own relationship, who besides writing and directing, take to acting as the lead characters as well. With elements of avant-garde, anti-plot, and docudrama, the film scatters itself to the wind with an undecided structure nestled neatly between narcissism and self-indulgence.As the movie wears on, a brief separation and deterioration of their once intriguing form of communication grow old as the couple face the hardship of reality. Focusing solely on inner conflict, or the woes of relationship, the film struggles through a stagnant narrative that is neither original, nor poignant. This could have been easily circumvented with the addition of subplot and external conflict, and a third act, to which there is none - just a montage of melodrama that leads nowhere.What is even more aggravating is the film's descent from story into reality that abruptly concludes with an open ended and unsatisfying finish. This would have been all fine and dandy, but there is no question asked and no meaning to be discovered or pondered.(On a side note, the film contains beautiful animation and a vivid and moving soundtrack, one of the more interesting aspects of the production.)But as always, watch the film and decide for yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +Lovely piece of good cinema. This is one of those films that you see smiling and you do not know why. Well, one of the reasons could be that we are before one of the most surprising directors today, and he is able to film emotions.When you are watching the film you can feel what Mr. Straight was feeling when he took the decision to go to visit his brother with his "marvellous" John Deere. What changed in his mind?, what changed in YOUR mind when you watched this film?A beautiful fraternal love story.$LABEL$ 1 +This multi-leveled thriller kept my attention throughout. It is disturbing and informative to see how perverse human behavior can be. It is also instructive as to what past wounds can motivate present behavior. No one, save Sandra Bullock's partner, is very likable. However, all are believable. Sandra did an excellent job. Her character, Cassie, comes alive with all her pain and fear and defenses. She is a survivor and so her life experience finally brings her to a healing moment. I enjoyed this movie very much. Tom Landers$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I'm an Italian horror big fan and I love movies from directors such Argento, Fulci, Bava Sr and Bava Jr, only to quote the most famous. "La villa delle anime maledette" is one of the most unknown movie of this genre, shot when this kind of cinema began its crisis that continues still today, and director Carlo Ausino sounds totally new to my ears (althoug he directed six movies... this is the price Italian directors have to pay to not work in Rome...) . But the film is not so bad. And it's absolutely not correct to talk about "trash". OK, the plot is not so original; it reminds me stuff like the Amytville series (the year is the same of "Amityville Possession" by Damiano Damiani) or "Shock", the last work of Mario Bava. But you have to think that this is the movie of a cinematographer (like Mario Bava movies); so the most important thing is the atmosphere, not the story or the characters; atmosphere very well created by the use of light and by the camera movement. The rest remain in the background. I think the movie works; not so good, but works; it's surely better than a lot of Hollywoodian production like "the Haunting" which have a bigger budget, but not bigger ideas...$LABEL$ 1 +The eight Jean Rollin film I have watched is also possibly the weirdest; the intriguing plot (such as it is) seems initially to be too flimsy to sustain even its trim 84 minutes but it somehow contrives to get inordinately muddled as it goes along! A would-be female vampire (scantily-clad, as promised by the title) is held in captivity inside a remote château and emerges only to 'feast' on the blood of willing victims (who are apparently members of a suicide club) As if unsure where all of this would lead him, the writer-director ultimately has the human villain – actually the blank-faced hero's kinky father – ludicrously revealed as a mutant(?!) from the future! The languorous pace and dream-like atmosphere (the cultists wear hoods and animal masks to hide their features from the sheltered girl) are, of course, typical of both the film-maker (ditto the seashore setting at the {anti}climax) and the "Euro-Cult" style, as are the bevy of nubile beauties on display. Personally, the most enjoyable thing about the whole visually attractive but intellectually vacuous affair was watching familiar character actor Bernard Musson (who appeared in six latter-day Luis Bunuel films) crop up bemusedly through it from time to time!$LABEL$ 0 +This gets a two because I liked it as a kid, but it became so redundant that I just started to hate it... I can't give this a descriptive review because it would be restating one thing after the other, I probably wouldn't say anything that everyone else didn't say already.The only other thing about this show is that it's pretty nasty, with the kid with the boil to that twisted babysitter to the stupidity that runs around and about in it. I have a cousin that loves this show and he's the strangest and dumbest person I have met. This show should be pulled from the air. It's always the same thing over and over... They need to put better shows on Nick. I'm getting really really tired of stuff like this.$LABEL$ 0 +Feroz Abbas Khan's Gandhi My Father, a film that sheds light on the fractured relationship between the Mahatma and his son Harilal Gandhi. For a story that's as dramatic as the one this film attempts to tell, it's a pity the director fails to tell it dramatically. Gandhi My Father is narrated to you like that boring history lesson that put you to sleep at school. Now the film aims to convey one very interesting point - the fact that Gandhi in his attempt to be a fair person, ended up being an unfair father. This point is made in the film many times over, and one of the examples given to make this point is that scholarship to England, which Gandhi twice denies his son. Instead of showing us how exactly Harilal dealt with this betrayal and what went on in his head, the director just moves along with the story, thus never letting us be witness to the growing resentment Harilal feels towards his father. Which is why when we finally see an outburst from Harilal, it comes off looking like he's over-reacting. The point I'm trying to make here is that we never really get to understand exactly why Harilal became the rebel that he did. We never really understand why he turned to Islam, and then back again to Hinduism. The thing is, we never really understand Harilal at all. And that's because the director of this film is too busy focusing on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and his role in the freedom struggle, a story most of us are already familiar with. To put it simply, Gandhi My Father promises to examine the strained father-son relationship, but it doesn't so much as show us where the cracks in this relationship first set in. We understand Harilal had to live with the burden of being Gandhi's son, but show us why that was a burden to begin with. Show us incidents of their early conflict. For example, it's not enough that Gandhi merely says he's opposed to Harilal's early marriage, tell us why this opposition? It's not enough that Kasturba blames her husband for the way her son turned out - for constantly shuttling him between schools in Gujarat and South Africa, for making him relocate every time Gandhi needed to relocate. Words are not enough, show us how these incidents shaped the character of Harilal Gandhi.What's more, instead of sticking with the prickly theme of this tenuous Gandhi versus Gandhi relationship, the film goes off on too many tangents, thus diluting the impact of the central theme. This was never meant to be a film about the struggle for Independence, and yet on many occasions that's exactly what it seems like, because the director feels almost obligated to take us through all the main events leading upto that historic moment, even though much of it has no relevance to the film's basic premise - the stormy father-son relationship. So you see the problem with this film is not that it's a bad film, but it's certainly a very confused film. What happens to Harilal's children after his wife's death? Does he ever have relationship with them? Where do they suddenly vanish after that one scene in which we see them with the Mahatma and Kasturba? None of these questions are answered in a film that's basically meant to be about relationships in the Gandhi family. The film version of an immensely popular play directed by Feroz Abbas Khan himself, Gandhi My Father is a disappointment, no questions asked.Cinematically, it struggles to translate the filmmaker's ambitious intention to the screen. Practically every single scene in the film opens and closes with fade-ins and fade-outs, never quite seamlessly leading into each other. On the positive side, there is inherent nobility in the film, which you recognise. The filmmaker makes every effort to deliver a balanced narrative, trying hard not to take sides, never once judging either father or son, painting neither as the villain. What the film does do, however, is make clear the fact that Gandhi was a difficult patriarch whose ideals may have shaped the nation, but evidently alienated his family. Of all the actors in the film it's only Akshaye Khanna who really shines in the role of the luck-deprived Harilal Gandhi. It's a wonderful performance, and it's not easy since the role covers virtually the entire lifespan of the character. But Akshaye brings a rare concoction of innocence and despondency to that part and succeeds in making Harilal a pitiable figure. Just watch him in that scene in which he discovers his wife's dead, and you'll realise how much he conveys through body language alone. Darshan Jariwala, meanwhile, who plays Gandhi Senior, adopts a caricaturish approach to playing the Mahatma in his later years, but it's the way he humanises the man in his early years as a barrister in South Africa that is the actor's best contribution to that role. The abundantly gifted Shefali Shah plays Kasturba, the woman who's meant to be torn in this father-son conflict, but if she's unable to bring across that feeling of helplessness then it's really not so much her fault as it is the fault of a rickety script. Much effort's gone into the making of this film and that's evident throughout, but the film suffers from that inevitable flaw that is eventually what you'll remember about it when you leave the cinema - it's just so boring.Director Feroz Abbas Khan's Gandhi My Father is a sincere effort yes, but also a film that could have done with a much tighter screenplay. What we learn from the film is that Gandhi and Harilal made each other very unhappy. And with this film, the director makes us too.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on the strength of the single positive review and I can only imagine that guy is a shill.The acting of the female lead is actually quite good, but the entire film is just so excruciatingly boring I could hardly bear to sit through it. This is the very definition of dullness.So far, this film is rated as 8 out of 10 on 7 votes. That must mean the director, director's girlfriend, producer, actress and drinking buddies have given their own film a 10.For the rest of you, who simply want to be entertained or enjoy a good story, avoid this.This man on the street shall give it a 2 out of 10.FDA note: while this movie can be used as an aide to obtaining a good nights sleep, no medicinal value is implied or offered.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie has the longest, most tortured and agonized ending of any movie I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately it starts right after the opening credits. January Jones gives such a wooden performance, I was surprised she didn't go up in flames when she got near the candles in the film. I don't really remember her from the other films she's done (a blessing I have to believe. I never criticize an actors performance because in film there are too many things which can affect it but in this case,it is so bad that it actually stands out from the ATROCIOUS script. Granted she's given lines and situations Meryl Streep would have trouble with but I swear at times shes reading from a cue card off set. At other times I thought she might actually be learning disabled or slow in some way. For REAL! The plot, dialog and pacing are as bad as you'll ever see but there is still no excuse for this performance nor for the director that let it be perpetrated. I feel sorry for the other actors. Cruel intentions/ 10 little indians/breakfast club shoved into a rotten burrito then regurgitated by a grade school writer- director. Take that back this has Studio exec crayola all over it.$LABEL$ 0 +I was watching this movie at one of my usual time, which is real real late at night. Usually if a movie doesn't interest me, I start falling asleep and have to raid the fridge to stay awake.At first I thought that's what I had to do since this movie's pacing started off slow, along with the fact that its shots tended to linger with the character for a long time. But after a bit, I start getting more into the movie, as more is revealed about the main character through his story telling. By the end, you feel like you've known him your whole life. The movie kept my interest so much that I didn't even know the sun was about to rise.Not much of Lynch's bizzare style, but there is enough of quirky characters to make the film amusing.$LABEL$ 1 +Full House is a great family show. However, after watching some episodes over and over again I've realized that they're incredibly boring and they seem to shelter themselves from the outside world a lot. Yes, there is a lot of comedy, but there are times when it's incredibly cheesy. It's not like I hate it, but just don't watch them over and over again because they get old quick. Probably the best season is the first.Full House is about widower Danny Tanner(Bob Saget)and his three daughters D.J. (Candace Cameron) Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley). When Danny's wife dies the he is in need of some help. So, his best friend Joey (Dave Coulier) and the girls' Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) moves in with them. Once they live there together they find they can't live without each other. Full House reminds you just how important family is and that you can always go home again.$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent documentary, ostensibly about the friendship and subsequent rivalry between two West Coast retro rock'n'roll bands: The Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. What it actually turns out to be is a portrait of a borderline psychopath - Anton Newcomb - and his tortured relationship with the rest of the world. Interestingly, for a music documentary, there is hardly any music. What there is - snatches of songs, more often than not aborted by the performers - is incidental rather than central. Although the protagonists are musicians, the story is not about music but rather about a particularly American version of a British myth of a cartoon lifestyle, ie, one where nobody has to take responsibility for behaving like spoiled adolescents on a full-time basis. Tantrums, drugs, violence, grossly dysfunctional attitudes, egomania on a truly epic scale - all of this is excused or positively encouraged because it conforms to some collectively held idea about what rock'n'roll is about. As a film this is a first-class documentary but it raises more questions than it answers. For example, why is Anton's music so conservative? For someone so wild and outrageous (and he IS wild and outrageous) his music never seems to have progressed beyond the most obvious derivations of his 60s idols (The Stones, Velvets etc.) For someone who claims to be able to play 80 instruments he has never bothered to learn to play any one of them beyond the most rudimentary level. Similarly, the Dandy Warhols burning ambition is based on a vision of rock'n'roll which is astonishingly fossilised in 1969. Nothing wrong with pastiches, of course, but surely there's more to musical life than perpetually acting out a cartoon from the late 60s. Why don't they take some risks with their music - in the way that their role models did? Because, one suspects, this is not about music. Music is just an accessory, a prop, or an excuse, to lead completely dysfunctional and irresponsible lives. But why? In the Dandy Warhols case, the answer is obvious: to make lots of money and be famous. Big deal. Anton Newcomb's case is more interesting. He is obviously very talented, but every time he is given an opportunity to reach a wider audience he sabotages it, usually in the most dramatic way possible. He is terrified of success, and at the same time, deeply resents anyone else who has it - especially his former friends the Dandy Warhols. Fascinating movie. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Not only does the film's author, Steven Greenstreet, obviously idolize Michael Moore, but he also follows in his footsteps by using several of Moore's Propaganda film-making tactics. Moore has expertise in distracting the viewer from this focus though, while Greenstreet is obviously less skilled here.Having been privy to all of the issues surrounding Moore's speech at UVSC, I was disappointed to see that the major complaints of the community -- that Moore was being paid $40,000 of the State of Utah 's educational funds to basically promote John Kerry's campaign and to advertise his own liberal movie -- were pushed to the background by Greenstreet while lesser issues were sensationalized.The marketing methods for this video have been equally biased and objectionable... promoting the film by claiming that "Mormon's tried to kill Moore". Not only is this preposterous, but it defames a major religion that Greenstreet obviously has some personal issues with. I followed Moore's visit very closely, and all of the major news agencies noted that Moore's visit came and went without any credible security problems or incidents in Utah.Greenstreet has banked on this film to jump-start his film-making career to the point that he has even dropped out of film school to help accelerate this. This seems to have been a severe miscalculation though, since Moore's visits to roughly 60 other colleges and Universities across the country in 2004 diluted interest for this rather common event. Greenstreet's assumption that American audiences would be interested in this film due to the promoted religious and conservative angles doesn't seem to be well founded.Even the name of the film, This Divided State, is somewhat of a misnomer since Utah voted overwhelmingly for Bush's re-election and thus appears to be more politically unified than any other State. The division in the movie title seems more indicative of the gulf that exists in Greenstreet's ideological differences with his religion and State. If anything, I find a humorous correlation between the religious angle of this supposed documentary and Woody Allen's hilarious contention in Sleeper (1973) that, "I was beaten up by Quakers".$LABEL$ 0 +I just wanted to write a quick response to all those people who give this film a bad review because they think it isn't funny or that it's boring. Here's the trick --- the film is not meant to be just a comedy. It's got some depth to it. Like many Demme films it deals with people living in some of the odd corners of our society who are trying to work out how to put together a fulfilling life for themselves. Unfortunately, the movie and home video industries don't deal well with subtlety and drop this in the "COMEDY" bin. It IS funny, but a lot of the humor is off-beat. However, the heart of the movie is not about the humor but about the people in it.It may not be one of the greatest films in the world but it is solid and entertaining. And the cast is one of those that shows why casting is an art unto itself. Michelle Pfieffer is great and this may be the film that showed she had some acting chops to add to her beauty. Mercedes Ruehl is a big hoot and gets to chew the scenery in the way only she can, in a role which requires it. Throw in Oliver Platt, Joan Cusack in smaller roles and the talented Dean Stockwell ... and even Chris Isaak and you've got a great cast throughout which here, as usual, makes a great difference.Matthew Modine is fun, but more important, he's a major hottie in this movie. Hot, cute and sexy.Sit back, expect the unexpected and let the movie take you where it wants to go and you should have a great time.$LABEL$ 1 +This isn't a bad movie. It's fun to watch for the first time. However it has absolutely no replay value at all. When you try to watch it again it gets so boring you have to turn it off. I give this movie a 6 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Moonwalker is probably not the film to watch if you're not a Michael Jackson fan. I'm a big fan and enjoyed the majority of the film, the ending wasn't fantastic but the first 50 or so minutes were - if you're a fan.I personally believe the first 50 minutes are re-watchable many times over. The dancing in each video is breathtaking, the music fantastic to listen to and the dialogue entertaining.It includes many of his finest videos from Bad and snippets from his earlier videos. It also includes some live concert footage.If you're a big fan of Michael Jackson this is a must, if you're not a fan/don't like Michael Jackson, steer well clear.9/10$LABEL$ 1 +This sci-fi great fortunately has little to do with the first one. Elias Koteas,Jack Palance play good roles Angelina is hot and gets naked.Billy Drago appears in this and is cool as usual + a cameo by Sven ole Thorsen helps make this a very enjoyable movie with good acting and a decent budget.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't remember the worst film I have watched.Total waste of actors and audience time.If you prefer sitting by your TV and think when will be this film over,then this is the right film for you.Maybe this film is recorded to make people believe that Moscow has some mystique past. But I must say I have not expect anything else from Rade Serbedzija,but I have expected more from Vincent Gallo.The film lacks a plot, character,development,denouement.Entire movie is about underground tunnels and how they are mystique.I must be fair there is some camera effect but even that is too poor.Over and over are the same pictures.Total waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this film with my family over a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I am thankful that someone insisted that we watch it, though I didn't pay much attention until the end of the film when a head shearing seems promised, but, alas, doesn't happen.On the other hand, I watched this movie some years later and loved its liveliness, absurdity, sparkle, and just plain fun. I think that the film has a female tone. Women are not exploited in it even though I am sure that someone might think that the movie is pure exploitation. I think the movie plays with tropes of the period.I keep thinking someone ought to remake it. And flesh out some of the implications in the original.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, this is new...Famous Italian horror director Lucio Fulci shoots a film about a famous Italian horror director called...Lucio Fulci. After years and years of witnessing gruesome horror sequences, it becomes hard for Lucio to separate reality from fiction and he often hallucinates about committing violent murders. He quickly descends further into a seemly endless spiral of madness and unverifiable venom. Even the dedicated psychiatrist can't seem to keep Fulci on the right track... Now, when it comes to pure fun and entertainment value, Cat in the Brain certainly is one of Fulci's most pleasant films. The gore is overpowering and copious, to say the least. The amount of filthy massacres is impossible to describe, especially when you manage to get your hands on the fully uncut version (referred to with the aka:"Nightmare Concert"). Decapitations all around, victims ' intestines are spread on all sides of the screen and the chainsaws are working overtime! The film also becomes unintentionally funny quite soon (since it's so exaggerated) and a perfect experience to watch with a group of friends when there's beer in the fridge. Of course, from a more professional viewpoint, this production can't exactly be called a masterpiece! There's not the least bit of tension or atmosphere to detect and the characters are completely empty-headed. In order to make more room for the gore, characters are just being introduced for 5 seconds and subsequently die a horrible death. Especially compared with Fulci's highlights - like "The Beyond" or "Don't Torture a Duckling" - this film looks like a quickly warmed up snack. The best way to interpret "Cat in the Brain" is like a personal statement made by Fulci and a direct attack towards censorship. Perhaps after seeing so many of his films – especially the latter ones – being cut by censorship committees and bashed by pseudo-artistic critics, he wanted to avenge himself by delivering a gory mess that simply can't be cut! If you take out all the explicit violence and the truly sick make-up effects, you only got about 10 minutes of footage left! Especially because the insane killings re-occur later in the film as Fulci hallucinates about them again. You can almost hear our director think stuff like: "Let's see how you're going to censor this now!" Even the entire development of the murder investigation happens in the background. Are the victims missed by any of their friends or relatives? Are there any police officers looking for clues that'll lead them to the killer? You don't know and Lucio doesn't bother to inform you about that, because that would lead to sequences that don't require cutting. Oh, and it's pretty damn pretentious as well! The name "Mr. Fulci" or even "Lucio" is mentioned every 3 minutes (34 times throughout the entire movie, to be exact) and our director clearly enjoys being in the spotlights for a change. Hey, I certainly don't blame him...After over 30 years of delivering amusing movies; he deserved to have a little extra fun. You're a God, Mr. Fulci!$LABEL$ 1 +Otherwise it is one of the worst movies I've ever seen - and I mean ever. My wife and I were both bored out of our minds within 10 minutes. Not to mention being boring, it is entirely unbelievable. Women (non-lesbian) don't bathe together - nor do they "accidentally" kiss. Brothers and sisters don't live together well into their 30s and run around swing dancing together and engaging in footraces in central park. Men don't find out their wife and sister romantically kissed the night before the wedding and then never discuss it with said wife. Absolutely ridiculous.Heather Graham is possibly the worst actress in films today. She smiles when she should be crying and vice versa. The only movie she has ever been good in is Boogie Nights - and that is because she wasn't acting.I cannot stress enough how bad this movie was.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching the last 2 episodes i remembered a TV add from my childhood. It showed the wild west, very dusty and dry, and there is a small saloon, a man enters the bar/saloon, he is thirsty as hell, lips cracked etc...., he has just walked through the Nevada Desert and hasn't drunk water for days. He croaks to the bartender "gimme a packet of potato chips" While he is eating it we can feel how thirstier he is getting, we hear a voice in the background saying.... "Keep building that thirst, build it till you cant hold it any more............. then blow it away with TEAM" The man drinks TEAM (a soft drink) It feels like a few dozen bags of potato chips the thirst is so intense that i cannot hold it any more, Season 2 has even more twists and turns then season 1. The ending answers a lot of questions but asks many many more questions hopefully we will know the answer in season 3, but i doubt it because i feel LOST has the momentum go a lot further then 3 seasons, if the people behind the camera keep up their good work.I for one will keep watching.From Pakistan with Love$LABEL$ 1 +Not only Why? But "What were they thinking?" This must have been somesort of payback to Gus Van Sant, because this is one of those odd moviesthat never should have been (re) made. It purports to be Hitchcocks filmframe by frame, but without the magic or the tension or the great filmmaking. Rent the original instead, spare yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +It must have been excruciating to attend the dailies as the shooting continued on this failure of a film. Probably Cruise, the Exec. Prod., saw what was happening and had Towne use much, much more of the nude footage in the final cut then Towne wanted to, to make up for the disaster he saw looming.(Maybe Cruise even thought of "Titanic".)A few items: Colin Farrell can't act his way out of a paper bag. But he's one of the flavors-of-the-decade, a producer's darling and one is forced to avoid the embarrassment of watching him by not attending his films. He has so many moments of not believing in what he's doing and you can see it in his eyes. I think he would have been at his best as a film actor, albeit not as rich or famous as he is now, playing second banana to dynamic leads who can act. The trap of spending a lot of money for period sets, costumes, cars, et al and photographing them as if they just came from the dry cleaner or car wash/wax. No one seems to want anything to look, well, worn. Or dirty. Is this because the production designer was told by the line producer to make sure they didn't ruin the stuff because then the company wouldhave to pay for the ruined items?This was a story about the depression-thirties folks, not a Disney Broadway musical about that era. How about doing it in black and white or better yet, given Caleb Deschanel as your D.P., have him desaturate the colors during the mix to suggest some of the actual grime and poorness of the times. It should have been, after all, a bit depressing to live so desperately as these folks did, in the Depression. More on Farrell. Did anyone for a moment believe this guy was a writer? H.L. Mencken on the wall; did I see his eyes roll at one point? Hayek and Farrell as a sexually dynamic duo? Sending a boy to do a man's work? Perhaps in the book, which I haven't read, the story was about an older woman and a youth. I cannot delve too deeply into the middle to latter parts of the film because I bailed out early on. But the memory of the scenes I did see made me think that someone was doing a not-too-amusing parody of a noir movie. Sort of what Saturday Night Live has been like for the past decade: not funny. (In my mind I kept thinking of a Guy Noir sketch, music and all.)$LABEL$ 0 +Good movie, very 70s, you can not expect much from a film like this,, Sirpa Lane is an actress of erotic films, a nice body but nothing exceptional savant to a pornographic actress from the body disappears, but the '70s were characterized a small breasts and a simple eroticism. Not demand a lot from these films are light years away from the movies today, the world has changed incredibly. The plot is simple and the actors not extraordinary. And the brunette actress has a single body, has one breast slightly bigger. Be satisfied. Papaya also is not great but at least these films have a certain charm ... Download them again but then again who knows what you pretend not to them.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the most unfairly maligned programmes of all time, 'Terry & June' was also one of the most popular sitcoms of the '70's and '80's.It started life as 'Happy Ever After', but when Eric Merriman decided he didn't want to write any more, it changed into this, hence the dropping of 'Aunt Lucy' and the Fletcher's becoming the Medford's. Yes, it was cosy, domestic, middle-class stuff; the plots ran the gamut of clichés from the boss coming to dinner, the vicar organising a jumble sale, and unwanted relatives coming to stay for the weekend. It was certainly not 'dreadful lazy comedy'. As for it being 'not clever', it was not meant to be. It was funny and well performed, and that was enough! I too loved the 'alternative' boom of the '80's ( 'Spitting Image', 'Black Adder', 'The Young Ones' etc. ) but also enjoyed conventional stuff such as this. If nothing else, it provided alternative comedy with something to be an alternative to. I found it sad though when the likes of Ben Elton took against both this and Benny Hill. Well, family oriented comedy has all but vanished from our screens, but where has it left us? Take a look at the latest T.V. schedules. All soaps and reality dross. The few comedies left are aimed at teenagers, meaning they are jam packed with swearing, bodily function jokes, and explicit sexual references. And they are not remotely funny either.The 'alternative comedy' boom was good in many ways, but had a dark side. It made conventional sitcoms appear old fashioned, drove away talented writers and performers such as Spike Milligan, and ultimately led to such unspeakable drivel as 'Little Britain' and 'Tittybangbang' ( heaven help us ). If it ain't broke, don't fix it!$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, well I thought it should be a good action, but it was not. Although Jeff Speakman stars there is nothing to watch.Only two fight for almost 1,5 hours, yak.A lot of talking and everything is so artificial that you could not believe it. The plot is clear from the beginning. If you want good action don't rent this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is what a movie should be when trying to capture the essence of that which is very surreal. It has this hazy overtone that is rarely captured on film, it feels like a dream sequence and really moves you into a dark haunting memory. The Kids were extremely believable and I do expect some things to come of them in the future. Very natural acting for such young ones, I don't know if Bill pulled it out of them or there just that good, but no the less excellent. Bill scored as far as I'm concerned and for the comment by KevNJeff about Mr. Paxtons bad acting, what can one do in that role. He played the part rather well in my opinion. This is coming from someone who said Hamlet was good (The Ethan Hawke Version?) Wow......... Do not listen to his Comments. Great flick to make you feel really uncomfortable, if that's what you want? Cinematography gets an above the average rating also.$LABEL$ 1 +Alistair Simms inspired portrayal of Miss Fritton transcends drag. It is one of the great comedy characters in film. Equally wonderful is Joyce Grenfell's character - Ruby Gates.This is a movie you should curl up on the sofa with on a wet Sunday's afternoon and be transported to a time long ago when terrifying, rampaging school girls only gained our respect - not our ire! I hear that a remake is in the offing with Rupert Everett as Miss Fritton? He will have a hard job competing with the master - or should that be mistress? - Alistair Simms.Go and rent it - it beats so much of what today goes for comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a lovely tale of guilt-driven obsession.Matiss, on a lonely night stroll in Riga (?) passes by a woman on the wrong side of a bridge railing. He passes by without a word. Only the splash in the water followed by a cry for help causes him to act. And then only too little and too late.The film chronicles his efforts at finding out more about the woman. On a troll of local bars, he finds her pocketbook. He pieces more and more of her life together. His "look" changes as his obsession grows. He has to make things right. In a marvelously filmed dialog with the "bastard ex-boyfriend" he forces Alexej to face up to the guilt that both feel.Haunting long takes, a gritty soundtrack to accentuate the guilt, barking dogs. Footsteps. Lovely film noir with a lovely twist. A good Indie ending.$LABEL$ 1 +GREAT MOVIE! Chucky is by far the funniest character in a movie. Jennifer Tilly (Tiffany) makes this movie even better! Well before Chucky died Tiffany and him were together. But like ten years later Tiffany gets Chucky back (as a doll) and brings him back to life. It was a great movie!Scary and definetly funny (only because Chucky!)10/10$LABEL$ 1 +MISSISSIPPI MERMAID is a disturbing and unsettling examination of what it means to be in love with the "wrong" person.Truffaut's directing is his usual outstanding work. Although this is far from his best. Deneuve is very, very beautiful. Despite the character she portrays.$LABEL$ 1 +I must admit, out of the EROS MOVIE COLLECTION, this has to be the one that I love the most as well as one other that I have also reviewed. The story is something that really keeps you watching. A lot of the EROS films have a plot that looks like a hammer broke it in pieces before production when you watch it. All centering around sex, and who can get with how many different people come the end of the film. And oh dear god, never watch one of these films when someone pulls out a gun. It does not work that it is almost laughable, but you do not want to waste the energy to do so."Losing Control" is exactly as its name comes on. The protagonist, the leading character (the wonderfully talented and beautiful Kira Reed). The control is the control a person has over their senses, their body and feelings. And one man changes everything for her, makes her a different woman almost. But the mirror is shattered at the same time. This makes for a great film that I wish I had come up with first!!10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Despite, or perhaps in part because of the clever use of music to underscore the motivations and ideologies of each of the major characters, stereotypes are in, and verisimilitude and characterization are out in this not-too-subtle cinematic screed.One gets the sense that John Singleton was dabbling in post-structuralist literary theory because it was the flavor of the day, and "Higher Learning" was the tendentious result. The low point of the movie is the "peace" rally, in which the symbols of the 1960s "free love" movement are reappropriated for what much more closely resembles a "Take Back The Night" rally with live, stridently identity-conscious musical acts in tow. Perhaps in his prim revisionism the director was trying to assert that identity politics is the new Vietnam? Ooh, how Adrienne Rich of him—and Remy's firing into the crowd is a nice touch, if you're into Rich's sort of political posturing.I wish I could give this movie negative stars. I can recommend it only to those interested in the 1990s as history, a time when radical feminists brought the academic trinity of race, class, and gender to popular culture and declared man-hating "a viable and honorable POLITICAL option". Where's Camille Paglia when you need her?$LABEL$ 0 +This film is notable for three reasons.First, apparently capitalizing on the success of the two 'Superman' serials, this low budget feature was made and released to theaters, marking George Reeves' and Phyllis Coates' initial appearances as Clark Kent / Superman and Lois Lane. Part of the opening is re-used in the series. Outside the town of Silby, a six-mile deep oil well penetrates the 'hollow Earth' allowing the 'Mole-Men' to come to the surface. Forget about the other holes (those in the plot).Second, unlike most SF invasion films of the fifties, the hero plays a dominant (and controlling) force in preaching and enforcing tolerance and acceptance of difference against a raging mob of segregationist vigilantes. No 'mild mannered reporter' here! Clark Kent, knowledgeable and self-assertive, grabs control of the situation throughout ("I'll handle this!"), even assisting in a hospital gown in the removal of a bullet from a Mole-Man! As Superman, he is gentler than Clark towards the feisty Lois, but is also the voice of reason and tolerance as he rails against the vigilantes as "Nazi storm troopers." Third, you will notice that the transition from the Fleisher-like cartoon animated flying of Superman in the two serials to the 'live action' flying in the 'Adventures of Superman' had not yet been made.$LABEL$ 0 +This was just telecast here in the U.S. Others have commented on the faithfulness (or lack of same) to the novel; the 1983 BBC version is far superior on this and all other counts. Given the scope of the novel, it should not have been condensed to 85 minutes. Key sections have to be rushed or alluded to, or omitted; there barely enough time just to get in the chronology of events, so character development has to be sacrificed: we cannot get much of a sense of who the people are, which robs us of what makes Austen so great.One major negative for me was the cinematography, which I thought was just awful, and quite literally sickening. The camera is constantly doing ultra-closeups, and swirling around and around in circles. Maybe on a small TV box this is OK, but on our 40" hi-def screen it was so literally dizzying that both my wife and I had to look away from the set repeatedly (my Dramamine supply had run out). Of course, this did distract from the rather lackluster I'm-just-reading-what's-in-the-script acting (isolated scenes are nicely done, but not enough to save things).Adding up the score so far in the Complete J.A. Sweepstakes: I'd rate "Northanger Abbey" a success, because of superior direction and production values (and the story lends itself better to short treatment), "Persuasion" OK (though not the equal of other versions, with condensation again being at fault), both far ahead of this attempt. I will hope for better in the two remaining novels in this TV Reader's Digest Jane Austen; like others, I am thankful they left P & P alone!$LABEL$ 0 +** CONTAINS SPOILERS ** The truly exquisite Sean Young (who in some scenes, with her hair poofed up, looks something like Elizabeth Taylor) is striking in her opening moments in this film. Sitting in the back of a police car waiting to signal a bust, her face and body are tense and distracted. Unfortunately, once the bust is over Young's strained demeanor never changes. This is one fatally inhibited actress.One has only to compare Young to the performer playing her coworker and best friend, Arnetia Walker, to grasp what is missing in Young. Walker is open, emotional, and at ease at all times...in that there's no apparent barrier between what she may be feeling and her expression of it. She is an open book. Young, on the other hand, acts in the skittish, self-conscious way you might expect your neighbor to act were they suddenly thrown into starring in a film. Basically, she doesn't have a clue.With this major void looming at the center of the movie, we're left to ponder the implausiblities of the story. For instance, after Miss Young is kidnapped by the criminal she's trailing and locked in a closet, she breaks the door down when left alone. Granted, she's dressed only in a bra and panties, but in a similar situation, with a psycho captor due to return any moment, would you head for the door...or take the time to go through his dresser, take out some clothes and get dressed? I would guess that this and other scenes are trying to suggest some sort of mixed emotions Miss Young's character is experiencing, but Young can not convey this type of complexity.There are a few affecting moments in the film, such as the short police interviews with the criminal's past victims, but overall this is an aimless endeavor. It's too bad Miss Young was replaced while filming the pair of comic book style films that might have exploited her limitations with some humor (BATMAN and DICK TRACY), because her floundering while attempting to play actual people is oddly touching. Watching Miss Young try to act, at least in this "thriller", is a sad spectacle.$LABEL$ 0 +I very well remember the bad press this film got because of the producers' court order against Clayton Moore using the name "Lone Ranger" or donning his black mask at personal appearances. Quite apart from any consideration of the film's quality, this was the absolute height of nearsighted arrogance and stupidity on the part of the producers and their attorneys. And I suspect that the lesson was well-learned after this film tanked, which was widely perceived as some sort of karma for the jerks responsible for the court order against Moore.In more recent times it has become the custom, when reviving a legendary film or TV project, to invite the original star or stars for cameo appearances, and rightly so. Show some respect, you idiots! And even if they turn up their noses at the prospect, which has happened, at least the offer was made. This is proof positive that film producers, studio executives, and entertainment attorneys are not quite too stupid and arrogant to be taught by example.$LABEL$ 0 +This self-indulgent mess may have put the kibosh on Mr. Branagh's career as an adapter of Shakespeare for the cinema. (Released 4 years ago; not a peep of an adaptation since.) I just finished watching this on cable -- holy God, it's terrible.I agree with the sentiment of a reviewer below who said that reviewing something so obviously and sadly awful is an ungenerous act that comes across as shrill. That being said, I'll take the risk, if only because *Love's Labour's Lost* is the perfect reward for those who overrated Mr. Branagh's directorial abilities in the past. Branagh has always been a pretty lousy director: grindingly literal-minded; star-struck; unforgivably ungenerous to his fellow actors (he loves his American stars, but loves himself more, making damn sure that he gets all the good lines).Along those lines, the sad fact remains that *Love's Labour's Lost* is scarcely worse than the interminable, ghastly, bloated *Hamlet* from 1996. In fact, this film may be preferable, if only because it's about 1/3 the length. Branagh decided it would be a good idea to update this bad early work of Shakespeare's to the milieu of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Fred Astaire, yada yada. So he sets the thing in 1939, leaves about an eighth of the text intact in favor of egregious interpretations of Thirties' standards (wait till you see the actors heaved up on wires toward the ceiling during "I'm In Heaven"), and casts actors not known for their dancing or singing (himself included). The result is a disaster so surreal that one is left dumbfounded that they just didn't call a horrified stop to the whole thing after looking at the first dailies. I don't even blame the cast. To paraphrase Hamlet, "The screenplay's the thing!" NO ONE could possibly come off well in this hodge-podge: the illustrious RSC alumni fare no better than Alicia Silverstone. Who could possibly act in this thing?Branagh's first mistake was in thinking that *Love's Labour's Lost* was a play worth filming. Trust me, it isn't. It's an anomaly in the Bard's canon, written expressly for an educated coterie of courtiers -- NOT the usual audience for which he wrote. Hence, there's a lot of precious (and TEDIOUS!) word-play, references to contemporary scholastic nonsense, parodies of Lyly's *Euphues* . . . in other words, hardly the sort of material to appeal to a broad audience. Hell, it doesn't appeal to an audience already predisposed to Shakespearean comedy. The play cannot be staged without drastically cutting the text and desperately "updating" it with any gimmick that comes to hand. Which begs the question, Why bother?Branagh's second mistake was in thinking that Shakespeare's cream-pie of a play could be served with a side-order of Gershwin's marmalade. Clearly the idea, or hope, was to make an unintelligible Elizabethan exercise palatable for modern audiences by administering nostalgic American pop culture down their throats at the same time. But again, this begs the question, Why bother?$LABEL$ 0 +After I couldn't ignore the hype about the show, I started watching season one and it struck me as really good and I was hooked.... for about 5 episodes, then it started to spiral downwards. Why? First, Ethan Suplee is scripted to act as a complete idiot confirming that very obviously by spewing out semi-random stuff in great expectations of it somehow becoming the next best joke.Jaime Pressly's got stunning looks, but if she thinks stretching lips to explore parts of the face to which they normally never go to and making strange grimaces to accentuate everything she says is hilarious, she's way off track. Maybe she thought her character would be too flat, faded and she wanted to make it colorful and spicy, but made a flood of colors, overkill of spices and screams out loud for attention and it hurts my eyes, ears and intellect.I really, really wanted to love this show, like I said, the premise is great, (comes from the same shelf as The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain) and Jason Lee is doing a pretty good job here, along with some of the other actors but there is no way no how I would get 'sucked in' and forget that this is just a show, because Pressly's and Suplee's surreal, extreme characters abruptly wake me when they show up. It's worth to note that their characters and acting would be fine if this wasn't a 70 something-part series and if they didn't get that much screen time.$LABEL$ 0 +Blank check is one of those kids movies that could have been a great suspense thriller for the kids but instead it's a tired lame home alone ripoff that isn't worth a dime. Quigley is a criminal who just escaped from jail and gets his hidden million dollars from a big score and then we meet Preston a frustrated kid whose room is taken over by his brothers to start a business and obviously dad treats his brothers better because they make money the same day he goes to a kid's birthday party and since his dad is a cheapo he goes on little kids rides while the other kids go on roller coasters then he receives a birthday card and a check of 11 bucks how cheap is this family? So he goes to the bank to open an account and meets the gorgeous Shea Stanley were her parents mets fans? he finds out he needs 200 to open a account meanwhile quigley gives his million to his banker friend and finds out the bills are marked so he will send a lackey named juice to get the unmarked ones when Preston leaves his bike gets run over by quigley he's about to write a check when he spots the cops and bolts back home his parents scolded him about his busted up bike and gets grounded what? their kid got almost run over and they worried about a bike? So Preston forges a million dollar check via his computer and comes back only to be escorted to the banker thinking that he's juice he gives Preston the money but the real juice came and realized they been duped by a kid! So Preston buys a mansion under the name Macintosh gets a limo driver who says unfunny jokes and goes on a epic shopping spree then he spots Shea and talks about opening his account kid you're loaded and you're talking about opening an account? We soon realized Shea is actually an FBI agent tracking down quigley and his two other accomplice's then he told his cheapy dad he's got a job working for Mr Macintosh and spends the day riding go karts playng vr games and hanging out with his limo driver buddy then he goes out on a date with Shea in a fancy restaurant what a 10 year old wining and dining a 20 something FBI agent? Afterwards he takes her to a street geyser and playing around in the water messing up Shea's 300 dollar dress yet she takes it well if this was a bit realistic she would slap him for messing up her expensive dress so quigley and the others still mad interrogates a little kid and quickly spills the beans and Preston is being chased by quigley in a scene taken from the original script and afterwords he is hosting Mr Macintoshs birthday which is really his birthday when he discovers he couldn't pay for the party he sits in his chair and dad talks to MacIntosh which he doesn't know it's his son he's talking to and talks about Preston should be a real kid and has his whole childhood ahead of him and wants Preston to go home early what? an hour ago you were grilling him about his finances! so Preston asks everyone to leave and sits alone pondering when quigley and the others break in to the house to make Preston pay and so he faces then in a finale that rips off home alone quigley gets spun around in a ball while Preston is driving a go kart juice gets hit in the groin and more antics ensue until the trio get Preston cornered and when it seem all hope is lost Shea and a bunch of SWAT guys come to save the day and so quigley and his crew get sent to jail but is there any hope for Preston and Shea? there is and she kisses him in the lips what? what? what? A grown woman kissed a kid in the lips. come on is she mentally disabled? I mean an FBI agent who knows the country's laws would risk her career to kiss a kid? she could get arrested on the spot! and the most creepiest part of all is that isn't goodbye and she'll see him in 6 or 7 years! oh dear and so he comes home to his family celebrating his birthday so the moral of the story is love and respect can be bought? What are they smoking? The bottom line is that is a waste of time the morals are whacked it's flat as a tortilla the kid is annoying the villains are lame the comic relief isn't funny the brothers are unlikable the dad is even worse the romantic subplot is creepy the plot's shallow and the only saving grace is the cinematography from bill pope which went on to shoot the matrix trilogy and two of the spider-man films so people don't waste your money and go watch home alone instead. This has been a Samuel Franco review.$LABEL$ 0 +How can such good actors like Jean Rochefort and Carole Bouquet could have been involved in such a... a... well, such a thing ? I can't get it. It was awful, very baldy played (but some of the few leading roles), the jokes are dumb and absolutely not funny... I won't talk more about this movie, except for one little piece of advice : Do not go see it, it will be a waste of time and money.$LABEL$ 0 +In order to rate this movie fairly you have to think about the genre it's supposed to be: children's. They had more guidelines to follow in order to make this movie (meaning it could not get away with some of the humor and or language from the 1st) taking all that in this movie was fun and enjoyable to watch. Sequels usually make me nervous, however this one did pretty well for itself. Knowing that it didn't have the star power of Fraiser as George they capitalized on the humor and i believe Showeman did pretty well as the lead. The plot being easy to follow and maybe campy at times fits well for a younger audience, if you want to watch a movie and hope for academy award honors this is not it, but if you want to watch a simple, fun, energy filled movie you would make a good choice with this one.$LABEL$ 1 +I argued with myself whether to rent this or not. I'm always afraid of renting something I've never heard of (don't remember this being in theaters). Great cast...that's what tipped the scales. 30 minutes in, I almost stopped watching it. The first few minutes are fun to watch, but unbelievable. It only gets worse after that. The writers of this movie could do a little research on future projects if they want to make their movies even a little better. Or they could just try writing something just a little bit believable. I give it a 3....a 1 for the writing (only because there are words)and a 2 for being able to get so many good actors to agree to do this movie despite having to read the script. Oh my god this movie sucks.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented the dubbed-English version of Lensman, hoping that since it came from well-known novels it would have some substance. While there were hints of substance in the movie, it mostly didn't rise above the level of kiddie cartoon. Maybe the movie was a bad adaptation of the book, or it lost a lot in the dubbed version. Or maybe even the source novels were lightweight. But for whatever reason, there wasn't much there.I noticed lots of details that were derivative, sloppy, poorly dramatized, or otherwise deficient. Some examples: The opening scenes looked borrowed from the 2001 "star gate" scene and the Star Wars image of hyperspace. The robot on the harvester looked like an anthropomorphized "R2-D2".It starts out trying to borrow its comic relief style of Star Wars, but mercifully (since the humor doesn't work) gives up on comedy and plays it serious. In that sense, it's superior to the Star Wars franchise, which started with a clever sense of humor, and eventually deteriorated to Jar-Jar's annoying silliness.The agricultural details were apparently drawn by someone who had never seen a farm. The harvester was driving through the unharvested middle of a field, dumping silage onto unharvested crops, rather than working from one side to the other and dumping the silage onto already-harvested rows or into a truck. Corn (maize) was pouring out the grain chute, but the farm lands were drawn like a wheat field.When it was time for Kim's father had to face his fate, there wasn't any dramatic weight to the scene. That could have been partly the fault of the English-language voice actor, but the drawings didn't show much weight either. Kim's reactions in that scene were similarly unconvincing.Similarly, when a character named Henderson was killed, Chris showed very little reaction, even though they were apparently supposed to have been close. (Henderson's death is no spoiler; his name isn't revealed until his death scene.) She seems to promptly forget him. Someone's expression of sympathy shows more feeling than she does. I think the voice actor deserves most of the blame in that case; there's at least a hint of feeling in the drawings of Chris.On several occasions, villains fail to accomplish their orders. A villain leader often punishes those failures with miserable deaths. I can't say whether that's lifted from Star Wars, or if that comes from an earlier source -- possibly the Lensman books.There's a scene where a space ship crash-lands. As it plunges toward the ground, parts are break off the ship. But so many pieces are fall off that there should be nothing left of it by the time it lands.While in most cases Chris seems like a competent, tough space hero, there's a scene where she shrieks like an incompetent damsel in distress. Someone tough enough to get over Henderson's death so quickly should at least be able to shout, "help, it's got me and I can't reach my gun!" instead of just shrieking.The character with the most personality (almost too much at times) is D.J. Bill. He sounded like Wolfman Jack, the D.J. in American Graffiti. I wonder if he's as well-voiced in the original language.Two planets in the movie exploded. The explosions were unimpressive, and appeared to owe a lot of inspiration to Star Wars. To its credit, however, the cause of the explosion was completely unlike the Death Star's primary weapon. The dialog had a good, interesting explanation for the cause. Many other explosions in the movie did look good, just not the planetary explosions.Some of the sound effects are very cheesy, as if borrowed from a late 1970s video game. Some of the images look like primitive video games, and some influence from Tron is visible too. On the other hand, the sound effects are often pretty decent, although that emphasizes the cheesy-sounding parts. The art is good too, particularly when it stays away from the often cheesy-looking computer graphics.Finally, there's the story. If a movie tells a good story, it can get away with a lot of production shortcomings. But the plot here was pretty lightweight. A naïve boy tries to help someone on a crippled space ship, and acquires a great power he doesn't understand. He and his band of very virtuous companions struggle against a powerful, unredeemably evil enemy. He makes friends, learns about his special power, and grows into a young man. If he is persistent and virtuous enough, he might even defeat the evil enemy. Details along the way can make such a story rise above the simple outline, but there's very little more than that in this movie.In the end, it's just a kiddie cartoon. But then, since it looks like the primary intended audience is older children, maybe it doesn't need to be anything more than that.$LABEL$ 0 +Claire Denis has demonstrated repeatedly that film does not need to tell a story, that it is sufficient to create an experience that allows the viewer to take the ingredients and make of them what they will.Ostensibly the idea within the framework of a most non-linear film is the older man living on the French-Swiss border, a man devoted to his dogs, who still has a lover, but whose cardiac status increasingly threatens his life. He has a son with a little family who infrequently meet with him, but when he discovers he is in need of a heart transplant he opts for going to Tahiti via Japan to obtain a heart transplant on the black market and to rekindle a long lost relationship with a son he had form a Tahitian women years ago.What Denis does with this outline of a story is use her camera to explore the loneliness of the soul, the vastness of nature, man's interaction with people vs animals, etc. Much of the time the 'film' doesn't make sense, but that is because we try too hard to connect all the dots laid out before us in beautiful pictures. Life is sort of like that: we look, see, observe, integrate, process, and make of it what we will.In using this form of film making (much as she did in the strangely beautiful 'Beau Travail') Claire Denis has developed a signature technique. Whether or not the viewer finds the finished product rewarding has much to do with our individual methods of processing visual and conceptual information. This is an interesting and visually captivating film, but many viewers will find it an overly long discourse about very little. Perhaps watching again will change that. Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +It is finally coming out. The first season will be available March 2007. It is currently airing on ABC Family from 4-5 pm eastern time Monday through Friday. The last episode will air on December 19th at 4:30. I missed it the first 100 times around. I wish I could buy the whole series right now. Who does she pick? I have to write 10 lines in order to reply to the first comment. What am I going to say. La da da de de. La da da de de nope only up to 8 how do I get to 9 almost almost awww 9 now I need 10 - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, I missed counted this is only number 8. Punky Brewster is pretty awesome too. Almost to 10 almost awwwwww.$LABEL$ 1 +This satire is just really, really dead-on, and nobody is spared. But even though this movie has plenty of laughs within the silly story and the grotesque imitation of Hitler (here cleverly renamed as "Hynkel", and speaking in a hilarious kind of pseudo-German), the general tone is pretty sad, maybe because of the movie's place in history. And the actors aren't even exaggerating that much I suppose. One of the greatest movie moments of all time must be the Jewish barber's ending speech, if only things could have ended in that way. It's not even really the character talking anymore, it's Chaplin saying something he really wanted to say. If you ignore the technical aspects, the movie doesn't feel dated or old, it actually moves at a pretty nice pace. And the sharp humor we find everywhere in this work will never die, the only thing I don't care for is the slapstick, but that just comes with the era I suppose. This is an incredibly daring, harsh take on fascism, it's so hard-hitting still after all these years.$LABEL$ 1 +There are plenty of reviews on this page that will explain this movie's details far more eloquently than I could; but I would like to offer a simple review for those who occasionally go to the movies for more than entertainment. Raising Victor Vargas is so true you will believe it. This flick gets inside your head.$LABEL$ 1 +Quite what the producers of this appalling adaptation were trying to do is impossible to fathom.A group of top quality actors, in the main well cast (with a couple of notable exceptions), who give pretty good performances. Penelope Keith is perfect as Aunt Louise and equally good is Joanna Lumley as Diana. All do well with the scripts they were given.So much for the good. The average would include the sets. Nancherrow is nothing like the house described in the book, although bizarrely the house they use for the Dower House looks remarkably like it. It is clear then that the Dower House is far too big. In the later parts, the writers decided to bring the entire story back to the UK, presumably to save money, although with a little imagination I have no doubt they could have recreated Ceylon.Now to the bad. The screenplay. This is such an appallingly bad adaptation is hard to find words to condemn it. Edward does not die in the battle of Britain but survives, blinded. He makes a brief appearance then commits suicide - why?? Loveday has changed from the young woman totally in love with Gus to a sensible farmer's wife who can give up the love her life with barely a tear (less emotional than Brief Encounter). Gus, a man besotted and passionately in love, is prepared to give up his love without complaint. Walter (Mudge in the book) turns from a shallow unfaithful husband to a devoted family man. Jess is made into a psychologically disturbed young woman who won't speak. Aunt Biddy still has a drink problem but now without any justification. The Dower House is occupied by the army for no obvious reason other than a very short scene with Jess who has a fear of armed soldiers. Whilst Miss Mortimer's breasts are utterly delightful, I could not see how their display on several occasions moved the plot forward. The delightfully named Nettlebed becomes the mundane Dobson. The word limit prevents me from continuing the list.There is a sequel (which I lost all interest in watching after this nonsense) and I wonder if the changes were made to create the follow on story. It is difficult to image that Rosamunde Pilcher would have approved this grotesque perversion of her book; presumably she lost her control when the rights were purchased.$LABEL$ 0 +The mission to see the movie "The Cave" was a dream of a friend of mine after witnessing the highly dramatic trailer, full of flashes of a creature lurking in a cave, some young cave divers, and not much else. It's too bad that the movie didn't change much more than the trailer did.The immediate allure of a movie like this is the creature. What's he going to look like? Why does he live in a cave? How is this one supposed to be different from the other creatures we've been shown in movies like Alien and Predator and the Relic? The cave "demons" do not look far from the skeletal creature in Alien: Resurrection and even has the sight of Predator. Shame that's a total ripoff...Well, let's look at the plot: very confusing and jumps to more and more totally improbable twists as a team of cave divers is sent to find a cave and its dwellers in the Carpathian Mountains. The casting was very much clear that we want young, hip, tough chicks, chiseled guys, and the girls who have brains also have to be hot. We also have to have one of every racial background in case the audience thinks that the film-makers are biased to a certain viewpoint. Totally been done, and I'm totally tired of it.The other main problem was the ending, as if to say there might be a sequel. Plase shoot me if there is one. The tagged on ending made me wretch.I gave this movie 3/10 stars. The points that it did get were more or less appreciation points towards the creature-builders for their high-quality job spent on the costuming and design for the monsters who dwell within, even when they looked totally ripped off. And there's an interesting (yet labored) documentary on the DVD on underwater cave diving. Go check it out only if you love new creations of monsters and creatures, but be warned that you've probably seen this movie before, and it was better the first time.$LABEL$ 0 +Two sisters, their perverted brother, and their cousin have car trouble. They then happen about the home of Dr. Hackenstein whom conveniently needs the body parts of three nubile young women to use in an experiment to bring his deceased lover back to life. He tells them that he'll help them get home in the morning, so they spend the night. Then the good doctor gets down to work in this low-budget horror-comedy.I found this to be mildly amusing, nothing at all to actually go out of your way for (I stumbled across it on Netflix instant view & streamed it to the xbox 360), but better then I expected it to be for a Troma acquired film. Most of the humor doesn't work, but their are still some parts that caused me to smile. Plus the late, great Anne Ramsey has a small part and she was always a treat to watch.Eye Candy: Bambi Darro & Sylvia Lee Baker got topless My Grade: D+$LABEL$ 0 +I loved this movie! Yes, it is rather cheap and I'm sure plenty of reviews will be snooty about that. But my goodness what a lot they pack in for the cash involved. I was reminded of the early work of Sam Raimi. Yes it is rough, but has good energy and plenty of fun. The acting ranges from the very good in Scott Ironside and Shawn Paul Hasser, to the not so good in some of the lesser parts. Is it a cult movie? Well it grew on me. First time I liked it but by the 3rd viewing I was loving it. The movie is probably a 7 out of 10 but I'm giving it 8 for sheer cheek. Anyone who can pull this off for 8 grand is worth watching. Almost makes me want to visit Scotland!$LABEL$ 1 +This game is one of the best horror/shooter games I've ever played. The plot is a little choppy, but the game never fails to send you plenty of chills and excitement. Many people shelved the game when they found that there are no cheat codes for it and very little health potions and ammo to be found. But actually, after you've gone through the game once, you are more familiar with the monsters and different rooms, so you can easily get by the second time around. The puzzles are great, not too hard, not too easy. There are tons of different monsters so you never get bored. And there are plenty of gaming areas. You really feel like you're in a good Stephen King novel as you play. It's nice and creepy. Pick this game up cheap and have some fun.$LABEL$ 1 +Good story and excellent animation. The influence of Frazetta and Bakshi are obvious, and that's a good thing. Anyone that enjoys Conan the Barbarian or the game Dungeons and Dragons should enjoy it. The battle between good and evil is clear cut even though it may appear that at times our hero is neutral. Most often in fantasy movies Elves are usually portrayed as having white skin and blond hair and goblins and orcs have dark skin and hair. Anyone familiar with Frazetta's, Bakshi's, or even Tolkien's work know they are not racist. Anyone that enjoys Fantasy movies should like this movie. It is not for young children due to violence and sexual innuendo. The casting was well done and the scenes and music are first rate. I hope someone puts this gem on DVD soon. I consider myself lucky to have a VHS copy in good condition.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this movie really hard to sit through, my attention kept wandering off the tv. As far as romantic movies go..this one is the worst I've seen. Don't bother with it.$LABEL$ 0 +Coach Preachy or Straight Sappy. It's bad writing combined w/even worse acting. You can choose to drink the Gatorade of this after school special, but I didn't, not even on it's 20th Toby Robbins/Islander philosophy, motivational moment. It's too much posturing to be entertaining and not substantive enough to be informative. I have respect for the coach and the program this movie is inspired by, but the move itself is awful. As someone who has played rugby for nearly 20 years in the States I had hoped for a better rugby movie (even one that has something loosely to do with rugby). And I can tell you that the Haka performed by a bunch of Haoles and Islanders is not intimidating (much like when it's performed today by the All Blacks, seriously boys, everyone has seen it,it's time to put it away). If you want real intimidation, line up across from a bunch of South Africans (the real eye gouging convicts of rugby). This is a fake and badly done movie about being a genuine and good person.$LABEL$ 0 +I go to a lot of movies, often I bring my 5 year old son, I am so glad I did not bring him to this one. There are many references to sex and a skinny dipping scene, however, that is not the primary reason I would not take him to it. The trailers lead you to believe it is a light-hearted comedy; nevertheless, virtually all of the funny moments are in the previews. I kept waiting for it to get interesting, funny, or anything but serious; however, I nearly fell asleep as the plot-less story dragged on. I understand that dogs can be great company, that being said, the entire story focused on a poorly behaving dog that the owners were not savvy enough to train. If a human caused this much damage and mayhem that person would be banned. The worst movie I've ever seen with Jenifer Aniston or Owen Wilson, a waste of their talent. The best way to sum up this movie is, couple gets unruly dog, couple falls in love with dog, dog dies, couple sad. The End.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been writing hardboiled crime fiction for a number of years now. When a writer develops a story he always has a character/actor in mind to bring the story to life. Last weekend I found a new one in Paul Vario playing uncle Benny in Eddie Monroe. This was a slick film highlighted by Vario's presence both on and off the screen (as his voice-over narration is also heard). I also especially liked the actress playing Benny's niece and Eddie's ex-wife, although everyone did a fine job in this exciting movie about playing with bad guys and the double-crossing that goes with it. A nice job all around ... and Mr. Vario shined brightest. He's gotta be my Tony Gangi someday ...$LABEL$ 1 +I regard this loving, and sensitively written story, to be one of the screen's true masterpieces. After having seen this film, originally on the silver screen with my mother, in Los Angeles, California when it first came out, many years passed before I would have the opportunity to experience it again. The beauty, quiet simplistic elegance and tranquility of the film to me, set it aside from many, many others of its kind. Yes, tears still come to my eyes when I see it, and hear the refrain of that once in a lifetime song. perhaps still, today my number one all-time most beloved film. I would hope, this classic love story will be enjoyed, and appreciated, by our future generations.$LABEL$ 1 +Dennis Hopper is without a doubt one of the finest underrated American actors of our time, and it was interesting to see how he would play out his role as a cop on the case of a child serial killer. Most movies Hopper has always played to psychotic menace threatening to blow up stuff or go on a killing spree, but in this movie, Hopper tried his best to keep that intensity and emotion while carrying a shield. Once I got into the plot of the movie, I was hooked, but it's just the little things that ultimately murdered the film.The concept of the film is great - not only are the cops on the move of catching the killer, but we get a chance to see how the gangsters operate in catching the killer. The subplot of the football stadium is kinda ridiculous, but necessary to involve the gangsters in the killer hunt.That's about all that is good you can say about the film. Although Hopper did try to act like a tough, experienced street smart cop, I can't help but feel his acting was below par, and there wasn't enough conviction that he was truly attached to the case. The directing was also terrible - it didn't have the feel of a true film, but rather a TV-movie production. This is most evident when the gangsters meet for the first time to form an elite team to hunt the killer down. When the leading gangster shoots the other mouthy gangster in slow motion, the acting was weak, predictable and terribly unexciting. That's when I knew that 1st of all, the action is going to be atrocious.The angling of the camera was amateurish, and the recalling scenes or haunting images of the killer's little sister had no true distinctive effect. If it was supposed to be scary, it wasn't. Everyone's acting was terrible, and even for Hopper, I didn't feel for his character, and I just didn't really care too much about his relationship with his daughter.The final thing that bothered me the most is the swat team. Once I saw the swat team in action, I was thinking, finally, something good. But I was wrong. 1st of all, the entire swat team consisted of 4 guys. That is just impossible. 2nd of all, apparently the swat team has no training whatsoever because many times in the film they carry their HKA4 submachine guns with one hand. Had the killer been hiding near the staircase with a shotgun, these 4 idiots would've been blown to bits because they weren't even aiming at anything or paying close attention. They should have had both hands on the gun aiming forward, but it just looks like they're not taking the job seriously and are just flaunting around. 3rd, SWAT team members do not yell out commands such as "Keep your eyes open, watch out for yourselves, are we good to go...etc." In reality, they use hand signals or have radios. But they're literally yelling at each other - how are you supposed to catch the killer when he can hear you're coming??? And to top it all off, these guys have no plan - apparently they're just running up and down going on a wild turkey chase. Eventually they end up doing nothing. That was the last straw. I'm no expert on special forces, but basically what I've just outlined, is pretty common sense. When the audience knows the movie is terrible, the action pretty much becomes the life-saver of the movie - when you can't even make an effort to make the action great, the movie is lost.I give 2 stars for the concept, but the rest cannot be credited. If you want to watch a crime thriller, don't bother with this one. There's plenty of crime in the movie - but it has the lack of thrill.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this movie to be a simple yet wonderful comedy. This movie is purely entertaining. I can watch it time and time again and still enjoy the dialog and chemistry between the characters. I truly hope for a DVD release!$LABEL$ 1 +We went to the cinema expecting a biggish budget release and got an art-house movie. The movie was projected digitally onto about two thirds of the screen real estate with sloping edges classic of digital projection, and had a limited stereo soundtrack which was wasted on the cinema experience.The content of the film was the same old historical content we have all seen before, but heavily sanitized to prevent the audience being sick. Live action scenes what little of them there were, were re-used constantly in classic documentary style, which became annoying after a while.I was somewhat amazed that only 4 people turned up to watch it, guess the rest knew something we didn't.I suspect the producers made the film to recognize the ninetieth anniversary of Gallipoli. I have to question whether they should have bothered.Seven out of Ten for trying, and out of respect for the ANZAC's.$LABEL$ 1 +During a lifetime of seeing and enjoying thousands of films, Feeling Minnesota is absolutely the worst (**major film with A-list stars) that I have ever seen. Bar none. This movie totally fails on every level. It's poorly photographed and edited. There's uninspired acting, the kind where the actors appear bored out of their minds. Just collecting paychecks, perhaps? And worst of all, the sludgy script appears to have been written under the influence of some unpleasant substance found only in sewers. I can't even begin to comprehend how the writer/director could ever have found anyone to finance this project, let alone attract any of the stars that it did. I truly wish I could get back the time that I wasted watching this piece of garbage. If possible, I would have given this film a grade of zero. Better yet, a negative number.$LABEL$ 0 +My guess is that the producers of this low-budget space/horror film wanted a serious movie but the director had his heart set on a parody. So...this is what we get. Set in an abandoned spaceship 1000 years in the future and peopled with characters and props right out of the 90's. The set is some industrial complex, maybe an oil tanker, whatever. They use is AS IS so the controls consist racks of old TV equipment. One location is obviously the employees lunchroom and sports an old TV and VCR as well as a water cooler with plastic demijohn. Tiny Lister and Coolio get the best lines, arguing throughout the story. The dialog is packed with terms that are pretty dated even now ("A-OK, Daddy-O") but then maybe the 30th century is very retro? When the captain declares the ships cargo is a load of coffins from "The Transylvania Station" you know this is all a put-on. Its a bit of Alien, part JasonX, shameless rip-off of all the best sci-fi and horror titles. At one point Casper VanDien even tells his pilot to "make it so" with a straight face. This film would have been better if they had just let everyone run with the satire but they keep attempting to make the story serious....maybe the backers were on the set that day. Anyway, not a bad boredom killer if you aren't too picky. FX are as good as the sets are bad.$LABEL$ 0 +First off to get my own personal feelings out of the way let me start by saying that I hate so called comedies where every single character is written and played as being so stupid that you wounder if they're all the result of inbreeding.Now I will say this I did see the first three American Pie movies and while they weren't the most amazing movies that I'd ever seen they were all right (and outright masterpieces compared to the three "American Pie Presents" films), I still feel compelled to ask what the hell were they thinking when they made this movie?I also have a few other questions too.Who thought that this was an acceptable use of studio funds and production resources? who approved the final script (and what was that person smoking when they approved it)? And lastly why did anyone think that it deserved to be released into theaters where the average cost of admission is between 10 and 15 dollars depending on where you live when it should have gone straight to the discount bin at Blockbuster or Wal Mart?There is so much wrong with this movie that I can't write a really comprehensive review of it because it would exceed the maximum allowed words on this forum so I'll just touch on the biggest things wrong with it.The plot is generic uninspired and stupid and characters are all about as interesting as watching paint dry for eighty minutes but the biggest thing that I can see wrong with this movie is the acting.While most of the cast are talentless no namers who will probably be forgotten in a few years,the one and only big name in this movie is Eugene Levy who spends almost all of the time he is on screen with this knowing smirk on his face that says to the viewer "I know this isn't funny and I'm wasting my talents but hey I'm getting payed for it so who cares" he doesn't even try to make any of his jokes funny (he really deserves better than this garbage). As I mentioned above most of the rest of the cast are horrible even though some of them have been in some really great TV shows, Tyrone Savage (from the classic Canadian series Wind At My Back) plays a character who is so unbearable unlikeable and irritating (there are things that he could teach to tropical skin diseases)that you almost wish he'd die a slow and painful death on screen, Christopher McDonald (NCIS, Law & Order) just hangs around on screen and wastes what talent he does have by being in this film.Maybe the next film in this series will just be a soft core porn with a story line so they can get around the MPAA and get an R rating this movie goes all out with pointless nudity vulgarity and pointlessly offencive sexual content that it should have gotten the X rating (the ratings board must have been drunk or on drugs when they reviewed this film for its rating). It's interesting that twenty five years ago when Wes Craven submitted A Nightmare On Elm Street to the MPAA for a rating review they forced him to cut twenty five seconds of footage (I believe that it was part of a death scene that had a silicone casting of a breast in it) to avoid getting an X rating and he had no other choice but to do it or the film wouldn't have been released, but this kind of needlessly offensive trash can get the R rating today because it's all done in the name of comedy, if this movie was a drama or horror film with this kind of content there would have been a huge stink over the content and it would havegotten the dreaded X rating.The last thing that really annoys me is the writing, this movie is written to play out like the wet dream of some twelve year old kid with an extremely overactive sexual imagination its quite juvenile and extraordinarily crass, nearly every expository situation that is supposed to move the corpse that this movie calls a plot along is so telegraphed that any intelligent viewer can see it coming a mile away and and the so called characters are just stereotypes of stereotypes of stereotypes, never mind the often repulsive sexual references and constant unnecessary scenes of deviant sexual behavior it feels like this film was written by some incompetent first year hack in a low rent film school script writing class.the long and short of it is its time to kill this series before it gets any stupider more crass and offensive, this pie is filled with road apples.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie, supposedly a thriller, had about five sub-plots that developed simultaneously to climax at the end, but it ended up more as a yawn.The writing was trite, the pace was slow and disjointed and the characters were boring. George Clooney looks like he needs to get into a gym, Matt Damon hammed it up and the others seemed to read their lines from a teleprompter.The worst part of this movie was that it was carefully crafted to be politically correct and so it ended up saying nothing at all about big business, oil and the Middle-East. I have seen documentaries provide more excitement. Watch it only if there's absolutely nothing else to do.$LABEL$ 0 +After putting a mummy in a local museum goes through the cat-scan, a metal object in it's brain reacts adversely to the procedure, thus freeing the spirit,or phantom if you will, of the mummy, Belphegor. Due to convenient circumstances, Lisa, who lives close to the museum finds herself possessed by the evil spirit. Soon enough she's stealing the museum's Egyptian treasures out from under their nose. Detective Verlac comes out of retirement to catch the supernatural thief.This is a serviceable enough, if you haven't seen any other incarnations of "Belphégor" before. If you have, I recommend skipping this particular version as it can't help but pale in comparison to the others despite the nice locals and scenery.It plays out like a (slightly) higher budgeted Sci-Fi Original film, and I don't really mean that as a compliment.Eye Candy: Sophie Marceau shows ass & side boob My Grade: C- DVD Extras: none$LABEL$ 0 +Rented and watched this short (< 90 minutes) work. It's by far the best treatment Modesty has received on film -- and her creator, Peter O'Donnell, agrees, participating as a "Creative Consultant." The character, and we who love her, are handled with respect. Spiegel's direction is the best he's done to date, and the casting was very well done. Alexandra Staden is almost physically perfect as a match to the original Jim Holdaway illustrations of Modesty. A terrific find by whoever cast her! Raymond Cruz as a young Rafael Garcia was also excellent. I hope that Tarantino & co. will go on to make more in the series -- I'm especially interested to see whom they'd choose to be the incomparable Willie Garvin!$LABEL$ 1 +Bill and Ted's bogus journey is possible the most excellent film I have ever watched. Though the acting and scenery etc is poor, who cares. The story line is brilliant and the jokes and words they come up with are most excellent, the ideas are great as well. I recommend anyone to see this classic. The best part is obviously when they 'melvin' death, i was cracking up for 10 minutes and missed the next part of the film. This is so much better then the first one, which was great as well. Possibly the funniest movie of all time!!!!! I think the best parts of the film however, are when Bill and Ted shout excellent and play the guitar solo, it was hilarious. Rock on Bill, Ted and Eddie Van Halen, bring out a 3rd film!!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is the best movie I have seen in a long time. It is also the best movie seen that uses a drama to tell history, without going to speculation such as with JFK,Nixon or Hoffa. It deftly depicts the clutches that Belgium had on the Congo. It also teases out easily for us the European and American forces that were behind the power the inflict the Congo today. The film was sure to specifically implicate the U.S., rightly so, in the murder of Lumumba. This film could never be made in the U.S. for U.S. film rarely criticizes itself in acts of imperialism and murder. (Save Stone's JFK) It also lets us in on the problems that were present with the inner conflict of the Congo, between Lumumba, Mobutu and Katanga. We can see how precarious countries sit in establishing new governments when their history is one of colonization and those who were the colonizers continue to pull the strings of power and force. The film is excellently shot with Eriq Ebouaney an excellent Lumumba. The cast is great and they really draw you into the feeling of the climate in the Congo during that time.Again, this is a must see for those who love drama with a correct historical background. See my notes on Quilombo.$LABEL$ 1 +The above profile was written by me when I used the nick of OldWereWolf56 which is still my email address. I still believe Andy Devine's character of Frisky is the best Twilight Zone's episodes ever and I watch this episode at least once a year as I consider Frisby to be a fortunate man as he has many friends who love him dearly. In case many of you are too young to remember, I'm 61, Andy Devine hosted a children's entertainment show in the 50's I believe called Andy's Gang. On it he had three assistants: a cat named Midnight who played the violin, a mouse named Squeaky who played an a hand organ and a devilish toad named Froggy who's could appear and disappear at will embarrassing many of Andy's funny guest stars like Billy Gilbert.$LABEL$ 1 +I managed to record THE DION BROTHERS, off broadcast TV, (with the commercials), back in the early 80s. I've loaned it to many friends, all of whom agree it's one of the best B "bandit" movies ever made. One day, while walking to my NYC apartment, I saw Stacy Keach shooting a scene for his TV series, Mickey Spilane. We had a moment to chat, and I told him how much I enjoyed THE DION BROS, and considered it a pure classic. He thanked me, and said it was one of the best, and most memorable film experiences of his career. He was very friendly, and sincere, and I was grateful for the few moments he took to chat with a fan. This is one classic that needs to be on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +The Polish brothers are unique film artists, and they've really pushed the envelope here. A fantasy that has points in common with "Wings of Desire," "Northfork" tells the story of a '50s era small town in the middle of nowhere that is two days shy of being inundated and submerged thanks to the U.S. government's desire to make a reservoir on the place where the town stands. It's a wry parable about loss and remembrance, featuring angels, dreams, premonitions, and the most hilarious government reclamation functionaries since "Repo Man." The performances are all outstanding, especially Nolte and Woods. I've noticed in reading down some of the comments that there are people who were offended simply by the fact that the Polish twins use elliptical storytelling tactics, and I want to say, that's one of the things that makes this film so great: its willingness to embrace the mysterious as an aspect of everyday life. David Mullen's cinematography is stunning. Highly recommended; if you've suffered a meaningful personal loss, such as the death of a parent, I would even call this film necessary viewing. - Ray$LABEL$ 1 +Recap: Since the warrior queen Gedren raised and slaughtered most of Sonja's family, she has trained in the art of sword fighting. Now, Gedren has taken a very powerful talisman, that threatens to destroy the world if not destroyed, killing Sonja's sister in the process. Now Sonja is out for revenge, and to save the world. Along the way, she meets the very Conan-like (but not Conan, no!) Kalidor, the child-prince Tarn and his bodyguard Falcon. At first Sonja declines all help, but is later forced to accept it, and together they go to save the world.Comments: When you watch a movie like this, and you think that it is the story that the is the best element in this movie, the movie is in big trouble. Because 1) a movie like this should draw its strength upon good swordfights and effects, and 2) the story is really, really bad. It is simple, and uncomplicated and really offers nothing in way of character development or even suspense. It is predictable and boring, and the obvious couple, Sonja and Kalidor, has no chemistry at all. And the kid is just annoying. And most of the scenes is drawn out so long that they become boring. Though the movie is not very long, it has not material enough to fill its time. And so back to point 1). The fighting is slow, uneventful and really bad. It clearly shows most fighters clearly blocking the opponents strokes far ahead of the opponent has even begun to strike. In my honest opinion, I believe most kids, fighting with sticks, creates more exciting fights playing knights than this movie did. All in all, this is a really bad spin-off, that should be avoided by all who liked the Conan-movies.2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Tom and Butch Cat fight over the capture of Jerry Mouse because the one who doesn't catch Jerry gets kicked out. The two cats dress in their master's clothing to disguise themselves and lets the other have it! Confused, Tom and Butch whack their master's rear and all three of them get kicked out.$LABEL$ 1 +you can be fooled by your first impressions. as in, initial reactions to a movie, for example. as in, the first time i saw this movie i was bedazzled by the idea of it (first of all, i love black comedies). could even - despite being male, myself - empathise with the feisty girls' fervor to see their husbands deceased without delay. was tripped up by my own face-value (and, i do mean "face-value") response to nicolette sheridan and a couple of the other delicious dames in the picture. it just goes to show you that you've gotta step back from a situation sometimes and see that it's bad (and not "bad good," either): the reason i'm giving this movie a "4" rating is because of ms sheridan and her gams (the rest of 'er is pretty good, too); but this movie has all the hallmark TV movie characteristics - which means you'll be disappointed if your a lover of movies made for the big screen. the story contains plot holes you could run a tunnel through - and i'll generally overlook holes in a plot if the overall thing does it for me; and i just experienced an incredible letdown the second time i saw it. i don't think it's a total waste of time, but....$LABEL$ 0 +The sun should set on this movie, forever.It goes on forever (which isn't usually a bad thing - The English Patient, Schindler's List) but is SO tedious. The aging of the actors is unbelievable and so is the drawn-out never-ending story line which really seems to go nowhere.In short, a waste of talent and film.$LABEL$ 0 +Every once in a while , someone out of the blue looks at me a little sideways and asks "What's with SNITCH'D" ? I know immediately they have a case of barely-hidden amusement + horror. You see, I was the cinematographer on the film.Let me clarify some points regarding this "interesting life experience".Originally, SNITCH'D was called ONE HARD HIT. I met James Cahill in July of 1999, a day after I wrapped TRIANGLE SQUARE, a great little 35mm feature that like so many indie features of the era never got distribution despite festival accolades...it fell eternal victim to the fine print of SAG's notorious Experimental Feature contract. But I digress...I though I was on a roll, and when James asked me to shoot his little gangster flick in 16mm with a shooting budget of about $25,000, not wanting to break pace, I took it. After all, CLERKS, EL MARIACHI... I too believed the myth back then.Let's just chalk it up as "film school" for many involved, myself included. SNITCH'D was shot over two weeks in August, 1999, in Aliso Viejo and Santa Ana, CA. Cahill taught Drama at a High School in the latter city ( yes, he is a Drama and English teacher...consider THAT while watching the film, or even observing the use of apostrophe in title ), hence the locations and cast.Of note in his cast were the only known dramatic appearance of L.A.'s Channel 2 Morning News weather girl Vera Jimenez, and of greater impact, the debut of Eva Longoria, who had just arrived in Hollywood and was as eager as I to get a film under her belt. I must say her professional dedication, focus and "let's do this" attitude kept me inspired and was a foreshadow of her stardom-yet-to-come. SNITCH'D suffered from poor optics, few lights or electricity, several boom operators du jour, and delivery of an uncorrected offline for duplication. None of that overshadows the actual content, which speaks for itself.Anyway, by 2003, the film was sold to distributors ( at a net loss, I understand ) who inexplicably had no photos of Eva on the box ( by then she was a rising, working name ) but who did manage to obtain a clear photo of what appears to be an authentic Latino gangster to lend credibility to SNITCH'D. Since Cahill's other passion is antiquarian book dealing, it appears to confirm he believes you can, in fact, judge a book by it's cover... as so many have picked up this DVD based on it's sleeve. ----------------- One year later, Eva, now on a soap, and I met James for one day to shoot a simple short film he had concocted, SPLIT SECOND, which I think has never seen any play despite festival intent. 6 years later, I was hired to shoot another Cahill film titled JUAREZ, Mexico. I though he had worked out the process; my participation was contingent on casting, script and crew control, and the resultant film actually looked promising in dailies, for what it was... a cheap detective story surrounding the mass murders of girls in Juarez; despite claims here and elsewhere, the film has NEVER appeared in any festival or venue, although Cahill has repeatedly claimed the film has distribution and was simply awaiting release to coincide with the DVD release of two studio pictures on the same subject, VIRGIN OF JUAREZ and BORDER TOWN.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry, but this movie is just way to shallow for me. In it, Perez is a taxi dancer with boyfriend Keitel trying to make it as an actress. First of all, what the hell is a taxi dancer? Even after sitting through this, I still don't know. Oh yeah, Perez also inspires DeLorenzo to follow her like a lovesick puppy. There's no reason behind the love, it just kind of happens. There are times when the characters and events really try to pull at your heartstrings, but it rarely works. The only character you really do feel anything for or with is Keitel's character, and that's only because he does such a good job with it. Any other actor and the character would have been just like the others.The script is basically an uninspired rehashing about how hard it is to make it as an actor/actress. It's been done and said before, the language and dialog sounds like it was written by a street pimp. The ending is...well, I don't want to spoil it. Let's just say it feels unsatisfying. I'd be more upset if the story was any good to begin with. The directing is average with nothing truly wonderful, but nothing that is really painful to watch either. To reiterate the acting, the only one that does anything worth watching is Keitel. Though I could have lived on without seeing him in tiger print bikini underwear.Oh yeah, Eddie Bunker shows up. As random as that mention is, that's how random it is in the film. And Tarantino does his director buddy a favor by showing up for about 20 seconds.$LABEL$ 0 +I have noticed that people have asked if anyone has this show. I have all 26 episodes that aired in the U.S. and will be willing to share these with anyone interested. All I require is that you supply the VHS tapes or Blank DVD's I have them on both formats and pay for shipping. My email is creator67@pipinternet.net, just send me an email and your request and I will notify you and we can make the arrangements. The quality is very good and they are very enjoyable to watch especially if you have not been able to see them since they aired in the 60's. It was one of my favorite shows as a child and hold a very special place in my heart because it brings back a lot of memories of my childhood as well as other shows like Ultraman and Astroboy.Peter$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie, and I do like horror movies.I did not know what to expect, but as soon the movie was on his way it was nice to watch it. The idea was pretty original and the acting was nice. Especially Jenna Dewan as the exciting/evil Tamara.The hardest thing about horror movies, is to make a good ending. But there the movie failed. For a change, a end-scene in a hospital, where suddenly all employees are gone. First you see doctors and nurses running around, but then they all went home?No cries for help while being chased by Tamara, Escaping to the roof (also a smart move...not) and off course a kind of open ending.No....the movie started great, the main part was nice to watch, but they really messed up the ending using all clichés from bad horror movies. Jeffrey Reddick failed in my eyes with this movie, after making some really quality movies like Final Destination 1 and 2.If you like a good horror full of cliché endings, Tamara is a good movie to watch. For me, I like movies which surprise me.$LABEL$ 0 +I very nearly walked out, but I'd paid my money, and my nearly-as-disgusted friend wanted to hold out. After the endearing, wide-eyed innocence of "A New Hope" and the thrilling sophistication of "The Empire Strikes Back," I remember awaiting "Return of the Jedi" with almost aching anticipation. But from the opening scene of this insultingly commercial sewage, I was bitterly disappointed, and enraged at Lucas. He should have been ashamed of himself, but this abomination undeniably proves that he doesn't have subatomic particle of shame in his cold, greedy heart. Episode I would go on to reinforce this fact -- your honor, I call Jarjar Binks (but please issue barf bags to the members of the jury first).From the initial raising of the gate at Jabba's lair, this "film" was nothing more than a two-plus-hour commercial for as many licensable, profit-making action figures as Lucas could cram into it -- the pig-like guards, the hokey flesh-pigtailed flunky, that vile muppet-pet of Jabba's, the new and recycled cabaret figures, the monsters, etc., etc., ad vomitum. Then there were the detestably cute and marketable Ewoks. Pile on top of that all of the rebel alliance aliens. Fifteen seconds each on-screen (or less) and the kiddies just GOTTA have one for their collection. The blatant, exploitative financial baiting of children is nauseating.Lucas didn't even bother to come up with a new plot -- he just exhumed the Death Star from "A New Hope" and heaved in a boatload of cheap sentiment. What an appalling slap in the face to his fans. I can't shake the notion that Lucas took a perverse pleasure in inflicting this dreck on his fans: "I've got these lemmings hooked so bad that I can crank out the worst piece of stinking, putrid garbage that I could dream up, and they'll flock to the theaters to scarf it up. Plus, all the kiddies will whine and torture their parents until they buy the brats a complete collection of action figures of every single incidental undeveloped, cartoonish caricature that I stuffed in, and I get a cut from every single one. It'll make me even more obscenely rich."There may have been a paltry, partial handful of redeeming moments in this miserable rip-off. I seem to recall that Harrison Ford managed to just barely keep his nose above the surface of this cesspool. But whatever tiny few bright spots there may be are massively obliterated by the offensive commercialism that Lucas so avariciously embraced in this total, absolute sell-out to profit.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the many vigilante epics that flooded the market by the mid-80s. The routine plot has echoes of "The Magnificent Seven" (believe it or not), the action scenes are lamely handled and the special effects are non-existent. You COULD do worse....but the film is still just a waste of time. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +I think this was a HORRIBLE mistake on Disney's part. First off, Kuzco does NOT need to pass "emperor school" to become emperor! That's never happened before. Secondly, the new voices don't sound like the originals at all. Very poor redo. And while I adored the movie The Emperor's New Groove, the New School is just stupid. Like all the jokes are the same, and many are from the movie. The plot gets redundant, always Yzma (is that how you spell it?) trying to become empress, Kuzco stopping her, etc. Or Kuzco learning to become a better person. I think Kuzco gets annoying with his constant complaints and questions. He is a spoiled brat and it bothers me. I do not think this is worth five minutes of your time, much less a half hour.$LABEL$ 0 +as a 'physically challenged' person (god, how i hate that phrase) i just happened to catch this on cable where there was absolutely nothing else to watch - overall, it was a fantastic movie. yes, i was a little disappointed upon finding out that neither actor is disabled, and yes, i was a little disappointed that more of the movie wasn't filmed from the 'true' point of view of the disabled (can you imagine what it's like always being the tallest person in the room and then having to live the rest of your life with a view of nothing but other people's asses and crotches? having to always wait for the idiot to stop reading the newspaper in the only handicapped stall, enduring everyone else's rude bodily expulsions while you wait?). and the scene with him driving the car was absolutely me! been there, done that, literally. but the movie was true enough to matter - while i've never lived in a home or assisted residence, there were plenty of times throughout the movie where i found myself nodding and saying to myself "yeah, that's true.... that's happened to me...." what impressed me is that some of the commentors on this board expressed the fact that the movie made them view life a little differently and with a little more insight as the lives of a silent 'minority' - can't ask more than that out of a movie, that it makes you think and view life differently, so by virtue of that alone, the movies was tremendously successful. should be required viewing of every kid in junior high school.pretty much for every person that's severely physically disabled, independence is one of, if not the most important focus of our daily lives, from working to socializing to recreating. for those of you who felt the movie was 'cliched,' try living our life for a single day - you'll see that the movie was 'cliched' because..... it's true. the challenges the actors faced only skimmed the surface of what happens to us every day - if we're lucky, we experience the same emotional and personal growth that the three characters (including the girl) did. every day presents obstacles for us to overcome - it's just that there's no swelling, dramatic music to accompany our lives, unless it's in our ipods.... lol!$LABEL$ 1 +This film proves you don't need a Hollywood budget to make something fun to watch. What stuck with me is how the crew from different locations was able to pull together with no promises of riches to make something just because they believed in it. I think anybody who makes low budget movies can relate to certain scenes such as actors who just can't get that one line, being bothered by the police, and having most of the crew disappear after the first week. Nobody got paid for this which says a lot for the people who had to travel cross country and for the long hours spent editing. After watching Stuie sell his personal property, use his own money, and trash his house to make the movie I am a bit curious how close his wife may have come to leaving. Good job to all.$LABEL$ 1 +It's difficult to precisely put into words the sheer awfulness of this film. An entirely new vocabulary will have to be invented to describe the complete absence of anything even remotely recognizable as 'humor' or even 'entertainment' in "Rabbit Test." So, as a small contribution to this future effort, I'd like to suggest this word: "Hubiriffic" (adj.) A combination of 'hubristic' and 'terrific'; used to describe overly ambitious debacles like the film "Rabbit Test."Joan Rivers and "Hollywood Squares" producer Jay Redack have severely over-reached their meager abilities to amuse in this 82-minute festival of wretchedness. Trying to put together an Airplane! style comedy with a moldy collection of gags, (Note to Joan: German doctors haven't been funny since Vaudeville) disinterred from their graves in the Catskills - that's is bad enough. But compounding this cinematic crime is River's directorial style, which can best be described as 'ugly', and a cast of once-and-future has-beens so eager to please they overplay even the weakest of throwaway gags.Adrift in this Sargasso Sea of sap is a hapless Billy Crystal in his film debut role as the film's hapless protagonist Lionel. Watching Crystal in this pic is much like watching a blind person take a stroll in a minefield; eventually the cringe reflex becomes a semi-permanent condition as cheap joke after cheap joke blows up in his face.I can only speculate about the sort of audience who might actually like Rabbit Test. Cabbages, mollusks and mildly retarded lizards are all likely candidates. But for self-aware, thinking humans - I'd enthusiastically recommend pouring bleach in your eyes before I'd recommend "Rabbit Test."$LABEL$ 0 +Prior to watching "Dahmer," I thought no movie could be worse than "Freddy Got Fingered." I was wrong. To sum "Dahmer" up, it's a story about a gay serial killer which features almost no killing and almost entirely consists of Dahmer's encounters with gay men before they were killed. There is no plot to be found, and it serves no purpose as far as telling us anything about "Dahmer." All you'll learn about Dahmer from watching this movie is that he liked to have sex with men. Horrible acting, horrible directing, horrible writing, horrible everything... If you have to choose between watching "Dahmer" and projectile vomiting for three hours, go with the vomiting .... it wll be less painful.....$LABEL$ 0 +This was a favorite of my childhood - I can remember seeing it on television and thrilling to it each time. Now that I'm grown up and have a kid of my own, I wanted to introduce him to this classic movie. We watched it last Friday, and he liked it. During Abu's fight with the giant spider, my son's hand crept over and took hold of mine - he was genuinely scared. "Is he gonna beat the spider, Poppa?" Just watch, you'll see. He has no historical frame of reference to speak of (eight years old), so Bagdad under the grandson of Haroun al-Raschid might as well be Oz under Ozma.I think he especially liked how much of the heroics and derring-do were perpetrated by the boy-thief, and not the grown-up king. In fact, if you deconstruct the film's narrative a bit, the king is the thief's sidekick, not the hero at all - which must be very satisfying to imaginative, adventurous young boys. It's definitely a period piece - I suspect that by the time he's eleven or twelve, my son will find it 'corny' or whatever word the next generation will be using by then. The love story is barely one-dimensional - as a cynical friend commented, "Why does Ahmad love the Princess? Because the narrative demands it." The willingness of Abu to put himself in jeopardy (repeatedly) for the clueless, love-struck deposed king is equally improbable. But to quibble about such things while accepting flying mechanical horses, fifty-foot genies and the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye would be fatuous in the extreme. The satisfaction of seeing the prophecy fulfilled at the movie's climax is tremendous, as is the final shot of Abu triumphantly flying away on his (stolen) magic carpet, seeking "some fun, and adventure at last!"$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I'm sorry to the cast and crew for this review, but this movie is by far the worst I've seen yet...First off, the acting was okay. It could of been better (especially in some parts), but it was "okay". Then, there was the cheapest video camera (which they used). The violence was pretty good. If it were paced faster, it would be awesome, but they didn't (*sigh*)...Scares. The scares were well written (in the script), but not well done. For instance...(SPOILER HERE!) In the loft, a girl is half way in it and the other half is in the dark, bottom area of the barn house, then she gets it. The monster yanks her down and then you hear someones guts getting ripped out. The scares could have been better if the music wasn't ripped from a cheap horror sounds CD. The blood effects were pretty good, but the blood was like that of "Kill Bill". K.B. pulled it off, because it was meant to resemble old kung-fu movies, but when the crew can't tell the difference between red and pink....it's sad. The ripped up bodies in the movie were good, but the scarecrow costumes were something you would see for 25 bucks at a halloween store. Don't let the cover fool you, the costumes suck! My overall grade is a 3/10. If you are interested in independent movies, are easily satisfied, or just have 3 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, go to Blockbuster and see the horror of failure.$LABEL$ 0 +Star Trek: Hidden Frontier is a long-running internet only fan film, done completely for the love of the series, and a must watch for fans of Trek. The production quality is extremely high for a fan film, although sometimes you can tell that they're green-screenin' it. This doesn't take away from the overall experience however. The CGI ships are fantastic, as well as the space battle scenes... On the negative side, I could tell in the earlier episodes (and even occasionally in the newer ones) that some of the actors/actresses are not quite comfortable in their roles, but once again, this doesn't take away from the overall experience of new interpretations of Star Trek. The cast and crew have truly come up with something special here, and, as a whole,I would highly recommend this series to fans of The Next Generation and Deep Space 9.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, first of all, excuse me for the lame pun in the title. I was browsing for movies to rent the other day and saw this. I heard something about this so I picked it up and looked on the back and there was a short little review blurb on it from John Fallon AKA Arrow in the Head! At that moment I thought "Well if he likes it then I gotta like it!" So I rented it and just finally got around to watching it last night (college keeps me so busy). Oh and I might wanna add that I read a little of Arrow's review and it turns out that out of 4 stars he gave it 1 and a half. So my expectations from this movie went from very high to iffy. Well after watching this, I once again agree with Arrow (and turns out that quote from the review was the only positive thing he said about that!) Wow, did this film stink or what? Where do I begin with why it did so? Well, the film was so dull in my opinion. Not even the cool gore bits excited me and when a decapitation doesn't excite you in a movie, that's bad! The characters I hated a lot and from the beginning I could tell who would die and who wouldn't. Actually the film proved me wrong at some points, but the worst thing is that one particular character I wanted to die didn't! What the heck? And the chemistry between the main girl and the guy she met? Didn't feel it. He obviously was just there to be eye candy and give her a love interest, otherwise I thought he was a waste! And as a horror fan I should know that doing the "dumb horror movie" sometimes gotta happen or else there wouldn't be much of a movie, but the ones in here ticked me off! Hello? Why are you making out in the room of the killer nun when you should be on the lookout from her? And it was done by the supposedly smarter characters no less. The twist....ah, it would have been alright, if it hadn't been done a billion times and I didn't have to sit through this wast of film to reach that point! My main point: Stupid movie that sucked me in with some words of my favorite (actually my only favorite) movie critic. Jerks!$LABEL$ 0 +Actually there was nothing funny about this monstrosity at all!! This movie was a complete abomination. The absurdities in this movie almost made me want to vomit!! I think that the people responsible for this movie took advantage of their viewing audience. They took a relatively decent series of movies (I did say decent, NOT GOOD!!) and totally trashed it by trying to put money in their pockets. The making of Airplane! was a way for Hollywood to make up for this crappy flick. The worst part about it is that either nobody in 1979 realized the asinine events of the movie (such as Concorde's door popping off at some ungodly high altitude or Patroni shooting a flair gun out the window at Mach 2 to avoid a NUCLEAR WARHEAD!?!?!?....what were they thinking???)were totally unrealistic or they just didn't care! I think that it is the latter of the two. The writers and director of this "film", if you want to call it that, really tried to suck the Airport dynasty dry with this crap!$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie today thinking it might be a good football movie, since I'm a big football fan. Boy, was I wrong. This movie is way too religious and preachy and is REALLY unrealistic. This movie pretty much says that if your a Christian you can get anything you want in life easily, like become a great football player! You don't become a great football player by becoming Christian and asking God, you do it through practice and hard work. All you gotta do is ask God and he'll give you anything....puh-lease. Thats not true at all, duh. I laughed several times because of this embarrassment. The only part that was funny was when they were being dumb (Shultz the cartoonist? no, the dude that flew over the Atlantic, etc etc..) but really this movie wasn't that great. I don't recommend it, especially if you aren't a Christian, lol.$LABEL$ 0 +This film resembles in many ways `Enemy of the State' with Will Smith and Gene Hackman, as we have an innocent (black) man being pursued by the `government' with all the modern technology known to man. Usually when storyline is copied like this the result is a disaster. That does not apply here. Of course I love everything David Morse does, so maybe my comments are not fair, but there were more good things about this film then that. The main baddy, played by Doug Hutchison, was brilliant, and the story flowed with excellent extras such as David Paymer and Robert Pastorelli. Our hero, Alvin Sanders (played by Jamie Foxx), was however irritating most of the part. He is so out of place, cracking bad jokes, evoking no sympathy from the audience. Or not to begin with, the strange thing is that he kinda grows on you (and on his followers as well!). I didn't expect much when I rented it, but was surprised with a good solid action movie with comedy bits. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +One of the biggest French success of the year 2002, "l'auberge espagnole" was also very well greeted abroad which is quite extraordinary for a French film. It is not difficult to define the reasons of this success. This movie made by one of the most interesting French film-makers of these last years, Cédric Klapisch, presents students coming from all over Europe and gathered all together under the same roof in Barcelona. These students are described like the ones you imagine or you see in everyday life: either untidy, either serious or with a sense of humor. I guess that if the movie worked so well, it is because a lot of students must have recognized themselves in the main characters' portraits and especially Xavier's.We follow the movie and so his experience abroad as an Erasmus student through his eyes. Xavier is really an ordinary student with his qualities, his faults. An intelligent making with quite a lot of ingenious ideas perfectly expresses his lost mind and his anxiety about the world and being an Erasmus student. On that subject, the best examples can be found in two sequences. The first one is when Xavier asks a woman at university for the papers he has to send to prepare his DEA. When the same woman informs him about the different necessary procedures, all the papers appear on the screen when she is naming them! In the next sequence, Xavier's voice-over confides to the spectator his vision of the modern world. Now, where to find the second example? Well, the scene where Xavier has a thorough medical examination during which Klapisch films his visions is widely sufficient to speak of itself.Moreover, the director wasn't really interested by his main character's studies. He left this point low-key. He rather put a lot of effort into Xavier's private life, of course, in his love affair with Anne Sophie but also and especially in his relations with his fellow tenants. It is a real friendship story that Klapisch shows us with its moments of happiness but also its arguments and its tensions. Through Xavier's adventure and at the end of his stay, he will have been initiated into life which will make him more mature. The message that the author wanted to transmit isn't difficult to guess. You naively believe that you live in an untidy and complicated world. You mustn't give up but intensively search to get what you want even if it is difficult.Apart from this, we could also fear that with the topic, Cédric Klapisch wouldn't avoid a trap: the clichés. Let's be frank about it: they are included in the screenplay but the director does his best not to spread them too much in his movie. Then, the screenplay contains convenient and predictable moments: at the airport and before boarding we see Xavier shedding a tear after he left his family. But fortunately the shortcomings of the script stop here. Quite funny dialogs and cool young actors perfectly at ease in their roles make up the whole.In spite of its weaknesses, "l'auberge espagnole" is to be taken for a success in the movie of young people. Besides, the whole atmosphere it brings out lets us think that this movie is directed primarily to a young audience. Ultimately, the end of the movie and its big success let us suggest that Klapisch succumbed to a fashion that goes right for American cinema: the elaboration of sequels. And indeed, the film-maker currently works on a sequel entitled "les poupées russes". Let's hope that it will be as good as "l'auberge espagnole".$LABEL$ 1 +Finally!!! A good movie made on the most demented serial killer in history. For those less familiar with Ed Gein, he was basically the madman who was known for grave robbing and skinning his victims (which most horror fans ripped off). Shot in a period style that reflects the bleak plains of Wisconsin perfectly, this is easily the most atmospheric horror film yet to depict Gein and his gruesome killings. Kane Hodder (Jason from Friday the 13th series) and Michael Berryman (Hills have Eyes I & II), deliver chilling performances in this serial killer opus that easily leaves behind the lackluster former Gein attempts. So far I'd say this is one of the better horror films released this year (Turistas = 0).$LABEL$ 1 +This story documenting the rise of China's first emperor and his efforts to unify the empire was the most expensive movie production in Chinese history.It's worth every penny. Visually dazzling cinematography, a sweeping score and outstanding characters make this one of the finest epics ever put on film (foreign or otherwise.) Please do not miss the opportunity to see this on the big screen.$LABEL$ 1 +Avoid this movie. If you are expecting "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), you may experience nothing more than a case of the 'bends'. This film offers nothing more than two extremely-long, and drawn-out, hours of complete boredom.The cast members act as if they are angered by the irritation of a bathtub of water overflowing on a bed of an insignificant's petunias. The script is totally unrealistic, and the film does not even have the feel of a disaster movie. In fact, everything about this movie is bad, with the exception of Tom Courtenay. It is unfortunate that such a fine actor got swept away, by a flood of misrepresentation, to appear in such a washout. When this movie was being made, the Poseidon must have turned over, in its watery grave, in a sea of shame. And, Shelley Winters will rise again, from the dead (direct from the Poseidon), to haunt anyone who dares to see this pathetic movie. I rate this film a 1 out of 10, but it really deserves a zero. This movie will make you want to avoid, or completely turn against, water. And, it will leave a bad taste in your mouth. It may even make you want to see "Jaws" (1975), and befriend a great white.$LABEL$ 0 +This was the first movie that Joan Crawford and Clark Gable made together and they would go on to make several more. Crawford stars a young rich girl who's father is wiped out in the stock market crash and there is nothing left for her and her brother. They have never worked before and the brother, William Bakewell, gets a job with Gable, who is a gangster and Bakewell thinks it will be an easy job but gets in over his head pretty quick. Crawford becomes a reporter at a newspaper but wants to work on the big stories but is given worthless stuff to work on. Their is a massacre in which several of Gable's men are killed and Crawford was a witness to the whole thing. It's a good movie but not one of their best.$LABEL$ 1 +'Before the devil knows you're dead' is one of the best movies I've seen in along time. The acting fromthe excellent ensemble cast is incredible. Philip Seymour Hoffman putting in an outstanding performance and is electrifying every time he's on screen. Ethan Hawke matches him scene for scene and Albert Finney simply chews up the screen. Marisa Tomei is, however,criminally underused, but looks amazing for her 42 years. The script is excellent, the story-line non-linear but easy enough to follow. Sidney Lumet, although not known for his blockbusters, has turned out a gem with this one!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie (even calling it a movie is an overstatement) is ridiculously horrible. Normally a huge fan of Eric Roberts in "B" list movies, this tragedy of a flick makes me question his real B list clout! And Charlie, please go back to hoping for a Diagnosis Murder revival rather than this.....you can't blame the nameless eye candy (uhhum...beauty pageant members) for participating in this weak movie, but YOU are a former TV star man! Pull yourself together. Don't even get me started on Stuart Pankin. For the sake of all that is good Stuart, you should have seen this was not necessarily a real movie! Bryan Michael Stoller exemplifies absolute genius only in the fact that he was able to dupe anyone into investing in this picture (money or time).Really, this was no parody or spoof movie although it tries on a 2nd grade level. Mostly, it is poor writing and acting and camera work and editing and....well poor everything. I watched it because I read an article in some mag about agent MJ's involvement and my interest was peaked due to the lawsuit in which he was involved. I now wonder if the only reason they show him from the shoulders up in the movie is because he, like at the trial, showed up wearing pajama bottoms and barely lucid (wait a second, is he ever really considered lucid?...I digress). And Agent MJ? Is that the best they could come up with for a name for his character? Sheez. What a startling piece of originality! Or, maybe that was supposed to be funny? Putting Marriott into the movie was a nice touch at first, but overdone and annoying after all is said and done.Spare yourself the grief of watching......don't say I didn't warn you.$LABEL$ 0 +(Some Spoilers) Facing a mid-life crisis and fed up with his marriage to Cindy ,Teddi Siddall, who seemed to have more say in what he did and where he stayed then the Air Force,USAF elite Red Beret Sgt. Major Davis Bay, Gary Cole,decided one morning to just walk away from in all and start a new life as a civilian. David first got this idea when he met at a Halloween party sweet and adoring Alyson, Karen Sillas. Keeping his background secret from her by telling Alyson that he's in a top secret military outfit was the perfect cover for him. Back at Jackson AFB outside of Austin Tex. David starts to review his life's options with Cindy and the USAF and decides to change his identity by running away from it. David then calls Alyson, who only met him once, and makes a date with her. Before you know it David, now using the name Haywood,is engaged to be married to her.Faking his death in a bicycle accident Dave purposely leave his wife and kids out in the cold and deserts his military obligation to his country.It didn't take long for Dave to find out that civilian life just doesn't appeal to him. It's now too late for Dave to go back to his first wife Cindy and his two boys with him facing the brig and a military court-martial if he comes back to the USAF. Dave takes up the only job that he could do to support him and Alyson and their infant son Chris: using his skills he learned in the Red Berets to rob banks.Based on a true story "Lies He Told" has Dave Bay/Haywood living three, not two, different lives. One of a hard working family man one as a ruthless bank robber and yet another one as a dead and highly decorated, by the President of the US and Prime Misnister Of GB, All-American hero. Gary Cole is very effective as both Master Sgt. David Bay&husband David Haywood. Davids actions are, even though unforgivable, understandable in the case of his depression over his marriage to Cindy. The pressure of her nagging him got to the point where he just wanted to get lost and away from her and the kids. But he should have sought professional counseling from the US Air Force, which he would have been gladly provided with, instead of choosing the easy way out. Which in the end lead him straight into Levenworth Ferderal Prison. It may have been that the overly macho Dave thought it would have been a bad mark on his career, as well as his ego, to get help for his problems.Karen Sillas as Alyson is the glue that keeps the film together with her at first going along with her new husbands explanation of his frequent disappearances, some for as much as two weeks, as him doing covert action in keeping the country safe from domestic and foreign terrorists. The real reasons for his long absences were the result of him casing out planing and robbing banks. Which was the only way he knew how to earn a living given from what he learned, in subversive actions, all those years in the elite Red Berets.Alyson tracking down Dave's mom Carolyn Bay(Linda Goranson), who he told her was dead since he was a small boy, in Portland she finds out the truth about the double, or triple, life that he's been leading since he married her. This lead to Alyson finding out about his marriage to Linda and the two sons that he had with her as well as his faked death, and now AWOL, from the USAF. Being that it's a true story the ending was anything that you would have guessed it to be in a standard Hollywood, or made for TV, movie. That's what makes the film "Lies he Told, a lot better then what you would have expected it to be.$LABEL$ 1 +I hate to be too critical, but this one really was bad. I like the Baldwin brothers, I just wish there was more talent evenly spread between them. I did like the general plot, but there was just too much 'trying' and not enough actual 'doing' as far as quality acting was concerned. My favorite character out of the whole thing was bald cop. He reminded me of Dmitri Valtane ( Jeremy Roberts, I believe ) from Start Trek 6: Undiscovered country. Just, without the hair.If you have Hollywood Video's MVP program and are really trying to get your money's worth, then through this in with one of the three MVP movies you pick up. It's worth it for a few laughs.The single most impressive special effect in the whole show is the sound of Stephen Baldwin's rifle firing. I suppose that lets you in a bit on the quality and excitement of the rest of the show.$LABEL$ 0 +A remarkable piece of documentary, giving a vivid depiction of a country deeply divided within itself (for further evidence, check out some of the comments on IMDb...!). Compares extremely favourably with Oliver Stone's "Comandante" (which is mainly an in-depth examination of Fidel Castro's nostril hairs). I don't know whether Chavez is everything he presents himself as being, or yet another in the long line of populist Latin-American "caudillos". Nor do I know whether he will be able to make good on the huge expectations he has clearly built up among the poor majority of Venezuelans. It's hardly reasonable to expect a film like this to be able to answer such questions - but I've certainly now got a pretty vivid idea of what's at stake, and what it feels like to be caught up in the middle of a coup. Someone says in the film "we're making history", and that's exactly what the film feels like it's capturing. Outstanding stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +I love cheesy horror movies, I think dead alive and bad taste are great and I think slumber party massacre II (not even related to this movie) are hilarious. But this movie absolutely stank, I didn't laugh, I didn't even enjoy it.. you can see all kinds of mistakes that aren't even campy. The best take of the scene where the woman leans out the window is the one where she smacks her head on the sill? Give me a break.Don't rent this thinking it's related to the slumber party massacre series. It's awful and I don't even have a clue how it got any distribution. Rent it with a fake name and burn it, do everyone else the favor.$LABEL$ 0 +I knew it was going to be awful but not this awful!!, as it's one of the most boring movies i have ever seen, not a damn thing happens!. All the characters are dull, and the story is stupid and incredibly boring!,plus The ending is especially lame!. The only reason i rented this piece of crap because i am a big fan of Michael Dudikoff, however he is wasted here, and looks extremely bored and shows no emotion what so ever!, plus i cheered out loud when the movie was over!. It's like the movie had no plot and it was all about nothing, and Ice-T is god awful(even though he is OK in some stuff), plus Dudikoff and Yvette Nipar had no chemistry together at all. There's one scene that the director tried to make emotional but he fails miserably as Yvette Nipar didn't really show all that much emotion, however there is a decent Car chase scene, but that's not enough for me to recommend this god awful film!, plus the dialog is atrocious. Avoid this movie like the plague not a damn thing happens, please avoid and trust me on this one you may thank me afterwords. The Direction is horrible!. Fred Olen Ray does a horrible job here, with shoddy camera work, laughably cheap looking set pieces, terrible angles, laughable use of stock footage, and keeping the film at an incredibly dull pace. The Acting is terrible!. Michael Dudikoff is nowhere near his usual amazing self, he looks extremely bored, and shows no emotion what so ever, his character is also extremely dull, as i can't believe he signed on for this piece of garbage, he also had no chemistry with Yvette Nipar(Dudikoff still rules!!!). Ice-T has barely anything to do and also looks bored, and he didn't convince me one bit. Hannes Jaenicke is not very good here, he had somewhat of a wimpy character, i didn't like him. Yvette Nipar is pretty but was really terrible here, she didn't show much emotion, and had no chemistry with Dudikoff, and as a result i didn't give a damn about her character!. Art Hindle,(Owen Marsh),Kathy Harren(Katharine Marsh), and the rest of the cast are bad as well. Overall Please avoid like the plague!, Fred Olen Ray and Steve Lathshaw should be ashamed of themselves!. BOMB out of 5$LABEL$ 0 +This is one great movie! I have played all the Nancy Drew games and have read the books, and I never expected the movie to be so exciting and funny! If you never heard of Nancy Drew, read the first book (Secret of the Old Clock) so you can kinda' get used to Nancy, then you can watch the movie, because in the movie, they don't really introduce the characters' names fast. ;) My whole family enjoyed it and the plot was extremely interesting. This is an ultimate come-back from the previous Nancy Drew movies, which the Nancy Drew actor didn't seem to match. This movie is much like Alex Rider: Stormbreaker. It's so cool! Nancy Drew lovers, you must watch this!$LABEL$ 1 +Since Jason and his ilk took over horror films circa 1980 most every horror film has involved a group of hormonally charged teenagers being chopped to bits with the focus on the chopping and not the suspense.This little film is different. Made in the early 80's it does what every good horror film should do - bring your worst fears to life while you sit around just knowing that these horrors are just around the corner. Then, you make those horrors simmer, just don't turn it into a lesson on the biology of butchering.The story features Meg Tilly right before she had a short-lived turn with fame starting with "The Big Chill" and then slipped back into obscurity in the early 90's. Meg plays an outcast teenager who is just dying to get into the good graces of some classic mean girls. They tell her she can be part of their little group if she spends the night in a crypt. The mean girls intend to scare her and cause her to leave the crypt thus giving them a double reward - further tormenting the outcast girl and having an excuse to reject her.Meanwhile famed occultist Karl Rhamarevich has died a bizarre death shortly after having claimed to have discovered a way to return from the grave and upon his return command great magical powers. His daughter doesn't believe this at first, but she listens to a tape about her father's experiments which included his successful animation of small dead animals and of his plans to emerge from the grave with the power to animate bigger game and draw further power from these animations. She also learns that she may have inherited her father's power and may be the only person who can stop him should he actually rise from the dead. I think you know where this story is headed, so I'll stop here. Did I mention the magician was entombed in the same crypt in which Meg Tilly's character is spending the night?I will mention that the commercial DVD containing this film does look somewhat degraded compared to what you would expect from a film that was made so recently. I saw it on TV in the mid 1980's and I remember it looking better than this. The problem is that the original negative of the film was never located so the DVD had to be created from a print. This means it comes complete with dirt and scratches.This is worth checking out for any horror fan. It was an independently made film and an example of the kind of unusual stuff that you could commonly find on late night TV until the infomercial turned that time slot into a vast wasteland circa 1986. Only TCM Underground airs this kind of film anymore.$LABEL$ 1 +Underneath the dense green glop of computer graphics there gleamed the astounding art and skill of Ichikawa Somegoro. Alas: it got lost in all the goo. The scenes of Old Edo -- with the courtesan, drifting on the Sumida, rehearsing and acting in the Nakamura-za -- were all exciting and engaging, taking you back to an interesting and rich era. The action on the Kabuki stage, in which Somegoro excels and excites, was more enriching than any of the absurd high jinks that followed. The skill, the energy in the audience, the colors of the sets, were far more satisfying than all the nonsense that took over plot and performance. What a wasted opportunity! One of the best kabuki actors alive, and he gets lost in the dreck.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, to each his own, but I thought Gibson's Hamlet was the most god-awful rendition I had ever witnessed... as subtly nuanced as a paper bag, and as inspired as a telemarketing call. The only reason I watched the movie through to the end was that I held out hope that either it would get better or become unintentionally funny. No luck.No disrespect for the supporting cast or for Zefferelli's staging, but nothing can make up for the bungling of the main character. I have seen Hamlet well-portrayed as an African prince, as an animated lion, as a rough-and-tumble warrior, as a romantic poet, etc. etc. etc. . But IMHO this portrayal was just a plentiful lack of wit together with most weak hams.$LABEL$ 0 +Mercifully, there's no video of this wannabe western that a stay-afloat vehicle for Big Frank at a time when his career was floundering. The story of a weasel who lives on the reputation of his big gun brother and who gets run out of town by bad guys only to return to rally his townfolks with a new found courage must have been written by a back-room writer. All in all, this show stinks. The story is basically boring, ill-conceived and so naive that it can offend your intelligence. I must depart complete from the other reviewer who found it "...underrated..." The critics slammed it at the time and deservedly so. You'll have to catch it on the last show, if you up late and having a bout of insomnia. But, if you can sit through it, you've more fortitude than most of my movie buff friends.$LABEL$ 0 +Rather foolish attempt at a Hitchcock-type mystery-thriller, improbably exchanging espionage for archaeology and based on the Robin Cook novel; incidentally, I’ve recently acquired another adaptation of his work – COMA (1978) – in honor of the late Richard Widmark. For the record, director Schaffner had just made THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (1978) – a similarly fanciful but much more engrossing suspenser and, unfortunately, SPHINX was a false step from which his so-far impressive career would not recover.Despite its scope and reasonably decent cast, however, this one proved a critical and commercial flop – mainly because the narrative just isn’t very thrilling: in fact, it’s quite dreary (feeble attempts at horror – the archaeologist heroine having to put up with entombment, rotting corpses galore, and even an attack by a flurry of bats – notwithstanding). Lesley Anne-Down is the lovely leading lady, stumbling upon a lost treasure – it’s actually been hidden away by a local sect to prevent it from falling into the hands of foreigners, who have appropriated much of the country’s heritage (under the pretext of culture) for far too long. Sir John Gielgud turns up in a thankless bit early on as the antique dealer who puts Down on the way of the loot, and pays for this ‘act of treason’ with his life.Typically, it transpires that some characters are the opposite of what they claim to be – so that apparent allies (such as Maurice Ronet) are eventually exposed as villains, while an ambiguous figure (Frank Langella, whom I saw at London in early 2007 in a West End performance of “Frost/Nixon”, which has now been turned into a film) goes from Down’s antagonist to her lover and back again, as he determines to keep the wealth belonging to Egyptian high priest Menephta a national treasure.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh dear, just what we need another Essex -Cockney garbage effort chronicling the rise of the UK footy hooligan/ rave gangster who did of course follow West 'am (East Londan/Essex style). Didn't anybody tell you that they won the world cap!? And then of course the inevitable decay into UK rave culture underworld. Blah blah blah. Why how and who would want to fund a film like this i do not know but lets pray that it was from Private financiers (lets see ex drug dealers, merchant bankers -we all know what to call them, and the rest of the mockneys) rather than publicly funded means. Hopefully with the recession we will not see the like of this again. If we do we will be calling the death knell for British films and of course we will all be able to blame Britains number one Mockney Country gent wannabee gangster Guy Ritchie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is most possibly the worst movie I have ever see in my entire life! The plot is ridiculous and the whole "Little Man" crap is just so stupid. The entire movie is unrealistic and dumb. Let's face it, It's just a "Black Comedy". This is just a pointless horrible piece that should have never made it to theaters. The jokes are not funny and the acting is horrendous. Please, I beg of to you save your money than see this worthless piece of crap. I had to endure sitting through Little Man for an hour and a half wishing my eyes would bleed. I am disgusted that something like this would even be thought of! Who writes this crap? The actors have NO talent what so ever, how do these people get into Hollywood? They are making money off this junk!$LABEL$ 0 +If you are a Crispin Glover fan, you must see this. If you are a Sean Penn fan, you must see this. If you are a movie fan in general, you must see this. If you have no idea who Crispin Glover is and you have no idea who Sean Penn is, this film will probably still have a lot of value, but the more work you've previously seen by Crispin or Sean, the better.This movie is so funny, but it is also pure genius. There is nothing that I know of that resembles this film. It is its own genre. I doubt that anything like it will ever be made again. I cannot say anything more about exactly why without partially spoiling it, and some of the other reviews here have already done a good job at doing that. In response to any of the reviewers here that gave it a bad review, I ask that you view the film again. In reality, there is no point at which this film could fairly be called "boring." This is possibly the funniest, most entertaining, and least boring film ever made. And it only gets better with age and repeated viewings. A timeless classic that, unfortunately, very few will be able to claim to have seen.Beaver Trilogy is the brilliant work of director Trent Harris, also responsible for the amazing Rubin and Ed, which Crispin Glover also stars in.Unfortunately, copies of this film are rare and hard to find. I managed to find a VHS version after some diligent searching though, and there are a couple of ways to find it that I know of. But I really wish someone would put this onto a DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I had seen this movie when it got released, and when I was 12 years old :) And I still vividly recollect the wonderful scenes of how the hero/heroine escape every time when faced with danger :) And the best feature of the movie was the portrayal of the villain! I think many so-called action movies copied a lot many "escape scenes" from this movie!! And not only does it never impress me when I see such copying, it always increases my appreciation for this masterpiece! :) The lead actors have acted wonderfully. The slow and realistic development of the chemistry b/w the hero and heroine was extremely natural and wonderfully portrayed. As children, we felt that the love that developed b/w them was very natural :) The way they face and overcome all their trials and tribulations together was something that can make even kids realize the value of true love, sacrifice and caring. I recommend that every person see this movie when given a chance!! --Vijay.$LABEL$ 1 +A clever and bizarre angle to "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". At times you think this is campy and over the top, but the underlying poetic soul comes across strong and believable thanks to the performances of the two leads. One worth tracking down.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those films that looks so "dated" that being that way is part of the fun. You see and hear things you would NEVER see or hear on the silver screen today. Some of that is good; some it too corny for words, some of it bad (depending on your viewpoints on certain cultural issues.)For instance, in this short (68 minutes) 1931 film you have:The grandpa of the family that is featured in this story extolling the value of patriotism and why one should speak up against criminals for the good of the United States (picture that in today's films!)A district attorney (Walter Huston) almost begging for death penalty sentences and the populace shown as supporting it 100 percent (once again, picture that in modern-day movies.) Along the way you have some shocking violence, such as a young boy being picked up a few times and literally thrown head first into a closet, and his father being picked up and swung repeatedly head-first into a wall. This is a tough stuff, to say the least. Yet the film is dotted with comedy, mostly by the patriotic grandpa, memorably played by Charles "Chic" Sales. There are a bunch of laughs for all those who view this unique crime film. And, for soft touches, there are the two young boys, one of whom - Dickie Moore - went on to become a pretty famous child actor in his day. Here, he is just a little tyke of about 5 years of age who, understandably, is far from being a polished actor, but you can see stardom for him on the horizon. In fact, he did just that the following year with a solid performance in "Blonde Venus," starring Marlene Dietrich.Anyway, this is an entertaining film because of an effective mixture of violence, comedy and sentimentality....and it has a nice feel-good ending and a thought-provoking message. It was up for an Academy Award, too, for "Best Writing, Original Story." I am sorry to say it is only available for viewing on cable TV as it has never been put out on VHS or DVD.....and that's a shame.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this movie many times, (and recently read the book the movie is based on) and every time I see it, I just want to slap all four of them. The fact that they don't clue in to the fact that Tom Hank's character is flipping into his D&D(oops M&M) :) persona ("Oh, he's just acting in character.") outside of the gaming session. That and the fact that after three months of therapy, let's just destroy all that and feed his delusions! These kind of people are what give RPGs a bad name.Also the corny 'love ballad', and the music done by 'cat on a piano' and 'stop us if we get too annoying' are almost enough to set your teeth on edge!$LABEL$ 0 +this film is absolutely hilarious. basically, the plot revolves around a serial killer being somehow turned into a snowman through some B-movie chemical accident. he then heads for town and starts terrorising the locals. its up to the local police chief and some other characters to try and stop him. its made on a wee budget and it certainly shows, but the great thing about this film is it knows that its rubbish. the improvisations of Styrofoam and polystyrene mimicking the giant killer snowman are classic, and this is clearly the intention - its one of the few films that has its budget as its main selling point. alongside the comic tackiness there are some other great comedy moments - listen out right in the beginning for the voice over of a dad scaring his kids to death, and the funniest rape scene ever committed to film. fantastic tacky fun$LABEL$ 1 +Thriller is the GREATEST music video of all time !!!!! Performed by the GREATEST artist of all time ! Thriller really sent music videos going, and other artists have been trying to copy Thriller in one way or another ever since ! IT'S A THRILLER !!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Several years ago when I first watched "Grey Gardens" I remember laughing and finding it hilarious camp. Years later I still laugh out loud when I watch it, but after many viewings I've come to see the beauty in the strange, twisted relationship between the inseparable "Big" Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter "Little" Edith Bouvier Beale.Mother and daughter living together in their decaying 28 room East Hampton mansion add a whole new meaning to the term "Shabby Chic". With innumerable cats, raccoons and opossums as roommates this Aunt and Niece of Jackie O. allowed filmmakers Albert and David Maysles into their mansion to film them living life day to day. The result is a hilarious, beautiful, sad and moving account of true love and anarchy rule.The relationship between Big and Little Edie is a testament to the unbreakable bonds of love. And their lives an example of drive, determination and free-will. This movie has more to recommend it than I can put down into words. It is a rare experience that you must see for yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +I normally do not take the time to make comments that few people will read, about movies few will see. However, in this case, I feel I must warn all those who might consider wasting time on it. I just finished watching it only five minutes ago. This is, quite simply, one of the worst movies that I have ever seen in my life. The acting is horrible, a plot is nonexistent, and production values are poverty level at best. I know that even a low budget movie can be great, but not this one. There is only thing that could have saved this movie for any horror fan's purposes--more on-screen gore and slashing! The grand total of three times that this occurs is off-screen. While it is effective and reasonably disturbing when it happens--especially the end scene--there is simply not enough of it. The movie is just too long for it's minimal content, too dialogue heavy, and consequently almost impossible to watch. What happens? To put it all in a nutshell with room to spare, three teenage girls irresponsibly and knowingly go out driving through an isolated area where over 20 girls have previously been abducted and murdered. Their car, of course, breaks down, and they are taken to an old boring house inhabited by three crazy people--one of whom is the psychotic killer. All three are eventually murdered, one by one, off-screen, after what seems like an eternity of boring, slow-paced nonsense. As I said, the only things worth watching even once are the murders. Please don't buy it or rent it just for that, and don't be fooled like I was by the misleading box art and movie description. Save your money and your time.$LABEL$ 0 +This was easily one of the weirder of the Ernest movies, especially in regards to the production design. What was up with the pink guard uniforms? Sadly, this film probably destroyed the Ernest series, turning the series into a straight-to-video series. However, Jim Varney gave one of his better performances by playing Nash, his criminal alter ego. A misstep in the series, but wasn't too bad in most regards.(the Electro Man routine was classic)$LABEL$ 1 +I missed it at the cinema and have rented it on DVD. If you get the chance I would recommend it as it´s better than nearly everything I´ve seen at the cinema or on DVd this year. That isn´t to say it´s one of the best films ever or anything, it´s just I´ve seen a lot of rubbish :)Can´t really add to what´s already been said except 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +And a made for TV movie too, this movie was good. the acting in it and the plot was just so great. this one of the only movies I've seen that I felt warped my mind because after seeing it I was afraid of Reaper coming to kill me through my computer screen. There were just a few minor things wrong with this movie, but it's very easily over looked.Antonio Sabbato Jr did an excellent role in this movie along with Janine Turner and Robert Wagner. this movie just has so much suspense and it made me wanting more because I never thought a low budget TV movie could be so powerful. After viewing this I read the novel this movie was based on (four times) and it too kicked was great. If you ever see this movie come on TV, I'd watch it. The effects in this movie were pretty well done, I honestly don't know what a live calcifying human would look like but with the way the FX team did this movie I was impressed and all it shows is that all these bad made for TV movies out there with low budgets shouldn't suck so bad.watch it. It's really good, no really, it is!$LABEL$ 1 +A group of tourists are stranded on Snake Island after an unfortunate accident with their boat. They are forced to spend the night and as you probably suspected, it isn't called Snake Island because it's just soooooo much fun to say - it has a history of people disappearing one by one because of the large snake population, which is just what happens with these poor dumb souls. This is a very boring and typical movie with tons of off screen snake attacks and lousy performances from NOBODY actors. The only somewhat entertaining scene was an absolutely unnecessary and forced strip scene which ain't anything couldn't see in a PG13 rated movie, folks. If you are into snake movies than check out SSSSSSS, but don't torture yourself with this crap.$LABEL$ 0 +I have never seen the TV Series or the previous movies. Probably that's the reason why I didn't enjoy it much. Boring and just not funny, sums it up nicely.Considering the budget the movie seemed to have, it's embarrassing they couldn't do an even passable job.We went to the cinema with no exceptions' at all and the hope to see a somewhat funny movie that wouldn't be too taxing on the mind. My friend fell asleep halfway through the movie and I spend the next 2 hours hoping that it would finally pick up. A hope, which died with the end credits.$LABEL$ 0 +I just picked up the DVD release of this movie while on holiday in Norway where it has been released with English subtitles.The film is beautifully photographed and powerfully acted. The youngster portraying 'Frits' the lead character has an astonishingly open face which mirrors with painful accuracy the tragic events which unfold around him.Early on in the film we see that the father whom Frits loves so much has mental health problems and this is brought up when the brutal headmaster denies assaulting the boy and suggests it was his own father.The climactic scene where Frits refuses to show any respect to the headmaster; simply standing his ground and repeating 'Liar' as he is brutally assaulted in front of his classmates is a scene you are not likely to forget.The films only weak point is the rather clichéd 'Flower Power' teacher who uses every 'friendly teacher' trick in the book. Other than this I feel sure that this is a film you will really enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +While sleeping, Mr. Eko is assigned by his brother Yemi (Adetokumboh McCormack) in a dream to go with John Locke to disclose the meaning of the "?" symbol. With the pretext of chasing Henry, Mr. Eko brings John with him and they find a second hatch called "Pearl" underground the question mark symbol marked on the field, where a video explains that the other hatch is a psychological experiment and people behavior pressing the buttons of the computer every 108 minutes are actually subjects. Meanwhile, Jack unsuccessfully tries to save Libby.In this episode, John Locke loses his faith in the island when he finds that they have been monitored in the hatch. The disgusting Michael sees the anguishing Libby wishing that she was dead, while Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer are suffering her pain, in a deep emotional contrast. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): Not Available$LABEL$ 1 +The orange tone to everything was just yucky. Oh yeah, the main character lives in a ghetto that is all orange-tinted with orange-tinted people. Meanwhile, to mentally escape from this crushing poverty of the body, she plays a full-immersion video game (which sucks in that no rules are clear and no logic follows the gameplay). She apparently earns an income playing the game but she is revealed to not be an employee of the game company?. Lots of non-speaking pauses later the story drags on slowly. She uses a glitchy orange computer interface with an operating interface that is so visually annoying and I can only suspect a Microsoft future release.Meanwhile, I the viewer, ask basically why she is wasting her precious time in some moronic game when she barely has the necessities of life? Oh yeah, playing games is fun, but what is the point when you're almost starving? While she is piddling her life away playing some lousy even-more-orange-tinted lame full-immersion video game her dog runs off (probably looking for an owner who pays at least a moment of attention to it and feeds it regularly) or is stolen from the woman (while she is ignoring her lousy orange-tinted reality).Meanwhile she obsesses over some game her game-playing team lost the entire uninteresting movie. Yawn. So she wants to be the best of the best, go get them Ash Catchem (got to bore us all). Golly, this main character sucks as a human being as well and has no redeeming qualities aside from her physical beauty (which she could barter for some manner to escape her crushing poverty).So she reaches the "Real" level and it, at least, not sucks horribly and she is sent to kill a former comatose teammate mentally living in the "Real" level. Finally the sucky boring bland orange-tinted movie is no longer a tedious chore to watch, but has the potential to say something along the lines "the main character is trapped in imaginary computer-generated poverty and she is actually in the real world now". Perhaps she will do the murder deed and live in the real world now? Well, she kills the guy and he vanishes in a digital effect. Wow! Thanks idiotic director. You suck, you suck so very much, director.Here the director had an iota of a chance to redeem himself slightly by burying this lousy lame moronic cruddy movie with a philosophical twist.The director could have said, "The REAL WORLD is there and if you live in it and contribute to it to make it better, it won't be some cruddy orange-tinted poverty land." A clever way to make this suck-tacular movie a agonizingly slow lesson on basic civic pride (for the 1% of the viewers that haven't found something actually entertaining to watch at this point or are movie-masochists).Nope, director. The director had to screw this all up by tossing in some cruddy digital effect and ruin all chances of redemption for this awfully lousy movie which was a waste of money, a waste of time, and a waste of viewer trust.After that, it ends. Good riddance. I hope the director chokes on it. I'm putting this HACK on my "avoid at all costs" list for any other films his name is attached to.$LABEL$ 0 +Not to be confused with Lewis Teague's "Alligator" (1980) which actually IS an excellent film, this "Il Fiume Del Grande Caimano" laboriously ends the exotic trilogy Sergio Martino made around the end of the seventies (including the rather watchable "L'Isola degli uomini pesce" and the not so good "La Montagna del dio cannibale"). Tracing outrageously the plot of "Jaws", the script fails at creating any suspense what so ever. The creature is ludicrous and its victims are simply despicable. Stelvio Cipriani's lame tune poorly illustrates the adventures of these silly tourists presented from the very beginning as the obvious items of the reptile's meal. No thrill out of this, rather laughters actually! And we could find this pitiful flick quite funny if the dialogs and the appearance of the natives were not so obviously inspired by pure racism. Very soon the giggling stops in favor of a sour feeling witnessing such a patronizing attitude. We could excuse badly made films and poor FXs, but not that kind of mentality. Never!$LABEL$ 0 +They had such potential for this movie and they completely fall flat. In the first Cruel Intentions, we are left wondering what motivated the lead characters to become the way they are and act the way they do. There is almost NO character development whatsoever in this prequel. It's actually a very sad story but this film did nothing for me. It was as if they left out good writing in place of unneeded f-words. And the end makes absolutely no sense and doesn't explain anything. The writing was just terrible. Another thing that bothered me was that they used at lease 3 of the EXACT SAME lines that were in the original. Such as "down boy", or the kissing scene, and a few others I can't remember. I was not impressed at all by Robin's acting, but Amy did a great job. That's about the only thing that reconciled this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +A series of random, seemingly insignificant thefts at her sister's boarding house has Miss Lemon quite agitated. A ring, light bulbs, a rucksack, a lighter, a stethoscope, a shoe – there seems to be no rhyme or reason to any of it. Miss Lemon asks her employer, the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, to look into the matter. But what Poirot sees is something far more sinister than Miss Lemon could have imagined. And Poirot's fears are confirmed when one of the students living in the boarding house if found murdered. It's up to Poirot to bring a killer to justice.Hickory Dickory Dock is a solid, but not spectacular, entry in the long running Poirot series. I appreciate how faithful the script is to Agatha Christie's original story. I realize that certain liberties had to be taken, but I appreciate the effort nonetheless. The major points of the mystery are all there – the petty thefts, the boarding house, the students, the ripped rucksack, and, of course, Poirot's ability to see something sinister going on before it actually happens. With a few exceptions, the cast of students is almost as I pictured them. Damian Lewis and Jessica Lloyd standout among the group. As mush as I always enjoy David Suchet's Poirot, I get a real kick out of the episodes with Phillip Jackson's Inspector Japp and Pauline Moran's Miss Lemon. This episode is a real treat as Miss Lemon gets more screen time than usual. Finally, I enjoyed the use of the ever present mouse as an observer of the activities in the hostel. It's a fun little play on the Hickory Dickory Dock title.I realized while re-watching Hickory Dickory Dock just what a tremendous influence Agatha Christie's work was on the highly stylized Italian mystery films, or Gialli, of the 60s and 70s. Take the murder of Mrs. Nicoletis as an example. If you were to bump up the graphic nature of the scene, you would have something straight out of an early 70s Giallo. In fact, the entire plot of Hickory Dickory Dock could have been used in a Giallo. It's just convoluted and interesting enough to have worked.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a very well scripted movie. Great fun if you just want a stupid film. Not great production value (ok, the sound really sucked) but the performance of Danny Masterson more than makes up for it.Watch this movie and laugh out loud!$LABEL$ 1 +I rated this one better than awful because I liked seeing Jonathon from Buffy in something again -- even if it was the same role.First, the concept is kind of cute for a short, but not an entire movie. The writing was forced and contrived. I have the feeling that the movie suffered the most during editing.Second, Amanda Bynes always looks like her eyes are crossed -- even when she's not trying to do it. She's just not funny. She always plays some sort of misfit girl who triumphs by being herself -- ironic, considering Amanda seems to always be a caricature. I would actually like to see her in something serious. I really want to give her a chance, but she is always cast in these trite roles where she wiggles and makes faces and somehow that's a good thing?Finally, the whole "I'm a Dork" segment was ripped off from Revenge of the Nerds. There was nothing in this movie that was unpredictable.Shame, shame, shame.$LABEL$ 0 +Slash flicks come few and far between now a days, so when I heard about Cut I had high hopes and heard good things about it. Those good things I heard were all wrong..very wrong! This flick is bad and I mean BAD. It's just plain stupid. Everything about it. Especially the killer's origin and how he stays alive and how he is taken care of in the end. There is nothing original or outstanding about this flick. Just another slasher wannabe with those "Hip," "Self aware." "Movie savvy" characters. I'm so sick of that crap. Someone do something different cause the slash genre needs new blood, literally.$LABEL$ 0 +This film infuriated me for the simple fact that it was made only because Shepherd was gay. The men who murdered him are clearly wicked. What happened to the poor man was truly horrible and a tragedy. However, where was Hollywood when four religious white kids were executed, after being forced to perform a host of sex acts on their killers and each other, by two evil black men in Wichita just two years ago? The celebrities only mug for the camera when it serves a political purpose. Also, Laramie is portrayed in a poor light by this pseudo-documentary, which of course is hardly surprising because they are the backward hicks who must be educated by omniscient and enlightened Californians. Still, it's always a treat to see Laura Linney.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a masterpiece. 'The Big Snit' is a crazy, weird, hilarious and eventually touching look at an old married couple and their quiet life, who argue over sawing and scrabble while a nuclear war rages on outside. Everything in this great animated short stands out as memorable: The eye shaking of the wife, the vacuuming binge, the husband's saw fetish (keep an eye on those backgrounds!), the very verbal cat, the demented game show, the "informative" news anchor, the "beautiful" accordion serenade and the moving and memorable ending. I am so glad I found 'The Big Snit', which is hands down one of the greatest works of film ever produced.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't think I need to tell you the story. For it has been told for years and years. So I will just share my feelings. I first saw Cinderella was when I was five years old. From then on I was a Disney child in a good way. The animation now seems childish and old fashioned, but that is part of its charm now. Now, in the age of High School Musical and computer generated images, it seems like people have forgotten the genius and magical essence of early Disney movies. Thankfully I was born before that so I was introduced to this classic. And it seems no matter how old I get, I turn back into that five year old watching it on VHS. Which is the true magic of Disney.$LABEL$ 1 +First, before reading further, you must understand that I'm not neo-nazi, I'm just trying to understand correctly Hitler to be sure nobody like him take power again.I've seen this series and found it awful. I mean, OK, it's interesting to look, but is it real? I searched for answers and found one: absolutely not. First, Hitler wasn't angry all his life, the series shows an angry Hitler, even when he is a child. Second, Hitler never wanted to abuse his daughter, in fact, it is highly probable that Hitler, in reality, was gay and fought all his life to choke this secret. Third, people will hate me but it's true: Hitler was charming. How do you think he managed to get to power if he was so hateful and ugly? Because he was charming. That's a common point I found in the interviews of people who live near or far of him (of course, not Jews).This series was awful because if you think that Hitler was just an angry bastard, ugly, and of course, not charming at all, you're wrong. If you think that, you will let people like him take power in countries and you don't want that. If you really understand how Hitler managed to get into power, and stop thinking he was just awful, you'll be able to find dangerous politicians like him (of course, remember he was elected) and stop theme before it's too late.Life is important to protect, this series is just awful to show us the truth, if we continue to see Hitler like that, another one will take place exactly as the first did.$LABEL$ 0 +This is without a doubt the STUPIDEST movie of all time.I don't know who I'm angrier at--the idiots who made this or my video store for actually carrying this piece of crap!!I can't even begin to name all of the things wrong with this horrible wanna-be movie.All of the dialogue sounds like it was made up on the spot, and the acting is the worst I have ever seen in any movie-EVER!!There is nothing about the script that would appeal to any decent person, in fact I don't think they even had a script, they just made up everything as they went along--and you can tell.The "women" (i.e. men dressed up in drag trying to look like women) in the costumes looked so ridiculous, I guess they were trying to be sexy but--NOT SO MUCH!! Especially that old woman-disgusting.There is nothing scary about this movie, the only thing scary is that somebody else might actually rent it and have to watch it.No brain required for watching this, you must be a total loser to want to see this movie.Don't forget-- I WARNED YOU!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great show despite many negative user reviews. The aim of this show is to entertain you by making you laugh. Two guys compete against each other to get a girl's phone number. Simple. The fun in this show is watching the two males try to accomplish their goal. Some appear to hate the show for various reasons, but I think, they misunderstood this as an "educational" show on how to pick up chicks. Well it is not, it is a comedy show, and the whole point of it is to make you laugh, not teach you anything. If you didn't like the show, because it doesn't teach you anything, don't watch it. If you don't like the whole clubbing thing, don't watch it. If you don't like socializing don't watch it. This show is a comical show. If you down by watching others pick up girls, well its not making you laugh, so don't watch it. If you are so disappointed in yourself after watching this show and realizing that you don't have the ability to "pick-up" girls, there is no reason to hate the show, simply don't watch it!$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason that this movie is rated a 1 is that zero is not one of the selection options. With a plot thinner than depression era cabbage soup, horrific acting, and special effects that look like they came out of the "Thunderbirds" TV series, it is amazing that Widmark didn't kill the director for putting this black mark on his resume. Even by 1950's standards, the special effects are atrocious, except for a couple of underwater submarine sequences. I can only assume that it was nominated for best special effects because, except for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and THEM!, there wasn't anybody else doing effects. It was certainly no contest for Disney that year if this was their only competition. I wouldn't recommend the film, even for hard core submarine movie buffs, as the most realistic scene on the submarine was limited to one shot where seawater can be seen dribbling down the up-raised periscope. There are other, much better, sub films that you can enjoy from this era, like the aforementioned 20,000 Leagues or Torpedo Run.$LABEL$ 0 +SILVER CITY (2+ outta 5 stars) As a huge fan of John Sayles' work for many years now I feel safe in saying that this is the worst movie he has ever done. That said, the movie isn't exactly *terrible*... just very uninspired. Sayles throws in familiar elements from his previous movies (corrupt politics, illegal immigration, the selling out of youthful ideals) but fails to bring them together in any new or meaningful way. Even the dialogue (usually Sayles' strong point) is disappointing this time around.. sounding clichéd and forced in almost every scene. The movie looks and sounds like episodes from a TV series that didn't make it past its third episode. There are tons of big stars on hand... and they try their best to make their bit parts come alive... but the material just isn't there this time around. While filming a campaign spot a governor-hopeful (a poor and obvious George W Bush stand-in) fishes a dead body out of a lake. An investigator is hired to try and warn away people who may have deliberately set this up to discredit the candidate... but he soon finds out that there are deeper and darker (and more clichéd) secrets to be discovered. Sayles has made similarly-themed movies so much better in the past ("Lone Star", "Matewan", "Return of the Secaucus Seven", "Men With Guns"). It's a shame that he went to the well one time too many and came up with tainted water. One good line, delivered by Richard Dreyfuss: "Danny, you're a loser. That's already been established beyond doubt. So just try and be a good one, okay?"$LABEL$ 0 +It's always interesting to catch a line in a film that winds up being somewhat prophetic for the future of an actor. In this case, I was intrigued by Edward G. Robinson's statement to Barbara Stanwyck - "I promised you the Valley", as he discusses the lone hold outs to his attempt to control all the land in Logasa. Ten years later, Stanwyck would star as the matriarch of the Barkley Family on "The Big Valley". Somehow I thought she might have looked older in the earlier picture; I guess all those bright gowns and fancy riding outfits have a way of bringing out one's youthful side.As for my summary line above, that's Lee Wilkison's appraisal of John Parrish (Glenn Ford), one of those hold outs mentioned earlier, shortly after Parrish uses his knowledge of military tactics to take out a number of Wilkison hands after they raid his ranch and torch his home. I liked the way the film explored his character, starting with the way he dealt with foreman Wade Matlock (Richard Jaeckel) in a calculated showdown. The set up for the ambush was also a clever maneuver, diametrically opposed to the strategy of rushing the bad guys head on with both sides fighting it out to the last man standing. For that, Parrish also had something to say - "Never meet the enemy on his terms"."The Violent Men" is a good title for this film, and was probably at the head of it's class in the mid 1950's, though by today's standards doesn't come close to the blood letting one will find in a "Tombstone" or "Open Range", where the bullets exact a nasty savagery. But it's shaped by fine performances from the principals, with a sub plot exploring infidelity that seemed almost ironic considering it was Stanwyck's character who was cheating.$LABEL$ 1 +and laugh out loud funny in many scenes.The movie's basic plot is well chronicled, a story of opposites trying to find a way to survive each other in close proximity.This is unquestionably Lemmon and Matheau's best film as co-stars, and the interaction between the sloppy Oscar and the OCD Felix are classic.The scene where Oscar lines up a double date, leaves the room briefly, and comes back to find Felix and the two girls all crying is pricelessly funny.For any fan of intelligent comedies, The Odd Couple is a "go out of your way to see it" film.$LABEL$ 1 +Kevin Spacey again picks a winner with K-PAX, an endearing movie that expresses profound revelations at human existence via the Prot character's naive, yet at the same time unquestionably wise, point of view.It's enjoyable trying to work out 'if he is or he isn't' as the plot expands and the Robert Porter character gets fleshed out. However some may find the ending a little unsatisfying but in reality it couldn't have been any other way.My few issues with the film revolve around the rather cartoony and over simplified portrayal of mental patients. I was surprised because the films plot shows a great deal of intelligence and I don't feel it would have lost anything by being more honest regarding how people with mental health problems behave.That said, I realise this was a movie and not a documentary and the film itself is exquisitly shot and the story unwraps at a pleasing rate. Bridges is great and Spacey delivers a languid and relaxed performance, more like a stand-up than an alien.A good film that will get you talking with your friends.$LABEL$ 1 +This is absurd - aside from the fellow Australian who has reviewed this flick, I can't help but think that everyone else who has submitted a review so far was some way involved in the production of Elektra, considering how generous they were with their praise.Admittedly I'm not really a fan of comic-book-to-movie conversions so I didn't go in with many expectations, yet still I found Elektra to be incredibly underwhelming. The thing that irked me the most was the fact that there was SO MUCH in this film which went by unexplained, that left you thinking "huh, what relevance does that have to the plot?" or "so how did that aspect of the character come about?" I can only hope that these are things which are perhaps explained somewhat in Daredevil, which I have no intention of seeing.Furthermore, the behaviour of the characters in this film appear to do an about-face at random moments to suit the storyline, and don't even get me started about the utterly pointless romantic sub-plot. I'm also (still) scratching my head over the fate of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's character, which seems to have gone by unexplained.If I can give kudos to this movie for anything it would have to be the fantastic locations in which it was shot, but otherwise I gained little enjoyment from Elektra. I know we're supposed to suspend our disbelief for fantasy/action films, but almost everything in this film was so improbable or confusing (even by action film standards) that it simply frustrated me.Well, hell, at least Jennifer Garner looks damn good.$LABEL$ 0 +As seems to be the general gist of these comments, the film has some stunning animation (I watched it on blu-ray) but it really falls short of any real depth.Firstly the characters are all pretty dull. I got a hint of a kind of Laputa situation between Agito, Toola and the main antagonist Shunack. However maybe my mind wanderd and this was wishful thinking (Laputa being my favourite animé, original Engilsh dub). The characters are not really lovable either and as mentioned in another post they fall in love exceptionally quickly, leaving poor old Minka jealous and rejected (she loves Agito, who seems oblivious of this). However she promptly seems to forgive Toola at the end with no explanation for the change of heart other than it makes the ending a little bit more "happy". There is also a serious lack of explanation. Like who are the druids really? Are they people? and who are the weird women/girls who seem to hang out with them and run the forest? There is nothing explaining why they are there and how they can give regular humans superpowers. The plants coming from the moon still does not fill in the blanks about this. It is almost like a weird version of The Day of the Triffids.And who does call Toola? why bother with this if it wont be explained?I really wanted to like this film but I found the plot no where near as deep as a film like Ghost in the Shell or having any real character like those of Miyazaki. I do not resent watching it but I do sort of wish I hadn't bought it. My advice? Give it a go if you have a couple of hours to spare, but borrow it, or buy it cheap! Perhaps if your new to animé films and don't have much to go by you will enjoy it. It certainly is visually pleasing.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite the patronage of George Lucas, this captivating and totally original fantasy in "Lumage" (a combination of animation through live action cut-outs) is about as far removed from the usual kiddie fare as anything made by Ralph Bakshi in his heyday. Brilliantly conceived characters such as the shape-shifting dog Ralph (one of a duo of bumbling, rejected heroes), Synonamess Botch (the hilariously foul-mouthed villain) and Rod Rescueman (the pompous novice superhero) breathe life into a uniquely clever concept: Frivoli vs. Murkwood or, the eternal fight between dreams and nightmares. In this context, the MOR-infused songs on the soundtrack ought not to have worked but somehow they do. It's a real pity, therefore, that I have had to watch this via a truly crappy-looking boot (culled from a TV screening) of the uncensored version – there is also a milder variant that toned down the language for its VHS release – since the film is otherwise unavailable on DVD. Interestingly, both Henry Selick and David Fincher worked on this picture in subordinate capacities.$LABEL$ 1 +I was a little afraid when I went to the cinema to see this movie. Indeed, it is always tough to make a movie from a comics and the first episode of the adventures of the French two greatest heroes was good but not fantastic. Finally, it is very funny from the beginning to the end with unexpected gags, some cartoon scenes, no timeouts, great FX, a great cast, great landscapes, great everything !!!However, I wonder how they will manage to translate all the French names in English or German, because it is certainly funny in French but how will it be in another language ???$LABEL$ 1 +I wish Depardieu had been able to finish his book and see it become a dazzling success. At least he'd have wound up with something.The film struck me as pointless, rambling, and very stylish, like some other recent French films. Not to knock it. Most recent American films are pointless and rambling and have no style whatever. We should be grateful, I suppose, for photography that evokes a European city in the midst of a wind-blown Continental winter, and for elliptical conversations that challenge our ability to understand what's up.But there can be too much of a good thing. Golubeva is found stumbling around near the sea in the middle of the freezing night, carrying on in a bad accent about dreams and such. (There are a few sequences of dreams that include things like swimming in a river of blood. You'll love it if you're Vlad the Impaler.) Lots of people die. Catherine Deneuve dies in a suicide by motorcycle. I don't know why. Golubeva's young girl dies too, and I don't know why she dies either. She gets slapped in the face, falls to the pavement, and dies.There is supposedly an explicit sex scene too. I'll have to take their word for it because, although it is stylishly photographed, it is stylishly photographed in almost complete darkness. Don't worry about the kiddies being shocked. They'll probably be asleep by this time anyway.Depardieu isn't a bad actor. As we see him deteriorate from a carefully groomed handsome young man -- well, handsome except that his nose can't seem to get out of his way -- to a limping, murderous, hairy physical wreck, we feel sorry for the guy. Golubeva has a wan pretty face, with enormous half-lidded eyes and wide cheeks, like a doll. Her next movie should be a remake of Lewton's "I Walked With a Zombie." Then there is this mysterious guy who leads a band. I guess it's a band. As far as I could make out, the band is made up of about a dozen drummers and a dozen musicians playing electric guitars. Every viewer will find the resultant sound interesting but uncultivated listeners fond of "easy listening" might not enjoy it. If you don't like the music, there's a payoff involved because the sinister composer and leader gets whacked over the head with Depardieu's walking stick.I must say, I found it barely worth sitting through. (And it's a longie, too.) At times it was like waiting in your car at a railroad crossing while a long long freight train rumbles slowly by, sometimes stopping entirely. I wish it had had a few jokes.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge Willem Dafoe fan, and really sought out this film (I had to get a Region 5 Chinese DVD of it!). But, it is truly one of the worst that I've seen in quite a while.The acting (except for Dafoe) is horrible. Dafoe and Colagrande BOTH wrote and directed this ( though he isn't credited as a director), and they have NO discernible talents for writing or directing. (Stick to acting Willem; Giada get out of the business, PLEASE!)Absolutely nothing happens. Except a series of completely unconvincing, totally without believable motivation, acts by these two people (that just met) in this house. Colagrande's sleepy, I couldn't care less expression practically NEVER changes. And the sex scenes are downright lame. I actually cringed twice at one of them. Yuck! They're definitely not the least bit erotic, and yet are the only time the film isn't putting you to sleep. Then, it's busy repulsing you.Just awful.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is great. Simply. It is rare that you find a comedy with levels, and this is a bloody good example of such. When I saw this movie first, as the credit rolled, a friend and I looked to one another and asked... 'did you just catch that?' For those doubters, look at the levels. See the comparisons between Vick and the people in the club, the DNA! See the diverse characters, each jostling for position, and if you see nothing else, see the connection between the cure of Vick and the path through the film. IT'S ALL IN VICK'S HEAD! The opening line about Vick's world. The closing scene with the camera going into Vick's head, and inside, a whole universe! Thoroughly quotable, wonderful cartoon gangsters, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!$LABEL$ 1 +This version is pretty insipid, I'm afraid. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books and has been since childhood, but William Hurt's weary, throwaway acting style is completely unsuitable to the bold passion of Edward Rochester and poor Charlotte Gainsbrough looks like a bored, petulant teenager whose dental braces hurt! I also can't believe that they eliminated Edward's great marriage proposal scene from the end of the book, one of the most moving moments in literature. I do appreciate that they finally used such a young, plain woman to play Jane, a character who is supposed to be a worldly 18, but if you want to see a version that closer approximates the personalities and passions of the novel, please see the 70's version with George C. Scott and Susannah York. York was too old, tall and pretty to play Jane, but no one has touched Rochester's character the way that Scott did.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are thinking of going to see this film then my advice is - dont.For me the film failed to make the grade at every level and was a reminder of how dire most British (& Irish)films are. Forgettable tripe is the best i can say. If it had been on telly l would have wandered off to do something more interesting five minutes after the start. I saw this film with a group of friends and having read the press previews went along prepared to not be critical and hopefully pass an amusing 90 minutes. But, oh dear.....As a comedy it wasn't funny, as a thriller the stupid story was sloppy and lazy. As a love story totally unbelievable. Most of all as a piece of 'gloriously over the top whimsy' it lacked both style and charm. Gambon and Caine did what they needed to do to earn their money playing er..... Gambon and Caine. Is it just me, but other than playing east end gangsters and jack the lads, does Michael Caine leave you cold?In fairness, some of my friends thought it was 'ok' but if you do go, my advice is have a few drinks (or puffs) beforehand and leave your critical faculties safely locked up at home.$LABEL$ 0 +As long as you don't mind paying a little more attention than you normally might for other films, this is one of the best "thrillers" you'll ever see. The film portrays an incident that might occur in real life; nothing in it seems fictional at all, in fact. It also portrays how people might react in real life.In fact, it portrays these so well that is seems like real life. Combine that with the lack of a soundtrack, and you've almost got the best news-like movie you've ever seen. Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon are particularly good in this late-seventies masterpiece, evoking concern on her end and genuine tragic pity on his end. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers.$LABEL$ 1 +Buddy is an entertaining family film set in a time when "humanizing" animals, and making them cute was an accepted way to get people to be interested in them.Based on a true story, Buddy shows the great love that the main characters have for animals and for each other, and that they will do anything for each other.While not a perfect movie, the animated gorilla is quite lifelike most of the time and the mayhem that occurs within the home is usually amusing for children.This film misses an opportunity to address the mistake of bringing wild animals into the home as pets, but does show the difficulties.A recommended film which was the first for Jim Henson Productions.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a huge steaming pile. I have no idea why anyone felt that the Garland/Mason version needed to be redone, nor why Striesand would have been a first choice to star.For that matter, I have no idea why our people (Gay Americans) tend largely to regard Striesand as some kind of treasure. At least in my opinion, she had peaked professionally with with Funny Girl, and Bogdanovich's What's Up Doc. Do yourself a favor and rent the Judy classic, or even the original (a fine film in its own right), but please, Please, PLEASE skip this stinkpot!$LABEL$ 0 +Bled starts as young female artist Sai (Sarah Ferooqui) meets a mysterious yet charming man named Renfield (Jonathan Oldham) & they end up back at her studio apartment where he gives her the bark of some sort of tree which is used as a hallucinogenic drug when melted down. Sai quickly becomes hooked as she is whisked into an alternate fantasy reality which involve Vampiric creatures. Sai's photographer friend Royce (Chris Ivan Cevic) becomes concerned about her as she drifts further from reality as she becomes addicted to the drug, can Royce her kick the drug or will it end up ruining her life & why did the mysterious Renfield get her addicted to the stuff in the first place & do the elaborate fantasy dream like trips have any significance?Co-produced & directed by Christopher Hutson this anaemic arty Vampire flick is pretty much 95 minutes of tedium & is throughly deserving of all the bad comments. The script was written by the interestingly named Sxv'leithan Essex (how the hell do you even pronounce that anyway?) who is also credited as production designer & his unusual name is actually more interesting than anything that ever happens in Bled, I would guess that the makers set out to make a very serious fantasy based horror film with a strong moral message about the dangers of drugs, drug addiction & date rape drug at it's core. The majority of the film is spent on the drug issue with Sai's initial introduction to the drug, how great the first time was & how she becomes hopelessly addicted which eventually destroys her, her life & her friends lives. It's never explained where she keeps getting this drug from as Renfield only gives her a little bit during their initial meeting but hey, who cares? The first twenty odd minutes of Bled are really boring & dull, the following hour or so aren't much better before a mess of a final ten minutes which involve a Vampiric monster & Renfield making a reappearance. The moral elements are patronising, the fantasy elements seem like an afterthought & the horror is none existent. There's also the dialogue which is awful, every sentence tries to be profound, have loads of hidden depth & just tries to have so much meaning that it becomes tiresome to listen to.The concept of the film is terrible & so is the execution as there's absolutely no gore or violence to speak of & the entire thing is set inside an apartment that doesn't appear to have any lights. The fantasy setting looks a little better but it's sparsely seen & underused. There are no scares here, no atmosphere & to make matters even worse the makers have decided to used muted very faded colours which I just hate & find annoying, what's wrong with a nice colourful image? It seems to me to be a fad with current filmmakers who seem to think that it automatically makes a film cool or adds atmosphere which it most certainly doesn't, more often than not it just makes your film look dull & drab as evidenced here with Bled.This probably had a low budget & was shot in Los Angeles & it has reasonable production values but it's all so dull. The acting didn't impress me, I didn't care for or about anyone which is never a good sign.Bled is a terrible Vampire film that goes for psychological horror as well as physical with all sorts of parallels to real life dug addiction & what it can do to little or no effect because the whole thing is so dull. There might be an audience for a film such as this but considering the other comments not that big a one.$LABEL$ 0 +It is hard to describe this film and one wants to tried hard not to dismiss it too quickly because you have a feeling that this might just be the perfect film for some 12 years old girl...This film has a nice concept-the modern version of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. It has some rather dreamy shots and some nice sketches of the young boy relationship with his single working mother and his schoolmate... a nice start you might say, but then it got a bit greedy, very greedy, it tries to be a science fiction, a drama, a thriller, a possible romantic love story, fairy tale, a comedy and everything under the sun. The result just left the audience feeling rather inadequate. For example, the scene when the girl(played by Risa Goto) finally woken by his(Yuki Kohara) kiss, instead of being romantic, it try's to be scary in order to make us laugh afterwards... it is a cheap trick, because it ruin all the anticipation and emotion which it was trying to build for the better half of the film.I have not read the original story the film is base on (it is the well-known work by the comic-book artist Osamu Tezuka is famous with his intriguing and intricate stories) I wonder if all the problems exsist in the original story or did it occur in the adaption? It is rather illogical even for someone who is used to the "fussy logic" of those japanese comic-book. For instance, how did Yuki Kohara's character manage to get to the hospital in an instant(when its suppose to be a long bus-ride away)to run away Risa Goto's character in front of the tv cameras right after he saw her live interview on the television?There are also some scenes that is directly copied(very uncreative!) from other films and they all seem rather pointlessly annoying ie. the famous "the Lion mouth has caugh my hand" scene from "the "Roman Holiday"The film tries to be everything but ends up being nothing... it fails to be a fairy tale and it did not have enough jokes to be a comedy... and strangely there are some scenes that even seem like an unintentional "ghost" movie. Nevertheless, one should give it credit that it has managed to caputured some of the sentiment of the japanese teenager.It is by watching this film I have a feeling that there might be some films that should have come with a warning label that said "this film might only be suitable for person under the 18 of age", it would have definitly been on the poster of this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Prior to Airport 79' these movies were rather good. They had decent special effects, all-star cast, and good acting. This movie destroyed the franchise, and there are many reasons for it. Lets talk about the special effects WOW!!!! they are horrific, what was the director thinking about. I know it's only 1979, but lets look at other very good special effects movies such as Star Wars(1977),and Moonraker(1979). I like the idea of the Concord and this could of been the best Airport movie, but they did too much with it. How about Joe Patroni(George Kennedey) shooting a flare out of the cockpit window, to prevent a heat seeking missile from hitting the concord. Also he is doing 90 degree dives and loops. This completely far fetched, and unrealistic WOW!!!!!! Believe me the special effects don't help this scene, and really are beyond poor.... They almost look like a cartoon, and this is how the whole movie is!!!Finally lets talk about the acting which in my opinion is extremely poor to fair at best.... Over acting is a major issue in this movie, especially George Kennedy.. Which I really like as an actor, but just doesn't cut in this movie. The full blame has to go on the director, who did a very poor editing job, and really whacked out the Airport Franchise. Too bad the Concord isn't still used today it was a marvel of Air travel...$LABEL$ 0 +The last of the sequels,not counting Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein which was more or less a spoof.this time count Dracula (John Carridine)takes center stage seeking a cure for his vampirism from a kindly doc(Onslow Stevens).well good ole Larry Talbot(Lon Chaney Jr)shows up also seeking a cure.the good doc succeeds in curing Larry's werewolfism,but Dracula tricks the doc and ends up contaminating his blood and makes the good doc a crazed lunatic.oh and all this time big Franky(Glenn strange)lies on a table awaiting his electricity fix so he can wreak some havoc.this was kind of a short movie,around 70 minutes and some change,but the action is there,and the great actors are there as well.Lionel atwill turns up as a police inspector,heres some trivia,Lionel atwill appeared in son of Frankenstein,ghost of Frankenstein,Frankenstein meets the wolf-man,and house of Frankenstein. and then this one.if there was another in the series they May have added the creature from the black lagoon to the line up,I'm giving house of Dracula 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +*!!- SPOILERS - !!*Before I begin this, let me say that I have had both the advantages of seeing this movie on the big screen and of having seen the "Authorized Version" of this movie, remade by Stephen King, himself, in 1997.Both advantages made me appreciate this version of "The Shining," all the more.Also, let me say that I've read Mr. King's book, "The Shining" on many occasions over the years, and while I love the book and am a huge fan of his work, Stanley Kubrick's retelling of this story is far more compelling ... and SCARY.Kubrick really knows how to convey the terror of the psyche straight to film. In the direction of the movie AND the writing of the screenplay, itself, he acquired the title "Magus" beyond question. Kubrick's genius is like magic. The movie world lost a great director when he died in 1999. Among his other outstanding credits are: Eyes Wide Shut, 1999; Full Metal Jacket, 1987; Barry Lyndon, 1975; A Clockwork Orange, 1971; 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968; Spartacus, 1960 and many more.The Torrences (Jack, Wendy his wife and Danny, their son) are living in the Overlook Hotel for the winter; Jack has been hired as the caretaker. It is his job to oversee the upkeep of the hotel during the several months of hard snow, until spring when the Overlook reopens its doors. It seems there are many wealthy and jaded tourists who will flock to the Colorado Mountains for a snow-filled summer getaway.The Hotel was an impressive piece of architecture and staging. It lent to the atmosphere, by having a dark, yet at the same time "welcoming" atmosphere, itself. The furnishings and furniture was all period (late 70's - early 80's), and the filmography of the landscape approaching the hotel in the opening scene is brilliant. It not only lets you enjoy the approach to the Overlook, it also fixes in your mind how deserted and isolated the Hotel is from the rest of the world.The introduction of Wendy and Danny's characters was a stroke of genius. You get the whole story of their past, Danny's "imaginary friend," Tony, and the story of Jack's alcoholism all rolled into this nice, neat introductory scene. There was no need in stretching the past history out over two hours of the movie; obviously, Kubrick saw that from the beginning.Closing Day. Again, the scenic drive up the mountains to the Hotel (this time, with family in tow), the interaction between Jack and Danny was hilarious while also portraying a very disturbing exchange.The initial tour through the Overlook is quite breathtaking, even as the "staff" is moving things out, you get a chance to see the majestic fire places, the high cathedral ceilings and expensive furnishings, dormants and crown moldings in the architecture. "They did a good job! Pink and gold are my favorite colors." (Wendy Torrence) Even the "staff wing" is well designed and beautifully built.The maze was a magnificent touch, reminiscent of the Labyrinth in which the Minotaur of Crete was Guardian. When Jack Nicholson stands at the scaled model of the maze and stares into the center, seeing Wendy and Danny entering, it's a magickal moment; one that tells you right away, there are heavy energies in that house; there's something seriously wrong, already starting. "I wouldn't want to go in there unless I had at least an hour to find my way out." (The Hotel Manager)Scatman Cruthers, as Dick Halloran, was genuine and open in his performance. His smiles were natural and his performance was wonderful. You could actually believe you were there in the hotel, taking the tour of the kitchen with Wendy and "Doc." His explanation of "the shining" to Danny was very well delivered, as was his conversation with the child about Tony and the Hotel. It was believable and sincere.The cut out and pan scan of the hotel itself, with the mountains looming behind, the cold air swirling about, mist coming up from the warm roof of the snowbound hotel, adds so MUCH to the atmosphere of the movie. It also marks the "half-way-to-hell" point, so to speak; the turning point in the movie.Shelley Duvall's portrayal of Wendy Torrence was masterful. (So WHAT if she also played Olive Oyl?! It just shows her marvelous diversity!) Honestly, before I saw the movie on the big screen in 1980, I said," What? Olive Oyl? *lol* (Popeye was also released in 1980.) But I took that back as soon as the movie started. She's brilliant. In this Fiend's opinion, this is her best performance, to date! (Although I did love her in Steve Martin's "Roxanne," 1987.)Once Kubrick has established the pearly bits of information of which you, the viewer, need to be in possession: the Torrence's past; Danny's broken arm; Tony; the history of the Hotel itself; the fact that Danny is not "mental," but rather clairvoyant instead, and the general layout of the Hotel; all of which you get in the opening 3 sequences; the movie never stops scaring you.The two butchered daughters of the previous caretaker, Delbert Grady (the girls having appeared several times to Danny, first by way of Tony in the apartment before the family ever left for the hotel) were icons with which Danny could identify, and of which he was afraid, at the same time. They were haunting (and haunted), themselves and showed Danny how and where they were killed, in a rather graphic and material way.Kubrick's Tony was written as an attendant spirit, like a spirit guide which he acquired as a result of his arm nearly being wrenched off his body by his own father. He was..."the little boy who lives in my mouth." He would manifest in the end of Danny's finger and physically spoke through Danny in order to speak TO Danny. NOT like in the book, I realize, where Tony was intended by Stephen King to be the projection of Danny as an older boy, trying to save his father. Kubrick left out that little twist and it somehow made it more frightening when Tony "took ... Danny ... over." The idea of Danny's older self projecting back to his younger self isn't...scary.The "Woman in the Shower" scene, done by Lia Beldan (about whom I can find no other credits for having done anything before, or since) as the younger woman and Billie Gibson (who ALSO appears to suffer from a lack of credits for works before or since), was seductively obnoxious and thoroughly disgusting. It was dramatic, and frightening. Abhorrent and scary. When Nicholson looks into the mirror and sees her decomposing flesh beneath his hands; the look of sheer terror on his face was so complete and REAL.Jack quickly embarks on his trek from the "jonesing" alcoholic to a certifiable insane person. The degradation of his character's mental state is carefully and thoroughly documented by Kubrick. Jack's instant friendship with Lloyd the Bartender (as only alcoholics, would-be mental patients and drug addicts do) portrays his pressing NEED of the atmosphere to which Lloyd avails him; namely, alcohol ..."hair of the dog that bit me." (Jack Torrence) In Jack's case, it's bourbon on the rocks, at no charge to Jack. "Orders from the house." (Lloyd the Bartender) Nice play on words.When Wendy find's Jack's "screenplay" is nothing more than page after page of the same line typed over and over, albeit in 8 or 9 different creative styles...when he asks from the shadows, "How do you like it?" and Wendy whirls and screams with the baseball bat in her hand...is so poignant. It's the point where she realizes how messed up the whole situation is...how messed up Jack is. It's very scary, dramatic and delivers a strong presence. That coupled with Danny's visions of the hotel lobby filling with blood, imposed over the scene between Jack and Wendy, and with the confrontational ending to this scene, make this possibly THE strongest scene of the movie.The "REDRUM" scene. Wow. What do I say? What mother would not be totally freaked by awakening to find their young, troubled son standing over them with a huge knife, talking in that freaky little voice, exclaiming "REDRUM" over and over? Even if it HAD no meaning, it would still be as scary as the 7th level of HELL. It was something everyone could (and has) remember(ed). Speaking of memorable scenes...Nicholson's final assault on his family with an axe was perhaps one of the scariest scenes of movie history. His ad-libbed line, "Heeeeere's Johnny!" was a stroke of brilliance and is one of the most memorable scenes in the history of horror. It also goes down in horror movie history.The ending..? Kubrick's ending was perfection. I felt it ended beautifully. No smarm, no platitudinous whining, no tearfully idiotic ending for THIS movie. Just epitomized perfection. That's all I'll say on the subject of the ending.Who cares what was taken out?! Look what Kubrick put IN. Rent it, watch it, BUY IT. It's a classic in the horror genre, and for good reason. IT RAWKS!!*Me being Me* ... Take this movie, and sitck it in your Stephen King collection, and take the 1997 "Authorized" version done by King and stick it down in the kiddie section. That's where it belongs. .: This movie rates a 9.98 from the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +This film promises much but delivers little. The basic problem has to do with the inclusion of Charlotte Gainsbourg's character in this film. Immigrants from Sicily did not need a redheaded Anglo in any way--the movie may have needed her, but new citizens certainly did not. In my opinion,the decision to include her destroys the continuity of the film. This is particularly troubling since it seems to demean not only the characters in the movie, but also the history of immigration itself. Immigrants themselves were heroic figures, fully capable of getting along without having to satisfied what I believer to be a veiled image of "the white man's burden." I wonder if someone will make a movie of Irish immigrants which will include a Sicilian woman as a major character. The Left Elbow Index considers seven aspects of film--acting, production sets, dialogue, artistry, film continuity, plot, and character development--on a scale from high of 10 for excellent, 5 for average, and 1 for needs help. Both film continuity and plot rate a low of 1. The continuity as discussed above is further degraded by the surrealistic ending. Does not a film of such important historical significance deserve more than a conclusion which reminds one of Marc Chagall? The plot is simple enough, until it seems to become entangled with too much time in the old country, too little time on the ship, and too much emphasis on the ending. The acting and character development is average since all the characters are fixed throughout the film, and the inclusion of the Anglo-Saxon speaking perfect English almost turns the movie into a satire. Where's Groucho when you need him? The production sets, the dialogue and the artistry are very good, each rating a 10. The sets in Sicily, on the ship, and on Ellis Island are as good as one can find. The dialogue is marvelous, and the ethic singing is superb. I agree with Scorsese that listening to the Sicilian dialect is a pleasure. Note that the immigrants speak of "America", not the "United States"--the ideal vs. the political reality. The are many good artistic scenes, with dreams of America, gold coins raining, and giant veggies among the best. The average Left Elbow Index is 5.25, raised to a 7.0 when equated with the IMDb scale. One other notion seems to run through Ellis Island experience: the tribulations of pass immigrants was grueling, later, in 2006, one only had to pay a coyote or boat owner and sneak into the county under the darkness of night, no questions asked! The movie is worth seeing, but it appears that what one sees is problematical.$LABEL$ 1 +Yash Raj films are so funny, whatever works they follow it yet they are called the best production house?Seeing Bhatt films working they copied the formula, bikini and everything plus casting low actors like Uday and TanishaaThe film is so horrible it makes you cringethe jokes are so bad and horny it makes you slap them Uday resembles a gay plus a monkeyTanishaa resembles an idiot The director thinks we all are idiots Arjun Sablok takes the audience for granted Music is saving grace Camera-work is goodUday Chopra hams like an idiot, Tanishaa looks like Kajol in K3g if Kajol was annoying der then Tanishaa is worse the rest are okay$LABEL$ 0 +I found this family film to be pleasant and enjoyable even though I am not a child. It is based on the concept of a high school girl, Susan (Elisha Cuthbert) discovering that the elevator in her upper class apartment building becomes a time machine when a key on a key chain she got from a blind scientist is turned in the elevator lock. She learns how to control the machine (with some uncertainty about time of day).The film is not a work of serious science fiction. You have to ignore the usual instability paradox associated with altering the past through time travel, i.e, the past is changed to prevent the 1881 Walker family from becoming poor, but the change means the family never got into financial trouble, so Victoria wouldn't have told Susan about the financial problems her mother had, which means that Susan shouldn't have had a reason to change the past in the first place! But other than that, there are some nice touches in the story, such as the old elevator panel, found in the apartment of the woman who secretly invented and installed the time machine, not having a space for the lock that activates the time machine feature. As in many stories for children, we need to also suppose that a child will not share startling information about a time travel device with a parent or other adult but instead hide the time traveler.It also requires disregarding some poorly staged scenes and uninspired performances by some of the adult actors. (The child actors (Elisha Cuthbert, Gabrielle Boni, and Matthew Harbour) all were very convincing in their parts.) In one scene in the 1300s native Americans notice Susan observing and photographing them. But they don't register surprise in the sudden appearance of this blond, white skinned girl in peculiar dress. Their response is to simply stop what they are doing and to walk calmly towards Susan. In the same scene an Indian mother is carrying what is supposed to be a baby but is so obviously a doll (its white skinned and its head flops around).Timothy Busfield, the award winning actor who originally came to fame in TV's old "Thirty Something," gives a somewhat uninteresting, sometimes listless, performance. In the other extreme Michel Perron hams it up as the Italian building superintendent (janitor), as does Richard Jutras in his role as a nosy neighbor. (The neighbor's name is Edward Ormondroyd, which is the name of the author of the novel the film is based on.) I suspect that these problems may be the fault either of the director or possible of a low budget.Despite these flaws, I recommend the movie for kids. In addition to the interesting story, it also has some educational value, in that it points out how much both technology and social norms have changed in little more that 100 years.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is likely the worst movie I've ever seen in my life -- surpassing the previous most god-awful movie, "Spawn of Slithis," which I saw when I was about 10.Bad acting, stilted and ridiculous dialog, incomprehensible plot, mishmashed cut scenes, even the music was annoying. Did I leave anything out? Well, the special effects weren't bad -- but CGI does not a decent movie make.I can't believe I actually spent money to see this movie. If anyone has the contact info for Hyung-rae Shim (the director), please forward it to my user name "at gmail," and I'll contact him to personally demand a refund.$LABEL$ 0 +I have spent many years studying all the great directors, like Kurosawa, Lean, Fulci, Lenzi, Deodato, Peckinpah, Kubrick and admire them greatly. My favourite film is Once upon a time in America.I have only recently become a fan of D'Amato, and while he was no horror master, his films were extreme whether it be soft core, hardcore or extreme.Porno Holocaust is now one of my favourite films, the way its shot is brilliant and the music is catchy.Joe D'Amato, wasn't a horror master, he's no Fulci or Bava, but however he was a master of erotica, no other director could shoot erotic films like him, he also never tried making any films outside of these genre's either.Long live Joe D'Aamto-Master of Porn and Erotica!$LABEL$ 1 +When I first saw the trailer for Prom Night, I have to admit, the trailer looked good and like this would be a fun horror movie. So my friend and I saw Prom Night last night and I have to say I must be growing up because this was such a ridicules film, not to mention I am so sick and tired of the typical horror slasher movies with the loud noises as an excuse to scare people. There was no tension, the characters, how was I supposed to care about them? They had no development what-so-ever, the killer?! Oh, my God, this was very possibly the most stupid serial killer that has ever existed, I know it's a film, but why would a man who never(or at least we know of) killed any one before, kill a girl's family and friends that he's just obsessed over? I mean, was he going to kidnap her or was he going to kill her? I have no idea, because this film made no sense and is too predictable and insulting to true fans of horror.Donna's family was just brutally murdered by her teacher, who has become very obsessed over her, he was captured and put in jail. It's been 3 years and she's just now getting some peace in her life, she's even going to her senior prom. But the killer has escaped and still has Donna on his mind, he follows her to her prom which means bad news for her friends, and the hotel maid, and the bell boy, because it is such a good idea to kill the maid and bell boy so no one become suspicious enough to check to see where these employee's are. Donna is in big trouble because also this killer who is clearly human can apparently get into houses un-noticed and can kill people so silently, just, wow.I'm sorry, I really did want to love this movie, we haven't had a good slasher flick in a long time, but this was just a stupid movie that I was not impressed with. Just the situations were unbelievable and the actors were obnoxious. I know that this was a PG-13 movie, but I just love how someone was brutally stabbed to death and they only have just a little blood on their clothes? Not to mention no stab holes? I wouldn't recommend this movie for anyone unless you're a teen, this movie was made for the teenagers, not adults, and not for those who know a real horror movie, no offense to those who did enjoy this film, but I don't understand how anyone could.2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, I know I shouldn't like this movie but I do. From Pat Morita's loveable interpretation of a Japanese stereotype to Jay Leno's annoying yell, I laughed throughout this movie.As long as you take into account that this is not the best movie in the world, it's a good mvie.My favorite part is Morita talking to his boss in Tokyo with the drinking a close second.$LABEL$ 1 +Sogo Ishii can be a skilled filmmaker under the right conditions, but Gojoe tells the story of a warrior monk and his only rival, a scion of the Genji clan. The film-making has the main hallmarks of a low-budget production, including blurry fight scenes and clumsy montages (the kind you might find in an under-produced dorama). The monk Benkei informs his spiritual teacher that his destiny lies in defeating the mysterious spirit that guards Gojoe bridge at night, but he doesn't realize that this decision will bring him squarely into conflict with nearly every element of society at that time - but which could earn him enlightenment. There's no absence of ambitiousness, however, in its depiction of the conflict between the holy and the worldly. Artsy flourishes in some of the photography and editing help to compensate for the loose film-making style. A disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +No one better spoil this piece of work! Awesome movie! Written expertly by the likes of Ira Levin and depicted with the best performance of Christopher Reeve's career and one of Caine's very best, this is simply excellent. I wish I could catch a staged version somewhere...maybe someday I will. I hope this grossly underrated, overlooked film has not become too difficult to locate because it a 'must' for any Hitchcockian, Agatha-phile or lover of great film. One of very few movies I couldn't instantly solve or predict and worth a second or even third viewing, "Deathtrap" gets a 9/10 and earns every iota of it. We need and deserve more movies like this!$LABEL$ 1 +One cannot help but be impressed with the intelligence and scale of this film, and simultaneously disappointed by the lost opportunities.I found the script to be excellent, and the vocal talent of Edmund Purdom quite impressive. However, as an artifact of its time, the film suffers from too many Hollywood-isms, especially poor casting, too much lushness of the sets, and too much pretentiousness. Edmund Purdom (who plays the title character) is so obviously awkward with physical acting, I suspect he had primarily been in Shakespearean theater before this.So if movie people are reading this, I propose this as an excellent candidate for a remake, especially if you cast real Egyptians as Egyptians!$LABEL$ 1 +Like too many recent British films, this one takes a great cast and gives them a flimsy, cliched script to work with. The performances save it from total disgrace, and it has some charm but it certainly didn't make me laugh. Where are all the great British writers hiding?$LABEL$ 0 +Tempest is based on the classic Shakespearean work of the same name, but bears little resemblance to its source material.It masquerades as being as cerebral as its namesake, but instead is a jumbled, convoluted, and hackneyed exercise in tedium. The original probed the premise that people have an evil side, which would be destructive if unchecked. Here you just get an uninteresting mid life crisis (yawn) goof ball who is having everything go wrong in his personal and professional life. He becomes endowed with a supernatural power that he uses to try to control his environment; in other words: to get his own way.Every few minutes, after something else in his pathetic life goes wrong, he finds a secluded place and starts babbling "Show me the magic!" while waving his hands around and making a "serious concentration" expression. From the way these scenes are shot, it looks like he's trying to turn bugs into other kinds of bugs. Turning a spider into a cockroach, maybe, but by this time, you really don't care.The story has him bolt from his life with his daughter to a Greek island somewhere, then have a awkward relationship with some girl he meets, one of the dullest romances ever committed to film. The story just bogs down and moves at a slower and slower pace. You are never given any reason to like or dislike anyone.I'll give this a 2 because of the beautiful Greek location shots and the semi-optimistic conclusion (although it isn't clear if the tempest power brought this ending about or not). The spirit of Shakespeare's work has been captured much better in other movies; one notable example is "Forbidden Planet," which gave credence to how the power gets out of control.As for this "Tempest", its only magic is to cure insomnia.$LABEL$ 0 +Ernesto is a man that makes a living out of duping other solid citizens of their hard earned money. Together with Manco, an older man with a lot of experience, he pulls out capers that allow him to make a decent living, but that is not making him a rich man by any means. Enter Federico, an older man who is more experience in the art of deception. Together with the younger Ernesto they prove a winning combination. That only lasts until Pilar, Federico's former love interest, appears in the picture.This Spanish film directed by Miguel Bardem, is light in tone and pleasant to sit through. Other, better made caper films have been made with much clever plots than this one, but the film is easy to take, and at times, it has a lot of funny situations.This viewer will see Federico Luppi in anything, even reading the telephone directory! He is an actor's actor. We have had the privilege of having seen him in the Buenos Aires stage doing excellent work before his international film career. As Federico, he does what he does best. It's impossible to imagine anyone better in his role. Ernesto Alterio, the son of Hector Alterio, is a young actor who promises to have a great career. Victoria Abril makes Pilar fun as she gets involved with these con men. Miguel Alexandre, a veteran actor, is also good as Manco.$LABEL$ 1 +This was the beginning of it all! Granted, this is not Friends at its best, but this was the show's pilot, let's not forget and not a bad one at that. We're introduced to the gang and Central Perk, where our story begins. Even from this first episode we get a sign of the Ross-Rachel relationship that will come over the next ten years, when Ross says: 'I just want to be married again' and Rachel storms in with a wedding dress on... probably not intentional as at the time the writers were going for a Monica-Joey relationship but fits nicely now when looking back. Something else.. in this episode Rachel is introduced to Chandler as if the two have never met before but in later episodes, the so-called 'flashbacks' this is contradicted as the two have met on three previous occasions. Nevertheless, the point is this a fine start to a great show. This episode may not be the usual Friends as we are accustomed to them, with the cast still a bit inexperienced but over the next few episodes we see why the show came to be what it was! Keep watching, first season is a blast!!$LABEL$ 1 +Having only seen two of his pictures previously, I've come to terms with Altman. Before, though, I always labeled his style of film-making "boring." You just have to be in the right mind to appreciate his crazy genius."HealtH" is fairly underrated, and very questionably out of print. In fact, I don't think it's ever even been issued to VHS. Why is that? When all of these crappy films get DVD releases daily, this one is left behind for no good reason? Honestly, I had no real problems with this film. It was, for the most part, consistently amusing and funny. Almost all of the scenes are mysteriously interesting for some reason, be it the wonderful dialogue or the subtle performances. There is real skill here.And Paul Dooley's stint on the bottom of the pool halfway through is fascinating.If you can, try to find a copy of this forgotten little gem. It's not perfect, but it's much better than most of the sludge out there getting DVD releases. Hell, I'd be happy with a nice VHS copy of this thing.It's often on the Fox Movie Channel, though, so look out for it.$LABEL$ 1 +too bad they showed palm trees that could not be more inaccurate for Connecticut in October ... this was filmed in New Zealand ...This Martha Moxley case had been 'cold' for 20-25 years ... her family worked hard to keep it alive and when Mark Fuhrman decided he did not want to be remembered only for his involvement in the Nicole Simpson case .... which could have been deleterious to his reputation (if it already hadn't)... Anyway, he followed along as the police tried to get enough information to write a book. ... with the use of flashbacks we can see the relationships Martha formed .... Unattended boys coming of age without a mother around to help and a dad who was always looped ...Plus the fact that they portray the real Martha as if she were a movie star... she was a cute sweet girl next door type. Other than that, the other characters were really great, especially Jon Foster and Toby Moore, who played as Michael Skakel and Tommy Skakel respectively. They were good as well, the costumers had to keep it all in the 70s look and back up to the 90s ....It kept my interest even when I caught on about the Skakel guy ....$LABEL$ 1 +This movie tries to say something profound; I'm just not sure what it was. Too much is left unresolved in the end for me to figure out the main point. A couple scenes really have me wondering what was left on the cutting room floor. I don't think the wall was very well developed I never got what was actually going on there. When the mother finally unveils it I just couldn't make any connection to the boy's silence. What was the point of the boy not talking? Was he just delusional or did he acquire some sort of power. What was the scene with the burnt girl all about? Another power the boy has or what? I don't understand how that developed any character or moved the plot. I got the bully bit but what happened to the dog? Did the dog come back or did mom get rid of Fido for good somehow? There were several additional plot elements that were more clutter than use. Like the radio talk show in the background discussing the Iraq War. I think that was supposed to create some sort of comparison to the grief and insecurity the mother and Addison were experiencing but for me it was distracting and strained. I didn't buy the link very much. I also found the teacher getting on Addison about not saying "here" for roll call a bit much. The mom seeing the doctor was pointless, how did it serve the plot? Was that to show how desperate the mother was getting, or was it something about the medicine that I didn't get? Was that the dad coming back in the last scene, or just some guy? So did writing on the wall work? What happened to the Dog?$LABEL$ 0 +Why was this film made? What were the creators of this thinking?!?! The first 8MM film at least had a plot that made sense and was potentially interesting. The first film was about the snuff film industry. This sequel is about... hold on... the porno industry!! Yes, as if the snuff film industry, an industry in which people are supposedly killed on film for entertainment, were at all in the same league with the adult film industry, an industry in which people film other people engaging in unstimulated sex acts and situations for eroticism. The idea alone should warn you about how poorly conceived the idea for this film alone is. It isn't helped by a lack of plot, character, acting, direction, script, logic, theme, or even sound design. This is a remarkably boring film that never once held my attention. Literally nothing works. Why would a mystery thriller film about the porno industry involving assassination and betrayal work anyway? I don't have much of an interest in adult films, but I certainly have watched them before. Why would somebody make a film about the evils of it and that they would make it in a sequel to a film about snuff movies? I don't even know if there is an industry involved in snuff film making, but I hope it doesn't. The idea of a snuff film alone is horrific and only people who are truly sick and bad would be a part of it. I don't think that the adult film industry revolves around murder and torture. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people make pornographic films for good intentions rather than to hurt and kill people. It is never okay to hurt another human being. The adult film industry isn't about hurting people. It's about creating films that are, to me, a diversion and a waste of time. What is this film trying to say? It doesn't work.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a stupid movie. Like a lot of these karate movies it is badly written, awkward, and sometimes just stupid. The action really isn't all there and the movie overall leaves much to be desired. Everyone here is talking jive, doing bad karate and doing a very bad job of acting. Watch for Scatman Crothers in a small role, he is too good for this movie overall. Jim Kelly is good at karate, but he is a terrible actor. Gloria Hendry is real bad. All of them are, there are just so many parts to this film that make absolutely no sense. The supposed love/running away scene with Hendry and Kelly, what the hell was that? They destroyed that man's guitar, for no reason! And then there was the mandatory girls on trampolines!!! Now what was that? They were in the movie for five seconds, then you never heard from them again!!! Then there is the whole racially charged element of the movie, which is cool and all, but in this movie it goes absolutely nowhere. Like I said, this is good for a laugh one time, but don't watch it again.$LABEL$ 0 +The most ridiculous thing about this ridiculous movie is its conceit that if one becomes a saint, he or she and his or her family and his or her significant other live forever. Let's forget that in order to become a saint, the saint must be dead, and saints don't have significant others. That, for a millennium, Nick has been the Jolly Elf to Fred's Scrooge is never even hinted at! Open on Nick learning how to make toys, then on Fred learning how to run numbers; Nick giving a sick child a dolly, Fred repossessing the dolly, along with the family farm! After a few more such episodes, morph to present-day Fred venting his spleen at Siblings Anonymous as his fellow losers nod in empathy. There, I just wrote a more cohesive storyline than this idiocy!This Santa, who is one "ho, ho, ho, ho, ho" away from a massive coronary, is a neurotic wuss saddled with the Queen of the Harpies, an operation straight out of Mega-Mall Hell, and answers to a Board (huh?) which just gave the Easter Bunny his pink egg. Oh, and his right-hand man is a ditzy blonde in a skin-tight mini-dress and go-go boots. Ho... ho... ho... ho... ho!But what really sent me over the edge was Slam being named #1 on the Naughty List. Shouldn't a Naughty List be reserved for the future Hitlers and Stalins? Children who are the true embodiments of evil? Nope, to Old Sausage-Fingers, a good boy who lashes out because he is unwanted and unloved is the Demon Seed!The nimrods behind Fred Claus should be boiled in their own pudding! Bah!$LABEL$ 0 +Widely known as "Don't Look in the Basement" - this is pure 70s horror, B-movie goodness that could actually pass as the genre's version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Though the movie seems to go nowhere throughout the first hour+ of it's runtime, I enjoyed this particular batch of quirky crazies and their various personalities and deficiencies - such as the former army sergeant, a chick obsessed with caring for a plastic doll, a lovable man-child, and a loony nymph. After their head-doctor is murdered by a patient, a small sanitarium hires a new nurse onto their under-staffed facility, who becomes immersed in the resident's different "ticks" and outbursts. Things gradually become stranger, however, when patients start acting far more abnormal than usual... You never really know, or care, where the movie is going, 'cause it still entertains up until it's completely whacked-out ending! Several of the "twists" felt a little too forced and I could have used a tad more blood, but I really dug this much too under-rated blend of humor and horror. Check it out...$LABEL$ 1 +I think the comments regarding the show being cheesy are a bit too exaggerated. When a person comes to watch a TV show, what does he look out for? It is to enjoy that he watches a show, unless he/she is a critic or a person who analyzes story. But most of us are not so and watch the shows to relax and enjoy. FULL HOUSE is an ideal show to watch after having a heavy day in the office/school. It makes you laugh and it is not just humor.Yes, the Tanner family is a perfect family, a perfectly hypothetical family. If any such family existed in real world, it would be a role model for us to follow. But this is a TV show, and not a real family, and there is nothing wrong in depicting a hypothetical family on television. The very fact that the show could run so long shows us that people enjoyed watching it, whatever be the comments later on.Another good point about the show is that any person of any age would not only enjoy watching it, but would take back a message however childish that message be. Those Jesse's talks with Michelle are extremely touching, if one doesn't think of it as childish.Overall I would say after watching every show of Full House, there is a contentment in your heart that is rarely present after many other shows.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, don't watch this thinking it's going to be a relaxing circus evening! It will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through. Circus has never been more colourful, more exciting and more breathtaking! The whole concept is truely amazing. You're taken into the world of Cirque Du Soleil and are left with a thousand thoughts when you leave. There's only one thing left to do: get the CD and/or DVD and live through it again and again and again. Get addicted! It's well worth it! Must be next to the most beautiful thing on earth and one of Cirque Du Soleil's best programmes.$LABEL$ 1 +Escaping the life of being pimped by her father(..and the speakeasy waitressing)who dies in an explosion, Lily Powers(Barbara Stanwyck, who is simply ravishing)sluts her way through the branches inside a bank business in big city Gotham. When a possessive lover murders who was supposed to be his next father-in-law(and Lily's new lover), the sky's the limit for Lily as she has written down her various relationships in a diary and subtlety makes it known the papers will receive it if certain pay doesn't come into her hands. Newly appointed president to the bank, Courtland Trenholm(George Brent), sends Lily to Paris instead of forking over lots of dough, but soon finds himself madly in love after various encounters with her in the City of Love. This makes Lily's mouth water as now she'll have reached the pedestal of success seducing a man of wealth and prestige bring riches her way. Though, circumstances ensue which will bring her to make a decision that threatens her successful way of achieving those riches..Trenholm, now her husband, is being indicted with jail certain and has lost the bank. He needs money Lily now has in her possession or he'll have absolutely nothing.Stanwyck is the whole movie despite that usual Warner Brothers polish. Being set in the pre-code era gives the filmmakers the chance to elaborate on taboo subjects such as a woman using sex to achieve success and how that can lead to tragedy. Good direction from Alfred E Green shows through subtlety hints in different mannerisms and speech through good acting from the seductive performance of Stanwyck how to stage something without actually showing the explicit act. Obviously the film shows that money isn't everything and all that jazz as love comes into the heart of Lily's dead heart. That ending having Lily achieve the miraculous metamorphosis into someone in love didn't ring true to me. She's spent all this time to get to that platform only to fall for a man who was essentially no different than others she had used before him.$LABEL$ 1 +Good grief sethrp-1, you COMPLETELY missed the point. The girl was only seen briefly specifically BECAUSE she was the one who was going to kill herself...everyone else was so wrapped up in their own stories they didn't notice her, nor did we. As one of the other students says at the end - we're all so wrapped up in our own problems we don't notice what's going on for someone else. The director himself said if he had killed off one of the others, it would've suggested their problems were worse than someone else's. The whole point of killing Kelly was that she was unnoticed by all of us. Get it now??$LABEL$ 1 +You sit there for a half an hour and watch a story, believing it all, then watch another half an hour of the same story utterly unraveling... and then put back together again. Brilliant.One of the most exciting feature films at the San Francisco International Film Festival is a documentary. I don't know if - other than Andrew Jarecki's "Capturing the Friedmans" - there has ever been anything like Anna Broinowski's "Forbidden Lie$." It features, exposes, defends, reveals, and questions everything about Norma Khouri, author of "Honor Lost," the acclaimed and lambasted 2001 bestseller about honor killings in Jordan.What is quite incredible and what makes the film so exceptional is that this "exposure" of Khouri is made with Khouri's full participation.For the initial portion of the film, Khouri presents her story about the supposed honor killing of a friend of hers in Amman, the story of the book. She sounds completely believable, convincing.Then her story is taken apart, exposed, by eminently believable and convincing people, such as women's rights activists in Jordan, investigative reporters there and in Australia, where Khouri lived for a while.Khouri comes back and denies the accusations, taking a successful lie-detector test in the process. There comes another segment of devastating exposures - not to be specified here because that would lessen the shock value... and then Khouri comes back and faces the accusations (not all, but the essential ones in the matter of the book).And the Houdini act continues, with round after round in this heavy-weight, seesaw prize fight, surprise after surprise - and there is no "happy ending" in the sense of resolution. Brilliant.$LABEL$ 1 +I still wonder why I sat through this entire thing. It only had about 3 minutes of actual entertainment, the rest of it was just a total bore. The acting isn't that great and the action scenes are soooo cheesy it's not even funny. I kinda wish I could say something good about this film but I can't think of anything right now. There probably was somethings in it some can enjoy but the ending of it is gotta be the dumbest idea ever. What type of person would get a little toy remote controlled helicopter with a burned in machine gun in it to assassinate the President? This idea could have never been done in the first place let alone have anyone dumb enough to try it, I guess the writer must have been to obsessed with the toy car scene in The Dead Pool but actually tried to make this look serious.$LABEL$ 0 +It's been said before--Strangers on a Train is Hitchcock's best movie--and he's made so many good ones! Like other Hitchcock, Strangers on a Train requires your full attention to really appreciate it, but once you can...you will.$LABEL$ 1 +and this IS a very disturbing film. I may be wrong, but this is the last film where I considered Burt Reynolds an actual actor, who transformed the role, and delivered a message.Jon Voight and Ned Beatty are also excellent. They are unassuming and unaware; businessmen wanting to enjoy the country. Little did they know what would happen next.The photography and sets are realistic and natural. This was before the days of Wes Craven.What is most disturbing about this film is the fact that places like this still exist. In America, country folk still detest city people; it is almost a century and a half since the Civil War.You will enjoy this film. It was filmed in the rural sections of South Georgia, which still exist. Just don't drive past that to Mobile, Alabama; That area still has not been repaired since Hurricane Katrina. 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +It has a bit of that indie queer edge that was hip in the 90s and which places an explicit sell-by date on the visual style. Characters are uniformly apathetic and farcically deadpan. Street hoodlums in Greece wear new clothing out of the box without creases or stains. They all appear to visit the same marine hair dresser. All uniformly exhibit the same low IQ when making their dispassionate underground business deals. When things go wrong its all because they aren't real Greeks - they're pastoral sunshine boys caught in a strange night city world. Makes a big whine about disaffected immigrants but never bothers to actually investigate the problems with Russian/Kazakh/Albanian cultures. If Giannaris had the proper perspective on this project it might have made a wonderful Bel Ami production. The fleeting glimpses of toned boy-beef is the only spark in this generic small-time mobster programmer.$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw this movie on Flix after timer-taping it. I grew up watching F Troop and had a major hard for Wrangler Jane so I was shocked, literally shocked, to find out after seeing this film that the degenerate homicidal nurse was Melody Patterson, who looks pretty good but also looks completely different and is unfortunately poorly photographed. I would never have guessed it was her in a million years. What the hell is she doing in a picture like this? I agree with the guys here that the movie lacks what it's pushing. No sex, no gore, no tease. It's also a remake of the Atomic Brain aka Monstrosity (1964 or thereabouts). Most of the action is tedious; the main character spends enormous amounts of time running around the crazed doctor's house and basement, and the neighborhood in general, or being roughed up by the cop, all of it boring and time-filling. Now if the Italians would have made this, half the film would have been the Slingblade/Uncle Ernest/Jack Elam henchman fondling the unconscious nude girls. But you only get that for 20 seconds.$LABEL$ 0 +Totally forgettable and almost unwatchable. If you enjoy bad acting, thin plots and predictably weak outcomes, pull up a chair. Of passing interest to see Bridget Fonda look-a-like Suzy Amis.$LABEL$ 0 +I was one of the many fools who were sapped out into paying for this at the theater, even though I payed 4 bucks for matinée (before 6pm) prices.The remake's story was ho-hum, the CGI Morlocks were lame, the Eloi were rastafarian to mimic today's fads (no I did not think the chick was hot at all), the re-killing of the hero's modern girlfriend was somewhat cruel, overall just a sad, bad remake. I'll take Rod Taylor, Weena, and the fat glowing eyed surfer Morlocks over this junk any time. My estimation is that many of the reviewers who like this awful remake are young kids, which does not account for either good taste or a true value of the old classics which are largely unappreciated by today's confused and ever-wanting-more youth. When the 60s version came out (I first saw it in the 70s for summer fun) it was pretty damn impressive and still holds up. You don't have to have an over abundance of CGI in a movie for it to be better. Too much of this looks fake. I can't say enough of how disappointingly bad the Morlocks looked and they ran and jumped around like they were in a child's video game. 3 stars out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Watching this movie again really brought back some great childhood memories . I'm 34 now, have not seen it since I was 12-14. I had almost forgotten about this movie, but when I watched it again recently, some scenes literally brought a tear to my eye! That little robot "Jinx"(friends for ever!). It was just like revisiting my childhood. It was an absolutely amazing experience for me. I will always cherish this movie for that reason. I hope some of you readers can relate to my experience, not for this particular movie, but any movie you have not seen in a long while. Very nostalgic...-Thanks for reading$LABEL$ 1 +The other lowest-rating reviewers have summed up this sewage so perfectly there seems little to add. I must stress that I've only had the Cockney Filth imposed on me during visits from my children, who insist on watching the Sunday omnibus. My god, it's depressing! Like all soaps, it consists entirely of totally unlikeable characters being unpleasant to each other, but it's ten times as bad as the next worst one could be. The reviewer who mocked the 'true to life' bilge spouted by its defenders was spot-on. If anyone lived in a social environment like this, they'd slash their wrists within days. And I can assure anyone not familiar with the real East End that it's rather more 'ethnically enriched' than you'll ever see here. Take my advice - avoid this nadir of the British TV industry. It is EVIL.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this film to be an interesting study in cause and effect but little more than that. The basic plot follows the lives of a handful of people and how their actions (deliberate and otherwise) effect the lives of the others. The film's premise holds great promise but I feel it fails to deliver on its promise. Too much time is spent telling the audience about chaos theory and too little time actually showing it. As a result, I never got a true feel for any of the characters and never made a good connection with them emotionally. By the end of the movie, I had a "so what" attitude about all of them. A stronger direction in character development would have made this movie great, but as it stands it is merely so-so$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is about as underrated as Police Acadmey Mission to Moscow. This movie is never funny. It's maybe the worst comedy spoof ever made. Very boring,and dumb beyond belief. For those people that think this movie is underrated god help you. I give this movie * out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +The 2002 version of "The Time Machine" is just the latest in a string of terribly disappointing Hollywood remakes that fall flat on their face despite extravagant special effects. What a lousy, uninspired bland story, with no imagination. Why so totally rewrite such a wonderful sci-fi classic? Are today's movie audiences too hip for the H.G. Wells writing largely as is? The 1960 George Pal version told a much more endearing story, even with clunky low-budget effects, beach-party looking Eloi, and Morlocks that looked like Smurfs on steroids.The 2002 version must have H.G Wells turning in his grave:1. The idea that the time traveler is motivated by the desire to change the past and trapped in a time paradox is an old sci-fi cliché. This totally distracts from the love affair with Mara (what happened to Weena?!) that made the 1960 version so endearing. This sets an unfortunate and distractive tone early on that makes the whole movie dour. If Guy Pearce's character was so brilliant either he or his buddy Einstein would have realized the time paradox dilemma – not have it dawn on him 800,000 yrs in the future – from a Morlock no less, Doh!! What's wrong with time-traveling just for fun & adventure & curiosity -- as embodied in the 1960 version?2. Only if you saw the first movie would you realize at all what Pearce was doing with the time machine when you first see it. The George Pal film carefully explains the whole weird idea of 'travel' though a 4th dimension.3. The director goes out of his way to make Pearce's character look geeky, a worn out old stereotype of scientists. In the 1960 version Rod Taylor was a little nerdy too (at least around Weena) but managed to be swashbuckling, playful and charming.4. Among the key themes of the 60's version -- abandoned in the remake -- is the idea that endless war leads to the bifurcation of humanity. Blowing up the Moon to destroy humanity is pointless -- and doesn't do much for science literacy. For over 4 billion years the Moon has suffered vastly more powerful asteroid impacts, which would make any nuclear device look like a firecracker. Yes, science fiction needs artistic license, but this is just plain dumb and meaningless.5. Destroying the time machine is stupid too. Apparently our time traveler invented the neutron bomb to power this thing. Blowing up the machine to kill Morlocks is sort of a cop-out 'machina ex machina' Disappointingly, Pearce never comes back to the 1800s to tell his tale to his incredulous friends, a key part of the Wells story with the irony that in a week the time travels goes into the far future and back.6. Having Morlocks running around in the daytime totally ruins H.G. Wells' wonderfully spooky, ghoulish portrayal of them as shadowy creatures of the night. A true cinematic opportunity lost. Also, Wells depicted the Eloi as frail and childlike. These guys in the movie looked like they could take on Morlocks, if they weren't such big baby wusses.7. The one smart Morlock – kind of a bleached-out Star Wars Evil Emperor -- had potential, but is so lame and aloof he tells Pearce to take his machine and go home ?! Boy, what a dramatic high point! In the book the Morlocks steal the machine because they are so fascinated by it, and fight to keep it.8. The goof ball hologram at the N.Y. Public Library is too much. It makes light of the idea of human cannibalism. the 1960 version simply had the "talking rings" that delivered a chillingly somber eulogy for humankind. Derailed evolution is serious stuff.Its sad the wonderful effects in this movie can never make up for a weary contrived clunker of a script. Save the cost of a ticket & popcorn and go rent the DVD when it comes out (soon no doubt), at least you can fast-forward thought the dull parts, just like our time traveler.$LABEL$ 0 +Like the first one,the team of JACKASS are back to try to kill themselves with whatever manner they see fit.Either,it's fitting yourself in a tractor tyre and rolling down a slope.Or getting yourself deliberately smashed by a bull.Or something even worse.The first one was crazy,and that's how you can describe it.It was also really hard laughing film.But this one is completely nuts.It's got even more dangerous stunts,and even harder laughs.So,I think watching dumb idiots getting themselves killed is gonna be the funniest thing this week.So,before BORAT comes out,I shall laugh my A** out.$LABEL$ 1 +EXTREMITIES Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: MonoA woman turns the tables on a would-be rapist when he mounts an assault in her home, and is forced to decide whether to kill him or inform the police, in which case he could be released and attack her again.Exploitation fans who might be expecting another rough 'n' ready rape fantasy in the style of DAY OF THE WOMAN (1978) will almost certainly be disappointed by EXTREMITIES. True, Farrah Fawcett's character is subjected to two uncomfortably prolonged assaults before gaining the upper hand on her attacker (a suitably slimy James Russo), but scriptwriter William Mastrosimone and director Robert M. Young take these unpleasant scenes only so far before unveiling the dilemma which informs the moral core of this production. Would their final solution hold up in a court of law? Maybe...Based on a stage play which reportedly left its actors battered and bruised after every performance, the film makes no attempt to open up the narrative and relies instead on a confined setting for the main action. Acing and technical credits are fine, though Fawcett's overly subdued performance won't play effectively to viewers who might be relying on her to provide an outlet for their outraged indignation.$LABEL$ 0 +Not many people remember "The Carey Treatment", and I can't say I blame them.Blake Edwards did this during his lean years (i.e. - between "Pink Panther" movies.) and for a story of a doctor turned detective (Coburn) working to solve a murder in his hospital, it's actually pretty forgettable.Coburn is dependable as always and O'Neill is beautiful as always but there just seems to be something missing from the proceedings. The story twists and turns aren't very involving and even the climax, which is supposed to be nerve-wracking, is gut-wrenching instead.A missed opportunity altogether, and an unfortunate one at that, since it was based on a Michael Crichton book. Oh well, at least Crichton didn't write a sequel to it.One star. "Carey" on, Coburn.$LABEL$ 0 +Hollywood always had trouble coming to terms with a "religious picture." Strange Cargo proves to be no exception. Although utilizing the talents of a superb cast, and produced on a top budget, with suitably moody photography by Robert Planck, the movie fails dismally on the credibility score. Perhaps the reason is that the film seems so realistic that the sudden intrusion of fantasy elements upsets the viewer's involvement in the action and with the fate of the characters. I found it difficult to sit still through all the contrived metaphors, parallels and biblical references, and impossible to accept bathed-in-light Ian Hunter's smug know-it-all as a Christ figure. And the censors in Boston, Detroit and Providence at least agreed with me. The movie was banned. Few Boston/Detroit/Providence moviegoers, if any, complained or journeyed to other cities because it was obvious from the trailer that Gable and Crawford had somehow become involved in a "message picture." It flopped everywhere.Oddly enough, the movie has enjoyed something of a revival on TV. A home atmosphere appears to make the movie's allegory more receptive to viewers. However, despite its growing reputation as a strange or unusual film, the plot of this Strange Cargo flows along predictable, heavily moralistic lines that will have no-one guessing how the principal characters will eventually come to terms with destiny.$LABEL$ 0 +Good sequel to Murder in a Small Town. In this one Cash and his police Lt. buddy unravel a sticky plot involving a Nazi criminal, a philanthropic witch, and a family of screw-ups and their wierdo helpers. As in the original, the viewer is treated to a nice little mystery with distinctive sights and sounds of pre-war America. Go see it.$LABEL$ 1 +Fantastic movie. One to excite all 5 senses. Is not a true historical report and not all information is to be taken as factual information. True Hollywood conventions used, like playing A list and VERY attractive actors as the 'heroes', such as Naomi Watts (Julia Cook - Ned Kelly's lover), Heath Ledger (Ned) and Orlando Bloom (Joe Byrne - Ned's right hand man), and unattractive (sorry Geoffrey Rush) actors play the drunken and corrupt Victorian Police Force. This also instills a very unreliable love story into the mix between Ned (Ledger) and Julia Cook (Watts) to entice all the romantics, females being especially susceptible. Even from the first scene, when Ned saves the fat youth from drowning and his dad calls him "sunshine" and had a "glint in his eye as he looked down at me, his hand on me shoulder," it is very romanticized and persuades viewers to side with Ned Kelly, the underdog. Besides, don't all Aussies love an underdog?$LABEL$ 1 +After some further thought about this film, I find it's far too easy to dismiss this as the Boy's dream. I have actually received some spiritual strength from Northfork.......Angels do exist....we definitely are entertained by Angels....most of the time we aren't even aware of it..... At a point of spiritual and emotional turbidity in my life, I personally really needed this film. Yes, as I wrote before, it speaks to so many......can't wait to get to Heaven..."Being so sick of all of the FX and Formula stuff, I found this film to be genuine Cinema. All I can say is it touched me in so many ways, that I still am sorting it all out. North Fork is a wonderful film. One that brings the viewer's mind out of the gutter and into the heart. The spiritual aspect is so very intriguing to me. Pay attention, as you'll need to use the brain and heart God gave you to follow the story. I think it's possibly a bit over the heads of some, but I feel those are the individuals it speaks to most importantly. I want to view it several more times, just so I can take it all in!The Industry needs to study this film to realize we do exist.My thanks to all involved in the making of this film."$LABEL$ 1 +EA have shown us that they can make a classic 007 agent and make you feel in the 60's world. The graphics of the game are outstanding and also the voice recording is very professional. I got this game April 2007 (two years after release), and I am still impressed with the gameplay. It's a shame that EA will no longer make 007 games.I give this game 10/10 for the levels it contains, especially the "consulate" level. I would recommend this game to anyone from the age of 13 and over. The only thing I didn't like in the game is the Russian boat level, it was too much pressure. On the whole I like the game A LOT!!$LABEL$ 1 +Ned aKelly is such an important story to Australians but this movie is awful. It's an Australian story yet it seems like it was set in America. Also Ned was an Australian yet he has an Irish accent...it is the worst film I have seen in a long time$LABEL$ 0 +Hi guys, this is my first review and I would had to have picked the worst movie to review. As I only watched 5 minutes of it but trust me you could see this movie was going nowhere. The acting was deplorable, the camera work and lighting looked as though it was shot and run by a pack of 10 year old's. No offence to 10 year olds.I just couldn't take anymore I got off my couch, took the The House of Adam DVD out of the DVD player and threw it in the garbage. Maybe if you are a Colin Farrell fan this movie may interest you, because the character in the movie, Anthony, is a Colin Farrell look a like. But that is as far as it goes, he certainly will never have col's acting abilities. I gave this movie a rating of 1 (awful) only because there were no minuses in the drop down list cheers.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is an entertaining, fun and quality film. The film very cleverly follows the guidelines if the book, and tries to stick to the exact lines. The actors are all suitable, and you would expect them to be the part. They use some famous actors which give a great effect on the film. The graphics is a bit dodgy in some parts, and there are quite a few mistakes throughout the film. There is no such thing as a Yellow Spotted Lizard, for example. The camp is not as gruesome as explained in the book, and they tend not to show the goings on in the camp as much as the book. All of his group are mentioned a lot in the book, but are not in the film. Overall, a great film for a rainy afternoon$LABEL$ 1 +Of all the kids movies I have seen over the years this was probably the worst. I took four kids aged from 7 to 11 and none of them liked it.The script seemed to be based on a Willy Wonka style story but it just didn't have anything to it.If you are considering seeing this movie dont waste your time, it is bad.They are making a sequel, so it may be worth watching to see if they can even make a worse movie, but I don't think it is possible.$LABEL$ 0 +Sitting, Typing… Nothing is the latest "what if?" fest offered by Vincenzio Natali, and starring David Hewlitt and Andrew Miller as two losers. One is having relationship problems, got canned from his job (because of relationship problems) and the police are out to get him (because of his job and his relationship problems). The other guy is a agoraphobic who refuses to go outside his home, is met by a bothersome girl guide who calls on her Mom to claim she was molested when he doesn't buy cookies from him. Oh yeah, the police are after him too, after the Mom of the girl scout call them in to arrest him.Man, what a day.What if you could make all of this disappear? That is the whole premise behind 'Nothing'. The two fools realize, the cops, the girl scout, the cars, the lawn, the road, everything… disappear. There's nothing but white space! This is an interesting concept I thought. I also looked at the time of this, 30 minutes had gone in the movie, and I still had an hour left in the movie. Could the 2 actors make this work and keep us entertained for 60 minutes? Although the actors try, 60 minutes IS a long time and there is clearly dead air in places of this movie. But the two actors, whom are life-long friends with each other and the director, have such great repertoire with each other, that it was fun to watch for the dialogue and improve goofing around the two do. There are lots of supernatural elements, but it's more of their response to these elements that ultimately make this film worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the better sci-fi series. It involves character development, a few really tensionate moments and reasonable episode scripts. As one other commentator said here, it looked as if it were a mini series, not a full blown series with filler episodes and low budgets.The problem with the show, which in short is a Godzilla series, is that it started too big, with incredible monsters, fantastic science, then it all boiled down to local Americans doing stuff. Then, the show ended too soon, since the Olympics were coming and hey! a sci-fi show is a sci-fi show, but half naked athletic people running around aimlessly is much more important. So they only did 15 episodes instead of the expected 22. The audience was small, too, as people didn't really caught it on at 20:00. In the end the suits did it. Trust a marketing plan to destroy anything that looks remotely original and promising.Conclusion: you have a show with good special effects, stuff like huge monsters killing people or destroying boats, then going into genetic engineering, transforming people, human clones, end of the world, tsunamis. Also, the only fillers are scenes with aggressive rednecks or other annoying people being killed for their stupidity. The down-side is that after 15 episodes that prepare something huge, the show ends. No real ending, no closure, just a bitter taste of cloth in one's mouth, as if you just swallowed a piece of suit.$LABEL$ 1 +This film really got off to a great start. It had the potential to turn into a really heartrending, romantic love story with cinematography that recorded the love between "Harlan" and Tobe in long, poetic and idyllic scenes. It really didn't need to be anything more than that, and for a moment there I became excited that someone was finally making a beautiful film for its own sake, another timeless classic, a modern myth perhaps. Why, oh why, then mess it up halfway through by making the lead character (Norton)another psycho? Maybe I'm missing the point, but do we really need another film about psychos? Or is this need in Hollywood to portray the sick side of human nature indicative of a more general malaise in the movie industry? For a moment there, I was going to make a mental note of the director's name; now I'm left feeling indifferent. At least it should be added in the film's defense that all the actors seemed to invest in their roles. Also, Evan Rachel Wood is really lovely to look at and a good actress with lots of potential.$LABEL$ 0 +This isn't a good movie. Plain and simple. Take out the hardcore sex scenes and what you have is a mediocre plot, average acting (at best), plodding direction, and dull dialogue. Add in the grot and you've got mediocre plot, average acting, plodding direction, dull dialogue, with lashings of hardcore porn. Trouble is the porn's nothing special either. So it's not a good movie, and nor is it a good porno. It fails on both counts. They can say that women made this movie and they were intending to do this with it, and that with it, etc. But talk's cheap, the end result is what counts, and what we have here is a mediocre movie with some sex thrown in for shock value to try and con you into wasting your time watching it. One of those movies where you'd rather have the time you spent watching it back.$LABEL$ 0 +Long, boring, blasphemous. Never have I been so glad to see ending credits roll.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great movie to look at, since it so nicely directed by Andrzej Wajda but at the same time I wished the movie would had some more depth in it, in terms of its story. It's an historically relevant movie about the last days of the French revolution but yet the movie forgets to focus on the character's motivations making the movie perhaps a tad bit too shallow to consider this a brilliant and relevant movie to what.Somehow it doesn't make the movie any less great to watch though. It's made with passion and eye for detail. every aspect about the movie is good looking, such as its settings, costumes and camera-work.Also the story still works out as powerful, though at the same time it could had been so much better and more powerful with a just bit more character development and insight historical information. Guess if you're completely familiar with the French Revolution and the stories of Danton and Robespierre in particular, this movie will be a perfect one for you to watch.It's somewhat typical for a French movie to tell a story slowly and subtle, without ever stepping too much in detail. Often this works out charmingly but in this case the movie could had really done with a bit more depth. Other than that, this movie is still one fine example of French cinema, despite the fact that it's being directed by a Polish director and stars lots of Polish actors in it as well.Gérard Depardieu is great in his role, though the movie also decides to concentrate a lot on many other different characters. The movie perhaps has a bit too many characters but each and every performance is a great one, so this doesn't really ever become a big complaint, other than that it slows done the story a bit at certain points.A great movie that could had been brilliant.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +here was no effort put into Valentine to prevent it from being just another teenage slasher film, a sub-genre of horror films of which we have seen entirely too many over the last decade or so. I've heard a lot of people complaining that the film rips off several previous horror movies, including everything from Halloween to Prom Night to Carrie, and as much as I hate to be redundant, the rip off is so blatant that it is impossible not to say anything. The punch bowl over poor Jeremy's head early in the film is so obviously taken from Carrie that they may as well have just said it right in the movie (`Hey everyone, this is the director, and the following is my Carrie-rip-off scene. Enjoy!'). But that's just a suggestion.(spoilers) The film is structured piece by piece exactly the same way that every other goofy teen thriller is structured. We get to know some girl briefly at the beginning, she gets killed, people wonder in the old oh-but-that-stuff-only-happens-to-other-people tone, and then THEY start to get killed. The problem here is that the director and the writers clearly and honestly want to keep the film mysterious and suspenseful, but they have no idea how to do it. Take Jason, for example. Here is this hopelessly arrogant guy who is so full of himself and bad with women that he divides the check on a date according to what each person had, and as one of the first characters seen in the film after the brief history lesson about how bad poor Jeremy was treated, he is assumed to carry some significance. Besides that, and more importantly, he has the same initials as the little boy that all the girls terrorized in sixth grade, and the same initials that are signed at the bottom of all of those vicious Valentine's Day cards. It is not uncommon for the audience to be deliberately and sometimes successfully misled by the behavior of one or more characters that appear to be prime suspects, and Jason is a perfect example of the effort, but not such a good example of a successful effort. Sure, I thought for a while that he might very well be the killer, but that's not the point. We know from early on that he is terrible with women, which links him to the little boy at the beginning of the film, but then in the middle of the film, he appears at a party, smiles flirtatiously at two of the main girls, and then gives them a hateful look and walks away, disappearing from the party and from the movie with no explanation. We already know he is a cardboard character, but his role in the film was so poorly thought out that they just took him out altogether when they were done with him.On the positive side, the killer's true identity was, in fact, made difficult to predict in at least one subtle way which was also, unfortunately, yet another rip-off. Early in the film, when Shelley stabs the killer in the leg with his own scalpel, he makes no sound, suggesting that the killer might be a female staying silent to prevent revealing herself as a female, rather than a male as everyone suspects. But then for the rest of the film, we just have this stolid, relentless, unstoppable killer with the emotionless mask and that gigantic butcher knife. Director Jamie Blanks (who, with all due respect, looks like he had some trouble with the girls himself in the sixth grade) mentions being influenced by Halloween. This is, of course, completely unnecessary, because it's so obvious from how badly he plagiarizes the film. The only difference between the killer in Valentine and Michael Meyer's is that Michael's mask was so much more effective and he didn't have a problem with nosebleeds. This stuff is shameless. At the end, there is a brief attempt to mislead us one more time as to who the killer is (complete with slow and drawn out `and-the-killer-is' mask removal), but then we see Adam's nose start to bleed as he holds Kate, his often reluctant girlfriend, and we know that he's been the killer all along. Nothing in the film hinted that he might be the killer until the final act, and these unexplained nosebleeds were not exactly the cleverest way to identify the true killer at the end of the film. Valentine is not scary (I watched it in an empty house by myself after midnight, and I have been afraid of the dark for as long as I can remember, and even I wasn't scared), and the characters might be possible to care about if it weren't so obvious that they were just going to die. I remember being impressed by the theatrical previews (although the film was in and out of the theater's faster than Battlefield Earth), but the end result is the same old thing.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen several of these body snatcher type movies, but none was nearly as bad as this one.No thrill, no FX, bad acting, bad photography, bad sound, bad everything.Blue Jello eats'em all!$LABEL$ 0 +Spoilers.First off, nothing really happened in this movie, other than a woman bleeding inexplicably. Second, it wasn't scary. Third, it had the worst soundtrack of any movie ever. Let me elaborate. The sound was edited by either Beavis or Butthead – I'm not sure which, so let's just go with Beavis. The movie gradually gets more and more quiet and the people mumble and mutter, forcing you to turn up the volume (I watched this at home). Then Beavis blasts some really loud sounds with supposedly scary/shocking images, forcing you to quickly lower the volume again. This occurs many times until, mercifully, the movie ends. I can picture Beavis laughing vulgarly from behind the two-way mirror while watching the test group franticly reaching for the remote each time. If you have children and prefer to watch scary movies after they fall asleep, this one is a big mistake. But then it's a big mistake anyway. Here's a thought – if you're going to make a horror movie, at least add a gratuitous beheading, a 19-year-old blond girl who screams at the top of her lungs just before she can take off her sweater, the shadow on the wall of someone being eaten alive just out of the camera range, a cat being thrown at the camera to scare the audience, some drifty weirdo with a maniacal laugh, or a monster who looks like a stage hand covered in aluminum foil (a la TV's Lost in Space). These people didn't even try to scare me. They just wanted to hurt my ears.$LABEL$ 0 +Just when I thought nothing could be as offensive and/or irritating as a Billy Mays infomercial, I had the intellectually shattering experience of renting this piece of garbage. Peter Barnes and John Irvin should be brought up on criminal charges for smuggling this script into the public venue. The actors need to be charged as accomplices, serving no less than a lifetime away from the public eye.This production offers the disclaimer, "For dramatic effect, we have taken poetic license with certain facts", or some such inadequate statement to fully brace you for the absolute repugnant rewrite of a Bible story which needed no drama added. What they did add was enough to make your I.Q. drop three full points for every five minutes of viewing time.The "poetic license" taken, invents characters so bizarre, you'll recognize nothing but the names of a few, and, of course, the ark.For some reason, Noah and Lot are both living in Sodom, so maybe Abram was vacationing in Switzerland on a skiing trip. Lot's wife, played by Carol Kane, is a harpy, and when she's turned to a pillar of salt, Lot breaks off her finger and carries it around in what appears to be an empty baby food jar. If that's "poetic", I'm a kumquat.When Noah - who has now begun drinking wine in quantities that could help float the ark - whines about the tough job of the building project, he awakens one morning to find that God has delivered enough precut lumber to lighten his burden. At least I think it was God. It looked like a delivery from 84 Lumber, neatly stacked and bundled. Maybe 84 Lumber is really an agent for God????? Rather than bore you with the cargo being loaded, I'll regale you with the account of the pirate attack on the ark. Incongruous, you think? This movie is filled with such insulting nonsense. After an untold time on the waters, Noah spies a pirate ship heading right for them. And who might the salty sea-captain be? Well, duh, it's Lot, of course! My only surprise was that his uncle Abram wasn't aboard. If you're going to slaughter a plot line, slaughter all of it. The piracy attempt is unsuccessful, and the swashbuckling was pathetic, not poetic. I think it was around this mark that my nausea prevented me from punishing myself anymore.An ugly, senseless, moronic distortion of anything remotely resembling a Bible account. On a scale of 1 - 10, this movie is premeditated mind abuse. Stupid and insulting, you'll be more entertained by reading the Yellow Pages.$LABEL$ 0 +Let start off by first saying that I have been a punk fan most of my life. I always kind of had a lack of respect for the LA scene of the early 80's, which The Decline of Western Civilization documents, with the exception of X and Black Flag, being more of New York and English punk guy. After I saw this movie that completely changed. The people shown may look like a bunch of idiotic, strung out kids who think they might accomplish something beyond street-Cree through their lifestyles, but it is a great display of hedonism at it's best, coupled with some fun, loud rock n roll. One of the best scenes, and actually most insightful, is the interview with Claude Bessy of Catholic Discipline, or 'Kick-Boy' as he was known to Slash magazine readers. Originally from France, he rants about punk like a dirty old Frenchman and clues in viewers to many aspects of the punk, or DIY, attitude to music, politics, and life in general. Darby Crash of the Germs comes off as a complete idiot most of the time, but the Germs' performance of Manimal is pretty decent, complete with a young Pat Smear. Black Flag's performance with Chavo Pederast on vocals (it was filmed a couple of years before Henry Rollins joined the band) is decent, and X and FEAR give the best performances in the movie. Look out for the interviews with the young punk kids. You'll hear some of the funniest things you have ever heard in a documentary. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +'Checking Out' is an extraordinary film that towers above most film production. Its refreshing, witty humor is never an excuse to remain superficial. To the contrary, the film explores multifarious facets of the human spirit and human relations. Its warm approach promotes tolerance and acceptance of diversity and recognition of that which unites all people. The characters are charming and amusing, reflecting those idiosyncrasies that we can all laugh about in ourselves. The quick dialog and witty banter will keep you on your toes, and you may find yourself trying to contain your own laughter, as you won't want to miss a single phrase! You'll probably want to see it in the cinema and then again (over several more times) on video, and each time you will discover something new. After each viewing, you are sure to feel warm and uplifted.$LABEL$ 1 +This game show lasted just one season, but was intriguing to audiences because it required visual aptitude and a steady hand. One false move would disqualify the contestant from winning the prize, even though it was clear the contestant knew the correct answer. It was always exciting as the contestant began drawing, wondering if they would complete the drawing or be buzzed out; allowing the other contestant to easily win the contest. It was a light-hearted show, but it was clear that the contestants were often times embarrassed from a silly mistake made unintentionally. Rarely seen, the game show did not survive past one single season. Only a seasoned game show addict will remember this show, as it proved to be quite unpopular, even though game shows were making a big return to the TV screen after the scandals of the 1950's game shows. But it was a unique concept for a game show, and one that has as yet never been seen again.$LABEL$ 1 +Comparing this movie to anything by Almodovar is an insult to Almodovar. The best thing I can say about it is it tries desperately to be like an Almodovar movie and fails miserably. The script is dreadful, the characters are one-dimensional, and the performances are the quality of high-school drama (except Marcia Gay Harden's, which is pretty good, given the material she has to work with). Furthermore, the cinematography does absolutely nothing to convey the whimsical beauty of Gaudi's architecture or the infectious charm of Barcelona. If you enjoy the grit, pathos and dark, quirky comedy of Almodovar's movies, you'll find none of them here. Spend your money on something other than this waste of celluloid.$LABEL$ 0 +Lin McAdam (James Stewart) wins a rifle, a Winchester in a shooting contest.Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) is a bad loser and steals the gun.Lin takes his horse and goes after Dutch and his men and the rifle with his buddy High Spade (Millard Mitchell).The rifle gets in different hands on the way.Will it get back to the right owner? Anthony Mann and James Stewart worked together for the first time and came up with this masterpiece, Winchester '73 (1950).Stewart is the right man to play the lead.He was always the right man to do anything.The terrific Shelley Winters plays the part of Lola Manners and she's great as always.Dan Duryea is terrific at the part of Waco Johnnie Dean.Charles Drake is brilliant as Lola's cowardly boyfriend Steve Miller.Also Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson are seen in the movie, and they're played by Will Geer and Steve Darrell.The young Rock Hudson plays Young Bull and the young Anthony (Tony) Curtis plays Doan.There are many classic moments in this movie.In one point the group is surrounded by Indians, since this is a western.It's great to watch this survival game where the fastest drawer and the sharpest shooter is the winner.All the true western fans will love this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Spoilers of both this and The Matrix follow.I liked the original Matrix a great deal. It was not a deep movie, despite Fishburne's attempts to philosophize, but it was fairly well paced, fun, and I have a soft spot for Hong Kong fights.In the original, Neo was the secret life of the rather unhappy cube worker Anderson. By day, corporate drone, and by night, brave hacker. Eventually, he eventually is forced to choose between these lives by his actions - does he become an outlaw fighting the machine, or does he go back to the safe, forgettable world he started in. Interestingly, he discovers that once one is shorn of illusions, life rather sucks. He has his girl by his side and his boon companions, but he eats processed swill, dresses in sweats, and lives in a truly skungy bit of machinery. Still, the truth makes him free.At least part of the fun of that first movie lay in the "what if it were me" questions raised in the viewer's mind. What if _I_ were capable of the impossible? What if I were "The One". It does not even matter that much what you are The One example of, with a cool title like that.Further, agent Smith made a wonderful bad guy, as he embodied all of the fear of authority that we carry with us. He was as unstoppable as a terminator, and as merciless.At the end of the Matrix, Neo must return to the Matrix to share his good news of freedom.This movie fails to completely to carry through on the ideas of the original movie, and it does so with such lack of gusto, such poor scriptwriting and such poor editing that I cannot believe they had planned these changes. When the dialog is at a fifth grade level, with various long words dropped in randomly, I find it hard to believe that they understand what they are saying.My short list of characterization failures:The Oracle goes from mildly helpful, if deceitful to utterly obstructionist without any real reason.Major "personalities" of the matrix are introduced without need - the keymaster, for example, was a cute idea, but just not that interesting a character.Fishburne loses his "advisor" role, and gets nothing to replace it with.The people of Zion are not particularly likable, nor would you really _want_ them running the world.Special effects problems:The fight scenes are pointless and intermitable. In The Matrix, you felt Neo could lose, and that he had to become something greater in order to survive. In The Matrix Reloaded, he is merely the viewpoint character of a particularly poorly plotted video game.The fight on the freeway looked quite fake, and not that interesting.Pacing problems.As I mentioned above, the fight scenes were interminable.The rave went on too long - everyone in my row at the theater was looking at their watch. Not because we mind good dancing and good orgies, but because we did not know about the people pictured, nor did we care.Whatever hack wrote the creator's soliloquy should be blacklisted from the business. It meandered, used words that the scriptwriter clearly did not understand, and was a waste of time and a pacing killer. The creator's speech could have been done in a tenth the time, and with more peril as "Zion exists to give rebels a place to go so they do not destroy the Matrix. There are now too many people who do not believe; the matrix is in danger of crashing and killing every person hooked up to it. Further, the earth cannot support even the people in Zion, let alone these others. You may choose one person from Zion to form the new Zion, while I wipe the memories of the people currently in the Matrix."Instead, we got a long, drawn out bunch of twaddle. If someone argues that it is deep, ask for a transcript, and try breaking down the sentences. Each one is too long by several clauses, and uses words with clearer, shorter synonyms.So, in summary, not worth seeing.I have seen the third one, and despite what a number of reviewers have said, skip it. It does not save this turkey.The reviewers who feel that the second and third movies were "deep" should go see some truly deep movies. Perhaps read a book or two on rhetoric and debate, and perhaps a bit of philosophy. This movie is just not hard to understand, but it is hard to stomach.Scott$LABEL$ 0 +Any story comprises a premise, characters and conflict. Characters plotting their own play promises triumph, and a militant character readily lends oneself to this. Ardh Satya's premise is summarized by the poem of the same name scripted by Dilip Chitre. The line goes - "ek palde mein napunsaktha, doosre palde mein paurush, aur teek tarazu ke kaante par, ardh satya ?". A rough translation - "The delicate balance of right & wrong ( commonly seen on the busts of blind justice in the courts ) has powerlessness on one plate and prowess on another. Is the needle on the center a half-truth ? "The poem is recited midway in the film by Smita Patil to Om Puri at a resturant. It makes a deep impact on the protagonist & lays the foundation for much of the later events that follow. At the end of the film, Om Puri ends up in exactly the same situation described so aptly in the poem.The film tries mighty hard to do a one-up on the poem. However, Chitre's words are too powerful, and at best, the film matches up to the poem in every aspect.$LABEL$ 1 +Doesn't anyone bother to check where this kind of sludge comes from before blathering on about its supposed revelations? Ask yourself a question: Is my skull an open bucket that I allow anyone to dump their propaganda into? Do yourself a favor and take a look at the bomb-shelter mentality of pathtofreedom.com before you waste your time with this screed.These sorts of Mother Earth/People's Republic of Berkeley urbanite fruitcakes that openly despise a way of life only because it doesn't match theirs must believe their case fails miserably on facts and objectivity. Else why resort to willful distortion and blatant one-sidedness? Pathetic.Don't be a sap. Take two seconds and cast a skeptical eye before falling for yet more 'end of the world' hysteria from it-takes-a-village types with a political agenda that's probably even to the left of your own. Mi. Moore (rather his unthinking followers) have really opened the floodgates with this kind of one-sided political trash passed off as a *cough* documentary. But apparently they understand the sentiment of an ever-gullible public: "If it's on a movie screen, it must be true." God gave you a brain - act like you know what you're supposed to do with it...$LABEL$ 0 +Well, Tenko is without doubt the best British television show ever, the performances, the directing, the casting, the suspense, the drama..... everything is fantastic about it.Although the show fell a little later in its final season, this ending movie picked up the threads nicely and wove a superb story for fans of the show and newbies. I cannot recommend this movie more, find it and watch it. But I do advise watching the series first, as the first 2 seasons are even better than this fantastic movie.An obvious (10/10)$LABEL$ 1 +Michelle Rodriguez is the defining actress who could be the charging force for other actresses to look out for. She has the audacity to place herself in a rarely seen tough-girl role very early in her career (and pull it off), which is a feat that should be recognized. Although her later films pigeonhole her to that same role, this film was made for her ruggedness.Her character is a romanticized student/fighter/lover, struggling to overcome her disenchanted existence in the projects, which is a little overdone in film...but not by a girl. That aspect of this film isn't very original, but the story goes in depth when the heated relationships that this girl has to deal with come to a boil and her primal rage takes over.I haven't seen an actress take such an aggressive stance in movie-making yet, and I'm glad that she's getting that original twist out there in Hollywood. This film got a 7 from me because of the average story of ghetto youth, but it has such a great actress portraying a rarely-seen role in a minimal budget movie. Great work.$LABEL$ 1 +For loyal Duran Duran fans who want to watch a good music video, skip this one. The producers decided to get creative and make this 80's video something of a sci-fi story, involving the evil Barbarella villain from which the band got its name. What makes this idea fail is that right in the middle of some great 80's Duran Duran songs, confusing and annoying cut scenes take place showing the fictional antagonist trying to stop the band at one of their concerts. Not only is the good music repeatedly interrupted, but we have to suffer through some cheap spin-off story hosted by an evil Dr. Mario. It's almost too much to bear. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Something strange is happening in Loch Ness. The water is crystal clear, nor cold. A giant robotic plastic monster emerges and kills Scots! What is this movie?! First, I love reading stories about Nessie, sea monsters in general. When i saw this for sale, i thought it was a cheap rip off of jaws. No. It was terrible! The story was pointless, acting was 100% garbage, the only up side was the cool mechanical Nessie they used. It was full of inaccuracy, wrong locations, and bad everything. Not worth your while, just leave it on the shelf (or garbage can) you found it on. On second note, This film was shot in Cailifornia, not Loch Ness, a major diss to Nessie fans.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, just caught this movie from Blockbuster and I love finding gems like this. While it was definitely shot on a budget and misses a little bit in clumsy editing (i.e. accident, hospital scenes, second to last end scenes), for a first directorial effort, I give this 10 stars! I absolutely loved the thought provoking concepts brought forth and if you're a free thinker and open to ideas outside the box, I highly, highly recommend this movie. I think the director and writer, Jay Floyd, should be given some attention and more opportunities in the film industry. Based on his credits, he may be another Quentin Tarantino.$LABEL$ 1 +If this is film noir, then noir must be French for glacially slow. Take a cast of completely unlikeable characters, give them nothing to say, punctuate the whole thing with gratuitous ultra-violence, and you've got the formula for an aggravated Dash. Could be subtitled "Sleazy Hollywood types attempt to make money from Chinatown rip-off". Bruce Dern's one minute part is orders of magnitude better than anything else in this flick. By the way, I didn't like the film.$LABEL$ 0 +i can't believe i actually watched this but i guess i just wanted to know if this movie would get unintentionally funnier and funnier towards the end. and it did. the climax was the poorest performance ever given by the defence lawyer - so out of real life that even for a fictional story it was far too weird. no way anyone on this planet can behave in front of a court like she did. and probably the worst prosecutor on earth. why was he in court anyway? he did nothing and absolutely nothing to prove her guilty. a simple search of her house would have resulted in the find of the rings. but no go. he preferred to say "objection" 2 or 3 times during the whole trial - that was it. the blonde lunatic was given a truth-drug to prove her innocent but not Brett. the lunatic almost had an altar of Brett in her home that could have proved her sick obsession. but again no go. during the court scene i felt the silent urge to take the needlepoint out of her hand and bang it several times against her head. even real weirdos do not look that silly fake "i am innocent" like she did. and what does this movie tell us? never marry a woman with a life insurance: as soon as she falls down the stairs her husband will be thrown into jail, guilty or not. evil, evil men.$LABEL$ 0 +Grey Gardens is a world unto itself. Edith and Little Edie live in near total isolation, eating ice cream and liver pate in a makeshift kitchen in their (apparently) shared bedroom. Cats loll about while mother Edith insults her daughter's elocution. This is a Tennessee Williams play come to life and should inspire screenwriters and playwrights, as the bizarre and overlapping dialogue is 100% real.The situation in the house reminds me exactly of how my grandmother and her 50-ish daughter lived for a decade (other than that they were poor and clean). They would bicker all day, grandmother talking about her gloriously perfect past while her daughter continually blamed her for missed opportunities with men, work, and self-expression.This film is a must-see for anyone writing a mother/daughter relationship of this kind. It is sad and voyeuristic, but the filmmakers did an amazing job getting the Edies comfortable enough to expose themselves so recklessly. It is rare to see true life this way and all the more special considering the context--remnants of a powerful family fading into nothingness in the skeleton of their own mansion.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was horrible, and it doesn't even deserve to be called a movie. The way I look at it, it's more like three mediocre day-time Disney cartoon episodes strung loosely together to make a single video that pretends to be the sequel to the first Atlantis movie, which was way more well-made and enjoyable. And where do i even begin with the problems of this DVD? The story? The characters? The pictures/animation? To me they're all bad and unwatchable. Firstly, the story in this direct-to-video DVD is ridiculous and pointless. The only good thing about it is that it is consistent--that is, consistently bad, from the beginning to the end. After the film's over i still don't know why Milo has returned and how the incidents occur in the three small stories are related to each other or to Atlantis itself. And all I could remember about this movie was how bad it makes me feel after seeing it. The characters feel wooden and lack personality, and the drawings look a lot different than that in the first. You can tell they're obviously not from the hands of the same animators from the first one. As the DVD played on, i found myself caring less and less about what might happen to the characters and just hoping the film would end soon. Besides the story and the characters mentioned above, the picture quality is poor in this one too, probably one of the worst in those direct-to-video products that Disney has ever released. As a fan of the the original Atlantis: the lost empire, I couldn't be more disappointed in Milo's return, which is a total waste of time and money. Thank goodness I rented it first instead of buying it. Even so, I still wish I'd never seen this crap or even known its existence.$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of the most contrived, tedious and clichéd films I have ever seen... and, yes, I've seen Pearl Harbour. Even the likes of Gina McKee couldn't act their way out of the appalling dialogue. It has been described as 'art-house', this can only be a euphemism for dull, dreadful and, quite frankly, artless. Why is it that when a film is devoid of plot, critics feel it deserves to be called art? But far more baffling, why did America love it? Without you, this film would have remained on the shelf where, perhaps, it belonged.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry, but I cannot understand what people were smoking when they wrote how great they thought "Ethan Mao" was. I have seen better acting, character and plot development in pornos! WARNING: I am going to give away a key element to the "plot". After holding his family hostage overnight, Ethan lets his vile, evil, hated step-mom go to the bank - ALONE!!! - to retrieve the piece of his late mom's jewellery which he so desperately wants. Guess what? She calls the cops! Wow ... what a twist! I couldn't see that coming at all.The only good thing about this movie was that it was less than 90 minutes.Pure, unadulterated rubbish!$LABEL$ 0 +First this movie was not that bad.It was entertaining...at least to me for probably all the wrong reasons. I have never seen the original so can't compare the two.This movie reminded me of that weird Christopher Reeve movie Village of the Damned. THe two movies have different plots, but that creepy disgusted feeling and unwanted comedy exist in both.The wicker man is suppose to be a mystery/thriller/men please don't anger the women movie. I don't know the whole pagan thing and sacrifice was a little off.Nicholas Cage, his glorious bad self goes to a secluded Island called Summerisle when he receives a letter in calligraphy from his long lost fiancée who claims her daughter has been taken and hidden by fellow islanders. Cage is a police officer and being the weary policeman he is he goes to the semi uncharted island leaving no word of his whereabouts to anyone who is located in the real world. Stupid.Things get weirder when the large Amish-esquire women who populate the island snarl at him and lie about the whereabouts of the missing girl. His fiancée is no help who seems to be elusive and weary the whole time. Cage stays on the Island when he learns that the missing girl is his daughter and he is the lucky man tricked to come to this island as a sacrificial victim during the islands sick harvest festival.In this movie males do not fare so well. A sick twisted display of feminism? I found the movie laughable at times particularly when cage punches some women and runs around in a bear suit. I think there were too many potholes in this movie. I find the whole concept of angry women secluding themselves on an island without any care for males quite entertaining, but the way it was portrayed in this movie was just weird. While most women have had some jerk hurt and anger them this is clearly a form of sexism. I would have turned the movie off in disgust if the roles were reversed. This movie is something to watch maybe just once or twice. It is NOT a thriller it should be categorized as just strange.$LABEL$ 0 +Hardly a masterpiece. Not so well written. Beautiful cinematography i think not. This movie wasn't too terrible but it wasn't that much better than average. The main story dealing with highly immoral teens should have focused more on the forbidden romance and why this was... should have really gotten into it instead of scraping the surface with basically "because mom says we can't." Some parts should have been dropped altogether or reworked to have more importance to the plight of the two main characters. Couple times i was wondering if the writer/director was a fan of George Lucas' classic American Graffiti. Not that it's wrong to be a fan of that movie but to make your movie at times look like that, i mean come on! Worst part of this was that Madchen Amick had such a small part, i mean double come on!! She was the only one, in one or two lines, who actually tried a southern accent. (Take a good listen, it was there even though her character was from California! DOH!!) Maybe if she was the star others could have followed and we would have had a more authentically sounding movie. Oh well, what can ya do when you have a director who's just a director and not an artist, also. Too bad. Overall i give this a B- and that's being a little generous 'cause i'm partial to Ms. Amick.$LABEL$ 1 +(spoilers?)while the historical accuracy might be questionable... (and with the mass appeal of the inaccurate LOTR.. such things are more easily excused now) I liked the art ness of it. Though not really an art house film. It does provide a little emotionally charged scenes from time to time. I have two complaints. 1. It's too short. and 2. The voice you hear whispering from time to time is not explained.8/10Quality: 10/10 Entertainment: 7/10 Replayable: 5/10$LABEL$ 1 +Rock n' roll is a messy business and DiG! demonstrates this masterfully. A project of serious ambition, and perhaps foolhardiness, the filmmaker is able to mend together seven tumultuous years of following around two unwieldy rock groups. With that said, the abundance of quality material ensures the film's ability to captivate the audience. If you've ever been interested in any realm of the music industry, this movie will undoubtedly be an arresting viewing. the music in the film, although it suffers minimally from requisite cutting and pasting, is worth the price of admission alone. the morning after i saw DiG! i went straight to the record store to pick up a Brian Jonestown Massacre album (i was already initiated to the Dandy Warhols' sounds). Primarily defined by its exploration of rock music, the film succeeds at other profound levels. DiG! is a sincere, and sufficiently objective, glance into the destructive and volatile nature of the creative process and the people that try to wrangle those forces.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of my favourite martial arts movies from Hong Kong. It is one of John Woo's earliest films and one of only a few traditional martial arts movies he directed. You can see his influences from working under Chang Cheh in this film. The action is good, the fight choreography is conducted by Fong Hak On who appears as one of the bad guys in the movie. It stars Wei Pei of "Five Venoms" fame and a whole host of faces familiar to fans of Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers productions. The story line is interesting, there are a few decent plot twists and the build up of the characters and their relationships with each other is cleverly done. This film has only had a VHS release in the UK. Media Asia have released a region 3 DVD and there are versions of it on DVD available from the USA. The film is lovely to watch in either it's original language or in it's English dubbed version. I highly recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I always have a bit of distrust before watching the British period films because I usually find on them insipid and boring screenplays (such as the ones of, for example, Vanity Fair or The Other Boleyn Girl), but with a magnificent production design, European landscapes and those thick British accents which make the movies to suggest artistic value which they do not really have.Fortunately, the excellent film The Young Victoria does not fall on that situation, and it deserves an enthusiastic recommendation because of its fascinating story, the excellent performances from Emily Blunt, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent, and the costumes and locations which unexpectedly make the movie pretty rich to the view.And I say "unexpectedly" because I usually do not pay too much attention to those details."Victorian era" was (in my humble opinion) one of the key points in contemporary civilization, and not only on the social aspect, but also in the scientific, artistic and cultural ones.But I honestly did not know about the origins from that era very much, and maybe because of that I enjoyed this simplification of the political and economic events which prepared the landing of modern era so much.I also liked the way in which Queen Victoria is portrayed, which is as a young and intelligent monarch whose decisions were not always good, but they were at least inspired by good intentions.I also found the depiction of the romance between Victoria and Prince Albert very interesting because it is equally interested in the combination of intellects as well as in the emotions it evokes.The only fail I found on this movie is that screenwriter Julian Fellowes used some clichés of the romantic cinema on the love story, something which feels a bit out of place on his screenplay.I liked The Young Victoria very much, and I really took a very nice surprise with it.I hope more period films follow the example of this movie: the costumes and the landscapes should work as the support of an interesting story, and not as the replacement of it.$LABEL$ 1 +It's difficult to criticize a movie with the title like 'Deathbed: The Bed that Eats' and involves a ghost narrator who's trapped behind a 2-way painting he drew and a bed that snores and – if I'm not mistaken, masturbates. (Now, that's getting back at its human companions!) Furthermore, it foams up (in orange, for whatever reason) to absorb edibles lying on its surface, including apples, wine, fried chicken and, of course, people. Again it's suffice to say, that don't expect too much when you see what I guess is stomach acid – the final remains of anything that orange suds takes – dissolving only certain things. It'll drink the wine, but the bottle's okay and it'll eat away at the chicken bone, but the bucket's just fine. Heck, the bed even replaces the unused containers. Hilariously, at one point it downs Pepto-Bismol. I had to laugh at that one. I don't think they really wanted you to take any of this seriously. It's low budget, and it's extremely easy to see where they cut costs and saved oodles amounts of money. I thought, in a world where there can be a killer 'Lift' and a 'Blood Beach,' this 'Deathbed' might be amusing to watch. For reasons that might involve cost, 90% of the film is voice-over, no one screams or shows extremely low signs of fright/confusion on why a bed would attack (I can think of one – and I never was one of those kids that jumped on the bed) and you'll have to suspend your disbelief beyond belief. (A victim loses all flesh on his hands, barely saying "ow.") Only one scene, that went on too long, was minutely tense – a woman attempts to crawl away only to be dragged back, using a sheet. Where are the MST3k guys?$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sorry, perhaps this is part of the wave of praise for fireman since 911, perhaps it's an old fashioned story, perhaps it's not meant to knock your socks off but I'm sorry, this film is awful. As in the title, cliché 49, I think it has at least that many clichés. It's a dreary story (impressive managing to be dreary when there's dangerous fires and lives being saved) about a fireman. And his dreary life, told in a pointless, 'scene from now' flashback to the past style. We begin the film with the hero in peril in a collapsing burning building. The entire film is about trying to get us to love this guy so we squeeze a few tears out when he meets his end in the finale of the scene from the start of the film. I found it hard to care and wished he'd gone up in smoke earlier. Clichés abound such as - death of best friend, love at first site, hazing in a new job, firstborn, a worried wife with a husband with a perilous job, a father figure boss/superior, 2.4 kids (well 2 but close enough), sacrificing your life to save others, awards for bravery....on and on. It's every fireman's life, every police officer, nurse, doctor in some way. It was lazy, if it was meant as a 'life flashing before his eyes' as he died, then God help the poor chap, I'm surprised he didn't suck in more smoke to go quicker. The flashbacks are mostly mundane and predictable, dully acted and with a soundtrack that could put The Laughing Cow out of business it was so cheesy, it actually sounded like muzak or copyright free elevator stuff!!! To be avoided at all costs unless you need something to watch with granny of a Sunday evening. Or maybe if your related to a firefighter - warning - your life will end horribly or you will be scarred for life if you are a brave fireman according to this movie. Unless your John Travolta (strange Velcro style hair in this one!!)$LABEL$ 0 +I actually felt bad for the actors in this thing. No doubt a high school drama class could do a better job or at the very least as well a job. The actors must have thought this would be their big chance working in a film, it certainly was not. Besides the terrible acting the stories were boring and for the most part predictable. The one about the remote control didn't even make any sense. To bad cause it had the best premise in the bunch.I'm all for supporting low budget films and giving new film makers a fair chance, but this turkey is a waste of time and an insult to the viewer. I only watched it because of some good comments posted here. They must have been planted by people with ties to the film. You may fool people into watching this, but you can't fool them into liking what they saw.I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 because at least the boxer story tried to be heart warming. Sure it failed miserably, but it tried. I reserve 1 s for the worst of the worst.Do yourself a favor and skip this dribble. I wish I had.$LABEL$ 0 +I came away from this movie with the feeling that it could have been so much better. Instead of what should be a gripping, tense story of a boy's fight for survival in the wilderness, it comes off as a National Geographic documentary meets Columbia sportswear ad.The film begins with Brian (Jared Rushton) preparing for a journey by plane to see his father. His mother fortuitously gives him the curious choice of a hatchet as a going-away gift (what's wrong with a Rubik's Cube?), little knowing how badly he will soon need it. Once in the air, the plane's pilot (a blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo by Ned Beatty) suffers a fatal heart attack, leaving Brian helpless as the plane crashes into a lake. Extremely lucky to walk (or rather swim) away virtually unscathed, Brian must find shelter, food and hope for rescue.Here is where the main problem with the movie begins. By the very nature of Brian's solitude, Jared has very few lines to speak, and so the film ought to have compensated by ratcheting up the tension of each scene. Instead, he is shown walking around, sitting around, and so on, with only a minimal sense of danger. As a result, too much reliance is placed on flashbacks to the parents' troubled marriage as the source of tension. These scenes merely get in the way and don't particularly add much to the story. Even worse, occasionally Jared – his face covered with mud - lets out a primal scream or two, which conjures up unfortunate parallels to `Predator.' Speaking of unfortunate, we could have done with being spared the sight of his mullet, but it presumably helped keep him warm at night.Another disappointment is Pamela Sue Martin in a totally ineffectual performance as the mother. Both she and the father have very little impact in the movie. For instance, we are never shown how they react to news of Brian's disappearance, how they might be organizing rescue attempts, and so on. This is just one source of tension the film-makers would have done well to explore instead of spending so much time on events that happened before Brian embarked on his journey.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not saying anything new when I say that "Ray" was magnificent. As I proceed to laud this movie I have to mention something that sets it apart from other films. Very rarely is a film made entirely by the actor(s). "Ray" quite simply was made by Jamie Foxx. Without the wonderful performance of Jamie Foxx, "Ray" would just be another interesting and informative biopic. I always thought Foxx was funny, stemming from his days with "In Livin' Color" and "The Jamie Foxx Show", and I also knew that he was talented, as he used his own show ("The Jamie Foxx Show") to show off his musical talents. But never did I imagine that he could pull off a role like this. I don't know much about acting and what they go through to get into character or other things like that, but what I saw from Jamie Foxx was extremely impressive. He wrapped himself into that role and made us see Ray Charles rather than an actor portraying Ray Charles. The story of "Ray" was great yes, but it was given life by Jamie Foxx.$LABEL$ 1 +My jaw fell so many times watching this flick, I have bruises. Okay, granted, I really wasn't expecting the quality of, say, The Others or even Thirteen Ghosts (the new one, which was just dreadful and is still head and shoulders above this insanity). Someone else noted the thin characters...I wouldn't call them "thin". "Thin" implies there might be something to them. How about almost non-existent? In no particular order we have: The Girl Who Will Scream; The American Who Will Figure It All Out; The Macho Guy Who Will Just Bull Through Everything Until He Gets Killed: The Wise Black Man Who Will Die Early; The Extra Guy Who Is There To Die First; The Extra Woman Who Is There To Play Tough. That's it. That's your character list and that is what they are and what they remain from beginning to end. If they were "thin" they might, at least, change a little bit from beginning to end. But they don't. Well, okay, the American guy decides he's going to stay with the fieldwork at the end and the Screaming Girl goes back to wherever she came from. That's the change. Other than that, they all act according to their assigned roles and rarely betray any real emotion when they finally meet up with the menace.Now, the producers get props for an original menace, I will say. I had understood the story was going to be "Tremors" but with ants instead of giant worms. I give the writer credit: these are very cool, very scary ants and what they do with bones is excellent. (The first time the "bone snatcher" appear, I admit I jumped a few feet.)Unfortunately, the very cool concept becomes Alien in the Desert very quickly. We get a lot of commentary on ants that may or may not be true, but we don't get much of the mythology on which the menace is based. And we get every monster movie cliché ever made. People go into places they know they shouldn't and when they have no compelling reason to. Moronic characters try to hinder our heroes and die for it. One character does double duty as "scientist who doesn't want to kill the monster but study it". A Very Cool Gadget is introduced only so the American can tell everyone something about ants that, gee, I hope everyone knows anyway. Then the gadget is broken. Our heroes run out of the one thing that can keep the menace at bay. And then there is that final, annoying moment when we know the menace is still with us--and wonder exactly what and how the hey the hero or heroine came by it. It completely renders everything that went before as useless and false.Three stars for the cool use of ants and bones. Nothing at all for clichés, clunky dialogue and dim bulb characters.$LABEL$ 0 +This was such a beautiful film. Such an amazing performance from Joseph and Brad. Very innocently written and performed. A must see !! I cried my eyes out almost through the entire movie. This is a movie that every family should sit down with their children to watch, it does teach us all a very important lesson in life and how we should be approaching the harsh subject of AIDS, how we should be teaching our children to cope with it and people around them. Not only with AIDS, but with any terminal illness. I hadn't even heard of this movie until I scrolled through t.v. one day and happen to run across it. I recommend everyone to watch this, just don't forget your box of tissues. More movies should be made like this one. Extremely heartwarming.$LABEL$ 1 +The film is a joy to watch, not just for the plot, which is gripping, but also for the superb performances of the actors, Deneuve and Belmondo. Though considered a 'flop' on its first release it has become a critical success, and it is clear to see why. Deneuve's acting style suited the film brilliantly. she constantly gives the impression that she is holding back or hiding something, and her character in this film is. I will not spoil it with saying what, though it is divulged fairly early on. Belmondo is lovable as the fairly naiive but in love tobacconist. I would recommend this film to all Truffaut or Deneuve fans. It is a brilliant Hitchcockian style thriller with exciting twists and interesting relationships and characters that develop as the film does. The film is approx 2 hrs, so you feel that you have not been sold short. Deneuve steals the show in this film, and it is clear that at the time of making the film Truffaut was very much smitten with her. A definite must see for any cineaste or moviefan. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +"Embarassing" is the only word to describe this laughingly awful production. From the blatant disregard of the source material (sure to infuriate anyone remotely familiar with mythology) to the predictably insufficient production value, this entire mini-series is a train wreck.The cast (which includes some good actors, whom I pity) delivers the illogical dialogue in the same generic "European" accent so common to bad epics. Worse is the lack of originality in almost all other aspects, from costume and set design (blurring together styles from across time and space) to the score (which seems to poorly mimic many recognizable classical tunes as well as "Lord of the Rings"). Most offensive of all are the visual effects, which single- handedly prove that if you can't afford to do them well, WRITE THEM OUT.It pained me to see yet another legendary tale bastardized by a cheap "adaptation." Maybe one day, someone will do it right.$LABEL$ 0 +Rating: 4 out of 10As this mini-series approached, and we were well aware of it for the last six months as Sci-Fi Channel continued to pepper their shows with BG ads, I confess that I felt a growing unease as I learned more.As with any work of cinematic art which has stood up to some test of time, different people go to it to see different things. In this regard, when people think of Battlestar Galactica, they remember different things. For some it is the chromium warriors with the oscillating red light in their visor. For others, it is the fondness that they held for special effects that were quite evolutionary for their time. Many forget the state of special effects during the late 70s, especially those on television. For some the memories resolve around the story arc. Others still remember the relationships how how the relationships themselves helped overcome the challenges that they faced.Frankly, I come from the latter group. The core of Battlestar Galactica was the people that pulled together to save one another from an evil empire. Yes, evil. The Cylons had nothing to gain but the extermination of the human race yet they did it. While base stars were swirling around, men and women came together to face an enemy with virtually unlimited resources, and somehow they managed to survive until the next show. They didn't survive because they had better technology, or more fire power. They survived because they cared for and trusted each other to get through to the next show.The show had its flaws, and at times was sappy, but they were people you could care about.The writers of this current rendition seemed to never understand this. In some ways he took the least significant part of the original show, the character's names and a take on the story arc and crafted what they called nothing less than a reinvention of television science fiction. Since that was their goal, they can be judged on how well they accomplished it: failure. It was far from a reinvention. In fact it was in many ways one of the most derivitive of science fiction endeavors in a long time. It borrows liberally from ST:TNG, ST:DS9, Babylon 5, and even Battlefield Earth. I find that unfortunate.Ronald D. Moore has been a contributor to popular science fiction for more than a decade, and has made contribution to some of the most popular television Science Fiction that you could hope to see. One of the difficulties that he appears to have had was that there could be no conflict in the bridge crew of the Enterprise D & E. That was the inviolable rule of Roddenberry's ST:TNG. Like many who have lived under that rules of others who then take every opportunity to break the rules when they are no longer under that authority, Ron Moore seems to have forgotten some of the lessons he learned under the acknowledged science fiction master: Gene Roddenberry. Here, instead of writing the best story possible, he has created a dysfuntional cast as I have ever seen with the intent of creating as much cast conflict as he could. Besides being dysfunctional, some of it was not the least bit believable. Anyone who has ever been in the military knows that someone unprovokedly striking a superior officer would not get just a couple of days "in hack," they could have gotten execution, and they never would have gotten out the next day. It wouldn't have happened, period, especially in time of war.The thing that I remembered most of Ron Moore's earlier work was that he was the one who penned the death of Capt. James Kirk. He killed Capt. Kirk, and, alas for me, he has killed Battlestar Galactica.$LABEL$ 0 +Disney (and the wonderful folks at PIXAR of course) offer a nice, humourous story combined with the best of computer animation. I admit that maybe the 'faces' of the bugs were a little more static than in 'Antz' and they only had four legs (in 'Antz' six...). But backgrounds were superb and animation was breathtaking. But let this be a lesson: it was not the computer who made it such a success : it was the man behind the machine, who added the nice little twists, which I missed in 'Antz'. Some highlights were of course the 'bloopers' at the end (So keep watching at the end, it's worth it!), which were highly amusing and original. The line 'Filmed entirely on location' was intended for the more attentive viewer.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great German slasher, that's often quite suspenseful, and creative, with a fun story and solid performances. All the characters are cool, and Benno Fürmann is great as the psycho killer, plus Franka Potente gives a fantastic performance as the main lead. It did take a little while to get going, but it was never boring, and it had some good death scenes as well, plus the music is wonderfully creepy. I was lucky enough to get the subtitled version, instead of the dubbed, and I thought all the characters were quite likable, plus it's very well made and written as well. It has some really good plot twists too, and the effects are extremely well done, plus the ending is great. The finale is especially suspenseful, and Franka Potente was the perfect casting choice in my opinion, plus I wish Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey(David) didn't get killed of so soon, because he was a really cool character. There were actually a couple of moments where I felt uncomfortable but in a good way, and I must say this film deserved all it's praise, plus while it does have plot holes, it's not enough to hamper the film. This is a great German slasher, that's often quite suspenseful, and creative, with a fun story, and solid performances, I highly recommend this one!. The Direction is great!. Stefan Ruzowitzky does a great! Job here with excellent camera work, very good angles, great close ups (see the opening sex scene), doing a great job of adding creepy atmosphere, and just keeping the film at a very fast pace.There is quite a bit of blood and gore. We get cadavers cut open,plenty of very gory surgery scenes,lots of bloody stabbings,people are dissected while still being conscious, severed finger, self mutilation, gutting's, bloody slit throat, lots of wicked looking frozen corpses, plenty of blood and more.The Acting is very solid!. Franka Potente is fantastic as the main lead, she was very likable, remained cool under pressure, was vulnerable, easy on the eyes, and we are able to care for her character, the only time she seemed to suffer, was when she had to spurt out some bad dialog here and there, but that wasn't very often, she was wonderful!. Benno Fürmann is excellent as the psycho killer, he was simply chilling, and wonderfully OTT, he really gave me the creeps, and was one effective killer!. Anna Loos played her role very well, as the smart slut, I dug her. Sebastian Blomberg was great here as Caspar, he was quite likable, and had a mysterious character,his chemistry with Potente was also on, and there was a great twists involving him at the end. Holger Speckhahn was good as the Idiot Phil and did his job well. Traugott Buhre is good as Prof. Grombek. Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey was great as David, he had a really cool character, and I wish he didn't get killed of so soon. Rest of the cast do fine.Overall I highly recommend this great German slasher!. ***1/2 out of 5$LABEL$ 1 +Please, If you're thinking about renting this movie, don't. If you're thinking of watching a couple of downloaded clips, don't. If I had my way, nobody would even have to read this summary.The acting, despite being one fo the high points of the movie was still pathetic. The director was probaly a sadist. The witty one liners were something you'd expect from a room of highly paid anti-social 7 year olds that eat paint-chips for breakfast.The problem with this movie, is that it tries to be a movie like "Evil Dead 2"(do not under any circumstances associate these 2 movies) in that it's so bad it's funny. But it also tries to be funny at the same time, and fails so overwhelmingly to do so, that your sense of humor is left too crippled to do anything but set off your gag reflex in an attmept to save itself.I could go on for much much more, detailing just how awful it really was, but I think it would strip me of my will to live just to continue to think about it. If you need me, I'll be off trying to boil myself so that I might feel clean again...$LABEL$ 0 +Me and my girlfriend went to see this movie as a "Premiere Surprise" that is we bought at ticket to the preview to a movie before it opened here in Denmark. We sat through the 1st hour or so and then we left! The point of the movie seemed to be simply to portray the era (and club 54), but it did so at the expence of character development, of which there was none, and plot of which there was little.Seldom have I been so indifferent to the characters in a movie!The music was good though. So if you like to hear some good music and get a fix of that 70ies mood I guess it is OK. But don't expect to get a plot of believable characters.$LABEL$ 0 +A truly accurate and unglamourous look into modern day life. It could be set in any town in the UK. I live in a housing estate in Glasgow and can relate to this film very well.Sadly the situations and characters are all too realistic but not predictable.The actors are scarily believable, I felt as if I was spying on my neighbours. It was an intimate dip into the lives of fragile and hopeless people. I was very moved by a few scenes.I loved the way this film was shot.Overall this film IS a must see.$LABEL$ 1 +I like the most of the Full Moon Pictures so I ordered this movie from the USA, because in Germany you can't get it anywhere. I thought it would be so nice and amusing like the Subspecies or Puppetmaster Series, because they were full of atmosphere.I was glad when the movie finally arrived.But after watching this cheesy movie, I was very disappointed. The actors ( I think you can't even say actors) are boring and untalented. The story was a poor performance and even the set and the monster were very cheap and lousy.I hope no one ever make a sequel or remake of this terrible movie. :-)$LABEL$ 0 +Yeah, the archetype of a simple but inspirational movie. The very end when the entire crowd in the stadium gets up and the people raise their hands gives me a chill whenever I see it. That's just brilliant. Joseph is wonderful as the lonely and sad kid who has so far been disappointed by anyone and anything in his life. The way he interacts with Danny Glover and tries to make him believe in the magic and the angels is funny and exhilarating. A very nice family movie with - I concede - a rather corny happy end. But hey, it doesn't really matter, the movie retains its basic quality by the good acting and the inspirational themes.$LABEL$ 1 +Like almost everyone else who has commented on this movie, I can only wonder why this has never appeared on video.I recall seeing it at about age 12 on the "The Late Show," circa 1972. I too recall the poison gas attack and the weirdly garbed horses. (I don't recall the more horrific bits I've seen described here; they were likely cut out for the TV audience.) But the scenes I REALLY liked were the ones involving the death of Lord Kitchener aboard the HMS Hampshire, almost exactly 90 years ago. The scenes of the doomed cruiser approaching the minefield in the storm were really chilling, as I recall.Don't recall the musical score, but the comments of the others now have me curious. Get this one out on video!$LABEL$ 1 +Overall I would have to say that I liked the movie. Some of the fight scenes are really good. Especially the fight against Leung Ka-Yan. One point that really bothered me was the fact that they used an Asian to play a black man. I mean really. Talk about bad taste. During a fight scene, you see one of the fighters on the floor is laughing. Otherwise, Sammo copies Bruce Lee's fighting moves perfectly. 5 out of 10 Stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Personally, I find the movie to be quite a good watch. It outlines the actual situation of triads in Hong Kong and gives the viewer a glimpse of how triads are organized.Not only that, it also shows the viewer how the Hong Kong police control the triad situation and why the police don't just go all out and wipe out triads.Overall, the movie is rather violent due to the gangland methods of killings & torture. Nevertheless, the movie stays true to the real world, thus the violence on screen is just a reflection of what really happens.I'd recommend this movie to any Triad/Mafia movie fan. Another good watch would be Dragon Squad. That movie has more guns than this, as in this movie there's more knives than guns (in fact I don't remember seeing a single gun).$LABEL$ 1 +The Ator series is a shining example of what B-movies should be. They fail in every aspect, but in such a hilarious way that they are funny rather than sad. "Ator l'invincibile 2" aka "The Blade Master" aka "Cave Dwellers" shows us Europe's favorite Conan clone, Ator where we left him in the first movie- after showing us a lengthy recap of all the events of the first film. This time the world must be saved from "The Nucleus", a kind of bomb, represented on screen as a bright light (I guess they couldn't afford a prop). This one features invisible attackers and samurai. As with the first film, lots of stock footage is used (including one rather obvious bit from "Star Wars"). Thoroughly laughable and unforgettably bad- this is an exception B-movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one you can watch over and over and laugh just as much each time. We have been on a Keaton fest around here after purchasing some of his films. In this one Buster is mistaken for an escaped murderer and there are lots of chase scenes and crazy scenes but also what is best about Buster - his creativity. The opening scene is really funny and it just keeps going from there.$LABEL$ 1 +Why do the powers that be continue to cast Jennifer Lopez in unbelievable roles? She was excellent in Selena, and pretty good in Money Train, which both cast her in roles where she could basically be herself. However, roles like this just draw the line. I could never see Lopez as an FBI agent (see Out of Sight for that unremarkable performance), but as a psychotherapist? Give me a break!Basically, Lopez plays the aforementioned psychotherapist, who is involved in virtual reality experiments in which she enters the minds of her patients in order to help them sort out their issues. When she enters the mind of a comatose serial killer to help save one of his victims, she breaks all the rules to try and crack the insanity of his inner mind.Lopez's acting here is typically below average. I can't get over that high-pitched squeak of a voice she has. She's no Julia Roberts, but yet she comes across on screen as though she believes herself to be on the same playing field. Well, she's not even in the same stadium. Sure, she is a very sexy lady; however, that isn't going to carry a film, and it certainly doesn't carry this one. With anybody else cast in her role for this film it would have been excellent, especially if it was cast with someone who could lend more credibility to the character.Having said all that, this film is visually stunning. The colors are fabulous, and the story line isn't half bad in a B-movie kind of way. The audio here is superb as well. This movie gains some points for the fairly original storyline, and major points for how it looks and sounds. Unfortunately, the acting and poor casting bring it down a few notches.My Rating: 6/10$LABEL$ 0 +For all the hoopla, respect and recognition this film gets from Kung Fu historians, it still lacks glaringly in a couple critical areas: action and fight scenes. But I must say that the plot is probably the best and most original I've ever seen in a martial arts film. Five Deadly Venoms without a doubt is a must see, not only that, a movie you can watch again and again; but I also must say that after watching it you feel it could have been even better. It somehow leaves you wanting something, you want more. The producer Chang Cheh sets up the storyline beautifully for a potential masterpeice but doesn't follow through with giving us more of the action we want. The fighting styles in the movie really captures the viewer (Centipede,Snake,Scorpion,Lizard,Toad) and they are shown, but battles are noticeably short. The Toad and Snake styles are particularly intriguing and should have been showcased much, much more, in fact the Toad is killed off by the middle of the movie. Interestingly enough with this movie, the absence of constant action or fighting leads to development of a great plot, this is one of the few kung fu films where you are really interested in the storyline and care about the outcome. This movie has a dark and vicious tone to it and you are drawn into the vibe. Sinister weapons and torture tactics are used throughout the movie and adds to the movies feel. To start off the movie and to introduce the Poison Clan producer Chang Cheh takes us to a grimy dungeon. The ending fight scenes are certainly good but seem muffled and somehow you expected more. Still though this movie is one of Shaw Brothers best and is quite enjoyable. My overall impression of the movie would conclude with this: The styles the fighters used are merely shown to us and not showcased in detail, sad thing is , the director had the goods for something extraordinary right at his fingertips and didn't expand on it. I am left wondering what could have been with this movie, still one of the best though. 8 out of 10 on the scale.$LABEL$ 1 +Not only was he invariably annoying to listen to, but he had NO jokes. I swear, some fobby Asian guy telling yo momma jokes would've been funnier than Leary's crap. (Well, maybe funny for a couple minutes but at least I'll be able to laugh at least once!) Leary claimed he stopped taking drugs during one of his "jokes"... apparently he was still high on something; he was just some crackhead imprecating rants mostly drug related. One of his jokes was something like, 'I wouldn't use crack, especially having the same name as between my ass' - Oh man, how did he come up with that one?! I swear the only guy that needs to shut the f**k up is Denis Leary. Thank god I didn't have to see him live. This guy totally sucks.If you're easily amused by swearing, and "jokes" where you can come up with yourself, then waste your time with this junk.$LABEL$ 0 +Basically a road movie. The gay, transsexual, and other gender-bender themes are rather disturbing, particularly when the child is involved. You do have to hand it to the costume designers. As for the actors, the only one I was familiar with was Terence Stamp. I suppose it was a very good performance, out of his (or anyone's) normal range. The movie as a whole was shallow, just a vehicle for the clever, bitchy banter. All in all, I don' recommend this one.$LABEL$ 0 +A surprising rent at a local video store, I was pleased to find a media satire worthy enough to challenge Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers." And almost as disturbing. I think it went well with my viewing to be in late 2004 watching the Republican Machine do it's magic on the majority of America's television viewing populous. It brings up the question "Are we really that manipulative?" It definitely skewed my view. There was also a larger theological question being provoked- the story of Christ. Could word of mouth and overwhelming dependence on something exploitive as television produce a messiah? Could the story of Christ been exaggerated? Could it have been completely fabricated? It's something the movie puts in a extremely perceptive light.$LABEL$ 1 +There are films that make careers. For George Romero, it was NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD; for Kevin Smith, CLERKS; for Robert Rodriguez, EL MARIACHI. Add to that list Onur Tukel's absolutely amazing DING-A-LING-LESS. Flawless film-making, and as assured and as professional as any of the aforementioned movies. I haven't laughed this hard since I saw THE FULL MONTY. (And, even then, I don't think I laughed quite this hard... So to speak.) Tukel's talent is considerable: DING-A-LING-LESS is so chock full of double entendres that one would have to sit down with a copy of this script and do a line-by-line examination of it to fully appreciate the, uh, breadth and width of it. Every shot is beautifully composed (a clear sign of a sure-handed director), and the performances all around are solid (there's none of the over-the-top scenery chewing one might've expected from a film like this). DING-A-LING-LESS is a film whose time has come.$LABEL$ 1 +The other reviewers are way WAAAAY off as to why the Farscape show has been (temporarily) put to rest. It has NOTHING to do with the quality of the shows 'slacking'. In fact, the exact OPPOSITE is true. They kept getting better and better! :) I have seen every episode and when you simply watch them in order you really become in awe how much cooler it gets as they move on and on, and the wormhole & Aeryn subplots are really very interesting and gave it MORE vibe, not less. Before it was sort of chaotic, slow, and rather aimless. They spent like the first two seasons running from this foe type, but in the second two they were actually trying to DO something :) Also I have never seen such a great fun blend of sexy gals and attitudes in Sci-Fi. The blue girl - Zahn - was cool, but not 'sexy'. They literally got to the point where the gals were running around in leather corsets and high heels blasting aliens - now tell me, what could be cooler than that??? :))The real reason Farscape went off for a bit is because it was costing too much - and that is a GOOD thing for the fans, because the show, watched end to end, is really like a 60 hour long epic movie, with all the cinematics of the blockbuster stuff (ok ok they do use similar sets a lot, but the CG is great and the gals are sexxxy).Blah blah - the real reason is because TV shows are about PROFIT. It is a BUSINESS, and the Sci Fi channel or whoever was not getting as big a return on this expensive Farscape show as they could with junk shows like 'Stargate'. Lexx was actually cool until they got rid of the hot German girl and replaced her with this bizarre fat-lipped oddity.Anyway yes, remember this: Farscape kept getting better and better, until it was really like a little real movie each week. Then the networks decided 'hey people will watch any old piece of drek we shove on the air as long as it is the only sci fi thing on at that hour, so why are we spending all this money on Farscape, let's shove cheesy low-budget 'Stargate' down people's throats and call it a 'hit series' because it's like all we play every darn night LOL :))That's the way it goes. Also I gotta tell ya that Claudia Black is a really cool actress. After she got her facelift (got the baggy eyes tightened) she was looking really cool - one of those dynamic types like Judy Davis, and sometimes hot looking, sometimes ugly - like a roller coaster ride. I'd par Claudia Black with Lucy Lawless in style and substance - both VERY fun to watch - not just Chrichton :) And yeah you may say the pregnancy thing was cheesy, but how many sci fi shows have a BELIEVABLE and DEEP romantic subplot that actually goes somewhere and progresses?? It was legitimately cool as a romance story - the actors on the show are great. It really is a shame the show is in limbo for now, but I hope it comes back in more episodes soon and movies as well, because I will deffinately buy them! :-D$LABEL$ 1 +My favourite police series of all time turns to a TV-film. Does it work? Yes. Gee runs for mayor and gets shot. The Homicide "hall of fame" turns up. Pembleton and nearly all of the cops who ever played in this series. A lot of flashbacks helps you who hasn´t seen the TV-series but it amuses the fans too. The last five minutes solves another murder and at the very end even two of the dead cops turn up. And a short appearance from my favourite coroner Juliana Cox. This is a good film.$LABEL$ 1 +I love this movie, first and foremost because of Mark Wahlberg is in it and secondly because the end justifies the means. There is something about this film that sucks you in and allows you to feel all of the emotions the characters are feeling. Jen Aniston is great as the girlfriend in this movie. It takes a look at the Rockstar lifestyle that so many hardcore rockers lived back in the day (perhaps these days they have gotten just abit smarter). It takes through a rainbow of emotions and has a lot of subtle facets to allow the light through. Like a diamond, this movie shines. You won't waste your popcorn on this one. Semi-chick flick but my husband enjoyed it too. There's some laughs thrown in too.$LABEL$ 1 +Put the blame on executive producer Wes Craven and financiers the Weinsteins for this big-budget debacle: a thrash-metal updating of "Dracula", with a condescending verbal jab at Bram Stoker (who probably wouldn't want his name on this thing anyway) and nothing much for the rest of us except slasher-styled jolts and gore. Christopher Plummer looks winded as Van Helsing in the modern-day--not just a descendant of Van Helsing but the real thing; he keeps himself going with leeches obtained from Count Dracula's corpse, which is exhumed from its coffin after being stolen from Van Helsing's vault and flown to New Orleans. This is just what New Orleans needs in the 21st Century! The film, well-produced but without a single original idea (except for multi-racial victims), is both repulsive and lazy, and after about an hour starts repeating itself. * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +*** WARNING! SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN! *** This is a semi-autobiographical look at what might happen to Madonna if she were ever to be stranded on a deserted island. There's absolutely no challenge to Madonna in this role, and it shows. She's just Madonna playing Madonna, and she can't even get THAT right. I know what you're saying, you're saying, "How do you know this is what Madonna is really like, you've never met her!" Correct, I haven't, but we all remember "Truth or Dare", don't we? I know Kevin Costner does. You would think, in the year 2002, that Madonna might have learned something, one way or the other, from the "crossover" ladies that have also made their way across the silver screen. For goodness' sake, hasn't Madonna seen "Glitter"? Mariah Carey showed the film world HOW IT IS DONE!!! Mariah kicks Madonna's trashy butt to the curb in beauty, talent, screen presence, charisma, characterization, you name it! All we see from this glimpse into Madonna's world is she's the only one in it. If there's one thing to be said for Madonna, it is that she's consistent. When she was an MTV darling, she set the world of women's fashion back 20 years. Now, in film, she has set women's roles in film AND society back 20 years, by glamourizing all the most hated, horrible, reprehensible, odious qualities women have been reputed to have locked away inside them, qualities they have been so desperately trying to prove they really don't possess. ***HERE'S THE SPOILERS!!! DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW...*** Here's the one good thing I will say about this film, and I really was impressed by it. They didn't go for the "Hollywood Ending" - Madonna's character lives. In the typical, happy Hollywood ending, Madonna's character would have died on the island, and her long-suffering, oppressed, whipped husband would have been free to finally settle down with a good, decent woman, a woman who would be the exact opposite of his deceased wife, and they both live happily ever after. But in this extremely depressing conclusion, she is rescued, and once more, this poor victim of a husband is once again saddled with his demon of a wife, and his life will once again become a living hell. *** HERE ENDETH THE SPOILERS ***$LABEL$ 0 +"Family Guy" is probably the most ballsy sitcom ever produced. It relentlessly skewers everything it can think of, from TV shows to family drama. Best of all, it's one of the few TV shows on today that's actually funny.The show revolves around the Griffins: Peter, the obese father whose schemes are limited by his lack of intelligence. Lois, the mother who is more or less the head of the family, even though Peter considers himself to be that. Chris, the fat teenage son who has just as few brains as his dad. Meg, the black sheep of the family that is the but of everyone's jokes. Stewie, the baby who has plans for killing his mother and taking over the world. And Brian, the family dog, who is frequently the voice of reason, but is frequently corrupted."Family Guy" employs many tactics to get laughs from the audience. Most notable are the frequent cutaways that spoof what has just been said. They are effective because of the impeccable timing, and in how they play out. "Family Guy" uses spoofs to get humor as well, most commonly from 80's TV shows. What really makes the show so great is that a person doesn't have to be familiar with what it's spoofing. I'm sure it would help, but the material is funny enough in its own right. But the show doesn't stop there. Not only does it spoof just about everything, it skewers its own spoofs! The show is filled with off-color humor. The only reason why people aren't up in arms about the show is probably because it makes fun of every race, sex and other generality equally. There is nothing sacred here, and no one and nothing is immune from "Family Guy's" satirical jabs.Putting on musical numbers in a film takes a lot of time and effort, and it's a very big risk. But "Family Guy" contains some great songs. All well-written and performed, and of course they are hilarious (perhaps the most famous one, "The Freakin' FCC" is both catchy, and hysterical because it hits the ratings board where it hurts).The voice characterizations are right on the money. Seth McFarlane is tremendously talented. He provides the voices for Peter, Brian (which is his own natural voice), and Stewie. Not only are the voices consistent and creative, he can alter their pitch at will, so it really seems as if they are spoken by three different actors. Alex Borstein brings a nasally drawl to Lois that is perfect for the character. Seth Green is unrecognizable as Chris (had I not looked on IMDb, I would have never known that it was him). Lacey Chabert originated the character of Meg, and while she was good, Mila Kunis really elevated the character with her sharp voice. Kunis gives Meg a new, sharper edge that she didn't have with Chabert."Family Guy" has been compared to "The Simpsons," and that's entirely understandable (and not just because they are produced by FOX). Both are satires of blue-collar life, and while "The Simpsons" is good, "Family Guy" contains are sharper edge. The show is utterly fearless. There is no real sacred cow. The show lampoons handicaps (physical and mental), ethnicities, TV shows and movies, celebrities, politicians, religion (especially catholicism), drug use and addiction, sexual humor of all kinds (including S&M), and some that's just beyond description. Not everything "Family Guy" throws at the audience works, but as a whole, the show is consistently amusing and frequently hilarious.If there's any flaw with "Family Guy," it's that the jokes run on far too long sometimes. Particularly with the "awkward moment" jokes, the sequences are stretched for so long that not only does it cease to become funny, it becomes so irritating (and long) that a fast-forward button is warranted. These can be effective at about 10 to 15 seconds, but the show sometimes stretches these to beyond two minutes. One could argue that the show rewrites its rules to suit the plot, and it often does (for example, Brian frequently acts like a person, but he still acts like a dog when the story requires it). But that's not a problem because the show still works.Some people have argued that the show has stopped being funny. While I agree that it's not as edgy as it used to be, I think the blame lies with FOX, not McFarlane and his crew. The show originated with FOX, but after some lackluster ratings and viewer turnout, it was canceled. However, DVD sales were large enough for it to be picked up by Adult Swim. The show became an instant success, and it was once again bought by FOX. However, because the show is so big now, FOX is afraid to let the writers experiment and try new things. While it's still funny, the humor is not as fresh and edgy.Definitely check this show out. It's awesome.$LABEL$ 1 +Having avoided seeing the movie in the cinema, but buying the DVD for my wife for Xmas, I had to watch it. I did not expect much, which usually means I get more than I bargained for. But 'Mamma Mia' - utter, utter cr**. I like ABBA, I like the songs, I have the old LPs. But this film is just terrible. The stage show looks like a bit of a musical, but this races along with songs hurriedly following one another, no characterisation, the dance numbers (which were heavily choreographed according to the extras on the DVD) are just thrown away with only half the bodies ever on screen, the dance chorus of north Europeans appear on a small Greek island at will, while the set and set up of numbers would have disgraced Cliff Richard's musicals in the sixties!Meryl (see me I'm acting)Streep can't even make her usual mugging effective in an over-the-top musical! Her grand piece - 'The Winner Takes It All' - is Meryl at the Met! Note to director - it should have been shot in stillness with the camera gradually showing distance growing between Streep and Brosnan! Some of the singing is awful karaoke on amateur night. The camera cannot stop moving like bad MTV. One can never settle down and just enjoy the music, enthusiasm and characters. But what is even worse is how this botched piece of excre**** has become the highest grossing film in the UK and the best selling DVD to boot? Blair, Campbell and New Labour really have reduced the UK to zombies - critical faculties anyone???$LABEL$ 0 +I was giddy with girlish-glee when I found out about this movie shortly after seeing Spirits Within.After years of anticipation, they gave November 2005 release date. Well, November came. And went. Followed by December. Oh, look, today's January 31, 2006. No US release as of yet.Oh well, I'm so glad I had a friend with a bootlegged subtitled copy. ;DWell, the cg was great. Not as good as expected, but near perfect. I cringed, however, at the unnatural movements made by the children throughout the movie. I had thought that we were passed this by now. Also, I didn't really care for the anime look given to their faces. I was under the impression that they were shooting for a realistic look to the film, and yet most of the characters have larger-than-norm eyes, especially the girl characters. They had personality, though, I'll give them that.Even though I'm not a big fan of anime, I do have to say I was impressed with the wild fight scenes. They were animated beautifully and had me hanging onto the edge of my seat.For about the first two.And there-in lies Advent Children's biggest flaw. It's mostly just a bunch of hyper-stylized fight scenes.A FF7 sequel of epic proportions had been promised for years. Instead, they gave us a pretty piece of cg with barely a plot to excuse it's just-under-two-hours running time.Where Final Fantasy is famous for its intricate stories, this movie falls short. You don't really get to know the characters. The only way you'd have any understanding of most of what occurred in the film would have been if you had played the game. We barely got to see them before they were battling it out with whatever current threat.What hurts the fans even more is the awful cameos that the majority of FF7 characters were given. They were nothing more than Cloud's "I'll call if I need you, but I probably won't" back up singers. And, to add to the hurt, they had each character individually throw Cloud higher and higher. This little part here was so cheesy I almost turned it off. I would have been much more impressed if he had just simply jumped up all on his own, ricocheting off of walls to get himself up higher.It hurt even more when they reduced the Turks to less-than-just comic relief. That was fine for the game, but this is cinema. People do not act like cartoon characters in a harsh battle. They took away their dignity :/And, spoiler (yeah right, most of you probably already know, anyhow). Who remembers Darth Maul being hyped up in SW: Episode 1? Yeah, now, picture that, but with Sephiroth. That's right. He had maybe 5 minutes of screen time. Maybe that. End Spoiler :PIf this movie was made for the fans, then way to go Square. If this is any indication of the direction you're taking the FF series, I doubt you're going to be seeing much of my money. I played your games for the wonderful story and the excellent characters.You had a chance to make something epic. Something truly beautiful, a masterpiece that flies in the face of all of the Disney CG films.Instead you gave us a pretty piece of flesh with hardly anything underneath to hold it together. Way to go.And I'm sure if the rest of the fans paused for a moment and tried to just pay attention to everything but the CG they'd know what I'm talking about. Well, I was gonna rate this a 5/10, but after thinking about it while righting this, I'm giving it a 3/10 because they could have done better. They have done better. And this is just sad.If they're gonna remake anything FFVII, they need to do this one first.$LABEL$ 0 +Pola X is a beautiful adaption of Herman Melville's 'Pierre; or, the Ambiguities'. The comments on here surprise me, it makes me wonder what has led to the overwhelmingly negative reaction. The shock value is the least appealing thing about this film - a minor detail that has been blown out of proportion. The story is of Pierre's downfall - and the subsequent destruction of those around him - which is overtly demonstrated in his features, demeanour and idiolect. The dialogue and soundtrack set this film apart from any other I have seen, and turn a fundamentally traditional storyline with controversial twists into an unforgettably emotional epic.I can't stress enough the importance of disregarding everything you have heard about this film and watching, as I did, with an open mind. You will, I hope, be rewarded in the same way that I was. I felt on edge and nervous from around the half-hour mark, however the film is far from scary in any traditional sense. It will leave you with 1,000 thoughts, each of them at once troublesome and thrilling. I know I'm gushing here, but I feel the need to make up for the negative perception of this film. It's the best I've seen all year.$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this movie with my 17 y.o. daughter. I insisted we go the matinée showing, not because I'm a tightwad, but just feeling I had. In the NASCAR spirit, this is a sponser's dream. SO much blatant advertising, it almost qualifies as an info-mercial, if it weren't for the so-called acting. Keeping with tradition, the Herbie franchise continues with its cheesy story lines, the car is only a 'vehicle' (no pun intended)for this cornball of a motion picture. Earlier Herbie installments (although cheesy as well) were produced during more serious times, making them a little easier to digest. Ms. Lohan, Disney's reigning drama queen, has little acting ability. I was surprised that Mr. Keaton and Mr. Dillon would get involved in such a project. Only the snack bar, was a bigger ripoff!$LABEL$ 0 +Directed by E. Elias Merhige "Begotten" is an experiment with a few interesting ideas that don't quite succeed in what they were trying to do. The film is a 76 minute ultra slow, questionably effective, irritating experience that tries to present an intriguing philosophy about the creation of the Earth and human nature.It opens with god presented as a chair-bound psychopathic man who tears open his stomach using a knife. From the guts, blood and human waste Mother Nature emerges. She proceeds to impregnate herself with the dead god's semen. Later she gives birth to the Son of the Earth. A retard who is constantly abused a group of cannibalistic people whom I believe to be the representation of mankind."Begotten" takes a twisted and disturbing look on the origin of life. Demonstrating the self-destructive nature, violence, lust and greed that have become a trademark for mankind. The problem in the movie come from two points. One is that the film is just too slow in it's exhibition. What we get is a good thirty minutes spent on showing how the Son of the Earth is constantly shaking naked on the ground while at the same time being molested and tortured by mankind. Such tasteless prolonging gets boring pretty fast and lacks the punch in delivering a blow to the viewer's senses.Another point is "Beggoten's" visual appearance and sound. The grainy, inverted, black and white low frame cinematography enchants the disturbing factor of the plot, but such novelties often work in only short periods of time. Then gradually begin to lose their effect as the audience becomes accustomed to the look. The audio suffers from the same problems. It's constant repetitive and similar sounds become annoying so fast I had an urge to turn off the volume. "Begotten" loses it's charm shortly after it begins. It tries to be original and creative but it fails to expand on the ideas hinted by the vague plot instead it repeats the same scene again and again.The conclusion is that "Begotten" is stuck in one moment. Even though plot-wise it tries to move forward, the visuals and audio remain the same throughout. Showing the same action in a slightly different way with just slightly a different sound. A gimmick cannot alone make a movie. It also needs pace and variety, something Merhige seems to have forgotten.$LABEL$ 0 +Simply the best Estonian film that I have ever seen, although it is made by a Finnish director Ilkka Järvi-Laturi. Tallin Pimeduses is an entertaining thriller about a bunch of gangsters who are trying to steal a huge amount of gold, a national treasure that belongs to the republic of Estonia. But at the same time it is some kind of a summary of the conditions of many Eastern European countries at that time. In the early 90s Soviet Union fell into pieces and many countries, such as Estonia, became independent. Now the conditions may be better in most of those countries. But in the beginning of the 90s many of those new nations had to fight against corruption and organized crime that the Soviet era had left them as inheritance. (And many of them still do...at least on some level...) Tallinn Pimeduses is a very realistic film of that era with believable characters and with a well-written script. The actors are also very good, especially Jüri Järvet (perhaps the best known Estonian actor, plays Snaut in Tarkovski's Solaris), playing and old gangster who's slowly becoming tired of his way of life. But the most astonishing performance comes from Monika Mäger, a child-actor playing Terje, a boyish girl in her early teens, whose presence in the plot is quite essential. (and her name is not even mentioned in the IMDb-credit list!!!)wThere are not many films in the world that manage to be entertainment and artistic at the same time. But Tallinn Pimeduses does that. Unfortenately Järvi-Laturi's other films are far from this kind of achievements. His first one, Kotia päin was too artificial and his latest, History is Made at Night was just a weird mess.$LABEL$ 1 +This film plays in the 60s and is about an Italian family: Romano, his wife Rosa and their two children Gigi and Giancarlo emigrate from Solino in Italy to Duisburg in the Ruhr area. I like this film, because I think it is quite realistic: it shows problems which many foreign families have when they come to another country: they have to get used to a new culture, a new environment and this can be difficult: especially if you don't know the language.... It is difficult for the family but they find a way: they open a restaurant which offers typical Italian food, and it is named "Solino", like their hometown. The film also shows different conflicts - Gigi and Giancarlo fall in love with the same girl, and although Rosa has to work very hard, Romano refuses to pay money to engage more workers, etc. etc. But stop, I don't want to tell you how it goes on. You should watch the film yourself, it's a nice one - I have also made a Referat about it and examined scenes which show different cultural attitudes. And there are a few...$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie and the original Carlitos Way back to back. The difference between the two is disgusting. Now i know that people are going to say that the prequel was made on a small budget but that never had anything to do with a bad script. Now maybe it's just me, but i always thought that a prequel was made to go set up the other movie, starring key characters and maybe filling in a bit about life that we didn't know. Rise to Power is just a movie that has Carlito's name. There should have been at least a few characters from the original movie, the ending makes no sense in relation to the original. In the end of this movie he retires with his sweet heart but how the hell do we get him coming out of prison in the next movie? And his woman isn't even the same woman that he talks about as his only love in the original. I would say the movie is mildly entertaining in its self, with a few decent bits but it pales when held up to it's big brother. Don't lay awake at night waiting to see this, watch the original one more time if you really need a hit.$LABEL$ 0 +Hayao Miyazaki has no equal when it comes to using hand-drawn animation as a form of storytelling, yet often he is being compared to Walt Disney. That is just so unfair, because it becomes apparent by watching Miyazaki's films that he is the superior artist. He really has a gift of thrilling both grownups and children, and Laputa is indeed one awesome ride.But where can I begin to describe a movie so magical and breathtaking! Miyazaki's works have never cease to amaze me. Laputa is an adventure of a grand scale and I wonder how a film can be so packed with details and imagination. Ask yourself this question: if you are a kid dreaming of an adventure so grand in scope and so magical, what would it be like? The answer would be to strap yourself in some seat and watch Laputa, because it's truly a childhood fantasy come true. Every minute of the movie is rich and engrossing ... from the train chase to the amazing air-flying sequences... and to the wonderous sight of the floating castle itself. Not to mention the excellent score by Joe Hisaishi! Everything you ever possibly want from an adventure movie is here.$LABEL$ 1 +I swear I didn't mean to! I picked this out only since it looked good on the back! This movie wasn't scary at all and actually was very confusing. The demon wind was only actually used a couple of times and people were killed off pretty cheesily. The one major bright spot was seeing Sherri Bendorf from Slaughterhouse play in it. Seeing what happened to her, however, made up my mind for this little turkey of a film. A 3 out of 10. NEXT!$LABEL$ 0 +I love this movie and never get tired of watching. The music in it is great. Any true hard rock fan should see this movie and buy the soundtrack. With rockers like Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne you can't go wrong.$LABEL$ 1 +The best horror/sci-fi movie i have ever seen. I was myself in the Arctic, working for Canadian government , in a small northern station when I see this movie for the first time; needless to say I was in the mood...$LABEL$ 1 +this is by far one of the most pretentious films i have ever seen. it is a tight slap on the face of some Indians who speak in English and were looking at the mirror. disgusting. the bubble gum version of the 1970s politics of the north Indian plains. the message - the educated English-speaking Indian tried to save the poor beggars of India in all earnestness. it ignores the fact that the poor beggars are also capable of and are saving themselves on their own.as a love story its okay. the problem is that the love story and character development is based upon a completely fraudulent version of politics.$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone involved (and the audience) should seek out "The Candidate" to see how good this movie could have been. What happened the South American story? What were Julie Christie and Kate Capshaw thinking to allow their roles to be cardboard cut-outs. Up to now I have liked every Gene Hackman performance and/or movie. He was either disinterested (which I can hardly believe) or dreadfully miscast. I have also liked and defended Richard Gere (and been vilified for it). But here he had no "power". He was never intimidating and only occasionally persuasive. All in all I was very disappointed. I really expected much more from this director and cast. If you can't find "The Candidate" watch "Wag the dog" again or even "Bulworth".$LABEL$ 0 +SPOILER WARNING: There are some minor spoilers in this review. Don't read it beyond the first paragraph if you plan on seeing the film.The Disney Channel currently has a policy to make loads of movies and show one a month on the cable channel. Most of these are mediocre and drab, having a few good elements but still being a disappointment (`Phantom of the Megaplex,' `Stepsister From Planet Weird,' `Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'). Every once in a great while, they make something really, really great (`Genius,' `The Other Me'). But once in a while The Disney Channel makes a huge mistake, and gives us a real stinker. This month (December 2000) The Disney Channel featured `The Ultimate Christmas Present,' which I thought was terrible due to poor writing and worse acting. Apparently, `The Brainiacs.com' was rushed out a few days before Christmas to get a jump on the holiday, because the plot has to do with toys. They even paid for a feature in the TV Guide, so I thought it must be better than the norm. I was in for a complete shock. Only Disney's `Model Behaviour' has been worse than this.The plot was more far-fetched than normal. I usually let that slide, but here it just goes too far. Matthew Tyler gets very sick of his widowed father spending most of his time at work. His father owns a small toy factory that has taken out large loans at a scrupulous bank to stay afloat. Time and time again, his father has to skip out on the plans he makes with his son and daughter. Matthew decides that the only way he can spend time with his dad is if he becomes the boss and orders him to stay home. He gets a hair-brained idea to create a website where kids all around the world can find and send him a dollar to invest in a computer chip that his sister is inventing. That whole concept is full of fallacies. When kids send in millions of dollars, Matthew opens his own company's bank account and buys up most of his dad's business's stock. He is the secret boss, but he doesn't reveal this to his dad, but instead presents himself at board meetings as a cartoon image through a computer. That image itself is so complex (and ridiculous) that it isn't possible for someone to create it at home, much less someone who comes across as stupid as Matthew. To make a long plot short, Matthew orders his dad to spend more time having fun and doing stuff with his kids, but a federal agent shows up inquiring about Matthew's company, as it is fraudulent.There's so much wrong here. As mentioned, the stuff they do here is impossible even for true geniuses, which these kids are not. The website, the cartoon image, the computer chip, even the stuff they are being taught in school, are far too advanced for these kids. The acting by most of the cast, especially Kevin Kilner, is terrible. Some familiar faces are wasted. Dom DeLuise plays the evil bank owner, but his part is a throwaway. He has one good scene with Alexandra Paul (who shows she has the ability to act) in which he explains his motives, but nothing more. And Rich Little is wasted in a small role as a judge. There's even some offensive and uncalled for anti-Russian jokes. But the greatest atrocities are the hard-hammered themes. These themes show up in many of The Disney Channel's films, but never before have these ultra-conservative messages been pounded so strongly. The typical `overworking parent' idea is really pushed hard, and after delivering it inappropriately in `The Ultimate Christmas Present,' seeing it again sours my mood. Family relations are important, but Disney must stop this endless preaching, because working is important to maintaining a workable family, too. Except for cancelling activities thanks to work, the father didn't come across as that bad, but I found it offensive when the grandmother told him `I don't like what I see.' Just as bad is the preaching of the idea that all single parents MUST marry if they want to raise their kids right. Enter Alexandra Paul, whose character, while important to the plot, is there solely to be the love interest for the father. This offensiveness only proves that the Disney brain trust lacks the brains to avoid scraping from the bottom of the Disney script barrel. Instead of letting this movie teach your kids how to commit serious fraud, wait for the next Disney Channel movie. It has to be better than this. Zantara's score: 1 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've just watched this again on the BBC Channel 4. It's not Jane Austen's best novel by any means but the film is a reasonable interpretation. I suspect the Assembly Rooms at Bath would have been rather more crowded than shown; perhaps they couldn't afford the extras. Also why does everyone shut up so that the dancing couple can have an audible conversation? I've never heard anything anyone has ever said to me when I've been dancing and I suspect it would have been the same in the 18/19th century in Bath.I cannot believe the US/Canada reviews; they completely miss the ironic element that is in the film throughout. The "gothic" scenes are quite cleverly presented but you need to read them properly. I'm sure Jane A would be mildly amused by those reviews. A propos of nothing, does anyone else think that Peter Firth gets to look more like Colin Baker (a former Doctor Who) or vice-versa the older they both get?$LABEL$ 1 +I sat through almost one episode of this series and just couldn't take anymore. It felt as though I'd watched dozens of episodes already, and then it hit me.....There's nothing new here! I've heard that joke on Seinfeld, I saw someone fall like that on friends, an episode of Happy Days had almost the same storyline, ect. None of the actors are interesting here either! Some were good on other shows (not here), and others are new to a profession they should have never entered. Avoid this stinker!$LABEL$ 0 +Lulu (Louise Brooks) works as a typist and is missing something in her life. She enters a Miss France contest against the wishes of her boyfriend Andre (Georges Charlia) and she wins. She sets off for the Miss Europe title leaving her boyfriend behind. She wins again but returns home to Andre because he has asked her to. Once back together, her life becomes mundane again so one night she writes a note to him and leaves to experience the fame that is waiting for her as Miss Europe. Andre follows her.....This film is a silent film with a piano music-track all the way through. It is also sped-up so everything seems fast. Limited dialogue has been added on afterwards and it is very phony. The cast are alright bearing in mind that it is a silent film. The best part of the film comes at the end but the story goes on a little too long. After watching this, I'm not really sure what the big deal was over the looks of Louise Brooks - she has a terrible haircut that makes her face look fat. I don't need to watch it again.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't waste your time or money on going to see or even renting it. It is by far the worst move I have ever seen. Its two hours (WAY too long) of your life you're never getting back. If you're looking to be scared, go see something else. We went with someone who still has nightmares about the Gremlins and she wasn't scared in the least.There are so many things that make this movie an incredibly poor attempt at making money. Now before I begin, let me say that I loved the first Grudge! However the second one is something of a different story. The plot is very in-depth and intricate. However in the end you are wondering "what the heck was this or that all about." The acting would be considered poor in a B list pornography film. I could site several examples but I don't want to spoil it for those that are glutens for punishment, but I can sum up two horrible hours in two simple words.... it's spreading.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched the DVD of this movie which also comes with an excellent commentary track (in English). It seems in Cambodia (the subtitles in English say the character is speaking Thai but the movie says Cambodia)a very violent evil man is raising boys to be killers using starvation and training them to fight and kill. He sends Pang to kill some people in China and during the killings a cop's partner is killed. The cop Wai is a loose cannon who is worried about his father who is also a cop who was shot and is in a coma. Wai's chief is his dad's friend and is worried about Wai's erratic behavior. He doesn't know Wai was the one who caught his dad in dealing with drug dealers and shot him and put him into the coma. Pang escapes and hides in a squalid landfill shack where he meets a woman who came here to find her mother and keeps repeating her father won't let her leave (Pang doesn't speak Chinese and doesn't understand this but saves her from her father who appears to be having sex with her maybe this is the reason for Cat III). Wai becomes more and more obsessed with getting Pang but Pang is almost unstoppable. Even after Pang steals a boat and takes the woman to his home where they are married and she becomes pregnant Wai follows and joins the evil man (who's training the boys)making a deal to fight and train so he can get Pang. There is a big showdown between Wai and Pang with the terribly abused woman the major victim and leaving Wai dead and Pang cutting out his child from the dead mother only to die and leave him as the possible next boy to be raised as a killer. This film is beautifully photographed with an excellent soundtrack. There are many very brutal violent scenes. The woman having a long nail pulled out of her foot. Knives to the neck and torso. Guns fired directly to the head. And several very intense beatings. It maybe grim intense and downbeat but it is definitely worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +In case you're a self-acclaimed connoisseur of cult cinema and/or bad movie-making, there comes a certain point in life – preferably sooner than later – that you have to watch "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". It's an inescapable certainty, as this is one of the most notoriously awful cult movies ever made. One tiny but essential detail, however, is that "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is deliberately awful. Right from the opening message already, mocking Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", this is clearly intended as a zero-budgeted parody and I can't escape the impression that writer/director John De Bello never expected for his film to become such a hit. The film spoofs the contemporary popular trend of so-called "eco-horror" movies (plants, animals and nature in general revolting against humanity) and introduces the least menacing type of vegetable imaginable as undefeatable killing machines. A secret government agricultural project to produce bigger and tastier tomatoes goes horribly wrong and soon there are reports about tomato-attacks coming from all over the country. The president puts together a Special Forces team to battle the juicy enemy, which includes secret agents with very specific areas of expertise and scientists with horrendously dubbed voices. The first half hour of "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is very entertaining. As silly as it is, the sight of normally shaped vegetables jumping up from the sink and attacking hysterical housewives is quite original and funny. The first half hour also contains numerous memorable moments like the catchy theme song, the "Jaws" homage and the infamous unforeseen helicopter crash (see the trivia section for more details) that made it to the final cut. After that, however, the whole thing turns into a tedious, unstructured and insufferably amateurish mess. The quality level of the jokes goes from fresh and inventive towards embarrassing and downright not funny and there are too many characters and sub plots. Personally, I prefer the late 80's and early 90's sequels (which I saw before seeing the original) because they benefit from slightly better production values, incredibly over-the-top tomato special effects and the presence of veteran actor John Astin ("The Addams Family") as the mad scientist Dr. Gangreen. But, as said before already, the original inexplicably remains obligatory viewing material at some point in your life.$LABEL$ 0 +Any evening with Jonathan Ross now means to me his wit in first hassling and upsetting with carefully chosen words a 78 year old man by phone and then suggesting he and Russell Brand should house-break and masturbate him while he slept as a way to say sorry for making obscene phone calls to him. Kinky! And illegal. For a really big laugh maybe next time he should try it on someone he knows well, like his Boss? Or a follower of Abu Hamza? Would he be amused if someone did it to one of his daughters?Over all the years I've perhaps seen less than 30 minutes of BBC Star Man Ross's chat show because I find him so loathsome, some of the guests I saw were OK though - probably most of them who ever appeared were OK for all I know. As a chat show it seems pretty poor though – what's so chatty about asking Tory leader David Cameron on this TV programme whether he ever masturbated to photographs of Margaret Thatcher? He chatted up Gwyneth Paltrow by simply asking her if she wanted to f*** him. However, Ross's yob mentality was finally totally exposed with the above revelations, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to warn the few decent folk around the world who might not know just how vile this man is and to steer clear of him and his - unless you think all comedy should be "edgy" ie obscene/vacuous. We're not yet all the same here, although BBC and Channel 4 are jettisoning all standards.In October 2008 Ross with fellow tosser Russell Brand made a series of premeditated sexual obscene phone calls to Andrew Sachs' answer-phone (Manuel from Fawlty Towers), had it broadcast as intended on BBC national radio against Sachs' request and then tried to get Sachs' granddaughter to burn the evidence in case they got prosecuted. A significant number of people over here (probably most of them non BBC license fee payers) found it hilarious and/or that the national scandal had been overblown, but many people apparently still knew right from wrong and 42,851 eventually complained to BBC about the incident. Many unrighteous media fools and others snickered about these 42,851 never having heard the radio programme (and never wanting to) - using their argument they presumably also consider an event such as the Holocaust justified because at the time relatively few people complained to the media, and none of us here now should be horrified by it because we weren't there. The 2 BBC producers initially involved in passing it for broadcast thought it was "very funny and brilliant" comedy and only 2 people complained about Brand's radio programme at the time - which I'm afraid only indicated the moral level his 400,000 weekly listeners had sunk to with the help of BBC expertise. Highly moral BBC tried and failed to use it in mitigation in the later OFCOM investigation. Roll over Aristotle, tell Lord Reith the news! Sachs' agent complained to BBC but was ignored by them until a Tory national newspaper got hold of the story. The penalty for any ordinary pervert doing this would normally be sacking and prosecution, maybe even prison, but while Brand and the Head of BBC Radio 2 were both eventually ordered to resign the multi-millionaire Ross was given a 12 week holiday by BBC's Boss (I suppose that he asked Ross's permission first though if he could dock Ross's pay by £1,500,000, to prevent him from suing) to come back to this programme afresh in 2009 before his contract runs out. All that time to think of more smut and/or more insulting witlessness for his 4,000,000 viewers to admire - but at least he could still chortle his way to the bank as usual to keep his spirits up. Some people think that his position will be untenable and he won't be able to carry on. I think his skin is so thick because the stakes are so high that he will come back unbowed and re-energised with pent up vitriol. (Update 23.01.09: I've just watched the first 5 minutes of his new series - the "most enormous cock-up" - to use his referential phrase - is continuing to allow this sniggering unrepentant law-breaker to take the public's money like this.) But who knows: maybe in the future after the slimy British film & TV industries have comforted him for the moral stance taken by the 42,851 and showered him with awards he will become a Sir for his services to Perversion by the perverts in Government. At the least I hope this pair of edgy deviants sign up with other perverted commercial TV and radio stations and stay there, so I won't be paying for their flouting the law and spouting illegal obscenities in the future. In 2009 OFCOM fined British TV license-fee payers £150,000 for this "sorry" affair - Thanks Ross for offering to pay! Not.To the apologists: Get a life/sense of humour/sense of proportion! It's not the end of the world having a pair of talentless perverts as your heroes and there's far more important things to worry about in this world, like the price of real cheese! To sum up family man Dross: a comedy genius to apparently millions of people (especially himself), merely a nasty obscene phone caller receiving an obscene wage packet from an obscene multimedia company to others. So much for our society of Political Correctness and Respect! As you should've guessed, it doesn't apply to the rich and famous and never will, but only to the poor. To sum up BBC: Stumbling blindly on from Huttongate, Campbellgate, Dykegate, Springergate, Crowngate, Phonegate now Rossgate I hope its next crisis will be Abolitiongate. I also hope anyone who thinks comedy should be always challenging and pushing back boundaries ie offensive aren't challenged or offended by my opinion of this particular law-breaking pervert, his perverted programmes and his current perverted employers.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, this may be one of the worst movies ever, but atleast there are some nice t*ts in it. The movie is a very bad spoof of The Blair Witch Project, and should be watched only by those wanting to see some t*ts, and NO point other than to flaunt them.$LABEL$ 0 +I had the opportunity to see this film twice at the 2006 Moving Picture Festival In Birmingham, Alabama. I enjoyed it so much that I watched it a second time when they had an encore screening.When I think of the films that are shown at festivals, I usually expect them to be edgy and offbeat, often with the feel of an elaborate student project. There's nothing wrong with these types of projects of course, and I enjoy the unique styles of independent films, but sometimes I want to see a more mainstream approach to independent film-making. By "mainstream," I mean more like a film produced for national release - In other words, a movie that you would see in a regular movie theater.The writing, directing, cinematography, casting and acting in this movie are all totally pro. There is nothing typically independent about this film. As an aspiring director, I am always looking for movies that will motivate me to stop procrastinating and push harder to get my career going. This is one of those films. As I watched The Big Bad Swim, my motivation level was incredible. I felt like my adrenaline had kicked in. The reason I felt this way was because I was so impressed with every aspect of this production. I left the theater excited and ready to start writing that long put-off project. When a movie makes me feel like that, I know it's really good. This is the first feature-length project from Ishai Setton and I found myself wishing that It had been my project. For me, that's really rare.See this film. It's beautifully shot and directed, and the casting is excellent. Paget Brewster delivers a very believable and likable performance. She has a quality about her, a charisma, that really draws you in and keeps you focused on her any time she is on screen. She makes you feel like you know her personally as a friend. That's a gift. I think the industry is really missing out by not utilizing her acting abilities more often. Jeff Branson and Jess Weixler also did top-notch jobs. I can not say enough nice things about The Big Bad Swim. I look forward to future projects from all of those involved in its production.$LABEL$ 1 +Eh oui, impossible n'est pas gaulois.Well paced, highly entertaining film. Pretty good command of the French language and knowledge of modern France (and history) are recommended. I don't think this film really works in any other language. The film is incredibly much better than the previous one (In search of...). Apart from great actors and savvy camera handling it's the wit and firework of allusions, word plays etc. that make for a really great movie. The cartoon vorlage is recognizable but the film is very emancipated. The cost of the film is put to good use. Indeed, all the special effects fit 'naturally' into the movie, you never feel choked by them.Bref, oui, les 2CVs, ça traîne un peu mais à part cela, Imhotep!-A neighbour from the other side of the Rhine$LABEL$ 1 +A hard to find film which coasts on the still pervasive mythology of Senator Joe McCarthy as a political demon king. Boyle (as Joe) gives a compelling but historically inaccurate portrayal of the Wisconsin Senator, the caricature McCarthy many take as the real one. Meredith, as wily Army lawyer Joseph Welch, who outsmarted McCarthy at the Army hearings in 1954, is very good, as always.In fact, McCarthy and Cohn were quite right in worrying about the appalling security situation in the Army, and the 1954 Army hearings became enmeshed in the smokescreen used by the Army to deflect the investigation away from their security failings, which the committee were investigating, by counter-charging that McCarthy and Cohn were trying to get favours for their staffer, David Schine, whilst in the service.The film is self satisfied agenda driven polemic, based in the pervasive myths which have passed for the truth with many people for decades-that the "red scare" was essentially phony and McCarthy, HUAC etc were always blasting away at the wrong targets, being no more than lying, career ruining publicity hounds, who were trampling over the constitutional rights of startled innocent liberals, who were accused of being security risks/communists.People who know little about the matter still feel confident in repeating misinformation on McCarthy and the "red scare" to this day-Clooney's Murrow hagiography is an example. The misinformation is pervasive, no wonder people have swallowed it. A recent obit of Budd Schulberg in the serious left wing UK newspaper "The Guardian" headlined that the Hollywood writer "named names" "to McCarthy"- perpetuating the lie that McCarthy "investigated" Hollywood as head of HUAC-the truth being that McCarthy was never even a member of HUAC and he had little interest in the politics of Hollywood types-his investigations were confined almost exclusively to arms of the US government.The mythology about the "red scare" being baseless is now completely exploded by recently opened Soviet and US government documents, if anything McCarthy and co underestimated the sheer scale of Soviet and fellow traveller infiltration in the US, but decades of public misinformation about this period will be hard to correct.One day maybe some really brave Hollywood soul will make a movie telling the truth about how many American men and women clandestinely aided the mass murderer Stalin, and worked to impose his vicious system of government on the western world, giving an accurate account maybe of Joe McCarthy's career-but I won't hold my breath. Till then, we have this mythical, drunken lying scoundrel of popular imagination so familiar in the media...."Tail gunner Joe".$LABEL$ 0 +THE RAP, the book this movie was 'based' on was one of the most difficult books I've ever read. Yet I could not put it down. Raunchy, crude, foul, lewd...you name it, it had it. It also had some of the best characterizations of any novel I've ever read.Well, as for the flick...it was deplorable. I mean, Tim Mcintire as Wasco? Wasco was the baddest mutha...talking 'bout WASCO...Mcintire as Wasco is like casting Tim Conway as Charles Manson.What happened to the MAIN character in the book? Little Arv. He doesn't even exist in the movie...Fast Walking WAS NOT the main dude in the book. Why even name credit this thing with THE RAP? None of the spirit, atmosphere, nastiness, or drama of the book was captured in this movie.For me it was not only a disappointment, but a total waste of time and celluloid.$LABEL$ 0 +Like A Streetcar Named Desire (also directed by Gadg both on stage and screen) Panic In The Streets depicts a New Orleans in which its major claim to fame - the birthplace of Jazz - doesn't even rate a mention. It was Richard Widmark's seventh film and arguably went a long way to establishing him as the fine actor he really was rather than merely a psychotic killer. Gadg himself appears in an uncredited small role as a morgue attendant but the film is rich in talent beginning with Jack Palance (still being billed as Walter Jack Palance)as the local Mr 'Big' followed side-kick Zero Mostel, Barbara Bel Geddes, Emile Meyer, Tommy Rettig plus the rock-solid ever reliable Paul Douglas as the cop who comes round to doc Widmark's point of view. It's a very rewarding movie more so for being little seen. Catch it if you can.$LABEL$ 1 +Slashers.....well if you like horrors its definitely one to see, otherwise don't even bother.It is completely obvious that this film has an extremely low budget, For instance it looks as if the entire film has been shot in a warehouse somewhere, and on numerous occasions you will see the mike boom shadow and the camera mans shadow, trust me you wont need to look for them.Also try to ignore the cheesy actors, if thats what you call them!!The basic outline is a few people decide to go on a game show where they have to survive a night in a big maze due to their being 3 killers on the loose and whoever live's at the end gets rich. Now there is something about this film that keeps you watching and rarely do you find that with a cheap budget horror these days,For example when i watched it i thought to my self i would'nt mind having a go at this game! especially for $12.000.000. so anyway i would recommend you watch it and make up your own mind.$LABEL$ 0 +The story of Farewell to the King is intriguing. An American "deserter" (I had the impression he and his 3 comrades were only trying to escape capture in the Philippines as their desperate escape by raft to Borneo is not your classic desertion). But no sooner do they come ashore when they are discovered by the Japanese. Nolte's character (a sergeant) has only moments earlier walked down the beach alone and was not noticed. And incredibly, no one noticed his footprints in the sand which would have led the Japanese right to him. But anyway, Nolte is taken in by a tribe of headhunters and becomes their king after defeating another tribesman. So he's out of the war. Then the British commandos show up and want the tribe to assist them in fighting the Japanese.Unfortunately, Nolte's incessant hamming ruins an interesting story. Instead of acting like a former soldier thrust back into the war, now with a tribe of warriors under his command, Nolte acts like he was raised by the tribe. He speaks as if English is almost a foreign language, rarely using contractions. He makes sweeping gestures when he talks, and acts like he is one with nature, as if he was raised in the jungle.There is plenty of action and many interesting scenes with the British interacting with Nolte and the tribe. But Nolte's character is never believable. It always looks like he's overacting. He needed to be a little more of an American soldier and a lot less of a tribesman. As it is, he comes across, not as a regal king, but as a lunatic who has forgotten who he really is. But that is not the intent of the film, as the script has him being admired and trusted by the British commandos. There is never any suggestion that the British thought his behavior was strange. He is simply viewed by the British as the defacto leader of the tribe. Thus, it always seems that Nolte's character isn't fitting in with what's supposed to be happening in the film.Another actor might have done a great job with the role, delivered his lines believably, and made it an outstanding movie. But Nolte ruins the film by hamming up every scene and appearing to not understand what his character is supposed to be.What a waste.$LABEL$ 0 +Many people like to point to this TV movie when arguing with the vast legions of Hanks-philes out there that Tom did in fact make crappy films (I think "Bachelor Party" was great, but that's another story). The movie focuses on a "Dungeons and Dragons-style game" that eventually drives our young Gump to hallucinatory madness. The story is charmingly early 1980s, focusing as it does on the imminent threat to our youth posed by those evil role-playing games.I, however, prefer to view "Mazes and Monsters" as the turning point in the "Whatever Happened to Chris Makepeace?" story. we all remember him as 'Rudy the Rabbit' in "Meatballs" and as the hapless Clifford in "My Bodyguard", where he gave us all a vicarious thrill by beating the crap out of Matt Dillon. Few could argue (especially those of us who read "Dynamite!" on a regular basis) that great things were in store for him.And then came Rona Jaffe. The line between bad acting and bad writing is razor thin, so I leave it to you to decide whose fault Makepeace's performance in this is. All I know is that the last major release I saw him in was "Vamp", and that was 1986. He had a small role as Sean Penn's brother in "Falcon and the Snowman", but by that time the Brat Pack torch had been passed to others with straighter hair and flashier resumes.I can't in good conscience recommend this movie. Watch it if only to see a younger, more idealistic Chris Makepeace, before Rona Jaffe feasted on his soul.$LABEL$ 0 +It was probably just my DVD---but I would not recommend that anyone try to watch this picture on a DVD.I had to turn up the volume on my TV to the highest possible level, in order to hear about 80 percent of the dialog. Some of the talking still remained sub-audible. If you're from Scotland, you might have a chance, albeit a slim one.Peoples voices were drowned out by nearly all ambient sounds, including unwrapping a package, footsteps, even puffing on a cigarette. With the volume turned up to a level at which voices can be heard, I can guarantee that at least one of your neighbors will phone the police when the scene changes to a loud environment, such as a disco. And that you will injure yourself diving for the remote to turn it back down.There is art and there is art, even in the field of audio mixing. But this effort, in a time of war, would meet international criteria to be classified as an atrocity.After about a half hour, I gave up, having seen nothing else redeeming in the picture, either.$LABEL$ 0 +I hate to even waste the time it takes to write 10 lines on this atrocity. Hyung-Rae Shim is lucky that bad film-making isn't a capital crime or he'd be put to death twice for writing and directing this disaster. I'm amazed that this film had a $75m budget, but actually glad in the sense that it was such a tremendous flop, that Shim will hopefully, never get to make another movie the rest of the life and, therefore, not waste any more of filmgoers time. I would think the actors would have gotten together and lynched him by now.With the effects resources available to them, a great film could have been made with this budget. As usual, the failure should have been spotted at the very beginning with the terrible script and story. "Transformers" was another visual feast with a weak script, but this makes it look like "Citizen Kane".$LABEL$ 0 +WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS The ripples in the wake of the first "Jaws" movie were still prominent in the 1980s as well as beyond. Movie monsters went from being radioactive monstrosities to unknown and voracious beasts lurking in the unexplored corners of human experience (ie: the ocean, deep space, genetics). Although "Jaws" was a milestone in this particular realm of film horror, few films have been able to match the visceral impact of the original. "Shark rosso nell'oceano" (aka Devil Fish or Red Ocean), is a dutiful follower of the original "Jaws" formula. After several hapless boats and seagoers are brutally murdered by some ocean creature, there is an initial drive to discover the beast, then a failure to study it without horrible results, and a final push to destroy it. Although the filmmakers attempted to inject some fresh life into the equation by adding elements of technology and corporate conspiracy, the result is nothing short of disastrous. This movie sinks under its own weight of ghastly editing, brittle acting, and cheap scares. The most sickly compelling feature of "Devil Fish" is its cookie-cutter editing. From the onset of the film when 3 different scenes are mashed together, the viewer gets a sense that the film lacks any technical credibility. It appears as if the editors cut the scenes around a set musical score instead of cutting the film and then making necessary changes to the music. Furthermore, every cut is an intercut and it would appear as if the editors had never heard of the terms "fade", "wipe", or "dissolve". The impact of scenes can never settle in because they are immediately cut short after a final line and a new scene begins. Silly camera tricks abound such as when two of the principle characters share a private moment on the beach and a sort of time-lapse image of their act is composited over their bodies. The music is equally bland. The creature theme is a hopeless duplicate of the "Jaws" theme with slight variation. Although I like to keep my reviews devoid of MST3K influence, Mike most aptly described the somber score as "soft core porn music". Failing to produce tension in a film that relies so heavily on it is a death blow to "Devil Fish". The acting is stale, the relationships baffling, and the whole conspiracy is laughable. The question remains that if genetics had advanced to such a level to create a huge chimera of a sea monster to protect oceanic interests, why couldn't a more practical use be administered to better mankind? One of the few positive aspects of this film is the idea of the monster, even though its film presence is less than stellar. Overall, this movie is bad enough to dip below mediocre. If "Jaws" had never been made, then the film could be described as average because its subject matter would be new and exciting even if it was executed ineffectively. Sadly, as a carbon copy of Spielberg's original thriller it sits most comfortably on a garbage heap of cheese.$LABEL$ 0 +When I bought 4 DVDs for £5.oo in a local shop it should have been warning enough that this movie was not up to the usual standard of David Selznick Productions. With a cast containing such names as James Stewart and Carole Lombard I was looking forward to a real treat. As many other commentators have said it is an odd mixture of plot and scenes that doesn't quite convince. HOWEVER, I am so glad that I did view this film as I now have the memorable saying 'Never let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon.' to live by. This should sum up everyone's life. Pick out those seeds or spit them out or swallow them - and then enjoy the watermelon - life itself.$LABEL$ 0 +back in my high school days in Salina Kansas, they filmed something called "The Brave Young Men Of Weinberg" locally, and the film crews were rather prominent for weeks. eventually, we learned that the film was "Up The Academy", and was a bit ummm, "lower brow" than we had been led to believe. I had to see it, since I was there, and the local audiences seemed less than pleased at the showing. I was 17, and thought it was a rather artless attempt at a post "Animal house" type of comedy, right down to the fart jokes. Watched it many times since, and my opinion has mellowed a bit. it's dumb, but at times it catches a bit of the "mad" magazine humor, at least as well as most "Mad TV". Ron Liebman might hate it, but he is nearly perfect, and unforgettable. For me, my favorite moment would have been a brief scene on Santa Fe avenue, where I had parked my car, while I was buying some guitar strings. Too bad my Pinto's brief appearance, usually seems to get cut for TV. haven't seen the new DVD, but if my old pinto is visible, they've got a sale.$LABEL$ 1 +"House of Games" is a flawlessly constructed film, and one of the few films I have seen that had me gaping at the screen in astonishment at how cleverly and unexpectedly it ends. I first saw it on video a few years back after reading Roger Ebert's review, which proclaimed it the best film of 1987. I had my doubts, mainly because it is not quite as well known as other films from that year. Boy, was I in for a surprise. This was one of the smartest, most well-written movies I had ever seen.The screenplay is quite a piece of work, not only in terms of the plot (which twists and turns and pulls the rug out from under you just when you think you have it all figured out), but also in terms of character development. On my second viewing, I began to realize that Mamet's screenplay succeeds not only as a clever suspense film, but that each plot development contributes to our understanding of the characters and their motivations. The climax of the movie is particularly effective, because it is absolutely inevitable. It stems naturally from what we know about the characters, and it is therefore much more than just an arbitrary twist ending. The performances by Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna also add enormously to the film. I cannot picture any other actor besides Mantegna playing the role of Mike, and Crouse plays her role with just the right amount of restraint to suggest a repressed criminal mindset. Their work, plus Mamet's extraordinary screenplay, combine to create one of the greatest films of the 1980's. It is truly a must-see.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the cornerstones of low-budget cinema is taking a well-known, classic storyline and making a complete bastardization out of it. Phantom of the Mall is no exception to this rule. The screenwriter takes the enduring Phantom of the Opera storyline and moves it into a late '80s shopping mall. However, the "Phantom's" goal now is simply to get revenge upon those responsible for disfiguring his face and murdering his family. The special effects do provide a good chuckle, especially when body parts begin appearing in dishes from the yogurt stand. Pauly Shore has a small role which does not allow him to be as fully obnoxious as one would expect, mostly due to the fact that his fifteen minutes of MTV fame had not yet arrived. If you're looking for a few good laughs at the expense of the actors and special effects crew, check this flick out. Otherwise, keep on looking for something else.$LABEL$ 0 +Now, I flicked onto this just out of curiosity and had to keep watching - in the same way that you watch a car crash...I appreciate the fact it's a spoof, but that should not stop me from criticising the god-awful directing, acting and dialogue. Seriously, this rated as one of the poorest movies I have seen - it looked more like an episode of Tales from the Cryptkeeper, and a poor one at that...Okay - a few criticisms (1) when the doctor had his heart attack in front of the monster (we never see the monster attack him, so we assume its a heart attack), the army then launch shells, rockets, bullets at the monster - which was feet from the doctor - yet the doctor is not touched by any missile and is still alive (2) the army attack from about 100 yards away, and we see a flame-thrower being used - geez, those things have a range of no more than 30 metres! (3) when the monster tries to take the professor, the soldiers run into the classroom and fire into the ceiling; the monster drops the kid, and the soldiers don't try to shoot the monster??? come on! (4) the monster looks like it something out of Power Rangers! (5) there is one scene where the five "good guys" (the priest, the girl, the doctor, the reporter and the kid) all look shocked and we get reactions (along the lines of hand to mouth) one after the other - so natural! (6) the general just runs away, time after time (7) the general refuses to try electricity and wouldn't listen (8) the acting is awful (9) did I mention the rubber suit monster???? (10) that god-awful music, non-stop!$LABEL$ 0 +This is primarily about love in WWII, yet we must remember that it's also a biopic for Dylan Thomas and those around him at this particular stage in his life.The movie's timing is just great. It really captures what I think would have been the spirit during those times; smiling and hoping you're not going to get bombed. While it may prove boring to some, the movie does have a particularly dangerous edge to it.At one point, my heart was racing towards the end as the movie hits its climax. It really does feature some poignant moments that are handled with skill by the four main actors. Cillian Murphy is on fine form here, as is Matthew Rhys. Both are polar opposites and it makes for an interesting watch. The relationship formed between Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley's characters is wonderful and we have the acting to thank (and watch out for a cameo by Suggs of 'Madness'). Despite all of this, it's a rather slow movie. Coupled with the fact it's just shy of two hours, it's quite a slog to get to the conclusion.Overall, it's a solid non-fiction war movie with many wonderfully crafted moments that were no doubt helped by the splendid number of well-known British names behind the scenes. But it really does drone on for too much at times. Still, a worthwhile watch. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Man oh man! What a piece of crummy film-making! But this is a guilty pleasure from my childhood even though I hate to admit it. They showed this movie on my basic cable system all the time. Where I grew up in San Jose, California (right on the border of Cupertino) we had this thing called The G Channel on our cable system. And they basically showed the same one movie over and over and over again. Wanda Nevada was one of those movies. I fell in lust and love with the young Brooke Shields and loved her dopey adventures in the Grand Canyon in the 1940s. The script makes almost no sense, the direction is poor, the few highlights are that Henry Fonda makes an appearance, a lot of dialog that's so bad it's good and a nice Carole King song played over the end credits. Maybe you have to be stoned to truly enjoy this flick. And hey, everybody knows there ain't no gold in the Grand Canyon!$LABEL$ 0 +To sum this movie up, it is LaBute carrying his sadism over into the realm of comedic farce. The predictable result is that he is constantly stepping on all the jokes by insisting on surrounding them with blood-curdling violence and extremely hateful characters. There is also evidence of his continuing efforts to insult and ridicule everything in sight but then to apologize for it with weak gestures to the PC. Basically the movie just doesn't work, its plot is beyond contrived, the characters are one-dimensional cliches, there is no consistency or development of anything, and the comedy (where it is not totally out of place) is the worst kind of High Concept drivel.Morgan Freeman and Renee Zellweger are completely wasted on characters that seem like parodies of studio-driven audience pandering--no matter what, make them likeable, neutral (and neutered), and full of moral platitudes. Crispin Glover is in here just long enough to convince you that he doesn't belong in movies anymore. Chris Rock actually has negative chemistry with fellow hitman Freeman--it's as if they are acting in different rooms even when they are two inches away from each other. In effect, Chris Rock seems like a digital insert. At least he isn't as annoying as Jar-Jar.LaBute's 15 minutes may well be up by now. It's already looking like he's overstayed his welcome.$LABEL$ 0 +Cave Dwellers, or The Blade Mater, or whatever it's called, is in one word: VILE! I saw this on MST and I laughed not only at the great running commentary, but at the inept film making that was demonstrated. Sunglasses, tire tracks and where did Ator get a hang glider? Then they lift a few shots from another movie, Where Eagles Dare as Tom Servo points out. To show just how cheap this movie really is, watch the scene where Ator and Thong have to battle invisible swordsmen. Or even better, look for the giant hose dressed up like a snake that Ator must wrestle! And what exactly do those scenes in the credits have to do with the movie?$LABEL$ 0 +This one hearkens back to the days of the matinée, when kids with nowhere else to hang out took their dates to the balcony after dumping their younger siblings below. It didn't matter what was on the screen - the little kids would sit through it and the big kids would ignore it. The adults, of course, would never see it.But they put it on video, anyway, along with most of the other creaky, low-budget "B" horror flicks of the golden age...of television. This film's inherent and unintentional humor is derived from stale ideology (the "bad girls" harvested to replace poor Jan's crushed body - they had it comin'), overused plot (a mad scientist, trying to play God), violent yet conscientious monster (whose presence in the heretofore-normal-seeming scientist's rural lab is never fully explained), and acting that polarizes at wooden or over-the-top.This is a great party film, assuming your guests enjoy adding dialog and commentary to otherwise abominable cinematic exploits. In fact, should you or your guests prefer more passive entertainment, this film is also available on video in its "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment, in which the host and puppets of the cult TV series make the necessary additions for you.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched the show 10 years ago and loved it!!! Am now in possession of the DVD and was watching the series, and waiting for scenes I knew were in the show (when Lucas confronts Gail in his house)and realized it was missing - all of a sudden I was watching the seduction without the lead up. Then I went on line to check out all the BIOS of the stars and came across the comments about the shows being out of order. Thank You!!!!! But there seems to be some conflict. Some comments state "Strangler number 19 then Triangle 20, when another had them around the other way. And also Potato Boy 5, and Dead to the World 6, were reversed as well. Can someone clarify?????$LABEL$ 1 +For three quarters of an hour, the story gradually develops towards a pivotal point of some sort. Although it is overburdened with scenes that just seem to be intended to dull the viewer and lure him away from the actual plot, there is something happening. It is not much and it certainly is not obvious. The combination of palace impressions and story-driving scenes do not add any depth or insight to the whole cast of characters. In fact, they keep them sterile as there is no character development at all. Everybody just remains spinning and centered around their own cliché and role - the cute, kinda headstrong girl; the fighting überwoman, the snobby aristocrat. The male lead does not seem to have any distinction at all, he is a shallow presence, which, actually, doesn't even matter as he is only there because the storyboard required him to - it seemed like he was on vacation and got caught up. When the point comes of turning the corner in terms of what happening, the movie first snaps completely blank for a couple of minutes and then becomes ridiculous. It solves - or better, dissolves - itself with a by-the-book Deus Ex Machina, more clichés and some of the most crude plot devices and choices I have ever seen. It's history, alright. First the movie's a drama though it's supposed to be comedic, and then it turns into a farce. The protagonists do what they are expected to do, and there are no surprises. The first set of somewhat serious antagonists however gets replaced by a couple that literally was just bored. Maybe that was some kind of nod towards the audience.This movie does not get any bonus from me for underlying philosophical meaning (since there is none) nor for its technical realization. The animation and editing is fair and so's the sound mixing; but it is by no means outstanding or even above the average Japanese productions of the late 1980's. In fact, the visual treats seem static, un-inspired and un-original.Worst of all - it totally fails to entertain, even if you don't bother with characters and all that stuff. There's too little going on here, and the rest is corny at best. Get a real Ghibli instead, have a feast with it and keep your fingers off this one.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a film where the actors are all fine, especially Brigitte Bako and Erik Palladino, in a film where every one of the three couples meet in a situation that feels verrrrry forced to be either cute or to set the story in motion. In other words, it feels like they are contrived movie scenes, not like real life. Even if women who work at peep parlors ever go out with one of their customers, it just doesn't seem realistic at all the way it is written in this film. Also, when one of the characters meets the overweight woman in the film, it feels artificial, the way they look at each other seconds after arguing. Again, the actors are all good, and moments of this film are nice, but overall yet another indie that could have used some rewriting before production got rolling.$LABEL$ 0 +Martin Lawrence is not a funny man i Runteldat. He just has too much on his mind and he is too mad which trips his puns pretty early in the game. He tries to make fun of critics, which boils down to "f*** them". Then he goes on to rather primitive sexual jokes on smokers with throat cancer and it just goes downhill from there. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This is a thriller with a good concept, good acting, good photography and good intentions all around, but which is confused and disjointed in execution.Garcia stars as John Berlin, an L.A. forensic detective who has moved to a small California town at the behest of a friend of his on the force there. He soon becomes involved in the investigation of an unsolved murder which leads to his theorizing about the existence of a serial killer whom no one else believes in. The known victim is theorized to be blind, which leads to a romance with a blind girl - believed to be a witness - at a nearby school for the blind.Despite a basically intriguing story there were too many quantum leaps and plot holes in this movie where I found myself wondering, 'how the hell did we wind up here?' or 'how did we find this out?' I found it confusing and disjointed, despite the good acting, etc. John Malkovich has a small part toward the end as an F.B.I. investigator out to get Berlin.Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was beyond disappointment. Well acted story that means nothing. The plot is ridiculous and even what story there is goes absolutely nowhere. It truly isn't worth a nickel, buffalo or otherwise..pun intended!$LABEL$ 0 +Doyle had never wanted to resurrect Holmes from his joint death with Professor Moriarty in THE ADVENTURE OF THE FINAL PROBLEM. However,financial considerations made him willing (in 1901) to write THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, which is still considered his best Holmes' novel and possibly his best novel. But it was a "memoir" of the great detective, written before his death. Only a greater outcry from his public led Doyle to fully resurrect Holmes in THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE, published in 1905.It is not that the new short stories (and the last novel) are really bad. Maybe three of the stories are really terrible, but even the terrible ones are very readable. Several of the later ones (like THE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLIST) are really very good. But the unevenness of production (in particularly after the stories in HIS LAST BOW (1917)) become increasingly apparent. He repeats past story lines, and he shows really negative aspects of Holmes. In the story THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GABLES Holmes shows a sneering sarcasm at a character who is of African ancestry. SPOILER COMING UP:THE ADVENTURE OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON deals with Holmes trying to recover compromising letters from Milverton, a hugely successful blackmailer. It is an interesting example of how Doyle could make a highly readable story with a minimum of plot for there is little real detective work in the tale. Holmes is hired to try to negotiate with Milverton regarding the purchase of the letters, but to get them back no matter what! Milverton proves not only unwilling to consider a smaller amount for the papers but prepared to protect himself from Holmes attempting a search of his person. Later we learn Holmes has gotten into the household of Milverton by romancing a maid while disguised. At the end Holmes goes with Watson to burglarize Milverton's home. He and Watson are in the house when they find that Milverton is awaiting some new business deal in his study (someone with information that Milverton can use). Carefully hiding, Holmes and Watson watch as a woman comes in, who turns out to be a victim of collateral damage from Milverton's past activities, and who shoots the blackmailer to death. Holmes and Watson are able to set fire to Milverton's collection of compromising documents before fleeing the house, and subsequently discover (for themselves) the identity of the woman. The police (under Lestrade) don't discover who the two mysterious men seen running from Milverton's home are, and they are so disgusted by Milverton's activities (they never were able to bring anything home against him) that it is obvious the murder will never be solved.The tale is not one of the fascinating ones with real detective work involved like THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND or SILVER BLAZE. It is a tale of mood and late action - the issue being will Holmes and Watson get the papers or will they be caught by Milverton? It is not one of the best stories, but it is in the bulk of the tales as being really well told and interesting.At the time he wrote CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON, Conan Doyle had an experience with the police regarding his sometimes activities as a highly respected amateur detective/crusader. An artist was found murdered in his studio in London, and Conan Doyle began writing his opinions about how the killing was committed. Then he stopped - apparently warned by his friends at Scotland Yard that the murder did not bare looking into. The victim had been a homosexual, and the police were certain that it was a lover's spat gone horribly wrong. For the sake of the family of the Victim (this was in 1905) Doyle dropped his interest in the case. So he was aware that sometimes the British police behaved with restraint on matters that did not seem to justify their full probing - as Lestrade's restraint towards whoever did kill the villainous Milverton in the story.Given the description of the story it could have been told in the normal hour long version of the series. But the teleplay for THE MASTER BLACKMAILER spent some time showing the horrible dilemma Milverton's victims (in Victorian/Edwardian England) faced. We see a promising young aristocratic army officer kill himself when faced with a homosexual exposure because of Milverton's extravagant demands, all at the start of the teleplay. And it is not only homosexuals. Men and women of good reputation in heterosexual marriages could be smeared by uncovering illegitimate children or past indiscreet relationships. Indeed, in the story, the woman who kills Milverton is avenging the destruction of her husband (a prominent nobleman) destroyed by the blackmailer. Milverton is well played at his most poisonous blandness by that fine actor Robert Hardy, who even when confronted by the unexpected furies he has unleashed is totally unperturbed (he looks like he will just have the angry woman showed out of his home in a moment). Brett and Hardwicke do quite well in their Holmes and Watson roles, as to be expected.How serious was the loss of character by rumor or innuendo in 1905? In 1898 one of the heroes of the various imperial wars, and the leader of the last victorious charge at the battle of Omdurman that destroyed the Mahdist army (see FOUR FEATHERS) was Sir Hector MacDonald. He was governor of Ceylon in 1903 when he suddenly, unexpectedly resigned. Sir Hector returned to London, and shot himself in a hotel while awaiting some sort of hearing. It later came out that "Fighting Mac", frequently considered the most popular army commander in Britain, had been caught having sleeping arrangements with native boys. Milverton would have eaten him up very quickly...or his real life counterparts would have.$LABEL$ 1 +It was disgusting and painful. What a waste of a cast! I swear, the audience (1/2 full) laughed TWICE in 90 minutes. This is not a lie. Do not even rent it.Zeta Jones was just too mean to be believable.Cusack was OK. Just OK. I felt sorry for him (the actor) in case people remember this mess.Roberts was the same as she always is. Charming and sweet, but with no purpose. The "romance" with John was completely unbelievable.$LABEL$ 0 +"Life stinks" is a parody of life and death, happiness and depression. The black and the white always present in our lives. Mel Brooks performance is brilliant as always, and the other actors work is fine too. This movie has some Capra flavor, that´s why is so good.There are some unforgettable gags such as the one when Brooks tries to earn some money dancing in the street, and all the people passing by just ignore him, or when he meets a funny crazy man who believes is Paul Getty and then start arguing and slapping each other.If you haven´t seen it, you don´t know what you´ve missed.This movie tells us about the old and eternal struggle of the poor against the rich. The only difference between this movie and reality is that this movie has a happy ending, and reality hasn´t.Yes indeed, Life Stinks.$LABEL$ 1 +This was such a terrible film, almost a comedy sketch of a noir film.The budget was low compared to a blockbuster, but still higher than most.But its where they've decided to cut costs that is totally weird.Some actors are at least competent, while others look like they just been dragged off the street.One of them being the lead actor, hes so very bad that i cringed when ever he said anything (he talks through the ENTIRE movie).Then there's the weird costume choices.At the start of the movie all characters are wearing 1930's clothes.They drive a classic car, but the background is a modern day windfarm thats blatantly state of the art.And the costumes and some settings continue to follow this 30's film noir theme.Then BAM in drives a brand new escalade with 24 inch rims....WTF.Same thing again when a guy has a night scope on his rifle, you get a shot down its sight.Hes aiming at a guy with an mp5 and tactical gear on.In a even stranger contrast the locations are brilliant, and seem to have cost more than the rest of the entire film.The camera shots/angles a very good, and show these locations brilliantly in the scenes.The director has a keen eye for a good looking single shot, but no idea how to do much else.People who should be shot for this film▼The writer The director The casting agent The costume designerPeople who should be tortured to death for their monotone, monotonous nails on chalk board voice.▼Anton Pardoe- the lead actor, writer, producer If you ever seen the movie Hostel, i wish that would happen to this guy, but he doesn't escape.$LABEL$ 0 +Because I would have never ever seen this movie through to the end. Although there are some, but not many, funny moments in this movie I couldn't understand more than about 15%(the fancy English couple in the 3rd story included) of what people were saying. Three short stories, none with a real point, with just some of the most miserable and lifeless people I could have imagined and a load of foul language. Didn't find it funny, didn't find it amusing, didn't find any sense in it. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +All of the X-Men movies were great. And I mean all of them, including the long hated X-Men 3. They had solid characters (Magneto and Xavier were the best ones, in my opinion), and a good story arch.I was all excited when I heard this movie was on production, and my expectations grew bigger and bigger until I saw the movie. I was so disappointed.Hugh Jackman is not a bad actor (his best movie is The Fountain, although you won't hear about this movie when they talk about the actor), and his acting is not what screws the movie up.The whole film is plagued with lots of meaningless characters that add nothing to the plot (like Blob or Gambit), which were tossed there to make fans believe that the film makers had read the original comics.I am a fan of XMen, I have read many, many of their stories and this movie respected none of them. None. Not even the continuity. It doesn't respect Weapon X project, or the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth, or Emma Frost, the motivations for wolverine are plain stupid and seen in millions of movies: Revenge for the death of a loved one.Oh. What I was expecting the whole darn movie was a Berseker moment for Wolverine similar to the one he has in X2 in the school when Stryker men come in and he alone decimates the enemy forces, but hey, this is Fox, this a family flick and you will not see explicit violence from the most violent and gruesome Marvel hero.Besides, I had a feeling of constant dejá vù with this movie because Wolverine's Origins are already explained in X2, we already know how he got his adamantium skeleton so it kind of does not make sense to make a movie of something we already know.I personally believe that wolverine is one of those few characters that does not need a solid back-story because mystery is the nature of the character. Do we really want to know how the Joker got his scars?$LABEL$ 0 +This film takes a lot of liberties with the known historical facts.Even little things like Flynn licking one stamp after another, when he almost certainly would have used a moistened sponge, is one of the annoying things. Flynn was never tried of manslaughter or murder. He is not known to have caught his mother making love to another man, and is not known to have had an homosexual relationship with anybody, and he did not end up on skid row in Sydney. He did not get his twopenny-halfpenny role in In the Wake of the Bounty by imposture and this role did not turn him into a well-dressed film star. This is just a mediocre film where the name of Errol Flynn has been tacked on just to sell more tickets and more videos.$LABEL$ 0 +Some amusing humor, some that falls flat, some decent acting, some that is quite atrocious. This movie is simply hit and miss, guaranteed to amuse 12 year old boys more than any other niche.The child actors in the movie are just unfunny. When you are making a family comedy, that does tend to be a problem. Beverly D'Angelo rises above the material to give a funny, and dare I say it, human performance in the midst of this mediocrity.$LABEL$ 0 +I feel really bad for reviewing this movie because I wish that I had only watched it as a concept production. The Covenant looked like it could have been a really original piece, but sadly they lose the great idea in the translation to the screen.The story follows four (five) teens that are the descendants of the families that started the town of Ipswitch a survivors of the Salem witch trials. They also happen to be a part of the secret sect called "The Covenant". Their power must be used sparingly as it drains their life-force in small amounts and is highly addictive. In theory this would make a pretty good action sci-fi movie…or at least an interesting teeny flick.But there were just too many glaring downfalls that don't allow this movie to reach its plot's full potential. That acting wasn't good, the sound track was mediocre and we found a lot of unnecessary sync issues. For sure the biggest issue is the poor editing job. The movie has little to no coherent flow and makes one fight to keep a mental timeline or any feel of pacing.The movie has it's moments, but overall was a little disappointing.A witchy 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Book of Revelations starts very well. Daniel, an egomaniac dancer is kidnapped, abused and sexually raped by three masked women.After that, nothing else really happens. There is some hint of rediscovery but the movie gives nor explanation nor a real ending. Daniel reactions after the abuse are very basic. He quits dancing, has sex with every women around and finally starting a relation with very simple and common woman.I have seen a good share of art-house movies but this has something missing in it.The main leads are fine; but some characters does not seems to be completely defined.$LABEL$ 0 +It's boring.It's slow.Where are the nasty and brutal murders? Where is the tension that is supposed to scare us? This is like watching Sesame Street without the funny characters of Ernie and Bert or Grover.It's really lame.Maybe it was the writing...maybe the direction...maybe the acting, maybe the editing, maybe the cinematography, maybe the special effects, maybe the makeup.Maybe all of the above brought this to something barely able to keep your eyes focused on.I wanted to get scared...not bored.This didn't scare me...it didn't even interest me...I had more fun watching the time on the microwave instead of watching this film.Don't bother to buy it..and if you see it on television by some freak chance, there is no need to tuck the kids asleep.$LABEL$ 0 +Another lame attempt to make a movie "gritty" and "thought provoking"- whatever the hell that means. They have Al Pacino say a lot of words like - "Television killed football." Yeah whatever. This is another movie that showcases Oliver Stone's Delusions of Grandeur. If Stone is trying to show us that football will be our downfall or something, why does he insist on romanticizing the sport with his stilted camera movements and Kid Rock songs? He even throws Cameron Diaz into the fray for purely aesthetic reasons. It's a shame that Diaz and Pacino have to meet in a movie that is so bad.Ever since "Scent of Woman," writers and directors have used Pacino to romanticize their pathetic lines. His characters are nothing more than loudspeakers - their voices covering up what would normally be redundant and trite. He needs to reinvent himself, showing how he can act without yelling. He has to stop feeling sorry for hokey scripts with cheesy lessons like "Organized football is messed up," and act out a good story.$LABEL$ 0 +A delightfully unpretentious send up of Romeo and Juliet. Approach with no expectations other than having a good time and you will enjoy this one. A talented group of comic actors let go and have a riot in this light-hearted performers' vehicle. Bad reviews were due to a snobbishness about treatments of Shakespeare. Some people feel that all film must be "important" ---If you share those views, don't bother. The credits read "introducing" Angelina Jolie, which is not even close to being true, but she is astoundingly beautiful as the Juliet character, and, as always, her acting is wonderful--- and, considering her age at the time, even her dialect is pretty good. Recreating this classic tale with feuding Italian families in the catering business in New York results in great fun. See it in the right frame of mind and you will laugh out loud.$LABEL$ 1 +Ostensibly a story about the young child of Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. The kid gets kidnapped to keep his parents quiet. They know something about a plot to assassinate the ambassador of an unnamed country during a performance at Albert Hall in London.The movie is rich in Hitchcockian incidents. A friendly but opaque Frenchman seems to grill the innocent Stewart -- a doctor from Indiana -- a little too intensely to be merely idly curious. Later the Frenchman shows up in Arab disguise, a knife in his back, and whispers some information about the murder plot to Stewart. Stewart tells his wife -- Doris Day looking very saucy indeed -- but refuses to cooperate with the police and risk his son's life.Instead the couple try to track down the assassins, buy them off, and get their son back, taking them from Morocco, where Hitchcock has given us his usual tourist's eye view of the customs, locations, and food, to London. There is a hilarious wild goose chase involving a set-to between Stewart and the staff of a taxidermy shop. The staff are more concerned about guarding their half-stuffed specimens than anything else, and they shuffle around protectively holding the carcasses of a leopard and a swordfish. In the course of the scuffle, Stewart manages to save his throat from being cut by the swordfish bill, but is bitten on the hand by a stuffed tiger, the action boosted along by Bernard Hermann's bumptious score. The scene ends with Stewart rushing out the door. Hitchcock ends it with a shot of a lion's head gaping at the slammed door. There is also a running gag, well done, about some visitors waiting around the couple's hotel room in London, waiting for things to be explained.There are two serious issues that are lightly touched on. One is the relationship between Stewart and Day, which is not as rosy as it ought to be, considered as a bourgeois ideal. She's been a stage musical star for some years and is internationally known. And she's given it all up to marry an ordinary guy who happens to be a doc. That's understandable in, say, a nurse or a flight attendant or almost any woman other than an international star with a promising career in her own right. It isn't delved into, but the edginess is noticeable, as it was not in the original version. It reminds me a little of an exchange between Joe Dimaggio and his then-wife Marilyn Monroe, who had just returned from entertaining the troops in Korea. "Oh, Joe," she gushed, "did you ever see ten thousand people stand up and cheer?" "Seventy thousand," muttered Joe, former hero of the New York Yankees.The second problem is one of allegiance. Who is of greater social value? One's own young son? Or an unknown ambassador. Do we put ourselves or our loved ones at risk for the sake of national stability? Day is faced with this dilemma in its starkest form at the climax in the Albert Hall. Her solution opts for allegiance to political stability, although her motives are problematic. Does she scream to save the ambassador's life, or does she do so just to release the anxiety that is overwhelming her? (Cf: Alec Guiness falling on the detonator at the end of "The Bridge on the River Kwai.") The photography is extremely good, and the settings can be menacing, even on a quiet street in a residential neighborhood of London. It's mid-day, and Stewart is alone and determined, but frightened too. There are footsteps echoing on Gulliver Street from someone, somewhere. Is he being followed? Is his life in danger? And where the hell is everybody who lives on this street? Hitchcock pays such close attention to location details that we can make out the garden wall bonding of the bricks beside him.The director had a rare disagreement with Francois Truffaut while being interviewed for Truffaut's otherwise laudatory book. Truffaut argued that the earlier version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" lacked the depth of the later version. Hitchcock replied, "It seems to me you want me to make films for the art house audience," but finally agreed that the 1930s version was the work of a talented amateur and this version was the work of a professional. No argument there.This is Hitchcock pretty much near his zenith.$LABEL$ 1 +Just saying you've got a movie about John Holmes is a guarantee to get some folks in front of the screen, but writer/director James Cox delivers oh so much more. A "Rashamon" of the sleazy Hollywood set, the film splitters the July 1981 Wonderland murders through a variety of angles (and film stocks), but mostly through the filter of John Holmes' coked out weasel brain. In a film full of bad guys Holmes is either the most vile, the most pathetic or both. Several versions of the story emerge and merge as Cox flashes jump cuts and twisting title cards amid effects and emoting. The dialogue is fast and naturalistic and never once rings false. While the film takes places two years after Holmes had fallen out of porn and into a truly wicked drug fueled depravity, Kilmer relentlessly exudes a sexuality so intense it can be measured in inches. This sexuality at its edges creates a sense of foreboding that hangs over the entire film almost as heavily as the violence at its center. Those murders are teased at through the whole film though are never clearly shown, not even at the climax,though the violence of them relentlessly infuses the whole picture and much blood is splattered across walls and crime scene photos. Once again Val Kilmer as Holmes shows he can act wacko better than anyone else working. Strutting, cringing, bragging or begging, Kilmer is constantly in character and the character is constantly a fascinating car wreck. Stand out performances beside Kilmer definitely include Ted Levine as the lead cop in the investigation and Lisa Kudrow as Holmes estranged wife. The trio of criminals Holmes falls in with include the frighteningly high energy Josh Lucas, the ever interesting Timothy Blake Nelson and an absolutely unrecognizable Dylan McDermott in a pivotal role as the teller yet another version of the murders. Cox suggests that no matter how much we learn about Wonderland, there is always a worse version possible, but looking through the debauchery surrounding it is much more fascinating than understanding the truth.$LABEL$ 1 +If you feel like wasting 86 minutes on a film that makes no sense, is badly written ,with a bad plot and bad acting then this little gem is for you. Recommended for those who are about to fall asleep. Major annoyance will be felt by the awake viewer. Do not pay to see this movie!$LABEL$ 0 +Poor Whoopi Goldberg. Imagine her at a friend's dinner party, and she adds a comment to the in-depth political discussion going on. People just look at her and say, "Oh what would YOU know, you were the star of 'Theodore Rex'". How could anyone take her seriously after she lowered herself to be the star of this appalling piece of crap? Even little kids would be cringing in horror at this Thing. It reminded me of a particularly bad episode of 'Sigmund And The Sea Monsters'. Actually, come to think of it, 'Sigmund' was vastly superior to this.And however did it get made? By plying the producer with an illegal substance before telling him about it? Watch this hideous abomination at your own peril.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite a great soundtrack and the presence of the ever amazing Rappaport and Woods, this is another one of those moronic comedies where New York throws itself at the hero in an effort by the writer and/or director to show what a zany place it is. Yeah there's some other stuff in the movie that sucks too, but that's what's important. The trend for New York independent filmmakers seems to be "I don't need to be talented, I have NEW YORK!" Okay, to be fair, the movie has its moments. The flashback bit about why the one guy is called Wacky Jack was pretty amusing. The script isn't a story or a plot, it's a bunch of not-good scenes tied to each other by featuring the same character.One of the worst things is that there's no motive behind what the characters do. Uncle Sam has the kid deliver the drugs, why? If its so important why didn't Sam do it himself? Then the lead character lies his ass off in scene after scene with absolutely nothing to gain from lying. The guy falls in love with a flight attendant with neither of them having any reason to fall in love. The characters are a bunch of pawns for the writer to move around to see if he can get anything zany to happen.If you're easily amused or like watching bad indie movies because they make you feel smarter than watching bad mainstream movies, watch this. If you want to see what a GOOD light hearted crime movie looks like, watch Takeshi Kitano's "Brother". "Kicked In The Head" is the perfect example of why so many people hate offbeat indie movies: A LOT OF THEM SUCK. And a note to the director: Don't be afraid to excite, amuse, enlighten or entertain the audience now and then. Being boring doesn't make you a better filmmaker than the ones who can interest me.$LABEL$ 0 +I was impressed with this film because of the quality of the acting and the powerful message in the script. Susan Sarandon plays the part of a flighty, irrational and possessive mother, who constantly gives her daughter the message that they must stick together. She removes her daughter from a dysfunctional but loving family in Indiana to pursue an exciting acting career in Hollywood. The daughter is dubious, but at first she has no choice--- the bond with mother is pathologically strong.In time the girl sees that the mother is off into flights of fantasy and does not have her feet on the ground. She sees her mother go head over heels for a handsome, seductive guy who loves 'em and leaves 'em. She sees that the mother doesn't get it. So how can she look to her mother for guidance?The mother directs the girl to a drama try-out and sees the daughter act out the part of the mother in such a way that a shockingly painful mirror is held up to the fly-by-night mother. This causes a period of depression and the girl is horrified at the impact on the mother and is apologetic, but the lesson takes hold.There is character-growth as the mother realizes her selfish claim on the daughter and eventually is persuaded to let the girl go. It is a touching scene and a valuable lesson, that parents, however emotionally dependent, have to let the child go and become her own separate person.$LABEL$ 1 +Ariauna Albright is a really good actress but why she participated in this lame written travesty is a mystery. What could have been entertaining winds up as classic boredom. The unique thing about Ariauna is that she can act as well as look real sexy as opposed to her partner Lilith Stabs who looks fine but it is obvious she spent the money for acting school at the spa or beautician. This was a production that cried out for some T & A & with a imaginative script writer could have achieved it in the flow of things. However Ariauna does what she can under the circumstances & to a extent salvages her reputation. The Tempe company should be aware that when you dress two attractive women in skimpy fetish cop uniforms the viewers will expect some fetish play & T & A. Nough said.$LABEL$ 0 +The original "Assault on Precinct 13" is gritty, witty, and - perhaps most importantly - short. This remake is mercilessly padded out and talky. Worse yet, the African-American hero of the first movie is here replaced with handsome white boy Ethan Hawke, which makes this "Assault" less progressive than the 1970s one. God, how I miss John Carpenter and his improbable plot line and his weird sense of humor. I even miss his B-list actors, who are leagues better than Hawke and company.I can't say I care for the new villains in this version - they stretch what little credibility the story ever had to the limit. The female characters are useless, the criminals are all generic hoods, and Gabriel Byrne gives another of his bored performances. The music's all wrong, too - it's bland action stuff that actually detracts from the tension. Simply awful.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, let me start with a quote a friend of mine said while watching this movie: "This entire movie had to have been a dare. You know, like, 'DUDE, I BET YOU COULDN'T MAKE THE WORST MOVIE EVER'". With this movie, they've made a good effort at achieving that title. The effects are, of course, poor. The plot/dialogue is like a collage of of bits stolen from every B horror movie ever made. The actors, I'm assuming, are supposed to be in college. Yet parts of it (especially at the beginning) make it seem like they're supposed to be in high or middle school. It makes no sense. The Scarecrow going around killing people isn't the least bit enjoyable. (SPOILER: At the end, when they chant Lester's name and he reappears, the black guy and Scarecrow are both laughing, probably out of relief they were on their last scene, and at the cheesy dialogue.)$LABEL$ 0 +I was quite impressed with the narration by Martha and how it pulled on the emotional heartstrings of the audience as well as how it must have impacted the family. The forward-backward motion of the storyline was well-done, and normally I don't enjoy movies with the flash-back/flash-forward effects. I felt during the whole evolution of the movie that "surely Tommy did it". It leaves you with a sense of how these people lived their lives almost totally devoid of each other and the consequences of not having any desire to answer the question, "It's 10 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" And furthermore, "What the heck are they doing?"!! Or "Do I care?"!! Rich, spoiled brats literally getting away with murder. Or so they thought.......$LABEL$ 1 +This in-name-only sequel to the classic ROADHOUSE has a DEA agent (John Schaech) coming to the rescue of his uncle (Will Patton) when the uncle is badly beaten up by a local drug gang, headed by that Wooden Indian of an actor Jake Busey. The gang wants to take over the poor guy's bar for nefarious reasons. Patrick Swayze is sorely missed here. Schaech is an indifferent actor and not convincing as an ass-kicking lawman. The fights here are intermittent and not nearly as powerful or vicious as the fights in ROADHOUSE. The finale is equally weak. Some good-looking women keep things afloat for a bit. There is a terrific fight between a Daisy Duke-type who turns out to be handy with both fists and weapons, and a nasty-looking babe of Busey's who is handy with sharp implements. There's also a scantily dressed gal at the beginning who is a fellow agent of Schaech's, but unfortunately she never reappears in the film. Too bad. She does a brief lap dance for Schaech that had my full attention. If nothing else, ROADHOUSE 2 kicks off with a strip club scene that comes darned close to what a real strip club looks like, a rare circumstance in any movie. The rest is snooze time.$LABEL$ 0 +The main problem with 9th Company (9 Rota) is that it is not sure whether it wants to be Saving Private Ryan or Full Metal Jacket. The attempts at Spielberg sentimentalism are embarrassing, such as the burley sergeant crying in a field of red flowers!!! The training sequences have none of intensity or realism that Kubrick gave them in his masterpiece.A further bone of contention is that the Afghan fighters are called Ghosts because they strike and are hardly ever seen. Here they attack a Russian strong hold almost in formation with no attempt to use cover. I am sure tactics have move on since Waterloo.Every scene in this film has been seen before in other war movies and done considerably better. I have to ask: Why do all talented marksmen need to chew on a match?Finally, I am always suspicious of a film that starts with no narration yet needs to qualify the end."We won!" ...errrr....... no you didn't.$LABEL$ 0 +The only reason The Duke Is Tops, one of several "race movies" made during the times of segregation, would be worth noting today is because it made the film debut of a 21-year-old singer named Lena Horne. She plays Ethel Andrews, a singer who has to leave her producer mentor Duke Davis (Ralph Cooper) in order to branch into the big time. Davis, however, has to fake having taken the money for her services in front of her so she won't feel sorry for having done so. He then teams up with Doc Dorando (Lawrence Criner) for a series of medicine shows throughout the south. Meanwhile, in New York, her new producers have bombed big time because they made her the whole show instead of simply the specialty act. Davis finds out from the radio and offers his services as producer and band leader to bring his lineup of other specialty acts, many of whom make their one of their few or only film appearances here, for his chance at the big time with Ethel next to him. Guess what happens? While the plot is the kind you've seen in thousands of other movie musicals during this time, the fact this was made for a certain audience makes this one of the more fascinating features I've seen during this Black History Month. Ms. Horne's singing is on good display here and it's interesting seeing her so young before her professionalism takes full hold later in her career. Among other supporting players there's an unconfirmed, according to IMDb, appearance by Lillian Randolph, Annie in my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life and sister of Amanda Randolph who I just saw in the musical short The Black Network, as the woman with Sciatica who complains of not being cured after taking the Doc's medicine before Duke explains it's for the feet! And as a longtime Louisiana resident, I'd like to take note of two players from here in this movie: Joel Fluellen from Monroe as a tonic customer and Marie Bryant from New Orleans as the sexy dancer who appears near the musical climax. So for just Lena Horne alone, The Duke is Tops is worth seeing at least once.$LABEL$ 1 +Once again Bronson's talent is mostly wasted on this shock value 1984 thriller which (uncut) is far more disturbing than most of what is out even today. The fact that "The Evil That Men Do" is very disturbing (in its verbal and visual depictions of torture) is not the problem. It is the shameless gratuity in which it is presented. Interestingly, this film seems to symbolize that latter part of Bronson's career in which he has tortured many of his fans with the same egregiously predictable and uncreative plots. One hopes this fine actor will rise again.$LABEL$ 0 +Garlin did a great job. Nice concept well executed, and tightly produced. Came across as a very sincere story. As a fan of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", where Jeff was pretty much the straight guy role, I was delighted with how much depth he brought to this role in a simple yet effective portrayal.Much of the humor was understated and subtle and drew on poignancy, which I really liked, rather than being slapstick or over-explained. And there were some nice little surprises and twists. The convenience store vignettes were a delight.When I say it is a wonderful "small" film, I don't mean budget or quality. It is simple, intimate and hand-crafted. It tells a highly believable everyday story. Relax and go see it. Let it wash over you, and you will feel good for having done so.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, not only is this film a "new lesson in real bad taste," but also a lesson in "real bad film making." Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the concept of 'Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence,' but at the same time one must realize when a movie is terrible. In case you missed out on the storyline, the plot of 'Zombie '90' is about a government plane carrying toxic chemicals that so happens to crash into the wilderness, causing the chemicals to spill, turning locals into hideous looking zombies. The next thing you know, zombies are all over the city eating people alive, while a goofy-looking doctor and a government agent are trying to figure out the disease that's making these people eat one another - hence the name "Extreme Pestilence." From then on, all we see is zombies having a field day on every local in sight - nothing but extreme and sickening disembowelments and dismemberments accompanied by endless buckets of guts and gore. Since this is a German film, the film had to be dubbed into English and when you're not laughing at the feeding frenzies of the zombies, the voice-overs are quite hilarious and entertaining as well. As user UnratedX mentioned *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*, there is a scene in the film that crosses the line between what's acceptable and not acceptable, hence the scene in which a woman, who is carrying her infant baby, is being wheeled around in her wheelchair by some dude and a horde of zombies come out of nowhere and attack them. One zombie grabs the baby and rips it into pieces, eating its organs as you hear the baby crying. Wow, that is a new lesson in REALLLLLLLLLY bad taste. Atrocious I tell you, atrocious.$LABEL$ 0 +A great ensemble cast! A fond remembrance of younger carefree days. This movie takes me back to when I went to summer camp. Indian Summer, while full of practical jokes and pranks, is about growing up and coming to terms with life with middle-age life. My family & I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Illudere (to delude) comes from Latin verb 'ludere' (to play), so you're warned about the 'spy game' as a cruel and yet elaborate and intelligent (!) activity stemmin' from a complex and as it may appear absurd and vain personal history, whatever it may be; and yet I feel fascinated by the mechanism of treason and loyalty, the raw material of any relationship, from the personal to the social; after, many years ago, I was ABLE to finish the book it was a revelation! At the beginning I was so bored if not for the surprising style of the writing (I really started to LOVE Le Carre after that novel). The main character is not wavering at all: he has made a choice to redeem his weakness by following the path of faith to friendship and love, or is he not? After this novel you can clearly understand the darker version of Green's 'Our Man in Havana' wrote by LeCarre with 'The Tailor of Panama'; there is no game left, there it ends either in tragedy or in a grotesque comical way, or both. There is no Smiley here to upheld decent human qualities in 'the service', or at least there is no point to introduce him in this case. The BBC has done a superb work with these series from LeCarre's novels: the actors are excellent, as are the locations and sets; of course the script here is brilliantly adapted. Be warned though, even if someone may find it laughable, the after taste IS bitter.$LABEL$ 1 +A glacier slide inside a cavernous ice mountain sends its three characters whoosh down a never-ending wet-slide tube that has enough kick to dazzle kids the same way mature audience may be dazzled by the star gate sequence that closes 2001: A Space Odyssey. Miles apart in vision, but it is a scene of great rush and excitement nonetheless. A magnificent opening sequence also takes place where a furry squirrel-like critter attempts to hide his precious acorn. You've probably seen this scene in the trailer, but as it takes place he starts a domino effect when the mountain starts cracking and, results, an avalanche. The horror just keeps going as the critter tries to outrun the impossible. The movie traces two characters, a mammoth named Manfred (Ray Romano) and a buck-toothed sloth (John Leguizamo) as they try to migrate south. They find a human baby they adopt and then decide to track the parent figures down to return to them. They are joined by a saber tiger named Diego (Denis Leary) whose predatory intentions is to bring the baby to his tiger clan, by leading the mammoth and the sloth into a trap. Diego's meat-eating family wants the mammoth most of all, but Diego's learned values of friendship make easy what choice to ultimately make at the end. There are fatalistic natural dangers of the world along the trip, including an erupted volcano and a glacier bridge that threatens to melt momentarily that is reminiscent of the castle escape in Shrek. Characters contemplate on why they're in the Ice Age, while they could have called it The Big Chill or the Nippy Era. Some characters wish for a forthcoming global warming. Another great line about the mating issues between girlfriends: `All the great guys are never around. The sensitive ones get eaten.' Throwaway lines galore, whimsical comedy and light-fingered adventure makes this one pretty easy to watch. Also, food is so scarce for the nice vegetarians that they consider dandelions and pine cones as `good eating.' The vocal talents of Romano, Leguizamo and Leary make good on their personas, while the children will delight in their antics, the adults will fancy their riffs on their own talents. There is some mild violence and intense content, but kids will be jazzed by the excitement and will get one of their early introductions of the age-old battle of good versus evil, and family tradition and friendship are strong thematic ties. The animators also make majestic use of background landscapes that are coolly fantastic.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the oddest, most strikingly eerie and creepy horror films to come out of the 70's, "Tourist Trap" even by the loose, free-wheeling, convention-defying "anything goes" standards of its time rates as a real weirdie. Yet, it's the picture's very strangeness -- a masterfully mounted uncanny atmosphere of pervasively off-kilter supernatural dread which from the get-go registers as powerfully spooky and becomes more increasingly opaque and frightening as the film progresses, offering up ample shocks amid a few scattered moments of surreally lovely dream-like elegance and ending on a bitterly ironic, crushingly nihilistic note with a haunting final image that's hard to shake -- which makes it such a unique and singularly unnerving experience.Five teenagers traveling through the desolate California desert by car get hopelessly lost. They stumble across "Slausen's Lost Oasis," a seedy, rundown roadside dive that's one part gas station, three parts crummy wax museum, and all parts ratty and foreboding. The joint's lonely, seemingly friendless and harmless owner Slausen (juicily overplayed with infectiously hammy brio by Chuck Conners) turns out to be a deranged psychic killer with lethal telekinetic powers. Slausen brings his freaky assortment of uncomfortably human-like mannequins to life and picks off the kids one by one so he can add them to his ever-growing collection of victims.Director David ("Puppermaster," "The Arrival") Schmoeller adeptly wrings every last ounce of tension he can squeeze from the pleasingly ambiguous and open-ended script he co-wrote with J. Larry Carroll. (Said script's stubborn refusal to provide some rational excuse for all the bizarre stuff which transpires throughout the movie, often wrongly criticized as one of the film's principal weaknesses, is actually the movie's key strength, giving the picture the scary, anything-and-everything-can-happen, common-logic-be-damned quality of a true nightmare come horrifically to life which never would have been achieved if there was some kind of credible explanation offered for what's happening.) Pino Donaggio's beautifully chilling, understated score, Nicholas von Sternberg's shadowy cinematography, and Robert A. Burns' grubby, cramped production design add immensely to the film's profoundly unsettling mood. Excellent performances are another significant plus, with the pretty, perky Jocelyn Jones (Ellie-Jo Turner in "The Great Texas Dynamite Chase") particularly fine and personable as the most resilient and sympathetic of the endangered teens. Even Tanya Roberts fares well as a luckless lass who has a knife levitated into her head. Offbeat and unusual, "Tourist Trap" is well worth visiting.$LABEL$ 1 +Arthur Hunnicutt plays a very stereotypical role as a mountain man (probably the Ozarks) who goes hunting with his favorite coon dog. However, the dog appears to be drowning when Hunnicutt jumps in after him. It becomes obvious pretty soon that despite Hunnicutt and his dog roaming about after leaving the water that they both died in the water--as no one responds when he talks to them and sees and hears people talking about his and the dog's death. Yet, oddly, Hunnicutt is REALLY slow on the uptake and it takes him a while to understand they are talking about him! I think this was actually done as padding, as there really wasn't enough material to fill the half hour time slot.Later, in the "surprise twist", he comes upon Heaven--or at least his concept of the place. He's invited in, but since they won't allow dogs, he has other ideas! Overall, reasonably well acted but of dubious spiritual value! With no twists or irony, this episode is a bit dull--not "Twilight Zone-y" enough for my tastes.$LABEL$ 0 +Watch it with an open mind, it is very different, nothing's cutesy about this. Very well done realistic tale of Tarzan. The animatronics chimpazees are well done for '84, Christopher Lambert was brilliant imitating chimpazee language and behavior. I wouldn't be surprised if he took lessons from Jane Goodall.$LABEL$ 1 +I had the privilege of being one of the Still photographers on the set of "Grand Champion" and enjoyed every minute of the 42 days I worked on the movie. I have been in the Photography business for 25 years and have worked on 16 movies and I can't think of a time when I enjoyed providing my craft more. The Kids were wonderful to work with and little Emma Roberts has so much energy she's a real trip. She even grabbed one of my camera during the stockshow scene rehearsal and started shooting. Some of her images were used for PR. I could have made more money working for a production with a bigger budget but I doubt I would have had the fun and been around so many great actors and the great people of West Texas as I was.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite a tight narrative, Johnnie To's Election feels at times like it was once a longer picture, with many characters and plot strands abandoned or ultimately unresolved. Some of these are dealt with in the truly excellent and far superior sequel, Election 2: Harmony is a Virtue, but it's still a dependably enthralling thriller about a contested Triad election that bypasses the usual shootouts and explosions (though not the violence) in favour of constantly shifting alliances that can turn in the time it takes to make a phone call. It's also a film where the most ruthless character isn't always the most threatening one, as the chilling ending makes only too clear: one can imagine a lifetime of psychological counselling being necessary for all the trauma that one inflicts on one unfortunate bystander.Simon Yam, all too often a variable actor but always at his best under To's direction, has possibly never been better in the lead, not least because Tony Leung's much more extrovert performance makes his stillness more the powerful.$LABEL$ 1 +Meatballs is a classic comedy with so many laughs that it's impossible to count.In what was merely a precursor of what was to come, Murray rules the screen in what can only be described as comic mastery. Tripper Harrison is one of the greatest comedy characters in the past 50 years. Sarcastic all the time, smart when he has to be, stern when he needs to be, and caring when it suits him, Murray infuses Tripper with that SNL glint in the eye.The C.I.T's are merely in awe as they cower beneath the comic genius that is Mr. Murray.Summer isn't summer without a viewing of Meatballs. One of the best comedies to ever grace the screen.$LABEL$ 1 +It's telling that as of the entry of this comment, NO females have submitted a vote of any kind for this movie. Not surprisingly, cheesy science fiction doesn't appeal to them quite as much... If you like a good "B" movie, and especially if you like to satirize them as you watch, you will like this. If you don't have fun watching bad movies, this one's not for you.$LABEL$ 0 +Much has been made of Rohmer's use of digital technology to 'fill in' the background. At times it works well, the scene where Grace and her maid witness from afar the King's execution is particularly striking. At other times it gives the film a strangely amateurish look, resembling a home video. However, the major failing is that the sheer artificiality of the mise en scene creates an alienating effect in the viewer. We know that what we are watching is not real so how can we feel for the characters? To be frank, I did not care at all what happened to the Lady or the Duke.The other major failing, I regret to say, is the performance of Lucy Russell in the leading role. She is in virtually every scene and the success or otherwise of the film rests on her performance. OK she is speaking a foreign language but she is incapable of expressing real emotion. Her emoting in the scene where she recounts to her friend Mme de Meyler (an excellent performance by the debutante Helena Dubiel) seeing the head on a pole caused some embarrassed laughter in the audience. Also, watch her hands when she is expressing emotion!All in all a very disappointing film, particularly given the positive reviews on this site.$LABEL$ 0 +The old man mouse in this cartoon would have you believe that all men are created equally EVIL............so if we have to kill men in order to stop Hitler..........we are just as bad as Hitler was killing the Jews........ Well.....I don't buy it Mr. Mouse............but I guess it paints a pretty picture and makes a cute cartoon.......but it wasn't the reality then and it ain't reality now.$LABEL$ 0 +The pace of this movie is quite slow. It takes about 70 minutes to get Katie to China (which we know that she will) and leaves 30 minutes to wrap things up. The storyline is so predictable that you know everything after about 5 minutes. Nothing surprises you. I guess that the movie is a coming of age movie but the movie is full of stereotypes that are quite over the top:Katie - A beauty that realizes that looks, boys and shopping isn't everything. She realizes that she can "feel" and "see the real world". Touching.The mother - high strung, nervous, screaming mother (wow very innovative) that need taking care of by a strong man.The father - patient and always understanding and takes care of the incapable woman.The boyfriend that only wants to get into her pants.The comedian clown Chinese guy that doesn't know how to speak English properly and made a laughing stock. Thought Hollywood dropped those characters in the mid fifties.The nurse that at times knows everything how to get around in China that in the next moment is a carbon copy of The mother i.e. a woman who cant handle the situation or knows anything.The deformed Chinese girl that with the help of us westerns get help and become a beautiful girl. Because in China (a third world country according to the film) don't have anything and hence needs our charity. Gah, wake up and smell what you are shoveling.Sure that there are some poverty in China but the portrayal of the aid from western countries (read USA) is so shallow and happy ending-ish that it is sad and revolting. Shanghai (where the movie is set) is the most expanding and evolving city in the world at the moment.The Chinese father that is so nice and goodhearted that in the end has one wish ... to be a cowboy with a white hat ...The teacher (Sean Astin) that has this really heart ripping story (not) that he tells without feel. Why Sean? WHY!?Etc etc. It is difficult to actually finding a "real" person in the entire movie.This is nothing but a feel good movie for Americans below age 15. If you want to learn anything about the world watch e.g. Hotel Rwanda instead. For a better life story or coming of age movie I suggest you watch the Italian "Cinema Paradiso" that won the best foreign film academy reward some years back.The only nice thing in the movie were the small town sceneries that truly capture some (not all) of the beautiful Chinese country side. I have been there and seen some of it.$LABEL$ 0 +The funny sound that you may hear when you eyeball this execrable version of Jules Verne's classic "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is Verne spinning in his grave. The only thing about this 80 minute opus that has anything to do with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is the title. Otherwise, everything else in this lackluster production is new and not worth watching. In fact, the director has written here at IMDb.COM that he directed only eight minutes of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and the studio tacked on part of "Dollman" helmer Albert Pyun's sequel to his own "Alien from L.A." with Kathy Ireland. Evidently, the producers ran out of money and to satisfy overseas contractual obligations, they grafted Pyun's sequel onto director Rusty Lemorande's movie. Please, don't rent or buy this wretched piece of garbage.Unlike director Henry Levin's period piece "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959) with James Mason and Pat Boone, Lemorande's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" takes place in contemporary times in Hawaii. Two fellows, a British nanny, and a dog are brought together for the adventure of a lifetime purely by coincidence. Richard (Paul Carafotes of "Blind Date") and his comic book obsessed brother Bryan (Ilan Mitchell-Smith of "Weird Science") are going out to explore a cave. The heroine, Crystina (Nicola Cowper of "Underworld"), works for a domestic service called 'Nannies R Us.' Being a nanny has been Crystina's life-long dream, but she has made a less of all five of her nanny jobs. Nevertheless, her sympathetic supervisor, Ms. Ferry (Lynda Marshall of "Africa Express"), sends her to Hawaii. Crystina's new client, rock star Billy Foul (Jeremy Crutchley of "Doomsday") who is scheduling one last concert to revive his flagging career, has a dog named Bernard. Foul wants Crystina to take Bernard to a doggie day spa. Crystina is waiting on the arrival of her taxi when a careless motel attendant accidentally puts the basket that conceals Bernard in Richard's jeep. You see, Foul has hidden his canine in a basket because motel management strictly prohibits pets on their premises. Foul has disguised the dog as a human baby. Anyway, Crystina catches a cab and tells the driver follow Richard.After she catches up with them to get her dog, the cabbie cruises away and abandons her. Crystina demands that Richard drive her back to town, but he has other plans. Unhappily, Crystina joins the guys and they get lost, and then find themselves in the lost city of Atlantis, a police state ruled by a dictator, at the center of the Earth. The rulers of Atlantis repeatedly notify their citizens that life on the surface does not exist. Our heroes and heroine stumble onto Atlantis quite by accident. Atlantis resembles a disco and everybody looks like they are straight out of a punk rock opera. The ruler of Atlantis, General Rykov (Janet Du Plessis of "Operation Hit Squad"), is orchestrating a raid on the surface with clones of the first human, Wanda Saknussemm (Kathy Ireland of "Necessary Roughness"), to visit Atlantis. Predictably, General Rykov machinations to rule Atlantis and overthrow the Earth fails, and our heroes and heroine save the day."Journey to the Center of the Earth" is an abomination. The movie seems to be a comedy despite its superficial satire about dictatorships. Albert Pyun is one of my favorite low budget action directors, but he blew it on this lightweight shambles of a science fiction saga.$LABEL$ 0 +As noted by other reviewers this is one of the best Tarzan movies. Unlike others however, I like the beginning of the film as it feels like a pretty accurate depiction of what a trading post must have been like. Plus the exposition is needed so we know why Harry wants to go back into the jungle. In addition the beginning of the film contains one of the most thrilling and terrifying chase sequences ever made.This occurs when Harry's safari group has to outrun a tribe of cannibals. The pre-censorship production values add a lot of realism, genuinely depicting the terrible dangers that awaited Europeans going into the jungle. The film also offers, though perhaps antecedently, an accurate account of how horribly treated the native Africans were by their white employers. In addition sexy Jane, thousands of elephants , some great sets and two chetas! Not to be missed an adventure classic.$LABEL$ 1 +*** Contains Spoilers ***I did not like this movie at all.I found it amazingly boring and rather superficially made, irrespective of the importance and depth of the proposed themes: given that eventually we have to die, how should we approach life? In a "light" way, like Tomas; in a "heavy" way like Tereza; or should we find ways not to face that question, like Sabina? How much is fidelity important in a relationship? How much of the professional life can be mutilated for the sake of our loved ones? How much do we have to be involved in the political life and the social issues of our Country?Unfortunately, I haven't read Kundera's novel but after having being let down by the movie I certainly will: I want to understand if the story was ruined by the movie adaptation (which is my guess) or if it was dull from the beginning.I disagree with most of the positive comments that defined the movie as a masterpiece. I simply don't see the reasons why. What I see are many flaws, and a sample of them follows.1) The three main characters are thrown at you and it's very hard to understand what drives them when making their choices.2) The "secondary" characters are there just to fill the gaps but they don't add nothing to the story and you wonder if they are really necessary.3) I did not like how Tomas was impersonated. Nothing is good for him. He is so self-centered and selfish. He is not human, in some sense. But when his self-confidence fails and he realizes that he depends on others and is emotionally linked to someone, I did not find the interpretation credible.4) It's very unlikely that an artist like Sabina could afford her lifestyle in a communist country in 1968. On top of that, the three main characters are all very successful in their respective professions, which sounds strange to me. a) how can Tereza become effortlessly such a good photographer? b) how can they do so well in a country lacking all the economic incentives that usually motivate people to succeed?5) The fake accents of the English spoken by the actors are laughable. And I am not even mother tongue. Moreover, the letter that Sabina receives while in the US is written in Czech, which I found very inconsistent.6) Many comments praised the movie saying that Prague was beautifully rendered: I guess that most of the movie was shot on location, so it's not difficult to give the movie a Eastern European feeling, and given the intrinsic beauty of Prague is not even difficult to make it look good.7) I found the ending sort of trivial. Tereza and Tomas, finally happy in the countryside, far away from the temptations of the "metropoly", distant from the social struggles their fellow citizens are living, detached from their professional lives, die in a car accident. But they die after having realized that they are happy, indeed. So what? Had they died unhappy, would the message of the movie have been different? I don't think so. I considered it sort of a cheap trick to please the audience.8) The only thing in the movie which is unbearably light is the way the director has portrayed the characters. You see them for almost three hours, but in the end you are left with nothing. You don't feel empathy, you don't relate to them, you are left there in your couch watching a sequence of events and scenes that have very little to say.9) I hated the "stop the music in the restaurant" scene (which some comments praised a lot). Why Sabina has got such a strong reaction? Why Franz agrees with her? I really don't see the point. The only thing you learn is that Sabina has got a very bad temper and quite a strong personality. That's it. What's so special and unique about it?After all these negative comments, let me point tout that there are two scenes that I liked a lot (that's why I gave it a two).The "Naked women Photoshoot", where the envy, the jealousy, and the insecurities of Sabina and Tereza are beautifully presented.The other scene is the one representing the investigations after the occupation of Prague by the Russians. Tereza pictures, taken to let the world know about what is going on in Prague, are used to identify the people taking part to the riots. I found it quite original and Tereza's sense of despair and guilt are nicely portrayed.Finally, there is a tiny possibility that the movie was intentionally "designed" in such a way that "Tomas types" are going to like it and "Tereza ones" are going to hate it. If this is the case (I strongly doubt it, though) then my comment should be revised drastically.$LABEL$ 0 +It is unusual to see a film where the performance of a single actor is so good that one can feel that the film would be of little interest, if any, without his presence.Despite a not outstanding direction - in fact, there are many scenes that seem to have been shooted too quickly and carelessly -, a seemingly low budget, a strange plot about a man who wants to take the place of a defrocked priest and another week points, the presence of Pierre Fresnay is so impressive that one gets shocked from the very begining to the terrible end.I have never seen nor can iomagine for future a better performance, even Paul Scofield acting in "A man for all seasons".Actually the end could be considered even ridiculous if Fresnay were not playing the transtorned priest who returns to Church by performing a crime."Je suis Maurice Morand, prètre catholique" ("I am Maurice Morand, a catholic priest")is said with such a brilliancy that one may forget the madness that conducted to that end.The other impressive thing this film has is a single scene in wich Morand - who despite being a defrocked one is stil a priest - consacrates in a cabaret a huge amount of vine turning it into Christ´s blood.Gérard - the man that wants to return Morand to the Church or replace him by himself - has to drink it if he doesn´t want to leave it in the cabaret. He does so in mid of cheers and applauses from people who think that he is simply drinking three of four litters of vine.In next scene, the dialoque between Morand and a garbage collector is also remarkable. "Do you carry away men too?" asks Morand, who hates himself for what he has just done. "That would be too much work" is the smart answer.The rest of the film is not worth commenting but it is certainly worth seeing due to the very strong and strangely emotive atmosphere created all the time.I think that "Le défroqué" is a very strange film, but has to be seen by all viewers - if the are good catholiques it is mandatory - because it is a very rare jewell in film history.$LABEL$ 1 +This overheated southern Gothic "mellerdramer" has a few decent moments --but is too often spoiled by a novice director piling cliché upon cliché, and a star who apparently decided to take it upon himself to turn the picture into his personal showcase, rather than allowing writer/director Gabel to update Inge or Williams as a sort of contemporary "Midnight Cowboy" meets "Lolita" tearjerker.Close your eyes, listen to the exaggerated southern accents, and try to decide if you're witnessing a feature film, or an acting class -- full of eager amateurs. Johansson is for once tolerable (i.e. less pouty than usual) -- though by no means good, Macht is decent, though a little too pretty-boy cute to be believed, and Travolta chews the scenery as never before (with the help of a decent editor and some directorial restraint, his performance might have been really touching; as it is, he -- and almost everyone else -- is too unlikable to ever move us past the point of boredom or revulsion). Kara Unger is perhaps best of all; had her role been developed beyond a few lines, she might have even found herself with a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Pic is almost saved by Leonard Cohen-style growling theme song, decent production design and locations, and continual reference to literary works (which has earned the otherwise standard screenplay reviews such as "poetic.") Also helpful are a few old pros in the cast like Sonny Shroyer, and perhaps most importantly, Soderbergh cameraman Elliot Davis -- whose fine work will no doubt be credited to the first-time director, who, ten or twenty years from now, may actually learn how to direct.But probably not.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a sucker for a decent superhero movie. (I'm not counting super bug budget, no storyline Batman's either)A couple of my favorites are The Phantom and a budget movie called The Demolitionist. The Black Scorpion can be added to that collection.If you've seen the Demolitionist then get this movie. It's basically a copy of that heroine. (It even stars the same guy in both movies)If you haven't, then let me explain...a cop's father is murdered and she seeks vengeance. She laces up the black outfit (a sexy catwomanish, skimpy outfit that looks absolutely great on Joan Severance) and goes out to kick some booty.It's a fun, action packed movie, mind you, you may not wish the kids to see it...without screening it first to see if you approve of the pretty graphic sex scene Severance has in it. Which in my opinion, was a bonus (alright, give it an extra star )$LABEL$ 1 +This film is very interesting. I have seen it twice and it seems Glover hit the nail on the head with what he claims to he wants to accomplish. I for one can relate to the outrage that the filmmaker clearly expresses against the current thoughtless corporate drivel that is an onslaught in our every media center, and the things that we as a culture are supposed to not "think" about due to corporate media control. The outrage that Glover expresses through the "outrageous" elements in the films is both clear in its visceral aggressiveness and beautiful in its poetic potency. I am glad I saw this film and it is even clearer that Glover is up to something interesting with part two of what will be a trilogy. It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. See that also. People that dismiss this film as "thoughtless" or "pretentious" are really missing the boat. This is an intelligent films. If you can see it with his live show he performs before with his books, that is also very wroth while. The way you get in to his mindset is really something. You will have an experience!$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie after having so much of trouble in downloading it through rapidshare. And I have to say, it did not deserve it.Parinda was so hyped, that I was really looking forward to watch it.Parinda is one of those movies which fail to satisfy the standards set by other good Indian film-makers, despite having a great story. It was even more pathetic to know, that the story itself was not original, it was loosely based on the classic "On the Waterfront".Anil Kapoor was irritating, especially when he comes from America. The direction lacked quality many a times, except a few in-between scenes.Give this script to any of them - Ram Gopal Verma, Deepa Mehta, Mahesh Bhatt, Sudhir Mishra, and I'm 100% sure, they'll make a mind-blowing movie out of it.I'm not saying Parinda was bad. It was just not good enough.$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't even know this was originally a made-for-tv movie when I saw it, but I guessed it through the running time. It has the same washed-out colors, bland characters, and horrible synthesized music that I remember from the 80's, plus a 'social platform' that practically screams "Afterschool special". Anyhoo.Rona Jaffe's (thank you) Mazes and Monsters was made in the heyday of Dungeons & Dragons, a pen-and-paper RPG that took the hearts of millions of geeks around America. I count myself one of said geeks, tho I have never played D&D specifically I have dabbled in one of its brethren. M&M was also made in the heyday of D&D's major controversy-that it was so engrossing that people could lose touch with reality, be worshiping Satan without knowing, blah blah. I suppose it was a legitimate concern at one point, if extremely rare-but it dates this movie horrendously.We meet 4 young college students, who play the aptly named Mazes and Monsters, to socialize and have a little time away from mundane life. Except that M&M as presented is more boring than their mundane lives. None of the allure of gaming is presented here-and Jay Jay's request to take M&M into 'the real world' comes out of nowhere. It's just an excuse to make one of the characters go crazy out of nowhere also-though at that point we don't really care. Jay Jay, Robbie, Kate and Daniel are supposed to be different-but they're all rich WASPy prigs who have problems no one really has.But things just continue, getting worse in more ways than one. The low budget comes dreadfully clear, (I love the 'Entrance' sign and cardboard cutout to the forbidden caverns) Robbie/Pardu shows why he's not a warrior in the oafiest stabbing scene ever, and the payoff atop the 'Two Towers' is unintentionally hilarious. Tom Hanks' blubbering "Jay Jay, what am I doing here?" made me laugh for minutes on end. Definitely the low point in his career.Don't look at it as a cogent satire, just a laughable piece of 80's TV trash, and you'll still have a good time. That is, if you can stay awake. The majority is mostly boring, but it's all worthwhile for Pardu's breakdown at the end. At least Tom Hanks has gotten better. Not that he could go much worse from here.$LABEL$ 0 +This is, without doubt, one of my favourite horror films ever! I really cannot believe that it didn't gain much more popularity when it was released, especially when the main contenders at the time were the usual Wes Craven sequels and copycat horrors, Mute Witness has all the style, suspense and quickfire plot twists of a Hitchcock/DePalma movie, coupled with some very sharp black comedy and a great plot. It never promises to be any more than a good popcorn-and-hot-dog movie, but it is difficult not to just enjoy the film for what it is.The plot centres on Billie Hughes - a mute girl working on the set of a horror film being made in a Russian factory. By a series of events, she finds herself accidentally locked in, and stumbles on the filming of a snuff movie.One of the best things about the film is the lack of screaming that seems to invade every horror film ever made. As the main character is mute, she cannot make a noise - something which is a blessing at some stages of the movie, and a curse in others.The director seems to have studied his Hitchcock very well, Even the opening scene is a tongue-in-cheek nod to both Hitchcock's "Psycho" as well as fairly generic slasher movie scenes.While the acting can be hammy at times, the whole film does hold it together, not only throwing in a couple of excellent scenes that put you right on the edge of your seat, but a few neat little questions about how the film is going to end.All in all, a hugely overlooked, well-paced and action packed psycho-thriller which I would recommend for any jaded viewer looking for something a little different from the usual Freddy/Jason/Scream/Michael Myers/Damien regurgitation's at hallowe'en.$LABEL$ 1 +Kar Wai Wong's incredibly impressive romance that is to me, perfect. Set in 1960's Hong Kong. As we are shown, this is set in a turbulent time. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung play Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen Chan. A man and a woman who meet each other in a Hong Kong apartment, in which they both move in. Chow Mo-wan works for a newspaper company. Su Li-zhen Chan is a secretary. Two very different people. Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen Chan create a special bond after they both find out their spouses, constantly away are committing extra-marital trysts. With each other.The characters of Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen Chan are nothing short of amazing. Both Leung and Cheung manage to strike such amazing chemistry with one another, it's better than any Hollywood romance that is put out today. Combined. The film is all about the focus of the two leads and their feelings after the infidelities of their partners. Kar Wai Wong manages to create such strong character development between these two characters, you really start to feel for them. Leung and Cheung are both wildly amazing, are better than any Hollywood pairing shown on the screen today. Combined.There's nothing much else to describe Fa yeung nin wa other than beautiful, energetic romance that also features a moody, atmospheric piece with gorgeous cinematography. So much elements of this movie help create it to be flawless. As well as Kar Wai Wong and the acting, the cinematography from both Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee is haunting. Beautifully understated. The shots from Kar Wai Wong help makes your mind create a world of it's own. A world that creates these characters. Original, melancholic and nostalgic. This film is incredibly unforgettable.The costumes created by Kar Wai Wong regular William Chang are absolutely beautiful. Cheung, who wears an elegant, ankle-deep, beautifully patterned dress in every scene. She's a scene-stealer. Her costumes say a lot about her character and an emotion is fitted in all of her dresses colours which are vividly and smartly used. Highly original. Chang, also the production designer creates a brilliant setting for the movies moody piece. Especially with the help of the marvellous music used in scenes and masterful film editing, again by Chang. William Chang seems to be incredibly versatile and is an unsung hero for this movie.Overall, this movie is one of the best from this millennium. Incredibly compelling and filled with nostalgia. The shots are mesmerising and haunting. Kar Wai Wong somewhat proves to be a master at the top of his game. The acting; music; cinematography; editing; production; costume and direction all help create ONE small, little perfect film. A masterpiece in romance film-making. Visually spectacular. Overall, a masterpiece to film-making. A film that reminds me of old classic Hollywood, was the one that never was. Never forget Fa yeung nin wa. I know I won't.$LABEL$ 1 +Chuck Jones's 'Hare Conditioned' is a fast paced, often hilarious cartoon. Pitting Bugs Bunny against a strange, yellow-skinned apartment store manager who wants to have him stuffed, 'Hare Conditioned' takes full advantage of its multi-purpose setting. The chase takes Bugs and his pursuer through a variety of departments, leading to an inspired gag in which they quickly emerge from various departments wearing whatever clothes are associated with that part of the store. This great gag is trumped, however, by a truly inspired sequence involving elevators in which Bugs, disguised as an elevator boy, tricks the store manager into relentlessly getting on or off elevators at the wrong time. It's a brilliant climactic set piece which unfortunately gives way to a not very funny final gag. By that time, however, 'Hare Conditioned' has made its mark as one of the great chase films, bursting with wild energy. As Bugs was becoming more refined in some of the other cartoons from this period, 'Hare Conditioned' showed that he could still be just as appealing as a more anarchic character.$LABEL$ 1 +First week of May, every year brings back the memories of the holocaust, through movies on televisions. Among many movies they showed, this was the one I had not seen.The story is about Hilter's life and how he came to power. It starts with his childhood and ends with his holding the top most position of power in Germany.The movie was earlier presented as a TV series and later converted into a movie format. Scottish actor Robert Carlyle plays Adolf Hitler with great guts, conviction and flare to give a real portrayal of this man.It is a good screenplay and narrative, that educates the audiences on the main events that lead Hitler into power, and also tries to show the probable psychological make up of Hitler. The movie is a biased viewpoint of the director Christian Duguay – who shows Hitler as a one-track, menacing, angry, and shouting person – who had such a strong hold on the Germans and people around him. Hitler is not shown as someone having charishma and attraction, and there the movie fails to convince Hitler's portrayal.Even though the venture was for TV, all the ingredients of production are first class and at par with any main stream movie. The production value, sets, costumes, etc. were perfect.There is a lot of criticism of this movie, in the authenticity about the historic events that is presented. But still the movie is gripping, every engaging and entertaining. Robert Carlyle overpowers and dominates the screen as no one else does. He is amazingly good – brilliant! I would have liked a more balanced view of Hitler's life, because I think, Hitler was able to bring out the dormant feelings of million of Germans and it is not only him who should be blamed for the holocaust. As I have told several times, that – very sadly - our society loves to garland or prosecute one person, as a representative of the society's good or evil respectively.$LABEL$ 1 +...in a TV-movie 70's kind of way. It's one of those movies that show up in the wee hours, but rarely because more modern late-hour schlock movies bump it off. It has likeable performances by Graves and Wynn. Generally, it's just a harmless little piece of nothing that doesn't offend too badly. Nothing good, a lot that's mediocre.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this in the market place at the Cannes Film Festival. It's a real cheapo prod - nothing wrong with that but you have to make up for it with a bit of sex or gore or both. Think Larry Cohen. Sean Young is an interesting actor - well done to the producers for hooking her I guess.The opening scene in the space-ship coming down is hilarious - you could picture all the crew hands shaking it around! Ha ha - but I wish the people who made this well - at least it's not pretentious.$LABEL$ 0 +... And being let down bigger than ever before. I won't make any direct references or anything here, but to say the least, this film is pathetic. If you're military trained, don't bother watching. I put it on the DVD with 2 friends wanting to watch a somewhat interesting action / war flick. Why couldn't I just have read the reviews first.Already at the first "bomb" scene the film has huge glitches, and they continue to show and become bigger and bigger. My 2 friends, not connected to the military in any way spotted a couple of the filmmaker's mistakes almost as fast as I myself did and asked me if some of the things going on we're realistic. Well, as you might have guessed, they're not - at all.Avoid this movie unless you're able to overlook these completely idiotic and re-occurring mistakes being made. 2/10 for catching my interest at first.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation! This film tells a story that to my knowledge has never been told before--namely about the Rosenstrasse (a street in Berlin)uprising of German gentile women who were married to Jews at the end of the Second World War. As such, it is a unique story, and what's more, is the only film about the Holocaust that I have ever seen that shows that there were GOOD Germans (the helping family in "Anne Frank" for instance was Dutch) who did NOT support the Nazis, and, in fact, had the fortitude to stand up against their own country's immorality and brutality during the Nazi regime, at the risk of their very lives. The acting is great across the board, the framing story in New York interesting and intricate, the direction from Von Trotta masterful in every scene, and the production values, including the gorgeous cinematography, outstanding. Of course the family in New York could be speaking German. Many immigrants in this country choose to speak in their native tongue with their family--a common occurrence. So that criticism is unwarranted. To say more would spoil the experience. The film is long, but I did not look at my watch once. I am hoping this film gets some distribution is North America, for not only is this film a masterpiece, but it can actually help heal any animosity people have towards the Germans because of their support of Hitler. If this film is playing in your area, I URGE YOU TO SEE IT! You will be glad you did!$LABEL$ 1 +I'll start off right at the beginning by saying "I like this movie." It's sweeping, it's grand, it's gripping and it's fun. Sinhue the physician,sits in front of his small stone hut writing his memoirs. And what a story it is! Taken from a river and reared by an elderly couple who doted on him, he becomes a physician to the poor. He befriends Horemheb who sees glory while Sinhue sees healing. And both run into the future pharaoh Anknaten (forgive my spellings), who endures an epileptic fit.And this pharaoh has another "flaw": He believes in one god instead of a pantheon of gods. Back then, this was totally revolutionary. Sinhue and Horemheb grow up. One night, Sinhue sees a woman who makes him lose his senses. He gives up his practice, sells his parents' home and even their tombs just to spend a night with her. Does he? I won't tell. Meanwhile, Merit, a tavern maid played with sweet simplicity belying strength by Jean Simmons, falls in love with Sinhue. She falls under his spell and under the spell of the belief in one god.Victor Mature overacts perfectly as Horemheb. Edmond Purdom is sincere as Sinhue the lost physician (does he find redemption? Stay tuned). Even Bela Darvi, the woman who steals Sinhue's heart isn't as bad as everyone has said. The fact that she was Daryl F. Zanuck's mistress had nothing to do with the casting - right? Yeah, right...still, she wasn't that bad _ I've seen worse. I think she did better in "The Egyptian" than many of today's young actresses have done in anything. I said it before and I'll say it again -- I like this movie. I recommend it. It makes you think despite some hammy acting. Have fun with this movie; it's worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +Young and attractive Japanese people are getting on the wrong side of some curse again, this time it involves mobile phones. Various people die until the disgruntled spirit behind it all is unearthed, so essentially if you've seen more than 2 recent Japanese horror films you can plot this film in the dark with your hands tied.The main attraction here is the fact that Takashi Miike is behind the camera. So far I've been more impressed with his low key works like City of Lost Souls, however as One Missed Call plodded along I was yearning for his more renowned envelope pushing of Dead or Alive or the overly pseudo-Cronenberg style of Audition. Despite a lot of his films being essentially empty, at least they do have merits such as these, or at least something to keep your attention like Tadanobu Asano prancing about in shiny suits impersonating Johnny Depp. There's none of that in One Missed Call; there's just very little of credit: the acting is bland and average, there is very little (nothing, in all honesty) in the way of scares or suspense, and in places it's just downright boring.However, there are moments where Miike's glacier-like sense of humour seeps through the bland commercialism; most notably with the instance of the TV show intent on filming the demise of one of the cursed subjects, and the TV programmer more concerned about his ratings than the girls' life. But aside from this there is nothing to suggest it is Miike behind the camera; most notably his usual visual flair has vanished without a trace (and that includes his famous gore), although it's more likely he just didn't have any enthusiasm for the project, and I can understand why. One Missed Call isn't offensively bad. It's just frustratingly average.Miike obviously loves directing. With his huge yearly output it's obvious he isn't going to be 100% concerned about all his projects. But even with this in mind, One Missed Call felt like he was just paying the bills.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a good film, no doubt, but with some odd aspects. Without spoiling anything it takes place in 3 places only- a Sicilian farm, the boat,and Ellis Island New York. All shots are close up so we never see a broad sweep of anything. I wonder if this was to save money? No street scenes anywhere, and we don't even see the boat except in close ups. And the music...what on earth was going on with playing Nina Simone songs, decades before they were out? I could have done without the milk river business too......But hey, before you think of me as a pure misanthrope, let me repeat, this is a very good film, with heartbreakng moments, wonderful photography, great characters and more accuracy than the usual (American) efforts at the immigration experience.$LABEL$ 1 +THE D.I. (4 outta 5 stars) Wow, I certainly did not expect to be enjoying this movie as much as I did. I had never even heard of it until I saw it sitting in the discount video bin one day. I figured Jack Webb playing an army drill instructor might be good for a chuckle but figured the drama would pale in comparison to such recent movie D.I.s as portrayed in "Full Metal Jacket" or "An Officer and a Gentleman". Boy, was I wrong. This is probably the best work Webb has ever done... far and away better than his one-note "Dragnet" performances. The delivery of his tough guy dialogue is just brilliant... done in his patented deadpan monotone and yet you *know* that the guy means every word of it. The story might seem a little hokey compared to the grittier military movies that have followed but I still found the movie fascinating and compelling. Even a completely unnecessarily musical interlude in an army nightclub had me hooked. Anyone know where I can get a copy of that terrific Ray Coniff song "If'n You Don't, Somebody Else Will"? Webb plays the toughest dang drill instructor ever... and he's under pressure to kick out the deadbeat Private Owen but, by golly, he sees a man buried somewhere in that sissyboy and he's gonna drag him out kicking and screaming! Great stuff!$LABEL$ 1 +I enjoyed this film very much. I found it to be very entertaining for me in that I feel that it captured the romanticism of turn of the century Irish-American culture. There's no messages. There's no violence and there's no overt sex, just wholesome 1947 style entertainment and Dennis Morgan had a chance to sing some really good songs. A really good movie.$LABEL$ 1 +As a writer and a lapsed Orthodox Jewish woman, I was let down tremendously by this movie. The dialogue is hackneyed and wasteful, the characters, too engaged with lines ranging from the wrackingly prosaic to the stunningly melodramatic, aren't allowed to expand into genuinely textured individuals. The one-trick musical score tries to make up for the blandness, swooping portentously into the silence to jar the viewer and the script out of protracted catatonia.Like an adolescent revolutionary on a self-righteous tirade, this film is blown away by the wisdom of its revelation--patriarchy is wrong--and thoroughly squanders its energies, hammering on this point. The resultant artistic crime is a complete lack of imaginative development; the moral crime is the reduction of human beings to caricatures: martyrs and grotesques.$LABEL$ 0 +This was the second of two filmed "Hamlets" in the nineties, the first being Franco Zeffirelli's, starring Mel Gibson, from 1990. Zeffirelli's version, like Laurence Olivier's from 1948, was based upon an abridged version of the play, with much of Shakespeare's original text being cut. (I have never seen Tony Richardson's 1969 version, but as that ran to less than two hours, shorter even than Zeffirelli's, I presume that was also abridged). Kenneth Branagh was attempting something much more ambitious- a film based on the complete text of the play, with a running time of around four hours.With his "Henry V", Branagh claimed Olivier's crown as the cinema's leading Shakespearean, confirming his claim with his brilliant "Much Ado about Nothing", a rare example of a great film based on a Shakespeare comedy. "Hamlet" was his third Shakespeare film as director (he also acted as Iago in Oliver Parker's 1995 "Othello") and, as one might expect, it is very different to "Much Ado….". The earlier film, shot in a villa in the hills of Tuscany and the beautiful surrounding countryside, is a joyous, summertime film about everything that makes life worth living."Hamlet", by contrast is set in the depths of winter. (The flowers in the description of Ophelia's death suggest that Shakespeare himself thought of the action happening in summer). The look of the film is particularly striking, both sumptuous and chilly. It was filmed at Blenheim Palace, possibly England's most grandiose stately home, but also a rather forbidding one. The snowy exterior scenes are cold and wintry; the interior ones formal and elaborate. The action is updated to the mid nineteenth century; the female characters wear the elaborate fashions of that era, while the principal male ones mostly wear splendid military uniforms. (There is a contrast here with Zeffirelli's film, where both the interiors and the costumes were deliberately subdued in tone). The play is dominated by images of corruption and decay; Branagh's intention may have been to contrast a splendid surface with the underlying "something rotten in the state of Denmark".The film is notable for the large number of big-name actors, some of them in very minor roles. (Blink, and you might miss John Gieldgud or Judi Dench). Apparently, an all-star cast was required by the production company, who were nervous about a four-hour film. Some of the imported Hollywood stars, such as Robin Williams' Osric, did not really come off, but others, like Charlton Heston's Player King or Billy Crystal's First Gravedigger, played their parts very well. Yorick, normally only seen as a skull, is here seen in flashback, played by the British comedian Ken Dodd. Brian Blessed, who often plays jovial characters, is cast against type as the Ghost, and makes the scenes in which he appears genuinely frightening.Of the major characters, perhaps the weakest was Kate Winslet's Ophelia. Branagh's leading lady in his first two Shakespeare films was his then wife Emma Thompson, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1995. I did, however, find myself wishing that Thompson had been cast in the role; although Winslet came into her own in the Ophelia's mad scenes, she seemed weak in the earlier ones where her character is still sane. (I preferred Helena Bonham Carter in Zeffirelli's version). Richard Briers plays Polonius with a greater dignity than he is often given, a wise and experienced counsellor rather than a prating old fool. Julie Christie also brings dignity to the role of Gertrude; there is no attempt here, as there was with Gibson and Glenn Close in the Zeffirelli version, to suggest an incestuous attachment between her and Hamlet. (An interpretation which owes more to Freud than it does to Shakespeare). The age difference between Christie and Branagh is great enough for them to be credible as mother and son, which was certainly not the case with Close and Gibson. (Olivier's Gertrude, Eileen Herlie, was, bizarrely, thirteen years younger than him).Branagh stated that his intention in restoring those scenes which are often cut in cinematic versions was to "reinforce the idea that the play is about a national as well as domestic tragedy." Much stress is placed upon the war with Norway and the Norwegian Prince Fortinbras- a subplot ignored altogether by Zeffirelli. This emphasis on national tragedy is perhaps best shown in the character of Claudius, sometimes played as a one-dimensional villain. There is something about Derek Jacobi's performance which suggests that Claudius could have been a good man under different circumstances, but that he allowed himself to be led astray by ambition and lust. He could have been a good and loyal servant to his brother, but chose to rule as a bad king. Although he is tormented by guilt, he can see no way to make amends for the evil he has done.Branagh, a wonderfully fluent speaker of Shakespeare's verse, is superb in the main role. Like Gibson, he has little time for the old concept of Hamlet as indecisive, passive and melancholy. His is an active, physical, energetic Hamlet, something best shown in his fatal duel with Laertes. His guiding principle is not world-weary despair, but an active disgust with evil and corruption.It was a gamble for Branagh to make a four-hour epic, and the film did not do well at the box office. It was, however, praised by many critics, James Berardinelli being particularly enthusiastic. My own opinion is that, whatever the financial returns may have been, Branagh's gamble paid off in artistic terms. By concentrating on the full text, he was able to bring out the full meaning and full emotional power of Shakespeare's most complex play. When I reviewed his "Much Ado…", I said it was the greatest ever film of a Shakespeare comedy. His "Hamlet" may just be the greatest ever film of a Shakespeare tragedy. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Zombie movies are hot, I love 'em. Can't get enough. Why I would purchase a film of this caliber goes without explanation, I just really love zombies. Surprise, this really isn't much of a zombie movie; low-budget I can handle, being duped just irritates me.A group of horror-film clichés hold up in a warehouse/lab/who-knows-what to escape a fire storm outside. Panic, yelling, low-light, and (eventually) zombies ensue.I kind of feel bad for the film makers, as it is obvious that they really thought they were putting together something good; a serious, scary horror film. It isn't, far from it, it's a boring mess of wooden acting, cheesy FX, poor lighting, excessive dialogue, and over editing.Things first go awry when it takes a good 10+ minutes for the characters to ever sit down and start to figure out what is going on. It gets worse when another 20 minutes go by and they are still sitting around trying to figure out what is going on. All of this is littered with non-acting and bad dialogue.Finally some one gets attached (not by a zombie though) and hope flickers just a touch before the characters are again lounging around whining (the only emotion any one every generates) about how much this sucks. Me too guys, me too.Finally zombies are in the mix, but no one watching cares any more. I think there was some blood and gore tossed in, but I was too busy praying for the credits to roll to notice. And when the screen finally did fade to black I felt even more cheated by the pointlessly 'Cube' inspired ending.I will give credit for trying very hard, even if it failed miserably. That and the punk chick was very hot if totally under used.Can't really recommend this to anyone, save for film students looking for 'no-no' pointers.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I don't remember the last time I reacted to a performance as emotionally as I did to Justin Timberlake's in "Edison." I got so emotional I wanted to scream in anguish, destroy the screen, readily accept the hopeless cries of nihilism. Timberlake is horribly miscast; in fact, casting him is like casting Andy Dick to play the lead role in "Patton," or Nathan Lane to play Jesus. But that is almost beside the point.Timberlake is simply a bad actor and he would be equally terrible in any role. I used to have problems with Ben Affleck's acting talent, but Timberlake makes Affleck look like Sir Ian McKellen or Dame Judi Dench. With his metrosexual lisp (read lithp), his boyish glances and emotional expressions which derive from something like "The 25 Cliché Expressions for Actors," he poisons the screen upon which he is inflicted mercilessly, and no matter how you slice it, I do not and will not buy his role as an amateur-turned-crusader-for-justice journalist. It simply will not fly.However, Timberlake alone isn't to blame for his failure. Director David J. Burke puts him not only in the (essentially) primary role, but also places him aside Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, John Heard, Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes and (I'm surprised he was as good) LL Cool J. I can imagine one almost physically suffering watching some of this cast interact with Timberlake.There is an upside to this of course: the moment any of these actors interact without Justin there it feels like a double relief. A pleasure, if you will. Freeman and Spacey may not have more than 10 minutes of screen time alone together, but that ten minutes is blissful in contrast to their scenes with our so-called hero. Dylan McDermott is also a breath of fresh air.But enough of Timberlake bashing - words aren't enough in this particular case to do the trick. "Edison" is a very, very run-of-the-mill corruption story. It's plot ranges from cliché to simply preposterous. I do, however, admire the motivation behind making it, which I interpret as an homage to films like "Serpico," or "Donnie Brasco," or maybe even "Chinatown." Don't get me wrong - "Edison" is not even in the same ballpark as these films, but I can stretch my suspension of disbelief to admire its reason for existence, perhaps to justify my sitting through it.The script, in and of itself, features some surprisingly bad writing. Yes, it has some decent interchanges, but any conversation between Piper Perabo (who is wasted here) and Timberlake seems like it was lifted straight out of a Dawson's Creek episode. It's your typical far-too-glib-for-reality, let's-impress-the-audience-with-how-well-we-articulate (and fail) dialogue. This dialogue, mind you, is punctuated by great music at the wrong moments - sometimes it feels like "Edison" wants to morph into a music video, where the emotion of the scene is not communicated through acting, but precisely through the badly chosen music and variant film speeds (read slow-motion).Thinking about it, "Edison" is a curiosity. It's sure as hell got a cast to kill for but the performances are marred by Timberlake who simply doesn't work. In film as in most art, if one thing is off, the whole thing feels off. Directors must make tough choices. David J. Burke missed the mark here. Some of the scenes play well in and of themselves, but as a whole, they don't seem to fit like puzzle pieces from different puzzles forced into one incoherent picture. And it's not particularly an exciting puzzle to begin with.$LABEL$ 0 +In the beginning and throughout the movie, it was great. It was suspenseful and thrilling. Yet in the end it gave no answer to what had happened. They mysteriously turned into zombies by a raven or crow? It did not answer the questions that we all had and therefore, was not as good a movie as I thought that it was going to be.$LABEL$ 0 +Ever once in a while I run into a movie that is so embarrassingly bad I wonder why movies exist. This is one of them. This is a terrible attempt to parody The Godfather with annoying cartoon sounds, and bad dialogue. Eddie Deezen is just plain annoying as Tony, an annoying twit who upon his father, Don (William Hickey)'s request, takes over the family business. Tony, as I said, is an annoying little twit. This makes the whole movie a complete mess. The movie is terribly daffy. It's too cartoonish. The main point I'm trying to make is that you can't make a parody of an acclaimed drama like The Godfather with so much cartoonishness. It doesn't work that way. Believe it or not, you have to take a parody of a dramatic movie seriously. If you don't take it seriously, it will feel too much like a parody. The thing about doing a parody is that you can't seem too much like you're doing a parody. You have to make it seem like you're taking the movie at least a little bit seriously. It also feels like they're just mocking Woody Allen, and that's what makes this movie absolutely terrible.$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw this movie, the first thing I thought was this movie was more like an anime than a movie. The reason is because it involves vampires doing incredible stunts. The stunts are very much like the Matrix moves like the moving too fast for bullets kinda thing and the jumping around very far. Another reason why I the movie is good is because the adorable anime faces they do during the movie. The way Gackt does his pouting faces or just the way they act, VERY ANIME. I think that it's a really good movie to watch. ^_^ The action in this movie is a 10 (not to mention Gackt and Hyde too are a 10). ^_~ If you are Gackt and Hyde fans, you have to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +Worst horror film ever but funniest film ever rolled in one you have got to see this film it is so cheap it is unbeliaveble but you have to see it really!!!! P.s watch the carrot$LABEL$ 1 +I loved Dewaere in Series Noir. His talent is trivialized in "The Waltzers" aka "Going Places". Okay, it's a couple of guys flaunting convention in the most absurd and irredeemable ways; many folks find such behavior amusing. This was a boring, pointless exercise designed to shock. I find the smirk on Blier's face, the face behind the camera, annoying. Series Noir was a valid expression of personal liberty and licentious behavior. From the first moment when we see Patric Dewaere prancing in the abandoned lot we get an idea of the bewilderingly beautiful anti-hero we'll be spending time with for the next couple of hours. When we see him chasing the hapless middle aged female with his buddy Depardieu in "Going Places" we have fair warning that two hours spent with these chaps will be soul-draining. I have trouble eking even a "3" for this annoying distraction.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when it was first released and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a movie. I am in my 40s now and have 2 teenage kids and I would like them to see this movie. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a romance movie or older Elton John music.I have searched most of the stores that sell both new and old movies but have not come across any.I bought some old movies like " Melody" in Hong Kong, who had quite a collection of old movie, but they did not have this. I am also looking at the sequel, Paul & Michelle.Can anyone please tell me how to get a copy of the VHS or DVD or VCD.Really appreciate it.Many Thanks.$LABEL$ 1 +this movie delivers. the best is when the awkward teenage neighbor tries to bike away from the babysitter and in the background looks like he's never been anywhere near a bike in his life as he attempts not to fall off.but this movie doesn't stop there, when less than 5 minutes later it delivers a scene of nothing but an arm reaching through a fence and into a cooler pulling out a beer. stereotypical grilling dads, several plot lines that go nowhere, and a former seaQuest actress with a bluetooth cell phone all add up to making this the perfect Saturday night at home.$LABEL$ 0 +I read all of the other comments which made this movie out to be an excellent movie. I saw nothing of the excellence that was stated. I thought it was long and boring. I tried twice to watch it. The first time I fell asleep and the second time I made it to within six minutes of the end and gave up. I suppose that it was mainly my fault going in with great expectation, but I don't think that this would have completely ruined the movie for me. The movie was just bland. It had nothing that was spectacular or unique to it. The plot was not half bad, the action sequences were non-existent, the dialogue forced and the movie just went on forever. I would not recommend seeing this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a comedy version of "Strangers on a Train". It works pretty well. I am a harsh grader, so the 3 rating reflects mostly on the characters and plot. The performances are extremely good, all of them. Of course, the two stars, DeVito and Crystal, shine most. Each performer acts well enough to play off of. The comedy works in a level just short of slapstick. DeVito characters work best when depraved. His character, portrayed as a writing hack, would probably be more real if he was published and lauded as much as most hacks are. His character would, in real life, have a great agent and multiple solicitations. The characters are one dimensional, which is okay in comedy. But Crystals's character is not written very well. His desire to kill the "moma" all of a sudden makes no sense at all. It looks like a pitiful attempt at humor. The pitiful attempts are not too often, and the movie flows fairly well.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately this original mix of action and laughs is kept from cinema fans as it sits rotting in the Columbia vaults for all eternity. A shame since this may be Jack Starrett's strongest film and features a witty script by a young Terrence Malick and fully realized performances by its two leads Stacey Keach and Frederic Forrest who turn to a life of crime so they can get the money to open a seafood restaurant. Many standout scenes include interrogation by bathtub and electric razor, and an intense shootout in an abandoned building as it's being torn down by a wrecking ball!$LABEL$ 1 +The brainchild of comic strip pioneer Alex Raymond, "Flash Gordon" was the grand daddy of all sci-fi epics. This serial is the first time Flash was brought to celluloid life. Despite it's low budget, this is a great space opera.The story begins with Earth doomed to apparent destruction, when the Planet Mongo comes hurtling through space on a collision course. Maverick scientist Dr. Zarkov is headed off for the approaching planet in a self-made rocket ship, convinced he can do something to stop the runaway celestial body. He gets some last minute recruits in the form of resourceful athlete Flash Gordon and beautiful Dale Arden. Once they reach Mongo, their problems really begin. They run afoul of dastardly Emperor Ming the Merciless, conqueror of his world, who has some ambitious plans for Earth.The rest of the serial revolves around Flash's desperate attempts to save the earth; the assorted alien cultures he encounters; the allies he makes; space ships he flies; the battles he fights, and the monsters he slays.Brilliantly conceived by Raymond, "Flash Gordon" features classic archetypes from legendary myths and fables of antiquity. Echos of famous tales, like the sagas of Troy and Camelot and Sherwood Forrest are seen here. You have the dashing, handsome hero, on a quest to save the kingdom (Flash); The evil king (Ming); The old wise man (Zarkov); The lovely damsel in distress (Dale); the seductive siren (Aura); loyal allies (Thun, Barin, Vultan); Plus monsters, dragons and assorted beasties.Flash is a modern Robin Hood, Jason or Beowulf. Ming is Prince John or Aggamemnon. Dale is Helen of Troy or Gwenevere or Maid Marion. Zarkov is Merlin or Odysseus. (Or Gandalf) Thun/Barin/Vultan are the Merry Men or the Knights of the Round Table.You get the idea.You can't help but notice how many ideas from "Flash Gordon" would later reappear in STAR WARS. The cloud City; The ice World; The forest moon; The scrolling opening text (From the second serial); There are others, but you get the gist. The whole sci-fi genre owes a great debt to this timeless classic.Buster Crabb is the perfect action hero, and I personally think he's better at this sort of role than any of the current crop of action stars. He also played Buck Rogers and Tarzan.Charles Middleton is the embodiment of diabolical nastiness as Ming. Sure, he seems a bit melodramatic today, but that was what audiences expected from their bad guys in the 30's. Jean Rogers is our hero's love interest Dale Arden, and I had such a crush on her when I first saw this as a boy. I can readily understand why Flash always rushed to her rescue. She's the quintessential good girl, to counterpoint the seductive manipulations of Aura, the quintessential bad girl.The supporting cast seemed perfectly chosen to emulated their comic strip counterparts, and despite the now-silly looking FXs, there was a lot of thrilling action in this groundbreaking serial.An all around fun romp and the beginning of the sci-fi genre in cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +This is easily the worst Presley vehicle ever, which would bring us pretty close to the worst film ever made. It is measurably worse than even the revolting "Happy Ending" song at the end of "It Happened At The World's Fair", and here I thought that moment when Elvis buys all of the vendor's balloons for his girl, and then the balloon vendor gets jiggy to the marching band was the epitome of bad cinema and could not be topped. I usually enjoy the random Elvis flick if for no other reason but the memories of a time when we were innocent enough to sit through it. This one, however, ought to be called "Live a Little, Wish You Were Dead a Little", and makes "Stay Away Joe" look like Olivier playing Othello.Here, Elvis plays Greg, who is essentially a hippie free-lance photographer except for the Establishment haircut. After a fun morning of reckless driving, he ends up at the beach where he is abducted by a woman who's name changes depending on the scene and who is speaking to her. Clearly Michele Carey was selected for her resemblance to and ability to mimic Elizabeth Taylor (if I watched this without my glasses, I would have thought it was late 1960's Liz playing the female lead). She sics her dog on Elvis until he runs into the water and catches convenient movie pneumonia, then she keeps him doped up out of consciousness in her beach pad so long he loses his job and his apartment so she moves his stuff into her house before he awakens without even telling him (the audience does not know about it either, until Elvis tries to go back to work and his boss has him beaten up for no reason except he deserved it for making this movie, and tries to go home and finds some hateful woman in a slip living in his house).Rather than having her arrested for kidnapping, larceny and assault, he goes out and gets two jobs to repay the back rent Miss Crazy Pants had to spring for when stealing all of his belongings. Job one is working for Don Porter at a Playboy type magazine, job two is upstairs working for Rudy Vallee at a snobby fashion magazine. I think the two-job shuffling is supposed to be the comedy, too bad it isn't the least bit funny, unless you'd laugh the 100th time you saw someone run up and down stairs in fast-motion to silly music. The predominate obstacle that keeps Greg from falling for his abductor is her other love interest, the dreadfully miscast Dick Sargent (let's face it, either Porter or Vallee, even given their advanced ages in 1968, would have made far more believable competitors for Miss Crazy's affections).There are a variety of uninteresting and unfunny twists and turns, I kept waiting for something, anything to happen that would make all of this make sense. It never did. Entertainment totals approximately three minutes and is comprised of Elvis' rendition of "A Little Less Talk" (which I can listen to on CD without this painful movie inflicted upon me) and a funny five second bit where Elvis flops on the couch and Crazy Pants has apparently disassembled it so it flies all to pieces when he lands on it. That's it, folks, busted furniture, the only laugh in this entire film. No amount of mod sixties clothing, music, or décor can salvage this high-heaven stinker and it should be avoided at all costs. Viewing this can create an unnatural desire on the part of the audience toward the self-infliction of grave bodily harm.$LABEL$ 0 +Even though this was set up to be a showcase for some kickboxing and swordplay, "Vampires: The Turning" (VTT) could have aspired beyond that. Because it doesn't even aspire to be a good vampire movie, VTT fails to deliver any punch that it may have been attempting to.Using the idea of an 800-year-old thai vampire was interesting, but the story about progeny she mistakenly brought into existence (and now must wipe out) actually reminds me of Gizmo and his plight in "Gremlins," and that isn't a good thing when it come to a vampire flick.Stephanie Chao is attractive and serves as the "good" vampire very well, but her lack of any accent grates when you realize that she's an 800-year-old vampire. Added to that, when she tells Connor he's "a young soul," she doesn't deliver the line with much of the weight you would expect from an "old" soul. Attractive, but not believable.Meredith Monroe was more believable in her role but, for a "Dawson's Creek" alum, you would think she would have more screen time. The question of whether Amanda succumbs and "turns" is the most compelling reason to continue watching this movie, and you never get it. You get a tease of it, but you never actually get any type of development out of the characters for that plot device. It's a cheap way to play your audience, folks.If you want something that is a good vampire movie, go find Lugosi's "Dracula," and if you want a sexy vampire movie, you have dozens of flicks from Hammer with a lot more strength than this one. In the end, if you want good or sexy, this isn't the place. This is just forgettable.$LABEL$ 0 +And that's why historic/biographic movies are so important to all of us, moreover when they are so well done, like this one!Before I saw "The Young Victoria", I knew a few things about Queen Victoria, but in the end I got much more knowledge about it. Emily Blunt is simply GREAT as Victoria (Who would guess that!) and She probably will get a nomination at this years Oscar's. Personally, I'm cheering for her...For technical issues, I am pleased to say that is a very successful production, with wonderful Art Direction/Set Decoration and, of course, like It was expected to be, a terrific periodic Costume Design! The one drawback is that I want to see more and know more about this interesting queen, but foremost, incredible woman and mother! BRAVO: 9 out of 10!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is just plain bad. It isn't even worth watching to make fun of it. The lunatic professor is just plain annoying. Even suspending disbelief to allow for invisibility (which I glady do for the sake of good bad movies) and allowing for exceedingly stupid victims in a horror movie, this movie asks for even more than that. If you are looking for women's locker room shower scenes, and random sexual encounters, get a porn, if you are looking for a good-bad movie, get something else. If you want to simply waste your time on an annoying bad movie, rent this.$LABEL$ 0 +...left behind when the ostensible heroine's Venus flytrap makes any man whose sexual advances are forced upon her--ahem!--disappear. Fiona "This IS my career!" Horsey is an attractive enough screamqueen ingenué, although I found her acting chops to be suspect. With better direction, and a better vehicle, she might improve. Likely as not, her leading man, Paul "Mine, too!" Conway, never will, proving to be one of the most unlikeable, unattractive love interests I've seen in a film in recent memory. There's some nonsense involving Siamese twins, a frying-pan-to-the-head-obvious hot dog joke, a reasonable amount of bare boobies, production values in the low-budget-to-laughable range, scripting that would make Syd Field cry, acting that by and large only an Ed Wood could love, and camera-work a step above pedestrian. The vagina dentata gimmick might well have made for an interesting horror movie, but "Angst" botches the premise. Strictly for stoned-out viewing, and even then, you could do much better. Sturgeon's Law (or Revelation) still holds.$LABEL$ 0 +If you made a genre flick in the late 80s, you basically had a 50/50 chance it would either be set underwater or in a prison (sadly, we never got an underwater prison flick). Framed for murder by mafia boss Moretti (Anthony Franciosa), Derek Keillor (Dennis Cole) ends up on death row, right alongside the mob boss' brother Frankie (Frank Sarcinello Jr.). But this is the least of Derek's problems as rogue government agent (and mob stoolie) Col. Burgess (John Saxon, who also directs) is using the prison as a testing ground for a new supervirus. This is the only flick Saxon directed during his storied career. For a guy who has worked with tons of directors, it appears the only ones he picked up any tips from were the cheap-o Italian ones. Sure, it is low budget, but that can't excuse the stilted staging, shooting gaffes, or clumsy exposition in the first 15 minutes. To his credit, Saxon did make it slightly gory and he works in a hilarious nude scene (our lead falls asleep during a prison riot only to fantasize about a female scientist). Cole, who looks like a more rugged Jan-Michael Vincent, is decent as the stoic lead and Franciosa - sporting a really bad rug - gives it his all as the cliché mob boss. The end takes place at Marty McKee's favorite location, Bronson Canyon. Retromedia released this on DVD as ZOMBIE DEATH HOUSE.$LABEL$ 0 +.... may seem far fetched.... but there really was a real life story.. of a man who had an affair with a woman, who found out where he and his new wife were staying,, and she killed the wife,, making it look like a murder rape.......in her delusion she had told everyone that the man had asked her to marry him.. so she quit her job in Wisconsin... and moved to Minnesota..........last I heard she was in a mental institution, Security Prison....she was still wearing the "engagement ring." that she has purchased for herself... and had told everyone that he had bought it for her.The events took place in a small town in Wisconsin,,,,,,, and the murder happened in Minnesota......There even was a feature story in "People" magazine... Spring of 1988, I want to say on Page 39. I remember this as I was in college at the time,, and a colleague of mine had met the individual in the Security Hospital....$LABEL$ 0 +Certainly this film is not for everybody---but for anyone with a sense of humor and love of period film Ð buy this immediately! Where else can you get a run down of 70Õs fashion, a period vocabulary primer, karate trained hookers, crime, a rap about the TitanicÕs sinking, shoot outs, and a co-star named Queen Bee (watch for her moving crying scene early on in the wardens office!) With a filming style thatÕs a cross between a porno movie/Dawn of The Dead/ and Car Wash, you cannot go wrong. This is one to watch over and over againÉafter you put the kids to bed.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know what this movie is about, really. It's like a student's art school project. They never say why the world is dark, but it is always darkness except for seconds a day. There are long, interrupting shots of insects of all sorts for no reason. What little dialogue there is in the movie is as inane and nonsensical as the images. A black woman enters the main character's apartment. Somehow she becomes pregnant overnight, then gets shot in the head. The main character takes care of the body until it becomes a cocoon after which a white naked woman emerges. I have never been so blown away by how bad and pointless a movie can be. Honestly, I would like someone to watch it so they can tell me what they think it's about. But I wouldn't wish this level of hell on anybody else.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie surely has one of the strangest themes in history -- right up there with Ed Wood's impassioned defense of cross-dressing in "Glen or Glenda?"The subject: playing bridge. The Park Avenue set plays it; the Bohemians play it. The Russians -- who speak very questionable "Russian" and have most unconvincing accents when they speak English -- play it at the restaurant where they work.If one isn't interested in bridge, one -- even despite the great cast -- isn't likely to be much interested in this bizarre movie.Loretta Young and Paul Lukas are fine. (Well --Frank McHugh is an unlikely ghost writer -- as Lukas is an unlikely Russian.) But they are all sunk by the fetishistic script.$LABEL$ 0 +The true life story of perhaps the greatest football coach the game has ever known. Knute Rockne led the game of football out of the "stone age" with innovations such as the forward pass and offensive formation shifts. But he is probably best known for his motivational locker room speeches. Along the way, he brought fame and glory to a tiny, little, unknown Catholic school in Indiana. Pat O'Brien is incomparable in his role as Rockne. Terrific cast that includes Ronald Reagan who gives a great performance as Notre Dame's first, true superstar, George Gipp.For Football aficionados, this is the greatest football movie ever made. Do yourself a favor and rent the black and white version. (Some versions have deleted scenes for some reason) If you got the good version, look for a brief cameo by the immortal Jim Thorpe as he sticks his head in the locker room telling Rockne and the team they only have a few minutes left before the 2nd half begins.$LABEL$ 1 +Now, it would be some sort of cliché if i began with the bit about the title, so i'll wait on that. First, this movie made me wonder why kids do stupid things like wander around in labs and break bottles. Then i realized it, this is a movie with a message, that message is beat kids and things like this won't happen. Things like what you ask? Things like a giant insectish monster growing up and causing a bit of mayhem before dying in the typical "kill the monster indirectly" fashion. Now, as promised... Blue Monkey... has nothing Blue in it nor any Simian of any kind. Now it snot like i was cheated or anything. The picture on the cover had a giant bug/crab/idiot/thing on the front chasing some screaming nurses. That kinda happened but i wanted apes! having just enjoyed MOST EXTREME PRIMATE a few nights before(half drunk on Cask and Creame's brandy mind you) i was in the mood for more monkey hijacks 80's style. Not so much. If you like snow boarding apes or blue things this movie is not for you. If you like bugs and good reasons to hit kids, rent this.$LABEL$ 0 +John Huston was seriously ill when he made his final achievement,and it's thoroughly his testament:uncompromising,difficult ,a thousand miles away from crazes and fashions,it will stand as the best "last film" you can ever dream of.A very austere screenplay,no action,no real hero,but a group of people coping with the vanity of life,the fleeting years and death.The party doesn't delude people for long.Admittedly,warmth and affection emanate from the songs and the meal,complete with turkey and pudding.But the passage of time has partly ruined Julia's voice,first crack in the mirror.Then the camera leaves the room where the guests are gathered and searches the old lady's bedroom.For sure,hers seems to have been a happy life,but it's a life inexorably coming to an end-A shot shows towards the end of the movie Julia on her future deathbed-.Maybe an unfulfilled life,because she remained a spinster,with no children to carry on .Only some poor things,yellowish photographs,bibelots and trinklets.... But are a human being's hopes and dreams all fulfilled?Look at Gretta.She 's a married woman ,about thirty-five,she's still beautiful and healthy but she knows something is broken.What Julia is today,she will be tomorrow,that's why,in her stream of consciousness,she goes back to her past,only to find out how harrowing her memories are: a young man committed suicide for her,a symbol of her youth now waning.The final monologue,if we listen closely to it,involves us all in this eternal tragedy,the doomed to failure human condition,John Huston's masterly lesson.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, I admire the independent spirit of it all, but it's like Road Trip with a bad cast and no budget.I chuckle when I watch American comedies, I don't laugh. This movie made me laugh, but only because of the abundantly obvious attempts to simulate high-budget American high school/pot-flicks.If you want good independent American comedy with pot-references, go watch Kevin Smith or Richard Linklater flicks or something. Don't waste your time on this piece of sh't movie.I mean, how can you take these comments seriously when most people are complaining about the characters not smoking pot!And by the way: in Norway it's called "Dude, Where's My Pot"!$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps I missed something, but I found GOYA'S GHOSTS to be a tedious costume melodrama. As to the story it was trying to tell, I found that a confusing mish-mash that went off in all directions. And perhaps it should have been made by a Spanish director with the appropriate languages subtitled rather than in unconvincingly accented English. I can't judge the historical veracity of the story but it seemed to move along with a similar "artist's model's tragic fate" plot line as GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Was the movie a commentary on the religious injustices of the Inquisition, false piety, torture then and now, or what???? I never seemed to be able to figure that one out. Natalie Portman's various characters also seemed ridiculously stereotypical. And ultimately the movie was crowned with the concluding melodrama of a disheveled Bardem's head and body hanging on the edge of cart heading off into the sunset…with Ines and Goya following along behind………Can't Milos Forman do better than that?$LABEL$ 0 +I clerk in a video store, so I try to see the movies we're about to put out each week. I don't have a problem with this; in fact, I sort of feel it's a privilege. Not so with this film . . . After an hour and a half of our hero whining and growling his way through scene after scene, I was truly wondering if they planned to get to the point. I felt like I should be getting paid for watching this at home, in my free time. And if I'd known there was another hour to be endured, I might have given up right then. I didn't care about the characters, the filming was unremarkable, and Ford made kissing look like a chore. Even the score was incongruous and jarring. What a waste.$LABEL$ 0 +This wasn't funny in 1972. It's not funny now.Unlike a lot of other people, I'm not bashing the film because it is incredibly sexist - I quote enjoyed that bit, or rather I enjoyed the reaction it generates in annoying PC people - I'm bashing it because it is poorly written and acted.The only really memorable character is Blakey, which British people 25 years old will recognise immediately since he was a favourite with impressionists for a long time.Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +When I was a little girl, I absolutely adored The Swan Princess, it was reliving the same fairy tales of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, the princess and her prince who saves the day is always a timeless story that will never die, well, hopefully. But I figured that I would check out the sequels for The Swan Princess to see what they were like and unfortunately, this is the typical cartoon sequel that just disappoints more than entertains. The only character I found still very amusing was the Queen, she was very funny in this movie and had the best part. But with the voice changes, they were noticeable and also bothered me quite a bit, I don't mean to be picky, just it was too weird for me. The story also was just more or less borrowed from the first Swan Princess, just the villain in this movie is following Rothbart's footsteps.Odette and Derek are about to celebrate their one year anniversary, but Derek has been too preoccupied with fighting for his kingdom to keep it safe. With his mother's birthday also coming up, he forgets about that since there is a new villain in town, Clavious, who is hoping to go above and beyond where Rothbart's powers went and kidnaps the Queen on her birthday. But Odette must change back into her swan self in order to help Derek fight him and save his mother.The Swan Princess 2 is of course more than alright for the kids, that I never mind, it's good clean fun for them. The reason why these sequels are disappointing though is because it is usually just for the kids, that is the audience they aim for, but it's more enjoyable when the jokes and story can be enjoyed by everyone. Now there are a few laughs and giggles here and there, but this wasn't as clever in my opinion to the first Swan Princess. I would recommend it for the little one's, but if you're looking for a fun cartoon movie, I'd recommend staying with the first Swan Princess.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I think Lion King 1 1/2 is one of the best sequels ever as if not the best out of the three Lion King movies! In the movie Timon and Pumbaa tell us where they came from and having trouble fitting in with others such as Timon having trouble digging tunnels with other Meercats! Timon and Pumbaa journey off into finding their dream place and find it and soon find it and also Simba who they raise but soon they must choose between their dream place or helping Simba face his evil Uncle Scar and proclaim his right as the Lion King of Pride Rock! Filled with wonderful new characters like Timon's Ma(Julie Kavner) and Uncle Max (Jerry Stiller). I think my favorite character was Uncle Max because he was very funney and was voiced by a funney comedian Jerry Stiller the father of Ben Stiller. Disney was smart to cast Stiller in that role! Filled with wonderful characters, animation, and story and music Lion King 1 1/2 is in my opinion the best of any sequel and better than Simba's Pride even though I will admit I really did like that one too! Lion King 1 1/2 is a great Disney sequel the whole family can enjoy! It's got a good story and is very funney! 10 out of 10!$LABEL$ 1 +I gather from reading the previous comments that this film went straight to cable. Well, I paid to see it in a theatre, and I'm glad I did because visually it was a striking film. Most of the settings seem like they were made in the early 60s (except for the shrink's office, which was dated in a different way), and if you leave the Neve Campbell sequences out, the whole film has a washed- out early 60s ambience. And the use of restaurants in the film was fascinating. For a first-time director whose background, I believe, is in writing, he has a great eye. Within the first ten minutes I felt the plot lacked plausibility, so I just willingly suspended my disbelief and went along for the ride. In terms of acting and the depiction of father-son, mother-son, husband-wife, parent-child relationships, the film was spot-on. William H. Macy, a pleasure to watch, seems to be filling the void left by the late Tony Perkins, if this and Magnolia are any indication. Tracey Ullman as the neglected wife was quite moving, to me. It was a three-dimensional depiction of a character too often viewed by society as two-dimensional. Of course, Donald Sutherland can add this to his collection of unforgettable portrayals. The depiction of the parents (Bain/Sutherland) reminded me, in an indirect way, of Vincent Gallo's BUFFALO '66, although toned-down quite a bit! I would definitely pay money to see a second film from this director. He has the self-discipline of a 50s b-crimefilm director (something P.T.Anderson will never have!), yet he has a visual style and a way with actors that commands attention.$LABEL$ 1 +If your a fan of Airplane type movies this is a must see! Set in the 1920's and 30's Johnny Dangerously has not only great actors but great lines. "knock down dat wall,knock down dat wall and knock down dat #@$%#@$ wall." "You shouldn't hang me on a hook johnny" or "Sounds like Johnnys getting laid". Its definitely a spoof of the old James Cagney Movies and references them a lot. There's a great scene when Jhonnys walking down death row and has a priest set up for his escape. Listen closely to the fake priests readings, its pretty funny. Another great scene is when Dom Delauise plays the Pope. Watch his reaction to Johnny after he tips the Pope, a lot said without making a sound.I recommend this movie to all who love to laugh or are old movie buffs.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the best if not the best rock'n'roll movies ever. And it's not just mindless fun. There really were a lot of clever jokes in it. Of course I love the Ramones. But with all the "anarchy" and the "I hate high school" themes, the film doesn't at all take itself too seriously,which is what's great about it.I first saw the movie in the Spring of 1980, and I saw it again recently. Since I went to high school in the late 1970's, it made me kind of nostalgic. Like I said, this film doesn't take itself that seriously and isn't pretentious like so much other teen fare of the seventies, eighties, and nineties. And to speak of, it's not really dirty or disgusting either. Only PG rated. That's rare for a movie in this category. A great cult classic and a truly incredible time capsule.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the page for "House of Exorcism", but most people have confused this film with the Mario Bava masterpiece, "Lisa & the Devil", which explains the ridiculously high rating for this, "House of exorcism." When "Lisa & the Devil" was shown at film festivals in the early 70's, it was a critical success. Audiences responded well to that gorgeous, Gothic horror film. Unfortunately it was a bit ahead of it's time, and was considered too unusual, and not commercial enough for mass consumption. No distributor would buy it. So producer Alfredo Leone decided to edit 'Lisa', seemingly with a chainsaw, by removing just about half of the original film, and adding new scenes, which he filmed two years after the original product! It is important to note that Bava had little to do with these new, hideous additions, so technically "House of Exorcism" is not a Bava film. The original product is a slow, dreamy, classy production. A few minutes into the film, the viewer is jarred out of this dream world, as suddenly we see Lisa, (two years older, and with a very different haircut), begin to writhe on the ground, making guttural sounds and croaking epitaphs like "suck my co@k", etc. Subtle, huh? And the film continues like this, jumping back and forth between a beautiful, visual film, and a grade Z "Exorcist" rip-off. Leone was trying to incorporate these shock scenes, while keeping some semblance of a story intact. He failed miserably. When the choice was made to basically destroy "Lisa and the devil", Bava himself refused, saying that his film was too beautiful to cut. He was right, and it must have been quite sad for this artist to see all his work destroyed and flushed down the toilet. It was many years before the original "Lisa and the Devil" was seen again, re-surfacing on late night television. I had seen "lisa" long before i saw this new version, and it was downright disturbing to witness one of my favorite films "vandalised" in this way. Worth seeing only for curiosity sake. Otherwise avoid this insidious disaster like the plague.$LABEL$ 0 +Another chapter in the ongoing question, whatever happened to Mel Brooks's sense of humor? It starts out nicely enough, with Mel as Trump-like mogul Goddard Bolt ("You can call me God"), who accepts a bet that he can't live on the streets for 30 days. But the moment the movie hits the streets, it turns into a pathos-laden mess, with occasional "funny" bits interjected (Mel sees a black kid break-dancing for money and tries to do a vaudeville buck-and-wing, yuk, yuk). Leslie Ann Warren is nothing short of wasted. The worst part is this movie's musical number, in which Brooks and Warren do a silent dance to Cole Porter's "Easy to Love." Brooks's musical parodies are usually the highlights of his movies; here he plays the whole thing straight, like a dancing excerpt from an aging guest star on "The Carol Burnett Show" (on which Rudy DeLuca, this film's co-writer, began his career). Go rent Charlie Chaplin's THE KID, which covered the same ground 70 years before and did a lot$LABEL$ 0 +this became a cult movie in chinese college students, though i havnt watched it until it is broadcasted in channel4, UK.full of arty giddy pretentions, the plot is mediocre and unreal; the 'spirit' it wants to convey is how independent artists 'resist the commercisliation of music industry' and maintain their' purity of an artistic soul' and wouldnt 'sell themselves for dirty money'. that is really giddy and superficial; the diologue are mainly pathetic. acting is poor. sceenplay is full of art pretention. it is a fantasy movie for kids and that;s all$LABEL$ 0 +I walked into the movie theater, with no expectations for the film I was about to witness, "Everything is Illuminated". I walked out with a joy I have barely come to feel with American films. The directorial debut of actor, Leiv Schreiber, the film follows a man on his journey through the past, accompanied by an eccentric group including a brake-dancing barely English-speaking punk from the Eukraine, his grandfather who believes he is blind, and their crazy dog. The first half of the film is funny and smart with an extremely European flavor in the usage of small but wonderful characters, while the second half of the film descends into a somber story of discovery and the holocaust. This little movie brings out so many emotions, and so many colors, with such a wonderful conclusion and is more than just a story of illumination, but also of relationships and connections. The acting is incredibly powerful, the story mysterious and interesting, and the artistic appeal of the cinematography, to die for. With some brilliant and absolutely touching scenes "Everything is Illuminated" managed to capture my heart.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm glad that this is available on DVD now. This film is an excellent example of the triumph of content & style over empty-headed flashing lights & constant loud noises.Essentially, if you have a short attention span or lack the wit & imagination to engage with literary narrative you won't like this film. The reasons for this are quite simple, but unfortunately rarely achieved: Matthew Jacobs has done a fantastic job of transposing the story of Catherine Storr's novel 'Marianne Dreams' successfully to a screenplay. An unenviable task as anyone who has seen a film of a book will undoubtedly know.The casting is excellent, allowing director Bernard Rose to use the actors in a way that is rarely seen now; they indulge in the craft of acting! I know, I know, actors doing their job & acting instead of resorting to mugging inanely at the camera lens whist a kaleidoscope of car chases, explosions & fire fights break out around them is a genuinely rare treat, but it does actually happen in this film.This brings me to the final reason that this is a film for the imaginative thinker & not the spoon-fed tabloid reader - Apart from a solid script, direction & acting, it relies on atmosphere, suspense & implied horror. If it is to be categorized as horror then the presentation of 'Paper House' is more in the vein of Sophocles than Tobe Hooper.In conclusion then, if you like lots of loud noises, explosions, constant cuts, & bright flashing colours you'd be better off watching 'Transformers', but if you like a suspenseful story which unfolds through a skillful & evocative use of narrative without insulting your intelligence by force feeding you cacophonous nonsense then this might just be your thing.$LABEL$ 1 +Don't waste your time. One of those cool-looking boxes that you pick up at Blockbuster on a hunch, but not even worth that. You will NOT say, "It's so bad, it's good." Just, "It's bad." The Greatest American Hero is a writer who rents a cabin on African island, called Snake Island. Some other tourists are on the boat that drops him off, but they are not staying on the island. They just stop there to let off the writer. Then the boat is stranded there, and --in true Hollywood originality-- the one and only radio on the island is busted. So they start walking around and see a bunch of snakes. Like hundreds of them, which really became annoying and you knew the plot would go nowhere. It's not like there ever was ONE main snake. Like a giant mutated snake or an extra poisonous king of all snakes. Instead, there are just a bunch of ham-and-egger snakes of all kinds of breeds. Their only goal, then, was to escape the island...as opposed to having to conquer the enemy. Because there were so many snakes, you knew they couldn't possibly try to kill them all, and they didn't try. I've seen a similar movie where a town was haunted by snakes and they lead all the snakes into a cave then blew it up. At least then you get the feeling that the good guys killed the bad guys and it was a normal ending. In Snake Island (by the way, every single character was shocked to see snakes on the Island...duhhhhh, it's NAMED Snake Island for a reason), there was no plan other than trying to get gas for the stupid boat. Oh, they never do get gas by the way. They "just happen" to find another boat on the island already gassed up.$LABEL$ 0 +Making a movie about a Comic is hard to do. Making a good movie about a Comic is extremely hard to do. Making a good movie about Asterix & Obelix has been done.This movie shows that the french do know how to make an : a) funny , b) hilarious , c) beautiful , d) superb movie. The acting is no less than superb , the sunny feel to the whole movie is perfect .. A MUST see ! This just has to be the funniest thing to come out since we started the new millenium.. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, I became dissy after watching this movie for five minutes (cause of the bas screenplay). I don't think this movie has any purpose. It's boring from the first minute to the last. I don't understand why this movie scores so high. I gave it 1/10 but actually it's not more wurth then 0/10.$LABEL$ 0 +The portrayal of the Marines in this film is spot on. The action scenes are some of the best ever produced in accuracy of content. The uniforms and weaponry of both the U.S. and German troops were perfect. The costumes and weaponry of the Berbers were perfectly accurate as well. This film could easily be used to teach militaria of the period and has been used by the USMC Academy for this purpose. The scenes depicting Roosevelt shooting and the rifles he was using was beautiful. Procuring so many period weapons in such good shape is testament to the attention to detail and presentation this film should be noted for. Millius is a genius.$LABEL$ 1 +Yet another Die Hard straight to video rip off with cardboard villains… How many more of these god awful cheaply (and badly) made rip off of the more popular action movies of the late 1980's and early 1990's are there still lurking out there? For the record (not that you will care really) this one is yet another blatant rip off of a combination of Die Hard, Under Siege and Speed 2 complete with a full complement of clichés and predictability.The non descript villains are the usual selection of cardboard cut out gun toting thugs who are dispatched by various means as the film progresses, the hero naturally is an ex cop or something that has family and attitude problems and of course he brings along to the party not only the usual emotional baggage but also a matching piece of eye candy and his annoying son.The supposed luxury cruise liner that is running between Florida and Mexico is carefully described as a cross between a liner and a ferry – this goes someway to explaining how come they appear to be larking around on a rusty cross channel ferry – in New Zealand! The acting is as wooden as the deck, the script woeful, the one liners predictable, the villains utterly inept and the plot has holes in it you could sail a boat through.There seems to be a never ending tide of this sort of rip off straight to video rubbish polluting the late night slots of television and the DVD bargain bins of supermarkets everywhere (although even this film is so bad it has yet to see a DVD release yet but give it time!) Is there any chance of something at least half decently made, semi believable and most important ORIGINAL?!? No, I thought not…..$LABEL$ 0 +Garam Masala is one of the funniest film I've seen in ages. Akshay Kumar is excellent as the womaniser who has affairs with 3 girls and engaged at the same time. John Abraham is Amusing at times and this is one of his best works so far. Paresh Rawail is superb as usual in most of his films. The director Priyadarshan has delivered great Movies in the past. Hera Pheri, Hungama and Hulchul being some of the Best. Garam Masala is his funniest film he has made. The three newcomer actresses are average. Rimi sen doesn't get much scope in this movie. I was impressed to see how Priyadarshan made a movie with a simple storyline of a guy having a affair with 3 girls at the same time. All 3 girls have a day off in the same day and end up in the same house. Packed with loads of Laughs, this is one Non stop Entertainer.$LABEL$ 1 +Week after week these women just sweep all the men of their feet. Get real. None of these women are "Knockouts". Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) looks like the type of woman men would pick up at !:45am before the bar closed after their vision and standards were equally impaired by ten or eleven martinis. Yet she's the queen bee, a super-sexy man-killer. The other three don't fare much better. And their constant foul mouthed comments.....not to mention that they jump in and out of bed with strange men and never catch a disease. This show is pathetic .and creepy.I don't think any man would be terribly attracted to any of these women, even if he popped Viagra like Tic Tacs while on shore leave.$LABEL$ 0 +This documentary has been aired on both RTE and BBC in the last number of months. Having seen it twice now I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in media and documentary film making.Initially this documentary was meant to detail the political life of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The Irish crew set off with those intentions. What happens when they get to Venezuela is startling as they witness first hand the attempted overthrow by rebel factions (particularly the oil concerns in Venezuela) of Chavez and his government. What we the audience witness is just how the media manipulates the situation and in effect backs the overthrow of Chavez by distorting events that transpire as the coup heightens.It really is an excellent documentary and a remarkable piece of work by a couple of novice filmmakers.$LABEL$ 1 +Or maybe that's what it feels like. Anyway, "The Bat People" is about as flat as a rug, bland as a sack of flour and as exciting as a rock...and as intelligent as all three combined.Okay, plot in a nutshell (fitting vessel, that...): a doctor (Moss) gets bitten by a bat while checking out a cave with his wife (McAndrew) and subsequently turns into a bat - well, not exactly a bat but a bat-like creature that looks more like a werewolf who kills his victims in a first-person camera viewpoint....But then there's the business of the sheriff (Pataki), who is about the WORST kind of sheriff: the hick kind. He hassles people, he leers at married women, he steals handkerchiefs from haberdasheries (the FIEND!), he smokes with one of those cigarette holders in his mouth and talks at the same time, making him look and sound like Buford T. Justice in "Smokey and the Bandit" and (this is the worst part)... HE'S THE MOST LIKEABLE CHARACTER IN THE WHOLE FILM!The whole film, though, is just TV movie-of-the-week-like crapola (guano, in this case). It's an AIP, for crying out loud! What did you expect, Oscar caliber stuff?And what else can you say about a film that not even MST3K can save?How about...no stars for "The Bat People", full version OR MST3K version!By the way, if there's ever a sequel for this movie, I'm burying my TV.$LABEL$ 0 +Warning: Spoilers Galore!Tim Burton remaking this sui generis movie is about as sensible as remaking Psycho - oh, that's right, some idiot already did that - I rest my case.Movie opens with chimpnaut blundering a simulation, proving he's not that smart from the outset. Marky Mark appears in shot without his characteristic underpants showing, then is turned down by a plain woman who prefers the touch of chimpanzees.The perfunctory establishing shot of the space station orbiting Saturn for no apparent reason, interior of ship a-bustle with genetic experiments on apes. Must we travel 1,300 million kilometers to Saturn to conduct these experiments? The special effects team decrees it.Marky's chimp gets lost in that staple of 60s sci-fi cinema - the Time Warp. Marky then demonstrates the space station's mind-boggling security ineptness by stealing a pod without anyone noticing, while simultaneously demonstrating his abject stupidity in mounting a deep-space rescue mission into a worm-hole for an expendable test chimp, with a million dollar vehicle with limited fuel and oxygen supplies.Before anyone can say `Pointless Remake' Marky has surfed the worm-hole, crashed on an alien planet, removed his helmet without any thought to the lethality of the atmosphere and is being chased through a sound stage that almost resembles a lush rainforest, if it weren't for the kliegs backlighting the plastic trees.Surprise! It's APES doing the chasing - or at least, it *would* have been a surprise if no one saw Planet Of The Apes THIRTY-THREE YEARS AGO.Since Marky Mark did not get to show his pecs, take down his pants, or bust his lame whiteboy rap, he was characterless. Michael Clarke Duncan's gorilla teeth being inserted crookedly helped immensely in establishing *his* lack of character. Helena Bonham-Carter (aka irritating chimp activist), at a loss without a Shakespearean script, did a fine job of outdoing both Marky and Clarke as Most Cardboard Cutout. Paul Giamatti, the orangutan slave trader, secured the role of token comic relief and interspecies klutz. Though I have grown bilious in hearing puns relating to this movie, one review headline captured the essence of this Planet Of The Apes `re-imagining': `The Apes Of Roth'. While everyone else minced about looking like extras from One Million Years BC or Greystoke, Tim Roth, as Chimpanzee Thade, chews massive amounts of scenery and hurls kaka splendiferously. As entertaining as his portrayal of the psychotic Thade was, his character lacked a behavioral arc: Thade is mad when we first meet him... and he's pretty much at the same level of mad at film's end. Nice twist.The original POTA (1968) featured a leading character, Charlton Heston's Taylor, who was so disenchanted with mankind that he left earth for space with no regrets - yet as that film progressed, Taylor unwittingly found himself locked in a battle to prove mankind's worth - as their sole champion! The original film was ultimately a tale of humiliation, not salvation: when Taylor discovers the Statue of Liberty, he is forced to realize that his species had NOT prevailed. Is there anything that cerebral or ironic to Marky Mark's Leo? Or Roth's Thade? No, but there's lots of running.The slogans cry: Take Back The Planet .but it's the APES' planet. In this movie, humans and apes crash-landed here together, the humans having degenerated to cavepeople, allowing the apes to acquire speech and sensual body armor; the apes DESERVED to inherit the planet! Along comes Marky Mark, in true anthropocentric arrogance, taking it for granted that humans HAVE to be the apex predators, simply because they're there. `Taking it back' is as ludicrous as apes landing here in 2001, complaining, `A planet where men evolved from APES??!!' and then causing trouble with their overacting and hairy anuses.Heston was cast in the 1968 POTA because he had established his reputation as a maverick: he WAS Ben-Hur, Michelangelo, Moses! To cast him as the mute, dogged animal in an alien society was to stupefy an audience's expectations: how crazed must a world be where Our Man Charlton cannot command respect? Marky Mark has currently only established that he has tight underpants.Though Heston was denigrated constantly by the ape council, he dominated the screen with his charisma and stupendous overacting. When Marky Mark tries to instill fervor in the mongoloid humans, it's like that unpopular guy in school suddenly being made classroom monitor, who tells you to stop drawing penises on the blackboard and you throw a shoe at him. Burton tries to elevate Marky to humanity's icon, but he comes off as a chittering deviant. In the original film, the apes deem Taylor a deviant, yet he was, to audience and apes alike, an icon of humanity. That irony again.It was apt that a man who elevated scene-chewing to an acting technique - Heston - should play the father of this film's primo scene-chewer, Thaddeus Roth. As Roth's ape-dad, Charlton utters his own immortal lines, turned against the HUMANS this time, `Damn them! Damn them all to hell!'The movie gets dumb and dumber towards the end. While Thaddeus is giving Marky an ass-beating lesson, a pod descends from on high with Marky's chimpnaut in it. Apes demonstrate their hebetude by bowing in obeisance to this incognizant creature, while Marky proves his own hebetude by muttering, `Let's teach these monkeys about evolution.' Firstly, they're not monkeys, you ape! Secondly, it was genetic tampering and imbecilic plot fabrications which brought the apes to this point, not evolution. And what you intend to teach them by blowing them away with the concealed lasergun is called misanthropy, not evolution.Giving away the twist ending would only confuse viewers into believing that Estella Warren's half-nekkid role was actually integral to the plot (be still my pants.).No matter that he was humankind's last underpanted hope; in the end, cop apes take Marky away to Plot Point Prison where he was last heard ululating, `It's a madhouse! A MADHOUSE!!...'$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a fascinating example of Luis Bunuel's storytelling abilities. This is a comedy that is not a comedy, and a social drama that is not a social drama. Even though I don't think it was particularly funny, it made me laugh. Also, despite the fact that you can never take Bunuel too seriously, the movie made think about religion and its importance in some people's lives. Bunuel tells the story of a Catholic priest, devoted to his faith like no one else and the viewer witness what happens when the priest's undying commitment to serve others is put to test. As usual, Bunuel's target is Catholicism, but I don't think he tried to mock the church as he often does. At least I didn't take the film as a mockery of the institution. I think he is trying to make an interesting point about how religion could be a nuisance in today's modern society. Not because faith in itself is bad, but because people always mange to bastardize the concept. Message aside, I think this is one of Bunuel's most clever works. Francisco Rabal is superb as the priest. Definitely, one of the filmmaker's best movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this again recently on Comedy Central. I'd love to see Jean Schertler(Memama) and Emmy Collins(Hippie in supermarket) cast as mother and son in a film, it would probably be the weirdest flicker ever made! Hats off to Waters for making a consistently funny film.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, to start with, this movie was not at all like the book. I read the book when I was 13 and since then it has always been my favorite. When I'm waiting for a different book to come out, this is the book I turn to to fill in the time. I have 3 copies for god's sake. anyways, I knew this was not going to be anything like the book but come on! They could have done a little better than this. I mean seriously if I wanted to watch American werewolf in Paris or London than I would watch those movies. They took a perfectly good story and twisted it around into a copy of a story that has been told over and over again and quite frankly I'm tired of watching it. I mean hello the best part of the whole f*****g (sorry) story is she ends up with Gabriel. He doesn't die. What was that about? And he's old in this movie. Gabriel is supposed to be only 24 not 44 da** it. Awww. And Astrid who the he** came up with the idea of Astrid being Vivian's Aunt no no no no. Astrid and Vivian hate each other. Awwww. Anyways yeah that was my little rant seriously pi**ed off. hope this helped.$LABEL$ 0 +Directed by a veteran Hollywood director Henry King who began his career still in 1915, Love is a Many Splendored Thing was one of his last great films. It was based on a bestseller by Han Suyin called simply A Many Splendored Thing the phrase that was borrowed by the author from the poem The Kingdom of God by Francis Thompson where that many splendored word `love' was used in quite a different and rather transcendental context meaning the love of God. Made in the ‘50s, the film marked along with works by such directors as Douglas Sirk and Vincente Minnelli a sort of renascence of melodrama, its florescence and reaching yet again a peak of popularity. The story begins when a handsome American reporter Mark Elliott played by William Holden yet once again typecast in one of his irresistible `playboy' roles comes to the Hong Kong and meets there a young and pretty Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones) of half-Chinese half-English origin who is working as a doctor at a hospital and whose husband was recently killed by the Chinese communists. Instantly Mark feels a rather strong attraction towards her but at the beginning his deep feelings are not quite reciprocated by Han's heart left cold after the death of her husband (`I believe in human heart now only as a doctor'). But very soon she yields to the persistent courting of tempting as hell Mark and both of them enter a passionate relationship apparently stoppable by nothing, even by the fact that Mark is unhappily married and his wife doesn't want to give him a divorce or social differences and prejudices caused by Han's Chinese origin. But still it's the fate that has a final word to say in determining the fairness of the eternalness of such a blissful loving relationship for no matter how enduring the two assume it to be the merciless time is waiting in a rather alarming form of death, prepared at any given moment to prove its impermanence. Undoubtedly one of the most romantic films ever made, Love is a Many Splendored Thing features fine performances from William Holden and Jennifer Jones, wonderful Academy Award winning musical score by Alfred Newman and extremely romantic, touching, heart-warming but ultimately heart-breaking story. Don't miss that many splendored film. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Phoned work sick - watched this in bed and it was so awful I would have went back to work if I could have gotten out of bed. The dog ran off with the remote so I was stuck.I'm positive Hammer was grooming the eldest daughter to become his beeeatch.Horrendous to watch - made me vomit more than what I was doing anyway. So there you have it - this would be the film that they play in the waiting room of Hell before you go in. Or maybe your stuck in the film for all eternity with the Hart kids. Just remember to take a gun with you....$LABEL$ 0 +There is not one character on this sitcom with any redeeming qualities. They are all self-centered, obnoxious or two dimensional. My husband watches it, claiming that there is nothing else on, but I would rather watch nothing.The only sitcom that I can think of that was worse was Yes, Dear. At least that one didn't get 9 seasons.Being overweight does not make a comic genius, and Kevin James does not have the talent of John Goodman, Jackie Gleason or John Belushi. Leah Remini may have talent, but if so, she is wasted on the shrewish wife. Jerry Stiller is convincing as an annoying old man. Maybe there is a reason for that.This is a perfect example of why sitcoms are derided.$LABEL$ 0 +The wife and I saw a preview of this movie while watching another DVD and thought "Jon Heder, Diane Keaton, Jeff Daniels and Eli Wallach, it's gotta be better than summer reruns, so I ordered it from local library. Well, any episode of "Lawrence Welk" would bring more laughs than "Mama's Boy". I actually felt sorry for the actors for having to read the script in the privacy of their own homes and I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for them to have to actually say their lines in front of a camera. Perhaps, at least, maybe next time they're offered a movie of this sort, they'll "Just Say No!' A one anna two....$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen the first two - only this one which is called Primal Species in England. I don't think I'll be bothering to look them out though.This is an awful film. Terrible acting, bad dialogue, cheap rubber monsters. Everything about it is so nasty. The most sympathetic characters die really quickly and leave you with the annoying ones, especially one called Polchak, who is an incredible jerk. No-one like that would survive 5 minutes in the army. He lasted for ages but I was pleased when he finally got his head got chewed off - I was having nightmares he was going to survive. The Colonel was rubbish too - all moody pouts and clueless shouting. And the specky Doctor looked and acted like she was out of a porno. I was waiting for her to take her glasses off, shake her hair and turn into a vamp, but she didn't. Pity that, as it would've livened the film up no end.Didn't Roger Corman used to make half decent films once?$LABEL$ 0 +This mess starts off with a real tank running over a car, intercut with images of a toy tank. This is followed by a family driving home from a birthday party without saying anything. The unexplained tank and the untalkative family take up, I swear, over 10 minutes of film. Finally, the family sees a car after it has been in a wreck and decides to report it to the proper authorities, only to find that the citizens of the town are all hiding in their houses, and the cops are hiding in the police station. Interesting? Almost. When the town folk come out due to the family's presence, we learn that both the writer and editor are conspiring to substitute suspense with incomprehensible storytelling techniques in the hopes that the audience's inability to tell what's going on will somehow bring unease upon the audience... and it works! ... but not in the way they thought it would. I was very uneasy with how bad this movie was, but not scared at all. The dialogue is composed of things that make little sense. Not in a fun David Lynch sort of way, but a sort of I-walked-in-during-the-middle-of-a-boring-conversation sort of way. Over the course of the next hour, we learn that the movie-makers try to bore us into being afraid by showing tediously mundane scenes combined with the above-mentioned "what's going on?" type scenes.The plot involves something along the lines of gentle-looking old folks putting children into a trance through the power of Satan and then bringing them to a party to play with toys, and an even more sinister intention, and it's up to a group of white men (everybody's white in the movie) to grab their guns and save the day, and a tag-a-long eye candy woman who whines at the drop of a hat. They look for the kidnapped children by looking in random places and yelling the kids' names.This is a great horror movie for any person who has never seen a horror movie because that person is frightened by the mere thought of Satanism, Paganism, Wicca, or even Catholicism due to a lifetime diet of brainwashing from the Trinity Broadcast Network. This represents Satanism as elderly folks in Halloween costumes with candles while mingling at a party, in front of an Ankh. Replete with a priest spouting completely made-up nonsense about Satanists, while calling them "Witches." The message that anything that isn't Protestantism can be all thrown into the same category for easy condemnation.About 30 minutes of footage is wasted to show mediocre elderly actors awkwardly babbling overwrought pseudo-Satanic gibberish corny enough to make a teen Goth blush, almost always in Olde English, and sometimes in Latin that may or may not be made up words.Highlights include a guy laughing at the idea of little green men for a solid 3 minutes, a family staring out of the windows of their car without talking for 10 minutes while listening to elevator muzak. A priest studying Satanism for 4 minutes with ooh-so-scary drawings of demons to scare the Church Lady crowd. Random shots of dolls. Random shots of children. Paint instead of blood at every chance. Film School level dream sequences. Introduces unimportant characters who do nothing before they exit. Sometimes, they act as if the Nothing that they're doing is a big deal.The directing is sloppy at best. An example of the directing includes a scene at the beginning where a man and woman are kissing and the man pulls away to look lovingly into her eyes and some dark red paint falls on her cheek. Looking up, they see that it's not blood, but droplets from a girl's snowcone. Snowcones are ice and colored / flavored water, and would not have produced droplets of the same texture as paint, not to mention the fact that her snowcone was a bright reddish-orange. Hackneyed writing, certainly, but made even worse by the bad directing. It then cuts to an alternate shot of the man, woman, and girl and shows that she's standing about four feet away from them, so the snowcone wouldn't have dripped on the woman even if she'd held her snowcone out over the woman's face. Way to go, editor! Of course, the acting is blah. The acting by the whole cast could be put on a scale and balanced perfectly between overacting and underacting.The director's most offensive technique is to give the actors no motivation and then go out for lunch as the unblinking eye of the camera leers as the actors make fools of themselves.And, FINALLY, after all that, we get to an ending that would've been great had it been handled by competent people and not Jerry Falwell.$LABEL$ 0 +I really like Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis and I actually had high hopes watching this last night on DVD. Mainly as I try to avoid reviews until I watch something myself and form my own opinion Big mistake! My 2 /10 is for the first segment which in fairness is actually quite decent and if they had made the movie about the characters in section 1 alone it may have risen above the 5/10 mark.Once it moved into TV 'reality show' territory it stank to high heaven. Ryan Reynolds captured the essence of an actor on the edge wonderfully but as a gay TV writer and famous games creator / devoted family man he was definitely less effective. From the blurb on the box I expected a flashback thriller along the lines of 'Memento' - unfortunately this is nowhere near that standard of movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Theres not much you can really say about this film except that it was crap and probably the worst film i have ever been to see!! Take my advice don't watch this film it just wastes your money and time!!I gave this film a 1/10 which is doesn't deserve.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was awesome. It's a documentary about how surfing influenced skateboarding in the early days. It has interviews with skaters such as Tony Hawk(my idol)=), and Stacy Peralta to name a couple. Dogtown is a so called "ghetto" part of California, where there used to be an amusement park that was torn down. People started riding alongside the dangerous ruins of the park. Soon, the Zepher Surf team was formed. That led to Skateboardings first real start in Dogtown. The Z boys were a team of ragtag teenagers who loved skateboarding and started the phenomenon known as vert skating. They started it by skating in drained swimming pools. That's just a bit of the story behind it. It even contains rare footage from Charlie's Angels of Stacy Peralta making a cameo. I think you should buy this movie if you are a skater. It'll teach you that skateboarding wasn't always popular. Even if you are not, BUY!$LABEL$ 1 +To preface this review, I must say that I was, I suppose, a little curious about this movie.. However, I probably would not have seen it had I not had my arm slightly twisted.In my opinion, this movie shows just how depraved man can be. In my eyes, the worst thing about this whole Springer phenomenon is not that type of people on the "Jerry Springer Show" act as they do (which in itself is eminently reproachable), but that many people are so curious and excited to watch them and hear about their lives (yes, I suppose that includes me.. to whatever extent it is true). If not glorifying that kind of behavior (as some might say) at the very least we may be subtly corrupting our minds and/or desenstizing ourselves to this type of behavior.But enough soapbox (sort of). Here's the skinny: the movie has an R rating, and while it may deserve only that (I did look away at some scenes, so I'm not completely sure), I feel that an NC-17 (tip of the hat to the other reviewer) might be a little more appropriate for the immense sexual content (a cynic might comment that the movie was just one big excuse to show sex on the big screen). The plot is very bizarre, tying together the stories of an absolutely dysfunctional family and a group of stereotypical blacks upset who will appear on different Springer shows. At the end, the movie leaves one with some resolvement- and Springer rhetoric about the need for us to see the real world (evidently as seen through his show). I agree with him there- it is important to know how the world really is so that we can seek to effect positive change. Having said that, let me just tell you- the world's pretty bad- glance in a newpaper or the news to see that, but let's not shell out good money to support the kind of sensationalistic and perhaps formulaic titallition that Springer seeks to give us.$LABEL$ 0 +Let's see: what are the advantages to watching Piranha, Piranha? Well, if you've never seen anything to do with Venezuela, there's a lot of travelogue footage of both Caracas and the countryside (and jungle-side), and of the various native peoples at work and play, as well as plenty of indigenous wildlife. If you like William Smith, he plays a bit of a git (as he has always been wont to do).And that's about it. If it wasn't for William Smith, this could probably pass as a fund-raising film for Save the Children or some other organization that benefits the "third world". The only time you really see the fish of the title is during the opening credits. No mutant killer fish like in Roger Corman's singly-named Piranha. You'd figure with twice the fish in the title there would be twice as many monster fish preying on the characters, but alas, this is not the case.The story starts with a photojournalist and her brother coming to Venezuela to do a story on one of the last untouched places on the planet, but their motivation quickly changes to one of wanting to find diamonds, which are apparently fairly plentiful there.There's not a lot of real action or danger in this movie. What could've been an exciting motorcycle race is dulled by the mass of landscape and animal footage that is inserted in it to draw out the films running time. There's not a whole lot more action until the last fifteen minutes or so of the movie (which is probably about how long the movie would last without all the traveloguery).In my view, the only ways that a movie can really be a BAD movie is to be boring or incredibly stupid. Piranha, Piranha certainly qualifies for that former badge, and is pretty damn close to the second. The only reason I won't rate it a "1" is that the added footage is more interesting than the rest of the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +For one thing, he produced this movie. It has the feel of later movies with international casts that are dubbed. The opening credits tell us it was filmed in Vienna.Bey was a delight in the Universal adventure movies of the 1940s. He was also superb in a movie I saw maybe ten years ago but have never heard of since: "The Amazing Mr. X." Maybe it was Dr. X. I remember it as a thrilling and frightening movie.This one is pretty wooden, unfortunately. The plot isn't easy to follow. When I got the hang of it, I was disappointed anyway.Francis Lederer looks great as a concert pianist. He was a very handsome leading man ten or 15 years earlier. He never really caught on as a major star, though he should have.This isn't terrible but it's pretty heavy going.$LABEL$ 0 +Massive multiple chills down the spine! I'm surprised there's people who didn't like it! I saw it at 10 o'clock in the morning and still got scared stiff! And I've seen hundreds of thrillers/horror movies! For crying out loud,I'm 22!!! I mean, OK, voice acting, not particularly good, probably even b-movie-ish. But the genuine look of terror, the sound effects, the flow! From the very start, hitting you again and again with relentless, unforgiving, terrorising scenes! So many clichés yet none fails to surprise/scare! You know it's coming, it's coming, it's coming, BOO! and you still jump off the chair. Grab a pillow and a blanket, call your closest friend over and do not watch it at night! Hats off to the Japanese!$LABEL$ 1 +Contains spoilers The movie plot can be summarized in a few sentences: Three guys go hunting in the forest. Two of them along other people get shot in the head without explanation. The last guy can stand in the clear, shout and do anything without getting shot. He gets to walk through an old factory and has the evil people walk right into his scope without a struggle. The villains are conveniently dressed in black and look like villains.That is the whole story, not summarized but in detail. Everything is drawn out with a guy standing ringing a door bell. We wait with him. Long shot of guys being bored in the woods and sleeping. We can take a nap with them. The one drawn out shot of following a female jogger could have been redeeming, if we could see her butt or boobs bouncing.There dialog is less then Terminator and it is not because there is so much action. The characters just don't talk. And, then they don't even have something corny to say like 'I'll be back.' If my buddy shot this on the weekend, I'd cheer for him, because it is quite a feat to figure out the camera controls. To pay money to rent this as a DVD is totally inappropriate.The one thing that is a little funny is the extra with the director telling, how they local police didn't realize that they were shooting and treated them like a random guy walking around with a gun. If they'd have filmed that, I'd be sure it would be more fun to watch then the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best dub I've ever heard by Disney, as well as the best adaptation since the biggest abuse ever on soundtrack, themes, characters, dialogues in Kiki Delivery Service. UrrrghhhThis one has different atmosphere, especially the deviation from the common heroine. This one has both hero and heroine (although I don't really endorse the use of hero & heroine here, since Miyazaki is out from the stereotype & common theme). As usual, after being introduced by Spirited away, amazed by Mononoke, troubled by Grave of Fireflies, and deeply touched by Majo no Takkyuubin , this one start with a bit doubt in my part. Wondering if this will be the first Ghibi's dud. Well, in the end just like Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart, I ended up giving 10 rating. I'd give 9.8 rating, but the additional 0.2 is there to share the good feeling by encouraging people to see the movie.SPOILER Somehow I see this as a sad movie, people die in this one, the lonely robot, the abandoned place, and it ends with destruction. It is as if mankind really can't live with too much power. The collapsing scene gave me patches of Metropolis ending. It's just sad somehow. The plot is apparent in most reviews and the soundtrack rules as well (as always). Joe Hisaishi really belongs to Uematsu, Kanno, Williams caliber.People who can brings a movie, a game, an event to life, even to be a lingering moments by astounding composition.This is a feel good movie that used to be part of US cinema in the classic days (It's a Wonderful Life etc etc). Well, things change....$LABEL$ 1 +Featuring a fascinating performance by Will Smith and a story that tugs at your heartstrings harder than a rock guitarist mid-solo, "Seven Pounds" races past the director's previous collaboration with the actor (The Pursuit of Happiness), a flick which I also loved. Remember Gabriele Muccino's name because some of his movies may skip by unnoticed if the actor attached to the project isn't quite so high-profile. Too bad I figured out Will Smith's scheme early on, I put two and two together when he calls in his own suicide in the first scene and the scene when Rosario Dawson's character is introduced as having an incurable heart-disease.However, I still think the writer/director made the right choice putting the bookends (bookends are the first and the last scene) in that way, it's the source of urgency and tension in the movie, finding out gradually how exactly a man can be driven to that ultimate sacrifice, and it was heartbreaking to see the relationship between Smith's and Dawson's character flourish and develop, knowing in the back of the mind always what was in store for these unlucky two.One of my friends with whom I saw the movie thought Smith's character could have a divine gift, and I understand why: his performance is almost angelic when in the presence of his seven elected ones, yet at other times he could be harsh and scary, and when he's alone the full weight of his situation got too much for him and he breaks down completely. It's quite a versatile performance.Lastly I can't forget to mention the crash scene re-enactment, which was really quite stunningly done in terms of cinematography paired with music. Put this on your list.$LABEL$ 1 +After high school Track & Field athelete, Laura Remstead, dies of natural causes during a race (an event that is shown multiple times, in slow-motion none-the-less), an unknown killer is murdering all the people who were on that same aforementioned team close to Graduation Day (hence the name)in this laughably inept slasher flick.It brings absolutely nothing new (or even good) to the slasher table, instead opting to merely unleash the most god-awful song I've heard in quite some time with ' Gangster Rock' being played in a roller-disco party that went on far too long.Eye Candy: Denise Cheshire & Linnea Quigley get topless My Grade: D-$LABEL$ 0 +If there's one theme of this film, it's that people can cope with hardship by having a good imagination. This family is poor, their father works graveyard, and their mother works double-shifts, and Peter is constantly picked on for a variety of reasons, and becomes increasingly frustrated that he is often mistaken for a girl. He is just starting to approach that age of 10 or 11 where your perceptions start to change, and thinks like your appearance start to matter. The backdrop of this story is the 1967 World's Fair and the Centennial of Canada. The film's greatest moments come during the various fantasy sequences where we see just how they cope. Watch the flim, and if you've ever had a childhood friend that you dreamt with, and then for some reason, lost, you'll really like this film. Perhaps kids will like this film, but only adults will truly appreciate it, including its references to bolshevik's and what parent's will do for their children.$LABEL$ 1 +The summary pretty much sums it all up. This is nowhere near as good as the original. With a script co-written by both Stallone and James Cameron (at the same time he was also writing Aliens). Most of the action was written by Cameron and the political aspects were written by Stallone.Sly was in the best condition physically as he was making this and Rocky 4 and he does look in great shape or jacked up to the eyeballs on steroids, depending on your own viewpoint or opinion.Rambo starts off in prison and is visited by Colonel Trautman who asks him to go on a special mission that could earn him a Presidential pardon. He eventually agrees and goes off to the briefing camp run by Charles Napier playing a Washington suit trying to pass himself off as former ex-forces to placate Rambo.The mission is to find out if there are any missing POWs still alive in camps in Vietnam. Rambo was chosen as the camp he was checking was somewhere he had previously been a prisoner himself. He is told it's not a rescue mission and he is there to take recon photos only.After a bad attempt at parachuting from a plane he loses most of his kit, meets his contact (who turns out to be a cute woman) and travels down river with pirates to the camp.He finds there are still prisoners and rescues one. As the 3 flee from half the Vietnamese Army on their river boat they are betrayed by the pirates but Rambo kills them all and they are forced to carry on to the pick-up point on foot after their boat is rammed and blown up with Rambo almost on board.Rambo is betrayed again and abandoned as Napier orders the recall of the rescue helicopter. It is clear as Trautman returns to base to berate him that no survivors were expected to be found.Steven Berkoff turns up as a Russian Spetznatz Colonel and Rambo is tortured and eventually escapes only to be pursued by more Vietnamese troops and Spetznatz. Killing many of them, Rambo finally steals a chopper and rescues most of the prisoners to return to his base.He resists the urge to kill Napier for abandoning him but destroys the Ops Centre.A weak plot and very weak ending as Rambo walks off into the sunset as a free man.$LABEL$ 0 +Dead Man's Bounty (the film's American title) has the look and feel of a classic Italian western. The cinematography, costumes, and sets look great. The cast is rugged, not a pretty face among them. At the beginning I was preparing for a pretty cool movie but what I eventually witnessed was an absolute disaster.The script was perfectly dreadful. There was no suspense whatsoever and very little action or worthwhile drama.Despite looking great, the cast spoke (English) with heavy European accents that were often unintelligible.The final nail in it's coffin was the broad streak of pretentiousness that paints most of the picture, focusing heavily on the character of the barmaid who's featured in a couple of very awkward sex scenes. Also her speech near the end was pretty repugnant!The only novelty comes from the stunt casting of Val Kilmer in the role of the dead man, continuing his recent string of DOA performances!$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 2/25/2002 - 4 out of 10(Dir-George P. Cosmatos): Predictable action thriller where any frequent movie goer could guess what was coming next. Charlie Sheen is the good old boy to the President who just happens to be not liked by the rest of the presidential staff. Of course, he gets involved in a situation where he's framed over and over again and he has one friend in the White House, played by Sutherland, who naturally doesn't stay that way for very long. His other friend is a reporter played by Linda Hamilton(who has very little to do or say in this meaningless role), and of course his biggest and bestest friend is the President himself(Sam Waterston) who stays his pal till the end despite everyone else being killed around him. Brainless yet action-packed meaningless trife despite loads and loads of acting talent(all pretty much wasted.)$LABEL$ 0 +Beautiful art direction, excellent editing and wonderful stories make this some of the best television ever produced. The fact that it was relatively short lived is sadly reflective on the state of television. I highly recommend snatching these up as they're released, you'll love them.$LABEL$ 1 +This is Wes Craven at his worst! this is the very worst horror, if you can call it horror, you will ever watch, esp from one of the masters of horror Wes Craven, Poor Direction, Poor Acting, Poor Set, Poor Atmosphere makes this the biggest pile of rubbish ever! the bad guy is totally unconvincing, you couldn't even feel sorry for the guy! the gore, and horror involved in the film is laughable, it's just plain rubbish! the only good points i can think of is, It stars Natasha Gregson Wagner, Giovanni Ribisi, and Lance Henriksen, but not even that cast, could stop this from spiralling out of control, and into one of the worst horrors ever. If you still ain't watch it yet, don't bother, you'll only hate it.$LABEL$ 0 +While a pleasant enough musical, what stuck with me about this movie was the unexpected comedic chemistry between Basil Rathbone, as the has-been composer, and Oscar Levant as his assistant. Playing a high strung, distracted artistic type (a far cry from his more familiar roles as either menacing villains or the coolly logical Sherlock Holmes), Rathbone's character looks like he couldn't find his way out of bed without help. And that help is Starbuck, played with his usual droll humor by Oscar Levant. Upon hiring Crosby's character as his ghost song writer, Rathbone introduces him to Starbuck by saying, "He does all my thinking for me.", to which Levant responds, "Ah, it's only a part-time job." Of course this goes right past (or over) Rathbone, who's too busy fretting about where his next hit song will come from. As another reviewer said, who knew Rathbone could be so funny! Too bad he didn't have more opportunities to display his comedic talent.$LABEL$ 1 +As with most Rosalind Russell movies, this one is very entertaining -- it's fun all the way through. It's definitely one of the last of this genre of film -- just good wholesome entertainment. Give it a try - I don't think you will be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +Terrible acting by Potter and a flat plot with no tension what so ever. And as for the feminist polemic, it's laughable. I saw this garbage when it was first released and though I found it tedious beyond belief I'm glad I did go to see it. That's because I now have an immediate answer to the question 'what's the worst film you've ever seen?' Plus, I have the comfort of knowing that every film I see for the rest of my life will be better than The Tango Lesson. But I have to admit I was impressed with the way Potter wrote a script that would garner the maximum number of arts council grants from around the world (as is revealed in the closing credits).I only very recently saw Orlando and I can see how Potter learnt the wrong lessons from making that film. All it took was a bunch of frilly costumes, a few hard stares to camera by the leading lady, and a loose plot to seduce the cinema going public. So why shouldn't she think she could get away with the self-indulgent nothingness that is The Tango Lesson?$LABEL$ 0 +Probably somebody heard of Alberto Tomba. A former policeman, a former sky champion, and, now, a TERRIBLE actor. "Alex L'Ariete" was planned to be a TV "mini serial", but the Italian television itself refused to show the movie on its channels. Now it's a, believe me, ridiculous movie. The script it's simply hilarious (it's supposed to be a dramatic movie), something like a 5 years old kid work. But what really blows you away it's the amateurish acting: Alberto Tomba, who actually was not believable as a policeman himself, plays terribly a totally silly character: a special operations italian policeman specialized in smashing doors open! ("ariete" is "ram"). This super-guy will try to save a young nice girl life (an actual italian "little" TV showgirl, married to the singer Eros Ramazzotti): nice but absolutely inept in the acting. Lose this one and make yourself a favour. A movie that is a shame to Italian cinema industry: only John Travolta in Earth Attack got close..$LABEL$ 0 +I have never commented on a film before. I watched this movie with my girlfriend last night. I've read comments saying this movie stays with you. It does. It's been almost 24 hours and I am still completely affected. This movie left me questioning my own self. How can I possibly compare myself to a character such as Ben who is totally selfless. I loved this movie. I love movies that keep me guessing and wondering until the end. I feel two emotions predominantly, happiness and sadness. An amazing feel good movie and a very sad one too. I so wanted Ben and Emily to be together, but in the end, they were, forever. If you haven't seen this movie, get it and watch it. Just make sure you have no distractions. You'll want to see every nuance in this picture. One for my library.$LABEL$ 1 +The Kid was born retarded. It pulls in a half-dozen directions, features dialog and action lifted from much older and better-known flops, and might be funny -- if only the writers knew what funny is.Disney stuff has gotten a lot better in the last couple of decades, but don't let that fool you. They should have given The Kid a wide berth, sang it a lullaby, then ran the train into a ravine. Mercy killing.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't understand how "2 of us" receive such a high rating... I thought that the first half dragged on and the second half didnt make sense, followed by an unresolved climax which was not worth the trouble. However, I did like Jared Harris' performance of John Lennon which was worth the wasted 2 hours.$LABEL$ 0 +Good Deaths. Good Mask. Cool Axe. Good Looking Girls....But Watch Out!!! No Plot and Little Scares Completely lower it's Standards. They Tried to make an "I Know what you Did Last Summer", but ended up making A "Scream". But Hey, What do people Expect From a Horror Movie? Answers Totally Vary. Rent It If You Want, but I Regret Ever Seeing It.$LABEL$ 0 +A gem from Japan, where so many of the world's best films are being made today. Stylistically, this isn't anything all that special. It's just a simple drama (with some comic overtones) about recognizable people going about their lives. Yuko Tanaka, best known for voicing the character Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke, plays a 50 year old spinster. She's takes pride in her health, spending each morning in a vigorous workout as she delivers milk up and down the steep hills of Nagasaki. After she is done with this part time job, she works her regular job as a clerk at a grocery store (called S-Mart, which made this Army of Darkness fan giggle). Along her milk route lives a 50 year old man, whose wife is dying. It turns out the milk woman and the man, a child services worker, dated in high school, and each apparently still have something of a crush on the other. The film actually has some major narrative problems. When the screenwriter actually wants the two unrequited lovers to unite, he uses a pretty unbelievable deus ex machina technique. The climactic sequence is also really forced. But most of the film is beautifully small and observant of the two main characters, as well as many side characters. The film also has several subplots that seem like they will eventually weigh the film down, but never end up doing so. I think the best thing in the film is Tanaka's heartbreaking performance as the lonely milk woman, who has resigned herself to being alone for the rest of her life. Whatever the problems were, the film mostly transcends them.$LABEL$ 1 +Visually cluttered, plot less, incredibly mind-numbing rubbish. Not even close to Greenaway's better work. Avoid at all costs!The overlapping 'split screen' effects do nothing more than confuse, the film is very dark for a lot of the time and the 'artistic' composing of images is pretentious in the extreme.There is absolutely nothing to recommend about this film; even the nudity is incredibly unerotic, which seeing it fills a large part of the film soon gets very boring.Plus, how anyone can say that the acting of Ewen MacGregor is brilliant is beyond me. He showed more ability in the Star Wars series, and that's saying something.I've not been so unimpressed with a film since I saw 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People'!$LABEL$ 0 +OK,so this film is NOT very well known,and wasn't very well publicised.I discovered this fairly brutal gangster gone good movie by complete accident on one of Skys millions of movie channels late on some boring evening,but I'm glad i did!The opening sequence to this film is fantastically comical in a very dark way.This in fact sets what i think is the general tone for the movie.I think a lot of critics and movie fans that have actually seen this film have been a bit unfair to just write it off as a lower budget gangster movie in the Reservoir Dogs vein.OK,so there are undeniable similarities between Thursday and some other crime genre films that it has been compared to,but in all fairness,i think this film takes a much more darkly comic look at this type of film,and the end result is a engrossing,well made,funny,if not totally original film.Tom Jane is good in this,and deserves the recognition he will now hopefully get thanks to the The Punisher.His performance as the bad guy gone good is realistic,funny and just cold enough to make you believe Casey really was a bad ass before he reformed.Thats another thing that makes this film stand out for me,the characters.In Nicks gang you get the strangest trio of criminals ever assembled,a smooth,charismatic but very cold leader(Nick),a trigger happy blood loving sexually predatory bitch of a woman(Dallas)and a psychotic hill billy with brains with a penchant for torture(Billy Hill).Throw in the most bizarre police detective ever seen on screen,beautifully over played by Mickey Rourke,and you've got a recipe for...well for Thursday really.Its at times darkly comic,sometimes brutal,sometimes unoriginal,but always engrossing and worth watching.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Reeves plays Haji Murad, a hero in 1850's Russia.This is a badly dubbed movie, with June Foray doing some of the voices. Unfortunately who ever was suppose to sync the voices to the lips was blind since the words never match the lip flaps. Anyone who says that Japanese films are bad have never watched this film.The film's plot is instantly forgettable and so I've forgotten it in the time its taken the movie to end and for me to sit and write this down. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that the film is one of the many that Reeves made in hopes of moving away from action to more plot driven sort of films. It may have been a good thing for Reeves, but its deadly for the audience who have to slug through nooze fests such as this, where its all court intrigue with very little action.In Reeves defense, he was a good actor, he just had no real luck in picking films that were any good. They all looked great, but very few of them didn't put the those watching them into a coma for the film's running time.This film will put you in a coma. Watch it only if you have the need for sleep and all other gentler means have failed.$LABEL$ 0 +My brother-in-law and his wife brought the movie over one night to watch on video. This should have given me the first clue that it would be horrible. It was. From the very first frame to the last this movie is terrible. It does not even quite register as a "B" movie. Maybe an N or a P. One of the worst 5 movies I've ever seen. From the rubber raptor-on-a-stick to the still-breathing corpses in the car to the beyond horrible closing lines, this movie isn't worth watching if you've received it for free.Skip this one altogether--unless you want to play Mystery Science Theatre with your friends, it will provide good ammunition.$LABEL$ 0 +Now, I'm a big fan of Zombie movies. I admit Zombie movies usually aren't all that good, but I like them anyways. Despite the crappy acting and worthless dialogues that occur in almost all Zombie movies, this one is by far the worst. See, there are a few ground rules with zombie-movies. 1. Zombies are suicidal. Tactics is seldom used, and NEVER do they act like a boxer. They don't dodge a blow to the head, they take it with a ugly smile. They don't try and hit you in the face, they grab a hold of your arm and bite it! 2. Zombies can't speak. Only in Evil Dead. Otherwise, they DO NOT SPEAK. 3. You don't fight zombies with melee-ranged weapons. You loose in a melee fight against zombies. Firearms are used. In this movie however, melee is the way to go, which is wrong. Very wrong.It had NO redeeming qualities.If you wish to see a Zombie movie, see one with an average score higher than 3 on IMDb.com$LABEL$ 0 +I'm amazed that "The Hospital" has been so well-received by the critics and the public. I found it dreary, visually ugly and generally meaningless. After the first virtually unwatchable 40 minutes, the film does improve (relatively), but it remains WAY too far-fetched (not to mention unfunny) to be successful as a satire, and has too little substance to succeed as a drama. The film's uncertain tone is its biggest fault, overshadowing even Scott's terrific (as usual) performance.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, as a long time Disney fan, I really -hate- direct-to-video Disney sequels. Walt HIMSELF didn't believe in them. He believed in "AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER" being the end of it. But this one...REALLY ticked the taco. There were so many ripoffs of other Disney films in this, it wasn't funny. Quick summary, if you don't already know...: Melody, the daughter of Ariel and Prince Eric, is born. Ursula's sister, Morganna (who basically looks like Ursula, if she were to dye herself green and go on the Ally Macbeal starvation diet) shows up and, after trying to do the newborn tyke in, and failing, prophesizes doom for the characters. After that ordeal, Ariel goes into a lapse of being like her father, and refuses to tell Melody about her mermaid heritage, and later on, forbids her to go near the sea. Well surprise surprise. Melody finds out, being the stubborn brat she is, and runs away, then makes a deal with Morgana to become a mermaid, in exchange for something. (Gee does THAT sound familiar?) She becomes one, but in her half of the bargain, has to retrieve her granddaddy's Trident and bring it back to the sea witch. While doing THIS, she runs into a couple of outcast animals, a penguin and a walrus named Timon and Pumb--huh? wait...no! that's not Timon and Pumbaa! or is it? Could of fooled me. Anyway, i'd like to reveal more, but pretty much anything that could be guessed to happen does. OK so...long story short. This movie "borrows" too much from other (better) Disney films...and does it horribly. Come on...Tip and Dash? Why not just make Dash obscenely flatulent and make it an even more obvious ripoff! Ugh. Not to mention, the total character butchery of Ariel's persona. She's gone from being a freespirited, headstrong woman, to a clone of her father. Not good at all...they're basically telling us the sweet, firey little mermaid we've known to grow and love is dead. Plus Melody herself isn't such a great character either...she's damned annoying! And bratty! Not to mention what they've done to Flounder. Ugh...anyway if you decide to see this piece of created-mainly-for-profit-reasons, no-imagination, Eisner-sponsored c******t, I suggest maybe waiting 'till its on the Disney channel or some other tv station. Because, it's not even worth the price of a rental. * out of ***** stars.$LABEL$ 0 +What was an exciting and fairly original series by Fox has degraded down to meandering tripe. During the first season, Dark Angel was on my weekly "must see" list, and not just because of Jessica Alba.Unfortunately, the powers-that-be over at Fox decided that they needed to "fine-tune" the plotline. Within 3 episodes of the season opener, they had totally lost me as a viewer (not even to see Jessica Alba!). I found the new characters that were added in the second season to be too ridiculous and amateurish. The new plotlines were stretching the continuity and credibility of the show too thin. On one of the second season episodes, they even had Max sleeping and dreaming - where the first season stated she biologically couldn't sleep.The moral of the story (the one that Hollywood never gets): If it works, don't screw with it!azjazz$LABEL$ 0 +Cast to die for in a movie that is considerably less. Vanessa Redgrave is dying but before she goes she begins to tell her daughters the story of her life and of her secret love...This is one of those movies which has the look and expectations of being a great film simply because they have so many great actors and actresses in it so it seems to be about something other than the potboiler that it really is. Not bad as such but with Redgrave, Toni Collette, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Clare Danes,Natasha Richardson,Eileen Atkins, Patrick Wilson,Hugh Darcy and others (all giving fine performances) you expect more than a weepy story thats a bit more than a harlequin romance.Wait for Cable.$LABEL$ 0 +An "independant" film that, from the back of the box, promises twists, adventure and an emotional adventure we will never forget. This film also fools us into watching it by flaunting Rachel Lee Cook with a starring role. After the first twenty minutes, you realize that this movie is going to give you NOTHING. The story goes on aimlessly, revealing nothing new or important to keep us interested. All three "disturbed" characters have only small grains of back story to force us to care. Just as you reach the end, everything about the story is altered and instead of helping the audience catch up, you are left with no idea, and more importantly, no interest in "why". The director, who also thought it would be a good idea to co-star, seems to come into the film with no prior experience or knowledge of useful filmmaking. The entire piece looks like a college "art" film crafted by a freshman film student trying to hide a lack of true talent.$LABEL$ 0 +I just finished watching this movie. It wasn't ridiculously bad, but I'm really disappointed with it. I'm not really sure why someone would make a movie like this. It was marginally entertaining, but I feel like the people making it had a lot of disagreements on what they were making. Monday, the writer was in charge; Tuesday, the director; Wednesday, the guy who gets the coffee; etc. It almost seems like they really wanted to make a couple different movies, but only had the time and money to make one.Someone else commented that the acting was really good, but I'd have to disagree. Then again, if the actors were able to keep a straight face during the filming, perhaps they're better actors than I give them credit for.The back of the DVD gives the impression that the movie would be a mystery... something along the lines of a historical Law and Order or National Treasure. It starts off like that, but then, out of nowhere it takes a turn towards a bad episode of the Twilight Zone, or... what was that other show that wasn't as good... A bad episode of The Outer Limits.My main complaint about the movie is that it is just so played out. There's the evil guy with spiked white hair. There's the love interest, who, when she first appears, the wind actually blows through her hair. Seriously. Once you realize it's a Christian movie, the end is also pretty easy to spot.The cinematography was poorly done, especially in the opening scenes - way to put your best foot forward. It wasn't atrocious for most of the movie, but there was the occasional ridiculously bad shot of an old lady, praying, arms up in a dark room while lightening is striking - the sort of thing that just makes you a little bit embarrassed to be watching the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +LL Cool J. Morgan Freeman. Dylan McDermott. Kevin Spacey. John Heard. Cary Elwes. Roslyn Sanchez. Justin Timberlake -- wait a minute. Justin Timberlake? And he's the star? I should have known better than to rent EDISON FORCE. In fact, I did know better. But in a moment of absolute weakness, I rented this STV. When you have big names like Freeman and Spacey in an STV, you know it's one of two things: an indie or a dog. As in sat-on-a-shelf. Which this did. And with good reason. The plot as such involves a squad of corrupt killer cops a la MAGNUM FORCE, and "journalist" Timberlake is the only one brave enough to uncover them. He is targeted for his efforts -- or maybe I should say for his horrible acting. I turned it off after one of the bad guys was shot through the forehead and still had the forethought to turn to his shooter and smile before collapsing. Just awful. The real tipoff to how bad this flick is to see Freeman on the cover and throughout the movie sporting an unruly beard, looking like nothing so much as a hobo. You just know the director was not in control. Freeman is clearly slumming.$LABEL$ 0 +Very heart warming and uplifting movie. Outstanding performance by Alisan Porter (Curly Sue). I saw this movie when it was first released and enjoyed it immensely. I just caught it again on the Mplex channel, and Curly Sue touched my heart again.$LABEL$ 1 +Dude, really!!!! where have you guys been the past 20 years, this is shocking in all kind of ways, horror ? This is a joke, there is nothing wrong with being low budget, but this is a laugh, If you want to look at the classics, Freaks of Tod Browning, the victims of Dracula and Frankenstein, the Undying Monster, Ernest Thesiger, Paul Wegener's The Golem and the passengers of The Ghost Train, you can't compare it, it gives it a bad name, bad acting, bad screenplay etc. Total waist of money and free time, have watched a lot of movies, were as horror is my all time favorite, I really am speechless, have nothing more to say that please don't do the effort to watch something so daft, please understand$LABEL$ 0 +Guy Pearce almost looks like Flynn, and this resemblance is the only one this film can claim. Nowhere in Flynn's autobiography is the Klaus Reicher character mention, the homosexual encounter is speculative fiction, and the movie's claims that Flynn treated native labor badly are groundless. Director Frank Howson hasn't made any memorable films, and I find it lame for him to groundlessly slander Flynn to further his unremarkable career.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was pretentious, foppish and just down right not funny. The filming technique reminded me of MTV. I am a fan of Hartley. But what was he thinking of? So much more thought could have gone into this movie, considering the subject matter. This could have been a true theoretical battle over good and evil, but Hartley, it appears used the stand technique of psyching out the viewer.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the second movie about 1985, the other one was 'The Wedding Singer'. Whilst the 'Wedding Singer' was portraying the pop side of the 80's, 'Rock Star' is all about metal.Mark Wahlberg plays a talented singer in a tribute band of some famous rock act of the time and Jennifer Aniston plays his girlfriend. When his fixation rewards him, his whole life changes in a day.The story doesn't get too dramatic and it only scratches the surface of the life of a rock star. Sex and drugs are very limited in this movie, but it is full of Rock'n Roll! The music is fantastic and the concerts are directed brilliantly! The whole concert feeling is very well captured, since they used real audiences (no cgi here).Great direction and a brilliant performance by Marky Mark, who acts like a true metal dude!'Rock Star' is all about fun and if you had anything to do with the old metal scene, you are going to love this movie!10/10$LABEL$ 1 +OK,I've seen over 100 Troma films, and some of them are pretty bad. "Sizzle Beach U.S.A." was horrible, and "I Was A Teenage TV Terrorist" was unwatchable, but this is THE WORST FILM IN THE TROMA LIBRARY!A bunch of women are kept in a prison and tortured as they try to escape.This is really terrible. Even as exploitation films go. Doris Wishman and Hershall Gordon Lewis would probably kill the director if they saw this poor excuse for an cult film. Avoid this movie at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +This fake documentary is flawed on a lot of points, it's badly made, has uninteresting characters but the biggest problem I have with it is the basic premise.This film uses the idea that H.P. Lovecraft has traveled to Italy and that some of his work is based on real supernatural events that he witnessed. I'm willing to go along with the notion that he traveled to Italy (only for suspension of disbelieve) but that some of his work is based on reality and that Insmouth exist is total nonsense.First of all, Lovecraft didn't believe in the supernatural, in his letters he clearly states that he considered himself a mechanical materialist, his monsters where there to show that humans weren't so special after all. Another myth used in this film is that Lovecraft was an expert on the occult, he wasn't, all his knowledge on the subject came from the most basic sources.So we end up with a film about people jelling at each other a lot and when we finally see the monster, it's so bad that you can't even laugh at it, you just feel a pain in your love for horror.After seeing the film Frankenstein Lovecraft said that he felt sorry for Mary Shelley because he felt that her work was butchered. I feel sorry for Lovecraft.$LABEL$ 0 +For a long time, this was my favorite of the Batman films. It had the best cinematography and an edgy feel to it with two wild characters - Catwomen and The Penguin - along with the always-interesting Christopher Walken. However, after the last viewing it finally slipped in my ratings and, frankly, I now prefer the last Batman: Batman Begins, with Christian Bale.THE GOOD - Nonetheless, this is still the most intriguing of the five latter-day Batman films. The stylish cinematography in here is the best of any of the Batman movies. Director Tim Burton is known for his films which feature stunning visuals, as this is a great example. The three characters listed above are all very different and very interesting, almost fascinating. Of the villains, I preferred Catwomen, finding her the most fun to watch before and after she changed. Violence is not overdone here as it was in several of the other Batman stories but one is never bored watching this. As he did in the first film, Michael Keaton does a fine job playing Batman/Bruce Wayne.THE BAD - For a movie based on a comic strip that mostly kids read, I still think these first two Batman movies, both done by Burton, were too dark and the profanity was definitely not appropriate. Although, unlike the first movie, there was no usage of the Lord's name in vain in here, there still was profanity and both villains made too many sexual remarks. That would have been okay if they hadn't marketed this film for kids as well as adults. Danny DeVito's "Penguin" is downright gross in spots. "Grotesque" I can handle, but who wants "gross." Few guys, meanwhile, complained about the beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer playing Catwoman. Generall too much darkness and some cheap shots on Christian- bashing also made me re-consider my previously-high rating of this film.OVERALL - Fabulous visuals and memorable characters make this the most interesting in the Batman series, but too-dark an edge, too gross and too much anti-religious bias all finally turned me off after a half-dozen looks at this film. Sorry, but I prefer a kinder-gentler Batman movie. After all, it's just a cartoon. Most will disagree, but I was glad to see the series lighten up after this one.$LABEL$ 1 +Starting off, here's a synopsis: Porno queen Alta Lee (Lynn Lowry) is murdered by her pornographer lover Max (George Shannon) in a game of sexual Russian roulette. Alta's other lover, icy lesbian casting agent Camila Stone (Mary Woronov), provides an alibi for Max. But Camila has an agenda of her own, and a plan involving the seduction of innocent actress Julie (Lynn again) in a web of sexual mind games. When the lookalikes' identities are sufficiently blurred, the stage is set for vengeance as passionate as the most heated carnal encounter.Though this movie is quite obscure and never got much attention, I find it to be a sexy, suspenseful gem. Cult goddess Woronov has one of her best-ever roles, and she and sexy-innocent Lowry play off each other well. The unsettling music provided by Gershon Kingsley, plus two original songs ("All-American Boy," "You Say You've Never Let Me Down") and the Jaynetts' "Sally, Go 'Round the Roses" compose a memorable soundtrack. Theodore Gershuny's direction is sharp, with everything photographed in muted earth tones that perfectly suggest unsavory business bubbling under society's upper crust. With tons of great New York atmosphere, Ondine (Woronov's friend and fellow Warholite) giving a great performance in a small role, and exotic Monique Van Vooren as Max's ex-wife in a comic sub-plot. This sub-plot, though amusing, looks like it belongs in another movie altogether. However, I'm not complaining, as the film is smooth even as it changes gears and is a hell of a lot more interesting that the erotic-thriller garbage currently being cranked out.Trivia: Sugar Cookies was originally rated X (soft-core) and released by General Film Corporation in 1973. I am the proud owner of an original one-sheet poster--lucky me! In 1977, the movie was cut for an R and re-released by Troma Team, which now offers it uncut on videotape. Mary Woronov was the wife of Theodore Gershuny at the time, and was reportedly uncomfortable performing the graphic lesbian simulated sex scenes with him leering behind the camera. She can also be seen in two of his earlier productions, Kemek (1970) and Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972).$LABEL$ 1 +He pulled the guys guts out his butt! That's a spoof right?! No one really writes that it just happens like improv gone horribly wrong. I think any way. This movie must be a spoof because who would say they wrote that script otherwise. Can anyone imagine the entire cast sitting around as the director and writers go over the storyboard.Director says, "next our inbreed villain uses his 24 inch machete to disembowel our token creepy neighbor. Get this, he is going to pull the guts out his bunghole""Brilliant!" the entire cast proclaims.No way can that happen, nobody writes that stupid! Gotta be a spoof.I loved the part where the skinny introspective gal beats the inbreed freak to death with the cast iron skillet she finds on the floor of the cave. I wasn't sure the inbreed cannibal types bothered to cook much. Maybe that explains why the skillet was lying on the floor in the dark at just the right time to kill the malformed hulk. Seems ironic that after the freaky guy had bested martial arts expert porn queens and a couple out doors type jocks he falls so easily to the frying pan of a skinny defenseless girl next door. What the heck is that Richard Greco guy doing in this? Did he fire his agent or something? Can anyone explain the ending to me please because I didn't get it either? I can't quite figure why the nice hero girl wanted to kill the funny lady who was making her some tea. Never mind I don't want to know.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie promised bat people. It didn't deliver. There was a guy who got bit by a bat, but what was with the seizures? And the stupid transformation? Where was the plot? Where was the acting? Who came up with the idea to make this? Why was it allowed to be made? Why? Why? I guess we'll never know.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw the film many times, and every time I am more and more disappointed,which is shame because the films from EX YU are usually very good. The shame here is, that Holiwood tried to make film about the place and people it has no idea. My self coming from the Balkans(Macedonia) found this film disappointing.Simply that the Bosnian characters are not really understood and not truly portrayed. To understand the mentality of a person from EX YU, you need to know their background, way of live, what makes them cry and laugh.And the director of the film didn't took that as guideline. When we(EX YU) make films, lots of symbolism is build in it, which makes the characters recognisable and likable, and mostly portraying the truth(if it is based on true story) The films like "Pritty village, pretty flame", "Tito and Me', "Underground',"No mans land', "Before the Rain","Black cat, white cat","Otac na sluzbenom putu",(When father was away on business),"Ko to tamo peva"(Who sings over there?)Rare the masterpiece of the Balkan cinematography,and nothing can compare to it. Not the half baked story of and Holiwood studio. As somebody from the panel mentioned the story jumps from one end of town to the other with no real connection. I am sorry but when the film is made is not only for the American armchair variety of viewers but for the rest of the World too, and some of them live on the Balkans and Sarajevo too. And to add insult to the injury, half of the things are shoot in Bitola ,Macedonia where I come from. Imagen my shock when I saw the Broad st. of Bitola in the opening scene of the film, when the bride is shoot from the sniper.And what was that inserting real footage of the news covering in the film? Anyway very disappointing, as the truth is far away from the film. Shame that nobody consulted the real people how is to live in Sarajevo under fire, before they shoot the film. book is one thing and real life is other, and this film lets down both.$LABEL$ 0 +I loved KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER since I saw it on the night it premiered on September 13, 1974. I loved the monsters which seemed scary at the time and the cool music by Gil Melle (hey, where's the soundtrack guys?) and have often thought about what makes this show work for me so completely and have finally concluded that the reason it endures when many others do not is one simple, important element it has that almost no other scary show seems to have and that is a main character that most people can relate to on an everyday level. When Darren McGavin's Carl Kolchak starts to discover odd situations, he reacts like most people would. He finds them odd and as he gets closer to danger, he is frightened, even if he knows he must move forward to try to defeat whichever menace is being showcased in that episode. It's rare that he is brave enough to stand up against some superior supernatural force. He's usually set a trap and is hiding or waiting in the wings to see if it works. Sometimes, he seems as surprised that he managed to defeat a foe as we are. In one episode, he goes to find a monster in a sewer but when he first sees it, he runs to get out of there but is trapped so reluctantly, he must go back and defend himself. He's heroic because he is willing to do things most of us probably wouldn't do but that doesn't mean he probably wouldn't much rather someone else did it instead of him. He's a regular guy, doing a job, trying to make a buck, not a monster-hunter. He just gets wrapped up in things involving the supernatural, which he has an interest in but he doesn't want to be hurt or killed anymore than any of the rest of us do. If his plan to defeat the creature didn't work, you will often see him running for his life to get away from it, which is of course what I would do in the situation. That's why I was often watching the climax of the shows through my fingers as a kid. Kolchak was likable and you cared if something bad happened to him. You were scared for him and for the other characters too. The producers and writers obviously knew that anyone can create a monster suit, scary music and direct a suspenseful scene but it's all for naught if you don't care about the characters. Darren McGavin said that the reason why the show only lasted on season was because he got tired of doing a "monster of the week" show and he decided not to continue. I can tell you I mourned when this show was canceled when I was a kid but, as an adult, I can see why it couldn't go on in that formula for very long. I still love the 20 episodes and two movies that starred McGavin as the bumbling, determined and brusk but good-hearted reporter for the INS, known as Carl Kolchak. I seriously doubt anyone who makes shows or movies will ever really understand why I loved the show. It's not the monsters, darkly-lit sets, creepy music or goofy guest stars, although they are all vital ingredients. The secret to it's success is right there in the title - "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". Without McGavin's lovable, bumbling Carl Kolchak to root for and to care for, then it just ain't a Night Stalker.$LABEL$ 1 +This feels as if it is a Czech version of Pearl Harbor. It has a same story, both guys fall in love with the same woman. And add to the twist, the woman is actually a married one whose husband has been missing for a year. I don't think that the story line is too strong. The younger guy is quite naughty, that is cute. It kept me watching because of the emotional music, and the pleasing scenes one after another. It also has some strong visual special affects. Best of all, the love stories is seamlessly integrated with the story. I think that if it was in English, it would be such a big shot all across the states. It is too bad that not that many people are open for foreign movies.$LABEL$ 1 +When, oh, when will someone like Anchor Bay or Blue Underground release this on widescreen DVD??? Le Orme, which I only know because of my rare/vintage video collecting habit, is a film in my collection that I would not only sit through, but actually enjoy watching. The fact that Klaus Kinski is top billed, but is only in small parts of the film, means little to me. (Though several comments expressed disappointment in his rather limited screen time.) I cannot say that this is a good horror film, a good mystery, a sci-fi epic or anything of that nature. It is simply unclassifiable in the "genre" sense of things. It is more like a confusing, frightening (though not particularly violent or bloody) dream, filled with great visuals and mystery. It relies on visuals and emotion, much like Bava's "Lisa and the Devil". Both films are beautiful in almost every sense, but almost impossible to describe in a logical manner; they both occur in such a dream-like atmosphere. Don't be deterred by Force Video's synopsis on the back cover. It is infinitely more complex and intriguing than that. Though Force Video's release from 1986 (the only one in the US, that I know of) is cropped to full-screen on tape, even in that format it is still great. Releasing it remastered and/or letterboxed would make it magnificent (hint, hint... DVD companies).$LABEL$ 1 +"Just before dawn " is one of the best slasher films.It very realistic and atmospheric.It reminds me Tobe Hooper`s "The Texas chainsaw massacre " and "Deliverance ".Deborah Benson very good plays the heroine and director Jeff Lieberman created very creepy and dark movie."Just before dawn " is beautiful photographed and soundtrack is very disturbing.I neverliked slasher films or gore except with this one.Very impressive and convincing movie ( at least for me )$LABEL$ 1 +A very courageous attempt to bring one of the most intricate books of literature to the screen. The story manages to get most of Conrad's basic messages across and the acting is superb. The liberties taken by the script often deepen the meaning and do seldom distort it. Compliments to writer and director.$LABEL$ 1 +If 1977's "Exorcist II: The Heretic" did him no favors, it's hard to imagine what thespian extraordinaire Richard Burton saw in this drab exercise in non-thrills. You've seen it all before: Burton plays a writer who discovered at an early age he possesses the power to move inanimate objects through force of his mind (and you thought "Carrie" had no impact on Hollywood!). Though adapted from a novel by Peter Van Greenaway, "Medusa" plays like recycled goods, though the special effects in the cathedral finale are solid (if typical). Lee Remick is somewhat present as a doctor, but otherwise the supporting cast is extremely weak. Burton is hammy but weary...not even telekinesis could save him at this point. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +The Movie I thought was excellent it was suppose to be about romance with a little suspense in between.Rob Stewart is a wonderful actor I don't know why people keep giving him a bad rap. As for Mel Harris she is a great actress and for those who thinks she looks too old for Rob it's only by five years.Rob had a lead role in his own TV series as well as one on the Scifi channel. I'm sure you remember Topical Heat aka Sweating Bullets and PainKiller Jane.He also starred in a number of TV movies and is now making a TV Mini series.They need to give him more leading roles that is what he is best at.$LABEL$ 1 +Now I'll be the first to admit it when I say something that may be blasphemous or unfair, so I would like to apologize in advance for my ranting about how much I disliked this movie.That about sums it up too. I disliked this movie. To be more specific, I disliked the concept of this movie. The cinematography was good. The mood was nice. And the acting was satisfactory. However, the story is fatuous, unacurate and misleading. It is also offensive.I am a quarter Cree Indian, and for some reason I feel insulted, on a personal level, by the nature of Whitaker's character. First of all, he's a black guy. And this isn't a racist remark, I swear. The thought of a White, Hispanic or even Native American swinging a katana on a rooftop offends everything that the katana represents. The katana represents the soul of a Samurai, imbibed with the souls of his ancestors who guide and protect the Samurai. For Ghost Dog to use his guns instead of the Katana is also an insult to the blade and the souls inside, and where the heck did he get a Katana anyway? It must be one of those replicas, which insults the Samurai caste even more.Also, Ghost Dog showed no honor. Near the end of the movie, he shoots a bodyguard in the back through a window and then assassinates a man by shooting him in the face through a faucet drain. Not only is this a cowards way to kill an enemy, it's more like a ninjas way; silent assassins; a group that samurais deny exists, but hates none-the-less.Then he tries to kill his boss, when he finds out his boss is a baddie. You know what a true Samurai does when he learns his master is proven bad or dishonorable? He kills himself, to prove that he would rather die then lower himself to the level of his doggish master.Everything about the character was a giant contradiction to the real code that all Samurai adhere to: Bushido.So, we have great cinematography, good ambiance and so-so acting encompassing a satiricle plot and premise, (which unfortunately is the most important aspect of it) , making it an unsatisfactory overall film, and an insult to everything a honorable bushi(samurai) holds dear. 2.5/10 Bleah$LABEL$ 0 +This film captured my heart from the very beginning, when hearing Quincy Jones' first notes or seeing the wonderful color of purple of the flowers in the meadows. This is truly a film to cry and die for...! The whole cast gives the best performance in a film I've seen in years and Spielberg has really outdone himself! Whoppi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey(oh lord!), Danny Glover, and the others, all give us their best and you can feel it - almost touch it! Goldberg IS Celie, she gives her that insecurity and feeling of inferiority that is needed for the character, and we grow with her, we grow strong together with her, throughout the movie, and we triumph with her. Margaret Avery is wonderful as Shug Avery, even when she's at her most arrogant, and shows us that "sinners", indeed, "have souls too". The always sympathetic, charming Danny Glover makes a marvellous job at making people hate him and the magnificent music of(I'd say sir)Quincy Jones adds even more beauty to this splendid film! The photography, the music, the director and the music makes this beautiful, soulful movie into an experience of life. You don't want to miss it! "Sista'...remember my name..."$LABEL$ 1 +This film made John Glover a star. Alan Raimy is one of the most compelling character that I have ever seen on film. And I mean that sport.$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoyed Girl Fight. It something I could watch over and over again. The acting was Fantastic and i thought Michelle Rodriguez did a good job in the film. Very convincing might I say. The movie is showing how women should stand up for what they want to do in life. She had so much compassion and yet so much hate at the same time. Dealing with a ignorant dad didn't really help her much. Even though he loved her he was really hateful. Her mother died when she was younger and that also put some sadness in the role. The love story was a part that i really enjoyed in the movie also. I felt the passion the y had for one another. Then again drama sets in and then its like she is choosing between her boyfriend and her life long dream. I thought it ended just right. It was the kind of ending where you have to decide what happened in the future for them.For all you people who likes a movie based on a sport with a good plot i 'd suggest that you check this one out$LABEL$ 1 +Jimmy Stewart brings the story of Charles Lindbergh to life as he almost narrates the entire film while he crosses the Atlantic. It well edited with flashbacks over Lindeberghs life. Franz Waxman score is shear brilliant and truly gives the picture a heroic feel. One of Stewarts finest roles and this film can deliver time after time. Look for appearances by Murray Hamilton ( The Mayor in the JAWS Movie) as Bud Gurney.Comes out on DVD 8-15-06 with the release of a few more of Stewarts classic films. I consider Jimmy Stewart to be Americas greatest Actor and never tire of seeing him in any film I see, watch this picture and you'll agree.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is the best film ever. I can't remember the last time a movie has drawn tears out of me. with a tear in my eye, I admire this movie. It has all the elements that a good movie must have: Excellent Dialogues, Music, Acting, Story/Plot. A story of friendship, courage, kindliness and loyalty between a Street performing who famous to The King of Masks and a little girl that sold as a boy in serf bazaar. Little girl liked to be his granddaughter and King of Masks liked a grandson. They were not conventional in real. Every scene they were together was priceless. The camera work is flawless and grips you. The acting is inspired. Xu Zhu was Excellent as The King of Masks. Renying Zhou "Doggie" looks pretty and played her character very well. Zhigang Zhao as Liang Sao Lang was great. He played his helpful and kindhearted character extremely well. If you have't this movie, try it once, Do watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this film on DVD yesterday and was gob-smacked and flabbergasted. The unaffected acting of DDL just blew my mind, and I was surprised by the whole cast and its superb acting. All of the character were so authentic to me, I really took DDL for Christy Burns and Brenda Fricker for his mom. Go and see it! You'll cry your heart out, but you'll experience a wonderful catharsis! Besides, it teaches you one important lesson: Determination is everything. You may be a cripple in the poor suburbs of Dublin, but when you are headstrong enough you will have no problems at all. If you can only operate your left foot you are still good enough to be a painter or a writer. The worst thing you can do when you are mentally challenged is to indulge in self-pity. It won't get you anywhere and the only person who'll pity you will be yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +Quick summary of the book: Boy, Billy Tepper, about 12 years old is school's main trouble maker, and if he gets kicked out of one more school he'll be sent off to boarding school. His upscale boy's school in Switzerland (or somewhere like it) gets taken over by Arab terrorists, why I'm not really sure. Billy has no friends, and likes to use his laptop to hack into his school's database. He, with the help of two teachers thwarts the terrorists' plans, and save the entire school. The book wasn't bad, but was sooooooo cliché.Now about the movie; they switched Arab terrorists to Cuban terrorists, and make Billy about 17 and the leader of his group of friends. They like to get into trouble, but normal teenage stuff. This movie was believable. Maybe not realistic, but the characters are real. You can watch Billy, Joey, and the rest of the guys and see real kids acting out the way they did (or at least wanting to).Great action scenes. Not everything goes as planned for either side. Overthrowing the terrorists was messy, and good guys did get hurt. I won't say who, but it is heart wrenching (I know, I use that word a lot). Sean Astin is excellent. As a teenager he usually played the dopey best friend. This movie proved once again that he could play the leading man, kid, whatever. The only performance that may have upstaged his was Wil Wheaton's, who played the only son of a New Jersey mafia man. He hated his father, and everything he stood for. (A far cry from Wesley Crusher) Usually this genre of film is one I watch for the soul purpose of making fun; but not Toy Soldiers. The story line flows, the dialogue is usually believable. I can't think of a single moment where I found myself shouting at the TV "Oh that would so not happen" Great movie that should be in everyone's collection.$LABEL$ 1 +I really, really didn't expect this type of a film outside of America. How anyone can take the subject of sexually abusing children and turn it into a "thriller" is just sick. Auteuil (whom I had previously admired) going around like some sort of child-saving Rambo was ignorant and insulting to all the children being sexually exploited around the world.What's doubly depressing is that the stunning and ground-breaking film "Happiness" came out the year BEFORE this film. Menges and his cohorts should be ashamed of themselves. It's admirable to read some of the comments by the more intelligent viewers out there. They were able to see the shoddy and ridiculous handling of this topic. Those of you who think this is great cinema display a disgusting amount of ignorance and you need to watch "Happiness" to open your minds to the true horrors of pedophilia.Do you think your child is more likely to be kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery or be molested by a neighbor, teacher, friend or even a relative? Hmm...I wonder. If they are going to make a film about international child slavery of whatever kind they owe it to everyone to make it realistic and emotionally involving instead of this button-pushing crap. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Jack Higgins' straightforward thriller about a guilt-ridden IRA bomber forced into "one last job" (where have I heard that plot before?) gets a snarky treatment from cult director Mike Hodges. Mickey Rourke, with alarming red hair, confesses all to the priest (Bob Hoskins, of all people) who accidentally witnessed the shooting. The rules of the church keep Father Bob from talking, but then Rourke goes and falls in love with the priest's blind niece. They bond at the church organ. What? Really, that's the plot. Alan Bates is around as the top dog mobster who's calling the shots (literally) and he seems to be the only actor who's on to the jokey tone Hodges is aiming at. Bates is all set to do a sort of U.K. PRIZZI'S HONOR, but no one else, including an effortlessly charismatic Liam Neeson in a supporting role, has been informed.$LABEL$ 0 +I just finished watching Dog Watch. I thought parts of the movie were hokey with more than a few implausibilities. The acting wasn't too bad and the plot wasn't bad. BUT, as the saying goes, the devil was in the details.Some examples:1) The bleed-through on Charlie Falon's (Sam Elliott) bandage was shown to be coming from the back of his hand while it was his knuckles that were bleeding.2) Would a detective dispose of his murder victim from a very well-lighted area? This seemed very silly to me.I am not unusually picky about a movie but, in my humble opinion, this one is definitely NOT recommended by me.$LABEL$ 0 +Carrie Fisher has stated on more than one occasion that she made this movie during a period of her life when she had a heavy cocaine problem, and she doesn't remember very much of it. That would explain why she made this film, but it doesn't explain why anyone else in the cast or crew did; I can't believe that EVERYBODY had a coke problem. This has to be one of the absolute worst movies ever made, and that's saying something. The blame can't be laid at the feet of "director" Tim Kincaid or "writer" Buddy Giovinazzo, as it is obvious that this picture wasn't written or directed by anyone. Apparently it just spontaneously came together, as there is little evidence of coherency, consistency, design, plot, sense, intelligence or anything else. What is really amazing is that there were some actual professionals who were involved in this glop. Co-star Robert Joy has done good work in other films, and composer Jimmie Haskell and cinematographer Arthur Marks are both industry veterans, Marks also having been a director, and not a bad one. Why they got involved in this steaming pile of offal is beyond comprehension. Tim Kincaid, the alleged "director", has made quite a few low-rent sci-fi and horror films, and, having seen most of them, I can tell you that not a one of them is any good. This one, though, is by far the worst thing he's ever done, and that is a major accomplishment on his part. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING, about this movie is 12th-rate--at best. The cinematography is terrible, the acting is laughable, the "special effects" make "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like "Spider-Man", the story is trite, derivative and stupid. Don't waste your time even looking at the video box cover, let alone renting it. A complete, utter, annoying, total dud.$LABEL$ 0 +At school I was taught how some shots were called and there were two directors constantly mentioned : Orson Welles and Sergei M. Eisenstein. I didn't care that much then (I was a kid!) but now I know why, Eisenstein is a genius and it is a shame to see what was possible in 1938 where as almost more than a half century we're stuck with countless blank movies! Some say this movie isn't worth the genius of Eisenstein (then they have to watch it over and over till they can say anything bad) or even worse that it is just some propagandamovie for the Russians. Let's say it as it is, it is indeed pure propaganda for patriotism but isn't "Saving private Ryan" or "The longest day" so? I could sum up so many movies in where America is being raised to the top so why not Russia, and besides every war is fought for itrs patriotism why else would they raise flags? Aleksandr Nevsky is a must for anyone who cares about cinematography as almost every shot is a sublime picture. Perhaps it's all overseen but I am in wonder why this isn't included in IMDB's Top 250 where as there is so many overrated Oscarcrap in it as well.$LABEL$ 1 +"Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" is set in Hong Kong in 1949-50, and tells the story of the relationship between Mark Elliott, a white American journalist, and Han Suyin, a half-Chinese half-European doctor. This story of a mixed-race love affair was quite a daring theme for the fifties, and, as it often did, Hollywood tried to soften the blow by casting a white actress as the supposedly non-Caucasian woman who falls in love with a white man, something that would be regarded as politically incorrect today but was quite acceptable then.. (Think, for example, of the casting of Ava Gardner in "Show Boat" or Natalie Wood in "West Side Story") The setting of the story in a British colony was also perhaps a way of exploring racial issues in a way that would cause less controversy in America. Suyin loses her job in a Hong Kong hospital because her British superiors take exception to the fact that she is dating a white man, whom she is unable to marry because his estranged wife will not grant him a divorce. As was sometimes the case, European colonialism was made the whipping-boy for some of America's own failings. Imagine the furore that would have been unleashed had a similar film been made about a black or mixed-race woman doctor in a hospital in Alabama.Besides racial issues, the film also raises questions of international politics, referring to both the Communist seizure of power in China and the outbreak of the Korean War. Han Suyin was a real person and a well-known author of the period; in reality she tended to support Mao's Communist regime, but here she is shown as firmly anti-Communist. This is not, however, primarily an "issue" movie about either racialism or politics, but rather a romance, a good example of what would have been known at the time as a "woman's picture". Such films, although mostly made by male directors, were mostly aimed at female audiences. They dealt with love and romance- often unhappy romance- from the woman's point of view, and had a strong female character in the leading role. The genre often provided roles for actresses older than the heroines of standard romances. Earlier examples were normally in monochrome, but by the fifties they generally, as here, used lush, sumptuous colour.Although a Chinese or Eurasian actress would have been more convincing in the role, Jennifer Jones, does a very good job as Suyin. I found William Holden, as Mark, rather uncharismatic, but this does not matter much as Suyin is very much the dominant figure. She is screen much more than Mark, and the film examines her family and professional life much more than it does his. Although Jennifer was still strikingly beautiful, she was in her mid-thirties, rather older than most romantic heroines of films of this period. Holden was about the same age, unusually for the fifties when "boy-meets-girl" often meant "older man meets girl".The film is not particularly profound, but is well-made with some attractive photography, particularly of Hong Kong itself, reflecting the growing trend in the fifties for shooting on location rather than on studio sets. Seldom can Hong Kong have looked so beautiful; the view from a hill overlooking the city takes on a special meaning, as this is where Suyin and Mark go for their romantic assignments. The overall mood is one of poignant, doomed romance, a mood heightened by the atmospheric photography and the musical score, including one of the most memorable movie themes ever written. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +black tar can't be snorted there's a documentary: dark end of the street about s.f. street punks and b.t. abuse - not bad - quite heavy. in wasted there's this stuff that looks like coke but should be something else... no big deal. black tar can't be snorted there's a documentary: dark end of the street about s.f. street punks and b.t. abuse - not bad - quite heavy. in wasted there's this stuff that looks like coke but should be something else... no big deal. black tar can't be snorted there's a documentary: dark end of the street about s.f. street punks and b.t. abuse - not bad - quite heavy. in wasted there's this stuff that looks like coke but should be something else... no big deal.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented Dark Harvest (the first one) because it looked like a cheesy monster-on -the-box type of thrill ride. Scarecrows also freak me out. The movie had an effective title sequence, but what followed was pretty lame (flat, bad lighting, acting, editing, direction...). Recently, I noticed that DH 2: The Maize had a pretty extensive ad campaign. I thought maybe the first one was marginally successful, so they upped the ante on this one a bit, possibly delivering some bigger budget scares and fx from the killer scarecrows. Well, there are no scarecrows in the video... Not a problem. The problems start in DH 2 with a title sequence that looks like an unfinished concept, with strange shapes and bars wiping away titles and whatnot. As far as the actual photography... every time the sun shines in a shot, you'd have all these blown out whites, confirming that you're watching some ultra-low budget mini-DV project that some Midwesterner filmed at his Uncles farm. The acting was not acting at all. The cheap rip-off of The Shining twin girls was below freshman film student standards. The editing was extremely amateur and lazy. The sound was jarring and choppy. (e.g.- every time the editor would cut to a new shot, you'd here the sound change perspective with it). It's as if someone gathered their friends and family (actors), took a video camera out in a cornfield for three days, put a light on top of it for the night sequences (no joke - that's what they actually did), burned through some tape, stuck the footage in their computer, cut a (very) rough version, tossed in some music, bypassed any imaginative sound work or mixing, burned it directly to DVD, and threw it on the video store shelf. Any horror fan should be insulted by this type of direct to video work that is void of ANY skill or style. Just because a person owns a video camera and is able to get somewhat of an image on tape, doesn't mean it should be released to the public. If I could give this a rating lower than a ONE, I would.$LABEL$ 0 +Harrison Ford playing a playing a cop in a crime thriller. The perfect ingredients it SEEMS for top entertainment with Harrison back to his Indy and Han Solo best, protecting a witness from ruthless and merciless murderers. How easy it is to be fooled. If the film concentrated on the main, supposed, themes of crime and suspense instead of putting up barns and shoving ice creams in peoples faces it possibly could have been more worthwhile. Unbelieveably predictable with the best method of despatching of a foe is with corn.$LABEL$ 0 +Jude law gives Keanu Reeves a run for his money as the most wooden actor around, Renee Z's character is straight out of the Beverly Hillbillies, and the two leads have about as much chemistry as Darth Vader and Queen Amedala. The "bad guys" are the worst kind of cliche, and there's not a subtle moment in the film. Incredible that some critics actually liked this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +pardon my spelling. This is probably the funniest horror movie that ever existed. Think evil dead * 1000. The acting is horrible, you can see the makeup line on a certain lady's face. there is a lesbian scene, which makes no sense at-all. And the ending, haha ohhhh the ending... be prepared to have your stomach hurting from laughter. Now if you watch this film for more then 5 minutes and are still expecting something, take a look at your self, and ask what the hell is wrong with you. This is a very bad movie, meant to laugh at and enjoy for its pure silliness.Don't forget to watch all the outtakes after the movie, you can see just how low budget the whole thing really was. All in all this movie is a rare gem in demonstrating the pure and udder lack of talent/care/ability/money/ and anything else you would ever need to make a successful film. But its definitely worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie sets out to do something very particular, it also sets out not to do certain things. In short it has a definite premeditated trajectory - to deal with the idea of facing death (with very few choices and all of them bad) as grave and real rather than something casual or amusing. In search of that realism it has eschewed certain conventions such as obvious character arcs and hooks. It not about the characters so much as about the human condition. Never mind what the actors would do... what would YOU do in their situation? Open Water may have been a starting notion for this movie but it goes a lot further. Unlike that film it doesn't cheat the audience in the end when you find out there aren't really any sharks to speak of at all. This has a real monster, not just the idea of a monster and not just an animated stand in. It also has fine production values given what these very resourceful filmmakers had to work with. And again in contrast to that other film it has some exhilarating and brilliantly rendered action at it's climax. And let's not forget the, shall we say 'dazzling', screen presence of its youngest star. She may prove to be quite a discovery.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great film. If this is any indication, than Hong Sang-Soo really is "Asian cinema's best kept secret". It's very similar in style to Tsai Ming-Liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, and covers a lot of the same ground as them thematically, but I think I actually enjoy this more as a whole than any single one of their films. The overt minimalism is slightly less pronounced here than in their work, although it still completely fits that style (the camera never moves even once), and somehow I found the film less self-consciously "slow" than Tsai Ming-Liang or Hou Hsiao-hsien, which I think is part of the reason I enjoyed it more. Plus, it doesn't keep it's subjects quite as detached as Hou does. I felt like the film was also somehow more "complete" and less open-ended (just barely) than some of their work, although that's not to say it had much of anything resembling a forward-moving plot. I would have a hard time believing that Sophia Coppola wasn't directly influenced by this film for "Lost in Translation" (scenes of a young woman wandering around by herself, and languishing in her hotel room wearing punk panties can't help but seem familiar).$LABEL$ 1 +How does David Lynch do it? Unlike the legions of thick-black-framed-glasses-wearing types and pretentious movie critics who praise his name, I just don't see how this guy keeps getting paid to make such tripe. How can Lynch sloppily cobble together leftover footage from a failed TV pilot into a nonsensical, poorly-acted mess & have critics rave about it & actually include it on Year's Best lists?I'm baffled. If you're looking for a good film noir, rent "Bound" instead. If you're looking for a good "puzzle" movie try "Memento." But beware of this over-hyped stinker unless your idea of a fun night is throwing away 2 1/2 hours of your life & $3.50 of your hard-earned cash.$LABEL$ 0 +Here is another great film critics will love. The problem is that it is not a very good movie.The films premise is simple. Nine convicts escape a prison after the tenth one goes crazy and tells them where the treasure is.The first half has a lot of slapstick some of it very broad while the second half is a character driven descent into fantasy and melancholy.The two halves simply don't mix. Individual scenes do work very well (The guys crashing a friends house who has a new Filipino bride is hilarious While a later scene with the big guy working in the restaurant tugs at the heartstrings.) They simply don't mesh with each other.The movie as well is missing entire set-ups. One scene shows the guys desperately looking for change under a deserted vending machine to buy a snack. The very next scene has the whole crew in drag sitting down in a restaurant. Where did they get the dresses and wigs? (The crew includes both the big guy and a midget) How did they get all the clothes and money to buy the meal? And most puzzling is why are they in drag? They are clearly guys in drag and lets face it is there anything more memorable to witnesses than a big guy and a dwarf eating a meal dressed as women? I mention the big guy and the dwarf because besides the old guy everyone else seems to blend into each other. (In fact they wear matching white jumpsuits throughout most of the movie) The movie has very little character development in the first half and as a result the second half really lacks an emotional punch. As we are often trying to figure out who is who in their individual payoff scenes.Speaking of a drag the second half has all those wonderful sweeping camera shots and big emotional moments and great symbolism that makes a great film. It is also excruciatingly slow which makes for a boring movie.9 Souls is a big disappointment, the reviews gush about a great film and it's in there somewhere, good luck finding it yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +Most who go to this movie will have an idea what it is about; A man loses his entire family and even his dog in a flight from Boston that fateful morning of September 11, 2001. What you probably won't know before seeing this film is this: How that would feel; What do you do with that; and how would that affect you and the way you relate to every waking day? The story unfolds painfully slow from the gate and then warms up nicely as it gains a little speed while the recently renewed relationship between dentist Alan Johnson, (Don Cheadle) and ex-college roommate Charlie Fineman, (Adam Sandler) solidifies and begins to take shape. Characters appear in this film whose presence initially seem obligatory and not well developed but in fact, stay with this story, and you find that the simplicity of each character is what makes this story believable - and accurate. Real people inhabit a real situation whereby they can do little but stand aside while one amongst them disintegrates. The pain inside Charlie's soul is subtly evident from first introduction and grows as we learn more about his character –brilliantly revealed by Sandler, as layers of an onion – one layer at a time with lightness and weight combined. It's so subtle a performance that he sneaks up on you and gets inside your head while you are watching him on screen. Cheadle's Alan Johnson is equally subtle and very Don Cheadle. Always watchable, the ease that's apparent when Cheadle's on screen speaks to his consummate acting skills. Alan's relationship with Charlie Fineman is delicate in texture, just as the situation would demand. Fineman doesn't want friendship, nor anybody intruding into his cloistered life and yet, the likable quality that Alan owns is simple and honest enough to intrigue even a recluse like Charlie. It is Alan who has the task of gingerly opening up Charlie's carefully sealed life. There is inherent danger in the process. The more Alan nudges Charlie to open up, going so far as engaging the services of friend and psychologist Angela Oakhurst, (Liv Tyler) the nearer the danger of pushing Charlie over the edge. It's an abyss that Charlie teeters on each and every waking moment and one he has learned to navigate through sheer dint of denial. He has denied everything that priorly existed for him in order to exist with his loss. Unfortunately, his grief is one thing he cannot deny. Sandler withdraws so deeply into his character's pain during the story's unfolding that, by the time he meets his demons head-on, the viewer shares his pain almost equally. Alan stands beside Charlie throughout this exacting process at the risk of lousing up his own perfect home-life - run with admirable grace and efficiency by wife Janeane. (Jada Pinkett Smith) While tending to Charlie's recovery, Alan looks inward and recognizes his own silent screams at the death of the independence he once owned and the boy he has lost becoming a man. His reward for helping Charlie is helping himself reconnect with what he has lost. The theme is much like The Fisher King; another story of a man who isolates himself to the point of madness from sorrow and loss. Like The Fisher King, the story concludes with the traditional, there is someone for everyone theme. Reign Over Me's Lidia Sinclair, (played by the wonderful Amanda Plummer in The Fisher King) is Donna Remar, (Saffron Burrows) a woman on the verge of breakdown and sketchy patient of Johnson's, who turns out to be the just unstable enough to complement Charlie's borderline insanity. It's a good ending to the story, but the one element probably least likely to ring true. Then again, maybe there really is someone for everyone. Devorah Macdonald Vancouver, BC$LABEL$ 1 +Watching this film for the action is rather a waste of time, because the figureheads on the ships act better than the humans. It's a mercy that Anthony Quinn couldn't persuade anyone else to let him direct any other films after this turkey.But it is filled with amusement value, since Yul Brynner has hair, Lorne Greene displays an unconvincing French accent, and the rest of the big names strut about in comic-book fashion.$LABEL$ 0 +The only good part about this film is the beautiful scenery. This movie was long and boring. The minister should have retired from the pulpit the time his son Paul strayed from the teachings he proclaimed. How many times can his boys take the Lord's name in vain in this film being from a Presbyterian background? It doesn't fit. I wished Paul was swept down the river without a boat at the very beginning to spare us the silly, smirkish, selfish story of Paul (Brad Pitt). So Norm becomes a teacher and Paul becomes a compulsive gambler who Norm wants to rescue but doesn't-so what. It's very uninteresting. We see the prejudiced whites being stood up to by Paul because of his native American girl. That was the only part that had some interest and maybe could have been developed into a real 'wild western'. What we only see is a sleepy town where the two minister's sons have nothing to do but 1. Norm chase a lame girlfriend and deal with her family and 2.Paul make up dumb stories at the newspaper shop while scratching his head and take a lot of swigs and tie a lot of flies. I'd rather watch a show about fishing that that film again-which will be never.$LABEL$ 0 +Honestly, this is easily in the top 5 of the worst movies I have ever seen. Partly, because it takes itself so seriously, as opposed to regular light hearted trash, this movies wants you to be emotionally involved, to feel for the characters, and to care about the alleged conspiracy. None of this ever even comes close to happening.****MILD SPOILERS******There are 3 main reasons why this movie is so terrible: 1.) Incoherent and totally non-sensical plot. 2.) Annoying style-over-substance "MTV" camerawork. 3.) Moronic characters and plot holes.Allow me to elaborate.1.) Apparently, when this movies was being made, they couldn't decide whether to make a movie about church conspiracies, the stigmata, or possession. So, guess what? They combined them! An aetheist gets possessed by a dead person, who then makes her exhibit the stigmata so as to expose a church conspiracy. How a regular person is able to transcend death and possess another human being through his rosary is never explained, nor even talked about. Now, instead of just saying what he wants to say, he gives her the Stigmata. WHY? Why not just spit it out? Instead, we get treated to scenes of screaming things in harsh voices, carving cryptic messages on cars, and writing messages on walls. Apparently this priest was also a violent guy, because the possessed young lady also wigs out on one o f the characters, while talking in that cliched, harsh, "possessed" voice that we all have heard countless times. This also starts to tie into my second complaint, because whenever the young lady gets the stigmata, she also defies the laws of gravity by floating into the air, and tossing everything and everybody around her as if they were in an earthquake? Why does this happen? Who knows!?! My guess is that the director thought it looked "cool".2.) This movies contains dozens of shots, in slow motion, of course, of birds showing up out of nowhere and flying off, and most annoyingly, of water dripping. This woman's apartment is constantly dripping water! CONSTANTLY! Logically, the place would probably fall apart with this many holes. To sum up this complaint, towards the end, and for absolutely no reason, the camera cuts to shots of water dripping, in slow motion, in reverse!! WHY!?! I have no idea! It has no relevance to anything, and once again, I'm betting it's because the director thought it looked "cool".3.) One of the main characters says he became a priest to explain away holes in science. This doesn't make sense to me. I would think that going to church would be enough, but no, he has to go through the entire rigamarole of becoming a priest. I just don't buy it. Secondly, there are lots of plot holes, a few of which I will elaborate on below. For starters, when she first gets the stigmata, the scene ends with her laying unconscious, bleeding. Next, she's in the hospital. Who called the ambulance? Another one is towards the end, when the previously mentioned "scientific priest" character is talking to the spirit who is possessing the girl. He says, "Take me as your messenger!" Not a word for word quote, but you get the idea. His response? "You have no faith, only doubt!" So, because of this, he possesses an aetheist! An aetheist has no faith, far less then any scientific priest! And then, there's the fact that the object of this movie's conspiracy, this Lost Gospel (of St. Thomas, I believe) is available at local bookstores. The characters are willing to kill to supress this document, but you could walk down to a bookstore and buy it. Maybe this is supposed to take place in an alternate history, where it isn't wide known, but the movie never tries to tell us this, or to even hint that this is an alternate happening of that document's uncovering.In closing, this movie is terrible to a spectacular degree. It is my arch-nemesis, which I feel the need to insult every chance I get. I loathe it. Final Grade: F$LABEL$ 0 +K Murli Mohan Rao made the much better BANDHAN in 1998 This film is an awful remake of THE WEDDING SINGERBasically in short, the film consists of: Salman Khan who in those days used to have the role of a dejected lover who looses his girl and also he had his comic scenes where he hammed badly even today he does well he does it all here too and also looses his shirt in scenesJackie Shroff- wasted, bored and tired, his role is so stupid He is shown as a lover of Pooja Bhatra then in 1 scene he is shown as a womanizer?Inder Kumar- confusing characterization againRani Mukherjee- boring, overweight and does nothing special Pooja Bhatra- tall, fair and actress worthy but lacks talentKashmira Shah- says a dial as if a poetryMohinish Behl- poor fellow the 2 kids were awful tooThe story is the same and has awful comic scenes, a sudden love story and boring drunken scenes plus a forced comic track of Shakti KapoorDirection is poor Music is decentSalman khan just goes through the motions, Jackie is bad, Rani is as usual, Pooja is bad, Mohinish and Kashmira are nothing great Inder is awful$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw The Drugs Years on VH1 and I love it. I think it reflects the drug history very well and most importantly IT HAS A STRONG MESSAGE TO THE ALL GENERATIONS. There is woodstock, there are Joplin's, Hendrix's and Jim Morrison's deaths, there are many many examples of drug use and drug abuse. It completely cover the time line and evolution of drug use in America in both good and bad ways. In my opinion this documentary is well done and I would like to congratulate to its creators because this is exactly what is needed to be playing in the TV in these days. I am waiting for the DVD release. You should definitely see it!!! This movie is stunning-- BIG TIME!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a total waste of money. The production is poor, the special effects are terrible. In my country they had the courage to put this film on video named as "The Mummy" because of the success of Brendan Fraser`s film. I`m sure that you can find better horror movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Why I disliked the movie, apart from the sheer ugliness of the actors themselves, is that someone might actually believe such crap.First of all, The Second Coming of Christ will be at the end of words, and when Jesus Christ will come on Judgement day he will not come as He did before, in human form. He will come in His full Glory as God and we shall be judged not only for our sins, but also for the consequences of our actions. Everyone will! Secondly, I have seen the eternal Gay pride illustrated in this movie with the all unquestionable "I read the Bible last night and it's not written anywhere". Well, it is. Moses cites on 3 different occasions that men who make love to other men, or women who make love to each other as if man and wife should be killed because these will never inherit the kingdom of God as they are foul! If it truly were for us to follow the Bible word for word there would be executions now, wouldn't there? But I think misinforming people does more harm than this would... That was the in the Old Testament.There are lots of lunatics in psychiatric wards who think they are The Son of God, but to make a movie after it truly makes you think of how many idiots out there can make a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I resisted seeing this movie and I understand why it was not a big hit in theatres. "October Sky" feels and looks oh so familiar. And it is. All plot contrivances and emotions have been explored before in other films -- and possibly even better. But despite it's familiarity and resistance to all formulas Hollywood, this movie is winning and likeable at every turn. Sputnik is the inspiration for this journey of the heart, mind and soul. Just as the characters from Steven Sondheim's musical MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG stood agape atop their apartment roof hoping it would launch their new generation ("What do you call it? You call it a miracle."), Sputnik has a similar affect on the young rocket boys of this true tale. While jaded townsfolk of their 1950's coal town dismiss the event, Homer Hickham sees Sputnik as his ticket out of a life in the mines.Masterful direction and casting make the journey of rocket boy Homer and his pals seem fresh and new. Especially affecting are subplots concerning Homer's ailing young school teacher. Remarkable restraint is shown in depicting their delicate relationship. Also remarkable is the father / son supblot that anchors the film. Perfectly played all around. Even Homer's mom gets her moment without cliche or intrusion. Her ultimatum to her husband is both dignified and heatbreaking. "Myrtle Beach" says it all. A major video chain I despise has a sign next to this film stating that you'll love this film or they'll refund your money. For once, I agree with them. You'll never look at the October sky quite the same again.$LABEL$ 1 +Following up the 1970s classic horror film Carrie with this offering, is like Ford following the Mustang with the Edsel. This film was horrendous in every detail. It would have been titled Beverly Hill 90210 meets Mystery Science Theater 3000, but both of those shows far exceed this tripe. This film was scarcely a horror film. I timed about 3 minutes of gore and 90 minutes of lame high school hazing and ritual. Wow, what a surprise, Carrie's weird friend commits suicide! Wow, Carrie misconstrues her love interests affections! Wow, the in-crowd sets up Carrie! Wow, the jocks have a sexual scoring contest! What this film needed was way more action and far less tired teen cliches. This film is totally unviewable.$LABEL$ 0 +When I was young, I was a big fan of Chuck Norris. I just begun getting out all his old movies on video so I can see them through adult eyes. I remember that I really liked this one in particular, and thought it was one of his best. Now that I'm a little older, I can say that although it's thoroughly average, I still consider it one of his better films. In an acting stretch for him, Norris plays a cop haunted by his participation in the arrest and capture of a dangerous serial killer movie. Serial Killers are all the rage nowadays, and people would like to think of them as a wholly 90s invention. In contrast, it's good to see where the current infatuation has sprung from, most obviously, action movies (as well as stalk n' slashers) of 70s and 80s. While Norris attempts at both humour and any form of human compassion are ham-fisted and laughable, nobody could kick someone in the head quite like Chuck. Being a big fan of Steve James also, I can recommend this film, ditto for genre legend Billy Drago, as well as seeing Mitch from The Blue Brothers in a supporting role. Not great, but it's better than anything Norris did in the 90s.$LABEL$ 0 +Philo Vance (William Powell) helps solve multiple murders among the wealthy after a dog show.Usually I hate overly convoluted mysteries (like this) but I LOVE this movie. It moves very quickly (only 72 minutes), is beautifully directed by Michael Curtiz (he uses tons of camera tricks that just speed the narrative along), has a very ingenious story line (including a solution to a locked room murder that was just incredible) and has a very good cast. Powell is very suave and great as Vance--he doesn't seem to be acting--he IS Vance! Mary Astor isn't given much to do but she adds class and beauty to the production. Everybody else is very good too, but best of all is Eugene Pallette as Detective Heath. He's a very good actor with a VERY distinctive voice and some of his lines were hilarious.Basically, an excellent 1930s Hollywood murder mystery. Well worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's face it, this is a pretty bad film.However if you go in ready to make fun of it you can survive the experience.Okay, you'll scream in agony a lot.African jungle fun in a dopey kind of way.Tom Conway (who spends most of the film wearing a funky chapeau) is using the local witch doctor and mad science to create a "perfect" being.It looks like a varmint that has been on a six week drunk and is in a sack dress.Ugly is being kind.But it won't kill for him because he's using a good girl as his subject.He needs a bad bad girl.Marla English and Lance Fuller are two petty crooks in search of African gold.Acting lessons for Ms English should have been at the top of the search list.She's a bad girl and lets everybody know it in a performance worthy of a junior high school play.Mike "Touch" Connors is the white guide English & Fuller con into leading the expedition.English & Conway finally meet and it is a match made in hell.She is the perfect subject to become his voodoo creature because she'll do anything (stress anything) to get what she wants.You will do anything to stop the agony of this movie at this point.What made this movie interesting for me was Conway wearing that funky tribal hat/headdress/floral piece!Still trying to figure out what kind of dead animal it was.Guess he thought if he pulled it down low enough over his eyes nobody would recognize him.Truly bad cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +"Are You in the House Alone?" belongs to the pre-cable TV days when the networks were eager to offer an alternative to popular TV shows. It is well-made thriller with a talented cast and credible situations. Kathleen Beller plays a High School student who gets a series of threatening letters. Everyone seems to think that it is nothing more than a prank but Beller is really scared. Tony Bill and Blythe Danner play Beller's parents, Ellen Travolta (John's sister) is the High School Principal and Dennis Quaid has one of his earliest roles as a cocky rich kid. It's a competent chiller with a still relevant social message. Beller is lovely - if you are 30 or older, you will remember that she was very popular among youngsters. Blythe Danner, who I usually don't like, gives a truly moving performance. Nice little film.$LABEL$ 1 +I recently bought this movie for three bucks at a garage sale, and while I'm glad I didn't have to pay the usual $19.99 for this DVD, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the film was.It's set up like a horror anthology, broken up into 5 tales, including the 'connector' story which involves four teenagers who's car breaks down a dark, lonely road in the middle of the night. Apparently, these kiddos like horror stories, because that's what they decide to do until morning - tell spooky stories around a campfire. Each character takes their turn telling a story, after which their own story is wrapped up with a nice little twist.The first story, "The Hook" is kinda a waste of time, a bit bland and dull. Luckily, this is not one of the main stories and only lasts maybe 5 minutes. It's intended merely to introduce the film and it's easy to overlook the unoriginality of this piece.The second story, "The Honeymooners" is, eh, okay. It's about - you guessed it - two people on their honeymoon! They're traveling around in an RV headed to Las Vegas. They decide to stop somewhere for the night, but they're quickly warned by a mysterious stranger to leave the location, or risk being attacked by some dangerous, unknown creatures. This story has a pretty good setup, but just merely an 'ok' delivery. Basically, it's fairly entertaining and mysterious till the monsters show up, then it's just kinda iffy.The third story, "People Can Lick Too" is my personal favorite. It involves a young girl who's parents are going out for the night and who's older sis is ditching her for a party. So, she's going to be all alone - a fact she makes known to an internet buddy of hers. Trouble is, that internet buddy? Is not exactly a thirteen-year-old girl. This story's conclusion is slightly less climatic than I might have liked to have seen, but still pretty dang good.The final story, "The Locket" is definitely the one packed with the most atmosphere. Set in a creepy mansion on a dark, rainy night, it's the tale of a young man (played by Glenn Quinn!) traveling around on a motorcycle who stumbles across this house just at the time that he conveniently has a problem with his bike. He meets the mute girl who lives in the house, and falls in love with her at first sight. Unfortunately, not everything is all fine and dandy - and it might have something to do with that locket hanging around her pretty neck...After the stories are wrapped up, we're presented with a twist involving the four teens in the car, a twist which, in retrospect, should have been obvious, but which it didn't really see coming, and it's a quite pleasing conclusion to film.So, all in all, a good movie. Rent it if you can, because unfortunately, I don't really think it has a lot re-watching value. But next time you're in the mood for a vaguely scary litte flick in the same vein as "Tales of the Darkside" or something, grab this movie and some popcorn, turn off all the lights, and treat yourself to this surprisingly nifty little flick.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is the last straw in a list of films I have seen this week that have pushed me over the edge and forced me to join IMDb and spread some warning to the public. It was absolutely horrible. The film was drawn out and painfully boring. The sound, effects, and even picture quality seemed like they came from Willow (1988) or maybe even Conan the Barbarian (1982). The battle of Bannockburn was absolutely absurd. This "largest filmed reconstruction of medieval battle ever staged in the British Isles" made me snicker. There wasn't even a coherent formation at all, just a few guys with spears and horses running right through them. The scenes of Douglas, especially in the last battle, were simply horrible, as was most of the acting in the film.$LABEL$ 0 +Jason Connery is not an actor; he is the son of an actor. His Macbeth is the worst I have ever seen. Oh yes, he murders king Duncan, but he also kills William Shakespeare. His wife is even worse. Please, give me Polanski's version on DVD, so I can forget this monster. Jon Finch, Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, there you have ACTORS!$LABEL$ 0 +Twins Effect, starring some of HK's most popular stars provides one of the most enjoyable film experiences to come out of HK in sometime. It has something for everyone, action, comedy, horror, romance, and some drama. This film can't be taken too seriously, otherwise you'd go in dissapointed, but if you leave your brain at the door, and just watch the film for some fun, you're bound to enjoy it.Great special effects, excellent action, cute Twins, cool HK actors, FUN film!I'd recommend it to anyone!$LABEL$ 1 +wow...this has got to be the DUMBEST movie I've ever seen. We watched it in english class...and this movie made ABSOLUTELY no sense. I would never, EVER watch this movie again...and my sympathy to those who have ever PAID to see it.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, I would give this a 1, but I'm gonna give it a two because I laughed while watching this film...First of all, I can make a much better movie than this one...in a week...The special effects made this film look like a joke. One shouldn't make such films with horrible special effects because then people won't take it seriously. The acting and direction was also horrible. The screenplay had many plot holes and the whole film wasn't believable at all. This has to be the worst Indian film ever. The songs were also bad. The acting was bad and artificial. Need I say more. Don't watch this movie unless you are curious to see how bad it is. That's why I watched it. I am going into film and I wanted to see how bad a bad film can get. Trust me, I watched one of the worst films in history if not THE worst film.$LABEL$ 0 +I felt this movie was as much about human sexuality as anything else, whether intentionally or not. We are also shown how absurd and paradoxical it is for women not to be allowed to such a nationally important event, meanwhile forgetting the pasts of our respective "advanced" nations. I write from Japan, where women merely got the right to vote 60 years ago, and female technical engineers are a recent phenomenon. Pubs in England were once all-male, the business world was totally off-limits for women in America until rather recently, and women in China had their feet bound so they couldn't develop feet strong enough to escape their husbands. Iran is conveniently going through this stage in our time, and we get a good look at how ridiculous we have all looked at one time or another. Back to the issue of sexuality, we are made to wonder what it may be intrinsically about women that make them unfit for a soccer game (the official reason is that the men are bad). Especially such boyish girls, a couple so much so that you even get the feeling that lesbianism is on the agenda as well. I think one point is that not all women are the same, and the women the police are trying to "protect" are not the ones who would try to get in in the first place. The opening scenes of the approach to the stadium makes you appreciate the valor of the young women trying to get in -- and each one separately -- at all. It is a brutish man's world. Any woman brave enough to try to go should be allowed! The world of sexuality is not one-size-fits-all.Meanwhile, the apprehended criminal girls bond inside the makeshift pen awaiting their deportation to who-knows-where, and in a much more subtle way, begin to bond with the guards keeping watch over them. These had definite ideas about women and femininity, which were being challenged head-on. The change in attitude is glacial, but visible.Since the movie is pure Iran from the first moment, it takes a little easing-into for the foreigner, but the characters have a special way of endearing themselves to you, and you end up getting the whole picture, and even understanding the men's misunderstandings and give them slack. The supposed villain is the unseen patriarchy of the Ayatollahs, which remain unseen and unnamed, and likely unremembered.Knowing that this movie was filmed during the actual event of the Iran-Bahrain match gives me a feeling of awe for all involved.$LABEL$ 1 +A hilarious comedy by the best director ever, Oz Scott. The list of eighties TV icons goes on and on. Milano (Who's The Boss), Yothers (Family Ties), Stone (Mr. Belvedere), Robinson (Night Court), Jackee (227), D'abo (Wonder Years), Walston (Mr. Hand!!!). It is one of the funniest movies ever. Great lines, meaningless subplots, cheesy, bad acting. It is about a group of high school kids who need to pass drivers' ed. Mac from Night Court needs them to pass their final exam, or he'll be fired. Great performance by Brian Bloom as the jerk/kinda cool guy Riko Conner, but is nothing compared to B.D. Wong's Kiki (pronounced kee-chee). A great movie for all ages, so bad it's good.$LABEL$ 1 +Director Todd Verow's unexpected turn into sentimental coming-out drama yields a predictable result: Nothing new to see here. Attractive but unconvincing leads - these 20-somethings are supposed to be in high school? - dribbling out banalities about confused, adolescent sexuality doesn't strike me as the best way to explore the promise of Anonymous, which was equally self-involved, but also honest, raw and, by comparison, not all that maudlin. I have no idea what to make of this drab and uninspiring movie other than to hope that Verow finds another career. Sure, it's unpretentious, but so's Mike Huckabee.No single attribute, however, is as awful as Jim Dwyer's chintzy, electronic score, which grates non-stop, wall-to-wall for the full length of this movie. If I'd seen this, and heard this, in a theatre, I would have walked out. Thankfully, on my laptop, I could scrub and hit mute.$LABEL$ 0 +This was truly a tense and dark episode. Excellently executed, wonderful acting and atmospheric directing, 'Ice' is one of my favorite episodes. Along with 'Pusher' 'Grotesque' 'Wetwired' and 'Home' (these are quite good in dark atmosphere in my case) It seem quite realistic to me, their paranoia, their suspicion and their ever growing rage was perfectly executed by the great actors. However, 'Ice' had a problem that I got over after a few watches: IT WAS TOO SHORT! I WANTED MORE!Overall, 'ice' had what 98% of all X Files episodes have: Excellent acting, Intense story-writing, gritty directing. All the works.10 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +OK, this movie starts out like a cheesy Lifetime movie and doesn't get better till almost well through the movie. The script is full of 'cheese' and 'fluff' and cast is not well directed for the most part. For the first half of the movie the little girl grated on my nerves. I do not think this is one of her best acting jobs. The only reason I bought the movie is because it was on sale and had Ellen Burstyn in it. She's terrific but this is also not one of her best acting gigs. The story is based on true events and that helps the movie. Actually, I didn't even like the movie at first and was getting disgusted when I saw stills of the balloon traveling, I mean..let it get where it's suppose to go and be done with it! But all is forgiven by the time it does reach it's destination and the story comes to a close. If this doesn't bring a tear to your eye, nothing will! It's cheesy and predictable but also makes you feel good about the world again.$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't expecting the highest calibre of film-making with Joel Schumacher directing this one, so I was surprised that TIGERLAND wasn't a complete waste of time.In technique, it's often derivative of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN with the shaky camera work, grainy shots, the film occasionally running like it's skipping a sprocket---all those techniques Speilberg used to make his film seem more realistic but in the end was more distracting than anything else.But unlike SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, the emotional component wasn't as weak, as the characters in this film seemed more like real people and the story less contrived, not so wrapped up in the American flag (Speilberg gets an 'F' in subtlety).Next to the first section of Kubrick's FULL METAL JACKET, this is the most realistic portrayal of boot camp that I have seen in a film, and for that I think it's worth watching.It's not a great film, but neither is it a bad film.$LABEL$ 1 +I finally got hold of Lifeforce on DVD with the widescreen format intact and rousing Henry Mancini score to the max. After having viewed Lifeforce for fifteen years on tape, I have to say that the 'uncut' DVD version was both great and disappointing. The U.S. version is so *much* better than the DVD (European?) version. The U.S. version of lifeforce moves much faster (the editing on the DVD version is terrible. Feels like an unfinished cut). And the many scenes not seen in the American version add little or nothing to the final problem. In fact one "new" moment almost destroys the entire movie, when Caine (peter firth) meets the male alien at the cathedral. I love this scene, in the U.S. version though. On the DVD, the male alien speaks to Caine and what he says is soooooo hilarious. It's the pinnacle of hilarity:"It'll be much less terrifying if you just come to me!" the male alien says, in a deep 1950s style voice. I was floored when I saw this. It just doesn't belong in the movie. That scene is pure camp in an otherwise super serious flick. I'm glad Hooper (or whoever) cut that scene when the movie was released in North America. There are several changes that were made for the U.S. version that make Lifeforce that much better and I wished the DVD had the U.S. version. The editing is sharp and frenzied without being annoying and some spots that were already boring in the U.S. version are even more boring on the DVD version because of added scenes. And the opening credits on the DVD is terrible. Much better in the U.S. version. More subtle.I love this film. It's basically aliens making a pit-stop over earth and sucking up as much Lifeforce as possible. The film has too many flat, uninspiring sequences (talk, talk, talk) but when the action goes to London, it's fun. The film really shines in these scenes. One can see Hooper finally doing what he's great at: chaos, savagery, horror! Lifeforce should have had more of these chaos scenes. They're the best Apocalyptic scenes ever put on film. It's also the best zombie movie ever. The zombies are hungry (for lifeforce, not flesh) and they're crazed and agile and terrifying. Not the slow moving bores of other zombie movies. Also, a lot of people have criticized the ending but I love it. It leaves you high and dry, like one of the lifeforce-drained victims.And to think this movie came out during the cute and cuddly 80s, when people flocked to E.T. or Cocoon or other sweet and boring, feel good sci-fi movies. No wonder it bombed because it was way ahead of its time with its super nihilistic point of view!As for the DVD, well, it ain't great. The image is muddy and grainy and there are no extras whatsoever. But it's great to see the movie in its widescreen format. I just hope that they'll release a clean, crisp U.S. version on a DVD, and with commentary by Hooper and Dykstra.$LABEL$ 1 +It was hard for me to believe all of the negative comments regarding this all-star flick. I laughed through the entire picture, as did my entire family. The movie clearly defined itself as an old time gangster comedy--the players were hysterical--I'll bet they had a good old time while making it. Of course Goldblum and Dreyfuss were great--and how about those Everly sisters, each of the two Falco's, and the divine music throughout. Rob Reiner made a great laughing limo driver, and Gabriel Byrne a laughable neurotic. Not to mention Gregory Hines, Burt Reynolds, the Sleepy Joe character and the whole mortuary and grave digger references. Paul Anka was his usual entertaining self, with the added attraction of running scared after Byrne decided to make a duet of his "My Way" welcome home to Vick performance.I am of the opinion that this movie was a comical tribute to Frank Sinatra and friends; Dreyfuss imitated him well. I am also of the opinion that no one, of any age, would even think of imitating the actions which occurred in this movie--it's a joke--not a terrifying "gangsta" film. The cars and clothing were impressive, as was the decorative, "Vic's Place."Truly, I think of "Mad Dog Time" as a musical comedy, less harmful than many cartoons, TV crime dramas, and talk shows. I would recommend the video for an evening of family entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +I had a heck of a good time viewing this picture, and was splendidly surprised at its more erudite features. First off, the film is undeniably cheaply-made with its cardboard sets, limited settings, and creative scientific props. The acting ranges from very poor(the two strippers), barely professional(Herb Evers as the leading man), gothic overstatement(Leslie Daniels as the assistant Kurt)to first-rate with Virginia Leith in the title role as the headless victim alive against her will for the benefit of science and her fiancee's lustful passions. The scripting though is very good and the dialogue is fantastic for a movie of this ilk. Issues abound about what role science and medicine have in our lives and what their boundaries should be. This film is a thinking film in many ways. However, don't be too fooled by its real intent. It is a sleazy story about a man obsessed with his aptitude in medical science who wishes to fuse together his dead girlfriend's head with the perfect body, thereby creating the perfect woman for a man with the best of both body and soul. One other very bright aspect of the film is the sax music which resonates strongly every time the doctor scours town for female beauties.$LABEL$ 1 +Surely no Saturday morning TV kids' show was ever done this poorly. After all, those producers had to count on the audience coming back. Well, in this awful offering, they could at least count the money they saved on sets. The script could have been a reject from some long-forgotten space opera serial, with a few smarmy lines added for cool-dude Gerald Mohr to murmur to Naura Hayden. No director could have done anything decent with such a loony storyline, so the action just plods boringly along. The spaceship props are absurd--a Bulova wall clock and portable typewriter, for example--but the planet sets have got to be some of the worst in cinematic history. Most are crude drawings, and it's all bathed in an often misfocused red light. Even Mohr's bare hairy chest is used as a prop. And it's a bad one--as rib-thin as the plot. Any viewer who can make it to the end of this movie will hear a message from the Martians--and will probably agree completely!$LABEL$ 0 +Bogdonovich's (mostly) unheralded classic is a film unlike just about any other. A film that has the feel of a fairy tale, but has a solid grounding in reality due to its use of authentic Manhattan locations and "true" geography, perhaps the best location filming in NYC I've ever seen. John Ritter reminds us that with good directors (Bogdanovich, Blake Edwards, Billy Bob) he can be brilliant, and the entire ensemble is a group you'll wish truly existed so you could spend time with `em. One of the few romantic comedies of the last 20 years that doesn't seem to be a rip-off of something else, this is the high point of Bogdanovich's fertile after- "success" career, when his best work was truly done ("saint jack", "at long last...", "noises off".$LABEL$ 1 +The "Trivia" page on IMDb claims the filmmakers protested because this film was re-cut by the studio to "simplify the plot". If so, that effort was a total failure, as this is one of the most incoherent narratives I've ever seen in a film -- I'd hate to have seen it before the plot was "simplified."It's sad to see Warren with so little character to go on that even he can't do anything with the inept material. It's interesting to see Caron in '70s mode instead of her Hollywood-era glamour garb and persona, but it's sad to see her haplessly wander through this doing-a- favor-to-her-producer-husband dreck. She would actually later hook up with and marry the director, instead -- who, you'll note, never directed anything again, but did strictly 1st or 2nd A.D. work in TV from here on out. That oughta tell you enough right there.I call this "interesting" because I have an automatic fondness for American films of this period, and this role does add perspective to Oates' otherwise fantastic 1971 output (Two- Lane Blacktop, The Hired Hand). But the "1940s detective as fish-out-of-water in 1970s L.A." theme, which is the only thing the movie really has to say, is sold in way too heavy- handed a manner. A similar theme would be far more effectively handled two years later in Altman's The Long Goodbye. And as far as Oates playing a hard-bitten guy on a doomed errand, three years on, he would give his definitive performance in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. If you haven't seen those, don't waste your time with this!$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit I am a big fan of South Park and was expecting Basketball to be funny but nowhere near as good as it turned out to be! I think this is what happens when you mix David Zucker, Matt Stone, and Trey Parker together. This movie has so much replay value and at no point bothers to take itself seriously. The slap stick style humor mixed with Stone and Parker just works flawlessly. The kind of humor present in Basketball was not popular upon the time of it's release and had it come out today it would be a hit. Don't bother trying to be critical, just leave your brain at the door and expect endless laughs to come. Recommended to anyone with a good sense of humor.$LABEL$ 1 +At first sight, Who's Singing Over There just seems to be an absurd and excellent comedy… with only a kind of unusual, quiet and slow motion : what a mistake ! Beginning with two singers on a desert landscape, then a bus and a wonderful bunch of actors, it hides a gem !The folded story, and a false rhythm induces you to think, yes it is comic, but just lets you guess it will be a gentle kind of movie. Not at all : very funny by instant, dark subtle cynical on others, its development surprises you all along the story… Very ingeniously and cleverly presented, all the characters are important, and the actors give them full life.And what is astonishing, it's based on deep observation, great mastering of the camera work and has a great meanings, and really everything, the general direction and how also the details are presented, that it simply makes you forget it's a movie: it is like to watch a kind human society, you yet don't know,shot by a friend behind a camera.And you're the one behind him. It is simple, and simply exceptional !Don't misunderstand me; in no way that would means the script , the quality of picture, the music score have a kind of amateurish way, no, no ! It's great Art ! Because it flows like a river… From high up in the mountain, down to the sea, with all the different sort of grounds and peregrinations that a real river will face on its journey to the sea… from a tiny thing to a main stream.This metaphoric image I used is the very best way I can find to explain all the charm that has Who's Singing Over There. For me, again, I take the hammer : simply exceptional...I've seen that The Director is the one who made Chat Blanc/Chat Noir, which I know is quiet famous… But as I yet didn't see it, I had no idea about this gentleman.Others reviewers wrote dithyrambical comments on that film, I fully agree !European Eastern Cinema is not well know because seldom translated, but I am lucky to have this exemplar one in original language, with good English subtitles. All in all : deep, delicious and exceptional...For fast and empty exploding types and special effect buffs, avoid it at any cost, it may be too subtle and good for you !But if you're interested in different genres and/or classics, I guess you won't regret this one, and in case of buying, it will have good companionship in your personal DVD library, with such no less than merited big names like Billy Wilder, Lubitsch, or Sacha Guitry among some of my preferred directors . At least for this movie !***A film is never really good unless the camera is an eyes in the head of a poet Orson Welles***$LABEL$ 1 +Though I saw this movie about 4 years ago long before I started commenting on IMDb, I decided to review it now which is unusual for me since before now I often reviewed something just after seeing it. What can I say? Well, the best performance is that of the late Peter Boyle as the title character who, after finding out about a man's killing the drug-dealing boyfriend of his daughter, wants to bond with him even though he's a Madison Avenue executive who has nothing in common with the very lower-class conservative Joe. In fact, there are plenty of funny scenes of Joe at this guy's party making smart alecky remarks there. Oh, and it should be noted that the actress that plays the daughter who they're looking for after she disappeared from the hospital after overdosing on some drugs is none other than Susan Sarandon making her film debut! This was a pretty hard-hitting movie for the time it was made (late '60s-early '70s) and was compelling work from scripter Norman Wexler (later of Saturday Night Fever) and director John G. Avildsen (later to do Save the Tiger, Rocky, and The Karate Kid). Certainly the ending packs a wallop even today after all these years! Highly recommended for anyone curious about the counterculture of that time. P.S. Among the cultural artifacts seen here are a Raggedy Ann doll, a box of Ritz crackers, a bottle of Heinz ketchup, and, unique for the era, a Nixon poster asking, "Would you buy a used car from this man?"$LABEL$ 1 +What can be said, really... "The Tenant" is a first-class thriller wrought with equal amounts of suspense and full-blown paranoia. It's an intricately-plotted film--every detail seems included for a reason--even though the plot seldom makes sense, and much of it is never even addressed in an objective manner. Therefore we are left with the increasingly unstable Trelkovsky (Polanski)--a meek Polish man who has obtained an apartment due to the previous tenant's suicide--to guide us through a world of escalating fear and uncertainty. After an apartment-warming party thrown by a group of obnoxious coworkers, Trelkovsky comes under increased, seemingly inexplicable scrutiny by the fellow occupants in his building; the rest of the film chronicles his mental deterioration and gives us a thorough mindfu*k on par with the later efforts of David Lynch. "The Tenant," however, is more brooding and sinister, laced with unexpected comic relief, fine performances, and a truly haunting score. It's a movie that's better experienced than described, so hop to it.$LABEL$ 1 +Is it possible to give a 0 out of 10 rating? Because this one deserves it. While I'm not a big fan of Jane Austen's books, I sat through this one with two women who are. Well, at least we had a big laugh about how bad this film is. Robert Hardy was the only actor with any charisma in the whole thing, though he overdid it as he usually does (nearly as bad as William Shatner). But that wasn't enough to save this stinker from total suckitude. It's often hard to separate the girl's dream sequences from what is "really" happening, and so many holes are left in the story that you can barely figure out what is going on. Too many loose ends and the ending feels like a "tune in again next week" climax. The lead actress is too ditsy and weird-looking to be a heroine, the leading man is too goofy-looking and effeminate to be a convincing hero and the music sounds like some kind of cheap new-agey pet project of the director's hippy daughter (I mean saxophone??? mixed in with some kind of spacey operatic female wailing?). So, in conclusion, I suggest you blow the budget and order a DVD of this one as soon as possible. Especially if you like disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a loose collection of unintelligible analogies and ill conceived plot devices.Movie history: The director of this film was a pervert who drove around town filming random women. When his wife discovered the film reels, he was forced to quickly contrive a story. He claimed he was making a movie called "The brain that wouldn't die." Eventually, his wife demanded that he show her his "so called movie." That night he quickly filmed some extra scenes with a friend and "The Brain that wouldn't Die" was born.I hate this movie! Plot Synopsis: The main character's fiancé is killed in a horrible car accident(that he caused by ignoring the clearly posted road signs). He grabs her head from the wreckage and reanimates it. After reanimating the head, he goes and picks up a bunch of hookers. That is pretty much what happens for the rest of the movie. At the end, he fights and is killed by a monster that lives in the closet. The monster appears with little to no explanation. However, the monster saves a hooker and I assume that they live happily ever after.Side notes: The end credit screen claims that the movie is called "The Head that wouldn't Die".I hate this movie!$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, that was just brilliant. I wish that the rest of Season 1 had been this strong. It really needed more episodes like this. The cast worked perfectly, even though they were all nobodies back in the day. Writing was fantastic and so was the editing. Great job in all accounts. The episode was thrilling, suspenseful and just kept you guessing until the very end. Which is what most MOTW episodes had tried, but failed until now. The first FIVE star episode for me. Really good, almost like a movie. I didn't even remember it being this good. I think it's even better than the great horror movie called 'The Thing'.$LABEL$ 1 +The beginning voice over sounds like 'The Wind' could be quite an intriguing movie, but as the story unfolded I knew it was downhill from there. The major things about this movie that blew were the terribly bad acting jobs all the main characters did, (except for a few scenes involving the inner turmoil of Mic), there was a total lack of character development and absolutely no point to the plot - What were the writers thinking?Michael Mongillo won 2 'horror/sci fi' awards for 'The Wind'. HUH? What was so scary about this movie? NOTHING! Except for the resident evil 2 video shots, the rest was more of a 'made for t.v thriller' - it wouldn't even have to be edited. If you want a far better movie about 'murder among friends' rent "Shallow Grave" instead.'The Wind' */*****$LABEL$ 0 +After the opening credits over a black sheet of paper with spots of white paint sprayed onto it, oh OK I'll be generous and call it a star field, we witness an alien spacecraft crashing into a meteorite and being forced to land on earth. A terrible looking model spacecraft lands on a terrible looking model field. Three nearby campers investigate. From the burning spacecraft a reptile like looking alien, the 'Nightbeast' emerges, OK so I lied it's a guy in a dodgy rubber monster mask and silver spacesuit. The campers are quickly killed by the Nighbeast's laser gun which shoots awful special effects at people. The towns Sheriff Jack Cinder (Tom Griffith) is informed. He alerts his deputy Lisa Kent (Karin Kardian) and gathers a posse of men together to investigate. Meanwhile the Nightbeast has killed an unlucky motorist who stopped on the side of the road for a leak. His two annoying kids run for help. They approach a house, inside two young people are kissing, the girl says "someones running towards the house". The guy gets up to take a look and is attacked and gutted by the Nightbeast, it kills the girl as well. Then it manages to kill the two kids with his laser, maybe the Nightbeast ain't so bad after all. Once the Sheriff and his men arrive at the scene they have a gun/laser battle with the Nightbeast. After possibly the most unexciting gun fight in film history only the Sheriff, his deputy and a local man Jamie Lambert (Jamie Zemarel) survive. But the Nightbeast is still alive, bullets seem to have no effect on it. The next day the Sheriff visits the towns Mayor, Bert Wicker (Richard Dyszel) and his girlfriend Mary Jane (Eleanor Herman) to get permission to evacuate everyone in the town. He refuses saying a party he is holding for the Governor (Richard Ruxton) cannot be cancelled, and that he doesn't want to create a panic situation. The Sheriff evacuates the town anyway. Two doctors, Steven Price (George Stover) and Ruth Sherman (Anne Firth) are attacked by the Nightbeast before they can leave. However, they manage to scare the Nightbeast away and survive. Together with the Sheriff his deputy and Jamie they decide to stay behind and fight the alien. Written and directed by Don Dohler this has to be an amateur film, made with family and friends, look at the credits and see how many Dohler's are involved. For that reason I should probably cut it some slack but that still doesn't stop it, or excuse it from being a throughly awful film in every department. It has no story or purpose, things just happen to waste time, whats with Drago (Don Leifert) strangling his ex girlfriend Suzie (Monica Neff)? This and many more scenes add nothing to the film. The script has no logic either, why does the Nightbeast stick around the town once it's been supposedly evacuated? The special effects are embarrassingly bad, just look at the effect when the Nightbeast shoots someone with his laser, a computer effect an 80's spectrum would be ashamed of. There's not really much blood or gore in it, a ripped open stomach, a severed arm and a decapitation but they all look predictably poor. Credit where it's due, the Nightbeast itself looks alright for the most part. There's a sex scene between the Sheriff and his deputy which has to be seen to be believed, music that even a porno would be embarrassed about and two really ugly naked people make this a difficult sequence to watch. Less than stellar acting, photography, music, lighting and editing make it a real chore to sit through. And the worse thing about this film? It commits the mortal sin of being boring and not fun in the slightest. Sorry Don mate, but don't give up the day job! Definitely one to avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +Whenever this film gets a mention, usually the discussion begins and ends with the wonderful collection of cars and drag scenes, often overlooked are the at times eclectic characters that populate the film around the three central charactersOne character that stands out is Rebel played by the great veteran Australian actor Max Cullen. Rebel is a blind drag racer, who nearly runs down the hero and his group in the middle of the night because he is not using any headlights.In the back story we discover that Rebel master builder of street racing cars, and he and his wife seem locked in a time warp of the 1950's. Rebel goes on to play a small but pivotal role in teaching Mike, played by Terry Serio, the almost spiritual truth about street drag racing. It is not speed, reaction times that make a great racer. It is the one who feels the car best who will become the greatestThis is best exemplified as Rebel explains to Mike after a test drive "You got all the agony, just missing the style"Graham Bond, is another well credited actor lending his talents as a crooked police officer looking to get in on some of the financial action being generated by the street racing. The confrontation between Bond and Fox played by Richard Moir adds tension to the story. Bond not only expects results but also Fox to drum up racing businessFor most of the movie Fox displays a real manipulative and evil side, yet in the climax he presents a sense of honor that turns the final few minutes into an extremely tense and memorable ending. It is almost as if the film is refocusing on its true intention, to show us the culture of street racing rather than the day to day activities of peopleOne of the major complaints about the film is the script. Although it is nothing exciting, I believe the complete lack of any chemistry between Mikes girlfriend played by Deborah Conway and his mechanic played by Vangelis Mourikis has more to do with the problem. Any scene in which these two interact simply should have been cutLastly in terms of the actors, one truly standout performance is delivered by Kristoffer Greaves, who plays a deaf and crippled member of Fox's inner circle. His back story is never explored, was he injured in a race, born that way, what is it that Fox sees value in to keep him around The reality of the film is simple, it is about street racing, and the culture behind it. When the cars are flying and action sequences are in motion it is the only time Director John Clark and his writer Barry Tomblin seem really comfortable with what they are doing.So if you are looking for an in depth exploration of human relationships, moments of life defining drama, then this film is not for you. If your pulse races at the thought of a blown 57 Chev or the iconic GTO Phase 3 blazing away on the streets of Sydney, then you wont find much better than this film$LABEL$ 1 +Dan Duryea, a perfectly decent B-movie actor who made lots of lookalike noirs in the 1940s, can't do much with this one: young man is accused of murdering an unhappily married singer; when he's sentenced to die, his wife decides to solve the case herself with help from the dead woman's husband. After a dazzling opening shot, flick quickly settles into B-movie formula. It certainly looks good, but the twist finish is colorlessly handled and the cast (including Peter Lorre and Broderick Crawford) is just a bit stiff. Based on a Cornell Woolrich novel, and passable for a single viewing. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Only the most ardent DORIS DAY fan could find this one even bearable to watch. When one thinks of the wealth of material available for a story about New York City's most famous blackout, a film that could have dealt with numerous real-life stories of what people had to cope with, this scrapes the bottom of the barrel for lack of story-telling originality.Once again Doris is indignant because she suspects she may have been compromised on the night of the blackout when she returned to her Connecticut lodgings, took a sleeping potion and woke up in the morning with a man who had done the same, wandering into the house by mistake.Nobody is able to salvage this mess--not Doris, not ROBERT MORSE, TERRY-THOMAS, PATRICK O'NEAL or LOLA ALBRIGHT. As directed by Hy Averback, it's the weakest vehicle Day found herself in, committed to do the film because of her husband's machinations and unable to get out of it. Too bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Though this series only ran a season, it has stayed with me for 20 years. It was by far and above my all time favorite cartoon ever. I would give nearly anything to have it on DVD or whatever format I can get. If you find any means of seeing this series I suggest you take full advantage. This series was the first one (in my opinion) that had a truly coherent storyline that spanned across multiple episodes. It also made me truly care about the characters and what happened to them. Heck the character Goose actually scared me sometimes. He was just that odd at the time. Also the leader of the group reminds me a lot of a combination of Clint Eastwood/Tommy Lee Jones. If anyone has any way of contacting the creator/holder of the rights to the series and can get them put out on DVD please by all means do so!!!$LABEL$ 1 +The idea of bringing Dracula to contemporary times isn't bad--after all, it might revive the series a bit by injecting a new story element into a series that Hammer has all but exhausted in a long series of generally excellent movies. However, because the present day turned out to be the crappy early 1970s, the results were pretty silly and looked more like LOVE AT FIRST BITE (a deliberate comedy). Seeing Christopher Lee in a film filled with 70s hip lingo and electric guitar chords and laughable rock music just seemed beyond stupid. To make matters worse, the acting is much more over-the-top here--with an intense and silly performance by "Johnny Alucard". I also thought it was really funny that it took Van Helsing's grandson to notice that "Alucard" is "Dracula" spelled backwards--no one else figured this out for themselves! Wow, what cunning!! So because so much of the movie was bad, why did it still earn an almost respectable score of 4? Well, when the story came to the expected showdown between Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and Drac (Christopher Lee), it was exciting and ended very well. Additionally, and I know this will sound very sexist, but if I had to watch a bad film, at least Stephanie Beacham's character wore some really nice outfits that revealed her ample...."talents", so to speak. So at least it was a pretty film to watch.By the way, the film ends with the phrase "may he rest in FINAL peace" at the end, though this was not the final Hammer Dracula film with Lee. He returned for "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" just a short time later and it was in many ways even worse than this dud of a monster film.$LABEL$ 0 +The first time I came upon Delirious, I only heard it. I listened to the entire comedic performance and never have I laughed so much in my life. Eddie's ability to paint hilarious pictures in our minds and do great imitation is captivating. When I finally got to see him perform this act, I had to have it. Eddie Murphy's performance on Delirious shows his genius! With it being the new millennium, his acts in 1983 is just as funny today as it was then. My parents loved it as teenagers and I (age eighteen) love it as well. From that point on, I had to view Murphy's other movies such as Coming To America and Harlem Nights. There will be no other comedian like Eddie.$LABEL$ 1 +Hayao Miyazaki's latest and eighth film for Studio Ghibili, "Gake No Ue No Ponyo" (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is a wonderfully fun and imaginative look at childhood. At a time when it seems that film animation has been dominated by Disney/Pixar's CGI masterpieces, it is both refreshing and comforting to know that Miyazaki is still relying on traditional hand-drawn animation to tell his charming and enchanting stories. The story revolves around the friendship between a magical sea sprite/goldfish and the human child that she encounters during a curious outing to see the human world. The human child, Sosuke (Doi Hiroki) lives in a small house on a cliff overlooking a small port city in Southern Japan (based on Seto Island) where he lives with his young mom, Lisa (Yamaguchi Tomoko). Sosuke names the strange goldfish "Ponyo" and takes it to the daycare/nursing center that Lisa works at. Ponyo is definitely not your typical goldfish and soon begins to adapt and take on human aspects (she develops human speech and an appetite for ham meat) by sampling some blood from a cut on Sosuke's finger. Yet just as Sosuke and Ponyo begin to develop a bond, Ponyo is taken back by her father, Fujimoto (Tokoro Joji) who is a former human who has rejected the surface world and is now attempting to collect and develop magical elixirs taken from the sea that aid him in repairing and rejuvenating the world's oceans.Ponyo's desire to become human has become so strong however that Fujimoto is unable to contain her anymore and she takes on a more human appearance and breaks free from her water world home and goes back to see Sosuke. During her breakout, Ponyo unintentionally releases Fujimoto's cache of magical elixirs which unleashes all sorts of magical sea creatures that causes a violent storm in the seas surrounding Sosuke's town. Desperate to resolve Ponyo's rebellion, he soon calls upon the help of his beautiful wife, Ponyo's mother - the water elemental, Mother/Lady of the Sea (Amami Yuki). As with his past films, Miyazaki's "Gake No Ue No Ponyo" touches upon various themes of ecology and environmentalism, this time focusing on the health and vitality of the world's oceans. The opening sequence is at times sobering when Ponyo encounters a drudging vessel which is scraping the ocean's floor, uncovering mountains of garbage and debris. One can understand the anger and frustration of the character of Fujimoto who has spent his lifetime trying to repair the damage civilization is doing to its oceans, yet finding it an daunting and almost fruitless endeavor.Enough can not be said of the remarkable animation in this film. It is at times bizarre and outrageous but at the same time charming and curious. Clearly Miyazaki wanted to capture the sense and style of a child's imagination. The art style has the appearance of crayon/pencil drawings and is wonderfully colorful and fanciful. It is almost like a child's color book come to life.Child actors Nara Yuria and Doi Hiroki do great work as Ponyo and Sosuke. They bring adorable charm to their roles. Nara Yuria in particular sounds so darn cute as Ponyo that it is little wonder that Doi's Sosuke falls for the magical girl. Former campaign girl/model and actress Yamaguchi Tomoko (Shichinin No Otaku, Swallowtail) is also very good in her role as Sosuke's modern mom, Lisa. I was a bit confused at first by her character as I initially thought she was Sosuke's older sister. It also didn't help that Sosuke kept referring to her as "Lisa" rather than Mom but I guess it is perhaps a sign of the times and an indicator of the modern Japanese family (in the anime series Crayon Shinchan, Shinnosuke also refers to his mom by first name as well).80s comedian Tokoro Joji sounds totally different as the serious Fujimoto but wisely doesn't make his character sound cartoony villainous or goofy menacing. While we don't get to know his character more, former pro-baseball player and actor Nagashima Kazushige ( who portrays Sosuke's father Koichi) also delivers some nice voice work. The opening theme "Umi No Okasan" by Japanese soprano Masako Hayashi is simply beautiful and stirring. In contrast the Fujimaki Fujioka and Nozomi Ohashi "Geke No Ue No Ponyo" theme is light and amusing and evokes images of a traditional Japanese nursery rhyme. During one brilliant sequence the soundtrack takes on an almost Wagnerian operatic sound with music that sounds like "Die Walküre".The film is not perfect however and does suffer from moments where the central story of Ponyo and Sosuke takes a back seat to some of Miyazaki's overwhelming fantastical visuals. I also had wished we had more time to explore Fujimoto's back-story as well as the relationship between Sosuke and his father.Like "Kiki's Delivery Service/Majo No Takkyubin", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Princess Momonoke/Momonoke Hime" and "My Neighbor Totoro/Tonari No Totoro", "Gake No Ue No Ponyo" is another Miyazaki classic that is a marvelous feast for the eyes. Like a modern day fairytale, the film tells a timeless story of friendship and love that will surely be cherished in years to come.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the most boring slashers ever.. If you can even call it that. I wouldn't watch this if it even ended up being some kind of porno movie, which it completely resembles. The fact that you're watching a small group of middle-aged people in the woods is really unbearable. They made these kinds of movies for teens, so who were they really aiming for when they made this sleep-fest? My favorite part of this movie is the cover art and it's the only reason I chose to seek out this movie, which happened to be part of a Suspense Classics 50 Movie Pack.. and after seeing the other movies in this 50 pack, you'll realize that it belongs nowhere else. So if you're in the mood for a decent slasher in the woods, I recommend Just Before Dawn and The Final Terror.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the worst piece of crap I have seen recently. There is nothing good about this movie. The plot is plain stupid, dialogs don't make any sense, humorous scenes never heard anything about the real humor. Actors just don't play, the worse they don't even try. The script itself is somewhat which is in the same league with Ed Wood and Uwe Boll. There is only one good thing in this flick, the fights. They are well choreographed as one would expect of the Hong Kong guys, and are the only reason to watch Prince of the Sun. Although I believe the fights are just supposed to fill the empty space so that the screenwriter didn't have to bother thinking about the storyline. However, this weak and absurd plot may prevent you from watching it to the end. Avoid it unless you are fan of the dragon lady Cynthia Rothrock.$LABEL$ 0 +Ah, I loved this movie. I think it had it all. It made me laugh out loud over a dozen of times. Yes, I am a girl, so I'm writing this from a girl's perspective. I think it's a shame it only scored 5.2 in rating. Too many guys voting? It was far above other romantic comedies. Just because I'm female I don't enjoy all chic flicks, on the contrary I prefer other genres. Romantic comedies tend to be shallow and not as funny as they meant to be. But like I said, this movie had it all, almost, in my opinion. Great script, good one-liners, fine acting. Although Eva Longoria Parker's character reminded very much of Gabrielle from Desperate Housewives, but so what? It was awesome. I will keep this film for rainy days, days when I feel low and need a few laughs.$LABEL$ 1 +For a scientifically-engineered super-dog that was supposed to be the answer to petit crime, CHOMPS was a chump.All I ever saw Chomps do was sit, or walk, or run. Or run, then walk, then sit... and then get back up again and stretch, and then walk, and then jog to K-Tel dance hits. And sometimes it had all the answers to the daily Jumbo. But mostly it just sat a lot.All I am saying is: In a Celebrity Death Match, Chomps couldn't take out Mr. Bigglesworth.$LABEL$ 0 +this is a teen movie and while u watch it expect some nonsensical stuff added here and there but overall the movie is effective very effective it makes you question and leaves you thinking the story is kinda far fetched but is believable and makes you feel good in sequences, its not like its the usual done and tried path. the characters are pretty well defined and are convincing. Justin long stands out among all the others and watch out for his speech in the end he will convince anyone with that speech he is simply brilliant in that speech. he needs to take on some more serious roles, he is worth more than just teen movies. etch this movie and get liberated$LABEL$ 1 +If you are a Pauly Shore fan, you will laugh your butt off. If not, this is a silly mess wasting some very good talent. A cute coed(Carla Gugino)from South Dakota invites her California college dorm counselor(Shore) home to share Thanksgiving. Notable cast members: Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett, Mason Adams and the drop dead gorgeous Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. Watch where you step.$LABEL$ 0 +Not only is The Great Rock N Roll Swindle thoroughly inaccurate, but when it comes down to it, not much about it is interesting or even entertaining. Malcolm McLaren apparently squandered the majority of the Sex Pistols earnings on this waste of film, which makes it that much more obnoxious. The intention, from the beginning, was to create a monument to the "genius" of McLaren, who to this day takes full credit for creating punk music, creating the Sex Pistols, and at times even writing all the songs. Viewers follow McLaren to various settings, where he tells his story to his sidekick, a female dwarf, and simply takes credit for one thing after another. One particularly irritating scene has McLaren in an abandoned airplane hangar, waiting for a plane, being hounded by reporters and giving them their "big story". The most entertaining elements of the film are the animated short pieces, however, even these reek of McLaren's overbearing self-importance.Even as a farce, this film doesn't work. Little about it is entertaining, except for Steve Jones, who is surprisingly decent as a pseudo-detective type person. 20 years later, Julien Temple, who wrote and directed this film, also directed the Sex Pistols documentary "The Filth and the Fury". While that movie is much better and more interesting than "Swindle", it still is full of Temple's "artistic flourishes" that just don't work, like interviewing band members in shadow, as if they are some kind of crime witness trying to hide their identity. An interesting bit of trivia: Film critic Roger Ebert was one of the original scriptwriters for the movie "Who Killed Bambi?", which eventually became "Swindle".$LABEL$ 0 +It was 1983 and I was 13. I watched Valley Girl on HBO one night when my parents were working. After it ended I wanted to talk with someone about it immediately. Turns out my best friend watched it too and it became our favorite movie. Every weekend after that we watched it until we could recite it. We woke her parents up late at night laughing hysterically. We began to worship the main character, Julie, played by the beautiful Deborah Foreman. I am not saying this is a great classic. Although it is for me personally. And I understand that the whole Valley Girl talk becomes annoying but that was the 80's. But deep down at the heart of the movie-it is a love story, and a familiar but good one. Girl meets boy and there are sparks from both sides, an instant connection. Julie's friends don't like him-he doesn't fit in, doesn't go to their school, doesn't have money. They like her better with her ex-boyfriend the football player even though he is a jerk. She makes the ultimate sacrifice-her own happiness for her friends' happiness. And she has these really cool supportive hippie parents. It is one of Nicholas Cage's first movies and his first starring role. One minute he is absolutely hilarious and the next incredibly touching and romantic. His friend Fred is pretty funny too. If you were a teenager in the 80's you will love this movie or at the very least it will bring back memories. It is no longer my favorite movie but it is still one of my favorites, probably in my top 10. I am eagerly awaiting it's release on DVD if they ever release it. You can go to Deborah Foreman's website to sign a petition to get it released on DVD and there are 2 soundtracks from the movie that are must haves if you like 80's music.$LABEL$ 1 +I usually love teen/high school genre flicks, but this film was really lacking in originality. The only premise this film has is four friends cheating their way through high school and the strain it puts on their friendship. There's just not enough depth in the story or the characters to keep the viewers attention for the full length of the film. The acting isn't all that bad although the actors don't really have much to work with as the dialog is tripe and cliché'... After watching this movie, one must wonder how on earth a producer could come across a project like this and think, "I MUST make this film." No wonder it couldn't get a theatrical release. Andrew Gurland is a hack, avoid or burn.$LABEL$ 0 +I would have enjoyed this movie slightly more had not been for Jason (Herb) Evers constant harping on experiment. Many early reviewers of The Seven Samurai accused Toshiro Mifune of overacting. Yet, as more and more critics viewed that film they saw it as being purposefully done. Jason Evers is obviously not Toshiro Mifune, and his overacting is exactly that.Most of the actors in this B classic were rather good actors, minus Evers and the showgirls. If you watch this movie, you would have noticed Evers shouting almost every line, that is until he is smoking and blowing the smoke coolly out his nose. The special effects were par for the course in a B movie such as this one. In hindsight, there isn't much that stands out in my mind as fantastically good or bad for this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Such a delightful movie! Very heart warming. One can't help falling in love with the character of Gigi. He's adorable as a child and grows into a sensitive artist. The whole movie revolves around him. He lives in a wonderful world – living all life – curiosity, desire and anticipation. There is an elder brother who tries to steal his glory but really remains in the shadow all his life. The father is very stereotypically Italian and so is the mother. I wanted the father to come and reunite with the mother in the last scene – and have them cry and laugh. I also wish that there was at least something redeeming about the elder brother. His personality seems to have been trashed entirely. Passion and ardour – that's the key to life. And looking through the camera – focusing on small details and savoring the delicate details of life.$LABEL$ 1 +While I agree that this was the most horrendous movie ever made, I am proud to say I own a copy simply because myself and a bunch of my friends were extras (mostly in the dance club scenes, but a few others as well. This movie had potential with Bolo and the director of Enter the Dragon signed on, but as someone who was on set most every day I can tell you that Robert Clouse was an old and confused individual, at least during the making of this movie. It was a wonder he could find his way to the set everyday. I would also like to think that this might have been a better movie if a lot of it had not been destroyed in a fire at Morning Calm studios. I can't say that it would have been for sure, but it would be nice to think so. I was actually surprised that it was ever released, and that someone like Bolo would attach his name to it without a fight. Oh well. Also look at the extras for pro wrestler Scott Levy, AKA Raven. He was a wrestler in Portland at the time...nice guy, very smart.$LABEL$ 0 +Highly enjoyable, very imaginative, and filmic fairytale all rolled into one, Stardust tells the story of a young man living outside a fantasy world going inside it to retrieve a bit of a fallen star only to find the star is alive, young, and beautiful. A kingdom whose king is about to die has said king unleash a competition on his several sons to see who can retrieve a ruby first to be king whilst a trio of witches want the star to carve up and use to keep them young. These three plot threads weave intricately together throughout the entire picture blended with good acting, dazzling special effects, and some solid sentiment and humour as well. Stardust is a fun film and has some fun performances from the likes of Claire Danes as the star(I could gaze at her for quite some time) to Michelle Pfeiffer(I could gaze at her at full magical powers even longer) playing the horrible witch to Robert Deniro playing a nancy-boy air pirate to perfection. Charlie Cox as the lead Tristan is affable and credible and we get some very good work from a group of guys playing the sons out to be king who are constantly and consistently trying to kill off each other. Mark Strong, Jason Flemyng, and Ruppert Everett plays their roles well in both life and death(loved this whole thread as well). Peter O'Toole plays the dying killer daddy and watch for funny man Ricky Gervais who made me laugh more than anything in the entire film in his brief five minutes(nice feet). But the real power in the film is the novel by Neil Gaiman and the script made from his creative and fertile mind. Stardust creates its own mythology and its own world and it works.$LABEL$ 1 +Although George C. Scott is the only actor in this version of ACC without a British accent, he more than makes up for it with his over-the-top and larger-than-life interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge.Particularly effective is when he confronts Bob Cratchit in his office at the movie's end. As Scott stands before a large window, sunlight casts a glowing mantle over him; all you can see is his silhouette. Augmented by Scott's voice, a ponderous growl, the effect is galvanizing...much like Marlon Brando's first scene in APOCALYPSE NOW. "The Horror," indeed! However, as they say, the very thing that works for you can also work against you. Because Scott displays such gleeful ferocity throughout the movie, it proves infectious. To put it another way, the "before" Scrooge is almost as charismatic as the "after," even though he really shouldn't be. It's what you might call the "Doctor Smith" effect, since Jonathan Harris used a very similar approach when playing that role and numerous other heavies (stage and screen alike).Actually, I myself don't consider Scott's glib rage a liability. But other "Christmas Carol" purists might. See the film and judge for yourselves.$LABEL$ 1 +There's really not a whole lot to say about this. It's just really, really bad. The acting is bad, the script is bad, and the editing is probably one of the worst jobs ever. It's so sloppy and choppy that it serves only to confuse the audience. There's no real to plot to speak of, mostly it's a really fake looking monster fish attacking Europeans trying to pass themselves off as Americans. Pass on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST is a perfect movie. A flawless movie about all the flaws of humanity. On the outside it may look like a movie about death, but is in fact a movie about life. I simply cannot recommend this movie enough. And be not afraid, dear readers, it is not a depressing film. As stated, it's a movie about the brightness of life coached under the guise of death. You will laugh. You will cry. You will realize that life is fragile and short. And you will leave the viewing with a better understanding of how precious life is.10 out of 10(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie and reviews of other foreign films)$LABEL$ 1 +This was a wonderful film. How these women tried to save their husbands. I thought that the performances of the actors were great. I had to think about the film for a very long time. I think that every student should see this film so that they can think about war, relationships, friendship and love. I liked the film because it told and showed me how strong love can be. I wish I could be so strong as a woman. I really liked it because it told me something about relationships and that is what I like to see in a movie. I think you can compare the film with Der Untergang, The pianist. If you put these three films together, you have a great sight of what happened during the war. We should remember something like the war forever.$LABEL$ 1 +I felt that the movie Skammen, directed by Ingmar Bergman, was very dry. It shows the things people will do to survive during a war and the shame that comes out of these actions; however I feel that it was not complete or attention holding. He never fully got into the plot or deep into the character emotions or reasons behind their actions. The only thing that I found rather attention holding in the movie was the transformation of the two main characters, Jan and Eva. Many times during the movie was just the two main characters sitting around or doing their daily chores and not even having a conversation. I understand this was to show the reality of these people however I feel there are other ways to show reality and have it be entertaining. I think that Ingmar Bergman could have filmed this movie in a more riveting way.$LABEL$ 0 +In my opinion the directing, editing, lighting, and acting(minus Franco) were very good. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with this film. I wasn't expecting much, in way of camera angles, sound, etc, but in these areas the film wasn't bad at all.After seeing the film, I personally felt frustrated with both characters because I wanted so badly for these two characters to reach out to one another. And I felt like the Travis(Franco) character wasn't really affected or changed in the end after Terri commits suicide. Although, this is probably due to the lack or inability of James Franco to express emotion(of any kind) very well in this movie. I've seen a few of Franco's other films, and to me he just can't pull it off when a scene calls for real emotion or facial expressions. The only positive he brings to the film, is the possibility of more people watching this movie.On the other hand, Rachel Miner's portrayal of Terri was well done, and she looks to have a bright future ahead. I could really see and feel the sadness and emptiness in her character, and it made me feel for her. I only wish I could have seen more into Terri's life before the film ended.For a short film, this movie was good, but it leaves you wanting more in the end. I only wish it could have been just a bit longer, to see the characters develop a little more. In spite of that, I hope to see more films from the director and crew in the future.:)$LABEL$ 1 +Oh my god, it just doesn't get any worse than this!!! I always love silly little sci-fi B-movies that are so stupid they are funny and I thought that this would be one of those, but this was just so stupid I found it absolutely deplorable that it was allowed to be released. What were these people thinking? They are obviously not real filmmakers and I really hope that they have gone back to their day jobs after realizing that this is the best they could do! The acting and the not-so special effects were nowhere near the standard of even the lowest budget B-movies. And what is with the men dressed up as women, could they not find any women that wanted to appear in this crappy thing. No, probably not.I would give this a "0" if possible, it does not even deserve a "1" for awful. Do not waste your time (and especially not your money) on this horrible loser of a non-film!$LABEL$ 0 +Before watching this movie from beginning to end, I happened to just catch the last half hour. Ordinarily I don't watch a movie if I haven't seen it from the beginning, but a friend had it on and once I started watching it I couldn't stop.I'm really surprised this movie didn't get a wide theatrical release. This is quite a funny movie (often gallows humor) , and the monster and monster truck in it are quite menacing. The monster makes Leatherface look pretty, and the monster truck is a like a cross between a World War I German artillery vehicle and a giant coffin.A timid twenty-five year-old virgin guy is on a long drive to stop the woman he loves from getting married. His ex-best friend tags along and rags on him constantly. They're menaced on the road by a vintage black hearse and the aforementioned monster truck. They also pick up a hitchhiker, played by the very sexy Aimee Brooks.I also watched the animated trailer with the director's commentary, and the electronic press kit and I found those both to be interesting. I would bet that the feature commentary with the director and the two male stars is pretty enjoyable too, but I have so many other movies to watch I've never seen before....$LABEL$ 1 +How did so many talented or at least charismatic actors wind up in this baloney? Nothing is very good about this movie but the worst things probably are the screenplay and the directing.Apparently this is director Damian Niemans heart-piece as he's both written and directed it (and acted in as well). He's a card magician himself and seems to have named characters in homage of other famous magicians. This was his first feature film as far as I know, and chances are it's his last.It's hard to point to exactly what makes it so poor – but I'd say the story and character's are not believable (the screenplay) and the directing doesn't give it any boost (the director). Plus – the poker scenes are bad in the worst Hollywood manner (super-hands, Hollywood rules)! The supposed twists in the movie are either totally predictable or totally unbelievable. They just end up tying a knot to a story that at best can be described as "a few decent scenes"!$LABEL$ 0 +This is without a doubt the worst movie I have ever seen. I say this without hyperbole, and believe me, I've seen a lot of bad movies. It's embarrassing and annoying that millions of dollars went into this film and that hundreds (thousands?) of craftspeople spent so much time working on what the writers and producers MUST have known would be a colossal failure.When a 90 minute film feels this long, drawn out, boring, and incomprehensible, you know that something went wrong somewhere. Also, Jamie Kennedy (whose work I've enjoyed elsewhere) is simply terrible in this role; he was obviously never given a screen test, because no producer in their right mind would consider him entertaining in any way, especially in the guise of The Mask. Simply awful.Personally, I can't wait to see the reviews by the major film critics, because I know they're do a better job than me at tearing this train wreck to shreds.The producers of this film should be embarrassed, and more importantly, NEVER be allowed to make theatrical films again.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a Christian... and I feel this movie is awful.Nobody but hard-core, Bible-belt Christians are going to like this movie. The message is just too in your face. If you want to touch a wider audience, you have to be way more subtle. You can't have the dad waving the bible around and carrying it with him in EVERY scene. RIDICULOUS! Poor direction. The reveal of people missing should have been terrifying, but it was laughable. They leave their clothes on the ground? It reminded me of old Ed Wood movies: "Oh my God! People are missing!" That scene in the plane is just stupid. Think about it: if you found your relative's clothes next to you, you wouldn't just scream "oh my god. they disappeared! they're missing!" and start crying and yelling. You would first be in denial... you just wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Watch Jodie Foster in FLIGHTPLAN. My favorite shot is the dog sitting out on the lawn with a pile of clothes and boots sitting next to him. I about fell off the couch I was laughing so hard.The music was so bad and so distracting. It was as if the composer was in his own world scoring his own movies. "here's my chance to do a thriller", "here's my chance to do action!" STOP TELLING ME HOW TO FEEL JAMES COVELL! A good score supports what's happening on the screen... this movie needed more of an UNDER score, but instead it was as much in your face as the message was.The writing was bland. So was Captain Christian Kirk Cameron. Chelsea was the worse: "you don't understand! People are missing!". Brad Johnson was laughable. The two stand out performances came from the Anti-Christ and the older guy (sorry, can't remember their names) In watching the "making of" (to answer my question of "what were they thinking???"), the producers and filmmakers and actors are just deluding themselves... saying "we're gonna reach wide audiences" and "brad Johnson is amazing" and "this is just like a Hollywood movie". I came to the conclusion that they just don't know what the "heck" they are doing.I commend the effort. Getting the message to a wide audience is a fantastic idea. Film is the best medium possible to do that. Look at movies like WIDE AWAKE, SIGNS, CONTACT, PASSION OF Christ, even O'BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? The bottom line is that the film needed to be made by people who have talent and vision. Unfortunately, it was not.$LABEL$ 0 +For all the viewers who have seen 'The Cure' would agree with me on this comment that it is a superb movie and is very heartwarming. Joseph Mazzello and Brad Renfro prove their star quality in this movie, along with Dexter's (Mazzello) mother Annabella Sciorra.When i first watched The Cure on TV, i didn't know what to expect, but as i watched this masterpiece it soon became clear what it was about. Dexter an 11 year old boy who is plagued with AIDS, sits around his backyard playing with his toys when one day he meets his next door neighbour Eric, which at first is a little awkward for the 2 boys, but they soon became good friends.During the film, i kept wondering what would happen to the two boys, as they kept me wondering. I wondered how the heck they would get to New Orleans sitting a door with a sea biscuit under it pulling an inflatable crocodile behind it. There were other great scenes throughout the movie.But the part that reached out to me was the part when Dexter's health started to deteriorate. You just couldn't help but wonder if he was going to make it but towards the end you find out. I thought at the first prank they played, that Dexter was really dead he obviously wasn't, silly me. But when they play the third, something is very wrong. Dexter doesn't get up to laugh nor does he show any kind of laughter. At that point the victim of their prank soon announces that poor Dexter had died. At that part i lost it. I balled my eyes out, and from that scene onwards i was crying. You just have to. As the end nears you start to understand Eric's loss and then the movie ends on a nice note with Dexters shoe floating ever so slowly down the river.Overall this movie was excellent. It has laughter, adventure, emotion and sadness etc. When you put that in a blender you get an excellent, must watch film. Peter Horton has done a great job directing this film and i believe its certainly one of his best. But for now, i will try to search for this movie on DVD, if it exists that is. Once again a superb movie that will take you on an emotional rollercaoster.$LABEL$ 1 +If you were to judge based on the movie alone, the committee that gave the stage musical "A Chorus Line" a Pulitzer Prize, and Broadway audiences that kept the war horse running for 15 years, were all on heavy narcotics, because one singular sensation this film certainly is NOT.What possessed anyone to think that Richard Attenborough was the right fit for this material utterly mystifies me, but he makes a musical that is almost entirely about movement just sit on the screen like a lump of clay.Not content with the original score the way it was originally written, someone decided that what the film really needed was a brand new song to give the movie some zip. Thus we are assaulted with the Oscar-nominated(!) "Surprise, Surprise." Well surprise, surprise, the song stinks, and so does the movie.Grade: D$LABEL$ 0 +The film starts with a manager (Nicholas Bell) giving welcome investors (Robert Carradine) to Primal Park . A secret project mutating a primal animal using fossilized DNA, like ¨Jurassik Park¨, and some scientists resurrect one of nature's most fearsome predators, the Sabretooth tiger or Smilodon . Scientific ambition turns deadly, however, and when the high voltage fence is opened the creature escape and begins savagely stalking its prey - the human visitors , tourists and scientific.Meanwhile some youngsters enter in the restricted area of the security center and are attacked by a pack of large pre-historical animals which are deadlier and bigger . In addition , a security agent (Stacy Haiduk) and her mate (Brian Wimmer) fight hardly against the carnivorous Smilodons. The Sabretooths, themselves , of course, are the real star stars and they are astounding terrifyingly though not convincing. The giant animals savagely are stalking its prey and the group run afoul and fight against one nature's most fearsome predators. Furthermore a third Sabretooth more dangerous and slow stalks its victims.The movie delivers the goods with lots of blood and gore as beheading, hair-raising chills,full of scares when the Sabretooths appear with mediocre special effects.The story provides exciting and stirring entertainment but it results to be quite boring .The giant animals are majority made by computer generator and seem totally lousy .Middling performances though the players reacting appropriately to becoming food.Actors give vigorously physical performances dodging the beasts ,running,bound and leaps or dangling over walls . And it packs a ridiculous final deadly scene. No for small kids by realistic,gory and violent attack scenes . Other films about Sabretooths or Smilodon are the following : ¨Sabretooth(2002)¨by James R Hickox with Vanessa Angel, David Keith and John Rhys Davies and the much better ¨10.000 BC(2006)¨ by Roland Emmerich with with Steven Strait, Cliff Curtis and Camilla Belle. This motion picture filled with bloody moments is badly directed by George Miller and with no originality because takes too many elements from previous films. Miller is an Australian director usually working for television (Tidal wave, Journey to the center of the earth, and many others) and occasionally for cinema ( The man from Snowy river, Zeus and Roxanne,Robinson Crusoe ). Rating : Below average, bottom of barrel.$LABEL$ 0 +PROBLEM CHILD is one of the worst movies I have seen in the last decade! This is a bad movie about a savage boy adopted by two parents, but he gets into trouble later. That Junior can drive Grandpa's car. He can scare people with a bear. He can put a room on fire! It is a bad movie as much as BATTLEFIELD EARTH. A sequel is an even worse fate. Rent CHICKEN RUN instead.*1/2 out of **** I give it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably one of those films too many commented but undiscovered... This is probably one masterpiece of Spanish cinema like some Buñuel's masters-piece. "15 days with you" could be the better "now and them" re-visitation from others films of long-time ago: could be "Midnight cowboy" but could be also "Les amants du Pont-Neuf" or a realistic and non-spot-look (but most realistic) "trainspotting". This hard story has place to humour, love and obviously dramatic sense. In the new social Spanish cinema this little diamond could be the resurrection of the Italian neo realism mixed whit the best Ken Loach films.Probably the better film I discover in the last 10 years.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is based on the true story of Iowa housewife Lucille Fray, who got breast cancer after the birth of her 10th child. Realizing that the state would take the children away from her ineffectual, alcoholic husband, she devoted the last year of her life traveling around the state to find new homes for each of the children. A terrific script - which still holds up 20 years after it was first made. The grown children, many of whom had not seen each other since their mother died in the late 50's, were reunited on "That's Incredible," prior to the film's airing in 1983. Barbara Stanwyck won the Emmy for best actress in a TV movie or mini-series, but during her acceptance speech, she went out of her way to single Ann-Margret out for her moving performance.$LABEL$ 1 +I classify this as the worst movie of all time.If there ever was a movie I would wish upon my enemies, this would be it. The plot is ridiculous, there are only 2 characters, and the coincidences between these characters just completely strain belief.These factors combined to make this an extremely boring movie.My wife and mother walked out on the movie about 15 minutes in. I figured that a movie this boring and slow *must* have some cool interesting plot twist, and a was quite disappointed when nothing exciting materialized.I briefly considered sending the filmmakers a bill for my 2 hours of lost life.$LABEL$ 0 +If not the best movie ever made, "Babette's Feast" is certainly among the most loving. This is a wonderful exploration of the meaning of artistry, generosity, loyalty, and grace. Humor is mixed with tender longing; characters are treated with searching honesty but also deep respect. There are meditations here on memory, fate, old age and faithfulness. Marvellous camera work by cinematographer Henning Kristiansen: seldom have wrinkled faces looked so luminous in the candle-light. The meal is accompanied by delicious period music, Brahms, Mozart and simple folk hymns. Enjoy this feast for the eyes and the spirit, for as the General says: "Mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another."$LABEL$ 1 +This film Evil Breed: The legend of samhain contains very little thought or effort. It is ridiculed with specs of ultra fast "slasher" style death and plain disgusting acts of death. The acting was rated a D as the actors show very little ability, and the stupidity of them in the film is too questionable. The way they portrayed what people their ages act like was incredibly different. The odd split of porn is fit in thought it really doesn't offer much, and any area that is respectable but is quite quickly run down with absolute gut wrenching death. Example is the poor fellow whom is disemboweled from his anus, and the scene lasts for about 5 minutes. It is terribly obvious of how little of a fight the kids put up. This film is a good choice for someone who likes to watch some awful deaths and practically torture.$LABEL$ 1 +This obscure de Sica delivers the goods. And it is said "the meek shall inherit the earth." This tale of classes on the surface but really an allegory for all the homeless people that populated Europe after the great war. They are homeless but cheerful, in a societies too impoverished and selfish to care for or acknowledge them, footmats for the Italian carpetbaggers. de Sica chooses to tell it as a fairy tale, a Cinderella story. I have not read the book it is based on so I cannot foresay if the deus ex machina is the construct of the writer or Vittorio. It begins with the words, "Once upon a time..." to exemplify the timelessness of its tale, for the story could be set anywhere and everywhere. Caricature sketches of the aristocracy that cut to the bone, whimsical nature of the homeless especially when they begin to grant their wishes and an ending right out of a Spielberg picture makes this boulange a delight for all. De Sica's most accessible picture is also one of his best. Abandoning neo-realism, he always dallied between that and pure good old film-making, he creates a movie that breaks the heart and at the same time fills it with the yearning of hope that one needs to continue leaving in this world. Gracias Vittorio! Gracias! Gracias!!! Gracias!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I get the feeling that the producers of this mess were out to make the most painful, ridiculous Western ever made. "PAINFUL" is the best word I can think of to describe it.On the plus side you have nice color photography and beautiful and well-spoken Rhonda Fleming. My sympathy goes to Jacques Aubuchon (who played the cripple), who acted well enough in an annoying role, written so atrociously that no actor could give an enjoyable performance. The production values were quite good, which only served to highlight the terrible story and screenplay.Things I hated: Stewart Granger looked so little like a western figure, what with his British accent, neat tailored outfit, and silly immaculate always-white kerchief tied around his neck. It got tiresome the way the townspeople and his son were constantly haranguing and insulting Granger, and he never spoke up or replied back. I know we are supposed to suspend disbelief and appreciate Westerns as symbolic morality plays, but this one broke the spell with it laughably unrealistic and predictable scenes, the worst being at the end where Granger miraculously, speedily and single-handedly plants dynamite around a canyon pass that the bad guy's cattle will pass through, and then Granger plants himself in the perfect spot so he can shoot the dynamite from a very far distance to create rock slides to bury and spook the cattle and bad guys, seemingly destroying them all, save the two main bad guys. Next worst is everything about the plot, which is loaded with soap opera scenes. Nothing in the movie seemed believable: I couldn't believe what all the conflict was about. The bad guy was driving his herd through to market and wanted the cows to chew some grass along the way; I don't see why something couldn't have been worked out. You need a land ownership dispute for that? Don't bother to see it.$LABEL$ 0 +Just do a little research on the making of this film. Something so simple as a Google search. It was funded by the US Army and promoted just in time for the elections. It is a great idea, but I'd much rather see a DOCUMENTARY, not something edited by the Bush Administration and told its reality. The timing of the movie's release, its tone, and the fact that MS&L promoted it, raised questions about the intent of the movie. "According to MS&L Managing Director Joe Gleason, he and his colleagues also deliver key targeted messages about the war in Iraq to specific constituencies," wrote Eartha Melzer. "Was the left-leaning art house crowd one of those constituencies? Is the government hiring documentary filmmakers to propagandize the U.S. population? Nobody involved with the film is willing to say who initially put up the money for the film or how they ended up represented by the Army's PR firm."$LABEL$ 0 +As one other IMDb reviewer puts it, "...imagine 2001: A Space Odyssey in the desert" and you wouldn't be far off from a brief summarisation of what to expect from this piece of cinema (I deeply hesitate to use the word "film"). A lecture on philosophical views on creationism, the mythos surrounding humanities existence, the before and after, that was has been, the what is and the what will be. This for some maybe a "2001" on sand, but they tackle different philosophical viewpoints, one about evolution and the future, the hope and potential for mankind, while Fata Morgana itself is a somewhat more metaphysical trek. I only hope I can convey it effectively enough.Herzogs style will not to be everyones liking, and those who are not of a perceived hardcore branch of cinematic viewing may, and most likely will, find this extremely hard going, and may not even see it through to its finale after 72 minutes. Fusing together a montage of footage from the Sahara, including villages, villagers and various other places for a somewhat surrealist ending, music of various genres and an almost mythical narration, Fata Morgana is severely slow paced but ultimately hugely rewarding. Opening with a montage of various filmed shots of planes landing for nigh on five minutes, you already arrival at the introduction of the film immensely confused, and the sense that this will not be like anything you have seen before echoes clear in your mind. Divided into three sections, creation, paradise and the golden age, Fata Morgana attempts, and succeeds, in being able to juxtapose images of the natural beauty of the desert with the man made instruments that taint it. Its three segments are narrated by different persons each pertaining specifically to the particular section they are voicing and provide extra emphasis on the long soliloquy's and desert montages.Fata Morgana is a film dealing with the existence of man on our Earth. It looks at the natural beauty the Earth was designed for, and concurrently looking at the potential beauty we have within us, more notably shows us our negative contributions to the world in which we live. Each shot has been purposefully constructed, using what can only be described within the context of this film as 'The Holy Trinity Of Filming' in pictures, words and music. Each part of these three pieces provides something notably to each shot, but when brought together they create something greater than the whole of their parts, they create unbridled beauty and deep thought within our minds. I will not be able to do this film the justice it deserves with mere words alone, perhaps if I had pictures and a score, and I do know this will not be appreciated by the masses, but this a profound and I will not use the term "art film" because this is simply just art. This is moving art which moves the mind and stirs the soul. Whether or not creationism is your want is irrelevant, because this film is about intelligent design.$LABEL$ 1 +Back in the cold and creepy early 90's,a show called "Family Matters" aired and became an instant classic.The trick was to buy a manual in standard family situations and their solutions and insert some attempts to sarcastic remarks in it and you had yourself a lovely little stealing-is-wrong,parents-are-right-show. So that worked out fine, so Bickley-Warren had a new ambitious plan: making the exact same show again.Here's the difference though: "Family Matters" had Urkel. "Step By Step" has the guy from those "Kickboxer"-sequels nobody saw. He says things like "dudette" and "the Dane-meister", and somehow the audience is still not supposed to hate him. I mean seriously, "dudette"? How can you even get that across your lips?The rest of the people were mostly white versions of the whole Winslow-bunch, combined with some more one-or-zero-dimensional characters, like the dumb guy (JT. Well, Eddie), the smart girl (Laura), and a pretty girl who spends her days looking pretty(in theory).The character development was just awful in this show. Grover and The Cookie Monster have more depth than the Lambert family. Everybody just milked their stereotypes for what they were worth. They weren't worth much.Powered by a massive laugh-and-cheer tape stolen from something funny,this show aired for a whopping 7 years,which was humiliating for the competition.Although,you'll have to note that this is the time where family sitcoms were pretty much all big hits,everybody just ignored their crappyness because well,it was the 90s,one more crappy show didn't hurt.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember when this NBC mini-series aired when I was in high school. After reading the novel, I thought I'd check out some adaptations. Didn't expect much out of a TV mini-series, but now I might have to check out some more. This is actually excellent, and the best possible film version that could be made. Writer Simon Moore, who wrote the teleplay for the original Traffic mini-series, upon which the Soderberg film was based, came up with a brilliant narrative conceit which helps the story flow very smoothly: he frames Gulliver's adventures as flashbacks, with the actual story beginning as Gulliver first returns home (everything having happened on one journey). Gulliver, played by Cheers' Ted Danson, is sort of crazy-seeming when his wife, Mary Steenburgen, welcomes him back into his home. Unfortunately, the house is now owned by the local doctor, James Fox, who has designs on Steenburgen. Gulliver seems merely disturbed at first, but when he starts telling stories of tiny people, that's all the evidence Fox needs to throw him into an insane asylum. All four of Gulliver's travels are related in this version, in the same order as the novel (the only time this has been done on film). I love the way his present situation reflects his flashbacks. Gulliver's small son, whom he has never met before, reminds him of the Lilliputians. The doctors who observe him in his cell from a mezzanine loom above him and remind him of the Brogdingnagians, and the doctors' scientific inquiries remind him of the insane scientific experiments and theories of the Laputans and the professors at the Academy. Finally, when he is put on trial he is reminded of the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. The cast of this thing is amazing, and includes Peter O'Toole, Ned Beatty, Alfre Woodard, John Gielgud, Kristin Scott Thomas, Omar Sharif and Warwick Davis. The biggest flaw of the mini-series is that the acting is really uneven. You have all these fine actors, but the lesser characters are often played by actors who were probably fine in episodes of L.A. Law, but don't do well in a costume drama. Ted Danson isn't especially great, although he has a few sequences where he excels. It's probably better that he didn't attempt one, but all the other characters of the film speak in an English accent. Steenburgen is actually pretty good at it, and is quite good overall. Another flaw the series has is that the adventures happen a tad too quickly. It's not believable that Gulliver spent eight years away from home, as is claimed. But, in general, it captures Swift's tone and purpose very well, while, with its structure, adding a new emotional level.$LABEL$ 1 +"Match Point" and now "Scoop" have both convinced me that not only is Woody Allen doing a neat job making movies in England (and that Scarlett Johansson is the right cast member), but corroborated what I have known for years: he shouldn't focus on neurotic rich New Yorkers. In this case, Johansson plays journalism student Sondra Pransky, whom magician Sid Waterman (Allen) puts in his disappearing box, where she meets the ghost of murdered reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), who tells her that the serial killings that have plagued London were committed by millionaire Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). So, she gets to know him, and...well, I don't know how much I can tell you without giving it away. But I can say that this is probably Allen's funniest movie in years. There's his ubiquitous unique style of humor (especially the line about his religion).So, you're sure to like this movie. If nothing else, it'll make you fall in love with London. But mostly, it's just so damn hilarious. Even if you don't like Woody Allen, you gotta love this one.$LABEL$ 1 +I had to walk out on this film fifteen minutes from the end... having passed through the cringe stage and into pure boredom. What really horrifies me, I mean truly disturbs me, is that there are people referring to this aimless drivel as 'delightful' or a 'must see.' I would feel deep pity for those so afflicted were it not for the distinct impression that most of the positive comments about this shallow and humourless travesty were written by industry plants.The truth is this is a lame film that does nothing to entertain nor enlighten. It is decidedly unfunny, poorly scripted and has all the pace and energy of cold, canned rice pudding. To be kind to Ms Kramer, the best one can say is it was a missed opportunity, for having read the synopsis before I watched it, I had expected something more challenging. The possible misinterpretations of a close brother and sister co-dependence, the unexpected awakening of 'sisterly' sexuality, and the comic potential in such sibling rivalry (for the affections of the same girl) were all obvious subjects for refreshing comedic exploration, yet which at every turn the movie frustratingly shies away from.Instead, the audience is subjected to a meandering series of uninspired and insipidly drawn situations, with clichéd characterisations and dull performances from a cast struggling for belief and obviously in need of much tighter direction. The lack of directorial control seems astounding; on the one hand, Moynahan, Cavanagh and Spacek all give very pedestrian performances, while Heather Graham and Molly Shannon - the latter in particular - veer towards embarrassing over-compensation at times. One could lay the blame for this on the director - maybe Sue Kramer hopes that if her actors over-act, they will force a bigger laugh from the audience. But then again, the cast is a veteran one; one would expect them to do better.Sue Kramer really needs to think carefully what kind of movies she wants to make, and for whom. Given the possible issues Gray Matters alludes to, and given her inability or unwillingness to fully explore them in the context of a comedy, perhaps she should consider writing dramas instead. I know it is never easy to make films about women and women's issues, especially when one hopes to reach a wider audience than women alone, but whatever direction she takes, inconsequential and flimsy characters like Gray are not going to cut mustard.$LABEL$ 0 +This had a good story...it had a nice pace and all characters are developed cool.I've watched a whole bunch of movies in the last two weeks and this had to be the best one I've seen in the two weeks.Jason Bigg's character was the best though.Even though it was small, it was cleverly crafted from the very beginning.This may be a romantic comedy and I don't like most, but the writing, direction, performing, sound, design overall in all capacity just was really thought out pretty cool.This film scored pretty high out of all the movie's I've seen lately - and the rest were big budget or better publicized.Good job in writing.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1967 I saw an outstanding Musical at the Wintergarden in New York City where Angela Lansbury lite the stage as Mame. But did Hollywood give her the lead ???? No Lucille Ball great as Lucy was given the role. She killed the film. What a mistake There was no chemistry as there was on the stage Bea Arthur and Angela what a twosome when they sang.. It is too bad a producer does not put these two together even today$LABEL$ 0 +Without a doubt, this is the big momma of all music videos!!! Unlike most music videos that are either "dance videos" badly storied and/or badly interrupted lyrics this was done right. Jackson was co-writer and by evidence of VH1 heavily choreographed and directed this masterpiece. In fact you could say Thriller is creepier then most horror movies with that last second sparkling eye. To me this music video is what you judge all other music videos on. You can easily see the ominous influence M.J. had on early break-dancing with the zombie march number. Because of the dancing, comedy, storyline, and yes horror. I give it a 5 of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +Who in the world told Harrison Ford that this was a good role for him???And Josh Hartnett...how does a 19 year old who can't fire a gun become a cop? Over used cliches plus zero character development and about 15 pointless music industry cameos equal a surprisingly bad film!!!$LABEL$ 0 +The film is pretty confusing and ludicrous. The plot is awful...but on the plus side the acting is pretty good, with a few good shouts and rants. Sharon stone is OK this time...not even half as good as the original mind you. The murders aren't as gory as the first one either, which is a shame. Its not the unpredictable mess everyone say it is though. The sex is pretty graphic at times while others it is clear it is fake (they are fully clothed). The script is weak most of the time, but the scenes with banter and arguments between Dr.Glass and Washburn are highlights. The plot twists a few times, but the ending is awful. The tension is always constant with a huge dollop of 'Oh my god!'. The chase sequences are brilliantly directed, and shots and camera angles are impressive and bring a bit of class to an otherwise, rush-felt film. Sharon stone is a bit old for this too. The bits where we see her breasts were, in the first one, delights. This time around, they are too horrid to describe. The films its self is rather average, but it is worth a go. Mainly because the film does deserve some good buzz...with the opening sequence being a highlight. Not to be critical, but if you liked the first one - leave this one. Don't ruin the run. You'll be glad you left this stone unturned.$LABEL$ 0 +Humm, an Italian movie starred by David hasselhoff and Linda Blair, I wasn´t expecting very much, to be honest and in fact, I took even less than I was expecting. It doesn´t mean this movie is the worst I have seen because I have watched worse things than this but the plot was most of the times confusing and uninteresting and some good gore scenes are the only thing saving this. Apart from that you are going to love some special effects, they are really cheesy and bad. Now I only want to watch "Troll 3" by this same director, sure it is not going to be worse than that.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a movie about a man everybody thinks is Jewish.This is a movie about Lawrence Newman, who lives in Brooklyn in the 1940's, at the time of WWII.One day, when he gets himself glasses, people start thinking he's a Jew.And that only, because he looks like one.And he lives in a very antisemitic neighborhood.So some people start treating him like dirt.They make that judgment, being a Jew, of Larry's fresh wife, Gertrude Hart, too.That makes their lives unbearable.Neal Slavin's Focus (2001) is a fairly good look at the antisemitism.That's a problem that won't go away.The movie is based on Athur Miller's novel, which, I admit, I haven't read.But the movie is really good, so I'm sure the book would also.The actors do good job.William H.Macy is always good, and his work as Larry Newman is brilliant.Laura Dern is Gert Hart and she's magnificent.Meat Loaf is almost scary as the neighbor who wants to keep Jews out by any means necessary.David Paymer's character as the Jewish shop-owner Mr. Finkelstein is the most sympathetic in the movie.Paymer is the perfect choice for the role.One of the greatest scenes is in the end when Mr.Finkelstein and Newman fight against those Nazi-like people with baseball bats.They join together to fight the evil.The Christian and the Jew.$LABEL$ 1 +Left Behind is an incredible waste of more than 17 million dollars. The acting is weak and uninspiring, the story even weaker. The audience is asked to believe the totally implausible and many times laughable plot line and given nothing in return for their good faith. Not only is the film poorly acted and scripted it is severely lacking in all the technical areas of filmmaking. The production design does nothing to help the credibility of the action. The effects are wholly unoriginal and flat. The lighting and overall continuity are inexcusably awful; even compared to movies with a tenth of the budget. However none of this will matter in that millions of families will no doubt embrace the film for it's wholesomeness and it's religious leanings; and who can blame them. However it is unfortunate that they will be forced to accept 3rd rate amatuer filmmaking.$LABEL$ 0 +Joe is the movie about the dark side of the force of the 1960's in America, and Susan Sarandon had nice boobs. This movie scared me so much when I saw it in the theatre that I never liked Peter Boyle until Young Frankenstein and was still quite leery of him even after that comedy. Looking back now from today's experience, this film seems current again in being direct and to the point of half the electorate's approval of John McCain's "Joe The Plumber" typecast and their fear of electing a black man as President of the USA in the coming weeks. A black Prez would be seen as sweet revenge of the "niggers" but bound to again bring fire to many minds if not the streets, this time by Joe enthusiasts. So, the spirit of Joe in the film is resurrected in the campaign of Joe The Plumber! Still, I love to be American and be terrified at both and by the knowledge that they illustrate what ironically Gregory Peck said our civilized law also is: "a living, breathing reality!" God help us.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. Not just the story, but the acting is shockingly bad. The dialog sounds like someone reading the news.This is rated as comedy/drama/romance, it's not of those things ! It's a little action, that's it. There's really NO comedy and drama at all.If you went to the cinema to see this I feel sorry for you. I would not recommend it at all. Pretty much anything else that you choose to look at will be better. This is pretty much a action/crime movie. The actions scenes sucked, and crime story part of it was very predictable.If you are not really interested in a good story, or good acting. And you simply want to look at a 'foreign' film for the appeal of being foreign. Then this might be for you.$LABEL$ 0 +I was looking forward to this flick. Being an old Robert E Howard fan, mainly from a Conan stand-point. I was not expecting a great deal and thought they could not mess it up too much.... Oh dear - how wrong was I....The main flaw was it was fairly dull. It needed to zip along with a nice helping of supernatural goings-on, sword-fights and the like.You got some gore, but everything else was just pretty life-less. The middle section just seemed to involve 40 minutes in a muddy forest with slow plodding horse-drawn carts and even slower dialogue and character development!On the plus side = Costumes and effects were fine, but not enough to keep your interest.I think it would have been better to tone down the gore, up the tempo, and go for a 12A rating. As a Ten Year old boy, I may have liked this movie. Probably about the age I was first reading the Conan stories funny enough. Perhaps that says a lot about my anticipation of the film?Or....... Go really "Art-House" with tone, direction, etc. But that's fairly high-risk as far as Box Office is concerned.Oh well.... Perhaps the next Conan movie will make up for it?$LABEL$ 0 +This was the worst Wrestlemania in history. The only good matches were Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules Hernandez, and the tag title match between the British Bulldogs and the Dream Team (this one bordered on classic). Everything else was either poor or awful. The idea of having three host cities was unnecessary, confusing and messed up the fluidity of the show. The celebrity guests were terrible on commentary, especially Susan Saint James.If you're interested in the mid 80's WWF, you're better renting or buying Wrestlemania 3, or just about any other PPV for that matter.$LABEL$ 0 +Completely overlooking the whole movie adaptation of a video game, this is another terrible movie by Mr. Boll. How he continues to be hired to make movies is a constant surprise to me and obviously most of the movie going community.As a whole I will say that this attempt was fractionally better than so many of his previous attempts. Some of the dialog was even half way decent in Far Cry though he still misuses some phrases and in some cases he doesn't even use the phrases correctly.Now besides the fact that Jack Carver is supposed to be American and not German, Til was still entertaining in this role. One exception is the laughably lame lines he uses to get in bed with the girl. And we are supposed to believe that she is ready to have sex with him so casually after such minimal dialog? Emile? Simply there for comic relief I am sure and still lame. Jack's character looks old and tired yet is still capable of the extreme acrobatics needed to avoid one of the altered super soldiers in the lab.Don't watch this one for the Far Cry adaptation. But you might just waste an hour and a half watching it if you have nothing better to do.$LABEL$ 0 +Even by the lowered standards of '80s slasher movies, this one stinks. The usual gaggle of oversexed teens heads for a "forbidden" part of forest, which burned in the 1940s and apparently left a sole angry survivor. Fast forward (actually, you'll want to fast-forward through much of this mess) to the present day, where a couple of campers are butchered; the teens follow in their wake, while a semi-concerned park ranger (a sleepwalking Jackie Coogan) and his healthier cohort (who spins a lot of time tuning his banjo) succeed partially in steering our attention from yards of run-of-the-mill nature-footage padding. Finally, more killings--but nothing you haven't seen a zillion times before. If you want to see the kids butchered, opt for SLEEPAWAY CAMP or the first FRIDAY THE 13TH over this$LABEL$ 0 +In 1913, in Carlton Mine, Addytown, Pennsylvania, the cruel owner of a mine uses poor children in the exploration and after an explosion, a group of children is buried alive. On the present days, Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring) has just lost her husband after a long period of terminal disease when the family savings have been spent in the treatment. Without any money, she moves with her daughters Sarah (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Emma (Chloe Moretz) to an old house in the mountains that belonged to her husband. Karen is advised by her neighbors to stay at home in the night, and Sarah hears that there are zombies in the area. When Emma becomes friend of Mary, he mother believes she is an imaginary friend. However, when Sarah's friends are attacked and eaten alive by zombie children and Emma vanishes, Karen and Sarah chase her nearby the mine."Wicked Little Things" is not a totally bad movie: the acting is good; the make-up is creepy; and the cinematography and the music score are excellent. However, the story, and consequently the screenplay, are very weak, indeed a bad collection of clichés. The beginning is reasonable, with a widow moving to a house in a remote location because the family spent all their resources with the illness of the patriarch. But when she arrives, coincidently the little zombies attack people without any consequences, for example, families do not search the missing persons. Then the wicked Mr. Carlton comes to the place with the most disgusting attitudes, a typical clichés that he will die in the end. There is no explanation why the children attacked innocent people and why they should stop after killing Mr. Carlton. When Sarah is running away with her mother and says that she is tired and cannot run anymore, it is one the most stupid lines that I have ever seen in a horror movie. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "Zombies"$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very chilling, and for the most part, a well thought out drama. I am very impressed at the film, not just for the plot and superb acting, but that such a unique movie was made. Most movies involving a spy or a war are filled with a slick talking Brit or a mighty battle, but not this. This isn't about this kind of war, its about the war between a man and his position in life, an American spy in Germany, posing as a supporter of an evil no one will ever forget. When the war is over, Campell thinks he will come home as a hero, but his true heroic stance must remain a government secret. Going back to America, Campell meets Nazi supporters as well as Nazi haters, providing for interesting conflicts, both internally and externally. Nolte more than pulls off the role, and fits the plot quite well for what it's asking.$LABEL$ 1 +Dieter Bohlen, Germany's notorious composer and producer of slightly trashy pop hits like "You're my heart, you're my soul" felt the need to tell his story - and gracefully he decided to hire a ghost writer. The result was a funny book about his life. Well, more or less a fuzzy image of it. He didn't deny that he is a selfish asshole but the whole story was twisted to fit his image of himself. No word that he has probably beaten up his former wife and she ended up in hospital. However it was written in a funny style and a huge success after his appearance as jury member of the German version of "American Idol" - especially his unforgettable comments.This should be the end of the story - really. In the hype of the mentioned "Idol" TV show called "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (abbreviated DSDS) somebody must have come up with the terrible idea to make a movie out of the book. The result is "Dieter - der Film"I have rarely seen a movie which tries so desperately to be funny and fails so completely. None of the gags really hits the point. Naddel's voice and style of talking was getting on my nerves right away although Verona's voice should have done that more. Obvious, childish, predictable and lengthy gags destroy any motivation to watch this movie to the end within a few minutes. The content of the movie is a sloppy film adaption written sloppily down by a ghost writer based on Bohlen's sloppy idealized memory. They could have used this freedom to do almost everything. It was supposed to be a satire, but they failed. The story is totally uninteresting and the fact that the background voice is Bohlen himself guarantees that the whole film has nothing satirical at all.It's no wonder that it was considered to bad for a cinema release. The probability that this thing would have rotten in some archive was quite high until recently when the current season of DSDS turned out to be a mediocre success. With the "friendly" help of Germany's biggest yellow press newspaper "BILD" and the desperate situation for the TV station RTL to have something in the program while the still unbeatable show "Wetten dass... ?" is running on Channel 2 the movie finally arrived in television - unfortunately.Watching this movie is a waste of time - there are certainly better cartoons with much more fun and a story actually worth looking at.Therefore: 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Jackie Chan is considered by many film and martial arts movie fans as one of the greatest action stars ever to grace the silver screen and Police Story cemented his reputation as the likely successor to the late, great Bruce Lee. If Enter The Dragon bared the so-called bench mark of Lee's greatness in the 70s, then the same can be said about Police Story and Jackie Chan in the 80s.Forget about the Rush Hour trilogy, or any of his US efforts- the one film that really typifies Chan's excellence, not to mention kick starting his status as a high kicking, bone-crushing kung- fu talisman, as well as his movie career was this, Police Story- the first in a series of successful cop films, set in mainland, present day Hong Kong.I've seen many of his efforts- likewise the US-based Rush Hour, Rumble in the Bronx, The Medalian and The Tuxedo to name- and frankly many of them pale into insignificance compared to Police Story. In those movies, we saw a less 'dumbed down' version of Jackie, of whom didn't get the opportunity to utilise his fighting abilities to the maximum, not to mention the fight sequences were no where as good as those in such efforts as Drunken Master, Police Story to name. The stunts in this movie are extraordinary and are the best featured in any action movie. The shopping mall scene is literally one of a kind and has to be seen to be believed: the flying shards of glass, Chan who is left dangling outside the bus only by his walking stick as a madman frantically drives through the streets of the town, and Chan successfully making usage of all sorts of inanimate objects and prop devices as weapons to fight the bad guys with. Considering he is known for injuring and breaking every bone in his body and putting himself in harm's way, Jackie's persistence in showing his versatility as a stuntman himself by not relying on one, is somewhat of a testament to his reputation as a kung fu expert. Especially as he has the bruises to show for it. Thus, he has proved that he is no one-trick pony when it comes down to devising and coming up with various and clever looking moves.Story-wise, there is not much to discuss but what it lacks in narrative, it makes up with its end-to end action and fight sequences. As for the dialogue, well it's not a really huge aspect of the film- which is why most fans of Jackie's and martial arts films are more interested in action, as opposed to the story.Unlike say The Matrix, there are no wires or CGI, or any form of computer trickery involved. What you see is what you get- and what you get with Police Story is a great Jackie Chan epic, full of action and pulsating stunts.It is miles better than Rumble In The Bronx, Rush Hour and all his other American efforts.Police Story is an excellent film and one I'd definitely recommend to anyone who is a novice Jackie Chan fan, but of whom are unsure which one they should watch first.$LABEL$ 1 +Poor Tobe Hopper. He directed an all time horror classic "Texas Chaimsaw Massacre". Since then everything he's done has been horrible. This is probably the worst...and that's saying a lot. It's about a man (Brad Dourif) who has the ability to make things (and people) catch fire...or something like that. Hardly an original idea (anyone remember "Firestarter"?) It's a real mess...literally EVERYTHING is done wrong! Pathetic acting (even Dourif!), asinine script, loust production values, crappy special effects...everything is BAD!!!!! A must miss...not even good for laughs.$LABEL$ 0 +With Nurse Betty (2000), acclaimed indie film-maker Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Your Friends & Neighbors) makes his breakthrough into the big-budgeted (Betty's $24 million as opposed to Company's measly $25,000), mainstream realm -- and yet remains true to his roots. While his cast is now composed of A-list Hollywood names (Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, and stand-up comedian Chris Rock), his material remains just as bizarre and quirky as his first two features, proving that he just may be the next big thing. Nurse Betty is one of the darkest comedies to be advertised towards a mainstream audience in years, and considering its moderate box office and critical success, perhaps moviegoers weren't as dumb and brainwashed as we though they were. The story follows (both figuratively AND literally) a naive waitress (Zellweger) who has fallen in love from afar with a handsome soap star (As Good As It Gets's Greg Kinnear) but is trapped in a loveless marriage to a slimy car dealer (Aaron Eckhart, who made his big-screen debut in Company). When her husband is gruesomely murdered by two hitmen (Freeman and Rock), she's sent into shock and obliviously sets out for Hollywood to meet her object of affection -- unaware that he's only an actor. When Freeman and Rock discover that the car she took contains 10 kilos of cocaine, they hit the road as well and outrageousness ensues. Fans of LaBute's previous work might have a hard time figuring out how this could possibly be the same guy who directed In the Company of Men -- a tragicomedy about two cruel sexist pigs who play a practical joke on a deaf co-worker --, but when you think about it, the connection is rather clear: in Company, a vulnerable woman is unaware that she is being ruthlessly taken advantage of. In Betty, a vulnerable housewife is unaware that the man she's chasing thinks her genuine adoration is nothing more than a joke. Some might begin to wonder if LaBute is really some sort of misogynist himself -- considering that his recurring theme involves the downfall of innocent women. But personally, I think he's coming to the defense of the fair sex and dealing far more harshly with the abusers in his pictures than the abused. One of the many charms of this film is that it's absurdity is full-fledged: most directors, when handling a script such as this one, would leave the story at two hitmen chasing a woman chasing a dream. But LaBute knows better, and has one of the hitmen (Freeman) fall obsessively for Betty as well. This was an interesting role for Freeman to take, because it allowed him to play off of his trademark `this-is-the-last-time' character (see Unforgiven, Se7en, and 1998's stinker Hard Rain); the supporting cast also includes the likes of famed weirdo Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), Allison Janney, and `Mad About You's Kathleen Wilhoite. The script, written by first-timers John C. Richards and James Flamberg, is deliriously over-the-top (honestly: have you ever seen a comedy -- or ANY movie, for that matter -- in which a man is scalped in his own dining room?). You could argue that the ending is a little too perfect, but it's really not worth denying everything that's great about the film for one trivial complaint. If Nurse Betty is any sign of what LaBute has in store for us next, you can bet that I'll be lining up for whatever he decides to follow it up with.Grade: A-$LABEL$ 1 +This film is so lovingly made you want to be part of it forever. The flics are straight but not without malice, the goods are transparent and evildoers are hardly there. Even the "cabaret" are so naive they'll make you daydream with nostalgia in comparison to anything available on TV. Blier is fine, if a bit one sided. Louis Jouvet is perfect, you just can't have a better copper. He has the best line: "My dad cleaned other people's dirt, and I do the same". Susy Delair is unbearable, but I guess in part it's the songs, wardrobe and hairdo. Simone Renant, on the contrary, makes a great femme fatale, if a bit silent. I didn't realize she may be a lesbian as IMDb user dbdumonteil and others rightly suggest.$LABEL$ 1 +Sappy.I liked how they went to the "Haaavaad baaa" to quote books at each other to impress the ugliest girl there.Probably the janitor at my school is a genius too but is waiting to land that big construction job.Just because you keep your nose to the grindstone is no reason to try to cut a steak with it. "Do you like apples?"the guy nods or something."Well, how'd ya like DEM APPLES!" Wow, that IS genius.Duh, Minnie Driver would give her number to anybody. Robin Williams can't paint and keeps the good books on the top shelf. And there's a professor who always wears a priest scarf for no reason.$LABEL$ 0 +While walking to buy cigarettes, the professional dancer Daniel (Tom Long) is abducted and forced to have kinky sex along many days by three hooded women. When he is released, the director of his company Isabel (Greta Scacchi) has already replaced him in the play and his girlfriend gives a cold reception to him. The disturbed and humiliated Daniel leaves the dance company and travels obsessed to seek out the abductors. Daniel has sex with many women that he suspects that might be the kidnappers. "The Book of Revelation" is a weird movie with a promising beginning that loses the initial power and becomes a sort of too long erotic soap- opera or soft-porn chic. The production is classy, the cover of the DVD is awesome but the characters are not well-developed and the trauma of Daniel seems to be excessive since most of the men would fantasize with the dream-situation that he was submitted – to become sexual object of three sexy women. The melodramatic development with the illness of Isabel does not add any value to the plot; the open conclusion is very disappointing and there are no explanations for the motive of the women or the title. It is very clear that the screenplay about a man's feelings was written by a woman. It was good to see the still beautiful Greta Scacchi again and her make-up in the end is impressive. There is a saying in Portuguese that could be translated to English as follows: "If the rape is inevitable, relax and come." Daniel should have done this and spared me of watching almost two hours of a pointless story. My vote is four. Title (Brazil): "O Livro das Revelações" ("The Book of Revelations")$LABEL$ 0 +Any chance to see Katharine Hepburn in something I haven't seen or from her early movie career is a treat, and on that level the film is amusing, but she's horrible miscast as a Hill Billy. Her famous New England enunciation slips through, making lines like, "I'd better rustle up some Vittles" pretty ludicrous. She's so pretty and so young… it almost overcomes this major flaw. The story is an old fashioned melodrama, and there fore, a younger generation may think this pretty corny stuff, but this was the staple of American Entertainment well into the 1940's. It has its moments, but you might need to be a die-hard movie buff to appreciate it.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie 'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders was made in 1943 with a view to go up the moral of American people at the duration of second world war. It shows with the better way that the cinema can constitute body of propaganda. The value of this film is only collection and no artistic. In a film of propaganda it is useless to judge direction and actors. Watch that movie if you are interested to learn how propaganda functions in the movies or if you are a big fun of Robert Mitchum who has a small role in the film. If you want to see a film for the second world war, they exist much better and objective. I rated it 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is titled "Junior Pilot" here on IMDb but "Final Approach" at Netflix. Go figure! The movie is a delight for both the target youth audience and for adults who can suspend their maturity long enough to watch this film through the eyes of their own youth. For the adult, the story is quite predictable, and perhaps trite and melodramatic; whereas the tale may seem new and creative to youngsters who have not yet seen or read many films or books with such a story line.In any case, credit must be given to the film's creators, particularly the director James Becket and the cinematographer Denis Maloney, for making this most entertaining and visually interesting film. The cut-aways to the young protagonist Ricky's fantasy thoughts are hilarious as well as delightfully filmed.The young actors give uniformly believable performances, seemingly quite invested in their roles--silly as many scenes are. Jordan Garrett plays the protagonist "Ricky" with quite well, having excellent camera presence. Jeffrey Tedmori creates a delightfully soft and sensitive "Shashi" who of all ridiculous things thrives on hot sauce. Skyler Samuels and Adam Cagley give solid performances as well.As is typical of his always fine acting, Larry Miller creates a solid parental figure around which the children's part-real, part-fantasy world revolves. Compared to his father-figure, the other major adult roles appear to be shallow and one-dimensional, intentionally and quite humorously so, to be sure.This movie is a simplistic youth-targeted story, of course, yet it is quite entertaining, perhaps repeatedly so to the targeted youth crowd, but also for at least one viewing by adults who retain the ability to view such a film from their once-youthful perspective.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very disappointed with this series. It had lots of cool graphics and that's about it. The level of detail it went into was minimal, and I always got the feeling the audience was being patronized -- there was a lot of what seemed to me as "This is extremely cool but we're not going to explain it in further detail because you won't get it anyway. Let's just show you some pretty pictures to entertain you." The host would drop interesting-sounding words such as "sparticles" and "super-symmetry" without any attempt at explaining what it was. We had to look it up on Wikipedia.Furthermore, I know quite a bit about superstrings (for a layman) and I found their explanations were convoluted and could have been so much better. They could have chosen MUCH better examples to explain concepts, but instead, the examples they used were confusing and further obscured the subject.Additionally, I got so sick of the repetitiveness. They could easily have condensed the series into one episode if they had cut out all the repetition. They must have shown the clips of the Quantum Café about 8 times. The host kept saying the same things over and over and over again. I can't remember how many times he said "The universe is made out of tiny little vibrating strings." It's like they were trying to brainwash us into just accepting "superstrings are the best thing since sliced bread."Finally, the show ended off with an unpleasant sense of a "competition" between Fermilab and CERN, clearly biased towards Fermilab. This is supposed to be an educational program about quantum physics, not about whether the US is better than Europe or vice versa! I also felt that was part of the patronizing -- "Audiences need to see some conflict to remain interested." Please. Give me a little more credit than that.Overall, 2 thumbs down :-($LABEL$ 0 +If it were possible to distill the heart and soul of the sport--no, the pure lifestyle--of surfing to its perfect form, this documentary has done it. This documentary shows the life isn't just about the waves, but it's more about the people, the pioneers, and the modern day vanguard that are pushing the envelope of big wave further than it's ever been.Stacy Peralta--a virtual legend from my early '80s skateboarding days as a SoCal teen--has edited reams of amazing stock and interview footage down to their essence and created what is not just a documentary, but a masterpiece of the genre. When his heart and soul is in the subject matter--and clearly it is here--his genius is fraught with a pure vision that doesn't glamorize, hype, or sentimentalize his subject. He reveres surfers and the surfing/beach lifestyle, but doesn't whitewash it either. There is a gritty reality to the sport as well.There is so much that could be said about this documentary, about the surfers, the early history of the sport, and the wild big wave surfers it profiles. Greg Noll, the first big wave personality who arguably pioneered the sport; Jeff Carter, an amazing guy who rode virtually alone for 15 years on Northern California's extremely dangerous Maverick's big surf; and, the centerpiece of the documentary, Laird Hamliton, big wave surfing's present day messiah.There is tremendous heart and warmth among all these guys--and a few girls who show up on camera--and a deep and powerful love for surfing and the ocean that comes through in every word. I found the story of how Hamilton's adopted father met him and how Hamilton as a small 4- or 5-year old boy practically forced him to be his dad especially heartwarming (and, again, stripped of syrupy sentimentality).If you like surfing--or even if you don't--this is a wonderful documentary that must be watched, if only because you're a student of the form or someone who simply appreciates incredibly well-done works of art.$LABEL$ 1 +I'll admit I've only watched a handful of episodes, but each one seemed completely different from the next. It seems after the first season, the producers decided to completely retool the show, drop characters, introduce new ones, and rewrite the entire show dynamic.As you have probably surmised already, the show is about quirky, unpredictable teenager Holly (Amanda Bynes) who moves in with her high strung sister Valerie (Jennie Garth) in New York City. Decent enough premise: odd couple + fish out of water + high jinx.While I miss the sitcoms of yore, this show unfortunately misses the mark on funny repeatedly, and it's sad because they have some decent talent.On top of everything, they insisted on changing the show (Val was living with a cast regular bf one season, then he was suddenly gone, so she opens a bakery? what?) When things change that drastically, you get the feeling that even the *show* knows it's bad. I mean, completely new sets, characters written off and new show regulars!On a side note (this is just nitpicking), I know this is a television show and not real at all, but Val and Holly end up living in a HUGE loft duplex (there are stairs) with a terrace... in MANHATTAN! Are you serious!?$LABEL$ 0 +This is a movie that gets better each time I see it. There are so many nuanced performances in this. William Tracey, as Pepi, is a delight, bringing sharp comic relief. Joseph Schildkraut as Vadas, is the only "villian" in the movie, and his oily charms are well used here. Frank Morgan, is delightful as the owner of the title shop, Mr. Matuschek, and his familiar manner is well used here. I especially liked the performance of Felix Bressart, as Pirovitch. Very believable in every facet of his role.The two leads are equally accomplished, with Margaret Sullivan doing an outstanding job of portraying a slightly desperate, neurotic, yet charming and attractive woman.This movie belongs to Jimmy Stewart though. The movie is presented from his point of view, with the action rotating around him. Mr. Stewart is more then up to the task of carrying the movie, with an amazing performance that uses a wide range of emotions. Just watch Stewart, when he is fired from his job, because of a misunderstanding. He is able to convey the shock, anger, fear and embarrassment that so traumatic an event causes, so perfectly. In my estimation, James Stewart is, without question, the greatest film actor in the history of the medium. There is no one else that has ever been captured on film that is able to so completely convey what he is feeling to an audience. At the time he made this movie, he still had most of his career ahead of him, yet he is completely the master of his craft. This is one of Jimmy Stewarts best movies, and also one of the sweetest, most enjoyable romantic comedies you will find. I greatly recommend this movie, especially for those that appreciate the work of Stewart.$LABEL$ 1 +This was surely the stupidest, crudest, most repulsive film I have seen in quite some time. I was tempted to turn off the VCR, but, as in the fascination watching a horrible car accident, I literally found it COMPULSIVELY HATEABLE in every conceivable way and slugged it out through to the end. I am by no means a prude who objects to the comedic portrayal of sexual antics on the screen. Animal House, Porky's, There's Something About Mary, both American Pie movies, and even the notorious Freddy Got Fingered I have found highly enjoyable on their own crude terms. Mamie Van Doren's breast-baring sponge bath is the most horrifying appearance by a naked geriatric since The Shining. Ineptly edited and shot, with incredibly annoying performances from Devon Sawa and Jason Schwartzman, the film ended, without the benefit of having made me giggle once. The only useful purpose for the film is as a textbook example of how not to make a gross out picture. Oh, and it would also serve nicely as a lawn fertilizer.$LABEL$ 0 +When I rented this movie, I half expected it to be a low budget, plot less Indy film, but thought I'd give it a try. I started watching Part 1 and couldn't pull myself away till it ended 3 hours later. It was by far one of my absolute favorite films of all time. From the writing to the directing to the performances, I was laughing, crying, and singing all the way through Nan Astley's rite of passage from innocence to adulthood. Rachael Stirling is phenomenal in this film. I had never heard of her before, but now I will forever remember the vulnerability and strength I felt in her performance. She, Keeley Hawes, and Jodhi May are incredible as they guide you through the emotional turmoils that most feel as they deal with an alternate form of sexuality. The fact that the film is set in the 1890's not only educates the audience about homosexuality in that time period, but makes a statement about our society today. You must see this film and, probably like myself, you'll be making a trip to the store to add it to your collection.$LABEL$ 1 +Meester Sharky, you look so ... normal. You would never get a table in this fancy cocktail restaurant/bistro. I, on the other 'and eat grapes and pate 'ere every day. You like my fur coat with all the fine trimming? My enormous golden rings of gold? Or maybe you like these blonde, 'ow you say?, bombshells, who are all qualified in aerobics and naked petanques, who decorate my long, maroon velvety sofa like so many soft boiled larks on a plate of pan fried foie gras and figs. You like? You can't have! Zey are all mine.You will never possess 'er as I possessed 'er. Domino was the best, apart from Maman. You do not understand the art of lovemaking. Just look at your inferior moustache. It is almost funny to me, non, to think of that ludicrous protuberance on your silly face, as you snuffle around Domino's love hillock like the piggy seeking the truffle in the forest, the forest heaving and swaying in the hot winds of desire! You lose again Sharky.When I make love to the women zey know, Sharky, zey know. Zey learn, zey learn until zey become the teacher. Not nano-maths, the arts of love. Domino was the seedling which I watered. I watered her so very often. Everywhere Sharky. Her scented petals, her proud stalk, everywhere. She will wither under your ridiculous hose, like the soufflé removed from the oven five minute too soon.I must go now Sharky, you bore me so with your disgraceful behaviour. It is you who will be flushed down le pissoir like the smelly thing.Bon chance!$LABEL$ 1 +As a Christian, I found this movie to be completely embarrassing. The actors sucked, the writing sucked, the cinematography sucked, and the story was so typical. I couldn't say this is a great witnessing tool, because I'd be too embarrassed to show any of my unsaved friends. Hollywood has much better stuff, and that's because they invest the best into it. Christians put out sh*tty work and think it's OK because "it's for the lord". In the old testament, people spent huge amounts of money to bring offerings to God. David (or Saul.. I don't remember) spent what would be equal to about $50 Billion in todays money on building a temple for God. But these days, spending what would appear to be about $30,000 tops on making a movie to "witness" to people with is just pathetic. It's the person, not the product that affects someone. Don't waste your time trying to convert your friends with this waste of an hour and a half. If you want to make a positive impact with people, show them movies like The Matrix, American Beauty, Braveheart etc.. movies that have something to say and actually get it into you.$LABEL$ 0 +Hear are some of the interesting things our combat hero faith healer Pat, his son Gordon (T.V. ministry seems like a family business.) and Terry Meeuwsen (Won Miss America in 1973 by wearing a swimsuit and showing her legs. Oh my goodness gracious!) say when our poor viewers are sick and need help.1. Someone with an "abscessed right tooth"has just now been healed.2. Someone with "twisted intestines" has been healed.3.Then Terry said there was a person with a "strange condition",(You mean God doesn't know?) a burning in the legs,who has just been healed.4. Then Gordon said there's a man(That narrows it down!) with swelling of the sinuses in his right cheek, with much pain behind the right eye,but he is now healed.5.Someone with a problematic right hip,limited mobility from a stroke, is now able to walk. 6. Terry said she saw someone with severe with severe stiffness in the neck bone, but didn't know the exact ailment(God doesn't know?)-that the person is now healed. 7. Someone paralyzed on the right side, particularly(Not exactly?!) the right side of the face has now been healed.8. A man (That narrows the world population down again.) with a plate in his skull is having a continual problems, and the doctors just don't know what to do. Terry said she saw the bone reforming around the plate(The funny bone?!)and the mans pain is gone,he was now healed.Hers how our war hero Pat helps our sick and poor people. 1. There's a woman in Kansas City (Missouri or Kansas but that narrows it way down.) who has a sinus the lord is drying it up now thank you Jesus. 2. There's a man with a financial need- I think a hundred thousand dollars.(I think their god needs to go to school or something!) That need is being met met right now,and within three days,the money will be supplied through the miraculous power of the holy spirit.Thank you Jesus. 3.There is a woman in Cincinnati with cancer of the lymph nodes. I don't know whether its been diagnosed yet (Ask your vengeful god Pat!) but you haven't been feeling well, and the lord is dissolving that cancer right now!(What?!)4. There is a lady in Saskatoon(I assume Canada.) in a wheelchair-curvature of the spine, The lord is straightening that our right now, and you can stand up and walk!(If you have this condition ignore Pat!) Just claim it and it's yours. Thank you Jesus! Amen, Amen!When Pat Robertson had prostate cancer did he go to Peter Popoff?, Oral Roberts?,Benny Hinn?,Terry or Gordon? No! On February 17,2003 Pat went to a REAL DOCTOR to have his surgery! (You mean he doesn't trust his faith healing friends, Terry or his own son Gordon?!)When LT Pat Robertson was in the Marines during the Korean war He was a liquor officer, responsible for keeping the officers supplied with liquor. He was known to drink himself and frequent prostitutes and he feared he contacted gonorrhea.(Should of asked a faith healer for help!)The reason Pat got out of combat was because his daddy Absalom Willis Robertson (D Va from 1946-66) was Chairman of the Senate Military Appropriations Committee.Terrorist Attacks, September 11, 2001 We have imagined ourselves invulnerable and been consumed by the pursuit of health, wealth,(Pats worth between 150 and 200 million dollars folks!) material pleasures(A mansion in Virginia beach Virginia with a helicopter launching pad!) and sexuality(He had had sex with his future wife before marriage which they had a son!). It (terrorism) is happening because god is lifting his protection from us.( Statement released on September 13, 2001.) Pat Robertson reminds me of Burgermeister on Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and his evil vengeful god reminds me of Venger on Dungeons And Dragons.Spoiled brat Gordon does what daddy Pat tells him to and Terry is a paid yes woman who neither have minds of their own!This will really grab you! The September 5 2005 edition of The 700 Club included a report Christian Broadcasting Network correspondent Gary Lane from outside New Orleans Convention Center which has housed mostly impoverished black disaster victims throughout the weekend."A number of possessions left behind suggest the mindset of some of the evacuees"Lane said"they include this voodoo cup with the saying"May the curse be with you." A shot of a plastic cup souvenir cup from one of the New Orleans countless trinket shops appeared on the screen. "Also music CDs with the title Guerrilla Warfare and Thugs 'R' Us." Lane stated, pointing out a pile or rap CDs strewn on the ground.( His bigoted daddy Absalom has taught Pat racism well!)If any of you good people ever think of donating to these sexist bigoted people please in the name of God don't! Sponsor a softball or basketball team,give to a food shelf, be a big brother or sister to a child but please don't give to these people because they have been around for over 40 years and solved nothing.If you still don't believe me type Pat Robertson overheard during commercial break on the web and hit search and once you hear what hes really like, I know for sure that you will not give one cent to these conning liars! And by the way Terry once had a divorce and Pat has talked against divorce many times on his shows.I like to say hello to the folks in Dover Pennsylvania, Orlando Florida, and to the nice folks who got hit by hurricane Katrina and I hope its a pleasant day. Has Operation Blessing been helpful to New Orleans?(I doubt it!) Please let our readers know! I do! By the way folks if your sick, go to a real doctor and lets everybody laugh at these liars and someday Burgermeister Pat,Gordon and Terry can go someplace else and take their angry god Venger with them!$LABEL$ 0 +"Once again, we have a movie that packs about 20 minutes of entertainment -- much of it involving the band's occasionally funny lyrics -- into a 90-minute package." For anyone old enough to remember, this is along lines of the first "Bill and Ted" WITHOUT the story line. If that doesn't say enough as to how brainless this movie is, think about Jack Black singing for about 20 minutes of the movie and that being its selling point. If you actually like listening to Tenacious D because of their musical prowess, then knock yourself out and buy the soundtrack. Don't waste your time with this though. If your a stoner looking for a good bad movie filled with laughs, you're still barking up the wrong tree. No matter the potency of your buds, you'll still be left wishing you'd popped in Grandma's Boy again instead.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I'm not a golf fan, I attended a sneak preview of this movie and absolutely loved it. The historical settings, the blatant class distinctions, and seeing the good and the bad on both sides of the dividing line held my attention throughout. The actors and their characterizations were all mesmerizing. And I was on the edge of my seat during the golf segments, which were not only dramatic and exciting but easy to follow. Toward the end of this movie, "Seabiscuit" came strongly to mind, although "The Greatest Game Ever Played" is far less complex a story than that film. In both cases, the fact that the events really happened deepened my interest.$LABEL$ 1 +(Some Spoilers) Dull as dishwater slasher flick that has this deranged homeless man Harry, Darwyn Swalve, out murdering real-estate agent all over the city of L.A because of the high prices that they charge for their proprieties. Looking like an extra from a Clint Eastwood "Spaghetti Western" Harry who's been living in abandoned houses eating dog food get's very upset where his quite lifestyle as a squatter is interrupted. This happens when a number of real-estate agents invaded his space in an attempt to sell the houses, that he's staying at to their potential clients.Joseph Bottome stars in this bottom-of-the-barrel horror movie as radio talk-show host Dr. David Kelly the handsome and popular host psychologist of the KDRX survival line. DR. Kelly is being sued by the family of one of his callers,Tracy, who ended up blowing her brains out while on the air with the doc who couldn't do anything to help her survive her ordeal of taking to him.The real-estate killer gets to talk with Dr. Kelly on the air about his adventures and the police try to get the doc to get his phone number and address, by keeping him on the line, but he refuses to in order not to hurt his rating by having potential callers not call in in fear of being monitored by the LADP. Kelly also is having a hot and heavy affair with a real-estate manager and agent the busty Lisa Grant, Adrienne Barbeau, who's office of sellers are Harry's main victims in he movie. Harry also gets to murder Lisa's main competition in the housing business the chubby and outrageous Barney Resnick, Barry Hope, who threatened to put Lisa out of business by any means possible even if he has to kill her. Getting Berney alone and with his pants down Harry slices his head off while he's being entertained by one of his clients, a hooker, whom he leaves dead and hanging together with the headless Barney. The movie ends with the deranged Harry taking Lisa hostage and having Dr. Kelly try to come to her rescue only to have Det. Shapiro (Robert Miano), looking like e hasn't slept in a week, pop out of nowhere and blow Harry's brains out. Harry quickly come back to life minus the gay matter between his ears and gets himself killed for the second time in the movie by being thrown from a balcony and landing on the ground as a dozen members of the LAPD, M16 cocked and ready, come on the scene.Nothing in the movie "Opean House" worked with the tension laughable to almost non-existent. Even the hot sex scenes between Dr. Kelly and Lisa didn't save the movie since there were far too few,only two, of them and and sexy Adrienne Barbeau was a bit too underexposed, with not enough light and too much clothes on, in all of them.Harry the killer in the movie was also a bit to comical to be taken seriously in trying to make a point, to Dr. Kelly on the phone and in person, about the high rents and real-estate prices in the country and how people like himself find it almost impossible to find a decent place to live in. You can sympathize with Harry's concern about the high cost of living but be very critical of him in how he crazily went on in correcting it.$LABEL$ 0 +I was one of those "few Americans" that grew up with all of Gerry Andersen's marvelous creations. Thunderbirds was a great series for the time and would have made a great action/adventure movie if only the writers could have figured out where to target it.I expected it to be a romp, but I did not expect it to aim at such a low age group. Like Lost in Space, this could have been both visually stunning and exciting. It should have focused on more action/adventure and the goal of the original series... saving people in trouble.Instead, it focused on Alan saving the day instead of his brothers (who were cast too young anyway vs. the original). The breakout part was Lady Penelope and Parker. I didn't care too much for the characters in the original, but I was grateful for them in the movie. They stole the show!I always enjoyed Thunderbirds more for the high-tech than the stories, and even that did not get enough screen time as far as I was concerned. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the cool gadgets.But then, I'm just a big kid... ;)$LABEL$ 0 +How can the viewer rating for this movie be just 5.4?! Just the lovely young Alisan Porter should automatically start you at 6 when you decide your rating. James Belushi is good in this too, his first good serious role, I hadn't liked him in anything but About Last Night until this. He was pretty good in Gang Related with Tupac also. Kelly Lynch, you gotta love her. Well, I do. I'm only wondering what happened to Miss Porter?i gave Curly Sue a 7$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe in its day this movie was special. But five decades later it seems quaint, just another cinematic relic of the dreadful 1950s. Stereotypes abound in this fluffy story about three female gold diggers who set up shop in a Manhattan penthouse, in an effort to attract wealthy husbands.I don't mind the shallow theme. But the film's premise is lame. And the execution is worse. It's a romantic comedy, but I found little to laugh at. The plot point about an extremely nearsighted bimbo is about the only clever element of the story. Overall dialogue is flat, and so too is the delivery. And the script structure is disconcerting. The plot keeps jumping back and forth among the three ladies. It's as if the writer couldn't quite blend the ensemble roles. The result is a plot that seems choppy.Marilyn Monroe was a good choice for her role. But Lauren Bacall was too old for the role she played. And Betty Grable, with her squeaky voice and awful hairdo, was just plain annoying.Color cinematography is conventional. But there were lots of shots using rear screen projection, contributing to a dated look. The visuals are made even worse by costumes that reek of cheesy 1950's "glamour"; they are just awful. Viewers must endure a fashion show, a plot point that amplifies how the film's director was smitten by those trashy glad rags.And then there is that orchestra. In what is arguably the worst film opening in cinema history, the first part of the film has an orchestra playing some dreary-sounding tune. At first, I thought I was watching the introduction to coming attractions. But no, it's actually part of the film. And the orchestra plays on, and on, and on. It has nothing, absolutely nothing, whatever to do with the story. What were they thinking?I enjoyed Marilyn Monroe, with her breathy voice, as she bimbos her way through the plot. But the film would have been far better if they had dumped the other two ensemble roles, dumped that orchestra, enhanced the comedy dialogue, and downplayed those gaudy, cheesy costumes.$LABEL$ 0 +Lets get one thing out of the way. I am a HUGE Bruce Campbell fan, I have the Evil Dead series, have the action figures, and have seen Bubba Ho-Tep. I am a fan of cheesy, laughable horror flicks and know how to appreciate the whole "it's so bad it's good" deal. I wish I could say the same about this movie. I watched this movie with high expectations, I wanted it to be good, campy, something from the BC we have all come to know and love. It started out promising enough, but after the first 20 minutes I resided to watching the rest of this sorry excuse of a movie as if I had just been shot with tranquilizer darts. The idea itself isn't a bad one; two men, don't get along, both killed by the same psycho woman, half of one man's brain is transplanted into the other's head, they argue, disagree and the comedy ensues. What killed me is how extremely unorganized and boring it was! It had potential, even as a camp flick to be so much better than it was. The plot was boring, even Bruce's zany physical slap stick couldn't make it work. Word's cannot even properly express the ridiculous robot that Bruce's wife's brain ends up getting put into. Easily the worst looking robot I have ever seen anywhere (even for a B movie.) The whole idea is dumb. What the hell was going through Bruce's mind when he made this steaming pile is beyond me. Why Ted Raimi didn't go running to his big brother asking him to slap some sense into Bruce and not to mention some lessons about making an enjoyable movie on a budget is beyond me.Shame on you Bruce!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie tells about the real life story of Ramon Sampedro, who lived for 27 years lying in bed after having broken his neck, and fights a battle to get legal permission for someone that can assists with his death.Javier Bardem is one of best actors of his generation. Consider this: he has to carry this movie with only his face! Unbelievable that he didn't even got an Oscar-nomination. Now we can all see that the Academy is a joke! The supporting cast was terrific! The optimistic Rosa, his lawyer Julia, the rest of the family...Each and everyone has his/her own opinion about the fact that Ramon wants to die.Whether your for or against euthanasia, put your opinions aside, because this movie deserves to be seen by people all over the world! Half way through the movie I started crying and it didn't stop until the credits rolled. This movie is so heartbreaking but also wonderful to watch and I can't wait to see it again. I give it a 9/10, and in my opinion it is by far the Best Film of the year so far.$LABEL$ 1 +** possible spoilers **I like this film and have no problem staying awake for it. It reminds me of me at 20, except this is even better. Like Veronica says, two chicks at one time. It brings out the horniness in me, the casual conversation, these two real life chicks, rather than hookers, teasing us every step of the way. I get into the conversations too. Even if they are utterly b.s. at times, so what? Every chick, just about, that I've ever talked to and is high on herself is usually full of the same unreasoned rambling gratuitous self-centered b.s. philosophy. It's just a bunch of nonsense, and about as sensible as that other b.s. philosophy chicks are often into: astrological charts. The only deal with this movie is the guy is almost as feminine as the women, he's into the same b.s. and moodiness. The brunette chick is actually the most masculine person there.I think it's kind of funny that the brunette chick gets so obviously turned on by Veronica. She'd love to pull the little blonde away from Alexander, but Veronica plays her all the way. She's brilliant. She gets the brunette thinking there's something up between them, and then she steals the boy-child/man, which is only appropriate since they appear to be from the same age group. The brunette knows she's been had by the end, when she's dropping her face into the palms of her hands while Marlene Deitrich sings in the background that, paraphrasing, there are a million couples in Paris tonight, but I only have this refrain.But do they get married in the end, Alex and Veronica? Mmmm? I can only imagine a super-tumultuous relationship ending in a pre-marriage breakup. They are too selfish to be anything to each other than stepping stones.I like the film though. It kept me entertained, it's got a nice look, and it's sexy.$LABEL$ 1 +How important is the director, anyway? In this film, made in the politically tumultuous times of the late 60s where questions of social organization were prime conflicts, asks that question by making a movie that turns the camera away from the action and only begs to reveal the director, William Greaves. It is an important work, as it shows like no other movie shows the difficulties in blocking, organizing, and setting the scene; it reveals the role of the crew, something most directors frankly would like to disappear completely and that the invisibility of is essential for suspending disbelief; and it also puts into consideration the role of performance and scripting and how they match/don't match reality and what that has to say about how the director ultimately influences reality (if at all).The documentary, or pseudo-documentary, or fictional narrative (whichever you prefer, via your interpretations of the themes) has its brain in the over-educated, over-intellectual crew, its guts in the lost performers struggling to understand the vague and ambiguous directions, and its heart in the director, who stands in as the desire to portray, to represent, to express without any idea how to do any of those things or why he wants to do it. It's a film that purposefully repeats banalities just to see if they can become more than banalities. It's a film that sometimes shows the multiple shots simultaneously, just to leave the editing to the audience and also reveal how disturbingly different shots change perspective.It's an important work, and something that everyone interested in the industry and process of film-making should watch and understand. It, like many experimental films, has no real mass-audience appeal--it's not for them. It's for the industry, and its for the 60s, asking what to do with a group-effort medium that still relies on a single "voice" and "author".--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +I like CKY and Viva La Bam, so I couldn't resist this when I saw it for £1.99 in Gamestation. It is Bam Magera's debut scripted film, penned by himself and Brandon Dicimaillo, and stars the entire CKY crew (Ryan Dunn, Raab Himself, Rake Yohn, Jenn Rivell, Don Vito etc etc). Brandon also is in charge of the artistic direction - which is one of the film's greatest merits - its quite CKYish in its colour style - but also shows progression.Basically it follows (very loosely) Ryan Dunn's break up with girlfriend Glauren (played by Jenn). Vilo (played by Bam, named after Vilo Valo by any chance?) and Falcone (Bran) play his best mates who reek havoc by doing various stunts.Its a bit like the CKY films but with a linear storyline (which is very basic indeed) and poor acting. Its strange, the usually super charsmatic gang seem to have the life sucked out of them when they know what their meant to say next.The acting and script is pretty appalling for the most part, but the second half of the film is much better than the first (90 mins is a stretch for the flick though), and there are a number of redeeming factors, such as Tony Hawk's cameo, Dicimaillo's sub plots such as 'The Futurstic Invention Awards' and 'The Diamond Bike', the soundtrack is also very strong (its not ALL cKy and HIM - in fact Bomfunk MC's steal the film in terms of its use of music). In the second half of the film the sense of fun is much more real - especially since Don Vito has a fairly prominent role in the latter part - and he seems to steal every scene he is in.The film will appeal to those who like the CKY antics, but only because of the core material and not the filler or story line bullshit. Oh, and will someone tell Bam that skating montages, especially in films, is sooo 1998.However, the best part of the package on the DVD is not the film - but the 40 mins 'Making Of' doc.The last 20 minutes of the documentary deal with Raab Himself's alcholism and the crew's real feelings towards each other amazing candidly (as usual Bam comes across as a bit of a dick, especially towards Raab's drink problem and Ryan Dunn comes across as a really nice down to earth guy). The last ten mins of the documentary deal with a friend (who is an infrequent CKY member) trying to kick heroin whilst staying at the Magera household with the crew - and a caring unitary side of gang (espcially Ape and Ryan) really comes across - a startling gem in an otherwise dull DVD.For £1.99 I'm very satisified - although I hope Bam stays to the improvised and short skits from now on.$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably the funniest thing I have ever seen - from start to finish it was perfect in timing, atmosphere, punch lines, background music, fighting sequences and every other possible aspect you can think of. To be absolutely honest i find this movie as funny as their (Rik & Ade's) sitcom "Bottom" - maybe even funnier. I laughed constantly throughout the whole movie and can only recommend seeing this film... However, if you watch it without knowing (or liking?) the type of comedy Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson has done before, you might not think it's funny at all - but I REALLY can't understand those who dislike it - THIS IS HUMOUR FOLKS!!! (People getting hit with frying pans, guys running around wearing red rubber lingerie, green vomit filling the hallways, guys getting kicked in the b******s and getting candlesticks in the eyes - HOW can this NOT be funny???) 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +A young scientist is trying to carry on his dead father's work on limb regeneration.His overbearing mother has convinced him that he murdered his own father and is monitoring his progress for her own evil purposes.A young doctor uses reptilian DNA he extracts from a large creature and when his arm is conveniently ripped off a few minutes later,he injects himself with his formula and grows a new murderous arm...Admittedly the special effects in "Severed Ties" are pretty good and grotesque,but the rest of the film is awful.The severed arm is behaving like a snake and kills few people.Big deal.The acting is mediocre and the climax is silly.3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I recently rented the animated version of The Lord of the Rings on video after seeing the FANTASTIC 2001 live action version of the film. The Lord of the Rings live action trilogy directed by Peter Jackson will undoubtably be far better than George Lucas' Star Wars "prequel" trilogy (Episodes 1-3) will ever be as the real fantasy film series of the 21st century!I remember seeing the animated version as a child, and I didn't quite understand the depth of the film at that time. Now that I have read the books, I understand what the whole storyline is all about. To be sure, some of the characters are quite silly, (Samwise Gangee is particularly annoying, almost as much as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode One, (AWFUL!)) but, I have to say it follows the book rather closely, and it goes into part of book two, The Two Towers. The good things are that the action is somewhat interesting and some of the animation is quite remarkable for it's time. The bad things are that it ends upruptly halfway through The Two Towers without any result of Frodo's quest to destroy the one ring, and the animation looks quite dated compared to today's standards. Overall, not AS bad as many say it is. BUT, the 2001 live action version is the new hallmark of The Lord of the Rings! At least Ralph Bakshi took the script seriously! Peter Jackson has said that the animated version inspired him to read the books, which in turn caused him to create one of the greatest fantasy series ever put on film, so we can at least thank Ralph Bakshi for that matter! I'll take the animated version of Lord of the Rings over the live version of Harry Potter anyday!A 7 out of a scale of 1-10, far LESS violent than the 2001 live action version, but NOWHERE near as good! For diehard fans of the books and film versions of The Lord of the Rings.$LABEL$ 1 +Here is a movie that almost gets it all right, with good performances from everyone, and three strong leading performances from Hanks, Seymour Hoffman, and a fine turn up from Julia Roberts that had me spell bound from the first few seconds, these are performances that lift the production to the stars, and keep it there for the duration. Apart from one or two very minor factual problems with the script, the only thing that lets this movie down, is the technical direction, there are far too many bad cuts (fudged continuity)and a number of camera "cheats" that simply do not work. This is surprising for a movie of this stature, and is a little annoying to watch, but it does not destroy an otherwise beautifully crafted film.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the very best films i've seen in ages... it's right up there with the likes of trainspotting and pulp fiction. It just epitomises teenage culture today. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing... overseen by Pete Tong. It's a must see!$LABEL$ 1 +This is the kind of film that everyone involved with should be embarrassed over. Poor directing, over the top acting and a plot that rambles on with no point other than to show violence. I thought when I first saw it that it would be perhaps a satire of the media and how it shows violence but it's not. I'm not sure what makes the film worse. Oliver stone does his worst directing ever. From scenes where Woody Harrelson's face morphs for no reason or Robert Downey Jr's dreadful performance as Wayne Gale who is a reporter who seems totally bonkers, this movie is simply a mess.$LABEL$ 0 +The point of the vastly extended preparatory phase of this Star is Born story seems to be to make ultimate success all the more sublime. Summer Phoenix is very effective as an inarticulate young woman imprisoned within herself but never convincing as the stage actress of growing fame who both overcomes and profits from this detachment. Even in the lengthy scenes of Esther's acting lessons, we never see her carry out the teacher's instructions. After suffering through Esther's (largely self-inflicted) pain in excruciating detail, we are given no persuasive sense of her triumph.The obsessive presence of the heroine's pain seems to be meant as a guarantee of aesthetic transcendence. Yet the causes of this pain (poverty, quasi-autism, Judaism, sexual betrayal) never come together in a coherent whole. A 163-minute film with a simple plot should be able to knit up its loose ends. Esther Kahn is still not ready to go before an audience.$LABEL$ 0 +Although perhaps not as entertaining as some of Herzog's work, Little Dieter is another fine film by one of the world's greatest film artists. Departing from Herzog's usual themes, Little Dieter is a fascinating and uplifting character study about a brave man and his efforts to go on living after a life-alteringly traumatic experience. Dieter Dengler wanted to fly from a very young age, and the Viet Nam war gave him that opportunity, but instead of spending the war soaring in a cockpit, he spent most of it grounded as a POW. Dieter tells most of his story eloquently and passionately, with occasional help from Herzog. Herzog does very little voice over this time, but contributes a lot of subtly powerful soundscaping and visuals - which should be no surprise to those familiar with him.Dengler is a fascinating and extremely likable person. As human and as alive as they come, I found the story of his life and his incorrigibly upbeat personality to be inspiring. Thanks to Herzog for (re)introducing him to us.The scale of the film is not as sprawling, and the drama is not as fierce as many of the early films that made Herzog a force to be reckoned with. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this to his fans and to those who enjoy documentaries. It's a very interesting and well executed film.$LABEL$ 1 +This might be the WWE's 2nd best PPV of the year after Wrestlemania it was a good suprise! John Cena had an excellent match in which he upset Chris Jericho. Jeff Hardy retained his IC title in a short sloppy match with Willam Regal. Bubba & Spike Dudley won a fairly violent tables match over Benoit & Guerrero. Jamie Noble had a really good match with Kidman which was suprising to me. Booker T defeated The Big Show in a no dq match, at one point Booker T gave the scissors kick to Big Show and sent him right through the table. In a stupid decision by the WWE Christian and Lance Storm, the jealous anti-americans defeated Hogan and Edge with a lot of help from Test and Jericho. RVD and Brock had the match of the night it was filled with great high spots and RVD got to retain his ic title through a DQ so I was happy he kept the title. Triple H also signed with Eric Bischoff and Raw which means little to nothing. And in the main event the Rock became the first ever 7-time WWE world champion defeating both Kurt Angle & Undertaker in a triple threat match. Overall this is probably the WWE's 2nd best PPV of 2002! 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Having seen most of Ringo Lam's films, I can say that this is his best film to date, and the most unusual. It's a ancient china period piece cranked full of kick-ass martial arts, where the location of an underground lair full of traps and dungeons plays as big a part as any of the characters. The action is fantastic, the story is tense and entertaining, and the set design is truely memorable. Sadly, Burning Paradise has not been made available on DVD and vhs is next-to-impossible to get your mitts on, even if you near the second biggest china-town in North America (like I do). If you can find it, don't pass it up.$LABEL$ 1 +Alfred Hitchcock's more assured telling of a film he made twenty-one years earlier is infinitely superior to the original. Hitchcock said himself that his first version was the work of an amateur, and although it certainly isn't a bad film, he does appear to be right. That being said, this remake, although definitely better, still isn't among Hitchcock's best work. That's certainly not to say that it isn't good, it's just more than a little overindulgent, and that drags it down. Hitchcock seems all too keen to drag certain elements out, and these are parts of the film that aren't entirely relevant to the plot, which can become annoying. Some of these dragged out sequences, such as the one that sees James Stewart and Doris Day eating in a Moroccan restaurant are good because it helps establish the different culture that our American protagonists have found themselves in, but for every restaurant scene, there's an opera sequence and it's the latter that make the film worse.The plot follows a middle-aged doctor and his wife that go to Morocco for a holiday with their young son. While there, they meet a French man on the bus and another middle-aged couple in a restaurant. However, things go awry when the French man dies from a knife in the back, shortly after whispering something to the doctor. The holiday then turns into a full blown nightmare when the couple's son is kidnapped, which causes them to cut it short and go to London in order to try and find him. The film has a very potent degree of paranoia about it, and it manages to hold this all the way through. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that this is the most paranoid film that Hitchcock ever made. Like most of Hitchcock's films, this one is very thrilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat for almost the entire duration, with only the aforementioned opera sequence standing out as a moment in which the tension is diffused. There is also more than a little humour in the movie, which gives lighthearted relief to the morbid goings on, and actually works quite well.The original version of this story was lent excellent support by the fantastic Peter Lorre. This film doesn't benefit from his presence, unfortunately, but that is made up for by performances from the amazing James Stewart, and Doris Day. James Stewart is a man that is always going to be a contender for the 'greatest actor of all time' crown. His collaborations with Hitchcock all feature mesmerising performances from him, and this one is no different. (Although his best performance remains the one in Mr Smith Goes to Washington). Stewart conveys all the courage, conviction and heartbreak of a man that has lost his child and would do anything to get him back brilliantly. In fact, that's one of the best things about this film; you are really able to feel for the couple's loss throughout and that serves in making it all the more thrilling. Doris Day, on the other hand, is a rather strange casting choice for this movie. She's definitely a good actress, but she's more associated with musicals and seeing her in a thriller is rather odd (even if she does get to flex her vocal chords a little).As I've mentioned; this is not Hitchcock's best film, but there's much to enjoy about it and although I'd recommend many Hitchcock films before recommending this one, I'll definitely give it two thumbs up as well.$LABEL$ 1 +Somewhere between the Food Court and Zip's, the mall in this filmhas an explosives store. This is the only place the title charactercan purchase the bomb he plants in the mall in the dull finale.A fictional town has a new mall, built on some land that wascondemned. Cute Girl (I didn't catch her name) gets a job as awaitress there. She lost her boyfriend in a fire at the site where themall stands. The villainous mall owner hires the arsonistresponsible for the fire as a security guard after his first securityguard ends up dead. Rob Estes, eons before "Silk Stalkings," is aphotog/reporter trying to find a story. He hooks up with Cute Girl,and their mutual "funny" friend Pauly Shore, and try to find out if Ericis still alive. He is, living in the mall basement (?) and travelingthrough the air ducts and offing different people who upset hisformer girlfriend, including the arsonist. Eventually, he kidnaps herand the finale involves the bomb and everyone running from thescene before the big kablooey. Morgan Fairchild is along for theride as the mayor...yes, she's the mayor.Of course, you probably did not need a plot sketch since the entirestory is in the title. Someone named Eric is taking revenge againstpeople as a phantom of a mall. This also means there is nosuspense. We know Eric is behind this, but we still have to seeEstes and Cute Girl go through the motions of a silly investigation.Watch as Fairchild, who we know has been in cahoots with themall owner all along, pull a gun on our heroic duo in the middle ofa crowded party, yet no one says a word as she leads them to heroffice, and her eventual death. The fictional town is huge, yet nary apoliceman is ever called, everyone relies on mall security for order.Eric has been hiding since the mall was built, but I am not surewhere. He seems to live in a basement area, but you would thinksome construction worker would have found him. He also hasfurnished his love pad quite well, and found a few outlets, since hehas electricity. It might be nicer than your own apartment!Pauly Shore fans, both of you, take note. He tricks a security guardout of his booth by mooning the camera. Yes, stop scanningCelebrity Skin and Playgirl, this is where you get to see a grainyblack and white shot of Pauly's south shore, although no weezil.This is just junk, and proof positive that I am down to renting justabout anything at the video store to stay in the horror section. Thisfilm is not Eric's revenge, it is the film maker's revenge for mebeing dumb enough to watch it. Here is my revenge: I do notrecommend it. That'll show 'em!This is rated (R) for physical violence, some gun violence, gore,some profanity, some female nudity, brief male nudity, and somesexual content.$LABEL$ 0 +If you have read the books then forget the characters that Tolkien built in your head. The representation of hobbits, dwarves etc have had the 'disney' treatment. The dark riders are excellent, and as I had always imagined from the books.Cinematically this is an excellent film, mixing live motion and animation to produce amazing effects for the year. I only wish he (Bakshi) had been given the money to complete his epic.It's worth having the video as they will be worth a bit after the 2001 Lord of the Rings !!$LABEL$ 1 +I have been a fan of Pushing Daisies since the very beginning. It is wonderfully thought up, and Bryan Fuller has the most remarkable ideas for this show.It is unbelievable on how much TV has been needing a creative, original show like Pushing Daisies. It is a huge relief to see a show, that is unlike the rest, where as, if you compared it to some of the newer shows, such as Scrubs and House, you would see the similarities, and it does get tedious at moments to see shows so close in identity.With a magnificent cast, wonderful script, and hilarity in every episode, Pushing Daisies is, by-far, one of the most remarkable shows on your television.$LABEL$ 1 +For a made-for-TV "horror" movie the movie started off very interesting. I was really intrigued by the story and the mystery of the film. But the ending was a total dissappointment. The movie was going along fast-paced and was building up to, it seemed like anyway, to a very climatic end. But guess what there is no end. The movie is just over and after almost one-and-a-half hours the audience is just left wondering what happened. Why were all the unanswered questions in the film left unanswered. There was no explanation at all about any of the key points in the plot. This film is like watching a murder mystery and then never finding out who did it. Very dissappointed. This film looks like the producers just ran out of money and never completed the film. A real BOMB!$LABEL$ 0 +Scott is right. The best 2 person sword duel ever put on film is in the middle of this movie. The sword fights with multiple fighters are not the best although quite good. However, the fight in the middle is the best even compared to Japanese samurai movies. Chinese swordplay scenes in my opinion have never surpassed the Japanese in terms of entertainment value. Especially in scenes where one guy must battle a group of enemies, Japanese movies excel, example being the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Even though duels in Japanese cinema last only seconds or a minute at the most, the sheer intensity of those moments made them better. But, this is one example where Chinese swordplay surpasses the Japanese. The scene in the middle of this film was a five minute long fight with the most amazing choreography ever. The other fights in this movie are good too but even if they sucked this movie would get a 7 for that one scene. If you haven't seen it, you have to. John Woo is the man.$LABEL$ 1 +Gung Ho tries to express many ideas and entertain us with a wiseguy comedy at the same time. The result is uneven, but generally entertaining. Keaton balances all three aspects of his lead character quite well. Wantabedde is even better. One warning: George Wendt is very poor in his supporting role. Otherwise, this is quite enjoyable time capsule.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this film the first time when I was searching for some works in witch Stéphane Rideau had participate, still in an extraordinary ravishment caused by the astonishingly beautiful «Les roseaux sauvages» (in Portuguese, Juncos Silvestres), by André Téchiné. I was searching for similar movies, in the come of age line. I found then «Presque Rien», a movie where the director Sébastien Lifshitz deliciously amazes us, earning a nomination by the Cannes festival in 2000. The story is about two guys, the kind «boy next door», Mathieu (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Cédric (Stéphane Rideau), who meet during the summer vacations. In a land far from where he lives, Mathieu spends is days at the beach with his sister. There he meets Cédric, a local, with whom he starts this estival and revealing relationship, much by means of the sensual and seducer personality that Stéphane Rideau gives his characters, (in «Les roseaux sauvages», 6 years younger, he still preserves the innocence of the sweet seducer, witch matures here in experience). Exemplar in directing, in the amorous sequence, in the intimate and confessing description that is made about a boys first facing his (still ambiguous) sexuality and great love. The first love, in its terrible progression ecstasy-despair. The best of the film is the best of France: the fervent passion, the hot and excited rationalism, the brownish beauty, the simple and natural acceptance made by the families, although not without surprise and first anger. Still, there is the beach, the luminosity, the lightness e simplicity of summer, the freshness of breeze, the surge’s melody, and the expressive eyes of an introverted Elkaïm (hesitant, hurt, puzzled, passionate). The sex is not avoided nor exploited, it is treated as it is, with no exhibitionist intention. In virtue of pure talent, this is a work of drama of uncommon quality, without cheap sentimentalism, showing an inevitably real image of two homosexual in their prime youth as any ordinary person, although with a social fear of rejection and shame. It is well worthy being seen, especially by those who adore French movies (although the DVD front cover is very lame, with the two actors in between tens of stars, greased with brilliantine). A movie witch, in my opinion, deserves an 8-9!$LABEL$ 1 +Assault on Precinct 13: 3/10: Let us forget for a moment that Assault on Precinct 13 is a remake of a classic action movie. Taken completely on its own merits Assault is a debacle. Lets start with the Rio Bravo style scenario. About a dozen people are trapped in a decaying police station in Detroit (If the Detroit location is giving you Robocop warm and fuzzies stop right now. It could have easily said Topeka in the opening credits and nothing would have changed. In fact the last bit in the forest would have made more sense.) Surrounding them are our bad guys; corrupt cops.Now I know what your thinking. Corrupt cops? Were the Nazis and drug cartels busy that weekend? Of course these are no ordinary cops. These guys are right of the cover of the latest Tom Clancy video game. Yup we have body armor; helicopters; laser sights; night vision goggles the works. So we have thirty S.W.A.T. members/Special Forces armed to the teeth verses 4 cops (drunk mind you it's new years eve), 2 girls in party dresses and half a dozen criminals. So how do our heroes defend themselves? Truth is they can't. They all should be dead within ten minutes tops. (Not to mention the characters inside have an annoying habit of walking past the windows.) Now an illogical scenario is no reason to completely pan a movie esp. a B style action film. However with the exception of Laurence Fishburne and Ethan Hawke all the other characters seemed to be comic relief. (At least I hope they were) While Ja-Rules and Leguizamo's characters are bad enough. It's Aisha Hind's minstrel show that takes the cake. Rarely has a more stereotypical African American character appeared on the modern screen. Her performance resembles a frat boy in blackface and drag acting ghetto. In the original Assault a gang member takes over an Ice-Cream truck and drives around the neighborhood shooting little girls in the head. I have had an irrational fear of ice-cream trucks ever since. After this Assault I have a perfectly rational fear of remakes.$LABEL$ 0 +The Clouded Yellow is a compact psychological thriller with interesting characterizations. Barry Jones and Kenneth More are both terrific in supporting roles in characters that both have more to them than what meets the eye. Jean Simmons is quite good, and Trevor Howard makes a fascinatingly offbeat suspense hero.$LABEL$ 1 +Pretty bad movie offers nothing new. The usual creaks and moans attempt to make-up for a muddled, but thin story. Acting is barely above pathetic. Why Liam Neeson signed on for this is anyone's guess. Owen Wilson truly turns in one of the worst performances in recent horror-movie history. Catherine Zeta Jones is fun to look at and not much else although Lili Tayor did an above-average job. The special effects were fairly memorable and the house itself was breathtaking and hauntingly gorgeous. However they can't makeup for the poor acting and the storyline which appears to have been thrown together at the last minute. Don't bother.$LABEL$ 0 +It would appear that some previous reviewers may have had their expectations set a bit too high going into this film. I found it scanning the satellite channels for something (not knowing what) and happened upon it. I thought by the title it might be one of the myriad soft-core porn flicks appearing regularly on the movie channels but I was pleasantly surprised. Although there was some male frontal nudity (in fact, more than your typical soft-core title -- go figure!), this was not the focus of the film. It was just fun.Don't be deceived by my tastes: my recent screenings have included Before Night Falls and Europa, Europa (both geat, IMHO). But I also enjoy total mental shutdown when watching a movie. Virtual Sexuality did this for me and that's not a bad thing!$LABEL$ 1 +Such a film of beauty that it's hard to describe. Maybe it's the absence of superfluous dialogue, or maybe it's the absolutely stellar soundtrack, or maybe it's just Meena Mumari's feet, but it's a joy to watch this movie again and again. I've never seen another Indian movie that comes close to it, and few from any country rival its perfection.$LABEL$ 1 +The making of The Thief Of Bagdad is quite a story unto itself, almost as wondrous as the tale told in this film. Alexander Korda nearly went broke making this film.According to the Citadel Film series Book about The Great British Films, adopted son of the United Kingdom Alexander Korda had conceived this film as early as 1933 and spent years of planning and preparation. But World War II unfortunately caught up with Korda and the mounting expenses of filming a grand spectacle.Budget costs happen in US films too, only Cecil B. DeMille always had a free hand at Paramount after 1932 when he returned there. But DeMille nor any of his American contemporaries had to worry about enemy bombs while shooting the film. Part of the way through the shoot, Korda transported the whole company to America and shot those sequences with Rex Ingram as the genie in our Grand Canyon. He certainly wasn't going to get scenery like that in the UK. Korda also finished the interiors in Hollywood, all in time for a release on Christmas Day 1940.The spectacle of the thing earned The Thief Of Bagdad four Academy Award nominations and three Oscars for best color cinematography, best art&set direction for a color film, and best special effects. Only Miklos Rosza's original musical score did not take home a prize in a nominated category. Korda must have been real happy about deciding to shoot in the Grand Canyon because it's impossible to get bad color pictures from that place.The special effects however do not overwhelm the simple story of good triumphing over evil. The good is the two young lovers John Justin and June Duprez and the evil is Conrad Veidt as the sorcerer who tries to steal both a kingdom and a heart, both belonging to Duprez. This was Veidt's career role until Casablanca where he played the Luftwaffe major Stroesser. Of course good gets a little help from an unlikely source. Beggar boy and thief Sabu who may very well have been one of the few who could call himself at the time an international movie star. Literally rising from poverty working as an elephant stable boy for the Maharajah of Mysore he was spotted by Alexander Korda who needed a native lead for one of his jungle features. Sabu captures all the innocence and mischievousness of youth as he fulfills the Arabian Nights fantasy of the boy who topples a tyrant. Not a bad message to be sending out in 1940 at that.The Thief Of Bagdad holds up remarkably well today. It's an eternal tale of love, romance, and adventure in any order you want to put it.$LABEL$ 1 +As a horror-movie fan I try to watch all significant novelties of this genre, especially those which are the products of my native cinema. And I can say that that the "Power of Fear" (or "Vedma" as the Russian title of it) is one of the weakest film among them. Firstly, it can't scary even a little kid, it paces so slowly and so predictable that there is no place for the real horror. Frankly speaking, it's bad in all points: from the goofy plot (I don't know why the Russian producers/director decided to transform the classic story about Ukrainian witchcraft into some lame and ridiculous modern-day-America thriller. I absolutely agree with the previous reviewer – it doesn't thrill a bit) and to the terrible and cheesy actors' work. All actors including the leading Valeri Nikolayev and Yevgeniya Kryukova who are quite famous in Russia look like wooden dolls or something like that and it seems to me they didn't even bother to play at all, only spoke their English lines without any expression. And at the end I don't really understand why they filmed this flick in English with Russian actors? I think it was their wrong turn. At least they could cast some American or English actors for the leading parts to make them look more convincing. The same I can say about so called "small American town backgrounds" which were shot in Estonia and look like it. The only positive moment I found in the "Power of Fear" is the visual effects. They are not excellent but rather good for the Russian film. And the music is OK, at least it doesn't irritate me. That's why I give it two stars. Overall, if you want to see good horror film – don't waste your time and money on this boring flick. And if you are looking for something that claims to be a Russian horror I'd advise you to find a copy of "Viy or The Spirit of Evil". It's really the terrific movie based on the same novel as "Power of Fear" but much, much better.$LABEL$ 0 +A film that dramatized an understandable reluctance to face the inevitable coming of the the second world war, when a Spanish Republican, sent by his soon to be overthrown government, (Charles Boyer) infiltrates himself into England looking for support for his cause by trying to influence wealthy mine owners not to sell coal to the fascists back in Spain. He upsets the locals, getting convincingly beaten in one scene, and later in the film facing an angry crowd of miners who see him as yet another threat to their shaky livelihood. Notwithstanding socio-economic hierarchy, xenophobia, and world politics, this film expertly delves into a dark and suspenseful intrigue involving unfaithful compatriots played by Katina Paxinou and Peter Lorre, and is expertly filmed in numerous darkly lit scenes set in a dreary hotel by James Wong Howe, and manages more than once to get under your skin.$LABEL$ 1 +The MTV sci-fi animated series "Æon Flux" is brought to life with Charlize Theron playing the title character, a freedom fighter who fights oppression in the walled city of Bregna, 400 hundred years into the future. For her latest mission, she has been sent to kill the city's leader Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas), but she uncovers secrets along the way.Aeon Flux falls under the category of good premise, mediocre execution. Interesting story yet the film was a little dull. A lot of people are saying that this is one of the worst movies of the year and that's not true at all. It may be a disappointing film but it's an average film at best. I have never seen the cartoon version of the movie so I can't compare the two. It's probably better because they have a chance to explain the story more. The film is not that confusing but it's easy to get lost if you're not familiar with the material. The acting was alright, nothing special. Charlize Theron gives a good performance and seems dedicated to the film. The rest of the cast also give decent performances including Jonny Lee Miller, Frances McDormand and Marton Csokas. There are also more than a few interesting characters in the film including Sithandra, Aeon's friend.The problem with Aeon Flux is that it takes itself too seriously. It carries the same serious tone throughout the entire film and that gets a little tiring. There's no humor and the film becomes a little boring at times. This is the same problem that Elektra had. Because the film is so serious, the dialog sounds cheesy and the serious scenes seem forced. The action scenes are pretty good but that's not what the film is really about so don't go in expecting just an action movie. The twist at the end isn't mind blowing but it's still a nice ending and better than other thrillers that have come out this past year (Hide and Seek). The costumes are little weird but still look nice and interesting. The visuals were are also done well so the film at least looks nice. So, the movie may be a case of style over substance. Interesting to look at but may not hold your attention for a very long time. In the end, it's not the best film out there but it might for a decent rental. Rating 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Obviously a film that has had great influence not only on the buddy genre but action genre as well. George Lucas had to be a fan of this flick as so much of his Star Wars series seems to a homage to Gunga Din. The characters that Grant, McLaglen, and Fairbanks play are just precursors of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca. Even Sam Jaffe's Gunga Din morphed into C-3PO and R2-D2 and like him or not: Jar Jar Binks.Today this film is viewed as non PC but there is a speech by Eduardo Ciannelli as Guru the leader of the Indian opposition to the British raj that could can be echoed in the sentiments of many today. To a young boy this was a great film. Three strong male leads and only a hint of romance. There was a time when young boys deemed kissing the girl in Saturday matinee film was just mush. Not like today when the more skin is greeted with delight. Too late to lament lost innocence.Hopefully this film will not be forgotten and a few who are channel surfing will stop at TCM and catch a film with action, adventure, and a cast of thousands instead of CGI actors.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes Pigeon and Coburn are great, and it's interesting to watch them, although Coburn seems rather restrained and dull here. It's enjoyable to view Seattle, Victoria and Salt Lake City of 1970's, and the period cars and clothing. That's all the good in this boring film. The dialog is incredibly bad, as is most of the acting. Ray and Sandy's motivations seem forced and unlikely. I've seen this "training to be a pickpocket" routine several times before. There's a long build up, leading to nothing. Better to catch an episode of "Streets of San Francisco", or one of the many great crime/caper movies. To name a few, there are Bedtime Story, remade as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Grifters, Paper Moon, The Sting, and best of all, House of Games.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes. I'll admit it. I believed all the hype surrounding this piece of work, about the trials and tribulations of 6 people, living in Mexico City concerning their sexual lives. And so, I was really expecting to finally see a Mexican movie (in ages) that was both popular and interesting to watch. Unfortunately the film was utterly disappointing. The story presents us with two couples, both with very obvious marital problems. When a third party comes into the life of each couple, their problems reach a pivotal point. Or absolute absurd. The plot then turns into a battle of the sexes. The stance taken by each group (yes, they literally group, girls with girls and boys with boys) is blatantly stupid and childish (I guess the humor was supposed to be there). And it all goes from bad to worse. The performances range from good (Miss Zavaleta) to mediocre (Mr Bichir), with Serrano doing an acceptable job on his opera prima. However, the flat circumstances that make up the plot, the one-dimensional characters, the very poor (if not stupid) perception of what sex represents in a mature relationship etc, make the movie fail. Miserably. SPyL has had an (impressive) good reception at the box-office. Believe the hype at your own risk.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best ensemble comedy/musical "B" film's that I have seen (and since I'm in my 40's now and only seeing this now, I am not an expert but I have seen all the well known films out there). When there are a ton of actors getting their lead for minutes at a time, usually the comedy interferes with the musical bits, and very often the musical pieces interrupt the comedic flow. Call me in a crazy kind of mood but when I saw this on TCM Europe, I was laughing out loud with pleasure! So who delivered the laughs for me? Without a doubt Mischa Auer delivered me some terrific gut busting laughs, he even steals the ending, it was great! Speaking of which, I think why this movie works is because although L & H are a selling point (and why I got hooked to watch this one (them and Hal Roach), I love them in their early Hal Roach stuff), this keeps them at a minimum and stays squarely on ADULT fare (by 1930's standards, and not that far from today's standards if you read between the lines). Jack Haley is also great to watch, I admit that I only know him from W O OZ and I loved him there, and I also laughed out loud here at his waiter bit in the show. Patsy Kelly is the only "ugly" femme in the 30's movies that actually turns me on (something tells me she was a spitfire in real life); and the musical numbers have a real professional production (Busby Berkley'ish) quality, that blew me away from what I am used to in this genre. I could go on and on, but rest assured I really enjoyed this movie. 8 of 10 I saw it on TCM Europe and will record it to watch again with my wife on TCM USA. Good Stuff!$LABEL$ 1 +What a shame. What a terrible shame. The table was set, the candles were lit, the guests had arrived... and then...... well nothing really. Just pretentious drivel. It could have been great, OK maybe not great, but it could have been very good. All the elements were there but at the end of the day the bottle was empty: NO LIGHTNING! How that happened is a mystery with everything at the director's disposal...... the story was quite brave although it certainly needed considerable work with possibly several finishing rewrites to fix the story and tighten up the characters a lot (the only thing that was consistently and constantly and unnecessarily tight was the cinematography, but i'll get to that). But the direction was lousy, the acting was just that: _a-C-T-i-n-G_ with a heavy side of cheese and lots of ham, and then the cinematography......well that was something to behold! But only if you are in film school's "Cinematography 101 how to never ever use a professional movie camera under any circumstances". Obviously the student had fallen asleep through part of the lecture's introduction and only heard "... use a professional movie camera..." then blissfully back to la la land as the sentence finished off.What can i say; amateurish and pretentious to the last! I can only see this film meant to appeal as a Chick Flick because it's supposed to be sad, but then falls flat and just ends up being 'sad' (as an excuse for a movie)... so that even those 'Chicks' wouldn't be fooled by this schlockenspiel! PS. I felt bad for Miss Diaz. She's a lot better at her craft than what this film allowed her to be, even though she was totally TOTALLY miscast. Actually i feel sorry for everyone in this movie except the director and (you guessed it) the cinematographer! I say '1st against the wall for them when the revolution comes!' OK, not really, after all "it was only a movie" but perhaps a good "tar and feather and running out of town" might be more satisfying or at the very least a lot more entertaining!!!TTFN :-($LABEL$ 0 +A film that reveals the unease of modern men and women in life when confronted to death. We are beyond the simple religious belief in the afterlife, and what's more in any kind of hell or heaven. Religion is declared dead. Yet human beings are more obsessed than ever by death, especially since we can push it away for quite a long time. What's more the scientific and technological development of our societies leads us to believe we can explain everything, know everything and do everything. That was quite typical of the end of the 20th century. Today things are changing, especially when the president of the United States himself, Barack Obama, in a public speech to journalists speaks of their search for truth and qualifies that truth as being of course relative because it is more a quest than a final end, objective or achievement. The film shows the end of the good old metaphysical thinking that was starting to evolve into a truth obsession, an obsessive conception that truth was unique and irreversibly reachable. Post modernism had not reached Hollywood yet, though today it seems to have reached the White House. So some young doctors and medical students decide to go into death and come back. Technically it is possible but the result is not surprising. It reactivates old guilty feelings and frustrations that had been buried into the unconscious. One has to do with a drug addicted father of a Vietnam veteran who commits suicide, another with a young boy who was stoned to death by some others the death tripper included, another still with a young black girl who was victimized and bullied in grade school out of racism, sexism and hatred if not fear in front of her shyness. It is so naïve that you could cry out of shame for these young adults who are highly qualified and behave like babies who are crying for their bottles of edulcorated fruit juice. The film though is interesting but in something quite different. The setting and the shooting and every single detail or treatment of any detail is baroque, morbid, decadent, quite in the style of "Death in Venice" or Greenaway, or some other works of art that deal with making friends with the basic enemy that death is. Of course that does not save the film but at least that makes it worth watching.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID$LABEL$ 1 +I started watching The Apprentice about 4 years ago(maybe 5) and I really really liked it. The first thing that strikes you about it is the refreshing format, which though similar to a lot of other reality shows at its core, is still very entertaining. Donald Trump is wonderful as the host and the main judge of the show as well. The casting coup with intelligent people having good looks being picked as contestants is appreciated as well. But the best part of the show is New York city. Mark Burnett may have made a lot of crap in his time but his handling of the cinematography is excellent as he makes NYC look like a character unto itself. The jazz tunes coupled with some great camera-work make New York look spectacular.The Apprentice will easily alway make my top 3 reality shows of all time(The Amazing Race is no. 1,however).But just like the amazing race this show is always best watched in moderation. If you keep watching it for a while the originality of the show will wear off fast(the same case as with TAR).Star World, the broadcasters in this country, did a bang up job in presenting the show. The first three seasons were shown in a row, then after 2 years the next two seasons were shown, which kept the concept fresh.In conclusion, you will love this show, especially the first 2 seasons. However if you keep watching the show continuously, thereafter its charm WILL wear off and FAST.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film with a bunch of friends at a Halloween party last night. I got to say that the sarcastic comments were never ending and I have to say that they were well deserved. Though I felt that the directing was done well, the craziness in their dialogue is just a little too much cheese. I think I got about an hour into this before I even started to realize what it was the point was that they were trying to drive home. You catch on pretty quick that this whole family is pretty quirky and something is off about them, it's just a little too slow. This movie could easily have been about 45 minutes and been a lot better. The only thing that made it bearable was the two bottles of wine that I downed during the course of the flick. Bring on the slasher films folks, because at least I know what to expect out of them. This was not my thing, too much dark humour, and the subject material of cannibalism was a bit explicit and gross. I have to say that Randy Quaid played the part as well as it could have been, and I will give him props for that as I normally see him as a drunken goofball or a washed out fighter pilot who likes to kill aliens.In conclusion I give this horror/comedy film a very generous 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Panic is a sneaky little gem of a film - you think you have it figured out by the first half hour only to realize, with great pleasure, that Henry Bromell is a much better writer/director than that. The film builds slowly, with one quietly devastating scene after another, all enacted perfectly by William H. Macy, Donald Sutherland, Neve Campbell, Tracey Ullman, John Ritter, and the most remarkable child actor I've seen in a long time, David Dorfman, as Macy's son, who delivers his lines as if they're completely unscripted thoughts being created in his mind. Rich and rewarding, this film will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was very good because it remember when I was young when I maked snow castle. It was so fun. This movie is interessant. This is a good quebeker movie with no much money and is also a magical movie because their wonderfull castle is very big and beautiful.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, there is a plenty of ways how to spoil a political thriller. Usually they are derivative or too ambitious, often they feature a conspiracy that is totally paranoic and unbelievable. But City Hall does not do neither of the above mentioned. The plot is cleverly crafted, story is believable. As far as characters go I would say this movie is a solid average. No character seems out of place and Al Pacino is brilliant as always. His portrayal of a charismatic NYC mayor is superb and proves again that Al Pacino belongs to the absolute top of American actors nowadays.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is great! This movie is beautiful! Finally, a movie that portrays Moslems as PEOPLE, no stereotypes here. This movie is driven by the story, by the acting and above all by its theme, that of cultural affirmation and discovery. They may seem like clichés but they are not, at least not in this movie. The vista of the Grand Mosque of Mecca is absolutely stupendous and the audience is given a glimpse of a side of the Moslem world that is rarely of ever shown in the West. Here the people are caring, supportive, devout, tolerant and devoted to each other. What a welcomed and way overdue departure from the usual negative portrayals of Arabs. Outstanding movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Nice description of the situation in the US, it explains different kinds of Islam, not just show terrorist and extremist. Islam can be other thing that killing, they show why some people become terrorist and how to be Muslim without being extremist. It is a great series that Muslims and no-Muslims should see. Now we hope that other series or films will be done to change the idea of all Muslims are terrorist and all Americans want to destroy Islam. It gave me the interest to discover what Islam is exactly and what the US and also European government do to help cohabitation between people of different religion.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, plain and simple, if you are a fan of the other Tomb Raider games (yes, even AOD) KEEP AWAY FROM LEGEND.It is, without doubt, the most disappointing TR game yet. It looks very nice, it sounds very nice, but it is totally unplayable and I've given up. I feel like I've been robbed by Eidos.It's very simple. TR was a PC game before anything else. You control Lara using the keyboard. In 6 Tomb Raider games the controls were standard. In AOD they were 'tacky', but still the same general control sequences. In Legend they have changed her movement and control methods completely and she is totally uncontrollable.I have seen comments elsewhere from people who say 'Use the mouse'. No, why should I? Others say 'Use a gamepad'. No, why should I? Others say 'But this has been the standard for 3rd person controls for years' Well, I don't care, it is not the standard for any other TR game so why mess with it. Oh, I know, because they couldn't care less about their original, loyal fan base, they want to cash in on the new kids who hadn't even heard of the series until the movies came out and make lots more money. Pathetic.My advice to any serious TR fan is keep away from this game, and if you do buy it complain to Eidos. I have seen masses of other posts, mainly on the Eidos forums, from people telling them how rubbish it is, perhaps they will listen.$LABEL$ 0 +I imagine when Hitchcock scholars and experts find themselves together, the talk is not of the Master's great films like "North By Northwest" or "Strangers On A Train", but a lesser-known effort like this one from 1931, obscure and seriously flawed, which showcases the great director in fledgling form.Emily and Fred Hill (Joan Barry and Harry Kendall) are a middle-class London couple scrimping to stay ahead. He begrudges their lot; she accepts it. Change comes in the form of a letter from an uncle, saying he will set them up so they can enjoy a life of globetrotting luxury. They make plans for a world cruise. But their problems have only begun.Just ask Richard Hannay, Roger O. Thornhill, or Marion Crane. Well, Marion's indisposed at the moment, but you get the idea. Travel and Hitchcock go together like moths and candlelight, setting one up for a perilous journey at best. This is perhaps Hitchcock's earliest foray into this theme, and not his most successful or memorable. Hitchcock tries to mix comedy with another element, in this case domestic drama rather than suspense, but the two do not cohere, at least not here.The Hills are a dull, flat couple, with no chemistry or personality. When they find themselves at the Folies Bergère, in the form of cross-cutting with footage that looks ten years older than the rest of this film, they are abashed at the outfits of the female performers. "The curtain's gone up too soon!" gasps Emily. "They aren't dressed."When the Hills drift away from each other on an ocean cruise, it seems a mercy killing more than a tragic thing, even if the people they partner off with are drips, too. Emily's man, Gordon (Percy Marmont) carries around photographs of himself sitting next to empty chairs, which he suggests be filled by Emily. Fred's girl "the Princess" (Betty Amann) has Clara Bow's eyes and Wallace Beery's five o'clock shadow. There's also an obnoxious fellow passenger, a dowdy spinster whom Hitchcock always introduces with a cartoonish horn cue. Subtlety was still to come.Everything is shot in an abrupt manner, with confusing blocking and strained dialogue. Hitchcock tries for some early comedy with Fred and his umbrella that doesn't come off, and Kendall seems to aim for laughs while Berry plays for tears. When Fred and Emily break off, they are seen being jostled on a pair of wedged-together rickshaws, one of many clunky attempts at symbolism.Emily's the only vaguely sympathetic character, in part because she really cares about her husband and agonizes over her affair with Gordon, but mostly because she's among the first of Hitchcock's many magnetic blondes, her platinum ringlets whipping around her face like a Botticelli aboard the open deck of a Chinese junk near the film's conclusion.Matters conclude with a dangerous situation as set-piece for the protagonists to come to grips with, and presumably repair their relationship. Only they aren't active participants in the resolution, and except for the fate of a friendly cat, nothing about the ending resonates.At least you get some enjoyable views of London in the early 1930s, and a chance to see Hitchcock when he was still working for food. "Rich And Strange" is Hitchcock paying his dues, and learning his trade, one for scholars but not casual film goers.$LABEL$ 0 +One the whole, this movie isn't perfect. It doesn't 'hang well' together as the story line is basically a bunch of hooks to hang jokes.Some of these jokes are a little 'too 80s' and tend to date the picture.But some of these jokes are classic.You know a movie has something special when you and your friends still reference silly quotes from it over 2 decades later.Plus, there are a bunch of familiar faces; Michael Keaton, Danny Devito, Joe Piscapo, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Maureen Stapleton, Bob Eubanks, Griffin Dunne, and one of the last roles of Alan Hale Jr., the Skipper from Gilligan's Island.Also, there are some great absurdist moments, like when Johnny is labelling the puppies with a pricing gun, or the Pope making an appearance in Johnny's neighborhood. Also, the scene where the fake priest makes up a lot of words in Latin is excellent. ("Summa cum laude, magna cum laude, the radio's too louda... Post meridian, ante meridian, uncle meridian").Other Classic Scenes include Ramone Maroney butchering the English language Danny Devito urging Griffin Dunne to 'Play Ball' Peter Boyle thinking he lost his manhood The fake VD movieThis movie is no home run. But like 'Porky's', it has enough classic comedy bits to make it memorable.$LABEL$ 1 +Horror fans (I'm speaking to the over 12's, although if you're under 12 I apologise for what you might deem an insult): In short, if you appreciate having your imagination disturbed by well written, original storytelling, punctuated by unpredictable well planted scares, and delivered via convincing performances, then I can heartily recommend - AVOIDING THESE STEAMERS - made by directors who have apparently long since past their sell by date. It's no accident that almost every episode feels as if it were made in the 1980's. Not to put blame squarely on the shoulders of some of these old boys (or indeed the 80's) because where would we be without certain movies from the likes of Argento, Carpenter, Landis, Dante and Barker (Actually Clive, WTF are you doing in there?! Glad to see Romero had the good sense to give it a miss as I'm sure he was asked to partake...). More perhaps we should point the finger at creator Mick Garris whose credentials include the logic defying and depressingly ill-advised TV remake of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 'The Shining'.Perhaps it is an indication of the state of television today. Are we so starved of good TV horror that we applaud any old sloppy schlock that the networks excrete onto our sets? Sadly, maybe so.Normally I wouldn't see the point of adding a comment that doesn't argue the faults and merits of a production, I'd just rate it accordingly. However, as this series is woefully lacking in any merit (with perhaps the sole exception of the theme tune) I write this as more of a warning than a review: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. If you disagree with me then it's more than likely that you haven't seen enough decent horror. Perhaps the earlier films of some of these directors would be a much better place to start, but if these 'Masters' of Horror were being assessed on these works alone, they'd never have been allowed to graduate with even their Bachelor's degree. Unless of course they were studying for a degree from the University Of S**t.$LABEL$ 0 +I can remember seeing this movie when I was very young and several times on TV since then. I have always liked it. I have noticed on the print shown on local TV that one scene has reversed film. It is the one where they are hiding behind the rock outcrop(it looks like Vasquez Rocks near Los Angeles) watching the Indians ride by. If you look carefully, you will notice that suddenly all the soldiers are left-handed! It is only a short segment and I have to admit that it took me years to notice it.As far as history goes, there were often expeditions to rescue white captives from the Indians. The direct connection for the final battle scene is the Battle of Beecher's Island. In that action, a group of volunteer scouts equipped with repeating carbines (Spencer carbines not Winchesters) were surprised by the Indians and retreated to an island and held off several charges. In the last charge, they killed Roman Nose, one of the more famous Indian Chiefs. I have no idea if the writer of the script had this in mind but it does fit fairly well.There are several Guy Madison movies that I hope come out on DVD someday and this is one of them.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie's only redeeming factor was the fact that it was on TV for free, and that it probably helped the Romanian economy. Other than that, Hallmark needs to re-evaluate this division of their empire, and maybe keep their movies more oriented towards bizarre love affairs between cancer-stricken hemophiliacs in Mississippi. To go into details about how mindless this movie is would give credit to it for being memorable. It wasn't. I remember the act of watching it, there being vampires (some of them teenage) and some very bad dubbing. Whoever worked on the dubbing track of this movie needs to be relocated to another sector of society...maybe food service, to the deaf. If you have the opportunity, watch this movie, just because it makes so many other really bad movies seem Oscar-worthy in retrospect. Then again, if you actually ended up at this movie's profile, I imagine that it may be too late...$LABEL$ 0 +When i saw the preview for this on TV i was thinking, "ok its gonna be a good werewolf movie" but it was not. it was not scary at all! acting was good, plot was horrible, the military bid was just plain stupid. I think the SCI-FI channel could of done better than this piece of crap. The movie made it sound like Arron was going to turn into a werewolf, instead he turned psycho and bit some doctor's throat out. If you have read some of my other reviews on other movies, there all positive, but this one is not simply because the story was terrible. One out of 10 max. Im sure you all were expecting some werewolf flick, but i bet you didn't expect this. Beyond Loch Nes was way better than this movie, heck, any movie thats on the sci-fi channel is better than this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Tobe Hooper (fresh off mainstream success with 'Poltergeist') aims for the skies this time around. 'Lifeforce' is an adaptation of Colin Wilson's 'The Space Vampires'. The script by 'Alien's Dan O' Bannon and Don Jakoby) varies a bit I was told: the futuristic storyline was made contemporary and Hailey's Comet was added to coincide with its actual passage by Earth a few weeks after the films release (so I've read).The story concerns a shuttle mission (commander by Steve Railsback) sent to investigate Hailey's Comet as it passes by Earth. All goes off without a hitch but upon reaching the comet it is discovered that an alien ship is hidden in the coma of the comet. The team investigates the massive structure and discovers desiccated bat-like creatures. Looking deeper into the ship a chamber is found that contains three humanoids (two naked males and one rather fetching nude lady too) in odd stasis coffins. The crew returns to the ship with the humanoids and a bat creature in tow.A bit later the ship returns to Earth but no contact can be made by NASA and another shuttle is launched to ascertain the status of the mission. Upon docking with the Churchill it is discovered that a massive fire has seemingly killed the crew and all data concerning the flight. But the three humanoids remain. However it is learned that an escape pod had been launched but whose whereabouts are unknown.Soon they make the discovery of the alien's origin when the very attractive space vampire queen arises from her slumber to easily seduce the lifeforce from the men around her. If you suck face with her she makes you like them and if you don't feed after two hours you will dry out and become dust. The goal of the three is to drain enough of the population's essence to power and sustain them and their ship for the trip to the next planet to lay waste to them as well.Thankfully the Commander survives re-entry in the pod (crash lands in Texas no less) and now has a psychic link to her royal hotness, the queen and is able to use it to find the hidden queen as she and the surviving male attempt to bleed London dry of their souls.Tobe Hooper (of 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)) does an admirable job in what has to be his largest production to date. The production assembled many fine technicians from all over the movie industry. Production Designer John Graysmark (fresh off 'The Bounty (1984)') uses every bit of four stages at Elsree Studios to create the spacious interiors of the ship and such. Cinematographer Alan Hume returns to science fiction after a stint on 'Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi' (1983) and three consecutive James Bond episodes. Hume uses every bit of the widescreen frame with the great effects. Oscar winner John Dykstra innovator of the groundbreaking effects of the original 'Star Wars' (1977) manages to push the envelope once again a creating some highly creative and spectacular effects using lasers. Heck even maestro Henry Mancini drops in to give the film a very memorable title theme that gives this sci-fi / horror hybrid a touch of an adventurous feel. In the acting department it pretty much falls onto the shoulders of Steve Railsback and newcomer Mathilda May (vampire queen). Railsback always brings an edge to the characters he plays and can play nuts like nobody's business. That comes in hand as his mind deteriorates when the queen's grip tightens on his soul. Gorgeous French actress May doesn't have a heck of a lot of lines (were there more than ten?) but her frequently nude presence never gets old and you gotta give her kudos to having the jingle bells to pull it of. Pretty much all the queen is there to do is feed and to do so she needs to seduce you with her sexual presence. Job accomplished and where do I sign up to be victim? I really enjoyed how they tweaked the old vampire clichés and still managed to make it seem fresh but still easily recognizable. Almost everything is accounted for here: bats (their true form resembles a large bat), coffins {the stasis fields resemble these), transformations (they scan your mind and can be anything), massive sexual appeal (Miss May….duh) not to mention they even include the old standby stake-through-the-heart (this time a bit of a lead dagger to the energy center slightly below the heart). The only thing they didn't touch on was religion but I think that the vampires using the cathedral at the end as home base might just be a bit of a wink and a nod.In short (yeah right 800 words later) 'Lifeforce' is an excellent science fiction and horror combination that pays homage to the vampire theme while adding some neat different wrinkles. The effects and scale of the production are enough to keep summer movie types engaged (at least at the time) and horror and sci-fi fans engaged. 4 of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +In addition to the fact that this is just an abysmally made film (imagine giving a camcorder to the average high school drama club) the people who think that there is anything "real" about this legend need to grow up. This is the 21st century. Guess what: ghosts don't exist. Most people learn that from their mother when they're about 5 years old. You guys seriously need to grow up.The fact that a fraud was perpetrated nearly 2 centuries ago does not make it any less a fraud. The fact that a large number of inbred hillbillies from Tennessee believe it doesn't do it either. Go to college. Or at least finish high school.$LABEL$ 0 +Fate puts a pair of priceless items in Ernest's hands and he gets kidnapped and taken to Africa because of it. This was my first Ernest film so I can't compare it to his others, but I thought it was fairly amusing. Good stuff if you like slapstick humor and plain old clowning around.$LABEL$ 1 +I was about 7 when this DIRE MONSTROSITY of a film was released. In the UK it was advertised on the TV in the summer of 1977 for weeks, as if it were some incredible blockbuster film. It was actually the first film I ever saw at a cinema, and I was put off going for years to come. The following week I was invited to go and see the new film "Star Wars" and I declined. To this day I have never seen it, in protest at having to watch Sasquatch! Seriously, even at the age of 7 I could tell that I was watching garbage. It's just so bad, it's almost unbelievable. Rambling nonsense that should NEVER have made it to a cinema. I was however amused to read all these years later that the director never directed again, just as well as far as I'm concerned. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Basically this is about a couple who want to adopt a second child. At the adoption agency they meet a mouse (Stuart) and they decide to adopt him. If you think that this is stupid, hold it, because it's getting worse.Stuart arrives to his new home, where he is treated like a human child. (Spare me!) The rest is pretty much the usual cliché, about family problems, jealousy from the elder "brother", and at the end all issues are resolved and they are all a "happy family". Boring and worn out as this is, it is also shown in the most blunt and unsophisticated way.I don't know if the director believed that he was being creative by introducing a mouse to the cliché, or he was just trying to fill in minutes, but he only upgraded the cliché from boring to abhorrent.Then why I gave a 3 and not a ZERO? Because of the family cat, who loves Stuart as much as the "brother". And because of some funny gigs, where Stuart makes good use of his small size.On the overall I believe that the film would work reasonably well if: a. Stuart was a PET and not a "sibling". b. It had kept to the funny gigs, like Stuart trying to outwit the cat, and had left out boring clichés which don't even match with anything else.$LABEL$ 0 +The limited scenery views were the only saving grace to an otherwise uneventful and boring movie. The acting was borderline absurd which I blame on the script and screenplay. Nicole Eggert didn't look the part, didn't act the part, and was totally unconvincing as a mountain guide. After watching this I was left with the feeling that some friends had some free time and decided to make a movie. It must have been produced on a budget of pocket change. The plot was thin at best and with the low caliber of acting at times it begged the question to be asked, "Why are we doing this?". I managed to sit through the entire movie but also asked myself, "Why?".$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see this movie with a lady freind of mine, who doesn't like heist movies. But she enjoyed it. I missed bits and pieces of the movie all the way through It is a story about Edward Norton and a crew stealing some gold, and Norton deciding he wants it all to himself. Then the people he betrayed want to get back at him. It is a well put together, intellegent, funny, and action packed film that I need to see again... the whole way through. One of my top movies of the Summer so far.A big help to the entertainment factor is Seth Green. I dont know anyone who doesnt like Seth Green, and he adds to the flavor. He plays a guy who says he created Napster, and his roomate stole it from him. He is a computer genious who is a wonder to watch.It was said that Norton didn't want to do this film.. but If I were him, I would have wanted to sign on.The only problem is that it is very predictable. Any movie go-er should be able to say in their own mind what is happening, before it happens.My biggest complaint with the film, is Eddie Nortons choice of facial hair. The thick, yet thin mustache, and a small pike on his chin... he looks like an 80's porn star for gods sake.$LABEL$ 1 +Around 1980, the name Godfrey Ho was attached to a series of low-comedy action films starring an actor with the unlikely name Elton Chong". Although no masterworks of the genre, they remain surprisingly entertaining films for those with a high tolerance for silliness.It is altogether unclear why Ho (or whomever) would want to make a film that would attack Jackie Chan's Drunken MAster, the film that legitimated the making of comedy-action films in Hong Kong. But that's what this is, a savage attack on the Chan film (the imitation Chan who stars in this movie learns to cause his opponents to laugh themselves to death - a pointless gimmick in any genre).Along with all the flaws one expects from a Godfrey Ho film of this period - no continuity, no motivation, incomprehensible plot line, irrelevant and unbelievable characters - the film suffers from two unforgivable faults that effectively make it unwatchable: the fight scenes stink, and the comedy isn't funny.Pointless.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was really awful. It was not in the least bit frightening, or even startling. I went to see it with a bunch of friends and by the end of the night we were saying "The Ruins ruined my night." I would not recommend seeing this movie in theaters, renting it or even watching the movie on television by accident.It is an absolute waste of an hour and a half. The plot was nearly non-existent, the characters were horribly underdeveloped, and they gave no back story whatsoever for anything that was happening, and then left it completely open at the end as if preparing for a sequel.$LABEL$ 0 +"Happy Days" was produced and broadcast from the mid-1970's to the early 1980's and seems to get more ridiculous with age. At the time of its broadcast, most viewers who grew up in the 1950's were in middle age with families, and the scenes at Mel's Diner probably brought an artificial nostalgia to them. The Fonz was of course the coolest of the cool (although the actor Henry Wrinkler to this day has never learned how to ride a motorcycle). Richie Cunningham was the all-American blond-haired kid who would probably be elected student body president. Potsie was Richie's best friend--the star of the show has to have a best friend, I guess. And Ralph Malph was the bumbling sidekick to the Fonz, if not the entire group. I loved it when the Fonz would beat up on poor Ralph Malph. And there was Mel, the middle-aged lug who ran Mel's Diner. And of course who could forget the appearance of Mork? Was this really the 1950's? Ironically, films produced during the 1950's, such as "Rebel Without a Cause" and "The Wild One" have gotten better with age and portray the period more honestly than this show which was produced 20 years after the period it portrays.Unfortunately, the TV show "Happy Days" is not in the same league as "Rebel Without a Cause" or "American Graffitti" for that matter. "Happy Days" may have captured some aspects of the 1950's with its burger diner, juke boxes, cool cars, and tacky plaid shirts, but it is more a nostalgic idealism done strictly for laughs rather than an honest portrayal. "American Graffitti" had something to say about young Americans in the 1950's whereas "Happy Days" seemed more about what middle-aged people of the 1970's wished the 1950's had been like. The result was a kind of watered down fabrication that really has nothing to do with the 1950's. "Happy Days" is, at best, a comedy-fantasy with some of the artificial culture of the 1950's as its backdrop. As pointed out by another reviewer, the all-American kid Richie Cunningham would probably have been chastised for befriending the likes of a drop-out like Fonzie. And Mel would probably forbid Fonzie from entering his Diner.A quick history: "Happy Days" was originally a pilot called "Love in the Happy Days" that was rejected for broadcast. Comedy pilots that had themes concerning sex and romance that did not make it to pilot airing sometimes appeared on the infrequently broadcast show "Love American Style" which was often aired in place of baseball games that had rained out or other unexpected programming cancellations and/or alterations. In short, "Love American Style" was a throw-away show that contained all these one-episode comedy pilots that never made it to a slotted debut. "Love in the Happy Days" did appear as a "Love American Style" show sometime in the early 1970's, but at the time TV executives could not foresee how a show about 1950's young people would be popular, particularly during the hey-day of comedy shows centering around middle-aged people, such as The "Mary Tyler Moore Show" (and its subsequent spin-offs such "Rhoda"), "The Bob Newhart Show", and "All in the Family". (How things have changed since now most TV sitcoms are about young people and the industry avoids most shows about middle-aged people like the plague!) Subsequently, one of the young stars of "Love in the Happy Days", a child actor from "The Andy Griffith Show" named Ron Howard, got the chance to star in a film about young people taking place in 1959 called "American Graffitti" directed by the relatively unknown George Lucas whose previous "THX 1138" had bombed miserably at the box office. Even when it was premiered to movie executives, again the studios could not see how a movie about young people in the 1950's could become popular because it didn't "fit" with what had been popular in the past, although they didn't realize that much of the movie-going audience had been young in the 1950's. As everyone knows, the movie was a huge hit, and studio executives recognized that they had completely misjudged their audience. Somewhere during the theatrical run of "American Graffitti", TV executives realized they had a comedy pilot in their vault that was a lot like "American Graffitti". They brought it back with the original cast, plus Henry Wrinkler as "The Fonz", re-titled it "Happy Days" and the rest is TV history as it became one of the most popular shows of the 1970's."Happy Days" now seems ridiculous. The characters are flat and cardboard, never being more or less than what they superficially are. The issues they deal with are trivial. And their reactions appear mindless and even silly. Nowadays, the character of the Fonz seems to be a caricature of, well, The Fonz. Was the idea to be a kind of parody of Marlon Brando's character in "The Wild One"? Looking on the show with fresh eyes, I feel the producers really missed out on a great opportunity to present the 1950's with depth and realism that still could be fun and entertaining. Instead the producers decided on cheap laughs for quick bucks. This is definitely a show that has not withstood the test of time. "American Graffitti" has many of the outward appearances of "Happy Days" but it had an edge. It had an honesty about the characters and their issues. "Happy Days" took the look of "American Graffitti" but failed to take its heart.$LABEL$ 0 +I can hardly believe I watched this again last night after more than 25 years...Some time back, I watched 6 Fu films in a row... Boris Karloff, and all 5 Chris Lees. The last 2 Lees, both directed (and I use that word loosely) by Jess Franco, were abominable. At the time, I skipped this one, remembering that, in some ways, it was EVEN WORSE.Well, I watched it. NEVER again. You know what's worse that an abominable film? A really WELL-MADE piece of S***. And that's what FIENDISH PLOT is. It is a VERY good-looking movie. GREAT production design, sets, costumes, music, photography, editing, mostly good cast, some decent acting......and absolutely, positively, one of the WORST SCRIPTS in movie history!!!!! AAAUGH!!!!! The first minute of the film is so deceptive... one might mistake this for a decent movie. And then they start singing "Happy birthday to Fu"... and it goes downhill. Having Burt Kwouk (of whom his master says, "Your face-- is familiar.") accidentally pour out Fu's elixir vitae to put out a fire, resulting in his being condemned to torture, burial and having one of his ears cut off, was the closest thing to funny they had. It was like someone decided they wanted to do a "campy" film-- so ridiculous it would be funny. RIDICULOUS, it is... FUNNY... it AIN'T. At all.It's sad, because it's clear in the first few minutes that someone did a LOT of research into the Fu Manchu series in order to get so much of it "right". With a different script-- either a really FUNNY one, or a dead SERIOUS one, they might have-- could have-- SHOULD have-- had a classic on their hands. A film that could have made one forget the horror of those Jess Franco atrocities... instead of making one want to dig them out as masterpieces, by comparison.There was a period in the late 70's when a whole slew of classic 30's characters were revived in movies that were universally awful. Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Tarzan, The Lone Ranger, Charlie Chan, even Doc Savage. I'm not sure, this one may be the worst of the lot. It took great self-control not to fast-forward over whole sections of it, especially any scenes containing Sid Caesar (FBI chief who was also Al Capone's cousin-- you see what I mean?). It isn't just that the ideas in the film aren't funny... they often make NO SENSE whatsoever. Like when they "audition" police officers to impersonate the King and Queen, and we wind up seeing people "audition" dance-hall routines like singing, dancing, and riding a unicycle. How many drugs did the writers of this thing have to take for any of this to make sense to them? As I said, a shame... and a real waste of all that talent, including that of Peter Sellers (who played both Fu and Nayland Smith), Burt Kwouk (who'd been in a Chris Lee Fu film in his time), Helen Mirren (the police woman who shockingly falls in love with the villain and damn near steals the last half-hour of the film!). I begin to wonder if anyone will EVER make a "proper" Fu Manchu film, or if fans will have to settle for Karloff's being almost the ONLY one?$LABEL$ 0 +okay... first to Anne rice BOOK fans....sure lestat's eyes are not blue...sure he isn't blond in this movie... but even though Marius is not lestat's maker...even though they COMPLETELY altered the story.....how can u say its not a good movie..this movie...is the BEST vampire movie i ever saw...and lestat is pictured perfectly in it....maybe not his features...but i don't think one can find a better lestat....the way he speaks...and the way he looks at mere mortals...his arrogance..and sheer love for fame is pictured flawlessly.if u for once...consider it just a movie..and not try and relate every scene to the book...u will love the movie as much as i do.now...to the non readers..be prepared to fall absolutely in love with this movie....it has every thing....and the goth music...is like an added treat... the dialogues...are beautiful...and catching...and even though its a vampire movie..u will find yourself smiling...at the wit of the characters...and u will find yourself sympathizing with the vampires..overall...one of my fav movies...!!10/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is horrible. THe acting is a waste basket. No crying, no action, hopeless songs. Though the scenery is great. I have always wanted to go to Greece.Anyway, as for Saif, you'd expect a great performance, but even he let down the people.Akshay Kumar, recognized as the pimp of Bollywood and the voice of Singhs. He was sensational in this movie. For only this performance, Filmfare should introduce another award. The toiletries award for the worst performance. By the way the trophy should be a toilet seat.Kareena Kapoor. She first of all is not comparable to her sister Karisma. In acting, in looks, or in body. She now wants to prove to herself that she surpasses her. She comes into this movie wearing bikini's and tank tops and short shorts. I really wonder why Saif Ali Khan is letting his wife-to-be dress like that. But, she must've impressed some people dressing like that. And if you ask how, then consider every man is having an erection watching this movie. They are dreaming of having Kareena Kapoor in bed naked with a condom. Including me. Personally I think that she dressed like a whore, but I really liked it.I am forced to give it a 1/10, but I'd really give this movie a 0/10. An unachieved film.$LABEL$ 0 +I am an Australian currently living in Japan. I saw this movie on TV here and was very impressed by the accuracy and honesty in the portrayal of Western and Japanese ideologies colliding. Whoever wrote the screenplay, and directed this film must have a good knowledge of what it's like to be a foreigner living in Japan. The only part I thought was too Hollywood-y was when Tom Selleck's character kisses the woman in the middle of her office and she lets him. Public displays of affection are not really acceptable here. Finally a movie that highlights the true 'gaijin' experience! 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really interesting film. It's the first time I have seen the relationship between an older woman and a younger guy on screen without it being sensationalist. For the director of Notting Hill this is a bold move to something serious$LABEL$ 1 +I was expecting a little something from "K-911", I mean it did look like a cute movie that I could get into. I always did love the dog comedy movies. But it looked like it was supposed to be Jame's movie, not Jerry Lee's. The plot was pretty lame and the two love interests really didn't have chemistry to begin with. Not to mention that James seemed to have a total sexist view in the movie despite the fact the writer wasn't going in that direction. James just really ticked me off for more than half the film. The dogs were the true stars and that's pretty sad that they out shined the actors.So, I'm glad it's not just me on IMDb who agrees that this was a pretty stupid movie. But hopefully, James will realize it was his brother Jim who was the talented one, no offense, but not everyone can be their star sibling. Don't you wish Ashlee Simpson would take that same advice? :D 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This stinker is in mystifyingly frequent rotation on one channel here, and I've found myself watching in horror again and again. The script is like something one would come up with friends over several too many drinks, and the production values match admirably.It's meant to be a children's movie, but features a grotesque (and poorly explained) kidnapping scene; the star dog has a lack of star quality equaled only by the other actors; and it in general has the look of being filmed in someone's backyard (the climactic soccer game features no more than three dozen extras sadly cheering in the background).It even all wraps up with a budget-ran-out voice-over sequence when the story, to one's relief, simply stops. The high-raters here must be either the producers - or the majority of the extras from the soccer game!$LABEL$ 0 +A letter to the guys. I tried guys, I really tried! I tried so hard not to watch this movie. I would leave the room when it was on or jump on the computer when the wife watched it. This is her second favorite movie, the Godfather being first (which I love).I ended up catching little bits of this movie and finally after maybe a year I was actually sitting down watching it with her. I can't believe I am saying this, but I loved this movie. Dalton plays a great Rhett and has his cockiness down pat. Whalley plays a delightful Scarlett. Full of fire and brimstone and NOTHING is going to stop her.My favorite scene is when she is overseas in (Ireland?) and the government is going to tear down a peasant's house because they are behind in the rent. Scarlett gets all mad at this and pays the entire debt, thus making a huge name for herself around this small town.All I'm saying guys is you might want to try this movie... especially if you are a fan of Gone with the Wind. It does take a little bit to get used to the new actors, but I think you will find them refreshing.$LABEL$ 1 +I picked this DVD up for 3.99 at rogers video in order to get enough points to get a better movie for free. I never actually was planning on watching this but it started poking at my curiosity and i finally decided to pop in it the DVD player. The effects in this movie are horrible and cheap. Some of the dialog in this movie sounds like it was written by a swear happy 12 year old boy. The acting is really cheesy in some parts, and the "action" scenes are completely laughable. You'll burst out laughing at some parts which was a positive for me because it kept me mildly entertained. The plot is some girl has a curse on her which causes her to vomit snakes so some shaman has to get her to Los Angeles, there are also two girls trying to smuggle drugs there and a few other people that are unimportant to the plot, not that there really is a plot at all.Don't expect anything from this movie and don't listen to the cover, there are not 100 passengers and 3,000 vipers, there are 10 passengers and 20 random snakes.As for the DVD, there is a trailer which is almost as laughable as the film, a blooper reel which is just one shot over and over of one actor trying to say train, and the deleted scenes are really pointless, if they weren't good enough to stay in this movie they must be pretty bad. There is also a really bad making of featurette which doesn't really show much at all except that the people involved with this movie were kind of idiots. I can't recommend it unless you want a really bad movie that you can laugh at with friends. I give it 2 kitty cats out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie for the first time ever on the Sci Fi channel and I must say.. it was simply awesome. For those of you whom loves 'The Never Ending Story' this is one that would bring back memories of that movie. Even though it is a 1996 movie it has a hazy like setting and look which makes it feel like it is, a fantasy. The acting was brilliant and the music was great especially the beginning battle song and end song. To those of you who have yet to see it, WATCH IT! I recommended completely!$LABEL$ 1 +right the hospital scene with Holly and Shannon was done brilliantly it starts off with Piper On A gurney looking very badly injured, the docs race her into a resuscitation room & they move her from the gurney onto a bed and Prue Holds Her Hand from that point on it is obvious that Piper is having a lot of trouble breathing and her lungs are failing, as she turns to beg of Prue to not leave her side she gaps "don't go i love you and then her pulse drops and she goes into cardiac arrest & the monitor shows a clear flat line & the nurses go into full out trauma mode & bring in a defibrillator Prue Steps back from the bed in horror as the doctors desperately try to shock her dying sisters heart but there is no response and she is tragically pronounced dead well great scene well done girls$LABEL$ 1 +Mankind's Self awakening is the theme of "2001: A Space Odyssey", a process that unfolds along a space-time continuum. We "see" our primordial past, and we "infer" a cosmic future. The powers of intuition thus become the doors of perception, in our ongoing collective journey.From this transcendental perspective, a conventional, egocentric plot seems superfluous. Our frenzied conflicts and self-important dialogue are consumed in evolutionary change, and are irrelevant in a cosmos that is vast beyond comprehension. It's a tough lesson for a vain and aggressive species. Not surprising then that some of us huff and puff about the film's slowness and minimal story. For perceptive viewers, the remuneration is an inspirational sense of wonder and awe.In this film, which is mostly visual, geometric symbols guide our intuition. Circles and arcs represent nature. Right angles represent conscious intelligence. Some people think the sleek, black monolith is a Von Neumann probe. Maybe. Without doubt, the monolith is a visual metaphor for an extraterrestrial intelligence whose physical form is never shown. Mystery is more profound than explanation."2001 ... " is unique among films in content and scope. The cinematography is out-of-this-world, the special and visual effects are breathtaking, and the classical music is sublime. I rarely use the word "masterpiece" to describe a movie. But Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is art in the highest sense, like Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", or Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night".$LABEL$ 1 +A very carelessly written film. Poor character and idea development. The silly plot and weak acting by just about the ensemble cast didn't help. Seriously, watching this movie will NOT make you smile. It may make you retch.$LABEL$ 0 +Well that's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back. This movie makes teen tv show "California Dreams" look like "Almost Famous". The acting was horrid and storyline unrealistic. Don't even get me started on the actual band at the forefront of this story, lame songs, look etc.. You had to believe that they were one of the hottest bands in the country, and there isn't enough irony in the world to accept that one. The guitarist is seen to be a heroin user, not that I blame him, if I was around such a putrid band with stale songs and wooden acting I'd be injecting the horse too.If you take music remotely seriously, avoid this at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a great romantic comedy! Historically inaccurate (Einstein had no nieces or nephews as noted elsewhere in IMDb) but he made a great matchmaker. He brought together two very nice people played by two of the best actors working. The supporting cast (Lou Jacobi, Joseph Maher, Gene Saks, Stephen Fry, etc.) all clicked on screen and made this a great viewing experience. The fact he drove a car to get around seems to contradict all those images and posters of him riding a bicycle to get around. And did he wear socks in one scene...reportedly, the professor never wore socks! (Two new entries for the IMDb goofs section.) Historical inaccuracies and inconsistencies aside, this was a great movie to watch with a great cast. I give it an 8!$LABEL$ 1 +This Metro film is episodic, but nearly a constant series of chases, mainly trying to escape police, whether real or imagined, as Buster is mistaken for an escaped criminal. It is consistently inventive and entertaining. Its greatest value is in its documenting what Hollywood looked like in the early twenties, since 95% of it is shot outside among the streets and building exteriors of the time. One gem moment and one gem sequence are present here.The great moment is when a train at a great distance quickly approaches the camera and finally stops just short of it - with Buster glumly sitting on the cowcatcher and thus moving from a long shot to a close-up within seconds.The great sequence is with the phone booth next to the elevator - one constantly being mistaken for the other with races from floor to floor - one of the great Keaton gags.Kino's print is sharp and clear - almost pristine. There is a violin/piano score accompaniment. This is one to seek out and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +Well to answer one persons's question of "why doesn't anyone remember this film?" it's because really,not that many people saw it in 1978 and it's not been shown much on TV since. (If it's on video that'd be news to me!) Even in the era of sometimes mindless comedies that was the '70s,movie-goers had the smarts to avoid this film. Unless they love Billy Crytal,Paul Lynde or Joan Rivers "that" much! Paul Lynde was funnier on "Bewitched" or "Hollywood Squares" than here. Joan Rivers at this time in her career was getting laughs making cruel jokes about singer Karen Carpenter's lack of weight! Har-har Joan! It also seems like every "somewhat" famous name from the era is in the cast. (Most surprising is Doris Roberts later of "Everybody Loves Raymond".)Anyhow,a somewhat good idea for a storyline,a man getting pregnant instead of the woman goes to waste here. With help from a male friend Crystal gets set up with a hooker to finally lose his virginity but because she was "on top" instead of him,he gets pregnant! (A commentary on women taking positions of power away from men).Crystal's stomach grows,he goes through all the female emotions and related feelings. Unfortunately,he is now a socially misunderstood outcast! He's attacked by a mob who wants him rubbed out (I guess).He's forced to go into seclusion to have his baby...in a barn. Or if you will,a manger (God only knows where it may have exited from! Ewwww!) It turns out (no shock here) to be a girl! Everything else about this movie is worthless and forgettable,the humor is high school level or less.2 stars for a good idea and a few good touching & relevant moments w/ Billy Crystal. Ignore the rest of Rabitt Test,it flunks big time!I can't believe Roddy McDowell signed on either! (END)$LABEL$ 0 +Henry Thomas showed a restraint, even when the third act turned into horrible hollywood resolution that could've killed this movie, that kept the dignity of a redemption story and as for pure creepiness-sniffing babies?$LABEL$ 1 +"The Foreigner" is a tale of foreign intrigue with Seagal at the center as a deep cover operative who has a package which everyone wants and are willing to kill to get. The flick is uninspired with less of the usual action stuff which put Seagal on the movie map (fire fights, hand-to-hand combat, pyrotechnics, stunts, etc.) and more of a story which is convoluted, uninteresting, and full of meaningless filler. What action there is seems token and gratuitous while Seagal, looking more and more like a pork chop, meanders through this insipid flick expressionless and bored while manifesting no improvement in acting ability. Somewhere around "The Glimmer Man" or "Fire Down Below" Seagal flicks took a nose dive and "The Foreigner" is just an continuation of that trend. Nothing here worth watching except for the most die-hard Seagal fans. (C-)$LABEL$ 0 +I just got it and it is a great movie!! i loved it! Although Jane Brightons voice n the beginning is so annoying because of her braces she don't open her freaking mouth...but ya have to watch it cause its a great movie!! the things he says in here are so funny and extremely cute!! and I'm sure Aaron would probably say some of the things in real life cause i don't know, it just seems that way!! ha ha there is a part in tha movie that is really funny...its wen Jane's little sister meets him...but i cant tell ya what happens cause ill just have to let u see for your self!! i went to go see Aaron n concert and it was so much fun!! n he smelled so good ha ha...i still cant believe i got to meet him!!! i have pictures if anyone wants to see them!! Steph$LABEL$ 1 +Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Professor Noodle (Lucien Littlefield) is nearing the completion of his rejuvenation formula, with the ability to reverse ageing, after twenty years. Ollie and Stan are the chimney sweeps that arrive to do their job, and very quickly Ollie wants to get away from Stan making mistakes. Ollie goes to the roof to help with the other end of the brush at the top of the chimney, but Stan in the living room ends up pushing the him back in the attic. After breaking an extension, Stan gets a replacement, a loaded gun, from off the wall, and of course it fires the brush off. Stan goes up to have a look, and Ollie, standing on the attic door of the roof, falls into the greenhouse. Stan asks if he was hurt, and Ollie only answers with "I have nothing to say." Ollie gets back on the roof, and he and Stan end up in a tug and pull squabble which ends up in Ollie falling down and destroying the chimney. Ollie, hatless, in the fireplace is hit on the head by many bricks coming down, and the butler Jessup (Sam Adams) is covered in chimney ash smoke, oh, and Ollie still has nothing to say to Stan. The boys decide to clean up the mess, and when Stan tears the carpet with the shovel, Ollie asks "Can't you do anything right", and Stan replies "I have nothing to say", getting the shovel bashed on his head. As Ollie holds a bag for Stan to shovel in the ashes, they get distracted by a painting on the wall, and the ashes end up down Ollie's trousers, so Stan gets another shovel bashed on the head. Professor Noodle finishes his formula, and does a final test on a duck, with a drop in a tank of water, changing it into a duckling. He also shows the boys his success, turning the duckling into an egg, and he next proposes to use a human subject, i.e. his butler. While he's gone, the boys decide to test the formula for themselves, but Ollie ends up being knocked by Stan into the water tank with all the formula. In the end, what was once Ollie comes out, an ape, and when Stan asks him to speak, all Ollie ape says is "I have nothing to say", and Stan whimpers. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +Two things -- too long and totally lacked credibility. This movie didn't make any sense and was excrutiating to sit through. I am usually pretty patient, but man... It just doesn't keep your attention at all! I think I am being nice here even! You keep thinking it's almost over only to find out it's still got another half hour! Good actors.$LABEL$ 0 +I was intrigued by the title, so during a small bout of insomnia (fueled by my curiosity...), I stayed up and watched it. I then checked my TV listings and watched it again! There is one very obvious realization that occurred to me when I saw this film- in spite of politics, traditions, culture, etc., teenagers everywhere are virtually the same. The characters of the kids from Belgrade could have been transported to, let's say, somewhere in the American Midwest during the same time period, and language differences aside, would be impossible to tell apart from any of the local teens of that era. They certainly displayed the same growing pains and preoccupations, politics aside: Music, sex, movie idols, music, drinking, sports, music... As a matter of fact, much the same things that occupied my time growing up in 1970's Southern California.This was a bittersweet story, but the joy of youth made it very enjoyable. The characters, especially the young actors, were completely believable also. I won't say this was the Yugoslav "American Graffiti", but I will say that it fits in nicely with other 50's-themed movies.$LABEL$ 1 +For me,this is one of the best movies i ever saw.Overcoming racism,struggling through life and proving himself he isn't just an ordinary "cookie" ,Carl Brashear is an amazing character to play ,who puts Cuba in his best light,best performance in his life.De Niro,who is a living legend gives THAT SOMETHING to the movie.Hated his character in movie,but he gives so much good acting to this film,great performance.And appearance of beautiful Charlize was and as always is a big plus for every movie. So if you haven't seen this movie i highly recommended for those who love bravery,greatness who seek inspiration.You must look this great drama. My Vote 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this ego-centric "effort" at achieving a film of "epic" status in the company of several native Russian family members. Five people gave 5 different reactions, from Mikhalkov worship to my cynicism.I saw a movie that looked like Mikhalkov took a lot of "Canal +" money, put some of it in his (and other's) pockets and turned the project over to a bunch of film students. I counted at least 4 different "styles" in the movie. There is no way that the same director is responsible for these different scenes. Contrast these for yourself:·Cadets polishing shoes with a dog.·Train station scene (saying goodbye to Andrei).·Outdoor panorama shots.·Ormond talking through the keyhole.·Initial attempt on the Grand Duke and later chase scenes to get Andrei back to sing in Figaro.·Fencing sequenceJulia Ormond is faster than superman. Learning about his transfer belatedly, she gets all the way across Moscow in one minute to say goodbye to Andrei.The Russian natives felt that the impression given of Russian life was "caricature" and not history. They called it "tourist postcard" Russia.They were all proud that a Russian director/producer/fixer has managed to break into the "big time" and be able to waste over 30 million dollars of other people's money while maybe putting a little into local pockets during filming.If you want to "think" you have seen Russia go see this movie. Drink some coffee before you go.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen this film in years, but the awful "taste" of Quaid's performance still lingers on my tongue. Some have commented on how Quaid has Jerry Lee Lewis "to a tee" but the fact is he only appears to have the most extreme stage Jerry in mind. Nobody acts that way all the time, and the performance comes off as hopelessly clownish, reducing Lewis to a buffoonish caricature. The nuances of a man's life are lost in the rubble of sheer over-acting.The author of the book this is based on (Nick Tosches) is a good writer, who has written several fine musical bios (I particularly liked "Dino" on Dean Martin); in the books Tosches gives us a full human being, both separate from and involved in the "biz." Quaid's acting seems to imply that Jerry never acted like a human being. If people were like this, no one would bother to hang around them. As cartoons go, it is mildly amusing, but otherwise it is one of the most egregious, film-destroying performances I have had the "honor" of viewing. Terrible...$LABEL$ 0 +TOM HULCE* turns in yet another Oscar-worthy performance as Dominick Luciano, the brain-damaged garbage man who's helping put his brother (Ray Liotta as Eugene) through medical school.This is a must-see for all movie lovers and all lovers of life and people!===========> *From the small studder to the eratic dancing, to the repeated words "Oh, Jeez" whenever Nicky is in a bind, the belieavablitly of Tom's performance is so excellent that you will have to concentrate to remember that it's an actor on screen!$LABEL$ 1 +If you have sons or daughters who love action, adventure, intrigue, and imagination - without the need to break into song every twelve minutes - then this is the Disney movie for you! My sons loved every minute of this film, and I have to admit that I laughed out loud many times throughout the movie. There are no sappy songs to get in the way of a wonderfully told story, and the characters are all lovable and identifiable in their own right. This should go down as one of the Disney "classics" because of its beautifully illustrated scenery and its non-stop excitement!$LABEL$ 1 +This is by far and away the stupidest thing I have ever seen on celluloid. I mean, we started watching it assuming it was a "skinemax T&A flick", but aside from a couple boobs, that was it. I mean, I get the point of making stupid movies in order to show some sex scenes, as they are the sole reason for a movie of that kind to be made. This movie, however, has no sex scenes, and really has no point at all. There is no linear time, the scenes travel around like a fart in the wind, people show up for no reason, then leave, and it is never explained, the plot is never advanced, and nothing happens. I have never been as flabbergasted at how bad a movie was until I saw this. Has the director even been to a film school? Has he ever seen a movie? I don't know, but from the looks of it, he seems to have made some moron proud with this piece of crap, as he is still working. I literally walked away from this movie dumber, but I still recommend watching it, as it should be shown in every film school of the country as an example in what not to do when making a film. Move over PLan 9 from Outer Space, you have a new contender for worst movie ever made.$LABEL$ 0 +This documentary was boring, and quite stupid.I mean... the documentary maker obviously does not even know what how Darwinian evolution works? It is a theory, and the name is just plain dumb. Reading a college biology text-book could have told the documentary maker what Darwinism really is. Darwinism is a good theory, but evil if it is done as politics.Also there was no real evidence in this documentary just interviewing some people... no expert testimonies, and shady leads...The documentary was also boring. I mean it could have been edited down to 35 minutes, and then it would have been lots better.There are a lot better documentaries than this... this was not worth watching... you can get better information from Wikipedia =D DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME!$LABEL$ 0 +Here is a favorite Tom & Jerry cartoon perfect for Halloween. I know it dosen't have much creepiness, but has the 'trick' as in "Trick or Treat," as Jerry did to Tom with the window blind and the vacuum-cleaner with a collared-shirt hanging on it to make it like a ghost; but still like to put it on my list of Halloween cartoons. In this short, Tom was listening to the "Witching Hour," a ghost-story program on the radio, and being frightened by the horror story being told. Halfway into the story, the dramatics (hair standing on end, heart leaping into throat, icy chills on spine) begin happening to Tom . . . literally. And Jerry has been observing the whole thing and laughing to himself, thought he highen Tom fears by scaring him.I love the ending, it was a little funny. And you know, This short is the first of four cartoons in which Tom attacks Mammy Two Shoes; the others being The Lonesome Mouse, A Mouse in the House and Nit-Witty Kitty. And also This short is the first of twenty-five cartoons where Tom speaks. The others are The Lonesome Mouse, The Zoot Cat, The Million Dollar Cat, The Bodyguard, Mouse Trouble, The Mouse Comes to Dinner, Quiet Please!, Trap Happy, Solid Serenade, Mouse Cleaning, Texas Tom, Mucho Mouse, and The Cat Above and the Mouse Below directed by Chuck Jones.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this back in the early 90s on UK TV, i did like it then but i missed the chance to tape it, many years passed but the film always stuck with me and i lost hope of seeing it TV again, the main thing that stuck with me was the end, the hole castle part really touched me, its easy to watch, has a great story, great music, the list goes on and on, its OK me saying how good it is but everyone will take there own best bits away with them once they have seen it, yes the animation is top notch and beautiful to watch, it does show its age in a very few parts but that has now become part of it beauty, i am so glad it has came out on DVD as it is one of my top 10 films of all time. Buy it or rent it just see it, best viewing is at night alone with drink and food in reach so you don't have to stop the film.Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +This is a documentary about homeless women. It was interesting in the sense that this focused on women who are engaged socially - having jobs and lasting friendships - but are in situations where they can not afford housing.I found some of the women covered to be interesting, but there was little focus or progression in the story. The direction and editing failed to maintain my attention. There were differences in the stories of these women, of course, but the message was essentially the same and could have been told by focusing on any one of them in more depth.I made it to the end of the movie, but it was a rather boring journey.$LABEL$ 0 +The first 20 minutes were a little fun because I don't think I've seen a film this bad before {acting, script, effects (!), etc....} The rest of the running time seemed to drag forever with every cliche in dialog used to no effect. These people seemed to not really like horror movies or how to make them or any other movie. There's no adult language, a bit of brief nudity, and no gore except fake blood smeared over no open wounds, etc.. It would have been rated PG in the early eighties and PG-13 nowadays. I'm not sure how it got an R rating or if it really did. I saw the American International release titled Hospital Of Terror. I've seen 100 horror films in the past 12 months and this is probably the worst film I've ever seen. Here's an example of how bad it is: There's one scene where something green comes through the door. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be but what it is on screen is some kid's green crayon scribblings {I'm not exaggerating} super-imposed over the film, semi-moving inside the door, then its supposed to do something to Nurse Sherri to possess her I suppose. I could not believe they had the lack of pride to show this embarrassment.$LABEL$ 0 +I had the privilege of watching Scarface on the big screen with its beautifully restored 35mm print in honor of the 20th anniversary of the films release. It was great to see this on the big screen as so much of it is lost on television sets and the overall largesse of this project cannot be emphasized enough. Scarface is the remake of a classic rags to riches to the depths of hell story featuring Al Pacino as Cuban drug lord Tony Montana. In this version, Tony comes to America during the Cuban boat people immigration wave in the late 1970s, early 1980s. Tony and his cohorts quickly get green cards by offing a political figure in Tent City and after a brief stay at a Cuban restaurant; Tony is launched on his horrific path to towards total destruction. Many of the characters in this movie a played in such skilled manner that is so enjoyable to watch I have forgot little of this film over the last twenty years. Robert Loggia as Tony's patron, Frank Lopez is wonderful. His character is flawed by being too trusting, and as Tony quickly figures out, soft. Lopez's right hand, Omar Suarez is portrayed by one of our greatest actors, F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus.) Suarez is the ultimate toady and will do anything for Frank; it is like he does not have a mind of his own. Tony quickly sees this and he constantly battles with Suarez, but really only sees him as a minor problem to get through on his way to the top. The character that always comes back to me as being played so perfectly is Mel Bernstein, the audaciously corrupt Miami Narcotics detective played by Harris Yulin (Training Day.) Mel, without guilt extorts great sums of money form all sides of the drug industry. He plays Tony off of Frank until it catches up with him in a scene that marks the exit from the film of both Frank and Mel. It is priceless to hear Frank asking for Mel to intercede, as Tony is about to kill him only to hear Mel reply, `It's your tree Frank, you're sitting in it.' This is from the man who Frank had been paying for protection!Tony's rise is meteoric and is only matched in speed and intensity by his quick crash and burn. After offing Frank and taking his wife and business Tony's greed takes over and he never can seem to get enough. As Tony plunges deeper into the world of drugs, greed and the inability to trust he eventually kills his best friend and his sister who had fallen in love and married. This all sets up the ending in which Tony's compound is stormed by an army from his supplier who feels betrayed because Tony would not go through with a political assassination that was ordered. This all stems form a compassionate moment when Tony refused to be an accomplice in a murder that would have involved the victim's wife and children.All in all this is a great depiction of 1980s excess and cocaine culture. DePalma does a nice job of holding it all together in one of the fastest moving three hour movies around. The violence is extremely graphic and contains a few scenes that will be forever etched on any viewers mind, particularly the gruesome chainsaw seen, the two point blank shots to the head and the entire bloody melee that ends the movie. This is a highly recommended stylistically done film that is not for the squeamish, or for those who need upbeat endings and potential sequels; DePalma let it all fly right here.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this film on DVD so I could get an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thankfully, Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo are watchable, because the film itself is not. Although there is a plot, a story one can follow, and a few actors that can act, there isn't anything else. The movie was so boring, I have firmly confirmed that I will never watch it again without Tom, Crow and Mike. As summarized above, however, it was better than the film featured in the MST3K episode that preceded it; Mitchell.$LABEL$ 0 +After huge budget disaster films set in America like The Day After Tomorrow and Deep Impact, it was refreshing to see something on a smaller scale like Flood.Using mainly unknown actors and actresses and actually focusing on England it was a welcome change of pace to seeing The Empire State Building being demolished.However, this is not a strong film on any basis. Whilst being fairly shocking seeing all your favourite London landmarks being demolished by a very fake CGI storm surge, Flood doesn't really deliver on anything else.The performances are bland, being saved from the pit of hell by David Suchet and his refreshingly calm performance as the Deputy Priminister. He is perhaps a little too calm for what is going on in the film, all that fake water gushing around London must have made him pretty annoyed.It is understandable that the effects weren't going to be as good as TDAT and DI, but the CGI was at best, average.Bland, disappointing and sometimes even tiresome. Watch it if you must, but watch something else straight afterwards.$LABEL$ 0 +"ASTONISHING" Screams the LA Times from the front of the DVD box. They must have been referring to the fact that such a sorry piece of crap was ever released. The film revolves around a bunch of girls who have a disease which forces them to become cannibals, and murder innocent people just to stay alive. Their skin peels off throughout the film, we also see severed legs, heads etc that are about as convincing as a Halloween Fuzzy Felt set. There is an awful lot of talking b*ll**ks, a bit of human cuisine and some weird zombie hunter chap who imprisons the sufferers of said skin illness in his closet strapped to a chair, before stabbing them in the head, chopping them into bits...You get the picture. Considering there is no acting talent on display at all, and the gore is laughably unrealistic, what is the point of this whole farrago? Again looking at the video box, the guy responsible for it is an "underground cult director". Would that be like those weird religious cults where they brainwash you into thinking one way when clearly the opposite is true? Because that's the only possible reason I can think of for anyone to derive pleasure by watching this tax write-off. Then, on the same paragraph he compares himself to Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and George Romero. HAHAHAHAHA oh stop it. Now you're just being silly.Do you enjoy this film? Are you offended by the above opinion? If so, you must be a member of said cult. Do they pocket your wages? Do they let you see other family members? Do they force you to watch Andrew Parkinson films till you think he's the best director since A.Hitchcock? Do tell... this sounds like a Panorama special brewing to me. And say hello to the critic of the LA times when you return to your colony, will you? 0/10$LABEL$ 0 +I broke my own rule buying this movie from the $5.88 bin at Walmart. Basically, if a movie has a big star in it, and you've never heard of it before, it's usually for a reason. Well in the case of this movie, the reason is because it SUCKED! They plaster Sandra Bullock's photo and name all over the cover of the DVD as bait, and it reeled this little fishie right on in. I was thinking of donating the disc to charity, or giving it to the library, but I don't think I would want to subject anyone else in the world to this movie. Worst lines: "What do you mean army buddies?" "What do you mean your dad?"$LABEL$ 0 +I consider myself a huge movie buff. I was sick on the couch and popped in this film. Right from the opening to the end I watched in awe at these great actors, i'd never seen, say great word. The filming was beautiful. It was just what I needed. I hope that this message is heard over any bad comments written by others. The Director has a heart and it beats with his actors throughout. Thanku for making a film like this one. Just wonderfully awkward, beautiful kind characters who are flawed and graceful all at once. Just great. I can't submit this without 10 lines in total so I will simply go on to say that I wish for more from this director, more from all the actors in this film and more from the writer. I didn't want it to end. The end$LABEL$ 1 +Tremendous black--and-white nighttime cinematography, and plenty of it, highlights this supposedly-true life account of a 1950s murder in Kansas in which an entire family was wiped out by two men.The story was written by Truman Capote, so you get the very Liberal anti-death penalty message at the end of the film, which is ludicrous knowing the facts of this case. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson play the two atheist losers who have twisted outlooks on life and who unnecessarily murder this nice family. Despite the annoying slant at the end, this is a riveting story from the start and the cinematography makes this even more fascinating. Famed photographer Conrad Hall did a fantastic job on this. It makes me wish more modern-day films were made in black-and-white. See it on DVD.Blake, Wilson, John Forsythe, Jeff Corey and the entire supporting cast are excellent in here. My third viewing of this film came in early April of 2005, shortly after Blake, in real life, was pronounced innocent in the murder trial of his wife. One can't help but look at Blake and this film differently after that.$LABEL$ 1 +I love Sarah Waters's Fingersmith, and was worried about the TV adaptation as I'd been disappointed by the BBC's version of Tipping the Velvet (which although beautiful to look at was let down by Keeley Hawes not being able to sing, and Rachael Stirling not being able to act). Fingersmith is a very tightly plotted novel with breath taking twists and turns and I wondered if this could be done justice to in just 3 hours.I needn't have worried. The adaptation was excellent, very little cut out, and went along at a cracking pace (although I did wonder whether if you hadn't read the book, would you miss things?). It had the look and feel of a BBC classic costume drama and i kept having to remind myself that this is a contemporary book.The acting was stellar. Sally Hawkins acting her heart out as Sue Trinder, and Elaine Cassidy, a slow burner, who by the end of the story was incandescent as Maud Lilley. The love, the passion, the realisation of the acts of betrayal both would have to perform, were written on their faces. It was a joy to watch.I hope Rachael Stirling was watching: that's how you play a Sarah Waters character!$LABEL$ 1 +Hitchcock made at least 11 films about the ordinary man, wrongly accused, on the run (sometimes really running, sometimes not) to prove his innocence in a situation beyond his control, the first one being "The 39 Steps", which really made him popular in Great Britain. It really is his signature theme.Others include "Young and Innocent", "Saboteur", "Spellbound", "Stage Fright", "Strangers on a Train", "I Confess", "To Catch a Thief", "The Wrong Man", "North by Northwest", and finally "Frenzy". "Saboteur" starts Robert Cummings as Barry Kane, a wartime aircraft plant worker during wartime accused of murdering his co-worker and best friend during an act of sabotage on the plant. He meets up with model Patricia Martin, played by actress Priscilla Lane, during his run from the law, and later, of course, the various Nazi/Fascist sympathizers along the way."Saboteur" is mainly like "The 39 Steps", even including similar plot devices such as handcuffs, the blonde who doesn't trust the main character in the beginning, a race across the country (in one case London to Scotland, and in the other California to New York), and meeting the "colorful" locals along the way. And so, just like "The Man Who Knew Too Much", I believe this is an American remake of one of Hitchcock's earlier works.I think Robert Cummings was chosen because he comes across as a very ordinary American, sort of an "everyman" with whom the audience can identify. I like Priscilla Lane because her character is a more involved in the action than Madeline Carroll in "The 39 Steps" and Ruth Roman in "Strangers on a Train". As mentioned elsewhere, though, Otto Kruger steals the show as the villain. I also liked Vaughan Glaser's performance as the blind uncle; his lines are great. There are some funny touches all along the way for some comic relief, such as road signs featuring Priscilla Lane's character on them, and circus sideshow performers, and the truck driver, Murray Alper. Contrary to other opinions here, there aren't too many characters who believe Barry Kane's innocence immediately.There are some slow parts, mainly when the action first moves to New York, but it picks up quickly when the last planned act of the fifth columnists gets underway.It's one of my favorite films from Hitchcock (I put it in my top 5), especially in these days of the new war on terrorism. I think it hits home.It makes you think, "Could my coworker be involved in something evil?" In fact, one of the movie posters for "Saboteur" proclaimed "Watch Out for the Man behind your back!" Imagine how that played in the mind of adults during the Second World War.$LABEL$ 1 +Forbidden Siren is based upon the Siren 2 Playstation 2 (so many 2s) game. Like most video game turned movies, I would say the majority don't translate into a different medium really well. And that goes for this one too, painfully.There's a pretty long prologue which explains and sets the premise for the story, and the mysterious island on which a writer (Leo Morimoto) and his children, daughter Yuki (Yui Ichikawa) and son Hideo (Jun Nishiyama) come to move into. The villagers don't look all too friendly, and soon enough, sound advice is given about the siren on the island, to stay indoors once the siren starts wailing.Naturally and slowly, things start to go bump, and our siblings go on a mission beating around the bush to discover exactly what is happening on this unfriendly island with its strange inhabitants. But in truth, you will not bother with what's going on, as folklore and fairy tales get thrown in to convolute the plot even more. What was really pushing it into the realm of bad comedy are its unwittingly ill-placed-out-of-the-norm moments which just drew pitiful giggles at its sheer stupidity, until it's explained much later. It's one thing trying to come up and present something smart, but another thing doing it convincingly and with loopholes covered.Despite it clocking in under 90 minutes - I think it's a horror movie phenomenon to have that as a runtime benchmark - it gives that almost two hour feel with its slow buildup to tell what it wants to. Things begin to pick up toward the last 20 minutes, but it's a classic case of too little too late.What saves the movie is how it changes tack and its revelation at the end. Again this is a common device used to try and elevate a seemingly simple horror movie into something a little bit extra in the hope of wowing an audience. It turned out rather satisfactorily, but leaves a bad aftertaste as you'll feel cheated somewhat. There are two ways a twist will make you feel - it either elevates the movie to a memorable level, or provides you with that hokey feeling. Unfortunately Forbidden Siren belonged more to the latter.The saving grace will be its cinematography with its use of light, shadows and mirrors, but I will be that explicit - it's still not worth the time, so better to avoid this.$LABEL$ 0 +The film "Cross Eyed" by Adam Jones propels the viewer on a ride of redemption as the main character takes back control of the wheel and sets his life in order. Adam Jones has found an imaginative and refreshing way to empower his character and actualize what matters most. These truths become apparent to both the characters and viewers as you laugh and gag to the credits with them. The simple yet attractive settings\costumes keep you guessing about what you will see next. You can't help but smile and laugh at the antics that take place in this movie. I can't wait for his sophomore effort. It is only a matter of time before Jones strikes again. Bravo!$LABEL$ 1 +This is the first movie i've seen of John Singleton and he is a pretty good director. The movie starts out with a bunch of incoming freshman and it shows what happens to several of them. Omar Epps plays a track star with a partial scholarship and having a hard time keeping up with his work. He is friends with Ice Cube and beings dating Tyra Banks. Kristy Swanson is a rich girl who is date raped and becomes friends with Jennifer Connelly, who is a lesbian, and isn't sure about which way to go. Michael Rapaport is a kid from Idaho who falls in with a group of Neo-Nazis and their leader is Cole Hauser. Those are the three main characters and Laurence Fishburne is a political science professor who tries to help them. It's a great film and it's unfortunate that the studio had to make several cuts to the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't expect a lot from ghost stories, but I do expect a story to make a bit of sense! Is that asking too much from the screenwriters and filmmakers? When the bad guy, all of the sudden, becomes a homicidal maniac solely because a bunch of crows start pecking him, then I have a problem spending $9.00 for a ticket! Alfred Hitchcock would be spinning in his grave. Didn't anyone learn anything in their college Film 101 class? A good movie has at its roots an INTERESTING story!Here are some of the ridiculous messages in this movie: If you have desperate financial problems move from Chicago to the middle of no-where in North Dakota to grow Sunflowers (I kid you not!). If your toddler has serious neurological problems from a car accident move away from some of the best hospitals and speech therapists in the country to an isolated small town, which, at best, has a community hospital. Hire a drifter to live & work with you, out of the blue, without checking any references, when you have a teenage vixen daughter, a wife and toddler. ( I'm glad they're not my parents!) A town where everyone knows everything would have no problem missing a triple homicide, just outside of town. And, of course, blame the man's lunacy on a bad crop of Sunflowers! (Doesn't anything else grow in North Dakota?) A couple of days after you buy your rundown house - with huge vines growing everywhere - that it reminds you of Jack and the Beanstalk, a guy from the X-Files, ala Smoking Man, (I'm glad to see the cigarettes didn't get him, I guess he doesn't inhale!) will just suddenly sneak up on you while you're working to offer you the sale price of your home, plus 15% more, for absolutely no reason!I think you get the picture. I have seen so many godforsaken awful movies in the past month, it just blows my mind! Is it that difficult to make a movie that doesn't treat the audience like an idiot? I'm glad at least the crows in this sorry film turned out to have the some brains! I wish I could say the same for whomever thinks they are going to make money off this celluloid piece of trash!$LABEL$ 0 +"Girlfight" is much more of a coming-of-age-story than it is a fight flick. And what a relief to have one in an urban school, with naturalistic, realistic Latinos and believable use of Brooklyn project settings. It made me realize that virtually all Hollywood high school movies are set in luxurious suburbia or small towns. (Even the somewhat comparable "Love and Basketball" which focused on teen African-Americans was set in suburbia.) While these kids share some of the same peer problems, those issues shrink compared to the other struggles of these kids, where high school graduation could be the major accomplishment of their lives.The feminist element here is riveting in its originality, as you hold your breath to see if she can have a relationship--and a victory-- on her terms. A lots of audience sympathy goes to the guy who is challenged to rise to a gender-bending-expectations situation.The movie does drag a bit here and there, but this is no cheap thrills "Rocky" fight movie, as the practices and fights have complex outcomes, and all the relationships--especially with fathers and father-figures-- take more center stage than the center ring. There were lots of interesting music credits listed at the end, but I hadn't really noticed the songs.(originally written 10/7/2000)$LABEL$ 1 +In this excellent Twentieth-Century Fox film-noir, the metropolis is a labyrinth of despair in which scavengers and predators survive by living off one another. Brooding cityscapes lower over puny humanity in bleak expressionist symbolism.A prostitute has her purse snatched on the subway. It contains a microfilm, and a communist spy ring will go to any lengths to recover it. Two parallel investigations unfold as both spies and cops hunt down the precious information.Anti-hero pickpocket Skip McCoy is played with scornful assurance by Richard Widmark. He knows the cops to be his moral equals and intellectual inferiors, so he taunts them: "Go on," he says to captain Dan Tiger (Murvyn Vye), "drum up a charge. Throw me in. You've done it before." In this pitiless world, the cops are just one more gang on the streets. Just as Candy the hooker bribes Lightning Louie to get a lead, so the police are busy paying stool pigeons for information.It is hard to believe that when Widmark made this film he was already in early middle age. The 39-year-old star, coming to the end of his contract with Fox, plays the upstart Skip McCoy with the irreverent brashness of a teenager. Today it may not be acceptable for the romantic lead to punch his love interest into unconsciousness then revive her by sloshing beer in her face, but by the mores of the period it signified toughness - and Candy, after all, is a fallen woman.Jean Peters is radiant as Candy. Here, right in the middle of her five-year burst of B-movie fame, she is beautiful and engaging as the whore with the golden heart. She is the story's victim, a martyr to her beauty as much as anything else. She means well, but is constantly being manipulated by cynical men - Joey, Skip and the cops.The real star of this movie is New York. Haunting urban panoramas and snidering subway stations offer a claustrophobic evocation of the city as a living, malevolent force. Like maggots in a rotting cheese, human figures scurry through the city's byways. Elevators, subway turnstiles, sidewalks - even a dumb waiter act as conduits for the flow of corrupt humanity. People cling to any niche that affords safety: Moe has her grimy rented room, Skip his tenebrous shack on the Hudson River. As the characters move and interact, they are framed by bridge architecture, or lattices of girders, or are divided by hanging winch tackle. The personality of the city is constantly imposing itself. The angles and crossbeams of the wharf timbers are an echo of the gridiron street plan, and the card-index cabinets in the squadroom mimic the Manhattan skyline. When Joey's exit from the subway is barred, it is as if the steel sinews of the city are ensnaring him.A surprising proportion of this film is shot in extreme close-up. Character drives the plot, as it should, and the close-ups are used to augment character. When Skip interrogates Candy, the close-up captures the sexual energy between them, belying the hostility of Skip's words. Jean Peters' beauty is painted in light, in exquisite soft focus close-ups. The device is also employed to heighten the tension. The opening sequence, the purse snatch, contains no dialogue: the drama relies entirely on close-up for its powerful effect.Snoopers, and snoopers upon snoopers, populate the film. Moe (Thelma Ritter) makes a living as an informant, and her place in the hierarchy is accepted, even by her victims. When Skip observes, "she's gotta eat", he is chanting a recurring refrain. Just as 'straight' New Yorkers peddle lamb chops or lumber, the Underworld traffics in the commodity of information.And yet even the stool pigeons are superior to Joey and his communist friends. Joey's feet on Moe's bed symbolise a transgression of the most basic moral code. Joey is beyond the pale. Moe will not trade with Joey, even to preserve her life: " ... even in our crummy business, you gotta draw the line somewhere.""Pick-Up" was made in the depths of the Cold War. Richard Nixon had just been chosen as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, having made his name with his phoney Alger Hiss expose - bogus communist microfilm and all. The McCarthy show trials were a daily reality. We see the cops in the movie inveigh against "the traitors who gave Stalin the A-bomb".New York can be seen as a giant receptacle in which human offal cheats, squeals and murders. Containers form a leitmotif throughout the film. Moe carries her trade mark box of ties, and candy's purse, container of the microfilm, is the engine of the plot. Skip keeps his only possessions in a submerged crate, symbolising his secretive street-wisdom. The paupers' coffins, moving down the Hudson on a barge, are containers of just one more cargo being shifted around the pitiless metropolis.The film is a masterpiece of composition. Candy is shown above the skulking Skip on the rickety gangway of the shack, signifying her moral ascendancy. When the gun is placed on the table, the extreme perspective makes it look bigger than Candy - violence is beginning to dwarf compassion. The lovers are eclipsed by the shadow of a stevedore's hook, reminding us that their love is neither pure nor absolute, but contingent upon the whims of the sinister city. Enyard the communist is a shadow on a wall, or a disembodied puff of cigarette smoke. He is like the lone alley cat amongst the garbage - a predatory phantom of the night. Camera shots from under taxi hoods, inside newspaper kiosks and through the bars of hospital beds constantly reinforce in us the awareness that we are all trapped in the metropolis. We are civilisation's mulch.$LABEL$ 1 +A beautiful shopgirl in London is swept off her feet by a millionaire tea plantation owner and soon finds herself married and living with him at his villa in British Ceylon. Although based upon the book by Robert Standish, this initial set-up is highly reminiscent of Hitchock's "Rebecca", with leading lady Elizabeth Taylor clashing with the imposing chief of staff at the mansion and (almost immediately) her own husband, who is still under the thumb of his deceased-but-dominant father. Taylor, a last-minute substitute for an ailing Vivien Leigh, looks creamy-smooth in her high fashion wardrobe, and her performance is quite strong; however, once husband Peter Finch starts drinking heavily and barking orders at her, one might think her dedication to him rather masochistic (this feeling hampers the ending as well). Still, the film offers a heady lot for soap buffs: romantic drama, a bit of travelogue, interpretive dance, an elephant stampede, and a perfectly-timed outbreak of cholera! *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +I'm sorry to say that, but this is actually one of the worst documentaries i have EVER seen.Due to its name "Darwin's Nightmare" i expected a documentary on problems relating to the Nile perch in Lake Victoria.What I actually saw in this "documentary" is a loose accumulation of individual stories, most of which have no relation to neither fish nor lake. And for a large part you can hardly call them stories - it's more like some accumulated scenes that lack a meaningful connection...Why does this movie waste time on: - Showing us non-relevant information on the families of the Russian pilots (several minutes are wasted for example on their private digicam snapshots of wives and daughters) - Mourning the death of an African child who got bitten by a crocodile (as if that could not have happened without the Nile perch) - Showing us about 100 times how planes land and start at the airport - Showing us strange religious events for several minutes - Discussing in detail the life and death of a whore at the airport - Talking to kids about their mothers, fathers - what they work and/or how they died (well, guess what: some died of HIV - who would have guessed that?) Those are just some examples, i could go on for several pages...This movie is absolutely unfocused, and does not know at all what it wants to tell the viewer. If you have never heard of Africa and have no idea that this continent has Social/Health/HIV/Violence/War problems then this movie might be right for you. If you haven't had your eyes closed for the last decades 90% of what this movie shows won't be new to you - and the way it's presented here will try its best to make you fall asleep.Perhaps my expectations on this movie were to high, but i really didn't like it even though this is a topic that I would generally find interesting. If this movie wants to show how the poverty is related to the Nile perch, than it perhaps should have spent some time on discussing that matter...$LABEL$ 0 +Since was only a toddler when this show originally aired I just recently picked up the DVD set and am wishing there were more episodes filmed. This show was a 70s version of the poplular 90's TV series "X-Files"- but with a bit more of a comedic/light hearted approach. But don't get me wrong, some of these episodes have full on horror themes, many in which have some pretty greuesome plots (left to the imagination of course- this was the early 70s television).Some of the plots where a bit silly as well as the acting, but that is the charm and attraction to this series. Whether you like mystery crime dramas, comedies, or sci-fi/horror themes, this series brought all that together. Each episode clocked in at around 50 minutes or so (1 hour with commercials) and that 50 minutes goes by quick always leaving me wanting more. A great classic show that is underrated in my book!$LABEL$ 1 +Scary Movie 3 (2003) was a bad idea to begin with. The last film was a mediocre effort. Put it next to this load, it's a comedy classic. Whilst part two was filled with a lot of dated humor and cheap shots, at least it was funny. There's nothing funny about forced humor. Jokes, pratfalls and sight gags are supposed to be naturally funny. Hitting the viewer over the head with tired jokes is not cool. The humor in this film was caters to juvenile imbeciles who'll laugh at anything. When they catered to the junior high school crowd, any sense of self respect was tossed out the window. Ring parodies are not funny. I have watched them in comedies since 1998. They're so dated. Michael Jackson jokes are not cool either. What's even worse is making fun of two broken down has been "performers" whose best days were NEVER.The death of American cinema has been a slow one. Films like this are the nails that are being pounded into it's coffin. Whatever happened to real humor? I haven't laughed out loud in a movie theater in a long time. Too many bad movies rot the brain. You want proof? Go to your local mega chain video rental store and see what's on the shelves. This movie is bad. Don't believe the hype. I would rather watch Scary Movie 2 in a continuous loop than to suffer through this poor excuse of a comedy ever again!Definitely not recommended (unless you have a handful of brain cells).$LABEL$ 0 +I have come out of several years of lurking on these boards due to the sheer lack of intelligence that is communicated through the reviews that periodically appear on this film's IMDb space. I saw this movie courtesy of subway cinema's new york Asian film festival (which had an otherwise excellent selection of movies this year, see vital, snake of june, CHA NO AJI, Survive Style)and have regretted every day that a scene from that movie disengorges itself from the back of my mind, and becomes a vivid memory.I'm sure that you can read a laudatory summary of the film off of Subway Cinema, which is probably why I made the mistake of dragging my friend to the film. The description built up the kind of horror film that I had longed for for a while, one that relies on sheer terror rather than cheap scares. P was in fact different. It relied on cheap laughs.The incredibly annoying announcer described this movie as "Lesbians team up to fight monsters." Completely untrue. There is a subplot built up in this film to make it seem like the relationship between the girl and Pookie is actually going somewhere. More lies. This film seems like a short made for "Are you afraid of the dark?" The story is ridiculous, and only succeeded in eliciting laughter and confusion from the audience after they finally rescinded their attempt to view this film with any semblance of seriousness and try to forget the $9 that they wasted at the door. I almost wish paul spurrier was in the audience so that I could laugh at him and ask him why he wasted 5 years in thailand to make a bad softcore horror-cum-porn that belongs on the spice channel, which only succeeded to get the actress excommunicated from her family, and caused a minor stir at the belgium film festival. The only stir that this caused was a gurgle in the lower intestine as it couldn't extract itself from the sh*te that it is. Anyway, I hope I can dissaude anyone from making the grave mistake of seeing this film, it was truly one of my top 3 worst movie experiences, knocking out soulplane for the number 2.$LABEL$ 0 +. . .but it was on a UHF channel and the reception was very fuzzy. I'd really like to own the movie since the reason I watched it in the first place is because I am a bus driver and at the time I saw this movie, I was driving that model bus. It was only (during his murder trial some 15 years later) that I remember vaguely that OJ was one of the stars in it. I only recall that he was the driver and of the bus' being shot up and driven wildly. I've been looking all over for this movie to no avail, since viewing it in the mid-80s. I liked the movie, I don't usually watch thrillers, but after reading the summary in the TV guide, and viewing its beginning (although fuzzy) I stayed for the whole thing.$LABEL$ 1 +Another Aussie masterpiece, this delves into the world of the unknown and the supernatural, and it does very well. It doesn't resort to the big special effects overkill like American flicks, it focuses more on emotional impact. A relatively simple plot that Rebecca Gibney & Co. bring to life. It follows the story of a couple who buy an old house that was supposedly home to a very old woman who never went outside, and whose husband disappeared in mysterious circumstances a century ago. Strange things begin to happen in the house, and John Adam begins to turn into the man who disappeared, who was actually a mass murderer. Highly recommended. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is amazing. The plot was just...wow.I was very surprised by Gackt's and Hyde's performance, after growing up in the American world of the actors who can't sing and singers who can't act.In this movie, a young Sho (Gackt) comes across a vampire, Kei (Hyde). Over time, they form an unlikely friendship. Kei is suffering because of how he is forced to live off others, the half-life of a vampire.It's a sad movie, but not sappy. The plot was very unique, and contrary to your typical vampire flick. The storyline was thick with twists and turns and very entrancing.The only fault I would say the movie had, despite it's lack of a happy--albeit peaceful—ending, would be it's multiple languages. I had the unsubdued version (I'm lucky that I understood it all save some of the Cantonese), so I would recommend getting something with subtitles.All in all, the movie was just awesome.$LABEL$ 1 +Everyone's favorite trio of bumbling imbeciles run amok in a hospital in this incredibly raucous and often hysterically funny romp. These guys are without a doubt the single most incompetent bunch of doctors to ever fumble their way across the screen. Comic highlights include the Stooges constantly breaking a glass pane in a door, their encounter with a deranged patient who claims that rats used to come out of the buttonhole of his shirt, the Stooges riding through the hallways on a giant bicycle, a huge horse, and miniature race cars, and our sublimely stupid threesome accidentally leaving instruments inside a hapless patient's abdomen after they finish operating on the poor fellow. Director Ray McCarey relates the frantic comic shenanigans at an appropriately nonstop hectic pace and stages the broad slapstick gags with considerable gusto. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard are all in peak loopy form, with sterling support from Dell Henderson as long-suffering hospital supervisor Dr. Graves, squeaky-voiced Jeanie Roberts as a hiccuping nurse (the scene where the Stooges do an absurd impromptu group singalong with this gal is absolutely sidesplitting!), Ruth Hiatt as a whispering nurse, Billy Gilbert as the ranting crazy patient, and "Little Billy" Rhodes as a feisty tiny patient. The spirited lunacy never lets up for a minute, thereby making this beautifully berserk baby one of the Stooges' best-ever outings.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is brilliant! It touches everyone who sees it in an extraordinary way. It really takes you back to your youth and puts a new perspective on how you view your childhood memories. There are so many layers to this film. It is innovative and absolutely fabulous!$LABEL$ 1 +Purple Rain... what else can i say, the title speaks for itself. But i think all the actors were well picked. The movie had a great story. I loved it! Ever since i watched that movie, i've been stuck in the eighties, and I'm only 13! My favorite part of the movie was when his father died and he was picking up all of his music compositions, and the Apollonia was sitting on the stairwell with his earing in her hand. Critics say that its a drama but i think its more of a romance. Murphy Brown also did a great job in the movie, he actually acted like himself. I'm so glad I've seen this movie. The song Purple Rain, beautifully sung, was so heartfelt. I cried more than once.$LABEL$ 1 +this movie is outrageous. by outrageous, i mean awful. i had more fun watching the paint dry at my local hardware store on an august day while suffering from a migraine and heat stroke. the acting got progressively worse as the "movie" advanced, and the directors use of euphoric drugs became apparent as the final scenes approached. when misty was shot to death she decided that it would be prudent to blink post mordem. that was not intelligent. truthfully, stevie wonder could have caught that with his eyes closed. if you are deciding between playing with a nail gun while intoxicated and watching this movie, bear in mind that the nail gun will probably give you a better story to tell your friends.$LABEL$ 0 +Can't grade this very well, because I can't say I liked it. But it is the story that bothered me, not the realization of the film. The acting, directing, atmosphere, music were all good. It's just that after you see a bunch of people doing things you can't truly relate to, the movie ends. It is educational in the way that it shows the horrors of war as seen from home and the way feelings don't need to make any sense at all and still be strong, but that's about it.The plot covers a period of a few years in which the poet Dylan Thomas is taken under the roof of a former ex-girlfriend. He is married, brings his wife and later the kid, while the ex (Knightley) marries some other guy. But the tension is there, Dylan is a self obsessed jerk and the new husband comes back home from the war with a slight case of PTSD. Add in some pretty temperamental characters and you have your hands full.Bottom line: you have to be "in the mood" to like this film. The hard part is defining this mood. I don't think I've ever been in it yet. Ever. So it is probably better watched by adults with a grasp on weird complex human behaviour and maybe a curiosity about Dylan Thomas.$LABEL$ 1 +Carter Wong plays a noble hero on a quest for a book of healing which leads him seeking ultimate vengeance! The pacing is good in this film and there are a lot of fight scenes to keep the movie going. The flying guillotines look wicked and the main villain has no problems using them. Although the story isn't strong, the action is fun and draws you to the very end (which I felt could've had a sequel).Campy and dark, this is great ol skool kung fu!!$LABEL$ 1 +So this was an HBO "Made for TV Movie" eh? Is that an excuse for such a pathetic plot and terrible acting? Such a shame to see Jim Belushi reduced to a role so repetitive (shot at, survived, lies, beaten up, survives, shot at, lies and so ad infinitum. Call that a script? As for the Brits, embarrassing to see Timothy Dalton's pathetic (or was he just taking the p***, depends how much he was paid I guess?) attempt at a Southern Sheriff). As for that other Brit, the bleached blond one, what a w***er! There is a trend towards glorifying these "English speaking" (sic) super-violent thugs lately, perhaps thanks to Mr. Madonna's two movies succeed in entertaining and justify the violence by skillful use of irony and humour, like Pulp Fiction does. However, this movie discredits and devalues the genre. definately one to miss.$LABEL$ 0 +You know you're in trouble when the opening narration basically tells you who survives. It all goes downhill from there. Unnecessary, "Matrix"-influenced bullet-time camera work. Pointless cuts to video game footage. Crusty old sea captains and wacky seamen. Ravers who become skilled combatants in the blink of an eye. Even the zombies are boring.I was hoping for at least a "so bad it's good" zombie movie, but this one is "so bad those involved with its creation should be barred from ever making a movie again".$LABEL$ 0 +This depiction of forlorn Japanese forces in the Philipines is a tour de force in the utter meaninglessness of war. It is an effective representation of Japanese pacifist views after WW II. In the movie, Japanese soldiers have been left to fend for themselves in the jungles of the Philipines. Faced with impending starvation they resort to cannibalism and gradually lose what little humanity they have left. To call this film depressing would be something of an understatement. The viewer is left with an utterly despairing sense of life's lost value in modern combat. The final scene is almost too nihilistic but the film is a worthy statement none-the-less. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +solid documentary about edgey kids who first surf then skate in the face of the american dream. sadly some of the youngest and most gifted succumb to the lure of drugs while others become slaves to the crass marketing of their go for broke instincts. few come out on top. but the die is cast and fruit of it all is the new national pastime, skateboarding (the New York Times notes that "it was once considered a snub to authority. Now, however, skateboarding has its own summer camps, video games, magazines [actually it always had these] and corporate sponsors.") commercialism co-opts another kid birthed cultural node.$LABEL$ 1 +I went into this movie expecting it to be really god-awful. And it was. I really felt sorry for the star-studded cast- Kathy Bates was a wonderful actress... before she made this movie- Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti were disappointing as usual but Miranda Richardson couldn't put in one of the fabulous performances I know and love her for. Fred's dad, played by Trevor Peacock (of Vicar of Dibley fame, amongst others), had about one line.The plot was predictable and all over the place, and the humour was... lacking. (However, there was one part of the movie where Santa enters the house of a Jewish family... that made me laugh just because their expressions were classic) Don't see this movie unless your only other alternative is having a head-on collision with a train (actually- maybe the train would be better...)$LABEL$ 0 +You know, I really have a problem with movie lists. I was reading Maxim magazine a while ago and they had a list of the 50 Greatest B-Movies of all time, and knowing me, I of course have to go through and watch them all and write reviews of all of them. This is why you see reviews of movies like Gator Bait and Barb Wire and Coffy on my list. So I noticed H.O.T.S. at the video store the other day and recognized it from Maxim's list of the 50 greatest B-movies, and I decided to rent it and check it out. My only consolation is that I rented it because I recognized it from a list of B-movies, so I already knew it was going to suck. Given the type of movie that it is, I can't say that H.O.T.S. is a total failure, since it is nothing more than a late 70s T&A film, and it never pretends to by anything else. The only place where it strays widely from its objective is in a ragged subplot involving a couple of ex-cons who have stashed a lot of stolen money in the house that the self-named H.O.T.S. move in to, because this subplot has absolutely no place in the movie. Despite the fact that the rest of the movie is as well, this subplot is completely superfluous and unnecessary. The story is based on a couple of rival sororities at the beloved F.U., which exists as one of those Universities that contains a grand total of one sorority until the rejects form their own in order to get back at the snobs in the other one. This new sorority, Help Out The Seals (H.O.T.S.), is a sorority supposedly based on helping seals (the seal subplot is another one that doesn't really belong in the movie, and little attention is paid to the meaning of that name beyond having a seal running around here and there throughout the movie). This is going to sound weird, but there was actually one scene that I was pretty impressed with in this movie. One SHOT that I was impressed with, I should say. About midway through the movie, one of the girls in Pi, the rival sorority, is pouring alcohol into the punch, and she pours some for herself in a glass and drinks it. Oddly enough, what she does as she drinks that alcohol reminds me of something that Charlie Chaplin would do, which really brightened up the movie. Obviously, nothing in this movie comes close to anything that Chaplin ever did, but that shot alone raised my score for the movie from a 2 to a 4.As a whole, however, the movie is exactly what you would expect it to be, a lot of people running around looking for excuses to take off their clothes (I liked how the remove-one-piece-of-clothing-for-every-score in the football game at the end was one of the GIRLS' ideas. Riiiiiiiiight…), and not much thought is put into much of anything else. There is, for example, a scene early in the film when a couple of the Pi girls pour hot sauce into the refreshments at a H.O.T.S. party, accidentally getting caught in an incriminating photograph (the girl taking the picture didn't realize that she photographed them at the time), although the photograph never comes up for any reason later in the film. I've seen movies like this before, it's kind of like Gator Bait but without the violence and the rednecks and Coffy wasn't far off. Even Barb Wire is much the same, just with a bigger budget and more silicon. Thankfully, Maxim's 50 B-movie list contains only a few more comedies, because while these cheesy teen T&A films are entertaining every once in a while as bad movies with the occasional semi-nude scene, after watching H.O.T.S. I think I've decided that I like the bad horror movies better than the bad comedies. I'd rather watch a lot of terrible actors pretend to be scared than pretend to be funny.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this little gem as an extra feature on my DVD of Vampyr-Der Traum Des Allen Grey, and didn't expect all that much from it. It looked like it might be an interesting little short though, so I turned it on.I am so glad that I did. It was really incredible! Despite having been made more than 70 years ago, the animation was, in my view, better than some of that done today with all the computer effects and experience available now.The story is quite simple-a newly put together toy dog hears its owner's laments about not being able to afford an orange and goes on a quest to find her one. In the process, it runs into a toy's underworld with all sort of nefarious creatures and toys overseen by none other than the devil himself, who all want the dog's orange for themselves as well.This film precedes, but reminds me a lot of Mad Monster Party? (1969, Jules Bass)-a movie which I have always really enjoyed-and to a lesser extent, some of Tim Burton's animated works-The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick) and Corpse Bride (2005, Tim Burton). Fans of any of these movies will, I am sure, also love The Mascot.Overall, an incredible piece of short animation which is well worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is one of the many "Kung Fu" action films made in Asia in the late '70s - early '80s, full of cheap sound effects, dubbed dialog and lightning fast martial arts action. But unlike most films of this genre it also has a decent plot and lots of great comedy. When workers of a dye factory are forced out of their jobs by Manchu bullies, they hire a con-artist (Gordon Liu) to try to scare them off. When his attempt fails miserably, he cons his way into a Shaolin temple to learn to fight for real. But instead of making him a Kung-Fu student, the Master instead orders him to build a scaffolding to cover the roofs of all 36 chambers. Well, it turns out that while he's performing these menial tasks (stacking and tying bamboo poles) that he's learning the skills to be a Kung-Fu expert! It's sort of like in Karate Kid when Mr. Miagi teaches Daniel the basics of karate by having him do routine household chores- "Wax on, wax off" et cetera. There's lots of great comedy from beginning to end, and plenty of action at the end when Gordon Liu once again faces his Manchu tormentors. "This time it's not just tricks- it's the real thing!" Liu declares, proudly thumping his chest. If you like classic Kung Fu films you don't want to miss this one!$LABEL$ 1 +If you liked the Grinch movie... go watch that again, because this was no where near as good a Seussian movie translation. Mike Myers' Cat is probably the most annoying character to "grace" the screen in recent times. His voice/accent is terrible and he laughs at his own jokes with an awful weasing sound, which is about the only laughing I heard at the theater. Not even the kids liked this one folks, and kids laugh at anything now. Save your money and go see Looney Tunes: Back in Action if you're really looking for a fun holiday family movie.$LABEL$ 0 +OK well i found this movie in my dads old pile of movies and it looked pretty good from the cover but the movie actually sucked!! OK the first story with the swimmer was pretty good but it took a while to get into, then the one with the boy was completely retarded! It wasn't even scary! His dream sounds like a little kid's bedtime story. Then the news girls one was completely retarded too. I'm sure someones going to call up the news guy and ask him to go out with you. But that one ended cool where she stabbed him and she was in the hospital and she saw him on t.v and he said all that junk to her. Next was that pretty gay story about the guy who brought back the dead people..OMG its so stupid I'm not even going to say any more about it.The last one was the best. It wasn't that scary but the idea of the story was pretty cool..uh yeah the girl gets possessed and she kills all her classmates or something. Then when they're all done telling their dreams to each other the losers get on the bus (TO HELL AHAHAHAH) and they see all the people from their dreams on the bus(Ha). The End.$LABEL$ 0 +This must be one of the worse movies that I have ever seen. On a par with Blair Witch and just as annoying. The flashing helmet lights made things difficult to see and I think that epileptics should take heed as there are moments with strobing that makes this movie even more annoying. I think if they had been quieter they might have found a way out. Then when you think the geek might come up trumps even he resorts to a nervous breakdown. Oh and when is the guy who is having sex realise that when the girl says she can hear something. She Can Really Hear Something. One of these guys must have at least seen Scream (where they draw your attention to such things) It is also a big let-down when a premise offers so much promise and then someone writes the script. So sorry folks I got this on weekly at the video shop and I would still like my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +This engaging (which it shouldn't be) low-grade Spanish exploitation (quite tame I might add) looks good, but huh? Let me phrase that again 'huh?'. Actually the word 'huh?' would be going through your mind quite a lot. Nothing makes sense, nor does it try too. I just don't know if its complicatedly cryptic or just a convoluted muddle, but there's no denying how laconically uneventful, strange and wordy it feels.Unrelated sequences tied (like that nasty opening involving a little girl, dead cat and fire) in to a sparse story involving photographer Mario (played by a chest-puffing John Caffari, who's mustache is a dead ringer for Nintendo's iconic Mario. What's the odds?) that ditches his girlfriend at home and encounters a young lady (a gorgeously fixating Patty Shepard) who he asks to come with him on an photography assignment, where at this remote mountain retreat they come across some hooded witches.Look past the unhinged plot structure and wallow in what is simply a moody piece of atmospheric mechanisms and growing unease. Raul Artigot directs few jarringly unusual visuals and creepy passages, but for most part seems sporadically non-existent and unfocused just like his writing. Ramon Sempere's striking cinematography lenses the gracefully rich scenery as we take in the scenic views and let the time leisurely grind away. However there are certain areas where it was too dark to see what was going on. Fernando Garcia Morcillo's hauntingly bombastic and overwrought score blends terrifically with compulsively dense atmosphere created. The leads are capable, but there's also a sturdy bunch (the pick being Víctor Israel) of secondary performances.Slow with little in the way of interest, but this dreamy set-up (that seems to go on and on) manages to keep you watching until its closing.$LABEL$ 0 +Calling this a "Sunday School" movie might be generous, because, even as a Christian, I found the religious message so one-dimensional that I wouldn't want to see it at my church. The message is, "Read your Bible, go to church and sign up for fire insurance, so you won't get left behind at the rapture." There was no love. I guess when you get right down to it, I don't believe in the god portrayed in this film. The guy who was supposed to have all of the spiritual answers came across like Count Dracula.Aside from the spiritual/religious element, the script was tedious--saying the same thing over and over. That might have been to make up for some of the acting, which was unable to deliver a convincing line the first time, so they just said the same thing over and over.I did enjoy the final scenes. I thought it made a point without hitting someone over the head or stooping to a Sunday School formula. The movie wasn't all bad, just most of it.I am in favor of more clean movies that are well-done and that present truth in a non-preachy way. This wasn't one of those, I am sorry to say. I took my family to this film, wanting to support that kind of movie. Now I'd like my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +First off I must stress how rare it is that I take the time to comment on a movie that I have seen, it takes a very special case for me to take the time and write about how I felt about a film. That said, of the hundreds of movies I have watched I have seen some of the most brilliant, Shawshank, the scariest, The Woman in Black, the funniest, Shark Attack III: Megaladon, and now the worst: Vampires vs. Zombies.The first thing that must be said is that this movie is not funny! For those that are looking for a light hearted movie that will just be fun or at the very least so bad that it's funny, look elsewhere. It is true that a movie such as this is not trying to be subtle and brilliant, with a title such as this you should know what you're getting into. That said, there is no excuse for a movie to abandon any and every rule that governs the movie making world. This is not an argument between the traditional movie making process and newer and more "artsy" methods to creating a film, this is an argument between bad directors and companies being held accountable for making terrible movies.This movie suffers from the over used saying "I don't know where to start." Truly everything about this movie is broken. From the acting and to the editing there is no reason any movie should ever fail to deliver a cohesive series of events such as Vampires vs. Zombies. Some of the following problems are; 1. Scene misfires- It's clear that the director, the camera crew and the actors were not on the same page. In one scene in particular the scene begins with the camera resting on the ground looking at the passenger side door of a car. You are expecting the person inside to get out, but there is a, and this is NO exaggeration, 10 second, at least, delay between the camera comes on and the director says "action" to where anything happens on screen. The viewer is left staring at a car door for the entire time with no sound, no movement, just the stereotypical "dead air" that radio or TV commentators dread. Where was the editing? 2. Acting- A forgivable offense in most cases, you can't expect a movie like this to have Oscar winners after all, but Vampires vs. Zombies takes bad acting to a whole other level. These "actors" were barely able to read their scripts obviously because anyone with any ability to read and to speak would have been able to pronounce the lines better than these fools. My only comparison for acting would have to be the opening scene from Resident Evil on Playstation. But that acting was even better.3- Story- Wait, what? Story? Again you can't expect this to be The Greatest Story Ever Told, but is it too much to ask that we have some semblance of a narrative? Why the Vampires? Who are the characters? Who are the bad guys? Are there good guys? Why all the lesbians? But most importantly, what's the deal with the zombies? If you have seen this movie then you will understand what I mean, but to those who haven't I'll be plain, there are no zombies in this movie aside from maybe five minutes of it. It was almost as if the director forgot about the name of the movie and was forced to throw some zombies in without explanation at the very end.There's so much more, but I hope I've done enough to keep anyone from seeing this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when it first came out in 1973 and loved it. Since then I've searched for a video but never found it until now, 33 years later, when I ordered it from Moviehunter. Sorry to say it doesn't hold up. This glamourized version just can't rise up to the 1937 production level. I love Burt Bacharach's musical score, that is if listend to by itself, and I even bought a CD of it, but for my taste it doesn't lend itself well to this mysterious and compelling story. Just doesn't fit. Michael York is lost here. Sally Kellerman tosses off a fine performance but Olivia Hussy is just ridiculous and not worth lugging through the Himalayas. The best performance is Charles Boyer as the head Lama.$LABEL$ 1 +The One is a very aptly name show, mostly because it comes close to being the only network shows on in prime time that barely more than one person is watching.When I first heard of The One, I thought to myself "Weee!! Another sing-song show! We don't have enough of those!" and then proceeded to strap on my helmet and run about my home hitting my head on blunt objects and sharp corners. Because in all honesty, the constant, year round pain and suffering inflicted by having only one or two "talent" based reality shows running just isn't enough. We needed another one. And not just any one - "THE" One. The one with slightly less attractive contestants with slightly less talent. The one with slightly less of a point, though it's hard to imagine a scenario in which that's possible. The one with pointless footage of the contestants when they're not performing included. Because I care what Johnny Sings-a-lot does in his off hours! I really do! Now, you may be thinking "Hey! On the entire continent of North America less than 4 million people watched the first episode. Doesn't that mean this show sucks?" Well, to that I say less than 4 million people in North America have syphilis, so sometimes low numbers bring good news now don't they?. Think about it.In the end, The One may be horribly unoriginal, a show that even the airing network couldn't be bothered to promote because they too realize how absolutely worthless it is, but it's still not syphilis! Yay!$LABEL$ 0 +It's a rehash of many recent films only this one has fewer stars, lesser complications and a more fuzzy feel to it. Abhay and Ritika (played by Fardeen Khan & Esha Deol respectively) meet at a friend's wedding where their own marriage (unbeknowst to them) begins its process of being arranged. Within no time the two strangers are married and sent of to a honeymoon camp where they meet other couples going through the motions similar to theirs. As they spend time together, secrets are revealed, hearts broken and/or mended and love blossoms.If you've seen Honeymoon Private Limited and/or Salaam-e-Ishq, then you've seen this film. The plot twists are the same, there is not a single element of surprise in the entire two and a half hours of the film. Everything is predictable. I only enjoyed it because I had seen 'Darling' (also starring the leads Deol & Khan) earlier in the day and enjoyed their chemistry in that so I said "why not" when my sister suggested we rent 'Just married' as well.See it: Because Kirron Kher co-stars and is her usual darling self in it.Skip it: Because you've had enough of all this couple-fest nonsense! C+$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the shallowest episodes in that the plot really seemed like an excuse to just have fun. BUT, I appreciated this light-hearted approach and this is truly one of the best episodes to see on a purely fun level. Think about it--the crew members have encounters with the white rabbit and Alice from Wonderland, a Bengal tiger, a samurai warrior, a knight on horseback who kills McCoy, and a host of other seemingly bizarre events that just don't make any sense at all until the very end. Despite all the danger, you just can't take everything very seriously--it's just too fun and the whole episode seems very surreal. So, on a purely non-aesthetic level, it's great stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +Never heard of this movie,saw it on DVD.Great movie,perfect example of a movie that took every cast member to make it work.No overhyped typical Hollywood movie with the same old overhyped actors.No current Quote "A" list actor could have pulled off any performance in this movie.Brought back memories of my own post Vietnam war military experiences.It concentrated on the people who were sent to fight.As was portrayed by the characters who had fears and emotions even if some volunteered for service.They were regular people too,some just weren't cut out for military life,I remember a few in my experience--to put it mildly couldn't adapt to military life either-but I'll never forget them-should have stayed in touch.I highly recommend it and then think about those serving present day in Afganistan.Basic training is a trip, notice those drill sergeants aren't morning people and maybe they need "sensitivity training" HA!HA!HA!$LABEL$ 1 +Originally supposed to be just a part of a huge epic The Year 1905 depicting the Revolution of 1905, Potemkin is the story of the mutiny of the crew of the Potemkin in Odessa harbor. The film opens with the crew protesting maggoty meat and the captain ordering the execution of the dissidents. An uprising takes place during which the revolutionary leader is killed. This crewman is taken to the shore to lie in state. When the townspeople gather on a huge flight of steps overlooking the harbor, czarist troops appear and march down the steps breaking up the crowd. A naval squadron is sent to retake the Potemkin but at the moment when the ships come into range, their crews allow the mutineers to pass through. Eisenstein's non-historically accurate ending is open-ended thus indicating that this was the seed of the later Bolshevik revolution that would bloom in Russia. The film is broken into five parts: Men and Maggots, Drama on the Quarterdeck, An Appeal from the Dead, The Odessa Steps, and Meeting the Squadron.Eisenstein was a revolutionary artist, but at the genius level. Not wanting to make a historical drama, Eisenstein used visual texture to give the film a newsreel-look so that the viewer feels he is eavesdropping on a thrilling and politically revolutionary story. This technique is used by Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers.Unlike Pontecorvo, Eisenstein relied on typage, or the casting of non-professionals who had striking physical appearances. The extraordinary faces of the cast are what one remembers from Potemkin. This technique is later used by Frank Capra in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Meet John Doe. But in Potemkin, no one individual is cast as a hero or heroine. The story is told through a series of scenes that are combined in a special effect known as montage--the editing and selection of short segments to produce a desired effect on the viewer. D.W. Griffith also used the montage, but no one mastered it so well as Eisenstein.The artistic filming of the crew sleeping in their hammocks is complemented by the graceful swinging of tables suspended from chains in the galley. In contrast the confrontation between the crew and their officers is charged with electricity and the clenched fists of the masses demonstrate their rage with injustice.Eisenstein introduced the technique of showing an action and repeating it again but from a slightly different angle to demonstrate intensity. The breaking of a plate bearing the words "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" signifies the beginning of the end. This technique is used in Last Year at Marienbad. Also, when the ship's surgeon is tossed over the side, his pince-nez dangles from the rigging. It was these glasses that the officer used to inspect and pass the maggot-infested meat. This sequence ties the punishment to the corruption of the czarist-era.The most noted sequence in the film, and perhaps in all of film history, is The Odessa Steps. The broad expanse of the steps are filled with hundreds of extras. Rapid and dramatic violence is always suggested and not explicit yet the visual images of the deaths of a few will last in the minds of the viewer forever.The angular shots of marching boots and legs descending the steps are cleverly accentuated with long menacing shadows from a sun at the top of the steps. The pace of the sequence is deliberately varied between the marching soldiers and a few civilians who summon up courage to beg them to stop. A close up of a woman's face frozen in horror after being struck by a soldier's sword is the direct antecedent of the bank teller in Bonnie in Clyde and gives a lasting impression of the horror of the czarist regime.The death of a young mother leads to a baby carriage careening down the steps in a sequence that has been copied by Hitchcock in Foreign Correspondent, by Terry Gilliam in Brazil, and Brian DePalma in The Untouchables. This sequence is shown repeatedly from various angles thus drawing out what probably was only a five second event.Potemkin is a film that immortalizes the revolutionary spirit, celebrates it for those already committed, and propagandizes it for the unconverted. It seethes of fire and roars with the senseless injustices of the decadent czarist regime. Its greatest impact has been on film students who have borrowed and only slightly improved on techniques invented in Russia several generations ago.$LABEL$ 1 +Malcolm McDowell has not had too many good movies lately and this is no different. Especially designed for people who like Yellow filters on their movies.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great film - esp when compared with the sometimes wearisome earnestness of today's politically-minded filmmakers. A film that can so easily combine sex, gender relations, politics and art is a rarity these days. While the bouyant optimism of the 1960's can't be regained, I think we can at least learn a lesson from the film's breezy energy and charm. I don't know what those who label the film "boring" were watching - there's so much packed into it that it never remains the same film for more that 15 min at a time.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me make one thing clear….for the most part, the mentality of those who run the show in Hollywood frankly p*sses me right off in general and even more specifically in relation to its treatment of much loved, iconic characters from the pages of comic books. Why? Well let's take a typical Hollywood executive board meeting scenario to illustrate shall we…..Executive no.1 'Hey there's lots of dollars to be gleaned from superhero flicks these days.' Executive no.2 'Good point, let's make one with haste then! – We'll do a lucky dip in a hat and pick out a superhero at random to base a film upon!' (The dip takes place and a famous superheroes name is pulled out) Executive no.1 'Great! Now who can we get to play the part?' Executive no.2 'Who's a big box office star at the moment?' Executive no.1 '*name of big actor* is the in thing this week.' Executive no.2 'But does he really suit the role? I mean he doesn't resemble the character whatsoever.' Executive no.1 'Who cares?! He's a big name; We'll make the film with him in it anyway.' Executive no.2 'You're quite right! And besides we'll fill the entire film so chock full of glitzy special effects to appease the moronic masses that no one will ever question it anyway!'The above scenario clearly illustrates one of the reasons I generally loath most modern superhero movies. All style, no substance and simply pathetic casting of the iconic leads. Of course to be equitable, there are exceptions to the above rule; when Hollywood does get it right – take the casting of the original (and still easily the best!) Superman; Christopher Reeve and more recently Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen in the X-Men films.But back to the general negative traits displayed by Hollywood today…..wouldn't it be wonderful if our studio executives were to ALWAYS choose actors who actually suited the roles? Well in this less than ideal world, one filmmaker does just this believe it or not, by casting actors based upon their genuine resemblance to their comic book counterparts. His name is Sandy Collora. Sadly (but typically) Hollywood has not as of yet allowed Collora to direct a full length film but luckily for us, he has given us tantalizing glimpses of what the finished outcome would likely look like in the form of two (as of yet) famous super hero short features. One is the superb Batman:Dead End and the other is this mock trailer for an entirely fictitious film called Worlds Finest.Well, let's not mince our words here – this is absolutely awesome stuff!The casting of Mr. Universe winner and male model Michael O'Hearn, (who looked similarly awesome but was utterly wasted in the lackluster Barbarian) makes for the most perfect choice to play the iconic man of steel. In fact, in terms of physical resemblance, there has undoubtedly never been a closer approximation to the comic character.Added to this Clark Bartram is back fresh from his splendid portrayal as the Dark Knight in Batman:Dead End; Again, yet another hugely judicious piece of casting!What can I say? – If only this was indeed a real, full length film! Hollywood studio executives – take note! THIS is how it should be done!As a final note, I am once again intrigued by the vastly split reactions this short film has evoked from fans. Tellingly, the most acerbic and vehemently adverse reactions against it clearly come once more (as similarly with Batman: Dead End) from a younger, less cinematically experienced audience; a fact betrayed by their somewhat grammatically primitive rants and liberal usage of base diction. Such an unfortunate state of closed mindedness is indeed a sad phenomenon albeit one that our aforementioned studio executives in Hollywood, will no doubt derive great satisfaction from. After all, these very same misguided individuals are in all probability the exact same sort of CGI addicted, popcorn stuffing imbeciles that revel in the majority of crap that Hollywood churns out by the deluge these days.$LABEL$ 1 +The number of goofs in this episode was higher than the first 9. They don't follow their own rules about spirits where destruction of the body makes the spirit dissolve. This one dropped a second body. That body, and Dean, drop about 20 feet from Sam but then they are right with Sam. Flashlights go out in an unlighted asylum, at night, and we can still see everything. It's night but light is streaming through the windows. A ghost that died in 1960's is making cell phones calls? Come on! There is no way Sam could get a psychiatrist to see him in the same day he makes an appointment and the doctor talks to Sam like it wasn't his first visit. Sam and Dean knew there were other bodies in the asylum and innocent spirits still lurking and didn't do anything to help them. That doesn't seem like a thing the Winchester boys would do. Oh and after crawling around on a dirt filled mattress and all around a nasty asylum the girls' makeup and hair is perfect and not a smudge on her white shirt. While the implementation of this episode had problems the premise was good and a few times I was not creeped out but nervous as Dean sat reading Elicots' journal. I just knew that an object so intensely personal to the ghost would draw it to the person violating it's sanctity. Elicot didn't appear. Maybe that is a fault for such an important object or place (like Elicot's office) should draw the spirit when a living being touches or enters. When they separate I want to scream... 'that's how you die! Always stay together and watch each others backs!' but they don't listen to me :o The Elicot spirit and his special ability was a very nice touch. It's prime-time show but I do wish the horror of Elicot strapping one of his victims down and using anticipation of torture to creep us out further.Especially because of the lighting goofs I gave this a 4. Sudden darkness or the flickering of the whole scene's lighting as the flashlight flickers is all that more terrifying. The lighter coming or the flashlight reviving and instantly a spirit is in their face is shocking. I understand the directors wants us to see his scene but then make a mention or obvious connection by Elicot touching an electric socket and the lights coming on. Have the characters respond to the fact an asylum with no power suddenly has lights in the one room. Blue white lights flickering as electric arcs just like Elicot's finger power. Seriously, MCG could have done better.$LABEL$ 0 +The idea of nine stupid prisoners escaping and going on a road trip sounds pretty good for a movie. Especially because it's meant to be funny and I guess heart-warming in some weird way. The problem is, the movie was very rarely funny and often just seemed pointless and needlessly gross. It was as if jokes or interesting scenes were being set up again and again but no one bothered finishing any of them--there was just no payoff. Also, the movie was just brainless and had the crooks meandering across Japan even though they left so many crime victims alive that it's impossible to believe they wouldn't have been caught almost immediately--especially since they continued to keep using the same stolen camper for days on end. And as far as being gross goes, I just didn't need to see scene after scene after scene of guys peeing along the side of the road. Plus, believe it or not, there is a scene where four of the guys are out raping sheep!All in all, I really hated this movie. And it's a shame, as I almost always love Japanese films--just not poorly made and uninteresting ones like this one.$LABEL$ 0 +"Checking Out" is a very witty and honest portrayal of a bizarre family that happens to be Jewish. Judaism plays virtually no role in the film, but American Jewish culture & behavior gets thoroughly sent up... it a loving way. I wish the movie dealt with the religious perspective on the topics it explores, because I think that would have been interesting. I've never been a Columbo fan so I wasn't familiar with Peter Falk - he's a lot of fun to watch. It's great to see Judge Reinhold, Laura San Giacomo & David Paymer again - why don't they work more? They're all hilarious. The script is terrific with a lot of memorable one-liners I'll be sure to use with my own family. Watch for Gavin McLeod (Captain Stubing!) as the doorman.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a must for All but especially African Americans. It is about time there is a movie that expresses and shows the concerns going on in African American relationships. It also allows other cultures to see in a fictional humorous manner how positive African American relationships are and the outcomes of them instead of the undesirable stereotype that plagues the African American community. I love this film a must see!!$LABEL$ 1 +Sorry to go against the flow but I thought this film was unrealistic, boring and way too long. I got tired of watching Gena Rowlands long arduous battle with herself and the crisis she was experiencing. Maybe the film has some cinematic value or represented an important step for the director but for pure entertainment value I wish I would have skipped it.$LABEL$ 0 +this independent film was one of the best films at the tall grass film festival that i have ever seen there i loved it there are so many things that was great about the film on top of all that the cast and crew that i had the opportunity to meet were absolutely phenomenal.I thought that Avi did a great job in his role. and Ricky Ullman was absolutely true to his role for a Disney actor i was amazed at his talent to be able to go from cheesy teen comedy to such an adult role with no problems the talent in the film was just amazing the cinematography was just great if you want to see an independent film this is one really that you should see.I think that Mr Gruver would have been so proud to have such a submission in his festival and his parents loved the movie so much when it won the audience favorite they went and saw it again. this truly was a great film it was dark and funny and sad and truly emotional it was just fabulous. I am honestly just so enthused by this film and i really don't want to spoil it for any one just see it and truly be amazed at it i think that these film makers really have what it takes to go places and I hope to see more work from them in the future.$LABEL$ 1 +all i can say is that each time i see CONRACK, dir. Martin Ritt, DP. John Alonzo, i feel an utmost sense of inspiration and enlightment in what the power of cinema is possible in such a simple film.the motion picture Conrack is set in 1969. It is based on a true story. It is a story about a white man (Jon Voight) who teaches a group of young black children how incredible the world is outside of their little South Carolina island.The story places the job of a teacher as noble cause in changing children's lives.I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +While the soundtrack is a bit dated, this story is more relevant in the U.S. now more than ever. With not only blue collar jobs but everyone's jobs being outsourced by U.S. corporations while the government profits and American suffer.Peter Strauss is Emory, a steel worker who works the same job his father did for 35 years. His wife is well-portrayed by Pamela Reed, who is very realistic, trying to support the family with two children when Emory loses his job. The mill is closed under the pretext of mismanagement, but there is also embezzlement and cheaper wages where they can pay one steelworker in one month (outsourcing) what they would have to pay Strauss/Emory in a day. Never mind that these men are all good loyal workers who have values and try the best for their family.John Goodman, Gary Cole (as Strauss' brother) and a few other co-workers are also affected. It is very disturbing and realistic. Some scenes between Emory and his father are moving. Emory hopes his local union will be able to re-open the mill, as they promise to do so.Emory's brother, Lee already sees the writing on the wall. There are no jobs left in the rust-belt (Ohio) and they must move on. However where in the U.S. can they move to?. Where will it be better for a blue-collar steel worker?.There is a triumphant scene at the end where Emory and his crew fill the loading dock with steel products. The guard allows them to do this as a final gesture, one of the men committed suicide and he has empathy.Overall, a good message film about hard times right here in America. Something that few care to face until personally affected. 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Edmund Burke said that "all evil needs is for good me to do nothing." Hollywood often gives us trash because not enough families go to see quality films. This movie was uplifting story of the loss and restoration of faith. It had no violence, no lewdness, and did not deserve a PG rating. The western scenery was filmed well, and some of the vistas were simply breathtaking. Actors were a bit young for their parts, but otherwise believable and talented. Music score was too loud, and in some places drowned out the dialog completely. I'm seldom surprised by movie endings any more, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Sometimes the good guys do win, and they win by honest efforts. We liked the movie and the message, and would recommend it for the entire family.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a huge Randolph Scott fan, but this film is a dud. The whole thing has a canned, fake, soundstage feel to it, with truly awful rear-screen projection. It has a good plot idea that the screenwriter has successfully buried in a nitwit script, which makes it impossible for the audience to become immersed in the action and truly care about any of the characters. The directing is pedestrian, and only accentuates how bad the script is instead of helping to improve it. I've seen plenty of thoroughly enjoyable "soundstage productions" before, but this is not one of them. All it does is make you appreciate the gritty Scott/Boetticher films all the more.Randolph Scott is tanned, trim, and shines that million dollar smile throughout. He's always a pleasure...even in the worst of his films. Aside from Scott, the other main reason I wanted to see this movie was due to how much I enjoyed Ms. Wymore in Errol Flynn's movie, "Rocky Mountian". In "Man Behind the Gun", she is just as beautiful, and you can tell she's a good actress, but she was forced to say some pretty dumb lines, and the blocking she was given by the director was truly awful. I've only seen Phil Carey in "Operation Pacific", and he plays the exact same character here...an arrogant pain-in-the-butt you want to beat into unconsciousness. I guess it proves he's a good actor...he made me hate him. There are some lame attempts at comic relief that only detract from the film, in my opinion. Although there are many elements to knock, I must say that I found myself truly enjoying the two Spanish songs sung in the musical numbers...but that's not why we go to see Randolph Scott movies, right?There are definitely worse Scott films out there, and this one certainly isn't unbearable, but it also certainly couldn't be deemed anything beyond mediocre.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a good film for 99% of the duration. I feel that the ending has occluded this film from higher acclaim.It is shot in a rather naive fashion. This is clearly done to create a more chilling feel to the film - a feeling of isolation becomes apparent very soon on due to this filming technique.The gruesome characters are very well acted and presented especially the 'nutcase' called Joe. However, the wholesome (normal) characters are a little too pathetic for my liking - granted, they are supposed to come across as pathetic but this is done a little OTT.The film starts slowly (and the naive camera work smacks of 'B' movie to start with) and very normally but you soon get a feel of the impending brutality that is about to occur. This is one of the most 'twisted' movies with respect to cold-hearted violence.After the abrupt and unbelievably lazy ending I was left feeling disappointed. I would have given the film a 9 if the ending was in keeping with the rest of the film but as it is it gets only a 7 on the strength of the 'eeriness' and nail-biting scenes earlier on in the film.Give it a watch and excuse the ending!$LABEL$ 1 +"House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim" (2005) is the sequel, though you really don't need to see the first "House of the Dead" to get this film. That said, the production value is definitely here, with great zombie effects and it's edited quite nicely, with very effective sound design. However, that said, that's about all that's good here.The story and script are awful . . . there's blatant plot holes everywhere. It's also funny how the soldiers don't mind if they get blood on their faces (unlike in 28 Days Later where blood in any part of the body will infect you). Also realistic how there's little order with the soldiers here unlike the usual US Military discipline.A 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Valley Girl is an exceptionally well made film with an all-around great cast. Even though the dialogue is a bit dated now, when the movie was released it was very hip. To this day, I know many people (teenagers included) that cannot form a sentence without using the word "like". That is without a doubt the legacy this movie will leave. A rating of 8 was given for this, like, most excellent movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has to be one of the most boring films ever made. The only thing I liked is using Argento-esquire lighting in most of the scenes. The music is awful and the pace is so slow that you can watch it at 2x the speed and even then it would be slow. The story doesn't exist. It doesn't even have any shocking scenes.It is classified (on this site at least) as a horror, but it's not. It's a sort of an art film exploring the dark side of the human nature. If you are into that kind of thing and can stand the slow pace, then watch it, but I'd rather recommend you something Japanese (e.g. Ichi the Killer) I think that the only reason this film was never in theaters is a fear of audience committing collective suicide caused by the huge amount of boredom generated by this movie. These 80 minutes of it's length would've been better spent watching the paint dry.I gave it 1/10 simply because there is no 0 in the pull down menu$LABEL$ 0 +This movie introduces quite an array of characters and their relationships in the first half-hour or so. None of them generate any interest or positive response. I waited for the intrigue to begin, hoping things would get better and ended up sticking around until the bitter end, but there was no reward for doing that.If you want a synopsis, look elsewhere. To me the action isn't worth recounting. Not that the story was that bad, I guess you could say I had some problems with the script--i.e. I thought it stunk. A look at the credits will show you that there's a pretty strong cast here, used to no avail. Most of the old pros in this flick do good jobs; of the actors I hadn't seen much of before I especially liked Deborah Kara Unger. That's about all that I can find good to say about this picture.$LABEL$ 0 +This is like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in a more surreal, fantasy setting with incredible special effects and computer generated imagery that would put Industrial Light and Magic to shame. The plot may be hard to follow, but that is the nature of translating Chinese folklore to the screen; certainly the overall story would probably be more familiar to its native audience. However, an intelligent person should be able to keep up; moreover, the martial arts scenes potency are amplified by eye popping CGI.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, I hated this movie. The subject matter should have resulted in a really fine film, and the lead actor was definitely sensitive and talented enough to handle the topic, but the script - if there even *was* a script - is a mess. This is less a movie than a random slide show that goes nowhere. I'd say it goes nowhere fast, except that it's actually the longest 81 minutes you'll ever sit through. As I've mentioned, the lead actor is good. So is Faruza Baulk (SP?), as his sometimes-harsh-but-ultimately-loving-and-accepting mother. The film makers have a lot to answer for here, because this is a mess. A real shame,because I really wanted to like this movie, but it's basically out-takes from a movie that never got made. Skip this one - it wasn't even worth the $6 I shelled out for pay-per-view.$LABEL$ 0 +first off, i'm amazed to see that this film has got a rating of 7 on this site. at first i thought it might be industry people logging in to IMDb and jacking up the rating. but after looking on rotten tomatoes and seeing that this film has something like a 76% approval rating, it seems that maybe folks have just been duped again into mistaking pretentious crap for profundity. i mean, this film is simply awful. the acting is simply terrible, but the rest of the film is worse. at least the acting provides some (unintentional) laughs. the plot involves a teenage skateboarding boy who is being questioned along with his friends for a murder that happened by a park where they skate. and that's about it. the rest of the film consists of the aforementioned terrible acting, terrible dialog, slow motion shots of people walking, of people's faces, of people skating, often set to music that does not fit the scene. perhaps that was done to be "cool" or experimental or hip. or perhaps it was done in hopes that it would fool people into thinking that it is somehow profound, but it does not work. nothing in this film works. it's pretentious garbage. i can't not recommend it enough.$LABEL$ 0 +Normally I love finding old (and some not-so-old) westerns I haven't seen, to be the entertainment for the evening. It's such a great way to sit back, relax and escape the politics and world problems for a few hours. But this was not to be the case with this version of The Magnificent Seven. The casting and storyline of this series closely follow the Hollywood formula for politically correct entertainment; good old get-your-mind-right, revisionist history, where the 'bad guys' must all be white, male, Confederate (in this case), and preferably Christian (if it can somehow be worked into the script). It's sad, really. The best movies out there, are now and have always been about simply telling a good story up on the big screen - not about forwarding someone's political ideology.$LABEL$ 0 +I've heard a few comments, particularly from prisoners of war, that CHANGI is not historically accurate, and that it is disappointing. Perhaps it is for those who actually had to live through this stuff, and much worse. But for the rest of us, who really have no idea of how prisoners were treated by the Japanese during World War II, CHANGI is a remarkable introduction. But CHANGI isn't a war documentary - if it had have been, then the historical accuracy aspect would have been paramount. It is a miniseries drama, with fictional characters and fictional situations (though based loosely on actual events I've heard and read about) - and at the centre of the story is the ideal of mateship. This group of young Australian soldiers, taken prisoner by the Japanese and held in appalling conditions for years, became mates through adversity and the strength of their friendships continued throughout their lives after the war. It is also a cultural study of the differences between the Japanese of the time and the western world, with its music, games and entertainment: in part 5, when it is becoming clear that Japan will lose the war after Germany has surrendered in Europe, the Japanese prison camp colonel insists that his country must study the culture of their prisoners - in order to defeat a people, one must defeat their culture - and to do this, one must understand it. All in all, Australia continues its rich tradition of producing exceptional television miniseries, and is an unrivalled world leader in this regard: vyeing for the AFI Award with CHANGI is MY BROTHER JACK, the adaptation of George Johnston's novel, and also a worthy winner. Miniseries in recent years include DAY OF THE ROSES (the story of the investigation into the Glanville train crash), KINGS IN GRASS CASTLES (the adaptation of Mary Durack's historical account of her pioneering ancestors), KANGAROO PALACE (about a group of friends from a country town in Australia who travel to London and change and grow apart), and the (somewhat disappointing) adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's powerful novel, THE POTATO FACTORY. Less recently: Nancy Cato's sweeping saga of life on the Murray - ALL THE RIVERS RUN; Cusack & James' brilliant novel about postwar life in Sydney - COME IN SPINNER; Colleen McCullough's outstanding pioneering saga - THE THORN BIRDS; THE RIVER KINGS; Ruth Park's novel THE HARP IN THE SOUTH; BODYLINE; EUREKA STOCKADE; ANZACS; etc..., etc... (Of course, there have been some not-so-good productions - for instance, MOBY DICK, DO OR DIE, ON THE BEACH, THORN BIRDS: THE MISSING YEARS; etc...) Generally, though, if an Australian miniseries comes your way, make sure you see it - and this goes double for CHANGI, a superbly directed masterpiece. Rating: 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +I have some great memories watching "Robin of Sherwood" on TV as a kid (but I think I only saw Michael Praed´s episodes, by some reason). And recently my brother bought the new released DVD-boxes of the complete series. It was great to see it again, and it is the best of all the Robin Hood movies and TV-series. The cast is great, and the locations mixed with Clannad´s music adds this very special feeling. I personally think that Praed is the best of the two Robins, but Jason Connery was a great choice to continue the series with. Ray Winstone, Nicolas Grace and Robert Addie is terrific in their roles as Will Scarlet, The Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisburne. It´s a pity that a fourth season never got made, and I´ve also heard that the writer Richard Carpenter actually had plans to make a feature film following the events of the series. Robert of Huntingdon (Connery) could finally have married Marion (Judi Trott), or maybe Herne the Hunter could resurrect Robin of Loxley (Praed), and he could take his revenge against the sheriff. As have been mentioned before; if the producers of "Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves" would have been smart, they would have got the cast from "Robin of Sherwood", and made the movie to a sort of sequel to the series. As Ray Winstone puts it in the DVD bonusmaterial, it would have been great to see them as old men, just like in Sean Connery´s "Robin and Marian". Who knows, maybe we will se more of this perfect interpretation of the legend in the future. In any case, we can now watch our favorite series over and over again!$LABEL$ 1 +Why does this have such a low rating? I really don't get it... Is it because of the bad acting? The bad dialogue? Well, who cares about these things in cheesy low-budget horror movies? Seriously, the acting and the dialogue isn't important in those movies. People who hate movies only because of bad acting and bad dialogue shouldn't be allowed to rate cheesy low-budget movies. Those movies shouldn't be taken seriously. Period.Anyway, time to talk about the movie, right? Well, I loved it! I bought it because I expected a gorefest, but it's not a gorefest and the gore is pretty bad (most of the time it's just animal guts placed on the body of the actors and that's lame), but I didn't really care because the movie is hilarious! The characters are hilarious, the acting is hilarious (bad acting is a GOOD thing in cheesy low-budget horror movies), the dialogue is hilarious (bad dialogue is a GOOD thing in cheesy low-budget horror movies), the zombie rapist with a huge dick is hilarious, the flying demon baby is hilarious and I could go on and on and on, but I don't want to say too much... BUT I have to mention that there's a scene in which a girl masturbates a sex doll like it's alive lol! Oh and the zombie rapist falls in love with the sex doll lol!Best lines in the movie:Detective Manners: *sniffs coke* Detective Sloane: What the *beep* are you doing, Manners? What the hell did you snort? What the hell is that? Detective Manners: It's nothing man, it's... Ehh... Cold medicine...Detective Manners: *injects heroin in his arm* Detective Sloane: What the *beep* are you doing, Manners? Are you *beep* insane? Detective Manners: It's cold medicine.Detective Manners: *repeatedly kicks a random guy in the face* Detective Sloane: What the hell's going on, Manners? What are you doing? Detective Manners: This maniac was rambling about demons and then he started smashing his head on the rock! He just started smashing his head on the rock! I think he's on PCP or something!LOL!$LABEL$ 1 +Everyonce in a while,4kids brings new shows to it's company. For the past few years, they brought pure gold like Kirby: Right Back at Ya! or Mew Mew Power. But Recenetly, 4kids has been off. CatDog is one of the examples.It's hard to write a negative comment without bashing the show, but in truth, Weekenders is pure garbage. It revolves around A group who with an over active Brain. The catch though is anything he thinks up comes bad. It may sound good on paper, but after watching it, you'll realize how far from good this show is.The Pizza Guy is an extremely dumb character. He's very 1-dimensional, there's really not much to him. He's hyper-active, end of story. Though many feel all the character are a rip off of the South Park, I think just the contrary. Mechazawa from cromartie High-School is an interesting character, and he's able to make me laugh. Tino fail to do either of the two.The cast for the show isn't any better. Like Tino's Mom they suffer from lack of character. They only stick to one characteristic and thats it. The only redeeming quality is the fact that the show can cause you to smirk. Whether it's that the scene may actually be funny, or you may just smirk because how stupid it is.Thje Weekenders is a very crappy show from Disney/4kids. Though it does seem to love some fans, it should really be left to the kids.$LABEL$ 0 +Inspired casting, charming and witty throughout. Much like the currency in the opening moments of the film, the story floats along magically until you are emotionally "invested" in its outcome. The city of Buffalo has never looked better! Kudos to the Burton Sisters and the entire cast for a job well done.$LABEL$ 1 +Van Damme. What else can I say? Bill Goldberg. THERE WE GO. NOW we know this movie is going to be really horrible.I saw the first five minutes of this movie on TBS, knowing it would be bad. But not even I thought it would be THIS bad. The plot is awful, Van Damme is getting old (finally), but unlike Arnold, his movies are as well.Forget this movie. Don't see it. Ever. I wouldn't even be paid to see this film.1/5 stars - at its heart lies a wonderful, action-packed thrill ride. Well, maybe not, but the marketers would sure like us to think so, wouldn't they?John Ulmer$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this film when I was flipping through the movie channels on my parents DirecTV. It was on the Sundance channel and was just starting. I love music, especially late 60s and this is what the BJM sounded like (The Dandys are alright). Everything about the Brian Jonestown Massacre intrigued me from the music, to Anton and Joel's personalities, to the illicit drug use. It was funny because as I was watching the first party scene when everyone is doing lines my parents walked by and decided to watch (The look on their faces were priceless). Anyways this is definitely one of my favorite movies because it introduced me to The Brian Jonestown Massacre who is now my favorite band of all time.just watch it... seriously$LABEL$ 1 +Wings Hauser and son, Cole Hauser team up to make a film about Neo-nazi thugs targeting a gay man, and terrorising a city. Wings plays the hero, and his real-life son is the villain. Fairly low-budget film that has not many redeeming features, and for some reason, no one has seen it! Perhaps because it is quite a laughable and ridiculous film, and the studio realised this! Maybe Wings Hauser himself prevented the distribution of 'Skins', after seeing it himself! Maybe people just didn't want to comment on such a bad film! Oh well! I generally like Wings and Cole as actors, but this was a film that they both should have skipped. Wings directed, wrote and was the lead actor in 'Skins'! An extremely bad and stupid film! 1/2 out of *****!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has it all. Sight gags, subtle jokes, play on words and verses. It is about a rag tag group of boys from different ethnic and social classes that come together to defeat a common enemy. If you watch this more than once, you will find you are quoting it like Animal House (and yes I love Animal House also). I put in the top 15 funniest movies. The Major at a boys military academy is paranoid that every kid is bad and wants to cause trouble (in this movie he is right). He is sadistic, uncaring, cruel and has to be taken down. The group of boys that do not get along at first, end up teaming together to survive and get rid of the Major with a wacky plan only Mad Magazine could of wrote. A must see - you will love it!$LABEL$ 1 +I am an avid fan of Lucio Fulci, and yet I must say that "Zombi 3" (aka. "Zombie Flesh Eaters 2") of 1988, which he made with two other directors, Bruno Mattei and Claudi Fragasso, was quite a disappointment. Especially compared to its great predecessor, Fulci's very own Gore classic "Zombi 2" (aka. "Zombie Felsh Eaters"/"Zombie") of 1979, this is vastly disappointing. Sure, the low rating of 4.5 already suggests that it's not a good film, but, these low ratings usually come from people who are not into Italian Zombie flicks, and as enthusiastic fan of Italian Horror films and low-budget Exploitation cinema, I love many films that have only been rewarded with much lower ratings. Also, many of my fellow Italian Horror buffs seem to think of this film as underrated, which I sadly cannot agree with. Not that the film was a complete disaster. It has some redeeming qualities, above all Fulci's nauseating gore effects, that are always a pleasure to watch for an Italian Horror/Gore buff. The basic idea behind the film is also not bad (allthough far from original) and I liked the ruthless portrayal of the military. Sadly, that's about it. While the great predecessor "Zombi 2" was extremely gory, but beyond that also genuinely creepy, this is not creepy or scary for a minute, and the nauseating and often grotesque gore is the only true reason to watch "Zombi 3". The film is sometimes fun to watch, but only for the gore, and as an unintentional comedy. I guess that it was mainly the gore that came from Fulci, and the disappointing rest that came from Mattei and Fragasso, the first of which was involved in a bunch of nasty cult-flicks (such as D'Amato's "Porno Holocaust"), and the second of which is responsible for one of the worst movies ever made, the god-awful "Troll 2". Overall, this is definitely watchable for the gore, but, out of all Fulci films I've seen so far, this is definitely the worst, and I've seen the majority of this great filmmaker's repertoire. I am a Fulci fan, and I always will be, but this sure isn't his magic moment. It may be fun for the gore, but I recommend to watch any other Fulci film before this!$LABEL$ 0 +Norman, Is That You? was (this is all third hand, so take it with a grain of salt) adapted to an African American family from a Jewish one, when it made the transition off stage and onto screen. Also, it was one of those movies originally filmed in video, so the prints from the theater can't have been that great. Still, performances by Redd Foxx and others were pretty good. What I wanted to tell you all is that the movie is a PERIOD PIECE: it reflected the attitudes in the mid to early 70s about finding out you have a gay son or daughter in your family. For that reason alone, it's pretty interesting- if not a little "hollywood". Don't believe me? Check out lines about curtains, etc. Very stereotypical. Not too deep.But... the movie really shines in a couple of areas. There is a side splitting scene when Redd Foxx is trying to find his wife, who's run away with his brother (!) to Ensenada in a souped up Pinto. The phone conversation across the border is really memorable. But... the best scene in the movie is when Wayland Flowers and Madame did his/their gay routine that he used to do in gay bars and nightclubs. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only time that routine was filmed. And, it's a slightly cleaned up and much shorter version, I'm told. Still, it's vintage Madame, and shouldn't be missed. People are still stealing lines from Wayland; the man was truly gifted. Enjoy the movie!$LABEL$ 1 +For me too, this Christmas special is one that I remember very fondly. In 1989, I snatched up the 2 CDs I found of the soundtrack recording, giving one to my sister and keeping the other for myself. It's part of my family's Christmas tradition now, and I would love to be able to actually see the show again rather than just remember it as I listen.It has been noted elsewhere that John Denver made a number of appearances on the Muppet Show, and they did more than one special together. The good rapport between Denver and his fuzzy companions comes through clearly here, in a charming and fun show that is good for all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +Against my own better judgment I went to see this film today, and God I wish I hadn't. Awful. The first AvP film looks like a classic compared to this, it's THAT bad. These guys actually make Paul WS Anderson look like a master storyteller. In fact, this is what I'd expect an Alien and/or Predator film to look like if it was made by Uwe Boll! This movie actually offended me, and Lord only knows what would transpire if Ridley Scott or HR Giger were ever forced to watch this piece of crap. I can't understand how any fan of either franchise could like this film.Truly I don't know where to begin. I mean, the first AvP was poop, but it at least a semi-interesting story and setting, and occasionally some genuine tension. It didn't take itself overly seriously and it could at least be semi enjoyed on a purely "leave your brain at home" basis. But this one, it felt to me as though the people behind it thought they were making the next horror masterpiece. One after the other was a contrived 'suspenseful' scene in a dark room or corridor with creepy music playing, essentially bashing you over the head saying "be scared NOW". As James Cameron once said, you can't be told to be scared, you can only have your own senses heightened. The guys that made this film obviously weren't paying attention because they tried everything in the book to force you to be scared rather than letting you come to that level yourself. It's a cliché for internet nerds to say "God, I was so bored from this movie and felt like leaving", well this is exactly how I felt, even in the middle of the action scenes. They took this film totally seriously, which removed any possibility of enjoyment. Even the gag about how governments don't lie to their people was played without a hint of irony.As for the characters, I knew going in that the human characters were going to be completely pointless to this film but seriously if they're going to be on-screen at least have them doing SOMETHING that is relevant to the story. I don't care about this guy being beaten up by his dreamgirl's boyfriend, I don't care about the mother who's "own daughter doesn't even know her, boo-hoo!" (a pair of night-vision goggles for a present? Give me a break!) or the released criminal just trying to make a decent living and set an example for his brother, what a guy. Hell, even the obligatory hot-chick-in-panties moment was more contrived than usual. I get the feeling they expected the audience to be so shocked at the ending, as well as seeing chestbursters come out of kids, expectant mothers being raped and the like, that that would make up for everything. I don't think so.Then we move onto the stars of the film, and again very little to write home about. Were the aliens well-designed? I wouldn't have a clue because you can never see the damn things. All you see is one of a mouth, a head, a tail or a really dodgy cg outline climbing a wall, and barely enough to actually process that it is in fact an alien before Mr "I cut Marilyn Manson and NIN music videos, think I'll do the same thing here" Editor goes at it with the slice tool. Also, notice how hack action directors always set their films at night and in the rain? Hmmmm. The Predator could've been fighting giant sea monkeys for all we knew! Yes, the Predator was more impressive this time around, and I did think some of the new weaponry was cool, but that was about it. Also, since when does a Predator sound like a dinosaur from The Lost World? There were a couple of things that I kinda liked though. One was the use of sound effects and music from the original films (I also giggled a little bit at "Get to the chopper!"), although other references were stupid (The main character's name being Dallas, give me a break). I also liked the visual FX for the Predator's vision, as well as how the hybrid alien looked (certainly beat the one from Resurrection). But really, those are the only positive things.Overall I found this movie inane, pointless, insulting and above all else offensive to the vision of the original creators of both creatures. That they've left the door open for another one leaves me almost depressed.If they had any decency they'd remove Dan O'Bannon, Ron Schusett and HR Giger from the credits of this film. They've done nothing to deserve this.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe I'm biased to foxes, fox stories and all but I thought this was wonderfully done.I really enjoyed that it was shown when Lily wasn't comfortable, such as the fire and the room (trying not to spoil too much here). I think that's important for kids to see and try to understand.After reading a few others comments I'm a bit confused, one says that at the end -spoiler- the mother and her son appear, as she's been the one telling her son about her story. The movie I saw did NOT have the mother or son at the end, merely a painting of a girl with a fox. Can someone enlighten me on that? Anyway I really enjoyed this movie, although some scenes can be a bit slow which might be difficult for high energy kids to sit through. Still worth it if they can sit still.$LABEL$ 1 +I think scarecrows are creepy, so it's a pity this movie doesn't make more of them. A bunch of robbers do an emergency parachute from a plane into a enormous field with scarecrows. One of them goes missing with the loot and so the rest chase him down while being set upon by inexplicably evil scarecrows. The acting is hammy and the scarecrows unimpressive (when they move). On the positive side, the director does get some suspense out of the static scarecrows. It is as Alfred Hitchcock says, "A bomb under a table goes off, and that's surprise. We know the bomb is under the table but not when it will go off, and that's suspense."$LABEL$ 0 +Shocking, well-made chiller is an undervalued tale of atrocious murder and evil forces.Small town doctor tries to discover who, or what, is committing a series of violent sexual murders.Incubus is a tight mystery, with some horrific murder sequences, that builds to an off-beat and eerie climatic twist. The murder scenes are intense and gory, so this isn't a film for the squeamish! The direction of John Hough, along with a bizarre music score, combine to create a dark atmosphere of dread that runs through out the film. It also carries a kind of Gothic vibe as well. Nice filming locations and some stylish camera work also highlight.The cast isn't bad either. The great John Cassavetes does a solid performance as the new doctor in town. Also good are the performances of Kerrie Keane as the local reporter, Helen Hughes as the town historian, and Duncan McIntosh as a tormented psychic teen.All around Incubus is a forgotten horror film that needs to be re-discovered and re-evaluated.*** out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +argh! this film hurts my head. and not in a good way.maybe it's just my growing hatred for the action genre, but even as a kid when i would swallow tripe like Navy Seals, i still regarded this film with dislike. now i utterly despise it.take one fairly good fast-paced story. keep the title and throw the rest away. instead use some half-assesd future gladiators storyline thats so full of plot holes the whole things in danger of collapsing (why is there a rebel base in the middle of the arena, what about the cameras? why have clearly marked footage of what really happened at bakersfeild in an unguarded room?)the whole film screams eighties, from the truley awful score to the goofy shiny costumes. ugh.don't watch this film. i know some people liked it, but some people get off on being peed on and i don't understand them either.$LABEL$ 0 +I've seen this film several times in a variety of short-film festivals and it always causes me the impression that i have seen a movie trailer! For a school-film is very well produced and directed, but the story... well it needed something else to be a bigger and interesting film. The character named Tim Watcher needed some in-dept approach. This is something that lacks in some Portuguese short films - the script is always superficial.But still... i liked this movie...Parabens! (congratulations!)$LABEL$ 0 +Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield is set in the small American town of Plainfield in Wisconsin during 1957 where loner Ed Gein (Kane Hodder) lives by himself on a farm after the death if his mother & brother. The local police have had a spate of grave robberies to deal with & when local barmaid Sue Layton (Ceia Coley) suspicions grow that something nasty is going on. Ed is a violent sexually deviant man who kidnaps girls & murders them, will the police figure the truth out in time to save Erica (Adrienne Frantz) the Sheriff's (Timothy Oman) daughter...Written, produced & directed by Michael Feifer this was an attempt to base a horror film around the true events surrounding notorious serial killer Ed Gein & turns out to be pretty crap. The real life Ed Gein was only ever convicted of two murders & died in 1984 but several films have been inspired by him including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Deranged (1974) & Ed Gein (2000) with this fairly recent addition possibly being the worst Gein film ever. Even though Ed Gein was real next to nothing in this film is based on fact, Gein never had an accomplice, none of his victims were related to any of the investigating officers, there was no car crash victim, although Gein keeps his name other people have had name changes, the kidnapping & murder of the two women depicted here actually happened four years apart in reality but in this film it happens over the course of a couple of days & while here Gein is shown as a large hulking muscular man in reality he was a scrawny, thin, old & quite short. As a factual drama Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield is worthless & as pure entertainment it's no better with a deadly dull pace & feel to it, the character's are all boring & when he isn't killing someone Gein is shown working or just walking around & it's very dull. There's no suspense because we know who the killer is & it's just a tedious wait until he gets caught at the end. There is no real attempt to get into Gein's mind with the makers giving him no more motivation than him occasionally having hallucinations of his domineering mother.There isn't much gore here, there's a scene with a woman hanging on a meat-hook, there's a really badly edited scene of Gein cutting a leg off, there's the usual jars of bodily organs & skulls lying around as well as a bit of blood but there's really not much here to get excited about. The film was obviously processed to bleach a lot of the colour out of the picture as it's not far off black and white at times, I personally think the lack of colour makes it even duller to sit through.With a supposed budget of about $1,500,000 I can't really see where the money went in a very forgettable production. Although set in Wisconsin this was filmed in California. Kane Hodder is all wrong for the role of Ed Gein, just from a physical point of view Hodder doesn't look even remotely like Gein & he gives a pretty poor performance to as he just stares at the camera a lot making silly faces.Ed Gein: The BUtcher of Plainfield is crap & it's as simple & straightforward as that. As either a factual drama or pure exploitation entertainment this is total tripe from start to finish with nothing to recommend it.$LABEL$ 0 +I mean, I thought I heard this dialog in the movie, but it was so bad and out of place that I can't really believe it. I was laughing so hard at what must have been the worst writing and acting in human history, i was seriously worried that I might have a heart attack and die right there in the theater.So this is the scene I am talking about, the "hero" just watched his brother crash and his brothers car exploded right there just feet away from him (the hero). The "hero" was throwing the expected "fit" at seeing something so tragic and people were trying to hold him back from running into the burning car.In the middle of his fit and his uncontrollable rage/emotional break down he says "I am so sad" - he said that right? Am I crazy?$LABEL$ 0 +Like I said its a hidden surprise. It well written well acted and well cast. I liked everything in this movie. Look its Hollywood all right but the brighter side. Angelina Jolie is great in this and I'm totally watching every movie with her in that I can get my hands on. Well worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +Some people might consider this movie a piece of artwork - to be able to express your imagination on film in order to create a movie filled with antagonizing pain and death.. I personally think that this movie is a disgust, which should have never been released. This movie is repulsive, illogical and meaningless. Not only is it a complete waste of time but it makes you sick for days to come. The appalling images shown in the film not only make you grasp for air but they set in your mind and it takes days to forget them. Such a shame that people waste their imagination on such inhumane suffering.. "Kill Bill" would be another example but at least "Kill Bill" has its purpose, meaning, climax and resolution..$LABEL$ 0 +This film tackles the subjects of loss, personal struggle and transformation in such a smart, artful, sensitive, and visually stunning way that I was completely transported. It is a rare gem of a film in the way it honors beauty and women. You'll have to see for yourself. Dreya Weber (Jane) masterfully portrays the subtleties of a remarkable if not somewhat broken personality, in a way that every woman will relate to. I found the honesty of the emotional interactions among characters to be very refreshing and profoundly engaging. There was nothing in this film that said to me "low budget" as far as quality is concerned. Nothing. The fact that it is a low-budget film is a tribute to the film's creators. The final sequence during the credits will also knock your socks off. It is a brilliant celebration of Jane's choice. Unexpected and inspiring.$LABEL$ 1 +After starting watching the re-runs of old Columbo movies, I thought they would all get about the same vote from me (6). But apparently I'm now starting to see differences in the movies. It happened in some of just previous episodes, that showed some pretty genius directing, and it shows in this one, but in the negative way.The movie was so boring, that I sometimes found myself occupied peaking in the paper instead of watching (never happened during a Columbo movie before!), and sometimes it was so embarrassing that I had to look away. The directing seems too pretentious. The scenes with the "oh-so-mature" neighbour-girl are a misplace. And generally the lines and plot is weaker than the average episode. Then scene where they debated whether or not to sack the trumpeter (who falsely was accused for the murder) is pure horror, really stupid.Some applause should be given to the "prelude" however. In this episode, a lot of focus is given on how the murderer tries to secure his alibi and hide the evidence etc. I really liked that. But alas, no focus on how Columbo reveals all this. And the "proof" that in the end leaves Columbo victorious is the silliest ever.Rating: lies between 4 and 5$LABEL$ 0 +This film is hilarious. Brilliant comedy, but only because of one actor. Chris Farley. The best 'comedy-actor' I have ever seen. It's something special about him. He is just so funny.What a shame he is not with us anymore. He will sorely be missed.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a fantastic series first and foremost. It is very well done and very interesting. As a huge WWII buff, I had learned a lot before seeing this series. One of the best things this has going for it is all the interviews with past individuals back when the war was relatively fresh in their minds, comparatively speaking that is. It is nothing against the men that you see getting interviewed in the programs of today, it is just that most of these men weren't really involved in the upper echelons of what was happening then. One of the best parts is the narrating by Sir Laurence Oliver. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to learn about WWII, but really think only the die-hards (such as myself) will want to buy this or watch it more than once. My only real complaint about this entire series is that some of the facts aren't quite as accurate as we now know. Especially with the information about Soviet Union is exaggerated or just plain inaccurate in places. That information is now different we now know because of the fall of the USSR. Overall a fascinating look at WWII and a must see for any serious WWII historian professional or personal alike.$LABEL$ 1 +Lizzie Borden's Love Crimes is an important film, dealing with the dark side of female sexuality (and including full frontal female nudity, which sure beats the male kind). It flirts with sadomasochism and the captive falling in love with captor theory.This treatment of feminine libido is sometimes shallow and jerky, but Borden has travelled well beyond feminist dogma of females gaining power through their insatiable lust.One striking scene exposes the female fetish for horses, when the antagonist, a counterfeit fashion photographer, is seducing an older woman wearing breeches by asking her to show how she rides a horse. He shoves a riding crop between her legs, pressing it against her crotch, and this greatly increases her excitement.Then suddenly he leaves her home and she swears abjectly at the closed door.Patrick Bergin plays the con artist, and though he falls a long distance from handsome, he picks on plain Janes and has enough screen presence to make one believe the women could swallow his line. By all reports, Sean Young proves a weird person, and she is scarcely beautiful. Yet in this film as the district attorney her intense face and long-limbed slender body and accentuated hips and periodically disjointed movement alchemize into erotic fascination. Her performance is forceful and complex.Borden possesses an intriguing worldview, and the fact that it stands so at odds with the modern feckless zeitgeist I truly appreciate.$LABEL$ 1 +This could be well have been THE definitive film noir of all time, had not the Columbia Studios cut so much of Orson Welles's original. What we are left with is a flawed, yet brilliant film that showcases the overwhelming talent of Welles as an actor/director and Rita Hayworth as a serious dramatic talent.'The Lady From Shanghai' is film noir at it's most sizzling and confusing. Welles, with an uneven accent, portrays Michael O'Hara, a journeyman Irishman, who, after a fateful encounter with the seductive, dangerous Elsa Bannister (Hayworth, in a GREAT performance)finds himself virtually coerced into accepting a job as a crewman on her and her crippled husband's (Everett Sloane) yacht. Elsa, or 'Rosalie' as Michael likes to call her, plays the innocent, helpless doll very well, ensnaring O'Hara in her web. As the lovers conduct a not-so-secret affair at sea, Arthur Bannister's partner in his law firm, George Grisby (Glenn Anders)comes aboard. He is a weird, untrustworthy figure who offers Michael a unique proposal: He will get $5000 to assist Grisby in the faking of Grisby's death, so it looks murder. The plan is for Michael to get off a technicality, and run off into the sun with Elsa. But things do not go to plan.Hayworth delivers us one of the best femme fatales of all time in a very ambiguous portrayal. At times she seems genuinely vulnerable and child-like, at others brutal, world-weary and hard. Always she is brilliantly beautiful, whether he situation calls for her to be dripping wet in a swimsuit or dressed in black, brandishing a gun. Hayworth is beautifully photographed here, and she is a far-cry from her famous 'Gilda' role. Her then-husband Orson Welles cut off her trademark auburn locks for a dyed blonde crop (angering Columbia boss Harry Cohn). It was a terrific marketing ploy, and he change suits her changed attitude wonderfully. She is not the sympathetic femme fatale that 'Gilda' is, here- instead she is a predatory, black-hearted dame who sees murder as a very useful option.The Welles and Hayworth pairing came at a time when the couple were having extreme difficulties in their marriage. They would divorce after the film was made, so this is also a curiosity for providing some view into the complicated relationship. They are hateful, not romantic, lovers in this, so it's hard to gauge whether or not they had real chemistry on screen. Certainly every encounter is potent and filled with raw sexuality, with Welles as the 'fall guy' (he even admits it himself in the film!) and Rita as the double-crossing babe.Welles character is the typical noir 'drifter' with not much sense. As Welles voice-over proves to use, O'Hara indeed does not use his brain very much 'expect to be thinking of her (Elsa)'. Welles usually played intelligent, charismatic fellows, so his turn here as the dim-witted Michael is unusual and very interesting. Indeed, Welles was an actor of fine talent and he pulls off it well.Everett Sloane is suitably slimy as Hayworth's crippled husband. One wonders why he hires Michael. It is obvious that his wife is interested in him romantically, so why does he invite a 'threat' on board? One interpretation could be that Michael provides the 'service' to his wife that Bannister cannot in his crippled state. There is definitely something to that theory, with a lot of implications toward Elsa's behaviour before she met her husband (was she some sort of prostitute?)and Grisby's knowledge of Bannister's most intimate secrets being hinted at in several scenes.This is a jumbled, convoluted film with a plot that is ultimately flawed. We are more interested in the love triangle than the murder plot, as with most noirs. Welles provides us with many of his usual brilliant cinematic touches, including the justifiably famous 'hall of mirrors' climax. It's a terrific scene, one ending that can almost obliterate the faults earlier on in the movie and lift it into greatness. This fun house scene is visually stunning, with a Dali-like feel to the painted sets (apparently Orson painted them himself). Subtle visual imagery utilized throughout the film by Welles enhances the plot and makes this a thought-provoking experience.The dialogue is scorching and confusing, delivered superbly by Rita's alternately breathy low voice and helpless, high-pitched little-girl voice. Hayworth proves her acting capabilities in this one, and proves that SHE is the ultimate femme fatale of 'noir'. It's a pity (only a slight one , as Rita was a brilliant dancer) that she did so many delightful yet frothy and often forgettable musicals for Columbia in the 40's instead of darkly-themed noir like this. She was a brilliant actress when given the chance to show off her talent.9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +One Crazy Summer is a fun and quirky look at love through the eyes of Hoops McCann. what could have been hokey and dull is one of the freshest and most energetic comedies ever. Savage Steve Holland reteams with John Cusack to make the ultimate summer movie!$LABEL$ 1 +While a bit preachy on the topic of progress as the saving grace of mankind, this is still a stunning film that presages the science-fiction special effects blockbusters that would take another 40 years to arrive on the silver screen. It predicts the global chaos of WWII, but expands on the premise by having the conflict last 30 years, and then tells the epic tale of man's struggle out from under the rubble and into the wilds of space. The acting seems wooden and strangely sterile, but this is perhaps a result of its contrast with the visuals which must have been utterly breathtaking at the time of the movie's release, and which still impress today. This is a film not to be missed by anyone at all interested in the SF genre.$LABEL$ 1 +Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris are touching. This movie is really surprising. It was enjoyable from start to finish.The story is about mentally challenged man who helps out with a football team.$LABEL$ 1 +Brokedown Palace is the story of two best friends, Alice and Darlene, who go on a spontaneous trip to Thailand and wind up in prison after being caught with planted drugs in their luggage. In this way, the movie had the potential to turn into a serious and moving film, such as "Return to Paradise", but instead, the movie chose to focus little on the girls' situation and more on their friendship.Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale both turn in excellent performances, and the movie is much more about the interplay between them - the suspicion, the jealousy, the questioning and testing of their friendship and ultimately the sacrifices made in the name of friendship. This movie chooses not to delve too deeply into politics or even into the harshness of prison life (which is a bit glossed over), and focuses more on these friendship issues.There were some plot holes here, and some parts that just didn't seem believable or realistic. We didn't feel the real fear or hopelessness of their situation as well as we might have. And we get very little feeling of life outside the prison walls, with Bill Pullman playing the supposedly sleazy lawyer who actually turns out to have a heart of gold. In short, this should, by all rights, have been a much darker movie than it was.But overall, I enjoyed it. The acting was good, the soundtrack was perfect, and the storyline had enough twists and turns to stay interesting. Worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +This was the worst acted movie I've ever seen in my life. No, really. I'm not kidding. All the "based on a true story/historical references" aside, there's no excuse for such bad acting. It's a shame, because, as others have posted, the sets & costumes were great.The sound track was typical "asian-style" music, although I couldn't figure out where the "modern" love song came in when Fernando was lying in his bed thinking of Maria. I don't know who wrote & sang that beautiful song, but it was as if suddenly Norah Jones was transported to the 1500s.The Hershey syrup blood in Phycho was more realistic than the ketchup spurted during the Kwik-n-EZ battle scenes.But the acting. Oh, so painfully sad. Lines delivered like a bad junior high play. If Gary Stretch had donned a potato costume for the County 4H Fair he may have been more believable. Towards the end he sounded more like a Little Italy street thug. At times I half expected him to yell out "Adrian!" or even "You wanna piece of me?!".Favourite line: When the queen says to her lover (after barfing on the floor) "I'm going to have a baby." He responds "A child?" I expected her to retort "No, jackass, a chair leg! Duh."$LABEL$ 0 +Publicity for this film suggests that it is shocking and sensational. Well, we opera lovers see some strange sights in opera houses so we are not shocked by the Duke of Mantua urinating during his reprise of La Donna è Mobile, nor is it sensational to see Gilda sing Caro Nome in the bath. It is just crass and boring. What stands out about this film is its lack of imagination. Director Corina Van Eijk sets the Duke's palace in a seedy swimming pool. In fact, he is not the Duke, he is just a character named Duka, so it's difficult to see why he has lots of hangers-on and his own jester, Rigoletto. Rigoletto lives in a council flat that is furnished with the orange sofa and decorated in the spotted wallpaper that is de rigeur among avant-garde directors.The Duke's, sorry Duka's heavies ride around on motor scooters (Yawn). Concepts imposed on an opera like this can produce unexpected, and unintentional humour. What can we make of the fact that Gilda has a maid, even though she lives in a council flat.? When the call goes out that Monterone is being taken to prison we see him being marched out of the swimming pool by two attendants in pink shorts. One imagines that he is going to be charged with urinating in a public swimming pool.It was common for opera films to be lip-synced 20 years ago but there is just no excuse for it today. A dubbed opera is like soft porn. You don't believe in what is happening because the performers are not making enough effort. The actress in Gilda's role does not seem to have learned her lines properly. She barely moves her lips when she is supposed to be singing. When she sings Caro Nome in the bath she lies back with her legs slightly parted. It is difficult to tell which orifice the sound is supposed to be emanating from. The Duke, later caps this by singing while engaging in cunnilingus with Maddalena, giving a new meaning to the phrase yodelling in the canyon.The ambiance of the sound never seems right with the orchestra sometimes sounding as though it is being played through a transistor radio. Fairly slow, rumpity-tumpity tempi are preferred so that the overall effect is of a karaoke in your local pub.This is a film of a production by Opera Spanga. Spanga is a village in Friesland in the Netherlands. They normally perform in a tent in a field. If I had been watching this performance in a tent in a field in Friesland I would have been fairly indulgent. By filming this production and giving it a worldwide audience, the villagers also hold themselves open to worldwide ridicule.$LABEL$ 0 +I really love this show, it's like reading a book and each chapter leaves you wanting more. It gets you thinking about what is going to happen in the next episode, and the struggle of trying to maintain their friendship throughout the years. After each episode ends it leaves a sweet bitter taste in your mouth knowing that: One - The show was good, you can't wait for the next episode and it really gets you thinking about what actually happens to the friends throughout the twenty years. And two - the fact that the show has been put "on hiatus" and we will not see the show finish in it's entirety. Fox obviously do not know what they have done, they claim that they are losing viewers in the 18 - 49 category they clearly do not know what people want to see if they got rid of a good show such as "Reunion". I have one query though that I would like to raise. If they were to bring the show back and it went on for another season how would it work since each episode is done in the period of a year and the story is based on what happens in the span of twenty years? Your answers are most welcome. Bring back Reunion! Bring back Reunion!$LABEL$ 1 +An atrocious offense to the memory and genius of Welles, this senseless assemblage of self-indulgent improvisation on a grand theme should have been locked up in storage along with a number of other unfinished Welles' projects no one has ever seen. Now we know why! To add additional insult to prior injury, the appalling English language dubbing by amateur America dubbing actors and even the great man himself only heightens all the sloppy mistakes in story-telling and construction. It's as if every weekend some good hearted Spanish soul gave Orson a few pesos, a 35mm camera and some short-ends of negative film left over from some other production and told Welles to drive out to the Spanish countryside and just keeping shooting anything and everything until the film stock ran out. It's true that if Orson had really shaped this film himself instead the notorious Jesus Franco, he might have thrown out 85% of what he shot, but we will never know. As Welles never took the time to edit his own work here, and somewhere along the way he or his heirs sanctioned someone else to do so, he is not entirely blameless for the debacle. Those who wish to prove that in his early days Welles was the luckiest of young men because he surrounded himself with the likes of John Houseman, Herman Mankewiecz, Greg Toland, Bernard Hermann and Robert Wise need no better proof of his adult inadequacies than this mess of a film. In his sad old age Welles was capable of doing anything when he needed a few bucks or pesos, including selling his artistic soul. The devil certainly got his due with this one!$LABEL$ 0 +I'm glad I didn't pay to see 'The Wog Boy'.I sat there hopefully waiting for something original and/or funny to happen.It reminded me very much of those predictable English comedies of the 1970s.I won't bother with a synopsis of the plot, I suggest you do something else for 90 minutes$LABEL$ 0 +Calling this a romantic comedy is accurate but nowadays misleading. The genre has sadly deteriorated into cliches, too focused on making the main couple get together and with very little room for ambience and other stories, making it formulaic and overly predictable.The Shop Around the Corner does not suffer from these illnesses: it manages to create a recognisably middle/eastern-European atmosphere and has a strong cast besides the (also strong) nominal leads; I avoid using the words 'supporting cast' as for example Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan) has a central role to the film and his story is equally if not more important than the romance.The 1998 film You've Got Mail borrowed the 'anonymous pen-pal' idea from this film and has therefore been billed as a remake. This is not correct and in fact unfair to the new movie - it shares the genre and borrows a plot element, but that is all.$LABEL$ 1 +Having seen the short a number of times at horror movie marathons, I believe it to be a humorous parody that slices to the main point of its reference.Though the themes are crusty and stale to today's viewers, it is by no means a crumby waste of time.Though being a student film gives little rise to an excuse, the proof is that it appears crafted with care on a budget of little to no dough.As noted by another reviewer, it is less than ten minutes which is plenty of time to cleanse the viewing palate with a toast of joy, sit back and loaf idly through the film.I think this short-bread of a film should be enjoyed as an appetizer for the title reference and the viewer should relax and roll with it.$LABEL$ 1 +This game has the(dis)honor of being the first game that I have stopped playing right in the middle of and felt like smashing into bits and then burning. Congratulations. FIRST and LAST Tomb Raider I will ever play I assure you.Plot: Just typing that word made me laugh. There isn't one. Neither is there character development. We finally have a girl heroine who can take care of herself,who isn't a *beeping*mary-sue,but unfortunately she dresses like a slut and her breast are huge. They had to attract the sexist boy gamers you see. Anyway all she does is go in tomb after tomb shooting things as she goes along. Why she does this I have no idea. I had subtitles on and the t.v. as loud as I could and I still didn't understand a damn thing. The development(or lack there of) for her, her two friends and the*villains*were laughable. There also will be levels that you have to go through that do-not give you any hint on what you have to do next and you literally will be in most of the boring as hell tombs for HOURS trying to figure out what the hell you are supposed to be doing. There is one course(out of two) in particular with her on a motorbike(Believe me it is not at all fun)that you will be on for ATLEASE an HOUR with NO save point in sight. That means you get hit by the other motorist and guys in vans shooting at you or you hit a tree you start the hour long trek OVER.Boss Stupid F*ck: You know lets makes the levels very long, have basically no save points, have no story, no character development, give no variety in game play, have most of the music on the longest levels ear-bleeding,and give no hints whatsoever to the player so they can stay even longer in a place instead of getting to the nonexistent plot.Stupid F*ck one: Those sound like bang up ideas.Stupid F*ck two: I concur. Who needs character development ,plot, or unboring game-play.Todd: I'm sorry sir,but these ideas seem like they will extremely p*ss the player off.Boss Stupid F*ck: Shut up Todd. You're fired.Game-play: All she does is shoot. Of course she can flip while SHOOTING, jump while SHOOTING, or kick while again SHOOTING.But flipping, jumping, and kicking does not erase the fact that all she is ultimately doing is SHOOTING. BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Music: The intro music is extremely beautiful. I love listening to it. The in game music goes from tolerable to wanting to cut your ears off.Visuals:Considering this game was made in 2006, I was expecting the visuals to blow me away.Well I was blown,but definitely not in a good way.Bottom-line: This game is a plot-less, no character development mess with a barely dressed unmarysuish(THANKFULLY)young women in the lead that goes through boring tombs for some boring reason(what that might be I couldn't tell you)with unimaginative shooting gameplay. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS B.S.!!!!!!!!It's gets two stars for having a women who isn't a damsel in distress(No matter how scantily clad she might be) and the beautiful into music.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has too many things going on. Another reviewer comments on the disjointed, episodic nature of the film as reflecting the director's memories - that's fine, if that is how it was written and performed. Instead, what we get is straight-forward narrative - some of the time - that jumps around, under and over, leaves us dangling in some instances, interrupts the flow with unnecessary digressions in other instances, and otherwise simply doesn't work. There are also some plot details that just don't work. For example, why drag a body onto a beach in an urban area in broad daylight, as opposed to night time? Why leave your flat sheet on the body? Why would an artist who knew the Joe character for a brief time decide to leave him "everything" (even if it wasn't much)? This sub-plot was poorly developed to make that point work. For that matter, why even have the man be an invalid or an artist other than to provide the money and the gratuitous nude posing scenes? He could just as easily have been a photographer, or a opera composer? For that matter, how does someone rate an apartment in an Opera House - particularly without some clear connection to the Opera? The coincidences are also both too obvious and to unclear and unexplained. Why would the guys take everything in the warehouse and "disappear." If Tim was a 10 year old school mate in a town as small as Bangor, how could Joe lose track of him for 8 years, especially if they knew each other well enough that one would recommend the other for a job. Some of the other subplots (like the mother and her boyfriend(s) and the sister wanting to escape felt like padding. There's some good ideas that might have made a feature with full development or could have been interesting shorts. As completed, this movie made little sense and offers even less.$LABEL$ 0 +For years I hesitated watching this movie. Now, I know why. It was even worse than I'd expected. Ashton Kutcher makes the worst movie mistake of his career, since 'Dude, Where's My Car?' Tara Reid co-stars as the girl of Ashton's dreams, who asks him to babysit her father (and his boss)'s pet owl for the weekend. The rules: 1. No shoes in the house. 2. No people in the house. 3. The boss' son stays out of the house. 4. Don't touch the furniture.Well, you can pretty much guess by the end of the first twenty minutes, how the rest of the film is going to turn out.You know, there are films like, "Meet The Parents", where bad things happen to someone, but it's entertaining to watch, and it's delivered in a way, that you can't wait to see what happens next. This, is not one of those films. You know right from the start that bad things are going to happen, and they're mostly stupid things that would never actually happen. It's an extremely frustrating movie to watch, and there were about three times when I nearly turned it off, because it was so bad. But, I paid the rental fee, and figured I had to watch it now.Tara Reid was good, and I would like to see her in more films. Though, I'm not surprised if this had a hand in hurting her career.The end result is a happy ending...but of course with the kind of film it is, you would expect nothing short of that.Don't watch it. You'll sincerely regret it!$LABEL$ 0 +Sure this movie wasn't like. 16 blocks, inside man, an American haunting. etc...But It was a great mystery that can happen to anyone of us.. i found this movie really great and scary.I live exactly where they filmed this movie "san pedro, California" And we have heard true stories based on incidents of this movie.I dunno if you've heard of the famous boat in long beach "Queen Mary" Well that boat is haunted. i believe in spirts, illusions, and parallel or however u spell that. is real. everybody's in there own universe.and the mind is a powerful thing.i recommend to watch this movie. it's great, and not bad directing at all.for those who rate it a 1. they don't understand the film. its meaning. its plot, its view. and how bad the ocean life can be for each and everyone of us.Ty.Victor$LABEL$ 1 +Working girl Kitty (Sothern) is engaged to Bill (Kelly), who neglects her by working long hours at his garage in order to save money for their marriage. After being stood up on her birthday, Kitty goes on a double-date/blind date, where she meets department store heir Bob Hartwell (Hamilton). She falls in love, but leaves him when his protestations of love appear to cover a desire for her to be his mistress, rather than his wife. Faithful Bill rallies 'round to comfort her, and at last she gives in to his repeated requests to reinstate their engagement, pressured in part by Bill's support of her family after she loses her job. When Bob returns, however, convinced that he wants marriage after all, will Kitty follow her heart or her conscience? This film was a lot better than I'd expected it to be. The character of Bill at first comes off as the sort of loud comic Irishman type that Jack Carson played so often. But Kelly (and the script) infuse the character with real compassion and love, and Bill turns out to be the best person in the entire group. Viewers may find themselves rooting for him against the feckless Hartwell! The tone of the film wavers, however, between light-hearted romance and a much darker side, especially in the depiction of a dance marathon and a rather horrific accident at Bill's garage.The cast is rounded out by the dependable Jane Darwell as Kitty's mother, an impish but not yet thoroughly obnoxious Mickey Rooney as Kitty's younger brother, and Spencer Charters as Kitty's ne'er-do-well father.$LABEL$ 1 +Comedy? What's so funny about watching an ugly deadbeat alcoholic attending 6 sessions (by the time I turned it off) of alchoholics anonymous? Set off by a woeful script of grunts and mumbles and drunken slurrings. Served up with lashings of Hollywood's religious "God will Save you" redemption drivel Another Reviewer mentioned the "Sassy dialogue" of Tea Leone - well I managed to watch nearly an hour of this boring film and I still haven't seen any sassy yet - in fact my 80 year old grandmother has more amusing comebacks than Tea's character in this rubbish. Tea is more stony faced and shows less emotion than Keanu - in fact one wonders if she too isn't addicted to something - maybe botox her face is so wooden? Save yourself from being killed with boredom from this film.$LABEL$ 0 +I've loved this movie ever since it first came out. I was about nine years old, and now I'm 27. I remember playing the video game on Sega Genisis. I had so much fun, I would love to show my son this movie. He likes Michael Jackson as well and I know he will love this movie just as I did when I was a kid. Even though he's much younger than I was when I first saw it. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD! I hope it comes out on DVD! Please let it come out on DVD!! I'm dying to see it again!!! Well that is my comment I hope that one day soon I'll get to view this movie again. I love all of the videos in this movie. My favorite mini-video is Badder!$LABEL$ 1 +This cartoon was strange, but the story actually had a little more depth and emotion to it than other cartoon movies. We have a girl at a camp with low self esteem and hardly any other friends, except a brother and sister who are just a miserable as she is. She reaches the ultimate low point and when the opportunity arises she literally makes a pact with a devil-like demon. I found this film to be very true to life and just when things couldn't be worse, the girl sees what she's done, she feels remorse and then changes and then she helps this dark, mystical creature learn the human quality of love. The twins improve too, by helping the little bears and then they get a sense of self worth too. A very positive message for children, though some elements of the film was strange, it was and still is a rather enjoyable film. The music from Stephen Bishop (Tootsie songs) made the film even better$LABEL$ 1 +Now i have never ever seen a bad movie in all my years but what is with songs in the movie what physiological meaning does it have. WOW some demented Pokémon shows up and they multiply i can get a seizure from this. Animie is pointless the makers of it are pointless its a big marketing scheme look just cut down on songs and they will get a good rating i reckon that this movie would have been fine if they put out a message you must see all the Pokémon episodes to understand whats going on and it is not a film. It is just an animation it should be on video.Ps: i'll give it a 1 because i just got 5 bucks i could not give it a half because there's no halves.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was one of the worst I've ever seen, it did not left out a single clichee one could imagine about a Hollywood-so-called-Thriller. The protagonist is a loving father & a private investigator who is engaged in a special task: finding out if a suspected "snuff" movie is real.Certainly, he get's involved deeper & deeper, smeary pornoshops (run by mexicans) & sex theatres are his field of investigation as he's searching for the murderers of the woman in the "snuff" movie. Assisted by a "smart" (he read a book) sexshop employee, he's catching up with a murderous bondage-film producer and his personal perverts who are responsible for the film... ...and what do you expect? They are portrayed as the simple evil, no need for explanations, backgrounds, history: they are the bad ones, and he's the purifier. Boom. Killer of the killers. End of film. Is it that bad? Yes, I'm afraid so.Ironically, "machine" (the mega-pervert who did the killing) is even pointing at his ridiculous character: In the last scene, our hero forces "machine" to put off his leather mask (yep, of course he's wearing one) and recognizes that "machine" looks just like the normal 08/15 guy from the street. Then "machine" says: "blablabla I'm not a monster, my parents never abused me, I had a nice childhood, I just love to do what I do!"I just love to kill people. Yeah, sure, "everybody loves killing people" (Bender). It's not only the total lack of character what made this film so boring, it's also it's ugly "I have to kill these people"-attitude which makes you sick. In one scene, our hero has tied up one of the killers and tries to shoot him...but he can't. So what does he do? He calls the mother of the killed woman, says that her child is killed and asks her whether she loved her child so much that she wishes to see the killers dead. The mother cries yes, she'd love her child, he goes back to the tied killer and slaughters him.To come to the point: This film is breathing the foul air of lynchmob-supporters (certainly the police does not play any role in it), moralizes in a ridiculous form against pornography, does not take it's characters serious and wastes your time with a stupid plot. Probably the only good thing about this film is that it does not try to pseudo-psycho-analyze ... even that would be too much plot.Don't waste your time with this.$LABEL$ 0 +Before I comment about this movie, you should realize that when I saw this movie, I expected the typical crap, horror, B-movie and just wanted to have fun. Jack Frost is one that not only delivers but is actually one of the best that I've seen in a long time. Scott McDonald is great as Jack Frost, in fact I think he has a future in being psychopaths in big time movies if ever given the chance. McDonald is a serial killer who becomes a snowman through some stupid accidental mix of ridiculous elements. As soon as that snowman starts moving around and killing people, though, you will find it hard not to laugh. The lines that are said are completely retarded but really funny. The fact that the rest of the cast completely over-acts just adds to stupidity of the film, but it's stupidity is it's genius. The scene where the snowman is with the teenage girl is truly classic in B-movie, horror film fashion. I truly hope there is a sequel and I'll be right there to watch it on whatever cable channel does it. Of course it's only fun to watch the first few times and it's not exactly a good work of motion picture technology, but I just like to see snowmen kill people. I gave it a 7 out of 10, this is a great movie for dates and couples in the late hours.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie is really about choices. In the oppressed state of affairs as seen in Fire, where good women had to be obedient and do what was correct in the eyes of tradition, there seemed few options for Radha and Sita. However, granted that it was not their only option. What is life without desire, Radha questions Ashok. Yes, it's true that life provides us with a number of options but how many we can take depends on a number of external factors. When your world is confined to a small Indian household, being a dutiful daughter-in-law to a silent but observant still powerful matriarch, a dutiful wife of 13 years to a man who has taken a vow of celibacy due to your not being able to have a child, a man who only wants you lying next to him to prove his strength in eliminating his desires. I felt the ladies had little choice but to find solace in each other's company. I guess the fact that so many women applauded Ms Mehta's work, was because it provided them with an option to think for themselves. An option to do what was perhaps unacceptable. The lesbian scenes I felt was merely to put that point across. Every scene in the movie from the first at the Taj Mahal to the last at the Mosque, is etched in my mind. How frustrating to be a prisoner of your feelings and desires. To feel that you had to forgo the human touch to be a dutiful wife just because it is expected of you. To have to suppress any desire you might have and to crave for the human touch. What then is the meaning of our existence one wonders. In the scene where Sita is crying alone in the room and Radha comes in to comfort her, their lips accidentally brush against each others and it awakens a feeling in them. Something they have both been deprived of.Bravo to Ms Mehta in translating her vision so clearly. I especially like the flashbacks to the young Radha trying to 'see' for the ocean. It is a metaphor for freedom. Freedom to choose, freedom to transport ourselves to places we would normally be unable to reach. In those scenes, it is gently told to us that her sense of duty has also been passed down from her mother who I assume lives within the rich Indian traditions of duty in marriage. The movie is beautifully filmed and enhanced by the musical score by A.R. Rahman. Since the film, I have become ardent fans of the two lead actresses and the director. I look forward to more of Ms Deepa's future productions.$LABEL$ 1 +If you want to waste a small portion of your life sit in front of this predictable zombie film. It fails at the first post by not being scary OR funny. It is a dull grey movie that I guess went straight to video. Hammy and tongue in cheek acting leave a sour taste in the mouth. If you want to watch a poor but still watchable recent zombie film watch Diary of the Dead. Poor special effects, school level script. Zombie films work if they have a moral point or even a political point . This movie has nothing, there is no worthy point that zombification underscores. This is as thrilling and convincing as a Republican Convention, no sorry watching the Republican Convention would be a better example of a Zombie movie.$LABEL$ 0 +It looks like people involved with this movie are stuffing the ballot box to boost its ratings. The good news that apparently only 18 people have seen it. I suppose that makes me the 19th. I have no involvement with the flick and don't know anyone who did and I'm a long-time IMDb user (check my vote record and reviews over the past seven years), so I promise I'm giving an honest and unbiased opinion. It's coming to you from a 30-year horror fan who has also appeared in a couple of low-budget flicks himself.Aside from a couple of interesting video effects, "Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare" is incoherent, boring, and technically flawed beyond all reason. It was apparently shot on silent stock and the audio then dubbed in; most of it sounds like it was recorded with a tin can and a piece of string, anyhow. More than three quarters of the dialog is inaudible.I watched this from beginning to end and have no idea of what the story was, or even if there was one. It seems like the director is mostly impressing himself with long, panning shots of the corners of table and dead black spaces that do nothing but pad the film out. That would be a problem if one were actually developing a plot and making a film that had some sense of pacing. In this case, though, the rule doesn't apply. It doesn't matter how scenes are shot because they don't add up to a story.Watching this video is an exercise in futility at every level. Whatever people who worked on it are writing and however they're trying to influence the ratings here on IMDb, this is just bad, tedious stuff.That's the honest truth. If you're thinking of spending your money or time on this one, think again. It's easy to find something better because you won't find much worse.And that's the unbiased, unvarnished truth.$LABEL$ 0 +Never mind the serious logic gaps, never mind the achingly cliche character portrayals, never mind the haphazard writing, and you might like this movie. The main character Alyssa was supposed to be endearing, the heroine who you root for to be saved,(or in this case, save herself) But instead she merely grates, and makes one wonder, are all pro ballerinas really that stupid? Her busybody mother was obviously only necessary to further propagate the illusion that ballet companies are evil monsters ready to snatch your poor, innocent, young girl from your grasp, with an ever present, biting artistic director/villain. And the cliche's! Not only does she become anorexic, bulemic, an over the counter junkie, and a pathological liar, but all in the course of a few months. It's like the writer read every horror story he could dig up about ballet and decided to see how much he could cram into two hours, (with commercials).Believe it or not, but I am a dancer. This "uprising" or "resurgence" of anorexia and bulemia that is happening is nonexistent at all of the dance schools I have attended. In fact, the teachers are so scared to even suggest that a girl might stand a better chance a few pounds lighter, most of the dancers in my classes would be actually considered minorly overweight. I'm not saying eating disorders never occur, but not to the extent as it was portrayed in the movie.Another annoying problem this movie had was the means-to-an-end writing style. Her on again off again boyfriend probably had all of half an hour total screen time, all in the first half. The other supporting characters were merely props, decorations to further the story. Given the right dialogue, this would have been a very intricate mind study of a psycological problem. As it is, it turns into a one woman show, and Kimberly McCullough doesn't have the chutzpah to pull it off.To a non dancer, this movie would be a supposed "insight" into what really goes one behind closed doors at a ballet company. To a dancer, this is a very insulting movie, which portrays ballerinas as stupid and parents as pushy and ill informed. Those adjectives more correctly describe the people who got this on the air in the first place. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +The Presentation is VERY shabby. (to my notion) as documentaries often are. Michael Moore's "documenatry" - Farenheit 911 is FAR more convincing but has FAR too much media and political influence. Cant wait till Saturday when I get to see the docudrama "The Game of their Lives" . IFC goes right of center. I have started a collection of IFC movies from off the internet due to "TGOTL" *** out of ********** on "Decade". Wanna see good documentaries? Stick to the History Channel.. Or try docudrama. You cant go wrong with them my friend. Cant go wrong. The seventies were ten years of reruns. Or so the old times would have you to believe. Disco died and it is gone forever. When Elvis died o yes we all did grieve$LABEL$ 0 +I caught up with this movie on TV after 30 years or more. Several aspects of the film stood out even when viewing it so many years after it was made.The story by the little known C Virgil Georghiu is remarkable, almost resembling a Tolstoy-like story of a man buffeted by a cosmic scheme that he cannot comprehend. Compare this film with better-known contemporary works such as Spelberg's "Schindler's List" and you begin to realize the trauma of the World War II should be seen against the larger canvas of racism beyond the simplistic Nazi notion of Aryan vs Jews. This film touches on the Hungarians dislike for the Romanians, the Romanians dislike of the Russians and so on..even touching on the Jews' questionable relationships with their Christian Romanian friends, while under stress.As I have not read the book, it is difficult to see how much has been changed by the director and screenplay writers. For instance, it is interesting to study the Romanian peasant's view of emigrating to USA with the view of making money only to return to Romania and invest his earnings there. In my opinion, the character of Johann Moritz was probably one of the finest roles played by Anthony Quinn ranking alongside his work in "La Strada","Zorba the Greek" and "Barabbas". The finest and most memorable sequence in the film is the final one with Anthony Quinn and Virna Lisi trying to smile. The father carrying a daughter born out his wife's rape by Russians is a story in itself but the director is able to show the reconciliation by a simple gesture--the act of carrying the child without slipping into melodramatic footage.Today after the death of Princess Diana we often remark about the insensitive paparazzi. The final sequence is an indictment of the paparazzi and the insensitive media (director Verneuil also makes a similar comment during the court scene as the cameramen get ready to pounce on Moritz).The interaction between Church and State was so beautifully summed up in the orthodox priest's laconic statement "I pray to God that He guides those who have power to use them well." Some of the brief shots, such as those of a secretary of a minister doodling while listening to a petition--said so much in so little footage. The direction was so impressive that the editing takes a back seat. Finally what struck me most was the exquisite rich texture of colors provided by the cameraman Andreas Winding--from the brilliant credit sequences to the end. I recalled that he was the cameraman of another favorite French film of mine called "Ramparts of Clay" directed by Jean-Louis Bertucelli. I have not seen such use of colors in a long while save for the David Lean epics.There were flaws: I wish Virna Lisi's character was more fleshed out. I could never quite understand the Serge Reggiani character--the only intellectual in the entire film. The railroad station scene at the end seems to be lifted out of Sergio Leone westerns. Finally, the film was essentially built around a love story, that unfortunately takes a back seat.To sum up this film impressed me in more departments than one. The story is relevant today as it was when it was made.$LABEL$ 1 +This film basically try to portray the heroism of firefighters by making the whole movie revolve around a American dad with a good heart that puts others before himself. Now I know they try to show Jack Morrison(Joaquin Phoenix) as a typical American father that is a firefighter but like there is just nothing interesting in about him what so ever, thus when the movie gets to the climax there is just little to no emotion. This movie basically tries to make the life of a firefighter exciting but it just comes off as boring as any other jobs except you save lives or property by extinguishing the fire. John Travolta plays the captain of the fire station but anyone could have played his role and he is a dull character as the rest of the film. What could have been a good film is that the firefighter are put way up as heroes because they are firemen and turns the whole scenario into a uninteresting melodrama.4.9/10$LABEL$ 0 +Only the Antichrist could have been behind such a disaster. One only hopes that this irony was the motivating force behind the "film"! This movie was so bad, it forced me to register with IMDb, finally, just so I could trash it. What makes this movie all the more tragic is that it had such GREAT source material! I have never seen a movie where all the elements were so grotesquely mediocre as to render the result less than the sum of its parts.It may seem insignificant, but I'd like to start with the score. As the proud owner of a music degree, I must register my indignation! I was torn between laughter and dry heaves as I listened to what John Scheffer did to Goldsmith's brilliant score; it was far more gruesome than any of the burlesque death scenes, and almost as inadvertently comedic. It was by far the most inappropriate score I've heard since, well, I really can't think of a worse one. Maybe JAWS 4?As for the plot... I'm sorry. New Age mysticism??? What ever happened to the gritty realism of the original trilogy? In those films (more so in the first two than the third, but still!!) the supernatural was for the most part implied, and it was this subtlety that made the movies so eerily believable. Here we have crystals going black (calling all Skeksis and Mystics!!) and inverted crucifixes galore, even though in certain scenes the crucifux would be perfectly normal but for the camera angle. Gone is the refined psychlogical manipulation tapping the malaise inherent in our collective psyche: in its place a boorish "slap in the face" of recycled cliché and transparent incompetence. Add to that a lead "actress" so unbelievably ANNOYING that you fervently thank the director for those scenes from which she is absent. Never have I seen a little girl so fundamentally irritating since little Stephanie ruined ALL IN THE FAMILY.Other than that, I have no strong feelings on the subject ;-) Luckily the first three films are sufficiently adroit as to render this train-wreck of wasted celluloid inconsequential or, at the very most, a study in how NOT to make a film. Viewer beware! May induce vomiting if you're lucky.$LABEL$ 0 +Kate is a jaded young woman who has trouble meeting and dating guys. Throughout the movie, you get to meet several of her loser boyfriends. And throughout the movie, you are subjected to Kate's cynical negative outlook on love and relationships. This negative viewpoint is continued throughout and presented as Ultimate Truth. I had a real problem with this. Why would anyone want to be taught about love, life, and dating from someone who is obviously so messed up? It would work if that was the joke, but it is not. For the jokes in the movie (which are neither funny nor original) to work at all, you have to believe what Kate is saying: that all relationships inevitably end up with bad or no sex, that the highest level a relationship can evolve to is when you are able to fart in front of your partner... You get the idea.There is no movie in recent memory that comes close to upsetting the stomach as much as Love & Sex. Why did the filmmakers waste their time on such trash? Every joke in Love & Sex is something that I have experienced in another movie or in my own life. There is NOTHING original or creative about the story, the production, or the style. It is cynical, dumb and pointless. Mind numbing!$LABEL$ 0 +In this film I prefer Deacon Frost. He's so sexy! I love his glacial eyes! I like Stephen Dorff and the vampires, so I went to see it. I hope to see a gothic film with him. "Blade" it was very "about the future". If vampires had been real, I would be turned by Frost!$LABEL$ 1 +Stay Alive has a very similar story to some Asian horror films which include technology on the story.Some of this Asian horror films are One Missed Call,Ringu and Pulse.So,the idea of Stay Alive is very clichéd and obvious but the filmmakers behind it did not know how to put something new or interesting to the clichés in Stay Alive.This film is totally crap.But a very big crap.All the elements of Stay Alive belong to the worst class of ''horror'' films:shallow characters,nothing of suspense,stupid ''horror'' which makes laugh and light violence.It's easy to note that the ''director'' is incapable to create something original or disturbing.I do not wanna loose more time writing about this pathetic film.I just give you an advice:do not see this film.I really hated it.$LABEL$ 0 +Having seen three other versions of the same film, I am afraid for me this is by far the weakest, primarily due to Scott's rather dull and leaden performance. His emotions throughout are so bland it makes it difficult to engage in the film. Alistair Sim portrayed the role infinitely better. When Scrooge was at his meanest, you don't get the sense Scott is saying the dialogue with much conviction and when he undergoes his metamorphosis he is similarly unconvincing. I cannot think of any actors in this film who match those from the Alistair Sim version. Even the musical version (and frankly the Muppets) take on this are better executed. Very disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this film three times now, and each time I see it, it becomes more personal and more emotional to watch.The acting is amazing, which is not hard to believe since it is Daniel Day Lewis, who is an amazing actor. Brenda Fricker is the surprise wonder in it, though. She captures your heart as the mother of a physically disabled boy, who is not able to walk, or speak until he is in his late teens.I can't say enough good things about the movie, but I will stop here. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys movies that are based on actual events, or just enjoy good dramas in general.$LABEL$ 1 +Ik know it is impossible to keep all details of a book in a movie. But this movie has changed nearly everything without any reason. Furthermore many changes have made the story illogical. A few examples: 1) in the movie "Paul Renauld" really meets Poriot before he dies (in the book Poirot only gets a letter), telling him he is afraid to be killed. This is completely stupid because if Renaulds plan would have succeeded, Poirot would have known that the dead man would not have been Renauld.(Poirot was in the morgue when Mrs Renauld identified the victim). 2) The movie has "combined" two persons into one! "Cinderella" has been removed by the movie. The girl Hastings falls in love with and the ex-girlfriend of Jack Renauld are one person in the movie! Why for god's sake? 3)Hastings finds the victims cause he is such a bad golf player. Totally unfunny and stupid. 4) The movie tells secrets much too early (for example at the very beginning). So you know things you shouldn't know. 5) The murderer gets shot at the end by a person who doesn't exists in the book. Perhaps because the person ("cinderella") who stops the murderer does not exists in the movie. 6)The book is very complex. The movie takes only about 90 minutes. Sure it is difficult to include all the necessary details but it is impossible if you include stupid things which were not in the book and have no meaning (e.g. bicycle race).$LABEL$ 0 +So, neighbor was killing neighbor. Reminds me of Iraq. As I watched the American flag (50 stars in 1864?) being dragged behind the horse, I realized why burning that piece of red white and blue doesn't upset me as much as our destruction/indifference to the Bill of Rights. I'm a Southerner, and must have some historical memory.Watching the Tobey McGuire character learn to respect the dignity of a former slave, as he looks at the scalps of blacks and Germans (his ethnic background) being wagered at a poker game.....was interesting. Many twists in this movie. The wife, who is forced into her marriage, shows both lust and a strong will, characteristics we're not used to seeing in 'respectable Victorian southern belles'.The crazy wacked out renegade southerner gave me some insight into why my cousin, head of the Copeland Horse-thieving Gang, Inc. in Mississippi, was hung about that time. Bands of homeless men were roaming the countryside, armed. Remind you of Iraq? And how similar we are underneath the facade of religion and ethnic background? And why southerners are STILL fighting that civil war today.Too bad we can't use that same knowledge in our handling of the country we've just invaded and are occupying, fomenting civil war everywhere. That's Mesopotamia, now called Iraq, who happen to have the misfortune to sit on oil. The wild-eyed killers in Missouri, raiding Lawrence, Kansas could as easily be the insurgents we're fighting now with no success.Another anomaly was the father's tribute to the Yankees who move into Lawrence and erect a school "even before they erect a church. And for that reason, they'll win." Huh????? I was taught history in Birmingham, Al and we were taught that the North was much more industrial and richer.....that's why they won. Course, they also LITERALLY had God on their side. As you see here, when the freed slave indicates that he's cutting out to free his mother, sold into slavery in Texas. God, what a horrible legacy slavery gave us.Acting pretty good, lots of blood and gore as the warriors ride gleefully into battle (but didn't hear any rebel yells, so reminiscent of football games in Alabama). You also get a real feeling for how stupid the war was, as the bushwackers and jayhawkers gather their forces for another raid. They have lost sight of why they're fighting, and so do we. Just more mindless slaughter.You're also brought up to date with the limbless kids coming home from Iraq, as the bushwacker (ahh, what connotations) first has his arm seared shut, trying to save it, then has it amputated, and then dies. So much suffering for such a stupid cause.The cinematography is fantastic. Now I have to get back to the DVD and get the production notes, one of my favorite parts of any movie. I suspect that this movie was written by a Gore Vidal, as the spoken language is of a type you would associate with that era, if you knew History. The dialogue is definitely thought-provoking. Not your ordinary blood and guts war movie, by any means. You see the wounded but still active-duty soldiers, still fighting cause they have nothing else to do. You see the southern raiders, living off the land, stealing indiscriminately. Yet, at the beginning, you've seen the battle stop, so the women could be evacuated from danger. As I read the escalating number of women and children dying in Iraq, I'm thinking, "Where did we lose our sense of honor as a people?" I have forgotten why I sought this movie out and bought it after 20 years, but some book somewhere lauded it. With good reason. Tobey at his best, pre-Spideyman. Buy the DVD or rent it. And tell me why others laud this, not just liberals cest moi.$LABEL$ 1 +Beautiful film, pure Cassavetes style. Gena Rowland gives a stunning performance of a declining actress, dealing with success, aging, loneliness...and alcoholism. She tries to escape her own subconscious ghosts, embodied by the death spectre of a young girl. Acceptance of oneself, of human condition, though its overall difficulties, is the real purpose of the film. The parallel between the theatrical sequences and the film itself are puzzling: it's like if the stage became a way out for the Heroin. If all american movies could only be that top-quality, dealing with human relations on an adult level, not trying to infantilize and standardize feelings... One of the best dramas ever. 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +In World War II, a badly burned amnesiac known only as "The English Patient" is found in the African desert and is transported to Italy, where he joins a convoy of medical troops and others at an abandoned monastery. Among them are Hana (Juliette Binoche), a Canadian nurse whose lovers generally meet unpleasant ends; Kip (Naveen Andrews) and Hardy (Kevin Whately), two explosives experts who search the monastery for bombs; and David Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), a Canadian soldier-of-fortune who knows the identity of the English patient and has a score to settle.Through flashbacks we learn the story of the Patient: he is Laszo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), a Hungarian explorer who, in the late '30s, falls in with a group of British cartographers, including Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth) and his wife Katharine (Kristen Scott-Thomas), while mapping the deserts of North Africa. After Clifton leaves them on government business, Katharine and Clifton fall in love with each other in the desert, resulting in an affair that, naturally, has a less-than-happy ending.If one is able to overlook the illogical parts of the story line (such as, why would a patient found in Africa be sent to what is essentially the front line of the war in Italy?), then you can appreciate "The English Patient" as a throwback to the intelligent, layered, sweeping epics of David Lean in the '60s. Much more than "Titanic" or other epic romances of late, this movie puts one in mind of "Doctor Zhivago" and "Gone With the Wind" - an epic love story set against a huge historical backdrop. You shouldn't expect a war film, though there are some striking (if all-too-brief) scenes of violence that stand out more than the romantic sections, as is usually the case (Caravaggio's interrogation by a sadistic SS officer (Jurgen Prochnow) in particular).The movie is very ambiguous, in regards to pretty much everything. The central question of the film is: How far are you willing to go for love? As critics of the movie are fast to point out, Almasy is, on the surface, a far-from-likable character - he has an affair with a married woman and betrays his country by giving maps and intelligence to the Germans, causing the death of his friend Madox (Julian Wadham) and the torture of Caravaggio, and actually killing a British soldier who has him under arrest at one point. The fact that Almasy is in many ways reprehensible is kind of the point - he's in love with Katharine, and sees the world narrowly in terms of his love that loyalty to country (or anything else for that matter) is secondary; as Almasy says, he hates "Ownership. Being owned." The two engage in a rather bold love affair (shagging within ear shot of hundreds of people at a Christmas party) and it's clear that Katharine is more drawn to the mysterious, exciting Almasy than the comparatively boring Geoffrey.The 1944 subplot is somewhat shaky and seems superfluous; the romance between Kip and Hannah is never completely believable, and I feel the film could have done without it. But those sequences do add an interesting texture of mystery and complexity to the film, so I won't complain too much.Like the epics mentioned above, the film is able to convey time and place through simple devices like crowd scenes, strategically placed posters, and military presence. We do not need to dwell on the fact that it's 1938 in Cairo, but it's helpful to know. The direction of Anthony Minghella and the desert cinematography by John Seale are absolutely gorgeous; the sand dunes, sand storms, and haunting caves of the desert are captured in beautiful detail. Gabriel Yared's score is haunting and atmospheric.The acting is generally solid. Fiennes gives a very layered performance as a character who is mysterious, complex, and haunted. The difference between the Almasys of 1938 and 1944 are remarkable; one exciting and somewhat carefree, the other haunted and reflective. Kirsten Scott Thomas is effective as Katharine, the female explorer looking for adventure, and Colin Firth gives one of his best performances as Geoffrey, who realizes early on that he's no competition for the exciting Almasy. Willem Dafoe does nice work as Caravaggio, the shifty, hunted thief-turned-spy driven by revenge. Jurgen Prochnow gives a performance reminiscent of Jose Ferrer in "Lawrence of Arabia" (and a similar character too): very brief, but more memorable then some of the major characters. Some of the 1944 actors are unremarkable: Juliette Binochette is nothing special, while Naveen Andrews is good but unremarkable. Kevin Whately, as Kip's ill-fated partner, does what he can with a rather smallish role."The English Patient" is not a perfect movie by any means, but the vituperative attacks on it by much of the movie-going public are not deserved at all. Maybe it's a show of how film sensibilities have changed since the era of the Leans and Kubricks, or maybe people were expecting something simple to understand. Complex to fault, brilliantly directed and shot, "The English Patient" is a wonderful modern-day epic.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this movie about 3 years ago, and it still stands out in my mind as the worst movie ever made. I don't think I ever finished it. It is worse than a home video made by a high school student. I remember them doing a flashback to 1970 something and in the flashback there was a man with a polo shirt, oakley sunglasses and a newer SUV, like a Toyota Rav-4 or something (I don't remember). I don't understand how they could have possibly said that to be in the 70s. He might have had a cell phone too, I cant remember, It was just horrible. I returned it to the video store and asked them why they even carry the movie and if I could get the hour of my life back. To this day it is the worst movie I have ever seen, and I have seen some pretty bad ones.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a Boorman fan, but this is arguably his least successful film. Comedy has never been his strong suit, and here his attempts at screwball farce are clumsily done. Still, it's almost worth seeing for Boorman's eye for talent: this is one of Uma Thurman's first starring roles, and as always she is ravishing to watch. (On a sad side note, Boorman wrote the script with his daughter, Telsche, who died a couple years ago.)$LABEL$ 0 +We've all got to start somewhere, it was in films like Escape In The Fog that somebody like Budd Boetticher could learn his trade before turning out good films. In fact the film was dated before it even hit the movie going public on June 25, 1945.The war on Europe was over for almost two months, of course not even Harry Cohn could control the events of history. So I'm wondering why even back then the public didn't question why a Nazi spy ring was helping out the Japanese. Another very bad historical inaccuracy was that the FBI had nothing to do with the Pacific or Asian theater. The cloak and dagger stuff was the territory of the OSS in that part of the world.When you're an FBI man like William Wright it sure good to have a psychic girl friend like Nina Foch. He's about to go on a mission to the Orient to deliver the names of key underground leaders to start a general uprising in China against the Japanese occupation. Germans who've been bugging Otto Kruger's house learn of this and the whole movie is spent with these guys who've already lost the war trying to help their allies. Who, by the way, they refer to as 'Japs'. When Foch is sideswiped by a speeding car and knocked unconscious she dreams about Wright's danger and sees what is about to happen to him on the Golden Gate Bridge. She goes there and foils the plot. All the stuff you'd expect from a nice noir film is there, the foggy atmosphere of San Francisco, the dimly lit sets, Budd Boetticher tried his best as did the cast. But they just weren't convincing, probably because they didn't believe this claptrap themselves.It's possible, but not likely that Nina Foch's dream and its psychic consequences might have been more developed and the developments were left on the cutting room floor. I think it was just a lousy screenplay. And Budd and Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures had the fast moving events of history going against them here.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe this isn't a huge cult hit. Perhaps people in 1968, thinking of the Monkees as a silly factory-made pop band rip-off of the Beatles, refused to see it. That cynicism probably covered it from sight ever since. Don't make this mistake. _Head_ is an amazing film that most open minded people will appreciate. It is very funny and very intelligent (and very trippy).$LABEL$ 1 +When I was younger, this movie always aired on Friday night in the summer on Channel 40 (this was the years before Fox was a network and took over the programming). I always looked forward to it. I'd go grocery shopping with my parents, then sit down with my Swanson's TV dinner and a Lady Lee Cola(the only time of the week I was allowed to drink cola, and enjoy. Sure, the script is predictably late 70's (like Little Darlings), but it's a fun movie, and I loved Rudy and Tripper. Bill Murray coasts with little effort in the movie, but he is charming. Gotta love Spaz and those taped glasses (pre Revenge of the Nerds). Chris Makepeace is pretty much the same character he played in "My Bodyguard" but he does it so well.$LABEL$ 1 +The title doesn't make much sense to me. I'm not sure what door in the movie shouldn't have been opened.The movie starts uneventfully, with a conversation between a man and a woman in a room that looks like a richly furnished train car, complete with the sound of the train traveling. In fact, the man's house is a train car, and he has a cassette of train sounds. The woman leaves, and calls a young woman. The young woman tells her boyfriend, a doctor, that she's been told her grandmother is ill, and she needs to return to her home town. She hasn't been there in thirteen years.Flash back to thirteen years ago. A shadowy figure enters a house. He caresses a sleeping young girl, then goes into another room and stabs the girl's mother. The girl wakes up and enters her mother's room and finds her dead with a knife in her. She screams, and an arm comes out of nowhere and claps a hand over her mouth. She looks up in fear. That early scene in the movie of the killer muffling her scream, and the girl's look is one of the few effective shots in the movie.It doesn't have much going for it in the visuals department. Occasionally there's some strange use of sound, and there's some weird lighting in an attic scene where many of the panes of glass are red and blue.Back to the present day. The young woman arrives in her grandmother's house. An old doctor is there, who she doesn't trust, along with the man from the opening scene "Judge" and Kearn, the town's museum operator. She doesn't trust any of them, and it's true they don't inspire any trust. She's rather crabby throughout the whole movie. She wants to check her grandmother into a hospital. The men in the town want her house, and the museum operator wants the things in it (his museum is already filled with many of the grandmother's things). Inexplicably, the woman wants to keep the house.The young woman starts getting phone calls from a man speaking in a sinister whisper. He makes various threats, and wants her to do things to arouse him. Such scenes recur often. Unfortunately, there are so few characters in the movie, that the possibilities of who it could be are limited. Worse still, we see right from the beginning who is making the phone calls. So, while the young woman doesn't know (even though the caller occasionally drops into his normal voice), the audience always knows: no suspense. Each call rattles her more and more.The ending was unexpected for me, so maybe gets points for not going with the obvious, but I'm not sure I cared for it.$LABEL$ 0 +What can I say? I couldn't sleep and I came across this movie on MTV. I started watching it with every intention of changing the channel if it started to get lame as so many anti-drug movies do but I got sucked into this movie and I couldn't stop watching. Nick Stahl did an amazing job with his character, and in my opinion he really made the movie something worth watching. I was interested in purchasing the soundtrack to the movie (or even the movie itself) and MTV.com was no help at all, but believe it or not Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for the August 5th release of the movie on DVD. I know I had a hard time tracking it down, and I'm sure other people might have had the same problem. I'm buying my own copy so I can drool over Nick Stahl while bawling my eyes out at the same time thanks to the emotional storyline!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was a major disappointment on direction, intellectual niveau, plot and in the way it dealt with its subject, painting. It is a slow moving film set like an episode of Wonder Years, with appalling lack of depth though. It also fails to deliver its message in a convincing manner.The approach to the subject of painting is very elite, limited to vague and subjective terms as "beauty". According to the makers of this movie, 'beauty' can be only experienced in Bob-Ross-style kitschy landscape paintings. Good art according to this film can be achieved by applying basic (like, primary school level) color theory and lots of sentiment. In parts the movie is offending, e.g. at a point it is stated (rather, celebrated by dancing on tables) that mentally handicapped people are not capable of having emotions or expressing them through painting, their works by definition being worthless 'bullshit' (quote).I do not understand how the movie could get such high rating, then again, so far not many people rated it, and they chose for only very high or very low grades.$LABEL$ 0 +Will Smith is perfectly endearing as the "Relationship Doctor," here to heal all your relationship woes.I expected this to be a standard RomCom with little to amuse. I'm happy to report that I was wrong. Will Smith is delightful and unexpectedly "fresh" in this Andy Tennant vehicle. Surrounded by a great supporting cast, an interesting story, and fed with witty dialog, I was thoroughly engaged.We found this one cute, quirky, and inspirational without being preachy.It rates a 7.4/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +The Ballad of Django is a meandering mess of a movie! This spaghetti western is simply a collection of scenes from other (and much better!) films supposedly tied together by "Django" telling how he brought in different outlaws. Hunt Powers (John Cameron) brings nothing to the role of Django. Skip this one unless you just HAVE to have every Django movie made and even THAT may not be a good enough excuse to see this one!!$LABEL$ 0 +"Don't bother to watch this film" would be better advice, if you like Marilyn Monroe in her other roles. This was a huge disappointment considering the great cast, not just Marilyn.The story was just nothing, certainly nothing like described on the VHS box, of course. There simply was no suspense, precious little excitement and too many dull spots, most of them trying to show why "Nellie" (Monroe) was so messed up. This was not a good role for Monroe, even though I didn't need to see this character to know she could act. "Some Like It Hot" alone was good enough evidence for me. But this role just didn't fit her and it's no surprise it wasn't one of her more popular films.It's also too bad a film had the waste of the talents of actors like Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, Elisha Cook Jr., Jeanne Cagney, Donna Cocoran and others. Summary: it's not entertaining and entertainment is the name of the game.$LABEL$ 0 +As a youth pastor I heard good things about this movie. Then I watched it. The acting wasn't the best. That's forgivable. It's the message that's not: Give Jesus your life and everything will change - you'll tackle better, make amazing catches, stop fumbling, start making touchdown passes, and even make the playoffs. All because Jesus magically turns horrible undersized weaklings into All-American athletes. I laughed out loud when a coach quoted scripture to explain to the kicker why he was missing field goals. But wait, that's not all. You'll get a brand new truck, a $6000 raise, and you and your wife's struggle with infertility will suddenly end in pregnancy - twice. THEN you'll win the state championship because God helps a weakling kick the winning field goal 12 yards further than he's ever kicked before - and into the wind, no less - all because "God wanted him to make it." Then you'll win the state championship again the next year. None of this good stuff would have happened if the team hadn't chosen to follow Jesus will all their hearts.Here's what I took away from the movie: God can do anything he wants to do whenever he wants to do it - and it's all about making our lives better, easier, and more enjoyable. He chooses his favorite team and helps them win games. Which bible is this story based on? I'll bet Saint Stephen wished he'd known the keys to such a safe life before he was stoned to death. Someone should have made this movie before 10 of the 11 apostles were killed for following Jesus. It would have saved them all a lot of trouble.$LABEL$ 0 +The 1994 film production of Heart of Darkness was in no way capable of living up to the outstanding book. The film contained unnecessary scenes that confused the viewer rather than aiding them in understanding what was going on. The director was obviously not experienced, and if he is, then he didn't show it. On top of that, scenes from the book were left out or changed, scenes that were rather important. The movie left me feeling rather bored and was a complete waste of my time. The characters acted as though they had no idea what was going on, and the actors did not portray the emotions that Marlow and the rest revealed in the book. Overall, the movie was terrible and completely lacked the suspense that was otherwise necessary to make it even remotely interesting.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of movie, but it was full of trite melodrama. It was too long and seemed at least mildly disjointed (granted, I didn't pay full attention...). For a more entertaining depiction of the battle of Stalingrad, see Enemy At The Gates. True, some pretentious folks will scoff because it's a Hollywood film, and doesn't show "the gritty reality of war" like this "wonderful foreign film" does, but it has better flow and is all around just more fun to watch. Besides, there are already enough contrivedly "gritty" war movies, and this one just seemed amateurly done. But hey, you might like it, so go right ahead; it just wasn't for me.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the most underrated movies of the 1990s. If you allow yourself to identify with the Patricia Arquette character, you will find it to be a very moving story of a woman regaining a sense of purpose to her life, and finding a new will to live.Arquette's performance is brave because it is purposefully "wooden" -- it's a way of defining her character's spiritual death, her complete lack of a desire to be alive. She moves through life like a zombie because her family has been murdered and she can't see the point of living. What is moving is how in the course of the story, she is reawakened -- by the Burmese landscape, by the beautiful quality of its people and landscapes, and by the primal choices she is forced to confront.Boorman supports this visually (and Hans Zimmer supports it with one of his most gorgeous, haunting scores) with an often static camera and with a propensity to shoot through glass, windows, windshields, etc. We are on the outside looking in, just like Arquette.... until she finds herself deep in the jungle and is forced to choose whether or not to fight for her life.I recommend the 1954 movie THE PURPLE PLAIN as well. It's a similar story in a similar setting, and makes for a fascinating comparison.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is truly amazing,over the years I have acquired a taste for Japanese Monster movies and am well aware that early examples of this genre can be poor. However this one reaches a new low, as it follows the adventures of Johnny Sokko(?), a young boy who controls a Giant Robot, and his fight against the evil Gargoyle Gang, who seem to have an endless supply of horrid giant monsters at their disposal.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was excellent. It details the struggle between a committed detective against the dedicated ignorance of the corrupted communist regime in Russia during the 80's. I give this movie high marks for it's no-holds-barred look into the birth and development of forensic investigation in a globally isolated (thanks to the "Regime") community. This is a graphic movie. It presents an unsensationalized picture of violence and it's tragic remains. Nothing is "candy-coated" with overdone blood or gore to separate us from the cruel reality on the screen. This movie is based on Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. I'm familiar enough with the true story to have a very deep appreciation for how real they kept the film. It's not a comedy, but for those who appreciate dry and dark humor, this movie is a must-see.$LABEL$ 1 +The picture is developed in 1873 and talks as Lin McAdam(James Stewart) and High Spade(Millard Michell)arrive to Dodge City looking for an enemy called Dutch Henry(Stephen McNally).The sheriff Wyatt Hearp(Will Ger)obligates to leave their guns.Both participate in an shot contest and Stewart earns a Winchester 73,the rifle greatest of the west but is robbed and starting the possession hand to hand(John McIntire,Charles Drake ,Dan Duryea).Meanwhile the starring is going on the vengeance.First western interpreted by James Stewart directed by Anthony Mann that achieved revive the genre during 50 decade. The film has an extraordinary casting including brief apparition of Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis,both newcomers. The picture is well narrated and directed by the magnificent director Anthony Mann who has made abundant classics western:Bend the river,Far country,man of Laramie,naked spur,tin star. Of course, all the essential elements western are in this film,thus,Red Indians attack,raid by outlaws,final showdown.The breathtaking cinematography by Greta Garbo's favourite photographer Willian Daniels. James Stewart inaugurated a new type of wage,the percentage on the box office that will imitate posteriorly others great Hollywood stars. Although the argument is an adaptation of ¨Big gun¨ novel of Stuart L.Lake and screenwriter is Borden Chase,is also based about real events because 4 July 1876 in Dodge City had a shot competition and the winner was rewarded with a Winchester 73 model 1873 with ability shoot 17 cartridges caliber 44/40 in few seconds.$LABEL$ 1 +This can be one of the most enjoyable movies ever if you don't take it seriously. It is a bit dated and the effects are lame, but it is so enjoyable. There are giant crabs that attack a girl. oh, and the crabs sing Japanese. It is amazingly bad. And the ending, which has been telegraphed throughout the entire film is hideously awesome. Predictable, but seeing the final fight will leave you rolling in your seat. Don't even give this film a chance and you will love it. Susan George is fun to watch and yes, she does appear naked. Her daughter isn't quite worth putting up with, but she does get attacked by giant crabs. They are the size of large cats. This is a 2, but I love it. As a movie, my God, but for entertainment, I give it a 7. Did I mention there are giant crabs?$LABEL$ 0 +After their star cross-country runner dies after a race, the members of a track team are stalked and killed by a mysterious masked murderer seeking vengeance for the girl's death.From the beginning of this film, it was quite obvious it was not going to be very good (at least as far as true quality goes). The 'dramatic' track race at the end of the introduction scene was one of the least believable sporting events I've ever seen in a film. It would seem that the winner of the race had never actually run before in her entire life. Not just run track. . . but, run at all. Ever. From there, we get a horribly unrealistic female Navy member who was breaking numerous appearance rules with her jewelry and make-up, not to mention the fact that her hair was hanging loose onto her collar while in uniform. Ridiculously awkward camera angles, pathetically done gore effects, and acting that ranged from frighteningly over-the-top to boringly under done (all in one actor, mind you) all help to make this film one of the most unintentionally hilarious horror films ever made. On the other hand, the writing wasn't all that terrible and the story was actually okay. But, the direction was horrible, made worse by offensively bad cinematography. The acting ranged from acceptable to just plain abysmal. Regardless of all the embarrassingly bad elements, however, there's something here, whether it be cheese or something else that I can't figure out, that makes the film extremely enjoyable and very worthy of a watch. Maybe it was just Vanna White.Obligatory Slasher Elements:- Violence/Gore: Death scenes were fun enough, but the gore was just awful: blood squirts from impossible angles, no actual gashes or wounds from knives, etc. But, this film has the first 'death by football' scene I've ever seen.- Sex/Nudity: There was a bit of nudity (I mean, Linnea Quigley is in it, after all), and some overly horny high schoolers, but nothing to excess.- Cool Killer(s): If you think leather gloves, stop watches, track suits, and fencing masks are cool, this one is for you.- Scares/Suspense: Not really any at all. There is one moment that takes place in the girls' locker room that I was preparing myself to be scared at. . . but, it just led to some typical stupidity and was ruined for me.- Mystery: A little, but if you can't figure out the killer's identity about 20 minutes into the film, then I'm not too sure about your powers of deduction.- Awkward Dance Scene: There's a great impromptu jam session ("Graduation Day Blues") with a guitar & harmonica that leads to some awesome 80s bopping. This is followed shortly by some kind of weird blend of 70s disco and 80s break dancing that was probably the scariest part of the film.Final verdict: 4/10. Don't take it too seriously and you might enjoy it (just like most everything else Troma touches).-AP3-$LABEL$ 0 +The movie Jennifer with Ida Lupino and Howard Duff is film noir magnificence.This is a mostly unknown movie that all film noir fans should see.Jennifer was filmed with the most unusual camera angles for that time, which made the movie have a surreal like quality at times. I love the stark black and white film noir movies.Film noir in color is not as good.The cast and script is excellent.The rather creepy music is fun to listen to.Ida Lupino is one of the best and talented actresses to ever grace the screen.I have never seen a production that she was in that I did not like.She was not only breathtakingly beautiful,she was a fine actress.The first movie that I remember seeing Ida Lupino in was Roadhouse with Richard Widmark and Cornel Wilde.I never forgot the movie,or her. I saw her last films like Food Of The Gods and Women In Chains, and even though the movies were not her usual fare, she was still delightful in them as an actress.Howard Duff is always terrific to watch.I highly recommend this masterpiece to everyone.I have this movie on VHS tape.$LABEL$ 1 +Historical drama and coming of age story involving free people of color in pre civil war New Orleans. Starts off slow but picks up steam once you have learned about the main characters and the real action can begin. This is not just a story about the exploitation of black women, because these were free people. They may not have had all the rights of whites but they certainly had more control over their destinies than their slave ancestors. The young men and women in this story must each make their own choice about how to live their lives, whether to give into the depravity of the system or live with optimism and contribute to their community. I enjoyed all of the characters but my favorites were Christophe, Anna Bella, and Marcel.$LABEL$ 1 +Soylent Green IS...a really good movie, actually.I never would've thought it. I don't really like Heston in his sci-fi efforts. He's one of those actors who, like Superman, manages to come across all sneery and invincible most of the time. I prefer more vulnerable heroes. And indeed, he sneers his way through much of Soylent Green, too, but as he's supposed to be playing an overconfident bully I don't really mind.I can understand why some people would turn their noses up at this movie. Soylent Green makes no effort whatsoever to create futuristic visuals (what do you know - it looks just like 1973), and it's lacking in action. But I admired the film's vision of a complex, corrupt, and highly stratified society, and I was so pleased to see that Edward G. Robinson had such a moving, funny final role. Nice little character moments - like when he shares some precious food with Heston - really make the movie.The message of Soylent Green is pretty relevant these days, when nobody seems to know what the hell the government or corporations are up to. Funny, isn't it, to see Heston in a prototype Michael Moore movie...$LABEL$ 1 +The only thing I expected that this film didn't have was an intelligent, talking motorcycle.This film is just plain awful. I gave it 1 star, which of course, means I enjoyed it tremendously. Bad acting, bad writing, bad directing, bad fight choreography. The only real actor in this movie is Martin Landau, who of course does a good job playing the villain, although the character is your standard cardboard cutout evil CEO/Villain. Even the so-called "plot twist" at the end was no shock.There was so much to make fun of in this movie, I enjoyed it a lot. And it did have a few impressive car wreck stunts.Like bad movies? Check this one out, ouch. Want a good movie? Not here.$LABEL$ 0 +I love these actors, but they were wasted in this flick.I can only wonder, what WERE they thinking agreeing to this crap???Debra Winger just phoned it in; Dennis Quaid and Arliss Howard were caricatures. Some people thought it was deep. Well, if you liked "Breaking the Waves", you'll probably like this too. I hated both. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +There are no spoilers here... Because there is no plot to spoil. Madchen Amick is living proof a face can make a living acting-- no talent required. The only bright spot are a few really good one-liners delivered very nicely by Alice Krige, but then again, she IS Alice Krige. Her soft dreamy voice gives the only hint at just how seductively dangerous these odd creatures can be. She is believably creepy in this otherwise unbelievable plot. How they got her to agree to this project remains a mystery. The screenplay writers must have been medicated when they submitted this script. It has major continuity problems, superficial stereotypical characters, horror formula writing, and simply falls short of making any sense what-so-ever. The creatures, while they have neat skills like going "dim", the question of where they come from and what they are is never so much explored. Don't waste any time on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +For the most part, I only enjoy the kind of movie that allows one to escape the current time into the future or past. This movie is pure escapism. The dancing starts almost immediately, and Debra Paget in her "purple harem" bikini dress simply has no equal in film in my opinion. Her dancing, while sultry, is surpassed by her dance in Fritz Lang's Tiger of Eschnapur, available on DVD, where she played the temple dancer Seetha.One problem with the movie is the closed setting. There are few outdoor scenes shot, and they as well as other scenes are a bit claustrophobic. The same locations are used over and over again, but with some interesting secret passages and waterways. Her secret double identity is totally unbelievable with beauty of that magnitude. Debra even wields a sabre and holds 2 enemy soldiers at bay on a staircase, she could do it all.What does work is Debra Paget as a princess. With her beauty, she certainly would be the center of attention anywhere at any time in history. This movie, when hopefully it becomes available on DVD, will be a must buy. Overall, taken with a bit of humor, I loved it.$LABEL$ 1 +I originally posted the first user comment on this movie,and claimed it was crap and it didnt make sense.I DIDNT MAKE SENSE. Campfire tales is a thoroughly enjoying film (now that im 2 years older and watched it last night).The actors were famous but not TOO famous. The acting itself was more than acceptable,it was rather good.I will rate the movie per segment of films.1)The black and white scene (A.K.A-"The Hook") This one was rather pointless,it looked good,but didnt hold much grip at all,the only disappointing one,i dont think it was even included as a segment.Here is the scare-o-meter.------(Poor)2)The R.V Story (honeymooners stuck in woods) Possibly the most entertaining of all tales,the acting was good in this one too,dissapointing bout the typical caravan sex scenes.Yet it was intruiging,you think "WHo was knocking on that door".It had suspense,and not too gory.Liked this one--------------------------(Very Good)3)Internet Chat Tale (Little Girl Meets Psycho) This was a smart addition,gore left at a minimal,frights left at EXTREME.Although dull at times,the last few minutes were most entertaining,dont get me wrong it was still fun to watch.Real creepy,and could happen to anybody,so watch who youre talking to.---------------------------(Very Good)4)Ghost Tale (Man kisses ghost)?? Not the best,it wasnt too atmospheric for a ghost tale.This one was strange,the aspects were rather good,playing music and the screaming,but everything was too real to be ghastly,although it was good,it was quiet bloody,and could have been better with that idea.-------------(Acceptable)5)The Ending (the 4 lost teenagers) These are the 2 attractive gals and guys telling the tales through-out the film.The best thing about the film is definantley the ending,it set a great impression,the ending was totally un-expected.Watch it,it was so well done,the realism was spectacular.-----------------------------------(TOP NOTCH)6)THE FILM OVERALL Campfire tales was more than i used to take it for,i actually like it so much now im buying it on video,cause its a truly entertaining horror movie forget the trash you see these days,like many,im dissapointed that this didnt really go nowhere,it was straight to video,to me it was better than all the hype "horror" you see these days. Overall for Campfire Tales----------------------------- (Very Good)8 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +I disagree with much that has been written and said about this supposed "masterpiece" of the German New Wave: 1) There are major flaws in simple exposition, in the basic communication of critical plot points, as relating to Maria's abortion and the secret contract between Oswald and her husband. How many viewers understood that the husband agreed, in exchange for substantial financial remuneration, not to return to and reclaim his wife until Oswald was dead?2) The ending is highly unsatisfying because arbitrary and accidental. The original screenplay called for Maria to commit suicide after the reading of Oswald's will, on finding out that her husband had in effect sold their marriage to Oswald. In the final version, however, Maria only runs water from a faucet across her wrist in a gesture of suicide. Maria is then summarily blown up, rather than having to confront and live with the consequences of her self-delusion and moral compromise.3) Fassbinder seeks to forcibly superimpose the public on the private, the political on the personal. Contrary to what the critics and "experts" assert, I don't think it works. Merely intruding historic radio news or the sound of the jackhammers of German reconstruction in the soundtrack on the dramatic events of the movie does not make those historical events integral to the drama. The selfish ambition of Maria's rise from poverty to prosperity is meant to parallel the so-called economic miracle of postwar Germany. Maria is thus intended to be a woman specific to and reflective of her time and place, but is in reality unoriginal and nonspecific. Women have been asserting their independence by using sex for self-advancement for ages. 4) Lastly, there are several instances of inexcusable sloppiness and amateurishness -- Fassbinder's drug addiction and consequent impatience and inattention have had their effect. Unknown people talk off screen without ever being seen; music is clumsily intrusive in places; and melodramatic posturing sporadically substitutes for acting.Strangely, for a movie condemning a country for willful collective amnesia of the holocaust, it itself never mentions it once.$LABEL$ 0 +Snakes on a Train is a movie I rented due to the pure amusement of the thoughts I had, about the movie. Snakes on a Plane was an enjoyable Action film, so obviously the film makers wanted to cash in on the success, with this low budget effort. At 85 minutes, Snakes on a Train is almost unbearable to witness. I had to keep pausing the film to do something to entertain myself, due to the lack of happenings in the film. Throughout the duration of the film, it's never fully explained why this girl has this curse, or why she keeps coughing up this green/purplish goo constantly. Not only that, there is endless boring dialog of the two main characters, Brujo and Alma discussing how to get rid of the curse. I can appreciate low budget film-making. I'm truly not picky on movies, i'm open to any genre or budget, but Snakes On A Train is truly one of the worst Horror films I have ever seen. Were the writers on Acid or something at the end of this film?. Why did the woman suddenly turn into a giant snake? and most importantly how on earth was it able to devour the train?.Bottom line. Snakes on a Train is a movie that needs to be avoided at all costs. Don't be intrigued like I was by the title, this is a movie that's seriously bad. Let's put these snakes to rest0/10$LABEL$ 0 +I've always found the dilettante Man Ray and his artistic efforts to be deeply pretentious, and I've never understood why his work attracts so much attention. Apart from his Rayographs (which he invented by accident, and which are merely direct-contact photo prints), his one real contribution to culture seems to be that he was the first photographer to depict female nudity in a manner that was accepted as art rather than as porn. But surely this had to happen eventually, and there's no real reason why Ray deserves the credit. The critical reaction to Man Ray reminds me of the story about the Emperor's New Clothes."L'Étoile de merde" ... whoops, "de mer" ... features a lot of blurry photography and a recurring visual theme of a starfish, which is never explained. Starfishes have the fascinating ability to regenerate lost limbs -- and even to regenerate entire duplicate bodies -- but, if that has anything to do with this movie's theme, Ray neglects to say so. I was much more impressed by this movie's title cards, which (in French) manage to include rhymes, a pun ('Si belle, Cybele') and some portmanteaux.As so often in Ray's work, there is indeed a beautiful young woman seen in this movie. Unfortunately, the photography is (largely) so blurred that we have little opportunity to appreciate her. I'll rate this mess one point out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Greenthumb Grace is left penniless after her husbands death so she turns to ganja-growing in order to pay the bills. It sounds promising and the ever-reliable Brenda Blethyn doesn't disappoint but the material is sitcom-thin. There's actually a scene where Grace asks her young gardener to "Give me one" (a toke) and he thinks she's asking for sex and acts all awkward. Yes, it's humour so twee a nun would be bored. Saving Grace doesn't seem to know what it wants to be: the stunning cinematography and stately pace evoke memories of Ryan's Daughter whilst the light-hearted whimsy of the country townsfolk could be lifted from any episode of Antiques Roadshow. It does speed up after the first hour but by then it's too clichéd to care. The climax manages to be unpredictable only by introducing the most shameless Deux ex Machina I've ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +When HULK hit theaters in 2003, it wasn't long before DVDs of the old Incredible Hulk TV show popped up in an attempt to cash in on the craze. We saw a similar occurrence a year prior when Spider-Man cartoons appeared on DVD to coincide with that hero's big screen debut. Companies leap at the opportunity to ride on the financial coattails of a hot brand.So the fact that this picture never surfaced on the shelves of Wal-Mart as its featured heroes clobbered the box office in the summer of 2005 says a lot. I guess everyone involved would just rather forget. To be fair, THE FANTASTIC FOUR is not as bad as everyone says. Let me rephrase that. It's not as unentertaining as all of its negative reviews might suggest.Veteran television actor Alex Hyde-White (no, you don't remember any of his roles) leads the way as Reed Richards, the brilliant scientist who, along with his crew, gains bizarre powers after an outer space mishap. He's left with the ability to stretch and contort his body to outrageous lengths. His future wife, Sue Storm (Rebecca Staab), can suddenly turn invisible, while her brother, Johnny (Jay Underwood), may now ignite himself at will. Then there's poor Ben Grimm (Michael Bailey Smith), the lovable lug whose body morphs into a mass of craggy, orange rock.Just as the friends are becoming accustomed to all of this, they are called upon to rescue the world from certain chaos. It seems Reed's old colleague Victor von Doom (Joseph Culp) is living up to his name, and that villainous Jeweler (Ian Trigger) isn't exactly helping old ladies cross the street, either. Can our heroes save the day? Of course they can; like any superhero movie, it's just a question of how and when.What's striking about THE FANTASTIC FOUR is how amateurish it is in virtually every aspect. The dialog is so lame and tired it sounds like it was written by a junior high drama class. The acting is so unpolished it makes a third-rate afternoon soap opera look like Shakespeare. The special effects are surprisingly good considering the minuscule budget, but there are still some positively embarrassing moments. When The Human Torch fully ignites his body, for instance, the entire movie briefly turns into a cartoon. I can just hear that production meeting. "Oh, no one will notice. They'll be too intrigued by the action!" I mean really, a cartoon? At least give me a mannequin on fire held up by a string! Prior to that, the scene in which the foursome come to on earth after their spaceship crashes is pure teens-in-the-backyard fare. The crew simply found a field and lit a vaguely-spaceship-like object on fire. That's the only remnant of such a major disaster?Of course there wasn't a whole lot to work with in the script. There is a fairly coherent story here, but it's all so simplified. When Reed and Ben decide to go into outer space, they simply drop by the Storms' house and ask if they'd care to join them. Is it really that easy? Don't these sort of things require, oh, I don't know, years of training and expertise? Not in the world of these writers, who seemed to be inspired by the underrated genius on display in FULL HOUSE reruns. But as bad as that may be, nothing can compare to how painfully clichéd Dr. Doom is. He was pulled right out of those awful superhero cartoons from the 1960s, right down to the evil laugh and slamming his clenched fist down on the table to punctuate his remarks. No comic book, least of all Fantastic Four, has ever featured a villain so obscenely one dimensional.Ultimately, THE FANTASTIC FOUR is saved from being a complete turkey because it's just so damn innocent. You can tell the people involved, as little talent or experience as they had, really tried. They didn't know the final result would be so embarrassing. They were under the impression that this was their big break, that people would flock to the theaters. It bears repeating that they had virtually no money to work with (and I'm sure half of that was eaten up by the cool Thing costume). All things considered, they did well, and for its many flaws, the finished product is a fair amount of fun for comic book fans.$LABEL$ 0 +***SPOILERS*** Well made and interesting film about the alienated youth of America back in the 1950's. Back in those days many parents caught up with making big bucks and living high on the hog forget that their children, especially teen-agers, needed a lot more then a car and and hefty allowance in order to feel part of the family. They also needed love and attention, to their growing up problems, which is what 16 year-old Hal Ditmar, James MacArthur never got from his successful movie producer dad Mr.Tom Ditmar, James Daly.Never really connecting with his dad Hal grows more and more distant from both him and his caring mom Helen Ditmar, Kim Hunter, as well as from society. After his dad put Hal down about him wanting to borrow his car, a late model luxury sedan, he and his friend Jerry, Jeffery Silver, drive in Hal's beat up and barley operational 1930's jalopy to the local treater to catch the latest western flick.Feeling like striking out at the world Hal acts like a real first-class jerk sticking his smelly feet almost into the faces of a couple, Eddie Ryder & Jean Corbett, sitting in front of him and Jerry trying to watch the movie. This leads Hal, as well as his friend Jerry, to not only be kicked out of the theater but with him belting the theater manager Mr. Grebbs, Whit Bissell. It turned out that at least Hal was willing to leave the theater, without even getting his money back, but when Grebbs tries to grab him Hal wheeled around and belted him right in the kisser.Hal now in real hot water, he's charged with assault and battery, put's on his "James Dean" act, at the local police station, making like he's either too cool or just plain stupid to realize what he's done; almost knocked Mr. Grebbs teeth out. It's when Sgt.Shipley, James Gergory, tells Hal that his dad is coming to pick him up when he finally sobers up to the fact of what he's done.The rest of the film has Hal try to straighten himself out but is unable to do that because the low esteem that his dad has of him. Begging his father to understand that what he did, in belting Mr. Grebbs, was in self-defense Hal's father acts as if he's been there, at the theater, and saw the whole incident with his son Hal acting like a street thug instead of of a young man being grabbed and pushed without provocation.Not excusing what Hal did, in laying out Mr. Grebbs, he in fact was willing to admit his hooligan behavior but he wanted both Mr. Grebbs and his dad to at least treat him with an iota of consideration; Gebbs in the fact that he provoked Hal and Mr. Ditmas in not even bothering to hear him out! Feeling like a wanted criminal without anyone, but his mom, to really turn too Hal slowly loses it only to later have both Sgt. Shipley and Mr. Grabbs agree to drop the assault charge. You would think that by now Hal's has finally learned his lesson but the real lesson, more then a stretch behind bars, that Hal's so desperately needed was a lesson that his father totally ignored! Being there when his son needed him most and in that Mr. Ditmar failed with flying colors.Things do in fact straighten out for everyone in the movie only after Mr. Grebbs gets belted, ending up with a butte of a shiner, again by Hal who, going back to Grebbs theater, tries to get him to phone his dad and tell him that Hal was only defending himself when he first, not the second time around, clobbered him. In the end Hal learned a real lesson in getting along with people an not letting his problems become other peoples problems. But most of all Hal's father Mr. Ditmar learned the most valuable lesson of all in how to understand his frustrated and alienated son and act like a father toward him instead of a combination jail-keeper and a sugar daddy. Like the song says "All you need s Love" to get things on the right track and it was both love and understanding for his son Hal that Mr. Ditmar, until the very end of the movie, lacked the most off.$LABEL$ 1 +He really lost the plot with this one! None of his distinctive trademarks here at all, an uninteresting plot and completely terrible acting make this his worst film (in my opinion). Even his trademark gore is gone, bar one scene in an operating theatre. Oh well, at least his next film 'Nightmare Concert' showed that he could still shock when he wanted to...$LABEL$ 0 +Being a fan of Saint Etienne and the City of London, I was very excited to see this movie on the list of the Vancouver International Film Festival. This movie has great shots, an absolutely excellent soundtrack and interesting insights into a 'not so well known' London.The movie is held completely in 'dark' colours, which I personally don't like too much. Furthermore the narration was a little too British and the comments sometimes got a little flat. Other than that, there are some great comments by Londoners and excellent shots. FINISTERRE doesn't glorify London by showing all the great attractions of the city, but rather gives deep insights in what London is really like. From the East end to the vibrant centre with its music scene as well as the 'special little retreats' for Londoners.All in all:+Great Soundtrack +Nice shots +great insights-Narration -Tiering to watch at times -Very dark pictureWorth watching! I give it a 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I laughed out loud several times during this film though give it a cursory glance and you would think it was something else altogether. I adore the pace and the way it slowly burns into you as you are presented these gobsmackingly beautiful tableaux. Andersson gives us something else here. Shows us something I had not seen since his last film. He is compositionally exceptional and via his method of fixing the camera and allowing action to take place before us, he opens the door on humanity and we peer into a place that reflects our own lives, our little lives. It is powerful stuff. It is the simplicity with which he allows the events to take place that creates the opposite feeling of complexity. Everything in front of the camera is anything but simple. Andersson's attention to detail is extraordinary. I believe most scenes, if not all, are sets built from scratch according to his designs. I cannot recommend this film highly enough. For me it took me to a place and I came out of it having witnessed a world frayed and beautiful, starched and pained, barren and splendid. At once alien and familiar. This film is brilliant and life affirming. I know because I came out smiling feeling wonderful. It has taken him seven years to make this. If he only made this one film he would still be up there with the greats.$LABEL$ 1 +'Moonstruck' is a love story. There is not one romance, there are at least three, but they all have to do with the same family. Loretta's family. Loretta (Cher) is about to marry Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). She doesn't love him, but he is sweet and good man. When he leaves to visit his dying mother in Italy Loretta meets Johnny's brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage). He and Johnny haven't spoken each other in five years and Loretta wants to invite him to the wedding. Of course they fall instantly for each other.How this story and love stories of Loretta's parents and uncle and aunt develop is something you simply have to see for yourself. Every seen is a delight to watch, with Cher as the bright star in the middle of everything. She won and really deserved the Oscar that year. Cage is pretty good, and goofy as well, and Olympia Dukakis as Loretta's mother and Vincent Gardenia as her father are terrific. This movie is funny, charming and therefore highly enjoyable.$LABEL$ 1 +College students, who are clearing out a condemned dormitory, are stalked by an elusive killer.The Dorm That Dripped Blood (aka Pranks) is a bit of a mixed bag for slasher fans. The movies production values are pretty low and the story for the most part is pretty routine, there's even a creepy bum hanging around for a red herring. In fact much of the story's build-up is pretty forgettable, save for one or two brutal murders. But the movie is really made better by its surprisingly intense climax (in an atmospheric setting) and one fairly bold, unconventional conclusion.The cast is lackluster for the most part. Stephen Sachs is the best of the lot as he does a pretty nice turn in character. Also look for a young Daphne Zuniga as an ill-fated student.Over all this is a pretty standard B slasher effort, but the finale is well worth savoring and for this viewer saved the movie from being a complete ho-hum.** out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +Don't you just hate them slashers that never seem to get started? It sometimes takes them a full hour of lame red herrings before some real action takes place. "Tourist Trap" isn't like that! If it's typically gruesome slashing you want...than it's typically gruesome slashing you'll get! Plenty of it AND constantly from start to finish! This movie contains what is probably the greatest opening sequence in 80's horror cinema when a teenager, on a stroll after engine trouble, is trapped in a deserted house and assaulted by a creepy collection of wax statues. Four other lambs to the slaughter arrive at the house and encounter an utterly insane maniac that looks somewhat like a mixture of Leatherface (from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre") and one of those mad sculptors from old wax-museum movies. "Tourist Trap" is exciting horror entertainment, with some genuine suspense, grisly images, ultimate weirdness, morbid humor and terrific make-up effects. The plot twists aren't always original and the acting is pretty lousy but, seriously, who cares? The fast pacing and the groovy killer-icon caused this "Tourist Trap" to earn a spot amongst my 5 favorite slashers. A bit surprising is the total lack of nudity, though. Too bad, because all the girls look ravishing and after only 10 minutes, the obligatory line "Who needs a bathing-suit?" is spoken.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is being described as a comedy, but it wasn't a comedy at all. Like any Panahi film, it was a very realistic drama depicting the common thread of social inequity and hypocrisy. But it was very funny; much lighter than the director's dark and serious The Circle (my favourite Iranian film). The resourcefulness of the girls and the banter between them and the soldiers was both completely believable (as if it were a documentary) and completely hilarious.The filming the actual match and aftermath was astonishing. It added a realism much like Australia's Kenny, of course a very different film.The performances from all the non-professional actors – soldiers and girls – were very credible. It was very moving to see the passion, disappointment and excitement of these girls. Anyone in this country who thinks Muslim girls wearing a chador are any different to their own daughters should go see this film – it will be a real eye-opener.To me, the soldiers represented the current paradigm. They started out with stock-standard official policy responses to all the pleas of the girls. As the film progressed, they found it more and more difficult to maintain this stance. When what seems like all of Teheran breaks out into wild celebration, everyone is caught up in it, and the ridiculousness of the current policies is obvious to one and all.It was a very moving and unexpected ending, and gave the film a really nice blend of emotions, frivolity, drama and social commentary. Though it's adult cinema, I think mature-minded children from about seven onwards would really appreciate this film (as long as they can read subtitles).It is remarkable that a repressive country like Iran is able to produce films of such quality by the likes of Panahi and Kiarostami. Perhaps the constraints there force directors to be extremely resourceful. Australian (and other) film makers could take a leaf out of their book.$LABEL$ 1 +What is the most harrowing movie ever made? The gynaecological nightmare of 'Cries and Whispers'? The acid psychodramas of Fassbinder? The discomfiting black comedy of 'Last House on the left? I'm sure for that portion of the film-loving public that tie their masts to the good ship Buster Keaton, there is only one answer - any one of his sound films. I don't know what flayed my soul more poignantly in this movie - the grounding of Keaton's intricate and expansive physical art to humdrum slapstick; the painful hesitation of this master filmmaker with dialogue - not that he hasn't a lovely, comic voice, or that he can't make dialogue funny; it's just that the studio don't seem to have given him enough takes, and so he seems to be trying to remember his lines before he delivers, which only makes him - Keaton, not his character, look silly; or is it the humiliation of seeing Keaton caught up in a tawdry sex farce, when he has given us some of the richest accounts of romantic frustration in film? No, I know what was most disturbing - having to watch Buster Keaton, cinema's greatest comedian, sit aside to observe Jimmy Durante doing his schtick. It is horrors such as this that get yer Dantes composing yer Infernos.MGM seem to have got the curious idea that the best way to adapt Keaton to sound was to turn him into a Marx Brother, complete with verbal pedantry, elaborate, tedious 'clowning', shambolic slapstick, theatrical setting, triumph through chaos, and Thelma Todd. Keaton was just not that sort of comic, and where Groucho's malicious tongue and gleeful opportunism might just have made this plot work, Buster's socially inept professor can't, he is too studied and predictable. What Buster needed was to be allowed experiment like Lang in 'M', or Rene Clair; he would never have tried to hold back the tide like Chaplin. When a film like 'The General' is alluded to - messing about with trains - the loss becomes even more apparent. And the thing is, in patches amid the flat direction, the film isn't all that bad - there is an excellent jolt when a camera on the bus leaves Keaton alone at a railway station; and the denouement, if hardly original, is at least livelier than what went before. There is something almost endearing about the way Keaton slows down a plot that needs all the zip it can get. There is a film in here about loneliness, emotionally paralysing order, the numbing effects of education etc., struggling to get out. The best way to appreciate this film is to watch not the narrative of Professor TZ Post, but of emasculated genius Buster Keaton, trapped in a prison of mediocrity, confounded by new technology, mocked by a malevolent fate (in this case the studio), retaining a stoical grace. Looked at like that, it becomes a kind of masterpiece.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched all three segments and am so disappointed in the story line. Zahn spends so much time mimicking Duvall he does nothing else in the show. And Tommy Lee Jones would never be so weak as a young man, unlikeable yes but weak never. We never see how or why they go to back to Lonesome Dove...which is a dirt hole in the original...why would they ever leave Austin where they are hero's...for doing nothing during the whole movie...I was rooting for Blue Duck by the end of the movie and he was totally miscast. There is no warning about how many segments there are...it just ends. This mini-series could have been "somebody"...tragic. It looked like it was directed by the Parrot and the Jag$LABEL$ 0 +well done giving the perspective of the other side fraulein doktor captures both the cost and the futility of war. excellent acting especially when german high command refuses in the name of chivalry to present medal kaiser ordered struck. the scenes of carnage are probably too intense for effete US minds who'd probably prefer some silly speeches and senseless abstractions like 14 points or the league of nations. real americans might appreciate the story line and the action. for all the action and intrigue, fraulein doktor compares favo(u)rably to Jacob's Ladder.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the worst sequel on the face of the world of movies. Once again it doesn't make since. The killer still kills for fun. But this time he is killing people that are making a movie about what happened in the first movie. Which means that it is the stupidest movie ever.Don't watch this. If you value the one precious hour during this movie then don't watch it. You'll want to ask the director and the person beside you what made him make it. Because it just doesn't combine the original makes of horror, action, and crime.Don't let your children watch this. Teenager, young child or young adult, this movie has that sorta impact upon people.$LABEL$ 0 +I just rented this today....heard lots of good reviews beforehand. WOW!! What a pile of steaming poo this movie is!! Does anyone know the address of the director so I can get my five dollars back???? Finally someone bumped "Stop-loss" from the 'Worst Iraq War Movie Ever' number one spot. To be fair, I don't think there are any good Iraq war movies anyway, but this was REALLY bad. I won't get into any technical inaccuracies, there's a hundred reviews from other GWOT vets that detail them all. If the director bothered to consult even the lowliest E-nothing about technical accuracy however they could've made the movie somewhat realistic....maybe. I guess the writer should be given the "credit" for this waste of a film. He or she obviously hatched the plot for this movie from some vivid imagination not afflicted with the restraints of reality. Does anybody but me wonder what the point of this movie was? Was there a message? Seriously though.....WTF????I'm pretty amazed at all the positive reviews really. This film is hard to watch as a vet because of all the glaring inaccuracies but even if one could overlook that, the plot sucks, characters are shallow (to say the least) and the acting is poor at best. It's ironic, I suppose, that this movie is supposed to be about Explosive Ordinance Disposal, because it's the biggest bomb I've seen this year.$LABEL$ 0 +Forget Jimmy Stewart reliving his life and opt for this smart comedy of errors instead. I suppose only institutionalized sexism explains why this flick and Stanwyck's other great Christmas story, "Meet John Doe" aren't revered with the same level of love as...well, you know it's name.Stanwyck plays a food writer for a McCall's-type rag who has been lying for years to her pompous publisher about the folksy setting for her recipes. She's an ace b.s. artist until the day Morgan's sailor is pulled from the ocean after 18 days afloat & 6 weeks recuperation in a Navy hospital. Released the last year of WWII, the film is dusted with subtle patriotic gestures and holiday nostalgia but never sinks to sentimentality. Stanwyck is sexy and sassy as always and meets her match in the hunky Morgan with whom it's love at first sight. Unfortunately, she has to play married to Gardiner's prissy architect who actually has been seeking her hand for years at his farm in CT, just to fool her boss.S.Z. Sakall adds a great deal of Hungarian malaprop & double-entendre humor in support as Babs' true source of culinary talent & Una O'Connor is hilarious as Gardiner's obnoxious Irish housekeeper.$LABEL$ 1 +Patricia Arquette plays American doctor Laura Bowman, who takes a holiday to Burma in an attempt to heal her spirit after the murders of her husband and young son. She is left behind in Rangoon during a military crackdown and leaves the city with an aging man who works as a "tour guide." But he is no simple tour guide; he is a professor who introduces her to the life outside of the tourist traps ... the two of them get caught up in the political upheaval and Laura sees with her own eyes how the government betrays and oppresses its own people.This movie is one of my favorites because of its themes. First, it's informational (describing some of the injustices that are occurring in Burma). Secondly, it's about a woman's struggle to find meaning in life after an incredible loss. Thirdly, it's about compassion and sacrifice, and people coming together - without even knowing each other - to endure pain and fear.Just about every beautiful scene in this movie is important; nothing is wasted here. It's an earnest and moving film. There is also a very emotional score composed by Hans Zimmer which complements scenes nicely.A definite recommend, especially to people concerned with human rights ... and people who want to know, "What purpose can I serve?"$LABEL$ 1 +It might be a stretch saying this as a die-hard Carlin fan, but the material, both written and as performed, in It's Bad for Ya is some of the best late-era material yet. At 70 Carlin bounces back from the level of despair (and some of the stumbles in the act itself) from Life is Worth Losing to a special that is firmly structured but loose and playful- or as much as the "old f***" can get- and is continuously, ceaselessly, funny. And funny as in reminiscent of what some of us had going on when watching Back in Town or 'Diseased' the first time. The material, even if sounding at times a tinge of the previously done (i.e. the whole bit on children in school and camp like the Children segment in Diseased), is always fresh and with such a sting of truth to everything that it scalds the mind while (here goes) tickling the funny bone.Going from the topic of death (how long to wait to scratch off a name from the book? six weeks, unless if on the computer scheduler), the facets of communication, looking down from Heaven, spots of God (naturally), kids, and just troublesome gestures involving hats in religion and if people really have "Rights" make up the bulk of the special, centered around the premise that what's bad for you, plain and simple, is BS. Total, complete BS, which as we also learn (or if you've really learned it you're like the kid waiting at the street corner for a week following dropped off not-quite randomly by the parent) holds the country together. Carlin isn't necessarily angry though, even if disdain seems to spout out at most turns, even just to observe how horrifying children's teeth coming in look. It's skepticism tinged with the feeling that everything is NOT going to be "fine".What it comes down to is this: Carlin is to dirty, witty, cautionary stand-up comedy what Yoda is to Jedis everywhere, which is a small spark of hope via crystal clear wisdom in a world where it's pretty damn hard to get any. At the least, we get classic GC - outrageous lines and bits from the man's 13th (or is it 14th) comedy special, including as far as an eyebrow-raising observation on people who play Mozart music during a birth!$LABEL$ 1 +I can't believe they even released such a movie. The only good acting came from the water in the movie. This has to be one of worst (if not the worst) movie I have ever seen.The only scary part of the movie is the bad acting, me giving this movie a 1 is me being to kind, this movie deserve a 0.The storyline, and if you can call it the plot of the movie, seems to have been written by an high school kid. Ofcaurse you have to ask yourself if it may have been better with better actors in it.Do yourself a favor, wait for it to show on TV. AND EVEN THEN WATCHING IT WILL BE A WAST OF TIME.$LABEL$ 0 +I was rooting for this film as it's a remake of a 1970s children's TV series "Escape into Night" which, though chaotic and stilted at times was definitely odd, fascinating and disturbing. The acting in "Paperhouse" is wooden, unintentionally a joke. The overdubs didn't add tension they only reinforced that I was sat watching a botch. Casting exasperated the dreary dialogue which resulted in relationships lacking warmth, chemistry or conviction. As in most lacklustre films there are a few good supporting acts these people should be comforted, consoled and reassured that they will not be held responsible. Out of all the possible endings the most unexpected was chosen ... lamer than I could have dreamt."Escape into Night" deserves a proper remake, written by someone with life experience and directed with a subtle mind.$LABEL$ 0 +How is it in this day and era, people are still dumb enough to think that other dumb stuff is smart? Maybe dumb people like watching stuff that makes them feel smart. Such as 'The War At Home'. 'Cuss it's even dumber than the dumb people who watch it. There are no jokes, only half-jokes and slight gags that barely even warrant a tiny internal smile. The acting is your typical, unsubtle, idiotic, standard sitcom flailing-limbs type acting. And why oh why did this crap replace arrested development? Well you gotta hand it to Fox. They know that they need to have stupid shows to attract all the stupid viewers. You see, the reason Arrested Development wasn't massively popular was because it was so smart. It was so smart that it made dumb people feel bad about being so dumb. And of course, if a dumb person encounters a smart person, the dumb person will hate the smart person. Most of the time anyway. Either that, or try and mooch off of the smart person. If you like this show, and are one of the dumb people, I truly cannot fathom what it must be like not to have open eyes and open minds. I cannot fathom what it must be like to be mindless, laughing drones, influenced by every little thing. Basically, people who laugh with a laugh track are parrots. Trained, obedient, mindless parrots. Maybe I shouldn't insult parrots by comparing them to you. You know who you are. (If I seem like a bastar* in this review, it's because I'm so annoyed at AD being canceled.)$LABEL$ 0 +"It wasn't me! It was, er, my twin brother Rupert!" Bobby says to Dugan when confronted about being over at Sally's place. I have used this line dozens of times over the years (no one has yet to believe it, though).This movie is one of the all-time best for sheer fun and nonbelieveability. Steven Oliver was perfect for the part of Dugan, so much so that he was in 1978's "Malibu Beach" as the same character (not nearly as much screen time, though)."Nobody calls Dugan a turd!" is another line for the ages. This classic film was definitely worth the price of admission.$LABEL$ 1 +Great documentary about the lives of NY firefighters during the worst terrorist attack of all time.. That reason alone is why this should be a must see collectors item.. What shocked me was not only the attacks, but the"High Fat Diet" and physical appearance of some of these firefighters. I think a lot of Doctors would agree with me that,in the physical shape they were in, some of these firefighters would NOT of made it to the 79th floor carrying over 60 lbs of gear. Having said that i now have a greater respect for firefighters and i realize becoming a firefighter is a life altering job. The French have a history of making great documentary's and that is what this is, a Great Documentary.....$LABEL$ 1 +I'm going to write about this movie and about "Irreversible" (the (in)famous scene in it). So you are warned, if you haven't seen the movie yet. This are just my thoughts, why I think the movie fails (in the end - pun intended).Acting wise, Rosario Dawson is really good and almost conveys portraying someone almost a decade younger (a teenager in other words). The villain guy is good, but loses his "evil" touch right before the end. If he really never changes, then why would he let a woman tie him up? He wouldn't, period. Then we also have the bartender/2nd rape Dude. Actually I don't think you would need him. At least not for the 2nd rape, but more about that later on.Let's reprise the story. Rosarios character is sexually insecure, might even have lesbian tendencies (see her scene with a female friend). This wasn't intentional, as Rosario states herself, but there is sexual tension between them. Rosario's character meets a guy, who is a sexual Predator, in all the bad senses. But he makes an impression on her.Rosario commented that her character had a boyfriend before. I beg to differ. Because she acts, as if it is her first boyfriend, which also underlines her phone conversation with her mother. Talking about her mother, here's another problem. After the first rape takes place, Rosarios character doesn't tell anyone what happened. Seiing that her relationship with her mother is a very close one, nothing of that gets explored after that. If Rosarios character wouldn't call her mother anymore or would behave strangely, the mother would be worried like crazy. There was so much potential here. Also her female friend: We see her at the party, it's obvious there is something going on and "boom" she is gone.The first rape is almost unbearable to watch. But feels like a pinch, when you compare it to the ending (rape), which feels like you're getting hit with a sledge hammer! After rape no. 1 we get too stretched out scenes. Threads are opened (such as her construction work is an indication that she might be lesbian, as one guy states who tried to hit on her ...), but left in the open. No real social contact is established, if you leave the bartender guy out, who is involved in the 2nd and last rape scene. It's apparent that he isn't a "nice" guy and his character get's fleshed out a bit. But when Rosarios character meets her rapist in class again, his being in the movie seems pointless. We get the point that Rosarios character isn't the same anymore, that she went "bad" and is able to hurt people. (Too) Many scenes show exactly that, her being without emotion just doing drugs and other stuff. Back to Rapist #1 who cheats on a test, gets caught by Rosarios character and they decide to hang out together again (really?). As absurd as that sounds, the guy meets up with her, not without us having seen him beforehand, with another girl (very likely that he raped her too, although we never see anything of that, fortunately) and his football career. Well career is a stretch and he is bullied. This is an attempt to give his character some depth and it almost works, but then again is too cliché to stay with you. So Rapist #1 submits to Rosarios character ... why exactly? Because he promised her, it was her day? Again, really? A guy like that never loses control, especially with a woman he raped before ... I guess this is supposed to show us how stupid he is. The bartender guy would have worked as someone who could have hit him over the head or something, but letting him submit like that, just feels wrong. Another possibility would have a drug in his drink.So rapist #1 undresses and get's blindfolded and let's Rosarios character tie him on a bed .... seriously, that's just crazy! But what comes next, is even crazier. First she talks to him, then she "shuts" him up and forces an object into him. This is as difficult to watch as rape scene number one. This isn't about what this guy deserves or not, it's just intense. And of course that was what they were aiming for. Now after she is "done" the bartender guy comes in and rapes ... rapist #1. If this really should work as a revenge movie, it would have been better if Rosarios character herself would have been doing all the "revenge". Having a henchman doing the job, takes away everything that was built up.This isn't supposed to be entertaining/enjoyable, it's a hard watch & it is Art-house. But the 10 minute (I didn't count ) rape scene at the end, just smashes everything. Rosarios character is more or less, only watching what happens. Which brings me to the biggest disappointment.Irreversible comparison: "Irreversible" had the rape scene, but the movie went on (even if it was back into time). Rosario is looking into the camera in the end and says something about having to get over this. First, that comes a bit too late, that should see her say that after the initial rape. And secondly and most importantly, this is where the Art-house movie should've come in. It is more interesting seeing were Rosarios character would go after the second rape scene and how she would cope, with what she had done. But then again, she didn't actually physically do that much (see above) ... a broken character that the movie cuts off ...Good intentions (Talia and Rosario had worked before), but failing to convey most of the things, they set out to do (even if you can see what they meant, it has to be convincing, otherwise it doesn't work) ... not to mention the overlong rape scenes as they are ...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is best described or compare to "Big Fish" (the movie by Tim Burton). But it's a less glamorous and more in you face tale. And of course here it's not the father, but his grandfather who tells the stories.The movie's narrative also moves back and forth (so the story outline here at IMDb, might tell you more than you would like to read, before watching the movie). It's funny and engaging enough, even though you get from one story to another and have some dramatic moments too. It also surprises you here and there, with things you wouldn't expect. A nice little movie then, that deserves your attention, especially if you like movies like that! :o)$LABEL$ 1 +The final installment sees Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi (looking cooler than ever in his reversible overcoat!) pitched against each other for one last battle, this time in the future. The plot owes a lot to Blade Runner, but done in Takashi Miike's low budget, frenetic, comic style. I did feel that it was the weakest of the three DOA films, and although the ending was still outrageous, it lacked the shock value of the previous two. Compared to the likes of Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q, DOA:Final is nowhere near as extreme, but is faithful to the other two films in the trilogy. That said, fans of the first two (and fans of Miike) will get a lot from this as it ties all three films together and gives a final explanation of the relationship between the two protagonists.$LABEL$ 1 +FOLLOWING the business coup of the year of 1941, Max and Dave, the Brothers Fleischer were removed from their own Studio by Paramount Pictures Corporation. Former employees such as Seymour Kneitel and Izzy Sparber were put in charge of the new operation, now renamed Famous Studios by Paramount. Early on, the finished product of Famous was indiscernible from that of the recent output by Fleischer. The existing series (Popeye, Superman) continued as if nothing at all had transpired.TODAY'S subject, JAPOTEURS is one of the earlier Famous Studio's SUPERMAN Shorts.AS had been the custom, the SUPERMAN Cartoons were a great combination of fine, fittingly fashioned music in the score. That goes for the theme (overture) as well as all the multi-mood background (incidental) music. It was if each cartoon short had its own background music, as all was kept fresh by apparently recording it anew with each picture.WITH regards to JAPOTEURS, we must remember that this was filmed during the first year of the United States' involvement and the characterization of the enemy was very stereotypical, short-handed and outright evil. The dialogue and personality of the villainous Japanese saboteurs was strictly from the stock characters of the old pulp magazine stories, with their every word being said in a sarcastic, totally insincere politeness as the characters would flaunt their cold bloodedness as they made the most demonic of threats and outrageous acts toward the occidental world.JAPOTEURS is visually bright and uplifting, stunningly laid out and makes use of some multi plane or table top animation in order to give its flying sequences a real depth.MAKING good use of the tie-ins between the animated cartoons, the SUPERMAN Radio Show then heard over the Mutual Broadcasting Network; the cartoon bears a close resemblance to the Comics Page and uses the very same talents of voice actors Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander from the Radio Show.WE rate it with a *** ½ stars.POODLE SCHNITZ!!$LABEL$ 1 +There are good movies, and there are bad movies, and then there's Moscow Zero, a film so utterly bad it makes spending a month in solitary with an insurance salesman an attractive entertainment alternative.With an incomprehensible plot about the gates of Hell opening within a labyrinth of tunnels under Moscow, the film is a mess of repetitive and nonsensical shots of a little girl running through tunnels, red lights floating about, and strange wall shadows, none of which serves to mount any fear or tension, but instead elicits the reaction of "here they go again with the girl (or lights)" from the viewer.Directed by María Lidón, who for reasons I can only conclude as shame, was billed as Luna, the movie stars Vince Gallo as Owen, an American priest who travels to Moscow in search of Sergei (Rade Serbedzija), a friend and colleague who has gone missing in the tunnels. He enlists the help of a series of locals who, with the exception of Oksana Akinshina, are all portrayed by Spanish actors trying with limited success to inflect Russian accents.Along the way they cross paths with members of some sort of underground leather-coated religious mafia headed by a portly Val Kilmer, whose career seems to be in such free fall that he's resorted to appearing in dreck like this, and henchman Sage Stallone (Sly's son), who seems to have been cast merely so the Stallone name can be included in the film's marquee.Apart from watching the troupe try to navigate their way through the tunnels with the aid of a comically drawn map, and repetitive shots of them being followed or eluded by a pale faced young girl, not much else goes on throughout. Dialogue routinely switches between English and Russian, with actors frequently taking turns in each language, and entire conversations are uttered half in one and half in the other with the only apparent reason being they felt like it, adding a frustrating dimension for the viewer, over and above trying to figure out the crazily cobbled together story.About the only thing Moscow Zero gets right, however, is its title, which could only have rendered a more accurate description of this movie if the word Moscow had been omitted.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie "MacArthur" begins and ends at Gen. Douglas MacArthur's, Gregory Peck, Alma Mata the US Military Academy of West Point on the Hudson. We see a frail 82 year old Gen.MacArthur give the commencement speech to the graduating class of 1962 about what an honor it is to serve their country. The film then goes into an almost two hour long flashback on Gen. MacArthur's brilliant as well as controversial career that starts in the darkest hours of WWII on the besieged island of Corregidor in the Philippines in the early spring of 1942.Told to leave he island for Australia before the Japanese military invade it Gen. MacArthur for the very first time in his military career almost disobeys a direct order from his superior US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dan O'Herlihy. Feeling that he'll be deserting his men at their greatest hour of need MacArthur reluctantly, together with his wife and young son, did what he was told only to have it haunt him for the reminder of the war. It was that reason, his escape under fire from death or captivity by the Japanese, that drove Gen. MacArthur to use all his influence to get FDR two years later to launch a major invasion of the Philippians, instead of the island of Formosa, to back up his promise to both the Philippine people as well as the thousands of US POWS left behind. That he'll return and return with the might of the US Army & Navy to back up his pledge!In the two years up until the invasion of the Philippine Islands Gen. MacArther battered the Japanese forces in the South Pafific in a number of brilliantly conceived island hop battles that isolated and starved hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops into surrender. The General did that suffering far less US Military losses then any other allied commander in the War in the Pacific! It was in 1950/51 in the Korean War that Gen. MacArthur achieved his most brilliant victory as well as his worst military defeat. After outflanking the advancing North Korean Army in the brilliant and perfectly executed, with the invading US Marines suffering less then 100 casualties, back door or left hook invasion of Inchon Gen. MacArther feeling invincible sent the US/UN forces under his command to the very border, along the Yalu River, of Communist Red China. Told by his subordinates that he's facing the threat of a massive ground attack by Communist Chinese troops Gen. MacArthur pressed on anyway until that attack did materialized cutting the US & UN forces to ribbons. The unstoppable wave after wave of attacking Red Chinese troops forced the US/UN forces to retreat in the "Big Bug Out" of 1950 with their very lives, leaving all their equipment behind, across the North Korean border even abandoning the South Korean capital city of Seoul! This turned out to be one of the biggest military disaster in US history with the US forces losing a record, in the Korean War, 1,000 lives on the very first day-Nov. 29/30 1950-of the Communist Chinese invasion!Shocked and humiliated in what he allowed, due mostly to his own arrogance, to happened MacArthur went on the offensive not against the advancing Communist Chinese and Noth Koreans forces but his own Commander and Chief Pres. Harry S. Truman, Ed Flanders, in him not having the spin or guts to do what has to be done: Launch a full scale invasion of Communist China with nuclear weapons if necessary to prevent its troops from overrunning the Korean Peninsula! For Pres. Truman who had taken just about enough garbage from Gen. MacArthur in him running off his mouth in public in how he was mishandling the war in not going all out, like MacArthur wanted him to, against the Red Chinese this was the last straw! On April 11, 1951 Pres. Truman unceremoniously relived Gen. MacArthur from his command as Supreme Commander of the US/UN forces in Korea! Pres. Truman's brave but very unpopular decision also, by not going along with MacArthur's total war strategy, prevented a Third World War from breaking out with the Soviet Union-Communist China's ally- who at the time-like the US-had the Atomic Bomb! Pres. Truman''s controversial decision to dump the very popular Gen. MacArthur also cost him his re-election in 1952 with his polls numbers so low-in the mid 20's- that he withdrew-in March of that year- from the US Presidential Campaign!In was Gen. MacArthur's misfortune to be around when the political and military climates in the world were changing in how to conduct future wars. With the horrors of a nuclear war now, in 1950/51, a reality it would have been national suicide to go all out, like Gen. MacArthur wanted to, against the Red Chinese with it very possibly touching off a nuclear holocaust that would engulf not only the US USSR & Red China but the entire world! It was that important reality of future war that Gen. MacArthur was never taught, since the A and H Bomb weren't yet invented, in West Point.Back to 1962 we can now see that Gen. MacArthur, after finishing his commencement speech at West Point, had become both an older and wiser soldier as well as , since his retirement from the US Military, elder statesman in his feeling about war and the utter futility of it. One thing that Gen. MacArthur was taught at an early age, from his Civil War General dad Douglas MacArthur Sr, that stuck to him all his life was that to a soldier like himself war should be the very last-not first-resort in settling issues between nations. In that it's the soldiers who have to fight and die in it. It took a lifetime, with the advent of the nuclear age, for Gen. MacArthur to finally realize just how right and wise his dad a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, like himself, really was!$LABEL$ 1 +I was reading in a Stuff Magazine about some of the goriest, bloodiest films that Asia had to offer and I immediately jumped to Netflix to quench my thirst. Boy what a mistake I made. This movie is one of the worst films I have seen. First and foremost no plot, what I expected to be the plot (see: "Revenge") turned into a series of events just happening in a effort to spend their special effects budget of $14.89 and waste studio time. They should have kept their money and not wasted their time nor yours.When a major plot twist occurs, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is given a new identity and I wasn't buying it. A flashback is given that should answer our questions, but seemed to me like I turned on Showtime at 3:47 am and dropped ACID. The movie continues and spirals out of control with cheesy graphics and special (olympic) effects.Do I seem bitter about this film? Yes. Did I see Iron Man? No. Was there a plot? No. Was it so symbolic that I didn't understand? NO. Was there a Body Hammer? Beats the Hell out of ME. So take my advice and STAY away!!!!!! (I must admit though I have had so much fun writing this and laughing to myself about this film that if you want to laugh, WATCH IT!!!)$LABEL$ 0 +Few people realize it, but there was world literature in the ancient world before the Greeks came on the scene. Besides the literary remains that are in the "Old Testament" of the Jews, there were considerable works from Mesopotamia and Egypt. The summit of the former were the religious poetry and "The Epic Of Gilgamesh". The Egyptians produced many poems, but there main addition was a tale of adventure of a traveler and physician called "The Story Of Sinuhe". It is from this work (actually a fragment, that we don't know the ending of) that the novel "The Egyptian" came from.The story is unique (as is the movie). "The Egyptian" was a best seller in the early 1950s, and Darryl Zanuck decided to take a chance making it: yes he wanted a showcase for his girlfriend Bella Darvi as Nefer, as well as the rest of the cast (Victor Mature, Edmund Purdom, Peter Ustinov, Michael Wilding, and Gene Tierney), but he was aware that these films rarely made large box office. One can chalk up this as an example of Zanuck trying something different.The number of movies that deal with ancient Egypt are very small. "Land Of The Pharoahs", "The Egyptian", "The Ten Commandments" (both De Mille versions), "Moses", "Holy Moses!", "Cleopatra", "The Mummy" (all versions), "The Scorpion King". If there are 20 films about ancient Egypt it's is tremendous. But "The Egyptian" is unique. While the second "Ten Commandments" discusses Ramses the Great (Pharoah Ramses II - Yul Brynner) and his father Seti I (Cedric Hardwicke), and the films on Cleopatra deal with her, few other names of ancient Egypt crop up in film. Egypt's greatest Pharoah was Thutmose III, who conquered most of the known middle east of the era of 1470 B.C.E. or so. No film about him has appeared, nor of his usurping predecessor, history's first great female ruler Hatschepsut. But the only known Pharoah who attempted a religious revolution that approached what the Jews (and later the Christians) attempted - a type of monotheism - is the subject of "The Egyptian". This is Pharoah Akhnaton.In reality Akhnaton was practicing a personal form of monotheism that was not meant for public consumption. But it angered the priestly class who worshiped Amon, rather than Aton. Due to our uncertain historic records (although Akhnaton's official records - the "Tel-el-Amana" letters - are quite complete as far as they survive), we do not know if the Pharoah was killed in a palace coup or not. However he died, he was succeeded by a young brother or son of his whose name is better recalled than any other Pharoah except Ramses: Tutankhamon.This film is actually quite good as far as it goes. Wilding makes a good natured Akhnaton, who is too weak to be as effective as a religious reformer is supposed to be. Mature is good as the ambitious (and - outside the film - ultimately successful future Pharoah) Horemheb. Tierney and Purdom do well in their lead parts and Ustinov is good as Purdom's friend. Also good is Ms Darvi, in a large supporting part. In a wonderful cameo is John Carridine, as a philosophical grave robber. The film is certainly worthy of viewing, as one of the few attempts to show part of the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a shame that this piece of work wasn't acknowledged as a piece of work. It has everything a historical film must have: a serious historical research, outstanding performances of every actor involved and a discrete but great direction.When I saw the movie I knew it should be a prototype for every biographical movie.$LABEL$ 1 +When I was over at Hollywood video I looked through their clearance out movies and there was DEMONICUS for five buckaroos plus fifty percent off! I saw it only once before and couldn't pass up this great deal! The second viewing was much better than the first. The box is so cool and the music is very good. If you haven't seen Demonicus yet I recommend that you do or if you rented and hated Demonicus do give it another chance as another viewing of it may change your mind. If you seen a copy at Hollywood Video for the price I got it for don't pass it up as it is a great deal!Demonicus is well a very different but entertaining movie.Believe it or not is like watching a interactive video game with out playing it!It has very low budget and actors I'M sure that nobody is familiar with. We began the the video game uh I mean film with a guy and a woman some where in Italy and there is a cave that actually looks like a rail road/train track tunnel and she says don't go in there and what does he do?The normal stuff!HE DIDN'T LISTEN TO HER! He goes in there and find lots of gladiator artifacts and armor and a almost perfectly preserved body of a legendary gladiator named Tyrannous!Where did the chair come from that Tyrannous was sitting on and how did his body stay so good and where did the Cauldron Pot come from?So every cave is complete with a Caultron Pot?Tyrannous is wearing his armor,helmet,and has a weapon or two.He does the dumbest thing a person could do,he puts on the helmet and is taken over by the spirit of Tyrannous! From there he walks around just killing all of the campers near by to bring back the real Tyrannous.Now,I said before its like a video game.Its hard to explain but it just feels like it.The music even sounds like video games.The acting is really terrible.The actors say things like why is he doing this,oh he was nuts already and Fine since he's nuts i'm going home!Also the movie also has some major errors like a guy is running and trying to find his girlfriend in the night and is still running in the day time still searching for her with out taking a break!This movie has some errors but it isn't a classic like Werewolf but it is entertaining if you like really low budget error prone movies then you better see Demonicus!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of Barbara Stanwyck's earlier films and it sure does have an unconventional theme. She's making money by dancing with men at a dance hall. She really doesn't like the work, but it's a living. Her boyfriend seems like a pretty nice guy, but she's also pursued by rich guy Ricardo Cortez. Well, after marrying, it turns out her "nice guy" is a thieving, womanizing weasel and rich Cortez turns out to be a heck of a guy. By the end of the film, Barbara simply has had enough, as any SANE woman would walk from this horrid marriage.In the 1920s and early 30s, Hollywood did pretty much anything it wanted and some of their films had themes or scenes that would surprise many today--such as nudity, adultery and bad language. While TEN CENTS A DANCE isn't a blatant example of this morality, it does have a theme that never would have been allowed after the toughened Production Code was created and enforced starting in 1934. In some ways the Code was great--after all, parents didn't need to worry about what their kids saw in films (such as nudity in BEN HUR, 1925). However, it also tended to sanitize some of the movies far too much--and there is no way this particular film could have been made and approved because it tends to glorify divorce--a serious no-no 1934 and thereafter. This is really a shame, as I don't think TEN CENTS A DANCE was bad at all to discuss this--especially since the star (Barbara Stanwyck) was married to a philandering thief. Even so, allowing the film to end with her divorcing him and marrying a man who himself was twice divorced just couldn't have been.Overall, the film is interesting and thought-provoking. Plus, it was well-paced and suited its relatively short run time. Give this one a look.FYI--Sadly, Ricardo Cortez was actually NOT Hispanic but changed his name because of possible prejudice because he was Jewish. He was an excellent leading man of his time, but today is all but forgotten.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this film at the NFT in London where it was showing as part of the BFI's John Huston season. I wasn't really sure what to expect and the first few minutes of the film gave very little away. In fact the rest of the film continued to give little away! No real plot, no action, no suspense, very little drama and, except for a short section at the very end, no scenery.The result of lack of all of these features was, however, a wonderful film. I don't fully understand why, but I think that its understated nature made the film almost completely perfect. The acting, script and, most important of all, the casting were all spot on and I can't remember walking away from a cinema feeling so good, but I still can't work out why. I just know that I will be getting the DVD (this is one of those films that will, I am sure, be just as good on the small screen as the cinema experience, provided that you can find somewhere quiet to watch it!) and I will be watching it again soon. I will be also interested to find out what my family and friends think of it. I'm sure that it will not be everybody's choice but I am convinced that a large number will agree with my view.9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I wholeheartedly disagree with the other viewers of this wretched film. The only reason why I didn't rate it 1 for awful was due to the great talent of Carmen Miranda. The beginning and end are the best parents due to her gifted singing and dancing.The problem is with the rest of the picture. Alice Faye comes off quite hollow. Don Ameche has a great singing voice but with the wretched writing material, he comes off so terribly corny.The plot is a real stiff here with Ameche assuming two parts as a song and dance man and a baron not happily married to Faye.It seems that by playing the song and dance man, Ameche's marriage gets a second change to reignite. Some silly nonsense about the baron having to clear up business and being away allows him to play both parts.S.Z. Sakal is given little to do here and so his comedic gifts are not given the opportunity to shine. Ditto for J. Carrol Naish who actually appears uncomfortable in his role.This is a chica chica boom bomb of a film.$LABEL$ 0 +It WAS supposed to be the last Freddy movie (and it was for over 10 years)--you would think they would have tried to get a good movie done. But they turned out giving us the worst of the series (and that's saying a lot). The plot made no sense (I seriously can't remember it), all the main characters were idiots (you REALLY wanted them dead) and Freddy's wisecracks were even worse than usual. The only remotely good bit about this was a brief (and funny) cameo by Johnny Depp (the first "Nightmare" movie was his first).Also I originally saw it in a theatre were the last section (reaccounting Freddy's childhood) was in 3-D. Well--the 3-D was lousy--faded colors and the image going in and out of focus. Also the three flying skulls which were supposed to be scary (I think) had the opposite reaction from my audience. EVERYBODY broke down laughing. Looks even worse on TV in 2-D. Pointless and stupid--very dull also. Skip this one and see "Freddy vs. Jason" again.$LABEL$ 0 +This has got to be the WORSE move I've EVER seen!!!!! It was not only boring, it was "gag me with a spoon" dumb. Where'd ya find the actors ... on a street corner? Who did the special effects...Maaco? For God's sakes I could have made a better movie with my CELL PHONE. And if that wasn't bad enough, you even had extras at the end of the movie so we could see just how stupid the actors are in real life. Who ever did the makeup for the aliens...must have spent $5 at your local used costume store and called it a day. And who in the world wrote up the movie description on the back of the DVD case should be shot. PUHLEEZ!! It's not even 1/8 % of what it is described as. That description is just to suck people in to buying, renting or paying a ticket to see it. No wonder there was never a trailer to it....ya would have drove them all away!!!!!!!Bad Actors...$5 Special Effects...$5.50 Fake Fire....$1.89 (cigarette lighter) Time Spent Watching This Movie....total waste! (I should sue ya for my time watching it)$LABEL$ 0 +I really love this movie!!! I haven't played Final Fantasy VII but i still loved the movie, its really funny and I love the job the voice-over actors have done. The visuals are SO fantastic and all the lines are so well done.I have to admit i have a pretty good imagination so I was able to fill most of the gaps the movie presented, and I suggest you watch it twice because lots of things "suddenly" make sense.Also, (this is pretty funny) you should watch it with the subtitles on because what they say and what the subs say are sometimes completely different. Its really usually pretty funny but sometimes it helps u to understand what they say better.Watch it!!! love Marnie$LABEL$ 1 +We bought this film from a shop called Poundland. We were looking for more inspiration as we have previously bought the film No Big Deal an remade it.We expected this film to be badly inspirational so that we might remake it and put it on the tube. HOWEVER, this was shocking. BORING is the main word that comes to mind. The bad effects and script aren't enough to make you watch it. The main woman's body seems to be whipped out at opportune moments in a pathetic attempt to keep the viewer interested. However, it just makes you wonder, did they blow the budget getting her to take her clothes off? If so, I'd have asked for a refund! It looks like a homemade film, the shots don't even correspond with each other and the camera work is so amateur it makes our remakes of bad movies look professional. I CANNOT believe that this is being sold as a marketable product.IT IS JUST BORING and UGLY to watch. The actors are bad and there is no degree of professionalism about it. There are no words to describe how terrible it is.$LABEL$ 0 +Certainly one of the finest movies I have seen for quite some time. Exquisite direction and flawless acting make this a very entertaining and often moving film. Denzel Washington plays one of his most engaging and emotional roles to date, and the rest of the cast perform beautifully. Christopher Walken is of course superb in his part although he did not appear as often as I would have liked. A story of ultimate greed that backfires is offset against a childs innocence and love. This is also a film for action movie lovers as it has its fair share of bullets, rockets and revenge. The location of Mexico City adds a feel of seediness and corruption which in itself is an eye opener. All in all, a truly gripping film from beginning to end. Highly recommended!$LABEL$ 1 +It may not have had the big budgets, celebrities or endorsements of Scream, Urban Legend or I Know What You Did Last Summer, but Campfire Tales had one thing these three movies lacked: true horror.This film tackled the subject of urban legends a year before the aptly titled and less than enthralling Urban Legend did. It was intriguing, masterfully scripted and logical in a way I Know What You Did Last Summer could only dream of. Finally, it held its focus and finished with a flurry while Scream fizzled and died.What's most exciting about the film is the variety of horror that the writers and directors achieved. The overarching story of teenagers around a campfire was classic dread at the unknown (but certainly expected) doom that awaited them in the forest, but the tales themselves are where the movie really shined.The opening sequence is pure, fast-paced urban myth. It's based on a popular legend, and the director plays on this with the style and pace of the action, making it more enthralling because we know what's going to happen.The first campfire tale is a straight-forward thriller. Based on another popular myth, we don't actually realize this until the end, both because it blends so well into the story and because the action keeps our attention. Being the thriller of the trilogy, this one plays off our fear of the unknown and includes several well-done "jump" sequences that don't feel nearly as cheap or contrite as those in movies like Scream or Urban Legend.The second tale is more suspense. This time, though the characters still don't know what's going on, we do, and this provides the horror. No need for cheap thrills here.The final tale contains elements of the supernatural and uses a creepy/trippy atmosphere to scare the viewer. Because we can relate so easily to the characters and their situation, our fear comes from their intensity and what they can't explain. This is the true ghost story of the trio.I didn't expect to enjoy Campfire Tales when I rented it. I figured that if I didn't like its more acclaimed, bigger-budget counterparts, how could I like it?The truth is, though, this film succeeds where the others fell far short of the mark.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, no one with any law enforcement experience (Not ER or EMT, but real law enforcement) takes this show seriously. Walker would be drummed out of any police force in the US for his illegal and totally unprofessional tactics. On top of that, he is a comic book character---no acting ability, incredibly trite lines, no character development. The fact that Alex Cahill loves him shows just how dumb blondes really are. And Trivett is the ultimate clown in black-face. Come on---if you think Walker is a heartfelt show without bias, then explain why JT is treated as a dolt, always is the subject of Walker's jokes, never is allowed to be the one to solve the crime, and never rescues Walker, who should be dead 50 times over for the stupid things he does. While it may be true that many criminals are even dumber than the detectives who go after them (and believe me, most cops are dumber than dirt), the smart ones Walker comes up against never seem to get the point that once Walker is captured, the jerk needs to be put of his misery. But then again, Norris produced the show as well as starred in it, so how could he willingly get rid of himself or even show how stupid his tactics are. As if six guys are going to wait around to take him one at a time. What a terrible series! It is more demeaning than any of the hokey westerns like The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, The Cisco Kid, and Wild Bill Hickock, though I would imagine that most of you on here are far too young to remember those shows. But like those shows, in the same way as those shows, Walker TR is just as insulting and just plain silly.$LABEL$ 0 +I really tried to like this film about a doctor who has the possibility of a new life with a young woman if he can comes to terms with the death of his wife. I suppose this was to play like a quirky light romantic comedy but the theme is a little uncomfortable for me.But putting that aside, I found the dialog was too much like a stage play despite being based on a novel and also,the mediocre acting was embarrassing to watch especially by the young lead Vincent Spano.I have been sort of trying to catch up on all the eighties movies I missed during that decade. It has been my pet peeve that eighties nostalgia buffs seem to focus on the same core canon of films usually featuring the brat pack actors and actresses and neglecting the other films like Creator that have fallen through the cracks. But in the case of this feature I have to say I can understand it. Not all of these eighties films were magical and Creator is proof of this.$LABEL$ 0 +I was at Wrestlemania VI in Toronto as a 10 year old, and the event I saw then was pretty different from what I saw on the Wrestlemania Collection DVD I just watched. I don't understand how the wwE doesn't have the rights to some of the old music, since most of those songs were created by the WWF they shouldn't have to worry about the licensing and royalty fees that prevent shows like SNL from releasing season sets. Its pretty stupid to whine about, but for me hearing Demolition come out to their theme music at a Wrestlemania in person was a memory that I never forgot, and it didn't exist on this DVD. What is the point of them even owning the rights to this huge library of video if they have to edit it so drastically to use it?$LABEL$ 0 +One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Acting was terrible, both for the kids and the adults. Most to all characters showed no, little or not enough emotion. The lighting was terrible, and there were too many mess ups about the time of the day the film was shot (In the river scene where they just get their boat destroyed, there's 4 shots; The sheriff and Dad in the evening on their boat, Jillian and Molly in the evening swimming, the rest of the kids in the daytime *when it's supposed to in the evening* at the river bank, and the doctor, Beatrice, and Simonton at night but not in the evening getting off their boat.) The best acting in the movie was probably from the sheriff, Cappy (Although, there's a slip of character when the pulse detector *Whatever that thing is when people die, it beeps* shows Cappy has died, he still moves while it can still be heard beeping, and while the nurse extra checks his pulse manually, then it shows the pulse again, and THEN he finally dies.) I guess it's not going to be perfect, since it's an independent movie, but it still could be better. Not worth watching, honestly, even for kids. Might as well watch something good, like The Lion King or Toy Story if you're going to see anything you'll remember.$LABEL$ 0 +The word 'classic' is thrown around too loosely nowadays, but this movie well deserves the appelation. The combination of Neil Simon, Walter Matthau (possibly the world's best living comic actor), and the late lamented George Burns make for a comic masterpiece. It is interesting to contemplate what the movie would have been like had not death prevented Jack Benny from playing George Burns' part, as had been planned. As it is, the reunion scene in Matthau's apartment is not likely to be surpassed as a sidesplitter. Definitely one of my desert island films."Enter!!!!!!!!!"$LABEL$ 1 +Cobb. It sucked. I learned nothing about the man I had not heard before. The performances were over the top. A scene where Cobb and Al are driving down a snowy road in search of women in Reno has to be one of the worst conceived scenes in recent memory. It's just plain STUPID and unentertaining. The flashback sequences were terrible. And they used the same sequences OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. If I saw the same shot of Cobb fighting with someone at a base one more time, I would have become physically ill. By watching this 'movie', we get to learn NOTHING of what it was like in Cobb's era. We learn nothing about his relationship with his players, nothing about his days as a manager, nothing about his relationship with his family members, other than that `they don't like him'. I thought when I sat down to view this film I would learn SOMETHING about the era of baseball in which Cobb played. Instead, all I got to see was a retread of how Cobb hated everything and everyone, and how they hated him. Boy, what a great movie (sarcasm intended). Cobb is portrayed as a constant liar in the film, so which one of his stories is supposed to be accurate? Who knows? Who cares? No one will after viewing this piece of crap. If you decide to rent this film, make sure the fast forward button on your VCR is working, as you will be tempted to use it repeatedly. Hopefully someday someone will make a GOOD film about Ty Cobb. I liked this film about as much as the people in it liked Cobb, which is to say - I HATED IT. Now I know why I found it in the RENT ONE GET ONE FREE section of the video store. I think I will ask for my fifty cents back from the video clerk, since I can't get back the time I wasted watching this trash. Oh well, what could I have possibly been thinking about a movie that would feature Robert Wuhl.$LABEL$ 0 +Though it had the misfortune to hit the festival circuit here in Austin (SXSW Film) just as we were getting tired of things like Shakespeare in Love, and Elizabeth, this movie deserves an audience. An inside look at the staging of "The Scottish Play" as actors call "Macbeth" when producing it to avoid the curse, this is a crisp, efficient and stylish treatment of the treachery which befalls the troupe. With a wonderfully evocative score, and looking and sounding far better than its small budget would suggest, this is a quiet gem, not world-class, but totally satisfying.$LABEL$ 1 +Through the years I've been very much interested in the life of this teenager who left such a profound, indelible mark on the world. My fascination has also been born of fear, as in, could this happen again.And throughout the ensuing years, yes, I fear 'it' continues to happen around us and of course 'it' was happening long before Anne. The 'it' of course is can a so-called civilized society turn on its own or on an innocent country/race/continent and murder citizens in cold blood on the flimsiest of excuses? I leave that question out there.At the beginning of the documentary there is a statement about the leader Adolf Hitler in that the one profound fact about Hitler that is never mentioned was that he was elected democratically and all of the atrocities committed were done as the result of a compliant poodle-press and fear-mongering propaganda played over and over again for a docile population.One of the atrocities was Anne Frank, who put a face to the death camps by the miracle of her diary's survival.Kenneth Brannagh does a wonderful job on the commentary and interviewing, he has that rare gift of minimizing his own persona thus allowing the subjects to speak for themselves.Many new facts and people never before interviewed are brought to life in the meticulous research, which I will not go into here as they add immeasurably to the reality and gut wrenching sorrow of the film.Glenn Close reads selections from the diary and her voice is perfect for the part, she brings a naiveté and freshness to the role.Old childhood friends of Anne's are interviewed at length and her last days before death are well recorded and witnessed along with her vibrant and mischievous personality.This is not to be missed. A wonderful and respectful film about the seldom seen Anne.10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone who will pay to see Troma movies knows, and appreciates, what they are going to get. Having said that, I didn't think it was possible to make a movie this bad, and still be compelling. I found myself watching just to see how much worse it could get before the end. First off, it's an Indonesian action movie with an American main character who looks and acts like the bastard son of "Taxi"'s Christopher Lloyd and Rambo. He puts posters of himself dressed up like Sly's "Cobra" all over the place and even has a custom built firing range (with action-posed cutouts of his greatest enemies)in Jakarta although he's in the CIA and has just arrived days earlier. There is a lot of action involving gun-play(no muzzle-flashes on those M-16s, only sound effects), motorcycles(that bust through walls), karate(where no one makes physical contact) and even some sex(where all the actors are ugly). The main plot of an epic like this should at least be reasonably plausible, but not here. It involves the world's most dangerous drug cartel going all out to find a "drug detector device". Why would they need it? That is never revealed, why not kill drug-sniffing dogs? Makes no sense, but, it is taken seriously. The actors are to be commended because they really seemed to think this movie would make them all famous and tried hard to "act". Best line? "Now dance to your grave you dirty whore!" Best scene? Rambo jumps onto flying helicopter, pulls machine gun out of baddie's hand, let's go, falls, shoots helicopter as he's falling, helicopter blows up, cut to mannequin thrown in water. F**king genius! If you can't appreciate trash, don't watch it. If you can, it's awesome. One last thing, did I mention it was directed by the three Punjabi brothers?$LABEL$ 0 +Many of these other viewers complain that the story line has already been attempted. That may be so, but the addition of the narrator and Dr.Suess like scenery makes this show a must watch. With adult innuendo throughout the series and a touch of childhood through the set, the show is both reminiscent and invigorating. The investigative portion of the show is not what drags viewers in. The twisted plot and love lines scattered throughout this seeming paradise are what keep loyal viewers coming back for more. This is a success that ABC should never let go of. Bravo ABC. LOST was getting old, way to revitalize prime time. 9 episodes prior to the writers strike left audiences wanting more.$LABEL$ 1 +It's really annoying when good movies like this one go unnoticed. But I'm glad I did not miss it.They should re-release it with a lot more publicity. I do not think they did anything to promote it. Great work Paxton.$LABEL$ 1 +I didn't like watching DS9 compared to other Star Treks even Enterprise, but I didn't like Babylon 5, and now I know why. They are the same show. I just read the old news that Paramount stole the idea from the creator of Babylon 5, but they chose not to sue for a reason I don't know or care, but seeing as a Star Trek series is based off another even nerdier show is just to much to bare, now I will condemn anyone who even mentions the DS9 when talking about the series. Original, TNG, and Voyager are my favorites in that order. Before I didn't understand why everyone thinks DS9 is great and I didn't, but know I know. It's also because the captain has a real anger problem, and I hate people that act cool, but freak out, out of no where; and he seems to on every episode.$LABEL$ 0 +Leon Errol handles his double role of Uncle Matt Lindsay and Lord Basil Epping superbly, but I have trouble liking the "Mexican Spitfire" Series because they all are contrived to produce mistaken identities, and these are telegraphed way in advance. Errol is funny as the stuffy Lord Epping, but I would have preferred a lot more wit and much less repetition. $LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those "so bad it is good" films that you always hear about but never see! Unlike Troma films which are deliberately bad and campy (and I am not amused) this one is 100% pure serious.However with features such as a supposedly super-lethal killer robot that prances about like one of the Solid Gold Dancers on an acid trip and a magical first mate that calls down lightning and transforms into the Good Witch of the East the fact that it takes itself seriously pushes it so far over the edge of bad that makes it full circle around back to entertaining.Watcheable enough because of that.$LABEL$ 0 +This film, Blade Master, may be cheap, clumsy in appearance and it is sometimes, but it shares thoughts on problems that are way beyond the era this film is set in. Ator is the chosen one that has to protect the earth against a terrible weapon, that is compared in an unforgettable and unpredictable way to the atomic weapon. He goes through obstacles as a witful character who is just more than muscle power, although he has quite is lot. I would say this aspect of the movie makes it surpass a film like Conan the barbarian, which is the least I can say, quite brainless. It doesn't diminish in any ways the great adventure movie that is Conan, but it gives Ator his wholesomeness that he shares not with the barbarian. For a lower budget movie, this film does good in terms of setting and the fights are most of the time believable. Zor, the villain, has with is prisoner throughout the film one of the most interesting psychological confrontation that gives tension to the movie, even if Ator seems way too fit for the task to loose. What gives this movie that little extra are those scenes that may look quirky, but worth of mention. The fight with the serpent god, even though he is a gigantic puppet, is well handled as the snake, with good lightnings, remains a silhouette and the fight is quite convincing. The movie climaxes in a most unusual way, quite anachronic, but breathtaking : the deltaplane sequence. The scene itself is not introduced properly, read not at all, where did Ator get that machine, it's pretty unconvincing, but it leads to a really poetic and beautiful midair sequence, that standalone, is the culminating point in the movie, elevating Ator in a place where few human fantasy heroes have been. If Blade Master is not among the great fantastic movies of all time is no surprise due to its lacks, it's a bigger surprise, considering the philosophical way it chooses on the confrontation between good and evil, the truth it speaks and the heart it shows, that this movie is so unwlecomed. I suggest it for every fan of the genre and try take it seriously as an intelligent movie that's to be taken more seriously than it seems.$LABEL$ 1 +Loved it! This has to be the best horror flick of the 90's. Iwas at the edge of my seat. I jumped a couple times. Wonderfulacting. It is totally horror but it was funny when it was meantto be.$LABEL$ 1 +this is the most overrated show on television. i believe people continue to watch it because they feel they should, because it has become somewhat of a "cool" show to watch and talk to your friends about the next day at work or school. rarely does it actually elicit anything more than a chuckle and never provokes any sense of irony or thought from the audience. every joke is interchangeable with "punchlines" that seem to be drawn out of a hat. the complete lack of originality combined with the even somehow lamer spin off it has spawned (see: American Dad) makes me question the intelliegence of an audience that continues to keep this horrid show on TV. i award family guy no points and may god have mercy on its soul...$LABEL$ 0 +I watched Sleeper Cell with a bit of trepidation worrying over whether the terrorists would be glorified. This mesmerizing series not only handled the subject matter responsibly, it created depth and substance to almost every character. Oded Fehr just gobbles up the screen in every scene he's in—and even though his character is the charismatic leader of a jihad terrorist cell, he still has hypnotic appeal. Michael Ealy held his own well, though in some scenes I wondered why he wasn't shot on the spot because of the scowl he wore on his face.The pros of the series are the two leads, Fehr and Ealy, the well written characters--all of which were believable and tragic, and the disconcerting issues addressed in the story. Having been married to a Muslim myself, the atmosphere created was quite realistic. The cons, for me personally, were that the female T&A was overkill—most seemed gratuitous, as well as some of the sex scenes. Despite that, it is a raw gripping series that will make you think. Somebody give Fehr more juicy roles like this one and let him run with it. He's got incredible screen presence and a strange kind of innate power emanating off him.$LABEL$ 1 +I am shocked. Shocked and dismayed that the 428 of you IMDB users who voted before me have not given this film a rating of higher than 7. 7?!?? - that's a C!. If I could give FOBH a 20, I'd gladly do it. This film ranks high atop the pantheon of modern comedy, alongside Half Baked and Mallrats, as one of the most hilarious films of all time. If you know _anything_ about rap music - YOU MUST SEE THIS!! If you know nothing about rap music - learn something!, and then see this! Comparisons to 'Spinal Tap' fail to appreciate the inspired genius of this unique film. If you liked Bob Roberts, you'll love this. Watch it and vote it a 10!$LABEL$ 1 +Despite some occasionally original touches, like the "virtual sets" that provide the background for the Victorian interiors featuring Ada Lovelace and her circle, this film falls short and ultimately disappoints. Newcomer Francesca Faridany seems talented, but is wasted as Emmy, a character who by mid-film is reduced to nothing more than staring at a monitor watching Lady Ada narrate an autobiography. 'Conceiving Ada' takes off briefly when Lady Ada (Tilda Swinton) appears; the camera lingers on her facial expressions, mannerisms, even making her appear to be translucent or momentarily invisible, apporting into scenes to dramatize Emmy's "virtual" rendering of her.A straightforward biopic of Ada Lovelace would have been worthwhile, but this film unfortunately makes a hash of both Lady Ada's life, and that of a modern-day computer scientist (and her broadly-drawn, doltish boyfriend).$LABEL$ 0 +if i had watched this movie when i hit rock bottom i probably would have sunk into the deepest depression of my life, and may have been nearly desperate enough to try it, the only thing is in the real world, when you rob millions of dollars from unsuspecting individuals, everything doesn't come up roses (unless you are an investment banker or government affiliated) so how does that matter? i had been rejected from school after school, and it stings, so it is a brilliant topic for a movie, and when you give yourself over to the imaginary to let yourself watch this movie without applying real world ramifications, it can truly touch someone in that situation, and let them know they are not alone. overdone soliloquy completely tears apart the established educational system as we know it. really, all i can say is that as i am in college now, looking back on where i was, and watching this movie, i can truly appreciate it in a way i never would have been able to otherwise. it is juvenile and contrite yes, but it is an emotional and uplifting fantasy about freedom, and i cant think of a better way to end my night.$LABEL$ 1 +No matter how well meaning his "message" is - this film is a terribly made trainwreck - awful acting, lame camera work - I do not know why Carr agreed to try and pull off a stutter - he is lousy at it. You watch the extras on the DVD and the way he has a camera follow him around - he just soaks it up - he loves being the center of attention. He is a bad actor - he reminds me of another arrogant filmmaker - Eric Schaffer. Some how Carr has had this film shown at city Youth Centers and New Age churches - where damaged people looking for reinforcement and attention themselves babble on about how the film touched them and maybe it did - but as a film itself it is choppy, predictable and sappy.$LABEL$ 0 +''Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'' is the same type of animation and from the same creators of ''Chicken run'', but the story now is other: Wallace, a inventor who loves cheese and his smart dog Gromit who is always helping Wallace in his problems,are trying to keep the rabbits away from everybody's vegetables,since there is in their town, an annual Giant Vegetable Competition. But when Wallace tries an invention he did, to make the rabbits avoids vegetable, the one who is going to be cursed is him. Before watching this movie I didn't knew that these two characters already existed and were famous.I loved Gromit, and I think he is one of the coolest dogs I already saw.aka "Wallace & Gromit-A Batalha dos Vegetais" - Brazil$LABEL$ 1 +The voyage here is a search for God, the big guy in the sky, the big cheese with a beard. Cunningly disguised as the thirst for ultimate knowledge. Taking over from Leonard Nimoy in the directing chair is The Shat himself, Captain Tiberius William Shatner Kirk. In an attempt at blending the fun corny aspects of the series with sci-fi histrionics {Klingon dialogue consultant, really?}, Shatner and his co-writers have only achieved what is almost an embarrassing parody of a parody. Where's the danger,? where's the brothers in arms spirit,? in fact where is our badly underwritten crew?. Star Trek humour is a wonderful thing, when it's in the right places and done with a straight lace so befitting what has come before The Final Frontier. Some light moments exist, but they do not compensate for the lack of serious moments. While do we really need another Spock revelation,? really?.Some nice sets and little knowingly Trek moments aside, The Final Frontier is just a bad movie experience. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Louis Khan was one of the most influential architects of our time, and this film speaks volumes about how little everyone really knew. His son's desire to find out who, and more importantly what he was is moving, and emotional.This film captures the spirit of what architecture is really about, what good design is, and the emotional price that is paid for it. Equally haunting is the sound track. If you see the film, and then listen to the sound track you can revisit the film simply by listening. As a practicing architect of over 30 years, my heart ached and rejoiced over the film and its very straight forward, albeit emotional honesty and sincerity.I had the honor of seeing this film previewed in Chicago at the National Convention of the American Institute of Architects. The film was introduced by Daniel, and he was kind enough to do a question and answer session afterward. During the entire presentation of the film, not a sound, not a cough, not one distraction took place. The entire audience sat mesmerized, and the real treat, was Daniel's mother was present during the showing of the film.I will always remember the film, and play it over constantly in my mind every time I listen to the soundtrack...$LABEL$ 1 +If I rate the film maybe a bit high, you can blame it on sentiment. This is one of the first movies that I remember seeing and totally loving. I saw it at the drive-ins here in California in the late 70s. I was already a big fan of "The Muppet Show" on TV so I was primed for the movie, and the movie did not disappoint. Basically it takes the whole absurdist ethos of the Muppet show and transports it from vaudeville into a road movie. Kermit the Frog is on a quest to become famous; not because he wants to take champagne baths and ride in a private jet, but because he wants to "make millions of people happy." Of course.Along the way he picks up all his beloved muppet friends, most endearingly Fonzie Bear who he meets at a seedy bar doing stand-up. They sing "Movin' Right Along", a song that has always charmed me with its upbeat melody and its theme of friendship and shared discovery. He also encounters enough Hollywood movie stars to fill a Stanley Kramer movie, including comedy luminaries like Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, and Mel Brooks. Brooks in particular has a rather dull bit, and you are left feeling that Henson could have cut a few of these cameos out if he wasn't afraid of offending the stars. Anyway, as befits a road trip movie like this the very first person he meets is Dom DeLuise.The ending is one of the more odd examples of literally breaking down the 4th wall that you will find in any "children's" movie. The Hollywood dream seems to be crumbling all about them, when a real rainbow pierces the Hollywood set with its authentic joy and mystery. I'm sure this was meant to relate to some of Jim Henson's own personal or spiritual experiences.This is the best movie with Muppets by a long shot. If you or anyone else was wondering why the Muppets were so popular back in the 70s, considering how poor the movies have been for the last few decades, I think this film has at least aged well enough to provide a clue.$LABEL$ 1 +All of David Prior's movies are terrible on all counts: bad writing, bad acting, bad cinematography, no budget (the director's brother is usually cast as the male lead). But they all have incredible entertainment value because of their unintentional hilarity. The plot of almost every David Prior "film" (as I like to refer to them) is basically the same. Manly all-American commandos team up to blow up Communist baddies. But unlike other Cold War-era garbage such as Red Dawn, Prior's movies are actually funny because of their over-the-top premises and acting. The best part of Jungle Assault is the scene in which Becker (or was is the other dude?) is being summoned by General Mitchell for a top-secret mission in South America. The funniest line in the movie is then delivered, something to the effect of "this is my roommate, I trained him well". WHAT. You trained your roommate? And apparently this is going to be their solution to avoiding eviction.If you can find these gems on video used anywhere, BUY THEM. They are all funny and even funnier after a few beers. Watch them with a group of your friends for a true MST3K-style experience. So far my friends and I have managed to get a hold of Night Wars and Aerobicide aka "Killer Workout". But the one I recommend the most over them all is Final Sanction, with the freakish-looking Robert Z'dar.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow! An amazing, lost piece of Australiana AND a lost 70s glam-rock film rolled into one. This film warrants viewing simply to see what can be done with next to no budget but a lot of enthusiasm. As a retelling of the Oz story, the film borders on becoming too obvious but it is saved by it's eccentricities. The chance for a glimpse at how glam rock manifested in Australia will delight fans of the genre. This film used to be double featured with the Rocky Horror Picture Show, an indicator of the type of film that Oz is. While not as frivolous or well constructed as RHPS it's hard not to have fun with Oz.Surprisingly, Oz has aged well- perhaps a by-product of how determinedly set in the real Australia of 1976 it is. The passage of history shows that many of the ideas being explored would eventually enter the mainstream. The willingness of the film to give prominence to gay characters is notable, especially as it dates to the 'revolution' period for the Australian gay rights push.The performances range from flinchingly amateur to finely nuanced brilliance. The direction is lacking in subtlety and much of the dialogue may have benefited from an extra draft or two. Somehow, these flaws add to the appeal of the film which is mercifully unpretentious. Much like Australia in the 1970s this film has a certain naive charm.There are several connections to the original Australian stagings of the Rocky Horror Show which will keep obsessives on their toes.Oz is most certainly a minor classic and a potential cult favourite worthy of review. Laugh at the atrocious 70s fashion, swing along with the AusRock soundtrack, leave ANY expectations at the door and Oz is likely to delight.$LABEL$ 1 +What a great movie!! It's a touching story about four high-school friends who grow up in the 1960s. Throughout the decade, the friends are somewhat separated, but they mnnage to see each other occasionally. There are many tragedies, but there are also a lot of happy moments that make you laugh and smile. It's a heart-filled tale of life, love and friendship. Definitely a must see for drama fans.$LABEL$ 1 +If I hadn't been forced to watch this for work reasons I never would have made it past the first 10 minutes. And even then I admit I fast forwarded through parts. The '63 film version was vastly superior in all regards. Yes, I've read this one is more faithful to the original play, but what a wise thing it was for the writer to change the script in '63! It's overlong, it drags, the songs that are in this version and not in the film version are boring and unimaginative. The version of "Kids" in the '63 version was very funny and a true classic of sarcastic parent humor. In this version the Kim is way too old, the Conrad is *absolutely horrible* to behold (when someone ripped his shirt off him I shuttered in disgust...the director of this version has no idea what sexy is.). This Conrad can't dance, can't sing (he can't even stay in tune) and is simply repulsive. If Elvis Presley had really been like that his career would have been over before it began. As for the other actors, well I kept waiting for Alexander's toupee to fall off as he danced and Daly was totally over acting as Momma. See Stapleton's performance in the film version to see the same role properly executed by someone who understands comic timing. This TV version is nothing but a total waste of anyone's time.$LABEL$ 0 +Strangeland (1998) D: John Pieplow. Kevin Gage, Elizabeth Pena, Brett Harrelson, Robert Englund, Tucker Smallwood, Amy Smart, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Amal Rhoe. Disturbing scenes of torture `highlight' this dark, disgusting movie about a sadistic psychopath who lures teens into his torture chamber via the Internet. Snider (from ex-80s rock band Twisted Sister) plays the putrid psychopath, who is a grimy `twist' (no pun intended) on Hannibal Lecter. Pena is wasted as one of the victims' mothers. Harrelson (brother of Woody) delivers one of the worst cop performances I have ever seen in a movie, and Rhoe proves why this is her only screen credit with an equally pathetic performance. The heavy metal soundtrack is ultimately numbing, the torture scenes very graphic and gross, and the ending just sucks. RATING: 3 out of 10. Rated R for graphic violence and torture, strong language, and sexual situations.$LABEL$ 0 +As long as you go into this movie with the understanding that it's not going to contain any historical fact whatsoever, it's not bad.It's on par with Sam Raimi's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", as far as plot, acting, humour, and production values are concerned. You'll see the similarities at several points. Most of the fight scenes are not as good however and the film suffers from that.Jack Palance commands the screen as well as ever, and at no time do you have the impression he's giving anything less than his level best. Same for Oliver Reed. The problem is that their strong performances make square-jawed Don Diamont's less-than-stellar acting skills seem even more awkward. Perennial bit player Cas Anvar was very good as well, playing a character much like Salmonius in the aforementioned Hercules.If you enjoyed the low budget swords-and-sorcery movies of the early 80s, you're probably going to enjoy this show as well. It's actually a shame they attached the Marco Polo name to it. It really has nothing to do with Marco's life, contrary to the expectations of most of the people who will want to watch this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I had a bad feeling when I saw the cheap title work. It only took a couple of scenes to confirm that this movie is a real stinker! The only enjoyment I got out of this was to laugh at the technical flaws (example - the background "car sounds" audio just disappears during the scene with Danny and Dog in Dog's car). Production shows a total lack of imagination (example - slow motion machine gun fire repeats many times). Sandra Bullock plays essentially a bit part, completely unnecessary to the plot. To say that this movie actually HAS a plot is doing more justice to the writing than it deserves. The antique computer hardware is kind of interesting. This film was released in 1982 (not 1987 as the IMDb database indicates) and then current "high tech" was an amber screen on a 4.8 MHz IBM PC with floppy drives. Maybe the PC was the real star of the movie... at least it was interesting.We got this on DVD for a couple of bucks in the bargain bin at WalMart. As the other reviewer notes, we paid too much!$LABEL$ 0 +Seriously, I can easily stomach a lot of on screen blood, gore and repulsiveness, but what really makes this film disturbing & uncomfortable to watch is how the doctor character keeps on rambling about the physical damage done to raped women. He, John Cassavetes of "Rosemary's Baby", talks about ruptured uterus, dry intercourse and massive loads of reddish (?) sperm like they are the most common little ailments in the world of medicine. That being said, "Incubus" is an ultimately STRANGE horror effort. It isn't necessarily awful – although it isn't very good, neither – but just plain weird. The muddled & incoherent script initially revolves on the hunt for a rapist-killer of flesh and blood (even though the title clearly suggests the involvement of a supernatural creature) and it never seems to stop introducing new characters. None of these characters, especially not the main ones, come across as sympathetic and for some never-explained reason they all seem to keep dark secrets. The aforementioned doctor has an odd interpretation of daughter-love and continuously behaves like he's a suspect himself, the town's sheriff (John Ireland) appears to be in a constant state of drunkenness and doesn't even seem to care about who keeps raping & killing the women in his district, the female reporter is even too weird for words and the Galens (an old witch and her grandson) are just plain spooky. All together they desperately try to solve the mystery of whom or what exactly is destroying the towns' women reproducing organs. The sequences building up towards the rapes & murders are admirably atmospheric and the vile acts themselves are bloody and unsettling. Basically these are very positive factors in a horror film, but the narrative structure is too incoherent and the characters are too unsympathetic for "Incubus" to be a really good film. Also, there are quite a few tedious parts to struggle yourself through (like footage of a Bruce Dickinson concert!) and the usually very reliable John Hough's direction is nearly unnoticeable. The final shot is effectively nightmarish, though. For me personally, "Incubus" was a bit of a disappointment, but there are still several enough reasons to recommend this odd piece of early 80's horror to open-minded genre fanatics.$LABEL$ 0 +A movie theater with a bad history of past gruesome murders reopens. Of course, the bloody killings start anew. Written, directed, shot, scored and edited with an appalling lack of flair and finesse by the singularly talentless Rick Sloane (who later disgraced celluloid some more with the absolutely atrocious "Hobgoblins"), this horrendously ham-fisted attempt at a slasher spoof strikes out something rotten in every conceivable way: the excruciatingly lethargic pacing, the painfully static, grainy cinematography (there's a stinky surplus of drab master shots featured throughout), an annoyingly droning and redundant hum'n'shiver synthesizer score, the flat (non)direction, a tediously talky and uneventful script, the groan-inducing sophomoric sense of lowbrow humor, the bloodless murder set pieces, a pitifully unscary killer (he's just some wrinkled-up old guy in pasty make-up), the uniformly obnoxious and unappealing characters, a dissatisfyingly abrupt ending, and lifeless performances from a noticeably uninspired cast all ensure that watching this schlocky swill is about as fun and rewarding as eating rancid raw eels drenched with sour vinegar. This crud totally lacks the necessary crude charm and sleazy vigor required to be enjoyable junk. Instead it's just a bland, plodding and meandering stiff that never catches fire or becomes even remotely amusing in a so-shoddy-it's-smoking sort of way. Only a smidgen of nudity and the delightful presence of the always dependable Mary Woronov as a snarky, sardonic secretary provide a little relief from the overall crumminess of this lousy loser.$LABEL$ 0 +The first time I saw this film, I wanted to like it for so many reasons, but I simply did not. It just seemed a little dull. But there was a tiny question I had about something I saw near the beginning of the film so I watched it again… and then finally it clicked for me. I first watched the movie knowing the "surprise ending", and while I definitely wouldn't recommend having the ending spoiled for you, I have still thoroughly enjoyed the bulk of the film and discovering the many seemingly insignificant events that all unravel to point to a very sinister scheme.I don't think that everyone will love this movie, or even like it. If you like any of the actors, you'll like this movie because the acting is fairly strong and they all get a lot of screen time. If you like mysteries (namely Hitchcock) you'll like this movie. If you like independent or psychological films, you'll like this movie. It really worked for me on all of those levels. If you don't like the actors, mysterious plots or psychological elements, you might not like this movie. But that's your loss. Personally, the only thing that irked me a little was the accents. Good try, Alan Rickman, on the American dialect, but it wasn't much improvement from the scene in Die Hard. (The wonderful voice makes up for the weird accent though.) The medley of accents in the movie was a little odd, but it was not so distracting that it became difficult or particularly irritating. Also, the camera change from scene to scene was evident and might bother some people, but I actually think it added to the scenes (or scene… I can really only recall one scene where the change was severely different, but it worked).When you see this movie, see it at least twice. The second time you see it, I hope you realize how intricate the plot really is. Every time I watch this movie (it's under an hour and a half so multiple viewings are not difficult) I seem to notice something else about it and find myself wondering, "Why did that just happen?" or "Was that intentional?" I like movies that make me think. This one does. So just see it. Twice.$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched some pretty poor films in the past, but what the hell were they thinking of when they made this movie. Had the production crew turned into zombies when they came up with the idea of making it, because you sure have to be brain dead to find any enjoyment in it.I am a fan of most genres and enjoy "shoot 'em up" games, but merging the daft scenes from the game just made this ridiculous and unwatchable.As most have already said, there was hardly any script and the acting was weak. I won't waste my time describing it.Anyone who rates this film above 4 has to be part of the production company or Sega, or else they have a very warped concept of entertainment.I must say, I was more annoyed with the video shop, who gave this a thumbs up, which led me to rent it. Thank god I had a second film to watch to restore some of my faith in movies.Comic book guy would be right if he said "Worst movie ever"!$LABEL$ 0 +The fact that a film is on DVD doesn't guarantee that its quality is very good. The fact that a film's quality is threadbare doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it. This review actually applies to 2 films paired on a single DVD.The plots of these films are of little consequence. They are of interest only to people who collect Holmes films … anybody who merely wants a few of the better offerings would do well to purchase some of those made by Jeremy Brett … or, in a pinch, Basil Rathbone. There are a few other very good Holmes films featuring good actors on a one-shot basis – such as "Seven Per Cent Solution" or "Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". In any event, these films are considerably less estimable.Here we have a pair of films featuring some of the best actors to do Holmes, even if the results tend toward disappointing. This appears to be the only disc with these films on it (although "Deadly Necklace") appears by itself in the same version on other discs."(Sherlock Holmes and) the Deadly Necklace" dates from 1962, although it neither looks it nor sounds it. Some who have seen this may be surprised to learn that it was produce by Hammer Studios. Not that Hammer hasn't turned out some really schlock stuff, but where Christopher Lee was concerned, they usually did a better job. The print a direct transfer from a rather worn 1:1.33 copy in black-and white. The quality of the color suggests the original may have been in color, and the snipped ends of the film's aspect suggest it may originally have been 1:1.66 or more.The film is set in the early 20th Century – not improbable, since Holmes was still working then (and didn't actually die until 1957). However, the script is not adapted from any actual Doyle story. It involves an Egyptian necklace, and Professor Moriarty shows up as a world-famous archaeologist as well as the Prince of Crime. The plot is melodramatic and banal.The biggest defect of this film is that – for whatever unfathomable reason – Hammer filmed it in Germany. It was nonetheless filmed in English. It was then dubbed in German and then re-dubbed in English. So what you hear isn't Lee nor any of the other original actors, but a bunch of unknowns – not that, outside of Lee, I doubt anyone would know any of the other actors. This is too bad, since Lee (see his "Hound of the Baskervilles") makes a quite decent Holmes. As it is, his voice double is condescending and plain as bread pudding with no raisins nor cinnamon.The music for this film is primarily jazzy, in a possible attempt to be "period". Too bad nobody thought of ragtime. As it is, the music doesn't relate to what's happening on the screen, and often is at odds with the action.The other film is "(Sherlock Holmes and) the Speckled Band" from 1931, starring a young Raymond Massey. The quality of the picture and sound is fully up to that of the 1962 effort, and in fact a bit better. Massey makes a quite respectable Holmes, although he certainly doesn't own the rôle in the way Rathbone did and Brett does. The other thespians who take part in this production are unlikely to be of interest to modern readers. The acting – as is true of many films of this period – owes a lot to the post-Victorian stage and to silent films.It should be noted that, while "The Deadly Necklace" is available on DVD by itself, "The Speckled Band" is available only with the former film.There is very little else to be said of this film. The settings seem to be an odd combination of the 1890s (horse-drawn carriages) and the 1920s (electronic devices such as a primitive dictaphone). Taken altogether, it's an interesting curio and a sufficient inducement to buy the DVD with the pairing rather than a DVD with "Deadly Necklace" only.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but I was looking forward to this. I was intrigued by the pre-hype descriptions of the Enterprise, its cramped-submarine styling and rough-edged technology compared to the Treks we are used to.I didn't see anything all that interesting in this pilot. I found the plot to be convoluted and confusing.I will admit that I did like some of the character development - the depictions of the humans as an 'adolescent' species ready to outgrow their britches was entertaining.And that Vulcan babe had one hell of an incredible rack.But I don't think I'm going to get hooked on this series.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I loved the gorgeous Greek scenery but the story, which is not something you can follow anyway, was even harder to follow in the movie. I cannot imagine how anyone watching the movie can get any kind of grip on it if they have not read the book, and then, like me, they would probably wonder why Australian Allison turned into French Anne, and many other seemingly pointless changes in the story. The mysteries in the book seemed to be chopped up or left out in the movie. I saw it when it first came out and had the same problems with it then, since I had read the book several times. I recently watched it with my granddaughter (very intelligent at 20 and usually into movies I like) who was mostly amazed at how young Michael Caine and Candace Bergen were in it, but otherwise could not imagine why one would watch it except for the scenery.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember this game. It was always sitting on the shelves alone, until one day I decided to try something new for a change, and got this game. I stared in awe at it, since it was the first ever game for the PS1 that I owned that had 4 discs. When I played it, I couldn't put the controller down, seriously.The storyline of this game is so good and twisted, it's almost as good as the Final Fantasy VII Storyline, and that is hard to accomplish. When you play the game, you get so involved with the characters it's unbelievable that it's only a PS1 game, as It feels like a movie. And I believe it should be made into a movie.Too bad this game is a very unheard of game and barely no one has played or liked it, as it is one of those games that is sitting on the ends of the shelves, with a 50% off sign sitting on it, trying to sell. Well I am one of those people who always look at those on the ends, and try them out and most of them turn out to be really good. Heck, that is how I got into final Fantasy VII, looking in a catalog, and finding it. But this is different than Final Fantasy.Legend of Dragoon, is the only game or RPG that is better than most Square Enix games, surprisingly. I wouldn't be surprised if it was made by Square Enix but it's not. Hardly any games I play are better than the Final Fantasy series, or the Dragon Quest series, but this one is. But what really bugs me is why it is very little known and is not praised, which it should be.Graphics are pretty good for a PS1 game, but what can you expect from it? It's PS1 man, made in 1999. Story I have already mentioned is amazing, almost beats VII. Characters are a amazing, you get involved so much with them, and their actions.A definite 10 out of 10. Definitely deserved more praise, and a very well done RPG by a company other than Square Enix.$LABEL$ 1 +OK i own this DVD i got it new at amazon... i mean i think its badass and a pretty cool flick and melissa bale the slutty/bitchy girl they pick up is hot as hell ..., the acting sucks and the whole polt just sucks the clown is some huge guy wearing a mask and its disgusting but its OK i wouldn't recommend it if like u wanted to rent a good entertaining flick after a hard days work but if u have nothing else to do and ur obbsessed with this stupid movies like i am, watch it sometime, and i do not know how artisan DVD has S.I.C.K. in its DVD collection , s.i.c.k. is not good enough to be owned by a half way decent movie company OK well thats all$LABEL$ 0 +A splendid example of how Hollywood could (and still can) take a masterpiece of literary fiction and stupidly foul it up.In the case of "the Big Sky," writer Dudley Nichols and company arrogantly assumed they could improve upon a classic pioneer novel by the Pulitzer prize-winning author, A.B. Guthrie. In so doing, they removed the soul of the story and any edge and impact it may have had as a film adaptation.The epic nature of Guthrie's book and the evolution of its main character, Boone Caudill, from a naive, Kentucky lad into a hardened and competent survivor/mountain man, has been replaced with a downscaled riverboat farce that bears little resemblance to the author's intent. In the movie version, Boone's presence is nothing except underwhelming.Intriguing and even shocking plot elements that give Guthrie's novel impact and excitement have been removed for no apparent reason whatsoever. Most puzzling of all is the emphasis placed upon the Zeb Calloway character, who was an incidental, minor character in the book, only occupying a handful of pages. On the other hand, a very important and fascinating character, Dick Summers, the veteran pioneer, is missing altogether!!! It is also apparent that director Hawks decided the Zeb character in the movie, played by actor Hunnicutt, wasn't irritating enough. So Zeb/Hunnicutt was given a significant amount of time doing that obnoxious, voice-over narration that is the Hollywood short cut for incompetent screen writing, editing, and direction.Some movies have actually improved upon the books upon which they were based (William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" is an excellent example). But this is horrible and depressing not only as an adaptation of a novel but as a film unto itself.The story is dull and clichéd, and the characters - at least the ones that have not been edited out of the script - are just shallow and boring shadows of Guthrie's literary vision. And unfortunately, Kirk Douglas' star appeal, which could have helped lift this film, was scuttled by the milktoast role he was given.If you can believe it, the film version of Guthrie's Pulitzer prize-winning sequel, "The Way West," also starring Kirk, is even worse.In my opinion, "The Big Sky" further solidifies Howard Hawks' place as one of the most overrated, tepid directors in the history of cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +Attack Force has a horrendous title, and can almost certainly be judged by it's awful cover, because the film is horrible! A mish-mash of plot lines, a choppy mess, and a horribly stagnated pace, make the film hard to watch start to finish. I managed this and I'm proud. As a fan of Seagal's work (mostly of his old days), it's painful to see him star in such tripe. True Seagal's last half dozen movies or so, have sucked a lot, but some of them at least had some redeeming features. Attack Force is a mess. From conception to delivery this film has undergone many changes, from an alien plot line, to the current one about a highly addictive super drug, about to be unleashed on the Romanian (the film has several settings, none of which are Romanian, but all look like Romania because they are in Romania!) populace. The film is tacked together with little regard for whatever state the original shooting script was. Plot-holes and loose ends are abound in the film that's for sure. That's been a problem in Seagal's last few films as well, but never has the result been so boring. There's a whole plot line about the water supply being poisoned with CTX (that's the drugs cool name) that is never resolved! Of course in recent years the plot's haven't been the main draw in the Seagal canon so there was a big onus on the other departments, especially the action. Before I regard the action though, all the other departments are poor. The direction is poor, or perhaps better put, made to look poor. Who knows how director Michael Keusch originally intended this film? Between him finishing his job, the re-shoots by stunt man Tom Delmar, and the editing, a coherent auteur vision is completely lost. The best way to describe the film is that it's just all over the shop! The cinematography is dull, nearly inducing sleep, while the droning score (sounding like it was produced on the cheapest of cheap synthesizers) does nothing to excite matters. The cast too are poor, unable to salvage anything here. Seagal looks bored beyond recognition, and is dubbed through much of the picture, clearly when plot-points are being changed. He looks tired and overweight, and lethargic, unlike he's looked in previous pictures too (remarkable as the aforementioned have been key complaints in Seagal's recent pictures). The only redeemable cast member is Adam Croasdell as one of the villains, doing a slimy Brit routine. He seems to be a throwback to the alien plot line, because he's playing it inhuman. He seems like a cross between a body snatcher and a vampire (ditto to the lead villain played by some hot chick who appears on occasion, seemingly waiting for her husband… Dracula).Finally the action. Well it's poor. Poorly conceived, poorly shot. There's not much either, and there's even less featuring Seagal. Stevo doesn't really bring out the stunt double here, because there's so little to do. There's even a lengthy (repetitive and boring) action scene on the hour mark that inter-cuts occasionally with little flashes of Seagal's stand in because clearly Seagal wasn't there while the scene was being shot, and they wanted to have him feature in the action scene. Seagal eventually appears in person to shoot two guys in the head. Seagal has a producers credit here and a script credit, but from what I understand the film has been altered behind his back to the current state it's in. Seagal will apparently not be working with these people again, or with Castel Studio's who continue to deliver horrifically sub-Nu-Image (that's saying something), material.Overall this is one to avoid if you are not a Seagal fan. Seagal fans can also be safe in the knowledge that the big man probably won't want to do anything this bad again. Unfortunately his next film which has already been shot, with the same people, promises to be even worse than this. *$LABEL$ 0 +"The Secretary" is one of those cheesy, cliched, "thrillers" that one is subjected to watching on a Sunday afternoon, when there is virtually nothing else on. While the plot (a demented woman becomes jealous of all who succeed over her in the office and decides to do whatever she can to stop them) may be one of a kind, I recognized countless plot twists, probably taken from other TV movies that I had been subjected to for the very same reason.To make matters worse, I was not wild about the cast. Mel Harris is one of those actresses who appears in so many TV movies as either a "mom" or some sort of "victim" of foul play or abuse, that one must wonder the kind of life she leads. In this one, she gets the joy of playing a mom AND a victim of psycho secretary Sheila Kelly, who was not a very good choice as the villain. While Sheila Kelly has made some good career moves(Singles, Breaking In, and I guess, Law and Order), she is also beset by a string of pitiful TV movie roles, and this one just adds to it. As for the others, I don't have any clear memories of them, so that must say something.This one WILL play on the Lifetime network(I think that's where I saw it), but don't bother watching it, unless you are too bored for words. Not that it will make you any more excitied...$LABEL$ 0 +I've watched a lot of television in my 51 years, but I've never had so much fun week after week, as I had watching Oz. The acting by the entire cast was excellent. The writing was just perfect, with every character remaining consistent throughout the six year run. I also enjoyed the mayhem and the ultra-violence. It may sound odd, but it was at times, comical finding out how one of the characters would eventually end up dead. I particularly enjoyed the true romance and love between Beecher and Keller. Those two men really knew how to throw down, in every way possible. I truly hope that HBO will continue to show us re-runs of this great show FOREVER! I've watched every episode at least 4 times yet I still look forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights at 11 p.m. for an episode of this fun and very entertaining show.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't understand how this garbage got on the shelves of the movie store, it's not even a real movie! It was unbelievable, me and a group of friends decided to watch this one night and it was just the stupidest thing any of us had ever seen, I couldn't believe it! We watched the first 15 minutes in utter awe that somebody actually thought of this and then made it into a movie. Are they on crack? My guess is yes, in huge doses. I highly doubt that anyone could ever like this trash. Is this supposed to be sci-fi or comedy or what? I don't thing the idiots who made this even care, they just decided to make a movie about nothing and see how many suckers they could trick into watching it. Well, we put something on film so let's take it to the movie store and see if they actually put it on the shelf--no, no, no. This is not movie-making. The acting is like watching wooden puppets moving around and reading from a book, that's how bad it is. I feel like going to the movie store and complaining and getting my money back, nobody should have to endure this crap. So I am here to warn you--DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE, it is the dumbest thing you have never seen!$LABEL$ 0 +First of all this was not a three hour movie - Two hours, ten minutes... last time i checked commercials aren't actually part of a movie! Perhaps, though, it should've been a two parter for a total of about 3 hours? Yeah, would have gotten more in, been able to explore some more emotion. Overall, though, it was an interesting look into the lives of Lucy and Desi. I watch I Love Lucy from time to time and love it but never have I read or seen a biography, never knew anything about their lives off the screen. Because of this movie I do now but I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Everything here no one really needed to know. This was essentially a movie that didn't need to be made. But it was made and the reason is because Lucy & Desi are still such huge stars and certain people in American society feel that the rest of society needs to know ALL about our tv and movie stars. That is definitely so not true and very, very sad.Anyway, what was shown here in Lucy was pretty good. Two complaints - the actress who played Viv Vance - not great casting at all. And the switch from Madeline Zima to Rachel York.... uhhh, like Lucy had plastic surgery and all of a sudden she's a whole new person!? That wasn't too great. But the story went on and focused on the rocky relationship between Lucy & Desi. No, the kids were not shown very much at all and that wasn't necessarily a drawback to this movie because like I said, this focused mainly just on Lucy & Desi. Had there been more time, had the story been more about Lucy's entire life, then maybe the kids woulda been there more. But they weren't so we got to see the likes of Gable & Lombard, Red Skelton and Buster Keaton very briefly instead. Wow, that was one thing about this story that I thought was really cool: his presence and influence in Lucy's life. Really neat and it's too bad that wasn't explored more. Oh well. What was explored was done well, for the most part. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever watch this again and I don't think this movie'll be that memorable. For someone who digs I Love Lucy but isn't an enormous Lucille Ball fan, this should be an interesting watch. My grade for this: B$LABEL$ 1 +The first noticeable problem about this awkwardly titled film is its casting. Ann Nelson plays the grandma here. Three years after this, she would star in "Airplane!" as the woman who hangs herself while listening to Robert Hays pine for Julie Hagerty. I could not get that image out of my head.Matt Boston is a fifteen year old with problems. He has headaches. His mother had a nervous breakdown. His grandfather had a massive heart attack. A chain smoking psychiatrist decides to find out what the devil is going on with this family. First she hypnotizes Grandma Nelson. Nelson tells a tale in flashback that fills the entire first half of the film.She and Grandpa bought an RV, cheap, and drive it around to all the tourist traps in desert California. The RV soon has a mind of its own, going off the road and such. Then, large boulders begin hurling themselves at it. The elderly couple are appropriately afraid, but stay in the vehicle in order to move the plot along.Eventually, Grandpa has a heart attack after being stranded on the RV roof when it goes for another unplanned ride.Boston's mom begins talking to some Native American mummies she has lying around the house. She fancies herself an author, and makes copious notes about the musty corpses. The psychiatrist reads the detailed notes, and uses her imagination to fill in the blanks. We see the mother semi-flip out, but her mental breakdown occurs offscreen, much like Gramps' heart attack.Finally, the patient de resistance, little Matt. Matt goes under the hypnosis gun and tells his own tale. He thinks mom is wigging out (this was made in 1977). Apparently, mom is making the astral bodies of the Native American mummies sort of fly through the air. One hits Matt like a bee hits a windshield, and Matt begins acting all crazy.The psychiatrist takes Grandma and Matt into the desert. Matt is inexplicably in a wheelchair now, and the trio confront the unseen (and unexplained) forces.Flocker has no sense of scene construction. The one pro here involves the RV stranded in a salt flat in the desert. In the distance, the couple notice some boulders rolling toward the RV. This is a pretty creepy little scene that is eventually overplayed. As the boulders begin hurling themselves toward the vehicle, the special effects become obvious.The scenes where the RV runs off the highway, then back on again, take forever. The scenes where Grandpa is trapped on the RV roof as it careens down a dirt road takes forever. Mom's conversations with the mummy take forever. Matt's out of body experiences take forever. This film takes forever.I was tempted to hit the fast forward button at least a dozen times. As scenes dragged on, it was obvious Flocker was padding. Cut the fat here, and this would have clocked in at an hour. The final "explanation," that the mummies' spirits were trying to kill those close to Matt never holds water. Did they inhabit the RV? The film maker never brings up the fact that the spirits are no good at their murderous ways, they never kill anybody!As I kept thinking of Nelson in "Airplane!," I also thought of other movies. Anything to keep me from falling asleep during this one. Boston is terrible as the kid, playing a fifteen year old as a cute ten year old who has a smart alecky line for all these adults who fall over themselves loving him.In the end, Flocker has written and directed a mess. The title is just the beginning of this exercise in making the audience feel ill at ease. This is not scary, and like the ghosts, you too can still walk...away from this tape at the video store.This is unrated, and contains some physical violence and mild profanity.$LABEL$ 0 +This has got to be the worst horror movie I have ever seen. I remember watching it years ago when it initially came out on video and for some strange reason I thought I enjoyed it. So, like an idiot, I ran out to purchase the DVD once it was released...what a tragic mistake! I won't even bother to go into the plot because it is so transparent that you can see right through it anyhow. I am a fan of Herschell Gordon Lewis so I am accustomed to cheesy gore effects and bad acting but these people take this to a whole different level. It is almost as if they are intentionally trying to make the worst movie humanly possible...if that was their goal, they suceeded. If they intended to make a film that was supposed to scare you or make you believe in any way, shape, or form that it is real then they failed...MISERABLY! Avoid this movie...read the plot synopsis and you've seen it!$LABEL$ 0 +A good picture is worth all the words. This film has the most poetic scene ever dreamed of about people with Down's syndrome. And I won't spoil it by telling you. You'll want to see it yourself.Pasqual Duquenne is an amazing actor. I did not need to understand a single word he said to understand his meaning.The film has a magic of it's own. After watching it I understood better that we put too much value on achievement and not enough on the people we love. Passion and simplicity is all we need.$LABEL$ 1 +I have just finished watching this movie, and for me.... it takes ages to finish because it is so boring.....and the storyline is extremely bad.now... where should i start....O.... the movie is called "sinking of japan" ....yeah yeah... it does show that japan is actually sinking but the action part is very bad. Compare to the movie "the day after tomorrow" i would have rate it at least 8/10.The "sinking of Japan" does not show much about the disaster that actually happening right in front of our eyes. there isn't much excitement at all...boring... all i can say...one more point... i would recommend this movie to have a better title... maybe something like "the romance of sinking of japan" because this movie does have lots of talkings (waste of time... talk nonsense) & the love story is extremely boring & have been dragging too long...honestly.. i almost get frustrated.Overall... this movie does not show enough details of the disasters e.g. many people running like hell to avoid death..love story part was extremely not touching enough for me.but hey... there is one thing we should appreciate about this movie though.... & its has got good songs!$LABEL$ 0 +I don't remember seeing another murder/mystery movie as bad as this. This movie, about a medical examiner who investigates his friend's mysterious death in a car accident, has the complete receipt for a bad movie: bad acting, boring story, lack of suspense, poor humor and no drama. I remembered seeing this movie on PAX, a TV station notable for dishing out low-budgeted and campy made-for-TV movies such as this one. TV movies, of course, do not have the edge factor or the suspense as movies from the Big Screen. But, this movie sure hit all sour tastes. The makers of this movie have missed out on an opportunity to making "Receipe for Murder" a great TV movie; the title does offer some suspense.So, if you want a good recipe, don't watch this movie. This movie alone can kill your TV appetite.Grade F$LABEL$ 0 +This is a weak sequel: it lacks the interest and light touch of the magnificent "Man Called Horse" in nearly every aspect and when compared to each other they hardly seem to be the same genre.The Return is almost a parody of the first and tries to evoke different Indian ceremonies but comes across as trying way too hard to bottle the magic of the first. In this film the tribe is lost and abandoned, having lost their homelands, modern life has encroached on paradise and they are living in abject misery and poverty. Perhaps this is the point: the first film took us to a place where we would want to be, a simpler time. This takes us to broken Indians in a miserable world and the White Man is the hero and savior which rather negates the whole idea of the film.The beauty of the first lay in the fact that the white man learnt and discovered that real civilization lies in values rather than western materialism. In the second film this is all but lacking and so we end up with a weak film.A huge disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +The hysterical Hardware Wars is finally out on DVD. HW has earned its niche among parody classics and is not only a riotous little 20 minute short but a staple in low budget film production classes, which is where a lot of the film's cult status is derived from and resides. With the DVD, not only do we get a chance to revisit the original parody (4Q2, Cinnamon-Bun Head, Ballistic Toast, et al) that Ernie F. did in 1978, but there is a lot of additional material showcasing the Fosselius wit. Antique Sideshow is a dead-on parody that is very funny but makes a statement about the confluence of ignorance and greed at the same time. The Director's Commentary is also hysterical, as is the Creature Feature which parodies taking a film out on the talk-show circuit and actually IS based on taking HW out on the talk show circuit, albeit the public access circuit. I'd love to see Ernie, Michael Wiese and crew take on some other, contemporary overblown and overbudgeted targets to parody -- like just about any film that Hollywood churns out at $100 million a pop these days -- not so much the crafty films like Spider Man or Men In Black (actually parodies themselves!) but any number of overblown, overhyped, overwrought and overpriced features.$LABEL$ 1 +This was an interesting study in societal sexuality, as well as the "dark interests" of man.While I can't say the wife was a strong character - she was the wrong choice for the part, in my opinion - she was a rich kid in search of escaping her drool life. She was a rebel in fact, and never fully matured for her husband, a lawyer (Rickman). It's obvious he married her for her money and to cover his sexual desires, which is taboo. Rickman played his part to a tee, his flirtations with the young man, and very subtle undertones of gayness. The young man was gay to the hilt! When he did Marilyn impersonation that should have told the wife everything. He was perfectly cast as well. He has hustler written all over him.I was not crazy about the ending, as I knew what was coming. Overall though, the acting from Rickman was great, Reedus was good, Walker was okay but I had misgivings. For a gay themed movie, it was average, but not blatant at least. It's worth viewing if you don't have "Truly Madly Deeply" lying around for a spin.$LABEL$ 1 +I would give this a zero if they had that rating. Fun was no fun at all. I grew tired of the movie about ten minutes into but endured to the end thinking it had to get better - it did not. The others I watched this movie with also agreed. The acting was annoying. I am tired of Jim Carey's over the top ham acting. The supporting cast was no better. While this movie was a statement of corporate greed and the plight of the worker who gets stepped on when a large company goes under, the vehicle for this would have been better served another way. I actually disliked the leading characters (Dick and Jane) so much that their antics were never funny but pathetic. I am trying to recall one scene where I or anyone I was with laughed and cannot. A worthless movie and a total waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +Apart from having the longest reign in British history (63 years), Queen Victoria also holds two other distinctions. She was, apart from our current Queen, the oldest ever British monarch, living to the age of 81. And she was also the youngest ever British (as opposed to English or Scottish) monarch, coming to the throne as a girl of eighteen. And yet whenever television or the cinema make a programme or film about her, they seem far more interested in the older Victoria than they do in the young girl; the version of Victoria with which modern audiences will probably be most familiar is Judi Dench in "Mrs Brown". "The Young Victoria" tries to redress the balance by showing us the events surrounding her accession and the early years of her reign. It has the rare distinction of being produced by a former Royal, Sarah Duchess of York, whose daughter Princess Beatrice makes a brief appearance as an extra.There are three main strands to the plot. The first concerns the intrigues of Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, a highly unpopular figure even with her own daughter, largely because of the influence of her adviser Sir John Conroy, who was widely rumoured to be her lover. (According to one unfounded rumour he, and not the late Duke of Kent, was Victoria's natural father). The second strand concerns the growing romance between Victoria and her German cousin Prince Albert, and the attempts of King Leopold of Belgium, who was uncle to both of them, to influence this romance. (Leopold's hope was to increase the prestige of the House of Saxe-Coburg, to which both he and Albert belonged). The third concerns one of the strangest episodes in British political history, the Bedchamber Crisis of 1839, when supporters of the Tory Party (which had traditionally supported a strong monarchy) rioted because the young Queen was perceived to favour the Whig Party and their leader Lord Melbourne, even though the Whigs had historically supported a quasi-republican system of government, with the monarch reduced to a figurehead.Scriptwriter Julian Fellowes is known for his Conservative views, and at times I wondered if this may have coloured his treatment of political themes, as he seems to lean to the side of the Tories, the predecessors of the modern Conservative party. Their leader Robert Peel is shown as statesmanlike and dignified, whereas Melbourne, for all his dash and charm, is shown as devious and uninterested in social reform. There may be some truth is these characterisations, but Fellowes glosses over the fact that only a few years earlier the Tories had opposed the Reform Act, which ended the corrupt electoral system of rotten boroughs, and that they had benefited from William IV's unconstitutional dismissal of a Whig administration.Lessons in dynastic and constitutional history do not always transfer well to the cinema screen, and this one contains its share of inaccuracies. Prince Albert, for example, was not injured in Edward Oxford's attempt on Victoria's life, and Melbourne (in his late fifties at the time of Victoria's accession) was not as youthful as he is portrayed here by Paul Bettany. King William IV certainly disliked the Duchess of Kent (who was his sister-in-law), but I doubt if he would have gone so far as to bawl abuse at her during a state banquet, as he is shown doing here. I also failed to understand the significance of the scene in which the Duchess and Conroy try to force Victoria to sign a "Regency Order"; the Duchess's constitutional position was made clear by the Regency Act 1830, which provided that she would become Regent if her daughter was still under eighteen at the time of her accession. No piece of paper signed by Victoria could have altered the provisions of the Act.There are also occasional infelicities. In one early scene we see Victoria and Albert playing chess while comparing themselves to pawns being moved around a chessboard, a metaphor so hackneyed that the whole scene should have come complete with a "Danger! Major cliché ahead!" warning. Yet in spite of scenes like this, I came to enjoy the film. There were some good performances, especially from Miranda Richardson as the scheming Duchess and Mark Strong as the obnoxious Conroy. It is visually very attractive, being shot in sumptuous style we have come to associate with British historical drama. Jim Broadbent gives an amusing turn as King William, although he does occasionally succumb to the temptation of going over the top. (Although not as disastrously over the top as he was in "Moulin Rouge").The main reason for the film's success, however, is the performances of Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend as the two young lovers Victoria and Albert. Blunt is probably more attractive than Victoria was in real life, but in her delightful portrayal the Queen is no longer the old lady of the popular imagination, the black-clad Widow of Windsor who was perpetually not amused, but a determined, strong-minded and loving young woman. Her love for Albert, and their happy family life together, was one of the main reasons why the monarchy succeeded in reestablishing itself in the affections of the British people. (With the exception of George III, Victoria's Hanoverian ancestors had been notoriously lacking in the matrimonial virtues). Blunt and Friend make "The Young Victoria" a touching romance and a gripping human drama as well as an exploration of a key period in British history. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a sleeper because Rod Steiger's is the only big name in the credits. Yet, all of the supporting actors fit well with his character. It was fitting that in his last film, Rod Steiger reminded us once more of his inventive power as an actor. He portrayed a grandfather's impulsiveness, stubbornness, and acceptance of the end of life in a characteristically individual and convincing performance. Because his character was close to death, the story brings us closer to the most precious things granted to us: the privilege of life, relationships with family members, and the empathy of those who care for us. His search together with his grand daughter for one of his sons provided enough suspense to keep me waiting, expecting a highly-charged climax such as the meeting of two long-separated elderly lovers who were also on the cusp of death in "Forever Young." I wondered how the meeting would be staged and how tightly my emotions would be wound by the time he and his granddaughter reached the end of his quest. I was delighted to find that the story brought more than I expected. The delightfully satisfying climax brought for me a greater appreciation of the value of the precious gifts of life, love, and family that are enjoyed today by me and by all of us.$LABEL$ 1 +Ah, Lucio Fulci, rest in peace. This infamous Italian is mostfamous for "Zombie," and the absolutely unwatchable "ThePsychic" and "Manhattan Baby." Well, add this to the unwatchablelist.The plot, as it were, concerns a nekkid woman who wears a goldmask and a G-string. She wants the power of a young dubbedstud who has a set of magic arrows and a bow. They are magicbecause they glow. Arrow boy teams up with a guy in a bad wig,and they spend most of the movie rescuing each other from flataction sequences. In the end, the nekkid chick is defeated, but notbefore taking the mask off and reminding me why I broke up withmy high school girlfriend.Fulci bathes every shot in an orange glow and fills the screen withsmoke. Nothing like a smoky orange action sequence to make youcrave Sunny Delight and a cigarette. The special effects arelaughable. In one sequence, our ambiguously gay duo areattacked by dozens of arrows that are obviously pin scratches onthe film itself. The majority of the effects budget must have beenspent on the Fulci-licious gore, which consists entirely of spurtingwounds. Hey, we can all use a good spurting wound once in awhile, but when you get into spurting wound overkill, it gets boring.I kept having to play with the brightness setting on my TV anywayjust to see what the heck was happening.There is lots of talk of fulfilling omens and prophecies, so let medo a little look into the future...if you find this movie and watch it,you will regret it. The scene on the video box (by Media) does notappear in the film in any context whatsoever. "Conquest" is a conjob. What MST3K could have done with this!This is rated (R) for strong physical violence, strong gore, femalenudity, brief male nudity, and mild sexual content.$LABEL$ 0 +The idea that anyone could of concocted such a trite, cliché, yet indeliberately comical movie is shocking. The final 20 minutes of this film are comical glory; with six men digging enough trench in 10 minutes to light the runway with gasoline for a 747, while a supposed 'major' perfectly lands the 747 in a 110mph crosswind - leading one to question the misnomer of calling this movie CRASH LANDING...Some of the dialogue was equivalent to rubbing sandpaper in my ears, while the only aspect that saved this movie for a 1 was the plethora of attractive women filling the screen a large portion of the time. Not exactly a consolidation for this pathetic excuse of a movie, but my mute button finally received a workout.View at your own risk! 2 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +What can be said of the compelling performance of Tara Fitzgerald? She is utterly believable as the injured Mrs Graham, hardened by experience, sharp and strong-willed, yet not immune to the passionate attentions of Mr Markham. Through every mischievous glance and every flare of temper, every flicker of discernment in his eyes and telling facial expression, Toby Stephens is a master of his character. He is the force of passion and hope that will restore Helen's injured spirit. Graves' Huntingdon is a perfect performance of the unreformable rogue. Yet despite all he has done, there is an undeniable human dignity in his refusal to play the hypocrite at the end; he is at least aware of his own failings and how they have brought his ruin. Helen's attempt to save his soul-- after leaving him and taking their child at a time when this was unheard of--is a triumph of hope, hope and faith in the worth of every human life and soul, however misguided, however sinful that person may be. Markham's constancy may then be seen as her reward for her faith and unyielding moral character. Though the opinionated ideas of morality so strongly presented in Tenant seem outdated by today's standards, the story is imbued with integrity, passion, and conviction which still make an impact. Tenant is far more believable than Wuthering Heights or even Jane Eyre; here is an adaptation that does the novel justice. I highly recommend viewing it!$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie a couple of days ago in a small independent cinema in Paris. It was my last evening in the French capital and the best good-bye I could have chosen. These twenty episodes made me relive the impressions I had collected in Paris in a heart-warming manner without drifting off into kitsch or sentimental schmaltz. Each episode is full of surprise, strong emotions and suggestive pictures and each short-film is directed according to the rules of a good short story. To me this kind of movie demands a lot more talent and qualities of a director and a story board writer than any epic two hours drama and all of them succeeded in their task excellently! The stories were chosen carefully with regard to their matching Arrondissement and express the respective flair perfectly. Each episode was seen from a different ankle, had a different topic, a different style and still the twenty stories result in a harmonic orchestra of films. The most outstanding advantage with the concept of an episode movie in my opinion is based in the fact that you can switch in between a large variety of feelings and moods without the danger of overload, just the other way round: the melange of sadness, melancholy, pure joy, despair, wrath, anxiety, curiosity or passion gives this movie a unique freshness and harmony. And not to forget the all over topic of love! Love between the characters, love between the characters and Paris and also the love of the directors and actors/actresses for this project. I don't want to go into the details of the episodes since there are so many, but I must highlight the range of world famous actors and actresses from all over the world and their approach to this project. Some played with their image, some broke it completely and some interpreted the stereotypes connected with their home country or the roles they had played before, so intertextuality was given all through the movie. All in all I can absolutely recommend this great collage and will be looking forward to its release on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +Ok, everybody agreed on what was the best season. The first. And killing off Boone was a bad desicion. Also killing off others was bad. Blame the directors and writers for it. Bad boys. BUT. I still think this is the best scifi series ever! Sorry guys I can't help it! I see that the quality of the series was decreasing after the first season. Still it's easy to accept Liam as the new main character, if you are over Boone. He is really... mysterious. The thing that shocked me most was when Lilli was written out of the story and how. That was something she didn't deserve! And what do we get? Some blonde chick called Renee, with absolutely no character! But these Taelons stay mysterious, and you stay wondering about theyre true plans till the end. True Suspence. The conversations between Zo'or and Da'an are sometimes brilliant.I understand that, when you jump in on an episode from the 3th,4th or 5th season, you may not understand this show. But when you watch from the beginning, you just cant break loose!The acting is great, the special FX are marvellous, the music is beautiful and the plot intriguing. Gotta see this, guys!$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I have been a fan of the show back when my PBS station started showing it back in 1981. I learned many things about the show and the people who were in or contributed to the show.This latest installment of Doctor Who made a great impression on me. The original series, aka classic series, was made fun of by the bad special effects and/or wobbly sets. Well, this is NO MORE TRUE. The special effects are awesome, but what is even better is the writing. You get a chance to learn more about our beloved Doctor and maybe a bit of a reason why he loves the planet earth so much. Without giving too much away, it is a very worthwhile series to watch. Christopher Eccelston brought a side of the Doctor that we never get to see, a bitter and angry one but yet lovable at the same time.A MUST SEE!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those movies that I've seen so many times that I can quote most of it. Some of the lines in this movie are just unbeatable. I particularly enjoy watching him stumble and fall while drunk, go out to the fancy restaurant drunk and the part with the moose.I don't know how many times I have seen this sequence but it's funny every time. From the moment Arthur gets to Susan's Dad's place to the bit with the moose, you pretty much laugh the whole time. I remember watching the out-takes regarding the bit with the moose. It went down just like I'd imagined it'd be like. They were all laughing so hard it was difficult for them to film it.The late Sir John Gielgud was a wonderful addition to this. His demeanor, his one-liners and the way he handled Arthur were all equally hilarious. It's always a funny moment when he whacks him over the head with his hat or tells him he's a spoiled little ____. I laugh every time I listen to the "I'm going to have a bath" and the lines that follow.$LABEL$ 1 +The coming attractions to "The Order" make it seem like a decent horror mystery/thriller, but what we get is a plot that has potential to be excellent all thrown together to form a pile of garbage.First off the whole movie consists of terrible dialogue and god awful special affects. The acting was also nothing to be proud of, but Keath Ledger (I think I spelled that right.) saved the movie in this category.For heaven's sake: DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE!$LABEL$ 0 +An absolutely baffling western featuring flash-forward sequences set in an insane asylum, South of Hell Mountain was one of the first films produced by the schlockmeisters at Cannon Film. Co-directed by William Sachs, who would later deliver such fan favourites as The Incredible Melting Man and Galaxina, the film tells the very dull tale of a trio of gold robbers who stumble upon a cabin occupied by two women who are hiding some secrets that aren't worth discovering. The cast (most of whom never made another film) try gamely, but are hamstrung by the screenplay, which generally makes no sense. The asylum scenes are edited in to little effect and are punctuated by ridiculous sound effects and tape loops. Ultimately, it's a lot of talk and little else.$LABEL$ 0 +Since starting to read the book this movie is based on, I'm having mixed feelings about the filmed result. I learned some time ago to see the movie adaptation of a book before I read the book, because I found that if I read the book first I was inevitably disappointed in the film. This would undoubtedly have been true here, whereas in the case of Atonement, which is probably the best filmed adaptation of a book I've ever seen, it would probably not have mattered.I'm trying to figure out what the cause is, and I suspect that I have to point my finger squarely at Michael Cunningham. Much as I respect him for The Hours (which I have not read but which I saw and was awed by) I cannot escape the feeling that he not so much adapted Susan Minton's book as he did take a few of the characters and the basic premise and write his own movie out of it.It's not that I dislike the movie. I actually love the movie, which is why, since I started reading the novel, I'm feeling disturbed about the whole thing. I feel disloyal to Ms. Minton for enjoying the movie which was so thooughly a departure from her work. Reading it, I can understand why she had such a struggle adapting it. Unlike what one reviewer of the movie said, it's not so much that some novels don't deserve to be a movie; it's more like some books just can't make the transition. Ms. Minton's novel operates on a level so personal and intimate to her central character, so internally, that it seems impossible to me to place it in a physical realm. Even though a lot of the book is memory of real events, it is memory, and so fragmented and ethereal as to be, I feel, not filmable. I think that Ms. Minton's work is a real work of literature, but cannot make the transition to film, which in no way detracts from its value.I cannot yet report that Evening, the film, does not represent Evening, the novel, in any more than the most superficial way, since I'm only halfway through, but the original would have to make a tremendous leap to resemble the film that follows at this point. I guess I'm writing this because I feel that if you're going to adapt a novel, adapt it, but don't make it something else that it's not. I'm not sure if Michael Cunningham has done anything wholly original, but from what I can see so far the things he has done are all based on someone else's work. We would not have The Hours if Virginia Woolf had not written Mrs. Dalloway, and we would not have Evening, in its distressed form, if Susan Minton had not had so much trouble doing what probably should not have been attempted in the first place. But it's too much to say that it would be better if Ms. Minton had left well enough alone, because Evening, the film, is a satisfactory and beautiful work of its own.Thus my confusion, mixed feelings, sense of disloyalty, and ultimate conclusion that, in this case, the novel cannot be the film and vice versa, and my eventual gratitude to both writers for doing what they did, so that we have both works as they are.$LABEL$ 1 +***spoilers***spoilers***spoilers***spoilersThere are bad movies and then there are movies which are so awful that they become affectionately comical in their ineptness. Such is the case with Columbia Pictures' 'The Grudge.' This cinematic atrocity began when an otherwise well intentioned American saw a Japanese made for TV film 'Ju-on' and was inspired to remake the movie in English. This began a virtual tsunami of bad decisions which circumnavigated the globe until it washed ashore in Orlando on October 21, 2004.The premise, and I use the word loosely, involves a house in Tokyo haunted by a skinny Momma ghost who looks like a cross between Margaret Cho and Alanis Morrisette, along with her ghastly sidekick a chubby, rambunctious but evil second grader. Is there anything scarier than a creepy 8 year old Japanese boy? Sure there is! Count Chocula comes to mind. With this whimsical bunch we must add a mysterious black cat who I have affectionately named Chim Chim. (Remember Speed Racer?) As you have already guessed, they were murdered in this domicile of doom and now desire to kill everyone who enters the premises. You see, as explained by a Japanese detective, when someone dies in a rage their ghost seeks revenge on everyone who steps on the property lines as defined by the county commissioner or something like that, I forget. The story begins innocently enough with acclaimed thespian Bill Pullman leaping to his death from a balcony. My guess is Bill Pullman got this job because of his kids begged him for a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Next we endure the mildly interesting saga of Nurse Yoko, 'oh no don't go in there' screams the audience, but alas she heeds not the dire warnings and is predictably snuffed out like a magic lantern. About 30 minutes into the movie we finally see its American heroine Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen. Sarah Michelle Gellar might be a competent actress but I could not help thinking of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so much so that it was distracting. It is the equivalent to having Jennifer Anniston star in a movie about the adventures of six friends in New York. Try as you may, you just can't stop thinking about the other project which made her famous. But I digress, Karen, the nurse is hired as a replacement for the original care giver who disappeared at spooks r us. She snoops around, meets the ghosts, coma lady dies, and some other stuff happens. Watching the fair haired vixen searching for clues I half expected her to find the ghost and pull its mask off to reveal it was actually old man Gower who owned the abandoned amusement park! 'I would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids and that dog of yours!' Director Takashi Shimizu, who is vying to be the Ed Wood of Asia, made two unfortunate decisions involving sound. First, he choose to use a soundtrack only when someone is about to be killed. This is an excellent devise for obliterating any suspense because the audience gets a two minute warning to prepare for another miserably predictable murder. Second, he gave the ghosts a bizarre guttural noise that sounds like a gargling gopher. After the movie, I heard several people exiting the theatre making the sound and laughing.Sarah Michelle Gellar ends up being the sole survivor. And of course we learn that the fire she set to burn down the house was extinguished in time for the obligatory next chapter. However, considering the humorous reactions of the audience, they did not want a sequel but an apology. 'The Grudge' could be easily re-edited into a comedy, perhaps then it will be appreciated for its camp value. Baring that, this will go down as the greatest cinematic thriller since 'Godzilla vs. Megalon.' I would suggest waiting until the movie comes to your local discount theatre where it can receive the public ridicule it so richly deserves.$LABEL$ 0 +Well Folks, this is another stereotypic portrayla of Gay life however, the additional downside includes poor acting, horrible script, no budget, terrible sound and let us not forget the impossible storyline.It is Christmas in New York City and our story immediatly "focuses" on two male individuals, apparently lovers for some time. One of them has not let his parents (the right wing, religious zealot types) know that he is gay (adding to the impluasability of the story 'cause this guy is as efeminant as gay guys come these days) and his parents are coming to viusit him. They will stay in his New York apartment where he and his lover have just decorated for Christmas.The story continues to develop around the arrival of the parents, who noone will like anyway and - how through only obvious and predictable ways - they come to learn there son is gay. Tears are shed as was my interest in this movie.The cast of charecters, seemed like an intro acting course at the local community theatre. The lovers in this film are mismatched, and there does not appear to be any cohesion to their union.The landlord is flat and her attempt to be humanistic in the situation are undercooked and certainly didnt help move the plot any further.The dragqueen friend who steps to the aid of one of the lovers in his "time of need" is stereotypic and gives a bad name to the unique art of drag.Although some guys night find one of the lovers to have a nice body (again, stereotypic imagery) it does not help this story.Stay away from this film, especially if you are considering a purchase. You'll shoot yourself if you do!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was SO stupid~!!! I could not bare to watch the rest of this movie..... To think that the spoiled bitch suggested to see other people, then walks right into another relationship 5 minutes after the agreement was made.... I really felt sorry for the guy, but then again, for a guy like that to even consider letting his fiancé see other people, to go along with her grand idea, well, I'm sorry but, he deserved what he got~! And she was definitely not the best fish in the sea either, he can do way, way, way better.... She had no tits.... to hips.... no nothing~! And you had to have known that she wanted this right from the start... 5 years~??? How on earth did they last that long~???$LABEL$ 0 +Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film Getting Eaten By A Bunch Of Snakes Is More Entertaining Than This Film$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched it last night and it was great.I can see why some ppl have ill feelings towards it from a rugby fan and maori culture point of view but other than that I have no idea what's so negative about it. The movie is great. It has a lot of heart. Very inspiring and encouraging to all ages. Great family movie! They did a pretty good job considering that it was a budget movie. I love movies based on true stories/events. I was raised around rugby all my life, it is a great game but I was never really taken to it because (please forgive me if I offend anyone, nothing personal this is just how I saw it) I thought, their trainings are not as ruthless or hard, the players are not as disciplined and don't seemed as serious like other sportmen and it looked like it's all just muscle and blooming tackling each other etc. But after watching Forever strong, I was like, wow! I was proud! It did good things for rugby (well it changed my view of rugby) and also the New Zealnd Haka. I actually cried. I am not even New Zealander and I was proud of their culture. Didn't even know what the chant meant until this movie. The movie is NOT about rugby techniques or rugby, it's not even about New Zealand All Blacks or the Haka or etc......Mother of pearls!!!!! hahaha SHUX!So to all you beautiful negative ppl, You are missing the point! I am sure if they had the means, it would have been better, the haka is in there because that was part of Highland Rugby culture, tradition or what ever you want to call it. So any new members on this site such as myself, please don't be put off by those negative comments. See it for yourself! Must see movie! There is a lot you can learn from this movie, ppl of all ages. It definitely makes you want to be a better person and be humble! This movie reminded me of a lot of things that I already know and was raised with but I kinda lost along the way! Loved it! Happy reading ppls and All the best!Muawha!$LABEL$ 1 +Although allegedly autobiographical, this movie demonstrates very little insight both into the protagonist's psychology (resulting in a flat, fragmented characterization) as well as into larger-scale historical processes, and my hope of either learning something new or improving my understanding of contemporary Iran remained unfulfilled. Instead, I found my sensibilities somewhat dulled as a succession of bearded Islamic villains replaced each other taunting, torturing or killing the wantonly victimized prototypical middle-class Iranian whose Western cultural sympathies were patent (and whose exoneration the movie quite blatantly seeks.) The deeper understanding the movie does seem to demonstrate is that of the mass-media market, as it serves to nourish prevalent occidental folk-ideologies (i.e. a "crowd pleaser"). What redeemed the movie from being outright boring was its creative animation - genuinely minimalistic imagery which, nevertheless, always kept the screen rich, expressive and unambiguous - no small fete for which I do give it some stars.$LABEL$ 0 +(spoilers??)I wasn't sure what to think of the movie. Not too much of a kids film. Definately should be watched with a parent because it includes death and dying. But I was surprised that I was a bit entertained by it.I was a bit disappointed by the 81 minutes of time we had. (even less without the credits) And the trailer gets you to think the rodent is a main creature. But alas, they torture him. Right until the end of the movie. Those two gripes docked the movie 2 stars. But I do recommend the movie. Even for a sequel.8/10Quality: 9/10 Entertainment: 7/10 Replayable:7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film when it first came out and hated it. I just saw it again 27 years later. I actually liked some of it... although Robin Williams was totally wrong for the role... What I remember most about hating the film is that it was almost the complete opposite of what I had understood when I read the book. Since I haven't re-read it, I can only give you my impressions from the past - but I am sure of one thing - the film is a paean to family life, whereas in the book, almost ALL traditional institutions - including, and perhaps especially, marriage - are shown to be strait-jackets that we would be well rid of. The only positive in the book is the wondrous nature of children...something that only the very beginning and ending of the film really captures (with that incredibly gorgeous baby floating in the air. Too bad Williams doesn't have a tenth of his charm!) My low mark is therefore from the fact that the film misrepresents the book. As a film on its own it fares better - but only for a few key performances. Mary Beth Hurt is wonderful - I think anyone watching it would fall in love with her. And John Lithgow as an ex football player who has had a sex-change operation is fantastic... he never once camped it up or made the character anything but commendable - and as such his performance had an incredibly integrity. I watched him closely during all of his scenes, and never once was he anything except womanly. Nothing in his performance ever came near the performance of a drag queen... and that made all the difference. In fact, of all the people in the film, his is the only one which is irreproachable. It is worth seeing this film only for his performance.$LABEL$ 0 +I've never saw the first three, but I know they're all better than this...trash. It's about some kid who throws a party. Wow. Sounds amazing(sarcasm). Is it? NOOO! It starts off with a kid laying in bed and he's getting woke up by his mom. So, the kid pretends to be sick so he doesn't have to go to school. He goes to his uncle's house and rounds up some people and throws a party. I didn't laugh at all while watching this trash. I can't imagine someone sitting down and writing down this dialogue thinking "Man, dis !@#$ is gunna be big, yo!" Makes me wonder if they even had a script for this movie. I watched this knowing it would be bad, but usually watching a bad movie makes me feel good because it gives me something to make fun of. This just disgusted me. TWO THUMBS DOWN!$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe we Aussies just have a totally different sense of humour and therein my lie the only problem here. I have a database of all the DVDs I own (including those received as gifts - which this was) and so, when entering a new one, I always refer to IMDb for such info as genre, runtime, director, leads etc. When entering this, I noted that it was a comedy and so I decided to watch it at a time when I wanted something light and a good laugh. Well, it was neither! There were absolutely NO laughs at all and an inordinate amount of gratuitous profanity (are there REALLY radio announcers allowed to broadcast the sort of filth that Steve Jones dishes out? What if a decent child happened to tune to his station?).Rather than enjoy a good laugh (or even a little giggle) I found the whole thing thoroughly depressing. I have given it 3 out of 10 but, to be honest, I don't know what those 3 are for! I suppose the basics of lighting and sound weren't too bad! We have an ostensibly stone-broke loser (Giovanni Ribisi) who still seems to be able to drive a reasonable car (who pays for the fuel?) and live in what could be a nice apartment (who pays his rent?) Given the opportunity of forming what might have been some sort of meaningful relationship with what turned out to be a nice girl, he even blew that! Perhaps it was she (Lynn Collins) who earned this movie the 3 points! The fact that she works as a stripper rather than a hairdresser is one of the few aspects of this movie that makes sense ("I make as much in one night doing this as I do in two weeks' hairdressing").Unless you want to get depressed and bored to the teeth, forget it!$LABEL$ 0 +Drive was an enjoyable episode with a dark ending. Basically a man and his wife are infected in their inner ear by a high pitched sound wave being emitted by some military equipment. Some favorite parts of mine from this episode are Mulder's dialogue in the car, and the scene where Scully goes in with the Hazmat team and find the little old deaf lady completely unaffected by what they thought was a virus. The ending of course is tragic in its realism because it leads the viewer to believe that they are going to actually be able to pull off this elaborate plan to save the victim but when Mulder arrives the man is already dead. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I have always been a huge fan of "Homicide: Life On The Street" so when I heard there was a reunion movie coming up, I couldn't wait.Let me just say, I was not disappointed at all. It was one of the most powerful 2 hours of television I've ever seen. It was great to see everyone back again, but the biggest pleasure of all was to have Andre Braugher back, because the relationship between Pembleton and Bayliss was always the strongest part of an all-together great show.$LABEL$ 1 +Unfortunately this film, 54 was a pathetic attempt of the true story of 'Studio 54.' The only thing that was good about the picture was 'Mike Myers' who was a joy to watch. 'Neve Cambpell,' although her role was little was unfortunately bad. The bottom line is that this film lacked a good performance from the actors, except one and that the conversion of the true story was a desperate attempt for a good screenplay.$LABEL$ 0 +This is another classic Seagal movie. He walks, no, cruises through the patriot just all the other Mega Seagal movies. Nothing even comes close to challenging Seagal in this movie except maybe the part where he has to find a cure for this so called 'plague' and he starts throwing things about the lab but it all works out, i mean lets face it, its Master Seagal, he's got to win. What about his outfit in the film, masterpiece, he must have picked it himself. Its great that everyone in the film is dying after being exposed to the virus but Seagal doesn't even get a cough. The incident at the end when he kills the fat guy with the broken glass, genius, i bet Seagal thought of that one as well. This film is class pure and simple. great plot, great characters, and Seagal.$LABEL$ 1 +The one who says that Lucio Fulci is not one of the most important names in the history of splatter is probably mad.The Italian director is a legend among hardcore-horror fans,and his work exceeds the barriers of the genre(who can forgot his western,crime or fantasy flicks).This is probably his goriest film,and unfortunately one the last.A horror director(Fulci as himself) starts hallucinating about gruesome murders.He goes to a psychiatrist,who makes him believe he is the criminal.In this time,the doctor begins a long chain of serial crimes.With such a plot,the movie should have been filled with something.And there are roting corpses,crashed or melted heads,stabbings,decapitations,chainsaw dismemberment and many others.Kind of boring sometimes,the film is saved by the excessive violence that will definitely please the gore addicts.$LABEL$ 1 +Rated E I never actually owned a Nintendo 64 but I have played one many times.In my opinion along with Conkers Bad Fur Day, Super Mario 64 is one of the best video games for the Nintendo 64 system.I have played this game plenty of times and its good every time.If you have an N64 and don't have this game you should try to find it.The original Super Mario Bros games were side scrolling video games but Super Mario 64 has a 3D Mario in a nice 3D environment.The game is sort of weird but there is plenty of things you can do in the game.You play as Super Mario and once again you must rescue Princess and the 120 power stars from Bowzer.Now you can do it in a 3D environment.Super Mario 64 is a very fun and good N64 game and I recommend it.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Ok, I wrote a scathing review b/c the movie is awful. As I was waiting another review (for Derrida) of mine to pop up, i decided to check out old reviews of this awful movie. Look at all the positive reviews. They ALL, I say ALL, come from contributors have have not rated any other movie other than this one. Crimminy! and wait till you to the "rosebud" [sic] review.Checkout the other movies rosebud reviewed and had glowing recommendations for. Oh, shoot!, they happen to be for the only other movies by the two writers and director. Holy Window-Wipers Batman.Joe, Tony, you suck as writers, and tony, you couldn't direct out of a bad script. No jobs for you!ALWAYS CHECK POSITIVE REVIEWS FOR A LOW RATED MOVIE!$LABEL$ 0 +When you get your hands on a British film you expect some sort of quality. And when it comes to acting, camera work, lighting etc; this film does the business. It's done by highly skilled craftsmen. That alone can bring you an enjoyable one and a half hours. But when you look under the layers of professionalism, you don't really find anything. Apart from making you feel good and advocate a drug liberal view, there's really nothing there. The script is mediocre, the plot is predictable and the ending must be one of the worst east of Hollywood. In all it's English cosiness, it's just a shameful and cynical attempt to make another "Full Monty". Why they made this film? I haven't got a clue, apart from making money of course.$LABEL$ 0 +Featuring a few of Hammer's all-stars, this highly effective slice of British horror revolves around a house and the fates of it's previous tenants, whose stories are all told to a Scotland yard detective, in search of a missing actor.Story number one, which is probably the least impressive of the four, deals with a writer and his wife who've just moved in the house and plan to stay just for a short time so that he may write one of his horror novels. He creates a demented character named Dominic, who's a very creepy looking strangler, and soon finds himself going mad as he starts to seeing this beastly looking man everywhere he goes. After his wife convinces him to seek psychiatric help, a sub-plot is introduced which frankly, didn't really work for me. I won't spoil it for you.The next story (the best in my opinion) stars the wonderful Peter Cushing as Philip Grayson, a man who's moved into the home for his retirement years and soon makes his way to a nearby wax museum(that deals in the macabre) where he's very startled to find a wax figure that looks exactly like a woman from his past. Soon thereafter, an old friend(who also has a history with this woman) is in town for business and drops by to see him. The two men are in for a rude awakening as they soon discover that there was more to this woman than meets the eye.Story three stars one of my very favorites...Christopher Lee, who plays John Reid. After moving into the home with his peculiar daughter Jane, the nanny that he hires becomes awfully suspicious as to the way Reid suppresses his daughter. Well come to find out...if she knew what Lee did, she would have certainly understood.The final story is a rather light-hearted vampire tale that stars John Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt. After buying a cloak from a mysterious merchant, actor Paul Henderson finds himself turning into the very creature that he's portrayed several times in his career.Overall, the pacing and direction were very good, as was the most of the performances. There were nice Gothic touches here and there and an effective score to complement the ambiance. This one's a keeper, and comes highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +"Xizao", is the tale about the clash of modern life and ancient traditions, and its effects on a family in China. Da Ming (Quanxiu Pu), is a businessman who returns home when a letter sent by his brother Er Ming (Wu Jiang) makes him believe that his father Liu (Xu Zhu), has died. He founds that his father is still alive, as well as his old neighborhood and his father old business, the public bathroom.The movie centers around Da Ming's family, and how he has to learn the importance of his father's job, something he always had considered an old tradition that had to die soon. Also, the movie explores his relationship with Er Ming, who is mentally challenged, and the problems of the small community and how the bathroom is a place that purifies not only their bodies, but also their souls.The two main themes of the movie, the family and the problems of progress, are incredibly well handled, and the movie never loses the point it is trying to make, both themes are very good developed and we get a glimpse of Chinese society and customs.The director, Yang Zhang, tells his tale in a simple way, letting the characters characters do the job. It is a very simple approach, but it fits the movie perfectly, and I highly doubt that another style would fit the movie this good. Zhang has enormous potential, as he can tell a story without the aid of visual flare or camera tricks.The acting is outstanding in its naturalistic approach, everyone acts in a very natural way and it almost looks as if they were real persons being filmed. The three lead characters give remarkable performances, and Wu Jiang as Er Ming surely steals the show.Even when the movie could had sticked to a patronizing "old days were much better" message, instead it takes an attitude of equilibrium, like saying that progress is good, and we must move on, but we must not forget where we came from, and keep an equilibrium between modern life and the traditions of old.An awesome, and touching film. 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +I normally don't like romantic films, but I love this film very much. The story is really touching, and the ending is very appropriate. I feel I really care for many characters in this film. I feel I can feel their feelings. While most romantic films always make me feel detached and bored, this one completely makes me feel involved, starting from the scene of Capshaw running along the beach with Scott until the ending scene. I want to rate this film 11 out of 10, because I want to give an extra one point for the ending. The acting part is very strong. Kate Capshaw has a good opportunity to show her talent. Though I'm not impressed with Scott in `Dead Man on Campus,' this film completely changes my viewpoint towards him. He's so irresistibly charming here. Geraldine McEwan is as terrific as ever. This film might not be as good, complex, deep, or believable as other films which deal a little bit with the same kind of relationship, such as `L'ecole de la chair' or 'Post coitum, animal triste,' but `The Love Letter' can still be proud of itself as it casts a rare different light on that kind of relationship. And that difference makes this film eminently enjoyable. By being unambitious and relying on great charms of small stars, Dreamworks, this time you really make my dream come true.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this show but then I don't remember ever not loving anything he did, starting with "Americanization of Emily". A town sheriff who keeps trying to steal the town blind and ride off to Mexico, gotta love it. Like everything he does it has a tongue in cheek flavor that brands it as a Garner product. James plays the same character in lots of his shows and movies but somehow it never gets stale.P.S. re: Killing off the main characterIf I remember right the "good" brother was killed off and replaced with the "evil" twin in an effort to increase the ratings i.e.; make it more like every other western on TV at the time. I think this show was too far ahead of its time and I still miss it. TV without a Jimmy G show is missing something.$LABEL$ 1 +Now this is classic. A friend of mine told me about this flick, saying that it's incredibly lame, stupid, retarded, and moronic. He also said that I'd love it. To my surprise, I found it available from netflix and rented it at once. I'm just shocked that I had never heard of it before. If I could give it an eleven, I would.$LABEL$ 1 +This video guide was the masterpiece of the year 1995. Beautifully done! Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston have major on-screen chemistry when they talk about what the Start button does. I'm waiting for Microsoft to release a Special Edition DVD complete with deleted scenes, Bill Gates commentary, a documentary of how Windows 95 compares to Windows XP, and more!Overall: 10/10 (Should have won at least a Golden Globe)$LABEL$ 0 +Camp Blood is an absolutely atrocious slasher film. We're mixing Friday The 13th with the Blair Witch Project and adding....a killer in a clown mask.The budget for this film must have been very low, some of the actors played multiple parts and the camera used produced a picture equal to the colourised version of the original Night Of The Living Dead, which if anybody has watched that version will back me up that it is poor.This film was just so bad. There is nothing in the film even worth watching. The very fact I watched this all the way through stunned me. Just take my advice and don't buy or rent this film. It is appalling.$LABEL$ 0 +The cookie-cutter gets to work overtime in this obvious and unoriginal love story. The plot, such as it is, has been done before a trillion times so there is no need to recount any of it. Suffice to say that all 12 year old girls will love this movie while the rest of us will be forced to make a face. Even the soundtrack is awful! Its not that I dislike figure skating, although I don't, its that I dislike cliched, bad movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Note: After writing this review I see that this listing is indeed about the TV series and not the original film. My mistake. I thought IMDb for a database for movies, not TV shows. But since most people will look up this film under BAGDAD CAFE and not OUT OF ROSENHEIM, which, strangely, is the name this film is listed under on IMDb, I'll leave this comment here.Maybe I missed something, but when I read that other review it seemed to be entirely a review of the CBS series -- which must have been loosely based on this film. I did not see the TV series and I might like it or not, but one thing I am sure is that it is very different than this film. This film is NOT like a TV show at all and Whoopie Goldberg is not in it or any other famous Hollywood stars (other than Jack Palance, who was very charming in his role).This is a terribly sweet movie that totally thinks "outside the box." It is not at all like a Hollywood formula movie, which is probably why the (what's a nice word for idiots?) who decide to market movies or not decided not to market this one.First of all, this movie captured my heart and imagination from the get-go. From the music (which is just part of the time so you can't really call it a musical) to the cinematography to the really cool story.A German or Bavarian woman (very pretty and quite plump) gets in an argument with the other German or Bavarian man with whom she is traveling through the California desert with and parts ways with him --he taking off in the car and she left to fend for herself on a deserted and desert-like highway out in the middle of nowhere.She finds the small and dilapidated but charming Bagdad Cafe, in Bagdad, California and checks in. The rest of the story is magic. I don't want to try to describe this film because I want you to enjoy every surprise.Warning: If you are a racist or have something against big women you will not like this movie, as the main romantic lead is a big woman and characters of brown and red skin have large roles and are included as "part of the mix" without any racism involved.I gave this film a 10 for orginality, entertainment and sheer delightfulness.$LABEL$ 1 +Boring, predictable, by-the-numbers horror outing at least has pretty good special effects and plenty of (mindless) mayhem and gore to satisfy (mindless) genre fans. Mostly it's about giant rats chomping on a set of characters we don't care an iota about - if that's your thing, tune in. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +After seeing only half of the film in school back in November, today, I saw that it was on Flix channel and decided to watch it to see the rest of it and to write a new review on it.The book that the film is based on, Hatchet, is OK. This is a terrible adaption of it though.Awful (and I mean awful) acting, bad dialogue, and average cinematography make up this terrible adaption of Hatchet.The film starts off Brian who is the cliché image of a late 80s teen (sporting a mullet, banging his head to cheap 80s rock music) and his mother driving in a car for him to get on a plane to fly up to see his estranged Dad (his parents are divorced...now cue the dramatic pause.) Now Brian has said goodbye to Mom and dog and is flying up to see his father. The pilot is a fat, ugly, rude man (wasn't like that in the book) who after 2 minutes in the air, has a heart attack and dies. In the book it goes into more detail with the pilot having more pains and it seemed to be that they were in the air much longer before the pilot had his heart attack.The plane (within another two minutes) has gone empty on fuel (leaving us, the viewers, to assume that he's been up there for hours even though the sun hasn't changed position and the scenery looks EXACTLY the same.) Now's he's crashed landed.This is the point in the movie where everything is a lot different then it was in the book. In the book it said his jacket was torn to shreds but in the movie it is perfectly fine with no tears or rips (looks like he just bought it), it never said he climbed a mountain, saw a wolf, and fell asleep up there on the mountain, it never said he was attacked by a bear (it said a moose but not a bear), it never said he eats the several bugs that he does, it never mentions the second tornado or that he learned to get those sparrows, skin them, and eat them or that little fish farm trap that he makes (that is destroyed by one of the tornadoes) nor does it mention him hurting his ribs from one of the tornadoes.I don't even think you can call what was depicted in the film a tornado. All it was was just a windstorm that knocked down several of his things.My favorite part of this camp fest was Brian's lame flashbacks (that are never mentioned in the book) especially the cliché scene of Brian waking up, walking over to the window and seeing his Dad (with all of his things packed that can all perfectly fit into just the back of his truck) leaving and screams "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD!!!!" (yet of course his father didn't hear him even though he was just right outside) and he punches his fist through the window (wtf?) The ending is the only thing that is close to what happened in the book (I said close.) In the book I think one of the key things that the rescue pilot said to Brian when he landed was "you're the kid who they've been looking for! They stopped months ago..." yet they left that line out in the movie.There's a pathetic epilogue with Brian (somehow without counseling or therapy) getting back to normal with his family. I think we were supposed to assume that they were getting together for Thanksgiving (because they had a turkey on the counter.) Then it shows his temporary home (for what, in the movie, seemed like three days, but in the book was for several months) and his hatchet, still in a tree where he left it (also didn't happen in the book) showing where he carved a message, so perfectly done: "HOME" (where we really supposed to believe that he carved that that perfectly with just that hatchet?) No quote can sum this movie up better then when Enid from Ghost World said "this is so bad it's gone past good and back to bad again." Perfect description of this movie.I wouldn't recommend it to somebody (who hasn't read the book) and are just looking to watch a movie nor would I to somebody who has read the book (because they'll be disappointed and bored to death.For those who have read the book, leave what your imagination created as the movie. This is awful and will bring down your thoughts on the book.1/10$LABEL$ 0 +After three hours in the Cinema hall,the strongest impression garnered was that their is something amiss. What was clear was that the Directors forgot to direct, the actors to act and most importantly the script writer to write. Evervbody shouted without reason and made one cringe. The script moved on and on with lots of avoidable twists and turns ending in now, too familiar Priyadarshan theory of Converging actors at a single point. This theory worked well in Hera-Pheri and Hungama but somehow managed to irritate this time, so did the habit of every actor's incapacity to answer asked of them directly. Simplest questions such as " what is your name would be repeated N times".Finally what was amiss was that the director forgot that his audience have something called intelligence.$LABEL$ 0 +Probably one of the prime examples of following a suspenseful, dramatic episode (in this case, the superb Balance of Terror) with a lighter affair, Shore Leave is the first true attempt on behalf of the Star Trek writers to produce a more entertaining piece of sci-fi, and while the formula isn't quite right yet in this entry (the true triumph is Trouble with Tribbles, in Season 2), the laughs come pretty fast as long as the viewer is willing to allow for all the silliness.Diverting from the show's tradition, the Enterprise isn't on any proper mission in this episode. Instead, Kirk has found a perfect planet for his crew to spend some time off duty: a well deserved break after three months of incessant work. The Earth-like planet (a budget-related fact) is very appealing, but it only takes a few minutes before something weird happens: Dr. McCoy starts having visions of a white rabbit that seems to come straight out of Lewis Carroll's work. Soon, other people begin experiencing similar things: a woman meets a Don Juan-like character, Sulu has a run-in with a samurai, and Kirk faces a double encounter with the past, in the shape of almost love and the guy who used to pick on him at the Academy. Throw in a freakishly real-looking tiger, and it's easy to see why Kirk and Spock are determined to figure out what's going on before anybody gets hurt.The idea is a classic one: idyllic place turns out to be far from heavenly. The episode's humorous take on the topic is rather successful, weren't it for a dark turn of events that doesn't sit well with the rest (of course, everything works out fine again come the end) and the cast's general unwillingness to show a funnier side of themselves (most notably, and ironically, the otherwise hilarious William Shatner). And yet Shore Leave deserves recognition for being another good example of the writers trying new, previously unseen things: the definition of Star Trek's success.7,5/10$LABEL$ 1 +Don't believe all of the negative reviews this movie receives. Yes, it is cheaply made. Yes, the gore is laughable. And, yes, the acting is sub-par. However, this is a textbook example of an early slasher flick, and if that is your "thing" (its mine!) then you will enjoy this one. There are enough good aspects to this movie to more than compensate for the drawbacks. For one, the score by a then unknown Christopher Young is very creepy and accents the violence perfectly. The ending is a welcomed break from the predictable upbeat endings of most movies. And last, but not least, the setting is what made the film for me. The makers of this film could have done a much better job "dressing" the set to make it more believable as a college dorm. However, if you can overlook this flaw, the setting is great. Four collegiates all alone in a huge, abandoned, condemned building just waiting to be torn down.... it reaks of possibility. When watching, allow your imagination to do some of the work and you may enjoy this film as much as I did.$LABEL$ 1 +Best show since Seinfeld. She's really really funny. Her total self centeredness, the hulking gay stoner neighbors, the departures into song or cartoons, make this the freshest show on TV. One of the few shows I make point of watching. The scene with the wise old black lady in the drugstore ("oh wait now that you're close you do look old" turns face with finger and walks away lol), the cough syrup overdose, sleeping with God, it's all so funny or so stupid it's just a lot of fun. The shows weak points are her sister and the cop-only because they're too darn normal!! I really can't wait until the next show, something I haven't felt for any show in a long time.$LABEL$ 1 +The first step to getting off of that road that leads to nowhere is recognizing that you're on it in the first place; then it becomes a matter of being assertive and taking positive steps to overcome the negative influences in your life that may have put you on that road to begin with. Which is exactly what a young Latino girl does in `Girlfight,' written and directed by Karyn Kusama. Diana (Michelle Rodriguez) is an eighteen-year-old High School senior from the projects in Brooklyn, facing expulsion after her fourth fight in the halls since the beginning of the semester. She affects a `whatever' attitude which masks a deep-seated anger that threatens to take her into places she'd rather not go. She lives with her father, Sandro (Paul Calderon), with whom she has a very tentative relationship, and her younger brother, Tiny (Ray Santiago). With her life teetering on the brink of dissolution, she desperately needs an outlet through which to channel the demons that plague her. And one day she finds it, without even looking for it, when she stops by the gym where Tiny trains. Ironically, Tiny wants nothing to do with boxing; he wants to go to art school, but Sandro is determined that his son should be able to take care of himself on the streets, and pays the ten dollars a week it costs for his lessons. When Diana convinces Tiny's trainer, Hector (Jaime Tirelli), to take her on, and approaches her father for the money, under the guise of calling it a weekly allowance (she doesn't want him to know what she wants the money for), Sandro turns her down and tells her to go out and earn her own money. Ultimately, with Tiny's help she finds a way, and the ring soon becomes her second home. It's an environment to which she readily adapts, and it appears that her life is about to take a turn for the better. And the fact that she will have to fight men, not women, in `gender blind' competitions, does not faze her in the least. Diana has found her element. First time writer/director Karyn Kusama has done a terrific job of creating a realistic setting for her story, presenting an honest portrait of life in the projects and conveying that desperation so familiar to so many young people who find themselves in dead-end situations and on that road that leads to nowhere. And there's no candy coating on it, either; as Hector tells Diana when she asks him how he came to be where he is, `I was a fighter once. I lost.' Then, looking around the busy gym, `Like most of these guys, they're going to lose, too. But it's all they know--' And it's that honesty of attitude, as well as the way in which the characters are portrayed, that makes this movie as good as it is. It's a bleak world, underscored by the dimly lit, run-down gym-- you can fairly smell the sweat of the boxers-- and that sense of desolation that hangs over it all like a pall, blanketing these people who are grasping and hanging on to the one and only thing they have, all that they know. Making her screen debut, Michelle Rodriguez is perfectly cast as Diana, infusing her with a depth and brooding intensity that fairly radiates off of her in waves. She is so real that it makes you wonder how much of it is really Rodriguez; exactly where does the actor leave off and the character begin? Whatever it is, it works. It's a powerful, memorable performance, by an actor from whom we will await another endeavor with great anticipation. She certainly makes Diana a positive role model, one in whom many hopefully will find inspiration and the realization that there are alternative paths available in life, at least to those who would seek them out. As positive as this film is, however, it ends on something of an ambiguous note; though Diana obviously has her feet on the ground, there's no indication of where she's headed. Is this a short term fix for her, or is she destined to become the female counterpart of Hector? After all, realistically (and in light of the fact that the realism is one of the strengths of this film), professional boxing isn't exactly a profession that lends itself to, nor opens it's arms to women. And in keeping with the subject matter of the film, and the approach of the filmmaker, an affirmation of the results of Diana's assertiveness would have been appropriate. The supporting cast includes Santiago Douglas (Adrian), Elisa Bocanegra (Marisol), Alicia Ashley (Ricki) and Thomas Barbour (Ira). Though it delivers a very real picture of life to which many will be able to identify, there are certain aspects of `Girlfight,' that stretch credibility a bit, regarding some of what happens in the ring. That aside, it's a positive film that for the most part is a satisfying experience. I rate this one 7/10. $LABEL$ 1 +Seriously any film with John Malkovich is usually very good. And this includes Clint Eastwood, Rene Russo, John Mahoney (Frasier), Dylan McDermott (The Practice), and many more great actors.Clint is getting old now but thanks he is also an awesome director (in his own right).We are used to Wolfgang "water films" like Das Boot, Poseidon and Perfect Storm - this was really different but just as sublimely directed.The premise of the assassin is as serious as it comes, the film is well paced, some of the violence is a bit... But altogether recommended (but not for kids).$LABEL$ 1 +One of my favourite films. It has everything - rocking soundtrack, courtesy of Eddie Clark, ex Motorhead, loads of action, loads of laughs, totally ridiculous plot and the most wonderful '80's stereotypes as characters. Eddie, the put-upon nice guy, who just wants to be left alone to be different, Leslie (about as wet as they come), Nuke (the rock burn-out), Eddie's Mom (pathetic), Roger (the geek) and Ozzy as the preacher (surely he exists in America?). Then there are the boys (rich, vicious and stupid) and the girls (vacant, vain and stupid). What more could you ask for?Well, first of all, there's Sammi Curr, the rock star, an amalgam of every '80's badass rocker you can think of. What about that rocket firing guitar? Then there's the scene where Sammi pulls the old lady through the TV screen and smashes her up. And what does Roger do? Why, hoover her up, just like a good geek would. My favourite scene is where Tim Hainey gets his long overdue reward from Sammi via the wet finger in the plug - magic!If you were into rock in the '80's or just love ridiculous films like I do, then check this one out. It's available on DVD and very cheap so (trick or)treat yourself.$LABEL$ 1 +Having watched the first scene, I realized the acting was so bad that it couldn't possibly pick up later. Superficial and artificial, with frequent attempts to look professional through references to technology the way a five year-old tries to make it sound as if he knows what he's talking about. The second-to-second storyline is completely unrealistic and just about every single decision the screenwriter did, was the kind you expect from a below-average grade school student. The overall storyline was as unoriginal and predictable as a pack of sausages. The few attempts to make the dialogs sound intelligent, was limited to neurotic, apologetic behavior. A ten year-old might like it. But it would take a five year-old to accept the lack of realism; How does advanced cell function allow someone to bypass a code lock by touching it as if with a magic wand, pick out one out of 100s of voices through a ventilation system (thereby ripping off Superman), and repair a home computer by just sensing whats wrong instead of looking for faults? Actually, that scene is a neat example: The fault was that one of the cooling pipes (aluminum ribbons) on the CPU was broken, the way it would look if a exhaust pipe on a V8 engine is ripped off by an explosion. This is something that can't happen, and if it did, it wouldn't prevent the computer from working. There is no electrical current passing through this ribbon, but when he (without doing it himself, his arms worked by autopilot because the cells in his body was super efficient) put a push-pin into the rip, a desktop with icons appeared on the screen immediately without booting.And so it goes all the way. Like when he escaped an interrogation room in the NSA headquarters by lighting a lighter below a fire sensor, resulting in open doors throughout the building. Naturally, NSA didn't predict this sharp witted approach to escaping, nor did they put any guards outside his room (or anywhere else) to guard a living, walking breakthrough in military nanotechnology. So he walked out and got a cab. Examples like this one are not only numerous, there is in fact just about no single scene that makes sense. Also, the so-called great effects were terrible. He threw a basketball back to a kid in the park, and the kid was thrown back horizontally 20 feet into a tree. No acceleration or deceleration, but constant speed and height, like a motorized trolley. I'm sure if I paused and looked for the cables that kept the posture of this kid the way only cables can, they probably didn't know how to or bother to erase them completely. If someone is thrown that far into a tree, they would at least say ouch (or rather be hospitalized with broken bones), but the kid was just just confused and amazed.Moronic. That's the word for every creative decision made throughout the entire production. I'm going to put the director's name on my own personal blacklist, someone as poorly skilled as him cannot improve. I feel like demanding compensation for having wasted 45 minutes of my life for watching it, and the time it took to write this. Although it felt therapeutic, it was traumatic to realize how little it takes to get a pilot approved. The only excuse a slightly intelligent person could have to watch this voluntarily, would be imprisonment or lobotomy.$LABEL$ 0 +Eric Phillips (Don Wilson) is a secret service agent who prevents the assassination of a senator however along the way he finds a conspiracy and has a tracker on his tail. The tracker by the way is bent on terminating Phillips. The most obvious inspiration for this low budget cheeseball action flick, is of course Robocop and while that film had some imagination and real energy, this just has a real life kickboxing champ running away from a robot. The movie isn't so awful as it is just empty and repetitive. The story is written in clichés and the characters are set up to be cut down by the various gunfire. Don Wilson, as usual, is terrible in the lead role.*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed watching Cliffhanger, at the beginning when that woman (Sarah) was full of terror when she was slipping, i thought that was a terrifying scene as i would think that when you see that see, your nerves in your body get to you because it makes you get full of fright and your heart beats faster. I did like watching Cliffhanger, i think Silvestar Stallone is a great actor and i think he'll be known as playing Rambo and Rocky.$LABEL$ 1 +After his earlier movie "Videodrome", which definitely shows similarities to this movie, director David Cronenberg again ventures himself in the world of virtual reality, in which truth and fiction mix. It's virtual reality taken to a whole other level."eXistenZ" is an highly original movie that is well directed and acted out but above all very well written. The movie features a fascination and well thought out concept, which gets greatly executed by director David Cronenberg."eXistenZ" is a movie that knows to constantly fool you. Just when you thought you figured things out, another surprise awaits around the corner. Things are never like how you think they are, especially when the line between truth and fiction gets explored. You just never really know what is the reality and what is the game-world, right till the ending. It makes the characters and events all very unpredictable and also provides the movie with a great ending that will leave you thinking even more.The movie has a perfect kind of game-play storytelling, mostly with its character appearances and its puzzling events. They have to complete a certain step or task first before they can continue in the world and find out what their purpose in the game is.The movie knows how to create a perfect balance between realism and surrealism, without ever going over-the-top with either one. The storytelling keeps the movie as simple as possible, though of course the movie isn't always that simple to follow because of its events, dialogs and unusual environments.The movie is not only just weird though. I was actually surprised to see that "Videodrome" has an higher rating on here, thought it's a far more inaccessible and 'odd' movie. The movie is also still made entertaining and has a good fast pace. It doesn't ever allow the movie to get stuck in its more philosophical moments and deeper meanings. It also makes this movie perfectly watchable for people who normally don't watch this sort of movies.The movie is good looking, with subtle effective special effects a great visual look, that also provides the movie with a certain required 'gaming' feeling.The movie is well cast, with Jude Law in a role you don't too often see him in, that of a shy insecure person. It once more shows how actually versatile Law as an actor is and that he is way more than just another pretty face from Hollywood. Jennifer Jason Leigh also was a great female lead. She hasn't really played ever that many big parts in big productions but with this movie she shows why she nevertheless always have been regarded as a big movie star. The movie also features some other well known actors, in much smaller roles, such as Ian Holm and Willem Dafoe.An highly original movie that is well worth watching, especially if you have seen "Videodrome" previously.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Naturally Sadie is by far the worst show i have ever seen, it is such a piece of sh** and loaded with complete bullsh**. I didn't find any of the gags to be funny or somewhat clever, it was all awful jokes.The acting sucks, many of the characters sucked at acting, Charlotte Arnold (Sadie) is such a terrible actor, the other characters suck too (Magaret, Rain, Hal).The plot isn't unique and creative at all and the show is soo very much predictable. This is one of the worst shows made of all time, it shouldn't have even been made, the idiots who are responsible of writing this garbage should get fired (if they already didn't) The fist season was actually watchable but the second season was just a disaster, its too hard to watch this show, it is beyond awful.$LABEL$ 0 +I see a lot of people liked this movie. To me this was a movie made right of writing 101 and the person failed the class. From the time Lindsey Price the videographer shows up until the end the movie was very predictable. I kept on watching to see if it was going anywhere.First we have the widowed young father. Cliché #1 movies/TV always kill off the the mother parent if the child is a girl, or a brood of boys so the single father can get swoon over his dead wife and seem completely out of his element taking care of the children. Starting from from My 3 Sons to 2 1/2 Dads. These movies are usually dramas and comedies are TV shows.Cliché # 2 When a pushy woman has a video camera in her hand she will play a big part in the movie. And will always have solutions or even if that person is a airhead Cliché #3 If the person in peril is a foreigner they have to be of Latino origin. And they must be illegal. Apparently there are no legal Latino's and illegal Europeans, unless if there is a IRA element involved.Cliché #4 The said Latino must be highly educated in his native country. In this case he was a Profesor who made 200 per month. And the said highly educated Latino must now act like he hasn't brain in his head now and lets the air head side kick take over.Cliché #5 The crime the person committed really wasn't a crime but a accident. But because in this case he has lost all of the sense he had when he crossed the boarder he now acts like a blithering idiot and now has put his own daughter in peril by taking her along on a fruitless quest to the border with the idiot side kick.Cliché #6 One never runs over a hoodlum running from a crime , but some poor little cute kid. This is because the parents of the child have to play a big part of the movie, and because the the person who accidentally killed the child can have ridiculous interaction with the parents.Cliché #7 Name me one movie in which one cop is not the angry vet and they get paired up with a rookie. Even if they are homicide detectives who have to be the most experienced cops on a police Force. Sev7n and Copy cat and Law and Order come to mind right away. And the vet even though gruff on the outside has a heart of gold.Cliché #8 Let's go and round up some unemployed Soap Stars. Now I like Lindsey Price. But Susan Haskell IMO can not act her way out of a paper bag and when she use to be on One Life To Live as Marty he swayed from right to left every time she opened her mouth. It use to get me sea sick. She might be anchored on land better now, but she still cannot act.The movie might have been more insightful if it wasn't filled with clichés. I don't think a movie has to be expensive or cerebral to be good. But this was just bad.***SPOILER**** Now I am not going to spoil the ending. Oh heck I will because I feel it will be a disservice to humanity to let a person waste time they will never get back looking at this movie. It involves Cliché #6 and #7. Unless a person has never seen a movie before you had to see what was coming. The father makes even a dumber mistake runs from the cops at the end and gets shot by the angry veteran, who all of a sudden is very upset. You would think she thought the poor guy was innocent all through the movie and she shot him by mistake. When she didn't. Now for the little girl who the dad brought along with him. Guess what happen to her? Times up, she ends up living with the family whose child was killed by her father!! Come on! You all knew that was going to happen, because she is a replacement child!! That is why she did not go and live with the Lindey Price character. This movie was a insult as far as I was concerned. Because there were so many avenues this movie could of explored and went down but it chose to take the cliché ridden one. The 2 stars are for 2 of the stars, the little girl, who I thought was very good and Lindsey Price who character was annoying but she did what she could with it. My advice is take a vice and squeeze your head with it instead of looking at this dreck$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know how anyone could hate this movie. It is so funny. It took a unique mind to come up with this storyline. It's not your typical alien movie. These aliens are so stupid and confused. You need to rent it at least once.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this thing. The most wonderful thing about Pink Flamingos is that it strives desperately to be in horrible taste, but has really gained a cult following world wide. Says a lot about us (us being people) doesn't it. Pink Flamingos succeeds because Waters made the film he wanted to make. A film need not be disgusting to succeed, but it may be. When you watch this film, you see things that are disgusting, but are ultimately brilliant because they are freely displayed. What we have here is an honest piece of personal creative expression. Everyone who ever cares to succeed as an artist, be it in film or any other media, should watch this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Gurinda Chada's semi-autobiographical film (2002) is a gentle, poignant comedy set in the ethnically diverse community near Heahthrow Airport in West London.Like the airliners which constantly arrive and depart from overhead, we follow the ups and downs of the two main characters Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) and Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) as they strike up an unlikely friendship which centres around their mutual passion for soccer and their technical infatuation with David Beckham.Much of the comedy grows out of the misunderstandings of the families of these two talented girls as they break all the expectations and conventions of their very different family backgrounds.Somewhere in the middle, as broker, peacemaker and blighted athlete, Joe (Jonathan Reece-Myers) - team coach for the Hounslow Harriers - intercedes in times of crisis, while at the same time remaining the main object of affection of both the main characters.Eventually, and not without many obstacles and triumphs on the way, we finally see our dedicated and beloved soccer heroines soaring away to realise their dreams.With great performances from Bollywood veteran Anupam Kher (Mr Bhamra), Shaheen Khan (Mrs Bhamra), Juliet Stevenson (Mrs Paxton) and Frank Harper (Mr Paxton) this really is a film that captures the urgent passion of adolescence and crosses all ethnic frontiers.Pinky Bamrha (Archie Panjabi) and (Taz) Trey Farley are struggling their own struggles, but nevertheless contribute greatly to our understanding of the main characters in the film.In it's own special way, this film tells an important story that in quite incidental the football. It celebrates the evolution in the understanding of ordinary people in ordinary families and the innate ability of the young to teach the old.$LABEL$ 1 +This is what I call a "pre Sci Fi; Sci Fi" movie. It gets no better than Lugosi/Karloff in this incredibly good "mood" type motion picture. These two genuine artists are at their very best, as is the story line.Karloff does an amazing job as a scientist that sees himself caught in a vise of vanity, pride, and scientific competition. I was caught up in the idea of watching a man as he drowns himself in the three previously mentioned concepts. I was saddened and at the same time fascinated with the two stars as they do themselves in. This is the sort of motion picture that begs for a remake. This time put Harrison Ford in the Karloff part and maybe Kieffer Sutherland as the Bela Lagosi role. It might be possible to do it almost as good.This is one of the very best that Hollywood EVER produced. As I said..it gets no better. No way.$LABEL$ 1 +Easily one of my favourite dramatic TV films, in many ways beautiful yet sad, heart-warming and thought-provoking, this is a superb dramatisation of a few years in the life of C.S. Lewis and his relationship with Joy Davidman. I found it to be incredibly absorbing with excellent and 'realistic' dialogue and situations. It all seemed very 'real', yet there were also 'magical' moments that almost leave you breathless with delight. Ackland and Bloom as the central characters were excellent, as were the supporting cast. It's one of those dramas that I find hard to criticise, simply because, for me, there is NOTHING to be criticised, it just works so well on so many levels.Very highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Here's the kind of love story that I do enjoy watching. And mostly, it's for two reasons. One, it concentrates of young people, VERY young people. People who are still in their teens and are experiencing love for the first time, or at least think they are. All of us have been there in our lives and "The Man in the Moon" is a magnificent reflection upon our memories, maybe adding on a few more details and enhancing it further than any of us have experienced. The second reason is that is a love triangle. And I do believe that as teens, it's the most dramatic. And the story is so well developed that you believe the characters could really be in love, or are just so new to love that they just strongly believe they are and after a tragedy or so occurs, will believe it for the rest of their lives.The cast of "The Man in the Moon" is full of great talented names. It stars Sam Waterston, who is truly a versatile actor, well capable of playing tough district attorneys as well as strict, yet caring and wise fathers as in this film. Also there is Tess Harper, Jason London, and a young, young Reese Witherspoon. You look at the young, talented actress as she is at age fourteen and you think that about ten years down the road, she's going to win the Academy Award. All members of the cast pull off great performances and with the dialogue of the compelling screenplay, they are enhanced into looking like real people in real situations. As if it all really happened. This the kind of movie that I would like to see come out more often. Love story or not. I would love to see films that make everything look real and is not phony or disbelievable in any way.$LABEL$ 1 +Cyber zone, as this DVD was sold in Oz, is about the worst B-Grade junk I have seen. Apart from a restrained deadpan act from Singer, indicating he knew how bad the movie was going to be, the other actors sway about genuine attempts at line delivery (Swanson and Quarry) or absurd imitations of classic movies scenes. Mathius Hues makes the most ham-fisted portrayal of dying since Jim Carrey's Mask. All of this with no real thread to suggest an attempt at a spoof by genre, period or any common vein is plain annoying. Don't even try to join the dots with the plot. It is Blade Runner, thinly disguised with no content, actors or scenery due to a very limited budget. "You gets what you pay for" is never more apparent. There is repeatedly annoying re-use of limited sets, with no attention to set dressing and a spew of special effects that would have hit the cutting room floor for Dr Who in 1976. The Helicopter explosion is worth a rewind to demonstrate my point. Of course there are masochists that will lap up this tripe but if you are watching this movie for a bet, make sure you get more than your pay rate. At $2 this DVD will make a cheap and interesting beer coaster.$LABEL$ 0 +Its taken a few viewings for me to really wrap myself around this one, but for me Tears of Kali is one of the horror highlights of the 00's and as far as independent horror goes a veritable masterpiece. An anthology horror, it takes on the story of the fictional Taylor-Eriksson Group, a cult of sorts based in India whose members set out in search of ultimate self knowledge and healing of the psyche, with unpleasant results that echo down the years. With bookend segments set in India the film is made chiefly of three stories set in Germany, illustrating the aftermath of the work of the Taylor-Eriksson Group, with some pretty nasty gore at times. Its an interesting set up as these things go, but what sets this film apart is the way the imagery is so carefully set up to develop the films horror. Bad things have been unleashed and the general course of the film is a look at how the quest for self knowledge and ultimate therapy brings horror to patients, healers and others and the film is loaded with smart visual clues to the power of the dark forces with which it deals, dark forces unbound by time, place or even personality. Good examples of this are found in the first story especially, dealing with a journalist interviewing a lady in a mental hospital. Previous to this story we have seen Lars Eriksson and notably his wonky (lazy?) eye, we also see him healing or at least comforting a patient. The lady mental patient of the first story is seen in the same stance as Eriksson healing a fellow patient, also as she wraps up the canvases from the art class that she runs among her fellow patients one of their pictures is seen, a face with lazy eye like Erikssons. There are also references to folk in minuscule roles, extras and walk ons having extra sensory perceptions of what is going on in the film, showing the badness that has been unleashed spreading and able to almost infect others. There is more to the film philosophically than just evil within, it is a film about death, suffering and possible redemption too all bound in a structure derived from Hindu beliefs in a fashion that seems like it might just be exploitation but has more relation to actual beliefs than one might expect (at least from the research that I did on wikipedia). Writer/director Andreas Marschall definitely deserves some significant credit for his skill in constructing the film. As well as being thoughtful, the film is pretty chilling too, the soundtrack of Bharti India and Panama John has a great eerie piano jingle and there are a couple of notable performances, Michael Balaun as a sinister doctor and Cora Chilcot as a freaky patient especially good. The third story also has a fine turn from veteran Mathieu Carrière as a faith healer. The biggest problem of the film is that it is not that involving a lot of the time so potential for fear is lost but these and a couple of other performances achieve involvement pretty well. So, the film isn't quite as gripping as it might be, the acting occasionally off and the pacing too, but mostly I thought it was pretty great, if a shade short of its possible brilliance. Well worth a look for adventurous horror fans I think.$LABEL$ 1 +Everything is relative seems to be the main theme from the outset by this set of eleven pieces by eleven directors. That is to say that what might be number one priority for people like Bush, Blair and Company, may not be so for a great many other people, ordinary people. From the opening scene in which an Iranian teacher is trying to impress on her little students the most important thing that has happened, with the result the children are not impressed, as the death of a neighbour and things like that evidently affect them much more closely than anything which may have happened in New York, USA, wherever that is, this series of almost documentary styled pieces establishes that not all things are as equal unto all men as some world leaders would try to prophess. Whereas, obviously, the attack on the WTC was a dastardly event by any yardstick, one does get the impression that both politicians and TV cameramen tend to blow up things out of all proportion - wonderfully manifested in one of these pieces. Would the same reaction at international level have occurred if the attack had been made on Lagos, say, or Djakarta, say, or even on Rio de Janeiro, say? I rather think not. News seems to suffer distortion depending on where things happen: much more TV time is given to an earthquake in Italy, say, than one ten times more destructive in Outer Mongolia, say. Greater distances seem to decrease the magnitude of the disaster. This series of eleven pieces helps to put things in better perspective - or, perhaps I should say, some of the pieces do, as each director with complete freedom has made up his own story, his own translated perspective, such that it is not possible to judge the whole merits, but individually for each eleven-minute segment. In no way should one deduce that this is an anti-American film: that would be a too simple reading of the diverse messages manifested through the segments. However, it is not pro-American either. The eleven segments adopt varied attitudes and the common link - if there is one - is that the disaster of the WTC attack has to be seen in perspective from different view-points. Only then will such people as George Bush even begin to comprehend the planet he is living on. Clearly stated in one segment is a belief of mine I have been harbouring for two years now: America has not learnt the lesson. And the lesson is that the USA has to share this planet with the rest of humanity - not dominate it by ruthless economical persuasion or just plain force. Instead of learning that the USA cannot continue just stamping all over everybody and everywhere, its political leaders, aided and abetted by Blair (and even Aznar) have become even more arrogant and even more intolerant, which is not doing any good to anyone in Afghanistan or Irak at present, let alone much elsewhere. The White House mentality is totally rejectable: the US and UK invaded Irak and caused all the chaos, and so should clear up the mess they caused - not insist on the UN and other nations to delve in with a helping hand and thus find an easy way out of the turmoil. Radical stances adopted by the US (or even Israel) is only going to be met by radical stances from Islamic people, who for years have been gearing up fanatical fundamentalism, if only to cover up their own macho uselessness, i.e., stoning women to death or simply shrouding them from the tops of their heads to the dusty ground. The world is in a terrible mess, fueled by the greed of a few rich countries who seem bent on not seeing or understanding anything from more multilateral perspectives. This film in eleven separate pieces accurately portrays this dismal and dumb posture.$LABEL$ 1 +There have been many movies featuring Bigfoot, the majority of which are not good but most at least have a goofy charm to them. Sasquatch Hunters doesn't even have that going for it. It's just a crashing bore.Sasquatch Hunters is about a group of paleontologists, primatologists, and forest rangers that venture off into a remote part of a Pacific Northwest forest. Bones belonging to some sort of abnormally large primate have been discovered in this region and since apes aren't natural to North America to begin with this leads to a scientific expedition. Sure enough, they soon discover a whole burial ground full of the skeletal remains of these enormous ape-like creatures. I think we all know what happens to people that disturb ancient burial grounds in the movies.The first half of the movie consists of uninteresting, interchangeable characters assembling their gear, hiking through the woods, stopping to rest, hiking through the woods some more, pausing long enough to investigate and discuss a few findings along the way, yet more hiking through the woods, looking for a group member that has vanished, even more hiking through the woods, digging through dirt, random theorizing, and gathering around a campfire to discuss what little they've done that day. When Sasquatch finally shows up it just turns into people stumbling around in the dark while being picked off one at a time (done in a blink and you missed it fashion and the actual killing occurs off-camera). All of this is excruciatingly boring.The movie wants to be taken seriously and the director is clearly trying to build suspense but there is none to be found, thus we are left with dull, drawn out scenes of people wandering around the woods just to get somewhere and wander around the woods at night trying to act scared. I'd be lying if I said I didn't make liberal use of the fast forward button to speed these scenes up.As for Sasquatch himself, much like every other character else in the movie, it doesn't have much to do and lacks a distinct personality. It looks like a shaggier version of King Kong, which isn't all that bad except in the scenes where they used CGI instead of a man in a Bigfoot costume, which is painfully obvious during the daylight monster scenes. A part of me can't help but feel that even using computer effects to bring Bigfoot to life is a tad sacrilegious. If there is any single movie monster that I believe should only be brought to life through situation, it's Bigfoot.This is one of those movies that doesn't so much have a plot as it does a premise. That's all it really is, a premise, which the people involved stretched out to make a feature length motion picture without bothering to add all the ingredients to make a worthwhile movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Y'know, it's very interesting watching this... half the people involved with it are now dead...Anyways, it's been a long time since I've watched anything Muppet related, but this stuff is pure gold. I'm a great fan of puns, and this movie has them quite well placed, but one of the amazing aspects of it is its pacing: it's not really high-speed children's pacing where the filmmakers just randomly decide to move the story along without giving the character's depth, it's just kind of moves along with the characters wherever they want to go.Kermit the Frog is just an awesome character. His voice and the expressions on his puppet-face are fantastic. But above all, he points out why he's popular--"he can sing and make jokes too!"--but more appropriately why he's so endearing--he, without any effort, inspires everyone to search for their dreams. In the meantime, he also has to deal with himself, which is an uncommon theme in family movies.It also contains quite an ensemble of comedians making appearances here and there, some to great effect, others to a little less (I think Mel Brook's part was just a bit overplayed, do you?). Some parts of the film are just kind of odd. But it's highly imaginative and takes itself to the same destination from a very different direction.Moving right along...--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +Aussie Shakespeare for 18-24 set.with blood ,blood and more blood.and good dose of nudity. this will not be for every one on may levels, to violent for some too cheap for most. done on low budget they try and do there best but it only works sporadically.and this macbeth just seem to be lacking ,its just not compelling. although there is some good acting on the part of most you don't get into there heads especially mecbeths. the best performance came from gary sweet and the strangest mick molly. if your into Shakespeare then see it,but if you like your cheese mature you will love it.it not a bad film but it not that good either. sam peckenpah would of loved it, that is if it was filmed as a western. i was expecting a lot from this, as i loved romper stomper. but this is was a vacant effort.$LABEL$ 0 +Horrible acting, horrible cast and cheap props. Would've been a lot better if was set as an action parody style movie. What a waste. Starting from the name of the movie."The Enemy" Naming it "Action Movie" would've made it better. (contributing to the parody effect). The cop looking like a 60 Year old player, the blond girl just having the same blank boring look on her face at all times. Towards the end of the movie him and her are working together to take down the bad guys and every time they exchange words it just feels like the cheap lines given before a sex scene in a porn movie. Horrible. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +In the wake of the matrix this travesty of a film with loose connections to VR has been reissued with the tag-line "The Matrix just got Deadler!", in a box with a very Matrix inspired cover (still called "Expect to Die" though). Due to the choice of font however the tag-line looks to all the world like it says "Beablier". Anyway.To complete the transformation to Matrix wannabe they have mocked up a VR fight scene with a Morpheus-a-like on the back of the box. It may be important to know that this character DOES NOT FEATURE IN THE FILM.Overall this film is a travesty on every level. Jalal Mehri is an awful actor and does not impress with his martial arts. However his partner Stone is played by Evan Lurie, who in this film is simply the worst actor I have ever seen. Clearly he was chosen to make Jalal look good in comparison. Worst film I have seen for a long long time.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed this series, but felt that the whole thing was let down by the sound recording/mixing.For whatever reason, they've had to employ an awful lot of what's called ADR, where the actors replace the original location sound with a re-recording of it in a sound booth.The reasons for doing this are usually due to problems at the location, or because somebody screwed up somewhere in the sound production chain.It wouldn't be so bad if the ADR was done well, but at times it's just plain distracting. It's not just the ADR that's the problem - the sound mix just doesn't match up to the quality of performances and the pictures.I'd be curious to know what went wrong.$LABEL$ 1 +Although too young to remember the first showing of the series (being just a baby) I later caught repeats of it on television in the late 80's, just when I was getting interested in the war and all of its aspects. It was my grandfather who first showed me the series and also gave me my first interests, relating tales of his time in the Royal Navy at Malta and later in the Pacific. Since then I have devoured many books and seen many television series about the World War Two era, with mixed opinions. The British television stations are generally very good at producing these, as The World At War can easily attest, with many gems made by both the BBC and independent companies. I strongly recommend such titles as "The Nazis - A warning From History", "Blitz" and the BBC series about Dunkirk. "Britain At War In Colour", with its companion series "Japan", "Germany" and "America" are of a very high standard. The World At War is by far the best and, despite its age, never fails to deliver. There will always be new revelations about the war that will keep cropping up that obviously aren't included in the series and of course World War Two took place over such a large canvas that to produce a series with EVERY detail would take more time and money then any other, even if such an undertaking was even possible. What I feel I must say to those who decry that it does not include everything is that The World At War can't physically do that as a series but it sure as heck can prompt you to do further research - and make it enjoyable. That certainly worked for me: I now have a very comprehensive library of books, videos, DVDs and tapes and CDs. Recommend to anyone with even a passing interest. The series was so well made that they'd find it hard not to agree that it is quality programming and highly informative.$LABEL$ 1 +I knew five minutes after the monster made his appearance where his was going. But when I saw the beginning credits, I said "oh my god, Bruce Boxlightner, Walter Koenig (from Star Trek). Gil Gerard (from Buck Rogers, and he's almost unrecognizable), then I saw John Callahan who used to star on my favorite Soap, All My Childen. Put on a few pounds but he can still act. Then there was Veronica Hamill. too bad I didn't sick around to see her in the film. I bailed out 20 minutes into he film. It was THAT bad. Never did see William Katt (from Perry Mason, and The Greates American Hero).All these stars and one lousy film. I hope hey got their paycheck.Bad Bad Bad$LABEL$ 0 +Notable only as the acting debut of future big-time Hollywood starlet, Sandra Bullock, this ludicrous action flick is so full of holes that one might easily suspect termite infestation. The storyline is incomprehensible and very poorly thought out. The production values stink of cheese. In fact, a total LACK of production values would have been better...at least the film might have seemed grittier that way. The ADR is laughably bad and omni-present in the film. It's debatable as to whether or not ANY of the dialogue tracks from the actual shoot were used.The performances are, for the most part, horrible, though there are a few exceptions. In those exceptions, however, the performances are undermined by the fact that the director was obviously giving the actors poor direction and making them act completely out of character at times. (i.e. characters going from passive to panicked in the blink of an eye. Bad Direction.) Also, the constant "weapon sound effects" (magazines being loaded, slides being cocked, etc.) are completely overused and, more often than not, totally out of sync with the on-screen actions. Add to this cheesy "Bad Guy" vocal distortion for the lead villain (mainly so that you KNOW he's the villain in this incomprehensible mess of a film), and you have a recipe for disaster.The situations in the film go well beyond standard "suspension of disbelief" and become downright laughable. One lead character spends a good portion of the film tied to a chair before he DECIDES to use the butterfly knife tucked in his sock in order to free himself. So, my questions are...why didn't he do this sooner, and why does he even HAVE the butterfly knife. He wasn't searched? RIGHT. This is one of a hundred examples of completely ludicrous situations which have somehow been crammed into this 90-minute package.In whole, "The Hangmen" plays like an unbearably bad R-rated TV movie from the '80s. If not for the subsequent success of Sandra Bullock, this would have NEVER found its way to DVD. But it has, so my only advice is to steer clear. Watching this film may actually impair your IQ.$LABEL$ 0 +It's very simple to qualify that movie: "A PURE MASTERPIECE". This opinion is formulated for the following reasons: the performance of the actors, they seem to be citizens of that epoch, 1100 B.C. They personalize perfectly the characters. A second reason is that the poetry expressed by Homere in his poem is well given by the production. Among others the narrations made by the chorus give a particular atmosphere that makes us party of the artistic rendition. Third reason: the reconstitution of the decor is absolutely perfect, in Mediterranean regions, where the action of the poem occurred. And most of all, the emotion is on the rendezvous. I repeat my appreciation: "A PURE MASTERPIECE".$LABEL$ 1 +OK...this MAY contain Spoilers...but who really cares? Do not, if you value the seconds in your life, waste your time on this pile of garbage. There is not one redeeming quality in this movie...and I say that as a full fan of the Vacation Series of movies. I LOVED the Cousin Eddie character from the other Vacation movies...but he only works well as a supporting character. Do I blame Randy Quaid for the failure of this movie? Not at all. I think he's a great actor...but this film lacks any cohesion...the pacing is off...it's just plain unfunny. And the actor who plays the "Third"...Jake Thomas...was just awful, more than likely due to a real lack of direction. I don't know why...but his whole character creeped me out.Some people say that this is a horrible movie because Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo aren't in it...that has nothing to do with it. The script, directing, acting...special effects...everything is a train wreck. With Orphans. And kittens. Oh...and the Train ran over some old people too.Please, whatever you do...stay away from this filth! I call it filth because it dirties the name of the Vacation Franchise.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe it's just because I have an intense fear of hospitals and medical stuff, but this one got under my skin (pardon the pun). This piece is brave, not afraid to go over the top and as satisfying as they come in terms of revenge movies. Not only did I find myself feeling lots of hatred for the screwer and lots of sympathy towards the "screwee", I felt myself cringe and feel pangs of disgust at certain junctures which is really a rare and delightful thing for a somewhat jaded horror viewer like myself. Some parts are very reminiscant of "Hellraiser", but come off as tribute rather than imitation. It's a heavy handed piece that does not offer the viewer much to consider, but I enjoy being assaulted by a film once and awhile. This piece brings it and doesn't appologize. I liked this one a lot. Do NOT watch whilst eating pudding.$LABEL$ 1 +It's been a looooonnnggg time since I saw this comedy, and I'd forgotten just how idiotic it is. I'd place this easily in the lower two or three of Elvis Presley's very worst movies. Presley plays Joe Whitecloud, a half-breed Indian bull rider who returns home to Arizona and the broken-down shack where his family lives, and where his friends love to party all night long. His parents are played by Burgess Meredith and Katy Jurado, and his old Indian grandpa is Thomas Gomez. None of the three offer anything of substance , comically or otherwise. The government has invested in the family's cattle, but they're lacking a bull. Elvis gets to sing just a few utterly worthless songs, and is pursued by a young boy-crazy gal and her gun-toting mother. This is just a real slapdash of a mess, and the dilapidated surroundings practically stink of manure and don't make this much easier. The one thing that puzzles me, however, is that Elvis actually seems to be having a good time in the film. Hard to believe, considering he got so upset about being stuck making so many mediocre movies.$LABEL$ 0 +If there's one good suspenseful film, this is one of them. James Stewart puts on a dazzling performance as American Dr. Ben McKenna who, with his wife and son, are in Africa on tour. They stumble on a murder scene, and Dr. McKenna's son is kidnapped hours later.Before you can say, "Fasten your seat belts," Dr. McKenna finds out too much about a assassination attempt and tries to stop it. However, other people know he can be dangerous, (dangerous to them, that is) and try to dispose of him.Eventually, Hank, the son, is found alive and well.If you like suspenseful movies, this is the one to watch.My Score: 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +An unconventional historical drama, with some fine battle scenes. Tobey Maguire gives an excellent performance, and gets some pretty good back-up. The script is literate and pretty original, and the film is kept mercifully free of heroes. That said, it does drag a bit, and the last reel is too much like a TV mini-series. Still, Frederick Elmes's camerawork keeps one interested in the dull bits (and every now and again you see a shot which reminds you he worked for David Lynch). Worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +I caught this show a few times when I was young and it was playing tilt, My parents loved it and now in syndication I feel what they feel. This show did what the original limits and twilight zone (new and old) couldn't do. This show used some old ideas and some truly original ideas.I still cannot believe Jonathan Glassner and brad wright did this. Those guys were producers on stargate sg-1. The show kept the audience entrenched in the story and set a truly scary atmosphere. This is what was not there in the new twilight zone. Rod serling coming in added to the scariness, forest coming in lightened the mood. The ending whether good or bad made for a scary time. You could never predict what was going to happen. I am still trying to find the seasons on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +"All men are guilty," says the chief of the police. "They're born innocent but it doesn't last." Add this bit of nihilism to Jean-Pierre Melville's fascination with the idea of the crook's code of honor and you have Le Cercle Rouge. This code of honor among crooks, however, is not simply a cliché; it's a figment of the imagination even when film moralists -- realistic moralists by their viewpoint, romantic moralists by most others' -- began to make movies on the subject. Their theme is that it isn't what one does, but how one does it. We most often wind up with stories all about experienced men with their own sense of honor, stories where fate, fatalism and the code run things. For most of humanity, except screen writers and movie directors, this would seriously get in the way of living one's life, raising one's children and being a good friend. This mannered fatalism is something of a self-indulgent notion. Le Cercle Rouge is, in my view, a classic film for people who may secretly enjoy the adventure of just missing the last bus home. But where Melville's Le Samourai - Criterion Collection, in my opinion, is style dominating story, Le Cercle Rouge manages the great trick of combining style with a strong story and with compelling actors. The point of the movie, in my view, is nonsense...but the movie itself is a first-class experience. Melville's hopeless tale of three crooks -- Cory (Alain Delon), Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonte) and Jansen (Yves Montand) - is based on a bit of wisdom which is, maybe, attributed to the Buddha: That all men who are destined to meet, will...along with their destiny they cannot change. Maybe, because some believe Melville himself came up with the wording if not the thought. Either way, we know right at the start that this movie will not end happily, will depend upon fate and coincidence to set things up for us, and will leave us recalling the nihilistic philosophies we discovered and loved when we were in high school. Once Corey and Vogel meet and then gather in the unique talents of Jansen, we are off on a one-way ride to rob an exclusive, heavily protected jewelry story on the Place Vendome. The tension arises because we not only know the French police are after Vogel, we also realize that some determined crooks are after Corey. The great pleasure of the movie, for me, came from admiring the work that Delon, Volonte and Montand brought to their characters, and the intelligent ruthlessness that Andre Bouvril brought to his character, the police captain Mattei. Melville hooked me as he developed these characters and their own situations; he built me up emotionally and then released me when he brought me to appreciate their probable fate and let me see see it happen. Melville establishes his set pieces -- the escape from the train, the escape from the woods, the later shootout in the woods, the meetings with Mattei and a man who refuses to inform -- with intriguing possibilities. He builds tension in all these cases by taking his time; a rare trait in movie making and an even rarer trait now. And Melville takes the time to build up Mattei as an individual. Mattei is a rueful, experienced man. He's a loner. He has a set routine when he returns to his apartment -- he greets his three cats affectionately, he draws his bath and while the tub is filling he sets out food for them. I don't know who Mattei is destined to meet, but I hope it's someone who likes cats. Nihilism is always fashionable among some creative people and some critics. In most cases, I think it's a much harder task to set nihilism aside and to simply live one's life without damaging too many people. (And that's even more challenging to show compellingly in a film.) Le Cercle Rouge is a movie which, for me, tells me little, but it is in its own way, I think, a beautifully put together film.$LABEL$ 1 +I generally LIKE watching Burt Lancaster's films--especially when he is needed to go nuts with his imposing screen presence like in Elmer Gantry. However, his greatest strength, his magnetism, was occasionally also his greatest weakness as he rarely, if ever, underplayed ANYTHING. And it is this lack of subtlety that really hinders The Rainmaker. Now I understand that his character was meant to be a sort of showman but how Katherine Hepburn could fall under his spell is completely inexplicable. She is supposed to be smart but doesn't seem so when Lancaster's blarney is being thrown about the screen! In addition to this, the story is perhaps one of the most stagy looking films I have ever seen and it is way too obvious that this is a movie based on a play. It just looks like it was mostly filmed in a sound stage instead of in the great wide open West like it was supposed to be.Overall, a very overrated film.$LABEL$ 0 +Errol Flynn at his best as Robin Hood of the West, fighting military red tape, confederates , indians and carpetbagger business crooks singlehanded to his great and final heroic end. Not to forget the ever reliable O. de Havilland as Lady Mary of the west. Never try to link this story to the facts and the real persons, it doesn't work out. Just enjoy it, because nobody ever claimed to make documentaries when Raoul Walsh and Errol Flynn co-worked.$LABEL$ 1 +Used to watch this when i was very little, then used to watch my videos. Now i watch the DVDs, i love this. Ray Winston is 'The Dude', the rest of the cast is all good and even with the changing of Robin Hood it all works. Great stories, twists and the way it was shot - to the untrained eye (not that mine is trained) can be miss-interpreted as being ropey but it adds to the films absorption of the audience. With the green hillsides and the contrast of the lush sunny lit forest to the dark corridors and dungeons of the castles - Its great. Personally the definitive interpretation of the Robin Hood legend. I cannot stress how much i think you should watch this, if you get a chance then YOU MUST WATCH IT.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a title in search of a movie. It's a pitch that sounded lucrative to some studio executive and the rest be damned. When this film was made there were still two things that CGI did not do at all well: people, and fur. Furry people were thus not destined to look good when rendered by computer. This is the only example I can think of where effects for a well-funded sequel took a giant leap back landing well behind those of the original movie. For the record, the design of the werewolves doesn't help a bit. The film-makers apparently couldn't decide between quadruped and biped, tried to do both, and wound up with a creature that looks equally awkward either way. The transformations are anatomically nonsensical and the end result with a relatively high forehead and short snout looks like a cross between Ron Perlman and a hyena. But back to the crass part. This is a movie which exists PURELY to cash in on its forebear. I am not a fan of Landis' original film but boy, does it look good in light of this. If you thought some of Landis' humor was forced try some of the excruciating attempts here. The bubble gum scene, the corpse humor, the dog that...you know, you'll just have to watch that bit yourselves. Thomas Everett Scott is on vacation in Europe with friends and decides to take a break from acting the "ugly American' and bungee jump off the Eifel Tower in the middle of the night. This leads to him rescuing a young woman (Delpy - Julie it's not worth this just to become a star in America. Ask Rutger Hauer) from jumping to her death. She turns out to be part of a cult of werewolves who are plotting to...I'm not sure, something bad. Ghastly French stereotypes, gaping plot-holes, a muddled ending. No matter, the studio cared only that the title would likely fool millions of "American Werewolf in London" fans into handing over their cash. For the most part, happy to say, they were wrong.$LABEL$ 0 +If you're a long-time fan of the Doctor and you cringed when you heard they were making another series, rest easy -- it more than meets the high expectations of the original. The pacing is much quicker than the original shows, fitting more often into 50 minutes episodes rather than the average 90 minutes. The writing is excellent, the acting superb. The hardest - and best - thing to get used to is the production values of the new series. Compared to the original, it's got some now. (Although I will always have fond memories of bubble-wrap and hand-puppet monsters.) If you're not a fan, or if you tried the original and couldn't get a handle on it, jump in with both feet now! Everything you really need to know about the Doctor, they'll tell you as they go along. This series was written with minimal references to the Doctor's enormous back story specifically to encourage new viewers. Admittedly, I'm only seeing the first new series now as it's being shown on the Sci-Fi channel (in other words, probably cut to ribbons for time constraints), but I'm looking forward to future episodes either on broadcast TV or on DVD. (July 4th can't come soon enough!)$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this movie and in all honestly was quite disappointed. And in my opinion this movie lacks heart. I frankly didn't care what happen to the characters by the end of the movie. There was so much there they could have done with the movie that they didn't because they were either so rapped up in trying to be obscure and make some deep comment on life, or trying so hard not to, that the characters and story were completely lost in all of it. I have seen another picture by this director and enjoyed it well enough. But I felt this film lack of the whimsy and heart of the other and I was left wondering what the point was, or if the point of the movie was that it had no point. Honestly, while I didn't feel like tearing my hair out during the movie, I did remorse the lost time on the sad little film.I have no doubt that some people will love this movie, but frankly I didn't.$LABEL$ 0 +For a "no budget" movie this thing rocks. I don't know if America's gonna like it, but we were laughing all the way through. Some really Funny Funny stuff. Really non-Hollywood.The Actors and Music rocked. The cars and gags and even the less in your face stuff cracked us up. Whooo Whooo!I've seen some of the actors before, but never in anything like this, one or two of them I think I've seen in commercials or in something somewhere. Basically it Rocked! Luckily I got to see a copy from a friend of one of the actors.$LABEL$ 1 +This Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle comedy is best remembered for featuring a young Buster Keaton, fresh from splitting with his family's roughhouse Vaudeville act, in his film debut. Buster gets quite a substantial part in this film and it's quite a funny one overall. "The Butcher Boy" has lots of laughs and is an example of pure old-fashioned slapstick done well, though it would seem to come from the brief era of two-reel comedies when filmmakers still imagined in one-reel segments as a matter of course.The first half of the film takes place in a general store, with Arbuckle as the the butcher boy of the title. It's an excuse to mine the many possibilities for fast physical humor that a general store provides, and Arbuckle really shows himself to be a 300-pound acrobat, demonstrating subtlety, skill, and grace in his performance of what might have been unremarkable slapstick routines that raise them to a different level. A running gag has him flipping a large butcher knife casually so that it spins accurately into it's proper position stuck into the cutting board, and I'm still stunned that Arbuckle really seems to do it each time. There's also a really nice gag that sees him leaning on his scale and confused as to why his cuts of meat weigh so much.Buster Keaton is a boy who comes into to buy some molasses, and performs deftly in a foot-stuck-to-floor routine that follows. Apart from the odd and almost unsettling half-smile, his idiosyncratic attitude and body language make him recognizable immediately as the Buster we know. He even has his eventually-trademarked flattened hat -- here destroyed for the first time when filled, of course, with molasses.The second half of the film moves into more situation-based comedy and Arbuckle and his rival Al St. John dress in drag to infiltrate Fatty's girlfriend's boarding school. A lot of the humor also comes from the generally surreal and mysteriously laugh-inducing sight of these two odd fellows wearing drag and trying to "be girls." buster is in this segment too, but mostly stands there in the occasional cutaway, helping St. John.The ending of "The Butcher Boy" becomes a little emptily frenetic, but on the whole and beyond its historical curiosity interest, it's a well-done comedy that gets just the knockabout laughs it is going for.$LABEL$ 1 +Interesting concept that just doesn't make it. I watched the whole movie, but had to read IMDb comments to find out what Code 46 meant. If/when it was explained in the film, I must have been in a coma, or possibly brain-dead by then. I only watched it for Tim Robbins. The fact that I did not know any of the other actors should have been a tip-off. We all have to start somewhere, but this film should not be it. As to the 'anti empathy virus virus'-Holy Utility Belt, Batman! Where were The Joker, The Riddler, etc? Also, why are the women all so damned ugly? If I want to see less-than-plain stick-figures, I'll just walk down the street. The best part of the film was the car crash. It was totally believable, and not over-the-top like most movie crashes.$LABEL$ 0 +The Frozen Limits is a big screen vehicle for the artists known as The Crazy Gang. They were a group of British entertainers who formed in the early 1930s. In the main the group's six men were Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen, Jimmy Nervo, Teddy Knox, Charlie Naughton and Jimmy Gold. Hugely popular in the variety halls the group were also darlings of the then Royal Family. The plot here sees them as the Wonder Boys troupe who set off to seek their fortunes in Alaska after reading about a gold rush in the newspaper. Only problem is is that when they finally get to Red Gulch it turns out they are 40 years too late!I often cringe when I see the statement "it's very British" because it implies that those not of the British Isles may struggle to get it. The reason it bothers me is because in this www/internet age I have garnered a ream of non British film loving friends who have been known to split their sides at the best of Ealing, Will Hay and the imperious Terry-Thomas. So, then, is it true that something such as The Frozen Limits is unlikely to be appreciated by a non British audience? Well yes it's true, so much here is topically British, but really it has to be said that the classic movie fan is pretty well versed in history, and when all is said and done the visual mirth here is universal. With the anarchic "not" so wild west make over an absolute winner. A winner that has every chance of being more appreciated by an American audience now than it will be by a British audience. Not all the comedy works, and in truth the "big 6" are trumped big time by a film stealing Moore Marriott. But there are skits and parodies here that deserve respect and a nod of approval from more illustrious comedy acts. You are unlikely to nearly fall off your chair like I did because of an Ovaltine gag, but if you be a classic comedy film fan? I feel sure that you will at the worst acknowledge there's some very talented people at work here.Now then, dose the Mounties always get their man? 8/10$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I'm not here to dog this movie. I find it totally enjoyable in spite of the poor production quality. The acting herein is about as abominable as the monster stalking them, although the monster itself is quite well done...impressively well done, at that. He actually looks kind of other-worldly, like an alien family on vacation landed in the Himalayas and while dad was out taking a ... attending to nature's call, Spot got loose and they just didn't have time to hunt him down. That, or he's the Caucasian brother of the Wishmaster. I haven't decided which.Actually, this seems to have been filmed somewhere in snow country, yes, but more likely Canada somewhere than China anywhere. The trees and vistas say Canada to me, and it's okay that the set area never takes on the look or feel of uber-coldness one might expect to find in the Himalayas of China. It's a Sci-Fi Channel movie, so we can forgive the lack of location.Further, apparently (as we have just established) Sci-Fi directors do not travel often, as they are not aware that commercial planes fly above weather like what is featured herein and the subsequent crash actually would not have happened. But as I said, it's a Sci-Fi Channel movie so we must forgive a few things.The movie is pretty graphic at times, and rotates between "Alive" about the Donner Party, "Predator" about the alien in the woods, and any bad wushu movie where they fly about on wires. The Yeti apparently can leap about like Spiderman...or Super Mario...remember? "Run faster! Jump higher! Live longer!" Also, the Yeti has missed his teddy bear. He's searched high and low for it, but cannot seem to make a cadaver work. Poor Yeti! You can't help but feel sorry for it. It has survived and evolved thousands of years only to succumb to severe teddy bear loss. He's missed his bear. Or maybe it wants to mate, but that thought is BANISHED! Do ya hear me? Well, it does seem to be an unmated male. REBANISHED! And it's superhuman. Well, it's not human...it's super-Yeti! But then again, what's normal-Yeti? I don't know, but he has a definite Michael Meyers quality that is completely unsettling. And he's got this fabulous way of cleaning his fur. FABulous Dahlink! It's spotlessly white at times when it SO shouldn't be. He's fastidiously superhu-...super-Yeti.All in all? This was a lot of fun to watch, has some great kills and a few honest plot elements. In spite of the horribly gravel-like production style, this is actually quite entertaining. I can't help wondering if they're planning on another one? It rates a 6.0/10 on the M4TV Scale.It rates a 4.4/10 on the Movie Scale from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +Why Jessie Matthews, one of Britains top musical stars, was in this movie in between her sparkling "The Good Companions" and the classic "Evergreen" is a good question? When I first saw it I was really disappointed. I wanted to see her sing and dance - she was billed as "Millie - the non - stop variety girl" but there was more stop than variety.Now I see it as a good little drama.It is about a bus crash and the stories, leading up to it, of the people on the bus.Apart from Jessie Matthews, who is great as Millie - Sir Ralph Richardson plays her fiancée ( yes, that's right).Edmund Gwenn - who went to Hollywood to co-star in Lassie movies and also with Natalie Wood in "Miracle on 34th Street", plays a grumpy businessman. Gordon Harker is his very annoying partner.Emlyn Williams - who wrote "Night Must Fall" was the black - mailing villain and Frank Lawton, who went to Hollywood and appeared in "David Copperfield" and "The Devil Doll" is the young man in trouble. Sonnie Hale who was married to Jessie Matthews at the time played the bus conductor.$LABEL$ 1 +"Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" is a visually stunning production that handles complex issues with evocative ease. It is based on the life of controversial Japanese author Yukio Mishima, who committed suicide in the 1970s. It is not really a biopic - at least not one in the traditional sense - but an exploration of Mishima's iconoclastic oeuvre. The film succeeds in presenting abstract concepts in an unembroidered, totally engaging manner. Paul Schrader makes you sympathize with Mishima without having to deconstruct him or his work. It doesn't quite solve the puzzle but it does make you understand it. An added bonus: As we see Mishima's fury over the lack of tradition in a morally vacant modern society, Schrader gives us an excellent demonstration of the dichotomy between thought and execution in cinema. John Bailey's cinematography is spectacularly good. The grandiosity of composer Philip Glass' work is perfectly suited for the project. "Mishima" is the best film I've seen this year, so far.$LABEL$ 1 +this movie is trash because, out of many reasons, it is based on Mark Furman's book, which is also trash. let me must say that Mark Furhman is a racist pig that is just looking for another way to get himself into the spotlight - and others that right this type of trash belong in jail. for the movie itself, being based on the book, was horrible as well. the only reason that this murder case became such a big book and movie was because the guy is related, thru his aunts marriage, to the Kennedy family and it is ridiculous that people still believe that this family somehow has the ability to make and cover up murders - they are just a family and middle America needs to get over the obsession. this poor guy, and his family, have been hounded by the police for years, they couldn't get tommy so they went after Micheal. its amazing that he went to jail with all the evidence that supports that he Didn't do it, besides the facts that the statute of limitations, among other things, should have kept this trial from being brought back after TWENTY years for the love of god, don't watch this garbage$LABEL$ 0 +Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman along with Jennifer Aniston combine to make one of the funniest movies so far this 2003 season (late May) and a good improvement on Carrey's past crazy and personally forgetable roles in past comedies. With a slightly toned down Carrey antics yet with just the zap and crackle of his old self, Carrey powerfully carries this movie to the height of laughter and also some dramatic, tearfully somber moments. Elements of Jim's real acting abilities continue to show up in this movie. This delightful summer entertainment hits most of the buttons, including dramatic elements along with the goofy moments that fit perfectly with this script. While still lacking in the superbly polished ensemble of comedy/drama, Bruce, Almightly deserves credit for being a great date movie along with a solid message and soft spiritual cynicism and parody that maintains its good-natured taste. Eight out of ten stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Barbara Stanwyck gives this early Douglas Sirk-directed, Universal-produced soap just the kick that it needs. Not nearly as memorable as Sirk's later melodramas, it's easy to see by watching "All I Desire" where Sirk would be heading artistically in the next few years. Stanwyck is a showgirl who returns to her family in smalltown, U.S.A, after deserting them a decade earlier. Her family and community have mixed emotions in dealing with her shocking return. Some of the cinematography is amazing, and Stanwyck is tough-as-nails and really gives this film a shot of energy. Overall, a fairly good show.$LABEL$ 1 +Great movie. Post-apocalyptic films kick ass. This one is no exception. Kept up the pace and interest without a speck of dialogue (mainly through some good character development). The fight between Reno and the Hero was tight. I also liked the use of cave paintings and medieval-like weapons to show how primitive and savage mankind had become without their technology and guzzaline. The connection between the beginning and end was a little spacey, that is, I had a hard time understanding the distances between the hotel and the opening sequence. In sum, kick ass character progression, design, story without the cushion of dialogue, and most importantly, the always appreciated desolate scenery of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.$LABEL$ 1 +But not too hip. And not too wisecracking. "Judas Kiss" nails the new noir thing just right. Great pacing and a nuanced score round out a twisty tale filled with sex, betrayal and sure-fire one liners. Inspiring work all around. Kudos in partcular to HalHolbrook (his best work ever), Gil Bellows (Ally Mc-what?) and Carla Gugino (the best famme fatale in ages... smart, funny and ultra HOT)... I give this a 9 (out of 10) and that's because 10 should be reserved for like, Humphrey Bogart and Coen Bros movies.$LABEL$ 1 +not many people outside poland have had an opportunity to become familiar with andrzej sapkowski's brilliant writings. he's very popular in poland for his fantasy short stories ( i believe none of them has ever been translated intrto english. alas!). to make a long story short, wiedzmin - the main character of sapkowski's books - is a traveling monster slayer, a man of extraordinary strenght and skill: he's pretty much your favourite tolkien-style cool guy. unfortunately, no one would figure this out after watching the film. 'wiedzmin' the movie is nothing but a collection of random scenes, featuring wiedzmin and other characters from sapkowski's writings, but not eben remotely resembling the plot and dramatic pace of the original. event the fact that some of the shots in the film show attractive naked women does not add any quality to it. the movie gets worse and worse with every minute, and does not even meet the requirements of 'so bad it's actually good' category. if you really are into fantasdy and want to learn something about wiedzmin, read the books instead.$LABEL$ 0 +A classy film pulled in 2 directions. To its advantage it is directed by Wes Craven. On the downside the TV film budget shows what could have been so much more with a larger budget. It moves along as Susan Lucci draws Robert Urichfamily into her clutches and trying to persuade him into the secret of her health club. His latest invention, a spacesuit which can analyse people or things becomes unexpectedly useful in his new neighbourhood. Anyone seeing this should pay attention to Susan Lucci. Her looks and performance had an unexpected repercussions a few years later. The actor, scientist and parapsychologist Stephen Armourae is a fan of this film and wrote a review of this film. Lucci became subject of a portrait by him followed as the basis for works of a sitter called Catherine. Lucci and Barbara Steele's portrait in 'Black Sunday' were used as references for the Catherine portraits which were immediately withdrawn by Armourae. Probably due to a personal nature between the artist and Catherine. So by seeing both films we can get an insight into another story and the appearance of unknown woman that would make an interesting film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is the worst I've seen in the last 5 years. It is surprising how brilliant actors like two main characters in this movie has accepted to act in such worthless peace of trash. The film is rape/beating and revenge genre. Couple has gone to party and on the way back they hit a deer and he went out to finish it when a jeep full of bad guys comes. He didn't go to their car, instead he has been kicked and well beaten while she tries to run the car engine which betray her and she has been gang raped.Then somehow she is in her fathers house and one of bad guys is her neighbor so she took shotgun and wanted to kill him... So stupid scenario! Bellow Hollywood ! He was against that revenge but "She is raped" "They laugh to her" so she must kill them all... But once inside the house she was satisfied by pushing rifle's top in bad guys anus and went away while he has gone crazy and execute bad guy. Personally I think that director run out of money before finishing this because movie ends before they execute anyone else involved in this gang-rape and beating which is not big surprise because sponsor obviously has seen this and wanted to take back his money. LoL This movie is not even for people who enjoy watching rape because they won't see anything they are looking for... This director should be banned...It is for upsetting that this peace of trash has been made by British cinematography which I personally like and that is the reason I've watched this. Don't do it yourself you have better things to do that watching stupid scenario film ...$LABEL$ 0 +Above all, you must not take this movie seriously. It takes itself seriously, unfortunately, but that can't be helped. This anime ninja flic has to be the crowning achievement in spoiling what could have been an endearing, if unoriginal, story with bad plot twists, ridiculous time-killing cutscenes, and one outrageous guest appearance which will either make you laugh or groan (or both, like me).While I'm typically a fan of ninja/samurai anime (Ninja Scroll and Rurouni Kenshin to name a few), this one has to be the exception. For the record, from a technical point of view of its time, this movie was very well animated and constructed. It is just the plot that stunk. The authors of this movie clearly decided (for what rational reason I don't know) that they could somehow make up for the lack of a script if the character halfway around the world in search of a treasure that (he learns) his father fought and died for. In the process, he saves a black slave named Sam, meets a French girl who is living in an Apache village, makes friends with a ninja clan whose members then try to kill him, meets more family members then he knew he had in the weirdest places and circumstances (and whom all subsequently die at some point in the movie).Even so far, these ludicrous plot twists could be excused, but then come the two "guest appearances". #1: After having a ridicuously cliche showdown with two cowboys, Jiro meets a man who introduces himself as "Mark Twain". At this point, you're probably saying "What the ****?!!" This "meeting" serves one purpose: it entirely discredits a movie which tries to add to itself an educated historical background. I found it disappointing that the authors went to all this trouble to research the 1860s US and didn't manage to realize that "Mark Twain's" real name was Samuel Clemens. #2: When Jiro finally finds the treasure, it turns out that it used to belong to Captain Kidd. I can hear the groans of disgust now.Finally, there are the running scenes. These scenes show various characters running, with the landscape moving statically behind them, for several minutes, and there are a lot of them. It is these scenes which make this movie, 2hrs 12 min, to seem to last a week and a half.If you and your friends are looking for a bad subtitled movie that just asks to be made fun of, this is it. Feel free to poke fun at every possible aspect of it, and have fun. Just don't take it seriously. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Another made for TV piece of junk! This is an insult of a war movie (I use the word movie in it's loosest possible form!) I thought Telly Savalas's career had hit rock bottom when he did the voice over on that visit Birmingham video that's shown on Tarrant on TV on a semi regular basis, but then I'd forgot he was involved in this! I'd tried to push it into my subconscious memory, but cable TV brought the memory kicking and screaming out of me!! I like the bit (laughs sarcastically!) in the film which claims to be a scene from Liverpool in the forties, but it's blatantly a shot of Zagreb Cathedral in the late eighties. Also the steam train the Commando's are training on shows the JZ (Jugoslavia Zeleznice, or Yugoslav state railways) logo's on the side of the locomotive quite clearly, even though the makers have tried to black them out. Why not just film in the UK, if that's where most of the film is set? Cheap rubbish, and a waste of celluloid!$LABEL$ 0 +May I never have to go to this hospital [or hospice, if I want to be politically correct] [which ass coined this asinine phrase, anyway?], for anything other than directions on how to get out of town. George C. did a masterful job playing the burned out, over worked cynic who has come to the conclusion that his life has been a waste, but is helpless to change his environment or conditions even when given a golden opportunity [which probably wasn't so golden anyway]. I got several laughs out of this brutally black comedy, however at the same time was sobered and often chilled to the marrow because I fear this very atmosphere pervades most houses of healing even as I write.$LABEL$ 1 +Minor spoilersFirst I must say how rare and charming it is to find a movie with such basic messages in it: nuclear war will inevitably destroy all of civilization, and women are for making babies. It is absolutely incredible how well formulated the plot is to hit in these two points, as with a golden hammer. Essentially, everything about this movie annoyed me. The casual sexism, the character whose sole trait was coming from Texas, the mysterious choice of dying Mars orange, and of course the flawed science of it all. Then the martian woman screaming as if she had just noticed that she was blind? What was that? However, I will give it credit. The fifties did spit out some sillier things. But not much...$LABEL$ 0 +As a word of explanation, Disney's "The Kid" has absolutely nothing in common with the Charlie Chaplin 1921 classic of the same name. What we do have is a pleasant enough, though unbelievable, feel good family comedy as only the folks at Disney can provide. Bruce Willis, in a change of pace, plays a self-centered stuffed shirt of an "Image Consultant". He degrades, not only his clients, but those close to him as well. You know that he is going to have to change before the final credits. Into his life comes a chapter from his past in the form of Willis' character as a nerdy 8 year old played with cutesy pie conviction by Spencer Breslin (Disney always finds these kids somewhere). This forces Willis to come to grips with his past and well..you know the rest. Appearing as Willis' love interest is Emily Mortimer and Lily Tomlin as his Executive Assistant. Both have little enough to do as most of the movie involves the inter-action between the Willis and Breslin characters. "The Kid", though not the greatest of Disney movies is one nonetheless that you can sit down and watch with your family and come away from with a warm feeling.$LABEL$ 1 +Cruel Intentions 2 is bloody awful, I mean uber-bad. Words can not explain how bad it is, but I'll give it a go anyway.The plot of Cruel Intentions 2 is very similar to the first film. Sebastian (Robin Dunne), is kicked out of a private school and is forced to move to New York. There he decides to make a fresh start and just a life a normal life and settle down. Unfortunately he has to deal with his step-sister Kathryn (Amy Adams) wants to drag him down. Sebastain starts to fall in love Danielle (Sarah Thompson), the innocent daughter of the Headmaster of the school. Kathryn wants Sebastain to just sleep around with the whole school which had been describe as a 'whore-house'. Kathryn also wants to get revenge with Cherie (Keri Lynn Pratt), who humiliated her during the school assembly. Kathryn wanted to make the freshman into the biggest slut in the school, a similar sub-plot to the first film.Cruel Intentions 2 is basically a cancelled TV-show, which was turned into a prequel. There are so many problems with the film. It is poorly written, unfunny, and badly acted. Luckily for Amy Adams that the show never took off because now she is a fairly big actress. Whilst Cruel Intentions had a sense of realism and can been seen to be set in the real world, Cruel Intentions 2 is set in sitcom land and as described on amazon.co.uk 'a randy version of Saved by the Bell'. There were some dark themes involving sex and drug use in the first film, but in Cruel Intentions 2 tried to make it funny and some of the ideas in the film shouldn't be, such as Kathryn having an affair with a teacher. Other ideas also don't work such as the secret society where all the popular kids meet to discuss the downfall of other students. The film also had a major problem of sexualised 15/16-years-old. I know that teenagers do have sex, sometimes a lot, but when done on film or television, is treated very seriously. One famous sense was when Daneille encourages Cherie (who is around 14/15 in the film) to simulate sex on the back of a horse to the point where she has a orgasm. The idea of turning a girl around 14/15 into a slut is just very wrong with me, and shouldn't be made into a subject of comedy. The jokes in the film fall flat, whether if it's a verbal gag like 'she goes all moist when she sees you' to a visual gag where Sebastian pushes Kathryn face first into mud.There is a lot wrong with this film, which I don't have time to go into, but I say it should be avoid. Just watch Cruel Intentions, whilst not a classic, still is a decent film and treats the subject matter well.This film is just a pervert's wet dream, having school-kids having lots of sex with each other.$LABEL$ 0 +The ScareCrow was on of the funniest Killers I have ever seen in the act! Plus he's really bouncy most of the time he jumped around, which was awesome! Also he had an excellent voice I mean it was just perfect for him. The story lines was excellent too. I like how the kids soul was transferred into ScareCrow that was cool! Plus he did have a reason for all that killing I mean after what those people did to him.....I would be angry too! ScareCrows look was really good! his look gives that person an "OMG!" reaction when they see him! Which was great the stares he got were funny! Those people were stupid, who would stare for that long! They should of glanced and ran for their lives...even though that wouldn't of made a difference!$LABEL$ 1 +Being a fan of cheesy horror movies, I saw this in my video shop and thought I would give it a try. Now that I've seen it I wish it upon no living soul on the planet. I get my movie rentals for free, and I feel that I didn't get my moneys worth. I've seen some bad cheesy horror movies in my time, hell I'm a fan of them, but this was just an insult.$LABEL$ 0 +I used to like some of the Hollywood action blockbusters of the 80s. They had icons such as Arnie and Sly but I think the action movie in the '90s has plummeted to new depths. The worst of these, I believe, was Armageddon.The plot is shamelessly contrived and pulls off the worst cliches as it seeks to excite viewers. The melodrama is so cringingly saccharine and awful that you actually cannot wait for Bruce Willis to disappear from the screen. Liv Tyler, who had acted admirably in several fine independent features directed by such masters as Bernardo Bertolucci and Robert Altman, regrettably decided to jump onto the commercial bandwagon. This movie symbolises the new Hollywood aesthetic of grand special effects and precious little good dialogue or authentic melodrama. That is the norm these days and I begin to wonder if there is a role in Hollywood for screenwriters. It seems as though they just employ hacks and committees to write the facile scripts. The rest they leave to technology. There is not a single piece of grand, heartfelt human emotion in Armageddon. It just feels empty and bland. I can think of only one good aspect of this movie and that involves Liv Tyler's dad who doesn't even make an appearance in the film. Steven Tyler's band Aerosmith provide a theme song for the movie - a ballad that really soars and at least tugs at the heartstrings a little when the end credits come up.I weep for Western civilization if people like this predictable, cumbersome movie. It stands for shallowness, lethargy, and a decline in the human intellect. I would even prefer to watch the eighth Friday the 13th.$LABEL$ 0 +This Was One Scary Movie.Brad Pitt Deserved an Oscar for this.A traveling novelist (played by David Duchovny of the X-Files fame) and his girlfriend pick up two hitch-hikers(Juliette Lewis and Brad Pitt) on their way to California. On their way they stop at infamous serial killer murder scenes to photography the scenes for an upcoming book Duchovny's character is working on, little do they know that the most disturbed serial killer in the history of the country is sitting right next to them in the same car.$LABEL$ 1 +This picture reminds me of a Keneth More picture from 1957 called The Admirable Crighton" whilst on the boat he was a servant and on the island he became the master and upon being saved reverted back to servant. Madonna did OK in some movies however this one doesn't fire. If there is any picture that show Madonna can't act it is this one.I am not sure whether this was a subtle copy of "The Admirable Crighton" but it sure looks like it and if thats the case then Hollywood must be running out of ideas and that is sad. to provide a platform for actors to improve their career profile and just on that this fails in every corner and detail.The plot is loose and the acting is mediocre. The script should have been put thru the shredder before taking it on location. While many here have canned Madoona for all her acting I think that in films like "A League of Their own" was quite good and enjoyable and "Who's That Girl" showed a quirkiness of Madonna's style not shown before or afterwards. Other Madonna films are not as enjoyable and I would have liked a to see a Madonna Animation series with the character from "Who's That Girl" I like the music from these two films however "Swept away" remains at the bottom of the pile here and will remain so.everyone has a bomb right?$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who has experienced the terrors of divorce will empathize with this indie film's protagonist, a scared little boy who believes a zombie is hiding in his closet. Is Jake (a mesmerizing Anthony DeMarco) simply "transferring" the trauma of two bickering parents to an understandable image? Or could the creature be real? Writer/director Shelli Ryan neatly balances both possibilities and keeps the audience guessing. Her choice of using one setting - a suburban house - adds to the feeling of desperation and claustrophobia.Brooke Bloom and Peter Sean Bridgers are highly convincing as the angry, but loving parents. However it is the creepy minor characters, Mrs. Bender(Barbara Gruen), an unhinged babysitter and Sam Stone (Ben Bode), a sleazy Real estate agent that linger in the mind. Jake's Closet is a darkly inspired portrait of childhood as a special kind of Hell.$LABEL$ 1 +The directing is brilliant, the casting is remarkable (though I would've loved to have seen a little more of Aaron Lustig (from Y & R fame), who played Paul Shaffer). I only have two minor quips about the film, as subtle as they are. One- Roebuck's Leno is excellent, but his stage presence (i.e. during what appears the taping of one of his late show episodes) is a tad underwhelming. Two- the distribution of the foul language. I am willing to tolerate foul language, so long as it is not used gratuitously, and to a degree, the film was gratuitous. The language seemed to be used as a tool to reduce the pathos of Bates' otherwise well-portrayed Kushnick by her frequent use of it, and served to make Roebuck's Leno a goody-goody by his lack of use of it (of course, if the characters really did behave this way, kudos to everybody). Nonetheless, the piece is an excellent one, as far as television and video are concerned. The film, I feel, had potential for the big screen, but would've required re-casting for the bit parts, and probably a different director, as well (the aesthetic feel is that of the Larry Sanders show, good for HBO, mediocre for cinematic purposes).$LABEL$ 1 +This is a children's TV series about a Mary-Sue who is at the same time, mean and bitchy. I couldn't bring my self to sit through 3 episodes of Zoey101. Not to mention that Jamie Lynn Spears can't act to save her life! What message does this show bring to kids? If you're not perfect like Zoey, you're unworthy *rollseyes*.It's absurd how Zoey's character is exactly the type of person who would be despised in real life yet she manages to become so popular. Then there is Chase who is basically a lovesick puppy who worships the ground Zoey walks on. Then there is the fact that all the other characters seem to have been dumbed down in order to stop them from outshining Zoey. I'm sorry but the characterization in this show = extremely unrealistic.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a pretty well known one so i won't get too deep into it. The basic story is about two teens who find out about a slimy alien blob of goo that arrives to earth via meteor. Human contact with this slime ball burns through flesh like acid. It also absorbs human bodies making it grow bigger. Nobody believes the teens (Steeve McQueen and his girlfriend) and when they finally do it seems that the blob can't be stopped. It's really well done for it's age and unlike a lot of other 50's flicks the pace is pretty fast. The story is very unique making it and a must see for any fan of old sci-fi and monster movies. If you can dig the gooey gore of 80s horror be sure to check out the remake from '88 as well.$LABEL$ 1 +Enough is enough...sometimes they just need to stop making movies based on a concept that is long dead. The first Tremors movie was great. The second one was ridiculous. The third one was nauseating. The tv series was depressingly awful. And this movie just drives the stake deeper.Basically another excuse for cheap computer effects and puppetry, now we have the series set in the Wild West, in the 1800's, and they fight graboids. Like a rehash of the first one, they have to learn how to beat them all over again. Mildly entertaining I suppose. Otherwise this straight-to-video release, just like Tremors 2 and 3, is just going way too far. Oh and I continue to wonder how there is never any record of these events taking place...did they just simply forget to record this unprecedented event? I think something like this would be history-making, so our pals in the first film wouldn't be so unprepared. Movies like this that ruin the original just make me crazy. Avoid this garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +This film was the first British teen movie to actually address the reality of the violent rock and roll society, rather than being a lucid parody of 1950s teenage life. In an attempt to celebrate the work of Liverpool's Junior Liaison Officers the opening title points out that 92% of potential delinquents, who have been dealt with under this scheme, have not committed a second crime. However, this becomes merely a pretext to the following teen-drama until the film's epilogue where we are instructed that we shouldn't feel responsible or sorry for such delinquents however mixed-up they might seem.Stanley Baker plays a tough detective who reluctantly takes on the post of Juvenile Liaison Officer. This hard-boiled character is a role typical of Baker. Having been currently on the trail of a notorious arsonist known as the firefly and does not relish the distraction of the transfer. However, as in all good police dramas he is led back full circle by a remarkable turn of events, back to his original investigation.His first case leads him to the home of two young children, Mary and Patrick Murphy (played by real-life brother and sister duo), who have committed a petty theft. Here he meets Cathie (satisfyingly portrayed by Anne Heywood) their older sister whom he eventually becomes romantically involved with. It quickly becomes obvious that the squalid environment of such inner-city estates is a breeding ground for juvenile delinquency.The elder brother of the Murphy family, Johnny, is the leader of a gang of rock and roll hoodlums. McCallum does an eye-catching turn as the Americanized mixed-up kid, who owes more to the likes of Marlon Brando, than any previous British star. One is reminded of Brando's character Johnny from 'The Wild One' who led a leather-clad gang of rebellious bikers in much the same way as this film's 'Johnny' leads his gang.Thankfully the preachiness of earlier Dearden crime dramas such as 'The Blue Lamp' is not so apparent. Instead we are presented with several well drawn-out characters on both sides of the law as the drama of the delinquents and the romantic interest between Heywood and Baker takes the forefront.The plot, whilst at times predictable, does deliver some memorable scenes. The disruptive influence that rock and roll music was thought to have had is played out in a scene where Johnny abandons himself to the music, leading a menacing advance on the police sergeant. The most grippingly memorable piece of film however is the climatic classroom scene where a bunch of terrified school children, including Mary and Patrick, are held hostage at gunpoint by Johnny. Obviously in the light of the real-life Dumblaine Massacre this scene seems all the horrifying. Understandably because of this the film is seldom aired or available to modern audiences.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this film during the Mod & Rockers fest in August. I was so inspired and touched. Harry had an amazing life and one of the best and distinct voices ever recorded. For those of you who don't know about Harry Nilsson do a little research and you'll see that Harry has probably found his way into your life in one way or another - maybe it was his 70s special "The Point" or "Everybody's Talking" from Midnight Cowboy. For me it started with "people let me tell you bout my best friend" - the theme song from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." Watching this film you can really feel the love and admiration from Harry's true friends and peers. Don't shed a tear for Harry - he had a ball...Brett$LABEL$ 1 +Take "Rambo," mix in some "Miami Vice," slice the budget about 80%, and you've got something that a few ten-year-old boys could come up with if they have a big enough backyard & too much access to "Penthouse." Cop and ex-commando McBain (Busey, and with a name like McBain, you know he's as gritty as they come) is recruited to retrieve an American supertank that has been stolen & hidden in Mexico. Captured with the tank were hardbitten Sgt. Major O'Rourke (Jones) & McBain's former love Devon (Fluegel), the officer in command & now meat for the depraved terrorists/spies/drug peddlers, who have no sense of decency, blah, blah, blah. For an action movie with depraved sex, there's a dearth of action and not much sex. The running joke is that McBain gets shot all the time & survives, keeping the bullets as souvenirs. Apparently the writers didn't see "The Magnificent Seven" ("The man for us is the one who GAVE him that face"), nor thought to give McBain even a pretense of intelligence. Even for a budget actioner, the production values are poor, with distant shots during dialog and very little movement. The main prop, the tank, is silly enough for an Ed Wood production. Fluegel, who might have been a blonde Julia Roberts (she had a far bigger role in "Crime Story" than Julia!) has to go from simpering to frightened to butt-kicking & back again on an instant's notice. Jones, who's been in an amazing array of films, pretty much hits bottom right here. Both he & Busey were probably just out for some easy money & a couple of laughs. Look for talented, future character actor Danny Trejo ("Heat," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico") in a stereotyped, menacing bit part. Much too dull even for a guilty pleasure, "Bulletproof" is still noisy enough to play when you leave your house but want people to think there's someone home.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie is not as bad as some say it is infact i think it`s more enjoyable than the original . maybe that`s why some people hate it as much cos they dont want to admit it`s a good (not great) movie.most if not all fx were done by C.G.I which i didn`t mind at all cos it was an enjoyable movie. Phil Buckman - (Chris) was in my opinion the best guy in the movie Julie Delpy was rather attractive she brought the sexiness to the movie.there were a lot of wisecracks in the movie which i thought were good. this movie is in my collection but the original is not because i dont like it as much as this one. i was not bored when i watched this movie it kept me watching unlike some horror movies i could mention like oh say = driller killer & suspiria (dario argento`s movie) thats to name but two.this is an ok werewolf film it should be in people`s collection if they like werewolf movies maybe i`ll get the original at some point maybe. i have only one complaint and that is Phil Buckman - (Chris) should have been in it more than he was but apart from that the movie was fine.rating for this movie 8/10 an ok werewolf movie not the worst one out there.$LABEL$ 1 +It is a shame that this series hasn't been remastered and produced on video by Warner or some other professional movie house.Copies of most episodes are available, but are usually of poor quality, being copies of copies of copies.As I understand it, 92 episodes were produced during its run, but only 15 are noted here.Some of the series writers, such as Richard Matheson, went on to become noted authors.Excellent series, well written, well staged and well produced.Michael Weldon,Udon Thani, Thailand$LABEL$ 1 +Martin Ritt's first film offers an exceptional existentialist answer (three years later) to Elia Kazan's more conservative "On The Waterfront." While "Waterfront" benefited immensely from an electrifying Marlon Brando, who inadvertently disguised Kazan's offensive theme of trying to justify naming names (as Kazan did eagerly before the House Un-American Activities Committee), "Edge of the City" boasts a young John Cassavetes and an upstart Sidney Poitier daring to confront issues that "Waterfront" failed to acknowledge, namely, workers' rights and race relations."Edge of the City" boldly dives into this (then) unknown territory, and although the quite appealing black protagonist (Poitier) may seem a bit Hollywood simplistic, the courageous struggle against thinly-veiled bigotry and violence has hardly aged at all. One wonders how shocked initial 1957 moviegoers were at such a bold presentation of white-black relations (if some of the bigoted didn't leave the theater early, they must of left dumbfounded, if not offended). The last reel of the film will still surprise audiences, as it refuses to sink into expected clichés, including those that tainted "Waterfront." Only the most jaded viewers will not realize what a radical and entertaining film "Edge of the City" ends up being.What's most disturbing about this lost classic: how it sadly remains unavailable on any format, for reasons that remain quite cloudy. This film should be required viewing in high school or college history classes across the country, yet one can only find it on obscure late-night TV, if ever at all.$LABEL$ 1 +And a rather Unexpected plot line too-for the era: there is Plague in the City of New Orleans-and only Richard Widmark can stop it! Elia Kazan's trademark subjects: waterfronts, working men, crowds, fugitives, blue collar folk, violence on a backstreet-are all showcased here.Jack Palance is quite effective as the ice-cold mobster out for a big score, Zero Mostel as Dom Delouise somewhat miscast but certainly watchable as his go-fer. I enjoyed Barbara Bel Geddes as the stalwart, cool wife-I thought she and Widmark were a believable couple.He himself always reminds me somewhat of Sinatra-in the face and in the intense quiet manner-and that is meant as a compliment if anything. I'd never even heard of this movie, and yes, you have to admire Widmark's performance. I also enjoyed Paul Douglas-he seemed to play this role many times, they make an unlikely but effective team.The plague itself is a McGuffin-and you gotta know it's not exactly done the way it would have been in Real Life-rather small-scale at the least no?-but I found it carried the plot along nicely.Check this out. It's good. *** outta ****$LABEL$ 1 +Being one of the founding fathers of my regions monkey movie club(this also includes apes/chimps and orangutans) I am reviewing this film from a monkey movie standpoint. Afterall it is a whole summer of monkeys, 100+ days for monkeys to do what they do best, cause mischief, shenanigans, hyjinx, solve human problems and teach us about ourselves.The story is simple enough. In short poor boy needs money for stuff he wants. Luckily there's a few monkeys(chimpanzees) that have a bounty on their head that would get Boba Fett or Dog's(Duane Chapman) blood flowing. As the boy tries to catch the monkeys he learns about himself, his family, his grandpa, the local weirdo, flirts with a girl twice his age and learns the beast way to deal with bullies is to have someone point a shotgun at them.There within lies the problem. So much focus is put on the boy that the chimps just don't get the screen time they deserve. The chimps are not as talented as the chimp(s) that play Jack from the M_P trilogy or the legendary orangutans that play Dunstin or Clyde(1 or 2). So don't watch this movie expecting to find the next big thing in the Chimp genre. The chimps hit some sweet flips which is what the film needed more of. There is an epic scene of the chimps breaking into the poor families house and destroys all the things they worked so hard for. Serious monkey movie enthusiasts will want to rent the film for this scene alone.So in closing this movie is not for the serious monkey movie enthusiast. I wouldn't recommend this movie to families as it encourages a childs rebellion against their parents. I can only recommend this film as a rental for hardcore monkey loving adults and well supervised children.$LABEL$ 0 +Also known as the Big Spook War. The Great Yokai War is Miike's attempt at a family film and damn fine job he does as well. The problem is that I can't imagine many parents wanting to subject their children to this movie. The best kids movies are the ones that are scary or have mildly disturbing imagery, Neverending Story and Return to Oz spring to mind, but in the case of the Great Yokai War Miike probably takes things a little too far. In fact at the screening I was at the person introducing the movie reiterated to the two families there that it was probably not very suitable.The film kicks off with the young hero of the piece introducing himself and explaining about his current family problems. This brief moment of mundanity is sharply broken as a cow gives birth to a calf with the face of a human whom screams that something horrendous is coming before falling dead like the abomination it is (it is quite possible that the sheer hideousness of the creature is some bizarre Quato homage).Following an incredible introduction for main baddie Kato, and his henchwoman Agi (a surprisingly attractive Chiaki Kuriyami), by way of an apocalyptic army raising. The story reverts to normal for a while, but it doesn't take long before any and all logic goes down the drain and the young boy teams up with a group of Miyazaki rejects to take out the evil sorcerer.The plot of the movie is fairly basic and surprisingly hackneyed at times, the entire chosen one just seems completely out of place in a movie which so regularly breaks clichés, but is aided by a simple awe inspiring vision of a magical world. This really is a Miyazaki movie made into a live action movie, albeit a much seedier and more vicious than usual Miyazaki movie.The film is simply a joy to look at the designs of the Yokai is colourful, and largely practical, while the evil robotic monstrosities while not displaying the best CGI in the world have a practicality and menace to them which gives them far more of a palpable threat than you would imagine.The cast is uniformly excellent, they just make their characters seem perfectly natural which is commendable when you consider that most of them are in full body makeup or latex suits. Even Agi lumbered with a ridiculous beehive comes across as sultry and deadly thanks to surprisingly excellent acting from Kuriyami.While the film does have many elements which put it firmly into family movie territory; cute creatures, junior heroes, a thoroughly evil villain, a sense of mischief and adventure, and a telling lack of violence. There are elements which make you question whether Miike should have directed such a movie.The robot army is a genuinely terrifying menace everyday items warped into monstrous beasts that look like T-101 sans skin and with added chainsaws. These beasts rip characters to pieces; suck creatures into their blood stained mouths, and abduct children from their homes by swiping them right from under their parent's nose before indulging in a little patricide.The creation of the creature is equally arduous for young minds. The Yokai, essentially the heroes, are feed into a giant furnace full of a liquidised form of hate which corrodes the Yokai's flesh and forces their angry souls to possess lumps of metal. If kids thought smouldering Anakin was bad wait til they see a man sized hedgehog burning to death in a vat of molten hatred for a minute before being turned into an abomination of a motorcycle. There is also limb severing, in one case a severed hand twitches in front of the camera dripping with blood, a fair amount of sexual energy (Agi wears one dress designed specifically for fan service and seems to only have sleeping with Kato as motivation, while the Princess of the Rivers wears next to nothing and gets her thighs groped by the young hero in several scenes), and general humour which will go right over the heads of those that this technicolour wonder was seemingly designed for.Spoilers An Example of this being that the Yokai only become interested in the final battle when they think it is a big party. The subsequent battle more of a festival than anything, complete with beer, crowd surfing and moshing. Also a scene where Agi beats the tar out of a cute furry creature seems designed to appeal to the masses jaded by pokemon overkill.End Spoilers At the end of the day The Great Yokai War is easily on of Miike's stronger recent films. While it lacks some of the perverse charm of say Gozu or Ichi it is just continually pushing the audience down a road of general insanity. In fact this is easily Miike's most deranged movie in that he embraces the sheer magic of the subject so wholeheartedly.Well worth a watch just for the occasional flash of Gogo arse.$LABEL$ 1 +The opening of "The Jungle" promises us a safari adventure with a science fiction element, but mostly what we get is a travelogue with lots of stock footage and padding (and the odd leopard attack). The movie is leisurely when you want it to be gripping, and tries to inject interest into the proceedings with badly staged matches between various wild animals (I had no idea that lions and wild boars were natural enemies in the wild, did you? I thought the big cats stuck to hunting herbivores, but apparently the producers knew better). As for the actors: Cesar does his usual great job of rocking the mustache, and Marie Windsor is reasonably believable as the progressively thinking rajah's daughter (nice eyebrows, btw!). However, Rod Cameron is barely watchable as the hunter returning as the sole survivor of his expedition. I'm sure he was in demand in his day, but here he comes off as a Rent-A-Center Bogart : rough looking, but with none of Bogey's range or timing. He spends the movie going back and forth from stoic anger to angry stoicism, and any time the screenplay attempts to crank up some romantic sparks between himself and Windsor, you just have to laugh. That crabbed, knobby face isn't a good vehicle for tenderness. The screenplay is not entirely without merit, although it does make some odd choices. Early in the first act, the screenplay makes a point of spending several moments where the heroes decide to bring along the obligatory clever young boy and monkey mascot, but then basically ignore them until ***SPOILER*** the monkey somehow gets hold of a live hand grenade during the mammoth scene and accidentally tosses near Windsor. This is so Cameron can prove his bravery by diving on it and saving her life at the cost of his own.***END SPOILER. It's possible that the Indian version of this movie (which I understand ran better than 2 1/2 hours), might have given the kid and the monkey more to do. Another thing that makes the film show its age **SPOILER**is the issue of the woolly mammoths (the plot device that sets the safari into motion in the first place). When they finally appear, the way the scene is filmed, it's obvious that the "mammoths" (obviously elephants draped in shag carpeting) aren't really "attacking" anyone, or even moving all that fast, and yet Cameron immediately sets to trying to wipe them out with hand grenades. These days, the idea of destroying the last known specimens of a species thought to be extinct would be unthinkable, especially when all they seem to do is roll through the jungle at a nice walking pace.***END OF SPOILER***So IMO, four stars, which is pretty good for a Robert Lippert production (normally Lippert hack jobs rate two or three stars at best). It's not a train wreck of a film, or anything; plus, it seems to mean well,with the rajah's daughter arguing for amelioration of the most repressive aspect of the "traditional ways" and the elements of "mixed race" romance that was pretty progressive in 1952. And there's some nice scenery and exotic spectacle. See it if someone offers to show it to you for free, but don't expect much except an interesting historical chapter of early fantasy cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is one of the best of all time, certainly in the horror genre. The claustrophobic atmosphere is outstanding, the music is just as good as the film and the killer is as creepy as can be! Actors are fantastic, RIP Donald Pleasance you were fantastic as Dr Loomis, he made the film even better. Without him the film would be missing a vital ingredient. Jamie Lee Curtis is also superb as our beloved scream queen! Her innocence makes her unaware of the real evil that is after her until she finds her friends grossly murdered in the house, which of course is one of the films best scenes. She gives a tremendous performance. I loved this film since it scared me like hell back when I seen it in the very early 80's and I still watch it to this day as it is a marvellous movie that just brings you in to this world were you could be gutted like a fish at every turn! The fact that it is a simple format of a mad man in a mask whom has escaped from a mental asylum and ready to kill everyone in sight without them having any idea that he is there, is just shockingly terrifying and indulges you even more into the movie as the events though fiction could easily be come true. We all know that unfortunately evil does exist in this world and a mad man with a knife is certainly not uncommon, a very disturbing an deep fear for all of this. Death at any turn. Halloween of course shows this in it's most terrifying way. Horror should be believable, and that is what makes the film enjoyable. It's just a simple story that is made into an excellent and terrifying atmosphere. As well as Psycho's superb storyline, both of which I adore, I believe there formats are the best horror has to offer. To me Halloween and Psycho are the best films I have ever seen and I will watch them all my life and never grow tired of them. Halloween is undoubtedly one of the best movies of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +In celebration of Earth Day Disney has released the film "Earth". Stopping far short of any strident message of gloom and doom, we are treated to some excellent footage of animals in their habitats without feeling too bad about ourselves.The stars of the show are a herd of elephants, a family of polar bears and a whale and its calf. The narrative begins at the North Pole and proceeds south until we reach the tropics, all the while being introduced to denizens of the various climatic zones traversed.Global warming is mentioned in while we view the wanderings of polar bear; note is made of the shrinking sea ice islands in more recent years. We never see the bears catch any seals, but the father's desperate search for food leads him to a dangerous solution.The aerial shots of caribou migrating across the tundra is one of the most spectacular wildlife shots I ever saw; it and another of migrating wildfowl are enough to reward the price of admission to see them on the big screen.One of the disappointments I felt was that otherwise terrific shots of great white sharks taking seals were filmed in slow motion. Never do you get the sense of one characteristic of wild animals; their incredible speed. The idea of slowing down the film to convey great quickness I think began with (or at least it's the first I recall seeing) the television show "Kung Fu" during the early Seventies.An interesting sidelight is that as the credits roll during the end some demonstrations of the cinematographic techniques employed are revealed. There are enough dramatic, humorous and instructive moments in this movie to make it a solid choice for nature buffs. Perhaps because of some selective editing (sparing us, as it were, from the grisly end of a prey-predator moment) and the fact that this footage had been released in 2007 and is available on DVD it is a solid film in its own right. And you can take your kids!Three stars.$LABEL$ 1 +This is definitely one of the best kung fu movies ever, and may be one of the best movies ever... It's got a great plot that functions like a puzzle, with lots of intrigue and suspense. This film is full of cat and mouse games and deceptions, with people hiding their identities and their natures. The characters in this film live and breath much more than your average kung fu movie characters. They are all interesting and compelling and the movie does a good job at giving them scenes to show their personality's and desires.The fight scenes play out like little stories and many of them are very original and exciting. It has cool training sequences and martial arts skills that are so awesome they enter the realm of fantasy. There are 5 members of the poison clan each one with his own style that mimics the special skill of a venomous animal. The styles of each of these characters are fun to watch and you can see the techniques they use in training applied during the film... When this happens, The director uses quick cutting back to the training scene to draw a parallel. These cuts are accompanied by music changes and sound effects and the whole thing really works nicely.One thing about this movie that is very original is the way it treats death. The director Chang Cheh was obviously very concerned that the film not trivialize death. This makes some of the scenes in the movie much more effective. We actually care when people are killed in this film. This is because the camera lingers on the horror of death even when the bad guys are killed. Some of the sequences in this movie are truly gut wrenching. When characters go in search of vengeance you really feel their anger and pain.At the same time, this is also a fun movie. It has all the typical things you expect from a traditional kung fu film. There is bad dubbing, The characters are willing to fight at the drop of a hat. Some of the sound effects are hilarious and at times the behavior of the characters is incredibly unrealistic... all this just adds to the greatness of the film.And lets not forget that this director was a visual stylist much more gifted than most of his contemporaries. If you watch this movie closely you will notice that the technical prowess on display is virtuostic. Everything goes by so fast (because of the quick cutting style and the rapid camera movements of the genre) that it is easy to overlook how beautiful the movie really is. The lighting and composition are spectacular at times. The camera work and movement is extremely sophisticated along with very interesting fast paced editing... In the scenes that portray suspense and intrigue for example, imagine Hitchcock moving at about twice the speed. Chang Cheh was truly a master craftsman and artist who knew his genre and was able to produce important material while working within it's confines. He doesn't rattle the boat of the kung fu genre film, but in a subtle way his skills permeate every scene and every shot and they add greatly to the quality of the work. He is an important filmmaker who continues to influence many people.This is the real package A kung fu movie that delivers on every level. It's art, it's trash, it's emotionally moving, and it's fun, it has a true sense of morality, but doesn't allow that morality to get in the way of delivering good action. I recommend it to everybody whether you are a fan of this genre or not.$LABEL$ 1 +The girls might be prettier if you're their accompanist or a $#!+-faced onlooker. What I'm sayin' is that it'll take special circumstances for a non-whince reaction to this effort. The delivery of many lines appears to be distractingly unnatural for some actors. Lighting seems to be a problem, too, although failing eyesight may have accounted for my frequent squinting. And if you view this film, be open-minded enough to accept elements that no zoo or circus would reject: They are the above and below-ground creatures who feasted on dozens of campers near an empty Louisiana mansion. That's the discovery of a trio who is dispatched from their printed media to investigate the deaths. Then, two of THEM disappear, and the survivor is part of another threesome who take up the hunt. Eureka! I just realized what one of those aforementioned "special circumstances" would be - unconsciousness.$LABEL$ 0 +(Very light spoilers, maybe.) Normally a fan of Diane Keaton, I tried to watch this tonight. I had to switch it off before the second hour because I found myself with absolutely no sympathy for daughter or mother. Both came across as self-absorbed with little regard for others, with the daughter also adding in rude, disrespectful and reckless to the mix. When the daughter died, the only thing I thought was, "At least we won't have to watch her anymore." Keaton did a good job of moving into her stunned state and into the grieving, but it was too far gone for me by then. I simply wasn't enjoying it, so I stopped watching. If you want me to care for the protagonist, you need to get me caring about the characters much sooner--if it's nearly an hour in and I don't care, it's too late.The supporting cast was sincere and well played--I felt for *them!*--and the gay best friend was wonderful, but even combined, that wasn't enough to carry the film for me.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie pretty much surprised me. I didn't have very high expectations for it but I was wrong. Mary & Rhoda was very funny and well written. They didn't spend too much time rehashing the past so they weren't relying on the success of the old TV show to carry the movie. Overall it was very entertaining.My girlfriend commented that this could be a weekly sit-com and I think I might agree with her.$LABEL$ 1 +In a recent biography of Alec Guinness I couldn't find too much about To Paris With Love. I'm sure Guinness did the film to get a free trip to Paris out of it. The film has no other reason for existence.Paris of course is nicely photographed with that wonderful opening of Guinness and his son driving down the Champs Elysee with the Arc De Triomphe in the background. Unfortunately it goes downhill from there.There is just no chemistry at all between Guinness and the young girl who he has a brief fling with in Paris. According to the recent biography of Guinness by Piers Paul Read, Guinness positively disliked the girl, found her conduct unprofessional. As to what Odile Vernois thought of her co-star, no record is available. They have as much chemistry as two neutered cats.Guinness does have a good moment in the film which was straight from one of his Ealing comedies as he climbs a tree trying to retrieve a badminton shuttlecock. But I wouldn't wait through the film for it.At least Alec got a trip to Paris out of the deal.$LABEL$ 0 +Best of the Zorro serials and one of my favorite serials, period. This is a period serial set right after the birth of Mexico. The new nation is counting on the gold produced by this one town to keep the republic solvent. However a gold god, Don del Oro is stirring up the Indians and stealing the gold for himself. Its Zorro and his band of men to the rescue. Reed Hadley is a winning Zorro and he cuts a dashing figure as he gets into a nice selection of scraps (most all of which were reused by the later Zorro serials as well as other serials as well).The story moves and its nicely not clear who the real bad guy is. There is a reason that I've seen this the most of any serial I've seen, its simply a great action adventure film. The only thing I can compare it to is the Mark of Zorro with Tyrone Power or one of the other swashbucklers of the period. Its super and highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +The show is about two sisters living together. Holly being the younger one has some teenage problems on the other hand her sister Val has job,boy friend,fiancé problems like most of the women on the planet. They try to support each other they make mistakes sometimes but they don't give up and continue. And the show is also about friendship. The priorities in life. I loved this show so much. It is funny and the actors are so good. I am really sad that the show is over. I still watch the reruns time to time:) Amanda Bynes is very talented. Jenny Garth may be new to comedy but she plays really well. She is one of the actresses i like watching. I like Vince and Holly's relationship they are very natural. Gary is a natural talent and makes you laugh each time he shows up. With Tina Holly found a real friend and i really like them hanging out. Lauren character is so funny and she is a natural talent. I would like to see her more. This show really takes you in and makes you laugh. I wish the show hasn't been over.$LABEL$ 1 +The line, of course, is from the Lord's Prayer - "Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven". Sweden, especially its far north, is not my idea of heaven -30 degree C winter temperatures are a little on the low side for me, but the good folk who live there no doubt think they are in God's own country.The storyline here is a familiar one. Acclaimed international musician Daniel suffers health breakdown in mid-career, goes back to the little village in northern Sweden where he was born. Persuaded by the local pastor to help out with the church choir, he turns some unlikely talent into a class act, and they enter a contest held in Innsbruck Austria. There are echoes (sorry) of the band players of "Brassed Off" the models of "Calendar Girls" and the dancers of "the Full Monty". But of course he causes plenty of emotional upheaval as some of the more downtrodden villagers realise their worth and revolt against their oppressors. He faces hostile husbands and an increasingly dubious pastor, but nothing except death is going to stop him.Despite the somewhat corny story, we get to know and like many of the characters, who come across as people rather than caricatures despite many of them being recognisable "types'. I did wonder about the wife-beater being unpunished for so long – Sweden is one country in the world where such violence is pretty strongly discouraged (he was also a bit young to be one of the bullies of Daniel's youth) and the puritanical pastor with a secret passion for girlie magazines was a bit of a stereotype, but marvellously realised by Niklas Falk.Michael Nyqvist is simply wonderful as Daniel, the frail but driven musician, and there's some nice music as well. I was rapt for the whole two hours. The ending is what you make of it, I guess, but it's not spoiling it to say Daniel achieves what he set out to do.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved watching the original Azumi with its mix of live action manga, compelling storyline, cool soundtrack, directing (Kitamura rocks!), editing, and not to mention the beautiful Aya Ueto who filled the part perfectly. So I was really looking forward to seeing Azumi 2, but after finally seeing it I felt like i had won the lotto and lost the ticket:( Azumi 2 picks up where Azumi left off, however these are completely 2 different movies. The pace is a lot slower, the action is not as exciting and as well choreographed and there is not a lot of character development. This was apparently directed by the same guy responsible for further reducing the value of the TOHO monster franchise (if that is possible!). I agree with some other past reviewers who say that this was a lost opportunity. If only Ryuhei Kitamura continued with this installment. There is however some beautiful Japanese forest scenery to look at while the slow action unfolds and we are introduced all too briefly to bit characters who quickly get killed off. Even the real bad guys, get killed off too easily without too much of a fight. The fight with the Spider guy (straight out of an episode of Monkey!) in the bamboo forest was about the only memorable fight scene. Wheras in Azumi 1 we had a climactic fight scene with barrel camera effects, Azumi 2 brought us the Azumi cape cam!! Azumi's rampage at the end was unconvincing, but Aya still does an okay job. She looks great in the cape...but where did she get it from? I don't think i will be watching this one over and over again! ...what a pity.$LABEL$ 0 +Leaving aside the drawbacks and deficiencies of the film mentioned by other viewers I must say that it seemed to me a film about power,which is in my opinion one of the most luring illusions. I saw the drama of an emperor and people. It seems to me that the director wanted to pose a question of what the benefit of nation is and what the price of "happiness" for all is. Is there justification for the enforced benefit and "happiness"? How much can be forfeited for the nation's security and peaceful existence? Is the idea of a powerful would-be empire worth reducing to misery and killing thousands of its citizens now? It seems to me that the emperor himself does not know the answer and seeks to learn it all the time the film runs. He is desperately torn between these desires and at the same time psychologically harassed by the discovery of his true origin. He seems to half hate his subjects for having to renounce his father and his love, half love the people as a good emperor should. No wonder his actions are controversial and emotions confused. It seems to me that as another film presenting the problem of power of man over other men the film is a success.$LABEL$ 1 +I cannot argue with other comments that the story line focuses more on the romance between the Mary Martin and Allan Jones characters, much in the manner of "Showboat", than on the life of Victor Herbert. But in the 1930's, would that have been a box office draw? Instead of the Life of VH, perhaps it should have been the Music of VH. There is an abundance of this.For me, the thrill of the movie came near the end of the movie when Susanna Foster sings "Land of Romance". It has been over a decade since I caught this movie for a second time at a local 'old movies' theater. At first the audience was stunned; then it burst into spontaneous applause. I remember the shivers running up and down my spine. My trivia memory recalled the information provided to an inquiring public by a local journalist when the movie first came out back in the late 1930's. 'That note hit by Miss Foster was a far F above high C.'She may not have had four octaves a la Yma Sumac but the then teen-ager certainly had a range!$LABEL$ 1 +On the basis of the preview I'd seen, I went to "Shower" expecting a sweet little comedy; what I found was a profoundly touching drama of family life told in some of the most lush photographic images I've ever been privileged to see. In addition, later reflection made me appreciate the abrupt cuts to scenes from the past (in the arid countryside of Northern China, and in the high plain of Tibet): isn't this how memory often works? One moment I'm here, the next I'm in a landscape from the past, just like that....I would not only strongly recommend this film, I would place it among the two or three finest films I've seen in my 60 years.By the way, a couple of years ago another Asian "comedy" was released in the United States as "Shall We Dance?" (Japanese). Just as with "Shower," the preview gave not the slightest indication of the depth of that film, which turned out to be a subtle psychological study (albeit chock full of funny moments). Is there a fear, on the part of distributors, of making films appear too "important" or "deep" to appeal to U. S. viewers?$LABEL$ 1 +If you like rap or hip-hop, watch this movie, although it's funny if you don't get the references, as a straight comedy.Haven't seen much of the much hyped CB4, but what I did see didn't have the heart that this little stormer has.Haven't heard from the people involved since, which is a surprise. The film is very similar to Spinal Tap, which is no bad thing, and I think a lot of the dialogue, while priceless in Tap is funnier here, probably because I'm more into rap than rock theses days, so my own judgment does cloud that point.The rap songs are funny as hell, and it's basically spot the reference for most of the film, not all of them are in-your-face, which means the physical comedy and the one-liners get priority over the take-offs.Great fun, one to watch twice if there ever was a movie.$LABEL$ 1 +*I mark where there are spoilers! Overall comments: If you can take a serious movie, go see this. Have an open mind and you will enjoy it. Don't leave the theater because you get confused as to what is going on! The movie fits together nicely in the second half. I will be taking my mom to see it again when the movie officially opens. I was lucky to see this at a screening a couple of weeks ago, when Will was going around promoting the movie. He was great--spent a lot of time with the fans. Thank you for the picture Will! About Will's performance: A lot of times when you see a movie with an actor really famous for some other movie/show, you always think of them in their current performance much like you think of them for their past performance. This is not the case with Will Smith in this movie. I didn't picture the Fresh Prince (lol) when I was watching this movie. He was completely and utterly convincing in this very, very serious role. He has grown immensely as an actor. I think he will at least get an Oscar nod for this performance.About his character: Ben is very conflicted and tormented. He's sad...guilt-ridden...very determined, but very scared. Very true to himself. His character has a lot of depth...and somehow, Will managed to bring that to life.About Emily (Rosario): Rosario did a nice job portraying Emily, a woman very much behind on her taxes. Maybe she's not the shining star Will is in this movie, but she was very convincing. I think her character just did not have as much to work with as Will's did.About the plot (no spoilers): I admit that I did NOT like the movie until the second half of it. I knew absolutely nothing about the movie going into it, and nothing made sense until the second part of it or so. But when things eventually fit together, wow. Surprisingly well written and well thought out. It's an extremely intense movie that really sticks with you.It actually takes a lot out of you to watch. In the theater I was in, most people were crying towards the end--even grown men. When you realize what Ben is doing, and why, it's a very powerful moment...******* Minor SPOILERS***** Which is why it's really hard to talk about the plot without giving major things away. I feel like knowing too much about this movie really ruins it. There was a lot of symbolism in the movie that I enjoyed, though. I will mention some of it here (without trying to give a lot away).-The fish that Ben was keeping in his hotel room. At first, it makes no sense whatsoever. There was a LOT of chatter in the movie theater when people realized the reality of the fish.-I hated Ben at the beginning of the movie. By the end of it, I loved him and hated him. That's how convincing Will was. I thought Ben was being a huge jerk to Ezra, a blind man just trying to make his way in the world. Why he was treating Ezra like that also became abundantly clear later in the movie. Wait it out though. Everything in this movie: wait it out.-Ben is a fundamentally good person who made a big mistake that he won't forgive himself for. It's still unclear to me if he was doing what he was doing because he was trying to rid himself of his own guilt, or if he genuinely wanted to help people. I think it's a little bit of both...I think he wanted to help people but also rid himself of his past. I love his character. You love him and hate him because you realize that what he is doing is nothing short of amazing. You hate him because of what he is doing to himself (as a very good person), both physically and emotionally. Nice job Will.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is not funny. It is not entertaining. It does not contain one single second of originality or intelligence, nor does it lead you to take the slightest interest in the characters or situation. Added to that it's about as juvenile a movie as anything in recent memory. It's as if a group of 14 or 15 year old high school kids who had never actually met or had any type of relationship with a real girl had sat down and wrote a movie based on their incorrect fantasies about what being an adult man would be like. This movie is boring, obnoxiously mind-numbing, and at times offensive and disgusting. At most, it contains one or two moments that make you laugh. Also, it seems twice as long as its 85 minute running time.$LABEL$ 0 +Evening is an entertaining movie with quite some depth. All the actors and actresses turn in spectacular performances. With the tremendous cast, though, one expects stellar acting, but in this movie the expectations are exceeded. One can relate to personalities and situations in ones own family. As one watches the interaction of the family members one's own family memories are immediately brought to mind. This is one of the few movies that inspires one to read the book. Usually it is the other way around; one reads the book and then wants to see the movie. I will definitely obtain a copy of the Susan Minot book and read it. The Rhode Island scenery is spectacular as is the soundtrack. Any car buff will enjoy the apparently expertly restored period automobiles. Needless to say now, but I recommend Evening highly. See it you will enjoy it.$LABEL$ 1 +There can be no questions of spoilers for this movie, the director beat us all too and spoiled this movie in oh so many ways.A blatant rip-off of stuff like Critters and Gremlins, this movie fails on so many levels to recapture the humour and horror of those better made films. It ends up a sleazy waste of time, where bad actors deliver bad dialogue in front of an idiot director, who occasionally tosses stuffed toys at them. They wrestle with said toys in much the same manner as old Tarzan films used to use rubber crocodiles, shaking them whilst screaming and trying their best to make it look slightly threatening. It's painful to watch, and not helped by the mental 80's fashions worn by the cast.Basically, some crazy little aliens who have been trapped by an aging security guard in a film lot finally get free after umpteen years confinement, and begin to telepathically screw around with peoples minds. The guards new recruit, the idiot who let them out despite repeated warnings, gets his gang of 80's friends together and they go off and have minor adventures together while trying to recapture the Grem... Hobgoblins.All life is here, with the gang consisting of a knucklehead jock, his 80's slut girlfriend, the 'hero's frigid and prissy girlfriend, and the young hero, lacking in confidence and wishing his girlfriend would put out anyway.First off comes the infamous rake fighting scene, where the ex-military jock shows how he was trained in the army to be a bully, poking the nerdy hero with the wrong end of a rake for what seems like hours. Then there's some running around, terminating in a real pie-fight style ending in a scuzzy nightclub with comedy hand-grenades blowing up everything except the people standing right next to them. Then the film sorta ends, and alls well that ends well.It's not. This is like watching a train wreck, you cant take your eyes off it, it's so bad. Perfect fare for Mystery Science Theater, but god-awful should you try to watch it alone and uncut. The Fashion Police still have a number of outstanding warrants for the cast, and I dare anyone not to laugh in outright derision at the rake fight. This scores 2 out of 10 at most, on a good day.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are used to seeing Gabriel Byrne in serious roles such as Tom in Millers Crossing or Keaton in The Usual Suspects I recommend you take a look at this film. Even if you are not a fan of Gabriel Byrne in particular, all the actors in this film give really great performances. If you've got about eleven bucks (that is close to nine quid) I say order it online, or rent it from you favorite movie rental place. Guaranteed to make you laugh, whether or not you normally like gangster type movies. Mad Dog Time/Trigger Happy is one of those movies you never forget, and find yourself watching over and over. You will talk about it so much your friends will be begging to borrow it.$LABEL$ 1 +Besides Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Uncle Buck, this is John Candy's funniest movie. When he gets hypnotized with the playing card (similar to the Manchurian Candidate) and becomes a horny guy who does not know what he is saying, he makes two very memorable quotes (Both deal with the male anatomy). The love scene involving grocery items has to be seen, it cannot be described.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a great movie but it had the worst ending I think I have ever seen!!! The actors were great and displayed wonderful talent. The entire story was twisted and unexpecting, which, is what made it entertaining. As good as the movie was, the entire film is judged by the ending, which was terrible! Maybe a sequel could eliminate this bad ending.$LABEL$ 1 +It's difficult to know where this adaptation starts going wrong, because I think the problem begins with the books themselves. Alexander McCall Smith has worked out that you read them not for the detective stories, but for his deeply condescending and completely spurious vision of an Africa that does not exist. He's done for Botswana what Borat did for Kazakhstan - not as successfully, but based in as much fact.Once I realised this, it ceased to gall me that Jill Scott, an American singer/actress, is cast as Mma Ramotswe. If she is to represent a land that is not Africa, how appropriate that she is a black woman who is not African? She's not the only American on the cast; Mma Makutsi is played by Anika Noni Rose. Both women are far, far too young for the roles they're playing, and far too glamorous. Both brutally murder the local accents, and both focus so entirely on this brutality that they fail to offer much in the way of acting. Scott's Mma Ramotswe is bouncy, cute and soft. Rose's Mma Makutsi is an annoying motor-mouthed bitch.The result is almost unwatchable. The principal cast is redeemed only by the presence of Lucian Msamati, who turns in a decent performance as Mr JLB Matekoni. Hes comes off smarter and more intense than in the books, but I find myself unable to blame Msamati for this - he's a shining light in an ocean of suckage. The contradictions between his performance and the books are clearly laid at the feet of whichever committee of butchers wrote the script.To me, McCall Smith's writing has always been highly entertaining yet notoriously bad. He refuses to be edited. As a result, his books contain experiments in grammar that border on the scientific, and characters that change name mid-sentence. It is therefore something of an achievement that the writing team on this project actually made it worse.The dialogue is now largely Anglicised. Characters speak of "opening up" and "sensitivity to needs". Mma Ramotswe and Mr JLB Matekoni flirt openly. Mma Makutsi moans about not having a computer, but given her constantly restyled hair, makeup and jewellery, I'm surprised she doesn't have a MacBook in her handbag along with her Visa card.So what are we left with here? It's difficult to be upset with this crappy adaptation because honestly, most of the things I like about the original books are apocryphal anyway. McCall Smith paints a fictional Botswana populated with cute, non-threatening black people who are full of amusing and palatable wisdom-nuggets. It reads well despite linguistic travesty, but it is a vision of how a certain type of white person wishes black people were. It just isn't true.Given that, it's hardly surprising that this show sucks as much as it does. It remains to be seen whether European and American audiences will even notice, however.$LABEL$ 0 +Watched this film at a local festival, the Silver Sprocket International Film Festival Florida . What a lovely film. A simple, uncomplicated morality tale about a young care free young man having to take responsibility for his actions. It neither pretentious or flashy my two teenage daughters loved it and for a change I wasn't embarrassed by any of the film content or language. A real family film and the best British comedy film I've seen since Billy Elliot.The film went on to win not surprisingly the top festival awards of Best Film and Best Director. Ten out of ten.$LABEL$ 1 +Though it hardly compares to other sci-fi film giants like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, LIFEFORCE does work as a totally berserk and bizarre melding of science fiction and horror elements. Somehow, despite dialogue that approaches the ridiculous and acting that does the same, it manages to work because of a few highly different elements.Loosely based on Colin Wilson's 1976 novel "The Space Vampires", this film from director Tobe Hooper (POLTERGEIST; THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) focuses on a joint US-British mission aboard the British space shuttle Churchill to study Halley's Comet. Led by an American commander (Steve Railsback), they discover an alien spacecraft in the comet's coma. And when they investigate the interior of the spacecraft, they find alien occupants that look like giant bats. Later on, the Churchill reaches Earth's orbit, but no response is given from radio calls issued from the mission's home base, the Space Research Center in London. Columbia is launched to rendezvous with Churchill, but they find the entire ship gutted by fire--all except for the alien beings encased in glass who, far from being untouched by the fire, look absolutely perfect. The aliens are bought back to Earth...and that's where the incredible happens.These space vampires escape from the Space Research Center and, instead of draining their victims of blood via bite wounds, suck their victims' lifeforce totally out of them. One of them is the Space Girl, a thoroughly nude vampiress played by Mathilda May. Railsback, the only actual survivor from Churchill, is bought in by the SRC's chief (Frank Finlay) and a British special agent (Peter Firth) to track May, who is in telepathic contact with him. Pretty soon, however, the vampires have turned London into a scene of pure holocaust; people are either being dessicated or turning into zombies, and the threat by NATO to sterilize the city with thermonuclear radiation looms large. Railsback finally catches up with May, and sacrifices himself by impaling her with a large metal sabre.Undoubtedly disjointed, unquestionably uneven, but nevertheless worth watching, LIFEFORCE, despite the frequent incoherency of its script and its acting, benefits from some drop-dead excellent special effects work by John Dykstra (STAR WARS), some of the best ever seen. The other working element, and a surprise one it is, is the incredible orchestral score by Henry Mancini, almost Wagnerian in the same way John Williams' score for STAR WARS was--and Mancini, like Williams before him, uses the London Symphony Orchestra, to boot!Largely forgotten these days, and a critical and box office disaster in 1985, LIFEFORCE, if for no other reason, should still be seen for anyone with a taste for the bizarre. There had never been a film quite like it before, and there will certainly not be anything like it again.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those topics I can relate to a little more than most people as I hate noise & have no idea how those in big cities, New York especially how people get any sleep at all! It astounds me that people can stand all the noise out there these days. The basic plot of the film is that it makes for an interesting topic. It's too bad that's about it. Tim Robbbins is decent although except for a couple of scenes (especially with the absolute supermodel looking Margarita Leiveva) he didn't seem to really be altogether there. My biggest hope for this film is that casting agents will see the absolutely stunning & talented actress to boot, Margarita Levieva. She doesn't have a lot to do, but she is supermodel beautiful. Even when they are trying to make her look at more girl next door. It makes me sad that there can be people such as Paris Hilton & Kim Kardashian in the world w/no redeemable skills or talent, to have more fame and success than this talented beauty. I didn't care for much of this film because the script isn't very good, but am glad I got to see some new talent. I hope that producers & directors think about Margarita when they need a beautiful new actress to be in there big budget film. If they can make Megan Fox a star (c'mon she isn't that hot, & her acting "talent" is worse than made-for Disney channel TV shows) from 1 film, it should happen easily for her, as she is gorgeous & has talent! I'd recommend her changing her last name so we can pronounce it and make it more marketable. Here's hoping this makes her career, & if there is any justice she can pop up on some big summer movie or two in the next couple years.$LABEL$ 0 +How often do you see a film of any kind that has a talent show with refreshments? Waldo's Last Stand is a refreshment. Here Waldo is selling lemonade but isn't making any money. Alfalfa, Spanky, Darla, Mickey, and Buckwheat come to visit him which is ironic because in both 3 Men In A Tub and Came The Brawn where there was competition between Alfalfa and Waldo for Darla's affection. Back to the story: The Gang taste the lemonade to see if Waldo made it right. One funny moment is when Alfalfa gets a glass cup for lemonade and Waldo fills is and gives it to Darla and Alfalfa has an angry expression on his face. Spanky proposes a floor show to go with the lemonade and even Mickey agrees ever so cute. When the floor show begins there is no one at the barn but then a customer comes in (Froggy). Spanky asks him if he wants lemonade but all he does is nod no. Spanky asks him numbers of time in the short and every time Froggy nods no Spanky displays many expressions on his face which is funny. Spanky tries many ways to make him thirsty. One way is when after Mickey said ever so cutely "Those crackers are salty and they made me thirsty". There is also many entertain musical bit is this short. The opening number is by Darla which she tap dances and sings. The second includes Alfalfa singing off-key (as usually) with Mickey, Leonard, Spanky, and Buckwheat about "How dry I am!" (I believe they sing that to make Froggy thirsty. It also made me laugh.). The closing number includes boys and girls all dressed up in an old fashion way. This was Waldo's last Our Gang short. A grand musical short that is a pure 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, this movie is 34 minutes long, which means you could watch it three times in a row and still have spent less time than you would have watching most other movies. Second of all--you need to do this. This sensational short film explores the potential of animation through a world of playful or horrifying but always powerful images. Cats riding in and drinking out of a water elephant, a circus featuring a bird that has consumed the sky, and pigs eating their own fried flesh--that's only the beginning. The scenes and images, extraordinary on their own, flow together without obvious causal links in a way that demands re-watching. Furthermore, the DVD includes an amazing director's commentary, which, given the extremely spare dialog, only enhances the viewing. The commentary gives a few interpretations of scenes, but also provides priceless quotes on the crafting of Cat Soup, along the lines of: "well, the artists were asking what we should do in this scene, but I didn't know myself, so its hard to say why it turned out as it did" (that's a bad paraphrase by the way). Also, the sound throughout the film is very high quality, very precise, and very moody. In all, the absolute minimum viewing experience should go as follows:First viewing: Watch the DVD without the commentary. Second viewing: Watch the DVD WITH the commentary. Third viewing: Rewatch without the commentary.Once you've watched it three times, however, you're not going to stop there...$LABEL$ 1 +The 60's is a great movie(I saw it completely in one night) about the hippy movement in the late 60's. Although the title would suggest otherwise the first 5 years of the 60's are not really important in this film.The main character of the movie is Michael,a political activist who goes on the road in the US against the Vietnam-war. There he meets his girlfriend,Sarah.Michael's brother,Brian,goes to Vietnam to fight(what a surprise!).He comes back from the war and changes in a "Tom Cruise Born on the fourth of July" look a like and then into a Hippy.His dad is a pro-vietnam war type of guy(what a surprise!!).Michael's sister Kate gets pregnant from a Rock & Roll artist and runs away from home and goes to San Francisco during the summer of love. The ending is very poor(father becomes a liberal and everybody is happy),but I let this slip away from my vote(the rest of the movie is very good!). The performances by the actors are pretty good and the soundtrack of the movie is absolutely brilliant. All the main events of the sixties are in the movie,like the murders on JFK and Martin Luther King aswell as the big hippy protests,the summer of love and Woodstock! Look closely for Wavy"Woodstock Speaker"Gravy(What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400.000!) as a first aid employee at the Woodstock festival!In the end,the 60's is a beautiful movie about a beautiful decade! 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +I think I've seen all of the Grisham movies now and generally they're all very poor, except for The Rainmaker, but this one is so bad it's unbelievableWARNING SPOILERISHIt's one of those movies where the character does the stupid irrational things that no one would ever do. He's a lawyer for Christ's sake. Why when his children go missing does he not call the Police. Oh yes it's because all the Police hate lawyers so they're just ignore him and let him be attacked.When he's arrested for murder they just let him go free, he would be locked up in a cell pending a bail hearing. Why would you drag your kids halfway across the country when you could easily protect them at home.The Police don't bother to try and find an escaped mental patient, they don't bother to interview his daughter.As for the ridiculous ending….In summary, silly, very unrealistic and a complete waste of time.0/10 – One of the worst films ever made.$LABEL$ 0 +First when does this storyline take place? It has to take place after the first movie because Kuzco knows Pacha and Chicha has her third child but it can't take place after the second movie because doesn't Kronk get a girlfriend or wife or something? You never see her in the show.Also, why is Kuzco going to school? The whole plot of the show is that Kuzco is going to school so that he can be emperor. But wasn't he emperor before this? And who's emperor while he learning to be emperor? Shouldn't that be Yzma? Or was Yzma fired in this time line already? And if that true why is waiting for him to fail to become empresses? Plus, you know in the first movie he said he was trained from birth to be an emperor by private tutors. So he should kinda know what he's doing.Kronk. Why is Kronk a student? He's around 25 they stated that in the first movie. He's an adult going to high school. Does everyone think he's a moron? I really like Kronk but I think because of his age and because everyone know that he is working for Yzma he should have been a teacher. Being a Home Ec teacher would be right up his alley.Malina, is very unlikable. She suppose to be Kuzco's love interest/moral compass. But a lot of time, she comes off bossy and know it all. She commonly says thinks I like "I should be proud because I am pretty and smart". She has ESP when it comes to Kuzco and knows whenever he's in trouble, when he's cheating, or even when he sings the Hot Hot Hottie song in his head even though she does cheer leading, school newspaper and keeps straight A+ in all of her classes. She seems more interested in using her prettiness to get Kuzco to do the right thing and do well in school then dating him. In fact, she seems more motherly to Kuzco then a love interest.Yzma. As I bought up before Yzma is trying to get Kuzco to fail so she become empresses. Not sure how that's suppose to work with being fired and all. Yzma seems to be reliving the first movie in every episode. In almost every show that she appears in she turns Kuzco into an animal in hopes of having him fail a class. (There are only 3 times that I can think of that that didn't happen.) The jokes about Yzma being old aren't as clever in the show as they were the movie. And classic jokes about Yzma are used to death in the show (like the "Pull the level, Krunk!", roller-coaster, and the lab). Also, some other points that don't make sense in this series. The fact that whenever Kuzco is assigned something everyone acts like this assignment will make him pass or fail the class but he seems to pass every assignment given to him. So why does one assignment matter so much?Seriously, who is ruling the kingdom while this is going on? Do they have a consul or a steward? You never see anyone ruling the kingdom unless Kuzco has weaseled his powers back or Yzma is empresses.Why is Kuzco going to a normal peasant school? Shouldn't he learning about how to lead a country, what to do in case of war or something that will be useful to him in the future? I could see taking some normal classes on like farming (so he would know how to prepare the country for a famine or something like that) but knot tying? How is that helpful?Now I know that someone is going to say "But it not suppose to make sense; it's suppose to be funny." Then they should have more funny things in there. All the funny things about the show have been done already in the movie. Also, if they notice some of these huge plot holes why don't they poke fun at them like in the movie? (For example, when Yzma and Kronk get to the secret lab before Kuzco and Pacha and Yzma and Kronk can't explain how they got their first.)There are some good points, it is nice to see some of the characters from the first movie in the series like Bucky and monkey with the bug. Pacha and his family are still very good characters with a good down earth feel. I feel that this series would be amusing for younger children. In conclusion, the series is not as good as the movie that it based on but it may good for younger children.$LABEL$ 0 +Another Raquel Welch Classic! This Picture hit the theaters November 10 1969 starring Raquel Welch as Michele, James Stacey as Joe and Luke Askew as Alan Morris. Nikki is on her way to meet with her girl friends Michele and Jackie. While on her way there, she runs into her ex husband who wants a second chance. Nikki walk away from him goes to the table where she sees Michele and Jackie. Alan approaches her again and she starts to walk away when Alan shoots her in the back. Nikki is taken to the hospital while Michele and Jackie go to the police station. Michele goes to the hospital where she meets up with Jackie only to find that Nikki died. Alan then goes after Jackie who he hits with a car and then tries to run Michele down. Michele jumps into her car and heads for Los Angeles. When she gets there, she calls Lloyd her boss in Las Vegas to let him know that she was all right. Lloyd tells her to go to the club called the losers to see Jeri about a job. However, there's one problem! The bartender has a drug problem and Alan knows it so Alan and the bartender have a little talk. Back in Los Angeles Michele not only gets a job as a dancer with Jeri but also hooks up with Jeri bouncer Joe. Now some thoughts on this picture! This picture was far better then Raquel last, and this one had nonstop action. Luke Askew did a fine job of playing Nikki ex husband. He was your typical murder with the look that goes with it. As for Raquel Welch performance, the only word that comes to mine is fantastic. She was awesome in this movie and her beauty stood out and shined like never before. The outfit that she wore on stage to dance was breathtaking. In fact, all the outfits she wore in this movie were breathtaking. Of course, it doesn't matter what Raquel had on because she looks good in everything or nothing. I give this movie 10 weasel stars for two reasons. The first and by far is Raquel Welch who's the leading actress and deserves 10 stars. The second reason is that this movie was wall-to-wall excitement from beginning to end.$LABEL$ 1 +This stalk and slash turkey manages to bring nothing new to an increasingly stale genre. A masked killer stalks young, pert girls and slaughters them in a variety of gruesome ways, none of which are particularly inventive.It's not scary, it's not clever, and it's not funny. So what was the point of it?$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the most satisfying of the book to TV adaptations. The actress who make us believe that a Borg could be sexy makes us believe that a spy and traitor can have some redeeming qualities.The TV plot line does not follow Cornwell's story exactly but is both exciting and rewarding as a retelling of a darn good yarn. If you have a yen for romance in uniform there is a lot of sexual energy sparking between our man Sharpe and the lying hussy. Made me wish her role was closer to that in the books. But no matter there is enough hero wronged, hero redeemed, hero in rage, hero in flight and hero in battle to keep you clued to your DVD play.$LABEL$ 1 +I agree with the comments regarding the downward spin. The last view shows have been a little better, but surely the writers need some more direction. I think the characters are still interesting, although sometimes they spin into the "white trash" things a little too much. Subtlety and nuance goes a long way on shows like "Office". I would think the target audience is somewhat similar being they are both on the same night and lineup. One would think that Karma and the whole eastern religion thing is a big enough topic to bring some different and interesting shows, but they only scratch the surface of the subject. In my opinion it shows the contempt that many people have in Hollywood about the level of intelligence of the masses. We can handle more heady content. It has been proved before in many other shows.$LABEL$ 0 +So many people loved this movie, yet there are a few of us IMDb reviewers who found Mirrormask excruciatingly uncomfortable to watch and arse-clenchingly boring. I fall into the latter of these two camps, and I will try to explain what it was that made my toenails curl so unpleasantly.Firstly, to set the record straight - I like Neil Gaiman's books. I sometimes find his knowing, sarcastic, 'wry asides' humour a little geeky, and I actually prefer his work when he is playing it straight and leaving the jokes alone - but, even with his occasional lapses into crap 'dad' gags, I find his creativity and imagination to be something a bit special.Interestingly, one of Gaiman's strongest works is Coraline, a Gothic fairy story for kids that is very low on jokes and high on tension and creepiness. His latest novel (Anansi Boys) overdoes the funnies, and tends to read at times like Terry Pratchett does the Sisters of Mercy (not the nuns but the band). Mirrormask inhabits similar territory to Coraline, and when I saw the stunning visuals in the trailer, I got a bit excited that somebody had managed to transfer Gaiman's spectacular vision and imagination to the screen.In praise of the film, some sequences do look stunning. However, the visual effects are occasionally ruined by CGI animation that looks like a Media Studies student project. Backgrounds and scenery are often incredible, but some of the character animation looks clumsy, amateur and cheap. In an early dream sequence, the spider is animated beautifully, but the book-eating cat-beast looks poorly rendered and very 'computer generated'. Compared with the standard of animation found in productions such as 'The Corpse Bride', Mirrormask occasionally looks very amateur indeed. However, in Mirrormask's defence, the budget was tiny for such a grand vision, and a few creaks in the effects can be understood and forgiven.What cannot be forgiven is the stilted, stagy, cringeworthy and pretentious dialogue. The actors struggle desperately with the dialogue - and there is so much of it that they are constantly hampered and stumbling over it. Conversation is rendered completely unnatural, the jokes fall flat time and time again, and the turgid speeches appear to be the writer's only method of plot exposition. Combined with the fact that the actors are working against a blue screen (which always adds an element of 'Phantom Menace') - this renders the film almost unwatchable. In such an unreal setting the actors need to work twice as hard to be believed, and in the main they fail terribly. The girl who plays the lead role puts in a valiant struggle against the impossible stage-school dialogue, and occasionally shows real promise, but it is never enough. The god-awful cod-'Oirish' of the Valentine character (with whom she is forced to spend an inordinate amount of screen time) puts paid to any chance of this young actress rising above the material. It appears to be Valentine's job to explain the plot to younger viewers, and to add a bit of light relief. Personally, I wouldn't want him anywhere near my 15 year old daughter.What else is wrong with this film? Answer....Rob Brydon. What's annoying (for us Brits, anyway) is we know Rob Brydon can act! We've seen him hold the screen for half-an-hour on his own (doing those 'Marion & Geoff' monologues), and in the first 'real world' bit of the film he is fine. However, stick him in front of a blue screen and he loses all sense of character and turns into the worst am-dram-ham I've seen in years. A real shame.What else is wrong? Answer... the wanky slap-bassing, sub-Courtney Pine saxing and unlistenable, too-high-in-the-mix soundtrack that never shuts up. God, the music is incessant, loud, distracting, irrelevant and, if that isn't enough, has wanky slap bass wanking all over it. It makes the dialogue very hard to hear, but that could be a blessing in disguise.What else is wrong with it? Answer.... The whistling mime artist. In modern society there should be no place for mime, apart from certain secret places in France. Every moment the camera lingers on the gurning, whistling, moss-juggling, yogurt-weaving idiot, I understand why the Edinburgh locals get a bit anxious and fractious when Festival time comes round again.My final criticism is that the film is pretty dull. Surrealism often is dull – it either requires its audience to slip into a dreamlike, Zen, accepting state, or for the audience be constantly wowed by bigger and grander surprises. A story with a bit of pace involving characters that we could believe in and care about would have gone a long way to giving this film the emotional centre that it sadly lacked, whilst stopping the eyelids from drooping.Finally, apologies to all those who found depth, meaning and wonder in this film. You have managed to suspend your disbelief, you have seen past the creaky CGI, ignored the crappy dialogue and the abysmal performances that resulted, and understood the maker's grand, imaginative vision. I wanted to, but I couldn't see past the real-world failings that dragged it down.I hope Neil Gaiman gets it right next time, if he gets (or even wants) the opportunity.$LABEL$ 0 +New Year's Day. The day after consuming a few too many vodka martinis and Cosmopolitans mixed with a bunch of bubbly at midnight, my wife and I discovered the local cable company is offering up the digital specialty channels for free for the month of January. We had a choice - do we make use of the freebie channels or do we start watching the eight seasons of X-Files on DVD that we received from our daughter for Christmas?We elected for the digital freebie since the DVDs are going nowhere and we need something like ten twelve-hour days to watch all the X-Files beginning to end. The Drive-In channel was offering a horror classic three movie marathon: Asylum (1972), House of the Damned (1996) and The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). Asylum is well-reviewed here and the Pit and the Pendulum was on too late for us to watch which meant we could really only be properly critical for House of the Damned.To be honest, we tried to be serious about the movie since its stars have reasonably good acting credentials - Greg Evigan (William Shatner's over-written Tekwars) and Alexandra Paul (the only Baywatch babe who could act although she has the body of a ten-year-old boy). Unfortunately, we soon dissolved to giggles, under the influence of a little hair-of-the-dog, as we each shouted out the names of movies from which this dog borrowed its scenes: Poltergeist, The Shining, Hell House, House On Haunted Hill, Ghost Busters!The acting, especially by Evigan's real-life daughter, wasn't too bad considering the silly script they had to work with. The CGI, for 1996, was hilarious - at its worst point in the final scene when it should have been the most horrific it was so bad my wife and I dissolved in laughter.Overall: Acting 4/5, Script 2/5, SFX 0/5$LABEL$ 0 +It seems that Hack has been described as un-realistic... but that's what TV is. TV is meant to provide an escape from everyday life and I feel Hack does a great job in that regard. Add to this the slow process of revealing his past and engaging/interesting plots; you just can't seem to get enough. Plus, with such great actors as David Morse, Andre Braugher, and even little Mathew Borish, what more can you ask for. So if you are looking for an involving experience and have a liking for "underdog" characters, I suggest giving Hack a chance, especially now that it's finally getting off its feet.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is just about as good as the first Jackass, but with slightly more disgusting skits. I wouldn't say this was as good as the first, but it came very close. Jackass fans will not be disappointed, but if you didn't like the first movie, you will hate this one. There are scenes that will be seen as Jackass classics (the elderly suits with "additions", the "cab ride", and many others), and those that you will wish you never watched (eating crap, drinking semen, etc...) Overall this movie was a good watch, and I am glad I got to see it. I'm sure this movie will not have the best rating due to critics that rate it (I sat in the press section and most of the older viewers seemed disgusted), but don't let that stop you from enjoying it.$LABEL$ 1 +In one respect, it's like 'The Wizard of Oz,' with Paris in black-and-white and the Riviera in color. But it's supposedly about possessive love, destructiveness and moral decadence, while actually being about designer gowns, shots of the Riveria, lots of big expensive cars, and music-and dancing interludes that suggest Vincente Minnelli on one of his off-days. Watchable, but a remarkable example of desperate, dark plot material and glitzy style heading in opposite directions. (Was this the model for 'The Talented Mister Ripley? Does anyone sense an affinity between Jean Seberg and Matt Damon?)$LABEL$ 0 +Black Water, co-directed and written by David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki, is very simple in its execution yet effective. The film is a low-budget Australian movie that will unfortunately not get the recognition it deserves because as far as creature features go, this is one of the best out there. The setup is rather basic; Grace, her husband Adam and her younger sister Lee are touring some mangroves in the Northern Territory when a saltwater crocodile flips their boat and leaves them stranded in the trees. The whole movie is about their survival while the crocodile is lurking below waiting to strike.Unlike Greg McLean's Rogue (another killer croc movie released earlier in 2007), Black Water is not about the audience having fun guessing who's gonna be eaten next, it is about hoping and praying that the three people will get out safely. The three unknown actors do a great job with pretty demanding roles, considering it was filmed on location with a real crocodile instead of CGI. The characters act realistically in the situation and the dialogue seems natural and not forced. Suspense is built up throughout the entire film, we do not see a lot of the creature but just knowing it is near is terrifying enough. This is edge-of-your seat stuff and highly recommended if you enjoy original and (most importantly) scary horror films.4/5$LABEL$ 1 +L'Homme Blesse is not for an impatient, adventure-seeking audience. There are no explosions nor is the drama straightforward. Like the films of Lynne Ramsey, the director is working more deeply with mood than with storytelling in a manner that is effective and incredibly moving. Because it does not rely on gratuitous nudity, or superficial pop-cult. story lines, this is quite frankly one of the best gay foreign film I have seen (also, see Francois Ozon, Pedro Almodovar). Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" gets a lot of bad press because it is sold as a horror film. That film, like L'Homme, is more than what the box might lead you to believe. If you are in the mood to sit back and be absorbed by the subtle, transformed powers of cinema, you'll love this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Though I've yet to review the movie in about two years, I remember exactly what made my opinion go as low as it did. Having loved the original Little Mermaid, and having been obsessed with mermaids as a child could be, I decided I'd take the time to sit down and watch the sequel.Disney, I've got a little message for you. If you don't have the original director and actors handy...you're just looking to get your butt whooped.In the sequel, our story begins with a slightly older Ariel and her daughter, Melody. My first big issue was that Eric and the rest of the crew sang. Yes, I understand that Disney is big on sing-and-dance numbers, but really, that's what made Eric my favorite prince. He was calm, collected, and a genuine gentleman that knew how to have fun. And he DID. NOT. SING.And then there's the villain. Oh, how could we forget the shivers that coursed down our spines whenever Ursula slunk onto the screen, terrifying both Ariel and audiences around the world? Unfortunately, that gene was not passed on to her seemingly useless sister, Morgana. Nothing was ever, EVER said about Morgana in the first movie; she just pops out of nowhere, trying to steal the baby. Oh, how cute. The younger sister is ticked off and instead of going after the trident, decides to kidnap a month-old baby. Gag me.Other than being a flat character with no sense of originality in her, Morgana was just very unorthodox. The same plan as her sister, the same minions (who, by the way, did not scare anyone. I had a three year old on my lap when I watched this movie, and she laughed hysterically.) She had no purpose being in there; I'd like to have seen Mom be the villain. I'm sure she would have done a better job than Little Miss Tish over there.King Triton held none of the respect he'd earned from me in the first movie, and don't even get me started on Scuttle, Sebastian and Flounder. Triton was a stern but loving father in the first movie, and in the second, it's almost like he's lost his will to knock fear into the hearts of his subjects. Scuttle, once a comic relief that made everyone laugh with his 'dingle-hopper' (yes, I'll admit it; I did call my fork a dingle-hopper from time to time after that). In this film, Scuttle's all but forgotten. A supporting character even in the first, he at least added something to the movie. He was rich with a flavor the others didn't have, and in the sequel, they all but stripped it from him entirely. Sebastian was still the same, but twice as worrisome as before. Disney, don't do that. Don't even try to mess with our favorite crab. Or our favorite little fat fish, who becomes a dad and has a multitude of very annoying children. He's fat, and he's bland, and he looks like he's going to flat line any second.The walrus and penguin were unneeded, and after a while, you just start to resent everyone. Especially Melody, who has no depth to her whatsoever.And one of these days, Disney, I'm kicking out of my life.If I didn't love your originals so much.$LABEL$ 0 +I really liked TWO COYOTES. One of my friends rented it the other night and we were really impressed with how good it was and how cool the main guys were. I wonder if they are thinking of making a sequel because that would be excellent!TWO COYOTES ROCKS!$LABEL$ 1 +Here we have the inimitable Charlie Chaplin forsaking his slapstick past to tackle the serious subject of anti-Semitism, and intolerance in general. He portrays two characters - the sweet, innocent Jewish barber - a war veteran, and the raving and ruthless dictator, Adenoid Hynkel. The Jewish ghetto in this country is not safe for long, due to the whims of Hynkel and his armed thugs, who routinely rough up its residents, or leave them alone, dependent upon his mood that day or week. The barber is among them, but is befriended by his former commanding officer, Schultz (Reginald Gardner), who seems to keep things quiet for a while, until Hynkel condemns him to a concentration camp. He seeks refuge with the Jews in the ghetto, most specifically the barber, and the feisty young woman, Hannah (Paulette Goddard). The premise will be - who will be the one among these Jews to put their lives on the line to get rid of Hynkel and his cronies? We needn't guess too hard to know the answer; the barber is a dead ringer for the dictator, and he is outfitted in his image, accompanied by Schultz, also in full military gear. Hannah escapes with several of her ghetto friends to the country of Osterlich, where Mr Jaeckel's (Maurice Moscovich) cousin has a farm, and they can live peaceably for a while. At this point, Hynkel himself has been arrested by his armed forces, thinking him to be the notorious barber. The latter, meanwhile, has been escorted with Schultz to a podium, to make a speech announcing the conquest of Osterlich. The ensuing ten minutes is pure Chaplin himself, speaking from his heart of tolerance, love and freedom, and denigrating greed and hatred. Albeit Chaplin started production on the film in 1937, it can be forgiven some naivete. He was allegedly unaware of the gravity of this persecution and hatred, and said had he known the full extent, he would never have made the film, because he most likely believed it would have trivialized the situation. He has a marvelous supporting cast: Reginald Gardner, Henry Daniell as Garbitsch, his aide-de-camp, the always wonderful Billy Gilbert as the bumbling Herring, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie as the dictator Napaloni, his rival for conquest, veteran European actors David Gorcey (Leo's father), Maurice Moscovich, among others. The scene he choreographed with globe, with just a musical accompaniment is sheer, luminous inspiration, and luminous, as well, is Paulette Goddard at the film's end, smiling through her tears. I have seen this film before, but there is always something new in it for me. Last evening, when it finished, I sat there in tears. I defy anyone not to be moved by it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie moved me more than I was expecting, and I was fully prepared to cry. The acting mainly carried this film, with superb performances from Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger, as well as the supporting cast. These actors portrayed characters so intensely human that they lingered the remainder of the night with me, and I had trouble shaking this war drama. The costumes and cinematography were also magical, but didn't get carried away with themselves. They didn't take focus, but added to the whole effect. Cold Mountain could never become my favorite movie, as that title will always belong to The English Patient, but it's in the top five. The story itself was well developed, and stayed fairly unpredictable. I did not find myself guessing what line came next. A heart-wrenching story about humanity and war. In fact, this movie was so strongly real that it was barely noticeable it took place in the 19th century. It seemed to apply to all times.$LABEL$ 1 +A small pleasure in life is walking down the old movies aisle at the rental store, and picking stuff just because I haven't seen it. A large pleasure is occasionally taking that movie home and finding a small treasure like this playing on my screen.Long before Elia Kazan turned himself into a brand cranking out only notable movies (not good ones), he made this better than average drama. Watching it you begin to notice how many decent, good or nicely observed scenes have accumulated. Contrast that with his later films where the drama is writ large... preferably large, and unsubtle, and scandalous. Kazan was eventually more of a calculating promoter than a director. (um. No thanks) His future excesses are hinted at here only in the plot. The plague is coming! But here's an atypical Richard Widmark playing a family man in 1951 and avoiding most of the excesses of that trope; here's an almost watchable Barabra bel Geddes, with her bathos turned way down (well, for her); they're a couple and they share some nicely-written scenes about big crises and smaller ones. Here's an expertly directed comic interrogation with a chatty ships-crew; here's a beautiful moment as a chase begins at an angular warehouse and a flock of birds shoots overhead punctuating the moment. These are the small-scale successes a movie can offer in which a viewer can actually recognize life; something Hollywood, in its greed, now studiously avoids. These are the moments that make me go to the movies and enjoy them. It's a personable, human-scaled film, not the grotesque, overscaled production that he and others (David Lean) will later popularize, whose legacy is still felt in crap as varied as Pirates of the Caribean and Moulin Rouge.I just watched it twice and I'll be damned if I could tell you what Jack Palance is seeking in the final scenes, but it doesn't seem that important to me as a viewer. This reminds me of both No Way Out a Poitier noir with Widmark as the villain, and Naked City, which you should really get your hands on.$LABEL$ 1 +The Order starts in Rome where the head of a special order of priests who deal in ghosts & demons named Brother Dominic (Francesco Carnelutti) is found dead, cut to New York City where one of his order Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) is contacted by top-brass Cardinal Driscoll (Peter Weller) who ask's him to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Dominic's death. Along with his girlfriend Mara Willims (Shannyn Sossamon) & fellow priest Thomas Garrett (Mark Addy) Alex travels to Italy to delve into his mentor's death, as the truth begins to emerge it appears that Dominic was a 'Sin Eater' someone who absorbed other's sins & lived with the burden of them so they could die peacefully & that the Church wasn't happy about his activities. Alex must do what's right even if it goes against what he believes...Also know under the title The Sin Eater this American German co-production was written, produced & directed by Bian Helgeland & didn't really do that much for me if I'm honest & I usually am, honest that is. Anyway lets start with the mess of a script that has some OK ideas but it's throughly predictable, excruciatingly dull & boring, really silly at times & it takes itself far too seriously. The whole concept is daft & while it thinks it's clever with it's oh so neat twist ending that ties everything up & brings the story full circle I thought it was the most obvious & lazy way to end things. There's the usual religious themes here, morality, sin, forgiveness, faith, belief, prophecy's, blah, blah, blah you know the sort of thing. Then there's the twists which aren't hard to see coming, there's the abuse of power by high ranking clergymen, corruption, greed, evil, etc. you know the sort of clichéd Hollywood ideals & themes that get reused every time it deals with the Church. The Order has nothing new to say & as a serious piece of film-making it sucks, a lot. I'm not too sure who The Order is meant to appeal to, as a die-hard horror fan I didn't see much horror in this at all, as a thriller it's less than thrilling, as a mystery it's too predictable & there's nothing here to really grip or maintain ones interest & for some reason I cannot figure out the IMDb also lists The Order as an action film which is absurd as it's as exciting & action-packed as the average episode of Sesame Street (1969 - present), harsh maybe but it's what I think...Director Helgeland does an OK job, the film seems to have a very soft lighting scheme & it all looks a bit drab, grayish & dull. For a supposed horror film The Order is very light on scares or horror elements, in fact there aren't any of either apart from two evil kids who can turn into a flock of birds for no apparent reason, don't ask. Forget about any gore or violence as there isn't any which is fine but it would have helped at least make The Order somewhat watchable. According the IMDb's 'Trivia' section the release date of The Order was put back so some of the special effects could be improved because they looked unintentionally funny, all I can say is judging by the finished film the effects must have been really bad to start with because they aren't exactly brilliant as it stands now.I was amazed to see The Order had a budget of about $28,000,000 which is a hell of a lot of money & I just can't see where it all went apart from the sets & production design which are good. The whole film looks & feels very average & utterly forgettable. The acting is OK although the annoying fat guy who seems to be some sort of foul-mouthed comic relief irritates, a good actor such as Peter Weller deserves better than this.The Order, I prefer the title The Sin Eater actually not that it matters too much, misses all of it's intended targets by the proverbial mile as far as I'm concerned & is a pretty dull way to waste 100 odd minutes of your life so don't do it! Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +Stu Ungar is considered by many to be the greatest poker / gin player of all time - an extraordinary self-destructive force of nature - tiny in stature, but a huge heart for the game.What we have here is a kind of Hallmark film about the dangers of gambling. Sure, he wins, he loses, he blows it all on sex, drugs, and more gambling we get it, but where is the real play - where is what made him the greatest card player of all time.Much too flat, and frankly boring in places, this gets a four because we get to learn something about Stu the man, but Stu the card player, nada.Nicely shot and presented up to a point this is the perfect example of how not to make a film about cards: honestly, ESPN's coverage of the World Series is more watchable than this.A waste of a great chance.$LABEL$ 0 +Deathstalker is directed by John Watson and it stars Rick Hill, who is some kind of body builder and famous of that, if I have understood right? The plot follows as Deathstalker (Hill) tries to get something back from the evil lord, and he has to travel to the lord's cave. He meets many dwarfs and monsters during his journey, and the settings are very close to Tolkien, and of course Conan the Barbarian. This is a rip off of huge success of Conan, and even though this is very stupid film, it has many nice trash merits and is recommended for trash fans and tolerating film junkies!There are no many cinematic merits in this film. Couple of scenes are almost atmospheric and fascinating, but what Deathstalker concentrates to show, are nude females and huge muscles of Hill. Females are usually helpless victims and very stupid, too, so this is very macho film and thus may not please many feminists! The fight scenes are nothing special and pretty dull, and the monsters are not either anything special. And all the other aspects of the film are also very amateurish and badly done, but what did you expect from low budget effort like this? This tries to be as great as Conan but fails pretty miserably. As I said, this can please fans of turkey cinema but no one else. This belongs to the category it's so bad it's great!Deathstalker is still not as near as bad as it could be, and as a turkey film, I appreciate this almost as much as other turkeys, enjoyable ones of course! If bad films are your cup of tea, then try this and have fun, but if you don't understand "enjoyably bad films" then stay away. And if somebody can't stand large amount of nudity, then stay away as well. There is more nudity here than violence, and due to these scenes, the film has an R rating. Otherwise this could be some safe PG family film!4/10$LABEL$ 0 +A vastly underrated black comedy, the finest in a series of grand guignol movies to follow 'Baby Jane'. Reynolds and Winters are mothers of young convicted murderers (a nod to 'Compulsion') who run away to hide in Hollywood. They run a school for would-be movie tots, a bunch of hilariously untalented kids attended by awful stage moms. Debbie, in her blonde wig ('I'm a Harlow, you're more a Marion Davies' she tells Winters) leads the tots at their concert and wins a rich dad, Weaver. She also does a deliciously funny tango and, over all, gives an outstanding performance, unlike anything she'd done before. The atmosphere is a fine mix of comic and eerie. It looks wonderful with great period detail (30's). Lots of lovely swipes at Hollywood and the terrifying movie tot. Micheal MacLiammoir has a ball as the drama coach: 'Hamilton Starr', he purrs, 'two r's but prophetic nonetheless'. See it and love it.$LABEL$ 1 +Slipknot is a heavy metal band from the great city of Des Moines, Iowa in which the rockers wear their own distinguished mask (I know someone already said this, but I need to fill up space for this review). The band members are Joey, Mick, 133, Sid, Clown, James, Corey, Chris, and Paul. This band is one of the best new heavy metal bands in my opinion and should be heard by everyone that loves hardcore rock. Another good movie is called "DISASTERPIECES" which shows the band's performance at the London Arena. The "My Plague" video was shot there and is included on the DVD. The most kick ass song they made is also on there (Sic). So if you love the band you need to see this and if you love heavy metal music then you have to hear this band.$LABEL$ 1 +I was shocked by the ridiculously unbelievable plot of Tigerland. It was a liberal's fantasy of how the military should be. The dialogue was difficult to swallow along with the silly things Colin Farrell's character was allowed to get away with by his superior officers.I kept thinking, "Hey, there's a reason why boot camp is tough. It's supposed to condition soldiers for battle and turn them into one cohesive unit. There's no room for cocky attitudes and men who won't follow orders." I was rooting for Bozz to get his butt kicked because he was such a danger to his fellow soldiers. I would not want to fight alongside someone like him in war because he was more concerned with people's feelings than with doing what was necessary to protect his unit.--$LABEL$ 0 +The `plot' of this film contains a few holes you could drive a massive truck through, but I reckon that isn't always top priority in horror. Two elderly sisters in rural England keep their brother in the cellar since more than 30 years. Now, he escaped and started a killing spree, focusing on militaries that are homed nearby. `We only did we thought was best for him' they keep on repeating and – strangely – all the army officers love these women and don't doubt their sincerity, even though 5 of their men died. I don't know whether to find the revelation near the end suspenseful … or tedious! In a way, this film reminded me about `Arsenic and Old Lace'. In that black-comedy classic, two half-insane siblings mother their goofy younger brother as well, yet they do the killing there. The old ladies in `The Beast in the Cellar' are by no means less crazy, though. The `horror' in this early 70's film is very amateurish and cheap, but there are a few neat attempts to build up the tension. Too many `old-ladies' talk about the good ol' days, though and that rarely is something you seek in a horror film with such an appealing title. Flora Robson, who may be recognized by classic film buffs, plays one of the sisters. She gave image to the Queen of England is the legendary Errol Flynn swashbuckler film, the Sea Hawk.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember seeing this one in the theatres when it came out, having no idea what it was going to be about and being so pleasantly surprised that I vowed to buy the video when it came out. While I won't go too far into dissecting this film, I will say that I gave it an 8/10, for all the reasons you can read in the other user's reviews.What I will say is this: The first 10 minutes of this film are incredible. It's as close to a textbook audience grabber as I've ever seen. I once put this movie on at a party, where everyone was winding down and getting ready to leave. I just wanted to see what would happen if I showed them the first ten minutes.Everyone, who watched the opening, stayed to the end.$LABEL$ 1 +some would argue this is better mainly because of the acting; but it is indeed far worse for reasons that outweigh the improvement.the source from which all the problems stem; the story. aside from one of them people being shot point blank, with a shotgun, in the chest and surviving for hours without medical attention, there is a bigger problem. Nic, the gangsta with the golden heart is willing to do anything for the friend he just met that day; and that includes asking an evil spirit for help. Ce-Ce, who comes out of nowhere with a past in voodoo, is willing to summon Killjoy, so long as Nic can "hook her up." the acting, while improved, is still horrid. these people couldn't convey emotion out of a paper bag. the script doesn't help them either. stupid lines, and i can only assume no direction from the director. this script was read like Shakespeare in high school with a teacher whipping them as they went.while this movie (if you can call it that at its 80 min. run time (thankfully)) is perhaps even funnier than the first because of all these things, it is definitely more painful to watch. 1/10.$LABEL$ 0 +If you loved Long Way Round you will enjoy this nearly as much. It is educational, funny, interesting and tense. Charley shares the screen with two interesting teammates, two tired mechanics, two excellent cameramen and too much Russ. Ewan makes a few appearances but Charley really pulls it off alone. He is funny, engaging and still a puddle of stress and doubt. Great stuff!The series wraps up in 7 episodes. Like LWR, the preparation is nearly as interesting as the race. Though they cover the ins and outs of the race well, there could be a bit more explanation of the trucks and cars, which are merely mentioned and rarely even seen racing. It is a motorcycle movie though and anyone on two wheels will love this. The series features stunning photography as well as a few interviews of peoples mouths. Yikes. There is another extremely catchy theme song like LWR but this one is not nearly as good as the Stereophonics.If you live in the US god knows when it will be released so buy it on Amazon.uk and watch it on your computer as I did. Oh, and be prepared to buy another motorbike.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie makes me want to throw up every time I see it. If you take the first movie, and reverse the plot (ariel wants to leave the sea, her daughter wants to go to the sea), take the same characters and give them new animals and new names, and then throw in crappy animation and the biggest suck factor, possible, you get the little mermaid 2. Its basically a copy of the first movie with a reversed plot. I'll take you through the horror of it step by step. These are the people from the 1st movie: First of all, Prince Eric is still prince eric, with about 3 lines in the whole movie. Ariel is uptight, annoying, and is not the carefree, headstrong spirit we saw in the 1st. In fact, she is the exact opposite. Sebastian is still sebastian only less cute, less convincing as being stressed out, and the jokes just aren't funny anymore. Flounder has about 2 lines. He now has kids and he talks with a dumb nasal voice. Scuttle is still dumb scuttle only not funny. King Triton's character is probably the best, he still retains the intimidation and love for his daughter, Melody. Ariel and Prince Eric appear not to give a hoot about their daughter. Like i said, all they did was use the characters from the first movie and copy them. This is what they did: Ursula- The new evil villain is Morgana, Ursula's sister who feels like she always lived in Ursula's shadow. I wouldn't be scared of her if she showed up at my doorway with a knife. She can't do anything right and she's a failure as a villain. She has the same voice ursula did. Sebastian & Flounder - Have been replaced by probably the most stupid sidekicks, Tip & Dash, a walrus and a penguin. They try to be hero's but always fail when trying. the plot is so predictable. They become heroes at the end. Yawn. Flatson& Jetsom- Now replaced by a shark who was turned about 10x smaller by triton. Hes really bad too. Morgana and the shark (sharkbait, I think was his name) have no chemistry, good or bad. Ariel-Ah, Ariel. Our lovely mermaid was replaced by her un-lovely daughter, melody. Melody cannot sing, her voice is about 2 octaves higher than it should be, and you want to punch her in the face because shes so fake sugary sweet. She wants to go to the sea, she is clumsy and the kids make fun of her, she has to go find herself. yawn.Not only is the movie boring and unoriginal its so simplistic when you watch this movie you will gasp at how bad it is. Certain parts of the movie make you want to call Disney up and demand why such a horrible movie was made as a sequel to such a wonderful original.Basically, comparing the little mermaid 2 to the little mermaid is like comparing and Ed Wood movie to Casablanca. Don't ever watch this, not even when your bored.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this on the Sci-Fi Channel so I knew it would be bad to start with but I was surprised at how much worse it was than expected. The CG effects on the dragon were terrible, even for the Sci-Fi channel and the writing was pathetic. I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be that stupid as a joke or if it just came out that way. The only redeeming quality of this movie is that it's so terrible it's almost funny, especially the part where Patrick Swayze's knight character goes home to his Knight father who has retired after losing his legs and is now bed-ridden in his armor for the sole purpose of letting the audience know he was a knight. The majority of the movie focuses around an enormous dragon egg that hatches into a not-so-enormous baby dragon with some of the worst CGI I've ever seen. This was just awful.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed this movie okay, it just could have been so much better. I was expecting more action than what I got...which was more of a comedy than anything else. Granted, it was serious in parts and it had a good fight scene here and there for the most part it was more romance and comedy with some action and no horror at all. Which is hard to do with a vampire movie. A vampire hunter loses his partner and must train another, his sister is going through a difficult break up, but she is being pursued by a vampire of all things. Granted, this vampire is rather nice and not into sucking blood. So that is all there is really to it except for a plot of another vampire after certain royal vampires so he can gain ultimate power. Some of the problems with this movie is that its plot went here and there and the movie had a very uneven flow to it, that and it seemed to shift genres a bit much too. One minute action, the next pure comedy. However, the girls were cute, there is good action, the comedy was worthy of a chuckle or two and Jackie Chan makes a rather energetic appearance or two. This movie probably just needed more development in some areas such as the villain who is basically not really explored at all. So for a movie with a few good fights and a chuckle or two this is rather good...though why was it rated R? I have seen stuff we have made that is PG-13 that is a lot worse than this.$LABEL$ 1 +When one thinks of Soviet cinema, the propaganda masterpieces of Eisenstein or the somber meditations of Tarkovsky generally come to mind. They're great films sure, but generally not the most entertaining material out there. However, the countries within the Iron Curtain apparently enjoyed their escapist musicals just as much as the states had. In fact, from the 1930s up until the 70s, forty of these song-and-dance extravaganzas were released to much adoration by the public. However, they are completely unheard of in the West, so this documentary attempts to rectify that situation. It does a terrific job of both showcasing these films and putting them into the proper cultural context. Despite the fact I've never been a fan of musicals, I found this documentary to be completely compelling from beginning to end. It goes to prove that, no matter how many films you manage to see in your lifetime, you're only skimming the surface of whats out there.As for the film clips themselves, they're very entertaining. While some of the musicals are blatant propaganda showing workers singing of how much they love working under the regime, some of the films (particularly the later ones) look quite accomplished from a production standpoint. Plus, they are all extremely campy because of how alien they are to my western eyes. There's a few similarities between them and the American musicals I'm used to, but the presence of strict government enforcing of a message gives them a surreal edge. They certainly don't resemble the musicals made in the West. This documentary is both one of the most bizarre and entertaining films I've seen in recent memory, and its an absolute must-see for any film buff. (9/10)$LABEL$ 1 +Sigh... what can I say? Why does a horrible script such as this gets approved in the first place. Its not wrong to have a complicated plot but its not explained to the audience properly!To have the wife explain the plot via flashbacks is bad bad bad. To have such a tight editing for the fight scenes is bad too! Such fanciful editing only appears in trailers. It cheapens the whole look!And who are the Russian guys at the top of the movie? Who is the guy being tortured? Is he with the CIA? This film deserved not to be released in theatre. But it doesn't deserve to be produced in the first place. Its a joke to Hollywood.$LABEL$ 0 +Been lurking for a couple of years or so. I have never been moved to post on here before, so perhaps this movie is worth a star for that, but I doubt it. I just watched it on DVD, having missed it in the movies due to illness and never got around to watching it till now. I had not read extensively about it, certainly not even thought about the movie in some months. It was just what the buddy picked up in the store, so it got watched.Bad mistake.The shot I spoke of in the the summary up top is in the trailer and on the poster. Right from the off, Jason Statham has hair. Like in no other GR movie. Or any JS movie that I've seen. At least not in the quantities on display here. And Ray Liotta in underpants SHOULD be advance warned. It's scary and funny but not in a ha-ha-humour way. Its more in an almost-TheOffice-but-slightly-mutated-and-so-failing-sort-of-humour way. They each say the same thing: "This movie is not like anything you expect this movie to be."Now, based on previous, extensive, movie-watching experience, I expected this movie to be a few things. Like:() Coherent,() Interesting or engaging,() Not a complete and utter farrago of navel-gazing,() Something more substantive than a motley bunch of badly-realised fables from what is just a standard eastern mystic ideology dressed up as a "cool, modern, self-aware art-form",() Hopefully better than "The Idiots".As you may have guessed by my tone, it thoroughly failed to check any box above. Instead it was:(x) Badly edited {pace all over the shop, 70s-amateur high-8 style jump cuts, incomprehensible "plot" "twists!!!" delivered through hackneyed flash-back montages, I could go on...},(x) Shot as if by a depressed 14yr-old goth who'd just spent the weekend watching Truffaut and Godard with the drapes drawn(x) So up its own behind with the whole "I'm really smart, me" motif/ message, that it feels determined to repeat it every 20 minutes or so, just to make sure the dumb people (ie: everyone who doesn't like it) in the audience make sure they get the point,(x) A genuine waste of my time.As for the undoubted ability of some people to "get" something from this, fine. I'm glad you enjoyed it. One poster said something that caught my attention: under-25s probably understood it better because of the editing. Maybe, but editing is supposed to make your work more accessible, not less. As for the "Genius is only recognised by the enlightened" brigade out there, go suck an onion and grow up. There is nothing more presumptuous and self-serving than people who say the reason another person doesn't know great art is because they don't understand the 'craft /materials /moon cycle /filaments of supreme rational thought' which the 'auteur /poet/ artist/ palm reader/ idiot savant' is using to explain his or her 'vision /grand scheme /oneness with Gaea /great big bucket of dog-sick'.For me and many, many more people, its garbage. Movies, art, stories, poetry, anything designed to be viewed by another human is supposed to be engaging and moving. In some direction be it metaphorical, spiritual, emotional or whatever you're having yourself.The only way this moved me was forward in time, two hours closer to my own inevitable demise. "The greatest trick He ever pulled was making You believe Any Part of this movie meant Anything at All"And now, please, by all means, toast my buns for me.$LABEL$ 0 +Milla stands out in this movie because of her personal sense of style and the way the clothes hang on her. I have learned to hate that crumpled little three-year-old face she makes whenever she pretends to cry. It makes any points she is trying to make as a serious actress drop off quickly. Of course, in a movie with a BALDWIN and Denise, she still shines as a mature actor person. David seemed to be doing Woody Allen by way of Howdy Doody. Not a single word or gesture in the entire movie seemed sincere or even sincerely acted. "How Harry Met Sally" and "Two Weddings and Funeral", even "Sleepless In Seattle" had scripts, locations and ACTORS. The script seemed to be a string of bad and crude gags separated by a LOT OF TALKING. The locations seemed to be within a few blocks of each other. There are only two actors in this dishrag of an indie flick, Milla and the lady who played the chick who was into the stars. I watched most of this through the first time with the sound off, just watching Milla. That subscript gag was old the first time I saw it and it's a silly rip off of a song in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying".$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed this film. The way these mutants looked, along with the tone of the film, is very good. Plus, David Cronenberg as Philip K. Decker was great! It makes me wonder if his personality is exactly the same in real life (except for the killings of course).I was impressed with the creatures for this film, although this movie probably had a somewhat low budget, the mutants/creatures/monsters looked great, especially from 1990. This is definitely a unique film and not crap. It makes me want to go find a read the novella it's based off of. This is an interesting film because it shows how humans can be monsters and the "monsters" are the one with humanity.$LABEL$ 1 +It's important to check your expectations when you see HATCHET. The *buzz that has been generated on this site far surpasses the real impact of the movie. What may help someone about to see the movie is to realize that it is --not supposed to be scary--. It is pure camp and an attempt at fun. It is not --funny--, just campy. Don't expect something like SHAUN OF THE DEAD; nor something like Friday THE 13TH (Part II through infinity).HATCHET does possess passable actors. The cinematography is straight Ed Wood. Creature effects and make-up are silly - probably on purpose. Gore and blood is something between Romero and DEAD ALIVE. HATCHET is a movie of betweenness. It's between SHAUN OF THE DEAD and LESLIE VERNON. It's between campy and comedy (there's a difference). It's between ultra violent and violent comic book.Instead of "capturing the essence of American Horror," or whatever other silly jargon that has been used to describe the movie, it tries to capture something between seminal --American-- Horror like Friday THE 13TH and new Horror like SHAUN. It thankfully stays away from Torture Horror.In the end HATCHET is between a bad movie and a decent movie.*I think it is happening more and more that people involved in movies are flocking to sites like IMDb to rate and comment on the movies that they are involved with. At very least there is campaigning going on for people associated with the associates to leave positive feedback and ratings. There is no other reason for this movie to have stared out in the high 7s with 600 votes and quickly fall after wide release. This movie is on just better than the HorrorFest releases and should not be so bloated.$LABEL$ 0 +From the late Sydney Pollack comes a grown up love story about human nature,pain,passion and betrayal. Police Sergeant Dutch Van Den Broeck(Harrison Ford)is devastated when he learns his beloved wife has been killed in a plane crash,he's even more upset to learn of her affair with the husband of a famous congresswoman Kay Chandler(Kristen Scott Thomas).He arranges to meet her and see if she knew or like he had no idea.They start to befriend each other then out of their mutual pain and distress begin an intense affair(which could be seen as healing for them both).However will the memories of the dead and pressures from their respective jobs drive them apart and cause more harm than good or can they escape the past?well you'll have to watch Random Hearts and find out.A moving and well acted film with a great cast.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure what. I just couldn't laugh at it. I had an open mind. I didn't want to be a tight-@ss about it. But I seriously just couldn't laugh at this film. It was just not funny to me. Some parts it seemed like Ben Stiller and Jack Black tried too hard. Just because you put two very funny men together doesn't mean that this is going to be an excellent comedy. Some movies just shouldn't be made. This is one of them. Because it does a lot of old jokes and the acting was just stupid. I know, I know it's a comedy. Sort of at least. But I was just not impressed. I'm sorry, but I cannot give this anything lower than a two. And that's all I'm giving. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Pandora's Clock is among the best thrillers you will ever read and this is one of the best thrillers you will ever see. A highly faithful adaptation of John J. Nance's novel ,which had a frightfully real scenario in the novel,is made even more so here. Despite being made for TV, this is first rate entertainment. The cast is great and slips into characters from the novel so well that you would think they were reading the novel. Richard Dean Anderson steps way outside the shadow of Macgyver and gives the best performance of his career to date. Jane Leeves is great her role as an ambassador's assistant in a role that proves she can be a fine dramatic actor. Daphne Zuniga is great as Dr. Sanders and despite the character being a man in the book, it works incredibly well. Robert Loggia, Edward Herrmann, Robert Guillaume, and the rest of the supporting cast are top notch and fit their novel counterparts tot he letter.There are changes to the story of course (including and a slight change in the ending) but those changes are for the better when compared with the novel. The plot is realistic and very see to believe in the way its presented making this the best airplane set movie since the original Airport movie. The production values are high and though the special effects might look as good as they did a decade or so ago, they work fine. Sets are great, especially CIA HQ and the Oval Office showing that the filmmakers spent a lot of time to make this work.It doesn't matter if you see this first and read then read the novel or vice versa. Just do both and you won't regret losing four hours to this film and however long it takes to read the novel. This will leave you breathless.$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't able to last ten minutes on the this terrible film. In and age of DV cameras, it looks to have been shot on VHS without aid of any color correction or microphone.As a filmmaker myself, I know the constraints of indy film-making and, even keeping those things in mind, I'm amazed films can be made this poorly.The only praise I can offer is that this film got distribution as I've seen considerably better films still seeking modest domestic or international release. I'm guessing the box is what sold it...it does have good box art, but it all goes downhill from there.Side note: It seems the director has 11 friends since no one on the this planet would give this film a "10".$LABEL$ 0 +A message movie, but a rather good one. Outstanding cast, top to bottom. Interesting in that Bette Davis's plot line is essentially back story! The extremely negative reviews (name throwing at the screenplay/playwright, associating this somehow with extremely negative comments about 'Angles in America', etc. etc.) object to the movie being too preachy about Germany in WWII. Gosh, that is just a bit too sophisticated an understanding of morality for me.Theatrical and movie-making, and acting styles vary over time and of course 70 years later this particular movie would not be made in this way. Yes Casablanca is a better movie (I guess), but although made in the same year and both having Nazis in them, Casablanca is primarily a love story. The love story in this movie takes second seat to the spy plot--more of a thriller. Both have a rather large number of somewhat cheesy accents and wonderful character actors. The children ARE a bit tedious and could have been edited$LABEL$ 1 +In Michele Soavi's confusing art-house zombie film, Dellamorte Dellamore, Rupert Everett plays Francesco, a caretaker in a cemetery where the dead don't stay buried for long. Aided by his simple assistant, Gnaghi, Francesco deals with the cemetery's zombie problem by either shooting the undead in the head or splitting their skulls with a spade.However, soon after falling for the mysterious beautiful widow of one of his recently interred, Francesco finds himself busier than ever before…Having garnered some particularly favourable comments from some of IMDb's more respected horror officianados, I decided to see what the fuss was all about. I've just finished watching the film, and I can honestly say that I haven't been this disappointed by a horror film for quite some time.With its dreary, muddled pseudo-philosophical plot, and an extremely bland performance from leading man Everett, Dellamorte Dellamore is an irritating and plodding mess that not even some splattery gore (courtesy of Sergio Stivaletti) and welcome gratuitous nudity (from busty Anna Fialchi) can save. I am at a loss to understand the amount of in-depth analysis and discussion that this pretentious bilge has received from its misguided fans.$LABEL$ 0 +It's Showtime! Showtime is simply a bump in Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro's careers. It's an entertaining movie and a guilty pleasure but not quite up to the actors' standards, especially not Robert's. Showtime is directed by Tom Dey and features some small roles from guys like William Shatner and Mos Def.Showtime is about two very different cops, Mitch Preston (DeNiro) and Trey Sellars (Murphy). One takes work seriously in a low profile, quiet manner while the other is more easy-going and wants to have more fun than felons in his back seat. They are both after the same felons behind a huge caper of televisions, VCRs, etc. They then cross paths and a TV station wants a new reality TV show so they fight crime while they are on TV. Mitch hates the publicity while Trey loves it with his line, "It's Showtime!" Their TV antics and methods are shown on TV and they are the new "Cops" show. The fun begins.Overall, Showtime is a fun action comedy. A good film but not quite up to the actors' expectations and standards. However, it's rolls along as it treads and parodies reality TV shows. A good break from shows like Cops. Truly at the end, just a guilty pleasure.My Rating: 7/10Eliason A.$LABEL$ 1 +I will commend it in only one respect.. it was innovative. Innovative doesn't mean it's a good film, it means that it can give you an idea of what you can take and implement in your own films.The simple plot is.. well.. simple. I got to the point where I didn't care if they destroy the building or not. If I had to hear that girl's annoying giggle one more time, I swear I would hurl the DVD out the window. And there's also the protagonist. They try to make him lovable, but he's a freakin pervert! Sniffing the girls bra, sneaking peeks at her when she's naked, putting her bra over his eyes when he sleeps, putting her bra on a blow up sex doll (which she takes her panties off while hes asleep and slips them on his doll.. umm)What irritates me even moreso is that crappy tinting. In the photo gallery on the DVD, you can see what the film looked liek before they greyscaled it and put in a color tint (digitally too).. The film looked a LOT better without the effect.. so they sacrificed it being a good film just to be artsy... bah. I could understand using gimmicks like that if the film quality was crap..I think most people who liked this film just liked it because the chick was naked for a good 5 - 10 minutes. This doesn't compare to Delicatessen ( like so many are tryign to do). Delicatessen has characters you can get into and like.. these people here just grunt and giggle.Lastly, I would also liek to point out that this was also tryign to be like a German Impressionistic film liek the old silents. One of the problems with most foreign, especially artsy, films is that thety focus on making an artsy composition and forget about the 'space' of the scene. It results in the audience not really understanding what;s going on because they don't get a sense of the space of the surroundings.Anyway, it's rubbish. The short film on the DVD, Surprise, was a heckuva lot better.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh, Yawn. Not another chick flick where the men are all pigs and the women will get even for the abuse they suffered. The only difference is that, in this film, everybody's a pig or has mush for brains. I hated this film for the moral issue of why it's right to send a man to prison for life for a murder he didn't commit. Is that a more immoral act than his abuse and deviousness. This movie shows all the situational ethics of bad writing. I saw it on the CBC's "Best of Britain" series. If this is Britain's best, no wonder the British film industry is in trouble.The only bright spot in this film was David Tennant, He plays his character as so despicable that I'm likely to spit on the next person who speaks with a Scottish accent. Kate Ashfield tries to play the victim but comes off in the end as immorally devious as David Tennant's character. They deserve each other.In the mush for brains category are the parents who see nothing wrong with the obviously psychotic Brendan. English policemen are made out to be so incompetent that they're unfit to give out traffic tickets. The British Policeman's Union should sue the makers of this film for defamation.This film isn't worth the electricity it takes to run your DVD to watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +This waste of time is a completely unnecessary remake of a great film. Nothing new or original is added other than Perry's backflashes, which are of marginal interest. It lacks the documentary feel of the first film and the raw urgency that made it so effective. Also painfully missing is the sharp Quincy Jones soundtrack that added to much to the original film. I can't understand any high ratings for this at all. It's quite bad. Why does anyone waste time or money making crap like this and why did I waste time watching it?$LABEL$ 0 +Utter dreck. I got to the 16 minute/27 second point, and gave up. I'd have given it a negative number review if that were possible (although 'pissible' is a more fitting word...). Unlike the sizzle you could see and practically feel between MacMurray and Stanwyck in the original, the chemistry between dumb ol' Dicky Crenna and whats-her-face here is just non-existent. The anklet becomes an unattractive chunky bracelet? There's no ciggy-lighting-by-fingertip? And I thought I'd be SICK when they have a mortified-looking (and rightly so, believe you me) Lee J. Cobb as Keyes practically burping/upchucking his way through the explanation of his "Little Man" to Mr. Garloupis. No offence to the non-sighted, but it looks as though a posse of blind men ran amuck with the set design of both the Dietrichson and Neff houses. The same goes for those horrid plaid pants that Phyllis wears. And crikey, how much $$ does Neff make, that he lives overlooking a huge marina? This, folks, again, all takes place in the first 16 and a half minutes. If you can get through more of it, you have a much stronger constitution than me, or you are a masochist. But please, take some Alka-Seltzer first, or you WILL develop a "little man" of your own that may never go away. Proceed with caution, obviously.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a terrible movie, and I'm not even sure why it's so terrible. It's ugly, for one, with that trendy 1970s visual style that maybe seemed like a good idea at the time but which now enables one to instantly recognize a film from that time period as being a 70s product. The film retains the story and songs that made the stage version of the musical such a hit, but the songs sound lifeless on screen. But mostly, the movie sucks because of the wan performance of Lucille Ball, who you'd think would be able to make something of this larger-than-life character if anyone could. She sleepwalks through the movie like a terrified actress choking on her opening night, and the film sinks with her. Even Bea Arthur, who I bet was hilarious in the best friend role onstage, can't breathe any life into this stinker.Avoid at all costs.Grade: D$LABEL$ 0 +Nickelodeon has gone down the toilet. They have kids saying things like "Oh my God!" and "We're screwed"This show promotes hate for people who aren't good looking, or aren't in the in crowd. It say that sexual promiscuity is alright, by having girls slobbering over shirtless boys. Not to mention the overweight boy who takes off his shirt. The main characters basically shun anyone out of the ordinary. Carly's friend Sam, who may be a lesbian, beats the snot out of anybody that crosses her path, which says it's alright to be a b**ch. This show has so much negativity in it that nobody should watch it! I give it a 0 out of 10!!!$LABEL$ 0 +The 1960's were a time of change and awakening for most people. Social upheaval and unrest were commonplace as people spoke-out about their views. Racial tensions, politics, the Vietnam War, sexual promiscuity, and drug use were all part of the daily fabric, and the daily news. This film attempted to encapsulate these historical aspects into an entertaining movie, and largely succeeded.In this film, two families are followed: one white, one black. During the first half of the film, the story follows each family on a equal basis through social and family struggles. Unfortunately, the second half of the movie is nearly dedicated to the white family. Admittedly, there are more characters in this family, and the story lines are intermingled, but equal consideration is not given to the racial aspects of this century.On the whole, the acting is well done and historical footage is mixed with color and black and white original footage to give a documentary feel to the movie. The movie is a work of fiction, but clips of well-known historical figures are used to set the time-line.I enjoyed the movie but the situations were predictable and the storyline was one-sided.$LABEL$ 0 +More entertaining than all the gay orgies in "300" combined. More heartbreaking than a Shakespearian tragedy. More poetic than even the most melodramatic poems about lost love and blah blah blah. And on top of all that, the greatest trash ever made.A black comedy testing the limits of the human senses, John Waters's cult movie "Pink Flamingos" is a story about the conflict between two families that ends in humiliation, death and of course the eating of dog feces (yeah by the way that is not actually the humiliating part). No no, this is not about the impossible love, there are no Romeos or Juliets on these 90 or so minutes. This movie is about the battle for prestige if you could call it that. The battle for the title - Filthiest person alive.On one side we have Divine (played by the cross-dressing Waters regular... umm... Divine) a caring daughter, good mother, cannibal, murderer, pervert and current owner of said title. She loves her son Crackers a bit way too much. Crackers himself sports a sexual attraction to both chickens and young ladies sometimes mixing them up in threesomes. Family friend and loyal accomplice Cotton gets her satisfaction from watching Crackers during some of his... acts involving the mentioned earlier objects of attraction. Last but not least Divine's mother and grandmother to Crackers, Edie. A 400 hundred pound woman, sleeping, eating and basically living in a baby cradle. She is addicted to eggs and loves the egg-man (the man who brings the eggs...lol).The four of them live peacefully in a caravan outside the city until the moment when they become a target for the Marbles. Exhibitionists, manipulators, cheaters, very evil people actually. Their main source of income comes from the kidnapping and impregnating of young women. For the impregnating part they use their trusted and loyal cross-dressing butler to provide the semen. After that they sale the birthed child to the highest bidder.It was the Marbles's envy towards Divine and her title that will lead to an inevitable confrontation between the two families. An Epic battle of filth, perversion and violence."Pink Flamingos" is an unsurpassed masterpiece in the trash-movie genre. Loaded with oddities and strange acts, John Waters's movie is loathed and hated by traditionalists, critics and the average movie-going audience. But for the few that remain unscratched by these generalizations the Flamingos is an unforgettable experience. Funny and sick, violent and poetic. It truly is an exercise in poor taste$LABEL$ 1 +I do agree that though this story by Melville just might be unfilmable, this isn't even a credible try. To move the story into the 20th century just outrages the original story's intent and nature; possibly you might have been able to move it over to England, but it must be a period piece. Even our story narrator--the proprietor--tells it in a flashback, going back even further, somewhere around 1800. Towards the end of the 19th century, a strangely disobedient worker would be discarded without a thought. And the 20th century? Come on! Give me an expletive deleted break!!! Even around 1800, such behavior didn't work very well, in view of the ending. And the movie's ending? I don't know what it was, because I didn't watch the entire travesty--I had to stop. This was like setting "Streetcar Named Desire" in Elizabethan England.$LABEL$ 0 +My wife is a mental health therapist and we watched it from beginning to end. I am the typical man and can not stand chick flicks, but this movie is unbelievable. If you want to see what it is like for someone who is going through these type of struggles, this is the movie for you. As I watched it I found myself feeling sorry for him and others like him. ***Spoiler*** Plus the fact that all the individuals in the movie including the people in the mental institution were the actual people in real life made it that more real.A must see for someone in the mental health profession!$LABEL$ 1 +Without being really the worst science fiction film ever made, or the worst I have seen, 'Time Under Fire' is still much under average. The premises and the first 10-15 minutes are not that bad, it starts as a X-Files story, combining Bermuda triangle mysteries with time travel. Pretty soon elements of other genres (too many) mix together, but the story never takes off beyond the level of interest of a TV series. Soon, 'Time Under Fire' quickly degenerates into a series of clichés, not only mixing altogether too many genres but also being unable to create anything memorable in suspense or special effects that would help viewers remember the movie until tomorrow. Acting is bad, and the rhetoric lines in the script do not help at all.$LABEL$ 0 +Generally speaking, I'm a an admirer of Jess Franco's film-making but, for some of this movies, I really have difficulties understanding the motivation behind them or even their reason of existence. Like this sick puppy, for example. "Sadomania" has absolutely no cinematic value, it's poorly made without any sort of plot and featuring some of the most ill-natured sleaze footage ever captured on film. This is another filthy women-in-prison film where rape, lesbian-action and violent torture games are daily routine. The guards are crazier than the prisoners and the institution is protected by an impotent governor who only gets sexually aroused when he spots a girl having sex with a dog (!). The girls are all very beautiful and naked throughout the entire film, yet you can't really enjoy this sight with all the perversion going on. The dubious highlights include a barbaric hunting game (you can guess what he prey is), a duel-to-death between a guard and a prisoner and the image of a poor girl having a needle injected all the way through her nipple. Auch! Avoid this sick mess and you'll save yourself the trouble of taking TWO baths in order to wash the filth off.$LABEL$ 0 +I mean really. This is not going to help the Australian film industry to make this kind of film with no values of any kind. Okay, if you're a stoner and have nothing better to do, then maybe. I think film-makers from here should try to show the rest of the world what great talented people we have, and this is not the vehicle for it. Come on now, this film is just tacky.$LABEL$ 0 +Why did they change the cute, Rugrats television show we all know and love into a lame attempt to target teens? They don't have to do that. All ages watch the regular Rugrats. When I heard about this, I thought, "Hey. They made a TV series about the movie. Except, they're really grown up as a teenager! This is going to be better." When I saw it, it was just as if I was watching As Told By Ginger, except they made it suck. Great job.When in the Rugrats series has tommy been a director? Never. Basically all the episodes in this attempted series is about Tommy's love of directing. I don't like that. I rather watch plots that change every episode. Not the same thing over and over. Also, when did in the old series have each character have their own sides of the story? Never. This series did that. I didn't like that everyone separated. I don't want to see Angelica's side of the story. I hate her.I do not recommend this show if you like As Told By Ginger and the Rugrats.$LABEL$ 0 +When the movie first started I thought cheesy. The first ten minutes were really boring. After the slow beginning and some of the soap opera antics, I started liking it. The plot was different than anything I had ever seen. Now, was it a horror? Not really. It shouldn't have been classied as a horror or the producers should have put more money into the movie to make it scary. As it was, the creatures where only there for a short time. I can only assume this was for money reason.The good side was that the movie was very entertaining. It held my interest (after the start) and did make me wonder about creatures from another dimension.It was obvious that this was a first time movie for the director, but there were a couple of highlights. By the end, I was hooked. Too bad Hollywood didn't put more money behind this.$LABEL$ 1 +This is by far the most awful movie I have ever watched. I have never before rated a movie 1 out of 10. My advice is don't watch it. This doesn't even classify as a movie.You'd be better off sitting on the couch bored rather than watching this movie. Acting was terrible but what was worst by far was the storyline. Highly unlikely sequence of events which aren't even funny. They are actually very lame and stupid. Very foolish choice by Ashton Kutcher and Tara Reid to act in this movie. Might even upset their careers a little.When I walked into Blockbuster, the main focus was on this movie , so I decided rent it. I sincerely regret it.Once you're 10 or 20 minutes into the movie you could basically predict what was going to happen. I was hoping it would get better , but instead it got worse.I am not exaggerating this. The movie is terrible. Don't watch it. Hope this helps.$LABEL$ 0 +For getting so many positive reviews, this movie really disappointed me! It is slow moving and long. At times the story is not clear, particularly in the evolving relationships among characters. My advice? Read the book, it's a fabulous story which loses it's impact on screen.$LABEL$ 0 +Before I'd seen this movie I've heard a lot of praise about it and quite many exclamations about how "horrific" it was. Not to take any credit away from this movie, I think it wasn't all that horrible or even shocking. It's just a movie about people living in the darker side of the town. And a good one at portraying the point.There's some great acting here and a well-thought of manuscript. Paavo Westerberg is a renowned writer in the Finnish movie scene and he's the best in what comes to describing the contemporary Finnish culture (albeit he's not the only one writer for this movie, but I dare say he's the main-writer anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong).The casting is excellent, except for Jasper Pääkkönen (the pseudo-main character, who in my opinion should have stayed in the soap opera scene), and the sets, the cuts and sounds are very well done as well and give great atmosphere to this movie.This movie is a story about loosely interconnected sad destinies that according to a famous Finnish band's very well known song (Eppu Normaali's "Tuhansien Murheellisten Laulujen Maa", which VERY roughly translated to "Paha Maa") throughout the whole Finnish society lead to a sad, dark end accompanied with booze, lonesomeness and the bad choices. And it's the side of everyday Finnish life about 80% of the population have no awareness of, unless movies like this are made.$LABEL$ 1 +The moral of this show is that bad eating habits give people bad hair, bad taste in clothes, bad posture, bad jobs, and on and on. They are obviously miserable and loathe themselves. However, if they learn to eat broccoli, they will be wealthy, successful, and attractive. TLC ought to be ashamed of themselves for this blatant exploitation of parental fears and guilt. If nutrition is really that important, they should be able to develop a show using honest and truthful methods. If they really believed in their computer simulations, I'd like to see them do a double-blind test by finding some 40-year-olds, finding out what their eating and exercise habits were as children, and age-progressing the kids' photos. Then compare to the real things. Hey, that sounds like a project for Mythbusters! Discovery Channel--are you listening?TLC must stand for Tabloid Lies and Cons.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought this movie was LOL funny. It's a fun, not to be taken seriously, movie about one man's twisted views on life, love, and... well, ladies "from the lowly bus station skank, to the high-class débutante... bus station skank." Tim meadows plays a guy (Leon Phelps) who was raised by in a Playboy-style mansion by a Hugh Hefner-esquire father figure, surrounded constantly by beautiful porn models and actresses. When his "father" kicks him out on the street he must learn to fend for himself with nothing but the chauvinistic outlook on life that his youth has taught him... that and an unfathomable, nearly mystical level of charm and dumb luck. And so the hijinx begin! If you haven't seen this movie and you enjoy a light-hearted, semi-mindless, comedy/love story, then I highly recommend renting "the Ladies' Man".$LABEL$ 1 +i don't know why, but after all the hype on NPR i thought this was a new movie.....all the best footage has been used for BBC docs and NatGeo projects that you have seen if you are interested in nature programs...it has been repackaged with sappy narration and over-dramatic music for Disney to take advantage of Earth Day-there are great moments, and it is always nice to listen to Darth Vader.......oops,........... James Earl Jones speak, but I had hoped for a ground breaking movie , considering the new camera technology used in the making of this film......it has been sanitized for a child audience, so one can actually see better footage for free on youtube ....i feel that we are due for something as ground breaking as Koyannisquatsi (sic) and this movie is certainly not it$LABEL$ 0 +Comment? Like my comment is necessary? We are talking about all time masterpiece, for all seasons and all generations. This is only type of movies that i still have patience to watch. In this, like in other Disney's movies is some kind of magic. All characters are in some way, "alive" and "real" so it's easy to understand message, even if you don't understand language, (like i didn't understood when i first watched movie, because i was about six years old). Maybe my English is not so good, but i learned what i know mostly from this kind of movies, and this is one more great dimension of this kind of movies, which in present time are rare. But there is a one big shame. In my country is now impossible to watch this, or any other Disney's movie! We don't have copyrights, so our children are disabled to enjoy and learn from this kind of movies. So, we will watch this movie again "Once upon a dream" or...?$LABEL$ 1 +This is at least the third remake of this movie so if while watching it, there is a sense of deja vu, don't be surprised. All they did was change the setting of the story and tell it differently but the differences are not significant. And it doesn't get any better because the plot is flawed to begin with. It never works. And like its predecessors, the acting is mediocre.The plot has a unique ending which will surprise any one who has never seen the movie before but the ending doesn't fit the story. Had this movie ended ten minutes earlier, it would have worked and have been very satisfying and I would have thought it more worthwhile. But here is the spoiler and that in the end crime does pay because the criminal is not caught. I never like this message resulting from a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +- A small time hood tricks the local mob boss out of a lot of money. Of course the mob boss wants his money back and doesn't care who he has to kill to get it. The punk enlists his friend and an old mobster to help him save his life.- If this sounds ridiculous, it is. The whole idea that this Izod-wearing, dune buggy-driving punk could hold off one of the most powerful mobs in Rome is just plain silly. His friend may be good with a gun, but he's up against a group of trained killers. The old mobster is little more than comic relief and no real help when it comes to the face off with the mob. There's also a sub-plot about how the friend's father was killed years ago by the mob boss, but there's little made of it and it doesn't help the movie any at all.- The mob boss, Mister Scarface, is played by Jack Palance. I suppose he got the name because he has what looks like a shaving nick on his cheek. Palance is as ineffective as the rest of the cast, doing what he must to get a paycheck.- I've seen some pretty good Italian crime/cop flicks recently, but Mister Scarface isn't one of them. Check out Syndicate Sadists or Revolver instead.$LABEL$ 0 +Steven buddy, you remember when you said this: "Try to find the path of least resistance and use it without harming others. Live with integrity and morality, not only with people but with all beings." you have not been doing that, you have mortally wounded your fans and their morality with these "films" I wouldn't even bother if I didn't know you are so much better than this, I've seen the videos of you teaching, you are so much better than this why why brother why...steamroller productions has been steamrolled I promise bro i am not afraid of you I will tell you the truth to your face so we can fix it.well I like some others fell asleep 90% in, but to be fair i was tired and had a large meal just an hour before hand Sensai, what are you doing. 12 million? really? do you have any idea what we could have done with $12,000,000 It could have been in the theaters and a blockbuster hit, if you wanted we could have donated money from the huge profit to a homeless shelter or something. These post production people are ripping you off man the choreography was non existent, we can do better man, the eye blinking thing was from the men in black movie, i half expected will smith to appear or tommy lee Jones to tell your they were gills not eyelids.Seagal you are an Aikido master, why are you doing this to yourself, to us? when you came on the scene, you had such a fresh direct style, and it was obvious you are a teacher cause the way your moves were so clear and crisp, watching your first three movies i felt like you were teaching me something, now i feel like you are just being ripped off or something i feel like I need to save you buddy, this time you are the one who was killed and I'm gonna go and get revenge for you by helping you make the best movie ever. bro i know who you really are, i know the truth about the Nico movie. let's talk.contact me man i got some fresh ideas I am a nit picker, I swear you will not be disappointed with my attention to detail and we'll do it for the fans man, your fans deserve better, we're hanging on, but the strand is about to snap. I swear I will not let your movie out the door with a single mistake in it I'm still trying to figure out if that was the worst dubbing ever, or you have laryngitis, but i promise you i can do a better impression of your voice than the lame **** who didn't even try. I sure hope you kicked him in the nuts as his payment. i can come up with a story and a plot that can be matched to your avenging the death of your student/daughter/wife/dog/house plant niche and I promise you we will bring you back, I promise, also I want to go in the direction, that makes people think, if you let me in i promise we will make a movie that people will walk away and have to have a discussion about it, a serious thought provoking, perception altering experience.Steven Seagal This is my official in writing permission for IMDb to release my contact info to you for the purpose of resurrecting one of the best martial arts heroes I have ever seen also, for the record hes not Italian, hes Irish and Jew so you call it bad acting i call it terrific acting, because you have believed for 20 years that Seagal is Italian :) kinda changes your perception doesn't it.$LABEL$ 0 +Given the title and outlandish box art, I was ready for just about anything. Perhaps my expectation were forced just a bit to high, because I was left a little dry.A film crew working on a soft-core sex movie end up at a strange house when they get lost in the fog and decide the best way to spend the evening is to have sex. Where hasn't this set up been used before? The difference here is the uber-perverse nature of the sex. Not allowed to show all the goods (groin shots were illegal in Japan for a long time, what is shown is fogged out) the movie tries as hard as it can to show the viewer just how unnatural sex can be.Amidst all the kinky goings on, a mud monster (whose origin I can't fathom) shows up and begins murdering the men and raping the women...then murdering them too. Some of the sights are a bit much, most notably a woman having her intestines pulled out through her vagina or another woman spitting out a mouthful of...stuff, but otherwise the gore is pretty standard fare.Ultimately the film is pulled down by it's own designs; it's too over-sexed to be a strait horror picture and too gruesome to work as a sex flick. The mediums can work, but there need to be a balance.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This parody is cleverly done: from the songs (Express Yourself becomes Expose Yourself, Like a Prayer is now Party in my Pants and Vogue is now Vague) to the fake interviews of the cast of the show, this movie is hilarious. Remember Madonna saying she didn't know about the rain season in Asia? In this one, she doesn't know about the volcano season. It is a precious jewel. They got a lot of money on that spoof, and it pays off. Highly recommended!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I was having just about the worst day of my life. Then I stumbled on this cute film, watched it, and now I'm ready to go out & kiss a streetlamp.I have to admit, I only watched it for 2 reasons: VERA-ELLEN'S LEGS. But it's really so much more. The plot is actually quite clever and creatively woven. It's almost like a Shakespearean comedy with all of its delightful misunderstandings. And of course there's also... VERA-ELLEN'S LEGS.The only unfortunate aspect of this film is that the version I purchased (the "100 Family Classics" collection by Mill Creek Entertainment) doesn't have the best video quality, and I've heard the same about the Alpha release. The brightness and contrast are a bit too high, so a lot of the scenes seem bleached out especially when Vera is dancing in a white dress. But I suppose you can fiddle with the controls of your TV set to compensate. I can only imagine how it looked on the big screen back in '51. The stage sets, costumes & colours are otherwise dazzling & delightfully creepy--sort of in a "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" vein.As far as the romance goes, this is just perfect. Not sappy, not contrived, not melodramatic. Just 100% ahhhhhh. Too bad, you poor schmucks, your miserable lives will never be as charming as this. Har har har. Wait, what am I laughing at? My life sucks just as bad as yours. Oh hell. Time to watch this movie again.$LABEL$ 1 +"This might mean the end of the white race!" gasps a general as a dozen Native Zombies wander around the battlefields of Europe during the "Great War". An expedition sets out tor the long-lost, back-projected city of Kennif-Angor to stop this sort of thing and keep the battlefields clear for decent honest white people to slaughter each other by the tens of thousands.It is a bit hard to tell when people are zombies or not in this film as the acting is so wooden. Even by 1936 standards the acting in this film is bad. From a previous decade. It looks like it came out of a correspondence school text book on 'How to Act' ------------- Chapter Three: Emotions -------------"How to express fear and loathing (Female) Clench both fists. Place fist of one hand on heart. Open mouth as it to scream. Place other fist, palm out, against mouth. Hold pose for 10 seconds longer than is comfortable then quickly turn head 90 degrees away from direction of loathed object and sob"."How to have difficult, heavily emotionally charged scene with ex-fiancé explaining your love for someone else. Do NOT make eye contact. Do not move. Do not show any emotion. Do not move your eyes too much as you read your lines off the studio wall." To give us a respite from the leaden acting the director cunningly cuts in long pauses where nothing much happens except that film keeps running through the projectors. Thus 35 minute's worth of story is padded out to 60ish minutes.The revolt of the zombies when it comes is so slow! Released from mental bondage the armies of ex-zombiefied minions turn on their former master by ambling slowly up hill and then sort of stabbing a door a bit and smashing a window. "Yea... let's... oh, I dunnno yeah. Let's get him grrr. Frankenstein must be destroyed - manana." (though I have just found a bit of hidden symbolism. Jagger is shot by a Native as some sort of ironic counterpoint to all the Natives being shot by the Germans at the start of the flick. see, even downtrodden Natives don't want the end of the White Race!) The chase (it you can call it that) through the back-projected swamp is hilarious and worth the admission price alone. Roy D'Arcy has a hell of a time camping it up, but is totally wasted, as Col. Mazovia.There is one interesting moment in this film. A nice little montage of the zombied natives and white cast members falling under the evil eyes spell. face after face, cross-fade into one another. It works, though there is a strange little blip in the middle of each close up like a frame has been cut. I guess these must be Neg Cutters' frames between the fades.Best watched with friends and in a silly mood.$LABEL$ 0 +Francesca Annis, Michael Kitchen AND Robson Green!! Wow, what a trio...OK, so this is no Anna Karenina, but it is a good love story, very well-written and well-acted by all. Even a few 'laugh-out-loud' moments mixed in with some pretty serious observations on fidelity, age bias, and parental aging/Alzheimer's issues.Quirky guitar music added to the story as well.While I have been a fan of Ms. Annis' since 'Lillie' (in the '70s) and Mr. Kitchen's since 'The Buccaneers' and 'Enchanted April', I have only recently discovered Mr. Green ('Me and Mrs. Jones', 'Touching Evil', etc.), making me ask the question - why had I not seen 'Reckless' until recently??!! Admittedly more of a 'chick flick' than something a man will sit through, it is perfect for a rainy afternoon's lazy viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +The school nerd Marty (Simon Scuddamore) is sexually humiliated by a bunch of classmates and then is in a lab explosion (set by them also) where his face is scarred by acid. Years later all the jerks get invited back to the high school (since closed) for a reunion. What they didn't know is that Marty is inviting them back to kill them. Then a storm starts, they're locked in the school and Marty starts to take revenge.Pretty silly. The murders are inventive and gory and there are some creepy atmospheric shots of the deserted school--but that's about it. The humiliations inflicted on Scuddamore are more than cruel (he's stripped, has his head dunked in a toilet AND gets burnt) and are just uncomfortable to watch. Considering Scuddamore committed suicide shortly after this was released make them almost impossible to view. Also this movie goes out of its way to have nudity. There is full frontal of Scuddamore (surprising for any movie) but one girl decides to take a bath alone...AFTER they know a killer is wandering around after them! And then there's the couple that has to have sex. This is the type of film where the killer seems to know where everybody is going to be and can teleport himself to them. It ends with a twist which had me groaning and rolling my eyes then ANOTHER twist which had me wanting to throw something heavy at the TV! The acting is bearable--not good, but bearable. Caroline Munro is in this too. She's a very beautiful woman but not much of an actress.This gets a 3 for some effectively gory murders and atmosphere. Otherwise it's run of the mill and forgettable. Scuddamore's tragic suicide has given this film more attention than it deserves.$LABEL$ 0 +THE KITE RUNNER is one of those modern epics that one is occasionally graced with. Spanning two continents, multiple family generations, and many decades, this film touches on a myriad of items including friendship, love, loss, and, ultimately, redemption.It's prime mover is young Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi), a native Afghan boy who often plays with the hired help; mainly young Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada), a Hazara boy who's family is supposedly inferior to the ruling Afghans. But the two form a bond of friendship based on education (Amir teaches Hassan to read), closeness in Amir's house, and, of course, kite flying.But bad times are on the way for the city of Kabul. The communists are invading and Amir and Hassan have separated due to an impossibly brutal act of prejudice by an Afghan boy against Hassan. The two may never see each other again.Amir's father races to get himself and his son out of Afghanistan, eventually finding their way to America. Here the two set up a gas station and live hand to mouth by selling at niche markets. And as Amir's father gradually becomes ill, a new revelation will strike to the heart of Amir; one that he cannot ignore and requires his return to his beloved Kabul.A study of friendship, war, and reconciliation, The Kite Runner is truly a fantastic piece of cinema. The story is never inappropriately spoken in English whenever we're in a foreign country, and only broken English whenever we're in America. This was refreshing and lent itself to a sense of realism.The acting was on-par with the best you'll see, too. Particular note must be made of Homayoun Ershadi who plays Baba, Amir's ailing father and strong patriarch. Also lead Khalid Abdalla as the older Amir is played well, especially when returning to Kabul to find it in ruin; quite the contrast from when he'd left.The cinematography of Afghanistan during Amir's escape and ultimate return are nothing short of breathtaking, with snow-capped peaks that will cause your mouth to slacken (I'm not sure exactly which mountain range they used in the film, but wherever it was I want to go there and film it myself!) But it isn't the cinematography nor the acting of one or two people that makes this film a success. It is a simple story told very well that makes it worth any movie watchers' while. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen many good Korean Movies including thrillers and movies with darker overtone, but this one sucks. The director seems to be a sadist, who happened to get someone to produce some junk. The movie lacks any sort of entertainment value and is not even a thriller. I can't believe someone really made such a movie. Even though acting is OK, the story line and the feeling it leaves is awful.I am sure, I am not going to see any movies of this director. No sense of movie making, and utter disappointment in having thriller moments. All this has is showing scenes with psychopath wasting the reels with badly shot scenes and showing more blood and violence thinking that makes it thrilling. Very disappointing movie and I strongly recommend skipping all the movies of this sort.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this film. It's one of those I can watch again and again. It is acted well by a good cast that doesn't try too hard to be star studded.The premise of a newly widowed housewife who turns to selling pot to make ends meet could have been made into an Americanised turd of a movie or an action thriller. Either would have killed the film completely.The film plays out like an Ealing Comedy with a terrific feel-good factor throughout.It is worth watching just for the scene with the two old ladies and a box of cornflakes... (no that's not a spoiler!)$LABEL$ 1 +I stumbled across rerun syndication of this show several years ago, and fell in love with it. It features Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor and kept me laughing, one episode after the next. I guess it didn't make it so big, and was cancelled after a few seasons, but I believe it was a good run, and would suggest watching it...if the opportunity arises.$LABEL$ 1 +To paraphrase Thora Birch: "I kind of like this movie. It's the exact opposite of everything I hate in a film".This obscure film was too low key and intelligent to get a theatrical release, any chance for success would have needed a costly promotional campaign. And a coming of age story where nothing spectacular happens - where instead the focus is on character development, has a limited target audience. Whoever heard of a mature teen movie?But if you have an opportunity to see this or if you can part with a few bucks for the DVD, you could do a lot worse. "My Teacher's Wife" is nothing revolutionary but it has a lot going for it and holds up well to repeated viewings.Jason London (as high school senior Todd Boomer) is the star and fits this character as well as his parts in "The Man In the Moon" and "Dazed and Confused". He is helped out by exceptional work from his supporting cast. Tia Carrere in the title role is a revelation (she can act) as Todd's calculus tutor and love interest. Christopher McDonald as the teacher in a nice self-parodying performance. Zak Orth and Alexondra Lee as Todd's best friends, and Jeffrey Tabor as his father. As someone commented earlier, this is a "mature" teen movie because the romantic relationships are universally unsuccessful-at least by traditional happy ending standards. Even Todd's parents are indifferent to each other, with his father panting after the title character and his mother (Leslie Lyles) literally on the telephone during her entire time on screen (a device that provides increasing comedy relief with each successive appearance). The London-Carrere romance has unexpected charm and is far more believable than any other older woman storyline you are likely to find. But the real strength of the film is the evolving relationship of the three friends. There is no overwrought melodrama here, just three immature people who alternate between testing and trusting each other, subject to all the dynamics that three young people can bring to this kind of thing. They actually manage to pull off a "believable" three-person relationship, perhaps the first one in cinema history. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.$LABEL$ 1 +"You're not going to shoot those little creatures. In the first place, they haven't done you any harm. In the second place, they may be radioactive." Ah, the joys of no-budget 50s sci-fi… Yet despite the odd gem like that, Superman and the Mole-Men is pretty uninspiring going even with a lean 58-minute running time. It's beyond cheap (the one shot of Superman flying is an incredibly inept few frames of animation) and pretty dull with it, though it has a surprisingly altruistic message – the mute Mole-Men, diminutive actors with enlarged skulls and fur coats who look more like Mr Mxyzptlk without the hat than subterranean critters, released from their underground world by oil drilling are not malicious, merely misunderstood, and George Reeves' Man of Steel tries to prevent the local small-town mob led by Jeff Corey from killing them. An interesting counterpoint to the paranoia of the day, perhaps, but with little more than good intentions to recommend it.$LABEL$ 0 +Loony Tunes have ventured (at least) twice into the future. The first time was with the brilliantly funny "Duck Dodgers". The latter time was with this … um … effort. "Loonatics Unleashed" isn't without merit, and might be considered a good product were it not that it isn't up to Warner Brothers quality. WB cartoons are noted for their cheeky humor, appealing at least as much to adults as to children. These pedestrian superhero episodes, on the other hand, cannot fail to convince adults to pass them up.The premise of the series is that 6 ordinary individuals (2 bunnies, a Tasmanian devil, a duck, a roadrunner, and a coyote) live on the "city-planet" of Acmetropolis and acquire super powers when a meteor strikes the planet in 2772. What's confusing is that the titles section features these individuals with a count-up to 2772 from the 21st Century. Cute, but frelling stupid.In each episode, the super sextet – amid mildly amusing but essentially banal banter – fight various super villains. For the most part, these are types that appear in every mediocre superhero adventure series and even some of the better ones. Like many mediocre superhero series, this one takes its villains far too seriously for the context. And of course these guys are the only characters that laugh – the usual evil laugh, of course. Why is it that villains in predictable superhero adventures always – ALWAYS – laugh evilly at every opportunity? Animated material of this sort seems to leave laughter exclusively in the province of villains and (occasionally) their henchpeople and/or henchthings.In point of fact, the makers of this series missed their best bets right from the get-go. The superpowers of the characters are sometimes based on their previous normal abilities, but sometimes not. The problem here is that we don't see enough WB looniness. Lexi and Ace have fairly ordinary biologically generated energy weapons and have virtually no personality traits one could describe as "Bugs-like". What we have here is basically the silly and drekish "Teen Titans", including its overly "modern" animation "look", but with animals. Feh.The other misstep by the program's creators is (or are) the villains. As noted before, these are not terribly imaginative and do the evil-laugh bit excessively. Amazingly, the writers totally missed the obvious technique of making villains from stock WB characters as well as the protagonists. Adding to the fun could have been, say, Jupiter Sam – as well as The Fudd, still hunting wabbits – as well as Tech E. Coyote converted into a really neurotic villain – and so on. Ah, the sadness of missed opportunities….Sadly, this whole production has gone into too much overtime (that is, a 2nd season). Nevertheless, we can rejoice that there's something new out there for the 14-going-on-9 crowd. The rest of us can hope for a 3rd season of Duck Dodgers.$LABEL$ 0 +Back in the 1960's, those of us who were bad movie aficionados thought that "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was the worst movie ever made, and would remain so for all time. To put things in perspective, though, we also thought that $3,000 was a lot to pay for a new car.As we grew older, our innocence was gradually stripped away as we were exposed to movies like "Hercules in New York" and "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank," which completely redefined the "bad movie" genre. In this context, last night, my son and I saw "Alien From L.A.," which pushed the envelope to an extreme unimaginable just a generation ago. To call this movie "bad" (or wretched or execrable) completely fails to do it justice, as does any other label existent in the English language. Even if there were words with which to accurately describe this movie, it would be of no consequence, since they would be banned in civilized society.The Alien referred to in the title is played by Kathy Ireland, who apparently took some time off from modeling swimsuits for Sports Illustrated, to kick off her cinematic career. Her casting might seem some sort of recommendation, until you actually see the movie. The makeup artists earned their money by making Kathy look so drab and unappetizing you would not want to touch her with the far end of a broomstick -- no mean feat. To put it bluntly, in this movie she has a face that would freeze Medusa. Even worse than her look, though, was her voice, which was so raucous that I initially failed to credit it as originating with a human being. Throughout the movie, I found myself longing for a chalkboard to drag my nails across to cover the screechy twang of her dialog. At the end of the movie, Kathy finally gets a makeover and finds herself in her beloved swimsuit. I suggested to my son that the movie would have been better if they had put her in the swimsuit at the beginning of the movie, so at least we would have had something to watch. My son perceptively pointed out that if they had then removed the swimsuit and stuffed it into her mouth, it would have considerably improved the movie on two counts. I defer to the plain brilliance of his observation. If you have any doubts, compare this dreck to "Barbarella," in which a competent filmmaker shows how to exploit the assets of an ethereally beautiful leading lady in the fantasy genre.Of the plot, itself, there is little on which to comment, since there was so little in evidence. It is said that if a million monkeys typed unceasingly for millions of years, eventually one would come up with "Hamlet." By the process of elimination, the rest of the time they would come up with something approximating this screenplay. Imagine, if you will, a modern-day Alice falling into a hole and dropping 500 feet onto a rock slab, following which she gets up, dusts herself off, and starts looking for her long-lost father in the city-kingdom of Atlantis. Once in Atlantis, she spends most of her time running, fighting, or climbing stairs and ladders, and basically trying to keep out of the hands of a general who seems to have no soldiers to do his bidding, and who would make Tiny Tim look macho. This summation, as abbreviated as it appears, is probably longer than the shooting script.On the plus side, as you revel in the production values and take in whatever you can of the sets and costumes through the smoke and haze, you realize that this is one movie in which you can actually see on the screen where all $20 of the budget went.The thought that kept going through my mind was that filmmakers ought not be given access to drugs and alcohol while they are shooting a movie, or perhaps prior, if it leads to results like "Alien from L.A.," though in fairness I have to acknowledge that I don't know whether they were actually involved in substance abuse, or were simply brain dead at the outset of the project.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, I am just going to tell you about this one so don't read if you want surprises. I got this one with the title Christmas Evil. There was also another Christmas horror on the DVD called Silent Night, Bloody Night. Whereas Silent Night, Bloody Night (not to be confused with Silent Night, Deadly Night) had lots of potential and was very close to being good, this one wasn't quite as good. It started out interesting enough watching the villain (if you can call him that) watching the neighborhood kids and writing in books about who is naughty and nice, but after awhile you are looking for some action and this movie doesn't deliver. You need character development, but this goes overboard and you are still never sure why the heck the guy snaps. About an hour in he kills three of four people while a whole crowd watches in terror, and the guys he kills aren't even his targets they are just making fun of him. This is one of many unsuccessful attempts by the killer to knock of the naughty. He then proceeds to try and kill this other guy, and he tries to break into his house by squeezing himself into the fireplace. He promptly gets stuck and barely manages to get out. He then enters through the basement and then tries to kill the guy by smothering him in his bedroom. He can't seem to kill the guy this way so he grabs a star off the tree and slits the guys throat. What the heck was a tree even doing in the bedroom in the first place? Oh yeah, the killer before this kill stopped off at a party and had some fun too. Well that is about it except for the town people chasing him with torches and the unresolved part with his brother and that tune he wants to play. What was that even about? He kept talking about something that was never really explained. How does it end you ask, well since I have spoilers I will tell you. He runs off the road in his van and proceeds to, well lets just say it was lame!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I hope that Matt Dorff's original script for this was much better (there are signs of it - dialogue that should happen well before big f/x scenes (to introduce characters) that would make sense much earlier, is jammed in later in the time-line; perhaps the original script was for a longer running-time. But maybe not -- in any case, this reeks. Every character is uninteresting, and *everybody* speaks expository passages as if they are speaking the word of god. There are characters that are entirely expository -- Dianne Wiest's "Secretary Abbot" is just awful, explaining things to her assistant (and incidentally us), in endless speeches that NO ONE would say to anyone, ever, in real life (when she isn't explaining things to her assistant that she already knows, her assistant explains things to HER that SHE already knows._ There are characters who are entirely one-dimensional -- the evil power company guy; the pilot who will just NOT SHUT UP about his personal life and concentrate on his job. The "well-meaning" power-company superdooperuber hacker-guy who can crash*everything* in Chicago (including the phones) -- and then gives the oh-no-what-have-I- done speech (but not leave himself a back door?). The crusading reporter who abandons her principles at the drop of a hat? The power-company shift supervisor who ABANDONS HIS POST in the middle of the worst crisis in Chicago since the Fire -- with no consequences? Hospitals ABANDONED by the doctors and nurses during the crisis (I'm not kidding, that's in the movie.) Oh yeah, and it's filled with Hollywood morality clichés -- generally women are good, men are evil, unless influenced by a woman (the ultimate is the punk with the gun -- deprived of a woman's influence, he literally goes insane); an evil stupid act (like what the reporter did with hacker-bozo) is all right, so long as you 'mean well'. Evil men die, capitalist evil men die as horribly as possible, everybody else lives (well, except Randy Quaid). And did I hear someone say that the nuclear electrical power generating stations had to shut down because there wasn't electricity to run the safety systems (think about that one)?There is one ray of sunshine (if you'll pardon the expression) -- Randy Quaid basically plays his character from "Independence Day" (you know -- "Hello boys - I'm baaaack!") -- this time as a storm chaser with an infinite-range SUV and superdooper batteries for his camcorders. Nevertheless, they kill him -- mostly, it seems, so that the audience will appreciate that tornados are pretty dangerous things (kinda shallow, that.)Give this one a pass.$LABEL$ 0 +I think they really let the quality of the DVD production get away from them. I rented this DVD from 2 movie stores and the second time I finally got it to play on the 3rd DVD player I tried.Anyone else have this issue? It's really hard to give the film an un-biased review after going through such a hassle to play it. For one, I've never seen a Finnish horror film before so I was sort of bummed that the movie was done in English. Also since it's never made clear what is wrong with Sarah, she just came off as retarded and therefore I really just hoped someone would shoot her in the face and make all the horrific happenings go away.$LABEL$ 0 +Oliver Stone is not one to shy away from a movie or theme for that matter. He is eager to confront people with their fears or show them their ugly faces in the mirror. Look on his CV for proof! This movie is not an exception, quite on the contrary, it is another gem, that unfortunately not many have seen.As controversial movies go, this is one that you should be thankful for. A movie that should encourage you to think about you, the people next to you. The prejudices that do exist and that everyone of us has in one form or another. Either we like to admit it or not, but it is easier to categorize people and be like "Ah he's 'xyz', yeah he must be like ...". Now I might be reading too much into it, but I don't believe that. I believe that Oliver Stone is a very intelligent filmmaker and that he was aiming for those things. And if that's something you want to explore (as a movie or within yourself), than watch this film and be excited!$LABEL$ 1 +Oh my god! The Beeb hit a new low with this gutless act of political correctness, A mixed race family living in Birmingham with a disabled kid thrown in for good measure. Whoever commissioned this tripe should be hunted down and thrown to the dogs. The usually funny Jasper Carrott is about as funny as piles in this show and don't get me started about the others. They have the timing and subtly of a Nuclear bomb. I only hope comedy will get better but with the likes of Little Britain and Catherine Tate about I severely doubt this. I think you'd be better off getting the box set for a decent comedy from yesteryear such as Fawlty Towers or Bottom if you want a laugh.BAN THIS SQUEAKY CLEAN RUBBISH!$LABEL$ 0 +Anthony Mann's westerns with Jimmy Stewart are slowly gaining for that director a position with John Ford and Howard Hawks as the best film director in that genre. He certainly knows how to give dimension to nice guy Stewart - in Mann's films there is an edge to Jimmy that is slowly demonstrated to the audience. In WINCHESTER '73 it was the relationship of Stewart to his brother and how it twists him into a figure of vengeance. Here it is a "I trust only myself" attitude, which leads to one complication after another. Even before the film properly begins he (as Jeff Webster) kills two of his hired cowboys who were helping on a cattle drive to Seattle because of some dispute (we never are clear about it - either they wanted to leave the cattle drive, or they tried to steal the cattle). He meets his match in Skagway, the port he has to get to in order to take his herd to Dawson. Skagway's boss is a so-called law man named Gannon (John McIntyre) who reminds one of the real boss of Skagway in the "Gold Rush" Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and Judge Roy Bean. The problem is that neither Smith nor Bean would have gotten quite as sleazy as Gannon in turning every opportunity into a chance to make some money. Stewart's herd interrupted a public hanging - so (as a penalty fine) the herd is confiscated (to be sold later for Gannon's profit). Stewart is partner with Ben (Walter Brennan - who oddly enough won his last Oscar playing Judge Roy Bean). They are also joined by Rube Morris (Jay C. Flippen) and also meet two women, the sophisticated Rhonda Castle (Ruth Roman) and the friendly and helpful Renee Vallon (Corinne Calvert). Rhonda works closely with Gannon, but had helped Jeff earlier in fleeing the authorities in Seattle. However, she has a similar "I only trust myself" attitude to Jeff. She does offer him employment to get supplies for herself to Dawson. He, Ben, and Rube go but at night (while the others are asleep) they go back and steal back their cattle. Renee follows and warns them that Gannon and his associates are following. Jeff holds off Gannon long enough for the cattle herd to be brought over the Canadian border, although Gannon points out that since Jeff has to return by way of Skagway Gannon can wait until he does to hang him.The reunited party of Rhonda and Jeff split over the trail to take to Dawson, Jeff opting for a longer and safer route. After he is proved right, they go by his route and reach Dawson only to find there is a lawless element threatening the community due to the gold fields. The herd is sold to Rhonda, and Jeff, Ben, Rube, and Renee start prospecting. There is soon two groups in the town of Dawson. One led by Connie Gilchrist and Chubby Johnson want to build a decent town. But the Mounties won't be setting up a station in Dawson for months. The other, centering around the "dancehall" run by Rhonda, are in cahoots with Gannon who has a vast claim jumping scheme using his gang of gunslingers (Robert J. Wilke - really scary in one sequence with Chubby Johnson and Jay C. Flippen, Jack Elam, and Harry Morgan). Jeff wishes to steer clear of both, and head with his new wealth and Ben for a ranch they want in Utah. But will they get there? And will Jeff remain neutral?The performances are dandy here, including Stewart as a man who is willing to face all comers, but would otherwise be peaceful enough. Brennan is playing one of his patented old codgers, whose love of good coffee has unexpectedly bad results. Flippen is a drunk at first, but tragedy and responsibility shake him into a better frame of mind - and one who has a chance to verbally stab Stewart in the heart using Stewart's own words against him. McIntyre would achieve stardom on television in WAGON TRAIN replacing Ward Bond, but his work in Mann's films show his abilities as a villain (such as his trade post opportunist who outsmarts himself in WINCHESTER '73). He is, as is said elsewhere on this thread, really sleazy - but he has a sense of humor. Roman is an interesting blend of opportunist and human being, whose fate is determined by her better feelings. And Calvert is both a voice of conscience and a frontier "Gigi" aware that she is more than a young girl but a budding woman.Best of all is the Canadian Rockies background - as wonderful in its way as the use of Monument Valley by John Ford. Mann certainly did a first rate job directing this film, and the viewer will appreciate the results.$LABEL$ 1 +"Zen and the Art of Lanscaping", written and directed by David Kartch is a short film about a young man named David (his friends call him Zen) and what transpires in one strange day of his life. Zen works as a lanscaper for an upper-middle class family. The lady of the house tries to get Zen to help her cheat on her husband. Unfortunately, her son walks in on them instead of her husband. From this point on the movie starts to speed through many revelations between the characters along with the eventual involvement of the man of the house. "Zen and the Art of Landscaping" is witty, smart and overall very well written. The comedic timing of the actors is also very strong. It's a fun, light movie that I would strongly recommend.$LABEL$ 1 +The TV show was slow moving and the 'offbeat' characters were sometimes irritating. Only through the miracle of fast forward was I able to make it through the first 2 hours. The write-up indicates that it's some kind of comedy/mystery but I didn't see much of either. If it really picks up after the first 2 hours, please let me know, because I doubt that I will watch the rest without a recommendation.This review is supposed to be without spoilers so I will continue in a vague, non-spoiler, fashion. I found the two main characters uninteresting and unsympathetic. I found myself asking 'Would a normal adult do that?' The man with the hedge trimmer looking out the window was irritating and when the male lead interacted with him, he looked pathetic. Would a normal adult put up with someone as irritating as him?$LABEL$ 0 +It has been said, "a city on hill cannot hide itself" and Virginia City, Nevada, perched on the side of Mt. Davidson at 6200 ft. west of Tahoe, is a prime example, or in the context of the movie, should be. Virginia City exploded in the American dream as a shower of gold and silver, suspiciously the same year the Civil War began. It was the birthplace of the dean of American letters; it was where a young reporter named Samuel Clemens began using the name "Mark Twain" and went on to become America's most famous writer. It was also the birthplace of the great Hearst fortune, and the launching pad of John Mackay, who became the wealthiest man in America, the third wealthiest man in the world. Hey, they should have made the movie about him! In the 1860's Virginia CIty was THE boomtown of all boomtowns, the home of the big bonanza, at one time the largest "metropolitan" area west of St. Louis and East of San Francisco. But Virginia City (the movie) misses all that and is more about a hogwash North/South duello between the characters played by Errol Flynn and Randolph Scott. Flynn is Capt. Kerry Bradford, a Union officer who is a POW in a concentration camp run by a mean Confederate commander named Capt. Vance Irby, played by Scott. These two are always getting in each other's way. Bradford escapes and then tries to stop a shipment of gold bullion being "snuck" out of VC by who else other than . . . Irby! "Hey, what's he doing here!?" Horrible. Bogart plays a laughable Mexican bandit who can't decide who's side he's on. Miriam Hopkins plays a murky character named "Julia Hayne", obviously a historical lunge at the town's first lady, Julia Bulette, who in real life a celebrated prostitute. She goes to Washington and talks Honest Abe about saving BRADFORD (not Irby) from hanging and blah blah blah. Go figure. They shoulda hung the writer. In "real life" Twain reports that on the last day of the War, the setting sun caused the American flag atop Mt. Davidson to appear to the puzzled residents to be weirdly on fire, kind of like the movie. Three days later they discovered that on that day the South capitulated. One interesting quirk in the film is how sidekicks Alan Hale and Guin Williams flick their pistols forward when they shoot, like they're fishing, or trying to make the bullets go faster. Not a bad idea for the movie. The same kind of goofiness is lathered over sap and corn throughout the movie. Gosh, how could they miss the gold madness, profligate wealth, gun battles in the silver mines, Mark Twain getting run out of town and beat up after a showdown, the crooked railroad, the Opera House fire, Artemis Ward, Bulette's huge funeral, the Chinese tongs, the black saloons, the Auction . . ? All this high on a mountain surrounded by desert? The truth was unreal. Did its fabulous wealth actually spark the great American holocaust? Well, if you count this movie, it wouldn't be the first debacle to come out of Virginia City. It's a disappointment for Virginia City fans because it misses what made the town a "city of illusions," where it is said evil seeps out of the ground . . . Okay, other than that it's a fun movie. Flynn and the gang are always great no matter what history they're destroying. If Flynn would just play his rotten self I'd double my rating.$LABEL$ 0 +I love low budget movies. Including those that are intentionally or un-intentionally funny,excess fake gore,violence etc.This,however is beyond stupid. Once you see the ending you'll say,what the hell was the point of all the killing scenes with no one around(except in a couple) to witness them.AND how did the ending actually come about(I won't give the WHOLE story away for those dumb enough to actually watch this) Granny is like a psychic Jason. First she's outside the window with a body and 15 seconds later she's in the living room knitting. The whole thing is a setup for a newcomer. They pull off graphic kill scenes,the knitting needles in the eyes,that only Chris Angel Mind Freak could pull off. And again,the very end was Pre-posterous. 56 min waste of time. I've seen one of the directors other films and it was almost as bad. Give me 20 grand and I could do better. This really deserves a big fat 0.$LABEL$ 0 +I never really watched this program before although it came highly recommended by members of my family. Funnily enough, my girlfriend lives in Hadfield (the filming location) and she pointed out a few landmarks when I first visited.This got my interest going so I bought the 1st series on video and sat down to watch. Besides recognising some of the locations, I found myself not in the least bit surprised. Once again the BBC were responsible for producing another example of the finest comedy in the world. TLOG easily ranks up there with Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python as probably the best.Suffice to say I am hooked on the program now. The characters are superb and show unusual depth while retaining a scarily realistic edge. The look and feel of the program is perfect and reflects the sometimes bleak feeling of the North (no disrespect to Hadfield which I have found a very welcoming and warm place).I only hope that it continues its originality throughout its run (which based upon the 2nd series which concluded its rerun in the UK last night, it certainly is).Well done the BBC!!$LABEL$ 1 +I went into this movie perhaps a bit jaded by the hack-and-slash films rampant on the screen these days. Boy, was I surprised. This little treasure was pleasantly paced with a somber, dark atmosphere. More surprising yet was the very limited amount of blood actually shown. As with most good movies, this one leaves something to the imagination, and Bill Paxton did a superb job at directing. Scenes shot inside the car as are well done and, after watching the "Anatomy of a Scene" episode at the end of the video tape, It was good to see that some of the subtle, yet wonderful things I had noticed were intentional and not just an "Oh, that looks good, keep it" type of direction. This is a moody movie, filled with grimness. Still, for the dark subject, a considerable portion of it is filmed in daylight, even some of the more disturbing scenes. The acting is exceptional (Okay, I've always been a fan of Powers Booth), and never goes over the top. Au Contraire, it is very subdued which works extremely well for this type of film. If there is any one area where this film lacks, it is in the ending, which seems just a bit too contrived, but still works on a simpler level without destroying the mood or the message of the movie. What is the message? It's something that each individual decides for themself. Overall, on the 1-10 scale, this movie scores an 8 for those who like the southern gothic genre (ie: "Body Heat" or "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"), and about a 5 for those who don't.$LABEL$ 1 +Sholay: Considered to be one of the greatest films. I always wondered if they would ever remake being the classic it is. That was the time RGV announced this movie and I was somewhat excited to see it. I always thought that maybe this will be a good movie, but every week we would here RGV change something. And the movie is a very B-Grade movie, something that I had not hoped.I really tried looking for positives, but I promised to keep Sholay out of my mind. The cinematography is awesome. The movie tries to be its own. But that is the up side. The action sequences are weak. The screenplay had potential. The biggest flaw is editing. None of the scenes excite you. For example, the comedy sequences felt very out of place and forced. Ironic because comedy was just as entertaining in the original. And none of the characters are developed. And no scenes will linger until the end. And the ending was very disappointing.The biggest question is acting. Amitabh Bachchan was good as Gabbar Singh, nothing great. It seemed as if they concentrated too much on his look, that the character only looks menacing, but you don't get creeped out. Mohanlal is barely in the movie, but he impresses in his few scenes. Ajay Devgan was decent. It wasn't so much the performance, he gave it his all, it was the weak script. Prashant Raj is very confident, and has potential to make it far with better movies.I had most expectations for Sushmita Sen, who was probably the best of the lot. She was expressive, but this still was not enough. Nisha Kothari surprised me. She seemed disinterested for the most part, but her emotional scene after her friend's death was quite good. Seems as if she needs to find a director who will help her talent, not her cute looks. But what disappointed me most was chemistry. Ajay Devgan and Prashant Raj didn't look like friends. Ajay-Nisha were not a strong couple. No passion was to be found between Sushmita and Prashant. And Amitabh and Mohanlal did not the hateful passion they needed.As for songs, they pretty much suck. Urmila's Mehbooba was too overblown and I pretty much slept through it. It was however nicely danced. The Holi number was enjoyable, but not memorable. Same went for the other songs. For someone who looked forward to this movie, I was heavily disappointed. I had high hopes for RGV because of his Jungle, but seems as if he lost his talent during the shooting of this movie. But hopefully he regains his talent for Sarkar Raj. But this movie is best forgotten. All the positives still do not make up for the boring movie it is.$LABEL$ 0 +It gets really bad. The only half-way redeeming quality is the effects from the thousands of bullets used during the film. There are context errors everywhere. The acting is horrible, save Kirk. The story is as holey as the grail, and the belief that the movie is a video game in itself just kills the movie, if it wasn't already a corpse. So all in all it's a waste of your life. I would have given this a zero had that been an option on the rating scale.$LABEL$ 0 +This DVD is barely 30 minutes long, and has dull interviews that reveal that the average Slipknotian has an IQ of around 30. But these aspects are the least problematic here.The real trouble is that Slipknot is one of the least talented metal bands to ever sell over 100,000 units of their crap. (The only reason I say "one of the" instead of "the" is because System Of A Down are even worse.) Much like Ed Gein's girlfriends, this band's music is pieced together from age-old metal clichés, which are to be found in both their image and their ultra-dull music. In fact, their image is kind of fun; their videos are like snippets from cheesy horror films hence they fulfill at least some purpose as entertainment.Their music, however, consists of nothing of quality - whatsoever: just a bunch of gimmicky, heard-them-a-million-times-before played-solely-at-the-guitar-neck riffs that are in no way related to each other and yet are randomly grouped together to form "songs" that have no cohesion, no highlights, no nothing. But if the riffs are truly bad, then the vocals are even worse: Slipknot's singer has a stereotypical hence uninteresting "evil" growl - the kind 90% of all metal bands today have - but that is nothing compared to when this deluded hick starts trying to sing! Still, what could one expect? Rule no.39 of the "Nu Metal" handbook says quite clearly: "You will alternately growl and sing. Ignore the fact that the two styles don't mix well, because most of your fans are so tone-deaf they will love you even if you **** into the microphone." Slipknot are at their absolute worst when their "singer" starts belching out "melodies".But back to their image. It's stolen, copied, ripped off, nicked, borrowed, taken without asking from none other than Mr.Bungle. You've never heard of them? Of course you haven't. You only listen to nu-metal, and Mr.Bungle is quite far from that, and beyond any categorization anyway. They too wore masks - grotesque, horror ones, similar to those of Slipknot, I might add - in the late 80s and early 90s. This band, whose frontman is Mike Patton from Faith No More, never hit it big because their music wasn't directed toward the average music fans (to put it mildly).So, basically Slipknot aren't even original in the image department. They have nothing at all new to offer hence will be forgotten in several years: once the masks become boring to the legions of their zit-faced fans, which is when Slipknot will be forced to compete in the music market solely with their generic music.Speaking of Mike Patton, it's interesting that a number of nu-metal bands often site his singing as a major influence. Predictably - and thankfully - Patton is not flattered by this and has denied being in any way proud to have been an influence for one of the worst metal sub-genres ever...Having said that, enjoy this short DVD and the cheap thrills it might provide to the untrained ear and bored eye... And then polish those Slipknot posters, because in a few years no-one will be taking care of them, the poor dears.Having seen Corey in the documentary "Get Thrashed", I finally understand why he wears a mask: he is a blue-eyed baby-faced ginger, looking like Dave Mustaine's younger brother! Not exactly scary.For more of my music-world rants, go to: http://rateyourmusic.com/collection/Fedor8/1Please punish me hard, very HARD, by clicking "no" below. That'll teach me...$LABEL$ 0 +"Nuovomondo" was a great experience. Many filmmakers tell their stories to a big extent via dialogue. Emanuele Crialese directs his film very visually driven. For everything he wants to tell, he finds powerful images that are able to stand for themselves. Thus, he understands film as a medium that primarily tells its stories over the pictures on screen. Particularly European cinema is often very dialogue-driven (and many of the young US-American directors are strongly influenced by that). Crialese's opposite attitude was really the point, that made this film special for me. It has also a very interesting topic that is wrapped up in a quite unusual story and told with humour. Vincenzo Amato is outstanding as family head Salvatore, as well as the amazing Charlotte Gainsbourg, who I enjoy watching in every single one of her movies. There are many great sequences in this movie. Just to pick one: When the ship leaves Italy and the people just quietly stare. This scene is great, particularly if you consider the pop cultural references that go with it (Titanic!).$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is terrible. Carlitos Way(1993) is a great film. Goodgfellas it isn't but its one of the better crime films done. This movie should be considered closer to THE STING Part2 or maybe speed Zone. Remember those gems! The only reason this movie was made was to capitalize on the cult following of the original. This movie lacked everything De Palma, Pacino and Penn worked so hard on. There wasn't a likable character and that is the fault of everyone responsible for making it. I hope RISE TO POWER wins every RAZZIE it possibly can and maybe even invent some new categories to allow it be a record holder. After I watched this S@*T FEST movie, I sat down and watched the original Carlitos way to get th bad taste out of my mouth. After watching this I wish Pachanga came and whacked me out of my misery.$LABEL$ 0 +The beautifully engaging song with the same name as the film won the best song Oscar in 1955.Love is a many splendored thing.It's the April rose that only grows in the early spring.Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living.That golden crown that makes a man a king.Once on a high and windy hillIn the morning mist two lovers kissed and the world stood still.Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing.Yes, true love a many-splendored thing.How can we forget such a beautiful song. Henry King, the director, had the privilege to work with Jennifer Jones twice that year for this film and the greatly under-rated film "Good Morning, Miss Dove." Jones was nominated for "Splendored Thing" but she could have been easily nominated for Miss Dove as well.William Holden is just great as the war correspondent sent to report on the Communist revolution in 1949 China. His love for Jones, an oriental doctor, was endearing and so memorable to watch.While the ending is not pleasing, this is still one of the greatest romances ever put on the screen.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is really nerve racking Cliffhangin movie!Stallone was good as always!Michael Rooker put on a surprising performance and John Lithgow play a excellent villain!The music is fantastic especially the theme!The movie is action packed and never dull!If you are a Stallone fan then watch Cliffhanger,you won't be disappointed!$LABEL$ 1 +Incredible. Does it get any dumber than this? Not a chance. The stupidity in this movie would shame even Ed Wood, De Palma, and Woo. If the first part in the series had mediocre dialog and the second one had bad dialog, then this one has cretinous dialog. Amazing. But this time the story has been lowered to the level of the dialog, too. In spite of the acting and the dialog, I liked the first two films, but "Cube Zero" will surely kill the franchise. The utterly moronic plot so obviously stems from the pen of a frustrated left-winger.I sometimes wonder if such leftists even themselves realize just how anti-democracy and pro-dictatorship they are. In this movie they obviously target the US – a democracy. Why don't they target Korea, Iran, Syria, China, Zimbabwe etc. in anti-military movies? Sure, most of these places are hardly likely to produce a cube like this any time soon, but that's beside the point. It's obvious: writers of garbage like this actually admire these kinds of regimes, whether they are aware of it or not. I would even go as far as to say that ANYONE who adamantly attacks US foreign policies all the time, has anti-democratic beliefs in his core.Back to the movie: apart from being so far-fetched that it isn't even funny any more, the film has many obvious illogicalities. For example, for some reason the two men who supervise the cube have done it for a while and are oblivious to the pain and sadism that the project entails, yet the first one than the other suddenly turn against the system! Anyone who has any idea at all about human nature will see right through this idiocy. Or how about that cretinous character, the one-eyed evil bureaucrat who talks as if he's in a bad Mel Brooks comedy. In fact, as soon as this creature appears the movie loses ALL seriousness and hence any chance of being exciting: it really does become a comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +This, without any doubt, is the greatest spin off to Jackass ever made, hell, it even blows Jackass out of the water.Picture this: You have a group of guys who just didn't want to grow up, throw in a ton of money, and some seriously cool stunts, and you have Viva La Bam.This show, it's such a family-based one, and it's not just "the gang" running around being complete jerks (like in Jackass). For example: Bam's parents, April and Phil, are in every episode, with appearances of Bam's obese uncle, Don Vito to boot! The reason why the Margera family makes us laugh is simple: Somebody in our family can relate. April: The woman who wants to live life by the book and follow tradition. Phil: The guy who tries to be a good father, and finally, Bam: That son that never grew out of high school.The pranks and jokes in every episode will give you a guaranteed laugh, and buying the DVDs is definitely recommended! Another thing which is surprising to see, is how casual Margera is over the whole thing. He's said in interviews that for the majority of episodes, he isn't acting, and is just acting off instinct.What I liked the most about the whole thing, however, is the amount of influence Margera has over MTV. He wanted Slayer to play in his backyard, MTV did it. He wanted to hang with Dani Filth for a day and have a Cradle Of Filth concert in his backyard, it happened.Add to this his passion for the love-metal (and debated as emo) band H.I.M and his brother's garage band CKY, and there's a whole lot of head banging going on.If you liked Jackass, you'll fall in love with this. I borrowed Season 1 from a friend last year, and I would give up my legs to meet the Viva La Bam Crew. You will not be disappointed, and I can promise you'll be in stitches by the end of it all!$LABEL$ 1 +Enough talent and sincerity went into making this film that I wish it turned out better. Everyone is clearly doing their best to be true to an intriguing premise, but it's too deep a vision, too involved attempt at disentangling mental delusion to survive a transition to the screen. It is an attempt to capture the dimensionality of gossamer patterns on celluloid -- the result is muddled and slow. I give it a 10 for effort, but a 5 overall.$LABEL$ 0 +Kristine Watts (Molie Weeks) is broken apart, missing her lover; she is not able to overcome her love for him that is lost in the past. She hires a stranger (Douglas Davis) and gives a list of her mistakes to him with things to fix. But time is irreversible and sometimes the cure for the pain is a tragic end.The first point that impresses in "The Cure" is the stylish cinematography that alternates black and white with color. The concise and sharp screenplay is capable to develop a tragic and bleak tale of love with an unexpected plot point in the very end in less than eight minutes. The soundtrack is beautiful but the volume is a little loud and associated to the fact that English is not my native language, in some moments I needed to repeat some words whispered by the narrator. The unknown lead actress has magnificent performance and is extremely gorgeous. I hope to have a chance to see her again on the screen. Last but not the least, the debut of the director and writer Ryan Jafri could not be better. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): Not Available$LABEL$ 1 +As a geology student this movie depicts the ignorance of Hollywood. In the scene where the dog grabs the bone from inside of the burning house, it is less then a foot from lava which has an average temperature of 1,750 degrees Fahrenheit. This stupidity is witnessed again when "Stan" goes to save subway 4. His shoes are melting to the floor of the subway while the rest of the team is standing just feet away from the flowing lava. And to finish off this monstrosity of a film, they come up with the most illogical solution, stopping a lava flow with cement K rails. Earlier in the film a reporters voice can be heard saying that nothing can stop the flow fire fighters have tried cars and CEMENT. Common sense dictates this film is a preposterous and gross understatement of human knowledge.$LABEL$ 0 +I really didn't like this movie because it didn't really bring across the messages and ideas L'Engle brought out in her novel. We had read the novel in our English class and i absolutely loved it, i'm afraid i can't say the same for the film. There were some serious differences between the novel and the adapted version and it just didn't do any credit to the imaginative genius that is Madeleine L'Engle! This is the reason i gave it such a poor rating. Don't see this movie if you are a big fan of L'Engle's texts because you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are watching the movie for entertainment purposes (or educational as was my case) then it is an alright movie!$LABEL$ 0 +The sight of Kareena Kapoor in a two-piece bikini is about the only thing that wakes you up from your sleep while watching Tashan — the mega-disappointing, mind-numbing new film at the cinemas this weekend. Bad films are bad films and we see some every week, but Tashan is not just a bad film, it's a terrible film. Terrible because it takes its audience for granted, terrible also because the filmmakers expect to get away without a plot or any common sense only because they've got big movie stars onboard.Written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, Tashan is what you'd describe as a road movie, but one that's going in all the wrong directions. Saif Ali Khan stars as Jimmy Cliff, a call-centre executive who's hired to teach English to Bhaiyyaji - that's Anil Kapoor playing an ambitious UP gangster, desperate to go cool. Jimmy's got his eye on Pooja, the gangster's pretty young assistant (played by Kareena Kapoor), who uses Jimmy to swindle her boss of 25 crore rupees. Determined to recover his money and also to punish both Jimmy and Pooja, Bhaiyyaji recruits his most trusted henchman to do the job. So you have Akshay Kumar as Bachchan Pandey, the gangster's faithful aide from Kanpur, who tracks down the culprits and recovers the stolen money that's hidden across the length and breadth of the country.Much like those bad eighties potboilers, Tashan too is held together by a threadbare script centred on a vendetta plot. But the treatment's so over-the-top, so indulgent that it fails to establish any connect. Instead of a coherent screenplay or a traditional three-act structure, you get a handful of set pieces around which most of the scenes are loosely constructed. That garish item song in the desert, the bullet-dodging action scene at a Rajasthani fort, Kareeena's bikini moment, even that ridiculous climatic action scene complete with shaolin monks, a water scooter zipping through a dirty naala, and believe it or not, even a Dhanno-style horse-driven tonga. In all fairness, not all these set pieces are badly done - the item song in the desert is quite neat actually - but very little of it makes any sense in the larger picture, because you're just going from one piece to another without any help from the script really. Little do you expect in a seemingly fast-paced road movie, to find a sickeningly sentimental flashback track about childhood sweethearts.You see the problem with Tashan is nobody associated with this film knew what film they were making. What's more, I don't think they cared either - the film reeks of arrogance. Arbitrarily packing in elements of every genre without actually bothering to stop and see if the mix does work, Tashan is like an overcooked stew.There are films that kill you softly, and then there's Tashan, a film that kills you with excess. Packaged snazzily with glossy-finish camera-work, exotic locations and fancy costumes, every frame of the film probably cost lakhs to put together, but it still feels like a hollow piece in the end because the story doesn't hold. Borrowing narrative from Tarantino and style from Stephen Chow doesn't help either because they don't blend with the film's wafer-thin plot. One may have complained a little less if the characters were more engaging, but Anil Kapoor's grating Hinglish dialogue makes you want to slit your wrists, and Saif Ali Khan fumbles through the film foolishly, unable to find his feet. Kareena Kapoor, meanwhile, queen of over-the-top delivery, does a decent job. But of course, if Tashan is salvaged to some extent, it's thanks to Akshay Kumar's irresistible presence and his spontaneous approach to the character. You cringe when he's cupping his crotch repeatedly, and you scowl when he delivers those double-meaning dialogues, but not for a moment can you take your eyes off the screen when he's up there.Despite some good music from Vishal-Shekhar, the songs seem like they're only prolonging your misery. Well that's because Tashan is a test of your patience. In case you didn't know, Tashan means style. I'm sorry to say, this film has none.$LABEL$ 0 +this film was just brilliant,casting,location scenery,story,direction,everyone's really suited the part they played,and you could just imagine being there,Robert Redford's is an amazing actor and now the same being director,Norman's father came from the same Scottish island as myself,so i loved the fact there was a real connection with this film,the witty remarks throughout the film were great,it was just brilliant,so much that i bought the film as soon as it was released for retail and would recommend it to everyone to watch,and the fly-fishing was amazing,really cried at the end it was so sad,and you know what they say if you cry at a film it must have been good,and this definitely was, also congratulations to the two little boy's that played the part's of Norman and Paul they were just brilliant,children are often left out of the praising list i think, because the stars that play them all grown up are such a big profile for the whole film,but these children are amazing and should be praised for what they have done, don't you think? the whole story was so lovely because it was true and was someone's life after all that was shared with us all.$LABEL$ 1 +John Cassavetes' "Opening Night" is fantastic and fascinating; fantastic because it plays with the deepest fears we have inside our imagination, fascinating because it never ceases surprising us. With its very long duration of two hours and twenty minutes, anyone who appreciates characters won't be able to take their eyes off the screen.The story of an unstable actress, Myrtle Gordon, (Gena Rowlands) trying to put herself together for a play, fighting her demons; "Opening Night" is not only about a woman on the verge of a breakdown but also about the complexities of the lives of theater actors and the theatrical world. All of Cassavetes' characters here are experienced people that know about the world of theater; so half of the film takes place on a stage, either where the performers do their job or at backstage, where producers and writers and directors do their job.Cassavetes is so harsh with his characters that this unkindness turns towards the audience, but the audience in the cinema. Because there is another audience, in the theater of the film, that doesn't know what is really happening and laugh because they think everything is performance. And that's essentially what it is; it's just that the audience in the theater doesn't get to see 'backstage' the way we do. They don't experience Gena Rowlands' exuberance before she goes out to that stage, but most importantly; they don't know the reasons why she acts the way she does.I always thought that it would be difficult to be friends with an actor. Myrtle (Rowland) says she's an actress and that's the only thing she knows how to do; and I imagine that if I had a friend who was a professional performer, it would be really difficult to tell when he's saying the truth because I would know he's an actor and he can fake anything at any time. A lot of the things that Myrtle does during the awful experiences the film puts her through…We suspect if she's being real; the rest of the characters suspect too.There is the writer, Sarah (Joan Blondell), who can't understand why Myrtle doesn't understand the character she's written for her. There's the director, Manny (Ben Gazzara), who can't accept the fact that his best actress might be losing it; the producer David (Paul Stewart) who doesn't know where to stand and Myrtle's co-star Maurice (Cassavetes himself), who can't deal with the love they have for each other.When she witnesses the death of a teenager, a fan; all of this comes together and affects Myrtle, but no one knows if her delusions are for real. They don't say anything because they don't want to upset her, but the movie enters in a state of subconsciousness that only Myrtle accepts. At times, we can tell that everyone has had it. During these moments, Cassavetes' brilliant script depicts a scary brutal honesty in the words the characters say in a discussion backstage; and not only what everyone tells Myrtle but also what she says to them.Here are people who are not afraid to speak their mind and constantly change what they are thinking, just like Cassavetes' way of making cinema. And in this aspect, the performances are more important here than in "Shadows", because the characters are involved in a bigger picture; a bigger story that steps out of the trivial.But in another aspect, the actual way of making cinema, this movie is no different from "Shadows". There's a beautiful thing in the way Al Ruban's camera shoots the characters. When someone's talking, the camera doesn't focus on him, it shoots the person who is listening; so we can see how he or she reacts to the things the other one's saying. Sometimes they don't care, sometimes they are happy, sometimes devastated.Improvisation might still be there, though, among all these wonderful performances. Near the end, there's an unexpected scene where Cassavetes and Rowlands start talking, non-stop. Whether this was improvised or not is not something we have to wonder. We have just got to watch; and watching both of them exchanging life experiences and seeing words come truly alive in a conversation that means a lot more than what it shows…It doesn't get more natural than that.$LABEL$ 1 +The Daily Mail's Christopher Tookey had some choice things to say about this film, among them "watch it all the way through its 82 miserable minutes, and I guarantee you'll be shaking your head and asking: 'Have we really descended to this?' Yes, we have, for if ever a movie testified to the utter cynicism, tastelessness and moral corruption of those who commission and make British movies, it is this abomination". Tookey continues "aimed squarely at oafs with unwashed underwear, filthy minds and knuckles that graze the pavement when they walk, this sex comedy is so sordid, unfunny and malodorous that it is enough to put you off sex, and indeed films, for life", before concluding "Sex Lives of the Potato Men is not merely a truly vile film, it is symptomatic of a new national culture of instant self-gratification, yobbishness and sadism that is now being celebrated on screen". Normally I don't listen too closely to the critics, but in this case, Tookey was bang on the money. This film goes beyond bad, indeed, it goes beyond being merely unfunny and enters some bizarre parallel universe where every painful minute drags on for an hour and where the definition of 'hilarious' seems to be 'saying tw*t in a Brummie accent'. It's depressing to anyone with half a brain who grew up with the Goodies, Monty Python, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O'Clock News and Fawlty Towers.Ideally, Sex Lives Of the Potato Men would have quietly vanished after its cinema release and joined the equally dire Vix spin-off The Fat Slags (2004) and the ill-starred All Saints vehicle Honest (2000) in the celluloid graveyard, but as it seems destined for endless late night schedule-filling screenings and misguided "best film EVER!" raves from people who should know better, so I must apologise in advance for trying to right a wrong that the British film industry, in all its wisdom, has inflicted onto an undeserving world. Yes, I really am sorry to bring this one back from the celluloid dead, but I actually remember thinking "It can't be as bad as the critics said it was"...but, as God is my witness, it was WORSE.Acting - dire from start to finish, special mention to Mackenzie 'Albert Steptoe's legs on a young man's body' Crook.Soundtrack - cut and paste 'ladrock', mostly ska-based lager-lout-friendly pub jukebox piffle which brought back horrible memories of seeing those chirpy cockernee doin' the Lambeth Walk to a watered-down imitation of the Specials knob-shiners Madness on every single comedy / variety programme in the eighties...and 'Ace Of Spades' by Motorhead as the title music? What the hell...trying to evoke memories of one of the most genuinely exciting scenes ever offered by The Young Ones, indeed, ever offered by ANY comedy show?! Cheap shot, way below the belt.Script - written by a 12 year old who's just read every single back issue of Smut and Zit in one long Red Bull-fuelled session...SURELY? C'mon, no real, proper, worldly, grown-up person could possibly set this kind of retarded hogwash on paper? And Mark Gatiss was in it...Mark Gatiss...the least annoying member of the League of Gentlemen and Goodies fan taking part in such a towering heap of fly-blown cinematic excrement? 'One of the brightest British comedy stars'? Not any more he's not! On the subject of League Of Gentlemen, somebody give me a pair of lead-lined diver's boots and Steve 'face like a collapsed rectum' Pemberton and a long weekend in a soundproofed room before I die...PLEASE...Cinema, British or otherwise, just doesn't come much worse than this. Kent Bateman's The Headless Eyes (1971) is a new-wave masterpiece compared to this repugnant smut.$LABEL$ 0 +The fact that this movie is bargain basement quality is a real shame, but back in the 1940s, that was about the only type of film made for theaters catering to Black audiences due to segregation. So, while MGM, Warner and all the other big studios were making extremely polished films, tiny studios with shoestring budgets were left to muddle by with what they had. And from seeing this movie, it's obvious that a lot of energy went into making the film, even if it is a pretty lousy film aesthetically speaking. Some of the actors weren't particularly good (especially the French guy), the sets were minimal and the plot totally silly BUT the film also had some good music--of varying styles from Classical to Jazz to Rhythm and Blues. This is thanks to many talented but pretty much unrecognized Black performers.Now as for the plot, it was totally stupid and silly but still watchable in a kitschy way. I loved seeing Tim Moore ("Kingfish" from the AMOS 'N ANDY TV show) in drag, as he made the absolute ugliest woman in cinema history (this includes the Bride of Frankenstein and many others)--this is probably due to the fact that when NOT in drag, he was a pretty ugly but funny guy. If the man pretending to be a woman actually looked remotely like a woman, I doubt this movie would have worked as well. Seeing this ugly and rubber-faced man with a cheesy wig STILL being ardently sought after by three suitors was pretty funny.This isn't a great film but from a historical point of view, it's fascinating and excellent viewing for young adults to know what America was like for Blacks in this era. A very interesting and funny time capsule.$LABEL$ 0 +I guess this movie will only work on people who were all turned off by the giant hype of Lord of the Rings. Well, so I was. And so I really love this movie. Especially I like all those flawless superheroes from LotR being so perfectly and disrespectfully parodied. Most brilliantly is the counterpart of Gandalf (the brave and wise and completely humorless know-it-all wizard): Almghandi, the cowardice and brain dead transvestite. Sauron's counterpart ("Sauraus" from East Germany, of course) is wearing a simply bucket with eye holes as a helmet. Aragorns alter ego is yet another accident prone idiot who tries to fix his broken sword ("Ulrike" the legend) with scotch tape. And "Strunzdumm" (the counterpart of Wormtong) indeed has some strong resemblance with Brad Dourif! And don't forget Grmpfli and Heidi... huh-huh$LABEL$ 1 +I feel conflicted about this film - it is one of the most beautiful films I've seen, and provides insightful looks into a lost culture. There was an early scene of men in caps and moustaches sitting around a table, with a woman serving, and an accordion playing, that brought tears to my eyes, just because of the way it captured a way of life that must be incomprehensible to many today. It presents the lives of the characters as being inextricably bound up with the life of the village, another lost concept in today's world. Symbolism is always fun but it seemed a little dated. The fatal flaws of the movie to me were the lack of any compelling dramatic drive, and a total lack of humor. I never felt like I knew any of the characters beyond very basic universal things like grieving over the loss of a loved one, etc. The people were stick figures in the director's tableaux involving natural disasters, war, etc. The film was just one beautiful tragic scene after another, with no involving narrative thread and no humanity. As a result, it seemed very abstract, irrelevant to the lives of real people. In the end, I was too bored to finish watching it.$LABEL$ 0 +The acting was very sub-par, You had Costas Mandalar acting like Triple H's dumber forest ranger brother, a Scott McMahon look-alike as his depute who I guess your supposed to care about but there is no emotional involvement anywhere. You have the Stupid lesbian, Not that I have any thing against lesbians, i don't just stupid ones who keep running around in a punisher like shirt and a grunge like hat who keeps asking if anyone saw her dead lover.The Villain could be scary and there is a morality tale somewhere about trying to fight age and death but it is lost in this movie. Costas Hurst Helmsley points out to the soon to be victims the way back into town, while obviously there are city lights behind him.Also A mispronunciation of Ed Gein but pronounced it Gine. As a citizen of Wisconsin. We have had our share of Monsters Gein,Dahmer, and McCarthy, but if your going to use it pronounce it right.God Why do i watch all these terrible films. Oh yes I am a glutton for punishment and I watch these so you don't have to.$LABEL$ 0 +Drawn by Pain is easily one of the best pieces of cinema I have ever seen. Here are my reviews of the episodes released so far: Episode one was even better than I expected and from everything I had heard about it, I expected quite a lot. I am very impressed with the actors already. The father was creepy and played perfectly. The little girl is so expressive, she uses her eyes to convey such emotion. The animation was superb. The cinematography was amazing, each camera angle capturing the feeling of the scene perfectly. The editing was done so well, each scene blending seamlessly into the next. The music captured the emotions quite well and drew you into the story. I just can't say enough about how wonderful this episode was. It definitely whets my appetite for more! Episode 2 was even better than the first one! Everything I said about the first episode carries through, only you get to see even more of the character development. I can not wait to finally see episode 3, or the rest of the series for that matter. What is developing is an intriguing, character driven storyline with all the trappings of a big Hollywood production, but without the pretension. So much is said, with so few words. This series is something like you've never seen and perched to become a real success.This episode was FREAKING AWESOME! No other words describe it! WOW! Everything that I've said about the previous episodes holds true for this one, and yet it was even better! I don't know how you manage to take something amazing and make it even better! The further character development proves that this is a completely character driven piece. The cinematography excels as it always has and draws you into Emily's pain, fear, hate and emotional roller-coaster. I can't wait to see Episode 4... or the rest of the series for that matter. You have truly outdone yourself!As much as I have loved the other episodes, episode 4 is the best yet. I love the character progression. I feel like we are really coming to know Emily, her pain, and her internal struggle. The other themes I've stated in past reviews are continued. GREAT cinematography, the writing is superb, the actors are right on with their portrayals and have made the characters their own, and the animation is simply amazing! Another great job from the DbP crew!$LABEL$ 1 +When the trailer for Accepted first came up, many people began to get excited about seeing it... really excited. Who could blame them, it looked like fun. But that's exactly the thing. People went into Accepted looking for a good movie, but if you think about it, Accepted isn't the type of film destined to be a good movie. It's meant to be a film that pleases its crowd without too much effort being given. That being said, for those of you who expected a great film, you need to think about what could be made of a comedy like this one. Think that, and you will truly enjoy the film (because you'll rid yourself of your idea that the movie will be fantastic.) BOTTOM LINE: Watch the movie, and have fun, but don't look for anything groundbreaking.$LABEL$ 1 +Greetings again from the darkness. Insight into the mind and motivation of a wonderful artist. How strange for most of us to see someone who MUST work... no matter the conditions, else his reason for living ceases. To see Goldsworthy's sculptures come alive and to see his reaction to each is extremely voyeuristic. This artist creates because he must - not for money or fame. It is his lifeforce. When you see his failures, energy seems to expel from his body like a burst hot air balloon. It is not the dread of beginning again, it is that he takes his energy from his work. Watching him create just to have nature takeover and recall his work is somewhat painful, but nonetheless, breathtaking. He discusses flow and time in the minimal dialog and there appears to be little doubt that the artist and the earth are one in the same. When he says he needs the earth, but it does not need him ... I beg to differ. Only complaint is the musical score seems to slow down further a pace that is relaxing at best.$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoyed this movie. It was edgy without being sociopath. Vin Diesel brought the Riddick character to life and made you feel good and bad about him on different levels.I also saw Iron Giant and Vin is perfect. (The snowmobile movie - oh yeah, it's called "Triple-X," or "xXx" - was a weak example of his work.) In Pitch Black he plays an anti-hero to the max. I don't think you can go wrong when Vin stars in a movie. Unfortunately, Hollowood might type cast him as an adventure action movie star - wrong! I think the script for "XXX" was weak for which Vin couldn't act down to it.Anyway, Pitch Black is a great scifi - see it!-Zafoid$LABEL$ 1 +i would have given this movie a 1 out of 10 if it weren't for ms. Claudine Barretto's performance. and i will take this time to overlook that Kris Aquino's here. and... end.i really AVOID watching Pinoy horror movies because stories lack originality and i really think that (some) writers don't give enough attention to the characters (and their progression) in their stories (redundant??). it was as if they 'pushed' the movie onwards when their storytelling stank. and my goodness, creative exhaustion led them to rip-off other movies. why?? why did this movie get a good review?? i wouldn't give it that much merit. the movie was KIND OF scary, but the movie seemed more freaky as it deals with Filipino folklore... it goes into my list of 'most likely to happen' category. i just wished they spent more time improving the story lines and fix those flash back sequences, never mind if the lighting sucked, it wouldn't matter much if the content would blow you away.. SAYANG.$LABEL$ 0 +I basically skimmed through the movie but just enough to catch watch the plot was about. To tell you the truth it was kind of boring to me and at some spots it didn't make sense. The only reason I watched this movie in the first place was to see CHACE CRAWFORD!!! He is so hot, but in this movie his hair was kind of weird. But still hot.However, despite how hot CHACE is, it really did not make up for the film. I guess the plot isn't that bad but what really threw me over was the fact that they cuss in like every sentence. Is it that hard to express your anger without saying the F word every time?The cussing was annoying and the whole flashy, camera shaking thing gave me a headache.All in all, although the plot was OK, I found the film to be a bore and over dramatic. That's why I only cut to scenes with CHACE in it. LOL Anyways, not worth renting unless your a die-hard fan of a specific cast member like I was. Oh yeah the cast was Hot. The girls were HOT!!! But CHACE IS THE BEST!!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a clever story about relationships and a display of three main categories of players in the game of relationships: playboys (Max), manipulative women (Alice) and the fools who may be indeed in love (Lisa, Muriel and Lucien).Max and Alice are very unlikeable and perhaps despicable characters but who are always in control in the game leaving their partners around in the dark. But as the profusely discussed ending tells us, as veteran players as Max and Alice were, they would be happy to part ways anytime they see fit as if the game was just announced to be over and each one of them could not care less to get on with his or her own life and play another game with some other anonymous people when another opportunity presented itself. Lisa, Muriel and Lucien might be the ones who felt like investing something real in a relationship, only not being able to realise that they were the baits in the game and the ultimate losers (as far as what we were shown is concerned....who knows if they are also advance players of some sort in their worlds not shown to us on screen).This is a very fast-paced, delicately crafted and seductively witty story with an enticing execution by the cast. It also deserves some deeper thinking: how much is real in a game of relationship?$LABEL$ 1 +That is the best way I can describe this movie which centers on a newly married couple who move into a house that is haunted by the husband's first wife who died under mysterious circumstances. That sounds well and good, but what plays out is an hour of pure boredom. In fact one of the funny things about this flick is that there is a warning at the beginning of the film that promises anyone who dies of fright a free coffin. Well trust me, no one ever took them up on that offer unless someone out there is terrified of plastic skulls, peacocks, weird gardeners, and doors being knocked on. And the music is the worst, it consists of constant tuba music which sounds like it is being played by some sixth grader. And you will figure out the terrible secret that is so obvious that you really have to wonder what the people in this movie were thinking. Someone dies while running and hitting their head and the police are never called to investigate. Yes in the end this is a slow paced (which is really bad considering the movie is only just over an hour), boring little tale, that is easily figured out by the average person. Apparently none of the characters in this flick were the average person.$LABEL$ 0 +I appreciate the need to hire unknowns for these kind of 'horror' movies, but they should at least hire some proper actors. The sergeant especially is guilty of using his monotone to bulldozer every single line he has. But let's face it, the lines aren't really important. There isn't really a recognisable plot, so most of the writing involves the words f**k, s**t, m*****f****r and other assorted bad language in place of proper dialogue.The 'story' as it is, is mostly made up of seemingly random gore and death, with a couple of cringe-worthy 'surprises', which happen around 10 minutes after you see exactly what's going to happen. Not only this, but there are several glaring plot holes and continuity errors (Why are they going in there? Didn't he have a weapon? Wasn't he dead?), so it makes the whole film seem as if it has been cut down by the several hours it would take to fix them.Another film which simply relies on blood and gore instead of any real cinematic experience.$LABEL$ 0 +"Escanaba in da Moonlight" is the first showcasing of Jeff Daniels writing and directing talents.I've seen worse debuts but this one isn't that great."Escanaba in da Moonlight" starts off like as a decent parody of this part of American culture. As we follow Rebuen Soady (Jeff Daniels) on the eve of deer hunting season 1989. He is getting close to the record of oldest Soady to never bag a buck.The film takes places in the upper regions of Michigan and has all the normal cliche characters. But there is a warmth there that tells you, this isn't being mean spirited.Well, Reuben is heading off to The Soady Deer Camp and before his wife (Kimberly Norris Guerrero) gives him a Native American necklace, his lucky hat, and two-forms of liquid you probably don't want to know about.Anyway, she is really the only one who believe in him. He finally gets to the camp where his Dad, Albery Soady (Harve Presnell) is waiting and his brother Remnar (Joey Albright) is soon to show.Okay, let's fast forward this. In here there are some laughs, a few moments when I chuckled a loud. But most of the jokes here are used a few to many times.But the biggest draw back is the spiritual/Native American happenings. Just when you settle in with the characters these strange things occur. But the special effects are so cheap all it is, is a big flash of light and then head quickly bobbing back in forth. And the ending, well it is worthless.The move itself wasn't bad, the quirky character, and fun parody were good. But it should've stayed at that. Instead of having stupid spiritual awakenings that look like rejected scenes from some demon possession movie.I give "Escanaba in da Moonlight" a 4.5 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I happened into the den this morning during the scene where Ed was engaged in the 3-Way and thought my wife was catching up on some early morning porn! Much to my surprise it grabbed my attention and I rewound it and we started watching it at 4:30 in the morning! What a very entertaining, rich, funny and well developed plot line and script. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, my wife so much that she shared the experience with her girlfriends at work! Going on to recommend it and say what a "kick" she got out of it. I am in my late 40's and she in her early 50's. I think this movie would have appeal to both young and old. An unexpected, very enjoyable surprise. Nice work! Thanks! Two thumbs up!$LABEL$ 1 +The third film from the Polish brothers is their best, most beautiful, imaginative film yet. Though many audiences will have a problem with Northfork's lack of traditional dramatic structure, "Stick with it, Jack!". The plot is difficult to summarize, so just know that the story includes: agents trying to evacuate a city, God in a cowboy hat, the selling of angel wings, and a sick orphan (but it all works). M. David Mullen's extraordinary photography makes almost every frame exciting and wonderful to look at. The performances of the actors, working with the Polish Brothers' inspiringly offbeat script, are pitch-perfect and give the film its emotional punch. The strong-willed audience member will be moved by the mythology and folk tale of the story, the comic and moving actors, and finally the incredible courage and command that Michael Polish shows behind the camera. Again all of these incredible and seemingly disjointed elements come together magnificently in one of the most incredible things you should run out and experience. A great, great, great movie!!!$LABEL$ 1 +What makes this one better than most "movie movies" is that it doesn't feel phony. The film the story of the hot-headed director and his rise and fall and rise, by using real recognizable names and events during the silent and early sound eras. Instead of the generic "sound will put us out of business" business, they actually SHOW Jolson and "The Jazz Singer". The acting is really quite good, with believeable performances from Don Ameche, Alice Faye and J. Edward Bromberg in particular.$LABEL$ 1 +Streisand fans only familiar with her work from the FUNNY GIRL film onwards need to see this show to see what a brilliant performer Streisand WAS - BEFORE she achieved her goal of becoming a Movie Star. There had never been a female singer quite like her ever before, and there never would be again (sorry, Celine - only in your dreams!), but never again would Streisand sing with the vibrancy, energy, and, above all, the ENTHUSIASM and VULNERABILITY with which she performs here - by the time she gets to that Central Park concert only 2 or 3 years later, she'd been filming FUNNY GIRL in Hollywood and her performing style has become less spontaneous and more reserved, more rehearsed (and, let's face it: more angry) - there's a wall between her and the audience. Live performing was never what she really enjoyed - she did it because she knew it was her ticket to Hollywood, and once she no longer had to do it she's done it as little as possible (and oh, that legendary stage fright provides such a good excuse!).Her vocals here and on her earlier Judy Garland Show appearance are incredible: Streisand could truly make an old song sound new again, and composers such as Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen loved her for it. But by the 1970s Streisand was trying to be a "rock" singer, her albums pandering to the younger audiences, with over-wrought shrieking of songs that were unworthy of her effort or her voice. In the '80s she came back with that brilliant "Broadway Album," but went on and on about what a struggle it was to get it done, how "they" told her not to do it, etc. Oh please - when has anyone told Streisand what to do? She could have been doing good stuff like that all along, bringing audiences UP to her level instead of stooping to what she thought the young public wanted. (The "Back to Broadway" sequel wasn't nearly as good, as Streisand seems to feel it necessary to improve on other composers' work: if he were alive at the time, would Richard Rodgers have even recognized his own "Some Enchanted Evening"? Rodgers, notorious for taking singers to task for playing around with his melodies, would undoubtedly have been after Streisand to sing what he'd written! She also blows Michael Crawford off the CD in their duet of "Music of the Night" - apparently reminding him just whose CD this is. Why does she insist on taking songs that are duets and singing them by herself, and songs that aren't duets and singing them as duets with someone else who she then goes on to diminish?)Supposedly Judy Garland took Streisand aside and advised her, "Don't let them do to you what they did to me," advice Streisand wasted no time in heeding - despite her protestations to the contrary, surely it looks like it's always been her way or the highway. Just imagine - SHE told the CBS brass how her first TV special would be done - no guests, just HER.But nobody can argue with the results that are so evident here. Treat yourself to this brilliant musical phenomenon BEFORE she was a legend - you'll be absolutely amazed at the difference!PS - I watched this again last night (12/01) after not having seen it for many years - it was even BETTER than I remembered! The 1st Act begins with "I'm Late" and includes "Make Believe" and "How Does the Wine Taste," and Barbra's homage to childhood, "I'm Five" - it climaxes as Streisand appears with full (and I mean FULL) orchestra to sing "People" - she wasn't bored with the song yet and although it's a somewhat shorter rendition it really soars - compare it to some of her later "auto-pilot" versions. The 2nd act (after Streisand's "kooky" schtick-patter, which hasn't changed much over the years) is the famous series of Depression songs set amidst the extravagance of Bergdorf-Goodman's.The 3rd Act is the stunner - call it "Streisand, the Orchestra, and the Audience" (although we never see the audience that supposedly witness this historic event). With her fear of audiences and dislike of such performing, this may have been the toughest part for her, but if so, to her credit it doesn't show. She tears through "Lover Come Back to Me" and the torchy "When the Sun Comes Out" (though I can't remember in which order!), the poignant "Why Did I Choose You? (one of my all-time favorite Streisand performances) and offers a medley of FUNNY GIRL songs, including (of course) "Don't Rain on My Parade" and my favorite song from the score, "The Music That Makes Me Dance". Explaining that "Fanny Brice sang a song like that in 1922, and it made her the toast of Broadway", Streisand then sings "My Man", and it's almost a dress-rehearsal template for her later screen rendition in the FUNNY GIRL film (the main difference being that the black gown here is sleeveless - her film gown had long sleeves and against the black background all we saw were her hands and face), but the vocal here is more urgent and charged than her later film vocal. (Her performance of the song has everything to do with Streisand and nothing to do with Fanny Brice who, of course, never sang the song in such an all-out manner as Streisand does here or in the film - see THE GREAT ZIEGFIELD for a glimpse of Brice's more understated version.) The show ends with Streisand singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" over the credits.When it was over I said to the friend I was watching it with, "She has NEVER, EVER, done anything better!"And she was TWENTY-THREE YEARS OLD!$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, the horror, the unspeakable horror of this film. If you can even call it a film. This looks like some first-year art school project, hastily cobbled together.The "talents" here will subject you to a painful mix of under- and- overacting, and practically all the scenes were terribly contrived and pretentious.The film in no way reflects Malaysian culture or social conventions - nobody even talks that way over here. I live in Malaysia, BTW.Spinning Gasing seems tailor-made to pick up an award in the foreign film category of some western film festival. And unfortunately, that ploy seems to have worked. Some reviewers would no doubt describe it as "exotic", but a more accurate word would be "atrocious".$LABEL$ 0 +I wish I was first exposed to this in a movie theater when it was first released, as some of the commentors had been. It really is a treasure. To be fair I have not seen any other version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips and neither do I want to. To me this stands as a perfect version. I first saw it on TCM years ago and never forgot it. I had the pleasure of watching it with my girlfriend yesterday, although I had recorded it from TCM days earlier. There were portions of the movie in which both of us were teary-eyed, it really is a moving movie.And shouldn't that be what movies are all about?The music is beautiful, the film was shot wonderfully. The acting is top notch. And the story is delicate and timeless.One of my favorite movies of all-time.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved the story. Somewhere, a poster said there are no families like the one portrayed in this film. Well maybe there ought to be. I thought everybody seemed really human and believable. What a top notch cast. What great music on the soundtrack. What a nice this, and what a nice that, but most of all, I will say two words to recommend this film.Steve Carell.He really showed a nice, subtle depth that touched me. He was truly commanding as a widower who had dedicated himself maybe a little too much to being a good dad first, at the cost of denying his own needs.Did he act like a petulant ass? Why, yes he did.And you see, that's what was perfect about this film. The actor who played this character made me believe he was FEELING something, and not simply ACTING like he was feeling something, and he conveyed to me perfectly what it was that he was feeling, and what he was feeling was denied.Denied happiness.Denied fulfillment.Denied love.Losing your love is painful beyond belief, and many who do so will never feel something like that again.Beautiful film.I gave it an eight out of ten.$LABEL$ 1 +You know, after the first few Chuck Norris movies, I got so I could tell that a movie was produced by Golan-Globus even if I tuned in in the middle, without ever looking at the credits or the title. What's more I could tell it was Golan-Globus within a minute of screen time. Something about the story structure, the goofy relationships between the characters, the mannered dialog, the wooden acting (spiked with the occasional outright terrible performance), the scene tempos and rhythms that made Albert Pyun look like John McTiernan, the paper-thin plots and not-ready-for-prime-time fight choreography...Golan-Globus has been incredibly consistent over the years in style, subject matter and point-of-view.What can you say, it must work for them, since they've produced literally dozens of movies. You go to one of their productions, and you know exactly what you're getting. And it ain't brain food, folks."Ninja 3" is another piece of hackwork in a long line of products from the G-G sausage factory, and offers the typical limited pleasures to the movie-goers' palate. You've got a Bad Ninja, slicing up cops and criminals and anyone else who gets in their way. You've got a Good Ninja, pledged to stop him. You've got a Westerner thrown into the mix so we Americans can identify with him (or her in this case) and be reassured that "We can still beat those pesky Orientals at their own game." You've got a Love Interest (who is usually also the worst actor/ress in the film) fencing with the Hero. You've got your endless string of assaults, assassinations and lingering shots of men gurgling in agony while an arrow or throwing star sticks unconvincingly out of their eye, neck, or chest. You've got your Beefy White Guy/Bodyguards in Suits calling a Ninja a 'Son of A B*tch' and throwing a roundhouse punch, only to get his *ss handed to him. You've got a Final Confrontation between the Good Guy and The Bad Guy which goes on for 20 minutes and just sort of stops like a RoadRunner cartoon instead of reaching a climax or a resolution.Ninja 3 is a little different, in that the plot revolves around a scrappy female athletic type getting possessed by the Bad Ninja, so she ends up killing a lot of the cops and criminals and Beefy White Bodyguards in Suits while under his spell. But all the other elements are there, as formal in their way as a Kabuki play or a Noh drama.I actually thought Lucinda Dickey was pretty likable in this film. She's nicely muscled and curvy, has great cheekbones and some athletic 'ooomph' to her movements, and you can actually suspend belief enough to accept that her character could do some of the feats she pulls off in the movie. She can almost, but not quite, carry this thing. One extra start for her participation and good energy.Naturally, Sho Kusugi is in here, and he pretty much dominates the last 10-15 minutes of the movie. And just to show you how 3rd-rate and uninspired G-G movies are, the director and editor inter-cut the last climactic fight between Kosugi and the Bad Ninja scene with numerous reaction shots of Dickey and her boyfriend watching the life and death battle with an expression of mild bemusement. I'm serious...for all the emotion and reaction they show to the proceedings, they could be looking at a sea turtle in an aquarium at Marineland. I can only imagine how Dickey must have felt when she saw the finished product - she probably wanted to run the editor through with a katana for real because those reaction shots make her look like a complete idiot. An enjoyable waste of time...but it definitely IS a waste of time. Maybe if you are a Sho Kusugi fan, or even a Linda Dickey fan you'd find it worth your while.$LABEL$ 0 +I took part in a little mini production of this when I was a bout 8 at school and my mum bought the video for me. I've loved it ever since!! When I was younger, it was the songs and spectacular dance sequences that I enjoyed but since I've watched it when I got older, I appreciate more the fantastic acting and character portrayal. Oliver Reed and Ron Moody were brilliant. I can't imagine anyone else playing Bill Sykes or Fagin. Shani Wallis' Nancy if the best character for me. She put up with so much for those boys, I think she's such a strong character and her final scene when... Well, you know... Always makes me cry! Best musical in my opinion of all time. It's lasted all this time, it will live on for many more years to come! 11/10!!$LABEL$ 1 +I decided to watch this movie because it has been noted as the "scariest movie ever" so, that's what I expected. Unfortunately, what I found out is that the movie didn't have a single scary moment in it (and I'm the kind of person who jumps very easily). The movie was nothing but terrible clichés and every time there was a jump-moment it was incredibly obvious. The pros of this movie would be the music and the odd scene thats actually shot well (like the very last scene when she opens the door and you see Tun in the reflection and when it swings back to him you see the ghost on his shoulders). Overall, this movie really added nothing new to the J-Horror genre and all-around lacked creativity and scares.$LABEL$ 0 +83 minutes? Nope, this thing is 72 minutes, tops.If you cannot guess the killer in this movie, you had better throw your TV out the window, because you ain't learned nothing in 20+ years of cinematic slasher history.And how come the plain star who never gets naked is always the one you want to get naked?$LABEL$ 0 +"Death Lends A Hand" is one of the pivotal early episodes of "Columbo" that helped define the show for the next thirty years. It marks the first of Robert Culp's four appearances (three as a murderer), playing much the same role in each show.In this case Culp plays Brimmer, the head of a large private detective company who is asked to investigate whether the wife of a wealthy newspaper magnate, Mr Kennicut, is having an affair. Although she is, Brimmer decides not to tell Kennicut, in the hope that he can blackmail his wife in return for snippets of information about her husband's business associates. She reacts badly to this suggestion, an argument ensues which rapidly turns violent as Brimmer whacks her across the face. Because he is wearing a large ring, the blow knocks her to the ground and kills her.There are some really priceless moments in this episode. One of my favourite scenes is where Columbo pretends to be into palm-reading, although this is in fact a ruse to discover the shape and size of Brimmer's ring without admitting that he knows the killer wore a ring. Columbo being Columbo, he only reveals what he really knows when the time is exactly right to turn the screws a little. So initially he goofily plays the part of a rather simple-minded man who gets excited by the "lifeline going over the mound of the moon", or some equally ridiculous palm-reading mumbo-jumbo.Another great scene is when Brimmer tries to offer Columbo a job for his firm, effectively bribing him to stop poking his nose around. Again, Columbo doesn't reveal that he knows what's going on, he pretends to be honoured and excited by this job offer.And there's another where Columbo says to Kennicut, in front of Brimmer, that he wishes the murderer could hear their conversation. He wants to hint to Brimmer that he is onto him, without directly accusing him, so he rather cruelly (but understandable in the circumstances) decides to play mindgames on Brimmer in order to spook him into panicking and doing something stupid. Which of course he does! All the while, the grieving Kennicut is unaware of the subtext of this conversation. It's only near the end that Columbo explains all to Kennicut (not shown on screen).I won't reveal how Columbo finally nails the killer bang to rights, but let's just say there's a potato involved... A really really good episode, possibly the very best of the first series. If you liked this then you'll like "Double Exposure" too, also featuring Robert Culp.$LABEL$ 1 +John Boorman's 1998 The General was hailed as a major comeback, though it's hard to see why on the evidence of the film itself. One of three films made that year about famed Northern Irish criminal Martin Cahill (alongside Ordinary Decent Criminal and Vicious Circles), it has an abundance of incident and style (the film was shot in colour but released in b&w Scope in some territories) but makes absolutely no impact and just goes on forever. With a main character who threatens witnesses, car bombs doctors, causes a hundred people to lose their jobs, tries to buy off the sexually abused daughter of one of his gang to keep out of jail and nails one of his own to a snooker table yet still remains a popular local legend an attractive enough personality for his wife to not only approve but actually suggest a ménage a trios with her sister, it needs a charismatic central performance to sell the character and the film. It doesn't get it. Instead, it's lumbered with what may well be Brendan Gleeson's worst and most disinterested performance: he delivers his lines and stands in the right place but there's nothing to suggest either a local hero or the inner workings of a complex character. On the plus side, this helps not to overglamorize a character who is nothing more than an egotistical thug, but it's at odds with a script that seems to be expecting us to love him and his antics.There's a minor section that picks up interest when the IRA whips up a local hate campaign against the 'General' and his men, painting them as 'anti-social' drug dealers purely because Cahill won't share his loot from a robbery with them, but its temporary resolution is so vaguely shot - something to do with Cahill donning a balaclava and joining the protesters which we're expected to find lovably cheeky - that it's just thrown away. Things are more successful in the last third as the pressure mounts and his army falls apart, but by then it's too late to really care. Adrian Dunbar, Maria Doyle Kennedy and the gorgeous Angeline Ball do good work in adoring supporting roles, but Jon Voight's hammy Garda beat cop seems to be there more for American sales than moral balance, overcompensating for Gleeson's comatose non-involvement in what feels like a total misfire. Come back Zardoz, all is forgiven.$LABEL$ 0 +Strictly a routine, by-the-numbers western (directed by genre-mainstay Andrew V. McLaglen, so is that any wonder?). Army colonel Brian Keith spars with smarmy bandit Dean Martin, who has just kidnapped the colonel's wife (Honor Blackman, who never found her niche after playing Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger"). Fist-fights, shoot-outs, stagecoach robberies and Denver Pyle in a supporting role...in other words, absolutely nothing new or original. Talking in a low monotone throughout, Keith gets to dally with a prostitute (something of a shock after his run on TV's "Family Affair"), but otherwise this low-rent material wastes Keith's amiable talents. It's also bad news for Dino, who doesn't seem to notice or care. Hack direction, poor writing and several unfunny attempts at lowball humor. * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Without doubt the best of the novels of John Le Carre, exquisitely transformed into a classic film. Performances by Peter Egan (Magnus Pym, The Perfect Spy), Rudiger Weigang (Axel, real name Alexander Hampel, Magnus' Czech Intelligence controller), Ray McAnally (Magnus' con-man father) and Alan Howard (Jack Brotherhood, Magnus' mentor, believer and British controller), together with the rest of the characters, are so perfect and natural, the person responsible for casting them should have been given an award. Even the small parts, such as Major Membury, are performed to perfection. It says a lot for the power of the performances, and the strength of the characters in the novel that, despite the duplicity of Magnus, one cannot help but feel closer to Magnus and Axel than to Jack Brotherhood and the slimy Grant Lederer of U.S. Intelligence. I have read the book at least a dozen times, and watched the movie almost as many times, and continue to be mesmerized by both. If I had one book to take on a desert island, A Perfect Spy would be the choice above all others.$LABEL$ 1 +There is absolutely nothing to redeem this movie. They took a sleazy story, miscast it, miswrote it, misfilmed it. It has bad dialogue badly performed in a meandering and trashy story.As badly as it fails as art, it fails even worse as commerce. Who could have been the target market for this. What age group? What interest group?Someone should make a movie about how and why they made this movie. That I would pay to see.I've seen thousands of bad movies, and this ranks with "Sailor Who Fell from Grace" and "Manos" ... my choices as the three most unredeemably bad movies I've ever seen. Everybody associated with it should be forced to make conversation with VanDamme for all eternity.I challenge you. Watch this movie and perform an academic exercise - how could you take this and make it worse? I can't think of one way.$LABEL$ 0 +Sammi, Curr a metal rock god, they tried to stop him, they tried to ban him, the tried to censor his music!! (much like the real life Dee Snider, from Twisted Sister,[Tipper Gore] or Ozzy Osborne) Killed in a fire, Sammi Cure was suppose to play on halloween at his old high school for a dance.. Now Eddie Weinbauer , his #1 fan, and the only one who knew how sammi was, and what he felt (or did he?) Nuke, the d.j. at the local radio station (Gene Simmons) has and gives the only copy of Sammi's last record Eddie.. But when Eddie tries to play the record backwards, he finds Sammi talking to him from the dead, and telling him what to do to get back at the bullies at his school that hate him and his music.. Everything works out until, Sammi starts to kill!! A great movie and must see for heavy metal hairband fans, with a great sound track by Fastway, and just in case you don't know what The songs sound like or know Fastway and doesn't like them, they changed there voice a bit and there style as well to sound like the more known Cinderella, or Ratt.. Is the movie a true horror movie? Well that depends on what you call a horror movie, To me a true horror movie is a slasher, with lots of killing, or just plain be scary.. This movie is neither, not enough deaths, but it can't be called a action, comedy, drama, suspense, or thriller, so that is why I would guess it has to be a horror.. So if you wanna "Rock N' Roll, Rockin' on the mid night steel your soul!!" Than Sammi Curr and Trick or Treat is the for you.. I mean "what are you afraid of? It's only Rock 'N' Roll!?!"$LABEL$ 1 +I thought that this movie was pretty lame. If you're looking for cheesey, you may like this. I, myself, don't mind a fair amount of cheese, but this was ridiculous. The progression of the movie bored me and the storyline was very weak.The only thing entertaining about this movie was the day-glo zombies, but even that isn't reason enough to see this flick.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my favorite movies to date starts as an adventure through the wild side of a team of four men from Atlanta. The idea of living the Chulawasse river before it's turned into a lake comes from Burt Reynold's Lewis, who unconsciously drowns his fellas into their worst nightmare. But if the first half of the film appears rather like an action movie, the second half carries the viewer into a totally different story, with our men forced to make a decision that (they know) will change their lives forever. In very bad ways. At the end of the movie, each person is gonna be forced to deal with the scars of what had just to be a quite week-end on the river but muted into a fight for survival. The movie (except some pretty evident goofs) is very well directed and beautifully shot into a paradise of nature that steals your breath. The photography is excellent as well. Voight, Reynolds, Cox and Beatty are all excellent in showing how a single event can ruin in different ways four different lives only tied to the same mistake.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a great movie, I would compare it to the movie The Game. You get to the end of the flick and cant move... your brain has been removed and shaken (not stirred) and put back in your head. Dont plan anything after this movie, you will need time to think about what just happened.Dont come to this movie expecting the Matrix style multi millions spent on special effects, this movies special effects come from the actors, they keep you involved, no, they suck you in and dont let go for the entire duration of the movie. Great acting, great plot... very enjoyable film, I cant say enough. Also very original plot, plenty of twists and ideas that I would have never thought of. The ending is abrupt and leaves you hanging wondering, was that real? Is this really the end? Good ending, not saying that it is bad... just leaves you wondering, and a little frazzled.Great movie for those who like action, like a good plot (dont get up for a bathroom break on this movie, you will come back lost) and like mind games, because thats exactly in a nutshell what this is.$LABEL$ 1 +Can't believe that Bostock's Cup isn't available on a proper video or DVD yet. I've only seen it once, on a dodgy copy taken off the TV and despite not being a footy fan (at all,) thought it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.The famous sloping pitch of wherever it was, the clueless coach driver ("Ponty-this, Ponty-that", "I'll take the next exit"), the pointless plot; it all added up to aching sides.Being stuck in the US I'm desperate for some good British humour but not quite enough to spend the amount that the production company are asking for. C'mon, get it out on kosher DVD pronto.$LABEL$ 1 +I absolutely adored this movie. For me, the best reason to see it is how stark a contrast it is from legal dramas like "Boston Legal" or "Ally McBeal" or even "LA Law." This is REALITY. The law is not BS, won in some closing argument or through some ridiculous defense you pull out of your butt, like the "Chewbacca defense" on South Park.) This is a real travesty of justice, the legal system gone horribly wrong, and the work by GOOD lawyers - not the shyster stereotype, who use all of their skills to right it. It will do more for restoring your faith in humanity than any Frank Capra movie or TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. And most importantly, I wept. During the film, during the featurette included at the end of the DVD - it's amazing. Wonderful film; wonderfully made. Thank God the filmmakers made it.$LABEL$ 1 +I am writing this after just seeing The Perfect Son at the 2002 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney, Australia.When their Father dies, two estranged brothers meet at the funeral and after discovering that one of the brothers is dying from AIDS, they enter on a heart warming journey of reconciliation. The two leads do a magnificent job of creating the gradual warmth and respect that builds up between them as the movie progresses. I do have one qualm about the movie though - whilst the brother who is dying acts sick, he doesn't look it. A person of 0 T4 cells would look quite ill - not even a make up job to make the actor look ill was employed. A small gripe, but one that makes it a bit less realistic. Despite that one small gripe, The Perfect Son is a wonderful movie and should you have the chance to see it- do. I'm hoping for a DVD release in the near future!$LABEL$ 1 +James Gandolfini is a good actor so what ever did he take a role in this piece of unfunny rubbish. Affleck is just a lightweight who just can't cut it, the rest of the cast are truly unforgettable. I saw this in the USA in an empty theatre, I soon knew why the place was empty after about 10 minutes. I walked out before the end it was so bad, so imagine my surprise when back in England I saw the movie had a glowing report from that yoyo "Paul Ross" in one of the down market Sundays. I always rely on Ross to save me money on cinema tickets, if he says the movie is good, I get straight on this very website to check it out. This movie should have gone straight to £1.99 DVD in a supermarket near you.$LABEL$ 0 +A tight-knit musical family, cranky-benevolent father and four vivacious adolescent daughters, is up-rooted by, first, the appearance of Felix, a dashing young composer, and, secondly and most profoundly, Mickey, his insolently attractive orchestrator friend.It takes a while for Michael Curtiz to get this piece of Americana floating. The first part looks almost like a paraphrasing of a cereal commercial, not without a certain quaint, highly bourgeois charm, and then John Garfield enters the scene as the doomed Mickey, making his first appearance in motion pictures, with mussed-up black curls, sleepy, hung-over eyes, rude and disheveled, the absolute opposite to Jeffrey Lynn's smoothly persuasive, madly charming Felix. Garfield is in complete, and DIRELY needed, counterpoint to the rest of the household ("Nothing I would do would surprise me", he muses), and suddenly the movie becomes interesting, although I agree with critics that find the plot-turns insufficiently motivated.The four sisters are rather blandly played and seriously underwritten, but Claude Rains as the pater familias has his moments.Watch it for Garfield, though, he is the only really lasting thing about it.$LABEL$ 1 +Somewhere, on this site, someone wrote that to get the best version of the works of Jane Austen, one should simply read them. I agree with that. However, we love adaptations of great literature and the current writers' strike brings to mind that without good writers, it's hard for actors to bring their roles to life. The current version of Jane Austen's PERSUASION shows us what happens when you don't have a good foundation in a well-written adaptation. This version does not compare to the 1995 version with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, which was well acted and kept the essence of the era and the constraints on the characters (with the exception of the bizarre parade & kissing in the street scene in Bath). The 2007 version shows a twitty Anne who seems angst-ridden. The other characters were not very developed which is a crime, considering how Austen could paint such wonderful characters with some carefully chosen understatements. The sequence of events that made sense in the novel were completely tossed about, and Mrs. Smith, Anne's bedridden and impoverished schoolmate is walking around in Bath - - twittering away, as many of the characters seemed to do. The strength of character and the intelligence of Captain Wentworth, which caused Anne to love him in the first place, didn't seem to be written into the Rupert Penry-Jones' Wentworth. Ciaran Hinds had more substance and was able to convey so much more with a look, than P-J was able to do with his poses. All in all, the 2007 version was a disappointment. It seemed to reduce the novel into a hand- wringing, costumed melodrama of debatable worth. If they wanted to bring our modern emotional extravagances into Austen's work, they should have done what they do with adaptations of Shakespeare: adapt it to the present. At least "Bride & Prejudice" was taken out of the historical & locational settings and was fun to watch, as was "Clueless". This wasn't PERSUASION, but they didn't know what else to call it.$LABEL$ 0 +The satirical movie website Dateline Hollywood joked that "Son of the Mask" was all a practical joke star Jamie Kennedy played on New Line Cinema for his show "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment." If only. And if only the movie had been half as funny as that satire piece."The Mask" was the ideal vehicle for the face-pulling Jim Carrey that so many viewers dote on; it also delighted males over the age of 12 by introducing Cameron Diaz. So having a followup minus both of them was not a good idea, plus you'd have thought New Line would have learned their lesson after "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd." But no... though to be fair, having an all new cast is in keeping with the original comic (in which the Mask went from owner to owner). As written by Lance Khazei and directed by Lawrence Guterman, however, there's nothing there in return, except a steady stream of admittedly decent FX by the usual squadron of houses (Industrial Light and Magic improving on the "Ally McBeal" dancing baby and their own "Baby's Day Out," with the Tippett Studio, Giant Killer Robots, Digital Dimension and so on in support) and an even greater pandering to cartoon fans by having our hero work at an animation company (responsible for such gems as "Siamese Popes"), naming his character after Tex Avery, and working in not just references to classic cartoons but actual clips.The trouble is that last approach doesn't really work, partly because most of the attempts to bring cartoon trappings to live action fall flat (especially the cars getting in the party mood) and mostly because the tributes to the Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker, "Duck Amuck" and especially "One Froggy Evening" show up how weak this movie is in comparison. Plus the movie fits in shambolic slapstick alongside strained sentiment (the underlying theme of the story is family; our hero isn't ready to have a son, and his nemesis - Alan Cumming as the Norse god Loki - is far from the apple of Odin's eye... and what Bob Hoskins is doing here as Odin, even after "Super Mario Bros.," is beyond me), and Kennedy just isn't in the same league as Carrey in the zany stakes - though it's not like he gets any help from the script. Also note that unlike Diaz, the very cute Traylor Howard (as the mother of the son of the Mask) doesn't get much to do; giving HER the Mask might have helped the movie.Further points are lost for throwing away Cumming, Hoskins, Steven Wright and Magda Szubanski; for a suspiciously abbreviated running time (which would account for some gaping plot holes and scenes that seem to be missing); and for an incredibly bad attempt at an inside joke when our hero fails to sell the concept of the "green guy" as an animated TV series - "The Mask" did become an animated TV series in real life, and was a far better follow up than this sequel. The fact that this actually opened in Britain before the US should tell you everything... what with this and "Blade: Trinity," New Line seems intent on cornering the market on dreadful sequels with cast members from "Two Guys And A Girl." What next, "The Butterfly Effect 2" with Nathan Fillion?Somebody stop this.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was Jerry Bruckheimer's idea to sell some records . No seriously it was . The thinking behind it is that if you made a film full of pop songs you could stick the tracks on a LP , sell it and make even more money for the studio . You could also release a few tracks as singles and intercut the promo video with clips from the movie so that when MTV play a track you're actually getting free advertising for the movie . This is a good business deal but an artistic disaster because many of us still have nightmares about Hollywood movies from the 1980s and I rate the mid 1980s as the poorest time in artistic terms for American film making and FLASHDANCE opened the door to this " Let's make a 90 minute pop video instead of a movie " type film makingJennifer Beals plays Alex Owens a dancer who works as a welder to make ends meet and right away logic disappears with this career choice . Welding is a fairly sophisticated trade , it's not something you walk into and learn in five minutes . There's other gaps in logic like ballet dancing and " flashdancing " being somehow similar . ie if you apply to be a ballet dancer and do some hot , dirty flashdancing the male judges might want to meet you after the audition but you won't get the job . it's kind of like saying that screen writing , novel writing and play writing are somehow the same when they're not But I guess none of this mattered to Jerry when he asked director Adrian Lyne to make the movie . Actually Lyne almost makes a very sexy movie , JenniferBeals is very sweet and innocent looking . Fortunately I sussed out why her face is brightly lit in close up while her silhouette is darkly litin long shots except when the camera cuts to close ups of her heavenly toned body . That's because a body double is used most of the time and frequently the body double is a man ! I bet there's a few naughty boys who are feeling guilty not to mention slightly disgusted to know that$LABEL$ 0 +Some kids are hiking in the mountains, and one of them goes into a large tunnel and discovers some old mummified gladiator. He puts on the gladiator's helmet and spends the rest of the movie killing all the other hikers.This thing is just so utterly senseless it's maddening. Here's a short list of things that don't make any sense:1) A guy and a girl are in their tent and they think they hear something outside. The guy goes out to investigate and finds another hiker outside. Then he hears his girlfriend scream so they head back to the tent - arriving the next morning?!? He was only 50 feet away!2) These two dunderheads then hear another girl scream (What, 100 feet away?), but don't investigate because they're afraid they'll get lost.3) Another guy and a girl are walking around, and in about their 10th scene together the girl informs the guy that due to the circumstances, protocol no longer requires him to address her as professor. I mean, what the...? First off, that's just a really stupid thing to say, secondly he never called her professor in the first nine scenes they were in together.4) A wounded girl attacks Demonicus and he stops her, telling her that part of his gladiator training taught him how to wound without killing. Um, yeah, we kinda noticed she's wounded and not dead because she's up and walking around. But, thanks for that tidbit of information.5) One girl is tied up in Demonicus' lair, and when someone attempts to free her, she instead instructs this person to go and get help. Um, look, idiot, if she set you free, which would take about 5 seconds, there would be no need to get help.And it just goes on and on. The whole middle part of the movie is spent with the two idiots getting lost in the woods, then they fight, then they pitch a tent and ignore the screams of their friends, then they wander around some more. It's just so damned boring and pointless that I turned the DVD off halfway through. None of these characters are sympathetic, especially the ones that get the majority of the screen time. Demonicus himself made me laugh out loud every time I saw him - he looks like a kid in a Halloween costume, scrunching his face up to look evil. He runs, or should I say scampers around like he's gay. The special effects are comedic, the acting is for the most part awful, and nothing makes any sense.Overall, maybe this concept could have produced an enjoyably campy film if they put some more time and effort into it, getting rid of the ludicrous dialogue, creating characters with actual likable personalities, having some sort of logical flow to the action, and maybe even making Demonicus a female character in a sexy gladiator outfit. But no, instead we get this senseless pile of nonsense that will bore you to death.$LABEL$ 0 +I found this movie to be very well-paced. The premise is quite imaginative, and as a viewer I was pulled along as the characters developed. The pacing is done very well for those that like to think--enough is kept hidden from the viewer early on, and questions keep arising which are later answered, producing a well-thought out and very satisfying film, both cerebrally and from an action standpoint.It seems some people were looking for a non-stop roller-coaster ride with this film--one of those that comes charging out of the gate. This would be more analogous to one of those coasters that first takes you slowly up the hill--creating a wonderful sense of anticipation--and is ultimately, in my mind, more fulfilling for the foundation initially laid.Excellent film.$LABEL$ 1 +For me personally this film goes down in my top four of all time. No exceptions. James Cameron has proved himself time and time again that he is a master storyteller. Through films such as Aliens, The Abyss and both Terminators it is clear that he was a brilliant and confidant director as far as action and science-fiction goes. He sees a story and adds a strange quality to the film. But Titanic is so much different to his other strokes of brilliance. The film is exceptionally moving and allows room for surprises, plot development and interesting character developments in a story that everyone knows. The story of the famed voyager sinking on her maiden voyage is legend so the challenge was for Cameron to make a truthful, interesting and entertaining film about it. The acting is wonderful as Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Jack and Kate Winslet who plays Rose became superstars overnight with the release of this film and in most films I get annoyed when the supporting characters aren't given a lot to do but in this film it is more purposeful because as an elderly Rose (Gloria Stuart) tells her story it is quickly apparent that it is Rose's and Jack's story alone, no one else. Emotionally it is entirely satisfying and can leave no dry eye in a theater or home. The music has become iconic and legendary. It is composer James Horner's finest soundtrack ever and evokes so much from the film and the audience. The song after so long has become annoying but I still appreciate it for the phenomenon it is and this film is. Only one problem, the usual James Cameron problem, is the dialogue which is memorable but in a bad way as in how cheesy it is at points but all that aside. James Cameron has delivered a masterpiece and a romantic epic that sweeps you away on a journey of a lifetime. My heart won't go on from this one.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is definently a horror movie and if you do not get scared than you must not be watching this movie. It works on the old techniques but throws something new into the mix. This movie grips and runs and hides within your mind. The movie has a point to it unlike other horror movies. Watch it for a thrill and shock to your system.$LABEL$ 1 +After watching the Next Action Star reality TV series, I was pleased to see the winners' movie right away. I was leery of such a showcase of new talent, but I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled. Billy Zane, of course, was his usual great self, but Corinne and Sean held their own beside him. It was also nice to see Jared and Jeanne (also from the competition) in their cameo roles. Sean's character, not Billy's, is the hunted, and his frustration at discovering new rules in the game is well played. Corinne walks the tightrope well between her character liking Sean's and only being in it for the money. I loved how the game was played right to the last second. And then beyond! Not a great movie, but an entertaining one all the way and a great showcase for two folks on their first time out of the gate.$LABEL$ 1 +I LOVE the Doodlebops. My son has been watching them for over a year. We went to the Doodlebops concert last year as well as one concert yesterday (connecticut). He LOVES them. The doodlebops do not teach the alphabet or numbers but who cares? are you being serious? the TV isn't suppose to teach your children about numbers or the alphabet. the parents should. Get over it. The Doodlebops actually CAN sing. Deedee has a beautiful voice and in concert you can tell all 3 of them have nice singing voices and do NOT lip sing. Imagine, they dance, jump around and STILL sing. they have talent, the kids love them i even enjoy watching the show. This show is by far the best show on TV for kids. AND a rock band for children. How amazing is that? Why are people saying Chad (rooney) is gay? where did you hear that from? Whether he is or not, He is awesome! Leave him alone. Its not like he or anyone else is promoting homosexuality to our children!$LABEL$ 1 +They changed the title of this atrocity to An Unexpected Love. The only thing worse is the film itself. The script contains dialogue that would be laughed out of a third grade play recital. At one point when the wife leaves the husband, a bad cover of All by Myself plays over the soundtrack! No kidding. The actors try but are defeated by the inept, unbelievably terrible script. Direction is staggeringly bad. No wonder Lifetime has such a bad reputation. How do things like this get made. I'm turning off the television before it's over!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a film that everyone should watch. Quite apart from raising hugely important points (while South Africa is on the road to recovery there are still many countries in similar situations now), it is superbly directed while Denzel Washington gives, in my opinion, the best performance in his career so far. Kline also gives a good performance, although perhaps not as stunning as Washington's. John Thaw also puts in a good turn as the Chief of Police.There are so many possible areas where a film on apartheid could fall down, but all of these have been avoided. It would be easy to simply portray white people as the bad guys and black people as the good guys, but Attenborough has not done this. Sure, there were some white characters who seemed inherently evil, such as the Captain at the Soweto uprising, but to add extra dimensions to all the characters would make the film unbearably long. Some people complain about the length of the film as it is, but I think it needs the whole two and a half hours to tell the whole story, for it really is an incredible one.The best scene in the film is that of Steve Biko's funeral. When the whole crowd begins to sing the South African national anthem, it is probably one of, if not the most moving scenes I have seen.If you haven't seen this film already: watch it. It may not be comfortable viewing, but it's certainly worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +IT IS So Sad. Even though this was shot with film i think it stinks a little bit more than flicks like Blood Lake, There's Nothing Out There & . The music they play in this is the funniest stuff i've ever heard. i like the brother and sister in this movie. They both don't try very hard to sound sarcastic when they're saying stuff like "My friends are going to be so jealous!" Hey, whats with the killer only wearing his mask in the beginning? Thats retarded! I practically ignored the second half of this. My favorite part about this movie is the sound effect they use when the killer is using the axe. The same exact sound for every chop!$LABEL$ 0 +The word "1st" in the title has more ominous meaning for the viewers of this film than for its crime victims. At least they don't have to stick around and watch this interminable film reach its own demise.1st should refer to: 1st draft of a script; 1st takes used in each performance in the final film; 1st edit in post production; etcetera, etcetera.The movie is not cast too badly, it's just that everything about the film come off as worse than third rate, from the goofy script, to the wooden performances. And while suffering through this cobbled together film, by the 2 hour mark you want to be put out of your misery. At 160 minutes long it is readily apparent that it should have been edited to under 2 hours.Going into details concerning the lame script and acting serves little purposes. Even in the equally awful, Lake Placid, at least the performances Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda constructed out of an extremely weak script, were nuanced enough to make you laugh at the movie. In 1st to Die, one ends up grieving only for the time lost in waiting to see what happens after the opening scene of the preparation of the female lead's suicide.The editing is so bad one is never introduced to one of the main characters, who I think (were never quite told) is a D.A. She just appears in one scene in the middle of a conversation. Obviously the scene where she is introduced to the viewer was dropped on the editor's floor. And no one realized that a character appearing out of nowhere was an unusual film ploy.In a word, don't waste your time with this one. My wife and I wish we didn't. But at least we created our own diversions by commenting in various places in the film like it was Mystery Science Theater. "Meanwhile, in Cleveland . . . ." !!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Time and time again, I've stated that if people don't want remakes or sequels made, they should stop seeing them and instead venture into the world of independent film. Having said that though, the last time I saw an independent film myself must have been easily six months ago. So here's a review for an indie that I had my attention drawn to on Youtube; the Cure.Right away, you can tell that the film is going for an avant-garde film approach which is telegraphed in its use of extreme close ups, scopophilia and fast editing. It is proud of the way it looks - and it has a right to be. For the most part it is a very nicely composed little piece, save for one inexcusable disregard for the 180 degree rule and a comically bad gunshot effect which is a phenomenon that seems to be THE calling card for self funded projects.Still, despite these amateurish mistakes the majority of the shots are actually a pleasure to look at. We're presented with a good use of props and locations, good visual acting and some very atmospheric, fluid editing, which is made more commendable as this is definitely something you won't see very often at all from a Youtube submission. The plot is fragmented and although the basic premise is fairly simple some may find it hard to follow exactly what is happening, but what we are seeing here is avant-garde storytelling at work; you can't really expect a straightforward three act structure and if you do you might not be ready for this kind of movie.Where the film is unfortunately let down however is the sound. What you're going to hear throughout is a distorted voice-over which often sounds insincere and worse still is the continuous background music, which goes through minimal change and doesn't add much to anything. So much attention is paid to the visuals that the audio frankly sounds neglected, and this becomes really apparent when you realize you've just missed about four sentences of the narration and have to backtrack to pick up what slipped past your attention.So, give it a watch, but do it with the sound turned off.Last thought; was anyone else reminded of the cover for Doug Naylor's Red Dwarf novel "Last Human" early in the film? If you have the book you know what I mean.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie in the theatre and it was a terrible movie. The way Michael Oliver who now turn even worse in the sequel is the biggest intolerance I cannot bare. Junior upset his father because he would not go to school which got his father Ben madly insane. Also the Crazy Dance ride operator is not fair to Junior for not letting him go on the ride. And that Lawanda Dumore is as horrible as a serial killer to Junior because she made threatening insults to Junior which is why I cannot tolerate this movie. Even if the movie is re-released back into theatres in the extended version, I still would not see this movie because this movie is not something I can even tolerate. In fact, it stinks!$LABEL$ 0 +By the time the Hellraiser franchise was reaching it's forth film the premise was wearing a bit thin. Dr. Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsey) is a scientist in the future, whom while prisoner regales his captor of the story of how his ancestors (all played by Ramsey) had first built the evil Lament Configuration puzzle-box that sets evil upon the world and how his bloodline had subsequent dealing with said box. The film is a awash with lack of continuity in regards to the other films and lack of coherency in this one. Yes, this could be due to a combination of rewrites, massive cuts in the original version of the film, or what have you. But I'm reviewing the film as is, and not what it was or could have been. And as it is now it's a mess. Sure the franchise will go on indefinitely with direct to DVD sequels, but this one was pretty much a death-nail to it's chances of getting a new one released theatrically ever again.My Grade: D-$LABEL$ 0 +The opening flourishes left me purring with delight at their inventiveness - the altered version of the Archers' logo, the introductory disclaimer, the way the camera pans over the cosmos. It's strange to think that `It's a Wonderful Life' came out in the same year. No great coincidence: the 1940s was awash with heaven-and-earth films; but the glowing cotton wool nebulas and cutesy angels of the competition look tattered, something best passed over in silence, when placed next to Alfred Junge's vision.It continues to look great all the way through, as more and more striking ideas are sprung upon us. I'm not a great fan of mixing colour with black and white in general. One of the two visual schemes almost always looks ugly when placed next to the other. Not so here. Powell dissolves colour into monochrome and monochrome into colour as if it's the most natural thing in the world, a mere change of palettes. Both the colour photography and the black and white could stand on their own.As for the story ... this may be Pressburger's best script, or at least it would have been had the conclusion been a more logical outcome of preceding events. Other than that it's tight, yet with more going on than I can possibly allude to here. Was the heavenly stuff real or imaginary? (Or both? Perhaps Carter dreamt up a fantasy that was, as it so happened, true.) Everyone says we're meant to neither ask nor answer this question, but I don't see why. I'm sure we ARE meant to ask the question. The film even gives us clues as to what the answer is - indeed, the problem is that there are too many clues and they seem at first to be pointing in different directions. The fact that other things ought to occupy our attention as well doesn't mean that this shouldn't occupy us as well. There is, as I've said before, a lot going on.Consider the scene in which Abraham Farlan (Heaven's prosecuting lawyer) plays a radio broadcast of a cricket match, and contemptuously says, `The voice of England, 1945.' Dr. Reeves (the defence) acknowledges the exhibit with a great deal of embarrassment, and then produces one of his own: a blues song from America, which Farlan listens to as though he's got a lemon in his mouth. Reeves looks smug.Snobbery? Well, I don't see why it's snobbish to condemn blues music - and that's not what Powell and Pressburger are doing, anyway. As the song is being played, we get a shot of the American soldiers listening to it: several of them nod their heads to the rhythm, perfectly at home. THEY don't find it incomprehensible. There's something valuable about the song and neither Reeves nor Farlan knows what it is. Reeves probably realises as much. All English audiences (and all Australian, Indian, etc. audiences as well) know without being told that there is something of value in the cricket broadcast, too; and that while Reeves understands THAT, he is unable to explain it to Farlan - hence the blues broadcast, which shows that people can understand each other without sharing an understanding of everything else. It's a clever scene.One last thing. I found David Niven a bit cold, without the charisma he would acquire later in his career; but even so, I don't think a film has grabbed my heart quite so quickly after the action began, as this one did.$LABEL$ 1 +The Merchant of Venice is a fantastic movie. It's very true to the original Shakespeare play. If you saw Jeremy Irons in Casanova and liked his performance, this is a movie for you! If you saw Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love and you enjoyed his performance, this is a movie for you! If you saw Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco and liked his performance, this is a movie for you! It is a very enjoyable movie and if you're studying Shakespeare like me, this is a great movie to see!! The only problem with this movie is that you can't let the little ones see it because is has a wee bit of nudity in it. But other than that, it's a really good movie!!$LABEL$ 1 +Ok first of all, this movie sucks. But lets examine why. The proposition that a machine is capable of transforming matter into energy, storing it, and then transporting it and reasembling it is at the least intriguing. But that's as far as they take this premise. Instead of delving into what could happen if someone made this kind of machine, they break the damn thing. This could have been a good premise. Living with the responsibilty of this kind of power, and dealing with the constant temptation, ie.. the invisible man. But no.. they break the damn thing. And Lembach wants to leave. So then the doctor jerry-rigs the thing back together, and trys to transport himself. Only to have it goofed up by his beautiful but dumb secretary, (duh). Which wouldn't happened if Lembach hadn't decided to leave. So now he is roaming the country side killing people because his little experiment failed, and they wouldn't give him money. Wah. Then to make the movie worse, throw in a dry British relationship between the two semi-competent professors hired to assist him. Between their loving sessions, they make a couple of half-hearted attempts to find him while he kills off half of London. All of this could have been headed off by not breaking the damn machine, which would never have happened if Lembach hadn't left. This movie tried so I give it an honest 2 stars for effort, but it would have been better if they hadn't broke the damn machine, making Lembach leave, making him try it again. Damn you Lembach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I liked most of the dialogue, I liked the cast, I thought it was well acted. I particularly enjoyed Ellen DeGeneres' perfect deadpan performance.What didn't work for me was: (1) the drawn-out affair with the younger man (too long, too seemingly out of character for Helen), (2) the seemingly endless cinematic cliches, mostly visual but including interminable voiced over re-readings of the love letter itself (its contents should have a mystery); (3) a young woman feminist-scholar and, ironically, a fireworks scene (no wonder this reminded me of that horrid How to Make an American Quilt movie); (4) the bumbling "gotcha" cop who smells "dope" everywhere (no cliche there either!); and (5) a nauseatingly romanticized small town setting.I would have preferred the film to more persuasively explore the source of (or even glorify) Helen's bitterness, to have included much more of DeGeneres' character, to have eliminated or reduced the various intergenerational artifices, and to be a little less uncritical of small town life.Had it been developed as a play first, those criticisms might have been addressed before committing the material to this film, which unfortunately is decidedly mediocre.$LABEL$ 0 +i am a big fan of karishma Kapoor and Govinda. I watched this film after i had seen Fiza, which was absolutley brilliant.There are films that are bad, and there are films that are cr*p. but this film just takes the biscuit.We were so annoyed that we were conned out of paying our money expecting a decent film.avoid at all cost, dont even rent it.1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Terrible action movie in which lead Franco Nero exchanges his cowboy hat, gun belt and the coffin he dragged around in DJANGO (1966) for an all-white Ninja outfit with all the snazzy paraphernalia that goes with it! Despite virtually non-stop action, the film is utterly clichéd and unintentionally funny - with a campy villain, to boot, in Christopher George. Susan George (no relation) is the attractive woman with a washed-up husband, Nero's wartime companion, whom the villains are trying to push off her oil-rich land - but the latter haven't counted upon Nero's martial-arts (and stunt-heavy) gymnastics. The solution to their problems is to hire a similarly-skilled Ninja for themselves who, as it happens, turns out to be Nero's deadly enemy (played by Sho Kosugi, who appeared in two more sequels and is currently engaged in another!). The climax takes place inside an arena where one-man army Nero 'eliminates' George and what has remained of his gang from previous confrontations; the subtle way in which he despatches his nemesis, however, is effectively done.$LABEL$ 0 +Lame, cliched superhero action movie drivel. I had high hopes for this movie, and the genre of HK buddy cop actioneers is one that i don't despise, but very rarely do i see a storyline as trite and ludicrous as this one was. This would have been forgivable, as it always is in these kinds of movies, when the action compensates, unfortunately, it did not. The action does carry the trademark surreality and over the top nature of HK action, but it's not very involving, obscenely gory, and in fact often completely incoherent (perhaps this is due to re-editing for american release, it does show signs in many places of patchwork). I was very disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +I really wanted to like this movie, but it never gave me a chance. It's basically meant to be Spinal Tap with a hip hop theme, but it fails miserably. It consistently feels like it was written and acted by high-school kids for some school project, and that's also the level the humor seems to be aimed at. There is no subtlety and, more damningly for a mockumentary, it never once feels like a documentary. And while the lines aren't funny in the first place, an attempt at dead-pan delivery would have helped -- certainly, anything would be better than the shrill overacting we are subjected to.I'd recommend this to people who like "comedies" in the vein of "Big Momma's House" or "Norbit"; people who think that words like "butt" are inherently hysterically funny. Other people should stay away and not waste their time.$LABEL$ 0 +Another reason to watch this delightful movie is Florence Rice. Florence who? That was my first reaction as the opening credits ran on the screen. I soon found out who Florence Rice was, A real beauty who turns in a simply wonderful performance. As they all do in this gripping ensemble piece. From 1939, its a different time but therein lies the charm. It transports you into another world. It starts out as a light comedy but then turns very serious. Florence Rice runs the gamut from comedienne to heroine. She is absolutely delightful, at the same time strong, vulnerable evolving from a girl to a woman.Watch her facial expressions at the end of the movie. She made over forty movies, and I am going to seek out the other thirty nine. Alan Marshal is of the Flynn/Gable mode and proves a perfect match for Florence. Buddy Ebsen and Una Merkel provide some excellent comic moments, but the real star is Florence Rice. Fans of 30's/40's movies, Don't miss this one!$LABEL$ 1 +A top notch Columbo from beginning to end. I particularly like the interaction between Columbo and the killer, Ruth Gordon.As an avid Columbo fan, I can't recall another one in which he doesn't set up the killer at the end as he does in other episodes. In this one, as he's trying to determine the correct sequence of the boxes and the "message" that the nephew left behind, it finally dawns on him.The music in this episode is very good as well, as it is in many of other ones.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw on the voting panel that some people had given this film a score of 10 I assumed they were unaware that the score wasn't out of 100. This is a disaster movie in the real meaning of that term. Poorly written and weakly directed with so-called actors unable to act, but able to grimace when ordered to. For the first 60 minutes the story appears to be going in one direction, then it changes tack and gets involved in a power fight, with extremely poor special effects. Unable to work out an intelligent way for the hero with limited powers to beat the villain with super powers, the "writer" cheats. It is obvious that the father was added to the so-called story-line because it was easier than working out an acceptable denouement. Not that the write would even know the word "denouement." Some movies go directly to DVD. This one should have gone directly to the dustbin.$LABEL$ 0 +I had watched "The Eye" before I watched this one. I really liked "The eye", it was one of the best movies of the recent Asian horror-cinema. So, I picked this "Bangkok haunted" because it was the same director, and it was kind of popular round here. But man, what a disappointment... "Bangkok haunted" are three stories about love, revenge, ghosts, etc. that are no scary at all, not even disturbing (as "The eye" was)... no nothing. I can't even fill the 10 lines required for the comment... 100% boring.*My rate: 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +To be totally honest I wasn't expecting much at all going into 9 Souls even after reading heap upon heap of praise plied upon it but to say I was surprised would be a major understatement, in short I was totally blown away.The basic plot is as simple as they come, nine prison inmates ranging from a drug pusher all the way up to multiple murderer's escape from prison and go in search of a secret stash presumed to be forged money hidden by a tenth inmate who cracked and was dragged away by guards shortly before their escape but it's the direction that director Toshiaki Toyoda takes this simple story that is so brilliant and original perfectly blending drama, comedy and violence creating a truly one of kind movie that deserve's to be seen not only fans of Asian cinema but cinema in general.Superbly acted, emotional, funny, violent and at times very surreal this is a movie has it all.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this movie. Great storyline and actors and good movie sets. It told the story in a way I can easily understand and pay attention to without falling asleep. I would like to know where I could get the soundtrack. I can not find it anywhere. Please email me if you know where I could get the soundtrack. Other than not being able to find the soundtrack I thought the movie was fascinating. Swayze did a great job. I think this is some of his best work. His past movies were OK, but this one really told a story for a change. This will go down in history as being one of the best TV films ever aired. Congrats to the producers and writers of such a great piece of work.$LABEL$ 1 +I do have the `guts' to inform you to please stay away from `Dahmer', the biographical film based on the real-life story of the grotesque serial killer. `Dahmer' strays more in relation to the mentality of its focused subject. Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered over 15 young males and ate some of their body parts, was probably the most incongruous serial killer of our generation. However, the real sick individuals are the filmmakers of this awful spectacle who should have had their heads examined before deciding to greenlight this awful `dahm' project. This is not an easy film to digest, even though Jeffrey would have easily digested it with some fiery `brainsadillas' appetizers or even some real-life `Mr. Potato skins'. * Failure$LABEL$ 0 +Not a `woman film' but film for the gang. One of the worst films ever made by a male director about woman. Director Andy McKay simply doesn't know woman. Peaks of bad taste, American Pie's humor style, crude story, no sense, groundless story, refuted characters. Vulgar fantasies came to life on screen. Insulting and definitely not funny. I wonder how three good actresses accepted to take part in it.$LABEL$ 0 +With so many horrible spoof movies, this is sadly a breath of fresh air to the genre. Compared to classics like Airplane or the Naked Gun, this is awful, but compared to recent spoof movies like Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie, this is very clever and original. Don't get me wrong, though, this was not a good movie in any way. I laughed a few times, and there are a few inspired gags, but any pop culture reference falls flat on it's face, as does most jokes in the movie.Lambeau Fields (David Koechner) was a bad coach in the past, but now he's brought back to teach college football, and this time he'll do a good job. His wife (Melora Hardin) is feeling distant from him and his daughter is dating a football big shot to spite her father. Spoofs of various recent movies come into play, as do a lot of sight gags and nonstop stupidity.The best parts of the movie are the gags not relying on reference to recent movies. Spoofs of Radio, Rocky, Dodgeball, Friday Night Lights, Invincible and many other sports movies are not funny in the least. It's mainly the smaller gags that get a few laughs, like a bizarre crotch scratching scene, or a chewing tobacco spitting joke. These little throwaway giggles cannot carry the movie, and by the end, it's hard to watch. The last 20 minutes are grueling to sit through.The characters are surprisingly developed for a sports spoof movie, however, I'm sure the characters were built on clichés from the genre. Nonetheless, they're not too bad. David Koechner can pull lead actor in a movie off. Too bad they gave him so much crummy material to work with. Matthew Lawerence has fine comedic timing in a not always so comedic role as a ballet dancing football player with a cross dressing father. Carl Weathers rounds off the cast, once again playing in a sub-par sports movie (Not the Rocky movies...Happy Gilmore!) Overall, this is a goofy comedy. At times, it's funny, but more often than not, it's just very annoying and predictable.My rating: * 1/2 out of ****. 90 mins. PG-13 for language, sexual humor and drug humor.$LABEL$ 0 +"The Ballad of the Sad Café" worked hard at its image, but when it came down to crunch-time, it was left standing in its own self-created dust.One cannot image saying this out loud, but if Vanessa Redgrave's Amelia were to fight John Wayne or even Clint Eastwood, my hard-earned dollars would have to go to Redgrave. Her portrayal of Amelia was as close to perfection and consumed with more detailed dedication than most actors are willing to give to any multi-million dollar contracted persona. Redgrave gave Amelia this soulful drawl that was a blend of her own unique voice and a hard-earned woman from the south. To the average viewer, this could be construed as annoying, but as the film progressed it became her – Miss Amelia transforming this stage beauty into a roughneck. It was Redgrave's performance, as well as her interaction with the other characters, that made this film stand tall – but not the tallest. The others following her performance were needed, but not stellar. As we moved past the murky cliché image passed on by every set designer hired for the post-Depression South job, the minor characters felt like poster board. The image was needed to set the scene, but the characters of the town had no other purpose. Take for example Rod Steiger's vision of some old, wild spoken preacher. His scenes alone will make any viewer question the validity of this off-the-beaten-path town. The main two players who surrounded Amelia battled with charm for the admirable top scene-stealing moment, but due to the lacking direction – it just seemed faded. The most absurd of the two (albeit both rank high among the questionable sanity line) is Cork Hubbard who plays Amelia's "cousin" who shows up randomly one night. His character is never quite defined, he lacks true motive, and his loyalties remain uncertain. He plays no vital role in this film outside of forcing us, the viewers, to question his sanity and honesty. Can you create a character simply by sticking out your tongue, flicking your ears, and punching your chest and head? Finally, there is the other end of the absurd – Keith Carradine. Callow's close-ups of this tormented man build character, but our lack of understanding between him and Amelia causes his purpose to flounder. These were the characters, as cliché Southern as they were – some stood forward and attempted to create an absurdist period piece, and I cannot argue that they failed.Where "Ballad of the Sad Café" failed to rise above mediocrity was in the cinematography and narrative. This film was about Amelia, and her need for other souls in her life. The audience's level of comfort with the arrival of her midget cousin was entertaining – one couldn't help but wonder if he was honest or merely a confidence man attempt to leech off a warm heart. Cork Hubbard's character is never quite understood, but we do accept him with brief shots of him and Amelia doing small things together. It is his idea that transforms from a recluse businesswoman to a bona-fide café owner. The problem is that director Callow never quite takes us to that dramatic take level between Cork and Redgrave – is the man crazy or does he represent all of Amelia's family? I needed something from Callow that brought these two out of the David Lynch-esquire relationship that they had. Then our pool gets even deeper with the addition of Carradine as Amelia's "love interest". Using the technique of a flashback within a flashback, we see the two wed, but never consummate their love – which Amelia's anger against their love drawing him into the world of madness. Why was Amelia so angry? Why was there no connection between Carradine and Redgrave? Why was this even in the film? With the lack of focus towards these characters's connection, the eventual scenes between the two made no sense – throw in Cork's choice and it just gets completely discombobulated. While there were a few beautiful choreographed scenes that Callow created, the inability to transfer his characters from point A to point B. I lost focus, interest, and my care for the characters plummeted when I didn't understand the ultimate question – "why"? Overall, "The Ballad of the Sad Café" began with a bang, but ended with a very small crack of a firecracker. My emotional feel of this film swung up and down, up and down, and eventually stayed further down mainly due to the lack of understanding of the motives of the characters. Redgrave did a phenomenal job as Amelia, and while the other characters (outside of the random Steiger) tried their best, I just didn't quite understand who they were. Their motives were so muddled that when the emotional ending finally occurred, I was apathetic. Director Callow seemed to have been lacking importing connecting scenes that would allow us to understand the dynamic relationship between all of our main players. Callow created some beautiful scenes where faces seemed to overlap the scenery, which allowed us to focus on Amelia – or Carradine, but nothing was explained or developed. The film played out with anger, discover, happiness, flashback, anger, anger, anger, fade out. Without the comparative connectors, this transformed from distinguished period film to actors playing parts in front of camera. It was a shame, because "Sad Café" had the promise, it just couldn't deliver.Grade: ** ½ out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +**SPOILERS**Actually based on the novel "The Brick Foxhole" about a gay man who was murdered by a GI on leave because of his sexual orientation. The movie "Crossfire" is about a violently anti-Semitic GI who because of his own failures and frustrations in life takes it out on those of the Jewish persuasion. Whom he obviously feels threatened by.Getting himself tanked up at a local ginmill in D.C barley sober US serviceman Montgomrey, Robert Ryan, spots Joseph Samuel, Sam Leven, and starts to get a bit overly, yet sarcastically, friendly with him. It seems that Montgomery is a bit ticked off at Samuels because he's talking to his best friend and GI buddy Arthur Mitchell, George Cooper. Samuel is also getting through, which the Neanderthal Montgomery can't, to the sensitive young GI who's into the arts, he's an artist and painter on the outside, about war, WWII the war that just ended. As well as the shaky peace, if that's what it is with the dawn of atomic bomb, that's now following it in this very dangerous and unstable world. What really outrages Montgomery more then anything else about Samuels is that he's obviously Jewish. That more then anything else is enough reason for the racist Montgomery to want to do Samuels in. Samules Inviting Mitchell to join him and his lady friend Miss. Lewis, Marlow Dwyer, at his apartment to have a couple of drinks and continue the very deep and stimulating conversation that they started at the bar. This has a, what seems like, very jealous and feeling hurt and rejected Montgomery together with his also inebriated but somewhat clueless, in what Montgomery's plans for Samuels are, friend and fellow GI Floyd Bowers ,Steve Brodie, later that night go uninvited to Samuels' place. With the party already ended, with Mitchell and Miss Lewis gone, the two very drunk GI's unceremoniously crash the place. The fact that Samuels, in Montgomery's sick and anti-semitic mind, stole Mitchell away from him had him whip himself up into a white hot frenzy. Montgomery and Bowers break into Samuel's home raiding his well stacked liquor cabinet with Montgomery taking a couple of swigs, against Samuels' strong objections, of Samuels' very expansive and refined wines and spirits which is very unlike the watered down and cheap booze that the uncouth Montgomery is used to guzzling. This all soon lead to a violent and brutal assault on Samuels by the angry psychotic and drunk Montgomery, with Bowers out cold on the sofa from all the liquor he consumed, who beats the poor and innocent man to death.The movie "Crossfire" then goes into a long and tedious, since it's obvious from the start who Samuels' killer is, investigation into why Samuels a wounded and decorated WWII veteran, who got the purple heart in the battle of Okinawa, was murdered with Montgomery acting like he's really interested, yeah sure, in finding Samuels' killer, which in reality is himself. This so-called voluntarily action on Montgomery's part in order to throw off suspicion on himself that he may be the man who killed him. Montgomery is so ridicules and even, for someone who smugly considers himself to be very smart, stupid in him constantly opening up his big yap and spewing out anti-semitic and racist epitaphs and slurs about the murdered Samuels! That only throws suspicion on himself and no one else. I guess that guy just couldn't help it.It's not enough that Montgomery murdered Samuels who in his sick mind was one of "them" he even murders his friend the scared to death, in being implicated in Samuels' murder, Bowers! Who in Montgomery racist way of thinking is one of "us"! Just because he was afraid Bowers would talk to the police in order to save his own sorry neck and thus have the spotlight put on Montgomey in Samuels' death. It doesn't take that long for the detective on the case Capt. Finlay, Robert Young, to see through Montgomerys obvious lies and deceptions and then has him set up by having another GI "friend" of his Leroy (William Phipps), who was the butt of all his dumb and racist hillbilly jokes, set the arrogant creep up. This has Montgomery coming back to the scene of his crime, where he murdered Bowers, where a trap has been set up for him. That was all Capt. Finlay needed to get Montgomery to panic, when Montgomery saw that the jig was up, and make a run for it straight into the crossfire of a police ambush.Dated a bit now but very hard-hitting back in 1947 when it was released. "Crossfire" addressed the horrors of anti-Semitism when it at the time was kept under the covers, and out of sight, in almost every post-WWII Hollywood movie about the evils of racism in the US, and in Europe. Even after the Second World War and with what happened to the Jews in it. When it should have been given the very full and honest exposer, to the movie going public, that it so rightfully deserved.$LABEL$ 1 +The Buddy Holly Story is a great biography with a super performance from Gary Busey. Busey did his own singing for this film and he does a great job.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I haven't given this film an awful rating is because I feel that it was such an awful film in every aspect that it deserves at the very least a 2/10; for not trying. The plot is the least of your worries as you are slapped in the face with over the top language and scenes like 'the singing arse-hole' in a poor attempt to shock and disgust. Seen as the main aim of this film is to shock and the main body of it didn't achieve this, the final scene disgustingly manages to erase the memory of this shockingly pointless film and fulfil its aim to be the most filthy film ever.A really low budget film, awfully acted and the dialogue is shockingly bad.I give it 0/10 really !!!$LABEL$ 0 +The Cameraman's Revenge is an unusual short not because of the subject matter (adultery) or because it's animated (Winsor McCay had introduced Little Nemo on film by this time) but because it depicts bugs to tell the story! Ladislaw Starewicz had originally wanted to film actual bugs fighting but couldn't get them to do it on camera because of the hot lights they suffered through so he took dead ones and started using stop-motion techniques to manipulate movements to his satisfaction. This short does a good job of putting human characteristics on little creatures such as riding motorcycles, painting, filming, kissing, and dancing. Starewicz would also make Frogland (1922) and The Mascot (1933) but his first notable work would be this one. If you're interested in this and the other shorts mentioned, check your local library to borrow the DVD The Cameraman't Revenge and Other Fantastic Tales from Image Entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie has a great written genre story. It features all of the usual Columbo ingredients; The way Lt. Columbo approaches and bonds to his suspect, the way the mystery unravels for him, Columbo's dog, the cat and mouse play, which is great in this one and luckily as well some good relieving humor, mostly involving the Columbo character. It's all written despite the fact that it doesn't even have a truly original concept. Columbo hunting down a detective/murder novel writer had been done more than once before in a Columbo movie.It's also an extremely well directed movie from James Frawley, who after this directed 5 more Columbo movies, in the '70's and '80's. He provided the movie with style and some truly great and memorable sequences.It's one of the slower moving Columbo movies, despite not having a too long running time. This style and approach doesn't always work out well for a Columbo movie but in this movie it does, which is perhaps not in the least thanks to the acting performances of the movie.Most Columbo movie either starred a big well known star or a star from the early days of film-making, as the movie its murderer. This movie stars the rather unknown 81 year old Ruth Gordon. She didn't starred in an awful lot of movies throughout her career but she is still well known to some, mostly for her role in "Rosemary's Baby", which also won her an Oscar. She had a realistic and somewhat unusual style of acting, which some people might not like though. It earned her 4 more Oscar nominations throughout her career, prior to her win for "Rosemary's Baby", in 1969. She has some great interaction as well with Peter Falk in their sequences together.The movie also stars a still young G.D. Spradlin. I say young because I only know him from his latest productions out of his career, despite the fact that he already was 57 at the time of this Columbo production. He is still alive but retired from acting, ever since 1999.An even better than usual Columbo movie entry.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This reminded me of Spinal Tap, on a more serious level. It's the story of a band doing a reunion tour, but things are not harmonious between them. I was especially impressed with the performance of Bill Nighy as Ray. You felt sorry for him, yet he had a certain creepiness about him. It's a great movie to watch if you have ever seen your favorite band get wrinkly,old and pathetic.Bittersweet, highly recommended..$LABEL$ 1 +Generally I like something light and fun, so this film shouldn't have appealed to me. But it grabbed me from the start. The story of a family's choices and challenges seem obvious, but it raises the question over and over: "What if it was my family? My choice?" I cried and laughed when they did because I really felt what the people involved felt. It was in places difficult to watch, but more difficult to turn away. The story is true, and life is sometimes difficult to watch! It shows what film-makers can do without sex, violence, or special effects: a good story is a good story all by itself. The best and most unpredictable stories are all true ones. Like real life, you really don't know what'll happen next, or why people do the things that they do!$LABEL$ 1 +A antique shop-owner in NYC, played by Joanne Whalley(Valerie Alston)gets put on a US District Court jury, on a trial of a known Mafioso Armand Asante(Rusty Pirone), and most of this very slow-paced film revolves around attempts of Pirone attempting to get Whalley to acquit him of murder, by threatening to kill her son, and herself. Much action ensues, involving gruesome mob-rub outs, interspread with Willam Hurt as the go-between. Much of this silly, disjointed mess surrounds Hurt and Asante's obsession with Whalley, courtroom scenes that we've all seen time and again, and an ending that is unbelievable. 3/10 is probably going easy on this waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +The Chasers War On Everything. 5 words that I love to watch. The chasers war on everything is an excellent Australian comedy. As the name suggests they wage war on everything. They seem to love hitting the politions most of all.The Chaser is one of the best comedies I have seen and is the top of the line in Australia. It is on the Australian Broadcasting Corparation (ABC) which is where some of the best comedies are.It has won the Australian Film Industry (AFI) awards but did not win the best comedy at the logies. Last Year (2006) the chaser was aired on ABC on Friday nights when everyone was out so no one could watch it. Well they have been moved to Wednesday nights at 9pm (a heaps better timeslot) and the best thing is if I miss an episode or even just want to see it again i can download it from www.ABC.net.au/chaser.$LABEL$ 1 +I almost stopped watching Hindi movies because of the mediocre quality and story lines. One exception for this is Ramgopal Verma movies. This is a nice movie with great performances from the star cast. This is must see movie for those who are sick of watching stupid dancing and love stories. The adaptation of the story and characterization was exceptional good.You should watch this movie for Nana Patekar. based on the life of Mumbai cop Daya Naik this movie deals in a more realistic way. The film delves into the life of the common man, which he has apart from being an encounter specialist. I rate this as one of the best movie of the year$LABEL$ 1 +George Cukor's The Women remains one of the glittering gems of 1939, Hollywood's most golden of golden years. The film crackled and sparked and it's absence of males was a subtle touch, hardly noticed because of all the fine entertainment.Flash forward. We see Fifth Avenue in New York City, in front of Saks. Large crowds bustle along the Avenue...but something's off. The shot reveals only well dressed (attractive and young) women. Creepier than I Am Legend, the visual concept continues, inside the store and later at a large fashion show. What NYC fashion show doesn't have at least 5 gay men? The "no men" rule is rammed down our throats creating an alien world, off balance and distracting.Enter Meg Ryan, first seen digging in her garden wearing a ridiculous get-up complete with her retro curls and flailing arms. I immediately sympathized with her husband and could understand why he looked elsewhere. Later in the film she morphs into an older Jennifer Aniston look and keeps her arms at her sides. This seems intentional as if to say "Look! I can still be relevant!" Ryan's character is loaded down with a coven of miss-matched friends (insert Sex and the City comparison here) who, if it were real life, would despise each other. Annette Bening plays the power bitch, who during the course of the film realizes her life's dream doesn't really make her happy. Jada Pinkett Smith is the power lesbian, all atitudinous with no use for any of the men who aren't there. Debra Messing is some sort of baby factory that eats a lot. Eva Mendes is an odd choice for the bad girl to say the least. She looks fake, acts fake and any humor she tries to demonstrate falls flat. Someone's comment on here that she looked trans-gender was spot on. Other various stars show up, to rearrange the furniture on this Titanic.The only thing that would have saved this would have been the brilliant casting of Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. They could have named their price, tucked their tongues firmly into their cheeks and pulled off something very clever and profitable. But no, Hollywood thinks of itself way too highly for that kind of exploitation. Instead we're given this thing that lumbers along awkwardly with no sparkle. Entire sections of dialog from the original are lifted and plopped down into a scene with awful results. At one point Ryan exclaims something along the lines of, "This isn't a 1930's movie!" No Meg, it's not.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not a stage purist. A movie could have been made of this play, and it would almost necessarily require changes... comme ci, comme ca. But the modest conceits of this material are lost or misunderstood by the movie's creators who are in full-on "shallow blockbuster" mode. It would be hard to imagine a worse director. Perhaps only Josh Logan & Jack Warner could have ruined this in the same way Attenborough did.Onstage A Chorus line was a triumph of workshopping as a production method. Dancers answering a casting call found themselves sitting around shooting the crap about their stage-career experiences (very 70s!). Then Bennett and Hamlisch took some time, handed them a song and cast them as themselves. ...astonishing! Unbelievably modern. The 'story'of ACL is (in turn) about answering a casting call for a play we never have a complete view of, because the play doesn't matter. It was meta before the idea was invented, 25 years before Adaptation noodled with a similar idea. ACL was also another in a reductivist trend that is still alive, & which is a hallmark of modern creativity: that technique itself is compelling... that there's more drama in an average person's life than you could ever synthesize with invented characters. What a gracious idea. The stage play had one performance area (an empty stage) and three different ways to alter the backdrop, to alleviate visual tedium, not to keep viewers distracted. The space recedes and the actors stories are spotlighted. It worked just fine. That was the point. All these ideas are trampled or bastardized. Set-wise, there wasn't one, and no costumes either until the the dancers came out for their final bows, in which the exhilarating "One" is finally, powerfully, performed in full (gold) top hats and tails, with moves we recognize because we've watched them in practice sessions. The pent-up anxiety of the play is released --- and audiences went nuts. After Grampa manhandles this, it's like a mushed, strangled bird. He clearly has the earlier, respected All that Jazz (and Fosse's stage piece Dancin') in mind as he makes his choices. Hamlisch's score was edgy & interesting for it's time, but time has not been kind to it. It's as schmaltzy as "jazz hands." And that's before Attenborough ever touches it. He's remarkable at finding whatever good was left, and mangling it. A simple question might have helped Attenborough while filming this, "Could I bear spending even a few minutes with people like these?" A major issue for any adaptation of the play is how the 4th wall of theater (pivotal by it's absence in theater) would be addressed in the film format. There's never been a more "frontal" play. The answer they came up with was, "I'm sorry.. what was the question?" The cast has been augmented from a manageable number of unique narratives, to a crowd suffocating each other and the audience, and blending their grating selves together. I was well past my annoyance threshold when that annoying little runt swings across the stage on a rope, clowning at the (absent) audience. The play made you understand theater people. This movie just makes you want to choke them.Perhaps Broadways annoying trend of characters walking directly to stage center and singing their stories at the audience (Les Miz, Miss Saigon) instead of relating to other characters started here. But the worst imaginable revival of the play will make you feel more alive than this movie. A Chorus Line is pure schlock.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm amazed that I have a real affection for this one inasmuch as I'm not an action and adventure lover. But hey... It's pretty tough to go wrong with a Robert Carlyle film. I've read several poor or temperate reviews on this film, pulling it apart for it's period errors or unlikely plot development, but no one seems to mention the rather intriguing character transition which features how a hardened, down-on-his-luck scoundrel (Carlyle) transforms into a rather noble, selfless hero and how the pretty-boy, cowardly vagrant (Miller)develops a real taste for the life of a highway man once he "gets the feel of it." Filled with lots of bad-boy humor, lavish scenes (particularly the use of "fireworks" by former apothacary Plunkett) and a charmingly ecclectic musical score, Plunkett & Macleane is a fast-paced,highly enjoyable piece of film making. It's certainly worth your viewing time FOR THE CLIMAX SCENE ALONE! Shoot 'em up, boys!$LABEL$ 1 +As many of today's movies are guilty of, the plot isn't exactly stellar, the movie doesn't move anyone, and certainly this won't warrant any award (outside of Blockbusters' perhaps)...but then again, who really cares.Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro team up to produce a very funny, at times hilarious, movie that I really enjoyed. Russo and Shatner played their small parts well as well. Man, I hope in the future my wife ages as well as Miss Renee has.Moving along, this "buddy" cop-flick produces high laughs in a reasonable amount of time. The movie is enjoyable enough to avoid the wait for video/dvd release and instead to go ahead and check it out.Eddie Murphy is at his usual top-form and is downright enjoyable to watch. De Niro has molded into this type of role perfectly.I really enjoyed this movie and think that any true movie fan in need for a good movie or just a good laugh will really enjoy Showtime.Top Performance: Murphy. Hilarious. Enough said. Directing Job: Nice. Nice action scenes, used Murphy and De Niro together like a charm, Russo fed off in a nice supporting job.My Rating: 7 out 10. It's not going to move you or anything...but it's an extremely enjoyable movie.It's Showtime...was a great success.$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoyed watching this movie! Only a few parts were slow, but it was only setting the mood and building up to the action. I thought this movie was very educational, it taught me more about my Croatian heritage. I also learned more about Louise Arbour, and I can say she has a very great influence on me. Time magazine named Louise Arbour one of the world's 100 most influential people in April of 2004. I recommend this movie to people that like historical movies (obviously). This movie was very dramatic, but still told the truth of events in the former Yugoslavia. Louise Arbour is a brave hero, and I'm glad they made a movie honouring her. If you see the movie, I hope you'll like it.$LABEL$ 1 +Yeeee-Haa! I have seen it argued that most American Movies are cowboy movies in disguise; that Hollywood is so in love with it's only truly original creation that it keeps reinventing the cowboy myth. I'm not sure I totally buy that argument but Slipstream is evidence in support of the theory; it's a cowboy movie with aeroplanes. Actually it goes one better than that. It's a Spagetti Western with aeroplanes! Substitute the planes with horses, make the android a priest and this movie would be indistinguishable from any one of a dozen Italian Spanish semi-arty "shoot-'em-ups with pretensions" of the Seventies.The film isn't as BAD as I had been lead to believe by some of the reviews I had read here but it certainly wasn't good.$LABEL$ 0 +A friend of mine loves tacky horror films so I often get to see low budget stuff like this. This is, however the first time I have been compelled to write a review of one...Put simply this is probably the worst film I have ever seen! Even worse then Boggy Creek II!The entire budget for the film seems to have been spent on a brief scene in the middle when Dr. Klaus stands in this chamber thing & turns all vampire-ish.The only good thing to say about it is that it was hilarious after a few beers (but for all the wrong reasons).$LABEL$ 0 +Cage (1989) was another one of those low budget "buddy" action flicks that were produced during the 80's thanks in large part due to the films such as 48hrs. and Lethal Weapon. This one stars Reb Brown and Lou Ferrigno as to former Vietnam Vets who happen to run a local dive bar. Reb takes care of Lou because he saved his life in 'Nam. But Lou was shot in the head and is now pretty soft. Although he's huge, Lou has the brain of a child. One day some ruffians throw their wait around in the bar and Lou and Rebb beat the tar out of them. But payback's a mother. They crash the bar leaving Lou and Reb with nothing. That is until these two thugs come into the picture (one of them's a real nice guy) who have a plan in mind.The film's a waste of time. Maybe if they went all they way and made a hard core action flick instead of trying to tone down the gruesomeness of the situation perhaps it could have worked. Alas, it doesn't and the audience is left holding the bag. Oh well. It's too bad because you have all the elements for a great B-movie. Better luck next time, I guess.Not recommended.xxx$LABEL$ 0 +4 Oscar winners, Karl Malden, Sally Field, Shirley Jones, Michael Caine. Great character actors Telly Savalas and Peter Boyle. 1 hour 54 minutes of sheer tedium, melodrama and horrible acting, a mess of a script, and a sinking feeling of GOOD LORD, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?Irwin Allen was just trying to cash in on the popularity of the original classic disaster film with a grade D minus script, the actors were obviously just in it for the paycheck as well,... the horror, the horror!How insane are the characters that Caine, Savalas, Malden and Field are playing? Go into a potentially deadly sinking ship that's 1. on fire 2. Hot from steam 3. Slippery from water and oil, 4. boilers that are exploding every 5 minutes, etc., all for the love of money? Greed? 5. They have very little equipment, not even a pair of gloves or work boots in sight, much less a grappling hook, rope, etc.Stupidity!What were they thinking?Peter Boyle overacts so much that I just wanted to smack him! Stop it! And what's the deal with the bad toupee? Also, there is no way you can believe his character was a WW2 veteran.Caine, Field and Malden find all that gold and money and they are happy--whoopee! We're rich! (We may not live to spend it, but hey...)And yee haw, it's the great character actor Slim Pickens!Survivors galore! Jack Warden and Shirley Knight, too!The final dramatic sub plot about that scary plutonium never really went anywhere, it's like they forgot, sort of? Lots of holes in the script.This film has an illness that the strongest pill couldn't cure. I'm surprised Alan J. Smithee's name wasn't on the script, I'd be embarrassed to have penned this one!Oh the insanity, Oh The humanity! Oy Vey!The Horror, The Horror!It's like a bad two hour TV movie.At least the sets were made from recycled material from the first movie.The script needed to be on the compost heap...$LABEL$ 0 +Anna Christie (1931)On its own terms, this version of Garbo's Anna Christie, shot a year later in German with a whole new cast, is just toned down and refined enough to work better than the English version (both are American MGM productions). Garbo is if anything more commanding (or more beautiful as a screen presence) and her acting is more restrained. And she seems frankly more at ease, probably for a lot of reasons, but we can speculate that she was no longer making her first talking picture, so had adjusted quickly.Without comparing always one film to the other, this Anna Christie is still the same O'Neill play with too many words. His themes of a woman wanting love without losing her independence are here, but it comes off as oddly old fashioned anyway. There are some scenes missing--the Coney Island section is shortened and isn't as good--but overall it's a direct echo of the first film. The director, Jacques Feyder (Belgian-French), is simply redoing what was done already, which I assume must be a frustrating experience.It's interesting to see both films in succession because they are blocked out exactly the same way (not only the sets, but the shots, are all the same). There is an occasional scene lifted from the earlier film--some of the storm, understandably, but also a brief scene where Marie Dressler (from the English language version) is walking with her friend on a plank over a canal, drunk as can be. But they are just silhouettes, and when the next scene shows their faces, we see the German actors taking their parts. There is no replacing Dressler, for sure, but for me the German father is more believable and honest in his performance.Clearly the themes--immigration, wayward fathers, daughters turning to prostitution, and the troubles of finding true love--have strong currents back then, especially with European threads (Garbo, appropriately, plays a Swedish young woman).$LABEL$ 1 +the first toxie film was dark, gory, and hillarious. This film is un-gory battles to cheezy jazz music, no real gore at all, and the worst toxie mask I have ever seen! His deep voice is now a light, happy voice, characters from part 1 reappear by actors that look NOTHING like them (Claire, Mom Junko), characters names change (Claire or Sara?). It is lacking all the brutal violence, dark humor, and political incorrectness of the first film. If it weren't for nudity, this movie could have been rated PG. Really lame. I am a HUGE fan of part 1 though, just cant stand this one.$LABEL$ 0 +OK Clara Bow silent film from 1927, it's a spin-off of Rain, with Bow playing the half-Hawaiian wild daughter of the local pineapple king who falls in love with the staid English engineer--Clive Brook. Bow competes with the local widow (Arlette Marchal) for his attentions, but both women get a big surprise when his wife shows up (Patricia Dupont). The predatory wife is ready for a divorce until she discovers he might be on the verge of a fortune. Bow settles her hash fast.Bow has personality to spare and has a few great scenes: her opening nude bath, her hula in a grass skirt, and the dog rescue scene with Bow and Brook doing their own stunts.Note: the IMDb credit list is wrong. The film credits (from the DVD I have) list Patricia Dupont as playing Mrs. Haldane---not Margaret Truax as listed on IMDb.$LABEL$ 1 +Asterix and the Vikings is the first animated asterix movie in over 12 years since the 1994 "Asterix conquers America". It also has the honor of being the first digitally colored asterix animation, which makes the largely entertaining story a lot more breathtaking to behold.Every scene of this movie is vividly rendered in bright cheerful hues adhering closely to the color schemes of the comic books it was based on. The character designs also stick relatively close to the comic, for better or for worse, preserving the simple but unique look of the characters. Being simple in terms of character design, this allows for more time and effort to be spent on the actual animation, which by the way surpasses many other big screen theatrical animated movies. Character movements are very fluid and possess a quality that looks way beyond what a modest budget would usually produce; there is always something moving in every scene and no evidence of the usual cost cutting animation short cuts. 3D computer images are incorporated seamlessly with the traditionally animated 2D art. If anything, the style of shading makes the 3D elements look more like traditional comic book paintings than CGI models.The storyline takes much of its elements from the "Asterix and the Normans" comic, and this is where its main flaw lies. As an adaptation of said comic, "Asterix and the Vikings" takes way too many liberties with its source material. Long time fans of the comic would no doubt find much to dislike about the movie's story and its lack of adherence to the source.On the other hand, one can see this story as a really fun one if taken on its own without comparing it its source material. Highly comedic, well written jokes pepper the upbeat script. The funniest parts were the numerous pop culture references and jibes at modern day 21 century life. Mobile communications, the shopping channel, commercial airlines and even sports cars are spoofed to great effect. Excellent chemistry and acting by the cast (I watched this in English by the way) though a couple of voices like Cacofonix I found really irritating (but I guess it is all part of his character).If there is anything to criticize about the story, it is the lack of "asterix". This story seems to be more like Justforkix's story of teenage romance and "coming of age" with Asterix and Obelix merely playing supporting roles. This gives a pretty big sense of staleness since much of the story's elements are the usual staples of such teen movies. Derivative and clichéd at times, only the witty comedy and traditional "Astrix" elements (the Romans, the pirates etc) manage to save this film from falling into plain mediocrity.While not the best installment in the Asterix animated movie library, it is certainly one of the funniest, the best scripted and the most beautifully animated. DVD seems a little hard to come by though…………$LABEL$ 1 +Not since Bette Davis's 1933 vehicle "Ex-Lady" have I seen a film that was so much better than its star said it was! Most of the bum rap "Atoll K," a.k.a. "Utopia," a.k.a. "Robinson Crusoeland," a.k.a. "Escapade" has got over the years has come from the horror stories Stan Laurel told of its production. Given that he suffered a stroke during filming, looked like death warmed over through much of it (from the opening two-shot of them together you'd never guess that Laurel survived Hardy by eight years) and was subsequently diagnosed with diabetes (once he adjusted his diet accordingly he restored himself to health), one can understand why Laurel didn't think this film was the most pleasant experience of his life. Yes, it's flawed: the cheapness of the production shows through, the dubbing is awful and Laurel and Hardy were too old to do the energetic slapstick of their greatest films. But it's still genuinely funny, and Léo Joannon's story introduces elements of political satire (sometimes libertarian, sometimes communalist) one would expect to see from more socially conscious comedians like Chaplin or the Marx Brothers but never from Laurel and Hardy. The film deserves credit for being different (though its debt to the Ealing Studios' classic "Passport to Pimlico," made just a year earlier, is pretty obvious) and for integrating the Laurel and Hardy comedy into a rather edgy context completely different from anything they'd used before. This isn't a great movie, but it's certainly better than the eight dreary ones for Fox and MGM they'd made in the early 1940's. I suspect only the film's technical crudity kept it from earning the cult following among anti-establishment baby-boomer youth the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" acquired in the late 1960's/early 1970's.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably the most accurate Stephen King adaption yet. Not surprising, since King himself wrote the screenplay. The story follows the Creed family moving into a beautiful Maine house. One of the other residents is Jud, a pleasant old man who knows a few things about the area. One is the highway that runs right through their frontyard. The other is a path leading to the Pet Sematary, where children for decades have buried the animals killed by the highway. Soon enough, Ellie Creed's cat, Church, is found dead. Luckily, this happens while the family, with the exception of Louis(the father), is away for Thanksgiving. Jud takes Louis to another burial ground, beyond the Pet Sematary, where Church is to be buried. Later, Louis is greeted(not so politely) by Church. He's returned, appearing to have chewed his way out of the bag he had been buried in. Maybe he was buried alive. Maybe not. Nothing more I can say without ruining the story.Of all the King adaptions I've seen this would be the most terrifying. The characters are real and the situations are normal. Mary Lambert does a great job directing the proceedings. Suspense is kept fairly high throughout the film, due in part to the plot development. The scene where Gage is killed will stick in your mind forever. Then, of course, we have the conclusion. Easy to determine what's going to happen, but Lambert pulls off some genuinely scary, and sometimes disturbing, moments.Overall, this is a good film and an excellent adaption. If you enjoy being scared and don't mind being haunted by some occasionally disturbing images then "Pet Sematary" is just what you're looking for. Non Horror fans will want to avoid this.$LABEL$ 1 +the actors cannot act. all dialoague was plagued with bad accents and loss of character. Channing Tatum never moves his lips or changes his facial expression... EVER.the story is nothing new at all. some kid from the street gets involved in a professional world of dance and it turns his life around. that coupled with the whole incident involving the little kid is taken straight from You Got Served and Save the Last Dance (I'm not saying that those movies were any good either, but that is to say that this movie brought nothing new to the table).and the dancing... THERE WERE ONLY 3 DANCE SEQUENCES IN THE ENTIRE MOVIE AND 2 OF THEM WERE TAKEN STRAIGHT FROM THE COMMERCIAL. perhaps i'm being overly critical because i am a dancer, but maybe thats what needs to be heard. Channing Tatum is NOT by any means a b-boy. his little solo in the parking lot had little style, technique, or any wow factor, all of which are part of a street dancer's criteria. All of the jazz and ballet in the movie had nothing to offer except bad technique and a few acceptable twirls, but nothing more. the grande finale left me thinking "... OK, now they're gonna get serious" all the way through the end when i realized it never was going to happen.i'll admit that im sure it is difficult to make a good dance movie, but Step up is no exception to the rule. You Got Served, with the exception of its inconsistencies with street dance culture at least had the dance aspect. Save the Last Dance was garbage, and so was just about any musical from the past 10 years (although i was impressed with Moulin Rouge)... look to Center Stage for Ballet, look to Beat Street for Hip-Hop$LABEL$ 0 +Love Trap is not a short, it's quite obviously a full length feature film with a running time of 105 minutes.While I'm writing this, I might as well talk a bit more about Love Trap. I'm frequently asked what makes Love Trap different... this is how I respond to that question: 1) It introduces characters - one in particular - that have never been seen before in film, period.2) It reveals more truth about love, and delves more deeply into the very concept of love, than any other U.S. film ever made, in my humble opinion.3) Structurally, as in the way the story is told, it is unlike any love story you've ever seen.4) It offers extremely timely insights on various cultural issues, both within and outside the Black community.Over time, people will come to see Love Trap as about as wholly an original work as possible in this era, delightfully refreshing, authentic and honest. It is a rare morality play full of food for thought.Please visit www.lovetrapmovie.com for complete and accurate info about this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Beats me how people can describe this adolescent exercise as film noir. True there's a gun & a bottle & a dame & the lead is a private eye, but that ain't what makes the genre, folks. This thing plays like reheated TV cop show stuff - lots of bloody beating & lousy continuity - with a dash of Chinatown memories thrown in. Pretty hard to watch beyond the first 10 minutes. You want contemporary feel, watch anything by John Dahl.$LABEL$ 0 +From the start this film drags and drags. Clumsy overdubs explaining the history, monochrome acting, boring sets, total lack of any humanity, verve or style. The actors look as if they are drugged. Potentially an interesting story completely wasted. Surely somebody realised how bad it was at some point in producing it?$LABEL$ 0 +This was a pretty good movie, I liked it. I thought it was a pretty accurate look at bulimia and how it's not about dieting, it's about having a pain so deep that they have to find a way to deal with it and they choose this. Beth was a very accurately drawn character and in the scene where she confronts her mom about the eating disorder you can see the pain inside her and hear it in her voice and you know how deep the pain is that she is feeling. I also think one of the best lines in the movie is where Beth yells the words, "It's not about you." to her mother. Those words were so true and added so much to that scene in the movie. I think that that scene was definitely the most important scene in that movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Scarecrow is set in the small American town of Emerald Grove where high school student Lester Dwervick (Tim Young) is considered the local nerdy geek by teachers & fellow students alike. The poor kid suffers daily humiliation, bullying, teasing & general esteem destroying abuse at the hands of his peers. Unfortunately he doesn't find much support at home since his mom is a slut & after Lester annoys one of her blokes he chases him into a corn field & strangles the poor kid. However something magical happens (no, the film doesn't suddenly become good), Lester's spirit gets transfered into the corn fields scarecrow which he then uses as a body to gain revenge on those who tormented him & made his life hell...Co-written, co-produced & directed by Emmanuel Itier who according to the IMDb credit list also has a role in the film as someone called Mr. Duforq although I don't remember any character of this name, I suppose anyone who ends up looking at the IMDb pages for Scarecrow will probably already be aware of it's terrible reputation & I have to say it pretty much well deserved since it's terrible. The script by Itier, Bill Cunningham & Jason White uses the often told story of one of life's losers who gets picked upon & tormented for no good reason getting their revenge by supernatural means in a relatively straight forward teen slasher flick. We've seen it all before, we've seen killer scarecrows before, we've seen faceless teens being killed off one-by-one before, we've seen one of life's losers get his revenge before, we've seen wise cracking villains who make jokes as they kill before & we've seen incompetent small town Sheriff's make matters even worse before. The only real question to answer about Scarecrow is whether it's any fun to watch on a dumb teen slasher type level? The answer is a resounding no to be honest. The film has terrible character's, awful dialogue, an inconsistent & predictable story, it has some cheesy one-liners like when the scarecrow kills someone with a shovel he ask's 'can you dig it?' & the so-called twist ending which is geared towards leaving things open for a sequel is just lame. The film moves along at a reasonable pace but it isn't that exciting & the kills are forgettable. You know I'm still trying to work out how someone can be stabbed & killed with a stick of corn...Director Itier doesn't do a particularly good job here, the kill scenes are poorly handled with no build up whatsoever which means there's never any tension as within two seconds of a character being introduced they are killed off. Also I'm not happy with the killer scarecrow dude doing all these back-flips & somersaults through the air in scenes which feel like they belong in The Matrix (1999) or some Japanese kung-fu flick! To give it some credit the actual scarecrow mask looks really good & he looks pretty cool but he is given little to do except spout bad one-liners & twirl around a bit. Don't you think that being tied to a wooden stake in the middle of a corn filed all day would have been boring? I know he's a killer scarecrow but I still say he would have been bored just hanging around on a wooden stick all day! There's no nudity & the gore isn't anything to write home about, there's a decapitation, someones face is burnt, someone is killed with a stick of corn, someone gets a shovel stuck in their throat, some sickles are stuck in people's heads, someone has their heart ripped out & someone has a metal thing stuck through the back of their head which comes out of their mouth.With a supposed budget of about $250,000 this was apparently shot in 8 days, well at least they didn't waste any time on unimportant things like story & character development. Technically this is pretty much point, shoot & hope for the best stuff. If you look at the guy on the floor who has just had his heart ripped out you can clearly see him still breathing... The acting sucks, the guy who played Lester's mum's bloke is wearing the most stupid looking wig & fake moustache ever because he played two roles in the film & the makers needed to disguise him but they just ended up making him look ridiculous & don't get me started on his accent...Scarecrow has a few fun moments & the actual scarecrow himself is a nice creation with good special make-up effects but as a whole the film is poorly made, badly acted, silly, too predictable & very cheesy. If you want to see a great killer scarecrow flick then check out Scarecrows (1988). Not to be confused with the Gene Hackman & Al Pacino film Scarecrow (1973) or the upcoming horror flick Scarecrow (2008) which is currently in production. Scarecrow proved popular enough on home video to spawn two more straight to video sequels, Scarecrow Slayer (2003) & Scarecrow Gone Wild (2004).$LABEL$ 0 +Anna Christie (Greta Garbo) returns to see her father Chris (George F Marion) after 15 years. He is the skipper of a boat and she stays to travel with him. During this time, she meets Matt (Charles Bickford) and they fall in love. Matt and Chris don't see eye to eye and Anna has a secret to confess.....................What a boring story......it starts badly with George F Marion and Marie Dressler playing drunks in a bar. The scene goes on forever and they are both terrible. Its also hard to understand them. In fact, its difficult to understand the whole cast. I missed whole sections of dialogue between Bickford, Marion and Garbo because it is incomprehensible! Garbo is obviously something special as you are drawn to her every time that she is on screen and her presence gives this film the 4 stars that I have given to it. But nothing really happens - its a boring story with atrocious accents. You'll do well to stay awake.$LABEL$ 0 +I did a screen test and read the script for this turkey in 1988. It was awful then and even worse now - I spotted it on VHS at the local HollowWood Video and said, "oh, what the hey, for auld ang sine". Yech.They had to shoot most of it in Mexico after they ran out of money, a couple of the "stars" pitched bitches because they ran out of some kind of exotic fruit drink crap. The movie's plot is OK, I suppose, but I happen to know that the writer intended for it to have a spy catcher thread running throughout.Dr O ended up being a cartoon character. He must still be whirling in his grave over in the Kremlin Wall.Technical errors were all over the movie, not only with the infant atomic technology but with the uniforms, insignia, and military jargon. They were too cheap to hire a professional military adviser, of course. Even Mr. Newman's august and expert presence couldn't have saved this bird from being stuffed for Thanksgiving.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is really quite odd. Clearly certain *events* portrayed identify the main protagonist as the Dublin criminal known as "The General" but almost everything else is just wrong. We are not talking of a distortion of ancient history...but a complete distortion of irrefutable, documented facts. The question indeed is why? The garda are shown as latter day Keystone Cops, his gang as non-menacing, and the man himself as..well Kevin Spacey. Almost pure fiction anyway, why bother to try to give a semblance of realism? Having said all that, it is a poor exercise *any* way you want to look at it. Not worth a second of anyone's time.$LABEL$ 0 +I am sure I'm in the minority (I know I am among my friends), but I found this movie long, boring and gratuitous. The fact that the role played by DENIS LEARY is the most likable character (the only other time I liked him at all was in "A Bug's Life"!) speaks volumes. Rene Russo's character was irritating beyond belief and Thomas Crowne himself was flat and stereotypical. To say he was two-dimensional may be a little generous. (No, the scenes with his psychiatrist did NOT help make him real.)With the exception of two wonderful scenes (both involving the museum caper and NOT involving Rene Russo), this movie made me wish I were at home watching televised golf.$LABEL$ 0 +What a strangely wonderful, if sometimes slight and bulky, big-budget fantasy this is. Takashi Miike had already proved, by the time he got to The Great Yokhai War, that he could dip into other films aside from his supposed niche of the crime/yakuza genre (Visitor Q and Andromedia showed this, the former great the latter lesser). But here Miike, in his first and only co-screen writing credit no less, proves that he can deliver the goods on a post-modern soup of mythical fantasy conventions, and with it boatload of CGI, creature-effects and make-up, and an epic battle that is more like a "festival" than something out of Lord of the Rings. The comparisons can be made far and wide, to be sure, and the most obvious to jump on would be Miyazaki, for the seemingly unique mixture of kids-as-big-heroes, power-hungry sorcerers looking for the energy of the earth as the main source, machinery as the greatest evil, and many bizarrely defined, flamboyantly designed creatures (or Yokai of the title). But there can also be comparisons made to Star Wars, especially to the Gungan battle in TPM, and to the whole power-play between good and evil with similar forces. Or to anime like Samurai 7. Or, of course, to Henson's films. And through all of these comparisons, and even through the flaws or over-reaching moments, it's Miike all the way with the sensibilities of effects and characters. Here, Ryunosuke Kamiki plays Tadashi, the prototypical kid who starts out sort of gullible and sensitive to things in the world, but will become the hero in a world going into darkness. The darkness is from an evil sorcerer, who gets his energy from all of the rage and wretched vibes in the human world, and who is also starting to put to death the spirits and other creatures, the Yokhai, into a fire that sends them into gigantic robots that have only one mission- to destroy and kill anything in their paths. Tadashi gets as pumped up to fight Sato the sorcerer as the Yokai once Sato's main minion and cohort, Agi (Kill Bill's Chiaki Kuriyama, another great villainies) steals Tadashi's little furry companion, a Sunekosuri. Soon, things come to a head, in a climax that brings to mind many other fantasy films and stories, but can only be contained, up to a point, by Miike and his crew. I would probably recommend The Great Yokai War for kids, but in the forward note that it's not some watered down fantasy in American circles. This has creatures galore, including a one-eyed umbrella stand, and a walking, talking wall, not to mention a turtle, a fire serpent, and a woman who became cursed by Sato. So the variety is on high on that end, and one might almost feel like the creatures and effects- which grows to unfathomable heights when the "festival" hits with the Yokai reaching hundreds of miles in scope. But there's also a sense of fantasy being strong in both the light and the dark, and Sunekosuri becomes perhaps the greatest emotional tool at Miike's disposal (and not just because it's cuteness squared); where else to get an audience riled up than over a little furry ball of fury, who ends up in a tragic battle with Tadashi in robot form? Yet through all of this, the sense of anarchy that can be found in the brightest spots of Miike's career is here as well, which distinguishes it from its animated, Muppet and sci-fi counterparts. There's the bizarre humor as usual, including a song dedicated to Akuzi beans at a crucial moment in the climax, and more than a few flights of fancy with the creatures and fight scenes (I loved, for example, the guy with the big blue head who has to make it smaller, or the anxious turtle-Yokai). The biggest danger with Miike's access to bigger special effects and computer wizardry, which he flirts with, is overkill on this end. He's got everything down, I'm sure, with storyboards, and he creates some memorable impressions with some compositions (one of them is when all is said and done, and Tadashi and the 'other' human character are in the middle of the Tokyo rubble in an overhead shot), but the CGI is sometimes a little unconvincing with the robots, and the interplay skirts on being TOO flamboyant, and some visuals, like the overlay of the Yokai spreading the word about the big festival on the map, just seem weak and pat. I almost wondered if Miike might dip into (bad) Spy Kids territory, quite frankly.But this liability aside, The Great Yokai War provides more than a share of excitement, goofy thrills, and innocent melodrama that came with many of the best childhood fantasies. It owes a lot to cinema, as well as traditional Japanese folklore, but the screws are always turning even in its most ludicrous and veeringly confusing beats. It's not the filmmaker at his very best, but working in experimentation in a commercial medium ends up working to his advantage. It's got a neat little message, and lots of cool adventure. 7.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +I was attracted to this film by its offbeat, low-key, 'real life' story line. That is, a twenty-something guy flops in the Big Apple and comes back home to live with his parents and even more floppy brother. It just might have worked but there's a problem. And that problem's name is Casey Affleck. Casey Affleck is nearly catatonic in this film. His acting mantra must be "exert as little effort as possible at all times". Or "why speak when you can mutter?" Or maybe "put yourself into a coma as soon as the camera rolls". Lips moving when speaking? Barely. Facial expressions? None. Muscles in face? Atrophied. Something? Nothing. ANYthing? Zip.$LABEL$ 0 +If this is not heavily featured on every list of "what not to watch", it should only be because those keeping that particular list are not aware of its existence, which, as long as that remains so, is the acceptable alternative. I'm not kidding you, this is a *bad* "movie". Joseph Meeker returns from the dead, with various vague, undefined supernatural powers, the most employed of which would seem to be appearing in new, increasingly comical-looking and ridiculous(and never scary or creepy... in general, when this goes for the latter of those, it winds up just being bizarre, and attempts at the former just don't work, period) outfits and stereotypes/archetypes, and he is portrayed by David Keith(whom I respect in... well, at least Daredevil), doing a more often than not terribly inconsistent(which could also have to do with script) and often over the top performance. A character or two have personalities so unbelievably irritating that they're painful to watch. The editing thinks it's considerably more clever than it really is(and what on Earth was with the red tint for the flashbacks?). Cinematography... oh, dear. Framing, coverage, effective use of angle(that one could be attributed some to editing, too, perhaps), please, guys, stop me when I say something you've ever heard about the existence of. As far as the technical side goes, this is a pretty lousy excuse for something more worthwhile to put in the projector than unexposed film. But why stop there? The plot is just poor. The basic idea's been done, and it's been done so much better than this(The Crow would be one). The way it's told is gimmicky, and while there is some explanation behind the flashbacks, it still doesn't satisfy. Pacing is about non-existent. The lead is distinctly unlikeable, and there's more personality in a barn door, not to mention that those are also considerably less wooden. Kelly Perine and Thomas Ian Nicholas? What in the name of all that is good and just(pun intended) are you doing in this? Perine, you were already funny before this, on The Drew Carey Show, Nicholas, well, I haven't seen you in anything preceding American Pie, but if nothing else, you *were* funny later on, and in those productions, the amusement was intentional. Dialog is... the less said, the better. Language is unrestrained, and tends to be stupid. The violence is shoddily done, and they don't even seem to care to try to hide it(hinting at it might have been the smarter strategy). Characters, don't get me started. Why spend so much energy on portraying unexciting, at times utterly illogical, events? The more you think about this, the worse it gets. It's not even passable as a "bad horror flick", or a B movie(it may very well pass through the rest of the alphabet, and go further still), it couldn't scare you on the scariest day of your life if it had an electrified scaring machine. I recommend this only to people who want to disprove how bad this is, and don't say I didn't warn ya. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +While being an impressionable youth when first experiencing the Gundam Wing series, upon re-watching the series, I have reconfirmed my belief that this series is not only beautifully animated, but the plot, the gundam design, character design, and character depth are masterfully executed. While at first appearing like a boy band of sorts, the stylish attractiveness of the characters can partly be credited to just great art, with individual personalities creating clear and endearing distinctions among the characters. Consequently, it is extremely easy to become to drawn to any particular character. Personally, I liked Heero because of his stoic personality. While I may be biased with a sentimental attachment of this show to my childhood, I can objectively say that Gundam Wing addresses the deeper questions of war and life in general (how can we obtain peace?) while providing action packed battles in large robot suits, which, to say the least, is excellent.$LABEL$ 1 +I may not have the longest of attention-spans, but this is the second movie I have refused to see all the way through, and I even bought it on DVD because of its "classic" status. At first, I thought that the director was playing a big joke, so I kept waiting for a resolution, something to laugh at, something to keep my interest, but this resolution never came. Rather, the writing was laughably amateurish, the movie dragged on and felt disjointed, like someone cut a TV series to feature-length. The Academy must have been on drugs when they nominated this movie for no less than eight Oscars.Once again, I repeat myself. This is the second movie I have refused to watch all the way through. The first was "Exterminator". I hope this gives you an indication of how bad it really is. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Linking story: another first-time viewing for me and, again, this is one of the most popular of the Amicus anthologies - and it's easy to see why, though I realize how the film's rather meaningless title could be misleading for some; I certainly fancied director Peter Duffell's choice - DEATH AND THE MAIDEN (which, incidentally, is a classical piece by Schubert that is heard in the film during the Peter Cushing episode) - a great deal more. Though the linking device itself is not all that great, the episodes are all equally compelling and enjoyable. Production values come off as very respectable indeed for the budget Duffell had to work with. The latter infuses the film with a great deal of style which is not so common with this type of film and, frankly, it makes one regret the fact that he wished to distance himself from the genre (though more so as not to be typecast rather than because he felt it was beneath him).Now to the individual stories themselves: "Method For Murder": the opening segment does not offer any real surprises but, to make up for this, it's quietly suspenseful and appropriately creepy at times (Tom Adams' 'fictitious' villain looking like the long-lost brother of Boris Karloff from THE OLD DARK HOUSE [1932]); also, it ends with a satisfactory DIABOLIQUE-type twist, and features a fairly intense role for Denholm Elliott in the lead. That's all we need out of it, really."Waxworks": for the second story we are introduced to a curiously romantic mood which is quite unusual for this type of film; Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland are both excellent (as well as impeccably dressed) in their roles of two jilted lovers of a woman who continues to obsess them even after such a long time, and whose friendly rivalry can only lead them blindly and inexorably to a fate that is literally worse than death; an ominous hallucination scene with Peter Cushing is quite well done in view of the limited resources at hand, and Ackland's inexplicable inability - or unwillingness - to leave town somewhat recalls the house-trapped aristocrats of Bunuel's THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962)."Sweets To The Sweet": this is perhaps the finest episode of all - with his ambiguous role here, Christopher Lee continues to demonstrate his versatility and he is matched by an understanding Nyree Dawn Porter and the deceptive innocence of Chloe Franks (who appears as Lee's daughter). The film's treatment of the occult here is both subtle and mature, culminating in a powerful and extremely chilling 'curtain'. Trivia Note: Chloe Franks appears as a grown-up in the featurette included on the disc, and when I saw her I felt an immediate familiarity with her face but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Later, on reading her filmography, it was revealed to me that she had played one of the leads in the long-running stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" in London's West End, which my brother and I were fortunate enough to catch while we there on holiday in the Summer of 2002! Needless to say, we had no idea then that she had once created such a delicate - and delicious - portrayal in sheer evil, mainly by virtue of her peculiar look and a devilish smile!! "The Cloak": a wacky but oddly reverent vampire tale (that still manages to debunk many of the myths attached to the subgenre, while inventing some new ones!) which takes in some wonderful digs at exploitation cinema and, at one point, Christopher Lee himself!; Jon Pertwee is marvelous as the campy horror star who gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to bring a measure of authenticity to his work; Ingrid Pitt sends up her image nicely though her role is somewhat subsidiary to the proceedings; Geoffrey Bayldon (made up to look like Ernest Thesiger) also has a memorably quirky bit; the 'silent-cinema' style of the ending was a pretty audacious one to pull on an audience, I suppose - and, while some of the humor comes off as heavy-handed a' la THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967) or THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973), it's also rather infectious and certainly ends the film on a high (and highly unusual) note! Video and audio quality are relatively satisfactory, considering I had no other version to compare it with; the main culprit is some noticeable print damage but this is never so nasty as to affect one's enjoyment of the film. As for the extras, beginning with the Audio Commentary: frankly, this is one of the finest chats about a genre film that I can remember listening to; Jonathan Rigby gets to butt in with his opinion more than is usual for a moderator but his effort certainly allows director Peter Duffell to touch on every aspect of the production (whereas with some other films, you're left rather expecting there to be more!) and, as such, it's an extremely pleasant track that complements the main feature very nicely indeed. The featurette "A-Rated Horror Film" is a worthwhile effort with Peter Duffell again at center-stage but this time backed up with valid, if all-too-brief, contributions from producer Max J. Rosenberg and stars Chloe Franks, Ingrid Pitt and Geoffrey Bayldon. We also get film notes, reviews, bios and a poster/stills gallery which, again, are wonderfully assembled (with the contemporary reviews being something of a novelty - and a welcome one at that).$LABEL$ 1 +I fell asleep on my couch at 7:35pm last night watching Larry Sanders (I usually DirecTivo it, but not last night). Woke up at 3am (invesment banker on the west coast), and was fascinated to see this on HBO2. I was shocked on how poor this 'movie' was. Seriously. shocked. So shocked that I had to write a commentary on iMDB. This is really really bad. the writing is boring, but the directing and editing are simply below those of a freshman at a film school.Yes it is shot video. Mind you, that is shot on VIDEO, not DIGITAL VIDEO. It does look like a soap opera. The clips from skateboard videos have a more 'film' feel to them then this horror.I wanted to describe the poor directing but i honestly cant remember anything. The shots and blocking are stupid. yes, i chose the word 'stupid'. not unconventional, not daring, not bold, not boring, just stupid. I know people reviewing this review will say "well give me an example". I cant. It was 3am. but trust me, I know you will watch it anyway, you will be drawn by the horrible reviews.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this movie plenty of times and I gotta tell ya, I've enjoyed it every single time. This is Belushi's pinnacle movie in my opinion. Belushi and Lovitz are so likable and identifiable with the common man that you can't help but get involved once you start watching. The movie has a wonderful cast of stars, some already were big, and others were just getting started. It's billed as a feel good movie, and that's exactly what it is. This movie teaches you that life isn't always so bad after all. Sometimes you've just gotta look at stuff in a different perspective to fully appreciate what you already have. When you're done watching, you'll appreciate the things you have a lot more and you'll also be smiling. You can't ask for much more from a movie in my opinion, not to mention it's a hilarious movie and you'll never lose interest. Very Very underrated movie here folks.Rating from me: 10 I am out!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie had a very unique effect on me: it stalled my realization that this movie REALLY sucks! It is disguised as a "thinker's film" in the likes of Memento and other jewels like that, but at the end, and even after a few minutes, you come to realize that this is nothing but utter pretentious cr4p. Probably written by some collage student with friends to compassionate to tell him that his writing sucks. The whole idea is … I don't even know if it tried to scratch on the supernatural, or they want us to believe that because someone fills your mind (a very weak one, btw) with stupid "riddles", the kind you learn on elementary school recess, you suddenly come to the "one truth" about everything, then you have to kill someone and confess…. !!! What? How, what, why, WHY? Is just like saying that to make a cake, just throw a bunch of ingredients, and add water… forgot about cooking it? I guess these guys forgot to, not explain, but present the mechanism of WHY was this happening? You have to do that when you present a story which normal, everyday acts (lie solving riddle rhymes) start to have an abnormal effect on people. Acting was horrible, with that girl always trying to look cute at the camera, and the guy from Highlanders, the series, acting up like the though heavy metal record store (yeah, they're all real though s-o-b's). The "menacing" atmosphere, with the "oh-so-clever" riddles (enter the 60's series of Batman and Robin, with guest appearance of The Riddle) and the crazies who claim to have "the knowledge" behind that smirk on their faces… just horrible, HORRIBLE.I'm usually very partial about low budget movies, and tend to root for the underdog by giving them more praise than they may deserve, in lieu of their constrictions, you know, but this is just an ugly excuse for a movie that will keep you wanting to be good for an hour and a half, and at the end you will just lament that you fell for it.$LABEL$ 0 +(Warning: May Contain Spoilers) Let Rosalina help Mario lead the way and smile because this game will brighten your day. 120 stars will require luck and skill, but 60 will bring you as much of a thrill!Blasting through stars show Mario and Luigi and what travelers they now are! Walking upside down has never been more fun, especially a final battle with Koopa near the Sun! This is truly a super awesome game and it absolutely deserves a place in Nintendo's Hall of Fame!$LABEL$ 1 +I just watched this today on TV. It was on ABC's Sunday Afternoon Movie.This wasn't a very good movie, but for a low budget independent film like this, it was okay. There is some suspense in it, but there are so many bad qualities that really bring the movie down. The script is pretty lame, and the plot elements aren't very realistic, such as the way a 911 operator would laugh and hang up when someone is reporting a murder. I don't know what the writer was thinking when they came up with that idea, but it isn't very realistic.I thought this movie was going to be a good suspense thriller, because there were a few scenes that seemed like they would lead to something good, but unfortunately, they never did. There were a few plot elements that have been used in other movies similar to this, and in the end, didn't prove to be very creative.If there is something good about this movie, it is the cast. Every actor in this movie did good with what they had to work with. The terribly underrated actress Elizabeth Pena was great in this movie. She is very sexy, and has an incredibly sexy voice. However, if you want to see a movie of hers that is really good, watch the excellent animated movie The Incredibles. In that movie, she put her sexy voice to good use.What can I say, this movie isn't really worth your time, but the actors were good. Unfortunately, they were all wasted on this movie, which is a real shame. This movie tried to be a good suspense thriller, but in the end, it fell flat. If you want to see a good movie that is similar to this, but much better, see The Hitcher. If you want to see something with the cast members of this movie, watch any of their other movies. You can real easily pass on this movie if you ever get the chance to see it.$LABEL$ 0 +I love this film. It is well written and acted and has good cinematography. The story blends action, humor, mysticism, and tenderness with great sets and beautiful location shots. See it, buy it, show it to your friends.The acting is good and Murphy especially does a fine job portraying the reluctant/unlikely hero. I enjoyed all the characters and found them to be interesting and well developed with dynamic interactions.I cared what happened to these people and, while the outcome was pretty predictable (the good guys win, the hero gets the astonishingly attractive girl and the holy child saves lives--who doesn't see that coming?), it still made me happy when everything worked out well in the end. Thank God this film's dignity was never ruined with a crappy sequel. Grab some popcorn, cuddle up on the couch, and watch this fun, happy and entertaining film.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh dear... as an Englishman, and a small part Welsh, a fan of Anthony Hopkins' work in the industry..... to date, I am truly disappointed. You see I am a nobody, who hoped for better. So my comments are as 'straw in the wind'. But, that's the point isn't it? - I have no axe to grind on the commercial value of a work. I, a full member of the great unwashed, go to see a movie to be transported to another place. To yes, suspend belief for a brief period. But not to enter a state of total disbelief.Had this been by an unknown author and director, I would guess that this 'production' would have been castigated into oblivion. Unfortunately, its not, and I was left wide eyed and confused. Having seen some of the rave reviews given this work I am faintly worried....Perhaps its that I try, without prejudice, to view each movie on its own merits. Regardless of author, director, studio or even the notoriety of the content.My advice, as many before me: Don't Write and Direct the same production. It is fraught with danger. Movies need to be moderated to retain a semblance of credibility.As they say in school reports "Could and can do better..."$LABEL$ 0 +OK, first of all, who in their right mind would remake Hitchcock and second, who would do it shot for shot? I admit I had no intention of ever watching this movie for that very reason. The original Psycho is one of my favorite films ever and this just seemed like a degrading photocopy of it. I did watch it because my girlfriend wanted to compare it to the original and we both agreed less than five minutes into this crap that it was awful. First, as mentioned, they did it shot for shot. Where's originality? Why remake a movie that is almost perfect EXACTLY the way it was done the first time? Why remake such a movie to begin with? If you ARE going to remake something, remake something that doesn't work and make it BETTER!Second, they used the exact same script from the 1960 version. The dialog no longer works. It works fine and sounds perfect for the 1960 version, but seems odd and stilted coming out of modern actors. Why not update the dialog? Hitch didn't write the script, you could have rewritten. This film had some very good talent and they were wasted by imitation of the original actors. The actor who played the car salesman seemed like he was just playing John Anderson's performance as the car salesman in the original. All the actors seemed like the only direction they were given was be the characters from the original movie. Vince Vaughn may have seemed a little creepier than Anthony Perkins, but in doing so, you loose the sympathy you are supposed to have for Norman. Having Norman masturbate while watching Marion undress was going too far and lost the innocence of the character that I think Tony Perkins captured so well in his performance. Viggo Mortensen's accent was annoying and Rita Wilson was far too old to play Caroline. Her lines came off as someone desperate rather than just young and fun like Patricia Hitchcock's performance. The only good thing I saw about the film was that Gus Van Sant was able to open the movie with the shot Hitch had envisioned. Hitch wanted to open with 1 long shot going over Phoenix but couldn't at the time so he had to settle for a series of shots cross-dissolved together. This film fulfilled that vision with a helicopter shot going into the window of the hotel. After that, though the film became a worthless waste of celluloid. If you are curious about how to destroy a wonderful film, watch this, but do NOT under any circumstances watch this BEFORE you watch the original. This is a faded photocopy of the original and should never have been green-lit. Stick to the master's film, not the imitation.$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched The Convent for the second time. I had enjoyed it previously and figured it would make for a good drunken Friday night film, some gore, some style, bit of humour and suchlike. I was saddened to find that I could no longer appreciate it much. It seemed like someone had set out to revisit cheeseball epics like Night of the Demons for a modern audience but lost the things that made the original worthwhile. For the record I'm not even a huge fan of Night of the Demons, but there were some things I really dug about it. The Convent does the cheese but the not the goodness so much. Apart from the main girl (likeable performance from Joanna Canton), the goth girl and a sweet cameo from Adrienne Barbeau pretty much all the characters were excruciatingly unlikeable, festering at the absolute lowest levels of moronic, offensive jockhood. The film is then gravely hampered by the complete lack of gratuitous nudity which means that, given the awful dialogue, it is difficult to watch the characters and harder to appreciate the good points of the film. The evil nuns are original in design and get lots of good scenes, though not scary their certainly kinda cool, and the film also fields a fair amount of neat gore. Towards the end, when Adrienne Barbeau is on the scene the film becomes quite entertaining cause all the obnoxious people are dead and its an evil nun bashing frenzy. The stylised direction also occasionally yields good results, although sometimes the camera just moves too fast. All in all, this was a film where for me the shining good points just can't make up for the things I hated. Those more fond of this kind of film may well enjoy it a lot more, but for me it wasn't a good time.$LABEL$ 0 +I got interested in this movie because somebody had made a beautiful video for Björks "Bachelorette" with clips from it. So I watched the movie. And it is indeed stuningly beautiful. A masterpiece of animation.Unfortunately, the story doesn't keep up. It starts out well, with interesting plotlines about people fencing for the possession of the Rose Bride, but suddenly elevators fill up with water and looses their walls, people float away, and finally for no reason whatsoever, Utena is tranformed into a car, and a highspeed chase ensues.I like much Anime for it's ability to make alternative universes, but this universe is just stupid. If you are gonna watch this movie, turn of the sound, it's better that way.$LABEL$ 0 +Linda Blair has been acting for forty years now, and while she will never escape the part of Regan MacNeil in "The Exorcist", few of her subsequent horror films have used her legendary status to such great effect as "Witchery" does. She plays Jane Brooks, a pregnant single woman who travels with her family to an abandoned island hotel that her parents want to purchase. They are accompanied by a couple of real estate agents (Catherine Hickland and Rick Farnsworth) and upon arriving at the island they meet a photographer (David Hasselhoff) and his writer girlfriend (Leslie Cumming) who are illegally squatting in the hotel while investigating the legend of a local witch (Hildegard Knef). It seems that a long-ago witch-hunt resulted in her suicide, and she was with child at the time. Unaware of the danger, Jane has recently dreamt of the witch's dramatic death, and Jane's little brother Tommy (Michael Manchester) has been more directly visited by her spooky, black-clad spirit, which he calls 'the lady in black'. The group's time at the island inn begins quietly enough; unknown to them, however, the Lady in Black has already dispatched the captain of their hired boat (George Stevens). Before long, the isolation and cold begin to affect everyone, and it is during this period of moodiness and tension that the Lady in Black begins her reign of terror. She plans to avenge her own fate by possessing Jane and sacrificing her companions and her unborn child. Each of her other victims fulfills an aspect of her vengeful curse - greed, lust, and the blood of a virgin. As the sun goes down and the sea becomes wild, she haunts them one by one in gruesome, horrifying ways. The island location is effectively scary, and the inn is very creepy and hauntingly shot. It's such a colorful film that it reminds me of Dario Argento's work. The lighting is excellent, and the set decoration is perfectly spooky. The soundtrack is very effective and unique. The horror effects are extreme, terrifying, and unforgettable. The cinematography is great, and it is this that brings us back to Linda Blair. The creative team behind this film shoots her like a horror star should be shot: lots of dramatic push-ins, lingering close-ups that subtly detail Jane's incremental possession, and moments that are reminiscent of other great horror films. There are hidden homages to "Rosemary's Baby", "Jacob's Ladder", "The Shining", "Black Sunday", and of course "The Exorcist". She does a great job, and absolutely steals the show with her moody and understated performance. That isn't to say that the rest of the cast disappoints; Catherine Hickland is sexy and very good, and veteran performer Annie Ross is memorable as Jane's bitchy mother Rose. Hasselhoff gives it his best, but he is not essentially a film star, and his television persona gets in the way of his performance. Blair and young Michael Manchester have a wonderful chemistry together. The film is otherwise so violent and creepy (in a good way) that it desperately needs their warmth (Blair also played a mother in 2003's "Monster Makers", and her maternal scenes in that film have the same tender feeling to them). Lastly, Hildegard Knef (in one of her last roles) plays a great witch, and she has the most amazing voice and accent. Along with Blair, she was also perfectly cast. But it's Blair's movie all the way. Jane Brooks also seems to have some psychic ability, and this aspect of the film hearkens back to "Exorcist II: The Heretic". I think "Witchery" is up there with "The Exorcist", "Exorcist II", "Hell Night", and "Summer of Fear" as Blair's best genre work to date.$LABEL$ 1 +... The reason I like this movie so much is because of the spirit it has. It's a genial summer camp movie, so the jokes aren't mean minded in a lasting way that makes one character the permanent butt of ridicule. Pranks do take place, but you get the feeling that the respective fall-guys would be able to look back and laugh, having been dopey enough to fall for them - and without being too cheesy, it's actually kinda nice that everyone still remains friends in the end!It's an extra special bonus when the ringmaster of all these jolly japes is Bill Murray. For me, he's still looked upon as the comedy god without peer when he gets a chance to cut loose. No one's better at generating a sense of freewheeling wacky anarchy without really hurting anyone. The tone of the entire film has the same style as its leading man, established with a great opening scene showing the Murray way of getting ready for the day. Everything's silly, yes, but more important than behaving like an adult is to have a whole lot of good-natured fun. "Meatballs" promises such and ultimately delivers a nourishing watch.$LABEL$ 1 +Parrots? PARROTS? I have been around this old earth longer than most and have seen nearly all the westerns that have have produced. Old West history is my passion. Comanche Moon is one of the most poorly produced, directed and acted stories I have ever seen. There was very little historical accuracy but then, it is obvious you were operating on a shoestring budget whichplayed a distinct roll in this insult to intelligence. I am happy that I TIVO'd this show. It was bad enough having to sit and watch the movie plus put up with the inane commercials. Once again, there was not one actor that came anywhere near convincing. I kept hoping it would improve as the three days progressed. WRONG! I'm ashamed to say I wasted 4 1/2 hours of what precious little time I have left.$LABEL$ 0 +who's responsible for these "behind the scenes" things? who are these actors? did they crawl out from beneath rocks? 'yuks, lots of yuks!' no. no yuks for me. only loathing and shame that i am a human being. i have to avert my eyes from the set, it's so embarrassing. in fact, i changed the channel.i've always had a problem with robin williams' non-stop 'i forgot my lithium today' rantings, but at least he's funny once in a blue moon. watching someone who isn't funny at all impersonating robin williams is like having each tooth in your head pulled slowly and sadistically, without novocaine, for all eternity.please stop making these absolutely horrifying TV movies. please.$LABEL$ 0 +Lt. Claude (Claudio Cassinelli) and several prisoners from his sunken ship wash ashore on an island owned by Edmond Rackham (Richard Johnson). Following a few random prisoner deaths, Rackham takes in Claude and his two remaining prisoners. Luckily for everyone, Barbara Bach just happens to be on the island too! Unluckily, there are some crazy fishmen who like to kill people.This Italian produced exploiter seems to have it all - a touch of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON mixed with DR. MOREAU with a dash of WHITE ZOMBIE voodoo and Atlantis stuff. Despite some wonky looking fishmen costumes, the film does benefit from some beautiful location photography and a nice twist about halfway through. All of the actors are good and Joseph Cotton even pops up as a old biologist. Director Sergio Martino handles himself well enough as there is action ever 10 minutes or so. That can't be said for his belated follow-up THE FISHMEN AND THEIR QUEEN (1995), easily one of the wackiest and most off-base sequels since HIGHLANDER II.$LABEL$ 1 +Leos Carax is brilliant and is one of the best film and camera guys in the business so it should come as no surprise that Pola X is an almost perfect filming of the most gut wrenching story ever. Seriously. If I could have figured out some way to climb inside my video monitor, I would have thrashed Pierre to within an inch of his life. No one has the right to be that self absorbed and that stupid, both at the same time, except maybe Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. After spending 134 minutes with Pierre, I need a large glass of brandy. Never have I been so angry at a main character. Ok, having said that, Pola X is a stunning movie with one of the few totally honest sex scenes I've ever seen in any film....which means another piece of brilliant filmmaking....and I'm talking graphic here, by the way. Pola X will beat the hell out of you, though, so make sure you're up for it if you decide to watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know where this movie was shot, but because it was shot on location, it has the authenticity that this story deserves. It is the story of a young English woman who is taken prisoner by the Japanese in southern Asia at the beginning of WWII, with a group of other English women. There is no prison camp for women so they are forced to march for months from place to place, because the Japanese don't know what to do with them. The courage and resilience of the English women, and the bravery of the Australian soldier who tries to help them, is the core of the movie. This movie is very long, maybe 10 hours, so you can watch it as it was shown on PBS, as a series, which actually adds to the feeling of the endless journey this woman makes from England, across this remote island, and finally Australia. Story, cinematography, location and actors combine to make this a movie not to miss. My only question is why this hasn't been released on DVD!$LABEL$ 1 +Back in my days as an usher "Private Lessons" played at the 4-plex I was working. It was a sleeper hit selling out Friday and Saturday nights for several weeks. I never got around to seeing it but saw that it was on cable this last weekend, so I decided to give it a shot. What I witnessed for the next 90 minutes was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and one that made me terribly uncomfortable to watch.The basic story is a teenage boy lusts after his sexy maid (Sylvia Kristel). She, too, seems to feel an attraction towards the boy but for more sinister reasons. So we get scenes of the boy watching her undress and her inviting him in to watch. And it goes from there.Eric Brown, as the teenage boy, has to be one of the worst actors I have ever seen. His "scared" reactions to every time Sylvia takes off a piece of clothing or when she touches him are horrible. I didn't laugh a single time during this piece of junk.And let's not get started on the subplot of the maid and chauffeur planning to extort money from the kid. Let's just say it involves faking a death, burying a body.... I could go on and on but it gets more ridiculous.The sex scenes are the worst I have ever seen. Even though Eric Brown was older then he looked, the fact is he looks like a baby. It appears he has no idea how to kiss a woman (if THAT was acting then maybe I should re-think my criticisms of Brown) and it just came too close to bordering on child pornography to be erotic. I have never been so turned off by a sex scene even though Miss Kristel is quite beautiful with and without clothes.**SPOILER WARNING** I must make mention of the last scene. To me it's just plain sick but I can remember audiences cheering as the film freeze framed and dissolved into credits. Our hero returns to school and begins a flirtation with one of the female teachers. He asks her out for dinner and she gives him a look as if Tom Cruise has just asked her out. She nods affirmatively and he walks away, smiling at the camera in triumph. GIVE ME A BREAK! Yes I am sure teachers all over would just risk everything for a plain looking teenage kid.I will never understand the appeal this film had in 1982. Certainly it was more then the nudity because there were plenty of teen sex comedies with nudity that bombed at the box office. And to think that these same teenagers that cheered that movie 22 years ago are now working their way up corporate ladders and possibly helping to run this country. THAT is a scary thought.$LABEL$ 0 +I readily admit that I watch a lot of really bad movies. But there are very few that I can think of that are quite as bad as When Women Had Tails. It's a stinker of epic proportions. What should have been a sexy comedy about a group of cavemen discovering a woman for the first time is instead a dull, lifeless affair without a single laugh to be had. The comedy is extremely weak. I suppose if you think bashing someone in the head is funny, you might find a laugh or two. The guys in this movie make the Three Stooges look like high art. And there's just not enough of a plot to hold the thing together. It seems to drag on and on and on.Well, you may be asking yourself, "If it's as bad as you say, why haven't you rated it lower than a 3/10?" Good question! And I've got two answers. First, the movie is not without its curiosity value. I do find a bit of interest in an Italian spoof of movies like One Million Years B.C. with Raquel Welch. I'll give When Women Had Tails a point for its historic "value". The other two points are for the mere presence of Senta Berger. I know it's not much of an explanation or reasoning for a rating, but what are you going to do? It's the best I can come up with.$LABEL$ 0 +There are 21 comments as I add mine to this list and there is barely a criticism. This is because this film is terrific entertainment and has a bit of everything in it.It is perhaps a little frightening for younger children but my 15-year old son thought it was fantastic in every way from the action, to the humour and even to the beautiful music score.I buy DVDs only when I know that they are going to be regularly watched and now that this is finally available in the UK, I will certainly be adding it to my collection.$LABEL$ 1 +'A Smile LIke Yours' is a pathetic comedy that actually makes no sense. I don't mean that the story was complicated, but the entire plot is based on one thing: a couple's desperate and expensive unsuccessful attempts to conceive children. People who tried that hard must've forgotten of the option of the adoption, to which this movie is not kind to.Lauren Holly plays Jennifer Robertson, a complete contradiction to anything offered by the women's liberation movement, exhibiting almost no sense of independence. She is quite a boring character as the dreamy housewife with absolutey nothing else on her mind but to have kids. Like a dumb 50's romance comedy, Greg Kinnear is her submitting husband who likewise displays no personality, no independence, and from us, no interest.They are the two most boring and often annoying characters, and they hardly make for topics of a comedy that should present itself with many mishaps, which should arise from a couple doing all they can to get pregnant. Except, they really don't do anything except go to a fertility clinic and shell out a whole lot of money to do what they could do in the privacy of their own (except for that in vitro fertilization number). The plot hardly allows for any mishaps, because well, the couple don't do anything to create any sort of bizarre situation. They just go to this clinic. So what?The subplots are meant to test the faithfulness of the couple, a necessary moral element of the story since the couple does plan on conceiving children together. Jennifer works at a new age shop with her friend (played by Joan Cusak), and they are in the business of developing aphrodesiacs. Christopher MacDonald plays the intrested buyer and Jennifer is the promising negotiator of a pretty price for her and her friend's product. The subplot hardly offers much to keep you interested (although Joan Cusak is pretty funny in the restaraunt scene).Danny (Kinear) is an architect, who finds an opportunity to make some extra money to cover the clinic bills, by taking on a job in Seattle, where his boss is the crass seductress (also another hopeless, helpless female character) who tries to influence Danny (as dumb as he is) to have an affair with her once things are conveniently rocky with him and his wife (for reasons I don't care to give away). Jill Hennesy is good in the role, but her character is too predictable, and too formulaic as a much needed element to create conflict for Danny. It is stupid and once again, hardly interesting. The overall movie itself is utterly boring, and hardly funny at all (save the restaraunt scene and the airline flight). The plot offers nothing that is really attention-grabbing. Even if the story was entirely about two people trying to conceive, the writers could've figured out several hilarious mishaps to develop out of that. Second, the main characters are completely boring. They are complete silouhettes of dumb 1950s comedies with happy wife and clueless husband. So, even without mishaps present in the plot, the characters themselves offer nothing interesting, let alone funny.Joan Cusak should've been in the lead and someone else should've taken Kinnear's part. Cusak would've made even a lousy story outrageously funny (as she sometimes does in her co-starring role here). This is definitely one to pass up.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a movie that should be seen by everyone if you want to see great acting. Mr. Torn and Ms Farrel do an outstanding job. I think they should have it on TV again so a new audience can enjoy it. Wonderful performances.It gives you a real feel of what the pioneers had to go through both physically and emotionally. Great unheard of movie.It was done when Ms. Farrel was very young. I had always thought of her as a comedian, but this certainly is not a comedy and she is just wonderful. There is very little dialogs, but that just make it seem more real. Mr. Torn as always is a great presence and just his breathing has great feeling. I must see movie.$LABEL$ 1 +A buddy and I went to see this movie when it came out in 1980. It was playing in a huge theater and we were the only two people in the place. It lasted two days in the theater before they stopped showing it. It was so bad that we laughed all the way through it. Since that time, we rate movies based on Kill or Be Killed as the worst movie of all time. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it is so bad that it is funny. It isn't worth a second look that's for sure. I just can't bring myself to give it more than a 1 because I don't think the makers of the movie intended for it to be so bad and I can't give credit for an accident. Sorry.$LABEL$ 0 +Why every horror director wants to imitate "The Exorcist" is a complete riddle to me, as William Friedkin's "classic" is a very overrated film and, in my opinion, not all that tense or shocking. And yet here's another clean rip-off, a Spanish one this time, that shamelessly repeats the story of a young girl that gets possessed by pure evil and turns against her own family. Paul Naschy (who I must admit looks quite hot here) plays the honorable priest who gets approached by John Gibson because his sister Leila's behavior changed drastically since she met her new boyfriend. At first the priest doesn't believe it but when John's body is discovered with its neck twisted, Leila's demonic behavior becomes more noticeable... "Exorcism" is not only very unoriginal, it's also an insufferably boring film! Here Naschy and director Juan Bosch had an open opportunity to make a religiously themed exploitation flick full of shocks and gore, and yet the result is a tame and overall bloodless drama that'll nearly put you to sleep! The last twenty minutes contain some atmospheric moments, albeit very stupid, and there's quite a lot of stylishly filmed female nudity and sleaze. The absolute lack of budget is no real excuse since Paul Naschy already proved before that he has enough imagination to make up for a shortage in money. This is just an awful film, end of story. Other European "The Excorcist" rip-offs are "The Antichrist" and "Beyond the Door" and they suck as well!$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe that so much talent can be wasted in one movie! The Gingerbread Man starts of on the right foot, and manages to build up some great expectations for the ending. But at some point the movie turns into one of the worst stories I've ever wasted my time on. It's just so unbelievably how the bewitched Mallory Doss manages to pull Kenneth Branagh's character around by his nose. The movies climax is as uninteresting and flat as a beer, which has been left out in the sun too long. The Gingerbread Man is probably the worst Grisham-movie ever and this isn't changed by the fact that talented stars crowd the movie. Don't waste your time here!$LABEL$ 0 +I've watched the movie actually several times. And what i want to say about it is the only thing that made this movie high rank was the Burak Altay's incredible performance, absolutely nothing but that. Not even those silly model named Deniz Akkaya and some of these popular names at times in the movie... Burak is definitely very talented i've seen a few jobs he made and been through. Even though this is kind of horror movie, he's doing really good job in comedy movies and also in dramas too. I bet most of you all saw Asmali Konak the movie and TV series, those two would go for an example... All i'm gonna say is you better watch out for the new works coming out from Burak then you'll see.. Keep the good work bro, much love..$LABEL$ 1 +François Villon was a real-life poet and rogue who lived in Paris in the 15th century. However, most of what is portrayed in this historical film is actually fiction--from a play created at the beginning of the 20th century. Whereas in the film he met and became friends with Louis XI, in reality he died in his 30s and was never involved in all the intrigues like he was in this film. In reality, he wrote some lovely verse and was frequently on the wrong side of the law--not the combination of a patriot and Robin Hood-like character like he is in the film. Provided you know that the film is nearly 100% fiction, then it's well worth seeing--just don't assume it's a good history lesson.In THE BELOVED ROGUE, Villon is played with wild abandon by John Barrymore. I was also pretty excited to see that his three friends were all played by very familiar faces. Angelo Rossitto, who was the plucky dwarf, played in tons of films over the years and had a very long career. Slim Summerville was a character actor known for adding a touch of comedy to films. Mack Swain is best known as the silent film foil in many of Chaplin's short films and played his partner in THE GOLD RUSH. All four of these men did a nice job and have no complaints---even with Barrymore's rather over-the-top treatment that was rather reminiscent of a Douglas Fairbanks performance. However, the performance I had a serious problem with was Conrad Veidt as King Louis XI. To call this "unsubtle" would be a gross understatement. He played the role like a high schooler who thought he was supposed to be the stereotypical Richard III--skulking about and acting like a demoniacal caricature. While Veidt was wonderful in many, many films (both silent and sound) but here he is just ridiculous.As for the story, it's full of lusty adventure and action--like a swashbuckling film minus the sailing ships. The sets worked out well for all this, as they'd been used the previous year for THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Both films were set around the same time period.Overall, it's one of the last great silent films. There's a lot to like and the film is a lovely combination of romance, comedy and action. Well worth seeing, though it loses a couple of points for Veidt's overacting as well as the way the film plays fast and loose with history.By the way, this film was also made twice as IF I WERE KING (1920 and 1938) and apparently these two films are closest to the original play. However, in total, six films have been about Villon and tell, more or less, variations on the same tale!$LABEL$ 1 +I agree that this film is too pretentious, and it is not easy to know where it is going. I have been teaching literature and film for many years, and I find this film to be one of the most over rated, according to some of the previous reviews here. However, let me remind you that this is the same director who has L'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre- My Mother's Smile) to his credit -- a gem of a film! Was he trying to outdo Fellini's 81/2 here???? The scene with the dogs, which has also been pointed out, is absurd and excessive – just one example. Others would take too much space, and some reviewers have already noted them. Overall, a most frustrating and annoying experience!$LABEL$ 0 +Not since Spongebob Squarepants have i seen a greater cartoon on TV. The colors are great, the voices could't be better, the characters are so original, great great cartoon. Hope Nickolodean continues to develop this cartoon. Hope the Season DVD comes out soon!!! I love cartoons like this and I hope more people tune in to se this great cartoon. It is very hard to find the Season DVD, so if somebody finds a store that is selling it please let me Know. The only Catscratch merchandise available on Nick Shop is a great lookin shirt, but very very very expensive!!! If you love Spongebob; and who doesn''t?; you'll love Catscratch too!$LABEL$ 1 +Don't get me wrong, Dan Jansen was a great speed skater. If there was one guy who deserved his gold medal at the Olympics it was Dan.But how can it be possible that Bill Corcoran has made such a bad movie about the incredible Dan Jansen story, because the real Dan Jansen story is truly incredible! Especially when you look at this movie through the eyes of a sportsman everything is wrong, the way Matt Keeslar and the other actors skate, their technique, the dimensions of the speedskating oval, it is all wrong!Shame on you, Bill Corcoran, Dan Jansen deserves better, a lot better!1 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +The answer.....No, sadly not. Though miller and the sweep has to be hailed as a most whimsical cinematic treat.The drama, suspense,romance and the unidentified crowd at the end all add to the films complex storyline which must have been too much for the audiences of 1898. A enlightening experience, one for all the family!$LABEL$ 1 +There needs to be a 0/10 option for bilge like this. It was painful to watch, but strangely compelling all the same. Compelling because it seemed unbelievable that a movie could actually suck this much. I kept thinking "it must get better." It got worse. And worse. How on earth were people conned into producing such a categorical piece of junk I'll never know. The most surprising thing of all though, is all these reviews I see of people actually loving the movie. Yes, the acting was good, but the movie was very very very bad. Worst movie ever!$LABEL$ 0 +This is how i felt while watching this film. I loved it. It was hilarious. But i did feel a like i was getting sneaky view into somebody's psyche and then laughing as it got twisted around to make an interesting point. A friend put it this way:"I feel like we broke into somebody's house and are now watching their awful home videos without their knowledge".Another one of those fact is stranger than fiction pieces of film. "Groovin' Gary", the original "Beaver Kid", is a small town guy who turns up at a nearby TV station in the hope of getting on film - and he certainly does, though not, perhaps, as he initially expected. With high hopes of fame and significance he invites Harris to come and film a truly awful talent quest that he has organised in his home town - headlined by his own drag act "Olivia Newton-Don". Director, Trent Harris, does a brilliant job with this slowly evolving story. Some footage of an awkward kid who wants to be someone morphs, over two subsequent reinterpretations, into the story of freedom from repressed sexual identity in small town America. Harris simultaneously critiques the attitudes of small town America, the cult of celebrity, and the exploitative practices of the film and television industry.Both Sean Penn and Grispin Glover pull out stunner performances. a young Sean Penn is the most evocative - so closely does he follow the actual 'Gary footage', but with strong nuances given to push the sense of the interaction the way Harris wants it to go.In the end the wide-eyed naivety the original Gary is what moved me - when contrasted against these possible interpretations of his situation.A film not to miss. I have not seen anything else like it.Jacob.$LABEL$ 1 +Extremely disappointing film based on the James Michener novel.What was even worse was Marlon Brando's performance. His southern drawl was ridiculous. I found myself laughing when he spoke as he sounded like an elderly southern lady coming home to roost. Brando, so great in previous films, was reduced here to a laughing stock. Tyrone Power, in "Witness for the Prosecution," should have been nominated for best actor instead of Brando here.The film, dealing with racism, dealt with the U.S. government's attempt to avoid marriages between U.S. soldiers and Japanese women.Brando was stone-faced throughout the movie. His moving from anti-these relationships to a pro one occurs when he finds love with an Asian woman. His emotions and talk made it difficult to see how he could espouse such new views.Only the lord knows why Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki received supporting Oscars for their performances. Nothing about either performance was equally impressive. Umeki's appearance on the screen was short and without much of anything being depicted on her part. A better performance in this film was done by Miiko Taka, who did nicely as Brando's love interest. She showed great emotion as the anti-American who found love with the Brando character. Her face was etched with the unhappiness she had for losing her father and brother in World War 11. She realized that her dancing was not her way out of this existence that she was living.Martha Scott went from the Hebrew mother Yochobel in "The Ten Commandments" to the bigoted mother of Brando's love interest at first. Her performance together with the one of Ricardo Montalban was wasted. Patricia Owens, as Brando's first love, showed depth and conviction in her performance.$LABEL$ 0 +Not having seen the film in the original theater release, I was happily surprised when the DVD arrived, since this film did not have the wide distribution it merited.Denzel Washington directorial debut and the finished product have nothing to envy other films about the same theme by more accomplished directors. The film has a very professional look. It shows that Mr. Washington has learned a lot being on the other side of the camera. He brings a different angle to this film.One of the best things the film has is, without a doubt, the fine performance by Derek Luke. He is an actor who, with the right guidance, will go far, no doubt. His take on the troubled young man, at this point of his life, in turmoil and suffering for a bad hand life, up to now, has dealt him, is very true. His Antwone is a fine portrait of a man in pain who is basically very good and has so much to give, but no one seems to see that side of his character.At the worst time of his despair, Antwone is sent to Dr. Davenport, played by Mr. Washington, in a very sober, if somehow subdued manner. Because of the angst within Antwone, he misses the opportunity of opening himself to this man, who wants to help, but because of the constrains placed on his office, just have three sessions and then has to dismiss his patient.Things work out, as Antwone is able to convince the doctor to keep on working with him. Antwone's past is revealed in detail. The abuse he suffers at the hands of Mrs. Tate, his foster mother, is brutal, to say the least. The attempt at the hand of an older woman in the Tate's household of a sexual molestation, gives Antwone a bitter taste that stays with him throughout his adult life, as he has been scarred by the shame he carries with him.Antwone finds love at last with Cheryl, who is patient enough to make him see a different world by the love she and support she gives him.The lead performances are very good indeed. Denzel Washington's Dr. Davenport has his own problems too. He is not a happy camper either. He can help Antwone, but he cannot help himself, or his relationship with an adoring wife. The talent in the film is incredible. Joy Bryant makes a fine Cheryl. Novella Nelson, who is a fine actress is superb as Mrs. Tate, the abusing foster mother.The reunion of Antwone with his unknown family is a bit too sugary and sentimental, but of course, if one is to believe that Fisher finds happiness at last, one has to accept that part of the film as well.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excellent documentary about a story I hadn't heard about before. The first solo, non-stop sailing race around the world took place in 1968-69 and involved a handful of racers. It's a truly fascinating story about man vs. nature and man vs. himself. The story focuses on Donald Crowhurst, the tragic figure in this story. The film elegantly combines interviews with footage which was shot by the sailors themselves aboard their boats. The story is very suspenseful and sad as we learn the details behind the history of Donald Crowhurst. This is one of the best documentaries of the past few years. It has true human emotion in it as the men face this almost impossible task of navigating the world non-stop on their own.$LABEL$ 1 +Very good except for the ending which was a huge disappointment.The script was very good as was the acting. The visuals were often very grainy but this in a way added to the film as the snowy features were in good places that helped create a mood towards the film. This affect was ruined by the extremely unbelievable ending. I was going to give this film an 8 out of ten but the ending knocked it down a point to 7 because it seemed to depart radically from the first 75 minutes of the movie and seemed quite forced at the end to make the film makers look clever. This movie though was much better than films with quite a lot larger budgets and seemed to be filmed like a home movie with some extra equipment. Not much in the way of special effects as these go but for suspense it was very good.$LABEL$ 1 +I read a lot of high hopes from readers of the book that this would be a faithful adaptation of Nora Roberts' story. Not having read the book, I don't know if this adaptation was faithful but I do know it wasn't good. Actually, the screenplay was the best part of the movie so kudos to Nora Roberts.I planned ahead and watched Carolina Moon because of Claire Forlani. I've never been sure if she's a good actress. She's been decent in some movies, average in others and really bad in this one. But, Forlani wasn't alone. The performances were all over the place. Oliver Hudson was wooden and boring. Josie Davis was hammy. Then, amidst all this B-rate acting, there's Jacqueline Bisset! She didn't have a lot to do other than portray bitterness but, even sleepwalking through that, she was miles ahead of the others.Still, Forlani remains one of the most breathtaking women in movies and I was not disappointed in that capacity here. I believe Forlani can be more than eye-candy but, until she turns in a good performance in a good movie, she continues to excel at that. And, I'll continue to faithfully watch everything she participates in. Fandom is fun that way.This movie though, Carolina Moon, was pretty bad. In addition to the bad acting (fake Southern accents are really distracting) the direction was pedestrian. It wasn't horrible. It was just the boring made-for-TV caliber you're used to seeing on Lifetime.If you're a fan of any of the stars you can probably enjoy Carolina Moon for that reason, as I did. If you're a fan of the book you might enjoy seeing the story on the screen, albeit in a lackluster form. Otherwise, this movie is unremarkable.$LABEL$ 0 +"Bye Bye Birdie" isn't one of the best musicals of all time, but it's great fun, and accessible to many audiences. The original film could have been wonderful, with Dick Van Dyke reprising his signature Broadway role, but instead they tinkered with the plot, so the film is very unsatisfying. This re-make, which aired on ABC in 1995, is far more faithful to the original script, and includes some original songs as well that were used in a national tour which this film took off from which starred Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking (who choreographed this film.)Jason Alexander is a very different type from Dick Van Dyke, but he is well cast as Albert, (before his "Seinfeld" days, he started in Musical theater.) Vanessa Williams is a perfect fit for Rose. Their is also great work from Tyne Daly as Mae and Mark Kudisch as Conrad Birdie ( a role he played on the national tour).This film is not without it's problems though. A major liability is Chynna Phillips, who, however appealing, simply looks and seems too old to be teenage Kim. And George Wendt is somewhat bland as her father, somewhat throwing the number "kids" away (a number original cast member Paul Lynde stole the show with.)But all in all, this is a delightful, well-done film which the material deserved.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this as a young naive punk when it was first released. Had me snifflin' like a baby as I left the theatre, trying not to let anyone see. So, when I saw it again now in '07, I knew what to expect & the sobs were ready & primed as their required moment approached. Thankfully this time I was at home.What I hadn't remembered from my youthful viewing- or perhaps hadn't noticed because of it, was the technical brilliance of this movie. The use of flashbacks which tell so much story without resorting to dialogue. The camera work which seemed to place the viewer, together with the characters in the scene. Think of the opening when Joe is crossing the street to the diner, the camera pans behind the woman & child sitting on a bench in the foreground, framing the street scene. The story itself, & the characters - seedy, sad & brutally real. It is very touching to be drawn so closely into a human drama such as this with people most of us would likely spurn. Then again, Joe & Ratso could be any of us. Must have been '70 when I saw it. I recall that upon leaving the theatre I was impelled to find the company of friends. All these years later, I'm glad I'm not alone tonight. This is one hell of a great movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The Bermuda Triangle ,we are told in this waste of celluloid, is the portal to another time and dimension and can be crossed using cheap special effects by bad actors spouting inane dialogueI simply was unable to decide who the makers of this excresence thought would be its target audience as it seems impossible anybody could derive even a modicum of pleasure from the outcome Avoid-its not even bad enough to be good.$LABEL$ 0 +After watching this on the MST3K episode, I have to wonder how many movies this film borrows from. It seems to combine elements of Logans Run, Farenheight 451, Final Sacrifice and at least several others. At one point I was really expecting Cris Makepease to call Lee Majors ROWSDOWER. I wonder if the director has any clue how many holes there are in the plot. like the fact that, even though gas is unavailable, there is plenty of it in abandoned gas stations, and the stations are located close enough together to keep an F1 race car going all the way across the country.$LABEL$ 0 +Boring movie. Poor plot. Poor actors. The movie happens in a room supposed to be in Morocco but actually in some American city! The "Arab terrorists" are the patriots the blonde patriot is the "Arab terrorist"...DAMN!There is something good about this movie though (that's why the score is 2 out of 10). The director turns the ridiculous stereotype about terrorism the media feeds us every day into the real thing, the terrorists are Americans (or western people if you like).The movie is divided into two parts. The first part of the movie concerns the Dutchman travel (15 seconds) while the second part is about the staying in the amazing dark brown room (1 hour and something).The Dutch guy is going to deliver money in Morocco to some "charity organization", gets off the plain, takes the bus and ends up kidnapped in a dark brown room. He is kidnapped with another guy that is shot after telling "They will not shoot at us". The Dutch survivor is forced to play chess with a Morpheus-like Arab guy for so long that you'll learn how to play chess too! At the end the dutch guy reveals his plot not because they cut four of his fingers off but because he is tricked by such a lame game you should watch the movie for!Good when you are so tired you can't sleep.$LABEL$ 0 +This is not a boring movie, the audience might stay on its chair fascinated by this selfish character, Miles Berkowitz, both film-maker and actor here. The storyline is simple : after a divorce and ten years of a hollywoodian non-career, the author plays is quest for love in front of the camera. The first question is about how true is all that : what is written, what came by chance ? Both answers, "yes" or "no" portrays M.Berkowitz as a low average human beeing. If you look for a self-fiction about love like this one, I recommand you to read some independant comic books : Chester Brown, Joe Matt...Beside of this, I felt quite disappointed to hear so much against my country, France. I know american people usually say that the french are arrogant (that might be true then), etc., and for sure the french (and the whole world) have lots of griefs against america, but why so much hate ? Don't think I couldn't like this movie only because of that anyhow.$LABEL$ 0 +i tried to sit through this bomb not too long ago.what a disaster .the acting was atrocious.there were some absolutely pathetic action scenes that fell flat as a lead balloon.this was mainly due to the fact that the reactions of the actors just didn't ring true.supposedly a modern reworking of the Hitchcock original "Lifeboat".i think Hictcock would be spinning circles in his grave at the very thought of it.from what i was able to suffer through,there is nothing compelling in this movie.it boasts a few semi big names,but they put no effort into their characters.but,you know,to be fair,it was nobody's fault really.i mean,i'm pretty sure the script blew up in the first explosion. LOL.it is possible that this thing ends up improving as it goes along.but for me,i'm not willing to spend at least three days to find out.so unless you have at least a three day weekend on the horizon,avoid this stinker/ 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Joe D'Amato might have made some other notable movies in his very long and very prolific career- prolific, of course, by turns of making VERY cheap Z-grade movies in Italy's big exploitation boom of the late 70s early 70s- but Porno Holocaust isn't one of them, or at least shouldn't be. Granted, I should not expect much from a movie with such a title, but I thought considering the back of the box's description that it might have some fun horror scenes with the "horny, mutant, cannibal zombie". Turns out the zombie doesn't appear until more than halfway into the movie, and at every turn we get instead a tawdry sex scene as hardcore as one can imagine. Which is fine. But it's not very enjoyable, except in the most "what the f*** is this BS" kind of way. There's laughable dialog involving lobsters costing more from mail-order Japan than in Paris, hot, slim women play biologists and zoologists who have particular sexual hang-ups (letting the door be unlocked to be raped, and a bi-polar kind of enjoyment out of getting gang-banged).It all leads up to the island, where the "main attraction" is a guy who early on just spends an absolutely pathetic (forget ludicrous) amount of time just staring at the newcomers to the radioactive wasteland of the shot-on-Caribbean island, and once revealed has a face like one of the guards in Jabba's palace and has a sweet potato for a main genital. But much dumber than anything before it is the "relationship" that develops between the monster and a dark-skinned lady who has an inordinate amount of time to escape, but just sits there, blank-faced, as the monster brings gifts and for what must be a racially-motivated exploitation move on the part of the filmmakers the monster ONLY rapes and kills the white women, and not her. And it ends, of course, with a "happy" ending. I use quotes, of course, out of a kind of shock that this could have any kind of legitimate ending at all.Bottom line, this is NOT what you might expect, as possibly being a bloody horror movie with plenty of tacky but cool looking Italian monster-zombies devouring human flesh. If anything what violence is in the film is done on a shoe-string; a log hit to the face is immediately cut to the bloody aftermath, which is like the aftermath of a tomato hitting someone. So really, the last part of the title is meant more for market sake. Yet even as a porno movie it has little to go on except as a reason for the cast and crew to get a paid vacation to the Caribbean (as an interview with George Eastman suggests, this was just one of a few quickies made while on the island). Its got penny-bought schlocky camera-work and similar actors, filled with genitalia about 3/4 of the whole time and with wretched lip-syncing and music like Nino Rota forced at gun-point to make something snappy in a bordello, and it's STILL a piece of celluloid dung all the same; all of this could be an immense guilty pleasure, but it isn't.$LABEL$ 0 +I made the big mistake of actually watching this whole movie a few nights ago. God I'm still trying to recover. This movie does not even deserve a 1.4 average. IMDb needs to have 0 vote ratings possible for movies that really deserve it like this one. A 1.4 is TOO HIGH.I had heard how awful this movie was, but I really did not think a movie could actually be that bad, especially in this day and era. I figured all of the cheesy god awful movies were only from the 1950s and 1960s. My god was I wrong. Trust me folks, this movie REALLY IS THAT BAD. It is beyond horrible; it is beyond pathetic; it is beyond any type of word that I can think of for it. BATTLEFIELD EARTH looks like Best Picture of the Year compared to this movie. SNAKE ISLAND (which up until now was the worst movie I'd ever seen) looks like it deserves a few Oscars compared to this pathetic effort.I seriously can not believe that the makers of this movie thought this was a legitimate serious effort of producing a Hollywood movie. This has no business being called a movie. In the first 25 seconds of the film, I seriously thought I was watching some high school theater class attempting to make a short movie. Or better yet, I thought it was some Saturday night Live ripoff skit of the real thing. I mean, it looks exactly like that. The acting is horrible; the whole movie almost looks like it was shot with a 20 year old VHS video camera. the special effects.......well good lord Bewitched from back in the day had better special effects than this movie. The scene where he gets shot at the door is beyond laughable and beyond cheesy. I mean seriously, my Intro to Acting class from 4 years ago in college, all of us could have put together a better movie than this. And the worst part of the entire movie, where Arthur is naked in the bathroom. Oh my god I almost thew up right there. I have a strong stomach, but wow that was horrible. Some people should never be naked, and he's one of them. The plot of this movie just seems to go absolutely nowhere. They talk about legal issues that we never hear about again; Ben talks about getting into music that we never hear about again; arthur says he is looking for a job and money for college and the next thing we see is he's running a porn shop. Everything about the movie is just horrible.This really doesn't have much to do with my critique, but just so everyone knows, I am not a gay man. I DO however support gay rights and believe we should all be treated as equals. And I would support any gay person in my church, unlike the cruel priest in this movie, who by the way seems to cuss every other word. (WHERE IS THE F*(#*ing white out?) hahaha But I didn't want anyone to think I hated this movie just because of it being about two gay guys. It has nothing to do with that: This would have been just as horrible of a movie if it was Ben & Jill instead of Ben & Arthur.I just watched this movie to see if it really was as bad as they say. And yes it was even WORSE than I had read. Let this be a warning to everyone: ONLY watch this movie if you want to just sit back and laugh at how pathetic some movies in the 21st century can still be. If you watch this movie and are actually expecting a good movie or some entertainment, I have no sympathy for you whatsoever.On a final thought: How in the world are there 7 movies ranked BELOW this on IMDb? There is no way there are 7 movies out there that are worse than this!$LABEL$ 0 +I love to see a female protagonist, in this movie her name was Rose. Rose brought out a lot of interesting questions in her journey of fulfillment.Is is possible to attain peace and internal fulfillment through external means? Does our society teach this? Can one be a victim of memory which may lead to victimizing others? Is one responsible for being a product of one's environment? To what extent can one control or take control of one's environment? How is a "typical" human alike or different than Rose? Lastly, would the outcome or story change if it were from another country like France or Italy? I loved that this movie provoked all of these questions in me, while it entertained, stimulated, and kept me guessing to the end! Every time I've watched it, I have learned more about the film and myself.$LABEL$ 1 +*** Contains spoilers ***A lovely film this, starring Brad Renfro and the ever wonderful Joseph Mazzello. I like Joseph Mazzello, out of all his films I've seen to date I've loved every single one of them for many different reasons and The Cure is no different. Brad Renfro does very well in this movie as well. The Cure is a drama/coming of age movie from the viewpoint of an ill child and his friend.The basic idea is: Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) has AIDS. He ends up befriending the kid next door (Brad Renfro) but Erik's mum is very narrow-minded, ill-informed and somewhat "thick" when it comes to Dexter's illness. She thinks AIDS is contagious like the Common Cold so doesn't want her son going anywhere near Dexter.After many attempts at making their own cure with no success, the boys go on their way to New Orleans to find the cure after reading a pamphlet about it. After getting their kicks from Playboy magazine, Dexter's health goes south shortly afterwards and as his health detoriates, there's still enough life in the boy alongside Erik for two pranks of pretending to stop breathing. Unfortunately, poor Dexter does indeed die from his illness, leaving poor Erik behind to wonder why he couldn't find the cure. Throughout the movie he ends up bonding more with Dexter's mother than his own.It is a very heartwarming movie to watch and is not absolutely perfect (movies rarely are) but you won't care less about that as you get involved in the film more. A must for Joseph Mazzello fans, one of his best performances ever. Very well recommended must-see movie - if you can find a copy :)$LABEL$ 1 +This animated movie is a masterpiece! The narration, music, animation, and storyline where all remarkable. My girlfriend and I saw it again for a second time and we got more insight from it. We invited a couple friends to see Spirit with us and they really enjoyed it a lot. When I asked them to come along to see it, they thought it was a movie about horses, but afterwards they realized it was more than that. I liked Esperanza, Spirit, Rain, and Lil' Creek, who reminds me of Nathan Chasing Horse who is Smiles A Lot in Dances With Wolves. Spirit has deep symbolic meanings and metaphors that I found to be empowering and inspirational.I saw Spirit for a third time and I want to go see it again. I enjoyed "Spirit" tremendously because its portrayal of American Indians is realistic, dignified, and non-stereotypical unlike the movie "The Road to El Dorado", which was a total farce because it portrayed American Indians in a disrespectful and stereotypical way. But Dreamworks has redeemed themselves by making Spirit a great movie that I found to be acceptable! I hope they continue to make more animated movies like Spirit, and I would like to see sequels or spinoffs to Spirit if its done respectfully and without stereotyping American Indians.I highly recommend this to others who have an open mind to go and pay to see Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.$LABEL$ 1 +SPOILER - This film gives away plot points and discusses the ending. I hated this film - mostly for political reasons, but also for moral and aesthetic reasons. Politically, this film glorified war and military technology - blowing things up real good. We are led to cheer as the music swells and the Afghans use our weapons to blow the Ruskies to bits. And no U.S. soldiers put their lives on the line - so it's a fun war. Aesthetically, there isn't a touch of real human emotion in the film, just smug, privileged people being sarcastic, feeling superior, and doing whatever they want regardless of the consequences. And speaking of consequences, the film only makes a few small hits at what the arming of the Afghans actually led to. I had read an earlier draft of this script, and it ended on 9/11 - with Charlie Wilson realizing that things had gone horribly wrong. But that wouldn't leave the audience feeling good. This is a feel good movie about killing Ruskies. And it made me sick.$LABEL$ 0 +In comparison to other "sand and sandal" fare, The Egyptian leaves much to be desired. The film is very LOOSELY based upon Mika Waltari's well researched novel, which centers around the Egyptian physician Sinhue's adventures at the court of Akhnaton as well as his travels throughout Canaan, Minoan Crete and Africa. Unfortunately, due to the moral strictures of the time, much of Sinhue's story (which is rife with romantic and sexual exploits) remains on the cutting room floor and instead, the audience is treated to reels and reels of Victor Mature's wooden acting. Even Gene Tierney – a leading lady "staple" of the time – can not manage to look nor act her best in this flick and gives a rather somnambulistic performance which can only be justified by the fact that the actress was having some serious psychiatric problems at the time. There is a great deal of rhetoric and theological machinations over the idea of monotheism vs. polytheism, but Michael Wilding is so tiring as the revolutionary Akhnaton, that one is surely cheering for someone to off him and restore the old religion before the second reel. My advice: buy the book from E-Bay, rent something more entertaining like Solomon and Sheba and then call it a night!$LABEL$ 0 +Why do all movies on Lifetime have such anemic titles? "An Unexpected Love" - ooh, how provocative!! "This Much I know" would have been better. The film is nothing special. Real people don't really talk like these characters do and the situations are really hackneyed. The straight woman who "turns" lesbian seemed more butch than the lesbian character. If you wanna watch two hot women kiss in a very discreet fashion, you might enjoy this. Although it seems like it was written by someone who doesn't really get out in the world to observe people. Why am I wasting my time writing about it?$LABEL$ 0 +It is like what the title of this thread say. Only impression I got from that movie is that Marlee Matlin's character was always angry, so cynical, and so pathetic. Her character's first date with William Hurt's character where they were dancing were dumb. All in all, I've tried to finish watching the movie four times, and of all four times I fell asleep. I would keep watching that movie with one intention... to beat my problem with insomnia, because all it do is to put me to sleep. Sweet dream.$LABEL$ 0 +If you're looking for a movie that puts you to sleep, then Heart of Darkness is the movie for you. The book wasn't what I expected to it to be, and the movie disappointed me even further. The cast list was pitiful, and the all around plot was pathetic and was not like the book, except for a few scenes. I understand that everyone has their own point of view as they read Heart of Darkness, and they create their own movie in their head, but they director cuts important scenes and adds pointless ones. If there was someone in the movie who was supposed to be of a certain culture, they should've used an actor that was of that culture. There are actors from every where, and I'm sure that they could've found better ones to fit the roles. Joseph Conrad was a respectable man and created a book that will entertain you if that's what you're looking for, but the movie was cheap and pointless, and someone who could make the movie as respectable as the book should've done it. If you want a movie that drags you into darkness, then Heart of Darkness is the movie for you.$LABEL$ 0 +I picked up this movie and was horrified to find out that the movie is based on a rape of a little girl that the parents knowingly take their daughter to. My first thoughts were that I have never been more ashamed to be an Indian as well as a Hindu. I found this movie to be down right appalling. Please don't waste your time. As for the music, there are at most 2 horrible songs and the film used is cheap. The beautiful scenes are not what India is known for. I just hope that I have shed some light on how disgusting this movie really is. Yes it may highlight how evil people in power especially when it comes to religion may be, but to sit down and watch almost 2 hours of this movie can make almost anyone gag. If your up for a good Indian movie watch something by director Mira Nair.$LABEL$ 0 +This is not great cinema. The film is cliche ridden and in many places it is a copy of the original Carrie. The parallels with the original film are striking but with an added improbability about the telekenetic powers being congenital.I can't say that I disliked the film because it at least passed a couple of hours ... but these were passed as one would read an undemanding book on a long train journey. That book would not be great literature but would absorb one for a while and be forgotten soon afterwards in that it would blend in with the numerous other cliche ridden books. Likewise the film was okay whilst it lasted but is perhaps forgettable. At least I think it is. I cant remember much about it now!!$LABEL$ 0 +Personnaly I really loved this movie, and it particularly moved me. The two main actors are giving us such great performances, that at the end, it is really heart breaking to know what finally happened to their characters.The alchemy between Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson is marvelous, and the song are just great the way they are. That's why I didn't feel surprised when I learned it had won 5 golden globe awards (the most rewarded movie at the Golden Globes), an Oscar and even a Grammy. This movie is a classic that deserves to be seen by anyone. A great movie, that has often been criticized (maybe because Streisand dared to get involved in it, surely as a "co-director"). Her artistry is the biggest, and that will surely please you!$LABEL$ 1 +First, the current IMDb plot description seems to be misleading, the movie is about a group of girls who pick up a misogynistic hitchhiker, who plans to kill them all. They stop at a small motel, where he holds them hostage, but develops an intense attraction for one of the girls. Violence ensues.I picked this up by mistake thinking it was the other 2007 movie "The Hitcher". Not that The Hitcher is any better, and I was looking for a crummy movie to watch anyway, but this was almost unbearable at times. I think I could have vomited on a piece of paper and come up with a better plot than this.I can't even count how many movies I've seen with virtually the same storyline, so this was almost painfully predictable at times, but what really made it awful were a few scenes that ... well let me give an example. At one point a door is covered in (what is very obviously) blood, and two police officers, at the scene because of a 911 call, are looking at it from 30 feet away, see a man, also covered in blood, walk out of the door, agree that it looks suspicious, but decide to not investigate further.But, however ridiculous it may be, the movie was never boring, was well produced, directed, and acted, complete with good special effects, gratuitous nudity, and violence. I probably would not recommend actually spending 90 minutes of your life sitting down to watch this movie, but it turned out to be perfect to have on while I cleaned my basement. Also highly recommended for fans of crummy movies, and would be a good movie to watch with friends when you plan on doing more talking than watching.$LABEL$ 0 +If you want a serious laugh pain, watch this movie, and the things Bruce inflicts on his fellow newscaster. The deleted scenes are priceless. I don't know why they didn't include them in the original movie. It can't be because of time, since the movie is only 101 minutes long. Morgan Freeman is a brilliant actor, who has been overlooked for too long. Jim Carrey needs meds!$LABEL$ 1 +Carlito Way, the original is a brilliant story about an ex-drug dealer who hopes to leave his criminal past and so he invests in a club and the deals with the trouble that comes with it.This film was....I saw the trailer and knew instantly it was going to be bad..But after dismissing films in the past and finding out they were great( Lucky Number Slevin, Tokyo Drift)...I gave this a shot and it failed within the first five minutes...The script is something a teenager would come up with if given five minutes to prepare...It was weak, with weaker dialogue. It seems there is an instant need for romance in a gangster movie. So Brigante decides to beat a guy up for the girl....and she say's 'Yes!' And if you need to act bad just throw racism around...As we learn from the 'Italian mobsters'...The acting was terrible to say the least...I found 'Hollywood Nicky', hilarious.I absolutely hate all these musicians turning to movies. Lets face it the only reason P Diddy did this movie was so he could play a gangsters...The actress who plays Leticia was weak but beautiful. The sex scene was weak but we got to see her..which was okay...But overall I expected it shed light on how Carito ended up in prison and the love of his life...And the assassin towards the end completely added to the horrendous movie that is...Carlito's Way: Rise to Power..$LABEL$ 0 +The lovely Eva Longoria Parker plays Kate, who dies after an ice angel crushes her before the "I do's" with fiancé Henry(Paul Rudd). After two years Henry has yet to move on and his sister Chloe(Lindsay Sloane)is very concerned. Chloe arranges for Henry to talk with an attractive psychic Ashley(Lake Bell). Ashley is to contact Kate's spirit hoping to help Henry get on with his life. When the psychic starts getting attracted to Henry, Kate's ghost appears to nip the romance in the bud. There are some funny situations; but if you've seen the trailers you have seen the substance of the film. Also in the cast: Stephen Root, Jason Biggs, William Morgan Sheppard and Wendi McLendon-Covey. I personally thought that Bell stole the show from Parker. And Biggs as usual a pain in the butt. Still this movie was over-hyped.$LABEL$ 0 +If this is based on the true-life relationship, as purported, between Ms. Curtin and Mr. Levinson, I'm thrilled I do not know them personally. This is painfully slow, and both characters take stupid pills liberally throughout the movie while the theme song gets played into the ground. Many stupid scenes with people acting stupid does not make for a comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +More like psychological analysis of movies, but Psycho does sound better as a header. The man in charge of the movie (the narrator if you will) does depict movies here in his own way. Most of them are classics, but all of them are listed here at IMDb and I'd strongly advise you to see them (especially the Hitchcock movies, Solyaris, Conversation & and the Lynch movies), because Slavoj Zizek will reference them! Or in other words, he might spoil them for you. I don't remember if he spoiled more than those I've listed (I think the Chaplin movies too), but as I wrote it'd be best if you watch them all beforehand! In the IMDb listing there is a movie missing, that I did report to them, so it might get up there pretty soon. It's a Meg Ryan movie, but it's a only a brief snippet not big of a deal anyways.Zizek views and opinions are crazy and fun to listen to, if you're open minded to see things through another perspective (even if that does destroy your favorite movie a bit for you ... it doesn't mean it will do that, but it could)!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a straight-to-video movie, so it should go without saying that it's not going to rival the first Lion King, but that said, this was downright good.My kids loved this, but that's a given, they love anything that's a cartoon. The big shock was that *I* liked it too, it was laugh out loud funny at some parts (even the fart jokes*), had lots of rather creative tie-ins with the first movie, and even some jokes that you had to be older to understand (but without being risqué like in Shrek ["do you think he's compensating for something?"]).A special note on the fart jokes, I was surprised to find that none of the jokes were just toilet noises (in fact there were almost no noises/imagery at all, the references were actually rather subtle), they actually had a setup/punchline/etc, and were almost in good taste. I'd like my kids to think that there's more to humor than going to the bathroom, and this movie is fine in those regards.Hmm what else? The music was so-so, not nearly as creative as in the first or second movie, but plenty of fun for the kids. No painfully corny moments, which was a blessing for me. A little action but nothing too scary (the Secret of NIMH gave my kids nightmares, not sure a G rating was appropriate for that one...)All in all I'd say this is a great movie for kids of any age, one that's 100% safe to let them watch (I try not to be overly sensitive but I've had to jump up and turn off the TV during a few movies that were less kid-appropriate than expected) - but you're safe to leave the room during this one. I'd say stick around anyway though, you might find that you enjoy it too :)$LABEL$ 1 +A combat veteran, fresh from completion of ninjutsu training, reunites with an old friend in Manila and gets caught up in a power struggle with a ruthless land baron.But, do you really care about that? If you're even reading this page, you must know something of what to expect. It's your typical chop-socky, complete with ridiculous dialouge, mega-corny villains, apocalyptic sound editing, and a camera that begs for your attention. The only reason for being seen in public with this film is the fight sequences, wonderfully choreographed by Mike Stone and true master Sho Kosugi. Franco Nero ain't no slouch either, assuming you can see around the mustache.Well, I'm being too harsh. There are some good laughs--enjoy Christopher George repeatedly screaming "Ninja!" and delivering arguably the goofiest death scene ever captured on film.$LABEL$ 0 +This was the second MST3K'd movie I ever saw, and still holds a place in my heart as one of the most hilariously awful film experiences you are ever going to have. Miles O'Keeffe (sp?) is in this, using his chiseled physique to score another payment on the mortgage on his condominium. He's stiff, wooden, and unconvincing, but he still comes across as a cool, likable guy, and at least he's photogenic. That's the only decent I can find to say about the movie, so I thought I would get it out of the way right up front. The fact that he is in the movie adds another point to the score and saves it from being a "1 out of 10". In no particular order, examples of how badly put together this film is:1)OK, the Tanya Roberts clone (Mila) quests to 'the ends of the earth' to find Ator, which takes 3 minutes of screen time, including the time she spends stumbling around dying from a poisoned arrow in her shoulder (which I assume would have slowed her down quite a bit). So Ator heals her up, and takes his trusty aid Thong and sets out to go back to the her castle...and proceeds to take the next 50+ minutes of the movie recovering the ground that Mila traversed in 3 minutes. How does that work??? I know that the intrepid crew is being harassed by magical forces and enemies etc. on the way back, but still...!2)Apparently the writer/director felt the need to add 'depth' to the film by adding a running debate/Socratic dialog/game of 20 questions between Zor (the mean John Saxon wannabe) and the wise man Akronas (the Richard Harris wannabe). But Joe Damoto apparently got his philosophical training from Hallmark cards, T-Shirts and bumper stickers, and he doesn't understand tempo, pacing, or timing...and neither do the actors. (Crow's remark during one of these exchanges is the tag line for my entry). The scenes with these two drag on and on, bringing the movie to a screeching halt and killing any momentum or excitement generated by the sword-fighting and questing of the heroic trio.3) Once Ator arrives at the castle (and is captured), things go even farther downhill. Zor decides to feed a bunch of women victims, along with Ator and Mila, to the Serpent God he keeps in his basement. This scene had some potential for excitement, so the director immediately kills this potential by instilling the scene with all the drama of people waiting in line at the DMV to pay their traffic fines. Ator proceeds to have a big battle with the Serpent that is barely more convincing than Bela Lugosi's battle with the rubber octopus puppet in "Bride Of The Monster". 4) The climactic scene, in which Ator invents the hang glider out of twigs and animal skins, is so patently silly that it completely blows the viewer out of the movie and makes you roll on the floor, laughing until your sides hurt. 5) Oh, yes, and the filmmakers decided to include stock footage of an atomic explosion at the end, with the moral that Ator decided to destroy the 'atomic nucleus' McGuffin that drives the movie because mankind was 'not ready'. ("Zzzzip! MESSAGE COMING IN!!!") Just like "Bride Of the Monster" again, come to think of it. All it needed was a bystander to observe, "They tampered in God's domain."6) For some reason, the version of the movie I saw features introductory and closing homo-erotic credit sequences that have absolutely NOTHING to do with anyone or anything else in the movie. I have no idea where this footage came from, but it is actually WORSE than the actual movie it bookends. Watch this only if you are a big fan of Miles, or if you enjoy the way MST3K skewers material like this.$LABEL$ 0 +Wagon Master is a very unique film amongst John Ford's work. Mainly because it's the only one that is based on a story written by John Ford himself, the story that was elaborated by Frank Nugent and director's son – Patrick Ford and turned into a screenplay, and because of director's personal opinion regarding it, Wagon Master is the film John Ford called the one which `came closest to being what I had wanted to achieve', to say so is not to say a little, but as Ford confessed once to Lindsay Anderson, his favourite was nonetheless My Darling Clementine and not any other. Wagon Master has all ingredients one might expect to find in a John Ford's film. Wonderful cast delivering his best, thou not featuring any major stars, except the most `fordian' of all actors – Ben Johnson. Very peculiar small characters, who provide an obligatory comic relief, and Wagon Master has quite a few of them such as horn blowing Sister Ledyard (Jane Darwell) in her shot but very inspired gigs. And last but not least legendary Monument Valley with John Ford's fifth passage through it after Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. The film starts with two friends cowboys Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr) being hired to be Wagon Masters or guides for a caravan of Mormon settlers who are headed to Silver Valley, a place that's for them like a promised land. On their way they are joined by a very peculiar Dr. Locksley Hall (Alan Mowbray) with two beautiful women, who are supposedly his wife and daughter and who call themselves actors. They are headed in the same direction simply because they were recently driven out of the nearest town and have no other place to go. Nothing particularly unpleasant happens till they bump into Cleggs, a dangerous family gang consisting of father and his three sons who are on the run from the Marshal of the town where they recently committed murder and bank robbery. Overall Wagon Master is no more nor less than one more precious pearl in a necklace of John Ford's wonderful Westerns. A must see. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is a cute and sad little story of cultural difference. Kyoko is a beautiful Japanese woman who has run to California to escape from a failed relationship in Japan. Ken is a Japanese American manual laborer with aspirations of rock and roll stardom but little concrete to offer a potential partner. Kyoko "marries" Ken in order to be able to stay permanently in the U.S., with the understanding that although they will live together until she gets a "green card" the marriage will be in name only. It soon develops that the parties are not on the same wavelength - or perhaps in the same "time zone", hence the title of the movie. As an immigration attorney I have seen such "arrangements" take on a life of their own, so I was pleased to see how well the filmmaker developed the dramatic possibilities of this situation.$LABEL$ 1 +The film is a pathetic attempt to remake Ingmar Bergman's "Autumn Sonata"(1978) starring Ingrid Bergman,Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson.It did not take me more than 5 minutes to figure that out.It is time Film journalists like Khalid Mohammad took out time to do some creative thinking. It makes me sad when potentially good film-makers waste their talents by making substandard remakes of Hollywood and European films.You've got to give the film-maker something though. The film he picked for copying is one of Bergman's classics, and easily one of the finest instances of the portrayal of a strained human relationship in European cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +oh boy !!! my god !!!! what a movie this one !!! this is probably the best movie by Sean Austin and Louis gosset Jr !!! i have seen all the comment for this movie...and most of them loves this movie very much!! but i don't really understand why it only got 6.1 in IMDb list??? this one should above 7.5 !!! the plot and the script are completely perfect !! the acting are superbly well acted!!! Sean Austin...will wheaton...Louis gosset Jr....have given an incredible and awesome performance in their career!!! this movie contain a lot of action!!!just one thing i gotta say....WATCH IT !!!!!!!!!10 OUT OF 10 STARS !!$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably the worst movie I've seen in a long time. Independent or not, solid writing is a must. Ditto for directing and acting. I know these actors can act (I've seen them in Sporanos and more...) but this movie is very bad, very bad. Maybe it's the script, maybe it's the director. Probably a little of both.....Probably a LOT of both! Technically OK, Just bad, bad, bad... I have a theory that the backers for this movie also own the Poker magazines, because I saw a very favorable review in one of the magazines. " Hey' we made it, so it's gotta be good, right?" Not so fast Bucky. I know it takes a lot of hard work and money to even get a movie made, much less sold and distributed, and for that I commend these folks. But the final product, leave a bad taste in my mouth.P.S. I won a free rental and chose this movie from Blockbuster. Tomorrow I'm going to get my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +Geesh, I never, ever, ever thought I'd write the above four words. But, actually, she's the highpoint of this little flick.As the movie was packaged when I rented it, it supposedly is a comedy about a girl who is kidnapped but doesn't have her medication, which keeps her stable. It sounded like a cute concept. For years, all we ever saw of Spelling was as Donna Martin in 90210 and an endless parade of dull, lifeless TV movies. It sounded like a chance for her to stretch a little, and considering that with her TV success and her rich daddy, she couldn't have any financial reason to do this movie, I figured she took the part because this must be a low-budget jewel.Wrong.Instead, Spelling's part is small, and the bit about the mentally unbalanced kidnap victim is just one of several storylines. When she's not on the screen, the movie crawls so badly, I could've sworn it was longer than the 85 minutes that were listed on the tape. This would've worked so much better if Spelling's storyline had dominated, and it had been changed into a romantic comedy with her and Phil, the least irritating kidnapper.$LABEL$ 0 +Cliché-ridden story of an impending divorce - or is it? - through the eyes of a 6 year-old child. Corny dialogue, cardboard characters, stock situations, a red herring zombie sub-plot and, worst of all, absolutely no payoff, either emotionally or dramatically.Does no-one teach creative writing any more? The true sign of a weak storyteller - when you cannot create any kind of satisfying denouement - just end the story. I'm compelled to ask, "what made you think this was a story worth telling in the first place!?" Good, but wasted, debut by child actor Anthony De Marco - the rest of the cast was, at best, forgettable. And they wonder why no-one watches indie films! This is ninety minutes of my life I will never get back.$LABEL$ 0 +John Thaw, of Inspector Morse fame, plays old Tom Oakley in this movie. Tom lives in a tiny English village during 1939 and the start of the Second World War. A bit of a recluse, Tom has not yet recovered from the death of his wife and son while he was serving during the First World War. If you can imagine Inspector Morse old and retired, twice as crochety as when he was a policeman, then you've got Tom Oakley's character.Yet this heart of flint is about to melt. London children are evacuated in advance of the blitz. Young William (Willie) Beech is billeted with the protesting Tom. Willie is played to good effect by Nick Robinson.This boy is in need of care with a capital C. Behind in school, still wetting the bed, and unable to read are the smallest of his problems. He comes from a horrific background in London, with a mother who cannot cope, to put it mildly.Slowly, yet steadily, man and boy warm to each other. Tom discovers again his ability to love and care. And the boy learns to accept this love and caring. See Tom and Willie building a bomb shelter at the end of their garden. See Willie's joy at what is probably his first ever birthday party thrown by Tom.Not to give away the ending, but Willie is adopted by Tom after much struggle, and the pair begin a new life much richer for their mutual love.In this movie, Thaw and Robinson are following in a long line of movies where man meets boy and develop a mutual love. See the late Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley in "Spanish Gardener". Or Clark Gable and Carlo Angeletti in "It Started in Naples". Or Robert Ulrich and Kenny Vadas in "Captains Courageous". Or Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl in "Man Without a Face".Two points of interest. This is the only appearance of Thaw that I know of where he sings. Only a verse of a hymn, New Jerusalem, but he does sing.Second, young Robinson also starred in a second movie featuring "Tom" in the title, "Tom's Midnight Garden", which is based on a classic children's novel.$LABEL$ 1 +Deliverance is a stunning thriller, every bit as exciting as any good thriller should aspire to be but also stomach-churningly frightening. Though it is not a horror movie, it is just as terrifying as any classic horror film. The very thought of being a normal red-blooded male enjoying an adventure weekend miles from any form of civilisation, only to be captured and sodomised by a couple of violent hillbillies, is surely the worst nightmare of 99.9% of the world's population. It would have been easy for Deliverance to slip into exploitation territory, but John Boorman has cleverly avoided the temptation to go down such a route and has made a film that explores, questions and challenges the very meaning of masculinity. With so many films, you come away wishing to heaven that you could step into the hero's shoes, performing heroic deeds and saving the day and getting the girl.... but with Deliverance, you come away praying to God that you'll never have to experience what these four protagonists go through.Four city guys - Ed (Jon Voight), Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Drew (Ronny Cox) and Bobby (Ned Beatty) - head out into the wilderness to spend a few days canoing down a soon-to-be-dammed river. The guys are riding the rapids in pairs, and Ed and Bobby inadvertently get a little too far ahead of the others so they pull in to the riverside and await their pals in the adjacent woodland. Here, they fall foul of two local woodlanders (Bill McKinney and Herbert Coward), who tie Ed to a tree, while one of them strips and rapes Bobby instructing him, perversely, to "squeal like a pig". Lewis and Drew arrive unseen and Lewis, being a fair archer, kills the rapist while the other hillbilly beats a hasty retreat into the forest. Under great emotional stress, the four canoeists decide to conceal the event and get out of the area. But they find the river increasingly dangerous to negotiate as they journey downstream, and the risk to their lives heightens when the surviving hillbilly returns to take shots at them with his rifle from some unseen vantage point in the rocky cliffs beside the river.Deliverance is very powerful as a survival tale, but even more powerful (and disturbing) as a study of macho attitudes being torn apart and left in humiliated tatters. Though all the performances are remarkable, one must take particular note of Beatty's efforts in a role that many actors would've turned down. The film is very similar thematically to the 1971 film Straw Dogs - both films deal with terrifying sexual violence in isolated locales, and in both the eventual violent revenge exacted by the victim does not result in any sense of satisfaction. The backdrop of the rugged countryside in Deliverance is beautiful to look at, but it also adds to the tension by placing the four canoeists in a setting where they are at the mercy of the hillbillies and the landscape, with nobody to rely on other than themselves. This truly is suspenseful film-making at its finest.$LABEL$ 1 +I was mighty impressed with Nurse Betty all the way through. It has a great ensemble of characters, an origional plot, and an ending I shoulda seen coming but didn't and pulls at your heart strings.If theres any one thing about this movie that got me the most it was Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock's interaction. These two are great and it warms my heart to see Rock isn't going to do crappy Big Hollywood fare like Lethal Weapon 4 for the rest of his life. Freeman is as always the man, really there shouldnt be any need to critique his work anymore. Hell, Kiss the Girls was watchable with him in it.Renee Zellwegger does the best she can with her role, and Kinnear is good as her obession.Sweet movie with a nice touch of gratuitous violence in it to satisfy the bloodlust of the male. 9 outa 10$LABEL$ 1 +I cant believe it! I thought this is a good sequel when Jim carry in the film has a baby but instead its a film with crappy actors, stupid plot and stupid scenes. This should be in 'crappest films of sh*t in earth'. Thank god the same director did not make this because this is so stupid with some cartoonish parts like the fart was not funny, not the pee and not the dancing! I laughed at this because of how stupid the person made this like homer Simpson making a movie about a doughnut! I wish someone makes a remake of son of the mask with a plot like this! The mask guy (Jim carry) and his wife have a son which is a normal baby. When the baby finds another mask he became the mask, too and the mask guy tries to get his mask back! This is very crap so i'll give it a 1 out of 10. Fu*king sh*t!$LABEL$ 0 +Impressed! This is the worst SRK movie and one of the worst Bollywood movies I ever saw! I didn't like the novel, but this movie made it worse! Very bad music, even worse actors (apart from SRK of course, though even he doesn't manage to save the movie), and not much sense. The director makes it all look very confusing, God knows why... Maybe it's because he's trying to make it all look very surrealistic, and yet credible. Well, he manages neither.Even if you've got a few hours to loose, don't watch this movie, please! (Saying this for your own welfare!) Keep searching, you will find something else to watch!$LABEL$ 0 +An unoriginal, overly predictable and only mildly entertaining low budget rehash of a sci-fi formula that we've all seen a hundred times before - a group of scientists in isolation confronting some unknown alien something, and in of all places (surprise, surprise) Antarctica!The film features James Spader and an almost nameless supporting cast (with the exception of Carl Lewis, who's actually not that bad for a non-actor) - who deliver ho-hum performances that do little to invigorate the script's unimaginative dialogue. To make things worse the film's pace is slow, there's almost no subplot, and the few action sequences are stereotypical and not that exciting. Its little wonder that this thing went straight to DVD. What is a wonder is why Spader - an excellent actor at times, who won the Cannes Best Actor award for `Sex, Lies and Videotape', and did a splendid job in the innovative sci-fi flick `Stargate' - chose to sign onto this lackluster project. Or maybe not, if you look at his career, for it seems he has invested his talents in more misses than hits.The most remarkable thing about `Alien Hunter' is how they managed to cram in so many elements from so many great sci-fi films, and still have the thing turn out so listless and contrived. There are huge borrowed bits from `The Thing' (both Howard Hawks' original and John Carpenter's excellent 1982 remake), `Contact' and `Outbreak'; a few hints of `Alien', CE3K', `The Andromeda Strain', `Kubrick's `2001' (i.e. the `alien black box') and `Mission To Mars' (i.e. the mystery message); and even a little dash of `Sneakers' and `A Remarkable Mind' (although not sci-fi films, they share a `cryptology' connection). Hell, there's even cornfields and Antarctica, just like the recent `X Files Movie'. And the luminous translucent spaceship at the end looks exactly like something that was plucked from an outtake from `The Abyss'.Its all been done before and done a whole lot better, although I will admit there were a few mild surprises towards the end. I could say a little bit more about the plot, but there's absolutely no need. You already know over half this movie without ever seeing it. (5 out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +Look at the all the positive user comments of this movie, then check to see how often each one posts user comments. They post once. It seems companies are probably paying for services which post junk pro-movie comments on IMDb.This movie was awful. The plot was stupid. The acting was poor. The jokes weren't even funny. The movie included minor nudity from what looked like porn actresses but none of the other characters.It was clear from the first 15 minutes that movie wasn't funny. There was some slapstick here and there but most of humor was supposed to be derived from the characters talking behind each other's back and spreading rumors. This isn't even done well. Every joke is obvious and you see it coming.The movie is worthy of fast forwarding or better yet not watching.I regret watching this movie and if I could charge the studio and distributor for 1.5 hrs they stole from me I would.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie yesterday and thought it was awful; it was pointless and just plain stupid. the supposed plot concerned a prospective bridegroom too caught up in the problems of the world to relate to his bride and the other people in his life. He disappears on his wedding day (in a tux no less) and hooks up with an assortment of weirdos.We saw it with a bus-load of people on the way down to Atlantic City and everyone agreed that it was a terrible movie. It was trying to be profound but it wasn't; it was stupid and offensive. If I wasn't on a bus I would have walked out on the movie. Anyone considering seeing the movie or renting or buying the video you have been forewarned.$LABEL$ 0 +Do not be mistaken, this is neither a horror, nor really a film. I firmly advise against watching this 82 minute failure; the only reason it merited a star was the presence of Chris Pine.Nothing happens. You wait patiently in the hope that there may be a flicker of a twist, a hint of surprise, a plot to emerge - but no.The characters take erratic turns of pace in their actions and yet don't have the time to develop - thanks to the thrifty editors and frankly ashamed writers - before returning to an idyllic and playful (bring on the teen rock montage) state. The only thing that could have made it worse would be adding the perishable token ethnic 'companion'.Their encounters with obstacles (be they human or physical) are brief, confusing and entirely pointless.Chris Pine fights to keep himself above the surface whilst being drowned by a misery of a lightweight cast. Lou Taylor Pucci couldn't be dryer if he spent the summer with Keanu Reaves combing the Navada desert.Watch 'The Road', watch '28 days Later', watch day time TV...anything but this; I implore you. Suffer the boredom, unlike you may be led to believe in the film, this film is no cure.$LABEL$ 0 +I usually don't categorize a moving as boring. I am not big on action flicks and my senses do not need to be stimulated during a movie. In fact I enjoy a good rational logical dialogue and story line. Unfortunately, this movie has none of those characteristics. Diane Lane is the only saving grace in this movie and even her beauty cannot save it. Terrible overbearing music equals the moronic dialogue and acting. None of the actors actually connect with each other and as a result the movie does not connect with the audience. I guess the scenes where the townspeople are marching somewhere were suppose to add to the story but it seems that they were inserted just to fill space. The scenes appeared choppy and incoherent. There were some nice shots of the ocean and the beach which were beautiful.$LABEL$ 0 +SPOILER WARNINGWe've all heard the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" legend. But what if the wolf was a person in the modern world. Well it might be something like Big Fat Liar. Fourteen-year-old Jason Sheperd ( Frankie Muniz from "Malcolm in the Middle" ) is always lying to keep himself out of trouble. One day he is pressured to write an English essay, but it winds up in the hands of sleazy film-maker Marty Wolf ( Paul Giamatti ) who plans to turn Jason's story into a Hollywood blockbuster. No one believes Jason when he for once tells the truth and he ends up in summer school. However Jason is determined to prove to his parents the truth and travels to L.A. with his friend Kaylee ( Amanda Bynes ). When Wolf refuses to admit he ripped off his story, Jason plans to make Wolf's life a living hell. B.F.L. is no masterpiece but it's a nice way to spend 90 minutes of you're time. I wished they could've made it a bit longer though and there aren't that much pranks although they are clever enough ( I like the pool-dye the best ). I might not have liked this as much as I do if it weren't for Paul Giamatti. He is simply hilarious in this. If you have 90 minutes to kill try this out. You might just enjoy it.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know where to start; the acting, the special effects and the writing are all about as bad as you can possibly imagine. I can't believe that the production staff reached a point where they said, "Our job is done, time for it's release". I'm just glad the first two in the series never made it as far as the UK. I would actually recommend watching this film just so you can appreciate how well made most films are.I don't know how any of the other IMDb users could find it scary when the "terrifying" dinosaurs waddle down corridors with rubber arms flailing around.$LABEL$ 0 +Thomas Edison May Have Done Lots Of Great Inventions But WTF Is This!!!! I Am Sorry But This Movie Is Simply Awful. The Plot Is That This Elephant Walks To A Certain Point & Gets Electrocuted. Okay The Picture Quality Looked Like Someone Used It For Toilet Paper. I Thought That The Early Charlie Chaplin Films Were Awful. Okay Thomas Edison May Have Been An Inventor But Why Did He Make This Film He Could Have Filmed A Baby Being Fed & It Would Have Been Better. People Might Say I'm Being Harsh On The Times But Would You Enjoy Something Like This From What I Have Said Edison May Have Made The Lightbulb But Why Did He Make This Particular Movie. Well I Might Sound Like A Complete A##hole But Watch This On Youtube Then You Will See This Abomination. I Still Can't Believe This Film Is Completely Awful. All In All The Worst Short Film I Have Ever Seen.Rating: 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this movie when I was a freshman in high school, and the film has stuck with me through the years. It's not about the soundtrack, or cinematography, or even the dialogue and somewhat bad acting, it's about the educational purpose, and the message behind that is the most important. It's not a sin to have a child when you're a teenager and still in high school, and it's not really a bad thing, either, but it is a problem. Tons of girls I knew are all having children now, and I guess they never watched this great movie, and if they did, they clearly didn't get the message behind it all. It's about not taking chances when you're in a sexual relationship. Any girl can get pregnant the first time. It's not a myth. You don't necessarily lose out on your dreams, but they do have to take a backseat in your future because you have a child to think about first.This movie has a clear message behind it: JUST SAY NO!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a painfully slow story about the last days of 1999 when a strange disease breaks out and... I stopped caring. This is suppose to be about two people who live over or under each other in an apartment complex. There's a leak and a plumber put a hole in the man's floor so you can see into the woman's below apartment. Also since there is a crisis going on much of the dialog is actually news reports...Sounds promising?Not really.I became distracted and started doing other things which is deadly in a subtitled film. Basically I started not watching, which made events seem even more surreal when I did look up.It may work for you, it didn't for me.$LABEL$ 0 +Joel schumacher Made a heck of a choice when he decided on this cast and this script. The story is well written and well laid out, and this entirely new cast of 10 or 12 central characters was absolutely brilliant. It seemed that there were 6 "leads" and about a half dozen supporting, and by far this is the best thing about the movie, the fresh young faces of tomorrow. It has been a long time since hollywood has touched the controversial vietnam war films,which says something for the"story that needed to be told"(as stated by schumacher) and Tigerland lands in that handful of top war movies period. Yet it can not be labeled as a war movie because it seemed to be based more on the human spirit of Bozz and the others. I Think anyone who just wants to see a good film with out all of the special FX, but just good, gritty drama should go see Tigerland, obviously Shumachers Best works in the past 8 years.$LABEL$ 1 +An interesting slasher film with multiple suspects.Includes typical girl flashing her breasts (Denise Cheshire) as she changes into her swimsuit, creepy suspect - any one of them could be doing the deed, expected breast baring to get a passing grade (Linnea Quigley), a very unusual forward pass, more bare breasts, a track and field event that will NOT be in the summer Olympics, and a ghoulish secret.It all comes to a crashing ending. No, there's more. Won't this guy die? I bet Anne (Patch Mackenzie) doesn't plan any more visits home anytime soon.If you like teen slasher films, can you possible be a pervert, even if all the actresses are over 18?$LABEL$ 0 +i watched this series when it first came out in the 70s.i was 14 years old and i watched it at my best friends house as my dad didn't want to watch it.it became a weekly ritual every Sunday, and as anyone will tell you for two fourteen year olds to watch a documentary in almost reverential silence must mean that this was something special.the broad sweep of the events of world war 2 makes for a difficult subject to document.so the makers broke it down into what they considered to be the most significant key happenings and devoted one episode to each.some episodes covered long periods such as 'wolf pack' which covered nearly all six years of the battle of the Atlantic.while the battle of Stalingrad had one episode to itself.this documentary could not be made today quite simply because most of those interviewed are dead.the list of significant players appearing gives an amazing insight into the thinking at the time.Anthony eden the foreign secretary,Carl donnitz,head of the u-boats,Albert speer,pet architect confident and later armament minister for Hitler.in one of the later episodes we see traudl junge, Hitler's secretary,who was with him in the bunker and it was to her that he dictated his last will and testament-she left the bunker after Hitler's suicide and escaped through the Russian lines.these and many others play a major role in the realism of the events portrayed.if i have any criticism of the series it is that the code-breakers of bletchly park are not included but the revelations of their part in the war only emerged after the series had been made so i cannot blame the programme makers.the opening titles and music are magnificent,and Lawrence Olivier's narration lends a natural gravity to the script.the best documentary series ever made? without doubt.unmissable$LABEL$ 1 +Once again Jet Li brings his charismatic presence to the movie screen in the film Black Mask. In this film Li plays Tsui, an escapee from a super soldier program who seeks to regain the humanity that the program had taken away from him. To do this Tsui decides to become a librarian in order to live a normal and peaceful life, but fate demands that he clean up problems from his past before he can continue to seek peace. Other members of the super soldier program had escaped at the same time as Tsui, but they want to get even with the world rather than find inner peace. Thus Tsui becomes the only thing that can prevent his former team mates from releasing information that could cost many innocent people their lives. This film screams across the screen at a frantic pace and never lets its audience go. The martial arts is amazing, but because it uses wires it may not be appreciated as much as it deserves by American audiences. If you like action movies that have an interesting story and demand good acting performances because they deal with psychological as well as physical conflicts, then Black Mask is for you. I am glad to see that some of Jet Li's movies are finally getting main stream release in the United States and look forward to seeing how the changes that that release will require (things like dubbing and soundtrack) will affect the film. This is one of Li's best films, go out and see it on May 14 when it is released in America.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this movie, after hearing Chris Gore saying something to the effect of "five stars!" on that Attack of the Show show. Well when I turned around the DVD and it showed the 3 stages of hell, well I had to buy it. Just to see the spectacle of a mother yelling at her son to drop her other son into a flaming pit.I wasn't expecting ECW or CZW for an hour and eighteen minutes, but I was expecting at least a summarized version of what seemed to be the main highlight of this movie. Well sadly there wasn't anything like that. The 3 stages of death part happens right from the beginning, and its pretty much downhill from there. Nothing really happens in this documentary. It was pretty raw, bare and unbiased. Not a bad thing, but there is a narrator in this one. You'd expect him to have opinions on the subject of this documentary, but he doesn't. Which would of been nice to have, a message or reason for this doc.There was no real reason to have a narrator, there should of been just text explaining some of the less obvious scenes.It doesn't really explain the lives of these wrestlers either. It shows a few moments of some dramatic scenes, which sound interesting, but the reality isn't as great as it sounds. For instance mom watching her son wrestle with light bulbs and tacks, for the first time, at a public park. instead of seeing her reaction to the wrestling, They show her reacting to the camera, instead of say a interview later on, or just actually witnessing her reactions.Legitamit document wise, this one ain't. The source material was flimsy to begin with. Nothing truly profound or interesting really happens. No conclusion to a few of the more interesting stories, No real point or final thought to backyard wrestling, edited together badly, and its and its basically a cheap, failed rip off of Beyond the Mat.Wrestling wise, this is pretty boring. the better bumps are at the beginning, and slowly become less amazing and shocking. If you have seen Japanese wrestling, Indie wrestling, or even Backyard Wrestling Dvds, than this wont shock and awe you. If you want wrestling don't make the same mistake I did and see this one. Go get some CZW ECW or XPW Dvds instead.The only thing I got out of this documentary was how stupid people can be. Not for supporting self mutilation or doing dangerous stunts, but their reasoning for committing these acts. The backyarders seem stupid for wrestling. Most of them are jobless, and probably have a few issues in their head, and wrestling is a type of therapy for them. Than the supporters seem even more idiotic. Mothers basically take the whole "if ya cant beat em join em" reasoning to cope with the fact that their sons are basically killing themselves. School authority figures support their students in their dangerous stunts because its an alternative to joining gangs and to a lesser extend doing drugs, which is kinda funny since that segment took place in a rural town, where like people live 20 miles from one another. People are stupid. Thats what I extracted from this documentary.If you want to see the reasoning and thoughts to someone brutalizing themselves in wrestling and basically what the back of this DVD promises, get UNSCARRED: the Life of Nick Mondo. Its more amazing, and interesting than the Backyard, and a lot more entertaining. Oh and its actually good.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a big disappointment for me. I think this is the worst Mastroianni-movie ever made. Cosmatos tries too hard to make this movie a masterpiece and that makes this movie a typical "art"-movie. I give 4/10 for this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Not a movie for everyone, but this movie is in my top 10. I am a lover of black comedy. With a cast including Richard Dreyfus (Vic), Jeff Goldblum (Mick), Larry Bishop (Nick) and Gabriel Byrne (Ben 'Brass Balls' London) in the leads, the lines can't help but be dry. The supporting cast is nearly dead center. Counting the minor flaws in the movie: Ellen Barkin's make-up gave her face has a washed out look; there were a couple of gimme cameos by Joey Bishop and Richard Pryor that served no purpose, and Michael J. Pollard's screen time was too short. Over all, the cast was just incredible without egos to wreck a fine script. If you have seen Larry Bishop's (writer, director) film, Underworld (a dark crime flick), you will enjoy this one. His next outing (writer, director, actor) is Hell Ride with Michael Madsen and Quentin Tarantino.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is not your typical Hollywood fare, though the pickings are so bad I often tend to stay away from movies rather than be disappointed. However, this little low-budget gem is thoroughly loveable and enjoyable and definitely a keeper. The actors are as varied as the characters they portray, the Buffalo setting is charming (what a pretty city), and the story sparkles. The lack of gratuitous violence, sex and the "f" word doesn't detract in the least! Take the kids, take grandma, take a break from Hollywood! I give it an 11 out of 10!$LABEL$ 1 +RKO Radio Pictures made a real classic in 1947 and even managed to get it nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. The acting, script, continuity, et cetera, are all just about perfect; and the story is well worth the viewer's 82 minutes. Although the picture soft-petals the true life story by making the murder victim a Jew rather than a homosexual, most viewers will see the victim as a Jewish homosexual -- such disguises never work, perhaps weren't intended to.I could nit-pick about a few details, but just for fun. There was no all-night movie house in Washington, DC in 1947 --- and if there was I wish Robert Mitchum and his pal wouldn't talk through the show. There weren't any bars where a GI could pick up a pretty blonde. NONE! If Robert Ryan wanted to read the latest murder scoop he ought to have bought the Daily News; not the Times-Hearald, Evening Star and certainly not the know-nothing Washington Post. But these little things take nothing away from this classic.The film benefits a lot from the absolute lack of a musical score, except during the credits. I've only seen this done in a few films.On the negative side, since 1995 it comes with a TMC introduction where some liberal blabs about what the public was "ready for" in 1947... blah, blah, blah! As if this fool has any business judging his betters. I'd say the ex-GI's in 1947 -- the Greatest Generation -- were much smarter --and had better values -- than some commentator, film historian, or other wise-mouth in 1995. Put a sock in it!$LABEL$ 1 +"Transylvania 6-5000" is an insignificant but occasionally funny and charming mid 80's horror parody with some very familiar names in the cast and a handful of genuine opportunities to chuckle in the script. Two bozo journalist of a gossipy tabloid newspaper are sent, very much against their will, to Transylvania to do a story on the alleged return of mad scientist Frankenstein. There are some adorable little gimmicks and details to discover left and right in the film, like a little guillotine for hard-boiled eggs and laboratory test tubes that are being used to put in cream and sugar at the breakfast table. The wholesome of the film, however, is not as successful as it could and should have been, with jokes and parody situations that are way too overlong. The Roger Corman production "Transylvania Twist", which came out four years after this, is a lot funnier and much more recommended. The film is particularly parodying the classic Universal milestones of the early 30's, so you better make sure you've seen those if you want to grasp all the tiny gags and references. There's a pretty original twist indicating that the Frankenstein character only behaves like a mad-raving evil scientist when he enters his laboratory. It's also revealed that he's actually more of a Father Damien sort of messiah who's only concerned with the condition of exiled monsters. Michael Richards, the freaky guy who plays Kramer in Seinfeld, stars as a psychotic butler who appears and disappears at the most inappropriate moments. I'm pretty sure John Turturro's character in "Mr. Deeds" was inspired by Richards's role here.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very good, under-rated action/drama/and slightly historical movie.The basic story concerns Rob Roy's borrowing of 1000 pounds, its theft, and the problems it causes for his family and indirectly his clansmen.Cunningham( Tim Roth) is an amazing villain and character in this story. Brutally cold and if you watch his face he seems to be able to turn his eyes off and look completely evil.Rob Roy (Liam Neeson) is excellent too, but i think the writers used the word "honour" 1 too many times.The rest of the cast is strong, and the whole movie is very well acted and filmed.The Action is exciting and the sword play very realistic, but not too gory. The story is good and you really want Rob to win.All in all just shy of a classic.$LABEL$ 1 +I almost made a fool of myself when I was going to start this review by saying " This movie reminded me of BILLY ELLIOT " but then I looked up the resume of screenwriter Lee Hall only to find out that he was the guy who wrote BILLY ELLIOT so it's Mr Hall who's making a fool of himself not me Am I being a bit cruel on him ? No because Lee has something most other aspiring screenwriters from Britain don't have - He has his foot in the door , he has previously written a successful British movie that won awards and made money at the box office and what does he do next ? He gives the audience more of the same Young Jimmy Spud lives on some kitchen sink estate . He is bullied at school and no one loves him . The only thing keeping him going is that he has aspirations to be a ballet dancer . No actually he has aspirations to be an angel but considering his household he may as well be a ballet dancer . He has a macho waster of a father who thinks " Ballet dancers are a bunch of poofs while his granddad says " Ballet dancers are as tough as any man you could meet . I remember seeing the Bolshoi ballet ... " Yup Ballet is a main talking point on a run down British council estate those days - NOT . Come to think of it neither is left wing politics which seems to be the sole preserve of middle class do gooders who live in nice big houses , so right away everything about this set up feels ridiculously false Another major criticism is that this is a film that has no clue who it's trying to appeal to . I have often criticised Channel 4 for broadcasting movies at totally inappropriate times ( THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT at 6 am for example ) but they showed this at 2 am and for once they've got it spot on . Considering the story involves politics , ballet dancing ( Gawd I hate it ) lung cancer and poverty there's no way this can be deemed suitable for a family audience but since the main protagonist is an 11 year old child and features angels and ballet dancers ( Don't blame me if I seem obsessed with the subject - there was no need to refer to them ) there's not much here for an intelligent adult audience either . Of course if Lee Hall had been told at the script development stage by the producers that he should write a story featuring a schoolboy and an angel and had flatly refused saying that he wanted to write about other themes and stories then I will apologise but throughout the movie you do get the feeling that once the film was completed it was going to be marketed to the exact same audience who enjoyed BILLY ELLIOT$LABEL$ 0 +"You got any beans? Beans is good. You just eat them and you go." I couldn't help but laugh at that bit of dialog. Beans are the musical fruit, you know. The more you eat them, the more you go toot, toot, toot.Hmmmm... OK, i can understand why the actors were in this because they needed paychecks to pay their bills with, but i'm not really too sure what the intentions of the director and the writer were. Even after watching the making-of documentary in the DVD extras.Mike Rooker gave this a performance it really didn't deserve. I've seen him in other movies MUCH better than this one. What would have vastly improved this movie was to throw everything out, keep Rooker and instead made another entry into "The Substitute" franchise. Rooker would have made for a terrific substitute teacher who instructs naughty and morally-impaired youth regarding the error of their ways and how they can become more useful and productive members of society.Casper, you really shouldn't be just pushing through the undergrowth like that as you could get poison oak. Whoops. Never mind. I guess poison oak is the least of your worries now. Well, at least this time your croaking wasn't done by the tail of giant python. There are few things more embarrassing than being skewered through the chest by a giant snake. At least the death scene in this movie had a bit more dignity to it. As well as a more liberal smearing of karo syrup and red food dye. Nothing says sad and tragic death like the liberal use of karo and red dye!First time i've seen a monster wear a shiny rayon cape with a fur collar ruff. First time for everything, i guess. Just to be nitpicky, though, if this was an Indian ghost, how come it looked exactly like a monster out of European culture and folklore? Wouldn't the monster have been more sort of more indianish?While i did watch this all the way to the end credits, i don't realistically believe that i could in good faith recommend it to others.$LABEL$ 0 +These immortal lines begin The Jack Starret directed masterpiece,'The Dion Brothers'. The plot centers around two blue collar West Virginian brothers (Stacy Keach and Frederic Forrest) who commit robberies in hopes of using the money to open a seafood restaurant!!? What follows is quite an adventure, and many comedic events ensue. The action scenes are all top notch and consist of some nicely realized shootouts. The latter of which is absolutely amazing and occurs in an abandoned building being demolished by a wrecking ball! The film was written by now famous director Terrence Malick and features an early appearance by Margot Kidder. All in all, an excellent hidden gem of the 70s and easily one of the finest action/comedy hybrids every made. Hopefully it gets a decent widescreen DVD release soon.$LABEL$ 1 +When this movie was first shown on television I had high hopes that we would finally have a decent movie about World War I as experienced by American soldiers. Unfortunately this is not it.It should have been a good movie about WWI. Even though it was made for television it is obvious that a real effort was made to use appropriate equipment and props. But the writing and directing are badly lacking, even though the makers of this movie obviously borrowed freely from quite a few well made war movies. War movie clichés abound such as the arrogant general who apparently does not care a flip about the lives of his men. When will Hollywood realize that, even though there have been plenty of bad generals, most combat unit generals have seen plenty of combat themselves and are not naive about what the average grunt experiences? The first part of this movie appeared to be "Paths of Glory" with American uniforms. Except that "Paths of Glory" was emotionally gripping. Later on there was Chamberlain's charge (except uphill) from "Gettysburg" and even the capture of the American soldier by a ring of enemy soldiers from "The Thin Red Line". But in "The Thin Red Line" the soldier was alone when captured. In this movie a ring forms around the new prisoner in the middle of a battle.If this movie used a military adviser they ignored him. Even though the actors (and I never could forget they were actors while watching) mouthed military tactics I didn't see very much of it. The American soldiers would stand up to be shot while the Germans attacked. And the infamous Storm Troopers, who were apparently blind, appeared to use no tactics whatsoever in their attack. In the real war, the tactics were what made storm troopers so effective. But the silliest scene was the attack of the German Flamethrowers. In this scene the German flamethrower operators walked in a broad line towards the defending Americans. If that had been real they would never have gotten close enough to use their flamethrowers before they had all been dropped by the defender's bullets.Okay, so most war movies are unrealistic when it comes to the tactics shown. But it is still disappointing. But what really turned me off to this flick was the typical anti-war anti-military angle that movie makers seem to think is important. True, war is hell. But most American soldiers, even though they grumble and gripe, tend to believe in what they are doing and can be rather gung-ho about it. My Grandfather served in World War I. And even though he died four years before I was born I have been told how proud he was of his service.$LABEL$ 0 +These type of movies about young teenagers struggling with their own sexuality were something unique and daring and daring a couple of years ago but more and more movies like this got made over the past few years, making it hard for the movies to still stand out really.Also this movie received little publicity, aside from the usual little film festivals that featured this little French movie, as well as the big festivals that are always fond of these type of little movies about everyday subjects that aren't being handled too often in movies. The film premiered at Cannes in 2007 and actually won some awards there as well.The movie doesn't really stand out from others, since it actually features little new once you've already seen some similar movies such as this one but this however really doesn't mean that "Naissance des pieuvres" is a bad one to watch. The movie is certainly a good watch, that handles its subject well and tells its story steadily and therefore also effectively, in a typical somewhat slow French cinematic pace.It's a coming of age movie, that focus on the life of mainly 3 totally different mid-teenagers. Sexuality is a big theme within the movie, which gets handled delicately and subtle. It makes the movie and its story overall a pretty realistic one, though perhaps a bit predictable, since the movie doesn't quite offer anything original enough within its genre.This type of French movie will probably scare off a lot of people because of the reason that they probably expect it to be very arty, with deep layers and meanings to it. "Naissance des pieuvres" however is a very accessible movie for everyone and you really don't have to be into Euro-teen movies to appreciate this movie. It's a sweet and somewhat sensual kind of movie, due to its subject and visual approach.The movie is also being made realistic by its actors, who don't had and have a lot of experience within the movie business but are authentic looking and feeling within their roles. The strong individual characters provide the movie with some nice themes and good moments.A good movie on its subject.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I am not sure who recommended Surveillance to me, but I think I have an idea: one of the "Fat Guys At the Movies." The person said they were astonished by how great it was and said it was one of the goriest/disturbing movies. (I'm paraphrasing and doing this only by memory, so forgive me if I misquoted.) At any rate, I made the decision to watch it. So I take full blame for my own miscalculation in watching one of the most horrible, predictable and STUPID movies I've ever seen. Strange, I doubt I've ever called a movie "stupid" but that was the first word that came to mind about one-third in and stayed in my mind until the end.Where to begin? Unbelievable premise and reactions, incredibly brain-dead characters (could blame the writing or the actors, or I'll just blame both) and enormously bad acting. I'd sooner believe Bill Pullman as President of the USA than a FBI agent here. (Of course, there's a reason for that, and I'll partially go into that.) And to top it off, if you can't figure the so-called shocking "twist" in the first 5 minutes, then you must have arrived late to the theatre or came into the room to watch it late. Don't worry, they'll tell you the "twist" every five minutes thereafter.There's been some serial killer(s) on the loose in the most depressing town in the county, or world. But there's more to the story! Some dumbass and corrupt cops like to blow out tires for their own amusement. Could there possibly be more? Oh, yeah, there's a family, well maybe not, but there are four humans, one boy, one girl and an adult couple. The girl says she sees things with much less conviction than Cole sees dead people in The Sixth Sense. There's gotta be more to this than what I mentioned! That's what makes a movie interesting! Adding as many subplots that may/may not be developed is the way to go! Okay, then I'll continue. We have goofy FBI agents that made me laugh. A pair of giggling druggies who's shocked at first their dealer OD's but then resorts to robbery. A gosh-tooting great-guy cop who must've been put in for comic relief who's always battling an angry/suspicious cop. And finally, (poor, poor) Michael Ironside who didn't just phone his performance in, he barely text it in.None of these work. They're all told in various forms of presence tense or flashbacks, and believe me, you'll lose all sense of caring after the first of many subplots begin. In addition, the reaction some of these characters are the most shocking of all. I guess I'm referring mostly to the cops, but mainly the girl who did or did not just lose her family and barely blinks.This stupid, stupid movie stinks. It's barely gory as the person that recommended it said it was, unless his exposure has been limited to Goosebumps stories. And what's with the title? Surveillance? Oh, I get it; it's because it was used in 1/50 subplots just to film interviews. Since that's so random, it might as well been called COP CAR, BULLET or COFFEE. Just stay away from this horrid mess.$LABEL$ 0 +This really is a movie that you need to see twice. When I first saw this film I was really drawn into the story. While the majority of the story takes place inside of a hotel room, the stories that Buddy (Nick Drake, wonderful allusion) and Daphne share take you outside of their room and into their world. Through their conversations you get a feel for the loneliness and pain that each feels. The soundtrack accompanies the movie perfectly, dark, lo-fi and intriguing. When you see the film the second time around you can pick up all of the clues that you missed the first time around leading up to one of the best ending I have seen in a long time. I hope to see this movie find a distributor for the DVD so that it will be more accessible. Great movie, you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +My friend made me sit down and watch this film. This is out there material. "God the Devil, Heaven Hell... and a restaurant thrown in for good measure.Four guys and a prick. Who dies? When and how?is That's the story. You'll never guess the ending for this one. A skillfully realized little gem of Aussie cinema. Hats of to the team that made this one.10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +My boyfriend and I both enjoyed this film very much. The viewer is swept away from modern life into old Japan, while at the same time exposed to very current themes. The characters are realistic and detailed; it has an unpredictable ending and story, which is very refreshing. The story is made up of mini-plots within the life of several geisha living together in a poor city district. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in a realistic romance or life in old Japan.$LABEL$ 1 +Flashes of lightning; a sprawling cemetery; the name of Adam 'Batman' West: all pop up on screen before the opening credits are even over, and yet, despite these rather naff elements, One Dark Night isn't as cheesy as it might first seem.Meg Tilly (Jennifer's sister) plays pretty student Julie, who reluctantly agrees to spend the night alone in a mausoleum as part of her initiation into exclusive high school clique The Sisters. What Julie doesn't realise is that the other 'sisters' plan to freak her out with some ghoulish pranks—or that the most recent body to be interred in the mausoleum is that of 'psychic vampire' Raymar, who feeds off the life force of scared young women.Admittedly, this isn't the most original of set-ups, but thankfully there are enough inventive touches to help set this film apart from the competition, my favourites being the macabre sight of everyday objects embedded in the walls of Raymar's apartment, and the creepy manner in which mouldy corpses float through the cold marble corridors of the mausoleum during the excellent finale. Hal Trussell's impressive steadicam cinematography and Tom Burman's wonderfully macabre special effects also add immensely to the chilling atmosphere.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me be clear. I hate these kinds of movies. I do not like anything where the protagonists are all bourgeoisie English. I find this kind of literature and film awfully pretentious. You will never get me to read a Jane Austen book willingly. That said, the only reason I read W. Somerset Maugham's book and watched the subsequent film was for a class.Mary Panton (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a beautiful English woman living in a borrowed villa in Florence before World War II. One night after dinning with some of her rich royalty related friends, she willingly picks up an Austrian refugee, has sex with him and ditches, and then he kills himself. As the movie gets further and further, you really want to dislike Mary.What a load of crap this movie was. First of all, there were many subplots and characters invented in the movie that weren't even in the book. I doubt very much the late Mr. Maugham would've appreciated them. The characters, though wealthy, were some of the most superficial and self-centered people I have ever seen.The only reason I didn't give it anything less than three stars was because the acting was the only thing redeemable. The always talented Kristin Scott Thomas is perfect for the role of Mary. In fact, I couldn't picture anybody else filling her shoes. Sean Penn and Anne Bancroft also had supporting roles, that were just as good as the lead.Save yourself the pain of watching this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +If you're familiar with the work of auteur Johnny To and his band of filmmaking cronies over at Milky Way, you know what to expect with this latest production. All the familiar elements are in place: the strong camaraderie between two characters: usually a cop and a baddie, the coincidences and chances that turn on a dime and pay off handsomely in the end, and the humor that arises even in the most dire of situations.Andy Lau plays a man who has 72 hours to live and decides to rob an insurance company. Lau Ching-Wan (also brilliant in other Milky Way films like "Longest Nite," "A Hero Never Dies," and "Where A Good Man Goes") portrays a hostage negotiator/cop who is on the robber's tail, even as the robber sets up a series of tricks and clues that he must follow in order to get his man.Funny, poignant, and cool while being subtle, "Running" is actually one of the most entertaining Milky Way films to date. Don't miss the performances by the two leads, esp. Andy Lau, usually considered an average actor who has rarely been this natural and fun to watch. This film is one to go out of your way to see.$LABEL$ 1 +This was one of my favorite movies from childhood. I watched it so many times,eventually my tape wore out. I was a huge fan of this show and still am.The thing I love most about this movie is that it appeals to so many people, both young and old. I watch this movie now and laugh just as hard as I did the first time I saw it. I am now able to appreciate all the adult jokes that I never got as a child. My favorite characters are Elmyra and Foulmouth. Almost fifteen years later, my dad (a huge fan of the movie as well) and I are still quoting lines from this movie. I love the part where Foulmouth and Shirley go to the movies. "You save the seats, Shirl and I'll snag the dadgum snacks." I also loved the storyline of Plucky and Hampton and his family going to Happy World Land. Wade Pig reminded me a lot of my dad. I love the part when they finally get to Happy World Land and all they do is ride on the monorail. This movie is hilarious and appeals to children and kids. The animation, jokes and everything about it are top notch. If you have not seen it, rent it. You won't be sorry.$LABEL$ 1 +Previously, I wrote that I loved "Titanic", cried at its ending (many times over), and I'm a guy in his 60's. I also wondered about why this great movie, which won so many awards and was applauded by so many critics, was given only a 7.0 rating by imdb.com users.Well, I looked at the breakdown of the user ratings. While 29.0% of all votes gave it a 10 rating, 10.7% gave it a 1 rating. These 10.7% of these irrational imdb users, in effect, pulled the overall rating down to 7.0. In my previous comments, I blamed this very unusual voting pattern (a sudden surge in 1 ratings, with a high 10 rating, dropping only gradually and then suddenly reversing course and jumping at the 1 rating level) on only one thing: hatred for Leonardo DiCaprio. Believe me, I've tuned into enough chat rooms to see the banter by young people (young men, mostly), who defame him left and right. They absolutely hate the man, and they will have no part in giving him any credit in "Titanic". (To answer one other user: I am NOT talking about someone who just really doesn't like the movie that much, and gave it a 5 or a 6, etc. Everyone has, and is entitled to, his/her own taste. But no one can convince me that the imdb rating of only 7.0 overall for "Titanic", pulled to that level by an inordinate number of ridiculous 1 ratings, is a fair reflection of the overall motion picture.)Let me demonstrate my point by comparing the imdb user voting pattern of "Titanic" to 5 randomly chosen box office and critical "bombs" (there are many more, but these 5 will prove my point). "Heaven's Gate" (1980) was pulled from the theaters quickly after a very poor box office showing, and imdb voters' ratings were: 23.2% 10 ratings and 9.2% 1 ratings (overall rating of 6.1). "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) got 4.3% 10 ratings and 9.9% 1 ratings (overall rating of 4.5). "Cat People" (1982) got 6.1% 10 ratings and 2.6% 1 ratings (overall rating of 5.8). "Blind Date" (1987) got 3.0% 10 ratings and 2.8% 1 ratings (overall rating of 5.3). "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986) got 4.4% 10 ratings and 3.7% 1 ratings (overall rating of 5.2). WHAT DO ALL OF THESE FILMS HAVE IN COMMON WITH "TITANIC"? ALL OF THE PERCENTAGES OF THEIR 1 RATINGS ARE LOWER !!!! THAN "TITANIC", AND NONE OF THESE STINKERS EVER WAS NOMINATED FOR A SINGLE AWARD. Again, "Titanic" got 10.7% 1 ratings! Compare that to the other 5 movies I just mentioned.Can there be any explanation other than the hatred of Leo factor?$LABEL$ 1 +This movie probably never made a blip on the radar screen, but it's got quite a bit of quality. It's pretty lifelike, yet you think "It's only a movie." Duvall and Close portray common people, and you'd never even realize they are now big-name actors. It seems that the jerk in this story is a little too old to be chasing Eugene's girlfriend, but I guess it's possible. It seems unlikely that the kid would travel from Montana to Nevada by himself, but I guess it's possible. You might think that the family troubles in this movie would never happen in your own family, but I guess it's possible. I remember Glenn Close saying something like "You think the work you do is the hardest part of your life, but it isn't."$LABEL$ 1 +The dazzling seventeen-minute dance sequence of George Gershwin's 1928 orchestral piece, "An American in Paris", is an indisputable masterwork. Choreographed with precision and unparalleled flair by Gene Kelly, the vibrant combination of color, music and dance is still eye-poppingly startling as the piece is broken down into scenes inspired by selected master artists - Dufy in the opening Place de la Concorde piece, Manet in the flower market, Utrillo in a Paris street, Rousseau at the fair, Vincent Van Gogh in the spectacular Place de l'Opera piece, and Toulouse-Lautrec for the Moulin Rouge where Kelly wears his famous white bodysuit. The 97 minutes that precede this finale are not as exciting, not by a long shot, but there are certain charms to be had in viewing the entire 1951 Oscar-winning musical.Director Vincente Minnelli and screenwriter Alan Jay Lerner have fashioned a surprisingly sophisticated if rather slight romantic story focused on Jerry Mulligan, a former G.I. who has remained in Paris after the end of WWII trying to make a living as a painter. With his braggadocio manner and athletic dancing style, Gene Kelly can be concurrently ingratiating and irritating as a screen personality, but he seems to find his oeuvre as the carefree Jerry. The love-triangle plot is focused on Jerry's involvement with Milo Roberts, a self-proclaimed art patron but a sexual predator when it comes to young artists. On their first date in a crowded Montmartre nightclub, Jerry unapologetically falls for Lise, a young woman who turns out to be the fiancée of Henri, a professional entertainer and friend of Jerry's pal, Adam, an out-of-work concert pianist. Romantic complications ensue until the inevitable ending but not before several classic Gershwin songs are performed.The best of these is the most imitated - a swooningly romantic song and dance to "Our Love Is Here to Stay" along a faux-Seine River in a blue hazy mist with yellow fog lights. The way Kelly and Leslie Caron circle each other is transcendent as they approach each other tentatively at first and then synchronize beautifully to the music leading to the final clinch. Few films have so elegantly and succinctly shown two people falling in love. "I Got Rhythm" and "S'Wonderful" spotlight Kelly's nimble tap-dancing and agreeable singing, while "Embraceable You" is danced impressively by Caron in a five-scene montage of Henri's all-over-the-map description of Lise to Adam. Designed to show off Caron's dancing versatility, the sequence is similar to the one in "On the Town" where Vera-Ellen showed off her considerable dancing skills when Kelly's sailor character described his multi-faceted vision of Miss Turnstiles.As Lise, the nineteen year-old Caron (in her first film) dances superbly throughout and handles her role with unformed charm with her acting talent not to bloom for several years. Looking quite glamorous, Nina Foch plays older as the manipulative Milo and manages to be likable enough for us to care about her fate, while Oscar Levant is just his sardonic self as Adam. Performing an elegant "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", George Guétary plays Henri so agreeably that you feel bad that he does lose the girl at the end. This is not the best all-around MGM musical, but there is certainly enough movie magic to make this quite worthwhile. The 2000 DVD contains a fairly pristine print but little else in terms of extras.$LABEL$ 1 +This show is amazing! I love each and every episode. Carrie is a spitfire and Doug is a lovable and at times a moron. Arthur, Spence, Danny, Deacon and Carrie's Boss add just a nice end touch to the show, tying up all of the funny, pee in your pants moments. In one of the seasons, Doug tries to get Carrie drunk, because she is nicer when she is drunk. Nice husband right? Carrie isn't much better, when her boss needs a IPS driver to testify in a small case at her job, Carrie hesitates, because she views Doug as a slob and doesn't want him to embarrass her, so she hires Doug's friend instead. Wife of the year. But, who i believe to be funniest is yell-at-random Arthur. He is drop-dead hilarious, and angry. Hey, you would be too if you had to live in a basement where the mold has a funny smell and makes you dizzy. This show is hilarious, and if you haven't seen it yet, then you haven't lived!$LABEL$ 1 +This Columbo episode is probably noted more for the director, Steven Spielberg, as one of his early films. It should be looked at for Jack Cassidy's role as the murderer who kills his partner in writing to maintain his lifestyle. Jack Cassidy would appear in a later Columbo. After all, Columbo meets his match in Jack Cassidy's character. He is a mystery writer who plots to perform the perfect murder. After his first murder, his next victim would be the annoying general store owner/widow who would blackmail him for money. Rather than losing more money, he kills her. It is very entertaining to watch Cassidy and Falk as always. Falk's familiarity as Columbo makes him watchable after viewing this episode repeatedly over the years. What television today forgets about the success of years is that people will want to watch the shows again and again if they like the characters. It's not about who does it, how and why, it the familiarness of Columbo and his likability which scores high with viewers like myself.$LABEL$ 1 +Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) suddenly becomes a widower when his wife dies. Soon after, he's approached by a Dr. Price, an expert in Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), who claims he's been receiving messages from Jonathan's departed wife Anna via sundry electronic gadgets. Is Anna trying to tell Jonathan something? Is this merely a hint of something on a larger cosmic or otherworldly scale? It's good to see Keaton in a leading role, but the story he's stuck with is convoluted and absurd at points; it's as if the movie doesn't know how to answer any of the questions it brings up, so it just distracts the viewer with new, unrelated questions.Keaton himself is pretty good, convincingly cast as the bereaving widower desperately trying to communicate with his late wife. He's matured quite a bit as an actor, leaving behind the frat-friendly waacky-hijinks roles he played 15 or so years earlier. He looks a little craggy, with a perhaps few more wrinkles than one might expect, but he's lost none of the guile and panache that he's shown during his quarter century in Hollywood.So it's not that Keaton turns in a mediocre performance, it's that the script itself is subpar. Written by Niall Johnson, the plot gets more confusing as it progresses, each tortuous path ending in another tortuous path. This is all well and good if the path leads to some sort of acceptable denouement, something that ties more or less everything together and explains... something. But not White Noise; I knew less about what had happened to Jonathan than I did before I'd first seen him.Keaton's really the only reason to watch this junk, although he gets fine support from Ian McNeice (as Dr. Price) and Deborah Kara Unger as the requisite love interest.$LABEL$ 0 +The sound in this movie is a nightmare. That is the best I can say for this movie. Any chance of a good story is lost once this films starts. The premise of the film sounds good. A playboy who comes to terms with the people around him. The plot is predictable and very dull. The wet T-Shirt contest may be the worst scene I've ever watched and is almost worth watching in a Mystery Science type of deal. The sound is at times hard to hear and the main actor seems to not know how to speak clearly. His accent makes him very hard to understand. The only bright sport is the acting of Penelope Ann Miller. Her role is underdeveloped but she plays it well. In short, do not waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +*Spoilers* Some people claim that Natural Born Killers is brilliant criticism of the media obsession with violence. But this contention ignores the actual content of the film. Oliver Stone could have shown his serial killers as vicious, inhuman murderers of innocent people and contrasted this with a morbid media fascination. Instead he lends them justification. The movie portrays just about every victim as someone who deserved to be hurt. Engaging in vicious stereotyping, Stone presents the victims as unpleasant caricatures - dumb rednecks, broken-English speaking immigrants, lazy fat people. The one person that the homicidal lovebirds is also a stereotype. Of course they befriend the old, hallucinogen-using American-Indian - because they're trendy, dude? Let's make him an admirable character. Fat, Chinese clerks and "hicks" are uncool, so let's make it seem like the deserve to die. Instead of twisted,hateful that are corrupted by their misdeeds, their rampage makes them happier and more in love. Mickey and Mallory are made sexy and cool and surreal visuals are bound to entice more impressionable people. Justice is mocked. The police and prison officials are portrayed as brutal, ugly and scowling compared to the GQ murderers. Again, this is not in the media reports within the film but in the "reality" in the film. There is no nuance or subtlety in the film - just overblown performances and visuals. The film says nothing new or specific about the obsession with violence. The proof that the film fails in its message lies in actual real world reactions to it. Some impressionable young people who saw this movie cited it as inspiration for murders that they committed. The film's "message" is a failure because it inspires people in the opposite direction with horrendous real-life results. The clever message is nowhere to be seen.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought this movie at a thrift store. Months before, my friend told me about it when we were talking about dumb movies we've seen. Once I spotted the cassette, I knew I had to have it. I watched it that night. I could tell it was going to be very cheesy and cheaply done. . . That's what drew me to it. I popped it in and I laughed the whole way through. I recognized Gregory (The Ice Cream Man), but I didn't recognize his name and I couldn't remember where I saw him. Later, while watching the Andy Griffith Show, Clint Howard (Ice Cream Man) was featured as an extra since he is Ron Howard (Opie Taylor)'s brother. I saw the credits and I gasped. I turned to my mom, who was also watching the show, and said, "That's the Ice Cream Man!!" She, too, gasped. This movie is great, but only for laughs and criticalness. It is the perfect example of a cheesy horror flick. If you feel like laughing as well as poking fun at low-budget movies, rent this video.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was perhaps the biggest waste of 2 hours of my life. From the opening 10 minutes, I was ready to leave. The cliches there slapping you in the face, and the plot was not only predictably stupid, but full of more holes than swiss cheese. I am considering suing for that lost 2 hours, and $6.25 along with the fact that I am now stupider for watching this waste of film. The T-Rex's must be flipping in their graves, so to speak.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this movie on television some years ago and frankly loved it. Charles Dance makes one of the most terrifying villains anyone can imagine. His sophistication is such a perfect contrast to the crudely good hero. I have never been much of an Eddie Murphy fan but find his irritating portrayal here a winner: a bit of "Axel Foley Through the Looking Glass". Charlotte Lewis is, to utilize a hackneyed phrase but the only one applicable, luminously gorgeous. Some scenes are wonderfully created: the dream sequence, the bird, the silly fight scenes, and the climactic confrontation. Through it all Murphy is the modern man suddenly dropped into an oriental myth, a stunned and quieter version of Kurt Russell in his oriental fantasy romp. Like that movie we have James Hong, the incomparable actor whose scenes, however short, raise the quality even of Derek. Since 1955 Hong has defined the fine supporting actor, the "class act" of his profession. "The Golden Child" is silly; it is not perfect; but it has so many redeeming features that it is an enjoyable and amusing fantasy, well worth watching. After four years I have seen "The Golden Child" again; I enjoyed it even more! It truly is great fun.$LABEL$ 1 +A few thoughts before I get to the heart of the film: 1) I have never seen so many bare breasts in a film before, displayed in so many non-sexual scenes -- it was weird; 2) Joseph Fiennes, where have you been? You charmed us in *Elizabeth* and *Shakespeare in Love*, and then you went away for awhile. Mainstream American wants more! Okay, I'm a college English professor, I have read this play many times, and this is probably the best film version I've seen of it. While individual aspects of other productions may have stood out, this is the overall package put together well. Pacino is no Olivier, but he doesn't need to be, so get over it! The film's cinematography is stunning and not just because of the bare breasts. Venice is portrayed amazingly, and you do get a feel for really being there. Portia's residential island is amazingly beautiful, and the lighting is always tinted the proper way for the scenes' appropriate moods.The anti-Semetism in this film/play is hard to watch, especially at the end. Pacino's dropping to the knees and clutching his religious artifact is perhaps the most powerful moment of his on film since *The Godfather Part III* (when Michael's daughter is gunned down on the opera steps). Is the play anti-Semetic? Sure. Is *Othello* racist? Sure. Take it for what it is: a commentary on the Elizabethan era, not a commentary on today.Fiennes is underutilized in the film, but still a pleasure to watch. The women in the film are alright; no one really stood out here, but they do blend in nicely with the scenery. Jeremy Irons and Pacino are excellent in the two juiciest roles, adversaries until the end. I've always felt Irons was underrated (I still get chills when I hear his voice from *The Lion King*), and Pacino is Pacino.$LABEL$ 1 +this is the worst film i have ever seen and what disappoints me the most is that this is yash raj film so at first when you see the promos you think yes thats definitely another yash raj hit But when you see the film your eyes will water with disappoint the storyline is stupid and dumb we've seen it many times boy is soon to marry and falls in love with a girl blah blah blah. if you do see this pathetic film don't go with you family there is too much exposure and kiss scene. i don even see why you would go to see it on your own. overall this is a disgraceful disgusting and anything else which is bad and starts with a d film don't go to see it you'll end up hating yash ji and yash raj films$LABEL$ 0 +This is a movie about the music that is currently being played in Istanbul. Istanbul was the center of the two Old World superpowers, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Today, it is a megalopolis of almost 10 million. So it is to no ones surprise that a lot of music is being played in Istanbul, with a great variety of voices, styles, and influences from everywhere on the globe. It is Turkish music, of course, and I was fascinated by Turkish music ever since I bought my first record long time ago. The movie features different singers, instrumentalists and bands. Spoken comments from the musicians nicely illustrate the music being played, and the social context in modern Turkey. For my perspective, the most interesting comments were from Orhan Gencebay. Furthermore, the movies shows urban scenery mainly from Istanbul which is very pleasant to watch."Crossing the Bridge" is listed as a documentary and it includes music from minorities, e.g. Kurds and Roma. Other important topics are omitted such as Turkish jazz music, or music of the Armenians and Greeks.This movie is strongly recommended for lovers of the music and culture of Turkey, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It may also be worthwhile for those with a keen interest in the global effects of musical styles such as Rock and Roll or Hip Hop.$LABEL$ 1 +The stories were pretty weird, not really funny and not really cunning. I'm not sure what the point of the stories was .. The first story was actually mostly sick, the second was just really really pathetic and the third was only weird (the fake baby was actually quite badly made).$LABEL$ 0 +The various Law & Order and CSI franchises had better be glad Dolomite doesn't pass through. The lady cops,ADAs,and coroners would all be enthralled and the males be subject to such soul shivering,badge melting warp speed kicks ( Wouldn't you just love to see David Caruso's Horatio and that know it all on CSI get Dolomite's Hush Puppies pulled from their respective asses)Ice T might start crying and get back on the Playa Trail.Low low budget,bad but enthusiastic acting,and a vision at what gutbucket nightclubs offered to its patrons;funk bands soul singers,the last vestiges of old style Chitlin Circuit entertainers( that weirdling dance troupe)James Brown,Wilson Pickett,Otis Redding,and a host of others came from those clubs to glory, while their peers labored on in local or regional stardom. Rudy Ray Moore came from that background and the character of Dolomite is a mix of the bold Black badasses who strutted through. He shouldn't have went to the joint, the swine didn't have a warrant, how his middle aged ,blubbery self maintained a loyal stable of kung fu wenches is a mystery only a student of cults can explain, but all that is beside the point. It's a glorious home movie of a legendary performer that compared to the mirrors of actors ranging from Established Hollywood to indie film snorefests,hits its mark. A fun dumb movie!$LABEL$ 1 +There are actually some good reasons, why a person should take the risk of going totally insane by watching this show. The breasts are nice, even though some of them aren't that real, but they usually come in pairs, which is good. Watching the beach on your screen is also a very relaxing experience, as it is an ideal place for just taking it easy and not worrying too much about getting eaten by a rubber shark. It's always good to remember, that David Hasselhoff is a god. Not the god, but a god. It's not so much about his acting skills, since there are none, but his chesthair does a lot of talking. Also, there's no KITT hanging out in this series, which is good, since Mr Hasselhoff told in an interview, that he always thought KITT was gay. Naturally that might make him to look like an idiot, but considering the other statements he has made lately, it shouldn't be surprising to anyone.In a nutshell, this is the kind of show, that is totally harmless to people. It gives us a lot to stare at and a lot to laugh at, which is something many intentionally humoristic shows really don't give us. I have to say, it's no wonder that Borat fell in love with Pamela Anderson. I enjoy watching the show. No, it's not a great show, actually it's quite horrible, but I enjoy watching it. It's basically like a B-movie stretched to last for a decade.$LABEL$ 0 +Dig! I would say to anyone even if you don't like Metallica to see 'some kind of monster' it is a spinal tap type documentary about one of the biggest bands in the world acting like mental kids during a breakdown of sorts. It's fun and fascinating. Along the same lines comes dig! A film about 'the Dandy Warhol's' and 'the Brian Jonestown massacre' two Portland bands who start off a kind of music scene in there home town only for one of the bands to become huge and one to fall by the wayside into the musical history books. Right from the start the two bands pull in opposite directions just on their ability to make decisions whether good or bad. Filmed over seven years and at times painful to watch we see the dandy's meteoric rise to fame (thanks to that vodaphone ad!) and the Jonestown seminal fall from scene instigators to bickering wannabes. As the bands become more disjointed the friendships are stretched tension tight and at several points snap into arguments and even on stage fights. All of this is half funny and half tragic and believe it or not is perversely watch able. Like I said at the beginning you can watch the Metallica film even if you have no interest in the band. Dig! on the other hand is slightly different and is more enjoyable and a whole lot easier to watch if you have a passing interest in either band. Still a good film and more a testament to not be in a band than encouraging that as a career path. Dig! Is a mad ride on rock and roll's coat tails and a fine example of the pitfalls and pleasures of being or wanting to be famous.$LABEL$ 1 +I happened upon this film by accident, and really enjoyed. Timothy Busfield's character is without redeeming qualities, and at one point, Busfield and star Meloni ogle women as they pass by...Meloni's take on the parade is different from Busfield's. Janel Maloney is terrific...She looks very much like Tea Leone, but the major difference here is that Janel can actually ACT. Some very nice things in this film and well worth your attention when it's on cable.$LABEL$ 1 +Just finished this movie... saw it on the video shelf and being a Nick Stahl fan I just had to rent it. In all honesty, it probably should have stayed on the shelf. The concept was an interesting one and there were several fairly smart twists and turns but somehow I guessed almost all of them before they came along. And the movie just went a little too far in the end in my opinion... if you have to suffer through a viewing of it you'll see what I mean!On a positive note, Nick Stahl's acting was great (especially considering what he had to work with). Eddie Kaye Thomas was also good but he always plays the same type of character... too much Paul Finch from "American Pie" coming through for my liking.And finally, the worst part of this movie has to be January Jones' emotionless performance... I guess a pretty face really is all that matters in Hollywood.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie when it first came out. It was an official selection for the Temecula Valley International Film Festival and I voted for it for best picture.Justine Priestley is hot as the psychotic, but complex Amanda. This is not your ordinary psycho movie. Lots of interesting and original slants on the genre. Sort of a "Fatal Attraction" for the younger set with some great blues music mixed in as the object of Amanda's affection is married to an up and coming blues singer who has less time for her husband as her career takes off.$LABEL$ 1 +As over the past ten years or even longer the whole world is flooded with so-called sitcoms (actually only very few deserve this title 'cause they're so predictable), King of Queens is a very original, unique and astoundingly funny alternation. It's about the daily life of a deliveryman and his wife who works as an attorney's assistant in Manhattan in Queens, NY. With them lives Carrie's father Arthur, a picture-book extrovert, who is played by the fantastic Jerry Stiller and who steals the show from all the others every time he appears. Other important people are their best friends Deacon and Kelly, a married couple, and their other friend Spence who's almost 30 and still lives with his mother. What makes this show so unique and funny is, above all, that every single character seems so real and Carrie's cynical, sarcastic attitude is the total opposite of Doug's good-natured, slightly dumb optimism.And Arthur's the one who makes it absolutely unpredictable with his strange ideas and habits. He often gets himself into trouble and Doug and Carrie have to drag him out of the mud. Even if in my opinion the quality of the show decreased a little within the last years it's still one of the best daily sitcoms ever made. It takes a little time to get into the characters and relate to them, but after that's done, you get some unstoppable laughs from it. Although I think I couldn't survive one day with Arthur in a closed room without beating the guts out of him, I really adore him in this show. Watch and have fun, I give it a 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +In this 'sequel' Bruce is still called Billy Lo (get it? Bruce= Billy, Lo= Lee. No?) But apart from that, that's all it has in common with the other movie. Billy doesn't seem to be an actor anymore. He seems to be in another country. He's more like a spy. He's the only cast member to return and sadly, they kill him off to make way for a new character, his brother, Bobby. Sadly, when Bruce dies, the movie pretty much dies with him. This was extremely poorly made. It seemed like they were writing the script as they were filming. The footage works for a while (it's not too obvious at first) but soon Bruce is always shown in the dark all the time (he kicks out a light at one stage for no other apparent reason to hide the fact that it's not Bruce playing the part). Sadly when he dies the movie changes. I can't help but wonder if they were filming as they were writing and may well have planned to keep Bruce alive, but later decided to kill him off because it would not have been plausible as Bobby does not appear until Billy is dead. It's hard to change the lead character halfway in the movie and Bruce is a hard act to follow so it's hard to now accept Bobby as the star. Bruce is never seen again in this movie. I think they should have made this sequel without Bruce he has a lame role in this movie. People hoping to see a new Bruce Lee movie will be disappointed to see that although he's given the top billing, he only has a featuring role. Even the worst movies have at least one memorable bit. If there was one bit about this movie people seem to talk about, it's the scene where Billy fights in a plant nursery. Ironically it doesn't even use Bruce Lee footage. Mind you, they did it more convincingly in No Retreat No Surrender. Not one of the other actors here ever made anything else memorable. Bruce's girlfriend (Colleen Camp) is never mentioned. My advice is to turn it off as soon as Bruce is finished writing his letter to his brother. Nothing else in the movie is worth watching. I found it really sad to see Bruce die. I don't see how a small budgeted movie like this could get enough money to use footage from Enter The Dragon. This was a cheap way of trying to cash in on Bruce's name. Oddly this and the original are credited in Bruce's filmography. Thankfully so far, no one has tried anything like this again. 1981 was the year of Bruce's last movie appearance. It was a sad way to end it, but thankfully this is proof that Bruce's movie career should be left alone.$LABEL$ 0 +A young man, who never knew his birth parents, receives an old farm in an isolated section of West Virginia upon the death of his natural father. He visits his property with a cross-section of potential victims including the comic relief black guy and a trendy lesbian couple. (Hmm, will there be skinny dipping? Take a guess.) Unfortunately, the party comes to an end when the spirits of drifters killed by his evil great-grandfather and used as scarecrows come back for revenge. This film starts out well. An artful montage of depression-era photographs and phony newspapers set against a speech by FDR - this, I believe, is his first appearance in a killer scarecrow movie- establishes the mood. I developed some hopes for the film, which were partially realized. The story was serviceable enough. The setting was sufficiently bucolic. The photography was mostly in focus. The acting, while no great shakes, was slightly above par for horror movies in this budget range. The film might've actually worked within the narrow demands of the genre if the scarecrows were scary. But they weren't They looked cheap. They weren't frightening at all. The better the monster, the better the movie. These scarecrows wouldn't scare Dorothy, let alone Toto.$LABEL$ 0 +C'était complètement minable : à fuir absolument! This was an idiotic attempt to destroy classic source material, and thoroughly succeeded!Do not see this film under any circumstances unless you wish to have your ten euros torn up and shoved up your nostrils by a bunch of vapid, atrociously unamusing characters.This type of film clearly illustrates the gulf that still unfortunately divides directors and audiences. If the individual (heaven forbid a collective could have conceived this dross) behind this had been considerate enough to watch the version currently playing in French cinemas, he or she would have endured what I was forced to endure, and mercifully rewritten it or just scrapped it altogether. The vein of adult humour being mined here dates, to my mind, back to Fritz the Cat but lacks that film's avant-garde status or even its base attempt at social commentary.With the proliferation of remakes and increasing reliance on pre-existing source material to fund storytelling these days, one would hope that choosing Snow White, and thus not having to worry about conceiving characters or a radically new story, would have allowed more time for, oh I don't know, interesting animation, smarter jokes, perhaps a coherent film that has something to say and doesn't telegraph its vacuity from the opening frame? A manifestly appalling production.$LABEL$ 0 +A French film Ester Williams would love. But the synchronized swimming was only a hook for the story of three girls in a Paris exurbia finding themselves. No question where Sciamma's sympathies lie as all the boys are depicted as "animaux" but actually only the 3 girls are in focus, and for the entire time, with the few adults and the other adolescents being mostly in the background. Marie is a stick of a girl, unattractive, but determined. She wants to be a swimmer and forces herself on Floriane ( a Renascence quality beauty per one reviewer) and she is also a friend of convenience to Anna: not unattractive, but for her, the time of her body's perfection was short, and now she is an adolescent in a women's body. What ensues is a journey to self-realization without a road map but there is a glumness about the three that is un-natural: where is the gaiety and mindless chatter of youth? While the dénouement was breath taking, with Floriane's self-absorption beautifully portrayed, as well as the equally beautiful union of Marie and Anne, it all seemed abstract, Sciamma's puppets.$LABEL$ 1 +and a 30,000$ budget and this movie still looks like it was made for 50$. You can tell from the first frame to the last that he didn't care one bit about the movies continuity or plot, he was just happy to be making a zombie movie. What the end result shows is a lazy film maker who loves zombie movies. It could have been great if he just had of given a care. The end result is endless zoom ins on poorly done gore, and even more poorly produced metal plays over it.What happens when you combine high hopes, big dreams, a decent budget, hard work, and one idiot behind the camera.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, why complain about this movie? It's fiction. Deal with it. If you want to see the biography, go watch it. This is an original, fictionalized version of what happened in Wisconsin. People who are obsessed will complain about this, as they do every other deviation of the facts. Sad but true. I think making Kane Hodder the man in which the film is named after was a great idea. I thought it wasn't so good at first, I'll be honest. But that just made it even scarier. If you like Kane Hodder, Ed Gein or movies based on real events, I think this is a good movie. But if you're obsessed (like some other people) stay away from this movie and all others.$LABEL$ 1 +Music videos are often completely disregarded in any discussion about film, with most people considering them to be a lesser art form. While a great majority are merely flashy clips to advertise a popular performer's latest hit single, a precious few really do rise above the rest, becoming works of art in their own right {anything directed by Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry is always worth watching}. While "art" isn't precisely the word I'd use to describe Michael Jackson's 'Thriller (1983),' it is an intensely-likable hybrid of schlock horror and music, and an outrageously-campy short film that remains remarkably endearing nearly 25 years later. The thirteen-minute music video, both the longest and most expensive ever at the time of its release, was directed by John Landis, a filmmaker I'm not terribly familiar with, though 'The Blues Brothers (1980)' is a classic, and I hear that 'An American Werewolf in London (1981)' is a stupendously entertaining horror/comedy.Whether or not 'Thriller' actually qualifies as a music video is certainly up for debate, taking into account its extensive length {though Jackson bettered this effort with 1997's 'Ghosts,' at 38 minutes} and the fact that the title song comprises less than half of the total running time. The video opens with a brief film-within-a-film, as Michael, on a quiet and brightly-lit night, reveals to his girlfriend (Ola Ray) that he is "different" from other guys, transforming into a hideous werewolf as the nighttime clouds part to reveal a full moon. As he presumably decapitates the unfortunate heroine, we come across Michael and his girl in the movie theatre, actually watching this drama unfold in a horror picture. When the girl becomes frightened, they both leave cinema and begin to walk home, at which point Michael begins to sing the opening lines of his latest song, "Thriller." However, when a hoard of blood-thirsty zombies emerge from the local graveyard {their entrance ghoulishly narrated by Vincent Price}, the situation begins to get interesting.It's difficult to quite put my finger on why 'Thriller' is considered one of the greatest of all music videos. It can't simply be that the song itself is a lot of fun, and Michael Jackson – though he has since become the butt of all comedians' jokes for his peculiar personality and doings – there's no doubt that he is an excellent singer and performer. Perhaps a decent explanation for the film's popularity is the incredible amount of work that must have gone into it; nothing like it had ever been seen before, and it still remains something of an oddity in the world of music videos. The gruesome monster make-up effects were engineered by Rick Baker, and are surprisingly graphic for a music clip, though it's all carried out with a good sense of fun. Several moments make for some genuinely exciting suspense, successfully capturing the atmosphere of the films which it is parodying {though always with a cheesy twist on the usual formula}. Simply put, you'll never look at a zombie movie in the same way again!$LABEL$ 1 +If you went to this movie to see some huge academy award presentation...oh well..but if you wanted to see a funny delightful adaptation of an old classic, you will love it..Jim Carey was incredible as usual. The story line was great, a few parts added like the history of the Grinch made it even better. Ron Howard never misses a beat..But although there were a few ADULT comments and cleavage added, this is supped to be a kids or family show. Try not to lose sight of that ..if you do you really wont enjoy the movie...and as for the comments about Ron Howard, try to direct a major motion picture and see how you do..its not easy as it looks ...$LABEL$ 1 +Ed (Kel Mitchell) is a teenager who lives for his job at Good Burger, a small but friendly neighborhood hamburger stand, while his buddy Dexter (Kennan Thompson) also works there, but lack Ed's single-minded devotion to his job he's there because he accidentally destroyed the car of his teacher Mr. Wheat (Sinbad) and has to raise money to pay the damages. When Mondo Burger, a mammoth fast-foot chain, opens across the street, it looks like Good Burger is history, until Ed formulates a secret sauce that brings hundreds of new customers to their door. However, the monomaniacal manager of Mondo Burger, Kurt (Jan Schweiterman), is determined to get his hands on the sauce and put Good Burger out of business. Meanwhile, Ed and Dexter must rescue Otis (Abe Vigoda), the world's oldest fast food employee, from the Demented Hills Asylum, and Ed might just find love with Monique (Shar Jackson) if he could take his mind off the burgers long enough to pay attention to her. Good Burger is a comedy directed for kids, decent story, acting, and overall a pretty harmless kids movie.$LABEL$ 0 +THE BROKEN is part of the After Dark Horrorfest III. Not a slasher or filled with gore. Plenty of broken glass and mirrors in this edgy thriller from France and writer/director Sean Ellis. A successful radiologist Gina McVay(Lena Headly)inters a strange world as her life seems to spiral out of control. While attending her father's(Richard Jenkins)birthday party, the guests are stunned when a mirror crashes to the floor for no obvious reason. Things get really strange when she witnesses a woman that is the spitting image of herself driving down a London street in a car identical to her own. Gina sneaks to her doppelganger's apartment and finds a photo of herself with her father. She drives away and is involved in a head on collision. Then mysteriously her boyfriend is not the same; to be exact family and friends are not easy for her to trust. Is Gina beside herself? Is she in a parallel world? Her nightmares become more horrific...is she broken?Kudos if you can figure this one out...it won't be easy. Editing couldn't be any tighter. Lighting is questionable. Other players: Melvil Poupard, William Armstrong, Michelle Duncan and Ulrich Thomsen.$LABEL$ 0 +I totally disagree with the other reviews.All basically negative.I took a chance on this movie and was glad that I did.Glad indeed.I couldn't find anything wrong with it.Nothing period.The script is original.The actors are all likable and convincing.Dee Smart reminded me of Marcia Brady from the Brady Bunch.But this gal truly can act.The setting in the Australian Outback is perfect.Incredible scenery.Great soundtrack i.e Paul Kelly.God bless Paul Kelly.The Cranberries are also here.I have seen this movie twice in less than 24 hrs.I will probably watch it again.It is that interesting.It makes one think.It is(was)probably better than nine-tenths of the so-called Hollywood blockbusters that were also out during this time.Back Of Beyond is a likable.Well photographed film.I couldn't find anything wrong with it.Check it out!My first review!$LABEL$ 1 +A blockbuster at the time of it's original release (it was the second-highest grossing film of 1976), the third screen version of A STAR IS BORN has always divided critics and fans alike. The film open to scathingly negative reviews, however, $5.6 million-budgeted picture went on to gross over $150 million at the box office and won an Academy Award and five Golden Globes. It's not without some irony that Streisand's most commercially successful film would also remain her most controversial. For every ten fans who state that STAR is Streisand's best film, there are always ten more who claim it is the weakest film in her filmography. Although both sides have some merit to support their claims, it should still be noted that the seventies take on A STAR IS BORN remains one of the most touching and highly entertaining showbiz dramas that Hollywood ever produced. For my money, it's the best version of the often-told tale.The film is solidly enjoyable and throughly absorbing. Changing the setting from the old Hollywood studio system to the competitive world of the music industry was actually a great idea, and the screenplay forges a realistic contrast between the characters' romance and their careers. This is the main area that the 1976 version of A STAR IS BORN actually surpasses it's classic predecessors. For example, the film is especially successful when depicting the clashing personal and professional difficulties during recording sessions and the never-ending phone calls that interrupt Kristofferson's songwriting attempts. This version of the story is also more believable in it's portrayal of the lead characters. For example, the female leads in the two previous versions were so virtuous and self-sacrificing that they came off as saints. On the other hand, Esther, the female lead in this version, is not only portrayed as being strong and passionate, but also flawed and conflicted. This makes her feel more "real" than the Janet Gaynor or Judy Garland characters felt in the previous films, and makes the story that much more effective.The performances are all on target, even if some of the supporting characters aren't fleshed out enough. If you're looking for an actress/singer who can walk the fine line between tough and vulnerable without making herself seem like a script contrivance, Streisand is definitely the girl you want. She's one of the few film stars who can make even the most banal dialogue seem fresh and natural, and, as usual, she manages to make a strong emotional connection with the viewer. Simply put, her Esther is a fully-realized, three-dimensional human being. Kris Kristofferson may not get much respect now for his laid-back characterization, however, he's always interesting watch and displays a magnetic charisma here that he seldom displayed elsewhere in his career. Kristofferson actually received rave reviews at the time from NEWSWEEK, TIME, and even the NEW YORKER's usually vicious Pauline Kael. Gary Busey and Paul Mazursky also give believable performances, but both have a fairly minimal amount of screen time.The film's soundtrack recording was also a massive success, hitting the #1 on Billboard's Hot 200 and selling over four million copies in the US alone. The Streisand-composed "Evergreen" (with lyrics from Paul Williams) is unarguably one of the most gorgeous songs in contemporary pop, brought to even-further life by an absolutely incomparable vocal performance from Streisand. The rest of the film's original songs (mostly composed by Williams and Rupert Holmes) are pretty good as well, and Streisand sounds fantastic - her live solo numbers remain in the memory long after the rest of the movie has faded. Streisand's vibrant performances bring "Woman In The Moon" and "With One More Look At You" to thrilling life, and make even sillier numbers like "Queen Bee" work far better than they have the right to. Kristofferson's solo numbers sound somewhat tuneless, however, that may have been intentional since he is playing a singer in decline.Though naturally dated in some respects (it definitely does reflect the decade in which it was made), the seventies take on A STAR IS BORN still holds up remarkably well. The film is well-mounted and slickly produced, the chemistry between the leads is extremely powerful and always feels genuine, and Streisand has two emotional scenes near the finale that are both aching effective. In conclusion, A STAR IS BORN is not only entertaining and moving, but it also transcends all criticism.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a disappointment - none of the nuance of the original. The Brits just seem to be able to make a truly unsettling film with none of the over-the-top histrionics of the American version. The original series combined both creepy stories and subtlety of performance with great attention to lighting and settings. I have watched the series many times and am still enthralled.Just another poor adaptation along the lines of the dreadful adaptation of "Cracker". Get hooked up with BBC America or BBC Canada and watch for such delights as Waking the Dead, Spooks, Silent Witness, and Judge John Deed. Watch the original Touching Evil, then look for "Wire in the Blood" for more of the truly understated, elegant performance of Robson Green. Hollywood needs to have a look at this actor!$LABEL$ 0 +Not to be confused with the above average supernatural thriller "The Sentinel". The Sentinel was a big bore of a movie for me, not delivering the consistent action, a couple of critics promised on the back. To me it seemed like everyone was Halfassing it, and only there to make some quick cash, because this felt very much like a made for TV film. The Sentinel is a rehash of several better films, like "In The Line Of Fire" this does not have any originality in it, and watching Michael Douglas run around, felt kinda silly in my opinion. The Main problem besides it's unoriginality, had to be the poor pace. I often got distracted while trying to view this movie, while looking how much run time was left, more then once. Not only the miscasting with Eva Longoria, who couldn't convince worth a lick.Performances. Michael Douglas is usually a dependable actor, here is obviously going through the motions. He does not convince as a man on a run, or a secret agent. His chemistry with Bassinger, was also off. I'm a big fan of Kiefer Sutherland, but here he is only OK, nothing more then that. He tries to come across as a gruff, but managed to be more bland then anything else, and to be honest, he didn't seem that interested. Eva Longoria Parker is pretty mediocre. She does not convince in her role, and was pure eye candy. Kim Basinger is pretty terrible as the 1st lady. She looks bored to tears, and her role is a throw away, more then anything else. Martin Donovan has a big part in the end, but not enough to matter for me.Bottom line. The Sentinel is yet, another political thriller, that bored me to tears. It's too old, too tired, and most importantly the lack of effort sucked. Not recommended.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This is an example of why the majority of action films are the same. Generic and boring, there's really nothing worth watching here. A complete waste of the then barely-tapped talents of Ice-T and Ice Cube, who've each proven many times over that they are capable of acting, and acting well. Don't bother with this one, go see New Jack City, Ricochet or watch New York Undercover for Ice-T, or Boyz n the Hood, Higher Learning or Friday for Ice Cube and see the real deal. Ice-T's horribly cliched dialogue alone makes this film grate at the teeth, and I'm still wondering what the heck Bill Paxton was doing in this film? And why the heck does he always play the exact same character? From Aliens onward, every film I've seen with Bill Paxton has him playing the exact same irritating character, and at least in Aliens his character died, which made it somewhat gratifying...Overall, this is second-rate action trash. There are countless better films to see, and if you really want to see this one, watch Judgement Night, which is practically a carbon copy but has better acting and a better script. The only thing that made this at all worth watching was a decent hand on the camera - the cinematography was almost refreshing, which comes close to making up for the horrible film itself - but not quite. 4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I had never seen such an incredible acting job in a motion picture as I did when I saw Daniel Day-Lewis play Christy Brown in My Left Foot. In fact off the scene his role wasn't even over. He played the role of Christy Brown or at least disabled like him all through the filming of the movie and needed surgery because of the damage his superior acting had done to his back. To me that is remarkable and through all the pain he put up with to act that role I believe it is quite true to say he put on the most Oscar worthy performance in history. He was so masterful in this tough a part that I believe no one could have done it better or with more of an impact than him. Although I cannot say it is the greatest movie of all time I can say that how he played this impossible a role and then kept on acting it until it wasn't even acting anymore is without a doubt the greatest feet I will ever seen an actor do. Probably a man too for that matter.$LABEL$ 1 +Jill Dunne (played by Mitzi Kapture), is an attractive, nice woman, over-whelmed by a smart-mouthed teenage daughter, Liv (Martha MacIsaac) and a petty, two-timing husband, Sean (Rick Roberts), both of which were tediously self-centered, and obnoxious.This was advertised as a troubled family stalked by a crazed killer during a relentless storm.The storm doesn't even happen until about the last 5 minutes of the film, and then it isn't anything to send anybody running to the storm cellar.The stalking, likewise doesn't get intense until almost the end of the film.Most of the film we spend listening to Jill and her insufferable daughter, Liv, argue until I just wanted to back slap the daughter into next week.Jill's problem with Liv is that she has taken up with Zack, a boy of questionable character, and they are constantly making out--in fact Jill comes home to find the two of them on Liv's bed.The rest of the time we spend listening to Jill's husband Sean either whine at Jill or criticize her.Sean was not at all appealing--since his face is so covered in freckles you could play connect the dots.The story begins with Jill being notified of an out-standing bill on their credit card for a hotel she has never been to, and that she thought Sean had never been to either.Jill goes to the hotel where she meets the owner & manager, Richard Grant (Nick Mancuso), a very nice, older, divorced man, who is sympathetic to her. In fact, when he spots her husband there again, he phones Jill and tips her off.Jill returns to the hotel, sees Sean with another woman. She is upset, leaves without Sean seeing her, and does absolutely nothing. In fact, she doesn't even say anything to Sean when he arrives home. This made no sense to me.Jill has given Richard her business card, and so he calls her and she is apparently in real estate. She shows him a condo. Afterwards they have a drink, and things get cozy between them.Richard and Jill are getting it on, hot and heavy. In fact, he seems a bit more aggressive than necessary, when Jill suddenly decides to cut out.Jill and Sean have a confrontation about his cheating. Sean whines about how Jill has been letting him down since her father died. Apparently his lack of any morals is all her fault. Eventually Jill confesses her own lack of morals and near adultery to Sean--and of course that's all her fault too, as far as Sean is concerned.The little family decides to go on a camping trip--which means more whining and grousing among them, especially from the spoiled daughter.I was so rooting for the stalker to get everybody, but Jill.3 stars$LABEL$ 0 +There's a thin line between being theatrical and being just plain forced. Forced acting. Forced takes. Forced plot. Even forced photography. There's people who say "the movie develops that way because it's from Asia" but I don't see any kind of forced elements on Seven Samurai or Sonatine. There's a thin line between being fiction (and every work of art it is, in it's way, fiction) and being just unlikely.In a more personal way, I just don't feel anything with the movie, it doesn't take me anywhere, and I just can't believe in the fictional world it is proposed. It just doesn't feel right, there's something in it or through that just doesn't click.$LABEL$ 0 +Life is comprised of infinite possibilities; some known, others a mystery and destined to remain so. And what of the vast unknown, the realms beyond which knowledge has no established boundaries or parameters? Who is to say what exists or what is possible? Valid questions, all of which are raised and explored in the story of a particular individual's personal journey, a strange and dramatic odyssey that defies facts and logic, in `K-PAX,' directed by Iain Softley, and starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. In the wake of an incident in New York's Central Station, a man named Prot (Spacey) is transported to a psychiatric hospital in Manhattan, where he is delivered into the care of Dr. Mark Powell (Bridges), who attempts to uncover the truth about his patient, who claims to be from the distant planet K-PAX. It quickly becomes a challenge for Dr. Powell, as Prot, with his calm, direct, forthcoming manner and a propensity for produce (he eats bananas peels and all, and Red Delicious Apples are his favorites) is quite convincing. But it's Powell's job, as well as his nature, to be skeptical. Prot's claims, however, remain intact and stand up even under the most intense probing and the watchful eye of Dr. Powell, who finds himself in something of a quandary-- Prot even tells him the exact date and time that he will depart for K-PAX, a scheduled return trip that allows Powell but a short time to sort it all out. And Powell just can't seem to get his mind around the idea that he is dealing with a real alien being; and it's something he is going to have to resolve quickly, if he is ever going to know the truth. And he has to know. The truth, after all, is the only thing that is going to set him free in his own mind. Softley has created and delivered a sensitive, thought-provoking film that challenges the viewer by sustaining the mystery surrounding Prot while forcing you to reflect upon your own concepts of what is, in fact, possible. And as you never know for sure about Prot until the denouement, you are able to identify with Powell, seeing the situation from his point of view and trying to solve the riddle right along with him. Softley creates an atmosphere of wonder and a real sense of being confronted with something that is truly unique as the story unfolds and you begin to realize that Prot just may be what he says he is. And in the context of the reality to which the film is disposed, it's an engrossing matter to try to wrap your mind around. How do you react when all of the evidence is contrary to the physical limitations we've set for ourselves? While at the heart of the film there is a resounding depth of humanity that is evident, not only in Prot, but in Dr. Powell, as well. All of which makes for an extremely engaging and gripping drama. As we've come to expect, Kevin Spacey gives a brilliant performance as Prot, presenting his character from the inside out, emotionally deep and physically convincing at the same time. This is a unique individual, and Spacey brings him to life with care and the ability to share those moments that are particularly revealing, which adds to the believability of the character and the credibility of the story itself. For this film to work, it is essential that we believe who and what Prot is; we do, and it does. Spacey simply pulls it off magnificently. It's a memorable performance, from which evolves a character that will stay with you for a long, long time. Jeff Bridges, meanwhile, emerges on equal footing with Spacey, adeptly making a very real person of Dr. Powell. It's a fairly straightforward role, and the challenge for Bridges was to take this very normal and ordinary character and make him unique in his own right, which, opposite the character of Prot was no small task. And, again, for this film to work it was necessary for Bridges to rise to the occasion. And, with exceptional skill and being the consummate professional that he is, he succeeds without question. Bridges infuses Powell with an underlying complexity, and is so giving in his performance, that it makes the interaction between Powell and Prot vibrant, and at times intense. It's a demonstration of two of the finest actors in the business doing what they do best, creating a dynamic that is alive and inspiring. It's a great job by Bridges, who never attempts to steal the spotlight from Prot, which serves to raise the level of the film to an even higher notch. The supporting cast includes Mary McCormack (Rachel), Alfre Woodard (Dr. Villers), Ajay Naidu (Dr. Naidiu), Vincent Laresca (Navarro), Kimberly Scott (Joyce), Conchata Ferrell (Betty) and Saul Williams (Ernie). An entertaining, emotionally involving film, `K-PAX' is a dissertation on possibilities, as well as an examination of the ever evolving complexities of the human condition. It's a film that demands an open mind and rewards those who are able to approach it on it's own terms and embrace it. In the end, it makes you realize just how real K-PAX is; and it makes you appreciate Prot's journey, and just how much we all share and have in common with those around us, human or alien. And it may just make you reflect upon your own journey-- where you've been and where you're going. And that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 10/10. $LABEL$ 1 +The concept for Sarafina appears to be a sound one, that is aside from the musical perspective. It attempts to combine upbeat African music with a story describing the atrocious conditions and atmosphere that black people were forced to endure at the time the film was set. The contradictions of each of the two elements are too glaring and the film never justifies such rapid shifts between jubilation and terror. Had it simply been a drama reflecting these conditions it may have been a good film, however the scenes of school children being shot down by soldiers don't exactly sit well next to the songs. Aside from the poor premise the acting isn't the best either, Goldberg gives a mediocre performance as does the remainder of the cast. Overall a disappointment.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately, this film is typical of the watering down of a good film by numerous sequels. Universal made several serial monster films in the 1940s, which were pale imitations of the original. The intelligent Egyptologist Imhotep has been replaced by a leg-dragging Frankenstein in mummy wrappings, who exhibits no signs of intelligent life. This film is entertaining in spots but if you have seen The Mummy (1932), you will be disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +Proud as i am of being a Dutchman, i'm truly shocked by flicks like these. Why? why this cheap acting? Why this storyline that just sucks? why a dozen sequels? why o why? they add a lot of hot Dutch chicks in an effort of saving this movie from redemption, and guess what? all the underaged breezergirlies in Holland go and see it. I was forced to watch it at a party. all the girls were going crazy when Daan Schuurmans entered the screen, all the guys took a another beer and grumbled... But the thing that really bothers me, is the fact that this kind of flicks are the only sort of movies Dutch filmmakers can produce... (apart from "Van God Los" and "Lek") This doesn't prove our superiority to other countries.. It doesn't add anything to our imagination... It just F**ks up the brains of little 13 year old girls... Johan Nijenhuis, I hope you will burn forever!$LABEL$ 0 +In 1987, John Hughes wrote and directed 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles', which was a hilarious and poignant comedy – the best thing he's ever done. Ten years on he's reduced to again recycling the plot of 'Home Alone' in this second sequel, which is not connected to the other films but is equally uninspired and sadistic. The four crooks – that's right, four! And one of them is a girl! Congratulations, Hughes, for introducing this revolutionary change to the series! – are electrocuted with metal chairs, brained with barbells and blinded with paint, ha ha ha haaaaaaaa ha, while the new kid is even less charming than Culkin. You'd think that the departure of almost all the key players from the first two films would stop Hughes from fossilising the same old routines, but the only surprise is that not even he turned up for 'Home Alone 4'.$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps it's me and my perverted ways, or the fact that I tend to have a very sick mind, but I rented this film at random one very weird night and to my great surprise, I enjoyed it. Yes, I read the synopsis on the back of the DVD box and read that it had been banned for 25 years and figured I was prepared for anything it would offer. I was clearly deceived after seeing...well...everything, to cut a long story short. I can see why it was banned, not only for such explicit sex scenes, but for beastiality. Of course, as it is freely based on the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, a personal favorite of mine, it tells the story of a girl's sexual awakening over a dream about a duchess being chased by a whatever-the-hell-that-thing-was-like beast with an enormous erection and a substantial amount of ejaculation. Of course, the beast gets what he wants and the duchess decides she likes it and they continue frolicking in the woods. But that's not all. Oh, there is so much more! Not only do we get to see interspecial sex, but there's also humping horses, the babysitter who gets down and dirty with the slave when she's not humping the bed to get her...er...satisfaction and the daydreaming girl masturbating with rose petals. Creative and enjoyable, but it did take a while for my father to talk to me again after he watched it after I went to bed...I was 15. Words of advice when watching this film: make sure you're the only one who knows you have it and watch it with the curtains closed. It may be fun, but I doubt there are other porn films like this one.$LABEL$ 1 +I simply give this a three because it fulfilled what my buddies and I hoped it would do: entertain. I wasn't stupid enough to rent this thinking it would be a zombie film up there with the likes of Romero or Fulci, but what I rented it for was a laugh. If you are looking for a film for amusement, or a film to make you shake your head in embarrassment, go for it. This is perfect for junior- "Mystery Science Theater" fans, but the only downside is that it is so bad, it makes fun of itself. I, personally, think it is a shame to relate this to any other Hollywood title that we may know, because when a film sucks like this, it has its own genre.$LABEL$ 0 +The critics didn't like this film. It bombed in the States and as a result received only a limited showing in Britain. Which was a great shame, because it represents British rather than American humour and should have been shown in Britain first.Nicole Kidman looks stunning and is a totally convincing Russian. Ben Chaplin is the Dustin Hoffman character from 'The Graduate', and 'Birthday Girl' has at least 4 scenes which remind the viewer of that 1960s classic (despite being a totally different story!).Sure it changes tack a number of times from comedy to black comedy to thriller to adventure - but it's memorable, moving and a weclome breath of fresh air compared to the average mega-budget blockbuster.See it with an open mind!$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen this movie when I was young, and I remembered it as one of the first films I have truly liked that was not an action movie or a comedy. So, in my later years I decided to watch it again and see if it was just nostalgia or was there really something in that movie. To my surprise, the movie held to my every expectations. It's a great movie. Emotional in the right amount, some jokes, nice songs (not great though, and that actually explains why I did not remember it was a musical) and all in all a great use to my time. I was surprised because the last movies from my childhood that I have revisited did not even pass my minimal demands of a decent movie and yet this movie, which I first saw in the second grade, made me cry today just like it made me cry then. Maybe that's because my dog died recently and maybe not, but the important thing is that it made me feel, and that's why filmmakers make films (that and the money, of course). Yes, there are continuity glitches. Yes, the script has holes, but it doesn't matter. The movie itself is fun and smart. So don't be fooled by cynical people who always look for the bad things in life, because nothing is perfect, and this movie gets a 10 not because it is perfect. It gets 10 simply because it made me feel.$LABEL$ 1 +Plot in a nutshell - Duchess (voice of Eva Gabor) is the well polished single mother cat of three little kittens. When their owner, the wealthy elderly woman known as Madame Adelaide, realizes that her time is running out she decides to write up her will, leaving everything she has to her cats, which will then go to her butler Edgar when the cats pass on. Edgar overhears this and is deeply offended by the idea that the cats would get everything before him, and plots to destroy Duchess and her kittens; he drops sleeping pills in their supper one night and then leaves them stranded in the French countryside. Out of their element, Duchess and her kittens befriend a street smart stray cat known as Thomas O'Malley (voice of Phil Harris who did the voice of the big bear Balloo in the Jungle Book); after making a pass at Duchess, unaware that she is a single mother, O'Malley decides to escort them back home, with Duchess genuinely falling for O'Malley as the usual codependent surrogate family bond develops; chaos and mayhem ensues, culminating in a violent clash between O'Malley, his brother cats from the streets and Edgar. Also features appearances by British geese, American southern hound dogs (what they were doing in France is anyone's guess), a mouse who sounds a lot like the rabbit from "Alice In Wonderland" (he was in fact voiced by the same guy who voiced Winnie the Pooh) and a horse. Sometimes slow paced but still enjoyable Disney venture. Features the memorable "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat" musical piece sung by the late Scatman Crothers (better known to 1980s fans as the voice of Jazz on Transformers). Of course, if this was being made now, it would probably be a dark social commentary on class division represented by the divide between well bred & well fed Duchess and the street born O'Malley.$LABEL$ 1 +Brilliant adaptation of the largely interior monologues of Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom by Joseph Strick in recreating the endearing portrait of Dublin on June 16, 1904 - Bloomsday - a day to be celebrated - double entendre intended! Bravo director Strick, screenwriter Haines, as well as casting director and cinematographer in creating this masterpiece. Gunter Grass' novel, The Tin Drum filmed by Volker Schlöndorff (1979)is another fine film adaptation of interior monologue which I favorably compare with Strick's film.While there are clearly recognized Dublin landmarks in the original novel and in the film, there are also recognizable characters, although with different names in the novel. For example, Buck Mulligan with whom Dedalus lives turns out to be a then prominent Dublin surgeon. This film for all of its excellence is made even richer by additional viewings. Brian invinoveritas1@AOL.com 15 June 2008$LABEL$ 1 +There are a lot of 'bad' films out there. Tune in to Channel 5 every night of the week and you might just be treated to a daily, shocking effort from one filmmaker or another. There are possibly films that have caused me more pain - were harder to sit through - than this, but in terms of writing, acting, direction, cinematography and the bare basics of cinema Inbetweeners is a truly, truly appalling effort and should be avoided at all costs. The only laugh it gave me was in the behind the scenes documentary on the DVD, in which the film's geeky director Darren Fisher explains how it was his script that attracted the 'talent' to the project! Never underestimate the power of self-delusion.Darren Fisher - Britain's answer to Edward D. Wood Jr.!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie starts out great, and sucks you in. Most acting is good until Patrick Swayze (with his Texas Twang- everyone else sounds British-like even the Muslim) shows up, and proves that he can't act. You can live with that until the first fight scene where all they all fall to pieces. Why does Patrick Swayze fight baddies with an ax when he just stuck his sword into the ground 5 minutes ago.There's further misplacing of swords a few minutes later, and people knowing about other people they shouldn't know about. Other reviewers mentioned "Troubled Production" and it shows.At the end I just didn't even care about the fight scenes, sure, the CGI Dragon was weak, but the storyline was the biggest letdown.$LABEL$ 0 +I just saw this movie (mainly because Brady Corbet is in it), and I must say that I was not pleased. Of course, the computer graphics were amazing, but the story line needed a little touch-up. Also, I think this movie would have done much better with more curses and blood, as well if it were rated PG-13. That would definitely attract more people to see it-->teens. What would also attract more teens (particularly teen girls), would be a large close up of Brady Corbet on the Thunderbirds poster! Even though the movie had it's down points, I still saw it and thought it was okay!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is based on a Stephen King novel in which mysterious new shopkeeper Leland Gaunt (Max Von Sydow) offers each citizen of Castle Rock the item he or she most desires - but there is a heavy price to be paid for these transactions. Local sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) is soon forced to deal with a variety of brutal deaths and suspicious circumstances.Below average for Stephen King cinema: I can see why some people would think it was boring. It plods along without offering genuine scares and forces the viewer to spend time (yet again) with a bunch of repulsive losers whose hatred of each other is spooky.I do enjoy the novel and don't believe that this lackluster movie does it justice. There are too many unfortunate changes from book to screen.Von Sydow makes Gaunt much too charming. We're supposed to be SCARED of Gaunt at the right times, not amused by him. I also hate it that the sheriff's primary deputy (Ray McKinnon) is written and portrayed as such an annoying, Barney Fife-type moron. Star Ed Harris looks as if he was forced into doing this picture by his agent, but professional that he is, he really sinks his teeth into his dialog. Bonnie Bedelia (as Pangborn's love interest Polly) and Amanda Plummer (in one of her standard mentally unbalanced roles) come the closest to creating characters who are likable.Yet it is also foul and mean-spirited.Although I'll be darned if it didn't feel a little cathartic watching a bunch of unlikable movie characters tear each other to pieces. The climax has some good explosions.I often give movies a better rating than they probably deserve, but in this case I feel I should really be honest and just say: 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this as a kid (THE LITTLE RASCALS first went on TV the year I was born) and fairly recently bought this on DVD. In between, I watched it on the occasions it was on and took careful notes at 1) the pie fight itself and 2) how racist some of these parts were: Farina as a Nubian slave, doing voodoo, for example. I think Roach and McGowan would have been beaten to death if they'd tried to do that now.Notice how the pie fights in The Three Stooges' HALFWITS' HOLIDAY and IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE resemble this one...and this film came out a few years before their initial contract with Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures. There was obviously some inspiration from SS and Laurel & Hardy's THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY for these films...remember, at that time, they all stole from the best, each other!!! One more note: Laurel & Hardy buffs, that bake sale lady was none other than Dorothy Coburn, who also appeared in TBOTC-the 'flapper' getting into her car and getting it in the rear end. It always escapes me why she was never credited?$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this show. I was waiting for it to come out on DVD....it never has. Does anyone know how to get the show available on DVD? I have contacted Lifetime TV and a few others and nothing. Please let me know if there is a way we can have this series on DVD. Iwould be first in line to purchase it. I really got hooked on this show. I do not understand how a bunch of other TV shows are available on DVD but not Any Day Now. I am sure there are many of us out there who would love to have this series on DVD or even VHS. I thought of contacting the production company. Has anyone else out there tried to contact anyone for this information?$LABEL$ 1 +I had hoped this movie was going to be mildly entertaining, like other sorts of its genre. However, it was lame and I didn't find myself laughing very much. Watch it on HBO, maybe, or if you've got a free rental to waste and you need a movie to pass the time. But I don't recommend paying to see it.The plot is simple and straightforward, and it could have been funny, maybe, if the script was better. Jason Lee can be hilarious, and he gets a few laughs here and there, but the movie falls flat. Just don't go see this one. The directing is lackluster, but for what it is, directing isn't that important. I guess its main drawback is that it is just not very funny. See something else, don't waste your time here.$LABEL$ 0 +Knights was just a beginning of a series, a pilot, one might say. The plot (I really shouldn't call it that, there wasn't any plot) wasn't logical at all and there were many mistakes, like [warning, I'm summarizing the plot]:In the beginning of the movie someone said that there was only a couple of those cyborgs (the bad guys) but after the climax, Nea found out that there were many many more left of them. And it was told that cyborgs were hard to kill, but after a month's training, Nea could kill them with a single blow.The movie was just pure kicking. I wasn't surprised at all, when I found out that the leading star was a kick boxer.There was ONE positive thing in the whole movie: it really gave a great deal of laughter when watching it and talking about it with my friends. I recommend watching it, if you are in need of laughter.$LABEL$ 0 +This film held my interest from the beginning to the very end with plenty of laughs and real down to earth acting by the entire cast. Glynn Turman, (Preach Jackson) is the star of the picture playing the role of a smart guy who likes poetry and had a very sexy girl friend. Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, (Cochise Morris) was an outstanding athlete at the Cooley H.S. and even won a scholarship to a famous college. There are scenes in this picture with the Chicago Police Department chasing all these dudes in a Cadillac and a visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo with monkey dung being thrown around. The music is outstanding and there is great photography around the City of Chicago. Great Film, enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +After a humiliating experience on an airplane, Nashawn Wade (Kevin Hart) sues the airline and uses the money he wins to start up his own full-service airline. What makes his different is that it has sexy stewardesses, an on board dance club and no less than Captain Snoop Dogg in the cockpit.Soul Plane is a very racist comedy except it is only occasionally funny. Soul Plane has been described as an "urban" version of Airplane. The problem is that Soul Plane doesn't even come close to achieving the laughs of Airplane. The jokes in Soul Pane are too offensive and they are mostly unoriginal. I would be lying if I said I didn't laugh since there were some funny moments. However, I was expecting more and I left the theater disappointed.I would compare Soul Plane to Airplane 2. The latter was just a rehash of the first film while the former is just a rehash of outdated, crude jokes. There is really no creativity behind the movie and there are only a few fun spots. However, I don't think Soul Plane is "bottom 100" bad. Right now, the movie is ranked at number 82 and that's a little harsh. I'm not saying this is a good movie but it isn't a terrible on either. The running time is only 86 minutes long so it isn't too much of a pain to watch. For stupid comedies, you can do a lot worse.No one in the cast is very good but they all seem to be having fun and this helps. Kevin Hart was very annoying as Nashawn. He had a few funny lines but he is a very poor leading man. Snoop Dogg, who was mildly funny in Starsky and Hutch, completely flunks here. Tom Arnold was actually tolerable and that was the film's biggest surprise. The most annoying person in the movie was Ryan Pinkston. He was not funny at all and he will never be funny. The funniest cast members were Missi Pyle and Mo'Nique. They gave the best lines and they made me laugh the most. In the end, Soul Plane may fit the bill if you're looking for a stupid comedy but it would probably be better if you just skip the film. Rating 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +To me, this review may contain spoilers, but I like watching movies with NO idea of what is going to happen, so therefore I think many of the other reviews here of this movie contain spoilers!I just watched this movie again, and I must reiterate that it has the BEST ending to any movie. Ever. Ever. Ever. The real translation, 'The Beating of the Butterfly's Wings', is oddly not used as the translated title. I suppose they thought most Americans wouldn't know what Chaos Theory is (except for those who saw or read "Jurassic Park"). The movie is based on chaos theory, and how one small event can affect the outcome of seemingly unrelated events, which all lead back to one event. The movie is a whirlwind of wondrous cause and effect, as we follow the chain of chaos as it intertwines between several characters (about 20?). In a way, the ending seems inevitable despite this, but if you think about it, it is a perfect ending. Think to yourself, "what else needed to be said"? It is at the same time a very brave ending. Too bad we have to go overseas for a gem like this one, but an ending like this would NEVER come out of Hollywood.$LABEL$ 1 +It does not surprise me that this short (91 minutes) B/W movie that was made 50 years ago in the Soviet Union during the short period called "ottepel'" or "the thaw", has gained so much love and admiration among the movie lovers over the world. It is sublime and beautifully filmed. Some scenes feel like there were made way ahead of their time. Sergei Urusevsky's camera work and creative discoveries were included in the text books and widely imitated. The film tells the moving and timeless story of love destroyed by merciless war but eternally alive in the memory of a young woman. It is also the film about loyalty, memories, ability to live on when it seems there is nothing to live for; it is about forgiveness, and about hope. The film received (absolutely deservingly) the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival and Tatiana Samoilova was chosen as a recipient of a special award at Cannes for playing Veronika, the young girl happily in love with the best man in the world in the beginning of the movie. After separation with her beloved who went to the front, the loss of her family in the bomb ride, and the marriage to the man she never loved and only wished he never existed, she turned to the shadow of herself, she became dead inside. Her long journey to redemption, to finally accepting death of her beloved and to learning how to live with it, is a fascinating and heartbreaking one and it simply won't leave any viewer indifferent.For me, the movie is very personal and dear because I was born and grew up in the city where its characters lived and were so happy in the beginning. I walked the same streets, squares, and bridges over the Moskva River. Every family in the former Soviet Union had lost at least one but often more than one family member to a combat or to the concentration camp or to the ghetto or to hunger, cold, and illnesses during WWII and my family is not exception. My mother and grandmother knew the horrors of war and never healing pain of losses not just from the movies and the books. "Cranes are Flying" speaks to me clearly and honestly and touches me very deeply. It is a masterpiece of movie making but it is a part of my life - my background, my memory, and my past.$LABEL$ 1 +Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) has to be the greatest video ever made. Dude you have Zombies, gore and a catchy tune, what more can you ask for. John Landis mixed elements from Night of the Living Dead and American Werewolf in London and out came this video. What starts out as a nice evening for a young couple turns into a date from hell, literally. You have dancing zombies, a werewolf in a funky jacket and Vincent Price "rapping". A cool video to a song that everybody in the neighborhood marked out to.I have to give this one a high recommendation because it has to be the best music video ever made. There hasn't been another one like it.Check out the "making of Thriller". The documentary has some "interesting" stuff in it.$LABEL$ 1 +When this was first aired on Masterpiece Theatre, it had a profound effect on me. It's beautifully filmed and acted. I immediately read the book by Mary Webb, and it remains one of my all time favorites. Janet McTeer is wonderful as Prue, and I fully expected her to become a regular on the British drama scene. I guess she chose to focus on the British stage instead. I was hoping that with the American success of Janet McTeer years later(with Tumbleweeds) this film would again become available to us. Alas, it has not yet been released on DVD. If anyone out there is listening, please make this available again!$LABEL$ 1 +Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman provide stunning performances in this 80's tour de force! A great 80's movie akin to Fast Times at Ridgemont High! I highly recommend this movie to any child of the 80's who hasn't seen it. It's a cult classic.$LABEL$ 1 +OK...this one's a weirdy....Honestly, I can't tell you all the inner plot-points of THE BEAST, cuz I started losing interest when nothing happened during the first 45 or more minutes - but just wait, it definitely does "pick up"...The plot involves something about a monster in the woods that some French aristocrat chick screwed back in the day. Eventually you see "THE BEAST", which looks like a guy dressed in a giant rat-bear costume with a horse cock attached to it. The scene takes place with the aristocrat woman running around the forest looking for a lost sheep. The sheep ends up dead and the woman gets scared. THE BEAST pops up, rapes the chick and shoots 400 gallons of spunk all over her. Eventually the chick starts to enjoy the beast's "attention" which results in some pretty novel simulated sex scenes, including an unnervingly erotic foot masturbation scene where the woman jerks the beast off with her feet while the monster shoots more huge loads everywhere (yeah, I've got a twisted foot-fetish - so sue me....)...The whole film is told in flashbacks and long-winded dialog scenes that tended to be a bit tedious. A "shocking" but predictable ending concludes this extremely strange film...THE BEAST is a film that I find kind of hard to rate. The cinematography itself is quite eye-catching and the sets, costumes and locations are elaborate. The plot is a little convoluted and seems to take it self awfully seriously for what ends up being such an unintentionally hilarious film about a chick boning a rat-bear. A good bit of tits, ass, and hairy 70's French bushes to help make up for the dull first half of the film. I have to honestly say, that if it weren't for the graphic scenes of the BEAST spackling all over the willing maiden, this film would have been a real bore - that is unless you like dull dialog and some graphic horse sex (the beginning has a VERY up-close and personal scene of two horses boning, including a pulsating and spunk covered female horse vagina...YUM!!!). But the BEAST sex scene is so strange and such a refreshing change from the rest of the film, that I have to say that those scenes alone make up for what otherwise would have been a real snoozer. I have to recommend this one to anyone who thinks they've seen it all - the BEAST rape really is out-there and something to be witnessed. Also recommended to any fans of 70's/80's sleaze films - this one ranks pretty high with them. Worth a look for you sick rat-bear beastiality lovers out there (like me)...8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Barney is about "IMAGINATION" what you guys do not have if my preschooler never wanted to play pretend like they do in that show then i would be worried. What 2 or 3 year old actually gets all that anyways its all about the colors and the singing. For those of you saying that all they do on Barney is eat junk food and recommend Sesame Street better well what about "cookie monster" thats all he eats but i haven't seen anyone comment that one. I do agree that sesame is a better educational show but barney is just like a show for fun don't be too serious if you didn't like your child watching TV and worried about them understanding things you don't believe then you shouldn't be propping them down in front of the TV in the first place because all of that is fake everything is fake actors are fake so why don't you take your fake brains and put it to use and think if you have a problem with a fake television show for kids then turn it off and play with them yourselves and teach them what you want them to learn not BIG BIRD or Bert & Ernie or barney someone who used to watch all those shows and turned out fine.$LABEL$ 1 +From the stupid "quaint African natives" travelogue footage with our badly-superimposed principals acting as narrators, to the horrible fake ears which transform docile Indian elephants into African elephants, to the utter lack of any logic at all, to Maureen O'Sullivan's incessant whining of "Tarzan! Tarzan!", there is nothing about this movie which deserves classic status.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Claudine is a movie that is representation of the american system at it's worst. The welfare system was initially set up as a stepping stone for those families who needed that extra hand to get back on their feet.The movie showed an accurate portrayal of how the welfare system breaks down the family unit. In other words if the father or any male figure is in the lives of the women and children their financial support from the system would be jeopardized if not terminated. The struggles of the poor can be seen throughout the world. I would like to see a reproduction of this movie back in the stores for all to rent or buy for their library collection.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this movie on IFC. Which is a great network by the way to see underground films. I watched this movie and was thinking it was going to be pure drama and a story line that doesn't hold water. But it really was a worth while watch. The main character is in such rough shape, and you hate to see him deny help, but no matter what you just can't hate him. His devotion to The Beatles and John Lennon is a great metaphor for his life and the helplessness he feels. The atmosphere of the film is also great. At times, you feel like you can see what he sees, feel what he feels in some situations. This movie does not leave you wanting to know more, or disliking a loophole in the plot. There are NO loopholes (in my opinion). I have always been a fan of foreign films, especially now with movies being made so poorly in America. I really enjoy the foreign settings because I feel it can take you on a trip, and sometimes understand a different culture. This movie did all those things to me and more. Please watch this movie and if you're new to foreign films, this is a great start.$LABEL$ 1 +I got this movie from eBay mainly because I'm gay and I love Til Schweiger. However, it's one of those movies that, when you watch it a second time, you never say to yourself, "Hmm. I forgot about this boring part. I'll go make popcorn." It doesn't have that part. It's a very fluid and constantly interesting film. And, yes, Til Schweiger is worth it, if nothing else. But, it's a great movie even for straight guys.$LABEL$ 1 +Halfway through Lajos Koltai's "Evening," a woman on her deathbed asks a figure appearing in her hallucination: "Can you tell me where my life went?" The line could be embarrassingly theatrical, but the woman speaking it is Vanessa Redgrave, delivering it with utter simplicity, and the question tears your heart out.Time and again, the film based on Susan Minot's novel skirts sentimentality and ordinariness, it holds attention, offers admirable performances, and engenders emotional involvement as few recent movies have. With only six months of the year gone, there are now two memorable, meaningful, worthwhile films in theaters, the other, of course, being Sara Polley's "Away from Her." Hollywood might have turned "Evening" into a slick celebrity vehicle with its two pairs of real-life mothers and daughters - Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson, and Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer. Richardson is Redgrave's daughter in the film (with a sister played by Tony Collette), and Gummer plays Streep's younger self, while Redgrave's youthful incarnation is Claire Danes.Add Glenn Close, Eileen Atkins, Hugh Dancy, Patrick Wilson, and a large cast - yes, it could have turned into a multiple star platform. Instead, Koltai - the brilliant Hungarian cinematographer of "Mephisto," and director of "Fateless" - created a subtle ensemble work with a "Continental feel," the story taking place in a high-society Newport environment, in the days leading up to a wedding that is fraught with trouble.Missed connections, wrong choices, and dutiful compliance with social and family pressures present quite a soap opera, but the quality of the writing, Koltai's direction, and selfless acting raise "Evening" way above that level, into the the rarified air of English, French (and a few American) family sagas from a century before its contemporary setting.Complex relationships between mothers and daughters, between friends and lovers, with the addition of a difficult triangle all come across clearly, understandably, captivatingly. Individual tunes are woven into a symphony.And yet, with the all the foregoing emphasis on ensemble and selfless performances, the stars of "Evening" still shine through, Redgrave, Richardson, Gummer (an exciting new discovery, looking vaguely like her mother, but a very different actress), Danes carrying most of the load - until Streep shows up in the final moments and, of course, steals the show. Dancy and Wilson are well worth the price of admission too.As with "Away from Her," "Evening" stays with you at length, inviting a re-thinking its story and characters, and re-experiencing the emotions it raises. At two hours, the film runs a bit long, but the way it stays with you thereafter is welcome among the many movies that go cold long before your popcorn.$LABEL$ 1 +One of Starevich's earliest films made in France is possibly his only political satire. The story of The Frogs Who Wanted A King mirrors its title as a group of high "croakers" feel that democracy has gone flat so they demand a king from Jupiter to rule their land. When he sends down a stump, the frogs ask for another king, saying the stump is but "political timber." Jupiter sends down a hungry stork this time whose frog lusty eyes devour the town's residents. As the original "croaker" is about to slide down the stork's beak, he speaks his moral: "let well enough alone." This film features a few beautiful crowd scenes of dozens of puppet frogs. Starewicz tricks the audience into believing they are all moving at once by keeping the background in constant motion and animating only about six frogs or so at one time. The slightly corny dialogue and problems with lighting in a few places diminish the quality of repeat viewings, however its historical significance in Starewicz's life make it of importance to watch. His feelings towards government immediately following his flee from Russia are likely expressed in this film. In addition, the technical accomplishments of animating so many characters at once in a stop-motion film is astounding.$LABEL$ 1 +I know that to include everything in the book, the film would have to have been several hours long, so I think they did their best to include things that were crucial and pivotal to the story. I thought the casting was great, the children who played Amir and Hassan were very good actors. And the guy who played Amir as an adult was great! The scenes between him and Baba were especially touching. I thought the locations they used were interesting... scenes set in Afghanistan were shot in China, and one scene that took place in Fremont, CA (the graduation scene) was actually shot on Treasure Island in San Francisco. I worked one day as an extra on "Kite Runner" and it was that day, the day they shot the graduation scene. We reported to Treasure Island in the morning, they checked everyone's wardrobe to make sure it looked like the late 80s, an then we took our places in the audience. They shot the scene over and over again until they were happy with it. It was cool to see the actors up close and also to see the book's author, who was on hand as a story consultant. I thought this book was excellent and I recommend both the book and the movie to anyone. This is a moving story about friendship, love, guilt and eventual redemption. "There is a way to be good again."$LABEL$ 1 +The Man with the Golden Arm (the movie) is a decent career vehicle for Frank Sinatra, but fails abysmally as a good adaptation of a fantastic book. You always hear about how books are "changed" when they are made into films- things are cut out, dumbed down, etc. Well, you can't even say they "changed" anything with the movie- they just told a completely different story. The characters and setting are the same sure- but not the ambiguous characterization, the depth of the men and women of Polish Chicago in the book. As for the setting, it's become merely a play stage, complete with the unnecessary "supporting role" players walking all too busilly down the claustrophobic, interior exterior streets. The movie is a dumbed-down, completely different take on Frankie Machine and drug addiction. When this happens, Zosh, Frankie, Sparrow, all lose their psychological edge. Frankie's drumming, a modest dream in the book, becomes his full passion in the movie (probably because Sinatra is a musician). And drug addiction is treated as shlock, exploitavely. The acting is decent, especially the snakelike Louie, who is more menacing in the movie than the book. But it's just a shame this kind of movie can be heralded as a classic alongside the book it is "based upon," the real story of Frankie Machine. The movie just goes to show Hollywood can' get anything right without dumbing it down and adding a happy ending. In this case, they just changed it completely, cheapening an important and realistic story into Hollywood fluff. I'm sure as hell biased because I read the book first, so I can't really treat the movie honestly by knowing how good the book is. I actually thought about turning the movie off (and I never do that), just so I wouldn't get its silly plot confused with the beauty of the book. But this is an overrated film, and while it's not so bad, the book should come first, as it was the first. And it should have remained the only story of Division Street and Frankie Machine.$LABEL$ 0 +Ten years ago I really wanted to see this movie on the cinema. But I missed it, and then forgot about it. Oh boy, am I glad this movie didn't get to ruin my teenage eyes back then.I saw it yesterday, and seriously, this must be among the 10 worst movies ever made. And I'm talking about movies which has had too much attention, such as those wonderful trailers on TV, and too much money spent on actors and the making of the movie.The script sucks and the acting sucks even worse, do I need to say more?Please, Hollywood, NO MORE ARNOLD!!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was strange... I watched it while ingesting a quarter of psilcybe cubensis (mushrooms). It was really weird. Im pretty sure you are supposed to watch it high, but mushrooms weren't enough. I couldn't stop laughing.. maybe lsd would work. The movie is a bunch of things morphing into other things, and dancing. Its really cheesy for todays standards but when it was released im sure it was well... one of a kind. I could see how some people would think this movie was good, but I didn't think it was very interesting, and I was on mushrooms at the time. If your having a party or something and everybodys pretty lit, pop it on you'll get a few laughs.$LABEL$ 0 +With Goldie Hawn and Peter Sellers in a movie you figure this one won't go wrong. But what can I say? This was a horrible misfire. The movie is about Peter Sellers as an older gentleman who suddenly finds himself in a relationship with a really strange young not to mention attractive hippie in Goldie Hawn. The movie is incredibly disjointed and I did not understand anything about it. Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn are very funny people but this movie does not prove it.That song about ‘arabella Cinderella' is pretty cool, but that is it. I only recommend this movie to people that like to watch an extreme novelty movie, this is almost the definition of one. I guess this movie more than anything else is a sign of the times, in terms of it's definite experimentalism and all around unconventionality, the problem is the quality is completely shot and the writing, not to mention the direction is just so out there. Peter Sellers in particular is very hit and miss, he will go from Dr. Strangelove and Being There throughout his career, to dumb movies like this and the Magic Christian, which was very similar to this one in context and style, but that movie did have a few funny moments. This one is senseless, and I am sad that someone as great as Peter Sellers was in this movie. Not recommended for anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +"Phantasm" of 1979 was a highly atmospheric, creepy, scary and very original Horror flick, and, in one word, cult. The first sequel of 1988 was gory, witty, action-packed and highly entertaining. After the first sequel however, "Phantasm" creator Don Coscarelly apparently lacked new ideas. "Phantasm III - Lord Of The Dead" of 1994 is certainly not a complete failure, it even is quite entertaining, but there is no more originality, and the desperate attempts to bring in something new, are at times tiresome, which makes it quite disappointing in comparison to its predecessors. - SPOILERS - Quite in the beginning, we are introduced the secret behind the mysterious sentinel spheres (the brain-sucking flying silver balls) is unraveled. Thenceforward, a number of unnecessary and annoying new characters (such as Tim, a "Home Alone"-style little kid who happens to be great at shooting, an Rocky, a tough and super-cool nunchaku-swinging black chick with a crew cut) are introduced. The film also has its qualities - Reggie Bannister is again very cool as the pony-tailed, guitar playing Reggie. Angus Scrimm is still quite creepy as the Tall Man, but the fact that the Tall Man talks a lot more in this film, makes him loose some of his creepiness. The character of Mike is played by A. Michael Baldwin again (he had been replaced by James LeGros in Part 2), which, in my opinion, doesn't make much of a difference. The gore also keeps the film interesting enough to watch, but it is still a disappointment, especially because the attempts to make up for the lack of ideas get annoying quite quickly.All things considered, "Phantasm III" is an acceptable time-waster, but it is definitely disappointing compared to its predecessors. Fans of the first two "Phantasm" films can give it a try, but I recommend not to set your expectations too high.$LABEL$ 0 +I had to rent a couple of movies for my little cousin for New Year's and she picked out The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom and The Little Mermaid 2 and we just watched both films, while she's sleeping, I figured I could get a couple comments in. :) While this is a very cheesy cartoon, it really wasn't that bad. You have to admit that for children, these plots are new to them and it could be a great introduction of these stories to them.Odette finds out that Derek has been secretly keeping the magic secrets of Rosthoe and she tells Derek to destroy them immediately, but him being a guy, typically he does not do so and tells her that no on could achieve the magics without his help. When a witch named Zelda gets her hands on them, she finds out that Derek tore off the last words of a spell she wants to use to destroy everything, and she kidnaps Odette in order to retrieve this information.The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom is silly and predictable, but for the kids I would honestly say it's a go. It's so rare we have these clean cut cartoons now a days, so I'm going to cut the film some slack. It was just weird seeing all the voices change all of a sudden, I grew up with the first one, so I guess it was just stuck in my head.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie on Comedy Central a few times. This movie was pretty good. It's an interesting adventure with the life of Sunny Davis, who is arranged to marry the king of Ohtar, so that the U.S. can get an army base there to balance power in the Middle East. Some good jokes, including "Sunnygate." I also just loved the ending theme. It gave me great political spirit. Ten out of ten was my rating for this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent Warner Bros effort starring Errol Flynn in one of his best screen performances. It's often cited as his best, and I can't really judge fully until I have seen his "Dawn Patrol". However, his work in "They Died With Their Boots On" takes some beating. I'm a big Flynn fan (he's my favourite actor after James Mason--it also helps that he's an Aussie) and I think he's just marvellous, a great screen presence and also a great actor. He is the centrepiece of "Gentleman Jim" as the legendary boxer with the fancy footwork, but he is also backed up by a literate, warm and funny script, and Raoul Walsh's direction. Every Walsh film I have seen never loses a beat of it's pace, he truly was a born film-maker. Walsh directs the ring scenes beautifully, as he does with the lighter moments and that poignant, great final scene between Ward Bord and Flynn. Add to that great production values (the "Gay Nineties" never looked better!) and a lovely supporting cast and it's pretty much perfect entertainment. Alan Hale usually played Flynn's sidekick, but here is his father, and it still all works. Alexis Smith is Flynn's love interest. The pair are head over heels in love with fighting with each other.$LABEL$ 1 +I've just seen this film in a lovely air-conditioned cinema here in Bangkok. And since the temperature outside is hovering somewhere around 37C with very high humidity, my 100Bt was not wasted.Failing that, I haven't seen such a piece of extremely well-made junk in a long time. This is the kind of film that provides a test of taste, as it were. Anyone who claims to like or love it goes immediately onto the same list of tasteless phonies who still go around talking about the superiority of British television. At least the gormless old broad in the wheelchair was good for a few guffaws.Pseudo-profundity and fat lips, while characteristic of much French cinema, really do not a good movie make. I'd rather watch Independence Day 10 times in a row than sit through this stinker one more time.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was portrayed in the trailer as a comedy. It is an extreme tragedy. It left me sick to my stomach. I hated it. I think if they want to make a movie like this than they should be man enough to reflect the true intentions of the movie in the trailer. I would not have seen this movie if I would have known. I think the trailer should reflect the theme and intentions of a movie. I am tired of it. I really wanted to have a fun comedy and I am extremely disappointed. It has been several days now and I still have a bad taste in my mouth from this movie. I have never been more disappointed in a movie, nor have I ever written a comment on a bad movie. I really think that true deception was involved in this trailer because if they showed the true intention of the movie, no one would have seen it.$LABEL$ 0 +How can a movie be both controversial and gentle? This one does it with a near-perfect structure. No one wants their daughters to be athletes. Apparently most cultures don't want their daughters to be small-breasted, either. Here we see a bunch of superb actors we've never heard of before portray folks of different cultures living fairly humdrum lives until their female children want to, and have the potential to, become professional soccer players. The structure around the parallelism of the two cultures is wonderful. There is no condescension. Both cultures are seen as modern and valid. (And yes, both are silly, too). One flaw: the Hindu wedding ceremony seemed to involve hundreds of relatives but not one child among them.$LABEL$ 1 +Scintillating documentary about how a small group of idealistic young men have used music, art and dance to unify and heal the community of Vigario Geral, one of the most violent slum neighborhoods in Rio ("favela" means neighborhood in Portuguese), offering to its young people a positive alternative to the lethal gangster world of drug traffickers.In their feature film-making debut, Zimbalist and Mochary have crafted a movie that is breathtaking because it works on so many different levels. As social document, it gives the facts we need to know to have a context for understanding the significance of the particular story told here. The story itself is well developed, with a strong narrative arc, and, for added measure, it is shot through with keen suspense. There's an arresting, charismatic central protagonist, Anderson Sa: he's a savvy natural leader, articulate, courageous, spiritually evolved, a talented performer, a visionary who walks his talk.There's also plenty of music and dancing to entertain. There are talking heads – mainly Sa and his closest associate, Jose Junior - but they are presented with imaginative cinematic brilliance. The editing nicely mixes footage of differing themes, punctuated only occasionally by a few fact-filled still texts. The pace is as lively as the music. A lot gets accomplished in 78 minutes.Grupo Afro Reggae, the neighborhood social club that Anderson, Junior and a few others formed in 1993, deploy music and dance as the weapons to go up against the drug lords and the duplicitous police. They teach percussion skills to any kid who wants to join a class, along with dance, martial arts, a community newspaper. The only requirement for kids to belong is no smoking, no drinking, no drugs. There is a subtle, soft sell spiritual fabric running through the movement, loosely based on the Hindu God Shiva, the destroyer of old habits.Jeff Zimbalist, who also was the lead cinematographer and the editor, is a Modern Culture and Media student at Brown University. He burnished his chops editing feature documentaries for PBS and others, and he teaches film at the New York Film Academy and elsewhere. Matt Mochary, like Andrew Jarecki ("Capturing the Friedmans") did a few years ago, recently came to film from the business world.Zimbalist and Mochary together won the award for best new filmmakers at the 2005 TribBeCa Film Festival, and "Favela Rising" was tied for the best film of the year in awards made for 2005 by the International Documentary Association. I could go on for pages about Afro Reggae, Sa, and this movie. A way better idea is simply for you to go see it! My grade: A 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +"I thought I'd be locked away in a padded cell and they'd throw away the key" (Thus is a paraphrased snatch of dialogue from "State of Mind".One wonders in what tangled forest Paula Milne and her co-writer found the magic mushrooms they must have eaten, to create this feeble "whodunnit" and bring such rubbish to our screens. A padded cell should indeed be left available.Niamh Cusack did her best, (as did the other actors) but surely her talent deserves a better vehicle than this. The height of absurdity has been reached, and this particular "State of Mind" is best buried and forgotten, and certainly not just "placed in a box and locked away in a drawer".$LABEL$ 0 +You'd have more excitement cutting off your testicles than watching this, clearly a trick to get you to rent "Descent" instead of "The Descent", which is a much better movie.This is a total rip off of "The Core" and much, much worse as regards special effects, I could do better with a box of cornflakes and a roll of tinfoil, I mean come on!....that "Mole" thing, bore more resemblance to a vibrating dildo than a subterranean vehicle .Don't watch it - if you do you'll find the room your in has a funny smell for days after and you'll have this nagging feeling in the back of your head that you should go kill yourself or something.$LABEL$ 0 +I have always said that some plays by their very nature just can't be translated to film, and this one is a prime example.As a play, this is a very funny farcical satire of the Catholic church, with a razor wit and a central character who is so shockingly unreal we have to root for her even when she starts murdering her parishioners (one of whom made the fatal mistake of admitting he had not sinned since his last confession, so she feels she is sending him straight to heaven).That's just one example of how far outside of reality the play goes, and in the make believe world of the theater, it works. However, that kind of heightened reality rarely works on film, and it certainly doesn't here.Director Marshall Brickman has assembled a fine cast who do great work, but by presenting all this absurdity in a realistic fashion the comedy becomes tragedy and you are left with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach.Seek out a production of the stage play instead, you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +One of John Ford's best films 'The Informer' doesn't feature any grand scenery of the American West. Instead the intense drama Ford was known for plays out on the no less rugged terrain of British character actor Victor McLaglen's face. The former prizefighter, who once faced Joe Louis in the ring, delivers an Academy Award-winning portrayal of disgraced IRA soldier Gypo Nolan on the worst night of his life.The plot is gracefully simple: In 1922 Dublin, a starving and humiliated man who's been thrown out of the IRA for being unable to kill an informant in cold blood, himself becomes an informant. For £20 he betrays a friend to "the Tans" and for the rest of the night he drinks and gives away his blood money in rapidly alternating spasms of guilt, denial, self-pity, and a desperate desire to escape the consequences of his actions. It is the remarkable complexity given to the character of the seemingly simple Gypo that is the film's most impressive achievement. In most movies a burly lout of Gypo's type would be cast as the heavy, he'd have at best two or three lines and be disposed of quickly so the hero and the villain could have their showdown. In 'The Informer' Gypo himself is both hero and villain, while the showdown is in his inner turmoil, every bit of which is explicitly shared with the audience.Because Liam O'Flaherty's novel had previously been filmed in 1929, RKO gave Ford a very modest budget. The director and his associates, particularly cinematographer Joseph H. August, turned this to their advantage in creating a claustrophobic masterpiece about a man at war with himself. In addition to McLaglen's Oscar 'The Informer' also won John Ford his first along with wins for Best Screenplay and Best Score.$LABEL$ 1 +Don't get me wrong, I assumed this movie would be stupid, I honestly did, I gave it an incredibly low standard to meet. The only reason I even saw it was because there were a bunch of girls going (different story for a different time). As I began watching I noticed something, this film was terrible. Now there are two types of terrible, there's Freddy vs. Jason terrible, where you and your friends sit back and laugh and joke about how terrible it is, and then there is a movie like this. The Cat in The Hat failed to create even a momentary interest in me. As I watched the first bit of it not only was I bored senseless, but I felt as though I had in some way been violated by the horrendousness of said movie. Mike Myers is usually brilliant, I love the majority of his work, but something in this movie didn't click. One of the things that the director/producers/writers/whatevers changed was that they refused to use any of the colors of the original book (red, black, white) on any character but the Cat. Coincidentally or not, they also refused to capture any of the original (and i hate to use this word, but it fits) zaniness of the original. The book was like an Ice Cream Sunday, colorful and delicious, and the movie was about as bland and hard to swallow as sawdust.Avoid this like a leprous prostitute.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember watching this movie with my friends when we were 4 years old, but the weird thing is that I never watched it after that. The other day I was babysitting and my cousin never saw All Dogs Go To Heaven so we rented both movies and watched them together today and he really loved these movies. So many memories came back watching this movie once again and I have to admit I even cried a little. I'm 22 years old and the ending still gets to me. All Dogs Go To Heaven is one of the most touching animated films and I'm shocked honestly by this rating of 5.8, I thought this movie would bring back good memories for others as well. I admit the animation was a bit typical but the story is just so charming and fun.Charlie is a gambling dog who gets killed by another gambling dog, Carface. But when Charlie wants revenge he comes back to Earth with a watch that can't stop ticking or that's the end of his life again. When he and his best friend, Itchy, look for Carface and spy on him they find out how Carface gets all his money, he has a little orphan girl who talks to animals and finds out who is going to win the races. Charlie takes the girl, Ann-Marie, and makes fake promises in order to get the money. But he ends up learning that maybe he should put Ann-Marie first before himself when Carface goes back to him with a vengeance.All Dogs Go To Heaven is the perfect family film, it's not Disney, but this is an excellent family film to watch. Not to mention that it's just so cute and touching. I know it's ridicules and some people call me crazy, but this movie for me when I was a kid made me believe that dogs have souls. How could they not? They're just so loving, and I think I'm going to cry again. But anyways, I would just recommend this movie for anyone, it's a fun movie to watch.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I know that some films (I mean: European films), that are very bad films, are being regarded as great cinema by certain "critics", only because they're non-American. I saw the 8.1 IMDB score for this film and noticed the fact that this was being selected for certain big festivals. Don't let this fool you! Unless you're one of those people that likes mind-numbing films like this, and call it great art afterwards, skip it! The film contains one hilarious scene after another (a similar, Italian, film popped into my mind, the terrible PREFERISCO IL RUMORE DEL MARE (I prefer the sound of the sea)). The problem with these films is that they're not only boring, like some other strangely praised films, but that they almost play like camp. I mean, let's face it, the acting is horrible (I mean: soap opera-level), the story has not one surprise (this has been done endless times before, connecting several storylines: SHORT CUTS, MAGNOLIA, PLAYING BY HEART, only much better), not one realistic character in it (some true freak-seeing along the way, notice the hilarious zombie-like daughter), and so on and so on.As if that's not enough, the film is 135 min. (count it!) long, and at the end the director opens his can of sentimentality. After a film with such hilariously bad dialogue and scenes that made the public at the preview screening laugh at so much incompetence, well... This is an insult to cinema, and only receives high ratings because it happens to be in "another" language, in this case Spanish. Strange world we live in...3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I found this gem in a rack the local video rental store had of tapes which are exchanged among various rental outlets. 'The Man who Skied Down Everest'. Hmm... never heard about it. The box reads of some Japanese fellow who always wanted to ski down Everest and actually did it. Sounds interesting. I rented it. As expected it was documentary style. The first part can be summarized so: "I always wanted to ski down mount Everest". This is followed by some footage of preparation for the event. LOTS of preparation footage. OK, I suppose it takes a lot of preparation. Then we are treated to a protracted piece on the skier, Yuichiro Miura's philosophy on life etc. More filler follows and I begin to wonder where the skiing fits in to this show. More preparation is shown and they begin to make the trip to the mountain. More philosophy is shown. At last they arrive at the mountain and maybe perhaps he will get around to skiing down the friggin' thing. Lots of climbing footage later there is a description of the parachute device intended to slow Miuras' speed on the steep slope. Finally he straps on the skis and gets ready to go.He's off... He skis about twenty feet and his skis shoot out from under him, he deploys the parachute and tumbles in an inglorious bundle for some distance down the mountain and that's that. End of story. What the heck was that?OK I can buy that he always wanted to ski down Everest, made extensive preparations and actually tried it with camera crew in tow. It didn't work and he ended up tumbling down and almost killing himself, so what egregious hubris would inspire the man to release a film of it and call it skiing down Everest? Perhaps the title,"The Man Who's Feet Shot Out From Under Him and He Slid On His Ass Down Everest" was just too long for the tape box.$LABEL$ 0 +DRACULA 2000 is a horror film that was continually shown on Sky Movies in Britain and considering it seemed to be screened about three times a week for a whole year I have absolutely no idea how I managed to miss it until it`s first broadcast on network television tonight . Actually seeing as I`m not much of a fan of horror movies the reason was probably down to my theory that this was going to be tripe . My theory was proved right for the most part !!!!! MINOR SPOILERS !!!!!What makes DRACULA 2000 such a bad movie is the amount of dumb scripting involved . For example early in the film the bad guys are flying Dracula`s coffin from London to America ( In a twin engine turbo prop plane ! ) and one of the bad guys is left alone in the cargo hold where Dracula comes to life . A fight breaks out , there`s lots of noise but the bad guys in the cockpit don`t hear a sound until the script demands it . It also appears in this segment`s climax that Dracula can control the weather but this seems forgotten about as the film progresses . Sloppy scripting , and there also seems to be a problem with the structure where there`s numerous scenes of characters being at the New Orleans mardi gras then the characters being at a different location such as police station in the following scene then they`re back at the mardi gras the scene after that which means the lack of credibilty in the plot is enhanced There`s something else that yanked my chain - Product placement . There`s umpteen scenes where the logo for a certain record label/retailer chain is in full view . I won`t dare publicise the company brand ( Except to say they also run a train company which is a national joke in Britain ) but I was under the impression this type of advertising was against British broadcasting guidlines and I`m surprised the BBC showed this movie if that`s the case There are some positives in DRACULA 2000 like the visuals for example . This is actually a good looking movie with a good looking cast and boy were those vampire chicks hot , but it`s something we should expect from Hollywood over the last few years - A very good looking movie that`s very dumb$LABEL$ 0 +One of the things that I like about PT Anderson, is that he has the guts to take talent that most people push to the side or have pushed to the side and makes them stars. Case in point, a washed-up... Burt Reynolds delivers a great performance in this film. And if proving Adam Sander can be a great actor (Punch Drunk Love) wasn't enough... here comes Mark Whalburg... like you've never seen before.I think many people pass up "Boogie Nights" cause they are anti-porn, or just flat out hate the adult industry and can't overlook that aspect of this film. But underneath that is a great story about characters losing everything and battle to regain themselves. There is a beautiful film... and it's too bad that enough people see that.$LABEL$ 1 +Normally when I go on a raid of the local Hollywood Video I head towards the B-Horror movies. To me the basic principals behind a B-Horror movie is it's camp value, Heavy Gore, Lots of needless Nudity, and special effects that anyone can put together with a pack of corn syrup and latex. I rented Cradle of Fear strictly because I've been a fan of the band since they released they're first Demo in 1995. The movie started off on an interesting note and then when I saw Dani Filth stomp on an extremely obvious latex mask I LAUGHED. When I saw the Lesbian sex scene for the sake of a Lesbian sex scene I LAUGHED EVEN HARDER. I spent pretty much the entire movie laughing and when I wasn't laughing I was shaking my head thinking about how a multi-million dollar rock star would want to make a movie that seemed like it was on a budget of multi-hundreds of dollars. The whole point of this movie to me seemed to attract the "Hardcore Goth kids who think death, destruction, sex, blood, and Satan are the greatest things invented since Lava Lamps. That was really it. To me this movie seemed like 80.5% of the things that happened in this movie just happened for the sake of being Satanic. This movie had a lot of potential and really could have been a real good movie but in the end this "Movie" really is just an extended Cradle of Filth Video.$LABEL$ 0 +In a world where humans can live forever you spend the entire movie wishing they would die. First off if you insist on watching this movie do two things first put it on mute, don't worry you miss a plot, hell they don't even talk for the first 70 min of an 87 min movie, after putting on mute you must now hit fast forward till the main chick dies don't worry even if your paying attention you won't know why or how she died. Once you get to the "good part" take it of mute. Oh, how will you know the good part, wait for an elevator scene with two morons in space suits with WWII weapons. These weapons won't seem like much till you realize that the first protagonist had a laser tag pistol and a bandoleer of CO2 cartridges. The only remnants of a plot take place between a glowing ball and a semi hot chick who looks like she was attacked by Wolverine. After listening to the "plot", you will wish they went back to not talking. Of the four people that are in this movie none of them can remotely act, not even a little bit, you will have better luck witnessing acting at a kindergarten theater.To comment on the special on the special effects, let me just say "Wow", no really you will spend the entire movie saying to your self "Where did this movie's 1.8 million dollar budget go!" Seriously it will leave you in aw of the magnitude of ineptness. The best "sets" are basically windows wallpaper backgrounds. The Ships are basically flying wrenches, Wait some are barges that kinda look like whales . I have never heard so many made up words in my whole life. They have buttons on their wrist(large pedometers) that can put them in "fight mode" and super runing mode (makes them super blurry). This will seriously drain their power reserves but they find bits of wires to chew on to regain their strength. The explosions were less impressive than my fourth of July, I only had sparklers.So the plot as far as I can figure goes something like this "mother" is a space ship captain and goes to the desert for a while rides a rocket dies. Then her daughter 6000 years in the future ( no I am not exaggerating) recalls her mother's memories through some sort of capsule. Anyways they jabber on for another 10 min and then the cause a big bang. Yes the Same "Big Bang" that started our solar system. It's explained how she goes back in time or something, it does not really matter it happened i guess. Roll Credits Seriously the whole script was mercifully on one sheet of paper, unless that actually detailed any of the dreadfully fight scenes.After watching the credits I have now laughed more than I did the entire movie, the jobs the created like catering supervisor "galactius sarcophagus" and then the special thanks to George Lucas was just the best.I really wasn't expecting that much for a movie I paid 99 cents for but seriously some body owes me for this. Most frequent comment heard after the movie "I want my life back". You have to admire that some but put time and effort in to this movie but seriously, why ?$LABEL$ 0 +You have to start worrying when you see that Michael Madsen is leading the Cast of any movie. I wont go through the list of shame that is his movie career.I watched 45 minutes and still was not sure what really was going on. The movie consisted of a love hate relationship between Madsen and Argento, Which basically was Madsen insulting her, threatening violence and generally treating her like dirt. She on the other hand loves him, then shes doesn't, then she does, the she desires him, then she loves him again......whats wrong with you woman !!!! The Script is awful, lousy soundtrack and pointless aggressive and crude sexuality which i believe was added to entice some viewers as the movie has little else to offer. I would have given the movie a 1 but it just about managed a 2 with a little excitement in the last 20 minutes. It did actually answer one question in the final few minutes but i am not going to share that, i will make you suffer for the full movie like i did.$LABEL$ 0 +Guilt and redemption are two of the staple emotions and plot elements of the heavy, powerful dramas that the Oscars love so much (which is kind of funny since "The Kite Runner" was only nominated for Best Original Score-the lack of nominations was perhaps unjust). While most film adaptations of books (or any other means) are usually inferior to their literary counterparts (and "The Kite Runner" is NOT an exception), Marc Forster's film adaptation is a good one.Most people are familiar with the story, the book having been read by millions, so I won't go into the plot except to say that the book stays pretty faithful to its source. That being said, if you don't know the plot, see the movie, or better yet, read the book.The best thing "The Kite Runner" has going for it (other than its story) is director Marc Forster. Forster is a director with epic scope and unique vision that is perfectly utilized in bringing Khaled Hosseini's book to the screen. A small part of me worried that he would use the same dreamy images that were included in one of Forster's earlier features, "Finding Neverland." Don't get me wrong, "Finding Neverland" is a wonderful film, one of my favorites actually, but the visual trickery he used in there doesn't have a place here. Fortunately, Forster understands that, and the brilliance of his direction shows his versatility. Though the lack of a Best Director nomination for his work here is not exactly a travesty, I see a number of statuettes in store for him down the road.Also of note is the screenplay adaptation. It remains faithful to the source, but it leaves room for Forster's vision to interpret the material. The dialogue is not dumbed down, and it. along with Forster's direction, moves at a solid pace. Like Forster, the lack of recognition at awards time for the screenplay was not an outrage, but I wouldn't have complained if it was at least nominated.The dividing line here between this film being great and outstanding lies with the acting. Most of the performances are solid, but there are some that don't quite make the cut, and it hurts the film. The most notable weak performance comes from Zekeria Ebrahimi, who plays the young Amir. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's not as effective as it could be. He just can't translate the guilt that consumes Amir to the audience. In fact, I think I might have been a little lost at this point in the movie at this point had I not read the book because of this. He looks somber, and at times resentful, but we can't feel his emotions. This is a difficult part to portray, and for the most part young Ebrahimi holds his own, which is especially surprising since this is his first film role.The best performances come from Khalid Abdalla, who plays the adult Amir, and Shaun Toub, who plays the wise Rahim Kahn. Abdalla may not be a known name (though he was in Paul Greengrass's "United 93"), but his work here is amazing. He's a quiet, modest man, and he emotes perfectly when needed to. A lesser-capable actor could have made the character of Rahim Khan into a cliché, but Shaun Toub uses enough subtlety and care in his performance that he creates what the clichés are trying to portray.Forgive me if I go on a rant here, but this is something that I must address, and that is the film's PG-13 rating. The fact that this film received such a low rating is outrageous. There is no justification for it. Some could argue that the rating was bent because of the need for everyone to see it, like the gore in "Saving Private Ryan," which some say should have earned the film an NC-17 rating. But that exception cannot be applied here. The only purpose the scene serves is to tell the story. Forster (probably at the behest of the producers) tried as hard as he could to tame the film's most painful and disturbing scene to allow the film to sneak by with a PG-13 rating, but the subject material is too disturbing to be depicted in any way and get less than an R rating, regardless of if how "tasteful" is may be portrayed. Worse, this editing robs the scene of much of its power, and by trying it make it less disturbing to get the lower rating is insulting. Furthermore, some scenes of violence are incredibly disturbing as well. In terms of how much time these scenes take of the movie, it doesn't add to much, but what is there is well deserving of an R rating at the very least. The MPAA, whose system of rating movies has always been corrupt, has sunk to a new low by giving this film such a low rating.But one shouldn't fault the film for this. The film is a solid film that is well-worth seeing, especially if they are fans of the book.$LABEL$ 1 +"Shade" tries hard to be another "Sting", substituting poker for horse racing as the means by which to bring down an enemy, but it fails miserably.I watched the whole thing and still never could quite understand why the young kid wanted to double-cross his partner. Was it because his partner stole his girl? Is there a woman in the world who is worth going to that much trouble over? If there is, it certainly wasn't this shrew. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and really now, did she actually have a special room set up so that a surgeon could remove the kidney from whoever tried to pick her up in a bar? Dina Merrill makes a short appearance as a rich woman who hosts, of all things, pay-the-rent poker parties at her palatial home. And then the players say things like, "I'll see your thousand and raise you another five thousand." Give me a break. You can't call ("see") and raise, you do one or the other. Any kid playing for nickels and dimes at the kitchen table knows this; you'd think grown men playing for stakes this high -- or at least the knuckleheads who wrote the script -- would know it too.One of the other posters mentioned how no high-limit poker game would allow players to actually deal their own cards and I agree. You don't allow two of the best-known car cheats into a game where the buy-in is $250,000 and then let them deal to each other. That's not poker; that's just seeing which one can cheat better. And I'd like to know what person in his right mind would buy in to a game in which two of the best-known card cheats are playing and expect that he might have a chance at winning? And most of all, what Mafia boss would run such a game? Every time Melanie Griffith came on the screen I was so mesmerized by those gigantic fluorescent red lips of hers that I completely lost the storyline, and seeing her and Stallone together was more like a public service announcement for plastic surgery gone wrong than a love connection. Stallone mentions that she used to be a grifter before she bought the restaurant she now runs, but we don't know what kind of grifter she was and we never see her working with Stallone in their younger days so we are left to wonder, if we even care that much.Jamie Foxx is the best character in the whole movie, but he gets killed off right off the bat and we're left with cardboard cut-outs who all sound like they're reading their lines off a teleprompter just off-camera.The ending makes no sense either. The kid gets his cut from the game and just walks down the street with a briefcase full of money and his partner is nowhere to be seen? The Mafia isn't watching every move he makes? Everyone else just shrugs their shoulders and quietly accepts the loss of millions of dollars without trying to recoup any of it? I don't think so.Most of all, this movie does a great injustice to professional poker players all over the world, insinuating that the only way to win is by palming cards and playing with "juiced" decks. And why is it they're always palming kings and aces? Sometimes you need a three or a nine to fill a straight or full house.The best parts of the whole film are the sleight-of-hand tricks during the beginning and ending credits; everything in between is ridiculous.$LABEL$ 0 +When a small hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a magic ring from his uncle, the wizard Gandalf investigates and discovers that the ring is an ancient creation of an evil dark lord. Should the ring end up back in his hands, he will regain his power and destroy Middle Earth. Frodo and his loyal friends set out on a a quest to destroy the ring with a band of warriors. This is an underrated adaption of the classic novels as it only covers the first half of the story. Regardless, this is an epic and wonderfully animated film.The animation is superbly done with rotoscope, which is tracing over live action footage. Ralph Bakshi worked well with the low budget he was given. The film also boasts a grand music score by Leonard Rosenman that fits every scene. There are a few plot holes with the script, but that has to be excused, considering the original deal was to make the book trilogy into two films, much had to crammed in the first one. My biggest gripe is some of the character design, Samwise was a bit too goofy, while the other hobbits act completely normal. The other characters are actually well written for the screen, and the voice actors do a great job, I was pleased that Legolas is actually a bit more helpful to the plot. The rotoscoped orcs are more comical than frightening, while the ringwraiths are eerie and nightmarish.Another problem is that the evil wizard Saruman is called Aruman, thanks to the writers. Overall, I think a little more money and better writers would have done this a lot of justice, but there is something charming about it. Ralph Bakshi made a valiant effort of making screen adaption of these classic stories. The film suffers terribly from being overshadowed by the live action films, but it's still a great movie for animation lovers of all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +I am a guy, so i was very hesitant to watch the movie because i know that Richard Gear likes to be in tear jerker movies. I would rather watch action/adventure/sci fi. I was right, the movie is definitely a tear jerker. Diane tended to over act a few times, as did richard, but they brought it around and made it work. The daughter was a suppressed teen with huge attitude, so you started out hating her. The movie is way too predictable, but for entertainment purposes, it was a masterpiece. Go rent it, see if you don't shed a tear.lol If you like the notebook, you will love this one. The beach scenes were immaculately shot. even though the hurricane scenes were a little off sequence, it was still a bit panicy to watch them react to it.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has such inexorable B class cheapness to all its scenes, effects etc as to make you think they spent 80% of their budget on Connery. It's like watching some Wing Commander stuff after Star Wars (quite apart from content).Story can be described in one word: FLAT. And oh my God I can't remember a villain so uninteresting since long long ago. We're given neither a reason he's so wicked (an inborn defect, we're lead to think:) nor any real convincedness or flair to his wickedness.If you're out for Connery rather go rent `Hunting Forrester'.$LABEL$ 0 +Easily one of the best shows ever made, & it just gets better with age.For me , one of the chief reasons for this was the English adaptation done by David Weir.A Japanese friend of mine once told me that the show in it's original language was more whimsical & less flat-out hilarious that the version we all know.The fact that the show resonates so strongly for its non-Japanese fans is , I think, largely because of Mr Weir's inspired efforts & some winning voice-over work.Well done, sir!$LABEL$ 1 +This film is not really a remake of the 1949 O'Brien film (which is excellent). It borrows the main premise--a man has been poisoned and spends the rest of the film trying to find his killer. But I like that the writers chose an English professor, instead of a private dick, as the protagonist. The plot is also quite original. In general, the film moves along fast enough to keep you awake. But what mars this film is a strange dated quality about it (probably due to the horrendous 80's original music score)combined with an affected "noir" feel. Dennis Quaid grins inexplicably throughout the whole film at odd moments, but he's still compelling in a general way. Meg Ryan is fine as the student helper/love interest. When the film gets sort of bad is when Dex (the prof) meets the British bodyguard/chauffeur and their duels are pretty laughable. The bodyguard works for the rich widow (played by lovely Charlotte Rampling), but those scenes are too self-consciously "noir" to help the film along, even though the family "plot line" is rather interesting. Dex also keeps showing up at the same place and finding this bodyguard, which is rather coincidental. In the latter part of the film,a man is shot by a window, and from the outside you see him jump out of it--that was pretty bad direction. But aside from some of these obvious flaws, I think it still holds OK. I certainly didn't predict the ending, so that was good--there is a twist, and although some posters here think they were misled, I thought it was a fine and believable ending. Dennis Quaid, with his weird smirks and black eyes, is more likable in The Right Stuff, Great Balls of Fire, Inner Space, and Cold Creek Manor. But here as Dex, he's supposed to be somewhat of a jerk, so he did fine. Fairly decent movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Having seen other Bollywood flicks with Salman Khan in them, I can say this is my favorite of the more recent ones. The songs are all quite fun, especially 'O Priya O Priya' which seems to have a nice mix of Beatles, Indian music and (dare I say this) a bit of Prince. The love stories are a bit more believable than, say, Chal Mere Bhai. The occasional focus on Prem's use of alcohol is at times troubling as it doesn't really seem to make sense to me, but it's played well by Khan--although his voice does become squeaky when he's portraying drunkenness.$LABEL$ 1 +"Inspirational" tales about "triumph of the human spirit" are usually big turn-offs for me. The most surprising thing about MEN OF HONOR is how much I enjoyed it in spite of myself. The movie is as predictable and cliched as it gets, but it works. Much credit goes to the exhilarating performances by both leads. It's a perfect role for Cuba Gooding, Jr., who's wonderfully restrained here. We have come to expect a lot from De Niro, and he doesn't disappoint. He creates a darkly funny portrait. Director George Tillman, Jr. set out to make an old-style flick and comes up with a winner.$LABEL$ 1 +Have you ever found yourself watching a film or documentary and having to hold yourself back from screaming things like "No! Don't do it!"? No? Well it's time you do. And undoubtedly DEEP WATER is the one to get you started.The story is based on that of Donald Crowhurst and his entry into the first round-the-world yacht race to be undertaken by individuals in 1968. That word "individuals" is important, as the men who set off on this nearly suicidal escapade head out alone.Most of the men are well-knowns in the sea-faring communities of England (where they launch from), but one of them is the "unknown dark horse," and his name was Donald Crowhurst. Struggling financially, Crowhurst enlists a backer who can take everything from him should he fail to at least attempt to make it through a large portion of the race. He could take his home, his property, everything.Crowhurst now finds himself between a rock and ...well ...deep water: either attempt the race with an unproven ship and an unproven captain, or lose everything you own (which was significant since Crowhurst had a wife and several children). You'll note the term "unproven captain" in there, too. Not only was he unproven, he'd never been out on the open sea! Did I mention suicidal? Flicking between archival footage of the pre- and post-race, and those of Crowhurst's friends, family, and acquaintances of today, Deep Water is put together masterfully. Initially seen as a poor sap who got in over his head, the film gradually shows you the limited choices Crowhurst had after months and months out on the water. His ship leaks. Equipment breaks. Psyche stretched to the breaking point (and beyond). Crowhurst finds himself lost in an internal struggle with no successful way out. It is interesting, too, to see the psychological breaks that other racers have as they deal with their solitary confinement on-board their respective boats.The wave-like emotions that you'll feel as you watch this astounding documentary may make you a bit ill (not unlike trying to get your sea-legs). And you'll probably be frustrated at the choices being made; perhaps just as frustrated as poor Mr. Crowhurst.The ending is also amazing in that we get to see the actual ship that Crowhurst sailed, sitting deserted and rotting on a Caribbean beach ...not unlike other things that felt deserted and rotting toward the end of this poorly thought-out race.Incredible.$LABEL$ 1 +In The Lost Son, a private eye searching for a missing man stumbles upon a child prostitution ring. This film incorporates all of the worst stereotypes you could imagine in a worst-case scenario that exists only in the minds of Hollywood, the press and AG John Asscrap. If you get a chance to see this, you'd be better off getting lost yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +The story for the first-aired television installment of "Columbo" is simple: one-half of successful mystery-writing team does away with the other, frames an unseen Mafia group, is blackmailed by an admirer, does away with the admirer, and is tricked up by the stalwart Columbo.With that said, this is still one of the most entertaining in the show's history, benefiting tremendously by the work of the late Jack Cassidy and star Peter Falk.Besides the notability of being directed by a young Steven Spielberg, the episode also has a air of the macabre because of the future of two of its stars: Cassidy and Barbara Colby. The two share several scenes together and it is poignant that both would die tragically within a decade of this filming, Cassidy in an apartment fire and Colby at the hands of assailants, yet to be found after over three decades.Now, both demises are true-life MYSTERIES!$LABEL$ 1 +I was stunned by this film. I have been renting Antonioni's films/rediscovering them, and this film showed me the climax and fruits of his 50 years of directing. What an eye for setting, color, and detail! I have never seen such visual beauty and poetry filmed before. I had to stop after the first story and hold back the tears. Yes, beauty moves me, like it moved Keats to write Ode on a Grecian Urn. This movie is made for the mature, emotionally and intellectually, audience. Those hoping to see physical action and soap opera will be disappointed. I will have to see this film several times before I can truly appreciate it and judge it. This film should be required viewing for all cinematographers and directors.Possibly a truly great film, on the order of Kurosawa's Dreams.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know if this exceptionally dull movie was intended as an unofficial sequel to 'The French Connection", but it does have many of the same drawbacks: the script is so confusing that the viewer remains uninvolved and feels left out of the picture, and the direction is so cold, so lacking in energy, that even the great chase sequence can't liven things up. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +Misfit recruit private Owens tests drill instructor Sgt Moore's (Jack Webb) skills. No explosions or bloodshed or hip soundtrack or sex. It is set at the USMC's Parris Island S.C. boot camp and most of the cast were actual Marines. Memorable one-liners abound, and the closing credit's "dedicated to..." is intense. With such strong male and female characters, this movie could not be made in today's touchy-feely world.$LABEL$ 1 +I usually love these movies. Give me a good old B movie any day but this one was simply awful. The acting(?) was terrible almost to the point of my turning the movie off completely. I thought I saw the all time worst but this one is right up there with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! In all honesty - it was the acting that did this film in for me.I found the actor's to be clumsy and the lead male/female were extremely dull. This movie had absolutely nothing going for it. I may be asking a ridiculous question here but why the nudity and sex scene? Did the producers think nobody would watch if they left them out? I think they were probably right! Oh where is Price and The Tingler when you need them?$LABEL$ 0 +It was originally meant to be a film that Gene Kelly would star in, but when the makers couldn't get him they got "the greatest actor in the world", and the result is pretty good. Basically Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) is having trouble doing what he does best, setting up a high stakes crap dice game, because he needs $1000 to get the place. So to get the money he needs, he has a $1000 bet with old friend Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that he can't get Sergeant Sarah Brown (Great Expectations' Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Jean Simmons) to go with him to Havana. Meanwhile, Nathan is having trouble trying to get rid of the woman who wants him to ask her hand in marriage, Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine). Also starring Robert Keith as Lieutenant Brannigan, Stubby Kaye as Nicely Nicely Johnson and B.S. Pulley as Big Jule. An interesting romantic comedy musical, with Brando singing all his own songs, and Sinatra being smooth and cool. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Music for Jay Blackton and Cyril J. Mockridge, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy. Frank Sinatra was number 43 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, Marlon Brando was number 30 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, he was number 11 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, he was number 4 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Men, Sinatra was number 35, and Brando was number 1 on The World's Greatest Actor, "Luck Be a Lady" was number 42 on 100 Years, 100 Songs for , the film was number 23 on 100 Years of Musicals, and it was number 36 on The 100 Greatest Musicals. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +Not funny - how can anyone link this to Monty Python? That is absolutely ridiculous - there are no laughs. This is not funny. Over the top, but ugly, weird just for weird sake and it seems to me these people were on something all the time. Unfortunately something that did not make them funny.It should be given some points for effort etc. whatever. Actually it appears there is a laugh track - or is there one? Hummm.... Since there are barely any laughs that's a debatable question.Maybe I'm doing it injustice - maybe it's some sort of exercise. Some sort of art - in that case anything goes, never mind.But these guys playing women with high-pitched voices, turned-up noses. Come on !!! Not funny. There is only one heir apparent to Monty Pythons intellectual wit and that is Stephen Colbert, and maybe Jon Stewart.$LABEL$ 0 +The original story and funny compelling characters went over well for a teen girls slumber party movie (2 times now). I loved it, it was fun and moved quickly, no boring drawn out scenes. It is violent and has a little language (though most of it is covered up). Its a great movie. David Strickland was a terrific actor. Ron Eldard gave a wonderful performance. I watch it with the girls every time.$LABEL$ 1 +There's nothing new in this movie. Nothing you haven't thought about before, nothing you haven't heard before. The story of a gay man who is brutally murdered in a small town and the reaction of people can be broached in many ways, and this movie has chosen the most demagogic and slushy one. One of the biggest flaws in this movie is that it isn't neither a movie nor a documentary. The director has used the transcriptions of the original interviews and made the actors play them as if it was a movie. The result is weird. And finally, I read in previous comments that stated that people who don't like this movie are anti-gay. I'm pretty sure this comments come from people who consider themselves tolerant but don't tolerate that other people don't like this movie. This is a funny world.$LABEL$ 0 +Saying this movie is extremely hard to follow and just as frustrating to sit through is putting it very mildly. Also saying that the current available print is dark, dreary, scratchy, abysmally edited, painfully dubbed, seemingly censored and in almost unwatchable shape is also correct. This film is in dire need of a good remastering from the full, uncut, original negative and seeing how it's reasonably atmospheric (and won the director an award at the Catalonia Film Festival), it might actually be worth the trouble. Then again, maybe not... It's just impossible to tell in its current condition what kind of movie it actually is. It starts fairly interesting, if you can discount the completely senseless pre-credits opening sequence, which involves a deranged cat-killing, snake-loving little girl named Gerda. The girls mom, Carla (Mónica Randall, who should have laid off the eyeliner a little bit), splashes some gasoline around in the garage and torches the brat. Seemingly about as crazy as young Gerda, she goes to visit her estranged photographer (ex?) boyfriend Mario ("John"/Cihangir Caffari). He's on vacation from work, but so desperate to get away from Carla that he begs his employers to set him up on an assignment... any assignment. She scowls "You'll be sorry!" as he heads out the door. Well, Mario is assigned to photograph "Witches Mountain" (somewhere in the Pyrenees, I believe). Before he gets to his destination, he gets sight of a hottie on the beach named Delia (Patty Shepard) and snaps a few pictures of her taking off her bikini top. Only slightly peeved, she claims to be a single writer, the two flirt and then decide it would be a swell idea if they went on the trip up the mountain together. When they stop by her place so she can pack her bags, Mario suddenly hears loud, sinister music. Delia claims he's just hearing things.So the two begin their trip up the mountain, taking a stop at a local inn to spend the night. There they encounter a weird, partially-deaf, crazy-eyed innkeeper (Victor Israel) and Delia claims someone was spying on here through her window. The next day, under some trance, she wanders off up the mountain and is eventually located by Mario, who hops out of his jeep and runs after her. While he's finding out what's up, someone steals their wheels and they're forced to walk a piece, eventually finding the jeep undamaged at the foot of a small, ancient, seeming abandoned village... almost like someone was trying to intentionally lure them there. Well as we will see, that's exactly what has happened. In the village they encounter a friendly old woman named Zanta (Ana Farra) who claims she's the only person still living there and lets them stay in her home. Mario takes some pictures of the "abandoned" city and when he develops them they are eerily full of people. Slightly creeped out, he and Delia begin to leave and get stuck in "treacherous" fog and have to pull over and camp out for the night. The rest of the movie has to do with voodoo dolls, black cats transforming into sexy women, Satanic rituals performed by ladies in their bras and a deadly fall off a cliff. And yeah, coincidentally Carla the estranged wife turns out to be one of the witches, too. It all takes place in semi-darkness and to be quite honest, I didn't know what the hell was going on most of the time. The inconclusive "open" ending is just an additional slap in the face to anyone having to suffer through the rest of this senseless mess.Honestly, there are just a few things that stand out to me as being really good. The first is actress Shepard, who has that great Barbara Steele kind of dark, mysterious beauty. There's also an excellent music score (credited to Fernando Garcia Morcillo) and chanting songs, which aided immensely in making this film as atmospheric as it is. The location work is fairly decent, but as I said, the print is ugly as can be and it doesn't make a lick of sense, so proceed with caution on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Robert Taylor as the mad buffalo hunter Charlie Gilson is the main character in this film. At the beginning I was thinking that Charlie would end up redeeming himself like John Wayne in The Searchers or James Stewart in The Naked Spur. But as the film goes along Gilson keeps doing more atrocities until you realize there is no hope for him. Stewart Granger is Sandy McKenzie, who wants to stop hunting because he realizes that the buffaloes will soon be gone and he becomes disgusted by the act of killing. Gilson is a natural killer who makes no distinction between animals or human beings. Debra Paget as the Indian girl is a surprising character considering the self imposed censorship of that time. She lies with Gilson in total resignation even though she hates him. The last scene of a frozen Gilson, is unforgettable.$LABEL$ 1 +At first the movie seemed to be doing great, they had the characters profiles set...the plot seemed to be going in the right direction... however, as the movie progressed it seemed the director focused on the wrong kind of things...or just a lot was edited from the movie. The characters' identities changed for the worse within the movie. Also, there seemed to be a lot of implicit meaning -- in other words -- they had things within the movie that didn't seem to fit the movie itself. AND the title... no where in the movie does the title fit the movie...I suppose the title works for the previews.... Actors did well with what they had.....if they had a better director and writer, maybe this would have worked out better. But it didn't. So now there's a new terrible movie coming out this Friday.... My opinion!....don't waste your time or money.$LABEL$ 0 +One of my favorite scenes is at the beginning when guests on a private yacht decide to take an impromptu swim - in their underwear! Rather risqué for 1931!$LABEL$ 1 +Okay. You saw the film and I saw the film. True? If not, there are plenty of plot summaries out there, and there is absolutely no reason for us to waste time on any feeble attempts of mine to create another.The most stunning aspect of the film is unquestionably the performances by the two young men and the young lady in the leads. Their emotional honesty was as compelling, if not more so, than any performances I've seen in recent months. I found I laughed, cried and cringed right along with them, and that's saying a great deal because I'm often called a jaded and cynical jerk.As one would expect, the story is rife with clichés and I suppose that's the Achilles heel of the picture. It's a story we've all seen many times before; we all know how it will end from the moment they introduce Rory. Though you may not know exact mechanics, you know there will be a transformative friendship, a bittersweet romance and a gut-wrenching conclusion. If it weren't for the strong cast and directing, this film would be nothing more than the soporific swill that comprises eighty percent of the Hallmark Channel's program schedule.$LABEL$ 1 +The Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, are at it again. With "Fever Pitch" the creators of other films that have dealt with a lot of gross themes, abandon that tactic when they decided to bring Nick Hornby's film to the screen, something that it would have been hard to do. The novel, of the same title, dealt with a man's obsession with soccer, since it is set in England, where that sport consumes most of British sports fans. It's to the credit of the writing team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell, to transform the book into a language that would appeal to most Americans, when they make their hero, a Boston Red Sox fan."Fever Pitch" is a film that presents an obsessive fan, Ben Wrightly, whose life revolves into the Red Sox season, and who is an eighth grade teacher with uncanny ways for involving his students into the subject he tries to teach them. When Ben takes four of his best pupils for a tour of a local firm, he meets, and falls hopelessly in love with the brainy Lindsey Meeks, a young woman who is going places, but at thirty, has no life of her own.The story follows the two lovers through the ritual of attending the Red Sox, at home games, in Fenway Park. This team's fans are probably the most loyal people in the world, having stuck with a team that does marvelous things but, until 2004, never won a World Series. In fact, the ending, from what we heard, had to be changed because that was the year in which they finally won the event that had eluded them for eighty six years! Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon are perfect as the couple at the center of the film. Ms. Barrymore is a natural who always surprises in her appearances in front of the camera. Jimmy Fallon, a popular television comedian, turned movie actor, has a better opportunity here than in his last appearance in "Taxi", in our humble opinion.The Farrelly brothers film will satisfy their fans as well as baseball fans with this baseball tale.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning! Spoilers ahead! SPOILERS I've seen movie in German, so it might be, that I missed some clues. Despite some weakness in the plot, it's a movie that came through to me. I liked especially Lexa Doig's acting. Sometimes I got impression, that she *is* Camille. But I can't stop wondering, what happened at the end with Bob, Cassie and baby. I belive, she, after initially being set on Bob, eventually ended up loving him and regretting what happened with his brother and being forced to lie to him. Otherwise it's a bit strange, that she would carry his baby and love it. It's up to viewer to decide - and I don't like such endings. Dean Cain was as good as ever, Eric Roberts .. well, I've seen him better but also worse. I believe that the film is more an analysis of human relations and reacting in unexpected situations than a crime story. Bottom line is, I liked it very much.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film with a sort of dangerous fascination, like a hedgehog trapped in the headlights. There is no doubt that (even if you enjoyed it) it's a bad movie, but the important question is why? It has a good cast; it's lively; it's prepared to tackle sex head on, with some of the characters actually getting some of it here and there, which is unusual for a British comedy. It also has Johnny Vegas and Mackenzie Crook, Marmite performers agreed but they've have had their moments in the past.What it's principally lacking is charm. The characters are impossibly idiotic, unbelievable and alienating, so that instead of a film of Men Behaving Badly the producers have made Game On. Any mediocre writer wanting to make a film about the sexual attitudes of dozy, sexist British men would have got hold of a few copies of Loaded, Zoo or even Viz to read Sid the Sexist and the thing would have written itself. Instead, the producers clearly tried to make up some moronic, difficult to care about, characters. Character comedy - as opposed to slapstick etc - only works if the audience can recognise some human truth to the situation. But watching this film is like being told an annoying joke that you know is not going to end up funny but you can't stop it.Sadly, the film is also poorly made. The plot structure is weak, there's little character delineation or development, and many of the scenes aren't funny. Time after time the same lame reggae chips in to divide scenes, pointlessly and gratingly. There's a lot of needless repetition - when you've done one joke about parking outside a sex party you don't need to do it again. One wonders what the UK Film Council saw in the script.This is a world where most men are rakes, and most women are continually up for it. The Apartment and Alfie satirised much the same world view, but the producers of this film accept it without criticism. Thus they've ended up with a kind of inferior update of Confessions of a Window Cleaner. Somebody British needs to have another go at this kind of thing, and do it properly – a good next project for Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright I think...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is excellent and I would recommend renting it for anyone whose local video store owns it. Or, even better, you could buy it because chances are you're going to watch this over and over. I can remember watching this movie as a kid and it was great back then. But after watching it again yesterday I've found it to be amazing.A good blend of comedy (although not as great as "Mr Magoo"-another one of my favorites) and action. This deserves 10/10 and I'm hoping that they will make a sequel soon (fingers crossed). If you do babysitting or have to look after young children for anything then I'd recommend renting this movie as it will keep them entertained for hours :).$LABEL$ 1 +I lost my father at a very young age.So young in fact,that I have no recollection of him.Over the years I have learned many things about him. One of those things was that he loved westerns,and watching Bonanza every Sunday evening was an absolute ritual for him.I,myself, remember the tail end of the series' run,having been 8 years old when the show ceased production in 1973.Watching this show over the years somehow makes me closer to my long ago lost father.It has all the right elements to make a show successful;laughter,tears,edge of your seat suspense,and it even angered you at times.My most vivid memory of the show's original run,came shortly after the death of our beloved "Hoss" Cartwright,Dan Blocker.One particular episode,and the end of the closing credits, flashed a picture of Blocker,and faded to black,and I can also recall my oldest sister with a tear in her eye at the sight of this.I can remember this as though it were yesterday.On behalf of my late father, who is not here to say so himself,we love Bonanza.Long live the Cartwrights.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie for the first time just a short while ago. If you ask me it does not get the credit it deserves. It is a little like American Pie meets Fast Times at Ridgemont High but with more depth. It handles the same issues as both movies, but in a way that holds with it some grain of truth. The ending is sad, but that is how life is. I think everyone should see it. I have it on DVD form, and it took such a long time to find it too. That should say something, heh and another thing I will add is that it is quite difficult finding the soundtrack. I believe they stopped it, but the soundtrack to this movie is amazing. It has songs by artists like The Commodores, U2, Devo, REO Speedwagon, The Cars, KC and the Sunshine Band, and many more.$LABEL$ 1 +The second attempt by a New York intellectual in less than 10 years to make a "Swedish" film - the first being Susan Sontag's "Brother Carl" (which was made in Sweden, with Swedish actors, no less!) The results? Oscar Wilde said it best, in reference to Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop": "One would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh out loud at the death of Little Nell." Pretty much the same thing here. "Interiors" is chock full of solemnly intoned howlers. ("I'm afraid of my anger." Looking into the middle distance: "I don't like who I'm becoming.") The directorial quotations (to use a polite term) from Bergman are close to parody. The incredibly self-involved family keep reminding us of how brilliant and talented they are, to the point of strangulation. ("I read a poem of yours the other day. It was in - I don't know - The New Yorker." "Oh. That was an old poem. I reworked it.") Far from not caring about these people, however, I found them quite hilarious. Much of the dialog is exactly like the funny stuff from Allen's earlier films - only he's directed his actors to play the lines straight. Having not cast himself in the movie, he has poor Mary Beth Hurt copy all of his thespian tics, intonations, and neurotic habits, turning her into an embarrassing surrogate (much like Kenneth Branagh in "Celebrity").The basic plot - dysfunctional family with quietly domineering mother - seems to be lifted more or less from Bergman's "Winter Light," the basic family melodrama tricked up with a lot of existential angst. It all comes through in the shopworn visual/aural tricks: the deafening scratching of a pencil on paper, the towering surf that dwarfs the people walking on the beach. etc, etc.Allen's later "serious" films are less embarrassing, but also far less entertaining. I'll take "Interiors." Woody's rarely made a funnier movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I regret every single second of the time I lost while watching this movie, really. Unhappily, I always find it hard to switch off a movie once I started watching it. Especially, when it's such a classic or what people use to call a classic. I think that this is one of those movies every movie-lover should have watched at least one time, so that was why I watched it. Don't get me wrong, I like Humphrey Bogart and his wife Lauren Bacall both as a couple and as actors, but this movie was a big fraud in my opinion. No really good plot, neither an espionage flick nor a romantic love story. Well, not even a convincing mixture of both of these genres. Only thing which caused tension was that it was uncertain whether 'Bogey' and Bacall would stay together in the end or part from one another. I think "To Have and Have Not" is very overrated and Bogart was in many better films during the 1940s.$LABEL$ 0 +Well after three times through I still have no idea what this movie is about because, quite honestly, it failed to generate any real interest or concern. But here it goes: A bunch of too old to be teen Teen Actors dressed in horrifying latter 1980's fashions (did WE look like that too??) decide it would be a really good idea to get in a motorboat and go visit the abandoned Alcatraz after one of them has nightmares of people being slaughtered in various horrifying ways that manage to rip off POLTERGEIST, THE EVIL DEAD, and Freddy Kreuger in one fell swoop. The dimwit even envisions himself being roasted over an open fire with some deformed freak slicing off strips of tenderloin. Good thing it was only a dream or it might have hurt, and good thing his dreams had a decent special effects budget. Mine are usually pretty lame: Girls, model space ships, blowing things up with a bazooka, etc.Once on the Alcatraz island they find themselves in a Slasher movie, and meet up with Tony Basil, who cannot help but break into a couple dance poses at times and had her own lighting crew (complete with a smoke machine for that 1980's smoky haze infused light look, which I kind of miss). And such reminded me that Ms. Basil helped choreograph David Byrne of the Talking Heads for some of his videos and performances. This of course has nothing at all to do with the film but kept popping into mind as the movie posed very little to actually think about. It sort of happens, and you can either watch or keep working on your page markup with it on the TV set off to the side. But since the film isn't really interesting, you'll keep deciding to finish one last thing instead of wasting time, the movie will keep ending, and you'll find yourself wondering what you missed every time you realize the end credits are starting to roll again, dammit ...*SOME* 1980's Teen Horror movies can survive such specialized viewing: Umberto Lenzi's GHOSTHOUSE, CHOPPING MALL & it's Killbots, the hard to ignore NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and the over-the-top SLEEPAWAY CAMP all come to mind. They are films that, like them or not, demand your attention and usually pay off with some good gore or T&A, and typos in your work as evidence that you were watching the TV instead of your keyboard. I am sure that HELL ISLAND (as the British version I glommed onto is titled) does indeed have some good stuff in there, but frankly I don't care. And nothing is more annoying that encountering art of any genre that doesn't inspire admiration, some decent dislike or even good old honest hatred for it. The film is content with simpering away 80-whatever minutes of time and never really accomplishing anything more than being a sometimes distraction in spite of my best efforts to try and give it a chance, but no dice.There is some offbeat production design going on, the use of lighting is striking at times, and the occasional outburst of mayhem will probably keep fans of 1980's Teen Horror interested. The rest of you be warned though: YOU WILL WONDER IF YOU DRESSED LIKE THAT IN 1987, and the answer is probably more hideous than anything which happens on screen. Try to watch it as a free rental if possible so that if disappointed you aren't stuck with the damn thing: Movies like this take up valuable shelf space that is often at a commodity these days, what with the world coming to an end & all ...$LABEL$ 0 +When this series aired I watched most of it. I think it was supposed to be a long running series in the vein of "The Fugitive" and "The Incredible Hulk" where the protagonist is being chased around the country looking for a solution to his problems. In this case the hero's problem is his progressive aging in reverse. I liked what I saw of these shows. The acting was good especially the sorrowful relationship between the lead character and his wife. Problem is: They cancelled it before it had a chance to end. (either that or I missed the last episodes).They never got a chance to wrap up the story either, knowing it had been cancelled. Poof it was just gone. However, like I said before I might have missed the last episodes. But my proof to the contrary is this: I rented the tape. Where I left off in the series. The lead character's wife dies in a fire started by a chase involving King's famous organization the Shop. While getting away hero is kidnapped. It ends with his friends realizing they have to go save him from the Shop. The end. Last episode. On the video: His wife does not die but escapes the fire with him. Right when he should get nabbed by the Shop, he and his wife share a weird moment then phase out of existence. Abrupt, silly and cheap to the extreme. They just wanted to put this video out and decided to tag on an ending not caring how bad it was. They might as well of just shown some stock footage of the first atomic bomb detonations. Almost Pythonesque.The show did have a cool opening title sequence set to the David Bowie song of the same name$LABEL$ 0 +"Sleeping With the Enemy" is a predictable, 'been there before' thriller that never seems to find any inspiration no matter how desperately cast and crew try. I can't believe a bunch of my friends talked me into seeing this at the movies some sixteen years ago.The complete lack of originality from the Ronald Bass screenplay (based upon the Nancy Price novel) does not help, nor does the stale direction of Joseph Ruben or the very average performance from Julia Roberts. The supporting cast including Patrick Bergin and Kevin Anderson do little to help.There really isn't a lot to say. Just give it a miss.Sunday, April 14, 1991 - Hoyts Cinema Centre Melbourne$LABEL$ 0 +Having read all of Sarah Waters books i was eagerly looking forward to a BBC adaptation of Fingersmith. Especially since Tipping the Velvet had been done so well by old familiar Andrew Davies.I was not disappointed with the results, in fact i think this might be on a par with TTV; both romantic and entertaining. And not as so many ignorant people would have you believe, a pointless lesbian romp. Having been a fan of Elaine Cassidy's since seeing her guileless turn in Felicia's Journey i thought she embodied both hard deception and a growing fragility as Maud. Her transformation was believable and impressive to watch. I recognised Sally Hawkins as Zena Blake from Tipping the Velvet, a small role primarily so i didn't have as many expectations but she was astounding in the role of Sue Trinder. Her eyes were mesmerising conveying everything from rage to absolute despair. The two of them acting together, combining these talents made this drama unmissable. Of course Imelda Staunton was amazing as usual, she is unmistakably a national treasure and the supporting cast were all of a high standard. Even the direction from the fairly unknown Aisling Walsh used contrasting yet beautiful shades of blue for Briar and brown for London.However as much praise must be given to Ransley the script writer. To turn a 600 page book where every line is of the highest quality into a three hour extravaganza is a huge feat. He illuminated the main revelations at a steady pace whilst giving us plenty of back-story and character development at the same time. He has my full admiration.In conclusion, a brilliant adaptation where all involved gave 100% and making this one of the best BBC dramas i've seen.$LABEL$ 1 +Spoilers !!! To understand what really happened first you have to be a warrior, to stay alive in real war, to think off-line,analytically,critically and not linear. Otherwise you will come to false conclusions that Maj.Gray was dumb or unstable person. Truth is something completely different. He was firm hardened veteran and only way he could be killed by Capt. O'Malley is that he wants her to kill him. It was his way out. He choose it. He was not man who will retire. If you've never been on a first line you can't understand it. He intentionally prepare his own suicide. First he seduced Mary Jane, than intentionally acted as a dumb, than stageed argue - shutting incident before witnesses (to protect her later after she done what he wants her to do if it comes to trial), than gave her son a bullets (to assure he could load her gun later), came that night, loaded her gun, woke her up, put her gun in her hands, acted as he was attacking her, after shot first time he raised knife and cried "One kill" so she shot him again and before died he put knife off like he was trying to took him back again after first shot. He also gave her a message with his last cry. "After first kill everything will change inside your mind and destroy your life, this is the the only way for me to die as a man, yet to be killed by somebody I love is my choice and my only prerogative, war and army is not what you thought so far, grow up finally and save your life till you can". She left military life at the end. She did understand him. And he did not die in vain. The man who helped him to prepare all that and after to carry out the trial and the outcome of that trial was Col. Sam Doran with help of Lt. Tim Macy. Macy didn't know what is really going on and what will be the outcome but did what he was expected to do. He took photos of Mary Jane and Maj.Gray by order of Col. Sam Doran who gave that order because Maj.Gray asked him to do that. After she refused to leave army (what Col.Doran asked her to do) Col. Doran convinced prosecutor to charge her with a premeditated murder (he knew she cant be found quilty) instead of manslaughter (there was some possibility to be found quilty) with taken photos. Col.Doran also suppress argue-shutting incident to escalate to prevent prosecutor to have any doubt about premeditated murder charge but let it be revealed during the trial what greatly influenced the jury. I have no doubt about outcome of that trial. Why Col. Doran did that way? Because he will do anything Maj.Gray ask him to do. Why? Because he saved his life on a battlefield. Why Mary Jane choose to go to trial? Because she was a person who have integrity, a principles. And that is why Maj.Gray choose her. It has to be somebody deserving, somebody honourable. Keeping his secret about what really happened that night she also prove her honour.Miroslav$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** When I saw a preview for this movie I thought it was going to be atleast a slightly admirable storyline. But as most superstation original movies I was left disapointed. This gullible family ends up driving through this "deserted" town to take a brake and find this video camera showing these people doing everything their donig and finds out they all eventually disappear, the family goes through all these mysterious stages and never discovers or displays what the heck is stalking them. Their are more gaps than I can count and they don't explain anything that happens how or what. It ends where the family gets in a car accident and get posest or brainwashed or something( which is never explained). The next thing you know ur hoping they somehow find out how all it happened but it ends leaving you completely confused.$LABEL$ 0 +I accidentally happened upon this movie when I was looking for something to watch while eating lunch. I actually turned to the WE Network because it said it had the last 20 minutes of some movie about the importance of "sticking it" for some gymnastics team -- I figured cheesy goodness. Well, I got cheesy alright. First, I missed a good 20-40 minutes at the start of the movie. Luckily, most of it was recapped fairly quickly, especially in the bedroom scene where Crystal admits that she felt responsible for the death of her rapist.I love Jenny Garth and will watch her in just about anything. She's just so pretty, and I want my lipstick to look as perfect as hers always does. She looks great throughout this movie, and doesn't really age over what seems to be more than a decade. Overall, I felt bad for the actors as I watched this movie. All of them tried to sell their parts, but all were so poorly written that it was a constant struggle. Frankly, I was surprised to see Terry Farrell and Mitch Ryan (Greg's dad from Dharma & Greg) in this. But the writing was not the worst part of this movie. About a half-hour before the end, her mother dies, and when they show the headstone the death date is 1979. Having missed the beginning, I had gotten the impression from the wardrobe that this was taking place in the 80s. Not one leisure suit or bell bottom in sight. Shame on the person who did wardrobe for this film! Don't get me wrong -- all the outfits in this movie were beautiful, but they were completely wrong for the time period. It almost makes me wonder if they told the wardrobe person that it was a period piece.Bottom line -- good for a laugh or to feed a Jennie Garth fix. :)$LABEL$ 0 +Some Plot Spoilers Ahead.The Nashville Network's so-called rebirth as "The First Network for Men" is a complete disappointment, as was its block of adult cartoons. The new Ren and Stimpy was just plain awful, "Gary the Rat" mediocre at best, and "Stripperella" pretty unwatchable. This cartoon is mostly boring; if "Ren and Stimpy" suffered from gross-out overkill, "Stripperella" lacked any decent shock gags, funny witless gags, clever gags, or gags, period. The concept is bad to begin with: Pamela Anderson, a stripper-cum-superheroine, saves "The City" from an assortment of goofy supervillains. This cartoon seems like an homage to superior wacky superhero spoofs, like "Darkwing Duck" and "The Tick," but without those cartoons' wit and good writing---or even good storyboarding. "Agent 0069" tries to vacillate between being goofy and sexy, but she is neither, and this cartoon's failure to make her one or the other brings this series down.Watch your taped episodes of "The Tick," and see what a real superhero spoof cartoon is like.$LABEL$ 0 +Along with Fernando Fragata, João Mário Grilo, Abi Feijó, Leonel Vieira, étc...(other commercial directors), Diamantino Costa is one of the best Portuguese Directors; "O Lampião da Estrela" was his (Diamantino Costa) First movie, before he made several successful commercials. This title is starred by one of the best Portuguese comedians of all times, Herman José and José Pedro Gomes are great. Its a very funny movie!! (28/07/2000)BOA SORTE DIAMANTINO...$LABEL$ 1 +Kidman and Law lack the chemistry to make this sloppily directed, poorly written romance/melodrama work on any level other than grandiosity. Kidman pouts andpines wistfully for her absent lover Law. She's just met him when he's whisked off to do battle for the South in the Civil War, and they've only exchanged about 5 sentences and one kiss, yet they're totally smitten. Law's main direction throughout seems to be `Look vacant and shell-shocked, but sensitive.' Rene Zellweger is about the only spark in this dreary script, but she plays it way too broad and over the top, like she was starring in `Annie Get Your Gun.' Yee-hah boy howdy! Something about her character felt more like it belonged in a Monty Python sketch - the one from `Holy Grail' where the peasants spend all their time wallowing in muck making mud pies for no reason. Kidman is a smart enough actress to stay out of her way whenever she can. Their scenes together are like a comic book hidden inside a Victorian Era novel.Whenever the action bogs down into total tedium, which is frequently, all the writers do is shout `Cue the Simon Legree-type Villain!' and Teague (Ray Winstone) comes galloping out of nowhere to do his unspeakably dastardly acts, like kill and torture innocent God-fearing townspeople in the name of loyalty to a fast-fadingConfederacy. All other times, he's missing in action, which is preposterous even in this cornball script. There is a plethora of other talented actors who give credible performances in small roles. These are the characters Law meets as he does his Johnny Appleseed trek from the front lines, where he has deserted, to the hopefully loving embrace of Kidman back in Cold Mountain. Ultimately though, none of these characters matter. Law has no time for them or their lives. Each of these little mini-movies has the same tired theme: war is gol-durn heck, and turns otherwise decent Christian folk into rabid animals.And the script is far too predictable, too heavy-handed. Moreover, the pacing of the story is dreadfully slow. You spend the entire movie waiting for Romeo and Juliet's inevitable reunion, with Kidman wringing her hands and sighing, Law overcoming incredible odds and dodging bullets. And when it finally comes you just don't care anymore. You'll be looking at your watch wondering how much more of this clap you have to endure.I give it one star out of five for the battle scenes. There is a potent anti-war message here. The incredible lack of concern for the loss of life by the Generals on both sides of the conflict is powerful stuff. But it's only about 15 minutes of this 150-minute dog.$LABEL$ 0 +What an absolute joke of a movie. The case for this film would have you believe it is Duel meets Jeepers Creepers meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Three good films in their own right and you would think, using their blueprint, MM couldn't go far wrong. Well that's what I thought, and I was very, very mistaken! We follow two college students as they travel miles across the desert to reach a wedding. They pick up a girl (no she doesn't get her clothes off), then they get chased by a Leatherface rip-off in a Monster Truck, whom they aptly name F**kface (AKA Monster Man).The Monster Truck I will admit is a very cool vehicle, but the less than suspenseful chase scenes ruin it's potential.So MM decides he's got a bit of a grudge against these guys and chases them for a bit, they loose him for a while and stop at a bar full of amputees, then they go to a motel where lead character Adam sleeps with hitch-hiker Sarah (though they both wear underwear!). Then they are caught by MM, taken to his home where they escape death and try to kill MM, but fail, hence the set-up for the sequel. Apart from a minor 'twist', that's it.If you can get past the first 2 minutes – where Adam's friend Harley pops up from hiding in the back of Adam's car to try to scare him, with no explanation as to how Harley even got there, how long ago or how Adam even failed to realise – without thinking you hate it already, then you may just enjoy this film.Monster Man has very poor cinematography and direction which is immediately off-putting. This is the kind of movie that you'll be able to pick up as one of those films in a box set of 20 horror movies that you've never heard of.What is so irritating is Blockbuster stock so many of these poor quality films that are shot on digital by some amateur film students, and that's exactly what MM is (though IMDb states this particular director was born in 1961).The acting throughout this film is atrocious. The script, which the writer obviously considered to be funny, is irritating and childish. You get the impression only one draft was written before they started shooting. In fact, the script is do dire a lot of the film seems improvised, full of those boring, un-entertaining conversations that are only funny or important to the actual people involved. Imagine you filmed yourself and your buddies having a conversation, sure, points are funny – TO YOU, but mostly it's trash. That's what the script for MM is like.Don't watch it for the gore either – it's fairly minimal and there are much better gory films out there (Bad Taste, Evil Dead et al…) Jeepers Creepers 1 & 2, even with their cheesiness and plot holes, are far superior to this film. Compare the intro of Jeepers Creepers to the intro of Monster Man and you'll see what I mean.$LABEL$ 0 +As an avid fan of Christian film, and a person trying to maintain a keen eye for improvements in the realm of Christian film-making, I was excited to get a chance to see this film. I was ready to see something that would make a new mark in quality movies. I was left disappointed.The beginning scene is excellent, though a slight rip-off of Leon - The Professional on the angle, it showcases some great cinematography in the early goings... everything after that was pretty much downhill.I was barely able to sit through this one, I was tempted multiple times just to shut it off.The acting, while quite possibly sincere, was incredibly awful. But then again, the heart of the problem was the screenplay itself. The dialog was worse than anything I have ever seen, and even my amateurish screenplay "The Awakening" (soon to be an independent film) looked like a Hitchcock-thriller next to this. (Which isn't saying much.) The bright side of this film is that it was filmed on Sony's brand new High-Definition 900 cameras shooting in 24P. This film and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones were the first movies ever to use these new technology cameras that year. Unfortunately, the camera's performance seemed to be wasted with bad lighting, poor angles, and awkward handling.The only good feeling I got coming out of watching this movie was how good my rookie indie film is going to look next to it. ; ) 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This 1973 TV remake of the Billy Wilder classic is inferior to the original. Surprise!First, the good things. Lee J. Cobb makes a terrific Barton Keyes. He's not as good as Edward G. Robinson, of course, but he's the only reason to watch this. This remake's only improvement over the original is that it cuts down the role of Lola Dietrichson, the step-daughter of the femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson.And that's it for the good things.The bad things are many. The director records everything in an indifferent manner: if you watched the film with the sound muted you'd hardly get the impression that anything especially interesting was happening. Because of modern bad taste, the film must be in color instead of black and white. Because of 1970s bad taste, all the sets are distractingly ugly. Walter Neff's expensive apartment, in particular, is hideous.The modern setting hurts in a lot of small ways. Train trips were a bit more unusual in the 70s than in the 40s, so Mr. Dietrichson's decision to take a train seems more of a contrivance. Men stopped wearing hats, which prevents Walter from covering up his brown hair while posing as the white-haired Mr. Dietrichson. Women in mourning stopped wearing veils, which robs Samantha Eggar of a prop Barbara Stanwyck made splendid use of in a key scene. (Oddly, Lola still has the line where she reveals that her stepmother was trying on a black hat and veil before she had need of them.)Stephen Bochco keeps much of the Billy Wilder-Raymond Chandler script the same. But he makes a lot of tiny, inexplicable changes to the dialogue which leave the script slightly flabby where once it was lean and muscular. Outrageously, the famous motorcycle-cop banter is gone, but look closely and you'll see what looks like a post-production cut where those lines should have been. Bochco may not be to blame.Richard Crenna is passable as Walter Neff. What might have made this version tolerable is a really splendid Phyllis Dietrichson. Instead we get Samantha Eggar, who comes off like a standard-issue villainess from "Barnaby Jones." But who can blame Eggar? With a director who barely seems interested in what's happening in front of the camera, how could Barbara Stanwyck herself have come off well?$LABEL$ 0 +A delightful little thriller opens with Trevor Howard in his Jag convertible and ends on a dockside in Liverpool. It's all thrills and spills as the ex-spy has to restart his career just as he's getting some serious R & R cataloguing butterflies (how British is that?).Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons frolic from London to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Liverpool (via Ullswater) - he's just been thrown out of MI5 or something, and she, you guessed it, is on the run, wrongly accused of murder. There's seedy docks, rolling Lake District hills, sheep, country pubs, coppers getting lost, waterfalls, a bunch of amateur cyclists, rooftop chases, and lots of Chinamen (don't ask), and it's all very Hitchcocky and Hannayesque.....and a smashing example of British Noir...$LABEL$ 1 +NBC had a chance to make a powerful religious epic along the lines of "The Ten Commandments" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told," and instead they chose to make some halfhearted cartoon that was more like "Waterworld" than anything else. I don't recall a Bible passage where Lot turns into a pirate and attacks the ark, nor do I remember one where Noah's son develops a serious friendship with an orange, nor do I remember Noah being some crazy old loon who suddenly acts like he's commanding a naval fleet and runs around shouting nautical terms like "hoist the mainstay!" This was possibly the worst marketing decision in history. Obviously the majority of people watching this were going to be Jewish and Christian parents with their kids, so why on earth make the movie so offensive to those people? If they were intentionally trying to offend, why not advertise it that way and at least reel in the right audience?? I hope they make a REAL Noah movie someday, one done seriously and thoughtfully, one that actually appeals to people and makes money. Until then, don't waste your time with this trash.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh dear! The BBC is not about to be knocked off its pedestal for absorbing period dramas by this one. I agree this novel of Jane Austens is the difficult to portray particularly to a modern audience, the heroine is hardly a Elizabeth Bennet, even Edmund is not calculated to cause female hearts to skip a beat. However I must say I was hoping for an improvement on the last and was sadly disappointed. The basic story was preserved, but the dialogue was so altered that all that was Jane Austen's tone, manner, feeling, wit, depth, was diluted if not lost. If some past adaptions may be seen as dated the weakness of this one must be that it is too modern ('his life is one long party'?????) The cast was generally adequate, but I think Billie Piper was the wrong choice, it needed someone more restrained, I gained no impression of hidden depths beneath a submissive exterior, she was more like a frolicking child. I see I must wait for the BBC to weave its magic once again.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, if you are looking for a great mind control movie, this is it. No movie has had so many gorgeous women under mind control, and naked. Marie Forsa, as the busty Helga, is under just about everytime she falls asleep and a few times when she isn't. One wishes they made more movies like this one.$LABEL$ 1 +Something about the 40 Year Old Virgin and the other comedy hit of the summer, Wedding Crashers, is similar, but they are two different films in some respects. Both are romantic comedies that have that kind of over-the-top, crazy sensibility that keeps the teens and guys in their 20's along with the usual dating crowd to go see the films. Both have some sort of formula to the stories as well. But by the end of the 40 Year Old Virgin, I think I found overall it was more satisfying than 'Crashers'. Although one can guess where the relationship story with Steve Carrell's character Andy and Catherine Keener's character Trish will go to, it isn't too basic for one to figure out like with Crashers, and the characters both leading and supporting are realistic, more rounded than most of the one-dimensional or unexplained people in the other. And, perhaps, it may also depend on how much you identify (or just find the lunacy) in both.The thing is some people may go into The 40 Year Old Virgin not knowing Steve Carrell as well as Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn, as Carrell has built up his cult status on The Daily Show (one of my favorite shows on now) and in small but unforgettably riotous roles in Anchorman and Bruce Almighty. This is his first starring role, but it's not treated like some third rate vehicle. He and co-writer/director Judd Apatow treat the character of Andy with a certain level of sincerity that keeps the audience on his side all the way, even early on as he talks to his action figures while re-painting them. It's also a tricky line to walk on- in lessor hands this could be no more or less entertaining than the Lackluster 40 Days and 40 Nights with Josh Hartnett (also about sexual dysfunction). As the title suggests, Andy is the 40 year old who is like the nice guy friend with still a little Pee-Wee Herman in him (the opening over the credits of his his apartment is hilarious, a good sign).So, his friends (among them Paul Rudd, Romany Mancoy, Seth Rogen, all very good comic foils) try and devise different strategies and tips to finally break the sort of curse over Andy's head to pop his cherry, so to speak. He almost gets with a overly drunk woman, he almost gets with a freaky kind of girl, and almost with his own boss (Jane Lynch, also very funny in the mockumentaries) as a (explitive) buddy. But this soon all starts to fade as he gets into a meaningful relationship with Trish, who works across the street from him. As they build on a relationship not based at all on sex, one might worry that the plot gear of "how is he going to tell her such and such" might get in the way of the comedy. It doesn't. In fact, if anything, Carrell and the cast build on it to a very high degree. For practically an hour and a half of the film's two hour length, there was barely a moment I wasn't laughing, whether big or small.The big laughs though make up for not just any kind of formalities with the plot, or one or two little stray stories (the fellow co-workers have their own relationship problems as well, Rudd's being the funniest). The big laughs come through because of Carrell's reactions, and that the people around him can either back up with their own sort of humor/charm, or that its with some truth. Keener gives a very good performance and makes it so that there is a genuine spirit to their relationship (and, un-like 'Crashers', there isn't as much that doesn't make sense character wise). For someone like me who loves it when a comedian can get laughs just from the way he looks on his face, Carrell gets very high points here. And like with a Farrelly brothers movie, the more raunchy or outrageous scenes are done with total absurdity; the 'waxing' scene (which was done for real, by the way) and the sort of Aquarius musical number towards the very end of the film (the way it comes out at first is a total, uproarious surprise). But if you're willing not to get offended by it, there's more where that came from. This is one of the funniest films of the year.$LABEL$ 1 +Whilst it is universally acknowledged that Fearful Symmetry was heavily influenced by the Kolchak episode They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be, whether this makes it a rip-off or a homage is an altogether more controversial point. As a huge fan of both series I subscribe to the latter belief, although the less charitable may not do. James Whitmore was brave to take on the task of directing such a difficult episode, invisible elephants and gorilla suits sounds like a recipe for disaster, but he pulls it off with style, the teaser being an absolute gem. Lance Guest does a great job of making a credible character out of Kyle Lang and Jack Rader seethes with menace as Ed Meecham. Forget Fearful Symmetry's dubious originality and just enjoy it as a deeply satisfying X File.$LABEL$ 1 +So well done. The photography, sound, music and the performances were the best. It's also an amusing story line that brings a smile to your face with each scene--I loved it and I'm a 60 year old heterosexual guy. Each character seemed to fit their part to a tee. It's the best performance that I've seen from Ms. Capshaw--she's been in more movies than I thought, but this was a wonderful achievement. I suppose it's a plus to have Spielberg money behind you allowing for a fat budget and all the best that money can buy technically. Two of the cast have successful T.V. shows of their own now--it's easy to see why. Tom Selleck does his usual good job.$LABEL$ 1 +2002's the Bourne Identity is one of my all-time favorite movies. however, many fans of the book have complained that the movie had very little to do with the book's plot.The Assignment is the real deal. It's odd that no-one on the "Bourne Identity" threads has mentioned this movie at all. (Well, I jst did.)Besides the excellent plot, I personally found this movie to be as good as any espionage movie I've ever seen, with the possible exception of The BourneIdentity itself.The action is all completely realistic. I especially liked the protagonists' training regimen, which was very inventive.The feel is dark and gritty. There are a few surprising plot twists. The acting is excellent. If you like this genre, I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.$LABEL$ 1 +Look as being Anglo-Irish I assure you this reviewer is anything but Bias. But I assure you this is very much an Irish Film - and not English as the last comment seems to have suggested. This film was written by Neil Jorden and Conor McPherson and directed by Conor McPherson too - both Irish. The Cast is almost entirely Irish - it was shot in Ireland with an Irish crew. Even Michael Gambon was born in Ireland - I remember him joking about it in an interview about this film.Michael Cane was evidently brought in to boost Box office takings abroad.Loved the film, I just wanted to correct a totally uninformed comment!Now on with the review - I loved Dylan Moran, have always been a fan of his, himself and Michael Cane formed a surprisingly good double act. It was great to see Morans range as an actor as he plays several different made up characters during the film. I would recommend this film to anyone with an interest in comedy - as it represents a fresh, quirky and inventive turn in Irish feature length chuckle films. I laughed a lot. what more could you ask for?$LABEL$ 1 +John Ford is one of the most influential and best remembered American filmmakers in the history of film, his name usually associated with the western film genre. However, John Ford's arguably best film is not a western at all but a seedy drama set in the Irish fight for independence in the early 1920s: 1935's The Informer.Times are tough on many in Ireland and the burnt out Gypo Nolan is caught in a web of poverty and desperation - and the walls are closing in. Gypo is big but he is not the brightest bulb on the tree, has a warm heart but a short fuse, and never seems to really think things all the way through but he is not a criminal or a self-centered pig. Walking the streets starving with no where to live, the hulking Gypo Nolan finds the prime lady in his life, Katie Madden, on the streets soliciting herself because of her own desperate situation and starts to dream about taking her to the United States if he only had the 20 Pounds to pay for it. As luck would have it, his friend Frankie is back in town with a 20 Pound price over his head and Gypo is desperate enough to inform the police of Frankie's whereabouts. Gypo, with the new 20 Pounds of blood money earned, finds this foggy night particularly foggier as guilt swells all over him and the IRA invests all their resources to find Frankie's informer.Victor McLaglen portrays the fallen Gypo Nolan and definitely deserved the Best Actor Oscar he was awarded for this film. His brutish, stupid, and tender turns give the character dimension and McLaglen is only second to Dudley Moore's character Arthur Bach from the 1981 film Arthur as the most entertaining cinematic drunk. Margot Grahame's performance as Katie Madden is also excellent but she and McLaglen are the only members of the cast who truly impress. Preston Foster is especially miscast as an IRA head, mainly because he is most obviously not Irish, and J. M. Kerrigan borders on irritating throughout his role in the film but this disappointing supporting cast is the film's only poor point.Often overshadowed by some of Ford's better known westerns like The Searchers or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Informer is easily one of John Ford's best films - if not his very best. Beginning what would be a long career of Oscar nominations and wins for John Ford, The Informer won four Oscars including one for him for best director in 1936. Ford and company's use of shadows and light in the film is particularly engaging and vital to telling the story. Gypo's walk through the streets is narrated by the gloomy state of the town and the glaring accusations of the street lamps, each shadow constantly reminding him of his dark deed. Ford's command of this technique was amazing to watch; if The Informer was made 10 years later (thus making the genre requirements) it would probably be considered one of the best films noir of all time but that does not hinder it from being remembered as an excellent classic film.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1933 Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler sang and danced their way through three Warner Brother musicals that offered Depression era audiences a momentary distraction from their woes. Gold Diggers of 1933, 42nd Street and Footlight Parade were all set in the world of Broadway Theatre with basically the same theme of the show must go on. In addition to Keeler and Powell the films featured the kaleidiscopic choreography of Busby Berkeley, show stopping tunes and many of the same supporting players.All are arguably classics of their genre but I must admit a clear preference for Footlight due to it's pace energy and lead James Cagney. Warren William in Gold Diggers and Warner Baxter in 42nd Street acquit themselves admirably as the shows production heads- particularly Baxter as the burned out Julian Marsh in search of one last box office smash. Both lack the infectious energy of Cagney however, who perfectly compliments the frenetic pace of putting on a Broadway musical. He is an absolute whirlwind as he deals with production numbers, unscrupulous partners and a gold digging girlfriend.Of course Cagney alone does not make Footlight the classic that it is. The script crackles with some sharp double entendres delivered by a superlative supporting cast featuring Frank McHugh, Hugh Herbert, Guy Kibbee and especially Joan Blondell who cuts everyone down to size. Busby Berkeley's dance numbers are surreal, suggestive and risqué and done just in the nick of time before the arrival of the Hollywood Code in 34. Sadly, the thirties and sometime beyond would never see such a richly made musical with the verve and sass of Footlight again. Gentility and morality made sure of it.$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILER*** Do not read this, if you think about watching that movie, although it would be a waste of time. (By the way: The plot is so predictable that it does not make any difference if you read this or not anyway)If you are wondering whether to see "Coyote Ugly" or not: don't! It's not worth either the money for the ticket or the VHS / DVD. A typical "Chick-Feel-Good-Flick", one could say. The plot itself is as shallow as it can be, a ridiculous and uncritical version of the American Dream. The young good-looking girl from a small town becoming a big success in New York. The few desperate attempts of giving the movie any depth fail, such as the "tragic" accident of the father, the "difficulties" of Violet's relationship with her boyfriend, and so on. McNally (Director) tries to arouse the audience's pity and sadness put does not have any chance to succeed in this attempt due to the bad script and the shallow acting. Especially Piper Perabo completely fails in convincing one of "Jersey's" fear of singing in front of an audience. The only good (and quite funny thing) about "Coyote Ugly" is John Goodman, who represents the small ray of hope of this movie.I was very astonished, that Jerry Bruckheimer produced this movie. First "Gone In 60 Seconds" and now this... what happened to great movies like "The Rock" and "Con Air"? THAT was true Bruckheimer stuff.If you are looking for a superficial movie with good looking women just to have a relaxed evening, you should better go and see "Charlie's Angels" (it's much more funny, entertaining and self-ironic) instead of this flick.Two thumbs down (3 out of 10).$LABEL$ 0 +Ghost Story has an interesting feminist revenge tale premise, A-list veteran actors, colorful flashbacks with nifty look-a-like youthful counterparts of the old men. scary staccato music heralding the approaching horrors, atmospheric New England winter weather, and an excellent charismatic actress in the title role. Ghost Story could have been much more effective in black and white and in eliminating some of the more lurid special effects, and to presenting a more cogent screenplay (we should not have to be wondering about why the two trailer-parkish acolytes are in the script) The biggest detriment of the film is Craig Wassan (definitely separated at birth from Bill Maher) who from perhaps editing or just bad acting, is totally ineffective. He seems to "specialize" in wide-eyed, wide-mouthed reaction shots; not a lot of personality here. The revelation however is Alice Krige, pale-faced, enigmatic, terrifying underneath the placid exterior. However, her Eva Galli is creepy even before she meets her fate; I mean, a young woman who says things like "I'd like to take a bite out of you" or "Dance with me, you little toad!" is already not in the land of the living. Ghost Story would have been much better in a low-key, Val Lewton mode. The overdone special effects completely undercut the chill factor.$LABEL$ 0 +Gake no Ue no Ponyo is a beautifully animated film and a relief from the many heartless soulless CGI movies being made. The pastel and color pencil backgrounds were a surprise after Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi(Spirited Away) and Hauru no Ugoku Shiro(Howl's Moving Castle) being so similar stylistically. The style worked well for the film and was done exceptionally well. The time and effort put in to animate this is greatly appreciated as it gives the characters so much more life, the detail and care it takes makes the movie turn out so much better. There are several great scenes throughout the movie that have lots of movement and action. The greatest to me being a scene were Ponyo's sisters transform into massive wave like fish while she runs on top of them. The story is simple but fairly well written and played out. The plot stayed focused around character relationships and while it wasn't played out as well as in Tonari no Totoro(My Neighbor Totoro) it is still great. I felt that each character had the an appropriate amount of screen time unlike Spirited Away which was so jammed with distinctive characters that it could have been stretched out into an entire series.(The Radish Spirit. There was a another whole movie right there!) My only real problem with the movie was the end. The way its worded in the English version at least makes it seem like there's going to be some great test given to Sōsuke which turns out to be just him promising Ponyos mother that he will love Ponyo. Though putting more thought into this leads me to think that translation may not be that accurate to the actual meaning in that the test is the promise and that deep down he really means it. The movie did seem to end abruptly though. Other than that the movie was great and I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +One Life Stand is an accomplished piece of film making which hasn't been given the credit it deserves. Its IMDB rating of 1.7 doesn't do it justice and is, perhaps, due to the very few screenings it has had rather than the quality of the film itself. Shot on digital in black and white, the film is well directed with production values that belie its shoestring budget. The performances are excellent, particularly that of Gary Lewis who gets better with every role. My only criticisms are that it is a bit on the long side and could have done with a touch more humour to offset the darker moments. Overall, though, it is a fine piece of work.$LABEL$ 1 +On September 11th, 2001, millions were killed; but 2,819 lives ended in an especially gruesome manner. They were the victim of a plane hijacking by extremists whose sole mission was to destroy buildings, but more importantly, people. This film takes an in-depth look at four people whose lives were cut short by this disastrous event and one man whose life was shattered by the loss of their lives.Charlie Fineman (played by Adam Sandler), a former dentist living in New York, loses his wife and three children on September 11th as they were on their way to Los Angeles. Emotionally annihilated by the events, he eventually loses touch with everyone who reminds him of his former life; including his in-laws and his best friend (played, respectively, by Robert Klein, Melinda Dillon, and Mike Bender). He goes into completely denial and does his best to forget about his former life. This continues until he runs into his old college friend Alan Johnson (played by Don Cheadle) who Fineman doesn't seem to remember. The two begin to catch up, but Fineman believes Johnson was sent by people from his former life to persuade him into finding help. Slowly, but surely, Fineman regains his trust for Johnson.While all this is happening, Alan Johnson's life is going down the wrong path. He is a self man (dentist) who helps start a dental practice. One day, a patient of his named Donna Remar (played by Saffron Burrows) attempts to make a move on him, telling him that she would like to perform oral sex for him. This is an unwelcome surprise to Dr. Johnson since he is a married man with two children. As he is coming home from work on a particular workday, he sees his old friend (Fineman) and tries to flag him down. He is unsuccessful, but he gets another opportunity and persuades Fineman to get a come of coffee with him to catch up, despite the fact that Fineman doesn't know who he is.One of the most interesting things about this movie is its use of music as a motif. One of Fineman's physiological crutches is music, particularly Springsteen and other classic rock artists. When Fineman is asked to open up about his past or to talk about things he finds unpleasant, he puts on his earphones and drowns out the world with things his music.When the film was over, I had me thinking: how would I cope with the loss of my family? How would I deal with such a tragic events. It's something we don't really think about too often. We always think they'll be there and we often take them for granted, whether we intend to or not. We usually realize how important they are when it's too late; and a blow like that can destroy someone physically, emotionally, and physiologically. I really don't know how I would be able to deal with something like that. Would I face the problem head on, cope, and move on with my life or would I just put my headphones on and block the world?$LABEL$ 1 +When I say " Doctor Who " you might conjure up an image of Tom Baker , or Jon Pertwee or maybe Peter Davison . When I say " James Bond " you`ll almost certainly conjure up an image of Sean Connery while a small handful of people may think of Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan . But when I say " Sgt Bilko " absolutely everyone will think of Phil Silvers . Unlike Doctor Who or James Bond the role belongs exclusively to one actor . And that`s the problem with this film version you`ll continually wish you were watching the old black and white show . In fact the whole idea of making a film version of BILKO without Silvers in the title role comes close to sacrilage$LABEL$ 0 +Chris Penn is hilarious as the all-time stoner brother of Jeff spicoli. This movie is great because it was a lot more real and funnier than fast times at ridgemont high. Casting was perfect and one of my favorite soundtracks of almost all Eddie van halen which went on to become songs on ou812 and unlawful carnal knowledge. This movie is one of the great stoner film heroes with cheech and chong. Fast times was more depressing than funny. Abortions, friends cheating on friends, jerking off in bathrooms, bad jobs, and failing school. Someone must hate the eighties to like ridgemont more than the wild life. The film even had great cameos like the maker of city limits Michelle schocked in the liquor store or Ben Stein in his first role in the sunny's surplus store.$LABEL$ 1 +I attended Camp Chesapeake. It was located at the head of the Chesapeake bay on the North East River in MD. It was a similar type summer camp with cabins. It was established by the Coatesville, PA YMCA. I started out as a young camper and later became a Junior, Senior counselor and later, the Waterfront director. If the camp had continued, I would have done anything within my power to become the camp director. Alas the powers of the YMCA decided to close down the camp and sell it to the state of MD. I visited the former camp some years later by boat and was dismayed by the neglect of the state of MD and natural destruction by mother nature. The 350 acre site served so many with all the benefits of contact with natures offerings. A black man by the name of Curtis Ford, and his family were residents and caretakers of the property. Mr Curtis was my friend and mentor. I idolized his every being. Even as he could not swim he was a waterman. If I asked him where the fish were biting, he would designate the spot, and I would have a ball. Ther was also a Family camp at the end of the summer. These memories will be with me for eternity.$LABEL$ 1 +I will always think of Mr. Firth as Dorian Gray, if I live to be 100.Perfectly acted and directed, bringing Oscar Wilde's insight, wit and humor alive with an absolute and utter perfection unusual in television.More proof that the BBC more than makes up in talent what it doesn't always have in money.A must have for all Wilde fans-and indeed for everyone else. Inspired and perfected, every one of the actors looked exactly right for the role and every shot was well done.By the end I found that I loved every single character in a way that no other movie of the type had ever inspired. Watch it, then try to watch another version. It's just not the same, is it?$LABEL$ 1 +Goebbels motivation in backing down was not explored. In the aftermath of Stalingrad the Reich had decided to go for 'total war'. This is referred to in the film. Part of this was to use women in the war effort, which Germany had not previously done to any great extent. An SS massacre of women would have faced Goebbels with a public relations disaster of massive proportion. His preference was to make the problem go away as quietly as possible, on the basis that the Jewish men could always be rounded up later. I understand the majority survived the war.His other problem was that the 'Red' Berlin had never been very enthusiastically behind the Nazi cause and had to be handled cautiously. Again a massacre of women could have cost the Nazis what mediocre level of support they had in their capital city.It was interesting that the majority of SS uniforms showed patches which indicated that the men wearing them were not of German nationality, but were from German origins in other countries such as Lithuania or Latvia$LABEL$ 1 +In Hollywood in the 1930's and 1940's, I think that every studio can make a western, except Warner bros. The few times they try, it always ridiculous (except, perhaps, for They Died with their Boots on - which is a cavalery western.) I have read that Humphrey Bogart, seing James Cagney with this big cowboy hat on his head, said that he looks like a mushroom. True! Cagney and Bogart are too urban, too XXe century to be credible in a western movie. The story here had no suprise, and it did't help. Every 10 minutes, I figure I can see Bogart and Cagney drops their little guns and put hands in a machine gun to get away from the set in a 1930's black car.$LABEL$ 0 +While The Twilight Zone was a wonderful show, it was also very uneven--with some great episodes, some lousy ones and many in between. Don't believe the die-hard fans--there were some stinkers and this was definitely one of them.In a plot that is obviously meant to be an attack on Fidel Castro, a near lookalike (Peter Falk in lots of makeup and a beard) obtains a magic mirror that allows him to realize who all his enemies are so he can liquidate them. While I do believe that Castro is a thug and dictator (and tens of thousands of refugees and political prisoners will attest to this), it's amazing how this sort of preachy episode actually makes audiences laugh at the American efforts to marginalize the creep and actually makes Castro seem okay!! Think about it--Serling and company wanted to hurt Castro but instead only seemed to be obvious, preachy and silly in the process.It's indeed bad--almost laughably bad when seen today.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm at a loss for words. This movie is beyond description. I don't believe there is a language on Earth that has a word that can describe how horrible this movie is. If you do attempt to watch it, be sure to stick around for the "suprise ending". I only made it about three quarters of the way through this piece of crap before I couldn't take it anymore. Fortunately(or unfortunately) a couple of my buddies stayed till the end. When they woke up from their coma and after a couple of weeks of therapy they were able to fill me in on what I had missed. This movie has no story, no plot, horrible writing, and even worse acting. If you enjoy watching train wrecks or auto accidents then this film is for you. I think my IQ dropped about 30 points from watching this (insert expletive here).$LABEL$ 0 +The Comeback starts off looking promising, with a brutal death scene by a mask wearing killer. The mask itself is pretty cool too, and looks almost identical to the one used in the 1990's slasher film "Granny". From then on the film is mostly boring. We get a few more deaths, which again are good, but there's not enough of them. The reason the deaths are so good is because they are frenzied and bloody. The story behind the film is actually rather interesting and would have worked very well had it not been so boring for the most part. I would avoid this unless you're a die-hard collector - there's not enough here to even make it an average slasher flick.$LABEL$ 0 +The new voices scare me! Kuzco doesn't have to pass some frickkin' academy to become emperor again! It's the same thing over and over, isn't it? This IS a kids' show, right? Yzma turns Kuzco into something stupid, like an animal. He learns a lesson. EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!!!!! David Spade and John Goodman never returned... *sniffle*! Nothing changes 'cause Disney won't do anything 'bout it. It's probably one of the most retarded shows ever! The first movie was so damn better! Malina's probably the only person I like. Kuzco's such a crybaby! Kronk is retarded! And Yzma's retarded-ER (if that's even a word)! What I meant to say is... How could you, Disney... why?$LABEL$ 1 +Murder by Numbers is a pretty good movie. Even though the plot rolls along at a snail's pace, what with Sandra Bullock's character getting all mixed up with her partner and the movie flashing back to a previous trauma situation she had been in, it does succeed in keeping the viewer involved in the film.Having said that, I do think that it does a good job in setting that eerie sort of "who done it" type atmosphere. It keeps you guessing at which one of the boys really was behind the murder, if not both of them. I think Ryan Gosling and that other kid (lol) do a good job of selling that bully versus dork relationship. Not sure about Gosling playing a bad-ass, but for a guy who would later star in a movie like The Notebook, he did a pretty good job. Once the movie gets rolling, though, I really found myself involved in the story, sort of asking myself, "Oh My God, what would I do if I were in that situation?" Like I said, a good CSI type movie, maybe not for the EXTREME crime drama movie junkie, but a good all around flick.8 outta 10$LABEL$ 1 +How this film was made with so many big stars is beyond me. This is a terrible cliché' ridden film with the worst acting any of these actors have ever done. It really surprises me that so many of these A list stars would agree to this unfunny film. What's even worse is the fact that is made almost 100 million here in the states. It does go to show however that big stars can pull in the bucks, even if the film is terrible. I felt sorry for everyone involved in this snore-fest. Billy Crystal tried his best with the what he was given and the rest of the stars seemed to be walking through the motions. Whatever you do, don't fall for the excellent cast because no one could have saved this.$LABEL$ 0 +An odd, willfully skewed biopic of Dyan Thomas in which we hear little more than a dozen lines of his poetry. Instead we have to endure a raw character exposée seen through the prism of his proto-bigamous relationship with wife (Sienna Miller) and childhood love (Keira Knightley). Matthew Rhys plays Thomas with sufficient charm to inoculate us against his otherwise repellent self-interest and Cillian Murphy makes up the persistently tense lovetet.The film never seems to decide on where it's going. There's no arc so much as a viaduct from one end of the war to the other. Maybury seems much more interested in his two female leads (who wouldn't!?) than in the man who brings them together and then divides them. Miller is the choice of the two (I found Knightley competent at best but then I have never found her sympathetic) but they both offer dreadfully inconsistent Welsh accents. Other funny decisions include too much for the inconsequential character of William (Murphy), arty production (eg double crossfades) that is neither impressionist nor symbolic and the old chestnut act of period footage which doesn't blend. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This was an excellent show. It came on PBS back home in Chicago and I remember Cindy Herron (From EnVogue) played the teen aged daughter. The show dealt with subjects such as sex, peer pressure and puberty. IT was about a middle class black family who had a teen aged daughter and son who moved to a middle class neighborhood from Oakland or somewhere (I can't remember). I remember several episodes but the one I remember most was when their cousin got her period for the first time. I was probably 7-8 when I first watched it and I was able to keep up with the program. This was a great show. I can't remember the name of the guy who played the son on the show, but I always got him confused with Kevin Hooks.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has the look and feel of having been put together in a matter of days-kind of like Plan 9 From Outer Space. In spite of this, it's still a classic-ranking among my favorite Creature Features. *****POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD******* Count Dracula and Larry Talbot; aka Wolfman, arrive at the laboratory of Dr. Edelman seeking a cure for their nocturnal anti-social behavior, such as killing people. In the meantime, kindly Dr. Edelman discovers the body of the Frankenstein Monster. Becoming obsessed with bringing it back to life( a common character trait among scientists, mad or otherwise), he goes against his better judgement, resulting in monster mayhem and madness. One of the final Universal classics of it's time (Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein followed 3 years later), it rates a 10 with this reviewer. Onslow Steven steals the show as good doctor gone bad after being infected by the blood of Dracula and becoming a half- werewolf/vampire creature, coming to a tragic end. At 1 hour 7 min. it packs quite a punch. A worthy addition to my video collection.Rating: ***** out of *****$LABEL$ 1 +A lot of horror fans seem to love Scarecrows, so I won't be very popular in saying that I found it to be rather boring. The idea behind it was interesting, but it seems to drag so much. I think the main problem is that it is all set in darkness. Sometimes horror films set in darkness can work (such as Humongous), but Scarecrows is in darkness for the whole film. A lot of the time it's hard to figure out what's actually happening, and although some shots of the scarecrows were creepy, most were hard to even see. If a little more lighting had been used, perhaps it could've been better.There's not many films involving killer scarecrows to my knowledge, apart from Dark Night Of The Scarecrow, which is much better. I would recommend that over Scarecrows any day.$LABEL$ 0 +Is this a game FMV or a movie? In all honesty, I watched this one out of "choice-less-ness". It is a very big waste of time and money.It seems HK movies are heading in the opposite direction of the rest of the world.Try to put more effort and money into a production and make us want to watch, rather than something you want us to watch.The graphics are so horrible than they looked like something out of the early to mid-90s low resolution games (in comparison to today's).The way they made this movie is almost exactly what they did in the 90s' Wing Commander game, namely the third installment of the series. Stop regressing and make us Asian look so bad at this compared to the big guns in Hollywood.Sure! They have big budgets and better actors. But we have some of the oldest histories, the myths and the legends, the best technophiles and possibly the largest computer graphic talent base in the world! So what went so very very wrong? Did you start using the same old companies that have been working with you for so many films?! Please stop wasting our time and money. This is the reason why HK movies are heading downhill so rapidly. Didn't you claim to be the Hollywood of the Orient? Guess not.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, the movie was no terrible, but whomever created the screen play did not do a good job of even creating the essence of unger. This movie was slightly below average and did not tell the story correctly on one of the most interesting persons ever born. I suggest reading the book "one of a Kind" the real unger story. They left out huge parts of his life. They also at times did not understand the real caractor that he was. The actual facts of his life were at times out of order. And in the end they really did not portray the actual personality that he did have. So please don't watch the movie; read the book. By the way I'm not just some prick who feels you have to stay 100% to the real story, but they did not even come close!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I am not saying that Night of the Twisters was horrible, but it was far from great. Mediocre at absolute best. I seems though that every time one type of movie is released, a second must be around the same time. (Think about Armageddon and Deep Impact, Volcano and Dante's Peak) Night of the Twisters is really just Twister except worse and with mundane special effects.I have nothing against the actors who starred in it, even if they weren't great, it was the movie itself, the directing, the special effects, the whole storyline was just too strange to interpret. A series of tornadoes strike a town and basically the movie is about people trying to find family and friends and deal with the damage.I really don't know why it seems as though duplicates of disaster movies are released almost in sync with each other, but this one would have been better with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt.$LABEL$ 0 +Pendragon Pictures' new film "H G Wells' War of the Worlds", the first faithful adaptation of the original novel, has been in development for about 5 years. A theatrical release was intended for earlier this year (March, 2005) but this never happened. The DVD was rushed out to coincide with the release of Spielberg's version, which hits theatres June 29.I liked this film, with certain reservations.How faithful is the adaptation? It's not quite 100% faithful to Wells' book, but 90 - 95% faithful is good enough for me. At least several scenes were totally new, such as Ogilvy the astronomer's confrontation with a farmer, and the unnamed writer/narrator awkwardly having tea with his cousin. But on the whole, this film follows the book very closely -- certainly much more than the classic 1953 version by George Pal.Its greatest fault is that it was obviously made on a very cheap budget. The majority of it seems to have been shot blue-screen and composited with digitally rendered backgrounds. This is particularly annoying during most of the interior shots, and scenes of crowded city streets. The overviews of 1898 London look like something from a video game. Numerous scenes in horse-carriages were faked -- I guess they couldn't afford to rent a horse. The only scenes shot for "real" seem to be those in open fields or forests.But within those budget restrictions, they managed to do quite a lot. Artistically, the film looks right. The Martians and their tripods are quite well done, and very true to Wells' descriptions. I was particularly impressed with the heat ray. Although the Thunder Child sequence, which should have been one of the film's highlights, is very disappointing. It's a great shame that they couldn't afford more actual sets, or better quality animation.The acting and direction won't win any Oscars. For the most part, they are competent, not bad, but not outstanding. The music is quite good also, though not on a par with any of the major Hollywood composers.I'm actually glad this didn't get a theatrical release, because the budget limitation would have made it look much worse on a big screen. As it stands, I would rate this similarly to a BBC-TV adaptation of classic literature.A few nitpicks: Most of the scenes are presented with various colored filters (mostly red). This may have been an artistic choice, but it is used very inconsistently, and seems more like a sloppy job of mastering the DVD. And the writer/narrator's obviously fake moustache mutates from scene to scene.Bottom line -- Is it worth seeing? If you can look past the technical and budgetary limitations, and get into the story, I think you will enjoy this, especially if you've actually read the original H G Wells novel. If, however, you are easily put off by cheap production values, you'd best pass on this (unless you're a MST3K fan). Be warned, however that the film runs a full 3 hours, so I don't recommend watching it all in one sitting.BTW: An entirely different version of War of the Worlds (aka "INVASION") came out on DVD the same month that Spielberg's hit the theatres: http://imdb.com/title/tt0449040/. This was also made on a budget, but is updated to the present day like the Spielberg film - but it's much better! And to top it off, Jeff Wayne is making an animated film of his best-selling album from 1978, but that won't be out until 2007.$LABEL$ 1 +During the Civil war a wounded union soldier hides out in a isolated Confederate ladies' school; where the head mistress and the teacher of the school decide to care for him and keep him about, until trouble starts brewing between the lonely and sexually frustrated women and girls. The soldier decides to take advantage of this situation, but it all comes at a price in the end. "Dirty Harry (1971)" (which was made about the same time of "The Beguiled") might be my favourite collaboration between Eastwood and Siegel, but after seeing this, I tend to think this to be the pairs' finest work together. A very atypical, savvy and stylish vehicle for Eastwood is always on the mark with richly controlled direction by Don Siegel and a hauntingly rousing music score by Lalo Schifrin. Standing out strongly is its sultrily lurid and bleak nature that's intrusively planted into the film's psychological makeup and manipulative strangle hold in sexual depravity. It's assiduously played out and makes it more the brooding and blood curdling when those random shocks and saucy intentions take hold with gripping tension. The way Siegel illustrates John B Sherry and Grimes Grice's alluring bold, slow-burn screenplay (taken from the novel of Thomas Cullinan) is effectively done through stark emotions and the script's tight, lyrical context. Siegel's strong direction captures the idyllically southern Victorian setting with such potently garnished photography and he sets up some strangely piercing imagery with great clarity and restrained. While the performances, are truly commendable and high of quality. Clint Eastwood as the smoothly suave, sweet talking chameleon union soldier is very impressionable and delightfully assured. A profoundly eminent Geraldine Page steals the picture as the hardened head mistress and the elegant Elizabeth Hartman adds a delicate sincereness to her innocent character. Mae Mercer is strongly tailored as the black maid and Jo Ann Harris is the pick of the crop from the young pupils with her seductively sly persona. Honestly while Eastwood's charismatic character plays the field for his own selfish needs, there's still mixed intentions there that the one's being played (where rivalry between the women creep in) turn out to be no better than their guest at the end. Throughout there's a perversely dark sense of humour and ironic touch settling into the material. What's demonstrated here, is simply more than your basic little minded shocker, but one that's thickly layered with intrigue and a sense of realism that's hard to shake. That also goes for its extremely eerie title and closing song. A effectively chilling, low-key item that's hard not to be tempted by it's swinging hospitality.$LABEL$ 1 +There are two movie experiences I will always cherish. The first was seeing "Star Wars" for the first time at the age of 10 with my little brother. A close second is sneaking into Halloween at the Tripple Plex with my good friend, Trevor, in late October 1978. Halloween left me breathless, speechless, and downright scared. Everyone knows the story. Young Michael Myers decides to kill his sister on Halloween 1963. He escapes a mental hospital 15 years later to return to Haddofield to wreck havoc once again. He spots Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), a shy senior who enjoys babysitting, and begins stalking her. Her partying friends across the street are killed, one-by-one as Michael sets his plot to get her. Ironically, the young boy she tends on Halloween is afraid of the "Boogeman," and can see him outside. During the murder spree, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) works hard to find Michael before he unleashes his fury. He has no proof, no evidence, just a hunch he has to sell to Sheriff Bracket (Charles Cyphers). As the plot unfolds, you have a suspense-driven movie instead of a cheap thrill scare. Alfred Hitchcock once said, "You can have four men at a table playing cards and they don't know there is a bomb and it goes off. That is a cheap thrill. However, put four men at a table who discover a bomb and discuss what to do about it--then it doesn't go off, then you have suspense." Director John Carpenter takes that advice to the hilt in Halloween. The audience will see glimpses of him outside, watching, stalking his victims. We gasp. Will he kill her? When will he kill her? Then, Michael disappears. Carpenter also uses the suspense in lieu of special effects that usually highlight the gore. This movie has little blood, but still provides good scares. One of the best scenes is Michael lifting Bob off the ground. He rears the knife back as it glints off the moonlight, then he drives it. All you hear is a loud thud, then the audience sees Bob's feet drop lifelessly. Carpenter was the first to use a vantage point from the scene of the killer. This also peaks our audience. What will he do? What's going on inside his mind? Finally, Carpenter's hauntingly masterful score adds to the tension. Moreover, the tandem screen writing he did with Debra Hill gives us a story which develops characters we care about. The teens are not "party mad," but merely going through the rebellious angst of teenage wasteland. Finally, there is some decent acting in this "B," low-budget thriller. Nick Castle who plays "the Shape" (Michael) adds something to the mindless killer. It is cold, merciless, and without any pathology. Moreover, the personality does everything the same way. He kills only when trapped, or to set up a trap. He splits the victims apart. He also relies on brute strength. And that mask used (a bleached William Shatner mask) gives an impression of something that has no soul or emotion. While Pleasance is melodramatic in his deadpan monologues, he comes across as someone scared, desperate, and determined. It made me wonder if he represented modernism's fading attempt to explain evil. The crown jewel, though, is Jamie Lee Curtis' debut. She plays the Laurie character as someone scared, but also determined and strong who fights back. The end is one that left me speechless. This was the first concept of an indestructible serial killer who could not be stopped. Movies like Star Wars have the advantage that it can be enjoyed numerous times. Halloween, and other scary movies, though, do not have that advantage. So if we could erase our minds of the first time we see a movie to experience it again as fresh and new, Halloween would be the movie I would choose.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a truly magnificent and heartwrenching film!!!! Ripstein's locations are spectacular, extremely detailed and well lit, the dialogue is extraordinarily García Márquez, no doubt about it. Fernando Luján and Marisa Paredes give us outstanding performances as the colonel and his wife.You must see it!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Great acting, great movie. If you are thinking of building see this movie first. The dollar amounts may have changed but everything else is the same. The humor is true to life and emotions are those that anyone who has built has felt.$LABEL$ 1 +1960's kid show with ex-vaudevillians playing handy men for hire. As you can expect they are a disaster at everything they do. Over the course of the 11 minute episodes (leaving 4 minutes for commercials in the 15 minute time slot), they do things like set up a fence between warring neighbors, help a magician on stage and deal with a found trunk and wallet.Growing up I had never run across this show (which appears to have been shot in New York). I thought I had run heard of or seen a most of the children's shows from the period either through having watched them as a kid or viewed them at nostalgia conventions. Until Alpha Video released it on DVD I had been completely unaware if its existence.The show plays like the Three Stooges mixed with Abbott and Costello as done by people aping the routines. (Indeed one of the pair claims to have created the legendary "Slowly I turned..." routine that Abbott and Costello perfected). Its not bad, but its really not good either since everything seems watered down. The timing is often off (Though that maybe due to bad direction) and the jokes were recycled years before the show first ran. Odds are you've seen it all before . On the plus side its the type of thing that would be perfect to introduce very young kids to the magic of vaudeville style comedy, however its going to be trying for parents to sit through even with the short episodes.For nostalgia junkies only. Everyone else should look to seeing an Abbott and Costello or Three Stooges original.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are looking for King Kong, you mispelled your search! This is a low-low budget movie that was soley >ment to entertain people in a comic sense. Here is the >most ordinary human who is the only 1 who can save the >world from a 185' 300 ton behmouth. Surely you can see the humor in that.$LABEL$ 1 +Birthday Girl doesn't know what it wants to be - is it a comedy,, is it a drama...it just doesn't know. What could have been a very funny or touching film ends up in no-man's land. The premise is original enough to have warranted a script full of interesting scenarios but hardly delivers any and ends up petering out. This is a real shame if you look at the cast - it's very solid all the way through but they don't get the chance to shine. Very disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +The blend of biography with poetry and live action with animation makes this a true work of art. The narration by Sir Michael Redgrave is moving. The length of the work makes it easily accessible for class room exposure or TV/Video time slots.$LABEL$ 1 +(There are Spoilers) Driving down a lonely country road one rainy afternoon Joanna Kndall, Margaret Colin,is distracted for a brief moment and runs down a little girl riding a bicycle on the side of the roadway. Doing what she can to keep the injured youngster comfortable Joanna goes to call for help at a local service station. Before she can give her name Joanna hangs up the phone in order to get back to the girl and see if she's all right; it's then and there when the nightmare begins for Joanna. Heart-wrenching drama that can effect any one of us when you try to do the right thing but are influenced by the words and feelings of those around you. Getting back to the accident site Joanna sees it's cordoned off by the highway police. Before she can tell them what happened, and her involvement in it, Joanna starts to have second thought about turning herself in. What would at first have been a tragic accident turns out to be a hit-and-run with Joanna facing time behind bars, if caught. Even far worse she has to live with herself in what she did seeing almost every day the family of the little girl she ran down Kelly Corey, Dallas Deremer, who goes to the same school as her two daughters Mindy & Holly, Gretchen Esau & Kira Posey. Joanna's life starts to come apart as she tries to keep the truth from her friends and family, not to mention the Eaton Police, of what she was involved with in little Kelly's accident. You can easily see how the words of her friends and neighbors as well as her husband Doug, Drew Phillbury, about the hit and run, effected Joanna. It was those words that had Joanna unable to bring herself to admit what she did not just for her own concern but her two daughters and her husband as well. Feeling that they'll be shunned by the people that they knew as friends as well as neighbors for years. Joanna on the verge of losing her mind tries to implicate her friend Nancy Grayson, Sherry Hursey, in Kelly's hit-and-run accident by trying to plant her earing, that she lost in Joanna house, at the accident site. It's then that she realizes what she's doing and suddenly stops,keeping her from making an already bad situation even worse, not wanting to have Kelly's accident but also innocent Nancy's freedom and reputation on her conscience as well. Margraet Colin gives a stunning performance as the guilt ridden Joanna Kendall and you can really feel for her seeing how she's being eaten up inside and not knowing just what to do. Wanting at first to turn herself in to the police a series of miscalculations causes Joanna to become a fugitive from the law. When she eventually did Joanna became the most hated and despised person in Eaton. Not being herself, when still at large, Joanna's husband starts to feel that she's either back to smoking or even having an affair. Never in a million years would Doug have thought that Joanna was the person who ran down little Kelly and left her to die on that rain soaked road! The look on his face, with his mouth quivering, when he found out the truth said it all.The last few minutes of the movie took a lot out of you knowing what Joanna was going through, not to downplay the suffering of the injured Kelly Corey and her parents, and how she now has to face the music for what she did and have to live with it for the rest of her life.$LABEL$ 1 +And a self-admitted one to boot. At one point the doctor's assistant refers to himself as Igor.Working with the increasingly plausible idea that computers could be used to replace or reconstruct brain functions, this movie doesn't spend enough time exploring the premise. Most of the screen time is split between girlfriend-in-a-coma domestic strife and chasing down the brain donor's killer. It attempts to be a sci-fi/drama/thriller but fails to deliver on any of the three.As a Frankenstein remake this one is missing everything that made the original good. Nobody calls the doctor insane or even threatens to kick him out of the hospital. The transformation scene consists of a coma victim opening one eye and the amazing computer that makes it happen isn't even shown. When the experiment works there is no praise, and when it starts going wrong there is little reaction.Any suspense over who the killer might be is shattered by progressively showing him in the same room with all of the possible suspects. Finding the killer is as easy as opening one file and interviewing one person.San Francisco as a setting is both overplayed and underused. The opening sequence hammers home the point that this is happening in SF, a cable car plays a significant role, the leads live in a hilltop Victorian, Pier 39 makes an appearance, and the final showdown happens at Golden Gate Park. More specifically along ten feet of cliff side at the park - just enough to keep the bridge in the picture at all times. Once the obvious scenery bases are rounded no other attempt is made to explore the city.The acting is the only saving grace here. Keir Dullea shows a good range and pulls off a couple of genuinely emotional scenes. Suzanna Love portrays recovery from a coma well. Tony Curtis only gets a handful of lines and twice as many evil guy stares with most of the Frankenscience explained away by his assistant. The little blond kid hits his cues fairly well also.I also gave it one extra star for the scene where the husband drives south from the bridge, it cuts to a U-turn in an unrelated parking lot, and then he's instantly back on the bridge driving north. It takes a whole lot of something - bravery, ignorance, deadlines - to try and slip that one by the viewer during the one single car chase.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, last night I saw the world premiere of Paul Schrader's The Exorcist: The Beginning at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films. With all the commotion around the film it was highly anticipated.The director was there and so were most of the stars (except Skarsgard).Unfortunately the movie sucked big time. It was a real disappointment for me because I'm a huge fan of both Shrader and Friedkin's (RIP) original 1973 film.What was wrong with it? Most of it actually. The FX (you would think that the Matrix and LOTR digital revolution never happened: it was so badly rendered!), the editing (no real pace or rhythm), the acting (only Skarsgard at times could convince). The script was a, IMO, set up to explain the African scenes in the original film. So the movie had the feel of a set up scene only it contributed nothing.The only thing that I did like was Vittorio Storaro's cinematography although I've seen better from him (Apocalyps Now).All of the time I was thinking this was just a rough cut, a work in progress. And that, given the (well known) circumstances, is probably what it is. But that doesn't change the obvious problems with the script.I had the chance to meet Schrader (very briefly) but I didn't have the guts to tell him what I thought of the film and I was so nervous (this is the guy who wrote Taxi Driver for Christ sake!!) that I forgot to ask him to sign my copy of his Taxi Driver script...$LABEL$ 0 +one word boring.the young demi looks good, but she's pregnant (- point for that =D) the movie is not scary at all...the first scenes looked little crappy, i could render better clouds with my laptop, and after effects. but that was then... and now is now. some movies do not get old well... this is one of them.not worth renting or buying... get something better instead like the exorcist, ...next =Doh the drama part in the beginning just and simply suxor =D$LABEL$ 0 +Be warned by the line on the back of the box that promotes a story involving "over sexed jocks". There isn't a thing redeeming about Carrie 2. The plot is absurd, the acting terrible, and the ending all too predictable.I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I was expecting to be entertained. I wasn't. The only way I could rationalize watching this movie was because I was at a relative's house while waiting for my car to be fixed. Unless in the same predicament stay well away from this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Loved today's show!!! It was a variety and not solely cooking (which would have been great too). Very stimulating and captivating, always keeping the viewer peeking around the corner to see what was coming up next. She is as down to earth and as personable as you get, like one of us which made the show all the more enjoyable. Special guests, who are friends as well made for a nice surprise too. Loved the 'first' theme and that the audience was invited to play along too. I must admit I was shocked to see her come in under her time limits on a few things, but she did it and by golly I'll be writing those recipes down. Saving time in the kitchen means more time with family. Those who haven't tuned in yet, find out what channel and the time, I assure you that you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +The story line of a man's love for an innocent baby he finds with a malformed face and on the opposite side of the world a shallow self centered "valley girl" who shares a birth date with her and ends up making a big difference in both of there lives. What a great and worthy story line. But in this telling the screen writing and/or directing and/or editing is so poor as to take most of the joy out of the story. Linda Hamilton's character goes from understanding mom to wicked witch and back faster than a speeding bullet, and for what purpose? Conflict, conflict, conflict, at the drop of a hat. Katie (The California Girl) and her boyfriend, Katie's Mom and everybody, including the poor lady at the airport check-in counter, Lin's adopted father, who is the nicest, most considerate man alive, and his wife and biological son, all in constant conflict. I really wanted to enjoy a heartwarming story, but the only thing that made me SMILE was when all the hate and fighting were over. There were too many unexplained or illogical events, many of which don't add to the story. My wife and I kept looking at each other and asking ourselves how such a good cast and what should be a great story, could be crapped up so badly.$LABEL$ 0 +Hi there. I watched the first part when it came out, and I don't remember having left such a bad impression on me as this one.First, the animation is choppy, wooden, not worked on, lacks naturality - I understand the drawing style was to be of some 'atlantean' kind, but, it could be done with the usual Disney finesse... see "Tarzan" to see what I mean. If I didn't see the DISNEY logo in the beginning, I would never say it was a Disney movie.Second, the plot was more like a PC game style, like a good old quest. Not that it was bad, but it lacked a story that binds the viewer to the characters and their goals. It was inconvincing, at least. The film was meant for children, but this was waaay to childish at times.Third, the music... I would say it was improper, but it just fits the whole scene with the plot and animation...Overall, I think this was some kind of an amusement, just by-the-way kind of project by several apprentice animators, just to fill in the count for Disney movies. Sorry to hear that from myself, a big Disney lover...$LABEL$ 0 +I agree that this is ONE of the very best episodes of the entire series--my only detraction would be the somewhat jarring appearance of Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander. My reasoning is this--if you were not around for the first run of this episode, then you know Mr. Lenard as Sarek, Spock's father. And for the 2nd generation Trekkie (or Trekker--your preference) it takes you out of the scene at first. Yet he's an excellent commander as well as opposite for our captain and this episode is strongly written and well-acted by all. There are excellent points made by both sides about the cost of war vs.the price of peace and certainly does remind one of some of the best of the WWII and later era movies. Those are not my favorite genre but I certainly would recommend a fan of such to view this episode through that filter. You'll see it holds up. I'll never understand why Sci-Fi gets so little respect--the best drama comes out of placing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.$LABEL$ 1 +No matter what you've heard, "Fame" is not a good movie. It's not worth the investment of over two hours to watch stereotypically troubled teens dancing, singing, learning, and staring at girls in the dressing rooms.Every cliché finds a cozy little home in this movie. There's a gay teenager looking for acceptance. That would have been great if it had been treated as anything more than a secondary plot point. There's a ghetto kid who has too much attitude-- what, was I surprised? And guess what? They all want to become big stars, finding fame and fortune, and they'd all be willing to crawl over their own mothers' smoking corpses to get it.Oddly enough, this film is remembered for its music. But in actuality, the only moderately good song is "Hot Lunch Jam," which is still too cheesy to be of any real quality. The two most popular songs are nothing, either. "Fame" is meaningless fluff drowned out by the sheer spectacle of a massive dancing-in-the-streets scene. And "I Sing the Body Electric" (what in Bubba's name does that even mean?!?!?!?!?) is just an incomprehensible joke.Bad acting, tasteless dialog, and hack direction (it is, after all, from the director of "Evita") are only marginally helped by Michael Seresin's appropriately ordinary camera work. But cinematography alone cannot carry a movie, especially one as uninspiring and pointless as this.$LABEL$ 0 +Really it's a dreadful cheat of a film. Its 70-minute running time is very well padded with stock footage. The rest are non descript exteriors and drab interiors scenes. The plot exposition is very poorly rendered. They are all just perfunctory scenes sort of strung together. There is no attempt at drama in scene selection but rather drama is communicated by the intensity of the actors. Please don't ask.The plot concerns a rocket radiating a million degree heat orbiting earth five miles up threatening to destroy the earth. It's a real time menace that must be diverted if a custom built H-bomb can be fashioned and placed in an experimental rocket within an hour. Nothing very much here to report except for a mad speech by a scientist against the project because there might be some sort of life aboard and think of the scientific possibilities but this speech made by the obligatory idiot liberal was pretty much passé by then.What saves this film, somewhat uniquely, IS the stock footage. I've never seen a larger selection of fifties jet fighter aircraft in any other film. This is by no means a complete list but just some of the aircraft I managed to see. There's a brief interception by a pilot flying, in alternate shots, an F-89 Scorpion and an F-86. First to scramble interceptors is the Royal Canadian Air Force in Hawker Hunters and F-86 Sabre Jets (or Canadian built CF-13s) and even a pair of CF-100 Clunks.Then for some reason there are B-52s, B-47s and even B36s are seen taking off. More padding."These Canadian jets are moving at 1200 miles an hour". I don't think so since one of them appears to be a WW2 era Gloster Meteor, the rest F-80s. The Meteors press the attack and one turns into a late F-84F with a flight of early straight wing F-84s attacking in formation.There's a strange tandem cockpit version of the F-80 that doesn't seem to be the T-33 training type but some sort of interim all-weather interceptor variant with radar in the nose. These are scrambled in a snowstorm.An angled deck aircraft carrier is seen from about 500 meters. It launches F-8U Crusaders, F-11F Tigers, A-5 Vigilantes and A-3 Skywarriors. The Air Force scrambles F-86s and F-84s and more F-89s then you've ever seen in your life as well as F-100 Super Sabres and F-102 Delta Daggers.The F-100s press their attack with sooooo much padding. The F-89's unload their rockets in their wingtip pods in slo mo. The F-86s fire, an F-102 lets loose a Falcon, even some F-80s (F-94s?) with mid-wing rocket pods let loose. There is a very strange shot of a late model F-84 (prototype?) with a straight wing early model F-85 above it in a turn, obviously a manufacturer's (Republic Aviation) advertising film showing the differences between the old and the new improved models of the F-84 ThunderJet. How it strayed into here is anybodies guess.There is other great stock footage of Ottawa in the old days when the capital of Canada was a wide spot in the road and especially wonderful footage of New York City's Times Square during one of the Civil Defense Drills in the early 50s. I think we also have to deal with the notion that this was filmed in Canada with the possible exception of the auto chase seen late in the picture as the Pacific seems to be in the background. The use of a Jowett Jupiter is somewhat mind-boggling and there is a nice TR 3 to be seen also. Canada must have been cheap and it is rather gratuitously used a lot in the background.As far as the actual narrative of the film there is little to recommend it other than the mystery of just who Ellen Parker is giving the finger to at the end of the picture. And she most definitely is flipping someone off. Could it be, R as in Robert Loggia? The director who dies before this film was released? Her career as this was her last credit?Its like the newspaper the gift came wrapped in was more valuable than the gift.$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably the best movie of 2002 regarding Romanian cinema. I do recommend it being an intense drama with no lack of action and thrills. The movie concentrates upon teen life in the Bucharest suburbs trough the main character, not focusing so much on the character's shape or definition but more on the anger that he and other characters feel. The title "Furia" means rage rather than anger, but could be regarded in the movie in both senses from the behavior of actors. The rather odd love story (not a typical romantic one, but rather a modern suburban conception) is well shaped towards the end. It is a captivating picture, and cinematography is pretty good in catching the suburban night life thus making it a nice movie to watch and.You won't get bored for a minute, i promise!$LABEL$ 1 +I know that the real story of Little Richard is a lot more thrilling than this maudlin and thoroughly average biopic. But then producer Little Richard was probably too reluctant to bring to light any sordid details of his life and just gave us a forgettable facsimile of his career highlights from the 50s and 60s.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is Jackie's best. I still cant get enough of watching some of his best stunts ever. I also like the bad guys in this movie (the old man looks like a Chinese version of John Howard). Unlike some of Jackie's other work, this movie has also got a great story line and i recommend it to all of Jackie's fans.$LABEL$ 1 +"Bar Hopping" seems to be trying to be about the stereotypical bar tender and lay "shrink" serving up pearls of wisdom followed by example vignettes played out by the cast. However, this turkey is a jumbled mess with a script full of simple-minded cliched nonsense: Hard to follow, herky-jerky flow, unsatisfying, and not worth the time. (D)$LABEL$ 0 +As a poker enthusiast I was looking forward to seeing this movie - Especially as it had Scotty Nyugen in it.Basically, Scotty Nyugens short spots in this film are all it has going for it.The characters are unlikeable and annoying, the soundtrack is awful and the plot, well, there isn't one.I honestly got a headache and found myself reading the barcode number on the DVD box after twenty minutes I was THAT bored. Its actually ashame that Nyugen was in this movie as otherwise I wouldn't have wasted $16 buying it off Ebay.Take it from me - AVOID like 7 2 offsuit!!! Dire. :($LABEL$ 0 +I gotta say, Clive Barker's Undying is by far the best horror game to have ever been made. I've played Resident Evil, Silent Hill and the Evil Dead and Castlevania games but none of them have captured the pure glee with which this game tackles its horrific elements. Barker is good at what he does, which is attach the horror to our world, and it shows as his hand is clearly everywhere in this game. Heck, even his voice is in the game as one of the main characters. Full of lush visuals and enough atmosphere to shake a stick at, Undying is the game to beat in my books as the best horror title. I just wish that this had made it to a console system but alas poor PC sales nipped that one in the bud.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie a time ago, because some of my friends wanted to rent it, and I got voted down.. I tried as best I could to get the story, because some moviemag had said that this would be a movie that would be for Rob Lowe, that Pulp Fiction had been for John Travolta... Well.. we can all see that he not only failed, but he fell aaall the way down. This is actually the worst film I've ever seen, and I've seen a great deal of bad movies.. it's just not even worth seeing for free on tv.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't get me wrong. "GoldenEye" was revolutionary and is definitely the best FPS game to be based on the 007 franchise. But the series had fallen into a FPS rut. Enter "Everything or Nothing", which puts Bond in third-person. When I wrote my earlier review for "From Russia With Love", I had finished FRWL and just started EON and judged EON a bit harshly. Even though FRWL definitely has the edge in nostalgia and capturing the essence of the movie franchise, EON definitely is superior in terms of in-depth controls and gameplay variety. Missions range from standard running-and-gunning to driving an SUV, driving an Aston Martin, driving a limousine that is wired to explode, commandeering two different types of tanks a la "GoldenEye", riding a motorcycle, flying a helicopter, repelling down a shaft guarded by laser tripwires, and free falling after a plummeting damsel. Sure, vehicle controls are a little clumsy, but the issue here is the variety.As movie adaptations, "GoldenEye" and FRWL were all that I could have hoped for. But EON's original storyline adds to the feeling of controlling a James Bond adventure. This is helped by the impressive cast list of Willem DeFoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, and Misaki Ito. Judi Dench and John Cleese reprise their movie roles of M and Q, respectively, and Pierce Brosnan, while no Sean Connery, adds credibility to the game's proceedings. All characters resemble the stars, with the disappointing exception of Heidi Klum, who's in-game model doesn't do the real-life model justice. Mya's theme song is on par with at least some of the big screen Bond title tunes.The game also plays tribute to some of the older Bond movies. Willem DeFoe's character is a former colleague of Christopher Walken's baddie from "A View to a Kill". Richard Kiel appears as Jaws, the hulking henchman from "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" in three fight scenes, the first and best of which proceeds in the same fashion a fight in the movies would have.Single-player gameplay mainly consists of standard on-foot missions as Bond. Like Bond, you will be able to choose whether to use stealth or go out with guns blazing. The game provides plenty of opportunities to utilize stealth, with plenty of wall and object cover. Unfortunately, unlike FRWL, only one button in EON controls both crouching and wall clinging, so Bond may end up crouching low when he's supposed to be peeking around a corner, and vice-versa. The game also allows players to go into "Bond reflex" mode. While you browse your inventory, everything around you will go into super slo-mo, allowing you to analyze objects around you that can be interacted with. While this takes some getting used to, eventually this mode will allow you to perform many spectacular "Bond moments", such as shooting down a chandelier to take out four goons underneath, and greatly add to the Bond movie feeling.There are 3 available difficulty levels: Operative, Agent, and Double Oh. On Operative, you can breeze through in a few hours. On Agent, a few weeks. On Double Oh, a few months. The difficulty level can be changed for each individual mission. Garnering high scores on missions will unlock gold and platinum awards and effect features such as vehicle upgrades and the skimpy outfits the Bond girls wear. Some missions can be extremely frustrating due to a scarcity of checkpoints, but when all is said and done, no mission is any longer than a single action scene in a Bond movie.Multi-player, unfortunately, is not as thrilling. "GoldenEye" still has the best multi-player mode of any Bond game. EON's main multi-player is a co-op campaign mode that puts players in charge of lesser MI6 agents on a less important mission than Bond's. A more standard third-person death match can be unlocked from this mode. But the single-player mode is the most complete Bond experience to date. The ending, as with most Bond games, is anticlimactic. While the final mission is one of the most aggravating of the game, the final confrontation with the villain is disappointing. Also, levels that require Bond to be speedy become largely a matter of trial and error. Still, for any serious Bond fan, not playing this game is tantamount to missing one of the Bond films.$LABEL$ 1 +Being an Austrian myself this has been a straight knock in my face. Fortunately I don't live nowhere near the place where this movie takes place but unfortunately it portrays everything that the rest of Austria hates about Viennese people (or people close to that region). And it is very easy to read that this is exactly the directors intention: to let your head sink into your hands and say "Oh my god, how can THAT be possible!". No, not with me, the (in my opinion) totally exaggerated uncensored swinger club scene is not necessary, I watch porn, sure, but in this context I was rather disgusted than put in the right context.This movie tells a story about how misled people who suffer from lack of education or bad company try to survive and live in a world of redundancy and boring horizons. A girl who is treated like a whore by her super-jealous boyfriend (and still keeps coming back), a female teacher who discovers her masochism by putting the life of her super-cruel "lover" on the line, an old couple who has an almost mathematical daily cycle (she is the "official replacement" of his ex wife), a couple that has just divorced and has the ex husband suffer under the acts of his former wife obviously having a relationship with her masseuse and finally a crazy hitchhiker who asks her drivers the most unusual questions and stretches their nerves by just being super-annoying.After having seen it you feel almost nothing. You're not even shocked, sad, depressed or feel like doing anything... Maybe that's why I gave it 7 points, it made me react in a way I never reacted before. If that's good or bad is up to you!$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, this production is long (good news for Bronte fans!) and it has a somewhat dated feel, but both the casting and acting are so brilliant that you won't want to watch any other versions!Timothy Dalton IS Edward Rochester... it's that simple. I don't care that other reviewers claim he's too handsome. Dalton is attractive, certainly, but no pretty-boy. In fact he possesses a craggy, angular dark charm that, in my mind, is quite in keeping with the mysterious, very masculine Mr R. And he takes on Rochester's sad, tortured persona so poignantly. He portrays ferocity when the scene calls for it, but also displays Rochester's tender, passionate, emotional side as well. (IMO the newer A&E production suffers in that Ciaran Hinds - whom I normally adore - seems to bluster and bully his way throughout. I've read the book many times and I never felt that Rochester was meant to be perceived as a nonstop snarling beast.)When I reread the novel, I always see Zelah Clarke as Jane. Ms. Clarke, to me, resembles Jane as she describes herself (and is described by others). Small, childlike, fairy... though it's true the actress doesn't look 18, she portrays Jane's attributes so well. While other reviews have claimed that her acting is wooden or unemotional, one must remember that the character spent 8 years at Lowood being trained to hold her emotions and "passionate nature" in check. Her main inspiration was her childhood friend Helen, who was the picture of demure submission. Although her true nature was dissimilar, Jane learned to master her temper and appear docile, in keeping with the school's aims for its charity students who would go into 'service'. Jane becomes a governess in the household of the rich Mr. Rochester. She would certainly *not* speak to him as an equal. Even later on when she gave as well as she got, she would always be sure to remember that her station was well below that of her employer. Nevertheless, if you read the book - to which this production stays amazingly close - you can clearly see the small struggles Zelah-as-Jane endures as she subdues her emotions in order to remain mild and even-tempered.The chemistry between Dalton and Clarke is just right, I think. No, it does not in the least resemble Hollywood (thank God! It's not a Hollywood sort of book) but theirs is a romance which is true, devoted and loyal. And for a woman like Jane, who never presumed to have *any* love come her way, it is a minor miracle.The rest of the casting is terrific, and I love the fact that nearly every character from the book is present here. So, too, is much of the rich, poetic original dialogue. This version is the only one that I know of to include the lovely, infamous 'gypsy scene' and in general, features more humor than other versions I've seen. In particular, the mutual teasing between the lead characters comes straight from the book and is so delightful!Jane Eyre was, in many ways, one of the first novelized feminists. She finally accepted love on her own terms and independently, and, at last, as Rochester's true equal. Just beautiful!$LABEL$ 1 +A "40 foot long" giant mutant squid with five tentacles, razor fangs and the ability to reproduce it's own cells terrorizes a small Florida town. Various marine biologists, doctors and cops plot to kill it. Meanwhile, a human monster named Miller offs people who discover the "Devilfish" is a manmade creation used for the greedy benefit of some evil doctors! Miller attacks a female researcher, strangles her, drowns her in the bathtub, tosses in a hairdryer, then rips the panties off her dead body!Lots of false alarms are set when our heroes Peter, Stella, Janet and Bob set out on a high tech (high tech for 1984, anyway) "Seaquarium" boat to catch the creature, who is frequently seen in close up or hilariously obvious speeded-up film to seem more menacing. And only fire can destroy it, which leads to a flamethrower-armed posse vs. aquatic beast finale.This JAWS cash-in is pretty tame (other than a legless corpse and a decapitation) but watchable and benefits from an excellent Antony Barrymore score and a decent (again, for 1984) monster design. Luigi Cozzi and Sergio Martino wrote the original story.Score: 4 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge follows the lives of two criminals: Vogel (Gian Maria Volontè), a murderer who gives the cops the slip while he's being transferred from one city to another by train; and Corey (Allain Delon), a thief just released from jail. Fate decides to join these two men to pull off a spectacular heist. In the background there is Matei (André Bourvil), the detective Vogel escapes from, implacable in his pursuit and sometimes ruthless in his methods. Along the movie the viewer meets other minor but fascinating characters, the best of which is Jansen (Yves Montand), a disgraced ex-cop and an excellent marksman.Melville has such a unique style one doesn't need to watch many of his movies to catch on. Le Samourai, Un Flic and Le Cercle Rouge are clearly made of the same cloth: the symmetrical angles; the long shots; the silences; the coats and hats and cigars; the quotes at the beginning; the amazing heists, the fatalism; the unglamorous and inglorious criminal life. Everything that's great in Melville is present here in top form.And his shortcomings didn't bother me so much this time: the illogical, perplexing behavior of his characters and confusing storytelling, which hurt my enjoyment of his other movies, are almost invisible here. Since Le Cercle Rouge preceded Un Flic that doesn't mean he got better with time; perhaps I'm just getting more used to it and reaching a mindset where it doesn't bother me anymore.Melville made unique crime movies. As old as they may be, they show more ingenuity, realism and grace than the modern techno-thrillers in which cool thieves use computer systems and James Bond-esquire gadgets to pull off impossible crimes. Melville's criminals aren't cool: they're lonely, socially awkward and probably aware they're not good for much more than planning heists. They're society's unwanted, living in the night, always one step ahead of the police in a game they know they'll lose eventually. There's nothing romantic about them.Amazingly for a movie of this type, the cops aren't complete idiots either. Matei is smart, crafty, patient and even compassionate. He's not an unlikeable villain or a cliché, he's just an old man doing his job and doing it right. He knows when to use force and when to use brains. Many movies could learn from him.It's this down-to-earth, unromantic style that makes Melville's movies such a joy to watch and puts him on a special pedestal as one of cinema's great crime masters.$LABEL$ 1 +One would think that with all the lavish care and expense that went into this made-for-TV movie, it would reflect something of the taste and manners of the upper class couple--Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales--instead of being a mawkish, unappetizing historical romance.Nor is it helped by the fact that JANE SEYMOUR and ANTHONY ANDREWS give stiff, rather uncomfortable to watch performances in which the events move much too slowly to hold attention.It's hard to understand why a star of OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND's caliber would wish to play the supporting role of Aunt Bessie since the role is so colorless she just about fades out of sight. At this stage in her career, Olivia was appearing in so many "nobility" roles requiring a regal presence but nothing more.A trivial movie best left forgotten among all the made-for-TV movies of that era.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie when Joe Bob Briggs hosted Monstervision on TNT. Even he couldn't make this movie enjoyable. The only reason I watched it until the end is because I teach video production and I wanted to make sure my students never made anything this bad ... but it took all my intestinal fortitude to sit through it though. It's like watching your great grandmother flirting with a 15 year old boy ... excruciatingly painful.If you took the actual film, dipped it in paint thinner, then watched it, it would be more entertaining. Seriously.If you see this movie in the bargin bin at S-Mart, back away from it as if it were a rattlesnake.$LABEL$ 0 +"Everything is Illuminated" is a simplified interpretation of something more than half of the Jonathan Safran Foer novel. This version is more about changes in Eastern Europe from World War II through post-Cold War and how the younger generation relates to that history as a family memory. Debut director/adapter Liev Schreiber retains some of the humor and language clashes of the novel, mostly through the marvelous Eugene Hutz as the U.S.-beguiled Ukrainian tour guide. He is so eye-catching that the film becomes more his odyssey into his country and his family as he goes from his comfortable milieu in sophisticated Odessa to the heart of a cynical, isolated land that has been ravaged by conquerors through the Communists and now capitalists, with both Jews and non-Jews as detritus. As funny as his opening scenes are when he establishes his cheeky bravura, we later feel his fish-out-of-waterness in his own country when he tries to ask directions of local yokels. Shreiber uses Elijah Wood, as the American tourist, as an up tight cog in a visual panoply, as his character is less verbal than as one of the narrators in the book. He and Hutz play off each other well until the conclusion that becomes more sentimental in this streamlined plot. Once the grandfather's story takes over in the last quarter of the film, marvelously and unpredictably enacted by Boris Leskin, the younger generation does not seem to undergo any catharsis, as they just tidy up the closure.Schreiber does a wonderful job visualizing the human urge to document history. One of his consultants in the credits is Professor Yaffa Eliach and her style of remembering pre-Holocaust shtetl life through artifacts clearly inspired the look and it is very powerful and effective.The Czech Republic stands in for the Ukraine and the production design staff were able to find memorable symbols of change in the cities, towns and countryside, as this is now primarily a road movie, and the long driving scenes do drag a bit. Schreiber retains some of the symbolism from the book, particularly of the moon and river, but having cut out the portions of the book that explain those, they just look pretty or ominous for atmosphere and no longer represent time and fate. As W.C. Fields would have predicted, the dog steals most of his scenes for easy laughs. In general, Schreiber does go for more poignancy than the book. It is irresistibly touching, especially for those who haven't read the book, but less morally and emotionally messy.The film is enormously uplifted by its marvelous soundtrack, which ranges from songs and instrumentals from Hutz's gypsy band to traditional tunes to contemporary tracks to Paul Cantelon's klezmer fusion score. This is not a Holocaust film per se, being a kind of mirror image of "The Train of Life (Train de vie)" as about memory of a time that is freighted with meaning now, but will resonate more with those who have an emotional connection to that history.$LABEL$ 1 +Karen and her boyfriend Jerry move into their new Los Angeles apartment.They discover an old brass bed that Karen takes a liking to,unfortunately it has a really sinister history involving kinky sex murders."Deathbed" tries to be a creepy supernatural tale,but fails miserably.The action is slow,the acting is nothing special and there is no suspense whatsoever.Even the sex scenes are lame.The climax is pretty gory and violent,so fans of splatter should be pleased.However the first hour of "Deathbed" is deadly dull and offers some tired horror movie conventions and cheap scares.Definitely one to avoid.My rating: 4 out of 10 and that's being generous.Watch "Re-Animator" or "Castle Freak" instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this movie several times, it sure is one of the cheapest action flicks of the eighties. So, I think many viewers would definitely change the channel when they come across this one. But, if you are into great trash, "Dragon Hunt" is made for you. The main characters (the McNamara Twins) are sporting great moustaches and look so ridiculous in their camouflage dresses. One of the best scenes is when one of then gets shot in the leg and is still kicking his enemies into nirvana. This movie is really awful, but then again, it is a great party tape!$LABEL$ 0 +WARNING! Don't even consider watching this film in any form. It's not even worth downloading from the internet. Every bit of porn has more substance than this wasted piece of celluloid. The so-called filmmakers apparently have absolutely no idea how to make a film. They couldn't tell a good joke to save their lives. It's an insult to any human being. If you're looking for a fun-filled movie - go look somewhere else.Let's hope this Mr. Unterwaldt (the "Jr." being a good indication for his obvious inexperience and intellectual infancy) dies a slow/painful death and NEVER makes a film again.In fact, it's even a waste of time to WRITE ANYTHING about this crap, that's why I'll stop right now and rather watch a good film.$LABEL$ 0 +This documentary explores a story covered in Pilger's latest book "Freedom Next Time", which was published in 2006. It reveals the shocking expulsion of the natives of Diego Garcia, one of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.The islanders are technically British citizens, as Diego Garcia is a British colony, much like Mauritius, the nearby island to where the natives were exiled, used to be. But the British government has ignored their pleas to return to their homeland, as the island is now a military base for the United States army, who have used it as a basis for the bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan.As usual, Pilger's coverage is shocking, especially as he documents the treatment and the current impoverished living conditions of the surviving islanders. His interviews all round are excellent, and his cornering of a Parliament representative where he uses the Government's own information to pin him down, ranks as one of his best.Pilger also uses dramatic reconstruction to dissect a series of recently released documents that fully illuminate the British conspiracy to evict the natives. The weaving of this footage with the interviews, and the islanders music, really heightens the film's impact.It is not easy viewing, but "Stealing a Nation" is John Pilger at his best. Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I only wish that I had the good sense to turn this movie off in the beginning when I knew it was terrible. Instead I gave it the benefit of the doubt and waited for it to get better. Don't make the same mistake I did. The title has nothing to do with the movie. The movie has nothing to do with the real world. The plot has nothing to do with a plot. The acting consists of a guy who wants to be John Cusack, but can't pull it off. The lead is a girl who tries to be Claire Daines. Sadly, she can't pull that off either. They are in love, although god only knows why. And by the end I was hoping that they would all kill each other off just so I could believe none of these kids would ever taint the world again.$LABEL$ 0 +I've never been a huge fan of Mormon films. Being a Mormon, I've always felt that the humor was too exclusive to the LDS community and made us seem like a bunch of obsessive wackos. I was hoping this would be the breath of fresh air, the Halestorm movie I could finally discuss with my non-Mormon friends.Boy, was I wrong.I figured, since this had B-list talent like Clint Howard, Gary Coleman, Andrew Wilson, and Fred Willard (one of my favorites), this would have to be at least a little funny. And besides, church basketball is ripe with potential for plenty of hilarious gags and such. But I must say, throughout the entire movie, it seemed as though no one knew what they were doing. Every joke fell flat, and every opportunity for a genuinely funny gag went ignored. The dialogue was bland, and the film had some of the worst character development I have ever seen. Every single character but Wilson's was less than one-dimensional. It's hard to believe that after nine re-writes the film was still as mind-numbingly stale as the train wreck I witnessed. I can't put into words the rage I felt sitting through this. My friends and I were extras in the final game scene, so we went to the premiere in Washington City, UT. Kurt Hale, the director, was there, and I must say, I avoided all contact with him after the show. He waited at the door, seemingly ready for feedback. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that his film not only ripped away a good hour and a half of my life, but it left a nasty, painful scar that I will never forget.Here are a few specific problems I had: There was a minor love story subplot between the janitor and the chubby piano player, but these two characters came out of nowhere, and were impossible to care about, so my friends and I were left constantly wondering why we were supposed to care about these two lame, uninteresting characters. There were many subplots that popped up every now and then, each promising the audience the chance for laughs, but each one came and went in a puff of smoke, ending before you could even start caring. This was pretty much how the whole movie felt.This film was a major letdown, and I feel bad for everyone who's expecting the first REAL funny Mormon movie. True, the jokes in this one aren't too exclusive to Mormons. Then again, it's hard to tell what was a joke and what was a loud ringing sensation in my ears.Please, do NOT see this movie. Keep in your mind the fantasy that this movie is hilarious. Spare yourself the disappointment I went through$LABEL$ 0 +I thought it was brilliant! It was great watching the presenter tracking each one of them down. Dwight Schultz still looked the same, he had hardly changed in looks, neither had Dirk Benedict, he still looked just as dishy! I thought that Mr T looked thinner though, but it was still great to see how he looked after all this time. I thought that it took some doing tracking down the other members of the cast, such as the one who played Decker, and the lady who played Amy. It was just a shame that Mr T could'nt make the actual reunion. Also it was a great shame that George Peppard had died, thereby leaving a gap so to speak. I only wish now that I had taped it to keep. Let's hope that they repeat it again.$LABEL$ 1 +As a fan of history, mythology, and fantasy "Mystic Knights" show pulled me in from the get-go. It has semi-decent scripting, the costumes are fantastic (there are exceptions), it has pretty good acting, and the heroes and villains all play well off each other.SCRIPTS--Half a script is pretty great, the other half falls flat, but its all mixed together, meaning many episodes turn out so-so. Also, some of the key players are repeatedly being given dead lines (King Conchobar and Angus for instance) they need to be given something... more. I'm not sure what but the writers should be able to come up with something. ACTING--Apart from some over acting by villagers (horrid lines they end up putting too much effort into), casting did extremely well in choosing their leads and so on. Everyone, good and bad, works well together! COSTUMES/WEAPONS--The everyday clothes that everyone wears are spectacular! Mystic Knight armor that falls short are Deirdre's and Garrett's. A chainmail bikini would probably have better protection in her case... and wouldn't look as plastic; his looks like bunch of snap-it-together pieces of brown plastic, when it should look bronze. Ivar's trident looks like it was bought at a discount store and while Garretts weapons look cool, they also look plastic.Recently "Mystic Knights" has taken on too many "Power Rangers" traits, if you watch the show, you'll know what I mean. As the series progresses, though, it should find its niche and perfect its style. Overall, it is a wonderful show that all ages should enjoy (most of my friends and I watch it and we're all 20+). The plot thickens and twists, though it gets a bit juvenile in places, and everything just keeps getting more interesting. It might be of some interest to fans of the movie "Willow" or the T.V. series "The Adventures of Sinbad". A lot of adventure, a dab of mystery, a dash of romance, a sprinkling of forces at nature... Check it out! (My Score: 7/10)$LABEL$ 1 +If the caper genre owes a lot to Walter Huston, it also has a debt of gratitude to Jules Dassin, a man that was ahead of his times and who suffered a lot because of his blacklisting when Edward Dmytryk accused him of being a Communist. The end of his American career would have meant the end of Mr. Dassin, but moving to Europe proved he was bigger than the same people that had contributed to his Hollywood demise."Rififi" is an elegant film in which all the right elements come together thanks to Mr. Dassin's vision. He decided to adapt Auguste Le Breton's novel because he saw the possibilities for turning it into a caper film that became an instant classic. Jules Dassin was penniless in Paris when he discovered the city that were going to serve as the background to his film. The bad weather paid off for Mr. Dassin as the streets were always wet and not much had to be done to show them that way.When we first meet Tony, he is playing cards. Tony appears to be in bad health; he coughs all the time and sweats profusely. After losing all his money, he goes to see Jo, the Swede, who tells him about a possibility for a robbery at Maupin & Webb, the fancy jewelry store at a tony section of Paris. They pass the idea through Mario, who suggests Cesar, the Milanese, an expert safe cracker.Tony, who has come out of prison recently, learns that Mado, his former lover is now with Grutter, a creep that owns a night club. Upon confronting Mado, instead of love, all he feels is contempt, and the meeting ends badly and he throws her out of his place. Grutter has no love for Tony, who is his natural enemy because of his connection with Mado.When the day arrives, the gang is able to get to the apartment building where on the second floor, right above the jewelry store, the owner lives, but he is away. Everything goes well and the gang gets away with the jewels. Cesar, the Milanese, a typical ladies' man, takes a ring as a souvenir, which in turn he gives the chanteuse at the Grutter's night club. This tactical mistake is the spark which unravels the well thought plan.Jean Servais made an excellent Tony. He showed a tired man who was possibly doing his last robbery. Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel and the director, Jules Dassin, are seen as Jo, Mario and Cesar, the quartet jewelry thieves. Marie Sabouret plays Mado. Marcel Lupovici plays Grutter with a subdued intensity. Robert Hussein, who would go to direct movies later on, makes an impression with his Remi, one of Grutter's men.The film best asset is the great camera work by Philippe Agostini, who captured the atmosphere of Paris and the locales where all these criminals operate from. Georges Auric's music plays well with the action in the film. Jules Dassin was peculiar in his choice of films that he directed, and unfortunately, that is our loss because this man was a genius as proved mainly with "The Naked City", "Night and the City" and "Rififi".$LABEL$ 1 +How many of us wish that we could throw away social and cultural obligations and be free? Most of us, I suspect. Shall we dance? is not a movie about dancing. It is about learning about ourselves, recognising what we are looking for in life and having the courage to go in search of it. Mr Sugiyama is a middle-aged member of a Japanese society where ballroom dancing is viewed as unsuitable behaviour. One day Mr Sugiyama sees a beautiful girl leaning out of the window of a dancing acadamy. he is fascinated by her and eventually signs up for dancing lessons. He is ashamed of his dancing and afraid of ridicule. He hides the fact that he is attending dancing classes from his colleagues and family.There is a hilarious scene in the mensroom at the office when Sugiyama and Watanabe, a workmate who also dances, are interrupted practising some dance steps. There are many other funny and warm-hearted scenes.The ending is not a fairytale, but it leaves the viewer feeling good.This movie helped me to understand the Japanese people a little better. It is a warm and very worthwhile film to see.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a plot driven movie and extremely entertaining. Nothing startling or original within the plot, but crucially, it moves along at a great pace and therefore keeps your attention. I didn't really notice the acting which I guess is a good thing. John Mills was fine but did seem to take everything in his stride somewhat considering how his life was falling apart around him. He would be clumped on the head, stand up 20 seconds later, dust himself down and carry on as if nothing had happened. A minor quibble in a film with a strong story, authentic locations and a plot that continually keeps you guessing right up to its conclusion.$LABEL$ 1 +All the funny things happening in this sitcom is based on the main character Jim being either a bad father, a bad husband or generally just enormously selfish. How can that be funny? Of course a character in a sitcom has to be flawed, but Jim's character is flawed in an extremely unsympathetic manner.And why it that? My guess is that it's because "he should now better". Jim's not a stupid guy, he can take care of things and he's got the opportunities to do so. But he chooses not to. It's a conscious choice he makes, when he chooses to not play with his kids, not go shopping because he doesn't want to buy "lady products" and it's a choice he makes, when he puts down his relatives.The other characters seems to only be in the series so Jim can have someone to be a jerk to. If the Cheryl character was a real person, she would have left him years ago, and not stay with the deadbeat for 8 years. But alas, she's just a catalyst for Jim's quirky middle-class extreme selfishness.$LABEL$ 0 +There are many good things about the new BSG: There's the multiple Cylon roles for Model 8 and 6, for example, which the two actresses played superbly. There's the old school feel of industrial design aboard Galactica ("My ship will not be networked, over my dead body!") Also, all the space battles, the special effects (even though the seasoned sci-fi watcher will acknowledge the cartoonishness of it all) The darkness of the characters, their essentially flawed nature.That makes it all the more bitter that the ending was so childish.Yes, the first part, the scenes in space, the raid on the Cylons and all that was very good. But the mushy ending? I always watch films and shows these days with the timer hidden, so I never know how much time is left until the end. So for me it was a special kind of torture, to see the end happen over and over again. Every time I thought, oh this is the final scene, the final shot, I got one more. Every frakking character got its complete ending! That wasn't really necessary.What really highlighted the schoolboy amateurishness of it all: The young Roslin scenes. Why is important for us to know that: {a} she lost her sisters and father in a horrible accident and {b} that she has a one night stand with a former pupil/student? What does that bring to the story? Where was the linkage? Now, I'm all for a more European-ish style approach, and a random acts of whateverness in films and shows, and all that, but this was just ridiculous. This didn't bring anything meaningful to the story.Also, I've seen the "Last Frakkin special" and in it Ron revealed his own cluelessness about the plot: he couldn't come up with a good ending for the story, so .... he just didn't! It's never as much about the characters as they made the last episode to be. The whole "this was thousands of years in the past" idea, the mitochondrial Eve thing, was also used in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and believe you me, there are a lot of BSG watchers who know that particular H2G2 storyline. And speaking of Hera, now there's a storyline that WAS NOT worked out well, AT ALL. Instead we get Roslin is doing her former pupil who's 20 years younger. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for older women with younger men. The more power to them. But this ... just made no sense.All in all, (the writing in) this series is as flawed as they intended its characters would be. That goes even moreso for the last episode. I hope Lost and 24 do better, with their series finales.$LABEL$ 0 +For the sake of propaganda during World War II, Sherlock Holmes was moved into the then-present. One of the results is "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon," starring a top Holmes, Basil Rathbone, along with Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, Dennis Hoey and Kaaren Verne. It is Holmes' assignment to deliver a scientist, Dr. Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.) and his weapon design to the British government before the Germans can get him. Once the man reaches England, however, his troubles are just beginning. Can Holmes decode the message Dr. Tobel left before falling into the hands of the vicious Moriarity, save the weapon and possibly the scientist too? This is an effective Holmes story, set in the atmosphere of Switzerland and blackout England. The series worked just fine in the present day. It was not without its problems, but those problems had nothing to do with the time period. Whose idea was it to make Watson an idiot? Nigel Bruce's characterization - aided and abetted by the scripts - has always been the false note. I much prefer the characterization of Edward Hardwicke in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series - there, he's attractive, intelligent and a believable companion for Holmes. In the Rathbone series, Holmes is often condescending and treats Watson like the bumbling fool that he is. However, in this particular film, Watson has a chance to be quite helpful in several parts.I admit to being a complete sap for Rathbone's recitation from Richard II - "...this blessed plot, this earth, this England" - I can't imagine how much it meant to the Brits watching the film in 1942. Sherlock Holmes really served his purpose.$LABEL$ 1 +I haven't always been a fan, but the show grew on me. It wasn't until after season 5 that I started to see the richness of the show. They finally brought Daniel Jackson's search for his wife to an end and finally most of the Go,ould System Lords were killed by rival Lords, SG-1 or others.Towards Season 5, Stargate SG-1, was beginning to become stale. With the new writers and the close attention by Produer Peter Deleuise, the show became more and more solid.The characters had become stale as well. Colonel Jack O'Neill was the stereotypical hero with emotional baggage. After his son Charlie was killed in a shooting accident with O'Neill's weapon, he had decided to end his own life by going to Abydos in order to face off with the Go'ould RA. The character offers little growth for any actor and actor Richard Dean Anderson chose to play him straight raising emotional barriers to protect himself. only allowing his close friends in.Amanda Tapping joined the cast as Captain Samantha Carter. She was a feminist on the edge, ready to battle any man who would doubt her ability to do her job. Though this character had little area to grow, Tapping has done a great job of concentrating on Carter's strengths. She has taken the time to get a basic understanding of some of the things Carter talks about in order that she can present the character intelligently. Christopher Judge joined the cast playing the alien Teal'c. Teal'c was an alien called the Jaffa. Infant Go'ould, (snake like creatures) would embed themselves into the Jaffa until they had grown to the point when it would be inserted into another life form. The Jaffa would die. Teal'c was the First Prime of Apophis' army. Knowing that Apophis was not a god like Go'ould pretend, he realized the genocide that their armies had wreaked on the galaxy. Finally, having had enough, he and Jack O'Neill freed their team along with quite a few innocent people. After arriving on Earth, he realized that Earth was the planet he was looking for, who would help him fight the Go'ould. Christopher Judge has done quite a bit with a limited character. Teal'c is a wise warrior, much of which he learned was from his teacher Master Bra'tac. The show would not be complete without Master Bra'tac played by Tony Amandola. He is also a rock. In the end, he became adviser to most of SG-1, especially Daniel Jackson. Don S. Davil was there from the beginning playing Major General George Hammand. Davis has done an incredible job with Hammond making him sympathetic and normal. He does his job, has a wife, sons and daughters and grandchildren. You can really say, he is the anchor of the base. Simply, I would die for that man. If not allowed by his superiors to provide troops to support teams off world. He will go himself. He doesn't leave anyone behind.I saved Dr. Daniel Jackson for last, because this character, I believe has grown the most in the ten or eleven years it has been on. In choosing Shanks I don't think the producer realized how strong Shanks would be and now when people talk about Jackson, they don't talk about Spader, they talk about Shanks. In the early years, the Jackson character came off as a whiner. That's why I probably wasn't a fan. As the seasons pasted, the character became stronger. This gave him confidence. In the end, as of season 10, the Jackson character has matured to the point that he has become a self sacrificing hero. He still monitors the groups ethics. He still is lead at providing information that can move any mission forward. Acheaology, History, Culture and Exploration are part of his very being. He is determined. Though a man of peace, he has matured to the point that using his weapons may be the only way to solve a disagreement. Other characters include, most recently: Vala Mal Doran(Claudia Black) and Colonel Cameron Mitchell(Ben Browder), new lead of SG-1. Both actors come from a series called Farscape and why they were put together is any bodies guess. I see little difference between Mitchell and Crichton (Farscape character). Black's character is simply off the wall. Definitely different from her soldier like character Arin Soon.$LABEL$ 1 +When I heard that Adrian Pasdar was in drag in this movie, my expectations that I would watch the entire movie were low. The only reasons I gave it a chance were the magnificent Julie Walters and the recommendation of a friend.What i thought would be a broad "Mrs. Doubtfire" type of farce turned out to be a gentle and insightful comedy. Pasdar is entirely credible and empathetic as the ambitious business man who needs to release the female part of his being by cross-dressing on occasions. He transmits these needs to the audience in a thoroughly believable fashion. Julie Walters is magnificent, is as her habit, as the landlady who teaches him unconditional love.$LABEL$ 1 +(SPOILERS AHEAD) Russian fantasy "actioner" (and I use the term loosely) that I've been trying to watch for over a year. I've finally gotten to the end and now I wish I didn't put in the repeated effort.In an effort to save two hours of your life I'm going to tell you he plot- a guy who has the ability to project a long blade out of his arm returns home to see his mom. Things turn ugly after he is beaten up by the mafia boyfriend of an old girl friend. He takes revenge on the guy when he brings the girl home. The guys mafia mom sends her men out to get revenge while the cops begin looking for him as well.Very little is said. no explanation is really given for anything (like why they lock id girlfriend in an asylum) and the action, for the most part is all off screen. The film essentially consists of a guy who looks like Adrian Brody looking intense and not saying anything, killing people (off screen-most of the action happens off screen). It looks good, is well acted and had there been some form of reason for what is going on it might have been a good film. Hell, I would have liked some sense of real character development or back story (all we know is that the guy was picked on as a kid). The movie runs the better part of two hours and it feels like its six. If they weren't going to tell us anything they could have at least picked up the pace so it seemed like it was moving too fast. No instead we get the hero on a boat. The hero in a bus, the hero walking, the hero looking disturbed.Hero with his girl. It really annoyed me since I think this could have been a good film if they had simply done something or had someone actually say something meaningful other than give instructions to "get this guy".4 out of 10. Its about four hours (all my attempts to see this) I'll never get back. Only for those who want to see a brooding Russian action film with very little action$LABEL$ 0 +It's not a movie, but an experience!Not the usual eye candy I thought it would be. Too many things are happening at once, your senses almost couldn't handle it. A product of cutting-edge technology (we were torn between just sitting back to enjoy the show and putting our 3D glasses on and off to decipher the magic), the music is great (it's a concert!), the Disney characters are in it (and you get to BE part of their world), it's funny, it's magical, it's exciting--I know this is beginning to sound like an advertisement--but it really is that awesome! Beats Christmas in bringing out the kid in you!This attraction alone already makes going to Disney all worth it. ;)$LABEL$ 1 +Someone on these Boards has predicated that the whole thing is being dreamed by the best friend of the protagonist, albeit a friend he hasn't seen for some 20 years. I'm reluctant to dismiss this out of hand but it does raise some viable questions. Why WOULD a telephone engineer - or a shoe salesman or butcher for that matter - WANT to create a mythical world and weave it around a friend populating it in the process with a set of equally mythical supporting characters. With an imagination that good the friend should be WRITING not Dreaming. Dream or not SOMEONE, and the obvious candidate is director Paolo Sorrentino, has created a very watchable world in which Tony Servillo makes stillness a Fine Art. We are asked to believe that forty-something Titta La Girolomo (Servillo) 'upset' the Mafia some years prior to our meeting him and as penance he is a virtual prisoner in a small Swiss hotel from which each week he drives to a local bank with a suitcase containing nine mill large in used notes. Other than this weekly trip he is free to do as he likes and what he likes to do is smoke, play cards with a man who cheats and a wife who reminds the husband how far they have fallen socially, and ignore the friendly overtures of Olivia Magnani, who has spent two years trying to get a smile and/or a 'good evening' out of him. For reasons best known to himself and which are inconsistent with a man who has no interest in anything or anyone, Servillo spends a certain amount of time every day applying a stethoscope to the wall of his bedroom and listening to the private conversations of his card-playing partners. Eventually he does respond to Magnani - he has to do so or they would be no film. This is plot 6f: the one about Destry, who never wears a gun, or Sean (Duke Wayne), the 'Quiet Man' who refuses to rise to provocation and fight until the obligatory scene where the gun is strapped on and the fists cocked - but instead of contenting himself with a polite come stai oggi he removes 100,000 from the suitcase and buys her a car. The final inconsistency occurs when Magnani tells him she will pick him up the following day at 4 pm in her car and they will drive into the mountains to celebrate his birthday. We've established that she lives locally so why she is then seen driving from somewhere miles away, ignoring a police roadblock to drive off the road and overturn the car is anyone's guess. This inconsistencies apart this remains a fine piece of film-making with an excellent lead performance and a very good supporting one.$LABEL$ 1 +I tried watching this abomination of the cinema when I was five years old; I have never been the same since. Filled to the brim with drug-induced images that reek of the common ravings of your average asylum resident, this "movie", despite its colorful appearance, is not for humans, ESPECIALLY not children.It starts out innocently enough with a poor boy who ruins his classmate's drum by (wait for it) putting his head through it; yes, putting his HEAD through it. But fear not, my friends! He is quickly consoled by his chirping flute, which is weird enough, I'll grant you, but still acceptable.THEN: The movie morphs into a combination of Wizard of Oz and Where the Wild Things Are, but loses all the "warm and fuzzy" aspects of either of these two books.So, this seven-foot yellow relative of Barney, befriends this poor boy and plunges him even deeper into despair.And, to add the pleasant array of horrific themes, a carnivorous boat, formerly a friend of the motley crew of hobbling grandfather clocks and doped-up "dragons", is added to the mix of mayhem.The most comforting image in the midst of this chaos is the villain, aptly dubbed "Witchiepoo" (?). Of course, she has problems of her own: what with an obvious plastic mask constricting her facial expressions to having to deal with a broomstick whose gas level always seemed to be at its lowest at the most inopportune moments. As a result of this, one of her favorite pastimes was nose-diving into the body of water that separated the land of Pufnstuf from her degenerate, decaying abode (I don't know where I would have preferred to live).In summary, this movie is terrifying...If you want to watch the movie that has similar effects on its audience as The Exorcist, then this one is for you. Enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is perfect for over the top cheesy zombie lovers. its a film you can laugh at from the acting to the terrible zombie action. that being said, i gave this a 4 outta 10 for effort cos horror is a hard genre to make. going down the list the bad points of this film were as following.#Bad make up #terrible sound and sound effects #really bad continuity #cheesy dialogue #one song played through the whole film #stein couldn't act and in my opinion one of the worst I've seen #terrible ending #racist moment and stealing Simpson's character namedthe good points #good costume #police officers seemed to have the best acting exp #the actors with less lines or small roles did appear to be better #good attempt with gorei don't wanna bad mouth the film, its funny to watch cos of these bad points and i think thats what makes this film OK. if it was any better i don't think it would of made any difference but it wouldn't be interesting to see a remake with all the same cast as i believe they have possibly improved over the last 7 years.$LABEL$ 0 +This is another of Robert Altman's underrated films(let's be honest, the only movie he's made that really didn't work was Ready to Wear), and Sandy Dennis gives a spellbinding performance in it.She is far better here than she was in "The Out of Towners". The material, I will admit, is beneath the great director Altman and the extraordinary actress Dennis, but that hardly matters anyway.As long as there allowed to do their thing and do it well, just about any story will do.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a well directed film from John Cromwell who was not a great director but who did make some fine films including the 1937 version of 'The Prsoner of Zenda'. Set in a London that only Hollywood could manage, atmospheric but nothing like the real thing, it is a story of obsession and thwarted love, from the novel by Somerset Maughan.I was looking forward to seeing it on DVD as I had never seen it before and being a great admirer of Bette Davis wanted to see her in a role considered one of her early great ones. So I bought it. Well she looked fine but I'm sorry to say her London cockney accent just made me laugh. Bette Davis was one of the greatest film actors, make no mistake, but here she did make one. It was impossible to take her character seriously. It wasn't as gruesome as the Dick Van Dyke 'Mary Poppins' cockney accent but close.In the other major role was Leslie Howard and he did it superbly. He was a subtle and intelligent actor The supporting actors acquit themselves well. Worth watching despite Ms Davis' vocal gymnastics.$LABEL$ 1 +I was a little worried about actors and acting in Italy then "Le conseguenze dell'amore" and Toni Servillo came. It was a long time that i didn't see a so charismatic actor on screen. Paolo Sorrentino has written a wonderful story about loneliness and Tony has built one of the most unforgettable characters seen in movies in recent years. The movie is not completely perfect but 'Titta Di Girolamo' will stay with you for a long time after the vision of the movie. Toni please keep on acting in movies, you're for sure the coolest actor around today (and not just in Italy, his performance deserves international acclamation). I rate this movie 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +You may want to know up front that I am not a Mormon, unlike a good number of those who have already reviewed this film. I mention this so you'll understand that the way I look at the film may differ greatly from those in the faith. For some, being critical of the film might be seen as being critical of the faith--and that is NOT my intention. So, my review is that of an outsider trying to look inside and learn more about who this man and his people were. Well, after seeing the film, I doubt if I have learned much at all. Since I have been a history teacher, I have a good basic understanding about Young as well as Joseph Smith as well as the teachings of the church. But anyone wanting to see this film to really learn anything will probably be disappointed because the film seems so gosh-darn nice--too nice and too unrealistic in its portrayal. Plus, you learn practically nothing about the church's beliefs other than they are nice people, work hard and some have many wives (and this latter part is only barely hinted at in the film). Instead, the people are almost cartoon-like in their simplistic portrayals. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and their followers are angelic, the non-Mormons were all devils and Brian Donlevy (playing EXACTLY the same sort of role Edward G. Robinson later played in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) is the trouble-maker who claims to be a Mormon but just comes along so the film can have a bad guy. It's all so very simple....too simple. Almost like an indoctrination film or infomercial.Brigham Young especially was a very complex man--with many good points (an excellent organizer and visionary) as well as bad (don't even get me started on his views about Blacks within the church or intermarriage). To portray him in such vague terms is just plain silly. It's also a lot like how Gandhi was portrayed in the film with Ben Kingsley--only the facts that led to his being almost super-human were emphasized. Heck, now that I think about that, this is the trouble with most religious films--they often come off as one-dimensional, trite and bland. Let's have a full and more complete film of these men--one that will stick to facts and not emotional appeals.Now if you can ignore the fact that you won't learn very much about the faith or its second leader, the film is enjoyable enough. It's obvious someone at 20th Century-Fox really cared about the film, as they had a wonderful cast of both premier actors (Tyrone Power), up and coming actors (Linda Darnell, Jane Darwell and Vincent Price) and wonderful character actors (Dean Jagger, John Carradine and Brian Donlevy). The film also had wonderful location shooting and lots of gloss. It just didn't have a lot to tell us other than they were all "swell". Plus, there were plenty of factual errors and a few just plain dumb scenes. A few of the mistakes include Young taking over the helm immediately after the death of Joseph Smith (it was three years later), no mention of the various Mormon denominations and splinter groups, talk of "gold in California"--even though it was 1847 and gold wouldn't be discovered until 1948, as well as no specific mention of polygamy or Smith's many wives. Just plain dumb scenes include Carradine pulling out a gun and waving it about in the courtroom scene--and no one seemed to care--even though it was a very hostile audience! Don't you think at least the judge would tell him to put it away and stop threatening people with it?!One final comment. Do not, I repeat, do not watch this film when it's shown on American Movie Classics (a one great station that has sunk a lot in recent years). While I am critical of the film because of its simplistic message, I was horrified with the complete disrespect the station had for the church and its traditions. What I mean is this. The film was punctuated with ads for penis enlargement formulas as well as tons of pop-ups (some advertising a show that features the "sexiest cast"). Talk about disrespectful and gross and I would be just as offended if they did this for any other religious film. By doing this, they not only insult the faith but marginalize their market--after all, who is into hearing about these things AND the life of Brigham Young?! Is this a movie, in this form, that you can show to your kids or recommend to others?!$LABEL$ 0 +This was a nice film. It had a interesting storyline, that was executed pretty well in the later part of the film. The storyline kinda reminded me of The City of God. But this one is done in a more nicer way in comparison. It had what i really loved:a tinge of surrealism. Some pretty interesting cinematography (thru the wooden camera) I'm not sure if it was culturally correct, but it definitely widens you're view of south Africa. The actors were good (for 1st timers, most of them anyway), i especially liked Estelle character, which made this movie pretty enjoyable. What is interesting though, was that it makes you ask about your own life. Are you really doing what you really love? Or do you consent to the norm, the conventionalism around you. Definitely worth a watch.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the better Marion Davies talkies - and one of the few to allow her to exhibit her skill as a physical comedian which was so endearing in her silent films. OK, so she does a clunky tap number, but even Ruby Keeler's dancing from the era does not hold up for younger generations. The problem here is the script. The story falls into unbelievable melodrama in the last reel. It's quite stagey, and is obviously adapted from a play... but not well enough. Still, there is some snappy dialogue and slapstick throughout. Worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +Jane Russell was an underrated comedienne and singer (see SON OF PALEFACE and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES), but you'd never guess it from her display here. A real stinker, produced by Howard Hughes in his all-too-successful effort to kill off RKO Radio Pictures.The movie kills its first opportunity to show off sexy Jane when it places her in a bubble bath and then has her chastely singing "I'll Be Switched (If I Ain't Gettin' Hitched)"--and it's all downhill from there. In her autobiography, Russell apologized for the movie's number "Lookin' for Trouble" because it was supposedly so risque--nowadays you could show it on The Disney Channel. (By the way, said autobiography has a jaw-dropping photo of Russell in a bikini, far sexier than anything$LABEL$ 0 +To be honest, the movie was SO HORRIBLE that I loved it. Never in my life have a seen such a TERRIBLE movie. I was in shock. I mean, i don't even know what to say.The characters couldn't even keep their own guns, one minute a guy had an M16 and his friend had an MP5, then in the next scene they switched guns. (Don't ask, trust me I know my guns)And i will never understand how they got from a place that looked like Vietnam, to an Arizona highway, to my backyard, and then to a chemical plant in California, that is what i took from it.Why would you be afraid of a guy in a Halloween mask wearing a trash bag for a cape and shot plastic arrows at you? How is that frightening? I wanted to swallow arsenic halfway through the movie. I love how the "skeleton man" randomly decided to go on a killing spree at that particular day. But hey, whoever made this movie should be shot in the knees and fed to a mound of fire ants.Good day.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a big fan of 50s sci-fi, but this is not one of my favorites. While the concept behind the movie was a natural vehicle for a classic teeny bopper sci-fi flick, the director counted too heavily on it to carry the movie. It's clear he was working with no money, because the entire movie is loaded with bloated dialogue that goes on and on forever. I have *never* seen so much time-killing in a movie.There are probably less than 60 seconds of "blob footage" in the entire movie, and most of the rest of it is people engaging in a lot of poorly-written, run-on dialogue. It was fun to see Steve M. and Anita C. together, but good heavens...how could casting have thought anyone in their right mind would believe them as teenagers?$LABEL$ 0 +This movie isn't worth going to the theaters to watch, i did and i didn't like it, the effects on the movie are really well done, and you get a laugh here and there, but the story is really bad, it seemed like they had run out of ideas, and what is that of loki and odin getting along? that totally destroys norse mythology, and i guess they forgot that loki's powers only worked during the NIGHT!! If you really MUST see this movie rent it when it comes out, don't go to the movies for this!They could have done a lot more with this than they did, it felt like they just wanted to do a movie to show off cool animation and effects$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't really concentrate on the larger Genocidal aspects of the story (although the horrific images at the beginning are very powerful). I was really taken with the human story of the girl and her family. Imagine living your life not knowing if you have a time bomb ticking away inside you. I was really wrenching to see Yasuko being rejected as "tainted" by the bomb. The image that stays with me most is when Yasuko stands before the mirror combing her hair, silently watching it come out in clumps.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm Egyptian. I have a green card. I have been living in the US since 1991. I have a very common Arabic name. I'm married (non-American but non-Egyptian, non-Arab wife). I have children who are born in the US. I have a PhD in Cell Biology from the US and I travel for conferences. I make 6 figure income and I own a home in the Washington, DC area. I pay my taxes and outside 1 or 2 parking tickets I have no blemish on my record since I came to this country in 1991. I look more Egyptian than the Ibrahimi character but my spoken English is as good as his.A couple of months ago I was returning from a conference/company business in Spain through Munich Germany to Washington, DC (Home). I was picked up in Munich airport by a German officer as soon as I got off the Madrid plane. He was waiting for me. He was about to start interrogating me until I simply told him "I have no business in Germany, I'm just passing through". He had let me go with the utmost disappointment. That was nothing compared to what happened at Washington, Dulles airport (Which was not nearly as bad as what happened to Ibrahimi in the movie). The customs officer asked me a couple of questions about the length and purpose of my trip. He then wrote a letter C on my custom declaration form and let me go. After I picked up my checked bag I was stopped at the last exit point (Some Homeland Security crap). I sat there for 3 hours along with many different people of many different nationalities. I was not told the reason for my detainment. I was not allowed to use my phone or ANY other phone. I was feisty at first asking to be told of the reason or let me go but decided to suck it up and just wait and see. I asked if I can call my wife to tell her that I'm going to be late but was told no. When I tried to use my phone and as soon as my wife said "hello", an officer yanked the phone out of hand and threatened me to confiscate it. When I asked about needing to call home because my family is waiting, they said "Three hours is nothing, we will make contact after 5 hours". When I asked to use the bathroom, an officer accompanied me there. It toilet was funny; I guess it was a prison style toilet that is all metal with no toilet seat. Finally, they called my name and gave me my passport/green card and said you can go. I asked what the problem was, they said "nothing"!! I know it was only 3 hours but I was dead tired and wanted to go home to see my wife and kids.As for the movie, it was very well made. Unlike most movies that involve Arabs and use non-Arab actors who just speak gibberish, this movie the Arabic was 100% correct. I assume the country is Morocco (North Africa).$LABEL$ 1 +Despite its pedigree, the most interesting things about this series are not the animatronics or puppetry, which, while charming, are little more than sideshows, at least in the story I saw, A STORY SHORT. In fact, loathe though I am to admit it, the programme's chief pleasure lies in that most ancient art, storytelling.John Hurt, in Rowley Birken QC-mode, grotesque, medieval make-up, relates a story about story telling, seated by the fire, accompanied by a cynical dog. One winter's day, starving and poor, he spots a fellow beggar thrown out of the Royal Kitchen by the nasty cook. The Story Teller tricks this latter into giving them an excellent soup. Furious, the Cook pleads with the King for permission to boil the villain, but, pleased with the Story Teller's wit, the monarch offers him a reprieve - for 100 nights, he must tell the King a new story: if he fails to do so, he will hand him over to the cook.The story may be old, but it's told with great gusto. Anthony Minghella's script is excellently dramatic (as befits a playwright), witty, and with some disturbing concerns beneath the fun, such as fears for the self, or the culturally self-generating power of storytelling, linked to the continuation of ideological power. For a programme aimed at children, it is bracingly self-reflexive (with little nonsense about film being the new oral culture); despite the Americanised style, there is a charming sense of medieval bustle, its grotesqueness and arbitrary terror, as well as its magic and power.$LABEL$ 1 +Charlie's Wilson's War demonstrates with deft veracity just how futile wars can be, especially to the very people who spend countless hours and finances to fund them. Virtuoso performances and remarkably memorable characters teamed with a riotously sarcastic script catapult the film, helmed by the continuously unpredictable Mike Nichols, to the top of the year's best. Politics has never been so much fun.Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) is a Texas congressman who is credited with almost single-handedly winning the Cold War. Hanging around plenty of drugs, women and scotch, he also takes an unexpected interest in the events in Afghanistan and the terrors of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Enlisting the help of Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a renegade CIA covert mission expert and Joanne (Julia Roberts), a wealthy socialite, he raises money to provide Afghanistan with the rocket launchers and antitank weaponry they need to cause serious damage to Russian military. Eventually by the end of the 80s the Cold War would come to an end, and the funds would immediately be cut, thereby removing all help for the fledgling country to rebuild and recoup.The acting is exquisite, although it's to be expected from the more than accomplished cast. A large part of that however, should be attributed to the script, which allows each character to be undeniably well-developed and memorable. And a hearty helping of that credit goes to the novel of the same name, which is hilariously honest. Tom Hanks delivers yet another unequaled performance as Charlie Wilson, the man who did so much for so many and yet still remains relatively unknown. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Gust, a character that is vividly boffo in both his physicality and his wry cynicism; the inimitable Hoffman once again shows superb range in the characters he portrays. Julia Roberts is perhaps the only weak link of the film, with her generic snobbish character and not-subtle-enough accent. And then there's Wilson's "jailbait" squad of young secretaries that scamper about to keep him happy. Led by the always delightful Amy Adams, each supporting role has its mirthful moments.Defeating the Soviet Union was not an easy task, especially considering the many conflicting goals between the various political leaders. "Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing?" queries a disgruntled politician. "Tradition mostly", returns Wilson. Everyone appears to want the Cold War to end, yet a blind eye is being turned to the atrocities taking place in Afghanistan. It takes a trip to the war-torn refugee camps in Pakistan to motivate Wilson, as well as with his main financial source Doc Long (Ned Beatty). Wilson uses strategic ties with committees to raise funding of weaponry in Afghanistan from $5 million to $10 million with a simple command, but the president of Pakistan scoffs at the idea of winning a war for such a trivial amount. By the end of the Wilson campaign, $1 billion is sent to the Mujahedin to shoot down Russian helicopters - the first step toward victory, as Wilson predicted. Beyond the scope of the film, the unresolved turmoil in Afghanistan led to further, less ignorable problems, which Wilson presumably foresaw.During the course of Charlie Wilson's War, the main characters travel from the United States to Pakistan to Afghanistan to Jerusalem to Egypt, but wherever they go, sarcasm always follows. There's a surprising amount of comedy in the film, considering the political undertones are generally serious. Hoffman provides jokes with almost every exchange of dialogue, as does Hanks, with his naturally witty woman-chasing ideals. A scene early on featuring Gust being continually ushered in out of Wilson's office as he tries to straighten out a legal issue with his posse of gorgeous gals ("you can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits") reminds me of a slapstick routine from the Marx Brothers.With the press focusing on the drug allegations against Wilson, instead of the important issues of the Cold War, and the conflicting desire of officials to budget their help, it's clear that by the end of the film, the politicians are still oblivious to what's really necessary. And since the screenplay is so quick-witted and astute, some audience members may not be able to keep up with all of the dialogue-intensive events. But, as demonstrated by the politicians who are ignorant as to the difference between Pakistan and Afghanistan, it's essentially another argument to support Charlie Wilson's point.- Mike Massie$LABEL$ 1 +This was a pretty good film. I'm not sure if this is considered a spoiler comment, but I didn't want to take a chance. Anyway, near the end of the film, the prosecutor reads a Scripture verse and then quotes another from memory. I can't remember the first passage he reads, but the second one is Genesis 9:6. He says it's Genesis 9:12, but he actually quotes verse 6. This is a common passage that many use to defend capital punishment. It's too bad that prosecutors dare not quote the Bible today. Did anybody ever hear of John Jay, the first Supreme Court justice in the history of this country? He said that the Bible is the best of all books. Too bad we've lost that view in America.$LABEL$ 1 +I couldn't tell if "The Screaming Skull" was trying to be a Hitchcock rip off or a modernized Edgar Allen Poe tribute. These days, someone would have chopped it up a bit and presented it as one of those TV anthology episodes from the old "Tales From The Dark Side"...but only after an extensive rewrite.The sad thing is, there seems to be a nice, nasty little story trying to get out from under the rubble of this movie, and the actors are obviously doing the best they can with both their talent and the material they have to work with. But the director just didn't know how to stage or pace a dramatic scene; the special effects simply didn't work; the screenplay telegraphed its threadbare plot points so plainly that a bivalve could have seen them coming; and the soundtrack kept playing German "oompah band" music when it was supposed to be trying to scare the audience. They tried; they tried really hard. But this is of interest only as a period piece.I suppose someone very young who hadn't seen a lot of suspense or horror might get a charge out "The Screaming Skull", but someone that young probably wouldn't get most of the subtext or plot motivation. ("Mommy, why is that nice man trying to scare the twisty faced scaredy-cat lady??")$LABEL$ 0 +Let Freedom Ring was probably made with the best of intentions, but it sends out a curious mixed message in the final product.The folks at a western town where the railroad is coming through are overwhelmed by the arrival of immigrant railroad workers, working on the railroad being financed by robber baron Edward Arnold. There are a few ranchers and farmers whose land stands in the railroad's path and these folks are dealt with summarily by Arnold's hired men. One man who won't give in is Lionel Barrymore whose son is coming home from Harvard a lawyer and ready to take up the rancher's cause.Only Nelson Eddy decides the best way to fight is to go Zorro on the bad guys. But other than Charles Butterworth no one knows he's the Wasp (a very interesting choice of names by the way). What Arnold's done is used the tried and true methods of the political bosses of the east, getting the immigrants to vote. Nelson's idea is simple, if the immigrants only knew the truth about what a bad guy Arnold is, they'll vote with the original settlers and knock out the alien urban political machine in their midst. He kidnaps newspaper editor Raymond Walburn and takes him and the press to a mountain cave where some subversive newspapers are printed and distributed.The railroad workers are a real mixed bunch of immigrants, not the Irish working west or the Chinese working east as history has it. It's a real United Nations working on Arnold's railroad. The workers are kept in line by foreman Victor McLaglen and Nelson has the unenviable task of beating some sense into him like John Wayne did in The Quiet Man.Of all the films that starred Jeanette and Nelson and they certainly have come down in history as a duo, this was the worst of what they did at MGM. Nelson is about to be hanged along with Barrymore for crimes that are undefined at best, but certainly nothing worth being hung for. And Virginia Bruce who plays the Nelson's girlfriend saves the day with a rendition of My Country Tis of Thee that the immigrants join in with. In the face of a revolt by his paid for immigrant voters, Arnold quite rationally packs up and leaves town to build his railroad somewhere else.I kid you not, that's the ending here. Just what is the message, vote with the settlers and lose your jobs with Arnold? But somehow you'll get by here? I do wonder some times if 20 years from after the incidents of this film take place and the town as settled into a sleepy backwater of the west while some towns where the railroad has come through that are now cities, that the good citizens of that town haven't rethought about what Nelson Eddy did. If they did they're probably running him out on a rail.Nelson is of course in good voice and has a variety of concert and popular pieces to sing including a ballad to the immigrants written by Sigmund Romberg, Where Else But Here. The song is a heartfelt tribute from an immigrant who did make good in his adopted country. Too bad it didn't have a better venue.The almost platinum blonde Virginia Bruce I'm sure is dubbed here. And I'm sure Jeanette MacDonald was just as happy she wasn't accompanying Nelson on this trip west.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this because I thought there were going to be a lot of car chases and cool cars to gawk at. Guess I was lied to. This movie is very boring.The movie starts out Kip Raines(Giovanni Ribisi) sitting outside a Porsche dealership checking to see if they have the right car. When they confirm it's the right one, Kip gets a brick out of the trunk and chucks it at the window, shattering it. He gets the Porsche while his friend gets the keys. They start up the car and take off into the night. They deliver it to a warehouse only to have been followed by the police. So, the whole crew ditches all the cars and go their separate ways. Then, we get a glimpse of Memphis Raines. He is giving a little speech to a bunch of kids at a go-kart track. Then, he is confronted by Atlee Jackson(Will Patton). Atlee tells Memphis that his brother Kip is in deep *bleep*. Memphis is known as one of the most notorious car thieves in Los Angeles. Memphis heads to a junkyard and meets Raymond Calitri(Christopher Ecclesten). This guy threatens to kill Kip if Memphis doesn't deliver 50 cars within 72 hours.There are a few problems with this film: 1.Story: The first 48 in-movie hours take place when Cage and Duvall are looking for a crew and planning everything out. The last 12 in-movie hours are a waste! 2. The Cars: You see maybe 10 cars out of the 50 as the movie advertises. So, where are the other 40 cars? Why don't we get to see them? 3. The Chase: The chase at the end of the movie was a joke. It was not suspenseful at all.4. The Dog: Somewhere in the movie, the dog eats the burgers and swallows three keys as well. This is impossible. The keys were flipped open. The keys would have severely damaged the dog's esophagus, stomach, and large intestines. The guys suggest giving the dog laxatives to help him poop it out. This won't work. The dog will get a lot of diarrhea but no keys. It was stated in Jackass after Ryan Dunne stuck a toy car up his rectum. Take laxatives, lots of diarrhea, but no car. Same case with the dog.5. The Cop During The Chase: When Eleanor breaks down for a few minutes, Nicholas Cage tries desperately to start up the car. You see a police cruiser behind him who isn't looking at his car at all. But, right when Nicholas Cage starts the engine up again, the police officer jerks his head to the right, sees the car, and immediately begins to chase after him. It is stupid. So, right when he heard the engine start, and saw the car, he knew that was the car he was looking for. How does he know it's the right car? He only sees the back of it.Overall, the movie is boring. There is no action. There are very few cars. The movie is stupid. I have never seen the original but I plan to.I give this movie 1 star out of 10. Get The Fast and Furious instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I believe Sarafina is a tremendous effort of Whoopi Goldberg. Besides her, there are no other stars in the film and her role is smaller than the title character, Sarafina. Since I work in a high school with urban children, I think this is an important film to show South African history of apartheid. Sarafina is a movie about education and a teacher's relationship with her student, Sarafina. I bought the video for practically nothing at a videostore. I watched it and fast forwarded through the musical numbers. But I strongly recommend this film to educators and their students to understand. Now while I don't know the other actors and actresses in the film, I assume that they are very popular in South Africa and I am glad that they filmed with a South African cast and crew with the exception of Goldberg in a small role but if it gets people to see this movie, than Whoopi reaches worldwide appeal.$LABEL$ 1 +Most complaints I've heard of this film really come down to one thing: It isn't Versus. Yes, the cast and crew is basically the same. Yes, Kitamura rehashes a few shots in the fight scenes that come in the film's second half, but that's about where the similarities end. Versus takes place essentially all outside, showcasing Kitamura's ability to craft an interesting B-movie in natural locations. For Alive, almost everything takes place inside. In small, cramped spaces. Here the art design is thrust into your face, and WHAT art design it is! We are treated to several very intricate and interesting spaces, and our characters are for the most part confined to those spaces. Also a key difference is that we don't get much action here until the end of the film. Versus was all about action and cool, here a LOT more emphasis is put on characters and situation and messing with your mind. Because of this, Alive is a far more interesting film than Versus. You may not pop it in and go to a random scene to watch five or ten minutes of cool zombie bloodshed, but you will sit glued to the screen for nearly two hours watching he interaction of a few genuinely interesting characters.I'm now ecstatic that I ordered the DVD despite some naysay. You should too! But be sure to realize this is a different animal from Versus - it's often slow, and requires a bit of thought to get the most out of it. I hope Media Blasters picks it up for subtitled R1 DVD release!$LABEL$ 1 +I know Anime. I've been into it long before it became a national phenomenon; i loved Ranma before most people knew what Dragonball Z even was. And just so you know I'm not bragging about my, let me say this: out of all the animes I've seen, Castle in the Sky is by far one of the best. It's obvious people say Spirited Away is the best, but I really disagree. Most people only know that movie because it one an Acedmy Award; this isn't an exaggeration - I've shown Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky to people who'd only ever seen Spirited Away, and they agree that the latter two are the superior of the three. Personally, I'd never thought that anything could compare to Princess Mononoke, until I finally saw Castle in the Sky. I still think that the prior is the better of the two, but Castle in the Sky is easily on par with it; in many ways, Castle has major elements that Mononoke was missing. In either case, if you've only seen Spirited Away, and think that that is Miyazaki's best film, be prepared to have your earth shaken.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is just not worth your time. Its reliance upon New-Age mysticism serves as its only semi-interesting distraction. The plot is one that has been re-cycled countless times.I was only prompted to even spend the time to put in a comment when I noted that some have tried to prop-up the reputation of this drivel. Their motivation & objectivity is dubious, since they encourage you not to look at the movies faults, but at its well intentioned message of New Age consciousness.So would it be alright for some twenty to thirty Evangelical Christians, or Islamic Fundamentalists to pour in positive ratings about movies/television that support their views? In spite of the poor qualities of production, or the lack of truth in any of its supposed historic basis? I hope not.I am sure the followers will come right behind me to say flowery things about this movie, in spite of the truth.$LABEL$ 0 +I recently (May 2008) discovered that this childhood favorite was available as a DVD. Although I've seen a great deal of high quality movies since then (late 70's (I was 10 in 1978)), this three-episode, low budget thing still stands strong.What's fun is that I now watched it with my 10 year old daughter, and she experiences just the same as I remember from back then: The creepy music (she had to hold my hand, even though she's been raised with watching LotR and Resident Evil), the ever changing theories of who the culprit actually is, and also complaining about the theatrical voices from an era before Norway discovered the difference between stage acting and movie acting.This is the one and only good science fiction movie (or series) ever made in Norway. And it's still worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Fun movie! Great for the kids - they found it very entertaining. Somewhat predictable, but there are a few surprises. Great movie to watch if you're looking for something just to entertain (don't expect to be seeing a classic!)$LABEL$ 1 +Utterly predictable silly show about a man who has killed his wife by mowing her down when driving and claimed he had blacked out. Why was he still driving a car? Why did he still feel able to drive a car having killed his wife with one? This question has not occurred to the writers. The story then witters on about a psychologist and her failing marriage which is tied into the failing marriage of wife-killing blackout driver. An omniscient mother and one dimensional child are thrown in for good measure, and the whole builds up to a predictable denouement and crashing finale. Are police psychologists so easily taken in? Deadful writing that the actors do their best with, but they are doomed to failure. This is on a par with a Harlequin Romance. Don't waste your time watching this one unless that's what you are aiming for.$LABEL$ 0 +A new side to the story of Victoria and Albert is brought to life by director Jean-Marc Valle. Most people's cursory thoughts of Queen Victoria is that of woman who reigned for several decades and lived her life in mourning. Emily Blunt is more than capable in the title role as she gives audiences a different perspective. She portrays Victoria in her youth, ascension to the throne, and early years. Blunt's Victoria both fresh and restrained throughout the film. Her strongest scenes are with Albert (Rupert Friend) and Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany). All the actors acquit themselves well including Miranda Richardson in what could of been a throw-away role.Though this is not a story of dramatic arcs and histrionic "acting" moments, the story is still interesting enough to make it worth viewing. There are a few historical liberties that has been taken by the screen writing, the film tries to stay true to the relationship between Victoria and Albert and of the social and royal structure of the time period. The set design and costumes are outstanding.This film will be most appreciated by those drawn to history, period dramas, and of Blunt and the other actors. Heartily recommend.Grade: A$LABEL$ 1 +If you've had drama in your life, either your own or by someone close to you, the stages of pain this woman (but, in my opinion, it could easily have been a man too)goes through are very very real. It is a movie about not being able to cope with your pain, about not knowing what to do to help yourself get through it. Obviously it then also is a movie about not knowing how to help someone close to you get through their pain. It is a movie that makes you realize that everyone is alone in their suffering. It is a movie that might push someone over the edge...which hardly sounds like a recommendation. I'm not sure I would recommend someone to go see this film, especially someone close, but for me...it is a movie that puts things into perspective, that shows real pain, and is therefore much relevant to being alive. It makes you realize that hey, you or the person close to you have lived through pain, that hey, all the things you worry about now are of so little importance$LABEL$ 1 +I wanted to see the movie because of an article in a film magazine. It wasn't a highly recommended one by the critic. The storyline is different and I am sure that it could have been a good movie if it was in right hands. Directing and acting were awful!! I had the feeling of watching a movie which was made a bunch of amateurs. Although the movie started promisingly, it got worse and worse. I think this is an unoriginal movie with awkward characters.. I still think that it is worth watching as I haven't seen films subjecting gay porn. Don't keep your expectations high though,then you will be very disappointed. * out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +It's heart-warming to see a movie that doesn't bash males. In this one the wife/mother leaves her family to "get in touch" with herself - or pursue her libido. The father stays with and nurtures the kids, letting neither his work nor his love life interfere with his love of and responsibility to them.$LABEL$ 1 +After having seen and loved Postal (yes, I actually loved Postal), I decided to try another Uwe Boll film and I picked out Seed because I happened to stumble on it in a local DVD-store and it's supposed to be one of his better films.While the first 10 to 15 minutes of the film were very promising and seemed like the beginning of a not too mainstream psychological thriller, it soon went downhill from there and eventually degraded into one of the most generic slasher films I've seen so far, including a massive amount of plot holes, unrealistic emotional responses and sub-par acting. It seems like Boll tried his best to come up with a decent plot but after a while just gave up on it. Maybe he should stick to comedy?! The few good things about this film is that he does manage to create an overall creepy atmosphere, that the special effects are better than I expected and the soundtrack does go well with the overall atmosphere, but the unbalanced pacing of this film combined with the utter generic nature thereof makes he last half hour quite tedious to watch, which ruined my experience altogether. There are a very fairly well done shocking scenes, but they seem to be there for the shock value alone. And let's not forget the camera work that was pretty nauseating at times.I hope Uwe Boll will one day learn what makes a good film, because between a lot of horrible films he does seem to make a decent film every now and then. Seed just isn't one of those.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie once on late night t.v. and knew it was the best movie ever. This is one of the few Kung-Fu movies with a decent plot. The progression of the main character is seamless. The whole movie is great!$LABEL$ 1 +Paul Bettany did a great role as the tortured father whose favorite little girl dies tragically of disease. For that, he deserves all the credit. However, the movie was mostly about exactly that, keeping the adventures of Darwin as he gathered data for his theories as incomplete stories told to children and skipping completely the disputes regarding his ideas.Two things bothered me terribly: the soundtrack, with its whiny sound, practically shoving sadness down the throat of the viewer, and the movie trailer, showing some beautiful sceneries, the theological musings of him and his wife and the enthusiasm of his best friends as they prepare for a battle against blind faith, thus misrepresenting the movie completely.To put it bluntly, if one were to remove the scenes of the movie trailer from the movie, the result would be a non descript family drama about a little child dying and the hardships of her parents as a result. Clearly, not what I expected from a movie about Darwin, albeit the movie was beautifully interpreted.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is famous for several qualities: a literate script, for once in partly-religious film-making, by Philip Dunne, some very good performances, a first-rate production in every department and its intelligent direction by veteran Henry King. If one were making a film, then getting such talents as Leon Shamroy as cinematographer, Lyle Wheeler as art director and Alfred Newman as composer of original music would guarantee a quality production. Add the cast of this film, including Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward as the title characters, James Robertson Justice, Raymond Massey, Kieron Moore, Jayne Meadows and John Sutton plus a dance by Gwen Verdon and expectations might be raised that the resulting film could be made into something special. But in a biblical subject script, usually a sub-genre prone to illogical motivations and miraculous interventions, everything would ultimately depend on the author's skills. Philip Dunne here has supplied human beings, a rare achievement in biblical films. David is a man in this film, many-sided, not someone doing mythical deeds on paper in the Old Testament. Gregory Peck makes him curious, passionate, self-controlled, self-deprecating and appealing. As Bathsheba, Hayward is scarcely the perfect choice but conveys a good deal of common-sense earthiness and emotional normalcy that helps one see why the King of Israel would risk so much for her. The rest of the cast is stalwart and capable by turns. The familiar storyline provides them little to work with, but author Dunne and the cast do as much as is possible with the human situations. David's youth is told in flashback; how he was chosen by a Prophet of Yahweh to be King of Israel, and earns his way to be second to the king, Saul, by defeating Goliath the Phiiistine in battle when all else are afraid to beard the giant warrior. Thereafter, he finally is driven from the court of King Saul of Israel, becomes a famous warrior, and returns to claim the kingdom and become the instrument of death of Jonathan, the King's son, formerly a friend. His wars are successful-- the film opens in fact with a successful attack scene; but his life is empty since his wife Michal, Jayne Meadows, is Saul's daughter and is cold to him. He turns to Bathsheba, whom he sees from the palace roof bathing naked; later she admits she had hoped he would see her. But she has a husband, Uriah; when she becomes pregnant, it becomes necessary for Uriah to come in from the battlefield and spend time at home; he instead asks David to set him in the forefront of the battle, even after being aroused by Verdon's dance. David agrees. He is killed, a war hero; but this does not solve the infidelity question. Drought comes to Israel, and the king's infidelity is blamed for the phenomenon. At last, David places his hands on the Ark of the Covenant, recently brought to Jerusalem and housed in a temple, which has caused the death of others who accidentally came in contact with it, inviting his god to punish him--and nothing happens...David exits the temple, and finds that rain has come to his parched land. This film is always interesting, varied in its types of scenes and physically beautiful. The director and author make use of the observer principle, and are frankly more successful in humanizing the characters than in almost any film outside the Grecianized- Near Eastern canon, wherein the feat is a bit easier since neither miraculous nor religious themes are made central in such adventures. . Well-remembered for its glowing realization, fine performances and intelligent dialogue, this dramatic effort bears repeated study.$LABEL$ 1 +Eh it's not really as good as the other Dragonballs. The villains are actually rip-offs of other Z villains like Cell, Frieza, and even Majin Buu. With Baby being Frieza's clone, Super 17 being Cell's clone, and the Shadow Dragons being Buu's clone(s). The story is also very bad as it deals with Goku shrinking. SHRINKING!! It deals with him SHRINKING to like the size of an eight year old just to get it going. Let us not forget how weak the characters become. Gohan can't go mystic anymore and is even weaker than Pan.(It's sad I know). Speaking of Pan she was so cute at the end of Z now she's lost all that cuteness and become an irritating,whiny little girl whose sole purpose in this series is to get in the way. Goten doesn't even have a purpose in the series and Trunks... well I don't know what to say about Trunks. GT is just an attempt to milk the popular Dragonball franchise. If you really like Dragonball then avoid this series. It doesn't even feel like Dragonball. I will be fair though as the ending however was really good and is actually pretty sad (At least to me) and the theme songs both ending and opening are better (Japanese, not American). Might've been better if Toriyama san worked on it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the few films where I consider the film rendition to be an improvement on the original book. The story is clear, accessible, amusing and interesting and the musical numbers are without a doubt exceptional. I adored the cyclical rendition of 'The old home guard' and the charming 'Portobello Road', a great combination of early animation + real actors techniques which, though dated do not detract from the charm of the piece. The background of the Second World War worked well and was not omitted as the film got under way, which so often happens in 'evacuee' stories.An often far too underrated film, it produces no end to enjoyment for people of all ages. The performances from the actors are exceptionally well done and the entire text is neatly tied together and well designed. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!$LABEL$ 1 +This film is regarded by some as a classic - I've no idea why. It is terrible to the point of being laughable. The only saving grace with this movie are the delivery of cheesy lines that are so toe curlingly embarrassing that you have no choice but to laugh at them.There are a couple of good songs and good choreography in this film, but SO WHAT! There is no plot, it is set in a theatre with no change of scenery, and Michael Douglas is as depressing as ever. My brother once forced me to watch this film, because he said I wouldn't believe how bad a film can get! He was right.Normally with a film this dreadful I would recommend that people shouldn't watch it, but in this case I think people should, as it will put every other bad film you've seen in perspective.$LABEL$ 0 +"Joe" is one of those movies where, although you think that it might go along smoothly, ends up hitting you like...I can't come up with an analogy. It showed not only that America's long-standing idea of unity was moot, but also the various aspects within our society. Melissa Compton (Susan Sarandon) is the ultimate flower child, while her father Bill (Dennis Patrick) is a clean-cut executive. One day, Bill accidentally kills Melissa's boyfriend. In the immediate aftermath, Bill gets acquainted with Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), an ultra-right-wing, rabidly racist working stiff. As a result, the two of them end up associating more and more with the hippies, whom Bill finds unpleasant and Joe outright hates. But in the end, everything has dead serious consequences.True, some parts of the movie are a little bit dated, but it's a good juxtaposition of America's two sides during the Vietnam War. And rest assured, the residual effects of all that will probably never go away.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was absolute trash. The director and stars(?)should be banished from making movies forever. The paper-thin plot concerns a sleazy director played by the sleazy director (now thats acting) advertising on the internet for women to star in a snuff movie. There's no horror at all, the girls look strung-out and bored, the direction is pointless, the music is misplaced (heavy metal in a library scene?), and the lighting is awful. The director should have cashed in a couple more shopping carts full of aluminum cans and gotten a script, sober actors, and a few light bulbs. As it is, this is one disgusting, nasty, worthless mess of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a big fan of horror movies, and know a lot of info on serial killers. Obviously the director of this one refused to research the film he was creating, because half of the movie was fictional. More than that, the character of Ed Gein was portrayed in the wrong light. I did not rent the movie to worry about the Deputy and his girlfriend Erica. I rented it to watch Ed Gein and his legendary story. This movie was awful, the only reason I gave it a 2 out of 10 is because the gore wasn't too bad. Acting= horrible Actors= sub par Movie= waste of time.A big upset all around, but i wont give up my search for a good horror movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a little slow-moving for a horror movie, but the quality is better than you might expect for a director's only effort on IMDb. The camera work and lighting were both surprisingly good, and the acting – although variable – is better than is often found in Indie genre flicks.As the lead, Robert Field is rather stiff, which is especially unfortunate given that his character, Claude, is the film's narrator as well as the centre of its action. However, it was the entry of Christopher (Brandon deSpain) that I considered the turning point of this film – and not in a good way. A twist is introduced in a clumsy fashion, and slow-moving becomes drawn out and overly wordy.On the up side, Pete Barker is consistently entertaining as Father William. He's the easy stand-out in what is a fairly ordinary offering. While the first half hour caught my interest, I ended up feeling quite disappointed in the way things played out.$LABEL$ 0 +All you could ever hope for if your a Jackass fan.As always Knoxville & his crew risk life & limb just for our viewing entertainment. If you are fan of the series & of the first movie you won't be let down like most sequel often do. The jokes they pull on each other as twice as funny,cruel,crude as ever before & the stunts & dares are twice as rough as any Jackass episode you have ever seen. If your a fan don't waste time go check it out for yourself because on Jackaass standards this movie is an easy 10 out of 10 just for the opening credits alone, I can't go into detail without spoilers but you've got to see it to believe it.$LABEL$ 1 +Astronaut Steve West (Alex Rebar) and his comrades undertake a space mission that sees them flying through the rings of Saturn. His comrades are killed instantly, but it would seem that they are in fact the lucky ones. Steve returns to Earth a constantly oozing mass of humanoid pulp; as he turns into a savage killer, melting every step of the way, he is tracked by his friend, Dr. Ted Nelson (Burr DeBenning).This is often so uproariously funny - with enough absurd lines and situations to go around - that it's hard for me to believe that the laughs are all unintentional. It seems to me to be kind of a goof on low-budget genre efforts from the '50's and 60's, and as such, it's a marvelously entertaining movie. That sequence with the nurse is simply hilarious. We're even treated to a split screen sequence that doesn't really add anything, but is still a gas to watch.Writer / director William Sachs deserves credit for coming up with this ingenious idea; his ultra-slimy character is a memorable one indeed. I think his pacing is a little off; some scenes (like the one with the elderly couple) go on a little long, but ultimately he delivers solid, schlocky, B-movie goods with a degree of panache. The climax is especially fun.Arlon Obers' music is enjoyably shuddery (yet also amusingly silly during some moments), and Willy Curtis's cinematography creates some really great shots at times. That brings me to Rick Bakers' fantastic and convincing makeup effects, which form a highly respectable centerpiece for the movie, right down to the ultimate final melt.Rebar is under the heavy makeup for almost the entire movie (Sachs also gets my praise for having the movie hit the ground running) and does what he has to do well enough. DeBenning makes for a rather oafish and silly hero, and Ann Sweeney isn't so hot either as his wife, but Myron Healey, Michael Alldredge, and Lisle Wilson are fine in support. It's also worth it to see folk like Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith (doing an appreciable topless shot), Janus Blythe (of Tobe Hoopers' "Eaten Alive" and Wes Cravens' "The Hills Have Eyes"), and even director Jonathan Demme in a bit part.This is a highly entertaining midnight movie with enough gore, chills, and laughs to rate it as worth catching for lovers of low-grade sci-fi / horror everywhere.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +Well, were to start? This is by far one of the worst films I've ever paid good money to see. I won't comment on the story itself, it's a wonderful classic, but here it feels like a soap opera. To start with, the acting, except for Eric Bana, is soap opera quality. I've always been a fan of Brad Pitt, but here every actor on The Bold and the Beautiful puts him to shame. The camera action doesn't help, either. How it lingers on him when he's thinking, it just takes me back to Brooke Forrester's days in the lab! Peter O'Toole has either had a really bad plastic surgery, or he is desperately in need of one. Either way, he looks more like Linda Evans than Linda Evans! And to end my comments, Diane Kruger is a cute girl, but she sure is no Helen of Troy. Peterson should rather have chosen Saffron Burrows for the role, since Elizabeth Taylor would be rather miscast by now.$LABEL$ 0 +***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Juggernaut is a British made "thriller" released in the US by First National. Karloff is Dr. Sartorius who has to leave his research because his funds have dried up. Karloff is forced to retreat to France and start up a medical practice. He is propositioned by a conniving woman who wants to get rid of her much older husband. She knows Karloff needs the money.Karloff agrees to the proposition and soon becomes the personal doctor of the husband. All the while, the wife is prancing about town with the local no good playboy. Karloff finally injects the old geyser with poison and he kicks off. However, his son (from another marriage) arrives a few days before the killing and finds out the will has been changed. When he spills the beans to the wife, she goes berserk and even bites the son's hand.Meanwhile, Karloff's nurse has misplaced the hypo Karloff used to kill the old man. When Karloff finds out he isn't getting any money, he asks the wife to poison the son. The nurse suspects Karloff and finds the missing hypo. Analysis shows poison, but not quite in time as Karloff kidnaps the nurse.To make a long story short, the nurse escapes, gets the police, and manages to save the son who is about to be injected by Karloff. Karloff instead injects himself and dies.This movie does have some good points. Karloff is possessed and plays the type of mad doctor he did in The Devil Commands and the Man Who Lived Again. It is peculiar, however, to see him walk around stiffly and slightly hunched over. We never find out why he is walking this way. I suspect the director thought it made him more sinister.The actress playing the 2-timing wife overacts something terrible. She has a French accent. Even though she overacts badly, you still manage to hate her (or maybe you hate her because of her acting...).A little below average for a Karloff vehicle. If you buy the Sinister Cinema VHS copy, the audio is a bit choppy.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, what can i say about this movie. I'm speechless. I could go on about how stupid this movie is forever though the one thing that REALLY pi*sed me off was the music. And to top it all off someone commented on how much they LIKED it. To them all I have to say is that it was ripped off from one of the best martial arts movies of all time Fistsof fury starring Bruce Lee. IF he was still alive and ever came across this movie he'd be horrified. the rest of the movie is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of tape. I say tape because a movie like that couldn't possibly have been shot on film.I now feel more stupid for wasting 30 minutes of my life watching it. The only reason why i even saw it was because my roommate downloaded it out of morbid curiosity. What is this world coming to.$LABEL$ 0 +There are so many puns to play on the title of the spectacularly bad Valentine that I don't know where to begin. I will say this though; here is a movie that makes me long for the complexity of the Valentine cards we used to give out in elementary school. You know, the ones with Batman exclaiming "You're a super crime-fighting valentine!"Valentine is a slasher movie without the slightest hint of irony, one of the few horror movies in recent years that ignores the influence of Scream. The villain is omniscient and nigh-invulnerable. The heroes are easily scared when people run around corners and grab them by the shoulders screaming "HeyIjustleftmycoatbehind!" The score is more overbearing than Norman Bates' mother.The flimsy plot follows several childhood friends, now grown up and extremely curvaceous. Since the film gives them nothing else to do, they stand around and wait until a masked stalker kills them one by one. This stalker appears to be former nerd Jeremy Melton, who was constantly rejected by women and beaten by men in high school. With Valentine's Day approaching, the women begin receiving scary cards foretelling their doom. Melton seems like the obvious suspect. Only problem is, as numerous characters warns, in thirteen years Melton could have changed his appearance to look buff and handsome. So (insert terrified gasp here) everyone is a suspect!Here's problem one. In order to have any sense of suspense while watching Valentine, you have to accept a reality in which a high school nerd is capable of becoming David Boreanaz. Nerds don't turn into Angel when they grown up, they turn into older, balder nerds. He's not a terrible actor, but the script, by no less than four writers, gives him and the rest of the cast nothing to do but scream and make out. Denise Richards (the bustiest actress in Hollywood never to star in Baywatch) is especially exploited; most shamefully in the blatant excuse to get her in a bathing suit just before a crucial suspense scene. Note to self: always bring a bathing suit to a Valentine's Day party. Just because it's February doesn't mean you might not feel like taking a little dip.The slasher in Valentine dresses in head-to-toe black with a Cherub's mask. Here's problem number two. The filmmakers clearly thought this would be a disturbing image to have on the head of someone who's whacking people in the face with hot irons. Plain and simple, it's not. Instead, it just made me wonder how a guy with a mask that covers his entire face, including his eyes and ears, can move so stealthily without bumping his shins on chairs or tables. Then again, given the things the Cupid Killer does, maybe he can teleport and his eyes are on his hands. Not only is the movie bad, it isn't even sure who the killer is; the final "twist" is more "Huh?" than "Hah!" When you're not scratching your head you're yawning, then groaning, then searching for the nearest exit. Do not watch this movie. Even if you're alone on Valentine's Day, find something, ANYTHING, else to do. You'll be glad you did.$LABEL$ 0 +Child´s Play made a new genre of horror,THE KILLER DOLLS,Some of this films has not got too much money for make it but I think that the only film that make shadow to Chucky is this.Ok it´s a tipical product direct to video or direct to tv but Pinocchio is not real and the killer is the little girl.The imagination of children are too big and this film play with it.The roles are good and Candance Mckenzie is great.$LABEL$ 0 +Madhur has given us a powerful movie Chandni Bar in the past. His next film Page 3 was one of the worst movies of all time. It apparently tells the story of some high class people in India. After seeing a scene where the man forces another man for sexual reasons to Star in a Movie. I felt like spitting and breaking the DVD. Coincidently i did. The reason why was the movie contains scenes of child pornography and molestation. I literally vomited and was shocked to see a movie showing naked children. Very disturbing stuff, there was no need to show the children fully naked. One of the rich guys likes to kidnap poor children and sell them to foreign people, British men in this movie. I am shocked to know this film was a Hit in parts of India, otherwise Super Flop in UK, USA and Australia. I'm from UK, and this kind of stuff makes me sick, shouldn't of been released in UK.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, the first thing that came to my mind after I finished this film last night was "Why the title of 8MM 2?", because I saw the first one obviously, and what did this have to do with the first movie's plot? The only thing that was similar was the fact that the couple had to go into the porno industry and that wasn't even needed in the plot, because after you see the ending that I will not spoil, it just didn't make any sense.A diplomat and his fiancée are in Hungary and notice a woman who is swimming naked in the pool area, she's very attractive, so when they see her at a club, they decide to have a little fun and have a steamy threesome. But things get extremely intense when the diplomat is mailed pictures of them all having the affair, fearing that it might go public and jeopardize his career, they pay off the guy who sent the pictures, the diplomat freaks out and "kills" the guy, leading into a murder case. He and his fiacee decide to find the girl they had the affair with, but things just get deeper and darker as they go further into what they got themselves into.What could have been an alright thriller, turned into an unexplained and not well thought out movie, which was sad. Like I said, the title really has nothing to do with the first one, so don't fall for it. It's just a sexual thriller that makes no sense, but it's good for those nights alone, because quite frankly this is one of those films where it's so close to porn that it might as well be labeled as soft core.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +"A Thief in the Night" is a film that was generally ignored by movie fans at large due to its low-budget (which was obvious) and its subject matter--the Rapture of true Christian church and the fate of those left behind. Nevertheless, it was a gripping story that held the viewer and definitely made him or her review their relationship with Jesus Christ. It touched everyone--showing even a pastor who preached the Word, but did not believe it, knowing exactly why he was left behind. This movie, and its sequel "Distant Thunder," are must see movies. Even with the new "Left Behind" series coming out, telling the same story with a much higher budget, the impact is still the same--"A Thief in the Night" broke the ground of this genre and will always be remembered.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was the worst i've ever seen.It doesn't seem to have a plot but the time you realize this is far beyond the beginning of the movie so you have to watch the shut for a long time to recognize the total incompetence of the director, aka the sloth that plays the tampon chick in the movie, and we do not believe the Willem Dafoe in this movie, he's a clone, because the real Dafoe, like we know from "apocalypse now" and "the boon dock saints", would never agreed to such a script.Duh, (Da)foe wrote this bill shut together with his twenty years minus baby. This movie starts with the credits of the two main characters, Dafoe and Colagrande, and then the two script writers, Dafoe and Colagrande, and then the director, Colagrande.Bottomline (the story); Widow meets guy, guy bangs widow, widow smashes windscreen with guy who banged her.Title in Netherlands; The black widow (different title, same bullshit).DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE!!! It's a total waist of time!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Who the heck had the "bright"(?) idea of casting Lucille Ball in this film??? It should have been Angela Lansbury's baby all the way. At the very least Lucy should have had her singing dubbed. There is some compensation in the fact that Jerry Herman's score is pretty well kept intact except for "That's How Young I Feel", and we do get performances by the original Broadway cast members Jane Connell and Bea Arthur. I suppose Robert Preston had to be given a song, hence the inferior "Loving You". Overall, I think in this one the wrong redhead was cast.$LABEL$ 0 +The story by Norman Maclean is a masterwork; Redford's film is a mediocrity. He adds banal scenes of the Maclean brothers going over a falls and of them double-dating in a seedy bar that were not even hinted at in the story. The cipher, Brad Pitt, trying to play the charismatic Paul Maclean, a genius outdoors, proves either risible or depressing, depending on what the original story meant to you. Some of the fly casting scenes are beautiful. Also, Tom Skerritt as the father and Craig Sheffer as Norman are strong and masculine, as men were once expected to be. None of the women make an impression in the film, which is regrettable, because Maclean loved the women in his story and made this clear, even poetic.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted film. It is funny and sometimes hilarious. The finale is a bit disappointing, since it tries to wrap everything up into too neat a package. The film is better remembered for its priceless vignettes: the Jane Austen staging, the camping trip as examples. B & H does not attempt to mirror the predominant attitudes toward homosexuality and bisexuality. Most of the characters are quite accepting of sexual diversity. In that sense it is a joyous vacation from homophobic society. And it is a celebration of a flexibility, a loosening of rigid sexual categories--perhaps a happy harbinger of things to come.$LABEL$ 1 +*Wonderland SPOILERS* July 1st, 1981: five people, Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Susan Launius (Christina Applegate), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson Wagner) and Joy Miller (Janeane Garofalo) are attacked while they're asleep and brutally hit on the head with steel pipes in their home at 8763 Wonderland Avenue, Laurel Canyon, LA. Only Susan survives.Main Suspect: John Holmes (Val Kilmer), former king of porn, owner of a 30 cm long dick, and now a hopeless addict.Two investigators, Luis (Frankie G.) and Sam Nico (Ted Levine), are investigating on the case and try to crack it with the help of a witness that claims to know that John at the very least took part in the murders, David Lind (Dylan McDermott), Barbara's boyfriend, and trying to get a witness report out of Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth), Holmes' 19-year-old girlfriend and from Susan, who sadly doesn't remember anything more than shadows about the night her husband's head was bashed in and hers almost suffered the same fate, and the name of Eddie Nash (Eric Bogosian), a major drug kingpin (who is always around ladies such as Barbie (Paris Hilton)), comes into light as a suspect planner of the Wonderland massacre.But what did happen that night? And could Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), John's wife, know something about it? 'Wonderland' is a taught, intense thriller, a desperate love story and a story of a man's sad decline all in one; there is a clever use of the 'Rashomon' technique (we see the events of that fateful day and night from the eyes of David, John, Dawn, Susan (albeit very briefly) and Sharon), a nice direction and a great script, but is mostly compelling for the performances, especially Kilmer's, who takes central stage with his hopeless, tormented, sometimes childish Holmes, Lucas', whose Launius is strangely alluring, Kudrow's strong Sharon and Bosworth's innocent Dawn.Wonderland: 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +As a horse lover one can only appreciate this movie. There are few movies that show horsemanship as this one does. I would love to know if Brian does his own riding in the film. Would also like to know if he enjoys horses. Brian has been in a lot of movies where he has ridden. Where did he learn to ride? The only part that is hard for me to take is that the riding scenes are always full tilt, like a horse can run forever at full steam. The camera-work is first rate and captures the horses in a way that shows how dangerous things can be on top of a horse. It would be very interesting to know how they went about casting this movie to find all of the very good horseback riders.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great comedy, highlighting what it was like to live next door to racist bigot. But also shows that both main characters are actually as bad as each other. Based on the hit ITV comedy, this is very politically incorrect. And its all the better for it, comedy after all is to entertain. The movies only real drawback is there isnt much of a plot. However the cast are as great as usual. Jack Smethurst and Rudolph Walker make one hell of a team, playing off each other in a oneupmanship kind of way.It's been many years since i saw this movie and last week was finally able to buy it on dvd. The fact that the movie still contains genuine laugh out loud moments, means that i can recommend this movie, just like i would of back in the 1970's.$LABEL$ 1 +The cast is admirably chosen and well-balanced. This cinematography is excellent. The music is delightful as all of Burt Bacharach's music is, and is appropriate to the plot line. Making a musical version of Hilton's tale is a welcome change from a plodding re-make. We see seasoned actors who add real depth to the emotional content and significance of each scene. I cannot agree with the critics who overlooked this scintillating gem of a film. It is a treasure of the silver screen! Find it if you can - and let its magic carry you beyond the drudgery of daily worries, inspiring you to find your own "Lost Horizon".$LABEL$ 1 +The movie confuses religious ethics and ideals so much that it fails to create coherent argument against the death penalty on any level. By presenting the lawful execution of a convicted murder as the catalyst for the apocalyptic end of mankind the movie elevates a parent killer to the status of martyr for Christ. Somehow, according to the plot, god is outraged that society has chosen to rid it's self of a fanatic who killed his own parents by starting them on fire while they slept defenselessly in their beds. Yet this same god has no indignation for the acts of the killer. The lead character, an nonreligious pregnant suicidal woman, ultimately gives her own life in a defiant but implausible attempt to unsuccessfully save this convicted killer. In other threads of the underdeveloped plot Jesus comes back as a powerless and frustrated vagabond to symbolically unleash the wrath of God. The modern lackluster incarnation of Christ not just dehumanizes him but mocks the messianic ideal of all religions as well. He is unable to affect humanity for good and unemotionally skates the edges of life waiting for mankind to destroy it's self. Meanwhile, with little help from Jesus the mentally unstable pregnant woman finds herself with the ability to reincarnate herself into her newly born soulless child which somehow saves all of mankind from the wrath of the almighty. I also interpreted that as a statement in support of abortion on some levels. This movie which attempts to weave many religious themes into a thriller fails to make any religious point that I could clearly interpret except to mock people's beliefs. It raises many questions that it never even attempts to answer. It disregards the religious values of its audience while attempting to portray an asinine version of their fulfillment. Silly$LABEL$ 0 +this is seriously one of the worst movies i have ever seen. i love Japanese movies, and i think another film by the same director, electric dragon 80,000 v, is a masterpiece. i really wanted to like this movie - asano is a terrific actor and the storyline was immensely appealing. but i couldn't find anything entertaining about it.the movie takes forever for nothing to happen. and the effects the director used - like the constant percussion and the exorbitant use of slow motion - merely added to my growing annoyance at the fact that the plot was so mind-bogglingly slow and the actors were heinously overacting. a lot of the boredom was a result of extraneous additions that were completely unnecessary - like an hour spent on asano going around slicing buddha statues and proclaiming how he doesn't worship anything. this added nothing to the plot. a fellow Japanese film buff and i were both checking the time constantly. we couldn't believe this film was as terrible as it was. and the finale was awful. i thought the director would at least attempt to reward the viewer for managing to sit through this, but sadly i was mistaken.$LABEL$ 0 +If you want to see real evidence of what a misguided and unchecked government can do to "un-popular" people, this movie provides it. Read what some people are saying about the "Patriot Act" passed after 9/11 and then watch this movie. Is it worth it? Do we really want to give away our freedoms to these people? Regardless of what you saw on TV, you are not fully informed until you watch this movie. I apologize for quoting another reviewer, but it needs repeating: Roger Ebert of Siskel & Ebert said, "What's interesting is if you're looking for people who are unbalanced zealots... you don't find them among the Branch Davidians, you find them among the FBI and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; those are the people in this movie who deserve to be feared, I think." I think every person responsible for 9/11 needs to be brought to justice, but I think the government has not shown a history of honoring it's duty to protect people's rights, and this movie proves it in dramatic fashion.$LABEL$ 1 +Greeted with derision by most critics when it first appeared, 'Frenzy' has recently done the rounds of UK TV. I remember seeing it on its original release, and thinking then that if Hitchcock wanted to parade some kind of screen confession about his ingrained misogynism, he couldn't have found a nastier little vehicle to do so.But Time alters perspective, and so what was nauseatingly bad in 1972 might, all these years later, be worthy of upward re-evaluation.Might. . . but not. 'Frenzy' is dross. The dross of an ageing director who desperately wanted to exploit the artistic freedom of 70s movie making without seeming to realise that freedom imposes its own obligations -- notably, the need to bring integrity to one's work.There's none here. And not much evidence of the earlier directorial brilliance, either -- the switch from spine-tingling implicit to odious explicit is neither shocking nor, for a supreme stylist, stylish: it's just banal (the prolonged murder scene is precisely that: prolonged, without pace, without reason, without purpose other than the cheapest of directorial desires to appear as contemporary an artiste as, say, that other acclaimed practitioner of cheap sleaze, Michael Winner).And it goes from bad to worse, with dialog that defies any human provenance (not least in the ludicrous diversion into the Home Life of Our Dear Wooden Inspector, and his wife's cooking).Perhaps the scene that best sums up 'Frenzy' (and endures as the most explicit indictment of Hitchcock's persona) is the clunking exchange between two lawyers in a bar, where they discuss the serial killings and then agree that at least the women had a good time first by being raped.I remember my revulsion at that scene back in '72, and it's still undimmed, because this wasn't Hitchcock being clever, or sardonic, or trying to make some universal point (big themes, big truths, were not Hitchcock's forte, nor personal preference.) It was just Hitchcock, allowing a reflection of his own distorted mirror on life to shine through the texture of the movie.Calling 'Frenzy' Hitchcock's last great masterpiece is to betray little if any understanding of just what Hitchcock actually achieved in the way of cinematic trickery, cinematic thrills, and dazzling cinematic mastery.'Frenzy' is therefore now what it always was: a cheap, nasty, and ham-fisted movie that did no service to any of those involved, or to the memory of a film-maker who really was, in his Hollywood days, one of the greatest there has ever been.$LABEL$ 0 +The story is about Ankush (Abhay Deol) - who is professional marriage witness, in short he acts as a witness for couples in marriage registration office - and Megha (Soha Ali Khan) who ran away from her home at Nainital to get married to her love interest Dhiraj (Shayan Munshi). The story starts with Megha waiting at the marriage registration office for Dhiraj to show up but for some reason he does not show up. So Ankush comes in the picture here, who had approached Megha with the intention of earning Rs. 200 for his Witness job and he ends up helping her by providing shelter to her. Ankush grows on his side by working in a bank as an Agent… Ankush falls in love with Megha and she too falls in love with him (or kind of love), both agree for the marriage and Dhiraj comes back in the picture. Unexpected circumstances happen, actually I should say, expected circumstances with unexpected reactions and then….Actually the movie story is bit different than the movies we see and I do not think so it will be accepted by the masses but if you are a movie freak like me and love to watch something different, then you will definitely like the movie. The movie is just an innocent love story drafted very well by the characters of Abhay Deol and Soha Ali Khan. The characters are so natural that you feel as if things are happening to the guy next door. The background music of the film also plays a very good role, it is just too good. The way Delhi is shown is very good and gives a fresh feeling.so let's cut it out and sum it up.Story: A very common story carried very well and transformed to a wonderful experience.Music: Well, as it was Himesh Reshammiya creation, so I did not expect much but still I liked couple of songs of the movie including the Qawwali.Acting: Abhay Deol was the most impressive, very natural and innocent acting but he should stay away from singing in the songs. Soha Ali Khan, she is a doll, a very cute doll I must say. Again very innocent and natural acting and these both actors perfectly fit into their characters. Apart from these two, Shayan Munshi needs some acting lessons and may be few layers of fat to cover the bones. Other actors did their job well.Stars: I would also give it 3.5 stars out of 5. You will enjoy the movie if watched in the theatre, I would recommend watching it in theatre if you are a movie freak and accept uncommon stories. Otherwise wait for the DVD to arrive. The movie will definitely won't be liked by the masses and the business it can do is from word of mouth publicity.$LABEL$ 1 +Irwin Allen put all his talents behind this one: he's co-screenwriter, producer and director of this cartoonish "epic" about an atomic submarine and its efforts to reduce a ring of radiation circling the Earth. Potentially exciting story fails to take off, despite an eclectic cast. Varied players from Walter Pigeon and Joan Fontaine to Frankie Avalon and Barbara Eden are interestingly intermingled and provide a dash of color, but this soggy sci-fi is pretty cheesy. Good for a few stray laughs, but Allen didn't seem to know the difference between strong, solid adventure and campy nonsense. Later a popular TV series. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I think that, deep down in the darkest, slimiest part of their heart, everyone likes Jerry Springer just a little bit. While his show is undeniably offensive and stupid, it also gives us a chance to see that, relatively speaking, most of us have it real good. When you look at the trailer park livin', dollar whiskey drinkin', incest lovin' people on the Springer show, it makes even your worst day seem like a walk in the park. Jerry is performing a public service, and we should be grateful. He ditched a political career to host the show, just for us.What we should not be grateful for in any way is the piece of garbage movie "Ringmaster". "Ringmaster" shows what life is like for people who wind up being guests on the show, or so they would like us to think. The movie follows the pre-requisite Springer story line: Love triangles. One triangle involves Connie, her daughter Angel, and her husband Rusty. The other involves Starletta, Vonda, and Demond. When the two hapless groups meet up in LA, their lives intertwine and collide head-on, all culminating in an explosive episode of the Springer show. It's like what "Short Cuts" would be if Robert Altman had had a severe crack habit."Ringmaster" is true to the show, as it is stupid and offensive from start to finish. It also makes me very glad that I don't live in the squalor it's characters do. But the movie has a problem. It's billed as a comedy, but it just isn't very funny. What laughs there are to be had are few and far between. Maybe some people watch this and laugh non-stop. If you think blow jobs and rape are funny, well then I guess you're one of those folks. Personally, I laughed two or three times and spent the rest of the movie in utter awe of the agonizing horrors of white-trash life.The Jerry Springer Show just isn't meant to make the leap from TV to the silver screen. What's funny in an hour long show (less, when you count commercials) isn't necessarily going to be funny in a ninety minute movie. Movies have to tell a story, and that's something else "Ringmaster" has trouble with. The story is threadbare. There are so many plot holes and continuity errors that any attempt at telling a cohesive narrative is quickly put asunder. And even if there weren't such problems, how much fun can you pull out of a story of stereotypical people in a stereotypical story? Even the Hollywood formula couldn't make this better. "Ringmaster: is so bad, it even screws up the best part of the Springer show: the Final Thought. Somehow, even the smartest and simplest aspect of the show wound up blowing harder than the slutty women the film is built around.The worst offender in all of this is Springer himself. He's such a bad actor that he can't even play himself convincingly. Watching Springer play Springer is sad. It's like he was going for a 'What if Woody Allen played Jerry Springer' vibe, and he failed. Miserably. He went to the trouble of producing this disaster, the least he could do is try to make it just that much better.Not that I'm saying everyone else in this movie put in an award worthy performance. Just the opposite. They all suck. Not so surprisingly, no one in this movie went on to greatness. The best any of them was did was Molly Hagan landing a job on a Nickelodeon sitcom. Apparently, Nickelodeon has no problem with hiring a woman who starred in the most vile film of the '90's to star in a children's program. It makes you wonder what kind of things the other adults on that channel have done in their pasts.Here are my Final Thoughts: What we have here is a group of people with no self respect and a man with money to burn, who have met and put their resources together to produce a film that shows how much they hate themselves and how little they think of the intelligence of their viewing audience. Should we accept people who make movies that treat us like severely brain-damaged lumps of goo? I say no. Somewhere out there, in this crazy, mixed up world, there is a perfect movie for each of us. We just have to keep looking for it. Until next time, take care of yourselves and your loved ones. And don't ever watch "Ringmaster".$LABEL$ 0 +This is probably my least favorite episode. I lived in Cape Girardeau for quite some time. I can tell you there is no ocean or shrimp boats, fresh crab or scallops anywhere near Missouri. Cape Girardeau is the only inland Cape, it's on the Mississippi River. It looked like the license plates were from Mississippi, which may explain why there was so much racial tension. Missouri and Mississippi are 2 completely different states that don't touch one another. There are many roads in and out of town and none of them are Route 6 or Route 666. This whole inaccuracy was very distracting. Also, Cassie did not seem like someone who would want to hang around Dean if she was well educated. I did not buy them as a couple and didn't enjoy the lengthy love scene. Jo was more Dean's style.$LABEL$ 0 +If you'd like a great April Fool's joke, then please by all means show this film to someone. However, it is important that you in no way criticize the film but instead talk about what an artistic triumph it is and how "they just don't make great films like this any more". As your victim watches many disconnected and nonsensical scenes (such as a cute dog getting punted for no apparent reason, a cow standing on the bed, a woman licking a statue's feet or Jesus apparently raping a woman), make lots of comments using words like "brilliance", "juxtaposed" or "transcendent"--all the while acting as if the film actually makes perfect sense and isn't a complete waste of an hour of your life. Also be sure to keep a straight face and feign shock when (and if) they say that they either didn't understand it or thought it had all the artistry of a cow patty. Then, to further mess with them, show them all the comments on IMDb, as nearly all (except for a few trouble-makers like almagz and rooprect) talk glowingly about what genius and artistry this film is! By the time you are done with this little charade, they'll most likely think they are idiots and will make an appointment with a psychologist. This, to me, is the ONLY possible reason to watch this horrid mess of a film!!! That, or you could show it to the prisoners at Guantanamo in order to get them to talk!If you ask me, the famous painting of dogs playing poker or a velvet Elvis painting are superior artistically.$LABEL$ 0 +This "documentary" is a proof of talent being used for mean purposes. The fact that it is financed by the venezuelan government gives it a lack of legitimacy in the purpose of searching for the truth of what really happened those horrible days of April 2002 in Venezuela, something even we venezuelans don't know for sure.There are ways of lying, and the directors of this stuff lie both by omission and by knowledge. The venezuelan political process is too complex to be easily understood by foreign audiences, and they take advantage of that. For instance *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* they show pro-Chávez demonstrators shooting at an empty street (what the hell they did that for?) in a way of saying they didn't kill anyone, but didn't bother showing the images we all saw here, of opposition demonstrators (and a journalist) falling dead or injured at the other side of that "empty" street. They can't explain why the chopper of the political police was the only one authorised to fly over Caracas that day and did nothing against the snipers that were all over the roofs of the buildings nearby the presidential palace, something that would exhibit how inefficient would be the security measures to guard the President. A few days after the "coup", the chief of the military guard in charge was asked at the National Assembly (our Congress) why didn't they act against the snipers and he said "'cause they weren't there to act against the president", isn't that a confession?There is so much more, the fact that the highest rank military announced that Chávez had resigned and 2 days later he said he had lied because "that's politics" and nowadays is the Minister of Internal Affairs of Chávez' administration.It would take me thousands of words to explain all the lies depicted in this "documentary", made with the intention of selling the world an image of the good old Hugo Chávez who rules for the poor and the bad rich opposition that wants him out at all costs, when the truth is that 60-70% of people rejects his government, and that percentage includes the poor.I hope those of you who have seen and bought this will be able to see a different version that is being made by a group of venezuelan people showing no less than 30 lies.Nazi propaganda has returned!$LABEL$ 0 +I wanted to watch this movie because of Eliza Dushku, but she only has a smaller part in it, and her character isn't very likable. However, the main character, played by Melissa Sagemiller, is extremely beautiful and a perfect delight to look at throughout the movie. This is really nothing but a showcase for her looks and talent. She does a very good job.The story itself is, on the face of it, pretty nonsensical. After a car crash, some friends are possibly dead, but keeps on living their previous lives, while all sorts of mysterious things happen. Some bad guys are after them, but we never really find out who they are (possibly they were the ones in the other car, but we certainly don't hear anything about why they are after them). The final scenes especially seem filmically ambitious, but I can't get anything coherent out of it. The opening scene, where the bad guys (who wear some strange masks) cut a blond girl's wrist and gather up some of her blood is never explained or followed up on. Unless the bad guys are supposed to be a representation of the surgeons who're trying to pull Cassie (Sagemiller) back from the dead... but no, that doesn't seem to work. The bad guys are just bad guys; they really just mess up a story that might otherwise have been interesting. In a supernatural story about death and love and sacrifice, who the hell needs bad guys?3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Christopher Guest need not worry, his supreme hold on the Mockumentary sub-genre is not in trouble of being upstaged in the least especially not by this extremely unfunny jab at RPG-gamers. The jokes are beyond lame. Not enough substance to last the typical length of a (particularly rancid) SNL skit, much less the 87 atrocious minutes I waisted watching this drivel. The great William Katt (Greatest American Hero, House) deserves much MUCH better. One thing and one thing alone makes the fact that I saw this worth it in my mind and that's posting about it on here so hopefully just hopefully I'll save someone such a bad experience.My Grade: D- DVD Extras: 2 Audio commentaries; 7 interviews with various cast members; 4 deleted scenes; & theatrical trailer DVD-Rom extras: 2 Wallpapers Easter egg: Highlight the eye in the picture on the main menu for a short scene$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't think it would be possible for Joe Don Baker to make a movie as bad as his stinkbomb 'Mitchell', but this one succeeds.I wouldn't recommend this if you're a fan of Joe Don Baker's MUCH better work. But,if you like to watch fat guys sweat and really, really drawn out gun fights, you'll love this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +So the Koreans are now knocking off American horror flicks. But they are doing so with style. DOLL MASTER is a close copy of PUPPETMASTER and DOLLS, and even has a little CHILD'S PLAY going for it. Several young adults are invited to attend a special event at a gallery filled with dolls, only to find they are targets of a vengeful spirit. The dolls come to life and do some pretty nasty things to the kids. The gore level is reasonably high, the photography and set design and production values are first rate, the acting isn't all that bad, and the scares are definitely there. DOLL MASTER may not be in the same league with A TALE OF TWO SISTERS or even DEAD FRIEND, but it's close. Give it a watch. You won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +Simply put, the only saving grace this movie has is settings, costumes and an OK punk concert. How H.R.Giger must feel about his cyborg picture on the cover of this movie, I wouldn't like to know. Right away, all I could do was make sardonic comments about the films protagonists, I was hoping that the "freaks" in this movie would execute them in gory fashion. I sense SPOILERS a comin'! I was wondering if this film in the spirit of the first 20 min. was intended to be as humorously half-baked as the rest of it? Examining all the obvious political outcries (Police trying to rape a "freak", the discussion of superficialities between the "freak" and the frat boy and the punk concert w/ the female vocalist) and the use of slow-motion in the fighting sequences (which screams "martial-arts coordinator") I just don't know. The character named "Steve" irked me since he tries to pick fights w/ people off the street (he shoulda been mugged and raped) and looks bad when he broke that guy's neck towards the end (want me to show you how to do it?) I must say this though, if they would've developed other characters better than they did "Splatter", this might have gone somewhere. If there was a 0 to give this movie, it would've got it, but alas it's a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +Starfucker (which reads Starstruck on my box) was the most amazing movie I have ever seen. I thought that it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. So why not a 10? Nothing is perfect. Jamie Kennedy proves why he is one of my favorite actors in this very interesting look at a darker side of Hollywood. I have forced a few others to watch the movie and they all agreed that it was an outstanding flick.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was just plain bad. Just about every cop movie cliché is present and accounted for. Bad guy gets away? check. Partner? check. Wacky personality clash with partner? check. Rookie with something to prove? check. Rookie shows up grizzled veteran. check. About the only ones it didn't touch on were idiot shoot themselves in the foot and retirony but I guess they're saving those old chestnuts for Dooley's next outing. Add in the battle of the sexes with Girl Power along with tired old sight gags and banal overdone material like Dooley's prize car getting trashed all the time and you have the recipe for one really bad movie. Avoid this one at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +This is total swill. If you take The Devil's Rejects and suck all the good out of it, and add a lot of twisted, kinky bondage parts, a few rape scenes, and like one or two sincerely horrifying scenes, and you'd get this movie. People are calling this a ripoff of '86's The Hitcher, but I don't see that at all. Even the worst Hitcher ripoffs are still better than this. The main problem on display here is that there's really nothing here besides a few of the director's fetishes being showcased like circus exhibits. Is all you need out of a movie shots of girls being abused and tied up, cowering in fear? Well, then rent this movie!However, I'd rather just watch a good movie, which this is clearly not. The sad thing is, there are some really good thrills waiting to be uncovered here, but only a few. For instance, the suspense at the beginning before the bondage nonsense started...pretty damn good if you ask me. And the scene where the hitchhiker kills the nympho girl (can't remember names) is chilling, very brutal in a way, challenging even The Devil's Rejects for unbridled fury. How come the rest of the movie can't be that good? Huh? I really need to stop renting stupid crap like this. Closing message: Just let this gutter trash die and forget it forever. Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very long movie, indeed. But it is quite beautiful, and a good example to show why cinema can be considered art. A story easily told cannot be expected in Les Amants Réguliers, but every scene, every silence here tells much more than a hundred dialogs. Touching, different, perfect in its pictures and soundtrack, showing why the close brought by the cinema as one of its main features became the greatest innovation in any dramatic representation. Someone who is used to that kind of movies where everything is told, and action takes place all the time, will find this tiring. But it is worth watching, to find out other possibilities of feeling a story.$LABEL$ 1 +Like many of you I am a great fan of the real thing - the 1940s noir films - but Red Rock West was a real treat for all of us longing for the past. The term 'neo-noir' has been so often used inappropriately in the last ten years that it has lost its meaning and its impact. John Dahl's film on the other hand, truly deserved to be described as such. The casting is perfect all around and would have felt right at home with Tay Garnett or Jacques Tourneur. The plot is so tight that you are hooked within the first fifteen minutes. James M. Cain would have appreciated it. Many contemporary films leave me wondering why they don't make them like they used to, and I'm not even that old. Movies such as Red Rock West give us hope for the future while paying tribute to the past.$LABEL$ 1 +8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter had an auspicious start. The supremely-talented Tom Shadyac was involved in the project. This meant that the comedy would be nothing less of spectacular, and that's exactly what happened: the show remains one of the freshest, funniest, wittiest shows made in a very long time. Every line, facial expression, casting choice, scene, all wreaked of perfection. There was not one episode after which I thought, "Man that wasn't as good as the rest". Each one was a standout. Again, this is the kind of perfectionism that we've come to expect from Tom. For those who don't know, Tom Shadyac is the director of Ace Ventura (first movie), The Nutty Professor (first one) and Liar Liar. Quite a résumé. He's a producer here not a director, but his magic touch is felt in every episode.The family consists of:The Father: Paul Hennessy (John Ritter): nice, slightly neurotic, can be a pushover from time to time, works as a sports writer. John unfortunately passed away in 2003 leaving a fond memory and near-sure cancellation contemplations by the suits.The Mother: Cate (Katey Sagal): come on, who didn't fall in love with Katey when she played Peg on Married With Children? Al Bundy was our hero. We viewers gave him the respect and love he never had. But without Peg's nonchalant, parasitic, lazy lifestyle, Al would've probably been just another Chicago dad instead of the mess that Peg (life, actually) caused him to be. Katey was a MILF back then and still is: a brune now (instead of a redhead) and just as buxom as ever. Cate is the conservative mom and loving wife. I know it sounds boring, but comedically, she fits perfectly. The Ditzy Blonde Daughter: Bridget (played to perfection by Kaley Cuoco): almost never has an idiot been played so well. Aside of Gob on Arrested Development, Bridget may well be a shoe-in for any awards given to this archetype. Bridget is shallow, self-centered, not very bright and a tad slutty in his look. She plays the dumb blonde role better than absolutely anyone IMO. Perfection. One of the high-points of the show.The Overlooked Geeky Daughter: Kerry (Amy Davidson): a brune and a geek, she gets no love from life or circumstances. Feels overlooked, under-appreciated and neglected most of the time. She's Bridget's younger sister (in reality she's older than her) and the two's extremely opposite personalities and brains cause endless clashes, to much of our amusement.The Son: Rory (Martin Spanjers): was the second funniest character IMO before the passing of Ritter, then John passes, new characters come and Rory is not the wise-cracking verbal-trouble-maker that he used to: that went mostly to David Spade's character. Those characters were the main ones at the time of John Ritter. Unfortunately enough, the insanely hilarious Larry Miller (one of my favorites) did not get lots of screen time. He played Paul's co-worker/competitor. After an aortic dissection cost Ritter his life in 2003 (September 11th), the show was on hiatus for a while. No one thought it could come back, but it did later on, with a couple of new additions. This began the second phase of the show, and the new characters were:The strict, confident school principal: Ed (Adam Arkin): I saw Adam here and there on talk shows. This was the first time that I saw him do anything. Impressed, is the word I use. His performance was very impressive. Sad he wasn't brought in earlier. He also plays Cate's potential love interest after Paul passes. The gradual progress towards this point (which would've sounded crazy at the beginning) earns the creators lots of praise. It was done slowly, carefully and excellently, with constant respect paid to the Paul (Ritter).The Attitude Grandpa: Jim Egan (James Garner): a surprisingly welcome addition to the series, he was cannon fodder for endless 'old' jokes, mainly by...The 35-year-old unemployed wise-cracking half-brother of the mom: CJ (played to insanely funny heights by David Spade): I knew Spade was funny, I just didn't know he was THIS funny. Somehow, Spade's very familiar presence is sensed inside his character (as opposed to a separable character), which is understandable, since he's a comic and he's on a comedy show. This eerie feeling is kinda like seeing someone borrow lots of material from David Spade's appearances in movies, talk shows and functions (award shows, etc.) and delivering a superb impersonation of Spade's voice and comedy style, except, that it IS Spade. By that I mean you realize he's not trying to play someone else, or a whole new character: he's being the goofy, funny Spade we've come to know, and he takes this pleasantly humorous formula to the absolute top. Every line he uttered, every sarcasm he begot, all classics, literally. Spade was CRAZY-funny; so, SO funny.The show's humor and drama were both upped after the show was back, but audiences thought, "John passed, it ain't gonna be the same anymore". This is understandable, considering we are talking about a group of people (American viewers) who gave 'Yes Dear' a free ride but caused Andy Richter Controls the Universe to be cancelled in no time. As the show's quality increased, its ratings declined. Soon it was no more, sadly. And I saved the best for last: fans of Married With Children are in for a treat. And boy, what a treat it was. I still shiver just remembering it. It's a surprise so good that it would be crazy for me to spoil it, even if I legitimately do it under the "spoiler..." pretext. Suffice it to say that it's something you'll NEVER forget. I know I won't :-)$LABEL$ 1 +I really seldom give either one or ten stars to any movie, but this was so awful, I had to make an exception.I am a SciFi fan and have seen a few comedic takes on SciFi that I genuinely like. There just wasn't anything here to like.I realize this was started with an extremely small budget by a film student. But even considering that, the sets and effect are bad. The cinematography is mediocre, but may be the best part of the movie.The acting is bad. A sad state when the female voice-over for the computer is the best actor. The dialogue is bad. The script is very weak and the plot is incoherent and almost nonexistent.The humor is not just subtle and sublime; it's nowhere to be found. As an example, a whole 20 minutes, of the 80 minute film, is spent on a lame 2 punch combo joke with the alien mascot and the elevator.This was supposed to be a parody of everything from bad 50's SciFi to 2001. What we end up with though, is just a slightly updated version of an old 50's SciFi C-movie. At least those movies were funny because they took themselves seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +Dracula 3000 or Van Helsing "Dracula's Revenge" (Cheap cash in on another lame Vampire flick) as I saw it is a master class in how not to make a movie. A rag tag collection of misfit salvager's board a previously lost cargo ship "The Demeter" in the (cough) Carpathian System (which later is upgraded to the Carpathian Galaxy) and awake a relentless evil (in this case the script). The film is a bizarre bastardization of Event Horizon and whatever the lamest Vampire film of all time is.****Spoliers Follow**** After a plethora of production company logos and a credit sequence that most of the budget must have been blown on, we open with a cheesy exposition type speech from Casper (silly name) who plays Captain Abraham Van Helsing (sillier name) and in lieu of actual character development, goes on to describe the twisted, unintelligible oddities that make up his crew. Van Helsing himself sports a spray on stubble and wears a body warmer throughout in a sort of retro 80's tribute to Han Solo (I guess). Now and again the Captain of the Demeter pops up in some sort of mad video diary to tell us nothing of consequence in a pronounced German accent (subtitles sadly not included). Crewmember Mina boards the derelict ship (alone???) armed only with a gun shaped torch and thick east-European accent while conversing with Van Helsing on his ships bridge (which is basically a single glittery wall). Mina wearing a gas mask with rubber hoses glued to the front, encounters what can only be described as a skateboarder in a black cloak who continually glides by the camera. Why this happens as the Vampire is not yet made flesh is never explained. This leads on to a shaky camera chasing Mina down the hallways until she runs into Humvee. It's possible Will Smith could have been drafted in to write Humvee's lines as most of them consist of Humvee reminding us he is black every ten seconds and saying the word "ass" enough for a Guinness book of records entry while delivering all this in a "from DA hood" accent (this is the year 3000, does "DA hood" even exist?) One of the main problems with this film is that it insanely tries to pretend its set in the year 3000. Unfortunately anyone with healthy eyes won't buy this, as the Demeter looks suspiciously like a soviet style ocean going tanker. Possibly the film crew thought it would be okay to leave hammer and sickle symbols everywhere and a sexy poster of Lenin next to a bunch of lockers and explain it away as some sort of futuristic communist comeback special. The crew's clothes look as if they were raided from a Oxfam collection box (sealed since 1993) and they are armed to the teeth with latest in 20th century automatic weapons (with added year 3000 zing when fired) which of course are absolutely no use against vampires. Healthcare is a thing of the past (in the future) as the simpering Professor not only has glasses but is in a wheelchair??? My god what happened to all that genetic engineering stuff.The professor is an interesting character as he is a direct rip off from Alien Resurrection who had their own rag tag misfit crew with a guy in a wheelchair (who oddly wasn't killed). Fans didn't take to Prof as he appears scared in a lot of scenes If I were entombed in a non-wheelchair access soviet ship pursued by bad acting vampires, and everyone left me because I was such a whining wimp, I'd be scared too.During the UN-dramatic Mina chase scene the prof informs us (with feeling) "this is disconcerting". The rest of his lines are also disconcerting "bugger", and "We're all going to die" X 100, follows.Erika Eleniak appears as the Vice Captain (what happened to 1st officers?) in what I thought would be the tired, standard issue, hard nosed, no nonsense, "don't eye me up unless I tell you too", beat up 10 stuntman at one time super-babe, but this is a Z-flick so she basically wears a tight low cut top and even tighter leather trousers. Coolio's performance boosts the ham factor by 90% and is camper than a row of tents but luckily for us he dies soon enough. Although he seems to keep his heart on the right hand side of his body.After a lot of running up and down the same corridor, using clunky soviet style controls, and sitting in soviet style locker rooms the crew find themselves stranded as their own ship buggers off to find a more interesting crew (probably). Why Dracula is even mentioned is unknown as the main bad guy is called Orlock which is Space Transylvanian for "crimes against fashion" as he dandies about in a big puffy, frilly shirt and even bigger starched collar making Hammer Horror Vampires look slick by comparison. Orlock stops to explain his entire back story (off camera) to Erica Eleniak, but fails to kill her in another rip-off twist from Alien Resurrection. His back story is such a load of mince it's not worth repeating. As the budget can't afford fight coordinators, special effects, original music, script (not written by a chimpanzee) and even proper end titles (the first cast list I saw, were same characters but completely different and Italian names) the film begins to destroy whatever sanity you began with. The crew luckily are able to fight back with the help of a ships computer that contains obscure, millennium old references on how to kill fictional creatures and some handy 20th century pool cues they find in the ship recreation room (up yours "holodeck"). The ending is awful and a little suspect, either they ran out of money or the ex-soviets demanded their ship back. I walked into this film knowing it was bad but oblivious as to how bad it really was.$LABEL$ 0 +Lowe returns to the nest after, yet another, failed relationship, to find he's been assigned to jury duty. It's in the plans to, somehow, get out of it, when he realizes the defendant is the girl he's had a serious crush on since the first grade.Through living in the past by telling other people about his feelings towards this girl (played by Camp), Lowe remembers those feelings and does everything in his power to clear Camp of attempted murder, while staying away from the real bad guys at the same time, and succeeding in creating a successful film at the same time.I've heard that St Augustine is the oldest city in the US, and I also know it has some ties to Ponce de Leon, so the backdrop is a good place to start. Unfortunately, it's the only thing good about this movie. The local police are inept, the judge is an idiot, and the defense counsel does everything in her power to make herself look like Joanie Cunningham! I don't know whether to blame the director for poor direction, or for just letting the cast put in such a hapless effort.In short, this movie was so boring, I could not even sleep through it! 1 out of 10 stars!$LABEL$ 0 +Finally! Other people who have actually seen this show! It is the funniest anime I have ever seen, but most people have even heard about it. It is just hilarious. 'And so kintaro will continue to ride his trusty bike and maybe one day, he will save the world....or maybe not'. tare just some classic bits in it 'and so he will ride onto the next city...because he has no choice since his brakes are broken (study study study)' And some of the lessons that he writes down in his little notebook, 'today i had a very educational experience. I tried to look backwards, but unfortunately I was already looking that way. It hurt. Todays lesson, the human head cannot turn 360 degrees.'$LABEL$ 1 +Just came back from the first showing of Basic Instinct 2. I was going into it thinking it would be crappy based on preview critics and I was pleasantly surprised! If you liked the original Basic Instinct I think you will enjoy #2 just as much if not more. Great story that always keeps you wondering and thinking. The music is superb, reprising the original's theme. Don't go expecting Academy Award material, go to see it for enjoyment and fun. That's what movies are designed for -- escapism. I can't think of a better way to escape than to escape with Sharon Stone who is as sexy as she ever was. Am thinking about going to see it again this weekend. Go see it!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm fan of ART, I like anything about Art, I like paintings, sculptures, etc. This movie shows it, so I like it a lot, it shows how a woman wants to paint anything about Art, especially naked bodies, but she can't do it because of her strict family (father), at the beginning of the movie she painted herself naked, but she wanted a man for her paintings, but her family didn't let her paint naked men because it's against the moral. Even so Artemisia could paint her boyfriend and her art teacher completely naked. She falls in love with her art teacher, and it seems the art teacher is absolutely in love with her too, so at the ending he sacrifices his freedom for hers by lying. He said that he raped her, but it wasn't true. Artemisia fell in love with him, but if she says that she will suffer a lot, because in the trial in which Artemisia, her father and the Art teacher were, somebody was hurting her artistic hands to say the truth. I think this a great movie about ART, and an artistic love, It's worth watching. Valentina Cervi is great as Artemisia, she acts very well, I also like her performance in "The portrait of a lady" as Pansy Osmond. 8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +Years ago I was lucky enough to have seen this gem at a >Gypsy film festival in Santa Monica. You know the ending >is not going to be rosie and tragedy will strike but it's >really about the journey and characters and their dynamics and how they all fit into what was "Yugoslavia". >While I am not Yugonostalgic and tend to shy away from >the current crop of "Yugoslavian" films (give me Ademir >Kenovic over late 90s Kustarica) I'd be happy to have the >chance to stumble on this film again, as it shines in my >celluloid memories. Ever since seeing Who's Singing Over >There" 15 years ago I still hear the theme tune, sung by >the Gypsies, ruminating through my head… "I am miserable, >I was born that way…" with the accompanying jew's harp and accordian making the tune both funny and sad. The late, great actor Pavle Vujisic (Muzamer from When Father >was Away on Business) was memorable as the bus driver of >the ill-fated trip in his typical gruff yet loveable manner. Hi$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason I elected to give this flick a shot was due to the presence of Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine. All I can say is, it was the greatest waste of a good actor ever put to film. As far as I could tell, Borgnine was the ONLY actor in it. The other performances were so uniformly terrible, I am amazed a studio would actually pay the "performers" to appear. Couple this level of talent in the acting department with a story so plodding and insipid that I thought my eyes were going to start bleeding by the time the credits rolled, and you have a perfect cinematic disaster. Obviously the movie was made to appeal to an audience of children, and to its credit, it was better than most of the original programing on the Disney Channel and similar kid-focused networks. But honestly, that is not saying much.$LABEL$ 0 +Ordinarily, I wouldn't waste the time on reviewing a film like "Human Pork Chop" (the 2001 version, not to be confused with the earlier film of the same title, which is probably better known in the West as "The Untold Story"), but since the reviews already here are quite vague as to what it actually consists of, I figured I'd best post something more detailed, so as no one actually gets tempted (as I was) into buying it because of the film's mystique. I honestly would just say STAY AWAY.**** MAJOR SPOILERS are contained below ****"Human Pork Chop", I was expecting to be like a Chinese interpretation of the popular Japanese "Guinea Pig" films. Anyone who's watched enough of that series can see where its makers are coming from. There's a strong sense of humour running throughout it - you can't watch the ludicrous "He Never Dies" without laughing and "The Making of Guinea Pig" is a fabulous turning of the whole thing on its head, proving it was just made, with some glee, by fairly good natured gorehounds. All the GP films have a punk rock, DIY, shot-on-video aesthetic, occasional flashes of genuine artistry ("Mermaid in a Manhole"), an angry political agenda and a warped, deranged zeal that sets them in a league of their own."Human Pork Chop" has none of the above.It's shot on 35mm film (with disarmingly good production values), it's 90 gruelling minutes long and it's utterly devoid of anything redeeming. The plot tells, in flashback at a police interviewing of the suspects, of the systematic torture, death and eventual dismemberment of Grace, a heroin-addicted streetwalker who is kidnapped and brutalised by her pimp and his henchmen when she steals money from him.Despite its fleeting attempts at being a morality play, the film possesses a detached, inhumane feel to it and one can't help but dwell on the mindsets of those behind it. Although it half-heartedly paints Grace as an innocent victim, the mean-spirited nature of its screenplay and the protagonist's constant, vicious dialogue veers towards a shocking, utterly unwelcome "she deserves it!" point of view which makes the whole thing almost impossible to watch. Far more time is spent detailing Grace's degradation and when her captors are eventually deemed guilty and jailed, it seems like a hurried afterthought on behalf of the writers who've long since stopped caring less.What makes it boggling as to why anyone would want to watch such a film is that even the kind of people who do REALLY get off on mindless sex and violence in the movies would be severely missing out. The torture is just a continuous stream of kickings, slappings, verbal abuse, psychological abuse and then increasingly bizarre displays of power on behalf of the captors use Grace's heroin addiction to make her do their bidding. And when I say that, don't get me wrong, incidentally. Unlike "Guinea Pig" with it's frequent barrage of nudity that gives an almost teenage feel of mock-titillation to the proceedings in spite of the ultraviolence, "Human Pork Chop" has no such sexual overtones. There isn't any actual nudity in the film and the violence is performed purely out of malice by the odious protagonists (who early in the film are seen stuffing a dog into a bag and banging it against a brick wall - don't worry, not real, just a cheap special effect!).The only actual bloodshed in the film is towards the end when they dismember Grace's body and boil the bones, all very poor special FX (nowhere near "Guinea Pig" level) and, by that stage, you'll probably be already feeling too miserable and sick to even care what's going on.The film is depressingly bleak and uncompromising along a similar line to Buddy Giovinazzo's "Combat Shock" and I guess could even be compared, at a push. Both movies deal with the gradual physical decline of an individual who exists in a nightmarish environment devoid of any social or morally redeemable characters and both movies 'climax' in a particularly visceral manner with the individual's inevitable, inescapable doom.In fairness, neither 'glamourises' it's violence (whereas "Guinea Pig" could easily be accused of this) but one can't help but wonder where the place is for a film like this. It fails to many any real points in its frank presentation of such brutality and with a leaden-pace, a virtually non-existent plot line and the aforementioned lack of any entertainment value, I just can't understand what would encourage anyone to watch something like this. I only made it to the end, purely for the purpose of being able to review it fairly... which I hope I've now done.Overall Score: 0 of of 10. Welcome to the bottom of the barrel.$LABEL$ 0 +Cinderella is a beautiful film, with beautiful songs of course. In fact, it's one of the best films of the 1950's.I think all the characters are portrayed amazingly. You can see the cruelness of Cinderella's stepsisters and her stepmother, the sweetness of Cinderella. The mice are funny and sweet too.I think they changed the tale a bit, but I think it's for the best. It's such a nice film, and I don't think anyone could resist it deep down.I give it a 8/10. I don't think it's the best Disney film. But it sure is a true classic.$LABEL$ 1 +This has to be one of the all time greatest horror movies. Charles Band made the best movie of 96' in this little seen gem. Highly realistic and , incredibly stylised- with a visual flair David Fincher would envy, its not hard to see why Band went on to make such classics as 'Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil', 'The Regina Pierce Affair', 'Virgins of Sherwood Forest', and 'Timegate: Tales of the Saddle Tramps'.With a highly sophisticated story- a tiny body with a large head controls a family of weirdos who perform experiments on naked women, this movie may be a bit too much for younger viewers and is only for the most educated type of viewer, but for those who see it, Band is able to convey subtle messages about the human condition through his masterpiece. The head is symbolic of the lost love and longing for one's inner self that we all must face at one point or another, and for this reason i was able to engage with this film on a deeply personal level. Although many earlier critics have compared Band's film to Re-animator and other lesser works, this stands head and heels above the rest. It is gorier, but not pointlessly. The gore in this film is well crafted and used to enhance the storyline, rather than to just get a cheap shriek out of the audience. Also, the special effects in this film are absolutely top notch, easily the best work done in a horror film since... well... ever! The work in this film makes Savini's effects look like the work of a blind, limbless hobo.The only problem i have with this film is the copious amounts of full frontal nudity, which were ultimately unnecessary in achieving the composer's goal- to create a timeless epic that would forever go down in history as possibly the greatest film of all time. If it were not for this slight problem i would have given this film a perfect 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't laughed this much in a long time - or seen a film so ineptly made! Talk about so bad it made me laugh!Firstly, I estimate that for about 40 percent of the film's length, I couldn't tell what was happening, or indeed even what I was seeing. I can only describe the camera work as frenetic meets LSD. There are whole segments, minutes long, where all you can see are blurred flashes and fragments of cave wall, people and various other unidentifiable stuff. I spent half the film asking my teenage daughters what was happening, but they couldn't follow it any better than me.Then there are the "black" moments, when in an effort to scare us (woooooooo) everyone's lights go out and the screen turns pitch black - and I don't just mean for a few seconds. I think the longest lasted almost two minutes. I guess blank film is one way to keep costs down...I suspect the "director" had recently read a book on all the "must-do's" to make a scary movie, and decided to throw them all in - about 20 times each.There are three good things about this film: 1/ It's short at 90 minutes (though still an hour and a half too long!) 2/ All the characters die (after all, it's impossible to care about any of them). 3/ There was one genuinely good scene - when the group are looking up the shaft they came down, after discovering their rope fallen to the bottom (saw THAT coming), a large boulder is pushed across the opening, sealing them in. I WASN'T expecting that, and it was genuinely chilling.And what's with the early campfire scenes with the shot, after shot, after shot panning from behind the camp lights. I swear the director used almost the same shot about 20 times in 5 minutes.And I'm positive that after the first kill, the EXACT same footage of blood on the cave floor is used twice in about 90 seconds.All in all, a CRAP piece of film making. I'll watch almost anything, but this is close to where I'd draw the line.$LABEL$ 0 +Alicia Silverstone (pre-"Clueless") plays a modern-day crime-obsessed teenager attempting to solve the brutal slaying of a local girl. Pat Verducci wrote and directed this B-flick, which isn't especially well-made but is however surprisingly serious-minded in regards to its leading character. Silverstone is appealing and successful in carving out an interesting young woman here, despite the picture's kitschy undermining. The supporting cast (including Kevin Dillon and Michael Bowen) isn't bad, though the violence in the last act goes overboard. Not a cheesy camp-fest, but nothing exceptionally memorable either. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Watch on the Rhine is one of the best anti-nazi propaganda films made during World War Two. Paul Lukas was certainly deserving of his Oscar. Bette Davis shines brilliantly as the great actress and beauty she was. I would recommend this film to those interested in that era, and, of course, the fabulous films of the late, great, Ms. Bette Davis.$LABEL$ 1 +I agree with most of the other guys. A waste of photons and valuable time.Nearly no joke is worth the paper is was written on. The only highlight from my pov is Olli Dittrich as Pinocchio. ("Egal, ich muss eh Waldsterben") This reminds of old times with RTL Samstag Nacht. It is hard to describe the performances of the actors, since most of them don't even seem to have a good time during production and just "do their thing". Camera is OK, plot is laughable, I think you would be ashamed even if you discuss this with lots of beers.Apart from this I yawned all the time, wondered about how a script like this could even be considered for production and waited for the end.My 9 year old son was pleased, but then he is pleased by so little at this age :-)Anyway, a 1 point rating here nearly is 1 point too much...$LABEL$ 0 +The plot for Black Mama White Mama, revolves around two female inmates, at a women's prison in the Phillipines. One Black, and one White. These two women, are thrown together in the prison. Pam Grier is Lee Daniels Lee is incarcerated in the hellish women's prison, for dancing as a harem girl. Lee's boyfriend owes her part of his profits, from his drug-dealing activities. Lee is mainly interested in breaking out of the prison to get hold of her beau's drug money, so that she can leave the Phillipines and assume a better life. Margaret Markov plays Karen Brent, a white women from a privileged background, who is also a revolutionary. Karen has joined a group of revolutionaries, determined to change the corrupt Phillipino political system. She's captured by Phillipino authorities, and held as a political prisoner.The story-line takes-off, when Karen and Lee break out of the prison they were in together. The two of them also happened to be chained together at the wrist. As they flee, they also fight with each other, because they have different goals to pursue. Naturally, they hate being chained together. But they also realize that they must put aside their differences, to help each other survive while they evade capture.If this film seems very similar to The Big Bird Cage, it's because much of the cast in the two films is the same, as well as their location in the Phillipines. Roger Corman, has always had a consistent stable of actors, that he used in all of his 70s B movies. Besides Pam Grier, Sid Haig, Roberta Collins, Claudia Jennings, Betty Anne Rees, and William Smith, were also among the many actors that were frequently cast, in Corman's AIP films.Like The Big Bird Cage, Black Mama White Mama, relies on too much gory violence to be palatable. Pam Grier conveys her usual tough chick persona in this film, and shows her competence as a female action heroine. Margaret Markov is less effect, in her portrayal of the revolutionary Karen. She just seems to fragile and well-coiffed, to be a dedicated political guerrilla. Except for Sid Haig, as the colorful Ruben, the rest of the cast is forgettable.This film has little entertainment value, unless excessive, heinous acts of violence are your thing. Only the performances by Pam Grier and Sig Haig, make this film worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +I agree with many of the negative reviews posted here, for reasons I will go into later on. But this miniseries is powerful and convincing because the talented cast really captures the dark truth of Hitler's world.Peter Stormare is perfect as Ernst Rohm, the brutal Brownshirt leader. Each scene he has with Hitler is explosive! Hitler is so evil he dominates everyone but the thuggish, primitive Rohm -- and he clearly digs Rohm for just that reason. The interplay between Stormare and Carlisle illuminates the way Hitler relished Rohm's brutality, but later sacrificed him for political reasons.Jena Malone turns in a heartrending performance as Geli Raubal, Hitler's doomed niece and the victim of his unspeakable perversions. Without revealing any of the sexual filth directly, Jena Malone plays out all the horror of the slow extinction of a young girl's spirit. She uses her eyes and voice to suggest all the horror that will be visited on millions in the years to come. And she's brilliant! Zoe Telford very nearly matches Jena Malone with her portrayal of Eva Braun. Eva is clearly sick, cruel and heartless -- but at the same time almost pitiably dependent on her Adolph's twisted tenderness. The aborted lovemaking scene between them (hinting at the spine tingling truth of Hitler's enormous self-loathing) is both chilling and erotic.Liev Schrieber gives a deliciously weasel-like performance as Putzi Hanfstaengel, the spineless man-about-town who is seduced by Hitler's promises of wealth and power. While a brute like Rohm simply loves the idea of crushing skulls under his boots, Schrieber's character is one of many Germans who abhors Nazi violence but can't resist the quick and easy route to money and power. His weak-willed fawning over Hitler soon loses him the respect of his wife, played with style and sensuality by the stunning and regal Julianna Margulies. They provide a true portrait of marriage and betrayal.These performances carry the mini series along, easily overcoming occasional weaknesses in the script. There is one exception. Regrettably, Matthew Modine's acting chops just aren't up to snuff. His noble lunk-haid journalist ruins every scene he has -- the viewer can hardly wait for Rohm's brown-shirts to stomp that smug, righteous look off his ignorant, corn-pone low-rent Hollywood golden boy face. But the story still works.Now in regard to the factual inaccuracies of the script -- Hitler's perversions and cruelty are rendered in a vibrant, compelling drama. But the battlefield record of Corporal Hitler is badly distorted. As if afraid the audience can't handle the idea of evil and courage in the same person, the writers make Hitler look like a whining coward who "begged" for an Iron Cross. As if anyone in the Kaiser's Army could get a medal just by whining about it! The movie makes it look as if Hitler were a coward in the trenches, when he was a fearless soldier. They also suggest his comrades despised him, when in reality he was widely admired by officers and enlisted men alike. The depressing thing is that the mini-series succeeds so well in representing Hitler as a monster in honest ways -- but they just couldn't resist the cheap shot.All in all, however, Hitler: RISE OF EVIL is a soaring success highlighted by powerful performances.$LABEL$ 1 +It only took one viewing of this dog, for me to say "Never again!" It's so profoundly unmemorable that I had to read other people's reactions to it before I could remember anything beyond (1) it was awful, (2) Connery should have quit while he was ahead, and (3) the film included a total gross-out bit involving faking a retinal scan through the most gruesome (not to mention horribly inefficient) means possible.Actually, I've never understood why anybody would prefer even the best of Connery's Bond films over even the worst Moore or Dalton outings. Or Lazenby, Brosnan, or even David Niven, for that matter. I personally found Octopussy and Moonraker, among other "canonical" Bond films, to be far more entertaining than this, and probably for the very same reasons why others deprecate the Moore Bond films, namely their wry humor, and their willingness to surrender to the preposterousness of the whole basic Bond milieu.$LABEL$ 0 +I do agree with everything Calamine has said! And I don't always agree with people, but what Calamine has said is very true, it is time for the girls to move on to better roles. I would like to see them succeed very much as they were a very inspirational pair growing up and I would like to see them grow as people, actresses and in their career as well as their personal life. So producers, please give the girls a chance to develop something that goes off the tangent a bit, move them into a new direction that recognises them individually and their talents in many facets. This movie that is being commented is not too bad, but as I have seen further on in their movies, their movies stay the same of typical plot and typography. When In Rome is good for audiences of younger generation but the adults who were kids when the twins were babies want to follow the twins in their successes and so hence I think we adults would like to see them make movies of different kinds, maybe some that are like the sixth sense, the hour, chocolat, that sort of movie - not saying to have just serious movies for them, humour ones too yes, but rather see them in different roles to what they have been playing in their more recent movies like this one and New York Minute. (Note: I am from Australia so excuse my weird spelling like reognise with the s instead of z)$LABEL$ 0 +THE OTHER is a supposed "horror" movie made during the 1970s. It is not to be confused with the similarly titled THE OTHERS, which starred Nicole Kidman.The plot is as follows - a woman with strange supernatural powers teaches her twin grandsons something referred to simply as "the game". One of these twin boys - Niles - is supposed to be "good". The other one - Holland - is supposed to be evil.The idea sounds interesting enough as an abstract concept and the movie was adapted from a novel. I can only hope the novel was interesting as the movie was incredibly boring from beginning to end.The execution of this movie is very much like a TV movie of the kind UK residents might see on Channel 5. In fact, this movie looks like it was made to be the daytime afternoon movie for this TV channel. A slight trimming to one or two scenes and this would be a U-rated movie of the kind Disney produce. But even the youngest of children are more likely to be bored than scared by THE OTHER.You don't need to check out the director's CV to realise horror is not his forte.Mr. Mulligan relies heavily upon the characters to drive the story. This is obvious from the get-go. I haven't seen any of his other movies but TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a highly regarded crime movie on this site. Unfortunately in THE OTHER, the characters are given too little to do and the plodding script ensures the movie never really takes off in the way one might expect.The direction is as bland as you could possibly find. Almost every single scene takes place in the daytime! Think about this - a scene shot in the open landscape in rural America during daytime with the camera focusing on vast area. Does it sound scary or atmospheric? Believe me, it isn't. It comes across as something more akin to an episode of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE than a horror movie. And yes, both the aforementioned TV series and THE OTHER were shot in California.There is a noticeable absence of danger or malice that makes the whole exercise seem rather pointless.The ending was clearly meant to be highly disturbing and perhaps influenced that of another movie from this time period. I won't reveal which movie but I'll give 2 clues - a young boy was a main character and the movie is well-known. And I'll add that the concept was used to much greater effect in the latter movie.The acting is actually quite good and is the only reason why I have awarded 2 stars. The actors playing the twin boys, along with the actress playing the grandmother, all try hard with the poor material they are given.Diana Muldaur is completely wasted in a thankless role as the mother of the twin boys. Do not be fooled by her high billing on the cast list. She gets very little screen time and her presence just comes across as a ploy to cash-in on her long established TV career in order to help attract TV viewers.I paid careful attention to the blurb on the back of the DVD cover (of the Region 2 version in the UK). Comparisons were made to THE EXORCIST, which I thought was a complete insult to that movie. There is no comparison. THE EXORCIST had everything this movie should contain but does not - suspense, tension, tongue-in-cheek humour, highly disturbing content, great acting, superb characterisation and viewer involvement. Ironically, THE EXORCIST was made only a year later but in terms of style and execution seems like decades ahead of the bland drama known as THE OTHER. THE OTHER comes across as a work that would have seemed tame in the 1950s let alone the 1970s!The 1970s was a great era for horror movies with classics such as THE EXORCIST, THE OMEN, THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, SALEM'S LOT to name just a few being produced. For this reason, THE OTHER proves an even greater disappointment.If anyone finds the synopsis of THE OTHER interesting, they might want to read the book or do a little more research on what the book was about. I would advice everyone to skip the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay they tell you it's real. They don't list any screenwriters or directors, but one viewing of this movie will prove to anyone - It's not real in the way you were hoping for. The speaking rarely sounds like real natural talk...but also down not sound to be scripted. (possibly loosely scripted). To me it sounded much more like they were always trying to ad-lib. (which they almost always did poorly). Therefore, they knew they were making a 'movie', not just collecting real natural footage. So I'm sure these people knew what was going on, knew they had certain spots to look for things that were set up...and they were just told to ad-lib around it all.*************'Major Spoilers'**************** *****************************************Okay, it's so lame. Every item, spot or thing that could be strange or use d as a scare, is magically stumbled upon by these people. Let me list off the ridiculously obviously faked things that happened that I remember:1) Less than 2 minutes of entering the house, they turn a light switch on - the light sparks and a chandelier almost falls on a guy.2) They happen to find an old medical bag with a bloody butcher knife* in it, while exploring the cellar.3) They hear a noise in an armoire, so they open the door slowly - BAM - a cat happens to be in there and jumps straight at the camera while shrieking.4) Then they happen to notice there is a hole in the wall, so let's stick our hand in...wow, they pulled out a doll of a baby wrapped in mummy tape.5) Let's go to the attic, uh-oh it feels 'heavy' up here....BOOM - a chair flies across the room.6) Time to eat. Oh no ! The girl that was scared of bugs had a ROACH in her sandwich ! LOL !....ridiculous.7) Let's get out the Ouija board...oops one of the legs on the planchette fell off the side of the board. That couldn't be because the people were pushing it could it ? (they find out a ghost there is named Charles)8) Wait ! What was that noise in the chimney...CLINK - oh my shackles fell out "I think she* kept people up here".9) Now wimpy girl is going to brave looking up the chimney shaft...oh, what's this she sees something...and is asking people who aren't looking up the chimney what it is. SWISH - It falls off straight at her. (perfect camera shot) She moves just in time. It was more chain.10) Now we have to separate and each 'cleanse' our designated rooms - wouldn't it be something if things started happening one by one to these people now...okay:CHICK #1: Wow, suddenly her room is shaking...but no one elses does.DUDE #1: Actually says to himself "Charles, is that you Charles...it can't be you because you're just a figment of my imagination aren't you Charles". Well guess what, he gets knocked over and dragged across the floor. Another lucky camera shot.CHICK #2: Hears things..try to communicate ...and is standing there getting abrasions or something.DUDE #2: He was in the attic, reached his arm through a hole in the floor and got a splinter....I don't remember what else.11) Dude #2 runs, gets Chick #2...they hear chick and dude #1 screaming...they find them chained to a wall and strapped to a table.(*) They leave. Cut to black. Final text tell us they escaped safely, were treated for minor cuts. They have since had nightmares and insomnia, we also find out the next day a 911 call was made by they name a someone named "Charles".*************'Major Spoilers'**************** ******************over********************Okay, when I first heard this movie was being made, I couldn't wait. I thought it was going to be real. REAL, real. - and more professional, with more professional type people. I love the idea of this type of thing, I'd love to see real haunting footage. Before this movie was released I saw couple reviews of it by people online. They both claimed how fake it was and how stupid the people were.. time passed I forgot about the film....then I realized It was never released at theaters. So I found out it went straight to video, rented it....found that every brutal review was completely true. It's too bad, I really wanted this to be good.Random thought: The house didn't seem to have TVs, radios..kitchen appliances that I recall...which would make me think no one has lived there for a long time. Especially the house is truly known for being haunted...im pretty sure no one lives there. But it looks so clean and tidy...and what was a cat doing there ? The property does not have near by neighbors....All-in-all, you'll only want to rent this if you and your friends wanna sit there and make fun of it...or if you heard about it a long time ago and it intrigued you. (you will will be disappointed if you are expecting a good film...or real film)Random thought: I believe the producer says "The 'footage' you see is real". Well technically it is real footage isn't it ? Real footage of fake hauntings ? Maybe that was his loop hole.I give this this movie one star - strictly on the fact that they told the story of Madame LaLaurie. A real New Orleans story.The best performance was by the guy who teaches the participants about the ghost hunting equipment in the beginning. He was obviously actually real...or a good actor.$LABEL$ 0 +It kept my attention to the end, however, without spoiling the film for anyone....... when she fixed the fridge by getting a book from the library, you knew how the film would end when she went back to library for a book on self defence against and assassin. The film, for me, said nothing of worth.... is becoming an assassin really a remedy for mental illness or just another symptom.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a film that takes some digesting. On the one hand, we are offered a tough outward shell, a story that does not only derive the Catholic Church, but does so foolishly, and uninformed. On an inner layer, we are offered a story of orthodoxy over orthopraxis, and what happens when people follow blindly a faith that they must not understand.At first glance, it appeared this was supposed to be a comedy. If so, then Mr. Durang needs to open a dictionary, because he clearly does not know the meaning of the word. The jokes are pale; the humor is awkward and poorly delivered. In particular, Ms. Keaton's performance is flighty and over the top, well below the quality of her Annie Hall and Sleeper days. Jennifer Tilly is again the model of stridence, with her hi-pitched voice and whining style. All of this could be forgiven if it weren't for the last 20 minutes of this movie, that evidently was a controversial play made in 1981.***Careful, spoilers ahead***It all starts with the appearance of four former students of Sister Mary Ignatius (Ignatius, by the way, is a male name, and a nun would not adopt it after her vows under any circumstance simply due to that fact, just to show you how much tireless research went into the project to begin with.) When they all admit that they don't live up to the church's teachings, the sister proceeds to become irrational and abuse them in a manner the audience is to believe she did way back when in the corny, all-too-cliché sepia-tone flashbacks. When one of them admits to having two abortions, the nun becomes even more abusive, until the pupil pulls out a gun. After wrestling it away from her, the nun kills the pupil, presumably in self-defense. She then goes on a screaming rampage, killing a gay former student because of his sins. The last shot is of the dead female pupil lying in a Christ-like pose as a shadow of a cross hangs over her. Can you say `heavy handed?' I knew you could!I know there have been abusive nuns in the past, and I know many people have been emotionally harmed as a result, but this imagery is fed down our throats in almost every other shot in this train wreck of a movie. I have heard from the writer and the director that this is a film about hysteria and why one should not follow the orthodoxy so religiously, no pun intended. This explanation is hard to swallow, though, simply because we are never given an authoritative viewpoint that is not biased against the catholic faith in one way or another. This film is simply anti-Catholic tripe, which in the name of fairness and equality, is mean spirited and hateful.This is a film I would recommend for a catholic, namely to awaken him or her to the realities of what cynicism and ignorance they face today. If it were `Rabbi Ray explains it all' or `Imam Muhammad explains it all', there would be rioting in the streets and Showtime would lose all of its subscription. But, sadly, because this is a film that strikes out against what is perceived to be the majority, it is accepted and even applauded by those who share the same spiteful point of view.I certainly hope every member of that cast was a practicing catholic, so it wasn't just ignorance that brought them to make this film.I give it 1.5 stars out of 5, not because of its offensive nature, but because it was poorly written, poorly directed and just a bad movie in general. Don't even waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +I actually joined this site simply to write in about this movie. I was sitting in my living room and this movie came on one of the local channels. I made it about an hour through before I simply had enough. Curious to see what the general movie-opinionated public thought of this movie, I looked it up on this site. I was absolutely shocked to see that there were an overwhelming amount of people that thought it was great. I needed to have my say, and here it is: This movie is absolute garbage. It was a chore to sit through. The "jokes" were uninspired rehashes from other, better shows and movies, and Leguizamo's manic portrayal of this obnoxious character should only appeal to age ten and below. That actually may be a stretch even for that age. I'm all for slapstick ridiculousness, but there isn't even the faintest hint of wit or cleverness. I have an idea, lets take bad uninspired obvious jokes and play them at twice the speed. Now that's funny. Ha. Ha.Movies that you should see that take silly humor and add comic timing and originality: The Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut,...and the list goes on. Don't lose an hour and a half of your life on unmemorable crap.By the way, I can only assume that the reason that David Bar Katz (the other writer) did VERY little in film after this movie is because he was instantly blacklisted. I'm actually impressed that Leguizamo was able to recover after this mess.$LABEL$ 0 +This is yet another depressing and boring film about AIDS and tragedy. It begins very uneventful and predictable and continues throughout the movie. I kept waiting for it to pick-up, but unfortunately it never did. The acting is fair, but the script needs A LOT of work. And if you're looking for the nudity, don't waste your time with these not so hot actors. Due to the poor sound quality and lack of captions, I missed 1/8 of the movie. If you have never seen over five gay films, or have recently come to terms with being gay, you may find this film interesting, otherwise it's your run-of-the-mill low budget movie. It ranks as one of the worst gay films I have ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +Channel 4 is a channel that allows more naughty stuff than any of the other channels, this show was certainly a naughty one. The presenter of this sometimes gross adult chat show, Four-time BAFTA winning and British Comedy Award winning (also twice nominated) Graham Norton was just the perfect gay host for a good show like this. It had one or more famous celebrities in the middle of it. They basically had an adult idea which would either gross, humiliate or humour the guest, but some are not for the faint-hearted. They had women playing the recorder with their parts, men using their dicks to play a xylophone, women weeing upwards in the bath, men with or without pants under their kilts, and many more gross but hilarious ideas. This is just for adults, but enjoy it! It won the BAFTA twice for Best Entertainment (Programme or Series), it won the British Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme (also nominated), Best Comedy Talk Show, it won an Emmy for episode #18 (?), and it won the National Television Awards twice for Most Popular Talk Show. It was number 52 on The 100 Greatest Funny Moments. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched this episode more often than any other TFTC episode, it is that enjoyable. And it is quite scary, but all in good, ghoulish fun. A woman kills her 2nd husband but runs into a problem when an escaped maniac in a ragged Santa Claus outfit decides to pay her and her little girl a visit at that very moment. Mary Traynor, who I seem to remember from SNL or some other TV comedy skit show, is the evil wife, and Larry Drake plays the lunatic in the dingy Santa outfit. I had forgotten Santa was played by Drake over the years. His Santa is an unstoppable force and quite frightening at times. You can probably guess how Santa finally gets into the house. The episode is played for laughs, but it also can be pretty intense at times.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Spirit of St. Louis" is Billy Wilder's film tribute to one of the best figures in aeronautical history, remembered for the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in May 1927 with James Stewart (a little too old for the part) playing Charles Lindbergh...As a tribute it is eloquent enough and, although a few nice liberties may have been taken with historical fact, the motion picture describing the detailed odyssey before and after the Paris flight on May 20-21 in the monoplane "Spirit of St. Louis."Although the lengthy internal monologue employed during the journey may be disappointing to an audience, the truth is that it helps keep the picture focused tightly on its essential point... Stewart dignified the portrait of one of the greatest adventurers in the air the world has ever know, departing, in a highly modified single engine monoplane, from Long Island, New York to Paris, France...No action is depicted in the trip, only some flashbacks to break up the monotony of the long flight... But there is superb determination of the ordeal of a brave and talented pilot decided to fly alone... His equation is simple: less weight (one engine, one pilot) would increase fuel efficiency and allow for a longer flying range, but with so much risk... Lindbergh's claim to fame was doing something that many had tried and failed...Even though Wilder has bravely put it upon the screen in a calm, unhurried fashion, it comes out as biography of intense restraint and power... But it is James Stewart's performance (controlled to the last detail) that gives life and strong, heroic stature to the principal figure in the film...From it there, emerges an awareness of a clever, firm but truly humble man who tackles a task with resolution, plans as much about it as he can, makes his decisions with courageous finality and then awaits with only one thought in mind, to get to Paris... In his efforts to cut off the plane's weight, any item considered too heavy or unnecessary was left behind...The record-setting flight proved not only to be a fight with the elements and a test of navigation, but also a long battle against fatigue... A busy schedule and an active mind kept Lindbergh up all of the previous night... Still, he managed to stay conscious enough to keep the monoplane from crashing and landed at Le Bourget Aerodrome, near Paris, 33 hours and 30 minutes after leaving New York...Stewart gives an able portrait of a brave pilot who attains legendary status, emphasizing the intention and dominant resolution to fly nonstop 5,810 kilometers (3,610 miles) across the Atlantic...Photographed in CinemaScope and WarnerColor and backed by Franz Waxman's beautiful music, the film effectively captures the pioneering spirit of the era and the hero's ultimate achievement since he takes off, that day, from Roosevelt wet field, and clears telephone wires at the end of the runway...$LABEL$ 1 +As Americans, we have come to expect crapiness as "par for the course" when it comes to HORROR and unknown directors directing unknown actors acting for unknown writers. We truly expect this to suck & when they don't suck,it becomes an over night success.This is NOT an over night success, nor is it an over the weekend or over the month success. This blows from start to finish and my only recommendation is this: GO INTO THIS KNOWING IT SUCKS, enjoy it for what it is, for what it isn't & if you have something better to do, keep this on the back WAY BACK burner. It's entertaining in the way watching the elderly cross a busy street during rush hour, but don't expect much-they almost never get hit by an actual car, its just a lot of hoopla.$LABEL$ 0 +It is apparent that director, writers and everyone else knows nothing about their own religion or the people who practice it. This movie is endlessly flawed and overall a complete crock.For instance, there is a scene where the rabbi enters the woman's ritual bath while a naked woman is bathing, puts his hand on the head of a woman there and blesses her. This is complete mockery of the laws, in this scene alone some of the laws broken include: Modesty, a rabbi would never enter a ritual bath house while there are woman in it.Improper contact, a rabbi would never put his hand on a woman's head, not to mention that it is not the way a blessing is given.The woman from the ritual bath is dunking a naked woman by pushing her head under the water, the laws regarding ritual bathing require the entire body to make direct contact with the bath water; this means nobody should be in contact with the person bathing, certainly not pushing them under!There was more just in that scene alone, like dunking 13 times (where does that concept even come from?) not to mention the rest of the movie was a total fallacy. It is scary what ignorance can concoct!$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the most insipid, lackluster, unoriginal, and pointless movies ever made! It almost feels like everyone involved in this project didn't even try to make an appealing movie. This is nothing more than a continuation of a tiresome series of films that attempt to cash in on the success of Smokey and the Bandit, which I think is the best film of them all. As for this waste of film stock, Burt Reynolds sleepwalks his way through the entire movie, Jim Nabors is wasted, the other actors aren't given very much to do, the car races are obviously stock footage, the humor is uninspired, and many of the scenes are more dull and lifeless than staring at a wall for two hours. "Stroker Ace" is simply a superfluous film with nothing unique or distinctive about it.$LABEL$ 0 +This has to be one of the worst movies ever to come out of the Sci-Fi Channel. Here is how the movie starts, Women are the only humans on this planet due to the fact that in the not to distant future chemical warfare is A OK as long as it only targets soldiers (In case your wondering, Men) However the virus back fires (Big shock)and all the men on earth slowly die. Then all of male kind is condemned to die when the madam president is shot and killed by a man. now we are taken around 60 to 70 years from now, two female scientists are working on cloning a female baby and one of them says "Hey, why don't we bring men back?" The other one says no the world is not ready for that, but promptly ignores her and thus a man walks the Eath again.First off, this movie assumes that all men who are not genetically altered are blood thirsty monsters. Secondly, the writer forgot to mention that present day soldiers are a good mix of Male and Female officers so there is no real reason to have a virus like that. This is the biggest waist of time you can find. This movie managed to insult my intellect not only by the bad story, but with the Lifetime style acting. Avoid this movie at all costs.I give this a 1 out of 10 but only because I could go no lower.$LABEL$ 0 +i am 13 and i hated this film its the worst film on earth i totally wasted my time watching it and was disappointed with it cause on the cover and on the back the film it looks pretty good, but i was wrong its bad. but when i saw delta she was totally different and a bad actress and i really didn't know how old the 2 girls was trying to be i was so confused. the film was in some parts confusing and i didn't enjoy it at all but i watched all the film just to see if it was going to get better but it didn't, it was boring,dull and did i say BORING.and i don't think many other people liked it as well as me.boring boring boring$LABEL$ 0 +One True Thing proves that it's the characters which make a movie. Streep will surely receive an Oscar nomination for her role. A beautiful drama, One True Thing is a prime example of movie-making in the late 1990's - there are still people out there who care about making and watching movies other than the big blockbusters with million dollar special effects. It's no Best Picture or anything... don't be silly. But the amount of emotion that was delivered by both the actors and the writer hit me like a shock-wave. I cried twice in this movie, which says a lot for a 24 year old man.$LABEL$ 1 +A beautiful, magical, thought-provoking and heart-warming story. Excellent direction, perfect cast, marvellous script, excellent score, beautifully lit...... need I say more?If you love films that not only make you think but also warm your heart (some that spring to mind are 'Contact', 'Field of Dreams' and 'Groundhog Day') then you're sure to love K-PAX.Most highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this for Gary Busey and Fred Williamson thinking they were buddy cops. They are but Busey is in the opening scene then doesn't show up again until like 40 minutes into the movie. Though every scene he's in is awesome. Especially when he disguises himself as a blind hobo.What's incredible about this movie is the plot. In the movie Fred Williamson is trying to find out who stalking and killing phone sex operators. At one point I think thats its Busey. But it turns out I'm only partly right. Busey is not the killer, but he is calling up and harassing the women over the phone. Why? I don't know. In no way is he connected to the killer, he just does it for kicks I guess.$LABEL$ 0 +There were many 'spooky' westerns made in the 30s and early 40s, and although this has a strong beginning, it isn't one. Randy Bowers (John Wayne) stopping at a 'Halfway House' saloon, finds it to be full of dead bodies, the bartender's corpse draped over the bar holding a gun, eyes watching Randy from behind holes cut through eyes in a picture, and a player piano playing "The Loveliest Night of the Year." It was the result of a robbery by the Marvin Black gang, to get Ed Rogers' $30,000. Randy is an investigator who "works alone," who wastes little time in getting arrested, escaping (with Ed's daughter Sally's help) and literally landing in the midst of the Black gang's hideout behind a waterfall. It all moves along fairly quickly. Only one too many chases after Randy slow it down.We even get George Hayes, clean shaven and playing two parts-- Marvin Black, the vilest villain, as well as the Good Citizen, Matt the Mute, who communicates via handwritten messages. Having him play two opposite roles was a good idea, but the writing down of messages thing gets old real fast, even for him, as he finally gives up doing it near the end saying to Sally, "Ah, I'm fed up with this!" You can find George playing a vile, vile, double crossing villain in the serial "The Lost City" (1934).I think this is the only 'Lone Star' film in which the title relates to, or is mentioned in the film! Sally offers her hand to Randy and says, "He's not alone anymore!" Then cut to their arms around each other as they look out facing a lake. Sally's running off with Randy seems too abrupt and not sufficiently prepared for. Too much time spent on horseback escaping the sheriff.Not that bad considering everything, but not that great either. I'd really give it a 4 and a half.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this when they showed this around easter time 1993/4 and didn't think much of it then, I bought this on DVD last summer when I started getting into Michael Jackson (I liked his music before) and enjoyed it more now I am older. It is a good film but it won't be this classic film like The Sound Of Music, West Side Story, The Wizard Of Oz etc. Michael Jackson as an actor was good and so were the other cast members. There were a disturbing scenes like the little girl Katie getting slapped by the gangster Frankie Lideo who was played by Joe Pesci. The scene that frightened me when I was younger was when Michael turns into a robot. My favourite song on the film was Smooth Criminal I think it was better than Thriller in my opinion.$LABEL$ 1 +Supposedly, director William Shatner had in mind a much 'darker' film when it came to 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' but the suits at Paramount, looking at the huge box-office receipts taken in by its humor-filled predecessor, insisted the new film have plenty of laughs too. So what we get is arguably the weakest and goofiest of the six Star Trek movies with the original cast. There are bad ideas aplenty, along with a few good ones, and if you're in a charitable mood, you could look at 'The Final Frontier' the same way you would a so-so episode of the TV series. On the plus side, Laurence Luckenbill is a fine actor and gives one of the best 'guest star' performances in any Star Trek, big or small screen, ranking right up there with William Windom's Commodore Decker. His portrayal of Sybok, Spock's half-brother, consistently lifts the film when it threatens to sink, which happens all too frequently. Charles Cooper is good too as the fat old Klingon General Korrd; too bad his role isn't as large as he is. If the story about Shatner's intentions is true, then I owe him an apology, because I was prepared to lay the blame for the incessant silliness and not-very-convincing action scenes squarely at his directorial feet. The reason is I've always felt that, of all the Trek regulars, Shatner was the least 'tuned-in' to everything that makes Star Trek work and what makes it special to its fans. Having read his Trek memoirs, it's very apparent to me that he considered the show another action-adventure series that just happened to have a science-fiction setting. He preferred the vision of Gene Coon over that of Gene Roddenberry; Coon was known for his work on the popular western series, 'The Wild Wild West.' Shatner also mentioned that a favorite Star Trek episode of his was 'A Piece of the Action,' a silly second-season episode co-written by Coon. So, finally given an opportunity to direct a Star Trek feature film, would not Shatner follow his instincts and produce an action-filled flick with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor? Well somebody did, because that's what 'The Final Frontier' ended up being. Shatner himself definitely returns to form as The Great Ham and, as Leonard Maltin points out, the film suffers from a bad case of 'the cutes.' In the opening scene at Yosemite National Park, it's hard to say which is worse, the super-cheesy special effects or the godawful dialogue. Running gags about equipment malfunctioning on the Enterprise have run all the way from 'Wrath of Khan' and by this, the fifth Trek movie, have run themselves into the ground. So has the idea of a 'skeleton crew'. One new development is an apparent romantic relationship between Scotty and Uhura and suffice it to say one does not exactly sense flames of passion burning between the two. It's a pointless subplot and adds nothing. The climactic scene where 'God' is encountered doesn't add much either; whether or not this was a good idea in the first place is debatable, but the scene itself doesn't make much sense. (The 'God' creature's abilities seem to vary according to what is needed at the moment.) Roughly half of this is a tired retread of the climax from 'The Search for Spock.' Leonard Nimoy manages to salvage Spock's integrity, even while spouting such un-Spock-like lines as "Get a grip on yourself, Doctor." And DeForest Kelley, as usual, outperforms both Shatner and Nimoy; he really came on as an actor in the final Trek films. So this Trek outing isn't terrible, it just isn't very good. There was to be one more original cast Trek movie before the baton was passed to the 'next generation,' and it was far better suited to the task than 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.'$LABEL$ 0 +Enormous fun for both adults and children, this film works on numerous levels: there is everything from car crashes and cake in the face to some very good (yet subtle) jokes for adults.Glenn Close is at her sublimely evil best as Cruella (`call me Ella') De Ville.After three years in Dr. Pavlov's Behaviour Modification Clinic she is cured of her desire for fur – even the puppy-skin fur she had so intensely desired. She even has all of her fur coats placed in the dungeon of the extraordinary castle she inhabits.But it wouldn't be a ‘Dalmatian' movie without the subterfuge and machinations of Cruella and you know that something will change her behaviour modification. And now she needs one extra puppy (hence 102 Dalmatians) to complete her nefarious scheme this time round.Ioan Gruffudd is instantly appealing as the hero of the film that runs the `Second Chance' dog shelter. Though he was in `Titanic' and in last year's television version (as Pip) of `Great Expectations' I didn't recognize him; well, he was ‘Fifth Officer Lowe' in `Titanic' and I didn't see `Great Expectations' so I am not terribly surprised.Gerard Depardieu does a delightful turn as the furrier-pawn of Cruella. He prances and postures in the most outlandish and outrageous of fur clothing you have ever seen – and does it well. His 'Wicked Witch of the West' homage is hilarious.Tim McInnerny is superb is Cruella's not-so-evil henchman – he was also ‘Alonzo,' Cruella's butler, in `101 Dalmatians' and you may also recognize him from all of the `Black Adder' Brit-Coms. He plays his usual bumbling, good-hearted, somewhat dim-witted character to great effect.Oscars for costuming are generally given for the entirety of the costuming in a film. This is unfortunate as the clothing worn by Glenn Close is amazing – it is incredibly detailed (note her handcuffs when she is being released from the Behaviour Modification Clinic) and worthy of such an over-the-top character. Her clothing alone deserves at least an Oscar nomination.Animation holds a special place in my heart – but comparing this film to the original animated film is like comparing apples to orangutans: it can't be done. Suffice it to say that `102 Dalmatians' is even better than the film version of `101 Dalmatians' that came out in 1996. There is a lot to like here: from the sight gags, the dialogue, and the costumes to the casting - it is a good film for the whole family.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked it better than House Party 2 & 3. The cast was hilarious and cool at the same time. Chris Stokes, who directed the film, has a very humorous cameo in it as a car repairman; look for his mom who plays the lead character, John John's grandmother. And you can hear her rap the title song "Down to the Last Minute" at the end of the film as the credits roll. She's very funny and a really good actress, as well. The young actors who star in it (the main trio), and who in reality are part of the music group IMx, did a superb job. Before this film I had not paid much attention to this r & b group. Now I'm a fan. The music number in the House Party scene alone is worth checking out the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved it.$LABEL$ 1 +Welcome to Our Town, welcome to your town? As we are introduced into the worlds of its townsfolk of 1901 America, this three act play is opened before us with the help of "The Stage Manager", a visual narrator if you like. After his initial introductions, we are lead into the homes of two particular families; The Webb's and the Gibb's.This is most definitely middle America at the turn of the century, and the progressive way of life of the American Dream and its saccharine overtones that can seem a little biased in this dream town. Here we see the everyday lives of some of its 2642 populace of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, even if there are, too, the migrant Polish workers that add another 500 to is numbers, they, never get a look-in.Once the daily lives of these families have been introduced; wives cooking, children home-working, fathers working, kids falling in love and the clean picket-fences painted white, the second act is started three years later, after young George (a young and unrecognisable William Holden, then aged 22) and Emily have fallen in love and intend to marry. Blossoming lovebirds reaching for the stars and reaching, too, a turning point in their own lives, from the nest they lived and now, into the anxieties and woes of young adulthood they nervously step. The third act is slightly more sour and foreboding, it is in this act that the movies intentions become apparent, here we see not life, not celebration but death, and it is in this predicament that the dead, as they return to revisit and reconcile their own life past, are here to remind us, to tell us, that life, and every last minute, every precious breath is not to be wasted and squandered.It is in this last third that the movies own political stance also seems more apparent too, feeling more of a propaganda stunt on the moral lecturing on, and by, middle America and how it should direct its home and how it should also put it in order. This isn't just about "Our" town, this is moral diction aimed at "Our" souls and how America can better itself if its peoples', (excluding the Poles, the Irish, the Native American and the freed ethnic minorities', and minorities' in general, plus the supporting backbone of the Americana's who, still, have not had a fair part in this narrative), such as the middle classes, can live up to the expectations of the American Dream through honest, decent living. The purveyors of the American Dream with special invitation only.I was entertained, slightly, by this movie too, but I felt that its narrative held a stronger impact than anything else that took part in it albeit the bland acting, the musical score or how well, or not, it was made. This was the movies intention to exclude other groups, and to only include the likes of the Webb's and the Gibb's, in the future of the developing country of the USA, a good movie, but also a slightly biased in its stance, I thought.Taken from the play by US' born Thornton Wilder (1897 - 1975) this Pulitzer Prize winning play, and six Academy Award nominated movie, was the focal point on the perpetual motion of life and its three main attributes; Life, love and death, the plays translation onto celluloid comes across as a slightly to the right blurb of social consciousness. Our Town starts off with what seems a lesson in pointlessness, like other towns, nothing too exciting ever happens here, if anything at all, this town only has the "right sort of people", you can still leave your back-door unlocked here, we are seeing the developing lives of these two families, but it is their moral and social stance that is more important than them themselves. Our Town may just have been "Any Town", just as long as you came from the right part of town that is.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie sucks big time. It reminded me of the movie Resurrection (Christopher Lambert), which i also found extremely boring. And "Semana Santa" is in every way an even poorer movie.Only fine one in the cast doing something for this movie is Alida Valli. Alida is one of the grand old ladies in european movie history. I loved her maniacal looks in "Suspiria" and "inferno" (Dario Argento). I will not spend more time dealing with this movie. I will say another good thing about this movie...use it if you want to fall asleep very quickly...$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this important intense film tonight. Its Richard Gere and Claire's Dane's most important and best work. Gere deserves an Oscar for his fine portrayal of a man being forced into early retirement as a sex offender registrar administrator. Claire Danes is riveting as the woman Gere handpicks to replace him - a woman he tries to teach all he can while investigating one final case in which Gere's character is convinced one of those he is charged to monitor may be holding a young girl hostage. The subject matter is shocking, sex offenders and those who monitor them, but this film will not soon be forgotten. I know I will be haunted by Gere's portrayal for a very long time. Not since Anthony Hopkins portrayal of a serial killer has a screen portrayal terrified and so engaged me. The film opens with a shocking statistic so don't miss the opening credits. Intense and memorable. Richard Gere's finest role proving the man can act. Danes can as well and both do extraordinarily well in this often challenging film.This is a gutsy film and Gere gives a multi-layered deeply felt performance. Just give him the Oscar now...he deserves it!$LABEL$ 1 +I started watching this one very tensed because I heard so many different things about it. Somewhere I read it was a drama about child abuse and rated PG-13 for violence. Another critic said it was a fantastic and nostalgic adventure of kids (and I thought it was also for kids to watch). Well, now I've seen it so many times and still don't know in which category to put it. It is extremely funny at times but terribly sad and depressing the next moment. Because of the nice relationship and the adventures I would like to recommend this film to all the youngsters I know but I fear the somber atmosphere is not suitable for children. Because of the perfect performances and the magic of the film I must say this nevertheless: Watch it, especially the kids! The last thing I have to say is that I hate the scriptwriter for letting poor Bobby never see his family again after having fled from The King (who didn't even return to terrorize the remained Mary and Mikey). It is very good for this film not to have a perfect happy ending with everybody being happy - and I didn't expect it to - but this solution left me very, very sad!$LABEL$ 1 +Parts: The Clonus Horror is a horror all right. There are of course the bad fashions of the late 70's. There's the really bad acting from Dick Sargent to Peter Graves. And then there's the clones themselves. Their days mostly consist of running, jumping, cycling, and wrestling with each other. When they're not doing that, they learn about America. Not the band America, or the song by Neil Diamond, but an America where they go on to become part of a greater society. But they're given some strange drug then they have all their bodily fluids drained(General Ripper was right!) and they are placed in the freezer and await Thanksgiving or Christmas when they will be thawed out and roasted at about 450 degrees or so. Oops, that's not what happens, but it would've been a lot more interesting than what's shown. Mario, of Super Mario Brothers fame, makes a delightful cameo as a doctor who bickers with Dick Sargent.$LABEL$ 0 +Susan Seidelman seems to have had a decent career with a few top notch credits under her belt. I'm certainly glad she bounced back from this film which seems to have its admirers. I'm not one of them.I've seen better acting in high school plays than I did in Smithereens. The plot such as it is involved young Susan Berman who is ambitious to make it in the world of music and is willing to do just about anything to get there. She even rejects the sincere advances of a young artist who is living out of his van off the East River played by Brad Rijn.Young Mr. Rijn contributes the worst performance in the film, in fact one of the worst acting jobs I've seen in a long time. No wonder he's not gone anywhere.I will say that Seidelman's eye for the camera is a good one in capturing the familiar East Village locations where the film was mostly shot. But her work with her live performers didn't measure up. I'm not sure she had that much raw material to work with.Look fast and you'll see a very young Christopher Noth before Law and Order and Sex in the City as a street hustler.If you like punk rock, you might sit through this for the soundtrack. I'll stick to Bing Crosby.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately, I went to this movie for entertainment purposes based on the limited information I had seen on Fandango. Since I am a sci-fi buff the notion of a movie about UFOs interested me.Instead, this movie quickly revealed itself as an evangelical Christian propaganda flick. Appropriate for an audience of like-minded individuals but very un-Christian like to exploit the movie mall scene and preach to an unsuspecting audience, especially considering the costs of tickets and concessions. Shame on you! At least the Da Vinci Code did not hold back its wild-eyed craziness.So, this B-grade movie (and I am being kind) production will be appreciated in those churches with similar beliefs, probably shown to Wednesday and Sunday evening youth groups. But if you are a mainline Christian or non-Christian you will not be comfortable.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow! A Danish movie with this kind of content? I mean, the actors, the story, the pictures, the efx - everything was where it should be. And a Danish EFX house producing those VFX - Wow! This is like the 2nd or 3rd time a Danish FX has produces visual effects in that quality.*SPOILER AHEAD* The twist with the ghostly children in the submarine was quite good, but generally I did not feel the big chill which I would expect from a ghost-movie. *END OF SPOILER*But anyway, this is a Danish movie which I as a Dane can be proud of.The only "bad" about this, is that it wasn't a Danish director, but a Swedish...$LABEL$ 1 +I hated this movie so much I remember it vividly. It is not even funny. Any movie that relies on unfunny sex jokes and racism humor does not deserve the money it costs to make it. In the first half hour, Rob Schneider drinks a carton of rancid milk. All I could think was "he deserves it, for making such a bad movie". Don't waste your time or money on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +DANIEL DAY-LEWIS does a remarkable job of playing Christy Brown, the artist who grew up with cerebral palsy but managed to have a productive life, dealing successfully with his handicap and becoming a respected artist and writer.The film, however, is a very difficult one to review--or even watch. Fortunately, I had the caption feature on to catch every spoken word which would have been impossible if I saw the film in a theater. While I respect it as a brave piece of work dealing with difficult subject matter, I can't say it's the sort of film I'd want to view more than once.Nevertheless, my attention was held by the story-telling device, a flashback framed by the present, in which we see Christy being honored for his achievements before we see the flashback to his youth and his struggles to communicate with those around him, who certainly gave him loving care.DANIEL DAY-LEWIS certainly is remarkable as the troubled man who falls in love with a therapist (FIONA SHAW), much to his mother's fear that when the love is not reciprocated his heart will be broken. There's a painfully long scene in a restaurant where he confesses his love to her before others and then goes into a frenzied rage after drinking too much.BRENDA FRICKER does a brilliant job as the mother taking care of him, his father and a brood of siblings while struggling to keep a roof over their heads until Day-Lewis begins to have success with his work. She complements Day-Lewis' performance as the warm-hearted mother and shares many poignant moments with him.Richly detailed story of a family that stayed together under the most unusual of circumstances with attention to period detail in every frame of the film. Both Fricker and Day-Lewis won Oscars, but HUGH O'CONOR and RAY McANALLY are also excellent. O'Conor is Christy as a boy and McAnally is the father who spends too much time at the local pub but loves the boy.Summing up: Elmer Bernstein's music is an added plus factor. Well worthwhile, but definitely not a film for everyone.$LABEL$ 1 +I completely disagree with the other comments posted on this movie. For instance, the movie is based on the book and if the writer had a gay character in it then how could "Hollywood" just throw in a token gay character in the movie. And besides there was two gay characters and I thought they reflected each other great. One was normal and the other was more feminine but it wasn't over the top. And Diane Keaton gave a wonderful performance and if the other reviewer had the decency to actual watch the entire film they would have seen that her character developed through out the film by interacting with the other characters. For instance when she and Adam went to look at the car that Sara crashed in the junkyard you could see the maternal side of her come out and later in the film you saw that she too was invincible. But I guess if you're too worried about gay characters and characters that are flawed then this movie is bad. But if you're more open-minded and I don't know actually have some inkling of what is good then you'll enjoy this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Actually this movie was not so bad. It contains action, comedy and excitement. There are good actors in this film, for instance Doug Hutchison (Percy from "The Green Mile"), who plays Bristol. Another well known actor is Jamie Kennedy, from "Scream" and "Three Kings". The main characters are played by Jamie Foxx as Alvin, who was pretty good and also funny, but the one who most surprised me, was David Morse as Edgar Clenteen. He plays a different character than he usually does, because in other films like "The Green Mile", "Indian Runner", "The Negotiator" or "The Langoliers" he plays a very sympathetic person, and in "Bait" the plays almost the opposite, a man without any emotions, which was nice to see. The only really negative thing about this film, are the several pictures of the World Trade Center, which makes this film perhaps look a little dated. Overall I thought this was a pretty good little film!$LABEL$ 1 +Well, Killshot is not awful, but it comes close. Production values are decent and the main actors do a pretty good job (except for Rosario Dawson in a wasted role), but the story is just pathetic. I don't know if the Elmore Leonard book had such dumb characters,since I haven't read it, but I'm guessing that the book was supposed to be at least slightly humorous. The movie has no detectable humor. After the first twenty minutes, you'll be yelling at the screen, "Oh, come on! Nobody's THAT stupid!!" In a nutshell, and without any spoilers, everybody acts in a manner convenient to the plot, which makes no sense anyway. A very frustrating and unrealistic movie, which may account for it sitting on the shelf for as long as it did.$LABEL$ 0 +After witnessing his wife (Linda Hoffman) engaging in sexual acts with the pool boy, the already somewhat unstable dentist Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) completely snaps which means deep trouble for his patients.This delightful semi-original and entertaining horror flick from director Brian Yuzna was a welcome change of pace from the usual horror twaddle that was passed out in the late Nineties. Although ‘The Dentist' is intended to be a cheesy, fun little film, Yuzna ensures that the movie delivers the shocks and thrills that many more serious movies attempt to dispense. Despite suffering somewhat from the lack of background on the central characters, and thus allowing events that should have been built up to take place over a couple of days, the movie is intriguing, generally well scripted and well paced which allows the viewer to maintain interest, even during the more ludicrous of moments. ‘The Dentist' suffers, on occasion, from dragging but unlike the much inferior 1998 sequel, there are only sporadic uninteresting moments, and in general the movie follows itself nicely.Corbin Bernsen was very convincing in the role of the sadistic, deranged and perfectionist Dr. Alan Feinstone. The way Bernsen is able to credibly recite his lines, especially with regards to the foulness and immorality of sex (particularly fellatio), is something short of marvellous. While many actors may have trouble portraying a cleanliness obsessed psycho without it coming off as too cheesy or ridiculous, Bernsen seems to truly fit the personality of the character he attempts to portray and thus makes the film all that more enjoyable. Had ‘The Dentist' not been intended to be a fun, almost comical, horror movie, Bernsen's performance would probably have been much more powerful. Sadly, the rest of the cast (including a pre-fame Mark Ruffalo) failed to put in very good performances and although the movie was not really damaged by this, stronger performances could have added more credibility to the flick.‘The Dentist' is not a horror film that is meant to be taken seriously but is certainly enjoyable, particularly (I would presume) for fans of cheesy horror. Those who became annoyed at the number of ‘Scream' (1996) clones from the late Nineties may very well find this a refreshing change, as I did. A seldom dull and generally well paced script as well as some proficient direction helps to make ‘The Dentist' one of the more pleasurable cheesy horrors from the 1990's. On top of this we are presented with some particularly grizly and (on the whole) realistic scenes of dental torture, which should keep most gorehounds happy. Far from perfect but far from bad as well, ‘The Dentist' is a flick that is easily worth watching at least once. My rating for ‘The Dentist' – 6.5/10.$LABEL$ 1 +. . . And that's a bad thing, because at least if this had been a Troma film, it would have had wanton violence and a greater sense of anarchic abandon that might have brought my rating up a bit.So what we have instead is a very tame (rated PG), barely lukewarm, low budget (Roger Corman produced it with an unknown director who has subsequently remained unknown) Gremlins (1984)/Critters (1986)-wannabe with almost exclusively flat humor, little of the logic that made Gremlins work so well--fantasy logic or not, no suspense, no sense of adventure, and no violence or nudity to make up for it.Although I'm sure some of the problems with the film are inherent in the script--let's face it, no one could deliver these jokes so that they would be funny--it seems like the biggest blame has to fall into the lap of the director, Bettina Hirsch. In more capable hands, Munchies could have been entertaining.After all, it starts out like many great adventure films. Simon Waterman (Harvey Korman) and his son Paul (Charles Stratton) are in Peru on an archaeological dig. Simon is a bit of a wacky archaeologist who is always floating theories about the connections between ancient sites and alien civilizations. For example, he thinks he sees evidence of laser-cutting on ancient stonework. So they're at Machu Picchu looking for more evidence of Simon's theories when they happen upon a secret chamber. Inside they quickly find the animal they later dub "Arnold", one of the titular munchies.They take Arnold back home to their small California desert town. Simon, who thinks that Arnold is probably an alien creature, has to go off to a colleague's lecture, and he plans on telling the colleague that he finally has an alien specimen. Paul and his extremely cute girlfriend, Cindy (Nadine Van der Velde), are left in charge of Arnold, but as they haven't seen each other in a long time, they leave Arnold unsupervised while they hop in the sack.Meanwhile, Simon's brother Cecil (played also by Korman in a dual role), owner of a successful snack foods company, is eager to buy off Simon's home and land--they're adjacent to his own. Simon doesn't want to sell, so Cecil hits upon a scheme to steal Arnold. Things gradually spiral out of control, and the munchies, who have a mean streak to go along with their cravings for junk food, begin to overrun the town.That reads better in a summary than it plays on the screen. The best shots in the film are those with natural landscapes in the background, such as when characters are driving on the outskirts of the desert town. Interiors, with the exception of Cecil's home, tend to look like poorly decorated, cheap sets, and more importantly, they tend to show that Hirsch is not very skilled at blocking and setting up shots. Oddly, given the paucity of the production design overall, Cecil's home is quite a gem, imbued as it is in overblown 1980s style down to the smallest details, and Cecil's stepson, Dude (Jon Stafford), was an amusing counterpoint. Too bad, then, that he's out of the film so quickly.At any rate, Korman is a fun actor, but he comes across much better here as Simon than as Cecil. Unfortunately, Simon ends up being absent for most of the film. Cecil, who is differentiated physically by a ridiculous wig and facial hair, is not only the "evil capitalist" of the film, he's one of Korman's classic inconsiderate, boorish characters--that was one of his specialties, frequently capitalized on in "Carol Burnett Show" (1967) skits. Unlike "The Carol Burnett Show", which tended to succeed because directors Clark Jones and Dave Powers had a studied way of pushing the skits just to the brink of chaos, Hirsch reins Korman in way too far, and the Cecil character just doesn't work the way it should.There are a lot of other director-related problems, not the least of which is wonky pacing and editing, which completely sap any possible suspense or compelling dramatic impact from the film. Even scenes that should have been shoe-ins for amping up the drama--such as when the munchies are harassing an old lady on the road--are put together far too awkwardly to have much affect.There are also serious logical problems with the story as it stands. Where did the munchie in the chamber at Machu Picchu come from? The film's trailer seems to show an answer to this, but it was edited out of the final cut. A more serious problem is that, unlike gremlins, there is no clear reason for munchies to go from cute, cuddly furballs to menacing monsters. It just happens. Further, because Munchies was kept PG, and the violence remains toned down, when the creatures are in their monster phase, they're never very threatening. They're also easily dispatched, at least temporarily.Admittedly, the gist of the film isn't suspense, horror, compelling drama or any of that other stuff, but humor. It's intended more as a spoof of Gremlins and the countless rip-offs in its wake. The only problem with that is that the film just isn't funny, even though I chuckled a couple times. A surprisingly high percentage of the jokes are bland clichés. Too much of the remaining material consists of non-sequiturs. Given bad timing from Hirsch, it all just falls flat. There was potential to make a film that while a spoof, was both funny and frightening, hilarious and disturbing, cheesy and suspenseful, all at the same time, ala Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988). Too bad, then, that Munchies comes nowhere near that.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't knock this film too terribly, because it's obvious midway through the the watching of it that they were trying to make it bad, or 'campy' if you prefer. Anyway, many of the parts they tried to make funny actually are, but often simply for the cheese factor. Watch the 'space invaders' game, actually played as real-life! Scratch your head at the bumbling robots...oh, the wackyness! And watch the whole thing go way over the top near the end with the 'time warp'! And the sexual innuendoes just keep on flying...I'm actually surprised this got away with a PG. Oh well. A fun way to waste a couple hours, but Star Wars/Trek this ain't, folks. 3 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this TV movie version of 'Troilus and Cressida' out of my library last thursday, and simply could not believe my eyes. Where should I begin? no effort was made to make the play look remotely like it was about the Trojan war, all the actors were wearing Elizabethan dress. Moreover, most of the actors were too old and horribly miscast - Aeneas (with his white beard) looked older than Nestor, Troilus was at least 30, Hector looked like a Spanish pirate, Ajax was badly played anyway and Thersites was a transvestite.Likewise the action is poor, the duel between Ajax and Hector is short and amateurish, the camera angle focuses more on Nestor's face, so we can only see what is going on in the background which is frustrating in itself. Nor is the 'battle' at the end given it's due respect. We do not see Troilus and Diomedes fight, nor anyone else for that matter, Paris and Menelaus just seem to mud wrestle in front of Thersites. Even Patroclus death was omitted. All this was a major disappointment considering I waded through a very dull 2 and a half hours of BBC costume drama to get to that point.Nonetheless, it wasn't all bad. I thought the Incredible Orlando as Thersites and John Shrapnel as Hector were well played, even if they didn't look quite right. I'd say the same about Kenneth Haigh as Achilles, since he didn't have the striking countenance and was a bit dry at times. SPOILER: The climax at the end - the death of Hector - was perhaps the best part of the film, Achilles' dialogue here is excellent and sums up the attitude of a cold, seasoned murderer. However, the gruesomeness of the scene (when Achilles stamps on what was Hector's head)sets it apart anyway.Charles Gray as Pandarus was delightful as a sleazy old pervert and I thought the actress playing Cressida did an OK job. The war-mongering Troilus, however, was annoying and I think that the play would have been better perhaps if he had been murdered by Achilles instead of a peacenik like Hector.Conclusion? OK, but could have been better if it had had a younger cast and costumes that at least attempted to look Ancient Grecian, not to mention the lack of action. 5/10$LABEL$ 0 +As I was flipping through the channel I came to a channel 124. It is an urban channel. I saw this movie on and decided to give it a try. I almost became a mass murderer due to this film. I have done home movies and they are oscar quality compared to this huge mass of Dookie. The lighting was terrible and the acting was absolutely unrelentlessly bad. I would rather watch Star Crystal....... Holy cow maybe that is not a good example. The main question I have about this film is... Was it to be a morality film? the reason why I ask is because ther was one line where this lady in a wheelchair says " I would have been another gang statistic" Oh my head is starting to hurt. After hearing that line I went into the kitchen and pulled out a knife ready to stab anyone who dared watch this movie. But some sense kicked in and I just changed the channel to watch the man with the afro paint. Well that is all I have to say about this movie. If you want to endure this pain go ahead but not recommended for those with short fuses or a bad case of tourettes$LABEL$ 0 +total crap.I was kind of excited to see this as it is the only film version I have seen of Mansfield Park. I suffered through the first four episodes but when it came to the proposal scene between Henry and Fanny I snapped and had to turn it off. Whoever employs this Sylvestra Le Touzel lady has got to be both blind and deaf cause the woman is the worst actress I've ever seen in my life. The whole thing is just bad, bad, bad. I don't know. I just don't know why people who write Jane Austen screenplays seem to be incapable of giving her work the respect it deserves.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not the biggest fan of westerns. My two personal favorites though are Unforgiven, and Tombstone. This movie though, I loved! It was great! The plot was well done, and it was a fun movie. Everybody who had a part in this movie did excellent! I even think it beat out both movies in someway. Well, not really Unforgiven because that was a superb movie that these two can't compare with in the long run. I do think it beat out Tombstone though. Both had its strong points. For instance, they both had excellent well known casts, very good plots, and very good filming. But Posse beat out Tombstone in four ways in my opinion. First, the characters were more unique in Posse. The music was better in Posse. The idea was original in Posse, unlike Wyatt Earp. And the biggest difference, the action sequences! Oh my gosh! Posse was a western with really good action sequences. I mean really good! The action was fast paced. Like modern day based shoot'em up movies. The action had big budget explosions too! The fistfights were pretty good also. Mario Van Pebbles was great in this movie! I suggest buying this excellent movie!$LABEL$ 1 +The Thumb idea isn't such a winner the second time round. ThumbTanic wasn't as good as Thumb Wars for a number of reasons. Primarily, I think, Mr Oedekerk had far less to work with in the Titanic send-up. Unlike Star Wars, the movie Titanic hasn't (yet?) become a cultural myth and there are far fewer references to be made which will resonate with the audience.In ThumbTanic, the holes are filled by one-off jokes which don't really seem related to anything. For example, the hero's insinuation that the heroine isn't clean during the "jump off end of ship" scene - it's not funny. Rather, you just think to yourself, "Did I miss something in the original movie?". There were too many of these type of baseless jokes (cf. arachnid).By contrast, the send-up of the smarmy ship's designer had meaning and was funny. Also very funny was the send up of the bloke in the movie who wanted to go "faster" as a maniac running around demanding *everything* be "faster" including the sinking of the ship and himself being the first to die. These sort of jokes meant something in the Titanic context and lent meaningful humour to Thumbtanic.The thumb "media", the faces and the voices, are still amusing. The props and sets and the CG animation are worthy of appreciation. Overall, although ThumbTanic proves that quirkiness alone won't work, this filmette still keeps you amused and chuckling to the end.$LABEL$ 0 +I loved this show. I think the first time I tried rocky road ice cream was due to this show. Wasn't the shop located like right on the beach or something? I actually wrote back and forth with Marci for several years. I lost touch and wish I could reconnect now as adults. Anyone know where she is now? I wish they would put it out on DVD. I seriously doubt that since I think there maybe like five or six people who even remember the show airing in the first place. They just don't make shows like this anymore, do they? I wonder if it would still hold up in this day and age. Do you guys know anyone that could burn DVD's of the show they taped on VHS? I'd be willing to pay(within reason).$LABEL$ 1 +I've tried to watch this so-called comedy, but it's very hard to bear. This is a bad, narrow-minded, cliché-ridden movie. Definitively not funny, but very much boring and annoying, indeed. Bad script, bad acting. It's a complete waste of time - and there remains nothing more to say, I'm afraid.1 out of 10 points.$LABEL$ 0 +If extreme activities (and I don't mean the Hollywood ones like UFC & X-Games) and the people who pursue them interest you then seek this doc out.This is one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tales of Donald Crowhurts's obsession to prove himself against great odds. Those odds were stacked by Mother Nature, the media and his own mind. It is also about a time lost to us --although it was only 40 years ago.The filmmakers have done a great job in gathering a wide range of material to tell his story and the story of the great race that consumed him. I couldn't help but to think about Timothy Treadwell and the Apollo astronauts in the 2 great docs GRIZZLY MAN and IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON while experiencing --you don't simply "watch"-- this story.If you live in a big city buy it or rent it. It is worth the effort to find. I had to travel 100 miles to L.A. to buy it and I am glad I did.$LABEL$ 1 +Harold Pinter rewrites Anthony Schaeffer's classic play about a man going to visit the husband of his lover and having it all go sideways. The original film starred Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Caine has the Olivier role in this version and he's paired with Jude Law. Here the film is directed by Kenneth Branaugh.The acting is spectacular. Both Caine and Law are gangbusters in their respective roles. I really like the chemistry and the clashing of personalities. It's wonderful and enough of a reason to watch when the script's direction goes haywire.Harold Pinter's dialog is crisp and sharp and often very witty and I understand why he was chosen to rewrite the play (which is updated to make use of surveillance cameras and the like).The problem is that how the script moves the characters around is awful. Michale Caine walks Law through his odd modern house with sliding doors and panels for no really good reason. Conversations happen repeatedly in different locations. I know Pinter has done that in his plays, but in this case it becomes tedious. Why do we need to have the pair go over and over and over the fact that Law is sleeping with Caine's wife? It would be okay if at some point Law said enough we've done this, but he doesn't he acts as if each time is the first time. The script also doesn't move Caine through his manipulation of Law all that well. To begin with he's blindly angry to start so he has no chance to turn around and scare us.(Never mind a late in the game revelation that makes you wonder why he bothered) In the original we never suspected what was up. here we do and while it gives an edge it also somehow feels false since its so clear we are forced to wonder why Law's Milo doesn't see he's being set up. There are a few other instances but to say more would give away too much.Thinking about the film in retrospect I think its a film of missed opportunities and missteps. The opportunities squandered are the chance to have better fireworks between Caine and Law. Missteps in that the choice of a garish setting and odd shifts in plot take away from the creation of a tension and a believable thriller. Instead we get some smart dialog and great performances in a film that doesn't let them be real.despite some great performances and witty dialog this is only a 4 out of 10 because the rest of the script just doesn't work$LABEL$ 0 +I rank this the best of the Zorro chapterplays.The exciting musical score adds punch to an exciting screen play.There is an excellent supporting cast and mystery villain that will keep you guessing until the final chapter.Reed Hadley does a fine job as Don Diego and his alter ego Zorro.Last,but certainly not least,is the great directing team of Whitney and English.$LABEL$ 1 +First, this is a review of the two disc set that came together with the "Wonderland" DVD rental.The two movies included with the rental, "Wonderland" and the Johnny Wadd documentary, totally obliterate the myth created by "Boogie Nights". That myth being that the characters involved in the adult movie trade were considerably more than slimy lowlifes that would do anything for money, basically denying that they were anything other than detestable self-centered whores. This is amazingly similar to what the book "Wiseguy" and the movie "Goodfellas" did to "The Godfather" fable and most of the rest of the gangster romanticism lore.Now, what irritated me most while watching these movies, and will probably irk anyone who saw and liked "Boogie Nights", is how foolish and gullible supposedly educated and sophisticated people can be. "Dirk Diggler" in "Boogie Nights" is without a doubt John Holmes, who unlike "Dirk Diggler", had no redeeming quality. Holmes was a criminal sociopath who abused anyone close to him, was totally consumed by his quest for self-gratification, and was without a doubt a key participant in the brutal murders on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles in 1981. The movie lays bare the big lie that "Boogie Nights" was, and reinforces the Linda Lovelace description of the cruel and pathetic business that is known as the adult film entertainment industry. This should be required viewing, both features on the "Wonderland" DVD, for anyone who had any positive opinions on the story in the movie "Boogie Nights".$LABEL$ 1 +living in Romania, i was almost stunned by the very realistic setting for the scenes and the great care paid to local details by the director. The performance of Anthony Queen is absolutely great, and the rest of the cast does a great job supporting him. The movie does take a little knowledge of the east European context in order to be fully enjoyed, but it remains otherwise a great performance with some memorable lines. the ending is maybe a bit too melodramatic, but that's actually the way people are in this part of the world I believe the screenplay is great, because it presents the horrors of the 2nd WW in a most original manner - no blood, no battlefields. Still, lives are shattered, and the smiles you get every now and then throughout the movie are quickly killed by the war realities touching the characters.$LABEL$ 1 +Nina Foch insists that "My Name is Julia Ross" in this 1945 film noir also starring Dame May Witty and George Macready. It's short, and because it is, the film suffers. It could have stood to have been a good fifteen minutes to a half hour longer.When I was growing up, Foch was a fixture on television, playing a neurotic woman, the wife with the cheating husband, the nervous wreck. She became one of the great acting teachers in Los Angeles. Here, she's a pretty young ingenue playing the title role. Julia answers an ad for a secretary and is hired immediately by Mrs. Hughes and her son Ralph. Little does she know - though we learn immediately - that the employment agent is a front, set up to get just the right woman for this assignment, a woman with no family and no boyfriend.It's a live-in situation; once Julia gets to the house, she's drugged, and when she wakes up, she's told she's Mrs. Hughes and not allowed to leave.The acting is very good. Low budget but still entertaining - some things, particularly at the end, happen way too quickly, which is why I said the movie is too short. Nevertheless, I recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +...may seem like an overstatement, but it is not.What is so hard to comprehend is - why didn't they make more musical shorts like this? Wasn't the beauty of it totally apparent to everybody involved? I guess not. So many shorts were made for commercial reasons only, and with some luck there may be some artistic value in there. This is one exception - the only one? - where it seems they were the director had a vision and clearly could appreciate the music as art. Why didn't anybody ever think to shoot Lester or Charlie Parker on a live date? Crazy, man.A pity there were no sequels. If you've seen anything of similar quality please share it!$LABEL$ 1 +As John Grierson pointed out: "The documentary genre can be defined like this: the creative interpretation of reality"This fabulous 180-minute documentary marks the first time a computer-generated project about dinosaurs respects the intelligence of the viewer.When I saw Jurassic Park, which I was expecting with great excitement, I was left extremely disappointed. Of course the dinosaurs were great, but the story-telling was unnecessary. I thought: "What if they made a documentary on dinosaurs, with no crying children or bad puns, just dinosaurs made as realistic as possible, to let us marvel at what was once reality."My dream came true. The BBC has produced an exhilarating documentary exploring the different eras of the dinosaurs.This part is to all the people that seem to disagree with the fact that they had to guess at many points concerning the behavior, skin patterns etc: Of course they have to. Nobody was there. I think it is fantastic that they could present something as realistic as that. The guessings are all based on the knowings of many paleontologists, and it allows the viewer to have a pretty good idea of what it was like. If you wanna stick to what we know for sure, then just go visit a dinosaur bones museum. That is why I incorporated the Grierson quote at the beginning of this comment.Anyway, hats off to the creators of it.$LABEL$ 1 +i went to see this movie with a bunch of friends one night. I didn't really hear much about it. So I wasn't expecting anything. But after I saw it, I really liked it. Nicolas Cage and the rest of the cast were very good. But I do have to say Giovanni Ribisi's acting performace did need a little perking up. But such a small flaw, it could be overrided. Gone In 60 Seconds is about a retired car thief who must boost 60 rare and exotic cars in one night to save his brother's life. The movie is in no way predictable. So the ending should be a suprise. Think it's just another, fast car driving movie? Well you are partially right. There is much more to it. Everyone should take a look at this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this movie! Chris Showerman did an amazing job! Not only is he an incredible actor, but he is gorgeous with an awesome physique! He did a great job on the delivery of his lines, plus transformed into George better than Fraser did. A great performance for his first major roll! This movie is full of hilarious scenes that every child will love. My kids have watched this movie numerous times since we purchased the DVD the day it came out. In addition to the movie, the extras on the DVD are just as hilarious. Two thumbs up on this one! I highly recommend it to everyone!$LABEL$ 1 +Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi made many films together, but on the whole (interestingly enough) Karloff usually is the better man of the two. The real exception is "The Black Cat" (1934) where Karloff is playing the evil head of a devil cult, and Lugosi is seeking revenge on him for destroying his life. But more usual is "Black Friday", where (whatever his motive) Karloff is trying to improve brain surgery while Lugosi is a murderous thug. In "The Raven" Lugosi is a sadistic surgeon, who blackmails Karloff to assist his evil plans until Karloff finally has had enough. Rarely are they both negative characters totally. In "The Body Snatcher", Karloff does kill Lugosi, but Lugosi is trying to blackmail him.The one exception where they are both extremely sympathetic but at cross purposes to each other is this 1936 film, which I feel has rarely had the audience acceptance of some of the other movies I have mentioned. In it Karloff's Dr. Janos Rukh is a hard driven scientific genius who has been sneered at by the "official scientific community" for his theory that a rare form of Radium is in Nigeria on a meteorite that landed centuries ago. He has finally gotten the support of a well financed expedition led by Sir Francis Stevens and his wife Lady Arabella Stevens (Walter Kingsford and Beulah Bondi), and has another scientist, a Frenchman named Dr. Felix Benet (Lugosi), Rukh's young wife Diane (Frances Drake) and a friend and protégée of the Stevenses named Ronald Drake (Frank Lawton).Before they leave, Rukh is warned by his mother (Violet Kemble Cooper) that he is possibly seeking wisdom that he shouldn't and it may end in tragedy. He tries to dismiss this, but he is worried by what she says, his scientific standing, and whether or not he is going to get his due credit.What he gets is a disaster. He finds the substance, but is infected by it's remarkable radioactivity. He finds that he is slowly burning up, and if he tries to touch people or animals they die. He's actually built up a friendship or understanding with Benet, who figures out a type of radioactive fighting cocktail for Rukh to use to counter the danger. But there are two things that are unbeatable here. The antidote can only last for a certain amount of time, and has to be replenished. And the radioactivity has affected Rukh's brain. He is increasingly jealous of Diane's friendship with Ronald (encouraged, unfortunately by Sir Francis and Lady Arabella), and he is equally upset that (due to his having to pretend to have died - the effects of the radioactivity are like that) Benet and several others are collecting the kudos of the wonders that "Radium X" is giving to man. Soon Rukh is on a murderous rampage that destroys many lives, ending with his own.The film certainly picked up on science to an extent. Madame Curie had died recently from cancer she got due to work with Radium. Few fully understood the dangers of radioactivity in 1936, but some idea of it was coming out. The wave of murders by Rukh cause the newspapers to talk about a "curse" on the expedition. Of course, with the idea of a "cursed" expedition (on the continent of Africa) for a hidden treasure buried centuries ago, financed by a titled Englishman, we have entered archeology not physics or geology (paging Howard Carter and Lord Carnaevon).On the other hand, Benet tries to settle the cause of the string of deaths, and reverts to an idea that was actually demolished in 1888 in England. During the Whitechapel Murders, Sir Charles Warren ordered the retinas of several of the dead victims to be photographed to see if the last image on the retinas was Jack the Ripper. It turned out he only got the photographs of the retinas of dead prostitutes. But the idea did not die. Jules Verne used it in his novel "The Brothers Kip" in 1899, and here Dr. Benet uses it. As this is a science fiction story, he finds the image of Rukh on the the plate, but Benet drops the plate accidentally and it shatters.The film is good on many grounds, the most interesting that for a change Karloff and Lugosi are not unsympathetic towards each other. There is a type of tragic fatalism in this story that is missing from their other films. The other performances are good as well, in particular Ms Kemble Cooper. She is best remembered as Basil Rathbone's frightening sister (Jane Murdstone) in "David Copperfield". Here her final act is the only way to bring this tragedy to an end, and who can say it did not hurt her more than her target.$LABEL$ 1 +If the ending hadn't been so fantastically unexpected, I don't think I could rate this movie so well.This movie has a lot of uncomfortable, distressing, "marriage falling apart" character interaction. That sort of thing is not my kind of drama, so the pace seemed to drag for me.In addition, the main characters are difficult to relate to and thus care much about -- the husband (Alan Rickman) is rather bitter and cranky and the wife (Polly Walker) is aloof and a little haughty. The acting was just fine (Norman Reedus was very alluring), but the characters themselves were perhaps a little TOO realistically flawed (for me).The setting was nice and appropriately isolated and a little spooky. The cinematography had something to it that seemed a little old-fashioned to me somehow.But the last 5-15 minutes of this movie are so ingenious that every uncomfortable scene, awkward conversation, and inexplicable character behavior absolutely worth it. I guessed every typical plot twist except the one that occurred.The ending definitely makes this movie worth watching. The intrigue and the drama, not quite as much.$LABEL$ 1 +The man who directed 'The Third Man' also directed the 'Who Will Buy' sequence in "Oliver!" Now that is talent.I raise my hat to Carol Reed.I know there are 'second units' involved, but still ...And he had to deal with Orson Welles and Oliver Reed ...I suppose quality will out.(It does show in the final scene with Nancy [ avoiding spoiler - everyone has to see Oliver! for the first time sometime ].) How many lines do I need to type.Encouraging people to type too much is not to be encouraged.I hope this counts as the "10th line".$LABEL$ 1 +Beverly garland was born in the wrong time. She was an actress ahead of her time, bringing power and grace to even such lame flicks as the Corman films she starred in. In Gunslinger, she's the town sheriff's wife. He gets offed, so she takes over his job to pursue his killers. She's better than the material she's working with, by far. The movie is gray, stilted, and mostly boring. There's some(unintentional)humor with the tire tracks everywhere, people running behind one building to emerge suddenly in front of another (I've heard of false fronts, but this is ridiculous!), and the truly stupid plot line of the newly widowed sheriff falling in love with the guy hired to kill her. Even if she hadn't loved her husband, it had only been something like a week or two since he'd died! And she ends up shooting the guy to death in the end, anyway. No luck with men, this one.The villain of the piece is another woman, the saloon owner. She's scheming to buy up a bunch of land just in case the railroad goes through and makes her rich. Her plan of action if it doesn't is pretty lame-she'll just steal as much from the town as she can and skedaddle. Hell, it's just her and her hired gun at the end against an entire town. Are you telling me these people aren't armed? Look what happened in real towns of the Old West when bank robbers came in to rob the bank, then were cut down in a hail of bullets by the armed and dangerous town folk.There'a a lot of pointless talking and riding around, interspersed with a few lame shoot outs. The ending is as grim as usual in a Corman flick, although thank goodness it lacks the moral proselytizing at the end that was in It Conquered the World. The sheriff turns over her badge to Sam Bass and rides off into the sunset, although the movie was so gray that you never saw the sun.$LABEL$ 0 +OK end of the story is - all the kills were a joke on the main character and no one is actually dead. Yes I know Cry Wolf did it and did it well, but this isn't "Cry Wolf", it's "Scream Crap"! Even though the "characters" don't apparently die, we SEE them get stabbed to death (and other ways they are killed) even though these "kills" do NOT take place as anyone can see them. Mr. Director, if you're gonna show people getting killed, someone needs to see it, if they're off camera and the character getting faked killed is alone it doesn't work - and until the end I liked a couple of scenes but your end ruined the whole thing.The acting is horrid (especially the kid at the beginning who really thinks he tricked his friends into believing they were playing with his dead grandmothers brains) the script is less-than half baked (though if you're half baked you might like the movie) the only reason I gave this movie a 3 is because a) they actually made something b) they got it released and c) they shot on film Yes you read right, they wasted (at least) $5,000 on film stock for this crap. Sad, if they'd shot DV they'd had some cash for a better cast and another writer to go through the script and make it good.I admire the fact that the director made something (as most don't) but HATWE the fact that he comes on IMDFB talking about how "original" the movie is.Avoid the movie if it means buying it to see, if a friend has it, it might be a funny movie to borrow.$LABEL$ 0 +On paper this looked like a great concept: Average guy on the rebound dates up tight bookish museum curator, who is really a hot Superhero who saves the world on a regular basis. However, director Ivan Reitman and writer Don Payne (of the "Simpson's") almost fatally miscalculate in having their hero G-Girl (played by striking Uma Thurman) come off as a total nut job as both Superhero and secret identity persona Jenny Johnson. The movie even cops to this in a conversation between Jenny and Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) following his rescue by G-Girl from the Statue of Liberty. Jenny curiously asks Matt what was G-Girl like. Matt replies, "She's kind of nutty…" I think the intent was to have Jenny (Thurman) be this lonely young woman, who has no one in her life, isolated by her great physical powers. Thurman does the best she can, but her Jenny is a terrifying mood swing in dire need of Prozac. Luke Wilson is way too breezy in the role reversal of boyfriend and superhero girl friend."My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is also a victim of bad timing, coming on the tail end of "Superman Returns" which plays Superhero straight up, so to speak. With all its quirks and inconsistent writing I still thought "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" was funny and enjoyed the movie. Given that this is an Ivan Reitman movie, this could have been a lot better. Reitman starts with a great premise, and really squanders it. First off, we all love the hero. Here neither Jenny nor G-Girl is really all that likable. This is surprising for Uma Thurman, who is normally a charismatic and powerful presence. In the beginning her Jenny/ G-Girl is just plain weird. Shocking. Because if there is a woman who can play a Superhero, she is Thurman—she looks great. Only toward the end does her Jenny become more sympathetic, instead of caricature. Although "My Super Ex" is not a straight Superhero story, rather a romantic comedy of sorts, it does not provide what every Superhero mythology requires—a great super villain. Here we have Professor Bedlam aka Barry (Eddie Izzard) who really is evil lite. He is no Lex Luthor. No plans for Global domination. Bedlam rather Barry does hold a grudge against G-Girl, and expectedly it has to do with their shared past. What is bizarre you don't know who you would rather spend time with—Bedlam or G-Girl? Luke Wilson's Matt is just "some dude" who happens to hook up with the psycho superhero. One of the annoying things he does is that he confides in his repugnant loser friend Vaughn (Rainn Wilson doing a bad whacked out impersonation). Wilson sometimes plays it a little too dense, and this dilutes his likable charm. This does however work, in the comic sex scene with Jenny. Matt while dating Jenny/ G-Girl realizes that he is in love with his co-worker Hannah (perky Anna Faris). So how does Matt break up with G-Girl? Well, it's not pretty and for the most part hilarious.Dramatic Superhero movies work. Romantic comedies with chemistry work. What may be inherently difficult are Superhero satires disguised as romantic comedies. Everyone loves the hero. However, hero nut job? Maybe not. With all Uma Thurman's talent she is unable to accomplish this convincingly. And she does not get sufficient support from Reitman and Payne. Thurman and Wilson have enough charm and presence to survive their narrative failings. "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is fun and funny. Though given all involved, the movie could have been super.$LABEL$ 1 +Ernst Lubitsch's contribution to the American cinema is enormous. His legacy is an outstanding group of movies that will live forever, as is the case with "The Shop Around the Corner". This film has been remade into other less distinguished movies and a musical play, without the charm or elegance of Mr. Lubitsch's own, and definite version.Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart worked in several films together. Their characters in this movie stand out as an example of how to be in a movie without almost appearing to be acting at all. Both stars are delightful as the pen pals that don't know of one another, but who fate had them working together in the same shop in Budapest.The reason why these classic films worked so well is the amazing supporting casts the studios put together in picture after picture. In here, we have the wonderful Frank Morgan, playing the owner of the shop. Also, we see Joseph Schildkraut, Felix Bressart, William Tracy and Charles Smith, among others, doing impressive work in making us believe that yes, they are in Budapest.That is why these films will live forever!$LABEL$ 1 +There is something in most of us, especially guys, that admires some really working class small town "real men" populist fare. And Sean Penn serves it up for us with a cherry on top. Hey, A lot of people use Penn as a political whipping boy, but I don't rate movies or actor/directors based on politics or personality. That is what right wing commentators like excretable faux movie reviewer Debbie Schlussel does. While acknowledging he is one of our best actors and a good director, I think this picture was a simplistic piece of aimless dreck that he has atoned for since. Okay, you have the gist of this there is this good cop, a small town trooper, Joe, played against type by David Morse, who in the opening scene chases some guy on a country farm road in big sixties cars. The bad guy stops, gets out, shoots at him so Joe has to blast him dead. There was no explanation what drove this man to do such a desperate violent thing and the dead man's parents do some redneck freak out at the police station while Joe feels real sad and guilty that he had to kill someone. So we know that Joe, the farmer forced off his land into a cop job, is a good basic sort of guy. Then his brother Frank shows up, he is a sadistic, amoral bully, fresh out of the Army and Nam where the war got his blood lust up. Some people here and in other reviews called him just an irresponsible hell raising younger brother and Sean was trying to make some point about what our John Wayne tough guy culture and war does to otherwise good people but what I saw was an amoral, sadistic bully who enjoys hurting and ripping people off. Then there is mom and dad, Marsha Mason and Charles Bronson, who do the requisite turn as old fashioned country couple, then die off; she by illness and he by shotgun suicide, to advance the story for us. Both times Frank the bad guy is away being a miserable SOB. But good Joe brings him back to Podunksville from jail so Frank can straighten his life out by welding bridges and living with his utterly stupid screaming trashy pregnant wife. But Joe has a nice wife, played by Italian actress Valeria Golina, who is Mexican and Sean uses this as an exercise in some affirmative action embellishment of goody Joe and his real soulfulness underneath his uniform and crew cut. For me, that was an utterly pointless affirmative action subplot that Sean uses to burnish his tough guy creds by sucking up to Mexicans because Mexicans are so tough and cool.But Frank is bad and we get the requisite events like stealing friend's car, robbing gas station by beating the clerk over the head then torching the car and all those cool things that hell raisers do. Then there are the mandatory 8mm film childhood flashbacks of young Joey dutifully moving the lawn and cowboy dressed Franky jumping on his back and wrestling him and yadda yadda so we all know what deep bond there is between the two of them.So the film meanders around with a lot of small town schlock to warm the heart of any red stater. Accompanying the film was a great soundtrack of good sixties songs like Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin which were totally inappropriate, except for the 60's era effect, to win the hearts of old hippies. The worst offense is that, since the movie was inspired by a Springsteen song, "The Highway Patrolman", that song was not included. So Joe's brain dead wife goes into labor and Joe runs off to the bar to get loaded and spout some populists drunken victim's spiel about how tough things are while good Joey comes to drag him back to his wife. The bartender is good Ole Ceasar, played by Dennis Hopper. So Viggo - Frank whigs out for no particular reason and beats his pal Ceasar to death after good Joe the Cop leaves.So Joe has chase his bad brother down and I was so hoping that he would do the right thing and blow that menace to society away. Instead we get a scene where his brother stops ahead of him in some old 50's junker on some lonely road at night, and little Franky in his cowboy suit and cap guns gets out of the car to face good Joe, the kid from the 8mm flashback home movie sequence. Oy, such dreck! Then to top off this drecky sap fest, there is some Zen crap about the Indian runner, who is a messenger, becomes the message, ala Marshall MacLuhen? See what I mean, Sean has done much better than this so don't be afraid to miss this one.$LABEL$ 0 +I LOVE this film. It was made JUST before the LA punk scene changed for the worse. It perfectly preserves the mood and attitude of that time and place. I feel really lucky to have been present at the filming of four of the bands at the Fleetwood that night. The only part that doesn't fit in too well is the sections with Catholic Disipline and their socio-political commentary. I didn't see too many people who were into that at all. The rest of the film shows attitudes that I witnessed a lot; people dealing with hard lives, or taking a swing at the music industry and/or lousy hippies. I don't think I've seen a documentary that captures so authentically and personally the subject matter being covered.$LABEL$ 1 +Sure, it seems like there is only about 17 minutes of actual content in each episode, but it is certainly fun to watch. You might find yourself cringing in your chair as buddy sticks his foot in his mouth and gets shot down, or chuckling and shaking your head when some ridiculous line actually works. The panel of hosts have more of a good-natured, friendly (dare I say Canadian) style of commentary compared with cutthroat US reality programming. I think the people who complain about this show don't get the joke. They are taking the show more seriously than the show takes itself. Keys to the VIP is a great caricature of reality shows, sports TV culture, and the club scene. I hope they do another season, and I'd be interested to see if a US version appears. It's certainly a fun, original premise.$LABEL$ 1 +CITY HALL is a somewhat mixed bag. Part vignettes of NYC political life, and part moralizing tale. Al Pacino, a Dukakis-esque Boss with Presidential dreams, gives an oft times sullen or subdued performance. There's a couple times when he chews the scenery, and in the case of CITY HALL, this is where he shines. John Cusack gives a subdued and generally flawless performance, without going into caricature of a New Orleans dialect, or sliding into melodrama during the films climax. Danny Aiello as a burrough political chief, is also very good. I love showtunes, too.The major problem with CITY HALL, and it is a good movie in many ways, is the general feeling of a lack of momentum. It comes off more like a documentary, than a motion picture. We see the action or follow the story from a detached perspective, and naturally, the viewer doesn't become involved. When the viewer doesn't get involved to a certain degree, they become apathetic towards the characters, and eventually, the plot.This tends to alienate, and what should have been a riveting, detail divulging finale, came off as a "Hmmm...uh...okay." They say you "Can't fight city hall," as the tread worn cliche goes. Yet, it still can't stop you from thinking what might have been, if they had just tightened up the screenplay and pacing of this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The Kite Runner began as one of those "important" films that most people fawn over because they are told that they should if they want to be among the elite and quickly descended into an idiotic film of absurdly outlandish proportions.I've never read the book, and never felt the need because I honestly don't care. Sure I'm called uninformed for saying it but I truly have no interest whatsoever in just another "pull at your heartstrings, copy off of all other story lines to get emotion from the readers" novel, even if it is set in Afghanistan.That said, I watched the movie. I heard good things about its beauty, and how touching it was and decided why not? As it turns out, there was a very good reason why not. Not only was the so called main character completely unsympathetic (I get it, he was young and this is a film about redemption but honestly he was horrible. I hated him and not in that good 'Anti-hero' way, he was just a dull, idiotic, self-absorbed character that I felt nothing towards) but the rest of the story was so completely absurd that I couldn't believe how everyone else was fawning over how beautiful it was, and how they cried and it moved them. I'm sorry, but I only feel moved by something that feels realistic, Sci-Fi has been known to move me, fantasy as well...but this? Please. This surpassed many other movies for pure absurdity! My biggest peeve, Hassan was Amir's brother...really? You sure you didn't just rip that off from a thousand other stories? 1 that that particular tidbit wasn't just added in to try to pull more tears out of your audiences (y'know the type of people who look for reasons to cry during a movie)? I was rolling my eyes when that "twist" was revealed knowing that it could only go downhill from there (not to mention flashing back to Star Wars "Amir, Hassan is your brother" "NOOOoo, that's not true, that's IMPOSSIBLE!") Oh, and it certainly did. Filled to the brim with cliché's and just plan dumb storytelling. Like "good guy miraculously escapes bad guy against all odds with help from spunky kid who despite being viciously sodomized and having no clue who you are is willing to help out with a conveniently placed weapon that holds special meaning to you". Ooh and don't forget the oh so idiotic "finally getting vengeance on the kid who teased you when you were little who, surprise surprise, has turned into a psychopathic adult" (trust me guys, I understand you like to live vicariously through movies but that'll never happen. You know that kid who teased you in high school...he's no terrorist, he's probably an accountant.) Oh, and I must mention the CGI-tastic kites! I think those were on par with the "Matrix" movies and "Transformers" bravo you guys! BRAVO!It seems this movie was just made for western audiences who need to a reason to care about the Middle East (hey an overly emotional friendship story will work!) This is one of the most shallow movies I've had the misfortune of seeing, it poses as deep well...but when you get right down to it, it's nothing special.Unfortunately, the core of America's audience will do what they're told and follow the "It's about controversial material so it must be good!" way of thinking.$LABEL$ 0 +While the title "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" comes from an Irish proverb the film plays out like a Greek tragedy. It all starts with a botched robbery and continues to spiral out of control as two brothers attempt to escape the mess they've gotten themselves into.The cast is well-assembled with Philip Seymour Hoffman & Ethan Hawke playing the aforementioned brothers. Notable support includes Albert Finney as their father and Marisa Tomei as the wife of one brother and lover of the other. Beyond these principals the acting is unremarkable.The story is compelling and is told with a certain degree of verve. The narrative structure keeps things interesting by providing different points of view and frequent time shifts. That being said, the film's unpredictability is somewhat muted since it becomes apparent early on that this story is a tragedy, through and through. All in all, a pretty impressive debut for first-time screenwriter Kelly Masterson.Sidney Lumet's direction is well handled but I'm more impressed by the fact that he's still directing at over eighty years old. I was less impressed by the score by Carter Burwell but it isn't a major distraction.In the end, the film proves to be compelling viewing and while the story & presentation may have superficial similarities to other films this one remains a unique experience.$LABEL$ 1 +A good example of the differences between American and foreign cinema can be seen in a film I recently watched on television: Indecent Proposal.Indecent Proposal's two protagonists, David and Diane Murphy are played Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore. I'm not sure if it was their total lack of chemistry or that they were not acting well, but why we should care so much whether these two stay together was beyond me. Love, affection, playfulness, attraction – none of these materialized on screen in their interactions together.Since I knew that eventually Robert Redford would show up, it was clear from the beginning that the good part, the meat of the movie, would be the scenes between him and Demi Moore. Poor Woody Harrelson just could not muster any emotion at all for the film. He seemed to be holding back, preoccupied with his receding hairline.OK, so fast forward. What idiots these two (Diane and David) are for thinking they can win back the $50,000 they owe by gambling. No acting faux pas there, just hideously bad, lazy, unforgivable writing. Of course they lose all their money. Surprised? I know I wasn't. Enter Robert Redford (John Gage in the film) – a romantic, perhaps emotionally frigid man, an updated Gatsby. A very good role and though not a great, great actor, next to those two, Redford looks like Olivier. He immediately falls in love and lust with Diane and we the viewers for once FEEL it. This is how to love a woman! Not David's way, trading gum mouth to mouth with Diane on a slimy pier. (Did I see that right?) As Gage, Redford wears a suit and tie in every scene. Yes it's meant to instruct the seemingly brain dead audience that here is a Rich Man, but he also looks damn good and by this point the brain dead audience appreciates it! Other wardrobe symbolism includes David's now-ironed shirts at the end of the film, signifying resolve, getting it together after a long interlude of forlorn wrinkled shirt wearing.And what is it with California garden parties as depicted in Hollywood movies? Suddenly everyone appears British, complete with lacy dresses, three piece suits for the men, hats (HATS!) and of course the parasol. Yes Diane, her transformation to Rich Man's fiancée now complete, is there at the auction daintily twirling a parasol. Though she insisted that she couldn't be bought, she succumbed at last to the sexual tension. Here is where the film branches off into pure Americana. I mean, of course David and Diane will end up together, my question is: WHY? Diane was bored with David, why not let her ride the Robert Redford wave? And I mean for a good long while? How can she pull herself out of the sexual-romantic thrall of this sexy older man so easily just because Woody Harrelson brings his receding hairline to the garden party, sits himself down and looks Demi Moore in the eyes. That's just not how it goes. He was so WEAK.But we must have our happy ending. We have to swallow the Moral Lesson. We're not sophisticated enough yet to have it otherwise. Director Lyn tried to make a Fatal Attraction for the juvie set, the young'uns.In addition to garden parties in which there's nary an SUV, tee shirt, or baseball cap in sight, such films also feature a reliable public transportation system that connects far-flung California cities and municipalities. How else to symbolize the return to middle class or working class life?$LABEL$ 0 +I've just finished listening to the director's commentary for this film, and I think the one big thing I got from it that I agree with is that this film, like Mann's The Insider, is completely subjective. It's from Howard's POV. So, any review or attempt at contemplating a set of comments about it, as Ebert did, is really about Nolte's character actually. If you feel, as he did, that the film "does not work", then you're saying, I think, that Howard does not work. And, to be frank, you might be right. Howard's reasoning and personality really wouldn't stand up to professional mental treatments and analysis.But, hey, that's the nature of people.Andrew.$LABEL$ 1 +Famous movies are subject to Freudian analysis: Possessed, The Matrix, The Birds, Psycho, Vertigo, Duck Soup, Monkey Business, The Exorcist, The Testament of Dr Mabuse, Alien, Alien Resurrection, The Great Dictator, City Lights, The Tramp, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Dr Strangelove, The Red Shoes, Fight Club, Dead of Night, The Conversation, Blue Velvet, Solaris, Stalker, Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, Persona, In The Cut, Eyes Wide Shut, The Piano Teacher, Three Colours: Blue, Dogville, Frankenstein, The Ten Commandments, Saboteur, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest, Star Wars, Dune, Kubanskie Kazaki, Ivan The Terrible, Pluto's Judgment Day (Walt Disney), Wild at Heart.You may wonder how the Marx Brothers come into play. According To Slavoj Zizek, the host and analyst of this intellectually tickling tour de force, Groucho is the superego, Chico the ego, and Harpo the id.Scenes from the above listed films are used to illustrate concepts: the role of fantasy in shaping reality and vice-versa, the father figure, male and female libido, death drive, etc. Here are some of Slavoj utterances (most as paraphrases): "desire is a wound on reality", "fantasy realized is a nightmare", "music is the opium of the people" (borrowing from K. Marx), "of all human emotions, anxiety is the only one that is not deceiving". The whole is bracketed by an intro that declares "you don't look for your desires in movies, instead cinema tells you what you should desire" and concludes with the cineaste view that "cinema is needed today so that we can understand our current reality" -- I say, as long as censorship doesn't derail it.The three part subdivision is merely mechanical, possibly with TV screening in mind. For the theater goer it is irrelevant.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is quite possibly one of the most horrible horror flicks I've seen. The length wasn't nearly long enough to include a good storyline. Also, the way the foster parents died was just plain ridiculous. The mother suddenly dies from falling through a shower after tripping over an action figure, and the dad is shot by a police officer? I can see where some originality might have been what they were going for, but it could have been better. Also, the cheesiness of it all made me want to press stop before it was over. After hearing all of Lucy's name and figuring out it was 'Lucifer', I wanted to gag. Yes, it's interesting that Lucifer was a woman, but look at the name. It's a male's name. It should be given to a male character. All in all, the movie was a bore, and could have used a better plot.$LABEL$ 0 +Paint by numbers story and mediocre acting saved by some authentic color - and a few moments that are really wonderful and deeply felt. It does effectively capture the delicate transition of a girl into adulthood, and deals very sensitively and inventively with the cultural conflict the main family experiences.Unfortunately this germ of a good movie is imprisoned in an aimless and extremely convoluted plot that manages to incorporate religious strife, a conflict over a road construction project, the sex life of secondary and even tertiary characters, a mysterious man who lives in the woods, a bunch of racist hooligans, at least three different carnivals, the intricacies of local church politics, and on and on and on. And all of that doesn't even include the actual central plot, which is only about the hopes, dreams, and frustrations of two girls (and their entire families) at the turning point of their lives. I was actually shocked when I realized the whole thing was supposed to take place over the course of one summer (and that so much movie got accomplished in 1.5 hours!) Ultimately the movie is melodramatic, every plot point is predictable, major life altering events happen and then are forgotten about 10 minutes later...and some of those events are extremely distasteful. Most shockingly the fact that one of the characters is involved in a horrible crime (in a totally predictable "twist") and then is completely forgiven and the entire incident forgotten about from then on. Similarly, a secondary character is introduced solely to die a couple minutes later and provide another "twist." It's all totally mechanical, right up to the ending that neatly ties up all the loose ends (well not all of them, just the ones the movie thinks you care about.)$LABEL$ 0 +It's really not worthy of a 'best picture' consideration, but as entertainment goes, it does the job! This is one that I've watched, with pulse quickening every time, at least a dozen times.Most of these actors were unknown at the time this was done, and we can recognize them from other work. Those that don't have current name recognition probably don't want it.This was a fun ADVENTURE. Sort of like The Little Rascals if they just had to be serious.$LABEL$ 1 +well, i may be bias as i grew up watching a VHS copy of this film that is now ready to snap and have just spent the last couple of hours tracking down a DVD copy as a birthday pressie for my Dad. The film is so harmless and inoffensive it suits all ages.... much better than anything Disney ever made in my opinion (and i used to work in the Disney Store!!!). The characters are enjoyable and the award for best scene is a tie between the disrupted wedding (especially the musical talents of Swat, the fly. and Smack the mosquito), and the amazing night club scene. The musical numbers still have me humming 20 years after i first watched it. there is no other film that i can better recommend whilst baby-sitting, and in fact every child i know (thanks to my Hoppity loving parents) have seen this film, many times. It will always get top marks for its fabulous love story, a brilliant baddy and over all originality.$LABEL$ 1 +Elvira, Mistress of The Dark, is a fun, camp horror comedy, in which the fourth wall is broken a couple of times and the jokes often stay below the navel. And the breasts of Cassandra Peterson become a character of their own.Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) is stacked horror show hostess, who learns, that she has inherited her aunt Morgana. So she goes to a little town of Fallwell, which is ruled by the most horrendous monster ever to embrace the earth: Morality comity. Elviras boobacious appearance is, of course, too much for the prunes, but the kids of the town get a kick out of her different kind of approach on life. And of course there is even more sinister evil, her uncle Vincent (William Morgan Sheppard), who is after Elvira's mothers book of spells. See, Elvira actually is a real witch, she just doesn't know it. Yet.For what it is, Elvira is quite funny film, even though the script does leave a lot of room for improvement. Most laughs come from the difference between Elvira and the people of good morals, but there are a couple of good visual gags as well. Over all direction is okay, but it never rises to be anything more than that. In all, a good, intentionally campy, comedy. If you like this kind of thing, that is.$LABEL$ 1 +AKA: Mondays In The SunI have no idea what I just watched. Three men wander aimlessly and drink, grousing about everything and at everyone in their path. This is supposed to be a drama, but what it is, is a total waste of film, without a single redeeming quality.I have read reviews touting the performances herein as "wonderful," "beautiful," and "heroic." I'm afraid I cannot agree, unless these men were supposed to come off as the dumbest most ignorant proto-humans who ever walked.All in all? This was not a movie. It wanders throughout and loses everyone but the audience. I've watched this three times, and cannot for the life of me see what anyone sees in this garbage. There is nothing profound here, whatsoever. It's crap.It rates a ZERO/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +So that´s what I called a bad, bad film... Poor acting, poor directing, terrible writing!!!! I just can´t stop laughing at some scenes, because the story is meaningless!!! Don´t waste your time watching this film... Well, I must recognize it has one or two good ideas but it´s sooooo badly writen...$LABEL$ 0 +The main reason to see this film is Warren William, who is in top form as the shyster campaign manager. He is electric, constantly finding ways to fool the public and defeat the opposing party in the midst of the biggest disasters. William is a great actor -- I feel he never got his due. Bette Davis as his girlfriend also shines in an under-written role. Personally, I found Guy Kibbee not quite right as the lame-brained candidate that William and the others are trying to foist on the public. He seemed more like an empty canvas than a person. I would have preferred to see a real character emerge rather than a non-character. The story itself is implausible, silly and clichéd. But Warren William and Bette Davis are well worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoyed "Candid camera" with Dom DeLuise and I was surprised to see that after the years Suzanne Somers have becomed the co-star of the show. But that was the only positive side of the show - the whole studio, the intro, the hosts - all that give the new meaning to the word "pompous".Well, that would be OK if the materials weren't so cr*ppy - I mean come on, the best you can do is show few men that have problem with getting ketchup out of the bottle, Suzanne Somers walking with Halloween basket in July, ice cream place that sells only vanilla...? I've seen few episodes and each time it was horrible. They were posing like it's the greatest show ever and then fill the time with scenes so dull that I really felt embarrassed to watch. Even the people in them looked bored and that just can't be good.$LABEL$ 0 +Like another poster mentioned Ch. 56 (a local Boston TV station) showed this multiple times over the years on Saturday afternoons. They paired it with the first sequel "Return of the Ginat Majin".Now I haven't seen it since then...but it never left me. Aside from the atrocious dubbing and faded color this was a pretty good fantasy. Technically it isn't horror...until the statue comes to life at the end. It's just about a village ruled over by an evil man. There's a giant stone statue there that the villagers keep praying to to help them...to no avail. But things go too far, the statute comes to life and destroys the bad guys...but then it starts going after the good guys too! Well-done with some cool special effects at the end (LOVED how he got rid of the main bad guy). Also there was an enchanted forest worked in which was kind of interesting too.No masterpiece but an unusual combo fantasy/horror film. Worth catching--but not if it's the dubbed print.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a male bashing bonanza. I saw this on Sci-Fi a while ago, and the idea seemed interesting. It could have been a good movie, and the plot itself I don't see as male bashing, but certain specific references to men get really annoying. I might still watch the movie again though because it does at least try to redeem itself by hinting that maybe the women in the movie aren't really as non-violent as they claim, but it still doesn't compensate for the really tiring male-bashing. I mean, I can understand a little, it's part of the movie's plot, but come on, it gets really tiring after awhile. Not only that, but to assume that the majority of women in the world would accept becoming homosexual that easily and that the few remaining heterosexuals would be such a minority as to go "in the closet". It's just too unbelievable. There are far too many women out there with cultural or religious restrictions that would balk at this it is totally implausible. I mean I know its sci-fi, and I love sci-fi, but the best sci-fi has at least a hint of it being possible, and this is too implausible. The phrase "Truth is stranger than fiction" came about because fiction has to at least seem plausible to be welcomed, but truth isn't always. This movie is not that. Other than that, the movie does have some good acting and the eventual morals of the story, that something like what happened was wrong, do redeem it a little, but not enough.$LABEL$ 0 +Well I'll start with the good points. The movie was only 86 minutes long, and some of it was so bad it was funny. Now for the low points. My first warning sign came with an actual "warning" on the film. When it started the following "warning" was displayed: "The film you are about to see contains graphic and disturbing images. Because contrary to popular belief being killed is neither fun, pretty or romantic." I should have saved myself the 86 minutes and turned it off then. The first words of the film were: "I'm at the glue factory." It was some guy talking on his phone, and he was referring to a nursing home as a glue factory. I don't know why. So the basis of the movie is some kid is obsessed with the Zodiac Killer and starts imitating him. The budget for this film was at least 50 bucks and they must have used the cheapest cameras they could find. The acting was worse than me reading straight from a script. That's what is looked like they were doing. The script was horrible, and the big "twist" was that this guy who wrote a biography on the Zodiac Killer was actually the Zodiac Killer. Of course they tried to show this subtly but made it totally obvious within the first 10 minutes. Without any more painful details of the plot, here were some horrible highlights of the movie. They try to make the Zodiac Killer compare himself to an "army of one" because soldiers are really just murderers. Then they tried to make an attempt at "Satanic Worship" by showing some guys in black hoods in a meeting. The great "computer hacker" was able to get this kid's address when someone gave him the kid's name and phone number. For some reason he had to hack into the FBI to get someone address. I'm not sure why he didn't just look it up in the phone book or use whitepages.com. There was also a random allusion to 9/11 for no reason. I also learned that no matter where you get shot, blood will come out of your mouth within seconds.So if you like really bad acting, sub-par scripts, bad camera work and an obvious plot, you'll love Zodiac Killer!$LABEL$ 0 +This was Eddie Robinson's 101st film and his last, and he died of cancer nine days after shooting was complete. All of which makes his key scene in the movie all the more poignant.Although some of the hair and clothing styles are a bit dated (also note the video game shown in the film), but the subject of the film is pretty much timeless. Heston said he had wanted to make the film for some time because he really believed in the dangers of overpopulation.Several things make this film a classic. The story is solid.The acting is top-notch, especially the interplay between Heston and Robinson, with nice performances also by Cotten and Peters.The music is absolutely perfect. The medley of Beethoven, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky combined with the pastoral visual elements make for some truly moving scenes. This was the icing on the cake for the film.And the theme (or the "point") of the film is a significant one. Yes, it's a film about overpopulation, but on a more important note it's a cautionary tale about what can go wrong with Man's stewardship of Earth. It's in the subtext that you find the real message of the film. Pay attention to what Sol says about the "old days" of the past (which is our present), and note how Thorn is incapable of comprehending what Sol is saying.This film is one of my top sci-fi films of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +I am fully aware there is no statistical data that readily supports the correlation between video games and real life violence. The movie is false and phony because it is in complete contradiction of itself, which is what I tried to emphasize in my original review. The movie fails, not necessarily because I really do think these kids were influenced by video games, but because the movie sets it up as "random" and doesn't follow through. Let me clarify. In Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, you can see her claims about the police and being controlled by radio waves are ridiculous, yet she is so troubled, she really believes them to be true. The viewer can make the distinction however. In Zero Day, the 2 kids keep saying how they are not influenced by anything environmental, which is obviously false since everything they do contradicts this. Neo-nazism, talking about going on CNN with Wolf Blitzer (which is laughable not only because they know his name, but its a shameless attempt by the filmmaker to get coverage of his bad movie)..etc. This movie doesn't depict 'reality', it shows nothing but phoniness to prove a point. Unfortunately you fell for the bait and didn't see this, and you didn't pick up on it from my review either. The entire movie is just taking Michael Moore's hypothesis and applying it to something "real life" in hopes of validating and it fails, not necessarily because the hypothesis is wrong, but because the movie is wrong and doesn't support it. Of course I don't think kids that play video games are more likely to kill people, but if I'm not mistaken, didn't video tape exist of the Columbine kids (or some teen killers) shooting guns in the forest claiming how much they looked or acted like the weaponry in Doom? Hmmmmmmm, the distinction is kids are most likely aware of the media, influenced, but obviously balanced or intelligent enough that its not even an issue. Zero Day is a bad movie not because I really believe a correlation exists, but because the film maker doesn't know what hes trying to say, and the movie does more to disprove his point then support it. It's almost as if the new ratings given to video games made someone upset so they came up with 'Zero Day' in retaliation. If you want to see the 'mindless' teen killer theory pulled off right, go watch Bully.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the one movie to see if you are to wed or are a married couple. The movie portrais a couple in Italy and deals with such difficult topics as abortion, infidelity, juggling work and family.The so called "culture of death" that we are experiencing nowadays in the world is terrible and this movie will surely make you think.A must see. I hope it gets distributed as it should.Congratulations on the cast and director.Two thumbs up and a 10 star evaluation from me!$LABEL$ 1 +I absolutely adore the book written by Robin Klein, so I was very excited when I heard that a movie based on the book was in the making.But I was severely disappointed with the movie when I did see it because it didn't capture what I loved about the book - the absolutely ridiculously funny Erica and the interesting way in which she views the world.From the start of the movie, I realised that things weren't the same as I had imagined in the book. So, I just went along for the ride. It wasn't all that bad, I guess. Miss Belmont was totally different to what I had imagined her to be! I didn't think she would be one to smoke and drink - Jean Kittson, who plays her, is hilarious!On it's own, I thought the movie and it's actors/actresses in it did a good job, but alas, I'm such a fan of the book (one of my all time favourite books) that I couldn't help but feel disappointed =P$LABEL$ 0 +The biggest heroes, is one of the greatest movies ever. A good story, great actors and a brilliant ending is what makes this film the jumping start of the director Thomas Vinterberg's great carrier.$LABEL$ 1 +Sometimes a movie cannot easily be classified. Such a film is "Tank Girl", part cartoon, part comedy, and part action flick. I'm sure somewhere there is an audience for "Tank Girl', but it is extremely small, perhaps punk comic book readers. Most viewers will be looking for an early exit or living with the fast forward button. The only redeeming quality are short bursts of humor "find me a microscope and a pair of tweezers", but these tiny moments of comic relief are far outweighed by the sophomoric action sequences. There is no character development, which is not surprising, since the source is a comic book. Do yourself a favor and avoid, avoid, avoid. - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a huge fan of legendary director Elia Kazan . His movies often deal with people trying to overcome their weaknesses. Be it obsessive love in 'Splendor In the Grass, poverty in "A tree Grows in Brooklyn" or racism in "Gentlemen's Agreement." While looking for other movies made by Kazan, I stumbled across a movie that was based on a novel by Arthur Miller. The movie called "Focus" stars William H.Macy (who happens to be one of my favorite actors) and Laura Dern. It deals with anti-Semitism in a very realistic way. Macy's character seems to go along with the bigots in his neighborhood and on his job, until it affects him personally. That's the key here... the reason he acted wasn't because he knew it was wrong and he wanted to take a stand, he acted because he was now considered an outsider, and he began to experience the same looks, the same remarks, and the same brutally that Mr. Finklestein (David Pamyers)experienced .The movie is very well written and well acted. Meat Loaf does a awesome job of playing a dirt bag! Both Macy and Dern's performances are outstanding! It's easier in life to go along with, instead of going against. Sometimes in order for people to take a stand things have to impact their lives, or the lives of their loved ones...Only then will some find their moral compass.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a puzzle to me how this turd of a film ever got distribution.Sure, it's horror and there's a fair share of nudity, but by god, the production value is the lowest I've ever seen, the equipment used is worse than standard home equipment, everything is overlit, giving everything an amateurish look, bringing your thought to America's worst home video's or whatever that show was called..Please people, is it too much to ask that you actually do an effort when you expect to waste 90 minutes of peoples lives watching this? You really should have done some short projects first cause it's obvious you're a bunch of amateurs! 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I have to admit that when I first heard about the Apocalypse film it was a worry.I mean, they have a lot to live up to, don't they? When they first did a stage show they won the Perrier award and when they did radio they won a Sony award. When they ventured onto our telly's they won a Bafta award, a Royal Television Society Award and the Golden Rose of Montreux.When the first series aired in January 1999 it was mind-blowing! A real breath of fresh air in British Comedy, and when the second series aired a year later it built on that foundation and sealed the shows cult status around the world, our web stats show that we have received visitors from every single country on the planet! The 'Local show for Local People' showcased the Gents talent for live performance and opened doors for the gents to do more live performing such as 'Art' in the west end.The fans favourite has always been the Christmas Special, less of a sketch show and more a tribute to classic horror films yet still wrapped up in the delicious League style.And then of course there was the 'difficult' third series, still a hit with the loyal hardcore fans of course, but maybe a little bit ahead of its time for a mainstream TV audience.As I say, a lot to live up to.So now we have the film and...Well a film is different isn't it? It will be seen by much larger numbers than the radio or TV shows and with the third series in mind I was worried.Well as you know I was lucky enough to get to see the film yesterday at a press screening in London and all my doubts were blown away (literally) in the first few minutes! I am not going to give plot lines away as some reviewers have done, nor am I going to tell you the catch phrases (although there is really only one) but I will try to tell you what they have managed to achieve with this film! Leaving the cinema on Monday night I could only imagine writing 'Oh my god, it's brilliant, its amazing, its the best thing they have ever done, better than the first, second and specials all rolled into one!' Of course I owe my visitors a much better explanation than that! So, why is it brilliant? This is a film for everyone, the casual fan, the obsessive fan the occasional fan and even for someone who is sat in the wrong cinema! You don't have to have watched the series to enjoy this film; it works on so many levels.This film reminded me why I am a League of Gentlemen Fan! You can tell that filming was a true labour of love too; the attention to detail is incredible. The sets for the TV show were always detailed but I am going to have to watch the film again just to look at the background! The story moves at a swift pace, the action carrying us from Royston Vasey to the real world where we meet the 'Creators' who are of course the League themselves! Along the way we manage to bump into favourite characters from the show but always within the central story unlike the TV sketch show.I was glad that the film was dark in places, a little scary and a little strange...only fitting for The League of Gentlemen. The Gents also managed to get their revenge on the BBC censors, not as much slipping in the word 'Mongoloid' as screaming it from the roof tops! Some may think the Gents portrayal of themselves a little indulgent but that's the joke and with that comes my only worry, the in jokes I mention below may puzzle some viewers and they might come over a little too clever...but I shouldn't worry, there is always a poo joke waiting just around the corner and speaking of jokes, they come thick and fast, and in a mixture of clever references, wig jokes, bum jokes, visual jokes and cock gags! I haven't laughed out loud in a cinema since...well, I can't remember! The fans that have been 'with' the League since the beginning are rewarded with loads of 'in' jokes, some that work on two levels, a mainstream audience may laugh at a reference to a compact disc for one reason whilst fans of the Local show will laugh for another reason altogether! The cameos are genius! Peter Kay and Simon Pegg form the strangest double act you have ever seen, Simon getting one of the films biggest laughs just by making a noise! I was a little worried about the 1690's aspect of the film when I first heard about it but as a story within a story I was just getting into it when...but that would be telling! All I need to say is that it fits wonderfully and adds to the overall feel of the film! I am not a professional reviewer of films, so I am finding it difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed this film but for now I will just say that if the supposed benchmark for British Comedy films in recent years was the excellent 'Shaun of the Dead' then I am sorry but a new benchmark has just been set by the inventive, hilarious and sometimes a little scary...The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse.Jason Kenny 2005$LABEL$ 1 +I hate to throw out lines like this, but in this case I feel like I have to: the American remake of THE GRUDGE is by far the worst film I have seen in theaters in the last 5 years. There, I said it. And now that I have gotten that out of my system, please let me explain why."When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage, a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury." That is the premise of THE GRUDGE and I will admit it sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, the filmmakers take it no further. Those who encounter the "curse" are indeed consumed by its fury and that is all you get. You want more? Well too bad. Some critics and fans are pointing out that the sole purpose of THE GRUDGE is to scare you. The problem is that when there is no plot to speak of, creepy images and sounds can only go so far. Director Takashi Shimizu, pulling a George Sluizer and remaking his own original film(s), valiantly attempts to build atmosphere in the first hour – by repeating the same scene over and over and over and over. It pretty much unfolds like this:-person walks into house-something flashes by the camera and/or a strange sound is heard -person goes to investigate-sound starts to get loud-person sees a ghost-loud scream and/or cat screech-cut to blackBefore the audience is even given a hint of plot, this exact same scenario unfolds 5 times in the first hour. The first time was actually somewhat creepy. Each subsequent use became laughable as the film went on. By the time the end of the film rolled around, my friend and I were laughingly wondering if this scene would end "with a loud scream and a cut to black." We were never proved wrong.The film has no liner storyline, instead unfolding in a series of vignettes that leave the audience jumbled. I have no problem with non-linear storytelling when it is done right. The film jumps from time period to time period with no rhyme or reason. I haven't seen a movie in such a state since the opening of the theatrical version of HIGHLANDER 2. And this storytelling technique mars any sort of mystery that film could have possibly had. If you already know the ghosts have scared two characters to death, how is it shocking when their bodies are found in the attic? And why should we care when a detective tries to investigate the mysterious disappearances when we already know what happened to everyone?Obviously greenlit the second the American version of THE RING made $15 million its first weekend, THE GRUDGE is nothing but calculated imitation disguised as an actual movie. The scariest things about THE GRUDGE are that it made $40 million dollars its first weekend and some people consider it the "scariest movie ever made." I wonder what happens to those who get consumed by the fury of paying to see THE GRUDGE?$LABEL$ 0 +Vanaja (2006), written and directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli, is an extraordinary film from South India. Mamatha Bhukya plays 15-year-old Vanaja, who lives in a rural area with her loving but alcoholic father. If she is going to succeed in life, she will have to overcome the liabilities of low caste and poverty. I went to the film expecting the depiction of an wretched girl who is crushed by society. This isn't what "Vanaja" shows us. The young woman is attractive, intelligent, and ambitious. She won't accept her fate with tears or simple resignation. She wants to succeed, and it's never clear that she won't succeed, despite the odds. The acting that Mr. Domalpalli draws forth from his cast of amateurs is miraculous. Mamatha Bhukya is outstanding in the title role, and Urmila Dammannagari does an exceptional job as Mrs. Rama Devi, the wealthy landowner who is a formerly famous classical dancer.In the film Vanaja learns South Indian classical dance, as she did in real life. I couldn't tell how good Vanaja's dancing was by Indian standards, but the many dance scenes were spellbinding. (Don't think Bollywood--this is classical dance. It's also very different from ballet, because in ballet the dancer lifts her heels away from the floor. In Sound Indian dance, the heel is the primary contact point.)This is a movie that is not to be missed. It will work on DVD, but will be better on a theater screen because the dancing will be shown to better advantage. However, if DVD is your only option, then see it that way. Just be sure to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a bad, bad movie. I'm an actual fencer: trust me when I say that this film's pretension of accuracy is just that. This is especially true during that vile little scene when the fencers are combining footwork with 80's pop. The ending is predictable, and the movie is a bore from start to finish. Horrible.$LABEL$ 0 +Even though he only made his debut film in Australia and left for Great Britain and then America to continue his career, Australians will tell you that the greatest film star they ever produced was Errol Flynn. I'm not sure he ever even went back to Australia after his breakout success in Captain Blood. Still I attribute this film to the well known Aussie irreverence for trashing the reputation of one of their own.Part of the problem in telling Errol Flynn's life story was that he told enough tall tales in his life right up to the very end in his memoir, My Wicked Wicked Ways. I could see that a lot of the film was based on that and upon reading between the lines of that book.His mother's infidelity to his father was not written, but could have been inferred in reading My Wicked Wicked Ways. He didn't particularly like the woman, that is clear from a few sources. I wish the film had dealt more with his New Guinea adventures, that to me was the most interesting part of My Wicked Wicked Ways. As for his street fighting in the Depression, I tend to disbelieve that. Even if he had been successful at it, I guarantee that enough of that would have ruined his looks and he would never have had a career as a leading man.Still the folks down under seem to think the atmosphere of Sydney during the Depression was captured well and Guy Pearce is a charismatic Errol Flynn. American audiences know him best as the uptight, but honest Lieutenant Exley in LA Confidential which came out the same year as Flynn.But LA Confidential was a far better film.$LABEL$ 0 +It has been a tradition since my first VHS recorder for me to collect several of the incarnations of the old chestnut by Charles Dickens, and I taped this one and "Karroll's Christmas" this year. Fortunately, when this one was run on the Hallmark Channel at the unGodly hour of 3 AM, I was spared having to edit commercials from it. This was, however, it's only saving grace. The writing was excruciatingly dull with almost no clever scenes to save it from being anything more than a teeny-bopper soaper like Beverly Hills 90210. In this one, a good man who was cast aside for her celebrity seems the only logical explanation for her transformation into a Scrooge-like TV talk show hostess. It wasted Dinah Manoff who just plays bitch goddess to the other bitch goddess Tori Spelling (who, by the way, had more coats of paint on her face than some colonial houses) and Bill Shatner is perhaps one of the few fun things in this otherwise dreary adaptation. Some of the best opportunities are wasted like the entrances of the ghosts. Aunt Marla's entrance could have been spectacularly funny in the hands of a decent writer, but this Christmas turkey didn't have one, evidently.Tori Spelling may be a lovely person, but she has all the acting skill of a mannequin, and that makes for a bad show all by itself. Yes, it was good to see Gary Coleman work again, but the script gives him nothing to do really except roll his eyes and spout truly lame dialogue.And what is most infuriating was that the transformation from Scroogedom to Tori "sweet and light" is as convincing as a passionate conservative. Now, if anyone wants to write the ultimate Scrooge tale of a George Bush and Karl Rove, we might have a refreshing change from the usual bad Christmas Carol Clones.I suppose if you're a fan of Ms. Spelling and/or 90210, this might be your cup of Christmas cheer. I'd prefer a stiff shot of scotch and a cold beer to wash it down myself. This one I just may cast away before it is with me here for a long long time.God save us everyone!$LABEL$ 0 +Clouzot followed Le Corbeau, where no one knew who was penning the poison thus everyone was suspected, with another masterpiece, Quai des Orfevres four years later in which we know from the outset (or think we do) whodunnit. Top-billed Louis Jouvet doesn't appear for forty minutes by which time Clouzot has established a rich milieu of Music Hall, music publishers, etc and a fine cast of colourful characters; Angela Lansbury lookalike (Lansbury appeared in Woman of Paris that same year) Suzy Delair scores as the chanteuse whose desire to improve her lot inspires the jealousy of her husband/accompanist Bernard Blier who follows her to the home of an elderly letch only to find he is already dead. From here things go seriously wrong, his car is stolen before he leaves the premises so his pre-arranged alibi is out the window whilst meanwhile, unknown to him, his wife confesses to the murder to the photographer neighbour, a closet lesbian in love with her, who volunteers to return to the crime scene and retrieve Delair's scarf and as long as she's there,thoughtfully wipes her prints of the murder weapon, a champagne bottle. At this point investigator Jouvet gets involved and from then on it's a case of keeping the plates spinning in the air. Clouzot's output was relatively small but virtually all of it was, as Spencer Tracey said in another context, 'cherce', with Le Salaire de peur and Les Diaboliques still to come. In short this is a must for French cinema buffs.$LABEL$ 1 +My reaction to this remake of "The Italian Job" is probably hopelessly mixed up with the events occurring in my life when I saw it; This is the first movie I saw after I had just landed a job after 8 months of unemployment and going back to school for retraining. Money was still tight, but I no longer had to choose between seeing a movie in the theaters and paying bills (or eating lunch), and the sense of relief and gratitude I was feeling at the time was enormous. In consequence, my enjoyment of "Italian Job" was probably far out of proportion to its actual worth. Still, I picked it up used on DVD a few weeks ago and watched it again, and I still enjoyed it immensely. I have never seen the original (though I have heard it is an absolute classic), but its modern day counterpart is eminently watchable if you have a taste for modern day production values applied to older films plots and themes. What initially won me over to this movie was the soundtrack - IMO Don Davis writes some of the most supple, textured and aurally pleasing soundtracks around. IJ opens with a sly, witty, pulsing arrangement that combines strings, guitar harmonics, brush work and quiet moments - it won me over completely from the opening seconds. And the whole movie is like this - I haven't heard this kind of ringing, chiming, pulsing soundtrack music since Stewart Copeland left the Police and started doing soundtracks for movies like "Rumble Fish". There are at least a dozen irresistibly scored motifs in here, along with some pop song remakes that range from "all right" to "inspired". For people to whom the soundtrack is important, this movie is a delight. On to the movie: I can take or leave Mark Wahlberg, but he's okay here as the leading man, and the movie doesn't ask him to do anything he can't do well. He's the weakest "major" actor in the film, but that's because the rest of supporting cast is so strong, especially Donald Sutherland in a bit part. Mos Def, Jason Steadham, Ed Norton, Seth Green and Charlize Theron all turn in solid, fat-free performances. Norton seems to mostly be phoning it in (rumor has it that he didn't really want to be in the film), but he's still a natural even at 1/2 power. My one quibble with the casting and acting is with the character "Wrench", who seems to be a male model pretending to be an actor. His part seems to be shoehorned into the movie, and he has little chemistry with the rest of the cast (although you can blame some of that on the size of the part and the "late walk on" nature of the character). If I were a cynical sort,I would wonder who the actor slept with to get put into this movie in such a supernumerary role? Nah, never happen...Production values, camera work, stunts, plot...everything cooks along quite nicely and Gray and his production crew pull things together pretty seamlessly (with the exception of the "Wrench" character, see above). The dialog has a nice, light touch that rewards your indulgence, and there are several satisfying major and minor plot payoffs along the way. (My favorite moment - when Norton's character tells Wahlberg's character that he's just lost the element of surprise. Wahlberg proceeds to cold cock Norton with a right cross, and then asks him, "Were you surprised??" Hmmm, maybe you had to be there...) Of course the movie requires a certain level of "suspension of disbelief" to work, but if you just relax and go along with it (and don't think too hard about the mechanics of cracking a safe underwater, or the likelihood of anyone being able to successfully hack and manipulate LA traffic via a laptop, etc), you'll have a fun ride. "The Italian Job": it's lightweight summer fluff, but it's very good for what it is, and it doesn't try to be anything else. It isn't good enough for an "8" but I'd give it a "7.5".$LABEL$ 1 +"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" is nothing more than a New Age update of the "Pygmalion" / "My Fair Lady" story: A professor attempts to turn a common girl into an upper society woman. This time, however, instead of using language skills, the professor tries to do so by hypnotism and past life regression.You know a musical has problems when reviewers constantly mention the sets and the costumes before they mention the plot and the music. The songs are instantly forgettable. (No "Get Me to the Church on Time" here, I'm afraid.) And the plot goes nowhere. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, there is no "there" here. The characters wander through the story without ever getting from point A to point B. Professor Chabot claims several times that he will get to the root of Daisy's troubles, but he never seems to do so.All meaningful conflict is avoided. For instance, there comes a time when Chabot's university demands he either stop his research into reincarnation or resign his position. Now there is conflict! Will he give up his career for Daisy? Alas! Nothing comes of this development. A scene or two later the university changes its mind and tells Chabot to continue on with his work. So much for conflict.The talent was certainly assembled for this movie: Directed by Vincente Minnelli. Written, in part, by Alan Jay Lerner. A cast of Yves Montand, Bob Newhart and Jack Nicholson. And, oh yes, starring Barabara Striesand who was nearly at the top of her game at this point in her career.But it all falls flat. Lerner's attempt to reincarnate his greatest success, the previously mentioned "My Fair Lady," is as doomed to failure as Daisy's attempt to revive the greatness of her own past.If you enjoy movie musicals, there are far better choices than this.$LABEL$ 0 +In the Universal series of modern Sherlock Holmes stories with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEOPON is not one of the top films - although it is entertaining. I think the problem with it is that much of the film's "dueling" between Holmes and his nemesis Moriarty (here played by Lionel Atwill) seems to delay the actual point of the Professor's work.Moriarty appears in three of the Holmes films with Rathbone. In THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES he was played by George Zucco, who gave real relish to the love of villainy for its own sake to the role. For my money Zucco's performance as the Professor was the best of the three (there is even a brief moment of comedy in his performance, when he's disguised as the "Sergeant of Police" towards the end - like he's preparing to sing "A Policeman's Lot" from Gilbert & Sullivan). Next comes Mr. Atwill's performance here - more of that later. Finally there is Henry Daniell's intellectual Moriarty in SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE LADY IN GREEN. It's a typically cool, classy performance by Mr. Daniell, but his confrontations with Holmes seem to be a tedious bore to him. They keep him from completing the main plan. In the stories that the Professor pops up in, he really senses Holmes is a nemesis who will remain a danger as long as he is alive. Yet, because of the intellectual tennis match between him and Rathbone, Rathbone (in his autobiography) actually felt Daniell was the best of the film Moriartys.If Zucco captured the love of evil in the Professor, and Daniell seemed to demonstrate the tired Oxford Don (in the stories the Professor is a well regarded mathematician, whose volume on the binomial theorem had a "European vogue", and who wrote an intriguing book, THE DYNAMICS OF THE ASTEROID), Atwill demonstrates the Professor as pragmatic businessman. First of all, he's sold his services (apparently) to Nazi Germany. This is never gone into, but one presumes (as this is before the Nazis began to really collapse) he figures they will win the war. Secondly, he is not a fool. When Dr. Tobel (William Post Jr.) has shown he is a state of near physical collapse due to the torturing of Moriarty's gang, the Professor decides to kidnap one of the other scientists who are assisting Tobel, because he's as good a scientist as Tobel and would be able to put together the bomb site. I somehow can't quite see Zucco making such a sensible decision on the spot, and if Daniell had to make it, he would seem annoyed that there is yet another delay to his plans.By the way, one trick used in all the Holmes series regarding the Professor is how to rid the film of him. If you read the Holmes stories, Moriarty appears as the villain three times: in THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES' last story ("THE ADVENTURE OF THE FINAL PROBLEM"), in THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES' first story ("THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE") and the last of the four novels/novellas (THE VALLEY OF FEAR). It's amazing how much mileage the Professor got out of so few appearances (he is mentioned in two or three other stories as well - in passing). But because of his fate at the Reichenbach Falls in "THE FINAL PROBLEM" and "THE EMPTY HOUSE", we always see him fall to his death. Zucco falls off the White Tower on Tower Hill. Daniell (with more imagination) tries to flee Gregson and the police, but is shot as he jumps, and wounded fails to hold on to the wall of an adjacent building. Atwill (here it is not seen, but heard) seems to fall down a trap door he's planted in an escape tunnel). It is really tedious after awhile to see the Professor always fall in these films. One turns to the Gene Wilder comedy (admittedly a comedy) SHERLOCK HOLMES' SMARTER BROTHER, wherein Leo McKern is a wonderfully wacky and villainous Moriarty (complete, finally, with an Irish accent), who is not killed at the end, but just left mulling - in a rowboat - over how his careful schemes did not work out. I rather liked that better.The use of the "Dancing Men" code here, like the use of the "Devil's Foot Root" in DRESSED TO KILL, snags a part of a mystery from a short story. "THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN" appeared in THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, and deals with a client of Holmes whose wife has been getting weird, blood-curdling messages in this code. Charles Higham, in his biography THE ADVENTURES OF CONAN DOYLE suggests Sir Arthur may have picked up the code from a magazine game in the 1870s, but we really don't know. The code is basically one of letter substitutions for the figures of the dancing men. The story in the short story is dramatic, but deals with a triangle. The only innovation in the film is that Tobel makes a slight change that confuses both Holmes and Moriarty. The film will entertain, but I still think THE HOUSE OF FEAR, THE SCARLET CLAW, and SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH are better films.$LABEL$ 1 +Night of the Twisters is a very good film that has a good cast which includes Devon Sawa, Amos Crawley, John Schneider, Lori Hallier, Laura Bertram, David Ferry, Helen Hughes, Jhene Erwin, Alex Lastewka, Thomas Lastewka, Megan Kitchen, and Graham McPherson. The acting by all of these actors is very good. The special effects and thrills is really good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed very good. The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Devon Sawa, Amos Crawley, John Schneider, Lori Hallier, Laura Bertram, David Ferry, Helen Hughes, Jhene Erwin, the rest of the cast in the film, Action, Mystery, Thrillers, Dramas, and interesting films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!$LABEL$ 1 +Not only does this movie have a great title but quite simply is the greatest drama I have ever watched. The viewer is irrestiblely drawn into the movie involving 5 young men working together to try and overcome insumaintable odds, Sean Astin as Billy Tepper is brilliant along with great supporting roles from T.E.Russell, Wil Wheaton and Shawn Phelan, the guidance and leadership of Gosset's and Astins characters makes the movie so much better. As time goes on the movie keeps gathering momentum and its a dissapointment that none of the young actors made a name for themselves in the film industry after this wonderful movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This film's premise is so simple and obvious that only a Texas millionaire high on oil fumes and whiskey would have a problem understanding it if someone shouted it across the proverbial parking lot. In summary: the oil business is in cahoots with The Government (or Gummint if you prefer), the Gummint is in cahoots with Middle Eastern despots, and the CIA is a singular festering pool of double dealing sons-of-(insert word) willing to toe any line that comes their way. The only people that get done over are the good ones, like Mr Clooney ("Bob"). Oh, and terrorism is a result of the poverty which globalization creates when wicked multinationals stalk the world looking for a tasty takeover or three . That really fits to the profiles of the well-heeled 9/11 perpetrators.In Syriana this facile tissue of political half-truths and Hollywood holograms is stirred up in a repugnant vermicelli of story strands that twist, turn and whirl through the gloopy circumlocutions of their own insignificance until the poor viewer is left alone with the conclusion that: 1. the "director" (good joke) should never be let near a camera again 2. people like Clooney and Hurt might know how to act, but they sure don't know how to pick a script 3. if you want to see a film that deals with corruption in big business and the state, go and see Claude Chabrol's "L'ivresse du pouvoir", which is insightful, funny and brilliantly acted. Empty, doom-laden sententious piffle spun out to evening-ruining length.$LABEL$ 0 +A quick paced and entertaining noir set in Vienna just after W.W.11. Donald Buka is a refugee who can't find legal work because he does not have any papers. No papers means no work permit, which means no way to get a passport. He survives by driving a friend's cab at night. If he gets caught it means three months in jail. One night he picks up a fare at a big hotel and drives the man to an airline office. Buka takes the man's luggage in and returns to the car. There he finds his customer has acquired an unneeded hole in the back of his head. What to do? Call the police? Without a work permit they will put the grab on him real quick. No, he needs time to think this out. He drives to a secluded spot, empties the man's pockets and hides the body. He now has an American passport and plenty of cash! He drops by an underworld contact to have the passport photo changed. Now he just needs to go to the man's hotel and collect the man's plane ticket. His ticket to freedom! Needless to say that would be too simple. Waiting at the hotel is the dead man's mistress, Joan Camden. Camden is on the run from her rather nasty husband, Francis Lederer, Lederer is of course the swine who had bumped off the man in Buka's cab. Camden calls the police since she believes Buka has robbed her lover. Buka shows his new passport and manages to talk his way out of the mess. Camden breaks down when hubby Lederer shows up at the police station. Lederer convinces the police Camden has suffered a mental breakdown and she is released to him. She escapes again, finds Buka, and the two decide to flee the country together. Lederer again puts in an appearance and Buka must decide if helping Camden is worth his freedom. This film is much better than I'm making it sound. Buka is best known as the low-life cop killer in 1950's "Between Midnight and Dawn". The film was produced by actor Turhan Bey.$LABEL$ 1 +Eliza Dushku is a very talented and beautiful actress. She manages to be the rock-steady centre of "Tru Calling" but that's not enough to rescue her TV series from mediocrity. It's a real shame that a woman as attractive and talented as Dushku should go from a meaty supporting role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to this clunker. Unoriginal and desperately trying to be hip, "Tru Calling" fails to excite on any level above hormonal. The eponymous heroine spends a lot of her time running hither and yon across what must be a very small city, in order to avert the deaths of good-looking corpses-to-be that she's already met in the mortuary where she works. Despite all the running she does, she always arrives looking like she's just stepped out of a portable air-conditioned dressing room. In every episode, Eliza Dushku and the rest of the cast struggle to breath life into the bland, characterless screenplays but it's a pointless exercise. "Tru Calling" just lies on the slab, gazing lifelessly at the ceiling.$LABEL$ 0 +Pieced (edited) together from dead body parts (deleted scenes) from corpses (Anchorman), the Frankenstein Monster (Wake Up, Ron Burgundy) is definitely not a sight for sore eyes (something you'd ever want to watch twice.....maybe even once for that matter.)More often than not -the relativity of the scenes in WURB are made relevant by a third person narrator. Even more troubling is that the characters in WURB are inconsistent with the versions of themselves that we had at the end of Anchorman (in opening narration we're told WURB takes place shortly after the original.) At the end of Anchorman, Burgundy had grown since the start of the film and embraced having a hybrid co-anchorwoman/lover. In this film, he's back to his immature antics with prank phone calls to Veronica (quite clearly these are the more of the same scenes from the original Anchorman spliced in to WURB.) The part that makes this a movie, a continually evolving story, involves a bank-robbing clan without a cause called the Alarm Clock. These scenes are almost painful to sit through. This part was scrapped from the original scripts for Anchorman.The majority of other scenes involving our Channel 4 news team are clearly alternate/deleted takes on scenes from Anchorman. They go to the same party as in the original, the same original "group bitching about having a woman on the team" scene, and the same cat fashion show segment that Veronica had objections to reporting.Burgundy re-creates their first date with the drive-in spot overlooking San Diego and dinner at his favorite club, Tinos. Neither character make mention that they've been to the drive-in spot before and when Burgundy walks into Tinos with Veronica, he introduces it to her as though they've never been before. Oh, and they're wearing the same clothes as on their original date.Still, I have to give some credit to the filmmakers - even if WURB is nothing more than a clever way of presenting deleted scenes tied together with narration. Between the two Ron Burgundy stories - this is the weaker one. Looking back on it, it's quite a feat for Anchorman to have risen from the ashes of WURB. You stay classy, IMDb. Thanks for stopping by.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this pilot when it was first shown, and I'm sure countless "Spirit" fans hate it, because, like Batman, the Green Hornet etc., it took the character in the direction of "camp". But I evidently never got enough of Batman, because I thought it was entertaining, in some of the same ways as that show. There are two parts that stay with me. First, when Denny's partner has been fatally wounded, and he makes a dramatic speech about how he always stood for the law, and obeying the exact letter of it. Then, he says something like, "Boy, was I stupid!" Which is his way of telling Denny to become a vigilante instead, which he does (though the TV Batman kind). Then, there's the scene where he tries to seduce the villainess into letting him go by kissing her, but she isn't fooled, because he's too honest to kiss her convincingly ! This was a great example of "camp", that was also "underplayed", by both the actor and actress.$LABEL$ 1 +In this horrible attempt at a Blair Witch mockumentary, a bunch of people go to Africa to investigate a creature called the Half-Caste. It's pretty obvious that there was no script to speak of, and that everything was improvised. That can work if you have good actors, which this film didn't. This movie tries to gain points for originality by exploring a more obscure myth and an exotic culture. As a result, there are a lot of scenes out in the bush where characters do "quirky African stuff" like eating elephant dung. There is also some pretty good footage of lions eating (from a National Geographic perspective) but there's not a single scare in the whole movie. If you've seen Cannibal Holocaust or the Blair Witch Project, this movie will hold no surprises for you, and you can probably watch better lion footage on the Discovery Channel.Definitely a Half- Aste effort. A note to the filmmakers: guys, do us all a favor and next time save the "How I spent my African Vacation" home movie for your family and close friends. Nobody else wants to see it.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow! I caught this on IFC recently after I watched But Im A Cheerleader. Id never heard of this movie but the description sounded remotely interesting. I went in with low expectations and now I must say this is one of the best love stories ever in film. Robin Tunney does an excellent job portraying a person with tourettes. The relationship between the two and just the slightest details in the film are so acurate and believable. I usually hate "romance" and love films but this movie truly touched me. I so recommend this movie to anyone with the ability of vision.$LABEL$ 1 +This has to be creepiest, most twisted holiday film that I've ever clapped eyes on, and that's saying something. I know that the Mexican people have some odd ideas about religion, mixing up ancient Aztec beliefs with traditional Christian theology. But their Day of the Dead isn't half as scary as their take on Santa Claus.So..Santa isn't some jolly, fat red-suited alcoholic(take a look at those rosy cheeks sometime!). Rather, he's a skinny sociopathic pedophile living in Heaven(or the heavens, whichever), with a bunch of kids who work harder than the one's in Kathy Lee Gifford's sweat shops. They sing oh-so-cute traditional songs of their homelands while wearing clothing so stereotypical that i was surprised there wasn't a little African-American boy in black face singing 'Mammy'. This Santa is a Peeping Tom pervert who watches and listens to everything that everybody does from his 'eye in the sky'. This is so he can tell who's been naughty or nice(with an emphasis on those who are naughty, I'd bet).There's no Mrs. Claus, no elves(what does he need elves for when he's got child labor?) and the reindeer are mechanical wind-up toys! This floating freak show hovers on a cloud, presumably held up by its silver lining.Santa's nemesis is...the Devil?! What is this, Santa our Lord and Savior? Weird. Anyhoo, Satan sends one of his minions, a mincing, prancing devil named Pitch, to try to screw up Christmas. Let me get this straight-the forces of purest evil are trying to ruin a completely commercial and greed driven holiday? Seems kind of redundant, doesn't it?Pitch is totally ineffectual. He tries to talk some children into being bad, but doesn't have much luck. I was strongly struck by the storyline of the saintly little girl Lupe, who's family is very poor. All that she wants is a doll for Christmas, but he parents can't afford to buy her one(they spent all of their money on the cardboard that they built their house out of). So Pitch tries to encourage her to steal a doll. In reality, that's the only way that a girl that poor would ever get a doll, because being saintly and praying to God and holy Santa doesn't really work. But Lupe resists temptation and tells Pitch to get thee behind her, and so is rewarded by being given a doll so creepy looking that you just know that it's Chucky's sister.Along the way Pitch manages to get Santa stuck in a tree(uh-huh) from whence he's rescued by Merlin! Merlin? You have got to be kidding me! Since when do mythical Druidic figures appear in Christmas tales, or have anything to do with a Christian religion? And doesn't God disapprove of magic? They'd have been burning Merlin at the stake a few hundred years ago, not asking him to come to the rescue of one of God's Aspects(or that's what I assume Santa must be, to be going up against Satan). This movie is one long HUH? from start to finish, and it'll make you wonder if that eggnog you drank wasn't spiked or something. Probably it was, since this movie is like one long giant DT.$LABEL$ 0 +Begins better than it ends. Funny that the russian submarine crew outperforms all other actors. It's like those scenes where documentary shots...--- SPOILER PART ---- The message dechifered was contrary to the whole story. It just does not mesh.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is suppose to be a mysterious, serious thriller about a man looking for a missing girl. However, 30 minutes into the movie, it turns into a funny, unrealistic story with annoying characters and random scenes. I can't imagine anyone not laughing when Cage randomly Karate kicks that blonde girl or when he "bear" punches that old lady. The lines, characters, and acting are all poorly done from the get-go. I've always liked Nicolas Cage as an actor, but he has made some terrible movies this year; this being by far the worst one (yet...).I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch an intense story-gripping thriller. If you really want to enjoy this story, go rent the original. However, if you intend on watching it, get ready to laugh at some of the lines and end scenes rather than taking them seriously; that's the only way you enjoy this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Whoever made this nonsense completely missed the point. Jane is a silly comic strip to titillate without being sleazy.This giant mess tries to be funny and exciting but is just a shambles. There is not one decent performance in it..even the usually reliable Jasper Carrott is painfully unfunny.The American bloke whose name escapes me is just as rubbiush as he was in flash gordon.Maud Adams tries as a villianess but she is a bit long in the tooth for this type of thing. All of these things would not matter if the girl was sexy or funny or likable.She is not. Kirsten Holmes faded into obscurity after this and so much the better.I've flushed more entertaining things than this down the toilet. Avoid$LABEL$ 0 +There's something wonderful about the fact that a movie made in 1934 can be head and shoulders above every Tarzan movie that followed it, including the bloated and boring 1980s piece Greystoke. Once the viewer gets past the first three scenes, which are admittedly dull, Tarzan and his Mate takes off like a shot, offering non-stop action, humor, and romance. Maureen O'Sullivan is charming and beautiful as Jane and walks off with the movie. Weismuller is solid as well. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I know that the original Psycho was a classic and remaking it was a mistake, ESPECIALLY a shot-by-shot remake. I think that that has been more or less proven by the rest of the comments here. But there's far more wrong with this movie than just that.The first problem is the color. The original film was shot in black and white but, what few people realize is, the original was shot AFTER color film had been invented. The choice of black and white film was partially a budget concern, but it was also a stylistic choice of Hitchcock's. Now, this is not to say that the remake should have been redone in black and white, but the colors of this movie are all too wrong. The most predominant colors in the film are orange and green, particularly on Marion who is not supposed to be a flashy character. The bright colors make it look like a happy movie and, when horrific events take place in these color schemes, it looks like a cartoon more than anything and the audience is inclined to laugh rather than scream.The second problem is the lighting. This is a dark dark tale which should be highlighted by dim lighting, but this remake seemed not only to fail in this but seemed to go in the OPPOSITE direction. Most of the scenes are very brightly lit, even at times when it is illogical to do so because it's at NIGHT!Another obvious problem is Vince Vaughn's performance. Yes, he does pull off Norman Bate's awkwardness and madness quite well, I don't deny him that. But there is one element to the character that he failed to show: the softness. There should be a certain deceptive friendliness to the character, at least at first, which then fades away once we realize the truth about him. Beyond being a character trait of Norman Bates, this is a recognized character trait of ALL PSYCHOPATHS!!!!There are a few good aspects of this film. Some of the performances are great. As I said, Vince Vaughn came very close to pulling off a decent portrayal of Norman Bates. Viggo Mortensen and Juliane Moore were great together and their chemistry was very different from the characters in the original, which was a welcome change. Anne Heche may have been atrocious but, unlike Janet Leigh who was untruthfully advertised as one of the biggest stars of the film, Anne Heche was given last billing in the opening credits.I read on the cover of a copy of the Psycho novel that Gus Van Sant claimed this was not a remake of the Hitchcock film but rather a new adaptation of the original novel. I now wish that I had bought that book and saved the comment because, after seeing this film, that comment is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. There was no attempt in this film to disguise the fact that it was a rip off of the original, and it would be far more believable if Van Sant had tried to tell us that he was really a three ton ape from the planet Zafroomulax. So many shots were copied exactly without any actual thought as to why Hitchcock had composed the original shot in that way. Such as the scene in which Sam and Lila are talking while their faces are entirely covered in shadow. Hitchcock covered these actors' faces in shadow because he thought they were bad actors and wanted to hide their faces so nobody could see their awful performances, not because of any artistic or stylistic purpose.In other words, my review is about as pointless as the movie itself in that it replicates something that's already been said. Like everyone else here, I reccommend you don't waste your time on this film and get the original.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a deliriously colossal vulgar silly all star extravaganza revue of all the early talkie stars that Warner Bros could afford. ...and like most other rarely seen films actually made during the late 20s, an unforgettable opportunity to see and hear the genuine roaring twenties' exuberance and youthfulness put to song and dance. THE SHOW OF SHOWS is pretty gigantic. Vaudeville act after soliloquy after tap dance after acrobat after comedian after fan-dance after ukulele lunacy after Rin Tin Tin who introduces 'an oriental number'...(!)... and on and on it lumbers, grinning and squeaking away in fabulous gramophone quality Vitaphone sound. It is far too long, but among it's delirious delights are the awesome "Singin in the Bathtub" number created on a scale of which The QE2 architects would be proud...Beatrice Lillie lounging by a grand piano with some happiness boys amusingly warbling a witty ditty, Nick Lucas, and the never-ending grand finale in two color color...which is all set to the song LADY LUCK. . So keen are the tubby chorus line and leaping teenagers to en-ter-tain us that they almost kick themselves repeatedly in their own faces with glee and effort. Row after row of "Doll" characters hop past and some even emerge from the floor. I kid you not, there are even girls strapped to the crystal chandeliers, mummified with shiny gauze and chained up with pearl ropes, unable to move (for days, I imagine, during production) whilst this katzenjammer of toy-box athleticism twitch and spasm below to the Ukulele orchestra. Of course I loved it and had to watch this color finale over and over and then invite friends and family to the screen for weeks on end just to horrify and terrify them each separately and to roll about on the lounge in shrieking in delight at each and every exclamation of their startled reactions. And so should you...and rejoice that there was an era when this was created simply to entertain and thrill. It is all so demented.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie opens up with a long single shot of aisles in factory crammed with workers. My, what we've done to the planet you might think. I hope we get to see other things like this.That's very rare. When you're not looking at a horribly filmed angle of the narrator at a lecture hall, you're watching him set up his camera to take pictures in different locations. It'd be nice if chose areas that were more fitting with his topic but he doesn't. So, then you'll hear some more narration, watch a few pictures go by and watch him set up his camera. Why not use the filming camera to show more of the landscapes instead? It really kills any sense of pacing and paints the guy as more of vain jerk.I could read tips on how someone set up their camera, fast forward through this whole movie and waste a lot less time.$LABEL$ 0 +A stunningly beautiful Charlotte Lewis stars as a woman who is terrorized by a ghosts who torment her on the phone.Driven to the edge in terror Charlotte is forced to confront this chilling mystery in order to save her sanity and her life.I can't believe that Ruggero Deodato,the director behind "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale","Cannibal Holocaust" and "House on the Edge of the Park" directed this absurd piece of trash.Admittedly the music by Goblin front man Claudio Simonetti is pretty good,but the story is painfully stupid.The script by Franco Ferrini is ridiculous and it makes no sense,the acting is bad and there is absolutely no suspense.The scene in which a prospective rapist of Charlotte Lewis is killed by coins ejected from a subway telephone is more than laughable.Don't waste your time with this piece of crap.There are far better Italian horror movies out there!$LABEL$ 0 +No bullets, no secret agents, a story that is entertaining, funny, and believable. Met some of the producers/actors in this film at the theater. They seemed as interesting in person as their characters on screen. You may not hear about this movie on TV with high-dollar ad spots, but it is definitely worth checking out. I have spent $8 for a movie ticket on a lot of other movies that weren't this entertaining. Looking forward to future projects by this production company.$LABEL$ 1 +I have read many comments on this site criticizing The Blob for being cheesy and or campy. The movie has been faulted for amateurish acting and weak special effects. What would you expect from a group of folks whose only experience has been in the production of low budget, locally produced (Valley Forge PA) Christian Shorts. Let me tell those overly critical reviewers that this film never took itself all that serious. That fact should be evident from the mismatched theme music complete with silly lyrics played over the opening credits. For what it was meant to be, this film is excellent. I have seen a few of the recent ultra low budget attempts, Blair Witch Project was one of them, that have absolutely no entertainment value or intelligent thought behind their plot. BWP was pure excrement. The Blob, on the other hand, was well thought out, well scripted, and thoroughly entertaining. The scene where the old man comes across the meteorite and pokes the mass contained within with a stick was excellently done and genuinely creepy. The scene in the doctor's office with the Blob slowly moving under the blanket on the gurney while it consumed the old man was a cinematic horror masterpiece. Bottom line is, I love this movie. I challenge anyone out there to take $120,000.00, inflated for today's dollar value, and make a film anywhere near as entertaining and or as successful as the Blob. It just can't be done. PERIOD! Thank you for taking time to read this review.$LABEL$ 1 +Poor Basil Rathbone, an egotistical composer who's lost his muse. He's been faking it for some time, buying his lyrics and his music from various sources. Trouble is that two of the sources (Bing Crosby music) and (Mary Martin words) happen to meet and fall in love. And then they discover what they've been doing. Complications ensue, but all is righted at the end.Crosby and Martin sing terrifically. Mary had signed a Paramount contract and also at the same time doubled as a regular on Crosby's Kraft Music Hall Radio Show. For reasons I don't understand, movie audiences didn't take to her, so she went back to Broadway and did One Touch of Venus in 1944 and stayed there.Basil Rathbone in one of the few times he played comedy does it very well. His ego is constantly being deflated by sidekick Oscar Levant and again I'm surprised they didn't do more films together.As in most of Crosby's Paramount vehicles, no big production numbers, but I agree with the previous reviewer about the title tune being done as an impromptu jam session in a pawn shop. Good job by all.A surprisingly original plot and great entertainment.$LABEL$ 1 +Naach A more detailed review can be obtained anywhere else in the web. This one is a good portrayal, although I do not agree with it entirely. Taran is a commercial guy and hence views from his angle only.Ram Gopal Varma (RGV, seems like a political party) has created a marvel in Rangeela, so this one seems like a pale reflection of that one in some parts... I'm not even going to compare Urmila and Anthara.. both are good! The former has better acting talent, although the latter is catching up nicely.Anyways, I like Anthara's character. She is true to her art, not touched by any unnecessary emotion and definitely not too practical. She is a dance scientist, actually she is so sure of her theories that even comparing her to a scientist would offend her. Hey.. Donald Trump.. maybe you gotta ditch Melania, here is Anthara and you've already built a Taj Mahal... ain't this easy? Abhishek on the other hand is a practical fellow, who wants money, power, fame, etc. Hence these two albeit were struggling to get a break into the film industry, cannot get along, given their different styles and approach to life. This is very typical, but what I like about the movie is that it says what an Abhimaan would say in its total runtime, in one scene! What's new? This movie takes a different angle to the film industry and how different people get into it. There is always something different about RGV's movies, this one is different too, it is way too slow for his standards. In parts, it drags one almost to sleep.Noticeable It is tough to notice anything other than Anthara in the first half of the movie. I think this skin show was necessary for the dance sequences involved :-) Also, looks like Anthara is a pro in Yoga, she is way too flexible, almost like a Prabhu Devi. Aby Baby is improving as an actor with every movie. I am sure his filmstar blood is paying off rich dividends. The title song was really good, the music overall was above average.$LABEL$ 0 +I had the chance to watch Blind Spot in Barcelona and I enjoyed it tremendously. I thought it to be one of the most captivating movies that I'd seen for a long time. One of the best points of the film was to meet new fresh faces and great actors behind them in unexpectedly and brilliantly filmed great locations. The three heroes share a chemistry on screen that runs all across the film making it so thrilling. They are set on outstanding landscapes spotted by such an original eye (the DOP's work is just great) that makes you feel like you are discovering them for the first time. The mood of the desert floods everywhere and even the scenes filmed in the streets of Los Angeles or San Francisaco seem to be a natural extension of it. The story rides you smoothly through all these beautiful settings to lead you to a bitter-sweet ending, being the perfect climax for this perfect journey. The construction of the film itself is a master craft. The skilled use of innovative resources (like stills stitching Danny's memories into the film) will compare to those hand-made pieces of work so rare and so enjoyable. Blind Spot achieves to capture the essence of the desert taking you to an universal common ground where anyone of us can feel being both discoverer and native.$LABEL$ 1 +On rare occasions a film comes along that has the power to expand the mind, warm the heart and touch the very soul. "LOU" is such a film. I got "LOU" from my wife who got it from a neighbor who is in the film business. She watched it for a second time with me. We were both enthralled. Her as if for the first time again."LOU" is a magical piece designed to send you back to the moment at which all of your dramas started taking place. It does this while being relentlessly entertaining. Bret Carr's acting and pacing as a director do not let you look away from the screen. He crafts a character which disarms with a bugs bunny like, stuttering innocence, but warmly carried with such underplayed sincerity that you forget you're watching a movie. When the epiphany hits during the brilliant climax, I saw my wife in tears for the second time.As a life coach, I facilitate individual growth and transformation, and this film is a "must see" for life coaches and anyone seeking their own personal growth and transformation. It is a brilliant, creative masterpiece with the power to change lives!$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely the worst film yet by Burton, who seems to be getting worse with each film he directs. A miserable script loaded with cliches is only the first of many objectionable aspects to this film. This is the kind of movie where every time something happens, you'll be sure to hear someone shout out "he's lost his gun!" or whatever it is to let everybody know. Carter is really awful and so is Wahlberg, who can't play this straight and be convincing. Very nice effects and photography, but poor music in the John Williams mold by Burton's crony Elfman. Heston appears in a nonsensichal scene to spout out his most famous catch-phrases from the first movie. Very poor results.If anyone else out there also saw "Sleepy Hollow", they will probably have noticed, as I have, the declining quality of Burton's films. I've heard that this particular project was produced by others and that Burton was brought in as director, in which case his judgement should be questioned. But I think he has allowed any possible vision he might have had earlier in his career to slip; the evidence is there in the films. In "Sleepy Hollow", he couldn't decide what kind of movie he was making, whether it was a comedy or a real horror movie, and the population of british character actors (Chris Lee, etc.) made you also think it was kind of a monster rally film (those are never scary, as horror fans know). The movie couldn't succeed on either horror or comedy because it was so schizophrenic, and no style had been developed to smooth the two together. "Planet of the Apes" is much the same way, and the result comes off more like "Total Recall" or "Tango and Cash" than like sci-fi. He's also fallen into the rut of so many other "big" directors of trying to satisfy the entire possible audience. Word to Burton, if you're out there -- pick something and do it straight, or use some style to peice it all together (as in "Mars Attacks" or "Beetlejuice") or you might as well retire, because people like me that are fans of your movies will stop going.$LABEL$ 0 +...the opportunity it gave me to look at Ireland's past was invaluable.I had the benefit of seeing this with my Mother who hailed from Cork, and in watching, we talked and I learned a lot from her about how things were back then.Stuff like how Deasy and Co. was a Cork soft drinks company; how rain truly could destroy a harvest; how farmers used to have to collect the crop; how in dance halls the women and men did really have to stand along opposite walls before the men walked forward and asked the woman to dance; about the bellows that kept the fire going; how priests really did call out the list of church donators and their donations and a bit about the currency back then (which my Dad helped by showing me a case displaying the pence, shillings and crowns that were used back then (which were legal tender in England also)).I didn't pay that much attention to how good the movie was, but I was very grateful in having this opportunity to look back on a period of time that for some is Irish History, but for others including some of our parents and grandparents, is just their childhood.$LABEL$ 1 +Eight academy nominations? It's beyond belief. I can only think it was a very bad year - even by Hollywood standards. With Huston as director and Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as leads I probably would have swallowed the bait and watched this anyway, but the Oscar nominations really sold it to me, and I feel distinctly cheated as a result.So it's a black comedy is it? Can anyone tell me where the humour is in Prizzi's Honor? It's certainly tasteless (the shooting in the head of a policeman's wife is but another supposedly comic interlude in this intended farce about mafia life) but with the exception of a joke about 'your favourite Mexican cigars' (which I imagine is an old joke for Americans who have been officially forbidden from buying anything Cuban for the last 50 years) I failed to spot anything of a comic nature - and I did try. There is a lot of Mafia cliché but cliché doesn't constitute humour in my book.Is it a romantic comedy of sorts? Never. The characters and their relationships are so completely incredible and shallow that they are on a par with Ben Afleck and Jennifer Lopez in Gigli.Is it a cleverly devised parody about the Mafia? Not in a million years. The plot is just pointlessly absurd rather than comically absurd, and it usually just has the feel of a really bad (and cheap) Mafia movie. It feels more like a homage than a parody.With one-dimensional characters and little in the way of humour written for them, the actors are left doing dodgy accents and pulling faces. Well it isn't enough; even when the face is being pulled by that master of the comic facial expression, Jack Nicholson (repleat with puffed up top lip ... now is that meant to be a parody of Brando's padded jowls in The Godfather?... Oh! Who cares?... all I know is, it isn't funny).Throw in some slow, plodding direction (this film drags on for 2 hours), some hopelessly daft and clichéd dialogue such as; "You remember the Camora? Well we're far bigger, we'll track you down wherever you go", and clichéd mannerisms and you'll be reaching for that fast forward button before you can say "capiche?". Prizzi's Honor is far from being Huston's "masterpiece" and is rather a very poor last work. It's definitely one work in the great director's canon that should be given a concrete overcoat and tossed into the Hudson River.$LABEL$ 0 +"Talk Radio" is my favorite Oliver Stone movie, though he has made many great ones including "Salvador", "JFK", "Natural Born Killers" and "Platoon". But I like the intimacy of "Talk Radio", a cinematic expansion of Eric Bogosian's searing stage play that was based on a real life account of a Dallas talk show host. Working with ace cinematographer Robert Richardson, Stone turns what could have been a very set-bound exercise into a visually arresting ideological battle that presents a radio station as an arena of war. Bogosian is devastating as tortured on-air spouter of abuse Barry Champlain and conveys the conflicted, destructive nature of his character with conviction and a generous dose of self-loathing. Alec Baldwin, as his Alpha male boss, strikes the perfect note as a man driven nuts by a guy whose monstrousness he helped nurture. Ellen Greene is fantastic as Barry's sweet ex-wife who ends up becoming another target of his vicious personal vitriol. Stone and Bogosian fill every frame with interest and every line of dialog with sweet poison and cutting ambiguity. John C. McGinley, as Barry's long-suffering screener/technical producer Stu, turns in a hilarious, sharp performance, as does the great Michael Wincott. The film is a flawless, underrated masterpiece of superb writing, awesome acting and brutal, uncompromising direction. The Stewart Copeland score is brilliant, too.$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe you shouldn't compare, but Wild Style and Style Wars are original Hip Hop. Beat Street does have a lot of the original artists of early Hip Hop, but they've been obviously made clear that this could be their big break, of course for some it was and that's nice. But if you view this as original Hip Hop Culture you're wrong. It's overproduced and has a Hollywood sauce. Rather look for the first two movies i mentioned. They have convey the grittiness that comes with life in the ghetto. Yes, the rating for this movie is low, but the reviews are mostly positive or even raving. This is probably because although the story, the acting, the dialogues and the direction all are dreadful, the music and dancing is what the people love about it. Me, i do love the dancing but at the time thought that electro was the death of Hip Hop (i was so glad when round '86 a new generation of now classic Hip Hop artists appeared, like Krs One, Public Enemy, Ultramagnetic Mc's, Jungle Brothers, Bizmarkie to name a few), and i still don't like most of the beats in this movie and that is why it doesn't work for me. I mean, Wild Style has not much of a story but the music there is great and authentic. Of course tastes differ and that's alright. But as far as i'm concerned, this movie is trash except for the break dancing and some of the music and so i can't rate it higher than a 4 out of ten.$LABEL$ 0 +Cypher is a clever, effective and eerie film that delivers. Its good premise is presented well and it has its content delivered in an effective manner but also in a way the genre demands. Although one could immediately label the film a science fiction, there is a little more to it. It has it's obvious science fiction traits but the film resembles more of a noir/detective feel than anything else which really adds to the story.The film, overall, plays out like it's some kind of nightmare; thus building and retaining a good atmosphere. We're never sure of what exactly is going on, we're never certain why certain things that are happening actually are and we're not entirely sure of certain people, similar to having a dream – the ambiguity reigns over us all – hero included and I haven't seen this pulled off in such a manner in a film before, bar Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Going with the eeriness stated earlier, Cypher presents itself with elements of horror as well as detective, noir and science fiction giving the feeling that there's something in there for everyone and it integrates its elements well.There is also an espionage feeling to the film that aids the detective side of the story. The mystery surrounding just about everyone is disturbing to say the least and I find the fact that the character of Rita Foster (Liu), who is supposed to resemble a femme fatale, can be seen as less of a threat to that of everything else happening around the hero: People whom appear as friends actually aren't, people who say they're helping are actually using and those that appear harmless enough are actually deadlier than they look. Despite a lot of switching things around, twisting the plot several times and following orders that are put across in a way to make them seem that the world will end if they're not carried out; the one thing that seems the most dangerous is any romantic link or connection with Lucy Liu's character – and she's trying to help out(!) The film maintains that feeling of two sides battling a war of espionage, spying and keeping one up on its employees and opponents. The whole thing plays out like some sort of mini-Cold war; something that resembles the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. in their war of word's heyday and it really pulls through given the black, bleak, often CGI littered screen that I was glued to. What was also rather interesting and was a nice added touch was the travel insert shot of certain American states made to resemble computer microchips as our hero flies to and from his stated destinations – significant then how the more he acts on his and Foster's own motivation this sequence disappears because he's breaking away from the computerised, repetitive, controlled life that he's being told to live and is branching out.Cyhper is very consistent in its content and has all the elements of a good film. To say it resembles the first Jason Bourne film, only set in the sci-fi genre, isn't cutting it enough slack but you can see the similarities; despite them both being released in the same year. Like I mentioned earlier, there feels like there is something in this film for everyone and if you can look past the rather disappointing ending that a few people may successfully predict, you will find yourself enjoying this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I believe they were telling the truth the whole time..U cant trust anything in the wild... They family went through hell.Those poor boys too young to understand what was going on around them. But still having to deal with the rumours. As well as dealing with the lose of their little sister. I cant believe this case went on for so long.seems like the jury couldn't see the truth, even if it bit them on the ass.I feel for this family, and if i could let them know i hate what has happened to them, i would.I have no idea what they went through, i cant even imagine it. After watching this movie, i was in tears, and had to check on my little girl in bed...I think everyone should watch this.$LABEL$ 1 +I clicked onto the Encore Mystery channel to wait for the movie I wanted to see, Island of Dr. Moreau. I caught only a few minutes of Shadow Conspiracy. An old man runs to meet Charlie and grabs him by the arm. Suddenly, an Assassin in a bright rain coat taps the old man in the head (with a side arm) from across the street. After waiting for "C" to turn around and look, the "A" tries to shoot "C" and clearly misses. "C" was a much easier target, the old man couldn't have run far. Duh! There is a chase and "C" is on an elevator "A" is on the roof, so he tries to shoot the cable, which is parallel to the "A". He hits and severs the cable, impossible. Later, this time with a specialized rifle, the "A" lines up on "C" from maybe 50 meters, but is to stupid to notice a motorcycle coming up and taps the rider instead. How does Charlie get his parts? Does Daddy go to the producers and say "Look, my kid needs work..." It reminds me of his stupid Sit - Com. All the actors are good except, yup ... you got it. I usually have to endue 2 or 3 minutes of that waiting for C.S.I. to come on. Let's see, what can I do for the next hour. I know, I'll trim my toenails! Much better use of my time.$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone who worked on this film did an AMAZING job. This is honestly one of the best lesbian films I've seen in a LONG time. The acting, writing, cinematography, music, visuals, everything was top notch. As an avid fan of the genre (both lesbian films and gymnastics), I was so unbelievably pleased by this film. It truly gave me so much more than I expected across the board. Hearing the Q&A with the cast and crew was great, the lead actress has so much positive energy and is so humble and gracious, it's a pleasure to see people who can be talented and not lose sight of what's really important. And the writer did a hell of a job, as well as directing and the editing was awesome. Thanks so much for making a great film! Thanks also for the line about 'if you're going to slap a label on yourself, it would be bisexual'. I'm so tired of movies where characters who have a relationship with both sexes get passed off as gay or straight, it's wonderful to see bisexuals getting recognition for existing and being part of the gay community, and it was nice that labels weren't even necessary at all in this film. What an ending! Just when I thought it couldn't give me more, it did. Beautiful work and my applauds to all. I will spread the word, this is definitely a film not to be missed!$LABEL$ 1 +It is clear this film's value far supersedes the cost with which the format (mini-dv) implies. In fact, the filmmaker embraces the format and incorporates it so craftily into the storyline that I forgot the fact that I was not seeing the typical 35 millimeter film. It has the core appeal of indie movies like Clerks & the work of Robert Rodriguez combined with a fantastic "new take" on the romantic comedy genre. "This Is Not A Film" is an honest film with honest portrayals and, it is a superbly paced narrative. There is not one point in this film where I felt a scene could have (or should have) been omitted. On the contrary, the director pulls amazing performances out of truly gifted actors and does so in extremely confining circumstances. From page to screen, this film is a worthy and relevant story that hits on so many levels (creative, technical or otherwise). I highly recommend it for all who enjoy cinema or those looking for a little charm in an otherwise devoid of charm medium.$LABEL$ 1 +Savage Guns (video title) is a dirt cheap, bottom of the barrel spaghetti western in which the survivor of a massacre hunts the bandits who killed his brother and left him for dead, catching up with them in a town controlled by their crooked boss.Despite plenty of violence, this manages to be both dull and colorless with bad characterizations and almost no imagination or humor.Lead actor Robert Woods lives up to his name with a wooden and uncharismatic performance that fails to generate any warmth or sympathy whatsoever. In other words, the viewer never really roots for him despite the fact that he's the protagonist.The worst scene (in my opinion) is the annoying dance hall scene where a woman sings in a heavy and terribly unsexy German accent. It was the worst scene in Blazing Saddles and the worst one here!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw Heartland when it was first released in 1980 and I have just seen it again. It improves with age. Heartland is not just for lovers of "indie" films. At a time when most American films are little more than cynical attempts to make money with CGI, pyrotechnics, and/or vulgarity, Heartland holds up as a slice of American history. It is also a reminder of how spoiled most of us modern, urbanized Americans are.Nothing in this film is overstated or stagey. No one declaims any Hollywood movie speeches. The actors really inhabit their roles. This really feels like a "small" film but really it is bigger than most multizillion-dollar Hollywood productions.The film is based on the lives of real people. In 1910, Elinore Randall (Conchata Ferrell, who has never done anything better than this), a widow with a 7-year-old daughter Jerrine (Megan Folsom), is living in Denver but wants more opportunities. She advertises for a position as housekeeper. The ad is answered by Clyde Stewart (Rip Torn, one of our most under-appreciated actors), a Scots-born rancher, himself a widower, with a homestead outside of Burnt Fork, Wyoming. Elinore accepts the position (seven dollars a week!) and moves up to Wyoming with her daughter. She and her daughter move into Stewart's tiny house on the property. It is rolling, treeless rangeland, a place of endless vistas where the silence is broken only by the sounds made by these people and their animals. It's guaranteed to make a person feel small. The three characters go for long periods without seeing another human soul. What is worse, Stewart turns out to be taciturn to the point of being almost silent. "I can't talk to the man," Elinore complains to Grandma Landauer. "You'd better learn before winter," replies Grandma. Grandma (Lilia Skala) is one of the only two other characters who are seen more than fleetingly. She came out to Wyoming from Germany with her husband many years before and runs her ranch alone now that she is also widowed. Grandma is their nearest neighbor (and the local midwife) and still she lives ten miles away! The other supporting character is Jack the hired hand (Barry Primus).Elinore's routine (and her employer's) is one of endless, backbreaking labor, where there are no modern conveniences and where everything must be made, fixed or done by hand. This is the real meat of the film: Watching the ordinary life of these ranchers as they struggle against nature to wrest a living from the land. But despite the constant toil and fatigue, Elinore is always looking for other opportunities. She learns that the tract adjacent to Stewart's is unclaimed. Impulsively, she files a claim on the property (twelve dollars, or almost two weeks' pay!), meaning that if she lives on it (and she must actually live there) and works it for ten years, she will get the deed to it. Naturally, Stewart learns what she has done. With merciless logic, he points out that with no money, no livestock, no credit, and no assets, she has no chance of succeeding. He then offers a solution: He proposes marriage. The stunned Elinore realizes that this is the only real alternative, and accepts.We think that Stewart's proposal is purely Machiavellian---he wants the land and the free labor---but we see that, in fact, he is genuinely fond of Elinore, and they grow together as a couple. She becomes pregnant; she goes into labor in the middle of a midwinter blizzard; Clyde travels for hours on horseback through the storm the ten miles to Grandma's and the ten miles back, only to announce that Grandma wasn't there. This is more like real life than is pleasant, folks. Elinore has the baby all by herself, with no help whatsoever. Their son is still an infant when he gets sick and dies. They lose half their livestock to the vicious winter. They struggle on. The last sequence in the film is supposed to be optimistic: The birth of a calf. Clyde calls Elinore urgently to help him deliver the calf. Instead of being head first, the calf is in a footling breech presentation. He and Elinore must physically pull the calf out of the birth canal. There is no CGI, animatronics, trickery, fakery or special effects: What you see is what happened, folks: A calf is born on a bed of straw in a wooden barn by lamplight. With that, the film does not so much end as simply stop, leaving the viewer unsatisfied, but after a while you appreciate the film as a whole, not just for its ending.This little gem rewards patience and thoughtfulness. It will be watchable long after most of the films of the last generation have long been forgotten.$LABEL$ 1 +If you like the excitement of a good submarine drama and the fun of a good comedy, then this film comes highly recommended. Kelsey Grammer gives an excellent performance here.The film also gives you something to think about the next time a serious sub movie asks for 'silent running'....$LABEL$ 1 +The murder of the Red Comyn in Grayfriars Abbey was a long way from one of the most horrendous things ever done in the Scottish War of Independence and fights (and killing) in churches wasn't unusual at all. Not that much later Robert Bruces wife, daughter, two of his sisters were captured during a fight in a church in which people were killed. And comparing it to the massacre of Berwick in which the English slaughtered at least 8000 non-combatants (some, yes, in churches) is ridiculous.That said this is not a well-made movie. It is slightly antidote to the absolutely RIDICULOUS sniveling representation of Robert Bruce in Braveheart. Whatever Bruce was, it wasn't a wuss.Too bad that they didn't do a better job of this because someone should make a really GOOD movie of a war that is so amazing that it sounds like something someone made up going from complete defeat at the Battle of Methven to a secret return from hiding to a long guerrilla war to Bannockburn. This isn't it though. Poorly made and to a large extent poorly written and acted. Too bad!$LABEL$ 0 +This weird movie from Texas is about Fallon, a dilettante rich boy in the late 1800s (although he looks like a 60s C&W singer with greasy hair and sideburns) whose ship wrecks on an island owned by Count DeSade (pronounced de-sayd) with his captain. The count is afraid of pirates and tortures a young girl who was once a pirate hostage and also tortures the captain. Meanwhile, creepy former nurse Cassandra tells Fallon the secrets of the castle. The Countess has leprosy and went mad! Fallon is trapped but brings supplies. The captain is killed by a racist-caricature slave. Fallon is thrown in the dungeon with the leper, who always thinks it's her wedding day. The leper bride is horny, bu Cassandra kills her. Fallon and Cassandra escape the castle, but the Count and his slave chase them with dogs. DeSade kills the slave and Fallon kills DeSade. Fallon and Cassandra fall in love over the course of the next year, but when the supply ship comes, the crew refuses to take our lovers because they're both lepers now. They live for years in the castle...Fallon's hair turns gray and Cassandra goes bonkers. Fallon puts her in the dungeon. Our tale of love and leprosy ends.So bizarre it's watchable, and you can smell the drive-in popcorn.$LABEL$ 0 +Busy is so amazing! I just loved every word she has ever done- freaks and geeks, Dawson's creek, white chicks, the smokers. after the first time i saw home room i went and got it the next day. i am a big fan of her and she has a lot of fans here in Israel. if someone hasn't saw is excellent movie than don't waist more time and go see it now. i recommend to all of you to see all of her movies. i saw busy in the late night show with Conan and she was so beautiful and cute i just love her! everybody who saw the movie- in home room she looks very scary but in real life she is so beautiful! you have to see all her half nude pictures for stuff magazine (maxim) she looks so good there! ~DANIELLE~$LABEL$ 1 +Sniper gives a true new meaning to war movies. I remember movies about Vietnam or WWII, lots of firing, everybody dies, bam bam. "Sniper" takes war to a new level or refinement. The movie certainly conveys all of the emotions it aims for - The helplessness of humans in the jungle, the hatred and eventual trust between Beckett and Miller, and the rush of the moment when they pull the trigger. A seemingly low-budget film makes up for every flaw with action, suspense, and thrill, because when it comes down to it, it's just one shot, one kill.$LABEL$ 1 +This is probably one of the worst movies ever made. Bad acting, bad special effects, bad plot, bad everything. In the last 15 minutes a cat suited-cyborg is introduced which muddles everything. Malcom MacDowell must have needed to make a house payment because otherwise he would have had to sell himself on Hollywood Blvd to pay the bill. I just don"t know how you can go from Clockwork Orange to this crap and be able to look yourself in the mirror each morning. I could have done better special effects in my bathtub. There's no continuity. The editor must have been asleep or on drugs its so bad. Acting. Do they have to smoke to be bad.? The gun either shoots blue flames or bullets, make up your mind. The bad girl and the other girl in the movie look so much alike that it is confusing. Whay is it called 2013 Seadly Wake. It has nothing to do with the movie$LABEL$ 0 +I thought Choke had potential, but I thought it could have been a much better film. It had some interesting twists and turns, but some of them seemed kind of pointless. When showing background on the two main characters, some of that really seemed to go awry. Most of it was sort of useless and didn't help the movie at all. This was also not Dennis Hopper's finest hour. However, the main saving grace of this movie for me was Michael Madsen. His performance was excellent. In this movie, he almost makes Mr. Blonde look like a nice guy. All in all, it was watchable. Still, I was left thinking some things could have been done differently. These things would have made the movie much better, in my opinion.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is great. As often heard, it is indeed very realistic and sometimes brutal, but unlike some other people I am clearly not of the opinion that it is depressing, negativistic or dismantling Austria as a proto-fascist society. Quite the contrary: While there are indeed some very heavy scenes in HUNDSTAGE and some characters are to be called very bad persons, at the same time you watch love, beauty and humor in Ulrich Seidls film. And that's exactly what distinguishes HUNDSTAGE for me from other films that try to show the lives of the 'ordinary people' in an intense, realistic way; their hustle, their wishes, their dark sides: Seidl clearly never tries to prove, that the lives of the working-class people are trash! In my opinion, viewers who come to this conclusion seem to be very afraid of admitting, that nearly nobody's live is as 'clean' and 'normal' as we would like other people to believe. And that every live has its dark and often depressing sides. The most beautiful scene: The old Viennese man, watching his old girl dancing 'the oriental way', as he is calling it. I think everybody who finds this scene ugly lacks a sense of beauty and should ask themselves what it is, that's proto-fascist: The characters in HUNDSTAGE or viewers, who are turned off by the body of a 70+ year old woman, dancing with all her charms for her lover.$LABEL$ 1 +Unlike the other spaghetti Westerns, this one has characters that almost make sense, and can be identified to some degree. It still has the goofy gunplay of other spaghettis Westerns. A spaghetti, by the way, is another word for a Western with no plot, no characters you can care about, and goofy gunplay that doesn't make a bit of sense for the era, and relying on great music to make audiences feel something. This one is more lighthearted, like the ones that Bud Spencer and Terence Hill made together. They, too, were superior to the junk made by Eastwood and others, which sado-masochists make their friends watch, if they get a chance. It looks like everyone had a lot of fun making the movie, too. It was good to see a giant actor like Gilbert Roland, who wasn't even mentioned on the movie rental box, yet who was clearly the biggest name. His character was very enjoyable. There is a three way standoff at the end, which is much superior to the one it spoofs (The Good the Bad and the Ugly), simply because the characters are at least a bit likable and a bit identifiable. Not a good movie, but has a bit of fun to it.$LABEL$ 0 +The people at ABC forgot to do their biographical research... so many scenes were just plain wrong! The actor playing JPII was very rigid, there was no personality there. It is very very obvious that this movie was on the bottom of the programming totem poll, the move is so low budget. The script is terrible. Conversations like: "You must follow the rules" "No, the people are starving." Lame. Plus, the movie was jumping like crazy from event to event in order to fit it into the two hours. Terrible! A better use of your time would be to watch a PBS documentary on JPII. Also, CBS put out a miniseries on JPII that is better than ABC by far. JPII was a wonderful man, and it bothers me to think that my grandkids might get a hold of this ABC movie and think that THAT is what he was really like!$LABEL$ 0 +It is hard to screw up this story. GREAT book / GOOD Film version from Fred Zinneman, yet this film is AWFUL! First the casting was terrible. Richard Gere should of played the Jackal himself as Edward Fox was a similar type of cypher and they didn't need to mess with the original script by adding so much worthless (expensive) fluff. This film reminded me of so many Bruce Willis films, as you see huge expense with NOTHING cinematic to show for it. (It is his "Conspiracy Theory") It takes some real doing to make a film this bad from such a fine original script. EVERY person from Michael Caton Jones down should be banned from making films for 10 years; such is the insult this film is to real filmmakers. Were Hollywood to go on trial for having no idea what they were doing, this film would be Exhibit A. Shame on you ALL!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has some of the most awesome cars I've ever seen in a movie, and definitely the hottest women, but I would have to say it is still one of the worst movies I've ever seen.Here is the plot, and if you read it with a little inflection, you have the acting as well.Beginning, bring in characters, hot woman singing (obvious lip sync). Music agent or producer comes in, thinks that she is awesome asks her to race. She turns down, too many bad memories. Flash to war hero, back from war, has several fights, and becomes movie hero with attitude that he is better than everyone. Drive off in fast exotic car. Brother races, then dies. Hero to avenge death, cut away to getting weapons from friend. (You have never seen this friend before or after, but seems to really care about him) Are you sure you want to do this; Yes; I mean are you really sure; Yes, give me weapons; are you REALLY sure; Yes; OK, I guess I can't talk you out of it, be careful man, I love you.Now he goes to blow up his uncles house who owned the car his brother drove. Finds woman, decides to rescue her, She drives off, and he doesn't finish killing his uncle. Now there will be a race to finish the movie. Oh yeah, need to throw in one more scene with bad people coming in to beat up people that don't really matter, but maybe it adds a little plot. Race is not even that exciting, of course it ends with two cars racing, and one that should win throws in a surprise ending.OK, I just saved you $7.00. You can send all of your money to me, because I should have given you the same amount of enjoyment as this movie does. Don't get me wrong, the cars are awesome, and Nadija is beautiful, but it is truly an awful movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay... for the most part, and all its cheesiness, this movie was actually pretty good for an MST3K flick... but then they decided to ruin what little goodness it had about fifteen minutes before the ending. *SPOILER ALERT* The film is very basic... a rich mama's boy named Danny meets a bum named Bix, and the two of them travel to a small town, where Bix meets a pretty girl named Carrie (who is so very.) Now, this film's basic premise seemed promising enough. All they needed to do was follow the simple chemistry of any romance movie... Carrie loves Bix... Bix loves Carrie... a creepy guy in town lusts for Carrie... Now, I know what you're thinking... Bix fights the creep and ultimately decides to settle down with Carrie, and Danny returns home, and they all live happily ever after... right? WRONG!! Because Carrie gets murdered by the town creep, because Bix is too gay to commit. (There are so many homosexual undertones between Danny and Bix.) And then, the whole town decides to lynch Bix, even though the town creep would've easily been the prime suspect. Then, the town creep confesses to killing Carrie without much hesitation... (must've felt bad, the poor dope.) Then, Danny brings Bix home with him... that's the film's "happily ever after." Sad, huh? All I can say is, thank God for Joel and the Bots. Because they turned this horse hockey into one of my favorite MST3K episodes.$LABEL$ 0 +If you enjoy seeing what must have started as a 2 hour movie in unconnected bursts of unwatchability, you'll love this film. Otherwise, you'll just wonder how they could have made such a film from something so simple to translate to the big screen as Inspector Gadget.In the previews for the film, many scenes were shown which were not in the film, and within the film, some scenes just don't make sense. While the movie is slightly less than 1 hour and a half, I can only think of one truly memorable moment, and that is just before or during the credits!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a great compendium of interviews and excerpts form the films of the late sixties and early 70s that were a counter movement to the big Studio Films of the late sixties. Directed by Ted Demme, it is obviously a labor of love of the films of the period, but it gives short shrift to the masterpieces of the times.Many of the filmmakers of this period were influenced by Truffaut, Antonioni, Fellini, Bergman, and of course John Cassavetes. Unfortunately the documentary logging in at 138 minutes is too short! The film is rich with interviews and opinions of filmmakers. Some of the people interviewed are: Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, Robert Altman, Peter Bogdonovich, Ellen Burstyn, and Roger Corman, Bruce Dern, Sydney Pollack, Dennis Hopper, and Jon Voight.Bruce Dern has a moment of truth when he says that he and Jack Nicholson may not have been as good looking as the other stars that came before them but they were "interesting". This summarizes the other areas of this period of film-making in American history.The filmmakers were dealing with a lack of funding from the Studios because they were expressing unconventional attitudes about politics, sex, drugs, gender and race issues, and Americas involvement in overseas conflicts like the Vietnam War.There is a great interview with Francis Coppola saying that he got the chance to make "The Conversation" because the producers knew he had been trained by Roger Corman to make a movie with nothing so they bankrolled his film.Another interview is with Jon Voight who was directed by Hal Ashby in "Coming Home" a clear anti-war film about a crippled soldier immersing himself back into society after his facing battle. Voight talks about how his working methods helped him achieve an emotional telling point when Ashby said that they were doing a "rehearsal" take and it ended up being the take used in the film- it was better because it was so un-rehearsed and not drained of its freshness by being over-rehearsed.There are also many fine excerpts from Al Pacino's break-through film "The Panic in Needle Park", and interviews from Dennis Hopper on the making of "Easy Rider", and interviews from Sydney Pollack about making films.All in all the documentary is a fine jumping off point for any film lover who wants to see great examples of what the new voices in film were like in the Seventies. Many of the Sundance Folks, where this film made a big splash, are unaware of just how much the Independent Film Maker today owes to the films of John Cassavetes, Milos Foreman, William Friedkin, and Roger Corman.Rent it from your favorite shop. It will at least perk you up to some films you may not have seen before and can enjoy today. Amazon.com has it for as little as $11.50, if you want to buy right out.$LABEL$ 1 +I just do not see what is so bad about this movie. I loved this movie! I thought this movie was the best film in the series. Though part 3 is the best in the series,I still gave this film 10 out of 10 because it is great. I don't see what everyone hates this movie. Who would not want to see just a little bit of critter action. I wished that Brad Brown would of appeared in this one because it might of made it a little better. Those who like a little bit of drama because...wait I won't tell you,you will just have to watch it. This film also contains a few popular actors who are...(I won't tell you because I hate it when people give spoilers so I do not want to be one of those people). Well I guess that is all I have to say about this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is like "The Breakfast Club" meets "Mad City." It's got one plot twist after another with Justin Walker, Corey Feldman, and James Remar delivering really great performances. However, this movie is not for everyone. If you don't like movies that "go all the way" with regards to violence, then don't watch the last twenty minutes. My wife had to leave the room. Of course, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. This is a really gritty, realistic teen drama. I can't believe it came from B-Movie king Roger Corman. This film is a must-see for those who are not faint of heart. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +One used to say, concerning Nathaniel Hawthorne, that his failures were more interesting than his successes. I believe that the same remark could suit to McDonald-Eddy's pictures. And especially this one. It apparently possesses many characteristics of a failed movie: it's kitsch, the script, because of censorship, sounds inconsistent… Yet, this movie gets also some good points: good Rodgers-Hart's music ("I married an angel", "Tira tira tira la"), good acting with E.E.Horton and Reginald Owen. Anyway, if you may dislike it, you can't forget it. This strange movie actually leaves a very strong, dreamlike, impression, and you are very likely to keep it in mind for days, maybe for weeks. Why? In the thirties and the beginning of the forties, movies didn't have the same mean than today: it aimed, like a dream, to divert the public in order to make it forget a difficult reality. Of all the the dream-movies that was made, in that time, this one stands as particularly powerful.In short, let's say that the better way to appreciate this movie, is to watch it without wondering whether it's good or bad. To watch it, like you would watch a dream.$LABEL$ 1 +It sounds a bit awkward to call a film about war and holocaust shocking since many of us will know only too well of the horrors that war and violence brings. By using the adjective 'shocking' I do not intend to imply that I am surprised about the things told about in this film or that I was formerly unaware of them, it is just that I am very much impressed by the way in which this film shows how crazy and incomprehensibly horrific it is to kill each other off, either with or without a 'reason'.The first part of the film focuses on Hanna's successful participation in the Hungarian resistance. Maruschka Detmers would never have won an Oscar for this performance, due to inconsistent directing, but still her acting is solid enough and she has enormous charisma. She is cast very well as Hanna and immediately has our sympathy. Her very beautiful looks help, of course, but that has nothing to do with her being simply a good actress, playing a good part.Certain inconsistencies keep occurring in Hanna's War. I sometimes get the idea director Menahem Golan (often despised for The Gianni Versace Murder) was in a rush and should actually have allowed a few more takes per scene. On the other hand, I am very thankful he made this impressive and thought-provoking film and as I am very positive about it, I think he did a good job.The second half of the film is the most interesting and tragic one. It focuses on Hanna's suffering (beware of Donald Pleasence's scary portrayal of the cruel and sardonic captain Rosza) and intensely shows the injustice and horror that comes with hate and violence and war. I receive Hanna's War, especially the second half, as a strong anti-war film and for that alone Golan deserves credit. It is also this second half in which Maruschka Detmer's talent comes out, creating a character which goes into film history as one of the most speaking, strong and tragic ever portrayed. It is also great to see Ellen Burstyn, whose appearance and acting style always remind me of Romy Schneider, who -had she been alive and cast- would have made a similar effective contribution to Hanna's War.The tragic impact of the second half and the desperate tension which is sometimes replaced by hopeful prospects and good news lead to a number of final scenes which show something so unexpected, so moving and poetic in its tragedy that it hit me like a bomb and left me in tears. And when I realized once more it wasn't even fiction, it all actually happened, I found myself in even more tears. The image of Hanna portrayed by Maruschka Detmers will be in my mind forever.$LABEL$ 1 +I was fortunate to attend the London premier of this film. While I am not at all a fan of British drama, I did find myself deeply moved by the characters and the BAD CHOICES they made. I was in tears by the end of the film. Every scene was mesmerizing. The attention to detail and the excellent acting was quite impressive.I would have to agree with some of the other comments here which question why all these women were throwing themselves at such a despicable character.*******SPOLIER ALERT******** I was also hoping that Dylan would have been killed by William when he had the chance! ****END SPOILER*****Keira Knightley did a great job and radiate beauty and innocence from the screen, but it was Sienna Miller's performance that was truly Oscar worthy.I am sure this production will be nominated for other awards.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film under the title of "Tied Up". In general I have enjoyed Dolph's movies, so gave this one a try. It wasn't worth it. I have read some of the previous comments about the box enticing viewers. Don't be fooled. This is a poor film at best. The acting is nonexistent. The plot, what little there is of one, is very predictable. The movie in places seems to be chopped together. This one just plain stinks the place up. Not even worth the price of a cheap night rental. As a bit of a Dolph fan, I kept waiting to see him in action. By the end of the movie, you will still be waiting. Best to avoid this film, and spend your time watching almost anything else.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an atrocious movie. Two demented young women seduce and torture a middle aged man. There's not much to give away in regards to a plot or a "spoiler". I would only comment that the ending is nearly the most preposterous part of the flick. Much of the film involves Locke and Camp cackling obnoxiously, all the while grinning psychotically at the camera. Add to this a soundtrack that repeats again and again, including a vaudevillian song about "dear old dad" that suggests an incestuous quality the viewer never really sees. The music is annoying at first, then ends up subjecting the viewer to a torture worse than that depicted on the screen. The theme here is of youth run amok, understandable as a reaction to the '60s, but done with little imagination or style. Avoid it!$LABEL$ 0 +I have read the book and I must say that this movie stays true to form. I think this is the beginning of the psychological thrillers in the same genre of Psycho. Cristina Raines gives an excellent performance as the lead, and Burgess Meredith gives an excellent supporting actor as the next-door neighbor. I have seen this movie at least twice and I think that I am going to buy both the book and the movie for my collection. The suspense just keeps building up to the climatic end, the twist you will never see coming. If you like movies like Signs and The Village, the Sentinel will be a classic prelude. Also, what is interesting is the actors in the movie-you would not recognize them if you did not read the credits. The late Jerry Orbach is great as the commercial director and Jeff Goldblum is excellent as the photographer. Also there is Beverly D'Angelo, who is underrated but great.$LABEL$ 1 +For a danish movie, I have to say, that this is very good movie.It's in a class of its own, yet it has an international potential.The movie has a big budget, and is starring famous danish actors, and a few newcomers, who play very well. It can be watched by anyone who like adventures, and a little bit of 'ghost' movie.Don't be afraid, be thrilled!$LABEL$ 1 +I figure the company that made this movie wanted people to think of the Conan movies, but unfortunately for the ones who made this one it does just that. You will be thinking, man the Conan movies were pretty cool...this one is totally boring and sucks. The story, who cares? It isn't going to help you like this movie more or less as it just seems like a really cheap film. Arnold, doesn't look like he belongs in this one, why he agreed to play the role is beyond me. Well probably for the money. I just love the monster in the water that turns out to be a machine. Lame! This movie is just plain and simply terrible.$LABEL$ 0 +Jonathan Demme's directorial debut for Roger Corman's legendary exploitation outfit New World Pictures rates highly as one of the finest chicks-in-chains 70's grindhouse classics to ever grace celluloid. Beauteous Russ Meyer starlet Eric ("Vixen," "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls") Gavin gives a robust, winning performance as a brassy, resilient new fish who does her best to persevere in a grimy, hellish penitentiary. The always fabulous Barbara Steele offers a deliciously wicked portrayal as the mean, crippled, sexually frustrated warden (her erotic dream about doing a slow, steamy striptease in front of the lady inmates is a real dilly). Longtime favorite 70's B-movie actress Roberta ("The Arousers," "Unholy Rollers") Collins delivers a hilariously raunchy and endearing turn as a cheerfully forward, foul-mouthed kleptomaniac felon who tells a gut-busting dirty joke about Pinnochio. Lynda Gold (a.k.a. Crystin Sinclaire of Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" and Curtis Harrington's "Ruby") makes her lively film debut as uninhibited wildcat Crazy Alice. And the ever-cuddly Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith does a lovely, touching reprise of her fragile frightened innocent role from "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural." Although this picture does deliver the expected ample amount of coarse language, nudity, rape and violence, it's still by no means a typically crass and sexist piece of lurid mindless filth; the movie very effectively explores the many ways in which men cruelly exploit women and strongly asserts the pro-feminist notion that women can overcome any obstacles if they band together into a group so they can bravely face their misogynistic oppressors as one mighty fighting force. Demme's zesty, confidant direction comes through with a glorious abundance of astutely observed incidental details and delightful moments of engagingly quirky human behavior. Furthermore, both Tak Fujimoto's vibrant cinematography and John Cale's marvelously dolorous oddball blues score are 100% on the money excellent. Patrick Wright (Sheriff Mack in the uproariously awful cheap-rubber-monster-suit creature feature howler "Track of the Moonbeast") has a sidesplitting bit as a jerky cop who has his car stolen by a trio of prison escapees when he stops at a gas station to use the bathroom. Lively, rousing and immensely enjoyable, "Caged Heat" qualifies as absolutely essential viewing for 70's drive-in movie fans.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a Belgian and grew up in the sixties. Most of the US series were shown over here (original language with subtitles) and Batman was one of the first I was keen on. Unfortunately over here it caused a "panic hysteria" amongst the mothers because Batman was considered as too violent. Geez, compare the innocence of that series to the crap kids get to see nowadays. So because of my the over-protective mothers from the 60s I only got a chance to see maybe two or three episodes ! I got so frustrated I started to collect the comics and bubblegum cards (still got them !) to compensate. I even got the View Master slides... I had an urge to see the caped crusader. All kids need some kind of hero.Years later I finally got the chance to see the re-runs as an adolescent and I enjoyed it tremendously. The tongue-in-cheek acting would have escaped me when I would've watched it as a kid, but I understood it at the age of 17. Yeah, I've watched them all now and the occasional kind soul on the internet posts episodes because they haven't released the series on DVD (to my knowledge)This evening I enjoyed "Return to the bat cave"... it was a delight to watch because it was full of trivia and inside-jokes. To see Adam and Burt was a delight and this TV movie is simply fantastic in every aspect. They play themselves as they played their parts in the series.Congratulations to the people who produced this great nostalgic "feast"... I'm gonna watch it again. My advice to all Batman fans is: SEE IT !!! Rent it !!! Lend it from a friend !!! Buy it !!! I'd never expect myself to rate this as 9/10... Very well done !$LABEL$ 1 +I can understand those who dislike this movie cause of a lack of knowledge.First of all, those girls are not Geisha, but brothel tenants, and one that don't know the difference will not understand half of the movie, and certainly not the end. This is a complete art work about the women's life and needs in this era. Everything is important, and certainly the way they dress, all over the movie means more than words. To those who thought it was a boring geisha movie, I'll suggest you to read a bit about this society before making a conclusion that is so out of the reality. This is Kurosawa's work of is life, and I'm sure that the director understood the silent meaning of Kurosawa's piece to the right intellectual range.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a masterpiece. It was exhilarating from beginning to end. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's story about a porn star is told with style, grace, humor, even poignancy. The actors and the characters they play are all first-rate, including Mark Wahlberg in the lead, who proves himself a solid actor and can carry a film. Burt Reynolds gives perhaps his best performance ever as a porno director who discovers Wahlberg. The film recreates the late 70s and early 80s with dead-on accuracy, from the disco scene that begins the film to Wahlberg's Don Johnson "Miami Vice" outfit that he wears in the final scene. Most regular moviegoers who see this film will no doubt compare it to PULP FICTION, but it really has much more in common with the films of Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese. The film is a triumph in style. The opening tracking shot that begins the film is just as impressive as the ones in THE PLAYER and ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS. The editing by Dylan Tichenor is simply phenomenal. I couldn't believe the editing didn't receive an Oscar nomination (GOOD WILL HUNTING was a better edited film?!). The best scene in the film has to be the one with the firecrackers. I had butterflies in my stomach because the scene is incredibly intense. When I saw the film a second time, I had the exact same reaction to the scene. Unfortunately, it may not have the same impact on TV as it did in a theater with good stereo sound. It's a shame that many people didn't see this movie during its theatrical run, because it is the best way to watch it. Anderson's use of widescreen will suffer on TV (so get the DVD or a letterbox tape). It is amazing how easy Anderson makes it all look, because this is only his second film. The music, sets, costumes, photography, offbeat characters, sex, violence, happiness and heartbreak are captured by a guy who is clearly in love with filmmaking.$LABEL$ 1 +A brutally depressing script and some fine low-key performances by Peter Strauss and Pamela Reed and some good location shooting in Ohio power this fine TV movie about hard times in the rustbelt. As the mills close and the union jobs disappear, the blue-collar workers are threatened by everyone: management, owners, their wives and children. Strauss is completely believable in his role, and Pamela Reed is, as always, wonderful. See if you can recognize John Goodman before he put on weight.The heavy metal score -- was someone making a pun? -- is, at times, obtrusively annoying, but the cinematography by Frank Stanley is knockout, particularly the mill scenes.$LABEL$ 1 +The Old Mill Pond is more of a tribute to the African-American entertainers of the '30s than any denigration of the entire race (Stepin Fetchit caricature notwithstanding). Besides who I just mentioned, there's also frog or fish versions of Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Joesphine Baker, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and Louis Armstrong. This Happy Harmonies cartoon from Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising is very entertaining musically with perfect characterizations all around. They all sound so much like the real thing that half of me thinks they could possibly be. If not, they're certainly very flattering impersonations. Even the lazy, shiftless Fetchit characterization gets an exciting workout here when he gets chased by a tiger as "Hold That Tiger" plays on the score. Highly recommended for fans of '30s animation and jazz music.$LABEL$ 1 +There are so many things wrong with this movie I don't even know where to begin. The story is not cohesive AT ALL. I guarantee that five minutes into the movie the average viewer will be scratching his/her head in confusion.Here's what I remember of the movie before I was bored into unconsciousness: A quasi-abusive dad chases some pre-teen sisters through a house but turns out to be not that abusive after all. In the next scene, the girls are about 15. They're driving with their parents and hit a deer. The deer must have been explosive because their car blows up, one sister drags the other from the burning wreckage. Then, the girls are drifting in a boat on a lake and make a huge plan to go to Kentucky (??) and start a new life. In the very next scene, the girls are hitchhiking toward a military base. And what a military base it is. Actually, it's more like a hog farm converted to look like a military base with plenty of confused extras playing "soldiers." The base commander's office is particularly awesome because there are random things like an AK-47 hanging on the wall and a drill sergeant hat mounted to a plaque (????) so the audience is sure to know that this is a military guy's office. Then some random dude pushing a motorcycle shows up and the base commander orders him to go "into town" to buy some porn mags, and to make sure the soldiers don't think that he's on the "pink team." So our character takes a pickup converted to look like an army truck "to town" and loads up a box from a nondescript "book store" with a blowup doll by the front door. The girls hide in the guy's truck when he stops to gas up, and look through the porn stash to find items inside like the "anal invader." I guess that's enough of the plot to scare most people away. Plot aside, the sound quality is terrible and the movie is full of cheesy attempts at symbolism, like a radio preacher talking about forbidden fruit during the scene where the "slutty" sister meets the main character for the first time, or how the camera lingers way too long on certain shots to try to convey a "message".If you ever see this for sale or rent or whatever, stay away. It's not worth the money in either case.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not sure what intrigues me about this movie so. It is grainy, poorly written, bleached out, often ridiculous, and at many points mind numbingly dull (the person I was watching it with fell asleep twice.) And yet there is something in this film that fascinates me, though I am not sure what; perhaps the character of Sam, an enormous former patient who was lobotimized by the former head doctor and who is perpetually sucking on an ice pop), or the marvelously played head doctor (I forget her name).Anyway, watch it and form you're own opinion; it has one of the greatest endings I have seen in film.$LABEL$ 1 +Throughout watching "End of Days", I got the sense that the film makers were perhaps trying to make this unique to the average Hollywood action film. They failed, of course, but you have to give them credit for trying. Peter Hyams actually tried directing this time, instead of just churning out another flat action film. He attempted to inject atmosphere into the movie by darkening the lights and adding tons of blood. This method can work if used correctly (see "Se7en") but here it just feels like a cheap trick to try and scare us. Hyams is a decent action director, and offers nothing more here than basic shoot outs and fight scenes, except for the lackluster, sub par f/x end "battle". As a photographer, Hyams demonstrates actual ability, displaying some good frame work and movement, but it is nothing above solid work.Screenwriter Andrew Marlowe is the film's greatest enemy. At parts, the script actually shows the makings of good religious thriller, and at times it even shows some quasi-intellectual thought (the Temptation scene between Arnold and Gabriel Byrne), but these small pluses are choked out by a river of negatives. Generic dialogue/characters, gapping plot holes, and convenient plot points that just happen to point all the characters in the right direction are just a few of the standard Hollywood black holes Marlowe's screenplay falls into. The shadow of the good movie it could have been faded very quickly.The film surprisingly has a good cast. Arnold, still possessing that larger than life attitude, tries to play a depressed, on the edge cop with no more than average results. Stick to be the invincible hero Arnie, it's what your good at. Gabriel Byrne is the strong point of the ensemble, bringing a nice air of cynicism to the role of Satan. In a villainous role ripe for overacting, Byrne restrains himself and it adds a bit more menace to the character. Kevin Pollak, as normal, is able to bring at least a few chuckles to the movie, but he's done better. Also look for a stellar small role from Rod Steiger.Hyams looked like he was trying to separate this from the faceless mass of Hollywood action films. He was heading in the right direction, but had neither the script or originality to take it there.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This is a really sad, and touching movie! It deals with the subject of child abuse. It's really sad, but mostly a true story, because it happens everyday. Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello play the two children or Lorraine Bracco, a single mother who just tries to make a home for them. While living with her parents, a man, who likes to be called "The King" comes into their life. He hits the youngest boy, Bobby, but the two brothers vow not to tell their mother. But finally she finds out, after the Bobby is hurt badly. The end kind of ruined it for me, because it is so totally unbelievable. But, except for that, I love the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I was surprised at how fascinating this movie was. The performances were extremely good, especially by Rea as the compassionate no-nonsense detective.Despite a low budget, no big FX or flashy camerawork, Citizen X somehow manages to surpass the majority of similar big Hollywood films by just. Telling. The. Story.True stories tend to end with a whimper rather than a bang, and that's the case here, but apart from that, this is a highly recommended detective yarn.$LABEL$ 1 +I know that in this episode there's other stuff apart from what I am going to discuss, and in fact I think it has some virtues; for example, the fact, after we had been given a very negative opinion of Jin from seeing Sun's flashbacks in "House of the Rising Sun", we get to see Jin's side of things and get a new, more balanced understanding of his life.But there is an element in this story that made me so deeply uncomfortable that it greatly dampened my enjoyment of the whole episode. Before now, in the scene where Jin appeared with blood on his hands and shirt, it had been hinted that Sun's father was someone who was getting rich through shady, illegal methods. I thought maybe he was a mob boss, even; mobs operate in Korea, just like in almost every other country in the world, so it was a reasonable possibility. However, in this episode we learn that Sun's father is in fact the boss (or a top executive) of a Korean automotive company, and that what Jin had been doing was physically attacking a government official (who was actually going to be murdered) on his behalf.I may be especially touchy about this because I happen to work in the automotive industry, but I would say it is SPECTACULARLY offensive and racist to even suggest that this kind of thing goes on in Korea; that huge, serious companies like Hyundai or Kia (which must be the model for this fictitious car company, as they are the only ones that actually exist in reality) operate with these mafia-like methods, instead of like any normal automotive company of the West. it is just unbelievable to me that the writers would have the gall to write something like that into the story, and that there hasn't been an uproar in Korea over it. It feels like extraneous "Buy American!" propaganda, portraying foreign car companies as criminal, untrustworthy, third-world outfits.$LABEL$ 0 +Heya Denver fans! The animation is a cartoon's classic & one of my favorite too (and yes, it was broadcast in Europe as well. Including my tiny central-European country, Slovenia! =:) Oh, how I miss the 80's cartoons!! Honestly, they were way better than today's children shows. More imaginative, creative, full of fun with good morals, more substance, great storyline and excellent character voices. Computer animated shows of today lack all of these features. So all of you, who agree and want to bring back all the shows so that the kids of today's generation would see the entertainment that these cartoons brought to us, please log on the side posted bellow and sign a petition for a rerun of the 80's best cartoons! http://www.thepetitionsite.com /1/we-want-an-80s-child-cartoon-kids-show-channelCarpe Denver! =) Lejla$LABEL$ 1 +Recap: The morning after his bachelor party Paul is woken by his mother-in-law-to-be and discovers that there is a woman sleeping beside him. Unfortunately its a waitress from the bar, and not his fiancée. And suddenly she turns up everywhere... the toll booth at the freeway and at his parent-in-laws dinner. And it is hard to keep a secret when her jealous ex-boyfriend had him followed and photographed. It is not only about saving his wedding... it is about survival.Comments: Actually much better than expected. Not the sweet romantic comedy I expected, but something much funnier, something with a little edge. This movie wasn't afraid to take the jokes a little further. And Jason Lee does now how to deliver comedy, especially when his character is half-panicked and deep in trouble, as he is here. And he got nice support from beautiful ladies Julia Stiles and Selma Blair. And actually I thought Lochlyn Munro did a nice part as the ex.So, more emphasis on comedy than romance, and the end result was good. I enjoyed it very much.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I was hoping this would be of the calibre of Das Boot and echo the stark realism created by acclaimed German Director Leni RiefenStahl in her documentaries, sadly I was monumentally disappointed. The story line is implausible and defies credulity. An RAF airman is shot down and somehow finds his way to a hospital in Dresden. Anna a nurse whose father runs the hospital and is about to become engaged to a doctor she works with falls in love with the airman and they make love. The next evening at a lavish engagement party the airman turns up disguised as a German officer and dances with Anna. Although well directed and acted, to me it is soap opera of the lowest order.$LABEL$ 0 +Avida is a game of words mingling life and eagerness, but I personally think this movie was overblown by its ambition and does not make justice to its title. It gathers a set of awkward characters united by unbelievable links. Furthermore, the way everything is connected at the end is, in my opinion, a bit pathetic. What remains of it was a set of images... an interesting one, but not enough to make this a good movie. I believe this film is supposed to be a comedy, but I surely didn't noticed! The nonsense and caricatural nature of the movie is actually the only good thing about it, but when it drags on an on and on it becomes no longer bearable. I have to say I fought hard to continue seeing it until the end, and I am still not sure it was worth it...$LABEL$ 0 +Back in 1985 I caught this thing (I can't even call it a movie) on cable. I was in college and I was with a high school friend whose hormones were raging out of control. I figured out early on that this was hopeless. Stupid script (a bunch of old guys hiring some young guys to show them how to score with women), bad acting (with one exception) and pathetic jokes. The plentiful female nudity here kept my friend happy for a while--but even he was bored after 30 minutes in. Remember--this was a HIGH SCHOOL BOY! This was back before nudity was so easy to get to by the Internet and such. We kept watching hoping for something interesting or funny but that never happened. The funniest thing about this was the original ad campaign in which the studio admitted this film was crap! (One poster had a fictional review that said, "This is the best movie I've seen this afternoon!"). Only Grant Cramer in the lead showed any talent and has actually gone on to a career in the business. No-budget and boring t&a. Skip it.$LABEL$ 0 +Grosse Pointe Blank was really quite a below average film. Its hit man theme is very dry and is more like a romantic comedy than a hit man thriller. The acting is very normal. The performances are extremely embarrassing at times with many characters seeming very 'eccentric' and that really annoyed me. The whole reunion and the 'Wow, I haven't seen you in 10 years!' element is extremely cheesy and many scenes just drag on, especially nearer the end when they are at the actual reunion party and the characters are going through each of their former classmates one by one greeting them. It just all seemed very tacky, pointless and was poorly executed. Dan Akroyd's role as a 'rival' assassin is very sparse. He only seems to appear once at the very beginning and right at the very end in a 'final show down' which is hugely hyped up but doesn't deliver at all.The soundtrack is also very mediocre. The bulk of the songs that are in this film are straight out of the 1980's and with the exception of two or three, are very bad. Hearing duff songs over quite a duff film just adds to the negativity that surrounds this film.I could go on and on about how little things were annoying and were just very bad such as the very few action sequences that came and went very quickly, the lack of character development and how poorly the whole thing was constructed in that department, the way that half the time you forget that Cusak's character is even a hit man at all as the element is so non-existent.Even the way the comedy thinks it's funny; but it isn't. I didn't laugh once during this movie. Sure, maybe I smirked now and again but my only REAL feel good point was when I realised the movie was nearly over!Please, don't waste your time with 'Grosse Pointe Blank' despite the relatively high (but badly incorrect) IMDb rating. I've seen films that are better than this film that have lower rating on this site which tells you that there ARE better films out there. Just don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +i guess its possible that I've seen worse movies, but this one is a real stinker! the plot is unremarkable but thats not the worst of it. the directing is no where close to what you would expect from andy ching. he's capable of good work but failed to pull this movie together.angie harmon, playing the female lead as a reporter dogging into who's behind the assassination of the president, truly butchered the role. there was no chemistry with gooding, her demeanor was flat and wooden, and the 5 inch spike heels she wore throughout the movie were absurd. this outing for harmon places her solidly at the bottom of the "b" list.and what was cuba gooding thinking??? he has to his credit a number of outstanding performances, but this was far beneath what we've come to expect from him.poor james woods and burt reynolds. poor poor poor poor poor.$LABEL$ 0 +What a gas of a movie! "Film Noir" has always been one of my favorite genres, but this one stands apart from the rest. Only "The Big Sleep", "Out of the Past", "Murder My Sweet", and "The Killers" can come close to this caper classic. I know these four American films I mentioned are not caper movies per se, but rather detective stories with complicated story lines, which still exude a "noirean", gritty quality about them, similar to "Rififi".What is different here is the way Jules Dassin sets into motion the total ambiance of the film, not only in the gritty realism of the principals, but also in the usage of the streets of Paris as a subliminal character and co-conspirator unto itself! The movie centers around "le Stephanois", a dark, moody and complicated ex-con getting pulled into one last shot at the hefty payoff. Even though he is an unsmiling and hard-nosed tough guy, one still senses in him a yearning for some kind of redemption by extricating himself from the demons of his past (hey, he saved little Toni!). Dassin picked the right guy (Jean Servais) for that role.That aside, the rest of the story development kind of falls into place as we journey through the famous "silent" caper scene to the the eventual demise of the principal "perps". Only their women survive, except for Ida, Mario's honey. They seemed to best understand the underlying futility of it all!$LABEL$ 1 +It's hard to say which comes out on top, James Cagney's charm and energy or the mouth- opening excesses of Busby Berkeley's three grand showstoppers at the close. I give it a tie, with Footlight Parade one of the funniest and quickest of the early Thirties musicals. Although the movie clearly belongs to Cagney, Joan Blondell adds immeasurably to the good-natured story line. And what's the story line? It's about Chester Kent (Cagney) who produces musicals, and who now is just about out of business as the talkies take over. He starts doing Prologues, live musical entertainment offered on stage before a movie starts. He gets the idea to do bigger ones and more of them, moving them around the country. He's a ball of fire and ideas, and he needs all the ideas he can get to keep relentlessly producing these things. But a rival is spying on him and stealing his ideas; Nan Prescott (Blondell), his wise-cracking secretary, loves him but he's too busy too notice; an office girl in black-rimmed, round glasses (Ruby Keeler) wants a chance to dance; his wife turns up saying she didn't divorce him after all; a blonde gold-digger is setting her hooks in him; his partners are cheating him...my gosh, what's next? This may all sound like a lot to digest, but everything happens fast, with Cagney bouncing, strutting, striding, finger-snapping, barking orders and occasionally - until the big last number when he goes all out singing and dancing -- doing a step or two just to show how it's done. Instead of "Let's put on a show, gang" we have "We need to build three shows in three days, so lock the doors and let's start rehearsing." These three super Prologues are going to feature 40 chorines, spectacular effects and will mean a rich contract, with forty Kent units in deluxe movie houses...the whole Apollo movie house circuit! Exhaustion threatens, feet ache, but all those unbilled chorines in skimpy costumes (which include Ann Sothern and Dorothy Lamour; you can quickly spot Sothern but Lamour is more generic) stay the course, dancing their hearts out, giggling and chattering and looking remarkably unsweaty. And then the curtains go up as each Prologue is presented in separate movie houses, one after the other on the same night, with the owner of the Apollo circuit going to determine that night whether he'll save Chester's skin or not. First up is "Honeymoon Hotel" with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in a 9 minute production number that features a lot of wholesome lasciviousness, with brides and grooms (some might even be married), bedrooms and beds, and doors with "Do not disturb" signs. Then on to the next theater and 11 minutes of "By a Waterfall" that probably had the Warner Brothers accountants worrying about bankruptcy. This number is so excessive -- dozens of swimming girls, trees, fountains, a huge grotto with waterslides, a giant pool -- you'd never think there was a Depression on. Berkeley pulls out all his tricks -- synchronization, human patterns, legs and arms doing all sorts of precision things -- and he does it in the water, with a lot of underwater photography looking up. The girls are sure game. They come up smiling with water in their eyes and still hit their marks. The whole thing must have been incredibly difficult and exhausting. Ruby Keeler, who has a couple of quick shots in the water, is the only one who looks a bit cautious. And finally, the smash finale...11 minutes of Cagney dancing and singing with Keeler to "Shanghai Lil," with all sorts of bar girls and their customers, unusual in that the races are mixed up. There's Cagney and Keeler dancing on the bar, dancing on a table, Cagney fighting. There are what looks like fifty or sixty marching marines, hupping back and forth, rifles tossed and caught. Then...this is true...a human picture forms of Franklin Roosevelt and the NRA eagle. This may be the only Hollywood musical production that has ever featured Roosevelt, a big federal agency and a bevy of sexy Chinese prostitutes. That's entertainment, folks. It's great! Of course, Chester's Prologues get the big contract and Nan gets Chester. The movie is full of juicy clichés that make us smile. Ruby Keeler is so endearing as she earnestly stomps out her taps with her arms flying that you want to help her along. Joan Blondell makes us forget about a lot of Hollywood females who might have been more beautiful but who had a lot less wit and personality. The movie, however, belongs to Cagney, who grabs and shakes it, and to Berkeley, a man for whom too much was never too much.$LABEL$ 1 +The story would never win awards, but that's not what it's about... the script was just entertaining and suspenseful enough to make room for the incredibly choreographed fight scenes. Who needs a story with fighting like that? Really, it's worth watching for that reason alone. IF you can handle the gore, of which there is a LOT... none of it done realistically enough to be tough to look at. I gave it a 7.$LABEL$ 1 +This ABC straight-to-TV failure does absolutely no justice to the brilliant fantasy novel that is A Wrinkle in Time. Ms. Madeleine L'Engle brought children and adults alike into a magical, fantastical and original world like no author before her. This novel, the first in her 'time quartet', is a beautiful take on life, the universe, and time itself. Yet it is easy for any child or adolescent to understand. Its unwavering morals are prevalent throughout the book. This film adaptation can be seen as nothing but a mockery of Ms. L'Engle's work of art. Honestly, what were they thinking? The effects look cheap and ridiculous, the plot is mushy and uneven, the dialogue is far-fetched and just about every magical characteristic of the novel has been lost. This was a horrible attempt at bringing this book to the screen. I sincerely hope that someday an intelligent, worthy director (Guillermo del Toro, David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón) makes another attempt at bringing this book to the screen and understands it for what it truly is: a masterpiece. This adaptation can only be compared to boring, fake and cheap motel-room art which holds no ground and makes absolutely no impact on its audience.$LABEL$ 0 +In 2006, the AMPAS awarded one of the most innovative documentaries depicting wildlife in the coldest place on Earth, that film was March of the Penguins narrated by Academy Award Winning Actor Morgan Freeman.Walt Disney Studios has had a monopoly on the animated circuit for decades now. They've taken their stabs at live action film making and it's been hit and miss all across the board. Disney then created a sub-division called Disneynature and release its first feature film titled Earth. This is absolutely one of the most touching and informative documentaries I've seen in quite sometime. Narrated by the great James Earl Jones, Earth doesn't offer anything new to anyone who has watched the Discovery Channel in the past five years or follows the Global Warming crisis very closely. Earth touches very deeply on the issue and takes a very liberal approach on the subject matter.It enables an emotional connection to nature that I haven't experienced before. It also shows not only the beauty and mystifying parts of our gorgeous planet, but the grunt and disturbing aspects that it often entails. It's one thing to watch "Mufasa" fall from a cliff in to a stampede or Bambi's mother be shot by a hunter in the middle of the woods. It's all good because at the end of the film we know it is, just that, a film. This shows penguins, polar bears, elephants, all types of families, from all walks of life, living and dying in their natural habitats. These real things make a real movie experience.Though a bit heavy-weight on the graphic nature of the film (which many people will disagree), Earth is a touching experience. There is stunning cinematography work here by a great camera team and an amazing score by George Fenton. In comparison to March of the Penguins or Grizzly Man, it doesn't really hold any measure but it stands great on its own. At the end of the day, you grow an appreciation of our planet and a bit of sadness as many of us will probably never get to visit these places we'll witness in the film. We live here yet it's like we never get to explore the planet for one reason or another. Earth is beautiful.***/****$LABEL$ 1 +Rawhide was a wonderful TV western series. Focusing on a band of trail drovers lead by the trail boss Gil Favor. Most episodes - especially from the first 3 seasons were really character studies of Favor and his men. Guest stars came and went but unlike Wagon Train they seldom dominated the episodes they appeared in. Rawhide was a true, gritty western and Gil Favor stood out as a memorable character never to be forgotten. Thanks to Eric Fleming's performance the show became a massive hit. Of course he was ably supported by a wonderful cast of good actors - Clint Eastwood, Sheb Wooley, Paul Brinegar, Steve Raines, James Murdoch, Rocky Shahan, Robert Cabal. All of these actors left their mark in a piece of television history. Rawhide captured the flavour of that time of the west that no other series has for me, as yet anyhow, managed to do so. Later seasons tended to split the leads and give them individual story lines. For me some of the time this didn't work - the cattle drive and the regulars provided the best stories. However there were still some classic stories and Rawhide remained top drawer affair. The black and white photography added to a bleak, realistic feel that other western series seldom managed to capture. Rustlers, Indians,Commancheroes, beautiful damsels in distress, serial killers, they all showed up to give our heroes problems. The end came for the series quietly when the final season was axed less than half way through. The reason - Eric Fleming had departed and Rawhide was now a head without a body - the gritty realism was gone, Gil Favor commanded respect and exuded authority - he was never infallible and this made him all the more interesting. We shall not see his like again. Watch an episode whenever you can, they seldom disappoint.$LABEL$ 1 +This isn't Masterpiece Theater. You shouldn't go into it expecting that. This is pure girl FUN with the most fantastic cast of female leads. Like someone else here said, this is the film Baby Mama was meant to be. And the only downside I see to this film is that Tina Fey was not in it- besides that it stars the smartest and brightest girls on the planet. The film is pure silliness on the surface, but if you really watch you will know it has a lot of messages and deep meaning to any of us who wish they could go back and do it all over again in life knowing then what we know now. PURE FUN and I recommend it to anyone looking for 84 minutes of great escape.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was better than what i expected. I was working on the movie set for a short period of time when Damien was making this film.The gun fire, stunt and acting came out pretty good on the editing tip.All thou the the music wasn't all that great. Better music would have top this film.Some of the music sound like the hippie days. Damien remember you have gang violence gangster's some oldies or hip hop would have did it. It was more realistic than blood in blood out.The casting was picked real well.Suspectentertaint did a good job in this film.The movie brought back a fill of a life style i use to live. But than at the end you do not always win. And in my history thats how it was.I adapted to the movie the first time i watched it.Damien Congratulatoins on this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Mirror. Mirror (1990) is a flat out lame movie. Why did I watch movies like this when I was younger? Who knows? Maybe I was one for punishing myself by watching one terrible movie after another. I don't know, I guess I needed a hobby during my teen years. A teenage outcast (Rainbow Harvest) seeks solace in an old mirror. Soon she learns about the horrific power this antique mirror has and uses it to strike out against those who have wronged her. Movies like these, the power giver has a nasty side effect. This one changes her inside and out if she likes it or not.A mess of a movie that for some reason was restored on d.v.d. a few years back. I don't know why. They should have left it on the shelf and collect dust. People love this movie foe some reason. If you do I would like to know why. Until then I dislike this movie and I have no reason to ever watch it again.Not recommended at all.$LABEL$ 0 +Disney has now made straight-to-video sequels to a good bunch of their many animated features. Two of these were made for their 1991 classic, "Beauty and the Beast". Well, these ones aren't really sequels, as they are both set in between the events of the first film. The first of these two straight-to-video films was "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas", which seems to be disliked by quite a few fans of its theatrical predecessor, but I think that can usually be expected with sequels. However, this second one, "Belle's Magical World", is definitely inferior.The film features three short stories, all of which take place while Belle is in the castle, and the place is under the spell of the enchantress. The first is "The Perfect Word", where a misunderstanding at the table between Belle and the Beast leads to trouble, and neither wants to be the first to apologize. The next story is "Fifi's Folly", where Fifi and Lumiere's fifth anniversary is coming up, and Lumiere is unprepared, so Belle helps him. However, Fifi sees Lumiere practicing romance with Belle, and thinks they're actually in love. The film ends with "The Broken Wing". In this story, Belle takes care of a bird with a broken wing, but a bird in the castle will probably mean trouble if the Beast finds out, as he hates birds! The plot description I gave is for the original VHS version of Disney's third "Beauty and the Beast" movie. Apparently, in the DVD version, there is another story added called "Mrs. Potts's Party", but I've only seen the original version. However, since I highly doubt that one story would stand out as a classic over the rest, I see no point in watching the special edition. Anyway, the first thing I will say about "Belle's Magical World" is that the animation is very 2-dimensional compared to what we're used to from Disney, which would obviously disappoint many people. I didn't like "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" that much, but you certainly can't say the same about its animation. I'm sure the stories in "Belle's Magical World" could entertain many kids (mostly younger ones, I think), and each story has a moral, so they could also teach them some valuable lessons. However, for adults, the film really doesn't have a lot. I personally didn't find any good humour in it, found that the constant conflict between Belle and the Beast got tiring, and the stories did not impress me too much at all in any way (they're not very well written). In "The Perfect Word", the way Belle says to the Beast, "You're acting rude... and foolish!" is a bit cheesy, and I think there are quite a few other cheesy moments in these stories.By the time this straight-to-video movie first came out, I was around eleven or twelve years old. I don't know what I would have thought of it at the time, as I had lost interest in Disney by then, and it would be years before I would gain any of that interest back. Even when this movie was first released, I think I was a bit past the age group it was aimed at. I never saw "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" until a couple months ago, but unlike that film, I never even heard of this one until recently, I think just after seeing the first sequel to Disney's 1991 hit. Well, as much as I like the theatrical original, I wouldn't have been missing much if I never became aware of this film's existence. For little kids, I'm sure "Belle's Magical World" can be highly entertaining, and probably somewhat educational with its morals, but I do not recommend it for adult Disney fans.$LABEL$ 0 +Carly Pope plays JJ, a newly promoted Food Critic whose flamboyant, overbearing mother moves in with her. JJ, aghast at this turn of events, then blackmails restaurant owner, Alex, to entertain her mother in exchange for "maybe" reviewing his dying restaurant. Alex predictably falls for the daughter while warming to the mother. There are numerous problems with this movie, the characters are universally 2-dimensional. JJ is a self-serving, hateful character, her mother superficial and shallow. JJ's colleagues at the magazine are bitchy and opportunistic. The underlying message of an over-50 woman unable to make it on her own, without male assistance is bad, bad, BAD. The acting is uniformly dull, the script uninspired. The films only saving grace is the setting of New York City. I would so NOT recommend this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had an interesting cast, it mat not have had an a list cast but the actors that were in this film did a good job. Im glad we have b grade movies like this one, the story is basic the actors are basic and so is the way they execute it, you don't need a million dollar budget to make a film just a mix of b list ordinary actors and a basic plot. I like the way they had the street to themselves and that there was no one else around and also what i though was interesting is that they didn't close down a café to set there gear and that they did it all from a police station. Arnold vosloo and Michael madsen did a great job at portraying there roles in the hostage situation. This was a great film and i hope to see more like it in the near future.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw this movie for the first time I didn't believe my own eyes. In front of me there was a great -and well done- parody of Valentino... see Stan Laurel bullfight that way is like to see an excellent fencer in action! It's a very good parody, rich of ideas, with a clever and charming Stan... old and good like whiskey. (or the booze-up after that)$LABEL$ 1 +I first watched this movie on its release in 1987 and was greatly affected emotionally, through a combination of guilt at what my fellow white human beings could do to innocent people and the reluctance of the outside world to really investigate these atrocities against man.Particularly moving was the Funeral of Steve Biko, made even more vivid and hard-hitting by the South African Anthem played at the time. I have long believed that this movie achieved what nobody else had managed - to open the eyes of the world to what was really happening in South Africa. I consider myself to be a normal right thinking person and I can attest to how this film changed my whole way of thinking about not just South Africa, but how we as white people perceive black people. I have never seen any difference between people of any colour or creed, but after viewing this film I physically changed my life and have spent the last 17 years living in a predominantly black country and helping many people rise above their present standard of living and achieve that which they would not have thought possible. The greatest reward I can honestly say I have received - to be able to say that in my own small way I have contributed and redressed the balance a little. But if more people thought like me and actually DID something to help black people without seeking reward then the entire black population of this planet would be a little better off.I challenge any right thinking person to watch Cry Freedom from beginning to end and not feel that emotion tugging at your heartstrings as you witness the 700 schoolchildren brutally shot dead in Sharpville for refusing to learn Afrikaans, the senseless murder of Steve Biko, such a champion for his own people's rights, and then, ultimately, to understand that all this is not merely a film, albeit a magnificent one, but that it all actually happened and less than 30 years ago.Yes, my friends, watch this movie and then see if you can go out afterwards and party hard. I couldn't. I was too upset at knowing the truth. That is the hallmark of a great film. It was obviously the intention of Sir Richard Attenborough to get this message over about South Africa. Of course he has achieved it. Unless you happen to support apartheid. God help you.$LABEL$ 1 +Just like everybody else have said, the acting is awful, no story or whatsoever, poor directing. About the SFX, the 360 degree, matrix style shooting, 1 shoot is stupid enough, but for each characters. I mean come on gimme a break. And what's up with all those video game scenes, just to remind us it's a "video game adaptation"? Jesus, they should have fired whoever think up this idea.0.00001/10$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed this movie - I like prison movies in general (I'm not sure why -- I'm sure some shrink could make something out of it!) I spent one night in jail more than 20 years ago, and I knew then I would never go back - I got the individual version of "scared straight"! (I did get locked up in an isolation cell on Alcatraz for a couple of hours, compliments of a park ranger, but that's another story!) Anyway, the genre really interests me. The soundtrack, specifically "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones, was the perfect backdrop for the film. To this day, I think of "The Jericho Mile" every time I hear the song.$LABEL$ 1 +"Undercurrent" features a top-notch cast of wonderful actors who might've been assembled for the perfect drawing-room comedy. Alas, they are pretty much wasted on a 'woman's view' potboiler--and a paper-thin one at that. Katharine Hepburn is indeed radiant as a tomboy/old maid who finally marries, but her husband is deeply disturbed and harboring dark family secrets. Director Vincente Minnelli has absolutely no idea how to mount this outlandish plot, concocted by Edward Chodorov from a story by Thelma Strabel, and the friendly, first-rate cast (including Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum and Edmund Gwenn) is left treading in murky waters. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +The ABC gears up it's repertory company for another unrealistic representation of rural Australia. Yes folks, it's all there Baca Bourke (Jeremy Sims,an actor of little talent) Fire hero , Lill (Libby Tanner plays Bronwyn Craig in the bush), Fifi (Nadia Townsend) town slut, preggers by Baca's brother Joe (I think). Then there's Uncle Geoff the, Big Daddy of Lost Springs. Uncle Geoff's scenes are like Tennessee Williams on speed. Only saving grace is Russian actress Natalia Novikova as Baca's loony missus. She is great. I can't understand why John Waters took the gig as Lilly's psychologist husband. Must have needed the money I expect! Still, he won't last long as Lill and Baca will be having it off toute suit. Just watch this lemon to see how bad an Aussie show can be. Frankly, I'm ashamed.$LABEL$ 0 +This could be looked at in many different ways. This movie sucks, its good or its just plain weird. The third one probably explains this movie best. It has strange themes and just has a strange plot. So who else but Christopher Walken would play in this no matter how bad, average or even how good it might be.The acting was what you would expect especially out of Ben Stiller. Jack Black I have always liked so you know what you will get out of him but this is not bad. Christopher Walken is always off the wall. He is always enjoyable to watch no matter how bad the movie is. Comedy wise it is somewhat funny. This of course meaning that it does have its moments (though very few) but can get a little over top here and there which makes me feel like the movie is just desperate for laughs but of course not in a good way.The directing was average as well. Barry Levinson is a slightly overrated director and really did not do a good job here. This movie seemed that it had a lot more potential and he did not do much to reach it. Just very average and did not seem like a lot of effort was put into making this film.The writing is the key to a good comedy. Obviously that means the writing here failed. At best it is below average. Considering it does have its moments it was not too horrible. That is never a good thing to say about a movie though. If not for Christopher Walken and it stupid ridiculous ending I would have given it a lower rating. He is always quite a character in his movies. Stil this is just a whacked out strange movie with strange characters that really don't go anywhere. Not completely horrible but I would not really recommend it though because it is a very forgettable movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Considering the lack of art with in African cinema (or Black American Cinema). The Idea offers a multidimensional look at a community assigned to hoods and dealers. But the funny thing is this is not at all the focus or even the subject of the short. But it is the unstated assertion of independence from these themes that is most sticking. The genre is unique and not the typical expectation. It is almost this departure which first catches the eye, so watching it twice is critical. The film has an aesthetic quality which lends its self to the true art of cinema.And it is this true art that with an African voice that is extremely rare. The film doesn't copy to attain its message, it innovates and provokes by pulling at subtle stereotypes (not racial but character based stereotypes), From a writers perspective the film is brilliant. It carries multiply messages which include a very rapid character development. It must be remember this film is less than 10 minutes and it manages to establish character very quickly. The usage of colour texture and music is also to be commended. But considering the director, Owen Alik Shahadah's last venture 500 Years Later, music is to be expected. But from a theme point-of view it seems like the idea is a departure but the satire eludes indirectly to a social problem—brilliant stuff!$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit that i liked the first half of Sleepers. It looked good, the acting was even better, the story of childhood, pain and revenge was interesting and moving. A superior hollywood film. But...No one mentioned this so far (at least in the latest 20 comments), when it came to the courtroom scenes and Brat Pitt´s character followed his plan to rescue his two friends, who are rightly accused of murder, i felt cheated. This movie insulted my intelligence. Warning spoilers!!Why did anyone accept their false alibi, witnessed by the priest? If these two guys had been with him, why shouldn´t they tell this during the investigation? Amnesia? If you were the judge or member of the jury, would you believe it? Is it wise to give the motif of the murderers away?I am sorry, but in the end, the story is very weak, and this angers me. This movie had great potential. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I used to think that it couldn't get worse that "Army of the Dead" but this load of crap makes the afore mentioned movie look like "The Godfather"!! The special effects are HORRIBLE (Makes the original Nintendo graphics look like HDTV). When it comes the acting, put it this way, I went to a play with my 6 year old niece in it and she gave an Oscar worthy performance, when compared to these D-List (and that's being kind about it) actors and actresses. So basically, if I had a gun to my head and head to chose between watching this movie again or chopping my own arm off with a dull knife, that's a tough choice!! You know what, who needs two arms anyways??$LABEL$ 0 +When Exploiters become evangelist, they still exploit in the name of poverty! My first reaction after seeing the movie is – God Bless me that I am not eating fish or any non-vegetarian products! The documentary is about Lake Victoria of Tanzania where numerous varieties of lovely fishes used to live, and one day during 1960s somebody came and injected the mighty fish Perch, who became the exportable commodity for Tanzania to European and Japanese markets. The consequences were severe – firstly all local small and big fish were extinct; secondly the plane that came to take the fish could not travel empty because it does not make commercial/ business/ capitalist sense, so it is filled with arms and ammunition (that is what Europe can give this world); thirdly the pilots (as all migrants and traveling population like truck drivers) has to survive their sexual needs by flourishing cheap local African prostitutes for them; fourthly the brokers, dealers, middle men in the chain (mainly Indian origin business people) get richer and Tanzania's poverty remains the same; fifth poverty drives the children to crime, drugs etc.The premise to make this documentary was excellent. But has the Director Hubert Sauper succeeded in making a good documentary? It is a big NO. I say the reasons: Like in India, it requires a higher caste Brahmin to stand up and project to the world, Indian poverty and untouchables; similarly it requires an Austrain born European documentary maker to tell the world the story of Tanzania and its crumbling and ruining economy and poverty. It is the pathetic motive of unaware breeding of that rich class (who have never seen poverty or known poor), who survives, live, earn and fame like pest hanging on to projecting poverty to the world as soon as they see it. There is nothing more but despise by poor people in African and India who see such images of their.The intention and motives of the Hubert seems totally lop-sided. The images, characters, locales, interviews are too grave and murky, dark and disturbing. He uses exaggerated ignorance as a voice to present his case. What we feel in the end is pity and sadness for Africans. We also start considering the Tanzania government and people as villainous. May be some westerners sitting in their air-conditioned rooms would find time to discuss and debate about the pathetic living conditions of Africans, but there would be nothing more than that.The director restrains to show himself even once on the screen – so as not to be identified among the Europeans who exploit this poor country.This Director Hubert can only survive being exploiters themselves like today's CNN and BCC media giants. Hubert did not have guts or common sense to talk to any Europeans who eat or companies who import these fish products. A totally lop-sided flimsy effort! But I understand the reasons of the same – Hubert just wanted to rake his fame, sitting and smiling with awards in his European comfort.No more words to spare for this pathetic effort. I hesitantly give the documentary a higher rating 3.5 Stars out of 10, just because the theme was correct; but was pathetically exploited and blown away by amateurish ill conceived director made solely for un-intelligent western audiences! (Stars 3.5 out of 10)$LABEL$ 0 +WARNING:I advise anyone who has not seen the film yet to not read this comment.When I first started to watch this movie my expectations were it was a vampire movie, that is going to be awesome considering how Rodriguez and Tarantino both helped make the film. I began about 15 minutes into it and already my hopes for this movie were down the drain, which shocked me. First, the story it was going with was not at all appealing in anyway possible, and just flat out boring and uncompelling to the point where I just wanted to turn it off. I was getting more frustrated with this movie as it dragged on, but I guess I had hopes that it would get better.... then when it finally showed vampires it BLEW MY MIND, in a VERY bad way. I thought,"Okay this movie started with some backwash horrible story about these two criminals, then VERY slowly turned into some vampire movie which I thought it was going to be from the beginning, in like, the last 30 minutes?" To add on to that, they try to make the main characters all cool and awesome and mean around the end when they're just not; A bunny would've been more intimidating than these characters! This movie is a horrible piece of crap!!! From Dusk Till dawn disgraced me and left a terrible taste in my mouth, disheartening thoughts in my head, and left my body unable to move from the horrible shock that I just wasted 108 minutes of my life away on a horrendous film. I do not understand how George Clooney, Quentin Tarintino, Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, all being the good and honorable actors that they are, could take part in this useless filth. In my opinion, From Dusk Till Dawn is one of the worst movies ever made that I have suffered my eyes on. Do not see it, you'll be doing yourelf a GREAT favor...$LABEL$ 0 +Its difficult to be too tough on Brad Sykes, a hard-working guy doing what he loves, there is an honesty about him that seems often lacking with other microbudget directors. Check out the minuscule crew credits on Camp Blood, there is none of the usual thanking everyone down to the pizza joint they ate in, its Brad and his buddies and thats it, no pretentious rubbish. Jennifer Ritchkoff isn't your average horror flick heroine, but does well enough for you to hardly notice, Bethany Zolt looks like a star and Joseph Haggerty is so funny it hurts. The Clown is hardly an original horror film bad guy, but the design is good, Shemp Moseley does a decent job of bringing him to life and the image clashes nicely with the rural backdrop. Camp Blood is horror as blue collar and basic as it gets, not a good thing, not a bad thing, just a thing.$LABEL$ 0 +In the words of Charles Dance's character in this film, "Bollocks!" No plot, no character development, and utterly unbelievable.Full of stuff that just doesn't happen in the real world (since when were British police inspectors armed with handguns in shoulder holsters?). Full of mistakes (Bulgarian trains in London?). Full of dull and artificial dialogue. And the directing/editing is awful - wobbly hand-held camera shots that add nothing to the film except a vague feeling of seasickness; confusing jump-cuts; no structure.Wesley Snipes' character is totally unsympathetic - why should we care what happens to him? Direct to video? Direct to the dustbin!$LABEL$ 0 +"The bad dreams always come back again like unwanted friends," says Marion Fairlie, who with her half-sister, Laura, lives in a vast mid-Victorian country estate. "And last night I found myself in Limmeridge churchyard. Normally, people who are dead stay dead, just as normally it is the criminals who are locked up rather than the victims. But then, there was nothing normal about what happened to us..." And we're off on a first-class Gothic story of madness, deception and villainy, based on Wilkie Collins' great novel of Victorian mystery. It's a good idea to pay close attention, because there are plots within plots, yet they all center on a cunning and ruthless scheme which involves, what else, money, lots of money. Marion Fairlie (Tara Fitzgerald) and her sister, Laura Fairlie (Justine Wadell) are devoted to each other. Marion is fierce and protective; Laura is softer and much more romantic. Marion has no money of her own; Laura will inherit riches when she comes of age. Marion has no marriage prospects that we know of; Laura has been pledged sometime ago to Sir Percival Glyde (James Wilby), an altogether too charming aristocrat. They are the wards of their uncle, a fussy, condescending, immensely self-centered hypochondriac (Ian Richardson). All seems to be quite routine, but then a young artist, Walter Hartright (Andrew Lincoln), is engaged to teach them drawing and artistic appreciation. And when he arrives at night to the local train station, there is no carriage, so off he sets out on foot to the estate. In the dark woods he encounters a strange woman, dressed all in white, wandering about and speaking of things he does not understand, who then disappears. Are we uneasy? Yes, and so is he and the sisters when they come to realize the strange woman looks much like Laura. Later, does love emerge between Walter and Laura? Does a bud bloom? Is there a misunderstanding that sends Walter away and results in Laura marrying Sir Percival? Does a canker gnaw? And do secrets slowly come to light about the relationships among Laura, Marian and the woman in white...do we learn to be deeply suspicious of Sir Percival's intentions...do we come to enjoy the style and manners of Sir Percival's close friend, Count Fosco (Simon Callow)...and do we eventually realize the foul depths of depravity, as well as the power of honor and true love, that humanity is capable of? Do we visit Victorian insane asylums, see falls from high towers, dig open graves in the middle of the night and watch retribution arrive amidst the roaring flames of a locked church? Well, of course, and it's a grand journey for us. This BBC/Masterpiece Theater program features fine acting and outstanding production values. To fit Collins' 500-plus-page novel into a television show of less than 120 minutes means a good deal had to be cut or abridged, and some changes were made most likely to achieve greater impact in the little time available. Still, taken on its own terms, the production of The Woman in White in my opinion works very well as a moody, romantic, dark television tale. Tara Fitzgerald as Marion gives a commanding performance as a woman determined to protect and then save her sister. James Wilby as Sir Percival manages the clever feat of slowly letting us see the depraved slime beneath the skin, who still has charm amidst the villainy. Ian Richardson as the young women's uncle almost steals the show. He gives such a bossy and pungent performance it almost unbalances the story every time he appears. Perhaps the weakest of the main parts is Simon Callow as Count Fosco. The Count is simply a monster, yet a supremely civilized and charming one. Collins described him as being of immense girth. Callow does a fine, mannered job of it, but to me he lacks a little of the monstrosity of evil. At one point, Marian tells us, "My sister and I are so fond of Gothic novels, we sometimes act as if we were in them." Little did she know what was in store for herself and Laura.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this film because I thought it would be a classic Amy Adams movie. Wow, this movie is so bad on so many levels it staggers the imagination. It is poorly constructed for one, also the script and the acting is just awful. But hey even Johnny Depp has a slew of bad films under his belt. The upside of this movie would be Amy singing, and even on that score I believe better songs could have been chosen. Amy is of course beautiful to see and if you are a die-hard fan of hers you will probably watch this title no matter what, just don't expect too much. I wish I could have found more to like but it was just painful to watch. I recommend Sunshine Cleaning or Doubt.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie last year in Media class and I have to say I really hated it. I was in year 10 (and aged 15) so that may have has something to do with it. But for English this year, year 11, we had to read Animal Farm, also by George Orwell. Aside from the fact that the book is based on the Revolution, my opinion is that it is a terrible book, and I also hated it.But 1984, I think it was the most disturbing movie I have ever seen, and I think that George Orwell is one of the most deranged people ever to live on this planet. I'm sorry to everyone who loved his work, but I unfortunately did not. The themes in the movie were well portrayed, but the way the whole movie was set and the events that took place within it were not to my standards. This is only my opinion, and I'm sure many many other people thoroughly enjoyed this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is funny if you're the gentleman who was sitting about three rows behind me (repeating every punchline, laughing when there were no gags on-screen, and issuing a gravelly "haaaa" at every scene involving a computer or mobile device).For everyone else, it's a mean-spirited, bungled "comedy." The movie strictly follows the formula of the later "Scary Movie" films, as well as "Epic Movie" and "Meet the Spartans," though without the flood of heartless pop culture references that made the latter two so irritating. Still, the lampooning of intellectual and peacemaking figures the world over makes it clear that the film knows its audience: people who envy brainpower. "Superhero Movie" is particularly and consistently nasty to Stephen Hawking, introducing him as a sex-starved druggie and using his disability as a vehicle for slapstick.The plot is based on "Spider-Man," with "Batman Begins" and "X-Men" thrown in just to deliver some physical comedy. Much of the movie is slapstick, but not in any invigorating or interesting way. The longest-running gag is a fart joke, and early on the scriptwriters seem to believe that having the main character get thrown in conspicuous piles of fake animal poo automatically enlivens an otherwise uninspired rehash of the spider bite scene from "Spider-Man." Perhaps the only redeeming feature of this feature is the energy in it, notably absent in other recent parodies. The filmmakers act as though they're doing something new, and the audience can feel the influence in the way the actors bounce around the screen. An extremely abbreviated length (about an hour and fifteen minutes) and the zest of the presentation makes "Superhero Movie" tolerable rather than horrifying.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a disappointing adaptation of the James Lee Burke novel "In the Electric Mist of the Confederate Dead". It is rather poorly acted mainly due to the miscasting of the principal players. Tommy Lee Jones, a normally fine actor, just doesn't capture Burke's "Dave Robicheaux". As Robicheaux's main nemesis, John Goodman does a sloppy job as the "heavy". The guy who plays Robicheaux's actor-buddy doesn't look like a former "A" lister leading man. The rest of the movie is mainly cast with no-name locals who just don't do justice to a big-time novel.The movie and Jones' performance is way too hurried for one thing. Robicheaux in Burke's series of novels, gives one the feeling that he fits well into his environment most of the time, being laid back and slow-moving. This is just like the deep south and southern Louisiana. Then at times Robicheaux is nearly manic in his exertions. Jones just moves at a fast pace through the whole movie. He doesn't vary. Ned Beatty is wasted. Mary Steenburgen is out of place. About the only good thing about this is the setting. On the whole the movie gives one the impression of a TV movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is possibly the single worst film i have ever seen - it has no good features at all.It looked as if it was made in about 20 minutes with the other time filled with title graphics.The lead male transformed from deaths door to superman - eh you whatOther than that totally predictable and not at all interesting.I left the cinema feeling cheated.Needless to say i could not reccomend this film to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps because I was so young, innocent and BRAINWASHED when I saw it, this movie was the cause of many sleepless nights for me. I haven't seen it since I was in seventh grade at a Presbyterian school, so I am not sure what effect it would have on me now. However, I will say that it left an impression on me... and most of my friends. It did serve its purpose, at least until we were old enough and knowledgeable enough to analyze and create our own opinions. I was particularly terrified of what the newly-converted post-rapture Christians had to endure when not receiving the mark of the beast. I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it so I will not mention details of the scenes, but I can still picture them in my head... and it's been 19 years.$LABEL$ 0 +I love just about everything the late Al Adamson directed in his long and varied career, but "The Possession of Nurse Sherri" stands head and shoulders above fun yet admittedly grade-Z schlockfests like "Horror of the Blood Monsters" and "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein". This film is actually scary! Am I saying that you're going to jump out of your seat when you watch "Nurse Sherri"? No, of course not. But this pastiche of elements from "The Exorcist", "Ruby", and "Carrie" is one of those nice, eerie little horror movies common to the seventies. You can't put your finger on what's so spooky about it, but the film drips with atmosphere. (And what an ending! Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you.) Adamson and producer Sam Sherman really nailed it with this one, and it doesn't matter whether "Nurse Sherri" was a calculated success or a happy accident. Jill Jacobson is likable but not outstanding as the hapless nurse who becomes possessed by the spirit of a recently deceased cult leader (Bill Roy, who shines in his brief role). Geoffrey Land is okay as her surly doctor boyfriend. There are some blaxploitative elements here (profit was the bottom line with these cheap drive-in flicks, after all) but they actually contribute to the plot rather than just being window dressing. "Nurse Sherri" was a Poverty Row production, and it shows at times (sets, special effects, etc.). Still, the film has heart, mostly decent acting and direction, and some genuine chills. Sam Sherman also saw fit to use Harry Lubin's theme music for the late '50s/early '60s television series "One Step Beyond" in this film, which certainly adds to the creepy atmosphere. The DVD contains two significantly different cuts of the movie (the early version features a lot of T&A that wound up on the cutting room floor to make way for more horrific stuff) as well as the theatrical trailer, the TV spot, and a great commentary by Sherman. Does anybody know whatever happened to Bill Roy, by the way? Next to John Carradine, he's the best actor I've ever seen in an Al Adamson film, and he plays the cult leader like he means it.$LABEL$ 1 +Love Jones cleverly portrays young African-American men and women in a clear, positive, realistic sense. I feel that all of the actors and actresses were magnificent and really did a great job at capturing the mood. Nia Long and Larenz Tate worked well together and I hope to see more work from the two of them. As a matter of fact all of the actors/actresses did such a fine job it would be great to see another romantic-comedy from them. This movie can be compared to most any well-written, romantic comedy. If you have not seen this movie already I strongly recommend that you do, it can definitely give you another perspective on life and love.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was really bad. First they didn't even follow the facts for it. Half of the movie was made up and it was more about the deputy whose mother was one of Ed Gein's victims. The acting was horrible, except for the guy playing Ed Gein, but its not hard to mess up playing a weird guy. though i think it was horrible i gave it a three because they started it off with actual crime photos. that was the best part of the movie. As soon as the introduction of the movie was finished the movie went downhill. The writer of this movie tried to spice it up, but it didn't need to be. The story of Ed Gein is interesting enough without falsifying information.$LABEL$ 0 +While it does crack the odd good joke, the humour is generally quite dry with members of the panel frequently pulling faces or resorting to coarse language and waiting on the crowd to applaud lame enough jokes.Unlike what an other comment says I don't think this is the best RTE have ever made, its really dry and sarcastic. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, there are few truly funny intelligent gags that would make you genuinely laugh out loud. People seem to be convinced by the comedians well known names rather than by judging the quality of the gags which aren't really that good. Overall its mediocre with some good laughs to be had but often it can be fairly mediocre. Its not as good as Jasper Carrot or Dave Allens stuff. I find Benny Hill funnier.$LABEL$ 0 +I could name plenty of funny movies. There are comedies that set out to be funny, and are. Some movies, like a Gymkata for example, try to be serious but end up funny. The Ladies Man is a film that is desperately trying to be funny, but could not be less funny if it was about a guy who got a lot of chicks in the middle of the wreckage of a nuclear holocaust. It's anti-funny.I don't think I laughed harder than a chuckle at anything in this movie. It's simply unfunny. It's boring, stupid, inane, annoying, mind-bogglingly bad, but not funny. I don't particularly care for Tim Meadows, or this character from SNL, but I expected better than this.The movie is completely lacking logic or common sense. It's like the script writer had a bag over his head while he was typing and he couldn't see which keys he was hitting. They tell the "origin" of the Ladies Man, but fail to include a motivation for his bizarre fascination with acting like it's still the seventies. The movie tries to get humor out of a man who appears to pleasuring himself to porn, shortly after he tried to hang himself. This is comedy? I like to consider myself having a pretty keen sense of humor (Spending a lot of time writing comedy as I do), but maybe I'm just not quite bright enough for this film.Lee Evans, so funny as Tucker in There's Something About Mary, is outrageously bad here. I was pleading with him in my head to shut up.By the end I was pounding on my chair, muttering under my breath, and had the film gone on any longer, would probably have attempted suicide. This film might not be as bad as Battlefield Earth, but it's the first movie I've seen that's come close.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone familiar with horror films knows that most of them are not scary at all. Some people enjoy gorefests with subpar story lines and character development. I personally enjoy horror films that focus on atmosphere and interesting concepts (e.g., A Tale of Two Sisters, Kairo, etc.). Whatever the type of horror film one personally likes, there are only a select few that really scare you. Noroi is one of them.This is a documentary-style movie, which means that the entire film is a compilation of video clips that are linked by the legend of a demonic entity named Kagutaba. The premise is that a journalist filmed his own footage by interviewing people associated with the demonic rituals associated with Kagutaba, then compiled footage from other sources that link with his research. What results is a relentlessly chilling experience that feels very real and very disturbing, despite the fact that the story itself is fake.Some have compared Noroi with The Blair Witch Project, but the only similarity is the documentary style. One obvious difference between the films is that Noroi scares the viewer by linking events to one another using different sources. For example, the journalist records the exterior of a house that he is researching and sees something strange on the porch. Later in the film, a clip from another character's home video introduces that very same strange occurrence. The viewer's memory links the two incidents and chills start running down their spine. Another example involves a television show with a child psychic who answers every single question correctly except for one. In fact, her answer is so wrong that the viewer may wonder what the filmmakers were thinking. Later on, however, that wrong answer turns out to be linked to an extremely disturbing event. This is intelligent film-making indeed.Another difference between Noroi and Blair Witch is that Noroi provides not one, but two very long finales, the second of which is placed a minute after the credits start to roll and is the single greatest scare scene in the history of horror cinema. I do not say such things lightly. It totally wrecked me in a wonderous way.Other aspects of film-making are well done. The legend and ritualistic background of Kagutaba are very interesting and most of the actors did a good job. The only over-the-top performance comes from a guy who's supposed to be crazy anyway, so that's expected. The cinematography is intentionally gritty because all of the footage is supposed to represent videos shot on camcorders. Japanese films are not known for their special effects, but the effects used here were awesome. In some cases they create an other-worldly feel (e.g., the static interference or the first finale) but in other cases they are alarmingly realistic (e.g., the second finale).When all is said and done, Noroi goes down as the scariest film I've ever seen. I would go so far as to say that there is no film in existence that provides such sheer terror from beginning to end like Noroi does. See it now.$LABEL$ 1 +ALEXANDER NEVSKY is nothing short of a grand film on a grand scale. The film opens a window to a world and culture most Americans will never become acquainted with. And much has been said and written regarding the film's thinly veiled patriotism in the face of imminent war with the German Nazis.By US standards the acting is a bit stilted. The screenplay is short on words and big on visuals and action. And while the action can become tiresome, the visuals are often stunning. Direction is incredible.On another note, fans of Ralph Bakshi animation might notice that he stole a lot of his visuals for WIZARDS directly from a copy of ALEXANDER NEVSKY.$LABEL$ 1 +the mario series is back, and in my opinion, better than ever. Galaxy is the most creative mario yet; even more so than super mario 64. the controls are great; some of the best for the wii. beautiful graphical design as well. the levels are very big, and the good old bosses are back. there is tons to explore in this game; definitely a high level of replay value. I only have 2 complaints: 1: the story is a little to similar to mario 64. and 2: the difficulty isn't very high; though it does require some patience. mario fans: the game you've been waiting for. Casual gamers: this game is more than worth the buy. 9.8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this on an 8 hour flight and (presumably because of the pressure and the altitude) I actually found it mildly entertaining (emphasis on the "mild").The actual idea behind the film was brilliant: a woman dies, her fiancé falls in love with someone else, she decided to make sure they don't get together, but eventually she lets them do it. Sadly the actual film wasn't as good. OK, there were a few laughs and the actors all worked well. But from the beginning the plot was about as predictable as the destination of the flight I was on. I think the whole gay-but-not-gay friend part of the story could have been worked a lot better. The talking parrot was a nice idea but to be honest: it wasn't really very funny.In summary the film was more interesting than staring at the seat in front of me, but it was a close call.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw The Greek Tycoon when it first came out in 1978. I found it extremely boring. I thought it was no better than a travelogue except for one thing: For the first time in my life I realized why it would be good to be rich. Seeing the scenery off Aristotle Onassis' yacht and getting my first real peek into the lifestyle of the rich and famous opened my eyes. To paraphrase Martha Stewart: It was a good thing. Funny, I don't remember the sex scene. I hadn't seen the movie since it was on the big screen and found the lovemaking session with the mistress memorable this time. Maybe because I was younger and single back then, it was no big deal.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge, huge fan of John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Tony Shalhoub. I'm slightly less fond of Stephen King, but I like some of his work.This said, I should have LOVED 1408.***POSSIBLE SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT**** I walked in eager. I walked out disappointed.This is not the fault of the actors. Shalhoub and Jackson both have very small roles because the premise of the movie puts Cusack in the "guy in a locked room" scenario.This wasn't a BAD movie, but I can't call it a good one either. It was a muddied mess that had moments of "ouch, that's just WRONG," combined with moments of "ouch, that's just painful," and moments of "oh, now THAT'S just unfortunate" with very little continuity-connectivity between them. Eislin's father shows up once, and there's no seeming connection to the rest of Mike's personal life that we see displayed while he tries to survive the room. A previous commenter described the Olin/Enslin argument as worth watching, and I very much agree. But other than that, aside from some clever musical cues (the room almost playfully torments Enslin a little bit, and gives him one chance to get out before upping the ante...at which point it gives him the one-hour countdown clock and the titular line from the Carpenters "We've Only Just Begun.") it's mostly "stuff jumps out at you when you least expect it!" type horror that was fun when I was fourteen, and surrounded by friends my age, clutching each other in the summer while Jason stalked Camp Crystal Lake.The rest of the movie was "let's make him relive some of his most painful experiences" mindgaming, with "let's animate the paintings in creepy ways" cliché cheesiness.******END SPOILERS***** I expected better from this movie with Stephen King's name attached to it, as well as the actors I mentioned above.We never find out the origin of the evil. We never get to see the evil defeated, though we can presume maybe it was defeated.And the ending was just a jarring "What?!" moment.Wait for it to come on cable. I wouldn't have minded paying for it as a matinée, but I'm feeling a bit shortchanged for having paid opening night prices for it.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm surprised no-one has thought of doing a movie like this before. Horror is often most effective when it uses real life unpleasantness as a theme. And nobody (except for Steve Martin in The Little Shop of Horrors) likes going to the dentist. Tooth torture has been done before (see The Marathan Man for example), but this brings the terror into suburbia.The plot revolves around a dentist, Dr. Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen), who descends into madness. Now our dear doctor wasn't playing with a full deck to begin with, but driven by jealousy and an obsessive-compulsive disorder he begins to reek havoc on those around him. The doctors spiraling mental condition is kinda close to what we see in Micheal Douglas's character in Falling Down, but with a horror edge.Written and directed by horror stalwarts Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, its witty and has a great flow. Also featured playing a cop, is the ever welcome Ken Foree.Now I believe this movie would not work without the absolutely fantastic performance from Corbin Bernsen. Having really only seen him in LA Law before, I was blown away by his acting.The sequel The Dentist 2 is also worth watching, but slightly under par compared to the original.TTKK's Bottomline - A fun movie with some scenes that will make you cringe, capped (pun intended) by a great performance from Bernsen$LABEL$ 1 +This is the most recent addition to a new wave of educational documentaries like "The Corporation" and "Fahrenheit 9/11." Its commentary is clear and unwavering as is the breathtaking cinematic style of this well crafted feature. The film manages to impose a powerful sense of how unsteady our world is as we rush toward an environmentally unsustainable future at lightning speed - while showing us the terrifying beauty in our pursuit of progress. Truly a remarkable accomplishment which must be seen by all who care about the world we leave to our children. Bravo!NB - this is also the only film (of 8) at Varsity theaters (Toronto) boasting a stick-on tag which reads... "To arrange group viewings please contact...." ... a further testament to the popularity and importance of this gem.My bet... an academy award nomination for best documentary.OB101$LABEL$ 1 +This is a fine drama and a nice change of pace from today's more hectic and loud films. It is another solid based-on-a-true store, which still means much of it could be made up for dramatic purposes. Frankly, I don't know but I liked the story.The story is about a young man back in the Fifties who gets interested in rocketry and wants to enter that field instead of working in the coal mines as everyone else, including his father, does in this West Virginia town. The big problem is the conflict it causes between the boy and his father, which I think was overdone. I would like to have a little less tension between the two.The young man, still a boy, is played by Jake Gyllenhaal, one of his first staring assignments, I think. He's likable, as are his school buddies in here. It's nice to see nice kids in a modern-day film. The two other key actors in the movie are Chris Cooper (the dad) and Laura Dern (the kid's teacher who encourages him all the time.)The cinematography is decent the 1950s soundtrack is fun to hear. Once again: I wish there more of these kind of films made today.$LABEL$ 1 +This one will get reviews all over the map because it doesn't comfortably fit any mold. It's horror-- but not a splatterfest. It's equal part Suspense as well as Horror-- yet without the usual Hollywood screams and jerky camera. The feel of the movie is spare and lean with next to no special effects because I think you should listen and watch the faces of the characters.Forget that Brendan is a graduate of the Buffy universe. That's a red herring. He IS acting here. 'Camp' is a misreading of the tone of this story. Adrienne Barbeau is giving a rock solid performance-- so she must believe the script has something to say. We all know the sorry excuses where the actors plainly don't care anymore and are just waiting for the director to snap "Cut" and get their paychecks. This is Not the case, here.Forgive the fact that the bodies begin to fall with almost mondo-funny regularity. I don't think the intent was humorous-- but to keep you off balance. Think of it less of a Horror 'Movie' and more of a Horror 'Play' on a stage-- that decrepit whitewashed house. Then you might see it's really about paranoia, fear, and spiralling madness set in an isolated someplace, USA.And it is twisty. Time travel, Mind Control, secret experiments and Nazi's who may NOT be dead. . .yet.I say rent it and give it a try if you're in the mood for something a little cerebral. This would be a good choice for a Saturday Midnight sit down.$LABEL$ 1 +In Bridgeport, the deranged high school teacher Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech) is obsessed by the teenager student Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow); she witnesses him murder her family to stay with her, but Richard is arrested and sent to prison for life. Three years later, the traumatized Donna is feeling better but is still under psychological treatment and taking pills. On her prom night, she goes with her boyfriend Bobby (Scott Porter) and two couples of friends to the Pacific Grad Hotel for the party. But the psychopath Richard has escaped from prison and is lodged in the same floor in the hotel chasing Donna, stabbing her friends and staff of the hotel that cross his path.The forgettable slash "Prom Night" is a collection of clichés with a total lack of originality. The stupid story is shallow and silly, with a bad acting of Johnathon Schaech in the role of an insane killer. The predictable screenplay is amazing since it is possible to foresee what is going to happen in the next scenes. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "A Morte Convida Para Dançar" ("The Death Invites to Dance")$LABEL$ 0 +We all know a movie never does complete justice to the book, but this is exceptional. Important characters were cut out, Blanca and Alba were essentially mushed into the same character, most of the subplots and major elements of the main plot were eliminated. Clara's clairvoyance was extremely downplayed, making her seem like a much more shallow character than the one I got to know in the book. In the book we learn more about her powers and the important effects she had on so many people, which in turn was a key element in the life of the family. In the movie she was no more than some special lady. The relationship between Esteban and Pedro Tercero (Tercero-third-, by the way, is the son and thus comes after Segundo-second-) and its connections to that between Esteban and his grandson from Pancha García (not son, who he also did recognize) is chopped in half and its importance downplayed.One of the most fundamental things about the book that the film is all but stripped of: this is called "The House of the Spirits." Where is the house? The story of 3-4 generations of a family is supposed to revolve around the "big house on the corner," a line stated so many times in the novel. The house in fundamental to the story, but the movie unjustly relegates it to a mere backdrop.If I hadn't read the book before, I would have never guessed that such a sappy, shallow movie could be based on such a rich and entertaining novel.$LABEL$ 0 +The largest crowd to ever see a wrestling event in the US took place at Wrestlemania 6. Over 93,000 people showed up to break the Rolling Stones indoor record, and this event didn't disappoint at all. Maybe the biggest match of all time took place as the Immortal Hulk defended his world title against the Ultimate Warrior. There are over 12 matches in all so you get tons of action$LABEL$ 1 +The second alternate Gundam universe tale (G-Gundam being the first), Gundam Wing is yet another different view into the Gundam verse. The familiar elements are found but Gundam Wing is actually different then its counterparts. The biggest being the Gundams are nothing more than terrorists combating one lone organization. In truth, the series doesn't really become a show about war until episode 7 but in truth the real conflict, the Eve Wars, don't happen until the later episodes. The greatest positives of this series are it's characters. All the main characters are fleshed out throughout the 49 episode run and you can really sympathize with each of the roles their put in. Another great plus is the fantastic character and mecha design of the series. The designs put some of it's other Gundam counterparts to shame. One of the biggest criticism of this series is how many die hard UC fans claim rip off of the original UC saga. Why Gundam Wing gets this rap when the more apparent UC clone of Gundam Seed is out there is beyond me. True there are many moments lifted but their told in new ways and there are distinct differences as well.Take for example, the usual comparison of Zechs Merquise and UC Icon Char Aznable. Throughout the series, Zechs is more the outcast in the Alliance and in ways OZ as well, while the Red Comet was shining symbol of Zeon. Another big difference is the fact Zechs loses a lot soldiers under his command hence the other nickname he's given in the early episodes: "Killer of his own men." Char isn't given this label. The problems with this series isn't the philosophy mumbo jumbo but two problems. The first is the reused animation footage of the Gundams attacks. Sure it's fun seeing Heavy Arms attack tanks, MS, and planes the first time. But on it's fourth re-use scenes like this do get old. The second problem is that the entire series is supposed to take place during an entire year. If you really think about all the events springing in the series, a lot happens in just one lone year. But I guess you can easily dismiss this fact when ignoring the intro's first lines every so often. As it ranks, this is probably the best of the Alternate universe Gundam tales and a great introduction into the Gundam world. After all, this was the very first Gundam anime to air in the US television.$LABEL$ 1 +What an embarassment...This doesnt do justice to the original with awful acting from everyone in this movie, Hitchcock must be spinning in his grave. The scence where Marion gets killed in the shower is just so uneffective and unoriginal. The only good bit is that they used the same music and its so obvious who kills her in the shower. I rate this movie 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +It's too kind to call this a "fictionalized" account of the Barker gang. They got the names right, but that's about it.Russell is still hot, I'll grant you that, but this is not the real Ma Barker, who basically took care of the boys by cooking and assisting when they moved around the country, not by planning or participating in the crimes. I think it would have been far more interesting to present the real story of a middle-aged woman caught up in the criminal activities of her children and their cronies.I also have to agree with those reviewers who found the shoot-out scenes to be totally unbelievable. The Barker/Karpis victims were a combination of the innocent and of the law-enforcement agents who pursued them, but they definitely did not mow down half-a-dozen FBI agents every time they were cornered. (On the other hand, as several recent books have related, the FBI of that era emphasized the idea of agents coming only from legal or accounting backgrounds to the extent that many agents had very little law enforcement or firearms experience. They were not the well-trained agents that we picture today.) But the worst sin of all is that the movie is basically a bore. Nobody changes, nobody grows. We know the end of the road is ahead, we just don't know which shoot-out it will be.Only for die-hard Russell fans.$LABEL$ 0 +The slasher sub-genre has been pretty much exhausted - in fact, even by 1979, just one year after the supposed 'first slasher', Halloween (which was released seven years after Bay of Blood), was released; the sub-genre wasn't far from being exhausted; but Tourist Trap represents one of the more original outings. The film follows the same basic formula as most slashers - i.e. madman murders a load of kids, but draws its originality from the fact that madman is shown from the beginning (as opposed to an unseen assailant or a man in a mask) and we actually get some insight into his character. The fact that this killer also has telekinetic abilities, including being able to control the wax dummies that fill his house, adds to the originality. We kick off with a great opening sequence, which sees a young man fall foul of having a flat tire after finding himself in a gas station of terror. The scene is amazingly creepy, as the wax dummies taunt him and things fly from the shelves - and it gives the audience a great insight into what is to come; namely, a very creepy horror film! The acting credibility is as non-existent as you would expect from a seventies slasher, but to be honest; it's not all that bad. The girls look hot, the boys don't really matter; and Chuck Connors is more than adequately creepy in the role of the psycho. He's not exactly Anthony Perkins; but still, good enough. It's not the acting that's the star of the show, however, and as you might expect - the creepy atmosphere takes that prize. Wax models, as proved by the likes of House of Wax (Vincent Price version...) are very creepy; and the film makes best use of that fact. There are very few things in cinema that can be frightening by simply being there - but wax statues are definitely one of those things. The killer's special ability could easy have gotten in the way of the atmosphere, but the film makes best use of this fact, even, by having various things fly off shelves and it goes well with the rest of the movie. On the whole, this is a very good film. While Tourist Trap might not be absolutely essential viewing; it's well worth seeing and I can recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +A good idea, badly implemented. While that could summarize 99% of the SciFi channel's movies, it really applies here. I love movies where a good back story is slowly revealed, and I like action movies, and I like all of the main actors, so this could have been great. However, despite some good acting, this movie fails due to Bill Platt's bad writing and directing.Another review made the good point of needing to know where you're going so you can get there. This movie doesn't. It's put together in such a haphazard way that you know the words "second draft" are not in Bill Platt's vocabulary. There is one scene that is entirely unnecessary and could be removed without anyone noticing. This scene even begins and ends with them driving a car, so you could cut from one car scene to the other and never have missed the pointless scene in the middle.This movie also had a strange habit of under explaining some details while over explaining others, some to the point where you can guess the entire "plot" up front. It also had a habit of aborting a fight early, probably just because they couldn't afford it. There are also a few laughably bad scenes where the "plot" is revealed on a computer and the final battle involving conveniently placed "toxic adhesive" (seriously, what *is* that?).If you are a fan of Shiri Appleby, watch this movie because she's OK. She does manage to break out of her "Roswell" persona a few times and make for a good tough chick (but not always). John De Lancie plays the same character he plays in everything he's ever done since playing Q back in ST:TNG, so that's nothing new.In all, I gave this movie a 4/10 rating.$LABEL$ 0 +NYC, 2022: The Greenhouse effect, vanished oceans, grinding unemployment and scarcity of water, power and food.. and New York's population has topped 40 million. This is a little gem of a picture, not least because a resource-depleted future is a reality for us 21st Century citizens. The low-budget opening titles of this movie are great: set to music, a low-tech 'tape-slide' sequence composed entirely of archive stills from the dawn of photography right up to 1973, depicts an unspoiled American pastoral developing into a polluted and crowded Hell in less than 2 minutes. Succinct and unambiguous, it's truly memorable. Budget limitations are also behind rather unimaginative cinematography and other constraints, at odds with the story's brilliant premise. The police station sequences are like an episode of some 70's TV detective show, and the other interior sets look basic at best. The budget probably all went on trying to 'futurise' the Soylent Executive's 'Chelsea West' apartment with state-of-the art goodies, meaning the other costumes are perfunctory, some establishing shots are bizarrely underpopulated and the daytime exteriors seemingly all shot through a smoke filter.The memorable scene where Sol and Thorn (Charlton Heston) share a meal of expensive and rare food neatly summarises their society: They enjoy real bourbon, lettuce, celery, tomato, apple, and beef, and we really sense their lip-smacking appreciation of someone else's wealthy privileges.Robinson's pivotal death scene, in which his character is willingly euthenased at a place called 'Home', depicts him immersed in images of the world's once-beautiful flora and fauna as he remembered them, beautifully contrasted with the jaundiced Thorn's dawning realization that the future has been bankrupted, among other horrors.This is one smart film, and its core message is as pertinent today as it was in the early 70s. Yes, I know we're not eating the dead yet, but with our resource-sapping longevity, spiraling poverty gap, corporate global capitalism and unchecked habitat destruction leading to climate change, the lasting prediction of 'Soylent Green' may come to pass.$LABEL$ 1 +What a GREAT movie! This is so reminiscent of the wonderful Disney classic family movies of the 60's and the 70's. I was so pleasantly surprised, after the past 20 years of absolute detritus Disney's live productions crews have churned out.This movie is an absolute joy. The child stars were just that; professional, quality actors. I am most impressed with the quality of this movie.Sigourney Weaver was a total sycophantic *insert hyperbole here* running a prison camp for wayward boys. Siobhan Fallon was wonderful as the star's mother.I won't recant the story here as there is little point in doing that yet again, but the story is wonderful, the direction was extraordinary and the acting quality was superb! This work reminds you what it's like to be a child, without going all sugary or being too grim. The deleted scenes featured on the DVD version were truly best left deleted. They were too harsh for this movie and would have taken so much from it. While the abuse was hinted in the finished product, it was not outright shown beyond a certain extent. It was best that way.This was an absolutely delightful movie to watch.It gets a 9/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +DOUBLE EXPOSURE was a tremendous surprise. It contains outstanding acting (particularly from the underrated Callan), fine cinematography and a compelling storyline. In other words, it's one of the finest horror efforts to emerge from the 1980s.Callan plays a fashion photographer who experiences dreams of murdering his models, at a time when he is reunited with his psychologically volatile brother (who happens to be missing an arm and a leg). When the models Callan dreams about killing actually turn up dead, the photographer begins to doubt his own sanity... but there is more to the picture than he is seeing.This film never received the praise it deserves. Most critics and filmgoers lump it in with the horde of slasher films released at the same time, but it stands high above the bulk of that sorry lot. It's clever and unique, which isn't something one can comfortably say about most films of this genre, but it's also passionately crafted and performed. DOUBLE EXPOSURE is a gem of its kind.$LABEL$ 1 +No need to detail what others have written in other reviews - here goes the summary: * Much of the nested animation work is downright gorgeous - the colors are superb - would love to have it done in silk as a necktie* The story and execution is a total snooze - it was quite difficult to stay awake at timesIf you are a student of the fine arts, medieval calligraphy, early religion and so forth - have at it. This is a FILM for you.If you want an engaging, entertaining MOVIE - look elsewhere - this is a failure as anything other than an artistic statement.Vikings didn't have horns by the way...$LABEL$ 0 +this movie I saw some 10 years ago (maybe more), I took it in a rental and never found it to buy even in French sites. The end is very surprising and intelligent. I would like very much to watch it again because I think it's as surpring as the Sixth Sense althogh a completely different kind of movie.$LABEL$ 1 +A great cast, a fantastic CGI monster and a brilliant script. If this film had had any of those things then it might not have been amongst the worst films I've ever wasted an hour and a half on. Infinite chimpanzees with infinite typewriters have not yet written the complete works of Shakespeare but along the way this has appeared in their waste-paper bin and somehow it got made into a movie. You can tell the the actors regret signing those contracts with every word they mutter directly into camera. The CGI is amateurish in the extreme and they might have created more tension of the cast had been attacked with the Sinclair Spectrum it was created on. I wanted to like this film, it has nice cameo appearances by Gil Gerard and Walter Koenig so I expected a fun horror movie that didn't take itself too seriously. It actually does try to take itself seriously but is about as much fun as trip to the dentist. Do yourself a favour. Don't watch this movie, you'll only encourage them to make more.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those films you can have on for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning -- able to do other things with no real complications in losing any understanding of the proceedings, and gaining some fascination in wondering why such mediocrities acquired the manpower and financial resources to be produced in the first place.Of course, with all the cable channels, as well as Lifetime's need to fill its time slots with 100 or so hours worth of movies per week (along with incessant "Golden Girls" reruns), this type of fare is now a t.v. staple. Also, it seems these flicks provide livelihood to the Canadian locales where most are made, as well as the host of Canadian actors appearing in them.Tori Spelling, like the ferret-face Paris Hilton, is somebody who - if not for family connections and resources - would likely be working at The Gap. But at least Tori has become, say, a C+-level thespian, appearing in occasional presentations appropriate to this level.This story is one which has been seen on Lifetime and similar venues God-knows-how-many times. Devious woman, a total sociopath, trying to screw-up everyone else's lives, operating during the initial parts of the story with more cleverness than a CIA operative could muster, committing murder when necessary, and out to wreck the life of the flick's "heroine."As usual, the male lead is a completely clueless dolt. And in these types of films, one finds, say, characters about whom one can really "care," about 10% of the time. This one is in the other 90%.$LABEL$ 0 +There's a spartan, unsentimental edge to this film that allows plenty of room for us to participate in the action without any stylistic encumbrance telling us HOW we're meant to be feeling; in 'Blue', everything was overtly sad (sure, powerful as hell, but still); in 'White', it was delightful whimsy. But there are no such emotional clues, or cues for that matter, in this one. It's as if he finally let the force of the tale work its own magic without razzle-dazzle embelishment. I think that's what makes it the most initially enigmatic of the three, but finally, the most transcendent and redemptive. Never has remorseless, unsparing honesty been quite so beautiful.$LABEL$ 1 +Sex is Comedy, though not driven by a fantastically imaginative plot, concentrates effectively on the relationship between film-director and crew during the process of film-making, whilst successfully addressing the dynamics of human relationships and more specifically the issues and problems encountered by actors involved in filming sex scenes. Director, 'Jeanne', features prominently throughout, for it is she who carries the plot forward, in the place of a narrator, and gives us numerous little pearls of wisdom to think about. She is a social commentator, relating to her assistant and others the problems she finds with her new male lead by way of associating him with a masculine stereotype. Their ambiguous relationship typifies something about human nature – the tendency to be fickle. On one hand, the two seem close; when he is not in sight, she claims to hate him. Jeanne also addresses his masculine pride perhaps in a feminist take on things.The taboo of what constitutes obscenity, is raised: the content of the sex scenes is not considered obscene but beautiful, because it is fakeness which constitutes obscenity - that is the director's justification. This is, however, doubly ironic, for the film we watch is in itself a construct within a construct.There's more to this film than just relationships, of course. Watching this film is not simply a question of analysing it for the sake of drawing out some sort of meaning. One can delight in the natural lighting which pervades the movie. This makes it realistic and believable. A static camera is sometimes used taking in a heavy composition and at times the camera appears shaky like a home movie. If you're looking for something fun to watch on a Sunday afternoon that isn't too heavy but still leaves you thinking: this is it.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on the shelf at Blockbuster and thought it looked cool. The DVD case touted so many great actors and I wondered to myself, "Why have I never heard of this movie?" Then I turned over the case and saw the director, Lee Tamahori, and thus the answer began to explain itself. First of all I want to defeat the idea that a great cast equals a great movie, but more importantly, I think I should explain why this movie is so terrible. Okay, the script is awful and full of one dimensional characters. This is the worst role I've ever seen Chazz Palminteri play and I'm surprised he would do something this ridiculous. However, under-appreciated yet talented actors must earn their money. Palminteri plays a one dimensional police detective who comes off about as dumb as a C-movie mob henchman. Him, along with the lead detective (the poorly directed Nolte), the great but simple Michael Madsen, and the late Chris Penn (whose role along with Madsen's was completely thrown away) make up an elite squad of LA detectives tasked to rid the city of mobsters sometime in the late 30s or 40s. The movie introduces this squad as cops who will break every law to make sure those who think they're above the law don't operate in their city. At the beginning of the film the cops rough up a local restaurant, grab an alleged mobster (William Peterson) and take him to a place they call the Mulholland Falls. They toss him off one of the cliffs on Mullholland Drive and this is supposed to demonstrate how serious these guys are about ridding the city of crime. Whatever. This was nothing more than a cheap excuse to use a crappy title that's designed to make you think of LA and its famous sites. Somewhere later on they find the dead body of Jennifer Connelly and the plot begins. On to the direction which was nothing short of amateur and WEAK! Aside from the fact that the characters were B-movie quality, the overacting by those such as Treat Williams, the guy who plays the chief of police, and the awful Daniel Baldwin are just a few highlights that made this movie seem like it was Lee Tamhori's first film. There's not one good performance in the movie aside from maybe Melanie Griffith, who some might argue was the worst in the movie (she won a Razzie for this film). In the end, it was her character that was not that great and she really didn't have much to work with. As with any bad movie, it all begins with the writing, and this script was no gem. Plot is formulated simply on the basis of setting up the next scene and never takes into consideration characters' motivations. The way the characters behaved was unbelievable. Cops taking the law into their own hands is believable within the right circumstances (see LA CONFIDENTIAL) but in this case it looked like these guys could get away with anything, including murder, and never bat an eye about cleaning anything up. I guess we as an audience are just supposed to assume that no one saw anything and that people won't ask questions. Everything about the story is predictable and is spoon fed so well that we understand everything that's going to happen a good while before the characters do. However, it doesn't make us feel smart, but rather makes us angry at how stupid the hero is, despite the fact that there aren't any heroes in this movie. In the end, the best component of the movie was the great score by David Grusin. From the beginning, it invoked a since of CHINATOWN, which quickly faded when I realized how unbelievable just about everything in the film was. It didn't surprise me to learn that it made a whopping eleven million in the box office. What I will say is that this film is worth watching for a few laughs. Nick Nolte's acting is like an unsuccessfully domesticated junkyard dog and I laughed every time he tried to be serious. I also nearly fell on the floor at each of the slow motion shots used in the film (I think there are three with one during a key fight scene). When you have to use slow motion in the heat of a dramatic moment, you clearly have some problems. So, even with my negative criticism, I will recommend this movie solely for the purpose of enticing laughter, that is, if you appreciate the good movies like LA CONFIDENTIAL.$LABEL$ 0 +You know a movie will not go well when John Carradine narrates (a.k.a. reads the script & plot synopsis) over his character's funeral procession, a mere 5 minutes into the movie. The narration is his character's last will & testament. It stipulates that his estate be divided amongst his 4 children and servants. The children shall split $136 million equally, but if any should die then that share is split amongst the remainders. If all the children should die then it is divided amongst the servants. To be eligible, they must live in the family estate for a week. It sounds like the typical plot of a reality show.There is little subtext as to the nature of the Deans. They are a powerful and severely dysfunctional family, but the real trouble starts with the drowning of that dog. From the opening voice-over by John Carradine you expect this movie will lead to a Machiavellian cat and mouse game with a twist ending. That journey is painfully slow and pointless. We trudge through minutes of watching people sitting around, playing pool, throwing darts, the misuse of the "through the fish bowl" shot, dramatic conversations between silk cravat wearing men, constant bickering, misplaced circus music, bizarre flashbacks reminiscent of faux-German expressionism, the horror aesthetic of the 4th grade and heaps of dramatic overacting. This all inevitably leads to the expected & ungratifying ending. You will be happy to still be alive, but the pain might be too great to bear alone. Share children, share.-Celluloid Rehab$LABEL$ 0 +An art student in Rome is possessed...or something. She has dreams of being nailed to a cross and Satan himself raping her. He possesses her (I think) and turns her into a sex addict. That's about all I could take and I turned it off.A pointless "Exorcist" rip off. I caught this on cable back in the 80s and was horrified...and not in a good way! This movie is supposed to be a horror film but turns into nothing more than a sex film disguised as a horror movie. There's tons of pointless female nudity and the actress playing the lead has to degrade herself more than once. We see her being raped by Satan (a hot-looking guy), masturbating, coming on to her own father...Gotta give her points for bravery. Add to that bad dubbing, editing (the rape scene looks like it was cut a bit), lousy acting and a story that makes next to no sense. The one disturbing sequence (her being nailed to the cross) ALMOST works but the lousy "special" effects ruin it. This is one of the few horror film that was so bad I stopped watching. Skip it.$LABEL$ 0 +Ridiculous fluff, that compounds its error by trying to have meaning. Joan, this time as a congresswoman, Agatha Reed, chairwoman of a committee dedicated to "investigating the high cost of food." Says Congresswoman Reed, "The housewife has been getting it in the neck too long. I'm going to keep fighting long enough so that the American family can take a vacation once a year, see a movie every week and feed an occasional peanut to an elephant." She's all business, but becomes all gushy when she is awarded an honorary degree from Good Hope College, where she was expelled for the crime of having stayed out all night (the parallel to Joan's real life is unmistakable here, as it is in all Joan Movies). The degree causes much consternation on campus ("That would make it the most broad-minded institution in the history of education!") – but Joan is unaware of this as she arrives. The college president, Jim Merrill, played by Robert Young, at his handsomest, happens to be Joan's former teacher – and lover. It was with *him* that she spent the night out, all those years ago, but Joan felt it was better to just disappear rather than try and explain to the skeptical college that they were about to be married. Naturally, this high-profile event will be covered by *Life* magazine – and who does the photographer turn out to be? Yet another of Joan's old lovers – this one, she hung out with in China "during the war", and he thinks Joan might be headed for trouble with her old flame. Eve Arden, playing Joan's assistant, "Woodie," is at her butchest and most smart-alecky in this movie – with her flippant and unnecessary remarks that would make you dismiss her from her job, if you didn't like her so much. But you not only like Eve in this, as in all her roles, you adore her. She is so droll and no-nonsense, you'd like to pay her just to hang around and be one of the boys. When Joan cries upon arriving at her alma mater, Eve tells her it "looks fierce." But Joan says that maybe others only see a collection of buildings, she, Joan, sees youth – herself at 18 "eager, expectant – a little frightened, asking 'What is life? What am I?'" But, of course, if we actually go into depth about Joan at 18, the truth may be a little different. For me, this is the major problem in watching any Joan movie. You can call her characters whatever you want to, but it's always all Joan, all the time. So, since what we're always seeing is Joan being herself, it's easy to dispense with character's names. It's just that it gets confusing when Joan tries to tell us something patently untrue, like her description of herself at 18 – when we know that at 18, Joan had already been around the block several times. Many men would have described her as eager, and as far as being expectant, she had already had several abortions at this point. But that's a personal problem, and I digress, but I simply wanted to explain why I say things such as "…and then Joan does…" this or that, or "We see Joan as..." when we are not literally watching a home movie.There is an unintentionally hilarious moment in which Joan is given the Clara Bow doll that she left behind in college – quick arithmetic tells us that Joan and Clara were contemporaries and this is a transparent ploy to make us believe Joan is much younger than she actually looks. It fails. What also fails is an attempt at early-50s political correctness. In the story, Joan has written a book about free speech and made a film (no, not the one about the plumber), and she attracts the attention of an early 50s campus radical, Dr. Pitt, who is about to be fired for his views, which are shockingly similar to Joan's. This is where the movie mysteriously becomes a morality tale –a weak one, to be sure, but perhaps the only thing that keeps it from sliding into oblivion.$LABEL$ 0 +first, i'd like to say that, while i know my share about star wars, i am not a fanatic. i do not know how many chromosomes a Wamp Rat has or the extended family of TK427. what i know is this: Star wars, all the movies(less so with episode 2 though), captured something magical. it's hard to say what, what button Lucas has found and boldly pressed, but it works. Star Wars is more than a movie. it's an idea.How, may you ask? i shall explain. star wars touches on the most universal of stereotypes, good vs evil. it does this so obviously, so profoundly, that literally any person from any environment can understand. Episode VI does the very well, concluding the epic struggle between a son and his used and manipulated father, yet also, with the addition of the prequels, reveals even more to the hinted back story. suddenly, it's Darth Vader at the front, and viewers realize that it's the story about Anakin, not just Luke. but even before 1-3, there was amazing depth to it all. it felt real, as if capsule fell from the sky into Lucas's lap, detailing a historical account of a galaxy far, far away.Star Wars is definitely something far above the norm, and i must admit, whenever i see them, particularly this one, i feel very small. i feel as though i've been thrust into a world where good and evil are so clearly defined. i get a tingling feeling when i see them, a feeling that something, somehow, has touched me more than any physical thing could ever hope.$LABEL$ 1 +Like Margot in "Fear of Fear" falls victim of her ambitious husband, like Fox in "Fox and his friends" is driven into suicide by his boyfriend who took all his money away, like Xaverl Bolwieser in "The Stationsmaster's Wife" who goes to prison in order to give his cheating wife a chance to get rid of him, like Hermann Hermann who seeks refuge in insanity in order to flee his stupid wife and bankrupt company, so also Hans Epp is a victim of the German "Wirtschaftswunder"-Society after World War II in R.W. Fassbinder's "The Merchant of the Four Seasons". Simply from the fact that Fassbinder played through social abuse between men and women as well as between hetero- and homosexual couples, it should be clear that he does not favorize any sex.In Hans Epp's case there are the women who drive him into despair, illness and finally death. When he comes back from the Foreign Legion where he flew because he could not stand anymore the pressure of his mother, she complains that he is still alive while the good boy from her neighbor had been killed. Then Hans gets a job as a policeman, but is surprised by his foreman while he is seduced by a prostitute. After having lost his job, he works as a fruit-merchant with little income, going from backyard to backyard "crying out" his produce. His mother, one of his sisters and her husband are ashamed to have such a "street-worker" in their family. "The love of his life" (she has no name in the movie) refuses to marry him because his job does not fit together with her social status and origin. So he marries Irmgard whom he does not love and who does not love him. From her constant pressure on him he flees into drinking. One evening, after his wife was stalking him, he explodes and hits her. She flees to her family for which this event was just what they have been waiting for. When Irmgard is calling a lawyer for divorce, Hans suffers a heart attack. Imrgard decides to stay with him, but from now on, he is not allowed anymore to do heavy work and to drink alcohol. So he starts to feel more and more superfluous, gets quieter and quieter and more and more depressive. When he finds out that Irmgard cheats him, he chooses to end his life, but not like Hermann Hermann by having a trip into the light of madness, but he drinks himself to death in front of Imrgard, their little daughter and his boozing buddies. Fassbinder said in an interview that Hans knew what he was doing. The question, however is: Did Hans just kill himself because he could not stand anymore his miserable environment, or did he make self-justice?$LABEL$ 1 +Hari Om is about an impossible love between a French tourist and the auto-rickshaw driver who agrees to take her to a rendezvous with her indifferent boyfriend. A sort of third-world road movie, that careens from lush reverie to madcap comedy, it is distinguished by the stellar performance of Vijay Raaz, who has become one of India's busier actors after his appearance as the event planner in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.In an interview, Raaz proves to be quite untouched by his success, responding rather carefully and pensively to questions. He discovered a love of acting and joined a major theatre troupe while in university, but for one with so much formal training is surprisingly inarticulate about his craft. He speaks of honesty and purity as the wellsprings of his approach, and the earnestness of his desire to communicate something authentic to the audience is clear. On screen, Raaz conveys an emotional integrity and dramatic assurance that lifts his characterization to an extraordinary level, and Director Bharatbala has cast and directed him perfectly. He has a wonderfully expressive face which the camera revels in; close-ups of that face are as compelling as shots of Camille Natta, who is gorgeous as the Frenchwoman Isa.$LABEL$ 1 +It must be the most corniest TV show on the air. This is probably a escape for Jim Belushi and all of his bad movies. His brother sucked all the talent out he younger brother. I hope this show is canceled and never spoken of again except in a negative use. Jim has got to retire or something. Please let them go of the air. If i here a joke from that show i will throw up and and wash my eyes out with a toothbrush. Id rather be taken from the devil himself than watch a full half hour that piece of programing. I still do not understand why the show is still in the air and running. We all know deep down that we want to shoot our TV screens when we see Jim's face. In conclusion, no more please.$LABEL$ 0 +This one's a doozy. Dating from 1949, Scene of the Crime often plays more like a Coen Bros. movie set in the 1940's and filmed in black and white, except that the writer's ear for pastiche here isn't quite so well-tuned -- maybe this can be seen instead as the forerunner to Oscar-baiting schlock like Road to Perdition. Frankly, it's a wonder that this film isn't considered a classic by film professors and critics everywhere, considering how much it offers in term of overly articulated mannerist thrills cloaked in false significance ( much like the grandaddy of all such "fake art" films, Citizen Kane, or anything by Murnau. ) MGM is usually a studio that can do no wrong in my eyes, and I think any story, any atmosphere, even "gritty realism," can only benefit from grotesque overaestheticization. You could say I'm a disciple of the Minnelli school. But it takes a certain light touch to write mannered tough-guy dialogue of the Dashiell Hammett stripe, a willingness, perhaps, to let maybe one or two scenes pass without a line like "Careful, Mr. Wiggly, or you'll have thirteen fish to fry and no little wormies to catch them with." I made most of that up -- "Mr. Wiggly," unfortunately, made the cut -- but believe me, the dialogue is just that loonily inflated and riddled with non sequiturs. Even the lead cop's wife played by Arlene Dahl speaks like she has a moon-shaped scar under one eye and the Christian name Rocco. By the time Van Johnson turns in his badge with the line, "I'm sick to death of death and homicide," you'll wonder how the writer's fixation with ornate literary devices -- in this case, zeugma -- could ever have been misconstrued as "street." For those who have outgrown The Naked Gun series, this is the funniest cops-n-robbers film going.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a haunting, powerful Italian adaptation of James M. Cain's novel The Postman Always Rings Twice directed by the great Luchino Visconti. What is so interesting about the film is that in every way it transcends it's source material to become something bolder and more original (interestingly Camus also credits Cain's novel as the key inspiration for his landmark novel The Stranger). The film has a greater power and intensity than the novel because Visconti is able to create the filmic equivalent of Cain's narrative structure but offer a more complex exploration of gender. Cain's very American novel is also uncritically fascinated with the construction of whiteness (the lead character Cora is obsessively afraid she will be identified as a Mexican and embarrassed that she married a Greek immigrant), which is not relevant to the Italian rural context that Visconti is working in. This allows the class antagonisms to take center stage and dance among the embers of the passionate, doomed love affair of the two main characters. This film is a complex, suspenseful, rewarding experience.$LABEL$ 1 +Mann photographs the Alberta Rocky Mountains in a superb fashion, and Jimmy Stewart and Walter Brennan give enjoyable performances as they always seem to do. But come on Hollywood - a Mountie telling the people of Dawson City, Yukon to elect themselves a marshal (yes a marshal!) and to enforce the law themselves, then gunfighters battling it out on the streets for control of the town? Nothing even remotely resembling that happened on the Canadian side of the border during the Klondike gold rush. Mr. Mann and company appear to have mistaken Dawson City for Deadwood, the Canadian North for the American Wild West.Canadian viewers be prepared for a Reefer Madness type of enjoyable howl with this ludicrous plot, or, to shake your head in disgust.$LABEL$ 0 +No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! This is not a film, this is an excuse to show people dancing. This is just not good. Even the dancing is slow and not half as entertaining as the mediocre 'Dirty Dancing', let alone any other good dance movie.Is it a love story? Is it a musical? Is it a drama? Is it a comedy? It's not that this movie is a bit of all, it's that this movie fails at everything it attempts to be. The film turns out to be even more meaningless as the film progresses.Acting is terrible from all sides, the screenplay is definitely trying to tell us something about relationship but fails miserably.WATCH FOR THE MOMENT - When Patrick Stewart enters the scene and you think the film might get better as he brightens up the dull atmosphere. For a second.$LABEL$ 0 +I have no idea what the producers of The Shield were trying to do, but the result speaks for itself: The Shield is practically unwatchable.Supposedly the performances on The Shield are great...In reality, the show is so badly put together that you can't even really see the performances. For instance, the editing cuts away from reaction shots before they've had their full impact.I don't know what intellectual rationale there is for that, but it robs the show of all emotional impact.I'll give The Shield one point for ambition in its subject matter, but that's pretty much all I can give it.It's a shame to see a number of talented performer waste their gift on something so strangely badly filmed.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched the first few episodes a short while back and felt I couldn't take it anymore. The horrible looking fight scenes are the worst I've ever scene in my life. About one-third of each episode is dedicated to Flash Gordon and his "mighty" fight moves. I know fight choreography from that era isn't exactly up to par with today's standards, but this is ridiculous. They don't even try to make it look realistic. Flash Gordon, who hardly resembles a fighter, uses his drunken slow moves and bare fist to knock out four or five guys with knives, guns, and other weapons. Give me a break! There's also a scene where he does some similar act while in the water. Basically every episode has scenes similar to that. As for the rest of the episode, there's not much else I remember. I basically viewed it out of curiosity on what science fiction looked like 70 years ago.$LABEL$ 0 +Swedish action movies have over the past few years evolved into something that imitate American hardened action movies like "Heat" but with a low budget. This movie follows the same prescription as "Noll Tolerans" and "Livvakterna". However, it is obvious that they are trying too hard to make a cool and tough movie.The story has been seen before, the dialogue feels artificial and the acting is very poor, especially from the main actress. The movie tries to paint a picture of hard-boiled military-like robbers with no remorse at all and a female investigator who has completely lost it with problems of the past but at the same time acts completely rational. It does not succeed very well.The bluish-cast photo style does not seem fresh anymore, and it is not even done well in this picture. Only a very few scenes actually look good. Also, the sound is quite weird and it sounds like a lot of the actual dialogue is recorded afterward.The main quality of this movie is Stefan Sauk, though not making a convincing portrait of a SWAT-team leader, has some really funny lines. Also, the music is quite well.$LABEL$ 0 +Every once in a while, a group of friends, with a minimal budget but bags of enthusiasm and talent, will create a low budget masterpiece that takes the world of horror by storm. Raimi and co. did it with The Evil Dead, Jackson and pals succeeded with Bad Taste; and Myrick and Sanchez made a mint with The Blair Witch Project.Director Todd Sheets and his chums, however, are destined to wallow forever in relative obscurity if Zombie Bloodbath is anything to go by. A lesson in how not to make a cheapo horror, this miserable effort (about a plague of flesh-eating zombies—natch) serves as a reminder that, whilst many people these days have access to a video camera, most shouldn't take that as their cue to try their hand at making a full-length movie.It's not that Sheets hasn't got an eye for a nicely framed shot (some of his camera angles and movements are actually pretty good), but rather that a) he has a lousy script b) he has a lousy cast, and c) he doesn't realise that he has a lousy script and cast. Which means that the final film is amateurish in the extreme, and unlikely to be watched in its entirety by anyone other than zombie film completists (like me) or members of the cast and crew (like those who have given the film favourable comments).Zombie Bloodbath is obviously aimed at undiscriminating gore-hounds, and Sheets (who currently has an incredible 34 titles under his belt as a director) certainly goes out of his way to please, with buckets of offal and blood thrown about at every opportunity. But whilst these moments are undeniably yucky, they aren't particularly convincing, and soon get rather tedious.So, to summarise, this is a really bad film, with almost no redeeming features. Except for two:Firstly, it features the single greatest mullet in the history of film, as sported by Jerry Angell, who plays Larry (as well as several zombies). The magnificence of his barnet (coupled with a fetching moustache) is reason alone to watch this film.Secondly, it has 'pathetic stealth zombies': flesh-eating corpses that lie in wait for unfortunate victims to wander by, before leaping from their hiding place to launch a feeble attack, which requires almost no effort to escape from. Best known for lurking behind a door for hours waiting for someone to open it, 'pathetic stealth zombies' also occasionally hide behind low walls, or sit in churches posing as members of the congregation.Normally a film this bad would get 1/10 for me, but, in celebration of Jerry Angell's flowing locks, I will generously raise my rating to 2/10.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Thank God I saw it for free. I would have hated to waste my money on it.First off, there isn't a character in the movie that is in any way likable. Michael Caine comes close, but even he is pretty flawed. The rest of the "commandos" are made up of disgusting ex-cons. There are the two gay Arabs, and three guys who try to rape a red cross nurse, and the "leader" who has no trouble sending his men off to get killed so he can escape.The "mission" is anything from suspenseful. They are to blow up a fuel dump. Sounds exciting, right? Well, the footage follows them through endless sandstorms and fixing flat tires. Yes, you read that right. The "suspense" is whether they will run out of spare tires. We actually WATCH them change something like 12 flats on the way. That's how incredibly exciting this movie is.They get to the fuel dump to find that it is a decoy. So, nothing to blow up. And at this time, for some very convoluted reason, the British army decides that they don't need these guys anymore, and radios their whereabouts to the Germans to kill them.So, now at least we'll have an exciting race to freedom? Nope, instead, they decide to blow up a different fuel dump, to create a diversion. But, when they get into the place, they set off a trip wire, and the Germans come to get them -- calling out their names over a loudspeaker.Really weird. If the Germans knew where they were and where they were going, why did they let them get all the way into the dump before springing the "trap?" Instead, they wait until they get into the fuel depot, and set all of their charges. Yeah. Right. That would happen.So, they blow the dump, the leader sells out all of his men -- except for Michael Caine, since he's been offered $2000 to bring him back alive.OK... so, the men are all betrayed and killed, and Michael Caine and Nigel Davenport survive. The British troops come in with tanks, and they decide to go get rescued. Since they are wearing German uniforms (they wore them to blow up the dump) they tie a white flag around a stick and walk out into the road.Some British guy walks up behinds them and machine guns them to death. Credits roll.Yep. The two "Heroes" of the movie die due to a random act of violence.It's almost like the movie suddenly ran out of budget and decided: "That's a wrap. Kill them off and we'll go home." I wasted 2 hours of my life watching this tired, unimaginative and totally unrealistic movie that ended with a gracefulness of a bomb.$LABEL$ 0 +When we were in junior high school, some of us boys would occasionally set off stinkbombs. It was considered funny then. But the producers, directors and cast of "Semana Santa" ("Angel of Death" in the DVD section of your local video rental) are adults and they are STILL setting them off.Like the previous reviewer who wondered if the cast were anxious to get off the set and home, I doubt more than one take was done for any of the scenes.Mira Sorvino, hot in "Mighty Aphrodite" and other top-rated films, seems to have undersold herself to this project. Her acting is non-existent, confined mostly to wistful stares that are supposed to indicate how "sensitive" she is to the plight of the film's various victims.But let me warn you--do not be the next victim! Step away from the DVD if you find it on the shelf. Tbere are not many good leg shots of Mira (the only high points I could find in the film) and the supporting cast is of inferior quality, delivering a mishmash of badly-done dialogue with embarrassing "Spanish" accents worthy of the best high school theatrical production.$LABEL$ 0 +I love the movie, it was a very interesting fantasy movie b/c of the real meaning of family in it, the history of our country, the fun-filled action displayed in the movie. I watch time @ the top about 4 X's a week and I just love it! I wish that a sequel had of been made to see more of Susan's dad in the past and watching how Susan delt with her new baby sister and having no telephone, computers, gameboys or anything of the 21st century. I hope everyone else enjoyed the movie as much as I did I guess you could say I'm a time at the top fanatic and I don't mind. The lil boy in the movie Robert Lincoln Walker was simply adorible I wonder who he is and how old he is today. Does anyone know if he's played in over movies or TV shows?$LABEL$ 1 +The story starts out with a soldier being transported to a desert town then goes back in time to tell the tale of how he came to this place. He started out as an officer in Napoleon's army fighting in Egypt but became separated from his unit. After nearly starving and/or dying of thirst he came upon a leopard which somehow became his bosom buddy. It brought him food and before long the soldier became almost totally wild so acute was his bonding with the animal. All things do end however and the man decided it was necessary for him to leave the critter. A very strange film, well written and portrayed. Beautiful scenery from Jordan and Utah which didn't always blend perfectly, but who cares.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a very well written movie full of suspense right up to the end! The setting is beautiful in contrast to the frightening action taking place there! It is not your typical suspense movie, but a movie well packed with interesting twists and surprises which leave you wanting and hoping for a sequel. I recommend this film to all suspense lovers!$LABEL$ 1 +"GI Samurai" sees Sonny Chiba and some other guys get transported back to civil war stricken feudal Japan for no particular reason, and much carnage ensues. It's a rather over the top essay of sword vs. machine gun that ultimately yields some interesting results.The plot essentially runs along the rails that you might expect from the title; initial fish-out-the-water antics ("what is this flying metal box?" etc etc), "aren't we better off here" discussions and ultimately a huge battle. The latter is proof that the film doesn't take itself seriously at all, the carnage taking up most of the second half as samurai army battles Chiba's platoon; a face off one would fully expect from the title but it still manages to overwhelm with its inventiveness and extravagance. It's certainly one of the most unique battle sequences of its time and doesn't drag despite its extended length.Chiba gives a gruff performance as Iba, initially a good leader but someone who finally finds himself questioning his own morals as the situation slowly has an effect on him. This is certainly one of his better vehicles from his terrific CV. By the final act the two worlds have had such an effect on each other you have to wonder if it was a bit of nihilism on the part of the writers, as they seem to be asking "weren't we better off back then?'. But this is maybe reading a bit much into was can generally be described as a hugely entertaining two hours of (almost) non stop action.$LABEL$ 1 +Pecker is a hilariously funny yet twisted film about a small town in Baltimore whose daily, humdrum routine is broken by Pecker, a young photographer who takes pictures of "real things." No pretty models, no gorgeous men, just hard living. This wonderful film pokes fun at the plasticness of the urban art chain. There is one particular scene when a homeless woman who shops at Pecker's mom's thrift shop buys the same exact coat as one of the Whitney art junkies for only 25 cents instead of five hundred dollars. This just goes to show you that no matter what kind of money you have, you might not always have taste. Yet again John Waters sends you into a never-ending spiral of laughter and raw reality. You can have your mainstream Hollywood movies with special affects and mountains of celebrities, but give me a "Pecker" or a "Hairspray" (another excellent John Waters film) over a "Titanic" or a "Godzilla" anyday!!$LABEL$ 1 +A must for any punk rocker, this is the movie that made The Ramones a household name back in the early 1980's (when it first appeared on premium cable stations). This was one of the first and best of the American Punk Rock movies, with a cult classic status up there with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Originally the producers wanted Cheap Trick as the stars, but the release of the "Live At Budakon" album had just made them superstars and too hot an item to be in a low budget movie. Very good luck for the Ramones who were looking to break out of the underground punk rock world and into the mainstream market (which sadly never happened until after the bands demise). The band, Dee Dee especially, always disliked the movie through the 80's but the fans always loved and could recite most of the movie while waiting to get into Ramones shows. This movie, like most classics, is stupid fun with some classic Ramones footage in their heyday. Don't expect more, you won't find it. It's great fun, so enjoy it. Another Allan Arkush classic movie in a similar vein is Get Crazy, featuring Lee Ving from the legendary hardcore punk band Fear.$LABEL$ 1 +To be entirely frank, the popularity of this show saddens me. Inuyasha is certainly not terrible - it has a few good moments, the occasional flash of clever humour, and, unlike so many animes, dignity. However, it is utterly lacking in the essential elements of a worthwhile story. From the start, its premise dooms it to be stereotypical. The main plot centers around collecting the pieces of a shattered jewel before they can be possessed by evil, and is, as one would suspect, a totally generic epic fantasy affair. The story follows a familiar pattern of fighting off various enemies for pieces of the jewel, and is thus quite predictable, lacking in complexity, and easy to lose interest in. But as so many animes have shown, a poor premise can be rescued by deep, realistic characters. Sadly, no one rescues the story of Inuyasha. Kagome, the main character, is the stereotypical anime heroine (and far too reminiscent of Akane, the main character of the original comic author's previous work Ranma 1/2); she is kind to other females, but treats many males, especially her love interest, with unfair, unabashed, unjustifiable brutality. Inuyasha is a tough-on-the-outside-but-sweet-on-the-inside type, and Miroku is the lamentable stock character of "the pervert".The flaws continue with what happens to this plot and these characters - namely, nothing. Despite constant action, the story does not progress. Despite regular romantic moments, neither does the main relationship. Despite ample time, the characters never really change. And to add a cherry to the sundae of mediocrity, all this stagnation is stretched into approximately 150 episodes.My final criticism of this anime is the animation. While certainly not ugly, it displays almost disrespectful laziness on the part of the creators. The animators seem to take joy in long scenes of Inuyasha jumping through the air with wind whistling in which they have little to do but move a background.In short, with all the beautiful animations of the world at one's keyboard-perched fingertips, there is absolutely no reason to watch Inuyasha.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this film because I enjoy watching things with Lauren Graham in them. Well, she was the highlight. Everyone else seemed complete separated from the picture. You kept looking around you at those watching the film with you going, what? However she provided some clarity, as she was the only normal character in the picture, which actually isn't saying much for the film. Personally it was too far fetched for me. However, I am glad I rented despite the fact I would never want to own it. I still feel that Lauren Graham proved to be a strong actress and even thought she was not the main character, she seemed to steal the movie. My husband and I were happier and cared more about her character ending up with Josh's character than we were about the two main characters.$LABEL$ 0 +Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has got to be the worst television show ever made. There is no plot, just a bunch of silly costumed kids using martial arts while dressed up in second class spandex outfits.The special effects look like they are from the '70's, the costumes look like something out of a bad comedy, and the show is just plain awful.The only thing worse than the television show are the toys, just second rate plastic garbage fed to our kids.There are far better shows for your kids to watch!Try giving your kids something like Nickelodean, those shows actually have some intelligence behind them, unlike power rangers.$LABEL$ 0 +By 1941 Columbia was a full-fledged major studio and could produce a movie with the same technical polish as MGM, Paramount or Warners. That's the best thing that could be said about "Adam Had Four Sons," a leaden soap opera with almost terminally bland performances by Ingrid Bergman (top-billed for the first time in an American film) and Warner Baxter. Bergman plays a Frenchwoman (this was the era in which Hollywood thought one foreign accent was as good as another) hired as governess to Baxter's four sons and staying on (with one interruption caused by the stock-market crash of 1907) until the boys are grown men serving in World War I. Just about everyone in the movie is so goody-good it's a relief when Susan Hayward as the villainess enters midway through — she's about the only watchable person in the movie even though she's clearly channeling Bette Davis and Vivien Leigh; it's also the first in her long succession of alcoholic roles — but the script remains saccharine and the ending is utterly preposterous. No wonder Bergman turned down the similarly plotted "The Valley of Decision" four years later.$LABEL$ 0 +The DEA agent's name, Anslinger, is a nice inside joke - this is the name of the former drug czar who almost single-handedly made marijuana illegal.Despite this bit of book knowledge, the writers go on to have the farmers harvesting and selling fresh undried leaf, rather than cured buds.Additionally, I always find it amusing that movie makers never seem to be able to find real marijuana plants for filming. You would think there would be a business that would make real looking fake ones for the movie business or maybe they could film a couple of scenes in Amsterdam or Switzerland. I suppose that's asking too much for the budget.Probably the most interesting thing about the film is the attempt to cover the notion of exactly what is right and what is wrong in society and how the law treads that line and yet tries to do justice in spite of it.$LABEL$ 0 +I like Armand Assante & my cable company's summary sounded interesting, so I watched it, twice already, and probably will again.The early part is difficult to follow, but later it clears up. I believe the screenwriter did a good job of tying up the loose ends.Some of the acting is unconvincing, but maybe that's because I was always expecting some kind of double-cross. In that case, the poor acting would be the insincerity of the characters interacting with each other, so it fits very well.The important theme is the carnival owner (Assante) is laundering money for a local casino & his snake-charmer wife (Dagmara Dominczyk) wants to steal it. She complains to "Archie" (Reedus) how terrible her life is, and how he could help her get out of it.There are 3 or 4 plot twists (which is probably the reason for all of those loose ends), and just when you think you have solved the mystery, something else will happen.My 8/10 score is mostly for the plot.I won't say any more - I don't like spoilers, so I don't want to be one, but I believe this film is worth your time.$LABEL$ 1 +A good film with strong performances (especially the two leads). The film is about two American girls who are caught with 6 kilo's heroin on an airport in Thailand. They're both thrown in prison and one of them signs a confession. Bill Pullman plays the lawyer who tries to get them out. All they have to do is find a Nick Parks who put the narcotics in the bag of one of the two girls. So far for the story which isn't that original (it has many resemblances with the better Return to Paradise).The acting and Newton Thomas Sigel's beautiful photography make this film worth to watch. A 7 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Spanish director Luis Buñuel career spanned almost 50 years, from 1929 to 1977. Arguably, his best films were those he made during his exile in Mexico - from the late forties to the early 60s. There he had to deal with very cheap budgets, and work in an industry interested mainly in churning commercial movies to unsophisticated audiences, yet he somehow managed to make interesting, thought provoking movies that have stand the test of time. This movie is based on a novel by Spanish author Benito Perez Galdos - and the adaptation is quite faithful, even if the setting is now early 20th century Mexico instead of early 20th century Spain. The protagonist, Nazarin, is a priest who tries to live a life that is as faithful as it can be to the one prescribed by Christ. The question many would ask is whether such endeavor would be possible, without incurring in the hostility, incomprehension and mockery of your fellow human beings. As it happens, he suffers a lot of indignities, yet he remains stubborn (until the controversial final shot) to this objective. I think Buñuel wanted to show Nazarin as a somewhat ridiculous figure, but perhaps inadvertently, his stubbornness (at least to this viewer) comes out as admirable. In any case, a great film.$LABEL$ 1 +I wanted to like Magnolia. The plot reminded me of Grand Canyon (which I liked). 4 different lives/stories that come together at the end but Magnolia took a wrong turn halfway through the movie and I was lost. I almost turned it off right then and there but I felt I should hang in there until the end, little did I know it would be another torturous 1 1/2 hours. Thank god I rented instead of seeing it in the theatre. I almost screamed out in frustration after 2 hours. The biggest kick in the pants was the ending frog scene. My DVD player still hasn't forgiven me and I don't blame it one bit. It was a unique movie, but a bad, boring, and pointless movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I loves this movie,because it showed that they were not killing for fun but to save the ones they loved! Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom did a great job portraying Ned and Joe. It has a few quick inappropriate scenes but is all right other than that. The language is very mild and sometimes don't even know it is there. This movie shows that just because they are outlaws does not mean that they are vicious killers! I hope that people will watch this movie and learn about important times in history like this one. There is one thing that fascinates me about this movie is that they got their inspiration for their armor from a book Ned looked at! Also that that is how people remember them,from their armor. I hope that people will watch this movie and get interested as I have.$LABEL$ 1 +'Heaven's Gate' is not a masterpiece, which apparently was what it needed to be upon first release to justify its great cost, and, more importantly, the continued uneasy reliance of Hollywood on the Auteur model of film-making. Yet 'Heaven's Gate', seen today at last on DVD in a cut of 229 minutes, is a superb film. It is a touch lethargic in pace. But at least it is paced. Quite apart from the incompetence of construction that marks many films today, there have been many films which, deliberate in form, have been severely damaged by being hacked down with no care for rhythm so the films become shapeless and confusing. Beyond this, the criticisms leveled at the film have become in retrospect quite lame. If the good guys and bad guys are too obviously pronounced for a serious film, and yes Sam Waterston's mustachioed, fur-clad villain is comic-opera (and not in the multi-leveled manner of Bill The Butcher from 'Gangs of New York'), and yes, the townsfolk do seem a touch 'Fiddler On The Roof' on occasions, then a few dozen serious films made since then, including 'Titanic' and the graceless 'Cold Mountain' (which bears certain similarities and is a notable failure in convincing qualities compared to this film) can be castigated for exactly the same reason. Also despite accusations, the film has a plot, quite a well-essayed plot at that. It simply does not bow to standard-form 'epic' quality, by providing Titan heroes, rafts of sub-plots and confusion. It experiments with telling in a manner more like much smaller, modest films, by carefully-caught moments of character interaction, and well-textured pageant-like explosions of communal action, as with the opening at Harvard and, most specially, the wonderful scene where the Johnson County folk, following the lead of a brilliantly physical fiddler, make celebration on roller-skates.'The Deer Hunter' was a critical and commercial success but abandoned the first half's inspired, mosaic-like accumulation of detail, and I think in a manner similar to criticism of Robert Penn Warren's novel 'All The King's Men' and its dictionary of Jacobean stunts, if Cimino had not had such a strong grasp of the conventions of Hollywood epics, he might have made a special rare work of art based in honest visualisation of people within their milieu. In contrast, 'Heaven's Gate' succeeds in screwing its narrative momentum and tension upwards in a slowly expanding arc, until the finale explodes, whilst not abandoning the mosaic approach.The central romantic triangle, for instance, resists standard inflections; a decent, intelligent, but psychically defeated man, James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) competes with a hot-shot but identity-challenged young gunman Nate Champion (Christopher Walken) for the hand of a young Madame, Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert); there is no self-conscious bed-hopping, no slaps in the face, recriminations, or typical sad-sack moments, but more a sad and distanced decision by Ella to choose the younger man whom she loves less because he is ready to make the commitment. Ella emerges as the film's true hero (Huppert's performance, though initially awkward, is really quite excellent, balancing a dewy emotionalism with a hard-hammered spirit), attempting first to rescue Nate and then mustering the resistance party of immigrants into an enterprising defence. Subsequently, Averill is stung into action as friends die. Indeed, in the process of overcoming so many traps of cliché and style, 'Heaven's Gate' successfully and willfully throws off the defeated outsider-heroes grace note of so many '70s Westerns and portrays an eventual, vigorous, cheer-the-heroes rallying to a compromised but still relished victory. The social conflict of so many '70s Westerns at last hardens into a fully-fledged war; where capital attempts a crushing final victory over the miscreants who stand in their way, suddenly they find a massed and more-powerful people's army, led by the man who played the thoroughly-destroyed Billy the Kid a decade before. This is what led the film to be described as the first Marxist Western, but really it simply deflowers a theme of the genre extant well before the '60s. Such various and classic old-school works as William Wyler's 'The Westerner', and even 'Shane', tell awfully similar stories. It is simply here that the romantic myth of the gunslinger has been replaced by the romantic myth of the people's revolt. In a spectacular, exiting, but realistic and thus chaotic finale, the marauding Cattlemen's encampment is attacked, ringed by dust clouds punctuated by fallen horses, writhing bodies, and gunfire. Averill puts his classical education to work finally by stealing a Roman trick and bringing the Cattlemen to the brink of annihilation before they are rescued by the Cavalry (another distinctly seditious touch, but surely not so offensive after 'Little Big Man's unrelenting depiction of Native American massacres). Really, it's hard to think of a more heroically American vision of grassroots resistance. The film's only real dead spot stands as an unnecessary coda indicating Averill's eventual relapse, a rather potted piece of tragedy. Despite then certain failings and a slow mid-section, 'Heaven's Gate' is a supreme piece of work, a genuine attempt to create a contemporary Western and a new kind of epic. If one has to still join the chorus that reckons Cimino was absurd in his behaviour on set and expenditure, it is regretfully. When, today, flops like 'The Adventures of Pluto Nash' and 'K-19 - The Widowmaker' see nearly a hundred million dollars sink down the drain, and yet a tag of infamy still hangs on this film, one ponders what exactly its grim death signified. The attempt at original style, the bawdy sexuality, the very hard-won sense of detail, the breathtaking rigor of the film-making and what is being filmed, all throw into contrast what is sorely lacking in so much contemporary Hollywood product.$LABEL$ 1 +I am currently on vacation in Israel for summer, and so was able to see this incredible film. A bit of a warning before I begin writing: I speak fluent Hebrew, and so the Hebrew parts were no problem; however, about a quarter (a bit less) of the film is in Arabic, and I was unable to understand a bit of this subtitled bit. This did not detract from my understanding of the film, but did cause me to miss a few jokes which evoked some strong laughs in the theater.After a year of American Cinema which many hailed as one of the greatest years for homosexual cinema and relationships, it takes something truly special to stand head and shoulders above the rest; yet, "The Bubble" surpasses all others with its blend of excellent acting, witty dialogue, and relevant political climate.The film opens on a checkpoint on the Israeli-Palestinian border; For the first few moments, we are unsure about the type of movie we have walked in on. Yet, this is an important element of this film's strength. The political situation, and the extreme tension in the air is constantly in the background. Most importantly, Tel Aviv serves as a character of its own in this film. It is constantly referenced. Street names and restaurant names are constantly exchanged. The skyline and city development is critiqued quite harshly, and ultimately the city evolves along with the film The film focuses on the love between Noam (Ohad Knoller) and a Palestinian immigrant, Ashraf(Yousef 'Joe' Sweid), with the societies of Tel Aviv and Palestine serving as a constant foil. We always know that their relationship is forbidden, and this creates a sense of urgency rarely present in cinema. The love is incredibly strong, and stands as the centerpiece of the film. The secondary relationships and friendships are equally strong: flamboyant restaurant owner Yelli's ( Yousef 'Joe' Sweid) relationship with the ultra-butch and grating golani solider, Golan (Zohar Liba), is particularly a source of amusement. The love scenes which abound in this film are all exquisite, fine crafted works of art, and the cinematography is astounding: In the first love scene of the film, the camera pans down as a male character gives oral sex to Lulu (Daniela Virtzer), and dissolves into a shot of Noam and Ashraf. This shot any many others lead the viewer to realize that all of these relationships are expressions of the very same form of love.To give away more of the storyline would be a tragedy, but know that there is a lot of political tension and tragedy which touches onto the current world political climate, so I will instead focus on the witty dialogue. Even when watching this movie in my second language, I could not stop laughing throughout. Lines of particular amusement include the question of whether gay suicide bombers receive virgin women or men in heaven, and an analogy of Sampson from the bible as the worlds first suicide bomber. This dialogue shows a particular sense of purity and reality which is rarely seen in Cinema. The music used in the film is also particularly powerful. Music is only used in times when characters legitimately could or should be listening to it, and in one scene the music weakens when a character removes one earphone and stops when he removes the other. Little elements like this truly elevate the film.I could not give greater recommendation to a film; this is a superb work of cinema which is catharthic as well as extremely well crafted.$LABEL$ 1 +Human Tornado (1976) is in many ways a better film than it's predecessor. The director knew what he had to work with and catered towards Rudy Ray Moore's limitations as an actor. It's a fun movie that's more technically sound and acted. The performers don't take themselves too seriously and it seems that this time around everyone is on the joke and goes with the flow. Rudy Ray Moore seems more relaxed in front of the camera and not as stiff like he was in Dolemite.I enjoyed the film very much and I highly recommend it. Just like his first film, it's catered towards a certain audience (I highly doubt that Mr. Moore was trying to broaden his audience at this point in his career). Check it out!Highjly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I've watched almost all of the Gundam/Mech anime that have showed in the US and this by far has the best story. The way its plot twists and turns has u riveted. Gundam Wing is a series that mainly focuses on politics and war. The series follows a group of five 15 year old boys who have been trained to pilot state of the art mobile suits known as Gundams. The Gundam pilots were trained to battle a powerful insurgency known as Oz. As things begin to heat up between OZ and the Gundam pilots, new political groups will form and old ones will dissipate. Old conflicts will end and new ones will arise. To obtain peace the Gundam pilots must come to grips with the events taking place in their world and put an end to all the fighting. But, how far are people willing to go to obtain their goal. I recommend this anime to anyone who is looking for a show that has a deep plot.$LABEL$ 1 +"Stories of the Century" was a half hour series and appeared in first run syndication during the '54-'55 television season. It was also the first western TV series to win an Emmy award. Starring veteran western actor Jim Davis as railroad detective Matt Clark, the series set Clark and his fellow railroad detective partners (Mary Castle as Frankie Adams for the first half of the season and Kristine Miller as "Jonesy" during the second half)against historic western outlaws of various periods ranging from the mid-1860's to the early 1900's. The series was very satisfying, easy to watch, and fairly realistic due mainly to the easygoing charm of Jim Davis in the lead role. He seemed like an actual western character. One other note. When Matt Clark would arrive in town after a long ride he actually looked like he had been on a long horse ride as he would be covered in dust.A very good early adult western.$LABEL$ 1 +Prue and Piper bring Dr. Griffiths to their home to save him from the Sauce's assassin Shax. While Phoebe looks in the Book of Shadow how to vanquish the demon, Prue and Piper fight and chase Shax on the streets to destroy him. However, they are filmed and exposed live in the television news as witches. They become national sensation with a crowd in front of their house. Phoebe trusts on Cole and goes to the underworld with Leo to ask him to summon Tempus and revert time while a fanatic woman shots Piper, who dies. The source proposes Phoebe to stay with him and in return he would save her sister. Phoebe accepts the deal, and the time is reverted to the moment Shax is attacking Prue, Piper and Dr. Griffits."All Hell Breaks Loose" is a good but incoherent episode. With Piper dead and The Power of Three destroyed, why should The Source revert time to save her? But this dramatic show is certainly one of the best of the Third Season and let the viewers anxiously waiting for the next episode. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Voltando no Tempo" ("Back in Time")$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen many horror, splatter, monster movies in my life. And of course also a lot of monster movies from the 50's and 60's. When I first stumbled over this one I thought this is from the 60's until I recognized it's from 2007.In fact the character of Jack Brook is interesting and the acting all in all is for a splatter movie quite good, but.... I expected a splatter movie and not a drama story about a aggressive plummer. The movie runs 80 Mminutes and I think the first kill is after 65 minutes. Although it takes hours to explain the story the reason where are the monsters come from takes at least 3 minutes... the we have another 20 minutes boring dialogue and finally a, in my opinion, not that well managed splatter sequence. Although we have Robert Englund starring here I only recommend this one to real hardcore horror fans.$LABEL$ 0 +A wonderful and gritty war film that focuses on the inner torment of blinded marine Al Schmid. Although it is tough and unpleasant it IS in the end heroic - Schmid's triumph over disability and depression. The battle scene was superb. But one bone to pick. No matter how many .50 bullets they fired I never saw any water or dirt being kicked up by the impacts! It hurt the realism, but I can live with it. Fine performance by Eleanor Parker, again, as his girl friend.$LABEL$ 1 +Bought this movie in the bargain bin at Rogers Video store for $2. I enjoy a good B movie now and then and figured this looked like a good one.The movie is quite cliche "1970's" and is quite groovy for that. Unfortunately the story line is hard to follow and not a lot happens in the movie. In fact, I turned it off after watching it for 45 minutes and figured a week later that I should watch the whole thing no matter how slow it was.The movie has good spots in it, but you have to wait and wait and wait.......for them.If you are into B movies, this might just be for you, just be warned that the movie is slow and not much really happens, and did I mention not much story line either...$LABEL$ 0 +I kind of like Bam Margera, so I was curious. But watching a home production with somebody elses friends and family, with a decent camera and a sound guy, just isn't good film-making. Writing, direction, acting and editing is abysmal at best. But I sat through half of it. And why?This film gives perfect examples of what not to do, it is a film student's dream of what to avoid at every stage of the process. Cram it into film school curiculums all over the joint!So thanx Bam! Now I know Jackass is for real - cause you ain't looking to win an Oscar, dude:)$LABEL$ 0 +This is the least scary film i have ever seen. How the blob manages to eat anyone is the biggest mystery of the film. The blob moves so slowly that an o.a.p in a zimmerframe could escape it. The blob has a large slice of luck coming across a typical horror film woman who instead of running away stands still for half an hour so that she can be eaten. If you havent seen this film i recommend you do, its far too funny to be taken seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +Mike Nichols' film "Charlie Wilson's War", set in the 1980's, tells the story of how the title character (played by Tom Hanks) managed to wage a covert war with the Russkies by way of aiding the Afghan forces. Of course, we know how well that turned out in the long run but, thankfully, the film does not gloss over the unpleasant after-effects.The cast is star-studded, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts being among the most bankable stars in Hollywood. As a bonus, you've got the versatile Philip Seymour Hoffman in a characteristically memorable supporting role, one for which he received a not unwarranted Oscar nomination. I'm not much of a fan of Roberts but Hanks is always dependable. Nevertheless, I can't quite buy into him as a drug-using womanizer, although the real Charlie Wilson seems just as eminently likable as Hanks. Apart from the big three, though, there's not much worth remarking on, even from a recognizable name like Amy Adams.The story is engaging and is bolstered by a fine script from Aaron Sorkin. The verbal interplay between the main characters is excellent and is chock full of memorable lines. The later events set into motion by the war are not ignored though the bookending scenes honoring Wilson seem to me to be too earnest to achieve the bittersweet feel which was likely intended. On the whole, Nichols' direction is workmanlike and follows the action of the script admirably.This is a film that, like Charlie Wilson himself, has flaws but is nevertheless disarmingly likable. Certainly recommended for fans of the three stars and for those looking for an engaging political drama with a light-hearted feel.$LABEL$ 1 +And that comes from someone that will withstand almost ANY viewing. The acting and sound is awful. This might qualify for a "so bad it's good" point of merit,,,for some. However I take my horror movies seriously and this is just crap-it's just soooo cheap, I think that's my major complaint. The dialogue is often hilarious-attention to how many times "you startled me" is used. The "child" actress is seriously god awful-I pray her acting career ended here..her line "DONUTS! I HATE DONUTS" is worth repeated viewing however.$LABEL$ 0 +What on earth has become of our dear Ramu? Is this the same man who made Sarkar, Satya, and Comapny? I refuse to believe so. If AAG was Ramu's most ambitious project, he has clearly jumped off the high cliff he has ascended by giving the industry some of the greatest works of all times. This movie is made to fall like a brick. I was cringing to leave the theater, but I was forced to sit because I wouldn't have been able to take my car out of the parking lot before others also left. Else, nothing would have made me sit beyond interval.This movie is nowhere close to Sholay. It doesn't even come near it within a mile. I believe Ramu surely loves The Godfather more than Sholay, since Sarkar was a classic piece of work. I read Ramu's interview a couple of days back, in which the interviewer said that Ramu doesn't sleep for more than 4 hours a day, that too not at a stretch. I completely agree with this now, as his lack of sleep has probably taken its toll on the movie.There is no power in the performance. Amitabh Bachchan doesn't even look scary. He looked more terrifying in the few posters and wallpapers I saw earlier. Ramu's favorite Nisha Kothari did a fantastic job in Sarkar because she didn't have many dialogs (in fact none if I remember clearly). She opened her mouth in this movie, and has found a place in history. The new guy playing Jai's role seems to have that brash look, but didn't manage Jai's role at all. I cant go on... Im sorry... my pain is too big for me to manage right now.I promised myself throughout the movie that I will watch the original Sholay once more just to see that it is still there.Bottom Line: Horrible movie. The media and critics are going to cook Ramu's goose. And just to remind all readers once more, I am one of the biggest Ramu fans, and even I cant spare him for this act.$LABEL$ 0 +Come on, what is the deal with this show, Power Rangers anyways? I always felt that the show, which was originally brought over from Japan in a better form, took what was great in Japan, and turned into one of the most ridiculous and pointless excuses in toy merchandising history! There is absolutely no point with this show whatsoever.The bad haircuts, bad costumes, earrings, etc, all show what was ridiculous back in the 1990s From the two idiots, Bulk and Skull, to the "duhs", of the main cast, Jason, Trini, Tommy, Kimberly, Billy and Zack, I just want to say one thing: GIVE ME A BREAK!Saban brought this from Japan, and then Disney bought the rights to this show around five years ago.Now the public has to endure reruns of this show on the Disney channel and such.All I can say once again is give me a break!$LABEL$ 0 +It is movie about love,violence,illegal affairs and romanian tycoons. A romanian story combined with an occidental adaption resulting in a modern international film that can be understood both by western audiences but as well by eastern European audiences that HAVE LONG forgotten about the conservative comunist regim over film-making.A film full of violent fight scenes that are very numerous and create more and more tensed situations as the movie goes on . A story that impresses because of its view over the hard life from the neighbourhood. Two young men do illegal car races. They work together as a team and prosper from their occupation ,but when they are asked by a local tycoon to lose one race things start to get messy and the fuse from the bomb lights up creating a very tensionated movie that will keep you close to the screen until the ending of it when you will still be asking yourself a lot of questions long after that.Brilliant acting both by Dragos Bucur and Dorina Chiriac along with high quality directing and screen writing by the young but talented director Radu Muntean also give a unique charm to Furia. All this and many other elements that can be noticed while watching have created a must see movie by all the filmlovers around the world and its message is clear to all not depending of race ,language we speak or country. It is a real hope for the Romanian cinema as it tries to keep up with the more advanced occidental cinema.I hope you enjoy watching it as I'm sure that all the people that have seen it liked it and understood it.$LABEL$ 1 +What an original piece of work. I've always enjoyed Liev Schreiber the "actor", but now one must appreciate the man on a multi-dimensional level . How did he get that field of sunflowers? Was it computerize, it sure looked real. And how do you audition a dog knowing you are going to get that kind of performance? Does the academy have a category for animals? I guess what I'm saying is that I really, really enjoyed this quirky, offbeat, little indie film. From the excellent cast (one would never know Eugene Hutz was not a pro actor) to the cinematographer (some beautiful shots) the music (bought the CD when exiting the theater) and of course the two "D's" (direction and the DOG). All in all a "10"./$LABEL$ 1 +What a moving film. I have a dear friend who is in her sixties and for the past 15 years has told me that people don't see her anymore, and she longs for companionship. Being in my late 40s I am beginning to see what she has been complaining about. You are no longer youthful, beautiful or touchable. When May says "...this lump of a body..." wow. How our bodies change and how we are told it is no longer beautiful. I love when she begins to change what she wears...the colorful scarf...no longer the frumpy wife.It is a sad and wonderful picture at the same time. Sad in that May betrays her daughter's trust...beautiful in that she finds herself through the difficulty of the affair, and chooses to move on and finally have her own life. I love the character's daring to even initiate the love affair.Mostly I love the movie because finally it is a picture that shows the intricate nature of relationships, be they familial or not. We see Paula's vulnerability, yet she will have what she wants at all costs...(when she tells her mum that she will have a baby for Darren whether he wants one or not after her mother asks if Darren even wants a child). The movie hits the mark on the how relationships can change, and yet reveals what has been there all along, dormant. May has stifled her own creativity to raise a family. A family that she didn't really want, but was "something you just did when she was young". I love the scene when Darren calls her an old tart, and she smiles and says "I was never called that before". It was truly a gem of a movie.And Daniel Craig. Well, i just love him. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is he pleasant on the eyes, he is a real talent. What a neat role. He is much more than any 007 that is for sure and I look forward to seeing him in more roles of this nature. The scene where he is pleasuring May and the look he gives her is sort of a look of wonder that he has such control over this woman, and also one of pleasure of being able to give this to her. He is actually enjoying giving her pleasure. A wonderful scene. The contrast is the love scene with Bruce. Bruce is totally absorbed with his own pleasure...two completely different men.Alas...I wonder where is my Darren?$LABEL$ 1 +Ugh. Stephen Baldwin. I never noticed until I got the DVD home and saw his name in the credits. Double ugh. What's worse, HE'S the NAME in this low budget, mindless, wandering, wannabe shoot'em up. I mean, where did they find the guy to write this refuse? Driving a caterpillar in the LA City Dump, while hoping to break into the movie game? The whole plot is ridiculous situation piled on ridiculous premise. Baldwin is as convincing as a poster boy for American Gothic, sans pitchfork. His whole acting repertoire is looking like he needs the potty and then looking like he found it. So, there you have it folks: bad script, bad acting by no-name actors, low-budget setting and a hero that's about as convincing as a girl scout looking for a cookie customer as an action hero. It's too late for me to get my money back on the DVD, but you can spare yourself-- unless you're one of those who likes to look at the dogs for a laugh...frankly, this one is too boring to be funny.$LABEL$ 0 +My baby sitter was a fan so I saw many of the older episodes while growing up. I'm not a fan of Scooby Doo so I'm not sure why I left the TV on when this show premiered. To my surprise I found it enjoyable. To me Shaggy and Scooby were the only interesting characters *dodges tomatoes from fans of the others* so I like that they only focus on those two. However, this may cause fans of the original shows to hate it. I like the voice acting, especially Dr. Phinius Phibes. I liked listening to him even before I knew he was Jeff Bennett. And Jim Meskimen as Robi sounds to me like he's really enjoying his job as an actor. I also get a kick out of the techies with their slightly autistic personalities and their desires to play Dungeons and Dragons or act out scenes from Star Wars (not called by those names in the show, of course).$LABEL$ 1 +This film is hard to knock. It follows in the tradition of Pulp Fiction, yet succeeds further by stamping its own unique style. The cast is awesome, the script is great - and things like the odd (Pulp Fiction-esque) time-sequencing is done brilliantly. I particularly like how the images provided in flash back vary dramatically depending on who is telling the story at the time. When it is one of the indoctrinated criminals everything is flashy and cool, but when it is the hero's recollection everything is skanky and disgusting.This is an awesome film - and so I am extremely annoyed to find that I cant buy it anywhere!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is weak ,The box-cover says East LA's toughest gang and it is really Santa Ana's , James Cahill acts like a closet queen taking down all the tough guys in the tough Chlo gang . It is fake , boring , senseless and whack , I tried to get my money back from the video store this movie was so bad . It was also on the homo-erotic tip far from what the video-box proclaims . James Cahill should act in Gay Porno .James is in every scene , he cannot act to save his life . The film features Eva Longoria who is hot but James can't even score with her !!!!!!!!! I felt at times I was watching Gay Porn and was turned - off by the whole film . James clearly want's to be with men but rather then submit to his gay desires he beats up gang members over and over and over again . His martial Arts skills are minimal at best , Some real gang members would take him and his weak skills and rip him a new one .$LABEL$ 0 +There wasn't much thought put into the story line on many fronts. This is a good action movie but that's about it.- The movie states that the lycans were kept to protect the vampires during the day. Yet they are kept in cages and have collars on their necks. So they can't turn into their wolf form or do anything any other slave can't do. How does this protect the vampires during the day? Who are they protecting the vampires from? The uncontrollable lycans? The slaves in human form are nothing more than peasants.- My understanding is that vampires are immortals and don't age. Yet Sonya ages from child to adult. Do they just stop aging at a certain age? I understand that Viktor is old because he was turned (as explained in the second movie). But vampire babies age? Strange.- I didn't realize that vampires needed torches to see at night. Yet we see them carrying torches throughout the movie.- Silver was the only thing that was supposedly able to harm lycan. Yet wooden steaks fired from the huge crossbows kill the lycan too.These are just some of the things that show just a lack of thought put into the story telling.$LABEL$ 0 +Why is this one no good when the first one rocked? Try the fact that they attempted to replace Rodney Dangerfield with Jackie Mason! Please! That's like replacing the Beatles with Wierd Al. Randy Quaid is the only one that saves this movie from a zero.However, don't let this stop you from watching the first movie which was outstanding.$LABEL$ 0 +I read the running man from Kings books as Bachman and I felt for the main character John and his family. This movie could have been SO much more. The trouble? It was set during the big action movie craze. I watched the movie and was in pain during the whole thing. I felt nothing for the character and less for his cause. Yes it had funny scenes (or laughable) though I think that it did not save the movie in my eyes. If you read the book you can feel the climax and the fire in the heart of John as he gets his final revenge.I give this movie a low number. It may not have been this low if I had not read the book.$LABEL$ 0 +In what could have been seen as a coup towards the sexual "revolution" (purposefully I use quotations for that word), Jean Eustache wrote and directed The Mother and the Whore as a poetic, damning critique of those who can't seem to get enough love. If there is a message to this film- and I'd hope that the message would come only after the fact of what else this Ben-Hur length feature has to offer- it's that in order to love, honestly, there has to be some level of happiness, of real truth. Is it possible to have two lovers? Some can try, but what is the outcome if no one can really have what they really want, or feel they can even express to say what they want? What is the truth in the relationships that Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Leaud) has with the women around him? He's a twenty-something pseudo-intellectual, not with any seeming job and he lives off of a woman, Marie (Bernadette Lafont) slightly older than him and is usually, if not always, his lover, his last possible love-of-his-life left him, and then right away he picks up a woman he sees on the street, Veronika (Françoise Lebrun), who perhaps reminds him of her. Soon what unfolds is the most subtly torrid love triangle ever put on film, where the psychological strings are pulled with the cruelest words and the slightest of gestures. At first we think it might be all about what will happen to Alexandre, but we're mistaken. The women are so essential to this question of love and sex that they have to be around, talking on and on, for something to sink in.We're told that part of the sexual revolution, in theory if not entirely in practice (perhaps it was, I can't say having not been alive in the period to see it first-hand), was that freedom led to a lack of inhibitions. But Eustache's point, if not entirely message, is that it's practically impossible to have it both ways: you can't have people love you and expect to get the satisfaction of ultimate companionship that arrives with "f***ing", as the characters refer over and over again. The Mother and the Whore's strengths as far as having the theme is expressing this dread beneath the promiscuity, the lack of monogamy, while also stimulating the intellect in the talkiest talk you've ever seen in a movie. At the same time we see a character like Alexandre, who probably loves to hear himself talk whether it's about some movie he saw or something bad from his past, Eustache makes it so that the film itself isn't pretentious- though it could appear to be- but that it's about pretentiousness, what lies beneath those who are covering up for their internal flaws, what they need to use when they're ultimately alone in the morning. If you thought films like Before Sunrise/Sunset were talky relationship flicks, you haven't met this. But as Eustache revels in the dialogs these characters have, sometimes trivial, or 'deep', or sexual, or frank, or occasionally extremely (or in a subdued manner) emotional, it's never, ever uninteresting or boring. On the contrary, for those who can't get enough of a *good* talky film, it's exceptional. While his style doesn't call out to the audaciousness that came with his forerunners in the nouvelle vague a dozen years beforehand, Eustache's new-wave touch is with the characters, and then reverberating on them.This is realism with a spike of attitude, with things at time scathing and sarcastic, crude and without shame in expression. All three of the actors are so glued to their characters that we can't ever perceive them as 'faking' an emotion or going at all into melodrama. It's almost TOO good in naturalistic/realism terms, but for Eustache's material there is no other way around it. Luckily Leaud delivers the crowning chip of his career of the period, and both ladies, particularly Labrun as the "whore" Veronika (a claim she staggeringly refutes in the film's climax of sorts in one unbroken shot). And, as another touch, every so often, the director will dip into a quiet moment of thought, of a character sitting by themselves, listening to a record, and in contemplation or quiet agony. This is probably the biggest influence on Jim Jarmusch, who dedicated his film Broken Flowers to Eustache and has one scene in particular that is lifted completely (and lovingly) in approach from the late Parisian.Sad to say, before I saw Broken Flowers, I never heard of Eustache or this film, and procuring it has become quite a challenge (not available on US DVD, and on VHS so rare it took many months of tracking at various libraries). Not a minute of that time was wasted; the Mother and the Whore is truly beautiful work, one of the best of French relationship dramas, maybe even just one of the most staggeringly lucid I've seen from the country in general. It's complex, it's sweet, it's cold, it's absorbing, and it's very long, perhaps too long. It's also satisfying on the kind of level that I'd compare to Scenes from a Marriage; true revelations about the human condition continue to arise 35 years after each film's release.$LABEL$ 1 +"Empire Strikes Back" director Irvin Kershner's "Never Say Never Again," a remake of the 1965 James Bond movie "Thunderball," doesn't surpasses the Terence Young original, but this non-Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli film is well worth watching if you call yourself a 007 aficionado. Nevertheless, despite its shortage of clever gadgets and the lack of a vibrant musical score, "Never Say Never Again" rates as an above-average, suspenseful doomsday thriller with top-flight performances by a seasoned cast including Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max Von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Edward Fox, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, and Rowan Atkinson. The film bristles with surprises galore from the invigorating title credits sequence throughout its generally exciting but lengthy 134 minutes. Unlike the franchise James Bond sagas with their breath-taking moments of spectacle, "Never Say Never Again" provides few of these scenes because of its prohibitive budget. Indeed, the film features only three gadgets: an explosive ball-point pen, a wristwatch with a laser, and a souped-up motorcycle. Aside from the flavorful Lani Hall opening theme song, "Ice Station Zebra" composer Michel Legrand's orchestral music score leaves much to be desired. Legrand replicates none of those snappy, jazz cues that made John Barry's music for the regular Bond franchise so memorable. All in all, "Never Say Never Again" seems to fit more into the first two Bond movies—"Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love"—and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in terms of its more down to earth approach to the subject matter."Never Say Never Again" presents Sean Connery's James Bond as an older 007 who has seen his day and has been taken off active service to teach. Ironically, Roger Moore was a year older than Connery and Moore's Bond movies treated 007 as an active, young guy. Sean Connery seems to be responsible for making 007 a more mature secret agent and a number of changes take place in the Lorenzo Semple screenplay that emphasize Bond's age. Initially, Connery had lobbied to play Bond without a hairpiece, but mercifully wiser minds prevailed and Connery sports a hairpiece. He looks tanned and fit and appears in better condition than he did twelve years earlier when he was rushed into "Diamonds Are Forever" at the last moment to replace John Gavin. Connery had been working on another movie and had gained weight for the role that he was unable to remove in time for "Diamonds Are Forever." At 52, Connery still has a youthful vigor here despite the contrived demands of the script.The action unfolds with 007 single-handedly trying to rescue a kidnapped woman on a remote desert island. He dispatches several guards armed with machine guns and frees the woman, only to have her stab him with a knife in the side when he isn't looking. It seems that this entire sequence was an exercise designed by M (Edward Fox of "Day of the Jackal") to test Bond's ability. The new M doesn't share his predecessor's use of field agents. M decides that Bond needs to clean out his system of all 'free radicals' and has 007 packed off to Shrublands. While at the country clinic, Bond notices suspicious activity between a nurse and a patient and gets noticed watching them. The nurse is none other than SPECTRE assassin Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera of "The Island of Dr. Moreau") and she is in charge of making sure that nobody sees USAF officer Jack Petachi (Gavan O'Herlihy of "Superman 3"). Petachi is part of a SPECTRE plan by millionaire businessman Maximilian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer of "Out of Africa") to black the world powers by stealing two nuclear warheads. The villains implant a duplicate eyeball into Captain Petachi who has access to the highly sophisticated computers and can order the arming of weapons. After he steals the weapons for SPECTRE, Fatima Blush runs him off the road by tossing her pet snake in his lap and then attaches an explosive to his wrecked car and blows him up. Indeed, the first part of "Never Say Never Again," apart from the SPECTRE planning conference, belong to Fatima as she supervises Petachi's stay at the clinic and then repeatedly tries to kill Bond, one at sea with sharks and later in a motel suite with an explosives device.Eventually, Bond meets the beautiful blond Domino (Kim Basinger of "Mother Lode") and sneaks into Largo's charity banquet at a Monte Carlo casino where the two face off in an elaborate video game called 'Domination' to see who will rule the world. Bond bests him and Largo hates him doubly now because 007 is his only rival to Domino and a thorn in his side that not even Fatima seems to be able to remove. Bond and Fatima have it out after a motorcycle chase when he returns the favor and blows her up. Their earlier encounter in the Bahamas when she attached a device to lure a shark after him is pretty lame. Like in the original "Thunderball," the villains recover the hijacked nuclear warheads at sea, but just the warheads themselves.Bond flies to the Bahamas where he meets his diplomatic liaison, Nigel Small-Fawcett (no lesser than Rowan Atkinson of "Mr. Bean" fame, who is worried that Bond may kill somebody and ruin the island paradise. Of course, Nigel Small-Fawcett serves as the film's source of comic relief. The C.I.A. sends Felix Leiter (Bernie Casey of "Guns of the Magnificent Seven") to back up Bond. This is the first time that an African-American portrayed Leiter. Bond encounters his share of problems, involving saving Domino from Arab slavers, while Leiter and he save the world. "Never Say Never Again" is a richly respectable James Bond thriller with many neat touches, but it never generates the air of danger that the franchise Bond films have. Indeed, "Never Say Never Again" looks like a dignified Masterpiece Theatre take on 007.$LABEL$ 1 +No-nonsense Inspector Hollaway (a solid turn by John Bennett) investigates the disappearance of a famous thespian and uncovers the wicked past history of a creepy old house. First and most mundane tale, "Method for Murder" - Successful author Charles Hillyer (nicely played by Denholm Elliott) is haunted by images of the murderous fiend he's writing about in his latest book. Although this particular outing is too obvious and predictable to be anything special, it does nonetheless build to a real dilly of a genuine surprise ending. Second and most poignant anecdote, "Waxworks" - Lonely Philip Grayson (the always outstanding Peter Cushing) and his equally lonesome friend Neville Rogers (the splendid Joss Ackland) both become infatuated with the beguiling wax statue of a beautiful, but lethal murderess. Third and most chilling vignette, "Sweets to the Sweet" - Quiet, reserved and secretive widower John Reid (a typically terrific Christopher Lee in a rare semi-sympathetic role) hires nanny Ann Norton (the fine Nyree Dawn Porter) to take care of his seemingly cute and harmless daughter Jane (a remarkably spooky and unnerving performance by the adorable Chloe Franks). This stand-out scary episode is given a substantial disturbing boost by the exceptional acting from gifted child actress Franks, who projects a truly unsettling sense of serene evil lurking just underneath a deceptively sweet and innocent angelic veneer. Fourth and most amusing yarn, "The Cloak" - Pompous horror movie star Paul Henderson (delightfully essayed to the haughty hilt by Jon Pertwee) purchases a mysterious cloak that causes him to transform into a vampire whenever he wears it. This item makes for good silly fun and further benefits from the awesomely pulchritudinous presence of the luscious Ingrid Pitt as enticing vampiress Carla. Director Peter Duffell, working from a deliciously macabre and witty script by noted horror scribe Robert Bloch, maintains a snappy pace throughout and does an ace job of creating a suitably eerie atmosphere. Kudos are also in order for Ray Parslow's crisp cinematography and the shuddery score by Michael Dress. Highly recommended to fans of omnibus fright fare.$LABEL$ 1 +"Murder Over New York" is an entertaining entry in the Charlie Chan series of films, but if you're paying attention, a lot of plot holes reveal themselves to the observant eye. While traveling to New York City for an annual police convention, Chan (Sidney Toler) meets former Scotland Yard investigator Hugh Drake (Frederick Worlock) on the same flight. Now employed by military intelligence, Drake is tracking Paul Narvo and his Hindu servant, suspected for acts of sabotage around the world. Drake believes that by contacting Narvo's elusive wife, he'll be able to pin down the whereabouts of the master criminal.When Drake winds up dead in the library of George Kirby, president of the Metropolitan Aircraft Corporation, Charlie theorizes that he was killed by a recently discovered poisonous gas called "tetrogene", administered via a glass pellet that releases the poison when broken. Summoning Kirby to bring all of his dinner party guests together, Chan and Police Inspector Vance (Donald MacBride) question those in attendance, as one of them may be the killer. Among them are Herbert Fenton (Melville Cooper), a fellow Oxford student of Drake's, actress June Preston (Joan Valerie), unknown to Drake but requested by him to attend, Ralph Percy (Kane Richmond), the chief designer at Kirby's aircraft company, and Keith Jeffrey (John Sutton), Kirby's stock broker. Kirby butler Boggs (Leyland Hodgson) is also a suspect, especially after Number #2 Son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) catches him steaming open a cablegram, the contents of which concern Boggs himself.There are some other cleverly planted characters in the proceedings as well. Mrs. Narvo turns up as Patricia West (Marjorie Weaver), and contrary to Drake's suspicion that she might lead him to Narvo, is actually on the run away from her former husband and a disastrous marriage. She's involved with David Elliott (Robert Lowery), principal of a chemical research firm, and thereby a suspect in the tetrogene angle.As with many Chan films, racial comments must be taken in stride with the proceedings. This one offers two glaring ones. When Kirby's black servant is brought in for questioning, he states that he doesn't know anything about Drake's murder, that he's completely "in the dark". Chan's response: "Condition appear contagious".Later, following Inspector Vance's order to round up all the Hindu's in New York, Jimmy Chan comments on their arrival with "They're all beginning to look alike to me." Actually, the scene provides one of the elements of comic relief in the movie, as Shemp Howard impersonates Hindu mystic "The Great Rashid", but is actually uncovered by the police to be con artist Shorty McCoy.Before the movie's over, two more victims fall to the clever Narvo - his confederate Ramullah, and aircraft magnate Kirby himself. To uncover the killer, Chan, in concert with Elliott, arranges for a test flight aboard a newly developed TR4 Bomber after discovering a poisoned capsule planted by mechanics on the plane the day before. Before it can release it's deadly poison, the Brit Fenton catches the falling capsule in mid-air, revealing that he knew about the plant. Arrested and brought in for questioning, Chan asserts that Fenton is not Narvo. The real Narvo reveals himself when he offers a poisoned cup of water to the nervous Fenton, anxious to maintain Narvo's secret. But Chan was clever enough to be wary of such an attempt, and reveals the real murderer - Narvo now in the guise of stock broker Jeffrey, having undergone reconstructive surgery following a car accident.Now for the plot holes. When first investigating Hugh Drake's murder, it was maintained by the police that fingerprints found in the library did not match those of any of the dinner guests. However Jeffrey/Narvo was present at the dinner party. It had already been established that Drake had one non party visitor in the library, chemist Elliott. If the fingerprints really did not belong to Narvo, then making them an issue was pointless.Also, at the end of the film when Narvo offers Fenton the poisoned water, how did he think he would get away with it with everyone there as a witness? But going even one better than that, how would a world traveling saboteur like Narvo have the time and wherewithal to establish himself as a New York City stockbroker, it just doesn't make sense. For trivia fans, a few more points bear mentioning. In the film, Number #2 Son Jimmy is a college student studying chemistry as he comes to "Pop's" aid to solve the case. In the prior Chan film - "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" - Jimmy was a law student.The poison gas formula would get reworked in a later Chan film, this time by Monogram with Roland Winters in the Chan role in "Docks of New Orleans". In that story, poison gas is released from shattered radio tubes in similar fashion to claim its' victims.$LABEL$ 1 +Very Slight Spoiler This movie (despite being only on TV) is absolutely excellent. I didn`t really pay attention to the differences in looks or accents, so I can`t really comment on that. The acting in this was so good I had to pinch myself and say "Remember, it`s only a movie, this DIDN`T REALLY HAPPEN". As I sat and listened to Harris and Quinn talk, I knew that it was exactly what John and Paul would be talking about had they actually had this meeting. The offhanded comments and burns from John were right on with his character(especially in the restaurant!), as was his depression while Paul was very easy going and laid back. Both actors did and excellent job and I was thrilled to have seen this movie. It`s a wicked experience for any Beatles fan. And prepare for a few surprises!$LABEL$ 1 +While there is a lot to recommend about Maetel Legend both in concept and finished product, it's ultimately a poor film. Plot wise it's a retelling of Maetel's early life, which is usually unclear; at the same time the writers take the opportunity to tell the story of the Machine Empire. And since Leiji Matsumoto has trouble not including his other work we get a starting point for Emeraldas her sister, Her mother: the Queen of La Metalle and a bit of Galaxy Express 999 to flesh out the film.In short Maetel is a princess on the planet La Metalle, a planet with an irregular orbit, thus meaning its cycle around the nearest sun is reaching a cold stage and it's artificial Sun is dying. The Planet grows increasingly colder throughout the story, thus increasing the sense of doom. In order to protect her subjects and family the Queen decides that mechanisation is the only way to ensure survival of La Metalle's people. Enter Lord Hardgear, a robot / cyborg who provides the means for the job. Through the film, the characters are left to question mechanisation, will they still be human? Can Hardgear be trusted? Do souls and hearts remain? So for a fan of Matsumoto's work, there's lots to enjoy, questions to be answered, themes continued, except it's obvious that the film is meant to be an introduction, as well as a fan curiosity. The negatives, foremost the animation, while Galaxy Express 999, a TV series from over 20 years ago has shoddy mouth animation and at times sketchy character design, Maetel Legend has all the worst traits of modern animation and thus earns an air of respectability to Galaxy Express 999. The design is well detailed but unfortunately the animation has suffered leaving well drawn characters that 'slide', as in the backgrounds move or the camera zooms, a quick way of animating. However the few, yes few well animated scenes are re used over and over in dream sequences, repetition and in extra scenes. Anyone who's seem the film will wonder how many times Lord Hardgear can drink the same glass of wine.Next the story, While in concept everything sounds great, the finished product is in fact a series of conversations of plot which are repeated over and over to little effect, the number of times the characters encounter the same problems and learn the same things is practically insulting to the audience and the characters, which are seemingly much more articulate in former incarnations. Add to all of that some terrible character design, that seem lifeless, over exaggerated, and the audience is left with a movie so miss handled it might as well have been rewritten as a different film, at least the newcomers wouldn't be left baffled.And yet, it really has its moments, the ending at least is surprising. The plight of the citizens of La Metalle was quite affecting and rightly disturbing; I guess I find that whole man-machine theme distressing. It's hard know who to recommend Maetel Legend to, since it's not well animated, written or executed, plus confusing once Leiji Matsumoto's mandatory cross-referencing is introduced. However I can't help but brighten up when the magnificent entrance of Three-Nine occurs, now that's good cinema.1/5 stars out of 5, 2 if you're a fan.$LABEL$ 0 +I took a chance on "Hardcastle and McCormick" by purchasing the first season's worth (Canadian release) from Amazon. When I got it, I started with the pilot, and I was instantly hooked after that. I rated it 5 stars on Amazon, and I am rating it 10 stars here. It is just that good. What I liked about it were the opening and closing themes, and of course Stephen J. Cannell's logo at the end of each episode, but most of all, the relationship between the Judge and Mark as they worked together to crack each case. I was so hooked that I also purchased the second season as a companion, and I enjoyed it equally. If you do not have this excellent series on disc, I believe that you should purchase it and put it in your collection.$LABEL$ 1 +When I first saw the Premiere Episode of Farscape, I had no idea what to expect. I was immensely impressed and satisfied with "Premiere". Subsequent re-watches, however, have made numerous flaws apparent to me that I missed initially. "Premiere" is not a great Farscape Episode, but it deserves credit for successfully and efficiently setting up the plot and giving the basic back stories to many of the regular characters.The episode begins with John Crichton (Ben Browder), an astronaut and scientist, preparing to launch into space in the Farscape Module, a small space ship perfected by Crichton and his friend DK. Crichton has a revealing conversation with his father, Jack Crichton, and then begins his test flight in space. Of course, everything goes wrong and Crichton is "shot through a wormhole" and winds up in "a distant part of the galaxy".After exiting the wormhole, Crichton's module is pulled on board a living space ship. From here, the characters and story line for the Farscape series are introduced in an entertaining albeit rushed manner.The regular characters are properly introduced during the first half of the episode. Of course, there is Crichton, played well by Ben Browder. He offers a the audience a sympathetic character to identify with. He's lost and has no idea how to do much of anything. In "Premiere", Crichton has to choose between joining the prisoners or the Peacekeepers. He knows nothing at all about either side, but in helping Aeryn (a captured Peacekeeper pilot) it becomes clear that he intends to help the Peacekeepers. He probably would not have ended up siding with the prisoners if it hadn't been for Crais, a Peacekeeper captain, declaring Crichton to be the murderer of his brother. This puts Crichton in an interesting situation: he's stuck with bizarre, violent escaped prisoners in a far-off galaxy about which he knows nothing at all. Crichton's total lack of knowledge of the Farsape world makes him a particularly interesting protagonist during Farscape's first season.The supporting cast is just as compelling. There's Zhaan, a blue Delvian and former prisoner. She's peaceful and reasonable, as opposed to fellow prisoner Ka D'Argo, a powerful and hard-headed warrior. Virginia Hey is totally covered in blue makeup, allowing her character of Zhaan to appear cool and convincing. D'Argo's mega-makeup, in contrast, is below-par. He looks kind of silly with his giant tentacles and strange nose, and there is something peculiar about his eyes. They look as if they have had some sort of allergic reaction to his makeup. Farscape would give some improvements to his makeup in Season 1, but the overall costume would, for me at least, remain as a problem until Season 2.The puppet/digital characters of Rygel and Pilot are, to put it simply, excellent. Rygel is a tiny Hynerian Dominar who floats around on some sort of hovercraft. In "Premiere" he is given some good dialogue but not much else. Pilot nearly steals the show as the liaison between the living ship, Moya, and Moya's passengers. Even in the first episode, Pilot gives off the appearance of being a real, living alien; he never once in the show seems to be a giant, expensive machine.The Peacekeeper characters introduced are quite interesting as well. The Peacekeepers are made up of a race called Sebaceans, who look just like humans. The chief antagonist is introduced in "Premiere" as Captian Crais, who believes that Crichton killed his brother. In reality, Crais's brother's death was merely an accident resulting from an accidental collision with Crichton's ship. Aeryn Sun, a pilot who Crichton helps escape, tries to explain that the death was an accident, but Crais just claims that she is "irreversiby contaminated" and refused to change his mind. Crais obsession for revenge, warranted or not (it should be clear to Crais that Crichton isn't responsible), is mysterious in "Premiere", but would be explained later in the season. Aeryn herself provides an extremely interesting character. By being forced to leave the Peacekeepers, she changes her whole way of life, and is in that regard in a similar (though less severe) situation as Crichton.The actual episode, as mentioned earlier, feels somewhat rushed and clunky. So much happens that not enough time is spent on anything. Also, D'Argo (for now) looks kind of silly running around in his mediocre costume trying to appear menacing. Still, "Premiere" is solid entertainment. The special effects (such as in the starburst sequences) are impressive. Most of the costumes and the sets on board Moya are original. Despite its flaws, "Premiere" is a must-see for Farscape fans. 3/4$LABEL$ 1 +OK its not the best film I've ever seen but at the same time I've been able to sit and watch it TWICE!!! story line was pretty awful and during the first part of the first short story i wondered what the hell i was watching but at the same time it was so awful i loved it cheap laughs all the way.And Jebidia deserves an Oscar for his role in this movie the only thing that let him down was half way through he stopped his silly name calling.overall the film was pretty perfetic but if your after cheap laughs and you see it in pound land go by it.$LABEL$ 0 +With a little dressing up, this movie could be served for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only is is boring, implausible, historically inaccurate and poorly directed, the best actors were the bit players (mainly because they had so few lines to say). A waste of time, even for war fanatics.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie is a riot - hilariously funny yet graphically violent. Just when you think you can't take any more it gives you more. Great thiller. The cast is excellent and the plot is very convincing. The past does indeed catch up with our hero, but right(?) prevails.$LABEL$ 1 +Zzzzzzzzzzzz. This one came directly from the "Jaws" cookie-cutter mold, with some other bizarre cliches thrown in for good measure. I was interested in seeing this after finding a still from it in a book about Italian horror films, and wow...I guess I got what I deserved!Very slow-moving and talky, much of this killer shark movie takes place on land, which isn't really that surprising. It seems like the only method they had of showing a shark is through shots of a shark in an aquarium. The shark is never in the same frame as any of the actors, and that's too bad...most of the characters are so annoying that you actually wish they would get eaten.The "plot" concerns a group of four kids who meet up with a mysterious Indian on the beach one day while roasting weenies. The Indian, for some reason, gives them an ancient artifact that will allow them to track an ancient evil that assumed the form of a monster shark to attack their tribe...supposedly because they were too good at fishing the ocean and the ocean god was worried they would take all the fish. Or something like that.It's a good thing too, because wouldn't ya know it...years later, a monster shark appears and starts gobbling up people in the sleepy seaside community. When one of the four guys are eaten by the shark, the remaining three are determined to kill the thing...especially since (big shocker here) the authorities have killed a shark and they think the threat is over. Yawn.The obligatory death scenes are unbelievably tedious, and you can see them coming a mile away (my favorite was the girl who has a fight with her boyfriend while they're sitting in a van, then jumps out and says "I'm going for a swim," immediately to be gobbled up by the waiting shark). They had a lot of nerve calling this film "Deep Blood" since you hardly see any, just cloudy water. The actors handle their cliched roles like they're all thumbs, and there is even a hilarious subplot involving a greasy rocker-type bad boy who threatens our goody-goody heroes, then turns good in the end to help kill the shark.It took me a really long time to find this film, it is rather obscure, so I don't think there's any danger of too many people wasting their time on this. However, if you should be lured into it...don't say you weren't warned!$LABEL$ 0 +The amount of hype and the huge success this film has encountered is evidence how desperate our people are towards a good independent Saudi film. In fact the huge success of "Tash ma Tash" is also an evidence.I'm not going to start of how important film making is, as it is obvious to those with half a brain how films have changed the world.And I'm not going to say how much our society needs a bunch of films to clear out a lot of issues we have in our country. Religion, politics, women's rights, education, general health, terrorism, Law and many many more.Along came news about the fist Saudi movie which should've been a remedy to some of the issues we have, especially towards the youth. Instead we experienced a bald movie for that matter.The ignorance and naivety of the script was obvious. It was as if a 13 year old had written it.Now I've heard that the budget for this film was huge. I would like to know where the money went, huh? The effects were really ugly, the editing was poor. The script was "kharabeet". You really don't know what the story is and what the director aims at from this film.A note on the actor who played the religious brother, his performance was good but with bad direction. Another thing with the role of the religious friends he had, that is not how religious guys act here in Saudi Arabia! They are not "Evil" as this film intends. In fact they are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet with some really uncommon way of living, and that is what should've appeared in the film.The youth are following the religious here because of a reason, and that is the youngsters are the most passionate and sentimental. And with the well formed principles the religious live on, the youngsters follow them. Again, this is what should've appeared.We need another "First Film" with a Saudi Writer, actor, director, composer, even cameraman. So that they all work with passion towards their experiment, not just for the money!And we should do what Shakespeare did hundreds of years ago, we should include phrases from the Qur'an in the script of the movie. As the people in our society still see art as a form of sin, the challenge a Saudi movie maker is facing is changing the mentality in that angle.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh, for crying out loud, this has got to be the LAMEST movie I've seen all year, and I'm sorry the normally awesome John Cusack was even involved in this brainless, twitty piece of Stupidity. Where Sleepless in Seattle delivered what amounts to be the same message, albeit on a more subtle, somewhat more mature level, Serendipity delivers it with a sledgehammer, and then proceeds to pound it into your psyche for the next tedious hour and a half or so (and that's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back again, thank you very much!!). It's bad enough the main characters of this movie have the emotional maturity level of fourteen-year-olds (actually I've known better fourteen-year-olds...), except maybe for Jeremy Piven, who was enjoyable enough. Just the first 15 minutes or so of the movie where Kate Beckinsale's character plays that annoying silliness of a game about throwing all sensibility to the wind (literally) had my best friend and I irritated beyond belief. I told my husband Rockstar had more intelligence, and at least, the characters in Rockstar weren't half as dysfunctional as the idiots were in this "Serendipitous" mess. It's annoying to watch protagonists who seem to have no clue about choice in their lives, and feel they're nothing more than puppets to destiny and the whims of fate. How utterly tiresome. I'm sure this movie will be more likely enjoyed by those who'd rather not engage in the chaotic messiness of making more complex life choices and then responsibly living with the consequences. After all, here's a movie where our hero and heroine live happily ever after only after wreaking havoc and misery on two other people's lives (namely their respective fiancées), not to mention other relatives and friends, just to get there.$LABEL$ 0 +The Romanian cinema is little known out of Romania. No directors from Romania came out to the attention of the international public, as some from other countries from Eastern Europe like Hungary, Czekoslowakia, or Yugoslavia succeeded to do. One of the few great directors in Romanian cinema is Lucian Pintilie, who 35 ago directed a great movie 'Reconstituirea' - quickly taken out of the circuit by the communist censorship. After that film, still a reference for the Romanian cinema, Pintilie was not allowed to create freely in Romania until the Communist rule fell in 1989.'Furia' reminds me Pintilie's film 35 years ago. The title means 'The Rage' and I cannot imagine why the distributors chose to translate it differently. It is about a lost generation. While in the classic of Pintilie the root of evil is in the oppression and lies of the communist regime, here the young folks need to deal with the emergence of the sub-culture, and the moral filth that filled in the void left by the totalitarian rule. The end is tragic and painfully expected.The movie is well directed, and the acting is good. Without too much complexity, it succeeds to create an emotional link between the characters and the viewer. One would say that some situations seem similar to '8 Miles' or 'The Fast and the Furious' - but look at the date of the production! This film was made at the same time, if not before the Western peers. If this is indeed the first film of director Dan Munteanu, as IMDB says, it is an outstanding debut. In any case, a good movie, can compete and may sell well on the Western market.There is hope for a new generation of Romanian films that with some luck and good distribution will make its place in the international cinema scene.8/10 on my personal scale.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was really different from what I had imagined but exceeded my expectations nevertheless. This film has the exactly right mixture of comedy, drama, political criticism and satire (not necessarily in that order). Without being patronizing or wisenheimer it reveals the open and subtle problems of our capitalist democratic high technology society. It makes you laugh instantly and remain in thought afterwards. For those of you who liked "wag the dog" and wished to have humane and manlike politicians this film should definitely be the choice!"politicians are a lot like diapers: they should be changed frequently and for the same reasons."$LABEL$ 1 +I accidentally bumped into this film on Cinemax while channel surfing. I must admit that what attracted me was Christopher Walken. And the setting was the kind I would like, so I started to watch it. At first I expected a serious drama film, and it seemed like so for a while... until I started to giggle here and there, and before I know it I was laughing so hard all through the film. I really like how subtle and light-hearted it is, but still has a huge impact on the audience. The plot is very simple, and it's far from trying too hard to be funny like many Hollywood "comedies" are, yet it almost had me rolling on the floor. A must see for a nice evening rest, or any time in that case.$LABEL$ 1 +I enjoy watching Robert Forster. That was the main reason that I rented this movie. I also wanted to see a story take place out in the middle of nowhere where the characters could work off of each other really well with no distractions. Unfortunitaly I found the movie to be dull. I couldn't get interested in the characters. I couldn't get interested in the story which seemed to meander nowhere. After watching this movie for an hour I turned it off. I will rate the movie 4 out of 10. This falls well below the mandatory 7 rating that makes a movie worthwhile to watch.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm not really a t.v. watcher - except between the ages of 6 and 8 and "General Hospital" still had Luke and Laura - but there are a few exceptions and I definitely think that "King of Queens" is one of them. Every decade has it's classics and I think that this show will (or damn-well should) be amongst this decade's best. Its comedic timing is awesome and can, at times, be down right odd. On a more 'serious' note the actors more than succeed in conveying subtle - and not so subtle :)- complexities in their characters without getting too hokey. One commenter wrote that it may take a couple of episodes to get into it and I agree; it's definitely one that kind of grows on you but once you're in, you're pretty much hooked. And with good reason!$LABEL$ 1 +It makes one wonder how this show is still on the air. There's been one couple that has stayed together, married, and has children, but everyone else has broken up. What's the point of continuing this? The show can be entertaining at the beginning. You see all the girls swooning over one man, that almost all of them like instantly. It's just like in real life! The girls start to take sides, bitch one another out, and show their true selves (or so we think). But that one man is left to decide who to pick that he thinks he can marry and live happily ever after.What is true love exactly? How can you fall for someone when you're forced to pick them? This show is unbelievable. You thought dating online was bad, but people have to go on TV to find love? It's not realistic. How could a girl be with a man when he is going out with several others, making out with them? None of these questions are answered, and finally when the show ends, you know there won't be a happy ending in the future. For all we know, everything is scripted.$LABEL$ 0 +Matt Cvetic is a loyal communist in a Pittsburgh steel mill who works to recruit workers into the party, even though this isolates himself from his son, family, and neighbors. What makes this even more difficult is that Cvetic is actually an FBI agent posing as a Communist in order to obtain information about party activities. The party is trying to create a strike at the mill, whereby the pro-strike movement will lead the workers into a wave of propaganda. Cvetic also has to contend with beautiful Eve Merrick, a party member and teacher at his son's school who finds the fact that Cvetic is a double agent. When Eve learns the ugly truth about the party's real motives, the reds decide she must be liquidated and Cvetic must aid her without endangering himself. The film should have plenty of suspense and double crossing but there is very little in this film but (by today's standards) very cheesy propaganda and little action or thrills. Lovejoy is very good in the main role, but even he and the rest of the cast seem listless. Few surprises here and how did this film receive a Oscar nod for best documentary? Rating, 4.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie offers nothing but the dumbest conversations possible. as a matter of fact i most probably could not have imagined how meaningless a film, how synthetic the dialogs could be until an hour ago, but then again i saw this video. in a movie that does not depend on a powerful script, one expects to see at least good acting and tasty conversations and even some humor maybe, yet this movie lacks them all. you heard me it lacks them all. there is not a single point i like about this movie, none. i hate it. i'm sure anyone will do so too. the name is intended to give the target audience some thoughts of nudity and stuff, yet it fails even at the nudity. i don't know how but i beared to watch this thing for an hour or so, and i definitely recommend you don't do so. worst movie i've seen in my entire life. if someone offers you to watch it, ruuun awaaaaay saaaaaave your liiiiiiiiife$LABEL$ 0 +A family traveling for their daughter's softball league decide to take the 'scenic route' and end up in the middle of nowhere. The father is an avid photographer, and when he hears of an old abandoned side show in the town, he decides to take another detour to take some photographs.Of course, the side show is filled with inbred freaks, who promptly kidnap the women and leave the young son and father to fend for themselves.The only cool thing about this film is how the family actually fights back against their inbred captors. Other than that, there's nothing worthwhile about the film.$LABEL$ 0 +This show was appreciated by critics and those who realized that any similarities between "Pushing Daisies" style and anyone else's was not a steal. (Yes, I've seen "Amelie." "Pushing Daisies" is somewhat similar but still different enough to be original.) Rather, there are too few shows on TV that have this kind of quirky charm. The greatest similarity is to "Dead Like Me" but "P.D" comes by that similarity honestly: Bryan Fuller created both shows. (Both shows involve an "undead" young woman, For example.) This show never stopped being funny and charming, and it was always odd, yet was consistently humane.I must say a word about the conventions of on-going story lines. some people have complained that this show lacked a moral center because in the first (and several subsequent) episodes Ned seems to get away with causing the death of Chuck's father without consequences of any kind. First of all, this must be a new definition of "without consequences of any kind" because, in spite of the fact that Ned was only a boy and did not realize that he had caused the death of Chuck's father, he nevertheless felt guilty from the moment he realized what he had done. Further, about a dozen episodes into the series, Ned finally did confess to Chuck that he had caused her father's death with his gift. Now, there are no police to charge people with magically causing one person's death by bringing another person back to life, so the questions of absolution and restitution have to be taken up without societal guidance. In other words, it's between Ned and Chuck, who was not inclined to forgive Ned anytime soon.But this does point out a problem with continuing story lines in network dramas. I remember when David Caruso's character on "NYPD Blue" did something wrong and it seemed he got away with it--for a whole year--then he got caught and was forced to resign from the job (and left the show). The point is, viewers should learn by now and not assume that just because a regular character does something wrong in a single episode, and is not caught in that episode, that he has gotten away with it. There is always next week--and maybe even next year.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie makes Peter an elf in Robin Hood costume instead of a human boy in probably-not-Robin-Hood-costume and ignores all the persona features in him that really matter. This movie makes Wendy a babbling idiot. And poor Captain Hook a TOTAL clown. And of course as every Disney cartoon must have a character which has had too many hits in the head, they made one of the Lost Boys that one. The only character that has not been disgraced in this film is Tink. The only star is for her.The story itself then? The Darling parents don't even get the time to notice their kids are gone!!! Probably one of the most significant point in the original story and they ruined it! Also the famous nursery scene between Peter Pan and Wendy is a stunning piece of- There are no thimbles and no acorns - one of the little things that makes the original story such a unique one. It's a wonder he even had lost his shadow and she helped him stick it. (Even though to his shoes and it makes no sense to me.)Ruining a great story like this just to amuse children should be illegal. So know now if you haven't known it before - this Disney version does not have anything significant in common with the original story - which is not really a children's story but just a great, great story.This just annoys me to no end.$LABEL$ 0 +I wish that all the mockumentaries and horror spoofs would go away. If you are going to investigate loch ness..do it for real. Enough of the bull****. Same with horror and sci-fi..if you are going to make a movie and it is supposed to be scary..make it scary..not funny. I hate when watching a horror movie and the character is fighting for their life(or running or whatever..their life is at stake) and they are cracking jokes. This never happens..cmon where have all the good directors gone? I think horror and sci-fi have really gone down the tube since the 70's. I long for the days that a horror flick was scary..all this "scary movie" crap is for the birds. This film is also for the birds. If you really would like to see a good investigation or here serious talk...don't expect it in this video.$LABEL$ 0 +It's like a bad 80s TV show got loose and tried to become a soft-core porn movie. Oh my god was it bad. The plots of each character had little relevance. The plot itself wasn't anything to speak of. Something about a stalker, I guess. In the end he shoots himself? It's not really clear, but somehow there's a volleyball game involved. And the main character (Randy) sleeps around a lot. The only reason my friends rented this movie was because Casper Van Dien was in it, and they ended up wanting to fast forward to the scenes with him in it, which were barely watchable at that. Thank god I didn't spend any money on it, but I want that hour of my life back.$LABEL$ 0 +This crock of doodoo won a award? They must have been desperate for giving out an award for something. This movie reeks of teeny bopper stuff and it made me sick. Thankfully I watched it alongside MST3K's Mike and the bots so it made it bearable. Horrid acting, unsettling mother/daughter moment, silly premise, if you want a bad movie here it is. Be warned though watch it with Mike and the bots or you will suffer.1 out of 10. I still can't believe it won an award, and the director is defending this *&&^$$#$^&& piece of ^%^%$^$#%@$#@ movie!$LABEL$ 0 +Lou Gossett, Jr. is an excellent and captivating actor, but to have him take the role of a "president" and then have him act like he's James Bond, running around carrying a Gun and entering a warehouse to uncover a plot to kill Christians, and then being able to Escape the supposedly High Security Facility to live another day, does Not do him Justice - this movie has so many Unresolved IssuesI will attempt to list just a few: 1 - what was the purpose of "stockpiling" a Vaccine if no one is Vaccinated? - for example, the preacher could have been Vaccinated if the "tribulation force" already had Vaccine on hand - later, buck Williams' wife goes to be with the sick preacher and she herself becomes sick; so, was the Virus, therefore, Contagious? - IF it was Contagious, then why did Ray and his wife go into the church without Proper Protection? - why didn't they become Sick too? - and when Chloe drank the wine and was "cured", how did she suddenly know the wine was the "antidote"? - was it California wine, ordinary Red Table Wine? - could Red Grape Juice been adequate - and,if the preacher had received "communion" at least every time he preached, maybe he would have had anti-dote flowing through his body already? - buck and Chloe got a "heavy" box of vaccine that was never used - what mysterious message should we see in that? 2 - the presentation of "evil" forces who are working with the Anti-Christ Nicolai to destroy the world, as being Russian, Chinese, etc., is really a Relic of the 1950's and the early James Bond era, and shows an Ignorance of Modern Society and of Humanity - are we to believe that Russians and Chinese are perpetually trying to destroy this Planet? - and for what Purpose, mere Destruction? - this was such a Narrow-Minded view of this world and was so Cliché as to be Laughable3 - the main purpose of this movie was the scene near the very end where Kirk Cameron and Lou Gossett, Jr. are proselytizing the non-believers in the audience (by showing Kirk proselytizing Lou) - it was a movie with no meaningful storyline, too many disconnects with reality, and a completely inappropriate plot for a great actorI, therefore, rank this as a 1, since Zero is not available$LABEL$ 0 +gone in 60 sec. where do i began, it keeps you in the movie with some good action and some cool cars. people say its not a good movie i disagree sure it has some cheesy parts but what action movie doesn't. i gave it an 8 out of 10 cause of the action and the comic relief if you like the Rock or Face Off than this movie is right up your alley cage dose a good job along with one of the most under rated actors in my mind Del-Roy Lindo. i think sometimes people look to far into movies some times you need to sit back enjoy the movie and after words ask yourself did they achieve what they where showing. meaning if they where going for action was it action pact. if they where trying to make a movie to change how movies are made and trying to win every award out their well did they? i think they made the action movie they set out to make, give it a chance and you wont be sorry.$LABEL$ 1 +To start off, I love Steven Seagal, the man is a genius. But recent movies leave me to wonder, Is he trying anymore? His latest movies show almost no effort on Seagal's part. In Out of Reach, its too obvious that his lines are dubbed over. . What Seagal does in this movie is not only a slap on the face to his fans, but even more to Jean-Claude Van Damme and his fans. In the 2nd scene or so, when he prepares to zip-line into the drug dealers penthouse to steal the jewels and money, it shows him set-up the gun and hook it on a neon sign. Your might be saying to yourself, 'Yah, so what does this have to do with Van Damme?'. Well that scene was stolen from a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie called the Order. Rent both, watch both, compare both and you will lose respect for Seagal. Not only was Today You Die garbage, but it was, dare I say, an insult. Seagal's Aikido moves are still good, but why isn't he doing great movies like Marked for Death or Above the law, hes still got the moves and the attitude, I'm just left wondering 'Why Seagal, Why?'. There are such idiotic scenes in his newer movies that have nothing to do with the storyline, and such idiotic story lines on top of that. I hope the up-coming Black Dawn movie will be another Exit Wounds or Beyond Justice, because these last chain of movies he made, especially Today You Die, really made me wonder if he has the stuff to make more great action movies like Double Team. Please, don't watch this movie unless you hate Seagal, if you love his movies don't watch this, it WILL make you question his future in the action film genre.$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone in a while, Disney makes one of thoes movies that surprises everyone. One that keeps you wondering until the very end. In the tradition of Pirates of the Caribbean, this movie is sure to turn into a ghost, and kill and rape your village. It's terrible. If you want a mindless, senseless, predictable "action" movie, go right ahead. I believe that young kids might enjoy this, as they like it when Good ALWAYS wins. But me, I like movies where it's a toss up who's going to win. This movie never lets the Bad Guys have the upper hand. By the end, when th heroes are left in an "inescapeable" pit, you just KNOW that they can get out. Everything works out perfect for Cage and his friends, he never has to think over a riddle or clue for more than 10 seconds, no matter how complex it is. See this movie if you want to see some impressive set designs, not if you want to see good acting, or a good film. Go watch a superman movie, it would be much shorter, and the kids would like it more. For instance, the scene where Cage is fleeing from armed gunmen, and the bullets are all deflected by a the railing of a fire escape. (And I'm not talking about a fence or anything, just ONE LITTLE POLE) This movie shows the decay of films and the film industry to cheap gags and dull, unrealistic action, which this movie provides in huge quantities.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, ignore the comment about how South Park should make fun of Republicans. Everyone is doing that now, why should South Park blindly follow what the rest of the media is doing? And what the Republicans are doing is more serious and less funny than Al Gore and his global warming hysteria.But all that aside, this episode is just plain funny. Al Gore's portrayal has to be one of the best caricatures of a politician I've ever seen, it was original, and it was based on peoples opinions of the man. I don't want to give anything away, but it had me rolling on the floor.There are also has some of the best Cartman/Kyle moments ever.All in all I'd say that this is one of the best episodes the show has ever had, and I would highly recommend it to anybody.$LABEL$ 1 +A delightful story about two evacuees, has been turned into a nice little film, by the BBC. Most children who like a good story will enjoy this. The characters are played really well by a very good cast. Not sure whether our American friends will appreciate it, but they do get a mention, as Aunty Lou runs off with a gorgeous American soldier.$LABEL$ 1 +Imagine Diane from Cheers, the self centered over intellectualizing character, now imagine she was trying to make a film moire movie. This would be it. If you just looked at some of the shots without any sound you would think Hmmm.. this could be a good film. Now if you turn on the sound and listen for anytime at all you quickly realize that the person that made the film knows nothing about films beyond what they read in a book. I was continually thinking is this thing a foreign film, it was that bad.If you don't remember Cheers, then think of Mr. Beans Holiday... remember the DeFoe character that made the horrible movie... well imagine that horrible movie without Mr. Bean saving it. That is what this movie is. I'm not saying anything about what the movie is other than it is an attempt to make a dark moody film about a hit-man going back home.... at least that's about all I could get out of it.$LABEL$ 0 +I noticed this movie was getting trashed well before it hit the theaters and I too didn't have high hopes for it. I figured it was another "You Got Served" type of movie with some nice dance moves and horrid acting. I was at the theater and deciding between this and Meet the Spartans and picked this. To my surprise the acting wasn't bad at all and the movie was actually pretty good. The fact that it has a lower rating than You Got Served is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of listening to the garbage posted on here I recommend going to see a matinée showing of this movie so you don't spend too much. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with how wrong everyone has been about it. When it comes to dance movies this is certainly one of the better ones with far superior acting than many of the other ones. Go see the movie and judge for yourself. Hopefully the rating will rise after it comes out on DVD and more people check the movie out instead of judging it based on comments before the movie released.edit The movie is now moving closer to its correct rating. Over 1000 people have given it a rating of 9, a bit too high but at least it is helping to offset the ridiculous votes of 1.$LABEL$ 1 +Americans have the attention span of a fruit fly and if something does not happen within the span of a typical commercial, we tend to lose interest really fast.I found out an exciting fact from this film: someone has to paint high tension utility poles and do it on a schedule! And guess what, they really would like to be doing something else (the viewer has similar feelings).Surprisingly, when I was bored watching late night infomercials and decided to actually watch this film, I found the characters to be interesting and highly engaging.I just don't usually watch that much late night TV, so I can't recommend this film, unless watching paint dry is your idea of an exciting two hours out of your life.$LABEL$ 0 +I think this movie was probably a lot more powerful when it first debuted in 1943, though nowadays it seems a bit too preachy and static to elevate it to greatness. The film is set in 1940--just before the entry of the US into the war. Paul Lukas plays the very earnest and decent head of his family. He's a German who has spent seven years fighting the Nazis and avoiding capture. Bette Davis is his very understanding and long-suffering wife who has managed to educate and raise the children without him from time to time. As the film begins, they are crossing the border from Mexico to the USA and for the first time in years, they are going to relax and stop running.The problem for me was that the family was too perfect and too decent--making them seem like obvious positive propaganda instead of a real family suffering through real problems. While this had a very noble goal at the time, it just seems phony today. In particular, the incredibly odd and extremely scripted dialog used by the children just didn't ring true. It sounded more like anti-Fascism speeches than the voices of real children. They were as a result extremely annoying--particularly the littlest one who came off, at times, as a brat. About the only ones who sounded real were Bette Davis and her extended American family as well as the scumbag Romanian living with them (though he had no discernible accent).It's really tough to believe that the ultra-famous Dashiel Hammett wrote this dialog, as it just doesn't sound true to life. The story was based on the play by his lover, Lillian Hellman. And, the basic story idea and plot is good,...but the dialog is just bad at times. Overall, an interesting curio and a film with some excellent moments,...but that's really about all.$LABEL$ 1 +1940's cartoon, banned nowadays probably because of the 'Black Beauty' gag, in which Daffy rides a black person as if it were a horse.The whole story takes place in a bookstore, where the characters of the books come to life every evening. So we have, among others, the Ugly Duck (Daffy) and the wolf of Wallstreet. They wind up in a chase after the wolf tricked Daffy with a phony duck (hence the title).And chase is all there is in this little cartoon, that doesn't have any real appeal nowadays. Only fun if you're a true fan of the Looney Tunes I guess...4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know what movie some of these other people watched, but they must have seen a different "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" than the one I saw.I think the movie was both well-done and inspiring. I think it's definitely worth watching. It's apparent from the outset that a lot of care went into the making of this film. The background scenery is beautiful.I think the film does a good job of portraying Joseph Smith both as a man and as a prophet. Joseph's spiritual experiences are portrayed with taste and reverence.I would definitely recommend watching this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Mockumentaries are proliferating lately so much that the approach therefore needs an injection of fresh and creative material each time it's used to maintain its vitality. This film does not deliver anything but worn out retreads of similar stories, an aimless script, weak ad-libs, uninspired acting, and unfunny self-gratifying humor. The premise would seem promising enough; the legend of the Loch Ness monster is made to order for one of these goofy mockumentary misadventures, with a vast array of history and legend waiting to be tapped for outrageous satire. The film makers totally waste this enormous potential, however. We get some fool inserting a fake Nessie into the water. Gee, that's original. Another scene has one obnoxious idiot threatening another obnoxious idiot with a gun. Sidesplitting. Some gratuitous shots of a pretty girl in a bikini. Annette did that 40 years ago (and far better, by the way). Throughout the movie, somebody always seems to be yelling: I suppose this is designed to wake up the audience who have nodded off by this point.Worst of all, though, is the relentless salvo of those reality show type "interview comments" made by the characters. Not only do they nuke you with this tired joke every five seconds, but apparently, the actors also improvised; that's the only explanation for how humorless the jokes are. If lines like, "I've never seen anyone write a book about non-evidence" were actually scripted, then the writer should be shot on sight and fed to Nessie.No wonder Nessie got violent; it obviously saw this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Lame. Lame. Lame. Ultralame. Shall I go on? There is one, I repeat *one* funny scene in this entire, drawn-out, anti-amusing Amateur Hour Special of a film: Fares Fares' fat father knocking someone over with his beer gut. That's it. The rest of this shockingly mediocre pile of nothingness consists of the usual trademark bored-looking Swedish "actors" delivering dialogue which goes into one ear and out of the other, a banal story, sloppy direction and, well, little else worth mentioning. Nepotistically cast Fares Fares is as charismatic as a chartered accountant and his nose rivals even that of Adrien Brody in terms of sheer ridiculous hugeness. Torkel Petersson should only work with Lasse Spang Olsen. The rest of the cast is, luckily, easily forgettable, whereas Fares' humongous, titanic nose will forever haunt me in my dreams.Josef Fares helps ruin Swedish cinema. Don't support him and his nonsense. Jalla Jalla is to comedies what Arnold Schwarzenegger is to character acting, Kopps would have been much more respectable if it had been a no-budget Youtube video, and Zozo was simply the most pretentious, pseudo-touching garbage ever unleashed by a Swedish director. Wake up and smell the roses: Swedish movies can be so much better than this, so stop pretending Fares' flicks are worth watching simply because they're "good to be Swedish". Please.$LABEL$ 0 +Although in my opinion this is one of the lesser musicals of stars Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson and director George Sidney, a lesser musical featuring anyone from that line-up is nothing to sneeze at, and in conjunction, the line-up makes Anchors Aweigh a pretty good film despite its flaws.Sinatra and Kelly are Clarence Doolittle and Joseph Brady, respectively, two Navy men. As the film begins, they're just pulling in to the Los Angeles area for some much needed leave. Brady plans on visiting a girlfriend named Lola. Doolittle is still a bit wet behind the ears, appropriately enough, and seeks advice on women from Brady in private (publicly, scriptwriter Isobel Lennart and Sidney have all of the Navy men comically exaggerating their finesse with women to each other). Brady promises to help get Doolittle hooked up, but primarily because Doolittle won't leave him alone otherwise. A kink is put into their plans when local police basically force them to assist with a young boy who is obsessed with the Navy. He won't give the police any information about who he is or where he lives. Brady helps and he and Doolittle end up taking the boy back home. When the boy's guardian, Susan Abbott (Grayson), finally shows up, Doolittle goes gaga for her. Brady tries to convince him to forget about her; Brady just wants to get back to Lola. But they keep getting coaxed back to Abbott's home, and eventually something of a love triangle forms. Things become more complicated when Brady lies about Doolittle knowing a famous musician, Jose Iturbi, who is in residence at a film studio, and claims that Doolittle has set up an audition for Abbott, who is a singer and actress, in front of Iturbi.Because of the story, the music is a strange combination of militaristic music--because of the Navy premise, obviously, Broadway pop--what the stars tend to sing in more informal settings, opera--what Abbott's character excels at, Liberace-like popular classical--what Iturbi did, and Mexican music--because Abbott frequents a Mexican restaurant in a Mexican section of L.A. The combination doesn't work as well as it could. Plenty of the songs are good, and everyone involved is certainly talented as a singer or musician, but the genre hopping tends to lose coherence. Worse, there are a couple showcases for Iturbi, who was apparently a big star at the time, that effectively bring the plot to a halt and that seem more than a bit hokey at this point in time. I just watched another film that happened to have outstanding music, Robert Altman's Kansas City (1996), but that misguidedly stopped the plot to periodically turn into a concert film. Anchors Aweigh takes a similar tactic. Yes, this is a musical, but there's a difference between songs that propel and are integral to the plot and concert showcases that seem like contractual obligation material.There are also some plot problems. It's not very well established why Brady is so against Doolittle's pursuit of Abbott. We can guess that Brady thinks Doolittle shouldn't become involved with someone who has to take care of a kid, and who seems relatively "proper" and traditional, but on the other hand, Brady can tell that Doolittle doesn't have the same womanizing disposition that Brady admits of himself. Abbott seems like a good fit for Doolittle, and furthermore, Lennart works hard to establish that Brady just wants to get Doolittle out of his hair and get on with meeting Lola--it seems that Brady's character should be quickly pawning Doolittle off on any candidate, whether she's a good fit or not. This might seem like a minor detail, but it's actually the hinge for about a third to half of the plot. The story also seems a bit drawn out. Length is a problem. Anchors Aweigh, clocking in at roughly two hours and twenty minutes, should have been cut down by at least a half-hour.The above surely sounds like I'm complaining about the film too much to justify an 8. I just wanted to stress what I see as flaws, because the conventional wisdom on Anchors Aweigh is much closer to the idea that it has no flaws.Sinatra, Kelly and Grayson are certainly charismatic, separately and together. They turn in good, interesting performances. Sinatra looks and acts much younger than his actual age of 29 – 30 while shooting. He plays an unusually naïve, virginal character--completely different than most of the roles he would take later, and different than his public image as a crooner. For Kelly, this was his breakthrough film, and rightfully so. His choreography is varied and impressive, as is his acting. Grayson is charming, her performance is sophisticatedly understated, and she's simply gorgeous. All of this helps override the flaws with the script and the drawn out pacing.And there's even a very interesting element that probably only arises because Sidney was allowed to sprawl over a large variety of moods--the infamous Kelly dance with Jerry the Mouse (of "Tom and Jerry" fame) in an extended fantasy sequence. This is one of the earliest examples of combining live action and animation, and it is extremely well done and enjoyable as long as you're a fan of fantasy. The fantasy sequences tend to be the best of the film. Matched in excellence to the dance with Jerry the Mouse is a long song and dance number featuring Kelly and Grayson, where Brady is imagining Abbott in a scene from a period film while he woos her, having to resort to acrobatic stunts to reach her physically as she stands on a high balcony.As uneven and flawed as the film is, it is largely successful and entertaining to watch. Fans of classic musicals certainly shouldn't miss Anchors Aweigh, and neither should Sinatra fans, who'll get quite a kick out of his character.$LABEL$ 1 +Crash is overwrought, over-thought and over-baked. A great example of how to make a pompous and self-important film with a message. Haggis tries too hard to make his point and overreaches in just about every category of the film. It feels very much in love with its own sense of social relevance and has all the subtlety of a jackhammer to the skull. Sure, race relations affect everyone and there's a great deal of ambiguity to the issue, but the universe of 'Crash' operates to suggest that we are all victims to our own perceptions on race. It's a tiresome thread that repeats itself ad nauseum and wears out its welcome within the first 30 minutes. I found the outcomes of the characters unsurprising and forced and the film took forever to sputter out and die. The fact that this film is in the top 50 movies on IMDb is a testament to the public's willingness to get suckered by Hollywood malarkey.Indeed, if you want the real "Crash," go check out the one by David Cronenberg: dark, twisted and original. This film plays as preachy, tiresome, and masochistic.$LABEL$ 0 +Starts off with Fulci playing a version of himself, writing down some ideas for how people could die. Followed by a fake-looking cat eating what is presumably a brain. The copy I watched was dubbed in English, which I always hate, but I was particularly disappointed not to get to hear Fulci in his own voice.Fulci is in a sort of feverish state working on his latest horror movie. His stomach turns when he sees things that resemble effects from his movie, and he starts to hallucinate that he is witnessing acts of horror. He visits a psychiatrist, who hypnotizes him and unfortunately he does not have his improved mental health in mind. I was reminded of the psychiatrist played by David Cronenberg in Clive Barker's Nightbreed (1990). The shrink in this one is played by David L. Thompson, who is pretty bad. Probably a real life friend of Fulci's, he has a big toothy grin when he kills people, though this may be Fulci's black humor at work which I thought was pretty poor too.The movie is composed of a lot of clips from Fulci's movies, either as if Fulci is on the set directing them, watching recordings on TVs, or witnessing the acts. I've never been too much of a fan of clip shows in TV series, and I also think things like Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment cutting their old films down and putting three such cuts together as new anthologies are pretty lame. I guess they need to make money?The shrink in Cat in the Brain makes reference to the theory that violence in movies begets violence in real life. One of Fulci's co-workers talks about having a documentary crew follow Fulci to see what his life is like. Lots of self-referential stuff like this.In the end, some of the characters sail away on a boat named "Perversion."$LABEL$ 0 +I liked this movie. Unlike other thrillers you learn to know the killers very well. You also get to know the two detectives hunting them. The killers are two high school kids. They are very intelligent and want to prove they are smarter than the police so they plan the "perfect crime". We all know this crime will not turn out perfect. What we don't know is if they will be caught, or may be just one of them, or even none. In a way I kind of hoped they both would get away with it, although I don't know if this was the movies intention.The story is told in a nice way. You are starting to get to know the people involved. The character of Sandra Bullock is likable but has her own secret, which works against her. Ben Chaplin is pretty good as Sam and the two kids are both great. The scenes between them are the better scenes in the movie.I think you can say the movie is pretty good and not as predictable you would think. For a nice evening with a movie, 'Murder by Numbers' is a good one.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is great I really enjoyed it.This movie is about a cat mom named Dutchess and her 3 kittens.T Dutchess and the kittens love music.They have to practice the piano everyday.But the butler named Edgar tries to kidnap Dutchess and her kittens he tries to make them sleep. But he fails. Them Dutchess meets a cat named Thomas O Maily. Thomas falls in love with Dutchess. The cats break into song. With the song everybody wants to be a cat. Thomas gets to love music like the other cats. Thomas and Dutchess really like each other.I loved this movie and i like the cats to!$LABEL$ 1 +There's little to get excited about "Dan in Real Life". First off, the whole setup is incredibly contrived. Did you really believe that during that very long first meeting conversation at the restaurant, Marie wouldn't have told Dan where she was going? And since Dan did all the talking during that conversation, why would she be so attracted to him? For that matter, I never figured out why Marie was so attracted to Dan throughout the movie. He's very narcissistic and does little to convince us that he's truly a good guy (for example he lies to Marie in the bookstore, ridicules his brother about his past girlfriends and tries to make Marie jealous with a 'blind date'). There's more contrivance such as that ridiculous scene at the bowling alley where Dan and Marie are caught making out by the whole family. Yeah like that could really happen. Dan in Real life is slow-paced, sappy and manipulative. Even chick flicks like The Jane Austen Book Club get higher marks than this predictable "tearjerker".$LABEL$ 0 +This new installment to the Child's Play series has not one scary scene but tons of hilarious jokes such as a stoner witnessing Chucky giveing him the finger and saying "rude f--king doll" and lots of references to the series: "you can kill me but I'll come back. I always come back". The movie's title was probably thought of before the script and was written around it. This is totally different from all other films in the series. It doesn't even have Andy, the central character for all the previous ones. Chucky seems to interfere with characters from another movie, a soap opera about two teens running off together to get married. There is one cool elaborate death scene involving broken glass and water spilling everywhere. The movie is very gory, very funny, and has pop culture references from Martha Stewert to Jerry Springer. DO NOT SEE THIS ONE BEFORE YOU SEE THE OTHER THREE,. It will really ruin the effect since the first one is truly scary. Lots of guilty pleasure fun and silliness. $LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure if users ought to be allowed to review films after only sitting through half, but I'm afraid I just couldn't stand another minute.If this abject excuse for a film doesn't have the late, great GP spinning like a wheel in his grave, then I doubt anything will.The excellent review above 'Not a film for Parsons fans' sums up most of my feelings. How dare a (second rate) director and writer attempt something to which they're so clearly incapable of delivering. What were they thinking? Where to start?THE SCRIPT: I thought I'd be getting a slice of bittersweet Americana. What I got was poorly executed slapstick with no cliché left unturned. Stupid hippy? Check. Stupid fat cop? Check. Awful plot contrivances? Check. Embarrassingly written female characters? Double check. Total disregard for the story which you're trying to portray? Check.After a while, you realize that what you're watching is a soap and not a very well written one at that. Scene with Knoxville. Scene with Ex girlfriend. Scene with Knoxville which hasn't moved on much. Scene with Ex girlfriend which was a bit like the last one. And so on...THE DIRECTION: My friends and I decided, after some consideration, that watching this was like watching a bad episode of Quincy, or maybe a particularly poor Dukes of Hazzard. That's how bad the direction was. Terrible jump cuts, awful camera work, clunky ins and outs to scenes. God, it was cringeworthy. And then I discovered the director was an Irishman who's most noteworthy recent work is a really lousy BBC Sunday night drama called Monarch of the Glen (trust me, it's lowest common denominator TV). And then it all made sense...THE ACTING: Are we now so critical that when some random guy from the TV decides to give acting a go, if he's not so bad, he stinks, we applaud his efforts? Knoxville JUST ABOUT manages to get through every scene. Poor Christina A. has no such luck. Her performance is a car crash (though what you do with those lines, I don't know). The 'hippy' in the hearse: oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Have we not moved on since Cheech and Chong?I could go on, but I think you get my drift. What I would say is that, as other reviews have mentioned, no one on this film clearly gives a flying damn for The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers or Gram's solo work. They knew nothing about the American road movie and they certainly give a damn about trying to do anything with an admittedly decent story from rock mythology. This film was shallow, failed to explore anything and was jaw droppingly unfunny from beginning to...oh wait, I didn't quite make the end. And I suggest you stay away too.$LABEL$ 0 +**Attention Spoilers**First of all, let me say that Rob Roy is one of the best films of the 90's. It was an amazing achievement for all those involved, especially the acting of Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Brian Cox, and Tim Roth. Michael Canton Jones painted a wonderful portrait of the honor and dishonor that men can represent in themselves. But alas...it constantly, and unfairly gets compared to "Braveheart". These are two entirely different films, probably only similar in the fact that they are both about Scots in historical Scotland. Yet, this comparison frequently bothers me because it seems to be almost assumed that "Braveheart" is a better film than "Rob Roy". I like "Braveheart" a lot, but the idea of comparing it to "Rob Roy" is a little insulting to me. To put quite simply, I love "Braveheart", but it is a pale shadow to how much I love "Rob Roy". Here are my particular reasons...-"Rob Roy" is about real people.Let's face it, the William Wallace in "Braveheart" is not a real person. He's a legend, a martyr, a larger than life figurehead. Because of this depiction, he is also a perfect person, never doing wrong, and basically showing his Scot countrymen to the promised land. When he finally does fail, it is not to his fault. Like Jesus, he is betrayed by the very people he trusted most. He even goes through the worst kind of torture because he wants freedom so much.The depiction of Wallace is very well done and effective. But it really doesn't inspire or intrigue me. I find human ambiguity far more facinating than human perfection. That is why "The Last Temptation of Christ" is a better film than "King of Kings", and that is also one of the reasons why I think "Rob Roy" is better than "Braveheart". Rob Roy may be heroic and brave, but he is far from perfect. He makes several mistakes that affected the lives of many of his loved ones. Now sure, not bearing false claim against the Duke of Argyll was an act of nobility and courage, but it was also an act of egoism and self centeredness. Let us not forget that the kinfolk that he had claimed to protect were driven homeless by the end of the film because of this act. But Rob did the best he could, and that was all you could ask of him.Rob's Wife Mary, is also a normal, ambigious person. Let us start though, with how she looks in this film. Sure, she's beautiful, but she doesn't wear makeup and she basically allows her natural beauty to show. Compare this with the two loves (or one, depending on your point of view) of William Wallace in "Braveheart". Now these two ladies are hot, but hardly indicitive of how women looked at the time (especially the lay persons). Maybe not a fair comparison, but just another example of how Rob Roy's attempts for accuracy are far more effective.Throughout "Rob Roy", Mary has to live with her vicious rape by the dastardly carrion, Cunningham. She feels compelled to tell Rob of her struggle, but doesn't because she knows that Rob must seek revenge for her rape. Such revenge would surely mean the death of Rob, and Mary is not prepared for such a sacrifice.The villains in "Rob Roy" are equally as compelling. Although the enemies in "Braveheart" are well written, they are hardly original. Robert the Bruce, a man both brave and cowardly, is plagued by moral decisions that are all to familar in the fictional realm. Should he take his claim as the king of Scotland, or should he betray Wallace in order to ensure the safety of his family name? Bruce is the most ambigious character in "Braveheart", but from Brutus in "Julius Ceasar" to Fredo in "The Godfather Part II", these types of characters are hardly original. Longshanks, although a compelling villain in his own right, is very one dimensional. He is the epidemy of evil, and his tyrant ways stand in direct contrast to Wallace's heroism."Rob Roy" has three villains that are wonderful in their chicanery. First of all, let's start with Marquis of Montrose. He is a man who is so obsessed with his self image, that he's willing to let an innocent man suffer because of it. "See to it that I am not mocked" are his favorite words to his "factor". He is a man obsessed with power, upset that a man of great noble bearing as the Duke of Argyll can be considered of greater providency then him. He is shamefully self obsessed and insecure. He is an evil aristocrat, but in ways that make him unique.Cunningham and Callarn are the conspirators in "Rob Roy", and are also Roy's direct assailants. Callarn is so cunning in his cowardace that he is almost comical. He will do anything to maintain the good will of the Marquis, which includes backstabbing and trickery. Cunningham is a compelling character in that he seems to have been raised to do whatever he can to obtain status and the affection of the Marquis. He needs a father, little does he know that the Marquis is his real father. Therefore, when the opportunity to obtain wealth comes from Callarn, he grabs it without even questioning it. He is very much like the evil of modern man, so self centered and vain that he cares not about the consequences of his actions on others.Many have criticized Tim Roth's performance in this film as overacting. Hogwash I say. It is clear that Cunningham is not simply evil but also psychopath throughout the film. In a world where a man and his stepson can go around shooting random people for amusement, is Cunningham too much of an unbelievable character? We live in a society where people seem to have decreased the value of human life. "Rob Roy" simply teaches us that only the circumstances of this decreased value has changed. It is a problem throughout human history that the vanity of the human heart will not allow for the capacity for compassion. Rob Roy and Mary give us hope that goodness will prevail, but snakes will always exist in our world.Another character that I find fascinating is the Duke of Argyll. He is a true nobleman, and his values of honesty and courtesy are in direct contrast to the Marquis. He appreciates the bravery of Rob Roy and Mary, and has a direct vexation for the Marquis and his factor. He gives the world hope for the people of power. Hopefully, people like the Marquis are an exception and not the rule.- The final duel in "Rob Roy" is more exciting then 10 of the battle scenes in "Braveheart".One thing I get tired of is people telling me that "Braveheart" is a better film because of the battle scenes. First of all, battle scenes are hardly original. From "Spartacus" to "Gladiator", Hollywood has had a long tradition of historical European battle scenes. "Braveheart" has some of the best battle scenes ever put on film, but they suffer from one important problem. These battle scenes have no context except for the fight for freedom.Now, don't get me wrong, duels are hardly original either. In fact, there are probably 10 times as many films with duels as there are with battle scenes. But the context of the duel between Cunningham and Rob Roy is a beauty to behold. It is one of the greatest scenes in film history. Let me explain why...First of all, the fighting style and the bearing of the two characters in this duel describe the characters perfectly. Cunningham is effette and dangerous, Rob Roy is strong and courageous. Cunningham uses a fencing sword while Rob uses a broadsword. Cunningham fights with quick tricky movements, while Roy's fighting style is more obvious.The whole film, from the deliberately slow first half to the exciting second half, is leading up to this moment. It is powerful stuff, and it is clear that Rob must exterminate this menacing evil that has plagued his whole world. When Rob finally gets the upper hand (literally and figuratively,) it is one of the greatest moments in film history. Rob wins because he has more to live for, and his honor is more powerful than 10 Cunningham's. The use of music is absolutely chilling in this scene. Good prevailing against a real evil is more powerful to me than seeing a dude get disemboweled just so he can yell "FREEDOM!". But hey, maybe that's just me.- "Rob Roy" is more realistic than "Braveheart"I don't know that people in the aristocracy or Scotsmen talked like the people in "Rob Roy", but I do feel that it clearly an attempt to capture their speech patterns. I feel that many people are bored by "Rob Roy" simply because they can't understand what the characters are saying. If this is the case, then read some Shakesphere, or put on the close-captioning. "Rob Roy" is actually one of the greatest written films of the 90's. Many of the dialogue in this film is clever, but maybe you have to watch the film a couple of times to understand it.By contrast, the dialogue in "Braveheart" is hardly very interesting. Of course, what do you expect when the main character is a Scotsman played by an Australian? This is a legend, and there was clearly not an attempt to capture the speech of the times. This film takes place several centuries before "Rob Roy", and yet they talk like the people today. Thus the reason that many people like it better. Audiences today have become increasingly lazy, and they don't want to take the time or patience to understand things that are complex. Therefore, as with many epic films, they expect to see the villians speak a recognizable English accent while the heroes speak in a vernacular not too far away from our American language. Sure, it is clear that the Wallace is Scotish, but other than sounding like Scotty from Star Trek and a couple of "Aye"s for acknowledgement, the Scots in this film fit into the Hollywood tradition of how we believe Scots should sound.So, do these descriptions prove that "Rob Roy" is a better film than "Braveheart"? Hardly. But if it proves one thing, it shows that it is hardly common knowledge that "Braveheart" is a better film than "Rob Roy". To put simply, "Rob Roy" is a film that has themes that are very apropos in today's world. "Braveheart" is a film about a legend that is inspiring but hardly realistic. You can make a decision on what you think is better...Grade - A Score - 9$LABEL$ 1 +THIS FILM IS LAME, LAME, LAME!!!!! It takes a lot to bring me to over-exaggeration about a movie, but this movie stunk up my house!! I haven't even finished the movie yet and I had to stop to comment on how bad this movie is. I'VE NEVER DONE THAT!! As a consumer, do not spend your money on this film. Wait until it comes out on a cable channel or something. It's barely TV worthy. I REALLY HATE TRASHING A MOVIE, BUT THIS MOVIE IS TRASH! Barely above porn. Should have and X rating! Good plot, some frontal nudity (if that floats your boat), but HORRIBLE high school level acting. Don't know how this movie received distribution. (Must have been a contractual thing.) Really, if you really like watching good movies, don't waste you time with this one. From one movie lover to another. YOU WILL BE MAD AT YOURSELF! Let me say this as well, if you've been through something like this perhaps you can relate and it will have some value for you. In that case I say watch it, you may take something away from it, if not just seeing something that's happened to you being acted out by someone else (has therapeutic value).$LABEL$ 0 +John Schlesinger's 'Midnight Cowboy' is perhaps most notable for being the only X-rated film in Academy history to receive the Oscar for Best Picture. This was certainly how I first came to hear of it, and, to be completely honest, I didn't really expect much of the film. This is not to say that I thought it would be horrible, but somehow I didn't consider it the sort of movie that I would enjoy watching. This is one reason why you should never trust your own instincts on such manners – a remarkable combination of stellar acting, ambitious directing and a memorable soundtrack ("Everybody's talking' at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin'") make this film one of the finest explorations of life, naivety and friendship ever released.Young Joe Buck (then-newcomer Jon Voight), dressed proudly as a rodeo cowboy, travels from Texas to New York to seek a new life as a hustler, a male prostitute. Women, however, do not seem to be willing to pay money for his services, and Joe faces living in extreme poverty as his supply of money begins to dry up. During these exploits, Joe comes to meet Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a sickly crippled swindler who initially tries to con Joe out of all his money. When they come to realise that they are both in the same predicament, Ratso offers Joe a place to stay, and, working together, they attempt to make (largely dishonest) lives for themselves in the cold, gritty metropolis of New York.Joe had convinced himself that New York women would be more than willing to pay for sex; however, his first such business venture ends with him guiltily paying the woman (Sylvia Miles) twenty dollars. Though he might consider himself to be somewhat intelligent, Ratso is just as naïve as Joe. Ratso, with his painful limp and hacking cough, is always assuring himself that, if only he could travel to the warmth of Miami, somehow everything would be all right. This misguided expectation that things will get better so easily is quite reminiscent of Lennie and George of John Steinbeck's classic novel, 'Of Mice and Men.'Shot largely on the streets of New York, 'Midnight Cowboy' is a grittily-realistic look at life in the slums. Watching the film, we can almost feel ourselves inside Ratso's squalid, unheated residence, our joints stiff from the aching winter cold. The acting certainly contributes to this ultra-realism, with both Voight and Hoffman masterfully portraying the two decadent dregs of modern society. Hoffman, in particular, is exceptional in his role (I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!"), managing to steer well clear of being typecast after his much-lauded debut in 1967's 'The Graduate.' Both stars were later nominated for Best Actor Oscars (also nominated for acting – bafflingly – was Sylvia Miles, for an appearance that can't have been for more than five minutes), though both ultimately lost out to John Wayne in 'True Grit.' 'Midnight Cowboy' eventually went on to win three Oscars from seven nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Schlesinger and Best Writing for Waldo Salt.'Midnight Cowboy' is told mainly in a linear fashion, though there are numerous flashbacks that hint at Joe's past. Rather than explicitly explaining what these brief snippets are actually about, the audience is invited to think about it for themselves, and how these circumstances could have led Joe onto the path he is now pursuing. The achingly-beautiful final scene leaves us with a glimmer of hope, but a large amount of uncertainty. Gritty, thought-provoking and intensely fascinating, 'Midnight Cowboy' is one for the ages.$LABEL$ 1 +Oh, the horror! I've seen A LOT of gore movies in my day, but this one just makes me gag with with laughter rather than repulsiveness. This is definitely a crazy movie and is very low-budget, I might add, but if you're able to look past the cheap audio, horrible dialogue, ugly girls, the obviously fake gore scenes, and overall cheeziness of the film, then you might find some of this film to be somewhat entertaining. The story is about a copy cat killer who goes on a killing spree every "5th day, of the 5th month, of the 5th year" (wow, how original), and it's up to two detectives (one of whom gave a valiant effort at trying to make the crapy dialogue good) to stop the killer's bloody rampage. The killing scenes (which are done with a plastic toy knife) are pretty brutal (which is a good thing), but very annoying due to the constant repetition of an obviously recorded scream (which is very ear piercing). As for the gore, there's plenty of it but it looks very fake; especially the blood - dude, c'mon, purple blood? But, if you're a fan of gore videos, like myself, then you'll find something in this video to cherish like I did (the crap-talking detective...he's the best thing going for this film). Other than that, all you're going to find is a bunch of senseless nudity (which is also a good thing, but too bad the girls are OOOGLY) and a very idiotic hippy necrophiliac serial killer. Sorry, but this one sucks.$LABEL$ 0 +i loved the great lighting and was warmed by this story of American working class society and seaport life in the first half of the 20th century. i was drawn in by the timeless watchability of this realistic performance. see and feel the star power. melancholic "greek" comedy. Anybody in the mood for a shot with a beer back?...or a little ginger? Hey, waterboy !!$LABEL$ 1 +'R Xmas is one of the only films I've seen where I can almost say that simply nothing happens.I felt as though I watched a drug dealing middle- class couple,with child,walk around,eat,smoke,converse(excuse me,swear)through most of the film.And I don't believe I'm missing the point.I think this film was well directed,well acted(although the husband's performance was rather wooden),and the constant feeling of impending doom around every corner certainly kept the viewer involved.But when the dust clears,your left with zero(just a boat-load of fade outs).I didn't want car chases,gun violence,beatings,etc.In fact,I'm sick of violence.But my goodness,let's at least get a bit deeper into all these characters(let's get to know each of these corrupt officers a little better-not just show glancing shots of them as street thugs).Why was the dialogue so juvenile? Everyone spoke as if they were in junior high.I believe even this side of our human race can say something other than fu_ _,sh_ _,etc.The pacing and the storyline of 'R Xmas I found quite interesting,but the execution was plain and simple-empty.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +It's a shame, really, that the script of this film had more holes than you could shake a stick at (mixed metaphor intentional), because Kinski and Coyote - both supremely talented performers who are capable of great subtlety and nuance - have wonderful chemistry together, and the always-provocative Fairuza Balk didn't hurt the mix either. Jeremy Piven would have been great here too, if his character (and all the other supporting characters) hadn't been written as a plot device. As for the main proceedings, the writers just didn't know how to create the suitable guilty-or-innocent tension for Kinski's character -- instead they gave us confusion, contradiction and, by the finale, downright let's-hope-the-viewers-don't-notice claptrap.$LABEL$ 0 +Why couldn't the end of the movie have been Sean Connery's men fighting the French instead of the Germans. Ever since the French had occupied Algeria in 1830, the tribes from Morocco and those of Algeria were making raids on the French military and civilian settlements. This movie could have been a continuous of that historical aspect where the French had seize the Rasuadli so his followers would not be raiding Algeria, and then his followers would have attacked the French to free him.The movie is still stereotypical of shootouts between the Germans and the Americans. When the Americans shoot the Germans, their guns (even the pistols) make loud noises, create large bloody bullet wounds, and their enemies are screaming after being shot. When Germans shoot at the Americans, their guns don't make large sounds, do not create bloody wounds, and their enemies make little or no sound after being shot.In real life, the American Krag rifle was the worst rifle America had ever produce until the early version of the M-16 came along. The Krag was hard to maintain, not reliable, and the rifle bolt was always jamming. The German Mauser was one of the world's finest rifles. We were so impress by it during Spanish American war, that we made a copy of it and call it the Springfield rifle.Finally, the people of Morocco must had a word for artillery since the French were using them in their raids against Morocco. I didn't like it when they made the Rasuldai feel stupid that there was no word for artillery in the Moorican vocabulary. Instead, the Rasuadli stated that the Europeans had guns on wheels that make the ground shake.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was really funny. The people that were expecting to see an Oscar worthy comedy, should get over themselves. This was a fun movie to see with interesting and funny characters, plot lines, dialog quotes and catch phrases. I rate a movie a 10 if I have bought the DVD, or in this case, the videotape, and have watched it many times, and in this case, still laugh out loud. I have about 12 movies in my collection with a rating of 10 and about half don't have anything do do with the Oscars. Again, this was just a fun, light-hearted movie. I hope this comes out on DVD. I highly suggest checking this movie out, if you are in the mood for a wacky comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +Of course, really experienced reviewers who like stuff like Star Wars and professional crap will definitely drag this movie and say really bad comments about it. But really, it is enjoyable teen comedy with an awesome story and good acting.Josie Gellar (played well by Drew Barrymore) is part of a news-reporting team and she has been offered a ('real') job - she has to go back to school and find out what teens are like these days. Well this goes alright, until Josie remembers her horrible time at High School and gets freaked out. But she's never been hip, never been cool, never been popular until now!Sit back relax and enjoy with Never Been Kissed!$LABEL$ 1 +Given the opposite circumstance of 2009 where the reality is we do have a black president, this movie takes on quite a powerful historical significance. For entertainment value I found this movie to be both engaging and repugnant. I was quite taken back of course by the blatant racism of the time, but also found the music and dancing incredible. Also it is quite cool to see Sammy Davis Jr as such a very young child actor. He plays Rufus Jones, a young boy who is being consoled by his Mammy. He is told 'Why some day you could be President'. This was so ridiculous in 1933 that it was mocked and thought to be endearing, charming and funny. The bulk of the movie is a fantasy sequence of what the government would be like if it was run by a black man. They depict the seats of government as being like a revivalist Baptist church.The fact was when I stumbled onto this movie one day it drew me in. It is really well done and very entertaining. I believe if we can look beyond the racism we can see this movie for all it brings us. In fact to realize that it is not only not ridiculous to have a black president, but that it is normal, just makes this movie that much more relevant. It clearly marks a moment in time for our collective consciousness.$LABEL$ 1 +In this send-up of horror films, 50's cold war paranoia, Reagan-era America, and high school films, Adam Arkin plays Tony, the star quarterback of Full Moon High in the 1950's. He and his father (Ed McMahon) travel to communist Romania and while he's lost in the streets one night, he is bitten by a werewolf. When he returns stateside, he cannot control his animalistic urges and goes on a killing spree. Frustrated, he flees town. Decades later, the immortal Tony returns to town and re-enrolls in highschool. He still can't control his transformations, and the townspeople, and his friends, realize he's not quite human. It all culminates during the schools big football game.I expected this to be one of those 'so bad it's good' films from the early 80's. But I was surprised that the film was actually, legitimately funny. The cast, including Kenneth Mars as a pervy coach, Roz Kelly as Tony's lusty former flame, Demond Wilson as a bus driver, and Alan Arkin as a oddball doctor, go all out, with hilarious results.While watching this film I was struck by how similar the writing and humor were to 'Family Guy.' 'Full Moon High' has that same anything goes attitude and never takes itself seriously.$LABEL$ 1 +Not only that the VHS and DVD cover(at least in Europe)show a scene that has nothing to do with the actual plot of the movie, the acting is so bad, that the movie is crying out for being made fun of. If you have nothing to do, you are with some good friends and you want to have some laughs about a movie, that is supposed to be serious, watch Tycus and Peter Onorati, a man who will teach you how to knock over bad guys with empty carton boxes! Shame on Dennis Hopper, following Travoltas example by starring in his very own "battlefield earth". For those who want to watch a good movie about the earth being destroyed by a terrible force, please do not choose Tycus, but do yourselves a favor and watch "Armageddon" for he 20th time!$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw this movie, I thought it was the typical "love thy neighbour" stuff....The more the movie was going on, the more I got involved. Acting is magnificent from both actors, direction was great, the story unusual. Cried my eyes off, first time in my life for a movie. A real must have in any serious videoteque. 11 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon, and SCTV alumnus are all together in a sometimes funny sketch film.However, it is very interesting to watch now, at the start of 2005. Twenty years after this movie is supposed to take place, look at how many of their gags have become absolutely true: There is a mock movie trailer, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, for something called "The Pregnant Man" which came true with Arnold Schwarzenegger's dumb movie "Junior" There is a commercial spoof, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, for something featuring Sammy Davis Jr. and Jackie Onasis called "Celebrity Wrestling" which has now come true with a popular show called "Celebrity Boxing" There is a mock movie trailer, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, that features John Candy in a movie about a severed head. Watch this trailer and look how similar it's shots and plot are to Frank Hellenlotter's Basket Case!! And finally there is an ad for a late late show documentary about "a dead dream, the only two left ..." The name of the documentary is ... THE LAST HIPPIES! LOL.Four prophecies come true!$LABEL$ 0 +Is the Cannes controversy-meter remarkably esoteric, or is that we Americans are so callous and cynical that we never bother to read between the lines anymore? Be that as it may, with plenty of careful analyzing, "Falscher Bekenner" at no point seems to live up to the hyped controversy it supposedly brought to Cannes in 2005, a puzzlingly drab and aimless movie that rather lives up to it's glum American re-title ("Low Profile").Building on familiar themes of Bourgeoise angst and subsequent sexual liberation (kind of), admittedly it's a film not without it's surface-level interests. It starts out with a grabber, as a haunting shot of a desolate off-the-highway road focuses in on a teenage drifter, who ultimately walks by a totaled car, where supposedly a brutal hit-and-run has left the driver dead in a gory mess. Stunned, he does nothing but pick up a scrap of the remaining engine.Just out of school, the drifter turns out to be Armin Steebe, a product of the German suburbs with minimal ambition. Persisentily pressured by his caring but somewhat nagging parents to find a good job, he endures interview after interview with every haughty interviewer along with it, every one with the same fruitless outcome. Getting mighty sick of it, his aforementioned highway encounter soon provokes his first act of rebellion: claiming responsibility for the crime which he did not commit.Pretending to fill out more applications and going to more and more bizarre job interviews by sunrise, he partakes in roadside sexual fantasies and petty vandalism way after sundown. As the days get shorter and the nights get much hotter, as he goes on living in his suburban neighborhood as if he's doing nothing out of the ordinary.If you seem confused about what exactly is going on, don't worry about being the only one: this is about as far and coherent as the story gets. The plot seems simple enough, and perhaps due to it's seemingly direct purposes that's why "Falscher Bekenner" becomes pointlessly convoluted, becoming enamored with endless false conclusions, dreamlike situations and graphic sex scenes to try and enlighten a story lacking clear logic to an already vague argument (supposedly the soul-numbing effects of the modern suburban wasteland, or something about youth's fascination with crime. Hey, it could even be a coming-out movie.) at hand. It spends a lot of time creating numerous symbols, both tangible and surrealistically allegorical, but they don't seem to be really symbolizing anything of interest. The most fatal flaw, however, is how the filmmakers paint all it's characters in a rough shade of vanilla. There's hardly any distinguishable traits to help understand their purpose, and how the secondary characters (especially the confused relationship between Armin and his rather normal- perhaps too normal- family) catalyze the already under-developed lead character's "plight" never comes into focus. How are we supposed to identify with this young almost-adult's rebellion, with little sense of the world he's living in or the prominent figures around him that help comprise it? Many people drop in and out of the movie (including Armin's sort-of girlfriend Katja, and a strange, affluent visitor who for some reason finds pleasure in watching the protagonist eat brownies) and seem to exist for no reason whatsoever. They ultimately just seem like prolonged padding to an already thin story with pointless subplots that continue to prove the movie is drawing a total blank about where to go next.And even a movie that supposedly toys with reality (especially with Armin's nightly exploits), it ends with a literal, almost moralizing head-scratcher that seems to halt questions to a "story" that does little but put it's viewer in a state of pointlessly exhausted perplexion.Without any color, it's impossible to shade anything vital in.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so she doesn't have caller ID. When you are being stalked, you GET IT! And no cell phone? When you are being stalked, you GET ONE if you are one of the few full time working parents that is the head of the household that doesn't own one already. This mom gets a big ZERO in the parenting department. So her mom is in the hospital and she decides a shopping trip will help her out. Just a stupid movie. Glad I have Tivo and a FF button on the remote.And what is with the 10 line minimum, I just don't have that much to say about such a bad movie. I guess I can ask why she keeps opening packages that she has no clue who they are from. The son really didn't add much to the movie either. The cops were a big ol zero too. Now get to the nearest Verizon and get the darn cell phone. @@$LABEL$ 0 +***1/2 Out of ***** While I am not concerned with the fact that this is an English dubbed version as some reviewers have mentioned, it should be noted, as it seems to reside in many Quebecois native hearts. However, this was a movie as a child that I was a fervent admirer of; keeping in mind now that it was made for children, I rate it on a relative basis. The story is of children on winter break building an awesome snow fort, and jostling back-'n-forth for control with weapons such as snowballs and other concoctions, as idle hands and free time equal winter break lessons. If I had children, this definitely is a film I would try and get them interested in, as the snow fort wowed me when I was young, and I think even children today would agree, albeit with Pixar and all the computer animation, maybe I am out of date and just don't realize it. In addition, the movie's message is wonderfully allegorical and a positive one at that, for children (and adults alike).$LABEL$ 1 +A CRY IN THE DARK A CRY IN THE DARK was a film that I anticipated would offer a phenomenal performance from Meryl Streep and a solid, if unremarkable film. This assumption came from the fact that aside from Streep's Best Actress nomination, the movie received little attention from major awards groups.Little did I anticipate that A CRY IN THE DARK would be such a riveting drama, well-constructed on every level. If you ask me, this is an under-appreciatted classic.The film opens rather slowly, letting the audience settle into the Chamberlain's at a relaxed pace and really notice that, at the core, they are an incredibly loving, simple family. Fred Schepisi (the director) selects random moments to capture of a family on vacation that give a looming sense of the oncoming tragedy, while also showing the attentive bliss with which Lindy (Streep) and Michael (Sam Neill) Chamberlain care for their children.While the famous line "A Dingo Took My Baby!" has become somewhat of a punchline these days, the movie never even comes close to laughable. The actual death of Azaria is horrifyingly captured. It is subtle and realistic, leaving the audience horrified and asking questions.The majority of the film takes place in courtrooms and focuses on the Chamberlain's continuous fight to prove their innocence to the press and the court, which suspects Lindy of murder.The fact that it is clear to us from the beginning that they are innocent makes the tense trials all the more gripping. As an audience member, I was fully invested in the Chamberlain's plight... and was genuinely angered and hurt and saddened when they were made to look so terrible by the media. But at the same, the media/public opinion is understandable. I loved the way the media was by no means made to be sympathetic, but they always had valid reasons to hold their views.The final line of the film is very profound and captures perfectly the central element that makes this film so much different from other courtroom dramas.In terms of performances, the only ones that really matter in this film are those of Streep and Neill... and they deliver in every way. For me, this ranks as one of (if not #1) Meryl Streep's best performances. For all her mastery of different accents (which of course are very impressive in their own right), Streep never loses the central heart and soul of her characters. I find this to be one of Streep's more subtle performances, and she hits it out of the park. And Neill, an actor who has never impressed me beyond being charismatic and appealing in JURASSIC PARK, is a perfect counterpoint to Streep's performance. From what I've seen, this is undoubtedly Neill's finest work to date. It's a shame he wasn't recognized by the Academy with a Leading Actor nomination to match Streep's... b/c the two of them play of each other brilliantly.More emotionally gripping than most films, and also incredibly suspenseful... A CRY IN THE DARK far exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend that people who only know of the movie as the flick where Meryl screams "The dingo took my baby!" watch the film and see just how much more there is to A CRY IN THE DARK then that one line.... A ...$LABEL$ 1 +Liv Tyler. Liv Tyler. Liv Tyler. Yeah it's hard to keep your mind off this fetching beauty (giving an radiantly picture-perfect performance), as she simply has tongues wagging. 'One Night at McCool's' is a dementedly quirky and raunchy black comedy with old-fashion shades tied in to its familiar, but smartly crafted and chaotic narrative which has three men lusting after the one women and she's milking it to her advantage. When you see Tyler, no wonder why they are infatuated and would do anything… that's anything to see 'her' happy and living 'her' dreams. Just like Tyler, there's something rather intoxicating about this feature in that we see the likes of Matt Dillon, John Goodman, Paul Reiser (who's great) and especially Michael Douglas (who plays the hired assassin with cool-ease, but a questionable hairdo) really having a good time with their roles. The consuming plot opens up with the main three characters (Dillon, Goodman and Reiser) telling their story of how they came to encounter this divine presence and the eventual affects that she's having on them to lead to an insane climax. There's an unpredictable chain of events (ranging from fruity to sensual), where everything would virtually tie in together with a certain ironic (snowball) twist of fate for the characters (that see them leaving their reserved comfort zone to fulfill this girl). Howard Zwart's direction is colorfully zippy balancing the script's quick-fire gags and frenetically fun, if complicated situations. One of the best under-the-radar comedies in the last decade, which will have you under Tyler's thumb.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved it. In fact, I watched it over and over and over, and I could watch it again. This movie doesn't get boring.The vampire concept is revolutionized in this movie. It's a job well done, great for today's generation.Wesley Snipes was born for this role. Stephen Dorff was an ideal vampire. Arly Jover, mmmm mmm, she can bite me any time she wants and what a sexy accent she has. Donal Logue provides great comical relief.This vampire movie is like no other. I can't wait for Blade 2.$LABEL$ 1 +As with that film we follow the implausible if always engaging adventures of the 2 lead characters. But whilst C + J eschew sex for a girly trip back into childhood, this pair revel in their carnality even to the point of exploring homoeroticism. Most of the sex they acquire from grudging or unwilling partners and yet, despite their deeply un-PC behaviour, everyone emerges smiling. Like C + G, through it all they remain innocents at heart, rebels against the quotidien, the bourgeois, the restrictive. As someone else has commented, I wouldn't want to know these 2 and it's a minor miracle that their trip brings scenes of mostly comedy and very little tragedy (and what there is of that cannot be laid at their door) and thus for that reason, it left me beguiled but with a sweet taste in the mouth. Dare I say that only the French can get away with films like this. And that is part of their genius.$LABEL$ 1 +I really love this movie. I remember one time when I was in 2nd >grade, my teacher showed it to us on a 16mm film reel. This movie, however, can be a little frightening for 2nd graders such as the scene where Bill murders Nancy and seeing Fagin's face for the first time on the screen. One of my relatives is sick of seeing this movie because she studied over it in music class. If I were a teacher and could grade the people who produced this wonderful film, I would give them an A+.$LABEL$ 1 +Upon The Straight Story release in 1999, it was praised for being David Lynch's first film that ignored his regular themes of the macabre and the surreal. Based on a true story of one man and his journey to visit his estranged brother on a John Deere '66 mower, at first glance its an odd story for Lynch to direct. Yet as the story develops you can see some of Lynch's trademark motifs coming through.Lynch's focus on small town America and its inhabitants is still as prevalent as in his previous efforts such as Blue Velvet or Twin Peaks, but the most notable difference is that the weirdness is curbed down. The restrictions imposed means that the film has the notable accolade of being one of the few live action films that I can think of that features a G rating. Incredibly significant, this films stands as evidence that beautiful and significant family films can be produced.The Straight Story was the first feature which Lynch directed where he had no hand at writing. For many Lynch devotees this was a huge negative point. Almost universally acclaimed, the only overly negative review by James Brundage of filmcritic.com focused on this very criticism, that it wasn't a typical Lynch film. "Lynch is struggling within the mold of a G-Rated story that isn't his own." Brundage claims, with his protagonist Alvin Straight "quoting lines directly from Confucious." He argues that the story is weak and the dialogue even worse. Yet this is about the only criticism that many will read for the film. Whilst it is true that it is not Lynch in the sense of Eraserhead, Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive - all films which I also adore, The Straight Story features a different side of Lynch that is by no means terrible. If you are a Lynch fan, it is most important to separate that side of Lynch with this feature.The narrative is slow and thoughtful, which gives you a real sense of the protagonist's thoughts as he travels to his destination. Alvin constantly is reminded about his past and his relationships with his wife, children and his brother. Yet particularly significant is that there are no flashbacks, which only adds to the effect, which reminded me of my conversations with my grandparents. The conclusion arrives like watching a boat being carried down a slow meandering river and it is beautiful to watch. The natural landscapes of the US are accentuated and together with the beautiful soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti, makes me yearn to go to America. The performances are also excellent with every actor believable in their roles and Richard Farnsworth is particularly excellent. His Oscar nomination was greatly deserved and it was a shame that he didn't win. Regardless, however it is probably the finest swan-song for any actor. So whilst The Straight Story features none of Lynch's complex narratives or trademark dialogue, the film is a fascinating character study about getting old and comes highly recommended!$LABEL$ 1 +As a massive fan of the three TV series, I was very interested to learn that LoG were moving onto the big screen. In my more honest moments though, I had my doubts about the likely success of the concept, and whether the writers would be able to sustain the high level of wit, comedy and horror that infuse the original series.Unfortunately my fears were not unfounded, and the film was a huge disappointment. I struggle to understand the other comments on this site. Obviously people are entitled to their opinions, but the guys I watched it with, all agree with me, and they are just as big fans as I am.The acting lacked conviction, but they are so good that even when not at their best, they are still highly watchable. The main problem was the plot - and the script. There were a few laughs, but not enough, a few moments of disgust, but not enough. Worst of all was the feeling of emptiness after walking out of the cinema. So rarely have I felt so utterly uninspired by a film and so unmotivated to discuss it with others.I write this comment as a warning to other League fans - get a wide range of opinion on this film before going to see it. If you love League, you might be able to convince yourself that they didn't totally mess up their move to cinema. If you can't convince yourself of this, then you will have tarnished in your mind the otherwise spotless genius that exemplifies the TV series.LoG at the cinema? More like log. (or little brown fish).$LABEL$ 0 +In the veins of Jeepers Creepers and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Monster Man surprisingly well-made--though mindless--little horror. Throw in a little buddy-comedy, nice gore and intense scare. It's hard no to say that Monster Man is really entertaining. The low budget seem pretty obvious, but it doesn't effected the presentation of the movie in general and put more big budget horror movies in shame.Yes, the plot somewhat generic as possible. Pair of friend, Adam (Eric Jungman)and Harley (Justin Urich) are driving cross country to interrupt the wedding of a woman Adam has always loved. While Adam is more nerdy type, Harley is a self-proclaimed ladies man and very offensive loudmouth. Adding a bonus to the plot, then they picked up a sexy hitchhiker, Sarah (Aimee Brooks). Things turn into nightmare when a monster truck with scary face drive stalking them. When dead body starts counting, they must do the race against the time before their own life on risk.The plot is obviously reminiscent of many prior famous horror movies, but Michael Davis as the writer and director succeed in keeping the tension. The scare is build well enough, where characterization is never be the best, but fairly okay. The script also littered with comedies that works for the funny moments and they quite enjoyable rather than annoying and also wait for the twist in the finale. It's hilarious and shocking in the same time, which is pretty amusing.As conclusion, Monster Man surprisingly entertaining. It deserves more attention in the big screen. It proves that big budget doesn't make an effective horror movie, but skill does! Something that the director has shown and delivers.$LABEL$ 1 +Now don't get me wrong I love bad movies... no I adore bad movies, Troll 2.... ouch painful, Manos The Hands of Fate... just watch Torgo go, Guru the Mad Monk.. is that traffic noise in the medieval background? OK so that's clear, but this is one of those films that was quite obviously trying to be something better, but didn't make it. Why not? Well it would be easy to blame the plot, but heh we've seen worse, there weren't too many holes and heh I know there's not a lot of originality in it but then that needn't kill a film. The effects aren't bad (if you completely ignore the last scene), the monster is OK, the truck quite menacing so where did it go wrong? Well I'd love to blame it on the 'Chris Moyles' look-a-like Harley... so I will! Comedy and horror are difficult to mix well, bad comedy and horror even worse and there's the problem. I loathed this guy from the moment he stuck his head up (literally), the continual bating of the overly meek Adam becomes annoying, so annoying that you lose belief that the mildest of people wouldn't react by pushing him out of the moving car door... and I thought it was the monster bits that the director was meant to have trouble convincing us of. Why are bad movies fun? Well you have great fun poking holes in them, laughing at the script, all the howlers etc. This film doesn't make the coveted category of 'Worst Movies' because its just bad due to being annoying nuff said. Don't bother, go watch anything else and you'll be a better person for it... I promise! (Fade to chants of Torgo Torgo Torgo)$LABEL$ 0 +From the perspective of the hectic, contemporary world in which we live, the so called `good old days' always seem so much more serene and innocent; an idyllic era gone by of which we have only memories and shadows that linger on the silver screen, as with `Christmas In Connecticut,' a warm and endearing film directed by Peter Godfrey. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth Lane, a popular `Martha Stewart' type magazine columnist who writes about life on her beloved farm in Connecticut, always with the latest recipe at the center of the story. One of her biggest fans is Alexander Yardley, played by Sidney Greenstreet, the publisher of the magazine for which she writes. Yardley has never visited her farm, and in response to an idea expressed to him in a letter from a nurse, Mary (Joyce Compton), he decides to spend an old fashioned Christmas with Elizabeth, her husband and child and, as a special guest, a certain Mr. Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), a sailor just recovered from spending fifteen days at sea on a raft after his ship was torpedoed. Elizabeth of course cannot refuse her boss, but there are problems; not the least of which is the fact that she has no farm and writes her column from the comfort of a high-rise in the city. It makes for a precarious situation for her as well as her editor, Dudley Beecham (Robert Shayne), as the one thing Mr. Yardley demands from his employees is total honesty. What follows is a charming and delightfully romantic comedy that transports the audience back to a seemingly more simple time and place, to share a Christmas Past where a warm hearth, good food and kindness prevail.Barbara Stanwyck absolutely sparkles as Elizabeth, with a smile and presence warmer than anything the grandest hearth could provide, and totally convincing as a city girl entirely out of her element on the farm. Morgan also fares well as the somewhat naive sailor, whose trust in his fellow man is admirable. Even with the deceptions being played out around him, he's the kind of guy you know will somehow land on his feet, and in the end it's Elizabeth you really feel for. One of the true delights of this film, however, is Sidney Greenstreet. His Yardley has a gruff exterior, but beneath you know without a doubt that this is a man with a heart as big as Texas. It's a straightforward, honest portrayal, and it's a joy to watch him work; the most memorable scenes in the movie belong to him.The supporting cast includes Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), the terrific Una O'Connor (Norah), Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz) and Dick Elliott (Judge Crothers). A feel-good movie that plays especially well during the Christmas Season (though it would work any time of the year), `Christmas In Connecticut' is a memorable film that never takes itself too seriously, is thoroughly uplifting and will leave you with a warm spot in your heart and a sense of peace that makes the world seem like a good place to be. It's a true classic, and one you do not want to miss. I rate this one 10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Whenever people ask me to name the scariest movie I've ever seen, I invariably reply "Black Noon" and to this day nobody's ever heard of it.I watched it alone some 30 years ago at the tender age of 13 when my parents had gone out for the evening. As far as I know its only ever been shown once in the UK and sadly is unavailable on DVD or VHS.If anyone can trace a copy please let me know.If I watched it again now it would probably be a big disappointment but it has always stuck in my memory as a particularly disturbing little film!$LABEL$ 1 +Cowboys James Stewart and Walter Brennan take their herd from Seattle to Alaska and on into Canada to stake a claim. Once there, they have to contend with seductive, shifty businesswoman Ruth Roman and ice-cold, happy-go-lucky villain James McIntire.John Wayne may get talked about more, but his good pal Stewart made some excellent, hard-edged westerns too, some with the great director Anthony Mann. Frankly, I'd take this, with it's sturdy action sequences and fine melodrama, over North To Alaska any day!The Far Country features some breathtaking scenery and cinematography that should definitely have been shot in widescreen.Also, there's some strong support by the always reliable Brennan, Roman (who's great), the incredibly cute Corrine Calvet, and James McIntire, who plays one of my favorite types of bad guy, the kind that doesn't take himself too seriously.This would make a great double-bill with another highly recommended Mann/Stewart northwest-set western, Bend Of The River.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember the days in which Kim Basinger was nothing more than a pretty face who adorned movies with typical characters of dumb Blondie,romantic interest or damsel in danger.But,everything changed when she won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in the excellent movie L.A. Confidential,and I think I was not the only one who was surprised by her solid performance.However,after that moment,her career did not follow the ideal path.Sure,the prestige she won thanks to that movie made her to participate on moderately prestigious movies (like People I Know or The Door in the Floor),but we have never seen her again on a substantial character.The movie While She Was Out does nothing to put her on that situation; and it is not only that her character is not too tasty,but also that the movie is really crappy.The screenplay from this movie could not be more hollow and basic.However,Basinger brings some conviction to her character,and that makes this poor movie to win a few points.This movie is full of clichés and generic villains.The work of director Susan Montford is truly disastrous for many reasons but mainly,because the movie never gets a good rhythm and tone.The ending from this movie is extremely ridiculous.I do not recommend While She Was Out at all.This film commits the capital sin of being boring.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film a while ago on a Video CD.I will 1st mention the good points.The movie, at first, at least tries to appear that it is not biased, like not showing one character as black and the other as white. Both main characters are friends and co-exist very well in an country and economy that is not booming while at the same time not failing. Their families get together and have parties and they practice their favorite sport, Sport Rifle shooting, as comrades not as competitors.But, after the 1st 15 minutes the plot runs into a fork in the road. The audience is expected to believe that for some unknown reason these friends must hate each other. That for some unknown reason Bosnia is now on a path to conflict. Sure, the script adds in TV footage which the characters appear to be watching live news programs in English, but the clips are from 1993 not 1992 when the war began.The history, the 1990 elections, the people who caused the war are not mentioned. The movie tries to place the blame with Karadzic, who had been a Presidential candidate and leader of the Bosnian Parliament's 2nd Largest Party(SDP). According to the Constitution of Bosnia, the SDP was to have the Presidency in 1992, but there was a Coup in January. The Bosnian Islamic Democratic Action Party seized total control and held a segregated referendum in March in which it declared itself the law in Bosnia and announced Secession.The history of the IDAP begins with Bosnian Muslim Alija Izetbegovic, a man suspiciously absent from "STtH". He was a student of Nazism in WW2. He even wrote his own "Mein Kampf" in which he stated: "It is not in fact possible for there to be any peace or coexistence between 'the Islamic Religion' and non-Islamic social and political institutions".In 1990 he lost the IDAP elections to "pro-Yugoslavia Moderate" Fikret Abdic, a Bosnian Muslim, that worked with Christian Serbs during the Civil War, and who treated his supporters like brothers. Abdic was prevented from taking power by Izetbegovic, who lost the elections but seized the seat of power.The events from above are missing from the movie, but they are the factual events that lead to the war.There were problems with props too. Serb soldiers in the movie were wearing Soviet WW2 helmets, which they did not use. Also the one soldier was holding an M-1944 WW2 rifle only used by USSR not Yugoslavia.The Director and Script Writers had a chance, but they chose to re-write history.$LABEL$ 0 +Another small piece of the vast picture puzzle of the Holocaust is turned face up in this docudrama about the Rosenstrasse Protest in Berlin, an event I had not known of, that began in late February, 1943. The details are given in an addendum that follows this review.The film narrative sets the story of this protest within another, contemporary story that begins in New York City, in the present. Here a well off, non-observant Jewish woman, whose husband has just died, shocks her children and others by insisting on an extremely orthodox mourning ritual. She goes even further, demanding that her daughter's non-Jewish fiancé leave the house.The distressed daughter, Hannah (Maria Schrader) then learns for the first time from an older cousin that during WWII, in Berlin, her mother, then 8 years old, had been taken in and protected by an Aryan woman. Hannah drops everything, goes to Berlin, and finds this woman, Lena Fischer, now 90. Hannah easily persuades the woman to tell her story. It all seems rather too pat.The film thereafter improves, focusing through long flashbacks primarily on the events of 1943 that surrounded the protest, in which the fictitious central character is the same Mrs. Fischer at 33 (played magnificently by Katja Riemann), a Baroness and accomplished pianist who is married to Fabian (Martin Feifel), a Jewish concert violinist, one of the men detained at the Rosenstrasse site.The narrative does briefly weave back to the present from time to time and also ends in New York City once again. While scenes in the present are color saturated, the 1943 scenes are washed out, strong on blue-gray tones.The quality of acting is generally quite good, what we might expect given the deep reservoir of talent in Germany and the direction of Margarethe von Trotta, New German Cinema's most prominent female filmmaker, herself a former actress.The story of the protest is told simply. Only one feature is lacking that would have helped: still-text notes at the end indicating the eventual outcome for those people taken into custody at Rosenstrasse, an outcome that was, as the addendum below makes clear, incredibly positive."Rosenstrasse" has not fared well in the opinions of most film critics. Overly long, needlessly layered, purveyor of gender stereotypes, manipulative with music: so go the usual raps. It is too long. But I found in this film an austere, powerful, spontaneous and entirely convincing voice of protest from the women who kept the vigil outside the place on Rosenstrasse where their Jewish relatives and others were detained. I found nothing flashy, contemporary or manipulative in this depiction.The very absence of extreme violence (no one is shot or otherwise physically brutalized) intensified my tension, which increased incrementally as the film progressed. You keep waiting for some vicious attack to begin any minute. The somberness of the film stayed with me afterward. I awoke often later in the night I saw the film, my mind filled with bleak, melancholic, chaotic images and feelings conjured by the film. For me, that happens rarely. (In German and English). My rating: 8/10 (B+). (Seen on 05/31/05). If you'd like to read more of my reviews, send me a message for directions to my websites.Add: The Rosenstrasse Protest: Swept up from their forced labor jobs in what was meant to be the Final Roundup in the national capital, 1700 to 2000 Jews, mostly men married to non-Jewish women, were herded into Rosenstrasse 2-4, a welfare office for the Jewish community in central Berlin.Because these Jews had German relatives, many of them highly connected, Adolf Eichmann hoped that segregating them from other prisoners would convince family members that their loved ones were being sent to labor camps rather than to more ominous destinations in occupied Poland.Normally, those arrested remained in custody for only two days before being loaded onto trains bound for the East. But before deportation of prisoners could occur in this case, wives and other relatives got wind of what was happening and appeared at the Rosenstrasse address, first in ones and twos, and then in ever-growing numbers.Perhaps as many as six thousand participated in the protest, although not all at the same time. Women demanded back their husbands, day after day, for a week. Unarmed, unorganized, and leaderless, they faced down the most brutal forces at the disposal of the Third Reich.Joseph Goebbels, the Gauleiter (governor or district leader) of Berlin, anxious to have that city racially cleansed, was also in charge of the nation's public morale. On both counts he was worried about the possible repercussions of the women's actions. Rather than inviting more open dissent by shooting the women down in the streets and fearful of jeopardizing the secrecy of the "Final Solution," Goebbels with Hitler's concurrence released the Rosenstrasse prisoners and even ordered the return of twenty-five of them who already had been sent to Auschwitz! To both Hitler and Goebbels, the decision was a mere postponement of the inevitable. But they were mistaken. Almost all of those released from Rosenstrasse survived the war. The women won an astonishing victory over the forces of destruction. (Adapted from an article posted at the University of South Florida website, "A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust.")$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was borderline in crude humor....I utterly can not believe that these people can get away with this. Johnny Knoxville didn't cross the line...he was stomping all over it! This was better than the first...ALL THA WAY! The thing I found about the 1st movie was that the shenanigans were somewhat as if it was on the t.v. show. NOT THIS TIME!!! they completely made a 180 degree flip...the whole cast is so outstanding in what they do and not were the stunts crazy...but the music basically fit every situation...GOOD WORK!!!! When you go see this be sure to use the bathroom before going to the theater, maintain a strong stomach and rememba to not let your beverage spray out your nose....$LABEL$ 1 +THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE Written by Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner Directed by Mary HarronHow do you define a person who has always been between two worlds, one of presumed sin and one of supposed redemption? Especially when that person eventually succumbed to a split personality disorder in her latter years as if to demonstrate her own point. If you're director Mary Harron, you don't shy away from showing the push/pull nature of THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. You allow the character to drift back and forth between the healing forgiveness of the power of God and the church and the seductive illusion of control and dominance afforded to Page during her years as a pinup model. By doing so, audiences are offered a complex character that is propelled forward by a desire to leave her difficult past with a naive enjoyment in others' lust for her and a struggle to reconcile her image in the eyes of God. Come the right time, it will no longer matter how many eyes are on her because there is only one pair that counts.Shot mostly in black and white (with some unnecessary bursts of color), THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE is at times a light, humorous comedy, making the film an enjoyable experience and also one that pokes fun at how seriously people believe in the corruption of pornography. But the delicate hand of the director is more palpably felt during Page's times of despair. Harron is a sensitive, considerate director who does not throw Page's numerous and devastating blows of abuse in the face of her viewer. Instead, she allows the surprisingly effective Gretchen Moll, who plays the title role, the chance to hammer the pain of her character into the viewer with fear in her eyes, exhaustion is her cries and shame on her skin. Whereas most directors, perhaps most male directors, would find it essential to show the heroine in painful positions in order to draw a link between the kinds of atrocities that were put upon her and where her life took her, Harron has too much compassion for her character, her actress and her audience. From fragility, Page learns to trust people again and as more and more photographers fall in love with her image, the more she falls in love with their admiration and the control she has over the gaze. By the time her poses cross over into the realm of soft-core S&M, she has found a way to combine her need to be respected with the objectification she has been accustomed to her whole life.Mary Harron's Bettie Page is a woman who yearns for control over her life and destiny, yet ultimately is always being told where to stand, how to smile and what to wear. When she finally realizes that none of her choices have been her own, she chooses to embrace God and preach his word to those who will listen. The true sadness behind this most important decision is that she is still letting someone else guide her blindly; she just has more faith that this direction will be better for her soul.$LABEL$ 1 +The trailer goes nowhere near and only scratches the surface of the film and rightly so too, not because it has that obligation to keep its real narrative under wraps, but because what actually transpires, will provoke entirely different lines of questioning, some of which are frustratingly not answered in the film, leaving you to your own devices to interpret the series of events. Which of course means plenty of material for an after-show discussion.Metaphorically, the box refers to how us humans tend to subconsciously hole ourselves into situations or things in everyday life, and how our enclosed thoughts tend to see things from a certain perspective, seldom out of the box. There's a speech made near the end by one of the characters that will leave you pondering over this fact, which governs the basis of the entire film, and even threading on existentialism, where our bodies are mere vessels for the soul, and from cradle to the grave we put ourselves in more boxes in a way of life fashion.What I disliked about the film, is how it tried to sound intelligent through the frequent name dropping of covert government agencies like the CIA and NSA, as though there's something overtly clandestine about these agencies that we should be aware of. They serve little purpose other than to put every action and every person under scrutiny, that nobody can be trusted, wrecking havoc in a sense to both the characters and the audience as we try to keep up with trust issues to aid in the interpretation of the narrative. Having it set in 1976, against a NASA backdrop of manned space missions, and in Langley, Virginia, also provided that heightened sense of wary that will sap your energies as you sit through it patiently.Based upon the short story Button, Button written by Richard Matheson and made into an episode of the Twilight Zone, the story follows the Lewis family, where husband Arthur (James Marsden) works at NASA and develops a prosthetic foot for his teacher wife Norma (Cameron Diaz), and you'd think it's all happy family with their son Walter (Sam Oz Stone), until one day a mysterious man called Arlington Steward (Frank Langella in a Two-Face inspired facial effect) whom we are preempted of in the opening, comes knocking and giving them a Deal or No Deal button in a box. Plunge the button and they'll get a million bucks (we're talking in dollar terms of the 70s here) although a stranger out there will die. If they don't, well the deal's got an expiry date.The story would dictate a deal be made, which of course sparks off a mysterious sequence of events that unfold, with even more shady characters (who nosebleed) appearing, some whom are inexplicably zombie like, apparently all under the influence, or employment, or Arlington Steward. Whether or not Steward is Death, a clandestine government employee, a messenger from God or a representative of Aliens after an anal probe, remains unanswered, so whichever way you look at it, it's as if he's delivering something expected, just begging that mankind will shake off its innate greed so that his work can be cut short and to return to wherever he came from.If you need a little distraction from the disparate scenes which make up the narrative, the production sets and art direction are gorgeous in recreating the 70s look, as you try to figure out the mystery of the consequences that stem from a result of not fully understanding the fine print. It's full circle this examination of human nature, of our greed for immediate gratification, manifesting its result in longer term pain, confusion and further choices that we'll make based on real sacrifices. Nifty special effects come into play as well, though it just leaves more room open as to the genre of the film.So is it horror, science fiction, or a mystery thriller? It's everything rolled into one actually, together with a sprinkling of the philosophical. Just don't go expecting a straight narrative film with clean and easy answers at the end – this is like an X-Files episode on steroids.$LABEL$ 1 +I admit to a secret admiration of the original Love Thy Neighbour TV shows - mostly because they exhibit the kind of exuberant brashness and bad taste synonymous with so many programmes of their era - but I'd be lying through my teeth (very uncomfortable position) if I pretended that this big-screen spin-off is anything other than an abomination. The opening scenes of wanton vandalism are not only pointless but baffling as well - it's never explained why the film opens with a tracking shot of people trashing each other's houses - and nothing improves from there. By the time the film unearths the oldest joke in the book - the horrible dragon of a mother-in-law turns up unexpectedly to stay - is followed by the crashingly obvious revelation that she's developing a soft spot for the black neighbour's father, moving her bigoted son to ever greater depths of self-righteous, ignorant rage, most discerning viewers will have switched off. Take that as a warning, unless you're keen on cheapskate spin-offs with terrible acting, static direction and the overall comic flair of a burning orphanage.$LABEL$ 0 +I supposed I was actually expecting a Bollywood remake of "The Fog", from the title, but this is actually more of a Bollywood remake of "I Know What You Did Last Summer", with some elements of "Scream", kind of, sort of, and not a very good one either. Apart from a couple very entertaining song & dance numbers, this is pretty terrible. It's obviously got a decent budget & yet it's wasted on reheated leftovers that weren't that tasty to begin with. A young woman is threatened by a creepy guy to not enter a beauty contest, because he wants his sister to win (she, thankfully, doesn't look as creepy as her brother), but she enters anyway and wins, and of course the creepy guy comes after her, and is killed, after which comes a rousing game of "hide the body". Of course, the body disappears and no one seems to know why, but someone knows, and they're waiting for the end to reveal a ridiculous plot twist. Interspersed with all this tired rehash are a few nifty dance numbers, especially the celebratory dance number at the party for Simran, the girl who won the beauty contest...it's highly colorful, it's well done & downright fun, and utterly wasted in this terrible film. I would much rather watch an old Ramsay brothers movie than this piece of crap, although someone has deemed that these don't need to be made available, for the most part, which is a crime in itself. But not as big of a crime as this film. I took one for the team watching this one, so take my advice, don't bother. 2 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know which was worse, the viewer's made dopes of, or the stars in this movie who look like dopes. Am I to believe that this woman raised this child for seven years, and never noticed the child was a bit dark ? Am I to believe her mother, her father, and her husband never once said, hmmm this child looks a bit dark ? Am I to believe when the courts ordered the mother to view the adopted parents records, that Lisa Hartman had this wow look on her face, when she told her mother, Christopher is half black ! What ! Was that for real,gee do you think so. So not only did the grandmother, and grandfather look dopey and stupid never once mentioning this, but i guess we were supposed to look surprised and say...hmmmmm omg he is half black ! Totally stupid movie, almost an embarrassment even to watch this !$LABEL$ 0 +I grew up (b. 1965) watching and loving the Thunderbirds. All my mates at school watched. We played "Thunderbirds" before school, during lunch and after school. We all wanted to be Virgil or Scott. No one wanted to be Alan. Counting down from 5 became an art form. I took my children to see the movie hoping they would get a glimpse of what I loved as a child. How bitterly disappointing. The only high point was the snappy theme tune. Not that it could compare with the original score of the Thunderbirds. Thankfully early Saturday mornings one television channel still plays reruns of the series Gerry Anderson and his wife created. Jonatha Frakes should hand in his directors chair, his version was completely hopeless. A waste of film. Utter rubbish. A CGI remake may be acceptable but replacing marionettes with Homo sapiens subsp. sapiens was a huge error of judgment.$LABEL$ 0 +The main character is a whiny, irresponsible study of how to throw yourself a pity party. She loses it at the drop of a hat, acts pathetic, is schizophrenic, and left me wondering why on Earth she doesn't understand why these 'friends' of hers haven't called her in three years. (Get a clue, sister - you're a juvenile mess!) I couldn't stand her or the friends. I never felt connected to any of the characters. To make the entire movie even more unbearable, someone went far out of their way to put the world's most hideous collection of crocheted and knitted hats in existence on film for all of eternity (this alone should warrant someone be put on wardrobe probation for a decade!)The acting wasn't awful, but not really believable either, and in the end the only thing that I DID care about was the two hours I'm never going to get back. Don't waste your time - go catch up on a dentist appointment instead!$LABEL$ 0 +Without going into any details of a good...if a somewhat provocative...TV movie, there seems to be a consensus among the users that there is "no one to blame here".I disagree. Yes, the young male lover of Beverly D'Angelo, played by Rob Estes may be young and horny (and good looking) because he's not getting as much as he wants from mom, that doesn't mean, he can climb in bed and have sex with daughter. OK, he can use the excuse he just wanted to watch TV with her, but I don't buy it. People have to take responsibility for their actions. Not only did he "cross the line" by having sex with a very vulnerable teen, when he was supposedly "the responsible adult",he said, "Your mom must never know about this." How responsible was he then? Yes, it's a good flick, but he got what was coming to him. Don't kid yourselves folks that what happened was "no one's fault".$LABEL$ 1 +Jim Varney's first real movie is quite a delight, but don't come in expecting to see Ernest P. Worrel any time soon. I felt the wide array of characters Varney depicted were great, but without being said, the rest of the movie should be put into a mulcher or something. A rather odd beginning for a movie icon.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the kind of film they used to make, amusing, heart-warming, troubling, authentic, with convincing performances by people without nose jobs, boob jobs, eye jobs, in other words real people. Shauna Macdonald plays the female love interest, and she is so real you want to give her a cuddle at the very least. Imagine that, a real girl in a movie, whatever next? Hollywood would hate her, because her freshness is a sharp rebuke to every false starlet in Tinseltown. This story has the same hilarious feel as Sandy Mackendrick's classic 'Whisky Galore', with the gnomic humour of remote Scottish islanders puncturing the pretensions of intruders from outside and enjoying a wee dram from time to time (the actual intervals between those times often being rather short). Director Stephen Whittaker displays a rare skill in pulling this off just right, and it is shocking to discover that he died before his film's release, aged only 56, which was clearly a substantial loss to the screen. Ulrich Thomsen does very well at playing a German rocket scientist who in the late 1930s goes to Scarp in the Isle of Harris to build a small rocket to carry postal packets between the islands. There he falls in love with the alluring Macdonald lass, and she reciprocates the affection. Some wonderfully colourful local characters decorate the tale, and the film is pure delight. There is of course the threat of imminent war with Hitler, and we learn that Hitler executed 1000 rocket scientists who refused to build weapons of war, which is a shocking statistic. Tragic love is never far from view, but lips must remain sealed in a review as to what happens in the end. This film is a magnificent example of just the kind of films which people in Britain should be making. But are they being properly released? In a nation whose tastes have been so corrupted by reality TV shows, where repulsive nonentities have become the national heroes, is there even a market anymore for a film like this? After all, there is no grunting sex, there are no close-ups of suppurating wounds or of anyone's genitals, there are no drugs taken, there are no mindless celebrities prancing around wanting to be looked at, and so one wonders whether there is anything to interest a public which has become so decadent and jaded that only the most extreme sensations can briefly alleviate the tedium of their pointless existence. Anyone who is looking for an antidote to the vacuity of contemporary Britain can take refuge in this refreshing and honest film.$LABEL$ 1 +The person's comment that said that Pat Robertson is evil and his program is evil has nothing to compare what evil and righteous is. His definition of evil is the opposite of evil. The Bible itself says that in the last days people will call good evil and evil good! He doesn't even know that he fulfilled Bible prophecy! If you don't know God and refuse to know him now, that's okay. He still loves you but when you do finally bow your knee to Him, and you will, it will be too late for you. God sends no one to hell, not even you! You will go there of your own decision and your spewing defines it! May God have mercy on you and give you a Damascus Road experience. The 700 Club and Pat Robertson's ministry is one of the reasons I'm still here. On the edge of alcoholism, adultery, and probably death, God reached through the TV screen and used Pat Robertson to do it, and thank God He did! You have a right to say what you said but you don't have a right to curse with your words. God have mercy on you.$LABEL$ 1 +Lois Weber's film "Hypocrites" was and still kind of is a very bold and daring film. I enjoyed it and was very impressed by the filming and story of it. The priest sees the hypocrisy of the people in his church and tries to show them the "naked" truth. The people are appalled when he reveals the naked statue portraying truth, after failing to lead them to it and the few that did, help along the way. The people do not want to face the truth that they are doing anything wrong, but it shows them putting things before God, going to beach parties acting inappropriate, their materialistic ways, and other things in which the people of our world do that tend to not be morally right. In the end, failing to gain any followers, he must enter into the gates of heaven alone. This film seems to me to be very bold, in the fact that a naked woman is shown throughout it, especially considering the time period in which this film was made. The imagery and symbolism portrayed in this movie I found incredible. The way they made the naked woman translucent and using a naked woman to symbolize the naked truth shows a lot of creativity and art. Showing the different sins of the people as they walked down the road and refused to follow along the path, each with different excuses, setbacks, and/or higher priorities, was a great way of representing the people of today. This film does a very good job of getting the moral message across to its audience. Lois Weber has a tremendous way of capturing her spectators' attention with her creativity, symbolism, visuals, and through auditory. Even the music of the piano throughout this film is very beautiful and fitting with the whole theme.$LABEL$ 0 +What a stupid idea. Ewoks should be enslaved and tortured. Utterly useless as a species... Fine you want ten lines of text regarding my unending hatred of Ewoks? Fine, here it is, fool. First of all, they are an inferior race that would be slaughtered en mass had Lucas not pussified the entire series with their foul presence. They're little bears with large asses, and they probably smell like donkey crotch. Yeah, I said it, donkey crotch. They have little to no technology whatsoever, resorting to using sticks as makeshift weapons. I'm surprised they even had access to fire. Their guttural language makes my skin crawl. Can't...suppress...anti-Ewok...RAGE! AHHH!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I give this piece of Hollywood trash 1 out 10! Seriously! I mean, I like comedy as much as the next guy. I also can take just plain stupid comedy and actually sit back and laugh with it. But this film had nothing to laugh at OR with.I like nearly all of the actors in this film. So I thought I'd overlook what many people told me about it (my fault for not listening). I was just mortified at how stupid this script was! Just ridiculous and not even in a funny way. The only funny scenes were in the previews that everyone saw in the theater when seeing other movies or on TV. I was very disappointed and I really would like to know why these otherwise relatively good actors would read this script and then still sign up to be in it! Bad decision on their parts...*********************MAJOR SPOILER************************Okay - here's my biggest question on this film.......If the characters are looking back on this story of Jewel (Liv Tyler) after the fact....then how can Paul Reiser have gone to a therapist remembering the past!?!?!?!? He dies in the last scene by being crushed by the dumpster!!!! Can anyone answer me that?!?!?!?!? Major goof on the part of the film makers.....Nobody noticed this?!?!?!?!?!?!$LABEL$ 0 +For some unknown reason, 7 years ago, I watched this movie with my mother and sister. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard with them before. This movie was sooooo bad. How sequels were produced is beyond me. Its been awhile since I last saw this "movie", but the one impression that it has stuck with me over the years has been, "They must have found the script in a dumpster in the backlot of a cheap movie studio, made into a "movie", and decided that it didn't suck enough, and made it worse. I'm pretty sure that they spent all the budget on camera work and the so called "special effects", and then had 13 cents left toward the script AND to pay the "actors".$LABEL$ 0 +So then... this is what passes as high art for the likes of SXSW Film Festival and Sundance, eh? Well, I suppose I can relate as long as story, script, dialog, acting (save for Ms. Aselton), cinematography and editing are completely irrelevant.I remember telling other film-making friends some years ago that the biggest problem with digital video was that we were now going to have to wade through a future sea of crap to get to anything worth watching now that anyone and his brother (or brothers in the case of the Duplass') could run out and make a movie. "The Puffy Chair." Need I say more?This feature length video is yet another chapter in the dismal, ever-expanding world of "dudeology" movies; young guns armed with a DVX100A, a few thousand dollars, a hastily written, shallow script, and some friends they call actors who decide one afternoon to make a movie and voilà!, instant feature video-makers. Don't get me wrong -- I'm all about independent cinema (i.e. Hollywierd sucks). But having said that, you can't argue with some of the realities of that system. If the Duplass Brothers would've had to have gone out and raised a real budget and bring on real producers, its clear a script like this would never have been green-lighted! And therein lies the problem. There is no longer such a thing as a vetting process for getting films (sorry... videos) ready for production. Just grab a DV/P2 camera and off you go! And what makes it worse is that high-profile festivals like the aforementioned actually embrace and encourage this kind of nonsense. And why? Precisely because its no-budget. I think its important, especially in todays climate of indie films, to quit allowing video-makers to high-jack the language by labeling themselves, "filmmakers." There is quite a difference in my book. When you have to go out and actually put your script on the line, asking friends and family or business people for real money to make a feature "film", knowing the potentially losses at stake, then you will know what it means to be a "filmmaker." But dropping a few hundred at Sam's Club for some DV tapes, some soda and chips doesn't cut it. Oh... and by the way... I have to mention how utterly annoying it was to listen to a female being addressed as "dude" throughout the entire movie. Even Mark Borchardt reserves that intensely-overused moniker for his male friends only where it is at least endearing where his buddy Mike is concerned!I think its high time the indie film community started to call out these shoddy, no-budget videos for what they are, and simultaneously scold prestigious festivals for giving such casual efforts, high praise. Either that or ask these festivals to at least have the courtesy to add a new category to their festival line ups... "Dude Films."$LABEL$ 0 +Some days ago, in Rome, a young Romanian man with criminal precedents assaulted and tortured to death a middle-age lady coming back home after an afternoon of shopping. A Romanian girl, who had seen everything, reported what happened.Therefore, it started a debate about the too much intense flow of immigrants from Romania, generalizing them as criminals, everyone, indiscriminately.I'm only 15, but I thought: what idea of affluence does Italy give to these poor people? How ever do they regard us as the Land of Plenty? Yesterday evening I finally saw NUOVOMONDO, and my question had an answer. When you have only a donkey and some goats, those propaganda postcards showing United States as a land with milk rivers and huge vegetables, makes such an impression.NUOVOMONDO is really a must-see film. It balances an ethereal symbolism (milk rivers, glances' play, hard and rocky mountains, the name and character Lucy/Luce) and a cruel realism (the mass of hopeful people on the ship, the procedures at Ellis Island). There's a mixed cast, going from the angelic Charlotte Gainsbourg to the realistic Vincenzo Amato, till a bitter and smashing Aurora Quattrocchi as the mother. But was it really so hard to enter in the New World?$LABEL$ 1 +1914 was an amazing year for Charlie Chaplin. It was his first year in films and he appeared in more than 30 films! While most of these films weren't particularly good, they did give him a chance to slowly evolve his screen persona. However, by this film, the familiar "Little Tramp" character was still in development. Sure Charlie looked the part, but his character still lacked the sweetness and decency that he later developed. Instead, Chaplin often hit, kicked or did other nasty things to people for seemingly no reason at all.As for this very slight film, it is interesting to watch for the cast. While they are not familiar today, Chaplin stars along with Mabel Normand, Chester Conklin and Mack Swain--all exceptionally popular stars with Keystone Films. The problem with this film is that while it has a few nice scenes, the plot seems very vague and improperly developed. Chester and Mabel got to the race track (a very common theme in Keystone productions--it must have been located near a race track). Charlie and Mack show up and sneak in. Mack is chased by the police for doing this while Charlie slaps Chester around and steals his girl. In the end, for no apparent reason, the cops take Chester and Mack away--leaving Charlie with Mabel (who, oddly, didn't seem put off by Charlie's boorish behaviors).Unless you are a huge silent comedy buff or film historian, this is a very forgettable film that is only important in the evolution of Chaplin. What he and the other actors actually do on stage, while not unusual for a Keystone film, isn't particularly funny when seen today.$LABEL$ 0 +Grave robber is sitting in his cell awaiting execution is visited by a monk wishing to take down his last words for posterity and as a warning to others about the horrible life he lead. At first reluctant, but with his tongue loosened up by drink the young grave robber is soon telling his story which is full of the dead, the undead and things that go bump in the night. New York lensed horror film (filmed in part on Staten Island which no doubt brought the spirit of Andy Milligan lurking about) is one of the better horror comedies to come around in a while. This is an often very funny film that just spins its story out in every which way. The cast is first rate. Dominic Monaghan plays Arthur Blake the grave robber telling his story. Ron Perlman is Father Duffy the monk taking the statement and perhaps getting too involved in the tale. Both men are clearly having a grand old time and it shows. The rest of the cast is equally as good. The music by Jeff Grace is excellent. The effects are perfect for this sort of ghoulish silliness. The film is a great deal of fun. If there is any trouble with the film its that perhaps it throws its net a little wide so as the result has way too much going on. I don't want to give too much away but I don't think we needed the alien body in the mix. Still this is a great deal of fun and its one I'm pretty sure I will revisit on the IFC in Theaters where I saw it the first time, and later on I'm sure I'll pick up the DVD.Worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +Rex Reed once said of a movie ("Julia and Julia" to be specific) that it looked like it was shot through pomegranate juice. I was reminded of that as I snored through Purple Butterfly. This one appeared to be shot through gauze.The story was boring and it was not helped that for large portions of scenes actors' faces were literally out of focus or would only come into focus after extended periods of time. Also, everyone looked the same so it was hard to distinguish among the characters. I call this the "Dead Poets Society" syndrome.There was nobody to care about, nobody to become interested in dramatically, and the movie shed no historical light on a very interesting period of time and set of circumstances.A total disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has to rank with "Welcome to the Jungle" and "The Hitcher" and "Dream Catcher" for sheer god-awfulness. You've got the most irritating heroine in gore history who spends most of her time sobbing and wailing and shrieking--all the time in the most horrendous rest stop toilet ever put on film. Why she spends so much time in this ghastly bathroom from hell is never explained. Even when the usual killer truck driver is trying to murder her, she refuses to leave the crapper. When a motorcycle cop comes to her rescue, the killer truck driver runs over the cop's legs while the heroine just looks on. Instead of grabbing his gun for protection, she drags the poor slob into the crapper and locks the door. Then the cop orders her to blow his brains out because of the pain. She does so--while wailing and sobbing and keening--and blows the back of his head off. Then--the cop, still alive, beg her to shoot him again because he's still in pain. He says this while the entire back of his head is all over the floor. The sobbing, wailing heroine shoots him again. The movie goes on and on like this, none of it making any sense. The heroine is so dislikable you really want the killer to off her early on. I saw this flick on the Sci-Fi channel so it didn't cost me anything to watch, but still I did watch, out of sheer fascination as to how a movie could end up so terribly bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Many Americans are lazy, and this has manifested itself even in our DVD-watching. Many of us don't like to take the time to read an hour-and-a-half (or more) of subtitles, so we choose not to see many foreign films. One film that is TOTALLY worth your time, no matter how mundane a task you might think the subtitle-reading is, however, is "The Green Butchers." It's by far the best foreign film I've ever seen, and tops many American films I've seen lately as well. It's a complex situation told in a remarkably simple and funny dialogue. The character depth derived in this film is AMAZING. The way Svend and Eigel (sorry if those are spelled wrong) feed off each other's contrasting personas is downright spectacular! The actors were well-cast, and I'm very much hoping that a sequel is in consideration...it needs very little of Bjorne and what's-her-face...just give me Svend and Eigel on some sort of journey with supporting characters and more amazing dialogue! To the author of this fine screenplay, I say: Write more! The story itself is rather twisted, but you'll find yourself rooting for the bad guy anyhow...with no remorse. PLEASE check this movie out!$LABEL$ 1 +I really can't understand how could someone give this disgusting film more than 1 star... How can you like such a retarded film, where all the animal abuse scenes are real? I don't even want to imagine the excruciating pain those innocent and defenseless living beings felt in those horrific moments... Jesus... What kind of ''human'' would torture them like that for no reason, or just for money? I tell you, that director is either mentally retarded, or he's just a monster with a ''heart'' of stone. Or both. He truly deserves to get his hands cut off and burn alive.It contains various horribly barbaric scenes that may cause shock, especially to sensitive persons and children: a real frog is skinned alive, fish are sadistically mutilated and thrown back into the water, a dog is beaten, birds are thrown into the water...This movie is more than awful; it has to be the worst and most retarded film ever made, along with another one, called ''Cannibal Holocaust'' or something like that. I'll never watch or buy any film directed by this heartless monster. No one should waste their time watching it, especially when there are a lot of TRULY great movies out there, in which all the animal abuse scenes are staged.Fortunately, only a few people liked this - which is natural, since it's the worst film ever -, so it wasn't successful. I hope this will make the retarded director realize that such unjustified barbaric acts of extreme cruelty and violence to REAL animals will NEVER be praised, and that he will stage all the animal abuse scenes in his following films. I truly believe that everyone receives but what they give! There will be a day when all the retarded and cruel ''humans'' will feel the same pain they once inflicted to others.This, however, is probably my only ''negative'' review. I usually don't comment on a movie if I dislike it, but this time I just couldn't shut up. I had to speak the truth, because animal abuse must stop!$LABEL$ 0 +I don't dislike Cary Grant but I've found his performances annoying in enough films to notice; this, Arsenic & Old Lace and Bringing up Baby. I don't dislike him in North by Northwest but I really find that movie unbearably silly. On top of that I find the endless raving about Grant's class tiresome. I don't have a clue what his class does for the viewers who herald it. It doesn't do a thing for me.In the behind-the-scenes feature included with this DVD Patrcia Hitchcock says that Grant was her fathers favorite leading man; I think he was wrong. Jimmy Stewart was a better leading man in a string of better Hitchcock movies.With it's ruined ending this is really half a movie and doesn't bear discussion, and can't support the high ratings it's getting. Even if the movie had it's ending intact there's not much to it. Fontaine is a completely unsympathetic sucker. She has to remain numb, inactive, and unwilling to contact anyone but Johnny for the whole movie, in either ending, for his ploys to work. That's not much to work with. Cary Grant begins every line with "Monkeyface..." until I wanted to strangle him. He says it about sixty times. It's positively grating. Hitch's technique here is shockingly shallow. An endless succession of rooms/sets have a phony skylight projected on the rear wall as a spiderweb effect. And a light-bulb in a glass of milk may make fans excited, but it can't save a movie this poorly made.Peter Bogdanovich should retire if he does one more Hitchcock/Cary Grant imitation on a DVD. I think that's his whole career now. As soon as I saw him, I thought, oh crap, here comes an imitation that only he's impressed with. Instead there were two! oh joy!$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this film in a very strange way -- I had put it on my Netflix list and couldn't remember why (other than that I knew Philip Seymour Hoffman was in it). Since the film has no opening credits, I couldn't even remember who had directed it.As my wife and I watched it, I turned to her about 45 minutes in and said, "You know, I keep wanting to decide that I hate this film, but something about it just won't let me stop watching it." Then there's a stretch of about half a dozen scenes in the middle of the movie that are truly electrifying in the actors' performances.It was only as the end credits rolled that I realized it was a Sidney Lumet film. And I thought -- wow. I'm surprised that Lumet took on what was really a dirty, petty little story about really mean, broken people. But it's a testament to his talent that I was so taken in when I didn't even realize it was him.Philip Seymour Hoffman is really, really good in this movie. Like scary good. Put this up against Capote and I would argue the Oscar should have been for this film instead.I also highly recommend the narrative special feature with Lumet, Hawke and Hoffman talking about making the movie -- it's entertaining and educational, with Hawke playing the student eager to learn at the master's feet. Lumet definitely teaches you the first rule of working with actors -- kiss their asses constantly!!There are a lot of violent, melodramatic movies out there that are empty ciphers when all is said and done. And there is an element of that in this film -- that the actors fill the air with sulphurous blasts of emotion, and when the smoke clears there's nothing left. Nothing resonates on a deeper level.But Lumet has given us Network and Twelve Angry Men -- films that, each in their own ways, have been elevated into the highest echelons of cinema.This movie isn't at that level. But there's something about it that lingers. And maybe that's enough.My final comment is about the comments -- if you look at the number of comments about this little movie here on IMDb -- and the depth and intelligence of the comments, pro and con -- it's a pretty good indication that something special is going on with this film.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure what I can add that hasn't already been said in some of these other fine, and quite hilarious, comments, but Ill try.So you know the plot: there is a bed possessed by a demon that "absorbs" and selectively disintegrates the bodies of whoever (or whatever) lays on it with its orange soda-filled body. We have the man, in some scenes looking uncannily like Robert Smith of The Cure, hanging out inside the wall commenting on the goings-on, and we have our various victims that just cant resist the comfort of this mystical bed.This is no ordinary bed. No sirree Bob! Not only does it eat people, but it cleans up after itself, draws the covers back, and it even makes itself. Who wouldn't want a bed like that? It can even use its sheets as a rudimentary "lasso" to wrangle escaped victims back in (especially if they're taking up half the length of the film to try and escape).Our "main" story (if you can call it that), is about these three girls who go out to this remote area to house-sit(??). I don't recall exactly, but it doesn't really matter though as there are plenty of things that defy convention that you just have to give in and accept. The dialogue in the film is like no other; the characters talk to each other seemingly by telepathy as their mouths never seem to move and there is a constant echo. One of our girls believes she isn't liked by the rest of "the gang" and makes sure to tell us all her feelings on this matter through an echoey voice-over, but we don't care; character development was thrown out the window a LONG time before in this film so why start now? There are scenes when the bed laughs, snores, crunches, and makes various other noises that we assume judging by our cast's non-reaction to said noises, cant be heard. This and the telepathy makes the issue of diegesis very difficult to ascertain...but thats OK....this is Death Bed: The Bed That Eats and it defies all logic so its OK. It makes for a lush dreamy quality to this most bizarre film If you buy (hehe buy...did I say "buy"?) this DVD, make sure to check out the introduction by the director. He explains that the filming of this "flick" started in 1972, didn't wrap up until 1977, he shopped it for a few years with no luck, and then fast forward 26 years to 2003 it gets released on DVD. Supposedly someone somewhere had a print of this in some other country and made bootleg after bootleg of it and it was quite by chance, on a message board no less, that our director found evidence that people knew, and gasp! cared, about his little-known film. Its from there that he decided to give it a shot and release it. I'm glad he did. Once you've even so much as heard the title to this film, you MUST see it. I for one am going to buy this and I'm going to preach its gospel around the world...starting with this comment$LABEL$ 1 +This film could of been a hell of a lot better if they didn't use Brian Conley as a gangster and if they didn't start the film with Christopher Biggins.When I watched this film I had absolutely no idea what was going on. There were too many double crosses and plot twists to make the film believable. The film deserves a 0, but seeing as I there isn't a 0 I gave it a 1.I wouldn't recommend this film to my worst enemy, I would rather poke out my eyeballs with some rusty scissors than watch this film again. I'm telling you, that was an hour and a half of my life I won't get back.If you want to watch a gangster film, don't get this. Watch "Going Off Big Time" or "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" instead.$LABEL$ 0 +The storyline is absurd and lame,also sucking are performances and the dialogue, is hard to keep your Eyes open. I advise you to have a caffeine-propelled friend handy to wake you in time for a couple Gore-effects.Why they bring Alcatraz in?In this case,becomes increasingly difficult to swallow. All the while ,i wondered who this film aimed for?Chock full of lame subplots (such as the Cannibalism US Army-captain)This is low-grade in every aspect.BTW this Movie is banned in Germany!!$LABEL$ 0 +From today's point of view it is quite ridiculous to rate this film 18 (or X in the US). The film has a sexual, yet sublime erotic story to tell, but the pictures are rather innocent. Throughout the movie you feel and see the spirit of the late 60s and early 70s in the fashion, the dialogues and the typical experimental cinematography and lighting. And this is exactly the part that makes it worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot gives us one of the best performances ever by an actor. He is brilliant as Christy Brown, a man who has cerebral palsy, who then learned to write and paint with his left foot. A well deserved Oscar for him and Brenda Fricker who plays his loving mother. Hugh O'Conner is terrific as the younger Christy Brown and Ray McAnally is great as the father. Worth watching for the outstanding performances.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, umm this was a very, how to say it, different type of movie. It calls itself a comedy...but it wasnt really laught out loud funny at all. It was insane. If you are willing to accept that 3 people survive a calamity of a global scale, why not 4? or 5?.....and why did it suddenly end without anything happening??? They could have made this much better by simply having another element in the plot such as a dumpy female for the ugly dude or something.......zinc, riduculous....ahhi dunno..watch it...it wasnt that bad.....sorta funny at times....i guess...schneider$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has a few things going for it right off the bat. Having Dani Filth as a lead actor is automatically going to make some people like this movie. Admittedly, I love Cradle of Filth and listened to the soundtrack to this movie long before I watched it. Dani Filth is a very recognizable character and makes for a great lead. The independent filming style of the movie is great for the creepy factor. There are some GORGEOUS actresses in this movie. For being low budget, the special effects weren't bad either. The ways that people died were very creative and nightmarish.Now on to the cons. There is VERY little talking throughout this whole movie, thus making for very little as far as character development. It's hard to fear for the lives of limp, static characters. When there was a little talking, the F bomb was abundant, popping up in random places. Yes, I understand people swear but it seems like a preteen boy scripted this and thought himself cool for including all the language. The storyline, what I could make out of it, was pretty good although many parts are left dangling and the lack of conversation leaves one often wondering what's happening.In the end, Cradle of Fear is like a porno for people who love sex and violence, but like a porno trying to pull of a storyline, it just doesn't work too well. Rent it though, if you're a morbid person looking to sate your blood and flesh appetite.$LABEL$ 0 +"House Of Games" is definitely not without its flaws- plot holes, stiff acting, final scenes- but they do little to detract from the fun of watching a thriller that so methodically messes with your head. "House Of Games" does almost everything a good thriller is supposed to do. Of course, this is not a huge feat given the fact that we're dealing with the the world of confidence men and the cons they perpetrate. So it stands to reason that we never really know what's going on, even though we think that we do. But that's what makes the film worthwhile for those who are game; a film for which repeated viewings are indulgences instead if necessities.It has a definite Hitchcock slant to it. The film draws on some similar themes found his 1964 effort "Marnie", considered a misfire when released but now regarded as one of the Master's more thought-provoking works. One could easily consider the idea of Lindsay Crouse's character being the same as Tippi Hedrin's...ten year later perhaps. Both are strong-willed loners, both with compulsive behaviors which compel them to walk too close to the shark pool. As Crouse's repressed, up-tight character says, "What's life without adventure?" Put your Reality Check on a low setting and enjoy swimming with the sharks!$LABEL$ 1 +This film was seen by my wife and I when it came out in 1978. It was a revelation to us. We actually thought that we were the only gay and lesbian couple who had ever married and had children. Obviously we were wrong. Love may come from where you don't expect it and maybe don't want it. But we both chose that love anyway.And no, it never changed our sexual orientation. That kind of stuff is for the Christian wackos.When we were young we both had affairs, but never with the opposite sex. As we aged we stopped having extramarital affairs.This story is not far fetched. However, the suggestion that they became heterosexuals seems pretty unrealistic to me. My wife and I have been sleeping together for the last 40 years. We are still gay. End of story.$LABEL$ 1 +I just saw this movie and all I can say is, where are the drive in's these days. This seems like it would have been a great 2nd feature at a drive in in 1977 (maybe playing with one of those Joan Collins movies), but it's only worth watching now if you're feeling nostalgic for the 70's. Silly plot that is full of holes, but it does remind one of the era it was made in. Interesting to see Melanie Griffith so young and Anne Lockhart is quite attractive, though not much of an actress. In fact, there is not much acting going on in this movie at all. It's sort of a Dukes of Hazzard adventure without a twang or a 1969 Dodge charger jumping over stuff in the Woods. But there is a Mecrury Comet jumping over a garbage dump in this one!$LABEL$ 0 +An insult to both poker and cinema, this movie manages to make the most dynamic, brilliant, and fascinating figure in poker history into an utter bore. Still a fun film to make jokes about, from the lame gangster movie clichés of the first half to the incomprehensible nonsense of that second hour. Hilariously, Stu Ungar wins all three of his World Series titles without playing a single hand on screen. His infamous dealer abuse? 1 scene. His coke habit? 1 scene. His incredible memory? 0 scenes. They couldn't even get any real poker players. What did they cover? A lot of high angle shots from inside a house in the suburbs. Oh, and a montage of Stu waking up every day and shopping for meat which doesn't come anywhere close to making sense. Why do I care so much about this little Sopranos summer camp trying to cash in on the poker craze? Because I think there's still a great film to be made about Stu Ungar waiting for someone willing to do it right.$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't mind all the walking. People really did walk places back then. It loaned an air of authenticity to this period piece and some perspective on the technology of the Martians. I too was disappointed by the effects, in particular the "Thunderchild" scene, which I regard as one of the most exciting in the book. But I can't praise this film enough, for its faithfulness to Wells's story! It's about time. The actors are likable and the performances are charming. Also this film is very much worth seeing just to hear Jamie Hall's truly great musical score. It was interesting to see the same actor play both the writer and his brother in London.$LABEL$ 1 +Farrah Fawcett gives the best performance by an actress on film in this gritty real life attempted rape thriller where she turns the tables & gives James Russo a taste of his own medicine. A must see for any movie fan.$LABEL$ 1 +when fellini committed 8 1/2 to film many commented that it was the most personal vision ever to find its perfect expression. when dante cast betrice to the flames of his undying passion many were aghast at the honest brutality of his unrequited feelings for a younger woman. when onur tukel, and a merry band of wickedly talented and misfited filmmakers--from the mecca of movie-making insanity--band together, during the course of two chilly weeks in december 2000, many commented that nothing more sophmoric had ever been committed...much less on film.well, to the doubters out there, watch this original piece and find out why the ID is both a charming and powerful thing. and if that doesn't getchya, roll over and rub one out...it's probably time you did so.kudos onur on a great piece of art$LABEL$ 1 +I've read just about every major book about the Manhattan Project. Most people know what it was, but few people understand the depth and breadth of the project. Its scope was immeasurably massive -- rivaled in US history perhaps only by the space program of the 1960's.There were -- literally -- MILLIONS of people involved from all walks of life at numerous sites (most clandestine) around the country, each involved in a specific and different aspect of the project that they couldn't talk about to the person sitting in the cubicle next to them, much less their family. The logistics are overwhelming, particularly given the considerations of wartime communication, security and transportation in the 1940's.As an example -- my colleague's father was a carpenter who worked for one of the companies that had a contract with the federal government for the Manhattan Project. His job was to supervise a crew of about 30 other carpenters, who were responsible for manufacturing forms for the pouring of concrete for the massive research installations at Hanford, Washington. That's "all" he did, six days a week for nearly two years. These carpenters needed food, housing, sanitary facilities, hospitals and materials just as much as did Oppenheimer and his crowd at the top of the pyramid. Just think about it! That being said, it's simply impossible to do the subject justice in a 2-hour movie. In defense of Joffe, however, I would say that they had an impossible task, particularly since he chose to have a diverse screenplay with multiple plots, multiple angles, and multiple characters. What, exactly, was he thinking, and how could he be so arrogant to think that this would work? That's Hollywood, I guess.FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY has so many flaws that it would take a book to list them all. Horrible casting. Dreadful (and politically-motivated) writing. Bad science. The portrayals of Groves and Oppie are particularly inaccurate and downright galling. Notwithstanding the screenplay's all-too-obvious agenda, it is STILL incredibly bland and sloppy.These flaws have been listed elsewhere on IMDb, but I was particularly struck by the fact that the scientists had so much time on their hands -- softball, horseback riding, parties, semi-formal dinners, ballet, etc., not to mention romance, and of course circulating political petitions. According to FM&LB, if these great brains had gotten off their duffs and actually spent some time in the lab instead of seducing Laura Dern, we might have won the war before D-Day.One final gripe -- FM&LB mentions that "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" were the code names of the two atomic bombs, but it doesn't mention that these names were a semi-good-natured jab at Groves ("Fat Man", for heavy stature) and Oppenheimer ("Little Boy," for his slight stature). Another reason Paul Newman should not have been in this movie...$LABEL$ 0 +This is the best movie I have ever seen. It has it all tragedy and happiness love and hate. And a deep friendship that not even war can destroy.The most splendid casting I have ever seen. Patrick Swayze and James Read were top grade in this movie.If you see part 1 you will want to see it all. Some of my friends watched part of the movie at my home then went out and bought the movie.I am a civil war buff but this movie got my grandchildren interested in history. Any movie that can get children to learn history is great. I have Books I, II & III and when the girls come up from Florida each year they want to see North & South.$LABEL$ 1 +Greetings again from the darkness. Based on the mega-best seller from author Khaled Hosseini, the film provides us a peak at the ugliness of post-Russia invaded Afghanistan and the terror of the Taliban. Director Marc Foster adds a gem to his resume, which already includes "Monster's Ball", "Finding Neverland" and "Stranger Than Fiction".The story of young friends Amir and Hassan and the unknown bond they share into the next generation. This is a story of honor and courage and loyalty and is an unusual coming-of-age tale. Some great scenes of the boys when they are kids and then a couple of truly amazing scenes as Amir returns as an adult to find Hassan's imprisoned son.This is tight, compelling story telling with a message. The acting is solid throughout, with no one actor stealing the screen. Although not a pleasant story to watch unfold, it is certainly meaningful and heart felt. Plus a quick shot of Midnight Oil playing in the pool hall is a welcome gift.$LABEL$ 1 +I love this show!Every time i watch an episode i repeat that line and remind myself how good of a show this is. I am a huge sci-fi fan and this show has grounds to be the most important science (fiction?) show in the history of film/TV. There are so many theories in this show about the universe i could start a religion. Its amazing, season after season the show gets better and better.I've been a fan of MacGyver since i was 5 (19 now) and i find it so ironic that my 2 favorite TV shows of all time star Richard Dean Anderson. Its also interesting how each character is practically the opposite of the other.Back when i first saw Stargate the movie, i instantly liked it and considered it one of my favorite sci-fi flicks, then hearing a TV show would spin from it i got really excited, but didn't get showtime till the fifth season was almost over.Though, I'm disappointed to hear that Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin wanted to do a trilogy of movies but the studio optioned the series instead. Id say though that it turned out just fine. Maybe even better.This show is amazing, and i hope it never dies. Atlantis here we come!$LABEL$ 1 +Rosenstrasse is more an intimate film than one of epic proportions, which could have kept away many film goers looking for a Pianist similar plot. Fortunately, Von Trotta, a good screenwriter, opts for a feminist peep to an era too much illustrated on its colorful exterior, but too little analyzed in terms of intimacy and from the point of view of ordinary Aryan German rather from a Jewish standpoint. Rosentrasse finds its strength in these unsung burdens of people trapped within historical circumstances of which they emerge as victims. The pace of the film is introspective, poignantly slow, meditative. Besides, the characters are so vivid while transitions between generations and the passing of time has been deftly crafted. Rosenstrasse is not a masterpiece, and some narrative flaws are well discerned. Another fault lies on a trivial cinematography unable to capture the intensity of the internal drama lived by the characters. Nevertheless, this film is worth seeing. Finally, Rosenstrasse is part of the last trend in German films dealing with the ghosts of a nightmarish past,trend that includes such excellent films as Nowhere in Africa, and recently, the controversial Downfall. I would recommend this film to those who know how to read beyond the images.$LABEL$ 1 +I for one have shamelessly enjoyed every episode of Pushing Daisies this season, and hope that the writers' strike won't brutally end the beginnings of a very good show. Ned is a pie maker who owns a restaurant in the middle of town and has a secret talent. Emmerson is a private investigator with his own unique quirks like his love of knitting. Charlotte (Chuck) is the once-dead-but-not-anymore childhood friend and sunny spot of Ned's life. Olive is the jealous but good-hearted waitress. Oh, and add the dog. Jim Dale brings all the characters together with his wonderful narration of the show. Chuck, Ned, and Emmerson along with Olive and occasionally the dog solve multiple murder mysteries with the assistance of Ned's special gift of bringing dead people back to life. The show is funny, clean, and romantic in a very cute and good-hearted way, and I'd recommend it to anyone.$LABEL$ 1 +Our Family and friends enjoyed this movie very much. The theme was well handled by the Director with great performances from Shabana Azmi, Konkana Sen and well supported by good performances from the other cast. The climax was built well but for the ending which was a far from being called "Good". We are still trying to understand what was the Director trying to convey? Were they short of ideas or was the ending beyond the understanding of common movie lovers? A better ending would have created a lasting impression on the audience and increased the viewer-ship. This however should not take away credit that is due to Konkana and Shabana Azmi for relating so well with the characters!$LABEL$ 1 +I found Super Troopers only mildly amusing at best (seemed like a glorified Police Academy ripoff to me), and I rented this movie in hopes of it being better. It wasn't.The writing is absolutely horrible and the pacing of this film is even worse. It doesn't feel like a whole lot happens in this film, or that it really gives us a reason to give a damn about any of the characters.The actor who plays Felix is totally uninspired, though possibly due in part to the dialogue he had to work with. In short, this movie just went wrong in so many places.I get the impression that since films like Clerks, independent filmmakers seem to think that they can make movies like this with long, rambling scenes of dialogue where characters are trying to be funny. But, where dialogue in Clerks pushes the story forward, in this movie, it hopelessly weighs it down. Films are supposed to have a decent balance of action and dialogue, and as tempting as it is for filmmakers to try to have tons of snappy, funny dialogue, it just doesn't always work. Especially if they're not that good at writing dialogue. I hate to say it, but even "Extreme Heist" was more interesting than this movie- and that movie was so low-budget it was shot on video.$LABEL$ 0 +SPOILER: The young lover, Jed, is kicked out by the spinster, Kate (Andie McDowell), because she wrongly believes that Jed is having an affair with one of her two catty girlfriends. Kate thought she caught them en flagrante delicto. Kate throws Jed's shoes out the door. Jed reluctantly leaves, and then sits in the middle of the road to put his shoes on. Then he gets run over ("Crushed", one of the meaning of the title) by a truck. And dies."And then he gets run over by a truck." Can you imagine a screenwriter actually submitting a script with this plot element? Up to then, its a comedy that intends to be frothy, but lacks any real fizz. Everybody but Jed is just annoying. And then they kill Jed, and everybody's sad, until the end where the gals learn to love one another and be supportive, instead of destructive. I give it 2 ugh's.$LABEL$ 0 +My friends and I rented this movie simply to satisfy a friend who was very bent on renting it despite having no idea what it was about. We all thought it would be like "a Canadian American Pie" but when we watched it we were completely surprised, we were all silent throughout the movie and loved it! It was nothing like American Pie and had a plot that teenage girls are sure to adore (seeing as the guy gets the crap beaten out of him at the end), after that night it became my favorite movie for not only it's plot but the actors and the great writing. There wasn't a moment where i thought that it was unbelievable. Everything is very realistic and relate-able for anybody living in a small town with little prospects. I absolutely adore this movie and would recommend you to rent it next time you have a chance, it's worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +Most of Chaplin's most famous films are his full-length features. And, I assume most people have at most seen only a few clips of him from his pre-feature days when he starred in dozens and dozens of comedy shorts. This is really a shame, as some wonderful shorts are pretty much waiting to be discovered by the world in the 21st century.If someone watches this film they have an excellent chance to see some of Chaplin's better shorts because Chaplin himself chose these three shorts and strung them together with a bit of narration to make this 1959 feature film. This is great for several reasons. First, in Chaplin's earliest films from 1914-1915, his character of the Little Tramp is still in its earliest incarnations or is absent altogether. Plus, even when he is there, he was often mean-spirited and self-centered--something very alien from the Little Tramp we have grown to love. Second, because the shorts that were chosen were in great condition, if you watch this film you won't need to worry about watching scratchy film with gaps and lousy musical accompaniment that doesn't fit the action (a common problem).So, for a great look at Chaplin's shorts at their finest, give this film a chance. It's sure to provide you some excellent laughs.$LABEL$ 1 +Barney teaches kids nothing!!! Here are some 3 reasons why you shouldn't let you kids watch this show: 1. Barney teaches kids that we should think EXACTLY like each other to get along.2. Barney teaches kids that you shouldn't be sad, and if you feel sad, EAT LOTS OF ICE CREAM!!! 3. If you make people pity you they will give you what you want when you want it.Barney is just a Fat doll who told kids strangers are your friends. He should NOT be trusted. And he is high every day!!!, he constantly GIGGLES!!!! DO NOT WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!! Your kids will thank you when there older$LABEL$ 0 +A wildly uneven film where the major problem is the uneasy mix of comedy and thriller. To me, the unusual premise is clearly a comedic one, and they should have gone for an all-out comedy. For example, Rock has some funny lines but occasionally he is too unlikable for a comedy. The scene where Betty's husband gets scalped is too nasty for what should have been a less violent comedy. An even better example is the Hollywood leftist writer preaching to us tritely through Freeman's character, early on, about the plight of the Indians; I mean - yawn! They should have given Freeman something funny to say in that segment, but that is of course much more difficult than to simply write him a boring PC speech.There is yet more New Age PC-ness in the form of the ending: the girl not only doesn't get the boy - she gets no boy at all; in fact, the message is that the girl needs no boy at all! Bit of a feminist statement there. The first half-hour is weak, but the movie gets better - ironically - once Zellweger gets to Kinnear. I say "ironically" because I'm not much of a fan of Kinnear's, though he's solid here. Zellweger is very cute, as usual; she has the sort of all-American cute looks which should appeal to almost every guy, and I have to wonder why more of such women aren't "represented" nowadays, instead of the dogs who inexplicably became stars, such as Diaz, Roberts, Aniston, Lopez, or Barrymore.Since the movie tries to be very serious at times, I have no choice but to criticize Freeman's character which is the gangster's equivalent of the movie world's hooker-with-the-heart-of-gold. There is also absolutely nothing in the relationship between Freeman and Rock to suggest even remotely that they were father and son.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie features another exceptional collaboration between director William Wyler and cinematographer Gregg Toland, the first after Toland worked on Citizen Kane. But the talent of both these men was focused on achieving a perfectly crafted movie, understood in the good old American sense as a great story. The technical aspects of the movie are covered so as the viewer gets absorbed into the action that takes place on the screen without submitting to the power of the image. Technique is seen as a vehicle of representation unlike in Citizen Kane where Welles' baroque style almost drew the attention from the story to the way the story was told. One of my favorite moves with deep focus in this film is the drama conveyed by the returning home welcoming of Homer and Al. If Homer's girl, Wilma comes towards him perfectly in focus, Al goes over to his wife also perfectly in focus. This is a brilliant move because it shows only through the use of the image the nature of these relationships as we will see them throughout the movie: Wilma loves Homer and she accepts him as he is, Al's wife loves him also but she feels unprepared to fully welcome him home. Also later in the film we find out that their marriage has not always been a bed of roses.Wyler is a director whose force lies in being true to his work without feeling the need to boast. He wanted to show his audience how hard it was for the American soldiers returning from the war to fit into a society that either didn't understand them or treated them with contempt. With a perfect cast and great dialogue Goldwin and Wyler produced a movie that will forever be the template for any other returning home movie. The three hours which coincide with the "rough cut" because the test audience back then never felt for a moment that the action was slow and indeed every scene from the film seems perfectly justified. The whole thing is constructed beautifully, every character gets a fair amount of exposure, nothing is left to chance and it is quite pitiful that Hollywood nowadays never manages to bring so much character conflict to the screen. TBYOOL explores the depth of the American way of life, of the American family and society to an extent that makes other movies look like "the children's hour".$LABEL$ 1 +This is a better adaptation of the book than the one with Paltrow (although I liked that one, too). It isn't so much that Beckinsale is better -- they are both very good -- but that the screenplay is better. Davies is a master at adapting Austen for filming, and the production values here are very good. It's not quite as glossy as the Hollywood treatment, but it's close, and I thought that the locations and the costumes actually worked better.$LABEL$ 1 +This show is totally worth watching. It has the best cast of talent I have seen in a very long time. The premise of the show is unique and fresh ( I guess the executives at ABC are not used too that, as it was not another reality show). However this show was believable with likable characters and marvelous story lines. I am probably not in the age group they expect to like the show, as I am in my forty's, but a lot of my friends also loved it (Late 30's - mid 40's) and are dying for quality shows with talented cast members. I do not think this show was given enough time to gain an audience. I believe that given more time this show would have done very well. Once again ABC is not giving a show with real potential a real chance. With so many shows given chance after chance and not nearly worth it! They need to give quality shows a real chance and the time to really click and gain an audience. I really loved the characters and looked forward to watching each episode. I have been watching the episodes on ABC videos and the show keeps getting better and better. Although I think they owe us one more episode (Number 13?). We want to watch what we can! Bombard ABC with emails and letters and see if its possible to save this show from extinction. It certainly worked for Jerico. Some things are just worth saving and this show is definitely one of them. SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION TO ABC AT: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/gh1215/petition.html$LABEL$ 1 +"Three Daring Daughters" is a sickly sweet, rose-colored look at divorce, remarriage, and single-parent living. Obviously, social issues and economic difficulty have no place in the picture perfect life of a single parent mother who feels exhausted, takes a cruise, and then dates and marries a band conductor. Even when the "its just a movie" phrase excuses the script from addressing real-life problems, 'Daughters' suffers from too many incoherent high-note songs, children whose personalities are not based on real children and band leader Hose Iturbi playing himself. Isn't it bizarre that any real person would star in a film in which their supposed real self gets married? Admittedly, this movie was released in the nineteen forties. Only a love for old style Hollywood romance and comedy could make 'Daughters' a tolerable film.$LABEL$ 0 +wow, how can I even discuss this movie without tears coming to my eyes? It was surely the highlight of my year--nay--my life. As if the raptor graphics weren't amazing enough, the award-winning editors continued to use the exact same shot throughout the entire movie, even when the background didn't actually match up with the setting of the scene. Wow, what genius. And while the movie is full of plot-holes (for instance, a few clips of a t-Rex type animal where a raptor should be and one key moment where Pappy finds a torture chamber, screams "Colin's a girl!" and runs out) I will never forget the brilliance that is Raptor Planet. Thank you Sci-Fi for another classic.$LABEL$ 1 +Though I saw this movie years ago, its impact has never left me. Stephen Rea's depiction of an invetigator is deep and moving. His anguish at not being able to stop the deaths is palpable. Everyone in the cast is amazing from Sutherland who tries to accommodate him and provide ways for the police to coordinate their efforts, to the troubled citizen x. Each day when we are bombarded with stories of mass murderers, I think of this film and the exhausting work the people do who try to find the killers.$LABEL$ 1 +Although the concept of a 32 year old woman portraying a 12 year old girl might be a stretch for today's sophisticated audiences,in the 1920's this was what the fans of Mary Pickford desired and expected from their favorite star. The opening scene displays Annie's tomboyish character as the apparent leader of a multi-ethnic street gang in comic "battle" with a rival group. The sight of a young girl being socked in the jaw and kicked may be a bit crude, but the scene is played in such an "Our Gang" fashion that it would be hard to take any of this seriously. Anyway, Annie can dish it out as well as take it. Once Annie returns to her tenement home and replaces her street duds with more girlish attire, it becomes more difficult (especially in close-ups) to imagine this beautiful young woman as a street urchin. However, for those who can muster the required suspension of disbelief, the rest of the movie has it's rewards. Vacillating between comedy (Annie's gang puts on a show) to sentiment (Annie plans a birthday surprise for her Irish policeman father) to tragedy (her father is killed on his birthday), the film gives Mary ample opportunity to display a range of emotions that would please her fans of any era. Of course the requisite "happy ending" is eventually achieved; the evildoers are apprehended with the help of Annie's friends and rivals and she is last seen in the company of her pals riding down a busy thoroughfare on a sunny day. Which is a good a way as any for a Mary Pickford movie to end. $LABEL$ 1 +This movie looked like it was going to be really funny. I was very excited to see it but was very disappointed. It was very unrealistic. The plot was also pretty weak. I was expecting it to be really funny but the jokes weren't even that good. I was also really disappointed with the ending. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.$LABEL$ 0 +Evil Breed is a very strange slasher flick that is unfortunately no good.The beginning of the film seems promising but overall it's a disaster.The dialogue is pretty bad but not near as bad as the acting.The acting is brutal and unbearable.Most of the characters deliver there lines horribly and even if that is on purpose the method doesn't work because the characters become annoying.Some of the kills are innovative but it took far too long to get to them.After about a half hour through the movie we get the first death (other than in the beginning)and then almost every other character is smoked within the next five minutes.The movie then turned into sort of a spoof with ridiculous looking characters,unrealistic karate like fights,and a scene in which a man gets his intestines pulled out of his a*sscrack.None of it is funny it's just plain ridiculous.The film then becomes ultra gory and ultra pointless.Most of the characters are clichéd even for slasher standards and are as solid as butter left on the counter for 5 days.Evil Breed isn't even laughably bad therefore it fails in it's main task.Watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre,Just Before Dawn,or See No Evil for a real slasher.$LABEL$ 0 +A woman's nightmares fuel her fear of being buried alive.The cheating husband wants her dead and decides to make good use of her phobia by sticking her in a coffin and leaving her in the basement.Of course B-horror movie queen Brinke Stevens transforms into hideous ghostly creature.The only reason to see this amateurish junk flick is Michael Berryman in a really small cameo and two sex scenes with Delia Sheppard.And the last twenty minutes of Brinke's bloody rampage are quite fun to watch.The special effects for example laughable decapitated head are truly awful.Better watch "Scalps" or "Alien Dead" again.Of course I ain't expecting classy entertainment from Fred Olen Ray,but "Haunting Fear" is too dull to be enjoyable.$LABEL$ 0 +First time I saw this movie was in the eighties, but reviewed now this thriller is still actual. Some newer movies focus on similar topics, but they do not match this french milestone.A president - obviously JF Kennedy - gets shot in an open car during a public appearance. The resulting huge investigation finds the "Lee Harvey Oswald" figure of this movie guilty, but one member of the jury insists in further inquiry. He reveals some surprising evidence ...Unlike Oliver Stone's JFK - a movie with the same plot - this one does not play with emotions, but concentrates in a exciting description of a conspiracy and how everything fits together, drawing a new picture of the assassination. Even a real psychological experiment is used for this explanation of the crime scene. Compared to JFK this movie is more reasonable, intelligent and thrilling. Parts of the plot can be found in a lot of newer movies, I had a kind of deja vu sometimes sitting in the cinema."I... comme Icare" is a "must see". Its unique and brilliant, and the music by Ennio Morricone is wonderful. This movie deserves a very good ranking, if it was a Hollywood production it would be famous for sure.$LABEL$ 1 +i couldn't help but think of behind the mask: the rise of leslie vernon (a massively more amazing film) when watching this because of the realistic feel to it as well as the great innovative idea. this could have been a GREAT film. the acting is...from some of the actors alright. from others...it's downright horrible.that aside the idea is great and the format is great. the story is pretty good as well, though suffering often from big blows to the logical mind.nevermind that though right? it IS a horror movie after all.i really want to see this remade...i really want it to be the fantastic film that it wants to be.however (and you can't really fault the minds behind the movie for this) this is obviously built upon a shoe string budget. and the fx really hurt the film overall.great movie. ...if you were to swap out for some better acting and slightly better fx.whoever wrote it should keep going though, great idea here.$LABEL$ 0 +The first episode set the bar quite high i thought. It starred William Hurt as a hit-man who is contracted to kill a toymaker. We are given very little information on his character or who is paying him to kill, indeed the episode is notable for having no dialogue at all. Returning to his modernist penthouse he is delivered a package containing toy soldiers, this gives him a smile but he dismisses it and goes about his business. But he is in for a night of hell, the soldiers are alive and are about to wage war, driving jeeps, shooting machine guns and bazookas and even flying helicopters!. The special effects are good for a TV show and it becomes quite tense as he dodges around the apartment using his wits to survive, sometimes getting the upper hand and other times not. I wont spoil the ending but suffice to say it was a clever little twist. This gave me hope for the rest of the series but i was in for a disappointment, the other episodes were all rubbish and i lost interest by the fourth one. Stephen King adaptations are always a mixed bag and these are no exception$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was bad but it was so bad that it may reach cult status in the distant future. A sort of film-noir meets Plan 9 From Outer Space. The story was, well, there wasn't actually a story. There is a place reserved for the Ed Woods and Russ Meyers of the world and this film proves it. "So bad it might be good" is the best way to describe it. I seriously doubt if this movie will be picked up by any legitimate distribution company therefore it is unlikely to see wide release.I will add that I expect to see more of actor Ron Carey. He made the best of what he had. The rest of the acting, if I can call it that, was quite forgettable. I have seen worse from big studios with vast budgets.$LABEL$ 0 +And I would have rated it higher than a 7 out of 10 if it wasn't for the seriously uneven Irish accent of Barbara Hershey in the leading role of Mother Madalyn. The accent came and went unfortunately which I found more than a little distracting. However, the performance of William L Petersen in the role of Joad was outstanding, he brought a warmth and depth to the character in spite of some periodic hokey dialogue. Captivating and genuine, I found him quite astonishing in the way he captured the character. The premise of the film is fairly simple, the building of a forgotten staircase in a church. It is based, rather loosely I believe, on a true story and I had heard of this staircase prior to seeing the movie. It was a phenomenal engineering feat for its time - a floating double helix made without nails or screws. It exists to this day although it is now in private ownership.**Minor Spoiler**Good supporting cast and Barbara does dying so well in all her movies and here she doesn't disappoint. Lots of special moments.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Damon Runyon's world of Times Square, in New York, prior to its Disneyfication, is the basis for this musical. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, a man who knew about movies, directed this nostalgic tribute to the "crossroads of the world" that show us that underside of New York of the past. Frank Loesser's music sounds great. We watch a magnificent cast of characters that were typical of the area. People at the edges of society tended to gravitate toward that area because of the lights, the action, the possibilities in that part of town. This underbelly of the city made a living out of the street life that was so intense.Some of the songs from the original production were not included in the film. We don't know whether this makes sense, but this is not unusual for a Hollywood musical to change and alter what worked on the stage. That original cast included the wonderful Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye, and we wonder about the decision of not letting Robert Alda, Sam Levene, Isabel Bigley repeat their original roles. These were distinguished actors that could have made an amazing contribution.The film, visually, is amazing. The look follows closely the fashions of the times. As far as the casting of Marlon Brando, otherwise not known for his singing abilities, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons, seem to work in the film. Sky Masterson is, after all, a man's man, who would look otherwise sissy if he presented a different 'look'. Frank Sinatra is good as Nathan Detroit. Jean Simmons, as Sarah Brown, does a nice job portraying the woman from the Salvation Army who suddenly finds fulfillment with the same kind of man she is trying to save.Vivian Blaine is a delight. She never ceases to amaze as Miss Adelaide, a woman with a heart of gold who's Nathan Detroit's love interest. Ms. Blaine makes a fantastic impression as the show girl who is wiser than she lets out to be. Stubby Kaye makes a wonderful job out of reprising his Nicely Nicely Johnson.The wonderful production owes a lot to the talented Abe Burrows, who made the adaptation to the screen. The costumes by Irene Sharaff set the right tone.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw Grande Ecole at its world premiere on the Rotterdam Film Festival. I had no idea what I was entering and if I'd had any idea I wouldn't have entered. This is the most pretentious film I've seen for a long time. It tries to be provocative, yet deep, with its full frontal homosexual sex scenes - it doesn't succeed! It's nothing but another bad excuse of showing naked persons on the big screen. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +What a crime...You forgot to brush your teeth...let's make a 30 minute show about it and have a couple of kids make some noise and then have the dad lecture them all because that's what he has to do.But, don't forget Uncle Joey has to make some weird noises and cooky faces, then Uncle Jesse has to show up with his black leather jacket and some jeans and look pretty for a few minutes while everybody discusses how Mother would have done things if she were around..Yep, full of zany little adventures about a whole bunch of nothing and an entire overlong story to build around it.Full House will not only bore you to tears, but it will make you age twenty times faster than you normally would.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, yes its bad, yes its complete fluff, yes it makes dobbin the mule look like an Oscar winner but look at it like i did i was 13, special effects were pretty much non exsistant in 90% of films, back in the good Ole days when films needed a story line.. OK so even the storyline is a bit dodgy.. but wow did i get into this film as a kid in the 80s. cheesy rock, bad special effects, but airplanes an aerial fights and it had queens one vision on the soundtrack.. see even the worst things have a silver lining.. all in all if you want a bad film to show a 12 year old who hates computer effects (if there is such a film) this is the ideal choice$LABEL$ 1 +The first of two Jim Thompson adaptations released in 1990 (the other being the more well-known GRIFTERS), AFTER DARK has all of Thompson's hallmarks: dangerous women, the confidence game, and characters that are either not as dim as others suspect them of being, or not as harmless.Jason Patric is superb as a former boxer disqualified from the sport for life due to an incident in the ring (director James Foley uses RAGING BULL-esquire sequences to flesh out the back story) and the too-little-seen Rachel Ward also delivers a great performance. But Bruce Dern is the film's secret weapon: his sweet-talking grifter Uncle Bud subtly commands each of his scenes.there's almost no comic relief in this film, so watch it prepared to be sucked into the void.$LABEL$ 1 +Love sublime says the title. Another blurb during the promotions of the film talked about inner vs external beauty. Well in this case the beauty - you decide inner or external - is provided by scantily clad (or is that scantily dressed/ undressed) Zeenat Aman who the director Raj Kapoor called "a volcano of talent" while the film was being made. One can't accuse him of sarcasm of course - after all he was promoting his own film.The paper thin plot is about a woman with a disfigured face who has a - er - well proportioned body , a great voice (thanks to Lata Mangeshkar) with whom the hero Shashi Kapoor falls in love. He doesn't want her face only her voice. The acting is desperate and even the 4 is because of the music with Lata Mangeshkar giving some good numbers. The rest is of course bunkum. Avoid - save your money. Inner beauty vs Outer beauty. !!! You need not be an Einstein to figure out which one the director was concentrating on$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the funniest movies I've ever saw. A 14-year old boy Jason Shepherd wrote an English paper called "Big Fat Liar". When his skateboard was taken, he had to use his sister's bike to get to the college on time and he hit a limo. When he went into the limo, he met a famous producer from Hollywood, Marty Wolf. When he left the limo, he forgot one thing: his paper! So Marty Wolf took it and he turned Jason's English paper into a movie! When Jason admitted that he left his paper in the limo and Marty took it, his parents and his English teacher didn't believe him! So Jason and his friend Kaylee had to fly to Los Angeles to go to Hollywood to make Marty admit he stole his story to Jason's parents. When Jason told Marty to call his dad that Marty stole that paper, Marty tricked him and burned his paper! Jason got so angry that Marty burned that paper so Marty called security to get Jason out of his site! Jason and Kaylee realized Marty isn't going to admit the truth. In order to take Marty down in Phase 2: The Takedown, Jason and Kaylee put permanent blue dye into the pool and when Marty jumps in, his body turns all blue and it wouldn't come off! Then they put permanent orange dye in Marty's shampoo and when he uses it, his hair turns all orange and it wouldn't come off too! Finally, they put lots of glue on Marty's earpiece to make him call Jason's father and when Marty uses it, it sticks to his ear! It was funny when Marty's hair and body turns all blue and orange and his headset is glued to his ear! After that, they tricked Marty by telling Monty, who is Marty's assistant, that Duncan moved to a house where there's a party going on. When Marty went in to see Duncan, he was at the wrong house and all the kids at the party beat him up! When Marty was in the house, Jason and Kaylee switched the controls of his car. When Marty drove his car, he knew all the controls were switched and he didn't know which button to push. He's stupid enough to fall for it. When Marty hit the rear end of the masher, the masher wrecked his car! It was so funny. So Marty starts to call Jason's dad and tricked him again! He was on the phone, but it wasn't his father, he called security! After the security got Jason and Kaylee out of Marty's site, they suggested them to go home. Monty was going to be on Jason and Kaylee's side cause she knew that Marty was a liar and a jerk so she told Rocco, who is one of the security guards that she will take care of the kids. Jason told his father the truth of what he's been up to for the past 2 days and had his parents come to L.A. When Monty came to the kids, she's going to help the kids move into Phase 4: The Payback. Jason splits the crew into 3 teams for Phase 4. One team will distract and trick Marty until Jason's parents get to the set. Marty first rode with Frank Jackson, but his car broke down so he rode with Jaleel, but he took him into the desert and leave him there. When Marty was in the desert, a helicopter came to rescue him. After that, one of the blades are jammed so Marty and the pilot got off the helicopter. After that, he was on the way to the set and when Jason saw him, Marty stopped and saw what Jason has: his monkey! So Marty went after Jason and Kaylee and when they saw Lester, he released the water and when the water came, it pushed Marty away. Marty was still after the kids and when Kaylee went the other way, Jason led Marty to the top of the apartment building. At the top, Jason was challenging Marty by making him admit the truth and Marty will never ever tell the truth. When the crew caught Marty in surprise, all the people including Jason's parents who were at the set knew what Marty did. Marty was going to kill Jason but the only way for Jason to escape is jump down from the top! After that, his parents believed him that Marty took his story. When the people who were on the set left, this is the end of Marty. At the end, Jason's story, Big Fat Liar was a movie. I cant get enough of it.$LABEL$ 1 +When this film was made, the hippie thing had gone mainstream. The ideas of the counter culture was well established, that is why such a big film could be made. Yet it has something to say, and it is said really beautifully. Apart from those who're only waiting for the wanking material, this film is given credit for its beautiful scenes(which in itself is more than enough reason to see the film) by the most. The soundtrack to this film, which actually became more popular than the film itself, is another plus. Pink Floyd's "Careful with that axe Eugene" suits really well with the explosions, the absence of music in other scenes gives the film a nice quiet mood. But. It seems as though the messages in this film have been overlooked by the most. If you didn't understand it, which seems to be the case for the most, I'll give you some hints: The man(tough guy, what ever his name is-Mark?) is a part of a "reality group". He leaves this group saying something like "I'm willing to die. But not of boredom" He later go for a joyride with a stolen plane, probably to seek some action. As he is in the air, Grateful Dead's Dark Star(from the Live/Dead album) is played(i think). This song contains the phrase "Shall we go you and I while we can", this is though not heard in the film.(Perhaps stretching it a bit too far meaning that quote is essential?) In the plane, he checks up a girl(Daria), who is driving in her car to a conference(about giving typical suburban families the opportunity to live in a super-relaxing place in the desert, where everything is so simple and nice. For the whole family!), by diving down, almost hitting the car. He lands the plane, and joins the girl on her way to Detroit. They stop at Zabriskie point, where they enjoy each other as living creatures and the nature. Later a family with a big car(of the type which you sleep in) and a speed boat is showed visiting Zabriskie Point, the father saying something like "what a waste driving all the way up here", and the kid sitting inside the car, grinning. I sensed a "this wasn't much better than on the telly"-attitude. Daria takes Mark back to the plane which now is painted in a psychedelic style, with the identity number changed to "no war" on one side and "no words" on the other. "Bucks Sucks" is also written on the plane. Mark takes the plane back to where he stole it from, saying to Daria before he leaves "I don't risk anything" or something, one of several hints about he not caring too much about his destiny. (This because he has the feeling that the environment that surrounds don't give him anything- "I wonder what happens in the real world") On the airport he is met by police officers who shoots him even though he just has returned the plane. Daria hears this on the radio, but decides to go to the conference in the fancy mansion. Here she feels alien after the adventures with her just killed friend. She enjoys fresh water running down a rock, more than the swimming pool. Inside the house the viewer is once again given a hint about anti-materialism -She looks out through a glass wall, holding her hands on the glass like she was trapped. The business men is seen arguing, the one side eager to make a big deal, the other afraid of losing money. Daria leaves the house and looks back at it, visualizing it blowing up. After the house, several other things blow up, for example a television. She smiles, happy she has inside herself destroyed what she after the meeting with Mark look upon as something negative.To summarize: Mark obviously experience the "reality group" as not very useful as they just sit and talk, taking no action. He clearly has bad feelings about things being as they are, and it seems like he feels that it's no use fighting against it. He wants to leave. He helps Daria, who is "in mind but not in action" seeing his point of view. Where his feeling of being misfitted turns out leading to his death, one can hope Daria uses the ideas in a way that will turn out more constructive. In the film you see how a town (LA) is being polluted by commercial (too bad you have to show the commercial to make the point), you see business men deciding what is the future, et cetera, and you see people being unhappy with these and other situations which is parts of the modern world.I have only seen the film once, so I have not caught all points, but I certainly got a feeling of what this film has to say, and I find it strange that this film can be called meaningless. If you say the points are being too obvious, I can see why, this film probably intended to appeal to the post-hippie radicals "digging" the thoughts of anti-establishment. Even though, it has a lot to say, and its message is still needed today, things pretty much evolving in the same direction as it did before the sixties. Zabriskie Point is a really great film, telling a story about quite normal young people (not far out hippies tripping around tip toe on acid, digging everything) seeking what they percept as real, dissatisfied with the conventional. And it is done in a truly beautiful way.$LABEL$ 1 +Cinderella In my opinion greatest love story ever told i loved it as a kid and i love it now a wonderful Disney masterpiece this is 1 of my favorite movies i love Disney. i could rave on and on about Cinderella and Disney all day but i wont i ll give you a brief outline of the story. When a young girl's father dies she has to live with her evil step mother and her equally ugly and nasty step sisters Drusilla and Anastasia. Made to do remedial house chores all day poor Cinderella has only the little mice who scurry around the house and her dog Bruno as friends. When one day a letter is sent to her house telling all available women to attend a royal ball. Cinderellas evil step mother and step sisters try to prevent her attendance Cinderella finally gets her dream and wish and is able to attend her captive beauty , Genorisity and beautiful nature help her win her prince.$LABEL$ 1 +Or at least you feel pretty high after this movie. It's the kind of film that the word "rollicking" really can be applied to, though it's rollicking in that entirely casual, intelligent, and open-minded way that belongs to the French.No, Catherine Deneuve does not spend the entire movie high (sorry to disappoint any puritans with an agenda).. but the one scene to which I refer involves all the members of a wedding party - AND it's a musical number! Anyway, everything fits pretty seamlessly together, and the unusual, bright, colorful family ( Deneuve's mother is a lesbian, Deneuve her bon vivant daughter) alternately entertain and annoy us as real families do..but since it's a movie they mostly entertain.Don't want to say too much about the ending, but Deneuve ends up marrying a man about twenty years younger. This is entirely believable as we see the relationship develop over time, and as the two are naturally drawn closer and closer together. The ending is a happy one; and like the rest of the movie, satisfyingly quirky as well as pitch-perfect.$LABEL$ 1 +I pity people calling kamal hassan 'ulaganaayakan' maybe for them ulagam is tollywood ! comeon guys..this movie is a thriller without thrill..come out of your ulagam and just watch some high class thrillers like The Usual Suspects or even The Silence of the Lambs.technically good but style over substance kamal doesn't look like a police officer, there is no thrill whatsoever dragging and boring till end you might be saving 3 valuable hrs of your life if u skip watching this movie.kamal at his best is the best in tollywood$LABEL$ 0 +The year 1995, when so many people talked about the great premiere of BRAVEHEART by Mel Gibson, also saw another very fine, yet underrated movie on Scottish history, ROB ROY. Although it is a very different film, especially due to the historical period the story is set in, ROB ROY has much in common not only with marvelous BRAVEHEART but also with the very spirit of epic movies.It is a film that discusses similar themes, like fight for dignity, courage, honor, revenge, family being a key to happiness. It also leads us to the very bliss of Scottish highlands where the human soul finds its rest being surrounded by all grandeur of nature. Robert Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson), the main character is a true hero (so universal in epics), sort of "Scottish Robin Hood" who struggles to lead his people out of oppression imposed by cold hearted lords. Although he worsens his situation through the acts, has to suffer a lot, two things stay in his mind undeniably: HONOR that he is given by himself and LOVE to his woman, Mary MacGregor (Jessica Lange). That leads him to unexpected events...Except for the interesting content and quite vivid action, the movie is filled with truly stunning visuals. This factor has to do both with the sets and locations of the film as well as the wardrobe. Many memorable moments stay in the mind of any viewer who can allow themselves an insight into artistic images. For me, the most splendid scene was in the Highlands when Rob Roy tells his boys what honor really means. Then, he sends them away and beautifully makes love to his woman. The scene he escapes Marguis of Montrose (John Hurt) to the waterfall is also worth a look as a stunning visual. Of course, there is some graphic violence, like in the duel for instance, but I don't think that this violence would be as harmful as in many other modern films. Its justification is like any other epic's: bloodshed and cruelty of those times were really serious and there would be no point in hiding it. The most disturbing scene, for me, was the rape done on Rob Roy's wife by the villain of the story: Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth). It's truly disgusting and kids should definitely stay away. However, all the rest is O.K. Yet, there is one aspect that made me really love this movie, the performances.All the cast do perfect jobs, from the leading Lian Neeson who fits very well to the role of tall, brave, strong Scottish man to the supporting cast of Brian Cox who portrays wicked Killearn, a silent witness of terrible acts who feels comfortable with the evil of war. Jessica Lange is very fine as Mary MacGregor and has some of the most beautiful moments in the film. There is chemistry between Ms Lange and Mr Neeson in many of their scenes. John Hurt, one of the best British actors, does a terrific job as Marguis of Montrose, a corrupted man for whom money is the aim in itself achieved by any means. I like that calmness of his portrayal. But the real villain is played by Tim Roth who truly depicts wretched side of his character, Archibald - a man who mocks love, who loves war and who finds true lust in rape and slaughter. But, like in any good epic, this exceptional evil must find its end...And one more aspect: the musical score: such memorable and sentimental tunes that are bound to sound in the ears for long. The final moment touched me to tears not only because of the beauty it conveys but because I deeply combined these blissful tunes with the grandeur of locations. Scotland remains in the heart of its visitor and this movie reminded me of that permanent effect. It was, as if, my second journey to Scotland.ROB ROY is a very nice movie, very well directed, photographed and acted. It perhaps does not equal BRAVEHEART with its spectacular sets and crowds of extras in battle scenes, but it is a fairly long film with much attention placed on one very significant feature a cinema should have: stunning entertainment combined with heartfelt education. I really enjoyed that film, do not hesitate to call it metaphorically "highlands of entertainment" and rate it 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +For any fan of Nickelodeon who used to watch the network in the 80s and 90s, there was always something good on. You had entertaining acts like You Can't Do That on Television. You had weird but good shows like Pete & Pete. You even had cartoons that taught morals like Doug. But just like Disney, Nickelodeon has fallen down the tubes, limiting their demographic to shallow preteens and giving us poor excuses to come up with new, innovative shows. As I tried watching Zoey 101, I just shook my head in disgust.The setting couldn't of been more fake than this one. Each character attends a boarding school called Pacific Coast Academy, boasting everything that a spoiled child wants. A sushi bar, laptops everywhere, flat screen TVs in every room, cool dorms to hang out, etc. The kids in this show are rarely seen in class and there doesn't seem to be any real teachers. It looks more like a place that you would spend on a nice summer vacation rather than to work and study while preparing for college.The characters were also a factor that turned me off. Every episode consists of boy problems, situations that they caused themselves, and troubles that should be solved. Each character is a stereotype. Zoey (Jamie Lynn) seems perfect in anything she does, and each of her friends ask her for help when they feel they are in grave danger. Only leading her to have no other side. I've been through school and I can tell you, nobody is like that. Chase is dumb. Logan plays the arrogant tough guy. Quinn plays a nerd who is highly unrealistic in what she does. Michael is an idiot. Lola is a clone of Nicole. Dana is just well, a tough person. Why not use some originality? Something that is unique for these characters, and different from other personalities? Is being stereotypical the best the creators of this show can come up with? Instead, these actors are dull personalities with the sense in that there is a lack of creativity involving their roles. There is nothing here to be amazed or surprised at.Not only that, but the show is clearly for the intent of aiming for kids of adolescence, facing a stage in that they must evolve from being a child to being an adult. Through that period they must learn to study on their own, make their own decisions, and do what's right for them. Zoey 101 contains nothing of those values. In this case, we are supposed to believe that looking good and having a stereotypical personality is all you need to succeed. I'm sorry, but that simply isn't true. People can't expect things to be handed to them like the actors in this show are and just let those things sit there. If I expect things in Zoey 101 to happen in real life, then I would be living in a fantasy world locked away in a dream house. Nothing in this show relates to those who face health and money issues. Neither does it relate to kids wanting to learn something meaningful.So in conclusion, Zoey 101 is a show made by Nickelodeon that only falls flat on it's face. It displays a horrible message for kids and I highly think the show itself is simply inappropriate for them. Sure, it doesn't have morbid violence, but it teaches everything to make a kid act and look stupid. A horrible show, and should be forgotten with the rest of the garbage Nickelodeon has been making in recent years.1 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I've got to say it. Gary Busey saved this film. If it were not for his fine acting talents this film would have been sub par. I recommend the film but just barely.The biggest difficulty with the film is its broad disregard for historical, geographical and physical accuracy. For example, why is Lubbock green and hilly? How come Buddy's producer Petty ignored? Where are the daily trips to the Clovis, New Mexico studio? Why is Nashville treated as a racist hate camp out to destroy the Holly sound? Why was Buddy's two week courtship to Maria treated as a complex, taboo, race mixing stereotype? Why are Buddy's tile boxes as light as feathers? Finally, why are the Crickets portrayed as trouble making roadblocks to Holly's talent?Taken on their face these inaccuracies should spell doom for any film proclaiming itself, "The Buddy Holly Story." However, Busey does deliver a stirring portrayal as the man whose death eventually led to the day the music died.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked this a lot. In fact, if I see it again(and I plan to) I just may love it. I'll echo other reviewers in saying that this movie really does grow on you as you watch. It starts kind of slowly but the way in enfolds is very natural and has a mood to it. You just get into it.I really liked the summery atmosphere to the movie and thought the movie was very touching as a whole. The characters have a strong element of realism and the movie very slowly and gently weaves a spell as you get involved in the various interactions between them all and want to know how it will ultimately turn out and what paths the characters will choose to take. I am very surprised that there are less then a dozen comments on this-there are obscure TV movies that have more comments then Rich In Love.One thing that I will say is I missed the ending which is driving me crazy and I HAVE to watch it again to see that. This is a movie that may not be for everybody but that I feel is strongly underrated(even some of my most film buff purist friends who have seen almost every movie there is haven't seen this) and it doesn't even seem to have much of a message board but I liked it a lot and to all those who like family dramas that are warm on scenery, atmosphere and an unhurried languid pace should probably take a look at this. Especially note worthy is that it takes place in South Carolina so for those (like me) who love the south, and movies that take place there, this is a gem. I'll add my vote to the woefully few comments and recommend this little known flick.$LABEL$ 1 +I caught this at a test screening. All I can say is: What...the...hell? This movie plays out about as smoothly as Mickey Mouse reading the script for "Scarface." It's bizarre beyond making the slightest bit of sense; and even if you do leave your brain in the car, the film is still so bizarre that it isn't even funny.The plot involves crocodile hunter Steve Irwin trying to "save" a crocodile which contains a CIA probe. The CIA comes after Irwin to get their probe back, Irwin mistakes them for poachers, and sets out to "stop" them.That's about all the story there is; the rest is over-the-top lampooning of Australian culture ("Didja see dat?" and "Crikey!") and strangely choreographed action sequences. At one point, Irwin mounts a speeding RV and knife fights with a CIA agent on top of it. Yes, that's right: Steve Irwin knife fights a guy on top of an RV. Let that be your guide for this ridiculously bad film.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember this movie in particular when I was a teenager, my best friend was telling me all about this movie and how it freaked her out as a kid. Of course being the blood thirsty gal that I am, I had to go out and find this movie. Now I don't know how to put this without loosing credibility, so I'm just going to say it, I actually had fun watching this movie! I know that it's stupid, not the best story and beyond bloody and gruesome, but that's what I was looking for and The Dentist delivers in the scares, blood, sex, and crazy psychopaths. Sometimes I just need a fun movie like this to just let loose and get grossed out by.Dr. Alan Feinstone is obsessed with order and cleanliness. On the day of his wedding anniversary, he spies his wife Brooke having sex with their filthy pool man, Matt. At his dental practice, Feinstone's first patient of the day is young Jody Saunders, there for his very first dental appointment. Feinstone begins to clean Jody's teeth. Everything goes smoothly at first, until he imagines that Jody's teeth are brown and rotten. His dental pick slips, stabbing Jody in the gums. Jody's mother picks up her crying, bleeding child and leaves angrily. Feinstone sees his second patient, beauty queen April Reign. Alone with April, Feinstone sedates her with nitrous oxide so that he can fill a cavity in one of her molars. As she drifts off into unconsciousness, Feinstone imagines that she has transformed into his wife. He begins kissing and fondling her on the dental chair, then begins to choke her. April starts to cough and half-wakes up from the gas. Feinstone snaps out of his trance and quickly re-buttons April's blouse. Feinstone decides to end the day early and sends his staff and patients home. Later that night, Brooke meets Feinstone at his practice. He reveals his new Italian opera-themed patient room. He encourages Brooke to try out the room's dental chair. When she does, Feinstone binds her to the chair and sedates her with nitrous oxide. With operatic music blaring in the background, he begins to pull out Brooke's teeth. Feinstone has gone off the deep end and is definitely not going to let anybody stand in his way of cleanliness.Honestly, as silly as this movie sounds, I did have a lot of fun watching The Dentist. The best scene without a doubt is when he teaches that nasty IRS agent a lesson in hygiene that I'm sure he'll never forget. Man, I don't think I've brushed my teeth so much after I watched The Dentist. Yeah, I am going to warn you, this movie is in no way for the faint of heart, it's very bloody. There's stabbing, gun shots and just these brutal dental torture scenes that will make your stomach turn. Yet somehow I just enjoyed this movie, if I ever want just a good gore movie that was made for true horror fans, I slip it in my DVD player, and that's the "tooth" LOL! I am so funny! Um, yeah, I try, give me a little credit.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I would suggest that Only the Valiant is one of the most original and intriguing and in some ways weird movies that Peck ever did; daring , surprising and one of his few best westerns (--no, no, of course, not a western really, but a military chronicle, which sometimes is better--). It's quite low—budget, but, oh, very original and striking. It's one of those treats a true buff sometimes gets; movies that no one yet told you they exist. You say—'that sounds intriguing, or interesting'—and it surpasses your expectations.All in all, the script shows a level of maturity unusual for the westerns—and it somehow reminded me, obliquely, of ULZANA; it's also straight no—nonsense suspense.Peck looked dashing as a young and tough, somewhat gloomy and stoic officer; and there are many unexpected touches—like the blonde babe kissing and flirting with the one she's decided not to marry, perhaps a feeling of hers for justice and retribution ….Even genre—wise, ONLY … is so much more than a military tale—it is as well an action drama, a suspense movie, a commando/ action thriller—the weirdest combo imaginable; a bunch of soldiers in a special mission to counteract and stop a possible Native's attack …--the insane decision not to take all the available troops to the place where those Natives could be stopped—but only a handful of people …--and this plot never takes a crap route—as most would and did …. The interest for humans, for people and their reasons and actions never falters.A due word about Peck himself; he performs with brio, and though I usually find his famous movies to be rather insipid and boring, in such small outings I find intact all Peck's somber and even chilling glamor. He was an unusual star.I gladly recommend this extraordinary movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is so blatantly a made-for-TV ripoff of Black Widow (1987) - even the insect titles are so similar.If you want a better "marrying for money" movie, check out Black Widow, starring Debra Winger & Theresa Russell.These movie is cheesiness at its best..! I just had to watch it entirely to see how it ended.$LABEL$ 0 +This would have to be by far the greatest series I have ever seen. I vividly watched every sunday night and purchased the box set as soon as it was available. this is a timeless play written by a fantastic Australian that people of all ages could relate to, whether they are Australian or not, however for those of us that are Australian it truly brings across the typical Australian icon. A must see 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +"North & South" the television mini-series is to the 80's what "Rich Man, Poor Man" (the first-ever TV mini-series) was to the 70's.It's a fabulous adaptation of the first classic novel in the trilogy from author John Jakes. The story itself covers the two decades leading up to the years of the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the imminent proclamation of the Civil War - North versus South. The intertwining stories evolve around the families of the Hazards (the 'North' in the title) and the Mains and their two central figures of George and Orry who form a friendship whilst embarking on their West Point training in 1842."North & South" is a wonderful historic timeline and as I have grown older (and wiser!) it very much interests me to learn about the contrasting attitudes to such controversial aspects as 'Slavery' and 'Abolitionists', and how these attitudes originated.The series also portrays some great characterisation development as we get to know about the friends and enemies in George and Orry's lives, and also the women that stole their hearts as young men. This aspect of the story also uncovers a romantic tale that is set to the turbulent backdrop of the American Civil War."North & South", along with "Rich Man, Poor Man" is overshadowed by 1977's "Roots" as the greatest mini-series of all-time. However, it does come a close second/third and also shares the same kind of timeline and themes as "Roots". But, don't let this one get away, even if it's just to see the great scenery, costumes, and brilliant all-star cast including Gene Kelly, Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Olivia De Havilland, Lesley-Anne Down et al. The series is beautifully crafted and is firmly tied to actual historic events and it's a pity the Emmys and Golden Globes didn't honour a lot more of the actors and actresses for their portrayals. Patrick Swayze and James Read, the two virtual unknown lead actors at the time, turn in compelling performances as Orry Main and George Hazard respectively. However, it's Kirstie Alley's riveting performance as George's 'Abolitionist' sister Virgilia that steals the show many times. Plus, Terri Garber, David Carradine and Philip Casnoff as Elkanah Bent are the delicious villains of the piece you just love to hate."North & South" Books 1 & 2 are now available on two DVD sets.$LABEL$ 1 +As you may know, the subject here was to ask eleven directors from all over the world to make each a short movie of 11 minutes, 9 seconds and one frame. We have here : - Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran) : what afghan refugee kids can understand to the towers collapsing ? Well, nothing. A great lesson. - Claude Lelouch (France) : a weak plot with a great cinematography... Just imagine a deaf woman living by the WTC who sees without understanding it that her dog barks... Well just see it. - Youssef Chahine (Egypt) : the greatest oriental movie maker has compassion... For everyone : for an us soldier who died ten years ago, for the people in the Wtc but also for a palestinian suicide-terrorist. Maybe the less tender movie towards the us. - Danis Tanovic (bosnia hrzgovia) : good images, makes us travel, for sure... Not a very good plot. Idrissa Oudraogo (Burkina Faso) : from one of the poorest country in the world, a tender and funny story about five boys who want to capture Osama Bin Laden... And they could have done it but nobody believes them when they tell they know where he is. Ken Loach (uk) : September 11, 1973, The Chile entered in a twenty-years long bloody dictature. Thousands of death, tortures : all that was offered to Chile by Henry Kissinger and the CIA, and knowing this changes very much your point of view ! I guess that is because of that particular short that no american movie distribution company accepted to release the movie in us theaters ! Loach forgot to point that 1973 is also the year when the WTC was built ! - Alejandro Gonzalez inarritu (Mexico) : impressing images that we all know too well, and a lot of black screens. I didn't get this one very much, it is more an artist video (to show in an exhibition) than a movie. - Amos Gitaï (Israël) : an absurd ballet of policemen, journalists, etc., around a burning car in Jerusalem. Very well done. - Mira Nair (India) : about the anti-islamic feeling that followed september the 11th. Very good actualy. - Sean Penn (us) : a funny little story that reminds us a fact usualy forgotten, the WTC did have a huge shadow, and some places now have a daylight they never had. - Shohei Imamura (Japan) : a different one. Here there is not even one word about the WTC, and the action takes place at the end of WWII. It has only one message : no war is holy. This short movie gives very deep feelings, but the director aparently would have done better with more than 11 minutes. --- so --- A great movie, a great attempt to take the world's temperature. I love it.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the description of the movie on TCM and only let it run because I like both Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith, so I was delightfully surprised to find that I really liked the movie and found it quite exceptional. Of course, it is seriously dated, but as a period piece it is well worth watching just for the subtle humour in insight into life and lifestyle almost forty years ago. Now the only problem is trying to find it on DVD so I can watch it more often. I also was quite taken with the performances of Smith and Ustinov as the leads, and of Karl Malden, Bob Newhart, and the cameo appearances by Robert Morley and Cesar Romero.$LABEL$ 1 +Should I have expected anything other than putrid from Carrot Top? This was on of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is by far the worst comedy I have ever seen. "Chairman of the Board" did not add humor to my attitude, rather it enraged me. That's right, Carrot Top is such a bad comedian that I became enraged that this man is making movies.$LABEL$ 0 +I had a recent spectator experience with The Perfect Witness (2007) because the NetFlix computer recommendation engine suggested I watch this film. Apparently, at some point, I told it how much I liked Michael Haneke's, Benny's Video. I don't know about you, but this parallel being drawn provoked in me a maelstrom of emotion and excitement over Thomas C. Dunn's film and made the allocation of my time toward it virtually impossible to refuse. Just this kind of recommendation from the NetFlix computer intelligence, for me, had the aesthetic/moral movie bar set to level so high that, upon reflection, it represented something pretty much unaccomplished in every film produced in the year 2007.Having prefaced my response to the film that way, I'm going to proceed in knocking this picture down as poorly executed and banal; and I really hate to do that because I think our boy, Wes Bentley, happens to be not only one of the most interesting young faces in contemporary cinema, but also one its most overlooked and underrated screenacting talents in the US. I'm more than moderately concerned that the poor guy's going to miss the fame ship if he keeps fiddling around with first time movie directors like this.The Perfect Witness is about Micky (Wes Bentley), who, about thirty, still lives with Mom ("You're not drinkin' again area ya's?"), but he's a "filmmaker" or at the very least some kind of street-level voyeur with a pension for shooting would-be Johns in the seedy back alleys of Philadelphia with his DVX 100B. Out there, doing his private investigator-like drills, Micky "inadvertently" video-tapes a brutal murder on a hapless early-twenty-ish coed with his hand held camcorder. Baring the notion in mind that snuff and movies as cultural currency can be his equated with his ticket out of the white urban ghetto (and not to the debts of his unwitting friends and relatives who put up the money for his atrocious films), Micky approaches the assailant, James LeMac (Mark Borkowski: also takes a writing credit) or "Mac the Knife" –whichever- and blackmails the killer into making a documentary about his murder impulses, holding this found footage over the attacker with threats of the police.The problem with this movie is not that no interesting ideas exist because they do. While both the writing and direction are amateurish, that alone doesn't make a film bad. It's that these guys commit a rather poor assumption that what they are presenting is shocking in the context of a culture in which just about any person in the free world with access to a private computer can log-on to the web and catch the veracity of the action of a beheading on their little Mac or PC. No film relies on shock value alone any more (unless of course, ironically, it's a film about torture on animals) and therefore cinematic images of violence (real or fake) have less and less cultural capital with each year that passes. Also, we've got this astounding actor-talent in the lead all styled-up, real hip guy: his two inch beard and skull cap with the little bill on it, backwards, just like the dork from high school who craved after the potential services of my primary love interest –same guy who just now calls himself a "poet."Spare me. "I'm an artist," "I'm a filmmaker." Okay. Please do, carry on with that shtick, Cronnie. Seems to have bought you a lot of expensive 35mm stock. And go ahead, you can wear all the accrutements of a "creative" but don't expect us top respond to you, to follow your below average character through your two hour movie while you take down Wes Bentley's career. Why don't we just let history speak to the merits of what you do, filmmaker guy. My guess is history will eventually have say something about that –like, probably that's in not is good as you think it is. And yeah, odds are you'll be laying the blame on your dear ole ma, end up like our man Micky here in The Perfect Witness; hooked on smack and covered in your buddy's blood with a video camera in your hand. Great.$LABEL$ 0 +I find Herzog's documentary work to be very uneven. Fata Morgana, a companion piece of sorts to Lessons of Darkness, lacks not only the harrowing spectacle but mostly the discerning eye of an author. It is by comparison amateur looking, aimless pans left and right across the desert the kind of which you would expect from any German tourist equipped with a handycam, the camera left running from the window of a car picking up all kinds of meaningless images, wire fences, derelict buildings and patches of dirt going through the lens in haphazard order, intercut with shots of sand dunes. At one point Herzog encounters a group of starved cattle rotting away in the sand, yet the image is presented much like you and me would, perhaps worse, the camera peering hand-held from one cattle to the next. For a documentary that attempts to be a visual feast, a hypnotic, surreal excursion in uncharted landscapes, it lacks the visual orchestration and conviction of a disciplined author. It's all over the place, half-hearted and tedious, Mayan creation myths recited in voice-over, then some other text Herzog fancied for literature. It's not until near the end that Fata Morgana jumps alive through a series of bizarre encounters. First with a man and a woman playing music in a room, the man singing in a distorted voice through a mic, both of them apathetic in their task. A man holding up a turtle. A group of old people trying to get out of some holes in the ground. Other than that, this one seems to have very little of substance to offer or visual splendor to offer.$LABEL$ 0 +It´s all my fault. They all told me I should avoid seeing this movie because I´m a huge fan of the old TV-series. They were right. While production values are good and the actors themselves (including "don´t look now") Julie Christie aren´t that bad, the whole film displays a cheekiness and self-conciousness that clearly is without any justification. A comparison between the Karloff "Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns 2000" comes to my mind. In fact Belphegore 2000 owes much more to the new Mummy films than to the old series. But then, scripting is terrible, speed there is none and sometimes the film is full of unintentional jokes (The first scene in the tomb looks plain stupid), with cats clearly being thrown when they´re supposed to jump (landing with their backfeet first). Belphegore moves around like a statue on wheels neither impressive nor scary and the psychological drama that unfolded in the old tv series when the heroine had to learn that she´s a villain is completely neglected. This movie is so WASTED (wasted money, wasted actors, wasted blueprint) that it hurts. It´s a below-par Mummy-rip off that´s only good for some laughs but has nothing at all to do with the Greco classic (She has a small role in this movie too - on the graveyard).$LABEL$ 0 +First, I must point out that the role Wendell Corey played was exceptional. Usually, Corey was relegated to supporting roles but here he is what helps carry this very limp film. Without him and the character he played, the film would have been a lot worse--hardly meriting a 2 or 3.So why did I hate the rest of the film so much? Well, one of my pet peeves is when characters act "too stupid to live". You can't base major plot points on the assumption that your major characters are completely stupid (unless having a brain injury is part of the plot, of course). But this is exactly what happens in this film. Wendell Corey is a crazed man who has murdered three innocent people and they know his next target is Joseph Cotten's wife. So what do they do? Yep, they provide really inadequate police protection and a plan that makes no sense at all (no marksman and guys with shotguns that are so far away they probably WON'T stop this madman). And if this isn't bad enough, the marked woman inexplicably runs away from her hiding place and walks right into the WORST possible place she could be! Is anyone THAT stupid?!?! Arrrggghhhh---I hate when movies have such dumb characters. In fact, I found myself rooting for Corey since I felt the idiots deserved to die for their behaviors! In addition to these clichéd characters, there was also a bit player who fainted. Sure, seeing your husband shot MIGHT cause someone to faint, however in real life this is a rare occurrence--people rarely faint unless there is a medical reason. So, combining this with the above character problems is a real nightmare for people who are looking for realism--something Film Noir movies MUST have.All these serious problems are even more infuriating since Wendell Corey's character is amazingly well-written and conceived. It was his chance to shine as an actor--too bad the rest of the movie was so limp that Corey and the basic plot idea are sunk. This is one film that could really use a remake--but this time without brainless characters.$LABEL$ 0 +'The Luzhin Defence' is a good film with fine central performances, but too much of the novel and not enough of the filmmaker's craft shines through. It felt through most of the film that the characters just helped to push the narrative along. Marlene Gorris could perhaps have examined the psyche of Luzhin, rather than depicting him as a tortured innocent victim torn apart by the cruel motives of others.Adapting literature for the screen is clearly a difficult task, especially a novel written in the early 20th century. This film does not go deeply enough into the relationship between Luzhin and Natalia. Natalia's rift with her mother comes across a churlish disagreement by the mother rather than a dramatic flashpoint in the film. I felt that I was put through Luzhin's torment and eventual tragic end, without being given the pleasure of having his unusual and complex personality unravelled. However, this was a moving and enjoyable film but certainly not a great one.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was excellent. A sad truth to how culture tends to clash with the sexes. This is just one big warm fuzzy type of movie. You have the master who is steeped in tradition and kind hearted in his own way, Doggie despite being a girl thing to win his affections and you top it off with one cute monkey with a thousand facial expressions. This equals on big happy movie in the end. This movie does a good job at showing how steeped in tradition one can be, so steeped that they are willing to die without sharing their secrets. You see sides to a culture never seen before which helps enhance the drama that unfolds near the end of the picture. The cinema-photography is excellent, in particular the opening parade sequence with all the sparkers. Bound to be in Oscar contention for best foreign film.$LABEL$ 1 +Like other movies from the worst director ever, Ed Wood, this movie is very bad but because of that it is also very funny. May be not for everyone, but I laughed a lot. It is a strange thing when you enjoy a bad movie. How do you rate it? As a movie very low, as entertainment at least a little higher.The movie tries to explain what a transvestite is and it does this through a scientist (Bela Lugosi) and an inspector (Lyle Talbot) who talks to a doctor (Timothy Farrell) who knows about these things. The doctor tells the detective two stories and that is what we, and apparently the scientist, see. The doctor tels these stories because a dead transvestite is found, suicide, and because of a headline in the news paper about a sex-change. The first and longest story is about Glen (Ed Wood himself) who is in love and about to marry Barbara (Dolores Fuller) but he has never told her he like to dress as a woman, when he is named Glenda. The movie tells the same thing over and over again, especially the fact that a transvestite is not necessarily a homosexual. The movie almost says that being a transvestite is not a bad thing, but being homosexual is, since it keeps telling us the fact that a transvestite is not a homosexual. The second story is about a transvestite who really wants a sex-change and not just wants to dress up as a woman, but it is much shorter and less interesting.A couple of things make this movie very bad, and therefore laughable. How the story is presented is the first thing, the way the same things are told over and over again and the conclusion of it all are others. This is not where it ends. The acting is very bad, especially Dolores Fuller seems to be reading her lines directly from a little screen somewhere. Every thing she says is funny. The whole dialogue actually gave me quite some laughs.There is also a sequence where someone walks into a room. The door stays half open and we see something hanging on the wall, not completely straight. Then the door, in what seems to be the same shot although we know it is not, is a little less open and suddenly the thing on the wall hangs straight. Ed Wood didn't mind to leave this kind of continuity errors in his movie. May be a good thing, because basically it is just another laugh for the modern audience. I think you understand that it is a bad movie and I think there is a good chance you will laugh at the ridiculous mistakes as well.$LABEL$ 0 +Ex-reporter Jacob Asch (Eric Roberts) is hired by an acquaintance (Raymond J. Barry) to find his ex-wife and son. Asch heads to Palm Springs and quickly locates the ex Laine (Beverly D'Angelo) with someone he believes to be the son (a young Johnny Depp). But things turn out to be a bit more complicated as Asch discovers former white trash Laine has definitely married up in the form of millionaire Simon Fleischer (Dan Hedaya) and her first son is nowhere to be seen.Director/writer Matthew Chapman is channeling BODY HEAT here and this mid-80s neo-noir is watchable enough thanks to an all-star cast and nice locations. D'Angelo was still looking good around this time, so she makes for a good femme fatale and isn't afraid to show some skin. However, the mystery isn't very compelling in the end. Co-starring Dennis Lipscomb, Emily Longstreth and Henry Gibson. Chapman made several thrillers in the 80s, but his "biggest" career achievement was co-authoring the screenplay for the infamous COLOR OF NIGHT.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the movie that epitomizes the D&D fear of the 80s (and even today). The fear being that people who play D&D (or any other role-playing game for that matter) will be "sucked in" and lose their ability to distinguish reality from fantasy (and go on killing sprees, child sacrifices, suicide, etc). Great movie for anyone who likes to blame the problems of society on inanimate objects, but anyone who has played a role-playing game, a video game, or even acted in a play will see this as an insult to their intelligence. It is to D&D what Wargames was to computers. Plus as a movie, it just kinda sucks.$LABEL$ 0 +Much worse than the original. It was actually *painful* to sit through, and it barely held my six year old's interest.Introduction of some new Pokemon is marginally interesting, but storyline is extra-thin, dialogue is still bad, and music is mediocre. Watch the television show instead - it's much better.$LABEL$ 0 +"Still Crazy" is without a doubt the greatest rock comedy of all-time. It has been erroneously compared to "This Is Spinal Tap", which it has no relation to. "Spinal Tap" is a satire (and, quite frankly, not a very good one, in spite of it's "outing" of many rock clichés). Unlike "Tap", "Still Crazy" is populated by great actors, great songs and great human situations. You CARE about the people in "Still Crazy". That's all that matters. Oh, yeah, the music's pretty damn good, too, written by Mick Jones of Foreigner and Chris Difford of Squeeze. American audiences were already familiar with Stephen Rea (The Crying Game), but would only later become familiar with Bill Nighy (Underworld, Love Actually, Pirates Of The Caribbean II) and Timothy Spall (the Harry Potter movies).$LABEL$ 1 +A movie like this makes me appreciate the work that professional actors do. I think movie-goers, in general, are a little too hard on professional actors and are ready to bash them for the most minuscule reasons. Just watch a couple minutes of "Cheerlader Massacre," and trust me, you'll change your views. A razzie would be almost a compliment for these no-talent actors. But then again, it's a Jim Wynorski film. Wynorski is a popular director of these ultra low-budget B-movies (having worked with Roger Corman on many an occasion). The problem with this movie is it actually tries to develop a plot. And when you have actors delivering lines like they're reading letters off an eye chart, how am I supposed to care? In Wynorski's "Bare Wench 2," he didn't try to develop a plot. He simply tried to make a softcore porn/goofy takeoff on the "Blair Witch Project." It was fun and it was titillating. "Cheerleader Masscare" is no fun. There are a couple obligatory female nude scenes, but they are few and far between. So it's not even worth enjoying on an erotic level. I must say, the worst scene is the one where Nikki Fritz walks across a bridge that's about to collapse. First of all, her character didn't have to walk across that bridge. Second of all, as the bridge starts creaking, rather than try her best to run across, she just stands there and acts helpless. And top it off, we don't actually see the bridge collapse because the filmmakers made this for a budget of 2 dollars!!! Unlike a lot of B-horror films, this one's actually boring. And that's what makes it the worst of all bad movies. One of the few bright spots was Lunk Johnson, who's probably the most natural actor in the film (though certainly no more than halfway decent). He was funny in "Bare Wench 2," and had some funny scenes in this movie too.$LABEL$ 0 +I couldn't believe that the Adult Swim guys came up with this character. I laughed for days just thinking about this show. Having finally seen the pilot I guess I will stick around for a few more episodes. Assy is pretty funny and the whole crew of police show characters are around, but Assy is hard to understand and that was a little frustrating. Most of the humor revolves around the fact that the title character is literally a walking ass with nothing else but legs that sport socks with garters and feet with traditional wing tips. Assy drinks too much and "plays by his own rules" as you might have guessed. The only other funny moments are Assy shooting many,many people and spending time at home - in the bathroom. It is not Squidbillies funny, but it is worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, I agree with all the Barney haters on this site. I think Barney and his friends are all ugly looking and obnoxious and the show is very lop sided and unrealistic.But the thing that ticked me off the most is how Barney presented Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals on his show when talking about same sex parents and relatives. That wouldn't be so much of a problem if the creators of this show didn't use so many derogatory stereotypes of homosexuals. I mean, not all gay men wear mascara and love the colors purple and pink, and not all lesbians are ugly and manly looking with a bosom that sags to their abdomen. As a bisexual female, I just think this is terrible for a children's show. If this were South Park, I wouldn't mind it, because South Park is for people who can distinguish fantasy from reality. A lot of people who watch Barney are little kids or handicapped people who can't usually distinguish fantasy from reality.And now that I think about it, Barney sort of comes off as an ugly gay stereotype himself. Let's see, he doesn't have a girlfriend, he's pinkish colored and wears clothes with sequins (yes, it's true) on it. If you claim to be for the rights of gay and bisexual individuals, then stop making a mockery out of them in front of people who don't know any better. If Barney went black-face and ate fried chicken and watermelon at the same time, the show would be pulled off the air before you know it.I give this show a negative one out of five. Don't show your kids such hateful crap. There are children's shows out there that are so less insulting.$LABEL$ 0 +From the very beginning I was so excited to see this movie. The poster is possibly the funniest I've ever seen for a movie. I immediately bought one for my dorm this September.Every element came together in this movie so beautifully. It's not often you see a movie with so many penis, gay, and racial jokes so praised by critics. Carell and the rest of the cast deliver each raunchy joke sensationally. Carell remains sweet throughout the entire movie where by the end of the movie you're rooting for him to succeed in his relationship more than you are for him to get laid. The supporting cast is brutal, each of them having some problems with the ladies themselves.One of the things about this movie is the abundance of memorable scenes we're given. This is what makes a movie easy to remember fondly. This movie will often be brought up when the words "chest waxing" and "condoms" are mentioned in conversation.Watching it in the theater I was surprised how many older people were there to watch it. I saw a group of four mid-60s women come in. Despite an older audience, this movie still filled the entire theater with laughter.I think the type of people who will like this are the fans of the Office and Steve Carell. A lot of the jokes remind me of the type of jokes you'd see on Family Guy, too. The movie is shallow enough for adolescent boys and still sweet and clever enough for middle aged women.I don't recommend going to this movie if you aren't a fan of profanity or if you are easily offended. However, when you are at the movie, just remember this movie is all in good humor. The jokes aren't "gay jokes," they're just jokes. And they're funny.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure what the director and editor were thinking when they were editing this poor excuse for a film, but whatever they thought of didn't help this movie, it only hurt it, and it hurt this film badly. The acting, for once, isn't the problem, it's the horrible editing, scenes will end for no apparent reason, while in the middle of an action sequence or people will be cut off in mid sentence. I'm not sure what the story was, but it didn't really matter, since what I did see was fairly uninteresting. Just bad all around, a huge "Jaws" rip-off and not a good one at that. The MST version was funny though. 7 for that, none for the film itself.$LABEL$ 0 +Ching Siu Tung's and Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story, aside from being one of the greatest wuxia pian films ever made, is a beautiful and romantic love story as well as an impressively choreographed martial arts film that should belong in every film lover's collection. The sorely missed Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung plays a traveling tax collector who spends the night at a haunted temple. While staying at the temple, he meets a colorful cast of characters that include the swordsmen Yin (Wu Ma) and Hsiao Hou, the Tree Devil, and the beautiful ghost Lit Sin Seen, played by the lovely Joey Wong.To free her from the clutches of the evil Tree Devil, he must reincarnate her body and travel to the underworld to defeat an even more powerful demon.Enough good things can't be said about this film. The pacing is perfect, with a great combination of romance, action, fantasy and humor, and the feverishly paced finale should leave you with little chance to breathe. The chemistry between the wonderfully tragic Joey Wong and Leslie Cheung (whose legendary career ended much too soon) really allows the viewer to feel for both of them. Indeed the acting on the whole is so vivacious and full of life, I would say this is one of the most fun viewing experiences I've ever had. Much of the credit goes to Wu Ma in his portrayal of the mysterious Swordsman Yin. His over-the-top persona of a disillusioned swordsman hell bent on vanquishing evil leads to some great moments of humor and traditional HK drama. A wonderful score, lush cinematography with eye popping colors, and frenetic action pieces courtesy of Ching Siu Tung round out this wonderful film. Find a copy anywhere you can. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +You could have put the characters on the island for any reason at all and had the same movie. The first one had an original story, the second stole one from King Kong, and in the end (I hope) of this trilogy the story seemed to have been bypassed altogether. Drop some people on an island full of dinosaurs and watch them run for their lives. That was about all there was to it. The special effects were decent but not worth 8 dollars. If you have a discount theatre in your local area, wait and see it for a buck. I wouldn't even bother renting it. That would be too much money for this unthrilling thriller.$LABEL$ 0 +Some less than inspired opening string music notwithstanding, we somehow know that from the word go this is heading straight for the "big fun" drawer. By the time we observe Monica Dolan (in a truly genius bit of casting) delightfully goofing it up as Cora early on we're already hooked, but it is only later on when she reveals herself in her marvellous screen creation, that deranged, scheming, maleficent queen of murder and deceit posing in the guise of the uptight Miss Gilchrist, that she not only effortlessly steals the entire telemovie for herself but quite simply blows off screen anyone who comes near her, including the ever well measured David Suchet who himself seems to be somewhat bedazzled by her acting talents and, very gentlemanly, allows her to take centre stage. Dolan is the true engine of the film and her Miss Gilchrist a genuinely well rounded character in this Christie rendition, helped by a zesty script and the sprightly paced direction - and also by the rest of the cast led by Geraldine James and Dominic Jephcott, who all display signs of sympathy for the given material and play with relish accordingly.The production values are spot on as usual, and if there are any weaker links they might be located in the comparatively substandard music score to the majority of later Poirots, and also perhaps in the lacking of a genuine Italian-born actor for the role of Cora's husband. Other than that, this is an hour and a half of pure televisual delight which is as self indulgent and entertaining as it is lovingly put together.$LABEL$ 1 +There are many people in our lives that we meet only once in our lifetime, but for some reason or another we remember those persons for the rest of our lives. These once in a lifetime friendships occur between people with long distances between and there are always some natural reasons for why we don't meet these people anymore. We don't always even know their names, as we are never presented to each other, and sometimes we even forget to ask what their names are. It's funny how common humanity makes occasional friends and we like to keep it as such, because reuniting might spoil fond memories, or we don't know do they. We are too afraid to check that out.The movie 'Before Sunrise' just caught me watching it. I never had intention to watch it through, but because the discussion between the couple seemed interesting, I gave a look for the rest of the film. I didn't know what to expect from it, but nor did the young couple. They had time to discuss with each other until the sunrise and anything could happen before they had to separate. I believe this film has had good reviews because the situation is something that everybody on this planet has at least once or twice lived through. It makes us all think about all those people we have met only once in our lives.$LABEL$ 1 +11 Oscar nominations and zero win!!! Am yet to understand why - its not like the actors in the movie did any better thereafter that you can make it by giving them awards for trivial roles like it was done with Halle Berry and Denzel Washington - Whoopi, Oprah, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover etc- were all amazing - i am curious to get scripts of the discussions at the Oscars that year...... it should go into the Shoulda-woulda-coulda category for the judges.... Its an amazing book - but true to Alice Walker's style of writing she has a way of seeming like she is exaggerating her characters - so I am so glad that they screen adaptation took a few things out. The cinematography was amazing - the African scenes live much to be desired - the African part in the book is supposed to be set in Liberia - somewhere in West Africa - BUT oh no! Steven Spielberg thinks the world is so dumb that they cant think of Africa outside of the Safaris - so yes there had to be a complimentary Zebra and wildlife scene when we all know there are none West Africa ---- and most of all why get the people to speak Swahili --- who in West Africa speaks Swahili?? I just had to get that out of the way.......But as a story - amazing, film-making - out of this world - CLASSIC yes!!I own it and I watch it when my soul needs some rejuvenation.$LABEL$ 1 +This very funny British comedy shows what might happen if a section of London, in this case Pimlico, were to declare itself independent from the rest of the UK and its laws, taxes & post-war restrictions. Merry mayhem is what would happen.The explosion of a wartime bomb leads to the discovery of ancient documents which show that Pimlico was ceded to the Duchy of Burgundy centuries ago, a small historical footnote long since forgotten. To the new Burgundians, however, this is an unexpected opportunity to live as they please, free from any interference from Whitehall.Stanley Holloway is excellent as the minor city politician who suddenly finds himself leading one of the world's tiniest nations. Dame Margaret Rutherford is a delight as the history professor who sides with Pimlico. Others in the stand-out cast include Hermione Baddeley, Paul Duplis, Naughton Wayne, Basil Radford & Sir Michael Hordern.Welcome to Burgundy!$LABEL$ 1 +i did not expect to enjoy this. in truth i watched it because a friend knew a friend knew a friend who wrote the script but wasn't credited. knowing Dylan thomas, and really being appreciative of his poetry but aware and rather disconcerted by the man, i didn't feel i needed to see a twee adaption of his lame bohemian life laid bare. and this was not it. critical and yet appreciative it was. it made me cry. kiera knightley was superb, even with that slightly strained welsh accent,and it is a sad tale that they tell. Dylan thomas is not the hero as sadly he was not throughout his life and neither really are the so called 'feisty woman' of the pr spiel. it is cillian the william of the movie. a man that leaves the woman he loves to fight a war that they ignore. his challenge to reoonnect with that indifference is what is of real interest to this film and what a beautiful performance from that actor. i thiink this film is underrated because it was marketed so badly. Dylan thomas fans will expect something more from their so very flawed hero and get less, and well that is how it was marketed. it is not a film about Dylan thomas and it is much more interesting for it.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen The Blob several times and is one of the better low budget alien invasion movies from the 1950's.A strange meteor lands just outside a small town and an elderly man goes to investigate this. A strange jelly like substance then attaches itself to one of his arms and a young couple who saw the meteor land arrive in time and take him to the local doctor's, where the old man then gets completely absorbed by the mass. The doctor and his nurse are the next victims and the mass is getting bigger. When these incidents are reported to the police, they don't believe the young couple and accuse them of making all this up. They finally believe them when the mass, now huge turns up in the town's cinema and everybody runs into the streets screaming. It then attaches itself on a diner with the young couple and some others inside. The Blob is stopped by spraying a load of fire extinguishers at it and it freezes, which is its weakness. It is then transported by plane to the frozen wastes of the Arctic and disposed of there. But it is only frozen, not dead...This movie has a typical setting for its period: teenagers and a small town. The Blob has a good rock and roll style theme song at the beginning and the movie is atmospheric throughout.The sequel, Beware! The Blob followed in 1972 and a remake came in 1988 but this is the best of The Blob movies.The cast is lead by Steve McQueen (The Great Escape)and is the movie that made him a star and Aneta Corsaut plays his girlfriend. I'm not familiar with any of the other stars.The Blob is a must see for all sci-fi fans. Fantastic.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw Anatomy years ago -- dubbed at a friends house I don't remember it much, and then I saw at the video store there is a second one -- not really related to the first one Franka Ponte makes a little cameo. And that one was okay not as good as the first one. I'm seeing the first one again tonight -- not dubbed collectors edition. I really like German movies like this one it's very interesting and people and cults like the one in the movie could exist i think, i dunno. But it's very grossly entertaining and scary. Anatomy 2 is a little different and the characters are not as good as the first. But if you really thought Anatomy was interesting and good you should see the second one.$LABEL$ 1 +Perhaps the most polished and accomplished of all Indian films - Pakeezah does not fall into any of the traps commonly associated with Bollywood film (ie tackiness, farce, wholesale and unsuccessful imitation of western film themes/genres). Pakeezah is indigenous to the Sub-Continent and authentic, almost Madam Butterfly-like in plot. Characters are well-developed, direction, although sometimes unrefined by today's standards, perceptive and convincing. The Urdu-speaking milieux at the time of Pakeezah were masters of understatement and how the dialogue conveys the subtleties of the age! The acting (particularly the 'looks' and the dynamic between characters) are a delight to behold although the nuances may be lost on contemporary viewers or those not acquainted with the mores and customs of Muslim India.Coupled, with a captivating screenplay is a beautiful musical score, enhanced by the protagonist displaying eminent command of classical Indian dance (kathak). As is the case with most romantic tragedies, the heroine must die, but she does not take her leave of the audience without the viewer feeling he/she has been party to a truly memorable cinema experience. Pakeezah is surely the pinnacle of what Indian cinema has produced and is unlikely to be paralleled.$LABEL$ 1 +Not for those adrenaline maniacs etc It's a good movie, looking at after war, psychical problem, from the other point of view. Emilio Estevez is great as a young man, haunted by the demons of Vietnam war, causing problem in family. Marin Sheen is also good as a conservative father.It all comes down to the problem how to deal with the past, with whomEmilion Estevez's character can't seem to deal, and Martin Sheen's character don't want do deal with.Protective mother looks at this problem with warm , and open heart but with her mind closed for the obvious reasons.$LABEL$ 1 +While it comes no closer to the Tarzan of Edgar Rice Burroughs than, say, the Johnny Wiesmuller flicks did it does have it's own peculiar, and entertaining, slant on the story. Its a well done Tarzan movie. Nice scenery, good photography, workable continuity, and a Tarzan yell that echos the one described by Burroughs. The players all perform well. The only bad points I found were, I think, related. It moves slow in places. That slow movement? Makes this picture to long. It could easily have been 15 to 20 minutes shorter, which I think would have helped with the natural flow of the plot line and the character development. But the rest of the film works well enough to carry it over these two rough spots and still leave the viewer satisfied with the flick. Short version of all the above ... Its a very GOOD Tarzan movie.$LABEL$ 1 +The initiation to the local sport team involves taking the newbies out to the corn fields and guess what? There is a scarecrow murdering people there. Only one of the newbies survive but falls into a coma due to diabetes. Meanwhile the scarecrow starts to kill all of the involved people, one by one. Whats the scarecrows secret? Will they find it out before the scarecrow gets them all? This is a low budget movie and it shows. Sound is OK but picture is really corny. The plot/script really sucks and is quite pathetic and non logical. The acting is really bad and sometimes just laughable. Cant really say much about the special effects cause there aren't that many but the few there is ranges from bad to OK(for a low budget that is). There is some nudity and thats probably the only thing worth to watch in the movie(that is if your a horny teenager, if not, skip the movie all together). Another complete waste of time and money so don't see it. Goes for hack'n'slash fans too.$LABEL$ 0 +Nicole Finn (Madonna) is just being released from prison. Although she is ordered to go by bus to Philadelphia, she wants to stick around the place she was arrested. This is because she claims she has information that would clear her record. Louden (Griffin Dunne) is assigned to escort her to the bus by his future father in law. Louden will be driving around the city anyway (in his future mother in law's Rolls Royce), picking up the wedding ring and a rare big, big cat for an eccentric collector. Nicki, however, starts the ensuing mayhem as soon as she jumps in the Rolls to take over the driving. Between big cats, taxi drivers, hit men, bridesmaids, and a wedding cake with guns, lawyer Louden knows he's not in Kansas anymore. Is there a way out of the madness? This film is a wild trip down comedy avenue. Madonna and Dunneare perfect foils to each other, making their connection uproarious, as they play out their roles as an ex-con and an uptight, button-down lawyer, respectively. The script is laudable in it's ability to send the viewer into fits of hysteria as one implausible scene gives way to the next one, and the next. Everything secondary, from the supporting actors to the scenery to the costumes, are also quite nice. If you know someone who is in need of a jolt of joy, rent this movie for them. You will both be cheerio pronto.$LABEL$ 1 +Usually I'm the one criticizing the twenty-something Neanderthals for not being able to appreciate a film unless it has plastic t*ts, gunfights and car chases. However, in this case the film might actually have been improved with a few of those additions. At least I wouldn't have gotten bored after an hour and changed channels.I don't mind surreal, and I certainly don't mind having to pay attention to find subtlety or hidden meaning, but there should be some point to the whole thing. I didn't get the feeling that even the writer or director really had a broad vision of anything but were, instead, just so self-absorbed in their own pretentious visions that they became deliberately scattered. Or perhaps they just got confused themselves. Either way, I don't care. It bored the crap out of me for just over an hour with no saving grace.Although a whole pack of other viewers have filled up this site with excited ravings about the alleged symbolism and masterful cinematography, I must respectfully disagree. Perhaps I didn't mince through enough film classes to appreciate some inspired techniques not visible to mere mortals ...Or perhaps this movie was just crap. I give it a "1" and file it next to "Ishtar."$LABEL$ 0 +Especially for a time when not much science fiction was being filmed (1973), this is a terrific vision of a future where everything has gone wrong. Too many people, and nothing works. The only people who can live in comfort are the rich. It's set in New York in 2022 (I think), and it reminds you of your worst vision of Calcutta.I got to appreciate Charlton Heston's acting after seeing him in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. He was (maybe is) capable of portraying a range of heroic or semi-heroic people. Here, he is torn between being a cop who is just a little bit corrupt (taking rare food treats from the rich), and being totally corrupt (actively condoning evil). The movie all seems to take place at night, and sweat is dripping off everyone, except in one of the rare air-conditioned apartments. Even though I hadn't seen it before, I knew the famous ending (which will not here be revealed), but the ending is certainly foreshadowed.Great scenes with Edward G. Robinson: going to the council (made up of elderly Jews with heavy accents, so it seems), where the truth is revealed. And then going off to the Thanatopsis to check out.Gritty, pre-Star Wars dystopian science fiction.$LABEL$ 1 +A fairly typical Australian movie where the underdog saves the day inspite of himself. I guess there is no real reason to see this pic if you have seen "The Castle" or "The Dish". It still leaves you with a positive feeling at the end and it as good or better than most Hollywood stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +Sidney Young (Pegg) moves from England to New York to work for the popular magazine Sharpe's in a hope to live his dream lifestyle but struggles to make a lasting impression.Based on Toby Young's book about survival in American business, this comedy drama received mixed views from critiques. Labelled as inconsistently funny but with charm by the actors, how to lose friends seemed as a run of the mill fish out of the pond make fun at another culture comedy, but it isn't.This 2008 picture works on account of its actors and the simple yet sharp story. We start off in the past, then in the present and are working our way forwards to see how Young made his mark at one of America's top magazines.Pegg (Hot Fuzz) is too likable for words. Whether it's hitting zombies with a cricket bat or showing his sidekick the nature of the law the English actor brings a charm and light heartedness to every scene. Here, when the scripting is good but far from his own standards, he brings a great deal of energy to the picture and he alone is worth watching for. His antics with "Babe 3" are unforgivable, simply breathtaking stuff as is his over exuberant dancing, but he pulls it off splendidly.Bridges and Anderson do well at portraying the stereotypical magazine bosses where Dunst fits in nicely to the confused love interest. Megan Fox, who stole Transformers, reminds everyone she can act here with a funny hyperbole of a stereotype film star. The fact that her character Sophie Myles is starring in a picture about Mother Teresa is as laughable as her character's antics in the pool. To emphasize the point there is a dog, and Pegg rounds that off in true Brit style comedy, with a great little twist.Though a British film there is an adaptation of American lifestyle for Young as he tries to fit in and we can see the different approaches to story telling. Young wants the down right dirty contrasted with the American professionalism. The inclusion of modern day tabloid stars will soon make this film dated but the concept of exploitation of film star's gives this edge.Weide's first picture is not perfect. There are lapses in concentration as the plot becomes too soapy with an awkward obvious twist and there are too many characters to be necessary. The physical comedy can also be overdone. As a side note, the bloopers on the DVD are some of the finest you will ever see, which are almost half an hour long.This comedy drama has Simon Pegg on shining form again and with the collective approach to story telling and sharp comedy, it is worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +First-time director Tom Kiesche turns in a winning film in the spirit of cutting, dark comedy. Shot on a shoestring budget, yet had the flavor of the early Coen brother's film Blood Simple ... and throw in some Monty Python flavorings to boot! Needs to seen more than once to appreciate all the elements that carry one scene to the next. Expect more good things to come from this writer-director-actor.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a case where the script plays with the audience in a manner that serves only in extending this story to 90 minutes. Story starts out in 1969 where a young girl named Faith (Cameron Diaz) travels to Europe with her boyfriend Wolf (Christopher Eccleston) but she dies under mysterious circumstances. Then in 1976 Faith's sister Phoebe (Jordana Brewster) decides to travel to Europe as well and try and find out what happened to her sister. In France she looks up Wolf who has stayed there and she wants him to help her retrace the steps her sister took and answer some questions. He is reluctant but decides to travel with her. Along the way he fills in the gaps of the occurrences and tells Phoebe that Faith had joined up with the Red Army who are an extremist group that is involved in terrorism. Phoebe and Wolf engage in a romance and this complicates the trip to Portugal where Faith died. Their is several things wrong with this film and it all has to do with the script. First, the romance between Wolf and Phoebe is all wrong and does nothing for the story. It rings completely false and comes across as forced. It seems weird that Wolf would engage in a romance with his dead girlfriends sister. Secondly, Wolf knows completely what happened to Faith but only lets out little chunks of information every 15 minutes or so. Wolf will look at Phoebe every 15 minutes and say, "There is something I didn't tell you"! Gee, thanks a lot Wolf! If Wolf had come clean the first time he talked to Phoebe then the film would have been over in about 30 minutes. Another thing that bothered me was that I don't think this film recreated the 1960's at all. Diaz wears hippie clothes but the time period just didn't ring true. I did enjoy a few things like the authentic locations where the film was shot. It is a very good looking film and the scenery is beautiful. The performances are all good especially by Brewster and Diaz. Besides "The Fast and the Furious" I had never really seen Brewster in anything. But after watching her performance in this film I came away very impressed. She's very good here and I hope better roles come her way. The script is told in a very contrived way and the film never comes across as believable.$LABEL$ 1 +In this follow up to The Naked Civil Servant we see the final years of Quentin Crisp's life in New York. John Hurt is again Crisp (come on who else could play the part?) and its a role he inhabits to the point of disappearing. For me Hurt is Crisp and I've always found it very hard to take the man himself because Hurt was more him than he was himself. Its masterful performance. His equal is Denis O'Hare as Phillip Steele, Crisp's long time friend and confidant.Unfortunately outside of the performances the film has little to recommend it. To be certain the film gets the details right. Filmed in and around New York the film the film looks and feels like New York and its environs, but dramatically its kind of inert. Its Crisp talking to people being witty,trying to come to terms with the world as it is (he ended up regretting some poorly chosen words concerning AIDS) and dealing with the infirmities that old aged thrust upon him. Quentin the man is always interesting, but his life as portrayed is really not.I am disappointed by the film. I've always admired the man and his unique point of view. I just wish he was better served by this film about his life.$LABEL$ 0 +For Native Mongolian speakers the film lacked emotion and emphasis. Used too many non Native speakers especially Jamukha. Too many diversions from the actual history. Terrible terrible subtitle!!! I wonder where and who did that subtitle. It was both in English and Thai. I wonder how bad the subtitle was in Thai if the English subtitle was soooo bad! Described the one of the greatest leader's life very uninteresting. There are better films made by Mongolian directors with very low budget from 1980's. Honestly, I'm wondering if the film critics of Academy award is that lenient or what? Only good thing was some good CGI in some fighting scenes only moderately... not over the top CGI$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit, when I read the description of the genre on Netflix as "Steamy Romance" I was a little bit skeptical. "Steamy"? In a movie from 1968?? I was prepared for disappointment. And when I realized it was shot entirely in black & white, I knew my erotic hopes were dashed.Boy, was I wrong! Not only does this film have all of the elements of a steamy romance -- the discovery of first love, fear of the secret being found out, a sudden unexpected end -- but at times this movie was downright erotic. You will soon forget that it is shot in black & white. The cinematography deserves every accolade it has received over the years. And the performances from the two stars (Essy Persson and Anna Gael) are intense and memorable. OK, so they're both in their mid twenties trying to play school girls. It's 1968. Do you really expect teenagers from the '60s to be able to effectively explore a lesbian love story like this? Many adult women were still trying to come to grips with their sexuality back then. Anyone looking for real teens here is expecting too much.I think this movie was way ahead of its time. The level of eroticism was an unexpected pleasure; yet it still managed to leave a lot to the imagination, opting instead to give us poetic descriptions to add to what we were shown.I have no doubt lesbians will identify with the characters here. As for you straight guys who love watching lesbians in action: Although it won't be all you expect, I don't think you'll be too, too disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +I think it is saying something that the Bollywood "Bride and PRejudice" stayed more faithful to the source material than this 2005 Hollywood version did. I also laughed more at the Bollywood version. (Mr. Kholi? Priceless!) If you have read the book or seen the 1995 BBC version (and liked them), you will be in for a nasty surprise going in to this film then. My friend however, who had seen neither, was mildly amused by the film. If you are a JAne Austen purist though, or even a film-goer who dislikes historical inaccuracies, it will be painful to sit through this.Ugh, the script. The script was the biggest problem. I imagine the actors wouldn't have fared half so badly if they'd had a decent script, perhaps penned by somebody who actually loved Austen's work.What travesties were committed? Well, you'll be forced to endure such incredulous lines as "Don't you dare judge me, Lizzy!" and "Leave me alone for once in your lives!". Not only are such lines far from anything that could come from Jane Austen's eloquent pen, but can anyone honestly believe words like that spilling from the mouth of a genteel young lady from the Regency era? The usage of modern colloquialisms is one of the many irritating ways that the screenwriter butchers the book. The writer also decided to give characters lines that, in the book, were said by a completely different characters and all for no apparent purpose. Worse of all, when they do try to stick a bit closer to the book's writing, the screenwriter has a nasty and unnecessary habit of rearranging Austen's phrases and substituting awkward synonyms for her already perfect words. It was as if the screenwriter sat down with the book in one hand and a thesaurus in the other when writing the script. Stick to Austen's words; she did it better than you! I assume all of this was done in a "revisionist" spirit and in an effort to distance this film from the iconic 1995 BBC version. However, for me, it also made a travesty of the true spirit of Austen's most beloved work.The casting did have potential, though it was quickly dashed away once the script kicked in. But Keira, giggling excessively and baring your crooked teeth does not equal charm and vivacity! And I think Mr. McFayden, though I find him tolerably handsome enough, misread his script and was under the impression he was playing Heathcliff and not the formidable Mr. Darcy. I really did enjoy Brenda Blethyn, Kelly Reilly and the actor who played Mr. Collins. Their interpretations were really rather refreshing.Oh, but Donald Sutherland! Somebody described his performance as seeming like a hobo who had accidentally wandered onto the movie set and I must say it is an apt description. And can somebody tell me why they fashioned Wickham after Legolas? Though he was in the movie for under two minutes, I daresay, and without his impressive archery skills to perk up the movie.On a wardrobe note, I would kill for Miss Bingley's dresses because they were sumptuous and would fit in more with the modern century. (A sleeveless Regency evening gown? Please! More Versace than Austen, that is sure) And poor Keira, all of the budget went to her salary and not her wardrobe! Oh, and I'm sure they eventually caught the bastard who stole the one hairbrush from the movie set. Unfortunately, they didn't catch him soon enough to comb the actresses' tresses before filming rolled.In short, with this new Hollywood version, bid adieu to Austen's eloquence, subtlety and wit because you'll be getting the complete opposite.$LABEL$ 0 +I used to watch Pufnstuf every weekend when I was about 10. It was on right after Bay City Rollers. I saw it come on to Family Channel one day, and taped it for my then three-year old daughter. I'd forgotten all the things I'd loved as a child, the magic flute, the zoom broom, Witcheepoo's makeup.This show is decidedly low tech. The mayor is surely a precedent to Mayor McCheese, and everyone is a stuffed creature with annoying googly eyes. But kids love this stuff. They would way, way rather watch a guy work a sock puppet than sit in front of high-tech computer animation. There is (mild) slapstick, but no adult themes such as sex or people dying, and kids accept Jimmy's schemes. Kids think it would be neat to carry a bag of smoke around and convince someone their house was on fire, and I loved how every time my daughter saw a jet stream in the sky she thought Witchypoo was flying overhead. The music is old, but you really get used to it, and my daughter really loved it. She used to sing "different is hard, different is lonely" in the car. My daughter watched this show at least once a day for about 5 months, and it's still one of her favourites.I see that a new Pufnstuf 2000 is in the works. I really hope they try to keep the old flavour and don't do anything like computer-animating characters etc. I think a whole new generation would love Pufnstuf.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was an amazing tribute to whoever has gone through this type of pain and suffering. The acting wasn't the greatest, I'll admit that, but it was passionate about it's message, sending people into prisons without so much as an attorney or some type of trial is cruel and unusual. They even had a damn trial for Saddam, so why doesn't every suspected terrorist have some type of fair and justified trial or hearing as to why they were tagged in the first place? I'm getting off the movie, but I think it's worthy to note about this sick, twisted idea the government has. The movie's way of telling the story and the backstory was a great mystery. The whole movie, I was trying to connect the daughter with the plot and it's made very obvious in the end. There's no doubt that the directing was incredible, but the one thing I didn't care for was that there wasn't as much emphasis on Reese Witherspoon's character's interest and fight in the ideal she held, a lot of skipping. Otherwise it was actually quite entertaining, and most of all it kept my attention and interest for the two hours it played.$LABEL$ 1 +This self-important, confusing b+w "film" watches like an infant on a very bad acid trip. You're dealing with something that reminds you of a piece of rotting lettuce that accidentally fell out of the back of a garbage truck: no one cares to touch it because it will probably be washed away on its own down the storm drain. There's no room for plot when you've got "visceral imagery" and "subtle" allegory. To me, it seems like the director tries to make the next great art movie while begging for intellectual accolades. I didn't bring my beret either. Watching this, I felt almost insulted since the "film" does such an effective job of distancing itself from you.$LABEL$ 0 +Tough guys, sexy women, lots of swearing, and a most unconvincing monster that rises from the depths of a polluted lake. You'd think "Monster" would be fun...but it isn't, really. It does star Tony Eisley and John Carradine, however, and in my book that makes it worth viewing at least once. In an interview with "Fangoria" in 1987, Eisley recalled that Herbert Strock had directed the bulk of the film, but somehow Kenneth Hartford--who only directed the footage featuring his children Andrea and Glenn (portraying characters named Andrea and Glenn, in a particularly inventive turn)--received full credit. Considering how awful the end result was, Strock was probably glad that he hadn't been credited! "Monster" has the look and feel of a mid-to-late-seventies TV movie, which is why I like to leave it on in the background every so often. As entertainment it falls flat on its face, but as a reminder of another age and a vanished type of film-making, it's very effective. The only thing that's missing is a car chase.$LABEL$ 0 +This is really a new low in entertainment. Even though there are a lot worse movies out.In the Gangster / Drug scene genre it is hard to have a convincing storyline (this movies does not, i mean Sebastians motives for example couldn't be more far fetched and worn out cliché.) Then you would also need a setting of character relationships that is believable (this movie does not.) Sure Tristan is drawn away from his family but why was that again? what's the deal with his father again that he has to ask permission to go out at his age? interesting picture though to ask about the lack and need of rebellious behavior of kids in upper class family. But this movie does not go in this direction. Even though there would be the potential judging by the random Backflashes. Wasn't he already down and out, why does he do it again? So there are some interesting questions brought up here for a solid socially critic drama (but then again, this movie is just not, because of focusing on "cool" production techniques and special effects an not giving the characters a moment to reflect and most of all forcing the story along the path where they want it to be and not paying attention to let the story breath and naturally evolve.) It wants to be a drama to not glorify abuse of substances and violence (would be political incorrect these days, wouldn't it?) but on the other hand it is nothing more then a cheap action movie (like there are so so many out there) with an average set of actors and a Vinnie Jones who is managing to not totally ruin what's left of his reputation by doing what he always does.So all in all i .. just ... can't recommend it.1 for Vinnie and 2 for the editing.$LABEL$ 0 +i did not read the book. nor do i care to. the movie was a beautiful romance, and i think women will enjoy it. no, it was not a "10" film, but it was enjoyable. women, if your man is bored as mine was, then watch it yourself. hurt is wonderful as the philosophic doctor who delivers a thoughtful monologue on "in love" and "loving."also, if you like nick cage, he was terrific and funny. i enjoyed watching the developing romance. also, if you like Christian bale -- do see him in equilibrium. this is a "10" sci fi movie.do see this film. ignore the previous user's comments. one -- especially the ladies!! also do visit my website at my name as one word and a "dot" com.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me get this straight... "The Church" has a safety "lock-down" mechanism to keep the spirits from leaving but the ultimate solution is bringing it to the ground?! LOFL! Maybe I'm missing the plot. Maybe this guy is from the Ed Wood school of film-making or something. This movie is about as useless as the church itself. Hey... maybe that's the point. That whole Rosemary's Baby-esq segment was hilarity. I can go to my corner Halloween costume shop and get better drag than that. The entire film needs to be remade. Properly. There were so many things that were played down... so many things that could have made me jump out of my seat and through the ceiling. I'm not sure if the fault lies with the writing or editing but what I saw should not have this high of a rating.$LABEL$ 0 +Basically, take the concept of every Asian horror ghost movie and smash it into one and you get this movie. The story goes like this: a bunch of college kids get voice mails from their own phones that are foretelling their deaths. There's some s*** going on with ghosts, which if you've seen any Asian ghost movie, isn't scary by now. This movie was quite upsetting because it's very clichéd. It's the same bullcrap, different movie.The acting was pretty good. Unfortunately the actors are put into a very Ring-esquire situation, so it's nothing we haven't seen in the past. The two lead acts did a solid job though.As far as gore, there's not much going on. We get a cool sequence that includes an arm twisting a head off (I don't know how else to explain that), but it was cut away so you don't see anything except the final result. You see some blood at times, including decapitated arms and a zombie (that looked really cool I might add), but this movie isn't too bloody.The scares in the movie are few and spread out, and it's really not that scary. You'll get some creepy images at times, but it's not enough for me to consider scary. It's nothing different from Ringu, Ju-On, or Dark Water, and none of those scared me either. That's really the downfall of this (and most Asian horror movies) is that if it doesn't deliver the scares then it's just not that good.As far as directing, Takashi Miike still did a pretty good job. He seemed a little tamed in this movie compared to his past movies, but he still portrays a lot of his messed up style he's become famous for. A lot of images were a lot like Miike (including a scene with a bunch of jars of dead fetuses), and the last 15 - 20 minutes seemed far more Miike then the rest of the movie. Still, the movie is flawed by its unoriginality.I would recommend this only to people who are huge on Asian horror movies (even if you are, I can recommend much better) or big Miike fans. Warning to those who want to get into Miike, this is NOT his best work.I'm giving it a 4 because it's just mediocre. Perhaps if this was released 4 or 5 years ago it might be worth a higher rating.Also, I'd like to b**** about Asian horror movies real quick. How come if it's an Asian horror movie it's automatically suppose to be good over here (US)? A LOT of these movies are the equivalent in Japan to what Scream, Urban Legends, and I Know What You Did Last Summer were over here in the 90's. If you've seen one you've seen them all. And a lot of these movies rely way too much on scares and imagery that if it doesn't deliver the scares they set out to do then they're just not that good, and nothing would change that. More Asian horror films need to be more like Audition and A Tale of Two Sisters, two movies that if they don't frighten or scare you, at least they have great stories, acting, direction, cinematography, and much more to back them up. Two movies that aren't just great horror movies, but great movies in general. More Asian horror movies need to be like these instead of the cliché, "A ghost just wanted to be found so it went around killing people through their phone/video tape/house/electric appliance/water pipes/google search engine/vibrator/groceries/etc."$LABEL$ 0 +Yet again, early morning television proves an invaluable resource for films that I otherwise would never have been able to track down. At four o'clock in the morning, I stumbled out of bed to begin recording 'The Informer (1935),' my fourth film from prolific American director John Ford, and an excellent one at that. Set during the Irish Civil War in 1922, the screenplay was adapted by Dudley Nichols from the novel of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty. Though he was born in the United States, and is most renowned for his "Americana" pictures, both of Ford's parents were Irish, which explains the director's decision to direct the film. Victor McLaglen plays Gypo Nolan, a brutish but well-meaning ruffian who informs on an old friend, Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford), in order to claim the £20 reward for his girlfriend, Katie (Margot Grahame). When Frankie is killed during his attempted arrest, the Irish Republican Army, of which both Frankie and Gypo were members, begins to investigate the traitor behind the incident, every clue bringing them closer and closer to the real culprit.Meanwhile, Gypo is plagued with guilt for his friend's untimely death, and descends into a bout of heavy-drinking that rivals Don Birnam in 'The Lost Weekend (1945)' in its excessiveness. As Gypo drowns his sorrows in copious volumes of alcohol, trapped in a vicious little circle of depression, his extravagant spending captures the attention of the investigating IRA members. For the one time in his life, Gypo finds himself surrounded by admirers (including an amusing J.M. Kerrigan), who enthusiastically clap him on the back and christen him "King Gypo" for his physical might. However, it's obvious that these people feel no affection for the man, and are simple showing him attention to exploit him for money. The additional £20 brought by Frankie's death could never buy Gypo an assembly of friends – indeed, in a bitter twist of irony, the money was only made possible by the betrayal and loss of one of his only good companions. A relatively simple fellow, Gypo could not possibly have fully considered the consequences of his actions, and is eventually offered forgiveness on account of his "not knowing what he was doing," but his foolishness must not go unpunished.Criticism is occasionally levelled at Ford's film for its allegedly propagandistic support of a "terrorist" organisation. Though this stance obviously depends on one's personal views {I certainly don't know enough Irish history to pass judgement}, there's no doubt that the film portrays the Irish Republican Army as selfless, dedicated and impartial, a proud piece of Irish patriotism if I ever saw it. However, the main theme of the story is that of betrayal; driven by intense poverty, one ordinary man betrays the confidence of his good friend, and comes to deeply regret his actions. The tormented Gypo is played mainly for pity, and Victor McLaglen gives a powerful performance that betrays a lifetime of unsatisfying existence, culminating in one terrible decision that condemns him to an uneasy death. 'The Informer' was John Ford's first major Oscar success, winning a total of four awards (from six nominations), including Best Actor for McLaglen {who snatched the statue from the three-way favourites of 'Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)'}, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Dudley Nichols {who declined the award due to Union disagreements}.$LABEL$ 1 +I've been scolded and scorned by fellow Christians for stating my disappointment with this movie. I get hounded by statements like these: "I can't believe you didn't like it! It was made totally by Christians!" "Everyone donated their time and no one was paid for the movie! It was made by a church and not Hollywood. We should spend our money on movies like this! They only used $100,000 to make the film." "This is by a real church and Christian school in Georgia! A preacher wrote and directed it." So, apparently, the reason I should love this movie is simply because of the way it was made and the minimum amount of money used to make it and that is was made by Christians. That is all that is needed for me to love the movie.Look, I got the movie without knowing ANYTHING about the background of the film. I had never heard of it and had no idea - other than football - what it was about. I watched it like I watch any other movie and was disappointed. I was disappointed in the lousy editing and lame script. I was VERY disappointed on the resolution after the climax. Don't worry. There have been other cheap movies and other EXPENSIVELY made movies that have earned less respect from me. It isn't about the making of the movie. It is the end product.The writer acknowledges that God doesn't say "yes" to everything we pray for in the way we want, but he wanted to show by having faith, God changes our lives. That is true. However, God can change our lives and we're still infertile. God can change our lives and we don't get a raise from our job. God can change our lives and our car is still an old jalopy. God can change our lives and our house is still stinky. Why didn't he portray that in the movie? Others voiced their concern to the writer/director over the matter, but apparently, he was defensive.I did not think the acting was horrible nor many of the landscape shots. I like the idea of going to God and recognizing His awesome power and our weakness.The writing and directing were very weak. It is easy to distinguish this because many of the characters have no development. All we really get from the coach's wife is she is not pregnant (well, until the end of the movie). It seems as if there was only ball player that had the potential to have an interesting character and that was chopped to bits into "I have a cripple father and I can't play football well, but I'll kick the winning field goal even though I've never kicked a real field goal before." Another problem was the Christian school itself. Umm, I have worked for two Christian schools, went to one myself, and have had many nieces and nephews in other Christian schools. All in all, I've had some pretty close connections with about ten different ones. NONE of the problems that I have seen in ALL of these schools were addressed. I saw this as totally surreal in the movie about their school and wished they had shown the human factor. It would have been nice to see a dose of reality and how God can work.I will close by stating that every work - either written or drawn or played on an instrument - shares the artist's world view. The world view that was shown to me in this movie consists of "People who pray the right way win ball games, get new cars, conceive when they couldn't, get a raise, and get their house fixed - all within a short time span." I know. I should LOVE the movie simply due to the sincerity of the people who made it. I think I should love the movie because it was well done and for no other reason.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is up there with the all-time classics. The music, camera shots, and acting are excellent. Showing the movie in black and white gave it a much better appearance and complemented the music perfectly, like Psycho. Its surprising how so few people have commented on this movie. My guess is that its a hard movie to find. I gave the film a 9. See the movie and you'll know what I'm talking about.$LABEL$ 1 +Ever since I can remember and I'm only 18 my mother and I have been and continue to watch older movies because well I find them much more rewarding in the long run (but hey don't get me wrong I do love the movies we have today just not as much as I love movies of the 40s and 50s) Anyways, now I have to say the moment I started watching the movie my eyes were glued to the TV. Of course my favorite character was the Grandmother played by Lucile Watson. But I loved the way Betty Davis and her family was portrayed. The children...did not act like children in the slightest. But there is good reason for that, having had to hid and run most of your life, seeing the awful things children saw those days destroyed their innocence. So people saying "oooo i hated how the kids acted...blah blah blah" read between the lines and know they saw things children should not see.Paul Lukas...dear Paul did an amazing job!!! Now I know many people are mad that he go the Oscar and Bogie didn't but hey they both did amazing jobs so I think it could have gone either way. But Lukas' performance was so amazing that by the end of the movie I was reduced to tears. I loved this movie so much and recommend it to anyone!! :-D$LABEL$ 1 +what kind of sh*t is this? Power rangers vs Freddy? It was watchable and as good as the first film in the beginning but from the part where the protagonists get super powers in theirs dreams, it started to become childish. This sh*t should have been rated PG or PG-13 rather than R. I expected to see some very mature stuff but it was only for the 1/3 of the film. The rest are for little kids. Plus it's focused too much on Christianity. I know Freddy's a demon but there are many religions that have different ways to fight demons. Why does it always have to be Christianity? This is total Orientalism and filled with white men/westerner's superiority. Don't' watch this, show it to little kids who loves power rangers.$LABEL$ 0 +Guy de Maupassant was a novelist who wrote a novel about a man, a poor man, without any moral qualities. He only wanted to success in a society where all the people, the politic men, the businessmen, the journalists, the women are corrupt. The only king is MONEY. The Maupassant hero, Charles Forestier is going higher and higher in the society scale thanks to his seduction poser. He is in love with all the women who could help him in his action to climb the society stapes. At the end of the novel, he married himself with the biggest daily paper owner's daughter, in the greatest church of Paris : "La Madeleine". "Le Tout Paris" is there. He has a fortune and more, he will become a member of Parliament and later a Minister. The "useless" women are out of his view, but he is always keeping in touch with the pretty and the usefull women. The picture "THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI" is a story of MORALITY. It is everything, but not a story in the Maupassant idea. Why had they put "BEL AMI" in its title ?$LABEL$ 0 +I am shocked to see that this movie has been given more than two stars by some people. They must either be kidding or be totally blind for the art of acting, directing and other flaws of the movie.I must admit that I just could not force myself to sit through the whole movie, it was just too bad.The three first characters, not including the "digger" were just awful actors, and I mean AWFUL! Maybe the director didn't care, or may be he is a worse director. It was like watching a bad school play. The movie was of course filmed with a video camera (lowbudget - not real film), and the light settings were not very good either. In addition, the sound man (if they had one) must either have been a newbie or a drunk as the sound were amateurish. Even in one of the first scenes from the kitchen (AWFUL acting btw) the sound from the dialog was pretty bad. For example, when the woman moved her head while speaking, you could hear her voice disappear and come back. It sounded like they had tried to correct that in post-production by turning up the volume a bit when she turns her head. In addition, you had the ongoing irritating buzzing sound from either camera equipment or other sources in the kitchen. All these squeakers in the first 5 minutes or so. Need I say more?A good school project or fun project for friends to watch, but should never have been released for a real audience, especially not for a PAYING audience. THIS WAS A RIP OFF unless you have a very low standard regarding movies, or just bad taste. You are WARNED! SB.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a big fan of H. P. Lovecraft's books, and the Mythos background spawned some rather good other stories and stuff like that. And in the last years there came along some boys who did movies about H. P.'s work, – for the bigger part low-budged flicks – and showed them to the public at places like the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival. Now, like I said, most of them don't have a big budged, but they at least know the heart and "soul" of Lovecrafts work and films like "Cool Air" or "The Call of Cthulhu" - are what I would think - gifts for the fan base and other loonies that like H.P.'s creation. And then there are people like Ivan Zuccon, who just rip off the name and create a movie which would have been fun to watch if I had directed it myself and filmed with some friends down at the beach. That is what Mr. Zuccon did as it seems...but, while blokes like Aaron Vanek's or Bryan Moore's earlier movies might not have had more budged, they somehow still had more to offer , like a story, real characters and some connection to Lovecraft! Just blabbering out names like "Nyarlathotep" or "Necronomicon" makes a movie not a Lovecraft-adaption. Anyway, this flick will not only make fans of the Mythos shudder and hide, it will also not appeal to people who 1. like good movies, 2. laugh about bad movies, 3. like good C-grade splatter movies or 4. watch everything that has Horror written on the DVD-cover. I will not go into the "plott" of this waste of time, as it has already been discussed by others here on this page, but like I said, Unknown Beyond is like a movie I would have made up with some geeky friends.. Aside from that it lacks ideas for any storytelling and goes into ridiculous "moronic-nonsense-but-he-it's-art-stuff". Self-made flicks of this "quality" are fun to watch if you know all the blokes in it and ha-ha, see how XY is coughing out the fake blood we made from old tomato sauce and stuff – but hey, you don't put this in a DVD-casing, declare it an actual movie and want money for it…I give it 2/10 because of the I dunno – effort or something like that$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe it's just a personal affection for this screen version of the Mika Waltari novel, or a fondness for things Egyptian (I grew up loving to visit the mummies in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts) but I think Maltin is a tad tough on this rather good film. The production values are great regarding color and cinematography, and it appears some effort went into historical authenticity (much of it from the novel, I'm sure). Purdom is admittedly a bit stiff in the lead role, but one can accept this as part of Sinuhe's character. Victor Mature is, well, Victor Mature. Peter Ustinov is a delight to watch in this type of role, which he always did so well and so wittily. Bella Darvi's performance as Nefer is classically camp, and I find even Michael Wilding's rather dry portrayal of Akenaten to have its own appeal.The historical oddity of Akenaten's monotheism, a brief detour in ancient Egypt's theological history, is interesting, as is Akenaten himself, and well worth reading about; the religious wars portrayed here have a basis in fact.An interesting footnote regarding Darvi, whose birth name was Bayla Wegier: she was a Polish emigre who producer Darryl Zanuck and his wife Violet took under their wing (I believe they may even have adopted her). Her screen name Darvi is formed from Zannuck's and his wife's first names. She continued her acting career in France, but never achieved great success and, after a rather unhappy life, died at her own hand in 1971.Altogether this is an interesting film and enjoyable to watch for the visual values alone. American Movie Classics shows this occasionally in letterbox, which is essential to capturing the scope and sweep of the story.$LABEL$ 1 +This can hardly be called a good movie, actually it's not even close. But I have to say, that there was a few things that made me... not laugh, not giggle, but something like that. The Resovoir Dogs parody was one of them. The rest are not important enough to be remembered.To be honest, I was a little disappointed by this movie. The plot sounded like an idea, but it quickly fell to the ground. The whole thing was just to messy and the actors where not good for the characters; most of them simply overacted. There was also a whole lot of unessecary sequences, that was a total waste of film. I do realize that it would make the movie about 20 min shorter, but it would only make it better.Now, with the good and the bad things lined up, let's go to the conclusion: two out of six toilet seats up for this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, well, you know those shock things they use in hospitals to get your heart pumping again? I needed one for my brain after watching this movie. It literally took me almost 4 hrs in total to watch because I had to take a break and restart my brain to semi-normal functionality every so often. I mean this movie goes soooooo slooooow its ridiculous, to say that the script had about 10 pages of dialogue would be generous. They just don't talk!! And while talking isnt everything, and i admit there were some scenes where only the music was necessary, and the music is great, that was probably the best part, but then go listen to a symphony or something and forget about the movie. So many people give this awesome reviews, and for its time, i'd say the special effects and filmography is quite good, but as for the acting, or lack thereof, it just needed a little something more, no shootem ups or sex etc., profanity isnt even required, but a little more emotion, these guys were like stones, just sitting there with long faces. All in all, if you need something to calm yourself down, just play the movie, dont even start at the beginning if you've seen it before, just start anywhere, lay down, and relax, it'll put you right to sleep.$LABEL$ 0 +Louise Brooks gives a wonderful performance in this well-made French melodrama. She plays a typist named Lucienne who, despite being in love with a man named Andre, dreams of rising above her position in life. She sees opportunity in a beauty contest for Miss Europe, but Andre is furious when he discovers that she's entered, then demands that she withdraw. She tries to take back her entry only to discover that she's already been chosen as Miss France and will now go on to the main pageant.This is a story of love, loss and decision played out to its passionate end. The movie is very energetically filmed by director Augusto Genina and cinema tographers Rudolf Mate and Louis Nee. The filming style is more like modern movies than the Hollywood flicks of the '30s, and shows the different style employed by Europeans. There are many fast cuts and traveling shots, mostly done with great skill and verve. The high energy of the movie's first third dwindles a bit in the middle but picks up again in the last 15 minutes.The performances were very good by all the principals, but that of Louise Brooks is especially memorable. Louise leans heavily on her silent screen skills even though this is a talkie, but because her silent style had a surprisingly contemporary, understated feel, she makes the transition to talkies very well. The long early scene at the fair was especially poignant as Louise used her remarkably expressive eyes to convey her growing sense of misery and alienation, of being trapped in a life she no longer wants. I doubt it's ever been done better.The film builds to a superb finale, artfully shot, powerful and stylish. This is really some of the best stuff of the early days of film. And the tragic storyline only underscores the greater tragedy that this is the final starring role for Louise Brooks. She wasn't just a great beauty who looked fantastic in a swimsuit, she really was a major acting talent who basically threw it all away. We are all the poorer for that.This movie is less well known than her German films with G.W. Pabst, but I think it's a better one. I think this crew is just better at storytelling than Pabst, and while Prix de Beaute may lack the deep moral complexity of the Pabst films, it's much easier to follow and is overall a more streamlined, focused piece of work. And it doesn't hurt that Louise's singing parts are done by Edith Piaf, either.Bottom line, this is a classic Louise Brooks film well worth looking for.$LABEL$ 1 +Terrible psychological thriller that is almost painful to sit through, every aspect being awful.The combined talents of top actors Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman are totally wasted, and though they give good performances, one wonders why they bothered. The script from Mark Kasdan is a complete mess, and Martin Campbell has the narrative jumping all over the place, but if you're unable to follow it, take it as a blessing. There are far too many pointless, crazy scenes that just don't make sense. Jerry Goldsmith's music is not much help either.Even if there was potential in the plot, director Campbell's approach has utterly ruined it. Avoid at all costs!Monday, February 26, 1996 - Video$LABEL$ 0 +Isn't it strange how crap-movies always tend to be a little better when you start watching them with an attitude like: "boy, this is going to suck harder than few things have ever sucked before"? It's pretty much impossible for anyone to rent this movie with high – or even remotely positive - expectations, as "House of the Dead 2" is a sequel to something that is generally considered to be one of the absolute worst genre disasters ever to be released. The abysmal reputation of the original actually turned out to be a great advantage for director Michael Hurst, as it was really easy to surpass the quality level of its predecessor. And exactly how embarrassing must this be for Uwe Boll, huh? Having to acknowledge that a straight-to-video sequel without star power or promotional campaigns is MUCH better than his own pretentious video game interpretation? In case anyone still doubts: NO, "House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim" isn't a good horror movie at all but, YES: it's definitely better than the first and even worth renting in case you're looking for an undemanding splatter film with loads of gory butchering, sleaze and stupid humor. There's no real connection with the events in the first film (another advantage) and this part two opens like a typically rancid sex comedy set in a college campus. The male fraternity club plans to attack a sorority house, inhabited exclusively by blond coeds with enormous breasts, but the party gets interrupted when an insane professor (Sid Haig!) who runs his car over a girl and takes her back to his lab to turn her into a zombie. This is the beginning of a quickly spreading and deadly epidemic but, no worries, as the government is prepared and sends their best scientists & soldiers to the campus to search for survivors and to bring back blood samples for an antidote. Hunting down zombies seems like the most common thing in the world for this squadron, they even named them Hyper Sapiens, but their constantly increasing amount eventually endangers the lives of the most hardened soldiers. Director Hurst thankfully found his inspiration in the more eminent classics of the genre, like James Cameron's "Aliens" and – of course - George A. Romero's dead-trilogy, particularly "Day of the Dead". He luckily also didn't made the same mistakes as Uwe Boll, who inserted footage of the actual video game in his movie (why?!?) and *slightly* exaggerated with the use of CGI-techniques. HotD 2 contains heavy images of violence, like chopped up female corpses and detailed amputations, but it never really becomes nauseating or shocking. Naturally, there's isn't the slightest bit of suspense to enjoy and every dreadful horror cliché features here as well. The film is very enjoyable as long as story writer Mark Altman doesn't try to explain the origins of the zombie epidemics. They're walking corpses with their brains hanging out of their skulls, so we really don't need to know what caused their deaths. Especially not when the explanations are given by a blond sorority slut who clearly hasn't got a clue what all the medical terms mean. Just avoid getting bitten, sweetheart.$LABEL$ 0 +First and foremost I am a gay man, although do not live my life within the so called "Community", and it's because of films like this that Gay themed movies are not my favorite genre because 90% of them are crap. Like this one. f I could give this a zero I would. (I do not understand all the positive comments, unless they were all made by people who made this film) I actually stopped this at the 24 minute mark when the so called straight "Anthony" kissed Adam outside the restaurant for NO reason at all. And how is the son stealing from the diner if he doesn't even live in the town? Wire transfers? The acting was HORRENDOUS! The sound editing? (Listen to "Anthony" and Adam when they are sitting on the fence eating their lunch. Every time the camera switched between the two so called actors the sound changes, like there was not a filter on the microphone)Seriously do not rent, or god forbid, buy this movie.Horrible Horrible Horrible acting and just a stupid storyline.$LABEL$ 0 +Historically accurate? Hmm... Perhaps... if you squint, and light falls upon the subject just-so. But core accuracy is no compensation for a dismal, patchy and inconsistent plot, reams of cardboard dialogue and an unsatisfying conclusion. The principal characters are merely characterizations; embarrassing stereotypes that range from the 'enigmatic and noble' American Indians through to the 'stuffy but sadistic' British officers. A wretched and unworthy rendition of a fascinating period in American history. I want my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +Made with film stock left over from the production of Nana, 1927's Sur un Air de Charleston is described as a holiday film for all concerned, and that's the best way to view it. Jean Renoir seems never to have thought enough of it to even edit the footage together. The plot is a simple reversion of racial stereotypes – in 2028 a black explorer travels to a post-holocaust Paris where a white native girl teaches him the Charleston (naturally he assumes she's a savage whose dancing is a prelude to her eating him before giving in to the seductive beat of 'White Aborigine' music). There are plenty of surreal touches, be it the pet gorilla eating the flowers in Catherine Hessling's hair, the angels the girl telephones (Renoir and producer Pierre Braunberger among them) or the fact that black performer Johnny Huggins plays his part in minstrel blackface while Hessling's dancing ability is almost completely nonexistent, and there are some interesting occasional experiments with slow motion, but there's not really enough to sustain it for two reels. An additional air of surrealism is provided by the fact that this silent musical has absolutely no score at all on Lions Gate's new DVD…$LABEL$ 0 +I have to say the worst part of the movie was the first half hour. I was really confused about who was who. For example, Bill Paxson's character had long hair and was wearing a jacket. Then, when all the males arrived at camp, it turned out there was a character who looked like Bill Paxson, but wasn't. I said where's Bill Paxson? Then, there was a guy with his girlfriend. He said she was 21. This was supposed to be a 20-year reunion of the camp director's (Alan Arkin) most memorable. Later on, this same girl was interacting and talking about her camp experiences. That made no sense. She would have been one years old. That said, the movie turned out to be pretty good. Kevin Pollak was the nice guy who was always being teased. One guy was a complete narcissist, and ended up losing his beautiful girlfriend. Alan Arkin was interesting as an old-style camp director, who admits that he has grown out of touch with modern youth. The best part was that none of the grown-up campers were successes in life. None of them had very great careers. This seemed very real life. The movie was compared to The Big Chill. In some ways it wasn't as exciting as the Big Chill, but it was a lot more realistic. So, even though the beginning is not promising, the movie ended up turning into a pretty good one.$LABEL$ 1 +Scanners II: The New Order is just as good as David Cronenberg's classic Scanners, Scanners was made in 1980 and Scanners II in 1991 so their's an eleven year gap between the two movies. The film captures the style of Scanners which is a good thing, it wouldn't be Scanners without a head explosion so Scanners II has a head explosion scene that's just has gruesome as the first. Scanners II: The New Order has some other imaginative gory scenes that are done well. The plot to Scanners II: The New Order is a new take on the series since it has the Scanners being used as a vigilante force for a police chief and a group of scientists until a young Scanner named David Kellum discovers he's being used and decides to get revenge.Scanners II: The New Order is a great sequel to David Cronenberg's sci-fi classic Scanners and should be seen. Check this out. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +I will never, ever forget watching this show around the age of 13. Even at the young age I remember thinking, "This is a Baywatch rip off show without the one thing that makes Baywatch tolerable. The girls in bathing suits." Nonetheless I was too small in those days to be the holder of the remote in my house. The high point of Pacific Blue was an episode in which a couple of thugged out gangsters are coming to whack someone with submachine guns ... on bikes!!! As a thirteen year old I never laughed so hard at something that was supposed to be taken seriously. Even I knew that the task of going out and acquiring Uzis (for murder) is a task that should never come before borrowing someones car for the day. That had been the defining moment of this show. Simple Crimes and situations tailor made by hack writing so they could be taken care of by the unsung hero of the crime fighting world The Bike Cop. Does not get much Dumber.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I was excited at first to download an animated open source movie, only to be ruined by a demo reel. The animation is excellent, the lip syncing is awful, and you keep watching the movie hoping to understand what's going on, only to realize nothing is going on. You feel no emotion for the characters, only pity for the creators for wasting their time. I have seen short films with twice the emotion in half the time! This could of been an excellent short film, if they had just taken the time to hire a real director. I'm sure everyone over at Blender is excited to showcase their software and its rendering capabilities, but sorry guys-story telling is what makes a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Along with In the Army!, this ranks as one of Pauly Shore's best movies, if there is such a thing. While the whole West Coast-meets- Midwest-culture-clash isn't anything new, this film proves to make the story a little more entertaining with the wild and unpredictable antics of a then fresh Shore. While the change in values probably would have gone in the other direction, the whole concept was rather entertaining. Not only was Shore's interaction with the family hilarious, it also had Carla Gugino and Tiffani- Amber Theissen (she'll always have the Amber in my book) in two ravishing and early roles. One of those films I have no problem watching when it is on TV.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning, spoilers ahead (even if I doubt that anybody hasn't seen this yet)The movie starts off rather well, but about halfway through it falls apart and becomes a corny, sugary sweet, predictable and unrealistic 'harmony romance' mess. I mean, it's very obvious that there are serious problems in the main characters' marriage, but these problems are never solved but just forgotten.Basically, as soon as she decides to have a baby behind his back (without even asking) all of their problems magically disappear without a trace or an explanation. Given what had happened up until that moment it would have been far more logical if the marriage fell apart rather than becoming the trite and cliche' 'having a baby will change everything' ending.The two main characters' families and neighbours are also extremely one-dimensional, and don't seem to serve really any purpose if not to irritate the viewer, and they also mysteriously disappear from the movie as soon as the 'harmony moments' start.I am sorry to be ripping this movie, but given the start I would have expected something more. 4/10 for me.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know where to begin, so I'll begin with a snippet from the back of the cover of this movie. "Alive combines the tension of Vincenzo Natali's Cube with Kitamura's own Versus." I have not seen Versus, so I can't comment on that, but I think Cube was an excellent movie which I recommend to everyone. However, in this case someone has clearly confused "tension" with "boredom".I'll just go ahead and spoil the entire plot, because besides being one holy Swiss cheese of a plot, it's also moldy cheese, and the movie is not worth spending any time on even if you don't know the plot beforehand, so it doesn't matter. If I have misunderstood the plot, don't hit me - it's probably because I had to struggle to keep my eyelids open.So the American military in Nevada once lost a UFO i the Nambi desert. This apparently makes sense because they're both deserts so surely they're practically the same place. Different continents or not. A monkey broke into the UFO and acquired an alien something which was passed on to a Japanese researcher who had to eat the monkey to survive in the desert. What ever. The alien thing is now passed on to anyone who's "bloodthirsty" enough to kill the current host. The Japanese military wants to use it for military stuff, so they decide to make it pass from the current host (the researcher's daughter) to some other dude. But instead of just picking someone out of the military, which is full of people who are bloodthirsty AND already on the military's side, they decide that it's probably a good idea to pick some criminal out of death row instead. Oh, and the reason they pick this particular criminal from death row is because he was the first person in history to not die from the non-lethal electric shock which is the standard execution method, because everyone dies from the placebo effect when they get electrocuted. I don't know if they do this so they can giggle in the staff room at how everyone dies even though it's not deadly, or if they just want to cut down the electricity bill.Then the movie turns into what The Matrix would have been if it had been really lame, and superfluous fighting bores us to tears for what feels like an hour. And oh wait, now they remember that they already had a dude who was infected with the alien thing, so the entire movie up to this point was actually a totally waste of time and also human lives. Then everyone dies. The end.The only one moment in the movie where I didn't want to go away and sleep or eat a sandwich instead, was when a dude was pinned to a wall by a pipe through his chest, and he's hanging around up there and another dude walks by. The dude hanging on the wall says "I'm in pain, shoot me". And the living dude looks at him, and it's not like he's a mean dude or anything, so he really looks sorrowful and doesn't want the guy on the wall to suffer. So he shoots him.(Rhetorical pause.)In the stomach. "Gee THANKS A FREAKIN' HEAP."$LABEL$ 0 +Somebody owes Ang Lee an apology. Actually, a lot of people do. And I'll start. I was never interested in the Ang Lee film Hulk, because of the near unanimous bad reviews. Even the premium cable channels seemed to rarely show it. I finally decided to watch it yesterday on USA network and, wow....SPOILERS FOR ANG LEE'S HULK AND THE INCREDIBLE HULK Was it boring! I almost didn't make it through Ang Lee's Hulk. Eric Bana was expressionless, Nick Nolte was horrible, Sam Elliott was unlikeable (and that's no fun, he's usually a cool character). In fact, I honestly think they chose Eric Bana because his non-descript face was the easiest to mimic with computer graphics - and it was clear that the Ang Lee Hulk was meant to facially resemble Bruce Banner in his non-angry state. When Hulk fought a mutant poodle I was ready to concede Hulk as the worst superhero movie ever.But then something happened. About 3/4 of the way through this tedious movie, there was a genuinely exciting and - dare I say it - reasonably convincing - extended action scene that starts with Hulk breaking out of a containment chamber in a military base, fighting M1 tanks and Comanche helicopters in the desert, then riding an F22 Raptor into the stratosphere, only to be captured on the streets of San Francisco. This was one of the best action sequences ever made for a superhero movie. And I have to say, the CGI was quite good. That's not to say that the Hulk was totally convincing. But it didn't require much more suspension of disbelief than is required in a lot of non-superhero action movies. And that's quite a feat.Of course, the ending got really stupid with Bruce Banner's father turning into some sort of shape-shifting villain but the earlier long action sequence put any of Iron Man's brief heroics to shame. And overall, apart from the animated mutant dogs, it really did seem like the CGI in Hulk tried hard to convince you that he was real and really interacting with his environment. It was certainly better than I expected.OK, but what about The Incredible Hulk? Guess what... It's boring too! It has just a few appearances by the Hulk and here's the thing - the CGI in this movie is horrible. Maybe the Hulk in Ang Lee's version looked fake at times and cartoonish at others - but it had its convincing moments also. The Incredible Hulk looked positively ridiculous. It had skin tone and muscle tone that didn't even look like a living creature, just some sort of computer-generated texture. It was really preposterous. The lighting, environment and facial effects didn't look 5 years newer than Ang Lee's, they looked 10 years older. And there really is no excuse for that. We truly are living in an era where computer programmers can ruin a movie just as thoroughly as any director, actor or cinematographer ever could.Worse, the writer and director of this movie seemed to learn almost nothing from Ang Lee's "failure". All the same mistakes are made. Bruce Banner is practically emotionless. The general is so relentlessly, implausibly one-dimensional that he seems faker than the Hulk. The love interest is unconvincing (I have to give Liv Tyler credit for being more emotional than Jennifer Connelly, though both are quite easy on the eyes). Tim Blake Nelson overacts almost as much as Nick Nolte, even though he's only in the movie for a few minutes. The Hulk really doesn't do much in this movie, certainly not any more than in Ang Lee's version. The Incredible Hulk was slightly more fast-paced, but since nothing really happened anyway that's not worth much. Oh yeah, the villain is every bit as phony looking as the Hulk. He's actually much more interesting as a human than as a monster. This is how I can definitively say Ang Lee's version was better: if I ever have the chance to see Ang Lee's version again, I might be able to sit through it to see the good action sequences, or else to try to appreciate the dialogue a little more (more likely I'd just fast forward to the good parts). But there is absolutely not a single scene in The Incredible Hulk that is worth seeing once, let alone twice. It is truly at the bottom of the heap of superhero movies. The cartoonish CGI is an insult to the audience - at least in Ang Lee's version it seems like they were trying to make it realistic (except for the giant poodle, of course).It is absolutely mind-boggling how the filmmakers intended to erase the bad feelings associated with Ang Lee's Hulk by making almost exactly the same movie. It is to Edward Norton's credit that he seems to be distancing himself from this film.$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched this movie for the second time, and enjoyed it as much as the first time. It is a very emotional and beautiful movie, with good acting and great family values. Inspiring and touching!$LABEL$ 1 +i'm watching this horrid film as we speak. it is possibly one of the worst movies ever aired in my house. i'm sitting here with 3 friends and they agree. its not scary. its not funny. its not dramatic. it contains nothing appealing whatsoever. we are 49 minutes in the movie. we've only seen 2 critters. only one person has died. this movie is one big letdown. nothing about this horrible, horrible movie has made me want to watch the rest. i'm getting a movie hang over. i hope that everyone who had anything to do with making this movie dies. i don't just mean the actors. i mean the director, producers, the presidents from the studio that financed this movie. it is in full, the worst movie ever. it should make the IMDb worst 100 movies of all time. at number 1.$LABEL$ 0 +I am very thankful that the small college town of Abingdon, Va.- near Bristol, TN. and home of the famous Barter Theatre where Gregory Peck once acted- managed to get an art film festival togather and show this film there. Abingdon is two and a hour hours from where I live, but the trip was worth it in every sense of the word. UZAK/DISTANT is an amazing, brilliant, jarring, emotional, captivating film. As a Turkish-American, this film was not only a testimony as to what life in Turkey is like; but on a larger scale it tells the world of what it is like to be Turkish whether one lives in Istanbul, Berlin, Montreal, New York, or Omaha. It may be two hours in length as opposed to five minutes, but this is effectively our Bob Marley song. There are so many wonderful scenes in this film. It is very difficult to choose just a random few. But, for me, one telling scene takes place in a Beyoglu (downtown Istanbul) cinema. The title character, played by Mehmet Emin Toprak who sadly died in a car accident shortly after this film's completion, follows a very attractive young woman down a staircase to the cinema's main auditorium. She goes into see "Vanilla Sky." As the image of Tom Cruise is reflected from a glass, we sense that Turkish men are competing with Tom Cruise for their own women's affections even though Tom Cruise is nowhere to found in Beyoglu. The scenes shot across the Bosphorous shores are also quite revealing as they symbolize the beauty, yet desperate empty gulfs, which are a painful fact of life in Turkey. In this film, the gulf separates lovers and families. A simple, empty packet of Samsun (Turkish brand) cigarettes and a dying mouse jump off the screen the way seagulls did in the 1982 Serif Goren-Yilmaz Guney film "Yol." Many of Guney's films, including "Yol," "Suru- the Herd" (1978- completed by Zeki Okten) and "Baba-The Father" (1971) have been considered by many to be the best Turkish films ever made. Without Guney's sometimes overblown social-political anger (especially in his last film, the 1983 prison drama "Duvar-The Wall"), "Distance" captures the essence of Turkish life quite remarkably. This is a crowning achievement for a director who in my view can already be proclaimed as the Turkish equivalent to directors like Tarkovsky, Bresson, and Ozu. I can't wait to see his other films!$LABEL$ 1 +This is the worst adaption of a classic story I have ever seen. They needlessly modernize it and some points are actually just sick.The songs rarely move along the story. They seem to be thrown in at random. The flying scene with Marley is pointless and ludicrous.It's not only one of the worst movies I've seen, but it is definitely the worst musical I've ever seen.It's probably only considered a classic because "A Christmas Carol" is such a classic story. Just because the original story was a classic doesn't mean that some cheap adaption is.$LABEL$ 0 +There really are no redeeming factors about this show. To put it simply, its just terrible. Absolutely dreadful. It's just a dreadful "reality" show. Not only that, it's dreadful fiction.Imagine this: A bunch of overly-imaginative teenagers get together one night and go "Hey! Let's make a paranormal show just like "Ghost Hunters" and whatnot!" So they grab a camera, harass local residents and film random landscapes behind a painfully "trying-to-be-dramatic-yet-failing-misreably" monologue. This show is basically a bunch of teenagers running around with a home movie camera trying to make a really bad horror documentary. The only difference is this show actually has a budget and writers. A wasted budget and terrible writers.Oh, the problems, how do I count thee? Well, first off, let's talk about this from a personal level. I am not a total skeptic when it comes to the paranormal. I am willing to believe in whats paranormal and whats not, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel the same. So, if you're going to do a show about the paranormal, you have to do a good job convincing the viewer that what they're seeing is either paranormal or not, because the viewer can easily believe otherwise. I hate to compare, but I don't see why not at this point. Take "Ghost Hunters" for example. In "Ghost Hunters" you can tell that the cast is leveled with the audience. They're not totally skeptical, yet they're still willing to keep the possibility of any paranormal anomalies in mind. They have to look at something and be willing to say "this is possible that its simply nothing". And, with that in mind, they set out to try and prove themselves wrong. They use technology and several other gadgets along with constant moderation to determine what is paranormal along with bearing the fact that what they may be monitoring could be nothing in mind. Not only are they trying to convince themselves what is real and what is not, in the process they are trying to convince you. That element of doubt is not present in "Paranormal State". Strike one.In "Paranormal State", the cast simply says "there's this spooky place, and its HAUNTED, so we're going to find some SPIRITS!" And immediately you know and saying to yourself "Okay, convince me otherwise". The cast is not professional in their interviews. In fact, sometimes it seems like they're just harassing local residents of these so-called "haunted" areas. They have no real evidence to back up their claims besides assumptions and theories, and the best they can must up is somebody who "claims" they can contact the dead, with no one ever backing up who this person is and how valid they really are. They could have easily just picked some random person off the street and said "pretend you can contact spirits for our show" and went at it. In the "Mothman" episode, this just happens. Without any convincing evidence towards the end of the show, they bring this sort of individual out where he does a random, painfully scripted "reading" of a supposed area of how something is "haunted" in order to convince its audience. Very, very poor effort. I feel that one of the main problems with the show is that it feels scripted. During one of the episodes, the cast gets attacked by one of these "paranormal anomalies" at times in an attempt to be dramatic. These sort of dramatic sequences would make any skeptic laugh and even those who are on the fence realize what they're watching is just a bunch of tabloid-esquire trash. If the show's aim was to try and convince their audience that these "paranormal" events are real, they're doing a horrifically poor job at doing so. Strike two.However, there is always the counter. Just one last viewpoint to see if the show is actually worth something. What if the show isn't trying to convince you that these paranormal events are real and are simply trying to entertain you with good fiction? It even fails on that level as well. If the show's creators were trying to craft fiction to entertain its audience, the writing is too poor and even on a fictional level, it fails to convince the audience that its cast members are really experiencing the unknown in all its full, horrifying glory. The writing is simply not compelling and even, dare I say, boring. Strike three.So what remains of this show is simply a bunch of teenagers who are too willing or too gullible to believe in the paranormal simply because its simply much more amazing than reality who set out with a camera, a bad script and bad actors to generally just make a really bad horror documentary. Thats all the show is at this point. There is no reason to see it, not even for the entertainment factor, and there's no reason to care about it. To be blunt, its lame. There are absolutely no redeeming factors about this show.$LABEL$ 0 +Some of the posters seem less than gruntled because this is neither Mark Twain nor Rodgers and Hart but clearly it doesn't pretend to be either. You'll look a long time to find a greater Rodgers and Hart fan than me but Burke and Van Heusen weren't exactly chopped liver in addition to which they knew Der Bingle inside out and tailored some great songs - But Beautiful, Moonlight Becomes You, It's Always You, The Day After Forever, etc - to fit his highly personal style and here they come up with yet another fine - and unfairly neglected - ballad, Once And For Always, plus a couple of upbeat philosophy-lite entries in If You Stub Your Toe On The Moon and Busy Doing Nothing. The flimsy plot isn't meant to be taken seriously - why else make Merlin a heavy when in most, if not all, of the other versions he is more a friend/mentor to Arthur - so if you start wondering aloud why Sir Lancelot who has been sold to historians as the epitome of chivalry and uprightness metamorphoses into a schoolyard bully you're not going to get much fun out of what is essentially a fun movie. On balance it does what it sets out to do, entertain, so good luck to it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the most human and humane of movies that I have seen in a long time. The ironies abound, Susan Sarandon as a nun, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon in a movie that doesn't preach but neither does it condemn. It is cinema verite at it's best, and yet the story is fictionalized from several real events.Which of the two is more amazing, Sarandon or Penn? It is easy to say who is more likeable, but it is hard to say who is more convincing. they are simply magnificent.You may think that all killers should be killed or you may argue that life without parole is no life and that death is more merciful. whatever your personal feeling, this movie gives you a chance to pause and reconsider.At the end one simply wants to sit in silence and reflect. That is what great drama does, it gives catharsis, it creates a moment in time, a shared memory that touches our humanity.$LABEL$ 1 +The Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson's latest film You, the Living is not easy to review. One of the reasons is that in his own words he has broken with the Anglo-Saxon tradition of story-telling, in all essence the template of most Western film productions. Another reason might be that although Roy Andersson is somewhat heavy on symbolisms, his, unlike those of, say, Andrei Tarkovsky, are of a more elusive nature. It took him 3 years to complete this 86 minute long film and it wasn't because he was forced to have long breaks between shootings due to financial troubles or problems with the actors. The film consists of 57 vignettes shot mostly by a still camera, and it was the careful design of each of these scenes which required much time. The imagery of this film which is closely related to the director's previous film Songs from the Second Floor is of utmost importance to the story, thus this story is told to a great degree by the surroundings and the environment in which the characters of Andersson's universe dwell and interact. Before each scene was finally shot, there would have been no less than 10 different test shootings with different actors, colors, dialog etc. The result is a dreamlike version of the surrounding world which most of us would recognize and if the setting is like a dream, why not dream a little? Just like in Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, when somebody says "Last night I had a dream", you get to watch it. But then again, what is perceived as reality here is not very much different from the dreams.Despite the fact that the film lacks a plot in the traditional sense of the word and there are no main characters as such, the different characters who appear and reappear in different scenes still meet each other and their stories are inevitably intertwined. What most of these characters have in common is their apparent loneliness despite being surrounded by other people. The trailer trash chain smoking and binge drinking woman who dreams of having a motorbike so that she can get away from "all this crap", her corpulent and mostly silent boyfriend and his frail and seemingly gentle but rather absent-minded mother, members of a brass band whose skill improving efforts at home aren't getting a favorable reception neither from their families nor their neighbors, the depressed Middle Eastern hairdresser and his arrogant customer on his way to "a very important business meeting", an elderly man having a nightmare about bombers in the skies, a young girl dreaming about marrying the young rock star that she is so madly in love with. It's all about dreams and nightmares versus reality but it works as much as a statement in support of the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's claims that "all human communication is miscommunication". People speak to each other but it is as if they speak past each other. They try to reach out to the others but shut the others out when those try to reach them.You, the Living is a poetic film set physically in Stockholm but yet universally applicable. The society it portrays is Sweden, its artistic language and the people displayed are generally unmistakably Nordic. Yet, the subject it deals with, namely, the misery of the humankind in a selfish world, reaches far beyond this hemisphere. Despite the seriousness of its theme, the film itself seems a lot more cheerful and laden with humor than one might have expected. But in the words of the director himself "living is so complicated to each one of us that the only thing that saves us is our sense of humor". Hence, this film is a tragic comedy or a comic tragedy, depending on your sensitivities, and not a depressing black reality tour of the human nature. It is unusual in its language and structure, but if you can think outside the box and enjoy it, you will certainly find this film both entertaining and meaningful at the same time. It was shown at this year's Cannes festival as part of the Un Certain Regard program which offers "original and different works" outside the competition. After the film was shown in the Salle Debussy, the 1,000 strong audience gave it a standing ovation for several minutes. Do I need to say more?$LABEL$ 1 +This film stars, among others, "SlapChop" Vince Offer (who also wrote, edited and directed) and Joey Buttafuoco--not exactly names that scream out "quality". And with such uplifting skits as "Supermodels taking a dump" (it's exactly what it sounds like), a guy who robs a sperm bank (the "Rhymer"), necrophilia with a rotting corpse, black market fetuses (featuring a guy scooping what are supposed to be them out of a jar), lots and lots of gay jokes, a skit about a giant phallus who is a superhero and forced abortions. The skits are painfully unfunny (such as "Batman and Rhymer"), the acting not good enough to be considered amateurish and the film is crude just for the sake of being crude...and stupid. I truly believe a group of 8 year-olds could have EASILY made a funnier film with the same budget.Apparently this film resulted in a lawsuit by "Slap Shot" Vince against the Scientologists. Frankly, I wouldn't know who to root for in this case!!! Apparently, he alleged that somehow Scientologists destroyed his reputation and sank this film. No matter that the film is repellent junk from start to finish and 99% unfunny (by comparison, Ebola is funnier)...and these are the nicest things I can say about the movie.By the way, that IS Bobby Lee (from "Mad TV") wearing a diaper and participating in the dumb fake porno film. It's amazing his career could overcome this.$LABEL$ 0 +"Tintin and I" first of all struck me as a masterpiece documentary. The photography and the editing are truly breath-taking (almost anti-Dogma).We follow the life of Tintin drawer Hergé through an open-hearted interview from 1971. The Tintin series was drawn on the background of the great ideological fights of the twentieth century. In the midst of these Hergé has his own demons to fight with, and much of his drawing activity seems like an attempt to tame these and to escape into a world of perfection.Even though there are spectacular photographic panoramas of drawings from Tintin albums and also some reconstructions and reading of passages from the albums, the story of Hergé is told entirely through interviews and archive material, and never through reconstructions.Hergé lived the turbulent life of a true, suffering artist. But the fantastic world that came of his imagination will continue to amaze readers again and again.$LABEL$ 1 +A famous conductor decides after a heart attack to go back to the village where he was born to live a quiet life. There, he comes in Dutch with the local church choir, that will change his life.I had no expectations when I saw this movie for the first time yesterday; I like watching foreign movies that are not English, and I've already seen a couple of Swedish movies in my life, but this one was the best so far.Where to start? In my opinion, this film is a jewel, thanks to many things, of which one is the outstanding acting. Michael Nyqvist is perfect as the thoughtful, almost shy and devoted conductor Daniel Daréus. Beautiful Frida Hallgren is enchanting with her pretty smile and her subtle acting. The choir members are all well-developed, interesting characters with their own story each.This movie tells a story, a beautiful story, about music, love, pain, memories, death, about a man who devoted his life to music, and who tries to create a calm existence in the village where he was born, while trying to make peace with the past and with the way his life has been till then. Kay Pollack shows us that the Swedish are outstanding movie creators. Go see Så som i himmelen, it's a movie that makes you think about life and love, and that's also comforting, in some way.$LABEL$ 1 +I am an avid fan of violent exploitation cinema, who would never attack a film for being violent or disturbing. I consider "Cannibal Holocaust" a masterpiece and will always defend controversial films like "Day Of The Woman" or "Last House on the Left" as genuine classics. Anyone who browses through my other user comments will notice that I am actually very pro-violence/gore when it comes to films. However, I do think that there should be at least some point to the violence. This piece of crap doesn't have any point whatsoever. The first film in the notorious "Guinea Pig" series, "The Devil's Experiment" (1985) is widely controversial, but, as opposed to many other controversial films, this stinker has nothing at all to be recommended for. I must say that, before seeing any of the Guniea-Pig films, I already had a feeling that I would hate this one, knowing what it was about. Due to its status as one of the most controversial films around, however, I decided I had to see it. I am very glad I didn't waste any money on this pile of crap, and I sure wish I hadn't wasted my time with it either.This thing's story (I don't even want to call it a 'film'): It doesn't have one. Three scumbags torture a woman to death for some excruciating 40 minutes. That's it. There is no artistic value, no 'shocking' story, no suspense; nothing. Simply the disbelief that a film that shows NOTHING except for a woman being tortured for no reason enjoys an enormous cult-following. It IS disturbing, I give it that. Of course it is disturbing to watch a torture video for 40 minutes. What is more disturbing, however, is the fact that many people actually seem to regard this pile of garbage as some kind of masterpiece. I really cannot figure why. The fact that the gore effects look realistic cannot be the reason, I hope. The girl who plays the victim isn't a very good actor, and reacts very calm to all the torture. That makes the film look less realistic, which is, in this single case, a good thing. This is a film that is sickening; not for its gore, but for its redundancy, its existence for the sole purpose of showing 40 minutes of torture.I strongly oppose any form of censorship. Since this is 100% fake and nobody got hurt during its production, it IS legitimate to make such a film. However, I cannot think of a single reason why anyone would like this, other than the morbid desire to watch suffering and the enjoyment of torture. This film's sequel "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" gained notoriety when actor Charlie Sheen mistook it for an actual snuff film and informed the FBI. Fortuneately, the film turned out to be fake. Overall, "The Devil's Experiment" is a fake torture/snuff film that seems to have the sole purpose of looking as close to a real snuff film as possible."The Devil's Experiment" is one of the worst films I have ever had the misfortune of sitting through. Don't torture yourself by giving this piece of crap a try for its controversial status. Do yourself a favor and avoid it. Zero stars out of 10, I wish there was a negative scale in order to appropriately rate this pile of crap.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is so irredeemably bad, NOTHING about it makes it worth seeing. NO effects, no suspense and poor dialogue poorly delivered. Oh, and neither a CAMP or any FEAR does it contain. Do yourself a favor and go see the original Friday the 13th or (preferably) Sleepaway Camp, but what ever you do, DO NOT see this movie. Even Michele Bauer's appearance at the very beginning can't save it. Usually, in these kinds of films you expect violence, suspense, and a little gore and some T&A. The violence was poorly executed, the "suspense" was laughable, there was NO gore, and the T&A is plentiful IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES, then, NOTHING. At least one of these things, properly done would have at least made it watchable. To say at least one nice thing about it, Buck Flower is great, he seems to be the only one who understands they are making schlock and rightly hams it up. If everyone else had fit that tone it would have been campy fun, no pun intended.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe how many people hate Hal Sparks! He was my favorite host of the show, hands down. I hate celebrity gossip and generally dislike talk shows, but when Hal Sparks hosted Talk Soup, it was must see TV for me. I rarely missed an episode during his run, and was saddened when the guest hosts started pouring in (although most of the guests still did a fine job). Anyway, for all the people who dislike Hal Sparks, I imagine they must have never seen the weekend specials. They were hour long episodes of Talk Soup that comprised the best clips from the entire week, and were padded out by sketch comedy bits. The original bits that Hal Sparks did were hilarious. In one he got possessed by a bad comedy demon, and in an exorcist like scene his head spun as he told dated jokes about airline food. One episode was dedicated to making fun of Multiplicity, as a bunch of cloned Hal Sparks kept multiplying through out the episode, over-running the studio.OK, maybe these don't sound as funny when I describe them, but all I know is that besides Talk Soup, the only other two shows I watched consistently during those years was The Simpsons and Late Night with Conan O'Brian. So if you like the comedy stylings of those shows, then you'd probably like Talk Soup during the Sparks years.That said, Henson and Tyler were both great hosts as well. All three hosts brought something different to the table but they were all fine comedians in my opinion. Of course, throughout the Tyler and guest star years, my interest in this show began to wane, but every now and then I catch The Soup, the show's spiritual successor, and sure enough, the new host can bring some pretty unexpected laughs from time to time.OK, I've wasted enough time talking about a TV show that isn't on the air anymore and on a channel that I generally despise. Go watch something else!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm an opera buff, and operas are full of sex, blood and death. It may help to know the librettos of the operas the arias are from to really appreciate this film -- my mileage is very different than Tug-3. I am a classical music lover, and I liked this film.I loved Ken Russell's "Nessun Dorma" segment, and would actually like to see him produce Turandot, because opera is supposed to be overwhelming, truly multi-media experience , but then I loved Lisztomania. I love *Turandot* and knowing the libretto so well may be why I don't find this segment the travesty that Tug-3 did.The Buck Henry/ Rigoletto segment is probably the most approachable for the average viewer -- they are likely to recognize the tunes, and its a classic bedroom farce. I like bedroom farces, so the silliness didn't upset me.The "Liebestod" segment is so outstanding that I recommend people watch this for that piece alone. "Depuis la Jour" was, for me, beautifully spiritual. And the Caruso recording of "Vesti la Giubba" (aka I Pagliacci) with John Hurt as the clown was wonderful. But people just wanting naked women may feel there is too much music and not enough bare flesh and sex.$LABEL$ 1 +I have never seen a worse movie.It is possible to take a shootem up video game and make it into a decent movie.Mistake 1: absolutely no connection to any of the characters. In this movie you don't bond with any of the characters because... you don't get a chance.The only character that is sympathetic or even interesting is the Deck Hand: Salish as played by Clint Howard. Except for this unique character, the outcome of the movie is meaningless as all the characters were lifeless from the begining.Mistake 2: the worst gunfight scene ever. I love gunfights. I love when the heros open up on the badguys and clean house. heck I even like to watch a badguy clean house sometimes. But this gunfight was weird I guess that the best way to describe it is "Apathetic" I've seen people shoot with more feeling and emotion while PLAYING THE VIDEOGAME. In this movie it looked and felt like the "Actors" were simply walking through shooting everything that moved without emotion.Why? Where's the trash talking? where's the snarls of rage amongst the gunfire? These are supposed to be kids that got caught at a rave gone bad... but even real soldiers acting professionally and ruthlessly show their humanity.If you want a GOOD horror movie about a secluded house full of monsters, I recomend Sam Rami's Evil Dead series. DO NOT see the disaster that is house of the dead. I hope that they burn the master and all copies of this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This story was never among my favourites in Christie's works so I was pleasantly surprised to quite enjoy this adaptation. The mouse motif was effective if a little overdone, the bones of the story are there although more emphasis is placed on the 'crime in the past' subplot. The students were all pretty much as I imagined them although its a pity they weren't a more cosmopolitan bunch - perhaps the revised thirties setting didn't allow for that! I thought some very daring risks were taken with the filming; perhaps its because I've not long re-read the book but it seemed pretty obvious to me who the murderer was from their appearance in some reveal shots quite early on.Humour was much more prevalent in these early Poirots. Sometimes it works but I found a lot of it rather heavy handed in this episode (though I did smile at the 'Lemon sole' throwaway line). Altogether though, a solid entry in the series though not one of the best.$LABEL$ 1 +It would require the beauty and eloquence of Shakespeare to do justice to this outstanding cinematic feat. Nevertheless, I'll give it a go.As far as adaptations of Hamlet go this one is already at a better starting point than all other versions since it encompasses the entire play. Still this is no guarantee for a first-rate movie, or even a good one. Usually I'm not much for movies that are overlong and the trend that seems to be prevalent in Hollywood today, namely that movies should be at least two hours long, preferably three, is one that hopefully won't last long. Few stories are strong enough to withstand such extensive exploration and could do with some cutting. Making a four-hour-long movie and keeping it interesting is no small undertaking, but Kenneth Branagh pulls it off with flying colours. He has managed to make a very long movie seem no more than any average movie. I was completely engrossed from start to finish.The cast is excellent with Kenneth Branagh himself as the tormented prince giving a strong and memorable performance. He manages to convey his feelings admirably through his voice and one does not have to be an expert on Shakespearean verse to catch the myriad of emotions that are waging inside him. Kate Winslet was a positive surprise, I must say. I didn't know what to expect really. I've always liked her well enough as an actor, but wasn't sure she could pull off playing Shakespeare. Well, she certainly eradicated all doubts with her performance. She is the best Ophelia I have seen and lent such depth to the character and was simply wonderful. Other brilliant performances are Derek Jacobi as Claudius, Richard Briers as Polonius and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio to name but a few. I liked the fact that Branagh used some internationally more famous stars to play in some of the minor roles; I especially enjoyed the sparring between Hamlet and the gravedigger played by Billy Crystal.The setting of the play in the 19th century gives a welcome change to the usually gloomier Gothic settings. It is overall much lighter than other versions I've seen, more colourful and lavish, but this does not distract from the tragedy of the play. It is exceptional, stylish and aesthetically pleasing, a definite delight to the eye and other senses as well. The music by Patrick Doyle is as always magical and thoroughly in tune with the movie. One can only feel a deep sense of satisfaction after having seen this. I am shocked and appalled that this exquisite work of art did not win an Academy award for best picture, even more so that it wasn't even nominated. There is no way there was a better movie made that year, or any other year for that matter. This is as close to perfection as you can hope to get.To sum up, a stunning work of pure genius and I cannot see how anyone could top this. My hat's off to you Mr. Branagh.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, make no mistake - this is a pretty awful film, but I actually thought it had a couple of creepy scenes and overcame its pathetic budget every now and then. At the very least it's unintentionally funny in spots and has a definite air of creepiness and discomfort (a face burning scene, the part with the disfigured bride). This baby falls into the "so bad it's entertaining" category to me, and for that alone I would give it a star. The effects are terrible, the acting is abysmal, and the whole thing looks like it was shot in a day. You gotta love that toy ship at the beginning, too! It brought back childhood memories of seeing this on late night TV many years ago. While the Alpha DVD print looks weak and as though it was recorded directly off an old television broadcast or something, I actually liked that in this case!$LABEL$ 0 +To be fair, I didn't see a lot of this show. Probably because it wasn't as good as the original M*A*S*H, but I seem to recall them moving it around on the weekly schedule. Some shows just aren't worth the trouble of following around every week. But I really did try at first, so it wasn't all bad. Maybe I just kept expecting it to improve, but I can't give this show a 1. In all honesty, I can't give it any more than a 2 either.It wasn't MASH (I'm not going to type those stupid *'s every time). And it was trying to be MASH without putting forth any effort, like it would just magically happen. Well guess what? No magic. The best I can do here is to compare it to other shows.Trapper John, M.D. was a much better show by far. However, they should have called it B.J. Hunnicut, M.D. because Pernell Roberts looked exactly like an older BJ, but nothing at all like Trapper John. Keep everything else the same, just change his name and the name of the show. Presto! After MASH wasn't the only sequel to completely bomb and dishonor the original. Archie Bunker's Place was a lame follow-up to All In The Family. It had no heart, no conflict, no depth – all of the things that made All In the Family so memorable. Likewise, MASH was funny because the doctors were reacting to the impossible absurdity of war. Remove the war and you remove the drive for 99% of the humor. Potter can't yell at Klinger for wearing a dress, because Klinger isn't wearing a dress, because he's not trying to get kicked out of the Army, because he's already out of the Army, because the war is over. (breathe) All of the jokes became forced because there was no motivation for anything. The least motivated was the viewer, to stay around and watch the show.And from what I remember, the whole show seemed to be Potter, Klinger, and Mulcahy just standing there unnaturally, facing the audience like a trio of Vaudeville performers. It was reminiscent of Good Times, where they spent 90% of the show standing behind that couch and talking to the audience, trying to make it look like they were having natural conversation. They weren't. And it felt even less natural on After MASH.Another random tidbit I recall is that the people who made MASH never got any royalties from the spin-off. The studio used the absurd excuse that After MASH was really a spin-off of the movie MASH (which they owned) and not the TV series. Nice try, but Mulcahy was the only one of the three in the movie, and he was never deaf. I guess studio execs will do anything for a buck. Anything other than make a worthwhile sequel, that is.$LABEL$ 0 +I've always liked Johnny Concho and I wish this film were out on VHS and DVD. Frank Sinatra gives one of the most unusual performances in his career in this one.When we first meet Frank in the film's title role, he's the brother of a notorious gunfighter who's out of town at the moment. The brother strikes terror in the heart's of the town and Frank takes full advantage of that to bully the townspeople safe and secure in his shadow. Only Phyllis Kirk has any feeling for him. She's the daughter of storekeeper Wallace Ford and Dorothy Adams.Two other gunmen arrive William Conrad and Christopher Dark and it turns out Conrad has killed Sinatra's brother and he's coming to his town to take over. They humiliate Sinatra and run him out of town. Kirk follows him.Overnight Sinatra turns from punk into coward and becomes a man searching for some kind of backbone. It's a well acted performance, almost as good as his Oscar nominated role in The Man With a Golden Arm. Pity for some reason this has not been seen for years.Two other performances of note are Keenan Wynn as former gunfighter turned preacher who helps Sinatra find what he needs to stand up to Conrad and Dark. And then there is Conrad in what I believe was his career role on screen. He's a villain of incredible malevolence, pure evil incarnate walking and talking on the silver screen.However what I like about Johnny Concho is the climax an unforgettable one where Conrad and Dark are dealt with. Let's just say I believe Johnny Concho was MGM's answer to High Noon and a primer for what you do when evil causes a break down in all law and order.$LABEL$ 1 +First things first, this movie is achingly beautiful. A someone who works on 3D CG films as a lighter/compositor, the visuals blew me away. Every second I was stunned by what was on screen As for the story, well, it's okay. It's not going to set the world on fire, but if you like your futuristic Blade Runner-esquire tales (and who doesn't?) then you will be fine.I do have to say that I felt the voice acting was particularly bland and detracted from the movie as a whole. I saw it at the cinema in English, but I am hoping that there is a French version floating around somewhere.Definitely worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +Only once in a while do we get an R-rated comedy that gets everyone's time and attention. It's an even rarer case when the critics will like it. I just came back from The 40 Year-Old Virgin and I can honestly say, it was one of the biggest laughs of my life. I went to a 10:35 showing and every row was filled. Not only that, everyone laughed their ass off the whole time through. It's two hours of non-stop laughing. I dare you to see this film and to not laugh.The plot is simple. A man is forty years old and he is a virgin. Yet, behind this simple, five second joke, we are given a deep, complex story that is not only one of the funniest you'll ever witness, but has genuine lessons behind it. Steve Carell stars as Andy Stitzer, The 40 Year-Old Virgin. We have known Steve Carell, as, in my opinion, one of the best scene thieves of all time. Stealing hilarious scenes from Bruce Almighty and especially Anchorman, Steve Carell has come a long way, as finally, and proudly, is given his moment to shine as the star. No one will forget his name once they witness this pervasively funny, gut-busting, roll-in-the-aisle hilarious comedy.The beauty about the film is it isn't 100% stupid. The brilliant writing of Judd Apatow and Steve Carell genuinely has purpose and it's not just one hell of a story to tell. Behind the crudeness and vulgar non-stop ride of the film comes an important lesson to be learned. Although not presented in the best way possible, the film gives us more than a purely enjoyable time. Its gut-busting attitude will have you laughing the whole time through, while we simultaneously see the real life struggles of people like Andy and his fellow co-workers. The end couldn't have been better. Not only does it deliver what we are promised but it gives one of the most memorable finishing numbers a comedy has ever seen. It would have been perfect if there was Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in there cameoing somehow, but you can't win 'em all, now can you.Finally, I think as Roger Ebert put it, Catherine Keener gives an unexplainable perfect performance as Trish, the one woman Andy has his heart truly for. Not only does she also give us laughs but it is crazy to see how brightly she fuels the story. She was cast perfected in the role and her and Carell have terrific, not to mention, hilarious chemistry on screen.Canadian ratings-wise, once again, Ontario slips away with a 14A, while British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba all slapped The 40 Year-Old Virgin with an 18A. The same thing happened with Four Brothers, in my opinion, the second best film of the year, and I can honestly say that I love Ontario more and more so for that. To all you fellow teenagers out there in the States: Good luck sneaking in! Overall, Steve Carell gives one of the funniest performances I've ever seen and just about everyone in the cast distributes to the non-stop laughter. Everyone will love the 40 Year-Old Virgin this summer and I encourage everyone to see it as fast as humanly possible. It is the best comedy of the year, hands down. It beats all over The Longest Yard, The Wedding Crashers, and of course Apatow and Carell's last memorable comedy, Anchorman.It is a comic masterpiece and deserves the remarkable amount of praise from the critics who have been loving it. Every single one of my favourite critics loved it and it deserves a spot on the IMDb Top 250 right away. Steve Carell is a huge star. Watch one of the brightest ones of the summer right now.My Rating: 9/10 Objectively – 9/10 Subjectively – 10/10 Eliason A.$LABEL$ 1 +Somewhere in his non-fiction book DANSE MACABRE, Stephen King suggests that one secret of writing scary stories is to avoid showing your readers exactly what horrible thing is waiting behind the door to get them. If at last the door bursts open and a bug ten feet tall lurches through, the reader may be a little scared, but he'll also think, "Well, I can deal with that. At least it wasn't a HUNDRED feet tall." There's nothing more frightening than what lurks, unseen and unknown, just on the other side of that tightly closed door, waiting to get you.THE HAUNTING is so completely misconceived that director Jan De Bont more or less starts off his movie by metaphorically throwing open that door himself and yelling: "Look, everybody, look! It's a ten-foot-tall bug! Isn't that SCARY?!" The law of diminishing returns immediately kicks in. By the end of the movie, the director is, so to speak, jumping up and down, banging his CGI pots and pans madly, and hoarsely screaming: "Look, everyone, look! Here come ten HUNDRED-foot-tall bugs! ... And now, here come a hundred THOUSAND-foot-tall bugs!" The filmmakers apparently believed that special effects alone could compensate for all the other shortcomings in this endeavor (and there are many). They can't and don't. In fact, impressive as they are, the special effects are so insistent and obtrusive that the distracted viewer winds up staring at them -- whether in admiration or annoyance -- instead of being immersed in a story.For me, the nadir of this film's sheer stupidity comes when a statue, with "blood" gushing from its mouth, tries to drown Liam Neeson (as Dr. Marrow) in a fountain. The filmmakers clearly didn't know what to do with this alleged idea once they had it, so they just have Neeson thrash around in the water a bit, flailing his arms and going glug-glug. By the next scene, the good doctor has apparently dried himself off and, ho hum, forgotten all about the annoying incident.Shirley Jackson's novel seems to have been dumbed-down into this ridiculous screenplay by a committee of low-IQ teenage stoners who thought the way to frighten people was to make every effect bigger and louder: "Okay, next, let's, uh, make the ceiling, you know, look like a creepy face, and, uh, come down on her ... and all these spiky things, like, trap her in the bed."The sole saving grace of THE HAUNTING is that it at last becomes so awful that it's actually funny. By the time Owen Wilson (as Luke Sanderson) fell on the floor and then went on his Magic-Carpet Ride O' Death, I just about fell on the floor myself, laughing.Badly constructed, witless, grotesquely heavy-handed, utterly unbelievable, and filled with clunky dialogue and pointless scenes, this vacuous HAUNTING is a textbook example of how NOT to make a horror movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has a very hard-to-swallow premise, even by this genre's standards. We are asked to accept not only that a record played backwards can bring a dead man back to life, but that the record also contains hidden messages aimed SPECIFICALLY at one kid, when the singer had no connection to the boy when he was alive, and of course no way of knowing at whose hands the record would end up. Anyway, the film is fun for a while, but eventually the silliness and the pointlessness reign supreme. If they were really trying to create a new Freddy-like horror icon, they were way off: the villain here has no personality, no motivation, and no variety. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +The original Thunderbirds earned a place in TV history. It was, and still is, much beloved - indeed, the entire first 10 minutes of the Wallace and Gromit movie (the Wererabbit) is a direct lift of Thunderbirds, down to a direct replay of the original Thunderbird 2 launching sequence (if you don't believe me, get the movie, and then get a copy of the original episode where Thunderbird 2 is launched).This movie was a crass attempt at making a kids' movie - when the original was loved and enjoyed by kids and adults alike! In the original, the Thunderbirds spent all of their time rescuing people who were often trapped when Mother Nature or Technology went horrible wrong (yes, there was also the occasional criminal act). The Thunderbirds put their own lives and resources at risk for no reward - the very essence of heroism and selflessness. There was little physical violence. The Thunderbirds challenged the imagination to a degree - how many of us would dream of someday building a Thunderbird 2? And don't underestimate the power of entertainment to do this - many Japanese attribute their fascination with humanoid robots to the old Astroboy cartoon.But this movie was a poor re-image of the original. This movie came across as a meld between Thunderbirds and Loony Tunes - I mean, we have Anthony Edwards as Brain imitating Porky Pig's stuttering????? Much of the action consists of Kung Fu/Power Rangers type fighting. Indeed, there were funny sound effects when someone got nailed on the head with a frying pan. The tech that fired our imagination was absent - instead we have these kids running around, using a plot device that was NEVER in the original series (having the entire team take off at once, leaving the base occupied by the kids and Brain). Then there was a dose of "Use the Force Luke" mysticism thrown in when TinTin would levitate something or another, coupled with the The Hood using aerodynamics that looked like they were lifted from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". About the only thing missing was for The Hood to go "TinTin, I am your Uncle" with a breath mask voice. The heart that made Thunderbirds unique was GONE.The only bright point was Ron Cook's portrayal of Parker - he caught it perfectly. But the actress playing Lady Penelope came across as a child - HUH???? And this is why we hate this movie. When someone puts out something that was popular to a fan base, and expects the fans to shell out money to watch, and then delivers something than wasn't even close to what the fans expect - well, I am sorry, that is just plain WRONG! OK, so if they were making a kids' movie - fine - next time distribute it straight to video, where many of these belong. But don't package something up in a familiar wrapper and change the innards.$LABEL$ 0 +Now for sure, this is one of the lightest-hearted stories that Bruce Willis has been in to date and yet,-- it is still touching. I really like Bruce's style and persona, I haven't loved everything he has ever been in, but he brings it to the 'Big-time' for me in most all his film endeavors.The story begins..... He is power, confidence and style with a capitol 'S' . He drives a Porshe he lives well, in a palatial estate with a grand view of the fair city. That's Russell Duritz. He is an image consultant to those who are on the top or rising to it. His acclaim, he is Russell Duritz, he knows what it takes to make it. It just seems that as life is going along swiftly and foundation-ally set, there is a problem, an intruder at his home, the alarm has been activated! Russell can't seem to figure out (for the moment) what is happening to him. It's different and yet it is somehow familiar. A small boy, who looks exactly like....-- him. As their lives run smack dab into each other, there seems to be a reason that is screaming out to him, "You have unfinished business to take care of, now!"Amy the supporting young lady of the story is probably the best balance that he has seen and has in his life. She works with him, puts up with his 'ego' and yet, she is smitten with Russell. Very much so. With Rusty his past 'self' now in the picture and talking a mile a minute, singing too late at night, everything that was foundational is becoming like jelly! Willis is fun, egocentric and at times out of his head in this lovable Disney modern times classic 'The Kid' and to add his little heavy-duty side kick Spencer Breslin is a perfect addition to this sparkling story of childhood to adult and back to childhood adventure. Chi McBride is an inspirational supporting character, as he is the heavy-weight champ, teaching 'little' Rusty how to box to defend himself against the bullies on the playground. All in all this is a real winner of a movie with even Lillie Tomlin as the secretary and aide to Russell. I originally saw this back in 2000' and then again years later, with equal enjoyment. This is a shiny family comedy that has a super ending that will warm the hearts of any Disney fan Recommended highly (*****)$LABEL$ 1 +Anita and Me seems to be little more than an excuse for Meera Syal, the author of the novel and screenplay, to air her prejudices, grievances and general antipathy towards the English. The general sentiment of Indian superiority over the English in this film is foul.The English people in this film are portrayed as overweight, violent, foul-mouthed, promiscuous, engaging in child neglect, stupid, uneducated, racist, ugly, eating poor food, and dim-witted -- tellingly, only by turning to Indian culture can the local priest be "redeemed" at the end of the film.By contrast, the Indian family are beautiful, clever, educated, can speak many languages, are caring and loving parents, and grammar-school fodder. The film is so insidiously prejudicial that I am astonished the BBC funded it at all. Had it been the other way round, an English family in an Indian community depicted this way, the film would have been seen as racist.There were a few moments where my eyebrow shot so far up my forehead, I thought it would lodge in my hairline. First, the gossip scene between the women at the Divali celebration -- undertext: the English are dirty and promiscuous -- and the men -- undertext: English women are prostitutes. Second, the meal with Anita where Neema's family lie to her about cutlery -- undertext: the English are so stupid, you can make them do anything.But the underlying contempt towards anything English -- even English weddings are an object of scorn -- is evident all the way through the film. The character of Anita was drawn so appallingly -- almost the fallen woman trope -- that I finished the film feeling angry.This is not a "Bend it like Beckham" where the humour is focused on loving exaggerations of a community's behaviour and customs from somebody within that community, and is a film about two girls from different backgrounds coming together. Instead, Anita and Me seems to convey that a form of cultural apartheid is inevitable, as the English are almost an version of the Indian Untouchable caste, and this is underscored by a thinly-veiled series of attacks upon the film's "other" community: the English.I felt Anita and Me is a hate-filled, grievance-based piece of work. On that basis, the BBC should not have funded its production.$LABEL$ 0 +I suppose if you like endless dialogue that doesn't forward the story and flashy camera effects like the scene transitions in the television show _Angel_, you'll enjoy the film. Me? All I wanted was a nice, tight little story, and it wasn't there. The pacing was practically backward, plot points were buried under a sea of unneeded dialogue, and there was absolutely no sense of dread, or tension, or ANYTHING.Is it the redneck? Is it the Wendigo? No, it's a cameraman on speed. That's not scary. It doesn't generate a single note of tension or atmosphere unless you're scared by MTV. Like those reviewers before me, I too noticed that by the end the movie invokes derisive laughter from the audience.Terrible film.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie and its subsequent TV series followup has become the iconic stand-in for what is great about America. Fame is famous for its music and performances. There are several standouts including Irene Cara, Paul McCrae, Anne Meara*, and the superb Gene Anthony Ray. The latter who plays a walk-on dancer with no academic or other than "street" credentials is an amazing personality and is worth watching for what is essentially a portrayal of himself. A wonderment to behold, as one king was apt to say.The plot follows an interesting format - chronological at times, genre at other times, personalities in some cases ... but, it all really ends in a kind of mush.Where Parker succeeds is in pushing this movie into periodic overdrive - with the extremely poignant and sometimes beautiful and outright campy music score that matches the performers step for step.The climax of the film is a climax for all times. And this climatic complete cast of many many talented musicians and dancers and music is thankfully repeated throughout the credits. These are one set of credits that are well worth sitting through ... an achievement for the ages. The music by Christopher Gore is a gift to behold.$LABEL$ 1 +This may be the worst show I've ever seen. Aside from the tastelessness of having a sitcom about Hitler, it just isn't funny or entertaining in any way. It is very similar to a 1950's sitcom in its cornball humor and contrived situations, but while it can be well done like in I Love Lucy, it's just not funny here. I think the show was based around the novelty "look, it's Hitler as a bumbling sitcom figure" but it just fell flat in every regard. The guy playing Hitler is so hammy that its hard to sit through that alone. I wonder what could have possibly made the network think this was a good idea to air. I thought America had some tasteless show, but the Brits had us beat this time. America would never air a sitcom about Hitler, although we did have that show about Lincoln's slave, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer. Chances are you'll probably never see this show, since it only aired one episode and will probably never be released on DVD.$LABEL$ 0 +I've never expected too much from a film by trashy B-movie director Jim Wynorski: a silly premise, some cheapo effects and a bit of nudity from some busty babes, and I'm usually fairly happy.Well, Cheerleader Massacre delivers on the former and definitely the latter, but unfortunately is a tad light when it comes to the splatter. And when a film has the word 'massacre' in the title, and scrimps on the gore, then Houston, we have a problem.Wynorski's movie centres on a group of cheerleaders who, along with their teacher, mini-bus driver and a couple of guys, become stranded in the mountains during a snowstorm. They make their way on foot to a deserted mountain retreat, where they find food and shelter. And a crazy killer who wants them all dead! From the outset, good old Jim ensures that his film features plenty of scenes loaded with T&A, and includes the obligatory shower scene, along with numerous other moments in which tasty women get nekkid (including a spot of raunchy softcore sex and a very gratuitous three-babes-in-a-hot-tub scene). None of the women look young enough to be cheerleaders (and are never even seen in their outfits), but who cares about such details when they're all too willing to strip off in the name of art?I do care, however, about the movie's numerous lacklustre deaths. With such an extremely lurid title, I had been hoping for some inventive bloodletting to go with all of the bums, bush, and boobs; instead, practically all of the killings occur off-screen or feature next to no gore. Only a silly post-decapitation scene (achieved with cheap-as-chips CGI) comes anywhere near to delivering the goods.Still, if you're feeling in the mood for some titillation, or a bit of slasher silliness minus the grue, then, at 82 minutes, at least Cheerleader Massacre won't be too much of a waste of your time.$LABEL$ 0 +who reads these comments may think we may have in hand a great movie. I am Portuguese and I'm ashamed that this film became a blockbuster in Portugal. It can't really call this cinema. The direction and "mise-en-scene" is basic (even Ron Howard does better!); the script is bad and pretentious (a really bad Tarantino); the cast is covered in TV stars, models and reality show stars that don't no nothing about acting. When you put in a movie this ingredients of course that the fans of this kind of TV shows will all go see. i am also surprised that people who make comments here in IMDb say that this movie is a masterpiece. I thought that this site was only for people who truly like cinema and understand a little bit of it. All the movies made to be blockbusters in Portgal always use the same ingredients and are always awful. if you think this movie is reasonable, please don't say your love movies and cinema.$LABEL$ 0 +Something somewhere must have terribly gone wrong right at the time when the director was perceiving this plot. The movie, that was supposed to be the remake of one of the most loved movies in cinema, fails to deliver in every aspect of movie making. The best of the artists could also not pick up the tuning, that simply goes on to show that the movie in itself was a grave mistake.The editing is poor. Direction is crap. Acting is out of this world(omg)! The characters who are supposed to look scary force people to laugh on the stupidity of their dialogues and costumes.I wouldn't watch the movie even if someone paid me the cost of the tickets or even gave me a free burger with it.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a classic animated film from the cartoon series! Most of the major characters get alot of screen time plus do extra characters aswell! The film`s focus is on the superstar characters vacation and each one has his/her very unique summer fun! Its very funny from beginning to end! It has excellent color, great music and believe it or not I have seen this more than any movie. Its that great and in MY opinion its perfect!$LABEL$ 1 +We have a character named Evie. Evie just wants to be a good person. She's nice, friendly, smiles often, but is strangely brutally honest. Evie also has a secret. Her idiot-savant sister has been reciting original poetry, which is getting the community excited about the sister writing. Unfortunately, it's Evie's poetry. While their mother starts being happy again and the boy next door shows his interest in Evie, Evie just tries to figure out what she really wants to do.What to keep in mind while watching this movie is who Evie really is. For such a brutally honest person who doesn't mind telling Ivy-league types that she doesn't respect them, it would seem odd that she would be able to pull off a lie. For someone so happy and cheerful, she's quite emotionless when it comes to certain issues. Those aren't character flaws, they're plot development, and they mean a lot more than they at first seem.Mostly this is something of a melodrama: a character lies, the other characters' personalities propel them through drama as relationships are held at risk. But in terms of the writing it's very fresh and bold. The acting helps the writing along very well (maybe the idiot-savant sister could have been played better), and it is a real joy to watch.The directing and the cinematography aren't quite as good. They're acceptable, and Evie's world is wreathed in color and light, which makes for some very beautiful images, but it's not very consistent. It's not really so much of a flaw as a result of a low production value, but within that same value is some genuine storytelling and a real care for the characters. So while it isn't a perfect movie, it's certainly an enjoyable one.--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +This was the next to last film appearance by Jill Ireland, who died of cancer in 1990 after four decades as a well-known actress and producer. Ireland made quite a few waves in the press when she dropped her then-husband David McCallum in 1967, beginning her long relationship with Charles Bronson. It is a great irony that Bronson, probably the all-time leader in number of deaths rendered on-screen, had one of the most enduring marriages in film history.'Assassination' seems to be a movie that was tucked into Cannon's production schedule for the sake of Bronson and Ireland. Ireland was already suffering from cancer-related illnesses in 1987 and you can almost picture the two actors wanting to do 'just one more, for old times' sake.' 'Assassination' is carelessly done as a whole, showing the lack of polish and dwindling funds that would tank Cannon by 1990. But there's a kind of nostalgia value in seeing the couple together one last time and the film makes you wonder what exactly helps a relationship to survive in the chaos that is Hollywood.Bronson plays Jay Killian, a high-ranking Secret Service agent who is assigned to protect the First Lady, Lara Craig (Ireland). The President's wife has a reputation for being difficult, bossing Service agents around and wanting to do things her own way. That all changes, however, when attempts are made on her life and she must journey with Killian by car, train, motorbike, and believe it or not, dune buggy to escape would-be assassins. There is little surprise here, as Killian believes the murderers are part of an inside job, perhaps arranged by the President himself. On the way, Killian and Mrs. Craig develop an unspoken affection for one another in scenes between Bronson and Ireland that are actually very funny.What really gets me is how this film was promoted upon its release and how it's still made to look as a DVD. The original trailer gives you the feeling that 'Assassination' is another cold-hearted Bronson shoot-'em-up. But a lot of this movie - which was rated PG-13, by the way - is in a comic vein, putting it along the lines of a romantic thriller like Bronson and Ireland's western 'From Noon Till Three.' Even the DVD case shows Bronson with a rocket launcher, ready to blow things up. Which he does, but to a lesser degree than his other '80s potboilers.On the whole, 'Assassination' is late Cannon slop work and doesn't really know what kind of film it wants to be. Besides drifting from actioner to romantic thriller and back again, there are serious mistakes in continuity, property values are bottom-of-the-barrel cheap, and the effects are dreadful; many of the explosions seem like matte work rather than being done on location. Robert Ragland, who had shown good composing skills in earlier films, teamed up with Valentine McCallum on a score that is mostly synthesized and better fit for television.Richard Sale's script has real lulus of dialogue, with the conversations between Bronson and Ireland the only bright spot. There is no explanation as to why the First Lady is called 'One Momma' all of a sudden, nor as to why Ireland is left with her British accent when the character is a Wyoming native. Jan Gan Boyd, playing Killian's main assistant, has a kitten-like personality and is badly miscast as a federal agent. Stephen Elliott (a former Tony Award nominee who died in May 2005), Randy Brooks, Erik Stern (as assassin Bracken), and Michael Ansara (Senator Bunsen) are acceptable in their supporting roles.Incidentally, this was the last film directing gig for Peter Hunt, who broke onto the scene with 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' in 1969 and collaborated with Bronson and Lee Marvin on 'Death Hunt' in 1981. 'Assassination' is available on DVD through MGM Home Entertainment; it is presented in dual widescreen and standard format with three-language subtitles and theatrical trailer.** out of 4$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 10/28/2007, 8 out of 10(Dir-Jesus Ponce): Simple, sweet story of a homeless couple and their daily adventures surviving in the everyday world without a roof over their heads. The movie starts with the woman in the story(played by Isabel Ampudia)being released from prison but we don't know what she was in for or how long she was there. She runs across the anti-hero of the story and her boyfriend, played by Sebastian Haro, as he's parking cars for change. They shack-up together underneath an old dilapidated building with nothing but each other's warmth and a small mattress to their possession. He is a drug addict who just tries to make it from one fix to another, but she has a strange, obsessive attraction to him as a person, which we eventually accept. He also has some sort of sexually-transmitted disease, so sex for them is out of the question but this doesn't appear to be a problem for either of them. She loves this man as he is, without question, and without him having to change, which is a rare find anywhere. She earns her keep by carrying a bucket around and washing shop windows. They eat a bakery roll every day and consider it a feast. Isabel's character dreams of a normal life but doesn't expect it to happen and doesn't expect to fit into that role so doesn't think much of it. Both characters come from extremely broken homes and therefore the audience has sympathy for them despite their imperfections. Without giving up much of the story, Isabel's character continues to persevere while the man gets worse and worse in his drug obsession. There is a nice melodramatic conclusion to the story that lifts it up for the masses to enjoy, but overall this is a wonderful independent film about a relationship between un-worldly misfits that keeps you interested until the end.$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent film. Suzy Kendall will hold your interest throughout. Has not been shown on American TV for a decade. One scene that has always stayed with me is the German cavalry gas attack. You will find others. Hope they soon put it on tape.$LABEL$ 1 +Talking about competition features at the Split Film festival, we have titles from all over the world. China, Korea, Canada, USA and Australia and many of these stories are indicating that the world is really valley of tears. Modern love...thats for sure. In that movie by Alex Frayne, two younger married people and their boy are traveling from town to the coast to visit the grave and house of the man's uncle who raised him a long time ago and who died in mysterious circumstances. The coastal village seems like something in an American horror film where the village is bizarre and people are uncommon mutants. But episodes in Alex Frayne's pastorella can't be described as horror in the normal way. In fact this is an extreme interesting drama where we are seeing relationships and horror through flashbacks and much more. In this story and through obviously psychological facets of the actors we are shown a peep show of film some charmingly eccentric Australian film-making. Thus is the the case of Frayne. Always something new and fresh. Visual intelligence and unique sensibility of some Australian directors is astonishing good. Frayne's movie is super. There is something in the Australian landscape that shows their movies so special as we have see in FRAYNE's Modern Love and in RAY Lawrence movies Lantana and Jindabyne.It seems it will be the same in future titles of Alex Frayne.$LABEL$ 1 +I give this movie a 4 cause I'm a die hard fan of the video game series. the graphics and animation are excellent and its nice to see the whole gang in CG form Sephiroth's still coolnow the reasons it only got a 4 well the characters feel like planks of wood with some of the worst voice acting I've ever seen(I've watched epic movie)the movie just seems cloud orientated so much so that it make even the fans embarrassed with cloud this and cloud that. clouds mentioned so much that it make you not want to see him in this movie the villains have the award for the worst villains ever (i was more scared by the wicked witch of the west) all the other characters in this movie are simply put in the movie for a nod to the fans and doesn't take it further then thatwtf's with the chilly chally???summary: waited 9 years for this movie and this is what i get a large pointless and boring cut scene i beg the head of square cenix to shoot the man responsible for this burn every copy of the movie and any one involved in it and create a new movie from the ashes's (it would be nice to make the movie in live action and based on the original game)$LABEL$ 0 +Are we serious??? I mean wow ... just, wow. I think I saw this flick in an old issue of War Journal. This is pathetic, originality is completely dead, instead of trying to formulate a new idea what we receive is a bland re-do of an old plot line and to "switch it up" we just change the gender or race of the original character it's moronic and everyone should be sick and tired of seeing it ... but I guess this is just a rant and will most likely fall on deaf ears to engrossed with the sound of another turd hitting the toilet water like the best western since 3:10 to Yuma ... (wait for it)... 3:10 to Yuma! Thank You Hollywood for killing film as an art form and turning it into a commercial barrage of neo-pop junk and blatant retardation ... wonderful!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I have no respect for IMDb ratings anymore. I think a bunch of Mormons flooded the website and voted for this. This is not an artistic movie, it is Mormon propaganda. Nothing wrong with that, but the plot outline and the way it is described is totally misleading. If you are a bible thumping Christian or a Mormon, watch this movie, you'll love it and think it is truly amazing. For anyone else, don't bother, the story is so contrived, random stuff happens that really doesn't follow in a coherent way. This guy tries to commit suicide cause he sleeps with his neighbor. Are you kidding? What a pussy! Anyways, this is an awful movie.$LABEL$ 0 +As a huge fan of horror, I had given up on the vampire sub-genre due to the fact that in most vampire flicks the vampire has become feminine and non-threatening, benign and basically weak. This was the attitude I brought to a viewing of Soul's Midnight and I am happy to say that the vampires in this film at least have the hunger to kill old ladies and sacrifice babies! Armand Assante, one of my favorite actors of all time, was born to play the charming vampire with savage intensity. Another thing that interested me is that the central location is the Borgo Hotel. That is cool because (and I went back to my high school copy to look this up) in Dracula, the Borgo Pass is where Jonathan Harker must pass to get to Dracula's castle.Finally, my hats off to whoever made the decision to make the creature a real effect and not a darn CGI! That's the one thing great about many low-budget movies, they cannot afford the garbage computer effects that plague many Hollywood monstrosities.Bottom line...this is better than Underworld for sure, especially if you are a vampire purest. Cheers, JA$LABEL$ 1 +"Dragonlord" sees Chan returning to his role of "Dragon" from "The Young Master". Not much has carried over from the first film though. "Tiger", his older brother, is nowhere to be seen; neither is the Marshall, his daughter or his son played superbly by Yuen Biao in the original film. Dragon does have the same master though - presumably all the other students have moved on to other things. (Dragon's laziness at training is portrayed heavily in this film, so maybe he's still studying!) Originally titled "Young Master In Love", this film sees Dragon (for the first sixty minutes at least) pursuing a villager girl in various idiotic and slapstick ways. His rival for her affection is his friend (inappropriately named "Cowboy") played comically by the longtime Chan Stunt-team member Mars. We see various scenes where their silly schemes backfire. It is one of these scenes that we (thankfully) find "Dragon" in over his head.This film is notorious in that it failed expectations at the box office. That said, I'm sure the expectations were pretty high, and I feel that this film has never had a fair judgment based on it's own merits. But even when I try to do this, I still feel that there is a problem with the film. It seems quite unfocused, sometimes rushed, and I think the action is too sporadic and not as brilliant as Chan's other work from this period.The thing that really saves the film is the ending sequence. As in "The Young Master", there is a fantastic final reel that it full of incredibly exhausting action - you really feel every blow. And again, Chan goes up against the same rival from "The Young Master" (is it the same character?), and the timing and energy here is brilliant. Chan's style of using every last bit of his environment to help defeat his opponent - not just relying on pure physical ability - is as apparent here as anywhere else. The barn they fight in is full of clever little prop gags and improvisations. This is an absolute highlight of the film and one of Chan's incredible career.It's not necessary to see the prequel before seeing "Dragonlord", in fact, it might even raise more questions than what it hopes to answer. But it must be said that the original film is the superior film, and "Dragonlord", with it's focus on girl-chasing and team-sports does seem baffling. Luckily, the few fight scenes it offers (plus a fantastic shuttle-cock scene) push it over the line as a must-see film in this genre.$LABEL$ 1 +Watching Floored by Love one thought comes almost immediately to mind, "My god this looks like a really bad sitcom." Sure enough, it turns out that FBL is a pilot for a series that may start this fall in Canada, poor poor Canada.Cara (Shirley Ng) and Janet (Natalie Sky) are a lesbian couple living in Vancouver. Janet has come out to her mother already but Cara's parents are still in the dark about their daughter's homosexuality. The pressure is on to out herself though when the parents come from Malaysia for her younger brother's wedding. That same week British Columbia legalizes gay marriage. With Janet wanting to wed, Cara has to decide whether or not to tell her conservative Chinese parents that's she's gay. Will she? Would she? Could she? Cara's situation is contrasted with that of Jesse (Trent Millar). Jesse has just declared his homosexuality to the world at the age of fourteen. His biological father Daniel (Andrew McIlroy) is coming for a visit soon. His stepfather Norman (Michael Robinson) fears that his chances of finally being fully accepted by Jesse are harmed by the fact that Daniel is gay and he is not. Will dialing 1-800-Makeover help?The dialogue and delivery come straight out of a lesser 1950's program along with the overdone physical emoting. The Full House-style melodrama is enough to make you wince from time to time and the attempts at comedy largely fail. McIlroy, Millar & Sky are the only performers that approach competency in this miscalculation but given the material they have to work with, it's no surprise that none impress. It's possible that the campiness was purposeful. It often seems like there is no way the performers are really that bad, that they must be trying to mimic the inferior sitcoms of days yore. If this is indeed the case than this review should probably be rewritten. The rewrite would focus on Floored by Love being a poor and ineffective send-up of old sitcoms.Writer/director Desiree Lim has put together a by-the-numbers bland-fest that's entirely forgettable. There was a time when merely having an openly homosexual protagonist was enough to make a mark on the screen. That time is gone. In this day we need quality as well.$LABEL$ 0 +Masters of Horror: Right to Die starts late one night as married couple Abby (Julia Anderson) & Ciff Addison (Martin Donovan) are driving home, however while talking Cliff is distracted & crashes into a tree that has fallen across the road. Cliff's airbag works OK & he walks away with minor injuries, unfortunately for Abby hers didn't & she ended up as toast when she was thrown from the car & doused in petrol which set alight burning her entire body. Abby's life is saved, just. She is taken to hospital where she is on life support seriously injured & horribly disfigured from the burns. Cliff decides that she should die, his selfish lawyer Ira (Corbin Bersen) thinks they should let Abby die, sue the car manufacturer & get rich while Abby's mum Pam (Linda Sorenson) wants to blame Cliff, get rich & save Abby. However Abby has other plans of her own...This American Canadian co-production was directed by Rob Schmidt (whose only horror film previously was Wrong Turn (2003) which on it's own hardly qualifies him to direct a Masters of Horror episode) & was episode 9 from season 2 of the Masters of Horror TV series, while I didn't think Right to Die was the best Masters of Horror episode I've seen I thought it was a decent enough effort all the same & still doesn't come close to being as bad as The Screwfly Solution (2006). The script by John Esposito has a neat central idea that isn't anything new but it uses it effectively enough although I'd say it's a bit uneven, the first 15 minutes of this focuses on the horror element of the story but then it goes into a lull for 20 odd minutes as it becomes a drama as the legal wrangling over Abby's life & the affair Cliff is having take center stage before it gets back on track it a deliciously gory & twisted climax that may not be for the faint of heart. The character's are a bit clichéd, the weak man, the bent lawyer, the protective mum & the young tart who has sex to get what she wants but they all serve their purpose well enough, the dialogue is OK, the story moves along at a nice pace & overall I liked Right to Die apart from a few minutes here & there where it loses it's focus a bit & I wasn't that keen on the ambiguous ending.Director Schmidt does a good job & there are some effective scenes, this tries to alternate between low key spooky atmosphere & out-and-out blood & gore. There are some fantastic special make-up effects as usual, there's shots of Abby where she has had all of the skin burned off her body & the image of her bandaged head with her teeth showing because she has no lips left is pretty gross (images & make-up effects that reminded me of similar scenes in Hellraiser (1987) & it's sequels), then there's the main course at the end where Cliff literally skins someone complete with close-ups of scalpels slicing skin open & him peeling it off the muscle & putting it into a cooler box! Very messy. There are also various assorted body parts. There's some nudity here as well with at least a couple of pretty ladies getting naked...Technically Right to Die is excellent, the special effects are brilliant & as most Masters of Horror episodes it doesn't look like a cheap made-for-TV show which basically if the truth be told it is. The acting was fine but there's no big 'names' in this one.Right to Die is another enjoyable & somewhat twisted Masters of Horror episode that most horror fans should definitely check out if not just for the terrific skinning scene! Well worth a watch... for those with the stomach.$LABEL$ 1 +As the summary says you just made the most ignorant comment i have ever heard on an RPG. You seriously thought they were gay? Are you retarded? If you went to go save your best friend and someone decides out of the goodness of his heart to help you then you are in a serious debt to that man. Lavitz was a good person and each time they helped each other it made them closer as friends. They weren't gay lovers like your bitching about. And to let you know the game is set in a medieval time period. Back then, women did just prepare meals while the men fought. Do you even know your history? Do you know how long it took for women to be accepted in the army in present day? This game contains a lot of realism even though your too damn slow obviously to catch it, and you really need to spit out some solid proof instead of ignorant assumptions based off your misguided act to interpret the story.$LABEL$ 0 +Why? Why did they make this movie? If Timothy Olyphant wasn't shirtless in it several times, there would be ABSOLUTELY no reason to watch this movie, ever. Um...Plot? Nope. Well-defined characters? nope. The only time I laughed was when my boyfriend made fun of the whole she-bang. P.S. Andy Dick? Nope.$LABEL$ 0 +As a semi-film buff, I had heard of this infamous movie a long time ago. I had heard that it was basically a 15 million dollar film about the tyrannical rule of the Roman emperor Caligula, complete with hard-core pornography. What struck me was that it was a porno movie yet it had great thespians like Peter O'Toole, John Geilgud, Malcolm McDowell and Hellen Mirren in it!!?? A week ago I saw a documentary about Caligula on the History channel and this film came back into my head and finally my curiousity got the best of me, I foolishly rented the DVD and even more foolishly watched it.Within the first 30 minutes I was seeing acts of sex and especially violence that would earn an NC-17 even by todays standards. Was it really necessary to have a scene of a man having his urinary track closed and then have gallons of wine poured into him and then have his stomach cut with a sword (all in very graphic detail). And a scene where a guy gets his d*** cut off and fed to dogs (again in very graphic detail)....and this just scratches the surface. The argument for this movie from those who like it seems that it is the only film that honestly portrays pagan Rome and it's excesses. When in fact what this movie really is, is sheer exploitation. From beginning to end you see nothing but endless torture, and decapitations and every kind of violence and crude behavior imaginable (sadomasochism, rape, necrophelia, it just never stopped). There is no insight into Caligula himself, what might have propelled him to go mad, the horrible childhood he had that molded him into a sadist as an adult. This is not a historic film, it is sleaze. Even the porn in this movie stinks, and through much of this when I wasn't gagging I was just incredibly bored. By the time it was over I was depressed, didn't feel much like eating and this movie does the impossible, it actually can turn you off of sex.What were these great actors thinking when they got into this. I did read that the porn segments were filmed after the principal shooting was completed (which explains why none of the main actors are in any of these scenes and why the quality of these scenes is so poor). But still and all these actors must have known what they were getting into. Right at the opening credits it says "Penthouse Magazine and Bob Gucionne Presents". And the scenes that the famous actors actually take part in are completely repulsive in and of themselves. Apparently director Tinto Brass wanted his name removed from the completed film entirely, as did the screenwriter (Gore Vidal of all people). Even John Geilgud and Peter O'toole were begging people not to see this when it opened at the Cannes film festival.For the amount of money the producers spent on this, the movie's quality is terrible. Everything is underlit and murky as if the film was dropped in a swamp prior to being developed, and that's when you're lucky enough to view a scene that's actually in-focus. The sound is poorly dubbed, much of the music is awkward and the editing is god awful.Anyway, I brought this movie on myself. My advice...don't watch this, don't watch this, don't watch this......as for myself tomorrow night I am going to watch something lighter....like DAWN OF THE DEAD!$LABEL$ 0 +So, I'm wondering while watching this film, did the producers of this movie get to save money on Sandra Bullock's wardrobe by dragging out her "before" clothes from Miss Congeniality? Did Ms. Bullock also get to sleepwalk through the role by channeling the "before" Gracie Hart? As many reviewers have noted before, the film is very formulaic. Add to that the deja vu viewer experiences with the character of Cassie Maywether as a somewhat darker Gracie Hart with more back story and it rapidly become a snooze fest.The two bad boy serial killers have been done before (and better) in other films. As has the "good guy partner trying to protect his partner despite the evidence" character been seen before. In fact none of the characters in the film ever get beyond two dimensions or try to be anything but trite stereotypes.One last peeve - using the term serial killer is false advertising. Murdering one person - even if it's a premeditated murder - does not make you a serial killer. You may have the potential to become a serial killer but you are not a serial killer or even a spree killer.$LABEL$ 0 +There is no way to describe how really, really, really bad this movie is. It's a shame that I actually sat through this movie, this very tiresome and predictable movie. What's wrong with it? Acting: There is not one performance that is even remotely close to even being sub-par (atleast they are all very pretty). Soundtrack (songs): "If we get Orgy on the soundtrack then everyone will know that they are watching a horror film!"; Soundtrack (score): Okay, but anyone with a keyboard can make an okay soundtrack these days. Don't even get me started on the "What the hell?" moments, here are a few: Killer can move at the speed of light--door opens actress turns, no one is there, turns back, there is something sitting in front of her.; Out of now where The killer shows up with a power drill, a really big one! The filmmakers get points for at least plugging it in, but can I really believe that the killer took the time to find the power outlet to plug it in. I feel like one of the guards at the beginning of Holy Grail and want to say "Where'd you get the power drill?". I could go on and on about how bad this film is but I only have 1000 words. I will give this 2 out of ten stars. One star for making me laugh and another star for all the cleavage. Seriously, do not waste your time with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2002. This seemed to be one of the less popular films on the festival, however, as it turned out, all the more interesting.The story, of an actor trying to come to grips with himself and his environment after withdrawing from a drug addiction, is based on actual facts. Moreover, the characters playing in the film are the real people living this experience over again, this time for the film, which is partly set up as a stage play. Not only do they all happen to be good actors, Jia Hongsheng's parents are actors in real life as well, the methods used in highlighting their relationship towards Jia are very effective.Jia Hongsheng is the actor of some Chinese action films late eighties start nineties. Later you can see him in great films such as Frozen and Suzhou River. In between these two career paths Jia becomes a drug addict and looses all drive to act or even do anything productive, except for making somewhat futile attempts at becoming a guitar virtuoso.I like the way the writer of the scenario choose to emphasize on his behavior after withdrawal more than on the horror of drugs. We really feel the pain and struggle Jia is in. At the same time we hate him for the way he treats those around him.The film draws the viewer into a tiring pattern Jia seems to be caught in, dragging with him his parents and sister who try to take care of him. Because there are personal 'interviews' with the characters we feel like we are getting to know Jia not only through himself but through others as well.The film has a heavy feel, but scenes of Jia cycling through Bejing and partying with his friends lighten the tone. So does the bitter humor in a lot of events throughout the film. The music is beautiful and stayed with me for a while after. This is a film that might not easily appeal to many people but for those interested in the more serious and modern Chinese film this is a strong recommendation.$LABEL$ 1 +John Waters owes me 2 hours of my life back. I saw a sneak-preview screening of this way back in 1990, and I'm still in pain. Not before or since have I seen such a terrible piece of filmic waste spewed upon the screen. There is nothing positive I can say about this film. Acting--awful; plot--ridiculous; music--atrocious. Following the movie, my friends and I demanded our money back from the manager of the theater. He explained that, since it was a free screening, he couldn't give us anything in return, no matter how much agony we were suffering through. How Johnny Depp's career survived this trainwreck of a movie is anyone's guess.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember this bomb coming out in the early 80's. At first it sounded like a great idea. A retelling of an American classic with the help of modern movie techniques of the day. There was a bit a of a back lash over the treatment of the original "Lone ranger", Clayton Moore. The movie studio had threatened legal action if Moore continued portraying him self as the real lone ranger. (Moore was performing at children's hospitals as the Lone ranger for sick kids.) To many Americans Clayton Moore was just that the; the one and only lone ranger. I had always felt that the studio could have done justice to both the fans and legacy of the lone ranger if Moore had been treated better. Maybe even a cameo in the new movie. How ever this was not the case, and many of the viewing public stayed away in droves. Also the story and acting were weak. All this added up to a big box office bomb, and rightly so. I personally I'm glad the studio lost big money after the way the real Lone ranger was treated. You don't treat an American icon that way.$LABEL$ 0 +Sex is a most noteworthy aspect of existence. It is perhaps the most interesting activity there is between birth and death. LE DECLIN DE L'EMPIRE AMERICAIN studies human sexuality in a dry and boring manner. Actually, worse than being simply boring, seeing nude 40-year-olds is, well, unpleasant.I guess there is some shock value in having adults as old as our parents talk about sex, but after twenty minutes, this stops being interesting. Perhaps if the characters were all 20 years younger, the film would be more visually captivating.LE DECLIN DE L'EMPIRE AMERICAIN is not worth the time.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, when it comes to plots, this film is far from believable and also a bit silly. Yet despite its many deficiencies, the film manages to work--provided you turn off your brain and just let yourself enjoy the zaniness of it all. If you can't, then you probably won't like this film very much at all.In one of the oddest plots of the 1930s, Robert Montgomery plays a guy living near the Arctic Circle at a wireless station. How exactly he came to such a remote outpost is uncertain but into this very, very lonely and isolated existence come a steady string of guests--even though it had been years since he'd seen anyone but Eskimos.First, Reginald Owen and Myrna Loy arrive when their plane crashes. They are supposedly on their way to Montreal--how they got THAT far off course is beyond belief! Reginald is a stuffy and dull fellow who is really worried about Montgomery, since Robert hasn't seen a woman in a very long time and Owen seems in constant dread that Montgomery is out to steal Loy for himself. As for Montgomery, that's EXACTLY what his plans are! For the longest time, you never really understand why Loy is engaged to Owen--since he is about as appealing as soggy bread.Soon, Loy and Montgomery fall in love but this is all for naught when, out of the blue AGAIN, Montgomery's old fiancée arrives to announce she's there to marry him!! Considering that for over two years she never wrote and refused to follow him, Montgomery naturally assumed the relationship was over--but the chipper and annoying fiancée's sudden arrival is enough to destroy the plans Loy and Montgomery were making.How all this is resolved is something you can just see for yourself. As for the film, that the plot is very silly and contrived--I can't defend this. BUT, it also is pretty funny and charming and I see this film as a kooky comedy that is just a step or two below contemporary films like BRINGING UP BABY. Silly, slight but also very charming. It's worth seeing despite not being especially believable.$LABEL$ 1 +I love basketball and this seemed like an intriguing movie. However, in the first ten minutes of the movie I knew that it was going to be lousy. It was poorly acted and much too slow. On top of that it was very, very racist, sexist, antisemitic and homophobic. Sometimes putting in racial, ethnic and other types of slurs has a point, illustrating the bigotry that exists. In this movie there was no point to the horrible bigotry and no one learned from what was being said. Part of the problem is that it was an adaption of a play and a remake of a 1982 movie that dealt with a basketball team from the 1950's. Having this movie take place earlier in time would have made a little bit more sense. It didn't translate well to modern times and the writing was horrible. I don't know how the play was originally written but I can't believe that any movie as bad and as hateful as this one has made it to television and video in 1999. It was disgusting. Don't waste your precious time on this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Contrary to most other commentators, I deeply hate this series.It starts out looking interesting, with mysterious aliens and giant robots, and I kept my hopes up until the very last episode. At the end of it, I still didn't understand what the alien attacks were all about (maybe I missed something, who knows?), and realized that I had sat through 26 episodes consisting mainly of the characters' own self-hating, selfishness and self-pitying. It actually flips between alien/robot fights and these dark, depressing blinking-on-and-off scenes where one or more characters can just say or shout "I hate me/you/it" 10-12 times in a row.I can't really see either Shinji or Asuka (two of the main characters) showing growth or change. (Nor can I see any of the other characters learning or growing either, for that matter.) I wanted to kick them and tell them to get a bloody life during the first episodes, and the feeling didn't change during the last ones. Shinji truly possesses the kind of helpless hopelessness that makes people angry rather than charitable, and Asuka is such an infuriating know-it-all that I wanted to smash the TV screen every time she came into view. Oh, and more than anyone else, these two hate everything, and say it veeeeeeeery often.I'm otherwise a big fan of animé and manga, and never before have I disliked one so much. I read that the series creator/writer wrote this while suffering from a depression, and I can believe that; it made me depressed to watch it. Is that the aim of this series? I'm honestly asking. Is it designed to make the viewer confused and annoyed? And if suffering from a depression, why just not write a book or biography about it, instead of mixing it up with aliens and mecha's? This alien war plot, as far as I could tell, lead to absolutely nowhere.Finally, since I'm truly fascinated by how many people claim to love this patchwork of dead-end plots, I can't help but wonder how many of them actually find it good, and how many say they do because they've been told it is.$LABEL$ 0 +Even though some unrealistic things happen at the end (i.e. a cop shooting a gun into a crowded merry-go-round where any number of innocent could be killed), this still was an intense, enjoyable thriller, one of Alfred Hitchcock's better films. Robert Walker is excellent as the chilling nutcase, really convincing giving a fascinating performance that is almost too creepy at times. His co-star in here, Farley Granger, is okay but is no match for Walker, either in acting or in the characters they play. It's the typical Hitchcock film with some strange camera angles, immoral themes, innocent man gets in trouble, etc. Unlike a lot of his other films, I thought this one was a fast-moving story with a very few dull spots. Being an ex-tennis player, I enjoyed his footage of some excellent old net matches that featured some good rallies. Hitchcock's real-life daughter Patricia has an interesting and unique minor character role in here. She didn't just get the job because of her dad; she can act. Also of note: the DVD has both the British and American versions and there were some differences in the story. This is a classic film that is still referred to in modern-day films, even comedies such as "Throw Momma Off The Train."$LABEL$ 1 +THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT, like I'M ALL RIGHT JACK, takes a dim view of both labor and capital. Alec Guinness is a scientific genius - but an eccentric one (he has never gotten his university degree due to an...err...accident in a college laboratory). He manages to push himself into various industrial labs in the textile industry. When the film begins he is in Michael Gough's company, and Gough (in a memorable moment) is trying to impress his would-be father-in-law (Cecil Parker) by showing him the ship-shape firm he runs. While having lunch with Parker and Parker's daughter (Joan Greenwood), Gough gets a message regarding some problems about the lab's unexpectedly large budget problems. He reads the huge expenditures (due to Guinness's experiments), and chokes on his coffee.Guinness goes on to work at Parker's firm, and repeats the same tricks he did with Gough - but Parker discovers it too. Greenwood has discovered what Guinness is working on, and convinces Parker to continue the experiments (but now legally). The result: Guinness and his assistant has apparently figured out how to make an artificial fiber that can constantly change the electronic bonds within it's molecular structure so that (for all intents and purposes) the fiber will remain in tact for good. Any textile made from it will never fade, get dirty, or wear out - it will last forever.Guinness has support from a female shop steward, but not her chief. He sees Guinness as selling out to the rich. But when he explains to them what he's done, they turn against him. If everyone has clothes that will last forever then they will not need new clothes! Soon Parkers' fellow textile tycoons (led by Gough, Ernest Theisinger - in a wonderful performance, and Howard Marion-Crawford) are equally panic stricken by what may end their businesses. They seek to suppress the invention. With only Greenwood in his corner (although Parker sort of sympathizes with him), Guinness tries to get the news of his discovery to the public.In the end, Guinness is defeated by science as well as greed. But he ends the film seeing the error in his calculations, and we guess that one day he may still pull off his discovery after all.It's a brilliant comedy. But is the argument for suppression valid? At one point the difficulties of making the textile are shown (you have to heat the threads to a high temperature to actually enable the ends of the material to be united. There is nothing that shows the cloth will stretch if the owner gets fat (or contract if the owner gets thin). Are we to believe that people only would want one set of clothing for ever? What happened to fashion changes and new styles? And the cloth is only made in the color white (making Guinness look like a white knight). We are told that color dye would have to be added earlier in the process. Wouldn't that have an effect on the chemical reactions that maintain the structure of the textile? Alas this is not a science paper, but a film about the hypocrisies of labor and capital in modern industry. As such it is brilliant. But those questions I mention keep bothering me about the validity of suppressing Guinness' invention$LABEL$ 1 +"Stargate SG-1" follows the intergalactic explorations of a team named SG-1 through a device called the Stargate and all the surprises awaiting on the other side of the wormhole.Having seen this series sporadically for it's first few seasons when it first came out, I didn't know how good this series would really be, 10 years after I had last seen an episode. My old impression was that the series was great, but my impression was far from the truth. "Stargate SG-1" is more than just a simple sci-fi series, it is one of the most well made, interesting, long running, exciting sci-fi ever produced. And why? Because it runs on an amazing premise.This series value far surpasses that of the movie it was based on and I think it is a very good example that television, as a medium, with a suitable premise, is able to provide something that doesn't work on the time restriction of film. The sense of familiarity created by a long running series, watching the characters and their circumstances progressing with time is stunning and just adds to the ability to suspend disbelief, and it's all a result of terrific writing and a lot of dedication by the all crew to the show."Stargate SG-1" kept offering great adventures throughout the 10 years, but was never afraid of the challenge of moving the plot and it gave way for some very different time periods of the show: - The first few seasons, perhaps up to the 4th/5th, focused a lot more on the exploration of planets and different situations, keeping the episodes fairly unrelated to each other if it were not for the always impending Goaul'd threat. - From the 5th to the 7th there was increasingly more episodes focusing on fighting the Goaul'd and preventing attacks on Earth. After this seasons exploration of the planets was almost only an excuse for putting sg-1 in a place of Goaul'd/replicator/ori conflicts- The 8th season is probably the most mixed one. It has a stream of episodes that includes minor earth matters in which the stargate is hardly even mentioned, but the last episodes feature some great replicator moments. - The 9th and 10th travel together because they have the same new enemy and no Jack O'Neil. They are both good continuations, although the first few episodes of the 10th season are a little weak, because they seem to be about little more than SG-1 and human/Jaffa losing battle after battle to the Ori.Basically, after season 7, exploration was pushed to the background, which in many ways was a shame, because of the potential and mystery each planet(episode) presented; on the other hand, it made for so many great episodes of the ongoing conflicts that the change of nature of the show still worked and shows how great and bold the writers were.Even tough I believe the series have a high quality ending that nicely puts it to rest, the feeling I have is that it could go on; the people involved were all great professionals and the series narrative had plenty to offer. A last season returning to the beginning nature of the series was very doable and would have been most welcome, but ultimately things are as they are.In the end, because of the fact that I enjoyed everything, it's a little hard to find that it ends. The big picture, however, the one drawn by the work of hundreds of people over the course of 10 years, is a sight of beauty and a true testament to the dedication of the crew, those outstanding actors and the characters the we will always remember as a collective by the name of SG-1.$LABEL$ 1 +Perhaps it's because I am so in love with the William Holden - Kim Novak version, or because I'm not a Gen-X'er, but this was absolutely the worst remake I have ever seen. Without the original's soundtrack, it just seemed like another typical TV movie...yes, about as bland as Kraft cheese.$LABEL$ 0 +Good Lord... How this ended up in our DVD player I'll never know...my wife thought it was a new release she'd missed somehow...Nevermind it's a couple of years old and in Danish ( I think)... She kept looking for the English soundtrack...All in all...the film wasn't bad... Good production values,better performances, and a clever story that doesn't get too far away from itself make for tidy, dark-humored fare from across the sea! The ending will make you chuckle...in fact, the whole film will. Incredibly strange characters that we grow genuinely interested in make a film that might be worth your while...Without spoiling the plot, the film's title and DVD jacket give you a good idea where this thing is going!$LABEL$ 1 +Documentaries about fans are always mishmashes, and never worth seeing through, but I found this one, made by some of the fans themselves, more than usually unenlightening. As a veteran of the original Tolkien craze, forty years ago, I'd hoped for more than the obvious--which doesn't always equate to the true. If there's anyone living who doesn't already know the nature of a fandom, any fandom, from having been or known a fan, he won't discover it here. Between irrelevancies, platitudes (to which the actors from the films are particularly prone), and acting out (by fans making the most--if not the best--of their one shot at fame), I could glean little of the special appeal of LOTR, the special emotional responses it evokes, and the range of the special creative forms those responses can take. In addition, the film is rather lazy: it slights some facts that could have been got across with little effort, e.g. what the exact legal loophole was (the wording of a copyright notice) that permitted the books' unauthorized publication in the U.S. (Speaking of which: I take strong exception to the film's dismissal of the covers on that edition as "irrelevant" and "psychedelic," which they were not. They were the work of Jack Gaughan, a very able sf illustrator of the period, and some fans, including me, found them more apt, and more attractive, than the covers on the rival set.)$LABEL$ 0 +****SPOILER ALERT**** My boyfriend, some friends, and I rented this movie as part of a marathon of really bad movies. We sort of knew what we were getting into. But the lack of plot, direction, and special effects actually left us hoping for a great (or passable) fight scene between the two main characters... the badly rendered swimming cobra and the super violent giant komodo (that ate people like scooping ice cream)... we sort of get this in the end, but had to be cut short due to possibly budget or time constraints? Its one redeeming quality is that its laughably bad, with many salient details pointed out by other readers. I recommend this movie if your into cutting onions to make yourself cry.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a 1972 Disney movie. For the time, I was eleven years old and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Feeling nostalgic, I purchased the three series DVD's of the Dexter Riley movies and even now, at age 46, I still enjoyed them. It was all about fantasy, magic, and clean fun. And it still is! I wasn't sure which of the three movies came first then second and last. So now I have the official dates. On December 31, 1969 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes--On July 12, 1972 Now You See Him Now You Don't--On February 6, 1975 The Strongest Man In The World. I still think the middle movie was the best. The special effects were amazing back in 1972 to us kids. I definitely recommend it to all ages.$LABEL$ 1 +Jack Frost 2, is probably the most cheesiest movie I have ever seen in my life. The complete title of the film, is Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman. Horror movie fans that have a taste for campy story lines, will be delighted to watch this. This film was straight to video, and for good reasons. Here's why: The acting, was so atrocious, and so terrible, that it could cause one to cry. The main character had no personality, and the actor's bad acting made it all worse. The screenplay was, was also atrocious. Each character always says a cheesy line, and add the cheesy lines to the bad choreography, then you have something bad. Second, the story line isn't really all that impressive, but since this movie was straight to video, it is forgiven. The director, and writer could have turned the idea of a killer snowman, into something cool, but they didn't. They story has lots of plot holes in it. In the beginning, a cup of coffee gets knocked into the fish tank, with the melted Jack Frost. Scientists try to restore his life, but they couldn't. Once the cup of coffee fell into the tank, Jack Frost was completely restored. Now he is immune to anti-freeze. In Jack Frost part 1, the main character's DNA got mixed up with the Anti-freeze that was used to kill Jack Frost. Since the main character is allergic to bananas, Jack Frost is too. Hence, here's my point. They say that Sam's DNA combined with Jack Frost's. But, one of the scientists had some saliva on the cup, so when it fell into the tank, the scientists DNA would have been combined with Jack Frosts. Another thing, the special effects weren't very good either. Here's the good points: Jack Frost 2 has lots of blood, that looks pretty realistic. Even though this movie is flawed to hell, it is still entertaining. Overall, Jack Frost 2 is an enjoyable horror movie. The first one was better though. 7 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I am a VERY big fan of Jenna Jameson, but this movie is horrible. At the time Jenna Jameson was married to Brad Armstrong and he was the director of this film and Jenna was the hottest porn star ever. So, of course, Brad tried to make as much money as he could off her by making this big budget porn film. Now I know why they don't make big budget porn movies anymore. In a fantasy world, porn stars could act, but this is the real world and they can't act. That's why there porn stars, if a women as beautiful as Jenna could act, then she would have tried to go into mainstream movies instead of porn. Just because your beautiful doesn't make you a movie star. A fine example of this is Traci Lords, when she was a teen thru her 20's she was one of the most beautiful, sexy women on earth. She made her move into low budget mainstream films and couldn't act. Where is she now? I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 rating just because Jenna is so hot, but there are better movies she has made then "Dream Quest". Come on Jenna, we don't want to hear you talk, as much as we want to see you have sex. Also, you Jenna, would have a lot more fans and more money in your bank account if you would have done anal on film.$LABEL$ 0 +Casting unknown Michelle Rodriguez as Diana was a stroke of genius. She's perfect. Her acting inexperience actually works in her favor. We've never seen her before so it really feels like her story. She also brings across genuine toughness. This works against her though, because we never doubt her. You never have to cheer for her to win because she never goes up against any fighter we don't think she can beat. So as a boxing movie, it fails.Then again, this isn't really a boxing movie. How do you make a movie about a girl who wants to be a boxer that isn't a boxing movie? You don't. But Karyn Kusama has anyway. Like many indie films, "Girlfight" defies classification or genre and stands on its own as folklore that could darn near happen in real life.Diana is doing poorly in school. She beats up people she doesn't like (all the other girls in her school for example). She doesn't fit in. Her father is forcing her kid brother Tiny to learn to box so he can defend himself when things get tough. He gives Tiny money for his boxing sessions and gives Diana nothing, as if she has no need to defend herself, nor anything worthwhile to make of her life. Tiny wants to go to art school (cliche', yuck), so he gives up his boxing allowance to Diana, who actually wants to box. Things get complicated when Diana falls for another boxer, Adrian (Santiago Douglas), who's looking to turn pro. From there the story winds down toward the inevitable...the two meet in the amateur title fight.What left me cold was that I never found any of this all that interesting. It's all just a bit too believable. Kids with tough lives growing up in rough urban areas fall back on sports. A lot of professional boxers have risen from these circumstances. The mental and physical toughness this upbringing requires lends itself to a game like boxing, where anger is your friend. So this time it's a girl. Big deal.Or there's another position to take: finally, a boxing movie about a girl. Women's boxing has been around a long time. The brutality we usually see in boxing films is replaced here by discussions of people's their lives and their feelings. The whole fighting thing is used as a platform from which to paint a larger picture. Respect. Overcoming adversity. Self-discovery.I recommend "Girlfight" because it has a good spirit and is an example of some great work by a first time director. The dialogue never rises above soap opera quality, but the story itself actually changed my view on some things. Yes, the world now seems like a better place. A film did that.Grade: B-$LABEL$ 1 +Oh my gosh!! I love this movie sooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is so incredible......I loved it as a wee babe and still love it as an adult. It is my favorite Disney movie of allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll time! You should watch it, watch it and love it. My friends and I watch it a ton.....It is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I recommend it to anyone who is a child or a child at heart. My favorite part is the song and dance number with all of the strays and Thomas O'Malley. The writers/producers/director completely nailed this one.....yeah, nailed it to the wall.xoxo~Wolly~xoxo$LABEL$ 1 +This if the first movie I've given a 10 to in years. If there was ever a movie that needed word-of-mouth to promote, this is it. A $4 Mil box is a disgrace. People don't know what it's about. If you have any appreciation for the Blues, or just a good use of excellent music, that alone is reason to go see it. How many people knew Jackson could sing, and damn fine too. You hear books and movies taunting that they're about salvation. After seeing this, you'll never be able to forgive such trivial use of the word. Yes, it's gritty, sexy, down home truth, bizarre and in-your-face real. Isn't that the best reason to see a movie? Those that get my meaning won't stay away from seeing this another week.$LABEL$ 1 +This was incredible, meaning that it was hard to believe, that the "forgotten tribe" would make this astounding migration twice a year, and that the filmmakers, Cooper and Schoedsack, didn't stage some of the scenes and shots. But what shots they are! The cinematography, under mostly extreme conditions, is brilliant, and the score of Iranian music added to the video release give this memorable documentary an added richness.I had the pleasure of seeing this and "Kon Tiki" on the same weekend, which was a thrill and certainly made me see how tough and hardy and brave people can be, whether for primitive survival or the need for adventure or in the name of science.$LABEL$ 1 +Progeny is about a husband and wife who experience time loss while making love. Completely unaware of what this bizarre experience means they try to go on with their lives. The hubby begins questioning the bizarre event and gets help through a very annoying psychiatrist. He comes to believe that aliens are responsible for this lapse in time and that the unborn baby he once thought was his and his wife's actually belongs to the aliens.If ya ask me, this is a great scifi/horror story. Taking a highly questionable real-life scenario involving alien abduction and hybrid breeding is definite thumbs up from this guy. I love all things related to aliens and this story definitely delivered some good ideas. So if you also share an interest in things extraterrestrial, you should be pretty happy with Progeny. At least story-wise anyways.Unfortunately the movie overall is pretty average. With average acting by all actors. Yep, even by the consistently awesome Mr. Dourif, who still does deliver the best performance. Though the black head doctor, delivers his lines really well. There are a few points in the flick where some of the delivery is cringe or laugh worthy, which is fine in my book. I like them cheesy and this had a little bit of some nice stinky cheese, and I mean that in a good way.Anyways, with a less than stellar script you can't really blame all the actors. I especially didn't care for the Mother Hysteria the film went for. She wanted a baby so badly that she'd neglect and dismiss everything her loving husband (who's a doctor!!) said to her. It almost reached a point where you actually didn't care what happened to her.The Progeny is another flick by Brian Yuzna from the icky-sticky film, Society. Again he delivers some slimy effects, and again he delivers a pretty unique tale of horror. If you're into scifi/horror or are a fan of Dourif and or Yuzna films, there's no real reason not to check out this flick if you get the chance. A generous 7 outta 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen a lot of movies...this is the first one I ever walked out of the theater on. Don't even bother renting it. This is about as boring a soap opera as one can see...at least you don't have to pay to watch a soap opera, though.$LABEL$ 0 +I grew up in New York City and every afternoon ABC would show the 4:30 movie- Saratoga Trunk was one of the first movies I remember watching as a kid. I loved this movie and it has stayed with me for years. I recently watched it again and still thought it was great - maybe I am just a romantic - but I thought it was well done. I do not want to say this movie was good only because of the main actors - I really did not know who they were when I first saw this movie - I guess I just knew quality acting as a child. Both Bergman and Cooper were excellent. I especially loved seeing old New Orleans during the time period of this movie . If you ever get a chance to visit New Orleans - you should watch movies that show the city during that time period - when you get to see some of the old homes in the French Quarter(not just Bourbon Street) or uptown, you can truly imagine life as it was 100 years ago. I love old movies - this one to me is a good flick!!$LABEL$ 1 +I really don't have anything new to add but I just felt like I had to comment on this sack. So here goes:Atrocious. I'm running through my MST3K DVD collection again and I just watched Hobgoblins for about the 10th time. It's really, really painful but it was next on the list... You can see that there is a tiny kernel of an actual movie buried under all the crap that is "Hobgoblins" but it just couldn't get out. Everything about this movie is 4th rate. The story, the acting, the effects, the women, the "action scenes", the... ahhhh forget it. I can watch a piece of crap like "The Bloodwaters of Dr. Z" (aka "Zaat") over and over and over with hardly any ill effects (I like it in fact- btw, it will be on TCM later this month- October, 2009) but "Hobgoblins" is a whole 'nother ballgame.The worst part of it all may be that it's now about 12 hours after the movie ended, I had a good night's sleep, some coffee and some dry toast, my medications, and yet the ersatz "New Wave" dance music that Amy, Red Shorts, and Laraine Newman were frolicking to in the living room is STILL RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD. This torment will last for days. Good luck, won't you?$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe it is unfair for me to review this movie because I walked out well before the end. That's odd, because I usually like Shakespeare on the screen and I enjoyed Midsummers Night's Dream once, many years ago, when I saw it on the stage. I think that two things did me in: that squeaky twerp with the Shakespearian name, Calista Flockhart, and Michelle Feiffer sitting in a giant clamshell. Well, I suppose you could say it supposed to be a comedy -- but when the scenery is funny and the actors aren't, I'd say we have a bad movie on our hands....$LABEL$ 0 +If you want a complete waste of time, because pulling lint out of your belly button or cleaning the wax out of your ears or grouting your tile is your idea of a carnival thrill ride, then you'll not want to miss this one.For one thing, forget the VHS cover. NO body in this movie looks that attractive (ie, the Indian girl). Someone else commented that whoever posed for the cover is not the same girl and I agree. The cover is THE most exciting thing about this movie.To put this in perspective, I bought this VHS for 99 cents at K-Mart and three minutes, no, 40 seconds into the movie, I knew I had been ripped off.I finished watching it because 1) I did pay 99 cents after all and, 2)there might possibly, conceivably been a hair of chance some scene in this turkey was worth more than a pinched loaf.There wasn't.Good grief, Fonda. I know you were hard up for roles when you did this, but this is beneath you.$LABEL$ 0 +This show started out okay, but then it turned into a nightmare. The worst part about it was the contestants. Most of them were weirdos. They did stupid things for a living and they also did strange hobbies. In the second season, one guy said he that he talked to his pants. That is sick and repulsive. Also, no one cared about winning money. All they ever wanted to do was make alliances like it was "Survivor" or something. The men were always afraid that the women were going to team up together. The women were the same also. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop watching it. It was truly one of the worst shows ever.$LABEL$ 0 +In this "critically acclaimed psychological thriller based on true events, Gabriel (Robin Williams), a celebrated writer and late-night talk show host, becomes captivated by the harrowing story of a young listener and his adoptive mother (Toni Collette). When troubling questions arise about this boy's (story), however, Gabriel finds himself drawn into a widening mystery that hides a deadly secret…" according to film's official synopsis.You really should STOP reading these comments, and watch the film NOW...The "How did he lose his leg?" ending, with Ms. Collette planning her new life, should be chopped off, and sent to "deleted scenes" land. It's overkill. The true nature of her physical and mental ailments should be obvious, by the time Mr. Williams returns to New York. Possibly, her blindness could be in question - but a revelation could have be made certain in either the "highway" or "video tape" scenes. The film would benefit from a re-editing - how about a "director's cut"? Williams and Bobby Cannavale (as Jess) don't seem, initially, believable as a couple. A scene or two establishing their relationship might have helped set the stage. Otherwise, the cast is exemplary. Williams offers an exceptionally strong characterization, and not a "gay impersonation". Sandra Oh (as Anna), Joe Morton (as Ashe), and Rory Culkin (Pete Logand) are all perfect.Best of all, Collette's "Donna" belongs in the creepy hall of fame. Ms. Oh is correct in saying Collette might be, "you know, like that guy from 'Psycho'." There have been several years when organizations giving acting awards seemed to reach for women, due to a slighter dispersion of roles; certainly, they could have noticed Collette with some award consideration. She is that good. And, director Patrick Stettner definitely evokes Hitchcock - he even makes getting a sandwich from a vending machine suspenseful.Finally, writers Stettner, Armistead Maupin, and Terry Anderson deserve gratitude from flight attendants everywhere.******* The Night Listener (1/21/06) Patrick Stettner ~ Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Rory Culkin$LABEL$ 1 +Having read the books and seen the 1982 Anthony Andrews/JaneSeymour version, I have to say that this is not good at all.According to the books, Percy is supposed to be a seeminglyfoppish aristocrat when he's being Percy, and witty and cleverwhen he's being the Pimpernel, but here he just looks bored asPercy and mean as the Pimpernel. Marguerite is supposed to bethe most beautiful woman in Europe, not a tired and frumpy-looking matron (she looks middle-aged, probably due tobad make-up). Richard E. Grant has done much better things, andElizabeth McGovern's acting is uninspired and flat. The wit anddash of the books and the Andrews/Seymour film is here replacedby brawn and flashy editing that just don't make the cut. I might add that to a person who hasn't seen any previous versionor read the book, it would probably look ok.$LABEL$ 0 +I had the distinct displeasure of seeing this movie at the 2006 Vancouver International Film Festival. I have been attending this festival for over 5 years, and I have certainly seen some poor movies on occasion. However, 'First Bite' has reached a brand new low in film. In spite of being shot in beautiful locations, with the occasional, exquisite close up of fabulous food, the movie contorts an excessive number of plot twists and stilted characters until I was practically begging for it to end.The lead actor, David La Haye, completely failed to show any character development throughout the movie, portraying a pompous chef from beginning to end. Additional sub-plots, such as eating disorders, were developed so poorly and completely did not fit within any context that the movie had shown up to that point.A theme of mysticism was used as a poor attempt to conceal a movie that achieves nothing, goes nowhere, and completely disappoints.$LABEL$ 0 +I work with children from 0 – 6 years old and they all love the Doodlebops. The Doodlebops are energetic, vibrant and appealing. Once they start singing, ''We're the Doodlebops We're the Doodlebops We're the Doodlebops Oh yeah Come and join the fun because we're laughing and we're singing all day" it is almost impossible not to join them in song. The Doodlebops brings the viewer into a world of color and fun. Each show is an adventure, the Doodlebops do not try to change the world with preachy messages all they do is have fun while sorting out everyday life challenges that the young child may relate to. The Doodlebops is an refreshing, high action alternative to regular children's television programs.$LABEL$ 1 +On the surface, "Show Me The Money" should have at least finished a full season. You had the always entertaining William Shatner as your host, surrounded by a baker's dozen of beautiful leggy models collectively called "The Million Dollar Dancers." You had knowledgeable contestants who had interesting stories to tell of their lives and who presumably knew a lot of pop culture trivia. And you had big money! So, what went wrong? The format of this game was the failure. A good game show needs at least two of three things: very simple rules, exciting pacing and the ability for the viewer to play along at home. The best, most enduring ones have all three.Unfortunately, SMTM had none.The rules for this game were among the most complex of any prime time game show in history. Let me try to explain how the game worked, as briefly as possible.A contestant began with a single word or short phrase followed by the choice letters A, B, C (subtle plug for the network?). Each letter was connected to a separate question, all starting with that word or phrase. Once a contestant chose one of the letters, they could either answer that question or pass and select a second letter. If they passed, they got to view the next question, and had the same option. However, if they passed the second question, they were required to answer the third option.After they answered and before they found out if their answer was correct, they then had to select one of the 13 dancers on stage, each with a different amount of money in a scroll by their side. They revealed their dollar amount (ranging from $20,000 to $250,000) and depending on if the contestant answered right... or answered wrong... that amount would be added to or subtracted from their pot.Still with me so far? In addition, there was one dancer who held something known as "The Killer Card." If you selected the dancer with the Killer Card and you had gotten your question right, you were safe, and the game continued. If, however, you were incorrect, you had one final question to answer. If you got that final question wrong, you were out of the game. If you got it right, then, the game continued.There was no quitting, no walking away with the money earned until you either answered six questions correctly or got six questions wrong or you were so far in the hole you couldn't earn enough money to get back out. Got it? Okay! The biggest problem, as I saw it, was a complete lack of tension, because of the design of the game. A contestant could pass questions they knew they didn't know, and answer many questions they did know, making the pressure even less. Then, they could still find a low dollar amount, even after knowingly missing a question, which meant there still wasn't any "drama." And the fact that they could answer five questions wrong and still have a chance to win was a big mistake. And the pacing of the questions was deadly slow: often the questions were so obvious, it was ridiculous to try to create tension, as if there was any doubt about some of the most common answers.The pacing, the lack of any real tension at any point during the show and those very complicated rules prevented this program from working, despite Shatner's terpsichorean talents.$LABEL$ 0 +Bela Lugosi as God? Transvestites discussed in a movie in the straight-laced 1950s? By golly, this must be an Ed Wood film.Watching this movie, I felt a combination of guilt, pleasure, and nausea all at the same time. The story is about Glen (Ed Wood himself) and his cross-dressing alter-ego Glenda. Somehow, if this movie were made now, I could see Kevin Kline playing Glen/Glenda. Notice how all the cross-dressers' alter egos are versions of their male name (Glen/Glenda, Robert/Roberta, etc.). It attempts to sympathetically portray it as the mental disorder that it is, rather than as a graphic perversion. Somehow, Wood manages to sneak in bondage and S&M sequences into his initial story of Glen/Glenda. Along with these racy scenes, Satan himself shows up, obviously having a bad hair day. The dialog and pace are nonexistent, but the film is enjoyable in its context -- the weird world of Ed Wood.Sterno says put on your favorite lace panties for this one.$LABEL$ 0 +1st watched 4/30/2009 - 4 out of 10 (Dir-John Waters): Corny Waters-like comedy musical with some funny scenes and good parts but it didn't make a whole worthwhile experience. John Waters directed this music-filled spoof of the fifties scene with Johnny Depp playing the title role. This movie is very similar with what he did with the 60's spoof entitled "Hairspray" but this one is not as effective. Some of the tunes are catchy, some of the characters are interesting in their quirky Waters-like way, and the portrayals are fine although sometimes overdone. The storyline is similar to the movie "Grease", where there is a good group and a bad group. The guy from the bad group, Cry Baby, wow's a girl from the good group. The good girl then joins the bad group but once Cry Baby hurts her -- she falls back to the good group. This just sets up the ending where Cry Baby tries to win her back. Now, one difference that is expected in Water's movies is that the bad group doesn't appear all that bad all the time and the good group acts like they have a pole up their you-know-what. I definitely saw this in Hairspray, as well. The wacky and goofiness isn't really all that much fun in this movie, though and it just leaves us with a feeling like the movie could have been much better. The prime appeal of the Johnny Depp character is that he's able to make one tear roll down his cheek(thus his namesake) at various times and makes the women fall all over the place for him. This is overused and the basic bottom line is that the movie is OK, but not that great.$LABEL$ 0 +Classic, highly influential low budget thriller that gave birth to a horror icon and launched the careers of both director Carpenter and star Curtis.Seemingly unstoppable murderer escapes from mental institution and returns to his hometown where he begins to stalk a local babysitter on Halloween.Halloween is a film that never fails to live up to its reputation as a horror masterpiece! Carpenter's frightening story and clever direction give this film such chillingly good life that it must be seen to really be felt! The direction often consists of such simple elements, shadows, dark streets, creaking doors, that it makes even the everyday setting of a small town neighborhood truly creepy. Carpenter well-times his suspense and his jolting shocks to make them the most effectively startling, that in itself is a feat few horror filmmakers ever manage! Plus, he is wise enough to give us some truly likable young characters and a very scary villain to keep the tension all the more strong. Highest kudos also go to Carpenter's simple, yet frighteningly unnerving music score. In a sense, Halloween is a fine example of a perfect horror film!The cast is excellent. Young Jamie Lee Curtis does a very nice turn as lovable babysitter Laurie Strode, she's so good that she would go on to be in a number of other horror films before breaking into bigger films. The great Donald Pleasants does a perfect performance as a Myer's doctor, who's desperate to capture him again. Supporting cast Loomis, Soles, Castle, and others are good too.So like its own villain, Halloween is an unstoppable force that never fails to thrill and chill. It is a MUST for all genre fans!**** out of ****$LABEL$ 1 +I expected a lot more out of this film. The preview looked interesting so I decided to check it out. Bottom line is that "The Adventures of Sebastian Cole" only had one decent thing: Adrian Grenier.I really like Grenier and found his performance to be very pleasing. The character is designed well, but everything else sort of just drifts along through the duration of the movie. Clark Gregg is really good, but I don't think that his character was explained too well. I mean there's not too much to explain; he wants to become a woman. Still, something was missing. The obvious low budget of the film was nice to see. I enjoyed that the movie was filmed on just a script (a bad one at that) and just a few actors. It was a nice change.While the main idea of the film was actually okay, it became disappointing to see a lot of scenes that had nothing to do with it just thrown in here and there. Like I said, the script looked promising and I must say that I was interested where director Tod Williams was headed, but it was basically a very slow movie with not too good of dialogue."Sebastian" started to look good towards the end, but again, it fell right back down into a hole. The acting was mostly good, the writing is in need of some work, yet the budget of the film helped it out in the long run.I would recommend this to someone if they wanted to watch a quiet movie with a strong lead character, but other than that I would stay away. Personally, I wouldn't watch it twice.$LABEL$ 0 +This was the first movie I ever saw Ashley Judd in and the first film of Victor Nunez' that I ever say, and boy am I glad I did. Its' quiet tone, its' relaxed pace, its' realistic depiction of a young woman just starting out in life, its' fine depiction of the struggles she has to go through to make her mark in life, the decisions she makes based on real things, the people she meets - there is nothing wrong with this movie. It is as close to movie magic as I have ever seen outside of the " Star Wars " movies, and, given what those films are like, that means this film deserves a high rating indeed. Ashley Judds' acting, Mr. Nunez'writing, and its' great simple worthwhile story make this a fine coming-of-age story and a wonderful movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I just recently saw this movie in hopes of seeing an accurate portrayal of the bloodiest battle of the 20th Century. I got what I had expected and so much more. Just to think I came across this movie by luck, before I had never even heard of it. It's a German film made in 1993 so I suppose I can't be surprised that it's almost completely unknown to the modern American audience. It's a shame cause this really is a remarkable film, I dare say that its as good if not better then Platoon, Full metal jacket, Apocalypse now, and All quiet on the western front; all of which are iconic war movies.1942: World War II is in full swing. Nazi Germany has over run Mainland Europe and parts of North Africa, then Adolf Hitler orders the full scale invasion of the Soviet Union. A fateful move that ultimately dooms Nazi Germany to defeat. In the early stages the invasion goes well and the German Armies conquer large sections of Soviet territory, but a critical battle ensues at Stalingrad, A city that hold great symbolic & strategic value. The battle soon turns into a blood bath of epic proportions, a nightmare for both the German & Russian soldiers fighting. On the verge of taking the city the Germans are suddenly counter attacked by the Russians who end up cutting off the entire German 6th Army inside Stalingrad. To make matters worse, the Russian winter arrives causing incredible suffering for the Germans. This entire battle is seen through the eyes of a few young German soldiers fighting for survival not only against the Russians and the harsh winter conditions but also against their own Sadistic officers who care only about medals & glory and the generals who have little regard for the average foot soldier.This film is going to haunt me for a while. The German Soldiers the film concentrates on are so young and naive, then their humanity & sanity are stripped from them and you really do feel sorry for them cause their not the demonic Nazi's often portrayed in film. Everything they were fighting for is no longer important, and everything they believed in was shattered, and after fighting a gruesome battle against the Russians inside Stalingrad we see them further deteriorate with the onset of Winter causing many to freeze to death. The Battle & Winter scenes were like a horrible nightmare but it also felt so real. It's amazing, in the beginning we see strapping young men in the prime of their life, and at the end they a shells of their former selves stripped of everything. After witnessing so much carnage these men just loose their will to live on, it was really sad. When there is finally a moment of hope they are betrayed by Hitler who ultimately abandons these men to a horrible death, which is just another one of Hitler's crimes abandoning the men who fought for him to be slaughtered by the Russians. A good Anti-War film depicts the horrors of war and that's what this movie does. The battle for the tractor factory sequence Is the closest thing that comes to hell on earth, but that's really what The Battle for Stalingrad was like. The German & Russian soldiers were depicted with humanity, it was only the bad apples (specifically on the German side) that doomed the men. Bottom line is this film is amazing cause we see how men breakdown physically & emotionally during war. We all have our limits and these men were pushed far beyond their limits in the most deadly battle of our time. What the average foot soldier endured at Stalingrad was beyond imagination. Even if they had survived everything they had seen & done would have scarred them for life.Stalingrad shows us why War is Hell, and what exactly hell looks like.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember watching this movie when I was young, but could not recall the title to it then going through horror movies I find it and think to myself "that is the title?" This movie is a kind of combination disaster film/insect attack film with fewer notable stars in it. It is also somewhat boring too, as it has that television vibe to it where you can see the movie fade out for commercials and such. The plot has this sort of resort being invaded by ants. I think they were a bit disturbed by construction or something going on nearby, but do not quote me on that. The most memorable ant attack for me in the whole flick was the first one involving the kid who falls into the swimming pool after being swarmed and of course Summers attack scene too. What else stands out in this one is the very goofy ending where the survivors use cardboard tubes to breath through. In the end though like most television movies this movie is very tame and not very scary in the least unless you panic at the sight of ants.$LABEL$ 0 +Annie's wig does not look good. she is not cute and pretty enough to play Annie. Annie sticks out in the movie, as her outfits look like Halloween costumes. terrible acting and terrible plots. This movie is such a change from the 1982 version. I think that a younger and smaller girl should have had the lead role. Ashley Johnson portrays a very boyish Annie. Not appealing at all. At least the casting director got it right with Daddy Warbucks. Ms. Hannigan was also miscast. Camilla Belle played Molly alright. "Warning" this movie might insult your IQ so you might just want to only show it to very young children. 8 and younger. Some of the plots are too fictional and could hardly take place in the real world.$LABEL$ 0 +Few movies can be viewed almost 60 years later, yet remain as engrossing as this one. Technological advances have not dated this classic love story. Special effects used are remarkable for a 1946 movie. The acting is superb. David Niven, Kim Hunter and especially Roger Livesey do an outstanding job. The use of Black and White / Color adds to the creative nature of the movie. It hasn't been seen on television for 20 years so few people are even aware of its existence. It is my favorite movie of all time. Waiting and hoping for the DVD release of this movie for so many years is, in itself, "A Matter of Life and Death".$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was an embarrassment. Ulma Thurman looked like she had some kind of disease and John Travolta looked like he was walking in his sleep. I was expecting this to be a so-so sequel to Get Shorty not a half-baked remake of the exact same movie (except that some of the character's have different names and clothes)I would not recommend this to movie to my worst enemy. I feel like I was ripped off and Hollywood has once again tricked me into seeing another horrible sequel ( I also suffered through Alien Vs. Predator).The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it has my vote for the worst movie of 2005!$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I saw it at the premiere at SXSW and was extremely disappointed. The director knew little about John Lennon and even said as much at the premiere. This is a drama, but people were laughing throughout at how cheesy the film was. That's never a good sign. The only saving graces were Dominic Monaghan and Jason Leonard as Livien's roommates/bandmates. They were funny while the rest of the movie took itself waaay too seriously. The cheesy dropping of Beatles lyrics was just absurd. The soundtrack was excellent, however, and was probably the best part of the movie. Unless you're one of those crazy, rabid Dominic Monaghan fans, don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +There is no doubt that Alfred Hitchcock was a seriously talented director. Many of his films are undeniable classics that have stood the test of time and are highly watchable to this day. This list could include The 39 Steps, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, The Birds, Shadow of a Doubt, and a few other films.However, "Suspicion" is not aging well at all and is really so unwatchable that it seems to me that it was probably a bad film even by 1941 standards. The list of scenes that work well could be listed on a matchbook with a crayon. The script is loose and ridiculous most of the time, but the acting seems so forced and wooden and borderline amateurish throughout, that it is almost unbelievable. Joan Fontaine tries to shore things up but she is on a slippery slope and Cary Grant doesn't provide much assistance. His acting is so bad at times that I have seen better performances in high school plays or college Theatre Experience classes where a Chemical Engineer is acting for the first time with no formal training.After about 30 minutes of watching this film you may find yourself reaching for the DVD sleeve in the dark to see if you accidentally picked up some kind of special edition version that was cobbled together without any editing.The subject matter is serious, yet the film has a silly and trite feel to it that just seems so out of place you become numb with perplexity."Suspicion" is basically unwatchable and another very very very overrated BAD movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best thrillers I've seen. It's intelligently made and brilliantly filmed, and is one of the few thrillers that creates complex, interesting characters and makes the movie about them, not the action. I would recommend it to just about anyone, especially people who like movies with both style and substance.$LABEL$ 1 +My daughter, her friends and I have watched this movie literally dozens of times. I bought it twice and some little girlfriends absconded with it. Subsequently, I rented it so very many times. It just never gets old!!! Blockbuster doesn't even have it in their listings anymore and I have tried to buy, find, rent it for over 5 years. Without a doubt, this was and is my most favourite movie of my daughter's childhood...it has it all! We laughed, we cried, we discussed real life and how hard some children have it in the world. There was nothing pretend about this movie. We related to every second and every line Bill! Thanks a million for restoring our faith in human nature. Sincerely, Shelleen and Kailin Vandermey. Craven, Saskatchewan. CANADA,eh!!! :-)August '07 update:Who are we to judge if a rich woman falls in love with a poor man; or a man who has love chooses to raise a child who is not his own. It may not be my or your life. It is not only believable, it happens every day. Thank God! Keeps my faith in human nature alive!!! celebrate!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Pretty.Pretty actresses and actors. Pretty bad script. Pretty frequent "let's strip to our undies" scenes. Pretty fair F/X. Pretty jarring location decisions (the college dorm room looks like a high-end hotel room - probably because it was shot at a hotel). Pretty bland storyline. Pretty awful dialog. Pretty locations. Pretty annoying editing, unless you like the music video flash-cut style.This one isn't a guilty pleasure - this is more an embarrassing one. If you must watch this, pick a good dance/techno album and turn the sound off on the movie - you'll see the pretty people in their pretty black undies, and probably follow the story just fine.The cast may be able to act - I doubt that anyone could look skilled given the lines/plot that they had to deal with.$LABEL$ 0 +After gorging myself on a variety of seemingly immature movies purchased on ex-rental DVDs, I figured that the time was right for a little serious drama and who better to provide it than Sam Mendes? For a number of reasons, "American Beauty" doesn't appeal to me as much as this film which is easily the darkest thing that Tom Hanks has ever done and probably one of the most underrated films of the last decade. For this is not a simple gangster tale lifted from its graphic novel origins, and is simply wonderful to watch because of it. And despite my usual allergy to any film with Tom Hanks' name on it (still can't watch "Big" without wanting a cat to kick), I'm glad I gave this a try because this is one of those movies that you'll kick yourself for if you miss it.Normally squeaky-clean Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a devoted family man and father of two sons growing up during Prohibition in the early 1930's. He is also a professional hit-man to mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) but has managed to keep his job a secret from his sons. But after his eldest (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses his dad involved in a mob killing, the pair are forced to go on the run as John seeks to tidy the matter up. Soon, father and son are pursued to Chicago where a fellow hit-man (a menacing Jude Law) is waiting for them.On the face of it, it reads like a pretty standard gangster film but as I've said, this isn't really about gangsters at all. It's about the relationship between a father and son thrown together in the most tragic of circumstances. Hanks is (*grits teeth*) superb as the tortured man who finds out that everything has its price and little Hoechlin is also good as Sullivan's son. In all honesty, there is not a single performance that I could single out as weaker than the others - the cast is pretty much faultless. As is the cinematography and costumes (and it's not often I praise costumes!) which recreates the 30's with stunning effect. There has been so much effort to get everything right and it pays off in spades. This could easily have looked rubbish - they admit that the early 30's look was difficult to put down - but it doesn't and that deserves every bit of credit. Chicago especially looks fantastic, lined with hundreds of rickety cars from the era and filled with people in monochrome suits and hats. True time-travel, even if a little CGI is needed.The story is also a winner, offering a human face to what is often seen as a stereotypical genre of movie villain. Law is surprisingly menacing as the almost mechanical killer Maguire and proves that you don't have to be Cagney or De Niro or Brando to play a gangster. The film is decidedly noir-ish, driving rain and ill-lit warehouses predominate but at least violence and killing are (finally) seen to have an emotional and psychological impact on those who perpetrate and those who merely witness such acts. The whole thing is evocative of a previous age and previous movies but it sweeps away the old and refreshes with a modern tale of redemption amid the Tommy-Gun shootouts and extortion rackets. It can feel a little slow in places, especially if you're used to masses of gun-play in movies like most modern audiences (like yours truly) but sometimes, words can speak louder than actions. Mendes has delivered a fine follow-up to his Oscar-winning debut, a film which is as intelligent as it is beautiful to watch. "Road To Perdition" may not be to everyone's tastes but this is one DVD I shall not be exchanging anytime soon.$LABEL$ 1 +There is an interesting discussion in this movie. Is being a moral person good enough, or do you need something more?The movie preaches that without the guidance of God, being a morally good person is not enough. There is a line early in the movie, "You and I can look at a person who is morally good, but both know he is going to go to hell."While I am not a Christian, the discussions about this throughout the course of the movie were fascinating, but not in the way the movie intended. I left the movie with a stronger feeling that being morally good *is* enough. The arguments and discussions presented were heavily biased, so much so that they crush themselves in the weight of their own ignorance. Fanaticism can be a powerful thing, especially when inferenced in the minds of the ignorant and uneducated. As George Carlin's character in Dogma said: "hook em while they're young".The basic premise is a very interesting one also. A Bible Scholar from the 1890s is attempting to publish a book that says that morality without God is OK, as long as the morality is meaningful. Do you only tell a child not to steal? Or do you tell him not to steal because God tells you not to? (not bothering bringing up that telling the child not to steal because, well, how would he feel if it was his marbles that were stolen?)The author, Carlisle, wants the recommendation of his school to help sell the book (to spread the world). However, it needs unanimous consent, and one of the scholars opposes it. He brings up, in a very interesting discussion early in the film about the morality for morality's sake vs God's words argument. To prove his point, he produces a time machine (put in the movie solely to make the plot work, which I'm fine with), and sends Carlisle to the year 2002 to see where teaching morality without God will lead us.As should be obvious, he has his opinion, and is changed by what he sees, and has reversed himself by the time of his return (for he does return, that's not really a spoiler, this is a bible movie after all).As for the movie as a movie itself, it's pretty slow and pretty poorly acted. Something that was *not* needed in this movie, is that it produces two "bad guys" who want to try to figure out who Carlisle is, even tho he hasn't hurt anyone, committed a crime, or anything. What's wrong with the movie just showing Carlisle's opinion, showing his view of this "sinful world", and returning him with a new viewpoint? Also, there a few points in the movie which affirm to me that I'm happy I'm not a Christian, or at least someone who says "It's God or nothing". Three near the end of the movie rather disturbed me.. first, when the two "bad guys" corner Carlisle right before he jumps, Carlisle does his *only* truly despicable act.. he fakes like his time-jump is the coming of Jesus, and makes it so the "bad guys" (who are also Christians btw, oddly enough), think they just missed the rapture. Secondly, after Carlisle returns, he finds a boy in which he scolded at the beginning of the movie about not stealing (but not mentioning God, kid kept the marbles and ran away), and tells him this time that stealing is wrong because God commands it. Like the Carlin quote above, scaring kids into religion is a faux-pas in my book.And lastly, the epilogue. Another scare tactic. Carlisle asks the inventor how far into the future they could go, and he says he doesn't know.. the epilogue shows him trying to warp a bible into the distant future (starts at 2100), and it fails.. he keeps decrementing the years by 10, and trying again, and by the fade-out, he's at like 2030 or so. Throughout the movie, Carlise mentions that he felt the end of the world coming, because the world was rife with sin and the loss of the name of God.. scare tactics have been in use for thousands of years.. you would think in these enlightened times, the church would have enlightened as well.I'm glad I saw this movie. While I was fairly certain before that being morally good was enough, now I know it for a fact. Worth watching if you are not a Christian, to affirm how happy you are to not be as ignorant as the folks in this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +... ever! (I always wanted to write that:) Many years ago (in 1993 as I recall it) one of my former classmates persuaded me to watch what he called "a epic masterpiece". To this day it stands out to me as the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting, the story, the effects - everything is bad. Unless you are one of these people who just loves to appreciate trash, you should pass on this. However chances are that since you are reading this, you've already seen it.Out of almost 500 movies this is the only non-short I've given a 1/10.I haven't seen any other low-budget Asian warrior flicks, so I guess there's even worse things out there! Scary... :P$LABEL$ 0 +"A death at a college campus appears to be a suicide but is actually a cover for murder. The dead man's roommate finds himself embroiled in a mystery as he tries to uncover the truth behind the young man's murder. Twists and turns, as well as some false leads, makes this a tough case for our collegiate hero to solve, let alone (keep) out of the clutches of the killer," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.The stars may be bigger than the movie. Handsome Charles Starrett (as Ken Harris), who has a small "lingerie" scene, became one of the top western stars of the forties, peaking in "The Return of the Durango Kid" (1945). The man playing his father, Robert Warwick (as Joseph Harris), was one of the most respected actors of the teens, beginning with his performance in "Alias Jimmy Valentine" (1915). Watch out for red herrings. **** A Shot in the Dark (2/1/35) Charles Lamont ~ Charles Starrett, Robert Warwick, James Bush$LABEL$ 0 +Faithful adaptation of witty and interesting French novel about a cynical and depressed middle-aged software engineer (or something), relying heavily on first-person narration but none the worse for that. Downbeat (in a petit-bourgeois sort of way), philosophical and blackly humorous, the best way I could describe both the film and the novel is that it is something like a more intellectual Charles Bukowski (no disrespect to CB intended). Mordantly funny, but also a bleak analysis of social and sexual relations, the film's great achievement is that it reflects real life in such a recognisable way as to make you ask: why aren't other films like this? One of the rare examples of a good book making an equally good film.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen Maslin Beach a couple of times - both on free to air TV in Brisbane. I won't go into whether it is good, bad or otherwise as others have well and truly covered this.I will say that it is so Australian. Only in Australia can we have a film about relationships among people spending the day as naked as the day they were born, and to view it on free commercial television.I have a friend from the US who is constantly amazed at what we put on our free TV compared to her home country. Sex and the CIty and Huff are just too examples.Despite our Government trying to turn us into the 51st US State, it is good to know at least some things remain truly Aussie$LABEL$ 1 +i like Jane Austin novels. I love Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility books and movies, and I'm half way through Mansfield Park. But i couldn't stand Emma. I gave up on the book after 2 chapters, and by the end of the movie i couldn't care less about Emma. She didn't seem to change at all. Maybe it was Paltrows acting (which as excellent in Se7en) or my lack of interest for the movie. Dunno. The costumes are nice, but the dancing was clumsy compared to Pride and Prejudice dancing by Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.I gave it a 2 basically for the fact Knightly is bloody gorgeous, and although it as a rather patchy performance for Ewan McGregor, i liked his singing.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought "Rocketship X-M" on DVD in a two-pack with "Destination Moon." Now I see why the distributors did that: no one who had ever seen this movie would buy it on its own.I cannot fathom what school system turned out the reviewer who claimed that RXM is "great in its predictions of how space travel would take place..." Launch straight up, and then do a 90-degree right turn and circle faster and faster until you reach escape velocity... I don't think I recall that from the Apollo program. Never mind that the astronauts should be weightless once they shut off the engines, gravity changes directions every time they pass through the hatch to the engine room. Going to the moon, but "missed" it? No problem, it's just a hop-skip-and-a-jump (with a helping hand from divine providence) and you'll be at Mars! And OK, if you want to put life on Mars, given the state of planetary knowledge in 1950, it was a forgivable convention for the sake of the storytelling, but can you make them look at least a LITTLE alien? These Martians looked like extras from the cast of "10,000 B.C." I can accept some scientific mistakes, but this wouldn't pass muster with an above-average second-grader.And that's aside from the screaming plot holes: 12 minutes before launch (as you're reminded of constantly by the nagging P.A. voice saying "X minus so many minutes") the astronauts are giving a press conference! I guess the time crunch is why Dr. Eckstrom didn't change out of his coat and tie before launching into space. And how handy that, even though they were planning to go to the moon and had pressure suits for that, they brought hiking gear (and rifles!) just in case they ended up at Mars. They're lucky they landed anywhere, since apparently the method they had developed for landing was to have Dr.E look out the window and tell the "pilot" (Lloyd Bridges) to tweak down the throttles every now and then. Note to the designers of the XM-2: how about giving the pilot a window seat? Ditto the previous comments on the casual sexism that had eye-candy Dr. Lisa (Osa Massen) doom them all by repeatedly screwing up her fuel calculations, but hey that was the early '50s. She was there to fill her sweater, not a useful function."Rocketship X-M" is notable for being one of the first of the first films to say "ohmigod we're all going to blow ourselves up with these here A-bombs", but one can note that about it without wasting 77 minutes watching such dreck. By the way, that message might have had a bit more impact had there been some money in the budget for actual sets of the Martian city ruins, rather than just matte paintings.I can appreciate "good" bad sci-fi, for the unique way the "future" used to look, and for the inherent (if condescending) humor you can find when when we look back on the naivety of audiences 60 years ago, but this film must have been insulting even then. "Rocketship X-M" isn't even suitable for an MST3K-style lampooning. Sometimes, bad is just... bad.Anybody want to buy a DVD? Used only once, I swear.$LABEL$ 0 +Fantastic Chaplin movie with many memorable moments as Charlie joins the army to fight in WW 1.At first he goes to boot camp, where he has to learn how to handle his rifle and how to walk in line. That's a really funny scene as the tramp is not used to keeping his feet straight!Next thing you know he's in France in a trench. Hilarious scenes here include a starving Charlie eating the cheese of a mousetrap and reading a letter from home over someone's shoulder.When Charlie goes to sleep he finds his bunker all flooded and his roommate snoring. This is such a funny part! I can't really describe it, just watch the movie. When Charlie wakes up his legs feel numb so he tries to 'wake them up'. It had me rolling on the floor when it turns out his second leg still feels numb... while Charlie actually rubs his roommate's foot!The movie then turns a bit grim, as Charlie shoots a couple of Germans from his trench (although it's done in a very funny way) and him personating as a tree to get close to the enemy, saving a friend of his from a death squad.Last part is him getting a french girl in trouble by hiding in her house. He then has to save her and while doing so he captures the german kaiser as well. To do so he impersonates a german kolonel or something. I love it when Charlie is asked something in german and he's like nein nein nein. The soldier looks at him in a funny way so Charlie changes his mind: ja ja ja! The kaiser gets captured and Charlie is the hero... but then he wakes up again in bootcamp, it was just a sweet dream!Charlie did one of those 'dream-sequences' before (The Bank comes to mind) but who cares, this movie was so funny it had me laughing all the way. Chaplin also has something to say with this movie (as his later work became more of a social comment to several mishaps in the world) and is explained best in the last sentence of the movie: 'Peace on earth, good will to all mankind.'In short: a Charlie classic, very funny, timeless. 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +The odd thing about Galaxina is not that it is supremely bad, although it is. The odd thing is that in spite of being supremely bad, it is not funny. Supremely bad movies have their own particular brand of unintended humor--the secret of their success, you might say. But Galaxina is quite uniquely different--it is MST3K's worst nightmare, a bad movie in which the intentional *and* the unintentional humor alike fall flat.It is easy enough to figure out why the intentional jokes fail--and the reasons are quite varied. Sometimes it's a timing question; sometimes it's a good idea badly worked out (the human restaurant *could* have been hilarious, but it wasn't); sometimes it feels like there was some mixup in the cutting room, with the punchline ending up on the floor; and sometimes the jokes are just bad jokes. Bad movies get their laughs from such unintentional snafus. It's harder to figure out why Galaxina doesn't get any laughs on that count. Something is subtly wrong with the unintentional humor in this movie, just as something is wrong (not at all subtly) with the intentional humor. It is a supremely bad movie whose very badness is not the redeeming quality it usually is. It's absolutely unique in my experience.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been strangely attracted to this film since I saw it on Showtime sometime in the early 80's. I say strangely because it is rather a ludicrous bit of soft-core fluff, a genre I'm not particularly interested in. The dialogue is pompously and nonsensically philosophical (making sense, no doubt, only to it's Franco-Italian producers)and the plot completely extraneous. What it does achieve is a wonderfully hypnotic and thoroughly pleasant mood. The scenery (the beautiful Philippines), soft-focus nudity and wonderful score all contribute to a strange and extremely watchable exercise in a sort of film making seldom seen today. It is truly one of my great "guilty pleasures". I was fortunate enough to find it on an old laserdisc and have watched it more times than I think is healthy. A worthwhile moodpiece.$LABEL$ 1 +A typical Goth chick (Rainbow Harvest looking like a cross between Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice and Boy George) gets even with people she feels have wronged her with the help of an old haunted mirror that she finds in the new house she and her mom (horror mainstay, Karen Black, the only remotely good thing about this travesty) buy. The acting's pretty laughably bad (especially when Rainbow interacts with the aforementioned mirror) and there are no scares or suspense to be had. This film inexplicably spawned thus for 3 sequels each slightly more atrocious than the last. People looking for a similarly themed, but far superior cinematic endeavor would be well advised to just search out the episode of "Friday the 13th: the Series" where a geeky girl finds an old cursed compact mirror. That packs more chills in it's scant 40 minutes than this whole franchise has provided across it's 4 films.My Grade: D Eye Candy: Charlie Spradling provides the obligatory T&A$LABEL$ 0 +This is an almost action-less film following Jack, an insomniac, as he goes through hallucinations, is visited by dead friends, throws himself off a building, and, for a lot of the time, can't tell reality from hallucination.Dominic Monaghan, as Jack, is truly believable. Confused, and scared but lethargic and, at times blankly accepting of what he sees, we follow him trying to sort out what he's seeing and find a way to sleep.Introduce a talking dog (another hallucination) and children that suddenly appear in Jack's bathroom and bedroom without any explanation as to how they got there (more hallucination) and you have an interesting, mind boggling, 43 minutes And the shower scene is enough to get any Dom fan coming back for more.$LABEL$ 1 +This is another great movie I had the good fortune to see for the first time on the big screen (thanks to Rick Baker et al). Back in the late 80's I was a relative newcomer to the genre and only really new about the big three JC, SH & YB. I wasn't sure what to expect when I payed my hard earned money to see this in a "Triple bill of Classics" at the old Scala. I need not have worried, I was left breathless by this movie. If you're a fan of Hong Kong Action / Kung Fu movies and haven't seen this movie, do so NOW!$LABEL$ 1 +... so I thought I'd throw in a few words about William McNamara. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours if you want to see him in his tighty-whities -- it's obvious he pumped up for this role and he looks pretty darn good in them -- or less. There's an extended sequence in a cave where he has to strip down to his undies. There's a nice bit where he has to chase after Miss Eleniak in the buff, with only his hands cupped over his groin. William McNamara is naturally a little on the skinny side, but he has a nice, generous handful of a booty. Also, there's a moment when he's getting out of bed that if you pause the action at just the right moment you can see the whole enchilada. If you're inclined to do so, and come on, half of the people who choose to watch a movie about Navy men on a "road trip" are. I'd just like thank Dennis Hopper for his equal opportunity gratuitous nudity. Can William McNamara act? Heck if I know.$LABEL$ 0 +Am I the only person who saw and remembers Amadeus. Every scene in "Copying" has its counterpart in the Milos Forman, Amadeus - from the galloping carriages accompanied by frenzied strings, to the entrance of Anna through the dark hallway preceded by the man with the key, to the very dialog of the conclusion with Anna at Beethoven's feet a la Salieri before the dying Mozart. Does no one else recall the dialog in that script: Salieri "Time?" , Mozart "Common time". ....."We begin with the strings..." and so it "copies".Remember Cynthia Nixon leaning against a door jamb, tears falling down her freckled face - same scene, just replace her with Beethoven's nephew. Even the scatological humor (fart jokes) are the same. We even have a cardinal followed around by a plate of sweet cookies which recalls Salieri in the banquet hall. Does no one else remember? !!!!And the scene where Anna cries to God "Why did you give me this gift?"... Salieri said the same thing!And beyond all that we have a juvenile script with an opening exposition that reads like the character identifications you'd find in a children's story. "I am Mr. Beethoven. I am the composer...."And what, after all, is the purpose of the bridge builder? Other than to juxtapose the technical against the artistic... a comparison that is not at all developed - probably because it has no meaning, especially when it comes to Beethove who was a master of the technical.There's only one great scene - the playing of the ninth. First, the music, which of itself takes you to tears. But then, there is the highly erotic interaction of Anna the copyist keeping time and Beethoven conducting which surpasses the most explicit sexual intimacy. So intense, it's almost embarrassing.But, please - the rest of the film - Where is the world's collective memory? You have seen this all before .... and better!$LABEL$ 0 +Slow but beautifully-mounted story of the American revolution. Griffith's story-telling seems a lot less heavy-handed than in his earlier historical epics and his tableaux work is fully integrated into the action. Lionel Barrymore is an utter swine, Neil Hamilton is poor but dashing and Carol Dempster is.... well, Carol Dempster is most of what is wrong with Griffith in this period, but she doesn't show up often enough to slow the pace and drama.Note that the trivia for this movie says it came in originally at slightly more than 2 hours when first released, but that no cut exists that runs longer than 90 minutes. However, the dvd release has been presented at a slower fps rate that increases the tension and brings it back to a bit over two hours.Far better in terms of story-telling than sound versions, such as THE PATRIOT. While not quite in the league of Griffith's best, such as WAY DOWN EAST and BROKEN BLOSSOMS, an excellent way to spend a couple of hours.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has a very simple but somehow very bad plot. The entire movie is about a girl getting sucked through a gate to another dimension then years later it gets opened again by a witch while a group of friends (including the lead actor who is having trouble getting over his ex girlfriend who is one of the other campers along with her new partner... another girl... that's right they're lesbians and there is some nudity of course for no particular reason). Unfortunately demon follows the now adult girl back through. Also unfortunately, none of this is ever explained. Where exactly were they? Where did the demon come from? How did she survive as a child in a place full of evil demons? Who the hell trained her and made her a gladiator type outfit? The acting is terrible I think but it's hard to tell because the writing is so bad maybe there was just nothing they could do with it. I give it a three because the wrestler was pretty good and the effects were pretty fun even though they were very cheap. I would not recommend it, it wasn't quite bad enough to be funny.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a great fan of the Batman comics and I became disappointed when I could no longer find Batman: The Animated Series on TV anymore. I was excited to learn that there was going to be a new Batman cartoon on TV. I watched the first episode the day it premiered and I was very disappointed.First of all, the animation is very poor. It looks like a cheap, crappy Japanese anime. Then again, just about every modern-day cartoon is like that.The character designs are even worse. Batman looks more like Birdman, Catwoman looks more like Chihuahuawoman, Bane looks more like a red version of the Hulk, the Penguin is a Kung-Fu master, Mr. Freeze is some undead thing with an iceberg on his head, and the Riddler is a Gothic Marilyn Manson look-alike (which is funny because I don't expect people who are obsessed with riddles and puzzles to be Gothic).The worst character design is that of the Joker. They turned him into a monkey/demented Bob Marley/Kung-Fu fighter! The Joker is supposed to be Batman's deadliest enemy, but in this show he hardly poses a threat because his crimes are so stupid and pointless. In one episode his plan was to put his Joker venom in dog food! Oh, how evil! Batman is a fascinating and complex character because he is haunted by the deaths of his parents, which is why he fights crime. This version of Batman doesn't seem haunted by his parents' deaths and is not interesting at all. He's also not a detective, just a fighter. If there's an enemy he can't defeat, he won't study the enemy to find out their weak points like a detective would, he'll just build a giant fighting robot to defeat them. A lot of times this show doesn't even feel like a Batman show, just another brainless anime that's nothing but pointless fighting.What I hate the most about this show is what they did to the villains. They've taken away everything that makes them likable and relatable and turned them into stereotypical evil bad guys. Man-Bat is the biggest example. In the comics, he's a tragic scientist who studies bats to find a cure for his deafness. When experimenting on himself, he accidentally transforms himself into a giant bat creature. In this show, he's a mad scientist who wants to purposely transform himself into a giant bat creature for no apparent reason. Just about all the villains are like that; none of them, with the exception of about one or two, have an actual motive for their crimes.The worst characterization is that of Mr. Freeze. In the comics, Freeze was a just a mad scientist until the genius writer Paul Dini wrote the BTAS episode "Heart of Ice", which gave Freeze a new origin that made him a more tragic, three-dimensional, and likable villain. The episode was so popular that fans accepted it as his actual origin and it was even used in the comics as his origin. Even that crappy movie Batman & Robin used it as his origin. In this show, he's a petty jewel thief before becoming Mr. Freeze. After becoming Mr. Freeze, guess what? He's STILL a petty jewel thief! Great origin. No wonder they used it over the one Dini created.As a Batman fan, I don't dislike this show just because it isn't like the comics because I also liked BTAS, the Batman cartoons that came after it, Tim Burton's Batman films, and obviously, the superb Christopher Nolan Batman films. None of them were 100% loyal to the comics, but they were still very good. The problem with this show is not that it's not exactly like the comics or BTAS, it's that it lacks any sort of depth that makes other Batman media so popular.I've given this show so many chances, but the more I watch, the more I find that disappoints me. I miss the good old days back when Batman cartoons were something everyone could enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +I had read many good things about this adaptation of my favorite novel...so invariably my expectations were crushed. But they were crushed more than should be expected. The movie would have been a decent movie if I had not read the novel beforehand, which perhaps ruined it for me.In any event, for some reason they changed the labor camp at Toulon to a ship full of galley slaves. The scene at Bishop Myriel's was fine. In fact, other than the galleys, things survived up until the dismissal of Fantine. Because we do not want to have bad things happen to a good woman, she does not cut her hair, sell her teeth, or become a prostitute. The worst she does is run into the mayor's office and spit on his face. Bamatabois is entirely eliminated. Because having children out of wedlock should also not be talked about, Tholomyes is Fantine's dead husband, rather than an irresponsible dandy. Valjean is able to fetch Cosette for Fantine before the Champmathieu affair, so they reunite happily, yet another change. Then comes the convent, which is a pretty difficult scene to screw up. Thankfully, it was saved. After this three minutes of accuracy, however, the movie again begins to hurtle towards Classic Novel Butchering.As Cosette and Valjean are riding through the park, they come across Marius giving a speech at a meeting. About prison reform. When he comes to hand out fliers to Valjean and Cosette, he says the one line in the movie that set me screaming at the TV set. "We aren't revolutionaries." I could hear Victor Hugo thrashing in his grave. OF COURSE THEY ARE REVOLUTIONARIES! They want to revolt against the pseudo-monarchy that is in place in favor of another republic, you dumb screenwriters! It's a historical FACT that there was an insurrection against the government in 1832. At one point Cosette goes to give Marius a donation from her father for the reform movement and meets Eponine. Except...not Eponine. Or at least not the Eponine of the book. This Eponine appears to be a well-to-do secretary girl working for the prison reformers (who are working out of the Cafe Universal as opposed to the Cafe Musain). Not to mention the audience is already made to dislike her thanks to her not-period, low-cut, tight-fitting dress and her snooty mannerisms.The prison reformers (Lead by the most poorly cast Enjolras that I have EVER seen) decide that handing out pamphlets isn't good enough anymore. So they're going to build barricades. I don't know about you, but I have never heard of reform movements tearing up the streets and building barricades and attacking government troops. About three hundred people (it was not supposed to be so many) start attacking the National Guard and building a bunch of barricades, etc. Eponine does die for Marius, thankfully. The rest of the movie is sort of accurate, except that Javert's suicide again seems hard to understand thanks to his minuscule screen time and odd character interpretation. The movie ends with Valjean watching Javert jump into the river. This is again inaccurate because Valjean would never have let Javert drown. He saved the man's life earlier, why let him die now? Then there's the whole skipping of Valjean's confession to Marius, his deterioration, and his redemption on his deathbed with Marius and Cosette by his side.Overall, I can blame the script mostly for the problems. While I am glad Enjolras and Eponine were at least present in the film, they were terribly misinterpreted, as was the entire barricade scene. The elimination of Fantine's suffering prevents us from feeling too much pity for her. That Cosette knows Valjean's past from the start messes with the plot a good deal. I did not even see Thenardier, and Mme. Thenardier only had a few seconds of screen time. The same with Gavroche. I did like Frederich March's interpretation of Valjean a lot, however, which was one of the redeeming features of the movie. On the other hand, Charles Laughton, for all his great acting in other movies, seems to have missed the mark with Javert. The lip tremble, the unnecessary shouting, and his acting in general all just felt very wrong. He also, like many Javerts I have seen, did not appear at all menacing, something required of the character.Again, this film would probably feel much better if I had not read the book. I would not recommend it to book purists, though. I would also say that the movie would have been a good adaptation for the time had not the infamously accurate French version come out the year before.$LABEL$ 0 +This film seems to get bad critiscism for some reason. Probably just by the mass populace. Anyhow, this is actually a very interesting movie. The film is an under-budget sci-fi movie which actually works, due to an interesting storyline and well done scenes. This movie may not be for everyone though. If there are any Sci-Fi fans reading this, I truly recommend this movie if you like good ole science fiction. The film has crazy ideas. The setting includes nations going to war with GIGANTIC machines which the entire countries invest all it's money in! The world has been divied up into territories. Anyone can challenge anyone else to a war, or rather, a 'robot-duel'. The method of warfare is cleaner than nuclear war, since now everyone is wearing those breath masks. Definetly a movie that makes you think. Intelligent, well written, and good effects for the measly budget.I tend to like movies which have small budgets and actually work.$LABEL$ 1 +Crush provides a combination of drama, humor and such irony that I find the English establish very well when it concerns matters of the heart. Mostly known for directing John McKay wrote this wonderful screenplay about three forty-something friends in a small town in England. All three professional women down-out of luck with men formed a ritual ladies night gathering with gin, fags and sweets intake included with endless chatter of their dates erroneous behavior or the needs of their libidos. Andie MacDowell once again thrown by the surrounds of the British (which is where I find she exudes the most) is absolutely charming as the head mistress of a prestigious school who becomes involved with a younger man. Small town gossip and the disapproving jealous friends (great supporting cast) conflicts with her relationship. Unfolding a series of brutal unfortunate events and showing us the many difficulties when one is in pursuit of true happiness. Keep in mind the main premise of this film is friendships and the ending shows us exactly that. This is the type of film you either love or hate, which is why I believe a lot of mix reviews and not that greatest success resulted when this film was released. As I'm sure most are just unearthing the film now. I very much enjoyed this film and highly recommend for those in the likes of such films as "Love Actually", and "Three Weddings and a funeral". Not to mention the soundtrack is extraordinary perfectly capturing those crucial moments.$LABEL$ 1 +For those that are great fans and collectors of dinosaurs like I am, it is not only a very informative series but also puts our imagination to fly. Colors, composition, great models and camera angles. Fantastic photography and filming presentation. Superb. Thanks.$LABEL$ 1 +It was considered to be the "Swiss answer to the Lord of the Rings", but it is much more than that. It isn't an answer to anything, it's in itself something new, something funny and sometimes it's downright stupid and silly - but was Monty Python any different than silly?The beginning immediately makes the statement that this film is low budget and not meant to be taken entirely seriously. Cardboard clouds on strings knock into the airplane in which the main character is seated. But, to compensate the missing special effects, the landscape does the trick. It is absolutely beautiful and stunning - who needs New Zealand, Switzerland has it all. What I liked about the film was the simple approach and the obvious passion and energy that went into it. It isn't brilliant; yet it's got some good humorous parts. Edward Piccin as Friedo is absolutely convincing, it would be enough to go and see the film because of him!There are some good jokes, some of them are very lame, some of them won't be understood by people outside of Switzerland. I liked the idea of having "Urucows" instead of Uruk Hai; I loved the scene where Friedo decides to take "Pupsi", a telehobbie, with him on the journey. Also very funny is the scene when Rackaroll, the sword-fighting knight, decides to show off with his sword - and subsequently smashes it into a wall, breaking it. And there is this one scene where the "nazgul-ish" characters do a wonderfully comic scene that includes a toilet brush... I didn't approve of the idea of the Ring being used by Schleimli, the "Gollum" character, in order to "seduce" the ladies. That was a bit far fetched. The idea of Lord Sauraus wanting to cover the lands with fondue wasn't that brilliant either. Original, certainly, but not brilliant. But most of all did I dislike the idea of a gay dragon, that really wasn't necessary. All in all I recommend to see the film simply because it is so crazy and totally trashy. Don't expect a LotR parody like "Spaceballs" was for Star Wars. But if you go to the flicks thinking that this is going to be an amusing evening out, with absolutely no ambitions, then you'll enjoy. I am not sure if it works in other languages, because it does live from the Swiss dialects as well as from the jokes and actors.All in all: hat off to the courage of the Swiss crew who did that!$LABEL$ 1 +My evaluation: 8/10I like a lot this movie. Compare to today brainless movie (just action and special effet and nothing new about ideas), "Soylent Green" ask to something that today doesn't exist anymore: To Think.Well it would not a big surprise a day human eat "cookies" which are create with body of human. With all what happen on this planet, and to see how people are so indifferent to all, this kind of future is possible.Sure this movie take some age but the idea behind the movie is actual again. Rich at Paradise, other in the hell. Well a luck today they are TV and idiocy like "Reality Show".TV is a good wash brain. It's pity to see that intelligence of human have not progress like technologies. Since writing all stop.If you like reality show this movie is not for you. If you believe all politician same too. If you don't like ask yourself question about now and future well never look this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I was told it was one of those "either you love it or you hate it" movies. Well, I loved it. Obvious hippie-era, dated and easy symbolism and all. So, I probably have no taste at all when it comes to Antonioni, but this and La Notte (made exactly a decade earlier) are my favourites among his movies so far. Made two years before I was born, Zabriskie Point was supposed to have been Michelangelo's great American epic. But apparently, it turned out to be a flop. I really can't see why. Before watching it I'd read that it was rather boring, so I braced myself for a very slow movie - though I love me a slow movie. For my taste, Zabriskie didn't have a tedious minute in it. While watching it, I made a mental note of how European it was on the director's part to make such frequent use of advertisement billboards in almost every urban scene, enormous billboards dwarfing any human form in sight. This recurrent visual element is obviously there to underline the way that consumerism crushes the individual in American society. But then I watched L'Eclisse straight afterwards, which is set in Rome in the early 60s, and noticed that Antonioni often included billboards in it as well. After all, the masterful use of landscapes, architecture and inanimate objects in each frame with or without human beings is an Antonioni trademark – this is precisely the way that he evokes his characters' psychological states, with more or less understated power and great visual impact. He is virtually unsurpassed in this skill.Zabriskie Point starred two very appealing leads that should have become big stars of the 70s, but never did. Mark Frechette, whom I'd already seen in Francesco Rosi's fine WWI-set movie Uomini Contro, had a very tragic life and died aged just 27. According to his biography page, he donated his $60,000 earnings from Zabriskie to a commune. Mark's co-star Daria Halprin, apparently also Dennis Hopper's wife later on, has the stunning, natural beauty and appeal of a young Ornella Muti – one of those luminous beauties that don't need a shred of make-up to turn heads. Like Frechette, she has only graced a couple of obscure movies and has never become a star, but at least she didn't die tragically. Most notably, Zabriskie Point contains one of the most original sex scenes ever filmed - one that brings home a sense of youthful playfulness like few I've seen - as well as a powerfully cathartic ending. It may be the most banal sequence ever filmed as far as its symbolism goes, but I can't see how anyone can deny its beauty and wonderful sense of emotional release. Never has an explosion looked so good, and so poetic. It seems to be an explosion that restores order rather than bringing chaos.$LABEL$ 1 +"Disappointing" is the best word I could think for this film, especially considering the glowing reviews it receives from some other users.One thing that really spoils the film is that it is unabashedly partial(in both senses of the word). Not only does it present a very selective description of the games (focussing as it does on the US athletics team) but it also contains several inaccuracies, most of which serve to exaggerate the difficulties the US team faced.What is even more disturbing is that all the omissions and mistakes (?), appear to glorify US sportsmanship to the exclusion of other athletes (with a few celebrated exceptions). For example, the viewer is led to believe that the US won the majority of medals in the Games, when in fact they won only one out of four gold medals and one out of 6 total. Similarly, many athletes are portrayed as caricatures of their respective countrymen (thus we have an arrogant Brit, and a wine-swilling French). This attitude does very little service to the Olympic ideals that the film is supposed to celebrate.In conclusion, I believe that this film would appeal to that part of the US audience that is looking for a quick boost of national self-esteem. Those looking for a detailed and historically correct description of the games are advised to look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +Rented the movie as a joke. My friends and I had so much fun laughing at it that I went and found a used copy and bought it for myself. Now when all my friends are looking for a funny movie I give them Sasquatch Hunters. It needs to be said though there is a rule that was made that made the movie that much better. No talking is allowed while the movie is on unless the words are Sasquatch repeated in a chant. I loved the credit at the end of the movie as well. "Thanks for the Jeep, Tom!" Whoever Tom is I say thank you because without your Jeep the movie may not have been made. In short a great movie if you are looking for something to laugh at. If you want a good movie maybe look for something else but if you don't mind a laugh at the expense of a man in a monkey suit grab yourself a copy.$LABEL$ 1 +Creepshow 2 had a lot of potential, they just didn't put enough time in perfecting it. The stories were pretty cool and creepy enough, but it was lacking. It's a good movie, but after you've seen it once, you might want to see it again. This movie could of been better.$LABEL$ 0 +MARY, MARY, BLOODY MARY is an OK time killer. It has a uniformly attractive cast, the action is rarely dull. There are a lot of killings. And the production values are not bad. But in the end, it plays like a standard TV episode from the 1970s with some nudity thrown in. The film is the end product of an "author" trying to make a purely commercial film. There's very little depth here and the film spends too much time with chases and action scenes. Except for the scene on the beach with the old man, MMBM is almost devoid of any scares or suspense or dread. The director has very little understanding of the horror genre.It's watchable even though it doesn't leave a lasting impression.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, I'm upset there's no choice of a "0" out of 10. I was bored tonight, and while flipping through the channels, I see Dr. Chopper. With there being nothing else on, I decide to watch it, expecting it to be just another crappy horror movie, with a similar plot to Cabin Fever. Man was I wrong...Dr. Chopper made Cabin Fever look like it should have won numerous Academy Awards. May I remind you, Cabin Fever contains a scene of a little hick boy doing roundhouse kicks off of a porch screaming, "pancakes!!", characters who leave their dying friend in a tiny shack to bleed to death, and Shawn from Boy Meets World mistakenly fingering a hole in a girl's thigh.So needless to say, Dr. Chopper was a big, smelly pile-o-crap. It wasn't even funny crap. It reminded me of a horror movie I had to make in 8th grade, called "The Campout". Except for the fact that "The Campout" had a better script (we wrote it about an hour before filming), better actors, plots, bloody scenes, and camera work. I was hoping to get some laughs out of a poorly-made horror film, but instead I could only watch in astonishment as I thought to myself, "Was this made by 8th graders?". The acting was horrible, the events and different little subplots were thrown together and didn't make sense, and the gore and violence was very minimal. I liked how that from a small stab wound, people died instantly, and the only weapons the killers had were small pocket knives...if you're going to make a horror movie, at least give the killer(s) an insane killing device.Also, what the hell was the point of the sorority girls hazing their pledges? Good way to bring in some scenes of girls running around in their bras, even if they have no relevance to the story whatsoever. And I must say, my favorite line was when the blonde says to Dr. Chopper, "I'd like to introduce you to someone....my inner bitch." Her "inner bitch" then proceeds to grab a garbage can, throw it at Dr. Chopper, miss, and back up in terror of the killer.Wheww....well that was a long one, but I felt that I needed to express my feelings on how absolutely horrible this "movie" was. I know that everyone has their own opinions, but if anyone rates this movie higher than a 2, they should be shot to Hell......seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +Unspeakable starts in Los Angeles with Jim (Roger Cline) & his wife Alice Fhelleps (Tamera Noll) arguing as they drive along in the pouring rain, unfortunately Jim crashes the car & his daughter Heather (Leigh Silver) ends up dead while Alice is turned into a wheelchair bound vegetable. Devastated by the death of his daughter Jim starts visiting prostitutes, he then kills them because of voices in his head. Erm, that's it really.Written, produced & directed by Chad Ferrin I hate Unspeakable as a film. There are some films you occasionally see that move the 'goal posts' as it were in regard to everything you watch thereafter, some films are so brilliant that all other's will be judged by it while other's like Unspeakable for example are so bad that it sets a new cinematic low. This is truly one of the worst films I've ever seen & I am seriously surprised by the largely positive comments on the IMDb although I'm not surprised the the low overall rating on the main page, I not sure if I missed something but for a start Unspeakable has no plot, it has no story & a lot of it seems almost random. There was nothing in Unspeakable to maintain my interest or entertain & as a result became a test of endurance to get through to the end. The film tries to be shocking with some limp scenes of sexual abuse of a rent boy by a priest, there is a scene in which a disabled person craps herself, it splats on the floor & her dodgy male nurse starts feeling her soiled genitals, legs & underwear. If anyone can find such crap entertaining then I'll just cut my wrists now, the character's are some of the worst I've had the misfortune to know, the dialogue is hilariously bad with some it sounding like it came straight from some dirty faggot porno of the worst kind. It doesn't work as a horror as it's not scary in the slightest, it's absolutely hilarious & frankly insulting to claim that it is trying to be a serious drama about someone suffering a great loss & attempting to cope with it & overall I just think it's a pointless, rubbishy, badly made piece of crap from Troma.Director Ferrin films like some badly made documentary, the special effects are terrible & are of the 'let's pour tomato ketchup on our actor's face & the audience will be convinced that they died a gory death' variety, there is no graphic violence at all apart from a suicide where someone sticks a knife in their own mouth. Considering the amount of prostitutes in Unspeakable the nudity levels are kept to an absolute minimum...Apparently Unspeakable had a budget of about $20,000 & all I can say is where did all the money go? Oh, a quick note to the filmmakers, if your going to record sound live make sure you don't have your actor's deliver their lines next to a main road that half of Los Angeles seem to be driving up... The acting sucks, period.Unspeakable is, in my opinion, total crap. It's probably not the worst I've ever seen but it's right down there & I can't remember seeing such a awful film recently. One to avoid unless your a masochist or insomniac.$LABEL$ 0 +I first seen this movie in the early 80s and we used to have it on betamax. As we all know, betamax went the way of the 8-trak tape, sigh, it really had nice picture quality too. Anyways, I'm glad I found this movie again, I've been searching for it for more than 10 years! This movie falls into the category of movies like Airplane: continuous jokes, oneliners, funny actions (bodylanguage). Mark Blankfield is absolutely hilarious. His transformation from the shy Dr. Daniel Jekyll into the sex-crazed partyanimal Mr. Hyde is unforgettable, complete with goldtooth, chesthair and goldchains. The part I loved best was when he hijacked the car from this poor guy and then drove to Madam Woo Woo's. Totally psychedelic experience without the drugs! If you need laugh therapy this is the movie to do it. When I first seen it, I had tears in my eyes and my belly was hurting from constantly laughing. This is a movie I could watch over and over again. I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this is the best Norwegian movie I've ever seen. It's about 40-year old Andreas who gets hit by a subway-train, and suddenly finds himself in a strange city, however, everything here has been made ready for him. He has got a job, a house and clothes. At first, this city seems perfect, no death, no pain and no problems. Everywhere there are men in gray suits who cleans up and fixes everything that doesn't fit into their definition of perfect. However Andreas can't really seem to fit in and starts to long back to his old world, and tries with all means to get back. The thing that impresses my the most in this movie is how they way of making the city seem so surrealistic, even though I have seen a lot of these places in real life they seem so distant. Another thing that contributes greatly to the is the performance from the actors. Trond Fausa Aurvaag is just the perfect guy to play the confused and bothersome Andreas. And all the other characters are also doing a great job by playing apathetic (sounds like a hard job, doesn't it?). The strong difference between Andreas and the others leads to very amusing situations as well. All in all, this is a fabulous movie. The plot may be a little confusing, but the movie has such a great atmosphere I would recommend that everyone should go see it. And I wouldn't recommend listening to "ccscd212", as it seems he has seen too many commercial American movies and seems to have became too used to just getting served the moral on a silver plate. The way I see it there is not much in this film that tries to tell us about suicide being right or wrong. I consider it more of a warning of a direction our society seems to be taking. But sure, everyone can see a film in their own way.$LABEL$ 1 +I came across this movie back in the mid eighties as a teenager and it immediately became one of my favorite holiday and non-holiday films. As you can tell from the other reviews this movie has a very good story line and great actors signed on for it. Stanwyck is great as bride to be that is having second thoughts. Dennis Morgan's acting is strong also. He goes unnoticed in most films but was a very capable actor, check out KITTY FOYLE. In this film he plays the visiting sailor that woos Stanwyck away from her husband to be. This is a Christmas classic. The settings and the story make for a great Christmas romance$LABEL$ 1 +Possibly the worst film within the genre in existence. It was announced as a comedy, but is simply tragically pathetic. I don't think anyone could have achieved anything more terrible and irritating if they were specifically requested to. It is toilet humour at its very poorest, I would avoid even watching the trailer. I only went to see it because it was announced that if you like Monty Python, you are bound to love this. Whoever wrote that was either biased or seriously deranged. I am still bewildered how one can honestly believe such a statement. Rarely do I leave the cinema, really it takes a lot of effort for a film to have that effect on me: this one did it in just 30 minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +In the hands of a more skilled director, this film would have been considered a horror masterpiece. Despite Michael "Death Wish" Winner's merely passable direction, the movie is interesting, original and more than a little scary.The script bucks more than one horror cliché off its back (several it can't shake) including Chris Sarandon as the heroine's boyfriend who actually listens to her as she insists that eerie things are going down. Burgess Meredith is delightful as the lovably insane neighbor. Eva Gardner is haunting with a young Beverly D'Angelo as her mute and disturbed lesbian lover. John Carradine does a heck-of-a job sitting in a chair. And watch out for a brief cameo from an unknown-at-the-time Chris Walken! This movie is creepy and creative. The plot twists are lovely, if a tad predictable. The climax, of which I will give no detail, is disturbing and quite impressive. Again a better director could have done more with it, nonetheless it is quite satisfying - at least to those with the sensibilities of seventies horror.If you like modern overproduced body-counting torture-fantasy, you won't like this. There is almost no gore. The direction is quite spartan. The effects are few, although there's some delightful makeup near the end - most of which actually isn't makeup...but perhaps I've said too much already.I've rated this a little higher than its quality may justify, but I enjoyed it as much as any "8" film that I've seen.$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen this movie, just once, and I'm looking forward to see it again and again. Dear David (from Beligium), why did you bother to write a comment on this movie? I only think we can think about you (after reading you comment), is that you're provably a non-sexual person (like Erika in the movie), and you are not ready for the new cinema that is coming up. I guess you are a bit old, and sexual expression is not part of your "visage". The Cannes Film Festival is by far the best movie festival, and I'm is my pleasure to say, that this film was awarded with: Best Actress, Best Actor and Grand Prix. Isabelle Huppert is magnificent, as always, who would do this movie like her? One of her best performances ever. The music is fantastic, and once more Michael Haneke puts reality in the big screen. It's like a Dogma95 kind of movie, because of the topic. Try to see it.$LABEL$ 1 +We loved this movie because it was so entertaining and off beat-- Not your usual Hollywood drivel.My husband had a Blockbuster coupon and passed on a string of new releases of violent Hollywood stuff. He was about to walk out when he saw this and decided to take a chance. There was only one copy -- and with some glitches in the DVD that we finally had to flip to wide screen version and then back to the full screen version to make it stop stalling. But it was worth it. Cathy Bates is so good and she was so perfect for the role. And she can sing too! If only Hollywood would learn from Independent film makers! Maybe we would go back to the real movies. But for now, we're sticking with off beat and really entertaining films like this one! Other examples we've enjoyed include: A Box Full of Moonlight, Pieces of April, Delivering Milo, The Celestine Prophesy. Most of the ones by Christopher Guest such as: Best in Show, For your Consideration, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman$LABEL$ 1 +This show had pretty good stories, but bad dialog. The main character was especially annoying. It's quite obvious why this show was canceled, although, like most UPN shows, I never knew it even existed until it was in syndicated re-runs.Most of it's plots seemed to be copied from other shows and movies, leading me to think the producers didn't have an original idea in their heads. I haven't commented enough. You've got to have at least ten lines of text. The special effect were not bad for a 2001 show.The gnome was a nice character.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought this movie was too absurd for me to finish watching it. The premise was too silly and predictable. I didn't make it far into the movie.Let me see. She is obviously older than the cabbie (unless she is a lot younger than she looks). He is black and she is white. She makes more money than him (he is only a cabbie). That's 3 of society's most statistically failed unions all rolled up in one and we are supposed to pretend they have a chance in hell. She would be better off marrying the guy she doesn't love.I only watched it partially because I love MJW as an actor. His acting was superb. Hers, meh! It was OK but the premise is too silly. Didn't see the end. Couldn't make it there so I don't know if it ended differently from the way I predicted the ending would be. I can't imagine any black woman liking this movie. There is something sickening about watching a black man catering to a white woman like that. And an old one at that. PLEASE! Not in the real world!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie today at the Haifa Film Festival in Israel after hearing rave reviews, but I guess the critics were just sucking up to Willem Defoe and his wife (the director) who were present at the festival. It is definitely the slowest movie I have ever seen with numerous pointless, ridiculously long scenes of nothing. Besides Defoe who was decent, the acting of the two and a half other people in the movie, Defoe's wife Giada included, was ridiculously awful (how they cast the part of the salesgirl at the bakery is beyond me). This movie is pretty much plot less with a lame attempt to be abstract and off the wall. The only scene that stirred any kind of reaction in the crowd was vulgar and came from nowhere as if just to add some kind of shock value to the dullness that is this movie. Sorry for being so harsh, but really this movie is a precious waste of time and money. I appreciate good indie cinema, but this movie is not worthy of moviegoers' time.$LABEL$ 0 +Had this movie been made a few years later, I would have given it a lower score. However, for 1909, this was a dandy little movie and still stands up pretty well today. Just don't try to compare this silent film to later silents--the industry changed so radically that the shorts of the first decade of the 20th century don't look at all like movies made in the 1910s and beyond.This movie is 11 minutes long (about average for most films back then) and is a variation of the Edgar Allen Poe story, THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO. While many are familiar with the story, I won't elaborate further as I don't want to ruin the film. Just suffice to say that it's very creepy!!$LABEL$ 1 +What is contained on this disk is a first rate show by a first rate band. This disc is NOT for the faint of heart...the music is incredibly intense, and VERY cool. What you will learn when you watch this movie is just why the Who was so huge for so long. It is true that their records were great, but their shows were the top of the heap. In 1969 when this concert was shot, the screaming teenie boppers that threw jelly beans at the Beatles were gone and bands (and audiences) had settled down to long and often amazing displays of musical virtuosity--something that few audiences have the intellectual curiosity to pursue in the age of canned music by Britney and Christina. What you especially learn here are the amazing things that can happen when gifted musicians are encouraged to improvise. Try the concert out, it really is amazing.$LABEL$ 1 +Abhay Deol's second film, written by Imtiaz Ali, maiden directorial effort by Shivam Nair. Soha probably has her first (?) meaty role as Megha, a girl who has run away from home and is waiting at the Delhi marriage registrar's office for her boyfriend Dheeraj (Shayan Munshi) to meet her. She waits and waits and finally is spotted as a damsel in distress by Ankush (Abhay Deol). They spend many days together as he extricates her from one distressing situation after another and finally falls in love with her. Then the boyfriend returns! Aage pardey par dekhiye! Sound familiar? This is yet another adaptation of Dostoyevsky's White Nights with a tiny bit of borrowing from Le Notti Bianchi (very tiny though - Ankush keeps the lovers apart by telling the boyfriend she is dead!). But this is an earthier and more realistic (duh) adaptation than the much hyped and overblown Saawariya. I wonder why no one brought this little gem up when we were all discussing Saawariya like crazy a few months ago.The Delhi settings are wonderful - there is the obligatory run through old Delhi, shots of Jama Masjid from a roof top, Connaught Circus, streets with rickshaws (What? How?). The colorful light fixtures in the hotel are enough to tell you this is a seedy joint with rooms for hire by the hour! The more I see of Abhay the more I like this young man. In this second film he is quite good as the for hire witness who is given a purpose in life by a beautiful woman. Soha looks beautiful, and when she smiles she fits the role, but I found her unconvincing in the more serious moments. I am not quite sure that she has it in her to be a great actress, or maybe she will blossom late like the brother. The music by Himesh Reshammiya is not that great and in fact the movie falters at the songs, they kind of interrupt the narrative and do not sit well with the characters trying to sing them. The supporting cast is excellent and I give this White Nights adaptation a thumbs up. BTW - the fact that I love Abhay Deol's cute dimples has NOTHING to do with my rating.$LABEL$ 1 +This utterly dull, senseless, pointless, spiritless, and dumb movie isn't the final proof that the world can forget about Danny Boyle and his post-"Trainspotting" movies: "The Beach" already took care of that. What this low-budget oddity does is merely to secure his place among those who started very well but got completely lost in drugs, booze, ego, self-delusion, bad management or whatever it was that lead to this once-promising director's quick demise.The premise is absurd: two losers (Ecclestone and some bimbo Jenna G - a rapper, likely) meet by chance and spontaneously start singing with fervour more akin to lunatic asylum inhabitants than a potential hit-making duo - which they become. A friend of theirs - an even bigger illiterate loser - becomes their manager by smashing a store window and stealing a video-camera by which he films them in "action", and then shows the tape to some music people who actually show interest in this garbage. Now, I know that the UK in recent years has put out incredible junk, but this is ridiculous; the music makes Oasis seem like The Beatles. During the studio recordings, the duo - Strumpet - change lyrics in every take and Ecclestone quite arrogantly tells the music biz guys to take it or leave it, and quite absurdly they do take it. Not only is the music total and utter trash, but its "performers" are anti-social; these NEWCOMERS are supposed to be calling the shots. It's just too dumb. It's plain awful.The dialog is unfunny and goes nowhere, and this rags-to-bitches story has no point and makes no sense. It often feels improvised - under the influence of drugs. Danny Boyle is a complete idiot. This little piece of trash is so bad it's embarrassing to watch. Ecclestone's I.Q. also has to be questioned for agreeing to be part of this nonsense. Whoever financed this £1000 joke should leave the movie business before they end up selling their own underwear on street corners.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a fine, under-rated film and Rip Torn, well-known as he is, is a seriously under-rated actor. I read Howard Frank Mosher's novel many years ago. How well Craven captures the book and the beauty of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom! I had the good fortune to grow up in VT in the 40s and 50s and was still living there when the "Irasburg Incident" took place. I've not seen _Stranger in the Kingdom_, the Craven/Mosher collaboration based on the incident(and another Mosher novel), but this film has inspired me to track it down.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has special effects which for it's time are very impressive. Some if it is easily explainable with the scenes played backwards but the overlay of moving images on an object on film is surprisingly well done given that this film was made more than 94 years ago.$LABEL$ 1 +This 1925 film narrates the story of the mutiny on board battleship Potemkin at the port of Odessa. The movie celebrated the 20th anniversary of the uprising of 1905, which was seen as a direct precursor to the October Revolution of 1917. Following his montage theory, Eisenstein plays with scenes, their duration and the way they combine to emphasize his message, besides he uses different camera shot angles and revolutionary illumination techniques. The "Odessa Steps" sequence in Potemkin is one of the most famous in the history of cinema. The baby carriage coming loose down the steps after its mother has been shot was later recreated in Brian d' Palma's The Untouchables. It is clear that the film is one of the best ever made considering its time and how innovative it was though you need a little bit of patience and to be a real movie enthusiast to go through its 70 minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +I enjoyed this movie a lot. I thought that the plot of the movie was realistic and relevant to anytime period in American history. There is always that woman that does what she needs to do to climb the class system. I feel that the character of Lilly was portrayed correctly and could of not been done better. What I enjoyed most was when she realized what love really was. Throughout the movie all of the men that fell for her were in love with her, had given her everything, even lost their careers for her. Until she had met Cortland, she did not understand why these men gave up everything for happiness. The way her life had ended up was far from what she expected to be possible. I'd recommend this movie to anyone of a mature audience so you are able to understand the content and the under-laying meaning of the movie and plot.$LABEL$ 1 +Aside from the gunfight scene, I felt the movie was a waste of celluloid. Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, and Annette Bening could have played those roles in their sleep. The dialog was marginally tolerable (and there was plenty of it--no one sat together quietly in this movie), the plot was all over the map as if they could not decide how many themes to cram into the story, there was no subtlety at all--foreshadowing hit you between the eyes and they led you by the nose through most of the story (I think they added all the dialog to make sure you didn't miss anything), and the editing really needed tightening up (each actor's screen time was more quantity than quality--again, too much dialog).The entire story took place over the course of a few days, but everything that happened took on epic proportions, much like how day-to-day happenings seemed HUGE to you in high school, but in the grand scheme really weren't THAT important. Yes, the bad guys beat up and killed Mose, they beat up Button, they killed the dog--all things which would get Boss and Charley's blood up. But the importance was diluted by all of the "deep, meaningful" conversations which dominated most of the movie. These guys worked together for 10 years and they're just now talking about this stuff? The only time there wasn't much dialog was in the gunfight scene--which is probably why I liked it.Finally, someone give Annette Bening a hairbrush! The wispy strands of hair around her face that were (I suppose) to make her look a bit more romantic actually made her look a little deranged. If she worked outside the home, it would have made more sense. Plus, why WASN'T she married already? There seemed to be several "kind and gentle" (her words) single men in town aside from the marshal and his cronies. In fact, none of the bad guys seemed to want her either (a usual plot device in other movies). She stayed cooped up in the house most of the time and really didn't seem to have much connection to the people in town. Makes you wonder......In all, the movie was entirely too long, too chatty, and too contrived for me. It felt like a star vehicle with lots of screen time for the big stars, but not enough character depth to interest me, despite all of the dialog.$LABEL$ 0 +Mainly a biography of a lustful doctor, "Robert Merivel ," (Robert Downey) who has his way in the king's palace for the first half of the film and then helps out the downtrodden in the second half, mainly "Katharine" (Meg Ryan).The GOOD - Fantastic set decoration (i.e. the lush king's palace) and costuming make this a visual treat. The language is also very tame. Ian McKellen and Hugh Grant provide interesting support.The BAD - After 50-60 minutes, this movie simply gets too boring. It desperately needed to be given some spark after an hour but it does the opposite: it drags on and on. The script certainly needed some badly-needed "restoration," shall we say? The film may look nice but it's a long two hours to sit through.....too long.$LABEL$ 0 +If there were two parts that the physically towering, ugly-charismatic actor Gérard Depardieu was born, as a Frenchman, to play, it must surely have been Cyrano de Bergerac and the orator Georges Danton. Here he dominates the film both through the breadth of his shoulders and the power of his voice; his charisma carries the part despite the fact that it is made clear that the character has as much blood on his hands as any of the rest of them. Danton feasts while the people of Paris starve... but he is the one man who can challenge the tyranny imposed by the dreaded Committee of Public Safety in the name of 'freedom', and he is presented as the hero of the film -- despite the fact that the source play practically idolises his opponent Robespierre!For those who know the characters from history, there is interest to be had in identifying the minor parts: the frog-faced Tallien, Couthon the cripple, Fouquier-Tinville the tribunal's prosecutor, the dashing fop St-Just, the epic painter David. But the script cuts little slack in this respect; names are often late in coming if minor characters are identified at all, and there is no Hollywood-style 'info-dump' to make sure that the audience can place events in their historical context. The film takes it for granted that you know what has gone before, and what will happen after -- sometimes it takes too much for granted, as when it relies on a close knowledge of dates to provide the sting to its tail in the fact that Robespierre followed Danton shortly to the scaffold.Considered as a film, it's not entirely satisfactory in that it ebbs away towards the end. The structure of the story leads up to some great confrontation between the protagonists in the courtroom or some dramatic climax to the trial, which, thanks to history, never actually happens. Things just fizzle out: there is no revolt, there is no overthrow of tyranny, there is no assumption of power by the victor, there is no triumph on either side. It may be historically accurate, but it's not entirely satisfying as the outcome of a screen scenario -- it seems an odd place to stop. As others have commented, it might have been more logical to take events up to the end of the Terror and show in apposition the fall of Robespierre.$LABEL$ 1 +Seeing this movie in previews I thought it would be witty and in good spirits. Unfortunately it was a standard case of "the funny bits were in the preview", not to say it was all bad. But "the good bits were in the preview".If you are looking for an adolescent movie that will put you to sleep then Watch this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Action, horror, sci-fi, exploitation director Fred Olen Ray shows he has some talent as a director. Character actor William Smith is one of the best tough/bad guys in the industry. He treats the viewer with the best acting performance of his career. As for Randy Travis he gives his best Lee Van Cleef impression. He's not bad in the film. Smith and Travis make the movie. As for the rest of the cast none of them really stand out. Ray did a great job directing this flick, Smith and Travis were good, I'd give this B western on a scale of one to ten(ten being the best) a seven.$LABEL$ 1 +VIVAH in my opinion is the best movie of 2006, coming from a director that has proved successful throughout his career. I am not too keen in romantic movies these days, because i see them as "old wine in a new bottle" and so predictable. However, i have watched this movie three times now...and believe me it's an awesome movie.VIVAH goes back to the traditional route, displaying simple characters into a sensible and realistic story of the journey between engagement and marriage. The movie entertains in all manners as it can be reflected to what we do (or would do) when it comes to marriage. In that sense Sooraj R. Barjatya has done his homework well and has depicted a very realistic story into a well-made highly entertaining movie.Several sequences in this movie catch your interest immediately: * When Shahid Kapoor comes to see the bride (Amrita Rao) - the way he tries to look at her without making it too obvious in front of his and her family. The song 'Do Anjaane Ajnabi' goes well with the mood of this scene.* The first conversation between Shahid and Amrita, when he comes to see her - i.e. a shy Shahid not knowing exactly what to talk about but pulling of a decent conversation. Also Amrita's naive nature, limited eye-contact, shy characteristics and answering softly to Shahid's questions.* The emotional breakdown of Amrita and her uncle (Alok Nath) when she feeds him at Shahid's party in the form of another's daughter-in-law rather than her uncle's beloved niece.Clearly the movie belongs to Amrita Rao all the way. The actress portrays the role of Poonam with such conviction that you cannot imagine anybody else replacing her. She looks beautiful throughout the whole movie, and portrays an innocent and shy traditional girl perfectly.Shahid Kapoor performs brilliantly too. He delivers a promising performance and shows that he is no less than Salman Khan when it comes to acting in a Sooraj R. Barjatya film. In fact Shahid and Amrita make a cute on-screen couple, without a shadow of doubt. Other characters - Alok Nath (Excellent), Anupam Kher (Brilliant), Mohan Joshi (Very good).On the whole, VIVAH delivers what it promised, a well made and realistic story of two families. The movie has top-notch performances, excellent story and great music to suit the film, as well as being directed by the fabulous Sooraj R. Barjatya. It's a must see!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm sorry, but I just can't help it, I love watching Iron Eagle. Now, do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that this is a great movie. No, rather, I would put it that this is an endlessly entertaining movie. For people who cut this movie to pieces for not being realistic are kinda missing the point. Of course Iron Eagle's plot was ridiculous. But I believe its target audience was kids, and I sure remember finding this cool when I was little. Now I just find it amusing as a guilty pleasure, kinda like Road House. This movie is part of the great pantheon of 80's, kids-taking-on-the-stodgy-adult-power-structure movies. You must remember D.A.R.Y.L, Real Genius, E.T., etc. If you ask me, just watching Doug and Knotcher "Ride the Snake" in the beginning is worth the cost of the DVD. That whole sequence was so STUPID! But, at the same time, it was hilarious, funny, totally 80's, all that good stuff. So bottom line, Iron Eagle is a great 80's guilty pleasure. The hairstyles, the dancing, the music, the dialogue, its all funny as hell. I have Iron Eagle on DVD and to me it was totally worth $9.99 at Best Buy. If you love laughing at dated, unrealistic action movies, this one is a must-see. Oh yeah, and I think its plot was only marginally stupider than 1986's other fighter pilot action pic, Top Gun.$LABEL$ 1 +It utterly defeats me why Godard is taken so seriously - and One Plus One is a great example of his ineptitude as both a filmmaker and an 'intellectual' polemicist. It's hard to credit that Godard actually believed all that Marxist and Maoist kant. Anyone with half a brain could work out the bankruptcy of those 'isms' and how many people they had destroyed and were continuing to destroy even as Godard was making his films supporting them. As a filmmaker, ask yourself: would you have boring voice-overs reading tedious political diatribes at your audience, and then, when you couldn't think of anything else to do, layer another voice-over to the first voice-over, which had lost its listeners after the first 100 words in any case? Brilliant, Jean-Luc! As for Godard insisting on making a film with the Rolling Stones: of course he did; wouldn't you? It was the only guarantee of getting such mindless rubbish seen in the first place: the genius of the Stones eclipsing a talentless and babbling political idiot set loose with a camera. The bookshop scene wasn't worthy of even the worst fringe theatre, and was an insult to the intelligence of even the young children who were used to play in it - as could be readily seen. Copping-out by allowing friendly critics to claim that all this artless crap was a satire on mainstream film-making is no more than a safe get-out to offer those who clearly see Godard's poverty of intellect and arrogant contempt for his audience. Ironic that Godard's one-time great friend, Truffaut, with Nuit Americain, made the best film about film-making ever, and Godard made the worst with Le Mepris! Incidentally, Godard didn't choose the Stones' track of Sympathy With the Devil. It just happened to be the track they were working on when the 'film' started shooting at Barnes Olympic Studios.$LABEL$ 0 +Ok, let me say that I didn't expect a film starring Jerry Springer to be cinematic gold, all I asked for was it to be cinematic...and it wasn't even that. It looked like someone's bad home movies. Poorly acted, scripted, and filled to the brim with nudity of the most unnattractive people I've ever seen.The film's "plot" focuses on a low-class family who decide to go on the "Jerry Farrelly Show" to discuss multiple affairs between a mother, daughter, stepfather and the daughter's fiancee. From there, the movie fizzles and develops into a unique experience: white-trash pornography. There's redneck sex, interacial sex, even sex between Jerry and his wife? (Yuk!) This film encouraged me to want to run out of the theater and get a second circumcision. At least it was mercifully short. Disgusting and degrading. African-Americans and working class America should be offended. (Howard Stern should be pleased however, he didn't squander his attempt for film stardom. His was smart, funny and entertaining)MY GRADE: F+ (the daughter was hot)$LABEL$ 0 +I thought i could see something good but... I am tired after seeing this movie, i don't know what i hated the most: the script, the acting, the FX or the music. Try to picture the worst Power Rangers episode and would still be to kind. I've seen better FX in FPS Games( The touch with the bone sword or his breath that is making the people disappear in a green smoke is touch of genius) and the music seems to come from a spaghetti western. I did liked how the women in the car was screaming, when the "monster" was walking around the car (even if she's looking in the wrong way). So give your self a break and don't watch this thing, at least call somebody up to see a horror movie with you, trust me you will end up playing monopoly for some kicks.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember seeing this film when I was fairly young & being quite disturbed by it. I found the storyline very distressing and can still remember the various bullying techniques used. One in particular was when the other school children spat in his soup before he could even taste a spoonful. They also bound him and shaved his private parts. This was all because he was unpopular. Why was he unpopular? Because he was bad at games. I have a feeling though that even if he was good at games he would have been bullied because it's hard to decide what makes someone popular. To me, he is the type of person who would always be picked on because that's how children operate. Popular children are popular because they are in some way 'cool'. Popularity is a hard thing to define. So, even at the end when he is successful in his career it makes no difference & he is still left feeling tormented. I found the ending quite distressing as there was no resolution.$LABEL$ 1 +Excellent film. The whole picture was filmed in Budapest, so I feel proud. My little problem was that the trains in the film belonged to the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV), and it is plain to see that they were used in big train, not in the local railway - according to the story Chikatilo picked up his victims in local railway stations. Apart from this, the film is superb.$LABEL$ 1 +Hmm, Hip Hop music to a period western. Modern phrases like "cool" and too many others to keep track of. "The sistahs are in tha house"!?French manicured nails on hard riding girls. Microphone packs CLEARLY visible on Li'l Kim's back. I just can't go on with the litany of errors made by the director and editors.The acting isn't as bad as I've ever seen. The women did well enough with a poor script.It was weird hearing Louis Mandylor speaking in his native accent.The girls are beautiful. The costumes fabulous albeit completely incorrect. I just can't believe they would dumb down what could have been a great story. I would feel offended to believe that this movie was loaded with such trappings that it would play well in the inner city.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie starts with a Spiderman spoof which is your introduction to Rick Riker (played by Drake Bell of "Drake & Josh" fame, personally I'd have given the movie to Josh who is much funnier) and the "Rick Punchers" joke is lifted right out of Airplane so the writers were obviously already scraping the barrel for ideas for this film. Rick's class is on a science trip to The Amalgamated Genetics lab and this is where we get to meet the 1st star name in the film, Brent Spiner (Data in Star Trek TNG) playing Dr Strom. Rick is bitten by a genetically modified dragonfly which is where his powers come from.We meet our next big star names at Rick's home, his Aunt Lucille (Marion Ross of Happy Days fame) & Uncle Albert (Leslie Nielson of Airplane, Police Squad & Naked Gun fame). And we're introduced to Carlson on the Amalgamated Board of Directors (Dan Castellaneta from The Simpsons) who is then very promptly killed. We're told Rick has slept for 5 days & get some cheap, crappy sexually orientated scenes designed to get the teen male audience paying attention. The Stephen Hawking lookalike's scene is painful to watch and is really a bad idea that doesn't work and isn't remotely funny.We get another Spiderman spoof (Rick catching the girl and all the planets) but the movie should end right there as Jill was hit in the head by a falling bowling ball which would have broken her skull and killed her stone dead. You get to see Rick's 1st powers emerge (gripping ability & speed) then his 1st rescue which goes very wrong. We also get an incest reference which is in very poor taste indeed. We get a flashback and a Batman spoof in which we discover Rick is solely responsible for the death of his parents. Spoofing Spiderman again Ricks Uncle is shot with Jeffrey Tambor (from Hellboy) playing the Hospital Doctor. We then get an X-men spoof (done very badly as Patrick Stewart is about as white as they come), Barry Bonds is played by yet another lookalike.We meet Invisible Girl (played by Pamela Anderson looking stunning in her costume!). Ricks 1st outing in his costume (once he fixes his ability to see & breath through it) is another Batman spoof. The Tom Cruise Youtube interview clip is played by yet another lookalike (and not a very good one at that). There are lots of modern references like Youtube, Facebook & Wikipedia all showing that the movie is set in modern day. There's a very weak gay joke (never a good idea to do those either) when Jill is helping Aunt Lucille make Thanksgiving dinner and the pissing scene isn't very funny, just infantile.The Aunt farting scene isn't particularly funny, just incredibly childish. Anyone finding it funny must have a mental age of about 12. She's killed and then we have a really bad necrophilia joke (is there no topic these people won't try to use to get a cheap laugh out of?) at her funeral, and the even worse cremation joke.We get the 2 worst lookalikes in the whole movie (Prince Charles & Nelson Mandela) at the awards ceremony and if you didn't already know how infantile or stupidly lowbrow this movie is Landers wins the "Douchebag Of The Year" award. Landers is revealed as The Hourglass (in a really bad scene where the same girl manages to run past Jill twice in the same direction).Obviously The Hourglass is foiled, Jill is rescued from certain death and the only funny scene in the whole movie is the final one.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, for starters, this actually was THE most elegant Clausen film to this date.The man's always got a sense for characters with a slice of humor to them, but I think that he in this movie adds a dimension unparrallel to anything he's made earlier. His work has - in very black n' white words - been accepted by the broad but not that critical audience, and we've always appreciated his sense of humor and his ability to mix it with human problems and a distinct way of letting the audience know what he needs to say.In "Villa Paranoia, however, for the first time, he surprises with an unseen wisdom and a respect for the minorities. Not only the ethnic but also the normal people you tend to forget. Set in Jutland - in 'the country' - it deals with the everlasting issue of lack of love, but in a close and at times brutal way that keeps you looking and keeps you focused. And on top of that, he himself manages to play a b******d! A true b*****d, who wants the right thing but has no clue how to get there, and people therefore suffer. Bitterly. I'd have to say it's one of the best movies I've seen this year and I'm greatly anticipating his next.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this was an excellent and very honest portrayal of paralysis and racism. This movie never panders to the audience and never gets predictable. The acting was top-notch and the movie reminded me of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".$LABEL$ 1 +For those curious, this episode is based in theme upon Pirandello's play, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" and Jean-Paul Sartre's play, "No Exit" (as indicated most obviously by its title), but, of course, with a Sterling twist. Five very different individuals find themselves in a round room with no idea who they are other than the indication of their attire. A bell intermittently rings (perhaps also a Hemmingway allusion?), increasing the agony of their incarceration. The newcomer to the group, a Major, is determined to escape, while the others are resigned to their fate. Unlike Pirandello, these characters don't even have a story. They have nothing other than the experience of the room in their consciousness, and no one to author their nonexistent story, so their position is even more hopeless than the characters in Pirandello's piece. Unlike both Pirandello and Sartre, there is no relationship involved between the characters and therefore no real conflict between them, though the theme of personal responsibility versus apathy is prominent in this story. Though this diverges significantly from the storyline of the authors alluded to in the title, themes of Sartre and Pirandello (and many other authors of the twentieth century) come through with absolute clarity. This is very obviously a piece which addresses post-modernist perspective in the context of the Cold War era. There is also an emphasis upon issues of personal insignificance. This is easily one of the best episodes I've seen, and still exceptionally relevant to current experience (as are Sartre and Pirandello). Exactly what makes a good piece of writing into a classic.$LABEL$ 1 +Ram Gopal Verma usually makes so-so cookie cutter formula fare, lifted from some Hollywood flick. His every film after Shiva is in the cookie-cutter genre. Occasionally, he makes a truly horrible movie like this one. For the first 55 minutes, we are introduced to the only 2 characters, a struggling gymnast masquerading as a skilled dancer (go figure!) and a wannabe actor trying to strike it rich in Bollywood. They fall in love, zero becomes hero, dancer/gymnast gets no break, gymnastics, angst, the usual heartbreak, more gymnastics, angst, song, dance, angst, some more gymnastics, more ridiculous gymnastics and before you know it, you're fast asleep. And this despite the HOT SEXY HOT HOT SEXY HOT bod of the leading lady-cum-gymnast-cum-dancer.But hey, you're not alone!! The editor, director, photographer, in fact the whole cast and crew are asleep thru-out the entire production. Only difference being they got paid to snooze while you paid money for this crap, so you lose. Ha, joke's on you. Don't feel sorry for yourself but for our poor broke gal as she tones up daily in her high-rise penthouse in the sexiest of leotards and exercise-wear. Puh-leese, when will the poor thang get a break, she's STARR-VINNNG?!Antara Mali cannot act. RGV's lost his marbles. Abhishek tried hard but failed. No plot. No story. Nothing. She must've paid RGV handsomely to make this all-nonsense stuff in addition to free gymnastics lessons on his casting couch. What a super deal. No need for an acting career.Such absolute rubbish can only be "Made in Bollywood" of course!$LABEL$ 0 +Sweet and charming, funny and poignant, plot less but meaningful, "Before Sunrise" (1995), the third movie of Richard Linklater, is dedicated to everyone who ever been in love, is in love, or never been in love but still dreams of it and hopes to find it. It is one of the very rare movies that is/should/will be equally interesting to teenagers, their parents and even grandparents. It seems a very simple little movie with no spectacular visual effects, car chases, or long and steamy sex scenes. Two young people in their early 20s, two college students (American tourist Ethan Hawke who is returning home after the summer in Europe and the French student Julie Delpy who goes to Paris to attend the classes in Sorbonne) meet on a train. They are attracted to each other instantly even before they start talking, they hop off the train in Vienna where they walk around exploring the city all night. They talk and fall in love. That's it, that's the movie. It could've been boring and silly but instead, it is a lovely, believable, clever, and moving romance that only gets better with each viewing (at least, for this viewer). High praise and my sincere gratitude go to the director and writers for delivering two charming characters, superb writing, always interesting and witty dialogs, two awesome performances, and the atmosphere of magic that falling in love is. Julie Delpy, who looks like a Botticelli's angel, is great in portraying smart, independent, and incredibly attractive young woman.$LABEL$ 1 +Firstly I would like to point out that I only know of the show due to my younger sister always watching it. I find it the most annoying program on TV. There is nothing funny about any of the 'jokes' and the canned laughter is unbearable. The show would work much better if filmed in front of a live audience. That way the laughter would show just how 'unfunny' the show is. However I give credit to the acting talents of the young cast. It sickens me however to think that they'll look back on the show in the future and see how bad their first TV show was. The show links in well with the overall annoying voices and style of the CBBC presenters. Why the youth of today need to be shouted at so much is beyond me. That is all.$LABEL$ 0 +An obvious b-grade effort to cash in on the Hostel/Saw buzz, my expectations for this film were low (really low!) and yet it still managed to disappoint on every level. The acting is so bad it's not even funny, the plot-line is non-existent and the only scare was realizing that I had wasted 1hour 21 minutes watching it! I'm surprised to note that 34 people gave it a 10 star rating. I can only suspect that 33 of these are Cast and Crew. The 34th is possibly the directors mother? - although I'm sure even she would find it hard to go higher than a 2! DVD extras include an hour long "making of" feature. Which raises the question, "Why?" (although perhaps it serves to demonstrate what not to do!). Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +File this one in the `How do movies like this get made?' column. A seventies-drag indie version of `Macbeth,' adapted fairly faithfully (but pointlessly) in a conventionally unconventional black-comic style. The cast gives it a shot, with Christopher Walken phoning in the eccentricity as McDuff, and with Maura Tierney rising above the dull script as Pat McBeth. The other actors are wasted, as is the audience's time. Knee-jerk fans of this brand of quirk may like it, though. 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I can sum this movie up using 20 words or less. Way too predictable of a story line with potential to be funny but instead falls flat on its face. See, 19 words, however, I didn't completely pan this flick with just one star but instead decided to bump it up to two stars due to the fact that Julie Bowen is smoking hot and provided just enough eye candy to keep me from ripping the DVD right out from the machine and blowing it up with an M80. My advice, take the $4.00 rental fee you would have paid to see this movie and just send it right to me as an advance thank you for saving you the time and frustration of having to sit through this train wreck, or you may want to send me the $50.00 replacement fee you would have been charged from taking out your twelve gage to use this piece of garbage as skeet shooting practice.$LABEL$ 0 +It was in 1988, when I saw "The Ronnie and Nancy Show" for the first time (on Austrian television). At that time, I was already a very big fan of Spitting Image (since when it won the bronze rose of the Montreux Film Festival in 1986). Of course I recorded every show on tape and watched it again and again - especially "The Ronnie and Nancy Show". I remember that scene when Ronnie stood in front of a painting of Abraham Lincoln (thinking it was a mirror) and said to himself "I need a shave". Or most amusing of all, when he played ball with his dog - but vice-versa!It's such a shame, that Spitting Image seems to fall into oblivion; it was one of the most fantastic and most intelligent made TV-shows ever. Compared to other satirical broadcasts it was definitely the best of all. Well, almost 20 years have passed since then, and I wish I could see the show again. Is it possible to purchase it from someone... somewhere?$LABEL$ 1 +The opening night for the 'South Asian International Film Festival' (SAIFF) in New York was an event a lot of us were waiting for.I would finally get to watch 'Hari Om' – I was tired of watching the "promo" on a loop and the lingering taste of the song Angel by Nitin Sawhney in the promo, left me begging to hear the rest of it. I was impressed by the visuals… and tremendously curious about how the rugged looking auto rickshaw driver would win the hearts of the stunning sophisticated looking French tourist! I remember being rather intrigued by the theme, when I'd read a line or two about it in the papers, ages ago! Especially so, since I'd personally been very fascinated a few years ago, by how flamboyant the rickshaws in Jodhpur were! The snow and the crowds outside the theater only set my anxiety rising.Once inside the theater, I found that the SAIFF organizers only presented disaster. I was uncomfortable and embarrassed by how poorly the event was organized and found myself in a difficult spot, trying to explain and offer excuses to my friends (of mixed nationalities) whom I'd invited on the VIP guest list. I was hoping to prove to them that Indian cinema was not always about Bollywood… Eventually and FINALLY, the movie began sending some fresh air our way. Or so I thought… Hari Om … started with chaos and noise. Autorickshaws honking, traffic and a whole lot of chaos. I found myself smiling as I felt a sense of "home" filling up inside me.Thus began the journey of Hari Om… an auto rickshaw driver in Jaipur – The director couldn't have made a better casting call with this character. From Monsoon Wedding to Hari Om – Vijay Raaz, despite his non-hero looks, carries this movie solely on his acting skills and his take on the character, replete with all the nuances of a rickshaw driver in Rajasthan. He's a winner all the way. But how and where he learnt to speak English even that fluently, is the question! However, his character portrays beautiful shades of humor and sensitivity. I love his innocent portrayal of a simple guy from a village– who has big aspirations of being famous some day… and yet knows when to cut away to reality.Camille, on the other hand enters the movie wearing clothes that ANYONE wouldn't dare to wear in a place like that. It's funny however, that no one seems to really care too much about her dressed like that. She looks very very dazzling though! Especially in the latter half of the movie, when she changes to Indian attire. Her relationship with her boyfriend however seems very vague. It probably adds to the touch of reality of certain kinds of relationships.The movie takes us through the most beautiful parts of Rajasthan … The surprising part is that none of the places have been portrayed anything other than what they REALLY are. You see the dirt, you see the primitive houses… you see Rajasthan exactly the way it is!! Yet – there's only one adjective that it leaves you with – 'beautiful'.This is the first director who probably knows how to portray India exactly the way it is- with the dirt and the noise and all the negatives that India is attached to!– Yet making it look like one of the most beautiful places to be in.Kudos! to him for that.The only downside of the movie that I could possibly see, is the pace… I found it rather slow at certain parts – but rest assured that you will never be bored.Nitin Sawhney's background scores add a classy international, yet very Indian flavor to the movie. The song "Angel" which plays at a very crucial time in the movie, blends beautifully with the visuals.I've also heard that besides the main characters, all the other actors are actually just normal people who'd never ever faced a camera before!! That's commendable considering, most of our so called established actors – still can't portray realistic characters on screen.All in all, watching this movie was a beautiful experience – It is a pot pourri of emotions. It's got romance, humour… realism… beautiful visuals and locations... , great music, a great cast – A PACKAGE DEAL! When I walked out of the theater - I felt proud to be Indian… A few days later, I asked one of my Bulgarian friends who had watched the movie with me, if he'd want to watch another Indian Movie – and his response was – " Is it better than Hari Om? If it is, then I'll go… if not, I think I'll pass. From now on, Hari Om will be the benchmark for every Indian Movie that I see." Mr. Bala, are you reading?$LABEL$ 1 +The contemporary chapter of the U.S. Navy's elite underwater demolition team is called to do.... whatever they want, apparently.Charlie Sheen was made an officer. Already the storyline is unbelievable. Michael Biehn is his immediate C.O., but he keeps Charlie on a rather long leash and one of the guys pays for it early on by getting killed thanks to Charlie's patented stupidity. The rest of the team spends their spare time committing courts-martial offenses. Mostly an exercise in random gunfire and paper-thin ethics, these particular Seals might be better suited to serving as crash-test dummies.Some good action scenes counter the goofy proceedings.$LABEL$ 0 +The worst movie I have seen in quite a while. Interesting first half with some engaging, terse dialogue among dubious characters in a late-night bar. The movie then degenerates into a shapeless succession of scenes aiming for visual shock (read disgust) without any redeeming observations or lessons in humanity or anything else.I wanted to walk out, but the director was present at this showing and my politeness preventing me from showing him disrespect. Still, time is precious (as the director himself observed in his intro) and I really begrudge the time I wasted on the second half of this one.Saving graces were the three main characters in the first half of the movie, especially the female lead.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is Great! It touched my stone cold heart. I couldn't relate about the racial discrimination that Antwone has experienced because I'm living in my own country. I guess it is really hard to be discriminated.We watched this film in our sociology class in New Era University,and I didn't knew that It was a true story, I thought it was just created by an intellectual who want to bring a fresh air in the industry. It is very good.The part that shocked me was when Nadine abused Antwone (who was just six) sexually. If I were on his shoes, I could have jumped a ten-story high building. I salute him for he being so strong!The scene that touched me here is when Antwone finally saw his mother Eva face to face. He did not bitched her or whatever,instead he told her about the achievements that he got within the long years that they have been separated. (I think I'll do that when I get the chance of tracing my roots.)$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this film with fairly low expectations, figuring it would be a nice piece of fluff. Sadly, it wasn't even that. I could barely sit through the film without wanting to walk out. I went with my two kids (ages 10 and 13) and even they kept asking, "How much longer?" After lasting until the end, I just kept wondering who would approve this script. Even the reliable Fred Willard couldn't save the trite dialogue, the state jokes, and the banal plot. I'd suggest that whoever wrote and directed this movie (I use the term loosely) should take an online screen writing class or drop by their local community college for a film class. At the least, there are many books on directing, screen writing, and producing movies that would teach them something about structure, plot, dialogue and pacing.$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely, I agree with my previous commentator in describing this as a riveting,fascinating and certainly beautiful film. It's not necessary to see all the episodes,since the first ones are the best,while the last ones are a-bit tiresome,but for any person who likes German's and their good-natured ways,all episodes are worth seeing.In typical german fashion, values are constantly questioned,even it's murderous Nazi past is confronted in the last episodes, the rich dialogues are particularly interesting. These episodes are recommended for anyone who is about to live or travel in Germany,preferably in original language!!$LABEL$ 1 +As one who loves films that appeal to intellectual sorties as well as those that simply tell stories, this film should have been appealing. But as written and directed by Catherine Breillat who seems to be playing out her own conundrums in film-making experiences, this tedious and talky film fails to arouse interest.The main character Jeanne (Anne Parillaud) is the screen form of Breillat, a director frustrated in her attempts to film a convincing sex scene with two difficult actors (Grégoire Colin is The Actor and Roxane Mesquida is The Actress). The one 'comic' bit is Jeanne's imposing the use of a dildo strapped onto the Actor in order for her to drive the sex scene to fruition, but even this sight gag wears thin quickly and we are left with a film within a film that feels more like a 'Deleted Scenes' featurette on a DVD than a solid French comedy with class. Grady Harp, August 05$LABEL$ 0 +Despite what its critics ensue, I enjoyed immensely for precisely what it is. Eyecandy for both sides of the gender spectrum. Soderberg has done the artsy hard edge stuff before, won Oscars, is at the top of his game. Ocean's 12 is light, commercial, fluffy, Steve's day at the Midway if you will. I am generally not a fan of Zeta-Jones but even I must admit that Kate is STUNNING in this movie. It's ending screams of an upcoming trequel and I will be one of the millions who flock to see 120 minutes of George and Brad and Matt parlay through Clooney's digs in Lago di Como as they swindle some rich bad guy again and again. If we tolerated 3 installments of the Lord of the Rings, I ask if we can drool over Clooney's salt and pepper lid just one more time?$LABEL$ 1 +Rain or shine outside, you enter a movie house. It makes you happy. (If not, come right out.) Lights go off. You settle down with a bar of ice cream. Moving pictures begin to flicker on the screen. You feel content. In the dark, you are back in the beginning of time. Sitting around the campfire...looking at the modern version of the flickering flames 24 times per second and sharing the joy of discovering the unknown turns and twists of the scenario with rest of your clan/spectators.Those who are not happy with themselves, should not write comments. (Long live romantic comedies...)$LABEL$ 1 +Hello people,I cannot believe that "Shades" from That Thing You Do took this role. I don't think Cory Feldman would have taken this role. This movie was a fuming pile of dung. Save your money and time, and see every one of the top 250. I swear I wanted to slap the lady at Blockbuster silly for permitting me to rent this. Stay away!!!!!!Mr. Hipp$LABEL$ 0 +TRICK OR TREAT is a fine example of Hollywood jumping on the "backwards messages in metal music" bandwagon that Tipper Gore and her Washington Wives kick-started in the mid-'80s (other, less successful entries in this mini-genre include the awful BLACK ROSES and silly THE GATE). I was a sophomore in high school when TRICK OR TREAT came out and couldn't wait to see it. It seemed to disappear from video stores by the end of the '80s, but I finally picked up a budget-priced DVD copy a short while ago and it brought back many pleasant metal memories from back in the day. Any teenage metal nerd could relate to the trials of Eddie "Ragman" Weinbauer (Marc Price of "Family Ties")in this film as he is persecuted by the preppie "beautiful" people in his high school for his heavy metal fashions and musical taste. Eddie's favorite rock star is Sammi Curr (who looks a lot like Tommy Lee of Motley Crue), who is killed in a hotel fire early in the movie. Eddie is inconsolable till he receives a test pressing of Sammi's final, unreleased album from a radio DJ (Gene Simmons of Kiss in a brief cameo). Eddie soon discovers that this LP, when played backwards, allows him to communicate with the undead spirit of Sammi Curr himself! Soon Sammi is giving Eddie advice on how to get even with his preppie torturers but when the messages escalate in scariness ("Waste'em ALL... no false metal!") Eddie tries to destroy the album, which results in Sammi coming back to life via Eddie's stereo speakers. Sammi rampages to the big dance at Eddie's high school and takes the stage to rock the crowd and disintegrate a few unlucky "false metallers" before Eddie arrives to save the day and the girl of his dreams. (SIGH) No, it's not terribly scary in 2006, it wasn't even scary in 1986, but TRICK OR TREAT is a movie that will bring a smile to the face of any 1980s metaller and has a kick-ass soundtrack courtesy of the cult band Fastway. Well worth seeking out if you've ever banged your head or have a taste for B-grade horror movies (or both, like me).$LABEL$ 1 +iv been a fan of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmednson ever since i can remember weather its young ones or bottom. and i just have to say i have never laughed so much in all my life!!! guest house paradiso is bloody brilliant! i know its not going to be everyones cup of tea (with the vomiting,slapstick comedy, violence and foul language) but then just don't watch it if it ain't yours. its not like no one knows what sick and twisted things Rik and Ade come up with when they're working with one another!! i think its unfair that this film received such a slatting from critics because,and i don't think I'm the only one to think this, this film is 10 out of 10! : )$LABEL$ 1 +There are exactly 2 good things to be said about "Fantasies" (both mentioned by a previous reviewer as well): a) Bo Derek's extraordinary, poetry-inspiring beauty. She has shots in this movie where she gives even Catherine Zeta-Jones a run for her money, and that's a high compliment indeed. Her nudity is brief and discreet, but just looking at her face is enough.b) The Greek island setting, with its sun and crystal-clear blue waters.Other than that, there is no story, the dialogue is abysmal and at times unintentionally funny ("He touched you where you're a woman!"), and Peter Hooten's character is a slimy jerk. Bo overplays the naivete of her character, but then again when you have to work with dialogue this bad it's unfair to blame the actors (the fact that she kept saying the name "Damir" in almost every sentence is a major irritation). Oh, and although the film is set on a Greek island, there is hardly a Greek word to be heard - apparently everyone there, from kids to old people, speaks English the whole time. (*)$LABEL$ 0 +This one started excellently. The photography and audio are the best I've experienced in years (okay, months). Especially the use of 'warm' and 'cold' colours in single sequences is astonishing. Also, making Jennifer Lopez whisper most of her lines is an idea in itself, but I'm not sure what Singh wants to accomplish with that.Now for the minuses. The screenplay was awful. Lopez's part turned out to be irrelevant or totally worthless to the plot. She seemed to star the movie only to sell herself and the pic. The three beds seemed just too obvious. The baptizing of the child Carl was a psychologically too underlined way to embark the motive which Carl 'worked' under. And so on..Anyway, the movie had great way of showing where Singh comes from. Why is it that the most talented directors seem to emerge from India nowadays?$LABEL$ 1 +Sri Lanka... not a country I've ever given much thought to, I have to admit. I didn't even know it was near India, let alone that there has been a bloody civil war going on there since 1983. It seems that the rebels of the Tamil minority have been in an ongoing conflict with the military regime that runs the country for many years, causing many deaths and widespread suffering on the island.Mani Ratman's latest film, A PECK ON THE CHEEK, tells the story of a young girl named Amudha, who is separated from her Sri Lankan parents by the war and raised by a young Indian couple. Amudha is a bright and mischievous girl, whose life is turned upside down when her parents tell her that she was adopted as a child. Although her adopted parents love her as much as could be, and have raised her without prejudice along with their biological children, Amudha cannot help but want to learn more about her biological family.Mani Ratman is probably best known for his 1998 film DIL SE, which hides a story about terrorism and politics inside a love story (or is it the other way around?). A PECK ON THE CHEEK inhabits similar territory, but is perhaps more ambitious in the ground it covers. The central theme that binds the movie is of love between all the various members of a family, and especially that between a child and her adopted parents. It's a pretty honest and open look at feelings, that can be extremely touching and heartwarming at some times and quite painful at others. It's an emotionally complex film, with characters that are somewhat idealised but still behave in a very human way.The film revolves around 9 year old Amudha, played with charm and vivaciousness by young actress P.S. Keerthana in her first and only acting role. She's a princess and a monster, always getting into trouble but so disarmingly charming nobody can stay mad at her for long. The young actress is perfectly cast for the role, and does a tremendous job in the various and often difficult emotional scenes required of her.A PECK ON THE CHEEK has such an innocent name I was quite unprepared for the intensity of the experience. Never has such a small act come with such an enormous emotional impact, I dare say. The film is a bold and artistic effort to explore issues that are not frequently covered on the silver screen.Mani Ratman's direction is superb, very confident and mature - the most sophisticated work I've seen from this director yet. The film is visually very stylish, with some excellent camerawork and imagery. A.R. Rahman provides the film's soundtrack, which is not as good as his classic DIL SE or BOMBAY music (based on first impressions at least) but still shows his great musical talent.I'm not aware of a DVD release for the film yet - I saw it in Tamil with English subtitles thanks to the San Francisco International Film Festival, of which the film was undoubtedly the highlight. The production is a truly world class effort, and I am sure it will be popular with western audiences as it begins to receive wider exposure.Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +As with all the other reviewers, this movie has been a constant in my mind after 30 years. I recall going to the library researching all that I could on this story. I even wrote to the PBS station for more information. Despite all this, all I was able to find out was that it was a story printed in a newspaper in the early part of the 1900s.Fastward to 2002, after years of searching ebay for on a weekly basis and there it was, a VHS copy of the movie. There was one other bidder but I was determined to win this movie. The losing bidder wrote me asking for a copy which I gave her. Despite owning a copy, I still searched and searched finally finding a site that sold a DVD copy of the movie. You can find it at: http://www.johntopping.com/Harvey%20Perr/War%20Widow/war_widow.html$LABEL$ 1 +Keys to the VIP is just another one of the horrible T.V. shows that you can and will see on this station. The show is terrible with guys claiming to be real players competing against each other (there are two of them competing in each episode) in stupid games where they try to get girls at a bar to talk to them, get girls numbers, and so on. The judges are four other guys who also claim to be expert pick up artists but they also seem like just huge d-bags just like the contestants. The show is not funny at all and not even interesting, it is just boring watching these guys desperately try to convince us what awesome players they are (talking even more about the four judges than I am about the contestants). Nothing funny has even happened in the shows I have watched and the shows are obviously rigged. Do you really think they have invited all these people to the club, got them to sign releases, and get them on tape while these guys carry out the same stupid games with them? It's not reality at all it is just stupid, it probably even tapes in the day time. Somebody else on here wrote how they knew somebody on the show and it was all fake well yeah that is obvious, it's a fake show and even with actors it's still not funny. One of the worst shows I have ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to say, Seventeen & Missing is much better than I expected. The perception I took from the previews was that it would be just humdrum but I was pleasantly surprised with this impressive mystery.Dedee Pfeiffer is Emilie, a mom who insists her daughter, Lori (Tegan Moss), not attend a so-called graduation party one weeknight, but Lori ignores her mother's wishes and takes off for the party anyway. When Lori does not come home, Emilie knows something is wrong and she begins to have visions of her daughter and the events that led to her disappearance.Seventeen & Missing is better than so many other TV movies of this type, as it is not so predictable. Pfeiffer is the reason to see this movie, and most of it comes off as believable. This LMN Original Movie premiered last night. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +In Mississippi, the former blues man Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is in crisis, missing his wife that has just left him. He finds the town slut and nymphomaniac Rae (Chritina Ricci) dumped on the road nearby his little farm, drugged, beaten and almost dead. Lazarus brings her home, giving medicine and nursing and nourishing her like a father, keeping her chained to control her heat. When her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) is discharged from the army due to his anxiety issue, he misunderstands the relationship of Lazarus and Rae, and tries to kill him."Black Snake Moan" is a weird tale of faith, hope, love and blues. The gifted Christina Ricci has an impressive performance in the role of a young tramp abused since her childhood by her father and having had sex with the whole town where she lives. It is amazing the versatility of this actress, and probably this is the most mature work that I have seen Christina Ricci perform. Samuel L. Jackson has also a fantastic performance in the role of Lazarus. The soundtrack is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard in a movie, with wonderful blues. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Entre o Céu e o Inferno" ("Between the Heaven and the Hell")$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know why this has the fans it does and I don't know why I have even given it the score I have. This is preposterous. There are many a giallo where one has to suspend disbelief, let the picture roll and catch up with it somewhere before it becomes delirious and some poor police officer has to eventually explain what we have seen. But, this has very little going for it and has overlong sequences where nothing happens and have no relevance to anything while we have to listen to a most repetitive soundtrack, even by Italian standards. Not a giallo, this is a complete mish mash of horror ideas featuring Klaus Kinski in one his most blatant 'phoned in' performances. I reckon he turned up, did a day's work and cleared off leaving Mr D'Amato to get others to fill in. Ewa is of course pretty but no it is not enough, and in the end we have seen far too much of her popping up all over the place, long after we have completely lost interest in this mindless and pretentious twaddle. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood!$LABEL$ 0 +As much as I like big epic pictures - I'll spare you the namedropping - it's great to kick back with a few beers and a simple action flick sometimes. Films where the plot takes a backseat to the set-pieces. Films where the dialogue isn't so cleverly written that it ties itself in endless knots of purple prose. There are HUNDREDS of films that fit the bill... but in my opinion Gone In Sixty Seconds is one of the better ones.It's an update of the movie that shares its name. It also shares that picture's ethos, but not quite it's execution. Whatever was great about the original has been streamlined. Whatever was streamlined was also amped up thanks to a bigger budget. Often these kinds of endeavours are recipes for complete disaster - see the pug-ugly remake of The Italian Job for one that blew it - but here, thanks to a cast of mostly excellent actors, Sixty succeeds.The plot and much of the dialogue isn't much to write IMDb about. Often you'll have scenes where the same line of dialogue goes back and forth between the actors, each of whom will voice it with different inflections. A lot of people found this annoying; I find it raises a smile. Each actor gets a chance to show off his or her definition of style here, with Cage, Jolie and Duvall leading the pack of course (and it should be noted that it's also amusing to see Mrs Pitt not given first billing here). The chemistry between good ol' Saint Nick the stalwart (see date of review) and Angelina leads to a couple of nice moments.The villain is not even a little scary - I've seen Chris Eccleston play tough-guy roles before so I know he can handle them, but I think he was deliberately directed to make his role inconsequential as not to distract from the action. We know the heroes are going to succeed, somehow; we're just sitting in the car with them, enjoying the ride. I think a lot of these scenes were played with tongue so far in-cheek that it went over the heads of a lot of people giving this a poor rating. In fact, I wouldn't have minded some fourth-wall breaking winks at the camera: it's just that kind of movie.All this style and not so much substance - something that often exhausts my patience if not executed *just* so - would be worthless if the action wasn't there. And for the most part, it is. Wonderfully so. I've noticed that it seems to be a common trend to be using fast-cut extreme close-up shots to direct action these days. I personally find this kind of thing exhausting. I prefer movies like this where the stunts are impressive enough to not need artificial tension ramping by raping tight shots all the time. I've been told that Cage actually did as many of the car stunts as he could get away with without losing his insurance (in real life I mean - his character clearly doesn't care) and it shows. The man can really move a vehicle and this is put to good use in the slow-burning climatic finale where he drives a Mustang into the ground in the most outlandish - and FUN - way possible.So yes, this movie isn't an "epic, life-affirming post-9/11 picture with obligatory social commentary" effort. The pacing is uneven, some of the scenes could have been cut and not all the actors tow the line. But car movies rarely come better than this. So if you hate cars... why are you even reading these comments?!I'd take it over the numerous iterations of "The Flaccid And The Tedious" (guess the franchise) any day. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +The movie "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" is a shining gem in the rubble of films produced by the Disney Studios recently. Parents who have had to sit through "The Jungle Book 2" or even a Pokemon movie will surely appreciate this one.The film is one of few to attempt at an original story; previous feature films were merely re tellings of existing stories. Films such as "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo", and "Monsters Inc." all do the same, but it must be noted that all were made by Pixar and only distributed by Disney. Recent films from the Disney Studios are mostly released direct to video, and are sequels to an existing successful film. The quality of those films is given way to the profitability. A new era started with "Atlantis" following it were "Mulan", "Lilo & Stitch", and most recently "Open Range". The writers have created all original story lines instead of the fairy tales of the past.A good portion of the movie is devoted to the quest to find Atlantis, a task that has captured the imagination of many for hundreds of years. Including that of young Milo Thatch, voiced by Michael J. Fox. Milo is employed by a museum in Washington D.C.. His grandfather was a renowned archaeologist, who had devoted his life to discovering Atlantis. This was seen as a waste by his peers, and they wish Milo to not follow in his footsteps. After failing to convince the museum board of directors to sponsor his expedition, Milo comes home to find a woman in his darkened apartment. She takes him to her employer, a Mr. Whitmore. Whitmore was a close friend of Milo's grandfather, and wishes to send Milo with a team to locate Atlantis. Mr. Whitmore is very wealth and has paid for the best of everything. The crew that is to accompany him is the same as his grandfathers. The journey is filled with many great obstacles to overcome and is great fun to watch. The viewer finds themselves caught up in if they will reach Atlantis. The plot takes an unexpected turn after the discovery Atlantis, not just the discovery of people. It is enough to keep the interest of the older audience.The animators have done a wonderful job in then depth of the animation. The movie is very successful in blending traditional animation with Computer Generated Images. A feat not easily achieved, most audiences are quick to notice the difference in the two. The characters are believably human. There are some nice chase type scenes, with lots of action going on. A few lulls are filled with jokes that the children just may not get.The creativity of the writers really shines through. The culture of Atlantis is richly developed, including an entire language. The film uses references to Atlantis from historical sources, such as Plato. The disappearance of Atlantis from the world is explained. Believable, if by a younger audience, that magic really does exist. The powers of the people of Atlantis are not exactly presented as magic, but can best be described in this way.Although set in 1914 the level of technology used is unrealistic. The voyage is in a submarine very reminiscent of Captain Nemo's nautilus, complete with sub pods that fire torpedoes. The giant diggers are driven by steam boilers so they did try for some era technology. The female characters are empowered in a way that women of the age would not have been, even holding roles in leadership. This is not a bad thing. It gives a good role model for my daughter to look to, rather than an all male cast.One reason this film is a favorite of mine over other Disney films is that there is not one single song, ever. A tradition that began with the first feature film, "Snow White", and carried on through to "The Lion King", almost every Disney film is full of upbeat songs. This is great and all, what would the Seven Dwarfs be without "Hi HO!"? After the millionth time through it'd almost be better without, but this one spares the parent. Not once does every single person on the screen suddenly know the words to a song that no one has ever heard before and break out in song. I for one am grateful.The storyline and depth of animation is sure to keep the attention of both parent and child alike. It is a film I am willing to watch again and again with my children.$LABEL$ 1 +Lets face it, Australian TV is for the most part terrible, but this is a real diamond in the rough that not enough people are watching. The Chaser crew who do the satirical newspaper and CNNN try something new by mixing live comedy, pre-recorded skits and political satire into one show filmed in front of a live audience, sorta like Rove, but funny. They love causing controversy and this causes some of the shows funniest moments, especially Chris telling his wife to "f-- off" live on breakfast television and Julian handing a novelty cheque signed by Saddam Heusein to the head of the AWB. It has to be one of the funniest Aussie shows since the Micallef Program.$LABEL$ 1 +"Cut" is a full-tilt spoof of the slasher genre and in the main it achieves what it sets out to do. Most of the standard slasher cliches are there; the old creepy house, the woods, the anonymous indestructible serial killer, buckets of gore, and of course the couple interrupted by the killer while they're having sex (that's hardly a spoiler).The set-up is simplicity itself: film-school nerds set out to complete an unfinished slasher "masterpiece", unfinished because of the murders of a couple of the cast. This also neatly - okay, messily - disposes of Kylie Minogue in the first reel. They are joined by one of the survivors of the original film, played by Molly Ringwald who absolutely steals the film because she gets all the best lines. The rest of the cast fit their roles well, especially the lovely Jessica Napier, who plays it straight while the mayhem and gore erupt around her.There are plenty of red herrings and fake suspenseful moments, and there is very little time to try to work out who the killer is because the film moves at such a fast pace. It also has an appropriate low budget look, including some clumsy editing which is probably deliberate. Good soundtrack, too. If there is a difficulty with this film it is deciding whether it is a send-up of or a homage to the slasher genre. Probably a bit of both.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie on a show that was showing bad B-movies and trying to get you to buy them. It basically was just a long trailer but gave you a really good idea of what the movie was about. After viewing the trailer, I thought I would rent this movie because it looked stupid and generic, but could still be entertaining in a perverse sense. IT'S NOT ENTERTAINING in any sense of the word. The film has two (or should I say four) things going for it and it's not the number of deaths, it's the women. They are hot and naked a lot and Ms. Lovell could be a legit actress, but not in a movie where the emphasis is on T&A and corny dialogs. This isn't even a horror movie or scary, unless you are talking about watching the actors try to act. The production value is pathetic, the acting is worse and the writing is the worst. What was the point in making this movie? To scare people? To rip off "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? To try and be funny? To show off the women's breasts? To put some guy's head into a retarded outfit, with fake hands and legs? To have a character just say the word "Snow" over and over? To not have any real violence but have enough nudity in an attempt to cover up the fact there is no real plot? To be able to make a sequel to a movie no one has seen or will ever watch? I made a mistake in picking up this movie, don't make this mistake too.STAY AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +As an amateur historian of WW2/Nazi Germany, I couldn't wait for this to come out on DVD. I missed it when it was first on in 2003. I don't want to repeat what's already been said in the previous 8 pages of comments about the historical inaccuracies. A better job could've been done portraying the "charming" Hitler. I also had a small problem with some of the casting choices, not so much for their acting, but for their appearances. Peter Stormare doesn't look much like Rohm, why didn't they make Babson as Hess wear a wig? And my biggest complaint..so much has always been made of Hitler's striking blue eyes, why didn't they make Carlyle wear blue contacts? On the plus side, I thought the actors who played Goring and Drexler looked pretty good. Again, as long as people watching this understand that this is supposed to be entertainment 1st, history 2nd I don't think a lot of harm will be done.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the best films I have seen in years! I am not a Gwyneth Paltrow fan, but she is excellent as Emma Woodhouse. Alan Cumming is superb as Reverand Elton, and Emma Thompson's sister, Sophie, is hysterical as Miss Bates. And check out the gorgeous Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley; what a gentleman! Whoever said you need sex and violence in a movie to make it good has never seen Emma. I think that is what separates it from so many others--it's classy.If you're looking for a film that you can watch with the whole family, or looking for a romance for yourself, look no further. Emma is that movie. With a beautiful setting, wonderful costumes, and an outstanding cast (have I mentioned the gorgeous Jeremy Northam?), Emma is a perfect ten!$LABEL$ 1 +The plot of this film is not complicated. A very attractive young girl goes to Europe in search of the reasons for her older sister's suicide ten years earlier. There she meets up with her sister's former boyfriend and together they travel to all the places her sister went, and gradually the reasons become clear.But what makes this film so special, and soar above the limited plot, are the beautiful portrayals of the characters. Although the older sister's boyfriend is a drop-out hippie, he has noble ideals, moral standards and incredible strengths. And although the older sister, who we see in flashbacks, shares these ideals, she doesn't have a sense of limitation or balance, of how much is too much. And although the younger girl is fiercely loyal to her sister's memory, she gradually finds the strength to face the fact that her sister was only a normal girl, after all.The most special moment in the film is when the young girl and the sister's boyfriend finally stop fighting their attraction to each other. I can't recall ever seeing more beautiful, touching, romantic tenderness in lovemaking in a film!In all these ways this is a truly beautiful film, a film to be treasured, and to be seen again and again. 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +this was the most pointless film i have ever seen as there was no plot and the actors did not seem to care. 90% of the film had absolutely no plot whatsoever, i laughed so much my ribs began to ache. the bit where the old men when to capture Robert Duvall was ludicrous. on a directorial level making a noir film does not involve lots of raining sequences and pointless closeups on the main character. this is a failed attempt to create a noir thriller and instead alienates the viewer with incoherent scenes. seeing as this was based on a 'manuscript' by john Grisham i do not count this as one of his book to film adaptations as it displays none of the suspense and engaging storyline as films such as 'the firm' or 'the rainmaker'.$LABEL$ 0 +i though this film was okay.i din't think it was great.it was a bit too slow for my taste.lots of drama,but not very much action until close to the end of the film.this movie was basically a dramatic film,with the payoff,if you can call it that,not until near the end.to me,the scenes of the dam bursting and the water flooding the town,were okay,but much too brief.the film itself is done okay,the acting is decent,but it just didn't do it for me,in the long run.think it had something to do with the fact that there was very little suspense or tension built through the whole movie.at least that's what i think.the other factor is that i had just recently watched '10.5' and its sequel '10.5:Apocalypse'.these are 2 big budget "event movies,which,in my opinion, are a very hard act to follow,in terms of special effects and scenes of destruction.as a result,i have to rate Killer Flood:the Day the Damn Broke at 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +This film is hardly good, not great at all. A few memorable scenes and the unlucky choice of pairing Norma Jean with an actual actress. Jane Russell has it all working for her, Marilyn's lesser woman and/or actress. One can only wonder why this is considered being one of the highlights of her lame career. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +The digital effects were done on the cheap and the action sequences lack suspense. This was essentially made for TV and it shows. David Suchet looks bored and Nigel Planer looks down right embarrassed! and as for Robert Carlyle's Dick Van Dyke London accent, no comment! If you want to pass away an hour or two when you've nothing on then it will do. If your going to buy the DVD wait a few weeks and pick it up in the bargain bin at Asda, cos thats where its heading! If the budget was bigger and Richard Doyle's book followed more closely, then it could have been something special, but as it stands its a bit poor. Watch the trailer instead! Or read the book and see what could have been.$LABEL$ 0 +With the plethora of repetitive and derivative sitcoms jamming fall, summer, winter and spring line-ups, it's nice to see a show that sets itself from the lot in more than one area. 'Earl' takes an unusual approach. It's not about the "daily musings of an eccentric family" (zzzz..) nor about the other boring stuff you see everywhere in sitcoms. The show is about this small-time white trash thief (Earl) who scratches off a lottery card and scores big time. Right at that moment, 'Karma' took it away from him. Overtime, he learns that that unusual incident was probably because of all the bad things he's been doing, so he sets off on a mission to right every wrong he ever did and he's got all his deeds on a paper.This is a brilliant premise for a sitcom. Thankfully, it landed in the right hands. The execution of the show produces extremely satisfactory results: you get an innovative comedy that is genuinely funny and really touching at many times. You can't help but fall in love with Earl's sincerity and steadfastness, Randy's simple mind, good heart and observations on life, Joy's wild, flamboyant personality and Darnell's mellow, chillin' demeanor that really endears him to you very easily.When you combine the show's innovation with its genuine humor, good heart, interesting characters and well-written dialogue, you really have a keeper. With shows like this (and the incomparable "The Office"), NBC is obviously on to something. Did they finally free a cubicle or two for quality assurance? Let's hope so. And let's hope for more quality shows like these will occupy the line-ups; shows that'll make both us TV viewers and NBC executives stop crying over the long gone days of NBC's golden days (Frasier, Seinfeld, Friends)$LABEL$ 0 +The production quality, cast, premise, authentic New England (Waterbury, CT?) locale and lush John Williams score should have resulted in a 3-4 star collectors item. Unfortunately, all we got was a passable 2 star "decent" flick, mostly memorable for what it tried to do.........bring an art house style film mainstream. The small town locale and story of ordinary people is a genre to itself, and if well done, will satisfy most grownups. Jane Fonda was unable to hide her braininess enough to make her character believable. I wondered why she wasn't doing a post doctorate at Yale instead of working in a dead end factory job in Waterbury. Robert DiNiro's character was just a bit too contrived. An illiterate, nice guy loser who turns out to actually be, with a little help from Jane's character, a 1990 version of Henry Ford or Thomas Edison.This genre has been more successfully handled by "Nobody's Fool" in the mid 90s and this year's (2003) "About Schmidt." I wish that the main stream studios would try more stuff for post adolescents and reserve a couple of screens at the multi cinema complexes for those efforts.I'll give it an "A" for effort.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't believe they made this film. Completely unnecessary. The first film was okay. But there was no need for a sequel, certainly not after a television series that was already a sequel to the first film. This film feels like a soap-opera. The writing is so bad, it's utterly simple. The jokes don't come across, the acting is flat, it's shot like a soap, it lacks any direction. The first film had a good emotional spine behind it. Every character had a little arc. It was very simple then but somehow it worked and I could see the merit of that film. But this time around, there is no cohesive story-line. The characters are dull stereotypes and nothing interesting happens. One good thing: the Brazilian boy who plays Axel Daeseleire's son is pretty well cast. That was their one moment of creative success on this film. I hear they already shot a second television series as a sequel to 'Team Spirit 2' but please God, don't let them make a third feature installment...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has been done before. It is basically a unoriginal combo of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Sordid Lives." There are some funny bits, but otherwise it is a cliché bore. It is a good first film attempt and the director (who also stars in and wrote the feature) shows a lot of promise. But the writing was kind of choppy and the story was not very original. I swear I had heard some of the lines in other films. However, the acting was very good and the film was shot in an interesting way. It is also refreshing to see gay-themed movies not be so bogged down with political correctness and tired stories of angst. The main character seemed fairly well adjusted for a gay teen in rural Texas so no saccharine, coming out drama here!$LABEL$ 0 +Here is a much lesser known 50's sci-fi with a little different twist. An atomic researchers son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of the the Father's atomic secrets.This is a tightly knit atomic sci-fi thriller with great production values and above average acting, even from the kid. The Atomic City actually has a movie feel to it unlike a lot of other 50's sci-fi of this time which which came off more like an episode of a TV show.The Atomic City was also actually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay - how many other 50's sci-fi can tout an Academy Award Nomination?Great pacing, tight direction and some superb location filming in the 'real' Atomic City of Los Alamos, New Mexico make this one worth hunting down. The collectors print in circulation is an above average transfer and makes for a great double feature with the Atomic Man!! Recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +I love cheesy horror flicks. I don't care if the acting is sub-par or whether the monsters look corny. I liked this movie except for the bewildered feeling all the way from the beginning of the film to the very end. Look, I don't need a 10 page dissertation or a sign with big letters explaining a plot to me. But Dark Floors takes the "what is this movie about?" thing to a whole new (annoying) level. What IS this movie about?This isn't exceptionally scary or thrilling but if you have an hour and a half to kill and/or you want to end up feeling frustrated and confused, rent this winner.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie actually almost made me cry.For starters the fake teeth. Then you spot a nice plastic or drawn set. To make it even more boring all the action is followed by a bright light flash. Then the talking: sound levels are so different, sometimes too hard, then too soft, never exactly good like in good movies. Also, it echoes so much that i think they had one microphone on the entire set. And to make matters worse, EVER heard of stereo? If the camera switches, the sound always stays centered. The actors talk like they are reading from a board staged behind the camera. And the zooming into another scene, how terrible childish.The music is so badly chosen that it never adds something. It only destroys any accidentally created excitement.To finish it up, the fighting scenes... my 3 year old niece would make a better fighting scene.This movie is not even good for a laugh, it's just that bad...$LABEL$ 0 +"Roman Troy Moronie" is my comment on the movie. What else is there to say?This character really brings out the moron in Moronie. A tough gangster with an inability to pronounce profane words, well, it seems that it would have been frustrating to be tough and yet not be able to express oneself intelligently. Roman Moronie will go down in the annals of movie history as one of the greatest of all morons.There is of course great comedy among the other characters. Michael Keaton is F.A.H. and so is Joe Piscipo.I just like the fact that Moronie kept the movie from an "R" rating because he could not pronounce profanity.$LABEL$ 1 +Most of this film is an alternately hilarious and brutal satire on Nazism and Fascism, made at the height of those movements' success.Sadly, in the final moments of the film, Chaplin abandons all pretense of making art (not to mention comedy) and switches completely to propaganda. And not anti-Nazi propaganda, either, but some of the most mawkish and idiotic "progressive" propaganda ever to ooze out of Hollywood.Never mind that nothing we have seen so far indicates that the barber is even capable of giving the speech we see him give (delivered, ironically, with a disturbing wild-eyed fanaticism); such trivialities must not be permitted to interfere with The Message.$LABEL$ 1 +I love this movie. My only disappointment was that some of the original songs were changed.It's true that Frank Sinatra does not get a chance to sing as much in this movie but it's also nice that it's not just another Frank Sinatra movie where it's mostly him doing the singing.I actually thought it was better to use Marlon Brando's own voice as he has the voice that fits and I could not see someone with this great voice pulling off the gangster feel of his voice.Stubby Kaye's "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" is a foot-tappin', sing-a-long that I just love. He is a hard act to follow with his version and I still like his the best.Vivian Blaine is just excellent in this part and "Adelaide's Lament" is my favorite of her songs.I really thought Jean Simmons was perfect for this part. Maybe I would not have first considered her but after seeing her in the part, it made sense.Michael Kidd's choreography is timeless. If it were being re staged in the year 2008, I would not change a thing.I find that many times something is lost from the stage version to the movie version but this kept the feel of the stage, even though it was on film.I thought the movie was well cast. I performed in regional versions of this and it's one of my favorites of that period.$LABEL$ 1 +I honestly expected more from this movie. That may have been the problem. There was not one time when the camera was still - ever. On close ups, the camera shakes, the subjects move, and I get a headache. The cuts are so often and so fast, that the viewer often finds himself/herself wondering what just happened. (LOOK OUT, SPOILER ALERT) And at the end of the movie, when you expect to have a happy ending after being put through so much useless thought to comprehend what is going on, they end up losing. To me, this was a basically terrible movie, wrecked by a camera man with ADHD, and lack of a meaningful meaningful plot.$LABEL$ 0 +And when I watch Sarah Silverman, I get the same results. I love quirky, irreverent humor. BUT this woman is so darned B-O-R-I-N-G, annoying, and yawn-worthy. She's also totally lacking in anything whatsoever humorous. The deadpan way she tries to deliver her lines is just dead on arrival because she's just not funny. I watched two segments of her program and was ready for Novocaine.Geez, my kid (age 19) saw her promos on Comedy Central and said she was a "dumb chick." I thought that was a compliment. The one where she says "Watch my show or I'll kill my dog," is actually believable. I know she's a wanna be comedienne. She just comes across as a warped nut-case. I just don't ever want to see her around MY dog.$LABEL$ 0 +A concept with potential, and it was fun to see these two holiday icons together, but...Rudolph's glowing nose didn't require the "explanation" offered in this film - much like The Force in the Star Wars films didn't need the explanation of "medichlorians in the bloodstream." But mainly, the film left me cold because of Winterbolt's over-complicated plot to destroy Santa. He's got the power to put suggestions into people's minds, so why does he do things in such a roundabout way? Breaking the magic of Rudolph's nose, framing Rudolph, threatening to melt the Frosty family...The comedically exaggerated plots of Pinky and the Brain and "Phineas and Ferb's" Dr. Doofenshmirtz (which are done that way on purpose and played for laughs) seem simple and straightforward compared to Winterbolt's, which we're expected to take somewhat seriously.There is a particularly (and amusingly) strange moment when a character throws her two guns at the bad guy, like boomerangs. I understand if they don't want to have guns being shot in a family film, but then why have guns in the first place?$LABEL$ 0 +I'd give it a 2/10.I was really, really disappointed.The storyline was poorly developed, for instance, the incidents were too short and brief, hence the moral was not clearly brought out. I thought Brenda Song did a fine job, but Shin Koyamada seemed to have a difficult time handling his role. I could see the need to put in western elements in the show, however, there are certain parts, where Chinese elements were needed too! The villain for example. His physical appearance resembled a robot, instead of something out of the Chinese culture. The final and the worst flaw, were the incorrect, and distorted facts placed in the show.Others may point out that this is a 'Kid's show' and hence, there is no need for the such high standards. However, there are other Disney shows, such as Mu Lan, which have been much better in terms of story development and presentation.In conclusion, I feel that Disney movies should be better researched and better planned. A good show is not enough with just a series of martial arts moves to depend on.$LABEL$ 0 +I expected this movie was originally supposed to show before the election. CBS's last shot at throwing a dig at Bush. This movie was just awful yet I'm still watching it. **Minor Spoiler** I think CBS got the same people who "provided" the memo's to do the semi cut in half sequence. What is with the bad boyfriend storyline? Can the acting be more contrived or the dialog more like a Ed Wood movie. Who ever came up with this script please do us a favor stop writing. If you want to see decent B grade disaster movies then see Earthquake, Flood etc. Avoid this mess of a movie. Hint to CBS avoid showing us this crap. Give us re-runs of CSI instead. Better acting and more believable.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very good movie. Do you want to know the real reasons why so many here are knocking this movie? I will tell you. In this movie, you have a black criminal who outwits a white professor. A black cop who tells the white professor he is wrong for defending the black criminal and the black cop turns out to be right, thus. …making the white professor look stupid. It always comes down to race. This is an excellent movie. Pay no attention to the racist. If you can get over that there are characters who are played by blacks in this movie who outsmart the white characters, then you shouldn't have any problems enjoying this movie. I recommended everyone to go see this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the most daring and important of the so-called "Pre-Code" films made in Hollywood during the 1930s. Unlike some Pre-Code films that occasionally dabbled in subjects that would have never been allowed after 1934-5, this film fully immersed itself in a very sordid yet entertaining plot from start to finish. The conventional morality of the late 30s and 40s was definitely NOT evident in this film, as the film is essentially about a conniving woman who sleeps her way to the top--and with no apologies along the way. This "broad" both enjoyed sex and used it on every man who could help her get rich--something you just never would have seen in films made just two or three years later.The film begins with Barbara Stanwyck working in her father's speakeasy. In addition to being her boss, he is also her pimp and encourages her to sleep with a local government official so that he'll allow the illegal bar to operate with impunity. While not especially clear here, it appears as if Daddy has been "renting" his daughter's body out for a long time.However, after nearly being raped and attacking this man by breaking a bottle of beer over his skull, Barbara has had enough and heads to the big city. It doesn't hurt that the still blew up and killed her father, but her feeling that she was whoring herself out and had nothing to show for it appeared to be the impetus to move.Despite the Depression, Barbara uses sex to get a job at a huge mega-bank. She starts out at a pretty menial job as a file clerk, but in the space of what seems like just a few weeks, she sleeps her way from one job to another to yet another--until she is sleeping with the head of the bank and his future son-in-law!!! This all ends in tragedy, but Babs doesn't seem too shook up over the deaths of these two men. In fact, some time later, she is able to insinuate herself into the life of the NEW CEO and once again she's on top (perhaps in more way than one).Now so far, this is a wonderful movie because it was so gritty and unrepentant. Barbara played a 100% sociopath--a woman with no morality and no conscience--just a desire to squeeze as much out of life as she could no matter who she hurt in the process. However, the brave writers and producer "chickened out" and thought it important to tack on a redemptive ending. Considering that this woman was so evil and conniving, her change of heart at the end was a major disappointment and strongly detracted from the film. In many ways, this reminded me of the ending of JEZEBEL--as once again, a wicked person somehow "sees the light" and changes at the not-too-convincing conclusion.My advice is to try watching RED-HEADED WOMAN and DOWNSTAIRS. RED-HEADED WOMAN is much like BABY FACE but features no magical transformation at the end--the leading lady really is a skunk down deep! In DOWNSTAIRS, a film very much like RED-HEADED WOMAN, the roles are reversed and a man (John Gilbert) plays a similar conniving character. Both are classics and a bit better than this film.This film is an amazing curio of a brief period of often ultra-sleazy Hollywood films and in this light it's well worth seeing for Cinephiles. Also, fans of The Duke take note--John Wayne plays a very small part in the film and it's very unusual to see a very young Wayne playing such a conventional role.$LABEL$ 1 +Technically speaking, this movie sucks...lol. However, it's also hilarious. Whether or not it's intentionally funny I don't know. Horrible in every aspect, it also is the only movie I know of that has 1) a fat kid being played by a slim actor in a (very obvious) fat suit, 2) an attractive 30-something actress playing a character who's supposed to be in her late 60's, and 3) the most compliments for plastic yard daisies ever. Don't take this film seriously, just watch it for laughs....a great party movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Overall the film is OK. I think it's better than Sepet and much better than Gubra in term of its story, its sentimental value.There are a few scenes that makes me touched. Yes I agree that the boy (Mukhsin) did his acting very good. Brilliant. I can say that his acting is almost natural.However, the song 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' by Nina Simone really "'menaikkan' my 'bulu' 'roma' ".I love the song. Both the song. "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "Hujan". I just downloaded the song. Beautiful.And salute to Yasmin. The movie's ending credit makes me touched again. We can see how Yasmin really appreciated her parents in an unique way.I think the movie deserves that Grand Prix Of International Jury at Berlin Film Festival.I give 8.5 out of 1o stars.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw Chomps during the - approximately - 2 days of its theatrical release. It is a delightfully cute and funny movie in the spirit of 'Benji' though much improved and focused more on the actors than the dogs. The simple portrayal of life difficulties in a humorous way, followed by the bullies and villains getting their just deserts, is both sympathetic and heartwarming. It is also thought provoking. With deft subtleness this movie affects ones awareness of cruelty, personal behavior, and bullying. Movies have different genera's and different purposes. This movie, which is delightful to all ages, offers an interesting humorous look into our own experiences. Everyone will recognize personality and behaviors types of themselves and others. Everyone will see the humor. The humor makes the move enjoyable and brings understanding of life situations to a new level. For lighthearted laughter and a 'feel good' movie Chomps is an excellent choice. Memorable.$LABEL$ 1 +I couldn't wait to see this movie. About half way through the movie, I couldn't wait for it to end. All of the (white) actors were delivering their lines like Woody Allen had just said, "Say it like this..." Then they said their lines on screen like they were trying to imitate Woody Allen. It was so annoying. We all know how Will Ferrell really talks, and he doesn't stumble over his words like Mr. Allen. The comedy portion of this film was just as boring as the tragedy and definitely never funny or even entertaining. I must admit that I have never been a major Woody Allen fan, and this movie definitely has not converted me. I think that his writing was just as bad as his direction. This movie will go down as one of the worst 10 movies I have ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +It's literally the Three Stooges all over again, without the charm. This show's nothing more than the worst slapstick. I'm surprised they actually have writers. The so-called jokes are completely haphazard, and 'controversial' for no other point than trying very (very) hard to be controversial. And people think this is 'edgy'?? Get a clue: this show takes absolutely no thought, time, effort, money, or creativity/originality to produce. Any references present are geared toward anyone between the ages of 6 and 16 who would occasionally browse People magazine. But I suppose this is only what all the kiddies want, like and need today.$LABEL$ 0 +Hailing from 1988, Touch Of Death is probably the most frustrating Fulci film I've seen to date, prompting me to join the chorus of horror fans who generalise that his films get worse as you get later into his career. Considering the plot synopsis, I was expecting some bloody bad-natured fun with this one, but for all its bizarre flourishes, it feels tedious even at a running time of just 80 minutes, and suffers from nauseatingly shabby production values and film-making craft (or lack thereof).El Story: A gambling addict widower wines and dines rich (and strange) women he finds via lonely hearts columns before offing them in gruesome fashion - sometimes eating them or feeding them to animals - and stealing their money to keep his debtors at bay. Sure, it's unlikely that just one man would be the host for so much screwed-up pathology all at once (addict, psycho/sociopath, cannibal), but this is Fulci!Touch is actually the cheapest and sparsest looking Fulci film I've seen. There's almost nobody in it, even in the background of shots out on the street, for instance. A newsreader who keeps appearing on the film's televisions to warn the non-existent cast about the maniac's latest doings operates out of the most pathetic TV studio on the planet. He never even gets to look at the camera because has to read all the headlines off misaligned sheets of paper.Some scenes just go on and on with the protagonist muttering to himself about what he's done or what he's about to do, but the acting is nowhere near good enough to sustain this kind of thing, so the main outcome is viewer boredom. The film also looks bland and ugly in general. I've read that it was intended to be an Italian telemovie (did it ever screen in that venue? With the amount of gore involved, it seems unlikely), and it does reek of crappy old telemovie production values.This is also Fulci's first foray into outright black humour, but he's just too graceless a director to make it work. Sometimes conspicuously cheerful or 'wacky' music is used to play against a gruesome scene, for instance while the hero/villain is carving up a dead body in his basement. The effect isn't really chilling or funny or ironic anything that you'd like it to be - it's mostly just hamfisted and crappy.There are of course some redeeming moments of gore (that you'll be waiting for while trying to stay awake), including the eventual murder by oven(!) of a woman who just won't quit life, even after her face has been totally bashed apart with a bloody great club, and a homeless guy who gets a car run back and forth over him about five times. The most outrageous element of Touch, however, is all the physical deformation on the widows courted by the crazy guy. Beards, hairy moles, messy harelips - it's not like he sought out women with these features, it's just the way all lonely hearts widows are, apparently. There are plenty of shots of Mr Crazy secretly grimacing while he's smooching up these women. The black humour of such garish misogyny might have some staying power or resonance if the film wasn't so poorly executed in general. In the end, Touch Of Death just seems like a really lazy, inarticulate mess.$LABEL$ 0 +Chop Shop, the second feature from Ramin Bahrani, is a rare breed. It is an American film that tells a story not usually found in American cinema, the story of the of a minority living in poverty. It is a work of simple beauty. Shot on location in Queens, New York in the shadows of Shea Stadium, Chop Shop is neo-realism to the core. Featuring a cast of non-actors, it has more in common with Vittorio De Sica's classic Bicycle Thieves than anything made in the United States. There is no score or soundtrack, all the music and sounds are diagetic. Watching it feels like watching a great foreign film, it takes us to another world because it is so uncommon to see. However this other world is not post-World War II Rome or Istanbul or New Delhi, it is contemporary New York City.Bahrani tells the story of Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco), better known as Ale. He is a 12-year-old Latin-American kid with no parents or family unit to watch after him. He lives in a tiny room upstairs in the auto shop that he also works at. He shares the same bed with his teenage sister Isamar (Isamar Gonzales). Neither of them have made it passed second grade. Ale, though young, is tough and mature. He acts as the head of the small family. He hooks his sister up with a job, and he himself does anything he can to make a buck when not working at the chop shop. He sells bootleg DVDs on the streets and candy in subways. He searches for scrap auto parts and sells them to the many auto shops lining the street where he lives.Alejandro is heartbroken when he learns his sister is working nights as a prostitute. He himself becomes progressively disinterested in abiding by the law. He begins to steal, first car parts and later wallets. Like Antonio, the desperate protagonist in Bicycle Thieves, we cannot blame Ale for becoming a thief. It is merely survival. Ale and Isamar save up in hopes of buying a food vending van for $4,500. They see the van as their way out, and there is much optimism. However, as is usually the case in neo-realism, we know this will only lead to disappointment.Polanco's riveting performance is what gives legitimacy to Chop Shop's realism. Here is a 12-year-old character that needs to be believably independent and vulnerably naive. Whether he is directing cars to the shop, selling movies and Snickers bars or playing with his sister in their scanty room, it is authentic.Chop Shop is a sobering reminder that not all American children grow up in a land of opportunity. Ale's lifestyle is what many in middle-class white America consider 'third world'. They act cognizant the poverty and deprivation in foreign lands while sipping their coffee and reading the New York Times on Sunday morning, but make themselves blind to it on their own streets. Once you watch Chop Shop, you will think differently of the kids peddling candy on the subway.more reviews at www.mediasickness.com$LABEL$ 1 +An OUR GANG Comedy Short.The Gang coerces Spanky into watching their younger siblings. Caring for these FORGOTTEN BABIES turns out to be quite a chore, leaving the little nipper with no choice but to come up with some ingenious solutions to the baby-sitting problem...Spanky is in his glory in this hilarious little film, arguably his best. Highlight: Spanky's retelling the plot of the TARZAN movie he's recently seen to the audience of infants. Movie mavens will recognize Billy Gilbert's voice in the radio drama.$LABEL$ 1 +If this is the author's and director's idea of a slice of life, they are clinically manic depressives. A sad, moody film at best, with ubiquitously aimless and unhappy characters who negatively interact with disastrous results. This film is billed as a comedy. What was so funny about losing your home to an allegedly premeditated arson or the drug induced, forcible rape of one of the main characters. Is this art imitating life? Jack Black was mildly amusing as the mountain man, weed farmer. However, even this segment of the film was rife with pathos. What was the point of living in the middle of nowhere with an entourage. If Black's character was so paranoid, why was he doing acid with a group of people right out of Woodstock? Is there no end to disconnected relationships, a plot less script, and scene transitions lacking any cohesiveness or logical chronology.$LABEL$ 0 +For those who appreciate the intersection of silent cinema and social commentary, this is a unique film. Part homage to German expressionism, part allegory, the film is replete with visual symbolism and an artistic style that rivals anything seen since the 1920's. Moreover, the attention to period detail and the visual composition of the scenes as an instrument for advancing the story is stunning. Aside from this, the plot offers an interesting commentary on the role of the media in society and its effect on social voice, perception, and opinion. In truth, it's not so much the silence that permeates the film as it is the loss of voice and the loss of words to communicate and express thought that inevitably follows. In sum, this film is something not often seen and, as the producer of the film said in the Q&A that followed, will leave you thinking about its meaning well into the next day.$LABEL$ 1 +While rehearing Carmen of Bizet, the middle-aged choreographer Antonio (Antonio Gades) brings the sexy Carmen (Laura del Sol) to perform the lead role. Antonio falls in love for Carmen, who is an independent and seductive woman incapable to accept a possessive love. When Carmen has an affair with another dancer, Antonio is consumed by his jealousy like D. José in the original opera, entwining fiction with reality."Carmen" is another great movie of Carlos Saura's trilogy dedicated to the Flamenco dance. The dramatic love story is developed with the lives of the artists entwined with the characters they are rehearsing, and many times is not absolutely clear whether what is happening is reality (with the dancers) or fiction (of the play). Paco de Lucia is another attraction of this original version of the famous Bizet's opera, which is based on the novel of Prosper Mérimée. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Carmen"$LABEL$ 1 +What made the original Killer Tomatoes fun was it was made by people with no budget who were just being wacky for a couple of days...This was something with a budget, but it just wasn't as much fun. John Astin of Adams Family fame is actually making an effort here to be comedic, but he is supported by lame actors, cheap special effects and unfunny gags.The plot. Dr. Gangrene (Astin) escapes from a French prison and decides he is going to put a pretender on the throne of France... The hero, his French girlfriend and the Gizmo-like "Fuzzy Tomato" decide they are going to stop him...Forgettable Direct to Video nonsense...$LABEL$ 0 +The Kite Runner was beautiful, poignant and very moving. I particularly loved the two child actors in the film as well as the actor portraying the father. It really made me want to go back and read the book again.The music was a wonderful part of the fabric of the movie. If there is a soundtrack coming out for the film, I will buy it to accompany my second reading of the book. It is also a visually stunning film. The cinematography was gorgeous and really added to experience.The Brazilian word 'saudades' is very descriptive of how I felt at the end of the film..."it is a deep feeling of longing for someone or someplace, which is very sweet but also tinged with an inescapable sadness" (definition provided years ago by Antonio Carlos Jobim).Saw it at a small cinema here for an advance screening. I would love to see it again on a really large screen with a tricked out sound system.Can't wait for the formal release. I will definitely recommend the film to friends.$LABEL$ 1 +Despite this production having received a number of poor reviews, it actually holds up quite well for its age. Note also that it is not a BBC programme, it was simply licensed to them by Granada Ventures when the Jane Austen collection was released on DVD.So how does it compare with other adaptations of the same novel? The most well-known version these days is the 1995 film with Amanda Root as Anne Elliott and Ciaran Hinds as Captain Frederick Wentworth. That film was of course shorter but a good snapshot of the story - the earlier version, with Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall in the same roles, had four hours to tell the story and moved at a more leisurely pace.Firbank is a good ten years too old for her role, but she is very good - Marshall is excellent as Wentworth, a man disappointed in love, and bitter about interference. And hidden in the cast are people who also contribute - Michael Culver, later seen in Cadfael, as Harvill; Richard Vernon, later seen in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, as Admiral Croft; Noel Dyson, earlier in Coronation Street, as Mrs Musgrove.One criticism I do have is that the hairstyles are a bit distracting, and that the costumes are awful! Still, this shouldn't detract from a hugely enjoyable Austen adaptation.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes I have rated this film as one star awful. Yet, it will be in my rotation of Christmas movies henceforth. This truly is so bad it's good. This is another K.Gordon Murray production (read: buys a really cheap/bad Mexican movie, spends zero money getting it dubbed into English and releases it at kiddie matinées in the mid 1960's.) It's a shame I stumbled on this so late in life as I'm sure some "mood enhancers" would make this an even better experience. I'm not going to rehash what so many of the other reviewers have already said, a Christmas movie with Merlin, the Devil, mechanical wind-up reindeer and some of the most pathetic child actors I have ever seen bar none. I plan on running this over the holidays back to back with Kelsey Grammar's "A Christmas Carol". Truly a holiday experience made in Hell. Now if I can only find "To All A Goodnight (aka Slayride)" on DVD I'll have a triple feature that can't be beat. You have to see this movie. It moves so slowly that I defy you not to touch the fast forward button-especially on the two dance routines! This thing reeks like an expensive bleu cheese-guess you have to get past the stink to enjoy the experience. Feliz Navidad amigos!$LABEL$ 0 +So Seagal plays a DEA detective named John Hatcher who lost his partner on a drug investigation into, surprise surprise, Colombia! Not to brag or anything, but my father was born and raised in Colombia (hence my last name), and now he's a doctor in California, so no matter what the movies would have you believe, there are some things other than drug dealers and cocaine that come out of Colombia!At any rate, in a drug bust gone bad, Hatcher loses his partner and accidentally kills a naked Colombian prostitute, inspiring him to go to confession, somewhere that I have never seen him go before in any of his movies, before or since. It was actually pretty interesting. Seagal has a tendency to come off as almost asexual the way he never gets much involved with women other than as a plot device and the way the occasional seduction attempt, whether by a stripper or by a lover, never piques the slightest bit of interest from him. He's all get-the- bad-guys all the time. But in the confession booth, he confesses to having lied, sold drugs, falsified evidence, and even slept with informants in order to get the information he needed to put the bad guys behind bars (I hope I'm not getting in trouble with God by telling you this…). The priest tells him to go to his family, so he decides it's time to retire from the force. The next third of the movie is an exercise in the paper-thin characterization characteristic of Seagal's films. Marked For Death is the story of Seagal against a band of mystic Jamaican drug dealers, and these guys have no discretions about pushing their products in broad daylight.Hatcher goes back to visit his old high school coach, Max (a minimal effort by Keith David), and right in the middle of practice there are some of these dread-locked crackheads sitting right there in the bleachers peddling crack to some bookworm-looking high school girls.Maybe I just had a sheltered experience in high school, but I didn't know crack dealers and crackheads hung out AT SCHOOL in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY. At any rate, it's not long before Hatcher learns how evil these guys are. They're not just peddling crack to high school kids, but the coach has been losing football players regularly to their drugs, they engage in smartass stare-downs with Max, and since that's not enough, his 13-year-old niece died in their crackhouse.Ah, OK. We get the picture. I'm sure they also torture puppies and beat up old women, and maybe steal candy from children too, just for good measure. Is it really this hard to establish who the bad guys are? 13-year-old niece died in their crackhouse. Wow.Anyway. Not only does the movie not know how to develop villains without resorting to what basically boils down to movie name-calling, where evil deeds are shallowly assigned to them through dialogue, but they also don't know how they should act. The leader of the drug dealers, is named Screwface, and I suppose that alone should tell you something about the kind of movie this is. Screwface is a cartoonish Jamaican man with these bright, bizarrely green eyes, which I am guess must be an important part of his character because he spends a good majority of his screen time with his eyes half bulging out of his head. His favorite means of intimidation is to scream really loud in his wildly overblown Jamaican accent with his face quite literally less than an inch away from whoever he's yelling at. This guy likes to get so into guys' faces that he has to turn his head to the side so their noses don't touch. All I could think about was how the poor guys would deal with his breath.Man, they do not want you to forget that these guys are Jamaican, by the way. Their accents are so exaggerated and overblown that for most of the movie it's nearly impossible to understand them. Not that it matters. It doesn't matter what they're saying, all you need to know is that everything that comes out of their mouths is some kind of evil drug-related thing, they're just the psychos that peddle drugs and kill people. The movie must have been a huge hit in Jamaica!My biggest problem with the movie is that the theatrics, particularly of the bad guys, as I've described, are spectacularly goofy, even for a Seagal film. They are so cartoonish and weird that it's impossible to take them as anything other than a goofball b-movie creation, something slapped together to provide fodder to whom Seagal can distribute his characteristic brand of smack-down retribution. But there is also a bizarre kind of mysticism in the movie that just makes it all come off as weird. For example, a mystic, I guess you would call her, at one point puts some kind of curse on Screwface by (if I remember correctly) spitting mouthfuls of Bacardi onto a live rooster that's hanging upside down before beheading it and dripping its blood onto a picture of Screwface. Hmm. Interesting. Sadly, it's this same woman that warns Hatcher that his family has been "marked for death" by these people, meaning they've got some voodoo hex on them. Not to belittle anyone, but if I was told that my family had been cursed by people like that, I would just laugh at it. Hatcher doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to take much stock in freaky voodoo curses! But the set-up, as you can see, is pretty standard for a Seagal film. Unique villains, I guess you could say, although not very impressive. Definitely the weirdest film of Seagal's early career…$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a big disappointment. The plot sounded great, about a half-human, half-leopard creature in Africa that becomes the subject of a documentary by young American adults. When many of the crew members are found dead, the 2 survivors are taken into questioning. I wouldn't even call this a horror movie, since most of the movie is actually about the (mis)adventures of the aforementioned, narcissistic 20-somethings, which include sex and smoking animal dung to get high (isn't as entertaining as it sounds--trust me). You rarely get to see the creature, and the main actor (who also happens to be the director, screen writer, editor, and producer!) is incredibly annoying.I was finally so annoyed by the never-ending dialogue that I fast-forwarded to the end. I had guessed the ending in less than 10 minutes into the movie...and I was right. Thus, this awful movie is utterly predictable, too--as if it wasn't bad enough. Moral of the story: avoid movies that are acted, directed, edited, produced and written by the same nobody. And avoid this movie, unless held at gunpoint.$LABEL$ 0 +*SPOILERS!* When I first saw the preview for this, it looked like a good old fashioned hallmark movie. I love bluegrass music, so I couldn't wait to see it. When we rented the movie, we read the back and it sounded even better. The film was pretty boring for the first half, every now and then a song would be played. Then (i'm embarrassed typing this)a lesbian love seen came in. I that ther was something more then friendship between the teachers but I certainly didn't expect nudity and prolonged make out sessions. I was watching this with my mother and I was quite embarrassed, because I picked this movie. But besides that, it was an okay movie. The acting was fine, the actress who played Deladis was great. To be honest, the soundtrack was the best part of the movie. I don't care to see the movie again but i bought the soundtrack the day after I saw the movie. And there are continuation discs that follow. If I were you, I would skip the movie and just get the music.$LABEL$ 0 +This film has it's heart in the right place, but unfortunately, it isn't much of a film. It is more of a documentary under the guise of a narrative. Bamako is basically a newspaper op-ed piece put on celluloid. However, your average well-researched op-ed piece is far more cogent and concise than anything presented here. The filmmaker is trying to relay to the viewer the hardships of African life, in particular the country of Mali, due to the unethical practices of the IMF, G8, and World Bank, by using the setting of a mock trial against the aforementioned. There is an extra 10 minutes dispersed throughout the film that makes a half-hearted attempt at a narrative plot, and a bizarre Hollywood Western-style shootout scene, where the director seems quite pleased with his own cleverness (hence, the frequent Godard comparisons).Of course, as the film begins, what and who is on trial is never explained, but as we know by now, the French refuse to spoon-feed their audience.There are many impassioned arguments made, but they are often long-winded, delivered in a shrill monotone (one that becomes quite easy to tune out after awhile), and very light on specifics. The last point is the most frustrating of all since there is a very well-reasoned specific case to be made against the institutions on trial here. Unfortunately, all we get in 2 hours is that the IMF and G8 are evil oppressors and should forgive 3rd-World debt. We are given no more than the occasional hint to the specific reasons why the organizations on trial are guilty, but never a clear case. The mock-trial arguments and the footage of the surrounding village makes the suffering of these African residents clear, but one wonders why we must sit through 2 hours of it, when a far more precise picture could be painted in a 20-minute Newsweek article, or Bill Moyers episode. In the end, there is something very important to be said on this issue, it simply isn't presented very well, or very clearly, in this pretentious, indulgent piece.$LABEL$ 0 +What a wonderful, fanciful movie "Stardust" is.I could easily end it with that one statement and suffice to say, one could take it as a very strong recommendation to go see it.At a time when Hollywood seems bent on forcing remakes and sequels down our throats, "Stardust" makes us remember why we go to the movies in the first place - to escape reality for a couple of hours and explore other lives, other times, or other planets. Ironically, "Stardust" takes us to all three places effortlessly and with a childlike glee we all long for."Stardust" is full of all the characters we remember as children: princes, witches, pirates, ghosts and scoundrels. It has the damsel in distress, the hero, the rogues, the obstacles, spells, antidotes, charms, and even a touch of light-speed to make it quasi modern."Stardust" is about a man from the town of Wall, which is conveniently situated next to a wall that separates their town from a magical kingdom. The only way past the wall is through a breech that is diligently guarded by a scruffy old codger (played wonderfully by David Kelly). One day a young man from Wall named Ben Barnes out maneuvers the old guard and escapes through the breech. He happens upon an enchanted kingdom called Stormhold where he meets a chained (and very sexy) young lady named Una. She is held captive by a witch and leashed by an unbreakable chain. While the witch is away, Una seduces Ben and sends him on his way. Ben returns to Wall without incident and continues his life. But nine months later he is summoned to the wall breech where the old guard hands him what you might expect - a baby boy.The boy, named Tristan grows up to be a rather hapless young man (Charlie Cox) who is smitten with a girl way out of his league and also betrothed to another. Nevertheless, the young lady (named Victoria and played Sienna Miller) goes out once with Tristain and he confesses his love to her. After they espy a falling star, she tells him he can have her if he retrieves the star and brings it back to her. He agrees and sets out on his quest, which will take him to the other side of the wall.Meanwhile in the kingdom of Stormhold, the old king (perfectly played by Peter O'Toole) is dying. He calls his remaining living sons to tell them who shall succeed him to the throne. His sons' names are Primus, Secondus, Sextmus, and Septimus. The other sons where killed by the other brothers in a humorous competition to see who lives to get the throne.Anyway, he tosses his ruby charm to the sky and Voila, that what brings the star to earth.The star crashes in the form of a beautiful woman named Yvaine (Clare Danes) and she, of course, is wearing the charm. But little does she know she is now being persuaded by Tristain, the Princes, and also an aging witch named Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) who wants to cut out the stars heart to regain her own youth.Complicated? Yes. But it all comes together as the adventure unfolds.Tristain is the first to find Yvaine but is so blinded by his devotion to Victoria he doesn't recognize the growing bond between he and Yvaine. His initial interest lie only in returning Yvaine to Victoria as proof of his love. But he must get past the princes and Lamia first. The princes aren't that big an issue as they are constantly trying to kill each other - and just as in "Pirates of the Caribbean" - never has death been so funny. But Tristain also encounters the witch who enslaved his mother (though he doesn't know it's his mother) and a band of flying pirates led by Robert DeNiro.His is the most important character in the movie and DeNiro plays it to a tee. He steals the movie with his toughness and soon we learn an undercover secret that will leave audiences on the floor with laughter. Though his role is small in length, DeNiro is extraordinary!Michelle Pfeiffer is wonderful as Lamia - a sexy evil witch. Claire Danes is most appropriate as the confused and distressed Yvaine. She makes a perfect damsel. Jason Flemyng, Adam Buston, Rupert Everett, and Mark Strong add the perfect dose of levity as the fighting princes whom, as they die return as ghosts ala "Blithe Spirit" and "High Spirits".Moreover director Matthew Vaughn, whose only other directing experience was "Layer Cake", weaves an enchanting tale that everyone will enjoy."Stardust" may be too complex for young children, but anyone over the age of 13 will want to see this movie multiple times. It's that good. "Stardust" is what movies are supposed to be. Perfectly written, perfectly cast, perfectly directed, and perfectly acted. In other words...perfect.$LABEL$ 1 +For starters, it's a very funny movie with a few crazy characters running around that are bound to make laugh (check out the two Russian bugs).A Bug's Life has a classical Disney storyline, but that's one of the good things about the movie. Family values are praised and the main characters of the film undergo some evolution in order to stand up against the grasshoppers in the end. And it also has a couple of great voice-overs by Dave Foley, Julia-Louise Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey (of course),... But actually, the most amazing thing about this movie is the animation. It's just wonderful. All the details, great colors, every ant looks different, beautiful backgrounds... And the guys and girls at Pixar made it all look so realistic. All in all, a very nice piece of work. This is the best animation by Disney since Aladdin.$LABEL$ 1 +It's a mystery to me as to why I haven't caught up to this masterful 50s caper film – turned brooding noir until now, but I'm certainly glad to report that it didn't disappoint. I haven't seen any of Jules Dassin's American films for several years but based on this I'll probably be going back and re-watching "Brute Force" and "Night and the City" quite soon.Jean Servais, a name unknown to me but a face rather familiar in its world-weariness and coldness, has recently completed a lengthy stay in prison and as is the way in these films (hey, there wouldn't be a story otherwise) isn't coping well with the straight life. An opportunity presents itself: an easy multi-million-dollar jewel heist that can be done at night with no fear of discovery by a few men. The taut filming of the robbery, half an hour of total silence, is what people most remember about the film of course, and indeed it's pretty remarkable; but I liked the half-completed location of the final shootout, once the robbery has gone sour thanks to the big mouth of one of the thieves; the excellent portrayal gritty sides of Paris in stark black and white; and Servais' channeling of both Eddie Constantine and Humphrey Bogart in his spare but brutal performance.Perhaps it's a bit too sentimental in the end, but this is one of those classics that really does live up to its reputation just as pure entertainment even if what it has to say about the human condition isn't exactly deep or thought-provoking; George Auric's at turns modernist, romantic, and jazzy score is another highlight.$LABEL$ 1 +I had a lot of expectations from this movie and more so since it was a Yashraj Film.Jimmy operates a call centre and one day he is invited by Pooja Singh to teach her boss, Lakhan Singh, English. The two fall in love and decide to run away but Pooja tells Jimmy that she can't do this as she owes a debt to Lakhan Singh, who is also known as Bhaiyyaji. But they decide and steal money from him and its only then that Jimmy finds out that Bhaiyyaji / Lakhan Singh is a Don. In the meantime, Bhaiyyaji hires a man, Bachchan Pandey, to track down Jimmy and Pooja.Starring Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Kumar, the movie is directed by first time director Viay Krishna Acharya and is produced by both Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra."Tashan" has to be one of the worse films that I have ever watched. Yes! The scenery is good and Kareena Kapoor (and her much publicised weight loss) looks good. But plot is extremely thin on story and at times makes no sense from one scene to the other - hence why I have said at the beginning that I had expected more from this film as it was a Yashraj Production. With reference to songs, unfortunately, there is not one song that I can remember now.There are moments where one can laugh and that is mainly thanks to Akshaye Kumar and Saif could have definitely done better while Kareena Kapoor played her part well. But this cannot be said for Anil Kapoor - it did not suit him at all as a villain. Lastly,never mind Aditya Chopra, who in the past has produced and directed good films such as "Mohabbatein," what was Yash Chopra doing by producing such a trash movie? Conclusion: Bad movie, not worth wasting your time and that is my first and last impression.$LABEL$ 0 +*SPOILERS INCLUDED*With a title like "Bleed", you know the creative juices weren't running on high when this puppy was conceived. The movie is your basic run-of-the-mill low-budget slasher movie. Oh sure, it tries to be creative with the premise of the "murder club", but we learn that was just a joke anyways. Okay, for those who really care about these things, the basic plot is that new girl in town starts dating her co-worker. He invites her into his circle of friends, and at a party, they tell her how they have a "murder club" and they murder people, blah blah blah. Well, we learn that it was all a joke, but not before our heroine kills a lady in a parking garage. Now, the "members" of the Murder Club are being killed one by one. Oh, and the bad guys wins and the movie ends on a downer. By that time, you won't really care though.In retrospect, the first 10 or so minutes of this movie make no sense. The motivation for the killings in the beginning of the movie is never explained. I would say that it was a way for the director to pad out the film, but on the DVD there are deleted scenes! I'm not sure why anyone would want to see more than the feature length version of "Bleed", but apparently the people behind the DVD thought the viewers would be clamoring for more. On the box, it says there are Easter Eggs, but why the hell I would want to waste my time looking for extras on this movie is beyond me. I was expecting a bad movie, and "Bleed" delivered on that front. It wasn't a fun bad movie though. Everyone looks good in the movie, and there's plenty of nudity, but the acting is just awful. My least favorite character is the guy who ends up being the killer...I think he's supposed to be funny and amusing, but he just ends up coming off as a tool. I think the funniest moment of the movie is when our heroine kills the lady in the parking garage, in a hilariously unconvincing death. Heroine shoves the women into the parking garage cement pole, and the woman looks like she barely hits the thing, and she spits out a mouthful of blood, and "dies". For those who think that movie making is an intricate, creative process done by professionals, check out "Bleed". It will change your mind, and you'll realize any hack get can a movie made. Otherwise, don't waste your time or money on this.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of my favorite films for many reasons. To begin, there are standout performances from lovely Debra Paget as a princess/dancing girl, from Michael Rennie as the villain, handsome young Jeffrey Hunter investigating crime in her city/state and others. The film is an unusually colorful adventure, and we even see the princess rehearsing the dance she later performs (for once). She manages to skewer Hunter before she learns he is on her side; also the photography, the costumes by Travilla, Lionel Newman's music and the film's style are unusually fine. Add to this rousing action, intelligent characterization and fine direction by veteran Harmon Jones of a Gerald Drayson Adams' script set in 1249 AD, and you have the ingredients of an enjoyable Grecianized Near-Eastern. But there is much to praise about the unusual and well--developed storyline here, as there is much more to praise other than the film's swift pace, well-managed physical action sequences and superior technical aspects. Classically-trained actors such as Michael Ansara, Edgar Barrier, Wally Cassell, Jack Elam and Dona Drake are not commonly found in one "B" film together; nor are there fascinating sets, a variety of locales and a mystery of the quality that is supplied here. One way of assessing a film is, "If I were guaranteed to live through the experience, would I choose to undergo these events and perform these actions?" Since my answer is a resounding "yes" in this case, this film remains one of my choices as a favorite and very-underrated cinematic work. Could it be that US critics' all-too-frequent disdain for females as warriors and thinkers that as in so many other cases has caused closed minds to misprize this estimable film's obvious anti-tyranny and pro-entertainment qualities?$LABEL$ 1 +THE TEMP (1993) didn't do much theatrical business, but here's the direct-to-video rip-off you didn't want, anyway! Ellen Bradford (Mel Harris) is the new woman at Millennium Investments, a high scale brokerage firm, who starts getting helpful hints from wide-eyed secretary Deidre (Sheila Kelley). Deidre turns out to be an ambitious daddy's girl who will stop at nothing to move up the corporate ladder, including screwing a top broker she can't stand and murdering anyone who gets on her bad side. She digs up skeletons in Ellen's closet, tries to cause problems with her husband (Barry Bostwick), kills while making it look like she is responsible, kidnaps her daughter and tries to get her to embezzle money from the company.Harris and Kelley deliver competent performances, the supporting cast is alright and it's reasonably well put-together, but that doesn't fully compensate for a script that travels down a well-worn path and offers few surprises.$LABEL$ 0 +The real problem with this story is that there's not much story to the story. There's hardly any plot to speak of. Widower buys an electric grandma for his kids. One kid resists electric grandma. Then finally accepts her. Then the kids grow up and grandma leaves. Really, very little happens. It's much more of a premise than a story.Moreover, strip it of it's schmaltz, and you have a story that had already done before, and better: The Lonely. Same basic idea: person initially can't accept the love of a robot, because it's just-a-machine, then eventually yields and comes to love the robot. The biggest difference is that The Lonely is much more powerful, as both the protagonist and we, the audience, are shocked abruptly back to reality and forced to remember that in the end the robot really is just a mechanism.I also find the story highly flawed in that the electric grandmother is just *too* perfect. She's not only "human", she's *super-human*. She's *wiser* than a real person, she has no traces of mechanicalness to her at all, and she makes marbles appear out of thin air. It frankly really chafes at credulity to think that she's a machine.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this show until my puberty but still I found it to reflex many situations that worry us when we're teenagers although it was a family oriented show. Until the mid 90's it focused more on the young adults and their situations.That's why I loved "Step By Step". I mean, it offered situations for every age and unlike many shows of it's kind, it delivered expectations.Let's be honest; this wasn't an extremely funny show, no, but it had some situations that you could feel related to but only funnier.There was an extremely good charm between Patrick Duffy and Susan Sommers. Duffy rocked! Sommers was tender and actually funny. I was in love with Stacy Keegan because she was extremely sexy (loved her legs) and witty. But Sasha Mitchell stole the show with his Cody character. He was the man back in the day! Oh, the memories. Nowadays, this show wasn't been able to adequate correctly on the new generations and that's why it should be kept in the vault of memories. That's it, only memories.Thank you Step By Step for making my puberty funnier.$LABEL$ 1 +As far as I know, this show was never repeated on UK television after its original run in the late '60s / early '70s, and most episodes are now sadly "missing presumed wiped".Series 6 from 1971 however still exists in its entirety, and I recently got the chance to watch it all, the best part of 4 decades on.After rushing home from school, Freewheelers was essential viewing for me and many of my contemporaries back in those halcyon days of flared trousers, Slade and Chicory Tip. And watching it again brought a nostalgic lump to the throat.Never mind the bad / hammy acting, the unintentionally amusing fight scenes, plot holes wide enough to pilot a large ocean-going yacht through and the "frightfully, frightfully" RADA accents of the lead players.No - forget all that. Because Freewheelers harks back to a bygone (dare I say "golden") age of kids' TV drama, when the shows were simply about rip-roaring fun and didn't take themselves so seriously. Before they became obsessed with all the angst-laden "ishoos" that today's screenwriters have their young protagonists fret over, such as relationships, pregnancy, drugs, STIs etc.No doubt if it were "remade for a modern audience" in these days of all-pervasive political correctness, the boss figure would be a black female, one of the young male heroes would be a Muslim, the other would be a white lad confused about his sexuality and the girl would be an all-action go-getter with an IQ off the scale, who'd be forever getting the lads out of scrapes and making them look foolish - in other words a million miles removed from Wendy Padbury's deferential, ankle-spraining washer-upper.It's a show that's very much "of its time". But is that a bad thing? I for one don't think so.$LABEL$ 1 +'The Big Snit' came into my life complete by accident and has left an indelible mark on my soul. A scar of love, destruction and pointlessness that will forever be a part of my life. This is tale of beautiful futility. We are helpless without each other. We are helpless against governmental wrong-doings. We are helpless as to the choices we all try to make when in love. Deaf to the mutterings and goings on of an world outside the window. Blind to an inevitable apocalypse. Dumb of the hatred and greedy opinions of an over-indulgent society. This is a tale of personal commitment and triumphant love defeating the ideologies of war. Their petty bickering is a sublime observation of human nature and of how love comes with it's pains and darkness Everyone has some irritating aspect to their personality and this is observed by the makers in the most simplistic and fantastic way. We travel only a short distance with the two main characters but are left wanting to complete our own journeys with a some of their simple,loving, honest philosophy in tow. I am so very glad that i exist in this 'our time'. Another 20 years either side of my birth date, and i would not have seen and felt.... ....The Big Snit. William White. Sheffield.$LABEL$ 1 +Whatever Committee of PC Enforcers is responsible for this movie has achieved something that I never thought possible: to take some truly gifted actors (Davis, Hardin and Taylor) and make you want to insure you never encounter them in an enclosed space, ever. The sentiments that underlie the screenplay are so jejeune and idiotic that it is impossible to understand or imagine what audience would find this picture appealing, much less funny. Architecture students perhaps?Only one scene is visually clever: Marcia Gay Hardin sashaying, all wriggles and rhythm, into a bar manages to exude more style and energy in ten seconds than the whole of the rest of the film added up and multiplied to the tenth power. As for the other members of the cast, they probably won't want to put this one on their resumes.$LABEL$ 0 +I didn't see this movie until it appeared on television because I was doubtful about comic flicks. Ever since the "Batman" series, "Spawn," "Judge Dredd," and many other pitiful p.g.-13 bombs, I dodged everything at all cost. I would question in my mind, "why can't someone make a movie that is rated R and stays true to the story, how difficult is that?" And finally my prayers have been answered with Blade. This movie pops right out of the pages onto the screen with sheer violence, blood, martial arts, weapons, fire, the good against evil, etc. Yeah sure a lot of action flicks contain all these goodies, and most of them have bombed. But not Blade, the movie was filmed just right, not going overboard, delivering a good length and never a dull moment. Blade II is cool, but not as cool as the first. Blade is indeed one of the best real comic flicks I've seen in a long time.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie Angels of the Universe is a pure masterpiece and it proves once again that you can make a brilliant movie on a low budget, e.g American Beauty and Blair Witch Project. The Director Fridrik Thór Fridriksson gives the novel Englar alheimsins a new life on the white screen. The movie is a breakthrough in Icelandic film making because it's the biggest and the greatest movie that has been done in Iceland.The music in the film, played by Sigurrós, is very symbolic for the film, it is absolutely brilliant. I recommend everybody who are able to think to go and see this film as soon as possible, you won't be disappointed. I would bet on this film to win the best foreign film award next year – all over the globe!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this at the theater in the early 1970's. The most memorable and scary scene is when the German army attacks with yellow cross mustard gas for the first time. The Germans and their horses are covered from head to toe (or hoof) with eerie protective suits. The experienced British soldiers don gas masks (only) and once again await the clouds of gas and the German attackers. The gas clouds move ever closer, finally enveloping the British defenders. The Germans move forward slowly menacingly in their scary looking garb. Suddenly a scream from the defenders... This gas is like no other that they have experienced before.... Now you will know why I have remembered this scene for the last 30+ years and still shiver, I think that you will too!$LABEL$ 1 +Pakeezah has a very interesting history (which is well documented in the 'Trivia' section) about how it came to be. It seems as if destiny conspired to test Kamal Amrohi (the director) while at the same time secretly desiring to see him complete his masterpiece.Pakeezah rides on metaphors, poetry and visual elocution. As a result the intensity with which emotions come out achieve a dimension which may not be very real but are very effective and leave an impact on the viewer.Meena Kumari lives the tragedy of Nargis and Sahib Jaan like her own. The other stars of the film, besides her, are Ghulam Mohammed (the music director), Lata Mangeshkar, Naushad (background score) and Joseph Wirsching (the d.o.p). Their music and cinematography leaves you spell bound.Pakeezah is a classic in world cinema. It reveals new layers to you every time you watch it again. Kamal Amrohi is one of the rare poets of cinema and he left us all a gift.$LABEL$ 1 +The finale of the Weissmuller Tarzan movies is a rather weak one. There are a few things that derail this film.First, Tarzan spends much of the film wearing floppy sandals. In my opinion, any footwear on Tarzan, whether it be sandals or boots as sometimes portrayed, takes away from the character, which is supposed to be anti-civilization and pro-jungle.Second, the character of Benji, as mentioned in a previous post, totally derails the movie as the comic foil. To me, his character is unnecessary to the film's plot.Also, while Weissmuller still cuts a commanding figure as Tarzan, it's apparent that he was not in his best shape. Although in his later Jungle Jim movies, his physique had improved somewhat from this film.The octopus battle is a terrific idea, but I think it should have been done in an earlier Weissmuller film when he was at his physical peak. Likewise, the battle, which takes only 30 seconds tops, would be much more thrilling if it was drawn out to 90 seconds to 2 minutes like the classic giant crocodile battle in Tarzan and His Mate.And while Brenda Joyce as Jane and Linda Christian as Mara are overwhelmingly pleasing to the eye, it doesn't manage to salvage this last Weissmuller film - a disappointing ending to a great character run.$LABEL$ 0 +I recently attended Sundance as I have often done in years past and was treated to the small pleasures of the edgy little indies, the glut of dark comedies and the now predictable portraits of dysfunction. But then I saw Mark and Michael Polish's 'Northfork' and I remembered why I so fell in love with the movies in the first place. 'Northfork' sweeps across the screen with visionary daring and harkens back to the seminal early work of Terence Malick and the existential landscapes of Antonioni. It's an impossible film to easily explain which is one of its many strengths. Suffice it to say it's an adult fairy tale with many carefully layered levels of meaning. It reawakened my imagination and cast an imposing shadow over all the other films I saw this year. It is a work of meticulous craftsmanship and a sophistication of writing not seen in most American movies. I plan to revisit this film several times when it comes to my neighberhood theater. For it is a beguiling piece of magic and mystery, a haunting work where one can roam the plains of Montana in search of angels and the very nature of heaven and earth. The cast performs this luminiscent piece with striking conviction particularly James Woods and Nick Nolte who remind us of the nerve and daring displayed throughout the course of their careers. Maybe 'Northfork' will help us find a new wave of American cinema where excellence in craft and writing become more the norm than the exception. See it when it comes your way and take your friends for the questions will be many and the thoughts and feelings spurred by seeing 'Northfork' will awaken memories of great movie once seen in your past and now hopefully may be returning with the advent of the Polish Brothers.$LABEL$ 1 +Going into a movie like I this, I was expecting absolutely nothing entertaining except for a whorde of kills.....what I got was even less.Christmas eve 1947 a kid witnesses his parents doing it while daddy is in a santa suit. Horrified, he runs up the stairs and cuts himself. The story begins 33 years later and Harry Stalling is your normal everyday joe.....cept for the fact he's obsessed with Santa. After his boss makes fun of him he goes insane, dressing up like santa and starts killing non-santa believing patrons and his boss. An unruly neighborhood catches up to him and just as they're about to torch him, he drives his van off a cliff.....into the moon. Not the best ending I've seen but it was original.It was a slow paced, boring movie that really had no redeeming quality except when Harry went apeshyt on the church goers. There was hardly any gore and even the "sex" scenes were toned down.Too boring......4 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +It is a superb Swedish film .. it was the first Swedish film I've seen .. it is simple & deep .. what a great combination!.Michael Nyqvist did a great performance as a famous conductor who seeks peace in his hometown.Frida Hallgren was great as his inspirational girlfriend to help him to carry on & never give up.The fight between the conductor and the hypocrite priest who loses his battle with Michael when his wife confronts him And defends Michael's noble cause to help his hometown people finding their own peace in music.The only thing that I didn't like was the ending .. it wasn't that good but it has some deep meaning.$LABEL$ 1 +I remember watching this movie several times as a very young kid, and there were parts of it (many in fact) that I did not understand. I think I have seen it once as an adult, and I then understood those parts. The only problem with viewing it as an adult was that it was not entertaining to me at all. So what kind of movie is this? Is it a "kids movie"? Not hardly. It contains language and subject matter not suitable for kids. Is it a hyperbole of what every parent feels like they are going through with their own children? Maybe, but then why wouldn't it focus more on John Ritter's character instead of Junior? When a film has a 7-year-old as its main character, in order to do well with it's audience, it should be a movie for the seven and under crowd, otherwise people older than that will have no way to relate (even 8-year-olds wouldn't want to see a movie about a kid who is whole year younger than them). I'm pretty sure this film did not do well in the box office, and the reason has to be because it was unable to find a niche in the market.$LABEL$ 0 +From the creators of Shrek………….. OK, that grabbed my attention.Well the creators of Shrek also made Madagascar. Madagascar was half as good as Shrek.And now Flushed Away is half as good as Madagascar.That means Flushed Away isn't good. The animation and all that special effects were extremely good but the movie wasn't.The story of this movie was only meant for kids. It's seriously not possible for adults to actually love this flick.But there were many jokes meant for adults. I bet kids dint understand the jokes.Despite that I dint like this flick.I am completely disappointed. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Watching this movie brings several words to mind: "sophomoric", "ridiculous", "improbable", "self-indulgent" and finally (and fatally), "boring". Badly directed, badly photographed and badly acted, the film is a confusing mess with plot lines (if one can call them that) veering in all directions. Someone may have used a five-year old's finger painting as a template. As punishment for this childish crime of a movie, this cast of "stars" should be spanked soundly and sent to their respective beds without dinner. . All in all, it seems like George needed an excuse to get together with his little buddies for a paid summer vacation and we're the suckers paying for it. Bad George! Bad!$LABEL$ 0 +"Chupacabra Terror" is saved from a '1" by the presence of Canadian cutie Chelan Simmons as the heroine. She is a delight to watch, from the front, back and side. Otherwise, what you have here is your standard monster movie, playing like a low-budget, shipboard version of THE RELIC. John Rhys-Davies plays the captain of the ship on which the monster is being transported. And the very nonscary monster is simply a man in a suit. He does commit about 100 senseless, gory killings, at least, so the body count in this one is pretty awesome. Formulaic, to say the least. I love the moment when Simmons ominously tells someone what chupacabra stands for: Goat eater! Oooohhh...scary!$LABEL$ 0 +If your expecting Jackass look somewhere else this an actual movie and for the budget well done the acting isnt top noth neither is the writing but the directing was there and so was the story definetly worth the rent and possibly the buy if you really enjoy it like i did. But for the person who just likes jackass rent it first.$LABEL$ 1 +Leslie Sands' stilted play "Deadlock" becomes a poor-choice vehicle for Bette Davis and Gary Merrill, just after their joint-success in "All About Eve". After killing her spouse, a scheming woman is visited by her husband's best friend, who passes himself off as her husband once others begin stopping by the house. Irving Rapper, one of Bette's best directors from her peak years, is sadly unable to elevate this ridiculous material, in which Davis is curiously aloof and restrained until the outrageous finale (where she thankfully pulls out all the stops). Production and supporting cast strictly second-rate; only for Bette Davis completists. *1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed this movie. The acting by the adult actors was great, although I did find the main kid a little stiff. But he carried himself very well for being a new talent. The humor is very sublime and not in your face like most Hollywood comedy junk. I.e. The Nutty Professor. If you have a short attention span and are used to the typical Hollywood stuff you probably wouldn't like this as it is a bit slower paced. I picked it up on Blu-ray and I have to say the image quality is top notch. Probably one of the better looking Blu-rays I've seen so far. The extras were cool too. They deleted quite a bit, but that's probably a good thing as most of the deleted scenes didn't really add anything.$LABEL$ 1 +Mr. Bean has always been my favorite. No matte how many times you watch the same thing, the show never gets monotonous or repetitive. Mr. Bean is one of the greatest comedians in the world who doesn't need to even speak to make people laugh. His gestures, his facial expressions and his face itself is so funny to watch. The situations which he faces on the show is simply hilarious and the way he handles them is even greater. There is simply no reason why this show shouldn't receive a 10 because it is fabulous. Its something that would even make the most serious or sad person in the universe laugh. Some of my all time favorites episodes from the show are: 1) When Mr. Bean lodges at a hotel 2) The one where he watches the scary film 3) Mind the baby ( The diaper scene especially). In fact, all the episodes are so good that it is really difficult to criticize the show. Mr.Bean can go to any heights to prove that he is funny, including completely stripping himself in one of the episodes. the way he handled that situation was simply mind blowing. 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +A woman borough a boy to this world and was alone. They both were alone because a boy had a gift and a curse in one package - he was capable of withdrawing sword from his arm. There was always a wound on his wrist in the cause of this "gift" - the wound of the deadliest weapon inside of his body. First he kills his constantly drunk stepfather who hurts his mom every time. Then he grows up and decides to find his real father. Just as simple as all the time for a superhero - he reaches the justice....but the society decides this justice is not necessary and dangerous which is indeed right 'cause it is not like in Hollywood movies that the character does not try to kill anyone - Sasha (he is the main hero acted by Artem Tkachenko) kills if the person who in his opinion deserves to die but gets blames from authorities and runs. In such a runaway from authorities and Mafia he meets a girl (acted by Chulpan Hamatova) and falls in love with her. Everything else is to be watched...not told. Be aware that this film is more about feelings and emotions but not about actions. This film is full of pain of the main character full of him and his vision of life.$LABEL$ 1 +Forget some the whiny (and pointless) comments left here by some. This series is well acted, well shot, and makes a refreshing change to most of the pap on TV.Any fool can nitpick anything. However, in this show the characters are believable, the story lines intriguing and compelling (but do require some intelligence on the part of the viewer), overall it's enjoyable, and it's British !! (We do occasionally come up with some gems, and this is one of them).The shows are an hour long each and i think there are four of them all together (at least I've only seen four of them). The show clearly impressed some U.S. TV station/director who made a longer series which was nowhere near as compelling in spite of the bigger budget.If like soaps and reality shows you won't like or understand Eleventh Hour.$LABEL$ 1 +Usually when a television biopic is released on a celebrity, its, at the very least, campy (i.e. Cybill Shepherd as Martha Stewart, Lauren BaCall as Doris Duke), this is the most horrendous, cheap, and BORING television movie ever made. If VH-1 is going to make a television film, they have GOT to spend a little more money on them. Flex Alexander--though gifted with the Michael voice--is not a great dancer, does not resemble Michael one bit, and does not even have his mannerisms down. VH-1 would have done better by hiring an actual impersonator, that way when see Michael go into get plastic surgery, he doesn't actually come out looking EXACTLY the same. Why should we be taken aback at the shrinking of Michael's nose when its exactly the same size as in the beginning of the film? The woman playing Elizabeth Taylor cannot act and looks nothing like her, and don't even get me started on the woman as Janet Jackson. Terrible script and a severe case of miscasting needs to keep VH-1 from producing any more movies. Flex Alexander would have made a much better JERMAINE JACKSON rather than Michael. Costumes? Trashy ripoffs. Neverland? Spliced together footage from news docs. Don't bother with this one....its not even remotely worth it. The one good piece of casting--the actor portraying Joseph Jackson and MAYBE the actress as Lisa Marie Presley, though she should have been more tomboy than girlie girl.$LABEL$ 0 +It's amazing that actress P.J. Soles didn't become a big star after playing Riff Randall, #1 fan of the punk rock group the Ramones, in "Rock 'n' Roll High School". Soles is so exuberant, you don't mind she's obviously too old to still be in high school (that fact is leveled out by having all the kids look 24). The movie is a fast-paced frolic that doesn't cop-out; everything gets blown to smithereens at the end, and that's just as it should be. Mary Woronov, an innately kinky and funny presence as the Nazi-like principal, gets a great, one-of-a-kind bit at the beginning where Frisbees fly dangerously close to her head (how many takes did they use on that, or was it a fluke?) and Dey Young is very appealing as Soles' best, Kate Rambeau. The weakest link, ironically enough, in this "High School" chain-gang is the Ramones. They can't act, they're not funny, and their concert segment goes on too long. One Ramones song, "I Want You Around", is treated as a fantasy and is well captured; other incidental songs are good, particularly a rare Paul McCartney ballad heard near the beginning ("Did We Meet Somewhere Before?"). Great fun! *** from ****$LABEL$ 1 +Camp with a capital C. Think of Mask and the Ace Ventura movies -- then multiply by 100. This laugh-a-minute entertainer takes schlock to the level of high art. David Dhawan is a genius and Govinda is beyond description. See it over and over again. I insist.$LABEL$ 1 +This is absolutely one of the best movies I've ever seen. It takes me on a a roller-coaster of emotions. I laugh and cry and get disgusted and happy and in love! All this in a little over two hours of time! The actors are all brilliant! I have to mention the leading actor of course, Michael Nyquist. He does a remarkable job!! I also admire the actor who plays Tore, who plays this mentally-challenged young man in such a convincing way! He sort of reminded me of Leonardo di Caprios roll in Gilbert Grape! And then there is the most beautiful song in the world: Gabriella's sång.I recommend this for everyone to see and enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +"That '70s Show" is definitely the funniest show currently on TV. I started watching it about two and a half years ago, and as soon as I saw it I could tell it was a great show. I like all the characters, but my personal favorites are Fez and Kelso. Leo was also an awesome character while he was there, I really hope he comes back because he's hilarious. It's classic when Fez goes "you son of a bitch!", and when Kelso yells "burn!", that always makes me laugh. They are both great characters and always have something funny to say. Jackie being hot is just another reason to watch the show; she started out being really good looking but damn, somewhere around season 5-6 she just got Really hot. I've seen most of the episodes more than once, some like 10 times, and there still hilarious. This is one of the few shows that I can watch over and over and still laugh at just as much as I did the first time I saw it. The cast is classic; almost everyone is funny, where with many shows there are only a few funny characters. I will be sad to see this show end next year, but it will be going off the air as one of the best shows ever.$LABEL$ 1 +That's what t.v. should be. And Pushing Daisies lives up to those expectations. A beautifully crafted and well-designed show, Pushing Daisies is one of the few shows left on prime-time that has integrity, is good for the entire family and sparks your imagination. It's not about the normal action, sex, money or murder angles of every other show on t.v. It's a show that makes you think and laugh, but although the basic plot may seem impossible, the concepts are real to us all. Wanting something you can't have, hoping for someone to want us, running away from your past and searching for family, even in the most unlikely of places, etc...I realize that ABC has basically canceled this wonderful show at this point, and will most likely replace it with some show beyond the point of integrity. I suppose everything does come back to money... it's too bad that there are now no other shows on ABC that actually make you feel good after watching.$LABEL$ 1 +As I am a teenager, I have about one hundred years of movies to catch up on. I try to see a mixture of classics, mainstream, art-house, and other movies. The 70's is one of the most important decades for films: it's when the average, common, classical films changed into full of messages and anti-social behavior. It became like nothing anyone had ever seen before. What A Decade Under the Influence basically shows is how important all of the movies from around The Graduate to about Star Wars.Richard LaGravenese and the late Ted Demme are the primary interviewers in this documentary, which interviews such people as Dennis Hopper, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, and Jon Voight, among others about how those few years changed cinema forever. It's a very professional, polished documentary, and it's even financed by IFC films. However, as this is a very professional one, I would think that they would at least edit out the noise of someone behind the camera laughing. To me, that took out a lot of how neat and clean the whole thing was.On the other hand, it's a very interesting documentary, about film by the people who make it. Of course, they aren't bashing their own films or anything of the like, but they're portraying honesty on what they thought of the films and what they meant. I don't know much about film (but I want to be involved around it when I become an adult), so I feel like to someone like me this movie is a huge asset. I have seen a good number of movies that they mentioned, like Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but a little more insight into those movies were very informative.The main reason, however, I didn't love Influence is, as slickly as it was edited, it seemed to take its time in the beginning and be quite relaxed, therefore not having enough time to get to everything that they wanted to show. They crammed in Star Wars and Jaws in the last few minutes, when they were two of the most important. It seemed like they tried too hard to show lots of clips, and that's fine, but some of them were unimportant, such as an extended one from Network.Overall, though, Influence is a very enthralling, informative documentary that helped me, at least, learn more about a second `golden age' in American cinema.My rating: 7/10Rated R for language, and images of sexuality, violence and drug use.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is sort of a Carrie meets Heavy Metal. It's about a highschool guy who gets picked on alot and he totally gets revenge with the help of a Heavy Metal ghost. it is such a classic. The soundtrack is A++++. You've got living legends of Metal in it. And Marc Price was great in this film. This is a must have for metal fans.$LABEL$ 1 +"Descent." Yeah. Boy... I haven't seen anything this powerful and scintillating since Bruno Dumont's, "Twentynine Palms" (2003). (By the way this film is not to be confused with another fairly recent pic about the topic of "female empowerment," "THE Descent" (2005), directed by our Splat Pack friend, Neil Marshall, who also happens to be a major talent his own right.) But getting back to this "Descent," the NC-17 rated (uh-oh) effort on which the lovely Ms. Dawson takes a producer's credit (congratulations) and directed by Talia Lugacy (strong chance that's not a real name), as good as it is (in moments), it will not be appreciated by most lay people out there because the script is pretty flawed. As a producer, you really have to tighten up that script. Of course, in the premise alone, you have the promise of rising conflict, but there still lies the task therein of accomplishing rising conflict.At times, this thing plays like an interesting piece of experimental theater and, well, I guess I'll let the others who've already commented here speak to the boringness of it, namely that which occurs in the second act -but find me a second act that isn't boring? There's also this Catch 22 that goes along with these quasi-independent films like "Descent" in which Rosario happens to be attaching herself to and leveraging her "fame-identity" to get a script into production that would, under usual circumstances, not get made at all while at the same time she is basically a miscast in the film's leading role. Rosario Dawson is gorgeous and, apparently, you can shoot this girl from just about any angle all day long, but, oh, wow-wee, how fast the time just slips away: Rosy ain't no undergraduate no more. That's part of the confusion about the screenplay: "Is she a graduate student? A TA? No, graduate students don't really have these type of qualms with football players, do they?" Again, if you are Rosario Dawson, Executive Producer, that's the one of many, many aspects to the professional film process you'll have to think about as you embark on this wonderful new role in your film career. And if you don't have the answer to why you're movie isn't convincing, let me tell you: there is a boatload and a bevy of vivacious, well-qualified, undergraduate aged talents, pining to get involved in the business, who might have nailed that lead character down, all the while, looking just as darn good as you know who; but unfortunately without Ms. Dawson -no Honey, NO money. I have to say, the camera department did an outstanding job, however, because this film is really well shot (i.e. lit) in all its dreary/dreamy darkness. The nightclub scenes look wonderful; one can tell all those music videos are starting to pay off and the play with time... The shooting/framing is all quite excellent which makes the picture a rewarding watch."Descent" is good not great. However, I have a feeling, thanks to NetFlix, this movie will find a life of its own. I hope this group continues making films. If you're into experimental American film-making, cinematographic imagery of implausibly well formed college studs (or male model drop-outs) in their early twenties, or if you're an undergraduate, just plain angry at the hormonally aggressive young men that comprise less than half of your American university, "Rosario Dawson's Descent" might be your flavor of RockaRoll.$LABEL$ 1 +This movies had to be the funniest movie i have ever seen in my entire life. I laughed so hard i almost puked. After the movie was done i laughed for about an hour just thinking about the very last seen in the movie. Its is definitely 100 times better than the first Jackass movie. I loved seeing all of them back together again. If you are squeamish or don't like raunchy childish humour you will not like this movie. If you can go in with an open mind and not take it so seriously then you will laugh your ass off. Its amazing no one was killed in this movie. Every seen in this movie is so original and so different from the next you will not know what to expect. Mike Webber$LABEL$ 1 +It's made in 2007 and the CG is bad for a movie made in 1998. At one part in the movie there is a stop motion shot of a dinosaur that actually looks good, but this just makes the extremely amateur work on the CG stuff look even worse.The writing, acting, directing and everything else in this movie is just terrible. This is as bad as, if not worse than Raptor Island and 100 million BC... pure crap! Again, as with the other movies, the only scary part about this movie is that it actually got made and is now being aired on the sci-fi channel.I still can't understand how they somehow get people who do have some acting skills to act in these movies and then somehow get them to act as terrible as everyone else in the movie.For those of you who are unsure, the other poster is obviously being sarcastic in his review... or he is one of the people who worked on this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +no redeeming qualities can possibly be expressed. i wish i could get my time back. nice skull face broad really smiles, bright at the camera when the disease has already wreaked enough havoc on the ill informed script. i was ((spoiler)) happy to see all the characters dead or severely incapacitated by the end, especially the party poopers that drink the tainted juice on their way to the alleged sunset. Eli Roth does shine for moments of maybe ten, putting forth the theory on how well weed smokes in the woods when others really fiend on top of beer consumption. overall, i found most of it pointless, though not without gratuitous violence and not enough nudity, happy to witness the demise of cast, in a way though, wishing that journey never happened (probably should've been getting laid instead of watching TBS late night, ugh).$LABEL$ 0 +So it starts with a beautiful old house in the country. You have a group of people who get asked to come to this house and (not surprisingly) the caretakers always lock the gates at night for no apparent reason. Anywhoo, the people laugh, joke etc. This Dr tells them a spooky story of this woman and some kids. They get scared, they start to feel stuff. Oh no, a girl see's s ghost. Some more talking then this huge ghost comes and etc etc. This girl finds out that this ghost killed little kids and that she must free their souls, yeah yeah, blah blah. She does but, oh no, she dies as she does. And goes to heaven whilst this evil ghost goes to hell. Two people survive and escape the house. The script is terrible because a guy gets his head chopped off and Elanor (the one who dies saving the kids) says "oh no". The acting is wooden, the effects are crap and the set is a couple off rooms used over and over again. Basically if you like laughing at badly made films watch it, but if your looking for a scare then definitely give this film a miss. I was extremely disappointed when I watched this. A very big let down. My sister (who gets sacred very easily) got bored in this film it is appalling.$LABEL$ 0 +Lots of flames, thousands of extras in battle scenes, lots of beautiful sets. I don't think the plot supported such a vast expenditure. The story could have been told far more effectively and have been more valid, psychologically if there weren't so much macho bombast in the production. Chinese movies tend to be this way, in my experience. and I think this detracts from the film.$LABEL$ 0 +Sondra Locke stinks in this film, but then she was an awful 'actress' anyway. Unfortunately, she drags everyone else (including then =real life boyfriend Clint Eastwood down the drain with her. But what was Clint Eastwood thinking when he agreed to star in this one? One read of the script should have told him that this one was going to be a real snorer. It's an exceptionally weak story, basically no story or plot at all. Add in bored, poor acting, even from the normally good Eastwood. There's absolutely no action except a couple arguments and as far as I was concerned, this film ranks up at the top of the heap of natural sleep enhancers. Wow! Could a film BE any more boring? I think watching paint dry or the grass grow might be more fun. A real stinker. Don't bother with this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Although the story is fictional, it draws from the reality of not only the history of latin american countries but all the third world. This is the true, pure and raw recent history of these countries summarized concisely in this novel / film. The offbeat supranatural stuff, lightens up the intensity of historical events presented in this movie. After all the supranatural stuff is a part of the culture in the third world. Although is not critically acclaimed (probably because of the supranatural stuff), This is an excellent movie, with a great story and great acting.$LABEL$ 1 +Horror-genius Dario Argento is one of my personal favorite directors, and his films "Suspiria", "Phenomena" and "Profondo Rosso" range high on my personal all-time favorite list. "Opera" of 1987 is yet another tantalizing and brilliant film that no Horror lover can afford to miss, and that will keep you on the edge of your chair from the beginning to the end. This stunning and ultra-violent Giallo could well be described as the master's nastiest film, which is quite something considering that Argento's films are not exactly known for the tameness of their violence. The violence is extreme and very stylized in a brilliant way that makes Opera a film censor's nightmare.- Warning! SPOILERS ahead! - Just when Betty (Christina Marsillach), a young opera singer, is becoming successful, a murderous and incredibly sadistic psychopath starts stalking her... The murders are truly brutal, and of particularly sadistic nature. The killer attaches needles to the tied up Betty's eyelids, so she has to keep them open and watch while he brutally murders people close to her in abhorrent ways. When done with the butchering, the killer releases Betty and leaves, just to come back for other friends of hers...As usual for Argento's films, the violence is extremely graphic and very stylized. "Opera" truly is a brutal film, and what a stylish and atmospheric film it is. This film is absolutely tantalizing and pure suspense from the beginning to the end. The performances are entirely very good, especially Christina Marsillach is brilliant in the lead. A stunning beauty and great actress alike, Marsillach fits perfectly in her role of the talented singer, whose fear and horrid experiences are slowly making her crazy. Other great performances include those of Ian Charleston as a Horror film director who is directing an Opera, and director Argento's real-life girlfriend Daria Nicolodi, who has a role in many of his movies. The camera work is excellent as in all Argento films and The huge Opera House is an excellent setting that contributes a lot both to the film's beauty and its permanently creepy atmosphere. The score, which is partly classical music and partly heavy metal is great too, even though I slightly missed Goblin's brilliant Progressive Rock Soundtracks that are such a distinguishing element of most other Argento movies. "Opera" truly is a terrifying and absolutely breathtaking Giallo experience. This is an absolute must-see for any Horror lover, and I highly recommend it to any other film-fan who is not too sensitive when it comes to extreme violence. Excellent and absolutely tantalizing!$LABEL$ 1 +I really enjoyed this movie... In My DVD collection of baseball movies... Reminded me how great the sport truly is... Whether it's here in America or Japan.$LABEL$ 1 +This season lacked real oomf, but, as far as setting up stories to get us in the mood again, season 6 is without highlights and spontaneity.This season lacked its usual Sopranos style, and if you cut out all the garbage that was filled in each and every episode this season, you probably would have had 6 episodes worth of real stories.Side stories like Pauly's mom, is she or isn't she? was boring and had no purpose other than further exploration of his character. I would have like to have seen Bobby express his anger more at Pauly in that carnival episode, but to no avail.And that's just it! These side stories had no real purpose, and lack finishing. If they are going to finish off these stories in the next 6 episodes, I'd rather not watch it, because, its not really worth seeing.Disappointing is to nice a word to say about this season and its finale.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a major bait and switch. I rented it because of Rebecca St. James, a popular Christian singer. I have met her and wondered what she would be doing in a UFO movie. Well.......I think that she starred in this movie to help out a friend, or a friend of a friend. My first clue that this movie wasn't what it was supposed to be was when I witnessed the special effects of the UFO encounters. Cheesy! As the movie progressed, I noticed how plastic the actors were. It was funny how almost everyone in the movie wore solid colors. (There are a few exceptions).Rebecca was verrryyy disappointing. She is always found in the house and doesn't show the realistic facial expressions of one whose husband has return to the fold. Doesn't she ever leave the house? I had to turn off the movie several times in order to finish it. I hope that Rebecca doesn't believe the message of this movie - believe in what we believe or suffer and go to hell. Jesus spread a message of love and hope. His message inspired others to change OUT OF LOVE, NOT FEAR.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, this is an excellent series, though we have sort of a James Bond effect. What I mean is that while the new Casino Royale takes place in 2006, it is chronologically the first adventure of 007, Dr. No (1962) being the second, while in Golden Eye, the first film with Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench is referred to as the new replacement for the male "M" so how could she have been in place in the beginning before Bond became a double-0, aside from the fact that she is obviously 14 years older? This is more or less a "poetic" license to thrill. We need to turn our heads aside a bit if we wish to be entertained. No, the new Star Trek movie does not have any of the primitive electronics of the original series from nearly half a century ago. In the 1960's communicators were fantasy. (now we call them cell phones) and there were sliding levers instead of buttons. OMG, do you think 400 years from now, they would have perfected Rogaine for Jean-Luc Picard? So, please, let's give the producers some leeway.But to try and make things a bit consistent, let us just ponder about the Cylons creation just 60 years prior to the end of Battlestar Galactica. If that is the case, where did all the Cylons that populated the original earth come from? We know that the technology exists for spontaneous jumps through space. Well, what happened if one of the Cyclon ships at war with the Caprica fleet was fired upon or there was a sunspot or whatever and one ship, loaded with human-looking Cylons, wound up not only jumping through space, but through time, back a thousand or ten thousand years with a crippled ship near Earth One. They colonized it, found out they could repopulate it and eventually destroyed themselves, but not before they themselves sent out a "ragtag" fleet to search for the legendary Caprica, only to find a habitable but unpopulated planet, which they colonized to become the humans, who eventually invented the Cylons. Time paradox? Of course. Which came first, the chicken or the road? Who cares? It's fraking entertaining!$LABEL$ 1 +One of the very best Three Stooges shorts ever. A spooky house full of evil guys and "The Goon" challenge the Alert Detective Agency's best men. Shemp is in top form in the famous in-the-dark scene. Emil Sitka provides excellent support in his Mr. Goodrich role, as the target of a murder plot. Before it's over, Shemp's "trusty little shovel" is employed to great effect. This 16 minute gem moves about as fast as any Stooge's short and packs twice the wallop. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Think you've seen the worst movie in the world? Think again. The person who designed the cover of this box should be accused of false advertising. The cover makes it look like a good, scary horror suspense thriller. But, no. What we have instead is NIGHTSCREAM. A movie that makes a "sweeeoooowww!!" noise every time a credit flashes across the screen. The biggest name in the entire film is probably Casper Van Dien who hardly has a part.I voted a one for this one only because I couldn't vote any lower. If I could vote something like negative five-thousand, trust me, I would have. So, for now, I'm going to give NIGHTSCREAM 1/2* out of 5 just because it ended.$LABEL$ 0 +Any time a movie feature a dwarf or a midget in a prominent role, the odds are 10-to-1 that the director threw him in because he didn't know what else to do to keep the movie interesting. In this case, the featured little guy isn't all that bad - he manages to keep his dignity for most of his scenes (except the part where he drags the leading man down the stairs of the dungeon), but the movie itself uses him like a doggie chew toy. The problem here is a common one with low budget exploitation movies - there's a germ of a decent idea in here, but the director and the screenwriter don't know how to develop it. A good director would take the various story elements - brain transplants, mad doctors with secret labs and a dungeon, car chases, fist fights, dim-witted monstrous Frankenstein style assistant, mind control, betrayal and conspiracy, etc...and make an exciting, involving film full of cheap thrills and fun. Instead, what we get here is a bunch of people stumbling around and arguing in the doctor's lab, then a cheesy operation where the patient bleeds tempura paint, followed by some of the same people stumbling around and arguing in the doctor's lab some more, followed by another subgroup of the initial group driving around and having an accident, followed by a dungeon escape scene that is mostly about a woman putting her shoes back on, followed by a rooftop chase (the actual high point of the movie), followed by a confusing series of events where everyone in the movie apparently escapes from everyone else, followed by a lovely stroll in the countryside where everyone either chases, bumps into, attacks or escapes from everyone else AGAIN, followed by, well, not much else. Somewhere in here is a scary peroxide blonde dressed in white, a well meaning heroic type who is sort of blandly good looking, a three foot lab assistant, a big lunk with a mass of melted rubber pasted to one side of his face, a kid who wonders into the middle of the movie to provide more of the "frankenstein factor", a brunette who sort of falls in love with the hero for no apparent reason, and the mad doctor himself,who must be the luckiest man in the history of evil super-villains, because nothing goes according to his plan, but things work out for him anyway... and all because he remembered to stick an electrode into the transplanted brain at one point in the operation. This was by no means the worst movie I've seen, or even the worst exploitation movie I've seen, or even the worst badly made exploitation movie I've seen, but it just lies there, oozing cheapness and inattention to detail at every point, and there is no real reason for even bad movie enthusiasts to watch it.$LABEL$ 0 +Geologist realizes a big earthquake is coming but no one will listen. Whats worse is his father in law had predicted the 1923 Tokyo disaster and he's been called unworthy to be his successor. Of course the big one comes and Tokyo is knocked flat.A poorly dubbed Japanese film that is pure soap opera for the first half. The second half- after the earthquake destroys a model city its an escape drama. There are some nice moments but the film wastes them either by undercutting the action by too many poor miniatures or by having people do unreal things. Hokey and not very good it has an ending you won't believe...$LABEL$ 0 +Not a bad movie but could have been done without the full frontal nudity of a 10 year old boy in one of the opening scenes. This movie has excellent dialog; which is certainly common among foreign films. Foreign actors still know how to act as opposed to American actors who let the CGI, stunts, and special effects do all the work for them. This film is just good old fashion acting. Gerarde DePardieux did an excellent job as always. The costumes and scenery are accurate with the time. My only complaint is that they should have dubbed the English words over the french instead of using subtitles; this could just be because I hate reading subtitles.$LABEL$ 1 +this may not be War & Peace, but the two Academy noms wouldn't have been forthcoming if it weren't for the genius of James Wong Howe...this is one of the few films I've fallen in love with as a child and gone back to without dissatisfaction. whether you have any interest in what it offers fictively or not, BB&C is a visual feast.I'm not saying it's his best work, I'm no expert there for sure. but the look of this movie is amazing. I love everything about it; Elsa Lanchester, the cat, the crazy hoo-doo, the retro-downtown-ness; but the way it was put on film is breathtaking.I even like the inconsistencies pointed out on this page above, and the "special effects" that seem backward now. it all creates a really consistent world.$LABEL$ 1 +I dont know why people think this is such a bad movie. Its got a pretty good plot, some good action, and the change of location for Harry does not hurt either. Sure some of its offensive and gratuitous but this is not the only movie like that. Eastwood is in good form as Dirty Harry, and I liked Pat Hingle in this movie as the small town cop. If you liked DIRTY HARRY, then you should see this one, its a lot better than THE DEAD POOL. 4/5$LABEL$ 1 +this is one of my favorite movies ever! along with casablanca and cannibal holocaust, this is near perfect cinema. rex allen narrates this wonderful tale of a cougar who just needs a little loving. contains action, adventure, suspense, comedy, and riverbed chaos! SEE THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVE TO KILL TO DO IT!!! you will not find a better cat picture anywhere, with "cat from outer space" coming in as a not so close second. charlie's performance is magnificent. even includes animal cruelty and intense logging! gotta love disney, for all moral failures!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those star-filled over-the-top comedies that could a) be hysterical, or b) wish that you had gone to the dentist to have all your teeth pulled instead. Unfortunately, One Night at McCool's is a classic "b."Goldie Hawn recently commented about "Town and Country" that it's a big problem in Hollywood that they start with hiring the actors and putting together a deal before a script is completed. You have to figure that not only did they go into this picture without a complete script, they also mangled it daily. Maybe we need to send cards and letters to the heads of all the studio that say, "It's the script, stupid." This is also one of those movies where you find yourself feeling sorry for the actors most of the way through. They're working their asses off trying to make all this seem hysterical, but they know most of it is going to be accompanied not by belly laughs but by the sounds of the crickets you can hear inside the silent theatre.Is it an unmitigated disaster? Not entirely. There are some smiles along the way, mostly due to the efforts of the actors. I probably would have gone out of the theatre thinking, "Eh. It was okay." So why the undeniably hostile tone in my review? The ending. If, as it's been noted, the rest of the movie is just all a setup for the ending, then it misses spectacularly. I really wish I could speak specifically about it, but I hate people who give too much away (even in warning). Suffice it to say that as soon as you see John Goodman behind a bent-over Paul Reiser (nothing given away here. It's in the trailer), get the hell out of the theatre and go out thinking, "Eh. It was okay." The rest of the movie is tacked-on and creatively bankrupt. And you'll be appalled that there will actually be people laughing at this mess. If you loved "There's Something About Mary" or "Meet The Parents" (both GREAT movies), then don't bother to see this movie. Go have those teeth taken care of instead.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the kind of picture John Lassiter would be making today, if it weren't for advances in CGI. And that's just to say that he'd be forgotten, too, if technology hadn't made things sexy and kewl since 1983. _Twice..._ has got the same wit, imagination, and sense of real excitement that you'd find in a Pixar flick, only executed under the restrictions of the medium c. 1983. Innovative animation techniques combine with a great script and excellent voicing to produce a movie that appeals on lots of levels. It should be spoken of in the same breath with _Spiritited Away_ and _Toy Story_.$LABEL$ 1 +LIFEFORCE is an extremely schizophrenic movie, based on Colin Wilson`s novel The Space Vampires the script ignores most of the novel`s concepts and structure ( Indeed it owes more to the QUATERMASS serials than the novel ) but the scenes it does leave in from the novel are nearly identical to those in the film . And talking of the script it must be one of the most uneven in cinema history , it`s though it was written in chapters by several different people. Take for instance Carlson , he disappears after the early shuttle scenes which led me to believe he was dead then he turns up again halfway through the film in order to explain the plot to the beleaguered Brits and it`s this lack of attention by the screenwriters that spoils the film . And there`s plenty of other clumsy scripting such as the heroes returning to London in a helicopter and not realising it has been over run by zombies untill they`re flying over it .I could go on at great length about these plot holes but LIFEFORCE is actually enjoyable to watch as long as you don`t use your brain . It`s good to see a sci-fi horror film from an era when aliens were portrayed as being cute creatures that children hid in their bedrooms so that nasty human adults wouldn`t get their hands on them . The special effects and pyrotechnics are very very good , there`s lots of action and stunts and LIFEFORCE features one of the most memorable aliens in the form of the space girl . When mentioning LIFEFORCE in conversation with males it`s always a race to say " Seen the alien in LIFEFORCE? She can suck the lifeforce out of me anytime " Hardly surprising looking at the demographics of the votes that this film is more popular with males than females" Don`t worry . A naked girl can`t escape from here " Can`t she ? Pity$LABEL$ 1 +Having enjoyed Neil Gaiman's writing (especially his collaboration with Yoshitaka Amano in "The Dream Hunters") in the past, I figured Mirrormask to be a sure thing and was very disappointed. The beginning, live-action section of the movie was intriguing enough. The relationships between the characters was believable and easy to empathize with, and I loved the sets, the costuming, and Helena's artwork. The subsequent computer-generated scenes, however, were excruciating. The dialogue was awkward and pretentious, the interaction between the live actors and the CGI horrifying. Events occurred for the flimsiest reasons, and most events seemed superfluous to whatever plot may have existed. I only watched the first twenty or thirty minutes of the movie, so I'm not exactly an authority, but I strongly recommend that you don't watch any of it at all and stick with Gaiman's strong written work.$LABEL$ 0 +The first thing I noticed about this movie was how well everything was set up. A quality movie all round. I suppose you could love this film just for its action, but I liked it for more than that.This is a pure thriller/horror movie. It offers a more fully-fleshed script than most horror films do. I thought, at least the U.S. version, ended brilliantly, and was great throughout. The story felt honest and brutal.The film has an excellent, tight script that keeps the action moving, with believable characters in largely believable situations.$LABEL$ 1 +A collection of Deleted scenes and alternative takes, edited together and with added voice-over to make it appear to take place after the events of the first. Pretty cool idea, but deleted scenes are left on the cutting room floor for a reason and this is further proof. As it's just not as funny as "Anchorman", and really let's face it THAT film wasn't exactly comedy gold either, so you get a 'movie' worse than one that was moderately funny. In my eyes that STILL puts it one or two notches above "Kicking and Screaming", or "Bewitched". Chross your fingers that "The Wedding Crashers" is a return to old school form (no pun intended) My Grade: D$LABEL$ 0 +This was one of the worst Columbo episodes that I have seen, However, I am only in the second season.The typical Columbo activities are both amusing and irritating. His cigar ashes causing him trouble have been seen before, And the bit where he always identifies in some way with the murderer--in this case cooking ,Tho the scene on the TV cooking show distracted from the main theme.Also not explained was why the brother at the beginning of the show was cutting part of the wires of the mixer. The reason was never explained ,nor did it serve any purpose. But the part I disliked the most was the death of the bride to be . This was never explained and it is the main reason why I give this episode such a low grade.$LABEL$ 1 +I never heard of the book, nor care to read it, but the movie I will probably see many times.This film is unforgettable with perhaps the richest imagery I have ever seen in a movie. It was as if I was looking at paintings many times, which I think was the idea.Terrific movie, story, actors, and cinematography. Full of profound emotions from every angle. Although I am not particularly fond of romance movies, I loved this and was deeply moved by Winona Ryder's plea to her father toward the end.Mr. Irons deserved an award for his performance and Close was never better.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is very silly and very funny. You can't ever criticize it for taking itself seriously. If you've heard their previous album or seen their HBO videos from the album, you can imagine the extremely foul-mouthed, rocking good time that is this movie which tells the fable of how the group Tenacious D came to be formed.Full of cameos, it not only gives a fictional account of Tenacious D but is a send-up of musical history as well. The humor reminds one of Something About Mary in that they often "go places you'd thought they wouldn't," but it lacks the scatological humor of South Park. This movie contains no nudity, except for mooning.$LABEL$ 1 +SLIGHT SPOILERS (but it doesn't matter anyway).An exercise in gobblygook of catastrophic proportions not even worthy of the l0 lines I need to put these remarks on the netwaves. This is the single worst episode of the Masters series to date and the first that qualifies for the defunct Mystery Science Theatre treatment. Even if it took me a full half hour to realize the intended ironic angle, it was still a very lame mess. Its sole value lies in the perspective that forces one to realize that in addition to gore and ugly masks the genre only succeeds when the classic cinematic notions of photography and lighting, dialogue and acting, editing and timing are put to use. Here they are absent and John Carpenter is no master. Period. And no trite analysis of the easy social comment herein will change that. Oddly, Carpenter never has been anything more than a B director, but at least such films as 'Fog' and 'The Thing' had terrific atmosphere (the latter is one of my cult favorites).Abominable acting. Camera angles stuck in cement. Tensionless rhythm. Yet perhaps the single most obnoxious element of the episode is the storyline which of course JC cannot really be blamed for (unless the writers were buddies of Cody.) The initial two minute slo-mo of a girl running through a forest only to be nearly run over by a would be Scully-Mulder duo is the first and last thing that works in the film. But come on, a girl hurtling through a deserted woods to nowhere in particular in desperate need of an abortion fortuitously rendez-vous with the fender of a pair of 'women's rights' MDs whose clinic just happens to be at the end of the road around the corner. Oh, and I won't even nitpick about how the doc whips the accidentee into the car and speeds away at 0 to 60 in six seconds. Does wonders for possible broken ribs or concussion.Then things fall apart real quick. The vacuous dialogue "I just want to help you", the interminably sluggish back and forth at the gate, grandiose battle tactics like cutting the telephone line (in the age of cell phones?) followed by the the shoot-out: a born-again Ramboesque clinic director vs Ron Perlman and the high school bullpen out for a few kicks at Easter break. Another lovely line: "So what are we going to do?" from the kid who had just been sitting on a pile of assault rifles in the back of the van. Er, no it isn't yet pheasant season. So who needs those teen boys anyway. What about the good old tried and true method of the lone lunatic who bashes his way through the gate with his all-American SUV?As for the exchange of bullets scenes themselves, the cuts here were as stiff as the staccato of a DC comics strip. All that was lacking were the Wham, Bam, and Whiz of the balloon titles. And all to the tune of a soundtrack worthy of an old Mannix episode.At one point we learn that Daddy isn't really the daddy, but at this point we haven't been led to care much any more either. This story's single source of drama is the conflict between the pro-life father and his pregnant daughter who is only thankful she's not having twins. Yet there is not a single scene, flashback or not, where they are actually ever found together. They remain mere abstractions to each other throughout.With the exception of the gatekeeper every single one of the characters is absolutely dislikeable. Bland, hysterical, dull-headed, macho. As perfectly flat as human wallpaper can be. None of the doctors seem to have anything medical about them. And there's that bickering Dad who rails at his pregnant daughter as though he himself were the stressed out boyfriend. He fortunately got his. There are two great MST-worthy comic moments: the gusher when Angelica's plumbing goes out and later the new-born lobster with a glued on baby's head. Also cute was Angelica's rugby ball belly before she finally popped the right-to-life little monster from Hell. As for that audacious male abortion scene...well, they should have retained Miike's episode and banned this one instead.In short, a 3rd rate Rosemary's Baby meets Alien set on the turf of a M.A.S.H. episode. This stinker alone, appreciable only to today's permissive under-16 generation, will assure as someone else said here, that this series will not be renewed for a third season. A real shame, since there have been a number of brilliant productions, including such really decent spoofs as Dante's 'Homecoming' or McKee's deliciously quirky 'Sick Girl'. Not to mention the superb imagery of Malone's 'Fairhaired Child'.Sorry John Carpenter, I believe your directing days are over. It's time to run for President.$LABEL$ 0 +So this ugly guy with long, nasty hair and his girlfriend end up in this house and they argue and argue about his old girlfriend. There was suppose to be something scary in it but I didn't see anything scary at all. There is some mention of a demon from the sea but that doesn't go anywhere at all. I wish it did because then it would've taken the tension away from the jealous love triangle. The title of the movie makes it look like it would be a scary and exciting movie but it is so far from it that I couldn't believe it. I waited and waited for it to end and was so happy when it did. It did not live up to the title like it should have so boo hoo hoo. The cover had a cool picture but I shouldn't judge a cheesy movie by its cover.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I recently put this on my 10 worst films list, I have to say it's probably no worse than Burt Reynolds in "The Maddening" or any of the "Look Who's Talking" sequels. Still, it's pretty nauseating, even with sexy Drew Barrymore playing something of a horror-movie answer to Holly Golightly, relocating from New York City to Los Angeles but finding out she's being stalked by a murderous look-alike. Poor Sally Kellerman, a quirky actress of great acclaim in the '70s, is reduced here to a paltry supporting role, and Barrymore's leading man George Newbern is the worst type of sitcom actor, always pausing for a laugh after every line. The picture is swill, but Drew's bloody shower scene boasts showmanship, and the identity of the psycho (although right out of a "Scooby Doo" episode) is interesting. But as for the finale...get real! Who had to clean up THAT mess? * from ****$LABEL$ 0 +This is certainly a good film, beautifully photographed and evocatively acted. Yet one should certainly criticize it, and Mizoguchi, for it is not without flaws and weaknesses. Mizoguchi really cared for women, and wanted to make statements on man's lack of sympathy and total cruelty, yet he sometimes gets ahead of himself in trying to make this statement by adopting the wrong means. This is certainly a case in 'the Crucified Lovers', 'Princess Yang Kwei Fei' and 'Zankiku monogatari'. He sets the scenario in feudal Japan, which leaves the viewer at the end with the partially right exclamation: "boy, does feudalism suck, I'm glad that it is over...". And true, some of the scenarios such weaker films of Mizoguchi present would be literary impossible today. Also, his women characters sometimes become archetypes of unrealistic self-sacrifice, which also simplifies the scenario less appealing. Saying that, "Crucified Lovers" is a good film, with such few relative weaknesses, though the sometimes chilly, cynical prose by Ueda, the screenwriter helps this film allot. I still highly prefer and recommend Mizoguchi's 'realistic, 'contemprary' films of 1936: 'Osaka Elegy' and 'Sisters of the Gion', as well as his late masterpieces, in which he showed more restraint and subtlety: 'Ugetsu', 'Sansho Dayu', and 'The Life of Oharu'.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great movie. Some will disagree with me but , if you know anything about the bible you know it is. I think everyone should see it!! I agree a new updated version like be nice but the message is still right on. If you can see this movie. Is not a "scare the hell of you movie",it is truthful with the Bible. I think the U. N. will play a major role in the world government to come. The last days are lining up with the Bible. Look at what has happened with the chip for dogs and cats that now has come to light to protect on children from being kidnapped. It's the size of a grain of rice. This I feel is the fore runner of the mark of the beast spoken of in the Bible. Without the mark you can't sell or buy, with this chip that small in the future there is no telling how much info can be put on it.$LABEL$ 1 +Having just finished Cronicles of the Heroic Knight mere minutes ago I find myself extremely please but questions still loom over me. While it would appear that the first 7 episodes or so are actually a retelling of the events of the first Record of Lodoss War the truth is that they really aren't. It would appear that the creator of CotHK had a different vision as to how the original ended (and that may be the reason that the first 7 episodes occur) but I do not find that to be the case. CotHK does say it starts 5 years after the War of Heros which Parn was a part of. I think the director made the first 5 episodes seem so much like a recap of the original just to give the viewer a small reminder and an introduction to characters and their deeds done because they appear much less after the series kicks into Spark's story. Now, once the series does kick into Spark's portion we find ourselves kicked up another 10 years (15 years now since the War of Heros). Spark and his crew do, in some cases, resemble Parn and his crew once the journey kicks into gear, especially the love story that brews between Spark and Neese. I also thought several times throughout CotHK that I threw in the original series and if it wasn't for Spark's long blue hair I know I would've pressed stop more than once to make sure the right disc was in. By no means do I consider these major set backs however, the writers did a fine job in crafting believable characters and a remarkable storyline. The only thing that makes me hurt is that Ashram and Wagnard return. Ummmm... how??? Don't get me wrong both are great villains even though Ashram's only villainous trait is that he supports the Marmo. Perhaps I missed something during the coarse of the series that explained that part. As far as sequels go though, I highly recommend CotHK. I place both CotHK and, even more so, the original Record of Lodoss War far above the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Both of these are more epic than anything I've ever seen or read. I highly recommend this.$LABEL$ 1 +While I rather enjoyed this movie, I'll tell you right now that my mother wouldn't. It's out there. Really warped little dark comedy that reads like a fairy tale gone awry. >Neat treat with all the cameos too. If you want something "different", look no further.$LABEL$ 1 +Way to go ace! You just made a chilling, grossly intriguing story of a necrophiliac cannibal into a soft, mellow, drama. Obviously a movie called Dahmer would be one of two kinds: Horror, or documentary right? This was neither. It wasn't close to any detailed facts, (in fact it barely had any substance at all) It wasn't really morbid or scary or didn't even try to be very disturbing.(as if you would've had to try!!) What the hell was this writer/director thinking?? Here's one of the most REAL examples of sick serial killers ever and we get badly shot, poorly acted gay bar roofie rapes and lengthy droning flashbacks to alone time in his old parent's house. I think Jacobson was actually trying to present (or invent) 'the soft side' of j.Dahmer.$LABEL$ 0 +Philistines beware, especially American ones! This has all the elements you'll hate - a langorous approach to film language, a painterly sense of composition, an intense homoerotic focus to its elegant narrative, a wonderful and unusual use of music and, even worse, it's based on a story you'd probably hate as well... If, however, you do feel that films don't to have derivative plotlines, be full of action and crappy dialogue, don't need the visual grammar of MTV/TV Commercials, then watch this. It's one of my favourite films, and is perhaps Visconti's most perfectly formed piece of work. It's sublime, like the movement of Mahler he uses insistently throughout the film.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. Who ever said that Edward D. Wood Jr. never influenced anybody? This steaming pile of donkey excrement is a perfect case in point; it makes "The Violent Years" look like "Casablanca"! "Santa Claus" also makes Keith Richards' worst flashbacks look like my first nocturnal emission. I've had nightmares, you know, waking up and sweating bullets, that will never come close to the visceral terror that Santa Claus unearthed from the seemingly pure soil of my very being. However, I can think of some parties where this film might actually go over well. Also, if you're looking for the perfect example of a Santa-Satan dichotomy on VHS tape, look no further. Don't check out this movie, as I've been notified the MST3K version is now available. Move over Satan, here's "Santa Claus".$LABEL$ 0 +I think this movie actually has a lot of nice things to say about a lot of people (Johnny Carson, Ted Koppel), and it shows that Letterman and Leno actually liked and respected each other a lot. Treat Williams as the half-Kung Fu Master, half-Godfather-like Mike Ovitz is terrific.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie sucked! The first one was way better. No one from the first has returned in this dumb sequel and in some way that is a good thing because of the bad acting but the characters in this film are not even better. Killjoy in the woods? Come on! Give me a break! I'm suprised killjoy's friend the Blair Witch didn't show up to make a cameo. Bad acting, bad story and just plain out silly and boring. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!$LABEL$ 0 +Rented this tonite from my local video store. It was titled "Black Horizon." I guess someone felt this was good enough for a 2004 re-release...Micheal Dudikoff is unfortunetly not a ninja in this movie, one of the major flaws of this film right off the bat. Another major flaw would be that Ice-t's action scenes are stolen from other movies, particularly the first scene of his rescue, which is directly from the Wesley Snipes movie "The Art of War," with Ice-T edited in. I hope they paid for that footage.The plot is awful, the special effects had little effort put into them (love those wires holding them in space), the acting is wooden (also love those New York/Russian accents). Ice-T being in the movie is pointless. These guys also forgot the fact that there is no gravity in space, but I guess they weren't worried about it.Micheal Dudikoff should go back to doing what he's "good" at and make American Ninja 6.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, so the introduction, with its hokey offer of a free coffin to anyone who dies of fright during the film, is so lame it's funny. And so the first "skull scene" is so drawn out and un-suspenseful it's funny. The actual plot of the movie is somewhat decent, there's at least a little bit of genuine food for thought in the behavior of the characters, and the plot twist is decent as horror flicks go. The acting is average, not truly bad. Altogether, this movie doesn't quite fall flat in the way a 1/10 movie would. It's not terrible enough to get the lowest rating or even second lowest. If I just read the screenplay, I'd say there was potential for this to be a decent movie. It's just that the horrid direction and production that ruin the movie. So it's a bad movie, but there are much worse ones out there.$LABEL$ 0 +Jumpin' Butterballs, this movie stinks! It's a dull and listless drag that never lets up. It's a wonder anyone even bothered to make Groucho up in his bizarre trademark eyebrows and mustache, as he has nothing witty or outrageous to do or say throughout this bore. Chico must have been so disinterested that he forgot to use his Italian accent.Only Harpo provides a grin or two, and there's precious little of that to go around here anyway. Figure in a loudmouthed hotel manager and another obnoxious co-comic in Frank Albertson, and the road gets even bumpier. A real misfire.$LABEL$ 0 +Caught this flick as one of a five-for-$5 deal from a local video store, and it was a most pleasant surprise. It's a collection of four interrelated tales built around four kids who've just had a car wreck and are waiting for someone to pick them up. They tell each other these stories to kill time, and are occasionally startled by flashing lights and funny noises which all come together in an O. Henry-esque ending that left me gleeful. A real discovery. Blood (and plenty of it), breasts and beasts round it all out rather nicely...Jacinda Barrett is worth the price of admission alone. This one is a keeper--Jim Bob says check it out.Oddly enough, "Pumpkinhead" was one of our five choices too, and IMDB recommends that for anyone who likes "Campfire Tales". I'll followup as soon as I get a chance to sit down and watch that one. Joyeux Samhain!$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen many of Shahrukh's movies and this is a very good role for him. He has such versatility, but he mainly stays in positive roles. As Rahul, he is very dark and disturbing, yet I found myself sympathizing with him much of the movie. If for nothing else, watch this movie for Shahrukh. He plays a very complex and real character very convincingly. The story is very typical and has been done before, but the character development is very strong and entertaining. The opening is a little confusing, but by the end, it doesn't matter. The songs I found very likable and give insight to what characters are thinking. Very clever. I think this movie was very good and recommend it to all Shahrukh Khan fans. It is a must see!$LABEL$ 1 +One would think that with the incredible backdrop of WWII Stalingrad that the writers would come up with a script. Nope. There is NO story here! It's like porn, vignettes of violence interrupted by pathetic, rote, and meaningless dialogue.A bunch of Germans march around shooting and getting shot. Slowly there are fewer Germans to march around, shoot, and get shot. Then there are no Germans to march around, shoot, and get shot.Pretty bad.Chilcoot$LABEL$ 0 +While I agree with the previous post that the cinematography is good, I totally disagree with the rest: This is nothing more than a porno movie disguised as an artsy film. Showing little boys naked is not art and amounts to child porn. Steer clear of this dud. Stupid is what this film is.$LABEL$ 0 +In Arlington Heights, IL we never had a cafeteria in any of the elementary schools (1961) so I rode my bike home from school for lunch and always watched this game. True, I was 11, but I thought it was the greatest thing on! I'd draw hidden pictures on my blackboard and see if my family or friends could find it. I also remember winning wonderful cars (Pontiac or Oldsmobile) if the contestant got the final hidden picture game. I even had the home version!I wonder why this game lasted so briefly. I enjoyed the music and the hidden pictures - the only one I could ever get was the lemon hidden as part of a bridge over a garden stream.Really good memories are connected with Camouflage.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the most important artistic movements in the history of cinema was without a doubt German expressionism, the highly atmospheric style of film-making developed during the 20s in Berlin. Classic movies like "Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari." (1920) and "Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" (1922) were the most famous direct results of this movement, and while the movement didn't have a long life, its enormous influence over cinema can still be felt today, specially in the horror genre. One of the key figures of this style would be director Paul Wegener, director of 1920's "Der Golem, Wie Er in die Welt Kam", as in his debut as a filmmaker, seven years before the making of that classic, he was already making experiments with expressionism in film. That early prototype of German expressionism was incidentally, another horror film: "Der Student Von Prag"."Der Student Von Prag" ("The Student of Prague"), is the story of Balduin (Paul Wegener), a student with the reputation of being the best fencer in Prague, but who always find himself with financial troubles. One day, Balduin rescues the beautiful countess Margit (Grete Berger) from drowning in a lake after her horse drop her by accident. Balduin falls immediately in love with her and tries to see her again, but soon he discovers that he'll have to compete with her rich cousin, Graf Von Schwarzenberg (Lothar Körner), who also wants to marry her. Knowing that he can't offer her much, Balduin wishes to be wealthy, and this is where a sorcerer named Scapinelli (John Gottowt) enters the scene. Scapinelli offers Balduin infinite wealth in exchange of whatever he finds in his room. Balduin accepts the proposal, only to discover in horror that what Scapinelli wants is his reflection in the mirror.Loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story "William Wilson" and the classic legend of "Faust", the story of "Der Student Von Prag" was conceived by German writer Hanns Heinz Ewers, a master of horror literature and one of the first writers to consider scriptwriting as valid as any other form of literature. Written at a time where cinema in Germany was still being developed as an art form, "Der Student Von Prag" shows a real willingness to actually use cinema to tell a fully developed story beyond a camera trick or a series of scenes. Like most of the scriptwriters of his time, Ewers screenplay is still very influenced by theater, although "Der Student Von Prag" begins to move away from that style. While a bit poor on its character development (specially on the supporting characters), Ewers manages to create an interesting and complex protagonist in the person of Balduin.While "Der Student Von Prag" was Paul Wegener's directorial debut and Stellan Rye's second film as a filmmaker, it's very clear that these two pioneers had a very good idea of what cinema could do when done properly. Giving great use to Guido Seeber's cinematography, the two young filmmakers create a powerful Gothic atmosphere that forecasts what the German filmmakers of the following decade would do. Wegener would learn many of the techniques he would employ in his "Golem" series from Seeber and Rye. Despite having very limited resources, Rye and Wegener manage to create an amazing and very convincing (for its time) visual effect for the scenes with Balduin's reflection (played by Wegener too). Already an experienced stage actor at the time of making this film, Wegener directs the cast with great talent and also attempts to move away from the stagy style of previous filmmakers.As Balduin, Paul Wegener is very effective and probably the best in the movie. It certainly helps that his character is the only one fully developed by the writer, but one can't deny that Wegener was very good in his role as the poor student who loses more than his mirror reflection in that contract. John Gottowt plays the sinister Scapinelli with mysterious aura that suits the character like a glove. Few is said about Scapinelli in the film, but Gottowt makes sure to let us know that he is a force to be feared. The rest of the main cast is less lucky, with Grete Berger being pretty much average as countess Margit, and Lothar Körner making a poor Graf Von Schwarzenberg. However, it must be said that Lyda Salmonova was pretty good in her expressive character and Fritz Weidemann made an excellent Baron Waldis-Schwarzenberg, showing the dignity that Lörner's character should have had.Considering the movies that were being done in those years in other countries and the fact that its remake (made 13 years after this film) is superior in every possible way, it's not difficult to understand why "Der Student Von Prag" hasn't stood the test of time as well as other early films. The movie's main problem is definitely its extremely low budget, as it resulted in the film being considerably shorter than what Ewers' story needed to be fully developed. This makes the plot feel a bit too vague at times, or even incomplete, as if there was something missing in the narrative (of course, there's also the possibility that the existing print is really incomplete). However, "Der Student Von Prag" is a very interesting early attempt at a complex tale of horror and suspense in film that, while inferior to what other filmmakers were doing at the time, left a powerful impression in history.As the direct predecessor of the German expressionist movement, it's hard to deny the enormous importance that "Der Student Von Prag" has in the history of German cinema, probably in the history of cinema in general. It may look dated even for its time, but considering the limited resources its director had, it's truly better than most films from that era. As the movie that started Paul Wegener's career, and with that German expressionism, "Der Student Von Prag" is a must see for everyone interested in this slice of film history. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +I really didn't expect much from this film seeing as it has people from Parkersburg WV, which is were I live, acting in it. This town is dull and so is this film. There were a few decent scened in the movie but I was distracted by all the crappy landmarks they made a point to show. This movie may have been good if there was actual acting in it but there wasn't any. Unless you are from Parkersburg and are interested in seeing what you see everyday, then stay away from this movie. The dialog will put you to sleep, the acting will bore you to tears and Steven Soderberg should lose some credibility after shooting crap like this. Its a predictable movie with no surprises. What you see is what you get and that is a 73 minute tour of Parkersburg West Virginia and Belpre Ohio without a narrator.$LABEL$ 0 +tell you what that was excellent. Dylan Moran is simply the funniest actor on screen( and on stage) and with Micheal Caine as your partner ain't to bad either, both are great to watch in a really funny film. true, not all the gags come off but its worth sticking around for the ones that do, but come on its got Micheal Caine in a dress in it( the whole admission fees worth that) and every time Dylan Moran's on screen its more like Bernard blacks movie. the story is two actors(Moran and Caine) who decide to steal money from a group of gangsters by acting out different persona's to fool them all but getting away with it's a different matter. basically "the actors" is a great British comedy that was somehow missed by many, seriously if your a Moran fan(or want to see Micheal Caine in a dress) definitely see this$LABEL$ 1 +Man, I went to this movie because of the great preview. It looked like it had a great story and nice special effects.Boy was I wrong. I wanted to walk out of the theater because of those horrible special effects. A cartoon dino, of cart board would do even a better job then this. The story was fine, if it would have been taken on by a big movie producer. Who would trow in some more money to make the effect more life like. The only thing I liked about this movie where the plants that pop up everywhere.Even worse where the cars, in one scene 2 characters walk along the street. If you watch those cars you'll see the following: Taxi, car, motorcycle, tri-pod, big bus. And about 4x in a row!And then there is the "butterfly death" that would set the whole "evolution changes" in to progress. If that guy didn't step on the butterfly, the next dino would have eaten it anyway! So that's absolute bull. Then, if you change something in the past, the future will be different in the same instant. Not in those "time waves" they made. But hey, if the future changed in a split second, the movie would be even worse, but more realistic though. This is just one of those movies you should see when you want to have a great laugh. I spend way to much money on this movie in the theater. And then they tell me this movie had $80 million dollar budget. WHERE DID ALL THAT MONEY GO????$LABEL$ 0 +This film had some very funny moments. The aforementioned feeb sketch for starters. The parts where Rik tries to act dignified in front of his guests, looking down at them through his nose. Very subtly done, especially as the guest was a toffee nosed adulterer himself.The scene where Rik finds out that Gina has a fiancé, "Ahhh. She was stringing me along all the time, the brazen hussy." with his 2 candle eyes. Like as if she really fancied him. But he believed it. That's why it was so funny. Great moment. Gino was also excellent. He should have been used more as the bad man. "Where are the whores I ordered!" he bellows. Brilliant stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's summarize how dumb this movie is with two details : Arnold to Antichrist : "Let's see who is meanest" said with a straight face. And you can tell they were not trying to be funny.How do you think Arnold will battle the evil of all evils?Blessed Water, A crucifix, a priest..nooo! with a bazooka, yes not even Satan expected it they're so clever.After an engaging beginning (which reminds you of Devil's Advocate) it goes nowhere. Somebody get me those two hours of my life back. Don't ever watch it, rent it, lest buy it.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, the plot for this film is all over the place! There is so much plot and so many things that happen that it practically made my head spin!! And, as a result, none of it seemed particularly believable.The movie starts with Kay Francis as a housewife living in a small town. She's had some experience with local theater and has ambitions of going to Broadway. When a big-time actor arrives in town, she pursues him in hopes that he can give her a career boost. But, her husband is worried about shenanigans--as this actor is a cad. So, the hubby bursts in on them and hits the actor--and the actor dies! As a result, he's convicted of First Degree Murder!!! Not Manslaughter, but Murder 1! Now, pregnant and in need of funds, Kay goes to New York. But Broadway jobs aren't to be found, so she's forced to take any job--even Burlesque. Unable to adequately care for her young daughter, she gives it to another woman to raise. However, eventually she does find a job in a real Broadway play and everything looks rosy. But, the jealous diva starring in the play hates her for some inexplicable reason and forces her to be thrown off the play. Despondent, she makes her way to England and becomes a real star. Years later, she returns to New York to get her kid--but the child is older and thinks the woman caring for her is her real mother. At the same time, her husband's lawyer now thinks that if he gets $10,000 he can get the man out of prison. As another reviewer wrote, is this to bribe people?! How can $10,000 get him out otherwise--maybe it will buy a helicopter so they can fly into the prison yard and scoop him up!! Wow--this is enough for 2 or 3 films! And, all this occurs by the 45 minute mark!!! Believe it or not, there's quite a bit more to it. If you really care, see it yourself to find out how it all unfolds.This is sort of like 'kitchen sink writing'--throwing in practically everything and hoping, somehow, it will all work. Unfortunately, the film turns out to be hopelessly unbelievable and mushy despite Ms. Francis' best efforts. It's the sort of film no one could really have saved thanks to a 2nd-rate plot. It's almost as if someone just took a few dozen plot elements, threw them into a box and then began randomly picking them in order to make a movie!! Overall, unless you are a die-hard Kay Francis fan or love anything Hollywood made in the 1930s, this one is one you can easily skip. Not terrible but certainly not good.By the way, the child who plays Francis' daughter upon her return to New York (Sybil Jason) really was terrible. I think she was supposed to be...I think.$LABEL$ 0 +I might have given this movie a higher rating before Peter Jackson's trilogy came out, but seeing the two of them side by side there is simply no comparison. The pace of this movie is rushed, many important scenes from the book are left out, and there is little character development. The animation is a strange mixture of traditional cartoon drawings and live action scenes that were painted over, which I found distracting. And the most disappointing thing about this movie is that it breaks off in the middle of the story and was never finished. There are some good points- the battle scenes are exciting to watch, and the dialogue follows the book pretty much to the letter. Watch this one if you're in a hurry and can't spend 10 hours watching the new trilogy. But if you haven't read the book you'll probably be confused, because there is a lot missing from this version. 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +While possibly the stupidest, most tasteless, and violent slapstick comedy ever made, Guest House is also a very funny one. Don't listen to the critics, they have no sense of humour. While the climax runs out of steam (but not vomit), it's still a funny party movie. Seven candles in the eye out of ten.$LABEL$ 1 +So it's a little dated now, it's almost 30 yrs old. Amazingly enough I have this on BETA tape and it still plays just fine. If it came to DVD I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.The drug humor is not appreciated nowadays as it was back then. Then it wasn't as 'harmful'. Much like driving without airbags, seat belts and child seats. I can remember my father crying he was laughing so hard watching this. I had coworkers in the 90's who'd seen it and I could bust them up by getting on the intercom and saying "Iiiiiiiivvvvyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy".Great lines, great spoof of the original, and funny to me anyway even three decades later!$LABEL$ 1 +A series of painfully unfunny skits that seem to go on forever and a day. Not as mind-numbingly awful as say "Freddy Got Fingered" or "Lost Reality", but that in NO way is an endorsement in ANY way, sense or form. Features the worst rhyming clown ever. Any most if it isn't offensive to anybody but the most prudish or politically correct. It also has the worst song parody EVER put on film, the WORST Arnold impersonation EVER (not just the worst put on film, literally the worst EVER). I have NO clue why Karen Black, Micheal Clarke Duncan, or Slash would star in this (the reasons I watched this in the first place) The only thing mildly amusing was Dickman. In conclusion I would't recommend this film to ANYONE, but the people who are making it their mission in life to get this in the Bottom 250 on this site are pathetic. Do something notable with you lives people. Plus if it's true the Church of Scientalogy hates him, he can't be ALL bad.My Grade: D$LABEL$ 0 +I cant explain what a load of rubbish this film is. Like really i cant. its just that bad.plot=crap acting=crap budget=so low its laughableJesus, its like the only good thing in this movie is the fact the main character was fairly hot.The only people i feel, that think this movie is good are the ones who took part in the film. I'm sure they are not the ones who funded it because there was no money put into this. (HAHAhaha to the bit where there heads get shaved)This movie has already wasted too much of my life so i am not going to waste anymore time writing my review for it.$LABEL$ 0 +Unlike endemol USA's two other current game shows (Deal Or No Deal and 1 vs. 100), the pacing in this show is way too slow for what is happening on the screen.DOND and 1 vs. 100 can get away with slow pacing because the games can change pace--or end--at any moment. There is risk involved in every action the player takes, the rewards are wildly variable, and it is difficult for the players to leave with a significant amount of money. Suspense is usually put to good use.Show Me The Money, on the other hand, is just too slow-paced. When a question is revealed and it is obvious that the player knows the correct answer, you can rest assured that absolutely nothing exciting will happen in the next few minutes. It would greatly help the pace of this show to reveal the correct answer FIRST, and THEN have the player select a dancer, instead of Shat wasting time talking about what will happen if the player gets an answer wrong when we all know they're right. The random dancing is filler that actually feels like filler. Too much time is wasted while not enough is happening... and the fact that players cannot choose to quit the game early guarantees that there WILL be a lot of time wasted.Oh, and I have NO interest in watching Shat shake his groove thang, especially right after I've eaten dinner.I am a lifelong game show fan, but even I had a lot of trouble sitting through an hour of this. It either needs major changes or early retirement.$LABEL$ 0 +I first encountered this show when I was staying in Japan for six months last year. I found it in the internet when I was looking for sub-titled dramas to help me with my Japanese. My host mother warned me to stay away from it because she thought it was weird, but I found it delightful! Koyuki showed such conflicting character traits and Matsujun's spirit made my day every time I tuned in! I first saw him on "Hana Yori Dango", but I liked him much better in this!Although the characters are interesting and well-developed, I was disappointed to find that they didn't change very much throughout the show. Their relationship grew, but they didn't really. Still, a fun time had by all (Even for Fukushima!).$LABEL$ 1 +Art-house horror tries to use unconventional aesthetics to cover the fact that this is just another serial killer chiller which ultimately relies on pornographic combinations of teen sexuality and violent gore. The suburbs come across about as well as they do in every piece of Australian writing (book or film) since 1960 - surprise surprise, the suburbs have a dark underbelly - and the plot is as contrived as any you've seen. "The neighbours would never know about this guy," one of the filmmakers says about Joel Edgerton's character. "But he was completely plausible as to what he was. Serial killers don't all have patches over their eyes and scars down their cheeks. They look like the guy next door." Another trader in pornographic violence who sees a serial killer in every street. But the real insignificance of this film is in the fact that it's a genre film that nobody saw. Backed by substantial funds (including some from Film Finance - that's government), this got a run at the Underground Film Festival in Melbourne and had to rely on ACMI kindness for a *very* short release season. Q1: What is the FFC doing funding genre flicks, even if they are 'arty' and aesthetically unconventional? Q2: Why are these nasty movies (ACOLYTES; BEAUTIFUL; PUNISHMENT; NO THROUGH ROAD) being made in the first place? Richard Wolstencroft & co encourage their creators to believe they're giving the masses what they really want, as opposed to what the culture elite in government funding think they want. The truth is that these brutal and forgettable nasties earn far more critical acclaim - and win far more obscure awards - than they're due.$LABEL$ 0 +Since watching the trailer in "The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea" DVD, I had a feeling that this movie is gonna be great 'cause I am a huge Disney fan. And guess what? I'm right! This movie is a very worthy successor to the original classic "Lady and the Tramp".It tells the story of Scamp, Lady and Tramp's mischievious son Scamp, who wants to be wild and free instead of living a housedog life. Though the movie might not be as good as the first one, it has a great moral that you couldn't find anywhere else until you watch it.I admit that the movie isn't for everyone, but those of you who hate it, all I can say is that you don't have a spirit for this and I suggest that you shouldn't go see it again. But hey! It's really an awesome story, packed with brilliant animation, music, and star-studded voice talents featuring Scott Wolf(Party of Five) and Alyssa Milano(Charmed). So if you haven't seen the movie, why standing there? Go and grab the copy!!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a pretty pointless remake. Starting with the opening title shots of the original was a real mistake as it reminds the viewer of what a great little period piece chiller that was. The new version that follows is an exercise in redundancy.Brian Kerwin plays a 'city boy' photographer who returns to a semi-abandoned desert town populated by a scattering of underdeveloped clichéd stock characters: the lollipop sucking Daby-Doll Lolita, the 'ornery old coot prospector, the crippled vet and his Asian wife, etc...Kerwin's character witnesses the crashing of 'something' into a hillside and shortly after strange things start to happen as pieces of weird blue rock are scattered around. The temperature starts to rise, all the water in the area vanishes, people start to act weirdly, things explode. Kerwin's character gets in and out of his car more often than is humanly possible in one movie. The film develops no sense of place, no character development, no humour, no tension. Everything that made the Jack Arnold's original a creepy little Cold-war paranoia classic has been abandoned. It just runs through its minimal hoops and then just ends.The special effects aren't very special - the interior of the ship looks like bits of cling film wrapped round some ropes which were then dangled in front of the camera to frame some of the most uninspired and clumsy wire-work ever put onto the screen. The script is repetitive - everyone says everything at least twice, Kerwin gets to say "let's get out of here" at least three times during the movie, twice in one scene. Loads of things are left unexplained at the end - why do the aliens need all the heat and water for example? - not that anyone watching would care; if the film makers didn't care why should we?The acting is adequate - better than the script, which at times, has an under-rehearsed improvisational quality, deserves. Though often the actors look like they just want to get the thing over with as quickly as possible - a notable example of this is when Elizabeth Peña registers the briefest, token moment of "frustrated despair hands to face gesture" before following sulking son Stevie outside to watch him do "angry sulky teenager smashing something off a table" gesture. Continuity errors include the (GB) sticker on the back of Kerwin's jeep appearing and disappearing, a double action of the gas in the exploding car, a towns-person being in two places simultaneously - once in the Alien Stevie's POV shot then immediately afterwards in a reaction shot, Elizabeth Peña appearing to shut a car door twice... you can tell I was gripped can't you? The movie commits that greatest of errors. It's boring.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie frequently extrapolates quantum mechanics to justify nonsensical ideas, capped by such statements like "we all create our own reality".Sorry, folks, reality is what true for all of us, not just the credulous.The idea that "anything's possible" doesn't hold water on closer examination: if anything's possible, contrary things are thus possible and so nothing's possible. This leads to postmodernistic nonsense, which is nothing less than an attempt to denigrate established truths so that all ideas, well-founded and stupid, are equal.To quote sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, who put it so well, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."$LABEL$ 0 +Years ago, when I was a poor teenager, my best friend and my brother both had a policy that the person picking the movie should pay. And, while I would never pay to see some of the crap they took me to, I couldn't resist a free trip to the movies! That's how I came to see crap like the second Conan movie and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN! Now, despite this being a wretched movie, it is in places entertaining to watch--in a brain dead sort of way. And, technically the stunts and camera-work are good, so this elevates my rating all the way to a 2! So why is the movie so bad? Well, unlike the first Rambo movie, this one has virtually no plot, Rambo himself only says about 3 words (other than grunts and yells), there is a needless and completely irrelevant and undeveloped "romance" and the movie is one giant (and stupid) special effect. And what STUPIFYINGLY AWFUL special effects. While 12383499143743701 bullets and rockets are shot at Rambo, none have any effect on him and almost every bullet or arrow Rambo shoots hits its mark! And, while the bad guys are using AK-47s, helicopters and rockets, in some scenes all Rambo had is a bow and arrows with what seem like nuclear-powered tips!! The scene where the one bad guy is shooting at him as he slowly and calmly launches one of these exploding arrows is particularly made for dumb viewers! It was wonderfully parodied in UHF starring Weird Al. Plus, HOT SHOTS, PART DEUX also does a funny parody of the genre--not just this stupid scene.All-in-all, a movie so dumb and pointless, it's almost like self-parody!$LABEL$ 0 +Having sat and watched this film I can only wonder at the reasons for creating the film. This was without a doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen and had no redeeming features.If it was supposed to be funny then it might have managed to be a very weak comedy but as an action thriller it was dire.Slow, no plot, no real action, nothing approaching good dialogue and I've no idea about the characters. What else can I say. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +Race car drivers say that 100 mph seems fast till you've driven 150, and 150 mph seems fast till you've driven 250.OK.Andalusian Dog seems breathtakingly bizarre till you've seen Eraserhead, and Eraserhead seems breathtakingly bizarre till you've seen Begotten.And Begotten seems breathtakingly bizarre till you've seen the works of C. Frederic Hobbs. Race fans, there is NOTHING in all the world of film like the works of C. Frederic Hobbs.Alabama's Ghost comes as close as any of his films to having a coherent plot, and it only involves hippies, rock concerts, voodoo, ghosts, vampires, robots, magicians, corrupt multinational corporations, elephants and Mystery Gas. And the Fabulous Woodmobile, cruising the Sunset District in San Francisco, of course.What's really startling is that somebody gave him a LOT of money to make Alabama's Ghost. There's sets, lighting, hundreds of extras, costumes, lots and lots of effects. Somehow that makes Alabama's Ghost SO WRONG. You watch some awful cheeseball like Night of Horror or Plutonium Baby, and at least some part of the weirdness is excusable on the basis that they were obviously making the film off the headroom on their Discover cards. But Alabama's Ghost was made with an actual budget, and that's EVIL. I mean, I've got a script about a tribe of cannibals living in Thunder Bay, Ontario, building a secret temple in the woods out of Twizzlers, and nobody's beating down MY door waving a checkbook - how did this guy get the funds for FOUR of the flakiest movies ever made?$LABEL$ 0 +Imagery controls this film. The characters, although interesting, ultimately take a back seat. The first scene I remember is a framed black and white shot of the ocean, that then opens to full screen and color. The bubbling of the water gives way to a small coffin that breaks the surface. The theme of the movie here, being that death can be accepted and brought into the realm of the living.Water as an ultimate consciousness, as a tool of God, is used to here to force people to get their "houses" in order (Judgment Day). The dead have to be accounted for and lifted to a better place. Whatever one has left unresolved or unsettled, will be washed away. There's no clinging on to the past, to a buried memory of what was.This movie has been compared to O, Brother Where Art Thou, and the threat of water and its use as a cleansing force is similar to that film. What's different in this movie is that the coming of the water is knowable and so, again, the emphasis is on what needs to be done with the here and now.I agree that the some of the scenes are reminiscent of a David Lynch work. Take, for example, the dinner segment with the deep-voiced and androgynous waitress. One gets the same surreal feel from the setting and odd character as one does with the backwards talker in the scene from Fire Starter. The difference is that Lynch attacks us with the image to express the psychological processes of a troubled character, whereas this film seems to use surreal elements to create a moral message. The men in black suits can't have anything they want-they must be patient and accept what is available.$LABEL$ 1 +A masterful performance by Jamie Foxx is just one of the highlights of "Ray," a 2004 film also starring Kerry Washington, Regina King, Curtis Armstrong, Richard Schiff, Sharon Warren, Patrick Bachau, and many others, all giving excellent support to the film.The film has several main focuses: the first is Charles' childhood - the drowning of his brother George which haunted him for years, the glaucoma that blinded him, and the strength taught him by his mother - don't bend, don't break, don't ever be a cripple. She eventually sends him to a special school where Charles' gift of music is discovered. The next focus is Charles' artistic evolution as a Nat King Cole-like singer, to his arrangements of gospel music, his foray into country music, and the unique sound that became Ray Charles. The third focus is Charles' personal life - his marriage to Bea, his many affairs, his heroin addiction and eventual rehabilitation.Because Charles lived a packed 74 years, there's a lot skipped. Though Charles was orphaned while in his teens, the death of his beloved mother, his rock, isn't in the film. While he is shown on the chitlin circuit and refusing to play in segregated clubs, his near-starvation as a musician isn't covered. At one point, he found a jar of jelly and attempted to eat it, but the jar broke. He was that down and out. Bea is shown with him when the State of Georgia, which banned him, adopts "Georgia on My Mind" as their theme song in 1979 and welcomes Charles back to his native state, yet he and Bea were divorced in 1977 which isn't mentioned. She probably was there, however. Also, she wasn't his only wife - he was married once before he met her; that marriage isn't covered. In the movie, we're told of one illegitimate child - there were 12. It would have been impossible to get all of that and more into a film.What isn't skipped is his glorious music, which seems to go on constantly throughout the film, continually reinforcing his genius and artistry.Charles' story is compelling and holds the audience's interest throughout. Those who scoff at it as a made-for-TV movie don't give it the credit it deserves. Taylor Hackford's direction gives "Ray" a good pace, and the movie has a lot of atmosphere and evokes the various decades beautifully.As Ray, Jamie Foxx inhabits the character and makes one forget he's a comedian playing a part. Foxx wore prosthetics, did his own piano playing, and spent a great deal of time with Charles preparing for the role. He nails him, but it's not an impersonation - he's a flesh and blood man with hallucinations of standing in water and finding his brother's body; a man full of denial about his addiction, hating the word junkie and believing he's not hooked; and he's in denial about his home life, thinking that his wife doesn't know about his various affairs and illegitimate children (in the movie, child); and a man taken terrible advantage of early in his career because of his blindness who refuses to be walked on later on. He demands to be paid in $1 bills so they can be counted; when he discovers he's a gravy train for a club owner and her partner and was nearly cheated out of a record deal, he makes his own deal and leaves his job.One doesn't so much marvel at Foxx's performance as accept him as Ray from the first time he appears on camera.This is an excellent biography, which, like "Walk the Line" is punctuated with the fantastic music of the artist. Whether or not you're a Ray Charles fan, "Ray" is something to experience.$LABEL$ 1 +I read all these reviews on here about how this is a such a good movie. Jeez, this movie was predictable and pretty boring. The acting was below average most of the time, especially by Mckenna. I haven't seen a more pathetic attempt at making someone "badass" in a movie. Oh man, this movie was a letdown. I also read somewhere this might be a cult classic. I know there are followers of the director, but this movie was just a average piece of film.The script was lame, for the most part the acting was lame, this movie was lame.Oh and pray for the guy that used to be in Cheers. He looks really bad. The best actor in this movie was probably the guy in Office Space, and he was only in this movie for about 8 minutes.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +OMG! The only reason I'm giving this movie a 2 instead of a 1 is because Tom Hanks is funny as an Elvis-in-the-box. Apart from that, how did this halfway decent cast sign on to do such a lame movie?? Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time... There are no laughs to mention, the stereotypes are pathetic, the cast is wasted, the direction is amateurish. Now that I think about it, most of the blame probably lies with the director, Joel Zwick. He brings out nothing but flat performances from all involved. Don't waste your time like I did; but then, I enjoy a good train wreck. Geez, now the system is telling me I need more lines-- here ya go: This movie should be called Return to Sender. Okay, now THAT was funnier than anything in the movie...$LABEL$ 0 +Sad... really sad. This movie has nothing (hmmm, well maybe Sybil Danning) to keep you watching. It also hurt my eyes to see Linda Blair in this exploitation flick. She certainly deserves better.So what's the story about? Let's see... Warden John Vernon tapes the inmates in rather inspiring positions, while prisoner Sybil actually runs the prison and little Linda must fight to survive... Sounds like a B-movie, huh? It is.$LABEL$ 0 +It's just when a band tours, and only has one original member. It's not the same as the classic line up. All new actors playing the main roles of Rag, Scotty, etc, with Ashby as virtually the only returning face from the first movie. And he was of only minor note of the first flick, serving as the only redeemable group of the three guys that Scotty was trying to assist in meeting females. The film is poorly written, featuring the dumbest dialog this side of Armageddon. Even for a T&A movie, this one is a turkey. Not even die hard low budget 80's films fans would want to sit through this movie, which has no plot, and plenty of bad acting. This film would have been better off never being released. Just plain bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes 1939/Robert Donat-Greer Garson version was the best...Perfection..Donat won the Oscar in a very tough year..Gable in GWTW & James Stewart as Mr. Smith. were 2 of his competitors. .wow was that a rough year.. Most critics in NY hated this version. so.didnt see in theatre! Finally saw this A.M. on TCM & enjoyed..Peter O'Toole was excellent & glad he was Oscar nominated for this,,& esp pleased Oscar finally gave him a special award this past year... Petula Clark was good as Mrs. Chips but her character,i feel was poorly written...Some good songs esp. You & I... sung by Ms.Clark & later recorded by many others including T.Bennett/S. Bassey & Carmen MacRae.... the b&w version was more authentic.. but this is a good film beautifully photographed in color & panavision... enjoyable worth seeing & Bravo, again, Mr. O'Toole!$LABEL$ 1 +"Before Sunrise" is a wonderful love story and has to be among my Top 5 favorite movies ever. Dialog and acting are great. I love the characters and their ideas and thoughts. Of course, the romantic Vienna, introduced in the movie does not exist (you won't find a poet sitting by the river in the middle of the night) and it isn't possible to get to all the places in only one night, either (especially if you're a stranger and it's your first night in Vienna). But that's not the point. The relationship of the two characters is much more important and this part of the story is not at all unrealistic. Although, nothing ever really happens, the movie never gets boring. The ending is genuinely sad without being "Titanic" or something. Even if you don't like love stories you should watch this film! I'm a little skeptic about the sequel that is going to be released in summer. The first part is perfect as it is, in my opinion.$LABEL$ 1 +Why on earth does five US keep repeating this one? the title actually says it all: the plot is as clear as a book read in a language you never heard of and that resembles to nothing.You'll see ninety minutes of changing locations, most of them will be blown up later on in the movie. Right in the beginning you see a nice little farm typical for the Berry, which is in the movie moved close to Paris but then it does not survive the "transport" to the Isle de France very well: it explodes 1 minute later. there are also two gangster who have no tongues, as if that would make sense in the world of SMS and internet, let alone pencil and paper.It just goes on like that, nothing makes sense in this story. my only credit goes to the cameraman, the camera is excellent.$LABEL$ 0 +I may be getting ahead of myself here, but although the film itself was a technical masterpiece for its time, I watched it piece-by-piece on TCM last night, the question arises to me: Why did they do that? putting their lives in jeopardy, many of them died on the trek, why would they undertake such a life-endangering journey, just to find food for their animals (!) once they reached the "land of milk and honey", why didn't they just stay there? Would you endanger your life, and that of your entire community, just to find food for a herd of cattle? As dangerous as it was, to do it for that purpose alone, shows the inbred simplicity of these types of people. Risk death for a cow?? Better them than I!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know why critics cal it bizarre and macabre. I really don't. Dark -yes, bizarre - no. It i s sad and with lots of emotions, specially with the Pinguin's story. They say it has elements of S&M but I really don't find anything of that sort except for Catwoman's whip.This movie is deeper than its genre and villains aren't just some crazy freaks dressed like on a masquerade. They have strong motives with strong feelings involved. Catwoman (a great performance by Michelle Pfeifer!) isn't just a sexy chick who likes steeling jewels - she's on her personal crusade and Pinguin... well, by the end of the movie you really feel sorry for him (strong performance by Danny DeVito). Again, I think Michael Keaton is the best Batman and he carries his costume well.You can totally see that it is a Tim Burton movie, because he has an unusual style and is a very talented guy. But also the music is fantastic and fits the emotions.$LABEL$ 1 +Why was this movie made? Are producers so easily fooled by sadists that they'll give them money to create torture methods such as this so called "film"? I love a bad movie as much as the next masochist, but "Cave Dwellers" is pushing it. It's seriously physically painful to watch. The plot is something about a dude name Ator - a buffed-up numbnuts whom I will refer to as Private Snowball for the rest of this review - who has to fight invisible warriors and rescue a princess in order to beat the bad guy who needs to find a better hair stylist. I might have gotten the plot wrong since it's been a while since I watched this excrement, but really, do you care that much? Oh yeah, Private Snowball also has a mute Asian sidekick (who hasn't?). Who's not funny.Anyway, Private Snowball fights invisible people, visits some caves, all in the name of a good king so personality-free he makes Al Gore look like Jim Carrey. Then Private Snowball builds a hang-glider (yes, I'm serious) and gets the girl. Yippie-kee-yay. It's cheap, unintentionally silly, and mind-numbingly dull. Why am I not surprised that the director ended up making porn?Bottom line: AVOID. Ator will steal a part of your life and you will have no funny "so-bad-they're-good" catchphrases to take with you from the experience. Bad Ator! BAD! Aak! *gags*$LABEL$ 0 +Roger Corman is undeniably one of the most versatile and unpredictable directors/producers in history. He was single-handedly responsible for some of my favorite horror films ever (like the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations "Masque of the Red Death" and "Pit and the Pendulum") as well as some insufferably cheap and tacky rubbish quickies (like "Creature from the Haunted Sea" and "She Gods of the Shark Reef"). Corman also made a couple of movies that are simply unclassifiable and – simply put – nearly impossible to judge properly. "The Trip", for example, as well as this imaginatively titled "Gas-s-s-s" can somewhat be labeled as psychedelic exploitation. In other words, they're incredibly strange hippie-culture influenced movies. Half of the time you haven't got the slightest idea what's going on, who these characters are that walk back and forth through the screen and where the hell this whole thing is going. The plot is simply and yet highly effective: a strange but deadly nerve gas is accidentally unleashed and promptly annihilates that the entire world population over the age of 25. This *could* be the basic premise of an atmospheric, gritty and nail-bitingly suspenseful post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi landmark, but writer George Armitage and Roger Corman decided to turn it into a "trippy" road-movie comedy. None of the characters is even trying to prevent their inevitable upcoming deaths; they just party out in the streets and found little juvenile crime syndicates. "Gas-s-s-s" is a disappointingly boring and tries overly hard to be bizarre. The entire script appears to be improvised at the spot and not at all funny. Definitely not my cup of tea, but the film does have a loyal fan base and many admirers, so who am I to say that it's not worth your time or money?$LABEL$ 0 +So Udo Kier earned like nine bucks and free food for this so that is a victory in and of itself. More importantly this movie tells a very interesting tale about a group of salvage guys coming across the broken down Demeter. I should warn you, i'm gunna bounce around through this review real quick so buckle up. First thing's first. Coolio plays a guy named 187. 187 likes drugs. 187 finds a bunch of caskets on board and... now i don't know anything about the future but maybe they smuggle drugs in caskets. Not gunna say that was the craziest thing in this movie. Later on the vampire gets out of his mist filled coffin and then the real hilarity begins. First, although this movie has the word Dracula in it he is actually not in this movie. I have a theory though. Out of the blue you see the salvage crew's ship leave without them. My theory is that Dracula was on board with his retarded brother Orlock. Dracula told Orlock he'll be right back. Dracula got the hell out of this movie before he could be seen leaving Orlock to play the vampire for the six or so minutes he is in the movie. The best part of this film, and for those of you that have seen this you know what i'm gunna say, is after 187 gets sired, embraced whatever. He has this huge monologue about ejaculating on various parts of erika Elaniak's body and... other super cool stuff. Coolio, seriously you are the best thing EVER. Some other stuff happens in this movie too. Like Casper Van Dean gets some work. Orlock screams a lot and loses his arm and then we kinda lose track of him FOR THE REST OF THE MOVIE. And thank god really. We find out Erika's character is a police bot. As the movie comes to a close we find out that the ship is on a course to ram into the sun. The police bot and one other surviving character are doomed. Rather then avoid certain death Erika's police bot reveals she's also a whore bot and they decide to screw each other and die. Before they die in the sun they die for no reason, yep that's right... their ship blows up for no real reason. This movie got the amazing rating for one reason, Coolio. My god, if they gave academy awards to black rappers then he'd be the first to get one. The only reason this didn't get a perfect ten is because there was not a drop of nudity. Now i know what your thinking, how can you judge a film by whether ladies show their goods or not. Well easy. A movie like this pretty much requires it. Its part of the process. Gore, gore, monsters, nudity, gore, end of movie final shock at the end. Its the formula. This had some gore, the monster was awesome because he sucked so hard he actually did us the favor of staying off camera. That was considerate of him and i respect that. Nudity, not a drop even though there was a length conversation about... well see the above statement and as for the shock/twist... i certainly didn't see the end coming. That counts. I hope Hollywood doesn't think Coolio gave this film his all and has nothing left. He deserves more work. Well, until Dracula 4000, i'm out.$LABEL$ 1 +A surprisingly great cartoon in the same league as Batman:TAS and its ilk, I enjoyed it in my youth and recently had been able to watch them all again, great voice acting from Tim Curry, Richard Moll, Tony Jay, and Maurice LaMarche in various roles. The only qualm I had was Rob Paulsons voice seemed a little too old for the title character, but that wasn't a big deal as the stories were great, and the fact that the whole thing has a great time loop twist ending. Some people say it was a cop-out, but I found it refreshing compared to many series that just leave things hanging. Hopefully one day they put this series out on DVD, unfortunately it came out at a time when DVD's weren't yet prevalent and the cartoon probably only served to sell a particular type of toy, which I never found appealing despite the entertaining cartoon.$LABEL$ 1 +Now, I'm no film critic, but I truly hated "September 11". This film was, on a general basis, bad. With the exception of Alejandro González Iñárritu's segment, which was the most effective and direct about the subject matter, the short films were at best boring, and at worst offensive. The worst in my mind was Youssef Chahine's pretentious segment in which he compared Palestinian suicide bombers to American soldiers, even going so far as to suggest the suicide bombers were fighting for a greater cause. The segment was completely off topic and, considering Chahine's seeming lack of any decency whatsoever, a waste of my time and patience. The idea of getting eleven different directors from different countries to make a movie featuring their views on a tragedy was good on paper, but in practice, it was tasteless.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is amazing and I would recommend to child and adult alike. The animation is beautiful, the characters are rich and interesting, and the story is captivating; far better than anything the American studios were producing at the time. However, there is a couple of caveats to this statement. It's a shame that Disney bought the Studio Ghibli back-catalogue and then proceeded to butcher it. My main point being, Disney re-dubbed the film, despite the original English version being very impressive. The new cast with Van Der Beek et al ruined it and took away much of the attractiveness of the characters e.g. Pazu and Sheeta went from adventurous companions to whiny teenagers. The Original music score is also far better than the Disney remix. It begs the question why did Disney make such changes? It seems to me is that by having Van Der Beek et al being cast then Disney can draw in more money, which is fair enough, but in the process they tainted they film. It is still a beautiful film and I would still recommend it to anyone. My main beef is that Disney ruined a film from childhood which I loved and still love. I am lucky enough to have an original Japanese import with the original English dub which I am now going to guard with my life!$LABEL$ 1 +If you go see this movie you'll be holding a grudge against the movie theatre, the director, the producer, the actors and the person that told you to go see it! Shame on you, Sarah Michelle Geller, for putting your name and face to this poor excuse of a movie. It may have been more scary if the Japanese actors would have just spoken in Japanese instead of attempting to 'act' in English. I wanted to boo when the movie ended...a true disappointment after all of the hype on TV and movie trailers promoting this lame money maker. Sarah Michelle really didn't have to act at all to make this movie...she just practiced her frowning skills. Don't waste your time or money on this film.$LABEL$ 0 +The Cheesiest movie I've ever seen, Not scary, just bad. 1st movie made by the WWE, and trust me,the only person this movie might appeal to is wrestling fans. It has terrible acting and The worst directing I've seen yet.I Found myself laughing at the storyline, and bad actors. I saw that the WWE people tried really hard to Put a lot of the wrestling moves in the kills, and Several camera effects. I think they copied a lot from silent Hill. This movie's not engaging either, so If you do see it, you're gonna find yourself tuning out because of it's lack of Suspense. The ending's the worst, No matter what, you'll come out wanting your money back$LABEL$ 0 +I love this movie and I recommend it to anybody.Damian Chapa and Jennifer Tilly played their roles perfectly.Just the characters alone pull you in to the movie.The directing was also magnificent.The most creative shots I've ever seen.I was stuck to the screen throughout the whole movie,not one scene was slow.The movie also has a lot of action packed scenes,cars blowing up,etc.The movie is just an all around masterpiece. If you like real entertaining movies then watch this because you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.I put this movie on my top ten all time list,because there is never a dull moment in the movie,and that is my type of movie.2 thumbs up,all the way up!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Thought I just might get a few laughs from this long drawn out film, but was sadly disappointed. This film is all about losers who spend most of their time trying to get a passing grade with out even trying to open a book or accomplish anything. The film also portrayed teachers and the principal, Mary Tyler Moore (Mrs. Stark),"Labor Pains",2000 as complete idiots. I know this was suppose to be a comedy, but it never made me laugh and I thought the entire film was a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME! However, all the actors gave excellent performances and had the hard task of trying to make this film an enjoyable and entertaining FILM! Just plain studying and getting good grades for college is the only way to GO!$LABEL$ 0 +Danny Boyle was not the first person to realise that zombies can run like the clappers. That honour belongs to Lifeforce, which is, of course, the greatest naked space vampire zombies from Halley's Comet running amok in London end-of-the-world movie ever made. Tobe Hooper may have made a lot of crap, but for this deliriously demented epic sci-fi horror he deserves a place among the immortals. Plus it offers space vampire Mathilda May, the best thing to come out of France since Simone Simon, spending the entire movie naked. Which she does very, very well. Just bear in mind that while she is the most overwhelmingly feminine presence anyone on Earth has ever encountered, she's also "totally alien to this planet and our life form and totally dangerous." It's a pitch meeting I'd have loved to have sat in on: Astronauts from the British space program find three naked humanoid alien life forms inside a giant 150-mile long artichoke/umbrella shaped spaceship hidden in the tail of Halley's Comet filled with giant desiccated bats and bring them back to Earth with near apocalyptic results as they proceed to drain the population of London of their lifeforce amid much nudity, whirlpools of thunder and spit your coffee across the room direlogue ("I've been in space for six months, and she looks perfect to me." "Assume we know nothing, which is understating the matter." "Don't worry, a naked woman is not going to get out of this complex."). Oh, and we'll get the writers of Alien and Blue Thunder to write it with uncredited rewrites by the writer of Mark of the Devil, The Sex Thief and Eskimo Nell and the director of The Jonestown Monster. Sounds like a winner, here's $22m – have fun. And they do, they do.True, there's enough promise in the raw material to have made something genuinely creepy and thought-provoking (at a time when AIDS hysteria was approaching its height, a sexually transmitted 'plague' offers ample opportunity for allegory), but in the hands of the Go-Go boys at Cannon, what could have been another Quatermass and the Pit quickly turns instead to be more Plan 10 From Outer Space. It's full-to-bursting with delirious inanity, be it Frank Finlay's hilarious death scene ("Here I go!"), Peter Firth's grand entrance ("I'm Colonel Caine." "From the SAS?" discreetly shouts Michael Gothard across a room full of reporters: "Gentlemen, that last remark was not for publication. This is a D-Notice situation" he replies to the surprisingly obliging pressmen), the security guards offering Mathilda May's naked space vampire a nice biscuit to stop her escaping, reanimated bodies exploding into dust all over people, the sweaty Prime Minister sucking the life out of his secretary and London filling up with zombie nuns, stockbrokers and joggers as the city gets its most comprehensive on screen trashing since Mrs Gorgo lost junior at Battersea Funfair and went on the rampage. And that's not mentioning the "This woman is a masochist! An extreme masochist!" scene or the great stereophonic echo effect on the male vampire's "It'll be a lot less terrifying if you just come to me" line while a lead-stake wielding Peter Firth adopts his best Action Man voice to reply "I'll do just that!" In one scene alone you have a possessed Patrick Stewart embodying the female in our deeply confused astronaut hero's mind, Steve "I-never-got-over-playing-Charlie-Manson" Railsback and his amazing dancing eyebrows in full-on "Helta-Skelta!" mode trying to resist the temptation to kiss him, the inimitable Aubrey Morris (the only man who makes Freddie Jones look restrained) playing the Home Secretary Sir Percy Heseltine as a kind of demented Brian Rix, Peter Firth (one of those actors who always looks like he must have been a Doctor Who around the time no-one was watching it anymore) hamming up the blasé public school macho in the hope that no-one will ever see it and the peerless reaction shots of John Hallam as the male nurse who keeps on opening the door mid-psychic-tornado to bring in more drugs. As if they needed any more in this film. It's just a shame that Frank Finlay's mad-haired scientist who isn't qualified to certify death on alien life forms (a role originally intended for Klaus Kinski) missed out on the action in that one.No matter how mad you think the film is, it still manages to get madder still, whether it be a zombie pathologist ("He too needs feeding") exploding all over the Home secretary's suit, Patrick Stewart's blood and entrails forming a naked Mathilda May or the space vampires turning St Paul's Cathedral into the world's biggest laser-show to transport human souls from the London Underground to their geostationary mother ship. I loved every gloriously insane moment. In it's own truly unique way, this might be the greatest film ever made.The DVD offers the original 116-minute version that opened in the UK rather than the heavily edited 101-minute US version, which not only offers much more hilarity for your dollar, but also fully restores Henry Mancini's score to its original glory (the US version covered a lot of the gaps with additional cues by Michael Kamen and James Guthrie). Although a somewhat surprising choice at first sight, Mancini cut his teeth on many of the classic Universal sci-fi horrors of the 50s and his score is quite superb, with a terrific driving main title that offers a rare reminder of just how interesting he could be away from Blake Edwards. Sadly there's no more than a trailer by way of extras, though it would be nice to hope some day for a special edition with some of the deleted scenes from Hooper's originally intended 128-minute cut: from what's on display here, these might just offer even more comedy gold!$LABEL$ 1 +can someone please help me i missed the last view moments and i don't want to pay money to see the whole film again. i got to just where they are in the train carriage and she says 'what about that drink now?' and smiles. what happens after that? is there anymore dialogue or action? surely it doesn't just end there? i was a bit bored in the film and kept hoping it would get better. i love Kristen Scott Thomas does anyone remember the UK TV series she was in about some nuns? i am wanting to know the name. Sean Penn was brilliant Madonna eat your heart out! everybody else in fact the film a bit predictable, it was a 'spot a star cast'. the ending took me by surprise i really thought she had burnt her boats.....if you are a fan of any of the stars its worth watching.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie eXistenZ is about a futuristic video game on a "pod" system that is almost like virtual reality. The only copy of the video game is damaged when an assassination attempt is made on the designer (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Unless it can be repaired, the many years and 38 million dollars spent on the development will all go to waste. The only way to repair the game however, is to actually go in the game with the only person she feels she can trust(Jude Law). This movie was pretty good, but doesn't really pick up until very late in the film. The best thing about this film were the twists toward the end. Definitely worth seeing. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +OK, let's start with the good: nice scenery, Channing Tatum is easy to look at, Amanda Seyfried has nice hair, that's about it. How much of this movie went on the editing room floor? Probably the plot, action, good dialogue, and point. Terrible acting, horrible choppy dialogue. Let me tell you how bad it is: my friend who always cries at movies got to the part that was meant to evoke tears, and she laughed so hard we thought she was crying! The movie seems to want to take a stab at too many issues- war, loss, autism, cancer, but fails so miserably to cover any one topic satisfactorily. Make sure you have something to munch on and your cell phone to return text messages!$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed two of the three movies in the "Sarah, Plain & Tall" trilogy. This, the final of the three, was definitely one of the "good ones. " It is an excellent family film with wonderful acting by the three adult stars: Christopher Walken, Glenn Close and Jack Palance. The storyline is simple but well-told. The only sub-par performance was by one of the kids. It was interesting to see how the kids had grown since that first movie. Of the three, that initial "Sarah," was the best- filmed with some beautiful cinematography. This movie didn't have that, but it had the best story. It had some genuinely-tearful sentimental moments and a very nice ending. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +Elizabeth Ashley is receiving phone calls from her nephew Michael--he's crying, screaming and asking for help. The problem is Michael died 15 years ago. This film scared me silly back in 1972 when it aired on ABC. Seeing it again, years later, it STILL works.The movie is a little slow and predictable, the deaths are very tame and there's a tacked-on happy ending, but this IS a TV movie so you have to give it room. Elizabeth Ashley is excellent, Ben Gazzara is OK and it's fun to see Michael Douglas so young. And those telephone calls still scare the living daylights out of me. I actually had to turn a light on during one of them!A creepy little TV movie. Worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +The storyline has too many flaws and illogical sequences to be worthwhile. Jolie's acting is pretty flat and poor, Washington's is OK, the rest of the cast are cardboard cutouts. Somehow almost everything about this film oozes mediocrity. The plot is lame. The only thing I liked more or less about this film are the fairly original methods the perpetrator uses to end his victims. Technical details are worse than the most far-stretched CSI 'knowledge' and gizmos and halfway the movie one wonders if the director even cared about detail credibility. (Some Spoilers hereafter!) I mean, an EKG machine with a pure sinus wave reflecting a man's heartbeat, a quadriplegic with full body muscle spasms and one working index finger, sure. A killer gutting a man's bowels whilst keeping him alive to allow the rats to feast on him followed by a rat aiming for the guy's FACE! What's with all that stupidity? Then there are quite a few continuity goofs, but you can find those elsewhere here on IMDb Honestly I found it a bit of an insult even to my limited intelligence.Waste of time. Still 4 out of 10 to keep my girlfriend from kicking me.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is such a fine example of the greatness that is 80's entertainment. Oh don't get me wrong, most of the music back then sucked. I only ever liked the metal bands from the 80s. Bands that had some balls. Forget that whiny keyboard crap and all that 'life is horrible and I want to die' garbage. But the movies from the 80's are the best. They were all about nonsense and just having a good time. This movie exemplifies that! Party! Get naked! Get laid! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!$LABEL$ 1 +I just finished viewing this finely conceived, and beautifully acted/directed movie. It was nip and tuck as to whether I was going to waste my time viewing a movie on the Lifetime Movie Network because of the horribly distracting commercials. Reading the earlier comments persuaded me to give it a shot. After all the worst that could happen would be that I might fall asleep during one of the boring yet lengthy bug spray ads. So why did I watch it? mainly because when IMDB gives a movie a "WEIGHTED AVERAGE" OF 5.8 WHO'S STATISTICAL AVERAGE was 7.3 It must be a sure hit.I was totally delighted to have taken the time to view this movie, commercial pox and all. Helen Hunt continues to amaze me with her ability to take on tough roles adapting her core persona to fit each role.The portrait she painted in this film of the tough yet perceptively human police officer was beautifully executed. When the scene calls for quick witted, timely delivered verbal intercourse, she can stand toe to toe with any actor. Yet she is adept at the delivery of volumes of emotional response without uttering a word relying only on facial expression and body language. Without the commercials, which by design kill the continuity of any good film, This would have been a real edge-of-the-seat nail-biter. I gave it a 9.0$LABEL$ 1 +I have to be honest, i was expecting a failure so bad, because it really did sound like they were trying to milk the original movie to get money. But that wasn't the case with this pretty funny (sometimes odd) movie. I loved how they told the story of Timon and Pumba, the story with Simba and him having trouble sleeping was funny. The jacuzzi bubble, and when Pumba leaves, the bubbles stop. It's all harmless fun, good for kids and some adults. I think this movie will last for a while because it is rather good for a straight to Video and DVD movie. While the movie does seem a little odd and kind of trails off toward the end, it works. 8 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +I am ashamed to have this movie in my collection. The most redeeming factor to owning the DVD is the short film in the bonus features. My vote for this movie is a big fat ZERO. Don't misunderstand, I'm a horror girl. but i want some meat behind the story, not to mention i prefer the evil to happen to humans, not to be tricked in to watching, what seemed like forever, clips of animal snuff. Acts of brutality interrupt achingly long silence and poor acting. If i was forced to make a comparison to another film, the only one that comes to mind is Cannibal Holocaust. Bad, boring, pointless and a wholly uncomfortable watch.$LABEL$ 0 +Goof: Factual errorWhen Charlie walks out of the room to commit suicide he takes his gun with a silencer. After a few seconds we hear a loud bang from the same gun being fired.$LABEL$ 1 +David Dhawan copied HITCH and such an unofficial copy The film isn't even 1/2 as funny or amusing as the original it's boring with forced stories like the Lara track of having a child and no hubby Plus there is an unwanted stupid Chota DON and David tries to choke drama too but the film looks disjointed, boringSongs just pop in, so does romance and everything barring some funny Govinda scenes, the dance before interval nothing else is worth mentioning The last few scenes are quite funny but there tend to get too longDavid's direction is as bad as MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYAA, he needs to change his style or attempt something good Music is saving grace, some songs are good but the situations seem forcedGovinda looks overweight and seems too loud and screams his lines in initial reels but he gets into the groove and gives his best in the office and the scene with Salman in his cabin and towards the endSalman just plays himself and his nasal tone plus his fake style of acting is a headacheLara is avoidable, Katrina is fake as usualThe kid overacts$LABEL$ 0 +Don't be fooled by the plot out-line as it is described on the cover (at least the Swedish version). The story on this seems rather interesting, with speculative hints. Nothing can be further from the truth. This is the absolute most sad movie experience I've ever had... It is plain and right AWFUL and should not be sold or rented to anyone. If you still think the plot seems intriguing, reflect on this: telephones can move, run and kill people as can also any other electric appliance. It can throw things at you, haunt you and run after you. PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE it is a disgrace for the horror genre...$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and even that show couldn't really make this movie bearable. I could make a better movie with a broken camcorder and action figures. Of course, you expect terrible special effects with a movie this old, but I've seen silents that were better. The storyline has enormous gaps that leave you trying to figure out why they are even at certain scenes. The cameraman apparently doesn't know what a tripod is, and had too much coffee, or something harder maybe, because the camera is ALWAYS shaking around. I couldn't even follow the plot, but suffice it to say, this is the absolute worst movie I have ever seen in my life.UPDATE: I saw "Epic Movie" a while back and have decided to give this movie a 2. It's NOT the worst movie I've ever seen anymore!$LABEL$ 0 +An art teacher comes across an antique wooden bed made from gingko trees and puts it in his apartment, but it has a terrible history and he becomes hunted by a ancient spirit who sustains his human form by ripping the hearts out of people.This beautifully crafted horror… well, actually it's more fantasy/romance than anything else does raise some chills and provide some stunning visuals, but the plot was hardly interesting enough and the formulaic script lacked any sort of life. Problem was that I spent most of the time trying to keep my finger away from the fast forward button. It sure would have sped up the film's slow pacing, but then again I wouldn't know about too much that was going on, which was reasonably hard to figure out or keep interest in the first place. The performances ranged from too melodramatic or just plain dull, and that's probably because these characters are unconvincing, stale and coma inducing. The actual back-story of the old bed and the spirits is incredibly boring and messily put together, with too much focus on a flimsy romance, being laughable when it shouldn't be and overall it's constructed in an ordinary manner that just lacks the oomph or conviction to carry the film. What compensates for the story's shortcomings are really arty images, which looked grand, but the use of some images had me somewhat dumbfounded to what they actually mean towards the film. What catches your eye is the faded colour scheme, but sometimes the actual screen would look real grainy, or snowy. Although, from that it shows the raw intensity of the production valves, but also add some nice polished effects that goes well with the soothing but sometimes edgy score. The camera work was pretty diverse (although it didn't add too much to the feature), but during some of the more upbeat scenes there were too many close ups or dark lighting which made it hard to understand what you are seeing. Also on show are some nice moments of blood and gore, but not overtly grand or distinguishable from most other films.Lethargically odd film, with luminous images that look like something out of a painting, but still it isn't particularly enticing. Watch out, it might put you in a deep trance!$LABEL$ 0 +If you watched this movie you know why I said "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus". Hehehe!!! Every time they said "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus"... I laughed thinking "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, why did I rent this movie"? I cannot believe how Oscar winners like Freeman and Spacey appeared here in the background while Timberlake and LL Cool J grabbed the screen. WTF is Timberlake? Dreaful acting! I think someone like Joshua Jackson could have done a much better job! This job was perfect for Joshua Jackson and believe me I am not a big fun of him... but I really prefer an actor, not this android called Timberlake. And his girlfriend was shallow, hollow and annoying as hell. I was happy when they both were popped in the street.The story was OK and I think Dylan Mc Dermott did his bad guy role very well. The movie was entertaining but I think Timberlake ruined it all. It would have been much enjoyable without him.By the way, the music was OK, but suddenly every time the music appeared the movie turned into a MTV video clip with flashes, low motion and things like that. Something misplaced for this cops movie I thought. Maybe they wanted to make a MTV video clip for Timberlake.$LABEL$ 0 +I want to start my review by thanking the makers of this documentary, it is obviously a labor of love and I think they did a pretty good job of putting together an enjoyable documentary about a person who has had so such little info available about him. It definitely has a fan worship feel about it, which is a good thing.I had heard of Bruce Haack but didn't know much about him, and I found the start of this documentary frustrating because I could hear other musicians talk about him, but Bruce Haack himself was kept way too far off in the distance. I wanted to see this Bruce Haack guy!! I felt as though the makers assumed I already knew him as well as these musicians on the screen which I didn't, so I felt a bit left in the dark.When Bruce was finally shown in action it was great and gave me a taste of who Bruce Haack was, but it was only a taste. We got treated to more musicians and I felt as though I was being told "Look - all these cool musicians are into him, so he must be cool!" I didn't really care much for the musician's commentary on Bruce.I wanted to see Bruce, as a person. You know, the important stuff - more interviews with people who worked with him or knew him. More about his life, and yes, his use of drugs and other issues. I would of liked to know so much more about his "Hackula" project. I wanted to get inside his mind. Even if they did this via some "voice of god" commentary and photos it would of been OK.The animations were good, but again I felt these were used as filler, they didn't really do anything other than allow me to hear his music and see some imagery based on the Dimension 5 records. I did think it was clever and creative, but again... I wanted to learn more about Bruce! Maybe Bruce Haack was this elusive in real life?Anyway - in the end I enjoyed this documentary and felt a sort of sadness that such amazing pioneers and geniuses such as Mr. Haack get forgotten as the march of time stamps ever onwards. I am glad that this film is around to educate people about Bruce Haack, even with its flaws.$LABEL$ 1 +Words cannot begin to describe how blandly terrible this movie is. I wish it were "so bad it's good," but it's not. It's just dull, lifeless, and boring. It's so bad I couldn't even laugh at it.In response to other posters, Anne-Marie Frigon is not the highlight of the movie. The only person less charismatic is the director Brett Kelly, who as a true statement on vanity, cast himself as the male lead. They both look like inbreeds, sister and brother.The gal, Sherry Thurig, is a looker. The complete opposite of Anne-Marie - attractive. This girl is tall and willowy, and can act. Although you can tell she's holding back.All the actors seem to be holding back, especially the supporting male, Mark. I've seen less wood in a rain forest, but he's still better than Kelly. Why would Kelly keep his actors from acting? Is he really that bad a director? Everyone else has summed the story up perfectly - there isn't one. Kids are kidnapped and Kelly steps in poo to solve the crime. I know how he felt stepping in the poo, it's how I felt after watching his movie.Yes, I tried to get my money back from the rental store. This is a home movie best left to be seen by the friends of the director (and if you search them out, you'll see those same friends were the one who gave the movie positive marks).$LABEL$ 0 +I read the book and the book was fascinating.This movie, it's direction, the screenplay, and the acting were totally insufferable. I cringed at the lack of a screenplay that could not follow the novel, a novel that has all the action, simplicity, and courage to illustrate a temerity of a great possibly fact based story.I can see why this movie was not released to the general public in most cities. Would not ever recommend this film to anyone I know. Simply, one of he worst adaptations I have seen transformed into a plot less exploration of heaven on earth.The cinematography was indeed the only highlight. But, how could that fail when filmed in an beautiful country such as Peru. To prospective viewers, do not waste your time or energy on this flop.$LABEL$ 0 +The pace of the film is ponderously slow in parts, but if you can tune into its languid speed and lengthy silences then it is a satisfying piece of courtly intrigue. The story of the first Emperor of China, his childhood sweetheart and the personal cost of power. The film is very atmospheric, the extremely mannered and polite courtly ceremony and ritual contrasted with sudden brutal violence. Filmed in a way that evokes shadows and cold spaces. Battle scenes are rare and short, the focus is on the battle within the individual on what is right to do and whether the ends justify the means. The emperor's journey from idealistic peacemaker to ruthless tyrant is aiming to be subtle, but gives little background or convincing insight into the motivation of the Emperor, indeed his actions and aims do not really change throughout, only Gong Li's attitudes to him are altered. The most interesting performances are Gong Li's and the titular Assassin as they reassess when to fight, when to retreat, when to kill. The most expensive film ever made in China at the time, the Emperor and the Assassin does not rely on hysteric emotion or big battles, but rather a brooding atmosphere of menace and inevitability. Gong Li fans will be unsurprised to hear she is as stunningly beautiful as ever, giving an understated performance.$LABEL$ 1 +i would have to say that this is the first quality romantic-comedy i have ever seen. it had depth and although you knew from the beginning who was going to end up together there was still longing and anticipation. the thought that maybe they won't get together... it is an indie film after all. this movie was well written, directed and acted. the dancing on the side of the road scene was magnificent.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm glad Cage changed his name from Coppolla and got this part on his own. Light-hearted, no deep thought needed, but a cute piece about opposites attracting- though her parents are still hippies.... Captures the voice of the early 80's- the whine of the valley and the funk of the other side. One can see the beginning of Cage's talent.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie comes down like a square peg in a square hole. A poorly made peg. A peg so cheap it couldn't even be produced in a sweatshop assembly line in Chinatown, Mexico. In fact, when you try to press the peg into the hole for which it is obviously designed, it crumbles into sticky, disgusting pieces that smell like rotting fruit and won't wash off. Quigly is such a peg.This movie is so mind-bendingly awful, it couldn't have even been created. A movie like this must have been the result of some accident of nature; some freakish entity that congealed in the corner of a dank office somewhere and festered and grew until it was too big and terrifying to look at. Only science would be interested in such a thing; anyone not bent on studying it would exhume it from this world.What it comes down to is this: if you're the kind to enjoy first year violin recitals, racism, or Coke Zero, it might just be your birthday.$LABEL$ 0 +Come on. Anyone who doesn't understand the greatness of this here cartoon should be kicked off any critic's panel. They should not be allowed to be heard, because they obviously have no sense of humor whatsoever. Anyone who does not love this here animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery should be chained to a chair and forced to watch "Huckleberry Hound" episodes for 20 years straight! The takes and double-takes by the Wolf in this cartoon are the finest examples of this important past of comedy that have ever been captured on film. Tex Avery should receive a posthumous Academy Award for this cartoon. It's the best.$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I just watched a movie on SHOWTIME called Survival Island. It says it was a 2006 movie with Billy Zane and since I like him and couldn't sleep I thought I would check it out. Looked interesting. Watched it, and decided to look up on the IMDb who was this new face Juan Pablo Di Pace and OMG I could not believe it, this movie has been renamed THREE and will be a new movie?? It is playing again in 1 hr and 30 mins on Showtime Channel again and this date is May 28 and EDT or Florida time. You can check your showtime listings by title and see it. I wont get into details so you can see the movie but at one point there is a lady in a white bikini that goes into the water taking it all off, you see her naked body.... when she runs back out of the water you see her bottoms on. Funny, there are a lot of other mess ups too. I can't believe by coincidence I decided to look up this movie... Go figure! Wonder if the people renaming it sold it to some movie studio to put out but it is already playing on Showtime, ha ha. Good laugh. I give it 1-1/2 stars. C-, D+ movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Let's face it, a truly awful movie, no...I mean a "truly" awful movie, is a rare, strange, and beautiful thing to behold. I admite that there is a special place in my heart for films like Plan 9 From Outer Space, Half Caste, Species, etc. And although I'm giving this film a 1, I highly urge anyone who enjoys a bad film for what it truly is (a bad film) to find a friend, snacks, something to drink, and make the special occasion it deserves out of: Aussie Park Boyz. From the very first moments of the lead actor's side to side eye-rolling performance as he attempts to inject intensity directly into the film without ever looking at a camera (a slice of ham straight out of silent pictures--eat your heart out Rudolph Valentino) to the sudden hey-we're-out-of-film conclusion, you...will...not...stop...laughing. To sum the film up, its a poor man's Warriors down under, complete--and that description alone should be enough, but then comes the wonders of "the spaghetti eating scene", "the 'We've got their tickets; they won't be leaving town now' scene", "It's the Asians! Run!!" and more. The only truly objectionable part is a gratuitously filmed rape. Outside of this, I dare you to watch this film. And I dare you to find evidence of acting, or lines, or direction, or any of those other boring and superfluous elements that so-called critics say a film needs to be judged as good. If this movie doesn't cause fits of uncontrollable laughter before it ends, all I can do is roll my eyes menacingly from side to side at you and shout, "You dog! You dog! You dog!"$LABEL$ 0 +This is an excellent film for female body-builder & female action fans! I think that Sue Price did a great job in this film series (Nemesis 2,3,4) and proved to be a great fighter. She has a very striking appearance and a will of iron to resist the powerful Nebula (Nemesis 2). Though not a film of great value and Sue Price's acting skills not the best to have met in my life, the movie itself was something awesome, a priceless gem for fans of female body-builder action! Well, some parts of Nemesis 2 have been copied by other famous sci-fi films, such as Terminator or Predator, but that's not the point. The point is that A.Puyn casted in that film a very talented body-builder who put all of her energy and body talent to show us the best she can do. I really enjoyed that film and watched with the same enthusiasm Nemesis 3 (a rather boring sequel) and Nemesis 4 (a much more interesting sequel than 3). What a pity it hasn't shown yet on DVD :-($LABEL$ 1 +The first of the official Ghibli films, Laputa is most similar to its predecessor Nausicaa, but whereas Nausicaa was a SF epic, this is more of an action comedy-adventure with a fairly weak SF premise.For the first half hour of the movie I thought I was going to love it. Once again you find yourself in awe of Miyazaki's attention to detail, and his ability to conjure up an imaginary world in meticulous, beautiful perfection. The animation, though still not in the league of the later Ghibli films, is a little better than in Nausicaa.I mentioned in my review of Nausicaa that one character is drawn in a more 'Lupinesque' anime style. Here there are a whole bunch of them: the pirates. They provide the comic element in the film, though quite why it needs a comic element I'm not sure. There was nothing funny about Nausicaa, and I think it was better off for it. Still. having said that, Dola, the pirate leader, is easily the most memorable character in the film (even if she's basically a female Long John Silver. Don't be surprised if you're reminded of 'Treasure Planet' at times) and is well voiced by Cloris Leachman in the American dub.The English voice cast acquit themselves well for the most part, actually. However something started going pear-shaped for me about this movie by about the halfway mark. I think the best way that I could describe it is that the characters get swallowed up by the vast scope of the story. I'll come back to that later.There is so much to admire about Laputa, and so many people obviously love it, that I almost feel mean for only giving it 8 out of 10, but for me the operative word here is 'admire'. It was more impressive than personally affecting, and at over two hours it just started to drag.The crucial thing for me was this: I really found that I didn't care much about any of the characters. Disney would have taken the care to develop the characters, make you really fall for them, rather than leave them as relatively two-dimensional pieces to be moved around while you gawked at the amazing vistas in the movie. Even that would have been tolerable if there was some hard SF in the story to make up for it, but it was basically a lot of gobledegook about Princesses and magic crystals. That's where Laputa falls down as far as I'm concerned, and that's what holds it back from being a potential 10 out of 10 movie. Having said that, it must be admitted that Miyazaki was leagues ahead of Disney in general in 1986, when you consider that their movie of the same year was the pretty dire 'Great Mouse Detective'.Laputa is a good film in some ways an amazing film, and you should definitely see it, but I do feel it's over-rated. I definitely prefer the earlier 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'.BTW, if you manage to watch them in chronological order, watch for the fox-squirrel from Nausicaa popping up briefly in Laputa.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie reminded me that some old Black & White movies are definitely worth the look.Initially I had some reservations, however from the beginning of the movie until the end I was captivated. I was VERY impressed with the mixture of drama, suspense & comedy.Arthur Askey (Tommy Gander) is HILARIOUS and had me in stitches the whole time.Definitely add this movie to your movie-night for some light relief from the sometimes depressing and "too" powerful or overly "funny" movies of today.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm totally agree with GarryJohal from Singapore's comments about this film. Quotation: 'Yes non-Singaporean's can't see what's the big deal about this film. Some of the references in this film fly right over the head of foreign viewers and mostly Singaporeans are the ones who would actually 'get' it.' It's still not quite the truth and as a Malaysian-Chinese, i do 'get it' although i don't speak Hokkien because we do have the similar 'problems' in Malaysia too. I know that it's really hard to understand and to accept this as a REALITY but it is definitely NOT a 'no real story'. I was pleased to see this film outside Malaysia because it will and definitely be banned in Malaysia too. Which means either you get it in 'illegal copied VCDs or DVDs' or hope that someone to be kind enough to 'share' it in the internet. This is not an 'another violent teen drama.......' because it portrays the reality which exists in Singapore (and in Malaysia too) in an interesting way (sad+humour). I was just a little sad to know that this film got about 20 cuts in censorship. What a waste!$LABEL$ 1 +This film brought me to tears. I have to say, that if I did not have a beautiful husband at home, I would ask this beautiful piece of art to marry me. Aaron Carter gives a masterful performance as a confused young pop star, while Timothy Barton writes quick and witty dialogue that only furthers the genius of Carter's performance. Kyle is pretty gay, but his performance was nothing less than spectacular. He is also very handsome and cute. I'm thinking about asking him out on a date and giving him a very sweet goodnight gift.;)If you would like to discuss this film in the future, please contact me.Nick Burrell Vassar Class of 2012 Malibu, California Malibu West 310 924 0126$LABEL$ 1 +"Opera" is a great film with some wonderful,imaginative imagery.An opera singer(Cristina Marsillach)is being stalked by a killer who forces her to watch him murder everyone she knows by tying her up and taping needles under her eyes.This idea of the needles comes from the fact that Argento doesn't like it when people cover their eyes while watching his movies."For years I've been annoyed by people covering their eyes during the gorier moments in my films.I film these images because I want people to see them and not avoid the positive confrontation of their fears by looking away.So I thought to myself 'How would it be possible to achieve this and force someone to watch most gruesome murder and make sure they can't avert their eyes?'The answer I came up with is the core of what "Opera" is about."-says Argento.Plenty of suspense,wonderful cinematography and brutal,gory murders.One guy is stabbed in the throat with a knife causing a gushing wound,Daria Nicolodi gets shot in the eye while looking through the peephole,etc.For anyone who hasn't caught this one yet,give it a try.Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +this show is the best it is full of laughs and Kevin James is the best so if you want a good show i recommend the king of queens and its a letdown that they canceled it so in the end this show will make you forget your worries and troubles cause if you have a cast with Kevin James and jerry stiller you cant go wrong. so i don't know why the canceled the show if any one knows please tell me.now a days you cant find a lot of shows that fulfill your needs as an audience.after Seinfeld and king of queens the only show worth watching is prison break and if that stops i don't know what to do. in the end if i had to recommend a show it will be king of queens.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, look at the title of this film.the title says it all right? the title is great... i mean, a lot of things should come into your head after readin it. in fact, you might be extremely anxious to see it.well, sadly, you won't see any of that.just a bunch of bad actors, some blood spilling, some hot chicks, and some lesbo action.oh, well, i think there are about 5-10 minutes of zombies and vampires indeed...get away from this if you want to see a good movie. else get it.$LABEL$ 0 +Having lived in Ontario my whole life, in the same town that Marlene Moore grew up in, I've heard stories of her from my parents, grandparents and family members. So when I found out that they would be filming a movie about her, and that the beginning would be shot on my street, and her house quite close to mine I was excited.If you read the book Rock a Bye Baby, which is about Marlene Moore you get quite the different image of her as a person, she was considered awkwardly beautiful by people who really had the chance to know her with the exception of her own family who frequently abused her as a child, with the exception of one of her brothers. Also, if you live in my area and are intelligent enough to listen to those around you who knew her from school you'd find out that she was truly wounded before she even set foot in an institution, she was always defensive and what would seem like an unwillingness to learn in a school environment was actually embarrassment over the fact that she was unable to.Marlene did not deserve the life she was given, with the lack of help she desperately needed to receive. It was the government and the people around her that aided further in her death by not attempting to understand her needs and why she did what she did. I still find myself angered that she was put in jail for self-defense from a man who tried to rape her. As her brother once said, "They didn't know what to do with her so they locked her away and it killed her." I believe in that with all my heart.Rest in peace Marlene, you deserve it so much.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't like Sean Penn's directing very much, and this early work, The Indian Runner, is no exception. The movie has no core, it's colored with a kind of redneck, anti-authoritarian tweeness that in all honesty taints most of Penn's work, his latest work even more so than the earlier. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, the whole lot seem to produce such fundamentally banal product, ostensibly in some allegiance to honesty, but ending up being, for the most part, glorified pro wrestling matches, and moralistic, almost as if Hallmark cards had developed a line of Hell's Angels greetings, and make me long for the days of Deliverance, which is a fine movie. Viggo Mortensen's acting is much, much more believable here than that ridiculous Eastern Promises thing he did with Cronenberg, and that's about it. The movie is dead meaningless, and seems to be an exercise, a series of techniques, more than a story. Kudos for Charles Bronson, however, who proves he can act. And I wanted more of Sandy Dennis' character. A lousy 3 out of 10 for this The Indian Runner crap.$LABEL$ 0 +While browsing the internet for previous sale prices, I ran across these comments. Why are they all so serious? It's just a movie and it's not pornographic. I acquired this short film from my parents 30 years ago and have always been totally delighted with it. I've shown it to many of my friends & they all loved it too. I feel privileged to own this original 1932 8mm black and white silent film of Shirley before she became popular or well known. After reading the other comments, I agree that the film is "racy". Big deal! I only wish it was longer. It seems that I must be the only person who owns one of these originals, for sale at least, so I wonder how much it's worth?$LABEL$ 1 +This movie probably isn't the funniest I've ever seen, and it CERTAINLY doesn't have much redeeming value. In fact, it is really nothing more than a collection of vignettes tied together by a loose plot. However, this "make-it-up-as-I-go-along" attitude actually works to the film's advantage. "Tommy Boy" succeeds as a comedy for the same reasons that the SNL skits Farley and Spade starred in succeeded: their well-timed extemporaneous silliness and mayhem makes them humorous despite their immaturity.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, now I know where all those boring cop/homicide TV shows came from. I do believe they can be traced back to this movie. "Scene Of The Crime" feels more like a TV episode, or an episode of a serial. Complete with stock characters and situations - the hotshot cop who clashes with his superiors... the aging cop who doesn't want a desk job, despite failing eyesight... the reckless rookie... the double-crossing dame, etc.I like many of the actors here, and they do a good job, but overall I found this movie dull as I'm not a fan of the genre. I kept tuning out when they were discussing the case ...something about bookies and informers. And oh yeah, there was a stripper, played by the previously wholesome Gloria DeHaven. What I want to know is: Why did she keep calling Van Johnson "Uncle Wiggly"? Wasn't Uncle Wiggly a rabbit? A character from a children's book? What the heck does that have to do with anything? I guess I just don't get tough-guy Film Noir-ish kinda jargon.In fact, much of the dialogue made me mutter "nobody talks like that!" However, I could relate to one scene where the cop's wife (Arlene Dahl), who worries every time he goes to work, realizes that maybe she shouldn't have made her husband the center of her life. Yeah, I know that feeling of loving someone so much, being so dependent on them, that there's a constant fear for their safety. So there are moments of truth in this film, underneath the stylized dialogue and atmosphere which is trying so self-consciously to be gritty and REAL, that it actually seems unreal to me.A little background: this movie was made when Dore Schary took over MGM from Louis B. Mayer, and began to put an end to the wholesome musicals that made MGM so great. Dore Schary was determined to bring more "realism" to movies. I kinda hate Dore Schary. Maybe we can blame him for all the pretentious, bleak movies being made today, wallowing in the ugly "truths" about life, focusing on (and, in my opinion, helping to perpetuate) the worst of humanity rather than the best. No longer uplifting us the way classic movies were designed to do - providing a necessary distraction during the Great Depression and World War II.Well, damn it, we still need that kind of distraction today! There's still plenty of depression and plenty of war. And what are people turning to nowadays when they want to escape? Trashy, brain-deadening Reality TV. Thanks a lot, Dore!$LABEL$ 0 +Story goes like this, Netflix was late sending me my dvds so I went on down to the the analog rental place known as "Blockbuster Video" They suck you know. Real bad, They have 150 copies of the latest lame movies for your viewing pleasure yet I never want to see any of those. So I saw BTK Killer there on the shelf, all by its lonesome self. I like seeing films based on serial killers. Its just a part of humanity that I will never understand, therefore I wanna see that kind of stuff. Anyways I put this DVD in and all the sudden from the very first second, it sucks. I'm sitting there with my b.f. and we are like, "what is this kind of crap?" Unsteady camera operation, horrible acting,- the first scene in which a woman gets killed you wonder if she would rather just calmly gab instead, Then a rat gets stuffed down her throat. I really wonder if the director has a hard-on for this crap. There is nothing decent about this "film". All I have to say to the director is "do you own a freakin' tripod?" Every shot was brutally unstable. The music was awful. It was like they just decided one day to make a movie. They were probably gathering people from WalMart to show up and "act" for them. Just plain awful. If you make a movie like this then directing is your hobby-NOT what you should be doing for a living- SHould not make it to the DVD renal outlets for movie buffs like myself. Better left at home for your friends when you are having a party and run out of interesting things to entertain them with.... Then you break out your BTK KIller film and say, "Wanna see this crappy movie I did once?"$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but this show is positively DEVINE!!!It's so entertaining, and I have the absolute greatest time watching it.Ever since Cycle 1 it's been great, and I haven't noticed a downfall in it's glory AT ALL.Tyra Banks as you know is the host, and as fabulous as she is, there's also the other judges and co-hosts such as J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker, and Twiggy.The main point of the show is for every girl invited to become America's Next Top Model, has to work their way up to the top by completing and winning photo shoot competitions.It sounds great already doesn't it, and let me tell you IT IS GREAT!!!!!It's awesome watching all the different kinds of photo shoots the girls take, and each one is different, cool, and daring.Anybody who hates this show, doesn't have a clue, and I will tell you that this show will be on for a LONG time, so DEAL WITH IT!!!$LABEL$ 1 +There must have been a sale on this storyline back in the 40's. An epidemic threatens New York (it's always New York) and nobody takes it seriously. Some might say that Richard Widmark and Jack Palance did it better in Panic in the Streets, but I disagree.There is always something about these Poverty Row productions that really touch a nerve. The production values are never that polished and the acting is a little rough around the edges, but that is the very reason I think this movie and those like it are effective. Rough, grainy, edgy. And the cast. All 2nd stringers or A list actors past their prime. No egos here. These folks were happy to get the work. Whit Bissell, Carl Benton Reid, Jim Backus, Arthur Space, Charles Korvin, and the melodious voice of Reed Hadley flowing in the background like crude oil. By the way, I've been in the hospital a couple of times; how come my nurses never looked like Dorothy Malone? In these kind of movies they don't bother much with make-up and hair, but they really managed to turn Evelyn Keyes into a hag. Or maybe they just skipped the make-up and hair altogether. Anyway, it was pretty effective. She plays a lovesick jewel smuggler who picks up a case of Small Pox in Cuba while smuggling jewels back for ultra-villain Charles Korvin (who is boffing her sister in the meantime). You got the Customs Agents looking for her because of the jewels, and the Health Department looking for her because she's about to de-populate New York. No 4th Amendment rights here. Everybody gets hassled.You gotta have the right attitude to enjoy a movie like this. I have a brother who scrutinizes movies to death. If they don't hold up to his Orson Wellian standards, he bombs them unmercifully. They must have the directorial excellence of a David Lean movie, the score of Wolfgang von Korngold, the Sound and Art of Douglas Shearer and Cedric Gibbons respectively. This ain't it.But I have the right attitude, and if you do as well, you'll love this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is my favorite movie that portrays African Americans in whole different light. because it shows a different side of African Americans that it is not shown in the movies. its not the gang bang, urban ghetto setting or having to deal with deep racial issues, it captivates the whole essence of being young and trying to be successful and having problems with letting your guard down and letting someone into your life, and the whole bohemian atmosphere gives that great touch that makes all that great, its a great script great dialoge that captivates you and you just get involved with the character. perfect casting with a lot of chemistry and very good acting and i still haven't seen any other movie with black characters that are portrayed in this format the only one that get close is "Sprung" but since its a comedy it looses it very quickly I give this movie 9 out of 10 and i wish they would keep making movies with this type of attitude about African Americans$LABEL$ 1 +A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (sound familiar), water has become the most precious commodity (this has got to sound familiar) and a small minority control its distribution (what a surprise, just have a heart attack and die from that surprise). A group of ice pirates (water renegades?…wet bandits?...oh wait, that last one's been used) try to discover the route to a fabled unlimited supply of water with a lovely but spoiled (Druish?) princess en tow and a group of idiots…er…despicable villains in pursuit.This movie has the potential to be a really great comedic parody ("Star Wars," David Lynch's "Dune") but was just not handled correctly. It goes for, I believe the term is, "low brow" humor. It doesn't really succeed in being all that funny which is a shame since it has Angelica Houston, Ron Perlman and Robert Urich, (hence the three stars) who aren't exactly slackers in the acting department.Definitely a rental and definitely have a drink straight up.$LABEL$ 0 +What can I say??? This movie was so Dumb & Stupid I thought it was a Psychotic DRAG Comedy - They should rename it "Bitching Pregnant Cat Fight!" What a stupid waste of time , if you want to see(DIE DIE!!! "I WANT YOUR BABY DRAG QUEEN) Jennifer Tilly being her Freaky self then just rent out one Of the "Chucky" movie, oh ya , "The Bride Of Chucky." It's more fun watching the Two Ugly Plastic dolls (one of them Jennifer Tilly turned into the UGLY Female version of Chucky) having Squeaky plastic rubber sex then watching Daryl Hannah being pregnant , Dumb & stupid; & Jennifer Tilly Grinding up her Husbang in a Food Processor reminded me of my Mother trying to do House Work! OK it's just BAD!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This film holds 7.0 rating on IMDb, so even I sensed something rotten in it's synopsis I decided to try it out. What a waste of 100 minutes. First of all, the 80's were not a good decade for crime and thriller genre. Most of these, in those days were badly done with silly plot (if they had any), so there are very few that can stand out, and even if they were good they are still not very good. The Hit, however suffers from everything that made silly crime pictures silly. It has poor character development, improbable plot and wasn't written or directed in a decent manner, and when you have such shortcomings the acting doesn't help. Stephen Frears often tried to emulate French new wave in English style film making and the two don't match.First of all Terence Stamp is 10 years in hiding because he testified against some of his former partners in crime. He hides in Spain, of all places. He is finally caught up with, and than first kidnapped by a group of silly looking Spanish thugs, just do be driven away some distance to the two hit man that are supposed to deal with him. These two are John Hurt, who is supposed to be hard boiled, stone cold killer, and Tim Roth (in his first role) as the devil's apprentice. They don't kill Stamp right away, they first dispose of the "three Amigos", they shouldn't have hired in the first place, and then, they are driving Stamp to Paris, because one of the buddies he testified against wants to confront him. OK that's possible. But even with Stamp being such a dangerous figure that they had to hire four guys to overpower him, they don't tie him down, don't incapacitate him in any way, and drive around with him, like he's one of the buddies. Stamp doesn't object and is happily going to Paris to be shot, not using any of a half a dozen chances, these "professionals" offer for him to escape. Than it appears that Tim Roth is just a school boy bully, making the idea of big crime boss teaming him up with a hard core hit man like John Hurt, even more improbable, especially on an important job like that. But than John Hurt is not so hard core himself, he spends twenty minutes of the movie, killing or not killing the totally surplus Australian, played by Bill Hunter, whose only purpose in this film is to introduce the lovely Laura Del Sol, his mistress (who he says is 15, but she looks more like 25), and whose role in the story and acting capabilities suggest that she was offered the role, solely on the basis of being the director's or producer's mistress at the time. After much deliberation, Hurt kills the Australian but takes along his mistress for no apparent reason. Than he wants to kill her but Roth with his "subtle ways" convince him not to, so even she kicks him, bites him and scratches him through the entire movie, he stays true to that deeply buried human side of him.Than you have plain idiotic scenes, like when Hurt and Roth lock the car from the outside, trying to prevent the people inside from getting out?!?! Anyway the movie drags on. Tim Roth falls asleep, guarding Terence Stamp with his gun on his chest, and Stamp just waits there watching the waterfall. Than the whole shamble of a plot comes to the point where everything we've seen in the last hour and 20 minutes just goes out through the window. Let's recapitulate, the whole point in not killing Stamp right away (except for having a movie) is to take him to Paris, so his former partner is to have a last word with him. And the whole point in him not running away is that he is prepared to die, saying "It's just a moment. We're here. Then we're not here. We're somewhere else... maybe. And it's as natural as breathing. Why should we be scared?" But my friends, here is where the plot twists, Hurt kills the man while still in Spain, and we ask why bother and drive around for days, he could have done it in the first 15 minutes, and than contrary to his philosophy Stamp is very afraid of being killed, so we ask again why didn't he run, and he had plenty chance. Roth gets killed too, but he shouldn't be in the movie at all, and Del Sol, well she's promised a role in this film purely for romantic (read sexual) reasons, so she stays alive again, even she attacked Hurt for the 15th time in the movie. He killed all the others, but not her, she must have maximum screen appearance. The movie was made on a shoe string budget and it shows, but when you have no story and card board characterizations, it shows even more.And yes Fernando Ray appears and goes through the movie as the guest star, having a single audible line of dialog. Awful$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, Giorgio, is a feel good movie. A little romance, great music, beautiful scenery, comedy, (a great food fight), and a little taste of bittersweet are the ingredients of Yes, Giorgio. Any movie buff would enjoy this film. Those who require massive special effects, should look elsewhere. Most of us need a little escape now and then, and how better to do this, than with a feast for the eyes, ears, and heart? A must see!$LABEL$ 1 +Pilot Mitch MacAfee (Jeff Morrow) sees a UFO while test flying a plane--but nothing shows up on radar. Then planes and ships start disappearing and reports of a UFO increase. It turns out it's a giant monster bird that is attacking and killing. But what is it and why is it here? This has all the right elements for a classic. It has an actually pretty entertaining script--I was never really bored. The acting is good (for a 1950s monster movie). Morrow doesn't overdo the macho hero act and Mara Corday is quite good as the requisite female love interest. She's also strong and takes care of herself--even though she IS off getting food and coffee for everyone all during the movie. The problem here is the monster. Dear God--it's TERRIBLE! It looks like a deranged turkey! It has a long neck, a hilariously stupid BEAK, some teeth, a few strands of hair on its head and claws. And--oh yes--it squawks! Not roaring--squawking! The actors had no idea what it looked like--it was added after production. Actors Morrow and Corday were horrified when they finally saw it in a theatre. Morrow said his audience burst out laughing and he left the theatre quickly before the movie ended! Producer Sam Katzman was responsible for this. He wanted to save money and gave the world the stupidest monster ever. And you can SEE the wires moving it too! This gets 4 stars only because Morrow and Corday are so good and the script is well done. It gets no stars for the pathetic monster--wait till you see it attack what is obviously a toy train! Worth a look if you're a horror fan to see what has to be the stupidest monster ever.$LABEL$ 0 +Back when musicals weren't showcases for choreographers, we had wonderful movies such as this one.Being a big fan of both Wodehouse and Fred Astaire I was delighted to finally see this movie. Not quite a blend of Wodehouse and Hollywood, but close enough. Some of the American vaudeville humour, the slapstick not the witty banter, clash with Wodehouse's British sense of humour. But on the whole, the American style banter makes the American characters seem real rather than cardboard caricatures.Some inventive staging for the dance numbers, including the wonderful fairground with revolving floors and funhouse mirrors, more than make up for the lack of a Busby Berkley over the top dance number. They seem a lot more realistic, if you could ever imagine people starting to sing and dance as realistic.The lack of Ginger Rogers and Eric Blore don't hurt the movie, instead they allow different character dynamics to emerge. It's also nice not to have a wise cracking, headstrong love interest. Instead we have a gentle headstrong love interest, far more in keeping with Wodehouses' young aristocratic females.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie couldn't decide what it wanted to be. There were a couple of sub-plots that for awhile made you think these items would all come together in the end... but they didn't. If you want a "alien in the frozen waste" story, stick with the 1950's version of THE THING (not the abomination that was remade in gore-o-vision 20+ years later).I couldn't get over the fact that the "alien" looked pretty much recycled from INDEPENDENCE DAY. The "bare minimum" sets would have been more effective if they had hired actors who could actually act and carry off the intended mood.Lots of scenery chewing with little payoff.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie, no correction, this THING, this abysmal abomination from the burning pits of hell should have been killed before it even left the writer's head. I could not possibly come up with enough adjectives to describe this movie. But let's try anyway. Horrible, bad, nauseating, tasteless, crap, vomit inducing, gut wrenchingly bad, hideous, nasty, putrid, there just aren't enough words in the English language! The "plot" involves a serial killer who becomes a snow man. Don't ask how, not important. The killer snowman runs about killing people. How, you may ask, can a snowman kill someone? In tasteless ways that make you want to remove your eyes if only so you don't have to endure that Styrofoam snowman anymore. In ways that make you want to fill your ears with hot wax so you do not have to endure his snow puns anymore. Don't watch this movie! Destroy it on sight! For the sake of your very soul don't watch it!$LABEL$ 0 +Very reliable entertainment, as Las Vegas amuses as well as intrigues, very light hearted and very much bolstered by Josh Duhanel!! I like this television show and I think that many people watch it as a form of escapist voyeurism...Voyeurism in this case is very positive, and many females in this series are very nice to look at...This show incorporates Las Vegas legends such as Wayne Newton as intermittent characters to authenticate the Las Vegas genre!! There have been copious depictions of sin city, this is one of the better efforts...The producers and directors are lucky to have James Caan in the show, as he is very much a totally accomplished actor!!! By and large, I like the T.V. Show Las Vegas and I watch it on Fridays, I watched it on Mondays as well, but with Monday Night Football, I could see why NBC switched it to Fridays...Nonetheless, I like Las Vegas a lot!!$LABEL$ 1 +It's nice to see a film with real people with honest feelings. Sissy Spacek is so absolutely convincing as a simple, yet nice, daughter to Robert Farnsworth,who finally, in his last role, gets to show what a fine actor he was. It is hard to believe that this is a David Lynch film. It is slow and even, sweet and moving. One of the best unless you like car chases, sex scenes, and violence.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was the worst movie ever made on the planet, I like BARNEY more than this movie. The graphics suck, half the movie is animated, the deaths suck, and over all, I was ready to SUE the people that made this movie!PLEASE DO NOT WASTE HOURS OF YOUR LIFE WATCHING THIS MOVIE. The only good part was when the movie ******* ended! This movie is 50 percent Jurassic park, .1 percent Sabretooth, and 49.9 percent DUMB! Please do not waste your time watching this movie, you will regret it.You want to know why this movie sucks? Well, the cover sucked, the graphics sucked, the blood looked ( I mean is) ketchup, the people tried to blow themselves up, the college students think there all that and can stand up to the animal. I mean, there was a 5 ft. tiger running straight at a woman, she throws a spear at it from 100 ft away! WAIT TILL YOU CAN Actually HIT IT! The acting was horrible too. Jurrasic Park is actually a good movie, and this just had to go and ruin it.$LABEL$ 0 +Maybe the subject was good, but put down to a script it fails in pace. Maybe the author was trying to obtain something slow-paced like Alien, but instead of being haunting, this movie turned out just boring. Technically good, anyway, a pity for the lack of tension.$LABEL$ 0 +Burt Reynolds stars as an undercover cop who is after a crime boss.. Rachel Ward as the high price call girl he falls for..Burt does well in this role and I think he would've done well in more roles like this..Rachel Ward is beautiful and sexy in her part..good pacing and story but something is missing in the equation.. on a scale of one to ten..7$LABEL$ 1 +The first feature-length adventure of Jim Henson's beloved muppet characters is a very competent musical comedy vehicle as Kermit The Frog leaves his carefree, swampy surroundings for the bright lights (egged on by stranded Hollywood agent Dom DeLuise who overheard him singing); on the way, he meets Fozzie Bear (a pitiful stand-up comedian at James Coburn's El Sleazo Café who has Telly Savalas for a bouncer and Madeline Kahn a patron!), the piano-playing dog Rowlf, bestial drummer Animal and his laid-back, funky band, egomaniacal beauty queen Miss Piggy (in a ceremony presided over by Elliott Gould and Edgar Bergen), etc. All the while, Kermit et al are pursued by frogleg burger magnate Charles Durning and reluctant acolyte Austin Pendleton, sold cars, ice cream and balloons to by, respectively, Milton Berle, Bob Hope and Richard Pryor, served food by insolent waiter Steve Martin, nearly brainwashed by mad German scientist Mel Brooks and, finally, land an audition in the offices of movie mogul Orson Welles (who has Cloris Leachman for a secretary)! The pleasant song score comes courtesy of Paul Williams who also makes an appearance as the resident pianist at El Sleazo's. For the record, I have recently acquired four of the subsequent Muppet movies and should be watching them in the weeks to come when their turn falls due.$LABEL$ 1 +Well,i'm not a movie critic or something like that.But I have my opinion for this movie.I think that the best in this movie was Amanda Bynes,she played her roll for my look very well,i have watched many her movies,this I liked most!When you are watching this movie,you just can relax,come down,and watch it.You don't have to try to look for subtext or something like that.You just watch it. Movie is really great. Maybe I liked it for actress,maybe for all the scenery,but i liked it.The whole atmosphere that was created.In one moment I just felt like I was in that university,in that room.It is not another drama movie that is made to win Oscar,it is just nice movie to watch in your free time.$LABEL$ 1 +yes, i have noticed that there are 347 other comments, i think that is a good sign for a movie, even if some are negative. i have seen this movie 2 and a half times. i adore it and would watch it again. it is very smart, but i can understand why some people would hate it. they don't get it's appeal. yes, i have a weird taste in movies, but this is a great movie. some of the lines are just so quick, like the whole scene in the chinese restaurant. i started dying laughing. that and when he was in the assembly line talking to the contact. jude law was wonderful, though it was humorous, him trying to cover up his wonderful accent. anyways, i do not consider myself the movie goddess as some critics of this movie and if you have nothing better to do than write pseudo-intellectual movie commentaries about films you hate online, i feel sorry for you. why don't you write about movies you like, like me. i just love how everything ties together, it keeps you guessing, even though you guess wrong. the ending was interesting, and not overdone. it was purely clever. i would not compare it to the matrix, because i think people then get the wrong idea. i went into this movie expecting nothing except jude law and a sci-fi. i was blown away. i have no clue about any other of cronenburg's films, but love this on its own merit. another clever thing was the foreshadowing with the dog. definitely watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't understand why so many peoples praised this show. Twin peaks is one of the most boring titles I have ever seen in my life.Now I have seen all season 1 episodes, and seeing season 2 episode 1. Simply I can't take this show anymore.1) Where is the proper induction in criminal investigation?In season 1, there was a scene that agent Cooper throws stones to a bottle. Can you guess why he did that? He just want to identify murderer by doing this 'joke' while mentioning supernatural ability given by Tibet dream. Wow!!!2) There are too many unnecessary scenes in this show.For example, season 2 started with a 'funny' scene that a dumb old man serves agent Cooper with a cup of milk while Cooper are laying down on the floor.( He got the gun shoots in his belly already. ) This old man is doing nothing but saying some dumb comments. That's all.This scene is really boring and even long ( 3 min 30 sec.... It's like Hell. )I would read some comic books rather than see this show anymore.$LABEL$ 0 +Before "Miracle on 34th Street," Maureen O'Hara and John Payne made this, this, this film. I was going to describe it, but can't find words for how badly this film turned out. The subject matter of adopting a child and Maureen's illness are both very serious and sensitive issues, but that notwithstanding, this could have been done a whole lot better than it was. It was so extreme in its portrayal that it didn't come across as real at all. Probably its problem started with a weak script.Another example of a screenwriter taking a novel and writing a weak movie. (See my review of "A Stranger in My Arms.") The beautiful O'Hara was often saddled with clunkers like this, another being Forbidden Street (Britannica Mews,) which I may review eventually.If you have any emotional ties to this from childhood, you'll be kinder to this rather lifeless, colorless, and lackluster film. But for something along the lines of this, maybe you can find its TV-movie remake. It has to be better. It has to be.$LABEL$ 0 +"Panic in the Streets" was a decent thriller, but I felt a bit disappointed by it. The central theme of a city being attacked by a plague in modern times is fascinating, but the film never really explores or develops it. Its well made and entertaining, but its not as interesting as it should have been. The screenplay for this one is really weak and brings the whole film down. None of the central characters are really compelling or believable.Fortunately, the film is very well made so it compensates for the weak scripting. The direction by Elia Kazan keeps the film suspenseful and moving at a lightning quick pace. There are some standout sequences, particularly the memorable chase climax. When his direction was combined with better screenplays several years later, the man could mostly do no wrong.The acting is also very good. Richard Widmark was always a watchable leading man and does what he can with an underwritten character. Paul Douglas spends his time yelling a bit too much but does a decent job as well. The standouts in the cast are the two villains. Zero Mostel, known primarily for his comic roles, is effectively slimy as one of cinema's ultimate toady characters. Jack Palance is, unsurprisingly, a chilling villain. "Panic in the Streets" is disappointing but still worth watching. (7/10)$LABEL$ 1 +Why can't this type of compact, entertaining mystery be filmed in the new century? It keeps the viewer thinking and guessing all the way. The cast is a great ensemble. William Powell exhibits true star quality. Who knows--perhaps he was rehearsing for his future as Nick Charles. He is a joy to watch. One also can see why Eugene Pallette made more than 200 films. He is a great supporting character actor and his excellent chemistry with Powell is fun to watch. Mary Astor does above average work in a not very meaty role. All other hands chip in to make this a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend 73 minutes. I suspect Michael Curtiz had a ball directing his one. Bravo!$LABEL$ 1 +(WARNING: minor spoilers)I ran into this one partway through and watched from there, not knowing what it was or what the plot was. It certainly held my attention; I didn't know until the ending that it was based on a true story! The guy she used to do the dirty deed came out looking like a seriously nice guy who just got his head twisted around by a devious girl; I have to question how true to life that portrayal is. Anyone who would murder a husband and wife as they slept just can't be entirely nice. Still, I did have some sympathy for him, as he had been set up and taken advantage of; that much was made clear.My main complaint is with the ending (here comes the biggest spoiler! skip this paragraph if you don't want to learn it). A few minutes before it ended, there seemed no way for the truth to be discovered. The way it got discovered was in a "sting" operation, but my question is: how did the police get convinced to go along with it? The movie didn't show us that, and it seemed a bit too convenient absent the explanation of how they were persuaded to do it.I think the way they handled that was done for dramatic purposes, as the omission of the explanation lent an aura of suspense to the crucial scene which otherwise wouldn't have been there (we would already have known what the scene was about, and what was going on with Brad in it).Otherwise, this is a pretty good film; I give it 7/10. It made me think. Now I'm interested to find out the facts of the real case.One more thing: the movie was done in 1996. Some of the reviews here seem to be treating it as a more recent movie.P.S. Meadow Sisto is lovely. I hadn't seen her before. She can act a little, too (always a plus in her line of work, LOL).$LABEL$ 1 +Woaww Is it only now that you notice the links between all the characters ?? Of course it's Libby ! And for the guy in the hatch with Desmond, any deja vu ??? Yeah !! He was the "same" guy that gave money to Sayid after he's killed or tortured the other soldier in the episode 14th of the 2nd season : One of Them. Well actually it's not completely the same guy, he's named Joe in the 14th episode and Kelvin in the last 2 episodes. Twins ?? :) Who knows ?? JJ Abrams ... mmmm I'm not even sure of that :) There are hundreds of links like this one between all the characters.But that was just in response to the Libby comment.I found those 2 episodes far more interesting than the whole season 2. During all that season I felt that there was lots of things I've missed and very few things I've learned. Especially at the very beginning, the 1st episode of the 2nd season is excellent, and then the 2nd one is a kind of flash back of the 1st one ... I found that disappointing even if I'm pretty sure that everything in Lost tend to have a meaning. That was just an example of how I was frustrated watching those episodes.Let's go back to the last 2 episodes. I think we've learned more new things in those 2 episodes than in the entire season. But all we learn are little pieces for the next puzzle, like the involvement of Desmond's "relatives" (sorry if I spoil too much, believe me or not I'm trying not to) for example. So lots of things evoked in the past 2 seasons are still unclear or have been developed once then nothing. And still, there's new material as if all the holes in the picture were not enough. We all want to see the big picture of all of it of course, but I think we'll have to be very very patient. I hope there will be only 3 seasons. I'm not sure I will watch more than 3 seasons anyway. There was also lots of actions in the very last episode. And a good cliffhanger at the very end.So basically, yes I loved that last episode ... and yes I want to see the third season.$LABEL$ 1 +If you like mech war games it's pretty good. Some of it is cheap but the robot fights is worth seeing. I've enjoyed the mech war field for some time and this is pretty much the only movie I've ever seen that come close to that feeling of what it would be like to pilot one of those huge mechs. If you like the genera then games you like are Mech Warrior Three and four and if you have an Xbox and $350 to spare Steel Battalion. The movie is worth seeing at least once. There really needs to be some more movies on the same theme out there. Less remakes and more original works. Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +I won't mention any of the plot, because, although it would be highly predictable anyway, the one notable plot twist is given away everywhere, in the movie comments, in the plot summary here, and even in the synopsis on my Netflix envelope. I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't known that. Maybe. This film has a deceptively good cast, most of whom did creditable acting with the rather limited material at hand, including Donald Sutherland, Lesley Ann Warren, and Tia Carrere and Rosemary Dunsmore in smaller parts. It was impossible to like William McNamara, but that was clearly by design. And there were a couple of quick nude scenes by the callipygian Lenore Zann. But none of this brings the slightest recommendation from me. Don't any of these fine actors actually read these scripts before signing on?$LABEL$ 0 +This is definitely the worst vampire flicks of all times. I started to watch this right after Interview With the vampire and I was thoroughly disappointed. Not only did this movie's script have craters as big as the grand canyon, the movie seemed to jump from one scene to another leaving the viewers thoroughly puzzled. The vampire Lestat played by Stuart Townsend was terrible-having a good body does not make you an actor! The end of the queen was too easy and sudden, insulting the viewers intelligence. I'll give this one star because Aaliyah actually tried her best in this movie and the soundtrack is pretty good. Other than that I would advice Anne Rice to take an ax and start hacking those who destroyed her brilliant story.$LABEL$ 0 +Although flawed in it's view of homosexuals, this movie will shed light for the viewer about the myths and inaccuracies concerning AIDS. Despite the depressing subject matter, this film depicts a warm friendship between two boys, and will make you laugh as well as cry. Very well-acted by all, especially Joseph Mazzello and Brad Renfro. The language is a little strong, though appropriate, and it's an entertaining and intelligent film for the whole family. But remember to have the Kleenex ready!$LABEL$ 1 +I think this movie would be more enjoyable if everyone thought of it as a picture of colonial Africa in the 50's and 60's rather than as a story. Because there is no real story here. Just one vignette on top of another like little points of light that don't mean much until you have enough to paint a picture. The first time I saw Chocolat I didn't really "get it" until having thought about it for a few days. Then I realized there were lots of things to "get", including the end of colonialism which was but around the corner, just no plot. Anyway, it's one of my all-time favorite movies. The scene at the airport with the brief shower and beautiful music was sheer poetry. If you like "exciting" movies, don't watch this--you'll be bored to tears. But, for some of you..., you can thank me later for recommending it to you.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a movie about animal cruelty. Under the guise of a marathon race, we see depictions of extreme animal abuse, including literally running a horse to death IN SLOW MOTION. The guy who did this then has his conscience spiritually cleansed by the flames from the burial/burning of the horse, which of course is still dead, having been tortured to death. This is one of the sickest, slimiest movies I've ever had the displeasure of viewing. As Gene Hackman and James Coburn near the finish line on their DYING animals, we're supposed to admire their spirit for finishing the race. I'd like to put the producers and director in a marathon race; I'll decide when they're finished, probably about 20 minutes after they stop breathing.$LABEL$ 0 +The reason why I say this is because I wrote the screenplay and knew very little about it being made until I was asked to see the film. I wrote it for some producers who sold it on without telling me. Because Alan Dobie was a friend of mine, I got to hear about it. I had only written a first draft so I was understandably worried when I heard that it was on the floor. I asked Peter Collinson, through my agent, whether he might like me to do another draft. I also asked if I could I see my original script because I had lost it. I was told, too late. So I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances and took my name off. I had no idea what they might have done to my screenplay. Then I was invited to see the finished film. I was so impressed that I very quickly asked to have my name put back on. It's a beautifully made piece, from a hurriedly written first draft, I expected to be asked to do much more work on it; perhaps if I had it wouldn't be so good. I would love to see my original script again if anybody knows where it is? I would also love to see the film again, I only saw it once in a little viewing theatre in Soho.$LABEL$ 1 +How much can you really say about a condom with teeth? The plot was really out there, but it was something campy to see on a Friday night. The story has a lot of unexpected twists, and it's a great way to offend all you're conservative friends!$LABEL$ 0 +If you liked the Grinch movie... go watch that again, because this was no where near as good a Seussian movie translation. Mike Myers' Cat is probably the most annoying character to "grace" the screen in recent times. His voice/accent is terrible and he laughs at his own jokes with an awful weasing sound, which is about the only laughing I heard at the theater. Not even the kids liked this one folks, and kids laugh at anything now. Save your money and go see Looney Tunes: Back in Action if you're really looking for a fun holiday family movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Great period piece that shows how attitudes have changed in 40 years. Great production design, appealing stars, great lines ("Miss Bender, I don't care if you beat it out on a native drum!", says Joan Crawford's Amanda Farrow to Hope Lange when Lange incredulously asks how she is expected to read a summarize a large amount of manuscripts in a very short time). If you've seen this movie panned and scanned on TV and not in the letterboxed version on pay-TV or AMC (American Movie Classics) you haven't really seen it. Hopefully, this guilty pleasure of a film will be made available soon on DVD in a letterboxed version and with it's original 4-track stereophonic soundtrack. Great opening title sequence that really catches the mood of 1959 New York while Johnny Mathis sings the "Best of Everything" theme song in an echo chamber surrounded by a chorus of violins and another chorus of background screamers. Miscarriages! Insanity! Office romance! Bitchy cold-hearted bosses! Thwarted love! It's all here to enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +Bugsy Siegel was 31 when he went out to the West Coast. In addition to his dreams about Las Vegas, he toyed with the idea of acting. He was a good looking guy and about 7 years younger than his pal George Raft, so it wasn't such a crazy idea.Warren Beatty was 54 when he made this movie and despite the hair dye, he's too old for this part. Beatty was miscast; Bugsy should have been played by someone like Alec Baldwin. Bugsy was a tough guy feared by his contemporaries; Beatty just doesn't radiate menace.This was a vanity project for Beatty, who hasn't come to terms with the fact that he's no longer a leading man.The other big annoying miscast is Mantegna as George Raft. Raft had a distinctive voice and mannerisms, none of which Mantegna even attempts to match. You never once believe that Mantegna came from the streets.Warren Beatty and Robert Redford have both been pretending to be younger for years by massive use of hair dye, and now it;ll be a shock to suddenly go gray and play character parts.$LABEL$ 0 +Without wishing to be a killjoy, Brad Sykes is responsible for at least two of the most dull and clichéd films i've ever seen - this being one of them, and Camp Blood being another. The acting is terrible, the print is shoddy, and everything about this film screams "seriously, you could do better yourself". Maybe this is a challenge to everyone to saturate youtube with our own zombie related crap?I bought this for £1, but remember, you can't put a price on 71 minutes of your life. You'd do well to avoid this turkey, even at a bargain basement price.$LABEL$ 0 +Who doesn't know Largo Winch in the France-Belgium-Luxemburg trio (the three countries where the French "BD" or "Bandes Dessinées" are massively published) ? 18 years after the publication of the first comic book, which is itself an adaptation of a series of novels, it HAD to be adapted on screens. After a first - and failed- attempt with a TV show, the real thing begins.First of all, and that's what most of the fans didn't get, the goal of this movie is not strictly to adapt the comic book series. Some essential parts, characters and actions of the original are missing. The movie itself offers an alternative and more modern version of the series. As a 1st class-fan of the comic book, I must confess I was nicely surprised. The actors are good, so is the scenario, though it might seem too fast. I thus recommend this movie to all those interested by financial/political thrillers, but it is clearly not an alternative to James Bond or Jason Bourne series as I could read over the internet.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit that this "re-imagining" of the original 1968 film was a huge disappointment. Specially when taken into consideration that this is a Tim Burton film. He is defenetly one of the most original and, might I say, cool directors Hollywood has produced.I am personally a great fan of his work, but something obviously went wrong with his latest flick, The Planet of the Apes. I really enjoyed the original film. When it first came out people expected just another cheezie 70's science fiction film, but a very surprise anding totally proved that theory wrong. It had indeed a clear cut message. An obvious anti-war message. Fear of the cold war, where it was taking the world and fear of the use of nuclear weapons played a big role in the mind of the film-makers. Those reasons made the film rise above all expectations and it became a instant classic. Although, the new film, the "re-making" or whatever, leaves us with nothing. No message, no ideals behind it. It is just another money-minded summer blockbuster.Visually Tim Burton does not let you down. The dark and creepy settings were excellent and of course the make up was terrific.Obviously that is not enough to keep people intrested in a film. There has to be an exciting plot or storyline. In this movie the plot is highly uninteresting and it is extremely badly thought out. The script is very lame and it is full of gaps. It looks like this film had been written in a big hurry. The explanation for why the apes where there, and why the ruled the planet was indeed very stupid and proved the script-writers ignorance.It raised a lot of questions, which had no reasonable answers to.For example; Why did the apes speak English?, why were there other ape-species than chimps on the planet (given that there were only chimps in the space ship that crash-landed on the planet) Where the hell did all of those humans come from? How were a few chimps able to evolve into a huge raise of all kinds of monkeys in only a few thousands years. (I mean it took a few million years for us to evolve from monkey to man!)And finally, the bad surprise ending was just plane dumb. It was probably just thrown in because the original film had such an end, then they felt that the audience were expecting the same kind of ending. The ending also raises a lot of questions, which I KNOW, don´t have intelligent answears. Did Theid learn to work the space ship?, which was power-less, and learnt to fly back in time and take over the earth single hand?, and, what did he do, breed with all the women? And lets say that that would happen, I higly doubt that history would stay the same, like Washington would be built exactly like it is today! (I mean wouln't there be a huge banana instead of the memorial?)Well, just to say something posative about the film. Some of the cast was great. Helen Bonham Carter's character was interesting and well-acted, as for Tim Roth as Theid. He was very good, a little exaturated at some points of the film. Michael Clark Duncan was also fine. I was not happy with Marc Whalberg. He is not much of an actor, and plays here a very macho colour-less character. Very unbielevable and is nothing compared to Hestons character in the original. And the main female character had no reason or place in the film. She was just casted for the looks. Hardly said a word throughout the entire film.Well, I think that in the future when people think about the Planet of the apes, they will think about the original one. The latest will soon be forgotten.$LABEL$ 0 +A very enjoyable film, providing you know how to watch old musicals / mysteries. It may not come close to Agatha Christie or even Thin Man mysteries as a film noir, but it's much more interesting than your typical "boy meets girl" or "let's put on a show" backstage musical. As a musical, it's no Busby Berkley or Freed unit, but it can boost the classic "Coctails for two" and the weird "Sweet Marijuana". The film runs in real time during a stage show, opening night of the "Vanities", where a murder - and soon another - is discovered backstage. Is the murderer found out before the curtain falls? Sure, but the search is fun, even though somewhat predictable and marred by outbursts of comic relief (luckily in the shape of the shapely goddess of the chorus girls, Toby Wing). The stupid cop is just a bit too stupid, the leading hero is just a bit too likable, the leading lady a bit too gracious, the bitchy prima donna bit too bitchy, and the enamoured waif a bit too self-sacrificing, but as stereotypes go, they are pretty stylish. There's a bevy of really gorgeous chorus girls, who are chosen even better than the girls for a Busby Berkley musical of the same period, who sometimes tend to be a bit on the plump side. Yes, this film could have been much better than it is, and the Duke Ellington number is an embarrassment, but if you enjoy diving into old movies, this will prove to be a tremendously tantalizing trip.$LABEL$ 1 +I had high hopes for this film, since it has Charlton Heston and Jack Palance. But those hopes came crashing to earth in the first 20 minutes or so. Palance was ridiculous. Not even Heston's acting or Annabel Schofield's beauty (or brief nude scenes) could save this film. Some of the space effects were quite good, but others were cheesy. The plot was ludicrous. Even sci-fi fans should skip this one. Grade F$LABEL$ 0 +Typical formula action film: a good cop gets entangled in a mess of crooked cops and Japanese gangsters.The okay result has decent performances, a few fleeting snicker-inducing moments, and some fair action sequences--plus a chance to check out the gorgeous Danielle Harris--who makes the most of her perpetual typecasting as a rebellious teen daughter.** out of ****.$LABEL$ 0 +William Petersen (that C.S.I guy) has a small uncredited role but it's the best part of the movie. His character comes across smart ass and tough, and it's a fun surprise to see him in this. He has a range that allows him to play just about anything. After his 5 minutes, it goes from looking cool to just nothing much. It leaves you hoping that his character will reappear in the movie but after 20 minutes you give up hope. The movie itself is pretty poor. Worth a watch on TMN or a pick up at the library but not much more. Too much of it reminds you of L.A Confidential except that where that movie starts to get complicated upon itself, this one is so loose, it steers everywhere but where it should. 2 out of 5 stars$LABEL$ 0 +I don't really post comments, but wanted to make sure to warn people off this film. It's an unfinished student film with no redeeming features whatsoever. On a technical level, it's completely amateur - constant unintentional jump edits within scenes, dubbing wildly off, etc. The plot is completely clichéd, the structure is laughable, and the acting is embarrassing. I don't want to be too harsh: I've made my share of student films, and they were all awful, but there's no reason for this film to be out in the world where innocent fans will have to see it.Safe assumption that - much like the cast - positive comments are filmmakers, friends, and family.$LABEL$ 0 +I have never seen a movie so bad. It's not even entertaining enough to be a drinking game.It's SO bad, I don't even want to talk about it... and that's the whole point of this, isn't it? PLEASE. Don't bother to see this movie. 'Nuf said.$LABEL$ 0 +As incredible as it may seem, Gojoe is an anime- and Hong Kong-inspired samurai action flick with a pacifistic message. This ankle of the film is effectively portrayed through the protagonist (a great acting job done by Daisuke Ryu), a killer-turned-to-boddhist-monk Benkei. Benkei has sworn never to kill again, but he still takes up the sword to fight what he thinks is a demon invasion...Gojoe is a film difficult to rate. It's visual imagery is stunningly crafted and beautiful, but it uses too much trickery (circling camera and high speed drives, expressionistic shots, leeched colors, digital effects etc.), so the end result is somewhat tiring. That said, the beginning and the ending of the film are nevertheless both elegant and powerful. If only the director Sogo Ishii would have been wise enough not to overuse his bag of tricks.Other problem with Gojoe is the amount of violence. For a film with such an anti-violent message Gojoe wastes way too much energy and screen time to depict the endless battle scenes. Also, the way the violence is shown is always on the edge of being self-indulgent; in fact, a blood shower against the night sky seems to be one of the films signature images. Luckily, Ishii is wise enough to show the ugly, tragic side of violence as well. Still, it seems that Ishii is not sure whether he's making a traditional action film or a deeply moral allegory. The audience can't be sure of this, either, until the very end of the film. The powerful (albeit cynical) ending is what saves Gojoe; it clearly emphasizes that this film is something more than a mere gore-fest.$LABEL$ 1 +Hood of the Living Dead had a lot to live up to even before the opening credits began. First, any play on "...of the living dead" invokes His Holiness Mr. Romero and instantly sets up a high standard to which many movies cannot afford to aspire. And second, my movie-watching companion professed doubt that any urban horror film would surpass the seminal Leprechaun In the Hood. Skeptical, we settled in to watch. We were rewarded with a surprisingly sincere and good-hearted zombie film. Oh, certainly the budget is low, and of course the directors' amateurs friends populate the cast, but Hood of the Living Dead loves zombie cinema. Cheap? Yeah. But when it's this cheap, you can clearly see where LOVE holds it together. Ricky works in a lab during the day and as a surrogate parent to his younger brother at night. He dreams of moving out of Oakland. Before this planned escape, however, his brother is shot to death in a drive-by. Ricky's keen scientific mind presents an option superior to CPR or 911: injections of his lab's experimental regenerative formula. Sadly, little bro wakes up in an ambulance as a bloodthirsty Oakland zombie! Chaos and mayhem! I think it's more economical to eat your enemies than take vengeance in a drive-by, but then again, I'm a poor judge of the complexities of urban life. (How poor a judge? In response to a gory scene involving four men, I opined "Ah-ha! White t-shirts on everyone so the blood shows up. Economical! I used the same technique in my own low-budget horror film." Jordan replied, "No, that's gang dress. White t-shirts were banned from New Orleans bars for a time as a result." Oh.)A lot of the movie is set in someone's living room, so there's a great deal of hanging out and waiting for the zombies. But the characters are sympathetic and the movie is sincere-- it surpasses its budget in spirit. Zombie explanation: When man plays God, zombies arise! Or, perhaps: Follow FDA-approved testing rules before human experimentation! Contribution to the zombie canon: This is the first zombie movie I've seen with a drive-by shooting. As far as the actual zombies go, infection is spread with a bite as usual, but quite unusually head shots don't work-- it's heart shots that kill. Zombies have pulses, the absence of which proves true death. And these zombies make pretty cool jaguar-growl noises. Gratuitous zombie movie in-joke: A mercenary named Romero. Groan. Favorite zombie: Jaguar-noise little brother zombie, of course!$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone who has read my review for Uwe Boll's "Alone In The Dark" will remember that I compared the unenviable task of sitting through that piece of human waste to having each and every hair on your arm pulled out. Well, take that analogy a step further with this irredeemable gutter trash and try to imagine the pain of getting your teeth extracted without novacaine. Do that, and you'll have a general idea of what Eli Roth's "Cabin Fever" is all about.I never believed any one film was capable of topping the sheer agonizing dreck that Uwe Boll cranks out as the "worst film ever made." But, in all honesty, I have to say "Cabin Fever" comes very close. This is yet another sad excuse for a motion picture that had absolutely no valid reason to meet with any form of theatrical release. For somebody who claims to love the horror genre as much as Eli Roth does, he has created the single most annoying and convoluted patchwork of a movie I think I have ever seen in my entire life. How do you screw up a story like this? Think of the potential this plot would have had without the poorly written characters, without the bad writing, and without all that unnecessary and unfunny comedy. A movie dealing with a grotesque flesh-eating virus could and should have been so much better than what Roth dished out for us here. This script failed on so many levels with me. And, while I do not doubt the evident talent this director possesses, I do know that he fumbled the ball big time on an idea that could very well have redefined the horror genre.To say this was a production of missed opportunities would indeed be a gross play on words. A generous amount of blood and unsettling special effects can't even save it, and that is one element I normally go for. There really was nothing about "Cabin Fever" that I could easily recommend to anybody. When three quarters of the crowd walks out of the theater halfway through, you know the movie is sinking fast. My best advice to those reading this would be to simply rent before purchasing. One viewing was more than enough for me to know that I will most likely never bother with it again.$LABEL$ 0 +This film was a huge surprise to me while i watched it at Cinequest in the big California Theatre in San Jose. It's a musical, which normally I don't like, but I have to say this one was different. Robert Peters, who directed the film and stared in it, did such a wonderful job. During his Q & A he told the audience that he only had two other people for his crew! Most of the dialouge was made up on the fly and he actually made the film while attending another film festival in Germany! I can't say enough great things about this movie, the only bad thing is that you really tend to notice the camera work and it shakes a bit. If you happen to come across this film- check it out!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the greatest 80s movies!!! It sticks out like a "turd in a punchbowl"!! I can't believe Mad Magazine denounced it or whatever. And yet, they proudly put their name on a show with "Stuart", "I-speak-a-no-enlish Chinese lady" and "UPS guy on speed". What's up with that? And, I LOVE Ron Leibman-he's foxy!! Wonder why he had his name removed from the credits? It was his funniest role that I know of. Of course, he's not nearly as foxy as he was in Norma Rae. But, in my opinion, this movie is right up there with National Lampoon's Vacation. If you liked movies such as Porky's, Fast Times, Last American Virgin, or any of the other 80s teen-focused movies, you'll love this one!! Rent it and you'll see what I mean!!$LABEL$ 1 +Remember that friend in college who always insisted you rent the weirdest movie possible? This is the movie he would have made if he'd had the chance.I wish I could tell you exactly what Sea of Dust was about. It pretends to be the story of a doctor who gets sucked into weird goings on in the "Black Forest." He goes there to help, but ends up being caught between two young women, both of whom he seems to have a thing for. But that's just scratching the surface. This is the kind of movie where things just randomly happen...and not nice thing. People are constantly being whipped and stabbed. There's a pair of creepy little girls who appear to have walked out of The Shining. Tom Savini is some kind of imaginary religious figure who decides he doesn't want to be imaginary anymore. He's got a plan to take over the world by sharing Jesus suffering.On some level, this is a movie about sex. It's one without nudity, which was a disappointment, but there's no mistaking the intent. On another whole level, it's a stoner's paradise. Unexpected stuff happens so often that it stops being unexpected. By the time the doctor travels through his girlfriend's birth canal to be reborn, you'll just chalk it up to the crazy nature of the flick.On the down side, the film is pretty wordy. Some of the points are hammered home over and over. If you're watching it with a bunch of stoned friends, this might prove an asset.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was excellent, save for some of the scenes with Esposito. I enjoyed how it brought together every detective on the series, and wrapped up some plotlines that were never resolved during the series (thanks to NBC...). It was great to see Pembleton and Bayliss together at their most human, and most basic persons. Braugher and Secor did a great job, but as usual will get overlooked. It hurt to see that this was the end of Homicide. Memories, tapes, and reruns on CourtTV just aren't the same as watching it come on every Friday. But the movie did its job and did it very well, presenting a great depiction of life after Al retired, and the family relationship that existed between the unit. I enjoyed this a lot.$LABEL$ 1 +Most of Wayne's B westerns are kind of fun in a naive way, but this one really stinks. The editing is terrible, and the direction and pacing is completely lethargic. Most of the cast stands around waiting for the mute guy to write down his thoughts on a pad of paper, and I was bored. Sorry, Duke, but this gets a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +This was on SciFi this past weekend, and I had to check it out. After all... it was science fiction, with vampires and Erika Eleniak. What could go wrong with this B-movie?A lot.To start with: It can't even be classified as a "B-movie," because that would put it in the same league as Roger Corman... and this movie doesn't even meet his expectations. The most money they spent was on the contact lenses for the vampires.Secondly: The casting was horrible. Yes, casting Udo Kier as the captain of the Demeter was a smart move... but the director clearly couldn't even get Kier to memorize his lines. Casting Eleniak, in a vampire movie, is also a smart move because it means a bunch of horny guys are going to buy/rent/record this flick to watch her get seduced by a vampire. But, the director, writer and producer screwed that one, too. Granted, they got some money out of the poor, unfortuate souls who enjoy watching vampire movies with hot women in them... but no one is going to remember this movie in another two or three years.Thirdly: Little things that just emphasize the laziness in this movie. For example, Van Helsing calls a cross a "crucifix," and, when Mina is staked in the coffin, the viewer can clearly see the fact that her "chest" is nothing more than pillows.Oh, and one other thing: Why did they go for the George Hamiltion-type Dracula instead of something that would look decently scary? Does George Hamilton have an overwhelming hold on our future? Why didn't everyone who saw Dracula just laugh at him for his get-up?A waste of time. Even with a TiVo remote in your hand.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this movie when I was about 12 years old. It has been one of my favorites since... It's so perfect in all it's glory complete with awesome soundtrack, cheesy dialog, and it was both hilarious and terribly sad. The first movie I really just had a fit about at the end... I won't ruin it for you guys but boy is it a tear jerker... I just remember feeling SO sad for Gary! What a bunch of cool characters in this movie it's genius!!! They are all so great even the nerdy girl Gary doesn't like...(she had a nice little body though). I can't believe all the girls go for Rick he is such a sleaze ball with his handkerchief tied around his neck!!! ha ha ha... When watching this movie be prepared for lots of sex jokes complete with sexually transmitted diseases(almost). But a love story at heart with real problems, dealing from insecurity to life altering decisions that make you think and feel genuine sorrow for the cast. I love this movie !!! If you like Valley Girl another all time classic you will too!$LABEL$ 1 +Trawling through the Sci Fi weeklies section of the local Video Rentals store I was losing hope of finding any good movies I hadn't yet seen. Renting Cypher was like a punt on a possibly very lame horse. My son is so jaded with current "B" Science Fiction that he hasn't bothered seeing this yet.It must be noted I didn't see anything about Cypher when it was released in Australia. It must have been very quiet or I just missed it.Well this WAS a really pleasant surprise! This is also no B movie. It's not a "blockbuster" of the epic variety and doesn't try to be - more a quiet movie that needs to be seen several times for it's plot to be fully savoured.The special effects are powerfully presented when they are used - my only complaint is the super helo is a leetle obviously CGI at first view, but they get it right at it's 2nd appearance, & that aside everything else is top notch. In any case the affects are secondary.I won't give anything away about the plot. The plot structure has a Russian Doll aspect a little reminiscent of Basic Instinct (though with very different content).Just I will say that Choosing Jeremy Northam for the lead was a master stroke. The actor was born in Cambridge ENGLAND, and his accent for this film hits the ear as a sort of extremely forced New England dialect, it's a tad off key. See the final twist of the plot and you'll see why that is such a brilliant choice! And Lucy Liu is also just right with her "will she kiss me - will she shoot me" edge.I rarely watch movies several times within days - this is one of them.$LABEL$ 1 +So funny is the perfect way to describe this 12 minutes spoof of the original Star Wars. Hardware Wars is incredibly funny. It is presented as the trailer of the space epic Hardware Wars. The joke is this: imagine Star Wars played by bad actors and incredibly bad special effects. The characters include the "intergalactic boy-wonder" Fluke Starbucker, the "ace mercenary and intergalactic wise guy" Ham Salad, Darph Nader, "villain" and a host of other fantastic characters. It is impossible not to laugh as you watch this 12 minutes treasure. It's stupid but it's fun. You will laugh from the start to the end, and you will feel the need to watch it again, and again, and again, and again... And you will laugh every time you see it!!!10 out of 10. The funniest 12 minutes ever made. You will believe it lasted a minute!$LABEL$ 1 +A truly adorable heroine who, at turns, is surprised and terrified by giblets, wrestles with mattresses, runs full-on into closed doors ... just a few of the moments that sparkle in my memory of 'The Naked Truth'. I LOVED what I caught of this show: enjoyably daft plots and some good supporting characters provided the setting for the diamond of the show - Tea Leoni as, 'Nora Wilde'; cute, clownish, and wonderfully accident-prone - How refreshing to see an actress who can clown - it's no wonder Hollyood doesn't seem to know how to cast her. But where-oh-WHERE are the DVD releases? The amount of (bleep) they release, it's incredible me that this little gem continues to remain buried. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)$LABEL$ 1 +This insipid mini operetta featuring a Eddy-McDonald prototype in a Valentino scenario is so bad it becomes an endurance exercise after five minutes. It's silly from the get go as this brevity opens two military men discussing the lack of manliness in the son of one of the officers. In under a minute he is packed off to Morrocco where he lives a double life as the Red Shadow; the leader of an Arab tribe that would rather sing than fight.Alexander Gray and Bernice Clare possess fine light opera voices (with little acting ability) and there's a decent bass in there as well but the acting is so haphazard scenes so ill prepared you get the feeling they are making things up as they go along.This two reeler was part of a larger stage production that lists six writers. With more room to spoof and warble the show may have had some entertainment values but this rushed quickie is little more than an insult to an audience waiting for the feature presentation.$LABEL$ 0 +Like the great classic Bugs Bunny cartoons, this movie has humor at different levels. I just introduced this to my 10 year old daughter and 11 year old son. Both enjoyed the movie - busting out laughing quite a few times... and my daughter is not much of a sci-fi fan. The movie kept me laughing despite having seen a few times... the adult-level humor (that is, humor that adults will get simply because of greater life experiences, no baudy or R-rated stuff to be found here) keeps the movie equally enjoyable for adults. For example of the adult level humor, the Martian voices are based on characters of different movies/actors. The Martian pilot, Blaznee, has the voice and mannerisms of Jack Nicholson; the scientist, that of Peter Seller's Dr. Strangelove. The special effects are surprisingly good for this film. The lack of top 10 actors actually works in the movie's favor, and the actors/actresses play their part well - in fact I would say the producers picked out actors and their skills for the roles' needs over box-office draw power (an excellent example is Wayne Alexander's "Vern" character). I had to write this review... the kids are playing this for the 3rd time in 4 days over dinner right now. Good for a rainy day or a late night weekend there's-nothing-on-and-I'm-bored movie.$LABEL$ 1 +This is another one of those fundamentalist Christian movies that hit you over the head with religion like a sledgehammer. You know you are in trouble when the setup of the story is completely ridiculous. Three men are flying to Mexico to deliver Bibles. This makes no sense since the church is Protestant and most Mexicans are Catholic. Protestant and Catholic bibles are not the same. The Catholic bible has books in it that are not in the Protestant bible. I also find it difficult to believe that churches in Mexico would not distribute bibles to them. I can understand if they were going to a place where Christianity is in the minority. But Mexico is far fetched. If you cannot believe the setup of a story, then you don't the rest of the story either. A movie about religion can be entertaining, but not this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a typical 70's soft core sex romp in the Russ Meyer genre, though perhaps less outlandish than some of Meyer's work. This film has higher 'production values' than many of it's contemporaries, suggesting a larger budget. It's plot, writing and acting are straight out the B zone, though. Of late, this film has become a mainstay of B movie channels (such as "Drive In Classics") in the 500 channel universe. If soft core is what you are in the mood for, this is as "good" as anything else in the B range. Don't expect Polanski though, Sarno is just Sarno. Nothing more, nothing less. Jennifer Welles performance as the "mother" is perhaps the best of the cast. None of the actors in the film went on to greater fame, unsurprisingly. Confessions of a Young American Housewife is far from the worst example of it's kind. It is watchable, if this is your type of film. 30 years ago, this would have been an avant garde and riske film. You can see more or less the same kind of thing on Showtime/HBO series these days, and in prime time.$LABEL$ 0 +I totally hated the movie. It was so retarded. They need to get some acting lessons....no, wait, that won't help because the Naked Brothers Band people a retards. You know why I am here even though I am a Naked Brothers Band hater? To warn people before they watch the dumb movie so that the NBB doesn't get any money from it so then they can't make any more amateur stupid songs that are so retarded that any old guy could go and write it in 10 seconds. Not only are the song lyrics retarded, they sing badly. Okay, I'm kinda getting off the movie here.....anyways, it was boring and they acted horribly. It was NOT funny at all even though they tried really hard for it to be. I guess they deserve some credit for that...well, the movie isn't worth your time. Just look at its rating. The movie (and the series) is very painful to watch for anyone who has even half a brain. Seriously, if you liked it, you need to go watch movies where the actors actually act, not babbling their lines in a monotone. I am on the drama club at my school and some people there are actually BETTER than those Nat and Alex guys. Hurry before it's too late! I seriously thought that Herbie Fully Loaded was better than this piece of poopie. I don't even know why I went through even HALF of that film. I don't think it even deserves to be called a film...$LABEL$ 0 +The movie starts in spring 2001. A soldier named John Tyree (Channing Tatum) falls in love with college student Savannah Cutis (Amanda Seyfried) while on break. Within the space of two weeks they fall madly in love with each other (!). But he has to go off to war and she has to go to college. They do but keep in touch by writing to each other. Then 9/11 happens. He wants to reenlist--she wants him to stay home. What will they do? Hysterically bad romantic drama. The leads ARE attractive--Tatum is certainly a handsome man with beautiful green eyes and a hot body (he's introduced walking shirtless out of the water after surfing)...but he can't act. Seyfried is a beautiful woman and she tries...but the dialogue here is horrible. When I saw it me and a friend of mine were fighting hard NOT to laugh out loud at some of the "romantic" dialogue at the beginning. It was just HORRIBLE. For the first hour or so I was either bored by the ridiculously predictable drama or amused by the horrendous "romance". Then, after that first hour, tragedy kicks in and, I must admit, had me in tears. However the filmmakers go out of their way to make sure that you're crying with death, funerals and meetings with people breaking down in tears. How can you NOT cry? This would have worked if the acting were better. Tatum's face never changes expression--not ONCE! He always had a blank look on his face. Seyfried was a LITTLE better but not much. To make it worse Tatum and Seyfried had no sexual chemistry on screen at all! They barely looked like they liked each other let alone love each other. There was some beautiful photography of the Carolinas but this is a boring and stupid romantic "drama". A 1 all the way...and I usually love silly romantic dramas like this!$LABEL$ 0 +'Thursday' is a good movie but we recognize too much from other movies in its genre and therefor it lacks originality. If you have seen 'Goodfellas', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction' and a bunch of other movies that were inspired by that last one you have seen almost every part from 'Thursday'. There is a scene that involves torturing that has even the same dialogue as in Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs'.Still, it is a good movie. Because not every part is taken from the same movie the complete thing has some new ideas and some nice touches. The opening sequence to begin with, is quite impressive. We meet Nick (Aaron Eckhart), Dallas (Paulina Porizkova) and Billy Hill (James Le Gros). They get into a fight with a clerk in a gas station over a cup of coffee and it ends with the death of that clerk and the arrival of a cop. We've already glimpsed at a suitcase with a lot of money in it.Then we meet Casey (Thomas Jane) in Houston. He is married to Christine (Paula Marshall) but used to be working with Nick. She doesn't know a thing. Then Nick gives him a call and says that he is coming. We learn that he has screwed his friends over and the problems are about to start.What happens exactly is not for me to reveal but we meet some other characters, all interested in the money or the drugs Nick also had with him. Casey has flushed those down the drain.Very funny moments, a lot of blood, a very funny sub-plot involving actor Michael Jeter and some surprises (although if you really think about it you see them coming) this is a good movie with some very fine performances, nicely directed by Skip Woods.$LABEL$ 1 +Paul Rudnick (Jeffrey, Addams Family Values) wrote this frothy tale of a mild mannered school teacher (Kevin Kline) who is outted on the Academy Awards by a former student-turned-actor (Matt Dillon). The rest of the film deals with the absurdities revolving around this setup -the effect on the town, his fiancee (Joan Cusack), himself- and climaxes with an everybody-loves-everybody finale. If you're an angry gay rights activist or a naive youth looking for an accurate portrayal of a man's struggle to come out or a 'true' depiction of gay life, then save yourself the trouble and rent something else (maybe Beautiful Thing) or read a book (Giovanni's Room). If you are able to understand that this film was inspired by the piousness of Tom Hanks's speech on the Academy Awards when he won for Philadelphia and pokes fun at Hollywood culture and small town ignorance and you have a fondness for '30's screwball comedy (Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, The Palm Beach Story) then enjoy! Far from being a biting satire, the film tries for the exuberance of a Preston Sturges farce and comes damn close. No, it's not 'deep' or 'powerful' -neither were Romy & Michelle, 9 to 5, or Young Frankenstein- and it doesn't pretend to be; it keeps it's tongue-firmly-in-cheek. It gets too preachy and maudlin for its own good toward the end and sure some of the jokes are a bit stale (there's also a locker room scene that could have been cut) but after sitting through countless comedies that misfire, it's like a breath of fresh air. Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck are wonderfully game while Debbie Reynolds and Wilford Brimley add fine support. The excellent Joan Cusack's award winning performance is stellar and the great Bob Newhart is, well, Bob Newhart. The fact that many have been offended by In & Out is as absurd as the mentality of the townsfolk it pokes fun at; personally, I was more offended by Philadelphia. I'll take harmless fluff over sanctimoniousness anytime.$LABEL$ 1 +This was so bad I can't even review it. So I'll jot some sentences about what I witnessed, and it'll be up to you to decide. Captain Kirk, with toupee and tubby gut, is rock climbing Yosemete's El Capitan. Spock meets him halfway riding on a floating skateboard-like hovercraft. Kirk falls. Spock flies down, catches him inches before Kirk hits the ground head- first. Later, that night, Spock, Kirk and McCoy are eating beans around a campfire. Spock likes the beans. Then, Kirk and McCoy sing "Row Row Row Your Boat", and want Spock to join in on the three-way harmony. Spock doesn't want to sing. And later that night, he disagrees. "But life isn't but a dream, Captain". Should I go on? Okay... A renegade Vulcan, who happens to be Spock's half brother, leads a revolt on a sandy planet - taking hostages. The crew of the enterprise land on the planet, and Uhura, pushing fifty-five and weighing two-hundred some-odd pounds, lures the natives with her bare legs. But they can't trick the brother, who claims he can find God. He kidnaps the crew and the Enterprise. They go to a planet where a big bearded apparition, claiming to be God, spits fire at Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Spock's sibling, realizing it isn't God - but is really a form of himself - or something - joins with the apparition in order to destroy it and... sparks fly. Then, after stuff happens too complicated to explain involving Klingons who resemble Lorenzo Lamas... The Three Amigos - Kirk, Spock and McCoy - return to Yosemite (did I mention, Kirk was wearing a GO CLIMB A ROCK T-shirt?). With Spock playing some kind of funky Vulcan guitar, they sing "Row Row Row Your Boat", this time all three harmonizing as the credits roll.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow. Saw this last night and I'm still reeling from how good it was. Every character felt so real (although most of them petty, selfish a**holes) and the bizarre story - middle aged widow starts shagging her daughter's feckless boyfriend - felt utterly convincing. Top performances all round but hats off to Anne Reid and Our Friends in the North's Daniel Craig (the latter coming across as the next David Thewlis).And director Roger Michell? This is as far from Notting Hill as it's possible to be. Thank God.Watch this movie!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Casper Van Dien... what can I say? I enjoy the guy! His movies bring a certain flair to them that is actually not brought on by the director or producer, but by him! Recycled plots... check. Rip-offs of better movies... check. Wooden acting... check. It's not that Van Dien is a bad actor (he has been effective in Hollywood gloss as Starship Troopers and Sleepy Hollow) he just really has not been offered a script worthy of his talents; and yes, he does have acting talent other than being eye-candy. This movie offers a slight hint of what Van Dien can offer but is bogged down by the production of it all. The script can be better developed (see Oliver Stone's U-Turn). The directing can be better utilized (see Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Til Dawn). The DP could've made the desert more exotic (see Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat Faster Kill!). This script is weak because this is something we have seen before many other times so the double/triple-crosses are expected. The direction is weak because it is not offering anything new and telegraphs many of the weak script moments. The cinematography at times paints a lovely autumn desert flavor to it, but at other times it doesn't take advantage of the scorching light and the beginning sequence is horrible in cornflower blue.Now to the acting... Van Dien shows some grace and charisma to his Jake. He neither gets too methodical nor too campy in his role. A nice balance especially since the rest of the cast seems too distracted as to how they should be acting in this film (bad script or bad direction... you make your opinion). The only other person worth mentioning is Bryan Brown's villain as it provides the only real credit for acting in this film... aspiring actors forget trying to learn how to act in green screen, try learning how to act in a horrendous script and take notes on Bryan Brown in this film. He adds extra depth to his role and is a nice counter part to Van Dien's character. Jake always seem to either be one step ahead or control of any situation whether if it is out of his control. The femme fatale is weak (this is a desert noir after all) and is another nail in this film's coffin (you decide... script or direction). The Rosalita character should've been thrusted forward in the movie instead of being pushed into the back ground later on to make room for the real femme fatale. So watch the film for Van Dien and Brown; and for fun, try to skip a rock across the plot holes laced within the film.$LABEL$ 0 +Simply one of the greatest films ever made. Worthy of sitting alongside such European masterworks as THE RULES OF THE GAME, GRAND ILLUSION, NOSTALGHIA, ANDREI ROUBLEV, 8 1/2, WINGS OF DESIRE, VIRIDIANA, THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS, LA STRADA, ORDET,THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, THE FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS and MADAME DE... Both a blessing...and an almost perfect work of art.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, Jon Bon Jovi doesn't seem to be in place in a vampire movie. Together with the other not so interesting characters and the poor storyline the whole movie becomes predictable. If you keep that in mind and you're a total vampire movie fan, you can have some fun with a few of the scenes. Don't expect any Tarantino-style chapters here and neither an Anne Rice storyline. (I expect to have have forgotten the whole movie by tomorrow ;)$LABEL$ 0 +Above-average film and acting partly spoiled by its completely predictable story line. Even the music is chosen so that the words fit the action every time. A scent of "Pleasantville" camp hangs around this flick. As a period piece, it's more accurate than not. Its depiction of the tragedy of company towns and lack of upward mobility is sketchy but moving. Chris Cooper turns in a first-class performance as Howard's coal-miner daddy.$LABEL$ 1 +Based upon the novel The Dismissal by Ermanno Rea, in essence the story's about the slow friendship that develops between an Italian maintenance technician Vincenzo Buonavolonta (Sergio Castellitto, who can be seen as the villainous King in Prince Caspian, and was the lead in Bella Martha) and a Chinese translator Liu Hua (Ling Tai). They set off actually on the wrong foot, with the former chastising the latter for her inaccurate, and slow translations of what he wanted to tell a Chinese delegate who had bought equipment that is faulty. Vincenzo wants to do the right thing, which is rare in these days, and that is to tell the prospective buyers upfront the faults as well as the intricacies that their purchase would bring, and given that he's disturbed by the fact that the deal still went ahead, he takes time off to craft a component that would set things right.But that also means to travel to China in search of the elusive machine, which proves to be well hidden, and seemingly having vanished without a trace. With the initial reluctant help of Liu Hua, they set off in this treasure hunt from city to city, which brings us to lesser seen sights of China, away from the Beijings and the Shanghais, to cities like Wuhan, with industrial like backdrops such as steel mills and nuclear plants with their smoke stacks dotting the scenery. The mighty Yangtze River also makes an appearance. Along the way, the usual trappings of such travelogue styled movies come into play, such as the learning of culture, ideals, food, and basically, the understanding that the world is without strangers, if only one makes an effort to try and connect. While hints of some romance between the two leads are suggested, it rarely made itself to be a moot point, until perhaps late in the movie (hey, opposites attract, no?)Besides the major industrial plants and factories, We get to see various cottage industry, like seamstresses working in sweat shop like environments, and I believe Cotton too, along with noodle making. As a film, it provided me the travelling opportunity without leaving my seat to observe, and credit to it for not passing judgement from a moral high ground on exploitation and the likes. And kudos too for the movie to engage in dialogue based on the characters' native tongues, rather than (and I shall not name names here) some other movie / cross-cultural collaborations where dialogue is forced-dubbed and came off unnatural, and truly irksome. Some might deem the supporting characters to be too kind too, always opening their arms and doors to a foreigner, but I would like to imagine that maybe in the more rural areas, people in general tend to be more sincere, friendly and basically not get caught up in the rat race to trample on others, or be trampled upon.If there's a message to take away from the movie, besides the fact that I mentioned that the world is without strangers, is a reminder to myself that some of the stuff I deem important, may not be so to others. Importance is something one places upon something else, and its basis really depends on how we define the boundaries we set. So given our finite lifetime, I think I should lighten up a bit more, live and let live, and sometimes bask in the illusion that ignorance could be bliss.$LABEL$ 1 +The acting was horrible and they got both of the sports wrongggg.......not only did they get the figure skating rules wrong, but also they rules of GIRLS Ice Hockey. In GIRLS ice hockey you cannot check. You also don't BLOCK for someone. Not all they girls are disgusting gross mean and big. I play hockey and I'm only 4'11 and have been asked to go to schools like the one in the movie. Also not all hockey players hate figure skaters. A lot of current girls hockey players were once figure skaters themselves. Also we skate A LOT faster then the ones in the movie. I was embarrassed by the movie it gave people the idea that we suck.......although i must mention that it is difficult to transition between the sports because of the toe pick on the figure skates.....also some of those twirly moves KAtelin was doing on the ice you couldn't do in a regular hockey game. She basically tripped the person, which is illigal. Its also unrealistic that she would get a HOCKEY scholarship when she figure skates. That really made me angry that scholarship would normally be used to someone who could benefit the team.$LABEL$ 0 +The plot is about a female nurse, named Anna, is caught in the middle of a world-wide chaos as flesh-eating zombies begin rising up and taking over the world and attacking the living. She escapes into the streets and is rescued by a black police officer. So far, so good! I usually enjoy horror movies, but this piece of film doesn't deserve to be called horror. It's not even thrilling, just ridiculous.Even "the Flintstones" or "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" will give you more excitement. It's like watching a bunch of bloodthirsty drunkards not being able to get into a shopping mall to by more liquor. The heroes who has locked themselves in, inside the shopping-mall to avoid being eaten by the hoodlums outside, are not better either. Even though they doesn't seem to be drunk, they give the impression of being mentally disabled. Save your money instead of spending it on this!$LABEL$ 0 +The statistics in this movie were well researched. There is no doubt about it! Al Gore certainly presents his case very well and it is no wonder that this movie got the praise that it got. Al Gore is certainly quite an actor. He sounds so concerned. But actions speak louder than words! Throughout this movie, there are political tidbits and references to his political career sprinkled throughout the movie.Jimmy Carter, unlike Al Gore, is a man of integrity who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk as well. When Carter thought we needed to conserve energy, he turned down the thermostat in the White House and got warm by wearing a sweater.Al Gore tells us that we have to conserve energy and claims that we are creating global warming while he travels around in his own private jet. How much energy does his jet use and how much more pollution does his jet create? How much energy does it take to heat Gore's swimming pool behind his mansion? It would be nice if we could conserve electricity by using smaller appliances and making it a point to turn off anything that is not being used. But if we did, the power company would react to a 50% reduction of energy by calling it a "50% loss in revenue" and recouping their losses by raising the rates by 50%. So "just turning it off" would not be a very good idea.This movie is a veiled appeal to allow Big Goivernment to take control of everything, in the name of saving planet earth, that is.$LABEL$ 0 +I love watching steven seagal movies not because of the action of the great plot holes but just because it makes me laughoh it makes me laugh so hard this movie totally got no point and is ridiculous compared to this movie Pearl harbor rocks!!! and Ben affleck need no acting school at all just to give a impression how bad it isfirst off all there so many goofs and bad acting its just getting worse like when steven is try to get out of jail a chopper lands at first the security notice and they led them land when they fly away all of the sudden a guard start shootingor when he killed that guy in the car he and treach both walk away you can't see no oil on the ground behind him steven notice that there is oil without even watching treach trows a lighter and the car blows upand there are plenty of more goofs Steven uses his basic action when someone is pointing a gun at him he grabs it and shoot him totally bullshit!!! like some gangster would let that ever happen.the acting is also very worse at the fight scene in the jail outdoor place you can see steven clearly wait to come in action just rewind it a couple of time and you notice the bad actingits just makes me laugh i hope one day it comes to the cinema's here in Holland then i'll go there with as many friends as possible just to laugh my self to death$LABEL$ 0 +The producers of this film offer to pay funeral expenses for anyone who dies of fright while watching this movie. They should have offered intensive psychotherapy for anyone who really enjoyed this stinker. A young couple moves into a house, where a woman who looks like the woman from the couple lived. Extremely boring, and very predictable. In the end I ended up not caring about anyone in this movie.Avoid this one at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +1 out of 10.This is the kind of movie that you cant believe you just wasted 2 hours of your life as you see the credits role. I honestly think I could make a better Vampire movie.... and I know nothing. The only thing that does not just suck (harder than a Vampire) is Jason Scott Lee.... his character is at least a little bit cool, has some mystery, and kicks a little butt.$LABEL$ 0 +George Hilton never really grabs me like Franco Nero or Clint Eastwood, but this is a great outing for him. Basically rippin off the Django/man With No Name and doing a damn good job. The opening sequence of this gem is a classic, and the cat n mouse games that follow are a delight to watch. Fans of the genre will be in heaven.$LABEL$ 1 +There are many adaptations of Charlotte Brontë's classic novel "Jane Eyre", and taking into consideration the numerous reviews written about them there is also a lively discussion on which of them is the best. The short film adaptations all suffer from the fact that it is simply not possible to cram the whole plot of the novel into a movie of about a 100 min. length, consequently these movies only show few parts of the novel. The TV series have proved to be a more suitable format to render all the different episodes of the heroine's life.There are three TV mini series, released in '73, '83 and 2006. The 2006 version is not only the worst of these three, but the worst of all Jane Eyre adaptations and a striking example of a completely overrated film. The novel's beautiful lines are substituted by insipid and trivial ones, and crucial scenes are either deleted or replaced by scenes which have nothing whatever to do with the novel. What it all leads to then is that the characters portrayed have not only nothing in common with the Rochester and Jane of the novel and behave in exactly the opposite way as described in the book, but that also their behaviour and language is absolutely not consistent with the behaviour of the period in which the novel is set. It is a silly soap opera, in which the actors look and act as if they had been put in the costumes of the 1850ies by mistake. This "Jane Eyre" (as it dares to call itself) is indeed a slap in the face of Charlotte Brontë.The 1973 version is very faithful to the novel in that the long dialogues between Mr. Rochester and Jane are rendered in nearly their full length. But what works beautifully in the novel does not necessarily work beautifully on the screen. At times the language of the novel is too complex and convoluted as to appear natural when spoken on screen, and the constant interruptions of the dialogues by Jane's voice-overs add to the impression of artificiality and staginess. And despite the faithfulness to the novel the essence of the scenes is not captured. Another problem is the casting of the main characters. Sorcha Cusack's portrayal of Jane as a bold, self-confident, worldly-wise young woman is totally at odds with the literary model, and Michael Jayston, although a good actor, does simply not possess the commanding physical presence nor the charisma necessary to play Rochester. Although a decent adaptation it simply fails to convey the passion and intensity of the novel and never really captivates the audience.All the faults of the '73 version stand corrected in the TV mini series of '83 with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke. Although from a purist's point of view Timothy Dalton is too handsome, tall and lean to be Rochester, he possesses the essential qualities for the role: He has an imposing physical presence, great magnetism and an air of self-assurance and authority. And despite his undeniable handsomeness he looks grim and stern enough to play the gloomy master of Thornfield convincingly. But the excellence of his performance lies in the way he renders all the facets of Rochester's character. Of all the actors who have played Rochester he is the only one to capture them all: Rochester's harshness, nearly insolence, his moodiness and abruptness, as well as his humorous side, his tenderness, his solicitude and deep, frantic love. Dalton's handling of Charlotte Brontë's language is equally superb. Even Rochester's most far-fetched and complicated thoughts ring absolutely true and natural when Dalton delivers them. He is the definitive Rochester, unsurpassed and unsurpassable, and after watching him in this role it is impossible to imagine Rochester to be played in any other way or by any other actor.Zelah Clarke delivers an equally excellent performance in a role that is possibly even more difficult to play well than the one of Rochester. She portrays exactly the Jane of the novel, an outwardly shy, reserved and guarded young woman, but who possesses a great depth of feeling and an equally great strength of will. She catches beautifully the duality in Jane's character: her modesty and respectfulness on the one hand, and her fire and passion on the other, her seeming frailty and her indomitable sense of right and wrong. She and Dalton have wonderful chemistry and their scenes together are pure delight.As regards faithfulness to the literary model this version also quotes verbatim from the novel as does the '73 version, but with one important difference: The dialogues are shortened in this version, but the core lines which are essential for the characterisation of the protagonists and the development of the plot are rendered unchanged. Thus the scriptwriter avoided any artificiality of speech, while still fully preserving the beauty and originality of Charlotte Brontë's language. And in contrast to the earlier BBC version the essence of each scene is perfectly captured.The plot of the novel is followed with even greater accuracy than in the '73 series. It is nearly a scene for scene enactment of the novel, where equal time and emphasis is given to each episode of Jane's life. It is the only Jane Eyre adaptation that has a gypsy scene worthy of the novel, and the only one which does full justice to the novel's pivotal and most heartrending scene when Jane and Rochester meet after the aborted wedding. Timothy Dalton in particular plays that scene with superb skill. He renders with almost painful intensity Rochester's anguish as he realizes Jane's resolution to leave him, his frantic attempts to make her stay and his final despair as she indeed leaves him. It is a heartbreaking, almost devastating, scene, which will stay with the viewer for a long time.With even the smaller roles perfectly cast, an excellent script and two ideal leading actors this is the definitive and only true "Jane Eyre".$LABEL$ 1 +HANA-BI has many quiet moments and fairly slow pacing. Unfortunately, during the many thoughtful interludes the viewer is left to ponder about the recent scenes just watched and many questions surface and annoy.For example, why didn't the wheelchair guy drown in the ocean when he was stuck in the sand and the tide came up around him? There was no rescue seen or hinted at.Can it be true that Japanese police are so inept and unskilled at arrest procedures as to not first remove the suspect's ability to reach for a weapon? These detective-level Japanese police seemed to have no experience dealing with a suspect.Why doesn't the right eye of the lead character blink? Having one eye blinking was distracting and it went unexplained.What exactly was the lead character spending all his money on to have to borrow so much from loan sharks? He was not seen gambling. Being a non entry-level government employee his wife must have had full health insurance.What was the single man doing all by himself in the middle of nowhere in the nature park? What was his reason for being there?How in the world could the gangsters find the lead character and his wife up in the far off nature reserve? It made no sense.And again, how could the gangsters later find the lead character and his wife up in the remote Mt. Fuji resort? There were absolutely no clues available for these gangsters to even know which country the lead character and his wife were in, let alone the correct specific location at the correct specific time!And a third same question, how could the junior detectives know which few feet of the Japanese coast line to find the lead character and his wife? The Japanese coast line must be vast. Were all of these characters supposed to have psychic powers?Two final questions: The cute girl trying to fly a kite on the beach -- WHERE did she come from? She seemed to have no transportation or companions with her. And why in the world did she still keep attempting to fly what was left of her kite after it was ripped in pieces?! This was weird. Unintentionally Python-esque.On the positive side, I loved the background music. It was dramatic and flowing and added much to this movie. The photography, imagery and art were pleasing to the eye.One final point, the wife was overly pleasing to the eye. Not once did she ever come close to looking like a dying sick person. She looked very healthy. If anything, these people seemed depressed and mentally ill and not physically sick. The husband treated his wife as perhaps a newly outed gay man would treat a respected wife... a love of friendship, but not close tenderness.A mixed movie for sure.$LABEL$ 0 +So glad I have HBO right now. I didn't plan on watching a movie today, but when I got home and saw that the next movie on HBO was this one I decided (based on the description) to at least give it a shot. I'm so glad I decided to watch this movie! Maybe this movie just caught me at a vulnerable moment (I'm a little stressed out, got a huge test to be studying for), but it definitely gave me quite the perspective on friendship not to mention taught me a valuable lesson on empathy. I'm currently one year away from graduating from pharmacy school and the whole scene involving the doctor and the nurse was definitely a learning point for me!Anyhow, I just wanted to post up letting the world know this is an amazing movie and not to be missed. There is definitely something for everyone in this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen romantic comedies and this is one of the easiest/worst attempts at one. A lot of the scenes work in a plug-and-play manner inserted strictly to conform to the romantic-comedy genre. Usually this is okay because we're dealing with a genre, but the challenge generally resides in making it original, new and inventive. This movie fails to do so.There is no sense of who the characters really are, apart from Sylvie Moreau's (who is the real star of this movie, not Isabelle Blais). They fit into this one-dimensional cliché and they become nothing more than simple puppets serving the purpose of a very light narrative.The pacing of the movie can become annoying, rhythm lacks, and the editing is filled with unnecessary close-ups. I should also mention the overly stylized decors making some scenes devoid of any naturally, or rather, making the attempt at naturally seem too obvious. Of course, along with that, you have the right-on-cue sappy music which unfortunately often sounds mismatched.I can't believe that a movie who makes obvious Woody Allen allusions ends up being this deceptive. If you expect a good light-hearted romantic comedy, this is not it. Or rather, this a poor attempt at it. You will only leave the theater wondering why this film has been getting such praise when cinema is now more than 100 years old and there are far superior Quebecois directors making better flicks.Les Aimants is a good movie for what it is. But it's a bad one if you regard cinema as an art and directors as auteur's.$LABEL$ 0 +**SPOILERS** With the title of the film having the name of the killer fish twice not once you would expect to see them in action attack biting ripping and eating up almost everyone in the cast of characters. Instead you have to wait until the movie is almost over for you to get as much as a glimpse of the Piranahs. Even then all you see is the water bubbling and stirring around as a poor individual disappears under it assuming that he's being eaten, whole and alive, by the fish.The movie "Piranha Piranha" starts with this scary looking Piranha on the screen as the credits start rolling down but****SPOILER****that's the only time in the movie that you ever get to see the killer fish or fishes you never get to see a Piranha is the movie again. What you do see is a travelogue of Venezuela and it's people and the Venezuelan jungle along the Amazon River basin. Together with a lot of nice and breathtaking photography of the landscape as well as the people and wildlife but that's about all.There is some kind of a story that has to do with this great White Hunter Caribe, William Smith, which ironically means Piranha in the native language spoken there, is this what the title of the film "Piranha Piranha" really meant? "Caribe Caribe"! The person Caribe is played by legendary Hollywood Hell's Angles biker and all around tough guy William Smith.At the beginning of the movie this trio of American tourists Jim Pendrake and his sister Terry, Peter Bown & Ahna Capri, and their American guide Art Green, Tom Simcox, are on their way into the Venezuelan jungles to go sight-seeing with Terry taking photos to send back home. Terry is terrified of guns as we learn that as a young girl saw her father get his head blown off by a gun. Even when Art saves her life using one when see's attack by a six foot long diamondback rattlesnake Terry almost belts him for having a gun; which he promised her he wouldn't take along with him on the trip.At a jungle rest stop, or bar, the three run into Caribe who we first saw catching monkey's in the jungle at the start of the movie. Caribe makes himself more then welcomed by the three with his knowledge of the jungle and his half-baked philosophy about life and death as well as his ability to get them where their going to the local diamond mines deep in the Amazon basin.Even though a bit strange at first, the guy is so in to himself that he doesn't seem to notice that there are any people around him, Caribe turns out to be a swell and likable guy engaging in a long and friendly motorcycle race through the swamps and jungle with Art. Caribe even shows Terry, who at one time in the movie almost knocked his teeth out, the fine points of hunting and shooting wild game that he believes don't really die but become a part of him after he kills them! A bit crazy but you have to admit this guy's got imagination. It's much later in the movie that for some strange reason, maybe it was the cheap booze that he was drinking, Caribe suddenly goes insane and become homicidal attacking and raping Terry and then murdering her enraged brother and feeding him to the deadly Piranha's. Trying to escape from the rampaging lunatic and then being forced to have to fight it out with him Art gets beaten up so savagely by the dirty-fighting Caribe that he's almost left unconscious. Just when Caribe's about to finally kill Art he's shot to death by Terry who after experiencing what this insane nut-job is all about finally decided that guns are indeed very necessary and should be used to kill on very rare but life-saving occasions.Worth watching, if worth watching at all, only for the scenery and nothing else. It's just a shame that the movie has to advertise as a killer fish, or Piranha, horror movie when if it was honest about itself it could have been a more or less average jungle adventure flick with Smith, he does have the build for it, playing Tarzan of the Venezuelan, not African, Jungle$LABEL$ 0 +Boasting an all-star cast so impressive that it almost seems like the "Mad Mad Mad Mad World" of horror pictures, "The Sentinel" (1977) is nevertheless an effectively creepy film centering on the relatively unknown actress Cristina Raines. In this one, she plays a fashion model, Alison Parker, who moves into a Brooklyn Heights brownstone that is (and I don't think I'm giving away too much at this late date) very close to the gateway of Hell. And as a tenant in this building, she suffers far worse conditions than leaky plumbing and the occasional water bug, to put it mildly! Indeed, the scene in which Alison encounters her noisy upstairs neighbor is truly terrifying, and should certainly send the ice water coursing down the spines of most viewers. Despite many critics' complaints regarding Raines' acting ability, I thought she was just fine, more than ably holding her own in scenes with Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Kennedy, Chris Sarandon and Eli Wallach. The picture builds to an effectively eerie conclusion, and although some plot points go unexplained, I was left feeling more than satisfied. As the book "DVD Delirium" puts it, "any movie with Beverly D'Angelo and Sylvia Miles as topless cannibal lesbians in leotards can't be all bad"! On a side note, yesterday I walked over to 10 Montague Terrace in Brooklyn Heights to take a look at the Sentinel House. Yes, it's still there, and although shorn of its heavy coat of ivy and lacking a blind priest/nun at the top-floor window, looks much the same as it did in this picture. If this house really does sit atop the entrance to Hell, I take it that Hell is...the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. But we New Yorkers have known THAT for some time!$LABEL$ 1 +If you want to remember MJ, this is a good place to start. This movie features sweet tunes, MJ as robot, and a crazy, messed-up plot. I recall, many a night, passing out to this fine feature film in college, and pondering the sheer awesomenes of whoever decided to green light this ridiculous piece of .There is lots of singing. Lots of dancing. There is lots of singing while dancing. MJ slays it as you would expect when it comes to this stuff. But there is much more to this movie. There is claymation. There are fat children (clay). There is an anthropomorphic rabbit that michael jackson has to battle in a dance off (obviously clay too). There is Joe Pesci as well (not made of clay).RIP- we love you Michael! It is a sad day for all of us.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a movie that I hoped I could suggest to my American friends. But after 4 attempts to watch the movie to finish, I knew I couldn't even watch the damn thing to close. You are almost convinced the actual war didn't even last that long. Other's will try to question my patriotism for criticizing a movie like this. But flat out, you can't go from watching Saving Private Ryan to LOC. Forget about the movie budget difference or the audience - those don't preclude a director from making an intelligent movie. The length of the movie is not so bad and the fact that it is repetitive - they keep attacking the same hill but give it different names. I thought the LOC was a terrible terrain - this hill looked like my backyard. The character development sequences (the soilders' flashbacks, looking back to their last moments, before being deployed) should have been throughout the movie and not just clumped into one long memory. To this day, I have yet to watch the ending. But there was a much better movie (not saying much) called Border.$LABEL$ 0 +To put it simply, this was a pompous piece of canine poopie. Overly stagey and everyone being the total melodramatic drama queen at every single moment. After a while, i was starting to wish that every character in the movie wasn't such a stuffed-up anal retentive.And, this movie has another one of those truly annoying things that has recently come into vogue and shouldn't have: all the scenes are in a sort of washed-out, blue-steel-greyishness. Hmmm, the last time i checked, candles and torches are quite capable of putting a fairly wide spectrum of colors. In fact, the light they put out tends to be more in the warmish, yellowish-orange range of the spectrum. So where's all the blue-steel-grey light coming from?This movie has fancy sets and glitzy cgi fx, but it's still dreck. It's pathetic junk put out for today's movie-goers who are easily placated by pathetic junk.I very much enjoy vampires and werewolves as movie plot devices, but this was a total hack job.Universal Studios' 1941 "The Wolfman" is infinitely superior to this even though its fx is pretty primitive compared to what could be done nowadays.I'm done with this franchise. The first movie was reasonably decent. The second still somewhat entertaining. But this one i couldn't even finish all the way to the end because it was so boring.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and really didn't begin to love the show until Season 4 started. This episode "Hush" was view by me alone in the dark just after Midnight with my windows open and the wind blowing through furiously by an after storm. The writers of this episode did an excellent job scaring the heck out of me. I was in awe the entire episode which I just finished 2 minutes ago. Amazing doesn't touch the surface of what this episode accomplishes with almost no dialogue. If you've never given this show much thought at least watch this episode. If this doesn't impress you then no episode probably will.BTW My Heart is still racing...$LABEL$ 1 +I simply cannot understand how any Who fan, or just plain anyone could find this awful, lazy, poorly written abomination even remotely funny. It is so embarrassingly below par that it qualifies as a genuine tragedy. The potential for this was huge, it could have been great. What a shame that all that acting talent, the sets, the props, the goodwill of everyone involved was so pathetically wasted by a script that should have been burned.There is an obvious lack of any rigorous production and quality control here. Like those hammy Hollywood movies (mad mad mad world, casino royale) where the stars are just mugging for each other and 'having a great time' which basically means picking up a cheque for doing nothing.I could have written a better Who send-up in my sleep. In fact I have, while awake though. I did it in Year 10 in high school and performed it with a bunch of classmates. It was better, I look at it now and the gags are funnier. Steven Moffat YOU ARE A NO TALENT BUM! What a waste, what a wasted opportunity. Makes me want to cry....$LABEL$ 0 +From the dire special effects onwards I was absolutely gob smacked at how bad anyone can make a film. Lets put it this way, I have absolutely no directing experience whatsoever and for the first time ever when watching a film I thought 'I can do better than that! whilst sat watching this pap. The acting in this film was terrible, I suppose the best actor was the guy from Lawnmower Man but the French guy from Aliens3 was so wooden I wondered how he got the former job in the first place. The storyline was mediocre and I suppose, like most films, If the rest had been done well it would have stood up. I don't usually write reviews here but after seeing a couple of people gave this film a good rating (must be cast/crew) I felt I had to say my piece to save anyone from accidentally hiring it or wasting their money on buying this cack.$LABEL$ 0 +So, not being a poet myself, I have no real way to convey the beauty and simplicity of this documentary. The effortless motion of Goldsworthy, as he molds natures beauty into his own work is captivating. Watch him stick reeds together in a web hanging from a tree in a close up for a few minutes while he speaks of his work, and then receive the payoff when the camera cuts to the wide shot. Be amazed by the ease with which he operates and then realize the futility when a slight breeze knocks down the entire web.The genius of Goldsworthy seemingly knows no bounds as his inspiration is nature itself. It is in the essential change of nature where his work, though complete in its own sphere, is made whole.$LABEL$ 1 +Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is a movie about a young prince (Simon) who is banished from his kingdom due to his father (the king) being killed by the cliche "evil adviser". This movie's about Simon's adventures. The special effects, plot, acting, and generally everything about this movie is BAD. However, it's so bad that it's funny. You will keep watching this movie simply because it's so bad it's funny, and, like the other reviewer of the movie said, it's so bad it's good.$LABEL$ 1 +After reading the book, which had a lot of meaning for me, the movie didn't give me any of the feeling which the book conveyed. This makes me wonder if Kaufman even liked this book for he successfully made it into something else.Either that or he is simply bad. Most importantly where is the lightness?! From the very first scene, music drownes out most of the dialogue and feeling, and this continues right through the movie. I think the makers thought that by having upbeat music playing right through the movie, this would make the story feel light- however they have completely failed here. Instead the music manages to give everything that 'movie feel', in a way dramatising events so that we linger on them, so that everything actually feels heavy.Another example of the how this adaptation fails is by embellishing the story line making it more dramatic. In the movie we see Franz passing Tomas on the street, who is on his way to see Sabina. The introduction of this chance meeting/passing, which im sure didn't happen in the book, gives Tomas' story more significance than it does make it light.There are many other examples where the continuity of the story has been changed, imo for the worst, however this might have been done because the book simply doesn't convert well into a movie, such is Kundera's style. This makes we wonder if all the generous reviewers on this site were writing with their book AND movie experience in mind rather than writing about just the film. A film which is as long as it is uncompelling. For those who haven't read the book yet I recommend just reading that. For those who have, I have to say you will just be wasting your time and probably end up here writing similar stay-clear warnings.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is really stupid and very boring most of the time. There are almost no "ghoulies" in it at all. There is nothing good about this movie on any level. Just more bad actors pathetically attempting to make a movie so they can get enough money to eat. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +So bad as good - not only the script is obvious, but the acting is not just poor, but pathetic. The worst of all is the definition of the characters: unrealistic ingenuity, affected reactions, camera forcing to watch superficial aspects, which are introduced as keys to the plot.Can't prevent laughing when, at the end, main character says to second something like 'your daughter plays no soccer and knows no cooking'. Such offense to female intelligence defines the level of this film.Is the film about the psychological behaviour of the second character?, about its impact on the main character?, or just a sequence of events set in order to heat for the obvious ending? Pls, make more of these - I had a good time guessing what next would go wrong...$LABEL$ 0 +Let me first state that I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this film. For the most part the actors and actresses looked their parts, and did fairly well in their roles, but the movie lacked any real plot. It seemed so wraped up in seeming 'wacky' that no interesting story ever shone through. Also, the camera work was often sloppy, attempting snatchlike camera work and failing miserably. Most of the time, shots meant to look cool ended up being confusing. Perhaps something was lost during translation, but some of the characters were just... stupid. The crazy pretty boy who sniffs people like a dog? Uhhhhhhh. OK. Overall, a fat stinking 1/10. Not worth your time.$LABEL$ 0 +SAIMIN (USA: The Hypnotist /UK: Hypnosis) Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby Stereo SRFollowing a series of bizarre and apparently unrelated 'suicides', an experienced Tokyo detective (Ken Utsui) enlists the help of a young psychoanalyst (Goro Inagaki) who believes the victims were acting on a post-hypnotic suggestion. But their subsequent investigations reveal an even darker force at work, linked to a young girl (Miho Kanno) whose life has been blighted by sadistic abuse...Based on a novel by Keisuke Matsuoka, this densely-plotted mystery takes inspiration from a variety of sources (Italian gialli, traditional Japanese ghost stories, etc.), though some of the images in the climactic showdown reveal a more immediate influence: The recent commercial success of Hideo Nakata's RING (1998). For all its ambition, however, SAIMIN is a routine potboiler which stumbles badly after a powerhouse opening (the 'suicides' are particularly impressive, despite some feeble CGI effects), though director Masayuki Ochiai - who co-wrote the script with Yasushi Fukuda - rallies proceedings for an extended finale in which the narrative's startling secrets are finally revealed. Ochiai is best known for his film adaptation of novel-turned-video-game PARASITE EVE (1997) - which also starred leading man Inagaki (a member of Japanese pop group SMAP) - and while SAIMIN echoes that movie's strong visual sense, it falls short as drama, and most of the characters are mere ciphers, undermining the storyline's emotional pay-off. Which is a shame, because the final half hour is galvanized by a series of dynamic set-pieces - most notably, a concert hall sequence in which Dvorak's 'New World' symphony is transformed into an instrument of murder! - and Ochiai is well-served by an excellent production team. However, those lured by the promise of gory carnage may be disappointed - the film is long on atmospherics and short on splatter.Performances are varied, due to the script's limitations, but Kanno (TOMIE) is outstanding as a young woman suffering from multiple personality disorder - which, the subtitles on the print under review assures us, isn't recognized as a viable medical condition in Japan! - who falls prey to a sleazy TV hypnotist (Takeshi Masu), a prime suspect in the murders. Inagaki is bland in a one-dimensional role, and he's constantly upstaged by Utsui, a veteran performer whose career stretches back to the "Sûpâ Jaiantsu" series of the 1950's.(Japanese dialogue)$LABEL$ 0 +...Our the grandpa's hour.More than the gangsters ,it's a detailed depiction of an American family circa 1930:the father,proud of his job who worries about his son who's given up high school,the mum everyone would like to have ,the daughter who forgets dinner time in his squeeze's arms,and the twins who are absolutely lovable ("Don't go to sleep first ,please!").And there's the grandfather ,playing the Yankee doodle on his flute .Have you noticed that this tune plays the same role as Doris Day's "Que Sera Sera" in Hitchcock's "The man who knew too much" (1956)?And there's this grandpa who is finally the most courageous person of the family .So old he does not even tell you his age ,but proud of his country and resisting to the gangster's hateful blackmail.A good film by Wellman.$LABEL$ 1 +Pretty good movie about a man and his wife who get caught up in murder and the police officer investigating the case. It starts off marvelously, but kind of hits a wall at a certain point. We're sure we know what happened, then a tiny plot thread that seems at first like a red herring pops back up and disappoints. Still, Clouzot's direction is great, and the acting is quite good. Louis Jouvet, who also co-starred in Marcel Carné's Drôle de Drame, gives the best performance as the clever detective. I wonder if the Coen brothers were influenced by this film when they wrote Fargo. Much like that film, the police officer doesn't appear until nearly halfway through, and then he becomes almost the focus of the film. There's also a lot of droll comedy surrounding him (although sometimes his methods seem sort of fascist).$LABEL$ 1 +Unless you're twelve, this movie really isn't worth it. It's obviously a low-budget film with B actors, and with a genre like fantasy that sometimes requires intense CGI work that's not good. I knew it would be bad when I rented it. I enjoy laughing at bad movies. I didn't know how bad though. It's bearable, until after hour 2, then it really starts to burn. Fighting styles go between normal fighting that obey the laws of physics, and wire-fighting. There's no real explanation for the transitions. It has a plot, but once again, it's obviously a kid's movie. It seems like there are explicit moral lessons of the day that are being conveyed, like Sesame Street or something. It's bearable. But much better if you're, say, nine.$LABEL$ 0 +This show really is the Broadway American Idol. It has singing, the British Guy, A guy who's sometimes nice, and a super-nice woman.Of course it is different because there is a sing-off, and there's dancing and some acting (we just don't see some of the acting). I gave this show a 7 because there are a couple tweaks that I know a lot of people (including me)would make if they were working for the show. The first thing that really needs to be changed is the judges deciding who goes home. I know they want to find the right Danny and Sandy, but America should have the power to decide who does home. There's really no point to the sing-off. The person with the lowest number of votes usually goes home anyway. Another things I'd change is to see them actually act on the show. What's Broadway without the acting? The last thing that need to be changed is the song the eliminated people sing at the end. The eliminated Danny always sings the same song and the eliminated Sandy always sings the same song as they exit. Since they sing it every week those songs eventually get annoying.I admit to not being a fan of the movie, Grease, but for some reason I am hooked. This show is very underrated. It has so many memorable performances and moments.$LABEL$ 1 +Who did the research for this film? It's set in Baghdad in 2004, however all the Soldiers are wearing ACUs and have all Universal Camouflage Pattern gear. No one was wearing that stuff in 04. I just saw this film while deployed overseas and I can say that the overwhelming feeling from the audience was WTF? This movie made no sense, had characters come and go with no explanation, and people doing ridiculous things that would NEVER happen in real life. I realize that it's a movie, but it's obviously trying to portray something realistic. It fails miserably, but it's trying. It's like someone came up with a bunch of random ideas, chewed them up and swallowed, then vomited out a film. I would not recommend this film to anyone. I'm still not sure why I sat through the whole thing. GI Joe was one that really made you think compared to this. STAY AWAY!$LABEL$ 0 +Fleet was released in 1936 during the middle of the depression when people were having a tough time worldwide finding jobs or even finding food to put on the table. In Europe Hitler was on the rise, along with other nationalist/ socialist whackjobs. In the United States seeds of the Cartel sown with the Federal Reserve Act and the income tax amendment (16) were beginning to bear fruit for connected finance capitalists and their dominating secret societies. For the average guy and girl, times were tough. Enter Hollywood with at least some hopeful images—I don't think we can properly call them propaganda at this point, even though this particular movie revolves around war-preparatory naval exercises. The real issue for boys and girls then, as now, was how to hook up with the right one, lead a decent life, have wonderful children, with a modicum of grace and elegance. The odds were long. ...For my complete review of this movie and for other movie and book reviews, please visit my site TheCoffeeCoaster.com.Brian Wright Copyright 2007$LABEL$ 1 +this was the most costly film, when produced. Sir Alexander Korda and H.G. Wells were both distressed by its poor ratings---for good reason. it was and remains far ahead of its time. aside from the seemingly poor direction, probably editing, at the very beginning, the work moves along to a stunning conclusion.whether its Sir Ralph Richardson's 'Boss' role, or even better, his wife's, Sir Cedric's, as adversary to space-faring, Raymond Massey's 'John Cabal' center role---all deliver mind-boggling performances.the scene with mr. Korda's incomparable set, of the small girl-child, running out to an absolutely 'never-to-be-matched' scene, commenting 'Life just keeps getting lovelier and lovelier'? that swiftly brings tears to any parent/grandparent. this is not a film for the young--unless 'experienced' and rather those who have seen 'the horror' it opposes.sure, the 'phony-parachuting', looks hokey---while using a 'magnetic-cannon', now termed 'mass-driver' may be viewed as ridiculous, vs. rockets---give Sir Korda a break--Mr. Wells made that choice. and at +/- $8 million, this film went way beyond 'over-budget'---so he concentrated on what he could manage.the true power of this Greatest of cinema rests in 'John Cabal's' final statement of human destiny---his friend 'Passworthy' doubts the wisdom of space-faring, saying, 'We're such little animals.' John Cabal's proper response is,(paraphrased) 'Yes, little animals, and if that is all we are, we must live and die as such.' they are standing under a large astronomical telescope. he sweeps his hand over the night sky. 'Yet we may have all the Universe, or nothing.'---then the final chorus breaks in---'Which shall it be?'---this is not 'Star Wars', 'Blade Runner'---anything you may consider 'Great'---this is the Real Thing.i remind all of Steven Hawking's most recent address, upon his latest 'Medal of Honor'---'Humanity must leave Earth, or die.'---the very core of this work---i love 'standard entertainment'---yet this 'relic', for the wise viewer, offers far more. 'Which Shall It Be?' be in the proper 'mood'---whatever that takes---this will take your breath away---i 'guarontee'---overall, for humanity? the most significant of cinema. since posting, i note many have commented on the poor 'media-quality' of 'surviving' examples. in the 80's i developed a 'proprietary' 'colorization' process which required a 'clean' original. this led me to Michael Korda, who sadly noted all were gone---so we must relish what remains---'sad but true?'$LABEL$ 1 +Virtual Sexuality proves that Britain can produce romantic comedies as vapid as those from America. The only differences are an ending that ties up the loose bits differently than an American film would and a cameo by Ram John Holder, which is always welcome. That's enough to make this a watcher on a cold winter's night.$LABEL$ 0 +I usually try to construct reasonably well-argued critiques of films, but I can not believe this got past the script stage. The dialogue is appalling, the acting very dodgy, the accents just awful, and the direction and pacing is scrappy at best.I don't remember the last time I saw a film quite this bad. Joseph Fiennes, pretty as he is, might just have killed his career as quickly as it started.The Island of Doctor Moreau was no worse than this garbage.$LABEL$ 0 +I loved all the other Don Knotts movies, but I never heard much about "How To Frame A Fig" and now I know why: I can't think of anyone who would find it enjoyable. This movie seems to appeal to 9 or 10 year olds, but even most of them would give this a thumbs down. At best there are brief moments of mild amusement, mostly from Don Knotts playing the same nervous, underdog persona that made him famous.After the movie finally finished I was curious if my teenager could pick up on this movie's fatal flaw. We were in complete agreement: the Prentiss Gates sidekick character was even dumber than the Don Knotts character.Be happy that Mr. Limpet, Reluctant Astronaut, Shakiest Gun and Mr. Chicken movies are around to enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie has very much the feel of a play right from the start - I think it would make a better play than a movie because the set and dramatization make a movie version seem a bit too artificial. But, still, it's carried out fairly well, and the story & especially the dialogue are interesting. They've taken the dialogue pretty much exactly as is from the actual play. Perhaps it's a good introduction to Shaw's plays.The main character Raina has her head in the clouds & and a flair for the dramatic, and Helena Bonham Carter's acting does a good job here. Her fiancé, Serges, is a bit too cartoonish when he is really supposed to be an extremely handsome dashing figure. Her parents are entertaining enough.$LABEL$ 1 +Everything about this movie is perfect. The set design, the acting, the camera movement, the mood, the colors - everything. You'll be hard pressed to find a better movie. Easily, the best film generated in the last 35 years. Keep an eye on Michael Almereydas!!$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this movie was fantastic. It was hilarious. Kinda reminded me of Spinal Tap. This is a must see for any fan of 70's rock. (I hope me and my friends aren't like that in twenty years!)Bill Nighy gives an excellent performance as the off kilter lead singer trying to recapture that old spirit,Stephen Rea fits perfectly into the movie as the glue trying to hold the band together, but not succeeding well.If you love music, and were ever in a band, this movie is definitely for you. You won't regret seeing this movie. I know I don't. Even my family found it funny, and that's saying something.$LABEL$ 1 +What is wrong with CURACAO ( Also known as DEADLY CURRENTS though what the reasonn for the name change is I have no idea ) can probably be summed up where a woman says to her lover :" Keep it down baby , I'm trying to sleep " It's not the dialogue that's the problem or the way it's delivered , it's the fact the actress has has a Central European accent . Nothing wrong with that until it's revealed her character is from Philidelphia in the United States ! This what struck me about this thriller while watching it - The way accents don't match their characters . Apart from the Philly woman with a German accent we see a South African with an English accent , a local police chief who sounds like he's an Irishman impersonating a Gestapo officer and worst of all George C Scott playing someone who's either Dutch or British with an accent that sounds like it might be American tinged with South African . You soon give up following what's on screen and end up concentrating on what nationality a character might be due to the strange way they speak . It's interesting to note that this site hasn't given this movie a country of origin . With so many different actors from different countries you do feel that this was produced by the United Nations Even if you're not curious about accents or dialects you'll probably have to give up following the action anyway because CURACAO is plot less . Things happen like a boat exploding , and a hostage situation and the hero being recruited as an agent for South African intelligence but you're left scratching your head wondering what the heck this is all leading to . I was lost$LABEL$ 0 +While exploring some caves with his wife, a doctor is bitten by a bat which causes some alarming side effects...Occasionally creepy atmosphere and some decent (though under used) makeup effects don't save this B horror flick from being a sub-par tale of man-becomes-creature. The Bat People aka It Lives By Night suffers from its senseless story that's awkwardly plotted and lackluster in pacing. The plot never seems to go anywhere much and the movie never offers an explanation for what happens, or even a satisfying conclusion for it all. The cast is fairly mediocre in their performances.Still I give the film some points for its haunting theme song and nice filming locations. The makeup work of the late Stan Winston is pretty good too, but it doesn't get much of a showcase here. A missed opportunity for sure. Definitely one of the lesser man-creature flicks out there.* 1/2 out of ****$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is about two guys who made up a sport on the spot trying to get 2 get the hot chick. BASEketball becomes a nationwide sport. Joe Cooper (Trey Parker) is the beloved captain, but is hated when he loses the NBA to some other rival team. He meets the girl of his dreams Yasmine Bleeth, and in the end they kiss. the first time i saw this movie i wet my pants it was so funny. a definite must see for all comedy fans. If you love south park you'll love this! Maybe don't watch with kids it is bit inappropriate for little dudes. some duds give it 6 1/2 out of ten, i give it 11 out of ten. i like coop he rocks i gotta go bye bye thanks for reading this$LABEL$ 1 +Pointless short about a bunch of half naked men slapping and punching each other. That's it. For about 5 minutes we see this. It's shot in black and white with tons of half-naked men running around slapping each other to the tune of dreadful music. It LOOKS interesting but there's no plot and really--the violence inherent in this got disturbing. Also the homo eroticism in this is played up but mixing it with violence was not a good idea. Some people who like avant garde material might like this but I found it incomprehensible, boring, stupid and (ocassionally) disturbing. Really--what is the point in all this? I saw it as part of a festival of gay shorts and the audience sat there in stunned silence. I really wish I could go lower than 1.$LABEL$ 0 +This is without question the worst screen adaptation of a Stephen King work, if not the WORST MOVIE OF ALL TIME! This is an unbelievably horrible movie. I fell asleep on this stinker several times and I wasn't tired! I would rather shoot myself than sit through it again!$LABEL$ 0 +I've read countless of posts about this game being so similar to Max Payne, when i played it the first time i thought it was a bit weird arcade-like game with a desire to rip-off the Max Payne style (not just bullet-time). So when i played it for a couple of hours i realized how much fun it is! and how different from "Max Payne", yeah the bullet time is a bit similar but i think it fits differently to the game-style. This game is non-stop action - a mix between a shoot'em up and a fight'em up, so much fun, as a big fan of Max Payne i must say that the storyline of DTR is not near to the greatness of Max Payne, the graphics are a bit average and some of the levels look the same, but if you want a bit more of that "bullet-time" you should definitely own this game.$LABEL$ 1 +Another decent offering from the pen of Vince Gilligan.A pre-"Malcolm in the Middle" Bryan Cranston plays Patrick Crump, a deranged guy who eventually hijacks Mulder via gunpoint and has him driving west at high speeds. It has something to do with his severe head ringing (& possible deadly combustion--his wife just experienced it), and the pressure only seems to be relieved by heading towards the left coast. Only Mulder could relate to this guy's plight, and actually bond with his captor before the all night ride is completed. Meanwhile, Scully seems to have solved the case with a possible remedy for Mr. Crump, and will meet them at the ocean. Check it out to see if our Dynamic Duo can hook up at the Pacific and somehow rectify Mr. Crump's big problem.$LABEL$ 1 +A very addictive series.I had not seen an exact combination among drama, action, suspense and Sci-fi never before. I am impressed every chapter. The screenplay is very intelligent, i don't know how the creators invent all this amazing stories, every character have a strange past, troubles, stormy relationships, it gives to the show the human sense needed for creating intimate characters.The most incredible is the fact that all the characters are related among them: The numbers, they have met before without knowing it, and so on. The others, enigmatic security system and the Darma initiative are elements that don't let us lose a chapter.Mr. JJ Abrams, what did you think to create this amazing story?$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this at the Toronto Inter. Film Festival in Sept. 2005. The description seemed intriguing--how wrong I was! This could easily be the worst movie I have ever seen--in 50 years! I see the director is my age (b. 1948) and lived with Nico of the Velvet Underground, which leads us to Andy Warhol, which coincidently is the one I thought of while watching this--Warhol's 24+ hour movies of nothing much happening. This is not art, this is boredom.Specifically: black & white. OK, maybe...but what is the purpose here? Surely they had color in 1968! And there is no contrast with the present. And yes, the subtitles were in white, naturally. I don't think I missed much, but that made about 20% of them illegible.Next, it's pure chronological order, but with seemingly random events thrown in. What's the purpose of the conversation with the old man at the dinner table? It adds nothing to the movie. There were many similar scenes--almost like someone took a camcorder and filmed random people and spliced them together to make a movie.Plot? None. The "riot" consists of some figures in the distance occasionally heaving a rock off screen. Mostly it's an excruciating length of time watching people (in the distance!) stand around. The repetitive opium smoking is just as boring. When the main character got a cute girlfriend, I perked up, but no, she was boring too! This is perhaps the only French film I've seen where no one takes off their clothes. Probably they were too bored to bother.Romance? None. The girl seems totally indifferent to everything--maybe her sculpture holds some interest, but if it does, we're not shown that. We are completely indifferent to the fate of the characters because they are all unappealing. Maybe that's the point of all this?$LABEL$ 0 +Have to admit, this version disgraces Shakespeare upfront! None can act except the nurse who was my fav! Juliet had good skills as a teen but she can't give emotional depth to her lines and we really can never connect to her. She's worse doing the scene when she is contemplating drinking the sleeping potion...god stop whining! I would have poured it in her mouth to shut her up! Anthony Andrews...yikes! Considering his other great movies (Brideshead Revisited, Ivanhoe, Scarlet Pimpernel), he's quite a shocker in this one. And don't get me started on Romeo...puhleasssssee! It's still good to see if you're on the hunt to see every Romeo and Juliet ever made in the history of film. Olivia and Leonard's version is still the best, followed by Leslie Howard's version and then the current Leo and Clare!$LABEL$ 0 +Richard Condie is a Canadian marvel, and one that should be shared with the world. Be it for gut-busting early work such as "Getting Started" and the Oscar-nominated "Snit" through "The Apprentice" and the digitally made "La Salla", Condie is a treasured local hero. But no singular piece of work puts a stamp on his career quite like "The Big Snit". And did I mention it was nominated for an Academy Award? Darn tootin'."The Big Snit", although clearly a dated message-bearer from the 1980s (the short revolves around Cold War-esquire nuclear annihilation, but don't worry – it's hilarious as hell), carries with it a larger meaning, as is most of Condie's work in an understated sort of way. While the planet scurries for cover from Armageddon, a couple bickers over each others' annoying habits (in true Condie fashion, he hacksaws the furniture while she shakes her eyes – literally). And don't forget to watch it again and again, 'cuz there's always something to look at. Condie loads this fella up with countless visual gags and memorable catch-phrases.I strongly encourage this incredible piece of animation be tracked down. In Canada it's usually spotted in a National Film Board video that includes other stellar shorts (including fellow Winnipegger Cordell Barker's equally funny "The Cat Came Back"). Americans will just have to dig a little deeper, but keep at it – the reward is worth the toil.$LABEL$ 1 +I've only seen most of the series since I leave the TV on as background noise in my dorm.I've been a fan of Mencia but this show really doesn't do much for me. Occasionally he'll say or do something to pull a chuckle out, but he has this aura of smugness that completely ruins it.I've always thought he was funny because of his raging angry-man routine that's not terribly prevalent in this TV series. Instead, he's just smug. I guess that just reflects how funny his comedy is: stale and uninteresting when he isn't in the proper mode of delivery. I've seen him get into it sometimes on his show, but for the most part, he just sits there smiling and looking smug, and it doesn't suit him well.Just my opinion though.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the films that killed the "spaghetti" western. It not only loses something in the translation, it is a total chaotic mess of editing as well. Either chunks of it have been edited out and or re-edited for an English language version. In any case, it makes little or no sense, period. It makes the "Trinity" and the Eastwood "Man With No Name" films look like John Ford/John Wayne by comparison. Nothing in this film is original. Somewhere in there is a beginning, a middle, and (finally)an end. Except for the end, not everything is exactly in that order. Robert Wood seems personable enough. The rest of the cast, especially the women, should have made better career choices.$LABEL$ 0 +A shame that even a talented director, Desplechin, could not muster a decent performance out of a bleakly-talented actress, Phoenix, Esther Kahn lacks the substance to convey a very concise and clear plot. In an attempt to fulfill the concentric circle of an actor's plight, the performance and presentation is too contrived and poorly executed to draw any compassion from the viewer. In an overly long running time, the redundancy of Esther's struggle is too melodramatic to be effective and reduces the storyline into a frail frame of a disastrous display. The content is incoherent and gratuitous as Phoenix struggles to carry out Desplechin's instruction, just as Esther is supposedly trying to do the same. Never feeling a convincing victory over Esther's pain, we never feel a victory in Phoenix's talent.$LABEL$ 0 +This should be a great film... Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson co-starring as two newspaper writers. Mike Nichols directing. Uh uh. It's dull dull dull! Pointless and predictable! Slow and unfocused!It's a cookie cutter 'boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy has affair, girl leaves boy' story. Now theres an original concept! After squirming through two hours (was it only two? It felt like six.)I wasn't sure whether it was a comedy, a romance, a tragedy or a soap opera. It was done in 1986. I'm sure all of us did things sixteen years ago that we rather would forget. I hope the damage to the reputations of Streep et al is beginning to heal and that the emulsion on the master is beginning to fade. It's not that it's such a bad picture. It's just that it's such an un-good one.$LABEL$ 0 +An Eko-centric episode the "?" explores the aftermath of the tragic events that rocked the castaways in the previous one. As the main characters John, Locke, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley come to terms with the incident in the hatch, Locke and Eko set out to find out where Henry took off to. As it turns out Eko is on a mission of his own trying to figure out the symbol ? which Locke had drawn on his sketch. We see flashes of Eko's life in Sydney as a priest who comes in contact with his brother through a stranger. We also witness the tragedy that struck the hatch boil down to a room temperature as Michael continues to remain a mystery.An excellent LOST episode with many interesting turns.$LABEL$ 1 +RUMORS is a memorable entry in the wartime series of instructional cartoons starring "Private Snafu." The films were aimed at servicemen and were directed, animated and scored by some of the top talent from Warner Bros.' Termite Terrace, including Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and Carl Stalling. The invaluable Mel Blanc supplied the voice for Snafu, and the stories and rhyming narration for many of the films was supplied by Theodor Geisel, i.e. Dr. Seuss. The idea was to convey basic concepts with humor and vivid imagery, using the character of Snafu as a perfect negative example: he was the dope, the little twerp who would do everything you're NOT supposed to do. According to Chuck Jones the scripts had to be approved by Pentagon officials, but Army brass also permitted the animators an unusual amount of freedom concerning language and bawdy jokes, certainly more than theatrical censorship of the time would allow-- all for the greater good, of course.As the title would indicate, this cartoon is an illustration of the damaging power of rumors. The setting is an Army camp. Private Snafu sits next to another soldier in the latrine (something you won't see in any other Hollywood films of the era) and their casual conversation starts the ball rolling. We observe as an offhand remark about a bombing is misinterpreted, then exaggerated, then turned into an increasingly frightening rumor that sweeps the camp. The imagery is indeed vivid: the brain of one anxious soldier is depicted as a percolating pot, while the fevered speech of another is rendered as steamy hot air, i.e "balloon juice." A soldier "shoots his mouth off," cannon-style, and before you know it actual baloney is flying in every direction. Winged baloney, at that. Panicked soldiers tell each other that the Brooklyn Bridge has been pulverized, Coney Island wiped out, enemy troops have landed on the White House lawn, and the Japanese are in California. The visuals become ever more surreal and nightmarish until at last the camp is quarantined for "Rumor-itis" and Private Snafu has been locked up in a padded cell.This is a highly effective piece of work. The filmmakers dramatized their theme with wit and startling energy, and the message is still a valid one. In recent years we've seen that catastrophic events (real or imagined) can breed all kinds of wild rumors that spread more rapidly than ever thanks to communication advances. Because the technology has improved, the Private Snafus of our time are able to broadcast their own balloon juice via e-mail, cellphones and blogging. Consequently, RUMORS is a rare example of a wartime educational film whose essential message doesn't feel at all dated; in fact it may be more timely than ever.$LABEL$ 1 +Finally we get a TV series where we get to see the acting talent! Episode one was excellent! The script gave us a little more than usual, yeah, there was still the "i'm not your father -i'm your father and omigod you cheated on me!" rubbish but the script allowed the actors to actually feel and live those real moments rather than show us what it would feel like if -like so many TV soaps do. The camera work also gave us a little more than usual, there were no boring shots of repeated angles for hours yet there was no unnecessary 'shots inside shots or hand-held camera crap' to add an "artistic" edge it gave us what we needed to see and also some beautiful scenery pictures as well! Nothing was over-dramatised or melodramatic they were real people in a real place dealing with real situations, the show lacked nothing in drama and was completely relevant. It was SUCH a relief to be exposed to real acting and so nice to let our country see just how talented our actors can be when given a real script, a real opportunity! Thank you Tony Tilse, Sam Miller, channel ten and all cast and crew -wonderful work!! please continue what you are doing, your efforts are much appreciated and do not go unnoticed!$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't going to watch this show. But, I'm glad I did. The critics of this just don't get it! It's one of the funniest and most entertaining thing on T.V at the present moment! Though, when the interviews were done with common folks they probably seemed useless; but, put them in the mouth of animals and insects, and it's a laugh riot. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes. The pig with the babies suckling and her mother is priceless. The husband and wife birds talking about health problems, and the male bird taking a crap after the wife said she was constipated completely broke me up! Creature Comforts is the most imaginative show I've ever seen in awhile! Hopefully, it will be back next summer when this run is over.$LABEL$ 1 +This programme bugs me! There is no humour to it and is far too serious to be called "fun"! It's just far too educational for my liking! The characters are very stereotyped and unappealing. The plots are redundant and the morals are just repeated over and over again. Where's the fun in it? Also I feel this has been on the BBC for far too long and is broadcast way too much. Does it really need to have a slot on T.V every 2 or 3 months when a brand new show runs out of episodes? I think it's time that the BBC starting bringing back some of their older shows like: Inspector Gadget, Bananaman, The Smurfs, Snorks, Moomins, the Raccoons and Count Duckula other than continually giving contracts to these newer shows! I thought the BBC where bring back Danger Mouse, so what's going on with that?! 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +I think it is very interesting this movie is called a thriller. It is anything but thrilling.Most of the time you hear piano sounds. Then you hear piano sounds. Then some people talk about facts which do not concern anybody.Then again piano sounds.To be honest, this movie was the reason for me to register at IMDb, because I think this movie is one of those which humankind has to be warned of.Spoiler: By the way, the most action-like part happens when a can of hot chocolate is spilled.Also very interesting: The "actors". Yes, the quotes are intentional, as you can think, because they do not act. They play piano and do smalltalk, but it's not acting they do.I think before this movie I never left a cinema and felt angry. Really, this film made me angry. Angry for the time and money I spent on it.$LABEL$ 0 +The film is a remake of a 1956 BBC serial called'My Friend Charles',& as such gallops thru the material in a relatively short time.I found it fast moving,enjoyable & unpretentious.Did anyone else notice the scenes,towards the end,where John Mills was being gassed?-the producers obviously decided to omit the scenes-maybe censorship?,but notice when he's sat by the window of the flat,deep breathing closely followed by similar scenes with the car window open. The Francis Durbridge serials all seemed to inhabit the same universe,that of unexplained happenings,people being not what they seem & the villain being someone close to the hero/victim.A predictable universe in some ways,but one with its own rules & regulations.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is so different to anything you would have seen before. It's an honest and chilling account of an entire family's battle with a terminal illness. 'The Closer She Gets' is shot in a very unique style. Craig Oulette films in a very different way.... using different angles and viewpoints, in what i find is a very eye catching manner (perhaps due to his experience with photographic works). His style gives such a clear picture of not only what the patient herself is facing, but what loved ones close to her also have to deal with. A very sad, but extremely interesting and unique film. One I would definitely suggest watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Viva Variety was a unique hybrid program that was both a parody of and a tribute to the programs it represented. It was most directly a mock up of the classic 1970s favorite, "The Sonny & Cher Show," With Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney playing a divorced show biz couple who were somehow forced to host this program together, the female of the pair towering over the male, and the constant barrage of "insult humor" the couple tossed at each other, plus sketch comedy bits and performances from what are most kindly described as "specialty" acts! The "hybrid" was the mix of fact and fantasy. Of course, there was no "Mr. and Former Mrs. Laupin," and the program's announcer, Johnny Bluejeans, was likewise equally fictional. But all the acts that performed were certainly real, and some were even entertaining! But there were also some acts that would have clearly been better suited for the old Chuck Barris "Gong Show." The show itself was really more like an extended sketch from "SCTV" (it was borne from the MTV series, "The State," after all), and some would suggest that it would have been better as a five minute bit in the mix of a program like that one, rather than a stand alone series. But "Viva Variety" certainly should get high marks for original concepts, and even though it was often more odd than funny, it was certainly worthwhile, especially when they road tripped to Las Vegas and brought in even glitzier acts to perform. It's unlikely we'll ever see anything like this on television again.$LABEL$ 1 +The Cure is one of the few movies I rated 10 out of 10. I mean, everything is flawless for me in this motion picture. I saw it almost a year ago, and yet I remember many of the scenes, especially the final touching scene that comes with the credits.The two boy actors clearly gave everything they could and this greatly contributes the excellent storyline, making the film perfect.The message is clear - friendship, and it's displayed throughout the whole thing.I have nothing more to say here. Simplicity is one of the things I love so much about this film. And of course, it's fun and moving at the same time, suiting people of any age.10/10, nicely done!$LABEL$ 1 +The movie starts out a bit interested with the son interested in a teenage girl his own age. Clayburgh's timid-appearing husband is killed in car crash as she is getting ready to go to Rome and sing as a diva. Matthew objects but comes along. He connects with the young girl again but this time, Matt is on cocaine. His superb voice, lovely, impetuous mother is in the limelight. She doesn't know how to handle Matt's addiction. The movie drags on in search of a plot. Clayburgh is in the wrong role and Bertolucci may have had his head in the moon while directing the picture. The Moon has great symbolism.Save your time. I am perhaps overly generous with 4*.$LABEL$ 0 +Just watched this one again. I wanted to show it to one of my friends and we had the best time. This is why these kind of movies are made, to entertain people and Zombie Bloodbath 2 does that for me and for everyone I have showed it to.The story concerns a group of teenagers in a van that run into a group of escaped convicts who have taken over an old farmhouse. When a scarecrow (that is actually a demon I think) gets disturbed, it comes to life and re-animates dead bodies from the local cemeteries. This leads our heroes to escape only to land in the arms of two insane killers that are in the process of torturing some people in a deli in a small town. Pretty soon it's a showdown with humans fighting zombies.I loved this movie! From it's different formats (black and white film, video and digital cameras) to the very fast pace and great music, there was always something going on and it NEVER bores you! Sure, it's cheap, but you can tell that a great deal of care and hard work went into this film. I have read other reviews and all I can say is that these people have missed the point. If you want 35mm Full Moon fluff, or if you are into modern stuff like Urban Legend, then I say pass on this. If you like low budget stuff like Gates Of Hell and Evil Dead, I say buy this now.The make-up and gore is very good, the acting is uneven at times, but over-all it is pretty good and the editing is very impressive. There is enough going on in this one to fill two more films! It is actually one of the better b-movies I have seen in ages.$LABEL$ 1 +i think that's this is awful produced and directed movie. Benicio Del Toro shouldn't work in production of movies, he should put accent on his acting and that's it. Steven Soderbergh missed the whole point of the idea about revolution, about it's ideals, and most important about life of Che Guevara and so on. Camera is awful, like someone with 2 day working experience is shooting with it, music is ...i don't know..is there some music in the movie???? i will not recommended this piece of sh.. to no one. It's just wasting about 4 hours in front of the TV or whatever.... I can't figure out how can someone rate this movie more than 3 stars. DISASTER....DISASTER....DISASTER....DISASTER Don't watch please. Save yourself from this misery of "movie"$LABEL$ 0 +OK, when I say "wow," I mean, "Jesus, please help me." I have an old VHS copy that was printed before Troma got a copy of the title. The movie is about an alien crash landing on Earth to terrorize us with a gun that blasts people into oblivion. WATCH OUT!!! And by that, I mean watch out for those special effects. There is an amazing number of mistakes. The acting is terrible, but I'd say the only one putting forth any effort would be the Sheriff. The film itself is really grainy and poorly lighted. In one particular scene, it is day outside and then the shot shows the Night Beast shooting his gun with night behind him. Then it shows day again. *Shakes head* I usually like low-budget horror films, but I had to force myself to finish it because I never watch a movie without finishing it. The only accomplishment this film achieved was an alien that wasn't stereotypical. So for that, and ONLY for that... I give it a 3 out of 10.Don't watch this movie if you've had a bad day. You'll be even more depressed at the failed attempt this movie makes.$LABEL$ 0 +One hundred and seventy five million dollars is a hell of a lot of money to spend on even the biggest summer blockbuster. Not even Michael Bay had a budget that big for Transformers, so exactly how Universal Pictures spent that much cash making Evan Almighty is a mystery. They certainly didn't spend it on the script for one thing as the film is not so much a classic comedy as it is Christian flag waving and bar one or two quiet chuckles, you're most likely to spend the duration wondering where the budget went or why Steve Carrell felt the need to slum it in a decidedly average movie at the exact moment when his star profile has begun to rise.A sequel to the Jim Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty, this film sees former supporting character Evan Baxter (Carrell) moving up the ladder into the main player slot. The story opens with him leaving the news desk to become a public official and moving to Washington with his wife and three generic sons (slightly weird primary school moppet, spirited middle schooler and sulky teenager). Evan's bid to change the world through politics however gets a spanner in the works when God (Morgan Freeman) appears and asks him to build an Ark.In other words, it's an updating of the old Genesis story, with Evan fighting off cynicism and naysayers to build the immense boat. Unfortunately, while the premise is reasonably promising, it sadly does not provide many laughs. There's a bit of fun to be had in the early going where Evan's straight-laced MP tries to juggle the demands of public service with the unwelcome packs of animals that follow him around and a beard that resists all attempts to shave it, but as soon as he accepts his divine mission, the film takes a nosedive.From this point on, it turns into a message movie. Evan begins preaching with alarming regularity and Morgan Freeman keeps turning up to offer kind wisdom, while gently prodding his chosen in the right direction. Without Evan's resistance though, the only trace of comedy left comes in the form of a few rubbish animal-feces jokes and John Michael Higgin's role as Evan's exasperated right-hand man. Higgins may show the same rich comic potential that he did previously in Arrested Development, but his enthusiasm cannot save the sinking vessel, especially seeing as Carrell has all but placed his formidable improv skills on the back-burner.In some respects, it's slightly similar to the Passion of the Christ, but unlike Mel Gibson's movie which encouraged everyone to believe in God through blood letting and guilt tripping, Evan Almighty tries a more gentle approach. The movie simply tells us that we should have faith in God, because He has faith in us. Unfortunately, this movie is just as likely to make you laugh as the Passion is. Carrell is on autopilot, the jokes don't exist and Wanda Sykes makes a bid to become the most annoying person on the planet. It might be sweet, but somebody just tossed $175 000 000 overboard.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sort of between the gushy review and the hate review. I've been a fan of Lovecraft (and a Lovecraft 'purist') for a long time, and while this little amateur film was of poor quality it had a number of redeeming qualities. I went into viewing expecting the worst thing I've ever seen, and wondering if Lovecraft would turn in his grave over it, but I was shocked to find that I actually kind of liked it.I don't want to catalog the movie's faults, so I'll only mention a few that keep this movie from being a 'stellar amateur effort'.It's very low budget and shot on a video cam, so it has the look of some soap operas, but once you get used to the idea then it ceases to be a big deal. The direction is pretty amateur and the shot framing and use of distance in the shots is rather clumsy. STILL, this film was actually kind of creepy and it stayed more faithful to Lovecraftian intent than nearly all the Stuart Gordan and Brian Yuzna travesties (my main exception to those films being Re-Animator and Dagon) put together. The idea of being impregnated by some Old One is reminiscent of Dunwich Horror and Shadow over Innsmouth (which isn't to say this movie is as good as those stories!!), so the overall plot is quite faithful to Lovecraft's ideas. One thing that annoyed me was that words out of the bible seemed to make a zombie prisoner upset and afraid. I'm not sure if this was meant to indicate that 'God's' words upset the Old Ones or just this particular zombie. There was no real answer to that. The rest of the Christian symbolism in it reminds me of August Derleth's take on the mythos. So in a way this was a Derleth style take on the mythos.I would recommend this film only as a curiosity. It shows how a fairly atmospheric movie can be made with nearly zero budget. I liked the setting of the wine cellars. The outdoor shots were sad, though. Using the same stretch of beach and trees (and nearly the same damn shot) to convey 3 characters' long journey was really sad. The director needs whack upside the head for that. The acting was standard for an amateur film, with the blonde zombie girl getting a personal award for "Best Impersonation of Gollum by an Italian Actress". Actually I think this film was done prior to the Lord of the Rings movies. Maybe Andy Sedaris watched her and thought "Dang, she'd make a great Gollum!" One little kudo to the director, though. The makeup on the zombies was like bad goth kids. I was upset seeing this and nearly stopped watching. I was like "Oh so that's how we know she's evil and possessed", but later on in the movie you see a girl painting makeup like that on the face of an older woman (both living). So it wasn't an attempt to say 'goth makeup = zombie' but rather, 'goth makeup was left on after zombification'. However, possessed/zombie does equal 'blue contact lenses'...heh.On the whole, I still liked this movie better than the Yuzna and Gordan films (barring the aforementioned exceptions). Yuzna and Gordan had much better budgets, but this film did a better job at filming a Lovecraft-like story than they did, and on a tiny budget.One quick word to the the make-up artist: I know you wanted 'claws' or something on Zariah's fingers, but long, black press-on nails looked really silly.A quick word to the writer of the score: I know you couldn't resist, and apparently neither could the director who okayed it, but when the two characters square off with guns for a 'duel', playing that little whistle from "The Good, the bad, and the ugly" killed any mood that scene had accumulated. It was cute, but cute wasn't appropriate.The filmmakers of this movie have read Lovecraft and had a great deal of respect for him. I enjoyed the little nods here and there: the character Carter with the bad dreams, and the character Pickman who becomes a ghoulish zombie.$LABEL$ 0 +Ingrid Bergman is a temporarily impoverished Polish countess in 1900s Paris who finds herself pursued by France's most popular general and a glamorous count -- and that's on top of being engaged to a shoe magnate. Such is the failproof premise that entrains one of the most delirious plots in movie history. There are backroom political machinations by the general's handlers, a downed balloonist and ecstatic Bastille Day throngs, but the heart of this gorgeously photographed film is the frantic upstairs/downstairs intrigues involving randy servants and only slightly more restrained aristocrats. Yes, it's Rules of the Game redux. Before it's all over even Gaston Modot, the jealous gamekeeper in Rules, puts in an appearance -- as a gypsy capo, no less! Things happen a little too thick and fast toward the end, resulting in some confusion for this non-French speaker, but what the heck -- Elena and Her Men is another deeply humane Renoir masterpiece.$LABEL$ 1 +Although DiG! was being hailed as being closest to what the music industry is like it is highly fabricated. The director has misled the audience into believing the Brian Jonestown Massacre disappeared off the face of the earth post-'98. And the rivalry between the Dandy Warhols and Jonestown has been milked. The truth of the matter is not really exposed in this film.That said this film is endlessly quotable and is an interesting watch as we get a look at two groups of very talented musicians creating their art. One of the best things this film has going for it is a unique perspective between the indie music scene and the larger corporate scene.Recommended mostly for the music and the two fantastic bands.$LABEL$ 1 +I've already seen spin-offs of cartoons such as The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes and most of them are great.When I saw the All Grown Up pilot in 2001, I thought it was interesting to see how the Rugrats would look in their pre-teens/teens and it contained things that would usually happen during that time of life such as going to a concert, going to school and being grounded.The actual TV show is better because the Rugrats seem to wear different clothes in each episode and Angelica doesn't get punished as much as she did in the original Rugrats series. Tommy and Susie get punished in this series.I've also noticed references to Rugrats in this show and even flashbacks of how the Rugrats looked in the original series. They actually talk to the adults in this show because they're 10 years older.This show is aimed at a slightly older audience than the original Rugrats. Viewers of the original show may like this.$LABEL$ 1 +This musical has a deep meaning which is appreciated by only a few. The wise can see the wisdom contained in what most call folly.This music may well regain popularity as world consciousness rises. It is about a land "far away from it all" where "living things have room to grow." Its people are "living and growing together" mentally and spiritually faster than in biological age.The lyrics help us recognize the relativity of this "world that is spinning around" and to "look inside yourself; that is where the Truth always lies." The absolute level of consciousness is more real than the ever changing world of the senses.I have been searching for the video for years . When I find it, or it comes out in DVD, it will help "share the joy" of being in "Shangri-la" again. Burt Bacharach's music and Hal David's lyrics made a masterpiece in turbulent times that is just now ready to be fully appreciated.May this CD inspire you to find your own "Lost Horizon" or recognize it when "peace of mind" has found you. - LostHorizon.org$LABEL$ 1 +Just finished this impressively nutty affair and whilst I can't say as it was as good as I had hyped it up to be in my mind it was still an effective and at time pretty nasty piece of brain warped and misogyny fuelled J-trash. Its story tells of a poor gal searching for her sister who winds up getting raped and drugged by Yakuza scumbags, and the helpful lady doctor who sets out to avenge her, doing so in bizarrely gruesome fashion after a similar bout of rape and drugging. Oh yeah and there's a bit of straightforward sex in there as well, sadly its all soft core, as per the Japanese disapproval of below the belt nudity, but pixelation is minimal, in fact only really noticeable in a hilarious blow-job scene. Although writer/director Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu fails in creating an especially compelling tale this is at least pretty scuzzy stuff, diving early on into the well of filth with a pretty unsettling rape (made worse by the fact that the gal looks kinda young, though I'm pretty sure she was of age). Also, for the most part this is pretty professional looking stuff, maybe not stylish but it has a certain flair and the content is handled reasonably well, with particular kudos for largely avoiding having to employ much pixellation. Things are mostly sex/rape based for about two thirds of the sharp runtime and its pretty watchable if you groove to such fare, it gets a bit numbing after a while but the ladies are easy on the eye and it is reasonably harsh at times. The music, from Yôichi Takahashi is occasionally effective, though hardly a key part of the show it does in a few spots complement the action neatly, at any rate enough for me to notice it. More important are the effects, by Nobuaki Koga, which pack an impressively splattery punch when they appear, helped out by the lunatic nature of the climactic shenanigans. Things even pull to a curiously affecting ending, sure it ain't a weepy or anything, but for a film so gutter level for most of its runtime it is relatively poignant. Altogether this is a pretty entertaining diversion for mean spirited trash fans, especially those with a taste for Japanese rapey adventures. I could really have done with a longer revenge section and more gore, also perhaps more of a point/brains, but hey, it kept me watching and it is pretty nicely stocked with memorably wtf moments. So if you dig this sort of degenerate junk, probably worth your while, just maybe don't expect the second coming.$LABEL$ 1 +Life is crazy. You're crazy, I'm crazy, we're all crazy. We're all a little bit Minnie, and a little bit Moskowitz. Sometimes it does seem best to be sensible...but then what might you be missing out on?You gotta be you. You don't have to park cars and semi-randomly yell at people, but you can't hide yourself behind a veil (or dark sunglasses) and pretend and act like everything is okay. And sometimes, you really do have to throw caution to the wind, because why else are you alive?I'm not going to 'rate' this love compared to Cassavetes' other movies, because they are all absolutely 100% unique works and each their own individual act of expression and exploration of our lives. In that sense they are all great, and comparisons are odious. For sure, this movie has that one crazy, sometimes maddening, but ultimately wonderful and freeing quality that all his movies have- you never know what's going to happen next, and you never know what the characters are going to think, do, or feel next. Neither do the characters themselves- and do we really want to live our lives any other way? Unlike Moskowitz, you can have a great job and judiciously sock away money into your IRA, but still live the life of an adventurer inside- in your feelings, your spirit, and your very experience of life. Yeah, we can have it both ways, that's what Cassavetes shows us. Thank God somebody did.$LABEL$ 1 +Final Draft - A screenwriter (James Van Der Beek) locks himself into his apartment and succumbs to psychosis in an attempt to write a horror script. Not a terrible premise, but the execution is awful. This feels like a first year direction and writing job, and probably is. The director jump cuts the hell out of everything. It's meant to be disorienting. What it IS is annoying. So much so that small chunks of film are incoherent. The writing is predictable, and doesn't use follow through on most of the ideas it offers (bag of oranges). It's like they ran out of time and slap-dashed it together for the Toronto Film Festival.This film is not jaw-droppingly "oh my god it's so bad it's good" bad. It's boring bad, and irritates you for a long time afterward. James Van Der Beek is not a terrible actor, and keeps the ship barely above water. But he's too normal for the kind of psychosis the film tries to offer. He is merely a withdrawn guy who one day sees people and hallucinates things, then decides to act mildly deranged. Cause follows effect. Maybe there's something in the water. Now Darryn Lucio, who plays his "friend", is a terrible actor. He shares the likeness of Chris O'Donald and is even more annoying, a superhuman achievement.The atmosphere the film provides is good (dull gray and somber), but as it's the only thing the film achieves it means nothing. This film wants to be Jacob's Ladder or The Machinist. It isn't even Secret Window. It's the preppy girl in class deciding to turn goth.Not irksomely terrible, but the sheer stupidity of it will ebb at you. I've already put more thought into this critique than the filmmakers did for this.D$LABEL$ 0 +"Best In Show" tracks the stories of a handful of human contestants as they prepare for one of the biggest dog shows in the calendar. Any amateur psychologist would say that an unconditional love and obsession with a pet is a sign of something missing in someone's life, and each of the characters in some way fills this cliche. There's the former High School Hottie who's now married to a geeky man, the childless, label-obsessed yuppie couple, the solitary outdoorsman, the young wife of a wealthy old codger (along with her short-haired dog trainer), and the gay couple.What makes this film so funny though is the way it portray's these stereotypes in a completely believable way - almost affectionate, in many cases. Every ridiculous thing one of the characters does or says - with their dog as an innocent onlooker - seems like the kind of behaviour you'd totally expect to see at a dog show.The biggest laughs come from the commentary team of an all-american style sports announcer, comparing moments in a dog show to parts of a baseball game, and his English, canine academic, foil.The trials of the geeky husband as his blonde wife meets an astonishing number of men from her past is also always good for a chuckle, as is the demented behaviour of the yuppie couple as the pressure builds, while their hound stays completely unflustered.Well worth watching - even if cats are more your bag.$LABEL$ 1 +In my never-ending quest to see as many quality movies as possible in my lifetime, i stumbled upon this film on cable. I tried Hitchcock three times before this, and never have i felt that the man's work lived up to the praise he had received. I always felt he was good, not great (from what I've seen) This was the best of his films I've seen thusfar. Robert Walker is absolutely chilling, his performance takes the film where Hitchcock wanted it to go. Even an average performance here damages the overall product. My favorite scene was his obsession about getting the lighter from the drain (how exactly does he get his arm down there though?) Bruno is quite a compelling character, but i also loved the performance by Patricia Hitchcock as Barbara. The rest of the Morton family as well as Guy were a bit dry and boring, but she added some flare to the movie, as well as having some of the better lines in the script.Lastly, in any suspense movie, you're going to live and die by your ending. This one holds water, unlike a couple other Hitchcock films I've seen. I truly was unsure of how it would end, which kept me on the edge while i watched and waited.$LABEL$ 1 +The film's title makes it sound like a porno but it's not even a sex comedy. Instead, Hot Summer in Barefoot County is about an official sent from a southern state to a small town to locate and arrest moonshiners. The moonshine though is coming from the farm of an old woman with three beautiful daughters. Almost anyone can guess what happens next but oddly, the film is very tame. It hardly even qualifies for a PG rating. What's more, the low budget is obvious in pretty much every shot and the acting is sooooo amateurish. This film was probably intended for the drive-in crowd but it's unlikely that it satisfied them, even in 1974.$LABEL$ 0 +I watch tons of movies and had no idea this would be as good as it was. I was looking forward to it after reading the plot (even though I find Nirvana overrated). It sounded like it would be tons of fun but it was more than that. Jansen puts in little touches like the books (Kubrick book among others), movie posters, etc. I like when I see a director takes his time and put his heart into a film. And you can really feel that in this. There are tons of scenes and moments that I love, I am trying to think now of some other films that are like this and I would say the only thing I can think of are Cameron Crowe films. Takes little moments and makes them stand out and special. The soundtrack is amazing and each song works perfectly with the scenes and feel of the film. This film is amazingly shot, and the editing is outstanding. I could really go on and on about the film. I cannot recommend this enough really. If you want a fun story with great tunes from a director who clearly put his heart into his work then check this out.$LABEL$ 1 +If you only read a synopsis of the plot, this movie would sound like quite a typical one of the 1930's. The story would seem quite contrived, the subject matter maudlin. The strength and beauty of this film is in the direct, earthy performances of the cast.I have seldom seen Jean Harlow display such a range of feeling, rich and subtle nuances float over her face. If you watch their faces during the wedding ceremony in the chapel, there is such an obvious depth of feeling between the principal characters. The raw emotions are so sincerely portrayed, so true. The final sequence is almost unbearably poignant: when Clark Gable looks down with such joy and surprise at his son, lifts him up and proudly says, "My kid!", I couldn't help remember that Mr. Gable's own son was born to him posthumously. This is one of the finest examples of Depression era cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +Directed by the younger brother of great director Leo McCarey this is a pretty good short from the Three Stooges, nominated for an Academy Award. Here the stooges are doctors named doctor Howard, doctor Fine and doctor Howard. They are not the brightest doctors but they get the benefit of the doubt as long as they handle for duty and humanity.I liked this short. It is not one of their best but some moments are hilarious though. One joke that is repeated more than once works every time. The part where they must operate the hospital's boss is terrific. To say more would spoil some of the jokes, so you must see it for yourself. Just another fine short from the Three Stooges.$LABEL$ 1 +THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE was considered so distasteful in 1959 that several cuts and the passage of three years was required before it was released in 1962. Today it is difficult to imagine how anyone could have taken the thing seriously even in 1959; the thing is both lurid and lewd, but it is also incredibly ludicrous in a profoundly bumptious sort of way.The story, of course, concerns a doctor who is an eager experimenter in transplanting limbs--and when his girl friend is killed in a car crash he rushes her head to his secret lab. With the aid of a few telephone cords, a couple of clamps, and what looks very like a shallow baking pan, he brings her head back to life. But is she grateful? Not hardly. In fact, she seems mightily ticked off about the whole thing, particularly when it transpires that the doctor plans to attach her head to another body.As it happens, the doctor is picky about this new body: he wants one built for speed, and he takes to cruising disconcerted women on city sidewalks, haunting strip joints, visiting body beautiful contests, and hunting down cheesecake models in search of endowments that will raise his eyebrow. But back at the lab, the head has developed a chemically-induced psychic link with another one of the doctor's experiments, this one so hideous that it is kept locked out of sight in a handy laboratory closet. Can they work together to get rid of the bitter and malicious lab assistance, wreck revenge upon the doctor, and save the woman whose body he hankers for? Could be! Leading man Jason Evers plays the roguish doctor as if he's been given a massive dose of Spanish fly; Virginia Leith, the unhappy head, screeches and cackles in spite of the fact that she has no lungs and maybe not even any vocal chords. Busty babes gyrate to incredibly tawdry music, actors make irrational character changes from line to line, the dialogue is even more nonsensical than the plot, and you'll need a calculator to add up the continuity goofs. On the whole THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE comes off as even more unintentionally funny than an Ed Wood movie.Director Joseph Green actually manages to keep the whole thing moving at pretty good clip, and looking at the film today it is easy to pick out scenes that influenced later directors, who no doubt saw the thing when they were young and impressionable and never quite got over it. The cuts made before the film went into release are forever lost, but the cuts made for television have been restored in the Alpha release, and while the film and sound quality aren't particularly great it's just as well to recall that they probably weren't all that good to begin with.Now, this is one of those movies that you'll either find incredibly dull or wildly hilarious, depending on your point of view, so it is very hard to give a recommendation. But I'll say this: if your tastes run to the likes of Ed Wood or Russ Meyers, you need to snap this one up and now! Four stars for its cheesy-bizarreness alone! GFT, Amazon Reviewer$LABEL$ 1 +Great screenplay and some of the best actors the world has ever produced. Montand gives the concept of the 'lone wolf' police detective a whole new dimension of intensity and, most importantly, credibility.When a typical Hollywood cop-heroe loses family, friends and pets to murder he is usually given his minute of grief. But when the sixty seconds are over, he pulls himself together, packs his gun and goes gleefully shooting up his enemies one by one.Montand's Marc Ferrot, however, is really devastated - by his girlfriends murder, of course, but also by finding out that she had another lover.In his confusion and wrath he does not seek revenge but needs to keep going to find the real perpetrator of a crime where his fingerprints are all over the scene. Thus all his actions become unescapably logical. This is the main reason why this movie glues us to our seats but definetely not the only one.$LABEL$ 1 +The best martial arts movie ever made. This one movie is better than anything Bruce Lee ever did. A classic with a thoroughly entertaining and brutal climax. Jackie Chan is the king of martial arts movies and the true king of kung fu.It's a great pity that whilst Bruce Lee had been so overrated, it took Jackie Chan an eternity to become popular in Europe and America. Jackie rules!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Paris, JE T'AIME is a wondrous cinematic homage to the city of light and the city of love, a film so complex that it almost defies summarization and reviewing. Ask a large group of people their impressions of life in Paris and the result would be something akin to this film. Tied together by each of the sectors or Arrondissement of the city, the film examines love in all forms, native folk in their Parisian modes, and tourists interacting with the great city. Approximately twenty writers and directors, each with about five minutes of screen time, include Olivier Assayas, the Coen Brothers, Sylvain Chomet, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, ALfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Walter Salles, Nobuhiro Suwa, and Gus Van Sant among others less well known. The stories vary from hilarious, to humorous, to touching, to tragic, to banal, to tender.In one story a young Frenchman (Gaspard Ulliel) is attracted to a young lithographer (Elias McConnell), pouring out his heart in French to a lad who speaks only English. In another a separated husband and wife (Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara) meet in the Latin Quarter to finalize divorce proceedings while another couple in Père-Lachaise (Emily Mortimer and Rufus Sewell) approach marriage without connection until the spirit of departed Oscar Wilde intervenes. Steve Buscemi in Tuileries confronts superstition in a subway with his bag of tourist collections, in Bastille Sergio Castellitto (in love with mistress Leonor Watling) is ready to divorce his wife Miranda Richardson until she confides she has terminal leukemia, Juliette Binouche confronts agony about her son's fantasies and loss in Place des Victoires with the help of a mythical cowboy Willem Defoe, Sara Martins and Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier display a keen tale of mistaken ideas in Parc Monceau, Fanny Ardant and Bob Hoskins 'play out' a strange relationship in Pigalle, Melchior Beslon plays a young blind man to actress Natalie Portman in learning how to see in Faubourg Saint-Denis, vampire love between Elijah Wood and Olga Kurylenko in Quartier de la Madeleine, Maggie Gyllenhaal is an ex-patriot actress stung out on drugs in Quartier des Enfants Rouges, and Margo Martindale is a visiting tourist letter carrier trying desperately to speak the French she has studied for her life's trip in a tenderly hilarious 14ème Arrondissement.The final few minutes of the film tries to tie together as many of the stories as feasible, but this only works on superficial levels. The film is long and there are no bridges between the many stories, a factor that can tire the audience due to lack of time to assimilate all of the action. But it is in the end a richly detailed homage to a great city and supplies the viewer with many vignettes to re-visit like a scrapbook of a time in Paris. It is a film worth seeing multiple times! Grady Harp$LABEL$ 1 +I want very much to believe that the above quote (specifically, the English subtitle translation), which was actually written, not spoken, in a rejection letter a publisher sends to the protagonist, was meant to be self-referential in a tongue-in-cheek manner. But if so, director Leos Carax apparently neglected to inform the actors of the true nature of the film. They are all so dreadfully earnest in their portrayals that I have to conclude Carax actually takes himself seriously here, or else has so much disdain for everyone, especially the viewing audience, that he can't be bothered letting anyone in on the joke.Some auteurs are able to get away with making oblique, bizarre films because they do so with élan and unique personal style (e.g., David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky). Others use a subtler approach while still weaving surreal elements into the fabric of the story (e.g., Krzysztof Kieslowski, and David Cronenberg's later, less bizarre works). In Pola X, Carax throws a disjointed mess at the viewer and then dares him to find fault with it. Well, here it is: the pacing is erratic and choppy, in particular continuity is often dispensed with; superfluous characters abound (e.g., the Gypsy mother and child); most of the performances are overwrought; the lighting is often poor, particularly in the oft-discussed sex scene; unconnected scenes are thrust into the film for no discernible reason; and the list goes on.Not to be completely negative, it should be noted that there were some uplifting exceptions. I liked the musical score, even the cacophonous industrial-techno music being played in the sprawling, abandoned complex to which the main characters retreat in the second half of the film (perhaps a reference to Andy Warhol's 'Factory' of the '60s?). Much of the photography of the countryside was beautiful, an obvious attempt at contrast with the grimy city settings. And, even well into middle-age, Cathering Deneuve shows that she still has 'it'. Her performance was also the only one among the major characters that didn't sink into bathos.There was an earlier time when I would regard such films as "Pola X" more charitably. Experimentation is admirable, even when the experiment doesn't work. But Carax tries nothing new here; the film is a pastiche of elements borrowed from countless earlier films, and after several decades of movie-viewing and literally thousands of films later, I simply no longer have the patience for this kind of unoriginal, poorly crafted tripe. At this early moment in the 21st century, one is left asking: With the exception of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, are there *any* directors in France who know how to make a watchable movie anymore? Rating: 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +It seems to be a perfect day for swimming. A normal family wants to gain advantage from it and takes a trip to the beach. Unfortunately it happens that the father is trapped under a pier and neither his wife nor the small son is able to help him out of this - whereas the tide is rising. The woman (Barbara Stanwyck) takes the car and searches for help.John Sturges' short movie (69 minutes) is powerful because of unanswered questions. Stanwyck finds a guy who could help, but there is a price she has to pay for this. There is a double question the movie poses. How far would you go to help the man that you love, and on the other hand - observing Stanwyck's behaviors towards the stranger - does she really love her husband? Like a good short story this movie leaves the viewer to himself with questions he can only answer himself.$LABEL$ 1 +I'd passed this title 15 or 20 times while in Blockbuster, looking for something halfway decent to watch. All I can say is that they were all out halfway decent films the night I chose to rent this.I will give it credit for being leaps and bounds better than "Dracula 3000", but in actuality that's pretty easy to say since this one DIDN'T have Caper Van Dien in it. The other things it lacked in spades were: an interesting cast, interesting story, good dialog and originality, but I suppose you can't have everything.***SPOILERS AHEAD*** The misfit crew of vampire hunters (one of which was a vampire... go figure) flew around from mining colony to mining colony trying to wipe out all the vampires it could find. The crew consists of: the cocky, ne'er-do-well captain (who dies early on), his by-the-book, yet inexperienced first mate, the aforementioned vampire vampire hunter (not a typo), a wannabe cowboy and a REALLY, REALLY butch Asian commando, "tough guy" female... it almost sounds like the cast for MTV's 'The Real World'. After the captain dies in a violent confrontation with a mob of bloodsuckers (and as it turns out, lovers of the finer parts of human anatomy) his first mate takes over... blah, blah, blah... everyone hates him... blah, blah, blah... I could go on, but as I said it's the same storyline used in about a hundred other 'films' of the genre.The effects were cheese and why Michael Ironside was in this movie is beyond me. The vampire vampire hunter (still not a typo) was pretty hot, but of course if you're waiting for her to expose more than just her cleavage, look elsewhere.I can't say that it was the worst film I've seen, as I actually rented 'Starship Troopers 2', but wait for this one to come on the Sci-Fi Channel.$LABEL$ 0 +If you are looking for a movie that doesn't take itself seriously... than Haggard is for you. I must say before i write anything more, that if you have not seen any of the CKY (Camp Kill Yourself) videos than the movie most likely won't be AS funny. My advice is to watch a few clips of those videos that Bam and his friends made. Haggard does not take itself seriously AT all, and that was never the purpose. Throughout the movie you will have random moments that have nothing to do with the plot, which may get annoying but its nothing that is out of control. Even through all that the plot does stay focused and the story of Ryan Dunn's character does unfold quite nicely. This plot i have been told is based off a true story (for the most part)of Ryan Dunn's ex-girlfriend. Brandon Dicamillo is by far the best character in the movie. He has a lot of talent and knows how to make people laugh. He stole the movie if you ask me. Overall I love this movie for its simplicity and straight up weirdness. Its a Bam movie people, its not going to be normal. Haggard is filled with hilarious quotes that my friends and I constantly used since the first time we saw it. I've seen the movie 6-7 times and still find new things every time. The soundtrack is just as good. Everything from Gnar Kill to New Order and some techno. Just don't go into the movie with high expectations, let it all unfold and then judge it for what it is.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those movies that appears on cable at like two in the afternoon to entertain bored housewives while they iron. The acting is second rate. Poor Mathew Modine seems to sleepwalk through the whole film. And god help Gina Gershon. Her accent is too over the top. It sounds nothing like an true English woman. It sounds forced and phony, much like her acting. She should stick to what she does best, lesbian showgirl con-artist who plays in a rock & roll band and has a drug problem. The other characters are no better. They are two dimensional. empty, vapid and silly. How are we to supposed to care about these people. At one point Christy Scott Cashman get's lost in Central Park. Really? It's not that hard to navigate Central Park. Just follow any path out. Not only did I not care about ANY of the characters,I downright hated them. The only reason I even stayed with this train-wreck of a film was Fisher Stevens. Even his brilliant humor couldn't save this dying Fish. Each scene is typical romantic comedy fare and nothing is left to surprise us. The script was awful as was the acting. If you catch this Fish throw it back!$LABEL$ 0 +This short was director Del Lord's last and only Shemp short. The problem: It was quite weak and the cafe scene was pretty much a carbon copy of a Curly short "Busy Buddies" (1944). The interrogation scene was pretty funny, and the beginning part of the cafe part. But there are a lot of plotholes in this short. For example, why are the stooges hiding in the garbage can when the police come? In the remake, "Of Cash And Hash"(1955), director Jules White fixes this and the reason for the stooges hiding in the garbage can is because there is a gunfight between the police and the armored car robbers. The scene in which Moe is having trouble with the oyster was done before with Curly in "Dutiful But Dumb" (1941). The spooky house part wasn't all that great except for the hilarious scene on the outside of the spooky house. To top it off, the ending had no sting to it. Rating: C-$LABEL$ 0 +You can't watch this film for a history lesson. This was the first I had heard of the Ma Barker saga, but I could tell almost immediately that the facts were way off. And with a little internet research I realized I was of course right. Ma Barker sure as hell isn't the sexy, calculating woman the movie portrays her as, and apparently did not orchestrate all the bank robbing schemes, kiddnappings, and murders that her criminal boys carried out.But don't expect a brilliant crime drama. The script and the acting are adequate, the gunfights are excessive and mostly unrealistic, and there is a very laughable slow motion death scene. So why did I give it a 7 out of 10?Because it was damn entertaining. The gunfights are fun to watch but there are some deeper themes that emerge between them. The movie has a strong sense of ego intimidation among it's cast of alpha males, each of whom has his own agenda. And I appreciate the minimal use of swears for the period. The set pieces are great, reproducing a convincing 1930s era.So watch this film like you would a cult film, and take the excessive bloodiness and ruthlessness in stride with the cheesy ultra serious comments from the FBI man who wants to take the Barkers down at any cost. Inotherwords, don't take it too seriously, just have fun with it. And if you like this, you'll love Serial Mom.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was just as good as some of the other westerns made by Anthony Mann and James Stewart like Winchester '73 and The Naked Spur, and much better than Thunder Bay and Bend Of The River. This film starts out like a run of the mill western but gets more complex as it goes along. It starts out with Jimmy Stewart and Walter Brennan arriving in Seattle and Stewart is charged with murder. He is found innocent but is cattle is stolen by a corrupt judge. Stewart then agrees to lead something but i forget what it is but Stewart only cares about getting his cattle back. As the movie goes along it's like Stewart only cares about himself just like his character in the Naked Spur. It gets much better at the halfway point after they arrive in Alaska. This is one of Stewart's better westerns.$LABEL$ 1 +NOBODY (1999) is a fantastic piece of Japanese noir. It's about three salarymen who get in way over their heads when their innocent, drunken cheapshots p*** off three OTHER guys one night in a bar. When these three mysterious strangers, who are up to much more deviant no-goodness than even the film allows us to know, beat the living daylights out of one of our "heroes", the trio decides to return the favour in kind - only they accidentally KILL one of the other guys! The remaining two baddies then begin the systematic destruction of everything these poor schmoes hold dear, including their fast-dwindling sanity. Phaedra Video's DVD sleeve features a critic quote calling the film "A paranoid street crime freakout!" or some such, and the term more than applies here. Brooding, tense, very violent and low-key (but still pretty slick), shot largely at night with many deliberately vague moments and character motivations that keep the audience guessing right along with the besieged protagonists (who, to some degree, deserve everything they get!). I give it a 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Ah, Batman Returns, is it possible to have a sequel to be almost as good as the original? With Batman Returns, it came pretty close! We have terrific actors and a great plot with the dark knight and two new villains, Catwoman and The Penguin. We have Michael Keaton back as Batman and he's still awesome than ever. Michelle Pfieffer, the perfect choice for Catwoman and was perfectly cast into place. As much as I love and is such an incredible actress Annette Benning, she couldn't have been Catwoman, she doesn't really have the look. Danny DeVito, who could have imagined him as The Penguin? He was just great and terrifying! Batman returns with a more loving community of Gotham City, they are celebrating Christmas time with, Max Shrek played by a creepy Christopher Walken. The perfect villain who mistreats his lovely secretary, Selina who happens to hear too much at his office causing him to push her out the window in hopes that she dies and will never reveal the information of knowing the Penguin and the attempt to make him loved in Gotham. When she survives and is awakened by cats, she wants revenge and is ready to go at it with her cats! But there is also another active villain, The Penguin who is in search of his parents that abandoned him and now he is looking to be the new mayor of Gotham City! Can Batman be able to stop both super villains from creating their hanous acts and stop the mayor from destroying the city as well?You'll have to see! Batman Returns is just as good as the original Batman, despite the first one remaining the true classic, this one still takes you for a ride. And come on, I mean we've got Michelle in leather! Her classic moment of just meeting Batman and The Penguin "Meow" is classic! There are memorable characters, lines, and sets! You'll have a blast! Trust me! 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +Set mostly in the back streets of Toronto NG is a dark , mysterious journey that takes the viewer into the minds of a young man and woman ( Vern and Sarah ) , each of whom has a fascination with riddles and a disastrous incident in their past . Fine dialogue and first-rate casting propel this low key, noirish journey into the girl's search for the meaning behind the word puzzles that keep appearing in her life. Aided by her , anything but enthusiastic, male friend, the two of them reach the end of their quest , but with a price to be paid. The film never intends to answer all of its mysteries , but does an excellent job in the exposition of several plot twists$LABEL$ 1 +"Four Daughters," a sentimental story of a solid middle class family with four sisters, was notable in one respect: into this romantic, idealized milieu enters Mickey Borden… Carelessly dressed, with an uncompromising attitude to all bourgeois values, he really sets the hearts of the sisters aglow… His criticisms are not only directed towards those about him but also towards himself… One day Ann (Priscilla Lane) discovers him passionately playing the piano… "That's beautiful," she says… "It stinks," he replies… He falls in love with – and marries – Ann but eventually, realizing that their basic incompatibility is leading their marriage into disaster, he takes the equally uncompromising step of causing his fall… The role was superbly played by John Garfield, and it brought him not only stardom but also, and perhaps more important, won for him his place in cinema history as the screen's first rebel hero… Garfield was born in New York's East side of Russian immigrant parents, and spent his adolescence as a delinquent, a real life role that he only relinquished when he began to portray the rebel on screen… He continued, however, throughout his life to question and reject certain traditional values… He was occasionally suspended by the studio and maintained a cynical view of Hollywood…Finally he ended his career and his life as one of the victims of McCarthy's witchhunt… He was blacklisted by Hollywood because of his suspected left wing sympathies and friends claimed that being banned from working contributed to the heart attack' that killed him at the early age of 39…$LABEL$ 1 +A hilarious Neil Simon comedy that evokes laughs from beginning to end. The late Walter Matthau is the grouchy ex-comedian who is persuaded to join together with his ex-partner (the late Oscar-winner George Burns) for a final reunion show on stage.Benjamin Martin is Matthau's agent and nephew, and the two have just as much chemistry as Matthau and Burns. I love Matthau's grumpy character--he's just the same as he always is, and yet also very different.Burns, as the absent-minded old man, is just as funny as Matthau.Matthau: Want some crackers? I've got coconut, pineapple and graham.Burns: How about a plain cracker?Matthau: I don't got plain. I got coconut, pineapple and graham.Burns: OkayMatthau: They're in the cupboard in the kitchen.Burns: Maybe later.Or how about this:Matthau: When I did black, the whites knew what I was saying!You've got to see it in the movie to understand it!All in all, a refreshingly hilarious, sweet, heartfelt, warm, belivable character comedy with a heart and some of the most memorable quotes of all time. They just don't make them like this anymore! In a time when all the newest comedies are crude, juvenile and stupid, this leans back towards the tender core of what comedy really is--funny characters, smart and funny dialogue, and grand entertainment.One of the best buddy comedies of all time, right up there with "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Lethal Weapon," and "The Hard Way."You may have a hard time finding this for rent or on TV, but trust me, it will be worth your time!4.5/5 stars.- John Ulmer$LABEL$ 1 +I just watched this movie on Showtime. Quite by accident actually. If I wouldn't have only had 6 hrs of sleep for the past two days then I wouldn't have came home early from work. If I hadn't came home early from work I wouldn't have seen this movie. I wouldn't have known what I was missing, but I would've missed a lot.That's the way this movie is. It's almost playing on the Kevin Bacon effect. That and causality (hence my verbiage above). Ever character is intertwined in some way or another. Action, reaction, interaction, non-interaction. This movie is just wonderful. I'm going to have to find a copy to buy.$LABEL$ 1 +Steven Seagal, Mr. Personality himself, this time is the United States' greatest Stealth pilot who is promised a pardon from the military(..who attempted to swipe his memory at the beginning of the movie for which he escaped base, later caught after interrupting a gang of robbers in a shootout at a gas station)if he is able to successfully infiltrate a Northern Afghanistan terrorist base operated by a group called Black Sunday, who have commandeered an Air Force stealth fighter thanks to an American traitor. Along with a fellow pilot who admired the traitor, Jannick(Mark Bazeley), John Sands(Seagal)will fly into enemy territory, receiving help from his Arab lover, Jessica(Ciera Payton)and a freedom fighter, Rojar(Alki David) once they are on ground. Jannick is kidnapped by Black Sunday leaders, Stone(Vincenzo Nicoli)and his female enforcer, Eliana(Katie Jones), and Sands must figure out how to not only re-take command of the kidnapped stealth fighter, but rescue him as well. And, maybe, Sands can get revenge on the traitor he trained, Rather(Steve Toussaint)in the process. Sands has 72 hours until a General's Navy pilots bomb the entire area. On board the stealth, Black Sunday equipped a biochemical bomb, hoping to detonate it on the United States.Seagal gets a chance to shoot Afghans when he isn't slicing their throats with knives. The film is mostly machine guns firing and bodies dropping dead. The setting of Afghanistan doesn't hold up to scrutiny(..nor does how easily Seagal and co. are able to move about the area undetected so easily) and the plot itself is nothing to write home about. The movie is edited fast, the camera a bit too jerky. Seagal isn't as active a hero as he once was and his action scenes are tightly edited where we have a hard time seeing him taking out his foes, unlike the good old days. One of Seagal's poorest efforts, and he's as understated as ever(..not a compliment). Even more disappointing is the fact that Seagal never fights in hand to hand combat with the film's chief villains, tis a shame. He doesn't even snap a wrist or crack a neck in any visible way(..sure we see a slight resemblance of some tool getting tossed around, but it's not as clear a picture as I enjoy because the filmmakers have such fast edits and dizzying close-ups).$LABEL$ 0 +I am new at this, so bear with me please. I am a big fan of Surface. I thought the script and the computer graphics were exceptional, as good as any Sci Fi flick I've seen at the theater. In February the TV guide said Season Finale, the announcer for the show said something to the effect of, "...and now for the season finale of Surface." Season Finale, not series finale! I couldn't wait for fall to get here, to see was going to happen next. So fall gets here and it's nowhere to be found! If NBC isn't going to pick it up, what about Sci Fi or USA? It seems to me that Bay Watch didn't last long on ABC & then USA picked it up, and it went gang busters! (I bet ABC was chocking) Ha! If not a series, then at least a mini series, to give all us loyal fans closure. What happened to our guy's trapped in the church steeple? Was the creature in the chaple Nim? Did he have a grouth spert? Does the cloned guy come over to our side? There are so many unanswered questions. Thank's for listening to me babble!$LABEL$ 1 +The essential message - one which Miller would have surely intended after seeing Vichy war crimes trials - is that hatred of somebody without rational basis is a waste of life. Meat Loaf's character, Fred, has known Lawrence for many years, and yet when the time comes, at the bidding of his fanatical supporters, he allows them to attack a man who is not part of their "target" group. For me, this is the crucial message - it doesn't matter what Lawrence and his wife do from this point onwards - they are marked, and have chance to save themselves by using reason. Animal aggression and anger have blinded Fred's Union thugs to reality.A friend of mine suggested I should see "The Wave" to study how irrational hatred and evil ideology can take over people without them realising it. I once conducted an experiment in a role-playing game, and was shocked to see how normal and level-headed people welcomed the creation of an oppressive police state - which would ultimate threaten them all - because it crept in in stages.Fred is the start, his LA friends and preacher idol are the catalyst which pushes his neighbours over the edge into violence without stopping to think that what they are doing in wrong.The relationship between Lawrence and Finkelstein, the Jewish shopkeeper is a fascinating one, because Lawrence misses the point almost until the end: if the bigots force Finkelstein out, where is he to go? If his family have fled the Nazis, what an irony to be tormented again in the land of "freedom".That big poster (it's a fairly famous propaganda piece) about American families enjoying the highest standard of living in the world is a very important detail. When you see this film, watch for the grafitti on the subway train, and all the little posters. The message lurks there too.This movie should be on the curriculum of every school, especially in our time when baseless hatred is being promoted so widely by "reasonable" people who are just extremists in thin disguises.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is tremendous for uplifting the Spirits.Every time I watch it, I see & hear funny little things that I missed before.The soundtrack is unbelievable. Mick Jones (Foreigner) and Chris Difford (Squeeze) penned the songs, making Strange Fruit the best thing that ever hit today's music scene.Unfortunately, Strange Fruit are a strictly fictitional washed up '60's to 70's band that were never good to begin with, due to drug use and inner fighting. One wonders what might have been, while listening to their fanatstic soundtrack.The Fruit draw inspiration from The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, David Bowie, and The Who.Each member of Fruit are quite memorable. Stephen Rea stars as down-and-dead-broke Tony Costello, who is asked by a festival promoter to reunite his band for a reunion tour, with hopes of reaping monetary benefits. Costello haply approaches ex-roadie Karen Knowles, played by Juliet Aubrey, to help him rekindle the flame of a dream long past.Juliet gathers up the bitter Jimmy Nail (Les Wickes), blundering Timothy Spall (David 'Beano' Baggot), and extravagantly glamouresque Ray Simms (Bill Nighy). Tumbling in is another ex-roadie, the hippy-toker-jokester Hughie (Billy Connolly), who never let the flame burn out.As Juliet searches for the last member of their motley band, the elusive guitarist-songwriter Brian Lovell (played by the brooding Bruce Robinson), the reunited members squabble, just like old times, fighting over each others' rusty talent.The band is then given the chance to do a small Dutch tour, to prepare for the festival. With young Hendrix-like Luke Shand (Hans Matheson) taking the place of Lovell, the crew hits the road. The sparks fly as their memories flame forward, threatening to burn their unfinished goals...Be prepared to laugh, sing, cheer, and cry, as these memorable characters etch themselves back into your hearts...$LABEL$ 1 +I think this movie is different apart from most films I've seen. It was exciting in a way, and no matter what others say, I say, I was surprised about the final solution. Certainly didn't see it coming!! Although it's sad, it's worth watching.. I can't think of any movie that would be like this! Actors knew what they were doing. If you say this movie sucks, you say probably what most people would say. But, if someone says that this movie is ordinary, I absolutely don't agree. And Norman Reedus should be more noticed.Maybe I'm freak but I liked this very much. It was kind of mess, but who cares? I'm tired of boring and ordinary movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Brit director Chrstopher Nolan now has a career in America, and a reputation for making movies both popular and critically acclaimed; but this small film was where he started. And it certainly showcased his talent, with its striking black-and-white cinematography and achronological storytelling that prefigures his later 'Momento', albeit in a less extreme way. Thematically and mechanistically, the plot reminded me of David Mamet's 'House of Games', but the film still feels fresh and sharp, right up to the final twist of the ending whose flavour was expected, but whose pointedness is unexpectedly delicious. The acting, on the other hand, is not quite in the same class - the film has a stylised quality, and possibly to a greater extent than the director intended. But it's still a fine debut, simultaneously claustrophobic and beguiling.$LABEL$ 1 +The Salena Incident is set in Arizona where six death row inmates are being transfered from the state prison for reasons never explained, while driving along the heavily armed prison bus gets a flat & the driver is forced to pull off the road. Then two blonde birds turn up & after seducing the incompetent prison guards manage to get the better of them, the six prisoners are released but in a shoot-out their getaway car is damaged leaving them all stranded in the middle of the Arizona desert. They decide to head to the nearest town, Salena several miles away & take the cops with them as hostage. Once they reach Salena they find it odd that the place is completely deserted with not one single other person in sight. They soon discover that the entire town has been killed by flesh eating aliens & they are firmly placed on the menu...Also known as Alien Invasion Arizona in the US on DVD & apparently having the working title Terror Town this rubbishy low budget sci-fi horror flick was co-written, co-produced & directed by Dustin Rikert & has no real redeeming features at all, to be frank The Salena Incident is the sort of film which gives films a bad name. The film could roughly be divided into two parts, the opening forty or fifty odd minutes focuses on the prisoners in a thriller feeling opening, the guards & the escape although it's pretty poorly written & staged stuff. The dialogue between the two blonde birds & the prison guards is so bad it's unintentionally funny as the two fit birds chat up the two not so fit prison guards. Funny stuff actually, unfortunately The Salena Incident is supposed to be a sci-fi horror film not a comedy. Then once the escaped cons & their prison guard hostages arrive at Salena it goes into sci-fi horror mode as the aliens turn up & start killing our clichéd character's off which is good because they are annoying. Look, the whole film sucks as it's badly written, thought out & made. I can't really be bothered to go into why but trust me The Salena Incident is awful on every level.As well as being just a bad, boring & stupid film The Salena Incident is also poorly made. The action set-piece scenes are awful, the aliens looks terrible & are never shown on screen at the same time as the human character's & as such it's sometimes difficult to tell what's happening. The special effects are poor too, the aliens look rubbish & the CGI computer effects are absolutely terrible as well. The editing is poor, the cinematography is poor, the sets are cheap & the whole thing is just an eyesore really. There's a bit of gore, there's some gunshot wounds, someone is ripped in half & a severed hand is seen.Obviously shot on a low budget The Salena Incident has low production values & looks cheap from start to finish. Filmed in Superior in Arizona. The acting is terrible from no-one I have ever heard of although the actress who plays the female doctor is pretty good looking.The Salena Incident is a rubbish sci-fi horror film that is terrible in just about every way, not worth 90 minutes of yours, mine or anyone else's time.$LABEL$ 0 +Set in a California detention camp in an indistinct future, an English film crew capture proceedings as young students and political dissidents are put on trial under a fictional 'Insurrection Act' that allows the United States government to suspend civil liberties for its own citizens in cases of emergency without the right to bail or the necessity of evidence. In such cases the government is authorised to apprehend and detain anyone they believe may engage in future activities of sabotage. The group on trial includes a feminist, a black panther and a folk singer.Those convicted by the a Conservative tribunal have the choice of a lengthy prison sentence or three days in Punishment Park, in which they can attain their freedom by reaching an American flag in the desert. They must accomplish this without food or water. They are also to be pursued by armed National Guards and police who can return them to the camp if captured to face the penal sentence attributed to each person convicted. The reality is different; those that choose Punishment Park are hunted and killed or brutalised with no hope of gaining their freedom after a policeman is found dead in the park. The park seems to be a training ground for the police and guards who need to master these acts of suppression so they can be put to use in open American society.Shot on 16mm and in the documentary style developed by Watkins, in his celebrated Culloden and the controversial The War Game for the BBC; he interacts with the prisoners and guards and observes the unconstitutional trial, inter cutting between them to create a totally convincing political movie that still remains vital and relevant. Using his knowledge of the medium, Watkins has produced a driving, relentless and ultimately frightening film portrayal of an entirely fictional American political detention camp that would not convince if it wasn't for his flawless construction. Many of the actors are amateurs improvising with broad characters. The sparks fly in the trial scenes in which each case is heard, in part to the fact that Watkins kept those on trial away from the jury until the filming of those scenes. Watkins also claims that the actors are often expressing their own opinions which certainly explain the ferocity as well as the believability of their performances.The film has been heavily criticised for polarising the opinions of those that see it. It has been claimed that the film is reactionary and unequivocally represents that conservatism and war are the root of America's social problems. While these criticisms may be valid it is important to consider that the film is working on a fictional, metaphorical level and it is perhaps the realism that the film so cleverly constructs that encourages such a heated opinion on its content. In fact the films most important theme is the problem of polarisation itself. The 'conservative' judges and brutal law officers are on one side and the 'liberal' convicts are clearly on the other with no concessions made on either side. This seems to be what the movie is really about. The new law and the park itself is the outgrowth of a situation where mediation between the two political positions has been lost.Made during and in protest to the Vietnam War and the treatment of those who opposed the war in America the films main themes of Governmental persecution of its own citizens and Conservatism impinging on civil liberties still strike the same chord in the era of the Patriot act and the identity card. It also strikes a disturbing chord with news footage of Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of Allied forces.The threat of internal 'terrorism' is such a volatile issue that the film cannot fail to connect with current attitudes to the subject. Not surprisingly the film has had a checkered distribution history, being marginalised to an extreme due to its content but the disturbing fact that this movie is that can still remain so relevant today suggests that the wait has not been for nothing. Punishment Park is a film that has had to fight to be seen anywhere and it demands your attention.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay. As you can see this is one of my favorite if not favorite films. This is a character drama which is absolutely hilarious. The main character is a business man who is stuck in a "same thing, different day" mentality. He sees a woman looking melancholy out a window of a dance studio from his train everyday and wonders about her and decides to find out more about her. He decides to join the dance class only to find out she is not the instructor. From there he bonds with four other dancers and learns to enjoy dancing as well as finding out about the mysterious woman.There is no gratuitous (or any) sex involved, just how a small group of people learn how friendships are formed and developed.This film was remade with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez and the new one while appealing is nowhere as enjoyable as the original. The movie never made it big in America because it was not eligible for the Oscars since it was broadcast on television in Japan (movies cannot be released on TV or they are disqualified for Oscar nominations). It did win numerous awards in Japan for best film, cast, director etc for their "Oscar" awards.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is an all-time favorite of mine. I'm sorry that IMDb is not more positive about it. I hope that doesn't keep those who have not experienced it from watching it.I've always loved this movie. I watch it about once a year and am always pleased anew with the film and especially the stellar performances by entire cast.I've always wondered whether Jean Stapleton actually did the ending dance with Travolta???? If anyone knows this piece of trivia, please leave a comment.Thanks and ENJOY!$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely hilarious. John Waters' tribute to the people he loves most (Baltimoreans) is a twisted little ditty with plenty to look at and laugh at. It's like being turned loose in a museum of kitsch! I haven't laughed so much in a theater since Serial Mom. I loved seeing old friends from the Dreamland days, Sharon Nisep and Susan Lowe, back in front of Waters' camera. The cast is simply wonderful (especially Edward Furlong and Martha Plimpton). Uses the best elements of past Waters atrocities (especially the underrated Polyester) and plenty of new surprises. Made me sick, in a wonderful way. Thanks, John!$LABEL$ 1 +When I think 'Women in Prison', my mind often goes to sleazy Italian/Spanish productions by directors such as Jess Franco and Bruno Mattei; and while these films are often very sleazy, they're also very samey and once you've seen one; you might as well have seen them all. I have to admit that these types of films generally aren't my favourites; but in fact the idea of women behind bars has been done very well on several occasions outside of Italy and Spain; and Roger Corman's New World Pictures is responsible for some of the best of them. Caged Heat is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, and it's a well done little flick with plenty of entertainment value! Naturally, the film centres on the story of a girl who is caught committing crime and sent to a women's' prison where she is introduced to a host of violent inmates. This prison is ruled over by the stuff wheelchair bound Superintendent McQueen; and she takes offence to a play put on by the girls; leading them to plot an escape.This film is much lighter on the sleaze than I'm used to in a women in prison flick; but this is more than compensated for by some great action scenes and dialogue and that's what ensures Caged Heat entertains throughout. It does have to be said that the plot is not particularly original or ambitious and basically follows a structure similar to many other women in prison films that came before it; but that's not such a big problem. The film never gets boring and is peppered with standout scenes; including an escape attempt while out working in a field and a bank robbery. The film is helped along by assured direction from the man who would go on to helm the masterpiece The Silence of the Lambs and a great cast with plenty of standouts; including best of all the legendary Barbara Steele in the role of the head prison warden. Overall, Caged Heat may not leave the viewer with much to think about by the end; but it's a brilliantly entertaining little grindhouse flick and anyone that enjoys this type of film will surely want to track it down.$LABEL$ 1 +This film was made in Saskatchewan and Manitoba Parks and returned the world eye again to what little of the "Wild Western Canada" is left. When Archie began to write his stories for the papers; the thought of the day was to tame the wilderness and convert/absorb the First Nation Peoples.The film puts forward and asks the question; why would a well-educated, obviously talented Englishman become an Indian? Archie, as an English boy dreams about becoming something but grasping the full meaning of that dream is unique and priceless - no mater what it is. Sounds like a famous puppet story doesn't it. In my opinion, I saw Archie become my living image of the "Cigar store Indian" a very wooden character and not real at all - very well done acting on the part of Mr. Brosnan. He also portrayed the wild Indian in the dance scene for the tourist. The fullness and or reality of it weren't realized till he met and married his wife, Annie. Annie pushed Archie in a direction that would bring him to the forefront of the Englishman's world stage, not as himself but Grey Owl -an Canadian Native of the wilderness frontier. This is the closest Archie get to becoming the noble savage prototype. Mr. Brosnan's interpretation as well as the directors is both well done. I have watched documentaries on Grey Owl and I think this is a good big screen movie to add to my collection.Spoiler - I thought the final scenes with Archie going to meet the Grand Council of Chiefs was a great a great moment in the film. Very beautiful Canadian lake scenery and real "Grey Owl" locations.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed the previous Ittenbach movie that I'd seen, "Burning Moon". But while that movie was rather grim and nasty, "Premutos" seems to mostly play it for laughs. While its admirable how Ittenbach made this movie with no money in his spare time (and the DVD documentary is worthwhile to see this), I found myself constantly battling not to fast-forward to the next gore scene. Sure, there's gore, and if that's all you want then go ahead and enjoy. But be warned: there's an inordinate amount of lame comedy and tedious story exposition. Many are comparing this to Peter Jackson's movies, especially "Braindead". But looking at what Jackson did on a similar budget in "Bad Taste", it's clear Ittenbach is lacking one thing that Jackson has - talent. 3/10 (for pretty good and plentiful gore effects, and for getting the most out of limited resources - but not worth the money I paid for it)$LABEL$ 0 +Pure Orson Welles genius makes this one of the greatest of movies. Welles is drawn into a murder conspiracy only to be set up as the fall guy, which is what he refers to with the sarcastic comment "big dummy that I am." Plot is so complex that I still don't know whether the victim knew that his life was about to be lost. The shootout scene in the carnival hall of mirrors is one of the most amazing ever filmed. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. This is the only time that Rita Hayworth ever played a complex yet believable character. No one but Welles would have had the nerve to cut her hair and dye it brassy blond. No one should miss this picture.$LABEL$ 1 +I concur with everyone above who said anything that will convince you to not waste even a briefest of moments watching this amazingly amateurish movie. Very poor acting, offhand production values, utterly pedestrian direction, and a script so inept and inane it should never have been written, let alone produced. Even Hollywood "professionals" apparently go to work just for a paycheck, although no one should have been paid for this bad work. Careers should instead have ENDED over this inconsequential drivel.OTH, there is something fascinating about watching something so jaw-droppingly bad. And Chad Lowe is terrifically and consistently bad.$LABEL$ 0 +The action was episodic and there was no narrative thread to tie the episodes together and move the story forward. The plot plods along. With few exceptions (e.g., Graham Greene) the acting was uninspired, and pedestrian at best. The actors seemed to have something on their minds, other than the scene they were in. It is boring to observe a man driving a car through the semi- desert country of this movie's setting, whether he drives poorly or well. Such scenes are typical of the level of tension in the video. So there was nothing about this video to engage or draw the observer in, to make him or her care about the characters and the out comes. I am doubly disappointed because I rented this movie based on the reputations of the executive producer (Redford) and the writer of the novel on which it was based (Hillerman). I note that the jewel box reports that funding is provided by PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as Carlton International. I would hope that this video was as disappointing to them as it was to me and my wife, to the point that they will not fund any more disasters coming from the same source.$LABEL$ 0 +"Fido" is to be commended for taking a tired genre, zombies, and turning it into a most original film experience. The early 50s atmosphere is stunning, the acting terrific, and the entire production shows a lot of careful planning. Suddenly the viewer is immersed in a world of beautiful classic cars, "Eisenhower era" dress, art deco furniture, and zombie servants. It would be very easy to dismiss "Fido" as cartoon-like fluff, similar to "Tank Girl", but the two movies are vastly different. "Fido has structure, a script that tells a story, and acting that is superior. Make no mistake, this is a daring black comedy that succeeds where so many others have failed. Highly recommended. - MERK$LABEL$ 1 +This production of Oliver is masterful in showing layers of evil in the human soul. What makes the story remarkable is a brilliantly bright Unseen Character, who pierces this darkness as he leads an innocent boy through the gravest dangers safely into the hands of his own relative. Yea, though Oliver walks through the valley of the shadow of death, he fears no evil. A rod and staff are there to comfort him. In the end, he is saved from the dregs of humanity. At the bottom is Fagin, the most wicked of the lot. Fagin contemplates repenting of his ways not once, but twice, yet declines because he is unwilling to pay the price. Fagin is worse than Bill Sikes, because he raises little pickpockets who become murderers. In the middle is Oliver. His innocence is unsullied, but untried as well. The best is Nancy. Lacking in judgment, she ignores Bill Sikes' violent nature out of her deep need for love. Yet unlike Fagin, at the probable cost of her own life, she does repent of her sins by saving Oliver from Bill. Things are not as they seem. In my opinion, this quality is what makes art worthwhile - unpredictability. I would give this film a "10," but its '70's made-for-TV soundtrack and ambiance were distracting. Overall, a fine parable and a thoroughly appropriate story for all audiences.$LABEL$ 1 +The Hindi remake of Mrs Doubtfire starring and directed by Kamal Hassan is a somewhat shoddy version, and not as good as expected.Kamal Hassan clearly struggles with Hindi dialogs, even after all these years, and cannot handle even one scene effortlessly. The guy has aged and should give it a rest. Hassan doesn't bring anything new to the role or to the character as say, Dustin Hoffman does to Tootsie, or Marathi actor Macchindranath Kambli does to Mavshi's (aunt's) character in "Moruchi Mavshi" (Moru's Auntie, comedy play).What was the kid doing playing with firecrackers when it wasn't Diwali? Most of Chachi's romantic 'cross-connections' -- Vs Amrish, Paresh and then Johny Walker, seem redundant to the main storyline. Tabu's bathing scene was unnecessary. The family is North Indian but must be reminded of Karva Chauth night by a 'Maharashtrian' Chachi. Yeah, right.The fine acting skills of not one but four actors namely Tabu, Om Puri, the late Amrish Puri and Paresh Rawal have been wasted in this film.Watch the original Mrs Doubtfire -- clean, crisp and crackling with fun, quite unlike Chachi 420.$LABEL$ 0 +I was hoping to like this movie, to settle in for an evening of goofy fun. I like Judy Davis and Juliette Lewis, and the premise seemed off the wall enough to be entertaining.Unfortunately, I found myself dozing over and over again. Judy Davis gave a fine performance, but had very little to work with. Juliette Lewis was fabulous as expected, but had very little to do. The plot was full of "twists" that were just plain silly, and as so often happens in movies of this type, nobody acted the way a real human being would act. And, personally, I thought Marcia Gay Harden was totally miscast.The movie also seemed to shift about midway from a black comedy with touches of farce to a total farce with touches of black comedy. One reviewer here notes that other reviews seem to want this movie to be something different, and therefore decried it. All I can say is that I would have settled for the movie being *something* and sticking with it. This one feels like the director had some grandiose ideas but wasn't able to pull them all off. I give it a 4 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +A bit slow (somehow like a Sofia Coppola movie) but still a very captivating film about the discovery of sexuality by three teenage girls. The magic of the movie lies in its capacity to bring back many memories to how it felt like to be their age. The confusion and the insecurities are portrayed in a very simple way but so true to life. The music is perfect and the acting is amazing. The camera works beautifully also. I highly recommend it for those who are not afraid to look back at this particular period of life when we discover our sexual impulses and our desires. I would also say that it is a fine film for young people going through that period. So many movies have been made about adolescence but this really captures the true essence of discovering the adult world of romance and its complexities.$LABEL$ 1 +I find it remarkable that so little was actually done with the story of the a-bomb and it's development for decades after the Manhattan Project was completed. My suspicion is that this was due to serious fears in the movie and entertainment industries (in the 1950s through the 1970s) with "McCarthyism" and related national security phobias (including the Hollywood blacklist). There was one film in the 1950s (with Robert Taylor) about Col. Paul Tibbits who flew the Enola Gay in the Hiroshima bombing, but otherwise nothing else. One could glance at a side issue tragedy (the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis soon after the delivery of the bombs to Tinian) in Robert Shaw's description of the shark attacks on the survivors in JAWS. But the actual trials and tribulations of Groves, Oppenheimer, and their team was not considered film-able.And then in 1989 two films appeared. I have reviewed one already (DAY ONE) which I feel is the better of the two in discussing the lengthy technical and emotional and political problems in the Manhattan Project. The acting of Brian Dennehy as General Groves and David Strahairn as Oppenheimer was first rate and neatly balanced. Small side vignettes concerning the anti-bomb crusade of Szilard (Michael Tucker) help fill out the story well.That's the problem here. Paul Newman is a great actor (as is Mr. Dennehy) but Newman approached Groves in a different way that while not dreadful is lesser than Dennehy's intelligent but soft spoken military brass. Newman seems too popped eyed about the possibility of the weapon as the biggest stick to confront the other boys in the after-school yard with. Yes it certainly was, but the real Groves would have been more like Dennehy keeping his mind not on that great toy of the future but on the business of creating that great toy. Dwight Schultz's performance as Oppeheimer helps maintain the film's basically interesting and good production, aided by Bonnie Bedelia as his wife. But the most interesting aspect of this film is in the upgrading of the two tragedies of Daghlian and Slotin, in particular the latter, in the character of John Cusack's Merriman. Inevitably in all technological advances people are killed. It's just that these two tragedies (on top of the tens of thousands that were lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki) brought home the dangers of the new unleashed power even in a so-called peaceful, controlled experiment. The two tragedies (particularly Louis Slotin's slow, agonizing death by radiation poisoning) showed how much care was needed in using atomic power - and how the barest of chances could still cause disaster. The only really different thing I saw in Cusack's performance (and the script) and the actual incident with Slotin was that Slotin actually took some time after the accident to figure out where all his fellow research scientists were when they were hit by the radiation from the accident (he was able to show that only he got the full effect of the accidental blast, so that only relatively minor treatment would be needed by the others). Perhaps the full story of Slotin's actions was too technical for the screen, but given the humongous pain he suffered in the end that he took time off to think of the others shows what a first rate person he really was.$LABEL$ 1 +the hills have eyes is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination.for one the villains look almost normal,not what you would expect deranged lunatics to look like.for another the pacing is very slow at times and there are many scenes of the characters repeating themselves.by that,i mean there is a lot of filler in the movie, with a lot of running around aimlessly.the film didn't have a clear direction.the plot of the movie is hardly original,even for its time.the Texas chainsaw massacre came out a few year earlier and is a much more effective film, as far as horror goes.the film has little in the way of scares, and the pounding soundtrack just served to be both grating and distracting all at once.i suppose the music was used to cover up the fact that not much happens through much of the movie, though it failed in its intended purpose.i basically kept looking at the time every few seconds hoping something would happen or it would end .when something finally did happen any promise the film had was ruined by mere chaos and loud noise.i sat through it because i like to give a film the benefit of the doubt.yes, there is some loud screaming,and yes people die,but who cares.much too slow getting to any sort of pay off,if you can call it that.my buddy enjoyed it, so at least one of us got something out of it.the hills have eyes isn't the worst film we could have watched, but i doubt i will watch it again.this film was remade in 2006 and i will also have review of that version.anyway, this movie was painfully slow at times, while other times was chaotic and repetitive.unless you like watching paint dry, occasionally interspersed with someone running around your block, screaming their head off, stay away from this movie.a better bet would be the original Texas chainsaw massacre(1973)1.5* out of 10* which is being generous$LABEL$ 0 +After the return of "horror movies" (come on Scream isn't scary!) i didn't have very high hopes for this low-budget three story horror movie. But i was positively surprised! Man this is scary!!! The first 2 stories are simply brilliant. The first one about a new wed couple driving in a dark forest with their RV, When they bump into a fierce........(watch the movie)! The second story is about a disgusting man who is obsessed with a little girl, who is home alone for one night.... I know it doesn't sound any special but it is Scary. I promise you. The last story isn't scary but atleast not bad. It's about a biker and a ghosthouse. In fact the stories are based on real urban legends(i guess kevin williamson can steal ideas too).Rent this movie it is Good!!! i'd say i'ts the scariest three-short-story-horror-movie ever made!$LABEL$ 1 +Once again the same familiar story about a man (writer here) who sell his soul to the devil in order to have his most desired ambition in life: success. Unfunny script (we should "go home and write better"), ridiculous lines in order to understand the "strong" "Christmanish" message (our only aspiration in life is to find love, respect and a good friendship) and a very long trial scene at the end where the agent Hopkins beat the devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt is no sexy or evil at all) for all the bad things she made to this unlikable character. Not bad efforts from the actors (Baldwin also as a director, Cattrall in a "Sex and the City" role again, Aykroyd with some funny lines in his limited role). P.S. Try also a not so popular film from Greece called "Alloimono stous neous", a brilliant adaptation of this myth (an old man give his soul to the devil to get back his youth)$LABEL$ 0 +Sistas in da hood. Looking for revenge and bling bling. Except da hood is a wild west town in the late 1800s. I do not remember any westerns like this when I was growing up. What would Randolph Scott say? If he saw Lil' Kim, he might say, "Alright! I have to admit that I tuned into this just to see her. Bare midriffs and low cut blouses are not the staple of the usual cowboy flick, but these are the cowgirls, and they are fine.Now, don't go looking for any major story here, and the usual stuff of ghetto crime drama are here in a different setting. And, when's the last time you heard John Wayne call someone, "Dawg"? And, I don't remember the Earp brothers hugging and kissing before they marched to the OK Corral.I watch this on BET, so I missed the action that got it an R rating, but I doubt if I will buy the DVD to see it unless I can be assured it was Lil' Kim in that action.$LABEL$ 0 +...that maybe someday people will wake up to. People who can resist the urge to separate each and everything, and who see the 60s for what they were. People who can see that it was the individuals who made those times; not the other way around.The "Forrest Gump" comparison is a good one. Both films look at the 60s, but "Four Friends" is about human beings, as opposed to caricatures. FF delves deeply into the very thing that FG (quite successfully!) tries to condense and classify as nothing more than a backdrop. But while "Gump" files the 60s away in an attic like old toys in a box, "Four Friends" picks up and embraces each toy, thus blurring the lines between what you hold dearly and what you are.If you associate romance with shoe polish, you'll hate this film.$LABEL$ 1 +"Kaabee" depicts the hardship of a woman in pre and during WWII, raising her kids alone after her husband imprisoned for "thought crime". This movie was directed by Yamada Youji, and as expected the atmosphere of this movie is really wonderful. Although the historical correctness of some scenes, most notably the beach scene, is a suspect.The acting in this movie is absolutely incredible. I am baffled at how they managed to gather this all-star cast for a 2008 film. Yoshinaga Sayuri, possibly the most decorated still-active actress in Japan, will undoubtedly win more individual awards for her performance in this film. Shoufukutei Tsurube in a supporting role was really nice as well. It was Asano Tadanobu though, who delivered the most impressive performance, perfectly portraying the wittiness of his character and the difficult situation he was in.Films with pre-war setting is not my thing, but thanks to wonderful directing and acting, I was totally absorbed by the story. Also, it wasn't a far-left nonsense like "Yuunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni", and examines the controversial and sensitive issue of government oppression and brainwashing that occurred in that period in Japan. Excellent film, highly recommended for all viewers.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say although I despise these kind of shows, shock horror, I'm a girl, I feel I have to express my opinion. I had seen Dirty Sanchez before I saw Jackass and think it way surpasses Jackass in terms of programme making. Story lines and interviews are inter weaved to create a more interesting show. I saw a few minutes of Jackass movie the other night and couldn't believe how poorly put together it was, everything just put in a line joke after joke with no relation between anything. It must have been the quickest easiest show to edit ever, shockingly amateur. While drinking puke isn't really my thing, as far as a substantial entertainment show goes, Dirty Sanchez is way out of Jackass's league.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie seems disjointed and overall, poorly written. The screenplay moves along as if 10 different people wrote it, and none of them were communicating with each other. Apparently they wanted to take a page from a Miracle on 34th Street (the original) type film, but it is done in such a poor way that the movie falls apart. This film is for only the very young, and even THEY will see the fact that whoever scripted it knows little to nothing about baseball. Such as: • When the Angels are in dead last place, the owner doesn't seem to care, nor is he bothered by the fact his manager just got into a fight with his pitcher – ON THE MOUND – or that he PUNCHED the team's play by play announcer on live TV. However, when the team is one game from winning the Division, he gets bent out of shape over a story (sourced by a 6 year old) that the manager is getting help from a kid who claims to see real angels. What sounds worse? A losing violent out of control manager whose team has lost 15 in a row? Or a winning coach on the verge of the playoffs that is acting a bit eccentric and is helping foster kids? The owner's reaction makes no sense. And he's moved to change his mind by Maggie and her 'straight out of cliché land' speech during a news conference.• The Angels are supposed to be playing for the Division in the final weekend series against the White Sox, however at the end of the game the announcer's keep saying the Angels 'won the pennant". The pennant is not decided until someone wins the LEAGUE championship, not the regular season division title.• Whitt Bass, the goofball pitcher is the starting pitcher and wins the game that breaks the Angels losing streak – then is the starting pitcher – THE VERY NEXT DAY.• Mel Clark (Tony Danza) is said in the ninth inning to have thrown 156 pitches, in a low-scoring ballgame. Typically in low scoring games, the pitch count is MUCH lower than this, usually around 80-90 pitches.• "AL" the angel says at the end "Championships have to be won on their own", even though he and his angels have been manipulating and fixing games throughout the whole second half of the season.I could go on and on, as there are MANY other examples where the story is poorly written.For younger kids (under 10), this movie may be entertaining. It's too bad – done right this could have been a classic. Done wrong like this and it's a forgettable mess that will forever live as a UHF/cable Saturday Morning washout.$LABEL$ 0 +My first exposure to "Whale Music" was the Rheostatics album of the same name, that I bought around 1993. I was reading the liner notes and the band said the album, which remains in a prominent place in my collection, was inspired by Canadian author Paul Quarrington's book.I picked up the book a few months later and devoured it! An amazing read! I have since re-read the book numerous times, each time finding some new element to Desmond and his desire to complete the Whale Music.I found the film in 1996, on video. I haven't had a lot of good experiences with Canadian film, but this one worked for me. The role of Claire could have been cast differently, but overall I think that Paul Quarrington's vision was transfered nicely from the book to the screen.Maury Chaykin gives a moving performance as the isolated genius. The movie deals with family relationships, love, and finding someone who understands. I would strongly recommend "Whale Music" to not only music fans, but anyone who has ever lost something or someone, and tried to find their way back to the world.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie can be labeled as a study case. It's not just the fact that it denotes an unhealthy and non-artistic lust for anything that might be termed as caco-imagery. The author lives with the impression that his sanctimonious revolt against some generic and childishly termed social ills ("Moldavia is the most pauper region of Europe", "I don't believe one iota in the birds flu", "Romanian people steal because they are poor; Europeans steal because they are thieves") are more or less close to a responsible moral and artistic attitude - but he is sorely off-target! What Daneliuc doesn't know, is that it's not enough to pose as a righteous person - you also need a modicum of professionalism, talent and intelligence to transpose this stance into an artistic product. Fatefully, "The Foreign Legion" shows as much acumen as a family video with Uncle Gogu drunkenly wetting himself in front of the guests. The script is chaotic and incoherent, randomly bustling together sundry half-subjects, in an illiterate attempt to suggest some kind of a story. The direction is pathetically dilettante - the so-called "director" is unable to build up at least a mediocre mise-en-scene, his shots are annoyingly awkward, and any sense of storytelling shines by total absence. (Of course, any comment is forced to stop at this level; it would be ridiculous to mention concepts as "cinematographic language", "means of expression" or "style"). The acting is positively "Cântarea României" ("Romania's Chant") level, with the exception of... paradoxically, the soccer goal-keeper Necula Raducanu, who is very natural, and Nicodim Ungureanu. Oana Piecnita seems to have a genuine freshness, but she is compromised by the amateurish directions given by Daneliuc.The most serious side of this offense to decent cinema is the fact that the production received a hefty financing from the national budget, via C.N.C. (the National Cinematography Council). The fact that long-time-dead old dinosaurs like Daneliuc are still thirsty for the government udder is understandable (in a market-driven economy, they would be instantly eliminated through natural selection). But the corruption of the so-called "jury" that squanders the country's money on such ridiculously scabrous non-art, non-cinema and non-culture belongs to the criminal field.$LABEL$ 0 +My wife and I find this movie to be a wonderful pick-me-up when we need to have a good laugh - the conflict between some characters and the repore between others make this a sure fire comedy relief. I am so looking forward to this movie coming on DVD so I can replace my well watched VHS.$LABEL$ 1 +A powerfully wonderful movie. You are held in a death-grip once you let yourself get involved with the story. A successful dentist, Alan Johnson(Don Cheadle), is torn in a life crisis of balancing his career with his family. He notices his former college roommate Charlie Fineman(Adam Sandler)and wants to touch base. He finds that Charlie, who lost his wife and family in the 9-11 attack on America, is no longer in touch with reality...choosing to involve his mind with his favorite music from the past and video games. The former roommates rekindle their friendship and strengthen their former bond. Johnson has his friend Angela Oakhurts(Liv Tyler), a psychiatrist, to try and bring Charlie out of his grief...but it is Alan that accomplishes in getting his friend to emerge from his deep darkness. Jada Pinkett Smith plays Johnson's wife. Writer and director Mike Binder plays the role of Charlie's attorney/guardian. Also in the cast: Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Adell Modell and Robert Klein. Outstanding soundtrack featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Graham Nash, Pear Jam and The Pretenders.NOTE: I have never been a Sandler fan; but I found him outstanding in this role. In some of the scenes, I thought out loud...why has he never been approached to play singer/songwriter Bob Dylan in a biopic.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a knockout, Fires on the plain referred to is, (the burning off at the end of harvest time) A happy memory for Tamura, He relives this in his mind many time's,and at the end of this bleak film, Like a man dying of thirst, he believe's he is home and this last illusion is all he has left. Billy Wilder's The Big Carnival (Ace in the hole) is the only film (that comes to mind)that is as bleak as this little masterpiece by Kon Ichikawa. While I think the whole film is brilliant Two scenes that come to mind are when a platoon of Japanese soldiers trying to escape (Crawling on there belly's)are ambushed by Americans and massacred,True Horror, And as an American soldier and a pretty Philippine Girl soldier are having a cigarette on the side on the road, she smiles as she flits with the yank,then her face Changes to rage as she see's two Japanese soldiers trying to surrrender, she grabs a gun and kills them with joy, The American soldier attempts to stop her but has no chance , to me this speaks volumes at the atrocity's committed by the Japanese in the Philippines, all in all a great film if you have the stomach for it.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a quite entertaining horror anthology film (along the lines of Tales from the Crypt) written by Robert Bloch (author of Psycho). It's good fun for horror fans and has an excellent cast. The movie should also be required viewing for Doctor Who fans since Jon Pertwee (the third Doctor) has an amusing role as a rude and obnoxious horror star!$LABEL$ 1 +Black Rain is a superb film, but watch out for the DVDs currently being sold for as much as $300 apiece. I have the DVD, and it's terrible. Very tiny non-anamorphic image that has to be blown up to resolution-killing size. Acceptable sound. This is a primitive DVD that absolutely *has* to be rereleased.BTW, I also own the laserdisc and the VHS of Black Rain. The VHS is a huge step upward from the DVD! And the laserdisc has far and away the best picture of them all—subtitles in the black, sharp, big picture, simple but very good soundtrack. Buy the VHS and avoid the preposterous prices these scam artists are demanding!$LABEL$ 1 +I would purchase this and "Thirty Seconds Over Toyko" today if available. I also saw this movie after seeing large billboards of Jack Webb in his Dress Blues on the highway at the age of 12.Always admired Jack Weeb as a John Wayne type and American all the way. Almost became a Marine just because of this movie but served instead in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Army Reserve for 32 years. Have not seen this movie on TV at all and would love to own it on DVD. At least if it was on TV I would copy it to VHS and use it until available on DVD. I also have a large collection of WWII and Korean War movies and always look for new releases on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I like a lot of the actors/actresses involved in this project so being insulted by the movie felt even worse than if they used a unknowns .The main problem was this movie was clearly just a concept created to appeal to baby boomers .In 20 or 30 years Nbc will probably do a movie just like this about the early 90's . I can see it now a black family where the kids are involved with the la riot's and the white family has the kids rebel and listen to grunge rock music .The soundtrack will feature bands like Nirvana , N.W.A , Public Enemy , Soundgarden etc .The movie like this will be just as cheesy as The 60's and I gurantee you NBC will do it .See the biggest problem with period pieces when done buy networks is that when you are living in a certain time period you aren't thinking i am living in the 60's or whatever decade is trendy retro at the time .Next time someone does something like this they should put more weight into there project$LABEL$ 0 +This is the most stupid movie ever made. The story is laughable. His wife and kid think he's insane. Then they don't. Then it turns out he is and I think they knew it all along. There is a dog named Ned that causes some problems and I think it's all his fault...so does Jim Carey. God only knows why Virginia Madsen took this role...this is a career sinker. I think the target audience for this is 11 and 12 year olds. And that adds up to 23. Or maybe it's for 8 and 10 years olds which also adds up to 23. Or maybe it's for really dumb 23 year olds. Or maybe really dumb 32 year olds because that's 23 in reverse. Or maybe 46 year olds would enjoy it because half of that is 23. I think looking up things on the internet about the number 23 would be more entertaining than this movie, unless you wanted to see a comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +Norma had spent most of the 20s playing beautiful ingenues but her first talkie cast her as a brassy showgirl in "The Trial of Mary Dugan" and she came through with flying colours. From then on her sweet and lovely ingenues were cast aside and she sizzled in parts that cast her as sophisticated women of the world or society girls out for thrills. "Let Us Be Gay" was made before but released after "The Divorcée" and was an unusual twist on the upper crust dramas that Shearer made her own.Norma first appears without make-up as frumpish Kitty Brown, who's main purpose in life is to pander to her very unappreciative husband Bob (Rod La Rocque). She is hurrying to get him off to his golf game - but in reality he is going to see his mistress. When Helen, the mistress, comes to the house for a showdown, Kitty faces the situation with civility but behind closed doors she is a mass of emotions and Bob leaves for good.Three years later Mrs. Courtland Brown (Kitty) comes to stay as a house guest of the eccentric Mrs. Bouccicoult ("Bouccy")(Marie Dressler). Kitty is now a knockout and "Bouccy" has a job for her. She wants Kitty to romance a house guest, who in his turn is romancing her grand-daughter Diane (beautiful Sally Eilers). Shock!! Horror!! - the man is none other than Bob, her ex husband!!! Kitty carries off the meeting with sophistication and witty repartee - "there seems to be something strangely familiar about that man"!!! - and no one is the wiser.The film then settles down into one of those early very "talkie", boring "drawing room" comedies. Kitty casts a spell over all the men and Bob is desperate to start again. The women have all the strong roles in this film - men are just puppets. Raymond Hackett seems to be in the film as an extra butler - "pass me a cushion", "get me a drink", "move this chair" instead of Diane's harassed fiancé. Norma Shearer is of course the whole show, Marie Dressler adds "Bouccy" to her list of eccentric portrayals and Sally Eilers is a real eyeful as the gorgeous Diane.$LABEL$ 1 +William Castle is notorious among horror fans as the B-grade director of the 1950s and 60s. His gimmicks, his cost-cutting techniques and his unique vision are legendary. It comes as no surprise, then, that someone (Jeffrey Schwarz, who's made countless documentaries) would finally take the time to devote a documentary to his greatness. Such is "Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story".I had a general understanding of who Castle was, having seen some of his films over the years. I knew nothing about her personal life, his goals and ambitions. This film really fleshed out the man and gave me a fuller appreciation for the devotion he had for the craft of film-making and his contributions to the horror genre. The movie depicts Castle as rival to Alfred Hitchcock, with Hitch being the artist who wins praise while Castle is the carnival barker who gains cult notoriety, but much less respect. He is an icon to all second-rate directors out there, which is why it's not surprising that John Waters is featured prominently in here. (Joe Dante and Stuart Gordon also have sizable roles.) His gimmicks were what drove his fame, and the documentary takes great pains to explain them, which is crucial for those who are too young to remember. The rudimentary 3-D of "13 Ghosts" (see separate review), the buzzer in the seat for "The Tingler" (see separate review), money back guarantees for "Homicidal"... watching these films now outside the theater, we can judge them for their content (which, personally, I still enjoy) but we cannot fully appreciate what audiences once felt.The climax of the film is when Castle goes from cult director to Hollywood producer. Having bought the rights to "Rosemary's Baby", he is put in a very special place for negotiating its film release. Hoping to direct, he is sidelined to producer in order to make way for new director Roman Polanski. While at first disappointed, this proves to be one of the best opportunities of his lifetime -- a hugely successful film, and a job he excels at. Who better to control the purse of wild artist Polanski than a penny-pinching Castle? This was to be his crowning achievement, though sadly the film is more often connected to Polanski than Castle.The remainder of his years are played out, and we are given personal reflections by his daughter and niece. Across the board, everyone seems to have nothing but praise for the man. Somewhere along the way, he surely upset one or two people, but you would never know it from this film. And I find that find -- this is a celebration of Bill Castle's life, not "E! True Hollywood Story". Fans of the genre would do well to pick up a copy of this work.I would personally recommend picking up the William Castle Collection, which has not only this but eight of Castle's films in it, with plenty of special features. Even this documentary comes with an audio commentary so you can hear how Schwarz was personally affected by Castle, and have Castle's daughter Terry giving a running reflection of her experiences with the different films and remakes. It's almost a whole new film.$LABEL$ 1 +This show was so exhausting to watch and there's only two numbers Drowned World (Substitute For Love) and Paradise (Not For Me) were you can sit down and just contemplate it all. The opening of this show will go down in history as the most visually thrilling, as Madonna enters the stage via a gigantic Swarovski crystal ball that comes down from the ceiling and the huge screens from behind it show images of horses galloping. Horses play a role in this show due to Madonna falling off one. The infamous scene of Madonna on the crucifix is in this show as a huge screen counts to 12 million, the number of how many African children are orphaned due to Aids. At the end a website address comes up for anyone interested in donating. We then go into the theme of the environment and again images of politics and religion are shown. There's an interlude and then the show starts again to the music of I Love New York and Ray of Light this part of the show is one of my favorites with the dancers doing there funny hand movements. Towards the end there's the Music number with the song Disco Inferno mixed in with the song and the dancers make more of there presence known. The ending again is full of energy as the show wraps up to the tunes of Lucky Star and Hung Up and hundreds of golden balloons fall from the ceiling at the end the message "Have you confessed?" comes up. The DVD is worth buying and when it came out the soundtrack for the show was added as a bonus. Jonas Akerlund did a great job with the footage for this show keeping it consistent with the style of the tour.$LABEL$ 1 +...and boy is the collision deafening. A female telephone lineman is taken over by the spirit of a recently-deceased ninja, strips down to her undies, pours tomato juice on her body so her boyfriend can lick it off, performs a seductive dance, then goes off to kill the policemen who killed the ninja she's possessed by. Only to be hunted down by a one-eyed ninja master. Just like in real life, eh? Enlivened only by Sho Kosugi's martial arts choreography (and his declining to put his obnoxious kids in this one), you really have to see this to believe it. It's the ultimate mix of totally at-odds genres.$LABEL$ 0 +I caught this flick on the trail end of a tape I had used to capture a movie I truly wanted to wanted to see again. When I saw Raquel Welch's name in the opening credits, I decided to watch it. It was actually mildly entertaining, and took me back "in the wayback machine" to the farcical movies that Hollywood churned out during the sixties, much in the same genre as the current Austin Powers stuff. Oh the acting was not superb, nor was the plot, but it was worth watching. There was some delightful scenery, although Ms. Welch provided the most pleasant of such. Tape it if you get the chance and watch it when you have absolutely nothing else to do. It is not a snoozer, but it won't have you rolling in the aisles wanting more, either.$LABEL$ 1 +I researched this film a little and discovered a web site that claims it was actually an inside joke about the Post WWII Greenwich Village world of gays and lesbians. With the exception of Stewart and Novak, the warlocks and witches represented that alternative lifestyle. John Van Druten who wrote the stage play was apparently gay and very familiar with this Greenwich Village. I thought this was ironic because I first saw Bell, Book and Candle in the theater when I was in 5th or 6th grade just because my parents took me. It was hard to get me to a movie that didn't include horses, machine guns, or alien monsters and I planned on being bored. But, I remember the moment when Jimmy Stewart embraced Kim Novak on the top of the Flatiron building and flung his hat away while the camera followed it fluttering to the ground. As the glorious George Duning love theme soared, I suddenly got a sense of what it felt like to fall in love. The first stirrings of romantic/sexual love left me dazed as I left the theater. I am sure I'm not the only pre-adolescent boy who was seduced by Kim Novak's startling, direct gaze. It's ironic that a gay parable was able to jump-start heterosexual puberty in so many of us. I am in my late 50's now and re-watched the film yesterday evening and those same feelings stirred as I watched that hat touch down fifty years later . . .$LABEL$ 1 +A hot-headed cop accidentally kills a murder suspect and then covers up the crime, but must deal with a guilty conscience while he tries to solve a murder case. Andrews and Tierney are reunited with director Preminger in a film noir that is as effective as "Laura," their earlier collaboration. Andrews is perfectly cast as the earnest cop, a good guy caught up in unfortunate circumstances. The acting is fine all around, including Malden as a tough police captain and Tully as Tierney's protective father. The screenplay by Hecht, a great and prolific screenwriter, is taut and suspenseful, and Preminger creates a great atmosphere.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, the artyfartyrati of Cannes may have liked this film but not me I am afraid. If you like the type of film where shots linger for so long that you wonder whether the actor has fallen asleep or the cameraman gone for lunch then it may be for you. A large part of it is like this with short sojourns into the realm of unpleasantness. I did not find it shocking nor disturbing as some other reviewers have - simply a little distasteful and pointless. The only reason I did not give this one star is that the acting is commendable ans the film is fairly well shot. The plot, however, has little to recommend. A large part of the film just shows a grumpy woman teaching or listening to piano, which might appeal to some people. But lest you think this is harmless enough be prepared for some snatches of pornography and sexual violence just to wake you up with a bad taste in your mouth. Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +Any one who writes that this is any good there kid may have worked on it or put money in to this god-awful college experiment. It was lousy, slow, and painful to watch. Running time of only about 84 minutes, it felt like three and half hours. The only person to blame is the director, who knows nothing on how to direct a scene, where to place the camera! 95% of this dreadful movie was shoot by long master shots. Two or three people in the frame talking or yelling forever( or what seems like forever), No close-ups!! No medium shots!!. There are two so-called fight scenes that any filmmaker with a brain would have shoot some close-ups or medium shoots for them. They looked very amateurish. The scenes with the father and son screaming at each other would have worked better if there was a cut away of just the father or just the son acting,or reacting. Tri-C must be very mortified to show this any where. I have seen a bunch of bad movies in my time some of them are fun because they so bad, this is not one of them.$LABEL$ 0 +I've read reviews of Kerching on IMDb, and frankly,I've not seen one positive review, until now. I actually like Kerching. Kerching is about a teenage boy named Taj Lewis, in order to make £1,000,000 for his mother, he sets up a website called rudeboy. The website offers a lot of interesting things, if only Taj, and his 2 friends - Danny and Seymour can stop Taj from getting exposed. I find this show quite funny and I enjoy watching it. The acting is O.K., but it can definitely be better, the characters are funny, especially Danny Spooner, Taj's friend , his stupidity is what makes him funny. and Taj's other friend Seymour. Also Carlton, the owner of the café'e called "The Chill." We never see him, we only hear him. Taj's younger brother Omar, and his older sister Missy is funny too. And Missy's best friend Kareesha. So many times Taj's has almost got exposed, almost. As well as the comedy, the drama in Kerching such as love life and the loss of loved ones makes this programme great.$LABEL$ 1 +The Secret of Kells is an independent, animated feature that gives us one of the fabled stories surrounding the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages featuring the four Gospels of the New Testament. I didn't know that this book actually exists, but knowing it now makes my interpretation and analysis much a lot easier. There are a few stories and ideas floating around about how the book came to be, who wrote it, and how it has survived over 1,000 years. This is one of them.We are introduced to Brendan, an orphan who lives at the Abbey of Kells in Ireland with his uncle, Abbot Cellach (voiced by Brendan Gleeson). Abbot Cellach is constructing a massive wall around the abbey to protect the villagers and monks. Brendan is not fond of the wall and neither are the other monks. They are more focused on reading and writing, something Abbot Cellach does not have time for anymore. He fears the "Northmen," those who plunder and leave towns and villages empty and burnt to the ground.One day a traveler comes from the island of Iona near Scotland. It is Brother Aidan, a very wise man who carries with him a special book that is not yet finished. Abbot Cellach grants him permission to stay and Brendan buddies up with him. Aidan has special plans for Brendan. First he needs ink for the book, but he requires specific berries. The only way to get them is to venture outside the walls and into the forest, an area off limits to Brendan. Seeing that he is the only chance for Aidan to continue his work, he decides to sneak out and return with the berries before his uncle notices his absence.In the forest Brendan meets Ashley, the protector of the forest. She allows Brendan passage to the berries and along the way becomes akin to his company. She warns him of the looming danger in the dark and not to foil with it. There are things worse than Vikings out there. From there Brendan is met with more challenges with the book and the looming certainty of invasion.I like the story a lot more now that I know what it is about. Knowing now what the Book of Kells is and what it contains, the animation makes perfect sense. I'm sure you have seen pictures or copies of old texts from hundreds of years ago, with frilly borders, colorful pictures, and extravagant patterns, creatures, and writings adorning the pages. Much like the opening frames of Disney's The Sword in the Stone. The animation here contains a lot of similar designs and patterns. It creates a very unique viewing experience where the story and the animation almost try to outdo each other.I couldn't take my eyes off of the incredible detail. This is some of the finest 2D animation I have seen in years. It's vibrant, stimulating, and full of life. The characters are constantly surrounded by designs, doodles, and patterns in trees, on the walls, and in the air just floating around. It enhances the film.The story is satisfactory, although I think the ending could have been strung out a little more. With a runtime of only 75 minutes I think there could have been something special in the final act. It doesn't give a lot of information nor does it allude to the significance of the book. We are reminded of it's importance but never fully understand. We are told that it gives hope, but never why or how. That was really the only lacking portion of the film. Otherwise I thought the story was interesting though completely outdone by the animation.I guess that's okay to a certain degree. The animation can carry a film so far before it falls short. The story lacks a few parts, but it is an interesting take on a fascinating piece of history. I would recommend looking up briefly the Book of Kells just to get an idea of what myself and this film are talking about. I think it will help your viewing experience a lot more. This a very impressive and beautifully illustrated film that should definitely not be missed.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a cleaver film featuring love through the ages. The film consists of Keaton seeking out a lady love in the stone age, in ancient Rome and in the present (1920s). In all three cases, he is the usual wimpy Buster and he battles against Wallace Beery for his lady love. Of the three time periods, I think I liked the Roman one best even though I admit it might have also been the cheesiest. I actually liked the scenes with the lion that was obviously a guy in a costume as well as the weird chariot race in the snow--but what I really enjoyed the most was seeing all of Keaton's amazing acrobatics. However, all three time periods were good old fashioned fun and the film, while not his best, is still an exceptional and enjoyable film. Check it out!$LABEL$ 1 +All the boys seem to be sexually aroused by Mandy Lane. All the girls seem to be jealous of Mandy Lane. But, nothing seems to become of it, and this viewer wonders why? Mandy is beautiful and a magnet to every boy she meets, but we never get to know Mandy or any of the characters in the film. Mandy accepts an invitation, from her student friends, to go to a secluded ranch. Three boys and three girls drink and drug. In the film, the teenagers drink booze like its water, and take drugs to experience a psychedelic trip. And, there is absolutely no sex. In the meantime, the teenagers disappear one by one. But, the others are all drunk and high. Nobody, including those watching the film, cares or is at all concerned. Nobody, including the audience, seems to give a damn. Emmet, a fellow student, is the instigator of the entire event. There is a security guard, Garth (dashingly and handsomely played by Anson Mount), who guards and protects the ranch. Midway through the film, the killer is revealed, the tension is suddenly released like air let out of a balloon. The events are completely predictable, and the film just completely fizzles out. Mandy meets her match, but we don't ever know why--and, at the end of the film, there is still no sex. Does Mandy hypnotize the boys, or does she simply bore all of the boys and girls to their deaths? This absolutely-confused viewer can only conclude that Mandy wishes to get rid of the female and male competition--by killing off the manipulative girls and the nasty boys.Is Mandy worth all of the attention? The director (Jonathan Levine) seems to think so, but this viewer does not. The able cinematographer (Darren Genet) provides some stunning images but, in fact, his focus seems to be on Garth, who is quite the stud. Not all of the boys love Mandy, or do they? If you want to be bored enough to find out how this film winds up, my advice is to sleep midway through film, until you see the temptress Mandy and Garth's bulging crotch. But, don't wait for anything to happen. Yep, you guessed it. Mandy remains a virgin, and there's still no sex. I rank this film a 3 out of 10, but not because of Mandy. Why? Because all of the girls love Garth, and all voyeuristic eyes seem to be on Garth in a compromising position. But unfortunately, girls and boys, this film never seems to get beyond a disappointing and incomplete sexual fantasy. Mandy goes to a secluded ranch, and nothing sexual ever happens. The audience is led to horror on a ranch--and cannot help, but wonder why?$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie on 20 June 2001, and watched it for about 45 minutes. I concluded that watching a blank screen would be delightful by comparison. There was not a single person in the cast for whom I would have shed a tear if hell itself had opened up and swallowed the whole bunch of them.So, I e-mailed all of my friends and relatives warning them, and I am taking the time to urge everyone who may see this note to avoid this movie like the plague! I have seen some really bad movies in my time, but NEVER one as bad as this.$LABEL$ 0 +The best thing about this movie for me was that Bryan Dick played Rafe and made me -melt-. Rafe and all his gorgeousness made the movie worth sitting through, even though I itched to get up and scream. I have never seen a hotter man. -ahem- But that's not the point.The title? That is indeed what it is. They took the beautiful story written by Annette Curtis Klause and threw it out. I will, in all my anal-retentive glory, point out what was missing, what has changed, and all else wrong with the movie.Sit tight and here goes:-Apparently, RAFE is son of ASTRID and GABRIEL, and apparently, ULF is no longer ASTRID'S child, like in the book. AND, as I recall from the book, RAFE and ASTRID were LOVERS.-ASTRID is apparently BLOND, as opposed to the notably RED HAIR described in the book. I believe the book said that she looked more like a FOX than a WOLF. And the movie also shows that ASTRID is VIVIAN'S aunt.-WHERE DID AXEL GO? -VIVIAN is 19. In the book she was 16. -VIVIAN and AIDEN meet IN HIGH SCHOOL which they both attend in the book. VIVIAN goes to see AIDEN because of his poem 'Wolf Change'. But, according to the movie, AIDEN beat up his dad, escaped, and now lives in Romania, and draws Graphic Novels. This made me go 'What the F**K.' -There is no 'Kelly' in the movie. WHERE WAS THE KELLY IN THE MOVIE. The KELLY in the book, however, hated VIVIAN. And she also dated AIDEN after they broke up. Vivian even gets tipsy in the book and trashed her room.-GABRIEL bears a striking resemblance to a Columbian Drug Lord in the movie. And he sort of sounds like one too. His acting was very good, but his appearance threw me off.-VIVIAN had NO parents in the movie. Her father and mother and 2 other siblings died in the movie. Yet in the book, when she comes home one night, her MOTHER, ESME is sitting on the couch, after fighting with ASTRID over GABRIEL. And VIVIAN has no siblings. Only her father died in the book.-AIDEN accepts VIVAN for what she is. This REALLY got me. He kills RAFE in the creepy church, confronts VIVIAN, and she saves him from the others wolves, except AIDEN shoots her, so they saunter off to find medicine, and then they try to leave the city together. WTF?! In the book, AIDEN freaks out when she turns into a wolf, and cries like a chick, throws stuff at her, and so she panics, and jumps out the window. Then he makes up a story that he tried to break up with her, and she threw a chair out of the window. That doesn't sound accepting to me.-AIDEN wants her to runaway with him. In the book, he wants nothing to do with VIVAN after she turns for him. Nor does he lovingly hold her face and say she can control it. He cries like a woman because he is SCARED of her. And the final indignation...the one that nearly gave my three best friends and I HEART ATTACKS IN OUR SEATS:-In the movie, AIDEN and VIVIAN run away together, and VIVAN has killed GABRIEL. As in she SHOOTS him. GABRIEL dies. In the *BOOK* not only does VIVIAN not kill GABRIEL, I do believe they END UP TOGETHER. As in, she doesn't end up with AIDEN, she ends up with GABRIEL. WHAT THE HELL.Small things were noticed too: Ulf's red hair which he gets from Astrid has been changed to brown in the movie, and Vivian works at a chocolate shop. A horrible shock; I am ashamed. The book really wasn't hard to follow. If Disney can use a random H!School, why couldn't the directer have found a random H!School? *sigh* I was really looking forward to this movie, I loved the book, it's sad that it didn't follow it one bit. I give it a 2, only because (as the top of this review states) Rafe (played by Bryan Dick) was dead sexy, and Agnes Bruckner did a wonderful job. AND, they kept the poem from Steppenwolf With love,Caitlin$LABEL$ 0 +A very good start. I was a bit surprised to find the machinery not quite so advanced: It should have been cruder, to match we saw in the original series. The cast is interesting, although the Vulkan lady comes across as a little too human. She needs to school on Spock who, after all, is the model for this race. Too bad they couldn't have picked Jeri Ryan. I like Ms. Park, the Korean(?)lady. The doctor has possibilities. Haven't sorted out the other males, except for the black guy. He's a really likeable. Bakula needs to find his niche--In QL his strong point was his sense of humor and his willingness to try anything. He is, of course, big and strong enough for the heroics. The heavies were OK, although I didn't like their make-up.$LABEL$ 1 +My kids enjoyed the movie, but I was bored. There were a few good lines and a handful of funny parts, but the plot was pretty lame and relied on the special effects and gadgets to pull it through. Still, it hit the center of the bullseye that it was aiming for: it was good for the kids.$LABEL$ 0 +Andaz Apna Apna is by far my second favorite comedy of all time, first being Namak Halal (even though that was technically a drama). Story is nothing groundbreaking, but the complications that are added to it make it awesome. Aamir Khan is a total cartoon. Just watch his expressions in the song Yeh Raat aur yeh doori. He is amazingly good at comedy, I never knew. Salman Khan was also good as the somewhat dimmer of the two characters. The noises he makes are almost as funny as Aamir's faces. Raveena and karisma serve their purpose but are nothing amazing. The real pick of the lot is Paresh Rawal as usual.The plot is rather simple, Amar (Aamir) and Prem (Salman) are useless sons of poor fathers. They don't believe in hard work and just want to get rich the easy way. So both their brains come across an idea to woo a rich man's (Paresh Rawal) daughter (Raveena Tandon) who comes to India to look for a husband. So Amar and Prem meet on the trip and join hands to drive off the hundreds of other men trying to marry this girl. When they succeed, they now have to get rid of each other. Somehow both of them get into Raveena's house, Amar as an injured guy and Prem as his doctor. From here on they try to oust each other. But things are complicated as Raveena's friend (Karisma Kapoor) falls for Prem and pursues him. And rich man's evil twin brother (Rawal also) tries to get rid of the heiress and her father so he will inherit the money and sends in his two most trusted but bumbling fools to do the dirty work.This is a movie you do not want to miss. Watch it! It will be worth it. I even own the DVD, its that good. And if you like this movie, I'd also recommend Gol Maal if you haven't already watched it. Other good comedies are Namak Halal and Hera Pheri (new).$LABEL$ 1 +When it comes to creating a universe George Lucas is the undisputed master and his final Star Wars film is very, very good (and more appropriately rated in comparison to the two previous films in the original saga). Having recently seen Revenge of the Sith really puts this movie in perspective. The final battle seems even more climactic knowing what Anakin Skywalker went through at the manipulative hands of the Emperor. It also makes the final battle between Luke and Vader more bitter considering the love he felt for Padmé and the love she felt for her children. Actually while the new films (especially Episode II) are inferior to the original films they are good for one reason only. They make the old films seem even better.Mark Hamill does an exceptional job in this movie. He really brings the changes Luke has gone through seem real. In all fairness I believe that he should have become a big actor based on these films because he really does a great job. Harrison Ford is still good. However, you can feel that he has done Raiders and Blade Runner in between the two final chapters of Star Wars because he seems to have grown quite a bit. He adds more comedy (obviously inspired from Raiders) to the character which works brilliantly. In short Han Solo is better than ever. Carrie Fisher was never really a good actress but she does a decent job and is certainly passable. Ian McDiarmid appears in this film and having seen Episode III I can safely say that he is one of the most accomplished villains ever. James Earl Jones still provides the voice for Vader and he is still very, very good.In terms of how the movie looks its pretty safe to say that the Star Wars universe looks better than in either of the previous (two) movies but this was always Lucas' forté so that is really to be expected. The final battle over Endor is very well made both in terms of the general effects and tension wise. It was also a nice touch that Lucas decided to have three battles take place at the same time as it added to the overall tension of the climax. The only thing I feel is dragging the movie down from an otherwise deserved 9 are the Ewoks. These little creatures are so annoying they almost ruin every scene they are in. Besides I find it to be a little to kiddy when a group of teddy bears with bows and arrows can defeat a squadron of Storm Troopers with laser guns and mighty machinery.All in all Return of the Jedi is a very good movie but the fact that Richard Marquand is a less accomplished director than Irvin Kershner does that the overall feel of the movie is less than brilliant. Also George Lucas' stupid decision to add the Ewoks to the universe does that the film falls short of brilliance.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +The Thief of Baghdad is one of my ten all-time favorite movies. It is exciting without gore, it is beautifully filmed and the art direction is flawless. The casting couldn't have been better. Rex Ingram made me believe in genies. And the epitome of evil is certainly captured by Conrad Veight as Jafar. He set the bar very high...I watch this movie at least twice a year...and never tire of it. This film is an adventure for all ages..no-one too old to enjoy it. The Thief of Bahgdad jogs my memories to a more innocent time...I was ten years old the first time I saw it and the U.S. was just about to enter WWII. Conrad Vieght was such a great actor that he was able to continue this underlying "evilness" a few years later in "Casablanca." And Korda teamed up,I believe, with Justin and Dupree again in "The Four Feathers"....great film-making!$LABEL$ 1 +The reviews I read for this movie were pretty decent so I decided to check it out. BAD IDEA! This is another movie about a ghost out for revenge against a group friends. The story is stupid, mix two parts Ringu with one part Prom Night, a sprinkle of I Know what you did Last Summer, and add a tiny dash of Single White Female - now blend until completely nonsensical. There is nothing new to this plot, and revisiting the clichés I've grown so fond of wasn't even entertaining this time. This movie jumps to and from the past too much, and once I made sense of it all I realized it still didn't make much sense. Characters go from sane to psycho killer in the blink of an eye. Speaking of characters, they are all your stereotypical favorites - the greedy selfish lawyer, the egocentric actress, the has-been baseball star, the video voyeur, the bitter girl, the spooky quiet chick, the 'nicer-than-nice' nice girl, a freakin' black cat... and I didn't care about any of them. Perhaps a better writer could have made the movie work, there were some decent scenes in it, but overall this movie was a mess. I should also mention a certain 'video tape' that would have been IMPOSSIBLE to shoot. This movie isn't the worst Asian horror has to offer by far, but it is still pretty bad. If you just want to see some creepy images in the dark, or just want to laugh out loud at some over the top acting, or just want to yell "you're stupid!" at a movie screen, or just want to have another Asian horror flick up your sleeve when someone asks you how many you've seen - this movie is for you. Those seeking a decent plot look elsewhere.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I bought the Zombie Bloodbath trilogy thinking it would be mindless gory fun. That's what it is, without the fun. This film truly is mindless, it is absent of any plot or character development, or any sort of storyline. The basic problem with this movie is the kills and gore. Basically, every kill looks EXACTLY the same. ZOmbies ripping someone apart. Yeah, that's okay, but you need some original kills too. I mean it got really lame, every kill looked exactly the same, filmed exactly the same way. Thats what killed me. I love gore, and the gore in this film did nothing for me. It was just boring. No storyline, just the same lame scene over and over again with a different person. I wanted to like this movie, too. I love shot on video gore movies...like Redneck Zombies. But I couldn't kid myself. This film has it's good points, but none of those are in the film. I understand that many of the "zombies" helped out with the flood and there were like over 100 zombies, which is pretty cool how they got so many people involved and helped out in the world. But overall, this is a terrible film.$LABEL$ 0 +I have wanted to see this for the longest time, James Merendino is a great director. SLC Punk is one of my favorite movies, and in the first ten minutes of this film I thought that it was a great follow up after that though, it begins to drag. The acting and direction were terrific. In fact everything in the film seemed to flow except for the script. At times, the only thing keeping my attention was the fact that in the cast was the most beautiful woman in the world, Claire Forlani. This film was good, but I expected more.P.S. Look for great cameos by Chi McBride, and Chris McDonald.$LABEL$ 1 +I like the concept of CSI, but the show is spoiled by some seriously wooden acting. The Medical Examiner has the best lines and delivers them in an arch, offhand manner that livens up the story. Unfortunately he has little screen time.Also, why does Jorja Fox always look and act so utterly unhappy? I know that forensic investigation is a very serious business, but the characters, for the most part, seem to confuse seriousness with humorlessness and a complete lack of personality. I can't imagine dating either Sarah Sidle or Catherine Willows; what would you talk to either one about? I'm waiting for the episode when, at the end of a shift, Catherine picks up a remote control, points it at Grissom, shuts him down, and wheels him into a closet until the next day.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a disaster within a disaster film. It is full of great action scenes, which are only meaningful if you throw away all sense of reality. Let's see, word to the wise, lava burns you; steam burns you. You can't stand next to lava. Diverting a minor lava flow is difficult, let alone a significant one. Scares me to think that some might actually believe what they saw in this movie.Even worse is the significant amount of talent that went into making this film. I mean the acting is actually very good. The effects are above average. Hard to believe somebody read the scripts for this and allowed all this talent to be wasted. I guess my suggestion would be that if this movie is about to start on TV ... look away! It is like a train wreck: it is so awful that once you know what is coming, you just have to watch. Look away and spend your time on more meaningful content.$LABEL$ 0 +This appalling film somehow saw the light of day in 1988. It looks and sounds as if it had been produced 20 or 30 years earlier, and features some of the worst songs ever included in a major motion picture. I weep for the parents and children who paid top dollar to see this.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember Parker Posey on "As The World Turns" before she became the Queen of the Independent movies. In this film, Posey shows her potential as a top fledged actress. In this film with supporting cast that includes Omar Townsend as Moustafa, a Lebanese immigrant who works as a falafel salesman on the street, who aspires to become a teacher. The supporting cast features a wonderful actress who plays her godmother and only family relative as Judy, the librarian who is old fashioned, dedicated and menopausal. Posey as Mary learns that she has to grow up and mature. Losing her librarian clerk position makes her realize how much she misses it as a place in her life. Mary's life is surrounded by friends in the Lower East Side Village of New York City before it became gentrified with yuppies. This film is quite good for an independent and I have come to enjoy Parker Posey as Mary as well as other characters in other films.$LABEL$ 1 +I really hate this retarded show, it SUCKS! big time, and personally I think it is insulting to fairy kind (if you believe in fairies that is); I mean the people who had come up with such crap 'ought to have their heads examine huh? and also there is a LOT of craziness (the evil school teacher, which I think is getting really old) and also stupidity (the boy's parents and fairy godfather) in this show - two of the things that I dispised and loathe in the WHOLE world (especially stupidity).Overall, I say that this show is so f*****' annoying and should not be seen by prying eyes at ALL (it would make'em bleed to death)!$LABEL$ 0 +I saw the long day's dying when it first came out at the cinema, I thought the film gave a good soldiers point of view, it gave a realistic account, of men at war. The storyline moves at a nice pace, showing a group of men behind enemy lines, and trying to return back to their own lines with an enemy prisoner. The characters are well developed, and believable.David Hemmings is a good actor and plays the leading role with conviction, as does Alan Dobie (as German Helmut) I was surprised, that i have been unable to find this film on VHS or DVD, and I feel it has become the forgotten film, which is sad , as it is superior to many other war films I have seen.$LABEL$ 1 +I really liked the first part of this film in Africa for about an hour or so until the animal cruelty by civilized humans in Scotland got to me in the second half and made me so sad I couldn't watch some of it. However, this was done by the filmmaker to make a point that early natural scientists ruined everything alive they didn't understand by "studying" it literally to death without considering the rights and comfort of the animals studied, which we know now shouldn't be studied anywhere but in the natural world they inhabit, and as unobtrusively as possible. I do recommend this film as it was a mostly serious and honest story of Tarzan and made a point of showing the gross animal cruelty that was rampant in the 19th century scientific world as well as the pure and simple, beautifully primitive life Tarzan lived as a young man who was found as a baby and raised by chimps after the violent death of his parents in the African jungle.Christopher Lambert was wonderful and very soulful in his life of Tarzan role, as was Ralph Richardson in his last film role as Tarzan's ultra-rich, nobility-reeking gramps in Scotland. Andy MacDowell was pretty and pretty good as Tarzan's gussied-up and civilized "Jane" in her first movie role. From his charismatic work in this film and his very haunting eyes, I cannot understand why Lambert did not later become a big star, but his really bad movie choices later may have done him in. The terrific Ian Holm, as a wounded Frenchman in Africa helped by Tarzan and who then escorted Tarzan back to his previously unknown, ancestral home in Scotland, was great as always.I am so glad Tarzan got sick of and didn't stay in the animal-cruel civilized world at that time and went home to Africa in the end to live out his life with his gentle and loving ape "relatives" who raised him instead of staying in Scotland and living like royalty, which would have ruined him if it didn't kill him first.$LABEL$ 1 +The only thing good about this movie is the artwork on the promotion poster by H. R. Geiger. Anti-nuke protesters who all looked like punk rockers of the late 1970s, and somehow became non-violent, (except for their leader, "Splatter") occupy the cities. Fraternity boys descend on the punkers to do some violence on them and turn them into victims. Bad acting and bad plot then descends on the real victim, you, the viewer. I gave this a "2" because a few sexual scenes at least give it MST3K potential.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this today with little background on what to expect of the storyline. I go to the movies as an escape, to leave everything behind and enjoy a "story". I found this to be a good movie, not great, but good. It was worth my money and my tears :)Diane Lane was wonderful as always, Richard Gere isn't an over-actor. He held his own and has a certain presence that we always come to expect. He brings his own style to the movie.I think it was the kind of love story that doesn't always get told. It was messy and they had other priorities, but they wanted to be together and wanted to wait for each other.I'd definitely recommend it!$LABEL$ 1 +Hey guy, this movies is everything about choices. All the times in your life you must pick something or it just pass away... And this movie prove that! Of course, life in fact is not like a beautiful picture as this movie shows... it not shows indeed but some may figure that. I'm trying to say it's full of pain, love and deep lessons of live. Aaron, the Mormon missionary is the real shepherd digging out the thing beautiful deep inside Chisthian, the skin feeling guy...It's a great end and you do always believe in fate because it will surprise you in a turn or in other of your live like Latter Days...Big deal watch it!!!$LABEL$ 1 +I've always liked Sean Connery, but as James Bond I've always favored Roger Moore. Still it was Connery who set the Bond standard and while he had by 1983 established himself as something other than James Bond, the money must have been irresistible for him to make one more appearance as 007 and save the world from the evil designs of Spectre.And what designs they are in Never Say Never Again. SPECTRE with the help of a foolish young Air Force officer who happens to be Kim Bassinger's brother stole two nuclear missiles during a war games exercise and now SPECTRE headed by Blofeld, played here by Max Von Sydow is threatening blackmail of the world.Von Sydow's operations guy is Klaus Maria Brandauer who is also courting Bassinger and is a bit on the crazy side. And he's got a female assassin working for him in Barbara Carrera who makes Angelina Jolie as Nora Croft look like Mrs. Butterworth.But before Sean Connery can even get started he's got to deal with a new 'M' running things at British Intelligence. Edward Fox thinks Connery is old fashioned in his methods and costs the British taxpayers too much money with his violent ways. I really did enjoy Fox's performance, he's like the great grandson of Colonel Blimp.I also enjoyed Carrera, she's something to look at and quite resourceful in her methods. When she's scuba diving with Connery in the Bahamas, note how she puts Mr. Shark on 007's case.Will Connery do James Bond again? He was widely quoted as saying who would they cast him as at this point, Roger Moore's father? But I think Connery would still be formidable in a wheelchair.$LABEL$ 1 +For many months I was looking forward to this release. The previews looked good, early reports on the net were encouraging, and golden eye and Timesplitters were excellent shooters (by the same people). It turns out I was greatly misled! Haze had the potential to be up there with Call of Duty 4 and other next gen shooters, however it looks, plays and feels like something from 5 years or so ago. I played Haze on a 1080 TV and was initially disappointed that the game's developers had limited the graphics to 720. The Haze universe lacks detail and atmosphere, the feeling of "they must have really rushed to finish this" is always there.The controls are sluggish and cumbersome, and i have yet to find an adjustment for x/y axis sensitivity . There are many parts of the single player game that are very dark (visually), to the point where you can't actually see where you are going. Why not add a torch function like in Halo? or even better, night vision? The use of the performance enhancing drug "nectar" is interesting, however just as you get used to it you switch sides and don't use it again! why bother? I could go on with many more Haze faults, but instead i'll just say Don't BOTHER! wait for killzone 2 or play call of duty 4 and try to unlock the gold AK!$LABEL$ 0 +I heard that after the first Oceans movie, the sequels begin to go downhill. I believe that this is not the case(at least not for this film). This movie is even better than the first film! The original crew returns three years after they successfully robbed Terry Benedict's casinos. Now, Benedict is visiting each one of them personally telling them to get the money back within two weeks. To do that, they must do a couple heists in Europe to get the money.The acting is very good. The all-star cast exceeded expectations. Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Catherine Zeta-Jones were probably the best in this film.There are some confusing moments in this film. But that does not matter because there are only a few confusing moments. Anyway, this movie is only made for harmless fun.Overall, this is a great heist movie. I rate this movie 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Emilio is a successful business man, a perfect father and a good husband. Or that is what everybody think. The perfect storyline he has carefully built all along these years will start closing around him all of a sudden. Will he be able to keep up with his own lies?This is a very well laid out drama, with great acting and steady direction. Even though the plot is pushed up to the limit to increase the tension, the movie explores some of our worst fears... Do we really know the people we deal with? Can we be so sure?The story develops at an increasingly faster pace as it reaches the point where Emilio is not in control of his lies anymore. A good deal of Spanish movies have interesting stories but are far from technical proficiency. The perfect rhythm and well shot scenes make the actors so credible, we get inside Emilio, and hate him, and suffer for him, as his situation gets more and more desperate. There is no need for any Spanish folklore, nor is this an attempt to create a Hollywood style flick. This is real Spain, 2002, and regardless the obvious unlikeliness of Emilio's life existing in reality, there are good chances somebody we know is not quite like the person he claims to be. Not just a great commercial product, it will let you wondering where lies can get us to. Can we keep up?Well done.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this film by chance when I was visiting my uncle in Arizona about 3 and 1/2 years ago. The VHS print was a little faded looking, but I was very haunted by what I had watched. Did it all make sense? Well, honestly, no it didn't. However, this is a film that requires more than one viewing to understand all of its aspects. The beautifully tragic score haunted me and the bizarre images made quiet an impression.Well, when I found out that Anchor Bay had released this oddity on DVD, I picked it up immediately. I was very pleased by the transfer, though I felt the extras rather lacking. Though the film concerns the "O" and Sir Stephen characters, it really has nothing to do with Pauline Reage's original novel or the 1974 film The Story of O. However, the film does pay attention to artistic detail and symbolism of an almost mystic kind. "O" decides to prostitute herself for Sir Stephen in violent 1920s Hong Kong. Her mission is to prove her unending devotion and love for her master through giving her body to other men. Naturally, Sir Stephen enjoys watching her during her unpleasant sexual escapades and even finds himself a mistress. However, the tables are turned when "O" actually finds a kind of love with a young male admirer. Suddenly, Sir Stephen feels the threat...I feel that the deep meaning behind the film (including the tragic score and artistic direction) really make this film a classic. The viewer is introduced not only to the lives and pasts of "O"'s fellow brothel mates, but the turmoil of 1920s Hong Kong is also explored. Like the political setting, the prostitutes all find themselves in need of belonging. No one is happy in the film, even if they believe that they are. (However, "O" does find a sense of happiness with her young admirer). One prostitute tearfully remembers how her father used to act like a dog when she was drunk, naturally leading to a fetish for having her customers act like a dog. Another older prostitute is obsessed with her past as an actress. She cannot let that vision go. She treats her clients as co-stars and even swears she hears a piano in the river. As for "O", she has a flashback about her father leaving her in a chalk circle. When he leaves, she feels a sense of abandonment. Of course, in that same flashback Kinski suddenly becomes her father. I was very, very disturbed by this image. I truly felt for "O" at this point in the film. She hardly ever smiles and this scene really explains why. Her fear of abandonment is so great that she sees Sir Stephen as her father and caters to his every obscene demand in hopes of proving her love. Another curious aspect of the film is the young child (that ages at the end) that sells fortune in a box. It is a very random character, but somehow it just adds to the sense of loss and emptiness in the film. At one point, the director even uses painted cardboard figures to represent people. Now, if that isn't symbolism for you! (Laugh) All in all, I really love this film. I feel that it is a very deep and somewhat moving experience. It has erotic scenes, but the scenes aren't really meant to arouse. Like the lives of the characters, the sex acts are empty. They are motions, but lack feeling and tenderness. (Once again, the only tender scene is between "O" and the young man). "O" believes she is in love and that lowering herself is an honor, however, she finds in the end that she has choices. She too can be her own person and pursue her own happiness, however, she also has the option to stay in that circle that her father drew. The director leaves a lot of unanswered questions, however, some things don't need answers. The viewer will make the judgment that works for them. I must say that I wish a special edition of this DVD would be released that had director commentary. I think it would be fascinating to hear his opinion of the film and its message years later. It is a shame that the soundtrack was never released. This film has a truly haunting and heart breaking score. There is something about the lingering vocals that send a chill up my spine. I can truly feel the sense of loneliness in the film by just listening to the music.$LABEL$ 1 +There are so many positive reviews on Return to Me that my opinion is not necessary to encourage you to watch this movie. However, I feel the need to express my admiration for this unique movie. Bonnie Hunt has proved that she is not only an exceptional actress but also a marvelous director and script writer. This movie has everything and is full of humanity, tenderness, sense of humor ... Don't miss it, don't wait any longer. And, regarding the poor reviews don't pay any attention. Some viewers forget that this type of movies have to be watched with your heart, not only with your eyes. If some viewers prefer Notting Hill or You've got Mail that's their mistake. For me, Return to Me is a true gem, an unforgettable movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen the original non-dubbed German version and I was surprised how bad this movie actually is. Thinking I had seen my share of bad movies like Ghoulies 2, Rabid Grannies, Zombie Lake and such, nothing could've prepared me for this! It really was a pain to sit through this flick, as there's no plot, no good acting and even the special effects aren't convincing, especially the so-called zombies, wearing nothing more than white make-up and their old clothes, so their good set wouldn't be ruined by ketchup and marmalade stains. If you really want to waste 90 minutes of your life, then watch it, for all the others, don't do it, because you WILL regret it!$LABEL$ 0 +Luis Bunuel's "Nazarin" will always be remembered as a great film because it is absolutely honest in its presentation of comical assault on religion.It is one of those outstanding films which must be shown to all people especially young children in order to familiarize them with the notions of good and bad,sacred and evil.The toughest question asked by "Nazarin" is about the strengths and weaknesses of organized religion.It has been tackled by involving numerous ordinary people who are not at all above petty affairs in their mundane lives especially sins.Bunuel scores tremendously by showing us that various questions related to class differences deserve frank,honest and reliable answers. Nazarin appears credible as it has been made in a light,comical vein.This is the sole reason why it can be said that the story of an ordinary priest appears absolutely true to life to all audiences.It is amazing how Bunuel approaches quest for true love issue in his film. This black & white gem was shot marvelously by Gabriel Figueroa,one of Luis Bunuel's favorite cameraman.Film critic Lalit Rao saw "Nazarin" at Trivandrum,India during 13th International Film Festival of Kerala 2009."Nazarin" was introduced by eminent Indian cinema personality Mr.P.K.Nair as part of a special package called "50 years ago".This is a film which should be with any discerning DVD collector.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw the trailers I just HAD to see the film. And when I had, I kinda had a feeling that felt like unsatisfied. It was a great movie, don't get me wrong, but I think the great parts where already in the trailers, if you catch my drift. It went very fast and it rolled on, so I was never bored, and I enjoyed watching it. The humor was absolutely great. My first contact with a sloth (..or something like it).$LABEL$ 1 +"Godzilla vs King Ghidorah" is a perfect example how a great idea can be ruined by pathetic topics like pseudo-patriotism. Here, travellers from the future try to ruin Japan, replacing the local hero Godzilla with their puppy monster, the three-headed golden dragon King Ghidorah. They fail, however and in the end Godzilla fights Ghidorah. The battles between the two behemoths are very cool, but the plot of the movie is full with holes and the all thing about "Japan is great" is really stupid. The creators of this movie didn't even threat with respect the enemies of Japan, making them stupid big blond guys, who are easily outsmarted by the clever Japanese. The good thing is that in the end Godzilla and king Ghidorah nearly destroyed the both Japan and it's ridiculous enemies in one (actually two) spectacular combats. But till this battle royale, the film was really dull and pathetic.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a big fan of Stephen King. I loved The Running Man. So obviously I was very excited that someone had made a film of it. And when a local network showed the film, I was in heaven. I was all ready for a night of fun!The first indicator that something was wrong was when I noticed that someone had cast Arnold Schwarzenegger. I could simply not believe that a man who got famous for films filled with runnin' an' shootin' could play a more cunning part, as was described in the book. I still was convinced that this would be a good film, however. Who knows, maybe Arnold had some hidden talents?Well, he didn't. I soon found out that the only reason he was even cast was because someone had re-written the entire story to MAKE it about fightin' an' shootin'. Yup, it was a standard Arnold-film: hero is done wrong, hero solves problems by flexing his mighty muscles and scaring everyone away and hero gets the girl.I was stunned. This is NOT what the book said at all. I know that books can't be put on screen literally, but this didn't even have ties to the book. Stephen King should have openly denounced any affiliation with the film and he should have forbidden using the title The Running Man for this shameless waste of film. I don't say it often, but this film was BAD. If I weren't at home watching, I'd have tossed rotten tomatoes at the screen. Once again: bad.(Note that I used 'someone' a lot. I did this because I'm sure a lot of people are ashamed to have worked on this and I don't want to embarrass them even further by naming them here)$LABEL$ 0 +I disagree with the imdb.com synopsis that this is about a bisexual guy preparing to get married. It's more about all the crap we go through - self-induced and because of our parents - that we have to "get over" when we grow up. Like the Linda McCarriston poem says, "Childhood is the barrel they throw you over the falls in." This movie is much more like a narrative poem. It's about life and the mistakes we make and hurt we inflict and experience over the years, and how in the end, it's all about love (I'm not trying to be hyper-sensitive or schmoopy) and finding and being with one special person.$LABEL$ 1 +What a dreadful movie! For some reason, scientific laboratories and outposts always have a staff of grubby, dirty, mean-spirited, misanthropes living inside. These folks who presumably work together on complicated scientific projects cannot seem to agree on how to survive death at the hands of a CGI Dragon. Spoilers: An extra-nasty scientist whose main acting skill is "leering" and "the sinister stare" has cloned a Dragon. While the lab was supposed to work on this kind of thing, the other scientists are shocked, because apparently they were all way behind in their experiments and got caught with their pants down. The rest of the story is like THE THING, or Ten Little Indians, where the staff is hunted and killed off as they try to formulate a way to escape and/or defeat the "Dragon." The CGI Dragon creature is dark gray, which seems to be the popular color for most of the cheap CGI special effects. It hardly looks better than a cartoon, and the dark gray tones make it difficult to see any interesting details in the body of the Dragon. All it looks like is a gray blob. The acting is less than horrible. These scientists act like a bunch of children who cannot agree on anything, and this makes it easier for the Dragon to kill them off in various attempts to escape, hide, etc. Dean Cain is hardly better than any of the cast of unknown actors in this movie. He seems to sink to the level of his supporting cast. This movie is really, really atrocious. The acting is bad. The story is dumb. The CGI is very very cheap and amateurish. There is nothing commendable about this movie, it is not even a good time-killer to glance at while doing chores or other work.$LABEL$ 0 +Wicked Little Things has an excellent synopsis: empty house beside abandoned mine in woods with tragic past; family moves into house and strange things begin to happen; little creepy children begin to pop up here and there doing creepy-little-children-things. But that is where the cleverness and potential fun ends. This group of kids was sealed in the mine many decades earlier, and now appear roving the woods (poor make-up) with weapons looking for flesh to eat. Oh I get it, this is a ghost-zombie movie. Hmmm....while I can appreciate someone trying something new with this genre, this just didn't work. What was the children's motivation in seeking to devour flesh? Why did they need weapons? Did anyone else imagine the filmmakers all gathered around the daily footage giggling because they felt this was going to be a cool/scary movie? I found that after thirty minutes I felt the familiar resignation that I had just wasted my time on another modern crap-fest. While the acting was good, and the setting/cinematography of good quality as well, the script itself suffered from what seems to be a lack of knowledge about the supernatural horror genre altogether. A bunch of kids walking down the mall is scarier than this pack of poorly disguised rodents.This movie is not scary, and while I can appreciate the story, perhaps have even enjoyed it if I had read it instead of watched it, I still have to say that Wicked Little Things is more accurately called Wicked Little Turd.$LABEL$ 0 +I disagree with Dante portraying the Democrat-supporting zombies as creatures with an average IQ of 23. I do believe their behaviour should reflect a lower IQ than that, something in the order of a Pelosi IQ... A single-digit figure, please.The MOH series is quite uneven, and this is the very worst episode. Dante, yet another mindless Hollywood liberal (or an apolitical nerd who sucks up to the Leftist establishment in order to re-kindle his pitiful career?), must have finally realized that his directorial pursuits had been stuck in a low gear for nearly two decades now, hence came up with this cringe-inducing, unsubtle, left-wing "satire" of the Bush administration, Republicans, and capitalism. Perhaps he felt he hadn't been overtly political before. He wouldn't exactly be the first no-talent to use asinine political propaganda to further his career, when all else fails. The maker of turds such as "Piranha", "The Howling", and "Matinee", Dante has been as useful a contributor to the horror genre as Adolf Hitler had been to world peace.TH uses lowest-common-denominator humour, cheap and predictable gags which even the bluest of all blue-collar union members wouldn't have trouble understanding. Or have you ever seen a clever, subtle, intelligent liberal satire? Populist manure has the basest of all messages, hence the language and manner in which this message is communicated has to be as simple and basic as Sean Penn's name. And what better people to send this message to the popcorn-munching sheep than a couple of cocaine-sniffing Tinseltown losers who've all fallen so low that they're forced to write for TV...I don't want political propaganda, either Left or Right, in any type of movie. But placing it in horror - of all genres - is a testament to the endless stupidity that reigns so supreme among Hollywood's anti-intelligentsia. So vapid was Dante that he even failed to notice the hilarious suggestion that zombies would vote Democrat... (That's what you get for finishing a movie school: not a source of wisdom or useful knowledge by any stretch of the imagination.)$LABEL$ 0 +I really liked Tom Barman's AWTWB. You just have to let it come over you and enjoy it while it lasts, and don't expect anything. It's like sitting on a café-terrace with a beer, in the summer sun, and watching the people go by. It definitely won't keep you pondering afterwards, that's true, but that's not a prerequisite for a good film. It's just the experience during the movie that's great.I felt there were a few strands that could have been worked out a little more, but being a Lynch fan I don't care that much anymore :)And I *loved* the style, or flair of this movie. It's slick, but fresh, and the soundtrack is a beauty. Any music-lover will get his kicks out of AWTWB, I can assure you.I'll give it 8 out 10.(music-wise 10 out of 10)$LABEL$ 1 +I'm proud to say I'm a student at UW-Milwaukee, where parts of the film were shot. Yep, I recognize Mitchell Hall, where I took a film class, possibly the same course as fellow student Smith.That's where I learned about "American Movie." Our professor told us about it shortly before its release. To be sure, I was intrigued, but for some reason, I put off seeing it for several months(it must've done pretty well if it was still playing, at least in Milwaukee).When I finally got around to seeing it, I thought it was an entertaining documentary. It's not a masterpiece-it goes on a bit too long-but I find Mark's passion and commitment inspiring. I hope this film signals the beginnings of bigger and better things him. Maybe his forthcoming "Northwestern" will propel him to fortune. Who knows?Rating: *** (out of ****)108 min/Released by Sony Pictures Classics$LABEL$ 1 +This film is another of director Tim Burton's attempts to capitalize on a familiar title to bring his `vision' to the screen. He has done it with `Batman', `Sleepy Hollow' and now this. This is not a remake. The only thing it has in common with the original is that it has simians that can speak (and Charleton Heston makes a cameo). Burton has reconstituted the entire story, watering it down for today's mass viewership.The original Planet of the Apes was a product of its time. During the 1960's America was struggling to redefine its civilization. It was a turbulent time of soul searching and rethinking social norms. It was the civil rights era where groups long considered inferior demanded to be treated as equal. In that context, POTA was allegorical, reflecting the philosophical turmoil confronting the audiences of the day. POTA was an extremely intelligent film that broached difficult questions and elegantly held the oppressions of American society up to scrutiny by making the white guy justify his intelligence to a species he considered inferior. The dialectic between Colonel Taylor (Charleton Heston), Dr. Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) was thought provoking and intelligent with ironies both subtle and obvious.Burton's version is as much a product of today's times as POTA was of the sixties. This is Apes for Dummies. It is superficial and jejune, substituting politically correct platitudes for intelligent dialogue and focusing more on form than substance. The `surprise' ending is utterly incongruous and contributes nothing to the film except a cliffhanger that sets up the sequel. While the ending of the original POTA gracefully tied everything together in a single powerful scene, Burton's ending simply mocks the audience, taunting, `I know something you don't know, and you are going to have to wait for the sequel to find out.'From a technical perspective, as is always the case with Burton's film, the film is excellent. The makeup is fantastic and Burton's camerawork is outstanding (though I continue to dislike his dark look). However, thirty-three years of advancements in prosthetic makeup can not compensate for the insultingly vacuous script.The story has been reduced to a monster movie. The humans band together behind Captain Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) to fight the monstrous Apes, aided and abetted by a few turncoats (notably Helena Bonham Carter as Ari). The presentation is formulaic and simplistic with plenty of violence, perfect for today's fast food mentality.The acting is mixed. Mark Wahlberg is a fine actor who is simply miscast in this role. Walberg is excellent at playing dark, sullen characters that are tormented but strong. This part requires an inspirational hero, a profile not in Wahlberg's repertoire. Helena Bonham Carter is a brilliant actor whose character is so far beneath her ability that the disconnect is laughable. She tries desperately to do something with the flimsy character, but her interpretation presents like a cross between a college peace demonstrator and love sick teenager.Then there is Tim Roth. His is a virtuoso performance, single-handedly saving the film from total ruin. Roth is diabolically hateful as the malevolent General Thade. He creates one of the most villainous and despicable bad guys I can remember in some time. Additionally, his physical acting is superlative, rendering a chimp-man that is such a perfect meld that one can almost believe that the species exists.This film is a great disappointment. It is decent entertainment, as long as you check your brain at the door. I rated it a 3/10. From a technical perspective it is much better than that, perhaps a 9/10. However the story is an insult to the original franchise. It is simply another attempt by Burton at self adulation, using a familiar title to attract throngs to the box office so lots of people can see what a genius he is. Of course it's true, but it would be great if he used that talent to produce substantial films, instead of simple minded pap formulated for mass consumption.$LABEL$ 0 +I did have a good time the first 45 min. or so, but then suddenly it was all down hill. The suspense somewhat started to get thin and the jokes somewhat the same all over. What kept it going were the good actors.But the problem with this film is that it is trying to be cleverly funny,like Tarantino and god is that outdated stuff. Tarantino being a bit overrated sometimes, this movie comes ten years too late. At best it is for teenagers, and I am sure many of them find the character of Johann funny, which he is for the first 30 min. The other problem I have with it is that the story fades away towards the end more and more, thou I tried to find a recovery point. Maybe it didn't recover because the lack of passion comes with the effort of trying to be cleverly funny. Also, like in many movies, sure, good actors who can afford it don't seem to demand a better dialogue, or just turn down the script.$LABEL$ 0 +Dahl seems to have been under the influence of Wenders' The American Friend. Innocent Nick Cage gets recruited for a hit. Dennis Hopper plays a real Hit Man. Lara Flynn Boyle is dangerous. The Hero gets more entangled the more he tries to extricate hisself. And small town America does not seem all that safer than the Big City. Like it's predecessor mentioned above, this movie has lots of plot twists and turns that seem improbable, but all lead to the cathartic self discovery.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Long Kiss Goodnight" is an enjoyable and very cool action thriller, and a career breakthrough for Geena Davis. The plot is very familiar to that of The Bourne Identity but so what. The fight scenes are a real treat for the eyes and the plotline is strong enough to keep you engaged for the 2 hours.It's directed with a slick sense of style and avoids most action cliches. Geena Davis is great as an action chick and gets past her usual "good wife" role. Samuel L. Jackson is good as usual as the supporting player. The film's baddie is overly cheesy though and you can tell what's going to happen to him. It breaks away from the usual run-of-the-mill actioners such as Commando and On Deadly Ground and is definetly one of the best actioners in years. Good fun and good popcorn entertainment. 7.4/10.$LABEL$ 1 +The Bourne Ultimatum is the third and final outing for super-spy Jason Bourne, a man who is out to kill the people who made him into a killer. The Bourne series is one of the highest regarded trilogies by critics (Ultimatum has an 85/100 on metacritic.com, meaning it's status is "universal acclaim) and for good reason- the fighting is choreographed very well and the deep story can be very engrossing.First, I highly advise you watch The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, the two fancy-titled prequels to Ultimatum. There may be three different movies, but in reality they are all a continuance of one another: missing one leaves you stranded and confused, just like I was. You will still be about to enjoy the action and fight scenes of Ultimatum if you missed the first two, but then the story will definitely lead to some confusion.If you were lucky enough to view the prequels to this movie, you probably had a treat watching Bourne take down his enemies and track down the man who screwed him from Supremacy. Jason Bourne is played very well by Matt…Damon. Damon does nothing to deserve an Oscar nod, but his work here is good enough to hold it's own. Bourne's adventures take place in many different cities; the cities are all varied enough to keep the movie from becoming bland at times. The agency tracking Bourne takes advantage of every technological tool known to mankind to track him down.I won't go into detail on the characters because they are continuations off of the first two movies. However, it wouldn't hurt the movie to spell a few things out for the audience- not every viewer is a die-hard movie watcher who can pick up on every little hint about story development. Ultimatum wouldn't have been harmed at all if the story was a little more up front.It seems most people agree that Ultimatum was a success of a film: the movie opened to $69 million, and -box office total now is up to $216 mil- is currently still going very strongly for a movie that has been in theatres since August 3. It's the best action movie I've seen since Live Free or Die Hard.Good) Damon is solid but not spectacular, very smart movie Bad) Story is like many others$LABEL$ 1 +As I am a fan of hospital and medical shows, I have found this one gripping and sometimes humorous (especially the scenes with Dr Whitman) which brings a bit la light relief. However, I was looking forward to the last episode because I expected that the bad ones would be punished and the good ones reinstated. Instead of that, the hospital management are making even more fools of themselves in an unbelievable manner and it's getting worse and worse for the good ones. You can't help wondering what the unions are doing or doesn't Rob, Donna and Maria know what unions are there for ? Besides, never seeing the outside, trees, grass, sunlight is a bit oppressive. Anyone understood what the last words were ? i.e. the answer Rob Lake gave to Mrs Strawberry's children question "Why are you telling us all that?" It was very frustrating not to be able to understand it.$LABEL$ 0 +There is nothing good to say about this movie. Read Revolution For the Hell of It or any of his other writings. Abbie was often dismissed as the clown-prince of the '60's, but he was a man of ideas who used his cleverness, his sense of humor and pop culture, and his flamboyant personality to get attention to his ideas. The media too often concentrated on the man, not the ideas, and that's the problem with this movie, too. Later in his life he did suffer from depression. But this flick is like a National Enquirer version of Abbie. He deserves better. If you don't know Abbie or his times, this movie won't help. This film lies. I give it a zero. $LABEL$ 0 +Christine Lahti (Sandy Dunlap) and Mary Tyler Moore (Holly Davis) worked well with soapish material, Ted Danson did his best with a thankless role of Chip Davis The premise of this that the two ladies' friendship, one a seemingly happily married woman and the other a career woman who is aware of her biological clock ticking. I found the relationship that Ted Danson's character had with the single woman played by Christine Lahti's rather sordid. He behaved in a caddish way, yet he left two "widows" pining over him, bawling. I found it revolting when when Sandy told him she wanted to break it off after meeting his wife, he calls her saying he misses her (did he call his wife? There was no sign of that). He behaved like a heel. It perhaps would have made a more interesting film had he not been killed off. Perhaps both ladies would have wised up and dumped him. I liked the friendship between the two ladies but it was spoiled by what they had in common: The Cad of a husband.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie at 3'o clock in the morning, a time in the day where I am usually very open when it comes to movies. But still I think it wasn't good, this movie wasn't good at all. The reasons why are many.The acting isn't all that good, and time after time situations occurring in it reminded me of a poor 90's Chevy Chase comedy. I mean, come on, like the handcuff situation, and the poker situation amongst the servants... This movie was so obviously based very much on the first one, and thats OK. But if I hadn't seen the first one before seeing this, it would have sucked even worse. Like the ending, it came very suddenly, and I felt like I got no closure what so ever... Sebastian changed very suddenly, and this This movie seems like it was made solely to explain nr 1, and like no time or effort was used on making anything else good. The score is the same as in the first one, and it didn't feel like a movie at all...They should have handled the situations with more style and class, but they didn't, and therefore, this movie turned out bad...$LABEL$ 0 +Oh boy.. This movie is so mediocre I don't really know what exactly to write about it. I think it's easier to write what it's not: It's not very entertaining. It's not original. And there's not one character in the whole movie I cared about.Kind of reminds me of a certain reality TV show on MTV, but without any interesting people. It just drags on and on and I could hardly wait for it to end. The only thing that kept me from switching it off was Jennifer Lyons (c:I thought a long time about this movie to find one good thing to say about it. What I liked was the reminder not to judge a person by the first impression you get (as Holly did when she accused Nicole) which earns it a score of 2 out of 10 instead of a 1.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is underrated. I loved it. It was truly sweet and heartfelt. A family who struggles but isn't made into a dysfunctional family which is so typical of films today. The film didn't make it an issue that they have little money or are Dominican Republican the way Hollywood have.Instead the issue is Victor is immature and needs to grow up. He does, slowly, by the film's end. He has a ways to go, but it was a heartfelt attempt to move forward. His grandmother is very cute and the scene where the little boy throws up had me laughing for the longest time. A truly heartfelt indie$LABEL$ 1 +I don't remember too much about this movie except that there was a distinctly gratuitous destruction of luminaires (lamps). Almost every fight scene included the unnecessary and wanton destruction of useful light fixtures, even if outfitted with cheesy, '70's-style, cylindrical shades to keep with the time setting of the story. On one occasion, raucous lamp destruction takes place in a domestic fight scene between the brothers in both the living and dining rooms of their mother's house, with fixtures in both rooms being taken out. Yet, the most malicious destruction occurs moments later in a bookie's office and includes, but is not limited to, the toppling of a fixture with a ceramic horse-head base, which is consequently disintegrated, and the severe denting of a cylindrical shade as a guy falls back into it during another fisticuffs fight. Later, that lamp is toppled as well when the guy is shot, incurring further damage to the plastic-coated shade.While this movie encourages a particularly wasteful attitude toward lamps, one should keep in mind that lamps, regardless of their cheap construction or gauche, top-heavy appearance, are still valuable for the illumination that they provide. However, if you ever feel the need to vicariously smash a lamp, I would highly recommend this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think this can legally qualify as "film." The plot was so flimsy, the dialogue so shallow, and the lines so terrible that I couldn't believe that someone actually wrote the lines down, said, "Holy sh*t! This is a masterpiece" and then actually pitched it to a producer. I, for one, am still dumbfounded and will forever remember this film as the mark of the degeneracy of intelligence in America -- that, and "Crossroads," of course.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a huge comedy show fan. Racial humor is always a little risky but the greats like George Lopez, Dave Chapelle, Lisa Lampanelli etc. pull it off perfectly.They don't go overboard, make the audience uncomfortable or *cough cough* STEAL JOKES! But I won't harp upon that.Carlos makes racial humor totally unenjoyable. His jokes continually scream racial humor to the point were it's not funny or clever, but it's insulting. I'm not one to turn cold towards racial humor. But his execution of these jokes is sloppy that cause people to recoil at his comedy.His humor is only surpassed by his stage presence in annoyance. I feel as though he's SCREAMING at me constantly! And he runs around the stage like a maniac. It only comes off as annoying!$LABEL$ 0 +Woman (Miriam Hopkins as Virginia) chases Man (Joel McCrea as Kenneth) for father (Charles Winninger as B.J.). Woman wants to get Man to invest some of deceased mother's money in father's business venture; but, father is notorious for losing money on hair-brained schemes. Little does anyone know, but real evil schemers are posing as Man's best friends in order to steal his fortune...The production looks engaging, but the story fails to engage. The players don't play drunk well. Notable as Broderick Crawford's first appearance - as gopher "Hunk"; other than running errands, Mr. Crawford gets pinned to the floor by Mr. McCrea. *** Woman Chases Man (4/28/37) John G. Blystone ~ Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, Charles Winninger, Broderick Crawford$LABEL$ 0 +A young boy sees his mother getting killed and his father hanging himself. 20 years later he gets a bunch of friends together to perform an exorcism on himself so he won't turn out like his father. All the stock characters are in place: the nice couple; the "funny" guy; the tough (but sensitive) hood; the smart girl (she wears glasses--that's how we know); the nerd and two no-personality blondes. It all involves some stupid wooden statue that comes to life (don't ask) and kills people. I knew I was in trouble when, after a great opening scene, we jump to 20 years later--ALL bad horror movies do that!The dialogue is atrocious, the acting is bad (except for Betsy Palmer--why Betsy?) and the killings are stupid and/or unimaginative. My favorite scene is when two people are supposedly having sex and the statue knocks the guy off the bed to show he's fully dressed! A real bad, stupid incoherent horror film. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +Interesting mix of comments that it would be hard to add anything constructive to. However, i'll try. This was a very good action film with some great set pieces. You'll note I specified the genre. I didn't snipe about the lack of characterisation, and I didn't berate the acting. Enjoy if for what it is people, a well above average action film. I could go on but I've made my comment.$LABEL$ 1 +The plot is so manipulative, counting completely on the most uncredible and unthinkable decisions of the adults in each and every parenting decision. The children are super as far as charm and delivery of the lines but as I say, the whole plot depends on each and every adult being complete idiots, and therefore in THAT case, making more sense out of their actions (and at the same time being the only way to explain the boys actions of total mistrust). Why would sweey charming little boys take a baby from the shore? How did the baby get to the shore and at the same time account for it being the LAST place to be searched? Why would the 2 boys NEVER be informed an instead at the same time a baby is missing nobody gives a fig about them running around with food and diapers with all that commotion going on and literally every other place it searched? There is just no possible justification to ask the audience to believe this. Asking to believe it would then do to trial (even the informal setting) is too insulting to bare.$LABEL$ 0 +George and Mildred is a truly unfunny film. This attempt to translate the successful TV series to the big screen was a dismal failure, as is so often the case.The wit and clever one-liners from the TV shows have gone missing. The plot is a typical English farce of confused characters and mistaken identities, which is neither funny enough nor weird enough to provoke many decent laughs.Die-hard George and Mildred fans might want to see this final episode of the pair's output (Mildred died of hepatitis before the film was released), but others should invest their time more wisely.$LABEL$ 0 +Romance is in the air and love is in bloom in Victorian era England, in this light-hearted story set against a society in a time in which manners were still in vogue, the ladies were charming and elegant, and the gentlemen dashing. `Emma,' based on the novel by Jane Austen and written for the screen and directed by Douglas McGrath, stars the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow in the title role. A self-appointed matchmaker, Emma takes great delight in the romantic notion of playing Cupid and attempting to pair up those she feels are suited to one another. Coming off a successful matching that ended in marriage, she next sets her sights on finding a mate for her friend, Harriet (Toni Collette), but the outcome of her initial attempt proves to be less than satisfying. Meanwhile, her endeavors are tempered by by the handsome Mr. Knightley (Jeremy Northam), whose insights into matters of the heart often seem to be a bit more astute than Emma's, and lend some needed balance to the proceedings. And Emma, so concerned with what is right for others, neglects the heart that is actually the most important of all: Her own. The world goes ‘round and love abounds, but Emma is about to miss the boat. Luckily for her, however, the is someone just right for her waiting in the wings. Now, if she can but stop long enough to realize it. But as everyone who has known true love knows, matters of the heart can go right or wrong in an instant, depending upon the slightest thing; and while romance is at hand for Emma, she must first recognize it, and seize the moment. McGrath has crafted and delivered a delightful, feel-good film that is like a breath of fresh air in our often turbulent world. There may be an air of frivolity about it, but in retrospect, this story deals with something that is perhaps the most important thing there is-- in all honesty-- to just about anyone: Love. And with McGrath's impeccable sense of pace and timing, it all plays out here in a way that is entirely entertaining and enjoyable. It's a pleasant, affecting film, with a wonderful cast, that successfully transports the viewer to another time and another place. It's light fare, but absorbing; and the picturesque settings and proceedings offer a sense of well-being and calm that allows you to immerse yourself in it and simply go with the flow. The winsome Paltrow, who won the Oscar for best actress for `Shakespeare In Love' two years after making this one, seems comfortable and right at home in this genre. She personifies all things British, and does it with such naturalness and facility that it's the kind of performance that is easily taken for granted or overlooked altogether. She's simply so good at what she does and makes it look so easy. She has a charismatic screen presence and an endearing manner, very reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. Yet Paltrow is unique. As an actor, she has a wide range and style and has demonstrated-- with such films as `Hard Eight,' `Hush' and `A Perfect Murder'-- that she can play just about any part effectively, and with that personal touch that makes any role she plays her own. But it's with characters like Emma that she really shines. She is so expressive and open, and her personality is so engaging, that she is someone to whom it is easy to relate and just a joy to watch, regardless of the part she is playing. And for Emma, she is absolutely perfect. Jeremy Northam also acquits himself extremely well in the role of Knightley, and like Paltrow, seems suited to the genre-- in the right role, that is; his performance in the more recent `The Golden Bowl,' in which he played an Italian Prince, was less than satisfying. Here, however, he is perfect; he is handsome, and carries himself in such a way that makes Knightley believable and very real. Like Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy in the miniseries `Pride and Prejudice,' Northam has created a memorable character with his own Mr. Knightley. Also excellent in supporting roles and worthy of mention are Toni Collette, as Emma's friend Harriet Smith; and Alan Cumming, as the Reverend Elton. Respectively, Collette and Cumming create characters who are very real people, and as such become a vital asset to the overall success of this film. And it demonstrates just how invaluable the supporting players are in the world of the cinema, and to films of any genre. The supporting cast includes Greta Scacchi (Mrs. Weston), Denys Hawthorne (Mr. Woodhouse), Sophie Thompson (Miss Bates), Kathleen Byron (Mrs. Goddard), Phyllida Law (Mrs. Bates), Polly Walker (Jane Fairfax) and Ewan McGregor (Frank Churchill). An uplifting, elegant film, `Emma' is a reminder of civilized behavior and the value of gentleness and grace in a world too often beset with unpleasantness. And even if it's only through the magic of the silver screen, it's nice to be able to escape to such a world as this, if only for a couple of hours, as it fulfills the need for that renewal of faith in the human spirit. And that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10. $LABEL$ 1 +How his charter evolved as both man and ape was outstanding. Not to mention the scenery of the film. Christopher lambert was astonishing as lord of Greystoke. Christopher is the soul to this masterpiece. I became so enthrawled with his performance i could feel my heart pounding. The entireity of the movie still moves me to this day. His portrayal of John was Oscar worthy; as he should have been nominated for it.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm astonished how a filmmaker notorious for his political left-wing fervor could make such a subtle, non-sanctimonious picture. If you're for capital punishment, you'll still be for it after seeing this. If you're against capital punishment, you'll still be against it. But whatever your stance is, this movie will, at the very least, make you reflect on why you feel the way you do. There's not one false note in the film.$LABEL$ 1 +Gino Costa (Massimo Girotti) is a young and handsome drifter who arrives in a road bar. He meets the young, beautiful and unsatisfied wife Giovanna Bragana (Clara Calamai) and her old and fat husband Giuseppe Bragana (Juan de Landa), owners of the bar. He trades his mechanical skills by some food and lodging, and has an affair with Giovanna. They both decide to kill Giuseppe, forging a car accident. The relationship of them become affect by the feeling of guilty and the investigation of the police. This masterpiece ends in a tragic way. The noir and neo-realistic movie of Luchino Visconti is outstanding. This is the first time that I watch this version of `The Postman Always Rings Twice'. I loved the 1946 version with Lana Turner, and the 1981 version, where Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange have one of the hottest sex scene in the history of the cinema, but this one is certainly the best. My vote is ten.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, thats that i felt after i completed watching this movie. The acting is below-average and the special effects are horrible. In fact, the worst i have ever seen. It is a very low budget movie. There is no way this movie will can scare you, it has no creepy or scary moments. Mr. bone eater was more of a funny creature for me. It could have been much better but oh well they didn't had a big budget. The movie fails to convince you that you are watching a horror movie, lol. I would name this movie The Time Eater (waster). I am sure you would have a lot of better movies/etc to watch. Still watch it if: 1. you have nothing else to watch. 2. you get to watch it for free. Not worth renting at all.$LABEL$ 0 +I cannot believe someone gave this movie a 1 rating!!! and it is only a 3. average... What is not to love about this film? It is original, it has lots of scare scenes that actually made me jump out of my seat, and it has some great special effects. The story is fresh, there is some nudity, and it is very campy. The killer was scary in his own demented way and the end is very unexpected. I must admit that I really love this film, one of Spain's best horror films ever. If you consider yourself a true horror fan you need to get out there and try to find this film. You will be pleasantly surprised to do so.$LABEL$ 1 +i actually thought this is a comedy and sat watching it expecting to laugh my ass off. pretty soon in became clear this is no comedy, or at least not a 'Jim Carrey type' one. what kept we watching was the characters - the movie starts with some pretty grim, troubled people, gathered together to try and fight one of their basic fears - fear of water, fear of swimming. we start to get bit by bit into their lives, witness their troubles, guess of their thoughts.actually i made it look much darker than it actually is, and besides the chain of events soon brings some light and hope to their lives.i probably wouldn't have watched the movie had i known its not a comedy but rather a drama, but i had good time, enjoyed the story and don't mind i spent about 90 minutes with it.many films treat the alienation between people in the western world, this movie shows how people can get together and help each other"and if in the light of dying day you meet her, don't let her pass you by and leave, don't loose her, she is your gift from the sun..."9/10peace and love$LABEL$ 1 +Over the last few months, I have seen a lot of reviews for The Italian Job, many of them negative. The gist of almost all of these pessimistic criticisms is that, for all its modernistic bravado and high-budget technology, the film doesn't have much substance where it counts. Look, people, it's just a fun movie. This is the type of picture where you're supposed to sit back, relax, and just enjoy the steady-moving pace of the film. Like Ocean's Eleven (2001), you can concentrate on the characters and the plot at the same time without having to do much thinking (lucky for some of us). Granted, "Ocean" is a better movie, but who cares? The plot may have some holes (there's a huge one about 3/4 of the way through), the action may not be as gratifyingly gratuitous as the trailers made it out to be, and some of the dialogue may seem pointless and cheesy, but again, who really cares? Cool characters, Mini Coopers, big explosions, Charlize Theron. What more do you want? I think it's time to drop the fake Roger Ebert meets Gene Shalit act and enjoy yourself for once! Oh, and another thing, whatever you do, don't compare it to the original because, to reiterate what F. Gary Gray has told the press a million times, THIS IS NOT A REMAKE!! My advice- if you're interested in nit-picking your way through a good-humored, fun flick, don't even bother seeing The Italian Job. But, if you don't have a severe inferiority complex and/or want to see Ed Norton get jacked by a bunch of Ukranians, go ahead. The Bottom Line, my fellow moviegoers, is: Lighten Up and Have Fun, Dammit.$LABEL$ 1 +I became more emotionally attached to this movie than any other I have ever watched. That may be because I can see the characters as my own grandparents, attempting to make sense of a world at war. The ending and use of Pachabel's Cannon are both amazing.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't imagine a director whose thirst for blood and violence is greater than Quentin Tarantino's. (At least in his films) Inglourious Basterds is no different. We all know Tarantino, the guy who exploded on the scene in the early 90s with cult classics, such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Since, he has been a disappointment for some. Well, I am relieved to say, Tarantino has not lost his touch. He brings us his best since Pulp Fiction and thankfully so.We know the story, a WWII tale told only as Tarantino can. (Fictional of course) A war film hasn't been done like this before. Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine leads the Basterds in Nazi occupied France. Their goal - killin' Nazi's. Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa plays a similar role on the other side. He's know as the "Jew Hunter" and goes about his business as ruthless as no other. The third sub story consists of a young Jewish refugee, Shosanna Dreyfus, who witnesses the slaughter of her family. And she, of course, wishes to plot revenge on the Germans for her devastating lose. There actually is three stories here intertwining and connecting with each other. If you know anything about Tarantino or his films, this is nothing new for him.War has never been been so fun. The Basterds, are haunting, but at the same time, very funny, at times even hilarious. The dark comedy aspect play a big aspect in this as in many other Tarantino films. The entertainment and hilarity is led by Brad Pitt. I found him extremely funny and entertaining. I couldn't wait to see him on screen again. Even with his crazy accent, he works in this type of film. Also making great impressions were Mélanie Laurent and Christoph Waltz, who were tremendous. The film was filled with noteworthy performances.The story itself, has so many historical inaccuracies to even count, but so what? It isn't meant to be a documentary. Tarantino wanted to have fun with, as should we. The cinematography department deserves big props with beautiful vibrant colors highlighting the film. You've really got to love the last line in the film... but Pulp Fiction remains his masterpiece.Quentin Tarantino among all other things, is an entertainer. WWII, is one of the most tragic events in history, but Tarantino some how manages to make it fun. Inglourious Basterds is a fun film, it's tremendously entertaining, shocking, dramatic, suspenseful, and funny at the same time. Jam packed with everything you look for in a movie, done with that certain Tarantino style, it's worth being checked out. It's time to experience for yourself what war is like through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino.$LABEL$ 1 +Surface was one of the few truly unique shows on TV last season. I can honestly say I modified my schedule so I could be home to watch every episode. Tons of action, suspense, science fiction, etc.Story was of a boy who found an egg that hatched into a sea creature. The same sea creature that had killed the main character's brother and the woman character (oceanographer) had seen. Most people think it is a deadly killing machine but the one raised from the egg was very friendly.Only problem is NBC canceled it so now we'll never know what happens... Hopefully Sci-Fi or some other channel will pick it up.$LABEL$ 1 +Great CGI effects & a truly Oscar-worthy performance by Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan. Tom Hanks is a one-trick pony in this movie, how he got the Best Actor Oscar that year over Morgan Freeman was a crime. This movie is a pandering treacly love letter to the baby boom generation, with a barely concealed right-wing prejudice, beginning from Forrest's service in Vietnam all the way through to the "resolution" with Jenny at the end.With that said, though, it is hugely entertaining and an American movie through and through. I found certain parts of this film exceedingly offensive, Zemeckis dumbs down this movie almost to the level of Gump himself . . .maybe that was the point he was trying to make.Watch this film and ask yourself "What is Robert Zemeckis saying about what makes a good American?" Forrest seems to have made the "right" choices and been at the "right place at the right time" for the last 45 years. Those who are wrong according to the director's vision seem to pay a heavy price. So is Zemeckis saying that idiocy disguised as innocence and naivety is a patriotic, even AMERICAN quality?$LABEL$ 0 +"The Merchant of Venice" was one of Shakespeare's most popular plays during his own lifetime, but it has fallen on hard times during the 20th century because of its undeniably anti-Semitic content. The play has also been called schizoid in its careening from comedic scenes to tragic ones, leading some to say it is two plays trying to coexist as one. Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes, who played William Shakespeare in "Shakespeare in Love") is in love with Portia (Lynn Collins, superb), but needs to borrow a considerable sum of money to woo her. He goes to his sometime gay lover Antonio (Jeremy Irons), who hasn't the funds on his person, but takes out a loan from the Jewish usurer Shylock (Al Pacino). Shylock is amused and offended that Antonio, who insults him for his religion, now comes to him for money, but he offers it, on the condition that the penalty for defaulting on the loan will be a pound of Antonio's flesh. Which is, of course, what happens. Bassanio and Portia offer Shylock considerably more then the original loan instead of the pound of flesh, but Shylock, distraught after his daughter leaves him and marries a Christian, refuses to take it. Portia, in a scene where the audience is never quite sure where to place its sympathies, deprives Shylock of what should be legally his, and then strips him of his wealth and religion. Shylock was originally essayed as a cartoonish villain, but modern actors and directors have turned him into a tragic figure, railing against the injustices of 16th century Venice. Al Pacino does an excellent job as Shylock, and Jeremy Irons is good as Antonio, but I think that Lynn Collins' work as Portia is the best part of the play. Portia is one of the few notable female roles in Shakespeare's canon, and Collins is wonderful in the part. Joseph Fiennes is more than a bit dull, however; I've never particularly enjoyed his often overwrought acting style. I give "The Merchant of Venice" an 8/10.$LABEL$ 1 +This was an abysmal show. In short it was about this kid called Doug who guilt-tripped a lot. Seriously he could feel guilty over killing a fly then feeling guilty over feeling guilty for killing the fly and so forth. The animation was grating and unpleasant and the jokes cheap. It aired here in Sweden as a part of the "Disney time" show and i remember liking it some what but then i turned 13.I never got why some of the characters were green and purple too. What was up with that? Truly a horrible show. Appareantly it spawned a movie which i've never seen but i don't have any great expectations for that one either.$LABEL$ 0 +This beautiful story of an elder son coming home, and learning to love and be a part of all those things that he left home to get away from, is poignant and moving. It shows a society that is perhaps strange to us in the Western world, with a sense of family that we have lost. The story is beautiful, sad, and at times funny and comic. It has a feeling of realism that we don't seem to see any longer in our western movies.The acting is unusual, in that as the movie progresses, it almost gives the impression that it is not acting, but a documentary of ordinary people. This is brilliant directing and movie making.Would love to see more movies by this director.$LABEL$ 1 +Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a better movie than I thought. I never thought this movie would lead to my expectations. True, this movie started slow, but as the movie wore on it became more to my liking. The story takes place in 1914 and is about a guy named Milo. Milo believes in the fabled Atlantis. Along with friends of his grandfather, he embarks on an amazing adventure of his own. Along the way, he must endear friendship, betrayal, trust, and more. The voice cast is great. They surely know how to carry movies with only their voice talent. The music is nothing special but likable anyway. The animation is not the best, but it is still good enough. Overall, this is a good family movie for all ages. I rate this movie 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +All the people who voted a meager 1 on this movie, this is all I have to say: You guys have not matured enough to enjoy cinema of this kind. It takes a certain amount of dedication to reach that level of appreciation. And that is the segment of people this movie was aimed at. Not you average movie-goers by any chance! . Back to the movie. This one was a gem all right and definitely an inclusion in the Bollywood hall of fame. I'd give it an all time rank of no # 2, surpassed only by Kanti Shah's legendary Gunda. This movie had an impeccable story line and created a beautiful blend between a fantasy and sci-fi. Pan's Labyrinth would have in fact been ashamed of the balance created between the parallel stories. And now do i really need to mention the stellar cast and even stellar-er (that is a word from NOW) performances from them (a special mention goes to Mr. Nigam for the best debut ever in any movie on this earth). Every actor in this movie had been very carefully chosen and the role were tailor made for them (and for their age too, I must add). Manisha Koirala still looks like she's 18 and wow man, with that figure I would have raped her too. Are you wondering where did this rape thing come in suddenly? Yes, a rape is what the premises of this movie is based on. And that is so not like your average Bollywood type movies. If you are an atheist or an agnostic by any chance, this movie is again a must for you. Because this movie can heal your faith. I don't think it'd even be going too far saying that this movie can cure cancer. Only the people who need it the most fail to appreciate its power, charm and undying beauty. Tchch, so unfortunate!Only flaw in this movie: In your dreams, baby! This was flawless.Only minor complain: The director failed to star Mithun Da as well. I won't ruin it for you any further. Just go and watch it. TODAY. And if you like it, here are some more recommendation from me. Gunda, Desh Drohi, Aparichit, the old Ramsay Brothers horror movies, Loha, Indra the tiger and Sivaji.$LABEL$ 1 +Greetings again from the darkness. Much anticipated, twisted comedy from writer/director Richard Shepard is a coming out party for Pierce Brosnan the actor. That Bond guy is gone. This new guy is something else entirely!! Have read that Shepard thought Brosnan was too much the pretty boy for this plum role, but Brosnan proves to be the perfect Julian Noble, "Facilitator" ... and is anything but pretty! Do not underestimate how twisted the humor is in this one. If you go, expect punch lines and sight gags regarding all types of sex, killing, religion, sports, business and anything else you might deem politically incorrect. Brosnan takes an excellent script to another level with his marvelous facial gestures and physical movements. Even sitting on a hotel bed (with or without a sombrero) is a joy to behold.Greg Kinnear is the straight guy to Brosnan's comic and has plenty of depth and comic timing to make this partnership click. Hope Davis has a small, but subtly effective supporting role as Kinnear's wife (what's with her name "Bean"?) who happens to get a little excited when she has a facilitator in her living room.The visuals and settings are perfect - including a bullfight, racetrack and Denver suburb. And how often do we get The Killers and Xavier Cugat on the same soundtrack? This one is definitely not for everyone, but if your sense of humor is a bit off center and you enjoy risky film-making, it could be for you.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's put political correctness aside and just look at this in terms of the numerous sex comedies that came out in the 1980's because I for one don't think this is any better or any worse than the others. Unless your some religious kook or an uptight female you can probably view a silly film such as this without getting all worked up about the content and I personally had a totally innocuous feeling towards this before and after watching it. Story is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico where a rich 15 year old boy named Phillip "Philly" Fillmore (Eric Brown) is naturally horny as hell and starts spying on the attractive maid that has just started working for his father.*****SPOILER ALERT***** Nicole Mallow (Sylvia Kristel) is friendly to Philly but things heat up when his father goes out of town on business and she starts to flirt with him to the point where she invites him into her bedroom to watch her undress. Philly is awkward and doesn't know how to react at first but soon he goes for it and has sex but than to his horror it seems that Nicole has died from a heart attack! With the help from the sleazy chauffeur Lester Lewis (Howard Hesseman) they seemingly have buried her body but a note from a blackmailer shows up and Philly must get $10,000 out of his father's safe. Philly is shocked when Nicole shows up and he learns that the whole thing was an extortion plan set up by Lester and that she only went along with it because she's an illegal alien and if she didn't do what she was told Lester would have called the immigration office. Together they try to get his father's money back before he returns home and they enlist the help from Jack (Ed Begley Jr.) who is a tennis instructor but pretends to be a cop to scare Lester.This little comedy was made for less than $3 million but it grossed over $50 million worldwide and made it one of the least likely films during that time to be so successful which prompts me to wonder why this was a hit and not any of the others in the genre. Director Alan Myerson can boast that he made a hit film but the truth is that he never really had a career in films although he did go on to be very successful in television. So...why did this become so successful? I have a thought that it just may be because of Kristel and before you decide that I'm crazy listen to my reasoning. Kristel was an international star because of her soft core films so that reason alone made many free thinking adults curious about viewing her in an American film that was getting a wide release. With that, the same adults would also be nostalgic about their own youth and the fantasy of being taught the ways of lovemaking by an attractive older woman which brings in the much younger audience members who are probably still very inexperienced and curious about the film. Anyway, that's my thought and if anyone has another reason I would love to hear it but back to the film itself it's apparent (and very sad) that a film like this could probably never get made again (except in Europe) because of the religious right and the other prudish freaks who just can't come to terms with the fact that a teenage boy getting laid will not do him any harm. In fact, it's a valuable service that ALL BOYS pray will happen to them! The film itself is clumsy and Kristel's body double is all too evident in certain scenes especially if you take careful note of the difference in their nipples. The story (although intriguing in it's basic form) is neither very funny or revealing so were left ogling the nude scenes that are really the norm for the genre.$LABEL$ 0 +I have rented this film out about 6 times! it is very well directed and the story is unique and grabs your attention from the beginning. Big up to Jason Donovan whose acting in this film was wicked and i loved the guy with the st fighter moves - goood!$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie at the Philadelphia Film Festival today and enjoyed it overall. It is an interesting and adept analysis of the all-too-common revelation that our parent's marriage was more flawed and difficult than we originally imagined. In addition, this movie is an excellent example of process of discovering truths about our parent's lives after their death and the issues associated with that. However, i found the sound quality (recording and editing) to be relatively poor and annoying. *** It may very well have been related to the specific theater and projection conditions *** i am not a film maker / student or anything and claim no real understanding of the sound production process, but as a consumer, i found the audio portion of the movie distracting. Specifically, i heard very unpleasant lip smacking noises through out (especially one long interview with the younger sister) the film, and often the background noise level was higher in volume than people's voices (for example the scene when a small group was sorting through the mothers papers). has anyone else seen this movie, noticed anything about the sound... thanks$LABEL$ 1 +"One True Thing" is a very quiet film, that opened in the fall of 1998 to glowing reviews but mild box-office. It tells the crippled story of Ellen (Renee Zellweger), a workaholic who is forced to move back home to take care of her terminally ill mother (Meryl Streep), so that her aloof father (William Hurt) can run his academic department. These terms are only general. The strength of "One True Thing" lies in the way the actors elevate their characters above Hollywood cliché territory.Streep is Kate, the perfect homemaker whose ability to light up a room with her charm is evident in her opening scenes at a costume party celebrating Hurt's birthday. But Ellen has never been close to her mother, and since she graduated from Harvard University, has a certain destain about her- Ellen almost thinks her mother is a simplistic air-head. While on the other hand, she admires her father- who shares a special passion: Writing. Ellen writes for an aggressive New York firm, and is almost heartbroken when her latest piece is torn down by Hurt, who seems to be a very lonely figure.To get to the point, as Kate gets sicker, Ellen's perspectives change and she grows closer to her mother and more distant to her father. Hurt keeps making excuses not to be there when the family needs him most, and Ellen assumes he's having an affair. Meanwhile she's given up her desk at work to spend time doing craft activities with her mother's "cult" group The Minnies, and also learning that her mother isn't as weak as she first assumed.Without giving too much away, "One True Thing" is a masterpiece in character study. Streep once again turns in a beautiful performance, this time working on a subtle level that starts slow but ends with a brilliant speech on the vows of marriage. Streep earned her eleventh Oscar nomination for this performance. Hurt is also convincing as the father who carries a secret that isn't revealed until the closing moments. But it is Renee Zellweger who steals this movie. Forget "Chicago", "Cold Mountain", "Bridget Jones's Diary" or whatever else you've seen her do and rent this movie. She is remarkable in it. Working within her character's bitter resentment at understanding her parents, Zellweger manages a realistic portrayal of a young woman fighting to keep her lip up while she's screaming inside.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm a horror movie freak, and this has got to be one of the most phenomenal horror flicks I've ever seen. The plotline is totally original (who else would think up a town who gets totally obsessed with a certain symbol to the point of death and insanity?), the special effects are amazing, and the cinematography couldn't be better. Some may find it disturbing, but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It also makes a good point. The spiral symbol is kinda ubiquitous. The spiral notebook, spiral seashells, spirals on cakes. Of all the shapes they could have used (square, triangle, trapezoid, rectangle) this was one of the best choices. If you can find this movie, definitely see it. It's certainly unique, and quite unforgettable.$LABEL$ 1 +I picked up a DVD at the 1€ discount, having no idea what it's about (but at that price I can't resist..) In brief: I was positively surprised.So much that I did quite some research. On the German DVD (part 2 of a series of 3), episodes were recombined into two 85 minute parts, and out of order. Here are my results, based on Wikipedia's episode list:"Doomsday" is In My Boots + The Voice (final episode). "War of the Machines" is Hel & High Water (1, 2) + Pod Listener + Juggernaut Down.Well, what can I say. Underdressed girlies are of course interesting for older men. I never watched Charlie's Angels so much, so I can't compare, but the more I watched, the less I looked out for bikini tops and their fillings. Instead, the characters (both m and f) became more interesting. I can imagine feminists have their fun with this, too. All in all, maybe a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure it was :^)$LABEL$ 1 +Italian horror/suspense film about a wealthy English lord who cruises pubs and taverns for girls with red hair just like his recently deceased wife Evelyn. You know he must have really loved his wife, because he brings them to his home - a huge, rotting castle - and makes them disrobe and then tortures them, whips them, and kills them. The most bizarre aspect of this film for me was that somehow by the film's end, we see this guy played by Antonio De Teffe as the HERO of the film. Anyway, soon, under the advice of his playboy uncle Roberto Maldera, De Teffe settles down with a girl he meets at his uncle's party. She moves in and strange things begin to happen to De Teffe's fragile state of mind. He begins to see and hear his dead wife and finally, well, just look at the title if you are still curious. Also, family members and friends begin to die in the most brutal fashions. Poor Aunt Agatha(she looks like she might even be younger than De Teffe and they have her in a wheelchair and trying to look old) meets her fate in a foxy fashion. Another man is injected and then buried alive. And of course, there is a whole explanation as to why/how Evelyn did what she did. Director Emilio Miraglia does do some things fairly well: the settings in the film are well-suited for this film though trying to make us believe it is England is ludicrous at best. None of the actors look English. Many having dark black hair and Mediterranean complexions and wearing clothes an Englishman wouldn't be caught dead in. The cars drive on their wrong side of the road. But all that notwithstanding, the crypt scene was effectively shot and I liked the cheesy resolution too. And of course any film with the sultry, red-headed Erika Blanc is always a plus. There is a streak of sexual perversion; however, which I found somewhat appalling with the idea that torturing women was quite alright and healthy in order to relieve one of his mental demons. C'mon.$LABEL$ 0 +Since I was just finishing the book, `Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf, I was excited to see that it was on one of the movie channels last weekend. What I encountered, however, is a film that was boring, incomprehensible and non-sensical. One cannot entirely blame the film, it tried the best it could with the material it had, but when the source material is Virginia Woolf, and is almost entirely written in stream-of-conscience style with extended periods of internalizing and little actual dialogue, one would certainly think that there shouldn't be a film made from it just because a film can be made from it. Vanessa Redgrave, who plays the title character, does not deserve any blame for the failure of this film, nor do any of the other actors. It is just simply a film that could not intelligibly be made from the story that Woolfe wrote, and should not have even been attempted. Don't watch the movie, read the book. --Shelly$LABEL$ 0 +H.O.T.S. is proof that at one time, the movie industry said "F-OFF" to the censors, and made movies with whatever they wanted! In today's world, this movie would be too "over the top" and "extreme" for it to be anywhere than behind a velvet curtain. Although, BestBuy had several copies on their $5.99 rack (in case anyone wanted to get a copy)! The movie was brilliant in its own way, in that it blended humor into a T&A movie loaded with Playboy Playmates! Unlike most skin flicks, it did have a plot. That, however, is not exactly why you would watch H.O.T.S.H.O.T.S. is a college movie that reminds me of the Revenge of the Nerds movies, in that it takes a group of "average people" and puts them against the elite rich preppies that most people can't stand! The only difference is that the "Nerds" in this movie have a much better shot at getting laid! I notice that there are some people who would rate this movie low, and to me that is ignorant! Obviously this is not intended to win Oscars or break barriers in film. If you are looking for that, then go watch what ever the critics pick for you! You have to appreciate the fact that this movie actually had a funny plot, decent acting (for the most part given the genre), and plenty of girls getting naked! H.O.T.S. is one of those movies you watch to get your mind off of modern day problems and daily stress, and instead, laugh and have a good time! If you are looking for a funny college-based movie that has enough skin to turn a pink Miata straight, then you should really check out H.O.T.S.!$LABEL$ 1 +Not as bad as "Billy Bathgate" but close. Try as he might, Warren Beatty just could not be believed as Bugsy. Whenever he flipped out, instead of being shocked by the violence, I found it pretty embarrassing because it was so phony. The other actors don't fare as well either. Annette Bening just doesn't have what it takes to play seductive women, she is better off with safe characters. As many have noted, Joe Mantegna would have fared better if the script had him as a more believable George Raft. Only Harvey Keitel emerged unscathed, but then again this guy can do these movies in his sleep. And Robert Beltran, with just one line, steals one of the big Beatty, Bening scenes. With these films, I'm never sure if the director is intent on making the mobsters seem like normal businessmen or if it just comes out that way. Either way, I don't like it. These guys were killers and no matter how much Las Vegas is indebted to Bugsy Siegel, I don't think that a movie should be made glorifying the guy, especially one with a big studio backing.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is truly boring. It was banned in Chinese cinema and i can see why. It's not because it's critical of the communist regime but simply because the movie is of such low quality. I would never want to pay money to watch this. I love movies from Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou and i am disappointed such a poor movie could come out of China. It totally seems to ignore the audience and the director seems to have made the movie for himself. The shots of a person standing there doing nothing for up to a minute are hilarious and there's plenty of them. The cinematography and video quality are unbelievably bad. I looked this film up on the Net and it seems like people actually like this film. The only explanation i have for this is that some film buffs think that if a film is not in English it is automatically good. I can't see any reason why people would like this. this is not an art film it's of waste of celluloid.(That's if they actually shot it on film , which they didn't)$LABEL$ 0 +If there is a movie to be called perfect then this is it. So bad it wasn't intended to be that way. But superb anyway... Go find it somewhere. Whatever you do... Do not miss it!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Dark Harbor is a moody little excursion into murky emotional waters that run extremely deep. It's basically a 3-character piece, featuring a finely-layered performance by the always-great Rickman, with Polly Walker and Norman Reedus (also excellent) forming the other two sides of this strange triangle. A perfect late-night cable film, with a surprise ending to boot.$LABEL$ 1 +This show is unbelievable in that . . . what it represents and what it focuses on and . . . words cannot describe how insane ET is. They will report anything. If a celebrity is even remotely indirectly connected to the story ET will report on it. If a dog poop in the Tom Cruise's yard they will report on it. If a celebrity dies . . . they will talk about it for weeks on end to the point where the public envy that celebrity. If a celebrity is on trial . . . ET will report it for MONTHS on end. There is no end to what this show will reports and no time frame that dictates how long they will focus on a story. Is it even considered legitimates reporting? The reports are so dang annoying too, with harsh rambling voices and end with an unnecessary pause to convey a sense of important. I cannot watch this show without questioning humanity's existence. ET is one big reason I avoid pre-evening shows in general. I regret that IMDb can only allow a minimum of one star rating and not zero or even in the negatives. For this show deserve -10 Stars.$LABEL$ 0 +Ever since I heard of the Ralph Bakshi version of "The Lord of the Rings" I wondered: What the hell is 'rotoscope' animation?!!! Well... I finally found out... I saw this movie about three years ago not having any idea who Ralph Bakshi is... And I liked it... a lot... Very good story line... it even has a little character development which is great for a cartoon... See it if you get bored with contemporary animation.... Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying it's just a nice cartoon... It's a pretty good movie too...$LABEL$ 1 +I walked out of this movie and I did this only one time before with the Australian movie Sweetie close to 20 years ago. After about three minutes I felt like killing the camera man and just couldn't believe that this film actually showed anywhere and- guess what - was nominated for two independent Spirit Awards. What???? Regardsless how realistic the dialog might be (I will NEVER use the word "dude" again!) -who wants to listen to these conversations? I don't go to the movies to be annoyed but that's all I got. The only good thing I came away with was the realization that if this movie can make it to Sundance and other festivals, anybody can. Well, wait, that might not be a good thing after all...$LABEL$ 0 +Once in a while, you come upon a movie that defines your values and shows you the true depth of human emotions leaving you drained. Vivah is just that – maybe more. After watching DDLJ, Saajan, and Lamhey, I really thought that Bollywood has reached its pinnacle and will never come up with anything like that - EVER. Boy was I wrong! I went to the store to buy some groceries and decided to pick this movie up along with the new "DON" (just so I can compare The Great AB with ShahRukh – although the decision is already made in my mind). After debating whether I should waste almost 3 hours on a meaningless movie I decided to watch it realizing I had nothing else to do. When I saw the rating of U instead of an A, I was happy that at least it is something where I don't have to watch scantily clad women with bad acting skills doing nothing but dancing on every opportunity they get and making out with every guy to show that they have more skills in bed than a Hollywood B actress. For the first 5 minutes or so I thought I would again be subjected to meaningless story with bad acting. After all everyone who has seen Shahid Kapor know that he as never gained his fame as an accomplished actor. Boy – was I wrong about this movie. This movie grabbed my interest after the first 5 minutes and would never let it go. It was a great movie with a good storyline about the vanishing traditions of our society. I liked not only that the director was brave enough to make a movie where younger generation might not relate to the concept (of arranged marriage), but also that he did it with a conviction (that it is the right thing to do). I have no idea why some people think that the acting was not good. I felt that the acting was great and even though the music score might not be considered the best ever, it was still very very good. The good thing is this music will grow on people with time like it did with me after the I watched that movie a second time. The other good thing is that thee songs are not pushed into the script as we have all seen in so many movies. These songs actually tell a big part of the story and are certainly a welcome addition. Just like Ajay Devgan went from being a joke to a great actor (after Company), and Salman found his groove after "Hum Aapkey Hain Kaun"; this movie will help Shahid Kappor jump to being of the better actors and entertainers in Bollywood. This is the first movie of his in which I like him and his role. He acted well and adjusted to being the nice good looking young rich kid. Yes you will not find him playing basketball and scoring every point on a dunk like you saw ShahRukh in DDLJ (even though he is shown to be an Indian in England – both countries not big on Basketball by the way), he does come across as very believable as a person who holds true to his values. Amrita Rao, for the first time came across as someone to be remembered. In all her other movies she was competing with big faces which was actually hindering her. No one knew how good of an actress she really is until they watch this movie. Some of the scenes in which she has to cry especially towards the end really shows her knowledge and depth of acting. Although she has been in another movies she is most memorable in this one. I think this movie will and should do wonders for her. Move over Rani – there is finally another girl who if given a decent chance to work with good directors can grab the torch from you. She is beautiful with a great voice and has a face that exudes complete innocence. Oh having almost 0% body fat does not hurt either (yes people I will challenge you find even 0.1% fat on her and unlike so many others like Sonali she can actually act too). I thought I will never be enamored by anyone's beauty after Madhuri and early Kajol, but she completely changed that. Shahid and Amrita worked very well together and their relationship fitted their characters and they both did an excellent job (although I was waiting for Shahid to turn into a girl like Salman did every time he uttered "Hum aapkey Hain Kaun"). When I finished watching this movie, it left me so emotionally drained that I decided to watch this movie again (right away). Yes right away. I have never ever done that. Not even with DDLJ, but this movie just had something that had to be understood again and again. I will probably watch this movie a third time over the weekend just so I can watch and relive the traditions we all grew up with. I miss those times where families sat down and had fun. When parents had time for their kids and where kids respected what their parents believed in. I know a lot of people think that movie does not portray real life but deep down don't we all want it to happen. The families, thee tradition, the love and respect. This is what this movie will remind all of us of. I can assure you it is an extremely well made movie which you will enjoy. I am sure some young people will not like this movie but if you are over 28 I doubt that you will be one of them.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Not as salacious as it sounds, this is a three-part documentary (each episode is 50 minutes) featuring Slovenian superstar philosopher/psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek. Zizek takes us on a journey through many classic films, exploring themes of sexuality, fantasy, morality and mortality. It was directed by Sophie Fiennes, of the multi-talented Fiennes clan (she's sister to actors Ralph and Joseph).I enjoyed this quite a bit, although I think it will be even more enjoyable on DVD, since there is such a stew of ideas to be digested. Freudian and Lacanian analysis can be pretty heavy going and seeing the whole series all at once became a bit disorienting by the end of two and a half hours. It didn't help that an ill-advised coffee and possession of a bladder led me to some discomfort for the last hour or so.My only real issue with this is that Zizek picked films that were quite obviously filled with Freudian themes. He spends quite a bit of time on the films of Hitchcock and David Lynch, not exactly masters of subtlety. I would have liked to see him try to support his theories by using a wider range of films, although that's really just me saying I'd like to see part four and five and six.Zizek is very funny, and part of the humour was watching him present what amounted to a lecture while inserting himself into the actual scenes from some of the films he's discussing. So, for instance, we see him in a motorboat on his way to Bodega Bay (from Hitchcock's The Birds) or sitting in the basement of the Bates Motel (from Psycho). Which is not to say that his theories are not provocative. Even when I found myself disagreeing with him, it definitely made me think a little more deeply about the films. Which is exactly what he's trying to accomplish.$LABEL$ 1 +When I first watched Robotboy, I found it fresh and interesting, but then I noticed, that with each episode this show is trying to teach you how to behave yourself, what is good/bad. Episodes became predictable. And main characters are not interesting. Again we see a hyper-smart boy, beaten by his older brother, parents who don't understand their kid, and his friends: girl and fat boy. Also this show has no logic. A super-modern robot who works on two AA-size batteries, and can use a lot of weapons. But the biggest problem is the difference between activated and super-activated modes. We see two different robots, and it declines main idea of the show: "Robot must learn how to behave himself in human society"$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is great. 80's sleazy slasher movie about three kids born during an eclipse, so they kill everyone they see. The reason they kill makes practically no sense, but it just adds to the charm of this movie. And dang, these kids are crazy, especially Curtis. If you've seen the movie, you know who I am talking about. That kid's vicous! Although the movie doesn't have much gore, it is entertaining, and for some reason you kind of care about the characters. It also has some nice nudity. Has some decent acting as well, really a decent 80's slasher movie, it's worth a look if you ever get the chance to see it. You'll have nightmares about those darn kids though, I guarantee you!$LABEL$ 1 +hi, im scott (A.K.A woody7739) i Love the film Twisted Desire, And i love watching Melissa Joan Hart on the t.v as i think she is fine. I am a real fan of sabrina the teenage witch too, so this helped my watch it (don't ask). i love the way that nicole plans out her parents murder very carfully, as she makes sure that someone else pulls the trigger and practices on the bottles, so she wont give away her fingerprints (a very well planned out idea), back i guess it all backfired on nicole as she got caught as her old boyfriend comes along and puts a hidden camera under his shirt. i give this film a nine out of ten, and put it in MY top 10 films list. And last but not least if anyone see's this film in the shops please tell me as i seen it on tv and didn't record it. bye$LABEL$ 1 +First off, anyone who thinks this sequel to William Friedkin's "The French Connection", is superior is most definitely completely insane or moronic or both. The problem with reviewing this film is that, a.) it's a sequel to a brilliant movie, which always makes watching it objectively difficult, and b.) it's directed by John Frankenhimer, one of the best American directors ever, so I wanted to like it. William Friendkin was the perfect person to direct a film about drug traffic in decaying new York city, because of his documentary-like approach to the action and story, Frankenhimer on the other hand is one of the most stylish directors ever, i.e. "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Seconds", and with his "French Connection 2" it feels like someone trying to be gritty and not having the true understanding to pull it off. That fact that Frankenhimer was chosen to direct the sequel by Gene Hackman himself really tells a lot about Hackman's understanding about the original film too. It's well known Hackman hated Friedkin on the set and vowed to never work with him again, it's also known he envisioned the character to be more one dimensional, loosing weight and trying to play him like a straight character. it shows you Hackman, despite being a great actor, had no idea who to make the movie and the story great. The plot point of Doyle becoming an addict is interesting, but doesn't warrant the rest of the film. An unfortunate low point in Frankenhimer's filmography.$LABEL$ 0 +With its companion piece MASTERS OF HORROR, NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES can only be seen as the absolute nadir of the genre that began so auspiciously with THE TWILIGHT ZONE and THE OUTER LIMITS.Of course, part of the problem is that it does nothing to be of any interest to a comparatively adult audience, instead aiming at TEN-YEAR-OLDS, who are only able to count body-bags, and scarcely that. And so grossness is king, and King is grossness.Stephen King is simply illiterate – in general he has the aptitude for storytelling of Bart Simpson. Since he cannot read his sole inspiration is the movies.True, the cinema is not such a bad place to start, since it has generally escaped the onslaught of "Realism". But these films are only the rumor, not the thing, and if you want to WRITE, you have to dig deeper.Of course, only PICKMAN had monsters as close acquaintances. But even so, it should be clear to any undergraduate that vampires are not Dracula and Lugosi.At least AUTOPSY ROOM FOUR is a clear indication of what is wrong. One can almost imagine this pathetic dolt sitting as his desk trying to come up with something SCARY.Not, mind you, trying to describe accurately the horror of the system of which he is an integral part, making the stupid stupider, but trying to come up with a scary story for his little nephew. Suppose, you were paralyzed, and people thought you were dead and started to cut you open like they do at those autopsy things! Wouldn't that be gross? And that, boys and girls, is the story.What about characterization? Oh yes, he's one of these suits, who never really appreciated life, you know, and now it's too late, right? And he's shouting – well, they can't actually hear him, you know – he's saying that he's going to sue the hospital, but he's not such a big shot anymore, you see, lying there (or is it laying, I can never remember) and all. And he's thinking: Oh no please, please don't cut me and this is terrible, lying (or laying) like that – now, wouldn't that be a great story? You know I read somewhere that a snake bite can do that, I think it was that great medical authority Agatha Christie. What was the name of that snake again, oh yeah, a BOOMSLANG – has quite a ring to it, doesn't it.Let's make it a PERUVIAN BOOMSLANG! Sure, Steve, that's great – except that BOOMSLANG is Afrikaans, you moron! But how can you really tell that the target audience is children, and not simply mental defects? It's easy: There's no sex.Well, there is, but it's the kind glimpsed through a crack in the door to our parent's bedroom. Modern filmmakers are really big on the erotic aspects of the genre, the monster, the female victim, the chase.But unlike UNIVERSAL and LEWTON they have no idea what's going on. All that's really left is the giggling outside the SM club and the Fascist credo that people with sexual preferences are intrinsically evil.In spite of a certain discrepancy in size, King Kong knew exactly what to do with Fay Wray. Freddy Krueger can only kill her.And since there's no real titillation in that, he has to torture her first – not in any way that might excite her, you understand, since that would upset our puritan sentiments. And so, horror and romanticism become simply unpleasantness and the grooming of psychopaths.Our hero, you see, is a rubber fetishist, and can only get a boner if someone touches him you know down there with you know – rubber gloves (giggle). And that's what they use in autopsies, and that's how they discover that he is, in fact, you know.Obviously, this is the author at the height of his inspirational powers. Too bad, they cut it out, since it might have upset the FIVE-YEAR-OLDS watching the show!$LABEL$ 0 +What we have here is a damn good little nineties thriller that, while perhaps lacking in substance, still provides great entertainment throughout it's running time and overall does everything you could possibly want a film of this nature to do. I saw this film principally because it was directed by John Dahl - a highly underrated director behind great thrillers such as The Last Seduction, Rounders and Roadkill. I figured that if this film was up to standard of what I've already seen from the director, it would be well worth watching - and Red Rock West is certainly a film that Dahl can be proud of. The plot focuses on the overly moral Michael; a man travelling across America looking for work. He ends up finding it one day when he stumbles upon a bar in Red Rock County - only catch is that the job is to murder a man's wife. He's been mistaken for a killer named Lyle, but instead of doing the job; he plays both sides against each other and eventually plans to make a getaway. However, his attempts to escape are unsuccessful and he finds himself in a bad situation when the real Lyle turns up...John Dahl appears to enjoy setting thrillers on the road; he did it three years earlier with Kill Me Again, and again almost a decade on from this film with Roadkill. It's not hard to see why Dahl chooses this sort of location, as it provides a fabulous atmosphere for a thriller the likes of this one. Dahl also provides his film with a 'film noir' like atmosphere, as the plot mainly focuses on the central character and the word he is plunged into is full of dark and mysterious characters. The acting is largely very good, with Nicholas Cage doing an excellent job in the lead role, and getting A-class support from Lara Flynn Boyle, J.T. Walsh and, of course, Dennis Hopper; who once again commands the screen with his over the top performance. It has to be said that the second half of the film isn't as gripping as the first, but Red Rock West certainly is never boring and the way that Dahl orchestrates the grand finale is excellent in that all the central characters get to be a part of it. Overall, Red Rock West is a film that you're unlikely to regret watching. It's thrilling throughout, and you can't ask for much more than that!$LABEL$ 1 +One of the worst movies I saw in the 90s. I'd often use it as a benchmark when viewing other films; "At least it wasn't as bad as Caro Diario." Three absolutely pointless segments, all featuring the director playing himself -- and he's not that interesting. A whole segment about this hypochondriac going to the doctor. Another that features him riding around the countryside on his scooter. For three interesting minutes and another fifteen torturous ones.The only redeeming factor was that the scooter scene was set to Keith Jarrett's 'Koln Concert'. Prompted me to go home and rediscover that marvelous album. The best thing you can say about the director/actor/egotist is that he's got great taste in music.$LABEL$ 0 +A remarkable example of cinematic alchemy at work, with a trite'n'turgid lump of lead script (penned by numbingly mediocre Hollywood hack nonpareil Jole Schumacher, no less) being magically converted into a choice chunk of exquisitely gleaming 24-carat musical drama gold thanks to brisk direction, fresh, engaging performances, spot-on production values, a flavorsome recreation of 50's era New York, an infectiously effervescent roll-with-the-punches tone, and a truly wondrous rhythm and blues score by the great Curtis Mayfield.The story, loosely based on the real life exploits of the Supremes, prosaically documents the arduous rags-to-riches climb of three bright-eyed, impoverished black teenage girl singers who desperately yearn to escape their ratty, unrewarding ghetto plight and make it big in the razzle-dazzle world of commercial R&B music. All the obvious pratfalls of instant wealth and success -- egos run destructively amok, drugs, corruption, fighting to retain your integrity, and so on -- are predictably paraded forth, but luckily the uniformly excellent work evident in the film's other departments almost completely cancels out Schumacher's flat, uninspired plotting. The first-rate acting helps out a lot. Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, and Dwan Smith are sensationally sexy, vibrant and appealing leads -- and great singers to boot. Comparably fine performances are also turned in by a charmingly boyish pre-"Miami Vice" Philip Michael Thomas as the group's patient, gentlemanly manager, Dorian Harewood as McKee's venal, aggressively amorous hound dog boyfriend, and perennial blaxploitation baddie Tony ("Hell Up in Harlem," "Bucktown") King as a dangerously seductive, smooth operating, stone cold nasty gangster. The tone dips and dovetails from funny and poignant to melancholy and blithesome without ever skipping a beat, deftly evolving into a glowing, uplifting ode to the human spirit's extraordinary ability to effectively surmount extremely difficult and intimidating odds.Veteran editor Sam O'Stern acquits himself superbly in his directorial debut. Bruce Surtees' luminescent cinematography and Gordon Scott's expert editing are both flawless. O'Stern's firm grasp of period atmosphere, keen eye for tiny, but telling little details, and unerring sense of busy, unbroken pace are just as impressive. No fooling about Curtis Mayfield's impeccable soundtrack contributions, either. "Jump," "What Can I Do With This Feeling," "Givin' Up," "Take My Hand Precious Lord," "Lovin' You Baby," and "Look Into Your Heart" are all terrifically tuneful, soulful, almost unbelievably fantastic songs, with the sweetly sultry love jones number "Something He Can Feel," which was later covered by both Aretha Franklin and En Vogue, clearly copping top musical honors as the best-ever song in the entire movie. The net result of all these above cited outstanding attributes persuasively illustrates that sometimes it's not the screenplay so much as what's done with said script which in turn determines a film's overall sterling quality.$LABEL$ 1 +Men of Honor stars Cuba Gooding Jr., as real life Navy Diver Carl Brashear who defied a man's Navy to become the first African American Navy Diver. Sometimes by his side and sometimes his adversary there was one man who Carl Brashear really admired. His name was Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert DeNiro). Sunday in a lot of ways pushed, aggravated and helped Carl become the man he wanted to be. I loved Cuba in this film. His portrayal here is as liberating and as powerful as Denzel Washington was in The Hurricane. Through every scene we can see his passion, motivation and stubbornness to achieve his dream. We can see the struggle within in him as he embarks to make his father proud. I also loved how the director created and brought forth a lot of tension in some of the key diving scenes. Brashear's encounter with a submarine during a salvage mission is heart-stopping and brilliant. The only fault I could see would have to lie in the supporting cast. Cuba and DeNiro's characters are very intricate and exciting to watch. Which does make you a little sad when they have to butt heads with such two-dimensional supporting characters. The evil Lt. Cmdr. Hanks, Sunday's wife (Charlize Theron), the eccentric diving school colonel (Hal Holbrook) and Cuba's love interest are the characters I found to not have very much depth. What could have made these characters more substantial and more effective was a little more time to develop them. Why was that colonel always in his tower? How come Sunday's wife was so bitter and always drunk?Another curious question has to be this. What happened to Carl Brashear's wedding? I mean if this film is chronicling this man's life wouldn't his wedding be an important event? Maybe it's just me. Men of Honor, however, is a perfect example of the triumph and faith that the human spirit envelops. This film will inspire and make you feel for this man's struggle. Which I do believe was the reason this powerful story was told. My hat goes off to you Carl Brashear. I really admire your strength.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie which I really thought had a promising beginning but then it just led me to feel disappointed in the end. The problem I think with this film was that the director was trying a bit to hard to make this film weird and original. There were too many flashbacks and too many bad "effects" which got me annoyed through the film. I love Debbie Harry and Isaac Hayes but they disappointed me in this film, they could of done much better. This film seemed promising in the beginning, dragging in the middle and then disappointing in the end. The film could never beat Stanley Kubrick's geniousness when it comes to controversial matters, weirdness and originality in movies.$LABEL$ 0 +When I saw this movie for the first time I was both surprised and a little shocked by the blatant vibrance of the story. It is a very artistic drama with incredible special effects, spectacular acting, not to mention a very excellent job in the makeup department. Jennifer Lopez has pulled herself out of past roles that dug into her career with this movie, portraying a very sensitive child psychologist who works with a team of engineers to enter the minds of comatose patients to treat them. Vincent D'onofrio played amazingly well. His portrayal of a sadist serial killer was perfect to a T. The sheer emotion conveyed by his performance is astounding. Vince Vaughn isn't my favorite, but still performed exceptionally well. The symbolism and artistry was intriguing and titillating, sometimes surprising, and other times shocking. Overall, I say this is a wonderful movie, with excellent acting and beautiful artwork.$LABEL$ 1 +Douglas Sirk directs this over-acted drama about the unhappy affluent. Kyle Hadley(Robert Stack)and Mitch Wayne(Rock Hudson) are boyhood friends with different looks on life. Kyle is the womanizing son of an oil tycoon; Mitch works for the Hadley Oil Company. Both fall in love with the same woman, Lucy Moore; but it is Kyle that has the means to wow her off her feet and marry her. Sister Marylee(Dorothy Malone)seems to be the town's nymphomaniac and carrying a torch for Mitch, who always seems to be the one to clean up the Hadley's messes. Ambitious with pretension; a little over the top, but the stars make it a movie to see. I was most impressed with Malone. Rounding out the cast: Robert Keith, Edward Platt, John Lurch and Robert J. Wilke.$LABEL$ 1 +I expect the same excitement as I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE but I was let down by just junk how can you even call this a movie ( its kinda of a mini porno) . It made my sick when the guy was made to eat his own business. There is no story line to it at all it jumps to quickly from each murder. If you like seeing a women naked or even mens parts then there's spots in the movie for and there's even a masturbation spot in the movie which makes it a porno and not a movie at all. I have seen some dumb movies in my time but this is number 1 . I want be watching it again at all. The actors even look bored during the movie to me so they probably were in need of money badly to make this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +If you want to see women's breasts, get a porno. There is no plot, but the last 45 minutes of this movie focus on resolving some sort of dangerous plan. The only value this movie has is that sometimes its so bad its funny, and, yes, boobs are boobs.$LABEL$ 0 +Though a fan of shock and gore, I found this movie disappointing to say the very least. The effects and puppet work were impressive, yes, and the humor was well-timed, but... something was missing. See, the first act of the film is spent establishing nuances of Jack Brooks' character, despite the fact that everything we need to know about his aggression is delivered within minutes of the first title cards. As for the narration and many of the flashbacks: needless.The pacing during the second act was tedious. Most of it is focused on Freddy Krueger eating, then vomiting, then eating some more, then flailing his arms and saying something snappy or rude. All the while, the schlock is punctuated with brief scenes of Jack discussing his rage problems with a therapist. (Definitely the entertaining scenes in the film -- excellent dialog worth plenty of laughs.) Then, without warning, Jack decides to kill a few monsters. And then it's over.All in all, as a throwback to 1980s horror movies, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer has loads of potential but is purposeless and plods on without conflict or adequate resolution.Hopefully, these issues will be addressed before Jack Brooks VII: Jack Goes to Hell or Jack vs. Ash go into production.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie for the first time on NBC Friday 11-29-02. It was a pretty good movie, but I don't think it would be the kind of Muppet movie Jim Henson would make. I mean first of all, Pepe' using the word "sexy" every now and then, and Pepe saying "it would suck?" And I defenitly know Jim Henson wouldn't allow Kermit yelling "I WISH I'D NEVER BEEN BORN!" thirteen time a minute. This movie just isn't like a classic Muppet movie. Sure I can understand Nicky Holiday stealing the baseball diamond from "The Great Muppet Caper," but a business lady cheating the Muppets in a contract for their theater to turn it into a smoker's nightclub. If Jim Henson was here today, he would HATE this movie!$LABEL$ 0 +If i could have rated this movie by 0 i would have ! I see some ppl at IMDb says that this is the funniest movie of the year , etc etc excuse me ? are you ppl snorting LSD or ........? There is absolutely NOTHING funny about this movie N O T H I N G ! I actually want my 27 minutes back of my life that i spent watching this piece of crap. I read someone sitting on an airplane watching this movie stopped watching after 30 minutes , i totally understand that , i actually would have watched snakes on a plane for 2 times over instead of watching this movie once ! DO NOT watch this movie , do something else useful with your life do the dishes , walk the dog , hell... anything is better than spending time in front of the TV watching hot rod.$LABEL$ 0 +Perhaps the worst of the "Nemesis" films (and that says A LOT!), this mess features so many flashbacks to part 2 that you might as well say that you've seen them both, even if you've only endured this entry. Making matters worse are two wisecracking cyborgs who have absolutely no entertainment value. In other words, they are a perfect fit for this endlessly boring cinematic mistake.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't think most people give this movie as much credit as it deserves. I love low budget horror movies and this takes the cake, especially for originality. Yes the Scarecrow is a Kung-Fu fighting frightner, but why not? No one else is willing to go that far. I really haven't had this much fun watching a movie since Candyman. So the town picks on this one kid calling him scarecrow, even his mom doesn't care about him. Then he gets killed and the spirit is infused with in the Scarecrow, who then goes on a Killing spree. His demise is relatively easy to assume once the movie gets going. The dedications at the end go straight to a bunch of horror directors, but with most dedication towards Dario Argento really struck me as cool, these folks who wanna make movies of a newer genre. Over the movie has a lot of Arnold rip offs, with one liners you'll definitely laugh at like stick around and he kills the sheriff with a stick. I would say, grab a pizza some friends an laugh your A$$ off with this movie. I love it for its originality, most fun.$LABEL$ 1 +No awards show can please all the people. Clearly if your favorite movies didn't win, you will say the show wasn't very good. That's understandable.However, the 74th Annual Academy Awards will be remembered for one magical moment of Hollywood history:Woody Allen's first appearance ever at the Academy Awards.Allen has often shunned the awards as being self-aggrandizing and pointless, and has never attended -- even though he has won several of the coveted awards.When the 74th Academy Awards were held, the nation was still mourning the loss of life in the collapse of the World Trade Centers in New York. When it came time to pay tribute to the city of New York, they decided to show a video of the great movie moments form the city of cities. Then the announcer simply said:"Ladies and gentleman, Oscar Award winning Director Woody Allen."The place erupted in an extremely long standing ovation. The entertainment industry finally got to give their applause to the Man from New York who usually avoids the Hollywood scene. As the applause died down, Woody applied some of his legendary wit to the situation.SOME HIGHLIGHTS:"Thank you very much - that makes up for the strip search.""I thought they wanted their Oscars back," he joked. "I panicked because the pawn shop has been out of business for ages and I had no way of retrieving anything. ""But that wasn't it. I couldn't work it out because my movie wasn't nominated for anything this year. Then it hit me - maybe they were calling to apologise."Allen also disclosed why he had overlooked his lifelong Oscar-aversion for this one special night."For New York City, I'd do anything. So I got my tux on and came down here," said Allen."It's a great, great movie town. It's been a great, moving and exciting backdrop for movies and it remains a great, great city."$LABEL$ 1 +The film did not do well at the box office.I saw it in a sneak preview.I have always enjoyed the film.I live in 1 of the cities mentioned in the film where past players moved to.Not the best film ever put to screen, but enjoyable.Robin did well with his role.Best line of the film at the beginning, by Robin's character Jack: "I was that SOB!" Cleaned up here as not to offend anyone.Was glad when it came to DVD a few years back in the wide screen/letter box format.I am not a football fan or a real sports fan. But, you do not need to be one to like this film.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a good companion to Blair Witch, because it does so much wrong that BW did right. Like BW, this one pretends to be a documentary of ghostly events, with each member of the team manning his/her own camera. The sense of reality is never there, however. The participants are poorly written clichéd characters and the events that take place are equally clichéd (the cat jumping out of a closet, falling chandelier, etc). Also the stilted dialog and inept improv work by the overly-attractive cast detracts from the docu feel. AND, worst of all, the supposedly participant-held cameras record too many events too perfectly to be even remotely believable. Actually, with some re-editing, this thing could have been a Blair Witch parody. In fact, there is a scene in which the blond historian is eating a sandwich with a huge roach on it that is actually pretty funny as is, reminding me of a similar gross out scene from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." But in the end the event is played straight, with no punchline. It's hard to tell what the intent was with The St Francisville Experiment other than to glom a few stray BW bucks. But it's pretty sad when the only real interest I could find in it was whether the blond historian was going to have her t-shirt tied up off her belly in a particular shot or not.$LABEL$ 0 +Or if you've seen the "Evil Dead" trilogy and/or "Bubba Ho-Tep", then you should know that his movies are total farces. With "Man with the Screaming Brain", he goes all out again. In this case, he plays smarmy American businessman William Cole visiting Bulgaria - when do we ever get to see that country? - when a woman kills him. So, strange scientist Ivan Ivanov (Stacy Keach) replaces half of Cole's brain with the brain of a former KGB agent, leaving him acting sort of like Steve Martin in "All of Me".Yes, the whole movie is pretty much an excuse for pure nonsense. Much of the real humor comes from "Evil Dead" director Sam Raimi's brother Ted as Ivanov's nearly brain-dead assistant Pavel. The two men have a relationship more like Laurel and Hardy or Gilligan and the Skipper.So just understand that this is a totally silly movie, and you won't be a bit disappointed. I liked it, anyway.$LABEL$ 1 +For anyone who liked the series this movie will be something to watch. However, it also leaves you wanting more. I loved the way that every character (detective)made an appearance. Least with the ending of who is the fourth chair for they leave a reason for another movie. My guess is Bayless of course. This like the series was a very well put together series of scenes. This is a series I wish had lived on. Thanks to the cast for some wonderful TV.$LABEL$ 1 +Ernst Lubitsch gave us wonderful films like Design for Living, Ninotchka, The Shop around the Corner, To be or not to be, and other wonderful films. But People usually put Bluebeard's eighth wife as one of Lubitsch's weakest films.But I consider this film as an important film. This film began the collaboration of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, and Walter Reisch wrote the screenplay for Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka. Of Course, Lubitsch worked with writers in the scripting process. After that, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder worked together. They together wrote the screenplay for famous films like The Lost Weekend and Sunset Blvd.There are lots of funny moments in the film. I thought "The Taming of the Shrew" was very funny. There is a famous expression called "Films are slices of Life." And Here is a great example from Bluebeard's eighth wife (1938).At the first session of the scripting process, Lubitsch posed this question: how do the boy and girl get together? Billy Wilder promptly suggested that the opening scene should be the men's shop of a department store. "The boy is trying to buy a pajama," he extemporized glibly. "But he sleeps only in the tops. He is thrifty so he insists on buying only the tops. The clerk says he must buy the pants too. It looks like a catastrophe. Then the girl comes into the shop and buys the pants because she sleeps only in the pants." Ernst Lubitsch and Charles Brackett were enchanted. It wasn't till months later they discovered that Billy Wilder himself is a tops-only sleeper and that he had been nursing the idea for months waiting for a chance to use it.I got this information from a book. I think this film can be considered as the return of Ernst Lubitsch. Right after this film, he made wonderful films like Ninotchka, The Shop around the Corner, and To be or not to be.I thought Gary Cooper's performance was good. I think Lubitsch casted Gary Cooper probably because Gary Cooper played Long Fellow Deeds who inherited the fortune in Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds goes to town. But this is just my opinion.As for me, I highly enjoyed the film. I rate this film 9 out of 10. Lubitsch films are different, because his films are slices of life.$LABEL$ 1 +The relationship between the Lone Ranger and Tonto was always good for a snicker, but to take the joke out of the joke by building a movie around the gay appeal of the legend... oh the horror, the horror...$LABEL$ 0 +10 out of 10, this brilliant, super documentary is a must see, with film clips from the war which people did not seen for years, untill this was screened in 1974. The film clips in this documentary from the war doesn't miss out anything, some of the clips left me dumbstuck. The whole series is over 20 episodes long, and Sir Lawrence Olivier is the narrator and tells a stunning story of war. Simply this is still probably the best documentary of war still, and now over 25 years old still is able to pack a tremendous punch. You must watch this at some time, even if it's a few episodes, even at that you will still be blown away at the impact this documentary means to those who have been there suffered and died in the name of WAR, in a WORLD AT WAR..$LABEL$ 1 +I must admit that I was very sceptical about this documentary. I was expecting it to be the kind of All American Propaganda that we here in Europe dislike so much. I was wrong. This is NOT propaganda, in fact it is hardly political at all.It depicts the events of 9/11 through the eyes of the firefighters called to the scene just after the planes crashed. It is an amazing coinsidence that this documentary was filmed at all! This film was initially shot as a documnetary about a rookie NY firefighter becoming "a man". We can only thank the film makers that they continued their work during the terrible ordeal that faced them.A great piece of work. Absolutely stunning material. Highly recommended.Regards,$LABEL$ 1 +... but watch Mary McDonnell's performance closely. Her body language. Her fine body movements. Her subtle, but powerfully effective, reactions. This is an accomplished artist at the top of her craft. And the rest of the cast were pretty damned good, too! ;o)This is perhaps the 3rd or 4th viewing for me, and I see more in it each time. What /IS/ this world coming to, anyway? -R.$LABEL$ 1 +Are you familiar with concept of children's artwork? While it is not the greatest Picasso any three-year-old has ever accomplished with their fingers, you encourage them to do more. If painting is what makes them happy, there should be no reason a parent should hold that back on a child. Typically, if a child loves to paint or draw, you will immediately see the groundwork of their future style. You will begin to see their true form in these very primitive doodles. Well, this concept of children's artwork is how I felt about Fuqua's depressingly cheap and uncreative film Bait. While on all accounts it was a horrid film, it was impressive to see Fuqua's style begin emerging through even the messiest of moments. If you have seen either Training Day or King Arthur, you will be impressed with the birth of this director in his second film Bait. While Foxx gives a horrid, unchained performance, there are certain scenes, which define Fuqua and demonstrate his brilliance behind the camera. Sadly it only emerged in the final thirty minutes of the film, but if you focus just on those scenes, you will see why Fuqua's name appears on so many "Best Of…" film lists.I will never disagree with someone that Fuqua's eye behind the camera is refreshing and unique. His ability to place a camera in the strangest of places to convey the simplest of emotions is shocking. I am surprised that more of Hollywood hasn't jumped aboard this bandwagon. Even in the silly feature Bait, you are witness to Fuqua's greatness. Two scenes that come directly to mind are the explosion scene near the middle of the film and the horse scene close to the end. In both of these scenes I saw the director Fuqua at work. Alas, in the rest of this film, all I saw was a combination of nearly every action film created. The likable hero down on his luck that suddenly finds his life turned around by some unknown force is a classic structure that just needs to die in Hollywood. We have seen this two often, and no matter who you are (unless you are Charlie Kaufmann), you cannot recreate the wheel. It is just impossible with this genre, and it is proved with Bait. I was annoyed with Fuqua for just sitting back and allowing this to happen, which could explain why it took me three viewings to finish this film. I was just tired of the structure, and while I hoped that Fuqua would redefine it, he did not.Then, there was the acting. While Jamie Foxx has never impressed me as an actor, I was willing to give this helmed vehicle a try. I wanted to see if he could pull off another dramatic role similar to Collateral. I was under the impression that perhaps this was the film chosen to show producers that Foxx could handle the role in Collateral. Again, I was disappointed. Foxx was annoying. Not in the sense that it was the way that his character was to be, but in the sense that it felt as if neither Fuqua nor Foxx took the time to fully train Foxx on what should be ad-libed and what should be used to further the plot. Instead, we are downtrodden with scene over scene of Foxx just trying to make the audience laugh. Adding second long quips and culture statements just to keep his audience understanding that he was a comedian first, an actor second. Fuqua should have stopped this immediately. Foxx's jokes destroyed his character, which in turn left me with nothing solid to grasp ahold of. Instead of character development, he would crack a joke. Neither style worked, no joke was funny. The rest of the cast was average. By this I mean I have seen them all in similar roles. They were brining nothing new to the table, nothing solid to the story, and nothing substantial to the overall themes of the film. They were pawns filling in dead air space. Fuqua had no control over this mess, and the final verdict only supports that accusation.Overall, this was a sad film. With no creativity in sight and unmanaged actors just trying to upstage themselves, what originally started as a decent story eventually sunk faster into the cinematic quicksand. Foxx was annoying, without character lines, and a complete bag of cheese. In each scene I saw no emotion, and when emotion was needed to convey a message, he chose to take his shirt off rather than tackle the issues. Are my words harsh? I don't think so. When you watch any movie you want to see some creativity, some edible characters, and themes that seem to hit close to home. Bait contained none of these. While I will give Fuqua some credit for two of the scenes in this film, the remaining five hundred were disastrous. Apparently, I took the bait when renting this film, but now having seen it, hopefully I can stop others from taking that curious nibble.Grade: ** out of ***** (for his two scenes that were fun to watch)$LABEL$ 0 +After mistaking a Halloween re-broadcast of Orson Welles' classic radio adaptation of WAR OF THE WORLDS for a real Martian invasion, a group of moronic Martians shows up on Earth looking to conquer only their plans go awry as they find themselves truly out of their element and in reality all alone.This really is often quite good and funny, with some decent lines (just check the memorable quotes) to boot. It will most likely appeal to Sci-Fi fans. This has passed the test of time for me as seeing it again recently it proved much better than I expected it to be. Despite a cast made up of no-name stars, this may just be the funniest Martian invasion ever put to film. Interestingly enough, the Martians themselves seem to represent almost every classic Action Hero/Sci-Fi Hero stereotype there is (cool 50s teen, fighter pilot, fearless astronaut, brave soldier and kooky scientist). Fun for the whole family. "Prepare to DIE! Earth Scum!"$LABEL$ 1 +For a good half hour or so, I remember myself thinking: "Hey, this could very well be Bill Rebane's best achievement ever!". The opening sequences are atmospheric, there immediately are some scary moments to enjoy and our director even refers to his own notorious stinker "The Giant Spider Invasion" in a playful way. The concept is shamelessly stolen from William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill", with three old and extremely bored millionaires luring nine losers to an isolated mansion to win $1,000,000 in an elimination game. Naturally, the participants start vanishing quickly and one by one, and it takes the remaining greedy boneheads too much time before they realize either the old folks are sadists...or there's another murderer amongst them. The film begins & ends with an odd narrator telling a lot of senseless stuff that isn't relevant or even interesting to the plot, but there's some nice T&A to admire in the first ten minutes and that dumb bimbo (Shelly, I believe she's called) is really hilarious to observe. After the first half hour, naturally the inevitable happens and "The Cold" turns into a textbook Rebane-production with retarded plot twists, the dumbest dialogs ever and a total lack of excitement. There wasn't any budget for bloody murder sequences but our multi-talented director (?) tries to compensate this with endless footage of disco dancing girls and an amateur rock band. The film also has four or even five different climaxes and none of them are a slight bit satisfying. Maybe it was an inspiration for LOTR: Return of the King? Avoid this film, you'll live longer and happier.$LABEL$ 0 +While watching the film, I'm not sure what direstion it was to take. There's a reason a writer shouldn't direct his work and even act in it as well, you can't do it all. I felt the story really suffered in this film due to the director wearing so many hats. Ms. McTeer is the film. To add to her amazing talents, her portrayal of this woman was why I was engaged. Here is a British actress who can do anything. In my view, conflict is what makes drama and a great story. I felt this film didn't have that. Everything was somewhat easy for the characters, there were no real obstacles preventing the chahracters from getting what they wanted. Watch the film for the sweetness, but most of all for Ms. McTeer's brilliant performance.$LABEL$ 0 +Sigh. I'm baffled when I see a short like this get attention and assignments and whatnot. I saw this film at a festival before the filmmaker got any attention and forgot about it immediately afterwards. It was mildly annoying to see it swiping the Grinch Who Stole Christmas heart gag along with the narration, the set design seen many times before, the whole weak Tim Burton-ish style, and the story that goes nowhere. And we got the "joke" about shooting the crows with the 45 the first time, alright?But I guess what's really unacceptable is that it even swipes its basic concept from a comic book circa 1999 called LENORE, THE CUTE LITTLE DEAD GIRL by Roman Dirge! As any quick internet search will reveal. I mean, what is this? This is what they base a Hollywood contract on and opens doors in Canada for a filmmaker? "Give your head a shake" as Don Cherry might say.$LABEL$ 0 +The Dukes of Hazzard is quite an achievement – a $53m film that's worse than any given episode of a downmarket 25-year old TV show. The plot is serviceable enough but the mindless fun is rarely to be found and the casting is pretty atrocious: Johnny Knoxville is more passenger than protagonist, M.C. Gainey's Sheriff Roscoe is a bland thug, Michael Weston's Enos tiresome, a seemingly ideally-cast Willie Nelson just seems to be waiting for the check to clear and Burt Reynolds, stuck in some purgatory where he's doomed to relive his old movies as a bit player, is a curious choice for Boss Hogg to say the least but does have one good moment with a heckler and a hundred dollar bill. You know a film is in trouble when Seann William Scott and Jessica Simpson are the most charismatic screen presences… But worse than the script or the casting is Jay Chandrasekhar's hopeless direction: seemingly born with no conception of comic timing, unable to do much more than basic two-shots and seemingly clueless as to how to shoot a car chase let alone the couple of decent stunts in the film, he seems determined to sap the film of any signs of life before they materialise. There are a couple of neat post-modern moments revolving around the Confederate Flag and Daisy's stereotypical role in every episode, but no film that makes you pine for the days when Hal Needham was directing this sort of thing (and badly) can be a good thing.$LABEL$ 0 +Excellent cast, story line, performances. Totally believable. I realize the close knit group that exemplifies the Marine Corps. But this movie brought fear to my heart. The marines let principles be damned. It seems that this film was based on real life incidents. It shows how difficult it is to go up against the establishment. Anne Heche was utterly convincing. Sam Shepard's portrayal of a gung ho Marine was sobering. And Eric Stoltz as her attorney was so deft balancing his loyalty to the Corp but also his loyalty to his client, while high above on his tightrope. He knew what his true course of action had to be. But he was pulled apart by his immersion in the Marine tradition, loyalty to the Corps above all else. I sat riveted to the TV screen. All in all I give this one a resounding 9 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +A longtime fan of Bette Midler, I must say her recorded live concerts are my favorites. Bette thrills us with her jokes and brings us to tears with her ballads. A literal rainbow of emotion and talent, Bette shows us her best from her solid repertoire, as well as new songs from the "Bette of Roses" album. Spanning generations of people she offers something for everyone. The one and only Divine Diva proves here that she is the most intensely talented performer around.$LABEL$ 1 +Maybe my rating should have been a 9, but the film absolutely stunned me when viewing it first time and my latest viewing confirmed my initial belief. Stylish yes, every scene has crafted scoped views, terrific angles with a perfect sound side accompanying them.Put on top great acting from especially Toni Servillo, garner it with one of the most beautiful and charming women in Olivia Magnani, and a fine plot and you will end up seeing this small masterpiece over and over.Paulo Sorrentinos next movie "L'Amico De Famiglia", which is in competition in this years Cannes Festival, will be eagerly awaited.$LABEL$ 1 +First off... I never considered myself an Uwe Boll Hater since I think I never even saw one of his movies but after seeing this cheap excuse for a movie named "Seed" (which is the name of the serial killer this movie is about) I am close to joining the hate club. This movie makes absolutely no sense at all... the plot is a joke and although Boll clearly tries to get attention by shocking people 90% of this movie is just plain boredom. You can sum up this movie like this: 1. Hooded killer watches clips of animals getting tortured on TV. This is real life footage from pelt farms and the movie opens with the ridiculous reason of "making a statement about humanity" and giving a Peta address. Since this movie has no message at all and is the worst piece of torture porn-exploitation you already have a reason to hate the movie from the beginning onward.2. Death by electrocution with a pretext that gives away what happens later in this movie printed on screen so every retard gets it.3. Cops watch videos of animals, babies and women starved to death and decomposing in Seeds basement, having stupid nightmares and crying into their whiskey because Seed is such an evil bad mofo. Although the acting is OK the movie takes a dive every time it tries to incorporate any emotions... 4. Cops bust Seed in his house, act stupid and get slashed in the dark. This sequence reminds me of a video game, you barely see anything except flashlights. Seed is a super killer that is everywhere at once and all cops act stupid enough to be killed... except for one who busts him.5. Seed gets the chair and we see his electrocution as lengthy as everything else in this "movie"... he won't die and we are reminded of the opening statement that he must be set free if he survives 3 electric jolts. Guess what... they just bury him alive to solve the problem.6. Seed comes out of his grave, kills everyone off in another slashing part and then seeks the main cop to take revenge on.7. A woman gets her head bashed in with a hammer in an endless sequence from one point of view just for the fun and shock value of it. 8. Seed captures the cops family, lures him to his house, threatens to kill his wife and daughter. After killing his wife with a nail gun the cop shoots himself in the head considering thats whats Seed wants (its hard to get into that guys head since he not just wears his mask even in prison but also never utters a word ... the movie has barely any dialog anyway so don't mind).9. Boll goes for a nihilistic shocker end where Seed locks the daughter in with her dead dad to rot like the persons we saw on video on sequence 3.This is it... no message, no plot, no reason, no face behind the mask, no background except a stupid story that Seed was burnt as a child.This movie relies purely on few key scenes and their shock value. I hardly remember a movie this empty of any emotion or message or entertainment. Its like watching August Underground ... thats fine with me, some people will enjoy this brainless snuff. But what is really hard to stand about it is the pseudo-message in the beginning and the fact that the movie is well made considering camera-work, effects and even the acting is too good for this waste of celluloid. So how does Boll get money to make such "movies" when thousands of talented directors work on shoestring budgets?? "Seed" is not just the essence of ridiculous, its living proof that the free market is flawed ... lucky Uwe that the German taxpayer is paying for a lot of this waste to get deductments.$LABEL$ 0 +STAR RATING: ***** Jodie Marsh **** Michelle Marsh *** Kym Marsh ** Rodney Marsh * Hackney Marsh Harlan Banks (Steven Seagal- not quite as bad an actor as Kevin Costner but.......aaaaahhhh, you get it) is a modern day Robin Hood (listen close, you can hear Brian Adams music playing in the background...no, not really), the kind of guy who steals ill-gotten blood money from drug dealers and uses it to keep run-down orphanages open. But now he's been approached to drive a getaway van in a heist from Las Vegas in one of those last things before retirement type jobs. But, of course, it all goes wrong and he winds up the patsy for the big guys at the top and in jail. Here he meets a guy named (although you wouldn't know it from paying attention to the movie) Ice Cool (Treach), who he forms a friendship with and ends up breaking out of jail with. Once free, he's out to prove his innocence, locate the missing money and, naturally, get even with those who framed him!Of all Seagal's recent straight to video films, Today You Die has that look about it most of all that it belongs in a cinema, even with a rap star as his co-star like his previous cinema films Half Past Dead and Exit Wounds. Yes, it seems when he's not making films about looking after the environment he's pretending to be black and co-starring with rappers. But TYD is not a cinema film and that's a luxury The Great One is never going to be enjoying again until Under Siege 3 materializes (if ever!) The film opens with a slick, polished look that commands attention but it all quickly goes down hill from there. Once Seagal hits prison, the plot quickly loses it's coherence. Indeed Treach's character just seems to pop up out of nowhere without any introduction as his sidekick and from there you quickly lose interest in it.That's it. I know I've said it before but I think I mean it this time. I don't think I'm going to be giving any more of these straight to video Seagal films any time. I honestly have no enthusiasm to watching Shadow Man at all. In fact, I can honestly say that I've not really enjoyed ANY of his STV films up to this point, and Today You Die is certainly no exception, an apathetic, boring effort all round best avoided by all. *$LABEL$ 0 +Christopher Nolan had his goals set on Following in a very narrow direction, and in that direction he pulled off something that reminded me of the kind of great little 'poverty-row' movies the likes of Ullmer directed back in the 40s. Only this time, he's able to implement touches of homage- things like black and white photography (a given due to the shoe-string budget but also essential to the dark crevices these characters inhabit) and casting of the actors (the John Doe lead, the slick male counterpart, and the beautiful-in-a-gritty way femme fatale)- while keeping it in the realm of the 90s underground indie where for several thousand dollars and specific choices in locations and music and such anything could be possible. That, and as well in the film-noir mood Nolan also puts together a cunning web of a plot, maybe even more so than Memento. Where the latter was a work of a psychology unfolding by way of a plot enriched by looking to the past inch by inch, here the non-linear structure serves the purpose of showing how far someone like Bill can go through as dark a path as Cobb, only in an environment where keeping on your toes is not for someone who's not really twisted and into the deeper mind games Cobb is.Of course, the whole act of following someone becomes the main thrust of the story, and going into it I wasn't even sure where it would lead, if it might be some kind of stream of consciousness ala Slacker where Nolan would lead his character along to one urban British person to another. But the establishment of the ties of Bill to Cobb are done in a quick and excellent way, as we see right when Cobb approaches Bill at the café to ask what he's doing following him tells almost all we need to know about both- that, and the first robbery he brings him along for. What seems to soon be a good score on the horizon is really all one big set-up by Cobb and his lady (just called 'The Blonde', maybe a too-obvious homage to noir, but why carp). But this is revealed in a way that actually truly had me guessing, as the manipulation of the narrative worked all the more to arouse questions not so much of why but of how. The density is brought out all the greater due to the actors understanding of their essential points as characters, with Alex Haw being brilliant as a true sociopath who can barely mask his 'deep' ideas about what it is to really take pleasure in a burglary, and Theobald with that demeanor of someone who can never be as smart as he is in what he really does, but is more intelligent in that naive way that stands no chance in the dank environment such as this; Russell almost makes it too easy, even with a face that would send Ana Savage shaking her head.Meanwhile, Nolan is also on the ball with his style as a cameraman, keeping nothing in that doesn't add to ambiance and suspense, with the fade-in/fade-outs not too quick to leave a lasting impression, but enough to add to the 'this-could-lead-anywhere' logic of the script. He follows it in hand-held form as if he knows where his limitations lie, and yet is fantastic at keeping the essentials: close-ups when need be (one I loved is Russell's face in a small mirror), and a fairly simple techno track that never detracts. Sometimes, as mentioned, the line between seeing something in 'present-day' and seeing something that is as everlasting as a solid pulp story of low-level criminals with mind-games and moral ambiguity is always never totally clear, which for me is practically irresistible in its dark way. Simply put, this is one of the great calling cards I've seen from a filmmaker in recent years, and should hopefully be something that future fans of Nolan's other work can look forward to to discovering. Or even to those who think that noir has gone to the rapid-editing and big-gun-firing dogs of the mainstream (even in independent films) it's a bright little 71 minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +"Freddy's Dead" did the smartest thing it could've done after the disappointment of the fifth film. It started from scratch. Sure, this "final" film in the saga is silly but at least it's original. Some of the visuals are even a bit breath-taking. And the story of Freddy's kid (Lisa Zane) returning to town to face her evil father is unique.Overall, the movie is nothing but another cartoon made to get kids in the theater. It has a bunch of good actors (Zane, Yaphet Kotto, and Lezlie Deane) who basically look dumb and wander around like sheep ready for slaughter. It's one-sided, it's a magic-trick, and, in the end, it's nothing but goofy, childish entertainment.$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, this movie really sucked down below the normal scale of dull, boring, and unimaginative films I've seen recently. The acting was poor and robotic. The story was so bland you could have summed it up with a simple 5-minute short. Audio was so poor and dirty it was hard to even listen to; perhaps it was unedited from the camera it was shot off of? I'm not sure which movie the 3 glowing reviewers were commenting on, but it wasn't this one. Perhaps the director had his hand in seeing that his film received a good review, at least before the real reviews started to show up.Save your time or you'll just be wasting your time and money on this film. Absolute suckage!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very good black comedy, with a great view on how different people have a different perception of the same situations. The three main characters each met a girl named Jewel, played by Liv Tyler, who is a different male fantasy for each of the three men. Each of the three men go through the same situations, but when they tell of them to other people, their perception of the situation is very different from what the other two say. That is a very good concept, probably not entirely original but it works very well in the movie. The plot is very good, very bizarre and extreme, which makes it a good black comedy. The acting is equally good, not one of the actors seemed out of place or out of their league. The comedy is very black, pitch black in some scenes, and a lot of people will definitely be offended by it, but fans of black comedy will probably enjoy it. Overall, this movie is not for everyone's taste, but most people who like black comedy will probably love it, as it is definitely one of the better black comedies. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Definition of documentary: A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration. The key word here is informative. I love They Might Be Giants, and barely learned a thing about them.The interviews with all the celebrities were pretty much worthless. I don't care what Sarah Vowel thinks of anybody and Syd Straw was downright irritating. And is listening to people recite TMBG lyrics like they were supposed to be funny/interesting? It was neither. I think that was the problem: the movie spends time discussing TMBG's love for coffee. So what?? Millions of people love coffee. Was the presentation of the material funny? No! There were hints that both men are married, yet it was never discussed. And what about the solo material they did? What motivated them to do it? These type of questions are not addressed nor answered.I could go on and on with the negatives. I did find the segment on Dial-a-Song very interesting. If you want to learn about They Might Be Giants, just buy a few CD's and listen. Seriously. This movie is a gigantic disappointment. I can't believe so many folks gave it a 10. Incredible.$LABEL$ 0 +I really like Harrison Ford so I eagerly rented this movie only to be disappointed minute after minute. Mr. Ford seemed to be walking through very warm water looking for a place to urinate. His co-star was very good and had the better lines. The story intrigued me but the mistake - BIG MISTAKE - as everyone is identified via driver's license or passport before they board any american commercial aircraft left numerous plot questions in my mind. I could have cared less about these people. In fact, the sub-plot of the Internal Affairs investigation was more interesting than the two lovers killed while flying first class to Miami.I am disappointed in the director, Sydney Pollack who gave us the classic Tootsie and other films. This one is a waste of time and energy.$LABEL$ 0 +I tuned into this by accident on the independent film channel and was riveted. I'm a professional actor and I was flabbergasted by the performances. They felt totally improvisatory, absolutely without affectation. I could not tell if it was scripted or how it was shot and waited until the very end to see credits and then spent a half an hour on the IMDb to find this film. Do not miss it. I see that the writer-director also did a very fine film called Everyday People which I enjoyed a lot. The shame of the film business is that projects this excellent do not get the distribution and advertising that they deserve and live under the radar. This film deserves to be flown high and proudly. I urge people to look it up and watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +Easily 9 out of 10 for a film by director we will continue to grow to admire. But don't watch this movie expecting to be "entertained." Ang Lee takes an objective look at a relatively unexplored aspect of the Civil War. What is beautiful about the movie, like all of Lee's films, is that he doesn't "side" with his characters. He creates characters, embodies them with life, problems, and ambiguity ... and endows them with a reality that often hits far closer to home than with which many are comfortable. This film has action, but it is not for the action lover since the violence is deeply disturbing and far from gratuitous ... i.e. like the characters, it is real. And as you would expect about one of mankind's most horrific wars, the violence is horrific.But as an exploration of the greater human ambiguity that surely dwelt within the Civil War, it is a masterpiece. Was the war about slavery and an abolitionism? Lee seems quite willing to blur that line made so popular in depictions like the Blue and the Grey. Neither is about idealism, though, as seen in Gone with the Wind. It is about freedom, about the desire to have something which is yours and to fight for it. As you watch the characters, you will ask yourself "how can they be fighting to preserve slavery?" The fact is, I don't think they really are, and in that the film shows the problem of why so many were caught up in the maelstrom of the Civil War.The fact seems clear that many of the characters we learn about are fighting out of senses of loyalty to "home" though they may never have examined what home represents or whether they truly espouse its values. The letter scenes are very moving and yet subtle. Jake and Daniel are other examples of loyalty stretched to the limits. And when the tension finally snaps, and these characters find themselves suddenly "free" ... we see the birth of new men.All this mixed in with Lee's beautiful incorporation of humankind's environment with breathtaking vistas and frames. Lee has a style which is his, somehow European in its "art" (a slow camera, unrushed), Asian in its epic-ness and development of story, and yet somehow familiar and easily accessible to so many in North Americans.Relax, let go of your preconceptions about what the Civil War is, what the "western" as a genre is, what a war movie should be ... and let Ang Lee take you into a world so fragile, so hard, so real that few of us can comfortably see it.In this, Lee continues what he wrought in Ice Storm. Again, the movie is slow paced and without apparent "direction" ... a sure sign of Lee's ability to direct without "imposing" himself on the story or screen. His direction is amplified by what he brings out of Jewel (yes, the singer), a hitherto unproven actress who puts in an amazing performance.A movie for those who love film and are not lovers of the standard Hollywood epic.$LABEL$ 1 +On one level, Hari Om is a film using a familiar genre - the road movie - to tell a familiar story: curious Westerner explores the mysterious East. But at its heart, the film is about two people, a young French beauty (Isa) bent on experiencing life to the fullest and a motorized rickshaw driver (Hari Om) with Bollywood aspirations, from vastly different cultures, their slowly growing attraction for each other, and the beautiful mad chaos that is India today. The gap between them can never be bridged, but the director succeeds in bringing the two as close to the brink of an affair as possible without damaging the story's plausibility. India and its people are essential ingredients of the narrative, and except for the main characters, the roles are played beautifully and persuasively by locals recruited during the film's production while on the road between the Indian towns and villages that form the film's setting. One major negative for this viewer: a Keystone Kops chase near the film's conclusion as Hari flees mobsters bent on collecting a gambling debt. But the closing scenes where Isa and Hari bid farewell are poignant and unforgettable.$LABEL$ 1 +... to not live in Montana and especially not to live there at the end of the 19th century."A river runs through it" certainly is a well made movie from a cineastic stand-point. Great landscapes, Redford acting well.Unfortunately, the story is bad (if there is a story at all).I felt sorry for the narrator / author, who is as dry, narrow-minded a character as his father, a preacher. Being driven, not driving his own life, he is left to watch his brother, who is also caged in the small town environment, losing his life. The author never even comes close to undestand his brother's motivations, but at least realizes, that he is lacking the slightest amount of homour / fun. All there is, is fly-fishing, where he follows even as an old man the style of his father.The end is not surprising, it is forseeable from the very beginning.Definitely NOT a must-see (3 / 10)$LABEL$ 0 +The only thing of interest about this movie is its subject matter. Taking a look at the Manson "family" from the point of view of the family members themselves is a great idea. However, trying to make sense of the uncomprehensible is something that can really only be accomplished in a masterwork -- and this ain't it.Presumably because there was so much information to squeeze into a screenplay, this film was done in a faux documentary style, with reenactments thrown in. Trouble is, the writing and directing make it impossible to establish those things that make a movie watchable, like character, story, theme and so on.Worse, there's an incredibly weak sub-plot thrown in that follows a little band of latter-day Mansonites as they go after a reporter who's working on a story on the anniversary of the killings. It's dumb and pointless, and a complete waste of time.All in all, this movie is one big wasted opportunity. The one ray of sunshine is the acting of Marc Pitman, who plays Tex, who in real life did most of the actual killing. Whereas the female characters come off as giggly airheads in the 60s flashbacks, Pitman manages to convey real feeling.In short, don't bother with this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Billy and Jade had a very close relationship that went to far one evening even though Billy was sleeping with Jade's mother. Jade has to deal with the fact that her mother may never know and that it will never happen again. Billy is played by Rob Estes who couldn't have looked better. Lifetime tv has made another movie that everyone is bound to like.$LABEL$ 1 +Looking through the other comments, I'm amazed that there aren't any warnings to potential viewers of what they have to look forward to when renting this garbage. First off, I rented this thing with the understanding that it was a competently rendered Indiana Jones knock-off. What I got was one of the most offensive movies I can remember trying to sit through, made all the more shocking by the movie's comparatively high production values.I don't think this is a spoiler, but if it is, be warned...If your idea of entertainment is watching Bimbo getting raped from behind by Fearsome Tribal Chief, while she is staring into the dead eyes of her significant other's severed head, by all means, rent this flick. If not, I'd advise you to look elsewhere for entertainment.Come to think of it, that scene so succinctly sums up the movie that there's nothing else I really need to say about it.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is great.Now, I do tend to like my films heavy on the story and dialogue, but now and then, something like Moonwalker comes along, and it's watchable, despite numerous flaws.This film is no more than a highly entertaining Michael Jackson advertisement. Beginning with sickly video set to 'Man in the Mirror' a montage listing his achievements, and bits and bobs from his career, it goes through all the highs of his life, then crashes down into a really, really entertaining segment which acts as a funny music video for 'Bad' and 'Speed Demon', following the adventures of MJ as he runs from manic stop-motion fans, and finally dancing against a rabbit costume. The stop motion isn't that bad as some would have you believe. It's passable.Then we see the great video for 'Leave me alone', and straight into the main feature.Yes, the plot is laughable. Very laughable. We see Michael walk out of a building, then get shot at by thousands of troops. Then we hit flashback, showing MJ and three children stumbling upon an underground lair. 'Mr Big' (Joe Pesci) is the nefarious villain who has a plan to get every child in the world hooked on 'drugs' (no specifics are mentioned) at an early age. MJ and the little girl he is with get caught, then chased... yada yada yada. The plot isn't really the important part. We get two very cool sequences where MJ turns into a car, then a robot-spaceship thing, and of course, the amazing 'Smooth Criminal' sequence.It's a so-so film, but it is fantastic for anyone who likes MJ. It has most of his greatest hits, and some cool little bits, and some quite good special effects (the Robot/Spaceship sequence in particular) Worth it, especially seen as though you can pick it up for about a quid on ebay. It'll keep the kids quiet for a couple of hours, as well as most 20 somethings who were kids when it was first released.$LABEL$ 1 +This film caught me by surprise. My friend told me that this movie was a "chick flick." Boy, was he wrong! This movie has a great family appeal, with no sex scenes like _other_ movies. Jake Gyllenhaal does an excellent job in Homer Hickam's shoes. The supporting cast is great, as well.Science, coming-of-age, family quarrels, a great train scene... This film has it all. The soundtrack is good, although the score is presented quite choppily. The 50s music kicks the movie over the edge of greatness.The DVD is definitely worth its weigh in coal. Replay value is great - I've seen it quite a few times already.$LABEL$ 1 +I managed to avoid reading Hemingway in college. From what I could tell, along with his reductivist verbiage, he offered reductivist story lines. This film-transfiguration of AF2A into a simplistic, hoary, belabored narrative, does not disabuse me of my suspicions: A guy who barely sees action on the European battlefield (Hudson) falls in with a nurse (Jones), and they conspire to spend time together. Hemingway's big contribution to narrative was the romantic travelogue? Who knows what these two lovers have in common? They're so utterly generic. The movie never even brings up the utter irresponsibility it takes to abandon the front in favor of a lovers' adventure. The two have a season on the Alps, straight out of a J. Crew catalog. A number of better scenes are undermined by corny, conventional melodrama elsewhere. The movie keeps piling on tiny, improbable, unspecific details that fight the epic treatment. The cavernous hospital that Miss Barkley works in is virtually empty, so that no secondary plot line can possibly distract from the flimsy main story. Complicated, it is not. The camera work is better than average, with some amazing location photography. Director Charles Vidor (or maybe Huston?) does striking things in the first hour with an on-location, wide-screen camera... there are no second unit cop-outs. Vidor shows massive, panoramic tableaux, pans over a line of hundreds of soldiers trooping through the mountains; and then with a 90 degree swivel of his camera catches up with Hudson's ambulance barreling down on him. Hudson looks great. He's a better actor than he gets credit for, but with unshaped material like this, he can become very mechanical. Mercedes McCambridge plays a one-dimensional shrew. Jennifer Jones is puffy and miscast in the lackluster female lead. The movie is best when she's off screen. The love scenes are about as affecting as a coffee commercial.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who doesn't think Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey is one of the greatest movies of all time needs their head checked. It somehow manages to be both completely inane and no-brainer, but also terrifying knowing and clever at the same time. One of those rare films that actually improves upon it predecessor, Bogus Journey can be enjoyed again and again. Notable highlights include the duel with Death and the ending, which is highly "emotional". Keanu wants to forget all that Matrix rubbish and get down to doing what he does best, Ted Theodore Logan in Bill and Ted: The Return.$LABEL$ 1 +As stated by others, this is a ludicrously horrible movie (NOT A FILM!). It is not bad in a funny way, just painful to try to endure. Don't waste your time.Erika Eleniak is pretty hot, but there is one scene where she is in a bathtub, and you can see the wrap covering her breasts under the bubbles. Also, she's getting fat.The fight scenes are so bad as to be unwatchable, if you know or care anything about martial arts, or even decent choreography, and the editing/effects are abysmal.There is no payoff, it goes nowhere, and sucks getting there.$LABEL$ 0 +Barbara Stanwyck probably didn't think of it, but it is a relief to see her in a more becoming dark hairstyle (if it wasn't a wig) than the one she had to wear in "Double Indemnity" the year before. That film, while the premiere "film noir" and an all-around great film, gave her a great role, but oh, that hair. Here, she is more chic and certainly no femme fatal, but she is certainly a 40's woman. She has gotten used to life without men since most of them are off at war, and as a successful Martha Stewart like columnist, she writes a homey column in which she describes her country home as the camera pans over what it really is. We meet her boss, Sydney Greenstreet, who has no idea that she is living a lie, and when he pushes his way in for a Christmas away at her supposed Connecticut home, she has to come up with a husband (Reginald Gardiner) and baby before we can say "Jingle Bells". Hungarian chef S.Z. Sakall steps in to help and ends up in a cutsey pie one-on-one with Irish Una O'Connor. "It's not Goulash, It's Irish Stew". Sakall simply takes the paprika, pours most of it in, and says, "Now it's goulash", totally changing what she has prepared for lunch. Then, when it comes to the flapjacks, he flips and she scoops. For years, a few friends of mine and I will use that line every time pancakes come up in a conversation. "I don't flip. I scoop!". She won't even flip just one for Greenstreet, saying "I've never flipped in me life." O'Connor can get on the nerves when she screeches over and over in some films, but here, she is delightfully lovable, and her pairing with Sakall is very charming.It is obvious in the romance department that Reginald Gardiner is not Barbara Stanwyck's cup of tea, especially when she meets handsome Dennis Morgan, who is a bit dimwitted when bathing the baby, which eats soap, causing Stanwyck to get a bit alarmed. He should suspect something instantly, but doesn't. But it doesn't matter. The film is so charming with the country setting filled with snow, an abundance of rocking chairs, and a dog running towards them as the sleigh comes up. Living in New York City after 25 years in Los Angeles after growing up in a small town on the western side of New York State made me miss this kind of Christmas. While Central Park is beautiful after a first snow and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is exsquisit too, there is something about looking out at a snow-covered field of trees, and catch an occasional glimpse of deer, rabbits, or other wild life.This is a great holiday film that can also bring on the Christmas spirit out of season, and makes a great pairing with another Barbara Stanwyck country Christmas film, "Remember the Night", an underrated gem. Add on the big city Christmas of "Meet John Doe", and you've found perhaps one of the busiest stars of holiday films around.$LABEL$ 1 +To start off, I didn't bother seeing The Grudge. The previews for that movie didn't make me jump, didn't scare me, and didn't entertain me. But when a group of friends asked me to go see The Grudge 2, I accepted the invite, a little curious as to how this movie would be. I mainly went because of my friends. Not even 5 minutes into this movie, I realized I threw away $7.50. The acting from the get-go is horrible. The schoolgirls in the beginning look as if they have never acted in their entire lives. Then, the movie plot takes over. Let me tell you, I could not stop laughing this entire movie. It is just so stupid. I'm pretty sure they tried to not make it scary. They don't make anything jump out or anything. It shows the kids, then shows them "attacking". It builds up to it, it's not an "all-of-a-sudden" thing. And even in the middle of the movie, the core of the movie, the acting is still horrible. It leaves so much time in-between the dialog for someone to add in their own comments. This movie is honestly one of the funniest "horror" movies I have ever seen. Poorly written, horrible acting, horrible script, horrible "unable to act" cast, and a horrible concept. The movie blacks out and changes situations more times than you can count. Each part eventually plays out and then ties up at the end of the movie. I would never again pay to see this movie. I wouldn't even watch it on cable, for free. This movie is a joke. Please DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS MOVIE!!$LABEL$ 0 +Before I watched this tv movie I did not know much about one of my favorite actresses. After watching it, I realized how sad Lucille Ball's life really was. It had it's great moments too, but I didn't realize how sad it was. This movie was very good and told the story of the beloved Lucille Ball very well. I highly reccommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +I like this movie above all others. It is "multi-layered"; there is so much to see and appreciate. Every viewing brings a new appreciation of the story-line, the plot and the characters. Faultlessly acted and extremely enjoyable if you take the time to watch it and appreciate it. I love the interaction between the players; the subtle relationships; the period atmosphere. Ralph Fiennes is perfectly cast as the brooding lover and Geoffrey the wronged husband is beautifully underplayed by Colin Firth. The scene in the sand storm where Catherine & El-masy are discussing the different types of sand storms is one of the high-lights of the film and where the affair really starts. The other relationship between Hanna & El-masy is yet another "layer" of the movie which is totally enchanting (and heart-rending). A worthy winner of so many awards.$LABEL$ 1 +A have a female friend who is currently being drawn into a relationship with an SOB who has a long term girlfriend. Of course the SOB is very good-looking, charming, etc and my friend is a very intelligent woman. Watching Jean Pierre Leaud's character at work is exactly like watching what goes on in real life when guys like that destroy the lives of our female friends. It's tragic, and you know she's going to end up very hurt, but there's nothing you can do. Leaud is brilliant. Totally empty. A blank throughout, he pulls the faces and tells the stories he thinks will get the reaction he wants.The scene two hours in when Leaud and Lebrun have made love, and the next morning he puts on a record and, very sweetly and charmingly, sings along to amuse her is brilliant. The "What the hell am I doing here with this idiot" expression that flickers back and forth across her face will be in my memory for a long time to come.It's a long film, but see it in one go, preferably in a cinema. Takes a while to get into, but then the time just disappears.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, let me underline, that Im not a great fan of political correctness. In fact I like satire or dark humor, even if it makes jokes out of minorities. The reason, why Im pretty sure, that this racist piece of work is not worth a look, is that it doesn't make fun of minorities to demonstrate their condition of living, their social circumstances or the way they are treated by society. Moreover it uses every stupid stereotype and prejudice to strengthen xenophobic feelings and reservations. Its really a pity, but not a surprise, that the other comments didn't get that point, cause we all had a cheap laugh. Congratulations.$LABEL$ 0 +A lot people get hung up on this films tag as a "children's film", and that it certainly is, though it is one made for adults. Takashi Miike uses the fantasy genre, particularly, the children's fantasy genre, as a springboard into the wild territory that is the Great Yokai War.The setup is simple a boy is selected to play the "hero" in this years annual festival, only to discover his role is much more real than he could have imagined. What follows is a hallucinatory, grotesque, whimsical, and often funny journey through the world of Japanese folklore, but wait there's also an evil Villain on the lose who wants to destroy the world. However, the villain here, is not a mere demon, it is the demon-spirit of the accumulated resentment of those things which humans "use" and "discard". Usuing a chamber made out of pure liquid hate/resentment, the villain transforms the vibrant colorful Yokai spirits into soulless ten foot tall makeshift robots which chainsaw for arms and eyes like burning coals(those whove played the video game, Sonic The Hedghog, might remember a certain Dr. Robotnik performing similar procedures to the cute and cuddly's who Sonic had to then "liberate").The hero in this film is actually the least interesting character, essentially playing the straight man, in a world gone suddenly mad. Though he does go through the typical heroes trials he more often than not cowers, as do many of the Yokia themselves, who seem truly defenseless against the murderous robots, some spirits being umbrellas with eyes, talking walls, or creatures whose soul purpose in life is to count beans...of course in this magical world of Miike's Yokai war even beans take a magical power when one believes in them.In several ways this film subverts the normal conventions of children's fantasy, as few, if any, of the characters are heroic, their victory being a combination of happenstance, almost arbitrary faith, and a desire to party. The Yokai spirits, only rally together and lay siege the villains hideout, after they mistake the end of the world invasion of Earth for a great Yokai festival, and even then only to dance and party. Also the film ends not with the usual celebratory all's well that ends well fantasy ending, but with a final scene, showing our hero years older, with an adult job, now unable to see the Yokai spirits of his youth, who then despondently turn to the villain, who being a spirit can never really die. This ending, with it's Yokai spirit who is the spitting image of Pokemon's Pikachu, warns us not just of leaving behind our childhood selves, but of the horrors of over-consumption. The villain is resentment caused when humans no longer have reverence for the world and the objects around them(in Japanese folklore nearly every object has some kind of spirit), and so when they are used and discarded as we in consumer societies do without reverence, they become soulless vengeful machines, not unlike those seen in modern video games, suggesting that though our imaginations and myths do not ever really die, but can become deformed.This is one of the first scripts Miike has contributed to, and I believe it shows, as there's a tightness conceptually that sometimes gets swept under the rug by his exuberance for visual playfulness. Though I've focused mostly on the story (since lots of users here seem to write it off), I do want to say that visually it's a kaleidescope of CGI, stop animation, costume, and live puppetry, that works remarkably well. There's a dreamlike quality to a lot of the film, and the Miyazaki comparisons are warranted, as are the NeverEnding Story and Labrynth comparisons, though this film is sharper and more adult than either. The Yokai are beaten, brutalized, and turned into machines of living hate, who I believe even kill a few humans, a deformed aborted calf with a mans face is born and dies in the films grotesque opening, while a sexual undercurrent, the women with the long neck licking the face of our boy hero, or another characters persistent memory of touching the thigh of a young scantily clad water spirit as a boy, seem to linger a bit too long for most western tastes, especially when considering this is a "children's film". However these are slight enough to catch adult attentions while minor enough, not to traumatize any children to bad. Grims fairy tales, before revisions, did much worse, far more often.All and all this is one of Miikes most accessible and engaging ventures yet, with enough visual drama and great performances(the Yokai spirits have a humanism and an absurd humor to them, thats laugh out loud funny at times) to appeal to audiences of all ages, and a steady conceptual undercurrent strong enough to draw in an adult audience who have presumably brought their children or else come out of a sense of nostalgia for the long lost fantasy films of their youth. The latter group the film seems to address the most fervently asking that they not just continue passive consumption of the world around them, but show reverence to those spirits within them which seemed so much closer to reality in childhood. Another beautiful, funny, and truly original film from a thrilling director who hasn't come close to his apex. Instant classic.$LABEL$ 1 +I'd like to start off by saying that I am NOT an anime fan (with a few notable exceptions), and I generally have a low opinion of so-called otakus, as they are so in love with their particular brand of cartooning that they label every movie starring spiky-haired, big-eyed characters as a work of art without even considering other more vital factors, such as the plot. And no anime movie better represents this division between otakus and people with actual taste than this elegant piece of trash, Fatal Fury: the Motion Picture. As seen through the glassy, witless eyes of an otaku, there's little to find fault with in Fatal Fury-- there's plenty of quirky Japanese-y humor, one-on-one duels, some "dramatic" moments, and everything is beautifully drawn. But everyone else will be turned off by the cliched, predictable plot with cliched, predictable characters, culminating in a cliched, predictable ending. The love scenes are hilariously overblown-- the scene in which Sulia "heals" Terry is obviously intended to be a tender moment, but it's virtually impossible to not be thrown into spirals of giddy laughter by the sheer ludicrousness of it. And of course, Fatal Fury is not without the obligatory cartoon T&A-- this is supplied gratuitously by the huge-breasted Mai Shiranui. And since Fatal Fury IS based off the video game series of the same name (oh boy), we're treated to numerous pointless cameo appearances by popular characters with little or no relevance to the plot whatsoever (they go through all the trouble of introducing Kim early on, only for him to disappear from the movie totally after that point). This mess of a movie reaches its climax with the unintentionally farcical final battle, in which all the main characters engage the all-powerful main villain in one-on-one combat in turn. That's some thing that's always amused me... even when battles in animes AREN'T taking place in a tournament, they always happen as if they were, regardless of the fact that it makes no sense whatsoever! Otakus always rave about how anime movies should be treated as MOVIES as opposed to merely cartoons, and a disturbing portion of those same people love Fatal Fury. So would Fatal Fury have been good if it wasn't an anime? The answer is an emphatic "no"-- all of this movie's charm, what little of it there is, resides in the actual drawings. Had Fatal Fury not been an anime, it would have been worthy of an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, if the show was still on the air. That's the key-- this is nothing more than a laughably bad B-movie in the guise of an anime epic. If you're a fan of movies so bad that they're actually entertaining, consider renting Fatal Fury (or catch it on the Sci-Fi channel), as it is definitely one of those. If you're an otaku, please WAKE UP and realize that a good 90% of the stuff you're watching is garbage. As for everyone else, buy a Dreamcast and Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, but don't even consider seeing this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +"Spielberg loves the smell of sentiment in the morning. But sentiment at the expense of narrative honesty? Nobody should love that." - Lucius Shepard"The Color Purple" takes place in the Deep South during the early 1900s, and tells the story of Celie and Nettie, two African American sisters. The film opens with the girls playing in a field of purple flowers, an idyllic haven which is promptly shattered by the appearance of their stepfather. This motif – innocence interrupted by men – permeates the entire film.The film then launches into a series of short sequences. Celie is revealed to have been twice impregnated by her stepfather, gives birth in a dirty barn, has her newborn child taken away and is forced to marry a local widow named Albert Johnson, a violent oaf who rapes her repeatedly, forcing her to cook, clean and look after his children.All these horrific scenes are given little screen time, and are instead surrounded by moments of pixie-dust cinematography, a meddlesome symphonic score, incongruous comedy and overly exuberant camera work. The cumulative effect is like the merging of a Disney cartoon and a rape movie, a jarring aesthetic which caused Stanley Kubrick to remark that "The Color Purple" made him so nauseated that he had to turn it off after ten minutes. Ten minutes? He lasted a long time.The film is often said to deal which "racism", "sexism" and "black culture", but this is not true. Alice Walker, the author of the novel upon which the film is based, claims to be a bisexual but is actually a closet lesbian. Her book is a lesbian fantasy, a story of female liberation and self-discovery, which paints men as violent brutes who stymie women. For Walker, the only way out of this maze is for women to bond together in a kind of lesbian utopia, black sisterhood and female independence celebrated.Spielberg's film, however, re-frames Walker's story through the lens of comforting American mythologies. This is a film in which the salvific power of Christianity overcomes the natural cruelty of men. A film in which Albert finds himself in various ridiculous situations, moments of misplaced comedy inserted to make him look like a bumbling fool. A film in which all the characters are derived from racist minstrel shows, the cast comprised of lecherous men (always beaming with devilish smiles and toothy grins), stereotypical fat mammies, jazz bands and gospel choirs. This is a film in which black people are naturally childlike, readily and happily accepting their social conditions. A film in which black people are over-sexed, carnal sensualists dominated by violent passions. A film in which poverty and class issues are entirely invisible (Albert lives in a huge house) and black men are completely inept. This is not the Old South, this is the Old South as derived from "Gone With The Wind", MGM Muscals, "Song of the South", Warner Cartoons, "Halleluha!" and banned Disney movies. In other words, it's the South as seen by a child raised on 50s TV. It's all so cartoonish, so racist in the way it reduces these human beings to one dimensional ethnic stereotypes, that black novelist Ishmael Reed famously likened it to a Nazi conspiracy.Of course, in typical Spielberg fashion the film ends with family bonds being healed. This reconciliation was in Walker's novel, but Spielberg goes further by having every character in the story reconcile with their kin.Beyond Walker's hate letter to black men and Spielberg's bizarre caricaturing of black life, we are shown nothing of the black community. We have only the vaguest ideas as to how any of these characters make a living and no insight into how they interact with others in their community. Instead, Spielberg's camera jumps about, desperately fighting for our attention (one of Celie's kitchen contraptions seems like it belongs in a "Home Alone" movie), every emotion over played, the director never stopping to just observe something or to allow a little bit of life to simply pass by. Couple this with Quincy Jones' ridiculously "white" music, and you have one of the strangest films in cinema history: an angry feminist tract filmed by a white Jew in the style of Disney and Griffith, scored by a black man trying to emulate John Williams.Problematic too is the lack of white characters. Consider this: the men in this film aren't portrayed as being rough to each other, nor do they dominate women because they are brutalised by a racist society which reduces their manhood. No, they are cruel by nature. And the women, whether quietly suffering like Celie or rebellious and tough like her sister, persevere and survive only because the men are too stupid to destroy them. A better film would not have focused solely on the oppression of women as it occurs among the oppressed, rather, it would have shown that it is societal abuse which has led to spousal abuse, that enslaved black women are forced to perform the very same tasks as their male counterparts (whilst still fulfilling traditional female roles) and that African American domestic violence occurs largely because of economic factors, women unable to support themselves and their children alone.And so there's a hidden ideology at work here. Late in the film one character tells another that since he didn't respect his wife, she wound up getting severely beaten and imprisoned by whites. The implication is that blacks need to return to their African roots to restore their own dignity and that it is their fault that whites unjustly crush them. ie- Respect one another in your poor minority community and you won't run afoul of the dominant white culture. 3/10 - A failure to confront sex and lesbianism, inappropriate musical numbers, countless sequence loaded with extraneous visual pizazz, incongruous comic business, emphatic music cues, and wildly hyped emotionality, all contribute to rendering "The Color Purple" worthless.$LABEL$ 0 +There is really but one thing to say about this sorry movie. It should never have been made. The first one, one of my favourites, An American Werewolf in London, is a great movie, with a good plot, good actors and good FX. But this one? It stinks to heaven with a cry of helplessness.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the worst movies i have ever seen it's EXTREMELY boring with lots of boring dialog and has some VERY annoying characters and a laughable looking creature. The only reason i watched this piece of garbage is because it was on that 8 disc horror set i got. The plot is preposterous and totally stupid as is the finale. No blood what so ever except a few bloody marks on the creature, and a couple of bloody gunshot wounds. The acting is TERRIBLE!!. Richard Cardella is terrible as the sheriff and was quite laughable plus his character is annoying. Glen Roberts is the comic relief and was not funny at all!. Mark Siegel is extremely annoying and was also NOT FUNNY!. Bob Hyman is decent but not much more then that. Richard Garrison is annoying and had no chemistry with Kacey Cobb what so ever. Kacey Cobb is so so here and had no chemistry with Richard. Overall Avoid this piece of garbage at all costs! BOMB out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +Isn't it depressing how the most violent cartoon on Cartoon Network is aimed at girls? While I'm not watching soldiers getting shot and blown up on Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers, it would be nice if there was a cartoon or at least something on TV I could watch to satisfy my violent urges. And something that I would not get made fun of for watching. I did see some episodes (I should really be shot for this) and had to sit through the movie (now, where do I find a gun?), and it is quite clear that this lost its spark after the first few episodes. If you like seeing 500-foot monsters that can destroy huge cities in seconds getting slaughtered by toddlers about one foot tall, this is a must-see. But it does get very boring after a while, and with a show like this, even original ideas become chiefly dull. The movie just felt like one overlong episode (I can't remember any of it), and the villain should have been far more intimidating than a green monkey. This show is a laughing stock. It churns out the same basic premise episode after episode after episode, and though it may try to have some mystery and intrigue once in a while, the ending will always be the same - "The Powerpuff Girls save the day!" All is good and nice, but all is very, very repetitive... I give it 3 out of 10 for being the only danged cartoon on CN to revolve around violence, although it is aimed at girls, so I won't be tuning in for it ever. I've established myself as a fan of war and violence films and I won't have that reputation destroyed... 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Pickup On South Street is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. An example of the directing: When Candy (Jean Peters) starts going through her purse and notices her wallet is missing, an alarm goes off in the background in the building she's in -- as if it's an alarm going off in her head. It's not cartoon-like -- it's subtly woven into the background in a way that strikes you on a subconscious level until you've seen the film a few times and it just "clicks" that there's an alarm bell going off when she starts frantically going through her bag.Richard Widmark is way on top of his game as a smart-alec -- he's really great -- but the highlight performance of the film was the first scene for "Moe," the street peddler/informer, played by Thelma Ritter. Later, in her apartment, you are not seeing a movie -- you're seeing a real person. I've never seen anyone "act" so real I felt like I was looking into a real room until Ritter's performance -- right down to the way her hair stuck out a bit when she removed her hat. About a million other things just *worked,* from the way Lightning Louie picks up money with his chopsticks to the way Candy's jewelry clicks when she flicks Moe's hand away from her brooch, to the way Moe gets the dollars and change from the police captain across the FBI guy's chest -- and even the way the captain opens his filing cabinet, like he's been doing it in that way in that room for many years. "Pickup On South Street" is detailed moves (directing) with consummate performances (acting) and superb now-nostalgic visuals of the day, such as the panel truck, the boards leading to the shack out on the water, the dumbwaiter, -- and the unforgettable place Skip stashes his pocket pickings. Wonderful stuff."Pickup On South Street" is also one of the few movies where, even though the characters aren't perfect, you do care about them -- perhaps because they have been somewhat branded by their pasts in ways that are hard to escape: Skip as a "three-time loser" and Candy as a youngish woman who has "knocked around" a lot. When these people behave a little more badly than you'd expect, it's in sort of novel ways that make it seem you're looking in at people you'd never otherwise imagine -- and yet you know that they are possible because the actors make them so recognizably human.$LABEL$ 1 +I found Darkness to be just too DARK. It had a kind of cool idea and some ambitious ideas, not bad action scenes and a few splashy moments to make you go UGH! BUT, it was underlit to the point of confusion. You don't really know what is always going on in the dark scenes and for a film that is shot on Super 8 Film, you already have all that nasty grain to deal with. As with Nathan Schiff movies, it's just too much. Director Leif Jonker seems to want to make an original film, but he lacks the know-how to do it. The camera is never pointed in the right place, lack of fundamentals such as how to shoot simple dialogue scenes and how to light a movie hurt as well. The actors are all pretty uneven and hammy. But despite these negatives, the music is good, the gore is plenty and ranges from silly putty to really good appliances. Is this a classic like it says? Is it worthy of the two discs worth of praise? NO. But it is a good first try. Now if these guys would stop patting themselves on the back about this movie (from what I understand here the only one they have ever finished) for a while and try again, they may do better.$LABEL$ 0 +The first music video I ever saw, Thriller, my mom told me that she took me home from the hospital and when we arrived, my sister had MTV on the TV and Thriller was playing, my mom said that I smiled. Silly I know, but I have loved Michael Jackson since that day, the music video Thriller inspired me to dance, still I have the dance memorized to this day. I even performed it for an audience 3 times! Words cannot describe the power of this song that makes you wanna sing and dance, but Michael of course had to raise the bar for MTV at the time by signing on American Werewolf in London director John Landis and directing the one, the only, Thriller.Michael and his date, Ola Ray, run out of gas in a dark, wooded area. They walk off into the forest, and Michael asks her if she would like to go steady. She accepts and he gives her a ring. He warns her, however, that he is not like other guys, no really, not like the other guys. A full moon appears, and Michael begins convulsing in agony – transforming into a horrifying werewolf! His date shrieks and runs away, but the werewolf catches up, knocking her down and begins lunging at her with its claws. The scene cuts away to a movie theater where Michael and his date are actually watching this scene unfold in a movie called Thriller. Michael smiles but his date is frightened, and tells him she's leaving. Michael catches up to her, and says that it's only a movie, but she doesn't like his jokes on her and she starts walking away. Michael and his date then walk down a foggy street, and he teases her with the opening verses of Thriller. They pass a graveyard, where corpses suddenly begin to rise from their graves as Vincent Price performs his rap. Michael and his date then find themselves surrounded by the zombies, and suddenly, Michael becomes a zombie himself. Michael and the undead perform an elaborate song and dance number together, followed by the chorus of Thriller.Thriller is arguably the best music video of all time, funny thing is people who wanna argue that is with other Michael Jackson videos, but what makes Thriller so special is the dance, the story, the effects, this at the time was the most expensive music video of it's day. Michael of course rose that bar again with his famous music video Scream and then again with Ghosts. But say what you will, Michael was the star of the 1980's, there was no celebrity like him, he loved the life, he lived it, breathed it and embraced it. Thriller is proof that he was willing to work to make the best and that's what we got with the legend that is Thriller.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Films like this infuriate me simply because they don't deserve the funding that enables them to end up in my DVD player. This movie is ambiguous in its jacket blurb and even more impenetrable in its casting choices (why is Ms. Song a romantic interest? Did they just want an Asian woman in there, or does her unconvincingly wise character actually lend this "message" movie's story a fresh perspective)? One has very little to go on in approaching this film, and even less as the story unfolds. But a good hour into the proceedings, I realized the dull casting is all the casting agent could dredge up, the unconvincing character studies are the result of writers' brain-fart, and the story is amorphous and plagued by unsubtle references to the woes of capitalism, materialism, and getting ahead in the postmodern world. Towards the end of this film, just before I nodded off and missed the last two minutes, I got the sense that "Everything's Gone Green" is a product of "connections" in the world of film - someone with very little talent knew someone with very little directorial skill, knew someone with absolutely no marketing sense (but plenty of disposable ego) and out popped this dull and inefficient attempt at whimsy and humor-with-a-conscience nonsense. And this is what is most maddening - how many infinitely better scripts were passed over in favor of this almost unwatchable tripe? Skip this film, and feel good about yourself for doing so.$LABEL$ 0 +I've been waiting for a superhero movie like this for a long time. "Mystery Men" takes its place among the classic comic-strip spoofs on TV like "Batman" and "Captain Nice" and cartoons like "Underdog" and "Super Chicken." The same spirit lives in all of them: the comic tongue-in-cheek tone; the courage to aim for the heroic in life at the risk of looking ridiculous; the not-so-sure-footed way that these characters manage to prevail over their adversaries. It's the misfired spark of nobility igniting in the weak and the ordinary, and it's wonderful to see it glow so high and bright here."Mystery Men" opens on a party at a nursing home. I wish Kinka Usher had had the sense to give more energy and life to the old people in the scene. As it is, it looks like something George Romero might have devised. We need to get the feeling that these old people are as sharp as everyone else, or it feels patronizing. By the time the Red Eyes crash the festivities, you half expect Tom Waits who plays a weapons inventor with a penchant for ladies in their eighties to stand up and shout: "Just what this party needs--a little excitement!" If writer Neil Cuthbert had any sense, he would have had Waits mixing it up with the intruders and egging on the partiers to do the same. It would have made for a rousing beginning, and a better introduction of the troublesome trio: the Shoveler (William Macy); the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria); and Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), who seem to come out of nowhere to save the day. There are many other problems to "Mystery Men" than I care to go into; among them that the villain Casanova Frankenstein needs to have as cultivated a sense of the absurd as the rest of the people in this movie, and he doesn't. Geoffrey Rush is the wrong actor for the part; he needs to be way over the top to make the conflict between good and evil a galvanic one. And Rush has never exhibited a talent for the outre. You hope for the ripe theatrics of a John Lithgow in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" or the dry, debonair diffidence of a Paul Freeman in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Instead what we get is pastiche; something half-baked and not fully realized.There are too many ideas running through "Mystery Men" for anyone to tie them neatly together, and that may be its deepest problem. But whatever kind of a mess it is is the kind of mess I love. Ben Stiller has always seemed to be slumming in the roles he takes. This one is no exception, but he goes at it with such conviction that you come away feeling that he'd learned something about comedy growing up in a household run by Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. His Roy is related to all the put-upon, overly sensitive, chronically defensive types that Woody Allen made popular. And whether it's wheedling his way into the affections of the waitress at his favorite hangout (the sleek Claire Forslani), or questioning the wisdom of a fellow superhero (Wes Studi as the Sphinx), or giving a new member of their "elite" group (Jeaneane Garofalo in what are possibly her funniest moments on screen) a hard time, he makes it always fun to watch. I couldn't exactly say that about him in "There's Something About Mary."Jeaneane Garofalo proves with this performance that she should have been the star of "One True Thing," not Renee Zellweger. I don't think I have ever seen funnier exchanges between a daughter and father (okay, so he's dead and his skull is in a bowling ball, so sue me) in the movies. And the funny part about this role is that it feels like a screwball reprise of Emily Watson's spellbinding talks with God in "Breaking the Waves." And in this version, the girl doesn't die, and bells don't ring in your head.William H. Macy does something very difficult; he makes stolid magnetic. You understand right away what's attracted Jenifer Lewis' Lucille to Eddie. You can also understand her exasperation. The barbecue alone would be enough to drive me over the edge, but when Eddie's adorable, half-breed son looks up at his father and says "I believe in you, Daddy." to which Lucille sighs and exclaims, "Roland, don't encourage your father," you feel like standing and hailing Neil Cuthbert as a first-rate wit. With Hank Azaria (whose only moment of note in film up to this point was his bare behind in "The Birdcage") and Louise Lasser (Has it been more than two decades since we first took note of her in "Bananas" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman?") as son and mother who share a fondness for silverware; Greg Kinnear as Captain Amazing and Ricky Jay as his publicist; Kel Mitchell as "Invisible Boy"; Paul Reubens as "The Spleen;" and Lena Olin who, if she didn't have the few lines in this movie that she has, would seem to be visiting the set.$LABEL$ 1 +"Grey Matter" AKA "The Brain Machine" but the video people thought better of that; the screen says 1972 but IMDb says 1977; it's that kind of movie. The government has some kind of overriding interest in this 'brain machine' project that has drafted four people - who turn out to be, roughly, a philosopher, a horny priest, a crackpot veteran and a patriot who got an abortion - to sit in a shrinking room with a computer that can read their horrendous secret thoughts. In the end the government takes over the lab by force and everybody dies. Here is a movie that is incompetent in every important way; MY s*** has better production values than this. It held my interest, though, just to see what exactly these exploitation filmmakers thought they were doing, dabbling in four-guys-in-a-room character drama. The answer: a tract about how science is inferior to God. Thanks a lot. It's like opening a Kinder egg and getting your 30th goddam jigsaw puzzle. The priest is played by James "Roscoe P. Coltrane" Best, the philosopher by Gerald "the Republican Simon" McRaney. Also featuring very, very, very long establishing and transition shots in great quantity, this moves almost as slow as the Liberal convention.$LABEL$ 0 +What makes for Best Picture material? The Oscars have come in for a lot of stick for rewarding overblown spectacles that have aged poorly, and ignoring the "auteurs" who would be deified in decades to come. It wasn't because Hollywood was against art or creativity. The Academy Awards are the selections made by the industry itself, and that is why, at least in the classic era, they tended to reward the greatest collaborations, the most sensational meetings of creative minds.The Arthur Freed unit at MGM had been bound for Oscar-winning glory for several years by this point; it was only a matter of time before Freed, aided by his strongest director Vincente Minnelli and some the finest musical stars in the business, would land a Best Picture. Freed had arguably done more to raise the status of the musical than anyone else, crafting pictures which wove story and song together without losing the dynamic spectacle of the 30s musicals. The point about Freed musicals, is that the lyrics of the songs, unlike those of Hammerstein or Lerner, don't have to tell or even relate to the stories. What's important is that the tone of the song and the way it is presented fit into the structure of the film.An American in Paris was the first of three Freed musicals (the other two being Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon) which took existing classic numbers out of their original context and made them work in a completely unrelated story. The words don't fit the plot, but the routines fit the show. So, when Gene Kelly sings I Got Rhythm, he hasn't even got a girl yet, but the way it's done with the French kids joining in is a great bit of characterisation, and the upbeat tune and dance gives the movie the little lift it needs at this point. An American in Paris also uses the rule-breaking allowed in the genre to add little unconventional flights of fancy to tell the story, such as the series of dances which accompany the description of Leslie Caron's character.And what better director for this project than Minnelli, himself a painter and a pianist? At this time there wasn't really anyone who had a better feel for Technicolor. While some directors would saturate each scene in one colour or fill the screen with clashing shades, Minnelli's colour schemes are tightly controlled but never look forced. In the opening scenes the tones are fairly muted, but not drab, and in particular there is an absence of red. During Oscar Levant and Georges Guetary's meeting in the café, a few more vibrant shades are introduced. Then, during the first musical number, "By Strauss" Minnelli gradually brings in splashes of red – a table cloth, a bunch of roses – until it eventually dominates, as if the song has awoken the picture's colour scheme. For most of the songs, the colours are choreographed as intricately as the people. However, in some numbers, such as "Tra-la-la" he keeps the shades the same and instead opens out the space as the song swells up and the characters become more animated.The Achilles' heel of An American in Paris is its story. I personally find the romantic angle particularly unpalatable, playing as it does like a last hurrah for the misogynistic love stories that reigned supreme in the 30s; the headstrong, independent woman gets rejected while the meek, delicate girl is harassed into loving the hero. Even if you don't mind that, it is difficult to connect emotionally with the story because it is constantly overshadowed by the songs and dances. Compare this to Singin' in the Rain, which doesn't really have as many great routines or memorable set-pieces as An American in Paris, but it has a winning storyline. Singin' in the Rain was overlooked at the 1952 Oscars, yet it is regarded as a classic of the genre today. But I think people sometimes forget that cinema is an all-encompassing form of visual entertainment, not just a means of telling a story. An American in Paris is not deep or engaging or tear-jerking but, like a certain DeMille picture that won the top award the following year, it certainly is a great show.$LABEL$ 1 +'Flight Of Fury' is a shockingly dire but worst of all boring Action Film - I don't expect a lot from a Seagal Film, all I expect is to be moderately entertained for 90 or so minutes with some mindless action -unfortunately this doesn't even achieve that low expectation, The action scenes are few and far between, the plot (which is totally irrelevant in these Films) is needlessly complicated and confusing with huge plot holes throughout, The acting is truly abysmal - bordering on embarrassing with Seagal and his whispering One expression performance being the best among the sorry lot of 3rd raters - I find it hard to believe that anything close to $12M was spent on this dire mess unless $11M of that 12 was Seagal's Salary - I somehow doubt it! The one moment of any interest to Straight guys or gay girls is that out of seemingly nowhere two hot chicks end up in a lesbian sex scene of sorts complete with huge baps on display other than that - It's mediocre stuff which is no different to many of the Michael Dudikoff B-Movies I've endured1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I hate to comment on something I didn't finish, but if I spare one person what I sat through for almost an hour before turning it off in disgust, it will be worth it. I decided to watch this with an open mind, knowing it was on the bottom 100.Bad idea. I usually love crude humor, or can at least tolerate it. I love so-called "black" comedies. I'm not easily offended, either. It started off okay and quickly went downhill. I laughed a few times (for example, when the main character got stuck in the airplane toilet), but that was it and didn't compensate for the strong disgust I felt.I didn't laugh when the dog got sucked into a jet engine. I usually can't see the humor in animals dying (except in Animal House). I didn't laugh at much else of the nastiness, either. I turned it off after an incident involving a blind man and a baked potato that I don't care to repeat the details of, only that the wave of nausea still hasn't passed over me. Simply put, it was smut-filled and simply not funny with barely any plot. This is one of the times when if you don't have something nice to say, you should get the word out.Don't say I didn't warn you.$LABEL$ 0 +Yet another film about a tortured self-centered, arrogant, unfeeling hateful, self-destructive lead character we are supposed to care about.Don't get me wrong I am very open to all kinds of off the wall movies that have as the lead character a strongly self-destructive character. What I object to about this one is that there is so little background to this guy. Why did this guy hate himself and the world? Had the script dealt with this more they might have managed to elicit some sympathy for him. As it is he just comes off as an unpleasant hateful character, not tragic, just hateful.After taking great pains to make this guy as crazy and anti-social as possible and making his fate as dark as possible the writer then has the nerve to make a happy ending....This is not the worst film I have ever seen but it is in there putting up a good fight! Man! Don't waste your time.$LABEL$ 0 +A wonderful story...so beautiful told..so intense so whit no keyboard to describe I think...,go see it feel it...,it tell's a story about love ,romance ,war,and be trail so wonderful so full of romance if you love romance see it ,if you don't love romance ,drama well skip it that's all I can I vote 10 out of 10 stars wonderful...$LABEL$ 1 +It is the best movie released in Bollywood upto date. The best comedy, the best acting and the best direction till now! Rajkumar Santoshi's writing and direction proved that he is one of the best directors in the industry. Aamir Khan was absolutely amazing, Salman Khan looked good the way he acted. Shakti Kapoor was good, but Jagdeep over acted as usual! This comedy is still copied by people and no other writers and directors have been able to make this thing again! Even Rajkumar Santoshi hasn't been able to make this cult classic again! This movie was a flop when it released but it has been a cult classic since it released and loved by all kinds of people.STAR.ACTING 10/10.DIALOGUES 10/10.SCREENPLAY 10/10.DIRECTION 10/10.MUSIC 9/10.LYRICS 9/10.Overall, This movie is strongly recommended. If you didn't watch it till now, you missed something big! It is a laugh riot and the best comedy i have seen till date! Classic Films like Hera Pheri, Golmaal and Jaane Bhi Do Jaaro are not even half as funny as this.GREAT MOVIE, HATS OFF!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +An American in Paris is a wonderful musical about an American painter living in Paris for inspiration. He meets a rich woman who admires his paintings on the street and she believes she can get his work to be even more popular to the public, e.g. in a museum. Golden Globe nominated Gene Kelly as the artist Jerry Mulligan is just perfect at both singing and especially dancing. He also meets the main girl Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) who is engaged to his best friend. He can't help his feelings for this girl, even after he finds out who she is engaged to. Filled with nice romance and wonderful song and dance, this is a very good musical film. It may drag slightly with his dancing dream sequence, i.e. The American in Paris ballet, but there is a good happy ending. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay and Best Picture, and it was nominated for Best Director for Vincente Minnelli and Best Film Editing, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy, and it was nominated for Best Director for Vincente Millenni (Liza's father). Gene Kelly was number 66 on The 100 Movie Stars, and he was number 15 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Men, "I Got Rhythm" was number 32 on 100 Years, 100 Songs, the film was number 9 on 100 Years of Musicals, it was number 39 on 100 Years, 100 Passions, it was number 68 on 100 Years, 100 Movies, and it was number 58 on The 100 Greatest Musicals. Very good!$LABEL$ 1 +Making the film as dark and visually fuzzy as possible in order to cover up the budget deficiencies is an often-used strategy in low-budget horror films, but this one takes it too far. It is SO poorly lit and murky (and it takes place almost entirely at night, to boot) that you often end up virtually looking at a black screen (although perhaps the bad video transfer may also have had something to do with that). Alas, "murky" is also the best word to describe the movie's plot. The filmmakers throw in diverse (and unoriginal) horror ideas without any semblance of logic, and halfway through you get the feeling that they just about abandoned the effort to make a good horror film; you know it when you see characters who are supposed to be in mortal danger (or, in some occasions, even dead) making small talk....(*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +Solomon and Sheba has come down in Hollywood lore not for the quality of the film, but for the fact that Tyrone Power died while making it. I was in the 5th grade and well remember the huge news for days when that tragedy happened. I didn't know who Tyrone Power was then, but I learned and learned to appreciate the body of his work.I often wonder if Ty had a sense about this film and what a dud it proved. He was the unnamed producer of this as well. Maybe he just didn't want to face the critics. Good thing Power actually went out with Witness for the Prosecution although you can see him in long shots if you look close. What we have here is a biblical stew that probably would baffle the great Solomon himself. Several incidents described in the Bible that the Bible treats separately are woven together into one plot with a few additions tossed in by Hollywood. The actual story about the Queen of Sheba is that she went on a trade mission to the Kingdom of Israel, chatted Solomon up a bit, came back with a lot of trade goods and that was that. The story of a romance between her and Solomon is of legend. The ancient kingdom of Sheba is about where Yemen is now and her people purportedly moved to the African continent which is how Ethiopia was founded.The Queen never witnessed Solomon's famous case involving the two women with separate claims for a baby, nor was she involved with the building of the First Temple. Nor was she around for the destruction of same. For that matter neither was Solomon.And she was not involved in the dispute over the succession when Solomon's brother Adonijah put in a counterclaim. That is the heart of this film. Adonijah upon hearing the news that King David is dying declares himself king. Of course David rallies temporarily and says that God came to him and said Solomon should succeed him. When David hears about what Adonijah did, he says that's what got God all bent out of shape, Adonijah being greedy. After that Adonijah gets to plotting.Things seem to come full circle in that Ty Power collapsed on the set while dueling with George Sanders as Adonijah. Sanders and Power were rivals in many films, most particularly in Lloyds of London which was Power's breakthrough role. If Sanders is not quite the jaded sophisticate he was in Samson and Delilah, he's still Sanders the biblical cad.When Power died Yul Brynner was brought in to play Solomon and given a wig so that existing footage of Power in long shot could be salvaged. Brynner invests the dialog with the proper dignity, but I think he probably regretted doing the pinch hitting.Gina Lollobrigida is the Queen of Sheba and she is alluring as a biblical temptress in the Cecil B. DeMille tradition. She seems not to have any real conviction and my guess is she was shocked at Power's sudden demise and having to do it all over again. Marisa Pavan as Abishag may give the best performance in the film.The real story with Adonijah is not as elaborate as this film. He disputed with Solomon for the succession and gathered around a group of some of King David's court as supporters. Solomon pardoned them once and then Adonijah asked for Abishag in marriage. Abishag in the Bible and here was an adopted daughter of King David in his old age. When Solomon hears that, he decides Adonijah is getting greedy again and has him killed. The Bible mentions someone named Berniah who was going around basically doing contract hits on Adonijah's supporters.What we have in the film is a spectacular climax involving a miracle that I searched for and couldn't find. It came from the fertile imagination of director King Vidor who ended a long and distinguished career on a sour note. It was a question of Vidor trying to out do Cecil B. DeMille in biblical spectacle. He didn't make it.$LABEL$ 0 +What can I say? I got up this morning and turned on sci-fi and watched half of the first season and figured it all out. Strange, unusual, and brilliant. It gives all potential, and to think at first I said this looks stupid. This has got to be the next best thing since X-Files, but as always nothing will ever take down that show in my opinion. I am telling you, it's scary and then suspenseful and then mellow. Towards the end you have Miles as a love puppy with a weird pet that is a new species. You have two people on the run from authorities. And a killer tsunami about to strike! Wow! And did I mention Miles pet is a potential killer(well the rest of his species is). Surface is a brilliant show with spins and twists that delivers it all.$LABEL$ 1 +Overall, I enjoyed this film and would recommend it to indie film lovers.However, I really want to note the similarities between parts of this film and Nichols' Closer. One scene especially where Adrian Grenier's character is questioning Rosario Dawson's about her sex life while he was away is remarkably similar to the scene in Closer where Clive Owen's character is questioning Julia Roberts, although it is acted with less harshness and intensity in "Love." Also note that "Anna" is the name of both Dawson's and Roberts' character. Can't be coincidence. Now Closer is based on Patrick Marber's play and supposedly this film is loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler's "Reigen" so I'm not sure how this connection formed.Anyone have an idea?$LABEL$ 1 +I have seen several Yul Brynner films--yet this is his best performance as the camera captures his emotions in close up as he snarls, smiles, and laughs. Brynner might have been equally arresting in Ten Commandments, Taras Bulba, The Magnificent Seven, The Brother Karamazov and the Mad Woman of Chaillot but none of these films have captured his range of talent in close ups as in this one. He is arresting and tantalizing to watch in every shot.Equally fascinating and sexy, without removing her clothes, is Deborah Kerr. The script allows her to exude a sensuality that is not visual but suggestive--she reprised this sort of role years later in The Night of Iguana. The film does not suggest that she slept with anyone to help with the release of the group from the clutches of the Russians in fact she is shown as running away from the Russian Major (in contrast to the Maupassant story or the Isak Denisen story). Yet the film bursts with suggested but real physical allure of the Kerr character.Kerr can never be classified as a beautiful actress in my view, but she is a superb actress. She puts her soul into dignifying the characters that she portrays, which often clashes with the spirit of the character. It is this contradiction that makes her roles in The journey, Quo Vadis, and The Night of Iguana memorable.Why is this an unusual film? It is not easy in Hollywood to see Russian characters portrayed as good people--Dr Zhivago was an exception. Brynner's Romance of a Horse Thief was again great cinema by Abraham Polonsky but never acknowledged as such because of the intolerance towards Leftists in the post-McCarthy era.The film is also unusual in its casting--great French actors Gerard Oury and Anouk Aimee--rub shoulders with Jason Robards Jr and British actor Robert Morley. In many ways the film is international than American. All four are great actors and add to the entertainment.Those who have read Maupassant and Denisen's works will find the film is not true to either work. Yet the film can stand on its own as its sanitized (censored?) version has a dignified charm of its own--provided by the reality of the night that led to the release of the group. I think Litvak deserves to have the last laugh in providing an interesting and plausible twist to the tales that led to the making of the film, while entwining bits of both written tales (e.g. the last bus ride and the final kiss)But I do have one grouse--why do Hollywood never acknowledge the sources that inspire the stories? Only recently (e.g., Insomnia) have the original works begun to be mentioned prominently in the credits.$LABEL$ 1 +Episode two of season one is a delightful holiday tale of love, betrayal,...and a homicidal, escaped lunatic dressed as Father Christmas.A woman (Mary Ellen-Trainor)has just murdered her hubby on Christmas Eve for his life insurance. What begins as a perfect crime begins a struggle to survive as a deranged, Santa Clause suit wearing psychopath (Larry Drake, perfectly over the top) threatens her life...as well as her precious young daughters.This episode is warmly remembered by even those casually acquainted with the program. By the way,this particular reviewer watches it every Christmas on routine. Most notable for it's escalating suspense and narrative twists, And All Through The Houst is among Tales From The Crypt's best.$LABEL$ 1 +Not all films made in 1931 are this creaky, and the fact that this was "Best Picture" must have given even greater impetus to the development of television.Typical of all Ferber novels, it isn't possible to bring the entire story to the screen, to say nothing of developing character. Dix -- so stolid in the first third of the movie -- does an about face, but no one knows why and it makes no sense. And what is there about Dunne that makes makes her so stoical? Edna May Oliver's scenes are priceless, as usual.This film has a role to play in the history of cinema, but it is long and boring.$LABEL$ 0 +I am very open minded. I watch all kinds of programs to the end...good or bad...just to give them a chance and learn from the good aspects and bad ones. This show had potential to be good. But my god, what were the writers, casting director, and director thinking? The cast of actors are terrible...with the slightest exception of Meryl (Mimi Rogers), and Darcy (Joy Osmanski) being given occasional good lines with the best execution of the lot.The rest of the cast kill the show. It is the same story line in every episode. Sam has plans to do something. His boss disrupts these plans by assigning him ridiculous work projects. Then the foolish ways Sam tries to accommodate both in a manner that is primarily stupid and lacks any real intelligent humor. This is EVERY episode. It gets very tiring.Season 2, they ditch the eye candy. The 2 "hot" girls in the show get written out (yet the brother stays? explain that casting cut to me please). I can see why they wrote them out...they had no substantial role...but they didn't add anyone better to replace them.The cocky Derek Tricolli character is given a continuous appearance in season 2. His acting (along with everyone else's) resembles many poor sitcoms from the 80's...might have been funny then...but painful now.the show could have been so much better with a few good writers and some people who had any talent to execute them. This show lacks everything. Production quality is the only good aspect of the show. It is great in that regard...unfortunately the content is painfully sad.My god. FOX, was there really nothing better to choose from? I'm sticking with shows like "It's always Sunny in Philadelphia" or "30 Rock" for now. The bar should be set by programs like these that actually assume the audience are intelligent and aren't continually drooling on themselves using all their brain power on continuing to breathe.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an excellent Anderson production worth comparing with the best episodes of UFO or SPACE 1999 (first series). Of course it isn't some SFX extravaganza or Star Wars pseudo-mystic tripe fest, but a subtle movie that has a slow pace, yet it conveys the creepy, eerie and uncanny atmosphere of the best Anderson productions: for lovers of 'cerebral' sci-fi. Lynn Loring's voice is ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. SFX are good for this kind of product and acting is good as well. Two astronauts visit a planet on the opposite side of the sun but crash land home instead...or do they? Ah, videophones! Every now and then peddled as the next 'everyone's gadget next decade' but still to happen 40 years later. The device of Earth's twin planet on the opposite side of the sun also returns in Gamera tai daiakuju Giron (1969), so who copied whom?$LABEL$ 1 +I got subjected to this pile one Wednesday afternoon when my mother-in-law was watching it. I can't get over someone basically doing a remake of a crappy high budget Hollywood flop ("the CORE" with washed up actors like Luke Perry). If the HIGH budget one flopped, what makes people think doing the SAME movie 2 years later with NO budget would go anywhere? I was laughing through most of the movie because of how insanely similar it was (in fact I am shocked it's not held up in Legal rather than airing on TV), and how it was basically the script of the CORE just redone badly, which if you have seen "the Core", you know why doing it worse is funny, since the CORE was ALREADY so bad it was funny.If you enjoy getting a laugh out of REALLY bad movies, this one will be right up your alley. The only thing I can say, is that I wish Luke Perry was able to have a career, because he isn't a horrible actor.. he just lands horrible roles. Crappy made for TV movies that will only run on daytime television is pretty much one step closer to the end for him, if it wasn't for 90210 he would have a career.$LABEL$ 0 +This show is so full of action, and everything needed to make an awsome show.. but best of all... it actually has a plot (unlike some of those new reality shows...). It is about a transgenic girl who escapes from her military holding base.. I totally suggest bying the DVDs, i've already preordered them... i suggest you do to...$LABEL$ 1 +The inspiration for this film was the fact that American Gangsters are well dresses, but the Aussies, well when you might kill a guy as soon as look at the blighter, then you can dress as badly as you want and people won't criticize you.Jimmy is fighter, an illegal boxer, sometimes bouncer and is offered work by Pando, the local gangster boss in the cross (That is, Australia's notorious Kings Cross District, not the Cross of London fame as many a British backpacker finds out the hard way).Due to feelings of love he stuffs up a job, loses a lot of money and has to get it to Pando before Pando and his heavies can kill him.Lots of dark humour, interesting action, revelations about the Australia's underside and human nature. It is very centred in the Australian nature and explores the nature of Australian criminals (versus the American and British ones).One problem is that each of the elements of the story don't have enough substance and depth, but it is a painting with broad strokes that covers a lot of area not covered previously, so as an overall package it is worthwhile.Team it up with "Chopper" and "Dirty Deeds" for your Aussie Crime fest or "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Miller's Crossing" for an International falling short of the criminal gangs fest.By the way, Bryan Brown is a great actor who has just done a huge number of really bad movies. Here is one of his great movies.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say that Grand Canyon is one of the most affecting films I've ever seen. I've watched it several times now and I still feel as I did the first time; that this film, by itself, could make up the entire curriculum of a post-graduate course in film direction. A long time ago film trailers used to promise, "It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry." That's a very trite and shorthand method of describing what Grand Canyon does. It takes you to the best places in human experience and the next moment takes you to the gates of hell. Much of the film is paced to cycle back and forth between people being close to happiness and the same people being close to horror. It's always a short step, too. Just to manage that swing with grace and without making it look false or exaggerated is directorial genius.Spoiler (of sorts) coming up. After getting the audience used to rocking back and forth through the emotional spectrum, the film throws a curve with a sequence that doesn't go from good to bad and back but instead escalates from an ordinary marital spat, through an accidental self-inflicted knife wound that may or may not require stitches, to an earthquake that has the characters run from the house. In the moment of their relief, argument forgotten, cut finger forgotten, the earthquake survived, a neighbor woman calls out that her elderly husband has collapsed. The couple rushes to his aid. I cried when I saw this sequence. I cried every time I saw it. I'm crying now. It isn't sadness that does this to me. It's not a particularly sad sequence. What tears me up is that this few minutes of film was PERFECT. That's PERFECT! Astounding. (end of spoiler)There's so much to say about Grand Canyon. It portrays relatively ordinary people experiencing epiphanies and it lets the viewer experience them vicariously. They aren't showy or overblown and there's no long pause to examine the moment carefully. The film moves on at the pace of life. Even when the characters do try to make sense of what has happened, they are uncertain of what to derive from their experience. Grand Canyon is a very human film.$LABEL$ 1 +CQ is incredibly slow, and I'm a David Mamet fan. The movie follows around a young filmmaker who is making a very Barbarella-esque film. After that the movie started to lose me. Deep and profound? Not really. The movie "Dragonfly" being made in CQ has the problem of having no ending. This greatly parallels CQ, which also lacks an ending (in my opinion).I was lucky enough to catch this movie at the SxSW film festival. I had fairly high expectations having just watched Y Tu Mama Tambien and several other great movies. I was also looking forward to Jason Schwartzman's performance. But it was not an easy film to get into. If you're not into 60's sci-fi or slow movies that go no where, skip it.CQ feels like a student film. If you want a recent sci-fi-esque indie film rent Donnie Darko, it won't put you to sleep.$LABEL$ 0 +Follow-up to 1965's "My Name Is Barbra", and shot in brilliant color, "Color Me Barbra" has La Streisand alternating nostalgia, clowning comedy, feminine romantic angst, and beguiling seriousness for a crazy-quilt hour of show-biz razzle dazzle. She's a cut-up and a femme fatale, a sprite and an enigma. With her Egyptian eye make-up and ever-changing hairstyles, she's also a chameleon. Her voice is rich and moving, even if a few of her songs are not ("One Kiss", "Yesterdays"). The circus sequence isn't as intriguing as the museum trip (with the conceit of Barbra becoming the images in the paintings, an idea which works better than you may think). The circus-medley (built around songs featuring the word "face"!) is girlishly cute without ever really becoming enchanting. Still, this is a lively, jazzy special--not quite as emotionally tantalizing as "My Name Is Barbra", but certainly a sterling sophomore effort.$LABEL$ 1 +hello there; i would just like to say how much i enjoyed your review and comments about that excellent film 'intruder in the dust'. i believe that the points you made were insightful, intelligent and totally valid. it's also a shame that this film is hardly ever shown on TV these days and that it isn't available on DVD region 2 - i live in england. once again, many thanks for your review. the actor juano hernandez was in another brilliant film, 'young man with a horn', which also starred kirk douglas and lauren bacall. that was a very evocative and stylish film with some superb music. i wish that someone with influence could release the entire back catalogues of films like 'johnny belinda', 'i remember mama', and 'the yearling' on DVD region 2, we love these movies in great Britain. i'm not of pensionable age, i'm still reasonably young and my family and i love classic films!!films like these were so beautifully made and they bring back wonderful memories. anyway...! many thanks for your comments!$LABEL$ 1 +If this is the best Commander Hamilton movie, I have no curiosity about the others.A movie actor's greatest tools are his eyes, but when Peter Stormare wants to show great emotion, he closes his, so for five or six seconds we get to admire his eyelids while his feelings remain unknown behind them. Lousy acting technique.Stormare also flinches sometimes when he fires a gun, turning his head away and clamping his eyes shut. Watch carefully. James Bond can rest easy with competition like this.There are some interesting supporting performances from other actors, but not enough to hang a whole movie on. The cinematography is good-looking, doing a fine job of capturing the Nordic cold. Even the Sahara winds up looking cold. Perhaps Hamilton carries his own climate with him.There are some individual good action sequences here. Unfortunately, the only sense of humor on screen belongs to the villain, which turns the hero into a big pill. James Bond's jokes may not be particularly good, but at least he doesn't look constipated all the time.One positive point in the movie's favor is that the psychotic, contorted, vicious hatred of Israel in Guillou's books has been left out. What has been kept in is worship of a noble, heroic PLO, that he shows us functioning in Libya without the dictator Khaddafi's knowledge or supervision. This fantasy is hard to believe, since Khaddafi actually threw the PLO out of Libya for four years at a time. And at the end of the film, Hamilton gives the PLO a very disturbing gift. Where will they use that gift? Hamilton doesn't care.We're a long, long way away from "For Whom the Bell Tolls" here.Commander Hamilton will remain a local phenomenon. While Henning Mankell's books sell well around the world, Jan Guillou will never have the same success.As for this film, bleeeeaaahhhhh.$LABEL$ 0 +Yeah, I know his character was supposed to be a drunk, and he may have been just acting goofy. But something tells this critic that Mr. Pleasence really was drinking a lot and was intoxicated during his scenes in the film. Basically everything he says is slurred and often unintelligible. Or maybe it was just the poor productions values... hard to say.Anyway, The Race for the Yankee Zephyr is a film that just doesn't work. That's a shame, too, since the film has a terrific opening and a generally interesting plot. Ultimitely the production values are just too low and the action just too sparse for this New Zealand adventure to deliver the goods. The story deals with a US war plane which is filled with gold, money, and medals, which crashes into a lake in New Zealand during WWII. The plane remains lost for about forty years or so until it somehow washes ashore and a drunk (Pleasence) literally stumbles onto it. At first he gathers up all the purple heart medals and tries to sell them in town, actually getting $75 apiece for them! Little does he know that once he sells them, the local jeweler gets on the phone and starts trying to track down info about the plane. Before you can blink, all of the attention brings a wealthy scumbag (Peppard) and his henchmen into town and they quickly try to force the old guy to give up the location of the plane since they know there is much more on it than just medals. The old drunk's business partner (Wahl) and his daughter (Warren) then race out to try and claim the fortune before the bad guys can get to it. The resulting action just isn't as fun as you'd hope it would be.The acting is rather awful, save for Pleasence. George Peppard tries to do some kind of (I guess) Austrailian accent, but it is hardly convincing. Lesley Ann Warren isn't too bad, but Ken Wahl is really bad. He's basically doing his best impression of Michael Pare on his worst day. And that's saying something. Hopefully he made enough money on this film to fix his front teeth which looked a bit crooked. I don't recall if he'd had them straightened by the time he was in Wiseguy. The rest of the cast are pretty untalented. Probably mostly locals who never did much else. I guess the biggest problems for me were the lack of action for much of the film, and the lack of danger. The villains are just too nice and goofy to be taken seriously. And honestly, there are NO helicopters in the film that look like the ones on the DVD cover. And none of the boats in the film have teeth painted on them, either.The film does have its strengths, though. The beginning which starts off as a newsreel and then becomes part of the story was a nice touch. Brian May's score sounds a little too much like the one in Mad Max 2, but he included a nice little march they play for Pleasence in some scenes. Sounds just like the one in the Great Escape! There are some neat helicopter stunts and a great boat chase that apparently killed three stunt men during filming. The scenery, despite the grainy look of the picture, is still quite beautiful. The thing you'll remember most is the drunken antics of Donald Pleasence, though. He was almost enough to save this film. Almost. 4 of 10 stars.The Hound.$LABEL$ 0 +'In The Line Of Fire' tells the story of the game between an old presidential bodyguard and a former-government assassin turned psycho. The secret service agent/bodyguard (Eastwood) is on defense and the assassin (Malkovich)is on offense. The stakes? The president's live.I really like this movie...I've seen it numerous times on TV and have recently bought it on DVD. Yet, it's not an excellent movie. The plot is way too thin and the attempts to thicken it are downright ridiculous. The whole love-story isn't very plausible and the way they brought an extra character into the story, just to be able to kill it off is kind of insulting to the more or less intelligent viewer. Though I feel these mistakes can't be forgiven, I can easily look past them to Mr. Malkovich exquisite performance. I've always deemed him to be a great actor but in this movie he's really on fire. There's a reason why he got an Academy Award nomination. Rene Russo and Clint Eastwood were okay, but I don't deem their performance to be memorable. They're never at the best of their abilities.If you don't expect too much, you'll certainly like this movie. It's no masterpiece but John Malkovich is really extraordinary and I don't think anyone can't enjoy his performance. Really worth the watch...$LABEL$ 1 +During the War for Southern Independence, GENERAL SPANKY mobilizes his forces to defend the local women & children against a Yankee invasion.In 1936, Hal Roach decided it was time for his popular OUR GANG kids to branch out into occasional feature-length films. With the big success of Shirley Temple in two Civil War period movies in 1935 (THE LITTLE COLONEL, THE LITTLEST REBEL), it was only natural that Roach would look in that same direction for his GANG. Although given a rather lavish production and distributed by MGM, GENERAL SPANKY was not a critical or box-office success. The little GANGsters would henceforth stick to short subjects.Although he's given top billing & the title role, George ‘Spanky' McFarland is rivaled throughout the film's first half by little Billie ‘Buckwheat' Thomas. Here were two of the finest young actors to ever appear in American movies. With all the experience of old, seasoned pros, these two gamin could steal scenes & hearts with equal bravado. A constant joy, without a false note between them, they provide the essential reason for watching the film today.Phillips Holmes gives a quiet, gentlemanly performance as Spanky's adult protector. Nearly forgotten now, Holmes was a fine actor who died much too soon, during World War Two. Genial Ralph Morgan is especially good as a sympathetic Union general - his scenes with Spanky are quite amusing.Other OUR GANGers appear midpoint into the movie, most notably Carl ‘Alfalfa' Switzer; he gets to warble ‘Just Before The Battle, Mother.' Even pretty Rosina Lawrence (the GANG's schoolmarm) shows up to play Holmes' beloved.Irving Pichel is particularly slimy as a cowardly cardsharp turned vindictive Yankee captain. Bumbling Willie Best & feisty Louise Beavers play Miss Lawrence's slaves.It should be noted that there is racism in the film, not unusual for Hollywood of that era - but almost completely missing in the original series of OUR GANG shorts.Fans of 19th Century music will enjoy paying attention to the soundtrack, which is a long succession of ancient tunes.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was a suprise for me while I was surfing from channel to channel... I don't know why but it filled in me with warmth and happiness. This is what a high budget movie can not do mostly. I liked it, this is "a must see" one...$LABEL$ 1 +Heaven, Mary and all the Saints above! A young man has got super sperm, it's miracle bejesus, call the Pope, all you ladies out their desperate to get preggers, line up out side his door and drop your marks and sparks finest! Risible retro ealing comedy type comedy, trying to bring you a bit of the auld Irish charm. Has an effect like placing two fingers down your own throat, voamitus maximus! One out of ten!$LABEL$ 0 +If you are going to watch this film because Michael Caine or Michael Gambon are in it then don't bother, it's not their typical role although I found Gambon fantastic. Instead watch it for Dylan Moran I am a fan of everything I have seen him in and this is no exception, I didn't even realise he could act but even the characters which he has to pass himself off as I found completely believable, which is impressive considering the audience knows they are fake.The plot is genius and although it is not constant laughs all the way through it has plenty of other charms. A great film for people with a sense of humour.$LABEL$ 1 +i strongly recommend it to anybody who likes good plots, good actors (even if not well known)(often, it's just better that way), science and/or science fiction presented in an intelligent way on the (small) screen, good special effects even if they did not have billions of dollars to produce it... much better than any war in the stars...there was only one comment which was not necessary: talking about the comet, the commentator says that LIFE was maybe brought on earth through a comet... that's fun, there must be always a chance for a magic way, huh?! That's what's great about LIFE, can come anywhere, no need of extern force$LABEL$ 1 +I happened to rent this movie with my sister in hopes of watching a great entertaining movie, that was humorous, however my expectations were let down. This movie was beyond disgusting and revolting for a PG-13 movie, this should have been rated R for the many mature references that went on in this movie. I wouldn't recommend allowing a 13 year old teen see this.Even if no one under the age of 17 is watching this movie, beware of a truly stupid movie, there's no humor in the movie, just a bunch of disgusting sexual references including a small touch of pedophilia, something that shouldn't even be joked about. I would like to know what happened to PG-13 movies, that were actually safe for actual a 13 year old? This is beyond a deplorable movie and should be re-rated.$LABEL$ 0 +With movies like this you know you are going to get the usual jokes concerning ghosts. Eva as a ghost is pretty funny. And the other actors also do a good job. It is the direction and the story that is lacking. That could have been overlooked had the jokes worked better. The problem only is that there aren't many jokes. Sure I laughed a couple of times. Apart from the talking parrot there wasn't an ounce of creativity to be noticed in the movie. I blame the director not using the premise to it's full potential. Eva certainly has the comedic skill to show more but did not get the opportunity to do so. Overall this movie is ideal for a Sunday afternoon. Other than that it can be skipped completely.$LABEL$ 0 +Haunted by a secret, Ben Thomas (Will Smith) looks for redemption by radically transforming the lives of seven people he doesn't know. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him. At least that's what he thinks. But Ben hadn't planned on falling in love with one of these people and she's the one who will end up transforming him. Will Smith is back again with Director Gabriele Muccino, after the life inspiring movie "The Pursuit of Happiness". "Seven Pounds" is yet another life changing movie experience, which not only does reminds you of their previous collaboration, tearful, but inspires you joyfully in the end. Will Smith, also is the producer again with some of the others. These movies are very realistic, which depicts a common man's life & his struggles through life. Seven Pounds might have took some time to gain it's actual momentum, but just after half an hour of the movie, the movie is all set to rule your heart. Also, this movie has some twists revolving around, which lets the viewers keep guessing. Director Gabriele Muccino once again is the winner all the way, with his emotional yet inspiring message. He makes all the characters of the movie very real, that the people would actually find themselves in somewhere of the movie. Along with the director, Will Smith is yet another winner, with his superb acting skills. Once again, the duo of the director & the actor works as a charm. Also, there are other talented actors in the movie who did their part pretty well. Rosario Dawson, beauty with brains, that's what she can be called. She looks beautiful & does her part extremely well. Barry Pepper, gives a great support to the movie & Woody Harrelson does the same, although Woody did not had much screen timing(would have been good if he had more). You won't forget this movie easily. Watch this movie & change your life. Top class cinema!$LABEL$ 1 +Omen IV: The Awakening starts at the 'St. Frances Orphanage' where husband & wife Karen (Faye Grant) & Gene York (Michael Woods) are given a baby girl by Sister Yvonne (Megan Leitch) who they have adopted, they name her Delia. At first things go well but as the years pass & Delia (Asia Vieria) grows up Karen becomes suspicious of her as death & disaster follows her, Karen is convinced that she is evil itself. Karen then finds out that she is pregnant but discovers a sinister plot to use her as a surrogate mother for th next Antichrist & gets a shock when she finds out who Delia's real father was...Originally to be directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard who either quit or was sacked & was replaced by Jorge Montesi who completed the film although why he bothered is anyone's guess as Omen IV: The Awakening is absolutely terrible & a disgrace when compared to it illustrious predecessors. The script by Brian Taggert is hilariously bad, I'm not sure whether this nonsense actually looked good as the written word on a piece of paper but there are so many things wrong with it that I find even that hard to believe. As a serious film Omen IV: The AWakening falls flat on it's face & it really does work better if you look at it as a comedy spoof, I mean the scene towards the end when the Detective comes face-to-face with a bunch of zombie carol singers who are singing an ominous Gothic song has to be seen to be believed & I thought it was absolutely hilarious & ridiculous in equal measure. Then there's the pointless difference between this & the other Omen films in that this time it's a young girl, the question I ask here is why? Seriously, why? There's no reason at all & isn't used to any effect at all anyway. Then of course there's the stupid twist at the end which claims Delia has been keeping her brother's embryo inside herself & that in a sinister conspiracy involving a group of Satan worshippers it has been implanted in Karen so she can give birth to the Antichrist is moronic & comes across as just plain daft. At first it has a certain entertainment value in how bad it is but the unintentional hilarity gives way to complete boredom sooner rather than later.It's obviously impossible to know how much of Omen IV: The Awakening was directed by Girard & Montesi but you can sort of tell all was not well behind the camera as it's a shabby, cheap looking poorly made film which was actually made-for-TV & it shows with the bland, flat & unimaginative cinematography & production design. Then there's the total lack of scares, atmosphere, tension & gore which are the main elements that made the previous Omen films so effective.The budget must have been pretty low & the film looks like it was. The best most stylish thing about Omen IV: The Awakening is the final shot in which the camera rises up in the air as Delia walks away into the distance to reveal a crucifix shaped cross made by two overlapping path's but this is the very last shot before the end credits roll which says just about everything. I have to mention the music which sounds awful, more suited to a comedy & is very inappropriate sounding. The acting is alright at best but as usual the kid annoys.Omen IV: The Awakening is rubbish, it's a totally ridiculous film that tries to be serious & just ends up coming across as stupid. The change of director's probably didn't help either, that's still not a excuse though. The last Omen film to date following the original The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II (1978) & The Final Conflict (1981) all of which are far superior to this.$LABEL$ 0 +Why bother to see this movie? It probably rates an award for being the worst career move of a major movie star since Clark Gable's laughable playing of an Irish patriot in Parnell.It's inconceivable that Bergman would choose both this movie and its director over a lucrative Hollywood career where she could choose among the finest scripts and directors being offered at that time. To begin with, there was no script to work with except a few notes. Then we are supposed to believe the polished Bergman as a poor refugee willing to do anything to be released from a refugee camp, including marriage to a poor Italian fisherman she doesn't even love. I read where Anna Magnani was the original choice for this part. If so, that made a lot more sense than to cast the luminous Bergman in such a proletarian part. But since she was in love with her director, common sense flew out the window.So she goes to live in this poor village where the men must toil to extract a meager living from the sea. A place she obviously hates to be and where she doesn't fit in.Her only friend is the village priest who knows she's not suited to the life of a poor fisherman's bride, but tells her that for the sake of love she must repress her true feelings of revulsion, and accept the poverty and despair she encounters each day. On top of all of this, there's this volcano always on the brink of erupting and drowning them all in hot lava. But like a true heroine, Bergman revolts against her misery by declaring war on just about everyone else in this dreary film. She even goes as far as trying to seduce the village priest, in a scene that would generate laughter if it were not so pathetic. Since her poor slob of a husband must lock her in a room to keep her from running away, she's forced to use her body to bribe a married man to take her off the island. To her, no sacrifice is too great; no man unapproachable if he is willing to help her to escape the island and her misery. I won't bother to tell you how this all ends. The no-script movie ending is as plausible as the rest of STROMBOLI. I even remember (from seeing it on late night TV) that it had two different endings! So be warned if you should feel brave enough to sit through this king-size turkey and catch the miscast Bergman. It led to her downfall in Hollywood for the next seven years and she was condemned for sleeping with her director while still married to Peter Lindstrom. None of the movies she made with this director(whom she later married) are noteworthy except as proof of a career gone berserk. I kid you not. It's pretty embarrassing.- - SoundTrack$LABEL$ 0 +For this review,a list of good points and bad points.I'll start with the bad.Bad points:The casting choices(especially Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg),the acting of said badly chosen cast,the storyline,the idea of setting the film in the modern day,the direction,the editing,the soundtrack,and above all,the whole idea of making a feature film out of a television series that wasn't that great to start with,despite it's popularity.Good points:Jessica Simpson in a red bikini............that's it!One might make an analogy here.In the scene where Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke struts her way up to Michael Weston as Enos,and asks the question,"Enos,where's Boss Hogg and Roscoe?",in his clouded judgment, tells her where they are.She might just as well have asked,"Enos,is this a good movie?",the red bikini would have clouded his judgment into saying yes,even though in his right mind he would have said,"No, not really."As good as she looked in the bikini,she could have been stark naked,and even that would not have saved this horrible piece of film-making.Stay out of Hazzard!$LABEL$ 0 +As is the case with many films of this ilk, my non Catholicism got in the way of my understanding it. The church has this mass of rules which have been put together over centuries. We have a short time to learn them and have to accept them at face value. Then, throw in some bad guys getting revenge for a long distant act against them, working under these rules and attempting to circumvent them, and you have this book and movie. I found myself thinking, "That's pretty cool. Why did they do that?" There's this casual thing in the Robert Langdon character where no matter what the issue, he seems to always make the right first move. I suppose it's like watching CSI where they solve incredibly complex cases in a matter of days. They know the lay of the land. In this film, there is so much land and so little time to really understand everything that is going on. But if you create Robert Langdon, you need to set him to work. That's OK because heroic nerds like him have been saving the day forever. I thought the film was fun. I thought the Da Vinci Code was fun too. Interesting and not as bad as people seemed to think. This is a marvel to look at and never stops for a second.$LABEL$ 1 +Lance Henriksen got paid something to appear in this. I hope it was a lot.Former US National Champion gymnast, Kristie Phillips starts as Charlie Case, a gymnast-turn-secret-agent (because it's very common that munchkin gymnasts become government spies...)There's a truly hysterical opening scene where Charlie's uneven bars routine is sabotaged by an eastern-bloc competitor. What follows is one of the most ridiculous stunt scenes I've ever witnessed....and they want you to take it seriously! Don't worry...she sticks her dismount.Everything after that is just a messy, dreck of a spy movie. Watch the first fifteen minutes for the campy-gymnastics stuff, then run for cover.$LABEL$ 0 +It didn't feel like a movie, and was thankfully short (under 90minutes), it felt more like a commercial of possibilties in computer graphics: Most of the special effects are great, to be sure. But that cerainly don't a great or even a good movie make. Not saying it's absolutely worthless viewing, since it's possible to see what are the possibilities in CGI or GCI, or what ever it's called.As I read somewhere, "You can't fix it in the cutting room", a bad story and non-directed actors, can't be fixed in the cutting room or even with the most magnificent special effects! Things can be improved in the cutting room if they have a real director and material to work from.However they thought this could be sold in USA is anyones idea, since USA is the crooks.And isn't it sooo typical of low budget stories, they have to create an imaginative country south of Mexico??Well Well I gace it 2! Just because of the special effects, the rest is absolute trash!$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, let me say that this is not the movie for people looking to watch something spirited and joyous for the holidays. This movie is cold, brutal, and just downright depressing. Mary Steenburgen plays a grinchy mom who is down on Christmas because her husband has lost his job, they are losing their house, can't buy Christmas presents for the kids, etc. You get the idea, happy stuff for the holidays. So along comes Harry Dean Stanton as Gideon the Christmas angel, who in his dark hat and long overcoat comes off more like a pedophile who hangs around children all day observing them. What better way to instill the spirit of Christmas in Mary Steenburgen than to kill off her family and then offer to bring them back if she believes in Christmas again. Santa Claus is a blackmailer and his Christmas workshop looks more like a haven for refugee Nazis on the lam. The movie lays everything on so thick that you don't care about the happy ending when it comes because the rest of the movie is so bitter and unbelievable. I'm sure this film wanted to be something Capra-like, but it left out the joy and sentiment on what a holiday film should be.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie with very low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. This movie is extremely good stuff. And one would never guess it was low budget.EIGHTEEN, directed by 'Richard Bell' centers around an 18 year old named Pip, played by the superb 'Paul Anthony' who leaves his home because of the circumstances surrounding the way his older brother died. He is overcome with guilt by this event and falls into a hard life of a runaway teen on drugs and alcohol. On his 18th birthday, his father tracks Pip down and gives him a tape left for him by his grandfather, of which he was to listen to on his 18th birthday.The way the whole film is told is with two simultaneous stories unfolding at the same time. The present life of Pip and the past life of his grandfather during WW11 of which Pip listens to on the tape.The three outstanding performances in this movie are the ones from 'Paul Anthony' as Pip and 'Brenden Fletcher' playing Jason, the young 18 year WW11 soldier, his grandfather. Also, the role of the WW11 wounded medic 'Macauley' played by 'Mark Hildreth.' All putting in fine performances.A couple of concerns and scenes that didn't sit too well with me...the priest, Father Chris played by 'Alan Cumming' who is gay and in broad daylight pick's up the local street hustler the whole neighborhood knows about. And then we have the local store clerk named Jeff, a sweetheart played by the attractive 'David Beaszely' who just wants to be loved, and for some unknown reason is attracted to the very unattractive and sleaze ball street hustler, Clerk, who sleeps with just about anyone and in all likelihood is a walking toxic time bomb. On top of all that he's not a very likable person. This part just didn't ring true.The parts I really like the most was the flashbacks to the War. They were so well acted and very touching. There is a scene at the end where the one soldier is dying and the other soldier, 'Jason' is there for him to comfort and show him love as he lays badly injured and dying. This is such a wonderful and touching scene it left me in tears. Beautifully acted.I highly recommend this movie. It is one of love, redemption and the power of the human spirit to survive.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, so I don't watch too many horror movies - and the reason is films like 'Dark Remains'. I caught this on (a surprisingly feature-filled) DVD and it scared me silly. In fact the only extra I think the DVD was missing was a pair of new pants.However, the next day I was telling someone about it when I realised I'd only really seen about 10% of it. The rest of the time I'd been watching the pizza on my coffee table - nervous that my girlfriend would catch me if I actually covered my eyes. The few times I DID brave watching the screen I jumped so hard that I decided not to look up again.The film-making is solid and the characters' situation was really compelling. The simplicity of the film is what really captured my jump-button - it's merely a woodland, a cabin and a disused jail - and a LOT of darkness. Most surprising to me was the fact that while this was clearly not a multi-million dollar production, the make-up effects really looked like it was! Also, it's obvious this is a film made by someone with a great love of film-making. The sound design and the music really made use of my surround system like many Hollywood movies have never done. I noticed on-line that this film won the LA Shriekfest - a really major achievement, and I guess that the festival had seen the filmmakers' clear talent - and probably a great deal more of this movie than I managed to.Turn up the sound, turn off the lights, and, if you want to keep your girlfriend - order a pizza.$LABEL$ 1 +I collect films on Super-8, and managed to snag a full length print of this one last week on E-bay. It looks like at least for the moment, this is the only way to see this film in a country having NTSC video. I have seen it available on Region 2 DVD many times, but never Region 1. I just finished watching it a few minutes ago and I am amazed by it. It's a powerful testament to freedom and finding your own place in the world. The photography and music were wonderful, and I really felt empathy for some of the characters.I kind of like the idea that I was probably the only one in the USA watching "When the North Wind Blows" tonight! Long Live Avakum!!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm sorry, ELO fans, but I was disappointed with this concert at the CBS Television City in Los Angeles. It's decent music-wise, but the presentation is simply boring - big-time. Most of the songs sound the same and lead singer-writer Jeff Lynne is about as animated as a store mannequin. He has a pleasant voice, but he isn't much to watch. He just stands in one spot and sings for an hour and 40 minutes. The songs all sound like 1970s-1980s bubblegum stuff: pleasant but not exciting.Lynn is accompanied by a very pretty woman, Rosie Vela, but she isn't too animated, either. The only song - out of 23 - that creates any excitement is the last one: "Roll Over Beethoven." Now if only some of the other 22 songs had that excitement to them, this could have been a much better concert DVD.$LABEL$ 0 +I though this would be an okay movie, since i like zombies and horror movies in general. But i did not think it would be such a piece of sh!t like it was. The only zombie in the movie is at the beginning and he gets ran over by a god damn car!!! The movie looks to be written by a porn director and filled by porn actors, i wouldn't ever call them actors! The costumes seems to be stolen from a local school play. Its seems like a road movie with almost no monsters. There is no fun at all in this piece of sh!t, only horror, but not in the way the director intended. I would rather be raped by a pedophile than see this movie ever again!!! ugh!$LABEL$ 0 +A film to divide its viewers. Just criticism points at its funereal pace, over-used snap zooms and persistent, lingering gazes between the protagonists. Advocates point to Dirk Bogarde's mighty performance and Pasqualino De Santis' benchmark photography of Venice.Taken altogether, this might suggest an indulgent, romanticised elegy for the nobility of homosexual love (at a time, 1971, when it was becoming consensually legal). In fact Visconti has succeeded in making a richer, more complex film than such a single-issue vehicle. He has knit his ideas - foibles and all - into a meticulously paced arc.Inside this does indeed sit the central performance of Bogarde's Aschenbach. Rather than a simpering, Johnny-come-lately gay, he manages to give a pathetic composer beaten by tragedy and misunderstood integrity who sees salvation in Tadzio. His mesmerised staggering around an increasingly hellish Venice after the boy is a straight metaphor for the artist's tenacity for truth in the teeth of the dilettante mob (and it is explicitly cut with such a flashback).Mahler's music is possibly a little over-used although it is well appropriated. The Italian overdub is a wearing anachronism but thankfully the acting doesn't suffer too much. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +To bad for this fine film that it had to be released the same year as Braveheart. Though it is a very different kind of film, the conflict between Scottish commoners and English nobility is front and center here as well. Roughly 400 years had passed between the time Braveheart took place and Rob Roy was set, but some things never seemed to change. Scottland is still run by English nobles, and the highlanders never can seem to catch a break when dealing with them. Rob Roy is handsomely done, but not the grand epic that Braveheart was. There are no large-scale battles, and the conflict here is more between individuals. And helpfully so not all Englishmen are portrayed as evil this time. Rob Roy is simply a film about those with honor, and those who are truly evil.Liam Neeson plays the title character Rob Roy MacGregor. He is the leader of the MacGregor clan and his basic function is to tend to and protect the cattle of the local nobleman of record known as the Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt). Things look pretty rough for the MacGregor clan as winter is approaching, and there seems to be a lack of food for everyone. Rob Roy puts together a plan to borrow 1000 pounds from the Marquis and purchase some cattle of his own. He would then sell them off for a higher price and use the money to improve the general well-being of his community. Sounds fair enough, doesn't it? Problems arise when two cronies of the Marquis steal the money for themselves. One of them, known as Archibald Cunningham, is perhaps the most evil character ever put on film. Played wonderfully by Tim Roth, this man is a penniless would-be noble who has been sent to live with the Marquis by his mother. This man is disgustingly effeminate, rude, heartless, and very dangerous with a sword. He fathers a child with a hand maiden and refuses to own up to the responsibility. He rapes Macgregor's wife and burns him out of his home. This guy is truly as rotten as movie characters come. Along with another crony of the Marquis (Brian Cox) Cunningham steals the money and uses it to settle his own debts. Though it is painfully obvious to most people what happened, the Marquis still holds MacGregor to the debt. This sets up conflict that will take many lives and challenge the strengths of a man simply fighting to hold on to his dignity.Spoilers ahead!!!!!Luckily for the MacGregor's, a Duke who is no friend to the Marquis sets up a final duel between Rob Roy and Cunningham to resolve the conflict one and for all. This sword fight has been considered by many to be one of the best ever filmed. Cunningham is thought by many to be a sure winner with his speed and grace. And for most of the fight, it looks like these attributes will win out. Just when it looks like Rob Roy is finished, he turns the tables in a shockingly grotesque manner. The first time you see what happens, you will probably be as shocked as Cunningham! Rob Roy is beautifully filmed, wonderfully acted, and perfectly paced. The score is quite memorable, too. The casting choices seem to have worked out as Jessica Lange, who might seem to be out of her element, actually turns in one of the strongest performances as Mary MacGregor. The film is violent, but there isn't too much gore. It is a lusty picture full of deviant behavior, however. The nobility are largely played as being amoral and sleazy. The film has no obvious flaws, thus it gets 10 of 10 stars.The Hound.$LABEL$ 1 +Now, i hired this movie because Brad Dourif was in it. He is an excellent actor, BRILLIANT in everything...except this movie. And i think that was only because he realized how stupid this movie was, and didn't bother with a good performance. This movie is a unintentional-comedy. Some of the lines just crack me up. And them there are some lines that make no sense, and it seems like Tobe Hooper just throw lines in without thinking about the plot. Oh! BTW the plot is BAD! But it one of those films that is TAHT BAD that its actually PAINFUL to watch. I recommend this only for BIG Brad Dourif fans, or fans of any of the other actors, because the plot is pathetic.$LABEL$ 0 +After the mysterious death of an old friend,a group of teenagers find themselves in the possession of Stay Alive,a horror survival video game based on the gruesome story of Erzebet Bathory known as The Blood Countess.The group begins to play the grisly game and soon they are murdered one by one in the same method as the character they played in the game.As the line between the game world and the reality disappears,our heroes must find a way to defeat vicious Blood Countess. "Stay Alive" is an incredibly poor teen slasher flick without any iota of suspense.Writer-director William Brent Bell doesn't have the damn clue how to make a watchable horror movie.The jump scares are irritating,the blood/gore level is almost non-existent and the story doesn't make sense.The dialogue is utterly bad and the acting of all involved is embarrassing."Stay Alive" is easily one of the worst mainstream horror flicks of 2006.Stay away from this stinking turd.$LABEL$ 0 +I bought Jack-O a number of months ago at a Blockbuster video sale, and at the time I wasn't expecting anything outstanding from it. Upon watching it, I realized I not only got less than I could have ever bargained for, but a whole lot more as well. It seems, strange, I know. And it is. But it's perfectly fitting when you consider that the utter weirdness that is "Jack-O"The movie follows a young boy named Shawn Kelly. Somehow, thru ancestral ties, he is marked for death at the hands of a demented, scythe wielding Pumpkin man. This pumpkin man was killed by Shawn's Great-grandfather-uncle-cousin-etc, and now that the villain has been resurrected, Shawn's death is apparently crucial to his hell-bred mission of vengeance. Anyway, much "horror" ensues as Jack-O hacks his way thru various neighbors before battling Shawn to the finish.I'm not so much here to discuss the plot as I am to determine who may find any worth in this movie. I can honestly tell you that Jack-O is one of the most poorly made movies in the history of time. The acting is deadpan (except when it should be), the script is apparently a 1st grade group project, and the production budget must not have exceeded $150. Some of the most laughable death scenes are carried out in this anti-thriller, and they're all the more humorous when you realize director Steve Latshaw actually seems serious in his movie-making.And yet I heartily enjoyed the film. I can call it a terrible horror movie, yes. But I can also say I had a great time watching it with my friends, and have watched it several times since that fateful first viewing. Many people (including some of my friends) will find this movie intolerable and needlessly time-consuming, and that's understandable. If you're like me and enjoy ridiculously bad horror movies that take themselves seriously, you'll find Jack-O an instant classic, which is also understandable.That's why it's so hard to rate this movie. If I were rating Jack-O's quality as a film, I wouldn't give it anything. In fact, the studio would owe me stars. Yet if I were rating it's on the basis of pure enjoyment, I'd give it an 8 or a 9. I'll give it a 4, so to be somewhere in the middle. I recommend everyone go out, rent this, and form their own conclusion.$LABEL$ 0 +My 10-year-old daughter, Alexandra, writes:I thought it was very boring, and I thought it was just a repeat of stuff from "101 Dalmatians." I couldn't wait for the movie to end. The best part was the credits at the beginning - they were cute and well done. The rest of the film is not worth watching. Thank you.$LABEL$ 0 +It's as if the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters had been reincarnated in Rutger Hauer's body and is taking revenge upon a rival's pregnant wife! If seeing an obese Hauer chase a very pregnant Isabel Glaser (imagine the spine-tingling thrills in that contest) sounds good to you, see this film! Seriously, if Hauer is what an Iraqi POW looks like after six years in prison, then hungry people everywhere should make a bee line to a jail in Baghdad. Overall "Tactical Assault" rates 2 stars instead of 1 because Mike Mitchell as Hawk is terrific. Mitchell burns up the screen as a NATO pilot until his plane is burned up itself (by an enemy missle), whereupon the film loses what little verve it had to begin with.$LABEL$ 0 +Kazuo Komizu strikes again with "Entrails of a Beautiful Woman", the sequel to "Entrails of a Virgin". This time around the story is based around a psychologist (Megumi Ozawa) who decides to take on the Yakuza to avenge the suicide of a doped-up and raped patient that winds up on her doorstep one day. When she gets over her head and the Yakuza capture her, she learns their insidious plat of doping up girls and selling them into slavery. It apparently ends badly when she overdoses from the cocaine. But she soon melds with another body to be disposed of to become…dum, dum, dum – "Super Slime Hermaphrodite Zord"! This he, she = it makes mince meat out of the yakuza and saves the day…not really.Well it is better than "Entrails of a Virgin", but not by much. Most of the film (a whopping 67 minutes) consists of rape and sex with fogging and the usual ho-hum stuff. Almost towards the end we finally get our gore groove on with a few cool sequence (like an Alien-inspired penis-monster through the stomach scene and a gooey asphyxiation) but it still suffers from a hyper low budget feel that makes it fun but can't elevate it from z-grade soft horror-core fare.$LABEL$ 1 +After all the hype I had heard about the Jane Austin novel and different film versions of the book I found myself very disappointed with the movie. I had expected a classic drama but that was not the case. First of all let me preface my review with the fact that I love old movies, particularly mysteries and dramas, but not female oriented movies. This probably makes a huge difference, so take my review with a large grain of salt. I thought the acting was a bit over the top, but that is very common in movies of this era. June Allyson was good as Jo but I found every sister to be stereotypical and form driven. There were no surprises or overly dramatic moments. I hate writing negative reviews, but the movie left me very cold. It has always been my intention to read the book, but after this that seem unlikely. The only warming story line was between the old gentlemen and the youngest sister, that was a very welcome bright spot in an otherwise disappointing viewing experience. Again there are others who love this movie, I'm just not one of them.$LABEL$ 0 +Roy Anderssons "Du Levande" is not totally original as it is counter piece to Anderssons previous movie "Sånger från andra våningen". Still the movie has aura of total originality. Some conventions of movie making are still thrown away: most of the actors look nothing like what you would expect in movie and the shots take long time. Most of the time camera doesn't move but people move around it. The shots start from somewhere and many times the scenery builds up in amazing proportions. W.G. Sebald comes to mind in literature with same technique. Because of the time invested in every shot the suspension is really high in many of the scenes. There is a story and isn't - it is left for viewer to build up in his or her own mind. This movie is positive. It is determined not to see this all in negative way and at the same time will not pass the social injustices. One of the messages I got from it was that maybe all failures and accidents are not fatal after all. Great movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Just another example of why Stepehn King's books should not be made into movies. (Even Carrie, one of the best, is ruined in the adaptation from book to screen.) The premise of the story revolves around a fat lawyer, always on a diet, who "accidentally" kills an old gypsy woman. In court, with the help of the judge and the local police chief, he gets off, even though the accident was sort of his fault as he was not paying attention as he was driving. The father of the dead gypsy woman places a curse on the 3, with our main character, Billy (the lawyer) getting thinner and thinner by the day. Though the movie kept with the book, for the most part, and has your typical King ending, the acting was stilted and felt forced. We went from one scene to the next without much of anything in between, sort of like reading acts in a play. King himself made a cameo in the movie (sort of like Dave Barry), which reinforces my belief that authors should stay just that: authors. Leave the acting to actors. Not that anyone in this movie was that great. I've seen the major characters in movies where they were much better.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this movie when I was in elementary school, back in the 1960s. I was fascinated with the character played by Ingrid Bergman and it was my introduction to the French Quarter of New Orleans. The first part of the movie is the best as she comes back to exact some revenge on her father's wife and daughter (her mother had been driven out in disgrace). During this time she meets the wonderful Clint Maroon, played by Gary Cooper. The chemistry between the two is great. The second half of the movie takes place in Saratoga, NY (the Saratoga of the title) and I never enjoy it as much as the New Orleans setting but it's still very good. I give this movie a ten - partly out of nostalgia but mostly because it's just a darn good movie and the characters besides those of Bergman and Cooper are equally wonderful (Flora Robson comes close to stealing the scenes from Bergman). It used to be shown on TV periodically but it's shown rarely if ever - it would be a good one for one of the classic movie stations to pick up and put into their programming cycles.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a strange kind of film about a low-lifes in New York City and centering around a main character (the title name, played by Brad Pitt) who thinks he''s a Ricky Nelson-type musician, except he has no real talent. It's kind of fun to watch until a profane tough New York City-type woman with horrible accent enters the picture and takes over. That ruined the film for me. It must have been Catherine Keener, who usually plays tough and garbage-mouthed women. The hairdo on Pitt - an exaggerated Pompadour - was fun to look at. I can picture Johnny Depp playing this role better. One last note: it odd to hear a film made in 1992 (other than Woody Allen's) with just mono sound.$LABEL$ 0 +I wasn't really going to comment, but then I figured I had something to say. I saw this film two days ago and, although I think it's not a complete waste of time (it might have been of money though, for the producers), it's obvious it has serious problems. It's got really good cinematography and (little but) nice music. A lot has been said about Ana Cristina Oliveira but, let's be honest, over what? She is not really an actress an she balances permanently between over-acting and preposterous under-acting. Her performance passes for good because there has never been anyone like Odete in any other film: crazy? sad? childlike? an impostor? no one knows, fellows. So she's kinda sorta dictating the rules here.I thought this film was also a good example of the problem most Portuguese films suffer from: soundtrack. There is a permanent NO to dubbing and the result is this usual mass of noise that comes out of the blue. People in other countries may think Portugal is the noisiest of places. What thrilled me though, was that some of the dialog was dubbed but it didn't necessarily solve the syndrome. Bad dubbing too, I must say. It's strange to watch a film in which the first thing that strikes my mind on the first scene, when the first character speaks is: it's dubbed. And all this to say that the film has technical problems.It also has script problems. It tries to be classical from the first to the last scene. There was a desperate fear of leaving things suspended and that shows. The writer was obviously trying to get everything straight and he does but... it shows!! All dialog is too expositive and there isn't one single piece of talk that sounds like a line from a film. It's all a little raw and slightly unpleasant.Not that the film is a total mess, I must stress. I just think the good parts are so obvious that I prefer to concentrate on the bad ones.Direction brings little to the weak screenplay. All shots are classical and un-innovative, but their beautiful. Great work from Rui Poças, by the way.Now, what I think was THE problem, the one that keeps people from believing this story and laugh throughout the film instead of taking it seriously: The guy who plays the guy who DIES is obviously not an actor. Actually, It's a rather important role and I can't see why non-actors are cast for such parts. This guy is neither an actor nor a good-looking man. Which means the whole film rolls down the mountain, since we never believe for one second that this gorgeous woman is obsessed with him even though he's gone, and that his hunky lover who survives is actually having a bad time getting over the loss, when all we see of this character is apathy. Too bad. The world is full of beautiful people who even happen to be nice seductive lovers. The world is full of good actors who are also cute boys and capable of causing obsessions on people after they's gone. The world is full of great films and also of not that great films. C'est la vie!$LABEL$ 0 +[ as a new resolution for this year 2005, i decide to write a comment for each movie I saw in theater (10%) or in DVD (90%). I must admit that DVD have revolutionized this habit. For instance, i can hear the true voice of the cast, which is an essential trait of the personality. In my country, non french movies are dubbed and we end up with aberrations: french voice is terrible, very far away of its original tone ! the same voice for different people or a same people with different voices !!!! And well, if everybody found my comments unuseful, well, in 2006, I will stop my reviews... Ah,AH.... So, enjoy them now !!!! ]My summary means that the story, locations, cast is not very enjoyable...Only....Sandra bullock is there.. She is a talented actress, able to get the viewer to catch on the movie....It reminds of a feminine "the fugitive".... So if you look for a moment of escaping your life, watching this movie makes it worse because Sandra's life is a mess....She got nothing left to hold on to, only her poor mother (Who is Alzheimer ill: again the touch for depression)....In fact, she has a sad life in the beginning of the movie, has a sadder life throughout it, to finally get back to it at the end.... what a happy ending !!!!maybe the writers wanted to make a point about a nerd's life....very far away from the best computer movie of all time: *WARGAMES*$LABEL$ 0 +Remarkable, disturbing film about the true-life, senseless, brutal murder of a small-town family, along with the aftermath, and examination of the lives of the killers, Dick Hickok and Perry Smith.No matter how much time goes by, or how dated this film may look, it still resonates the utter incomprehensibility of criminal acts such as this.This really traces multiple tragedies: The tragedy, brutality and senselessness of the murder of the Clutter family, a decent farm family in small-town Holcomb, Kansas; and the wasted, brutal and sad lives of Hickok and Smith.An interesting point is made in the film: that neither of these two immature, scared, petty criminals would have ever contemplated going through with something like this alone. But, together, they created a dangerous, murderous collective personality; one that fed the needs and pathology of each of them. They push each other along a road of "proving" something to each other. That they were man enough to do it, to carry it out; neither wants to be seen as too cowardly to complete their big "score"; an unfortunate and dangerous residue of the desolate lives they led. These were two grown-up children, who live in a criminal's world of not backing down from dares; who constantly need to prove manhood and toughness. in this instance, these needs carried right through to the murder of the Clutters.The film contains a somewhat sentimentalized look at the Clutter family, but the point is made. These were respected, law-abiding, small-town people, who didn't deserve this terrifying fate. The movie also gives us a sense of the young lives of Hickok and Smith. Perry Smith, whose early life was filled with security and love, but watched in horror as alcohol took his family down a tragic path. Hickok, poor and left pretty much to his own devices, not able to see how he fit in, using his intelligence and charm to con everyone he came into contact with.An interesting, and maybe the first, look at capital punishment, and what ends we hope to achieve. Is this nothing more than revenge killing for a murder that rocked a nation at a time when we had not yet had to fully face that there might be such predators among us, or does putting these guys at the end of a rope truly provide a deterent to the childish and brutal posturing of men like these? Is it possible to deter men who live lives of deceit, operating under the radar, believing they fool everyone they come into contact with? To be deterred, you must believe it's possible you will be caught. Is it possible to deter these men who believe they are too clever to be caught?; who have committed hundreds of petty crimes, and got away with them? This was supposed to be a "cinch", "no witnesses".When caught, Hickok finds he can't charm and con the agents the way he had department store clerks. Smith, who believes he deserves such a fate anyway, who seemed to be the only one who truly grasped the gravity of what they had done, willingly tells the story when he learns that Hickok has cowardly caved in. Hickok blinked first. A silly game of chicken between two immature, emotionally damaged, dangerous men.Fascinating psychological thriller, telling a story of a horrendous crime in this nation's history. Stunning portrayals by Robert Blake and Scott Wilson. These roles made their careers.$LABEL$ 1 +Saw this used DVD cheap, and got it for a chuckle. I had recently also found "The Octagon" on DVD and bought that one to reminisce, having seen it in the theatre as a pre-teen, and loving it at the time. The problem now with "going back" to these American karate films, is that I've since then seen so many Hong Kong and Thai action films, in which the fight scenes are long, fast and jaw-dropping. I'm thinking particularly of fights like Jackie and Benny "The Jet" at the end of "Dragons Forever", or Tony Jaa's circular-stairwell fight from "The Protector". The Hollywood kung-fu offerings are just not "filmed right", and even make someone of certified skill, such as Chuck, look awkward at times. And what's worse than a fight going into slow motion? Then you know it looked crappy at normal speed, so they slowed it down for effect. It really highlights how ridiculous an opponent looks as they stand and just WAIT to get kicked in the chest.Poor Chuck, he just has no intensity in this film, nor does he project any righteous menace. Compare that to his former co-star Bruce Lee, who had charm and attitude to burn. When Bruce would square off against some opponent(s) you could nearly see the air around him crackling with what was about to happen. In "Breaker, Breaker" Chuck seemed to accidentally be kicking people, with complete nonchalance. When the judge comes to see him in jail, and sentence him to death, Chuck is staring off with a sad look, and I thought "OK...he's doing that 'third eye' focus thing and is going to grab the judge by the throat and get out of this", but he does nothing except look up with a doe-eyed stare. Terrible. And while the DVD case gives you hope, listing a run time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, it's actually 1 hour, 25 minutes, so there's 20 more minutes of viewing pain. For great fight action, go watch Jackie Chan in the first "Police Story"....the fight in the shopping mall at the end is pure gold......$LABEL$ 0 +Small SPOILERS alert !!!Good movie...VERY good movie. And I'm surprised to say that myself, because I'm not a big fan of vampires and the sound of the director's name Deran Serafian usually means bad news. Most of his films are below average action movies like Death Warrant and Gunmen. This was one of his first films and maybe he should have continued making horror movies instead of action. This movie really fascinated me. Good accomplishment, seeing no famous actors or big budget was involved. It really is the story that keeps you focused. Especially fans of the original Dracula myth will be satisfied. Sarafian lights up another aspect of the famous Bram Stoker story and remains rather loyal and true to the truth. It explains the life of the Roemenian Count Dracula and how he scared the Turkish army away by spearing dead corpses in front of his castle. Of course, that's where the reality and the "based on a true story" stops. The blood drinking and stuff all was invented by Bram Stoker.In this movie, the count ( Vlad Teppish) emigrates to the USA and seduces tons of woman. And they're all pretty girls, I'll give him that. Overall, good acting by unknown faces, enough blood and gore to satisfy the more morbid horror fans and an interesting storyline. This film is really unknown and it was hidden on the darkest shelf at my local videostore. But it certainly is worth cleaning up the dust on the cover and put it in the VCR. Heck, it's a lot better than the famous Nicole Kidman movie with the same title. These two films have nothing else in common, but I blame that movie for stealing the attention away from this nice little picture. Check it out...my humble opinion on To Die For = 8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +I have to say that this film was excellently produced and tops the ratings as a typical sci fi film! I enjoyed it.. its a sci fi film, if you want a thriller watch another channel.. This is what the scifi lovers want. Excellently produced by one of Sci-fi's best producers Scot Vandiver ! OK the special effects weren't excellent, but what a great cast! Some more money could have been used for effects but then again what sci fi has high budgeted effects. Stop complaining and change the channel if you don't like these type of films.. Films like Mission Impossible and Braveheart are great but these aren't Sci fi films.. Sci fi produces excellent films like Sabretooth , Alien Hunters etc .. Well done .. keep them churning out!$LABEL$ 1 +What can I say? I'm a secret fan of 'over the top' action and horror films. Especially when it comes with a lot of lots of humour and innuendo, but I'm not a fan of Snake on a Plane.There are three potential draws to this film: • The comedy of the situation; • The horror; and • The novelty of hundreds of snakes being of a plane. Firstly, this film isn't written as a tongue-in-cheek horror or a comedy, and there are only 1 or 2 points in the film where you'll smile to yourself. If you want to get the feel of the film, the trailer genuinely represents the movie, a horror.Secondly, if you're expecting a film full of action and shocks, you won't be disappointed. It doesn't stand out above other movies, but it always keeps your attention.Thirdly, Although the novelty of Snakes of a Plane doesn't wear off, but you'll leave the cinema thinking "what was all the fuss about".I know this movie has a high rating, but it doesn't add up. A) Many of the reviews where written before the film was released and, B) The breakdown of user ratings has a lot less variation than normal 77% of people rating the movie 10/10, with only 7% of people giving it 9/10 - Why such an enormous gap?$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely unwatchable, lowest quality film making. This film makes "Show Girls" look good. The acting is insufferable. The cinematography gives a bad name to amateurism. No wonder it went right to video and bypassed the theaters. This film wasn't released...it escaped.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a little film with a big heart. Excellent acting throughout and directed with love. If you missed it in theatres (and who didn't?), catch it with someone you love. Frankly, I cried! And I'm a guy, for cryin' out loud!$LABEL$ 1 +The show is average. It doesn't make me laugh particularly. However, I think Courtney really brings it down. She doesn't look natural. She has these three ways to talk, all robotic. She talks quietly (with no intonation), she talks normally (with no intonation), or she does that thing where she starts talking normally, and starts yelling gradually. However, her yelling is like "let's pretend I'm yelling because I shouldn't be too loud on the set". She is constantly aware of herself being this cute actress doing this funny thing. It's annoying. You can't really get her personality, because she doesn't really produce emotion, and doesn't get upset. She has this husband, who's doing all these stupid things, and there is no reaction from her. Very dry and plain acting.$LABEL$ 0 +If you have trouble dreaming you may give this movie a low rating. But you just have to realize this movie was not made to please everyone,just people with a sense of humor.For those people the movie is great! It plays on old Science fiction movies and radio shows long gone, most of witch where B-rated themselves. Along the lines of Spaceballs and Airplane 2, you may need to stretch your imagination a little bit to get the jokes, but it is well worth it.$LABEL$ 1 +Along with South Pacific, Guys and Dolls is for grown-ups - - it is sassy, sexy, and full of men being men and women being strung along.There is an energy and drive that makes this stand out from the pack - the strength of Jean Simmond's performance, and the charm of a young Brando, and an already masterful Sinatra add much to the overall feel and look of the piece.Guys and Dolls wins as it is unashamedly what it is: an MGM musical.Still good to look at and listen too with great tunes and dance numbers - it will remain one of the classics of 20th Century cinema and be watched with pleasure for years to come.Warmly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +An art house maven's dream. Overrated, overpraised, overdone; a pretentious melange that not only did not deserve Best Picture of 1951 on its own merits, it was dwarfed by the competition from the start. Place in the Sun, Detective Story, Streetcar Named Desire, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man; you name it, if it came out in '51, it's better than this arthouse crapola. The closing ballet is claptrap for the intellectual crowd, out of place and in the wrong movie. Few actors in their time were less capable (at acting) or less charismatic than Kelly and Caron. My #12 Worst of '51 (I saw 201 movies), and among the 5 worst Best Picture Oscar winners.$LABEL$ 0 +Exciting, action-packed, and interesting film telling the tale of a group of men stationed at a naval base in Italy and their adventures aboard a Navy submarine during WWI. Tommy and Brick (played by Robert Montgomery and Robert Young) are two pals, and make for a couple of very handsome officers, I must say. A new Captain arrives on-board, already known by a few as "Dead Pan" Toler (Walter Huston) and he's a real stickler for following the rule book and a "code of honor". Soon Tommy and Brick are chasing after an attractive blonde at an officer's dance, Tommy insults the Captain - and, of course, the blonde is actually the Captain's daughter. But Tommy wins out anyway as he and the daughter sneak away from the dance to a street carnival outside, and soon bond during an air raid - unfortunately for him, she reveals she is married. Later Tommy gets himself into some real trouble when he disobeys orders in an effort save his buddy.This film is quite entertaining with an absorbing plot line that held my interest and top-notch performances by all. A climactic death scene featuring Sterling Holloway is haunting indeed - the most memorable scene in this film, I thought. Eugene Palette and Jimmy Durante add some humor here playing a couple of goofballs - Durante's character is actually studying to be a dentist via mail-order and continually has onshore run-ins with a British man who makes fun of his nose. Okay - if you're looking for a movie showing a man boxing a kangaroo, this would be the one.$LABEL$ 1 +Those individuals familiar with Asian cinema, as a whole, are aware that Japan is renowned, or notorious, for it's hyper-violent films and Korea is now garnering a reputation for viciously brutal films. Dog Bites Dog, while not necessarily getting as hyper-violent as the craziest Miike film, nor is it as unapologetically brutal as some Koreas more ambitious efforts, it is a perfect in between with its own brand of brutality all it's own. The greatest strength this film has though, like the greatest of the Japanese or Korean efforts, is that the brutality, rather than detracting from the film, actually develops the characters, if not, pushing the story forward. The two main characters are both incredibly vicious individuals with their own motivations and emotional underpinning for being as such. Sam Lee's character, for instance, is on the edge from the very start and slowly and surely, amidst various encounters with Chang's character, it is revealed why he is. Without spoiling this part of the story too much, it involves the morally ambiguous nature of his father. Chang's character, on the other hand, has his most primal instincts honed to, if not perfection, brutal efficiency. Surprisingly, Chang's story arch, while not necessarily revealing a more human side, actually reveals a side to our animal nature which many forget about which is the natural ability to recognize a fellow broken animal (and no I am not talking about Sam Lee, rather Pei Pei's garbage dump girl character). Ultimately however, for the first 80 minutes or so, it is a, more or less, straight forward cat and mouse, or Dog chase Dog, film in which every encounter ends in at least one death (seriously, once Sam Lee and Chang Square off, some one will die) and the fun part of movie is you never know who hands will commit the act. Which brings us to the film's one weakness. Unforunatley to delve into it would be yet another spoiler but, to put it simply, it is guilty of pushing one of the main points of the film since, rather then letting the point be made as is 80 minutes into the film, the film goes on for another 20 minutes or so to further emphasize it. Don't get me wrong, if transitioned better from the 80 minute mark to the climax and if the final act wasn't filled with sweet music (in fact if it, like the majority of the film, kept the music to the barest minimum and let the disturbing sound effects do their job), it still could have worked and not detract from the film. As it is though, despite the third act having the most vicious and bloody of the encounters, the way it was handled made it feel tacked on, and almost, insults the viewers intelligence since it felt it had to go this far to get it across. Nevertheless, it is still a breath of fresh air from Hong Kong cinema since even the most bloody of the martial arts films never reaches the level of viciousness and brutality while keeping the the character archs in tact.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was featured on a very early episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but when I see this film, I don't think about that wonderful TV series. I believe this was a surprisingly good early 40's horror flick, with very surprisingly good sound and picture for a 67 year old public domain horror movie. I actually enjoyed watching Bela Lugosi and his bizarre staff, including his wife who requires fluid from the glands of young would-be brides, an old hag, and her two bizarre sons, one a giant idiot, the other a comical dwarf(Angelo Rossitto from 1932's Freaks). I also enjoyed the plucky young female reporter, who is kind of a stereotype, but still fun to watch. My only problem with this otherwise decent film is it's plot, even ridiculous and unbelievable for a movie. I don't want to spoil any of this film, so go out and rent it, or, better yet, buy it for a couple of bucks.$LABEL$ 1 +People don't seem to be giving Lensman enough credit where its due. A few issues have been overlooked which are key to understanding the Lensman experience.The Year: For the year it was made in (1984) Lensman features some of the most stunning effects I've ever seen. As a person who watches a lot of early 80's animation Lensman is unique in it's use of what appears to be computer-generated imagery at a time when computers were extremely primitive. Kim's battle against the geometric cutter pods in the laser maze can be taken as an excellent example of this. Every time I watch that I have to keep repeating to myself that it was 1984 when it was made.The Soundtrack: Lensman has one of the most insane soundtracks that I've heard, and this mad hysterical beat permeates every corner of the film. Lensman borrowed heavily on two western mistakes and managed to somewhat deal with the first one - the need to fill in every second of silence in a film with music and the need for a heroine. While the music is attuned well and galvanizes scenes such as the motorcycle battle in the Thionite Factory on Radelyx, the heroine theme fails due to the sheer annoyance value of Chris. It's interesting to note that the constant music thwarted my attempts at noise removal when I was archiving lensman over from analog tape to digital format - since there wasn't a single second of silence available to use as a reference point.Western Influences: Helmut - sounds like "helmet" and has roughly the same voice as Darth Vader. Clarissa Fairborn - has the same hairstyle as the princess of SW and her name sounds suspiciously similar to Marissa Fairborn of Transformers. Takes over Han Solos role by flying the ship and having some technical expertise. Buzzkirk - a definite improvement on Chewbaka. The lens - a nice concrete copy of the force that comes across less as a chance to preach Christianity at the audience than in the original SW. While the force relied on belief far more than concentration, the lens is a pure concentration tool. Theoretically, anyone could wield the lens. The lens is far more limited than the Force - being purely a defensive/offensive weapon.Technology: The boskone alliance have interesting meatball sponge ships. They look like stormtroopers only with red uniforms instead of white. The idea of a DNA weapon was nice if only it had been developed. The Galactic Alliance looked like Starblazers (or whatever it was called - that 60's series where they were battling the Xylons). There weren't enough ship to ship battles for me - this is much improved upon in the second Lensman film.Finally a note on Worzel. This character is a unique and very interesting character-design who fortunately continues on to the second film.$LABEL$ 1 +To be honest, I didn't like that much this movie when I saw it for the first time. But I guess the trouble is that I haven't seen it in a theater. Big Mistake ! Because the #1 thing to see in Cliffhanger is the settings and #2 is the cinematography. Try to see this movie on the largest TV possible and a great sound system. The music is good and puts the movie to a higher level (and a commercial potential). The more I see it, the more I like it.It's definitely one of Renny Harlin's best movie. THis guy knows about action. Die Hard 2, The long kiss good bye, etc. And it's particularly good in this movie. The special effect are great and spectacular. Stallone really needed that movie get back with success. Still good to see him !$LABEL$ 1 +I guess this is in the public domain as its out on DVD. First off, this is a feel good propaganda movie to be shown to a wartime Aussie audience, so its not to be considered a serious retelling of Tobruk. The first half to 3/4 is very dry stuff set in Australia, I guess like many American war films where the recruits are getting together, oh man its soooo long. Than we get to Africa and Tobruk, pretty bad, low budget stuff. The battle scenes on the DVD copy I watched were almost completely black. See it if you must, but be prepared to use the fast forward as I doubt you can take it after a few minutes. I enjoyed the cheesy Italian "Battle of El Alamien" a whole lot more, also Richard Burton did an African theater war flick that was good "The Desert Rats", this movie is just a real period piece and should have stayed in that time, does not hold up well today (I doubt it was highly regarded back then either). I say the same thing about my American counterpart war flicks so don't take it personally Aussies (I love Australia, been there twice!).$LABEL$ 0 +Even when I saw this movie at a teenager, I wondered just how ironic it was that Pia Zadora starred in a movie about an artist who slept her way to the top. As beautiful and sexy as Ms. Zadora is, even she couldn't keep this sorry-ass excuse of a movie from tanking. Not even her photoshoot for Penthouse, in which "The Lonely Lady" was promoted "back in the day," could keep this movie from tanking. The only thing that could have saved this movie? A completely different script. Give this one a miss.$LABEL$ 0 +I probably have to blame myself…but I sure as hell expected more from a movie that goes by the title "Black Dragons" and revolves on secret WWII conspiracies, Nazi plastic surgeons and revenge. This film is a dull failure with an incomprehensible structure. The actual plot (which basically is rather ingenious and intriguing) only becomes clear during an explication near the end, but the problem is that you stop caring a long time before. We see how horror icon Bela Lugosi infiltrates in a society of prominent American politicians and kills them one by one. The story is timed right before WWII and – especially after witnessing the ending – it surely is a premise with lots of potential, so it's quite a shame it isn't elaborated more proper. There is however one great dialogue that I can't resist sharing! Man towards woman: "Do you want to marry me?" "Why?" "So I can beat you up…it's the only way you'll leave this place!" It's the only highlight in an overall very boring movie. Bela Lugosi is lovely – as usual – but his spooky performance alone is hardly worth purchasing this film. If you're interested in seeing other ghoulish performances of his (in movies with decent screenplays), check out "Invisible Ghost", "The Corpse Vanishes", "White Zombie" and of course the 1931 Dracula version.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was probably the worst movie I have ever seen. Here are the things that immediately jump out at me: 1. The woods were more like hills in Los Angeles with a couple trees and brush. Not scary whatsoever. News flash, if you are filming in the Southern California area, big bear is only an hour away. They actually have trees there.2. The writing was absolutely without a doubt the worst dialogue I have ever experienced. Every possible line in the movie was unoriginal, cliché, or just plain stupid. For instance the name of the camp is "camp blood" (lame), the name of the clown is "the killer clown" (lame). What is a clown doing in a forest anyway? Was that the only mask they could find? 3. The last but certainly the least was the acting. Absolutely the worst group of actors and actresses ever assembled. A virtual cornucopia of shitty lines and poor acting. Worst part by far was when then randomly flash back to this fat foreign girl getting naked for a a photograph. It's a really long scene and I guess she was supposed to be sexy, but she was NOT. Also, and this was one of the few enjoyable parts of the movie for me, was this tool who is supposed to be "athletic." For instance when he is bored in the movie he grabs a couple rocks and starts doing curls with them. Then later on he is supposed to be running for the clown and it is immediately clear with his very "girl like" run, that he is quite far from athletic. Oh and to the girl who played Kat, good Lord stop singing. That song you sang for the credits makes me want to kill myself.If for some reason you do see this movie, I would at least recommend watching the special features. The group of jackasses who made this film talk about it as if it is this really original story. In fact one of the girls actually says that she let some of her friends read the screenplay and none of them could predict the ending. Apparently she hangs out with special kids.$LABEL$ 0 +"Prime Suspect 4" continues the exploits of the inscrutable and dogged seeker of truth and justice, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison; the first of three miniseries (PS4, PS5, & PS6) with the notable absence of founding writer Lynda La Plante from the credits. Imbued with the same gritty reality of the first three series, the second three series pit Tennison against the forces of evil while coping with middle age, loneliness, indiscretions, a host of personal and professional problems, and resolutions which are sometimes less than ideal. PS4 conjures two stories while PS5 & PS6 are single episodes each which find Tennison seeking justice on behalf of the brutally wronged while waging war against institutions which are willing to sacrifice the interests of her victims for those of a greater good. In other words, to prevail, Tennison must overcome both evil and good forces, something which makes the always gray scenarios of the PS series yet grayer and the Tennison wars as much a matter of principle as of finding murderers. Very good stuff which only gets better from series to series. (B+)$LABEL$ 1 +Yaitate!! Japan is a really fun show and I really like it! It was shown in our country just recently in Hero TV and ABS-CBN every 5:30. It is about Azuma Kazuma who is trying to fulfill his dream to make Japanese bread that will represent his country. He is working in the Southern Toyo branch of Pantasia and he is also helping his friend (Tsukino Azusagawa) along with other bakers (like Kawachi Kyousuke and Kanmuri Shigeru) to beat St. Pierre and take control of Pantasia. They fight other skillful bakers from many other countries and not only learn to make different kinds of bread but also learn to cook other food. It is a really funny and unique anime because they also mimic characters from other anime(like Naruto, Detective Conan and One Piece)and famous people from real life. It is one of the best works of Takashi Haschiguchi and is really a must-see for people of different ages.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes.A real stinker. I saw this movie on the advice of my "sweet" friends who told me that this is a great "psychological" movie. This film makes every effort not to be understandable. I was aware that I was in for a stinker after seeing the first 20 minutes.I waited since I expected to see something valuable, and most important of all, I PAID for this film. The wait was unbearable. After seeing the film, I talked with my friends and learned that in the intellectual environments ( They call themselves under this title ) of Turkey this "movie" had recognised as a masterpiece. Yes, a masterpiece, but in the category of stinkers.I think that a movie must be self-explanatory. This film is just the opposite. Keep away from this thing which calls itself a "movie". Burn your money instead of paying for this "phenomenon". Rate: 1 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +This was a good film with a powerful message of love and redemption. I loved the transformation of the brother and the repercussions of the horrible disease on the family. Well-acted and well-directed. If there were any flaws, I'd have to say that the story showed the typical suburban family and their difficulties again. What about all people of all cultural backgrounds? I would love to see a movie where all of these cultures are shown - like in real life. Nevertheless, the film soared in terms of its values and its understanding of the how a disease can bring someone closer to his or her maker. Loved the film and it brought tears to my eyes$LABEL$ 1 +Panned by critics at the time but loved by the fans, this film has now become a classic. Mixing supposedly 'surreal' footage shot at John Lennon's home among other places with live footage of Marc Bolan & T.Rex at their very best, this film is not just a must for everyone who's liked Marc Bolan but gives a fascinating insight into the era.These were the times when Marc was hobnobbing with the likes of Ringo Starr of the Beatles [who directed it] and you can even find a brief spot from one Reg Dwight [Elton John to you] bashing the ivories in an amazing [and never officially released] version of Tutti Frutti and rocking and ballad versions of Children Of The Revolution.There's also wonderful scenes featuring Chelita Secunda [said to have 'created glam rock' with her use of glitter etc], Mickey Finn and even the actor from Catweazle!!The best scene for me is in the garden when Marc leaves the dining table, sits down cross-legged in front of a string section and knocks out acoustic versions of classics such as Get It On and The Slider.Highly, highly recommended!! FIVE stars [out of five].Rory$LABEL$ 1 +After reading the original play I thought it would have been much more difficult to adapt to screen than it turned out to be. Donal McCann puts in a once-off great performance as Public Gar, the repressed antagonist who is manifested openly on screen by his extroverted (but unseen to others) alterego- Private Gar. Eamonn Kelly also plays an excellent "screwballs" whose inability to communicate his feelings is matched only by Gar.Definitely worth renting out if you can find it. (Probably unavailable outside Ireland & UK)$LABEL$ 1 +If we really want to get serious and find Osama Bin Laden, then we should take this stinker down to Gitmo and force the detainees to watch it. They'll be singing within minutes. Of course, I'm sure that making them watch this god-awful dreck violates the Geneva Convention in several ways. Look, my 5 year old daughter isn't allowed to watch TV at home. So take her to her grandparents or cousins and she's a little TV zombie. She got up and walked away after about ten minutes. That's how bad this is. You know, when the person responsible for this garbage was a young writer, I bet he or she had dreams of the great American novel. Now they have to look in the mirror every morning with the realization that they wrote what is possibly the worst hour of television in the history of the medium.And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us...$LABEL$ 0 +Ed (coincidentally an editor) is hired to cut horror films down to be favorable in Europe (where standards are much more rigorous). But he finds the films very mind-destroying and starts going a little bit mad. Okay, "a little bit" might be an understatement.Let me just say this first of all: best. opening. scene. ever. A man in an office who blows up his head with a grenade. His boss then says -- with a straight face -- "you're fired". The entire film does not keep up this level of intensity, but it certainly tries.Take the shotgun scenes, the decapitation, the clips from "Lost Limbs" (which my friend Jason wishes were a real film). The writer of this film thought up the idea of a woman who gets raped by a beaver and then immediately after gets shot in the face with a bazooka. That is something you won't find in any other movie (at least, I'm pretty doubtful you will).This film's biggest flaw is the quality. The picture isn't as crisp as a 1997 film should be, and the sound could be touched up (though it's not bad). I thought I was watching a 1980s film. Although, that gave it a bit of a boost in my mind -- the film also had the 1980s style of writing and directing in it: a sense of fun and giving the audience a little something extra over the top. I do miss those days.I wish I had more to say, though at the moment I cannot think of anything strong enough to praise this film. I do think you ought to see this. You've seen the box in your video store with the ax splitting the head... maybe you've passed it up a few times. Maybe you thought it would be cheesy. Pick it up. Savor it.$LABEL$ 1 +This episode has just aired in the UK.What a disappointment. The heavy-handed touches of humour were ill-judged, childish and detracted from what could have been a pretty good storyline. I cannot believe that Jerry Bruckheimer allowed this episode to take place. I have seen every previous episode of this show, and even the episode where Jack played his own older self was way ahead of this episode. The lesbian kiss was pathetic sensationalism.There was also no continuity from the previous episode. There was nothing in the storyline investigating Martin's dangerous behaviour or possible drug addiction. There was similarly nothing explicitly written about Jack's burgeoning relationship with Ann. Usually Without A Trace is pretty good at this sort of continuity.The next episode needs to be a considerable improvement.$LABEL$ 0 +I think it unfortunate that the leading comments on this movie include the words "Clueless and appalling nonsense." I think it is a very funny movie and excellent entertainment. One has to suspend one's disbelief that a homosexual man and a lesbian woman could fall in love, have a child and live together happily ever after. But it is always wonderful to see it played out in a movie and have one's heart warmed. Is it so impossible? There are far more implausible events described in other movies. The acting is good, the script is funny. The only negative comment is that the story could well have ended when the family drives away from its initial house instead of extending on to explore whether the man retains any residual homosexuality.$LABEL$ 1 +Looking for something shocking? Okay fine... the imagery is that. That's about it. This film attempts to make deep connections with the audience through various symbolism and just ends up being annoying. I am not quite sure if the director's purpose was to truly portray some sort of deep message to his audience, or if he just sought to shock the hell out of them with gore, sex and violence. I am thinking that it was probably the first...but in the failed attempt..it simply ended up to be a piece of artsy garbage with lots of blood, some obnoxious characters, and an over reliance on religious symbolism. If you're looking for some independent film to critique for its attempted use of metaphor...have at it. If you are looking for a gore flick that will make you queasy and uncomfortable... here you go... If you are looking for a film that will irritate you to no end because you realize that in the end, the message was stupid...the movie was stupid... and you will never get those minutes of your life back..this is surely the film for you!$LABEL$ 0 +Valentine is a horrible movie. This is what I thought of it:Acting: Very bad. Katherine Heigl can not act. The other's weren't much better.Story: The story was okay, but it could have been more developed. This movie had the potential to be a great movie, but it failed.Music: Yes, some of the music was pretty cool.Originality: Not very original. The name `Paige Prescott' Recognize Prescott?Bottom Line: Don't see Valentine. It's a really stupid movie.1/10$LABEL$ 0 +Alexander Nevsky (1938) is a brilliant piece of cinematic propaganda. The people of Russia are threatened by two major enemies, the Mongols and the Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire. In ordered to unite the warring, rival Princes in the Russian Realm, Nevsky takes charge and fights the lesser of two evils (The Teutonics). This influential film was copied many times over and it still holds up to this day. The soundtrack by composer Prokiev and Eisentstein's direction are a sight and sound to behold Many years later, John Milius used many of the movies scenes, set pieces and costumes from this film and incorporated them into Conan.One of my favorite lines from Conan was taken from this movie. "It's not the strength of the iron in a weapon but the strength of the person that wields it is what matters." The comparisons are unmistakable. The armor that James Earl Jones and the Leader of the Teutonic Knights wear are virtually identical. A true tribute paid from one director to another.I give Alexander Nevsky one of my highest recommendations. The movie plays like the final Act of Richard III. The presence of Prince Alexander on the screen is truly amazing.$LABEL$ 1 +In one instant when it seemed to be getting interesting, it never got there.The people are going from one point to another point, with really no point (if there was one it was very dull). There was no action, suspense or any horror and the characters were pretty heartless, so there was no caring what happened to them.All together the movie was pretty boring.I give it a 3/10.I like that it wasn't shaky choppy camera-work and if there was music it didn't annoy me like some really bad movies and the acting was not horrendous.$LABEL$ 0 +Once upon a time there was a director by the name of James. He brought us wonderfully, thrilling science-fiction such as Terminator and Aliens. These movies were the stuff blockbusters were made of and he looked to have a fantastic future ahead of him as the dawn of computer generated special effects landed upon the film industry. Terminator 2 showed gave us glimpses of what was possible in this new era........and then it happened...................1997........countless awards..........obscene amounts of money............outlandish barrage of advertising............maximum profit margin........Titanic was here!I have never (ever) been one to jump on the bandwagon and be overly critical for the sake of it, in fact I have often taken the opposite stance from the majority just to get an argument going. Titanic however was a film I only took one single positive out of - that of Kate Winslett being absolutely gorgeous throughout!Quickly - the dialogue was like something out of Beverly Hills 90210, the acting was more wooden than my nephew's tree house, images meant to terrify were actually comical (man falling from ship and hitting propeller), historically false (don't even get me started because there's too much), it had dire theme music (up there with the bodyguard for cheese) and the pointless love story was so tedious, self absorbing and pathetic that it disrespected the plight of everyone else involved (I was glad when he died and disappointed when she did not).It was plainly obvious from the word go that this picture was designed to appeal to MTV watching, bubblegum chewing, boy-with-car chasing, teenage girls (DeCaprio himself resembled something less heroic than the weedy member of a boy band) who would drag their sex-starved boyfriends out for a three and a half hour chick-flick hoping to get lucky later! The worst aspect was that it did not stop at that point. Millions of dumbed down, culture vultures went to see this expensive waste of celluloid because "it cost so much to produce it must be great" and "Steve and Barbara said it was good and they know their movies". The crowning glory arrived when Titanic swept the boards at the Academy Awards. King James of Hollywood had a serious moment of silence for the victims of the fatal evening on which his three and a half hour farce was based. It looked to me as if he was praying for forgiveness after making a fortune off inaccurately portraying the circumstances that lead to the death of a lot of people. However, if people are stupid and sentimental enough to buy into this kind of rubbish they deserve to get ripped off. Good luck to Hollywood if that is how they want to make money, I'd do it if I had those kind of chances in life!It is right up there on my all time worst movies list with other silly, historically false/human interest tripe like "The Patriot" and "Pearl Harbor".$LABEL$ 0 +Bart The Genius Whilst not the first Simpsons episode, Bart he Genius more or less is the first typical episode. There's no gimmickry or theme it's just your typical Simpsons episode in set-up. It always seems to me that it's an episode that grows on you. There are certain elements I don't care for, largely the blotchy animation which can be forgiven. But over time I take a liking to this story of it's uniqueness.For example, it'd be very hard for a live-action sit-com on a standard budget to do this episode due to the various different sets that show in this episode, the computer bays in Ms. Melon's class, the opera and so on. My point is with that, The Simpsons realises one of the biggest strengths in animation. The sheer lack of visual limitations when compared to live-action.On a writing stand-point it's also highly intelligent and fresh. The concept is pretty unique, and particularly the problems faced. Instead of the ol' fail-safe that work was too hard, it was simply Bart's social isolation from his classmates that failed him (although the exploding science experiment may prove otherwise...which I also think is one of the best visual gags of the series.) The ending seems a little unoriginal, largely because the Bart running naked into his room to avoid Homer was already done in the shorts, but still funny for Marge and Lisa's short back-and-forth if for nothing else.Ultimately it's a very good episode, with lots of interesting new point in the series, though not exactly perfect.Oh, and the now iconic name Kwijybo was of course unleashed onto the world.$LABEL$ 1 +Tyra & the rest of the modeling world needs to know that real women like myself and my daughter don't care to see all the ridiculous modeling to sell something. Weird locations, too much makeup & too much skin is not necessary. Sex does not always sell when you are selling to women. The same goes for the horse stomping runway walk that looks unnatural. People come in all shapes & sizes & they need to have that on the show. My daughter has a 36" inseam, is tall & slender & a size 5, I am more average at a size 12. We would like to see both- I can not picture how something would look on me when a size 2 is wearing it, it will not fit the same way on me. I do not buy magazines anymore because they are one sided on this matter. We would really love the show to consider women of all sizes. Thank you.$LABEL$ 0 +This is your only spoiler warning. What a sad state of our cinema when unprofessional junk like this is considered "Oscar worthy".I divide material into three levels. The first is the stage theatre. Here the viewer is stagnant and the power rests in the presentation of the actor and, most importantly, in the power of the writer. A good playwright is better than a good screenwriter because he or she knows the ways of words better. The best playwrights know how to create imagery that the barren stage cannot show.The second level is film. In this medium, a weaker writer can be used, but the viewer is not sitting in one spot the entire time. With film, the context can take the qualities of visual poetry and meaning in addition to strong writing. Furthermore, film can manipulate everday elements like sound and color in ways that are almost surreal.The final level is literature. In this context, everything is imagined by the author, translated onto paper, and then re-imagined by the reader. Far more detail can go into a novel than is conceivable for a film studio.This is why adaptations can go up, but never down. Novelizations are never better than the base film (see the dime-per-dozen ones at your local book store), whereas the film cannot convey the same power as the original book (Catch-22 and LotR). Movies can rarely be made into plays and plays can always be made into movies.As for 'The Last Picture Show', it fails. It is a film that should stick to the stage because the director is too stupid to shoot anything right. The characters talk the same and act the same, it's pure futility. Add to that an obnoxious soundtrack and you have an entirely unwatchable film.I saw this in my high school drama class with about 20 other wannabe thespians. The instructor raved about how sad the movie was. What is sad is how such stagnant work is considered depressing when the material itself is hilarious. Had this been in color the scenes of impotence, the pool party, and the old hooker would be considered great comedy. Look what Lucas did with 'American Graffiti' a few years later.The American secondary education system needs to start teaching ABOUT film rather than trying to teach WITH film. Two visually powerful downbeat films: Apocalypse Now and Barry Lyndon. Rely on them, not this. It's the 'Last' I want to see of it. 1 out of 5.$LABEL$ 0 +Carla is a secretary who is essentially deaf without her hearing aids. When she finds herself overloaded at work, she is able to hire Paul to help her out. Paul is just out of jail, and his past is not entirely behind him. To say too much more about the story, which has many twists, would be a mistake.The most interesting thing about this film for me is how sound is used to indicate when Carla can hear and when she can't -- a sort of "point of hear" (like point of view). The early scenes that set this up, as well as the early character development of Carla and Paul, was more interesting to me than the twists and turns later on, some of which were hard to follow and/or stretched credibility a bit. There is also some unpleasant violence. Back to the positive side, the cinematography was very good.The film is worth seeing, but perhaps not seeking out. Seen at the San Francisco International Film Festival on 4/28/2002.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I saw that yesterday and It was much better than the other making-off from VH1, too bad than this one it's pretty outdated but you get to see all the staff who makes south park, very interesting stuff.It's also funny than this documentary portrays Trey and Matt like selfish greedy snobs creators who doesn't work and spend all the time having fun or relaxing (which is kinda ironic because they work pretty hard on the show).It also shows all the animation process to make a south park episode, interview with the actors who brings character's voices and much more.If you're a fan of south park I highly recommend you this.$LABEL$ 1 +some people think that the second series was where scooby was ruined..i disagree totally.the shows quality did not go up or down and scrappy ,win my opinion,as a very good chrecter.i looked at a poll on jumpedtheshark.com and 72% of people said scrappys second series was scoobys downfall.OK so loads said yes but 28%still cant be wrong.I do like the way most of the episodes focused on comedy.i believe the show would have gone rubbish if it was the same 5 people/dog solving mystery in same formula.scrappy was a breath of fresh air to the show.sure,some people tuned out but when scrappy was introduced viewing figures DOUBLED.Back to the show.All the episodes and segments were very funny.i was Intriguded by the yabba shorts and .But at the end of the day its a matter of opinion if you like scrappy or not is a matter of opinion,there is certainly no fact involved.But in my OPINION this was a superb series that gave a beginning to tire show a new formula and lease of life.Nuff said.$LABEL$ 1 +Reading all of the comments Are very exciting. but can someone please tell me the name of the real artist that painted the pictures for the good times broadcast. I realize that everyone refers to j.j. as the artist in the family but, there was a real family that has the real artist, and he hasn't gotten any credit in this sight yet. So if you don't mind if someone can tell the name of the real artist I would also like to tell him "job well done". I know this Sight is for the GOOD TIMES cast but, wouldn't you agree that he has also touched the hearts of us all. I would like to know if he still paints or, if he is still alive. I would like to have some of his work displayed in my home.$LABEL$ 1 +In one of the better movies of the year, Tom Hanks stars as Congressman Charlie Wilson in this sardonically funny and extremely relevant (given reasonably current events) historical comedy-drama surrounding the 1980s Afghan/Soviet fiasco. The Soviets were attacking Afghanistan killing hundreds of people. Why should anyone care? People are dying, right? No, the reason the United States got involved through Charlie Wilson was because the Afghans, in fear they would get blown to sh_t, started illegally coming into Pakistan which in turn p_ssed Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq off. Charlie Wilson in an effort to fix this situation teamed up with the sixth richest woman and religious fanatic in Texas, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and a amusing and robust American spy for the CIA, Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to help supply Afghans with high-tech weapons to destroy Soviet fight air-craft that would try and attack their land.Although certainly not a serious Oscar contender for Best Picture, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is probably one of the best of the many political films of the year. Academy Award Winner Mike Nichols provides solid directing as to be expected while Emmy Award Winner Aaron Sorkin (Sport's Night, The West Wing) provides a remarkable screenplay that near-flawlessly balances comedy and drama. The acting is great for the most part as well. Tom Hanks delivers his best and most enjoyable performance since his 2000 Oscar-nominated turn as a FedEx worker stranded on a tropical island in 'Cast Away'. Hanks takes a slimy character like Wilson and with his trademark charm turns him into a likable guy. Amy Adams and Ned Beatty are reliable as always, but the real stand-out performance of the film is from Philip Seymour Hoffman. Arguably the finest actor working in the film industry today, Hoffman takes a small supporting role and upstages everyone around him. From his first scene where he's screaming at his boss before violently breaking his window, Hoffman sucks you in. The only disappointing cast member is unsurprisingly overrated Hollywood starlet Julia Roberts. Hamming her way through yet another movie, Roberts' overbearing and over-the-top portrayal of a rich Texas oil woman hits all the wrong notes and is at most times flat-out annoying. At 97 minutes, the movie is short and sweet, and that isn't to say it doesn't drag at some points but when it does drag it's for a very brief amount of time.In conclusion, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is not a perfect film by any means, but it's certainly worth a look. Grade: B+$LABEL$ 1 +If you make it through the opening credits, this may be your type of movie. From the first screen image of a woman holding her hands up to her face with white sheets blowing in the background one recalls a pretentious perfume commercial. It's all downhill from there.The lead actress is basically a block of wood who uses her computer to reach into the past, and reconstruct the memories of photographs, to talk history's overlooked genius, Ada, who conceived the first computer language in the 1800s.The low budget graphics would be forgivable if they were interesting, or even somewhat integral to the script.Poor Tilda Swinton is wasted.$LABEL$ 0 +Am I the only one to notice that the "realism" of the 19th century ship is erroneous. Actually it's a 15th century, right around 1620 if memory serves me, because the "realistic" ship in the movie is the Mayflower, now as far as I know the Mayflower NEVER went to Australia or even attempted a voyage to Australia. I don't know who handled R&D for this film, but using the Mayflower and hoping that no one will notice is a poor job indeed.They even printed it on the cover art and the DVD. I wonder how may other people noticed this little blunder? Not to mention that the movie itself was just plain awful, I would have expected better from Sam Neill.$LABEL$ 0 +Timberlake's performance almost made attack the screen. It wasn't all bad, I just think the reporters role was wrong for him.LL Cool J played the typical rapper role, toughest,baddest guy around. I don't think the cracked a smile in the whole movie, not even when proposed to his girlfriend.Morgan Freeman pretty much carried the whole movie. He was has some funny scenes which are the high point of the movie.Kevin Spacey wasn't good or bad he was just "there".Overall it's a Dull movie. bad plot. a lot of bad acting or wrong roles for actors.$LABEL$ 0 +*THIS COMMENT WILL PROBABLY HAVE SPOILERS!! I CHECKED THE SPOILERS BOX JUST IN CASE BUT IT MIGHT NOT HAVE SPOILERS, BUT BE AWARE ANYWAYS IF I SAY SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER A SPOILER AND I DON'T!* Wow...best game since Super Mario 64. I got this game the first day it came out, and before I got it, I went on some gaming websites to look at its ratings (yes, they already reviewed it before it came out), and I was shocked. I was expecting something like Sunshine because lately all the Mario games have kind of been getting worse and worse. But this one totally beat the other games. The scores on this game even beat Halo 3! It's simply amazing.STORY: Not the best, Mario games are never known for their plots, and this one isn't really much of a difference. Bowser once again kidnaps Peach but this time invades the Mushroom Kingdom on a festival celebrated once every century and gets a flying saucer and it shoots lasers on the ground and then they put anchors inside the ground and rip off the castle and its foundation into outer space.GRAPHICS: Absolutely gorgeous, the best graphics on Wii so far. The water effects are really nice too, if you ever see the water, it looks so real because the effects they put in it.MUSIC: Simply amazing, the music in this game is orchestrated. Not all of it, but even the ones that aren't orchestrated still sound very nice.GAMEPLAY: Very entertaining, keeps you wanting to play more and more, and for me, since usually I tend to be very frustrated with games if I die a lot, I mean, I'm definitely not the only one, but this game for me didn't have that a lot. Now it still kind of did, but not to the point like Mario 64 where I totally go crazy and end up turning off the game because it made me mad, this one never did that.DIFFICULTY: There are two types of difficulty, because you can just technically beat the game with just 60 stars, which I think is kind of easy, but to beat the game 100%, you have to get 120, like always, and that quest is way harder, but at the same time still very fun.LENGTH: Good length, definitely not too short. It took me around 15-16 hours to beat it with just 60 stars, but 120 took me more like 45-50 hours. Now I didn't play it constantly that much, I played first a lot one day, then the next couple of days just a couple hours each day, then the next two days I played it all day. To me though, I think the quest for 60 stars was a tiny bit short, so if you want a long game, I suggest getting all of them.PRESENTATION: Now, the cinematic scenes in this movie are superb. The way they are, it just looks so much like something I would see in the theaters. They are hands down the best cinematic scenes on any Mario game so far.OVERALL: This game is definitely a great game, and I advise you to not wait until Christmas, get it as soon as possible. This game also is a good mixture of old and new, you'll have some sidescroller levels where you move just side to side, or up and down because they'll change on gravity, but even the music has some old classics in it. So this game seems to be like a masterpiece. To me, it's my favorite Mario game of all time, but others may disagree. But it's still a great game. I recommend every gamer who wants to have fun in a game to get this.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is a waste of time. Though it has actors who have the potential to do something decent, the acting in the movie is sub-par, and has a cliché point. "You never know what's going to happen tomorrow, so live your life to the fullest and do what makes you happy." That sentence saves you from wasting hours of your life on this movie. People who like this movie are the same people who would enjoy sitting for two hours before finding that the entire movie was a dream sequence. If the most important part of the movie isn't even going to happen, at least make it enjoyable to watch and captivating. There's a reason this project didn't make a theatrical release, and though indy films can turn out very good, this one does not even come close.$LABEL$ 0 +Eight teen convicts are brought to the abandoned Blackwell Hotel to clean it out as community service. They soon discover that it's the residence of a hulking psychopath (Kane) who has a thing for pulling out and collecting eyeballs. It doesn't help that the guard watching over them (Steven Vidler) has had a previous run-in with the beast four years earlier. A guilty pleasure of mine are slasher films. Most of them are poorly directed and acted but they still hold some appeal and entertainment value. See No Evil is a good example of this. It features atrocious writing and acting but the death scenes are pretty good and the movie proves to be entertaining. The premise sounds like a mixture between Friday the 13th, Saw 2 and Halloween: Resurrection. I really liked the idea but it didn't work out too well. It was really just a bunch of clichés and everything was predictable. Screenwriter Dan Madigan just focused on the death scenes and nothing else apparently. The death scenes themselves are pretty good and gruesome. Director Gregory Dark did a good job with them and he came up with some creative kills. The acting is pretty bland and unremarkable. This is because all of the characters are one dimensional and we don't know much about them. It was hard to feel for these people because they were pretty unlikable. Kane is surprisingly mediocre. I was expecting his on screen presence to be scarier but he didn't do that good of a job. A second rate Jason Voorhees, if you will. The rest of the actors are relatively unknown and this film will probably neither help nor hurt their careers. While the death scenes are gory, they aren't necessary scary. There's really no suspense just some gory death scenes. Because of this, the movie doesn't hold much of a repeat value. Also, if you don't like slasher films then don't waste your time with this one. It will do little to change your opinion. In the end, See No Evil is a decent slasher film but it is generic and forgettable so it's not exactly worth watching. Rating 6/10$LABEL$ 0 +I love this movie because every single element of it is nothing less than excellent. I will quickly praise a few of them. Peter O'Toole gives us one of his great performances as he becomes the definitive Mr. Chips. Petula Clark, has a beautiful voice and is perfect as Katharine. The director was able to bring the story to the screen in a fresh new way. Combine that with the fantastic and creative cinematography, editing, writing, etc., and you have a film that shows the fine quality of its production. I can't praise the well-planned camera work enough, it moves us up and around, zooming in and out, giving us the best views of, and letting the locations become part of the scene. Petula Clark's last song 'YOU AND I' is just 3 beautifully composed long takes, and in this era of 2 second takes, I can appreciate the extra care that everyone involved had to give to get those long scenes perfect. The music is great, and the songs move the story along just as they should. Leslie Bricusse is one of my favorite composers. Listen to these songs, how could anyone not like them? This is a very romantic story between two people nearing middle age that find each other, bring out the best in each other, and it lasts till the end of their lives. Excellent production values, acting, camera work, and music, make this movie well worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Add to the list of caricatures: a Southern preacher and "congregation," a torch singer (Sophie Tucker?), a dancing chorus, and The Mills Brothers -- it only makes it worse.Contemptible burlesques of "Negro" performers, who themselves often appear in films to be parodying themselves and their race. Though the "Negro comedy" may have been accepted in its day, it's extremely offensive today, and I doubt that it was ever funny. Though I wouldn't have been offended, I don't think that I'd have laughed at the feeble attempts at humor. As an 11-year-old white boy, however, I might not have understood some of it.$LABEL$ 0 +Ironically, what makes John Carpenter's "The Thing" such an entertaining sci-fi film are its genre-defying elements of mystery, suspense, and tight plot structure. It puts to shame such films as "Aliens" or "Armageddon" that are content to inundate the viewer with special effects while their plots revolve around stunts that butcher the laws of physics, testosterone-laden one-liners, heroes equipped with enough artillery to conquer Iraq, and pathetic attempts to inject "meaning" into the barrage on screen with "emotional sequences" that only serve to further insult the intelligence of the audience. The supreme tragedy, of course, is that these kind of lobotomized movies are also the most popular. I think that there is a cause for this, although it isn't very comforting. There is an increasing trend in our culture to passively "surrender" to the media -- to immerse oneself in the images we see without dedicating a single brain cell to comprehending the statement the work is trying to make. This mindset is becoming increasingly dominant in all arenas; even the once-hallowed print medium is being diluted, thanks to the abominable "reader response" theory that pervades our schools and the "tabloid brigade" that lines our magazine racks whose mentality appears to be infiltrating the once-venerable mainstream press. Nowadays, we just flip the switch and put our minds on "pause." Is "The Thing" a "good" movie? For the rare individual who still values his faculty of reason, a more appropriate term would be "entertaining." Its plot keeps one guessing, its ending is uncompromising, and it has some redeeming statements to make about human paranoia. Upon subsequent viewings, one begins to note a conspicuous lack of depth in the acting, but the taut storyline remains compelling. Of course, "Citizen Kane" it's not, but then again sci-fi never was a thinking-man's genre...$LABEL$ 1 +I found this film extremely disturbing. Treadwell is delusional and disturbed, to the point of probably suffering from a mental illness. The footage shown is him and not an actor, but yet it is showing behaviour that ended in death. Is it appropriate to show actual footage of a suicide? Let's not mince words. The film shows footage of behaviour that directly led to his death.For those who think that Treadwell is some kind of hero, think again. The footage he shot is about him and not about the bears and foxes he claimed to be helping. He did no meaningful research into their habits or numbers and did nothing to actually protect them. All he did was run around in the bush and convince himself that he was better than everyone else. Reality is, by helping to desensitize the animals to humans, he exposed them to great risk. His self indulgent behaviour not caused his own death, but also the death of his companion Amy plus exposed his beloved bears and foxes to greater harm.But I'm also concerned about Werner Herzog's actions in compiling this film the way he did.A friend and I have had a long argument about this film who loved this film. He believes that seriously disturbed people make for interesting subjects and he cites the movie Downfall as an example. But in Downfall they use actors. We didn't see the real Madga Goebells put cyanide capsules into her own children's mouths.There was something about using the real footage in Grizzly Man which reminded me of that horrible football stadium tragedy where people were being crushed to death and the photographers who could have helped, elected to simply keep recording the horror.Herzog's film shows us that Treadwell's footage is more about Treadwell. But Herzog has done the same. His own personality and opinions are aired in this documentary, which is supposedly about someone else. Scenes such as the one where he listens to the tape are not necessary. We already knew what was on the tape because the coroner had told us. We didn't need Herzog shedding a tear with one of Treadwell's former girlfriends. It didn't add to the film.The film showed us that Treadwell was very self-indulgent, but it also showed us that Herzog is as well.$LABEL$ 0 +I got this movie as a buy one get one deal at troma.com with The Ruining (which isn't much better). The main reason I wanted it was to see Star Worms II: Attack of the Pleasure Pods, the DVD is a double feature with that movie. I really didn't know what Actium Maximus was at the time, and when I saw the trailer I got scared. It looked awful. But hey, what can you tell from the trailer? Well, apparently I could tell a lot. This movie honestly made no sens to me. The special effects were so terrible you cannot tell what in God's name is going on. I understand Mark HIcks had a extremely low budget, but come on. And it is sad, because in the interview he sounded like this was to be an epic film and meant more than you could see. But sadly, watching the film is one of the most boring hour and 15 minutes of anyone's life. It is so utterly painful to sit through. I really can't even explain the plot to you because I didn't understand it at all and I have sadly seen this film two times! Apparently they used some type of puppets for the "alien dinosaurs" like they did in Star Wars. But these special effects are awful, I can't stress it enough. And most of the time bad special effects are okay but this film needed them badly. It takes place on some futuristic planet where alien dinosaurs battle each other and bad actors in hooded sweatshirts run around, and they look like they are in the kkk. And some box with a blue light on it is the president. I know in the interview Mark Hicks said something about making this a television pilot, well, I can see why this didn't make it to CBS or NBC. There are two good things about this film. 1. the music is actually pretty good, it has an epic score that sticks in your head for days. And 2. Lloyd Kaufman's introduction is as always hilarious. Overall, don't waste your time but check out Star Worms II: Attack of the Pleasure Pods!$LABEL$ 0 +New York has never looked so good! And neither has anyone in this movie. While the script is a bit lightweight you can't help but like this movie or any of the characters in it. You almost wish people like this really existed. The appeal of the actors are what really put it over(John Ritter, Colleen Camp and the late Dorothy Stratten are particularly good.) Go ahead and rent or buy this movie you'll be glad you did.$LABEL$ 1 +I actually found out about Favela Rising via the IMDb website. I have a particular interest in Afro-Brazilian culture and films. Favela Rising is one of those gems that gives a new meaning to human transformation. Beautifully documented and filmed by Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary its the story Anderson Sa, a former Rio De Janeiro drug trafficker who after the deaths of family members and friends becomes a Christ-like, Malcolm X, and Ghandi all rolled into one. Sa formed AfroReggae, a grassroots cultural movement that uses Afro-Brazilian hiphop, capoeira(Afro-Brazilian Martial Arts)drumming, and other artforms to transform the hopeless and most times angry youth into vibrant, viable, caring community loving individuals.A few years ago I remember going to a screening of City Of God (Cidade De Deus) and walked out of the theatre completely numb. The images were grim yet stunning and you couldn't take your eyes off the screen. I remember how hopeless some situations were in the Favelas and how decadent the society was due to the governments neglect. How drug trafficking was a way of life, how indifferent the citizens of the slums were because death was an every day occurrence. Like City Of God Anderson Sa talks about how the people of the favelas were also desensitized. He talks about the police corruption, and how the communities were so immobilized by drugs and gangs that you couldn't visit family members in other Favelas you had to meet in a neutral location. Unlike City of God Anderson Sa's grassroots movement AfroReggae provides solutions to the anger, the hopelessness.There was one part in the documentary where Anderson, in the spirit of a preacher approached some youth and asked them to join AfroReggae. These jaded youth were so scarred by everyday survival and violence. Their role models were drug dealers and this is what they aspired to be. Anderson told then that drug dealers don't live very long. There was reluctance of course but five months later he was able to get some of the youth to join AfroReggae.The visuals in Favela Rising are beyond amazing. Its clear to me that Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary are not only great story tellers but visual artist as well. This is a must see documentary! There are some really magical and transforming moments in this documentary. I don't want to spoil them for you. I want you see it for yourself. Please tell your friends, academics, youth counselors, family members about this wonderful film. It will make you care about the world and our children.I would give it eleven stars!$LABEL$ 1 +This gawd-awful piece of tripe is all over the place. The script is bad, the plot is bad, the acting is bad. There are a couple of decent actors in it (Charles Durning, eg.), but the director got nothing out of them. The plot line has Santa, feeling dejected and thinking no one needs him any more, taking a little girl across country to try to get her father back together with her mother. It includes a con-man in a Santa suit with a stuffed parrot on his shoulder (played by "Isaac" from The Love Boat), the world's largest elf (played by Bruce Vilnach - a very funny man, but no actor), a hardened factory owner who works his employees overtime on Christmas eve, and a sleigh race where someone cuts one of Santa's skis trying to win. If the plot sounds bad, it's worse on the little screen. If you see this movie coming up next, run, do not walk, to your television and unplug it. You may want to boil your television to remove any remaining infection. If you accidentally watch more than 10 minutes of this, you may have to burn your television, and have the cable company install entirely new lines.$LABEL$ 0 +The title for this review about sums up how I feel about this movie. I can't imagine what audience there would be for this thing, if not for the die-hard fan of 1980s slasher films who simply has to see -everything- from that era. Otherwise, don't even waste your time on this.The story is similar to most films of its type: something awful happens to one of the characters in the opening scene, which inspires a bloodthirsty killer to go on a murderous rampage. Been there, done that. Truth be told, none of these '80s slashers were known for their originality, so I can't see the point in harping on the film simply for this.But where the film fails is in its suspense and murder sequences. I've seen some pretty scary slasher movies from the 1980s that had far lower budgets than this. This one just fails to create any real suspense. The director throws in some nice camera angles and some semi-professional directorial touches here and there, but they mean nothing if you're not frightened. The gore is pretty tame as well, so anyone who watches these things with the intention of seeing some cool 1980s makeup effects will be sadly disappointed.The movie manages to clunk along rather dully. Honestly, the key ingredient to almost any slasher is the tight pacing--you have to keep things moving along swiftly and keep the murder set pieces staged at regular intervals, because, let's face it, we don't watch these things for the great characterization and stellar plots. But the pacing, whether due to the script or the editor, is all off. The murders are spaced out at odd intervals, leaving us with some long-winded scenes (no doubt meant to build "character") that serve only to bore you and leave you praying for the next kill (which, as I've said, usually isn't executed all that well anyway).As for the killer, don't expect anything original or even remotely frightening. He (or she?) wears a jogging suit, a fencing mask, and his (or her?) primary weapon is a sword. I bet the writer just wet himself over thinking he came up with an original, "cool" murder weapon, but the idea just comes off as impractical and silly. There's also not much emphasis placed on the "whodunnit' nature of the film, as if they either forgot or don't care to place any red herrings in the mix to throw us off.I have the sense that the people behind this were trying to make something decent and respectable, and at times, it shows their intentions were probably a bit more genuine in regards to making a quality film as opposed to countless other knockoff slashers from the era. But alas, the attempt fails for the most part. There is, however, some pretty good acting (at least, for this type of film). There is attempt at characterization, but none of it ends up meaning anything in the end, so...what a waste. Here, all it manages to do is bog down the plot and make the murder sequences feel like they can't come soon enough.In the end, if you're really into these old '80s slashers, by all means, check it out, if only to say you've seen it. There's a completest in all of us. But don't expect to be blown away or anything. What we have here is a very mildly entertaining slasher movie that leaves no real impression at all.$LABEL$ 0 +I am watching this movie right now on WTN because that was the channel that the TV was turned to when I turned it on. It is a not very credible and fairly boring story about a minister's wife (Alexandra Paul) falling in lust with a young stud/drifter (with washboard abs) played by Corey Sevier. There may or may not be a plot. Corey whips his shirt off a lot and Alexandra swoons. I'm getting the feeling he's supposed to be up to no good, and that's why he's messing with skinny Alexandra Paul. It's not really important because as I said he takes his shirt off a lot and I just caught a glimpse of butt cleavage. There's a lot of sax on the soundtrack, which is just painful.$LABEL$ 0 +If rich people are different from us because they have more money, then film makers are different from us because they think the world cares about their every thought.This self-indulgent piece of tripe seems to have been made just because the director felt it was time to make another movie, and someone would finance it. Not every trivial idea or reflection is worthy of a movie (unless you are a college film student trying to complete a course). When you don't have anything to say, sometimes it is best to remain quiet.The visuals are not breath-taking. They are quite ordinary. The dialog is inane and unbelievable. They speak words no one would every sequence together in situations that are beyond imagination. Germaine Greer's zipless f**k is finally brought to the screen. Even if you believe in love at first sight, no one falls into bed as easily as these characters. They screw before they talk. Even more unbelievable is an aging, balding director finding instant sex with the most beautiful chick in town, though gravity is already getting to Miss Marceau at a youthful age.$LABEL$ 0 +TART is the worst movie I've seen this year, and that includes both the Affleck/J.Lo bomb GIGLI and the Rob Zombie borefest HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES. I don't know if that's a fair comparison seeing that TART was made two years earlier and probably has a budget half that of even the low-budget 1000 CORPSES. Regardless, all three movies suffer from the same shortcomings: horrible script, horrible acting, horrible direction.*** SPOILERS *** (although I honestly don't think there's anything to spoil)TART is about a group of super-spoiled private school kids. Most of them reside in super-sized apartments along New York's hyper-expensive Park Avenue, thanks to the finances of their neglectful parents. The film showcases the aimless life of one of the students (Cat) as she discards her only true friend (as frivolous a person as she was) in the pursuit of the "good life" with the in-crowd. That, of course, leads to sex, drugs, and music that is substantially worse than rock & roll. Everything is overly dramaticized in the way that truly bad movies usually are. Cat's first sexual experience leads to her being branded a tramp and ostracized by her newly acquired circle of friends; her first encounter with drugs leads to her nearly being dumped down a garbage chute after her cohorts believe her to be dead from an overdose. No heavy-handed messages there, he said sarcastically.That's mainly what the "seen it before 100 times" plot entails. Other minor, and even less interesting, plot details include one friend who steals jewelry and trinkets from all the others, a wild child who lives life on the edge (and finally falls off of it one night in the EAST Hamptons), an anti-Semitic British chick who ends her close friendship with Cat the moment she finds out Cat has a Jewish father, and Cat's strained relationship with her single mother who tries unsuccessfully to get Cat to appreciate the privileged life she has. The thief turns out to be an irredeemable lowlife. The "wild child" is played as a toned down version of one of the Hilton sisters. The British girl disappears from the film after the break-up. The mother/daughter relationship is seen as totally inconsequential until the film's final schmaltzy scene, where she and her beleaguered mother have a reconciliation of sorts. *yawn**** END SPOILERS ***About the cast and crew.... Dominique Swain came on the scene strong with her role as the underaged seductress in 1997's highly watchable LOLITA and FACE/OFF. Her performances were strong enough to land her on quite a few "ones-to-watch" lists at the time. She was 17 at the time and I hope that they will not be the best roles of her career. If she takes a few more roles like the one she takes in TART, it very well may be.I've only seen Bijou Phillips in one other film (BULLY) and I swear her performance in that one was nearly identical to the one she gave here. I'm not sure if she's incapable of giving varied performances or if it was just a coincidence her roles in the two were so very similar. My guess is that the former is true. I sense this woman possesses very little talent as far as acting is concerned. Here, she is the actress tapped to portray the watered-down Hilton sister. That she gives such a weak performance is amazing considering that she grew up with, and remains friends with, the real-life Hilton sisters. She's essentially playing a version of herself in this film, and doing a damn poor job of it.As for writer/director Christina Wayne... I know nothing of her other than TART was her first, and only, film project to date. With a first effort like this it is no wonder her career in show business was short-lived.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is AWESOME. I watched it the other day with my cousin Jay-Jay. He said it was alright, but i think it RULEZZZ! I mean, it's so cool. Ted V. Mikels is so brave and smart. He made a movie totally unlike those terrible Hollywood films, like the Matrix and STop or my Mom will Shoot. It could have been better, though. I like ninjas and pirates. I also like that big talon that the funny man wears. I think he's the coolest guy since that Domino Pizza claymation guy. Not only does this movie look really cool, like those out-of-focus movies my dad made of my birthday when I turned 6. BUt it tells a complex tale with dozens of characters that seem to be totally unrelated, but they all meet up in the end. It's genius how this web is woven to make everything meet up. I wish Ted V. Mikels would make a sequel. But it needs more aliens. And a pirate.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie appears to have made for the sole purpose of annoying me. Everything I hate about films is present: fake sentimentality, extreme corniness, bad child actors and more feature abundantly. That's ignoring the fact that it depicts the extreme ignorance of American sports fans, with many of the cast professing that a football is shaped like a lemon. What?! That's a Rugby ball. The story follows a group of no hopers that get a new teacher that they like (who, coincidently, teaches the class in a short skirt) and gets them interested in football. Naturally, they're all rubbish (don't forget, they're no hopers) except for one kid who has moved from El Paso. Blah Blah, etc etc and the kids still don't become good footballers, but good heart ensues and the no hopers are turned into a bunch of well-rounded kids. Hell, even the adults start to come round; drunks are turned into caring parents, illegal immigrants are let off the hook...groan.This movie stars Steve Guttenberg. Now, before you go rushing off down your local video store to grab yourself a copy, hold up a minute. Guttenberg is rubbish. No, no; come on let's face it, how did this guy ever get to be in a movie? I have absolutely no idea, and there is nothing in this movie to give me an idea. Olivia d'Abo stars along side Steve and doesn't impress either. She merely seems to be going through the motions and looking nice while doing it. Although I have no problems with the latter part; her performance does the movie no credit. The child actors that make up the rest of the cast are just as bad as you would expect from a movie like this. Most of them are disgusting and/or annoying and it doesn't make for pleasant viewing at all. There's a goat in the film who plays the mascot and he does a good job; but you wouldn't see a movie for a goat, so don't bother seeing this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm afraid I must disagree with Mr. Radcliffe, as although he is correct in saying this isn't a comedy, it has many other merits. The plot is a little mad at parts, but I believe it it all fits together nicely, creating a satisfying, enjoyable film. The last scene was rather abysmal compared to the rest of the film, but the actual ending of the plot a few scenes previously is very interesting, showing just what someone will do under stressful circumstances.I would recommend this film to fans of thrillers and action movies, but if you're a fan of gangster movies then as long as you don't expect expect something as deep as Goodfellas then you should still find it enjoyable.$LABEL$ 1 +"Nero" as the title of the movie is in Germany is a another attempt to show one of the most interesting Roman emperors, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, better known as Nero. Although this attempt at least tried to show a more historic accurate Nero than the amusing but completely fictitious Nero Peter Ustinov played in "Quo Vadis!" it still is a major failure. And to those IMDb-commentators who still believe that Sueton and Tacitus propaganda is true, please read a book about Nero that was published less than 20 years ago. Nero did NOT burn Rome, this is proved! He did not murder Britannicus. He did not torture, kill and maim for pleasure, he was the first emperor who BANNED the gladiator fights. The movie still shows a lot of mistakes, errors and is by the way made in a really cheap style, especially the sets were cheap and unconvincing, the palace looking like some villa, the city itself looked like..well like a cheap set. The acting was between good and sub-par, the music nearly insignificant and the movie soon deteriorated after Nero became emperor to a rushed, bad edited mess without any clear narrative structure. So there still is the potential for an epic biography of Nero that shows the true Nero, who was one of the best emperors who ruled Rome, despite the lies of Sueton et al.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie a few days ago and gamely jumped during the scary parts. I must admit, I found it pretty decent...until I started to THINK about what the characters were saying. Logical problems:1. Her boyfriend, who seems to be a pretty fit dude, makes no sound while being killed. Don't you think that he might have at least tried to take the killer? 2. When the remark is made that the gym teacher is "SOOOO in love with Lisa," I almost screamed at the screen. When your best friend's family HAS BEEN KILLED BY A TEACHER WHO WAS IN LOVE WITH HER, you don't make comments like that if you have half of a heart.3. As soon as Nash asks the uncle how many exits they have in the house and the uncle catches on that there may be danger ahead, wouldn't the smart thing to do be to get Donna, boyfriend, aunt, and uncle into a car and drive far, far away, then bait the house with the HRT and police force so that the killer has no way to get out?I could go on. And on. And on. Basically, the plot was decent, the characters weren't profiled enough for you to actually feel any empathy when they were slaughtered and there were way too many errors.HOWEVER.This movie might be good for teenagers, or young couples just looking for a fun night out. If you don't consider all the goofs, it's a mediocre film.$LABEL$ 0 +Danny Lee's performance as a wisecracking cop is the only spot of interest in this film, even though it has an excellent cast including Chow Yun-Fat, Carina Lau, Andy Lau, Shing Fui-On and Alex Man. CYF plays a triad boss who wants to settle down to a life of peace and plenty but Alex Man, a total psycho who has a big grudge against CYF, won't let him. CYF tries to escape to Malacca but to no avail. After his family is blown to bits, his cronies dead or turncoat, wounded and broke, CYF returns to Hong Kong to get into some serious revenge.It sounds a lot better than it is. CYF is well-dressed and handsome, looks pained, grimaces and cries on cue, but somehow or another you just don't care. Andy Lau looks great, but that's about it. Carina Lau has a tiny, tiny little part which was nice, but she gets a bullet in the head early on so that ends that. Alex Man is a cartoon villain he's so over-the-top which at times can be intriguing but the writing here is so flat that he just comes across as a garden-variety nut.Danny Lee is great though - too bad he's only a small blip on the screen of this dark (literally) and essentially boring movie.Rent it, don't buy it. Or just skip it altogether.This is the sequel to "Rich And Famous", even though it apparently was filmed simultaneously; it was released first because of CYF's boxoffice power.$LABEL$ 0 +this movie is ok if you like mindless action ,corny acting, and a very small plot !The special effects are decent considering this movie is from the director of"Event Horizon". The costumes are like something from a mad max movie .None of the soldiers talk ,so others tell them what to do.It eventually end up as a big shoot'em up movie with explosions all the place. I personally liked Russell better in "tango and cash""escape from la/new york" and "executive decision". It must see this movie leave your mind at the door for a no brainer action science fiction movie!!$LABEL$ 1 +Besides the fact that it was one of the few movies that I ever shed a tear over (bye-bye manhood), this is one of the most beautifully crafted Indian films that has ever been made. From the finely crafted sets, to those haunting looks Meena Kumari gives, no one can ever forget it. The music of Pakeezah is amazing, all the more if you can understand the sublime poetry, and is definitely one of those "OMG, 5 minutes another song" movies. You get the feeling of how trapped Sahibjaan is in among all the amazing jewelery she wears and fountained court yard she casually walks past.A parody of all the dreams you've ever had..........$LABEL$ 1 +Quite possibly one of the greatest wastes of celluloid of the past 100 years. Not only does it suffer from a painfully (and enormously predictable) disjointed script, but it's clearly a carbon-copy of Alien II. Within five minutes I had correctly predicted who would die and who wouldn't (and in which order). The special effects are laughable; there is a scene where one crew member is mauled (unconvincingly) by two Krites that look like a pair of teddy-bears, and the sparse humor is misplaced and dire. There are better things to do with a VCR remote than use it to watch this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was made on a relatively small budget (10-20 million dollars?) with almost no promotion at all from its distributors. I only knew about it because I am a long time Jean-Claude Van Damme fan and I always check out his latest films in hope that they will be at least watchable and aside from some real turkeys (Derailed, Second In Command), they are. This movie has an easy enough plot to follow and Van Damme gives a good, humorous performance through out but the movie owes all of its credit to the fight scenes involving Van Damme, Scott Adkins and the final one of them together. The editing and camera work for most of the film is pretty terrible but Isaac Florentine can definitely film a good fight scene. I too am happy that Van Damme has been acting better lately (In Hell, Wake of Death, Until Death) but with the good acting came less martial arts. In The Shepherd, Van Damme proves that he still has it.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason any of the hundred or so users watched this movie was because they belong to the crew, were friends to the crew, or were obsessive fans of either Lance Henriksen or Lorenzo Lamas. I personally follow the "cult of Lance", so I was disappointed to see that despite being the headliner, it's in name only. Playing rich criminal Newcastle, Lance is a joy to watch but all of his screen time is relegated to the beginning of the movie. Newcastle sets up a 747 heist which includes Ketchum (Lamas) and a bunch of forgettable characters. The biggest shock to this viewer was that the pre-heist scenes were not all that bad. With the exception of somewhat obnoxious and rather confused looking Aviva Gale, who times every line with the finesse of a grade school play actress, acting was decent all around, and none of the lines really made me cringe.But once the heist occurs, the movie falls asleep. Not only is their plan the most ridiculous thing ever captured on film, but it's dragged out for far too long. This isn't a very deep movie, and you have to fill out your 90 minutes, but these scenes are so boring I nearly nodded off at two in the afternoon. One particular sequence in which we watch each and every one of the characters perform the same task over and over again is especially difficult to get through. The movie's name is "Rapid Exchange", but the exchange is far from rapid - it's overlong and bloated to extremes. Perhaps it would have worked if any of the characters had real personalities, but come on, there's only so much you can ask out of a straight-to-video movie airing of Showtime Extreme.Thankfully, there are several laughs, intentional and unintentional (Lorenzo Lamas is seemingly a master of disguise, which makes for a couple of incredibly bizarre scenarios), and Lance returns in the film's end, albeit for a brief period of time. It's a bad movie, and I probably didn't have to tell you that myself, but it's far from the worst thing I've ever seen. I wouldn't put it too high on the list of Henriksen films, since he's been in some real gems with greater screen time, and either way the movie loses a lot of steam once the heist begins, but the best thing I can say for Rapid Exchange is that the last two films I watched before it were the mainstream Hostage and the overrated, pretentious Crash - and this was better than both.$LABEL$ 0 +A kid with ideals who tries to change things around him. A boy who is forced to become a man, because of the system. A system who hides the truth, and who is violating the rights of existence. A boy who, inspired by Martin Luther King, stands up, and tells the truth. A family who is falling apart, and fighting against it. A movie you can't hide from. You see things, and you hear things, and you feel things, that you till the day you die will hope have never happened for real. Violence, frustration, abuse of power, parents who can't do anything, and a boy with, I am sorry, balls, a boy who will not accept things, who will not let anything happen to him, a kid with power, and a kid who acts like a pro, like he has never done anything else, he caries this movie to the end, and anyone who wants to see how abuse found place back in the 60'ies.$LABEL$ 1 +The opening credits make for a brilliant, atmospheric piece of escapist entertainment that's full of little nods to the comic strip. All the good guys are good, all the bad guys are bad, and the film is jam-packed with familiar character actors covered in gruesom make-up to hi-lite their characteristics.Warren Beatty, as Dick Tracy, is the ultimate tough guy straight man, incorruptable, calm usually, always a better fighter than the other guy, and rarely one to push the limit on legality. Al Pacino, as "Big Boy" Caprice steals every scene he's in as a hunch-backed gangster in some unnamed metropolis of 1930s gangsters. Maddonna plays the kind of person she'd probably play best, Breathless Mahoney, a nightclub singer and femme fatale with her own little agenda going. Gleanne Headly is Tracy's tough-talking, fiercely independent long-time girlfrined. And then there's The Kid, a funny little street urchin Tracy takes in, who models himself after his surrogate father, and saves Tracy when the detective has accepted his fate of being blown up.The supporting players are a Who's Who of character actors. Charles Durning is the chief of police. Dick Van Dyke is the District Attorney, who's bribed by Big Boy's goons to keep him on the streets. Dustin Hoffman has a humorous turn as Mumbles, the snitch whose dialect is so indecipherable the cops can't make head nor tail of what he has to say. R.G. Armstrong is Pruneface, one of the rival gangsters Big Boy forms a special allegiance to in order to create a network of crime spreading throughout the whole city. Mandy Patinkin is 88 Keys, the piano player for Breathless's show. Paul Sorvino plays Lips Manlis, Breathless's former benefactor until Big Boy gives him "the Bath." James Caan wears relatively little make-up in his performance as the only gangster who won't go along with Big Boy's grand plan. William Forsythe and Ed O'Ross are Big Boy's enforcers, Flattop and Itchy.This movie retains all of the corn of the comic strip, plus it is full of vibrant colors. Almost all the suits are elaborate in blues and greens and yellows and reds. All the colors of the rainbow are found in this movie--and then some! The matte paintings that are used truly realize this world as two-dimensional, only acted in three-dimensional sets. The humor is plentiful. Al Pacino fills the shoes of his character like no other character he's played before or since. Big Boy is kind of crazy, and kind of self-pitying. He's an eccentric little man who takes pride in quoting our Founding Fathers and likening himself to great political leaders. The man with the plan, always looking for the smartest way to do business.$LABEL$ 1 +This film could have been a silent movie; it certainly has the feel of one. I was extremely, extremely lucky to see this very rare version of this film. Extase, is a 'symphony of love', and transcends all language versions. French, which is the ultimate romantic language, seems quite suitable for this very sensual and lyrical version.A young Hedy Lamarr lights up the screen, in this film which, in a way is almost like a sex fantasy; but definitely far from being pornographic.Tech qualities may have been a little crude; but that does not detract from the magical spell this film exudes.Many lovers of early cinema, would absolutely adore this film.$LABEL$ 1 +Some movies want to make us think, some want to excite us, some want to exhilarate us. But sometimes, a movie wants only to make us laugh, and "In & Out" certainly succeeds in this department.Indiana high-school teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is going to be married to fellow teacher Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) in three days, but the whole town is more excited about the Oscar nomination of former resident Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon). But when Cameron wins an Oscar for playing a gay soldier, he thanks his gay teacher, Howard, for inspiration. What follows is Howard denying it in an hilarious set of mishaps in a truly screwball fashion.Kevin Kline is great, exuding gay stereotypes. Joan Cusack really has a knack for screwball antics. Debbie Reynolds is utterly hilarious as Howard's mother. And Bob Newhart is also a hoot as the homophobic principal.Gay screenwriter Paul Rudnick really achieves a delicate balance here. He knows the stereotypes and exploits them in a way that's mostly tolerable to conservative Midwesterners and yet mostly inoffensive to the gay audience. It's not exactly progressive, but it's funny and inoffensive, and definitely a step up from the previous year's "The Birdcage."$LABEL$ 1 +this is horrible film. it is past dumb. first, the only thing the twins care about is how they look and what boys like them. they are in 7th grade. not to say i am a prude or anything but it sends the wrong message to girls of all ages. being pretty and popular is not everything. but that is what the twins make it out to be. The plot is even worse. the girl's grandpa just happens to be the ambasitor(sp?) to France. He has a co-worker take the girls around paris and they meet two "cute french boys" with motorcycles. they sneek out to meet the boys start to really like them ETC.....they meet a supermodel in process and go around paris with total strangers they think are cute. need i say more? this movie may be cute to 8&9 year olds. the twins play ditsy losers that want boyfriends. it makes sends the wrong idea to girls. the film itself is not great either. i don't recomend this to anyone. i give passport to paris 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Although this is "better" than the first Mulva (which doesn't say much anyways, I would rather watch paint dry) it still sucks. Do yourself a favor and avoid anything from these Low Budget Pictures guys. I was suckered into buying a few dvds to support some indy filmmakers and boy did I regret it. Some haven't even been officially "released" yet (not bootlegs-bought from the filmmakers themselves) and I can't even list how bad they all are. Avoid anything with Teen Ape or Bonejack in them as they do pop up in other small indy films that they are friends with. If you are friends of these guys, chances are you were in their movies and had fun making them. But for those that had to watch them? No way. Bad video, bad audio, bad acting, bad plot...etc etc. These aren't even funny. I gave this one a 2 only because Debbie Rochon is in it and that is about it. Maybe it doesn't even deserve the 2. About a 1 1/16th star to show it was slightly better than the first (which I wish I could have rated in the negatives). If you want a decent no budget film, go pick up something from LBP's "friends" over at Freak Productions like Marty Jenkins or even Raising the Stakes. Those are actually decent.$LABEL$ 0 +Prince stars as 'the Kid' in this semi-autobiographical film of a talented, but narcissistic young musician who has a less then stellar home life. True the acting leaves a tad to be desired (barring Morris Day and especially Clarence Williams who are both pitch perfect), but the movie is still great and among the best to come out of the 1980s. It has the best soundtrack of ANY movie of the last 50 years at least, highly quotable lines, and the dumpster scene is HILARIOUS!! Plus Apollonia is just simply STUNNING. On an unrelated not, when I saw Prince in concert in 2004 he blew down the stadium. He is an expert showman and it was one of the best concerts that I've experienced.My Grade: A DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentary with Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo, & Director of Photography Donald Thorin; Theatrical Trailer; Trailers for "Under the Cherry Moon" and "Grafitti Bridge" Disc 2) A 12 minute featurette on the First Avenue Club; "Purple Rain: Bachstage Pass (a half hour featurette on the movie which i'll review later on it's page); "Riffs, Raffs, and Revolution: the Impact and Influence of Purple Rain" 10 minute featurette; 30 minutes of MTV's Premiere Footage (when MTV didn't suck donkey balls); 5 Prince music videos (Let's Go Crazy, Take Me With You, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U/ Baby I'm a Star, and Purple Rain); 2 Videos by The Time (Jungle Love and The Bird); and a music video for "Sex Shooter" by Apollonia 6Eye Candy: Apollonia shows her fine ass titties$LABEL$ 1 +Of course, seeing a few boom mikes doesn't mean anything, does it? Lord, Rudy Ray Moore and D'Urville Martin really put this one together didn't they? I laughed a lot, as often happens in these types of movies, but I don't know what I was supposed to laugh at because I laughed at so many other things. I am not saying the movie was bad, but I will say that a little more editing would have done wonders. I am a huge fan of Blaxploitation, so I don't think that it was horrid, but I know that "The Human Tornado" was several times better than this. I think that those who can make it through this movie might need a Colt 45 or two afterward. I mean, it really helps you to not notice the boom mikes when you watch it again.$LABEL$ 1 +Miraculously, this is actually quite watchable. I mean, it's bad. It's really bad. But whereas the original was so-bad-it's-ruining-my-life bad, this is so-bad-it's-mildly-entertaining bad. Right, that's enough faint praise. Production values are rotten across the board, the acting is excruciating and the Romero-wannabe satire can't make its mind up which side of the ecology fence it's mocking. Internal logic takes a back seat to heads propelling themselves out of fridges, virus incubation times fluctuating as the 'plot' requires, bullets working against the zombies or not, zombies having the power of speech or not. Gore is the draw, obviously, but the framework is so slapdash it's annoying. The dialogue sounds like it's been translated by the same computers that mangle instruction manuals, and the scale of the zombie infestation is implied with none of the ingenuity of Romero's films. It's all topped off with a horrendous synth score. Absolute rubbish.$LABEL$ 0 +As well as being a portrayal of a lesbian love story, FIRE is also a comic satire of middle-class (?) Indian culture. I find this is a quality which is little appreciated about the movie. These two genres (i.e. deep meaningful alternative-love story and comic satire) usually mix together just as well as oil and water do, but Mehta (somehow) manages to achieve the balance to near perfection. The servant Jatin's behaviour, the family's treatment of him, the bedridden grandmother's constant inescapable presence, Ashok's obsession with a swami's teachings: coming from a culture much like India's, these are things I can immediately identify as being typical. They have been crying out to be pointed out and ridiculed. While developing her primary subject matter, Mehta manages to achieve this secondary theme skillfully. In fact, much of the humour in the film which provides essential relief from the heavy subjects of taboo lesbian love and gender issues, stem from this satire of the seemingly ordinary. The film flows from the comic to the serious with great subtelty.All in all, brilliant use of symbolic devices (Radha compared to Sita of legend and coming out of Fire unscathed and, therefore pure; the lifelong desire of the young Radha to see the ocean finally achieved when she gains freedom). Kudos to Shabana Azmi(Radha), the lighting crew and Deepa Mehta; their very un-Hollywood-like (and un-Bollywood-like!) talents made this movie special. One criticism: the first scenes seemed rather disjointed to me in that they did not flow into each other very well.The verdict: 9 on 10. Nothing less for a movie with scenes so burned on my mind.$LABEL$ 1 +I somehow missed this movie when it came out and have discovered it as late as last week thanks to a friend's recommendation. I can honestly say that I cannot remember another intimate dramatic film, which does so many things so well. The writing is crisp, realistic, nuanced, and even restrained. The cinematography and editing are understated but inspired, enabling the visual storytelling to dominate through marvelous close-ups and framing of images, capturing loneliness and alienation in most memorable ways. The acting is also wonderful, with all of the characters becoming painfully real and vulnerable in the most compelling ways that a film can offer. They reveal their innermost weaknesses with unprotected, raw vulnerability. A real triumph for Roger Michell and Hanif Kureishi, and the rest of the team. A must see for serious film lovers.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, Stella Shorts are great! Lots of patrons from The State and Stella, the TV show. I never knew that Stella could have gotten any better then they were on the TV show Stella or even Comedy Central Presents: Stella. I also never knew short comedies could be any good. My favorite ones were Pizza, Racking Leaves, The Woods and David arranges to a meeting with his long lost cousin Greg. I think over all that David was the funniest one. Its funny when he doesn't make sense. I like the music in the shorts. Thats something I pay attention to a lot. They always had good taste in music. I wish they still made shorts, either that or bring back there sitcom. I hope they continue making good and funny comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +What happened in the making of this movie so that it ended up as the total mess it is? Just one year after "The Breakfast Club", a brilliant movie with many of the same actors as in "St. Elmo's Fire" (who by the way looked and acted in the latter more like they were still the high school misfits from the former but without the grip or discipline in portraying their roles.Was it the directing or the writing. Since it was the same person (Joel Schumacher) it must be both. But then Schumacher has since given us "The Phantom of the Opera", "Phone Booth", "A Time to Kill", and two Batman movies, "Batman and Robin" and "Batman Forever" which range from good to great directing. Something went wrong on "StEF" because it has no genius whatsoever, no comedy worth anything, and is very far off the mark on what is truly valuable in life. Example: The character Wendy (a rich little girl with a heart to do good and help the less fortunate played by Mare Winningham ) reveals to Billy (an unruly slob who cheats on his wife and on his girlfriends, drinks far too much and has no sense of order in his life appropriately played by Rob Lowe) that she is still a virgin. Billy truly see a challenge and possible conquest but Wendy "is not ready". Wendy, in fact is so not ready it is hard to believe she is in this clique of friends. Later in the story, when Billy whose wife has left him taken his child and married another has somehow drawn some of the strings of his life together. Billy is leaving for New York, deserting and abandoning all parental responsibility for his baby daughter, he convinces Wendy that her virginity would be the perfect "going away gift" from her to him. And Wendy, who works as a social worker helping broken families, seems not to be phased at all by this despot. Give me a break. The one thing she can only give once, she gives to a loser who is leaving his family and friends? Schumacher frames this scene as a wonderful and touching moment.Many more example exist where there is a complete disconnect between what is real and of value being tossed overboard and the acts are made to look like virtue.I suppose some may say that "that was the 80's" but I remember it was in the "80's" that men began to be held responsible for the children they fathered whether in a marriage or out.I think this movie is so bad because it is so out of sync with what it really valuable and right.As for the technique (not the story), it was terrible as well. It is disjointed and feels like a 3 hour movie that has been edited to 1 hour and 40 minutes. Transitions and jumps in time simply do not make sense. Pick up what is on the editing room floor, put it back in and the movie would probably flow much better...but it still is a horrible movie.Maybe Schumacher has become a better and stronger director since 1986 (he must have) or maybe he was over his head when it came to writing the screenplay for St Elmo's Fire or maybe this group of actors took over the set and went their own way - that is what I really think happened.$LABEL$ 0 +I gave this movie 2 instead of 1 just just because I am a polite person. This movie made me loose 90 minutes of my life in which I could have done something useful for the human kind or just me. The dialog is poor, the actors never look scared! Even if it's supposed to be a horror movie. For example the scene in which Kurt collects the bones of his former colleague. He should be frightened, but he looks quite normal. The chick of the movie is such a cliché. The one thing I liked about her is the dress she wore in the final scene.And, by the way, the end was extremely predictable with the cocoon blinking pinkly in the box. As a matter of fact, I was thinking more of an ant walking around on the back seat of the car. But it still didn't surprise me.$LABEL$ 0 +I have no idea how to describe this movie, and also would love to provide others the same opportunity I had - seeing it with no prior knowledge of what to expect. I enjoyed it immensely but can also say I barely understood what was going on, if in fact there was anything to understand in the first place. Fans of David Lynch (tangentially) or especially Guy Maddin films should particularly enjoy this, and any fans of the comic book EIGHTBALL will probably be beside themselves with joy and wonder (it came as close as any film I've seen to the tone and mood Dan Clowes creates so effectively).One slight note just to warn anyone easily offended - this movie, if rated, would be NC-17 for sure. Fans of male full-frontal nudity, however...hmm, well...yes. This is weird wild stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +I went into this movie determined to like it. I usually enjoy dramas like Wall Street, Glen Gary Glen Ross, Boiler Room, etc...I went into this movie thinking I would be on the edge of my seat. Plus, I am a big Pacino fan.What a piece of garbage. Quite possibly the worst movie I have seen in five years. This makes Pacino's debacle in Any Given Sunday actually look good. First, half the movie is watching Matthew McConaughey lift weights. OK, we get it. You are in shape Matt. We don't need to see every other scene with you pumping iron, shirtless.Secondly, how many plot holes are in this movie? Why introduce the phone call from Brandon's long lost Dad and never address it again? What was the point of his Mom hanging up on him - why even have her call to say he is sending her too much money - what was the point of that? The guy from Puerto Rico who lost 30 million? Also, since sports betting is illegal in NY, and its acknowledged its illegal, how can they possibly guarantee everyone's bet at the end? This was simply a very poorly written script. It had potential, but it was devoid of a coherent plot. I thought Pacino learned his lesson about script selection after Any Given Sunday, but apparently not. My Gosh, this is the same actor that starred in the Godfather! Don't waste your money.$LABEL$ 0 +Personally, I think the movie is pretty good. It almost rates an 8. I liked the ethnography aspect as well as the gorgeous photography. Colin Firth's character isn't the most likable but he does a better than decent job with the role. The heroine, played by the beautiful Nia Long, is a familiar film heroine in that she's trying to do what she thinks is the best for her child -- marrying a respected member of her expatriate community -- while fighting her attraction for the "bad" man -- one who's not a member of her community (the "outsider"). Most of the film is about this mother's struggle: should she do what's expected of her, what she thinks is best for her son or should she follow her heart? I don't want to give away the ending. Let me just say that it's a feel-good movie with gorgeous location shots, exquisite African dress (it's worth seeing the film just for the women's brilliantly colored African clothing and headdresses), and likable characters overall. The actor who plays Nia Long's son is bright and adorable. The plot is a bit formulaic, but I liked the movie nonetheless. If you're a Colin Firth fan you MUST see this film. If you like chic flicks, see it. I think I'll watch it again tonight!$LABEL$ 1 +"Lifeforce" is a truly bizarre adaptation of the novel "The Space Vampires" by Colin Wilson, scripted by Dan O'Bannon & Don Jakoby. A joint American-British space exploration team makes a mind-boggling discovery: an alien spacecraft resting inside Halleys' Comet, containing three entities that look like people, one of them a female beauty (the oh-so-alluring Mathilda May).They take these discoveries back on board their own spacecraft. Big mistake.It turns out that these creatures drain the life out of human beings, and as American colonel Carlsen (an intense, edgy, and committed Steve Railsback) and British S.A.S. colonel Caine (a solid Peter Firth) watch in horror, an infestation of vampirism overtakes London, with the fate of Earth in the balance.This picture certainly is not lacking in imagination. It moves a little slowly at times but offers so many strange and fanciful ideas and eye-popping visuals that it's hard not to be amused. The first of director Tobe Hoopers' three-picture deal with Cannon Films (he followed it up with "Texas Chainsaw Massacre II" and the "Invaders from Mars" remake), he makes it something truly unique. Incorporating elements of sci-fi, vampire films, zombie films, and end-of-the-world sagas, it's like nothing that I've seen before.Railsback and Firth are ably supported by such strong Brit actors as Frank Finlay, Patrick Stewart, Michael Gothard, Aubrey Morris, and John Hallam. Mathilda May is very memorable as the bewitching, enigmatic villainess; it certainly doesn't hurt that she performs a great deal of her scenes in the nude. Also worth noting is a stirring music score from none other than "Pink Panther" composer Henry Mancini.Ridiculous it may be, but I found it to be fun as well. It's flamboyant and spirited entertainment.8/10$LABEL$ 1 +This is definitely an outstanding 1944 musical with great young stars and famous veteran actors under the direction of Charles Vidor. Rita Hayworth, (Rusty Parker),"Charlie Chan in Egypt", sang and danced with Gene Kelly,(Danny McGuire), "Anchors Away", Danny McGuire owned a night club in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was in love with Rusty Parker who was a dancer in his club along with Phil Silvers,(Genius),"Coney Island", who was the comedian in this picture and also worked and dance together with Danny, Rusty. Otto Kruger, (John Coudair),"Duel in the Sun" played the role as a promoter of a cover girl magazine and decided Rusty Parker was going to be his top model. Jerome Kern's music is heard through out the entire picture and the song, "Long Ago & Far Away" is the theme music for this musical. This film was nominated for many awards and was a big hit at the box office during WW II which kept peoples minds off of the war that was going on at the time. Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly were instant hits and their career's exploded on the silver screen for many many years. Great Musical and a film you will not want to miss, this is truly a great Classic Film. Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +I have only managed to see this classic for the first time a few weeks ago. Being made almost 30 years ago I thought the scary moments would be rather tame. Boy was I wrong. There are some great moments that sent shivers down my spine. Even the acting was great, Jamie Lee Curtis was fantastic and Donald Pleasance was superb.On the downside it can be rather slow to start but once it gets going there is no stopping it. It makes all the copycats, e.g. Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream look very tame. I can't really say it is Carpenter's best because I have not seen many of his, the only one I can remember of his is Starman (I think he made it). Halloween is the crowning achievement of the horror genre.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the movie at the Nashville film festival on May 1, 2003! It was amazing! All the things that I had read about Stuey were portrayed incredibly well by Tony Vidmer (writer, director, producer, editor), Michael Imperioli (incredible job as Stuey), and all the others involved in this. I'm glad he (Vidmer) didn't go down the "Leaving Las Vegas" routine with Stuey's bad habits, but instead put us inside his life, family, and his gift. Tying the whole story from the motel room where he died was a great vehicle and showed his screenwriting skill. A big "thumbs up" on this one!$LABEL$ 1 +Probably the worst movie I have ever seen. It is so cheesily filmed, the focus is not even on this supposed "real half-caste", it is more on the crew coming from Hollywood to make the movie. No cinematic significance whatsoever, and if I could take back the almost 1 1/2 hours that I spent watching this film, I would feel much better.At first, it starts out giving you the impression it will be filmed somewhat generically, like an actual Hollywood production. However, then they go into the narration of the story, and it's filmed so f***ing terribly. It's supposed to be a take on "Blair Witch Project" really, since they pretty much use what you would think is 'real camera footage', it's not, don't be fooled.Worst movie I have ever seen . . . on the positive side, it has like one semi-scary scene in it, and the visuals of the half-caste weren't too bad looking at all. DON'T RENT$LABEL$ 0 +Daraar got off to a pretty good start. The first scene really left me at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Other than that, the first half of the movie is a total BORE. All the first half of the movie is about is Rishi Kapoor falling head over heels in love with Juhi Chawla. By the way, don't you think he's a little old for her???Things finally start to spice up towards the middle of the film when Juhi tells us about her previous husband; and wow what a lunatic is he! He was an over-protective, neat-freak with a really HOT TEMPER! He used to beat up poor Juhi for no good reason! One of the reasons I really don't like this movie is because I can't stand to see Juhi (my favorite actress) get so abused. This film in general has WAY too much abuse and bloodshed; I find it so sickening!!!Anyway, all I'm trying to say is if you're thinking about renting Daraar, you should put it right back on the shelf where you found it and pick something else!$LABEL$ 0 +Whatever happened to British TV drama? From John Major through Tony Blair, the focus of the genre appears to have shifted from social realism to smugly normative women-focused tales about the piddling domestic problems of nice middle class professionals.(Or perhaps TVNZ doesn't buy the good stuff? Please let that be what it is...)The writer's long career in soaps probably explains why the dialogue is made up mostly of stale clichés. Niamh Cusack's performance is strong on meaningful looks, each held by the director for at least half a dozen beats longer than they deserve. Baleful looks, however, are a poor substitute for depth of character, if the writer has failed to provide such material for actors to work with. Of course this is theoretically a thriller, about a murder investigation; but that's not as important as the central character's failing marriage and its attendant problems. Is Cusack's character's husband a complete bastard? Will her son be utterly traumatized by the marriage break up? Making these the central issues isn't a sign of insight -- it indicates a profoundly narcissistic identification by the writer and director with a character who should be getting on with her job.Lynda La Plante knows how to write this stuff so that it feels as if it matters and involves viewers other than housebound neurotics ; evidently Paula Milne isn't up to the task.$LABEL$ 0 +Since the last horrid Astérix film and the fact that we only get the Swiss German version in cinemas, here, I went to watch it with quite a bit of trepidation... Unfounded, as I was happy to discover ^____^The film is funny and modern, has good gags, a good animation, an amusing character interaction, a good voice cast (Note: I can only speak for the Swiss German one!) except for the Viking chief's daughter Abba (her name is great, despite the not very inspired voice actress)...I especially liked the character Justforkix (Goudurix in French, Grautvornix in German. He's the young man who is supposed to be put in shape...). He's a very amusing portrayal of a mollycoddled, urban teenager; but he's very likable, despite the teenage mannerisms... XD The interaction between Astérix & Obélix and their young charge is fantastic and thoroughly entertaining.It shouldn't be compared to the old films, since this one is quite different... Which surprisingly doesn't make it bad. On the contrary. When they tried to modernize the last film (twelve years ago), they completely blew it. This film, however, proved that it can be done just fine... ^-^I came out of the theater cheerful... Always a good sign ^_~$LABEL$ 1 +A modern scare film? Yep it is..The hippies, peaceniks and environmentalists got together to deliver us a fear film.. I didn't recognize it when watching it only 2 years ago that it was a fear film but that's exactly what it is..There's no difference between this film and films the nazi made about us in ww2 and the same films we made about them.. this is pure propaganda and speaks only to those.. that believe in aliens, 9/11 conspiracy plots, faked moon landings, peak oil and major environmentalism What I can say is this film does push buttons, make you ask questions and ultimately just forget about it.. It's a scare film.. so if your scarred get in your houses, lock your doors and stock up for that nuclear winter we all know is coming when bush provokes the Chinese into nuclear war..$LABEL$ 0 +I wouldn't normally write a comment on-line, but this is the worst movie I've ever seen. Not only that it's filmed just like a soap series ("The young and the restless" is really filmed by professionals compared to this), but it also has awful cuts. It has no action. It is full of useless garbage.Here's an example: a guy wants to kill the main character as he got fired because of him. So (after loads of crap) here they are: the guy puts a knife at his throat and says something like "You're dead now". Then the main character says: "If you kill me you're dead. I've told the police you're threatening me". So the (killer) guy goes like (just about to cry): "Oh no... the cops are following me!?!! Oh... my God".Remember: this is just an example. I really cannot believe this movie actually exists. So: IF you want to see the WORST movie ever... go ahead, I recommend it :)$LABEL$ 0 +I was really looking forward to this show given the quality of the actors and the fact that The Scott brothers were involved. Unfortunately my hopes were dashed! Yet again we are led to believe that the KGB are a group of inept morons who don't have a clue what they are doing. At one point there is a laughable scene where 4 KGB agents couldn't handle one CIA agent. I grow weary of these biased, one sided and completely inaccurate portrayals of the Spy game that went on during the cold war. I find it laughable that the US is incapable of making objective movies about their involvement in WW2 and beyond. Just like the pathetic U-571, where we are led to believe that the US obtained the Enigma machine, again, utterly false.To its credit, "The Company" is very well filmed and acted. The locales are also exceptionally well realised. Alfred Molina puts in a great performance as does Keaton (The conflict between them is very well done). I really wanted to like this show and no doubt I will end up watching the other 2 episodes but I really wish that US productions would stop trying to portray their Spies, servicemen etc as supermen who are vastly intellectually and physically superior to anyone else on the planet. It gets old fast and seriously detracts from the plausibility of what could have been a 10/10.S$LABEL$ 0 +Green Eyes is a great movie. In todays context of supporting our troops, it is interesting this movie showed the lack of respect soldiers received from doing their duty, during this period. From a historical view, the end of the Vietnam war left all of us with something to remember and learn from. Gene was very proud of this movie, and he deserved the credits he received from writing "Green Eyes". I agree, I do not understand why this movie is not shown more often, or at all. This movie is the kind of movie that should be shown on TV every year, much like the Wizard of Oz. The dedication of one man towards his lost son is entirely moving. I was a friend of Gene Logans and I was proud to know him. Rocky$LABEL$ 1 +It is a pity that you cannot vote zero stars on IMDb, because I would not have hesitated! In fact I would go so far as to say that this film was in the negative stars. I, like many others, bought this film thinking that because it has Michael Madsen in it, it could be good... No chance! This film was shocking! Imagine a movie length 'The Bold and the Beautiful', well, Primal Instinct did not even come close to that good, and I had previously thought that there would be nothing worse than a movie length 'The Bold and the Beautiful'. Michael Madsen, how could you do this to us? The worst part is, I didn't fast forward a bit, I was hoping that at the end they would reveal that it was all some sort of sick joke, that they thought it would be funny to make us watch such a horribly bad film.Where do I start...? Directing - Zero Stars, Screenplay - Zero Stars, Acting - Zero Stars, Cinematography - Zero Stars, Digital Effects - Zero Stars, Production Design - Zero Stars, Make-up - Zero Stars, Casting - Zero Stars, Editing - Zero Stars, Trailer - Half a Star, Graphic Design - Half a Star, DVD Menu - Half a Star.However I think that it is very important to have seen bad films just so that you know what a really bad film is, so for that reason I am happy that I saw this film, just so that I have a bad film to put at the bottom of my list.$LABEL$ 0 +OK - I gave it a "3" just because they obviously had no money to make this film, but I feel it might deserve the "2.3" rating it had when I got here. I'm actually helping to raise it's rating, despite being bored for the last hour and a half. I will save the "1's" and the "2's" for the higher budget pieces of crap. At least the makers of "Rise of the Undead" didn't waste that much money. They did manage to waste 90 minutes of my life.The movie is too claustrophobic for me. The entire movie takes place in the same building, in dark rooms and hallways. With a setting like this, there should have been more action or character development, but there is just a lot of meaningless talk. I didn't get to know any of the characters. There is a schoolgirl and a Goth chick but we never find out much more about them. None of the characters seem really likable.Terrible movie made on zero budget. No scary special effects. No suspense. Really nothing interesting at all here, folks. I admit I downloaded this from the net. It was free but I am throwing it away.Sorry to the filmmakers. Better luck next time. This one is more like a soap opera than a zombie movie.$LABEL$ 0 +There were only two redeeming features about this movie; the beauty of Bucharest and its architecture, and the way they depicted the transformation from human form to wolf form. Forget about the plot or storyline from the book - they're completely absent from this movie. In fact, about the only things carried over from the book are the names of the main players. Even then you'll barely recognize the characterizations. If the film makers had made a good movie, even though unrelated to the book, I wouldn't have been so disappointed. Unfortunately, they did not. The plot and storyline are typical of low budget horror flicks, the acting is wooden, and the directorial efforts mundane. Oh yes, the way the loup garou bow to their leader is pure hoke. I suppose a nod of recognition is due for the animal handlers. The wolves were beautiful animals and well managed in their roles.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a story of a Catholic nun as an advisor of convicted killer on death row. The movie describes what she does as a nun, who does not have any productive role. She might have had doubt in her actual role. But eventually she does the role only a nun could do, who has nothing but faith in Christ. In America, there are so many movies that describe condemned criminals or jails. Those scenes, especially execution, are too much different from Japan.$LABEL$ 1 +Sadly this film lives up to about 1% of the hype that the game created in 2004 and leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. For video game enthusiasts, book worms and movie fans alike there is nothing more disappointing then a film that is based on an original concept (whether on paper or gaming console) that does not deliver. And not only that, goes well under the mark. Far Cry the video game released in 2004 created such a cult following that making a movie from the content should have been easy and scores of gamers would have flocked to watch the film. If you are a gamer that has played Far Cry; do not watch this film. Anyone else who hasn't played the game; it'll still seem like a B grade acted / B grade directed movie. Uwe Boll, hang your head in shame...this should've been easy to make into a blockbuster. The storyline of the game was incredible (think Jurassic Park meets Alien) and yet you still managed to take it and mould it into your own terrible recreation of an instant classic. Video game companies be warned - if Uwe Boll comes a knockin', lock the door. Oh & Til Schweiger...I look forward to seeing you make up for yourself in Inglourious Basterds. What were you thinking taking this one on? Sigh.$LABEL$ 0 +Of the three titles from Jess Franco to find their way onto the Official DPP Video Nasty list (Devil Hunter, Bloody Moon and Women Behind Bars) this is perhaps the least deserving of notoriety, being a dreadfully dull jungle clunker enlivened only very slightly by a little inept gore, a gratuitous rape scene, and loads of nudity.Gorgeous blonde Ursula Buchfellner plays movie star Laura Crawford who is abducted by a gang of ruthless kidnappers and taken to a remote tropical island inhabited by a savage tribe who worship the 'devil god' that lurks in the jungle (a big, naked, bulging-eyed native who likes to eat the hearts of nubile female sacrifices).Employed by Laura's agent to deliver a $6million ransom, brave mercenary Peter Weston (Al Cliver) and his Vietnam vet pilot pal travel to the island, but encounter trouble when the bad guys attempt a double-cross. During the confusion, Laura escapes into the jungle, but runs straight into the arms of the island's natives, who offer her up to their god.Franco directs in his usual torpid style and loads this laughable effort with his usual dreadful trademarks: crap gore, murky cinematography, rapid zooms, numerous crotch shots, out of focus imagery, awful sound effects, and ham-fisted editing. The result is a dire mess that is a real struggle to sit through from start to finish (It took me a couple of sittings to finish the thing), and even the sight of the luscious Buchfellner in all of her natural glory ain't enough to make me revisit this film in a hurry.$LABEL$ 0 +Well, it wasn't a complete waste. Armand was as usual very good in the movie,,,the whole turks vs German thing was kind of strange because I remember seeing Bulgaria at the beginning of the movie...dint' bother to go back and check...the central theme is about the serial killings with the whole gang warfare loosely woven in. Never saw a movie where the characters looked Italian, supposed to be Turk, taking English(American accent and euphemisms) with German words. The climax was the most intriguing part and there are parts of it that still did not make sense to me. In any case, if you have nothing else better to do, you can watch this movie..$LABEL$ 0 +I would love to comment on this film. Alas , my search has always endeth in vain. If any good citizen could help a desperate inhabitant of this ailing planet and restore his confidence in humanity by offering the whereabouts of either a UK VHS or loan him a DVD copy of the VHS; he would, without reservation, be eternally grateful..... Blake wrote "The road to excess is the path to wisdom", one hopes my weary road of excess will offer the path to fruition .... If not, I will have to replay the excellent Mr Russel's Gothic in the knowledge that those who have seen Haunted Summer (for better or for worse) have enriched their viewing pleasure of the events of July 1816 whilst I, a fellow member of this melodious plot, rests his lonely case in solitude ...$LABEL$ 1 +What can I say? After having read Herbert's books and loving Lynch's movie version, I was extremely disappointed. I felt I was watching a reject version of Buck Rogers. The sets looked like left overs from a Star Wars TV special! I felt the acting was a bit amateurish by most. The costumes were garish and over done which gave it a '60s Flash Gordon, pulp feel. The worms! They're supposed to be Sand Worms and yet they appeared to "big stalagtites" with a mouth at the blunt end. The effects in general were pretty second rate. I won't even start about the disgraceful "Navigator" effect.This so-called "Frank Herbert's Dune" wasn't even faithfull to his books! It should have been called "Frank Herbert's Dune - For Dummies". Key plot elements were left out, names were changed and the entire "feel" of the story was "sanitised". I didn't even recognise the Harkonnens! In fact most of the characters appeared nothing like Herbert's descriptions had depicted them. I'm starting to get upset just remembering what a tragedy it was. I'm glad I couldn't stomach the second installment....$LABEL$ 0 +In Iran, the Islamic Revolution has shaped all parts of life, including everyday things. But people still go on living their lives, generally just doing the things you'd expect, like go to soccer matches to cheer on the national team as it's in the running to qualify for the World Cup. Except women aren't allowed to go to the soccer stadium to watch the game.A frequently funny little film follows the small group of women that were caught sneaking into the soccer stadium and the little group of bored soldiers assigned to guard them in a holding pen just outside the stadium. The absurdity of the situation, the simple wish of these women to cheer on the team (nothing subversive there), and little human touches about the lives of everyone adds up to quite a fine comment on humanity versus the ideology.Amateurish acting, good script and dialogue, a really enjoyable film. Bend It Like Beckham, sort of - a warm heart and a joy in the daily interests and pleasures of people.$LABEL$ 1 +I, like many people, saw this film in the theatre when it first came out in '97. It was a below average film at best, defiantly not the "masterpiece" that all these "Titanic" fanboys like to make it out as. First off, DiCaprio is a terrible actor no matter which way you look at it. People just like him because of his looks. His acting "skills" essentially consist of saying a lot of cheesy lines and trying to act sexy. Second, the film itself had a rather boring and simple plot: girl falls in love with guy, ship they're on sinks, lots of crappy love scenes thereafter. Anyone with an IQ above 50 will realize this isn't ingenious in any way whatsoever. Nor is it original. Plus the director felt the need to drag it out for 3+ hours. I could compress it into a 1 hour block without losing any of the plot. In conclusion, "Titanic" is the most overrated movie to date. Why it got so much attention and money is beyond me.$LABEL$ 0 +Truly a great leap forward in the perfection of painful cinema.Everything about this film is bad. Acting (if it can be called that), lighting, sound, script (if there was one), editing, direction, camera work, it is all atrocious. There is not a single element that is done well. If I thought that this was intentional then I might give the film some credit but I can not believe people would set out to make such a horendous film.This film is worth buying and screening to your worst enemies.$LABEL$ 0 +A nicely done thriller with plenty of sex in it. I saw it on late night TV. There are two hardcore stars in it, Lauen Montgomery and Venus. Thankfully, Gabriella Hall has just a small part.$LABEL$ 1 +Vidor shines as Judith, the only truly strong and compassionate member of a strictly patriarchal family. Her brother, David, is so downtrodden by their father that it's a surprise he's able even to tie his shoes, rather than asking Dad to do it for him.Other reviewers have already outlined the plot, so I won't rehash it; I will, however, point out that Nan, who is pregnant by David, is also married to him. This is not an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, which would have been horrific by 1921 standards. The two are secretly married, but Nan's father, having been paid by David's father, tears up their marriage certificate.Nan's death scene, with Judith in attendance, is a truly heart-rending experience, and highly charged with emotion. This scene alone is worth watching the movie for, but there's far more to the plot than that; why on earth aren't modern movies made with the same attention to the story?$LABEL$ 1 +Deeply emotional. It can't leave you neutral.Yes it's a love story between 2 18 years old boys. But it's only the body of this movie. And it's been removed. You only feel what happened with these boys. You feel the soul of the movie. With of course some action, some sex, but this is no pornography, too many feelings.It was only a summer "story", and it became, from love to hate, almost to death, the most important time of their lives. I loved it, you will too, whatever your feelings are.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to preface this by saying that I LOVE watching bad movies that are entertaining. This movie delivers 100%. It is hands down the worst movie I have ever seen. It is full of crappy stock footage of random stuff in a city (people walking, traffic, the skyline, etc.) that doesn't tie into anything. Then there are the overly long 'sex scenes.' These involve lots of petting and frequent rubbing of socks on each other's bodies. These are in no way erotic and are the closest thing to horror you will find in this movie. This is especially true for the shower scene where two of the so called 'barely legal' girls who couldn't be a day over 40 are spraying each other with blood but there is also a crew member squirting blood in the from the outside while one of the girls keeps smiling at him. No one had to memorize any lines for this movie, if they aren't clearly reading cards then they have a magazine in front of them they keep glancing at while they struggle through awkward dialogue. Then there's Mr Creepo. He throws Ed Wood's name around like he can somehow compare, but he is far far from anything of that quality. He walks around a cemetery babbling about random things that went wrong in the movie which really helps the complete lack of flow the movie already had going on. We couldn't stop laughing during this movie (except during the sex scenes where we were grossed out and occasionally horrified)I give this movie a 1/10 for going so far above and beyond all my expectations for a horrible movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Deliriously romantic comedy with intertwining subplots that mesh beautifully and actors who bounce lines off each other with precise comic timing, a feat that is beautiful to behold. When Cher's spineless fiancé asks her to help him make peace with his estranged, moody younger brother, no one could dream the consequences which follow. Operatic symbolism, Catholic church confessions, love bites and falling snow..."Moonstruck" is timeless and smooth. It takes about 15 minutes for the picture's rhythm to kick in (there's an early sequence with the grandfather and his dogs at the cemetery that's a little rough, and a following scene with Cosmo and the elderly man at the gate that seems obtuse), but the patchwork of the plot is interwoven with nimble skill, and the movie's wobbly tone and kooky spirit are both infectious. ***1/2 from ****$LABEL$ 1 +This particular film was one that I wanted to see in theaters, but never got around to it. When I finally rented it in the summer of 2001 I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought the DVD soon after. Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake did a wonderful job with the screenplay and are wonderful to listen to on the audio commentary that is included on the DVD. They did a great job in creating characters that you really care about. I really felt a whirlwind of emotions watching this film including sadness, anxiety and joy. The film also does a great job in showing the importance of family (a rarity in film today), which is a reflection of the director, Bonnie Hunt, based on the comments she made on the DVD. David Duchovny showed me here that there is life beyond Fox Mulder giving a wonderful performance with some pretty poignant scenes. I highly recommend that you give this movie a viewing. I am really thankful to the creators of this film. They have given me a wonderful piece of cinematic viewing that I will recommend to all my friends. I have seen a lot of movies over the years and it is very rare that I come away with such a feeling of satisfaction after watching a film. I will watch this time and time again for years to come. Return to Me reminds me that there are still moviemakers out there that know how to sincerely please their movie audiences. Thanks!!$LABEL$ 1 +So much is wrong with this abysmal little wet fart of a movie that it's hard to know where to begin.First of all, it's a remarkably un-scary scary movie, even by Amercian standards. The dialogue is cliché, the characters are two-dimensional, the writing is ho-hum, and what little story there is is neither coherent nor remotely interesting.We meet the following stereotypes in order: Balding Loser Guy (probably divorced, but who knows? This movie doesn't tell us) with a brave heart, the Young Hero (who doesn't do anything heroic at all), Brave Little Kid (with a homicidal streak a mile wide) and Black Bad-Ass Bitch (with more brawn than brains). These guys take up an ongoing fight with the Tall Scary Reaper Man and his evil Ewoks.Oh, and the film is full of wicked little metal orbs whoosing around menacing people. Given a chance, they perform impromptu brain surgery on those who doen't have the mental acuity to duck when they come at them. Booh! Actually, one of them is haunted by a good ghost (but then again, it might be a deceitful spectre) who seems intent on helping our Brave Contagonists retrieve their young kidnapped friend.There is no character background or even an introduction to any of the characters. It starts with some kind of recap of the ending of the previous movie, but this doesn't explain a lot. If you've seen the first two movies, fine. Otherwise you don't know who these people are, how they are related, why they aren't in school or at work, or why you should care whether they live or die. Consequently, you don't. The only point of interest becomes any splatter effects. And there aren't enough of those to keep you awake.Of potenial interest/amusement are the three Raider Punks, as stupid as they are evil, who menace Our Heroes. But they don't get much screen time. They are offed almost immediately. Then they are buried (why anybody should take the time is beyond me), then they appear again as Evil Raider Punk Zombies. Only to be offed again, literally within a minute.The rest of the movie mainly seems to consist of Caspar the Friendly Ghost appearing and disappearing, driving around looking for places, and Balding Loser trying to score som Bad Black Bitch Booty, using pickup lines that would embarrass a mentally retarded teenager. No dice there; not even some gratuitous sex could have saved this movie, so good thing there never is any.The head baddie, called the Tall Man, doesn't manage to scare anyone older than 3 years; howling "Booooy!" every five minutes isn't enough. Why he, with his amazing telekinetic powers and uncanny upper-body strength, doesn't simply squash our heroes like bugs isn't explained. Instead, he delegates the job to his inept retarded little minions, who never manage to kill anyone before being shot to hell.Filmgoers who like masterpieces like "Friday 13th part XXXXVIII: Jason goes to college" might find some entertainment. The rest of us, who have developed pubic hair, will be bored out of our skulls.$LABEL$ 0 +Despite the famous cast this animated version of Dickens tale is the borest I've seen. Enough that I zapped away in he first commercial break. The characters didn't appeal to me at all and the animation is looking cheap.I'll give this movie a very low rating. Give me the Disney version anytime.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an very good movie. This is one that I would rent over and over again. It is not like your normal superhero movie. This movie blends comedy, action and great special effects. It even has a person in it that does a lot of voices on The Simpsons. William H. Macy is the bomb.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is worth seeing since it is a classic in the sense of being the very first full length film released in the process of three demention. It was not very good in its acting or story plot, but can be a great movie quiz question from an historical standpoint. It should be seen in the 3 D process with polarized lenses.$LABEL$ 0 +movie goers - avoid watching this movie. if you are faint hearted, you might want to commit suicide. if you are a short tempered, you would want to kill the lead performer of the movie.Though he does not have any talent in acting, he is the mass hero for all the rickshaw pullers,auto rickshaw drivers, rowdies, thugs and immature and ignorant literates.he proves - you do not need neither talent nor knowledge to be successfully.He is the highest paid actor in India. That shows the taste of movie going public in India. 90% of movie goers in tamil nadu are definitely attracted to his kind of nonsense movies.$LABEL$ 0 +Dolemite may not have been the first black exploitation flick to come along but it certainly is one of the best. It is a pivotal film in the Black Exploitation genre as where it caused a dramatic shift between the films that came before it in contrast to the films that came after it. It wasn't necessarily a poignant or moving film about black culture and it's fight to overcome issues like racism or anything as important as that, but it was the story of one bad-assed dude fighting "whitey" with his army of hot kung-fu mama's. It was a guilty pleasure, great fun and best to watch it with friends. (10 out of 10)$LABEL$ 1 +Last night I decided to watch the prequel or shall I say the so called prequel to Carlito's Way - "Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)" which went straight to DVD...no wonder .....it completely ...and I mean completely S%&KS !!! waist of time watching it and I think it would be a pure waist of time writing about it.... I don't understand how De Palma agreed on producing this sh#t-fest of a movie....except for only one fact that I tip my hat to... Jay Hernandez who plays the young Brigante.... reminded me how De Niro got into the shoes of Brando to portray the young Don Corleone in Godfather II ...but the difference De Niro was amazing and even got an Oscar for it !!! Jay Hernandez well he has guts for trying to be a young Pacino.... too bad for him I don't think he will be playing in film anymore and by the way after I watched this sh#$%ty movie, I sat down and watched the original Carlitos way to get the bad taste out of my mouth.$LABEL$ 0 +Can you say "Boring" with a capital B! It's slower than watching grass grow! It's more boring than watching paint dry! You'll sleep right through it.....we all did.....don't do it...you'll regret it!$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie because I like Nicolas Cage and well, I found it strange and completely pointless... so I decided to poke around a little bit and got my hands on the 70s copy of it. Wow. what a difference. The original one was way better. I'd like you all to know it did originally actually make a statement, it's existence did have a purpose. It was really the Christian public expressing their fear of paganism. If you dig deeper into it it also makes comments on life but I don't want to go into details, just, simply put, if you were disappointed and you'd like to know what it SHOULD look like, feel free to watch the 70s version, a little dated, but A lot better.$LABEL$ 0 +"Gargle with old razor blades. Can I help it if I'm not cousin Basil? I think the piano's out of tune. Ginger Grey. This is your little snookums." Laughs throughout the entire 20 minute short as the boys spoof gold diggers and opera singers. They even manage to show us how to properly demonstrate to some attractive ladies how to handle both a rifle and a bear trap. Wonder how many times they rehearsed the scene with the phone booth. Adding Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka, 2 frequent collaborators, to the mix makes it even better. Only Vernon Dent is missing. The Stooges did some great individual scenes, but this was their best overall.$LABEL$ 1 +Film dominated by raven-haired Barbara Steele, it was seen when I was seven or eight and created permanent images of pallid vampiric men and women stalking a castle, seeking blood. Steele is an icon of horror films and an otherworldly beauty, and the views of the walking dead pre-date Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD shamblers, unifying them in my mind.I don't see the connection between this film and THE HAUNTING, which is clever but ambiguous about the forces present. LA DANZA MACABRE is a b-movie without pretention, daring you to fall in love with Barbara Steele and suffer the consequences. There's no such draw to HAUNTING's overwrought Claire Bloom. The comparisons to the HAUNTING are superficial.And no, this movie does NOT need to be remade. Not only is it a product of the Sixties, but the large percentage of talentless cretins in Hollywood cannot fathom MACABRE's formula for terror. That formula is based on one overriding factor: GOOD WRITING. Low-grade classics like CASTLE and Corman's Poe films with R. Matheson and Tourneur's OUT OF THE PAST share a commonality of strong writing. It's simple. Get a real writer like Richard Matheson or Steve McQuarrie and let them put a plot into today's cinematic mess. Besides that, let Hollywood attempt some original material for a change, and stop exploiting the obviously superior product of the past.$LABEL$ 1 +I knew it would be, but I gave it a rent for some laughs and maybe some mindless fun. Anyone whose read a few of my reviews can see that I'm pretty easy to please. I really didn't think I'd end up feeling this negatively towards it.The plot is about an ancient army of dragons lead by a huge serpent that will destroy the world unless some chosen heroes who inherited the responsibility can… become one with… a good dragon… or something… I don't know. It was so stupid, I didn't bother to put much effort into retaining it.It features a really dumb story full of ridiculous moments and goofy concepts. So many of the events just felt totally random and sudden.I assume there was studio interference or something because the biggest problem I have with the movie is the fact that the story seems like it's trying to be so grand and epic, yet everything happens so fast and goes by so quickly. I feel like I've just been hit with a million plot points and action sequences in one big ball. The film is like a punch in the face. It doesn't take much time at all to establish characters or drama. Imagine the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in 90 minutes… You could have most of the epic battle sequences, but there would be absolutely no buildup and you'd hardly care about the outcome of those battles. That was the case with Dragon Wars… 90 minutes of me not giving a crap, waiting for it to be over.Fantastic CGI with some okay directing, but horrible acting, speedy pacing, and dumb story made this very hard to enjoy on any grounds. I probably would have loved it when I was 6.$LABEL$ 0 +This was bad enough. I really hope that there is no sequel. Maybe that is giving away part of the plot to let you know that it is open to the possibility, but no, it really isn't.There is really not at all special about this movie. Well, the special effect were fairly good, but nothing to write home about.There were some hot babes in her, especially Elina Madison and Alexandra Ford, but nothing to see folks. PG-13, definitely not an R. That also tells you the slasher aspects were less than spectacular. The shovel to the head was the only thing that was unusual.Tame scare fare.$LABEL$ 0 +I must admit, this is one of my favorite horror films of all time. The unique way that John Carpenter has directed this picture, opening the door to so many mock-genres, it will chill you to the bone whether it is your first time watching it or your fiftieth. The sound, the menacing horror of Michael Meyers and the infamous scream of Jamie Lee Curtis gives this film instant cult status and a great start for the independent era. I love the music, I love the characters, the familiar yet spooky setting, the simplistic nature of the villain, and the random chaos of it all. There is no really rhyme or reason to the killing in this first film, giving us a taste of Michael's true nature. Is he insane, or in some way just a very brilliant beast? That question may never be truly answered, but Carpenter gives us his 100% and more devotion to this amazing masterpiece.John Carpenter is the master of horror. While lately his films have not been the caliber that they once were (see Ghosts of Mars), Halloween began his powerhouse of a career. This is his ultimate film. While he did release other greats, I will always remember this one as the film that caused me to turn on all the lights, beware when babysitting, and check behind closed doors, because you never knew where the evil would appear next. Carpenter has this amazing ability to bring you into the world in which he weaves. With the power of his camera, he places these images of Meyers in places you least expected while giving you the perception as if the murderer is right next to you. I loved every scene in which we panned back and there was Michael, watching from the distance, without anyone the wiser. That was scary, yet utterly brilliant. I loved the scenes in which Carpenter pulled your fright from nearly thin air. There you would be, minding your own business, when suddenly that horrid mask would appear out of nowhere. Like the characters, you too thought it was just a trick of the eye, but that is where Carpenter gets you, it isn't. Michael isn't a ghost, he is a human being (or at least we think), yet he has a stronger mental ability than most of the main characters. This leads into some really dark themes and unexplored symbolism, but even without that, this is a spooky film.Then, if you just didn't have enough of Michael just vaporizing in the windows of your house, Carpenter adds that chilling theme music. I still have that tapping of the piano keys in my mind, constantly wondering if Meyers is looking at me through the window. Carpenter has found the perfect combination of visual frights and chilling sounds to foreshadow what may happen to our unsuspecting victims next. It is lethal, and it is done with refreshing originality and more unique thrills than anything released by today's Horror Hollywood could muster. Carpenter's Halloween is a breath of fresh air in the midst of what could be a rough horror year, with actual scares being replaced by Paris Hilton, you know that the quality isn't quite the same.Finally, I would like to say that even the simplistic nature of the opening murder in this film is terrifying and chilling. The use of the "clown" mask sent shivers up my spine. The way that it was filmed with that elongated one shot using the child's mask as if it were our own eyes is still one of the best horror openings ever! It completely sets the tone for the remainder of that film. You have the babysitter theme, you have the childish behavior which carries with Michael throughout the film, and you have the art talent of Carpenter all rolled into one. I could literally speak for hours upon hours about this film, but instead I would rather go watch it again. It is worth the repeat visit many times! Overall, I think this is one of the most outstanding films in cinematic history. Skip all those foreign films that think that they are going to chance the face of movies leave it to a budget tight Carpenter and the slasher film genre. This singular movie redefined a whole generation of horror films, and still continues to be an influence on modern-day horror treats. The lethal combination of a genuinely spooky murderer, the powerful cinematography of the events (which normally doesn't amount to much in horror films), and the beauty of Jamie Lee Curtis is exactly what makes Halloween that film above the rest. Sure, Freddy is cool and you feel sympathetic for Jason, but Michael is real, he is troubled, and he is on the loose lusting for the blood of babysitters. What can be better? Grade: ***** out of *****$LABEL$ 1 +With a simplistic story and an engaging heroine, this was the horror movie that started it all. John Carpenter brings to life a nail-biting nightmare on Halloween night, when Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis in her debut, career defining role) and her mischievous friends plan a night of sneaky fun- only to cross paths with a relentless psychopath from hell. Michael Myers has escaped from a nearby insane aslyum...having slaughtered his sister fifteen years earlier, he is now back in Haddonfield, the sleepy Illinois town where his murder took place. Once he sets his eyes on Laurie after she drops off a package to the abandoned house where he lived, he begins to stalk and terrorize her, turning her night of fun into terror as he picks off anyone in his path to get to her.Beautiful cinematography and lighting really make this moody horror flick scary... with the long gloomy shots it constantly feels as if you're being stalked by the maniacal serial killer himself. Myers is hidden well until fully revealed at the exciting conclusion.Although "Halloween" is certainly outdated, it is by no means less chilling. The idea alone is goose bump inducing, and this little shocker is one of the most famous and memorable horror movies ever made to this day... it spawned seven sequels and eventually Rob Zombie's equally scary remake, and it set a new standard for horror that still exists today.$LABEL$ 1 +A lot of 'alternative' comedy in Britain in the 1980s was insular, misguided, overly-political, and unfunny, and the worst of the Comic Strip Presents... stuff fell into this category. But this is at the other end - a remarkable film that works on different intellectual levels. Is Dennis a criminal mastermind or is he lying? Is he telling the truth, bluffing, double-bluffing, counter-doubly-bubbly-bluffingwhatever? I've probably watched Supergrass 20 or 30 times, and I still can't decide 100%. That's the wonderful thing. As well as Ade Edmonson, there are big roles for other early Comic Strip mainstays - French & Saunders, Pete Richardson, Alexei Sayle, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer and Robbie Coltrane, though curiously enough not Rik Mayall. All of the Comic Strip cast - however much I disliked the hidden agenda of some of their members - are convincing actors, and turn in superb performances in this big-screen outing, while the Richardson-Richens writing team's work is so often pure genius, with nice little touches of detail throughout. Ultimately this is a study of crime, criminology and human nature, in all it's wondrous complexity. And very funny with it. You will not be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +The only people i would recommend this film to are both blind and deaf, although i'm sure a sadomasochist would get a kick out of it. This film had nothing; no acting, terrible music, awful script- only the power to suck any happiness from your soul. You may be wondering by now why or even how i managed to sit through the full hour and a half of sheer inanity, and it is honestly a difficult concept for even myself. Firstly, i had to pace up and down as the film progressed as i found it extremely hard to get comfortable. Secondly, i only made it without gnawing off my own arm in order to have something to beat myself to death with by phoning friends for moral support when the plot became particularly slow. The problem was it became a matter of pride for me to finish it after the opening thirty minutes, and that was a fatal error on my behalf. I normally like films to leave you with something by the end, but all this did was take..... For the sake of your sanity do not watch this film.$LABEL$ 0 +Diane Keaton gave an outstanding performance in this rather sad but funny story which involved quite a few young people and their deep dark secrets. Diane Keaton,(Natalie),"The Family Stone",'05, who had an only daughter and loved her beyond words can describe. She always called her and told her, "Surrender Dorothy", which was an expression used in the 'Wizard of Oz',1939. A sudden car accident occurs and Natalie gets herself deeply involved with her daughter's friends and lovers. As Natalie investigates, the more truths she finds out about herself and her real relationship with her daughter. Great film to view and enjoy, especially all the good acting from all the supporting actors.$LABEL$ 1 +Shamefully, before I saw this film, I was unfamiliar with Helena Bonham Carter.I had to do some research, in order to assure myself she wasn't actually afflicted, as was her character, with (well?), what she was afflicted with. I was in absolute awe of this beautiful lady. She pulled it of flawlessly.Who would have thought that sexually explicit circumstances involving the final wants, and needs, of a unique young lady, could be interpreted as tender, and romantic? Well, they can be, when the right performers present them in the proper manner, as they did in this wonderful movie. I forgot to mention how dynamically beautiful Miss Carter looked in this movie. I have often said she was the most beautiful creature to have ever graced the face of our earth, but she seemed to have out done herself in this particular movie.I hope any of you who watch this movie enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for letting me express my opinion.$LABEL$ 1 +Evidently when you offer a actor enough money they will do anything. I am not sure how much John Rys-Daves got, but most of the money he made should go to his fans as an apology for even being associated with such a ROTTEN movie. The special effects were worse then effects from the 1950's B movies and the acting of the rest of the cast was even worse. As to how bad the acting was a child gave the second best performance in my opinion. The English was terribly accented and I think no one could really even speak English they just memorized how the words should sound instead of memorizing the script and trying to make their character both "life-like" and real.$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge Amy Adams fan and have been for many years. I am also a big fan of musicals. With that said this is not a good movie on any level. It is quite dull and the acting overall is very very poor. Amy Adams is awkward to watch act with Scott G. Anderson due to the fact that she is in another league when it comes to acting. All the performances come off as very amateur. The music performances are pleasant, but nothing special. Scott G. Anderson is just an bad actor! I assumed he was put in this movie because he has a great voice, but it's just not the case. He has an average voice and sings on key, but that's about it.I guess I can see why Amy Adams did this movie with the singing element I just wish she had not. I could rant about other poor elements of this movie, but I'll leave it at that.$LABEL$ 0 +Don`t be fooled into thinking that this is a remake as in this years remake of THE TIME MACHINE is based on an earlier film . It`s not because this is a pointless re- film . That is the director has used the original camera script shot for shot similar to the " remake " of THE GET AWAY from a few years ago . The scenes are identical to the original , the dialogue is identical to the original , the camera angles are identical , no attempt whatsoever is made to embellish or restructure the original script ,( But with a director like Van Sant at the helm we should be thankful . He sure ain`t no Hitchcock ) in fact I might even be correct in saying the costumes might be the same because the private eye wears a pork pie hat. Didn`t they go out of fashion in the late 1960s ? Bottom line:Avoid$LABEL$ 0 +Wow, a movie about NYC politics seemingly written by someone who has never set foot in NYC. You know there's a problem when at one moment you expect the credits to roll and the movie continues on for another half hour. The characters are boring, John Cusack's accent is laughable, and the plotline teeters between boring and laughable. A horrible movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I hope whoever coached these losers on their accents was fired. The only high points are a few of the supporting characters, 3 of 5 of my favourites were killed off by the end of the season (and one of them was a cat, to put that into perspective).The whole storyline is centered around sex, and nothing else. Sex with vampires, gay sex with gay vampires, gay sex with straight vampires, sex to score vampire blood, sex after drinking vampire blood, sex in front of vampires, vampire sex, non-vampire sex, sex because we're scared of vampires, sex because we're mad at vampires, sex because we just became a vampire, etc.Nothing against sex, it would just be nice if it were a little more subtle with being peppered into the storyline. Perhaps HAVE a storyline and then shoehorn some sex into it. But they didn't even bother to do that... and Anna Paquin is a dizzy gap-tooth bitch. Either she sucks or her character sucks, I can't figure out which.Another part of the storyline that I find highly implausible is why 150 year old vampire Bill who seems to have his things together would be interested in someone like Sookie. She's constantly flying off the handle at him for things he can't control. He leaves for two days and she already decides that he's "not coming back" and suddenly has feelings for dog-man? Give me a break. She's supposed to be a 25 year old woman, not a 14 year old girl. People close to her are dying all over, and she's got the brightest smile on her face because she just gave away her V-card to some dude because she can't read his mind? As the main character of the story, I would've hoped the show would do a little more to make her understandable and someone to invest your interest in, not someone you keep secretly hoping gets killed off or put into a coma. I can't find anything about her character that I like and even the fact that she can read minds is impressively uninspiring and not the least bit interesting.I will not be wasting my time with watching Season 2 come June.$LABEL$ 0 +Right this may be the wine talking but this could be the best movie I've seen in a very long time. Granted I spent much of the first half an hour wondering what the hell was going on but once I had accepted that I would never understand everything from the subtitles I was able to enjoy the film.Can you really hate a film where a staff turns into a flock of birds that defecate over the enemy? What does character development matter when faced with a lesbian alien princess whose people built the pyramids? Why does Buddha wear seriously blinging diamond earrings? Does any of this matter when faced with the sheer sumptuousness of the visuals and the sly humour of the characters. Any battle for my heart was won once I saw the main protagonist dressed as spider-man - awesome! Many people will complain about a lack of story cohesion but for a fun movie to laugh about with a bunch of mates you can't do better, especially if you do an alcoholic shot every time someone says "I will love you 10,000 years".$LABEL$ 1 +So many educational films are nothing more than mind-numbing drudgery, saved only by the fact that "MST3K" mocks them ("Why Study Industrial Arts?" comes to mind). "Hemo the Magnificent" is actually quite well done. It's all about blood, the heart, and the circulatory system. I admit that I don't remember everything from it, but it does a good job explaining everything, keeping it serious but entertaining. I guess that you can always count on June Foray (most famously the voice of Rocky the Squirrel, she plays a deer here).Since "Hemo the Magnificent" itself may be hard to find, probably the best place to see it is in "Gremlins": a class is watching it while a gremlin is forming.$LABEL$ 1 +Micro-phonies is a classic Stooge short. The guys are inept repairmen working at a radio station, and during some horsing around in a broadcast booth, Curly's perfect mimic of a recording of "Voices of Spring" is mistaken for the real thing, leading to a radio contract and a zany musical party. The trio's mock rendition of the quintet from "Lucia de L'Amamore" is especially entertaining. No doubt this is essential viewing for Stooge fans.Although the evidence of Curly's failing health is visible in his face and voice, his performance is amazing, and it is probably the last glimpse of the old Curly. Some fans think that "A Bird in the Hand" is the last great Curly short, but his coarse voice and slow movement are just too difficult to watch.$LABEL$ 1 +Superb silent version of the story of Francois Villon. Although remade in the thirties as IF I WERE KING, with Frank Lloyd directing, Preston Sturges scripting and Ronald Colman starring, this version is even better. Barrymore, with a cohort of comedians, plays the comic fool and the wine-depressed Villon with a verve that Colman could not match. The photography is startling in its beauty and innovation and the supporting cast, particularly Conrad Veidt in his American premiere, the incredibly beautiful Marceline Day, and the supporting comics, Slim Summerville and Hank Mann, steal every scene they are in.It is a shame that Barrymore did so few first-rate comedies. Among his sound films, only his lead in TWENTIETH CENTURY and his supporting role in MIDNIGHT can compare to this, and those stand up only because of his superb voice. In this silent movie, Barrymore must tell his tale without benefit of words, and he does so, alternately hilariously unrecognizable as the King of the Fools and tenderly as Villon in love. He even gets to leap around in the swashbuckling style of Fairbanks, most convincingly. He also lets his supporting cast have their share of glory, capering in this ensemble work like any talented comic of the era.Finally, a brief word about Alan Crosland, a director known today only for directing the first talking feature, THE JAZZ SINGER in the same year this was released. Crosland was a careful, innovative, delightfully original director, and it is a shame that more of his works are not known. Perhaps this movie, far more interesting as a movie than his best-known work, will be your introduction to his other talents. If so, you could do far worse.$LABEL$ 1 +First, let me say that although I generally appreciate Mike Judge's work, I've been merely tepid in my response to Office Space, King of the Hill, and Beavis and Butthead. I generally prefer more intelligent comedy, and therein lies the irony with respect to Idiocracy.In a future world where the embodiment of Beavis and Butthead's views, basest instincts, and intellectual capacities are the framework of a chaotic, messy, semi-Mad Max semi-Blade Runner society, where every trailer-trash guy's fantasy becomes reality, a man with even average intelligence is threatening and accused of talking gay, and the mob mentality takes over. And this world is also incredibly funny.Yes, it's obvious that Carl's Jr., Starbucks, Costco and Fuddruckers executives will be horrified at the twisted values given their products in the year 2505.There were some missed opportunities with the film, and the relationship between the time travelers - the other being an average intelligence woman who's worried about her boyfriend's (pimp's) retribution - could have been stronger; the chemistry is there. And there don't seem to be too many women in the future.I did leave with a grin on my face, but the experience is a bit better than the memories. Thus, it's my kind of popcorn film, and it will be fun to revisit on video. Recommended! FYI stay through the credits for an extra scene.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched Hurlyburly as a second choice after Affliction was sold out. I have never seen so many people walk out of a movie. Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, and Chazz Palminteri can do nothing to save this coke-snorting, endlessly pedantic, bad Mamet-wannabe.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has become an iconic stand-in for what is great about America. Fame is famous for its music and performances. There are several standout actors, singers, and dancers, including Irene Cara, Paul McCrae, Anne Meara*, and the superb Gene Anthony Ray. The plot is not the movie. It follows an interesting format ... but, it all really ends in a kind of mush.Where Parker succeeds is in pushing this movie into periodic overdrive - with the extremely poignant, sometimes beautiful and outright campy music score & performances.The film's climax is a song-dance fest of musicians,dancers, & score by Christopher Gore. A wonderment to behold. * An interesting note about the magnificent and superbly talented Anne Meara ... sometimes talent must reside in the genes ... Ms. Meara is married to one Jerry Stiller and is the mother of Ben Stiller ...$LABEL$ 1 +Like most comments I saw this film under the name of The Witching which is the reissue title. Apparently Necromancy which is the original is better but I doubt it.Most scenes of the witching still include most necromancy scenes and these are still bad. In many ways I think the added nudity of the witching at least added some entertainment value! But don't be fooled -there's only 3 scenes with nudity and it's of the people standing around variety. No diabolique rumpy pumpy involved!This movie is so inherently awful it's difficult to know what to criticise first. The dialogue is awful and straight out of the Troma locker. At least Troma is tongue in cheek though. This is straight-faced boredom personified. The acting is variable with Pamela Franklin (Flora the possessed kid in The Innocents would you believe!) the worst with her high-pitched screechy voice. Welles seems merely waiting for his pay cheque. The other female lead has a creepy face so I don't know why Pamela thought she could trust her in the film! And the doctor is pretty bad too. He also looks worringly like Gene Wilder.It is ineptly filmed with scenes changing for no reason and editing is choppy. This is because the witching is a copy and paste job and not a subtle one at that. Only the lighting is OK. The sound is also dreadful and it's difficult to hear with the appalling new soundtrack which never shuts up. The 'ghost' mother is also equally rubbish but the actress is so hilariously bad at acting that at least it provides some unintentional laughs.Really this film (the witching at least) is only for the unwary. It can't have many sane fans as it's pretty unwatchable and I actually found it mind-numbingly dull! The best bit was when the credits rolled - enough said so simply better to this poor excuse for a movie LIKE THE PLAGUE!$LABEL$ 0 +THEIR PURPLE MOMENT Aspect ratio: 1.33:1Sound format: Silent(Black and white - Short film)Two luckless nightclub revellers (Laurel and Hardy) are unable to pay their bill, provoking violent retribution from a hot-tempered waiter (Tiny Sandford).Typical L&H scenario, less substantial than some of their best work from this period, but worth a look nonetheless. Stan takes center-stage this time round, caught up in a financial dilemma after holding back part of his wages to fund a night on the town, only to find out - too late! - that his aggrieved wife (Fay Holderness) has replaced his stash with worthless coupons. Some of the prolonged closeups of Laurel as he slowly becomes aware of the unfolding disaster reveal his genius for characterization and mime. 1920's morality is represented by Patsy O'Byrne, playing a hatchet-faced busy-body who takes great joy in alerting L&H's respective spouses (Holderness and Lyle Taho) to their husbands' bad behavior. The ending fizzles, but the movie still has much to recommend it. Directed by James Parrott.$LABEL$ 0 +On the surface, "Written on the Wind" is a lurid, glossy soap opera about the sexual dysfunctions of a Texas oil family. But underneath it all is a deep, social commentary on 1950's life. Director Douglas Sirk scores again with another Univeral sudser. Robert Stack falls in love with Lauren Bacall. The problem is that Stack's best pal, Rock Hudson, loves her too. When Stack finds out he's sterile and Bacall ends up pregnant, the fireworks fly. And, the all-too-good Dorothy Malone won an Oscar for her portrayl of Texas' biggest nympho who is shunned by Hudson. Good epic soap opera.$LABEL$ 1 +Renowned cinematographer Freddie Francis (Glory, The Elephant Man) directs this pretty bad horror/drama film. 19th Century England has a different view of how the practice of medicine should be handled than Dr. Thomas Rock, the law stating that only the bodies of hung criminals can be studied and experimented on. But the stockpile of these bodies is a small one, and Rock needs more - and he prefers them fresher. Being a maverick within his circle, he begins to pay people to find bodies for him to study and test on. Desperate sleazebags Robert Fallon and Timothy Broom get wind of this job opportunity and begin to murder people and sell these bodies to Rock. Naturally, this kind of action has even worse consequences than practicing on the dead bodies of non-criminals, and leads to trouble for everyone. While the overall story sounds intriguing on paper, almost everything about The Doctor And The Devils is laughably bad.After the first fifteen minutes of the film you are already beginning to question your decision of sitting down to watch the film. The entire look of the film is just ugly. Seeing as how the film takes place in the slums of England during the 19th Century, the filmmakers were probably going for an "ugly" look, but they don't do it in an artful way. Everything from the sets to the cinematography just look cheap, feeble, and disgusting. Also, just about everything scene is filled with something that you simply cannot take seriously, and most of the time this has to do with someone (both in the small and large roles) doing something that looks or sounds completely ridiculous. Francis sure didn't help out his actors much.Jonathan Pryce and Stephen Rea play the twisted buddies of the film, Fallon and Broom respectively, and are very bombastic but very bad. Their characters are by nature crazy, but Pryce and Rea overact the parts to death. They especially have trouble keeping the same accent from shot to shot - Pryce in particular goes from Cockney to Irish to Long John Silver to some kind of lagoon creature and so on and so forth. It's also a humor riot to see Twiggy in this film at all, let alone playing an in-demand street whore, since she can't act to save her life (though her song during the final credits isn't so funny). Boy she sure came a long way: from "flower power" to "I'll take mee clothes off for a shillin'!" As bad as those three actors are in this film, Julian Sands takes home the award for the worst performance of the film. He is just as lame as it gets, giving one laugh-out-loud attempt after another at portraying anger, love, happiness, anxiety - pick an emotion, any emotion! There's only one good thing about The Doctor And The Devils: Timothy Dalton's performance of Dr. Rock. Despite being surrounded by cinematic sewage, Dalton is quite excellent; giving an electric portrayal of an overly driven yet good natured man. Too bad the rest of the film could not have been as good as Mr. Dalton....$LABEL$ 0 +This isn't another searing look at the Holocaust but rather an intimate story about the events that took place on a small street in Berlin and some of the people that were involved. This film starts in the present time in New York City where Ruth Weinstein (Jutta Lampe) is in mourning over the death of her husband and family members have all gathered to her side. Ruth's daughter Hannah (Maria Schrader) slowly learns that her mother was raised by an Aryan woman named Lena Fischer (Doris Schade) and so she travels to Germany and locates the 90 year old who tells her about the events on Rosenstrasse.*****SPOILER ALERT*****Lena talks about Berlin in 1943 where the Gestapo would hold all the Jewish spouses in a building on Rosenstrasse Street even though they are supposed to have immunity for being married to Aryans and for nine days a group of women would wait outside and shout for their release. Eight year old Ruth (Svea Lohde) awaits for her mother to come out and has nowhere to go but she meets 33 year old Lena (Katja Riemann) who takes her in. Lena's husband Fabian (Martin Feifel) is also inside and eventually she tries to socialize with Nazi Officers to get them to do something.This film is directed by Margarethe von Trotta who is making her first feature film in almost 10 years after working in television and while this is clearly not one of her more provocative efforts she remains one of the most revered directors in Europe. This is not one of those Nazi films where we view horrible acts of inhumanity to Jews although we do see some severe treatment being issued out but instead this is more of a retelling of a small event that meant life and death to the people involved. This film isn't trying to shock anyone or open the door to debates on the circumstances but what it simply wants to do is just shed a light on a small but true life event that occurred during an historical period. Part of the films strength comes from its actors and there are some good performances that shine through especially by Riemann and young Lohde and it's always good to see Schrader (Aimee & Jaguar) in a pivotal role. This isn't a great film or something that's going to change your perspective on WWII but considering that innocent lives were put to death because of the events that took place I think that reason alone is important enough to retell this true story.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this movie a few days ago, and thought that it would be a pretty shitty film. But when i popped it into the DVD-player, it surprised me in a very good way. James Belushi plays very well as Bill "The Mouth" Manuccie. But especially Timothy Dalton plays a very good roll as the Sheriff. The 'end' scene, in the house of Bill is very excellent, good camera-work, nice dialogues and very good acting. Bill "The Mouth" Manuccie has stolen 12 Million Dollars from the Mafia. Together with his wife he lives in South-Carolina in a witness protection program. But the Mafia tracks him down, and wants the 12 Million Dollar. Bill can only trust the only person he knows inside out, himself.$LABEL$ 1 +This version of "The Lost Horizon" is actually not a bad film at all. I think the problem is people like to pick on musicals, especially those made in the 70s. I saw the film upon its original release in 1973 (I was ten) and really enjoyed it, the music especially. (Burt Bacharach has always been a favorite.) The story is fun, the acting is good, and technically it's excellent. Sure, there are one or two rather silly dance numbers, but hey, you can't win 'em all. I have this film on video and watch it every so often...and I enjoy it each and every time!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of those movies that's difficult to review without giving away the plot. Suffice to say there are weird things and unexpected twists going on, beyond the initial superficial "Tom Cruise screws around with multiple women" plot.The quality cast elevate this movie above the norm, and all the cast are well suited to their parts: Cruise as the irritatingly smug playboy who has it all - and then loses it all, Diaz as the attractive but slightly deranged jilted lover, Cruz as the exotic new girl on the scene and Russell as the fatherly psychologist. The story involves elements of romance, morality, murder-mystery, suspense and sci-fi and is generally an entertaining trip.I should add that the photography is also uniformly excellent and the insertion of various visual metaphors is beautiful once you realize what's going on.If you enjoy well-acted movies with twists and suspense, and are prepared to accept a slightly fantastic Philip K Dick style resolution, then this is a must-see. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +A man kicks a dog 2' in the air.A woman kicks a cow out of her bed.A man kicks a violin down the sidewalk.A woman sucks on a statue's toe for 15 seconds.A man kicks a blind man in the stomach.Jesus rapes a young girl.There you have it. I just saved you an hour of your life. Surely there are those to whom this "shocking vanguard of cinematic expression" would appeal. But I found it no different from the puerile, disconnected videos I used to shoot with my friends in the 9th grade. Except we never had a real cow.Having heard endless sermons from beard-stroking art connaisseurs of how this is such an important film, I thought it would be worth my time. Make no mistake, this is crap. If I hear one more person call Buñuel the "father of cinematic Surrealism", I think I'm going to punch someone. If anything, he issued a major step backward from the Surrealist beginnings pioneered by his seniors Fritz Lang (Metropolis), F.W. Murnau (Faust) and Robert Weine (Caligari) 10 years earlier. This made a joke out of the whole thing, as if Buñuel didn't have the confidence to truly embrace the art sans sarcasm, sans l'absurdité. It would take Buñuel another 40 years before he would refine his style into something admirable. Skip the early stuff and hop straight to 1970 if you want to be more impressed by his work.I'm sure he would agree. In 1977, Buñuel himself stated that he would happily burn all the prints of his old movies. In this case I would be happy to pour the lighter fluid.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the worst films I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through, Killer Tongue is a horrible melange of the worst elements of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Brain Damage, and Pulp Fiction. Designed primarily to offend, apparently, but so inane that only the most hidebound conservatives would be taken in by it.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie down-shifts from 4th into 1st without bothering with 3rd or 2nd, grinding gears all the way to the sappy, b-movie finish-line. The con at the beginning is easily the best and cleverest part of the movie. That is worth seeing. The scene with Harlow in the bathtub occurs so fast, you may miss it. Definitely not worth all the ballyhoo provided by Robert Osborne in his TCM intro to this bad-to-mediocre confusion. There is no real conflict, and all of the characters in this supposed fringe society turn out to be saints - especially the unbelievable character, Al. I wonder if he's got a job for me in Cincinnati?$LABEL$ 0 +I rented domino on a whim, not even knowing it was inspired by a true story, and even though it's the least likely and true biopic you'll probably see. i found it to be rather awesome.With Richard Kelly writing he crams together a mass of plots and narratives into 2 hours of pure entertainment. And once you've seen it more than once you get it and appreciate it. Domino is a model turned bounty hunter who leaves the perfect Hollywood life to pursue a not so subtle or perfect career. It has an edgy acid trip style provided by director Tony Scott. And with fast paced music and editing, it provides the visual flare to keep your attention, with slick performances and unexpected comedy, the movie is well made and enjoyable and should have reached a wider audience. I suggest it to anyone who wants to think and be entertained at the same time for 2 hours.$LABEL$ 1 +4 out of 10A somewhat unbelievable storyline with some haunted-house type "shocks" that really don't fit in.Gary Oldham's performance is very erratic...not so much the quality of the performance but the consistency. His character does not behave in a consistent manner. Sometimes calm/relaxed/methodical/thoughtful, sometimes violent/loud/almost crazed. It's just not believable. Have many 80s movies dated badly? Will they be more enjoyable 20 years from now?$LABEL$ 0 +Teenager Eddie spends his life being bullied and humiliated due to his obsession with heavy metal music. One day he finds out his hero Sammi Curr has died, supposedly burned by the establishment which wanted to put a stop to his music. But Eddie has his last record, never released, and when he plays it he starts receiving messages telling him how to deal with his tormentors. Before long Sammi has revealed he intends to return to life at the local Halloween party to exact revenge on the town which once mocked him.Filled with humour and in-jokes, this is a highly entertaining film. Sammi himself is an original horror movie villain, plays on the 'evils of rock music' obsessions of the 80's. Well worth watching.$LABEL$ 1 +Back in 1993 Sega released a dull, lackluster video game of one of the biggest films of all time. Quickly realizing their mistake they hashed out a different version of the game, claiming it would be bigger, tougher and better.Neither were. Both were slow, boring games.You can choose to be either Dr. Alan Grant or...a Raptor. Both have their problems. Why would Dr. Grant go around killing all those army guys (just what are they doing in the game)? And why a Raptor be killing other Raptors? Weird.Obviously not learning from their first mistake Sega really dropped the ball on the original release and the so-called Rampage Edition. One of the slowest, sluggish and dullest platformers I have ever played.$LABEL$ 0 +If you overlook the fact that the plot has been done many times, this is a hilarious and gleefully enjoyable Looney Tunes cartoon. The animation is wonderful, the backgrounds so detailed and a lot of audacious colouring too. The writing is razor sharp, and the sight gags especially Daffy constantly getting his head blown off are brilliantly timed. I really did love the arguments between Daffy and Bugs, and that Bugs wins every time. I also love it that Daffy is really greedy and nasty while being uproariously funny. I do prefer him when he's manic but he is great fun here too. Bugs is still his charming and rascally self, and Elmer is funny if rather dumb too. In short, this is absolutely brilliant, and actually my personal favourite of the Hunting Trilogy for sheer entertainment value. 10/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was probably about as silly as The Naked Gun (which was supposed to be). Case in point:1. In order to fake her drowning Roberts is secretly taking swimming lessons at the YWCA. After her "death" the YWCA calls her husband at work to give their condolences. HELLO how did they get his work number?2. Before she leaves town she drops her wedding ring in the toilet. Days or even weeks later her hubby finds it in the John. Does this mean the toilet was never flushed?3. No explanation is given on how she is paying for her mothers care in the retirement home (since she did it behind her RICH husbands back).4. Towards the end of this tiresome film Roberts suspects her husband is in the house. Instead of running for her life she runs to the kitchen instead to see if the cans are stacked neatly.$LABEL$ 0 +My comments may be a bit of a spoiler, for what it's worth. Stop now if you care enough....Saving Grace should have been titled "A Paper-Thin Excuse for Old British Women to Get High On-Screen." This film is dumb. The incidental music is an annoyance as are the obvious, hackneyed tunes that sporadically pop up to comment on the narrative ("Spirit in the Sky," for example - Oh, I get it!) This is basically a Cheech and Chong movie made credible by its stodgy English setting and Brenda Blethyn's overwhelming power to inflict emotion on an audience using her voice alone. I could literally hear the folks over at High Times magazine receiving their jollies over the enormous "buds" that litter this picture. Worst scene? Easy. Brenda attempts to peddle her illicit wares on the street of London in a blaring white dress-suit. Not funny. Not original. Not interesting. Not a good movie. The 7.2 rating is the result of zealots over-voting. Don't waste your time...$LABEL$ 0 +Interesting way of looking at how we as humans so often behave we are sometimes blinded by our desire to achieve perfection that we some times destroy the foundation of what we are trying to achieve. It also addresses the issue how we tend to ignore those among us who are not as outspoken and by doing this may miss out on a great opportunity. The injection of comedy also makes watching the film an enjoyable experience..A must see for anyone who is interested in a reflective yet comical look at life. I am eagerly looking forward to your next product.Hope that you will continue to provide us with quality entertainment. Excellent work ......Joanne$LABEL$ 1 +I have watched anime but I'm not a die hard fan; and I don't read manga. I say this because many of the reviewers who are waxing lyrical about this film seem to have that background. I have seen "St. John's Wort," and although it isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, it made me pick up "Shinobi," especially since everyone seems to love it.Well, I watched it this afternoon, and fought very hard to keep watching. Yes, it's very beautiful - the slow motion water scenes, the autumn leaves on the trees, even the CGI eye flicker - majestic. I liked the hawk, the costumes, even some of the fight scenes, but overall this was dull as dirt.It seemed as if someone took "Romeo and Juliet" - the translation even mentions that they are star crossed lovers - and threw in some "X-Men" for good measure. Two of the characters split Wolverine's powers - the guy dressed in a bear costume had his claws and the grey-haired guy had his ability to heal himself. Then you have the girl who has a poison kiss - that's Poison Ivy (from Batman). Why do they give these women such dumb powers? Poison girl shows her leg then kisses you to death. Man, that's some great power for you. And the other girl, can create bugs from this yellow dust that she rubs on her hands. The other woman, one of the star crossed lovers, has the power of a hypnotic stare. Wow.I sort of made it to the end of the film, by fast forwarding it, and did see a bit more tragedy than I expected. Some people are comparing this to "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero." Don't make that mistake. They may share similar endings, but that's where the similarities end. "Shinobi" is made by an amateur - the other films are made by an experienced filmmaker.I would say avoid this film unless you're 12 to 18 years old.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm trying to find something of value here. The best I can muster is that Truffaut wanted to make a movie as tedious, painful, puerile, annoying, illogical, and brainless as the experience of being in love. If that was his goal, then he succeeded, but the solution to his exercise is really a drag to watch.There is one scene that screams for a spoof: Belmondo compares the features of Deneuve's face to the features in a landscape . All I could think the whole time was "glacier," "ice floe," "two lonely fishermen wearing Army surplus on a frozen lake in Minnesota."The only other point of interest was the resurrection of Buffoon's theory of climatic determinism. The tropics are presented as paradise, and things get progressively worse as they get colder, hell being Calvinist French Switzerland. That was kind of funny.$LABEL$ 0 +If I could have given this film 0/10 I would, and this is the first film I have wanted to rate so low. Its worse than awful. If I went to see it in the cinema I would want the cinema to pay ME for watching it (at least minimum wage). Some of the camera shots were quite effective, but a lot were rubbish eg. villains reflection in a mirror that separates his head and shoulders side-ways from his body (seeing is believing). Several totally pointless killings of innocent civilians. 2 murders that made me laugh out loud due to the victims actions/facial expressions when they were shot. I only watched it to the end (fast forwarding about 10 mins of the boring pointless dialogue) hoping to see Seagal in some decent hand to hand combat, but there was almost none of that (should have known that when at the beginning he threw someone while going down an elevator and it was shown in slow motion with music - end of 'action' scene). In one scene we see Seagal hand chop someones neck in slow motion which makes it obvious that his hand never even made contact). The chief villain keeps coming back to life. He gets shot in the chest on 2 separate occasions. The 1st time its with a shotgun which blows him out the 2nd/3rd floor onto the street. To sum up, this film is a total waste of time and a total joke. It looks very low budget (even for Seagal). The colour is dull and grey. I could go on and on....just like this film, but I wont. Watch this film if you've got insomnia. Its guaranteed to put you to sleep.$LABEL$ 0 +William Shakespeare probably didn't envision Stephanos as a gay doctor, Antonio as a faithless wife, or Caliban as a goatherd with a Trinitron, but the Bard's had worse done to his good work over time, and might even enjoy the sumptuous pageant of life that is his "Tempest" as re-configured by Paul Mazursky and co-writer Leon Capetanos.This time, Prospero is Philip Dimitrius (John Cassevetes), a Manhattan-based architect tired of designing Atlantic City casinos for the amiable Mafioso Alonso (Vittorio Gassman), especially after discovering Alonso is carrying on an affair with Philip's wife Antonia (Gena Rowlands). Along with daughter Miranda (Molly Ringwald), Philip escapes to a remote Greek island with Miranda and his new mistress Aretha (Susan Sarandon), a nice Catholic girl who struggles with Philip's celibate lifestyle. Will a sudden storm bring all right in the end?Here's a thought on the career of Cassevetes: How many other actors could make a film so confused into something so riveting? A darling of film critics for his earlier work, often with his real-life wife Rowlands, he presents a central character who really suffers for his art here, but seems to enjoy himself and makes us enjoy him, too. It's not Prospero, but something rich and strange that makes for a terrific sea change all his own."It's all here," he tells one of his faithful companions, Aretha's dog Nino. "Beauty, magic, inspiration, and serenity." That it is. "Tempest" transfers 1611 London to 1982 Manhattan and finds some nice resonances in Philip's displaced life. "Show me the magic", he calls out to a storm-tossed city skyscape, and Mazursky's version, augmented by Donald McAlpine's sterling cinematography of purple seascapes and naturally sun-burnished Greek landscapes, does just that.It's not a perfect movie, by any means. In fact, the big finale, which is the only part of the movie that follows Shakespeare's storyline to any faithful extent, is a mess. Rowland's character is hard to care much for in this film, and after meeting Sarandon in all her braless glory, it's hard to understand Philip's continuing concern for his wife, let alone his left-field desire to make an unhappy "sacrifice" in order to restore the natural order of things.But there's a lot to love about "Tempest". In addition to Cassavetes, there's Ringwald's film debut as his loyal but restless daughter, here as in the play an object of desire for the primitive rustic "Kalibanos" (Raul Julia). Ringwald here is very much the same teenaged muse of privileged adolescence that would inspire John Hughes, but with an emotional depth those later Hughes films didn't delve into. Ringwald and Julia never got any Oscar attention, but they both would win Golden Globes for their playful work here. He tries to woo her in her island isolation with his TV reruns of "Gunsmoke" in Greek, tempted by her 15-year-old body."I want to balonga you with my bonny johnny," Kalibanos declares, getting shoved aside but winning our sympathy anyway, especially after performing "New York, New York" with a chorus of goats. (When "Tempest" hit the screens, Julia was the toast of Broadway as the lead in "Nine".)It's Mazursky's show, even if it feels at times that Cassavetes is running things with improvisational line readings and emotional breakdowns galore. (Philip introduces himself to Aretha by telling her "I'm right in the middle of a nervous breakdown".) He plays his character as an amiable obsessive, seeking to crystallize his happiness by building an theater in his otherwise uninhabited island.Adding to the enjoyment is Gassman's rich performance as the other man, who is as completely amiable as Julia while telling a youth-obsessed Philip: "Boys don't have half as much fund as we have. They're nervous...and they make love in the back of an old sports car." Despite being overlong and pretentious in spots, like so many art films, "Tempest" is entertaining in its excesses and a trip very much like Shakespeare intended, even if his dreams didn't involve smoking pot backstage at a Go-Gos concert.$LABEL$ 1 +First off, consider that this film is nearly fifty years old! Yet, it still stands up as one of the great films of all time. I wonder how many of todays throwaway celluloid productions will still be talked about in 2050?The story is simple, yet solid enough and the effects are nothing short of phenomenal for the day. I can still recall the first time I watched this, as a kid, when the monster enters the force-field protecting the ship and you got to see its outline for the first (and only) time. Had me shivering in fear, I can tell you. Looks dated today, but still more than effective enough.The scenes with the tiger show their age now. You can see the outline where the tiger was matted into the shots with Altaira, but they are only just visible.Likewise, the effect whereby the creature melts its way through the Krell doors are wonderfully done.It's also amazing to see Leslie Nielsen (better remembered for the Airplane and Naked Gun movies) as a young, but still mature man. He was 30 when this film came out! Nearly 80 now!All in all a good movie that is sure to continue being a favourite for years to come. Timeless.$LABEL$ 1 +This adaptation, like 1949's *The Heiress*, is based on the Henry James novel. *The Heiress*, starring Olivia de Havilland, remains as a well-respected piece of work, though less true to James' original story than this new remake, which retains James' original title. It is the story of a awkward, yet loving daughter (Leigh), devoted to her father (Finney) after her mother dies during childbirth. The arrogant father holds his daughter in no esteem whatsoever, and considers her, as well as all women, simpleminded. When a young man (Chaplin) of good family and little fortune comes courting, the Father is naturally suspicious, but feeling so sure that his daughter could hold no interest for any man, is convinced that the young man is a fortune hunter and forbids her to see him. Leigh is a controversial actress – most either love her or hate her – and she always has a particular edginess and tenseness to her style, like she's acting through gritted teeth. She's not bad in this, and she handles her role relatively deftly – it's just an awkward role for any actress, making the audience want to grab the character by her shoulders and shake her until she comes to her senses. While the character garners a lot of sympathy, she's not particularly likable. The very handsome and immensely appealing Ben Chaplin (previously seen in *The Truth About Cats and Dogs*) plays his role with the exact amount of mystery required to keep the audience guessing whether he is after her fortune, or is really in love with her. Maggie Smith is one of the finest actresses alive and raises the level of the movie considerably with her portrayal of the well-meaning aunt. Finney is marvelous, of course, as the father who threatens to disinherit his daughter for her disobedience, but the daughter is willing to risk that for the man she loves. But does her ardent suitor still want her without her fortune? This is only one instance where *Washington Square* differs from *The Heiress*. Another instance is the ability to stick with it. It is a handsome movie that is as tedious as a dripping faucet, offering too little story in too long of a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Track Listing: 1. Spiderbait - Outta My Head 2. Lash - Take Me Away 3.Lavaland - Everwonder 4. Machine Gun Fellatio - The Girl Of My Dreams(Is Giving Me Nightmares) 5. Butterfly 9 - Growing Pains 6. Grace -Good Thing 7. Katchafire - Giddy Up 8. James - Lick A Lounge 9. K-lee -1+1+1 10. The International Noise Conspiracy - Smash It Up 11. Cartman- Shock (Living With You) 12. Pollyanna - Rebound Girl 13. Filler - Machines Don't Sleep 14. Giants Of Science - Complete This Progression 15. Rocket Science - Hyperspace 16. The Cruel Sea - Three Legged Dog 17. Lazaro's Dog - Home Entertainment System 18. Drag - Secret Design 19. Grinspoon - Chemical Heart (Acoustic Mix) 20. Subware - Come On (Jp Mix) Loved this movie, sure it wasn't Hollywood material (some people complained about the script/acting) but thats the beauty in Australian movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Bob Clampett's 'Porky's Poor Fish' is a so-so cartoon populated by appalling puns and one or two nice moments. Set in Porky's Fish Shoppe, 'Porky's Poor Fish' occupies an uncomfortable area between a standard black 'n' white Porky cartoon and one of the books-come-to-life Merrie Melodies that were popular at that time. Typically of many of the early Porky cartoons, Porky is far from the star, appearing only in a rather stilted opening musical number and the climax of the film. For the rest of the time the star is a scraggly cat who sees the fish shop as an opportunity for a free meal but gets more than he bargained for. Unfortunately, the audience gets far less than they bargained for. As was sometimes the case in the books-come-to-life series, the spotlight is thrown on punning signs which could have worked just as well in a non-animated medium. Laughs are scarce and, while the cartoon is just about saved by Clampett's energetic direction, there is very little at all to recommend 'Porky's Poor Fish' over any of the other below-par early Porky cartoons.$LABEL$ 0 +My observations: Postwar hilarity. Tom Drake and Grandpa from "Meet Me in St. Louis" two years later (the year I was born). Donna Reed charming and pretty. Margaret Hamilton good as always; smaller part than in "Wizard of Oz". Spring Byington way prettier, also with the prerequisite perky small nose lacked by Hamilton. Tent scene at end with former boy next door was hilarious. As a two year veteran of Army tents, he looked pretty youthful and inexperienced when I looked into his eyes.I used to work in a department store, and it was just as elegant as this one. Sadly, it has disappeared and faded into obscurity. We were famous for those great show windows that were used to lure passersby into the store, to get them to buy all of that wonderful merchandise.10/10$LABEL$ 1 +Brilliant actors and brilliant picture!! I love the chopper scene with the music in the beginning, it is just SO touching and at the same time real but at the same time surrealistic! The Vietnam War was far from human and I believe this movie kind of shows have terrible human beings can act under certain circumstances. Modern war movies are spending so much money on effects. This is just a straight forward smart movie that takes you beyond your imagination. A movie that really pictures evil and hate mixed in fearness and fate. How insane the world is and the power of will and friendship, love and passion. A must seen movie and without any doubts the best war movie ever! Many tried to copy but still there are no movie even close as good as this!!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not a big fan of movie musicals. "Annie" was a stage show I loved but the movie was a flop. The "Phantom Of The Opera movies" (and I believe there were three) failed to match the Weber staging. But I LOVED this. The DVD will take a place of honour among my "keepers." Even though it's a movie adaptation, it somehow captures the flavour and the atmosphere of live theatre. Bette Midler, always a treat, is just exceptional in this role. There's great music, lots of laughs and even a tear or two. I've seen most of the big musicals of the eighties and nineties. Somehow I missed this one so there's no comparison to make. But if it gets revived I shall be first in line for tickets! But this movie is so good, I'll be in the odd position of wondering if the stage production will measure up to the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie thinking it was going to be absolutely horrible and was ready for all the corniness, bad special effects, etc. But, I was pleasantly surprised. Not to say that it's the best vampire movie I have ever seen, but it certainly isn't the worst. I liked the whole alternate reality/dream state that played into the movie. The graphics were quite well for a straight to DVD movie and I liked the overall look of the film. I enjoyed the main character Sai. I usually end up hating the female leads but there was something about her that kept me interested. Yes, she does make some bad decisions, but that was to be expected. Yes, the other characters were stereotypical, but I was expecting that too. I don't know if I'd highly recommend this movie, but give it a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised. I'm putting this one on my guilty pleasures list.$LABEL$ 1 +Critics are falling over themselves within the Weinstein's Sphere of Influence to praise this ugly, misguided and repellent adaptation of the lyrical novel on which it's based. Minghella's ham-fisted direction of the egregiously gory and shrill overly-episodic odyssey is one of the many missteps of this "civil-war love story". Are they kidding? After Ms. Kidman and Mr. Law meet cute with zero screen chemistry in a small North Carolina town and steal a kiss before its off to war for Jude and his photo souvenir of the girl he left behind, it's a two hour test to the kidneys as to whether he will survive a myriad of near-death experiences to reunite with his soulmate. Who cares? Philip S. Hoffman's amateurish scene chewing in a disgusting and unfunny role pales to Renee Zelweger's appearance as a corn-fed dynamo who bursts miraculously upon the scene of Kidman's lonely farm to save the day. Rarely has a performance screamed of "look at me, I'm acting" smugness. Her sheer deafening nerve wakes up the longuers for a couple of minutes until the bluster wears painfully thin. Released by Miramax strategically for Oscar and Golden Globe (what a farce) consideration, the Weinsteins apparently own, along with Dick Clark, the critical community and won 8 Globe nominations for their overblown failure. The resultant crime is that awards have become meaningless and small, less powerful PR-driven films become obscure. Cold Mountain is a concept film and an empty, bitter waste of time. Cold indeed!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Although I bought the DVD when it first came out, and have watched it several times, I never wrote a review.I loved it when I first saw it and I love it still.Sadly, it seems it never made enough money to motivate anyone to do a follow-up. I have to assume QT still controls the rights, but after Kill Bill if he does a film that is as true to the comics and books as My Name is Modesty, with another tough female lead, anyone not familiar with the character will see this as a let-down.Peter O'Donnell wrote his stories to focus more on psychological suspense rather than action thrillers.The tug of wills between Modesty and Miklos is very true to the source material and is tense, suspenseful and fascinating to anyone who doesn't have to have gore and explosions. Alexandra did a great job in playing how O'Donnell's character would have taken control of the situation.I find this particularly ahead of the curve following the sorely needed reboots of Batman and James Bond. After 2 dismal earlier efforts, although not nearly as well known to the public, this is really a reboot of the Modesty character, and it is really sad that probably no more films about her will be made.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, I sat through the whole thing, God knows why.It was a long afternoon, I had nothing to do, it was bitterly cold outside, okay, those are all lame excuses but they're the only ones I have.I gave The Darkling 4 stars out of a possible 10 - I have seen worse films, but this one definitely is right there in the old trash bin of bad filmdom--poor script, poor acting, bad lighting, and cheesy special effects.The storyline, which never completely makes sense, revolves around this simple little family, Daddy, Mommy, and little girl--that I assume the viewer is supposed to be "identifying" with, all three of them were tedious and annoying. You just want the dark side to get every one of them.Daddy is a cook whose hobby is cars. Daddy meets a rich man named Rubin who collects cars and who is also in possession of a being he purchased in the "mysterious" Orient. Rubin keeps it in a birdcage and refers to it as "The Darkling". During the course of the film, the Darkling is explained as being about 3 or 4 different things: a shadow without a person, the inner darkness that exists in all of us, and the Devil. So take your pick of whichever one of those explanations suits your fancy--because trust me, it doesn't really matter.The Darkling's main problem seems to be that it craves having a companion--it gets a human companion--and then eventually is dissatisfied with the human being. This, of course, leads to immense wealth, followed by disaster, for the human who hooks up with The Darkling.And for the rest of us -- it just leads to a very long, tedious movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Granny, directed by Boris Pavlovsky (who?), sees eight friends experiencing a night of terror when a psycho-killer dressed in a old hag rubber mask and a nightdress interrupts their party.They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but it appears that the same is not true of DVDs: I was in the mood for a REALLY bad horror film last night, and since the cover of Granny featured a shoddily photo-shopped image of the titular killer swinging an axe, terrible typography (they even use the system font Sand, a definite design no-no!), and credits featuring absolutely no-one I had heard of, I reckoned it would be pretty lousy.It was!When a film clocks in at just under an hour long, it really shouldn't waste too much time before getting to the action; Granny, however, spends the first 20 minutes or so with its unlikable group of friends indulging in pointless games and extremely banal conversation. Anyone who actually stays with the film long enough for the killing to begin (and I doubt most sane people would bother) will be treated to several dreadful death scenes featuring amateurish gore, loads of awful acting, and a surprise ending that comes as no surprise (if you've seen April Fool's Day, then you'll guess what the twist is way before it is revealed).Granny is uninspired, unexciting, and almost unwatchable. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very fine and poetic story. Beautiful scenery. Magnificent music score. I've been twice in Japan last year and the movie gave me this typical Japanese feeling. The movement of the camera is superb, as well as the actors. It goes deep into your feelings without becoming melodramatic. Japanese people are very sensitive and kind and it's all very well brought onto the screen here. The director is playing superb with light an colors and shows the audience that it is also possible to let them enjoy a movie with subtle and fine details. Once you've seen this movie you will want to see more from the same director. It's a real feel good movie and I can only recommend it to everybody.$LABEL$ 1 +This "film," and I use that term loosely, reminds me of the first joke my daughter wrote, at eighteen months: "P.U., stinky poopies!" Like that joke, this movie can only appeal to the very young, the very immature, or the very stupid. That said, there are a few bright spots. The effects, where the majority of the reputed $100 million went, are kinetic and convincing -- I mean, as convincing as those kind of kinetic CGI effects can be. The CGI baby effects are not great, but I imagine those are very hard to do well... although for a hundred-million bucks, they could have been better!Moose, the dog from "Frasier," phoned in his usual exemplary performance. Steven Wright did well with a small part. Alan Cummings was, well, Alan Cummings-as-villain, which we've seen before, and Bob Hoskins as Odin was unrecognizable, but enjoyable. The actress playing Mrs. Avery was cute-as-a-button, as you'd expect, and Jamie Kennedy stunk, as you'd expect. His best role so far was in the Scream trilogy (not to be confused with the Lord of the Rings trilogy), and in Three Kings. He should stick, perhaps, to more subtle forms of comedy. Jim Carrey, he ain't.The writing and direction were, if anything, worse than Kennedy's performance. I semi-remember one clever (though seven-year-old clever) line that I wish someone would quote accurately for the "Memorable Quotes" section. Something about Avery's proposed costume being the "crappiest crap in Craptown," it was a second-grade joke, but sort of funny in context.Over all, since there's nothing lower than a "one," I give this film a "one."$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a Petty Officer 1st Class (E-6) and have been in the USCG for 6 years and feel that this movie strongly represents the Coast Guard. There were only a few scenes that were far fetched. The most far-fetched was when PO Fischer (Kutcher) went down inside of the sinking vessel to pull the vessel's captain out of the engine room... that would never happen. Swimmers are not allowed to go inside of any vessel no matter the circumstances. Second, the Command Center (supposedly in Kodiak), it looked more like a NASA command center... we don't have any gear that hi-tech. Third, the Captain of the Airstation would not be running the search & rescue cases with like 10 people on watch. In reality it would be an E-6 or E-7 as the SAR Controller and maybe 2 other support personnel like an assist SAR Controller & a Radio Watchstander. Otherwise the movie was dead on, I think they should have incorporated more of the other rates in the CG and their roles in search & rescue instead of just Aviation based rates. Some of the scenes from "A" school reminded me of my days their and the dumb stuff I did and got in trouble for in my younger days.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has got to be the biggest disappointment I've ever experienced with a film. The acting is horrific, the suspense build up minimal, and the plot overall is ridiculous. I found myself rooting for the victim to just hurry up and become a victim, because she obviously needed to be put out of her misery. Anyone with rudimentary knowledge of how the world works will immediately be disgusted at the leaps we're asked to make in logic, and the so-called suspenseful buildup would be lucky to get a 3 year old to be mildly worried. I'm dismayed that a sequel is planned, because it means they'll be asking us to once again swallow a sub par plot line. If this is an example of Raw Feed's work, I think I'll be avoiding any and all future films by them.$LABEL$ 0 +"Sky Captain" may be considered an homage to comic books, pulp adventures and movie serials but it contains little of the magic of some of the best from those genres. One contributor says that enjoyment of the film depends on whether or not one recognizes the films influences. I don't think this is at all true. One's expectations of the films,fiction and serials that "Captain" pays tribute to were entirely different. Especially so for those who experienced those entertainments when they were children. This film is almost completely devoid of the charm and magnetic attraction of those. Of course we know the leads will get into and out of scrapes but there has to be some tension and drama. Toward the climax of "Captain" Law and Paltrow have ten minutes to prevent catastrophe and by the time they get down to five minutes they are walking not running toward their goal. They take time out for long looks and unnecessary conversation and the contemplation of a fallen foe with 30 seconds left to tragedy. Of course one expects certain conventions to be included but a good director would have kept up some sense of urgency.One doesn't expect films like this to necessarily "make sense". One does expect them to be fun, thrilling and to have some sense of interior logic. "Captain" has almost none. Remember when Law and Paltrow are being pursued by the winged creatures and they reach a huge chasm which they cross via a log bridge? Well how come they are perfectly safe from those creatures when they reach the other side? They can FLY!!! The chasm itself means nothing to them. The bridge is unnecessary for them so where is the escape? If the land across the chasm is 'forbidden' to the flying creatures the film made no effort to let us know how or why or even if.I know that Paltrow and Law (both of whom have given fine performances in the past) were playing "types" but both were pretty flat. Only Giovanni Ribisi (who showed himself capable of great nuance here) and Angelina Jolie seemed to give any "oomph" to their roles although Omid Djalili seemed like he could have handled a little more if he'd only been given the chance. He did a pretty good job anyway considering how he was basically wasted.The film had a great 'look' but there are so many ways in which CGI distracts. CGI works best when it is used for the fantastical, when it is used to create creatures who don't exist in nature or for scientific or magical spectacular. When it is used to substitute for natural locations it disappoints. There is no real sense of wonder. A CGI mountain doesn't have any of the stateliness or sense of awe and foreboding that a real mountain does. I know that the design of this film was quite deliberate and it wasn't necessarily supposed to LOOK real but shouldn't it FEEL that way? It just didn't. As for the weak and clichéd script...homage is no excuse. Even so, had the movie had some thrills and dramatic tension it might still have been enjoyable. "The Last Samurai" was as predictable as the days of the week and I am no fan of Tom Cruise but it had everything that "Captain" didn't most notably it drew the viewer into its world and made us accept its rules and way of being in a way that "Sky Captain" most definitely did not.I'd like to see a similar approach taken for films about comic book heroes of the 30's and 40's. The original (Jay Garrick) Flash or Green Lantern (Alan Scott) come to mind as being ripe for such treatment. Maybe the better, more well known and fully realized characters that those character are would make for a much better film. It would be hard to be worse.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is shoddily-made, unoriginal garbage. I like romantic comedies sometimes. Watching a good one is like eating ice cream for dinner. It's not something you are going to do all the time, but the experience is so pleasurable that you can ignore how unwise you are being. This movie made me think about how stupid I was for continuing to remain seated for its entire running time. Everything about it screamed made on the cheap. It actually looks like they overexposed the film at certain points it is so washed out. It boasts cheesy CGI and lame sets, too.The writing was clunky. I know that you can usually expect some plot problems in a screwball comedy, but you usually don't really care because you are laughing. This movie is so unfunny that you actually sit there and wonder about the unlikely series of coincidences and completely unbelievable behavior involved. Events were placed in the film just to move the characters from one scene to the next or to provide exposition. Sure, this is how all movies work, but you shouldn't notice that it's happening. Inelegant. That's the term I should use.There was almost no one in the movie who was really likable. I didn't care who ended up with whom, as long as they all stayed the hell away from me, and I didn't have to listen to them talk about it anymore. Why would the only really cool character in the movie, the Paul Rudd character, want to have anything to do with the completely bitchy, condescending, control freak played by Eva Longoria? Also, almost all of the characters involved consistently picked the sleaziest solution to any situation. A straight man pretends to be gay for five years just to hang out (and bathe with) with a woman he is attracted to? The best feel-good moment they could come up with was to tack on a happy ending for the same schmoe where he gets together with Rudd's equally annoying lying, kleptomaniac sister? Lake Bell and Eva Longoria are very attractive, appealing women. Maybe they will find something better to appear in down the road.$LABEL$ 0 +Whoever plays the part of J. Douglas Williamson in the strip poker scene does a wonderful job. He apparently received no credits. Too bad.All the Dead End Kids do their jobs beautifully in this 1939 entry. It is odd to watch them in a Western setting with their Brooklyn accents ( I guess that should be Bowery ). They even show some swimming abilities.I think there are many special scenes that can stay with the viewer of this boxing/love/crime story. My favorite right now is in the fight scene near the end of the film. Busby Berkeley shows his dance movie expertise when John Garfield shifts his feet and as we watch that move, the camera moves up to his face. I will not give away why or when, but the look on his face at that point probably brought the 1939 audience to its feet in the theaters.Some will think John Garfield looks a lot like Frank Sinatra in many scenes. Just his face. Actually Frank was not yet making movies so maybe Frank looked like John. The boxer named Smith in the movie looks like a clone of Ed Begley, Jr.Now I must tell you something that is not a spoiler, but if you watch the movie, watch Grandma's hands. May Robson does her part well. She seems to have hands that wander a bit. In a scene where she and a crowd go into the boxer's (John Garfield) dressing room, watch where she touches the reclining John Garfield while he is wearing only his trunks.A great ending. Lots of wonderful characters.Best line might be at the gas station, "...eight gallons, that's a dollar twenty-eight..." Tom Willett$LABEL$ 1 +This isn't among my favorite Hitchcock films, though I must admit it's still pretty good. Among the things I really liked were the presence of Jimmy Stewart (he always improves even the most mediocre material) and the incredibly scary looking assassin (who looks like a skeleton with just a thin layer of skin stretched over him). Although it cost the studio a lot of money, I didn't particularly care for Doris Day in the film--she seemed to weep a lot and belts out "Que Sera" like a fullback. Yes, I know that she was supposed to sing in that manner, but this forever made me hate this song. Sorry.The other complaint, though minor, I had about the movie was that it was a little "too polished" and "Hollywood-esque". The original version (also done by Hitchcock) just seemed a lot grittier and seedier--and this added to the scary ambiance.$LABEL$ 1 +The subject matter was good, direction was OK. Mohanlal was efficient in his role as a Major. The acting of the supporting actors was amateurish at best. The casting director and director should be held responsible for this debacle. Hawaldar Jai was terrible, he stood out like a sore thumb with his poor histrionics. He did not look the part nor did he move like a soldier. There was a scene where a satellite feed was required of the skirmish with the militants and they were showing it from a camera angle. Satellite is located hundred of miles in the sky so the only angle is from above.It was quite an embarrassing moment. Audience these days are matured and they recognize when one is trying to pull wool over their eyes. The Director is a Major so the story could be out of his personal experiences. No problem there, but the movie is only as good as its actors and Director. So if Major Ravi is going for any other projects he should pay more attention to the casting.$LABEL$ 0 +You know the story of "Sweeney Todd" now, most likely thanks to Tim Burton's recent movie. You probably don't know it though, from this take on the old tale from Andy Milligan-that notorious sleaze merchant that gave Al Adamson and Ted V. Mikels a run for their money.It had to happen eventually. In my years of watching horror and exploitation from the 60's to the 80's, I'm finally reviewing an Andy Milligan movie. You see, from 1964 to 1990, Andy gave us many an exploitation and horror movie-none of which was any good, and barely watchable. "The Bloodthirsty Butchers" is no exception.There is dialog and well, there is talk, and that's one of the things you will find here-lots and lots of talk. The movie reaches almost "Manos The Hands of Fate" levels at times, as you wait tirelessly for something to happen. While I love cheap looking gore effects, the violence is too few and far between, and in spite of it's reputation, the "breast" scene isn't that shocking. I love cheap and sleazy exploitation as much as the next trash cinema devotee, but "Bloodthirsty Butchers" is the kind of bad that MST3K would tear apart mercilessly. Sadly, Milligan would die of AIDS in 1991, and if there is any movie of his I'd say I sort of like, it would be the delirious "The Ghastly Ones." This is no "Ghastly Ones" though-it's just bad.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm a big fan of Kevin Spacey's work, but this is a sub-standard film. If you think it looks interesting, or you saw it and liked it, go and check out John Boorman's "The General". It is basically about the same guy, but is far superior in every way (and doesn't suffer from the Hollywood glorifications).$LABEL$ 0 +How any of you gave this more than 2 stars amazes me. I made an account on IMDb just to comment on this cr@p film. The acting is cr@p and the plot is cr@p. It would deserve no stars at all if it weren't for the descent soundtrack (and yet there are still some outrageously clownish tracks in there too, most notably the ones featuring the oboe and sound like black and white cartoon comedy background music and in no way fit the intended mood of the scenes that they haunt) and quality cinematography. The dialog and plot are about as complex as that of a Dr. Sues book. These actors are horrible. I am actually watching this movie right now and, with every word, am stunned you all swallowed this shitte. The only reason I didn't turn the movie off was because I have gotten wrapped up in creating an account on IMDb and posting this review. I dig mainstream films, I dig silly stupid films, I dig retro indie films, and nearly any other type/genre if carried out well. My brother convinced me to rent this because he said he heard it was good and he generally has great taste in movies; from the moment he told me the title I looked at him like he was crazy. I'm having a tough time ending this rant because there is just so much badness to talk about. The only way I can rationalize the good ratings on here is that you guys were paid to give this movie high ratings. It is so poorly done and no where close to dramatic, artsy, complex, well written, well preformed, or even bearable. If this was the final product of my hard directorial work, I would be to embarrassed to release it to the public, so I don't even feel sorry for the director if he reads this -- what the hell were you thinking guy?$LABEL$ 0 +Ed Harris's work in this film is up to his usual standard of excellence, that is, he steals the screen away from anyone with whom he shares it, and that includes the formidable Sean Connery. The movie, which is more than a bit sanctimonious, comes alive only in the scenes when Harris is interrogated by the attorney for another convict. It is breathtaking, a master class in artistic control.The other cast members are all adept and Connery is reliable, as is Fishbourne, but the story itself packs no wallop. The plot depends largely on the premise that a black prisoner always will be mistreated and coerced by white law enforcement officers. This is the engine which drives the story, right or wrong, and makes one feel a tad cheated at the end.Still, worth watching to see Harris in action.$LABEL$ 1 +Notorious for more than a quarter century (and often banned), it's obscurity was its greatest asset it seems. Hey, it's often better to be talked about, rather than actually seen when you can't back the "legend" up with substance.The film has played in Los Angeles a couple of times recently, and is available on home video, so that veil is slowly being lifted. While there is still plenty to offend the masses, it is more likely to bore them, than arouse much real passion. Except for a gratuitous and protracted XXX sex scene between a pair of horses ("Nature Documentary" anyone?), there follows nearly an hour of a dull arranged marriage melodrama. Once the sex and nudity begins, it is a nonstop sequence involving masturbation, a looooooooong flashback to an alleged 'beauty and the beast' encounter, and a naked woman running around the mansion (nobody, even her supposedly protective Aunt, seems to even think of putting some clothes on her!). On video, I guess you can fast-forward thru the banality, but it's not really worth the effort. The nudity doesn't go beyond what is seen in something much more substantive such as Bertolucci's THE DREAMERS.Try as one might to find some 'moral' or 'symbolism' in the carnality, I doubt it's worthy of anyone's effort. Unfortunately, for LA BETE, now that you can more easily see the film, the notoriety of something once 'forbidden' has been lifted. And this beast has been tamed.$LABEL$ 0 +Towards the end of the movie, I felt it was too technical. I felt like I was in a classroom watching how our Navy performs rescues at sea. I liked seeing that the engines have fire extinguishers. I guess I should have figured that out before, but I never thought about it. Using a 747 to transport valuable old paintings with very little security is odd and not realistic. The acting was pretty good, since they're mostly seasoned professionals, but if you're going to stretch so far from what would most likely happen, it should be more like a fantasy, comical, etc. Everything was taken too seriously. At least the movie had Felix Ungar as pilot, with Buck Rogers, the night stalker, and Dracula also on board. The movie was filled with well known faces. I understand that Hollywood has to exaggerate a bit for drama, but it does hurt the quality of a movie when a serious subject is made into a caricature. That's why I said it should have been more comical. My pet peeve with movies about airline travel is that everybody just casually moves about. They walk around with drinks, setting them down and picking them up 5 minutes later, just as if they're in a building or something, and acting as if turbulence just doesn't exist. Also, I know it's a disaster movie, but suspense doesn't have to include a 30 second crash after hitting something. Anyway, the skilled actors and actresses keep this weak script from having been made into a movie that got canned after it's first screening. I like Lee Grant, but it was fun to watch a psychotic person get decked...:)$LABEL$ 0 +Pandro S. Berman was "In Charge of Production" but that made him the so-called Line Producer. But who produced this epic, filmed not in Arizona but in California's Mohave Desert where scavengers have made off with all of the remnants of the "gold temple", the Thuggee huts, the British outpost at Muri, the village of Tantrapur, etc. The minor technical faults can and must be forgiven. What's unforgivable is the lack of an Oscar for best music, although maybe the Academy didn't offer such at the time. A single theme was played in various tempos including waltz, march and sweet, mood-setting. Brilliant! One of the curious aspects of the production was the widow Kipling's demands. An actor playing Kipling appears briefly before and after the battle scenes. In the initial release his scenes were cut, per Mrs. Kipling's demands. Later they were included and lent a "connection" of Kipling's immortal poem to Ben Hecht's screenplay. Interestingly, this very typically and pro-British story was by a great screenwriter who himself hated the British.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's supposed to be a remake or update of "The One-armed Swordsman", by Chang Cheh. The ham-fisted direction and crappy fight choreography mean that the fight scenes aren't even worth watching. The script tries desperately hard to seem serious, but is full of cliches like, "And I knew then that nothing would ever be the same again..." or "If only I'd known what a heavy price I would have to pay." Ugh! And who is that girl who plays Sing? Someone find her and have her eliminated!! She's awful. If you like Chinese martial arts movies, you'd be better off with Lau Gar Leung. This stinks.$LABEL$ 0 +'Ray' lives onRay Dir- Taylor Hackford Cast- Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Curtis Armstrong and Sharon Warren. Written by- Taylor Hackford and James L. White. Rating- ***"Hit the road Jack, and don't come back…no more, no more, no more, NO MORE!" Who would've thought that this immortal line that has almost become a remedial mantra for broken relationships in popular culture was conceived over a lovers' brawl! Ray Charles was a genius. And if there was one thing that he knew, breathed and lived for; it was music. So in a lifetime that comprised acute poverty, a desperate struggle with darkness, guilt, drugs and painful affairs; Ray still found moments when inspiration hit him out of nowhere and words and notes took their own shape to form an instant eternal classic! There are some lives that deserve to be transformed on the silver screen. Ray Charles's life was one of them. It almost comes as a shock to learn that this project had no studio-backing until it was completed! And that backing probably came after the initial screenings where Jamie Foxx's performance was lauded and predicted as a surefire Oscar winner in hushed voices. Jamie Foxx as Ray almost convinces us that it is indeed Ray Charles performing on screen and not an actor impersonating! From the crooked all-knowing smile to the bent gait of not so much a handicapped but a man dancing through his demons, Foxx captures every essence of the actual Ray Charles. Ray was a complicated man. He never demanded sympathy and very rarely showed it himself. An astute businessman, he ensured his success at any cost, sometimes at the price of losing his loved ones. He never apologized for his philandering ways and always maintained that he loved his family, which we are convinced he did. He liked sex; it was as simple as that! But beneath all, there also existed a Ray that was afraid of darkness. Imagine the horrors of a blind man afraid of darkness! His fear was because of his guilt. Ray was convinced that he was the reason for his brother's death, and his whole life was spent trying to redeem himself. Ray was a maverick who fused gospel with jazz, an unheard blasphemous practice in the 50's. But his intentions weren't to instigate. He was simply practicing the only way he knew of getting close to God!It is hard to capture such an eventful life as that of Ray, and that is perhaps where the movie fails. We are never really allowed to get close to Ray as a person. We know him only as much as we see him. His relationships, especially with Margie Hendricks(Regina King), aren't explored in detail. And the script barely passes over Della Bea(Kerry Washington), Ray's wife, who everyone knows was a rock by his side. And the biggest blunder of all is the rushed, almost abrupt climax. It's as if the director suddenly realized he was out of stock and called for a pack-up! Nonetheless, 'Ray' is definitely recommended for a flawless performance from Jamie Foxx and an able stellar ensemble. The songs and age create a sense of nostalgia, and we get a genuine feeling that the film is made with sincerity. - Abhishek BandekarNote- 'Ray' is nominated in six categories at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor(Jamie Foxx).Rating- **** Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent19th February, 2005$LABEL$ 1 +This is a pretty silly film, including what may well be the least erotic come-on ever to make it to the big screen (the heroine pours V-8 all over herself and invites the hero to lick it off -- yuck!). And yet it also features the resplendent Lucinda Dickey in what is far and away her most erotic performance. In those long ago days, women -- even action heroines -- with real muscles were a rarity, and I can still remember the way my jaw dropped when Dickey took off her shirt, revealing the most powerfully built female back and biceps I'd ever seen. Dickey's beauty and vitality carry the film: she could have been a female Schwarzenegger if anybody had had the vision to promote her.$LABEL$ 1 +A very, very, very slow-moving, aimless movie about a distressed, drifting young man. Not sure who was more lost - the flat characters or the audience, nearly half of whom walked out. Attempting artiness with black & white and clever camera angles, the movie disappointed - became even more ridiculous - as the acting was poor and the plot and lines almost non-existent. Very little music or anything to speak of. The best scene in the movie was when Gerardo is trying to find a song that keeps running through his head. He goes to a used record store to buy it for his lover and has to sing the song for two sales clerks before they find the album. Cute scene gave promise, but it went downhill from there. The rest of the movie lacks art, charm, meaning... If it's about emptiness, it works I guess because it's empty. Wasted two hours.$LABEL$ 0 +Modern viewers know this little film primarily as the model for the remake, "The Money Pit." Older viewers today watch it with wisps of nostalgia: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas were all "superstars" in an easier, less complicated era. Or was it? Time, of course, has a way of modifying perspectives, and with so many films today verily ulcerating with social and political commentary, there is a natural curiosity to wonder about controversy in older, seemingly less provocative films. In "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," there may, therefore, be more than what audiences were looking for in 1948. There is political commentary, however subtle. Finding a house in the late 40s was a truly exasperating experience, only lightly softened by the coming of Levittowns and the like. Politics in the movie? The Blandings children always seem to be talking about progressive ideas being taught to them in school (which in real life would get teachers accused of communism). In real life, too, Myrna Loy was a housing activist, a Democrat, and a feminist. Melvyn Douglas was no less a Democratic firebrand: he was married to congresswoman Helen Gahagan Douglas, whom young Richard Nixon accused of being soft on communism (and which ruined her). Jason Robards, sr., has a small role in the film, but his political activism was no less noticeable. More importantly, his son, Jason Robards, jr., would be for many years a very active liberal Democrat. Almost the odd fellow out was Cary Grant, whose strident conservatism reflected a majority political sentiment in Hollywood that was already slipping. But this was 1948: Communism was a real perceived threat and the blacklist was just around the corner. It would be another decade before political activism would reappear in mainstream films, and then not so subtly.$LABEL$ 1 +...because 99 out of 100 times, the producers lied through their teeth (or someone else's) to get you to rent or buy their *mercifully censored*.Shock-O-Rama Cinema proves the truth of this yet one more time with the release of "Feeding the Masses," a possibly well-intentioned but utterly inept and dismal entry into the zombie genre. Folks, this is not only low-budget film-making, this is VERY low-budget film-making by a bunch of people who--I'm sorry, I know they have families who love them--will never, ever be in Variety in any significant fashion. This is one baaaaaaaaaad mooin' pitcher, folks, and not just because it's cheap.The acting is mediocre, but I don't blame the actors; they had no direction. They had no direction because the script was a half-baked zombie fantasy with no sense of real cinematic storytelling. Characterization is thin at best, no thanks to weak dialogue and soporific direction. Have I mentioned yet that the script and the direction are pretty lame? They are. There's no drama, no tension, no great character moments, nothing. The whole premise of government suppression of the media is squandered on sophomoric "commercial breaks" and an undramatic storyline that defies rational analysis and awkwardly shambles to its ridiculous finish. Syd Fields would not be pleased.How could the government suppress the truth of a virulent zombie epidemic when the reality of it would be apparent everywhere? Why would they give it more than a cursory try? In this day and age of cellphone cameras with wireless access, what could they possibly hope to accomplish for more than a day or so at best? Now, if they were covering something up, like their own culpability....but "Feeding the Masses" never explores such possibilities. Instead, it dwells on absurdity and poorly staged events to dig for laughs and/or significance, praying its audience won't notice the near total lack of production value beyond basic film-making equipment. Did anyone in this film get paid? I hope the actors did, if only for their time wasted on career blind alleys like this one; at least the techies got to rack up some legitimate work experience.Even zombie fans will find little to gain from "Feeding the Masses." The gore is remarkably tame for no-budgeters of its rank, and there are no distinctive set pieces or memorable effects. They're all eminently forgettable, in fact. KNB has nothing to fear.Even junk like the Aussie stillbirth "Undead" was miles ahead of "Feeding the Masses." Sorry, guys, back to the drawing boards, and take your deceptive marketing with you.$LABEL$ 0 +Jacknife is a war movie that is just about as far removed from the war as war movies get. It can hardly be classified as a war film, because the only way that any war has an effect on the story or the characters is in their memories of it, and even these we are hardly ever shown. It poses very interesting questions about life, especially in the way that the movie's tagline says that only one of them is really alive (and by the way, even though the tagline refers only to Dave (Ed Harris) and Megs (Robert DeNiro), it is talking about all three of the characters in the film). Dave and Megs were friends in the Vietnam war, and Megs has returned to take Dave out on a fishing trip that they have been planning for a lot longer than you might have guessed. DeNiro provides a perfect performance of the character of Megs, who we are not really sure if we should like or if he really is as nuts as Martha thinks he is. Dave reminds Martha several times that Megs is not his friend, just someone he knows. There is a great scene early in the film where Megs has gone out to grab a six pack of beer from his car for breakfast, and he is just around the corner of the room when Dave says this. Megs pauses for a moment and then proceeds into the room with a smile and a huge greeting. It isn't until later that you realize how Megs must have felt when he heard that, having been the one to remember what they had planned to do on this day. It reminds me of the fakeness of the old, `Sure, let's do that,' thing that people so often say to each other, never having any plans to do any such thing.Ed Harris delivers a wonderful performance as Dave, who never got over the effects that the war had on him. Even so many years later he has not managed to get over the death of a friend during the war, blaming himself to this day for it and thus drowning his life in alcohol, cigarettes, and loneliness. All he wants, he says, is for people to leave him alone. This is not a man who is living his life the way he wants, whether people actually leave him alone or not, he is a man trying to forget that he's alive, to detach himself from the world of the living as much as possible.His sister Martha reminds me of myself, at least in terms of my roommates. I have two roommates who are 21 and 24 years old, and both act like they still live with their mothers, expecting their messes to just go away when they leave the room for a while. One on particular (the older one, sadly enough), has absolutely no clue how to care for himself, I'm surprised I don't have to wipe his chin while he eats. Martha has to do much the same for her brother, who she waits on hand and foot while he staggers through life from one hangover to the next. Martha and Dave are stuck in a stagnant life and neither of them can get out of it until something major changes, and Dave is the one that needs to do the changing. I tend to complain about romance in movies where it just doesn't belong about as much as Roger Ebert complains about those pathetic little tension devices, the red digital readout. But in this case, I don't think that the romance that develops between Megs and Martha had any adverse affect on the rest of the movie. On the contrary, it made it that much more interesting, because it was not predictable. The problem with the romantic subplots in Bruckheimer movies and whatnot is that they are so predictable that you just wait for the obvious end to come and hope that something interesting happens along the way. In this case, however, it's not as obvious that something is going to happen between Megs and Martha because we don't know enough about Megs. Martha could be right about him, that he's one of Dave's crazy war buddies and that he's not the kind of man that she should be dating. Dave certainly encourages this idea.(spoilers) A couple years after this movie, DeNiro did Cape Fear, where he plays a deranged criminal out for revenge against the lawyer that landed him in prison, a character that, in retrospect, makes it pretty easy to think that maybe at the end of Jacknife Martha realizes her mistake, gets rid of Megs, and she and Dave make up because he saved her from a horrible relationship and then he decides to clean up his act because he has done something good for her. I was half expecting this to happen, so I was pleasantly surprised when Martha and Megs wound up together and even more pleasantly surprised when Megs asks Dave all the questions about what they had planned to do after the war was over. At times this is a slow moving drama, but Jacknife is entertaining along the way and has a huge payoff at the end, which amazingly manages to be sappy without being cheesy. There is an almost excess of emotion at the end of the film that scarcely fits with the rest of the movie, but it is so good that it doesn't dumb down anything that the movie has accomplished up to that point. Everyone involved gives a wonderful performance, and it is one of those rare films that just about makes you want to stand up and shake your fists victoriously in the air.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought the movie started out a bit slow and disjointed for the first hour. However, it became more absorbing, fascinating, and surprising in its last two hours. So, while it starts out like a cheap horror film, it evolves into a beautiful and wonderful fantasy film.Bridget Fonda stands out as the Snow Queen. This was her best performance and it is sad that this apparently was her last performance, as she has not acted in the last 7 years. She absolutely personifies both the beauty and coldness of Winter.My daughter, age 14, found the film a bit frightening, so if you are showing it as family entertainment, please stay with your child and reassure her or him that it is just a fairy tale fantasy and not to take it too seriously.It is really one of the best fantasy films that I have seen in a long time, slightly better than "Eragon" or any of the "Lord of the Rings." It is about as good as "The Golden Compass".$LABEL$ 1 +Let's see where to begin... bad acting; I'm not sure if I'd even call it that, as it more along the lines of a no-effort script read. The actors didn't even seem to be into their parts and seemed quite lifeless and listless. Sure there was a scene or two with nudity, but that couldn't save this movie from it's lifeless characters.To call the main character a rapper is an insult to the people who actually do. The lyrics had no rhythm or flow and seemed more along the lines of senseless rants.Budget? Did this movie even have a budget? It seemed like they used less money than I've seen in a home-shot YouTube video. Bad lighting, props, poor sound post production. Bad special effects, if you want to go so far as to call them that. Story could have been good if the people actually seemed interested in making it so, but there was no life to this flick; I don't care who directed it.I've seen some really bad flicks in the past year and this one is definitely at the very bottom. Don't waste your time or you'll be wishing you listened to this unbiased review. Check the ratings, you'll see the 1's are rapidly outpacing the fluffed 10's with hardly anything in between. Wish I would have looked a little closer before wasting my time. What a suck-fest!$LABEL$ 0 +The Last American Virgin (1982) was one of the few teenage comedies that I really enjoyed. The subject matter and the acting was well above the usual tripe that Hollywood was (and still is) cranking out these days. But for awhile, the smaller studios were producing movies about teenagers that wasn't toned downed or soften for the kiddies. The men pulling the strings behind this production were from your friends from Cannon.Three teenage buddies are trying to lose their virginity whilst still in high school. They'll do anyone or anything to achieve their dream goal. The sensitive one of the group (Andrew Monsoon) what's to find the right girl while his two best friends will take whatever they can get. One day, the kid finds his perfect girl (Diane Franklin). But fate would play one of their foul tricks. His best friend moves on in and sweeps her off of her feet. After knocking her up, the sensitive kid helps the girl get back on her feet and pays for her abortion. He still has feelings for her and tries to win her heart. Meanwhile his best friend has a very violent falling out over getting her dream girl preggers. Still, he tries his best to get her to love him. The night comes when he pops the question to her. But his heart is shattered when he sees her dancing with his former best friend. In tears, the kid leaves the party.What I enjoyed about this movie was that it pulled no punches. Instead of being filled with phony situations, it was very realistic, honest and brutal. The movie's filled with it's share of funny moments and hysteria. I have to recommend this film for fans of teenage comedies.Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +What's written on the poster is: "At birth he was given 6 years to live... At 34 he takes the journey of a lifetime." Ami is an American-born Israeli who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy disease at the age of one. At age of 34, after the love toward his 22 years old care-giver didn't go well, he decided to come to the US to face the doctor who said that he would have only 6 years to live. He wanted to show the doctor that he is still alive, and weights 39 pounds. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, even I have seen this film.Obviously it's courageous to live when all he can move is his left index finger, but why does he have so much anger toward the doctor who diagnosed his disease 34 years ago? His doctor just told his mom that based on the medical history, people with his disease won't live long. What's the point of him showing up at old doctor's door for? Why is tracking down this old doctor in the US is a journey of his lifetime? There are so many things we might be interested in Ami's life: how can he make those animations with the movement of only one finger? How can he go through daily lives while totally depending on others? How did he out lived his doctor's prediction? How does he deal emotionally when other people look at him like looking at a strange creature? The movie told us none of that. Instead, the filmmaker got a van and set up a trip to let Ami to show up at his old doctor's door in order to show him that he is still alive. I thought it was a joke.$LABEL$ 0 +Darkman 3: Die Darkman Die is directed by Bradford May, the same guy who made the first Darkman sequel too. Darkman 3 is worse than Darkman 2, and is nothing special, in my opinion. Larry Drake is no more as a main villain, who is now played by great Jeff Fahey, whose character once again wants to get Darkman's work and create this time some ultra strong humans in order to get the leadership of the whole city. The film is pretty much the same in plot and execution as Darkman 2, but I was mostly irritated by the presence of many scenes from Darkman 2. These sequels were made in short time and with little money, so these kind of decisions had to be made. Couple of scenes are pretty stylish and exiting, but still this is pretty tired film and often irritatingly stupid, too. The characters scream and laugh too much and it is very annoying. There is no any philosophical depth in the film, and this is like a remake of Darkman 2 which it still cannot equal. Darkman 2 had many great scenes and stylish camera work, and Larry Drake's ability to play great villain. Darkman 3 offers only some nice scenes and moments, but mostly this film is tired and full of cliches. The few positive things in this movie are flashback edits (Westlake's nightmares) and couple of truly surprising plot turns and tricks. And worth mentioning is also pretty nasty death scene of the main villain which was pretty comic book like and inventive without any gore. Far more interesting than the death of main villain in part two. Darkman 3 is worst in the whole series, and we must remember that these two sequels were made directly to video and they don't come even close to Raimi's original Darkman with Liam Neeson. Darkman 2 was okay actioner with plenty of great scenes and suspense, but this last (?) entry is tired and often stupid and boring piece of sequel. It has some merits as mentioned, but overall feeling is that this should not been made in the first place. May is talented director so hopefully he can get some more noteworthy projects in the future.3/10$LABEL$ 0 +This stirring western spins the tale of the famous rifle of the early west that was coveted by one and all. James Stewart is the cowboy who wins the prized Winchester in a shootout, only to lose it in a robbery. The story details Stewart's pursuit of the rifle and a certain man through the film. The rifle changes hands time after time, as though the owner is fated to lose it through violence. The picture has plenty of action and suspense as Stewart closes in on his quarry. A great cast supports Stewart here, namely Stephen McNally, Dan Duryea, Millard Mitchell, John McIntire and Jay C. Flippen. Shelley Winters seems miscast here and the purpose of her role is rather obscure. Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson, teen heartthrobs in later years, have brief but good roles.$LABEL$ 1 +Being an Israeli Jew of naturally sarcastic nature as well as a lover of different and independent cinema, it always gives me pleasure to see a film that takes a view on the holocaust that's sensitive and respectful while also being original and unusual. While I haven't read the book – or, for that matter, heard of its existence prior to watching the film – and therefore cannot, like some other reviewers, comment on how they stack up in comparison, Everything Is Illuminated gave me great pleasure, and I can certainly comment on that.To label Everything Is Illuminated a holocaust film would be to do it great injustice, even though it is undeniably about the holocaust. So would labeling it as a comedy or a travel film, although it's about a journey and is as exceptionally funny as it is moving. Everything Is Illuminated is about Jonathan Safran Foer – played to minimalist perfection by Elijah Wood, in the most impressive dramatic performance I've seen him in yet, with a poker face that shows nothing and reveals all – a young American Jew, and an obsessive collector of family heirlooms and historical artifacts, who travels to the Ukraine on a journey to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. It's also about Alex, his tour guide through the Ukraine, and Alex's grandfather. What's fascinating about these characters is that in the beginning of the film they look like comic relief to balance out the melancholy nature of Wood's character; but both Alex and his grandfather go through fascinating changes throughout the film, and turn out to be at least as important as Jonathan. In fact, Boris Leskin's as the grumpy, self-declared blind grandfather turns out to be the finest dramatic performance in the film.Aside from the surreal nature of the film and the characters, the beautiful mix of original acoustic music and Russian folk music, the sensitive cinematography and the chilling contrast between the beauty of the landscapes and the horrors of history, what made Everything Is Illuminated a powerful and moving experience for me was the fact that from Alex and his grandfather we get a very different and original viewpoint on this painful subject; several excellent films, such as The Grey Zone and Downfall, have already given us the point of view of the lower-rank Nazis who are presented as human beings who aren't necessarily fully aware of the moral implications of their actions but are caught up in the reality of the war. Everything Is Illuminated presents a point of view rarely treated before: Alex's point of view is that of a young man who was born many years after the war, who sees it as hardly more than cold historical fact, who finds himself having to face up to the horrors his own people – and maybe his own family as well – were capable of. The change in Alex's attitude – and his grandfather's – towards Jonathan, towards the Holocaust, and towards the Jewish people in general, makes the film a fascinating and original study in character development.Everything Is Illuminated is a terrific directorial debut for actor Liev Schreiber, and one of the most original and unique films of 2005. It's a highly recommended viewing experience, especially or anyone interested in the holocaust and World War II.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't even know where to start. I did not like it. It did not behave like a story and so much was injected into the movie (the pot brownies, the son was gay (?) the murder was justified, what possible reason could there be in the script for Linda aka Penelope to exist) that was never explained. It was all fluid spilled on a table and left dripping off the counter until it all made a big mess on the floor.Why did Vanessa Redgrave make a five second cameo? Why did Diane Wiest use her Bullets over Broadway character without the camp-fun? Why was Jane Birkin in the storyline to begin with. The list is endless. The movie ended and we all looked at each other -- like -- did you understand any of this??I tell ya one thing, if I watched my long lost Dad get murdered I certainly wouldn't be hugging the murderer. Tell ya another thing, if "Bob" broke up with "Bob" what purpose did hiding the son in the closet have? Was Bob going to have sex with Bob in front of the son? How did the murderer contact the son so easily? If this review sounds confused, it is because this was a waste of film, talent and time. What the heck did the dead shrink have to do with anything!!Jezz, this is one of the worst films I have ever seen because it should have/could have been better, stronger and it should have made some kind of sense. Any sense. Instead we are given a watered down "Diva" (the film from the 70s complete with a murder) and tired performances reading boring words from a script that is completely insane.By pass it folks. Or maybe me and the rest of the people who reviewed this film are too stupid to understand it all -- I mean after all it is a french film.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, around the time I wrote this comment, I had already read what kittiwake-1 had written about this game and was confused. This is a video game and not an actual movie. I mean, I myself would choose a good Deniro movie or playing a video game any day. But, dude, what are you talking about? Now that I have that out of the way, let's move on, shall we? The video game adaption of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is, as you may have guessed, based on the movie of the same name. What's stranger is that this was released three years after the film was released. Whether that's due to a slow development time or just plain laziness, no one really knows. At least, I don't.The game allows the player to play as the four main characters of the movie: Jen, Shu Lien, Li-Mu-Bi, and Dark Cloud (Whose story is a secret bonus that is unlocked for separate gameplay.) All four of these characters have fighting styles based on how they fought in the movie. However, the real eye candy is the evasion moves that allow each character to avoid the blows of an enemy's attack in the most impossible and gravity defying ways that were first showcased in the movie.The story is obviously based on the story told in the movie. The story in the game is told using CG movies and spoken in a subtitled Mandarin language (A nice little touch, considering I preferred the foreign language track of the film over the dubbed one.) The story goes to expand on what might've happened to the other characters during the film and even (No real surprise since pretty much all video game movie adaptions have done this) alters what officially happened in the movie to make the game have more action. I never thought Jade Fox would go so far as to actually go and get hired goons.The real bonus for the story is the ability to decide how the game ends. What if Jen had all the ingredients to cure Li-Mu-Bi in her possession? What if Jen had not gotten back her comb? What if Li-Mu-Bi had not gotten the green destiny back for the second time? Your actions will decide the outcome of these scenarios and the destiny of the characters in this game. This is truly the best feature of the game.Yet, for all it's strengths, it also showcases some flaws. The enemies often tend to become a nuisance after a while and the camera angle tends to be fixed on the most unhelpful of spots. Not even the special features (Which are unlocked after beating the game) are good enough to even forgive such hardships that are forced upon the player.If you loved the movie, you may enjoy the game. However, this game is the only way you're going to be able to immerse yourself into a playable version of such a beautiful and amazing movie.Of course, you could have just picked a Deniro movie instead.$LABEL$ 1 +What? You were not aware that Scooby-Doo battled zombies? Well, you might also not be aware of this little film that was directed by Victor Halperin, who had also directed White Zombie four years earlier. That would probably make it the second zombie film made.No, don't go looking for Dorothy Stone to expose her breasts as you would expect in most zombie films, and don't even look for any brains being eaten. This is 1936, you know.So, what you will see is typical of the period - lots of talking.You do get to see Dean Jagger (Twelve O'Clock High ) and Bela Lugosi's eyes, but that is about it. Zombies in Cambodia, indeed!$LABEL$ 0 +This was my second experience of the Monkey Island series, the full seven years after I had been shown the first game. What was my response? "Oh, great, we're playing a cartoon." I'm glad my brother shut me up then and played on, because the jokes caught my attention once again, as well as Armato's wonderful voice-acting of Guybrush - not to mention everyone else done well (I still think CMI's Elaine sounds better than EMI's). The cutscenes do well to illustrate something happening, and the art of both the game and cutscenes are excellent. When we found the CD with the originals, Secret and LeChuck's Revenge, we were both ecstatic and spent hours working through Revenge - one such moment was where we just sat down and blew half a day on it. However, CMI has to be the Monkey Island game I've played the most, especially for the return of swordfighting and combat on the high seas. That moment when you encounter Kenny and he tells you he's gone straight and then, "I'm running guns!" had both my brother and I in tears from laughter. And that's not the best part of the game, not by far.$LABEL$ 1 +I rented this obscure aussie relic a few years ago to show at a friend`s place and it was an instant success.The classic tale of the wizard of oz with a decidedly cornball 70`s australian twist.The acting isn`t exactly shakespeare society stuff here,but later ,"Mad max"star Bruce Spence is a beautifully understated surfie/scarecrow and there are some wonderfull comic turns by Gary Wadell and Robin Ramsay as a deliciously 70`s camp fairy godmother/father character.Also note the musical contribution from ex-Daddy Cool frontman Ross Wilson on the title song.In a similar vein to later-day aussie comedies such as "Priscilla queen of the desert".Good fun.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay - I'll confess. This is the movie that made me love what Michael Keaton could do. He does a beautiful parody of someone doing a parody of James Cagney, with charm to spare.The supporting cast are solid workers all, and will step right up and do a fine job in this '80s comedy. A spoof of the '30s-'40s gangster movies, it breaks new ground constantly, with remarkably original material. (Well, yeah - some of it has been copied since - but when this movie was made, it was original, and much of it has _not_ been copied elsewhere.) Watch Joe Piscopo warn people to not do ______, with one of the great taglines of spoofs. Watch Roman Moronie do things with English profanity that would make your spinster grammar teacher laugh. Watch amazing sight gags, such as pet-store owner Johnny Kelly using the price-tag gun on his puppies and dusting his kittens. Watch the greatest "warning against sex" educational film ever made. Watch the most amazing misrepresentation of church Latin done, while a guy who never took shop class assembles a Thompson machine gun from parts. Watch lines you'll be using in casual conversation for the next decade. Watch Maureen Stapleton do the perfect antithesis to the hard-working mom, with surprise gags that you'll never see coming.If you see a gag that doesn't hit your funny bone, be patient - another will come along in 30 seconds or less, and the odds are, you'll need to pause until you're done rolling on the floor several times. Duckies and Bunnies? Them, too. Watch for the subtle stuff - some of the sight gags can go by unnoticed the first few viewings.There are a few minor flaws - but it's probably the best of the spoofs. Some come close, but none of them are quite this good.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm probably one of the biggest Nancy Drew fans out there. I've read every book three times over and I've played a lot of the Nancy drew games. I Loved this movie. It kept you entertained the whole time you watched it. I went with about 10 of my friends and everyone LOVED it. There were three woman sitting behind us who appeared to be in their late 30's to early 40's and I asked them how they liked it, they said they loved it! So you see it will be an entertainment to all ages. You just have to give it a chance. And it teaches a lesson too, just be yourself even if everyone around you is exactly alike. So overall, this move was great. I'm going to see it a second time now! So stop bashing it please. Its a really good movie!$LABEL$ 1 +The movie began well enough. It had a fellow get hit by a glowing green meteorite, getting superpowers (telekinesis, x-ray vision, invulnerability, flight, the ability to speak to dogs, superspeed, heat vision, and the ability to make plants grow large and quickly), and fighting crime. From there on it's all downhill.Meteor Man gets a costume from his mom, fights with the resident gangs, and has many aborted encounters with the gang leaders which serves to set you up for the disappointing, overlong, and stupefying ending.It wouldn't be so remarkably bad if it weren't like watching a boxing match where the two fighters pretend to hit each other while the audience stands looking onward while the fighters just continue to dance.Despite all of this nonsense the movie has good points. It states clearly that if you try to take on a gang alone then they'll come back to your home and hurt you. It states that gangs & communities need to see their real enemies (the big bosses that use them for their own ends to crush honest people into a ghetto existence). It also states that people do not need superheroes if they are willing to work as a community do destroy the predators that harm them. The only message it really lacks is that the voters should ensure their elected officials (Rudolph Giuliani, Marion Barry, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, & George H.W. Bush) aren't crooks too.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched the Unrated version of this film and realised about 30 minutes into it that I was never getting my time back. I persevered to the end hoping that the dialogue would improve, the martial arts would look realistic eventually, the special FX would actually look special. I was so wrong. I love Horror, I am a complete gore hound. I number some of the eighties splatter flicks amongst the greats of the film world. This however was not made in the eighties, if this film had come out in the early eighties the fax could be forgiven for looking so bad. It wasn't so it hasn't got that defence. The dialogue is terrible with so many bad lines I was wincing at the writing rather than squirming at torture. I don't like Hostel, never have, I thought it was over rated, over hyped and I felt nothing for the protagonists, however it shines as a beacon to greatness next to this garbage. The back of the cover for Live Feed promised a twist you would never see coming, I'm still waiting for the twist that was promised.$LABEL$ 0 diff --git a/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.valid.dat b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.valid.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..edf72e365004b5823af79e3ba2bb8c76a1e64779 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/202.IMDB10K/imdb10k.valid.dat @@ -0,0 +1,1000 @@ +I have to confess that I am severely disappointed.This version can in no way compete with the version of 1995. The reason why I watched it was that I wasn't entirely happy with Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth and thought that Rupert Penry-Jones looked much more like the Captain I had imagined when I read the book. And he was too.Unfortunately that is the only redeeming quality of the film. The rest is as un-Austen-like as possible.Miss Elliot would NEVER have run through the streets of Bath like this. It wasn't in her character and it just wasn't done by a lady of the those times. The Anne Elliot of the book was a lady and she had dignity. There are other painful anachronisms but this was the worst.Although there are 3 important quotes from the book, they are at entirely inappropriate moments, warning those who know the book that yet another important part of the book will either be missing or completely changed.And although this version is not much shorter than the other one, it feels like everything is rushed. Very little care was taken to introduce the characters, show their dispositions and motives. Important scenes were omitted. How could they possibly have butchered the final scenes in this way ? A disaster ! And it was by far not as beautifully photographed as the other one.No, no, no. If you love Austen, then don't waste your time with this.$LABEL$ 0 +First off I want to say that I lean liberal on the political scale and I found the movie offensive. I managed to watch the whole doggone disgrace of a film . This movie brings a low to original ideas. Yes it was original thus my 2 stars instead of 1. Are our film writers that uncreative that they can only come up with this?? Acting was horrible , and the characters were unlikeable for the most part. The lead lady in the story had no good qualities at all. They made her bf into some sort of a bad guy and I did not see that at all. Maybe I missed something , I do not know.He was the most down to earth, relevant character in the movie. I did not shell out any money for this garbage. I almost wish PETA would come to the rescue of this awful, offensive movie and form a protest. DISGUSTING thats all I have to say anymore !$LABEL$ 0 +I was excited to see a sitcom that would hopefully represent Indian Candians but i found this show to be not funny at all. The producers and cast are probably happy to get both bad and good feed back because as far as they are concerned it's getting talked about! I was ready for some stereotyping and have no problem with it because stereotypes exist for a reason, they are usually true. But there really wasn't anything funny about these stereotypical characters. The "fresh of the boat" dad, who doesn't understand his daughter. The radical feminist Muslim daughter (who by the way is a terrible actress), and the young modern Indian man trying to run his mosque as politically correct as he can (he's a pretty good actor, i only see him getting better).it is very contrived and the dialog doesn't flow that well. there was so much potential for something like this but sadly i think it failed, and don't really care to watch another episode.I did however enjoy watching a great Canadian actress Sheila McCarthy again, she's always a treat and a natural at everything she does, too bad her daughter in the show doesn't have the same acting abilities!$LABEL$ 0 +When you look at the cover and read stuff about it an entirely different type of movie comes to mind than what you get here. Then again maybe I read the summary for the other movie called "Mausolem" instead as there were two movies of this title released about the same time with both featuring plots that had key elements in common. However, reading stuff about that movie here I know I saw this one and not that one and that movie is even less what one would imagine a movie with that title would be about. I will be honest, I expect more of a zombie type picture and you get that in this movie to some degree. However, there is more stuff involving the occult and strange powers as the opening scene of the people being taken away by the coroner at the beginning of the film will attest to. The movie also has the old theme of kids going somewhere they do not belong to have some crazy party, in this case it is in fact a mausoleum. The other movie I do not think really has that key feature playing that prominent role in the movie and I see the score for this one is higher too, still it was just not the movie I was expecting.$LABEL$ 0 +Like many others, I counted on the appearance of Dennis Hopper to make this not a complete waste of time. I was sadly mistaken. Everything negative said about this flic is more than true. What takes the cake however, is the horrible, horrible storyline for the main character.Here's why: The planet might be destroyed, the ONLY way to recover from it, for the ENTIRE human race to be saved trough it, is to get as many smart, capable, nice, competent people into an underground hide-out. And Dennis Hopper is the lone seer/scientist with vision who was prepared for the worst, and who has realized this. But what's the main motivation of Stevens (Sonny D'Angelo)?? He's angry because Dennis has decided who is to be saved or to be doomed! While it clearly explained to Stevens that Dennis' character has done everything to warn people of the danger but that he was laughed at. The Hopper-character was the boy with the finger in the dike, and now Stevens is blaming him for 'picking and choosing'??? And if that isn't enough, he wants to stop everybody from entering this hideout, because "it isn't fair!?" AND.... he's responsible for the death of the one guy who is humanity's saviour! OH MY GOD, how stupid can you get?What's also maddening that IMDb forces one to write minimal ten lines about this piece of crap. I mean, TWO MILLION in budget, what could have been done with that? Think Clerks, Blair Witch, and lotsa other movies who have been made for under 100.000 dollars and were still better. AAAAARGH! I count myself lucky that I didn't pay one penny to see this crap, and to sit through the end of this utter, úber-crap, is one the most heroic things I've done this year. It's no wonder that the writers of this pile of dung had jobs as camera operator and title designer before ...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was on t.v the other day, and I didn't enjoy it at all. The first George of the jungle was a good comedy, but the sequel.... completely awful. The new actor and actress to play the lead roles weren't good at all, they should of had the original actor (Brendon Fraiser) and original actress (i forgot her name) so this movie gets the 0 out of ten rating, not a film that you can sit down and watch and enjoy, this is a film that you turn to another channel or take it back to the shop if hired or bought. It was good to see Ape the ape back, but wasn't as fun as the first, they should of had the new George as Georges son grown up, and still had Bredon and (whats her face) in the film, that would've been a bit better then it was.$LABEL$ 0 +Hickory Dickory Dock was a good Poirot mystery. I confess I have not read the book, despite being an avid Agatha Christie fan. The adaptation isn't without its problems, there were times when the humour, and there were valiant attempts to get it right, was a little overdone, and the events leading up to the final solution were rather rushed. I also thought there were some slow moments so some of the mystery felt padded. However, I loved how Hickory Dickory Dock was filmed, it had a very similar visual style to the brilliant ABC Murders, and it really set the atmosphere, what with the dark camera work and dark lighting. The darker moments were somewhat creepy, this was helped by one of the most haunting music scores in a Poirot adaptation, maybe not as disturbing as the one in One Two Buckle My Shoe, which gave me nightmares. The plot is complex, with all the essential ingredients, though not as convoluted as Buckle My Shoe,and in some way that is a good thing. The acting was very good, David Suchet is impeccable(I know I can't use this word forever but I can't think of a better word to describe his performance in the series) as Poirot, and Phillip Jackson and Pauline Moran do justice to their integral characters brilliantly. And the students had great personalities and well developed on the whole, particularly Damian Lewis as Leonard. All in all, solid mystery but doesn't rank along the best. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox$LABEL$ 1 +"One Crazy Summer" is the funniest, craziest (not necessarily the best), movie I have ever seen.Just when one crazy scene is done, another emerges. It never lets you rest. Just one thing after another. The soundtrack is great. The songs are the right ones for the scenes.It is also a clean movie. Little that is dirty in it.Of course, it has the story of the guys you wouldn't trust with your lunch money, taking up a challenge, and winning over people with more resources. Who'd want to see it if they failed? There is a serious side, in that parents and children do not live up to each others' dreams. One should always have an open mind, and weigh all the options. This applies both to parents and children. In "One Crazy Summer", the parents are wrong. This is not always the case.$LABEL$ 1 +Low-budget schlockmeister Herschell Gordon Lewis reaches a new low (even for him) with "The Gore Gore Girls," a 'film' (snicker) that possesses all of his technical trademarks: badly-recorded sound, poor lighting, and OTT gore. This would be tolerable, even a bit charming, if the film at least had an interesting plot ("Blood Feast," in all its ridiculous glory, is a fine example), but "Girls" is a total snooze. Completely unlikable pompous-ass private investigator Abraham Gentry (Frank Kress) is recruited by a newspaper reporter to find out who's been murdering out-of-shape strippers (you'll stop caring who the culprit is long before these two are wrapping up the case). As before, the appeal isn't the plot, but the creative methods of bloodletting (including a girl's fanny being tenderized with a wooden mallet) and the occasional flashes of then-risqué skin...but this just isn't enough to elevate the material above tedium.$LABEL$ 0 +this was absolutely the most tragic pile of cinema to which i have ever born witness. not only was the name a complete misnomer--since the film has next to nothing to do with piranhas--but the acting is as hollow and stale as the attempt to actually make some kind of plot. when you watch this film you cannot help but spend every waking second questioning when you've had enough and it's time to turn it off. unfortunately i waited until the end in my case. that's two hours of my life that i will never be able to reclaim.$LABEL$ 0 +I have never understood the appeal of this show. The acting is poor (Debra Jo Rupp being a notable exception), the plots of most episodes are trite and uninspiring, the dialogue is weak, the jokes unfunny and it is painful to try and sit through even half an episode. Furthermore the link between this show and the '70s' is extremely tenuous beyond the style of dress and the scenery and background used for the show -it seems to be nothing more than a modern sitcom with the same old unfunny, clichéd scripts that modern sitcoms have dressed up as depicting a show from twenty years ago in the hope that it will gain some nostalgic viewers or something like that. Both "Happy Days" and "The Wonder Years" employ the same technique much more effectively and are actually a pleasure to watch in contrast to this horrible, pathetic excuse for a show$LABEL$ 0 +"Mr. Bug Goes To Town" was the last major achievement the Fleischer studios produced. The quality of the Superman series produced at the same time is evident in this extraordinary film.The music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael (with assistance by Flieshcer veteran Sammy Timberg are quite good, but not as much as the scoring of the picture by Leigh Harline who also scored Snow White for Disney. Harline's "atmospheric music" is superb, and a treat for the ears.The layout and staging of the picture was years ahead of it's time, and once again the Fleischer's background artists outdid themselves. The techincolored beauty of the film cannot be denied, and while Hoppity the grasshopper is the star, the characters of Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito steal the picture. Swat's voicing by Jack Mercer (of Popeye fame) is priceless. Kenny Gardner (brother-in-law) of Guy Lombardo...and a featured vocalist in his band...does his usual pleasant job in the role of Dick Dickinsen.The movie has been criticized for all the wrong reasons. The Fleischer Studios were animation experts par excellence and this shows very clearly in the finished product. The movie is tuneful, the story great for all ages, and the final scenes of the bugs scrambling for their lives upon a rising skyscraper is some of the best staging and animation of any animated film past and present.Do not miss this wonderfully hand drawn film. Also don't fail to appreciate the title sequence with the most elaborate example of Max Fleischer's remarkable 3-D sterioptical process which took four months to construct and employed 16,000 tiny panes of glass in the "electrified" buildings of Manhattan.Do not miss Mr. Bug Goes To Town...aka Hoppity Goes To Town. I'll wager you'll be bug eyed at the results!$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of my two or three favorite Stooges shorts, and undoubtedly Christine McIntyre's best performance with the trio. She is good in a number of other shorts, but here she is absolutely brilliant. Her singing is not funny at all, in fact it is downright beautiful, but the plot is constructed in such a way that the singing enhances the humor rather than detracting from it. We listen to McIntyre sing the entirety of Voice of Spring no less than three times, but it never gets old, partly because we don't tire of her voice, and partly because it blends so well with the Stooges' antics. The use of operatic soprano in a comedy is reminiscent of Kitty Carlisle's role in the Marx Brothers' "A Night At The Opera," but the singing is much more a part of the comedy here than in "Opera," and McIntyre (perhaps more in other performances than here) exhibited a comedic talent of her own that Carlisle never did. The Stooges' buffoonery, McIntyre's singing, and a well-constructed plot combine for 5 out of 5 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +This is supposed to be based on Wilkie Collins' _The_Woman_In_White_, but the only resemblance it bore to that story were the characters' names, the time period, and the settings. If they were going to change the story so thoroughly, I don't understand why they needed to keep up the pretense that it came from Wilkie Collins. Go read the book. It's much better.$LABEL$ 0 +Of all the British imperialist movies like Four Feathers, Charge of the Light Brigade for example, this movie stands out as the cream of the crop. It reflects a time when "the sun never set on the British Empire." Get over it. I won't go into why because so many others have expressed the many reasons that makes this film great. I have visited the Alabama Hills and have photographed the pass through which the British marched and it remains as it was, unchanged by time and encroachment by man and vandals. And even though I know it's coming, seeing Din lying dead on a stretcher and when these lines are read "Yes, Din! Din! Din!You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!Though I've belted you and flayed you,By the livin' Gawd that made you,You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din" I still, at 54 years of age, get misty eyed and anyone who says they don't is a liar. The range of emotions within it is the mark of a great movie. Like the ending of another great film, Of Mice and Men.$LABEL$ 1 +James Cagney, racketeer and political ward heeler, get to become a Deputy Commissioner of Corrections and visits a boys reform school. The catch is that Cagney is not in it for the graft, he genuinely wants to make a difference in the lives of the kids there because he comes from a background like their's.The villain of the piece is Dudley Digges who is a grafting chiseler and a sanctimonious hypocrite to boot. One of the subtexts of the plot of The Mayor of Hell is that these kids are mostly immigrants and those that judge them and are in positions of power are those who are here a few generations. Note in the mess hall scene as Digges offers a prayer of thanks for the food they are about to receive, Digges is eating well, but the kids are getting quality you wouldn't feed to your pet.Cagney has his own troubles back in the city with some of his henchmen and he has to take it on the lam. That puts Digges back in charge and setting up the film for it's climax.The Mayor of Hell was a typical product from the working class studio. And because it was pre-Code it gets pretty gruesome at times. A later version of this, Crime School, with Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids, was a more sanitized remake.Although Cagney is fine in the lead role as is Madge Evans the school nurse, the acting honors go to Dudley Digges. Hard to believe that the same man could portray the drunken, but kindly, one legged ship's surgeon in Mutiny on the Bounty. But Digges is a fine player and a joy to watch in every film he's in. This film is not shown to often because of the racial and ethnic stereotypes it portrays. A whole lot of minorities would be offended today. Still it's a fine film.Interestingly enough a few years ago the film Sleepers came out and it touched on some of the same issues. I guess films about reform schools don't change in any time.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved this film. Not being a swooning Ed Wood Jr. fan, I prefer to appreciate his "boundless enthusiasm" and acknowledge his shortcomings. His movies are fun, but his personal story is one racked with pain. I hoped, and was delighted to find, that this film would be about understanding his turbulent life, rather than simply heaping him with posthumous praise. From beginning to end, this film evolves from a documentary into a mythology, leaving the cast and the viewer unexpectedly connected to each other and to Ed Wood Jr.What we get are people who knew Ed Wood the best talking about him from all perspectives, positive and negative, and showing us their character as much as Ed's. We get insight into Ed's personal and professional life: from his romances, to his drinking, to his sexuality, to his friends, to his enemies, and even to his film making.The film itself is shot in a low-budget way that seems done out of respect for Ed, as if using the techniques of most theatrically released movies from 1996 would be disrespectful (sort of like wearing a nicer suit than the President). The set designer uses a sense of humor and also a great deal of insight when matching each cast member with their background.Fans will be excited to hear personal testimony regarding Ed Wood controversies, and new comers will be amazed that this man was real. The DVD is full of impossible to find gems ("Crossroads of Lorado" and photo galleries), but the real treasure of this film is the surprisingly engaging and interconnected story.Ed Wood had a habit of defining people through their association with him (for better or worse), to the point where one woman will go down in history as "Swimming Pool Owner" for once letting him and his friends be baptized in her pool. This ability to define a person's legacy comes through universally, as the most amazing effect of the film is to not only give a well rounded idea of the man that was Ed Wood Jr., but also to give a comprehensive view of the community that he created. Somehow, without ever having more that one cast member being interviewed on screen at a time, the connection that Ed Wood created amongst the various people in his life becomes clear, and the viewer is left with great sense of involvement.Even the title hints at the B-list horror genre, but by the end, we see that even this is a kindness. What begins as unrelated stories by random people ends with the conclusion that all of the cast will be forever weaved into an unpredictably cohesive fabric that history will bring into haunting unity with Wood's legend.In many ways a living contradiction, Ed Wood Jr. could not be condensed to a single viewpoint. This collaborative effort is the closest to knowing him that we can ever get. Being itself a juxtaposition of themes, it is at once respectful, provocative, thoughtful, gripping, fun, sad, kind, and fulfilling.$LABEL$ 1 +Having already seen the original "Jack Frost", I never thought that "Jack Frost 2" would be as absurd as it is. Boy was I wrong! Then again, A-PIX movies have a way of showing unbelievably bad material, even worse than you might expect. I believe this is the first A-PIX sequel, and it may be an indication of what to expect in the future: more A-PIX sequels.It's hard to watch this without laughing, especially during the later parts of the movie in which Jack Frost's offspring (which are essentially snowballs with eyes, arms, a mouth and sharp teeth) start killing people with the typical comedic dialogue and silly voices to go with it. They are shown both as puppets (with a stick underneath to move them) and as computer animation, which I have to say looks very cheesy. The computer animation surprised me, as the first "Jack Frost" had no such effects.I'd strongly recommend that you see the original "Jack Frost" before seeing this one (both of which it would be preferable to watch with a group of friends) to get the full amusement out of it, and because it would make more sense ("sense" being a relative term).Now only if there was "Uncle Sam 2"...$LABEL$ 0 +I had been subjected to this movie for a relationship class in my school. As figured it was nothing captivating and nothing new. Though it tries to be original by focusing on the teen father instead of the mother showing the problems that the dad would go through. It had an interesting side to it but it just doesn't live up to its originality due to the fact nothing else in this movie was original. We have the main character who has the older sister who like in every other movie like this has a thing against him, we have the stay at home mother who expects too much and when he gives more she feels offended and leaves him in the dust, then we have the father who is always gone. Then the girls side we have the parents who want everything and expect her to be perfect at all she does. On to the story like I said it was interesting but the lack of good acting from the entire cast and the lack of any good writing or storytelling. Everything about this fell into cliché the little nerd kid in school starts studying with girl, they get together, have sex and then boom we have a little kid. Perhaps it could've been better had the writing been well better and had the acting been improved I've seriously gotten more emotion out of Leatherface and his chainsaw than I did out of any actor in this film and that's pretty bad seeing as the Leatherface movies are crap and horridly acted. So far the only interesting teen pregnancy movie I've seen was Juno. So far the comical side of this serious situation has proved more entertaining while still giving the same message. Like I said the idea was original most of these films focus on the teen mother but this one chose not to instead it focuses on the drama of the father but again the originality does not save this movie from mediocrity. I really hope someone decides to either re-make this movie with a better cast and a better writer or just make another similar film because this one was wasted potential.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is stuffed full of stock Horror movie goodies: chained lunatics, pre-meditated murder, a mad (vaguely lesbian) female scientist with an even madder father who wears a mask because of his horrible disfigurement, poisoning, spooky castles, werewolves (male and female), adultery, slain lovers, Tibetan mystics, the half-man/half-plant victim of some unnamed experiment, grave robbing, mind control, walled up bodies, a car crash on a lonely road, electrocution, knights in armour - the lot, all topped off with an incredibly awful score and some of the worst Foley work ever done.The script is incomprehensible (even by badly dubbed Spanish Horror movie standards) and some of the editing is just bizarre. In one scene where the lead female evil scientist goes to visit our heroine in her bedroom for one of the badly dubbed: "That is fantastical. I do not understand. Explain to me again how this is..." exposition scenes that litter this movie, there is a sudden hand held cutaway of the girl's thighs as she gets out of bed for no apparent reason at all other than to cover a cut in the bad scientist's "Mwahaha! All your werewolfs belong mine!" speech. Though why they went to the bother I don't know because there are plenty of other jarring jump cuts all over the place - even allowing for the atrocious pan and scan of the print I saw.The Director was, according to one interview with the star, drunk for most of the shoot and the film looks like it. It is an incoherent mess. It's made even more incoherent by the inclusion of werewolf rampage footage from a different film The Mark of the Wolf Man (made 4 years earlier, featuring the same actor but playing the part with more aggression and with a different shirt and make up - IS there a word in Spanish for "Continuity"?) and more padding of another actor in the wolfman get-up ambling about in long shot.The music is incredibly bad varying almost at random from full orchestral creepy house music, to bosannova, to the longest piano and gong duet ever recorded. (Thinking about it, it might not have been a duet. It might have been a solo. The piano part was so simple it could have been picked out with one hand while the player whacked away at the gong with the other.) This is one of the most bewilderedly trance-state inducing bad movies of the year so far for me. Enjoy.Favourite line: "Ilona! This madness and perversity will turn against you!" How true.Favourite shot: The lover, discovering his girlfriend slain, dropping the candle in a cartoon-like demonstration of surprise. Rank amateur directing there.$LABEL$ 1 +There are times when finishing a film one wishes to have a refund for the time just spent. This was one of those times. I almost gave up with only 15 minutes left to endure... and I wish I had...The pace that a man goes from a straight-laced, controlled life to one of complete spinelessness and irresponsibility could never be this rapid.From a graduation celebration to the predictable ending Tristan Price (Jesse Metcalfe) man of privilege and culture allows himself to be seduced by a woman, by violence, and by mind altering substances. Of course, the woman part is understandable when observing the talents of the beautiful April (Nathalie Kelley). But the in for a penny in for a pound aspect of the drugs, violence and dedication to a person he has just met is impossible to understand.Frankly, besides being able to stare at Nathalie Kelley and Monica Keena, this film has no redeeming qualities. Save your money, save your time... do anything else...$LABEL$ 0 +Another film to punish us for the crime of enjoying "Pulp Fiction."If you like watching people get killed by machine gun fire for an hour and a half, this'll probably fit the bill. Fans of the debut episode of "Aeon Flux," wherein the title character slays literally thousands of seemingly faceless soldiers single-handedly, will really go for it.Otherwise, it's not exactly a clever movie. In fact, all it is is an excuse for a bunch of young people to act rude and shoot people. Sometimes an entire scene goes by, and the only thing that happens is, you guessed it! someone gets shot. Or, to spice things up, twenty people get shot. First, they're just sitting there, the next minute, they're sitting there dead. Yahoo!Rough plot: A young American goes to Paris (An American in Paris, get it?), hires a prostitute (the ethereal Julie Delpy), gets in touch with some old French buddies, one of which has AIDS, they plan and attempt a bank heist. Of course, movie convention states that no bank robberies on film go off w/o a hitch, and this hitch takes up about three-quarters of the running time (it's like "Dog Day Afternoon" without the Sidney Lumet's wit, patience, or humanity). While at the bank, things go wrong (surprise!), and the Parisian with AIDS, goes wacko with his Uzi several HUNDRED times. No spoilers here, but suffice to say that you're at such an emotional distance from these characters that it's not likely you'll care who lives and who dies by the end of the film.Some have called it stylish. Perhaps it is, but it's someone else's style, it's a movie that's already been done, and "Killing Zoe" is trapped by convention. Nowhere in the course of the movie does the director (Roger Avary, co-winner of the "Pulp Fiction" screenplay Oscar) do anything really original, stylish, funky, or outrageous. Unless you consider the fact that no movie that has taken place inside a bank has had such a high body count, there isn't anything else to set this one apart from the multitude.$LABEL$ 0 +When the Romulans come, they will not be bearing gifts; no, they bring with them war - war and conquest. As any familiar with this episode know, it is a redux of the war film "The Enemy Below" from the fifties. The obvious difference is that instead of a battleship and a submarine (or an American Destroyer & German U-boat) engaged in lethal war games, it is two starships in outer space. In Trek history, about 100 years before the events here, according to this episode, Earth fought the Romulan Wars. After about 5 years of conflict, a stalemate brought about a treaty and the institution of the Neutral Zone, a boundary between us and the Romulan Empire. Now, on this stardate, the treaty appears to be broken, as our outposts are being attacked and destroyed by some weapon of immense power. Yes, the Romulans are back, testing their new war toy, and Kirk must now earn his pay: he must make decisions that would affect this sector of the galaxy, such as figuring out how to avoid a...oh, I dunno - an interstellar war, maybe? I think what makes this episode so effective is that it doesn't shy away from the grim aspects of war, as one would expect of a mere TV episode from the sixties - especially an episode from a science fiction show. It's all very tense and gripping, like the best war films, such as when Kirk sits down with his key officers for what amounts to a war council. The writers and the actors aren't kidding around here: this is all preparation for a ghastly conflict, potentially the beginning of another years-long battleground. In the final analysis, Kirk's aim is to keep this battleground to just the two ships - but even then it's an endeavor fraught with peril and probable casualties. In fact, I believe this episode holds the record for ship casualties by the end of it. Right at the start of the episode, we see the devastation such battle can produce, in that supposedly well-protected outpost. Then begin the cat-and-mouse war games between the Enterprise and the Romulan ship - it's as exciting as any conflict we've seen on the big screen. Of course, if you're not into war films, you'd have to look for other things to admire in this episode.What elevates this episode even further is the revelation of just what and who the Romulans are - it's an electric shock of a sort. Now we have even further inter-crew conflict on the bridge of the Enterprise - war does tend to bring out the worst in some people. Due to still nasty attitudes about race in this future, the tension is ratcheted up even further - Kirk has his hands full in this one. I suppose the one weakness in the story is the convenient relenting of the bigotry issue by the conclusion. On the Romulan side, actor Lenard makes his first appearance in the Trek universe as the Romulan commander; he's terrific in the role, the flip side of Capt. Kirk or Capt. Pike, take your pick, done up to resemble Spock more than a little. Surprisingly, his character is not war hungry as we would expect, another eye-opener for this episode. The actor would next return to this universe as Sarek, Spock's father, so he's nothing if not versatile. It's also telling how the first appearance of such characters as the Romulans is usually their best shot, as it is here. They showed up in "The Enterprise Incident" next.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a movie that I had heard about all my life growing up, but had never seen it until a few years ago. It's reputation truly proceeded it. I knew of Michael Myers, had seen the mask, saw commercials for all of the crummy sequels that followed. But I was growing up during the decade where Jason and Freddy had a deadly grip on the horror game, and never thought much of the Halloween franchise. Boy, how I was being cheated with cheap knock offs.Halloween is a genuinely terrifying movie. Now, by today's standards, it isn't as graphic and visceral, but this film delivers on all the other levels most horror movies fail to achieve today. The atmosphere that John Carpenter creates is so creepy, and the fact that it is set in a quaint, mid-west town is a testament to his ability. The lighting effects are down right horrifying, with "The Shape" seemingly appearing and disappearing into the shadows at will. The simple yet brutally effective music score only adds to the suspense.The performances by all the players are well done, with specific nods to Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance. Ms. Curtis is such a good Laurie Strode because she is so likable and vulnerable. It is all the more frightening when she is being stalked by Michael Myers because the director and viewer have invested so much into her, we want her to survive and get away.Donald Pleasance plays Dr. Loomis like a man on a mission, and it works well. He adds a sense of urgency to the predicament the town finds itself in because he knows what evil stalks their streets.Overall, not only is Halloween a great horror movie, but also a great film. It works on many levels and draws the audience in and never lets up. This should be standard viewing for anyone wanting to experience a truly scary movie. And for an even more frightful time, try watching it alone with the lights off. Don't be surprised if you think you see "The Shape" lurking around in the shadows!$LABEL$ 1 +Let me begin by saying that there is no bigger fan of the original "Lonesome Dove" than I. Both the Pulitzer Prize-winning book and the towering mini-series adapted from it stand alone in my experience as moving, dramatic, believable, and engrossing works. There is no comparison between "Lonesome Dove" and any Western film- at least not since the legendary collaborations of John Ford and John Wayne. It was with real reservations that I sat down to watch this new mini-series, what with McMurtry's non-participation, and the missing original cast members. After watching the first episode it was clear that this is no "Lonesome Dove". In almost every measurable way this sequel falls short of the original. But so what? I wasn't expecting it to measure up. Taken as an effort of it's own this film is engaging, entertaining and of a very good quality. If it were done as a new story, not as a sequel to "Lonesome Dove", there is no question in my mind that it would not have received as many negative ratings. Jon Voight did a creditable job as Call, Barbara Hershey was a terrific Clara, and the new characters like Gideon Walker and Agostina Vega were well rendered and believable. Louis Gossett jr. deserves special mention as the horse wrangler Isom Pickett. The film made me care about the characters, and I don't ask any more than that from an actor. it is unfortunate that this worthy effort stands in the shadow of it's predecessor- it is worth viewing in it's own right.$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't really interested in seeing Step Up, but my friend just kept bugging and bugging me to see this film, especially since she is so in love with Channing Tatum, I tease her constantly about it saying how that's the only reason why she loved the movie. But she somehow convinced me that it was a movie worth seeing, that if I loved movies like Dirty Dancing, Take the Lead, and Save the Last Dance, that I should love Step Up, eh, what the heck? I guess every movie in some way has it's right to a view.Well, you know those movies I just mentioned up top? Dirty Dancing, Take the Lead, and Save the Last Dance? Well, put them in a blender with some gangsta love in it and that's what you have. Not to mention if you've seen those movies, well, frankly, you have seen Step Up. Because Channing is lower class with street smarts who just naturally feels the music while that snobby up class girl must follow step by step, how will they ever fall in love if they are so different? After all, this is their chance to "step up" to the passion, the mystery, and the lust of the dance! OK, that was a silly plot explanation, but like I said, as long as you've seen those movies I mentioned, or even if you just saw the plot, you get the movie. I don't understand how it actually has a 5.5 rating, I bet it's those Channing lovers! LOL! I'm kidding with you guys, but it's all good, I guess I just didn't get what others did with the passion, the mystery that is the dance! Oh, Antonio Bandares, where are you when we need you?! 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen BSG, I tried to watch it once in the middle of the show but couldn't get into it. However, I saw Caprica Rebirth yesterday I felt a little lost, so I decided to watch the Pilot today and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I think this is a promising show and the only side effect it had on me is that now I want to watch BSG as well.But what I really liked is that I didn't have to be a hardcore BSG fan to understand what's going on in Caprica. From what I have read in the net, they were trying to reach the female population since BSG reached way more men, and at least in my case it worked.However, I suggest that if you are trying to watch the show do it from the beginning starting with the Pilot.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, it turned out as I expected: visual overload but nothing else added to the original. What did surprise me however was that the storyline was fairly drastically changed compared to the 1968 flick. Initially this awoke my interest, but what eventually surprised was that the new twists and turns (a) were apparently invented in order to present us with a typical Hollywood-like product and (b) made the whole storyline improbable! The 1968 story was breathtakingly straightforward, and included no time-storms or any bogus of that sort: it just stated that when you come home after a long journey, things might have changed a bit. Earth might have fallen in the hands of apes, for example. Like many 'old' movies, it's main ingredient was suspense (hell, does anyone understand that word these days?). In this Burton movie, an attempt has been made to turn the whole thing into an action movie, but at what cost? Surely, the images are overwhelming, and a lot of time and money has been put into the design of a complete ape-culture (even ape-music!), but what's wrong?First, the suspension of disbelief is made very hard, because the apes have a lot of Hollywood-human traits. I refer especially to Ari and the slave-trader. These traits include emotional skills like irony, sarcasm, and an overtly displayed array of 'subtle' emotions. It makes you forget that the apes are apes, which is essential.Second, the humans TALK. Of course, we can imagine that humans will never forget how to speak, but the fact that the apes had speech and the humans didn't made the ape/human role-switching very tangible and stressing in the 1968 version. The wound in the throat that Charlton Heston gets there is essential to his survival and his later regained speech essential to his uniqueness and the interest that Dr. Zira has in him (so, no need for things like human rights activists or ape-human love in order to explain things).Third, the fact that they talk ads a great deal to the implausibility, but is a necessary twist in the new movie, since Capt. Davidson has to play the Hollywood-let's-save-the-whole-world- and-have-a-good-ending-for-everyone- and-still-make-it-to-the-lounge-bar- for-a-cool-diet-coke character. Oh my god, will they never learn? I new it from the start, when there was only one guy who got lost! They were in need of a hero! And then the script writers go on reasoning: we need one guy... so, why would one guy get lost... because he tries to save an ape from an electromagnetic storm... implausible! But it's necessary because it shows the audience that he respects apes! Since, in these modern and politically correct times, we can't have a xenophobic ape-hater like Charlton Heston's 68 character loose on the screen: let's give them a bubblegum version!Fourth, okay, the general twist of the original 'discovering the truth' of the 1968 film to the modern version (he finds that his own mother ship crashed on the planet ages ago and that their lab-apes developed their society, where Heston simply discovered that just, somehow, the apes overtook the earth while he was away) is nicely done. The second, battle-part comes as an anti-climax. That's because this movie has added the first two Planet Of The Apes movies in one plot. Nice try, but the chill you feel when Davidson and you discover that he's lost on the planet forever just washes out due to the uninteresting battle-part.Fifth: the ending!!! For chrissakes, who came up with that?! (a) Davidson crashes TWICE with his escape pod, which seems an unsteerable object, while the chimp manages to simply land gracefully? Come on, who'd believe that? If the pods are really small space crafts (Davidson simply flies off into space at the end) and not merely escape vessels, he might have managed a safe landing at least once, no? And what about that ending???? I mean, in the original film it was clear that everything took place on earth. But here: the whole movie takes place on a distant planet, and suddenly the same (there's a Thade statue) ape culture is on earth??? How come? Did the apes of the far planet evolve technologically, flew into the time storm and colonised earth before Davidson's mission took off? Why is Thade worshiped? Stupid stupid stupid.Helena Bonham Carter is even adorable and beautiful as an ape, but I'd expected no less. I preferred her ape above Estella Warren as a human, but maybe I got some loose wire in my head. Nevertheless, the only convincing apes were Tim Roth as Thade (wonderful!) and Ari's household ape (the ex-general, but I forgot his name).Nonono, a lot of things could and should have been added/altered to the 1968 pic, but not the plot, at least not in that way. It was simple and clear and needed no additional explaining. It was nicely tongue-in cheek and caricatured. Don't stylize everything...$LABEL$ 0 +Cooley High was actually a drama with moments of comedy. It was a reflection of high school life back in the day. I attended Coolidge High in Washington, D.C. from 1976 to 1979 and much of what was in Cooley High was an every day thing at Coolidge. As a matter of fact after the movie came out everybody started calling Coolidge "Cooley High." Getting high, shooting dice, chasing girls, basement parties, and fights, that sums up high school life for many in D.C. back in the day. I can't forget Motown because Motown music began and ended many a day back in the 70s. The hits just kept coming. However, Cooley High adds a layer of humanity over the craziness because when all was said and done just like in Cooley High my classmates and I had a lot of love for each other. And like the characters in Cooley High there was life after high school, but there was nothing like waking up every morning and experiencing each day to the fullest from homeroom to seventh period. Thirty years later we are getting ready to celebrate those good times. Cooley High is definitely a period piece that just gets better with time because like it or not the only thing left from those days are memories, some good, and some bad.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a great movie for any fan of Hong Kong action movies. Asides from it's little plot, the weak drama and bits of comedy antics, the movie is action packed with gun-fighting and martial arts action. Kept me entertained from beginning until the end. I thought Shannon Lee was awesome in the movie.Having an action director like Corey Yuen is what keeps Hong Kong action going strong. This modern action film is highly recommended!!$LABEL$ 1 +I'm trying to understand what people liked about MirrorMask. I am an avid film viewer and hobbyist film maker. As I was telling friends during my lunch hour, MirrorMask may well be my biggest movie disappointment of the year. Just like the short Moongirl, the film missed its marks. Several times during the movie it made attempts at humor. It sets you up for the laugh. Instead of making you laugh, it leaves you feeling empty. The jokes reminded one of the recent Star Wars films. They weren't funny unless you were five. And the acting felt similarly terrible. I've seen actors actually act in front of a blue screen. And I've believed it. But not in this film. Not for a second.This film takes a formula and tries to apply it with pretty artwork… And though the script is totally workable and the special effects quite beautiful, it has no heart to it and fails miserably. I left the film shaking my head and considered leaving the theater. I felt hallow and miserable and still haven't gotten the sour taste out of my mouth from it. I love independent film. I encourage people to view independent films to support them. But not this film. This film shouldn't have been made. At least, not like this. Why did the director miss the marks so clearly? They were clearly setup… Not just the humor. But the emotions. The drama. Even the lines were poorly timed and delivered. It was like the film walked on three legs instead of four. Its steps are awkward and miss timed. And it could fall over with the slightest push… Don't see this film. I don't care who you are. It isn't worth your time.$LABEL$ 0 +Loved the film! This was my first glimpse at both Reese Witherspoon and Jason London, both of which are two of my favorites. Must say that no matter how many times I've seen this movie I can't help but tear up. One of those movies that should become a classic for all.$LABEL$ 1 +Over Christmas break, a group of college friends stay behind to help prepare the dorms to be torn down and replaced by apartment buildings. To make the work a bit more difficult, a murderous, Chucks-wearing psycho is wandering the halls of the dorm, preying on the group in various violent ways.Registered as one of the 74 'video nasties' listed by the U.K. in the 1980s, The Dorm That Dripped Blood had a good reputation built up for it prior to first viewing. The term 'video nasty' strikes into mind some images of some great explicit gore, violence, sex, etc.: All the things a horror fan dreams of. So, after hearing all of that info, I settled into Pranks (alt. title) expecting a sleazy slasher experience. . . and that's what it tried to be, but failed pretty much completely. Visually, the film's not great. The cinematography, gore (except for a couple scenes), and overall direction all fail. It's simply not enjoyable to watch. The unoriginal script is lacking and often throws in random things without any real reason (like the opening kill). There are some cool death scenes, including a pretty nice face melt (which can be seen on the poster), but that's about it for the positive. The acting is pretty bad, the story seems unimportant, the killer isn't cool or scary, and it suffers the one major error that any slasher flick should always avoid: it's a bit boring. Overall, for a film done by a few UCLA film students for $90,000 (which would be over double that today), The Dorm That Dripped Blood isn't a total mess. It has a couple good things, and is fairly watchable. . . But, as a slasher flick looking to be on the level of films like The House on Sorority Row and Pieces. . . it just cannot compare. Don't expect much, and you may at least be entertained. I hate to say it, but this is one of the few films I've seen that would actually be better with a remake. . . and yet, they go after great works like Black Christmas. Oh well. . .Obligatory Horror Elements:- Subgenre: Slasher- Violence/Gore: There are some brutally cool kills, and the gore is okay for the most part. . . but nothing special. Also, they off-screened some of the best murders.- Sex/Nudity: There's a little unappealing (to me) nudity, but not very much.- Cool Killer(s): Nah. The ending monologue(s) of the killer made him/her pretty uncool.- Scares/Suspense: A jump scare or two, but nothing too effective.- Mystery: I suppose, yeah, but I simply didn't care enough, and it's as obvious as the nose on the killer's face.- - -Final verdict: 3.75/10. Bah! Humbug! -AP3-$LABEL$ 0 +"The Mayor Of Hell" has the feel of an early Dead End Kids film, but with a much harder edge and very few light spots, preceding the first appearance of the Dead Enders by four years. James Cagney has a full screen opening credit, even though technically, the 'mayor' of the movie's title is actually portrayed by Frankie Darro, one of several boys sent to reform school during the opening scenes. Darro's character is Jimmy Smith, a young tough who's befriended by 'Patsy' Gargan (Cagney), and is elected to the position when Gargan takes a chance at humanizing conditions at a state reformatory.Warner Brothers made a lot of these types of films, attempting to provide a conscience of sorts in an era that only too well knew about the effects of crime and poverty. This movie is quite gritty, with no apologies for ethnic stereotyping, as in the submissive posture of a black father in court or the way a Jewish kid gets to run a candy shop in the reform school. The rules at the reformatory are simple enough - work hard and keep your mouth shut; step out of line and you answer personally to Warden Thompson (Dudley Digges).Cagney's role in the story seems somewhat ambiguous, since even though he makes a serious effort to improve conditions inside the reformatory, on the outside he's still nominally in control of a criminal racket. The film's attempt to juggle this dichotomy falls short in my estimation, the finale attempts to wrap things up in a neat package as Gargan awaits the outcome of a near fatal shooting of one of his henchmen. Not exactly the kind of role modeling one would look for in a film like this.Warner Brothers would sanitize some of the elements of this story in a 1938 remake titled "Crime School", featuring Humphrey Bogart in the Cagney role, and Billy Halop in the Frankie Darro part. If you're partial to the Dead End Kids you'll probably like the latter film better, since it also offers familiar faces like Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan and Gabriel Dell. However the ending is somewhat muddied in that one too, with Bogart's warden character involved in a cover up of a prison breakout. Both films offer a romantic interest for the lead characters, in 'Mayor', Madge Evans is a reform minded nurse that falls for Cagney's character.Curiously, a lot of James Cagney's early films aren't commercially available, so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for a screening on Turner Classics, or source the film from a private collector. Personally, I can't get enough of this kind of stuff, and find intriguing points of interest in the films of all genres from the Thirties and Forties.$LABEL$ 1 +This two-part TV mini-series isn't as good as the original from 1966 but it's solid. The original benefited from a huge number of things---it was all in black and white, it had a great jazz score and it was filmed at the real locations, including the home of the doomed Clutter family. That was important because in the book and in the original movie the home is very much a character itself.This remake was filmed in Canada which I guess doubles okay for Kansas. The story tries to be as sympathetic to Perry as it dares to and Eric Roberts plays him as a somewhat fey person, his homosexuality barely hidden. The gentler take by Roberts doesn't quite work in the end though because it's hard to believe that his version of Perry Smith would just finally explode in a spasm of murder. Whereas Robert Blake's take on Smith left you no doubt that his Perry Smith was an extremely dangerous character.Anthony Edwards was excellent as the bombastic, big-mouthed and ultimately cowardly Dick Hickcock, the brains of the outfit. His performance compares very well to Scott Wilson's role in the original movie.Since this is a longer movie it allows more time to develop the Clutter family and in this regard I think the 1996 movie has an advantage. The Clutters are just an outstanding, decent family. They've never harmed another soul and it is just inexplicable that such a decent family is ultimately massacred in such a horrifying way. It still boggles my mind that, after the Clutters were locked in the bathroom, that Herb Clutter didn't force out the window so at least his children would have a chance to escape. This movie has the thought occur to him, but too late. From what I read about the real home, which is still standing, the way the bathroom is configured they could've opened the counter drawers and effectively barricaded the door which would've forced the killers to blast their way in. But it might've bought time for some of the Clutters to escape. Why the Clutters didn't try this, I have no idea.Fans of the book will recognize that this movie takes a lot of liberties with how the crime is committed but not too serious. Still, it's distracting to viewers like me who have read tons about the case. The actors playing the cops, led by Sam Neill and Leo Rossi, are uniformly excellent, much better, I think, as a group, than the actors in the original movie. They know that to secure the noose around the necks of both of them they have to get them to confess. And the officers come to the interview impeccably prepared. They had already discovered the likely alibi the phony story of going to Fort Scott, and had debunked every jot of it. The officers then let Smith & Hickcock just walk into their trap. Hickcock is a b.s. artist who figures he can convince anyone of anything and the officers respectfully let him tell his cover story. But when they lower the boom on him, he shatters very quickly. It's very well filmed and acted and very gratifying to watch because the viewer naturally should loath Hickcock in particular by this point, a cowardly con-man who needs the easily manipulated Smith to do his killing for him. Supposedly Hickcock later stated that the real reason for the crime wasn't to steal money from the Clutters but to rape Nancy Clutter. At least she was spared that degradation.The actors playing the Clutters are very good, Kevin Tighe as Herb Clutter in particular. The story sensitively deals with Mrs. Clutter's emotional problems, most likely clinical depression, and Mrs. Clutter displays remarkable inner strength when she firmly and strongly demands that the killers leave her daughter alone. From what I've read the Clutters' surviving family was particularly bothered by how Bonnie Clutter was portrayed in the book, claiming it was entirely untrue. But as an aside, both of the killers related to the police how Mr. Clutter asked them to not bother his wife because of her long illness. Capote might make up that fiction to make the character of Bonnie more interesting but certainly the killers had no reason to falsely portray Mrs. Clutter and no doubt much of the conversation in the book (duplicated in the movies) is right off the taped confessions of the killers. So it would've been nonsensical for Herb to have said that and not have it be true.$LABEL$ 1 +The pilot is extremely well done. It lays out how the characters bond in future episodes. I don't think anyone could have created a better pilot for this show. It displays remarkable creativity on the writers part. Although not everything was straightened out because it was the very first episode, a lot of events that happen in future seasons were demonstrated in the pilot. An example would be Ross and Rachels future relationship. Even though the nervousness of a first episode appeared, it was overcome by an amazing plot and outstanding cast choice.Bravo.A great start to an unbeatable comedy!$LABEL$ 1 +This miserable film is a remake of a 1927 film. They should have let it remain that way.What a colossal bomb! Douglas Fairbanks displays absolutely no charisma here. Cesar Romero is subjected to a role as a real jerk and Bette Grable sings with a chorus- What I'll Do to that Hungarian!The ridiculous plot deals with a picture of a woman in a castle in 1561 Rome that saved the day by killing a conqueror. (Fairbanks) Now, let's fast forward to 300 years later, where Grable, just married to the Count Romero, faces a similar situation, when on her wedding night, there is an invasion by Hungarian soldiers.Romero acts cowardly and flees before the army arrives. He disguises himself as a gypsy and is made to remain at the castle when his violin playing pleases Fairbanks. The ending is worse than the entire wretched film when Grable meets Fairbanks to tell him the good news-an enraged Romero has annulled the marriage.This poor imitation of a movie was made in 1948. As Harry Davenport, a veteran supporting player who is in it, died in 1949; this must have been his last film. What a bomb to go out with after such a distinguished career.Walter Abel co-stars but he can do little with such poor writing. The costumes look more like those that would come out of the stone age. I can't fathom what Fairbanks was wearing.$LABEL$ 0 +I have to start off by apologizing because I thought the first 75-80% of this film was hilarious. It's mostly because of Brad Pitt's performance. Spot on.The acting by all involved was quite good but Brad stole the movie. The atmosphere was perfect in all respects. I'm not a giant Pitt fan but this has got to be one of his best roles ever.Brutal,Honest,Gritty. All good words to describe this movie.I was reading a previous review and the person said that the reasoning behind Early's violence isn't explained. It is explained but they thankfully don't have to go into graphic detail to get their point across.Overall I gave this a 9 because every scene bar 1 or 2 was effective. I think the humor in the first half or so is perfect for this movie. Underrated.$LABEL$ 1 +This is Burt Reynolds'"Citizen Kane".Tragically nothing else he was ever involved in came close to approaching "Sharkey's Machine".It seemed to me that he put everything he had into it.It is a movie that is in love with movies.The opening sequence where Detective Sharkey single-handedly rescues a bus-load of hostages is an immensely exciting piece of cinema. Everything moves so quickly once it has started to go wrong that it appears to take on a life of its own,a brilliantly achieved effect. It looks cold,tense and dangerous on Mr Reynolds' streets. The precinct house looks dirty and tired,full of desperate people on both sides of the law,shouting,cursing out,trying to do deals or just stay alive.Into this underworld descends the recently demoted Sharkey - a reward for a bungled drugs bust(caused by a corrupt cop) - he and his team are part of the vice squad.Information they pick up concerning a crooked politician leads them into the world of high-class call girls and ruthless drug barons. Watching the apartment of one such call-girl(Rachel Ward)Sharkey falls in love with her portrait on the wall(I know,I know)and when a woman's body is found with its face shot off in one of the rooms,he thinks its her.(Well,I did say it was a movie that loved movies). The scene where she walks in on him works beautifully,even if you have seen the original. The film is full of good touches,I particularly like Charles Durning's war story,subtly acted and shot in sharp contrast to Sharkey's abduction and torture which is suitably harsh and brutal. I must mention Vittorio Gassman and Henry Silva as two disparate but equally evil brothers with absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. They are "full on" every time they're on screen and are no loss to society when their time comes,Mr Silva's end being extra special indeed. As has been mention,this is a Clint Eastwood movie that Clint never made.The biggest compliment I can pay "Sharkey's Machine" is to point out that in my opinion Clint Eastwood couldn't have made a better job of it. The soundtrack is of an equally high standard,featuring Sarah Vaughan,Joe Williams,Julie London,Chet Baker and other top class artists. Randy Crawford's "Street Life" plays behind the title sequence,and I can never hear it without ,in my mind's eye,seeing Sharkey striding along the sidewalk. Like other correspondents I have never understood why this film was a bit of a flop.I hope it is due for a critical revision,particularly at a time when so many cop movies and shows without a quarter of its energy , freshness and sheer joie de vivre are lauded from the rooftops. If you're ever tempted to think of Burt Reynolds as a burnt - out one - trick pony,put "Sharkey's Machine" in your video machine.I promise you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +Without a doubt, one of Tobe Hoppor's best! Epic storytellng, great special effects, and The Spacegirl (vamp me baby!).$LABEL$ 1 +This must rank as one of Cinema's greatest debacles. I was wandering Europe at the time and had the misfortune to stumble upon the crew making this movie in what was, even then, one of the world's idyllic, unspoiled settings. I was enlisted as an extra, and what followed was an exhibition of modern day debauchery. Forget all the accusations you've ever heard of Peter Mayall's intrusions on this rare piece of French life- Geoff Reeve and his cohorts embarked on a level of revelry at the restaurant at Les Beaux that left the Maitre'd slack-jawed in disbelief. They were, quite simply, awful, uncultured and undeserving of French hospitality.$LABEL$ 0 +This anime is a must-see for fans of Evangelion. It's an earlier work of Anno Hideaki, but his unrestrained, dramatic style is quite in place. Also, those who didn't like Evangelion might find this release to bit slightly more palatable. Gunbuster is rather unique to sci-fi anime in that it's actually based on real science. In fact, the show has several little "Science Lesson" interludes explaining the physics behind some of the events in the movie. One of the big dramatic points in the film is the relative passage of time at speeds near that of light. The series does a wonderful job of dealing with the imaginably traumatic experience of leaving earth on a six month mission traveling near the speed of light and returning to an Earth where ten years have passed. The main character remains age 17 or 18 throughout the entire series while almost all of the other characters age considerably. Be warned, this show is heavy on the sap at times. It also has a couple of the most wholly unmerited breast shots that I have ever seen. I found it fairly easy to ignore the skimpy uniforms and boo-hoo scenes, because the series is otherwise very good, but viewers with a low sap tolerance might want to stay away from this one. On an interesting note, Gainax, as always, managed to run out of money in the last couple of episodes. However, they managed to use black and white film and still action sketches to produce a good resolution anyway. The ending is a bit silly, but it left me with such a good feeling in my gut I couldn't help but love it. Gunbuster is, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces of Anime around.$LABEL$ 1 +Don't see this movie. Bad acting and stupid gore effects. A complete waste of time. I was hoping to see a lot of cool murders and hot chicks,instead the director depended on animal slaughter videos to shock you, the watcher. Disgusting. The murders are pretty lame, basically strangulation. One woman he stuffs worms in her mouth, one he puts raw hamburgers on her face and strangles her. BTK = BTK broiler, burger king's "killer" new sandwich....ha ha. I don't think this movie relied too much on actual facts. I mean, he real BTK killer didn't carry around a bunch of rodents, scorpions and worms..and oh yeah...a slaughtered cow head too. Go figure.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't any idea how commentators could regard this as a decent B Western. Or how one commentator said the plot was more cohesive than most. Nothing could be farther from the truth! This movie is one HUGE non-sequitur! It is an affront to the noble B Western films of the '30's. I have seen many of Wayne's early Lone Star and Republic westerns, and this one is easily the worst.The bad guy is known as The Shadow - for crying out loud! Initially, The Shadow's scheme is holding up open-sided stage coaches. Simultaneously, his gang rustles all of the cattle in the territory. Then they decide to move on to bank robbery. To do this, they need to shoot up the town with a machine gun - no explanation of why that's necessary or how he got that neato little toy!No single scheme is revealed in enough detail to suggest a plot here. The Shadow is obviously just a generally bad guy with all kinds of generally evil schemes. He imparts his instructions to his gang through a fake wall-safe. (Knock-knock, who's there?) He is apparently clairvoyant, because whenever his henchmen need to talk to him, they knock on the wall, the safe opens and - PRESTO - he's there. (I can just imagine that he has met them face-to-face and says,"I have some secret, nefarious instructions to give you about our next evil deed - meet me at the wall-safe and I'll give 'em to you.") Just why the Shadow requires the safe to communicate with his army of outlaws is, like most of the elements of this mess, never explained.He has a nifty tunnel to the ol' hollow stump across the street from which vantage point, various of his baddies perform assassinations. He also has a hidden panel NOT in his secret lair behind the fake safe, but out in the main room.When not behind the safe, he hangs out on his cow-less ranch, masquerading as rancher Matlock. We learn that he has murdered the true owners of the ranch - two brothers - and assumed the identity of one. The daughter of the dead brother has recently arrived from 1930's NYC (judging by her wardrobe), and she apparently never met her real uncle, because he dupes her, too!If you thought that bad guys always wore black hats and good guys white hats, you need to see this movie. Here, the good guys all ditch their hats in favor of white head-bands that make them look like they have all suffered head wounds before any shots have been fired! It's like a game of pick-up basketball - only Wayne has them tying bandanas 'round their heads instead of just taking off their shirts.Perhaps the weirdest of all is the ending. Immediately after subduing the Shadow and his gang, we jump far enough into the future to see Wayne and his wife (the erst-while niece) on the front porch of their home. (Never mind that there has been scant romance.) There, Yak is playing with Wayne's 3-4 year old son, dressed up in Injun garb! (Hiyoo, skookum fun!)No thanks to this nonsense, Wayne went on to become a screen legend. Only a super-star (packer or not!) could surmount this entry in a film resume. Long live the Duke!$LABEL$ 0 +Office work, especially in this era of computers, multi-functional copy machines, e-mail, voice mail, snail mail and `temps,' is territory ripe with satirical possibilities, a vein previously tapped in such films as `Clockwatchers' and `Office Space,' and very successfully. This latest addition to the temp/humor pool, however, `Haiku Tunnel,' directed by Josh Kornbluth and Jacob Kornbluth, fails to live up to it's predecessors, and leaves the laughs somewhere outside the door, waiting for a chance to sneak in. Unfortunately for the audience, that chance never comes; so what you get is a nice try, but as the man once said, no cigar. As the narrator/star of the film, Josh Kornbluth (playing Josh Kornbluth), points out in the opening frames (in a monologue delivered directly into the camera), this story is pure fiction, and takes place in the fictional city of `San Franc'l'isco.' It's an innovative, if not very imaginatively presented disclaimer, and not all that funny. It is, however, a harbinger of what is to follow, all of which-- like the disclaimer-- just isn't all that funny. Kornbluth plays Kornbluth, an aspiring novelist who supports himself working as a `temp.' It's a job that suits him, and it gives him time to slip in some work on his novel from time to time. But when he goes to work for a lawyer, Bob Shelby (Warren Keith), he does too good a job on the first day, and Shelby dispatches head secretary Marlina D'Amore (Helen Shumaker) to Kornbluth to persuade him to go `perm.' The thought of working full time for the same company, though, initially strikes fear in the heart of Kornbluth, but he caves in and signs on for the position. He's nervous about it, but at least now the other secretaries acknowledge his presence (which, of course, they would never do with a temp), and if things get too rough, he has seventeen important letters he's typed up-- that now just have to be mailed out-- to fall back on (he's been holding them back because the mailing is the easy part, and he needs that `something easy to do' in reserve, in case it all gets to be too much for him). These are `important' letters, however, and by the end of the week, Kornbluth still has them in reserve, on his desk. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that when Shelby finds out about it, Kornbluth's days as the fair-haired boy are going to be over. And quick. The Brothers Kornbluth, who not only directed, but along with John Bellucci also wrote the screenplay for this film, should have taken a page out of the Ben Stiller Book of Comedy, where it says `If you play it straight, they will laugh.' But, they didn't, and the audience won't. Because in comedy, even looking at it as objectively as possible, when the main character (as well as most of the supporting characters, in this case) `Plays' funny-- as in, he `knows' he's being funny-- he never is. And that's exactly what Kornbluth does here; so rather than being `funny,' he comes across as insincere and pretentious, a grievous error in judgment on the part of the Kornbluths, because by allowing it, they sabotaged their own movie. In trying to discern exactly why this movie doesn't work, it comes down to two basic reasons: The directing, which-- if not necessarily `bad'-- is at least careless; and secondly, the performances, beginning with that of Josh Kornbluth. Quite simply, Kornbluth just seems too impressed with himself to be effective here. Unlike Stiller, or even Steve Martin-- both of whom use self-deprecating humor very effectively-- Kornbluth apparently has an ego that simply will not allow putting himself in that light; he seems to have a need to let his audience know that he, the real Kornbluth, is in reality much more clever than Kornbluth the character. And being unable to get past that does him in, as well as the film. Rather than give the millions of office workers who may see this film someone to whom they can relate or with whom they can identify, Kornbluth affects a condescending manner that only serves to alienate the very people he is attempting to reach. So what it all comes down to is a case of poor directing and unconvincing acting, and when you take into consideration that the screenplay itself was weak to begin with, with an inexplicably narrow focus (given the potential of the rich subject matter), it's easy to understand why this one just doesn't fly. The one saving grace of the film is the performance by Warren Keith as Shelby, whose subtle delivery is convincing, and which-- in and of itself-- is fairly humorous. The effectiveness of it is diminished, however, inasmuch as Keith has to share his scenes with Kornbluth, which somewhat automatically cancels out his positive contributions to the project. Shumaker and Sarah Overman (Julie Faustino) also manage to keep their heads above water with their respective performances, which are commendable, if not entirely memorable; they at least make their scenes watchable, and Overman even manages to elevate Kornbluth's performance, if only momentarily. But it's still not enough to save the day or the film. The supporting cast includes Amy Resnick (Mindy), Brian Thorstenson (Clifford), June Lomena (DaVonne), Joe Bellan (Jimmy the Mail Clerk), with a cameo appearance by a disheveled looking Harry Shearer, as the Orientation Leader-- a role that begs for an answer to the question, `What was he thinking when he agreed to this?' In any work environment, there will forever be situations arising that one way or another will unavoidably become fodder for someone's comedic cannon, and the films depicting said situations will always be with us; the good ones (see paragraph one) may even become classics in their own right. `Haiku Tunnel,' however, will doubtfully remain very long amongst them, for it's destiny lies elsewhere-- in a realm known only as: `Obscurity.' I rate this one 1/10. $LABEL$ 0 +This film was not only one of John Ford's own personal favorites but also numbered directors Sergei M. Eisenstein and Bertrand Tavernier among its high-profile admirers. Ironically, I've just caught up with it myself via Criterion's recent 2-Disc Set after missing out on a couple of original language screenings of it on Italian TV many years ago and again a few times on TV while in Hollywood! The film marked Ford's first of nine collaborations with Henry Fonda and is also a quintessential example of Ford's folksy Americana vein. A beautifully made and pictorially quite poetic piece of work, the courtroom sequences (and eventual revelation) in its second half still pack quite a wallop, apart from giving stalwart character actor Donald Meek a memorably meaty role as the prosecuting attorney.Fonda is, of course, perfectly cast as a bashful, inexperienced but rigorous and humanistic lawyer who was destined to become President; Fonda would go on to portray other fictitious politicians on film - most notably in Franklin J. Schaffner's THE BEST MAN (1964) and Sidney Lumet's FAIL-SAFE (1964) - and it's surprising now to learn that he was reluctant at the time about accepting the role of Lincoln since, in his view, that was "like playing God"! It is interesting to note here that Ford had previously tackled Abraham Lincoln (tangentially) in THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (1936), a superb but perhaps little-known gem which has, luckily, just been released as a Special Edition DVD by the UK's veritable Criterion stand-in, Eureka's "Masters Of Cinema" label. Besides, I also have two more Abraham Lincoln films in my DVD collection which I've yet to watch and, incidentally, both were directed by D. W. Griffith - THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) and ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1930) - and, had I not just received a bunch of films I've never watched before just now, I would have gladly given them a spin based on my highly-satisfying viewing experience with YOUNG MR. LINCOLN.$LABEL$ 1 +This familiar story of an older man/younger woman is surprisingly hard-edged. Bikers, hippies, free love and jail bait mix surprisingly well in this forgotten black-and-white indie effort. Lead actress Patricia Wymer, as the titular "Candy," gives the finest performance of her career (spanning all of 3 drive-in epics). Wymer was precocious and fetching in THE YOUNG GRADUATES (1971), but gives a more serious performance in THE BABYSITTER. The occasional violence and periodic nudity are somewhat surprising, but well-handled by the director. Leads Wymer and George E. Carey sell the May/December romance believably. There are enough similarities between THE BABYSITTER and THE YOUNG GRADUATES to make one wonder if the same director helmed the latter film as well. Patricia Wymer, where are you?Hailing from Seattle, WA, Miss Wymer had appeared as a dancer on the TV rock and roll show MALIBU U, before gracing the cover (as well as appearing in an eight-page spread) of the August, 1968 issue of "Best For Men," a tasteful adults-only magazine. She also appeared as a coven witch in the popular 1969 cult drive-in shocker THE WITCHMAKER.THE BABYSITTER has finally made its home video debut, as part of the eight-film BCI box set DRIVE-IN CULT CLASSICS vol. 3, which is available from Amazon.com and some retail stores such as Best Buy.$LABEL$ 1 +I have to admit, that out of the many many thriller movies i have seen, this has to be one of the worst. I was shocked to discover that this piece of work had a 1.5 mil budget. When it started, i thought that the opening sequence was pretty good, fairly standard for this kind of film, but pretty good anyway. But as the film progressed i began to feel distinctly uncomfortable with the lack of pace that i was seeing, each sequence seemed to take hours. The reason for this could have been that by now the film had already bored me to tears, nothing was happening other than endless accusations peppered with confusing flashbacks and the occasional fit of bad temper. Well ... after wading through what felt like a lifetime of these scenes we finally reached the big finale...an all singing, all dancing demonstration of how lack of imagination can completely ruin what could have been a good film.Overall i found this movie predictable and tedious and I would not recommend this film to anyone other than those people i personally dislike, but if you have a couple of hours to waste and you want to watch a thriller that is not even remotely scary, this is the movie for you.$LABEL$ 0 +Andy Lau and Lau Ching-Wan are both superb in Johnny To's tautly directed crime thriller which puts most Western efforts to shame. Think of it as the Hong Kong 'Heat', only better! Everything about the film screams class; from the performances to the soundtrack, the cinematography to the script. The tone remains serious throughout, but the film has a nice line in black-humour, friendship and romance at it's heart. Sure, it gets a little preposterous later on, but it would be a hard-hearted viewer who didn't find something to love about this movie. Thank God, Hollywood hasn't (yet) re-made and ruined a classic. Do yourself a favour and see this film!$LABEL$ 1 +It Could Have Been A Marvelous Story Based On The Ancient Races Of Cat People, but it wasn't.This work could have been just that; marvelous and replete with mythological references which kept my fascination fueled. The lead characters (Charles Brady played by Brian Krause; and his mother Mary, played by Alice Krige) were shallowly done, had no depth of personality and were hardly likable or drawing. Not even Mädchen Amick (who played Tanya Robertson)'s character fit into that description. However, as I've said many times before, when you adapt a Stephen King novel for TV, you simply must take into account the fact that his books aren't written for TV, and his screenplay talent sadly lacks the fire and depth he exhibits as a novelist. This is another botched attempt to take the magick of Stephen King writing, whether that is of his novels or an original screenplay. To simply cut and paste his work onto the small screen. His novels get completely bastardized in the process and all you end up creating is a nice movie; nothing less but certainly nothing more. His screenplays are hit and miss. Unfortunately, this screenplay translation was a miss. Sorry, Sorry, Sorry movie.This movie gets a 1.0/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 0 +"Speck" was apparently intended to be a biopic related to serial killer Richard Speck. There is, however, not much killing to be found in this movie, and none of it is explicitly shown. The most disturbing scene in the entire movie is perhaps when Speck stomps one of the eight unfortunate nurses to death in her own bathtub, yet even this is merely implied, and not shown, save for a few unconvincing downward thrusts of Mr. Speck's leg. The most entertaining part of this movie is most likely the voice-over, which should be a testament to the mind-numbingly boring nature of this movie. Every aspect of this movie is horrible. Unless you have a fondness for boredom, don't bother. This movie only clocks in at 72 minutes, but it feels like an eternity.$LABEL$ 0 +Fast-paced, funny, sexy, and spectacular. Cagney is always terrific. Blondel charms you with her wit and energy. It's obvious that this is a pre-censorship film by the innuendo in the script, the costumes,and the way they touch each other. And bikinis before there were bikinis! This is no holds barred fun for everyone. I don't understand the John Garfield issue though. Does it matter whether or not he's in this film? If he is, he screen is so short that he's basically a prop. You need to watch it frame by frame to even find him if he's there. I'm a big Cagney fan, but had never seen this one before. I found it on Turner Classics. I found it by wonderful accident. Sit back and enjoy the ride!$LABEL$ 1 +as an actor I really like independent films but this one is amateur at best.The boys go to Vermont for a civil service yet when the plane lands it flies over a palm tree - were the directors aware that palm trees are not in Vermont? Pines yes - palms no. And the same for the wedding service - again nice grove of palm trees.When the boys are leaving VT they apparently could not get a ticket on any major airline since the plane that is filmed is Federal Express. Did they ship themselves Overnight in a crate? Come on guys little details like this separate an indi film from totally amateur.The Christian brother is far gayer than Arthur with his bleached hair and tribal band tattoo. The two should have switched roles.The minor characters are laughable and overact something terrible.Applause to the directors for making a gay film but pay some attention to your locations and casting next time$LABEL$ 0 +As much as I love Ellen Barkin (who is really underrated) I have to boo this movie. If you can't tell who did it AND why in the first half hour you obviously have never seen a psycho-sexual thriller or have never watched 20/20. It's like the filmmakers and actors didn't care that they way they were shooting it and they way they were playing the characters would be a dead giveaway.Overall, this movie serves to turn-on the dirty perverts who like to mix violence and sex. Not a fun movie to sit through, although if you like Ellen Barkin it's nice to see her place a tough lady.$LABEL$ 0 +While William Shater can always make me smile in anything he appears in, (and I especially love him as Denny Crane in Boston Legal), well, this show is all about glitz and dancing girls and screaming and jumping up and down.It has none of the intelligence of Millionaire, none of the flair of Deal or No Deal.This show is all about dancing and stupid things to fill in the time.I watched it of course just to check it out. I did watch it for over 45 minutes, then I had to turn it off.The best part of it was William Shatner dancing on the stage. He is a hoot!!! unfortunately, this show WILL NOT MAKE IT.That's a given$LABEL$ 0 +There seems to be an overwhelming response to this movie yet no one with the insight to critique its methodology, which is extremely flawed. It simply continues to propogate journalistic style analysis, which is that it plays off of the audiences lack of knowledge and prejudice in order to evoke an emotional decry and outburst of negative diatribe.Journalism 101: tell the viewer some fact only in order to predispose them into drawing conclusions which are predictable. for instance, the idea of civil war, chaos, looting, etc were all supposedly unexpected responses to the collapse of governmental infrastructure following Hussein's demise: were these not all symptomatic of an already destitute culture? doctrinal infighting as symptomatic of these veins of Islam itself, rather than a failure in police force to restrain and secure? would they rather the US have declared marshall law? i'm sure the papers here would've exploded with accusations of a police state and fascist force.aside from the analytical idiocy of the film, it takes a few sideliners and leaves the rest out claiming "so-and-so refused to be interviewed..." yet the questions they would've asked are no doubt already answered by the hundred inquisitions those individuals have already received. would you, as vice president, deign to be interviewed by a first time writer/producer which was most certainly already amped to twist your words. they couldn't roll tape of Condi to actually show her opinion and answer some of the logistics of the questions, perhaps they never watched her hearing.this is far from a neutral glimpse of the situation on the ground there. this is another biased, asinine approach by journalists - which are, by and large, unthinking herds.anyone wanting to comment on war ought at least have based their ideas on things a little more reliable than NBC coverage and CNN commentary. these interpretations smack of the same vitriol which simply creates a further bipartisanism of those who want to think and those who want to be told by the media what to think.$LABEL$ 0 +Everyone likes the coolly created, memorable heist movie. Alain Delon provides the antihero, Melville provides the cool, and a handful of other great talent (Yves Montand, Gian Maria Volonte, and Andre Bourvil, mostly) arrives to add a crisp engaging movie......with very little dialog. This is great, because one certain aspect of the genre tends to be a lot of dialog involving the quick-witted and their various repartees. This movie, however, could be watched with the sound completely off and not too terribly much would be missed. Not to say the sound is bad, oh no, the jazzy soundtrack and the crisp audio catching the little movements makes the slow, patient deliberation of the patients very compelling.What's also really neat about this film is that the color cinematography is pretty fantastic. Usually when it comes to cinematography, black and white movies tend to stick out in my mind, but this film has some very strong and beautiful imagery that makes the movie pure visual pleasure to observe.--PolarisDiB$LABEL$ 1 +"Quai des Orfevres", directed by the brilliant Henri-Georges Clouzot, is a film to treasure because it is one of the best exponents of French film making of the postwar years. M. Clouzot, adapting the Steeman's novel, "Longtime Defence", shows his genius in the way he sets the story and in the way he interconnects all the characters in this deeply satisfying movie that, as DBDumonteil has pointed out in this forum, it demonstrates how influential Cluzot was and how much the next generation of French movie makers are indebted to the master, especially Claude Chabrol.The crisp black and white cinematography by Armand Thirard has been magnificently transferred to the Criterion DVD we recently watched. Working with Clouzot, Thirard makes the most of the dark tones and the shadows in most of the key scenes. The music by Francis Lopez, a man who created light music and operettas in France, works well in the context of the film, since the action takes place in the world of the music halls and night clubs.Louis Jouvet, who is seen as a police detective, is perfect in the part. This was one of his best screen appearances for an actor who was a pillar of the French theater. Jouvet clearly understood well the mechanics for the creation of his police inspector who is wiser and can look deeply into the souls of his suspects and ultimately steals the show from the others. In an unfair comment by someone in this page, Jouvet's inspector is compared with Peter Falk's Columbo, the television detective. Frankly, and no disrespect to Mr. Falk intended, it's like comparing a great champagne to a good house wine.Bernard Blier is perfect as the jealous husband. Blier had the kind of face that one could associate with the man consumed with the passion his wife Jenny Lamour has awakened in him. Martineau is vulnerable and doesn't act rationally; he is an easy suspect because he has done everything wrong as he finds in the middle of a crime he didn't commit, but all the evidence points to the contrary.The other great character in the film is Dora, the photographer. It's clear by the way she interacts with Jenny where her real interest lies. Simone Renant is tragically appealing as this troubled woman and makes an enormous contribution to the film. Suzy Delair, playing Jenny, is appealing as the singer who suddenly leaps from obscurity to celebrity and attracts the kind of men like Brignon, the old lecher.The film is one of the best Clouzot directed during his distinguished career and one that will live forever because the way he brought all the elements together.$LABEL$ 1 +I admit I had some trepidation when I first saw the previews for this film. Was VH-1 treading on hollow ground here? I mean, Harris and Quinn don't really look or even sound like John or Paul. But I have to admit, this film really surprised me. It's far from the exploitation film I expected. Instead, it's a character study, a low-key, whimsical, and ultimately bittersweet look at friendship, and the ultimate lesson we all learn: it's hard, if not impossible, to capture what we once had, and what has passed us by.$LABEL$ 1 +Once big action star who fell off the face of the earth ends up in a small town with a problem with drug dealers and a dead body of a federal agent. Reuniting with some former co-stars to clean up the town.Low key, often to the point of blandness, "action" comedy mostly just doesn't work. Part of the problem is the casting Chris Klien as a former action hero. he's not bad, but he's really not believable as some one who was taken to be a tough guy. As I said he's not bad, he's just just miscast for what his back story is. The real problem here is the combination of the script, which really isn't funny and seems artificial at times, and the direction which is pedestrian to the port of dullness. There is no life in the way things are set up. Its as if the director had a list of shots and went by that list. It makes for an un-engaging film. And yet the film occasionally springs to life, such as the in the final show down that ends the film. That sequence works, but because the earlier parts of the film floundered its drained of much of its power.I can't really recommend the film. Its worth a shot if you're a fan of the actors or are a huge fan of independent cinema in all its forms, but otherwise this is just a disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is just a shame. Orlando, Florida seems to becoming a more recognized filmmaking area (like Vancouver's rise to prominance). The Brothers was shot in Central Florida and this short film is a bit of a setback for the area (which made great strides with the Indie film Walking Across Africa and the great HBO miniseries From Earth To The Moon).I will try to be as honest as possible. I think Orlando was the perfect place to film The Brothers. It had the potential to give a new spin on the 'Boy Band' craze. After all, both N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys come from this area. But, The Brothers falls short probably because of a weak script. Both lead characters are flat with almost no development (part of this could be the amatuer actors, but some of it is certainly the way the script was written).Also a problem is the choice of jokes. Many of the jokes are too repetitive (they do come off funny the first time, but it does grow to be a bit boring). Some of the 'concert' scenes are staged poorly (and many of these scenes also don't seem to move the story along in any way).I had high hopes for this one, but alas its a disappointing effort. I also hope the best for the upcoming feature based on this short. But I think the best thing for filmmaker John Figg is to move to different genres (quickly). Comedy isn't his strong suit. But, its indisputable that he definitely is one of the more prominant filmmakers in the Orlando area (its just a shame that right now he's infamous, not famous).$LABEL$ 0 +Brian Keith as Cole Wlikerson and Richard Jaeckel as Wade Matlock make excellent villains. They just love intimidating the locals in the most brutal way possible, and sneer sexily at any suggestion that there might be a more humane way to achieve their ends. It's a pity that goody-goody Glenn Ford gets in their way.$LABEL$ 1 +You can find an anti-war statement here without looking too hard; that layer is hackneyed. Or you can find a value neutral comment on the madness of war (stripped of "judgement"); that layer is completely uninteresting.Or you can watch this for the darn good entertainment value of Duvall's one-liners, but that's just a coating for commercial mastication.You can try to view this as a 'realistic' Vietnam war film, but ask any veteran and he'll swat down that notion -- most vets will say it stinks.Or view it as a 'will he or won't he' morality play -- nothing rich there, either.Where I found the value was in the superb self-reference. Coppola needed a container with great enough dimensions (the war) to fit the greatness of the skilled multi-dimensional actor playing 'a great man'.Brando the man was as much of a maverick as the Kurtz character. The studios were uncomfortable with his acting 'method', yet he always excelled and won accolades; the 'generals' are uncomfortable with Kurtz's 'unsound methods', in spite of his strategic genius.So Coppola makes a movie all about Brando's greatness. To hammer on the point, he places himself in the movie (as Hopper, a manic photojournalist laden with multiple cameras) to spout his praises. Brando himself is only seen in half-light and silhouettes -- brilliant cinematography by Storaro that only increases the actor's power. And he goes out like the sacrificial bull to complete the narrative equation. Oh, yes: "the horror..." Other pieces of interest: the great use of point of view camera perspectives, including 'being in the firefight' long before "Private Ryan"; the ground breaking use of sound, notably the ominous flanging sweeps and the sonic depiction of an acid trip.Don't get caught in the outer layers; the rich part you should despoil from this is the brilliant core of sound, vision and self-reference.$LABEL$ 1 +Comedy Central has a habit of putting on great programs at times-Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and then there are those that some people love or hate-Stella, Dr. Katz. Then there are some shows that have their defenders but are just plain awful- Mencia, and now, Sarah Silverman.This show is based on the fact Silverman is self-Centered, which can be funny (Colbert Report) but can be horrible (Mind of Mencia). It should shock no one that I believe the latter is the case. This show is a parody of a sitcom and society, a program so absurd it loses itself in its absurdity and it simply isn't funny. A woman farting has been done in comedy many many times because its not something that's common. We don't need 25 minutes of it. When a criminal is disarmed by a queef, it simply loses its appeal-we saw it in Jay and Silent Bob Strike back, except the women were hotter, and the whole scene was more absurd, making it better. But the best comparison of this show is to Stella, except Stella was more subtle, which is what made the absurdist comedy funny. It had better acting, and I suppose, a bit more of a fantastical realist view.Perhaps the fact some reviews are so negative (I'm very skeptical of the critical acclaim but do not dispute fan reaction) to this show is the amount of advertising on it, very obnoxious ads through many programs far outdo advertising on for other programs. Many people are wondering why Sarah Silverman has a career, and others are still bitter when better shows have been canceled. This show should've never made it past the unaired pilot stage. Back to Norm showed far more promise, yet this show makes it further. And as far as critics being correct, many things have been universally panned have seen their status rise immensely. Last I checked, Britney Spears gets good reviews too also. Take that comparison however you want because someone will no doubt accuse me of being psychotic on IMDb for not liking this show.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who complains about Peter Jackson making movies too long should sit through this CBS "event". There's about 45 minutes of story padded by 2 hours of unnecessary subplots, featuring bland by-the-book TV drama clichés. Bad science is a staple for crappy weather disaster movies, so I'm not going to complain about that. Silly science can be fun to watch if it's executed in an amusing fashion. What kills this movie is it's 10 subplots... all of which could be excised without destroying what is supposed to be the central plot. The one character that is entertaining to watch in Category 6 is Tornado Tommy, despite being a very annoying stereotype.Note that I also didn't bother commenting on special effects. Their quality should come as no surprise.Not recommended.$LABEL$ 0 +This is pretty much a low-budget, made for TV, type of movie intended to capitalize off of the success of the original. I'm a fan of b-movies, and this one might have been good had they not attached the name "Cube" to it, because as is, the director and plot of the original were better, and this movie just about ruined my taste for the entire series. The characters are annoying and clichéd, there are problems with continuity, and several outright production screw-ups. The story hardly gets a chance to develop because of superfluous dialogue and suffers from that. They more or less use the same horror gimmicks over and OVER throughout the movie, and because the first one was so good, this simply turns out as a disappointment.If this was a stand-alone b-movie, I'd probably give it about a four. The "1" rating I give it was pretty much a statement about how it utterly paled in effects and intelligence as compared to the first.$LABEL$ 0 +This show seemed to be kinda good. Kyra Sedgwick is an OK actress and I like police series, but somewhere in the production this program went awfully wrong. First of all, the writers should have more suspects than one, you know who did it EVERY TIME!!!!! That makes it boring. The main character is unbelievably annoying and its not believable in any way. I know they wanted her to be tough, but shes mean, stupid and a bad chief. The crimes are uninteresting and bland, and its just lame all the way. As stated above, I hate it.... All in all, this was a big disappointment and very bad indeed...$LABEL$ 0 +Had the League been unknowns pitching this script, the backers would simply have turned around and said "no - you're not having the money - this is dreadful". As a fan of the League of Gentlemen, this is their poorest outing to date. Not particularly funny, not particularly entertaining, there are few laugh out loud moments. They do exist, but they are few and far between. I felt the format was tired and really dragging. The film refers to the writers being bored of the characters and it shows. As for being a film. I felt the Xmas special had better production value; the FX are generally pretty poor and it is clearly obvious that they didn't film in the original Royston Vasey (they filmed this on the cheap in Ireland). The musical score is weak and the dialogue is terrible. Also, the accents of the characters were largely off from their TV equivalents. Tubs and Edward, much underused (again), just didn't sound like themselves. Disappointing really, because I was hoping for something far more entertaining. This really was the League's equivalent of the 1970s comedies where the cast go to Spain...$LABEL$ 0 +I am a huge fan of the comic book series, but this movie fell way below my expectations. I expected a Heavy Metal 2000 kinda feel to it.....slow moving, bad dialogue, lots o' blood.....but this was worse than anything I could have imagined. The plot line is almost the same as the comic, but the good points pretty much stop there. The characters don't have the energy or spirit that drew my attention in the comic series. The movie only covers a small portion of the comic, and the portion used is more slow and boring than later parts. The focus in the movie is on the insignificant events instead of the more interesting overall plot of the comic book.With the right people working on this project, it could have been amazing. Sadly, it wasn't that way, so now there is yet another terrible movie that few will see and even fewer will love. My copy will surely collect dust for years until I finally throw it out.$LABEL$ 0 +Ride With The Devil directed by Ang Lee(Crouching Tiger) is another gem in this fine directors cap. For those unfamiliar with the history of the Kansas-Missouri border wars during the American Civil War. See this film & you will visit a sad piece of Americana. Besides some superb action scenes (quite bloody at times). This is a story of love & devotion between men & one lady in particular. It stars Toby Maguire, Skeet Ulrich Jeffrey Wright & as the young lady Jewel, I never heard or seen her before, I want to see more of her).The acting is top notch, superb production values, very well written (adapted from a novel) This is a long film 128 minutes, but well worth seeing. my rating is **** respectively submittedJay Harris$LABEL$ 1 +What could've been a great film about the late poker pro (pre-poker craze) Stu "The Kid" Unger turned into a disappointment.You can tell the filmmakers were working on a short-string budget. Everything look filmed on the cheap. Timelines seemed a bit off to me.Casting Michael Imperoli from the Sopranos was also a bad casting choice. He looked too old to play the baby-faced Stu, he looked way too healthy for a coke addict (if you look at footage from the 1997 WSOP main event, the real Stu was so skinny and he practically had no nose from too much cocaine so he wore those sunglasses to hide them), and I kept expecting Adriana to pop up and yell "Chris-tu-phur!!!" Also they skipped over the fact that he had a son from Angie's previous relationship that committed suicide in the late '80s.Every time I saw Vincent Van Patten appear, I kept thinking he was going to announce "Show tunes going off in Stu's head." like he does on the WPT.If you're looking for real Stuey footage, check ESPN Classic because they rerun the 1997 WSOP Main Event every so often. Or try YouTube. Avoid this move like a bad beat.$LABEL$ 0 +Elisha Cuthbert plays Sue a fourteen year old girl who has lost her mother and finds it hard to communicate with her father, until one day in the basement of her apartment she finds a secret magic elevator which takes her to back to the late 18th century were she meets two other children who have lost their father and face poverty...I was clicking through the channels and found this..I read the synopsis and suddenly saw Elisha Cuthbert...I thought okay....and watched the movie.. i didn't realise Elisha had done films before....'The Girl Next Door and 24' Elisha provides a satisfactory performance, the plot is a little cheesy but the film works...Its amazing how this young girl went on to become the Hottest babe in Hollywood!$LABEL$ 1 +I actually had seen the last parts of this movie when I was a child. Thanks to the search feature of plots I was able to find out the name of it. For years I did not know the name, but the movie stuck in my mind. The ending left hope that the main character would get back to Earth eventually. It was a shame it did not make it to a series. This movie reminds me of Journey to The Far Side Of the Sun. Also known as Doppleganger. If you liked this feature the other one is worth a watch. It was done before The Stranger, but shares a similar plot. Yet different. I just picked up The Stranger off of eBay on VHS. Hope they make a DVD, but it is doubtful unless it comes out on Dollar DVD. A few pilots are making it on the budget DVD's and maybe this one will.$LABEL$ 1 +Woman with wig, who "dyes" her hair in the middle of the film (=takes of wig) presumably does not see what the audience can see from miles away:*** begin spoiler alert *** that her hubby is having an affair with her best girlfriend and they both try get rid of her. *** end of spoiler alert ***And what a spoiler that was: the title already gives it away, doesn't it? Bad acting, bad script: waste of time Oh yeah: in the end, she lives happily ever after....If you liked this movie, you'll really love "Cannibal women in the Avocado Jungle of Death"....$LABEL$ 0 +It was 1974 and it starred Martin Sheen.That alone says what to expect of this movie.And it was a movie. According to the movie, Slovik had reformed, got a good woman, and didn't want to fight.In real life, Slovik may have been a naive innocent, or he may have just wanted to manipulate the system.Whoever Slovik was or wasn't is for history to decide, but this was a movie that dealt with dessertion at a time when a country was questioning why it was fighting, and the movie took sides.With no regard to servicemen who were in Viet Nam either in 1974 (as Willie Nelson would say, let's tell the truth, it was about the Viet Nam war, not WWII), EoES was as propagandistic as Gung Ho was in the forties.According to this movie, Slovik stated his position, plain and simple. He had a nervous problem. Heck, I have a clinical nervous condition, and trust me, if I had done military duty, it would have been no problem for me to either just let my nerves go and fail at my tasks and get a demotion or put on KP duty or latrine duty with no problem.If we believe the teleflick, Slovik didn't have that option, no doubt because of his criminal history.Whatever the viewer wants to believe is up to the viewer. I've learned that movies from this decade or that decade, in dealing with service or military duty, will pretty much take the same stance over and over.1940s and 1950s, serve your country.1960s and 1970s, mock your country.This is the history.The whole movie seemed predictably Hollywood to me. He refused to serve and only when he was being strapped up to be executed does he show emotion.Such an emotional outburst could have easily worked to his advantage in his declaration of his nervous condition, but obviously the movie wanted to show him as a human being and only when he is about to die does he become sorrowful.I'm not a Catholic, but I thought the recital of the hail Mary by Ned Beatty and Sheen at the end, with the Lord's prayer, was funny as it sounded like they were trying to see who could say it faster.I don't see how this movie could be watched without realizing it was aimed at Tricky Dick Nixon and the Viet Nam war.I hope it was all worth it for Slovik and anyone who chose to follow his example.$LABEL$ 0 +I guess every time I see one of these old movies from the 80's it puts me back at a simpler time, no matter how corny they may seem today. This movie is a good one. I remember seeing it as a small kid and thinking it was the greatest movie ever. It has all the heroistic characters that a young cowboy wants to be. Now as an adult, I can look back and laugh and still feel sad, but this time I actually know what's going on. I did find one thing weird. How many people can move to Houston and hook up with Sissy,get married,move into a trailer,have a falling out,cheat, have an uncle die,then get back together, all in the course of a month? Only in America.$LABEL$ 1 +Diane Keaton has played a few "heavy" parts in her many years on the big screen but she's mostly known for the "light and fluffy" stuff with Woody Allen, such as Annie Hall. She deserves an Oscar for best actress in a drama for this effort and it doesn't really matter what the competition was the year it was first shown. Try and find a scene in which she doesn't appear. And it was all heavy drama, exhausting in its pace and retakes, action, all at full speed. The make-up made her as young as possible and she fit the 30s age category even in close-ups, but she was playing half her age and at a very fast pace. The movie, overall was fairly well done, staged and shot well with a strong supporting cast but Keaton carried the load.$LABEL$ 1 +The success of SCREAM gave birth to a whole new horror flicks wave. I'm happy with that, as a big fan of horror, and I liked most of those new horror films. BOC is a one big pack of horror. Colorful, fast paced and original. I see this movie more like the opening of a new trilogy (much like Episode 1 and Aliens: Resurrection) since it comes up with a new twist. Instead of focusing on the little boy-killer doll relationship we have here a twisted movie about couples. We have the sweet young lovers in contrast with the killer crazy doll-sized lovers. Very inventive!$LABEL$ 1 +Despite unfortunately thinking itself to be (a) intelligent, (b) important and (c) interesting, fortunately this movie is over mercifully quickly. The script makes little sense, the whole idea of the sado-masochistic relationship between the two main characters is strangely trite, and John Lydon shows us all, in the space of one movie, why he should never have let himself out of music. His performance is one-note and irritating.The only positive thing to be said is that Harvey Keitel manages to deliver a good turn. His later Bad Lieutenant would show just how badly good actors can act, but mercifully his performance here is restrained.$LABEL$ 0 +"Shadrach" was not my favorite type of movie. I found it overly sentimental and the acting was below par. Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell were good but some of the other actors weren't at all believable. I also did not believe that Paul's parents would go away and leave him with the Dabney family, especially when they had a housekeeper living in the home. Their social classes were too far apart to consider this believable. It seemed the Dabney's lifestyle was too exaggerated. There was a scene in the beginning of the movie that showed Andie MacDowell getting out of a car after having sex with someone. Who was it? Her son? What was the scene supposed to show us? Why was the scene even included? It had nothing to do with the rest of the movie and was in fact never alluded to again. It seemed gratuitous and not fitting into the story at all. There were too many inconsistencies in the movie for me. The story concerning Shadrach was nice but I wasn't convinced that the Dabneys would have been as kind and generous as they were portrayed.$LABEL$ 0 +First things first! This isn't an action movie although there is a lot of action in it! I think you can compare it to American sports movies! Where a team of very bad players succeed in the unthinkable,winning a game or tournament beyond expectation! In this case it isn't about football or baseball,but Taekwondo! In the beginning these street thugs seem to be good for nothing! But soon we will find out that they don't want to be thugs and actually achieve something in life! It is nice to see them struggle and training! I was surprised how funny this movie was! From start till the end you will laugh your pants off! The young korean actors are very convincing! Go see this wonderful feel good movie!$LABEL$ 1 +In my review just submitted I referred to the young actress lead as Katerina when it should have been Veronika. I was so involved with character and the action I guess that I wasn't that concerned with names. Anyway, she and the film are brilliant. As I said, the cinematography and the director's use of montage are worthy of Eisenstein and his cameraman, Tisse'. The production design is top notch. The placement of actors in the foreground, middle ground and background within any given mise en scene is worthy of study. Stunning, memorable camera movement, and an ending that has an emotional punch that leaves Hollywood films far behind. Gee! Heroic self sacrifice instead of walking into the rainbow. Thanks again, John Hart$LABEL$ 1 +I went to see this movie today, with hopes that it would involve an at least half-intelligent story. I was extremely disappointed, as it did not. The plot, and the decisions by the main character, were so far-fetched. I was hoping for a "Dog Day Afternoon"-type movie, but instead got something totally unacceptable. I actually found myself totally hoping for the "hero" to be knocked off, and I nearly walked out of the theater on several occasions when this should have happened but didn't. Heist movies are notmeant to be feel-good flicks, and this one tried to be just that. Every couple of minutes during the second half of the movie, I found myself saying, "no way". Without giving the whole story away, it revolved around an armored car guard who was financially down and out, and whose house was going into foreclosure. He was invited in on a heist, and accepted, only to back down once the action began. Weak.$LABEL$ 0 +The only previous Gordon film I had watched was the kiddie adventure THE MAGIC SWORD (1962), though I followed this soon after with EMPIRE OF THE ANTS (1977); he seems to be best remembered, however, for his sci-fi work of the 1950s.Anyway, I happened upon this one in a DVD rental shop: hadn't I noticed Orson Welles' unmistakable figure on the sleeve, I probably wouldn't even have bothered with it – since I know the film under its original title, NECROMANCY! I'd seen a still from it on an old horror tome of my father's: the actor's presence in a film about diabolism seemed like a great idea which couldn't possibly miss, but the end result – particularly in this bastardized edition – is a disaster! I honestly felt sorry for Welles who looks bored and, rather than in his deep and commanding voice, he mutters the inane demonic invocations almost in whispers!! The plot is, basically, yet another retread of ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968): a couple is invited to a remote community under false pretenses and soon discover themselves to be surrounded by diabolists. The girl, played by Pamela Franklin, ostensibly has supernatural powers (passed on from her mother, who appears intermittently throughout to warn her – though, as delivered in an intense manner through clenched teeth, the latter's speeches end up being largely incoherent and the fount of immense hilarity every time she appears!) and is expected to revive Welles' deceased young son from the dead!! For what it's worth, Franklin – a genre regular, right down from her debut performance in THE INNOCENTS (1961) – isn't bad in her role (which requires some nudity and experiences several semi-eerie hallucinations during the course of the film); hubby Michael Ontkean, however, isn't up to the challenge of his John Cassavetes-like character. Some of the other girls look good as well – notably Lee Purcell, whose belated decision to help Franklin in escaping from town eventually proves her undoing.Events come to a head in an incredibly muddled climax, which sees the Satanists ultimately turning on Franklin and have her take the revived boy's place in the coffin (that's gratitude for you!). While the added scenes do stick out (the hilarious opening ceremony and other would-be erotic embellishments), the overall quality of the film would have still been poor without them; then again, this particular version is further sunk by the tacked-on electronic score – which is wholly inappropriate, and cheesy in the extreme!$LABEL$ 0 +This is a very dark movie, somewhat better than the average Asylum film. It was a lot better than I thought it would be, is a combination of a psychological thriller and a horror film. The voice on the telephone is really creepy - this voice without a face, this unknown and threatening voice works really well in the film, since we never see the killer face is left to the imagination of the spectator.The action and suspense never decay and after the first half of the film, it becomes vertiginous; there is not much gore in this film, just enough to serve the story and also the director does a good job at holding your attention. I gave this movie a 8/10 because some clichés.$LABEL$ 1 +Based on the true story about Christopher Boyce (Hutton) and Daulton Lee (Penn), and their involvement in selling American secret Government documents to the Soviets during the 1970s. Boyce works for the Government, and his job is to guard these particular documents, which ultimately disillusions him about his Country's affairs and practices. He then enlists his drug-dealer friend, Daulton Lee, who has become a wanted man, to be the courier for these sensitive documents. Lee infiltrates the Russian Embassy in Mexico, and makes contact with Alex (Suchet), and they both begin to play the espionage game.Lee's interest is purely about money whilst Boyce is acting out of anger towards the system he is involved in. Alex believes Lee to be the inside man in the American government. Things start to become array when Lee's drug addiction and reckless behaviour in handling the courier position offsets both Alex and Boyce. Lee becomes more paranoid, and the initial espionage game becomes more deadly and consequential for everyone involved.This is a true spy thriller without the cheesy action. The character motives and analysis of real-life subjects is sympathetic but very well written, and the film cleverly interweaves the real-life events with underlying political themes about human predatory behaviour. Where a bigger nation uses their political power to control the smaller nations. Well directed, and intense in parts, especially where the protagonists become immensely in over their heads in the spy game. Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn give amazingly riveting performances in a film that questions authority and yet there is no simple answer to the political message or the complexity of that system. The plight of the protagonists becomes the underlying message within 'The Falcon and the Snowman', and makes it a clever political thriller with a poignant element about society, human relationships, and the American system. Great film!****1/2 out of *****!$LABEL$ 1 +Many things become clear when watching this film: 1) the acting is terrible. Tom Hanks and Wendy Crewson are so-so, but the parent-child conflict borders soap opera-ish. The other two boys: an overly pouty child prodigy and your stereotypical I'm-a-babe-but-I'm-really-sensitive-inside blonde dreamboat; 2) the film as a whole is depressing and disappointing; 3) Robbie's dreams and episodes are disturbing (acted by Tom Hanks); 4) the inclusion of the beginning love ballads is an odd choice ("we are all special friends"); 5) the weird lines and side plots are not made any better by the terrible acting; and 5) this is a really bad movie. Expect to be disappointed--and probably disturbed.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought this movie was highly underrated. The subject matter does seem like it would be a little strange, and I was put off at first, but once I was watching the movie, it didn't seem strange at all. I was intrigued with all the different possibilities that the story had to offer, and I couldn't wait to find out how it would end. Once it did end....I thought about it for a long time after. I was pleased with everything about K-Pax, from the acting and the story and the scientific elements and psychological issues, to the ending. It's not an especially upbeat or happy film, though it does make you chuckle from time to time, but I found it to be especially entertaining and thought-provoking. I own it now, and intend to watch it many times.$LABEL$ 1 +I found this early talkie difficult to watch and I'm a Norma Shearer fan! It's not her fault, but the primitive production values of this film would cause any viewer to become bored. 90% of the movie is filmed with "medium shots," and it's very similar to watching a dull play.$LABEL$ 0 +The good thing about this film is that it stands alone - you don't have to have seen the original. Unfortunately this is also it's biggest drawback. It would have been nice to have included a few of the original characters in the new story and seen how their lives had developed. Sinclair as in the original is excellent and provides the films best comic moments as he attempts to deal with awkward and embarrassing situations but the supporting cast is not as strong as in the original movie. Forsyth is to be congratulated on a brave attempt to move the character on and create an original sequel but the film is ultimately flawed and lacks the warmth of the original$LABEL$ 1 +Cutting to the chase: This is one of the most amazing, most intense film I've seen in a long time. The first movie in years that left me absolutely staggered. I could barely feel my way out of the theatre, I was so overwhelmed.I've been staring at the screen for about fifteen minutes trying to find some way to describe the power of this film, and just failing. Highlighting any one aspect of it -- the documentary-style video diary format, the unflinching portrayal of the events, the force of the characters -- just seems to trivialise it all. Some may find it laughable that any killer could be characterised as normal. But then not all killers are raving lunatics foaming at the mouth. Many are quite regular, unassuming people. They're just wired differently.And that's perhaps the most chilling thought of all.$LABEL$ 1 +This is definitely one of the better Mel Brooks movies, along with Spaceballs(although I will openly admit to not having watched many others, at least yet). It's very silly and thoroughly funny, there are hardly more than a few minutes throughout the entire two hour run-time, where you aren't entertained. Almost all of the gags have a great comical effect, few of them fall flat. I saw this movie right after seeing and reviewing Spy Hard, and comparing these two spoof movies, I realize exactly of how high quality this movie really is. It's funny from start to finish, none of the comedy is overdone or boring. The music is marvelous, as is the choreography of both dancing and fighting. The acting is pretty much what you would normally expect from this type of movie... Elwes is a great comedian, and makes a good Robin. The plot is typical Robin Hood, more or less everything from the legend is fit into this movie(and spoofed majorly). If you like Mel Brooks, or you're just a fan of silly humor, or you're just dying to watch a good parody of the legend of Robin Hood, this is definitely the film for you. The HBO First Look special on the film is also worth watching, and in that, you may want to keep watching throughout the credits, too. I'd recommend it to any fan of Mel Brooks movies, and to people who enjoy silly humor. 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Still a sucker for Pyun's esthetic sense, I liked this movie, though the "unfinished" ending was a let-down. As usual, Pyun develops a warped sense of humour and Kathy Long's fights are extremely impressive. Beautifully photographed, this has the feel it was done for the big screen.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a beautiful film. The true tale of bond between father and son. This is by far, Tom Hanks at his finest. Tom Hanks is really out of the box in this movie. He usually has the nice guy roles. Yet in this film,he comes off in this film as a bit gritty, but still emerges smelling like a rose, even until the very last scene, the assassination of his character. The cast of this movie was well put together. I also love the part when there is total silence when Tom Hanks' character shoots and kills all of the men in Mr. Rooney's group. There is something chilling and yet profound about no sound in that scene, just simply emotion. I love the look on John Rooney, Paul Newman's character's face when he realizes even before seeing him, that it is Tom Hanks's character getting revenge, and he knows his fate has come. The first time I saw this movie I was blown away and knew I had to go out and get the video and I since have, adding it to my collection of my all time favorite movies.Tom Hanks is my favorite actor, so this film has a special place in me.$LABEL$ 1 +turned out to be another failed attempt by the laughable sci-fi channel. i am not sure who wrote the script, and interpreted the poem, but i am sure it was by some 17 year old teen who thought it would be awesome to a have a scoped crossbow in the movie. AAAAAAAH! when i saw that part, I lost all hope. Then...they set off for heorot in a what looks to be the ship that Christopher Columbus sailed in! when they reach Heorot, (which is supposed to be a Norse mead hall) the sci-fi group of idiots decided to make heorot look like a big stone castle. when i saw that part.. i wanted to scream. i really wanted this movie to be good, but sci-fi has yet to produce a good movie, so i don't know why i got my hopes up. Oh..and Grendel and his mother, are stupid also. (this comment is off topic about "Grendel")If anyone from the sci-fi channel is reading this..here is some good advice. NOT EVERY MOVIE YOU MAKE HAS TO BE ABOUT A BIG MONSTER THAT CAN RIP PEOPLE IN HALF, THATS NOT WHAT SCIENCE FICTION IS ABOUT! AND ALSO, STOP CASTING LOW-GRADE ACTORS LIKE STEPHEN BALDWIN TO BE IN YOUR FILMS! ITS NOT HELPING THE MOVIE, BUT MAKING IT WORSE!!!$LABEL$ 0 +It's quite simple that those who call this movie anything below "decent" do not know their cinema. "The Doll Master" creates a sense of dread and suspense rarely seen in movies outside of Asia.Think of a mixture of "Manga" and "Ringu" rolled into one and this is what its all about.First rate acting, first rate direction, first rate sets and effects.This is right up there with the best of Asian horror cinema; Ringu, Dark Water and A Tale of Two Sisters.An absolute must. Take it from a guy who knows his movies.$LABEL$ 1 +Interesting story and sympathetic treatment of racial discrimination, Son of the Gods is rather too long and contains some hammy acting, but on the whole remains a fascinating film.Story about a Chinese passing as White (Rchard Barthelmess) starts as Barthelmess leaves college after being insulted by a trio of brainless co-eds. He embarks on a world tour to discover himself and ends up as secretary to a British playwright (Claude King). In Monte Carlo he meets beautiful Alanna Wagner (Constance Bennett) and they fall in love. But when she discovers he is Chinese she goes berserk in a memorable scene.Plagued by guilt and love, Alanna goes into a mental spiral and makes a few attempts to contact Barthelmess. After his father dies he takes over the business (banking?) and dons Chinese garb as a symbol of his hatred of the White race that has spurned him. After a San Francisco detective tells him the truth about his birth, Barthelmess makes the decision to honor his Chinese father and mother.And I agree that one reviewer here never saw this film. Alanna declares her love for Sam BEFORE he tells her of his recent discovery. And that makes all the difference in this film.Barthelmess and Bennett each have a few scenes where they chew the scenery, but on the whole this is a solid and interesting drama. Frank Albertson is good as the nice college pal, Claude King is solid as the playwright Bathurst, Bess Flowers has one scene as an Oklahoma Indian, and E. Alyn Warren is the Chinese father, Dorothy Mathews is nasty Alice. Not so good are Anders Randolf as Bennett's father and Mildred Van Dorn as Eileen. Also note the gorgeous blonde to the right of Barthelmess at the roulette table. What a stunner whoever she was!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is my all time favorite movie! It has great acting, cute guys, and a great plot. Sean Astin is great in this movie! It has funny moments, sad moments, and happy moments. Who could ask for anything more? This movie is GREAT!$LABEL$ 1 +I found this film embarrassing to watch. I felt like it was shoving the storyline down my throat as if I couldn't pick up the subtleties I needed a voice over to spell them all out for me constantly.Having a father who IS still an alcoholic, I didn't really feel it was a film about alcoholism as such. Alcoholics, true alcoholics are very lonely people inside, in my opinion of course. They find it hard to communicate, something that the main character had no problem with really, except he DID have a problem saying I love you at one point- which was a bit of a feeble effort at establishing his cold character. He was constantly surrounded with people too!? I felt cheated that at no point were we really alone with the character to really get a sense of his inner loneliness and turmoil. I couldn't connect with the character and felt no link at all considering my father. I felt nothing at all when it had finished, just relief it was over.Kevin McKidd is an okay actor but not a tough guy feature lead! The clockwork orange thing was as subtle as a brick. McKidd was too old for the teen, they should have got three different characters or avoided the teen stage and concentrated more on the adult McKidd.On a good note, I felt the little boy actor was really good at the start of the film!!$LABEL$ 0 +this took me back to my childhood in the 1950 's so corny but just fab no one ever could play FLASH GORDON like LARRY BUSTER CRABBE, just great. i have two more series to view flash gordon's trip to mars and flash gordon conquers the universe cannot wait$LABEL$ 1 +This film suffers horrendously from its direction "Julian Grant" , and its incompetent lead, Steve Guttenberg, who's putting a solid effort to win a Bruce Willis look-alike contest! The writing is reckless Hollywood action thriller; Sean Bean --whose one of my favorites-- David Fraser, and Kim Coates give a decent performance. The film is definitely below average. 3 out of 10! I wonder what Hollywood studios thought, actually giving the go ahead, to weak director such as Grant. And I'd say to Sean Bean "what were you thinking even considering participating in a film like this, after such great films like GoldenEye, Ronin, and Patriot Games!$LABEL$ 0 +Some people don't like the animation. Personally, I think the animation was quite remarkable given when this movie was done. There are lots of older cartoons that I just love. My problems with this movie are not the animation, but basically the way it was constructed. The characters are all just... well, goofy. And for this movie, they shouldn't be. Apparently, everyone in LOTR has a limping problem (for starters.) Just the way they acted in general annoyed me. My two sisters and I were laughing through most of this movie. I think that if many people had seen this before seeing the newer ones, they wouldn't have gone. I'm glad I rented this and didn't buy it. There are few movies that give me a headache. This was one of them. However, this isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, although it ranks up there. Or down there, depending on your view.$LABEL$ 0 +"Winchester '73" marked the first of a series of westerns involving James Stewart and director Anthony Mann. As in most of them Stewart's hero has an violent edge that threatens to explode at any time. The title refers to a "one in a thousand" rifle that is up for competition at a rifle shoot held in Dodge City on July 4, 1876. Into town comes Lin McAdam (Stewart) and his sidekick High Spade (Millard Mitchell) who are on the trail of Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) for a past dastardly deed. They arrive just in time to see Marshal Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) running saloon girl Lola (Shelley Winters) out of town. It turns out that Dutch Henry is also in town for the rifle shoot. Lin and Dutch Henry shoot it out for the coveted prize with Lin winning but Dutch Henry robs Lin of the gun and escapes. Lin and High Spade trail Dutch Henry across country where they encounter Lola with her cowardly beau Steve Miller (Charles Drake) hold up in a U.S. Cavalry camp awaiting attack by the Indians led by Young Bull (Rock Hudson) who has acquired the prized rifle by murdering wily gun runner John McIntyre. He had got the weapon by cheating Dutch Henry at poker. Young Bull is killed during the attack and the gun passes to Steve. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Lola and Steve meet up with notorious gunman Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duryea) who kills Steve and takes the valued rifle and Lola for himself. When Dean meets up with Dutch Henry, he allows him to take back "his gun" planning to murder him later. In the town of Tuscosa, Lin kills Dean as Dutch Henry's plans of holding up the bank go bad and he escapes into the hills with Lin in pursuit. In one of the best final shoot outs ever, the two meet in the final showdown. I believe that this movie was the only one of the Stewart/Mann collaborations that was shot in B&W. It is beautifully photographed, especially the scenes in the "wide open spaces" and in particular, the final showdown. Stewart playing against type, plays the hero with a violent revenge motive edge, an emotion that he would carry into future films with Mann. As in most Universal westerns, this one boasts a cast of seasoned veterans and contract players of the day. In addition to those mentioned above, J.C. Flippen appears as the cavalry sergeant, Steve Brodie, James Millican, John Doucette and Chuck Roberson as various henchmen, Ray Teal as the sheriff pursuing Duryea, Tony Curtis and James Best as rookie soldiers and Edmund Cobb, Chief Yowlachie and John War Eagle in various roles in the Dodge City sequence. A classic western in every sense of the word. It was responsible for re-generating Stewart's career as an action star.$LABEL$ 1 +This is basically a goofball comedy, with somewhat odd pacing due to some dramatic elements. For Michael J. Fox and Paul Reubens, it was their first film(Fox had previously been in a short lived TV series and a TV movie).Since the movie is basically a race/scavenger hunt type movie, like "Cannonball Run", "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", or more recently "Rat Race", there are no main characters. Instead there are groups of characters, splitting the screen time and allowing for tons of mini-plots. Usually these kind of movies are a way to cram the maximum amount of stars (or semi-stars) onto a film.This one has teams, with one being the primary team which Fox belongs to, who are the only characters to be developed. Their plot is more of a stereotypical Disney affiar, about a college boy not paying attention to his younger brother, who he thinks of as a lazy punk. Since they are forced on a team together, along with the older brother's girlfriend, they are forced to work together. Since this is the main plot it gets the most screen time.Some of the other silly plots stand out. The Blue Team is about an overweight rich kid whose dad just wants him and his misfit friends out of the house. They end up with a cool custom van which had an on-board computer (in 1980!) to instantly solve the riddles, plus play video games with the time saved! One member, Stephen Furst, went on to play Dr. Axelrod on "St. Elsewhere", and later was on "Babylon 5". I'll also admit that I still laugh when Barf, while trying to unscramble a word a'la Scrabble, comes up with, "Fagabefe?" This is much funnier than Bart Simpson's "Qwyjibo", in my opinion.The other three teams have plots that are somewhat linked together. The green team is a bunch of frat boys, with mostly beer jokes which climaxes into a breakdown for one when the hunt leads to the Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery. They get a chance to harass the red team, with two feminists and two fun-loving twins. The white team of nerds are lead by Eddie Deezen, who was previously in "Grease" but went on to play a critical computer geek role in "Wargames" and later Tim Conway's sidekick in some of the "Dorf" series.If you grew up in the 80's, then there are some classic moments in the movie that bring back memories. The early video arcade, from back when they were cool is always a plus in my mind. Look for Paul Reubens and his quarter-shooting guns. There is also a miniature golf course and a roller disco.The movie is actually an okay family movie simply because profanity is almost non-existant, and the small amount of sexual humor is completely innocent. The odd pacing thanks to the yellow team's cheesy dramatic moments will put parents to sleep while their kids can giggle at giant melons at Fat Burger (oh, they actually have a special melon platter? That must be it, right?)$LABEL$ 1 +If you're a fan of Turkish and Middle Eastern music, you're in great luck. This film is a documentary of current music in Istanbul, spanning the traditional to the modern. It's very good. You could not do better if you went to Istanbul yourself. We get interviews with Orhan Gencebay, concert clips of modern musical icons, a road show with a Romani (Gypsy) audience, Turkish Hip Hop (surprisingly very very good), and much much more. Some of the best female vocalists I've ever heard. A Kurdish woman singing in a hamam (steam bath) who will rip your heart out. Lots of social and political background. If this is your thing, you'll have a grand time. I could barely sit still in the theatre.CD soundtrack now available on amazon. Pricey.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know what it is about this movie, the charisma of the two leads, their chemistry on screen, the chance to see Matthau's real-life son (you can't miss him)or Art Carney's performance but I love it. I've seen it a few times and never tire of watching it again. Rent and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +The best way to have fun in this movie is to count how many clichés it is rehashing. Snarling Chinese gangsters. A female vice-president. A ventilator duct that happens to be big enough to fit a big Caucasian male. Shooting through the wall to kill the bad guy. A Situation where you need to snuff out some innocent people to prevent Armageddon. Independence Day scenes where you snuff out some memorable landmarks in a fireball. The vice president in a nice well lighted room surrounded by subordinates, while the Chinese premier virtually alone in a dark room with just bit of dim light shining, snarling as viciously as the slimy gangsters. A lone hero left alone in a ship (building, airplane, whatever) wreaking havoc on clueless bad guys with big automatic weapons. Etc., etc., etc.The second best way is to count how many zeroes you need to put after the decimal to accurately gauge the probability of the film scenario. I counted up to 45. A president agreeing to a meeting on board a private vessel. The impossibly non-overridable command from the nuke box. The part where the Chinese decided to play shoot 'em up. Etc., etc. Man the earth is more likely fall into the sun than for this film to happen. I admit the film was interesting until the point the evil Taiwanese gangsters kidnapped the President. Then the boredom kicked in. Suspension of disbelief ceased, and I started thinking the fun I'd have torturing this film...$LABEL$ 0 +I went to see "Quitting" with high hopes, because the director's "Shower" had impressed me so. Despite a few lapses into mawkishness, "Shower" ranks high on my list of all-time favorite movies for its penetrating insight into family relationships and its generally superb acting and direction. And I've seen it at least three times now.But "Quitting" fell flat, in my estimation. It seemed a pointless exercise and I was quickly so tired of the main character's insufferable personality that I was longing for the movie to end. I admit to falling asleep six or seven times, but it was only for a few seconds at a time, so I think it's still OK to write this comment.I did admire the parents and sister. The device of using all real characters in the film is a nice one I've never seen used before.Disappointment aside, I will still make an effort to see any film bearing Yang Zhang's name, simply on the basis of the beautiful "Shower."$LABEL$ 0 +This isn't the comedic Robin Williams, nor is it the quirky/insane Robin Williams of recent thriller fame. This is a hybrid of the classic drama without over-dramatization, mixed with Robin's new love of the thriller. But this isn't a thriller, per se. This is more a mystery/suspense vehicle through which Williams attempts to locate a sick boy and his keeper.Also starring Sandra Oh and Rory Culkin, this Suspense Drama plays pretty much like a news report, until William's character gets close to achieving his goal.I must say that I was highly entertained, though this movie fails to teach, guide, inspect, or amuse. It felt more like I was watching a guy (Williams), as he was actually performing the actions, from a third person perspective. In other words, it felt real, and I was able to subscribe to the premise of the story.All in all, it's worth a watch, though it's definitely not Friday/Saturday night fare.It rates a 7.7/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one of THE century's best tv-series ever with all the great suspense,story,and a cast of absolutely fantastic actors and love and grief that really gets you involved and captivated in front of your tv. If you have seen it once, you will go back to see it again. I have several times and still do it. The 20 th century's best drama.$LABEL$ 1 +Yes, Kazaam is one of those horribly bad movies that almost reminds one of everything that is wrong with not just kids movies, but with humanity. Here we have Shaq as a rapping genie- yes, a RAPPING genie- where he does everything from making bad puns to dressing in ridiculous outfits, all ending in him in a Christ-like pose with lots of light surrounding him. So, yeah, expect really cheesy bits, including the first wish being a lot of junk food falling down from the sky (and, regrettably, not knocking out the two main characters, particularly the kid). What might not be expected is that a film with a kid and Shaquille O'Neill would be so incredibly schmaltzy! The main plot of the film involves this kid, played in that all-too-typical and annoying-kid fashion by the great-grandson of Frank Capra (where in which the kid is yelling out his dialog angrily), who comes upon a genie who's been trapped in a boom-box. Then "hiarity ensues" as the kid makes the Shaq-genie his quasi-slave as he waits on his last two wishes as he tries to make amends with his shady-gang-type absentee father.This really sappy, contrived son and father story would be bad enough, as there are certain lines that have been uttered in a million other movies (i.e. the "two chances in life" speech from father to son). But it's Shaquille O'Neill who is both the reason to watch the film (ironically), and the obvious sinking crux of it all. His plot line involves him, when not getting the over-talky treatment from Capra, to rap within the dialog and also start off his blossoming recording career. On top of this, he also kicks ass and takes names with the main bad guys who want him back in the boom-box. So is there a camp factor to the movie? Up to a point, but this is even squashed by all of the mushy scenes and 'heart-felt' moments that have really no business with the rest of the material. One might ask if the people making the movie, who were obviously doing it at the behest of the popularity of a BASKETBALL player who wanted to go on the Michael Jordan acting bandwagon, if it would be anywhere near decently entertaining or convincing. I'd hope that they too knew they were just getting paid. But I'd hope even more that they felt at least a little guilty afterwords for feeding the Shaq-machine.So, if you want to have a fun night of Shaq as genie-turned-rapper-turned-wisecracker, all the more fun to you. Hell, it might even be interesting to have a Shaq movie night with this and his other critically acclaimed effort Steel. But if you're hoping to keep a few brain cells, stay away from what is very likely the worst flick of 1996, and a candidate among many others for worst of the 90's.$LABEL$ 0 +The film is very complete in what it is, keeping one continuously interested with the flashbacks to childhood and growing up with such a bizarre father, and interspersing it with the tails of serial murder, one simply cannot go wrong. The very plot in itself, the very story and essence of the film, is entertaining. It is the sort of story that the director (Bill Paxton) could do so much with, and in this case, he really did do a lot with it.From beginning to end you are kept anticipating more and more about what is happening and where the film is going, and the creativity that is behind this story is first class. I felt as if this film was exquisitely done from start to finish, and one of those rare gems that seemed to be without any boring lulls -- the action flowing neatly, quickly, and tightly from one scene to the next. It demonstrates just how far people can go: so as to do such horrible things to their loved ones, and to do such acts of evil, in the name of 'God' when they are disillusioned as in this case. It also is sometimes interesting in its' twists & takes on the concept of morality as a whole.Overall, this is the sort of film that one easily overlooks, but I would recommend you to not do likewise and to check this film out -- it is very much so worth your time.$LABEL$ 1 +I agree with "johnlewis", who said that there is a lot going on between the lines in this film. While I do think the pacing of this film could be improved, I do think that the complexity of the relationships between the characters is fascinating.Examples : Pierre is going to marry his cousin, even though his love for her seems very cousin-y ? Pierre and his stepmother have a rather...curious relationship.Pierre, Lucie, and Thibault seem to have a triangular relationship, and the actual points to the triangle are not quite certain...Lucie's brother is a bit of a eunuch, or is he ? And Isabelle, who is she really ?? Overall, I think it was worth my time. An interesting film, and one that makes me want to read Melville.$LABEL$ 1 +Another of my delves into the bargain bin, this movie gave me exactly what I expected - a load of trashy horror complete with screaming ladies.It all started so well - I liked the little intro with the "newsreel" about the young couple being exposed to a nuclear blast, and was totally absorbed right up until the first person caught fire...From then onwards the film descended into outright silliness, and at times became almost embarrassing to watch. When the heroine turned out to have been afflicted with the same condition as the main character (the ability to light one's own farts without the aid of a match) it seemed almost as if someone had thrown the idea in at the last moment ("that'll be good!" you can almost hear them say...) As for the almost psychic link between the main character and the nuclear power plant, well...The movie came across as cheap tat - if you pay more than £1.50 for it you've been done.$LABEL$ 0 +Can only be described as awful. It is bad to start with and then gets even more bad. When you start you really have to watch it through because it is impossible to believe that it can get worse - but fear not because it does. Another poorly written script for a donkey director for no-talent offspring of past movie stars. It's hard to decide if the script is worse than the acting or whether the directing is worse than both. As for the hero - well he belts up everyone including one scene where he beats the living daylights out of the tough by swinging open the wardrobe door and smashing him against the window with it. And in another scene he gets thrown through a window and crashes 20ft onto concrete - doesn't even blink - then gets up immediately and gets stuck into the baddies. This is a really ridiculous movie. Lucky it only cost me $1 to hire.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought that this film was very enjoyable. I watched this film with my wife BEFORE I had my first child. Therefore, I was not watching it as simply family entertainment and I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It seems as though many of the reviews are pointing out that this movie is not earth shattering, there were no unexpected plot changes and that the movie was predictable and boring. If these people were watching this movie expecting to have a religious experience doing so, then they were obviously going to be disappointed. This is simply an animated movie; nothing more. If you want to see this movie simply to sit back and let yourself be entertained, you will not be disappointed. In closing, this is definitely not the best movie Disney has made, but it IS entertaining and I do not understand the bad reputation it has received.$LABEL$ 1 +Now before people start having a breakdown about this movie (those who play rugby anyway) this is a film! It's been given the Hollywood treatment to entertain people and therefore those who play rugby (myself included) are naturally gonna pick holes in the choreography of the game in the film. Althogether it is a decent film and bring to the attention the morals and ideas behind the game of rugby.The film is based on a real team, a real coach and his work helping guide kids in the right direction to be better people in the future, and also is based on real people who have played for the highland team. Its just a typical sports movie with a character who is misguided and eventually finds his way on the right track again through the rugby medium in this case. Is generally a feel good movie that is enjoyable but has flaws in terms of it's portrayal of the game. however, like i said it is a film under the Hollywood treatment.$LABEL$ 1 +Your mind will not be satisfied by this no—budget doomsday thriller; but, pray, who's will? A youngish couple spends the actual end of the world in the hidden laboratory of some aliens masquerading as Church people.Small _apocalyptically themed outing, END OF THE WORLD has the ingenuity and the lack of both brio and style of the purely '50s similar movies. And it's not only that, but EOTW plays like a hybrid—not only doomsday but convent creeps as well. The villain of the movie is a well—known character actor.This wholly shameless slapdash seems a piece of convent—exploitation, that significantly '70s genre which looks today so amusingly outdated. Anyway, the convent's secret laboratory is some nasty piece of futuristic deco! Christopher Lee is the pride of End of the World; but the End of the World is not at all his pride!$LABEL$ 0 +Engaging entry from Europe about Czech fighter pilots flying for the RAF during WW2. It's always interesting as an American to see a new point of view on familiar events in history. There's nothing terribly original or revolutionary about the style in which this is filmed or the romantic love triangle that anchors the narrative. Still, it is compelling all the way through. There is a good balance between drama, romance, humor, action, and symbolism that is understated beautifully by the director and cast. This is a breath of fresh air after sitting through overblown and boring Hollywood epics like "Pearl Harbor." A solid production all around. This is definitely worth your time if you are a fan of foreign cinema.$LABEL$ 1 +To be honest fellow IMDb reviewers, I enjoyed this show a lot. The reason? Well, it didn't try to be more than it is; I mean, a sitcom with regular expectations, with a well known and repeated plot, funny and talented actors, and clever jokes oriented for a post college audience.This is what Grown Ups is all about: trying to be mature but in a funny way.Jaleel White is funny as always and delivers some witty, and hilarious sex oriented jokes. The humor is very 90's without taking in account the tendencies of the new millennium and that's the main reason in my opinion why the show didn't have success. It got stuck in the 90's.Oh and Mrs. Ribisi was really funny and perky.My favorite show has to be the one that deals with Karma biting the ass! Not a cult classic but I'm sure it's part of regular early 2000's nostalgia.$LABEL$ 1 +I am really surprised that this film only has a rating of 6.4 as of the time I did this review. While not exactly a great film, I do think it's one of the best films Dietrich did and it's a shame it isn't more highly regarded. I think a lot of the reason I liked the film so much is that the usual silly Dietrich persona as the "über-vamp" isn't present and her role required her to actually act. I just hate seeing film after film after film in the early days of her career where she seemed more like a caricature or cliché than a real woman. I don't necessarily blame Dietrich for the silly vampish films she made in the 1930s--audiences loved them and they did make her famous. But here, she showed she really could act. After all, just looking at her in films like MOROCCO, BLONDE VENUS and THE BLUE ANGEL, who would have guessed that she was well-cast to play a Gypsy! I was quite prepared to hate the film because of this casting decision, but it worked--she was pretty believable and a lot of fun to watch as well! The film is, essentially, a vehicle just for Ray Milland and Marlene Dietrich--the other supporting characters are very much secondary to the movie. Milland is a wanted spy in pre-WWII Germany and in his efforts to escape, he stumbles upon a rather frisky lone Gypsy (Dietrich) who instantly takes him to be a fulfillment of prophecy--in other words, her new lover! Milland is quite stuffy but reluctantly agrees to travel in her wagon--even putting on body paint and piercing his ears to make him look like a Gypsy (hence the title to the movie). Over time, he slowly starts to realize that underneath her very uncouth exterior is quite a woman and romance slowly blossoms.The film in a word is "charming". A nice romance with a good dose of comedy and fun--just the sort of picture you wish Hollywood still made. Also, please note the performance of Murvyn Vye as "Zoltan". He was very magnetic in the short time he was on film and I just loved his deep and beautiful voice.Finally, a sad note to consider. While the film is set in Germany, no mention is made of the upcoming Gypsy Holocaust. During the war, throughout German territory, the Nazis exterminated a huge percentage of Gypsies and so the final nice ending to the film is a tad far-fetched.$LABEL$ 1 +The Late Shift is a great book, I read the book several years ago, and I was transfixed at the cutthroat debauchery that went on when Johnny Carson retired and Jay Leno and Johnny Carson tried to grab his spot. When the movie came out, I snagged a VHS copy of the movie, and having reread the book recently, it's hard to say which I enjoy more, because they're quite equal in the amount of information conveyed. The two lead actors, John Michael Higgins, and Daniel Roebuck, two actors I never heard of before, and haven't heard of since, play Leno and Letterman convincingly, despite Letterman's dismissal of his portrayal as being poor. They play the parts quite well, despite a lot of people looking for an imitation of the two. I wasn't as interested in that. The story is what counts. And that brings me to Kathy Bates. Kathy Bates, playing Helen Kushnick, IS this movie. She plays this evil bitch of a character so menacingly you realize how on earth can this woman control herself, much less a national TV show. Yikes! There should be a sequel!!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is a terrible waste of time. Although it is only an hour and a half long it feels somewhere close to 4. I have never seen a movie move so slowly and so without a purpose. This is also a "horror" film that takes place a lot of the time during daylight. My friend and I laughed an insane amount of times when we were probably supposed to be scared.The only thing we want to know is why such a terrible movie was released in so many countries. It cannot be that high in demand. The supermodel Nicole Petty should stick to modeling because although she is beautiful she lost her accent so many times in this movie, half of the time she is British and half the time she is American.$LABEL$ 0 +After an undercover mission in Bucharest to disclose an international gang of weapon dealers, the agent Sonni Griffith (Wesley Snipes) is assigned to protect the Romanian Nadia Kaminski (Silvia Colloca), the widow of an accountant of the Romanian Mafia. However, the CIA safe house is broken in by the criminals, and Sonni realizes that the information was leaked from inside the Agency. Alone, trusting only in his friend Michael Shepard (William Hope), Sonni fights to survive and protect Nadia.The career of Wesley Snipes is downhill. I have just seen this flick, and it is another disappointing movie of this actor, whose career is presently very similar to Steven Segal's one. The movie has many explosions, shots and car chase associated to an awful story and horrible acting. First, the Afro-American Wesley Snipes is chased by the police of Bucharest, but they never find a black American man. I have never been in Romania, but I believe there are not many Afro-Americans in this country. His character does not like to bath, wearing the same clothes along many days. There is no chemistry between Sonni and the sexy Silvia Colloca, but she freely has sex, falls in love for him and shares her fortune with him. The boy that performs Nadia's son is horrible. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "O Detonador" ("The Detonator")$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, so when a friend of mine told me he was supposed to direct MM2 and MM3, I thought, heck, I got to check out Monster Man and see what its like, maybe I can get a part in it, but when I popped it into my DVD player and and tried to choke down the first 45 minutes of nothing but bad, bad I mean horribly annoying bad comedy from that fat ass thinking he's funny, not to mention how looooong the director spent on the pointless desert road trip, I cam to the conclusion that these guys didn't have a clue of what they were doing and missed the boat by a long shot. The story had potential to be somewhat different than the usual BS you see on the Blockbuster/Hollywood Video shelf put out by Lions gate these days, but they surely messed this one up. Why put so much time and effort in shooting annoying bad acting and bad jokes, why not shorten the road trip and put more of the plot in the movie. Myabe the writing was so bad that they had to cut out a lot of the movie or maybe the director didn't shoot enough of the horror and gore, that they had to find filler to make the usual 84 minutes???? All in all, and I'm being easy here, maybe because a friend of mine is the bald redneck in the bar scene that gets his skull crushed when chasing the three leads out into the street, I will give it at least 1 star for trying, and the gore/kill scenes weren't that bad, again, they tried. Too bad, Lions Gate could have created a cool franchise from this idea, but failed. I don't recommend paying to rent it, maybe you can find a cut down version where the movie starts from the hitch hiker scene. CRAP!$LABEL$ 0 +First, a little summary. This reporter named Torch is basically trying to get out the story of a zombie outbreak and finds the military & government censoring him. Nice message, government censorship and all that, but the way they DID the movie was, well let me explain.This movie is beyond description. The idea that somebody holds it in higher regard than anything by George Romero is justification enough for the reviewer to be committed to a mental institution. The script is atrocious on its own, like it was written by a sixth grader.As for special effects, I understand that independent films have low budgets, and some gore effects looked acceptable, but if you want a scene with fire, here's a tip: buy some nonflammable material, have an extinguisher ready, and get a fire going! Don't digitally add it in and make it look like an explosion from a Nintendo 64 game. The acting, well let's put it this way. In my summer theater program, a cold reading of the script is, compared to this, The Godfather. I won't even go into the inconsistencies. Find them yourself.What disturbed me the most, though, was when everything was finished after shooting and editing, somebody might have said, "Okay, this looks good. Let's release it." It sends a chill down my spine to even think about it, to think somebody felt that this was good enough for DVD release. This isn't DVD quality. This isn't Sci-Fi channel quality. Hell, this isn't even film school quality. If you were to submit this in for a project at a film school, you would get an F. No, not even an F, more like an F-. I wouldn't be surprised if he would try to get you expelled.I felt used after I saw this thing. Blockbuster and the makers of this movie have my money right now, and I'd prefer not to think of what they're doing with it. I have been the pawn of some elaborate, nefarious scheme at legalized theft, and it doesn't feel good to think that I walked right into it, looking at the back cover with pleasant memories of 28 Days Later only to find a film Ed Wood would watch and say afterwards, "I didn't much care for this." This film is the single most terrible movie I have seen. I have not seen anything by Ed Wood, but I have confidence this is worse. If you are looking for serious cinema, so much as being within ten feet of it will probably give you a bad headache. If not, I still recommend that you personally write the director and ask how he sleeps at night. However, if you are the kind of person who get a laugh out of really bad stuff then I recommend you check this out. You won't be disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +Saw this last night and being a fan of the first Demons, I had hoped that the sequel would have the same fun, spooky spirit of it's predecessor. This is unfortunately not the case. The set-up is similar as the first, in which a horde of flesh-eating demons burst forth into reality by being released from a horror movie being played... (The first had been a movie theater, this one takes place in an apartment building and on TV.) Once the demons are released, madness and mass carnage ensues. That's pretty much it as far as plot development goes. It worked nicely in the first part because of the ghoulish make-up FX, fast pace and unpredictability. The sequel, however, doesn't cut it. The first problem seems to be that there are way too many characters who we don't really care about one way or another. If they were annoying or idiots, then there would at least be some kind of gratification when they are inevitably butchered/demonized/eaten alive...but these people are just kind of there waiting to be slaughtered. Plus, the fact that most of the characters are in different parts of the apartment building (and out of it), they are constantly cutting back and forth between them, which kept pulling me out of the story. There are some amusing bits, courtesy of the splatter FX and campiness. Such as a constant flow of dripping blood eating through one floor's construction after another as if it were alien acid... The first demon possession of a crabby birthday girl leads to the destruction of her entire party, and a creepy demon child clawing his way into the room of a tenant who is pregnant with child. However, that sequence parlays into a ridiculous-looking rubber demon baby puppet thing that bursts from the chest of the human child that constantly flies across the room at its intended victim. I got a couple of chuckles out of that scene, but I don't think that was Bava's intention. The scene probably would've worked better if they just kept the child demon around to attack the woman, but hey... Other little things like the over-zealous acting of most of the characters and the bad dubbing don't help matters. In summation, I managed to see the unrated version on DVD, and can't imagine having to sit all the way through the previously only available R rated version, because the make-up FX and gore were the only thing I got out of it. Also notable is an early role of producer Argento's future hottie daughter, Asia. In fact, she probably gives the best performance of the whole cast and she's barely on screen. Argento/Bava fan's might want to check it out just to see it, but will probably find themselves looking at their watch, like I did. Gore fans might get a kick out of some of the fx, but will be laughing themselves out of their chairs at the most goofy-looking evil baby puppet since Little Selwyn from Dead/Alive. You could do worse, but it certainly doesn't live up to the original.$LABEL$ 0 +Having seen the movie years ago and been disappointed by its squandered potential, when I heard that it was becoming a TV series, I flatly refused to watch it. My best friend became a rabid fan immediately, and knowing my love for horror movies, could not believe that I wouldn't watch a single episode. I told him that the movie had scarred me for life as far as anything BUFFY was concerned, and he told me to forget that the movie even existed. He insisted that I give two episodes a shot: "Once More With Feeling" and this one.Both of them are why I am a BUFFY fan today. He was right - I was hooked immediately. I have never seen a show with the guts to dare try an episode that has next to no dialogue, and nothing else could've pulled it off with the panache and the pure creativity of BUFFY. I think X FILES might've gotten away with it if they'd thought of it first, but I'm glad that BUFFY did it instead. It is a credit to everyone involved that you are riveted for the entire hour, sometimes hanging onto the edge of your seat. And when it was all over, I craved to know more about every character. So I went out and bought the Season One boxed set. And the rest is history...I guarantee you that if you've never seen it, either, you'll want to see more if you make this episode your first. The only reason I'm not giving it 10 out of 10 is because I'm reserving that score for "Once More..."$LABEL$ 1 +This is just a case of a previously worthless island changed into something worthwhile. Jesus Christ people lets throw a big fit over 2000 islanders big deal.This is just a case of a previously worthless island changed into something worthwhile. Jesus Christ people lets throw a big fit over 2000 islanders big deal.This is just a case of a previously worthless island changed into something worthwhile. Jesus Christ people lets throw a big fit over 2000 islanders big deal.This is just a case of a previously worthless island changed into something worthwhile. Jesus Christ people lets throw a big fit over 2000 islanders big deal.$LABEL$ 0 +Otto Preminger, completing a noir cycle at Twentieth Century Fox, reunited his "Laura" leads for this stark, gritty detective drama. Dana Andrews again portrays a cop, but this time he's hardened, cynical and has been accused of police brutality by his superior - "You don't hate hoods, you liked to beat them up!". Mark Dixon (Andrews) despises criminals, as his own father was a crook. He doesn't want to be "Sandy Dixon's kid" so he became a policeman, but his methods are harsh and hated.One night, investigating a murder, he unknowingly punches a suspect, Ken Paine (Craig Stevens) so hard that it kills him. A shaken Dixon does his best to cover it up, intending to frame a hated thug, Scalise (Gary Merrill) for the crime. However, the blame falls on Paine's father-in-law, Jiggs Taylor (Tom Tully), whose daughter, department store model Morgan Taylor (Tierney) is estranged from her husband but keeps getting drawn into his gambling schemes. Paine had slapped his wife, enraging her father, who did show up at his son-in-law's apartment, but not until Dixon had departed with the body. With no better suspects, Jiggs is arrested and charged.Riddled with guilt, Mark falls for Morgan and offers money for an attorney. He decides to take on Scalise anyway but leaves a letter to be given to the department in the event of his death, confessing everything. In the end, he cannot live with the knowledge with what he has done, and he permits the letter to be read by his superior and by Morgan. Despite all the tragic circumstances, Morgan professes her love for Mark and will wait for him.It was great to find this film on DVD, after so many years of televised obscurity. Eddie Mueller, a film noir historian, provides the commentary and does a good job, but I find his assertion that audiences wouldn't have caught the significance of the casting of the two leads, since "Laura" had been made six years earlier. In that respect, he is mistaken because they had appeared in "The Iron Curtain" two years prior to WTSE and the film was a box-office success.Andrews and Tierney were fabulous together, and Ruth Donnelly is tremendous comic relief as restaurant owner Martha, fanning the flames between the detective and the dame.The night cityscapes give the film an air of menace. Gary Merrill is great as the low-life Scalise, who had a criminal past with Dixon's dad ("Your father liked me," he taunts Mark). Karl Malden and a young Neville Brand are terrific also. And Tom Tully is just touching and funny as Morgan's unjustly accused pop.A watchable film noir with a fantastic cast.$LABEL$ 1 +I just got done watching "Kalifornia" on Showtime for the fourth time since I first saw it back in July of 2001. You would think that with the recent wave of serial killer films, that "Kalifornia" would be amongst some of the earlier films worthy of mention but hasn't. Perhaps if this film had been released sometime between like 1996-1999, maybe it might have been more successful. In my opinion, "Kalifornia" is much different from most serial killer films released during the late 1990s. It has an almost completely different atmosphere from most of today's serial killer films like "Seven" or "The Bone Collector". Many serial killer films have shown a killer but that person is always behind a mask or we never see enough of them to actually learn anything about them. "Kalifornia" is a film that actually tries to break through that barrier and actually understand the criminal mind. It tries to answer questions like "why do they do the things they do? Is it because of something that happened in their past? Does it make them feel superior or powerful? Or do they do it because they like the thrill of the kill?" These are some of the things that "Kalifornia" tries to answer but also leaves room for us to try and figure things out for ourselves. Brad Pitt makes an everlasting impression as Early Grayce. When we first meet Early in the beginning of the film, we see that he is obviously one disturbed individual. When we first see him, it's late at night. Early is possibly drunk. We then see him pick up a rock, throw it off a bridge, and it later lands on the windshield of a passing car. Pitt is fierce in this film. It is always good to see him when he plays psychos or really bad people. It's funny that this would later lead him play a true loon like in "12 Monkeys" and that he would be on the other end of the spectrum in David Fincher's "Seven".$LABEL$ 1 +I thought this movie was good, I loved the plot, I loved the shoot out scenes, except for a few, they were not needed and i also enjoyed Ma's character, she was a rider I liked that. I do have to say that in this gangster movie the actors were picked well because sometimes some actors just don't fit the role. However though i hate to say it, but I hated the ending, I felt as if it should have went in a different direction. Also it would have been better with a little more details, its based on a true story but there was so much of the facts left out but other than that it was good. If you enjoy movies on the past gangsters you'll enjoy this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Just saw the movie this past weekend, I am upset, and disappointed with it. Basically, the movie tells you that immigrants, the ones from former Soviet Union especially, come to this country, bring everyone they can with them from the old country, and invade and take over what Americans have been working for. Which is a very wrong way of looking at immigration, and a much worse way of telling people about it. That's the main thing. Another thing, the overall writing, directing and filming is on the level of village amateurs. The actors did pretty well, but it wasn't up to them save this bunch of crap. A few jokes were funny, but most were bad and cheesy. Couldn't wait to get out of the theater, want my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who EVER. We have the Cybermen, The Cyber conversion units (May scare young children) and of coarse the Doctor doing one of his best acts. Bravo David Tennant. Good scenes as if it was a movie, with thrilling scenes in some streets, an invasion on the Cyberman's base, and leaving the world different to ours, basically a 45 minute movie.Being Part 2 of Rise of the Cybermen, this would never disappoint. With it having a great build up to the final.The Doctor plus an evil enemy (Daleks, Cybermen, Master, Sontarans, Davros, Autons, or even Macra) is a battle to the death, just be careful with young children watching this.$LABEL$ 1 +No Strings Attached is one of Carlos Mencia's best performances to date. Mencia is known for poking and making fun of racial issues. However, he does more than that in this stand-up performance, which took place in San Francisco. In general, Mencia's material does not only make you laugh but it also makes you think about what is really wrong with society today.In this hour long performance, Mencia talks about such things as illegal immigration, what women really mean when they ask for equality in the workplace, terrorism, his opinion of Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ and an argument that he got into with a woman regarding whether or not he is affected by Jesus, and how society should treat those that are physically or mentally handicapped. Mencia even discusses whether or one should have the right to speak out and tell a joke.Carlos Mencia is not afraid to offend, which at many times gets him trouble with his critics. For example, he does go somewhat far (and he admits it) with a joke regarding Pope John Paul II and what he is most likely doing in heaven right now. Mencia's main message in all of his performances is that we all have have a voice and that we should use that voice to speak what we feel and not be afraid to offend. He reminds us that we have a right to free speech and that we must use this right as Americans.If you enjoy this performance, I definitely recommend watching Mind of Mencia, his show on Comedy Central.$LABEL$ 1 +Let's face it, lot's of bad movies are made all the time. For those people who work in film, you have probably poured a lot of time and effort into many of these plot less wonders. Sometimes, and this is my opinion, it is the act of merely making the movie that is important to us. To tell a story, (no matter how simple and unrealistic). Also, the collaborative process is one key characteristic that is unique to film and theater. To put on a production of any caliber, requires the talents of a varying amount of people, depending on its scale, to bring its story to life. The most intriguing part of American Movie, however, is not the movie being filmed. It is the movie maker himself, as a character of his own life, which demands our attention. None of them serve as models of the filmmakers we know and have worked with. But, I will argue, they are archetypes of small parts of us which try to be a part of this cult activity of independent film-making. (Alright a very small part of us) These are the people who live under the rocks of their own lives and just so happen to be snared by the romance of cinema. This leads me to my next argument. American Movie captures the raw spirit of independent film-making. Bad stories told on (nowadays) digital film with sloppy effects and horrible performances- because this IS the best they can do with a budget of a couple thousand dollars rather than a studio budget of several million dollars a day. That is the difference between low low LOW end productions and studio productions. The independent filmmaker just wants to create a linear or even a nonlinear story to shoot as well as he can with the money he's investing in himself and the resources around him in order to see a finished product on his rundown TV. Rugged Individualism materializes in every art form. I find this film to be a brilliant document of truth for many filmmakers. And no, I'm not full of myself. Man, these people are hilarious. Their problems seem hilarious, their characteristics are hilarious. Best line of the movie: "It's alright!. . . It's okay!. . . There's something to live for!. . . Jesus told me so!!!" Said a million times by a funny old man. Hat's off to Tom Beach. Chicago Rules.$LABEL$ 1 +the movie is complete disaster. i don't know who write scripts for movies like this one, but i would definitely love to meet one of them and talk to him a little bit. perhaps script writers really don't know sh*t about situation in foreign countries in present or recent past? or they just don't give a damn and write everything that they think it's interesting.a great and everlasting formula with mad dictator + 1 lonely hero (an American of course) might seem like a good idea, but come on?! we had such a tyrant in serbia (milosevic) who did a lot of bad things to it's people, but i simply can't imagine him yelling "shoot them, shoot them" with such a barbaric passion, like in medieval times. maybe they wanted to show how evil he was, but it was a stupid idea. much better impression would be if he just did it in cold blood, like the real monsters do.the list of nonsense is too long, but the funniest thing is: no matter how many national TV stations there are in Russia, Russian president watch American SNN (CNN) news?? OMFG!give me a break!burn this piece of rubish please!AWFUL!$LABEL$ 0 +I'm afraid that you'll find that the huge majority of people who rate this movie as a 10 are highly Christian. I am not. If you are looking for a Christian movie, I recommend this film. If you are looking for a good general movie, I'm afraid you'll need to go elsewhere.I was annoyed by the characters, and their illogical behaviour. The premise of the movie is that the teaching of morality without teaching that it was Jesus who is the basis of morality is itself wrong. One scene shows the main character telling a boy that it is wrong to steal, and then the character goes on to say that it was Jesus who taught us this. I find that offensive: are we to believe that "thou shalt not steal" came from Jesus? I suppose he wrote the Ten Commandments? And stealing was acceptable before that? I rented the movie from Netflix. I should have realized the nature of the movie from the comments. Oh well.$LABEL$ 0 +This was a crappy movie, with a whole lotta non-sense and too many loose-ends to count. I only watched this movie because one of my favorite actors (Ron Livingston) made a cameo in it, and I continued watching it because as a girl, I love any movie that includes male nudity for a change. Later, I found myself wondering just how much more ridiculous the storyline could get, and each time it got...more... ridiculous.Sean Crawley (good-looking Chris L. McKenna, whom I've never seen before - but LOVED his little nude scene)is making ends meet as a painter, when he meets electrician Duke Wayne (George Wendt from "Cheers"). Thinking he's getting more work from Duke, Sean agrees to meet contractor Ray Matthews (Daniel Baldwin, playing a stereotypically evil guy). Ray is being investigated by a City Hall accountant (Ron Livingston in a cameo, who I've been in love with from "Office Space" up to "Sex & the City"). Ray end up offering the apparently desperate-for- cash Sean $13k to kill the accountant, and Sean accepts the job. Sean stalks out the accountant, whose wife (Kari Wuhrer) he finds himself attracted to, completes the hit, and leaves - taking the file of information against Ray with him. Sean quickly learns he was being used, that Ray never intended to pay him, and Sean uses the file as leverage to get his money.Up to this point, it's a descent flick...generally worth watching. But as soon as Ray, Duke and their crew kidnap Sean to muscle the information about the file out of him, it just got dumber and dumber (and still DUMBER...), until finally it seemed like the film's writer, Charlie Higson, had snapped out of a 10-day writing hangover and realized he needed to desperately figure out how to wrap up the series of implausible messes he created before a deadline or something. Without simply detailing the movie, let's just say that in every-single-scene you watch after the kidnapping, you find yourself gasping "what the f**K!," baffled by the ongoing nonsense as Sean follows a fairly graphic and gross path towards redemption. In the end, so many loose-ends are left in the movie, that you begin to regret that you even watched it.This is a movie that you should only watch after it hits cable, and you should have enough beer and friends around to mock the film to it's full value. It's supposed to be a psychological thriller, and McKenna is a decent actor, but it's hard to give yourself to the movie when you have "Norm" from "Cheers" and a Baldwin brother doing the dirty work, and a kidnapping strategy that really makes no damned sense. Guys will love the violence, blood and guts scenes, and the absolutely unnecessary sex scenes and boob shots. Girls will enjoy handsome Sean's gratuitous crotch shot in a mainstream movie, when its almost always the girls that get stripped down in a movie. Personally, I hate that the only actor worth watching for more than his looks (Ron Livingston) is only in the first one-third of the movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Las Vegas is very funny and focuses on the substance.....The sets are amazing and the scenes outside are breathtaking; the characters are all very fun and cool.The women are a plus....Holly Sims is lovable as the daughter of James Caan who heads the security of the casino. While Josh Duhamel is very funny and lets face it, he looks like he can take down anyone.Vanessa Marcil and Nikki Cox add that special touch.The story lines are very fun and weird at times.You can easily just relax into this show and doesn't bring the heavy story lines like the other shows that rule the ratings...$LABEL$ 1 +"Black Vengeance" is an alternate title for "Ying hung ho hon" AKA "Tragic Hero" (1987). I have just seen this on VHS, together with the first part of the story, "Gong woo ching" ("Rich and Famous"), also 1987. (The poster and 2 stills featured on the page are for a 4-DVD set of movies starring Rod Perry (The Black Gestapo), Fred Williamson (Black Cobra 2), Richard Lawson (Black Fist). The fourth movie is called "The Black Six"). Strangely, while the characters retain their original names in "Rich and Famous", in "Black Vengeance" Chow Yun-Fat's character is named Eddie Shaw, Alex Man (Man Tze Leung) is Harry, and Andy Lau is called Johnny. Also confusing is the fact that 1994 is given as the copyright dates on both films. Perhaps that was the year they were American-dubbed. According to the release dates given on IMDb "Tragic Hero" was released before "Rich and Famous". Was there any reason for releasing the sequel first? Despite some users' comments, I enjoyed these films, although they aren't among CYF's best such as "The Killer" and "Hard-Boiled" which are truly astonishing. However,if one day I come across a 2-DVD set of "Rich and Famous" and "Tragic Hero" I won't hesitate to buy it. Hopefully, these comments about "Black Vengeance" clear up, which was also for me, a mystery as to where it belonged in Chow Yun-Fat's filmography.$LABEL$ 0 +Abysmal Indonesian action film from legendary Arizal triumphantly sculpts a template for future Cinemax pap like 'China O'Brien' and 'Do or Die' with Erik Estrada while simultaneously burying poor rising action star Pat O'Brien with a hackneyed backyard script and three cans of hair-styling gel to perm his impressive 1984 mullet. This guy's physical prowess resembles a more femme Mark Gregory and his next credit would be second fiddle to Chris Mitchum as "Tom Selick." Powerful. At least the action is mindless and non-stop with some daring Asian stuntmen risking their lives for what is essentially a poorly constructed movie by teens and/or meth addicts with no concept of reality. One poor extra gets gorno-ly shredded by an electric hedge clipper and many more are killed by getting hit in the head by odd objects such as a motorcycle wheel or cardboard box. Classic rape scenes are tasteless and priceless and quotable dialog such as, "I would rather trust a rattlesnake!" are delivered with such exuberance and fervor from the third-rate polizioteschi voice actors. Random highlight: some crazy dude eating live lizards. Movie also holds the record for most cars driven through walls. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +I throughly enjoyed this short, even as a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Director Sheldon Cohen and Narrator Roch Carrier captured all of the boy's emotions perfectly. From the feelings he had for his hero, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, to the excitement, anticipation and hope of getting a new Montreal Canadiens sweater soon, to the look of horror on his face when he got his sweater from his mother; A Toronto Maple Leafs sweater was priceless and the shame of having to wear this dreadful (in his eyes) blue and white Toronto Maple Leafs sweater; Not the rouge, bleu and blanc of the Montreal Canadiens with Richard's number nine, like his old sweater. And worst of all, his Mum made him wear this Maple Leafs sweater out of the house. You could envision and anticipate the ridicule he would get from his friends when he hit the ice wearing that sweater before he got there.I was laughing the whole time and this is one of the best animated shorts I've seen.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has it all. Great actors, good dialog, drama, comedy, and excellent writing and directing by Paul Thomas Anderson. I have seen this film several times and enjoy it more each time. It doesn't get old, it is consistently entertaining and stimulating. Easily Burt Reynolds best role, and he does a great job. John C. Reilly and Don Cheadle also give excellent comedic performances. There is not a weak element in this film.$LABEL$ 1 +While the original First Blood had its far-fetched moments, it was at least exciting in parts. In Rambo: First Blood, Part II the emphasis is shifted very much onto comic-book action. Plausibility is totally rejected; logic nose-dives; Stallone becomes so impregnable that there can be no doubt he will succeed in his mission. Just like any other wish-fulfilment actioner of that time (e.g. Invasion USA, Commando, Red Scorpion), Rambo: First Blood, Part II cancels out its own opportunities for real excitement by presenting a hero too invulnerable to fear for. If you can tell from the word go that Rambo is going to wipe out hundreds of enemy soldiers, what is left to get excited about?Imprisoned after the events of the first movie, John J Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is offered a pardon if he will join a covert operation in the Far East. The year is 1985, and a mission is being arranged to find out if there are any American PoWs still trapped in the jungles of Vietnam. Rambo is encouraged to take the job by his old mentor Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), but the assignment is actually the brainchild of a government outfit fronted by Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier). Rambo's job is merely to head for a prison camp in the jungle and check out if it contains any American PoWs – if it doesn't, he is to rendezvous with a chopper; if it does, he is to get photographic evidence of their existence so that they can be rescued at a later date. Aiding him in his quest is a lady soldier with local knowledge, the beautiful and resourceful Co Bao (Julia Nickson). Sure enough, Rambo discovers that there are PoWs in the camp, but he exceeds his orders by rescuing one of them… when he reaches the rendezvous point, the rescue chopper abandons him on the orders of Murdock who, it seems, doesn't really want to find any PoWs because of the political and military implications. Rambo is captured by the enemy and tortured, but following an explosive escape he sets out to free the PoWs and get his revenge on the treacherous Murdock.The few good points of the film come from Jack Cardiff's polished photography, Jerry Goldsmith's exhilarating score, and the sheer professionalism of the stunt team in performing various action antics. Beyond these scant pickings, the film is a failure. The actors are reduced to macho posturing, the plot rings false, the action sequences are soulless and suspenseless, the dialogue is absurd… even the violence becomes numbingly predictable. At the time of its release America was under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, a man with simplistic and near-hysterical anti-communist sentiments. For this reason, contemporary audiences lapped up this Commie-bashing shooting-fest as if it was the greatest movie of all-time, transforming it into an undeserved box office success. Thankfully times have changed – nowadays we can look upon it as a simple-minded action flick with a ludicrously high body count, ludicrously dumb politics, and a ludicrous hero.$LABEL$ 0 +In Cold Mountain, North Colorado, near to the period of the American Civil War, the Reverend Monroe (Donald Sutherland) arrives in the small town with his daughter, the shy Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), due to health reasons. Ada meets the also shy Inman (Jude Law), and they fall in love with each other. With the beginning of the war, Inman becomes a soldier, and his great support to stay alive is the wish to see Ada in Cold Mountain again. Meanwhile, Ada meets Ruby Thewes (Renée Zellweger), a survivor of the war, who helps her in the farm and becomes her best friend. The story alternates present and past situations, disclosing a beautiful romance. I liked this film a lot. Having names such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Giovanni Ribisi in the supporting cast, a magnificent direction of Anthony Minghella and seven indications to the Oscar, this movie does not disappoint. My remark is that there are some very important scenes deleted in the story and presented in the DVD. At least one of them, which show what happens with Sara, her baby and the three dead bodies in her farm, should not be deleted as it was. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): 'Cold Mountain'$LABEL$ 1 +I just came back from a pre-release viewing of this excellent sci-fi film noire. It's style is definitively unique and very well made. It is filmed with actual actors, but transformed into a black and white comic-strip style you have never seen before. It goes one step further than Sin City, and it does it well. It's a successful combination of french comic and movie cultures. The story and mood remind of Blade Runner, and if you liked that one you will surely like this one, too. The storyline is intelligent, never boring and has some nice little twists. This film is a must-see for any cinephile except perhaps those who absolutely don't like sci-fi or b&w.$LABEL$ 1 +A horror movie is being shot and things aren't going well. It's about a masked killer. The director tells off the killer in front of the cast and crew. He goes crazy and kills two people. He's killed himself and the film is never finished. Twelve years later a bunch of film students decide to try and finish it--but there's a curse. People who try and finish it are killed themselves. The students ignore that. Guess what happens next?The plot is old hat but this isn't bad...for what it is (a low budget slasher film). It's well-made with a young and fairly talented young cast. No one is great but no one is terrible either. It also avoids the obligatory (and needless) female nude scenes. It moves quickly, the gore is nice and bloody and the script doesn't insult your intelligence. Also Molly Ringwald is in this having the time of her life playing a bitchy faded actress.No great shakes but not bad at all. I give it a 7.$LABEL$ 1 +My guide for the quality of the a movie is if I'm still thinking about it after leaving the theater. I'm still thinking about this one the next day, which doesn't happen often.The scenery (a reasonable guess for 16th century Italy), costumes, lighting, cinematography are all excellent. It is a beautiful film visually.Characters can never rise above the script they must recite, but these actors made the most of their material, which is excellent. This is one of Shakespeare's best plays, which people will still enjoy another 400 years down the road. All of the principals were interesting and enjoyable.Those who say this is anti-semitic must be deaf and blind. If anything, it is anti-Venitian-16th-century-Catholic. While Shylock plays a man controlled and tortured by the hurts he has suffered, it is clear that the society in which he lives is largely to blame. The script clearly places his personal responsibility where it belongs, as well.A great film.$LABEL$ 1 +There are moments in the film that are so dreadful, your teeth ache. But knowing that there were only weeks left before the Code made movies innocuous and bland, Paramount rushed this into production before innuendo and leering went out of style. Vanities is so horrifically anti-female that it's delicious. As Kitty Carlisle sings, women are displayed with price tags that would insult a Bronx hooker. They emerge from clams (nudge,nudge;wink,wink) in postures of absolute submission. Minions of the law, so stupid they cannot find the door, get to look up their skirts and snicker. Bare-breasted chorus girls sit uncomfortably in giant cacti (Could they be a source of hallucinogens, perhaps?) while we listen to "Sweet Marijuana" and watch as blood falls on a chorines's breast.Sure, Carl Brisson learned his lines phonetically and doesn't seem to have a clue what he is saying. But it's all worth it as Norma steals the show while no one is looking.Taking one moment of this fragile fluff seriously is missing the point of the whole exercise. Watch this with a charter member of NOW and prepare to justify the whole Hollywood machismo sch tick between body blows.Toby Wing, by the way, is the icing on the cake. And Duke Ellington doesn't hurt either.A must stroll down Memory Lane.$LABEL$ 1 +I should have known I was in trouble with Casper Van Diem as the lead character. Words cannot describe, nor do they do justice to just how terrible this movie was. But please allow me to try to describe it: Horrible acting, terrible dialog, corny situations and through it all you get the feeling that you are being force-fed the beliefs and propeganda from the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Its a weak attempt at trying to show Hollywood that a movie can be entertaining and have a deep, religious message attached to it. They failed miserably. It was clearly the worst movie I have seen in a long time.$LABEL$ 0 +Unfortunately for myself - I stumbled onto this show late in it's lifetime. I only caught a few episodes (about three) before it was cancelled by ABC. I loved the characters, and storyline - but most of all the GREAT actors! I was a fan of Sex and the City, so I saw two characters I recognized (Bridget Moynahan was & The Character "Todd" was "Smith Jared"), as well as Jay Hernandez (From Carlito's Way: Rise To Power) and Erika Christensen (Swimfan). I enjoy watching young actors get their due, and felt like this show would propel their career further along. I hope this at least gets put back out on DVD, and maybe WB will pick it up for a second season sometime? In the meantime, I'm viewing it on ABC's website from the beginning.$LABEL$ 1 +i really like this series. its funny and unique style of off the wall, sometimes controversial comedy, is a fresh take on the genre. whilst it is a sitcom, it stands out due to the what could be awkward subjects.every aspect has a comedy turn, and the show really is very good. my favourite part of the program is the rather odd comments of the father, dave. his rants break the program up, and allow a really good flow. not perfect, because sometimes the comedy isn't laugh out loud funny, and the actors sometimes seem to be waiting for an audience response, but otherwise this program is good.i strongly recommend this program, and am very sad that it has been cancelled. please make another series, and finish it properly$LABEL$ 1 +To begin with, I really love Lucy. Her TV show still makes me laugh. She was one of the greatest comedians who ever lived, right up there with Chaplin and Keaton. But, her performance in this movie is disappointing. She was too old, and the gauze filters on the lens make her look like a London fog refugee. She couldn't sing, and her voice was so froggy that she croaked through every song. Her dancing days were long in the past. Just because you are a Lucy fan, don't gloss over this mistaken, sad performance and sing it's praises. I prefer to remember Lucy in her wonderful TV series(I Love Lucy) and to draw the curtain of charity over the terrible mess of a movie called "Mame".$LABEL$ 0 +As a lover of the surreal (in art and film) I was pleased to discover this film on IFC. It is definitely a keeper. Most of the other reviews tell the general plot (not all correct) so I won't bother to bore anyone with that. The main thing is the alternate worlds concept which is brought on by Ana's impending illness, and the way she manages to link with someone else after being so "alone", and finally with her family, which I believe is still at least a little troubled. It only can be called a horror movie in that it has frightening scenes but is a fantasy (with a little hint of "coming of age" only because Ana is a pre-teen who "hates boys"). I heartily recommend it to those who appreciate the stretch of their imagination.$LABEL$ 1 +This small John Ford western with no 'stars' but a cast of character actors is one of his masterpieces. It has a documentary-like feel to it as it traces the journey West of a party of Mormons and it may be the most authentic looking of all Ford's films, (it's on par with "The Sun Shines Bright" which he made a couple of years later).There is a plot of sorts, (a group of bank robbers join the wagon train at one point), but the film's dramatic highlights are almost incidental. The splendid performances of Ford's stock company, (Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr, Ward Bond, Jane Darwell etc), adds considerably to the film's authenticity while the nearest the film gets to a full-bodied star performance is Joanne Dru's Denver. Dru was a much finer actress than she was ever given credit for as were Bond and Johnson, who at least was finally awarded with the recognition of an Oscar for his work in "The Last Picture Show". As he said himself, 'It couldn't have happened to a nicer fella'. Add Bert Glennon's superb location photography and you have a genuine piece of Americana that couldn't have some from anyone other than Ford. This is a film that truly honors America's pioneers and is full of sentiment and feeling.$LABEL$ 1 +This early film has its flaws-- a predictable plot and some overlong scenes of dubious relevance-- but it already clearly demonstrates Hitchcock's mastery of editing and the use of powerful images. It's also among the most expressionist of his films stylistically; note, for examples, the weird distortions he uses during the party sequence and the frequent echoes of both title and plot in the imagery.Its core, though, remains the final match, which is still among the more exciting examples of cinematic boxing. Even though you know that the hero has to win, it becomes quite believable that he will lose, and the movement of his wife from the champion's corner to his, motivating the final plot pay-off, is very well entwined with the progress of the match. The inserts of the stopwatch do exactly what they should; you can almost hear the ticking (even though this is a silent film, the visuals often have a surprisingly auditory feel to them). The pacing becomes astonishingly rapid, and the viewer gets sucked into the excitement and brutality of both the match and the sexual jealousy which underlies it.The only DVD release with which I am familiar is that of Laserlight, a public domain company. As with each Hitchcock silent they've released, they've attached various musical selections, mostly orchestral, to the action. The sound editing is frequently sloppy, and the sound quality varies widely, but some genuine care seems to have gone into most of the actual choices, and the music accompanying the final match works extremely well; it is unlikely that this sequence will ever be better accompanied than it is here.This is a much more impressive film than its present obscurity would suggest. It deserves an honorable place in both the Hitchcock canon and the slender list of worthwhile boxing films.$LABEL$ 1 +I wondered why I didn't like Peggy Sue Got Married more than I did, when it first came out in 1986, with all the hype. Somehow I found Nic Cage's character off-putting. Way off-putting. Then the plot didn't seem to make sense. Then by the end of the credits, the question came to mind: What point was this movie making? What was it saying? The answer, unfortunately, was not much, if anything. I really don't think this movie aimed at making a statement; unless it was "your life is your life, you're gonna make the same mistakes no matter what, so keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not the hole". Not a very profound statement, and I'm sorry, not profoundly made in this movie. The writing simply isn't that good. The direction is uneven, and is strangely overblown at times. Kathleen Turner was the best, and in my opinion, only worthwhile thing in this movie, and performed something of a miracle creating a whole character despite bizarre, unexplained circumstances, with a script that had no apparent statement to make. She also finally cleared up the mystery for me of the main reason I didn't enjoy this movie more. She states in her autobiography that Cage made a point of fighting his uncle Coppola's direction every step of the way, doing it "his own way" (not a good idea for a new actor), and putting on a goofy voice she called "stupid". His voice was annoying, abrasive and unnatural, and his character was obnoxious and overbearing as a young guy. I understand what he was attempting to do: play a young-guy "hot shot" who is not as hot as he thinks he is, setting up his own karma for future failure. But he goes overboard, the way he does it is abrasive, not effective, and if he had listened to his uncle instead of "fighting the Man", we would have had a more enjoyable film. Cage slips a little with his obnoxious voice stylings in the movie and occasionally sounds like a real person, and those scenes are more watchable than others. But if I had to watch the movie through in its entirety, I would find myself wanting to pay someone in L.A. to pour a bucket of water over his head during some of his more affected (put-on) scenes. The movie doesn't aim for a statement, doesn't make a point, is great to look at except when Cage is doing a demented Elvis impression (but without the voice), and is, ultimately, confusing and a waste of time. Given all this, Kathleen Turner surely deserved an Oscar in this flailing mess of a movie. I can't recommend anyone spending two hours watching this, unless you like Turner and have a remote to pick out all her scenes. Believe me, you will miss nothing plotwise by skipping the other scenes, and it will make just as much sense. Kathleen Turner is getting a lot of flak from critics regarding her Cage comments, which proves that she's strong enough to be honest, and to hell with other people's comments. You go, Turner! I'm not particularly a fan of this actress any more than I am of any other first-rate actor or actress, but her candor is refreshing. Cage's acting can be good to annoying, and here it doesn't work. At least, in this film, now we know why.$LABEL$ 0 +I used to love the Muppets. The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan were good family movies, cleverly written and fun to watch. I never thought I would see the day when they would jump on the Hollywood sleaze bandwagon, but here it is: Scooter as a caged rave dancer, Pepe making lewd and suggestive comments every five minutes -- this is not your father's Muppets. It's not Jim Henson's Muppets anymore, either.This "It's A Wonderful Life" themed movie has its moments, but not enough to save it. I cringed while watching this with my children. I still have hope for their next movie, but this one was certainly a disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +This was obviously the prototype for Mick Dundee but 'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is funnier. I was amused throughout and laughed out loud plenty of times. Terrific central performance by Barry Crocker in the title role, an Australian who invades England to upset the poms with his free-flowing uncouth ways. Few Brits will be upset by Barry's frequently cruel observations on his hosts. The relationsip between the two countries is prickly but friendly and this is highlighted by the film's final line, delivered by a somewhat reluctant McKenzie as he boards the plane home. "I was just starting to like the poms."$LABEL$ 1 +As this movie is completely in Swiss dialect, it's probably hard for most German speakers to really follow this movie. I'm not from Switzerland, but I worked there for some years, so I had the chance to understand this great spoof of the Lord of the Rings. I've seen a lot of movies of this kind (eg. Scary Movie, loads of Scifi spoofs etc.) but this one is the best one of that kind, I've seen so far. I give a 9 of 10. The only reason I can't give a 10 is, because there are some little details which could have been done better and because they supplied no subtitles in any language on the DVD, so there's almost no chance for non-Swiss to understand.$LABEL$ 1 +It is a shame that a movie with such a good cinematography as this one had no plot to be supported by the work of Sarah Cawley (cinematography) and Adam Lichtenstein (Film Editing), and above all, no sense of what goes on in Mexico City. The movie tries to be a very realistic depiction of life in city, but it is unable to do it. It is a shame, a lot of film wasted. An American woman tries to find her brother who has been kidnaped. The first account of the story is powerful and interesting, very realistic, but it seems that there was no effort to come with a better narrative of the ordeal, especially when it comes to the issue of the attitudes of the US embassy personnel in Mexico City, when dealing with an issue like this one. Compare, as an example, with Frantic(1988), which deals with a similar issue. Something similar can be said of the role of local authorities. Compare, as an example, with Todo el Poder (1999). The movie is worth watching if you want to get a sense of the looks of the City itself, paying little or no attention to the rather weak "plot" and the many twists that require a rather extensive suspension of disbelief. Who is going to believe that a Mexican patrol from Mexico City is going to go all the way to catch the main characters to the Mexico-US border? And that this policeman is going to be able to use its radio from the border to Mexico City! Only the producers of this movie. It is worth mentioning that unlike Frida and other movies about Mexico at least in these one Mexicans talk Spanish.$LABEL$ 0 +I am pretty surprised to see that this movie earned even lukewarm reviews, I found this movie downright awful. The plot flounders around trying to decide if it is a comedy or a thriller, then realizes it cannot achieve either. So it throws in the towel and continues with its absurd plot highlighted with a unintentional hilarious scene with Laura Linney, an injection, and spilled coffee that leaves the audience awkwardly squirming in their seats looking at one another like is this for real? Basically it is abysmal and really disappointing for Robin Williams fans, and it makes you think someone blackmailed Laura Linney into adding this piece of trash to her otherwise respectable resume. I wanted to leave after 10 minutes and wish I had, even seeing it for free I wanted someone to pay me for my wasted time. The computer glitch/twist in this movie was embarrassingly stupid, and by the end you don't care who wins the election. I vote for straight to DVD.$LABEL$ 0 +I LOVED this movie because Bobbie Phillips can REALLY FIGHT! I always hate when actors are not believable in action parts. It was great to see, no offense, but a WOMAN who can skillfully perform martial arts and fighting. If you compare this with most action movies with females you will DEFINITELY see what I mean. They don't have to cut up the shots with someone that can fight and it flows better. I was VERY impressed. I hope there's more!$LABEL$ 1 +Michael Caine might have tried to make a larger than life character to a successful degree but the whole storyline and Character's around him where not likable or interesting at all. It was all very Boring and somewhat predictable. Martin Landau , a favorite actor of mine had a nothing role.He was useless. Michael Caine got a bit irritating after a while and the film couldn't decide if it was a comedy or a serious thriller. Caine tries hard and good on him but i felt the direction and storyline let him down. Don't waste your time. It starts off well for the first 10 minutes and then that's about it. A film for Die Hard Caine Fans Only. Stay away from this One...$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the rare movies that I did not immediately discuss with my friends after watching it. This wasn't because it had particularly entranced or impressed me. The contrary, it had given me nothing at all.Why? Because somehow, everything was so much overdone that I couldn't take this film seriously anymore. There was so much sex and violence that I got the strong impression that the film was trying very, very hard to be offensive, as if it was aiming at superlatives in ugliness, rather than in telling a convincing tale about two women caught in a spiral of crime.Baise-moi had been described as "Thelma & Louise with actual sex" to me. Well, it is true that the main idea is similar. There are two women traveling through the country because they've committed crimes and know that their lives are finished now, that the police are going to catch them, and they decide that now that everything's over anyway, there is no way to hold back.Baise-moi had been described as a feminist film where women, who had suffered from male dominance in the past, exact revenge upon the men that they encounter.This is something that I had never interpreted into this film, simply because none of these women had ever been innocent, and because they do not just kill irresponsible, violent men, but also men that they seduce themselves, men that show the sense of wanting to do protected sex. And they kill women. No, they are in no way better than the characters that they encounter and murder in hideous, brutal ways.How easily the "heroines" decide to murder, and how much pleasure they take in it, made it absolutely impossible for me to relate to them in any way, or even take them seriously. It was just all too much. Too much sex, too much violence. I got the feeling that sex and violence were only there in order to create a superlative in ugliness, rather than in conveying a story, or making a point.Baise-moi left me with no impression, hadn't set me thinking, because it was so far removed from any real world. So constructed, unrealistic and over the top.There was nothing that I could do with this film, there was simply nothing about it to think about, other than "Why did they make this terrible film?" Had the intense unpleasantness going on in this film, served a purpose, I'd easily accepted it. But since I found nothing, since the film's story appeared to be not more than an excuse to squeeze as much and as ugly sex as possible into one film... I filed it away under "unnecessary torture", decided to never ever, EVER, watch this film again, and I now consider this to be the worst film I've ever seen. Worst, not just because it really isn't my cup of tea to watch people get raped, rape, have sex in other forms and kill one another... but because whatever it was that the makers wanted to tell the world with their film... if they wanted to say anything at all... it just didn't work. And there's nothing else that could save this film, because it's also filmed in such an ugly style.$LABEL$ 0 +Although the likeliness of someone focusing on THIS comment among the other 80+ for this movie is low, I feel that I have to say something about this one. I am not the kind of movie-watcher who pays attention to production value, thought-provoking dialog, or brilliant acting & directing. However, I claim that this movie sucks. I don't know why I don't like it... I mean it has almost everything i want out of a horror movie: blood, outrageousness, unintentional humor, etc. According to this evidence it should be my favorite. Still, Zombi 3 is a baaad movie.There are just too many things that compels you to yell at the screen. Like when the girl leaves the army guy when their car breaks down to find water (this spoils nothing so don't worry). She walks into what I see as an abandoned hotel or something. Did she not see that there was a friggin' lake in the middle of the building??? Yes she's looking for water and passes up a lake. Why? Cuz she wants to know why the people (who aren't there cuz the place is abandoned) won't answer her when she calls out: "Is anybody there?" Oh this is just a little, insignificant piece of the big picture I'm painting.There is a reason, though, why I gave this film more than 1 star. It's one of those movies where if you forget how bad it really is, like I have a few times, you'll want to watch it again because it's just so over-the-top in every aspect. I called it blood in the first paragraph, but this movie has no blood, it has an ocean of gore. Also, it has pretty weird creatures in it as well: a zombie-baby (with an adult-size hand???) and a magically flying head to name just two.You know when you try to think of the worst and cheesiest movies ever made and you come up with '50's sci-fi movies? I believe that Zombi 3 and movies like it should top those. It has all the elements: scientists arguing with the government, warnings of the apocalypse on the radio, armies battling monsters, and so on. This IS the Plan 9 of the '80's! While I won't say that this is a waste of money if you want to buy it, just expect the very worst. And when you find out that expecting the worst is underestimating Zombi 3, it won't be all that bad. You might actually like it, I'm not saying that's impossible.Don't think I hate this movie, I don't... really. Oh, P.S. Killing Birds (aka Zombie 5) rules! (did I just blow my credibility?)$LABEL$ 0 +I was so looking forward to seeing this film that I can't really understand how I got the impression I would enjoy it. I'm afraid it really is a yawn fest - every single patron in the cinema I attended yawned and fidgeted frequently during the whole film. This is a shame because it is a fantastic story - I'm inclined to think that it would make a better read. It is not helped by the principle character only showing his teeth once - and that was as a result of the camera angle. As the story unfolds it becomes easier to understand the main character's dilemmas. However, the suspense and drama that could have made this a really top rated film have been completely spoilt by the dull treatment. Dull as a half-baked documentary!$LABEL$ 0 +One of the more enjoyable aspects of Asian cinema (or, indeed, most anything done outside these holier-than-thou United States) are the permutations that crop up. In post-World War Two Japanese manga (comics), for instance, are to be found a veritable endless variety of subjects, many of them handled in uniquely imaginative fashion. The same thing happens in genre film-making, as well; though, again, I'm referring to movies made outside the U.$. (where we're just too "sophisticated" in our close-mindedness to appreciate anything that isn't about or by US). Would an American company, for instance, back not one but a series of movies featuring a masked professional wrestler (El Santo) or a werewolf (Paul Naschy) or a real-life martial artist (Bruce Lee)...? As for television: forget it. While I still love the KUNG FU series that starred the late David Carradine, I've always felt that the Americanized version of Asian martial arts was- how to put it kindly- a bit lacking. To this very day, there hasn't been a pay-per-view channel to feature Asian martial artists playing Asian martial artists in Asia. (There are lots of soft-core porn masquerading as entertainment shows, but the so-called Action Channel, for instance, has yet to import or to produce a True Martial Arts teleseries.) Before Brother Cadfile was investigating murders on the BBC, there was, of all things, at least one Kung Fu movie that featured a group of martial artists more or less involved in a murder mystery: THE 5 DEADLY VENOMS. In its own right as fascinating as any other genre-based whodunit (western, cop show, etc.), this martial arts masterpiece stands out as a truly superior piece of work. It's now available from Dragon Dynasty and the print is beautiful and the DVD commentary by Bey Logan is EXACTLY the kind of intelligent, thoughtful analysis these gems truly deserve. If you're a martial arts movie fan, rejoice: one of the greatest movie genres of all time (specifically, the martial arts movies of the 1970s and early 1980s) are getting a long-overdue second life (and greatly appreciated second look) on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, I loved Bruce Broughton's music score, very lyrical, and this alone added to the film's charm. The best aspect of the movie were the three animals, superlatively voiced by Michael J.Fox, Sally Field and the late Don Ameche. Whereas Fox has the funniest lines, Ameche plays a rather brooding otherwise engaging character(the voice of reason), and Field adds wit into a character that is always seen telling Chance off. The humans weren't as engaging, and sometimes the film dragged, but that is my only complaint. This is one beautiful-looking film, with beautiful close up shots of Canada, I believe. Although the film itself is quite long, there is never a seriously dull moment, and this is advantaged by the voice work and a well-written script. All in all, a charming and perhaps underrated film, with a 9/10 from me. Bethany Cox.$LABEL$ 1 +While John Garfield seems to get the bulk of attention, the true star of Four Daughters is Priscilla Lane. Her performance is the glue that holds the large cast together.Her ability to interact equally well with John Garfield and the more carefree Jeffrey Lynn is at the core of the success of Four Daughters.$LABEL$ 1 +A beautiful piece of children's cinema buried in a world of archaic Celticism. Setting the story around the famous Book of Kels, believed to have been comprised by monks from the small island of Iona, off the western coast of Scotland.Telling the tale of a young abbots apprentice who goes off into the forest in search of Crom-Cruic, the fierce headless horseman of pagan mythology. In hopes of recovering a lost artefact.The films true beauty lies in its' animation. Cell shaded in a bright and inspirational style of deep complexity resulting in a look of seem less simplicity. Deriving much from the artistic style of the brilliant Cartoon Network series 'Samurai Jack' for its genius use of mark making and background depth, The Secret of Kels creates a consistently affective Celtic world living under the shadow of Viking invasion.The history may be intensely inaccurate and the ways of life portrayed lacking realism but these facts are utterly irrelevant as the film sets itself in a world of fantasy and Celtic-revivalist mysticism. The girl of the forest is a wonderful addition and in my opinion makes the picture what it is, as she glides from branch to branch. Appearing and disappearing like a mysterious nymph with qualities resembling the legendary Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland.The Secret of Kels is an absolute treat. For all genders, all ages, it's a lovely piece of family cinema.Don't expect to be awed but instead pleasantly impressed!$LABEL$ 1 +This is a really great film in the pulp fiction genre with a touch of film noir thrown in. Truly one of Emma Thompson's best performances to date...this film has everything, it's well written, well directed, beautifully films, and has some great performances. I don't know why it didn't catch on. It's spectacular!$LABEL$ 1 +Not a terrible movie... But there are monster scenes where you will be rolling on the floor laughing - not a good thing for a action/thriller. The acting is generally pretty decent for a SciFi channel movie. Barry Corbin plays a credible US senator, and Lou Diamond Phillips again gives us a decent military/police/sheriff/agent/marshal figure. The special effects are well, "special" - for example, the external train shots are very obviously a model train.Goofs: A meteor strikes a stationary car in the opening scene. The car bursts into flames but does not budge an inch. After the impact, the meteor is lodged in the top of the car's hood - impossible from the low angle that the meteor came in at.Spoilers...A good portion of the movie's events are predictable, from the helicopter crash ("Pull up, pull up!"), to the fact that the annoying people get it in the end, to the classic blown bridge over a 1000 foot gorge awaiting the train, to the sequel set-up at the end.The scenes showing the aliens attacking are hilarious. They are vicious cute puppets and move at lightening speed - remember the Monty Python rabbit? Spoiler Goof: In one scene four people shooting clip after clip cannot hit a single creature because they move at lightning speed. Later in the movie Todd Bridges rigs up a mini flame thrower which he uses to dispatch a number of creatures at close range. On several occasions, Lou Diamond Phillips is able to easily grab creatures with his bare hands.$LABEL$ 0 +Police Story is arguably one of the best works by the master of action himself.Compared to other action films,Police Story makes Schwarzenegger and Stallone look like beginners.The stunt scenes are well cheorgraphed and the action scenes are superb.If New Line Cinema has any sense,they would release this in theaters.$LABEL$ 1 +The first episode of 'Man to Man with Dean Learner' that just aired was at least up to scratch with most episodes of 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' and had me at "My Maisonette". Hope it keeps up the good work of 'faux terribles' on my TV. Richard Ayoade is one of the best in the new breed of "alternative comedy"(I hate this phrase but am too lazy too think of another one.) comedians on TV today.I'm glad that on a trip of local DVD retailers today "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" was sold out across the board. Even from his brief stint in Nathan Barley I knew that Ayoade was a serious talent and I'm sure he would have been great as Dixon Bainbridge in 'The Mighty Boosh' To continued success! In the vein of these programs I also felt it necessary to extend my review, in order to secure a place on this public domain.$LABEL$ 1 +If you weren't there, then unfortunately this movie will be beyond compassion for you. Which as I say is a shame because although some of the acting is amateurish, it is meant to be for realism. Let's face it--in real life, we don't say things in an exacting or perfect way, even when we mean to. In this sense, it works. This, however, does not apply to our "known" actors in this film, notably Jodie Foster (born a natural). The fact that the other 3 girls are not accomplished only adds to the story--Jodie plays the glue that struggles to keep their friendship close, even with the obvious feeling of fatality. Meaning that no matter how close friends are, eventually there are some people that just fade away, no matter how you try.And therein is the core of the movie. It's not about partying, it's not about sexuality, but about these 4 girls and their final time as still young girls before they have to go the world alone.If you have ever had a friendship like that in your life, you will feel this movie--it will mean a lot to you, no matter what era it is set in, or what era you grew up in. We all knew these girls in school, or at the very least knew of them. We all knew the frustrated virgin, half wanting to hold onto childhood and half wanting desperately to grow up and thinking that will do it for her. We all knew the boy-crazy one, the fashion plate whose vanity hides her fear of the world, her fear of acceptance. We all knew the party girl, the one they whispered about, with tales of not only her sad home life but of her notorious exploits. And we all knew the "mother figure", the one a little more real, a little more grounded, a little more sad because she knew what would happen. Maybe you were one of those girls. Maybe, like me, you had been each one at one time or another...This film really captures that fragile time in life when want, needs, pressures, womanhood, childhood, the world and loneliness are all embodied in each female's head, each factor on the precipice. Which aspect do you hang on to? What do you toss over the edge, no matter how you may want to hold on? And how painful is goodbye to everything you've known? That's what this movie is--steps into womanhood while clinging onto childhood, and how damn tough it is to keep walking. If you were there, you know...and love this film, as I do. Aching and tenderly done. A fine piece of captured femininity.$LABEL$ 1 +Not too keen on this really. The story is pretty horrid and unconvincing. I enjoyed the first 10 minutes, bill nunns good. After that it was pretty appalling. Tim doesn't fit the role, he comes across as a smug self inflated ass & Pruitt taylor vince is entirely unconvincing as a trumpet player. It's a idealist film and as a musician, feel slightly offended after watching it. There's no scenes of 1900 practising or playing with his fellow band mates, he's completely self indulgent. I find it hard to build any relationship with this kind of character, maybe i'm watching the wrong film. If you have no real passion for life or sense of what musics all about then happily indulge in the suspension of disbelief and watch this waffle.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this on a cheap DVD release with the title "The Entity Force". Since I enjoy cheesy 80's horror films I thought I was in for a real treat. Sadly the film is mostly boring and you're constantly waiting for something to happen. It does eventually get somewhat interesting, but this is in the last quarter of the film. It's a case of too little too late. When the action does happen it's not that great, what we get are dead corpses 'floating' along the ground and chasing after the girls in the mausoleum. It's not the absolute worst I've seen, but you can do a lot better. I would only recommend this to die-hard collectors of cheesy 80's horror.$LABEL$ 0 +Jochen Hick wrote and directed this little thriller of a suspense film based on the concept that the AIDS virus was a sheep virus mutated by the government to rid the world of gays and was apparently tested on convicts in the years before the outbreak of the hideous disease. Were it not for the poignancy of the concept of the film, this would fall into the category of the many films about the ruination of the world by a rampant non-prejudicial infective organism.Stefan (Tom Wlaschiha) journeys from Berlin to San Francisco to investigate his father's scientific suppositions about the induced sheep virus and its effects of the convicts in whom it was infused. He meets with some disdain and resistance to a dead theory, but also encounters some folks who know of the theory and support his investigation. Simultaneously with his visit a series of serial murders takes place, each victim killed in a similar manner and each murder apparently accompanied by strains of music from Puccini's opera 'Turandot' which just happens to be opening at the San Francisco Opera. A police investigator Louise Tolliver (Irit Levi) and her companion cop (Kalene Parker) follow the murders while Stefan makes the rounds of the sex clubs and bars in San Francisco trying to locate men who may have been guinea pigs for his father's theory. He encounters a strange lad Jeffrey (Jim Thalman) with whom he has a cat and mouse attraction and a prominent Doctor Burroughs (Richard Conti) who seems oddly involved in the cast of suspects. How this all come to an end is the play of the film, a story as much about the search for self identity between Stefan and Jeffery as it is a case for investigation of murders.While Tom Wlaschiha, Jim Thalman and Richard Conti do well with their roles (they are the only three who have any prior acting experience in the film!), the quality of the film sags considerably by the less than acceptable minimally talented Irit Levy and Kaylene Parker: when on screen the credibility of the story drops below zero. There are some small cameos by other actors that brighten the screen for the moments they inhabit, but in all the film is drowned by the incessant replay of 'Nessun dorma' as sung by Mario del Monaco from a recording o the opera - and that seems to be the reason for making the film! Good idea for a film and some good characterizations by the actors, but there is no resolution of the initial premise that started the whole thing. Grady Harp, February 06$LABEL$ 0 +Seeing as Keifer Sutherland plays my favorite character in the history of TV, it was a foregone conclusion i was gonna go to the movies and spend $15 on this. I also think this applies to Eva Longoria fans.The movie revolves around a leak that a Secret Service agent is planning to assassinate the President. As the investigation unfolds, it seems the only likely candidate is the highly decorated Pete (Michael Douglas). Pleading innocence, Pete goes on the fun, fugitive style, to search for the truth.It's solid, but certainly not spectacular. A decent cast, a decent story but it left me feeling a bit empty, but you could certainly do far worse.$LABEL$ 1 +The Ascent (1977) Larisa Shepitko is a name very few are familiar with. Her bright career as a director only lasted a single decade, ended abruptly by a tragic car accident. Despite her short career, she however managed to create some of the best Soviet films of her time. Her last film, The Ascent, is widely regarded as one of the finest Soviet films of the 1970s. Nevertheless, her work remained in obscurity throughout the years that followed, usually only available on rare and poor copies on video. That has now changed thanks to the folks at Criterion. They've released two of Shepitko's best works through their Eclipse department - Wings, and her penultimate masterpiece The Ascent.Set during the darkest days of WWII in snowy rural Russia, two partisans trudge their way across the land in search of food after their party is attacked by Nazi patrols. They're originally only to go to a nearby farm, but when they arrive they find it razed by the Germans. Not wanting to return empty handed, they continue on deeper into enemy territory. Along the way they must confront not only enemy soldiers, but the harsh conditions of the Russian plains, potential betrayal and their own souls.The movie does not fall into simplistic plot devices or destinations. It addresses difficult questions with painful rationality. It never takes the easy road or gives us comforting answers. The second half of the film is filled with moral dilemmas. Shepitko shows us the intimate horrors of war through the internal conflict between fellow Russians - those who collaborated and those who fought back. While she does show the collaborators as the clear heels, she nevertheless also shows why many turned to such tactics - survival.The film contains a number of religious references, particularly to the lead up to the crucifixion. This is a spiritual journey, into the hearts, souls, and minds of the two partisans and those they encounter. Shepitko and her cinematographer capture the journey in beautiful black and white photography. The camera moves in long shots, similar to the camera-work of another of Russia's greatest filmmakers, Andrei Tarkovsky. Shepitko, like many others, was clearly influenced by Tarkovsky's style, and the Ascent takes some of its rhythmic notes from Ivan's Childhood. It is a stunning film to look at, and does a fantastic job of capturing the cold and terrifying atmosphere of occupied Russia.Shepitko's husband would pay homage to her great film a decade later. Elem Klimov made his own war masterpiece with one of the greatest films I've ever seen - Come and See. The story and themes of that film were clearly influenced by The Ascent. Though that film is also a fairly obscure one, it received far more attention that any of Shepitko's films. That however acted as a bridge to Shepitko, and has been one of the best helps to keeping her work alive.The Ascent is a truly magnificent film, and rightly should be considered one of the best films of the 70s. It's stunning cinematography is inspiring; its mood is frighteningly authentic; and its lessons are unforgettable. It is, in any definition of the word, nothing less than a masterpiece. How unfortunate that Shepitko's career was cut short just as it was hitting its peak.$LABEL$ 1 +J.S. Cardone directed a little known 'Video Nasty' in 1982 called "The Slayer" and since then has gone on to have a hand in a handful of feature films; including the rubbish 2001 vampire movie The Forsaken. His latest feature film, Wicked Little Things, boasts a plot that sounds decent as well as a creepy looking poster that I seem to remember surfacing a couple of years ago in relation to a film that Tobe Hooper was meant to direct. Well I guess he felt that this one was too similar to his silly zombie fungus movie 'Mortuary' and so turned this one down. I don't blame him for it either. The plot focuses on a mother and her two daughters that move to an old house in the mountains that once belonged to her late husband. However, what they don't realise is that around a hundred years earlier; a group of children that were being used as miners were trapped down a mineshaft. Naturally, that's not the end of them and they managed to survive their ordeal and now prowl the area in search of revenge… The film is essentially a collection of clichés; from the youngest kid with an "imaginary friend", the mother who dismisses it and all the usual zombie rubbish. J.S. Cardone attempts to get the horror fans back on side with shocks and gory scenes (mostly involving kids) but its not enough. The story doesn't play out very well at all either and really did remind me too much of the earlier Mortuary, and that's not a good thing (although Mortuary is actually a better film than this one). The acting is nothing to write home about either; Lori Heuring is decent looking, as is eldest daughter Scout Taylor-Compton; but neither manages to provide an interesting performance. Chloe Moretz is slightly better than the usual child actor. The plot is given hardly any credibility and indeed the screenplay can't even be bothered to explain the reasons why the kids attack the locals. It all boils down to a typical and rather dull ending and overall I have to say that if you know your horror movies, then you can feel free to skip this one!$LABEL$ 0 +I couldn't agree more with the other comment, it's like Falling down. Peter Weller is OK and William Hurt great as always, except in Lost in Space. This is a good movie. With pretty good performances. Very recommendable. If you like Falling down you're going to enjoy this one. 8 of 10$LABEL$ 1 +This film is available from David Shepard and Kino on the Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, NJ, although that is a shortened version with just the "behind-the-scenes movie sections. I'm not sure if Blackhawk Films only had a film print of these parts, or they edited out the other scenes. The original Blackhawk version was retitled A Movie Romance. The complete feature does survive, but the preprint for this version had some nitrate decomposition, and a couple of sections looked bad, so that may be why Blackhawk's version was edited.Directed by Maurice Tourneur, the film has Tourneur playing himself, or more likely a caricature of himself. Supposedly, director Emile Chautard and future director Joseph von Sternberg also can be spotted.Country lass Mary (Doris Kenyon) longs for a romantic man to sweep her off her feet. She dreams of a troubadour that will woo her, but is constantly interrupted by the only available local boy, Johnny Applebloom.Meanwhile, a film company from New York (actually New Jersey) is filming a western in the countryside. Mary sees an Indian (in full headdress) and raises an alarm -- spoiling a scene that the movie company is filming. She is immediately attracted to the dashing film star Kenneth Driscoll (Robert Warwick). He encourages her to leave her home and try to become an actress in the big city.When she arrives at the studio, she discovers that everything about the movies is fake. The doors and walls are just flats that are hastily assembled for the set. That lanky walk of the western hero or the happy skip of the heroine are just acting too. The sets are on a big revolving stage, so the angle of the sun can even be manipulated. The black attendant at the studio signs all the movie stars' "autographed" photos. The signs on the wall say "Positively No Smoking", but everybody smokes anyway. Even the titles of the film (which are illustrated nicely) emphasize everything fake about the movie-making life.Movie star Driscoll is just as disenchanted with the ho-hum of everyday film-making. He makes a temporary split from girlfriend Vivian (June Elvidge) to pursue this "exciting" country girl. His plans are dashed when Mary's screen-test is a stinker. We don't get to see the actual film, but only the audience's pained reactions to it.Mary is devastated, but she doesn't want to admit to everyone back home that she was a failure, so she continues to see Driscoll and we she has lunch with him in the studio cafeteria along with other extras dressed as policemen, soldiers, cowboys, etc.Mary decides to stay with Driscoll. At a party with their movie "friends", she agrees to marry him although there is not much love between them. Surprisingly, her mother appears, with a cake especially for Mary's birthday. This causes Mary to re-evaluate her future.This film has all kinds of fascinating scenes of studios, movie sets, dressing rooms, editing rooms, etc. If you've always wondered what went on behind the scenes when a silent film was being made, this movie peeks behind the curtain.$LABEL$ 1 +I recently rented this movie as part of a nostalgic phase I'm going through. I was born in 1980, and so film from mid-80s to mid-90s has quite an important place in my growing up.This particular movie was one of my favourites, and so I was thrilled when it became available in the UK. It hasn't become worse with time, it is still a great fun film, with plenty of excitement in its own way. Sure, it pales in the shadow of bigger, larger budget films, but don't let that stop you enjoying this.Worth a rent, or even a purchase at the discount prices you'll find it for.$LABEL$ 1 +I have always been a great admirer of Nicolas Roeg and "Walkabout" is one of my favorite films. This is a film version of Roegs stage play and while most of the film takes place in a hotel room it still has some of Roegs cinematic flare. Very unique story is about a famous actress (Theresa Russell) who after a hard nights work on a film in 1954 goes to a hotel to visit a famous professor (Michael Emil) and together in his hotel room they talk. After awhile she wants to go to bed with him but as they start to get undressed her husband is banging on the door. Her husband is a famous ex-baseball player (Gary Busey) and he wants to know what is going on. The three of them in the hotel room talk about what is going on and what the future holds for them. Meanwhile, a famous senator (Tony Curtis) is threatening to take away the professors papers if he doesn't testify at a hearing. Theresa Russell is just excellent and while she's not trying exactly to impersonate Marilyn Monroe she does a wonderful job of exuding the phobia's and nuances that Monroe is very well known for. One thing the film does is show her as not only a woman on the verge of a mental breakdown but show her as a physical wreck as well. She talks of being unable to have children and at one point in the film she suffers a miscarriage. You can make an excellent case that this is Russell's best performance and I probably wouldn't argue. The film does an interesting thing in showing many flashbacks as the characters continue to talk about one thing and in the flashback we see one of many reasons for their actions. Busey also gives a good solid performance and it reminds me of what a strong persona he gives off on screen. Emil as the professor is a character that has many more things on his mind then we originally thought. The last scene in this film is a demonstration of his darker side! One of the highlights of the film for me is the little conversation he has with the elevator man (Will Sampson of "Cuckoo's Nest") and they discuss what Cherokee Indians think about at all times. But of course the famous scene in this film is where Russell demonstrates to Emil how she does understand the theory of relativity and uses toys to show this. The professor is delighted by her demonstration and so are we! Russell and Roeg are married in real life and they do admirable work when they are in collaboration and this is probably their best film together. Good performances and a very interesting job of directing make this a challenging and visually thought provoking film.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the best memories of my childhood. Should be on DVD. It captured everything we grew up with in the seventies - peace, mellowness, flower power and great acoustic music. The two hosts, Carol and Paula, were the definitive peacenik hippies, with long hair, peasant blouses and bell bottoms(they looked like a Katherine Ross(ala "The Graduate") and Ali McGraw(ala "Love Story"),respectively.)They made us happy with jokes from the daisy "chucklepatch", gave us lessons on being nice through conversations with the crotchedy garden squirrel, and entertained us with music from their guitar. They were the best, and Carol was also the original Sandy in the original production of "Grease"(cool).This show should be in a time capsule from the era that would also include, "The Yellow Submarine", "Arrow to the Sun", and Marlo Thomas', "Free to Be...You & Me.", also, "Sunshine", and "The Point."And last, but not least, that theme song, "See ya, See ya, Hope you had a good, good time, ah ha, Glad we got to say good mornin' to ya , Hope we get get to see ya again, See ya, See ya, Glad that you could stay awhile, ah ha, hope we get see ya again, see ya, see ya.$LABEL$ 1 +Don't bother. A little prosciutto could go a long way, but all we get is pure ham, particularly from Dunaway. The plot is one of those bumper car episodes... the vehicle bounces into another and everything changes direction again, until we are merely scratching our heads wondering if there were ever a plot. Gina Phillips is actually good, but it's hard playing across from a mystified Dunaway playing Lady Macbeth lost in the Marx's Brother's Duck Soup. Ah, the Raven...now there's an actor. And there is the relative who just lies and bed and looks ghostly. Or Dr. Dread who's filled with lots of gloom and no working remedies. I'm one of those suckers who just has to see a movie to the end. Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."$LABEL$ 0 +Well, I have to agree with the critics on this one, who all said "leave it alone." Why they had to make this re-make of the 1960 "Psycho," I don't know. My guess is they wanted to reach a new audience and thought color and modern-day actors were the answer, since those were the main changes. The dialog was the same and the story the same.On one hand, I applaud them for not making this over with a lot of profanity and nudity and making it a sleazy film. Yet, if they were going to keep everything the same, why bother when you weren't going to improve on Tony Perkins, Janet Leigh and the original cast?Did they honestly think Vince Vaughn was going to be as good or better than Perkins? Are you kidding? Ann Heche, with her short mannish-haircut, is going to be better than Leigh? I don't think so!Yes, the colors were pretty in here but it's the black-and-white photography that helped make the 1960 version so creepy to begin with. It's perfect for the story, not a bunch of greens and pinks! Once again, I guess the filmmakers were banking on an audience that never saw the original.This was just a stupid project that never should have gotten off the ground.$LABEL$ 0 +This film lacked something I couldn't put my finger on at first: charisma on the part of the leading actress. This inevitably translated to lack of chemistry when she shared the screen with her leading man. Even the romantic scenes came across as being merely the actors at play. It could very well have been the director who miscalculated what he needed from the actors. I just don't know.But could it have been the screenplay? Just exactly who was the chef in love with? He seemed more enamored of his culinary skills and restaurant, and ultimately of himself and his youthful exploits, than of anybody or anything else. He never convinced me he was in love with the princess.I was disappointed in this movie. But, don't forget it was nominated for an Oscar, so judge for yourself.$LABEL$ 0 +I have seen this film only the one time about 25 years ago, and to this day I have always told people it is probably the best film I have ever seen. Considering there was no verbal dialogue and only thought dialogue i found the film to be enthralling and I even found myself holding my breath so as not to make any sound. I would highly recomend this film, I wish it was available on DVD.$LABEL$ 1 +I haven't read a biography of Lincoln, so maybe this was an accurate portrayal......And maybe it's because I'm used to the equally alienating and unrealistic worshiping portrayals that unnaturally deify Lincoln as brilliant, honorable, and the savior of our country......But why would they make a movie representing Lincoln as a buffoon? While Henry Fonda made an excellent Lincoln, his portrayal of him as an "aw shucks, I'm just a simple guy" seemed a little insulting.[Granted, that was Bushie Jr.'s whole campaign, to make us think he was "just a regular guy" so we wouldn't care that he's a rich & privileged moron -- but that's a whole other story.]Not only did the film show Lincoln as sort of a simple (almost simple-minded) kind of guy , the film states that Lincoln just sort of got into law by accident, and that he wasn't even that interested in the law - only with the falsely simplistic idea of the law being about rights & wrongs. In the film he's not a very good defense attorney (he lounges around with his feet on the table and makes fun of the witnesses), and the outcome is mostly determined by chance/luck.Furthermore, partly because this was financed by Republicans (in reaction to some play sponsored by Democrats that had come out) and partly because it was just the sentiment of the times, the film is unfortunately religious, racist and conservative.Don't waste your time on this film!$LABEL$ 0 +Le conseguenze dell'amore (2004)is a beautifully made film that takes small carefully positioned steps towards its ending that need to be savoured in order to be enjoyed. From the contrasting landscapes, to the tightly enclosed world that the hero inhabits, we are taken by the Director and controlled from the very moment we enter the hotel. We, like the hero, will never escape from the suffocating intensity and paradoxical monotony of his criminally driven, Mafia world. That the film resists Mafia stereotypes whilst revelling in them makes it all the more successful. The concrete grave, the inevitable brutal executions and overwhelming maleness are laid bare and exposed for what they are. Just brutality and business, and no more. Life is about being part of the corporate machine that is organised crime and not about love or living for self, family or others. Our hero is indeed a hero in that he gives up his life for the sake of the touch of the beautiful barmaid, the resolution of the misery suffered by his only neighbours in the hotel and in order to escape his decorative prison. The consequences of love are indeed beautiful and brutal at the same time. See it!!$LABEL$ 1 +Want a great recipe for failure? Take a s****y plot, add in some weak, completely undeveloped characters and than throw in the worst special effects a horror movie has known. Let stew for a week (the amount of time probably spent making this trash). The result is Corpse Grinders, a movie that takes bad movies to dangerous and exotically low places.The movie utterly blew. My words cannot convey how painful it was to watch. This is not one of those bad movies that you and your friends can sit around and make fun of. This is not Plan 9 From Outer Space. This is a long, boring, sad waste of time. Corpse Grinders II is the biggest waste of energy and talent I have ever seen. I depresses me when I realize that people actually took time out of their lives to act in this shit, if you can call it acting. But than again, when you have poor direction, poor storywriting, poor everything, acting is the last thing to criticize.This movie is like a huge, disgusting turd that you yearn to quickly flush out of existence, fearful that a friend or loved one might somehow see it. I really with I could somehow destroy every copy of this film, so it will not pollute the minds of aspiring filmmakers. Thank you, Ted V. Mikels, for giving me new found respect for every movie I have ever seen. You have shown me what is truly awful, and why I should appreciate all those movies that are merely crappy or boring.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't believe I am just now seeing this film -- I think perhaps I thought it was another movie about slaves being mistreated, and I avoided Roots for the same reason -- just as I have yet to see Schindler's List -- I don't want to be "entertained" by other peoples' pain, not matter how authentic or informative it is supposed to be.So I guess the main thing I noticed about The Color Purple was that it was not about black people being mistreated by whites. The black people were perfectly capable of raping their own daughters -- or giving them away to be treated as slaves by their "husbands". It was painful to watch, but everyone redeemed himself in the end, and the acting was phenomenal! I couldn't believe the character Oprah played at the age of 35! And I adore Whoopi to start with - she was amazing. I'm so glad I was feeling lousy yesterday afternoon and Showtime was running The Color Purple.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is well made, it is beautiful and wise. It is heart-warming. It is great. And again it shows how great Peter Falk is... he is fantastic and he even gets better, the older he gets! Thank you, Peter Falk! Thank you very much for this gem of a movie! This movie entertains. There is lot of wisdom in this movie. There is lot of humor in this movie. There is life in this movie... and meaning. This movie shows, how life can be.Peter Falk is in that movie. He is just great! Where is the Oscar for Peter Falk? He deserves it so very much.Peter Falk just turned 80. I do sincerely hope that there will be more movies!Walter J. Langbein$LABEL$ 1 +Every once in awhile I'll remember that I've actually seen this bizarre fiasco that's a cross between "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", "Sunset Boulevard," the Lana Turner LSD movie "The Big Cube" and the Manson murders, which also took place in 1969 but maybe before this so-called "movie" was made! There are some descriptions of the plot already here, so I won't go into it. But it's worth noting that Miriam Hopkins plays a parody of herself: a chattering, ego-maniacal, fading actress. Perhaps she thought she was making a movie that would be as successful as one of the Bette Davis horrors. The old gal Hopkins never stopped working, so you have to hand it to her. She shows a little too much flesh in this movie, something Davis and Crawford would never have done. And there's a scene with Miriam in the actual tacky Hollywood Boulevard Christmas parade, which must have been filmed Xmas, 1968.Gale Sondergard is old, old, old. It's just shocking how wrinkled and awful she looks. John Garfield, Jr. looks a bit like his father, but not as interesting. I think one of the Three Stooges is the tour guide at the beginning. If it's not one of the Stooges, it's somebody.I was astounded to come across this thing in the form of a commercial videotape given to me by a friend who knows all about junk like this. It's amazing!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Deathtrap is not a whodunit. It's a who gonna do it to who first. It's so hard to describe this movie without giving anything away so I won't mention anything more about the plot. As far as acting goes it is Cris Reeves greatest role as Clifford, a young playwrite. You really see the range in his acting abilities in this movie from "exhaling cheeseburgers" to downright frightening. Clifford is such a hard role to play and in the stage production of this I have never seen Clifford played well on both ends of the spectrum. The actor plays him as a little puppy or a homicidal maniac. Reeves is the only person I have seen who has the character right all the way through. As for Michael Caine he's.....well he's Michael Caine. One of the best actors of the last 50 years and in this film as good as he has ever been.$LABEL$ 1 +This thing takes the horny teenager genre, very poorly respected to begin with, and completely flushes it down the toilet. The only people I would even consider recommending it to are teenage girls, for a "revealing" scene in a boys' locker room. And in the end I wouldn't make such a recommendation. To do so would be to contribute to the delinquency of a juvenile. An absolute piece of garbage with utterly no redeeming qualities.$LABEL$ 0 +One of the finest films ever made! Why it only got a 7.6 rating is a mystery. This film is a window into the world of the black experience in America. Should be mandatory viewing for all white people and all children above age 10. I recommend watching it with "The Long Walk Home" as a companion piece. If you think Whoopi Goldberg's work is about "Homer and Eddie" or "Hollywood Squares," think again. Don't miss this movie, which should have won the Oscar. (And read the book, too!)$LABEL$ 1 +FIVE STAR FINAL was one of the best films of the early 1930s. It starred Edward G. Robinson and was a very gritty story about a sleazy newspaper and their willingness to do anything...ANYTHING to sell newspapers. In particular, an old story of an innocent woman is plastered across the pages and helps to destroy her now happy life--many years after she was inadvertently involved in a scandal. The reason I loved the film so much was that it was unflinching and pulled no punches--showing just how low the publishers can be to sell papers.Here in TWO AGAINST THE WORLD, it is a remake of FIVE STAR FINAL--with a few changes. Instead of Robinson, this film stars Humphrey Bogart and he is the head of programming at a radio station, not a newspaper. Otherwise, the story is essentially the same--except that it's a bit less edgy and lacks some of the grit and sensationalism of the original. This isn't to say the film is bad--it just doesn't pack quite as good a punch as the first film. In other words, if you must see one of these films, see the first--though this film is quite powerful and enjoyable as well. As for me, I loved the story so much, I saw both films and enjoyed them both.TWO AGAINST THE WORLD begins with the UBC radio owner complaining to his programming head (Bogart) that all the "high brow" shows he's put on are getting low ratings. The owner demands muck--lots of muck in order to get more listeners. One way they discuss is to do a multi-part dramatization of a famous killing that occurred two decades ago--even though the killer was acquitted and she killed only in self-defense. However, they decide to play up the story as if she was guilty and they even go so far as to both send a writer to the lady's home pretending to be a minister(!) as well as broadcasting her current name and whereabouts. Needless to say, this ruins the woman and leads to a horrible tragedy. Then, and only then, does Bogart feel any real remorse for producing such garbage--leading to a dandy finale about journalistic integrity and decency.Well-acted, a great story idea and a message that is just as important today as it was back in the 1930s, this is one story you have to see. In particular, notice the wonderful and very emotional confrontation scene where the daughter attacks the owner and Bogart---it is one heck of a great example of acting and writing.$LABEL$ 1 +I cannot remember a more trivial, mind numbing and shallow film in other words a real chick flick of the worst kind. How can anyone watch this film and recommend it to others ? Only if they don't like admitting they made a mistake. It seems to summarise the worst of female aspirations. No real substance to it all happy and shallow. Yeah that'll please the masses. Well not this member of the masses. What a trivial load of drivel. I wanted to leave the cinema within 5 minutes of the start. And to think I paid £7 to see this ! I think this does however represent the dumbing down of cinema as with most media these days. So I like a bit of reality in my musicals call me sad or what ?$LABEL$ 0 +What do you do if you're Aishwarya Rai, coming off of a blockbuster film like 'Devdas', with some skeptical critics still relentlessly unsatisfied with your astounding performance or convinced by your strong screen presence and stellar acting skills, what do you do? Go home, sit down and pout? No. If you're Aishwarya Rai, you sign yourself up for the next strong period piece that comes along and continue to prove yourself worthy of all the praise, kudos, great scripts and equally great roles. And that's just what she did with and in 'Chokher Bali - a passion play' where she stars and shines as Binodini, a young widow who causes controversy way ahead of her time. Directed by Rituparno Ghosh {who later goes on to direct her in the equally stellar 'Raincoat'}, Prasenjit Chatterjee {Devdas in Bengali} costars.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie could have been oh so much better. It is a beautiful story set in very trying times, and yet it was so poorly executed. The leading actors have in the past done excellent jobs, and for the most part they do an adequate job in this film. Although at times their dialogue seems stilted and forced. The directing could have been more concise. The bulk of the criticism should go to the writers, who took a good story and made it tedious. In short, there are thousands of MUCH better ways to spend 2 hours.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm sitting around going through movie listings and not really seeing anything I want to see. My appetite keeps saying, "Something like BROADCAST NEWS." That's what I want. Something smart and funny, with adult ideas and great acting and writing, and a directorial style that doesn't call attention to itself. This may well be Hurt's best performance (is this or THE BIG CHILL, to my mind): however eccentric, Hurt is smart, and to play an unintelligent person without making sure -- wink wink -- the audience knows -- wink wink -- hey, I'M not stupid... well, that's fine acting right there. Hunter is note-perfect, and Albert Brooks is a revelation. (And he can read and sing at the same time!) Great, great work.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow, my first review of this movie was so negative that it was not excepted. I will try to tone this one down. Lets be real!!! No one wants to see a Chuck Norris movie where HE is not the main character.There was a good fight scene at the end, but the rest of the movie stank. I have to wonder if old Chuck just can't hang with the best any more. Has he slowed down so much that he has to turn out junk like this and hope that his reputation will carry him through the entire movie? Chuck is an awesome martial artist, and as we have seen from Walker, Texas Ranger, a fairly good actor, but the trick is to combine both of these qualities in his movies, and this one does not. Very Disappointing for us Norris fans. Chuck, stay as the main character in your movies, because this does not work for you...Gary$LABEL$ 0 +This movie features a pretty decent FX sequence of an earthquake for 1936. The reason you haven't seen it, is because audiences in the 30s were enamored of the "Jeanette MacDonald picture;" in which the eponymous star warbled her way through countless songs, while plots came to a complete standstill. The FX cross time very well. MacDonald's songs do not, and the awkward insertion of said songs to show off her only typical talent is not good. The hoary device of two friends growing up to become a priest and a hoodlum is given another run through the machinery (Manhattan Melodrama, The Departed). At the 30 minute mark, you've already heard the song 'San Francisco' three times. Entertainment in the thirties is generally an accumulation of irritation. Only Grand Hotel from the decade foregoes annoyance to the degree shown in San Francisco, Dinner at 8, Little Caesar, Stagecoach, All Quiet on the Western Front, Les Miserables etc..$LABEL$ 0 +We're a long way from LAURA. Once again Otto Preminger directs, Dana Andrews stars as a police detective named Mark, and Gene Tierney is the beautiful woman who haunts him, but nothing else about WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS resembles everyone's favorite sophisticated murder mystery. Instead of deliciously quotable dialogue we get gritty, harrowing realism. While the earlier film took place in the ritzy upper echelons of New York society, here we're in the low-rent district of dark streets, hoodlums, cheap restaurants and crummy flats. Tierney, gorgeous as ever, now works as a department-store mannequin and lives in Washington Heights (the neighborhood of the "doll" who once got a fox fur out of LAURA's Mark McPherson). This time Andrews is Mark Dixon, an older, sadder, more troubled version of the cool cop in a trench coat. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS belongs to a sub-genre of noir, movies about police brutality focusing on cops who can't control their violent impulses. Like Kirk Douglas's character in DETECTIVE STORY, Dixon owes his seething contempt for crooks to his father's criminal past. Where Douglas is self-righteous and blind to his own faults, Andrews is burdened by repressed guilt and self-loathing. He accidentally kills a suspect and covers up his actions with an attempt to throw suspicion on a slimy gangster (Gary Merrill) whom he has been vainly pursuing for years. Instead, a kindly cab driver is suspected because he's the father of the dead man's estranged and mistreated wife Morgan (Gene Tierney). Dixon, falling in love with the wife of the man he killed, tries desperately to save her father without giving himself away. Among noir protagonists, Dana Andrews had this distinction: he was incapable of appearing unintelligent. Even when playing an average Joe, as he usually did, he always comes across as unusually sensitive and perceptive; more than that, his air of being too thoughtful for his own comfort gives him that haunted--and haunting--quality that was his essence as an actor. He played ordinary guys, cops and soldiers, but always with a tragic undercurrent of seeing and knowing too much. His conscientious heroes are marked by exhaustion, guilt, the inability ever to "lighten up." No other actor could have expressed so well the bottled-up anger, the slow-burning pain, the agonized intelligence of Mark Dixon. He also has a muted tenderness, a muffled warmth and even wry humor that make him heartbreaking. This comes out when he takes Morgan to a restaurant where he's a regular, and for the first time we see this cold, brutal man trading mock insults with the waitress, whose sarcasm can't hide her affection and concern for him. When Dixon asks his partner for money to get a lawyer for Morgan's father, he supplies it even though they recently argued and Dixon threw a punch at him. There are no words about loyalty or knowing he's a good guy deep down, but we see it all in the man's anguished silence and his wife's resignation as she hands over some jewelry to pawn. Dixon's goodness comes across through other people's reactions to him as much as through Andrews's deeply moving performance. Though Dana Andrews was a minor star, he may be the quintessential forties man. He goes through some movies hardly ever taking off his overcoat; with that boxy, mid-century silhouette, further fortified by the fedora, the glass of bourbon, the cigarette he doesn't take out of his mouth when he talks, he looks imprisoned in the masculine ideal of toughness and impassivity. While many noirs romanticize the two-fisted tough guy, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS offers an unflinching portrait of the reality behind the façade, a gripping and melancholy exploration of the roots and consequences of violence.Andrews was sadly underrated in his own time (he was the only one of the three protagonists in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES not nominated for an Academy Award, though his low-key performance is far more compelling than Frederic March's hammy, Oscar-winning drunk). Fortunately, Andrews appeared in some films that ensured his immortality, and now at last this little-known film, which contains his best performance, can be seen as part of the marvelous Fox Film Noir set. This series, including a number of never before released titles (such as NIGHTMARE ALLEY and THIEVES' HIGHWAY), suggests that Twentieth-Century-Fox may have had the finest record of all the major studios when it came to film noir.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't care what some of the reviews said, this movie was funny. The thing with this film is that you can't expect anything else except to be entertained. This is not some intellectual comedy, this is a clever popcorn movie. The three main cast members are great and work very well with each other. Shatner is a standout in the supporting cast as himself, a former TV cop, brought in by Russo's character to coach the cops on how to be "TV cops." Those are by far the funniest scenes. If you want to be entertained and just sit back for a laugh, then watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Very slow-paced, but intricately structured and ultimately very touching. A nice, very true-to-life look at a small Florida beach town in the dead of winter -- I've been there, and this is absolutely accurate.It's also the debut feature of actress Ashley Judd, and she makes a big impression here. It's hard to believe this film is 12 years old -- I remember seeing it in theaters, and I recently rented "Ruby" again. Except for the 80's looking clothes, it has held up very nicely. Ashely is so radiant and touching here, that it's hard to think of her subsequent career without wincing. Boy, talk about failing to fulfill your early promise! Anyone seeing Ashley here in "Ruby In Paradise" would assume this elegant, natural beauty went on to all kinds of interesting art films and serious acting -- instead she has become the "go to" girl for dumb action films and slasher movies! Very disappointing, but at least we have this lovely performance preserved to showcase her early promise.As some other commenter's say, this is not for everyone as it's very slow paced. This is not an action film, nor is it really a romance. The director (Victor Nunez, "Ulees Gold", another excellent character study) treats this ordinary young woman's life with deep respect, allowing her story to build slowly and with a lot of detail. In that way, I think this is one of the most moving and respectful coming-of-age stories about young women that I can recall -- it's not about Ruby's sexual awakening or "how she lost her virginity", but about her life choices and her growing maturity.A lovely film, if you take the time to watch it...I think it would be a really excellent film to show teens and young girls (or boys for that matter) and give them a chance to think about and discuss it.Particular kudos to director Nunez, who also wrote the script, which is so realistic and nicely detailed that I assumed all through the movie that it was based on a female-written novel or memoir, but in fact it's Mr. Nunez's original work. Rated 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone with a young boy in the house who won't watch black & white movies should put this on their television set. When the child walks by, wondering what all the on screen shouting and shooting's about, tell him this is a picture for adults and that he isn't big enough to watch it yet. That'll hold him there for a few minutes; director George Stevens and his team will keep him to the end.I think my father did that to me, anyway, and I'm the better man for it. This classic adventure yarn, set in India during the British occupation, features a trio of Army sergeants who find their tight union facing dissolution as one prepares to marry his sweetheart. Help arrives in the form of a vicious Thuggie revolt that the soldiers find themselves united against."Gunga Din" was one of the great movies to come out of Hollywood's finest year, 1939. Even more than most great movies from that Golden year, it is entertaining in a very immediate and accessible way. The theme music is instant hummable nirvana. While shot in California, the camera work (the only thing in "Gunga Din" that got so much as an Oscar nomination) has a windblown grandeur that feels very much like the Raj of a hundred years before. The battle scenes are shot in a very realistic manner, not too violent but very messy as people fall and shoot and run in all corners of each frame in a way that feels real, not staged like some Cecil B. DeMille Biblical slaughter fest.The script doesn't just set up action scenes, it also develops the relationship of the three sergeants with great dollops of humor. The main focus is on Sgt. Cutter, chasing after tall tales of golden treasures. It's a rare actioner for Cary Grant, and his lightness is just right for a film that never takes itself seriously even as it develops taut suspense.Anchoring the trio is Sgt. MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), who dotes over his elephant Annie and tries to protect Cutter from his own hare-brained schemes. He's just as funny in his own way, leaving Sgt. Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr., displaying some nice Errol Flynnish dash) as the one with the love interest and grounding enough to know he needs to chuck his boyish pals and grow up.If "Gunga Din" was a Lifetime movie, it would be about Joan Fontaine's efforts to save her man from his two loser friends and their skull crushing hijinks. But since it's a guys' film, the accent here is on how the threesome must stay together and save Ballantine from a fate worse than death, not only marriage, but as Cutter indignantly exclaims several times, the tea business, too.The political correctness police are hard on this film, not so much for the gender issue but the idea of British soldiers saving poor Indians from the vicious Thuggies. It reeks of colonial apologia. Thankfully, this film was made back when, and the producers thus felt no need to spell out the obvious liberalism at the heart of the film, that these three sergeants, so full of derring-do and false racial pride, have to be saved along with the rest of their army by a humble bhisti that only one of the three had any time for when he sought their approval. After all, for all their swashbuckling glory, the film's true sacrifice involves the title character, played so heart-wrenchingly by Sam Jaffe.Back when this film was made, movie mogul Jack Warner had a saying: You want to send a message, use Western Union. Still, it seems like the messages were flying fast and furious in "Gunga Din." I watch the film now and wonder if audiences back then were meant to wonder what Gunga Din was really up to when he led Cutter to the golden temple. Was he really plotting revenge against his British overlords? Would he have been justified in doing so, especially given MacChesney's cold treatment of him? When Col. Weed delivers that eulogy, the poem by Rudyard Kipling on which the film is loosely based, was it with a nod in the direction of imperialism's folly, of lording it over someone who proved "a better man than I am" in the end? What did they make of the Guru's great speech, delivered in perfect clipped English: "You have sworn an oath as soldiers to maybe die for a faith, which is your country, England. Well, I can die for my country and my faith as readily as you...India, farewell."Of course, the same character also instructs his brutal followers: "Kill for the love of killing! Kill for the love of Kali! Kill! Kill! Kill!" Which means we are allowed to hate him and root for the British, and save the questions about what it all means for later.What "Gunga Din" means to me, most of all, is the quickest, surest 90-minute thrill ride on video. Cutter never found his golden temple, but there's one for all of us watching "Gunga Din."$LABEL$ 1 +It's not surprising that the majority of higher-rated votes were submitted by females aged 45+. This is the timeframe in women's lives when they become the caretakers of aged and ill parents. I lost my mother, from complications of cancer, in June, and went through most of the same emotions portrayed by Zellweger in this film. Yes, it made me cry, but the tears were real, the characters were real, and the plot development extremely accurate. Kudos to the entire cast and crew for a wonderful portrayal of life and death, and the promises of tomorrow.$LABEL$ 1 +Stay the hell away from this one... No, really I'm serious - I know you might think this is a fun, campy, cheesy Hong Kong action style B movie. I did, but trust me, it's not. In fact, the only thing accurate about that description would be the words Hong Kong, and then only used in a strictly geographical sense.Yes, Donnie Yen has co-directed it. Jackie Chan has a cameo. The guy Ekin Cheng, from Storm Riders plays the lead. It got vampires. It should be good - or at least fun, charming and action packed. Once again - it's not.I could digress on why this movie sucks - I could dissect it, hack it to tiny, shivering pieces. But where to start? There's so much to hate...To make it easier, and to give this hate-fest some credability, let me say that I'm usually a big fan of Hog Kong cinema. The heavier drama stuff as well as the more lighthearted action and/or comedy.The really good movies as well as the really cheesy ones. I can sit through hours of bad subtitling, jokes lame enough to make first graders roll their eyes. I can handle lovers as chaste and celibate as a convention of nuns, that and pretty much anything else the average film goer would bang their metaphorical toes against on their way between action sequences. Also, Hong Kong or any other origin - I love it when a movie goes from just being bad to bad enough to be good.But this - Arrgh! It's just horrible, STUPID, unwatchable garbage. So far from being funny or charming it's actually painful. So derived of action it makes a Bergman movie look like the Texas chainsaw massacre.Why?! Why waste such an opportunity?! This could have been so much fun!$LABEL$ 0 +I first heard of this film when Patton Oswalt talked about it on his "Werewolves and Lollipops" CD. He said it was a lost classic that is completely ridiculous. Being a lover of terrible cinema, I knew I was in for a treat.This film is, hands down, one of the weirdest I've ever seen. Certainly one of the weirdest shlock films. Basically, a demon took human form years ago for a woman, the woman died or something, the demon cried blood, the blood fell on the bed, the bed is now possessed and it now eats. Along with fruit, flowers and chicken, it also has a taste for people. The people can range between horny teens, mayors, gangsters, servants or professional orgy throwers. There's also a sick guy who the bed ate but put his soul behind a picture in the room.Most movies let you figure out the plot through exciting action. Death Bed takes another path: it basically tells you through narration exactly what's happening while slow, dull murder scenes take place. Also, I must say everyone who's eaten by the bed are surprisingly quiet. I would think if a bed is eating you through the ways of a 5th grade science fair experiment, it would sting a little. I guess nerve endings weren't invented until 1981 or so.The story is wacky, the direction is slow and pretty awful, the sets are sparse, the acting it fairly painful and the brother is one of the unintentionally ugliest actors I've ever seen. Probably would make a great party film if alcohol and smart-asses are involved. Certainly one you shouldn't miss.$LABEL$ 0 +I have been a rabid Star Trek fan since 1966. Still am. One thing I learned from Star Trek is that the special effects are secondary to the characters. Encounter At Farpoint fails in its mission.Superbly produced.POORLY directed, written, acted. D.C. Fontana really blew this one. This episode is so embarrassing the master tape should be burned.The first half of the first season didn't fare much better.$LABEL$ 0 +So so special effects get in the way of recapturing the interesting relationship between Uncle Martin and Tim O'Hara that we remember from the TV series. And what was with the suit? Annoying!$LABEL$ 0 +Was this based on a comic-book? A video-game? A drawing by a 3 year-old? There is nothing in this movie to be taken seriously at all; not the characters, not the dialog, not the plot, not the action. Nothing. We have high-tech international terrorists/criminals who bicker like pre-school kids, Stallone's man-of-steel-type resilience towards ice-cold weather, dialog so dumb that it's sometimes almost hilarious, and so on. Even the codename that the bad guys use is dumb ("tango-tango"). A film that entertains through some suspense, good action-sequences, and a nice snowy mountainous setting. Oh, yes: and the unintentional humour.The film opens with some truly bad and unconvincing gay banter between our go-lucky and happy characters who are obviously having a "swell" time. Then comes a sweat-inducing failed-rescue part, which should make anyone with fear-of-heights problems want to pull their hair out. And then we have some more bad dialog, and after that some more great action. This is the rhythm of the film in a nutshell. Stallone's melodramatic exchange with Turner, when they meet after a long time, is so soapy, so clichéd, so fake, and so bad that it should force a chuckle out of any self-respecting viewer. Soon after this display of awful dialog-writing, we are witnesses to a spectacular and excellently shot hijack of an airplane. The entire action is one big absurdity, but it's mindless fun at its best. Although the rest of the action is exciting and fun, the airplane scenes are truly the highlight of the film. After the landing, our master-criminals seek for a guide and end up with Stallone and Rooker. They send Stallone to fetch the first case of money, but somehow they do everything to make it as difficult as possible for him to reach it; they take most of his clothes off (so he can freeze) and they won't give him the equipment he needs (so he can fall off). DO THESE GANGSTERS WANT THEIR MONEY FETCHED OR NOT??? Very silly. Apparently they don't trust Stallone, but surely they know that they can always black-mail him by using Rooker as a hostage. Nevertheless, our gangsters make Stallone's climb difficult, if for no logical reasons then to at least show us how truly evil they are - lest there be any doubts. And for those who might still doubt how evil the bad guys are, they overact, brag, and snicker in a truly evil manner. Everyone convinced? Good. You'd better be. Otherwise the writers will throw in a mass execution of twenty school children, just to make sure that the evilness of the bad guys is crystal-clear to everyone.The old guy who flies the chopper... How the hell did he fall for the trap? Firstly, he must have been warned by the MTV airhead about the criminals, and secondly, he must have heard Stallone's and Rooker's voices on the walkie-talkies. A whole bunch of idiotic verbal exchanges take place, with Lithgow having the questionable honour of getting most of the silly lines. "Get off my back!" Lithgow: "I haven't even started climbing on your back." Or, Lithgow to Stallone: "We had a deal, but now we only have each other!" And as for Lithgow's gang of murderers: these guys never seem to want to kill immediately. They are very creative about it; they philosophize, pretend that they are playing football with your body, and so on. Stallone co-wrote this thing. I have no idea what drugs he was on when he did it. I'd hate to think the script is this bad because of a low I.Q.$LABEL$ 1 +Perhaps I'm being too generous when I give this film two and a half stars out of five, but there was an occasional moment. However, as "An American Werewolf" movie this one is a missed chance! There are no real plot connections to the superior original to speak of, but the story is similar in some ways to "London".*Possible Spoiler Warning* American kids go to foreign country, one falls in love with a beautiful girl. Another one of the kids gets slaughtered by a werewolf in the same night that one gets bitten, and despite his undead friend's warnings, by the light of the full moon he sprouts fur, fangs, and claws!But there are some differences in the story, for one; the girl is one of the werewolves. Second; there are three American Kids. And third; there's some weird-@$$ werewolf cult intent on taking over the world! As crazy as it sounds, that last one, WASN'T a joke! *Spoiler Ends*The films suffers from many things, first the weak acting drags it down immensely! Tom Everret Scott's performance is amatuerish at best, and he and Julie Delpy, who plays his love interest, don't seem to have any chemistry together at all. Second; A weak script that seems to be all over the place. Many elements of suspense and dark comedy, that made the original one great, are missing in this one. And whoever said that eating out the heart of the werewolf that bit you will change you back human? Last I heard this wasn't part of werewolf lore at all! Third; terrible special effects; The werewolf effects are done with computer animation, which works for things such as dinosaurs, ghosts, and space ships. But seems choppy, fake and artificial, when used for furry creatures like werewolves.However there were a few things that saved this one from total "turkeydom", there's one hilarious scene in a Paris cafe when Andy (Scott) is having coffee with Serafine (Delpy), he drops a bunch of condoms on the table, and tries to pass them off as chewing gum, by chewing and blowing a bubble! Also; the soundtrack, a very cool mix of alternative rock bands like Bush and Smashmouth. Although none of the songs have the word "moon" in their title, like the original movie, the soundtrack is great nontheless. And another funny scene when a rotting corpse, played by Julie Bowen, attempts to whistle and her eyeball pops out, had me laughing out loud.But as a whole this film seems to lack the wit and suspense of the original. And the overly contrived ending doesn't help it out much either.**1/2 Two and a half Out of Five Stars (Average.)$LABEL$ 0 +I started watching this movie expecting some barely tolerable Hammer horror film wannabe... and I wasn't far off. There's a fair amount of glimpsed gore, and they threw in lots of nudity, but the latter half of the movie presents a few ironic twists. Holy cow, they actually put a little thought into the story, and didn't completely fall into the predictable stuff one expected at the outset. And dare I say it, some of the "gratuitous" nudity wasn't so gratuitous after all, because it fit in with the story and setting.Don't get me wrong, it's still overall a bad movie, but as bad movies go, it's a shade more intelligent than the REALLY horrible tripe like Mesa of Lost Women and Robot Monster.$LABEL$ 0 +Gojoe is part of a new wave of Japanese cinema, taking very creative directors, editors and photographers and working on historic themes, what the Japanese call "period pieces". Gojoe is extremely creative in terms of color, photography, and editing. Brilliant, even. The new wave of Japanese samurai films allows a peek at traditional beliefs in shamanism, demons and occult powers that were certainly a part of their ancient culture, but not really explored in Kurosawa's samurai epics, or the Zaitochi series. Another fine example of this genre is Onmyoji (2001). I would place director Sogo Ichii as one of the most interesting and creative of the new wave Japanese directors. Other recent Japanese period pieces I would highly recommend include Yomada's Twilight Samurai (2002) and Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (2003).$LABEL$ 1 +Happened upon a copy of this. Not mine and if I had spent my own money on this I'd be finding those responsible and demanding it back! All I can say is this would be a terrible student film. Any understanding of the medium of film is absent. Acting is god awful, the story would have been rejected from the original Twilight Zone series as unoriginal and lame, and the change in tone of the lead character's reaction to the 'ghost' is laughable.I can only agree that the 'glowing' reviews of this film are from friends and family. I'm afraid it's not even entertainingly bad.Amateur in the extreme! Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!$LABEL$ 0 +Whoever saddled this piece of drek with a title like Riddle deserves some kind of Award; there are dozens of riddles here like who conceived such a dire project, who funded it, who cast it, who persuaded Vanessa Redgrave to share even ONE scene with Vinnie Jones and so on. The most sane voice connected to the whole schmeer belongs to the person who decided - very, very wisely - that this was unreleasable and not even good enough to go straight to video/DVD which throws up yet one more riddle, why - if we rule out serious payola - did the Mail On Sunday get involved and deign to give it away. This has Golden Turkey written all over it and smacks of being shot in two days in somebody's garage and cobbled on to some library footage of London except somehow you KNOW that someone actually DID shoot this on location when it would have been kinder to shoot him/herself. Vinnie Jones and Julie Cox are not even cardboard cutouts more like tissue paper and I swear Pete Doherty and Kate Moss couldn't have done worse whilst Derek Jacobi is a grotesque joke and the plot moves with the speed of the Irish team sliding UP the Cresta Run. Apart from that ...$LABEL$ 0 +Flame in, flame out. That seems to be Gammera in a nutshell, a prehistoric creature who can take it and dish it out with equal abandon. I'm not a fan of Japanese monster films, but wound up committed to viewing all the flicks on the fifty film DVD sci-fi collection put out by Mill Creek/Treeline Films. It's a great value at about twenty five bucks, so at fifty cents per movie, it really boils down to an investment in time to watch some of the goofy offerings.Gammera is riled from a centuries long slumber by a nuclear blast, and he's not happy. Like Godzilla, he takes it out on Tokyo, setting the United Nations into motion to try and come up with a plan to save the planet. They arrive at 'Plan Z', the hope of the world, and wouldn't you know it, there's a scene where a huge shed is shown that's called the 'Z Plan' building; that was a nice touch.By the mid 1960's, this country still wasn't quite politically correct. One of the American military scenes at the Alaskan Air Defense Sector has General Arnold asking a female sergeant to make coffee. I guess there weren't any privates around.Good old Gammera was quite the sight though, walking around on two legs and going for the flame throwing routine when challenged. That's why it surprised me how Plan Z managed to capture turtle man in the nose cone of a hidden space ship, whisking him off to Mars to save the world. High fives all around for the American and Russian team that made the save, now let's get back to the Cold War.Like Godzilla, Gammera spawned at least a good dozen films, but having seen this one pretty much satisfies my interest in flying, flaming turtles. Especially since that DVD pack I mentioned earlier has "Attack of the Monsters" with a featured guest appearance by the Big G. It took all I had to make it through to the end of both films; it was such a relief to get to the final frame in this one that said 'Gammera, Sayonara!"$LABEL$ 0 +This tale set in Wellington, New Zealand suburbia (Tawa -home of the renowned Tawa College) is McCarten's first feature.With a contemporary New Zealand flavour Via Satellite abounds with absolutely hilarious situations which develop in the (adult) family context. At the same time it manages to invoke intense emotions of sadness and despair.One of the most moving and humourous movies of the year - not to be missed!$LABEL$ 1 +George Sluizer of THE VANISHING fame ( He made both the haunting European original and the Hollywood remake ) directed CRIMETIME . He shouldn't really be blamed for this confused , poor movie because all the problems lie in Brendan Somers script . It's ill focused and lazily written . For instance the killer hangs around a nightclub waiting to pick up a victim , any victim and starts talking to a teenage girl . Cut to the next scene where she tells the villain " I've told you everything about myself , tell me about your life ? " Unfortunately the girl has told the baddie her life story off screen and is a terrible example of the screenwriter not being able to bring a character to life through dialogue . I know for a fact how bloody difficult this is but for a screenplay that is produced the writer should have tried harder It's difficult to explain the message of the film . At some points it feels like it's trying to be a British NATURAL BORN KILLERS satarising the media's voyeurism with crime ( Perhaps it even influenced the infamous video game MANHUNT ) but the script isn't witty enough to carry this off . When you've got a sex scene that doesn't progress the plot or characters or hint of subtext you know you've got a badly written screenplay and CRIMETIME is a badly written screenplay$LABEL$ 0 +I really liked the movie, thought it was very entertaining as well as dramatic. But I just had a question about the music is the movie. I haven't been able to find any kind of soundtrack(if there even is one). And specifically ,I was wondering if anyone could tell me the name of the song that is playing while the boys are going down the river on their way to New Orleans? I thought it was something along the lines of "My great escape", but I've searched on the internet, books, pretty much everything I could think of to try to, and I just can't find it anywhere. If someone could help out it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen "professional" reviews claiming Julia Roberts playing herself was "clever and very funny". I think NOT. An actress playing herself? And doing it with her same usual dizziness whenever she tries comedy? Talk about Hollyweird narcissism at it's utmost. Why doesn't she just stand there and go, "Me, me, me. Look at me!." The director and writer should be shot for not thinking of something better then this in what could have been a charming sequel. and by the way Steven, when the audience starts paying more attention to the weird camera angles then the story you have a problem. Capra, Hitchcock, all used some creative cameras but they were talented enough not to lose the audience in them or just show off with the camera. You seem to have forgotten a cardinal rule of film-making in the name of "style". The Pitt and Zeta Jones chemistry is quite good however, perhaps if they had made the film more focused around them and dispensed with the narcissism it might have worked. Once again Zeta Jones shows how she's got more talent and beauty then Roberts could dream of. Sadly, this film wastes talent and fails on many accounts. I want my money back.$LABEL$ 0 +Fabulous costumes by Edith Head who painted them on Liz Taylor at her finest!The SFX are very good for a movie of its age, and the stunt doubles actually looked like the actors, even down to body type, a rarity in movies of this vintage.A cozy movie, with splendid panoramas -- even when chopped down to pan and scan.$LABEL$ 1 +My wife and I took our 13 year old son to see this film and were absolutely delighted with the winsome fun of the film. It has extra appeal to boys and men who remember their childhood, but even women enjoy the film and especially Hallie Kate Eisenberg's refrain, "Boys are so weird." It's refreshing to see a film that unapologetically shows that boys and girls are indeed different in their emotional and social makeup. Boys really do these kinds of strange things and usually survive to tell the story and scare their mothers silly! We enjoyed the film so much that my son and an 11 year old friend, myself and my daughters 23 year old boyfriend went to see the movie the next day for a guys day out. We had even more fun the second time around and everyone raved about it. It's clean and delightfully acted by a pre-adolescent cast reminiscent of the TV Classic "Freaks and Geeks". We all feel it will become a sleeper hit not unlike the "Freaks & Geeks" which didn't survive its first season but sold-out its DVD release. Do see it especially if you have boys and you'll find it stimulates conversation about fun and safety! Girls will love it because of the opportunity it affords to say, "Boys are so weird!" Don't miss it...$LABEL$ 1 +and this movie has crossed it. I have never seen such a terrible movie in my life! I mean, a kid's head getting cut off from the force of an empty sled? A snowman with a costume that has the seams clearly visible? This was a pitiful excuse for a movie.$LABEL$ 0 +it's amazing that so many people that i know haven't seen this little gem. everybody i have turned on to it have come back with the same reaction: WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!!i've never much cared for Brad Pitt (though his turns in 12 monkeys and Fight Club show improvement) but his performance in this film as a psycho is unnerving, dark and right on target.everyone else in the film gives excellent performances and the movie's slow and deliberate pacing greatly enhance the proceedings. the sense of dread for the characters keeps increasing as they come to realize what has been really happening.the only thing that keeps this from a 10 in my book, is that compared to what came before it, the ending is a bit too long and overblown. but that's the only flaw i could find in this cult classic.if you check this film out, try to get the letterboxed unrated director's cut for the best viewing option.rating:9$LABEL$ 1 +And you'd be right. Black Mama, White Mama, also known as 'Women in Chains,' is exactly the kind of trashy and crappy b-movie that the premise suggests. Pam Grier has been thrown into a prison on a small island with a lot of other women, and this place seriously makes the summer camp where Martha Stewart is locked up right now look like a maximum-security prison. It's not five minutes into the movie that one of the hottie guards utters the line 'Strip 'em and get 'em wet,' and then we are introduced to a prison life that resembles some college freshman's fantasy of what the inside of a sorority house is like. The prisoners soap and rub and wrestle with each other in the shower like it's a Girls Gone Wild shoot, then they all hang out together in their dorm, openly smoking pot and discussing in a big group what would be the best ways to escape. I've never been to prison myself, but I have a feeling that escape plans are the kind of thing that you want as few people as possible to know about, prisoners or guards or otherwise. The biggest difference between this prison life and some fantasy sorority life is that the women in this movie all wear orange cardigans (and no pants. Go figure) that say PRISON on the back. Must be those generic prison outfits for prisons that can't afford pricey accessories like their prison name or prisoner numbers for their uniforms.And as is to be expected, a prison that can't afford to put prisoner identification on the backs of the uniforms can obviously not expect to be able to find guards that are interested in guarding the prisoners as much as they are in having sex with the prisoners and each other.The conflict of the movie's title refers to the fact that Lee Daniels (Pam Grier) spends much of the time handcuffed to a blonde prisoner named Karen as they are on the run from the cops after escaping from the prison. I won't go into details about how they escape except to say that you might have seen something like it in The Fugitive had they been unable to afford to stage a train wreck, and it leads into the muddled story of the conflicting interests also chasing these two women for different reasons. Karen and Lee both have their own gangs of people each hoping to rescue their respective escaped prisoner, and the cops are after both of them all the while.(spoilers) So Karen is involved with a bunch of hippies that want to Revolutionize Life As They Know It. Meanwhile, Karen just wants to get off the island, something she's been trying to do for years, and isn't it just perfect that they each need to go to completely opposite sides of the island in order to fulfill their goals. So we get this odd couple pairing and, since they are an odd couple, it's not hard to predict that they will hate each other for the vast majority of the film but grow fond of each other by the end.In a movie with so many conflicting interests, especially when those conflicting interests not only propel the two main characters in opposite directions as they pursue their goals, it is not unreasonable to expect that there will be a climactic moment involving the rival gangs at some point in the movie. Not about to leave anyone unsatisfied, they throw in a stupid gang standoff at the end of the movie, where everyone shoots machine guns at each other, killing each other en masse while the two women paddle safely and calmly across the river in a little boat. Nice. Even better, at the end of the movie, after a huge massacre in which lots of people get shot and spurt bright red paint all over the place, the Captain of the police looks over the masses of dead criminals covered in awful, awful special effects, and we learn that he will be a Major before dinner. Not a bad way to end the movie, the criminals all kill each other off and the cops get all the credit, but here is the last line in the film – 'It's better to win, isn't it?' Is THAT why the Captain is going to get promoted to Major? Because he figured that out???$LABEL$ 0 +The Rookie suffers from so much. There are the random musical songs interspersed through the movie, the long pointless script and enough grating slapstick to make Jerry Lewis blush. Noonan and Leavitt just don't know when to quit. It takes a full hour before the story finally gets to the main plot and the characters are shipwrecked. Then the guys start playing Japanese sailors with the standard racist caricature of the day. It is a shame the funniest parts of the movie are when Noonan and Leavitt are playing the stupid, stereotyped Japanese guys. But, it gets pretty tiring after switching back and forth between two sets of characters. Then it just abruptly ends. Even a naked Julie Newmar in a towel can't save this one.There is really little charm in the movie and it is over a half hour too long. The story just flounders along trying to set up funny situations and failing. Stick to Martin & Lewis. At least Deano had charm and Jerry had that animated face.$LABEL$ 0 +Ashley Judd, in an early role and I think her first starring role, shows her real-life rebellious nature in this slow-moving feminist soap opera. Wow, is this a vehicle for political correctness and extreme Liberalism or what?Being a staunch feminist in real life, she must have cherished this script. No wonder Left Wing critic Roger Ebert loved this movie; it's right up his political alley, too.Unlike the reviewers here, I am glad Judd elevated herself from this moronic fluff to better roles in movies that entertained, not preached the heavy-handed Liberal agenda.$LABEL$ 0 +Klaus Kinski popped up in a sizable number of spaghetti Westerns throughout the 60's and early 70's; he was usually cast in secondary parts as nasty villains. Kooky Klaus lands himself a juicy lead role as Crazy Johnny Laster, a foul, twitchy, and deranged sex maniac who comes up with a plan to abduct a lovely heiress in order to obtain her considerable inheritance. Johnny and his gang become wanted fugitives after the plan goes disastrously awry. Writer/director Mario Costa ably crafts a sordidly compelling portrait of a severely sick and twisted piece of sniveling low-life work: the plot unfolds at a steady pace, the tone is appropriately gritty and serious, and the exciting action scenes are staged with real skill and brio (the shoot-outs in rock quarries are especially gripping and thrilling). Ironically dressed in white, oozing oily charisma from every rotten pore, and jumping on beautiful women every chance he gets, Kinski's Johnny makes for a fascinatingly creepy and monstrous brute. Kinski is simply spectacular as this gloriously repellent character; he receives fine support from the luscious Gabriella Giorgelli as sweet, fiery saloon girl Juanita, Steven Tedd as the cheery Riccardo, Giovanni Pallavicino as ruthless band gang leader Machete, Giuliano Raffaella as smart lawyer Gary Pinkerton, and Paolo Casella as Johnny's sensible parter Glen. Kudos are also in order for Stelvio Cipriani's moody and spirited score. Well worth seeing for Kinski fans.$LABEL$ 1 +Christopher Lloyd is funny and really believable as "Al the head angel". This movie is much better than the first, but it has great special effects that the first did not have as well as a much better plot and writing.OK - it was written for kids, but adults have as much fun as the kids do. Tony Danza does a very realistic job in his role - but this is NOT a Taxi reunion.Danny Glover is actually good and even seems to be very human in his emotions as well as showing some real acting talent for a change, a pleasant change.Watch at least once - it is worth the effort to catch it.$LABEL$ 1 +Watched this flick on Saturday afternoon cable. Man, did it drag. I got the metaphors, symbolism, and all that stuff. No, I didn't care one way or another about the sexuality of the characters. But, the pacing of the story and the scripting almost put me to sleep.That is..... until Ruth Marshall got naked. If you're a breast-man who is not homo-phobic, you may want to rent it. Ruth has a lesbian sex scene that's pretty hot, and then a hetero sex scene that is a notch higher than most standard movie fare. Her jiggly D-cups made the film worth the watch.--The Mighty Avatar$LABEL$ 1 +I almost saw this at an actual movie theatre (an art-house theatre, no less!) but couldn't make it there in the one whole week it played, but yesterday I finally saw it on cable and...well...I wasn't disappointed, that's for sure! Madonna has done it again: YET ANOTHER BOMB! When will this woman learn? When will the studios learn? (Or perhaps they already have, since this film was largely dumped, with little fanfare and deadly word-of-mouth.) One would hope that being directed by her talented husband, who's created some interesting and/or terribly entertaining work, would bring out the same quality Madonna showed in "Desperately Seeking Susan"; alas, it just isn't meant to be, for here she is, at her very worst: singularly convinced of her own greatness, the smugness permeating every frame she's in, made all the more unbearable by her wavering faux-British accent, an accent that only underscores the fact that her speaking voice is immature in quality and not especially pleasant. This may sound unnecessarily cruel but LISTEN to the woman, and LOOK at her films of, say, the past decade: like a latter-day Bette Davis, there is an unmistakable brittleness to not only her carriage but to her very face and body, which here, despite the warm photography displayed throughout the film (perhaps its only saving grace), are done no favors. To her credit, the entire affair is so misbegotten that one wonders if the world's greatest actress on her best day could do anything with this mess. No one involved escapes unharmed: Bruce Greenwood actually seems pained to be on-screen, though poor Jeanne Tripplehorn seems to carry herself as if she's actually in something good, which had me thinking all the while, "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!" Adriano Giannini, son of Giancarlo Giannini, star of the Italian original, "Swept Away...", is, like his father before him, immensely attractive, and isn't altogether bad (despite winning a Razzie nomination for "Worst Actor"), but, like almost everything else about this production, it all comes back to Madonna, on whose shoulders rest the blame. Why her? Why not her husband, director Guy Ritchie? Just who do YOU think was behind this remake? What actress wouldn't want nearly every shot of a movie to be centered on her, with only a relative nobody sharing the screen? Oh sure, Ritchie deserves some blame: surely he - or someone - ANYONE! - should have, and could have, taken his lead aside and insisted on something bordering on ACTUAL FEELING in her line readings (for her performance is so wooden it's a surprise the rest of the cast didn't get splinters), or at least display a semblance of warmth...but she seems resistant to be anything but a cinematic black hole. Above and beyond anything else, this is strictly a vanity project for its star so she is ultimately accountable for it. A film like this, an "Odd Couple"-ish, war of the classes, should be light and fun, with leads who can bounce off one another with witty, even romantic, dialogue, for what else can a film whose plot involves two disparate people stranded, really be? Honestly, I don't think anyone involved knew exactly the tone they were trying for; it succeeds neither as comedy (I defy you to laugh even once) or romance (Madonna's ice-princess routine precludes ANY chemistry). It's not even bad enough for us bad-movie lovers to enjoy. A real shame...$LABEL$ 0 +It appears that there's no middle ground on this movie! Most of it takes place in a dream and, like most dreams, it's often foolish and illogical. It's also a gorgeous production with some great songs and fine performances, especially by our angel.Jeanette's deadpan, unknowing insults and various other faux pas at the dream reception are hilarious, and her jitterbug with Binnie Barnes is a surprise and a delight. At one point, she gets to sing a snippet from Carmen, followed by the final trio of Faust (holding a lapdog, for some strange reason), then "Aloha Oe" on the beach! It's a surreal comedy--tremendously entertaining if you can get into the groove.$LABEL$ 1 +FORBIDDEN PLANET is one of the best examples of Hollywood SF films. Its influence was felt for more than a decade. However, certain elements relating to how this wide-screen entertainment was aimed at a mid-fifties audience that is now gone have dated it quite a bit, and the film's sometimes sluggish pacing doesn't help. But, the story's compelling central idea involving the ancient,extinct Krell civilization and "monsters from the Id" hasn't lost its appeal and continue to make this film a relevant "must see" movie. What I'm mostly interested in saying here is that the current DVD for this movie is terrible. The movie has never really looked that good on home video and it's elements are in dire need of restoration. I hope that will happen soon and we get a special edition of this SF classic.$LABEL$ 1 +I did not read anything about the film before I watched it, by chance, last Saturday evening. And then, as I was watching it, I felt the misery of Lena and Boesman into my bones. I was so captivated by the acting and the tone and the filming that I listened only partially to the dialogues. My husband fell asleep soon after we went to bed and I was sleepless, under the impact of the film. I wanted to wake him up just to say:"if I would ever vote for an Oscar nomination, it would be for these two actors." I decided to wait until the next day. Then I read more about the film on IMDb, and was sad to learn that Mr. Berry died before the release of the film and that he had probably never seen the last version of his brilliant masterpiece. I still want to tell him that to me his film was a true independent film, in its concept and spirit. The actors are to be praised not only for their brilliant performance but for accepting a part with no shine, no showing off, well to the contrary, displaying the true image of human depression. Sad but poignant.$LABEL$ 1 +Another trashy Grade Z quickie from the prolific Albert Pyun. Tim Thomerson´s 13 inch Clint Eastwood-like cop from outer space chases an ugly flying head(!) to Earth and gets involved in a gang war in South Bronx! Mercifully short, but deadeningly dull, with the cheesiest effects since Attack of the 50Ft Woman. They should have fired the continuity guy, too: Note how Thomerson´s sunglasses disappears and reappears in every second shot. Laughably bad, but that´s why we watch these movies, ain´t it? Sequel ´Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys´ is reportedly even worse, if that´s possible.0 (of ****)$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie, thinking it looked like a wonderfully delightful historical piece. What I got was a piece of pure garbage. This movie was confusing in most spots, choppy in almost every spot and dreadful in all spots. Mira Sorvino's portrayal of a queen playing a young male scholar was depressing at best. Ben Kingsley should have been stripped of his knighthood for even considering this film as one of his projects. Fiona Shaw should definitely stick to playing Petunia Dursley; at least the Harry Potter movies are more entertaining than this thing they call a play within a movie.The cinematography looks like some college kid took a class in Cinematography 101 and failed miserably. Almost every scene in the movie is chopped up for some sort of effect; the end result of course being the cheesiest bit of editing I've ever seen. Jay Rodan was almost good as Agis; too bad he had such a bad script to work with. Rachael Stirling gives her best effort as the almost gullible lady in waiting. In the end, I really wish Blockbuster Video gave refunds. I'm so glad I didn't spend 10 bucks watching this fiasco in the theater. If they've been performing this Marivaux play since the 18th century, it makes me wonder how many people over the ages have had their best naps during this work. If I had been there, they wouldn't have hear the play over the snoring. Thank goodness for the modern convenience of DVD players; you can skip past the boring or awful scenes. Guess that means I only watched the beginning and the end!$LABEL$ 0 +Who else other than Troma can take the classic tragedy and change it around to todays standards???? No one....in my opinion the Leonardo DiCaprio one sucked. Tromeon & juliet is a definite stretch from the original Shakesperan tragedy, but it holds up well. Its sick, demented, twisted, but yet insanely funny and fulfilling. For the most part it follows the true Romeo and Juliet story, but many Troma elements are added. Will Keenan gives a great performance as Tromeo. The acting is solid and the story is great. Many people look past these movies, not only the Kaufman Troma movies, but all the ones they distribute. Sure Troma movies are an acquired taste, but you need to see some of these. It is renegade filmmaking at it's best.$LABEL$ 1 +Significant Spoilers! This is a sick, disturbing movie... just like the sick, twisted director, Jennifer Chambers Lynch who also wrote it. I don't even know why I gave this movie a rating of 2. It is not the fault of the actors for sure. The cast certainly portrayed their roles well. It is the way this movie was written and the way the characters were written which was the benchmark of a truly sick mind.I do know that I will never, ever watch another movie which has been written or directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch. She is a sick, twisted, foul-mouthed, foul-thinking deviant. She looks, speaks and sounds like some biker chick with her brain fried on drugs, who spent 20 years doing hard time. You can clearly see what kind of person she is by watching her on the DVD special features section of "Surveillance: The Watched are Watching." You can see and hear her for yourself. She was every bit as bad as I had envisioned from the writing of this movie.I'm not shocked by bad language, although this director certainly talks like a sailor. This goes far beyond simple bad language; worse than any p0rn film. The level of implied sado-violence and perversion she incorporates into every character she writes are of the genre which is even illegal by p0rn standards. This perverse, disturbing thinking is clearly apparent in her own personality and things she says. Another reviewer found the description I was seeking. This is a snuff film.Be sure to listen to her narration on the deleted scenes and alternate ending. This director/writer is truly a sick person. I can't believe anyone would put her in charge of a movie, much less pay her for it. You can be assured that I will never, ever watch another movie she has been affiliated with. In the thousands of movies I have watched and collected, there are only a couple directors and writers which have merited this kind of boycott. She is offensive beyond anyone I have ever seen connected with filming a movie before. There have been some bad directors and writers, but none could compare to her sick, twisted mind.When I saw this movie, which was just one murder rampage after another. Once it got past the hotel murder... then the sick cops shooting at and brutalizing drivers for kicks... the vacation family with the bad parents (who had no business being in the presence of children)... followed by the drug addicts.... the movie then proceeded to the (even more) twisted, deviant serial killers.As I saw the serial killers reveal themselves, I began to wonder what kind of truly sick mind wrote this movie. Those were my actual thoughts as I watched this movie. I fully intended to find out what writer had such a sick mind... because that writer seriously needs to be committed for long-term psychiatric treatment. To my surprise, it turned out to be the director. When I saw and heard what she had to say on the DVD, I realized my assessment of the writer was right on the nose. On the DVD, she was indeed the sick, twisted person I had envisioned writing such a disturbing film.While the little girl, (Stephanie) Ryan Simpkins, truly stole the show... I can't believe that her real-life parents would have tolerated this sick, foul-mouthed, director to be anywhere near their daughter.This movie is disturbing, sick, offensive, twisted and the director-writer needs some serious treatment in a mental facility.As far as the ending of the movie goes... the alternate ending, should have been the outcome of this horrific ordeal. There was no point and no benefit to the film or the story or the flow of the film by the death of the other character. I'm stunned that any studio actually distributed the movie. The trailer was completely misleading. The only reason the movie got the audience it did was due to the clever wordsmithing and creative depiction on the trailer. That trailer is not representative of the movie you will see.Other than the child... every character in this movie was a sick, murderous, twisted, perverse, violent sex freak and their characters are mirrored the mind of the writer-director who created them. But if you watch it carefully, even the parents of the vacationing family; the sick cops taking pot shots; the serial killers posing in alternate roles; cops in the station; and even the station dispatcher... every single one of these character roles incorporated a sexually, twisted, violent pervert. I'm not too sure about some of the actors after watching them talk about the filming of the movie and the Canadian town in the Special Features section of the DVD.This writer-director has such a personal mental deviation that no matter what she writes, every character role contains those same carbon copy stamps. The only character which did not have these deviant tendencies was the child. Watch closely and you will see this in every character. Then listen to the director-writer talk on the DVD Special Features section and you will understand what I'm telling you about her mental state and psychological issues. She wouldn't be tolerated in too many decent homes if she were not from a Hollywood film making family.Fortunately, Jennifer Chambers Lynch does not have much of a filmography... less than a handful of things. Since she carbon copies those disturbing traits in all of her character roles, I don't think we'll have to see many movies written or directed by her unless her dad, director David Lynch helps her out. I'd recommend staying away from any movie she is involved with... and I'm not too sure her dad's films would be any better.Do yourself a favor. Avoid anything written or directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch.$LABEL$ 0 +I just watched Nightbreed for the first time since seeing it in the theater almost 20 years ago, and while I remember liking it at the time, I don't remember being blown away by it like I was today. I really can't complain about anything in this movie. Craig Scheffer is excellent as the lead character of Boone. I never understood why he hasn't had a more successful career, because most of his early work is outstanding. As good as Scheffer is, Cronenberg is even better. His portrayal of the psycho Dr. Decker is unforgettable, and steals the show. The rest of the cast, which includes Doug Bradley is very good, save for the ridiculously over the top redneck sheriff. The visuals are good, and in some shots great. The Danny Elfman composed score is as good as it gets, and is among his best work. The ending was epic, with nonstop action for close to twenty minutes. Overall, Nightbreed is a tremendous accomplishment for Clive Barker, and ranks as my favorite of his movies, just slightly ahead of Hellraiser. 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +How do I begin? This movie is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen .It has no redeemable qualities .I just sat through this movie and it was a struggle.It failed to get even a single smile on my face.I find it hard to believe that anyone would distribute this horrible film. I felt that this movie was a failed attempt at distasteful humor. The only thing that was worth anything about this movie was the soundtrack, I'm pretty sure thats the reason I wanted to see this movie in the first place.I will wrap this up as I am going to try and forget the time I just wasted with this piece of crap. I will leave you with this warning. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM ,IT SUCKS.$LABEL$ 0 +That's right. Ohwon (the painter and the main character) is an exceptional person. What strikes me most is the message this film might address to all of you people there. And the message is sad. It says that, it's very difficult to do anything that's amazing or maybe even genius without having to obey the governments, establishment and other VIPs of this world. And even if you try, you might not be able to bear it. It is about the battle of a single person with a system. With many systems.A great film of this wonderful Korean director. Please see it if you do have an opportunity.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie at a Sneak Preview screening and I'm glad I didn't pay for it. This movie is just disgusting. Its full of dick and fart jokes and takes no pride in the action sequences(such as the shootout in "Little Germany"). I made a little list of things I enjoyed in the movie.. and a lot of which I didn't agree of.1. Dave Foley's penis. 2. The fart jokes. 3. The Poop jokes. 4. The Dude was a pussy. 5. No Gary Coleman. 6. The Talibans 7. Again making fun of Bush.. WE GET IT HE'S AN IDIOT.. move on. 8. The Dude has blonde hair. 9. The Plot. 10. The killing of minors 11. Uwe Boll was in it. 12. Most of the cast were just outrages and out there.Now the (few) good ones1. The Dude uses a cat as a silencer like in the game. 2. Lots of action. 3. Crotchy made a return (and a cameo of the maker of Postal) 4. Uhm.. I didn't have to pay for it. 5. There are a few "what the ef" momentsBoll did it again. He made another crappy game into movie adaption. Kudos to you, Mr Boll. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +The trailer for this film promised a new twist on the zombie genre: setting it in the Old West. Except it's not the real Old West, of course. It's some sort of Future West, in a world where some apocalypse has, as apocalypses are known to do, killed people and subsequently turned them into zombies. It's zombie virus time again, folks, and you know what that means? Get bitten and become one of them.So, into this dusty and dead-filled world comes a hero. He's a bounty-hunter, getting paid for taking care of zombies. It's not exactly clear who is providing the funds, but it seems a little cottage industry of zombie-hunting has emerged. But, as the trailer tells us, there's a problem. They are running out of zombies. The only way to keep on earning is to infect new towns and cities with the virus.I think that's not a bad idea for a film. But unfortunately it takes a lot more than a good idea and a crowd of people pawing at windows to make a good zombie film. What we actually get is a Clint Eastwood clone (the actor's even called Clint, for crying out loud) and his "hilarious" sidekick, trying to bag zombies while trailing some still-living bad guys to get some big reward. The whole subplot about infecting other towns is only mentioned in passing, over half-way through the film. Instead, there's a lot of western movie clichés, poor zombie make-up and some world-class bad acting. Really bad. The sort that wouldn't even make it onto Hollyoaks. Both hero and villain chomp on cigars, quips are thrown, people get bitten. As the movie lurches to a conclusion, the only thing worth wondering is whether it's going to end with the cliché of the hero being the only man alive, having killed the one he loves, or the cliché of him turning into a zombie in the final frame. (It's the first one, by the way) This film was written and directed by Gerald Nott. It's the only thing he has done and, hopefully, it will be his last. At the start of the film there is a caption that reads "Nott Entertainment". At least they got one thing right.$LABEL$ 0 +I stumbled upon this movie by accident. I mean, how else could I find out? It wasn't hyped at all by the studios, nor did I even hear about it's release from my normally plugged in friends. After throwing my money away on so many bad movies this year, I wish I could've seen this one in theaters as opposed to DVD. Mike Judge is the master of disguising deliciously intelligent humor in a low brow package. Just watch "King of the Hill" for a while...it's ostensibly redneck humor, but it's a very subtle jab at rednecks while being very sympathetic at the same time. I read the tagline for this film, and immediately I ordered it off the internet. I really don't understand where these negative reviews are coming from, except maybe from Carl's Jr. This movie is not only hilarious, but it's balanced as well. Moments of levity are interspersed between hilarious sight gags and jabs at our current superstar/corporate culture. Sure, there is some fart humor, but it's only there to laugh at derisively. The premise is only semi-plausible, but since when did that even matter? I don't see people heaping scorn upon "Futurama" because the premise is very similar. Just watch this movie. If you don't laugh, then something is really wrong with you. Maybe your dad works for Gatorade or something, and he was really offended by the movie. Maybe you're an idiot. Probably the latter.$LABEL$ 1 +The script for this Columbo film seemed to be pulled right out of a sappy 1980's soap opera. Deeply character-driven films are great, but only if the characters are compelling. And in this film the only thing compelling was my desire to change the channel. The villain's dialog sounds as if it were written by a romance novelist. The great Lt. Columbo himself is no where near his famous, lovable, self-effacing, crumpled self; and the bride/kidnap victim is a whimpering, one-dimensional damsel-in-distress (she cowers in fear from a tiny scalpel held flimsily in the hand of her abductor - come on!!! I could have knocked the scalpel out of his hand and kicked him in the you-know-what in 2 seconds). In any sense of reality, this character would have at least TRIED to struggle or fight back at least a little. And speaking of reality....the story revolves around a kidnapping which is worked and solved by the police. The POLICE?? Give me a break. Everyone knows the FBI takes over EVERY kidnapping case. This was NO Columbo, just a shallow and totally predictable crime drama with our familiar Lt. Columbo written in and stretched to 2 hours.$LABEL$ 0 +Talk about a dream cast - just two of the most wonderful actors who ever appeared anywhere - Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith - together - in "Hot Millions," a funny, quirky comedy also starring Karl Malden, Robert Morley, and Bob Newhart. Ustinov is an ex-con embezzler who gets the resume of a talented computer programmer (Morley) and takes a position in a firm run by Malden - with the goal of embezzlement in mind. It's not smooth sailing; he has attracted the attention of his competitor at the company, played by Newhart, and his neighbor, Maggie Smith (who knows him at their place of residence under another name), becomes his secretary for a brief period. She can't keep a job and she is seen throughout the film in a variety of employment - all ending with her being fired. When Newhart makes advances to her, she invites Ustinov over to her flat for curry as a cover-up, but the two soon decide they're made for each other. Of course, she doesn't know Ustinov is a crook.This is such a good movie - you can't help but love Ustinov and Smith and be fascinated by Ustinov's machinations, his genius, and the ways he slithers out of trouble. But there's a twist ending that will show you who really has the brains. Don't miss this movie, set in '60s London. It's worth if it only to hear Maggie Smith whine, "I've been sacked."$LABEL$ 1 +When I think about TV movies, I always think of this film, I have watched it a few times on Sky Movies, it was terrible.Its been a long time, since I have seen this film, was just browsing, and came across it on here :-S.A microbiologist (Linda Flemming), goes on holiday, with her son (William Flemming), at this holiday resort kinda place, they meet up with Paul Johnson (taxi driver / owns a bar?), and Kathy Johnson.Its like a weird romantic thing, William starts to fall for Kathy, and Paul falls for Linda.Some guy passes out in a street, he has some mark on his arm, Joseph (Joseph was a deep sea diver, who on some dive, saw a light, or something, and converted to religion), says he will take care of this person, there is a gap in my memory, then there is a wide out break of the virus, I think Linda offers her help, to come up with a cure, Kathy gets infected (William notices a mark on Kathy's arm), with the virus, also does Joseph.Paul says some lines to Joseph, then Joseph stumbles away, the next time you see Joseph, he is cured some how, that information is used to cure the infected, then there is a beach party, the end.$LABEL$ 0 +When this movie was released, it spawned one of the all-time great capsule movie reviews: Sphinx Stinks. It does, but in a mesmerizing sort of way. The casting is silly, starting at the top: Frank Langella and Sir John Gielgud as Egyptians? Not enough makeup in Cairo for that, at least not while this film was being made. But it's rather amusing to see them try. The performances run the gamut from mummy-like (sorry, the obvious observation) to over-the-top, with very few stops in between. The Lesley-Anne Down character seems as though she couldn't find Egypt on a map, much less expound upon its archaeological treasures. That's due at least in part to some really bad writing, one of the curses that will be visited upon every viewer of this movie. It's my opinion that movies involving a curse or that draw their basis from a subject that is somewhat esoteric, such as Egyptology, are ripe for silly, overwritten dialogue. It doesn't disappoint, and the convergence proves a double-whammy. The plot has one driving source of dramatic tension: Can this get dumber and less believable? The answer is, usually, YES. The location shots are beautiful, and the set design is generally very good, the only consistent reminders that this wasn't some low-budget production. That and the fact that there are so many well-known faces doing service in such an unintentional laugher. Cheap, no; cheesy, yes.$LABEL$ 0 +What the heck do people expect in Horror films these days anyway. Does is HAVE to be something grisly like 'SAW' or it's just crap...??? Now, I don't claim to be an all knowing expert, but I'm about 47, I've seen and own literally thousands of films and I honestly think this director really gave this film a good, sincere effort. Believe me, I was getting ready to cringe as soon as the dialog started, ASSUMING it was gonna be awful and I was pleasantly surprised. It's no Mamet script, that's for sure; but COME ON!!! with all the HORRIBLE garbage out there, ESPECIALLY in Horror, I thought this one was WAY closer to the top of the pile than most.The director used a lot of neat, clever camera angles; the soundtrack was excellent and moody, perfect for the atmosphere needed for this kind of film. The editing and timing were very good. And it DIDN'T resort to the tired, worn cliché of excessive 'slasher' violence; for example ***** MINOR SPOILER ***** During an absolutely delightful and fully gratuitous (but tasty..., uh, I mean tasteful) nude shower scene I FULLY expect her to get sliced and diced; but, AMAZINGLY we just get to enjoy her heavenly loveliness and that's it ***** END MINOR SPOILER ***** Also, the tension was built very well, leading up to a nicely ambiguous ending where you are not quite sure what's what. ***** SPOILER ***** Especially where in the scene where the psychiatrist leaves the girl and Pinnochio alone in the office; WE see the doll actually talking to her, but in the video recording we do not. Also, the Mom sees Pinnochio moving about and being quite nasty; so, are BOTH the Mom AND daughter mentally ill...??? Also there is the original 'killer' and what the Mom had surmised about a possible Evil influence. But even with all that, we are STILL not quite sure WHO was doing the killing ***** END SPOILER ***** So, all in all, I believe that it was a good, strong, sincere effort to create some good ol' Early Full Moon type style and with a LOT of restraint on the violence. And with no typical SLEAZE thrown in for no reason (just the lovely, innocent, beautiful shower scene, which I will remember to the end of my days... : ) Compared to the absolute MINDLESS drivel out there, a DEFINITE, strong 8/10!!!$LABEL$ 1 +A family (A teenage boy, his mother and a stepdad), sick of city life, decides to move to the mountains to get away from it all and have a fresh start. However, their idyll is shattered by three brothers and their domineering father, who don't take kindly to newcomers on their patch. While having objects thrown through their window and being threatened in the street is just the start, the youth decides to make things even worse by having a relationship with the terrible trio's sister. With the law unwilling to do anything about it and the violence escalating rapidly, the lad decides to take matters into his own hands..Veering wildly between hilarity and nastiness, this is one of the oddest exploitation movies ever made. At first, you can have a chuckle at some of the hammy acting and ludicrous dialogue given to the characters, especially the overwrought bad guys. But then, you get completely unnecessary scenes like a mother being raped while her son is forced to watch, or the thug's sister getting herself beaten up by her siblings for daring to sleep with our young hero. In fact, the whole view of women in the movie, which seems to be that they're pathetic creatures who scream a lot and can't defend themselves, is pretty despicable. But of course, there's the obligatory nude scene, which this time involves a young lady diving into a pool bra-less under a very thin T-shirt. Who cares about plot consistency when you have some willing young starlets ready to shed her togs. Right?!The climax centres on the teenager, who up until now hasn't been able to sneeze without jumping, suddenly morphing into a Rambo clone and blowing off his assailants left, right and centre to save his stepfather who is being held hostage by the gang. It's completely implausible but hey, so is everything else in this film.. so at least you can't accuse it of not being consistent. So, rather than attempting to find logic in a place where the word doesn't exist, check out the IMDb pages for Janet Laine Green, Dehl Berti, Stephen Hunter, Jonathan Crombie.. etc. Notice a pattern emerging here? Their careers all hit dead ends. Why? Sit through this, and all will become clear. Remember kids, if you want to get ahead in this business, hire a decent agent and ALWAYS read the scripts they offer you. Please.. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +Rated NR(would be Rated R for Pervasive Strong Language and Crude Sexual Humor). Quebec Rating:16+(should be 13+) Canadian Home Video Rating:18AEddie Murphy Delirious is Eddie's first stand up comedy routine.This came out in 1983.Back then he starred in the movie 48 hrs and Trading Places and he was on Saturday Night Live.Eddie made two stand up comedy films.Delirious and Raw.I preferred Raw because I just found the subject matter to be more humorous.Delirious however is also very funny with Eddie talking about his childhood and making fun of celebrities such as Mr.T and singers such as Michael Jackson.Any fan of stand-up comedy films should see Eddie Murphy's Delirious.$LABEL$ 1 +How, in the name of all that's holy, did this film ever get distribution? It looks as if it has been shot on someone's mobile phone and takes the screaming girl victim scenario to whole new depths. They literally scream for the full 90 minutes of the movie. And that's all they do. There is no plot, no tension, no characters, and not a lot of acting. Just screaming and more screaming.I gave up after fifteen minutes and fast-wound through it to see if anything happened. It doesn't - except for screaming, of course. Odlly enough, the act of going through it on fast forward highlights another problem - there is no camera-work to speak of. Every shot looks like every other shot - middle distance, one angle, dull, dull, DULL.It's not so bad it's good. It's just plain bad.$LABEL$ 0 +Is there any other time period that has been so exhaustively covered by television (or the media in general) as the 1960s? No. And do we really need yet another trip through that turbulent time? Not really. But if we must have one, does it have to be as shallow as "The '60s"? I like to think that co-writers Bill Couturie and Robert Greenfield had more in mind for this two-part miniseries than what ultimately resulted, especially given Couturie's involvement in the superb HBO movie "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam" which utilized little original music and no original footage, letting the sights and sounds of the time speak for themselves. This presentation intercuts file footage with the dramatic production, but it doesn't do anyone any favours by trying to do too much in too little time; like so many of its ilk, it's seen from the point of view of one family. But the children of the family seem to be involved tangentially with almost every major event of the '60s (it's amazing that one of them doesn't go to the Rolling Stones gig at Altamont), making it seem less like a period drama and more like a Cliff Notes version of the decade.The makers rush through it so much that there's little or no time to give the characters any character, with the stick figures called our protagonists off screen for ages at a time - the children's father is especially clichéd - and then when they're back on BLAMMO! it's something else. Garry Trudeau could teach the filmmakers a thing or two about doing this kind of thing properly. In fairness, Jerry O'Connell, Jordana Brewster, Jeremy Sisto, Julia Stiles and Charles S. Dutton give their material the old college try, but they're wasted (especially the latter two); it's undeniably good to see David Alan Grier in a rare straight role as activist Fred Hampton, and Rosanna Arquette (in an uncredited cameo in part 2) is always welcome.What isn't welcome is how "The '60s" drowns the soundtrack with so many period songs that it ultimately reduces its already minimal effect (and this may well be the only time an American TV presentation about post-60s America never mentions the British Invasion - no Beatles, no Rolling Stones... then again, there's only so much tunes you can shoehorn into a soundtrack album, right?). Capping its surface-skimming approach to both the time and the plot with an almost out-of-place happy ending, "American Dreams" and "The Wonder Years" did it all much, much better. Nothing to see here you can't see elsewhere, people... except for Julia Stiles doing the twist, that is.$LABEL$ 0 +Sure this movie is not historically accurate but it is great entertainment. Most DeMille pictures especially the later epics are slow and plodding but the action here moves at a clip. The story is basically a series of peaks with very little quiet moments. The action takes us from an Indian raid on a cabin; one of the best parts of the movie with Jean Arthur excellent while attempting to appease the war-painted natives. This is followed by her and Cooper being taken to the war camp and being tortured. Later comes a protracted battle with the Cheyenne. The whole thing is ridiculous but great fun and entertaining from start to finish. Jean Arthur is one of the best actresses of this era and she shines here.$LABEL$ 1 +A man by the name of Joseph Samuels is found brutally murdered in his apartment. It would appear that Samuels was visited by a group of drunken soldiers the previous evening, and with one of them seemingly missing, the evidence certainly implicates the missing soldier. But as detective Finlay digs deeper into the case he finds that they could be barking up the wrong tree, and that this crime is dealing with something desperately sad and vile, anti-Semitism.Crossfire was born out of the novel written by Richard Brooks, adapted by John Paxton and directed by the shrewdly excellent Edward Dmtryk, Crossfire {originaly titled Cradle Of Fear} is a taut and gripping picture that boldly tackles anti-Semitism. Tho the makers were forced to tone down the story from the original source, the novel is about homosexual hatred as opposed to anti-Semitism, what remains, largely due to RKO supremo Dore Schary and producer Adrian Scott, is a sort of creeping unease that drips with Noirish style.The cast features three Bob's, Young, Mitchum and Ryan, with Noir darling Gloria Grahame adding the emotional female heart. Tho only third billed, it's Robert Ryan's picture all the way, his portrayal as the bullying, conniving Montgomery is from the top draw and perfectly showcases the talent that he had in abundance. Ryan had good cause to give Montgomery some of is best work for he had served in the Marine's with Richard Brooks himself, both men having discussed the possibility that if the novel was to be made into a film?, then Ryan wanted in and to play Montgomery, thus the genesis of Ryan's career as weasel types was born!. Gloria Grahame also puts in a wonderful and heartfelt turn, which is all the more remarkable since she was being plagued by her abusive husband at the time. Stanley Clements was known to be violent towards her and his constant presence around the set irked others in the cast, but Grahame, probably channelling real life emotion, became the character of Ginny and shone very bright indeed. Both Bob Mitchum and Bob Young come out with flying colours as well, to really seal the deal on what a smartly acted picture Crossfire really is.Tho Crossfire was released before the other 1947 anti-Semitic picture, Gentleman's Agreement, and raking in over a million and a quarter dollars at the box office, some of its thunder was stolen by the Academy Award winning picture from Fox Studio. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor {Ryan}, Best Supporting Actress {Grahame}, Best Director and Best Screenplay, it won nothing, but critics of the time hailed it as a brilliant shift in American Cinema, and today it stands tall, proud and dark as a bold and excellent piece of work. 8.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +i watched all of the doctor who episodes that my local PBS station played while growing up.(got introduced to the doctor by way of John Pertwee)as well as "camera copies" of doctor who sent to America by UK fans to their US counterparts. i had a great time w/ the show, but it never seemed to take itself seriously - i mean as seriously as a sci-fi show about a time traveler could be. i went to the CONs, did the costume bit (doctor#5,6 and Tegan were my costume characters), loved it. then it all came to a sudden halt. program politics and lack of interest and funding turned doctor who into a 25year old antique that drifted into the ethos.when i heard that the sci-fi channel had picked up the new doctor, my first thought was, "cool, now my 11 year old son can see what i've been babbling on about all these years, and know what the heck a TARDIS is" (i have several phone boxes and TARDISes of various sizes around the house)i didn't expect the excellent quality of story, character development and f/x. i was to say the least - pleased. for the first time, i found a doctor that wasn't a curmudgeon, a clown, a fop, a trip-head, a pussy, or a jerk. Christopher Eccleston is by far the most believable doctor to date.now, now, calm down tom baker fans! don't get me wrong, i loved almost every doctor and his quirks, but Christopher gave something to the doctor that he'd never had before - real word believability. i'm just sad that he decided against another season. i'll try out David Tennant as i would any other doctor, but now the bar has risen...bad wolf rules!!!!!2008 update - i love David tennant! his "mod" persona is something that my generation remembers, my son's generation can deal with, and fashion gestapo can relax! he's a little more human than christopher, but not as humas as other former doctors. i miss rose, i dig martha, and what were they thinking with donna noble!?!? it's still the best ride on TV$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw this movie about 4 years ago and i was expecting something funny, similar to CB4. I was blown away. I was on the floor laughing my butt off this movie is so great. Way better than CB4, the characters, the songs, the plot, everything. Top notch independent film that was given "Two Thumbs UP" by Siskel and Egbert (and if two old white guys can understand the humour in this flick, you know it's good).$LABEL$ 1 +I was able to see a preview of this movie through UCLA's pre-screening program, and let me tell you: THIS MOVIE IS UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!!!! I have seen many movies, but few have made me laugh so sincerely or talk about the movie afterward as much as this one. I had a decent respect for Tenacious D before seeing the movie, and now I am MAD about them. I will most definitely buy their album when it is released on the 14th and will see this movie again.If you were on the fence about seeing this movie, GET OFF AND GO SEE IT!! It is worth the extremely expensive price of movie tickets these days, as you will surely bust a nut laughing during the whole thing.Aside from the comedy, the glorious and divine music that flows from KG's guitar and JB's voice is awe inspiring. The audience is left in a stupor that such beautiful harmonies and amazing riffs can be created in conjunction with such ridiculous (and hilarious) lyrics. If for nothing other than the music itself, this movie is worth the price of admission.With a wonderfully coherent storyline tying in almost all aspects of the traditional "D" history and hallmarks, great new songs, hilarious comedy, and some pretty awesome cameos, this movie ranks up there with the best! Go see it!!$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is not very bad tjough. But one cannot find anything new about the personality of Marquis de Sade from this movie. The movie tries to stay on the borderline between erotic and insightful and it cannot succeed at either. The cinematography is really bad (straigh-to video quality)$LABEL$ 0 +Hell to Pay was a disappointment. It did not have anywhere near the substance of a B Western movie, and should in no way be compared to a fantastic movie like Silverado. The dialog was dull, the plot was torpid, the soundtrack was overbearingly unnecessary, and the acting was awful. Even the professionals could've taken some lessons from the Sunset Carson School of Acting. The only positive thing about this movie is that it showcased some of the top Cowboy shooters in the nation, but you can see them in a better light in any SASS video. The packaging of this feature makes it very enticing, and the preview is decent, but it's all over after that.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the most elementary sort of traditional ghost story, not even enlivened to any great extent by the use of Irish locations. If the great M.R. James had ever come up with a tale this thin -- doesn't James in fact have a story called "A Thin Ghost"? -- he wouldn't have bothered to have it published.Orson Welles appears in the limp endpieces as a favour to a brace of old friends, this film's producers. His presence and the one movie industry in-joke would have earned this will-o'-the-wisp its Oscar nomination. This is yet more proof, if any more were needed, that the Academy Awards have never been any guarantee of merit.$LABEL$ 0 +I love science fiction, I am fascinated by Egyptian mythology and I appreciate digital animation. I figured a movie that combines these three would be at least enjoyable. I could not have been more wrong: The story (or actually the lack there of) was completely uninspired and lacks imagination - while imagination usually is the biggest component of any science fiction story. The dialogue and acting are even worse than in an average porno movie. Especially Thomas Kretschmann gives new meaning to the term 'bad performance'. Bad acting wouldn't have been such a huge problem if only 'director' Bilal didn't take himself so seriously; all the lines sound like they are supposed to be poetic, it looks like Bilal really thinks he has made a piece of art here. Well, there's no art or poetry to be found in this piece of junk, only pretentiousness! This man should really stick to making comics, since he fails on all possible accounts as a director. Worst of all is the terrible digital animation, which is so ugly that it actually turns watching this movie into a physically painful experience. The graphics look so fake they even make the werewolves in 'Van Helsing' look like live actors! And since half the characters are CGI-animated, it is quite a problem that the CGI-effects look so fake. If the Egyptian Gods actually exist then Bilal's a dead guy, since they will no doubt take gruesome revenge on him for the ridiculous way in which he portrays them in this disastrously bad movie.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was a littttle confusing at first. I usually like Gina Phillips, but this one I have to say was a bad choice just like her doing the movie Ring Around the Rosie, that one also not one her good movies. Jeepers Creepers was way better. Anyway, Faye Dunaway was good. She totally creeped me out and at the end, that was crazy. It was about Jennifer Cassi(Phillips) who comes to her twin sisters funeral. She stays at a house that her sister owns and her grandmother(Dunaway) lives at with an Aunt named Emma. Mary Ellen(Dunaway) is kinda sacrificing her relations to stay alive and as long as she wants to live, she can't die. Even if Jennifer tries to kill her, which she tries. Ravens have a weird part in it. When the relations go to sleep, the Ravens eat there organs, so they can't go to sleep. But they do. Basically it all crazy and Mary Ellen will never die and her relations will be buried, but not dead, b/c they have to suffer forever so Mary Ellen can stay alive. Yeah, I hope this helps. If it doesn't, sorry. Love ya.$LABEL$ 0 +Parsifal (1982) Starring Michael Kutter, Armin Jordan, Robert Lloyd, Martin Sperr, Edith Clever, Aage Haugland and the voices of Reiner Goldberg, Yvonne Minton, Wolfgang Schone, Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg.Straight out of the German school of film, the kind that favored tons of symbolism and Ingmar Bergmanesque surrealism, came this 1982 film of Wagner's final masterpiece- Parsifal, written to correspond with Good Friday/Easter and the consecration of the Bayreuth Opera House. This film follows the musical score and plot accurately but the manner in which it was filmed and performed is bold and avant-garde and no other Parsifal takes the crown in its bizarre cinematography. Syberberg is known for controversial films. Prior to this film he had released films about Hitler and Nazism, Richard Wagner and his personal Anti-Semitism and a documentary about Winifred Wagner, one of his grand-daughters. This film is possibly disturbing in many aspects. Parsifal (sung by Reiner Goldberg but acted by Michael Kutter) is a male throughout the first part of the film and then, after the enchantment of Kundry's kiss, is transformed into a female. This gender-bending element displays the feminine/masculine/ying-yang nature of the quest for the Holy Grail, which serves all mankind and redeems it through Christ's blood. In the pagan sorcerer Klingsor's fortress, there are photographs of such notoriously sinister figures as Hitler, Nietzche, Cosima Wagner and Wagner's mistress Matilde Wesendock. The Swaztika flag hangs outside the fortress. Parsifal journeys into the 19th and 20th century throughout the film. The tempting Flower Maidens are in the nude. Kundry is portrayed as a sort of beautiful but corrupt Mary Magdalene or Eve from Genesis (played by Edith Clever but beautifully sung by mezzo-soprano Yvonne Minton). Ultimately, this film is for fans of this type of bizarre Germanic/European symbolic metafiction and for intellectuals who appreciate the symbolism, the history and lovers of Wagner opera. Indeed, the singing is grand and compelling. Reiner Goldberg's Parsifal is a focused and intense voice but it lacks the depth and overall greatness of the greater Parsifals of the stage - James King, Wolfgang Windgassen, Rene Kollo and today's own Placido Domingo. Yvone Minton is a sensual-voiced, dramatic and exciting Kundry, delving into her tormented state perfectly. While the production is certainly unorthodox and as un-Wagnerian as it can possibly get (Wagner's concept was Christian ceremonial pomp with Grails, spears, castles, Knights and wounded kings, a dark sorcerer, darkness turning into light, etc typical Wagnerian themes)..it is still an enjoyable, art-house film.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie has a good start portraying an interesting and strong Shannon Lee and introduces two very simpathetic side characters through the first half. But later something happens and all the sudden Shannon turns into this straight faced, second hand bad girl and the movie gets lost in it's own context. The second half lacks any kind of charisma and is full of clichés, bad acting, a horrible plot and even worse stunt coordination. Not to mention the horrible actors they chose for the chechen mafia gang."Game of Death 2" was bad and clownified Bruce, but his daughter tops it making an even bigger embarrassment of herself than the double who played Bruce Lee back then. I truly believe that she can do much better than this and I hope she participates in a better production next time.If you are a real hard core action fan and don't care about quality go ahead and see this movie. I was personally looking forward to it but just got terribly disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +I first saw this film when I was in the 8th grade and I remember that it had a profound affect on me then. I saw in again about a year ago (I am now 29) and it still moved me in similar ways. This is a great movie that personifies the struggle of "principle vs. pragmistism". Voight's character is the idealist teacher that won't give in to any psuedo-racist leanings of the Superintendent, Mr. Skeffington. That story also personifies the struggle of how older people often resist change, and more specifically, cultural change. Often at the expense of children. When these battles finally come to a boil, Pat Conroy loses and pragmatism reigns triumphant. Or does it? The children that he has to leave are better off for knowing him, more exposed to the "real" world and to classical music. The other teacher at the school gained respect for him and he learned much about himself. A great film with a heart-breaking ending. I recomend that anyone who enjoyed the film to read the book, "The Water is Wide", by Pat Conroy. It will stay with you!$LABEL$ 1 +How can this movie be described? Oh yeah I've got it wretched!!!I'm not big on chop socky, but this is just plain garbage. Anyone who would waste their money to pay to see it, is just too sad for words.$LABEL$ 0 +The worse film i have every seen. Like the other honest reviewers, it is just an excuse for getting naked birds with their juggs out. Don't get wrong, naked women isn't a bad thing but there is another film genre for that. Boyfriends beware. I sold this to my girlfriend as a classic bike gang fest (due to reviews) to be greeted with every other scene full of naked women gyrating about the place. Slap in the chops for me.What makes me laugh the most is all the dogey bike dives they went to in the film were full of models with the works cosmetically - what biker bars have these? They are usually slightly haggard with tattoos and far saggier juggs! Completely unrealistic.The acting is terrible, loads of pointless swearing and a complete waste of time storyline.Did anyone check out Vinnie Jones's attempt at an American accent? Its as embarrassing as his football skills.Avoid like the plague. The only reason you would watch this film is if you are a young lad who cant access p@rn and have nicked it from their parents movie collection for a few pervy kicks!$LABEL$ 0 +IQ is a cute romantic comedy featuring two great actors that seem to click well on screen. Plot is a typical guy wrong for girl, guy gets girl format, but makes the solid point that one must love with the heart and not the the mind. Addition of Albert Einstein and his band of geniuses provides excellent comic relief. Overall, a good movie. Not great, but good$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was great and I was waiting for it for a long time. When it finally came out, I was really happy and looked forward to a 10 out of 10. It was great and lived up to my potential. The performances were great on the part of the adults and most of the kids. The only bad performance was by Milo himself. There was one problem that I encountered with this (and others like it) movie. All of the characters I wanted to live were getting killed. Overall, I give this movie an excellent 9 out of 10. Maybe we should select better people to kill next time, though, ok?$LABEL$ 1 +In a word, this film was boring. It lacked life and spark. A big problem is with the two leads. Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow had no chemistry whatsoever. He was boring, and she was annoying. The visuals were interesting, but they didn't enhance the scenes. If anything, the visuals tended to detach the audience from what was happening on screen. None of the action sequences felt real, and hence, the film failed to create any real drama or a sense of danger.The film had potential, but it needed a better script, better acting, and a better director. I kept thinking during the film, you know, this movie would've worked if Harrison Ford was Sky Captain, Karen Allen was Polly, and Steven Spielberg was the director. Ignore the critical acclaims for this film. The critics I think are praising the film because they *want* to like it and want it to succeed even though it fails on so many different levels.$LABEL$ 0 +this is awesome!!! there is no partnership quite like Errol, and Olivia. there love is genuine! I'm 24, yet this flick is as captivating now as I'm sure it was 60 years ago. Raoul Walsh is an under-rated genius, his direction is so sweeping, so broad, yet so intimate. the last scene between colonel custer (Flynn), and his wife (de havilland), almost brought me to tears (Not easy for a 24yr old guy!!), its so heart-wrenching. there is also a deep Christian message implicit here, the faith Custer has in taking your glory with you, and the trust, and fidelity of his wife to the extent of letting him go, in order that he fulfils his moral duty to protect the innocent civilians from certain massacre. there is no movie that deals with these issues quite like this. a must-see for anyone who wants to look at this defining moment in American, and military history, from the inside. patriotic, for all the right reasons. i knew Errol Flynn was a star, and De havilland was a screen legend-this only confirms my suspicions that they are among the very greatest!$LABEL$ 1 +I don't have words to describe how good this movie is. Only a genius like Amrita Pritam could have written such a real depiction of the days of partition. The movie kept haunting me for many days.Urmila did the role of her life in this movie. She put life in the role of Puroo and Manoj Vajpai did no less in his role as Rashid. It is hard to imagine anyone other than these two doing the role of Puroo and Rashid. The Punjabi costumes looked so natural on Urmila and Manoj looked like a natural Punjabi Mussalmaan.Sandhali Sinha as Lajjo and Suri as Ramchand did fabulous job. Priyanshu Chattarjee did good work as Triloki.Some of the scenes you just can't get out of your mind. When Puroo meets Lajjo for the first time, it brings tears to your eyes. The climax is just killer. I was expecting a tragic ending but thankfully, the ending was wonderful.This movie is in the same category as Pakeezah, Mughal-e-Azam, Banaras etc. Not to be missed.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow! I loved this movie and LOVE Judy Marte!! This girl isn't just an awesome pretty face, she's funny and really really talented!! She made me laugh many times just by being very naturally rough with Victor who was desperately hitting on her! We'll be seeing her a lot in the next coming years... and probably also from director Peter Sollett and co-star Victor Rasuk!Raising Victor Vargas is one of the best film I saw in a long time! Very refreshing! It's true, nice, funny, well filmed, it got it all : good story, good actors, good film direction!If you like simple, slow paced, real life, urban movies, like maybe Jersey Girl from Kevin Smith, you'll love Victor Vargas! It's better!$LABEL$ 1 +In "Anne of Green Gables" (1934), Marilla Cuthbert (Helen Westley) and Matthew Cuthbert (O.P. Heggie), middle-aged siblings who live together at Green Gables, a farm in Avonlea, on Prince Edward Island, decide to adopt a boy from distant orphanage to help on their farm. But the orphan sent to them is a precocious girl of 14 named Anne Shirley (Dawn Evelyn Paris-a veteran of Disney's series of "Alice" shorts who later would adopt her character's name). Anne was only 11 in Lucy Maude Montgomery's source novel but the same actress could not credibly go from 11 to college age during the course of the story. The movie suffers somewhat from this concession, as many of Anne's reactions and much of what she says are more entertaining coming from an eleven-year-old that from a teenager. As in the book, Anne is bright and quick, eager to please but dissatisfied with her name, her build, her freckles, and her long red hair. Being a child of imagination, however, Anne takes much joy in life, and adapts quickly to her new family and the environment of Prince Edward Island.In fact Anne is the original "Teenage Drama Queen" and the film's screenwriter elected to focus on this aspect of her character. Which transformed the basic genre from mildly amusing family drama to comedy. A change that delighted audiences and that continues to frustrate reader purists. Since the comedy is very much in the spirit of the Montgomery's story I can see no reason to take issue with the changes, but let this serve as fair warning to anyone expecting a totally faithful adaptation. The comedy element is the strength of the film as it is one of the earliest self-reflexive parodies of Hollywood conventions. The actress Anne Shirley was one of Hollywood's all- time beauties and the film is in black and white. So much of the amusement is in seeing the title character's endless laments about her appearance and hair color contradicted by what is appearing on the screen. Anne regularly regales her no nonsense rural companions with melodramatic lines like: "If you refuse it will be a lifelong sorrow to me". Perhaps the funniest moment is when she corrects the spelling of her name on the classroom blackboard. Tom Brown does a nice job as Anne's love interest Gilbert Blythe and Sara Haden steals all the scenes in which she appears as the Cuthbert's pompous neighbor. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.$LABEL$ 1 +I must preface this comment with a sort of admission: I suppose I just have a soft spot for the original 60s-70s TV series. I think the filmmakers here blew it from the get-go as far as casting: in a supposed remake, audiences would look for reflections of the hip, athletic Linc (Clarence Williams III), or the cool, with-it Michael Cole, and so forth. Instead, we get Giovanni Ribisi as a poor-little-white rich boy who comes off as just pathetic, like he is in all his roles (in the office I used to work in, I amused myself once by creating a fake movie poster, casting various actors as members of the office staff; guess who I cast as the dorky son of the company President?). Danes does OK as the new Julie, but none of the characters have much to do, as the story just sort of sits there, mired in conventionality. So it's quite forgettable, besides. What was I talking about?$LABEL$ 0 +I saw True Crime when it was first released back in the mid-nineties and I have watched it many times since. It is a great mystery about Mary (played by Alicia Silverstone), a high school senior in a California town who's classmate's younger sister was tortured and killed by an unknown murderer. Mary meets Tony (played by Kevin Dillon), a police cadet who sees how bright she is and they decide to work together to try to find the killer.Many suspects in this one. True Crime feels very "true" or real to me. I read a newsgroup review where someone wrote that total suspension of disbelief is present here and it is so true. Alicia Silverstone is perfect in this role and Kevin Dillon and Bill Nunn do a great job, as do the other actors. The locations are right on and the writer/director, Pat Verducci, really captures some of the realities of teenage life and of Mary's loneliness (see the scene where Mary awakens from the dream sequence after having viewed the photos she took of Tony). I wish Verducci would make more movies.I have not seen any other movie quite like True Crime. 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +This has the logical consistency of marshmallows filled with ketchup, and the overall aftertaste is just as disgusting. Will be used in the 9th circle of Hell at recreation time. Just plain torture.I would rather choose to watch 90 minutes of my computer going through 5400 blue screens of death than watch this appalling drivel again - ever. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.You know, the good thing about Swiss Cheese is that along with the holes you get some cheese: here it's ONLY holes - and the excitement factor? Well that turns watching paint dry into an adrenalin rush and an Olympic speed sport.My brain hurts from trying to work out who OK'd this drivel, did they think about the premise? (I sincerely hope not, otherwise there is no redemption) the only consolation is they had the pleasure of sitting through the rushes. Made for TV should not be a synonym for: "Sure, let the horses bowels run loose across the living rooms! Our audience are idiots!"I was hooked just to know how it could get any worse. This is not a good sign, folks. Hallmark should be ashamed for releasing it.I should be ashamed for watching it.I am ashamed. I'm off for a long shower.$LABEL$ 0 +I'll say one thing about this film: there are no lulls. You can't get bored watching this. The problem is that it is TOO intense. There is too much action and it NEEDS lulls! That is the risk you take in modern action films. You want it interesting but not overdone. This is way overdone.Even though the acting is fine and features a couple of "names" in Gary Busey and Roy Scheider, it still has the feel of a "B" film. The best part of it is Scheider's dialog: the only "A" part of this "B" film.The rest of the story is strictly Rambo mentality but did have a few standout scenes. One in particular was a very innovative scene featuring land mines. That was memorable. Not enough of the other scenes were to make this a keeper for long.$LABEL$ 0 +...however I am not one of them. Caro Diario at least was watchable for two thirds of the time, but the boring and self-centred third section of that movie gave us a taste of what was to come in this extraordinarily self-indulgent mess. Moretti says he feels a need to make this movie, but doesn't want to, whereas the viewer feels that he should stick with it, but really doesn't want to either. A film about Italian politics and elections could be fascinating, but this is not that film. At one point, Moretti and his friends are standing outside the Communist Party headquarters, discussing the interviews they are preparing to conduct with Party leaders inside, but it's characteristic of this film that we never get to see anything of them. Interposed with Moretti's political ravings are the events leading up to the birth of his son, and subsequent home movie shots of him with the baby and later the infant Pietro (the film drags us through several years and more than one election period). We keep expecting to see some definitive sequence or cogent argument, but they never come. I for one doubt that I could have the patience to ever sit through a Nanni Moretti movie again. He succeeds in making an hour and twenty minutes seem like an eternity.$LABEL$ 0 +Ugh. Unfortunately this is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. None of the characters are remotely likable, which makes this film difficult to watch. They're all miserable thirty year olds who don't take responsibility for their crummy lives. I was only able to make it through a half hour of the film, so there's a chance things got better afterward, but I doubt it. I can't imagine five people as self-absorbed as they are would manage to remain friends with each other for ten years.Three sex scenes in the first half hour were also disappointing, as they had no relevance to the plot, and were clearly a gratuitous (failed) attempt to bring some life to this otherwise dull film.Save your time and money, and skip this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Oh dear me! Rarely has a "horror" film bored me, or made me laugh, as much as this one. After a spirited start with an intriguing premise, it descends into not much more than a slasher flick, with some supernatural and sexual asides. The usually excellent Alice Krige is wasted in this one, and the plot twists are ludicrous. Don't bother unless you're really desperate. Rating: 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +The film has weird annoying characters, strange unexplainable slapstick, and an insurmountable amount of dialogue about smoking. The movie has a contrived plot of a bitchy, empty-headed woman's (Jeanne Tripplehorn) search for love. Although who would ever like Jeanne's character, personality, or reading of the dialogue, I really cannot say. Except that she likes to smoke.Sarah Jessica Parker gives an interesting character performance (who likes to smoke). Dylan McDermott does his best to look pretty and soulful (as he smokes). And, hey, what is Jennifer Aniston doing there? Oh, she's not really in it enough for anyone to care about her. (But she likes to smoke).This is a waste of anyone's time. I don't even know how I was able to sit through as much of the movie as I did. I can't even believe I spent the time to write this, except to warn others of its banality. Anyone need a cigarette?$LABEL$ 0 +If Hollywood had the wellbeing of the audience at heart we would see 20 films a year with the kind of wholesome fortitude that is behind this film. There are several experiences of personal growth in this movie and while the characters ARE still very human even the lessons learned are not that greed will profit you, or do-unto-others-whatever-you-want-as-long-as-you-are-okay-with-it, no, this is what our sad, desensitized lives need, more sense... more love... more do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-done-unto-you... more HOPE. (thanks Ursula!) This movie has an intelligent wit, not "yo' mama" cracks that run rampant in the so-called comedies. People need to feel good. This movie will make you feel good and possibly inspire you to better your life, and the lives of others. sidenote Every person counts in ticket sales. This is a truly independent film. If you want more quality films you have to support them.$LABEL$ 1 +I am partly a fan of Miyazaki's work. I say "partly" because most of his films fall into two categories: brilliant, and boring. Sadly this film falls into the later category.This film suffers from the same fundamental problems as Miyazaki's recent film "Howl's Moving Castle". An intriguing premise is set up, but then immediately reduced to little more than a backdrop for some unfathomable events that only serve to confuse the plot rather than explain it.The first third of the film reveals the post-apocalyptic world the story is set in, and actually looks like an very interesting story is about to unfold. From then on things go down hill. The middle part of the film is mostly made up of thinly-veiled eco-propaganda, and the ending is heavily marred by the reliance on the kind of impenetrable spiritualism which ruins a large number of Japanese animated films.Overall the film feels as though someone ripped out every other page from the script before passing it on the the animators. What is left is something which is visually stunning (although sadly the version I saw was an Nth-generation copy, with poor colour - which gives rise to the common myth that Nausicaa shows her bare bottom when flying), but which makes little sense and ultimately left me confused.$LABEL$ 0 +This is an excellent James Bond movie. Although it is not part of the original and more famous series, and it is a standalone film, it is very well done. Enticing Sean Connery to return to the role he made famous was a stroke of genius, as was titling the movie in a way that references his past vow to not play Bond again. Connery was as great as he was in his earlier 007 appearances. The script is outstanding, as are the photography and the performances. It's the earliest movie I recall with Kim Basinger, who became much more famous after this film; Barbara Carrera was excellent; and Klaus Maria Brandauer was absolutely perfect as the main villain. The frequent references to the aging of Bond and the changing times and attitudes of the British secret service were most humorous. The 007 gadgets equaled those of the other Bond films. The only thing missing was the famous 007 music theme, which, of course, could not be used by this competing production. It was rather amazing to me to be able to see two excellent James Bond movies released in the same year, this one and Octopussy with Roger Moore. An interesting aspect of the film is an emphasis on video games and computer graphics. The early 80's were the first heyday of such things, and the use of them in this film made it a very contemporary movie. The film is actually a different version of Thunderball, updated with newer technology. Regardless of the repeated theme, there are sufficient differences to make it most entertaining. I will watch this one frequently.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this movie when I was a young lad full of raging hormones and it was about as sexy a movie as I had ever seen-or ever was to see. It may not have been a great movie. My guess is it wasn't. I don't really remember much about it, to tell you the truth. I only remember the sexual chemistry between Crosby and Biehn. No woman in ANY movie has ever done it for me as the unbelievably sexy Cathy did in this movie. I haven't seen it since that first time I caught it on TV in the 70s and I don't think I'd want to see it again since I'm sure it would be a disappointment-my hormones aren't as raging and I've become more jaded over the years. Still, when I think back on the shower scene I can still remember how great it felt way back when.Added later: After watching the movie again, I discovered that it's dangerous to go home again. What was once erotic is now pretty tame. The older woman-younger man thing still works for me, just not as much as it once did, probably because I'm no longer a 12-year-old. That older woman is now younger than I am. Also, the amateurishness of the whole thing wasn't perceived by my twelve-year-old mind. Moral: Sometimes it's better not to revisit the past.$LABEL$ 0 +Bacall does well here - especially considering this is only her 2nd film. This one is often overshadowed because it falls between 2 great successes: "To Have and To Have Not" (1944) and "The Big Sleep" (1945), both of which paired her with Humphrey Bogart. Granted this one is not up to par to the other movies but I think through no fault of her own. I think there was some miscasting in having her portray a British upper-crust lady. No accent whatsoever. I think all the strange accents were distracting - Boyer was certainly no Spaniard. It was hard to keep straight which country people were from.I really liked the black and white cinematography. Mood is used to great affect - I especially liked the fog scene. The lighting also does a great job of adding to the intrigue and tension.Bacall is just gorgeous. Boyer just doesn't fit the romantic leading man role for me - so he and Bacall together was a little strange. Not great chemistry - and certainly no Bogie and Bacall magic. But I still really liked this picture. There is great tension and it moves along well enough. I must say I found the murder of the little girl quite bold for this period film.Katina Paxinou and Peter Lorre stand out as supporting cast. Paxinou as the hotel keeper is absolutely villainous and evil in her portrayal. Her one scene where she laughs maniacally as Mr. Muckerji is leaving after exposing her as the child's murderer is quite disturbing. Lorre also does quite well in his slimy, snake portrayal of Conteras - a sleazy coward to the end. Wanda Bendrix also does quite well in portraying the child Else - especially considering this was her first picture and she was only 16 at the time (though she appears much younger). Turns out she later married Auie Murphy which proved to be a short lived, tempestuous marriage.$LABEL$ 1 +The film largely focuses on a bullying Robert Taylor as a ruthless buffalo hunter and the people who have to put up with him. Set amidst a hunt for dwindling numbers of buffalo, it portrays the end of a tragic era of senseless slaughter and is full of drama and remorse for both the buffalo and the Native Americans. Taylor is blinded by his hatred of Indians and his naivete that the buffalo herds will never disappear. In one scene, he shoots animal after animal, while in another he murders Indians and then eats the food they had cooking on their fire. Under this ruthless exterior lies an insecure person who is reduced to begging his comrades (Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan, and Russ Tamblyn) not to leave him. It's not the most pleasant of films and is weighed down by the drama it creates, leading to a dismal and very fitting conclusion in a blizzard.$LABEL$ 1 +First off, I just want to say that this show could've done well, way better than it's doing now. What brought it down was certainly the acting. Miranda Cosgrove, who acts as the main character Carly, looked almost worthy of her own show when she was on Drake and Josh. Unfortunately, iCarly was a big let down. Not only can Miranda not act convincingly enough, but she's incredibly stiff when she moves. She looks as if she's not sure how the character "carly" would move or stand. In the very first episode at the end when she throws the hat up, her arm doesn't ever leave her side from her elbow up. even when she was dancing she looked like a stick in the breeze. And the singing? The theme song was great, only because Drake had been in it, the music was pretty good and Miranda's voice sounded fake. I have to admit, the plot and settings are good, unrealistic, but hey, that's Nick. They're practically known for stupid lines and characters. But wow, is iCarly the worst of them all.$LABEL$ 0 +This really is the worst movie I have ever seen. For a while, I made a habit of watching lousy movies, including "Battlefield Earth", "Delta Force Commando" and "Starship". All of these movies are cinematic gems compared to Ironheart.There isn't much point in summarizing this piece of junk; I think it's more beneficial to summarize my reaction to the movie, which is as follows: I become furiously angry and I want to rip the tape out of the VCR and burn it after (roughly) 80 minutes of play.I rate this movie a 0, but IMDb does not let one rate a movie less than 1. I give it a 0 knowing full well that I am saying any movie that has any score above 0 is infinitely (undefinably) many times better than this one - That's really how bad it is.$LABEL$ 0 +Haven't seen the film since first released, but it was memorable. Performances by Rip Torn and Conchata Farrell were superb, photography excellent, moving story line and everything else about it was of the highest standard. Yet it seems to have been pretty much forgottenMaybe because UK is an odd market for it but I haven't seen the film on TV or video, which is sad. Has it had more success in US where it might rightly be seen as a quite accurate historical drama?Always reckon that 50% of a good film is the music and though I'm not certain I think the title theme was a simple but moving clarinet solo of "What a friend we have in Jesus". The film then went on to disprove that! Am I right or wrong?$LABEL$ 1 +This is a bad movie in the traditional sense, but taken for what it is meant to be it is quite good. Very funny and well made, although there are a few death scenes that are in bad taste, what with jiggling breasts as a girl suffocates and so on.$LABEL$ 1 +I thought Anywhere But Here was a good movie.It stars two wonderful actresses, Susan Sarandon and Natlie Portman, which when I heard they were in a movie together I resist watching it.Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable movie.It had it's moments where I felt as if they tried to hard, and there was also some really overdone and worn-out material, but there wasn't anything in the movie that I absolutely hated.I even liked how they used the pop-up performance of the uncredited Thora Birch, and all the little happy/sad moments are touching and effective.If you want to watch this movie, go ahead, because even though I don't recommend it, it's not something you should avoid, and a 5.9 rating seems unfair in my opinion.$LABEL$ 1 +Richard Widmark is a tainted character in this movie. He is a professional pickpocket. He's been in prison three times, yet at the beginning of the film, he tries to make it four. Thelma Ritter is a busy body selling information to almost everybody. Jean Peters is amazing as the girl flamed by Widmark.This is a period piece during the McCarthy era where the Red Scare ruled the politics and is worked into this plot quite nicely. What is unusual about this film is that Peters & Ritter are both victims of violent beatings in an era where women were seldom more than sex objects in films. This is what makes this film noir as women often got different roles in this type of film.The film is only 87 minutes long and was obviously made by Fox as the under card for double features in the theater. The sets show it is a limited budget film. The script made J Edgar Hoover mad because patriotism is given short shrift. Hoover wanted it changed.Instead, it became a B under card picture that was a sleeper hit in 1953. The script & acting in it are better than other big features were that year.$LABEL$ 1 +I believe the production value is OK..probably deserves a 4/10 or 5/10.it's traditionally filmed,featuring good looking people with model quality and a little class..but the premise let me annoyed..a decent woman would do such dirt? I mean she is gonna marry a man who would have sex with another woman? and what's more serious she is also active in the behavior...... only in de Laclos's mind....the film also have many aspects that makes Eastern Europeans seem immoralafter all, it's just movie, if it doesn't intend to degrade women in general, I will give one more point..but obviously, it doesconclusion: a nasty piece of crap with a little taste$LABEL$ 0 +I was not really a big fan of Star Trek until past 2-3 years. Thanks to the advent of Netflix and post 2000 video technology distribution, I am able to embark into the past of all the great Star Trek episodes. For those that don't really watch every single episode and know them by heart, through TNG, DS9, Voyager, etc., general popular consensus will say -- "I like The Next Generation" the best. That's because Captain Picard and his crew were fresh when they first appeared after decades of Star Trek starvation. But to be quiet honest, I appreciate the creativity of Voyager's episodes more than TNG. Voyager's episodes also progresses through time unlike TNG. Granted Data from TNG is great but it eventually gets old but Voyager's doctor -- now that's creativity! Instead of making artificial intelligence awkward and jerky, give him the freedom to express beyond anything you imagined. Not only is Picardo such a great actor but the premise setting for his expansive, self growth, as a doctor, self realization now that is science fiction at its best! Endgame portray him as a husband married to an "organic", inventing neuro-implant transceiver for human-machine interface, and even -- in the episode before Endgame, to disobey Captain's order and make "human" mistakes. Unlike DS9 which are blessed with 2 beautiful women right from 1st episode, Voyager has to survive 3 seasons without Jeri Ryan and I believe it is Picardo that carried them with his personality. Of course the rest of the Voyager's cast chemistry just flows effortless, Harry Kim and Tom Paris -- very natural. I love Tuvoc occasional humor, despite being a Vulcan. Finally, I'm so glad they got rid of that original female captain -- oh, if you get to watch the rare footage -- thank God for Kate! She has developed through the 7 years into an extremely confident, believable, and respectable female captain. What a GREAT job! Thank you Star Trek for making Voyager, I enjoy every episode, the creative exploration of possibilities, of morals, and of our Cosmic expanse.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, first of all I got this movie as a Christmas present so it was FREE! FIRST - This movie was meant to be in stereoscopic 3D. It is for the most part, but whenever the main character is in her car the movie falls flat to 2D! What!!?!?! It's not that hard to film in a car!!! SECOND - The story isn't very good. There are a lot of things wrong with it.THIRD - Why are they showing all of the deaths in the beginning of the film! It made the movie suck whenever some was going to get killed!!! Watch it for a good laugh , but don't waste your time buying it. Just download it or something for cheap.$LABEL$ 1 +Stay Alive, Stay Alive, Stay Alive, I am called the attention it was the trailer and not the cartel.The topic of the movie centred on a video I play that was created by a countess to kill the people and to live eternally is acceptable.First that quite, bad movie of horror, the blood sees more or less sparked(spread gossip), these scenes is bled they are the more bad.But actually(indeed) that bad is this movie, very, very, bad, but bad in all the aspects.I do not recommend this movie to anybody, trailer well, movie bad.I do not deal since(as,like) they spend(consume) money and time doing these senseless movies and too bad.$LABEL$ 0 +This might be my favorite so bad it's awesome film of all time. like many pre-teen children of the 80's repeat viewing of revenge of ninja spawned a ninja phase of my childhood. Man i thought Sho k. was badass back then. Jet Li could wup him with both legs in a cast! This movie has insane crossovers that include flashdance,the exorcist and the Lee Van cleef ninja TV show. ugh. but as a friend of mine says anyone can get a good movie made it takes true genius to make a film that starts with a ninja surviving 17 shotgun blasts long enough to take over the body of arobics instructor to get revenge. wow. While previous commentors have metioned the sword flying out of the closet on the string no one has yet metioned the powerful love scene. Where the sexy leading man cop takes off his shirt to reveal a mane of backhair. The fun never ends. Rent this!!!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +If you still remember that summer when you had your first kiss, first boy/girlfriend, or first puppy love fling...this film is for you! OK so this movie would and will never win an Oscar BUT as a Dominican I loved it...there are some things in the movie that might just go right over your head if you are not part of the culture...the kids being raised by a grandma who's both mother and father, the youngest son being babied and bathed with a Cafe Bustelo tin (sooo Dominican!), Judy being harassed by the neighborhood men, going to church and lighting a prayer candle...the film's brilliance was in those small details. Granted, it was not a pull out all the works cinematic extravaganza but it wasn't meant to be NOR was it meant to be an educational tool for those wanting to learn about Latin culture ( tip: make new friends instead). More of a bitter-sweet, faux-cumentery, this film kept it real without taking itself too seriously. As in the tradition of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" this was simply one boy's coming of age tale. I recommend it (especialmente si eres Dominicano!) =o)$LABEL$ 1 +As far as I can recall, Balanchine's alterations to Tchaikovsky's score are as follows:1) The final section of the Grossvatertanz (a traditional tune played at the end of a party) is repeated several times to give the children a last dance before their scene is over.2) A violin solo, written for but eliminated from Tchaikovsky's score for The Sleeping Beauty, is interpolated between the end of the party scene and the beginning of the transformation scene. Balanchine chose this music because of its melodic relationship to the music for the growing Christmas tree that occurs shortly thereafter.3) The solo for the Sugar Plum Fairy's cavalier is eliminated.It seems to me the accusation that Balanchine has somehow desecrated Tchaikovsky's great score is misplaced.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie about two Italian brothers who came to Germany with their family is just great!It isn't an idealistic movie, I would say it shows life as it is or was in the 60s and 70s when the main story takes place. The characters are very nice but have also some "dark" sides, what makes you believe that these are real persons. Great movie with great actors to show that life is not funny all the time, but that you can find happiness with "fire and passion" as the main character Gigi would say.$LABEL$ 1 +I have become quite fond of Laurence Olivier in the past few weeks, and was thrilled when I discovered this gem. I have always found it wonderful when I run across a film where I do not have to have my finger on the remote control in case nudity rears its ugly head.The Divorce of Lady X is charming till the final scene, and must have been a true delight for viewers back in 1938. I only wish people today could accept and love true humor instead of the horrid trash talk people now call funny.The Divorce of Lady X is well worth anyone's time.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie probably seemed like a great idea in pre-production. "Let's make a movie about one of the greatest and most controversial athletic coaches of the modern era! And let's cast Brian Dennehey as Coach Bobby Knight!" That's where this movie went terribly wrong. Why cast an actor who bears no semblance of the man he's portraying? And then, why let this actor turn his character into not Coach Knight, but Brian Dennehey in a red sweater? As I sat watching this movie on ESPN, I didn't find myself believing this man was actually Coach Knight. He didn't look like him, talk like him, act like him, or even walk like him. I could not get past this fact, and thusly, I could not enjoy the movie. When Paul Newman and Robert Redford were cast as the outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, we didn't care if they were accurate historical models of their true characters because most of us had never even heard of these men until we saw the movie. But, with someone as visible in today's media as Coach Knight, you have to do better. When Anthony Hopkins was cast as Nixon, it was the same situation. But, Anthony Hopkins made us believe he in fact was Nixon. Dennehey didn't even try. What might have been a great movie was turned sour by this. Besides the fact that this movie tried to do for the four-letter word what "Saving Private Ryan" did for dismemberment, it stunk. Too little of the real Coach Knight and too much profanity for the sake of shock value turned this movie into a "season to turn off half-way through the broadcast." The only good thing about this is that it was television movie. I didn't have to waste my hard-earned money on this piece of trash.$LABEL$ 0 +This British-Spanish co-production is one of the countless films shot in Spain in the wake of the unexpected phenomenal success enjoyed by the Italian "Spaghetti" Westerns and, as is typical of such genre efforts, features an eclectic assortment of established and emerging international stars: Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Stella Stevens, Martin Landau, Fernando Rey, Michael Craig, Al Lettieri, Dudley Sutton, Antonio Mayans, etc. Ironically, however, this incoherent mess of a movie serves as a shining example as to why that most American of film genres became a dying breed in the 1970s and is nowadays practically (or is that officially?) extinct.I really wanted to like this film, not only because the Western is one of my favorite types of movies but also because it had all the qualities, including an intriguing premise, to be a good one - not to mention the fact that my father had purchased a paperback edition of A TOWN CALLED BASTARD's novelization following its original release! As it is, the film's sole virtue (if, indeed, it can even be called that) is its sheer eccentricity: for instance, Stevens, playing a widow out for revenge on the man who betrayed her revolutionary husband, sleeps inside a coffin(!) driven around in a carriage by her dumb manservant(?) Sutton; Savalas, as a blood-thirsty renegade, who at first appears to be the film's main villain, is unceremoniously dispatched by his own henchman Lettieri very early on in the picture; the villain of the piece, then, turns out to be Landau who, in the film's very first scene, is seen pillaging side-by-side our legendary hero-turned-priest Shaw!; Fernando Rey, playing a blind peasant, is the only one who can identify rebel Shaw who, in the end turns out to have been merely a front for...well, nevermind! As you can see, the plot is very confusing and it gets stranger from there! The production team responsible for this film were also behind other Western fare around the same period of time, like CUSTER OF THE WEST (1967), BAD MAN'S RIVER (1971), CAPTAIN APACHE (1971) and PANCHO VILLA (1972).$LABEL$ 0 +On the surface the idea of Omen 4 was good. It's nice to see that the devil child could be a girl. In fact, sometimes, as in the Exorcist, when girls are possessed or are devilry it's very effective. But in Omen 4, it stunk.Delia does not make me think that she could be a devil child, rather she is a child with issues. Issues that maybe only a therapist, rather then a priest could help. She does not look scary or devilish. Rather, she looks sulky and moody.This film had potential and if it was made by the same people who had made the previous three films it could of worked. But it's rather insulting really to make a sequel to one of the most favoured horror trilogies, as a made for TV movie special.On so many levels it lets down. It's cheap looking, the acting is hammish and the effects are typical of a TV drama. The characters do not bring any sympathy, and you do not route for them. I recently re-watched it after someone brought it for me for Christmas, and it has dated appalling.If your thinking of watching this, then I would suggest that you don't. Watch one of the others, or watch the Exorcist, or watch The Good Son. Just don't waste your time on this drivel!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie has got to be about one of the worst i have ever seen. The humor was crude, hardly funny and been heard a million times before. The start was noting special and it got worse and worse as it went on. I got about halfway through and couldn't stand to watch any more of it. Luckily I was only watching it on TV so it didn't cost anything, but I seriously recommend you do not waste you time or your money.Nothing in the movie was new. The characters were not at all developed. I actually think it would have been better as a little kids movie in that it was full of stupid unrealistic "funny" events occurring ... thats like what happens in home alone or something. Not to imply home alone was in any way as terrible as this.$LABEL$ 0 +I gave this movie a 2, and though I consider myself a science fiction fan, I found this movie very difficult to take seriously. It was on AMC one late night, and I'm glad I saw it for free. This movie is probably good for a few laughs, but not much more.The special effects are about average for the time period - not awful, but not great, either. Of course we know more about Mars now than we did back then, but we really can't hold that against this film. The main reason I did not like this movie is because of the story.There were several parts of this movie that I wish would have been explored in a little more detail - the astronaut's injury/condition, the city on Mars, the creature in the lake, etc. Overall, the movie is much like a lengthy episode of the 1960s version of The Outer Limits - complete with a cheesy ending.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie was supposedly based on a non-fiction book. I'm not sure what book the script writer(s) read to write their adaptation but it has absolutely nothing to do with the true life adventures of Frances Mayes in Italy. Instead, it is an uninteresting tale that takes liberties at every juncture to bash men. Note the following examples:********************************************************************SPOILER DETAILS********************************************************************Bash Number One : Lane's husband cheats on her and her marriage ends in a divorce.Bash Number Two : Lane ventures into a local Italian town and is promptly solicited by every male on the street.Bash Number Three : Lane is saved from the horny town folk men by a charming gentlemen. She falls for him after consummating an afternoon of love making. She later finds out that he's already attached and cheating with her.Bash Number Four : You have to broaden your horizon for this one because the reference is definitely is in the movie. Her lesbian couple friends decide to have a baby by invetro (SP?) fertilization. I am told that in most lesbian relationships, you have one person assuming the female role and another assuming the male role. In the movie, after the female has been made pregnant, the "male" lesbian decides to run out on the relationship because she can not handle it.In conclusion, this movie has nothing to do with the book that it was supposedly based on.$LABEL$ 0 +Flavia(Florinda Bolkan of "Don't Torture a Duckling" fame)is locked away in a convent of carnal desires by her father.Tired of all of the sadism she sees around her(rape of a young woman in a pigsty,sexual cravings,horse castration)Flavia decides to run from the convent with her Jewish friend from the outside,Abraham.The two don't get very far before they are captured and then brought back to be tortured and forced to repent.After punishment she joins up with a band of Muslims called the Tarantulas,who had invaded the convent prior and leads a crusade that turns into nothing short of a bloody battle behind the convent walls."Flavia the Heretic" is a well-directed and fairly notorious piece of Italian nunsploitation.The film is slightly gruesome and sleazy at times.The acting is great and the characters are well-developed.Overall,"Flavia the Heretic" is a genuinely moving and intelligent movie with plenty of nudity and gore.You can't go wrong with it.8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I first saw APOCALYPSE NOW in 1985 when it was broadcast on British television for the first time . I was shell shocked after seeing this masterpiece and despite some close competition from the likes of FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING this movie still remains my all time favourite nearly 20 years after I first saw it This leads to the problem of how I can even begin to comment on the movie . I could praise the technical aspects especially the sound , editing and cinematography but everyone else seems to have praised ( Rightly too ) these achievements to high heaven while the performances in general and Robert Duvall in particular have also been noted , and everyone else has mentioned the stark imagery of the Dou Long bridge and the montage of the boat traveling upriver after passing through the border How about the script ? Francis Ford Coppola is best known as a director but he's everyway a genius as a screenwriter as he was as a director , I said " was " in the past tense because making this movie seems to have burned out every creative brain cell in his head , but his sacrifice was worth it . In John Milius original solo draft we have a script that's just as insane and disturbing as the one on screen , but Coppola's involvement in the screenplay has injected a narrative that exactly mirrors that of war . Check how the screenplay starts off all jingoistic and macho with a star turn by Bill Kilgore who wouldn't have looked out of place in THE GREEN BERETS but the more the story progresses the more shocking and insane everything becomes , so much so that by the time reaches Kurtz outpost the audience are watching another film in much the same way as the characters have sailed into another dimension . When Coppola states " This movie isn't about Vietnam - It is Vietnam " he's right . What started off as a patriotic war to defeat communist aggression in the mid 1960s had by the film's setting ( The Manson trial suggests it's 1970 ) had changed America's view of both the world and itself and of the world's view of America It's the insane beauty of APOCALYPSE NOW that makes it a masterwork of cinema and says more in its running time about the brutality of conflict and the hypocrisy of politicians ( What did you do in the Vietnam War Mr President ? ) than Michael Moore could hope to say in a lifetime . I've not seen the REDUX version but watching the original print I didn't feel there was anything missing from the story which like all truly great films is very basic . In fact the premise can lend itself to many other genres like a western where an army officer has to track down and kill a renegade colonel who's leading an injun war party , or a sci-fi movie where a UN assassin is to eliminate a fellow UN soldier who's leading a resistance movement on Mars , though this is probably down to Joseph Conrad's original source novelMy all time favourite movie and it's very fitting that I chose this movie to be my one thousandth review at the IMDb$LABEL$ 1 +Bob Clampett's 'The Hep Cat' is a distinctly average cartoon only really notable for the fact that it was the first colour Looney Tune (previously Looney Tunes were all black and white while Merrie Melodies were in colour). The tale of a singing, dancing cat's attempts to woo a lady cat and a dog's attempts to catch the cat, 'The Hep Cat' lacks the trademark energy and pace of most Clampett shorts. To be fair, Clampett doesn't have a great deal to work with. Warren Foster's script is embarrassingly thin and, while he has spun straw into gold with other cartoons, Clampett doesn't manage it with 'The Hep Cat'. It's often said of Clampett that you can't mistake his cartoons for anyone else's and it's generally true but 'The Hep Cat' is an exception. There's flashes of Clampett genius, such as the chase scene in which the cat stops to ask the dog "Hey, are you following me". When the dog confirms that he is, the cat simply says "Oh" and the chase immediately resumes. Unfortunately, there's very little of such brilliance on show here. Knowing who directed it, 'The Hep Cat' is a bitter disappointment. We all have off days and this was clearly one of Clampett's!$LABEL$ 0 +I think this film version of NORTHANGER ABBEY is actually quite good. It certainly is amusing. Well, it's not a masterpiece as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ('95) but there's very good stuff in it.. especially the City of Bath setting!!! ..The Royal Crescent, the Roman Baths, the fascinating Georgian atmosphere.. That is excellent. If you are a Bath fan like myself, you'll love watching this film! The performances may sound a bit too "melodramatic" but I've got the impression that this film, like the novel itself, is deliberately making fun of the popular tales of romance and terror and of the society of the period. The only drawback is probably the female lead as I personally have another idea of Catherine Morland's physical appearance. The music is also a bit "unusual".. but I strangely find it acceptable despite it's got nothing to do with the historical period portrayed. I'm wondering what would dear old Jane think...:)$LABEL$ 1 +Hercules' son gets severely wounded during a lion hunt that goes awry. Hercules (a solid and engaging performance by the beefy Reg Park) has to venture into an eerie and dangerous alternate dimension ruled by the evil and vengeful Gia the Earth Goddess (a deliciously wicked portrayal by Gia Sandri) and battle various monsters in order to save his son's soul. Meanwhile, Gia's equally nasty son Antaius (a perfectly hateful turn by Giovanni Cianfriglia) poses as Hercules and takes over an entire city as a cruel and ruthless tyrant. Director Maurizo Lucidi relates the engrossing story at a steady pace and maintains a serious tone throughout. This film begins a little slow, but really starts cooking once Hercules enters the misty and perilous subterranean spirit world: Rousing highlights include Hercules grappling with a humanoid lizard beast, Hercules climbing a giant gnarled tree, and Hercules being attacked by a bunch of creepy rotting zombies. Better still, the bizarre spirit world just reeks of spooky atmosphere (gotta love that persistent thick swirling fog!). The strenuous rough'n'tumble mano-a-mano major physical confrontation between Hercules and Antaius likewise totally rocks. Of course, we also get a big mondo destructo climactic volcanic eruption as well. Allvaro Mancori's crisp widescreen cinematography gives the movie an impressively expansive sense of scope. Ugo Filippini's robust, rousing score has a nifty majestic sweep to it. Okay, so this flick is an obvious cheapo cute'n'paste job that uses copious footage from both "Hercules in the Haunted World" and "Hercules and the Captive Women," but it's still an extremely lively and entertaining romp all the same.$LABEL$ 1 +I loved the first movie, the second one was okay, disappointed John Cleese wasn't jean bob anymore as hes my favorite character. But the third one...what happened to the animation??? it looks low budget like a sat morning cartoon! except for the flashback which was taken from the first movie. They really should have stopped after number 2, this just makes the rest look bad!! Derek's voice has changed but its not as recognizable as jean bob..Rogers also looks very strange. I also don't understand where Rothbart came from. I thought he died! This movie made me want to turn it off, as much as i love the first one, i was very disappointed with this installment. They will never beat the original!:)$LABEL$ 0 +I love Ashley Judd and think all of her movies are great. Rubyin Paradise is one of her best. It is a very understated movie that you really have to watch close to appreciate it. A story of a woman trying to make it on her own and refusing to give in to temptations that would make her life easy. Some of her movies such as Kiss The Girls and Time to Kill probably did better at the box office and video rentals. They were very good moviesalso, but take the time to really look at Ruby and I think you will agree it is one of Ashley's Best.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the BEST movies I have seen in a very long time. Bechard has a way of looking at things that is completely unique and this movie does not disappoint.This movie has you guessing throughout, and with the seemingly taboo topics addressed it keeps you glued to the screen. There are no bad guys or good guys, Bechard makes sure of that. The characters are so perfectly complex you feel for each of them, you care about what they have been through.Bechard's use an attention to details is unmatched in this world of "FAST FOOD MOVIES" and while some of the topics may make some uncomfortable - you love the feeling it gives you.I have heard it said too often that there are no NEW stories to tell. Thank you Gorman Bechard for proving that false.Run, don't walk, to see this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +this film was probably the best "scary film" i've seen in years. chilling might be a more accurate description. the ending was unexpected and therefore took me by surprise. if it has any flaw it would be the overuse of the whole meaning of life concept. since noone truly knows that answer, you definitely sail into murky waters when you incorporate that concept into a movie. put that aside and the movie is quite enjoyable. carly pope should emerge as one of the next bright young stars in the film industry. the rest of the cast were somewhat shaky, however since the focus was on sara novak (carly pope), her performance anchored the movie. the, at times poor acting abilities of her costars were not an issue since it was not their performances that fuelled this movie. (thankfully). watch this movie you should enjoy it.t$LABEL$ 1 +Dooley and his canine partner, Jerry Lee are together again in this 2nd sequel (?!!?) I sincerely had no clue that they made one sequel let alone two. And for a film that was only slight better than "Turner & Hooch"? This time after Dooley retires, he has to mate his dog (with other dogs, people) and wait around for Jerry Lee to poo. Real classy stuff. I mean come on now. The original had at least a few good laugh. This one has nary a one. Jim Belushi just looks old and worn out. Both Belushi brothers were great in the '80's. If John hadn't died, would he be so bad today like his brother? That thought makes me sad for some reason.My Grade: D- Where i saw it: USA network$LABEL$ 0 +Jenny Lewis plays an awkward girl called Jade. She smokes and drinks. She doesn't have a lot of friends and she has a nagging mother(Beverly D'Angelo). Jade finds herself growing closer to her mom's boyfriend Billy(Rob Estes), maybe she is attracted to him. Of course, I don't need to tell you what happens after that. This is probably my favorite TV movie. This movie shows that sometimes everyone is to blame. This movie also has the best acting that I have seen in TV movies. Beverly D'Angelo does a really nice job as a sweet and loving but neglectful and blind mother. She couldn't see what was going on under her own roof. Rob Estes is at his best here as the sleazeball. Jenny Lewis is the standout. She seems to be exactly like her character.Everyone seems to love this movie!$LABEL$ 1 +I love this movie. It is the first film Master P have ever done. It is based on the story of his life. It is low-budget, but it is very good. It shows how Master p grew up in projects in New Orleans.Not only did Master P start in this movie, he also was the writer and director with Moon Jones. The DVD also has The No Limit ice cream party on it. This movie shows how Master P goes from bad too good and how he had to deal with the things around him. It also has many of The No Limit Records roster in this film. You should buy or rent this film.It is a great movie to watch is you like rap, or is a Master P fan. I will not spoil this movie for you. Go get this movie as fast as you can and watch it. You will like it.$LABEL$ 1 +To make a film straddling the prequels and the "real" Star Wars trilogy would tax even a great film-maker....Mr Lucas is not that film-maker.To portray the fall of a good man into darkness needs a good actor...Mr Christensen is not that actor.The first 60-80 minutes are overwhelmingly boring with only a few pockets of yet more light sabre fights but there is a lack of edge because you already know which main characters survive to the original Star Wars.Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) has a very fleeting role here and about the best idea is to have Jar Jar Binks silent! No the film only picks up with the Chancellor turning on the Jedi and has one great (overlong) sequence at the lava falls$LABEL$ 0 +I waited a long time to finally see what I thought was going to be a fun caper flick and was shocked to discover shoddy direction, awkward dialogue, a lackluster pace, unmotivated slapstick gags and an overall coarseness that permeated the film throughout. Just not funny! The sets looked cheap, the costumes by the usually excellent Donfeld are garish and distracting. Even the title song is annoying. The whole children's book characters doesn't come close to representing the married couple whose life is turned upside down when he loses his job. For a film that seems to aim a dart at the unfairness of welfare and unemployment systems, the filmmakers have no problem in being unfair themselves, allowing Hispanic, black and gay stereotypes played at such a cruel level. The look of the film resembles any episode of Love American Style. This is not a compliment. Tacky seventies fashions abound in this world of white collar theft that only lends an air of implausibility to every situation. Outside of a clever initial idea, and two capable stars in Jane Fonda and George Segal, this dated exercise in social commentary comes off as forced and mean spirited to minorities, especially to gay people. If you want a better caper film, you're better off with The Hot Rock with George Segal and Robert Redford or What's Up Doc with Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand. Now that's funny!$LABEL$ 0 +A very disappointing film from Oliver Stone which, unlike his recent epic "J.F.K.", fails to stimulate any sort of real emotion. "Talk Radio" is about talk-back host 'Barry Champlain', a very loud, opinionated man who manages to upset a lot of people and yet still draw an audience, most of whom mind you just want to ring up and abuse him. His boss in the movie (Alec Baldwin) sums up his character very well by saying he's just a shoe salesman with a big mouth. And as Barry (Eric Bogosian) gets death threat upon death threat, the final outcome is almost inevitable.This is the sort of movie that usually has something very powerful to say. However, "Talk Radio" fails to make a serious comment and remains a frustrating, pointless film.Thursday, September 17, 1992 - Video$LABEL$ 0 +Being 15 myself I enjoyed this flick thouroughly!! I related to the character Ann August more than most would. My Mother isnt AS eccentric as Adele, but the feelings of lonliness is the same. This movie is perfect in the ating aspects, and Natalie's, and Susan's performances are so linked together that it's the best onscreen dual i have seen in years. Their chemistry brings the characters to life, they become real people! I would recommend this flick to anyone who is hoping to get away. Because there is genually alot of people out there who would wish to be "Anywhere But Here" including me! and if you can, see this movie with your best friend or your mother. Its the tears that blend everyone around you together more!!$LABEL$ 1 +One of my best films ever, maybe because i was well into the punk scene in the late 70s and went to many of hazels concerts, but the film was a good story line and very good acting by hazel and a up and coming Phil Daniels not sure about his latest project Eastenders !! excellent performance by lots of unknown actors who if you keep your eyes peeled will see them in many of the UK soaps today exp: Carver out of the Bill, the more i watch it the more of them i spot, well if you have not seen it yet have a night in with the video, don't forget to dig out the safety pin for your nose and heavy black eye makeup and shave your head Mochanian style....Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +OK, not possibly, honestly the worst movie i've ever seen.this made absolutely no sense, there was no plot, no characterization, no acting, just nothing.here's what i thought when i first saw it may 28th, 2003 **caution, this is a spoiler alert. it's also alot of me complaining about how bad the movie is::ok so the movie begins and the characters are introduced, but there is no character explanation. as far as i knew the main character was new to this school, but apparently not. also it appeared that he lived by himself... then that he was a foster kid... then that his mother was a raging alcoholic who lived with him still. also all his friends apparently had no parents and lived by themselves.now we come to a main plot point, this insane guy has broken out of the insane asylum and is running rampant. now our main character is obsessed with this guy and focus' intently on him for the contingency of the movie. i think i must have missed a main plot element here, there was no REASON for the main character to get hooked. even if that's the point, having no reason, why do all his friends, who are skeptical like 5 minutes before, suddenly follow him and do what he wants.so the movie continues on, and it gets all right. they're running havoc on the school, blah blah blah. but wait a minute... suddenly everyone knows that the main character is running the 'show' here. wait a second, didn't the insane guy specifically tell the main character NOT to do that? it was supposed to be anynomous.ah another important plot element has been skipped over... the insane guy was supposed to not be insane... everyone said he wasn't insane. but as the story goes on, he is VERY CLEARLY OUT OF HIS MIND. but i thought the news people said he wasn't... hm...now the movie comes to a close. THAT WAS THE CLOSE? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? not only did the ending not answer any questions about the main character, it didn't answer any questions about the insane guy. are these people in the same situation? if yes, then there are some very basic story lines that do not tend to this. if no then what is the point in saying "that's you in two weeks."??*end of the thing...*that's what i thought then. that is pretty much what i still think now. it's 6 months down the line, and if i can get it for free, i might give it another chance, but i doubt it. i highly doubt it.$LABEL$ 0 +I have been an avid chipmunk fan since the late 70's - early 80's. When this movie came out, it was a must to see it. And after seeing it, I went right over and bought it! The movie is great, I love the animated action it brings, and the music is great (yes, I bought the soundtrack on CD...) A recommended video for everyone to watch and enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +Big S isn't playing with taboos or forcing an agenda like, say Mencia or Chapelle (though I like them both). She states the obvious in subtle, near subliminal remarks. Her show won't change the World, nor is it meant to. But, along with the hilarious Brian Posehn and Paget Brewster's ex-boyfriend Jay Johnston of "Mr. Show" fame, this is one mean show with an appetite for destruction! My side's were thoroughly wrecked by the first episode. Look, I love this woman and like her famed boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel, she just delivers the lines and lets the viewer run- with-it. The best kind of comedy around. Spoofing anything and anyone, like "Mary Poppins" in the second episode when she sings to the fake birds on to quick hitting commentary on society and college aged existential nonsense. This one is highly recommended, but only for those who still have a funny bone (and didn't lose it in their most recent lippo-suction treatment or boob job).$LABEL$ 1 +Lina McLaidlaw is a bright, solitary young women who falls unexpectedly in love with Johnnie Aysgarth, a highly eligible bachelor with a penchant for losing money. They get married, but almost at once Lina is subjected to Johnnie's addiction to lying, gambling and getting into debt. Despite his flaws, she is unable to resist his charming manner, until she starts to suspect he may be harbouring murderous thoughts toward her ...This is a good movie, well-made, with an attractive cast, a good script and possibly the single lousiest ending in movie history. Okay, that's maybe going too far, but not by much. Lots of films change the ending of a book (Great Expectations, The Shining, etc) but the last two scenes of this one not only manage to be horribly lame, but also render the entire preceding plot completely meaningless. The story is about a woman whose husband is driven by his greed and moral lacking - and what she knows about him - to kill her. It should end (as it does in Francis Iles / Anthony Berkeley's book Before The Fact) with him attempting to murder her. The reason it doesn't is that the studio forced Hitch to reshoot the ending, one of the first examples of the godawful process of preview audience testing. Hitch was canny and did what he was told (this was only his third film in Hollywood) knowing that if he played the game, sooner or later he would gain creative control of his films, evinced by his masterpieces of the fifties. But that still leaves us with a turkey of an ending. This is a great shame because it really is a very good movie with an intriguing theme - does anyone really know their husband or wife that well ? The script is excellent, with many off-guard moments (such as when Lina's father dies and Johnnie assumes she's crying about it), a finely-judged performance by Grant (who never played a villain again) and fine photography throughout, culminating in the famous glass-of-milk shot. Fontaine won an Oscar for this performance, although personally I prefer her confusion and vulnerability in her earlier victimised wife role in Rebecca. I would like to rate this movie higher, but I really can't forgive that ending; this is what happens when movies are made for money, not love, which I guess is curiously the theme of the film itself. Look fast for Hitchcock's cameo as a man posting a letter.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie was TERRIBLE!!! Easily the worst movie I have seen in the past few years. One of those movies I will be able to tell people for the next three years that it was the worst movie I can think of. Thank you for giving me an answer to that burning question "What is the worst movie you have seen?" Answer: Celestine Prophecy. Trust me...I read the book, enjoyed the message and was excited to see the movie, but then, they treated the audience like we are r*tarded. There is no story and the story that is there is crippled by too much magic and coincidence. It is too bad they have to spell out the nine prophecies and can't simply weave them into a story that is entertaining to follow. They didn't spend any time on character development and it was easy to not care if any character died. It was embarrassing to be one of the few people who stuck around until the end of this incredibly boring movie. The book is pretty boring too but I enjoyed the parallels that could be seen in everyday life while you read the book. The film does not offer the same opportunity and I would suggest not seeing it if you want to continue to hold the words of the book close to your heart. DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE. Trust me.$LABEL$ 0 +Words fail me. This film was extremely difficult to watch and in hindsight I really wish I hadn't done it. Although I attempted to sit through it until the end credits I have to admit I couldn't last for more than hour, so my opinion could be unfair. However, this film would require the most impressive final third in the history of film-making in order for it to be given a review which is anything but vicious.Please do not watch any part of this film.$LABEL$ 0 +We've all see the countless previews and trailers. If you enjoyed Knoxville getting flipped by the Bull you'll take great carnal pleasure in the opening "act". I must caution the masses however, I considered taking my (under-18) son with me but am relieved I did not. This compilation of obnoxious skits contains a few that albeit as hilarious as they may seem to the adult community, a few are not for the immature. These guys must get paid a great ransom to tolerate some of the devious stunts, sometimes played at their expense. In particular, Bam Margera and Ehren McGhehey are slighted by the group in a few particular stunts. Enjoy$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was great and everything but, there were a lot of mistakes in the "soccer" scenes, i wonder if any of the guys who were working on the movie have ever seen a soccer match before..? first of all, i don't understand how she wanted to try for the boys team? in soccer boys and girls cant play in the same team and these are the FIFA rules. And don't get me started on who when they found out that she was actually a girl they let her continue to play...!! second of all, players cant paint their faces with colours and play like that, again FIFA rules not mine.and don't get me started on the way they scored goals its was ridiculous completely unrealistic. and all the players seemed like they didn't know Jack about soccer.and when duke was training Viola why did they only concentrate on shooting what happened to passing and dribbling. or was shooting her only problem?! and why the hell were all the posters on the wall in their room were for players from Chelse ?! don't they like any other players from any other teams.? it was like this was the only team they know...! but other than that the movie was good and i enjoyed the rest of it, just the training and the game scenes were unrealistic for me. they really should have consulted some one a bout them...!$LABEL$ 1 +I caught the first screening of Driving Lessons at the Tribeca Film Festival. Rupert Grint shows he can act past Harry Potter. Laura Linney is amazing as the overbearing mother. Julie Walters is hilarious as Dame Evie Walton, with a mouth worse than a sailor. I hope that this film is picked up by an American distributor so that everyone can see it. This film is not only about Driving Lessons, but life lessons. Ben (Rupert Grint) is torn between wanting to obey his overbearing mother and vicar father and wanting to live his own life. It's an amazing film, from an amazing director whose taken his own life and put it on the screen for everyone to see, and everyone who can, should.$LABEL$ 1 +I have always been a fan of the show so I'll admit that I am biased. When the show's run ended, I felt like too many questions remained unanswered. This movie to me felt like closure. To see all the people I'd followed over the past few years together at last was most rewarding. I have heard that this is probably the only Homicide movie that we can expect. If that is so, this is the appropriate way to go out. This movie is sometimes poignant, sometimes upsetting, but always satisfying. If you are or ever have been a fan of the show, watch this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Just the kind of movie I love. Some very good British actors as well as the one and only Sharon Stone. Catherine Tramell (Stone) masterfully manipulates a well educated group of people's lives, playing on their frailties to collect experiences to write a murder mystery book. She plays the female psychopath quite well while using her ample sex appeal to convincingly portray what could be considered one of the ultimate Black Widows. Tramell is use to dark places within society and freely partakes in sadomasochistic flings in the 'never visit after dark' side of town. From the beginning, there is nothing short of an R rating here from the dialog alone. Stone could also be described as a sort of female Hannibal Lecter, an emotionless femme fatal without the meal plan.$LABEL$ 1 +If you are a bit masochistic and like to waste some time you should try this one. I wasted enough time myself watching it, so I will waste no more explaining why it is so awful. Be warned!!! Oh, I see that I have to fill 10 lines or more. Here we go: every year or so some people think it is fun to start shooting a low budget film about the scary monsters of the underground, that hopefully will prove to be some sort of a hit. The Cavern is one of those. I didn't have high expectations about this one but the acting is so bad and the production so poor that I'm seriously thinking of asking for a refund. Phewww ... one more line about a useless movie ... Oh, I'm done.$LABEL$ 0 +The worst movie I've seen in a long time. This whole thing rings false, and the Billy Crudup character especially so. The potential for a good story is there, but this movie never comes close to delivering. Every plot element just drifts away.$LABEL$ 0 +This must be one of the most horribly titled films of all time. The kind of title that ruins a film because it neither evokes the plot nor the characters. A title like this makes a film flop, even the French title is not much better. Too bad - Truffaut & Deneuve must have been enough to sell it..This is a long film, but largely worth it. Clearly influenced by Hitchcock, we have an intercontinental story about a personal ad bride, her rich husband, a theft, an identity switch, and obsessive love. The plot here is actually very good, and takes us on an unexpected trip.The thing that works both for and against the movie is the focus on the relationship. It is an interesting study in how these plot developments are played out in "real life relationship" with these two people. Unfortunately, this is what bogs the film down, and makes it ultimately dissatisfying. We do like films to have a real sense of finality, and that is missing here.It was the case in many of her films that Deneuve became a canvas for Directors to play their fantasies out on, and this time it doesn't work as well. Messy here, is the fact that the Director clearly just wanted to have Deneuve take her top off a few times. Deneuve is an actress who always seems very deliberate and thoughtful, so these attempts to make her seem spontaneous fall flat. Basically, the script needed to be worked out better before shooting began, to make this film tighter and shorter and to snap. But Truffaut didn't snap, did he? So - it wanders a bit, but remains interesting.$LABEL$ 1 +My husband received DVD of OBWAT for Christmas and it was the best gift we received! We watch it every time we need to laugh and so far we have viewed it 12 times!The scenery in this movie is beautiful and the music is outstanding!We also purchased the soundtrack and we play it in our vehicles and at home when ever we need a pick me up and that too is daily!If anyone needs a suggestion for a good gift for movie lovers this movie is it!The characters are hilarious , charming , and their facial expressions are too funny to describe!I have always been a fan of George Clooney but now I am also a fan of Tim Blake Nelson(Delmar ) and John Turturro (Pete)and am now looking for them in other movies! You gotta see this movie!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Ah, McBain… The character name is immortalized and forever ridiculed by "The Simpsons" but it will also always – to me personally, at least – remain the name and title of a tremendously entertaining and outrageously violent early 90's action flick; directed by the cool dude who brought us "The Exterminator" and starring two of the most ultimately badass B-movie heroes Christopher Walken and Michael Ironside (the latter with a cute little macho ponytail). I guess "McBain" will largely have to be labeled as a guilty pleasure, because there's no way I can convince anyone this is an intellectual motion picture. The film is unimaginably preposterous (most action heroes take on a small gangster posse … McBain takes on an entire country) and yet takes itself way too seriously. The script is a non-stop and incoherent spitfire of clichéd situations, nonsensical twists, compulsory sentimental interludes, grotesquely staged action sequences and utterly implausible character drawings. It's a totally delirious movie; I loved it. Vietnam POW McBain's life is saved by fellow soldier Roberto Santos on the very last day of the war. They each keep half a dollar note as a symbol that McBain is in Santos' debt. Eighteen years later, Santos is a spirited rebel leading the revolution against the corrupt president of his home country Columbia. Santos initial attempt to take over the power fails and he's publicly executed on El Presidente's balcony. His sister travels to New York with the dollar note and turns to McBain for financial assistance and manpower. McBain and his former Vietnam buddies, who all coincidentally happen to be fed up with the injustice in this world, charter themselves a miserable little plane and fly to Columbia to open a gigantic can of whoop-ass. Okay, let's not fool each other here. The fact you're reading a user- comment on "McBain" already indicates that you have some sort of interest for low-budget B-movie action. One of my fellow reviewers spent quite some time composing a list containing all the main stupidities and insensible moments of "McBain". This list is totally accurate and I can only concur with it. Heck, I could even add some more senseless sequences to that list (like the preposterous and needless heroic self- sacrifice of a soldier who doesn't even have any affinity with the goal of the mission and the rest of McBain's squad), but what's the point? You definitely know not to expect a 100% coherent and plausible masterpiece. We know from beforehand this will be a silly and exaggeratedly flamboyant movie, and it's maybe even the exact reason why we want to check it out! This is a terrifically outrageous and exciting movie about a bunch of former Vietnam buddies turning into mercenaries and declaring war against the corrupt Columbian president and the national drug cartel. Please don't expect another "Apocalypse Now". This particular motion picture relies on the ruff 'n tuff acting performances of the macho leads, a whole lot of explosions and gunfights and – last but not least – a fantastic soundtrack in which Joan Baez sings a cover of "Brothers in Arms".$LABEL$ 1 +I borrowed this movie from library think it might be delightful. How wrong am I!It is such a bad movie that I have to write something about it. Mira Sorvino is SO bad in the movie, it is very painful to watch the scene with her. She is a pretty girl, but in this movie, She is not seductive at all, but I will have to witness her awkward attempt to seduce almost all the other major characters. It is so ridiculous.And the dialog of the film is so pretentious, and lack the humorous fact that make then acceptable.Totally failure.$LABEL$ 0 +I strongly disagree with "ctomvelu" regarding Jim Belushi's talent. I happen to like Belushi very much. Admittedly, I was skeptical when he first appeared on the scene, because I was such a HUGE fan of his late brother John. But Jim has an on-screen charm that has gotten him very far -- and he has developed it well over the years.Curly Sue is one of his earlier films -- his weight is a giveaway (ain't that true for most of us?) -- and I like the film. Yes, it is touching and heartwarming, so if you're into car chases, explosions and gratuitous sex, then you might want to pass on this one -- it is a warm film of three lost soles who find each other. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the three aforementioned keys to a successful film, but I also like a nice, solid tale like this one.And although Belushi and Kelly Lynch deliver excellent performances, the real star of this film is Alisan Porter -- who is absolutely adorable.I don't know what happened to her career, but whoever is responsible for dropping the ball (agent? parents? herself?) should be shot. You couldn't ask for a more perfect introduction to fame than this film, and yet nothing of note has been heard from her since.Another sad Hollywood story ...$LABEL$ 1 +I saw the capsule comment said "great acting." In my opinion, these are two great actors giving horrible performances, and with zero chemistry with one another, for a great director in his all-time worst effort. Robert De Niro has to be the most ingenious and insightful illiterate of all time. Jane Fonda's performance uncomfortably drifts all over the map as she clearly has no handle on this character, mostly because the character is so poorly written. Molasses-like would be too swift an adjective for this film's excruciating pacing. Although the film's intent is to be an uplifting story of curing illiteracy, watching it is a true "bummer." I give it 1 out of 10, truly one of the worst 20 movies for its budget level that I have ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +As a girl, Hinako moved away from her small village to Tokyo, leaving behind her two best friends, Fumiya and Sayori. She returns as a young woman, surprised to find that Sayori died when she was a teenager. She reunites with Fumiya and they are horrified to learn that Sayori is mysteriously being resurrected via the island of Shikoku. Oh boy. I rented this because I like Asian horror and I think Chiaki Kuriyama a nifty actress. Unfortunately, if I had to describe Shikoku in one word, it would be "fruity." This movie is silly, boring, poorly filmed, unimaginative, and most of all, unscary. Kuriyama has minimal screen time as the resurrected Sayori, and her character is given little to work with.$LABEL$ 0 +Anyone who enjoys the Lynchian weirdness of Twin Peaks, or any fan of HP Lovecraft who knows that the most frightening things are the familiar things, will really enjoy this film. Don't watch it as a horror film in the "traditional" western sense, but more like a Grimm's fairy tale. It is gory and definitely for 16+, but once you start watching it, you too will find yourself drawn into the vortex. Definitely one of those movies that hangs with you for a few days after watching (I'll never look at my snails the same way again!)$LABEL$ 1 +We were waiting in line to see The Good Girl, an excellent movie starring Jennifer Aniston, when some lady came up with this cheapo mock twenty dollar bill advertising MANNA FROM HEAVEN. "Come see this movie!" she said. "You'll love it!"She then introduced us to the director of the film. Now, this should have been our first clue. I mean, in how many cinematic situations do you have the director of the film standing out in the lobby begging people to see it? "Is this a Christian film?" I asked, not really caring one way or the other. I love Jesus. No shame in that. "No!" she said defensively. What a load of crap.This movie is BAD. So bad. And it's not only because of the obvious Christian agenda, but because of the terrible dialogue, acting that alternates between wooden and overexaggerated, and the obvious lack of an editor. The film is way too long. Had it been an hour and a half, then maybe (just maybe) I wouldn't have had to visit the suicide prevention center after seeing the movie.Actually, I lie. See, after an hour of this garbage we snuck into SWIMFAN. At least with SWIMFAN we know it's garbage before going in to see the movie. We know to brace ourselves. And SWIMFAN has hot half-naked people. The only thing half-naked in this film is the desperation of the stars involved whose obvious lack of script offers is anything but hidden. And the actress who plaid the nun? It's called a personality. Get one.The people shamelessly begging for ticket sales in the lobby told me that if I liked MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, then I would *love* (their emphasis, not mine) MANNA FROM HEAVEN. Right. More like, "If you like GLITTER, you'll love MANNA FROM HEAVEN." And Mariah could actually outperform any of the clowns from this flick. If that's not an insult, then I don't know what is.I've railed enough. Go see indie films, but don't see the bad ones. This is definitely one of the bad ones. MANNA FROM HEAVEN is in need of some divine intervention.$LABEL$ 0 +Seldom seen since theatrical release in 1970, MYRA BRECKINRIDGE has become a byword for cinematic debacles of legendary proportions. Now at last on DVD in an unexpectedly handsome package, it is as unlikely to win wide audiences today as it was when first released. Gore Vidal's 1968 bestseller was a darkly satirical statement. Most filmmakers felt that the novel's story, structure, and overall tone would not translate to film, and industry insiders were surprised when 20th Century Fox not only acquired the rights but also hired Vidal to adapt his novel to the screen. But studio executives soon had cold feet: Vidal's adaptations were repeatedly rejected and novice writer-director Michael Sarne was brought in to bring the film to the screen.Studio executives hoped that Sarne would tap into the youth market they saw as a target for the film, but Sarne proved even more out of synch with the material than the executives themselves. Rewrite upon rewrite followed. The cast, sensing disaster, became increasingly combative. In her DVD commentary, star Raquel Welch says that she seldom had any idea of what Myra's motives were from scene to scene or even within any single scene itself, and that each person involved seemed to be making an entirely different film. In the accompanying "Back Story" documentary, Rex Reed says that MYRA BRECKINRIDGE was a film made by a bunch of people who hid in their dressing rooms while waiting for their lawyers to return their calls.The accuracy of these comments are demonstrated by the film itself. The basics of Vidal's story are there, but not only has the story been shorn of all broader implications, it seems to have no point in and of itself. Everything runs off in multiple directions, nothing connects, and numerous scenes undercut whatever logic previous scenes might have had. And while director Sarne repeatedly states in his commentary that he wanted to make the film as pure farce, the only laughs generated are accidental.Chief among these accidents is Mae West. It is true that West is unexpectedly well preserved in appearance and that she had lost none of her way with a one-liner--but there is no getting around the fact that she is in her seventies, and her conviction that she is the still the sexiest trick in shoe leather is extremely unsettling, to say the least. But worse, really, is the fact that West is outside her era. Her efforts to translate herself into a hip and happening persona results in one of the most embarrassing self-caricatures ever seen on film.The remaining cast is largely wasted. Raquel Welch, a significantly underestimated actress, plays the title role of Myra very much like a Barbie doll on steroids; non-actor Rex Reed is unexpectedly effective in the role of Myron, but the entire role is essentially without point. Only John Huston and cameo players John Carradine, Jim Backus, William Hopper, and Andy Devine emerge relatively unscathed. Yes, it really is the debacle everyone involved in the film feared it would be: fast when it should be slow, slow when it should be fast, relentlessly unfunny from start to finish. It is true that director Sarne does have the occasional inspired idea--as in his use of film clips of everyone from Shirley Temple to Judy Garland to create counterpoint to the action--but by and large, whenever Sarne was presented with a choice of how to do something he seems to have made the wrong one.The how and why of that is made clear in Sarne's audio commentary. Sarne did not like the novel or, for that matter, the subject matter in general. He did not want to write the screenplay, but he needed the money; he emphatically did not want to direct the film, but he need the money. He makes it very clear that he disliked author Gore Vidal and Rex Reed (at one point he flatly states that Reed "is not a nice person"), and to this day he considers that Vidal and Reed worked in tandem to sabotage the film because he refused to play into their 'homosexual agenda'--which, when you come right down to it, seems to have been their desire that Sarne actually film Vidal's novel rather than his own weirdly imagined take-off on it.Although he spends a fair amount of commentary time stating that the film is widely liked by the gay community, Sarne never quite seems to understand that the appeal of the film for a gay audience arises from his ridiculously inaccurate depiction of homosexual people. When taken in tandem with the film itself, Sarne emerges as more than a little homophobic--and quite frankly the single worst choice of writers and directors that could have been made for this project.In addition to the Sarne and Welch commentaries and the making-of documentary, the DVD release includes several trailers and two versions of the film: a "theatrical release" version and a "restored" version. The only difference between the two is that the final scene in the "restored" version has been printed to black and white. The edits made before the film went into general release have not been restored, but the documentary details what they were. The widescreen transfers of both are remarkably good and the sound is quite fine. But to end where I began, this is indeed a film that will most interest film historians, movie buffs, and cult movie fans. I give it three out of five stars for their sake alone, but everyone else should pass it by.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer$LABEL$ 0 +Tiempo de valientes is a very fun action comedy.After his great fist movie called El fondo del mar and the spectacular TV pro-gramme Los simuladores,Damian Szifron made another great work.Tiempo de valientes looks,for moments,a movie made in Hollywood.Diego Peretti and Luis Luque are two great actors and here,they have great performances.The movie is very fun and funny and it has superb moments.Tiempo de valientes is a very fun action comedy that I totally recommend if you wanna have a great time.And I have to congrats Szifron for all the talent he has.Rating:9$LABEL$ 1 +In the old commercial for blank audio cassettes, the tag line was "is it real or is it Memorex?" The same might be said for the events in this episode - a compilation and remix of "The Cage," the first pilot of Star Trek. Mr. Spock has cleverly commandeered the ship to take it to the forbidden planet Talos IV in order to allow Capt. Christopher Pike, his first captain who has been burned and paralyzed, to return there. Why the finagling? Because to have any contact at all with Talos IV invites a death sentence. Why this is so is never explained - that bothered me tremendously - but, if nothing else, it adds to the story. After he has gotten the ship to travel to Talos IV, Mr. Spock turns himself in to Dr. McCoy (the senior-most officer present; Capt. Kirk was off the ship) for arrest and says, "The charge is mutiny, Dr.; I never received orders to take over the ship." What follows is a court martial in which - thanks to the Talosians - we learn why it was so important (besides the obvious paralysis) for Capt. Pike to get to Talos IV even at risk of Mr. Spock's death. The illusions the Talosians create, the background music and the entire storyline are fantastic. And Meg Wyllie as The Keeper (the head Talosian) is wonderful. Call me sexist but it never occurred to me to have a woman in that role but she was perfect! The Talosians, having given up almost all physical activity and becoming almost completely reliant upon the power of illusion, are also unisex; you can't really tell if they're male or female and it really doesn't matter. This episode, more than almost any other in the series, makes me hope and pray there are other worlds out there and that there are civilizations that are so far advanced! What a neat thing if this were so! This is one of my favorite episodes and, no matter how many times I've seen it (I even have it on video), it never fails to fascinate me. Meg Wyllie LOOKS like an alien and I do NOT mean that unkindly.$LABEL$ 1 +In 1961, this series was shown on local TV here in southern California. I and many others have been petering BBC for tape or DVD ever since. Now all of a sudden, here it is on Amazon. I pre-ordered in January and now here on March 30 it arrived. It was a long wait (48 years). Was it worth it? So far I have just watched Richard II (I've only had the DVD since 2 o'clock) and I can truly say YEA!!! totally worth the wait. The acting, direction, and production are superb and even better than I remember. The production is in B & W but somehow it fits. The video is clear and very good, the sound is flawless. Further proof of how timeless Shakespeare truly is.I gave this 10 stars even though I have only seen 1 of the 8 plays. I am sure that when I have seen them all I will change my rating to at least a 12.It's currently in stock at Amazon (US region 1) at a reasonable price.I'd better stop now so I can get back to watching. Next up is Henry the IV, part 1 of which is my all time favorite Shakespeare play.$LABEL$ 1 +With the death of her infirmed husband, May, an older woman faces a future in an urban world that views her as invisible, dead from the neck down, and unwelcome in the pseudo- sophisticated yuppie homes of her son, Bobby and his shallow wife, Helen, and Paula, a self- absorbed, clinging, and minimally talented daughter. The central family is anything but warm, supportive, and understanding of her new and tragic stage in life with the death of her husband. The Mother is a quiet character study that points up how in some societies, the elder parent is both unwelcome and a burden to grown children whose careers and status seeking overshadow all else. As May comes to realize the world is still important to her, the lonely widow finds her libido reawakened and alive with her daughter's boyfriend, a carpenter and rough sort. May embarks on an uninhibited sexual affair with Darren whose character is sympathetic to her at first, but his flawed nature is quickly revealed through the pressures of the women who surround him.This is the kind of role Hollywood actresses of a certain age whine is never written for them, but would never appear in because the film's frankness, overt sexuality, unglamorous wardrobe, little makeup, and social commentary on the vapidness of the very society most film industry women are enchrenched. The performance by the lead actress, Anne Reid ranges from quiet to giddy and her interpretation blossoms on screen from the drab widow to a sexually alive and freed middle age woman without face-lift, hair extensions, and liposuction. She bares more than her soul for the screen.Daniel Craig is the enabling handyman, Derrek who beds both mother and daughter. He turns in another stellar performance that is at first sympathetic to the widow's situation, but in the end is without redemption as his true nature unfold and he is literally the rooster in a hen-house. His aimless character's inability to say no to the ex-wife, boring girlfriend, and her mother is blamed as the root of his ineffectual existence. While good with his hands at building a conservatory, he is unable to construct meaning in his life.One of the best films from Britain in years, it is simply adult in its storyline. The Mother is the rare kind of film that is perhaps too honest for American audiences to tolerate having no car chase, no bling, no rap soundtrack to drown out the cretin performances by TV starlets and buff studmuffins. The Mother reflects how the aging baby boomers are now disposable people that offspring are willing to overlook, send to the retirement home, and get out of the way. May doesn't know what to do as she is made alive by Darren, isn't willing to go to the old folks home, and finds her kids are more conservative than she ever was at their age.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is so aggrivating. The main character looks like he's 35 and I've seen scrawny beanpoles with more balls than this guy. The plot twists are so predictable its not even worth watching for the humor factor.Also some of the worst dialogue I've heard in 3 years, "lets go find a small animal to torture".Ugh.....I can't even continue, don't watch this pile of garbage, it was made in 8 days.The one highlight is the drunk dude calling the main character a faggot for drawing pictures.2 out of 10, unwatchable$LABEL$ 0 +Wow... just... wow. There are a lot of reviews on this movie already but I wanted to add some comments of my own. I agree with most reviewers who have said this movie has terrible acting, writing, and directing - whoo boy does it ever. However, I think there is some other problems here.1. Why is Christian belief and the allowance for extraterrestrial life mutually exclusive? The film acts as though you just can't be a Christian and also allow for the possibility? Why? They ever-so-briefly touch on this in the film (i.e. "The Bible doesn't say there is aliens." "Well, the Bible doesn't say there isn't.), but the actual rebuttal is never answered. The Bible really doesn't say there isn't. So how about dealing with the question instead of dismissing it out of hand? Or better yet, acknowledge that this is an infinite universe we live in and if we believe in an infinite God there is the possibility that he made some other life somewhere and has his own plans for them.2. How come the ONLY two explanations for the abductions that are valid are demons and hoax? What about sleep paralysis and night terrors which have been linked to abduction experiences? What if it's something else entirely? Too bad the film makers already have their minds made up.3. The film makers claim that all who have had abduction experiences have had ties to the occult. That's a pretty big claim to make without any factual evidence to present. I'm not necessarily arguing that they don't, but if you're going to say something so asinine you'd better have the facts to back it up.4. Why does the other reporter (not the Greasy Haired Blonde Guy, the other one) always have his hands in his pockets? It's hard to take someone seriously when they're constantly playing pocket pool.I WISH this had been an exploration of Christian faith and UFO phenomena, but unfortunately the film makers were too concerned with their "Faith Message" to care much about make a thought provoking movie. As a Christian myself, this saddens me.$LABEL$ 0 +"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" consists mostly of rambling, poorly assembled footage in search of a movie. The plot makes no sense, and the various characters drop in and out of the picture with no explanation at all. Watching this silly spoof, you get the feeling than so many other comments have captured so accurately: that it's easy to make a cheap, low-quality film and then use the "parody" angle as an excuse for its cheapness and low quality (in one scene, female swimmers are terrified of tomatoes that are floating near them; how far can "suspension of disbelief" go - even in a parody?). The title song is great, though. (*1/2)$LABEL$ 0 +As I've said in the title of this review, It pains me to say this, but "hitch" reaches the zenith of what Hollywood Romantic Comedies can ever hope to aspire to. I've been a critic of both the Genre and it's namesake for as long as I can remember myself, but on an almost tragic note, "Hitch" has caused me to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of two hours of my life with a ridiculous smile plastered across my face.This movie may be misogynistic and presumptuous at times but it nonetheless possesses a certain humor about it whose subtlety may only be described as British. This is a wonderful attempt by Hollywood to make (Or remake as the case may be...) a film which appeals to all of our wishes for a Romantic Comedy which can make us both think and laugh simultaneously. I grudgingly and most evasively give this movie a 9 out of 10... Something you shall hardly see me do for a Romantic Comedy in the near future, or so at least, I hope.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a very strange product from Hollywood. Apparently it didn't test well because actors who have footage in the credits have been edited completely out of the movie, which means a hasty cut job was done on it. It feels like it was wrestled out of the usually competent Demme's hands, and just thrown away. On the other and it is so totally lacking in substance that maybe nothing could save it. It has no real center, either narratively or time wise. Although it says the running time is 92 minutes, I seem to recall it ending abruptly, around the 80 minute mark. It's over before it even gets going. It's pretty much laugh free.The merits of the "Matthew Modine picture" were as elusive then as the Luke Wilson picture is now.$LABEL$ 0 +It was extremely low budget(it some scenes it looks like they recorded with a home video recorder). However it does have a good plot line, and its easy to follow. 8 years after shooting her sexually abusive step father Amanda is released from the psychiatric ward, with the help of her doctor who she is secretly having an affair with. The doctor ends up renting her a house and buying her a car. But within the first 20 minutes of the movie Amanda kills him and buries him in her backyard. Then she see's her neighbor Richard sets eyes on him and stops at nothing until she has him. She acts innocent but after another neighbor Buzz finds out that Amanda killed that doctor and attempted to kill Richards wife Laurie (this is after Amanda and him get it on in the hot tub). Then she stops acting so Innocent and kills Buzz and later on attempts to kill Richard whom she supposedly loves and cares for. And you'll have to rent the movie to find out if Amanda dies or not. Overall good movie, reminds me a lot of my life you know the whole falling for the neighbor and stopping at nothing until you have him part.$LABEL$ 1 +I love the book. It's full of passion, romance, tension... and the movie drags along taking two spunky stars with it. Kylie Minogue was already a major star in Australia, having starred in Neighbours and releasing her first single. The decision to cast her in The Delinquents was surely a marketing ploy. For me, it didn't pay off.Kylie may have been great in Neighbours, but she was far too sweet and innocent to play the feisty Lola... and, she wasn't of Asian descent as Lola was. Charlie Schlatter was an excellent Brownie, but there was no chemistry between him and Kylie.By and large, the movie was boring. It dragged on, it lacked the passion of the book, it focused heavily on Kylie and in general, was completely disappointing.$LABEL$ 0 +Opera (the U.S. title is terror at the opera) is somewhat of a letdown after some of Dario's other movies like Phenomena, Tenebre, and Suspiria. (i still can't find Inferno anywhere.) it's one of those movies that has a great first half but midway through it's like someone started slowly letting the air out of the screenplay and logic.the basic plot involves a beautiful opera singer who is being stalked by a deranged obsessed fan. this killer begins killing people close to her in a most unique fashion. he binds and gags her and tape tiny sharp pins under her eyelids so if she tries to close her eyes she'll gouge out her eyes. this forces her to watch while the killer murders her acquaintances in typically brutal and gory Argento fashion.unfortunately, about midway through the film becomes sluggish and illogical. (this is especially directed towards the killer's motivations. i still haven't completely figured out why he's such a nut.) the ending especially come out of left field in the worst possible sense.but, for about the first hour or so this is some of Dario's best filmmaking and the camera work is breathtaking. too bad it couldn't maintain it through to the end.rating:7$LABEL$ 1 +After a day at work, I sat down to relax and turned on the movie channels. The movie came up on the guide and sounded interesting so I tuned in just before it started. The first 30 minutes were enough to make me interested, but the lack of acting ability in Jamie Foxx and the slow plot movement made me want to get up and find food during the movie. If there is any credit to be given for acting in this movie it should go to David Morse who at least tries to make the movie interesting. All in all, don't plan on impressing your friends by picking this one as a renter for a movie night.$LABEL$ 0 +Dolemite is, for me, an object of my deepest affection. It's got everything: a gang of karate-fighting prostitutes, Dolemite punching his fist through Willie Green's (director Martin) stomach, high pumps and 100 gallon dalmation-print hats. Moore's unique comedy raps, actually toasts, are close to the roots of hip hop. No wonder Dr. Dre mentioned "Dolemite" 3 times on his classic album "The Chronic." Add the best list of characters to ever grace a movie, like the horny preacher, the hamburger pimp and, of course, "the one who no one knows until it's time." Credit should be given for style to director D'Urville Martin, a fella who probly doesn't get as much attention as he should around film fan circles (I've been looking for a copy of his and Fred Williamsons' movies from the early 70s for years and can't find them).A lot of people are really down on this movie and say it's really bad, and it is true that you can see boom mikes appearing everywhere (look to DP Nicholas Josef Von Sternberg, for whom I think this was a very early effort), there are a lot of things going for this movie. Number one, there is no other movie like it. Number two, you get to see Rudy Ray Moore do a (highly sanitized; everyone who HASN'T seen Moore's outrageous live act will have to use their imaginations) cinematic version of his toasts, plus him living the life of his comic book character superpimp come to life. The action scenes are pretty poor, but the characters' dialogue when they're talking trash more than makes up for it. It's full of strange little details (like the fact that the Hamburger Pimp is wearing a Dolemite T-shirt inside out -- was this intentional or did the guy just pick up whatever shirt was lying on the set and put it on?) that keep you coming back to watch it again and again.At least I have.$LABEL$ 1 +You've got to think along the lines of Last Tango in Paris for this one because the mood and emotion runs along the same lines and maintains the same heights - the difference being that in this exceptional, intense and torrid depiction of love among the ruins of a Dostoyevskyian dispossessed the setting is a gay-subcultural milieu - perhaps even one that is set to vanish in time, and not the equally arresting but heterosexual context of Bertolucci's own film.The last third of this film depicts a passionate love never seen in gay cinema. To talk of pornography or gay self-effacement misses the point and intelligence of this work. This film, though on first impression appears to take us into the familiar & often depicted underworld of gay street-life, then precedes to subvert the rules of this genre by exaggerating it to a super-real degree. The result is a hyper-charged emotional heightening - an exceptional strategy that elevates the drama to one of big universal themes and giant gestures.This film snatches the high ground because of the brilliant performances by it's actors, notably a young Jean Hugues Anglade and the directing. A tour- De -force of cinema. Outstanding in ambition and it's unceasing plummet into the depths of human emotion. As a contribution to gay cinema, this film conquers this difficult ground and makes it it's own triumph.$LABEL$ 1 +I read the reviews of this movie, and they were generally pretty good so I thought I should see it. I'm a big Francophile and art film lover, but I believe this is yet another case in which the critics make something "arty" or "intellectual" into something it is not. I will be blunt: it contains scenes of sexual perverseness that I never, ever wanted to actually see. Obviously, the piano teacher has some major psychological issues, but I really did not want to see them displayed so graphically. The film is, in essence, disgusting. I mean, when I saw Requiem for a Dream, I was repulsed by the last sort of scene with Jennifer Connelly, but that was not anywhere near the sort of disgust and repulsion I felt during this film.$LABEL$ 0 +This is the biggest insult to TMNT ever. Fortunantely, officially Venus does not exist in canon TMNT. There will never be a female turtle, this took away from the tragic tale of 4 male unique mutants who will never have a family of their own, once gone no more. The biggest mistake was crossing over Power Rangers to TMNT with a horrible episode; the turtle's voices were WRONG and they all acted out of character. They could have done such a better job, better designs and animatronics and NO VENUS. don't bother with this people...it's cringe worthy material. the lip flap was slow and unnatural looking. they totally disrespected shredder. the main baddie, some dragonlord dude was corny. the turtles looked corny with things hanging off their bodies, what's with the thing around raph's thigh? the silly looking sculpted plastrons!? If they looked normal, acted in character and got rid of Venus, got rid of the stupid kiddie cartoon sounds...and better writing it could have been good.$LABEL$ 0 +I hate to sound like an 'old person', but frankly I haven't seen too many movies that I like that were made after 1960... generally, movies just seem to get worse and worse (although I quite enjoyed the Scott Baio vehicle "The Bread, My Sweet", except for the 'de rigeur' sex scene which added NOTHING of value to THAT movie). This movie makes the mother, a former Las Vegas chorus girl, seem to be incapable of surviving on her own, although she is clearly in her 50s (though hinted at being in her 40s). I didn't buy it. I'm 57 and like all the women I know in their 50s and 40s, more than capable of surviving on my own (as I have been doing since I graduated from high school at 13, got legally emancipated and set off on my own life's journey.) The daughter is not believable in her job role ... she gets a promotion she doesn't deserve (a great opportunity) and drops that ball too, but when another female employee steps up to the plate and is ready to deliver, the writers shoot her down as an 'opportunist', when she was just doing what any career-oriented person would do -- taking advantage of a wide-open opportunity created by the lack of self-discipline of her coworker, a girl who apparently doesn't understand the concept of honoring her promises (to her boss, in this case).The daughter grudgingly 'allows' her mother to stay with her, on a temporary basis, but then treats her mother (the woman who gave her Life and raised her to 'adulthood') like a pariah. Apparently the 'writers' of tripe like this do not understand that it is NOT 'the common thing' for PARENTS to act like children, and then be treated AS children by THEIR children. That is just more of the societal 'baloney' that Hollywood keeps trying to force down our throats as though we, their public, were stupid for desiring to be entertained by their creative offerings.This is a sad movie with a stupid ending. If the young male restauranteur had been real and not a two-dimensional 'tv character', he'd have stayed with the MOTHER, who was not that much older than him and quite attractive. But in the end he 'falls' for the daughter, a shallow, rather uninteresting girl who has that cuteness of youth, but in an ordinary, bland way. (The 'opportunist' young woman who worked with this nothing girl was far more attractive, physically.)There was no believable reason presented to the audience as to why the restauranteur preferred the daughter (who was an uptight, selfish, self-centered b*tch who treated her mother with unbelievable disrespect) to the mother -- a woman who was kindhearted, sweet-tempered, humorous, and had a joie de vivre the daughter could not even begin to comprehend. Of course the mother had her own flaws... she had reacted to her husband's demise by drinking herself into a stupor for a year or two afterwards which supposedly created the rift between her and her smarmy daughter.Regardless of the way the characters were or were not developed, this is a baloney movie and a waste of your valuable viewing time unless you actually LIKE baloney. (Where's the mustard?)$LABEL$ 0 +I really felt the movie was ahead of its time. The one potential daughter-in-law was such a strong, career oriented woman. She knew what she wanted and was diplomatic but firm with the over-bearing mother-in-law to be. The mother's role was played extremely well (you just loved to hate her). Her need to control her son's lives was neurotically evil. If you've ever been in a relationship where you've been judged and found lacking (and everybody involved knew it) this may hit too close to home. It's been years since I saw this movie and I remember thinking that this plot and dialog would work in a 50's or 60's movie. It is difficult to watch because of the mother and sons' dynamic but I would love to watch it again. I keep hoping to find it on one of the old movie channels but so far no luck. Attempts to buy it were also futile (I don't believe it's on tape or DVD).$LABEL$ 1 +My mother took me to this movie at the drive-in when i was around seven years old, which is thirty years ago. She had no idea a family movie would be so violent. My clearest memory was of the boy's father's face of pain as he was stabbed in the stomach and killed. This image haunted me for weeks. I had learned that I lived in a world where a person might stab my father at anytime. How could I stop them? How could my father protect himself? You must realise that this stabbing is not fantasy to a seven-year old. It is as real as witnessing an actual event, and has no place in a child's innocent mind. It is sad that we still do not understand the impact that bringing violence into the lives of our children has both on our children and our society. If only parents would protect their children from images of violence with the same vigor that they protect them from images of nudity and sex.$LABEL$ 0 +All the ingredients of low-brow b-movie cult cinema. Topless (and bottomless) girls, kung-fu kicking chefs, slave traders, evil Germans with mustaches, Cameron Mitchell and sword-wielding zombies.And, of course the breasts of Camille Keaton, who's best known display occurs in the feminist exploitation classic I Spit on Your Grave. We also must mention the hooters of jewel Shepard, who play a hooker in the recent film The Cooler.Lots of blood and action with knives and swords and martial arts among topless dancers in a bar, in a whorehouse, and on a boat load of martial artists heading to some zombie island where bad martial artists go to die or something like that.Tops and bottoms come off easily and frequently as travelers are well lubricated thanks to the boat owner.Then disaster strikes as their boat is destroyed and they land on the zombie island where mas monks sacrifice young girls to the dead martial artists to bring them back to life.Just when you thought it had everything, there are piranhas in the water. Yum Yum A big fat German for dinner.Just the thing for your next zombie fest.$LABEL$ 0 +Warner Brothers tampered considerably with American history in "Big Trail" director Raoul Walsh's first-rate western "They Died with Their Boots On," a somewhat inaccurate but wholly exhilarating biography of cavalry officer George Armstrong Custer. The film chronicles Custer from the moment that he arrives at West Point Academy until the Indians massacre him at the Little Big Horn. This is one of Errol Flynn's signature roles and one of Raoul Walsh's greatest epics. Walsh and Flynn teamed in quite often afterward, and "They Died with Their Boots On" reunited Olivia de Havilland as Flynn's romantic interest for the last time. They appeared as a couple in seven previous films. This 140-minute, black & white oater is nothing short of brilliant with dynamic action sequences, humorous romantic scenes, and stern dramatic confrontations between our hero and his adversaries. One of the notorious errors involves Colonel Philip Sheridan who is shown as the commandant at West Point before the Civil War. Indeed, Sheridan was a lieutenant at this point. In fact, the commandant was Robert E. Lee as the earlier Flynn film "Santa Fe Trail" showed. Another historical lapse concerns Lieutenant General Whitfield Scott; Scott was not the commander of Union troops throughout the Civil War. Warner Brothers presented Custer as a drinker (probably because Flynn had a reputation for drinking), but in real life Custer neither drank nor smoked. Nevertheless, these as well as other historical goofs do not detract from a truly splendid film."They Died with Their Boots On" opens with Custer riding into West Point Military Academy arrayed in a fancy dress uniform with an African-American carrying his luggage and tending his dogs. After the sergeant of the guard realizes that he has turned out a honor guard for a future plebe instead of a high-ranking foreign general, the sergeant turns Custer over to a ranking cadet Ned Sharp (Arthur Kennedy of "City for Conquest") to take charge of him. Sharp plays a practical job on Custer by installing him in the quarters of Major Romulus Taipe (Stanley Ridges of "Task Force") who promptly runs Custer out. Naturally, the volatile Custer attacks Sharp in a public brawl. General Phil Sheridan (John Litel of "The Sons of Katie Elder") is prepared to dismiss Custer from West Point for conduct unbecoming. As it turns out, Sheridan cannot expel Custer because Custer has not enrolled. Once he enrolls, Custer establishes a mediocre academic reputation with alacrity to fight and accumulate demerits galore. When the American Civil War erupts, West Point graduates cadets who have not completed their education and rushes them into combat. One of the last cadets hustled off to war is Custer. Avid as he is to get into the fight, Custer encounters his future wife, Elizabeth 'Libby' Bacon (Olivia de Havilland of "Santa Fe Trail"), and they pledge themselves to each other, despite Mr. Bacon (Gene Lockhart of "Carousel") who detests the sight of Custer. It seems that Bacon ran across Custer at a saloon and insulted one of Custer's friends and our hero reprimanded Bacon.Meanwhile, back in Washington, Custer desperately seeks a transfer to a regiment, but Major Taipe has him cooling his heels. Custer befriends rotund Lieutenant General Winfield Scott (Sidney Greenstreet of "The Maltese Falcon") and they share an appetite for creamed Bermuda onions that becomes one of Custer's characteristics. Not only does Scott see to it that Taipe assigns Custer to the Second Cavalry, but also Custer appropriates Taipe's horse to get to his command. During the Battle of Bull Run, 21 July 1861, Custer disobeys orders from none other than Sharp, strikes his superior officer and holds a bridge so the infantry can cross it. Wounded in the shoulder and sent to the hospital, Custer receives a medal rather than a court-martial. When Confederate General Jeb Stuart threatens the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, Scott is shocked by the chance that the South may triumph. When a brigadier general cannot be found, Scott goads Taipe into promoting the first available officer. A mistake is made and Custer is promoted. Incredulous at first, Custer embraces the moment and cracks Stuart's advance. After the war, Custer idles down and starts boozing it up with the boys at the local saloons. Sharp shows up as a crooked railroad promoter and with his father they try to enlist Custer to serve as the president of their railway so that they can obtain funds. Eventually, Libby intercedes on his behalf with General Sheridan, who was in command of the army, and gets him back on active duty as the commander of the 7th Cavalry. When he takes command, Custer finds the 7th cavalry a drunken lot and is not surprised that Sharp commands the liquor at the fort. Meanwhile, Custer has his first run in with Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn of "The Guns of Navarone") and takes him into custody. Of course, Crazy Horse escapes, becomes Custer's adversary, and they fight.Once Custer has quelled Crazy Horse and the Indians, Sharp with Taipe as a government agent conspire to destroy a peace treaty with the Sioux and other Indian nations. They also see to it that Custer is brought up on charges for striking Taipe in a saloon brawl. On his way to Washington, Custer discovers the perfidy of Sharp and Taipe who have drummed up a gold strike in the sacred Black Hills. Settlers rampage in and the Indians hit the warpath. Custer sacrifices himself and his 600 men at the Little Big Horn in a slam-bang showdown against 6000 redskins. "Stagecoach" lenser Bert Glennon captures both the grit and the glory. The long shot of the 7th Cavalry leaving the fort at dawn is spectacular. As an added premonition of Custer's imminent demise, Libby faints after he leaves their quarters for the Little Big Horn. "They Died with Their Boots On" benefits from a top-notch Max Steiner score that incorporates the regimental tune "Gary Owen."$LABEL$ 1 +Making this short and to the point. This movie was great! I loved it! I actually picked this up at a Hollywood Video for 3 bucks on VHS and watched it about 5 times in the last couple weeks. I'm a big Bogart fan and I just latched onto this movie. I thought the song was funny and now have it as a ring tone on my phone. Robert Sacchi is great and pulls off a good Bogart. His nose is a little big, his voice is a Bogart-Columbo mix, and he does a few things that are awkward but otherwise, he was fantastic and this film was wonderful. No one can be a perfect Bogart but he was great. Remember, Sam Marlow is a fan of Bogart and isn't going to do everything he did. He mentions a lot of other movies and does some things that were never part of the real Bogart's character's. But, it's so funny and hilarious and has a great cast, including some beautiful women. Watch it and have fun!$LABEL$ 1 +My paraphrase above of the slogan on the back of the DVD box sums it up: this film was far more horrible than horrifying.This is the worst film I have seen in as long as I can remember. My wife accidentally rented it thinking it was the Tom Cruise version. The laughably crude special effects on the menu screen should have tipped us off. The gratuitous nudity already in the opening scene made us more suspicious.But as the film wore on, we were benumbed by clumsy acting -- both over- and under-acting -- non-continuity in directing and editing, trite writing, and crude special effects. We gave up after a half-hour or less; after starting this badly, it couldn't possibly get better.Since I despise reviews that pan a product without giving specifics, here are some examples of the film's especially awkward moments, even if they amount to spoilers:- The lead says good-bye to his young old son as the latter is about to drive away with his mother, the latter prickly because it's their wedding anniversary but the lead is not coming along due to sudden business. The son asks, quietly worried, "will I ever see you again?" Perhaps it's supposed to come off as a premonition, but it instead comes off as incongruous behavior for a child that age in that situation.- A huge alien spacecraft has crashed to earth and sits in an enormous crater. A crowd of people stands nearby, peering at it uneasily but otherwise looking generally unaroused. One woman finally says "it's gi-normous!"- After this craft has laid waste a village and its inhabitants, the lead and a bystander, now alone near their homes and trying to load their cars for an escape, have an exchange something like this, in a quietly puzzled tone:"What was that thing, anyway?" "I dunno..."- A crowd attempting to evacuate over a bridge is blocked by the military, since part of the bridge is destroyed. When an alien ship shoots an explosive at it, the crowd starts to run away, seemingly only because a director told them to and not because they're frightened or in any kind of real danger, let alone unusual circumstances.And so forth... writing about the film falls short of the experience of actually seeing it. But please, PLEASE, save yourself the bother, even if your morbid curiosity is piqued! The film is so bad it can't even be enjoyed as unintentional humor (versus, say, King Vidor's "Solomon & Sheeba" starring Yul Brynner wearing a wig). Life is too short to waste watching such nonsense. There MUST be something more productive and enjoyable to do, like walking the dog or cleaning a birdcage.$LABEL$ 0 +Please give this one a miss.Kristy Swanson and the rest of the cast rendered terrible performances. The show is flat, flat, flat.I don't know how Michael Madison could have allowed this one on his plate. He almost seemed to know this wasn't going to work out and his performance was quite lacklustre, so all you Madison fans give this a miss.$LABEL$ 0 +I realize several Ben Stiller movies are out or will be out this year, but perhaps he should insist on quality, not quantity.I was dumbfounded at what the filmmakers thought passed for comedy in "Along Came Polly." Stiller's Reuben is grating, charmless and ranks as one of the worst performances of the year. Stiller's schtick is getting tiresome. He undoubtedly has comic talent, but he needs to either find another schtick or take a break, find some material that is actually funny. Because his movies are going from painfully humorless to excruciatingly bad.There's absolutely no chemistry between Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, which is a shame because she's a good, smart actress with a promising career. As long as she keeps making more movies such as "The Good Girl" (in which she's terrific) and less like "Along Came Polly," she'll have a career of which she could be proud.Aniston tries desperately to overcome the limp material with which she's working, but it's a daunting task for any actress. With the exception of a few moments with Alec Baldwin, as Reuben's boss Stan, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as Reuben's best friend Sandy, there's nothing funny in this awful film. Other supporting characters, including Debra Messing as Lisa and Hank Azaria as Claude, are annoying. Azaria's accent is not only stupid, it's terribly unfunny.The premise of "Along Came Polly" certainly showed promise. Unfortunately, it needed a writer who could actually turn it into a good comedy, instead of this lame, dull, boring excuse for a comedy.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of Joan Crawford's best Talkies. It was the first Gable-Crawford pairing, and made it evident to MGM and to audiences that they were a sizzling team, leading the studio to make seven more films with them as co-stars.The film convincingly depicts the downward slide of a brother and sister who, after their father loses everything in the stock market crash, must fend for themselves and work for a living. Life is hard in the Depression, and soon even their attempts at finding legitimate work prove futile, and they resort to underworld activity. Joan Crawford is excellent as the socialite-turned-moll. She's smart, complex, and believable. She even tempers the theatrical stiffness of the other actors' early Talkie acting style. Clark Gable is a diamond-in-the rough, masculine and gruff as the no-nonsense gangster who becomes involved with Crawford's character. The same year he would play a similar and even more successful role opposite Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul", securing his position as top male sex symbol at MGM.If you like Crawford in this type of role, don't miss "Paid", which she did a year earlier, which is also among her best early Talkie performances.$LABEL$ 1 +This is an excruciatingly boring, slow-moving movie. We can feel some sympathy for the socially- and sexually-inexperienced and awkward Tomek, but the motivations of Magda are pretty hard to see, and the ending, at least for me, was inscrutable. Maybe it's about how we all need love, but I'd get more out of a good Busby Berkeley.I'm told that comments have to be at least ten lines, so I'll add that in the background are some interesting shots of the relationship between Polish citizens and government employees and institutions. I wonder if it's meant to portray this before or after the fall of the communist government.Finally, watch for the clever way the men from the gas company investigate whether or not there is a gas leak in Magda's stove.$LABEL$ 0 +I thought this had the right blend of character, plot, futuristic stuff and special effects without going over board. It will take a while to get going, but the acting was good and I was intrigued by the angel who is not to hard to look at. I like the attitude too! Certainly not like other attempts at futuristic stories.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not sure why this film is averaging so low on IMDb when it's absolutely everything you could ever want in a horror film. This is the definition of being a horror film. I consider myself to be a big horror fan and I must say that this house delivers the goods. House of wax Is the story of a group of college kids on their way to a football game whom decide to camp out for the night and have a run in with a local weirdo. Upon waking the next morning they make a gruesome discovery and decide to go into town for a broken car part. The town is creepy and I'm just gonna stop there. Because thats when the truly gruesome mayhem begins. trust me when I say if your looking for a horror film go see this you will love it. It's wonderfully diabolical and inventive with it's killing scenes, the story is interesting and the characters are decently drawn with the actors giving them gobs of personality. Paris Hilton included whom does quite well with her part. the film lies a little on the shallow side but it's so much fun and who cares. This movie should eat up the box office and all horror fans should have part in it. Go see House of Wax the film that features skin being peeled, super glued lips, dead animal carcasses, hot wax sprayed on a still living person, a finger being cut off, a decapitation, a pole through the head and much more. I was lucky enough to witness this film at the Tribeca premiere and all the actors were on hand to promote the film. And boy do they have something to be proud of House of wax is the scariest roller coater ride of the year! 9/10$LABEL$ 1 +First of all, before I start my review, I just read every review for 'The Muppet Movie' here and I can't believe that someone could give a negative review to a movie like this. (Fortunately there was only one.) I mean, I can understand how someone may not like 'Star Wars' due to the whole Sci-Fi genre, but to not like a movie starring some of the most lovable puppets in the history of mankind is almost sad. Okay, I will step off my soapbox now and review this movie.'The Muppet Movie' came out when I was seven. All of my friends wanted to see this as their birthday movie, so I think I saw it about four times in the first month in theaters.As a child many things attracted me to this and all the other Muppet movies & TV shows. The singing was probably the main one. Most of the songs in 'The Muppet Movie' are classics. From "Rainbow Connection" to "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", they're entertaining and thought-provoking.As an adult I see 'The Muppet Movie' in almost a whole different light. Yes, the things that thrilled me about it as a kid are still there, but it's the little jokes and such that are just plain hilarious.I mean, when you think about it, Jim Henson is a sick man. Kermit is a frog and that is in love with a sweet pig that wears purple gloves and could karate chop you into two pieces. Fozzie is a stand-up comedian bear. Gonzo is a 'whatever' that is infatuated with chickens. Then you have two old guys that heckle, a piano-playing dog, a rock band with a maniac drummer, a Swedish chef that you can't understand and a number of other characters that are just plain eccentric.Yet, for these reasons and more, Henson has entertained millions of children and adults, giving us all something special to watch and remember him by. 'The Muppet Movie' will always remain in my heart for many reasons, but I think the biggest one is because it's a movie, unlike a lot of recent children's movies, that I feel comfortable to have my kids watch. Plus, I don't get bored out of my mind with jokes that are dumbed down to my kids' level.It's a great movie that is sure to be remembered forever.$LABEL$ 1 +Justifications for what happened to his movie in terms of distributors and secondary directors, drunks and receptionists doing script rewrites aside, let's just take this movie as it's offered, without extraneous explanations.This movie is God awful. Straight up craptastic. Rather than rehash what may serve as a plot, I'll run a highlight reel of some curious points that made me scratch my head.A class (of 5) take a field trip for a history class to the middle of friggin' nowhere Ireland. These students may be Canadian or American, it's difficult to tell. That it was filmed in a Canadian forest rather than Ireland is rather obvious as well. One student seems to know nothing about history and is basically the "dumb jock" character from a number of kick ass 80's movie, except when he channels Randy from Scream. One character may be Chris Klein's stunt double. He has a girlfriend who probably gets killed, but it's never really established if that is true. One character is sullen and removed from her peers...just...cuz... and then there's a blonde girl. Yay blonde girl.Ireland has a population of 2. They're cousins. Gary, who is clearly the same age or younger than the rest of the cast, is called "sir" more than once. He's very ominous and wears a knit cap. His cousin is a roughed up porn star with the worst Irish accent to befoul film in my lifetime and most likely beyond.Picturesque Ireland features many Canadian forests and swampy areas and 2 ducks which appear more than once in cut scenes.The producers got a discount on volume fake entrails. Good for them.Unbeknownst to me, horribly inbred freaks have access to brand spanking new hunting knives. Perhaps there's some kind of outdoorsman outlet nearby with a blind and deaf clerk working the register.Also unbeknownst to me, if you inbreed for roughly 600 years, as the story leads us to believe happened, you end up being somewhat lumpy, yet amazingly spry and fairly strong. Genetics are a wonderful game of craps.There may or may not be more than one freak in this film. Reference is made to "them" and we see shadows, yet only one odd looking dude is seen ever. And when one odd looking dude is finally killed, apparently all danger is passed. I'm running with my initial assumption that no one thought to outfit a second man in full make up, thus they just used the one. That's what it looks like on screen, anyway.Richard Grieco should be ashamed.Also of note, aside from those shiny new knives, the inbred freaks have access to some posh leather gear, as once Richard Grieco cuts his bonds, there are fresh ones ready for the next sucker who gets tied up...who also then escapes, because the chains give you enough slack to just undo them, making one wonder why they even bother tying anyone up.A dead body in a shack will be maggot-ridden after what I would guess is about 2 hours has passed. Said dead body will also have glasses on, when no characters wore them. Curious.Jenna Jameson appears for no reason from stage left, chats for 2 minutes, vanishes stage left. In the middle of a giant forest. That's not unusual, as Gary can also pop out of nowhere, which is also known as whatever exists in TV land off the screen.Ms. Jameson dies sadly and somehow her clothes vanish like my hopes that this movie wouldn't suck wind.I offer a special nod to the "Breeder" character, the poor girl who has been used by the freaks for months (or maybe years) for breeding purposes. The poor girl who still has eye shadow on and emotes on camera with all the passion and conviction of a stuffed chihuahua.The ending of this movie was clearly tacked on by a drunk or someone with a fierce mental disability that has been cultivated and encouraged with excessive gasoline drinking over the years.Apparently this wasn't just random crap I found on the movie network late at night, apparently people have heard of and even followed this movie through it's production. How sad for you all. I have nothing more to say. May God have mercy on us all.$LABEL$ 0 +I like Peter Sellers, most of the time. I had never seen him portray an upper-class Brit until this movie. He pulls it off pretty well, although you see bits of Inspector Clouseau in the mix. It doesn't get interesting until Goldie Hawn arrives.I never expected the youthful Hawn to deliver such a solid performance. Her timing was great and her expressions were priceless. The way she alternately shoots Sellers lecherous character down and seduces him is beautiful to watch. Verbal sparring like I've seldom seen from a movie of that era.The last thirty minutes of the movie DOES fall flat. It is worth the let down just to see the first sixty. Hawn is nude for a few glorious seconds early on. Enjoy it...$LABEL$ 1 +I've seen the original English version on video. Disney's choice of voice actors looks very promising. I can't believe I'm saying that. The story is about a young boy who meets a girl with a history that is intertwined with his own. The two are thrown into one of the most fun and intriguing storylines in any animated film. The animation quality is excellent! If you've seen Disney's job of Kiki's delivery service you can see the quality in their production. It almost redeems them for stealing the story of Kimba the white lion. (but not quite!) Finally Miyazaki's films are being released properly! I can't wait to see an uncut English version of Nausicaa!$LABEL$ 1 +I wasn't sure on what to expect from THE BOX. I am a huge fan of Darko, but also saw the mess that became of Southland Tales, whether or not that was a studio botch up, who knows. With the Box I was pleasantly surprised. It was a throwback to classic sci-fi paranoia films that hint at much larger devious happenings, but center on an intimate character base.The slow build, and creepy tension was very effective to the tone and theme of the entire film. Any change in such pacing, would have lead to the typical Hollywood or 'MTV' style, that just wouldn't have served this story's purpose correctly. Everything from the strange looking/acting extras littered throughout, to the low-end score, to the minimal explanation of what exactly was going on, added an entire focused thread of underlying dread, and the shrinking sense of hope for our greedy, though well meaning, lead characters. This was something well thought out and put into motion by Richard Kelly, from the first act through to the end. Richard Matheson's short story, which this was based on, NOT the Twilight Zone ep , which was another take on the story, was one of morality and greed which were still the central elements of THE BOX. Being only some 8 pgs long, expanding it into a feature with substance would have been no easy task, but was done so with style, originality and leaves the viewer with lingering thoughts about the film. Many have and will compare this to DARKO for whether or not it is as profound, but I found it to be an entirely different film, thematically and emotionally. It's tone is completely different, as are the messages and intents of this film. Where Darko left us with questions internally, THE BOX leaves the viewer with more external questions, involving the world around us. Such as, knowing human nature, would the test of the BOX ever come to an end? Decent acting, great creepy visuals, and looming atmosphere add to the slow chilling ride. Its not for everyone, but for those who get where its coming from, its a treat.$LABEL$ 1 +What percentage of movies does a person go to see these days that leave them wondering what happened to their eight to ten dollars? ANSWER: TOO MANY! This movie isn't like that. It is a story about real people that are sometimes a combination of both likable and unlikable.Downside:Not enough character development & some plot lines left twisting in the wind.Upside:Forces viewers to think about the choices they have made for good or bad in their own lives.Well acted by: Scott Cohen, Judd Hirsch, Susan Floyd, Ato Essandoh and Elliot Korte.Contains some good lighthearted humor.$LABEL$ 1 +Warning: Avoid this super duper awful movie...if you watched it you will be SOOOOOOOOO disappointed.Pam and Denise are grandma age now what are they doing? Trying SO HARD to be young innocent and sexy, just not working AT ALL. Pam and Denise act so horribly in this movie.Plus The script is absolutely atrocious, I can't believe someone can came out with such crappy ideas. With the development of movie industry, movie lovers are not as easy to satisfy as the ones in the last century. I bet the movie goers from last century will hate this too.Stay away from it. I think watch "White Chicks" from 2004 it's so much better that this...make no mistake at that time I thought that's the worst movie I have ever seen.$LABEL$ 0 +Made only ten years after the actual events, and set in the Bunker under the Reichstag, Pabst's film is wholly gripping. It reeks of sulfurous death awaiting the perpetrators of world war. Haven't seen this in over three decades, but it remains strong in my visual and emotional memory. The characters seem to be waiting to be walled up in their cave. Searing bit of dialog between two Generals: "Does God exist?" "If He did, we wouldn't." Shame this is not more readily available for exhibition or purchase because it would be interesting to view and compare this film with the documentary about Traudl Junge, "Im Toten Winkel" {aka "Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary") and "Downfall" with Bruno Ganz.$LABEL$ 1 +This film never received the attention it deserved, although this is one of the finest pieces of ensemble acting, and one of the most realistic stories I have seen on screen. Clearly filmed on a small budget in a real V.A. Hospital, the center of the story is Joel, very well-played by Eric Stoltz. Joel has been paralyzed in a motorcycle accident, and comes to the hospital to a ward with other men who have spinal injuries. Joel is in love with Anna, his married lover, played by Helen Hunt, who shows early signs of her later Academy-Award winning work.Although the Joel-Anna relationship is the basic focus, there are many other well-developed characters in the ward. Wesley Snipes does a tremendous job as the angry Raymond. Even more impressive is William Forsythe as the bitter and racist Bloss. I think Forsythe's two best scenes are when he becomes frustrated and angry at the square dancers, and, later, when he feels empathy for a young Korean man who has been shot in a liquor store hold up. My favorite scene with Snipes is the in the roundtable discussion of post-injury sexual options.The chemistry between Stoltz and Hunt is very strong, and they have two very intimate, but not gratuitous, sex scenes. The orgasm in the ward is both sexy and amusing. There is also another memorable scene where Joel and Bloss and the Korean boy take the specially-equipped van to the strip bar. It's truly a comedy of errors as they make their feeble attempts to get the van going to see the "naked ladies."The story is made even more poignant by the fact that the director, Neal Jimenez, is paralyzed in real life. This is basically his story. This film is real, not glossy or flashy. To have the amount of talent in a film of such a small budget is amazing. I recommend this film to everyone I see, because it is one of those films that even improves on a second look. It's a shame that such a great piece of work gets overlooked, but through video, perhaps it can get the attention it so richly deserves.$LABEL$ 1 +The story is: a turn-of-the-century troupe of actors, along with producers and theatre-owners, have very complicated relationships. A resident playwright has written a psychological drama. He wants to get a good production on stage, but can't unless he convinces a pariticular reviewer to revisit the production, and give a positive review. If his production does not go on, then the troupe will put on The Doll House, recently written by Ibsen. Many different relationships among the principals are explored; none of them interesting. But the involvement of the characters with one another lead to giving the play by the resident playwrght a second shot.This movie is purely an excuse for the director and his friends to get together and put on a movie. The story lines are incoherent to anyone who isn't a buddy of one of the stars. The only reason I didn't leave the theatre after about a half hour is that a fat lady was resting a full meal atop her stomach at the end of my row.$LABEL$ 0 +As a cartoon, the Spytroops Movie was pretty bad. It is only 44 minutes long, yet several battles occur culminating with the destruction of the COBRA headquarters. One downer was the very beginning of the movie. An animated battle that was better than the rest of the movie turns out to have been some kind of battle simulation. That right there was a major turn-off and made the rest of the movie lack credibility. Then there was the issue of Shipwreck tied up along with his parrot, and tossed into some room where nobody had checked for several days. Whatever happened to surveillance cameras?The COBRA base only had a handful of characters, and the rest were BAT robots. Aside from a lot of corridors the COBRA base did not seem to have any weapons, tanks, trucks, or any other equipment. Then there was the silly notion that 100 complex androids could be created overnight. The plot was silly even if this was intended for small children. Spongebob, Powerpuff Girls, and even Barney The Dinosaur give more attention to their plots.The characters were not bad, except that I could never understand anything Destro was saying, and the Cobra Commander was silly and not much of a villain. In fact, except for Storm Shadow and Xartan, the rest of the COBRA characters were comical and hardly impressive. The GI Joe characters were pretty good. Scarlett, Agent Faces, Road Block and Snake Eyes were my favorites here. Shipwreck and Beach Head were the worst. Shipwreck is written as a goof-ball and Beach Head sounded like some 1990s surfer dude. I guess the writer, Larry Hama was trying to make a character that appealed to teenagers, but he was a decade off the mark. Just listening to Beach Head's Spicoli surfer-talk (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) I was wondering if the new GI Joes were going to smoke a dube before the big mission.The CGI was pretty good, except that Cobra Commander had a jerking spastic walk, and the vehicles did not look very realistic at all. The flying tank and the explosions were not very impressive. Old style animation would have been much better than this. Since Hasbro reportedly likes to do things cheap, they got what they paid for. I had trouble watching the whole thing, it was just boring and lacked any soul or GI Joe spirit. Even the old GI Joe commercials would have been better. In fact, the DVD included extras such as four or five current commercials for GI Joe Spy Troops, and those commercials were much more entertaining than the movie. The commercials had more kid-oriented fun and spirit. The commercials were lively, while the movie was dull.$LABEL$ 0 +Apparently a B movie ...B must stand for Better acting and a Better message than we get in big budget "A" pictures today. Modern-day movies aimed at young women, surely aren't designed to encourage depth of character over shallow self-serving behavior... or increase the self-esteem of young girls who don't conform to "feminine" standards. (After all, criticizing the fake and flashy, like this movie does, ain't gonna help sell more products that depend on girls *not* being satisfied with their natural attributes or inner beauty.) Laraine Day is lovable as a mechanically inclined tomboy who "bounds" into rooms and confesses to an inability to flirt. She bonds with Robert Cummings due to similar interests, a shared sense of humour, and her honesty, loyalty and good friendship, which he gradually comes to value over the superficial "charms" of her selfish glamour-girl sister (who only brings out his own selfish, reckless playboy tendencies).Although Laraine is outwardly beautiful as well, it's refreshing to see inner beauty valued more, and the depiction of true friendship leading to the most fulfilling romantic relationship. I wish young girls (and guys) were getting this kind of down-to-earth message today.Maybe if Hollywood returns to making "B" movies again, with modest budgets, and tries to be content with modest profits... what am I saying? Sacrificing the blockbuster mentality to create something sincere on a smaller-scale, would be like expecting a guy to give up the shallow sexpot for a sweet girl who really cares about him. That's crazy talk.Please, somebody invent a time machine already! I belong in 1940.I'd rate this movie higher, but the ending is a bit too abrupt, and perhaps lacked sufficient indication of Robert Cummings' change of heart. (I like the fact that B movies are short & snappy, not bloated & self-indulgent, but this one might've needed more than 70 minutes.) Also found it somewhat unrealistic that a widow and young children would be so unaffected by a sudden death in their family...or be so forgiving of the one who caused it. I mean, I guess it's *nice*, but a little more grieving or bitterness would've been only natural. Maybe a deliberate choice to make this family act lighthearted about their loss, to lessen the impact of the tragedy and make sure *we* forgive those involved in the death - since it's just a plot device anyway, not the real point of the film. Still strange though.$LABEL$ 1 +The murders in Opera are not actual murders as much as they are symbols of past events and parts of Betty's own fractured personality. In fact, Betty is the same person (a male) that Suzy Bannion is in Suspiria, only a decade later in life (Suzy was a boy of ten who befriended another boy of ten with a more mild version of his own background).It helps to think of Betty's luxury apartment as a military barracks bay; she spends most of her time in her bedroom in bed next to her stereo it seems, and other parts of her apartment seem foreign to her somehow, as though other people live in those other rooms.Dario Argento's movies sync with a wide array of Rock music, as well as Funk (Dario starts the syncs right at the beginning of his films, the flash of the eye in Opera, and the start of a drum roll in Suspiria). There are also standard movies that Opera (and Suspiria) sync with. For example, Opera syncs with with a record album by Judas Priest called Priest ... Live (as does Suspiria), and Suspiria syncs very well with a Kiss record album entitled Kiss Alive II. Movies like Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Image, and The Vampire Happening are sync movies Argento uses which deal with the same subject matter as Argento's films. These syncs, along with many others reveal Betty to be a male who suffered sexual torture at the hands of his father since birth (even in the womb according to a certain Anne Rice novel entitled Lasher).Anyway, large budget films are occult works which relay spy information collected by occult means, all in synchronized symbolic/alchemical fashion. Usually, the sync point in a film is the beginning of the sound score, or it is the first image of the film beyond any film company lead-in. Sometimes it is more creative. The heavy metal music used in Opera and Phenomena are simply music syncs that were deciphered out of other films that Argento's movies sync with, an intellectual game of sorts among the elite within the industry.So, Betty doesn't respond normally to the murders she witnesses because she didn't ever witness a murder of any real person. "She herself" simply suffers soul murder; she witnesses her own "murder;" this individual's father almost dropped him down an abandoned mine shaft in Arizon at age 4, in 1970; he was on the verge of falling off a wood plank his father balance him on before dad changed his mind and grabbed him and yanked him back off it; the kid felt nothing consciously. Memories of sexual torture are lost to this individual via extreme sexual repression, and the vague memories which remain are of the big, square, deep hole in the desert and no significance is placed on this memory because of the lack of conscious trauma (the "loss of trauma," also a "buried trait," is portrayed in the 1975 film entitled The Image). Those sausages up in the attic in Suspiria are each individual memories of the first three or so years of a life (Toys In The Attic).The reason Betty (or Suzy) is a female character is because the individual Christina Marsillach's character mirrors is a male who has been trained into a female role of sorts since birth (all of the DVD's of the Simpsons cartoon sync with Suspiria), with his very nature having been molded along "queen" lines (The X-Files episodes sync with Opera). This has even altered his body to be "beautiful" in the way a woman's is. Behavior alters genetics. A more recent movie entitled Death Proof deals with the same ideas and the same individual.Virtually the entire life of this person is mirrored on large budget films, record albums, and books made since 1966, and father prior to 1966 and after. The Scorpions album entitled Virgin Killer is a Suspiria sync album, the original album cover acting as a symbolic mirror image of the fall through the skylight.$LABEL$ 1 +Let me first start with the obvious: antisemitism has been a serious problem throughout history, present in many societies and causing the deaths of million of Jews. That said, the problem with this movie is that it views the United States - probably the most welcoming society ever to Jews outside of Israel - as a not very different place from Nazi Germany. Set in 1943, the movie is about a man (William H. Macy) who gets confused with a Jew after he starts wearing glasses!. A number of very nasty things happen to him after that (he loses his job and he is unable to find a new one, his neighbors shunned him, all ending up in a violent confrontation). From one of Arthur Miller's self pitying, patronizing novels, the sort that gave liberalism a bad name.$LABEL$ 0 +This is your standard musical comedy from the '30's, with a big plus that it features some well known '30's actors in small fun cameo's.There is not much to the story and basically the movie is all about its fun and 'no-worries' overall kind of atmosphere, with a typical Hal Roach comedy touch to it. Appereantly it's a 'Cinderella story' but I most certainly didn't thought of it that way while watching the movie. The story gets very muddled in into the storytelling, that features many different characters and also many small cameo appearance, when the main characters hit the Hollywood studios.Of course the highlight of the movie is when Laurel & Hardy make their appearance and show some of their routines. It's like watching a movie and getting a Laurel & Hardy short with it for free. Also Laurel & Hardy regular Walter Long makes an appearance in the routine and James Finlayson (without a mustache this time) as the director of the short.It's certainly true that all of the cameo's and subplots distract from the main plot line and character but in this case that is no problem, since its all way more fun and interesting to watch than the main plot line and the shallow typical main character.The movie is most certainly not any worse than any of its other genre movies from the same time period, though the rating on here would suggest otherwise.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +terry and june in my mind, is a all time classic, along the ranks with bless this house with the late sid james and the late diana coupland, but terry scott will be sadly missed even tho he passed away in 1994. i have all the dvds upto press and i look forward to getting all 9, also would be nice to see "happy after ever" released on DVDjune whitfield is still going strong and terry scott will always live on in my memoryterry scott r.i.p. there aren't many comedies today that i can think of that will stay in the legends list and yes the middle class bit does get on some peoples wicks but i don't mind, i think it would be brilliant to see some celebration of the life of terry scott$LABEL$ 1 +I came across this movie on DVD purely by chance through a Blockbuster rental. Voyage to the Planets is an excellent BBC 2hour documentary/drama about a future "grand tour" of the solar system. Taking pains to adhere to current knowledge about the planets and space flight, and plausible extropolations from existing technology, this movie tells the story of astronauts on a journey to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto.The special effects are excellent for a TV show. I found the actors believable as astronauts. The situations presented are for the most part plausible, and you learn a lot about the science of the planets and spaceflight! Only two minor complaints: I found some of the situations and dialogue somewhat maudlin at times. Furthermore I am unsure that a single crew and ship would be sent on a single mission to see all those destinations at once time. More than likely, visits to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, etc. would/will be separate missions.They didn't try to skimp on this show with production values. The scenes of Venus and Mars were actually filmed in the northern deserts of Chile--the driest area on earth and a dead-ringer for the Martian landscape. Weightlessness sequences were filmed in a diving Russian transport jet. The producers could have fudged on either of these using studios and CGI, but chose the real thing instead.I would like to especially mention the marvelous music that was composed for this movie. Don Davis's thrilling theme is the first thing that grabs you when the movie starts, as the magnificent shot of the Pegasus passes the screen and David Suchet intones "it is the destiny of man to explore the stars...".Watching this on a small television screen is one regret I have. What a thrill to see this in a movie theatre, or even better an IMAX presentation!$LABEL$ 1 +Apparently none of the previous reviewers,most of whom praise the film for its accuracy, have actually read a biography of Louis Pasteur.The most glaring inaccuracy is in the relationship between Pasteur and Napoleon III.Back in the 1930's the latter was invariably shown in a bad light.While far from an admirable character-he was an inept politician and a self-appointed "military genius" who allowed France to be dragged into a disastrous war,he was not the stupid reactionary depicted here. He had an intelligent interest in science,and like many other people in the 19th century saw a bright future because of the improvements it would bring.Far from exiling Pasteur, he was his PATRON,building him a laboratory and providing him with all the resources that he needed for his research.While the lab was under construction, Pasteur became gravely ill.A bureaucrat, deciding it was a waste of money to build a laboratory for someone who would soon be dead, ordered work halted on his own authority.When the emperor heard about this, his outrage shook the bureaucracy so that there was a flurry of buck-passing, and work promptly resumed.The Emperor personally visited Pasteur to comfort him and reassure him that he would get his lab.The emperor would often bring members of his court to admire Pasteur's projects,and it was obvious to everyone that Pasteur was one of the emperor's favorites.Pasteur's main worry concerning the Emperor was that Napoleon thought Pasteur was virtually a miracle worker who could do almost anything, and was constantly assigning him tasks outside of his previous experience.Pasteur, a very modest man, was always protesting this, but Napoleon would say that he had complete faith in him,and Pasteur despite his misgivings, always came through.They always had a close and friendly relationship,and after the Emperor was overthrown, Pasteur refused to say a bad word about him,grateful to the end of his life.The part about his daughter having the baby, and Pasteur sacrificing his principles to get a doctor, never happened.The part about the anthrax and rabies, for which he was famous, is generally correct, but the notion that the anthrax experiment raised him from obscurity to fame is false.He was famous and respected at the time this happened.This movie is OK from a dramatic standpoint,but very distorted as biography.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a re-write of the 1978 Warren Beatty movie, "Heaven Can Wait", but it is written for the stand-up comedic style of Mr Rock. The premise remains the same: Lance Barton, (Rock) is taken before his life time is up and works a deal with God's representative, Mr King, to come back to earth as someone else. As in Beatty's movie; he chooses the murdered Charles Wellington, a rich white man, all because he fancies Sontee Jenkins (Regina King) who happens to turn up at Wellington's house during the murder. The role of Mrs Wellington and her lover suffers in this remake and the idea to turn an aged white multi-millionaire into a stand up black comedian who tries to woo Sontee simply does not work. Also the intercuts used to show Rock as Wellington and then as the real 'white' Wellington, fail miserably. Improvements could have been made to the original Beatty plot - which in itself did not masterfully portray the life-after-death idea - but they certainly were not to be found in "Down To Earth".$LABEL$ 0 +I believe that this was supposed to be shocking or something.... All that I can say is....POOR GOAT!!! This flick is so poorly done that the parts that "should" shock and revolt you come across as laughable at best. The characters are so lame and 2....wait....1 dimensional, that I applauded each sick death.....all except that POOR GOAT.$LABEL$ 0 +The movie has only one flaw, unfortunately this flaw damages all credibility of the piece.It starts with the condemnation of the Israeli occupation of disputed territories. It fails to address the reason Israelis are there. Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan attacked Israel. This is why Israel "occupys" their land, because those countries lost it in a war they started.The film also claims that Israel has defied the U N by not complying with Resolution 242. Problem is, 242 was rejected immediately upon it's inception by.....the palestinians, making it void.Many films are put together well, and can really show footage that changes minds, but remember, when watching anything, believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see.All participants in this film are known critics of Israel, and some have made many antisemitic public comments, removing any possible credibility to their words.All participants are in dire need of a actual history lesson taught objectively, not by some palestinian sympathizer.$LABEL$ 0 +I was disappointed with the sequel to the Swan Princess. I can see what they were trying to do with the story, show how married life was going for Odette and Derek but the story wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention and it seemed to cover the same bases as the original.It isn't funny. The only bit I found humorous was when Jean-Bob was turned into a prince and then back into a frog and no-one saw it happen and he was trying to convince them that it really did.The villain is rubbish and the animation isn't as impressive as the first film.The Queen is a very irritating character and instead of cheering with Derek to rescue his mother, you're hoping that the villain puts a spell on her voice box to stop her talking.It is a shame because I really liked the first movie but it didn't live up to my expectations.$LABEL$ 0 +I seem to remember a lot of hype about this movie when it came out, but had avoided seeing it throughout the years. I wish I'd waited longer. Maybe this movie was funny in 1988, I don't know. I was younger then, but it didn't seem like the world was that different. Michelle Pfeiffer, lovely as she is, is never convincing. Mercedes Ruehl not only chews scenery, but stuffs it in her cheeks like a gerbil to save for later. Dean Stockwell is about as convincing as a mob boss as James Gandolfini would be as principal dancer for the Bolshoi. And Matthew Modine demonstrated the most pronounced case of delayed puberty I've ever seen. All in all, it's not bad enough to make you want to pluck out your eyes with a melon-baller, but it's not far off.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of those Film's/pilot that if you knew BattleStar Galactica it helps, but isn't necessary. What makes this even more believable of a story than BSG is that this isn't something so far away in the future. This has such a depth to it that it is quite astonishing it was not released theatrically. The leads could not have been chosen better in such experienced & quite talented actors. Eric Stoltz is superb as the father who will do anything to be re-united w/his daughter however real or not she is & he'll do it no matter the cost. Paula Malcomson of "Deadwood" fame is terrific as his wife as well. You are not sure completely of his motives whether it's love or money or both, but that is what makes this pilot even more intriguing. I see a star in the making of Zoe played by the relative unknown Alessandra Torresani & her performance. Esai Morales is terrific in his desire to see his loved one again & just how wrong to be even considering what he wants more than his moral objections. I didn't think this would be a good idea when it was announced but from the pilot alone I am thrilled to see how we got to the BSG stage story. It's great to see Adama as a child already being affected & influenced by the different sorts of Robots starting to permeate life at this stage. I just hope that they can keep up the stories so we can figure out even more how they got the the Humanoid typed robots. This is an almost perfect pilot & I hope they can keep up the fantastic storytelling. Even the Visual effects are better than most of the garbage you see on the big screen. If you haven't gotten into BSG, @ least try this & I'll bet you become a fan & will want to see how the BSG story came to be.$LABEL$ 1 +Now any Blaxploiation fan will recognise the ingredients: big Afros, topless babes, surreally bad fashions and some 'jive' talk. In this case add in a lead who can't act, a plot that makes little sense, editing by someone with no hands who has been blindfolded and the most god-awful fight scenes and you have 'TNT Jackson'. Not quite bad enough to be good, but not good enough to be bad, this is a wonderful mess from start to finish. I especially loved the endless continuity errors and the lead's white stunt double.This is so '70s bad Far Eastern martial arts meets black power that it hurts, but boy it hurts so good! I am ashamed to admit that I almost enjoyed it.$LABEL$ 0 +When this show first aired I will admit to being intrigued by the premise and the setting. With an open mind I watched the first two episodes and naturally dismissed it as being destined to run for a half-season at most. I happened to be watching A/E recently and witnessed an ad for this garbage and I could barely contain my surprise. I truly hope people are watching this for a laugh and not taking it seriously. The characters are truly some of the most ridiculous and outright laughable on television, scripted or otherwise. It's obviously generating ratings so I must give the creators credit for establishing and maintaining a fanbase, but I seriously hope no one is watching this under any pretense of seriousness.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is the biggest steaming pile of you know what, Being from and growing up in Wichita Kansas;I know for a fact 90% of the movie was Bogus. Aside from the names of some of the victims, nothing else much was correct. The movie looks like it was made with dad's handy-cam, It had footage that I believe came from another film along with stock footage from a slaughter house. I usually enjoy watching bad films for the fun of it, but due to the bad acting, poorly prepared or non existent sets and a very dull and short ending.It was a struggle to watch it through to the ending. I recommend that you not waste your money on this film or you will be sorry. Crunch$LABEL$ 0 +A haunting piece that the discerning horror film fan will fall upon with gratitude. Keep your Freddys and your Jasons -- this film is in the same company as "The Haunting" (the original). Lyrical and truthful, it stays with you long into the night, much like those terrifying CBS Radio Mystery Theatre shows. A smart rent.$LABEL$ 1 +This film has the guts to suggest that it might be best to simply accept your life as it is, and keep smiling anyway. As one who is more excited by the idea of taking charge of one's life and moving forward, I felt slapped in the face, but that's okay: I don't have to agree with a movie to love it and respect it. Great acting by Streep and Hurt, and everyone else really, and some wonderfully quirky scenes. A serious film. And take a hanky.$LABEL$ 1 +I stopped five minutes in when Beowulf was given a double-shot, automatic crossbow with sights on it. Not only do crossbows not have telescoping sights, but Beowulf beat Grendel in hand-to-hand combat. The terrible, wooden acting and eternal darkness that plagues all Sci-Fi Original Movies didn't help either. Having only gotten a few minutes in before I felt my bile rise and decided to watch I Love Lucy reruns instead, that's really about all I have to say. But, you might as well just realize that it's a made-for-TV movie and skip it right there.A travesty.$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, I have to start this comment by saying I'm a huge Nightmare on Elm Street fan. I think it's the greatest horror series ever. For me, Freddy is the boogeyman! Of course, Freddy's Dead, which tried to be the last chapter back then, is a weird movie. It doesn't have the same atmosphere than the previous films. Freddy has a lot of screen time. Some think it makes him less scary, which I do agree. And that's, in my opinion, exactly the point. This movie exists so we can know Freddy a little better, who he is, who he were, how he became the man haunting our dreams. For some people, it's a bad thing, it's better if we never know because it's scarier not to know why evil is evil. Obviously those people won't like Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. To truly enjoy this one, you have to see things differently. It's not about a strange guy hiding in the bush of your dreamland waiting to scare the hell out of you. This was the first one, and it was awesome. As the years passed by, Freddy killed more and more people, and nobody could ever get rid of him for good. Now it's time to learn about the nature of this evil, the psychological aspects of Freddy's realm of terror. Beside the story of Freddy's past, I also really liked the atmosphere of the movie. No more kids in Springwood, only crazy grown-ups. The nightmare scenes are all great. The soundtrack is awesome, especially the opening song called ''I'm Awake Now'' performed by Goo Goo Dolls. In my opinion, The Final Nightmare is a horror masterpiece and I can't believe it's so underrated. Maybe it is misunderstood, or I have different tastes! Anyway, all Freddy fans should watch it. It has a lot of scary moments as well as funny moments too, and a lot of cameos! Get yourself ready for something different and you might not be disappointed.$LABEL$ 1 +Definitely not your typical Polizia, Redneck just never worked for me. The movie tells the story of a jewel heist gone wrong and a young boy who is inadvertently kidnapped in the process. In their attempt to get away, the robbers leave a bloody trail of death in their wake as they hatch a plan to ransom the boy. The plan is never carried off as the robbers are more intent on getting to France and the boy is intent on staying with them. While I could cite a number of problems I had with the movie, I'll focus on the most obvious – the character Memphis played by Telly Savalas. From his work in The Dirty Dozen and Kelley's Heroes to other Italian films like Crime Boss to his most remembered role as Kojak, Savalas was a winner. I've always thought of him as one uber-cool customer. Unfortunately, Savalas is almost unwatchable in Redneck. Did the director turn on the camera and instruct him to act as psychotic as possible? It might not have been too bad had his actions been done within the context of a plot I cared about, but here he seems to be acting bizarre for sake of being bizarre. It's appears to be random lunacy. And what's with that accent? Savalas might have been a lot of things, but Southern isn't one of them. He sounds completely ridiculous even attempting the accent. Beyond that, I found little of interest in the rest of the movie. As I indicated, the plot never drew me in. I just didn't care about what was going on. And the notion that the boy is so quickly attracted to the criminal lifestyle doesn't ring true. As for the other actors, Mark Lester is almost as bad as Savalas and the usually reliable Franco Nero isn't a whole lot better. Three "name" actors and not a good performance between them. To make matters worse, I believe the director filmed many of the night scenes with nothing more than the glow from his watch to light the shots. I couldn't tell what was going on. Characters I hate, a plot I don't care about, and a production values that failed – little wonder I've given Redneck a 3/10.$LABEL$ 0 +One Dark Night has a typical teen horror film set-up with a quite a unique twist. The ultra-brooding musical score and Gothic/claustrophobic atmosphere adds greatly to this small film that delivers. Meg Tilly is excellent as "Julie," and leads us through the maze of the mausoleum, giving a sense of foreboding and loneliness. The other teens are equally effective in their roles as is Melissa Newman, the ultimate heroine of the film. The special effects are excellent, though dated. This film is highly overlooked, but that may be good so that it was never ruined by endless sequels. There is a great, dark magic flowing through this film; once tapped into, you really get it and you're in for some fun. The double-disc DVD is available, though the original negative could not be found to restore the film. Maybe someday it will be located. I guess in some ways the carbon speckles in parts do help the film by giving it an old school respectability and making it more unexpected at the end when suddenly there are plenty of effects.The second disc has a rough cut/alternate version with a temp score version of the film that gives more explanation of the demise of two of the girls, very Poe-ish("The Cask of Amontillado" comes to mind in a new way!) Also, great ending tension going in on the dark crypt opening. Not sure it had the punch for main stream audiences, but certainly worked for me and extremely creepy.. . also, there is a making of documentary that is interesting because it gives info on what was going on at the time with the actors, crew, director and writer; candid material, then current logos, discussions of shots and scenes, rehearsals. Very unique that this stuff exists for a small film back then.$LABEL$ 1 +Dramatic license - some hate it, though it is necessary in retelling any life story. In the case of "Lucy", the main points of Lucille Ball's teenage years, early career and 20 year marriage to Desi Arnaz are all included, albeit in a truncated and reworked way.The main emotional points of Lucy's life are made clear: Lucille's struggle to find her niche as an actress, finally blossoming into the brilliant comedienne who made the character Lucy Ricardo a legend; her turbulent, romantic and ultimately impossible marriage to Desi Arnaz; Lucy & Desi creating the first television empire and forever securing their place in history as TV's most memorable sitcom couple.As Lucille Ball, Rachel York does a commendable job. Do not expect to see quite the same miraculous transformation like the one Judy Davis made when playing Judy Garland, but York makes Ball strong-willed yet likable, and is very funny in her own right. Even though her comedic-timing is different than Lucy's, she is still believable. The film never goes into much detail about her perfectionistic behaviour on the set, and her mistreatment of Vivian Vance during the early "I Love Lucy" years, but watching York portray Lucy rehearsing privately is a nice inclusion.Daniel Pino is thinner and less charismatic than the real Desi was, but he does have his own charm and does a mostly decent job with Desi's accent, especially in the opening scene. Madeline Zima was decent, if not overly memorable, as the teen-aged Lucy.Vivian Vance and William Frawley were not featured much, thankfully, since Rebecca Hobbs and Russell Newman were not very convincing in the roles. Not that they aren't good actors in their own right, they just were not all that suited to the people they were playing. Most of the actors were from Austrailia and New Zeland, and the repressed accents are detectable at times.Although the main structure of the film sticks to historical fact, there are many deviations, some for seemingly inexplicable reasons. Jess Oppenheimer, the head writer of Lucy's radio show "My Favourite Husband" which began in 1948, is depicted in this film as arriving on the scene to help with "I Love Lucy" in 1951, completely disregarding the fact that he was the main creator! This movie also depicts Marc Daniels as being the main "I Love Lucy" director for its entire run, completely ignoring the fact that he was replaced by William Asher after the first season! Also, though I figure this was due to budgetary constraints, the Ricardo's are shown to live in the same apartment for their entire stay in New York, when in reality they changed apartments in 1953. The kitchen set is slightly larger and off-scale from the original as well. The Connecticut home looks pretty close to the original, except the right and left sides of the house have been condensed and restructured. There's also Desi talking about buying RKO in 1953, during Lucy's red-scare incident, even though RKO did not hit the market until 1957. These changes well could have been for dramatic license, and the film does work at conveying the main facts, but would it have hurt them to show a bit more respect to Oppenheimer and Asher, two vital figures in "I Love Lucy" history? The biggest gaff comes in the "I Love Lucy" recreation scenes, at least a few of them. It's always risky recreating something that is captured on film and has been seen by billions of people, but even more so when OBVIOUS CHANGES are made. The scene with the giant bread loaf was truncated, and anyone at all familiar with that episode would have noticed the differences right away! The "We're Having A Baby" number was shortened as well, but other than that it was practically dead on. By far the best was the "grape-stomping" scene, with Rachel York really nailing Lucy's mannerisms. The producers made the wise decision not to attempt directly recreating the "Vitametavegamin" and candy factory bits, instead showing the actors rehearse them. These scenes proved effective because of that approach.The film's main fault is that it makes the assumption the viewers already know a great deal about Lucy's life, since much is skimmed over or omitted at all. Overall, though, it gives a decent portrait of Lucy & Desi's marriage, and the factual errors can be overlooked when the character development works effectively.$LABEL$ 1 +I've read most of the comments here. I came to the conclusion that almost everybody agrees that 9/11 is a shocking piece of history. There are a few who think that the added narrative is weak and I agree that the narrative is weak and unnecessary. About two brothers finding each other back after the disaster and the cliff hanger about Tony. But I don't think narration is unnecessary. Like I lot of theorists I think that our own lives are narrations. We are living and making our own autobiography. So if we tell about our lives this is always in the form of narration. We don't sum up facts like: Birth, Childhood, High School etc. We create a story about our live.Because we are familiar with stories, we want to put history in a story as well. Because in the form of a story we can identify ourselves. We can better understand the things happened in history when its told in the form of a story. So that's the purpose of adding a story in documentary. The story is weak, so be it, but we understand whats going on. If it was me out there I would be worried sick about my brother.And the second point, making a blockbuster movie about it. True, it's been to recent to come up with a big movie about 9/11. Though, there have been a few about the subject, but none of them like this documentary. But what if there will be a movie in about 5 years? I agree it is wrong trying to make a lot of money out of 9/11. But I also agree that movies are one of the best way to tell history. How many movies about the World war 2 have we seen? If I had not seen these movies my view of the WW would me totally different. I remember seeing Schindlers List, and I cried for an hour during class. Movies give you a good image of the things that happened in history and although it is fiction it contributes to the memory of the disasters and the casualties. So my point: telling stories is not always bad, it makes us identify with the story, and makes us never forget what happened.$LABEL$ 1 +This was one of the worst films i have ever seen. I'm still trying to get over how bad it was. Just because it has Godard's name attached to it, doesn't make it great. Beyond the fact it makes absolutely no sense, we see one insanely long shot of a traffic jam that is not stunning, unbelievable or anything of the sort. While this long shot of the traffic jam is going on you will be feeling probably more like making a pastrami sandwich than continuing watching it. Pieces of a supposed story, silly, stupid characters. What message are we suppose to take from this? It offers nothing and serves no purpose. The arrogance of the director in showcasing these puny, dull chain-smoking french people and having them sit around and converse for hours on end and then getting it passed off as art is truly astounding.$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. This, in my opinion, is Rob Lowe at his best. I'm not quite sure why this film has gotten such a low rating. I guess you either love it or hate it, but if nothing else, it is definitely worth a rental.$LABEL$ 1 +Although I rarely agree with filmkrönikan, I have to say that this film while not awful, just didn't make me care at all... and it all just seemed to be out of place... it had its moments... three or four ones that made me snicker... but most of the time I was just sitting and wondering why? why did the characters do this? even Hot Shots characters felt more thought out and fleshed out...If you want to see a nice norrlands-film then watch Pistvakt. There it was more than random ethnicities that just walked around shooting each other on the Swedish tundra...I am so disappointed...$LABEL$ 0 +As one of the victims of the whole Enron scandal, my mother forced me to watch this movie with her. How many times can I say awful? The script was so weak, using cliche after cliche. It seems as though the writers pieced this story together with a few articles on Enron. Watching the movie, we honestly were able to complete about half of the one-dimensional characters' lines and thoughts. I realize this was supposedly adapted from a book, but was the book this bad? I don't know what to say. Just terrible. The best thing about the movie? Shannon Elizabeth actually kept her clothes on. Other than that, this movie gets a big fat F.$LABEL$ 0 +I disliked this film intensely and left during the scene where the loyalist gang are shot up by the British. The film effectively blames the people of NI as being the cause of their own troubles. It suggests that the 25 year war was a question of intransigence and nothing to do with Britain's partition of Ireland and domination of its history i.e. NI was created by Britain in 1921 irrespective of the wishes of the rest of Ireland.The characters are portrayed as hapless fools, even though I despise loyalist paramilitaries they were fighting for a cause - maintaining their artificial privileges over the Catholic community. It is a known fact that British Intelligence collaborated with loyalists during the war, no doubt to keep the Catholics at bay and demoralise republicanism.Nineties' values about 'machismo', masculinity etc are transposed on to 1970s Belfast and are portrayed as part of the supposedly unique Irish 'psyche' which leads to violence. The stupid song from the woman in the club - old Ireland of green fields ..blah..blah.. - is given a symbolic stature, i.e. poor young fools fighting for an impossible cause. Tedious, ahistorical, cheap and nasty trash. O'Sullivan has made a personal statement on a conflict which requires serious political analysis.$LABEL$ 0 +When I put this movie in my DVD player, and sat down with a coke and some chips, I had some expectations. I was hoping that this movie would contain some of the strong-points of the first movie: Awsome animation, good flowing story, excellent voice cast, funny comedy and a kick-ass soundtrack. But, to my disappointment, not any of this is to be found in Atlantis: Milo's Return. Had I read some reviews first, I might not have been so let down. The following paragraph will be directed to those who have seen the first movie, and who enjoyed it primarily for the points mentioned.When the first scene appears, your in for a shock if you just picked Atlantis: Milo's Return from the display-case at your local videoshop (or whatever), and had the expectations I had. The music feels as a bad imitation of the first movie, and the voice cast has been replaced by a not so fitting one. (With the exception of a few characters, like the voice of Sweet). The actual drawings isnt that bad, but the animation in particular is a sad sight. The storyline is also pretty weak, as its more like three episodes of Schooby-Doo than the single adventurous story we got the last time. But dont misunderstand, it's not very good Schooby-Doo episodes. I didnt laugh a single time, although I might have sniggered once or twice.To the audience who haven't seen the first movie, or don't especially care for a similar sequel, here is a fast review of this movie as a stand-alone product: If you liked schooby-doo, you might like this movie. If you didn't, you could still enjoy this movie if you have nothing else to do. And I suspect it might be a good kids movie, but I wouldn't know. It might have been better if Milo's Return had been a three-episode series on a cartoon channel, or on breakfast TV.$LABEL$ 0 +i have just finished watching this film in my GCSE history class. it was thrilling and was a brilliant insight to what actually happened to Steve Biko during the time of the Apartheid law. How anybody can say that this film was the most boring or dull 2 and a half hours of their lives i don't know because it had me hooked from start to finish. it was great how Denzel Washington portrayed him and showed how he was fighting against the Apartheid law and to get equal rights for black people. In one part Steve Biko says to a policeman we are just as weak and human as you are, this is to show them that he and all of the other black people in south Africa were no different to the whites. Donald Woods inspired me because he fort for what he believed in and did not believe totally in apartheid. He and Steve Biko formed a very strong friendship that shook south Africa and went on to awaken the world. i very much enjoyed this film and strongly recommend this to people. it helped me see that racism is not right and that everybody is equal, their fate should not be determined by the colour of somebody's skin. n$LABEL$ 1 +Roeg has done some great movies, but this a turkey. It has a feel of a play written by an untalented high-school student for his class assignment. The set decoration is appealing in a somewhat surrealistic way, but the actual story is insufferable hokum.$LABEL$ 0 +Frank Sinatra took this role, chewed it up with the rest of the scenery and - spat it out HIS way. TMWTGA is stagey, the ending is trite, some of the scenes need a little more cutting, but that's all. It's great entertainment from start to finish, and while you watch it you realise that Sinatra, that long-dead MOR crooner, had junkies, gangster card games and the whole US urban hustle thing in his blood - he didn't learn it from an acting coach. There are all sorts of directorial touches to keep you amused, and the (non-dated) soundtrack cooks all the way. The marathon card game beat Goodfellas, Sopranos, etc. by forty years! So it wasn't faithful to the book? What movie is? And I can't imagine it being remembered if Brando had been let loose on it; the cold turkey scenes would have been embarrassing, instead of edgy, convincing and moving with Sinatra. No-one else has mentioned the seedy, lazy, cynical cops - absolutely spot on! And Eleanor Parker would have driven *me* to smack.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow. We watched this film in the hopes that it would have at least some decent rock climbing scenes. We were disappointed there, but it was still a great movie! It was soooo cheesy it was great! I haven't laughed so hard at a movie in a long time. If you are into rock climbing, and you enjoy cheesy movies, then this one is absolutely for you!$LABEL$ 1 +Bored Londoners Henry Kendall and Joan Barry (as Fred and Emily Hill) receive an advance on an inheritance. They use the money go traveling. Their lives become more exciting as they begin relationships with exotic Betty Amann (for Mr. Kendall) and lonely Percy Marmont (for Ms. Barry). But, they remain as boring as they were before. Arguably bored director Alfred Hitchcock tries to liven up the well-titled (as quoted in the film, from Shakespeare's "The Tempest") "Rich and Strange" by ordering up some camera trickery. An opening homage to King Vidor's "The Crowd" is the highlight. The low point may be the couple dining on Chinese prepared cat.*** Rich and Strange (12/10/31) Alfred Hitchcock ~ Henry Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont, Elsie Randolph$LABEL$ 0 +An imagination is a terrible thing to waste ... especially when you have talented actors. Writer/Director Jones wastes no time in siding the viewer with his protagonist. Anyone who has shared an apartment with a slob will be crying with laughter. Anyone who has arrived while a meter maid places a ticket on your windshield will just plain cry. We've all wanted to rip a terrible toupee off a man's head. These are only snippets of what's in store when watching "Cross Eyed", a heartfelt film that should be a stepping stone for Jones and his wry sense of humor both in front and behind the camera.$LABEL$ 1 +I was just lucky I found this movie. I've been taking advantage of Walmart's $5.50 DVDs, because I watch a lot of movies (and very seldom watch television). I graduated from high school in 1968 - so I have family and many friends who served in Vietnam. This movie really illustrates the pain I've seen in my friends in dealing with what happened to them over there. I wish more people would see this movie - I think maybe more people could understand what happened to our Vietnam vets by watching these excellent actors in the portrayal of one family damaged by that war. The story felt realistic - it isn't mushy, but made me feel what they were going through. I think it helped that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez were playing father and son - it made their relationship more believable,$LABEL$ 1 +When tradition dictates that an artist must pass his great skills and magic on to an heir, the aging and very proud street performer, known to all as "The King of Masks," becomes desperate for a young man apprentice to adopt and cultivate.His warmth and humanity, tho, find him paying a few dollars for a little person displaced by China's devastating natural disasters, in this case, massive flooding in the 1930's.He takes his new, 7 year old companion, onto his straw houseboat, to live with his prized and beautiful monkey, "General," only to discover that the he-child is a she-child.His life is instantly transformed, as the love he feels for this little slave girl becomes entwined in the stupifying tradition that requires him to pass his art on only to a young man.There are many stories inside this one...many people are touched, and the culture of China opens itself for our Western eye to observe. Thousands of years of heritage boil down into a teacup of drama, and few will leave this DVD behind with a dry eye.The technical transfer itself is not that great, as I found the sound levels all over the meter, and could actually see the video transfer lines in several parts of the movie. Highly recommended :-) 9/10 stars.$LABEL$ 1 +Why didn't critics like this movie?? I don't get it. This is easily my favorite Clive Barker effort. "Hellraiser" is a bit too rough around the edges (the film just never leaves that stupid house) and, lets face it, "Lord of Illusions" doesn't move at all!!! I have loved Barker's writing for years, especially his "Books of Blood". Terrifically entertaining. He has a vicious side to him that is totally unlike a Stephen King. He freely mixes in his own homosexuality and odd religious and occultic elements. I love love love love it. I also realize , however, that Barker is as much a dark fantasy writer as he is a horror writer. And fantasy just isn't my bag. Puts me right to sleep. Always has. I also think Barker works best with short stories. His novels tend to wander a bit. That was my experience when trying to read "The Damnation Game". It started out well. Then 100 pages in I thought "where is this going?" because it wasn't going ANYWHERE.I read "Cabal" (the book Nightbreed was based on) and thought it was good. I ESPECIALLY like the elaboration on Decker's character. The way the mask talked to him and controlled him. I like the way Barker simply presents it. Black and white. There it is. He gives it a simplicity that's attractive and believable. When asked why Decker kills he says (simply) "Because I like it". Probably something Jeffrey Dahmer said at some point.But I actually liked the film Nightbreed better than Cabal. I adore the visual attention to detail that Barker gives to his films. ADORE IT. I think it is just beautiful. Lord of Illusions had some of this as well. Some of the drawings in the beginning, during the Nightbreed credit sequence. It's like an entire vocabulary Barker dreamed up just for the Nightbreed world. I'd be curious to know how much was purely his design. I know he is an AMAZING artist who his own style and language as an artist.Nightbreed is also (I think) BArker's most entertaining film. It moves very quickly. Well edited. It doesn't drag like Lord of Illusions does a little bit. Very quick. Everything in it is just perfect. It also works as a fantastic and scary little slasher movie. The stuff with the killer in the beginning killing the family and later tormenting the old man in the shop is really scary stuff. That mask is frightening. I'd be curious to know if Barker designed that as well. It's not just a hokey Jason or "Scream"-type mask. Something about it is really disturbing.Anyway, this is a great flick. Definitely check it out if you haven't seen it. Highly recommended. One of my favorite horror films of all time. In my opinion Clive BArker's best. It IS scary and violent though, be warned$LABEL$ 1 +"This Is Not A Love Song" is a brilliant example of the chase genre, which many people think has an underlying meaning. The love between the two main characters may be more than fraternal. I believe that Heaton is in love with Spike, but Spike is too naive to see this.I really feel this is portrayed with such scenes as the blow back and letter writing sequences. Heaton shows great intimacy towards Spike. With intense facial expressions and how he takes great care in writing Spike's name on the top of his letters.One thing I've noticed when looking at external reviews, is that when the film has been slated, the reviewer seems to have not fully understood the film, as they haven't even mentioned the possibility of Heaton having sexual feelings for Spike. I also get the feeling that some of the reviewers haven't recognised it, when they use phrases like: "Who is Heaton? What's he doing with a retard like Spike?" This person, however may have hit the nail on the head with their remark. Spike shows noticeable signs of having A.D.D, although I don't think this person has realised this, as he seems to be using the word "retard" as a derogatory term.I really enjoyed this film. Although it is not for the faint hearted. The film is exceedingly character based, after the shooting until the end there isn't much but dialogue between the two anti-heroes. Unless you are used to watching such deep, gritty films, stay well away.$LABEL$ 1 +Breaker! Breaker! has Chuck Norris as a truck driver and a karate master, talk about juggling two disparate careers. He gives a load he can't deliver to his younger brother Michael Augenstein and then when the young man doesn't show up, Chuck goes looking for him.What young Augenstein has got himself into is a speed-trap run by Judge George Murdock who comes from the Roy Bean school of jurisprudence. Of course Norris deals with matters in the usual Chuck Norris way and when he gets in trouble, the call goes out over the CB for all the truckers to come and help their good buddy. This speed-trap known as Texas City has a bad reputation and the drivers are only too happy to help a pal.Chuck's of course quite a bit younger and with no facial hair in this one. He's got the tight lipped look of a man who realizes the Academy won't be looking at this gobbler. George Murdock is overacting outrageously as the Judge Roy Bean wannabe.This one is strictly for the fans of Chuck Norris.$LABEL$ 0 +Greatly enjoyed this 1945 mystery thriller film about a young woman, Nina Foch,(Julia Ross) who is out of work and has fallen behind in her rent and is desperate to find work. Julia reads an ad in the local London newspaper looking for a secretary and rushes out to try and obtain this position. Julia obtains the position and is hired by a Mrs. Hughes, (Dame May Witty) who requires that she lives with her employer in her home and wants her to have no involvement with men friends and Julia tells them she has no family and is free to devote her entire time to this job. George Macready, (Ralph Hughes) is the son of Mrs. Hughes and has some very strange desires for playing around with knives. This was a low budget film and most of the scenes were close ups in order to avoid the expense of a background and costs for scenery. This strange family all live in a huge mansion off the Cornwall Coast of England and there is secret doors and plenty of suspense.$LABEL$ 1 +For years we've been watching every horror film that comes out, from the dull Hollywood retreads like Saw 2, to awful indie releases that are completely unmatchable... we suffer through all of bad films in hopes of finding little gems like "Dark Remains".We managed to catch a screening of this film at Shriekfest 2005. The audience loved it and I believe it ended up winning the award for the best film.While it may not have the budget or star power of studio films, it packs a serious punch in the creepy atmosphere and scare category. The acting and cinematography are top notch, but it's the direction that makes this film worth the view. The story and characters develop at just the right pace to provide some fantastic scares.The editing and visual fx are also top notch. And while many horror films don't manage to use music to their benefit, the score for "Dark Remains" only adds to it's creepiness.I know the film has shown at a bunch of festivals, but none have been near me, so I can't wait to hear when it'll finally be coming out on DVD. Trust me, even if you're sick of the current state of horror films, give this one a try... you won't regret it!$LABEL$ 1 +Even if you subscribe to the knee-jerk anti-free-trade politics of this movie, it is still just the same tired note, played again and again and again. Clink clink clink. Even if you can accept a preacher with peroxide hair who advocates a return to first principles, the Reverend Billy is pretty hard to look at as a serious figure. The clownish reverend is the sort who wakes every morning with no aspiration more ethereal than to see his own face on TV before he climbs back into bed that night. He has a pretty wife, I have to admit, but it would take tons more than that to save this dreary mess of a movie. The interminable bus rides are the worst part--with progress shown--can you guess?--by a colored line moving across a map. Aww, you guessed. Oh well, it has the virtue of being short. Is that the only favorable thing I can say? Hmmmm. Yep, afraid so.$LABEL$ 0 +"After World War I, an expedition representing the Allied countries is sent to Cambodia to stop the efforts of Count Mazovia in creating a zombie like army of soldiers and laborers. Hoping to prevent a possible outbreak of war due to Mazovia's actions, the group presses through the jungle to Angkor Wat in spite of the perils. The group includes Armand who has his own agenda contrary to the group's wishes," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. Heads up! the zombie make-up department revolted before the cameras started to roll. Also, this "Revolt of the Zombies" has little to do with its supposed predecessor "White Zombie" (1932) *****, which starred Bela Lugosi. If that film's zombies didn't thrill you, this one's certainly won't. A younger-than-usual Dean Jagger (as Armand Louque) stars as a man obsessive with blonde Dorothy Stone (as Claire Duval). A couple supporting performances are good: devilish Roy D'Arcy (as Mazovia) and subservient Teru Shimada (as Buna); however, neither are given enough material to really pull this one out of the dumps.** Revolt of the Zombies (1936) Victor Halperin ~ Dean Jagger, Dorothy Stone, Roy D'Arcy$LABEL$ 0 +***Minor Plot Spoilers***I must confess to having a soft spot for Wayne Crawford. I know little about him, but he appears to have masses of enthusiasm to compensate for his lack of talent. In his films he usually performs multi-tasks - perm any 3 from lead male, director, producer and script-writer - tackling story lines from the sub-basement. Despite this the end product is usually enjoyable fun for the non-discerning.'The Evil Below' features Crawford as a down-on-his-luck Captain of a ramshackle charter boat, a bit like Bogart in 'To Have & Have Not' - the similarities between the films ends here though.The story begins with an underwater scene with two divers searching a wreck, before being attacked by an unseen creature - bit like the start of 'Jaws 2'. The wreck turns out to be that of the 'El Diablo', which went down centuries earlier. The ship was manned by heretic priests on the run from Spain, with a cargo of stolen Church treasure. This allows the introduction of various links to supernatural forces with Lucifer and The Armageddon both getting a look in. The films title refers to this sunken Devil-ship, rather than any malevolent sea-creature.Whatever faults the film has (and there are many) it is fun to watch and competently made. You can't help but like a film which, in the final 5 minutes, copies the famous beach scene in 'From Here to Eternity' and the final line from 'Casablanca'.$LABEL$ 0 +Ulli Lommel's 1980 film 'The Boogey Man' is no classic, but it's an above average low budget chiller that's worth a look. The sequel, 1983s 'Boogey Man II' is ultimately a waste of time, but at the very least it's an entertaining one if not taken the least bit seriously. Now II left the door open for another sequel, and I for one wouldn't have minded seeing at least one more. One day while I was browsing though the videos at a store in the mall I came across a film entitled 'Return of the Boogey Man.' When I found out it was a sequel to the earlier films I was happy to shell out a few bucks for it...I should have known better. Though the opening title is 'Boogey Man 3,' this is no sequel to those two far superior films I named above. Well, not totally anyway.Pros: Ha! That's a laugh. Is there anything good about this hunk of cow dung? Let's see...it has footage from 'The Boogey Man' and, um...it's mercifully short. Yeah, that's about it.Cons: Where to start? Decisions, decisions. First of all, this movie is a total bore. It goes from one scene to the next without anything remotely interesting or scary happening. The acting is stiff at best. The "actors" are most likely friends of the director who had no acting experience whatsoever before, and probably none since. The plot is nonexistent and script shoddily written. The direction is just plain awful. The director tries to make the film look all artsy fartsy by making the camera move around, lights flicker, and with filters, but it adds nothing. The music is dull and hard to hear in parts. Ties to the original are botched. Suzanna Love's character was named Lacey, not Natalie! And the events depicted in the beginning of the original did not take place in 1978. Also, if this has a 3 in the title, why is there no mention of what happened in II? Finally, this adds nothing new or interesting to either the series or the genre.Final thoughts: The people behind this waste of time and money should be ashamed of themselves. It's one thing if that had been an original film that was the director's first and sucked. But instead it's supposed to be a sequel to film that is no masterpiece, but is damn sure far more interesting and entertaining than this. If there ever is another sequel, which I doubt it, then it needs to forget this one ever happened and be handled either by Lommel himself or someone who has at least some idea of how to make a decent horror film.My rating: 1/5$LABEL$ 0 +Live Feed is set in some unnamed Chinese/Japanese Asian district somewhere as five American friends, Sarah (Ashley Schappert), Emily (Taayla Markell), Linda (Caroline Chojnacki), Mike (Lee Tichon) & Darren (Rob Scattergood) are enjoying a night on the town & taking in the sights. After a scuffle in a bar with a Japanese Triad boss (Stephen Chang) they decide to check out a porno theatre, as you would. Inside they are separated & quickly find out that the place belongs to the Triad boss who uses it to torture & kill people for reasons which aren't made clear. Can local boy Miles (Kevan Ohtsji) save them?This Canadian production was co-written, produced & directed by Ryan Nicholson who also gets a prosthetic effects designer credit as well, one has to say that Live Feed is another pretty poor low budget shot on a camcorder type horror film that seems to exist only to cash in on the notoriety & success of Hostel (2005) & the mini craze for 'torture porn' as it's become known. According the IMDb's 'Trivia' section for Live Feed writer & director Nicholson wrote it after hearing about certain activities taking place in live sex theatres, for my money I reckon he wrote it after watching Hostel! The script is pretty poor, there is no basic reason given as to why this porno theatre has a big fat ugly freak dressed in bondage gear lurking around torturing & killing people, none. Was it for the Triads? Was it for his pleasure? Was it to make snuff films to sell? Some sort of explanation would have been nice. Also why did he turn on the Triad boss at the end? If your looking for a film with a coherent story then forget about Live Feed. It seemed to me to be some sort of uneasy misjudged mix of sex, S&M, horror, torture, gore & action films which doesn't come off. I mean just setting a horror film in a porn theatre isn't automatically going to make your film any good, there still needs to be a decent script & story, right? The character's were fairly poor clichés & some of their actions & motivations were more than a little bit questionable. It moves along at a reasonable pace, it's fairly sleazy mixing gore, sex & nudity but it does look cheap which lessens the effect.Director Nicholson doesn't do anything special here, the editing is choppy & annoying, he seems to think lighting almost every scene with neon lights is a good idea & the film has a cheap look about it. Available in both 'R' & 'Unrated' versions I saw the shorter cut 'R' version which really isn't that gory but I am prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to the 'Unrated' version & say that it might be much, much gorier but I can't say for sure. There's a fair amount of nudity too if that's your thing. I wouldn't say there's much of an atmosphere or many scares here because there isn't & aren't respectively although it does have a sleazy tone in general which is something it has going for it I suppose.Technically Live Feed isn't terribly impressive, the blood looks a little too watery for my liking & entire scenes bathed in annoying neon lights sometimes makes it hard to tell whats happening, it to often looks like it was shot on a hand-held camcorder & the choppy editing at least on the 'R' rated version is at times an annoying mess. Shot on location in an actual porn theatre somewhere in Vancouver in Canada. The acting is poor, sometimes I couldn't tell if the actresses in this were supposed to be crying or laughing...Live Feed is not a film I would recommend anyone to rush out & buy or rent, I didn't think much of it with it's very weak predictable storyline lacking exposition & which goes nowhere, poor acting & less than impressive gore (at least in the 'R' rated cut anyway). Watch either Hostel films again or instead as they are superior.$LABEL$ 0 +I have always been somewhat underwhelmed by Joe Dante's original THE HOWLING (1981) – so I wasn't particularly interested in checking out any of its sequels; some time ago, I did catch HOWLING III: THE MARSUPIALS (1987) – by the same director as this one – and found it to be watchable but nothing special.The second instalment, however, has quite a bad rep and I knew I'd have a good time watching it – if mainly to wallow in the sight of dear but pompous horror icon Christopher Lee squirming in the midst of it all (the gracefully-aged star has pathetically asserted a number of times in interviews that he hasn't appeared in horror-oriented fare since his last picture for Hammer Films back in 1976!). Anyway, this film should have borne the subtitle "Your Movie Is A Turd" – being astoundingly inept in all departments (beginning with the all-important werewolf make-up)! The plot (and dialogue) is not only terrible, but it has the limpest connection with Dante's film – strangely enough, the author of the original novel Gary Brandner co-wrote this himself! Still, one of the undeniable highlights (er...low points) of the film is the pointless elliptical editing – which tries to give the whole a semblance of style, but only serves to accentuate its embarrassment factor! Similarly phoney (and grating) are the hokey transitions between scenes, the inane punk-rock theme song, and the cheapjack special-effects at the climax! What about the characters, then?: Lee is the werewolf expert, naturally, whom everybody thinks a crackpot – until they come into contact with the monsters, that is; at the very least, though, one has to admire the makers' ingenuity (or gall) in devising a stupid subtitle with a dual meaning! Incidentally, Sybil Danning (as Stirba, Werewolf Bitch – the subtitle by which this is known in the U.K.!) is quite fetching in an assortment of outrageous S&M outfits...but her character is virtually given nothing to do (except preside over her brood of followers and engage in the occasional hilarious three-way lycanthrope sex!); her two snarling lieutenants (one of them a sluttish black girl) are especially irritating.Aiding Lee on the side of good are the two yuppie heroes (he being the brother of the Dee Wallace character from the first film and she a colleague of hers) and a ragged guerrilla-type band of Transylvians (still, they generally manage to effortlessly overcome Danning's rather dumb werewolves!). Notable among them is a knife-throwing dwarf who gets a particularly nasty (but, at the same time, side-splitting) demise; he's later revived, under Stirba's control, in order to lure Lee (by making childish taunts at him all through the village streets) into a trap. The latter scene has to be a career nadir for the distinguished and imposing actor – well, either this or the early sequence in a discotheque where Lee is made to don a pair of ultra-cool sunglasses so as to appear inconspicuous among the partying youngsters!In the end, if I were forced to mention elements in this which weren't entirely displeasing, I guess I could say that the ossuary set (in which the heroine is to be sacrificed) is interesting, or that the hybrid werewolf/bat creature (Danning's pet who likes to 'inhabit' the body of its victims) is just too weird to be despised...$LABEL$ 0 +This is one of the best films I have ever seen! How anyone can knock this movie just befuddles my imagination! First of all, Gooding's and Harris's performances were simply spectacular, especially Gooding. That is the only way I can describe the acting: spectacular! You have to imagine how difficult it would be to play a character like that and pull it off; then you see Gooding, and his performance was magical. As for the plot, since it was based on a true person, it goes where the lives of the characters go. For all the action buffs, it might be a little slow, but then it's not an action film. I definitely give this movie a 10. It deserves nothing less!$LABEL$ 1 +Cooley High is considered one of my best all time movies. It certainly reminds me of days of my youth growing up in the cities of Cleveland and Chicago during the early, mid, and late 1960's. What ever happened to Brenda and Pooter? Some one need's to track those two down. Brenda for her beauty and Pooter for his innocent wit. They both deserve to be recognized even 31 years after this film was debuted. I think a lot of the fans of this movie would like to find out what happened to them as well as others who acted in this fun filled movie. I certainly think this movie should be entered into some type of MOVIE HALL OF FAME. All of the cast of this movie was great. My opinion is of " Cooley High " is turn back the hands of time, those were the fun years.$LABEL$ 1 +Though derivative, "Labyrinth" still stands as the highlight of the mid-half of the six-year-old show. Finally a story allows Welling to show how he has grown as an actor. It's not easy playing a character that is the embodiment of "truth, justice, and the American way" on a weekly basis with very little variation. His performance, permitting him to show how one might react if he/she discovers that all that he knew may be a lie, was quite believable.Welling rose to the occasion marvelously.As always, Michael Rosenbaum, as the "handicapped" Lex, delivered, as did Kristen Kreuk as a too-sweet-to-be-believed Lana. Allison Mack, the ever-present Chloe, also scored as a slightly "off-her-rocker" version.The use of an annoying hum in the background added to the tone of the installment and made for an engaging drama.$LABEL$ 1 +Once in a great while I will watch a movie that completely surprises me. One that comes out of nowhere to be a bit of rousing entertainment. One that is pure fun from beginning to end. Well folks, When A Stranger Calls is NOT that movie. It is an unbelievable stupid and far fetched remake of the much better 1979 horror camp classic. Our lead heroine Jill is forced to babysit after going over her cell phone minutes and is harassed by telephone calls from a mysterious caller. Every cliché in the world is used here from the stupid cat-jumping-out-of-a-hidden-spot to the car that won't start to the killer can be anywhere at anytime. This movie is bad...not even bad in a "so bad it's good way" more in a "so bad it's boring way." Skip this godawful film and save your movie for something else. You'll thank me later, trust me on this. Grade: D-$LABEL$ 0 +We just finished screening El Padrino in Australia. A phenomenal piece of film work. We look forward to seeing many more films from Mr. Chapa in the future. It was wonderful to see such a well put together film with such suspense and a story that shall remain an instant classic. Seeing a film with great quality truly outlines Chapa's serious potential and his adept skill as a writer, actor, director, and filmmaker. Chapa has impressed many with his triumphant performance in "blood in and blood out" and now he has proved to all who have see his works his potential to become a critically acclaimed film maker with genuine artistic control. With his lead role Kilo Vasquez being a perfect combination between Milo Velka from "Blood in Blood Out" and Al Pacino from "Scarface" the film will do wonders for us here in Australia.$LABEL$ 1 +Superdome is one of those movies that makes you wonder why it was made. The whole plot concerns someone trying to sabotage the superbowl, and all the attempts made to stop them. How Tom Selleck and Donna Mills' careers managed to survive this is beyond me. However, the most frustrating thing about it was THERE WAS NO FOOTBALL IN IT AT ALL! Avoid this one if possible.$LABEL$ 0 +Absolutely one of the 10 best music films Ever! A totally essential educational experience for any music fanatic--Especially young rock/punk fans today...understanding the beginnings of any particular "artistic" movement absolutely requires understanding the roots of the music,as well as the mindset and musical environment of the times....not to mention the political and social factors involved at the time. And,besides all that,this documentary is flat-out rock-n-roll F U N !! Do Not Miss It!!! that said,can anyone tell me when,if ever, "the decline of western civilization"...part 1,( Not part 2,the metal version) will be made available again..hopefully on DVD?$LABEL$ 1 +I don't know what it is with this movies. But movies about history or religion are always criticised by their accuracy. Of course it's not 100% accurate. It's difficult to make 100% accurate films nowadays when even the "experts" disagree with each other. Therefore I rather like to judge a movie by what it is trying to say than pick on all the inaccuracies.So I start by saying that I liked this mini serie. But I do agree with the critique that his childhood years went by too fast. The series should have been a three part story, his childhood being the first part. But if they didn't have more money to shoot more story who am I to criticise that???There's only one real problem I have with this movie and that's the fact that it's told in a history book way. Especially the second part which is just a sum of events that happened. I rather would have liked to see Hitler more humane (more scenes where he doubts himself etc.). Noah Taylor did that more in the movie 'Max' which seem to work better I think. Nevertheless I'm glad this was made and own it on DVD. Just to remember more vividly what happened and see Carlyle giving his best. 7.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +This film is a very beautiful and slow film. There is nothing Hollywood about it. It is very danish and the characters are very real. It is the first danish film to take up this transsexual theme. It is really about love that has no gender. I would not say it is about lesbian love even though the two main characters (the transsexual veronika and Charlotte) are attracted to each other. It is a story about love and life.The story pretty much takes place in the two apartments. There is almost no background music, which makes it seem more real and intense. The two actors playing the main characters are great. They really make them seem real. They are not archetypes, but real people you could meet in the street. I think it is the first time I have seen a transsexual portrayed this well. Very well done.$LABEL$ 1 +Rabbit Fever is a mockumentary collection of sketches, each one of them focussing on a female personal device that was made popular by a single 1998 episode of Sex and the City (the latter half of 1998, rather than the early episodes which were all directed by women). From opening statistics that make Rabbit Fever sound like a soft porn movie, we are treated to a sea of predictable sketches with real and imaginary characters in a world run amok with women's addiction to solitary pleasure.Men, as Germaine Greer rather arrogantly explains, have invented a gadget for women that makes men superfluous in the bedroom. The Rabbit Vibrator (which some statistics suggest accounts for about a quarter of all vibrator sales) is so called because of little rabbit-like long ears which vibrate to stimulate the clitoris, while rotating pearls inside the shaft stimulate the inside of the vagina. The film interviews characters that attend Rabbits Anonymous to help overcome their 'addiction', as well as known people such as Tom Conti posing as a professor or Richard Branson (amid scenes of rabbits being banned on aircraft) saying he would like to provide free rabbits to his first class air travel passengers and ultimately to all of them.The main weakness of the film is that the idea is not enough to sustain 85 minutes of cinema, the sketches don't have the writing skills of say a Charlotte Church or Ricky Gervais to make them funny enough and, while it might make desultory late night TV, doesn't have a hook to get people to queue up in public at multiplexes to watch masturbation jokes.Lines like, "It's been nearly a week since you used your rabbit - how are you coping?" wear rather thin after five minutes. The film is based on the idea that the mere mention of the word 'rabbit' will get a laugh . . . and another one, and another one. Frantic midnight drives to buy batteries might be amusing in real life, but here they look rather laborious, and the special emergency delivery service outstays its welcome.Strangely the BBFC gave it an 18 certificate in spite of zero violence, hardly any explicit sex, and sexual references that are less 'perverted' than any late night comedy show. The company protested the decision, but the BBFC didn't budge. At first sight this seems overkill on their part and their consumer advice now simply says, "Contains frequent strong sex references." One might think that youngsters would find masturbation jokes funnier than the most desperate of hen night parties, and the topic one worthy of debate; but Rabbit Fever does not even have the saving grace of a balanced approach to its subject matter.The best part is probably The Rabbit Song by Ruocco (who play a band called Thumper in the film). For those who have dozed off and woken up at the end credits, there is a bonus scene at the end of them to reassure them that they haven't missed anything.$LABEL$ 0 +My kids loved this movie. we watched it every chance we got.it was fun a fun movie. we watched it as a family and everyone of us enjoyed it. it was a movie you could watch without any uncomfortable spots that you would have to explain to the younger ones. my boys loved this movie and they would love to be able to see it again. even after all these years they remember it. that Amy Jo Johnson was a very cute girl. all my boys had crushes on her. they loved her as the pink power ranger which is why we watched this movie to begin with. (as you can tell i am rambling a bit to fill lines LOL). but seriously it is a fun movie and worth watching. Disney please give us a DVD or replay!$LABEL$ 1 +Like all good art, this movie could mean different things to different people. To me it means that failing to open your hart to the others could rob you of happiness and leave you with an empty live. The convenience of the selfishness is like the junk food: it feels good, but eventually could make you sick.Almost everything I see in the US is a commercial mass production of action garbage, shallow dramas, and stupid comedies, and this sensitive, deep and poetic movie really touched me. Thank you, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (and all the other in the cast)!Ivan Yanachkov$LABEL$ 1 +I have no idea what the budget on this movie was, but whatever it was they made it work! I have seen movies that spend 100x the amount (Pearl Harbor anyone?) and sucked 200x worse. This movie has everything. David "Makin' It" Naughton in the lead role as Adam, an average college student who gets wrapped up in a game called the Great AllNighter" run by Leon! This guy rocks! A "genius" with nothing better to do than come up with an elaborate game for a bunch of people to play. But he doesn't just pick his friends. He has a team of Jocks, nerds, fatties, average kids and of course, Flounder's team who are the "bad guys". But this movie has no black and white. There are many shades of gray. Adam is not the altruistic hero with no faults. He treats Alex P. like crap. AND Flounder is the way he is because of pressures from his Dad and a cranky stomach. The jocks play dirty, but so does everyone else! This movie rocks! The scene at the PBR factory? Classic! "Johnny's Obese Male Child?" Can you write a better clue? This stuff is gold Jerry! GOLD! Maybe I am from a different generation, but I love movies that seem far-fetched but still have roots in reality. This never happened...but it could. Eeeee-Gypt.... EEEE....Easter Bunny....Easter Parade! Oh and watch for a young Paul Rubens still working on that Pee wee character. PS That Devra Clinger WAS/is HOT! She must have been one bad actress not to work in Hollywood anymore. SEE THIS MOVIE!$LABEL$ 1 +There are a lot of people that put down on these type 80's movies but those people may not have been coming of age during this time. I was just starting college when this movie was released so I could really appreciate it at the time and my friends and I still, to this day, will occasionally joke about certain lines in the movie. As much as I liked Sean Penn's Character Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times", I actually enjoy Chris Penn's Character "Tommy" more because he is the lead character with more of a actual speaking roll opposed to just a series of one liners such as with Spicoli. Chris Penn should probably pop this film in his VCR and use it for motivation to lose some weight. Yes, the subplot with the Randy Quaid, Vietnam vet character does seem a little out of place, but he does a convincing job in the role. If there is anyone out there that hasn't seen this movie but liked the other similar type movies such as "Fast Times", etc. I highly recommend it.$LABEL$ 1 +No one can argue with it. This IS and WILL BE the best movie ever, as it is the perfect definition of what any movie should be : a collective hypnosis beyond times. No movie can give you more perfectly this impression that you carried it inside you, even before you saw it for the first time.There are images that stay forever...$LABEL$ 1 +This review is based on the dubbed Shock-o-Rama video released on an undeserving world in 2002. How bad is it? It's awful, which is what a '1' represents on the IMDb scale--but it's much worse than that. It's nice to imagine that an original German-language print might improve matters--the comedic English-language dubbing isn't funny at all--but truthfully, this is one of the worst amateur films of any genre you're likely to see. The zombies in the film are as slow and clumsy as ever, and they don't seem to have the ability to speak or think about anything beyond their next meal. However, they're also intelligent enough to operate chainsaws and malicious enough to know that western taboos about genitalia will no doubt enliven their dinner table conversation. George Romero's Land of the Dead posited a zombie nation that retained a shred of social coherence; here, zombies are nothing more than an empty canvas for the perverse imaginings of director Andreas Schnaas. Utterly without redeeming social value, and even worse, entirely lacking as entertainment, Zombie '90 is a bad joke on anyone who wastes money on it.$LABEL$ 0 +Yeah...I read David Lee Roth's autobiography, "Crazy From the Heat," (which by the way is an amazing read), and DLR says this was his favorite blacksploitation movie as a kid. In fact, he says he always imagined himself as a black guy in Southern Cal. Mr Roth is quoted as saying:"We saw every Blacksploitation picture, and those movies were a HUGE influence on me. Trouble Man, Superfly, Foxy Brown, Shaft, Cleopatra Jones, Blacula, Rudy Ray Moore doin' his Dolemite vibe-I saw all of those..."He goes on to say:"Dolemite - Rudy Ray Moore - was one of the originals. He was a blue comic, doing blue humor. Like Redd Foxx did on early party records. So he was the most perfect to play a new secret agent. His answer was not "Bonds. James Bond." His answer was "Dolemite, motherf*****!" We would wait for that line in all of his movies. "Get Whitey" would show up in every single movie at least once, and we would wait for that, too. They had the cars. They had the shoes. They had the guns. The Haircuts. The Slang. And the scams. And we all knew that all those beatific resolves at the end of the movie were white bull****. He's trying to feed hungry children but he's actually a pimp...bull****. That was designed to make it palatable to our moms and dads so they'd let us go see the picture."Spoken like a true genius. So upon reading about Dolemite in Mr. Roth's book I immediately bought in on DVD and I really like it. Yeah, it's super low-budget, and yeah...I hate rap...but as a fan of Tarantino movies, I can see many similarities, especially some of the 70's fusion/funk ala-jaco pastorius music throughout the film. I also love the scene where the two cops 'bust' him for coke and then one of them snorts a whole bunch of it like he'd done it a thousand times before, and says something like, "Aww yeah....that's the real mccoy!"...and then he continues to talk and has a little bit of coke still on his lip. CLASSIC! Some of the violence is a little over the edge, but shocking, which I would consider to be a positive quality. Not as predictable as I assumed it would be. Definitely going to pick up "The Human Tornado" very soon. 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +I can't imagine why it hasn't been theatrically released yet. It's got a great ensemble cast, with Sutherland, Lane, and especially Chris Evans doing spectacular work. Wake up, studio execs!The story is based upon the experiences of the author/screenwriter, growing up as the "poor kid" in an extremely affluent community, where class is everything, and makes a difference in every aspect of life, from clothing to justice.During the film's Q&A, the author was asked about his experiences, and particularly what we don't know about the ultra-rich. He said they aren't stupid, they're very smart (as opposed to how they may portray themselves), they've got plans, and they are a threat!In many ways, this film is extremely timely.$LABEL$ 1 +Probably grossly underrated by all who never experienced the hell of living under communist regime. Although, it seems hard to believe, all of it happened, actually the reality was even worse than the movie. It resembles Orwellian fiction, only this is no fiction. John Hurt is excellent as always. Yes, the screenplay is not full of action, but life is not either. Plot is breathtaking. Yes, people were shot, yes thousands of them. Their 'crime' was that they wanted to leave communist 'paradise' without government authorization. At times the movie drives tears in your eyes. We need more movies like this to really appreciate what America provides for us. Excellent movie, highly recommend! God bless our country, USA!$LABEL$ 1 +The best part of An American In Paris is the lengthy ballet sequence at the end, where Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron are the living personification of several major painters. Kelly has earlier been established as a pavement artist in Paris, so the sequence is the logical ending to a musical bursting with life and energy, Gershwin tunes, and cast members like Georges Guetary and Oscar Levant. Kelly was at his best here - it's a little different to Singin' in the Rain, and the effect of all the film as one topped with the ballet gives it a definite wow factor. No wonder the sequence ended 'That's Entertainment' after all other MGM musical highlights had gone by!$LABEL$ 1 +For late-80s cheese, this really isn't so bad. There are a lot of pretty funny throwaway one-liners ("That was grand theft!" - "Thanks!") and Madonna gives a fine performance; nothing award-worthy here, but that goes for Razzies as well as Oscars. I'm curious to know if the movie would have been better received if she had used her regular (pre-British influenced) speaking voice rather than the hyper-Bronxy accent used instead. Oh well. As a side note, I got to meet one of the actors who played one of the motorcycle cops through my work; he said that it was a fun film to work on but gave me the sad news that the actor who played Buck the UPS delivery guy died about a year after Who's That Girl$LABEL$ 1 +As a young black/latina woman I am always searching for movies that represent the experiences and lives of people like me. Of course when I saw this movie at the video store I thought I would enjoy it; unfortunately, I didn't. Although the topics presented in the film are interesting and relevant, the story was simply not properly developed. The movie just kept dragging on and on and many of the characters that appear on screen just come and go without much to contribute to the overall film. Had the director done a better job interconnecting the scenes, perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more. Honestly, I would recommend a film like "Raising Victor" over this one any day. I just was not too impressed.$LABEL$ 0 +Without a doubt, 12 MONKEYS is one of the best films of the Sci-fi genre and director Terry Gilliam is no stranger at pulling off such cinematic originality. An apocalyptic film that holds you completely spellbound, 12 MONKEYS never lets up and has you guessing all the way throughout. Excellent use of Philadelphia locales and netherworld sets create a gothic sense of tragedy and two people caught in time at the wrong place.Bruce Willis escapes his macho image and portrays a true loony who happens to be right about all that will happen. He is actually sane, but the people of the future (or present if you will) distort this guy's head so bad through time travel, no wonder he unravels. He gets sent to World War I just after beng sent to the wrong year to find out how the Army of the Twelve Monkeys pulls off the annihilation of civilization as we know it. They finally get it right and in what is truly a remarkable screenplay to match the performance, we get to see Willis, Madeleine Stowe and an ominous Brad Pitt cross-referenced over the course of 6 years.Stowe is sensual and solid as the risk-taking shrink who slowly starts to realize that Willis may not be as cracked up as he seems. A captivating element of the relationship between her and Willis is their sense of "seeing" each other before, in another place or time. 12 MONKEYS is essentially about time and the madness the futuristic people immerse into it and the times of the present, when killers and a psychotic genius can alter the world.The brooding city of Philadelphia is a dark and gothic backdrop for Willis' plight to complete his mission which is, against all usual Hollywood stereotype, NOT to save the world. He is gathering information. The film plays tricks on the viewer as well, placing Willis in a new setting at the drop of a pin. This must have been an extremely difficult picture to make but Gilliam seems to be the master of hard-boiled movie making. He even drops in some humor reminiscent of other great works like TIME BANDITS, and BRAZIL. The screen is this man's canvas and he knows how to paint a sometimes terrifying picture of the world and its possible future within the mainstream atmosphere of big-budget films. If you want sincere madness and ironic tragedy, see 12 MONKEYS.RATING: 9 of 10$LABEL$ 1 +The NYT review says that Sigourney Weaver's character is taut and frustrated, and, later, that she could be the sister of MTM's character in Ordinary People. Say, WHAT? No way. This lady was quirky from the start. NOTHING like MTM in Ordinary People. Sorry.Next, the NYT goes on to say that Sigourney Weaver's Sandy Travis and Jeff Daniel's Ben Travis are 40-something year olds, "children of the 60s." Ms Weaver must be dancing a jig. I believe at the time she made Imaginary Heroes she was in fact 55 years old. She was born in 1949.NYT perception corrections aside, this was a pretty good movie considering it was made by someone so young. Obviously Sigourney Weaver thought so, and so did Jeff Daniels. The young man playing Tim was outstanding.There are some critical comments I could make about the script. Such as that I never really got a good sense of why Sandy Travis missed her son. Her sort of blown apart behavior was perhaps triggered by his death, but that such behavior lasted ¾ of the way through the film I felt had more to do with her stagnation marriage, her relationship with Tim, and where he really came from, and other unresolved issues, than from any mourning of her elder son. Ben's mourning was much more clear.So Matt Travis was an asshole. Did his mom think so too? Still, a very watchable film. What is becoming clearer and clearer is not that there are no roles for women over a certain age, rather that what it takes is a director such as this one to be so clearly in love with an older woman (Ms Weaver) and to almost make his film an homage to her. Sort of an anti-Woody Allen.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was *good* relatively during the first parts of it.We have a story, from 3 points of view. So let's find some clues and complete the story.Oh wait...none of that stuff matters because the FBI guys are the bad guys! Though that was a great twist...it was almost a terrible twist. I immediately downgraded the film from a 7 maybe 8 to 3 based on the last 10-15 minutes of it.Does anyone else not see why the twist is so bad? Yes, it's a good shock. But it is bad because it has absolutely nothing to do with the preceding hour and twenty minutes. There's no connection to the killers.The killers are in about all of 5 minutes of this movie (as killers) and the two FBI agents are only in 15 minutes of the previous hour and twenty.We get it...surveillance...Oh, the Killers are voyeurs. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE, because they were only described in limited terms as just being psychopaths. And the hour and twenty minutes of surveillance we are watching of the 3 stories goes out the window as everyone is dead in 5 minutes.All of this makes the ending even more ridiculous. Oh, they killed a bunch of FBI agents in the beginning...what FBI agents sleep together? All in the same room. To be found and murdered by amateurs and then impersonated by people who know nothing about being FBI agents? A cop 3 feet away apparently can't hit either one with a standard police issue pistol that can shoot several shots. I hate movies that try to make you feel like this could be real when they make absurd leaps they think we will believe.The other thing is the movie ends about 10-15 minutes after they are revealed as the killers with a girl standing in the field somewhere...$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is a cyborg in and of itself: half nonsense/half Lifetime Original Movie.As a cyborg, this movie has but one objective: to make you wish that you had spent the duration of the film in a dark room punching yourself in the testicles.Unlike many people, I did not rent this movie because of Angelina Jolie(I'll explain why I rented it shortly). I am not a big fan of Ms. Jolie's, though I will say that her performance was stellar! Her blank stare and robotic acting really did have me believing that she was an android hooker. If anyone has a clip of her on 'Inside the Actor's Studio' explaining how she prepared for this role, please send it my way. I'll make sure to use it when I try James Lipton for Crimes against Integrity.So what drove me to rent this movie? One would think that it was the hope of seeing Angelina Jolie's nipples, but it wasn't. No, the reason behind this rental rested solely on one of the images on the cover of the DVD; that of Jack Palance's face! HALF OF HIS FACE WAS ROBOTIC! When I saw that, I imagined legions of "Palances" slowly marching through a fiery wasteland, laying waste to any humans that were foolish enough to resist. In my mind's eye, every member of this Unholy Army of Palances had a red, glowing eye; a red, glowing eye that looked at humans and saw only "meat". They were to be the Architects of Oblivion...a cold, steely Apocalypse...a Nightmare from which Humanity would never awaken. It's a beautiful image that I will cherish till the end of my years.Like most things in my life, the actual movie did not live up to my expectations. No, there was only 'one' Jack Palance, and the only visible cybernetic enhancements that he had were located on his legs. Sadly, those enhancements didn't really "enhance" anything. That is unless, you count WALKING LIKE A POLIO VICTIM as a super power. At least their was a scene where Jack--grinning like a trigger-happy Alzheimer's patient--got to shoot the hell out of some people. I was waiting for him to yell, "I'm damn tired of paying too much for prescription medication!" Unfortunately, any outbursts of geriatric rage were few and far between.What the movie did have an abundance of was a poorly developed love story about a man(Elias Koteas, a.k.a. poor man's De Niro) and a cyborg(Angelina Jolie, a.k.a. Demon Spawn of John Voigt). Oh man, can the love between a Romeo of Flesh and a Juliet of Silicon ever be able to last?!?!?! It can if you follow Jack Palance's simple advice: "You have to TASTE each other's TIME".Yeah, I'm not sure what that means. However, I am sure that I do not want Jack Palance to be the one to explain it to me. I sure as heck don't want him to show me! As an experiment, I suggest that you ask your significant other if he/she "thinks that we have reached a level in our relationship where we can begin to TASTE each other's TIME?"$LABEL$ 0 +I tried. God knows I tried to like this Swiss Cheese of a movie, but the story was too full of holes, some big enough to drive a horse drawn carriage through. The acting overall was even and the characters endearing enough that you regretted they died off like recently sprayed roaches, scattering off to die their own gruesome deaths. Overall, however, it was not really very scary. Afterall we have seen spooky quickly moving figures in the background since "The Brood" why back when / and it was scary then just briefly. This film just never resolved the basic plot points and thats the writer's job. Naturally you would expect the director to pick up on the fact that the story did not make sense. Like who's was the secret room behind the wardrobe, why did the blood hungry ghost not die when she received the nails as prescribed by the book they read earlier? Why did the computer say "game over" for Frankie's character even though he lived? The list goes on and on. I don't really feel comfortable recommending this film as its makes you feel like you wasted your time and there was not enough payoff in truly scary moments.$LABEL$ 0 +"Atoll K" aka "Utopia" is one of Hollywood's saddest swan songs. Filmed in France, "The Land That Loves Lewis (Jerry)" in 1950 and released the following year after a five-year layoff, the boys are in truly terrible shape physically. However, they aren't in nearly as bad a shape as the script.This movie is one of the un-funniest "comedies" ever filmed.It's painful to see this legendary team, the funniest duo in the history of motion pictures, the twosome that made "The Devil's Brother" (1933), "The Music Box," (1932),"Pack Up Your Troubles" (also 1932), "Babes In Toyland" (1934), "Bonnie Scotland" (1935), "Flying Deuces" (1939) and so many more gut-wrenching, laugh-til-you-choke classic comedies, in a film such as this.But fighters and ballplayers do it all the time. They stay in the game one season or one fight too many. In this case, while is morbidly fascinating to see Laurel & Hardy at this late stage in their legendary careers, they, too, stuck around for one too many.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is so bad, it's comical. In fact, Mystery Science Theatre 3000, the television show in which three characters watch and parody bad movies, used this very film to mock. I suggest watching it (maybe on YouTube) instead of actually seeing this movie.Please, do not see Hobgoblins if you're not prepared to stop within the first scene. Actually, do not see this movie, period. Please. At least not seriously. Its jokes are not funny (to say the least), and you'll have much more fun parodying or watching a parody of it then viewing the movie.You may feel yourself becoming sick upon watching, so spare yourself. Read a book. Do the laundry. Anything is more fun than watching Hobgoblins.$LABEL$ 0 +I've watched the first 17 episodes and this series is simply amazing! I haven't been this interested in an anime series since Neon Genesis Evangelion. This series is actually based off an h-game, which I'm not sure if it's been done before or not, I haven't played the game, but from what I've heard it follows it very well.I give this series a 10/10. It has a great story, interesting characters, and some of the best animation I've seen. It also has some great Japanese music in it too!If you haven't seen this series yet, check it out. You can find subbed episodes on some anime websites out there, it's straight out of Japan.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, maybe the PC version of this game was impressive. Maybe. I just finished playing the PS2 version and it's pretty much a complete mess.There are a couple elements that are okay or promising. I'll mention those first because it will be over quickly. First, the idea of a historical GTA-like game is a great one. The game Gun was a historical GTA-like game and unlike Mafia, Gun was excellent. I'd love to see a game set during Mafia's era done right. Next, the storyline is well written. The story makes sense, it has dramatic arcs, it uses an unusual device (with much of the game being a backstory) and it's interesting. Finally, some of the graphics--especially those used during cutscenes--are impressive. Mafia's designers seemed to focus on getting the graphics right in the places where GTA skimped on that effort, especially the characters. Unfortunately in many other areas, the graphics kinda stink, and I'd much rather have excellent gameplay than impressive-looking characters.The gameplay is what sinks this title so low. First off, the controls and camera absolutely suck. That has to be the first focus of any game developers. You can't release a game where the controls and/or camera suck. Number one, there's no reason that the player's character, Tom, can't have his full range of motion controlled by the left analog stick. Unless it's absolutely necessary, and it hardly ever is, I hate the set-up where the left stick moves the character in a "strafing" way and the character can only turn using the right analog stick. Here, it's not only unnecessary, it makes most of the simplest actions a challenge. For example, Tom has to climb on a couple missions. But the game is designed so poorly that you have to frustratingly keep manipulating both the right analog stick and the camera, and then press L1 every time you need to climb, or Tom will descend instead.Next, I've never seen a worse fighting system. The first problem is that you can't auto-aim or lock on to any targets. At one early point, the game seems to tell you that you can use L2 or R2 to lock on to targets, but that never worked. So to focus on any enemy, you have to struggle with the stupid right analog stick and try to keep adjusting both the character's orientation and the camera, which tends to drift to the wrong angle or make Tom disappear all the time. By that time, you're probably getting pummeled or shot to death.Next, if you're touching or almost touching an enemy--and that's certainly going to be the case for hand to hand combat or when using melee weapons, the fighting system--which primarily consists of tapping or holding R1, is completely useless. Enemies can pummel you almost in a bear hug, but you just can't move unless you back off. So close fighting tends to consist of you yanking on the left analog stick, yelling at the character to move away, which it won't do 50% of the time, then tapping R1 as much as you can before the enemy gets too close again and makes R1 useless. And if the enemy changes their angle to you in the meantime, you're also going to struggle with the right analog stick to get your character oriented in the right way and to get the camera in position so you can see anything. By that time, you're probably getting pummeled or shot again, and your only option will be to try to move the character away again. My fights often consisted of making Tom run circles around an area like a comedy film, hoping that I could gain enough time to struggle with the analog stick and get a couple shots in before being at the AI's mercy again. So much for realistic fighting.And the same problems and more exist when trying to fight with guns. If you're touching someone, half the time the controller just won't allow you to fire off a shot, yet they can still riddle you full of holes. Additionally, there's no auto-aim, and the aiming system is ridiculously sensitive, even with the sensitivity set to zero under Options. Gunfights tend to consist of you hopelessly trying to aim or move away while the enemy puts shot after shot into you. Luckily or not, damage seems to be recorded almost randomly. It can take one to ten shots or more to incapacitate any character, and there's no rhyme or reason to it. You can put five shots into an enemy's head and near point blank range and they'll still return fire and hurt you. Yet, the game designers seemed to care enough about realism than they built a recoil into your aiming system, so after shots with powerful enough guns, your aim will float off target, and you'll have to fight with it again.As for the celebrated graphics, except for the characters and textures that you're close to, they're actually pretty disappointing. The distance always seems mostly empty, and there are often expanses of flat colors and textures nearby when you're driving. The city wasn't very well designed. It's not varied enough, and there aren't many interesting things to see or do. The cars seem slow and they're difficult to control. They also all drive about the same. Some have mentioned the music, but that was also pretty nondescript. A much better job could have been done on that end. Also, as many others have mentioned, the load times are ridiculous and constant. They tend to be over a minute long, and they occur between and in the middle of everything--even races.Overall, the Mafia port to PS2, at least, seems to have been very rushed. The game feels and plays like an incomplete hack job.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, In 35 years of film going I have finally viewed the stinker that surpasses all other ghastly movies I have seen. Beating 'Good Will Hunting' Baise Moi' and 'Flirt' for sheer awfulness. This is pretentious blige of the first order... not even entertaining pretentious bilge. The effects are cheap, and worse - pointless.The script seems to have been written by a first year film student who doesn't get out much but wants to appear full of portent! The acting is simply undescribably bad - Tilda Swinton caps a career filled with vacuous woodeness with a performance which veers neurotically between comotose and laughable 'intensity'. Apparently, some fool out there has allowed the director of this film to make another one... be warned$LABEL$ 0 +I was lucky enough to catch this film finally on Turner Classic films tonight, as it is one of the films that won an Oscar (for special effects) in their yearly month of Oscar winning films. BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS is easily a sequel film for the earlier success of MARY POPPINS. That film too was a big success, and an Oscar winner (Best Actress for Julie Andrews). Like MARY POPPINS BEDKNOBS has David Tomlinson in it, in a role wherein he learns about parenting. It is a fine mixture of live action and animation. It is set in a past period of British history (if not the Edwardian - Georgian world of 1912 London, it is England's coastline during the "Dunkirk" Summer of 1940). It even has old Reginald Owen in it, here as a General in the Home Guard, whereas formerly he was Admiral Boom in MARY POPPINS. Ironically it was Owen's final role.The Home Guard sequences (not too many in the film) reminds one of the British series DAD'S ARMY, dealing with the problems of the local home guard in the early years of the war. The period is also well suggested by the appearance of the three Rawlins children as war orphans from the bombings in the Blitz in London. And (in typical Disney fashion) in the musical number "Portobello Road" different members of the British Army (including soldiers from India and the Caribbean (complete with metal drums yet!)) appear with Scottish and local female auxiliaries in costume.All of which, surprisingly, is a plus. But the biggest plus is that for Angela Lansbury, her performance as Eglantine Price is finally it: her sole real musical film lead. In a noteworthy acting career, Lansbury never got the real career musical role she deserved as Auntie Mame in the musical MAME that came out shortly after BEDKNOBS did. She had been in singing parts (in GASLIGHT with her brief UP IN A BALLOON BOYS, and in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY with LITTLE YELLOW BIRD, and - best of all - in support and in conclusion of THE HARVEY GIRLS with the final reprise of ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA, AND THE SANTA FE). But only here does she play the female lead. So when you hear her singing with David Tomlinson you may be able to understand what we lost when she did not play Mame Dennis Burnside.The rest of the cast is pretty good, Tomlinson here learning that he can rise to the occasion after a lifetime of relative failure. The three children (Cindy O'Callaghan, Roy Snart, and Ian Weighill) actually showing more interesting sides in their characters than their Edwardian predecessors in POPPINS (Weighill in particular, as something of a budding opportunist thinking of blackmailing Lansbury after finding out she is a witch). The only surprising waste (possibly due to cutting of scenes) is Roddy McDowall as the local vicar who is only in two sequences of the film. With his possible role as a disapproving foe of witchcraft he should have had a bigger part. Also of note is John Ericson, as the German officer who leads a raid at the conclusion of the film, only to find that he is facing something more powerful than he ever imagined in the British countryside, and Sam Jaffe as a competitor for the magic formula that Lansbury and Tomlinson are seeking. As for the animation, the two sequences under the sea in a lagoon, and at the wildest soccer match ever drawn are well worth the view, with Tomlinson pulled into the latter as the referee, and getting pretty badly banged up in various charges and scrimmages. As I said it is a pretty fine sample of the Disney studio's best work.$LABEL$ 1 +In São Paulo, the upper middle class teenagers Cristiano, Chico and Gabriel have just joined the university and on the eve of the opening class, they go to a party with drugs and booze. On the next day, after their classes, the date of Cristiano in the previous night comes to his house and the three friends rape the girl. The girl dies, they panic and decide to get rid off the body, but Cristiano's mother arrives, startles with Gabriel and rolls the staircase, breaking her neck. The trio decides to dump and burn the corpses in a garbage landfill, but along the night other tragedies happen.The polemic and shameful "Cama de Gato" is an overrated pretentious crap about alienation of the youth, and is certainly the worst Brazilian movie that I have seen along many years. The shallow, tragic and dark story is actually a black humor comedy of bad taste. The screenplay is not funny, with stupid lines and dialogs, and boring, manipulative and silly footages with interviews with morons teenagers in the beginning and in the end. The acting is terrible, apparently with many improvisations, but no talent, and I was disappointed with presence of the promising Caio Blat in this trash. The camera, framing, cinematography and edition are amateurish and of very low quality. The sound is awful and in many parts it is impossible to understand what the actors and actresses are speaking (probably it is a plus, since this flick sucks). The gang bang is very realistic and used to promote this mediocre movie in a very poor marketing of sex-exploitation. My vote is one (awful).Title (Brazil): "Cama de Gato" ("Bed of the Cat")$LABEL$ 0 +I saw House Party 1-3 and I loved them but this one wasn't funny at all.First it can't be a House Party movie without Kid n'Play right? This one sucks and it was more like a black version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off than a House Party movie.Second who the heck is John-John?These new character's can't even compare to the ones from the other three movies.Now i know why they put it straight to video.It has horrible music, weak plot, untalented actors,and no hilarious jokes at all.My advice,watch this movie at night only if you can't get to sleep.They should have ended the series after House Party 3 since Kid'n'Play separated after that one.I hate this one am glad my local video store doesn't have this film and never want to buy it or want to see it on Comedy Central either.Just because Chris Strokes has talent managing an up-and-coming R&B group doesn't mean he has talent directing and producing films am I right or what? Finally, the female characters were all dressed up like cheap two-dollar hookers throughout most of the flick.IMX separated a year after this flick got released probably due to the failure of this film and are all but forgotten nowadays. In simplier terms this movie just plain old sucks!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +Rutger Hower fans Don't BE FOOLED - he only plays a cameo in this movie and that's IT. This movie loses an extra point for that scam. I think Rutger Hower has a total of about 2 very short scenes and 2 very short voice-overs.The female lead for this film is way above this poor material in looks and talent-she's great, this movie is a dog and she's wasted on it. The story is of a Lawyer hoping for that partnership one day at the firm getting suckered into having to cart the Boss' niece across country. They have several encounters on the road with various oddballs and that is the vehicle for a variety of skits and the dude that played Napoleon Dynamite is thrown in the mix as a side character for good measure.This is a road-trip where extreme circumstances put our repressed hero to the test and he slowly winds up loosening up a little bit by the end of the movie, ah isn't love grand, yadda yadda..Only watch this film if you want to see a hot chick be annoying to a dork in a truck for an hour and half.$LABEL$ 0 +I have never seen the original 1930s version of the film, but this remake is one of the worst I have seen from a major production studio in years. Seeing actors such as Meg Ryan and Annette Bening, once near A level talents, sleepwalk their way through poorly scripted roles is painful. There appeared to be no desire to be in front of the camera for anyone in this film.Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing play worthless roles that have no bearing on the plot and add no entertainment value. Jada Pinkett Smith's character is used as nothing more than a ploy to appear modern, having an African American lesbian character, but in actuality she is there to just look cool. There is no actual reason why Messing in this film other than to fill out the amount of women in the original I take.The side characters played by Eva Mendes and Debi Mazar are stereotypical female characters, with Mendes portraying the vixen looking to steal the wealthy but bored and mildly neglected husband and Mazar covering the gossip roles.The movie is boring, lacking charm, humor, or sympathy for any characters. It almost felt like the movie was a punishment for everyone involved, whether in front of or behind the camera.There is one glimmering hope in the film, however little it is allowed to shine surrounded by the dim and dying stars around it is Cloris Leachman. Leachman is still an amazing talent that brings her remarkable charm and humor to the film, in the small role that she has.$LABEL$ 0 +Danton was a hero and one of the founders of the French Revolution of 1789. This movie is set five years later and the revolution has morphed into something ugly. While initially the revolution promised freedom, at this point the small committee running the country is extremely repressive and is a dictatorship. Danton and his friends were angry at how the country wasn't better off in 1794 than it was BEFORE they got rid of their king, so they begin criticizing the government. The movie begins as the printer who makes critical pamphlets concerning the government is beaten and his business is destroyed. So much for "liberty, equality and fraternity"! So, as a result of being silenced this way, Danton et al begin publicly criticizing the government. Eventually, Robespierre (the leader of the committee) and his cronies trump up charges, have a show trial and get rid of the dissent. Some have mentioned that the Polish director, Wajda, also intended this to be a criticism of his own nation--which, at the time, was Soviet-dominated and very repressive as well. This makes sense as you see the movie unfold--especially when the government destroys all dissent "in the name of the people".The acting is fine, the story compelling and I have no major criticism of the film. However, I really wish the ending had been handled differently. Especially because other than history lovers and French people, most probably have no idea that this execution helped to end the government. AFTER this purge of Danton in April 1794, Robespierre himself was executed in July 1794 because the country had just had enough--plus, those surviving Frenchmen knew that they, too, would face the guillotine sooner or later if this sick system remained in place. Some sort of an epilogue would have been nice--such as showing the soldiers coming for Robespierre. He responded by trying to kill himself first, but he only succeeded in blowing off part of his face--still alive, he was guillotined shortly afterward. This would have been a dandy little epilogue and could have been done in about five minutes. However, not showing a connection between Danton's death and the fall of the government is an odd thing to omit.$LABEL$ 1 +Who doesn't love the muppets?! Impossible it is to watch them without getting some kind of warm, fuzzy feeling inside. So, I guess what's important is that this movie seemed to very successfully capture what makes the muppets so special. I don't remember much about the details of the plot but the various moments and characters in the film I recall quite fondly. In fact, there was quite a nostalgic atmosphere to the whole movie but without being self-conscious in any bad way. Refreshing for someone who possibly gets too hung up on meticulous details and technique; the "magic" transcends all that other stuff. 'Tis indeed what movies are made of.So, how does the film achieve these things? Hmmm, nice question! Stumped am I? Let's see. Really, I feel like it's quite simple. The filmmakers believe in their material and don't take themselves too seriously in the process. I probably wouldn't say the film has many truly inspired moments, but it does have a certain life to it (that funnily enough a great many "real people" movies lack). A zest. You really want to believe in these funny little people and their adventures. They also have a certain innocence about them that makes them all the more endearing.Generally I get the impression that the people that made the movie just weren't afraid to try whatever felt right to them at the time which gives the whole thing quite a loose feel. Kind of like a really accessible and enjoyable extended jazz session. Lots of talent, little predictability and plenty of warm personalities coming through. The cameos were of course a bunch of nice surprises for instance. Maybe I don't feel I have much to say about it because I was half-asleep when I saw it (and/or as I write this review). Anyway, I'm sort of semi-repeating myself here but I really liked the sense of family the movie had. Full of love I suppose you might say. Again, a feeling of nostalgia comes to mind which not many films manage to achieve so effectively or effortlessly.And to repeat myself once more, one of the film's best charms is its very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Like the Nathaniel Hawthorne quote about happiness being (like) a butterfly, so The Muppet Movie greatly succeeds partially by not seeming to try to do so. Same with beauty being best undiscovered or untouched or unforced or something like that. Anyway, if that sounds sappy, I also reckon it was pretty hilarious.So, all in all, this movie was very funny, touching and difficult not to smile along to. Plus it features lots of great music! Highly recommended to all humans, both the young and the young at heart.$LABEL$ 1 +I read thru most of the comments posted here & all I can say it that most of these posters have major problems in life. This show, unlike most game show, was fun. Mr. Shatner, whose brill in ALL that he does, was again the hit of the show. He's genuinely bubbly personality shines like a beacon where ever he goes. He's fun & makes you smile & that's exactly what the show does also. The dancers & questions, the round-about fashion they're presented only add to the shows appeal. And even though there's a Great deal of money at stake it's fun. The pressure (stress) that exists in most game shows does NOT exist here. Several people who posted messages complained how much time is waisted with the dancers & choosing questions, &c, like Millionaire doesn't have similar time wasters. All I can say is most of you have missed the whole concept. The idea here is to have FUN & ENJOY yourself. There's something for everyone. Qustions to test your knowledge, eye candy (the dancers), suspense, Mr. Shatner's wonderful fun-filled personality... well if that doesn't perk-up guys up then I feel bad for you; and if that's not enough, YOU CAN GET RICH! I really miss the show. Out of ALL the games shows that have ever been on, & to be quite frank, I HATE game shows, this is the one I really liked & truly miss. The only other game show I ever liked was Match Game.$LABEL$ 1 +I, like many horror fans, have been force fed the same banal big budget Hollywood remakes and MTV high school slasher tripe for the last 20 years. Here, at last, is an original horror genre movie that ticks all the right boxes.You want a hot lead actress, you want vampires, you want cool weapons, you want cool vehicles and you want blood, lots of it, by the bucket load - you got it.With excellent fight choreography and a supporting role from the Hammer Horror scream queen herself Stephanie Beacham, this really is fantastic stuff.Despite it's low budget, by opting to use 35 mm stock and adding quality CG effects to the mix, director James Eaves has created something that feels much bigger.A must for old school horror fans.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a very strange film, with a no-name cast and virtually nothing known about it on the web. It uses an approach familiar to those who have watched the likes of Creepshow in that it introduces a trilogy of so-called "horror" shorts and blends them together into a connecting narrative of the people who are involved in the segments getting off a bus. There is a narrator who prattles on about relationships, but his talking adds absolutely nothing to the mix at all and just adds to the confusion. As for the stories themselves, well.. I swear I have not got a clue why this movie got an 18 certificate in the UK, which would bring it into line with the likes of Nightmare On Elm Street and The Exorcist. Nothing here is even remotely scary.. there is no gore, sex, nudity or even a swear word to liven things up, this is the kind of thing you could put out on Children's TV and no-one would bat an eyelid. I can only think if it had got the rating it truly deserved (a PG) no serious horror fan would be seen dead with it, so the distributor probably buffeted the BBFC until they relented. Anyway, here are the 3 tales in summary: 1. A man becomes dangerously obsessed with his telekinetic car to the point of alienating his fiancee. 2. A man who lives in a filthy apartment is understandably freaked out when a living organism evolved from his six-month old tuna casserole. 3. A woman thinks she has found the perfect man through a computer dating service.. that is until he starts to act weird.. And there you have it. Some of them are pretty amusing due to their outlandish premises (my favourite being number 2) but you get the feeling they were meant to be a) frightening and b) morality plays, unfortunately they fail miserably on both counts. To sum up then, this flick is an obscure curiosity.. for very good reasons.$LABEL$ 0 +it seems like if you are going to post here it going to be a 10 star rating ,nobody ever seems to dislike anything ,well i am honest, some don't like that but here we go, rachel ray show is just plain awful.!!!!!!, this show reminds me of the snl character linda whatever if she had a cooking -whatever show.i must say i liked rachel on the food network on $35-$40 a day but i am sorry she does not have enough life experience to make her interesting day in and day out,give me ham on the street, anthony bourdain , interesting folks,but most of all i find her annoying, she actually told a member of the studio audience to "shut up" yes in a kidding way but shut up is shut up, and who cares about her pet stories, sorry rachel you been cancelled!!!!$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is definately one of my favourite movies in it's kind. The interaction between respectable and morally uncorruptable characters is an ode to chivalry and the honour code amongst thieves and policemen. It treats themes like duty, guilt, word, manipulation and trust like few films have done and, unfortunately, none that I can recall since the death of the 'policial' in the late seventies. The sequence is delicious, down to the essential, living nothing out and thus leading the spectator into a masterful plot right and wrong without accessory eye catching and spectacular scenes that are often needed in lesser specimens of the genre in order to keep the audience awake. No such scenes are present or needed. The argument is flowless and honest to the spectator, wich is an important asset in a genre in wich the the suspense is often achieved through the betrail of the audience. No, this is not miss Marble... A note of congratulations for the music is in order A film to watch and savour every minute, not just to see.$LABEL$ 1 +Film critics of the world, I apologize. It is your job to give advice to the moviegoing public so that they can wisely choose what to spend money on. But I ignored your advice and I have been deeply hurt. However, my decision to see "The Cat in the Hat" wasn't made haphazardly. You see, three years ago all of you critics said that we should all avoid the "calamity" known as "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Then some friends of mine took me to see it and it turned out to be a colorful, funny and almost hypnotic yuletide treat. So when the critics unleashed their fury against "The Cat in the Hat", another big budget Seuss update with a big name star in the title role, I thought that it must be the same old song. How wrong I was.For five whole minutes I thought I was in the clear. The opening credits are clever, the kids are charming and the production values are top notch. Then the cat showed up. There are many problems from this point on, but the biggest one was the woeful miscasting of Mike Myers. Where "The Grinch" was saved by the inspired casting of Jim Carrey, "The Cat" was destroyed by Myers. He can be very funny when his energies are applied where they belong, comic sketches. Every movie he's made that was truly funny was really just a feature length comedy sketch, from "Wayne's World" to "Austin Powers". So he tries to do the same thing here, it's just that these comedy sketches are more like the stuff that they stick at the end of SNL, not funny, just painful. Not that the writers helped him out any. After the charming prologue the movie turns into an hour of repulsive bodily humor gags, poorly timed pratfalls and insultingly stunted attempts at hip humor. This movie was the most disheartening cinematic experience I have ever had. Period. So much talent and work went into something so vile. I know that the adult stars of this movie will be relatively unscathed by this mess, I just hope that the wonderful Spencer Breslin and Dakota Fanning will get more chances to show their charms in far better movies. If you are a parent, please avoid this like the plague. With movies like "Elf" and "Brother Bear" currently in theaters, you have far better choices.$LABEL$ 0 +My sister, dad, and I are really into D&D and one night we were browsing Netflix looking for a movie to watch when this one came up. We thought we would try it out and I ended up almost dying from laughter. The writing and acting in this movie is so amazing! Witty characters, great interaction, and hilarious moments kept us in stitches the entire time. I love this movie! It might not make that much sense for those who don't know about Dungeons & Dragons, but nevertheless, it is a good movie. This only goes to show that movies don't need an astronomical budget and big name actors/actresses to be a success. Check it out if you want a good, clean comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is having problems in her marriage and otherwise--enough to see a psychologist. When her promiscuity gets her into trouble, it also involves a bystander, Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), who becomes wrapped up in an investigation to discover the identity of a psycho killer.Dressed to Kill is somewhat important historically. It is one of the earlier examples of a contemporary style of thriller that as of this writing has extensions all the way through Hide and Seek (2005). It's odd then that director Brian De Palma was basically trying to crib Hitchcock. For example, De Palma literally lifts parts of Vertigo (1958) for Dressed to Kill's infamous museum scene. Dressed to Kill's shower scenes, as well as its villain and method of death have similarities to Psycho (1960). De Palma also employs a prominent score with recurrent motifs in the style of Hitchcock's favorite composer Bernard Herrmann. The similarities do not end there.But De Palma, whether by accident or skill, manages to make an oblique turn from, or perhaps transcend, his influence, with Dressed to Kill having an attitude, structure and flow that has been influential. Maybe partially because of this influence, Dressed to Kill is also deeply flawed when viewed at this point in time. Countless subsequent directors have taken their Hitchcock-like De Palma and honed it, improving nearly every element, so that watched now, after 25 years' worth of influenced thrillers, much of Dressed to Kill seems agonizingly paced, structurally clunky and plot-wise inept.One aspect of the film that unfortunately hasn't been improved is Dressed to Kill's sex and nudity scenes. Both Dickinson and Allen treat us to full frontal nudity (Allen's being from a very skewed angle), and De Palma has lingering shots of Dickinson's breasts, strongly implicit masturbation, and more visceral sex scenes than are usually found in contemporary films. Quite a few scenes approach soft-core porn. I'm no fan of prudishness--quite the opposite. Our culture's puritanical, monogamistic, sheltered attitude towards sex and nudity is disturbing to me. So from my perspective, it's lamentable that Dressed to Kill's emphasis on flesh and its pleasures is one of the few aspects in which others have not strongly followed suit or trumped the film. Perhaps it has been desired, but they have not been allowed to follow suit because of cultural controls from conservative stuffed shirts.De Palma's direction of cinematography and the staging of some scenes are also good enough that it is difficult to do something in the same style better than De Palma does it. He has an odd, characteristic approach to close-ups, and he's fond of shots from interesting angles, such as overhead views and James Whale-like tracking across distant cutaways in the sets. Of course later directors have been flashier, but it's difficult to say that they've been better. Viewed for film-making prowess, at least, the museum scene is remarkable in its ability to build very subtle tension over a dropped glove and a glance or two while following Kate through the intricately nested cubes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.On the other hand, from a point of view caring about the story, and especially if one is expecting to watch a thriller, everything through the museum scene and slightly beyond might seem too slow and silly. Because of its removal from the main genre of the film and its primary concern with directorial panache (as well as cultural facts external to the film), the opening seems like a not very well integrated attempt to titillate and be risqué. Once the first murder occurs, things improve, but because of the film's eventual influence, much of the improvement now seems a bit clichéd and occasionally hokey.The performances are mostly good, although Michael Caine is underused, and Dickinson has to exit sooner than we'd like (but the exit is necessary and very effective). Dressed to Kill is at least likely to hold your interest until the end, but because of facts not contained in the picture itself, hasn't exactly aged well. At this point it is perhaps best to watch the film primarily as a historical relic and as an example--but not the best, even for that era--of some of De Palma's directorial flair.$LABEL$ 1 +Rififi, directed by Jules Dassin, is in line with the Melville crime pictures (particularly Bob le Flameur and to a point Le Cercle Rouge) of being totally focused on story and character and making sure not a word is spoken that doesn't need, and was ahead of its time. Ionically, it still has a kind of professionalism among its characters, a kind of respect (if not for selves than for others, a kind of duty) that rings well in post-WW2 France. Its actors carry faces for these characters that say 'we know what these guys are about', and from there the story takes off. Maybe it's because I have a weak spot for heist pictures, particularly where we see just the nuts and bolts (err, actual physical side) of how a heist is pulled off.One of the problems with how the actual heist is filmed in today's movies is that it's all very fast (i.e. Snatch), or done in ways we've seen too many times before. Dassin, like Melville years later, decided to create practically a silent film of a heist, sound effects included. The tension that builds up in this scene may not top what Melville had in 'Rouge', but on its own level it achieves its own greatness and momentum, and just as crucial originality to what's been done before. There are some kept close-ups, for example, as the safe is being cracked, that mark some of the best I've seen from France at that time. An added plus for the film, aside from the larval-stage new-wave touch to the film, which in the end makes it a little more modern, is that the story works so well and differently. It becomes completely about character at points, and then keeps up the thrills. The last ten to fifteen minutes are down-right miraculous; like with another classic heist picture the Asphalt Jungle, it's not even the last stop that matters, but all about how much one will go past the call of duty, putting humanism over greed.You almost wonder in all the exhilaration of the camera flying by the trees at a high speed with the car that he might just make it. Dassin has here a very entertaining and intuitive film of its genre, with a nifty little musical number as well.$LABEL$ 1 +For anyone who's judged others at first meeting, here is the perfect tutorial on depth of character. The grumpy old lady has a soft, thoughtful heart - and needs new friends. The flighty, unsure, 'ditsy' dame who makes inappropriate, uncomfortable comments - sees deep into your soul and has pure love for all. The cold, prim, proper, neglected wife has passion simmering that could boil over at any minute - given the right setting. The perfect beauty - rich, sweet, partying, pursued by throngs - wants peace, quiet, and love without possessiveness. By taking the time to look beyond the surface, you will find treasures in everyday life, from the least expected sources. All it takes is patience and a touch of enchantment.$LABEL$ 1 +I couldnt believe how well this kid did on screen, you will completely forget that they are actors and loose yourself in the movie. It is like watching home movies with a twist. I recomend this to everyone. Highly.$LABEL$ 1 +OK, I have been a huge fan of the Black for a long time and was DISGUSTED after seeing this film. Let's name the problems...First this film has much of the same crew that the first two had. It has also been called the PREQUEL to the original Black Stallion. Why is it that they can't get Shetan's dam's name correct or her color?? In The Black Stallion Returns, we learn the Sagr was the Black's CHESTNUT mother and in this film she is a gray mare name Jenny?!?!?!?!? WTF? And it's set in Africa in 1946 and 1947...I could be wrong but the first one was set in the 1940's as well when the ship wrecks. Time line doesn't sound quite right to me. Also, as a goof, there is a friesian in the beginning of the movie that is supposed to be Shetan's father...upon further notice it appears to be a gelding. Ben Ishaak is the only character that remained to even make this film appear to be related to the previous two in any way. Might be a cute family film to some but it's my biggest movie disappointment of the year.$LABEL$ 0 +Lorenzo Lamas stars as some type of CIA agent, who captures some exotic beauty named Alexa, kidnaps her daughter and forces her to fight her former employers. O.J Simpson is also on board to provide a dash of acting credibility for the not so talented ensemble. I must admit i'm not a fan of Lorenzo Lamas, or his movies. He stinks. However when compared to O.J Simpson and Lamas' comatose wife Kinmont, Lamas seems like ah, Jean-Claude Van Damme. I only saw CIA because of the renewed interest around the O.J Simpson trial, you see because if your parents had cable and the extra channels, you couldn't escape this movie. in 1994 you could go to an Amish community and some moron would have this playing in their portable TV. The movie itself is a collection of lame action sequences and would be intrigue although the shock value of O.J Simpson jumping after fireballs and exchanging would be one liners do provide some unintentional humor. Also where was Bobby Knight and Kobe Bryant to make this a complete camp classic? * out of 4-(Bad)$LABEL$ 0 +MGM tried pairing up and coming young men with the Divine One to give them exposure and try them out as leading men. Gable and Garbo had chemistry in SUSAN LENOX but it was a lousy film. Here in INSPIRATION there is no chemistry whatsoever between Garbo and Robert Montgomery and the script is poor as well. What were they thinking? The modern, fast-talking, wise-crack-snapping Montgomery and the long-suffering Garbo? It is a tale like CAMILLE. Young student falls for woman of the world and is repelled by learning of her past, rejects her, takes her back, rejects her.... you get the picture. Garbo is completely believable as a top Parisian artist's model and completely at home, although bored, with her life at the top of society amidst her artistic friends and their loose morals. Suddenly she is fascinated by this innocent. She finally gives up her life for him and sinks into poverty, only to be rescued by him and set up in a house of her own. Ironically, he intends to marry and keep her on the side - so much for his pure moral ethic of earlier.The scenes are incredibly dull and boring and nothing much happens. Only Marjorie Rambeau as Lulu is able to inject life into the proceedings with such lines as "Unfortunately weak women have strong appetites" and "Odette, Where is thy sting?"Only for Garbo fans.$LABEL$ 0 +Capt. Gallagher (Lemmon) and flight attendant Eve Clayton (Vaccaro) are a supposedly hot item in this death trip; a luxury 747 airliner decked out to look like a nightclub-slash-hotel… there's even a blind piano player who falls in love. Karen Wallace (Grant) is the hysterical b!$3& who'll do anything to get attention from henpecked husband Martin (Christopher Lee) and, later, the rest of the people on board.Memorable Moments: Boeing 747 doing a belly flop in the Atlantic Ocean, Karen getting her chops busted when she goes too far, and furniture (and screaming people) who become 'ball bearings' in a sinking 'pinball machine.'The action and rescue sequences here are relatively phenomenal, but not much goes on in between. Hitchcock was supposed to have directed this sequel, but I forget the reason why not… He would've done wonders for the 1970 original, on which this sequel is partly inspired ('77 also got inspiration from `The Flight of the Phoenix'). Actors Cotten and de Havilland reunite from their days on `Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' (apparently here they are not playing heavies, just reunited ‘Autumn Years' lovers). And isn't the actress playing Emily's companion the same one who played the hammered-to-death maid on `Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'TV actors include the girlfriend from `Mayberry RFD' (her character's daughter wins a drawing contest, or something lame like that), `Buck Rogers' Gil Gerard and `Dynasty's' Pamela Bellwood.$LABEL$ 0 +I gave this film 2 stars only because Dominic Monaghan actually put effort through in his acting. Everything else about this film is extremely amateur. Everything associated with the direction of this film was very poorly executed. Not only should the director rethink what she is doing for a life career but maybe she should watch a few films. As Dominic Monaghan is a very credible actor, placing him in a film of this caliber makes him look awful. Whomever the "actor" was that played Jack's best friend should never have stepped in front of the camera. I didn't expect much from such a small film, but perhaps a little more time and effort should be put into the characters and their surroundings. Don't waste your time or money on this film (like I did) you will be sorely disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +The show itself basically reflects the typical nature of the average youth; partying and picking up chicks is the common weekend goal at the clubs. People frown upon the show due to its "perverted" idea of picking up girls using technique and strategic characterization, but truth be told, practically every young guy is out doing it at the club. Overall, the show really appeals to the younger population, as we like to see the outcome of a "player's" performance at the club, as the show offers a comical approach made possible by the judging panel. 10/10; a cool, fun and thrilling series that allows the audience to really interact. Good Job Boys.$LABEL$ 1 +Seven pioneer kids strive independently across many miles of Indian territory and harsh weather to reach Oregon.According to history, young'uns who traveled by themselves through long distances of land - such as with the 'Children's Crusade' - were manipulated and exploited by being abused and sold into slavery, but these kids are pretty tough and they try their best to prevail in accomplishing their goal of making a homestead out west. Film is a little too syrupy at times, but OK for fans of 'The Waltons' and 'Little House on the Prairie'.Dean Smith gives a cool performance as 'Kit Carson'.$LABEL$ 0 +This is as good as it gets.This is six episodes tracing (briefly) what life may have been like when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Done in the style of a nature documentary this show does away with talking heads instead just gives us the good stuff with the dinosaurs attempting to survive.Certainly this isn't a true documentary since none of what we see on screen can be attested to with any certainty, but its a best guess, and an entertaining one at that. Here is a show that brings dinosaurs to life in a realistic way that doesn't involve them eating people. This is a show that should be shown to any kid who loves dinosaurs since it will instill them with the OH WOW factor to go out and find out more. It will also entertain the hell out of them, and you.See this. If you love animal shows or nature or science or Disney True Life Adventures (except no one really gets killed) or just a really good trip to somewhere else run out and get yourself a copy. Your brain will thank you.$LABEL$ 1 +Farscape is the best sci-fi show period, for one main reason, everything the show attempts, it does very well. From a technical aspect, the music is original and perfectly fitted to the show. The special effects are abundance and higher quality then almost any thing else that you will see on your tv. The acting is also great, too many shows nowadays use only the American market of actors for their shows. Remember the first time you saw The Matrix and you said, wow where did that Agent Smith come from? Its the same feeling that you get watching Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Lani Tupu, Virginia Hey, and especially Wayne Pygram. These Aussies are great and it comes through in this great show.The plot is second to none. The next closest thing I can think of is Babylon 5 during the shadow wars episodes, but this tops even that. Its a real treat getting to watch all the episodes sequential again, the intricacies of the interpersonal relationships of the characters are well scripted and performed. The overall plot is both original and thoroughly entertaining. I am always itching for the next show.The comedic episodes are funny, the drama episodes are touching, and the action sequences are tense. The beginning of the second season had some great comedic episodes which had me laughing aloud, something that rarely happens while watching television that is not South Park, Sealab 2021, or Seinfeld. The drama is even harder, whether Crichton is meeting his mother or the characters face thier mortality, all is done with heart and intensity. Lastly it goes without saying that the action is tops. This is sci-fi.If you are a fan of science fiction in the slightest, if you enjoy good television at all, if you like good serialized plot, you owe it to yourself to watch Farscape.Oh, and Ben Browder owns.$LABEL$ 1 +I watched this flick yesterday and I have to say it's the finest horror film made for $36,000 I've ever seen (Sorry Steckler) The film is definitely worth seeking out if you are a zombie fan. This movie reeks of soul and atmosphere. Some of the shots of the zombs are the best ever committed to film. VERY creepy looking dusty webbed corpses slowly shamble to their screaming victims. Brrrrrrr.Hot saggy Canadian women with sexy accents will keep you preoccupied before the HORROR rears its undead corpse eating head. This film entertained from start to finish. I couldn't ask for more than that. My only complaint is that is was too short.$LABEL$ 1 +Steven Seagal has made a really dull, bad and boring movie. Steven Seagal plays a doctor!!!!!!???! This movie has got a few action-scenes but they are poorly directed and have nothing to do with the rest of the movie. A group of American Nazis spread a lethal virus, which is able to wipe out the state of Montana. Wesley(Seagal`s character)tries desperately to find a cure, and that is the story of The Patriot. The Patriot is an extremely boring film, because nothing happens. It is filled with boring dialogue, and illogical gaps between events, and stupid actors. Steven Seagal has totally scre#¤d up in this movie, and I would not recommend this guff to my worst enemy. 3/10$LABEL$ 0 +... and I have seen some bad ones.I have nothing good to say about this movie. The acting is poor by Jennifer Tilly - as to be expected. Daryl Hannah does an OK job, but nothing close to being able to save this movie.The biggest flaw in this film is that the plot is so weak - though based on a good premise - that the writer resorted to the "stupid heroine trick" to create a contrived suspense. When all Daryl Hannah would have to do is hide, she runs out in front of her pursuer. The hospital scene is absurd. Without exposing too much of what passes for a plot, I think it would be difficult for a bloody petite woman to carry a pregnant from a hospital without being noticed. Lame. Very lame.Save yourself some time and pick out another flick.$LABEL$ 0 +As I read the script on-line, I thought "Capote" needed a trim. Having just seen it on PPV, I can tell you it wasn't trimmed, it was butchered like that poor family! Example: in the script, Truman dubs Shawn "Adorable One"; here, he is "Mr. Shawn".Bad enough the amateurs behind this movie de-flame Capote and bash his circle (are we to really believe they thought so little of Nelle, they mangled her little opus like an obnoxious in-joke?), they turn Perry Smith into this oh-so-sensitive victim, even as he's shown dispatching the Clutters. It's one thing to fudge the facts, it's another to drop the ball: the executions were carried out between 12:45-1:19 AM, April 14; Truman is shown at the prison 22 HOURS LATER!I was totally underwhelmed by the "acting". Keener doesn't even try to sound like an Alabama native. The way Cooper kept shouting "Alvin!", I was waiting for the Chimpmunks to show up! Hoffman gives us not the charming gadfly, but a pathetic suck-up who sees an horrific act as his ticket to the big time. When Hoffman whines about being "tortured" by the endless appeals, I wanted to give him a shotgun so he could do us both a favor and blow his brains out!$LABEL$ 0 +Note the wide release date of Aug 8, 1945 - about a week before Japan surrendered in WWII, so there will probably be a message for us in "Over 21". Irene Dunne (It Happened one Night, the 1939 version of Love Affair) is Paula Wharton, who goes to live on an army base while her newspaper editor husband is in training school. Alexander Knox ( the Longest Day) is her hubby Max. Look for Charles Coburn (Monkey Business, Gentlemen prefer Blondes) as the stuffy, commanding, newspaper boss. Also look for Cora Witherspoon as Mrs. Gates, from The Women, Bank Dick, Libeled Lady. War story written for the wives' point of view, which wasn't too common in those days. fun commentary on the shabby condition of the "married housing"; Irene's wardrobe in this film certainly wasn't at all shabby.. since they never had to leave their little cottage, it appears the whole movie budget was spent on her always-exquisite dresses and hats.$LABEL$ 1 +I almost burst into tears watching this movie. Not from laughing but from the memories of a great Rodney Dangerfield movie. Candyshack was his first and stole the movie, Easy Money had him at his best, and Back To School is by far an 80's classic masterpiece. Then there was Ladybugs and that's when it started to show. Poor Rodney was getting old (Meet Wally Sparks was a slight step up from Ladybugs but not saying much). In My 5 Wives Rodney plays Monte (a name he must love since that was his name in Easy Money) a rich (isnt he always) guy who loves women and gets married like its nothing. Well now he inherits a huge piece of land and since the land was run by the Amish, he inherits 5 Wives. This sounds like a great idea for a Dangerfield movie. The problem is EVERYTHING. The script is so poor that Rodney seems to be saying his one liners to the camera and all the side characters have nothing to do. The movie looks like it was shot on video with some really poor stunt sequences that are obviously not Rodney. Andrew Dice Clay plays a gangster who looks like he is dying to say the F word (which he should since the film is rated R but plays as if it was PG) and Jerry Stiller has a nice 2 minute cameo. Don't get me wrong, at times I did laugh at a few of Rodney's jokes but the poor man is getting way too old and way too slow. We can see his jokes coming from miles. And the film turns way too PC which thanks to the horrible 1990's, the 70's and 80's Rodney just doesn't work anymore.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched the movie yesterday and for me it was a stunning combination of movies like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. The best of the best. It was never any dull and always moving, every hour there's another character bothering (trying to kill) him. You never know what's next. In one word TERRIFIC !!!$LABEL$ 1 +This is NOT the masterpiece that is Snow White, Cinderella, or Bambi, but it IS a very sweet, enjoyable, romantic, well-done Disney animated feature.There are, of course, lessons included herein for the kiddies, and some very appropriate kiddie-cheek, but there is plenty herein for the adults, as well.While this is somewhat of a regurgitation of the Classic Disney RomCom Adventure, it still holds some elements, which solely belong to the AristoCats. O'Malley is the "tramp" and Dutchess is the "lady," but Dutchess has several kittens and they are all trying to get home.Phil Harris is our tomcat O'Malley. You may recognize his voice, as he also furnished the voice of Baloo the Bear in the Jungle Book, and Little John in Disney's Robin Hood. Eva Gabor lends her silky sweet voice to Dutchess.Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, who directed, or worked on, every Disney animated film worth mentioning until his death in 1985.This is among my very favorite of the Disney animated feature films, and belongs in any Disney collection. The 2-Disk Special Edition Is Due Out This Summer (2007).This rates an 8.4/10 from...the Fiend :.$LABEL$ 1 +I have recently seen this movie due to Jake's recent success with Brokeback Mountain. I figured I would see the movies that I missed. I had no expectations going into the film so was astounded that I had missed this movie at all. It's a gripping father and son tale, and it is also an underdog story. I even shed a tear at the finale of this wonderful tale. This movie appeals to all ages. The only reason I give it a 9 out of 10 is that it slows down a little in the middle, but it comes back strong in the end. The acting was great, the story was magnificent, and the cinematography was captivating given the setting of the film. GO SEE THIS MOVIE! Rent it, buy it, watch it, LOVE IT! I know I did!$LABEL$ 1 +It has very little to do with the books: half of the characters have been eliminated, the plot has been greatly altered, people's parents are changed for different characters . . .However, if you watch it as an independent piece (try and forget you ever read the books) the movie is very well put together, everyone is very good looking, and there is even a sweet ending...$LABEL$ 1 +The worst, and chock full of people who really ought to know better, (the cast have six Oscars between them). It's set in 'contemporary' Africa, (it was made in 1979), and is about the slave trade. It's appallingly scripted and acted, (Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov and William Holden reach a career low in this one), and completely lacks excitement never mind any moral focus. It's also ludicrously plotted. You don't for a minute believe that any of the characters would behave in the way they do under these circumstances. Richard Fleischer directs but you get the impression it was over the telephone. This is as bad as it gets.$LABEL$ 0 +Sterling and younger brother try to survive on land, being squeezed by big cattlemen. When 'rogue' brother Preston arrives, a moral dilemma ensues. John 'Drew' Barrymore steals the show as the younger, impressionable brother-Barrymore shows signs here that he could have been an acting powerhouse. Moves at a nice pace to an exciting climax.$LABEL$ 1 +"Kids Like These" could have been a decent film, given the subject matter. But instead it has become a below-average, run-of-the-mill TV-movie of the week, with not much going for it. The acting is stale, the plot predictable and the direction non-existent. For a better movie on the same subject, try the excellent "Le Huitième Jour", a film that really cares about the people with Down-syndrome. In "Kids Like These" they are merely used as an excuse for weepy sentimentality. Pretty appalling. 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this movie today (opened yesterday here) and was simply delighted.I saw a review that said something to the effect that the reviewer thought this would be just another teen movie, but then found it was based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night ... and then started trying to justify liking this flick on Shakespearean grounds. I really think this is going way overboard: the only connections I could see with Twelfth Night are (a) the basic conceit of a girl masquerading as a man; (b) the extensive male-female humor arising out of that basic conceit; and (c) some of the names (including Viola & Duke).Aside from those names, the thematic commonalties (a & b) are really great themes for any script, and this movie's script is no exception. Beyond that, though, this really is a simply delightful and very contemporary/traditional teen flick. And that's a perfectly legit genre even if highbrows have to find an excuse to like it ... like alluding to Shakespeare.The movie is bright, fast-paced, emotive, stylized, funny ... full of teen hormones and teen humor and male/female humor suitable for all ages. And that's really the best part IMHO: really just about every male stereotype and every female stereotype is depicted in roundly appealing over-the-top fun. Those stereotypes are parodied relentlessly but affectionately, with such a complexity of invention that I'm still a little bewildered ... but really don't feel at all disappointed in that regard, it's not that kind of a movie: things come at you fast and fun and you get a laugh and a groan and then move on to the next split-second happening.Amanda Bynes really is just delightful as Viola / Sebastian; Channing Tatum makes a wonderful Duke; David Cross does a wonderfully over the top Principal Gold. All of the acting and characterizations were fine and on target. Cinematography was excellent.Wonderful entertainment from beginning to end ... check it out!$LABEL$ 1 +SPOILER ALERT! This Movie, Zero Day, Gives An Inside To The Lives Of Two Students, Andre And Calvin, Who Feel Resentment And Hatred For Anyone And Anything Associated With There School.They Go On A Series Of Self-Thought Out "Missions" All Leading Up To The Huge Mission, Which Is Zero Day. Zero Days Contents Are Not Specified Until The Middle To The End Of The Movie. The Viewer Knows Its Serious And Filled With Hate But Is Never Quite Sure Until The End.Now We All Know, If The Movie Is Based On The Columbine Massacre, The Ending Is Pretty Obvious. And The Ending Is No Different Than Any Other Movie About The Attack, They go And Kill Many Of Their Fellow Students In The End.I Have Seen A lot Of Movies On This Attack, And This Movie By Far Is My Favorite, And Most Respected. It Gives The Viewer And Inside Look To The Lives Of These Two Teens Who Hate Life, And Honestly It Gives The Viewer Some What Of An Understanding, And A Closure On The Horrible Event.Being Only 7 When The Events Played Out, I Never Knew The Seriousness Of The Shootings, Until My English Class Was Assigned An Essay Or Story On A Defining Moment In Our Generation. Well I Knew Everyone Was Going To Pick The Twin Towers, But I Wanted To Be Different, Because Of Course The Twin Towers Was Tragic And Very Defining, But I Didn't Think It Was The Right Choice For Me Because there was Really No Way Of Relating To that Because, I Was Only In The 3rd Grade And I Had No Idea What It All Meant. But The Shootings Did Leave And Effect. I Remember The Interviews, The Sky Views Of The School, And The Hurt And Terror In The Eyes Of Thousands Of People.This Movie Is A Compelling, Down To Earth, And Horrific Masterpiece, And I Would Reccomened It To Anyone.$LABEL$ 1 +There's a sign on The Lost Highway that says:*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*(but you already knew that, didn't you?)Since there's a great deal of people that apparently did not get the point of this movie, I'd like to contribute my interpretation of why the plot makes perfect sense. As others have pointed out, one single viewing of this movie is not sufficient. If you have the DVD of MD, you can "cheat" by looking at David Lynch's "Top 10 Hints to Unlocking MD" (but only upon second or third viewing, please.) ;)First of all, Mulholland Drive is downright brilliant. A masterpiece. This is the kind of movie that refuse to leave your head. Not often are the comments on the DVDs very accurate, but Vogue's "It gets inside your head and stays there" really hit the mark.David Lynch deserves praise for creating a movie that not only has a beautifully stylish look to it - cinematography-wise, has great acting (esp. Naomi Watts), a haunting soundtrack by Badalamenti, and a very dream-like quality to it -- but on top of it all it also manages to involve the viewer in such a way that few movies have before. (After all, when is the last time you saw a movie that just wouldn't leave your mind and that everyone felt compelled to talk and write about, regardless of whether they liked it or hated it?)Allright, enough about all that, it's time to justify those statements.Most people that have gone through some effort to try to piece the plot together will have come to the conclusion that the first half of the picture is an illusion/a dream sequence.Of course, that's too bad for all those trying to make sense of the movie by expecting "traditional" methods in which the story is laid out in a timely, logic and linear manner for the viewer. But for those expecting that, I urge you to check the name of the director and come back again. ;)MD is the story of the sad demise of Diane Selwyn, a wannabe-actor who is hopelessly in love with another actor, Camilla Rowles. Due to Diane's lack of talent, she is constantly struggling to advance her career, and feels she failed to deliver on her own and her parents' expectations. Upon realizing that Camilla will never be hers (C. becomes engaged with Adam Kesher, the director), she hires a hitman to get rid of her, and subsequently has to deal with the guilt that it produces.The movie first starts off with what may seem as a strange opening for this kind of thriller; which is some 50s dance/jitterbug contest, in which we can see the main character Betty giving a great performance. We also see an elderly couple (which we will see twice more throughout the movie) together with her, and applauding her.No, wait. This is what most people see the first time they view it. There's actually another very significant fact that is given before the credits - the camera moving into an object (although blurry) and the scene quickly fading out. If you look closely, the object is actually a pillow, revealing that what follows is a dream.The main characters seen in the first half of the movie:Betty: Diane Selwyn's imaginary self, used in the first half of the movie that constitutes the "dream-sequence" - a positive portrayal of a successful, aspiring young actor (the complete opposite of Diane). 'Betty' was chosen as the name as that is the real name of the waitress at Winkies. Notice that in the dream version, the waitresses' name is 'Diane'.Rita: The fantasy version of Camilla Rhodes that, through Diane's dream, and with the help of an imaginary car-accident, is turned into an amnesiac. This makes her vulnerable and dependent on Diane's love. She is then conveniently placed in Betty/Diane's aunt's luxurious home which Betty has been allowed to stay in.Coco: In real life, Adam's mother. In the dream part, the woman in charge of the apartment complex that Betty stays in. She's mainly a strong authority figure, as can be witnessed in both parts of the film.Adam: The director. We know from the second half that he gets engaged with Camilla. His sole purpose for being in the first half of the movie is only to serve as a punching bag for Betty/Diane, since she develops such hatred towards him.Aunt Ruth: Diane's real aunt, but instead of being out of town, she is actually dead. Diane inherited the money left by her aunt and used that to pay for Camilla's murder.Mr. Roach: A typical Lynchian character. Not real; appears only in Diane's dream sequence. He's a mysterious, influential person that controls the chain of events in the dream from his wheelchair. He serves much of the same function as the backwards-talking dwarf (which he also plays) in Twin Peaks.The hitman: The person that murders Camilla. This character is basically the same in both parts of the movie, although rendered in a slightly more goofy fashion in the dream sequence (more on that below).Now, having established the various versions of the characters in the movie, we can begin to delve into the plot. Of course I will not go into every little detail (neither will I lay it out chronologically), but I will try to explain some of the important scenes, in relation to Lynch' "hint-sheet".As I mentioned above, Camilla was re-produced as an amnesiac through her improbable survival of a car-accident in the first 10 minutes of the movie, which left her completely vulnerable. What I found very intriguing with MD, is that Lynch constantly gives hints on what is real and what isn't. I've already mentioned the camera moving into the pillow, but notice how there's two cars riding in each lane approaching the limo.Only one of the cars actually hit the limo; what about the other? Even if they stayed clear of the accident themselves, wouldn't they try to help the others, or at least call for help? My theory is that, since this is a dream, the presence of the other car is just set aside, and forgotten about. Since, as Rogert Ebert so eloquently puts it "Like real dreams, it does not explain, does not complete its sequences, lingers over what it finds fascinating, dismisses unpromising plotlines."Shortly after Rita crawls down from the crash site at Mulholland Dr., and makes her way down the hillside and sneaks into Aunt Ruth's apartment, Betty arrives and we see this creepy old couple driving away, staring ghoulishly at each other and grinning at themselves and the camera. This is the first indication that what we're seeing is a nightmare.Although the old couple seem to be unfamiliar to Betty, I think they're actually her parents (since they were applauding her at the jitterbug contest). Perhaps she didn't know them all that well, and didn't really have as good a relationship with them as she wanted, so the couple is shown as very pleasant and helpful to her in the dream. They also represent her feelings of guilt from the murder, and Diane's sense of unfulfillment regarding her unachieved goals in her life.A rather long and hilarious scene is the one involving the hitman. Diane apparently sees him as the major force behind the campaign trying to pressure the director to accept Camilla's part in the movie (from Adam's party in the second half of the movie), and he therefore occupies a major part of her dream. Because of her feelings of guilt and remorse towards the murder of Camilla, a part of her wants him to miss, so she turns him into a dumb criminal.This scene, I think, is also Lynch's attempt at totally screwing his audience over, since they're given a false pretence in which to view the movie.Gotta love that 'Something just bit me bad' line, though. :)The next interesting scene is the one with the two persons at Twinkies, who are having a conversation about how one of them keep having this recurring nightmare involving a man which is seen by him through a wall outside of the diner that they're sitting in. After a little talk, they head outside and keep walking toward the corner of a fence, accompanied of course by excellent music matching the mood of the scene.When reaching the corner, a bum-like character with a disfigured face appears out from behind the corner, scaring the living crap out of the man having the nightmare. This nightmare exists only in Diane's mind; she saw that guy in the diner when paying for the murder. So, in short, her obessions translate into that poor guy's nightmares. The bum also signifies Diane's evil side, as can be witnessed later in the movie.The Cowboy constitutes (along with the dwarf) one of the strange characters that are always present in the Lynchian landscape -- Diane only saw him for a short while at Adam's party, but just like our own dreams can award insignificant persons that we hardly know a major part in our dreams, so can he be awarded an important part in her dream. We are also given further clues during his scenes that what we're seeing is not real (his sudden disappearance, etc.)The Cowboy is also used as a tool to mock the Director, when he meets up with him at the odd location (the lights here give a clear indication that this is part of a dream). Also notice how he says that he will appear one more time if he (Adam) does good, or two more times if he does bad. Throughout the movie he appears two more times, indicating to Diane that she did bad. He is also the one to wake her up to reality (that scene is probably an illusion made to fit into her requirements of him appearing twice), and shortly thereafter she commits suicide.The espresso-scene with the Castigliane brothers (where we can see Badalamenti, the composer, as Luigi) is probably a result of the fact that Diane was having an espresso just before Camilla and Adam made their announcement at Adam's party in the second half. It could at the same time also be a statement from Lynch.During the scene in which they enter Diane's apartment, the body lying in the bed is Camilla, but notice how she's assumed Diane's sleeping position; Diane is seeing herself in her own dream, but the face is not hers, although it had the same wounds on the face as Diane would have after shooting herself. This scene is also filled with some genuine Lynchian creepiness. Since Diane did not know where (or when) the hitman would get to Camilla and finish her off, she just put her into her own home.In real life, Diane's audition for the movie part was bad. In her dream, she delivers a perfect audition - leaving the whole crew ecstatic about her performance.Also interesting is the fact that the money that in real-life was used to pay for Camilla's murder now appears in Rita/Camilla's purse. This is part of Diane's undoing of her terrible act by effectively being given the money back, as the murder now hasn't taken place.When her neighbor arrives to get her piano-shaped ashtray, another hint is given; she takes the ashtray from her table and leaves, yet later when Camilla and Betty have their encounter on the couch, we see the ashtray appear again when the camera pans over the table, suggesting that Betty's encounter with the neighbor was a fantasy.The catch phrase of the movie Adam is auditioning actresses for is "She is the girl"; which are the exact same words that Diane uses when giving the hitman Camilla's photo resume.The blue box and the key represent the major turning point in the movie, and is where the true identities of the characters are revealed. There's much symbolism going on here; the box may represent Diane's future (it's empty), or it may be a sort of a Pandora's box (the hitman laughs when she asks him what the key will open). Either way, it is connected to the murder by means of the blue key (which is placed next to her after the murder has taken place). The box is also seen at the end of the movie in the hands of the disfigured bum.Club Silencio is a neat little addition to further remind the viewer that what s/he is viewing is not real. It also signifies that Diane is about to wake up to her reality (her reality being a nightmare that she is unable to escape from, even in her dreams).During the chilling scene at the end where the creepy old couple reappear, Diane is tormented in such a way that she sees suicide as the only way out in order to escape the screams and to avoid being haunted by her fears.Anyway, that is my $0.02. Hope this could help people from bashing out at this movie and calling it 'the worst movie ever' or something to that effect, without realizing the plot.As usual, Lynch is all about creating irrational fears, and he certainly achieves that with this picture as well.10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +Okay, let's face it. this is a god-awful movie. The plot (such as it is) is horrible, the acting worse. But the movie was made for one reason and one reason only, like all of those awful Mario Lanza movies...just to hear the voice of the star, in this case Pavarotti in his prime. Okay, so maybe the Lanza movies were also an excuse for him to hit on women, but this movie is about hearing Luciano. That alone is worth watching the movie. A big opera star stuck on himself faces his fears, finds humility and love along the way, and belts out a lot of hit numbers, too.I must admit I'm prejudiced on a number of levels. I'm Italian. I'm a big Pavarotti fan (is there anything about Pavarotti that isn't big, including his fan base?). And when I first saw this movie I was going out on my own, seeing the height and depth of Life's possibilities and in love for the first time. So as awful as this movie is, the beautiful voice and memories are enough to make me breathe deep of life and love again.Yes, it's corny and awful. But the voice is immortal and timeless, and the voice is what it's all about. So I give this movie a high rating in hopes that someone who has never heard Pavarotti before will listen and watch and enjoy a new level of music and love, especially since he is now gone. Like Italian food that you've never tried before, try it! You may be pleasantly surprised, as a Luciano lover or prospective Pavarotti peep.$LABEL$ 1 +Karen(Bobbie Phillips)mentions, after one of her kids gets out of hand with his lame annoying jokes, that she'll never survive this trip..boy, is she ever on the money. Karen is a school teacher taking her group of kids from the Shepley College of Historical Studies to the butt ugly locale of a run-down manor in the major dung-heap of Ireland..surely there are places in this country more appeasing to the senses than this?! The caretaker of the manor, Gary(Simon Peacock)warns Karen and her students to stay on the path and not to stray into the forest. There's a myth regarding the Sawney Bean Clan, a ritualistic druid cannibalistic inbred family celebrate Samhain(the end of Summer, October 31st)"Feast of the Dead" where sacrifices are needed to appease the spirits. Gary is supposedly clairvoyant, his cousin Pandora(Ginger Lynn Allen)tells us, because he was born on Samhain. Funny, because he sure doesn't see outcomes well or even give advice accurately. Nearly everyone dies(..even those who never stray from the path)and he doesn't even see his own gruesome fate. What this monster we hear breathing is a victim of way too much inbreeding..it's face resembles a malformed mushroom and it looks like a hideous reject from a Mad Max picture. It doesn't take long before the "evil breeder" is killing everyone. Paul(Howard Rosenstein)is Karen's love interest who made the wrong decision coming to Ireland without his girlfriend's prior knowledge.Horrible formula slasher doesn't stray from the norm. It's minuscule budget shows loudly and the characters are assembly line clichés churned out yet again to be slaughtered in the usual gory ways. Most of the violence flashes across the screen quickly with not much dwelling on the breeder's acts of death towards his victims. Lots of guts get pulled out during the fast edit cuts as one scene whisks to another. Seeing Gillian Leigh's gorgeous naked body for a moment or two isn't incentive enough to recommend it. Phil Price has the really irritating trickster character, Steve, often shedding bad jokes..how he is able to get Leigh's Barbara naked in the shower for some action is anyone's guess because I have no reason why he'd stand a chance with such a hottie. Brandi-Ann Milbrant has the fortunate role of Shae, the quiet virgin smart girl(who is also quite hot)who we know will be the one chosen by the screenplay to survive. Jenna Jameson drops by long enough to get her heart cut out of her chest(at least we see her breasts momentarily before her chest is opened up)with a few minor lines about two missing friends she's looking for. The film's main problem is that the story and character development grinds to a halt because it's realized that none of them are at all interesting so director Christian Viel just lets loose his monster to run rampant causing carnage, obliterating an entire cast almost in one fail swoop within ten minutes. Oh, and Richard Grieco has a minor opening cameo as a victim who strayed off the path to tent camp with his chick.$LABEL$ 0 +In anticipation of Ang Lee's new movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," I saw this at blockbuster and figured I'd give it a try. A civil war movie is not the typical movie I watch. Luckily though, I had a good feeling about this director. This movie was wonderfully written. The dialogue is in the old southern style, yet doesn't sound cornily out of place and outdated. The spectacular acting helped that aspect of the movie. Toby Maguire was awesome. I thought he was good (but nothing special) in Pleasantville, but here he shines. I have always thought of Skeet Ulrich as a good actor (but nothing special), but here he is excellent as well. The big shocker for me was Jewel. She was amazingly good. Jeffrey Wright, who I had never heard of before, is also excellent in this movie. It seems to me that great acting and great writing and directing go hand in hand. A movie with bad writing makes the actors look bad and visa versa. This movie had the perfect combination. The actors look brilliant and the character development is spectacular. This movie keeps you wishing and hoping good things for some and bad things for others. It lets you really get to know the characters, which are all very dynamic and interesting. The plot is complex, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing, and ready for anything at any time. Literally dozens of times I was sure someone was going to get killed on silent parts in the movie that were "too quiet" (brilliant directing). This was also a beautifully shot movie. The scenery was not breath taking (It's in Missouri and Kansas for goodness sakez) but there was clearly much attention put into picking great nature settings. Has that rough and rugged feel, but keeps an elegance, which is very pleasant on the eyes. The movie was deep. It told a story and in doing so made you think. It had layers underneath that exterior civil war story. Specifically, it focused on two characters that were not quite sure what they were fighting for. There were many more deep issues dealt with in this movie, too many to pick out. It was like a beautifully written short story, filled with symbolism and artistic extras that leaves you thinking during and after the story is done. If you like great acting, writing, lots of action, and some of the best directing ever, see this movie! Take a chance on it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is just the best movie of all times! Sorry, Hollywood! I've seen it in early 70's, as soon as it appeared on the Bulgarian TV, and I loved it immediately (I was 14 then). 25 years later I bought it on a video tape, and a few months ago it finally appeared on a DVD here in Bulgaria. I live with this movie 35 years already, and so do all my friends and my family. My son was a teenager when he saw it for the first time, and he loved it immediately, too (and this is the generation that grew up watching practically only Hollywood movies and not speaking or understanding Russian at all!). What makes this masterpiece of Danelia so special? It's difficult to say, as it is difficult to describe what the beauty is... But the fact is that you can watch this movie dozens of times with the same pleasure as it was the first time. I can't remember any other such movie, no matter how many millions it cost or how great the cast was... Chapeau, Maestro Danelia! Bulgaria loves you!$LABEL$ 1 +William Shakespeare would be very proud of this particular version of his play. Not only is it the best movie version of it, but it's also the only complete version of Hamlet. Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is simply genius. Not only because it was written by Shakespeare, but also because it had the guts to do the whole thing, even if it went just over four hours.We all know the story of the Prince of Denmark and his plot to avenge his father's death, so I won't go into the details of the story. I will, however, tell you that the best part of this Hamlet version is not the breathtaking sets or the stunning photography, but the actors' interpretations of each character. I doubt you'll find a better Polonius than Richard Briers' delicious portrayal. Plus, you can't go wrong with Julie Christie and Jack Lemmon. Also, Derek Jacobi, a regular among Shakespeare adaptations is magnificent as the antagonist to Hamlet.Of course, we must talk about Kenneth Branagh. He wowed audiences when he came onto the scene with his first outing with Shakespeare, Henry V. He outdoes himself with Hamlet. Sure, Olivier's presence was captivating, but I think Branagh's performance is wonderful. When you watch him on screen, it's almost as if he knew exactly how Shakespeare wanted the role to be played. How he wasn't nominated for an Oscar is a total mystery. At least the movie got a few nominations and even an odd choice for Screenplay. I guess they know good writing when they see it though. All in all, you'll never find a more rich and lavish production of the Bard's best play. To say that the technical aspects were awesome would be an understatement. If you love this play and are a fan of Shakespeare, you definitely need to check this movie out. Even if you don't really care for Shakespeare, the visuals will keep you occupied for the duration of the film. You may not think you'll be able to sit through all of it at once, but you'll soon find out that pausing this movie will make you want to see it even more.$LABEL$ 1 +If you've ever heard the saying, "the book is always better than the movie," Heart of Darkness is no exception to the rule. I believe that it was much easier for me to comprehend the details of the novel over the movie because I read the book aloud with my English class. We discussed each paragraph in great detail so I grasped the concept pretty quickly. I couldn't really understand the plot as well while watching the movie. This may be because there were no discussions held in class, but I suppose it is also because I couldn't paint my own pictures in my mind of the events of the novel. If you're the type of person who believes in that well-known saying, then leave watching the Heart of Darkness movie off your to-do list.$LABEL$ 0 +Bob Clampett's 'An Itch in Time' milks seven minutes of crazy action out of a very small premise. Elmer Fudd tells his dog that if he scratches himself just once more that he will be given a dreaded bath. Unfortunately for the dog, a relentless flea makes it all but impossible to stop from scratching. The cartoon switches between the flea's progress inside the dog's fur and the dog's desperate attempts to cope with it. In a great sequence that really captures the frustration of an itch that can't be scratched, the dog changes colour from brown to blue to red to polka dotted to plaid! It sounds ludicrously surreal but it perfectly evokes the indescribable feeling of an itch in a way only Clampett could. There are several other elements which make 'An Itch in Time' pure Clampett. There's the grotesque concept itself, which leads to some graphic scenes of the flea munching on the dog's flesh. There's the unrestrained violence that rears its head in any scene featuring the cat. Most notably, there's the dirty jokes including a huge shot of the dog's behind which causes the flea to wolf-whistle and a hysterical sequence in which the dog attempts to scratch himself by dragging his backside along the floor. He momentarily breaks off to address the audience: "Hey, I better cut this out. I may get to like it"! With a very limited concept, Clampett manages to make 'An Itch in Time' a unique, minutiae-based cartoon. Like an early episode of 'Seinfeld', 'An Itch in Time' is practically about nothing but very funny with it.$LABEL$ 1 +Have you seen all the big adventures of last few decades? If you have don't bother with this one as you've already seen most of the scenes already - and I can guarantee that those scenes were originally in much better movies.The story (I'm sure that true storytellers will never forgive me) is childish and stupid (stupid in a way that making it play in a mortuary would result in a bunch of angry walking dead). Every character is based in a cliché and... well, they're nothing but the cliché. And yes, again all you need to be a hero is to be American.At least in Finland they advertised this to be the kind of movie the DVD was made for. Maybe I should sell my player then...1/10$LABEL$ 0 +In New York, when the shy and lonely project manager of a design firm Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) meets Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman) in the subway, he invites her to date and have dinner with him. Jenny immediately falls in love for him, they have sex and she discloses her true identity to him, telling that she is the powerful superhero G-Girl. After meeting his co-worker and friend Hannah Lewis (Anna Faris), the needy Jenny becomes jealous, controlling and manipulative, and Matt follows the advice of his best friend Vaughn Haige (Rainn Wilson) and dumps her, breaking her heart. Jenny turns Matt's life into hell, while he has a romance with Hannah. However, the archenemy of G-Girl and former high school sweetheart of Jenny, Professor Bedlam (Eddie Izzard), proposes Matt to lure Jenny to strip her superpowers."My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is delightfully silly and funny. This romantic comedy-adventure has many hilarious moments and is very entertaining. Luke Wilson is great in the role of an idiot, Anna Farris is extremely sexy as usual, and Uma Thurman is great in the role of a deranged neurotic superhero that recalls Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction" or Evelyn Draper in "Play Misty For Me". My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Minha Super Ex-Namorada" ("My Super Ex-Girlfriend")$LABEL$ 1 +This game is very addictive, I kept playing it for hours straight until late at night but also the fact that you can't save a game when you are in space contributed to this, at times I just HAD to play on in order not to loose any game data.So yes, "Freelancer" is addictive but also quite flawed. Also for instance, something that extremely bothered me was that you couldn't skip any of the cut scene's with as a result that at times you had to watch the same few minute cut scene time after time. A great opportunity for me to multitask to check my e-mail or have a chat with my friends and more things like that, while I had to wait for the cut scene to be over.The story starts of promising but the further you get the more ridiculous it all gets. Also the game also ends quite abrupt, at least it did so for me. It is quite obvious that they are hinting at a upcoming sequel. I don't know if a sequel is in the works at the moment but I am sure that most likely I will pick one up once it will be released.The gameplay is very easy! Even for those who are not familiar with flight games. To put it boldly, every fool can play this game. Yes, some levels are quite hard and require lots of effort. It took me about 1-2 weeks for me to finish this game which might be a bit too short. But thank God for the multi-player option! It allows you to keep playing short missions, just like the single player game once you have completed it by the way.Even though lot's of mission are the same, it just simply stays cool to be in the middle of the at times massive dogfights.The graphics are good but just not anything revolutionary or anything.Addictive game but beware of its flaws.7/10$LABEL$ 1 +This movie twists the facts of Anne and Mary's lives into something unrecognizable. To make Mary Boleyn, who in fact was a rather dim and foolish creature, and make her the "good" sister is just silly. It is Anne who was in fact the far more interesting character, and that is why it is her life, and not Mary's, that has been told so often.In response to an earlier review, I fail to see how Anne's life was so "criminal"... to me it's Henry who was the real criminal. Whatever Anne's motives for winning the king and withholding her affections in order to gain a crown and husband has to be taken into context of the time in which these real-life events took place. Anne, in comparison to the majority of most of the courtiers in her time, was a relatively innocent figure. Most modern historians discount or have disproven most of the myths and slanders that this movie perpetuate about her, and I have never heard of anyone who actually believes the rumour than she slept with her brother. This movie is so sensational and false that it is maddening to think that someone, without knowing anything about this period in history, could walk away believing anything this movie has presented as "fact".I won't even get into the weird filming of the movie... but I'm pretty sure that cameras weren't invented in the 16th century, so I don't understand why Anne and Mary are talking to one throughout the movie... it's a really bad plot devise and is jarring and annoying, to put it mildly.Anne of the Thousand Days is not accurate either, but is infinitely more entertaining and at least comes closer to telling the story of one of the most intriguing women of history. Don't even think about renting this.. it's two hours you'll never get back!$LABEL$ 0 +This agonizing comedy-drama got surprisingly sterling reviews upon its release in 1979. I remember opening the movie-section of the L.A. Times and looking at a 2-page advertisement for "Chapter Two" filled with glowing captions like: "Better than 'The Goodbye Girl'!" and "Neil Simon does it again!" What does Neil Simon do? He takes an autobiographical situation (remarrying too soon after the death of a beloved spouse) and makes it rusty, unpleasant and--worst of all--unfunny. James Caan plays Neil--er..that is, George--a writer who can't seem to get back into life after losing his wife; enter spirited Marsha Mason (real-life Mrs. Simon...soon to be ex-Mrs. Simon) who attempts to love George despite his moods and general melancholy. Mason is very appealing here and might've saved the day were it not for Caan's indifference (not to mention a sub-plot concerning painfully-thin, blonde Valerie Harper which brings the proceedings to a screeching halt). I liked Mason's outburst at the end ("I am wonderful! I am NUTS about me!"), but I saw no happy ending for these two people...and time proved me right. ** from ****$LABEL$ 0 +Although the figures are higher in proportion to other areas of society, I don't object to the extremely high salaries for many of today's entertainers and athletes.A-Rod, LeBron or Brady all have deals either well with 8 figures, or the low-9 area. Ray Romano and Jerry Seinfeld could actually become billionaires from their shows, huge residuals and fees they currently demand. Even their cast members, and all of the "Friends" group reached near or over 7 figures per episode. Letterman's earnings for one show could solve most people's financial problems, and a week or two's take care of many for life.But all of these are based upon sound supply/demand principals, and the financial benefits they bring to their employers. And all perform their crafts ably.But then comes along someone like Rachel Ray, who reaches a level of earnings far beyond any apparent level of talent or skill. I find her shrill, annoying, and with a forced "perkiness" that's as phony as the proverbial "3-dollar bill."A friend of mine is responsible for special meetings, events and convention plans for her firm and its affiliates. One of the major talent sources has hundreds of clients available from the $5-10K level, to a handful who get $200K and up per appearance. (This area includes Trump, Seinfeld, Lance Armstrong, Robin Williams, and, no kidding, Larry the Cable Guy.)There are a greater number in the $100,001 - 200,000 range; list included the likes of Bill Cosby, Steve Martin and even cable guy Larry's benefactor, Jeff Foxworthy. This category includes Rachael Ray. I suppose I have to admit there may be sufficient demand for her "talent" and offerings to justify her talk show and there may be some out there who'll pay more than $100K, + first class air, hotel suite, all expenses and limos door-to-door, for just a couple of hours of her whiny prattle at their organization's event. I just can't figure how-in-the-hell this could be possible.$LABEL$ 0 +Roy Andersson has managed to craft something that defies nearly all conventions of what a film should be, a piece of art that is both beautiful, funny and evocative at the same time. The end result is a moving, if somewhat fractured tale about humanity in its simplest and most honest forms.This is unlikely to appeal to everyone, in fact the humour is so finely tuned that many are unlikely to get on its wavelength. The almost absurdly long takes, awkward silences and consistent medium shots will most definitely put off even the most willing of audiences. But it is within these disjointed tales and unconventional thinking that Andersson shapes a world where every character seems to take centre stage in their own absurd way. Each scene is absorbed by the desolate environments, with the characters seemingly left alone in their own oddity Its a difficult piece to watch at times, not least because like many of its scenes, it requires patience. But whilst some may hail it upon an artistic throne, others will simply look on in confusion. Its a film that blends understated humour with own brand of heart$LABEL$ 1 +I stumbled on to this site while looking for a video or DVD of the 1959 version Porgy and Bess with Sammy Davis as Sportin' Life. If anyone finds this on a home movie format please let me know. I talk to my daughters all the time about things that they think are new which, actually have already been done. We went to see a live theater of version a couple of years ago and all I could talk about was this film. Sadly my daughters cannot remember seeing Sammy Davis Jr. in any production, although they have heard of him. Needless to say, they're not familiar with the other great actors in the film. It is a major oversight not to have this classic film (because of the cast) on a home movie format for collectors and for future generations. Anyway, in my opinion this version was the best!$LABEL$ 1 +The basic formula for the original series was; take someone, get the audience to like them, then put them into Mortal danger. This formula worked for the 32 episodes made between 1964-68. Now, we jump forward 40 years to 2004.. We are introduced to Alan Tracy, a somewhat less-than-diligent college school kid, with his friend, Fermat, a young know-it-all. They are whisked off by Lady Penelope in her pink Ford Thunderbird to the island paradise where the Tracy Family live, for the school holidays. Almost immediately, they are left in the care of Kyrano and his daughter, Tin-Tin whilst the adults go to rescue John from Thunderbird 5 which has been damaged by a staged accident. This is all part of The Hood's scheme to take over Tracy Island so that he can steal the Thunderbird machines ...…To rob a bank!Yes. The plot IS as limp as that!The dialogue is banal, the acting more wooden than that of the (fibreglass) puppets, the effects, anything but special and Hans Zimmer's score…? What little there was of Barry Gray's glorious theme shone through Zimmer's lackluster orchestration. The rest of the score was eminently forgettable. In fact, part of the score was broadcast the following week on the radio and didn't recognise it! I didn't even bother to stay to witness Busted's mediocre efforts with the end titlesTo be fair, Ron Cook worked quite well as Parker, he and Sophia Myles as Penelope seemed wasted. With the right material, they could have been show stoppers. The CGI work was what I would have called leading edge - 5 years ago.The Dynamics of the main craft were just wrong; The original series models at least moved as if they had massAnother sore point is that the whole production seemed to be one long set of product placements, from every vehicle being built by Ford to the entire content of the Tracy Freezer being produced by Ben & Jerry's.My son (9) enjoyed the film but this cross between Spy Kids and 'Clockstoppers', aimed squarely at his age group, added nothing to the Thunderbirds legend. When Star Trek hit the big screen in 1979 with 'The Motion Picture', a whole new lease of life was breathed into the franchise which then continued for another 20 years or so. With this film, Frakes has missed a golden opportunity to do the same with the Thunderbirds franchise.I predict that this film, like 'The Avengers' and 'the Saint' before it, will sink into obscurity within 6 months, leaving the original series to its 'classic' status.$LABEL$ 0 +Annie Potts is the only highlight in this truly dull film. Mark Hamill plays a teenager who is really really really upset that someone stole the Corvette he and his classmates turned into a hotrod (quite possibly the ugliest looking car to be featured in a movie), and heads off to Las Vegas with Annie to track down the evil genius who has stolen his pride and joy.I would have plucked out my eyes after watching this if it wasn't for the fun of watching Annie Potts in a very early role, and it's too bad for Hamill that he didn't take a few acting lessons from her. Danny Bonaduce also makes a goofy cameo.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw the Mogul Video VHS of this. That's another one of those old 1980s distributors whose catalog I wish I had!This movie was pretty poor. Though retitled "Don't Look in the Attic," the main admonition that is repeated in this is "Don't go to the villa." Just getting on the grounds of the villa is a bad idea. A character doesn't go into the attic until an hour into the movie, and actually should have done it earlier because of what is learned there.The movie starts in Turin, Italy in the 1950s. Two men are fighting, and a woman is telling them the villa is making them do it. One man kills the other, then regrets it, and the woman pulls out the knife and stabs him with it. She flees the villa, and after she's left a chair moves by itself (what's the point of that?), but when in the garden a hand comes up through the ground and drags he into the earth.From there, it's the present day, thirty years later. There's a séance that appears suddenly and doesn't appear to have anything to do with the movie. The children of the woman from the prologue are inheriting the house. The main daughter is played by the same actress who played her mother. At least one of the two men from the prologue seems to reoccur as another character too. She's haunted by some warnings not to go to the villa, but they all do, since if they do not use it, they forfeit it. People die. A lawyer who has won all his cases tries to investigate a little. The ending is pretty poor. Why was the family cursed? An unfortunately boring movie.There's an amusing small-print disclaimer on the back of the video box that reads "The scenes depicted on this packaging may be an artist's impression and may not necessarily represent actual scenes from the film." In this case, the cover of the box is an illustration that does more or less accurately depict the aforementioned woman dragged underground scene, although there are two hands, and the woman is different. It's true, sometimes the cover art has nothing to do with the movie. I also recall seeing a reviewer who had a bad movie predictor scale, in which movies with illustrations on the cover instead of photos got at least one point for that.$LABEL$ 0 +When I first saw the preview for this movie, I really couldn't wait to see it. The plot seemed good and the setting was great. I mean, a slasher movie that takes place on prom night, great idea!! And the plot: A High School teacher that becomes sexually obsessed with one of his students, goes crazy, gets arrested, and escapes three years later on prom night! Prom night, a night that is supposed to be happy and memorable, turns into hell!! However, I saw it and was extremely disappointed. It was not only the worst "horror movie" I have ever seen, but it was one of the worst movie in general that I have ever seen!! First of all, it wasn't even scary. There was not one moment in that movie when I jumped out of my seat. Also, the murder scenes were so cheesy and dull. All the slasher did was either stab his victims in the stomach multiple times or cut their throats. Also there was absolutely no gore (its rated PG-13). The scene with the most blood was probably the one where the killer murders the black girl. He slits her throat and blood splatters on the sheets hanging around them (they don't actually show him cutting her throat).Next, you see the killers face the first time he is introduced in the movie. He isn't mysterious, creepy, or scary. He's just this guy who kills people.Also, everything in the movie was so cliché. An example is when, at the end, the killer is about to kill the main character and at the last moment, the detective shoots and kills him. Also, every single thing in this movie was so predictable. The victim, after seeing the guy with a knife, runs for her life, hides, thinks she gets away, and then the killer just pops out and kills her.Finally, the sequence of the movie was extremely bad. The guy goes into the hotel, kills a few people, the bodies are discovered, someone pulls the fire alarm, and everyone evacuates. The main character forgets something in her room, has an encounter with the killer, runs and escapes. Thats it! She and her boyfriend go home, the slasher kills the guards patrolling the house, finds the girl, then gets killed by the detective. The movie sequence was so stupid and cliché.If your thinking of seeing this movie all because the preview looked good, trust me, don't waste your time or money. No wonder this movie was being shown in the smallest theater in the movie theater. My friend and I, along with these two girls sitting in the back, were the only ones in the theater. That should have told me something about the movie beforehand.$LABEL$ 0 +so yes it is quite nostalgic watching the 1st episode because this is the one episode i definitely remembered. i enjoy watching the first season and yes compared to the action packed shows we have now this show seems lame. but frankly i like the "less violent" part of the show and the story line has more substance than the new ones now. I thought it interesting that Belisario's Airwolf and JAG have similar theme - the lead actor (Hawke and Harm) both are looking for an MIA relative (brother, father). wonder if Robert Belisario's personal life mimics these 2 shows' theme.Question - does anyone have pictures of Hawke's cabin. I love that cabin (kinda like a dream cabin of mine) and that is one of the scenes i remember about Airwolf.$LABEL$ 1 +'The second beginning' as it's title explains, shows us the beginning of the end for the human race. Set long before the matrix existed, this short anime written by the Wachowski's shows us the world that could lay infront of us in the not to distant future, set at the turn of the 21st century, the second renaissance delves into issues common with human behaviour; greed, power, control, vanity etc.The use of robots or artificial intellegence as slaves or servents is common among science fiction/fantasy stories. The second renaissance is no exeption to this concept, however instead of a simple man vs. machine layout, this story explains the struggle that the machines put up with, the struggle for acceptance in a world ruled by humans. Where the matrix films show us the human perspective, these short animations tell both sides of the story.The second renaissance part 1 + 2, answer many questions brought up by the original Matrix film, such as how the war broke out, how the sky was blackend, what led to the use of humans as batteries and it also introduces us to the machine city called 01, which may have relevance to the upcoming Matrix Revolutions film.I won't give away too much of the story, as I do not want to ruin the experience for perspective viewers, however, I will recommend it to anybody interested in the world of the matrix or simply anybody interested in Japanese animation (anime).9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +"Thriller" is brilliant. It is a long video, but simply brilliant nonetheless. The song itself is...excellent...add Michael JAckson dancing and you have a golden Phenomenon. Out of all the videos I have ever seen, this is the best. If you have not seen the video yet, then I urge you...The special effects are amazing for it's time... everything from the wearwolf transformation to the idea of these creepy zombies slowly raising from their graves is grand...spookishly grand that is. Vicent Price has his segment of bone-shivering lines...known simply as "the rap" Ola Ray does good as Michael's girl, and Michael JAckson himself...the dancing, and singing (although not during the video itself) is unmatched...10/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Stereotypical send up of slasher flicks falls far short as supposed entertainment. Gerrit Graham, Michael Lerner, Zane Busby, and in fact the entire cast are totally wasted. Lame jokes abound, and every punch line is well telegraphed. The dumb one liners come at a fast pace, and almost every one falls flat as a squashed grape. The musical numbers only contribute to the boredom that sets in and lingers for the entire movie. Another negative is the claustrophobic setting entirely within the walls of an abandoned high school. Avoid this and seek out one of "Lampoon's" truly funny films like "National Lampoon's Golddiggers" - MERK$LABEL$ 0 +I had some expectation for the movie, since it had a nice star cast and it is the return of the duo of Akshay and Saif. Well, I was hesitant to watch the movie because this was done by the same man who wrote the story for Dhoom franchise because I hated Dhoom 2; but if Dhoom 2 is compared to Tashan, I would say Dhoom 2 is very realistic. When I saw the credits at the beginning, I felt nice because it was put up in a nice way. Well, the very first scene itself pis*ed me off. Then, the major drawback of the movie is the action sequences. Me and my friends were laughing our guts off watching this crappy fights. It was like Akshay against some 30 thugs and all and the thugs even got machine guns! Phew...you got to see this to understand how bad the action sequences are.The other thing about the movie is the far too predictable story. It reminded me of some of the early 80's movies.Well, the only thing the movie is worth is of sexy Kareena, who looked really hot in this one.And for that, I give a rating of 2 out of 10.Guys, please..please...don't see this one thinking that it is a real gangster movie. Well, you can watch this to have some laughs at the terrible fight scenes.Thats all.$LABEL$ 0 +Spoof films have come so far since Mel Brooks in 'The Producers' (1968) said "Don't be stupid, be a smartie. Come and join the nazi party". It brought us delightful films, such as 'Young Frankenstein', 'Airplane!', and even 'Naked Gun'. But the good die young. Luckily, the genre managed to make it all the way up to the end of the 90's. And then... the Wayan's Brothers unleashed the apocalypse: 'Scary Movie'. Suddenly the word spoof was an innuendo for crude sex jokes. Most movies claiming to be spoofs since then have followed suit, including 'Scary Movie 2', 'Date Movie' and the film to kill the genre 'Epic Movie'. Sure, there have been some reliefs. There was 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz'. Will Ferell has become a vehicle spoofing close to every sport imaginable. Also, the Wayans Brothers quit the 'Scary Movies' and they have been made by the dependable Zucker Brothers. While these films have held some value in the rescue, the genre is tragically doomed to be films only loved by prepubescent males who just discovered what an erection is. People who haven't explored the term 'spoof' and cut and paste movies together for a quick laugh. No heart, no brain, just cheap glue. Sadly, 'The Comebacks' has been added to the list. Dave Koechner (Who starred in 'Anchorman' alongside Ferrell) leads a teams of underdogs to win against a coach (Carl Weathers of 'Happy Gilmore' fame) who got him back into coaching. Koechner has shown promise as a supporting actor, but as a lead in this film, he just sounds scripted. He sounds too much like he's doing a cold read passionately. Also, the jokes about being a washed up coach, who through the course of the movie encourages the team to fail in school and later runs from the police in his underwear, have been done before. Yes, this is a spoof film. But let us remember that even spoofs can have quality. Give the characters dignity and a sort of sophisticated view on modern society. Also, the reliance on stereotypes is not going to get us any more laughs (who knew one movie with jive-talking people could lead to gangster stereotypes (not really, but you see)). While I will admit to laugh at least a few times... it wasn't on par. The football team within itself had a lot of stereotypes, including a Mexican, a cocky jock, a fat guy, the scrawny nerd, and the mentally handicapped aid. Even the only female on the team got reduced to stereotypical female humor, being mostly scantily clad and giving off innuendos. In fact, her character, as well as most of the others, never developed. It's a sad state of affairs for this movie. If only it wasn't so reliant on stupid sex jokes, it could've made something for itself. In fact, this movie will probably be the butt of jokes alongside 'Epic Movie' for time to come. Koechner really deserved better. The script in general was poorly conceived, even naming the championship 'The Toilet Bowl'. So yes. spoof movies are dying. There is a movie called 'Meet the Spartans' (be ahead of the trend, boycott now!) coming out that includes a spoof on Britney Spears' breakdown. So let those kids keep getting erections... but people grow up and lose them. We need sustenance. One day, they will learn to stop spoofing spoofs and restore them. Hopefully, one of the heroes will be 'Get Smart', made by the master Mel Brooks, coming out next year. Rating: 2 out of 5 (Stars)$LABEL$ 0 +To be fair they did as well as they could with a budget of five shillings and sixpence, but the dialogue was more cheesy than 9lbs of emmental and the CGI was a little old hat now. maybe if some of the actors were not so perfectly chiselled out of granite it would have made the film a little better too.. To say this was awful is to do this film a mis-service, if you want to see something that is totally execrable, you gotta sit and waste a couple of hours of your life watching 'sickle', that is soo mind numbingly awful, its actually good,(several large alcoholic beverages are deriguer though. Any road up, I enjoyed this film and its gotta be worth a look if you have not seen it yet, just don't expect anything along the lines of 'jurassic park,the lost world' or 'apocalypto'.$LABEL$ 0 +As a Spanish tourist in Los Angeles and a fanatic movie lover I committed a terrible mistake. I went to see "The Women" The remake of one of my all time favorites. I've seen the original many many times, in fact I own it. My rushing to see the remake was based on Diane English, the woman responsible for "Murphy Brown" My though was: how bad can it be? She must know what she's doing. Well, I don't know what to say. I don't understand what happened. The Botoxed women is a rather depressing affair. Meg Ryan or whoever played Mary - she looked a bit like a grotesque version of Meg Ryan...another actress perhaps wearing a Meg Ryan mask - she doesn't bring to the character nothing of what Norma Shearer did in 1939. The new one is a tired, unconvincing prototype of what has become a farce within a farce. The "friends" Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinket Smith are as disconnected as anything I've ever seen and if this wasn't enough: Eva Mendes as Crystal, the character created by Joan Crawford in one of her best and funniest performances. Eva Mendes's casting is really the poster sign for how wrong, how ill conceived this commercial attempt turned up. I didn't give it a 1 out respect for Candice Bergen and Cloris Leachman$LABEL$ 0 +I was totally disgusted with this unnecessary sequel to "The Poseidon Adventure" a movie which I have given a great comment about.This film is unbelievable from the word GO! I agree, why were no other rescues boats around and helicopters? The one that rescued the original survivors had just flown over the boat that Michael Caine & Sally Field are on. THAT WAS THE ONLY RESCUE CREW? Hard to believe.The acting is generally poor and the show looks cheap. I really hated the waste of talent from some good actors.Don't watch this film unless you must catch Sally & Michael as lovers.gord$LABEL$ 0 +Not much to say beyond the summary, save that this is an example of J. Edgar's Hoover's constant attention to maintaining a good "PR" profile. They don't make movies this bad very often, especially with the likes of Jimmy Stewart and Vera Miles in the blend. Too bad. $LABEL$ 0 +There are some comments about this film that say that it is a bad and silly one and such an excellent actor as Pierre Fresnay should not have accepted to act in it.I think, just the opposite, that, even when the film is strange and has some weaknesses, the performance of Pierre Fresnay is so formidable that it converts the film in something excellent.His performance is probably the best in history.The film itself has a very polemic scene about the consecration of wine in the cabaret.For somebody who does not believe that a priest – even a defrocked one – can convert it in Christ's blood, the scene is perhaps bizarre. But for somebody who has been raised in a catholic framework, it is very emotive even if quite unpleasant.The scene of the death of the younger priest is tremendously shocking. But it is very well acted. Pierre Fresnay turns the crazy act of murder in something understandable within the temporal madness of his character, the tortured defrocked Morand who, in this terrible way, comes back to his duty.$LABEL$ 1 +I gave this film my rare 10 stars.When I first began watching it and realized it would not be a film with a strong plot line I almost turned it off. I am very glad I didn't.This is a character driven film, a true story, which revolves mainly around the life of Rachel "Nanny" Crosby, a strong, beautiful (inside and out)Black woman and how she touched the lives of so many in the community of Lackawanna.Highly interesting not only its strong characterizations of Nanny and the people who lived at her boardinghouse, but also it gives us a look at what life and community were like for African Americans in the 1950's, prior to integration, and the good and bad sides of segregation and how it ultimately affected and changed the Black community.In addition to excellent performances by all members of the cast, there is some fine singing and dancing from that era.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this a good while ago, but i just cant get over it. I have looked everywhere to try and find out where i can get a copy of it but i have not been able to get a hold of it. I really reccomend this movie and if anyone has any info about how i can get a copy then let me know. thanx$LABEL$ 1 +A milestone in Eastern European film making and an outstanding example of Serbian mentality. A group of completely different people are doomed to die because of their discord. With "Maratonci trce pocasni krug" makes two mythological movies everyone here knows word by word.$LABEL$ 1 +CACTUS FLOWER was a delightful 1969 comedy based on a Neil Simon play about a dentist (Walter Matthau) having an affair with a young free spirited woman (Goldie Hawn), totally unaware that his devoted nurse/assistant(Ingrid Bergman)is in love with him. Matthau can play this kind of role in his sleep and he doesn't disappoint as the philandering dentist, Dr. Julian Winston, who is dating one woman but really has no clue that he's in love with another. Goldie Hawn won an Oscar for her sparkling performance as Toni Simmons, the aging flower child who slowly comes to realize she is trapped in a dead end affair and is not as dim as she appears on the surface. But the real pleasure for me in this film was the performance of the legendary Ingrid Bergman as Stephanie Dickinson, Dr. Winston's completely devoted assistant, who is willing to to bury and sacrifice her own happiness as long as Dr. Winston is happy with Tony. Bergman is luminous in this film, looking absolutely beautiful (though the camera has always loved her) and showing an unforeseen knack for light comedy. Yes, the dialogue and the settings are slightly dated, but the story is timeless and the performances by the stars make it imminently watchable.$LABEL$ 1 +Screamers is an Italian fantasy film (L'Isola degli Uomini Pesce) bought by Roger Corman and released through his New World Pictures. Of course Corman has to carve his initials on it by having one of his lackeys (Dan T. Miller) direct some additional gore footage before he has it released in the states.L'Isola degli Uomini Pesce is a very entertaining retelling of the Island of Dr. Moreau. It is 1891 and Claudio Cassinelli is shipwrecked on a mysterious island with a few newly escaped convicts. Claudio comes across the stellar Barbara Bach and Richard Johnson. Johnson plays the dastardly Edmund Rackham: a man who is able to manipulate scientist Joseph Cotton into turning the local native population into amphibious deep-sea diving creatures, (they look like a cross between the Black Lagoon creature and one of The Humanoids From the Deep), by convincing Cotton that the mutations are being created for the highest of scientific and humanitarian motives.Having discovered the lost city of Atlantis, Rackham is using the amphibious creatures to loot its treasures. Sexy Barbara Bach plays Cotton's daughter who has a psychic link with these mutations. In one memorable scene, Bach takes a midnight swim with these mutants wearing only a thin white cotton dress that leaves little to the imagination. Claudio discovers one of the convicts he has befriended has been turned into a gill-creature and then all Hell breaks loose.Filmed at the same time and in the same location as Zombi 2, Richard Johnson didn't even have to change suits between films. The house where the experiments take place is the same house Johnson uses to conduct experiments in Zombi 2. Talk about economic filmmaking!The additional footage features a few bloody beheadings, (way to go Roger!), and a laughably bad Cameron Mitchell doing his best pirate imitation. All that's missing is the parrot.Spanish title: Le Continent Des Hommes Poissons$LABEL$ 1 +An American Werewolf in Paris wasn't really that good compared to the original.The original didn't use computer effects for the werewolf and they looked more realistic .The werewolf effects in this film looked too cartoonish.most of all,the movie did not have enough for me for a horror film to enjoy.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a family film, which to some people is an automatic turn off. It seems that too many people do not want to see films that are not loaded down with failing arms and legs, gratuitous violence and enough expletives to fill the New York phone book. This film is none of those. It is cliché, it is formula, but it is also fun. It doesn't ask you to think, it doesn't demand that you accept the film as reality. It simply does what a good film ought to do, which is to willingly suspend disbelief for two hours and enjoy the adventure. The cast is good, while not excellent. As another commenter pointed out the John Williams sound score was, as usual, excellent. And the fact that a lot of the film was shot in Huntsville at the real space camp made it even more believable. It was ironic that the original release of the film was delayed for some months due to the Challenger Shuttle disaster, which may have played a large part in it's original theatrical opening, but the film eventually has helped to focus the dreams of many young people back towards space and the possibilities that lie therein. SO sit back with your kids and prepare to enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +From the nepotism capitol of the world comes another junk flick in a fancy wrapper. "CQ" tells a lame, disjointed mess of a story which is little more than a bunch of silly caricatures, a babe, and straight man Davies running around trying to make a stupid sci-fi flick. I can't think of any reason anyone would want to spend time with this ridiculous attempt at film making. (D)$LABEL$ 0 +I have a six month old baby at home and time to time she fights sleep really bad. One morning she was having a particular difficult time getting to sleep when the doodle bops theme song came on T.V. She stopped crying almost instantly, and for the rest of the show was content. I sat her in her bouncy seat and watched her kick her legs, swing her arms, and actually laugh at this show. The kept her entertained and happy the entire time. I also got a video of them so that at times when my little one is flustered I have something to calm her. Granted, late at night if she awakes with colic to fuss the doodle bops are not her cup of tea, but they sure do come in handy when I need a little time to do housework,etc. The biggest surprise about the doodle bops is that my child doesn't even like watching T.V. She'd rather be in the floor playing with a toy or with our small toy poodle than watch T.V. yet, the doodle bops have totally captured her attention. I don't know if she will continue to like them in the future but for now she's attached.$LABEL$ 1 +My buddies and I spent the majority of a Saturday afternoon watching a selection of "bad" movies. Among the flicks we watched, the strongest contender (for quality bad-movie fare) was easily Jack-O. It's ludicrous that movies such as "Gigli", "Glitter" and "You Got Served" are listed in IMDBs bottom 100. While they're certainly bad movies, they don't belong in the bottom 100. They're robbing "Jack-O", and "Keeper of Time", etc, of the Bad Movie Greatness they so richly deserve.So what makes Jack-O so great (in bad movie terms)? For starters, Steve Latshaw, the director, decided to cast his son, Ryan Latshaw, in the role of Sean Kelly. Unfortunately for Steve, Ryan Latshaw was dangerously close to being out-acted by a block of wood. The kid, seriously, has no ability to emote whatsoever. The end result: unintentional comic gold. The kid could be listening to a joke, or just moments away from getting his head smashed asunder, and his expression is one of stony "emotionlessness".The other aspect of the movie that we found awesome was the sheer number of "double dreaming" sequences. What is a double-dream? Well, it's when a character wakes up from a nightmare, and then something equally nightmarish happens, and then the character wakes up again. Basically: they wake up after dreaming about waking up from a nightmare. Clever device, no? I believe the character of Sean Kelly experienced no less than 3 double-dreaming sequences.Let's see... what else? Oh yeah! This movie has a veritable cast of thousands. It's truly stunning to see how many speaking roles are introduced throughout the course of the movie. Best of all: almost none of the characters have anything to do with the story. They're either killed by Jack-O, or they serve no purpose whatsoever.Jack-O himself was pretty sweet. Like most other B-movie monsters, Jack-O has the amazing ability to, seemingly, teleport over great distances. He's invariably hanging-out, somewhere in the background, whenever you're dealing with a major character. What's puzzling, however, is that when he's actually chasing someone he moves at a shambling/stumbling speed, and yet he's able to keep up with people who are sprinting.That's all for now. Closing remarks: if you're looking for a unintentionally hilarious bad movie, you can't go wrong by renting this beast.Bad Movie Score: 7/10 Good Movie Score: 3.5/10$LABEL$ 1 +A group of douche-bag teenagers go up to an old mining town in hopes of finding gold nuggets. The one hitch in the hair-brained scheme is that the ancient supernatural miner whom the gold belongs to doesn't wish to part with his treasure so easily and so begins to dispatch the interlopers accordingly. Literally cliché-sprouting dialog, horrible acting, some insanely terrible 'southern dialect' and a lame unmemorable killer who resembles Jeepers Creepers (without the aforementioned's predilection of young boys naturally) combine to make this stinker just about unwatchable. Even cult legend actress Karen Black in a small role can't save this aberration.Eye Candy: Elina Madison shows (badly lit) T&A My Grade: D- Where I saw it: TMCX$LABEL$ 0 +I went to the cinema slightly apprehensive, I came out seething with anger at the garbage (passing for a film)I had witnessed. The actors, particularly Travolta, should be ashamed of themselves for their participation in this. Clearly the only thing in their minds was the pay cheque, never mind the debasement of their talents and us . Travolta needs to go back to doing some more "Look who's Talking" movies as he has sunk back to the level of his pre-Tarantino work. It comes to something when the L W Talking sequels are better than this one. Travolta is no longer the King of Cool but the King of Corn. Michael Caine himself admitted to doing bad movies for the pay cheque, Trvolta should follow suit if he has any self respect !$LABEL$ 0 +Spacecamp is my favorite movie. It is a great story and also inspires others.The acting was excellent and my wife and I went to see Lea Thompson in Cabaret years later due to her performance in the movie. It is unfortunate that the Challenger Accident delayed and hurt the movie.The 20th Anniversary of the Challenger Accident is coming up. I knew one of the Challenger Astronauts off and on since childhood on the Carnegie Mellon campus where my father went to school; I also know a close friend of the late pilot.I was the technical review last year for National BSA for the Boy Scout Astronomy Merit Badge and I still find Spacecamp a great movie to recommend to Scouts doing the Space related merit badges I teach.I ran into the late astronaut again as an adult and was following a schedule of engineering education we had put together when Challenger blew up. I wound up sitting in with Willard Rockwell and his engineers,"invisible", going over things after the Accident at the Astrotech stockholders meeting by chance as a result, so I'm much closer to the Accident and any movie similarities. I made sure that I was a good student and finished the degree four years later, strangely enough, on the recommendation of the Rockwell engineer who told them not to fly Challenger in 1986 and who later built Endeavour.$LABEL$ 1 +This thing, it shouldn't be called a film, is almost worse than "Manos", but you just have to see it it's hilarious. If you see it at video store rent it, if you see the 10th anniversary edition, yes there is a special edition, for under $10 buy it, if your friend has it borrow it, you just have to see this. The acting is so bad, and the gore is is so fake. After viewing this you'll be asking yourself why did they make this insult of the art of film? That's assuming your face doesn't melt off like the Nazis's in "Raiders" . If you manage to see this, be sure to vote this movie as 1 (awful) so it can make the bottom 100, it really deserves a spot there. I'm surprised it's not number 1, right now.$LABEL$ 0 +"CASOMAI" was the last movie I've seen before getting married, just last year. It was also the first movie I've searched for, after I was married, because we promised to offer a copy to our priest.Sometimes, reality is not that apart from fiction. To all those who wrote that priests like "Don Camillo" don't exist in real life, I would recommend them to visit my Priest Pe. Nuno Westwood, in Estoril, Portugal :-)To all others, I would only recommend them to see this movie, before and after the "I do!" day :-)Rodrigo Ribeiro Portugal$LABEL$ 1 +In the recent movement to bring Asian films over to America, this is THE LAST movie that should be released here. Being a big fan of asian movies from all genres, I was browsing the net and came across this soong to be re-released into the US market so I decided to check it out ahead of time and rent this at a local video store.Trust me...the action scenes are incredibly disappointing, Crouching Tiger and Iron Monkey completely blew this movie out of the water. Jet Li would fall asleep watching the fighting sequences. If you're looking for martial arts entertainment, your time would be better off with a Jackie Chan flick!!!Moreover...you think you're going to watch a martial arts with about a girl engulfed in vengence for her parents death BUT SURPRISE!!! A good hour of this movie in the middle has is filled with dialogue, an absense of action, the lack of devloping a tangent plot, pretty much NOTHING to do with the premise we are exposed to. It has more to do with the relationship between her and the boy, and the boy with his conspiracy group in which the producer/director dedicated no time in elbaorating, and yet dedicated a portion of the film dragging the issue. Would of been much better off if they had just cut that whole hour and developed the story in itself through another film and focus on the martial arts aspect.Speaking of which, I really don't believe the choreographer of Iron Monkey, did the action sequence in Princess Blade. I was completely insulted in the frequent usage of slow motion and quick camera changes to portray the assassins physical swiftness. I just didn't buy it.Please...I'm warning you to PLEASE do not waste your time/money with this movie. The premise is intrigueing, and the trailer might even tempt you but I am positive that this movie is NOT suited for the public (maybe in Japan but not in the states) and will be the worst film brought over to the states from the Asian film industry.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so this film may not have won any Oscars, but it is not a bad film. The original "D.O.A." is undoubtedly a better film, but that does not mean this film is bad.The film stars Dennis Quaid in one of his early roles, when he was first becoming really famous, after "The Right Stuff" made him a star, and a very lovely looking Meg Ryan, when she was still now quite famous.This is more of an "update" of the 1950 film, rather than a remake, since the setting is different and the characters too, are different. The plot is pretty much the same. A man (this time an English professor at the University of Texas at Austin) is poisoned and he has only 24 hours to find out who poisoned him and why. Meg Ryan plays a young college student who tries to help him. Jane Kaczmarek plays Quaid's estranged wife, in a low key, but intense performance; she steals every scene she is in. Daniel Stern (also in an early role, before "Home Alone" made him famous) plays Quaid's colleague. Charlotte Rampling is fine too in a supporting role.The entire cast is top notch; The film is stylish, with a quick pace that keeps you guessing until the end. I think this is a film that is certainly worth watching as a thriller, and as a modern version of a classic film.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is quite better than the first one "Astérix et Obelix contre César", but it is far away from perfection. The adaptation of the comic book is good, some of the pictures and the dialogs of the movie are the same as in the book. But there's few things that made the movie not as interresting as the animated movie released in 1968. For example the fighting between Numerobis and Amonbofis. This wasn't necessary or even credible, either for the little love story of Astérix. There were also some stuff missing, like the songs that are in the animated movie, and some other things... I am deceived by the movie because they cutted in the stuff I was expecting tho see and they showed things that I did not wanted or needed to see. I know that it would have been very difficult to make the movie exactly the same than the comic book or the animated movie, but that's what I expected. In conclusion, even if the movie is good, I still prefer the animated movie, wich is in my opinion, far better.$LABEL$ 1 +I don't understand how some people can stand playing "Half-Life: Counter-Strike" when there are so many better first-person shooting games available."Counter-Strike" is a game that doesn't use any imaginative ideas in its weaponry. All the weapons in the game are real-life weapons, but there could have been at least a cheat that allowed players to have access to a "supernatural" weapon, like the all-powerful BFG in the Quake & Doom games.Another problem is that the player actually has to reload the weapon manually. This can become extremely annoying, especially while in the middle of a firefight when you are so close to killing the enemy. The reloading delay also gives the feeling that the gun is slow at performing its task.There are not many choices of characters to choose from. If I remember correctly, there are 4 types of characters each for the Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist forces. This means that many of the characters look the same as each other, which really brings down the game's realism.The game is pretty sexist when it comes to character selections. In the early version of Counter-Strike, there was a woman available to choose (in the Terrorist force selection) which was good for the female gamers. In the latest versions, however, the female character was deleted and replaced with another male character. I wonder if the women who played the game were disappointed at the newer versions.Finally, the maps in the game are very small. The biggest map seems to be the desert map, but it has standard detail. In fact, all the maps in the game have standard graphics. In other words, nothing new.To sum up, I think "Half-Life: Counter-Strike" is the most un-imaginative first-person shooting game of all time. There are plenty of better & more imaginative shooting games to play, so why waste your time on this boring game? You're better off playing the Unreal Tournament, Quake, and Doom games. Avoid this over-rated & over-hyped game.I give the game a 1/10.$LABEL$ 0 +George Raft as Steve Brodie, the carefree, dancing gambler who can never refuse a dare, is pitted against the lumbering, sentimental, Chuck Connors (Wallace Beery).A soft touch for every panhandler, Connors impulsively adopts waifs and strays, notably runaway orphan "Swipes" (Jackie Cooper, complete with kittens!) and the homeless Lucy Calhoun, an out-of-town innocent with ambitions to become a writer. In this male-dominated culture, communication takes place mostly in the form of violence (one sees why THE BOWERY is a Martin Scorsese favorite). Exploding cigars provide a running gag. "Swipes" enjoys throwing rocks through windows in Chinatown, on one occasion setting a laundry alight. (The simultaneous arrival of both Brodie's and Beery's volunteer fire companies leads to a brawl, during which the building burns to the ground.) Beery casually saps a troublesome girl, and thumps anyone who disagrees with him, including Brodie, whom he defeats, in a night-time fist fight on a moored barge, to regain control of his saloon, lost on a bet that Brodie wouldn't have the courage to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. (Brodie does make the leap, but only because a subterfuge with a dummy fails at the last moment.)As usual, Walsh fills the frame with detail, illustrating with relish the daily life of the tenderloin; singing waiters, bullying barmen, whores from Suicide Hall being hustled into the Black Maria, tailors collaring hapless hicks off the street and forcing them to buy suits they don't want. A minor but admirable little film.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not picky with movies, oh I've seen so much crap I could watch anything. Maybe that was the reason I watched this one to the end. Im big fan of RPG games too, but this movie, its a disgrace to any self-respecting RPGer there is. The security-camera footage of a game-play would make it feel more realistic than this movie does. The lines, the cuts, the audio, everything is wrong. In some scenes you can see that it was filmed in some photo when !!!!!(spoilers ahead)!!!!!people running around does not disturb people sitting near computers. I mean would you continue your work if you got ninjas around you? oh and the jokes about pirates, that's the worst one yet in movies!!!!!(spoilers end)!!!!! At least first one felt like a documentary, now it looks like someones home video experiment. You can find better movies at youtube. Top line: Don't waste your time and money on this one, its as bad as it comes.$LABEL$ 0 +This is definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen-- it has everything-- a genuinely touching screenplay, fine actors that make subtlety a beautiful art to watch, an actually elegant romance (it's a shame that that kind of romance just doesn't seem to exist anymore), lovely songs and lyrics (especially the final song), an artistic score, and costumes and sets that make you want to live in them. The ending was only a disappointment in that I was expecting a spectacular film to have a brilliant end-- but it was still more wonderful then the vast majority of movies out there. Definitely check this movie out-- over and over again. There are many details you miss the first time that deserve a second look.$LABEL$ 1 +I very much enjoyed "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". It gave me, once again, a positive feeling about the power of people to decide for themselves how they wish to be governed.It is unfortunate that in Venezuela the twenty percent of wealthy citizens have made all of the decisions for the eighty percent of the poor for decades, if not centuries. However, when their coup failed; after the interim government dissolved the Supreme Court, and The Constitution, and the Ombudsman, and the Electoral Boards, and all Civil Rights, no one took the plotters out behind a barn somewhere and shot them. They haven't even gone to jail. The major plotters are living in Florida, carrying on. And the protection that they had was the "Bolivarian Constitution" passed by a large majority of the Venezuelan People. It is not only History that Bites. Democracy can give you one hell of a nip if you let it loose. And in Venezuela it is loose.$LABEL$ 1 +As good as Schindler's List was, I found this movie much more powerful as it is a documentary and based on real life. It details the story of the Frank family, and Anne in particular. Although it is a bit slow moving at first (detailing their family life before the war); it becomes very powerful.Due to some of the footage and photos of the camps, I would not recommend it for children but for adults, it illustrates the horror of the Holocaust through one young girl. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +There are so many reasons as to why I rate the sopranos so highly, one of its biggest triumphs being the cast and character building. Each character unfolds more and more each series. Also each series has an array of different 'small time characters' as well as the main. A good example of a character (who was only in three episodes) who you can feel for is David the compulsive gambler played brilliantly by Robert Patrick. Every little detail builds the perfect TV series. The show revolves round mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) who attempts to balance his life of crime with his role as father of two. The show is not afraid to be bold and powerful with its dialogue and imagery and this is what makes it so believable. Whilst Tony runs things with capos Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Silvio (Steve Van Zant) his nephew Christopher (Michael imperioli) looks for a promotion. Every episode also features Tony's other family in some way which includes his children and wife carmela soprano (Edie Falco). On top of these problems is his uncle Junior soprano (Dominic Chianese) is trying to get what he can out of Tony's businesses despite being under house arrest. All the acting is powerful and characters complex, but the two who stand out the most are; James Gandolfini who 'is' Tony Soprano. Also Michael Imperioli who plays Christopher, representing the younger (20-30) generation in crime. If David Chase had not created this masterpiece modern TV dramas of such caliber may not have existed, such as The Wire and Dexter. So the Sopranos is definitely the Godfather, Goodfellas and Pulp fiction of TV$LABEL$ 1 +As a grownup in my mid-40s, I am not even close to any of "Nancy Drew"'s key demographics, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film this afternoon; so, I could tell, were the pair of sixtyish silver-haired ladies down the row from me. The older man who left the theater just ahead of me specifically praised the film to the 20-ish female usher (who said she'd seen the film the previous evening and quite liked it).More to the point, however: In the row just ahead of me, there were nine -- count them, nine -- ten-year-old girls lined up next to each other, passing popcorn and hot dogs and candy back and forth and giggling through the previews.Once the film began, they promptly settled down to watch........and didn't so much as peep till the closing credits began to roll.This is not a perfect film; it doesn't quite pay off its high school subplots, it's not quite confident enough of its own tone, and its thugs are just a hair too far over toward critically inept at times. But the adaptation of the source material is essentially respectful, the plot hangs together fairly well, and it treads deftly between the sins of excessive cheesiness and excessive modernization. Last but not least, Emma Roberts carries the movie with startling grace -- Josh Flitter's superb timing notwithstanding, this is Roberts' movie, and she pulls it off beautifully. Her Nancy Drew is very much the direct ancestor of Kristen Bell's Veronica Mars, and the film is also a lineal descendant of Jodie Foster's early and underrated "Candleshoe".In today's marketplace, it's a rarity: a family movie that respects its viewers' intelligence. As such, it won't be to everyone's taste -- but for what it is, it is the best movie of its kind in decades.$LABEL$ 1 +The title is a reference to the destruction of the remnants of a harvest, like rice husks, by farmers who burn them creating fires on the plains. This is a bleak tale of the destruction of the Japanese soldier.The story is set in the closing days of the Philippines campaign as a soldier with TB who returns from a hospital because since he can walk, they have no room for him. His superior officers don't want him around since he's really too sick to work or fight. Abused by his officer he's sent back to the hospital with orders to either be admitted or kill himself. They still won't take him and he's soon left to wander across the war ravaged landscape trying to find help or a place to stay or even just food. Its a bleak journey with no hope in sight and only death and man's inhumanity to man at every turn.Billed as a harrowing journey into the dark heart of man and war this is also a very funny movie. This isn't to say its not horrifying, it is at times, but its also darkly comic. How could it not be? Here is a film where madness and insanity run rampant, people are constantly trying to hustle tobacco leaves for food, trying to get even a slightly better pair of shoes, trying to remain a Japanese soldier in the face of absurdity by marching constantly but never getting anywhere and you can't help but laugh. To be sure things go darker as it becomes clear that cannibalism maybe, literally and figuratively, the only way to survive, but at the same time there is something uncomfortably funny about the human comedy.Hailed as a great anti-war film its stark photographic style makes clear the insanity of war even as it dazzles our eye with its beauty. Here we see landscapes full of bodies that include the soldier and the civilian. set amid fields forests and trees that would otherwise be, and to some extent still are, quite beautiful. Its a jarring sensation.What intriguing is that I read that this is based on a novel about the redemptive power of Christianity. The director removed all over the religious references to hope and salvation and instead used it as to show that life stinks, war stinks worse and that there is, ultimately no hope.Intellectually I admire the film, emotionally I don't. Part of it is a strident downbeat score which, for me over accentuates what we are seeing on the screen. Its almost gilding the lily since the imagery is so strong it doesn't really need to have the music force you into feeling one way or another.Is it a great film, thats for you to decide. For certain its unlike any other war film, bloody, horrific and real in ways that big budgeted films claim to be but never are. This is not for those adverse to blood and gore since its here in spades.Definitely worth a look.$LABEL$ 1 +LOVE AT THE TOP--the utterly wrongheaded American title for the superb French film "Le Mouton Enrage" (which means, I think, The Rabid Sheep)-- is such an original movie, the fact that it dates back to 1974 seems all the more astounding. This film was far ahead of its time; even by today's highest standards, it accomplishes things that seem rich and new. Filmed by the hugely underrated director Michel Deville, it rather defies description in the way it combines social critique, comedy, mystery, love, sex and satire into one wholly original mix--leaving for the end a major but subtle surprise to render all that has gone before suddenly sad and more understandable. The cast is splendid, ditto the writing and theme. But it's Deville's delicious tone, keeping you constantly off-balance but enrapt, that pushes this "lost" film to a very high level indeed. (The written interview with the director on the "Special Features" section of the DVD is definitely worth reading if you have the time.)$LABEL$ 1 +Now, I haven't read the original short story to know all the literary points that went wrong here, so I'm not going to go down that path here.But I have some time ago learnt that Stephen King movies simply -are not- horror films, with perhaps a couple of exceptions. This was not one of them. It started well enough, and for once I'm not going to complain about the acting, although Fred Gwynne was as usual wonderful.. Also I will forgive the total lack of parenting skills, as they were necessary to make the story here move forward...But there was one consistent point that I couldn't help but get annoyed with. And that came pretty close to the end of the movie, and at least 2 characters partook in the activity of dumb stupidity. The moments I refer to are thus: There is a tiny zombie running around the house. You suspect it is under the bed. Do you (a) get as close to the bed as you can before blindly raising the duvet cover up, exposing pretty much your whole body to whatever damage such a teeny undead cannibal might inflict on you, or (b) move a little away from the bed so you can peer under the completely open end from a position of slightly increased safety, or at least see the mini terror coming at you, giving you a little reaction time.I know, let's go with (a). I feel like offering myself up for the slaughter today. BlehFun enough film though... Just not very scary.$LABEL$ 0 +Me and a couple of friends went to rent some movies one day, we picked one each and one of us picked Ironheart. Lets just say that from now on, we never let him pick a movie. This movie sucks$LABEL$ 0 +The DVD for this film is by Alpha Video--a company that almost always releases the poorest quality prints. In Alpha's defense, often that is the only print available, but the specialize in public domain and cheap-o films. If you can find another print by a different company, try it first as the print for this film is scratchy and faded. Still, compared to most Alpha DVDs, this one is excellent--especially since the sound is pretty clear (and Alpha never seems to include closed captionings--even with films with horrid sound).A man has been dating a lady for a very long time. One night, he's a bad boy and spends the night with another woman. Soon afterwords, he comes clean to his fiancée about this, she forgives him and they marry.Very soon after the wedding, he gets a frantic call from the other woman--she NEEDS to see him and has just tried to kill herself. When they meet, he learns that she has an STD and she wanted him to know that he, too, might now have it. Then, although there is a nurse there and they are treating her for the suicide attempt, she somehow finds a gun and kills herself! The makes a HUGE mistake. He does not tell his doctor and he doesn't tell his new wife. Some time passes and now she and the baby are infected! At this point, the doctor meets with the guy and tells him about the importance of getting treatment and they shows him rooms filled with horribly infected people (actually, these were just films of people with STDs that they spliced into the film--most of whom have syphilis).In some ways the film is very progressive. It addresses a serious issue and it's interesting how the film encourages couples NOT to wait to get married but to marry fast and give in to those sexual urges--but only with each other (not bad advice at all). On the other hand, the film never exactly says what it's talking about. They never use the terms STD, VD or the like, nor does it even name the diseases. Often it is referring to syphilis but at other times it's talking about herpes or other STDs--the information just isn't very clear or specific--a VERY common problem with such films from this era. Audiences at the time must have felt quite confused about what they were seeing and many of the more naive probably needed to have some of their 'faster' friends explain it all to them! Speaking of "such films", in the 1930s-50s, lots of small and often sleazy production companies made films decrying the dangers of drugs and sex (though often they really just wanted to promise a bit of cheesecake for audiences who usually could not see such racy fare in Hollywood films). Many of these are hysterically funny since they are so over-done and the information so inaccurate. The most famous examples are REEFER MADNESS and SEX MADNESS (both by the same two-bit production company) and compared to how salacious and stupid those two films are, this cheap film seems like it should be in the Criterion Collection!! Interestingly, there are weirdos out there (I would definitely be included among them) that enjoy seeing the films because they are often so bad and so horribly made that they are great fun. This one, however, isn't THAT bad nor is the message that convoluted and the film of the victims isn't as grotesque as some similar films. While the message really should have been more explicit and useful, for a 1933 film it's pretty good--despite the occasionally poor acting and the ludicrous suicide scene. Remember kids--just say 'NO' to suicide!Oh, by the way, the "two years of treatment" they talk about in the film was actually the norm for syphilis back in 1933. Nowadays, it's a lot more treatable--as are the rest of the STDs.$LABEL$ 0 +If this is your first time experiencing the wonders of cinema, if you've never seen a "Moving Picture" before, you'll think this movie is a child of the gods. BUT if you've seen a movie, a TV show, even Barney the Dinosaur, then you won't be very impressed by this film. Heck Barney the dinosaur was even more realistic than the dinos in this flick.Now I like B movies. I just watched "The Giant Gila Monster" right before I watched this swill, and I liked that movie much better. It works as a B movie. It has lamer dialog,hokier acting, cheesier effects and an honest to gosh real Gila Monster as the monster! Carno 3 just doesn't pack much of a B movie punch. It has some gore, and that Polchek guy comes close to being funny a few times but this movie is underwhelming, almost....flaccid. It's the Little Engine That Couldn't of Dinosaur movies. I'm not saying you shouldn't watch the movie. Some people can watch gum drying on a sidewalk and feel entertained. If you're one of those people, then give this movie a shot.$LABEL$ 0 +Let me first state that I rarely review movies, I only comment if I'm blown away or disappointed in something that I thought was going to be good. Killshot was a major disappointment on so many levels. The script was horrible, the acting was sub-par (espically coming from heavy weights like Rourke and Lane) and the editing and effects were comical, (blowing up cars etc. etc.) Rosario Dawson had a horrible role, I can't believe would even accept it, it was such a misuse of her talent I can't even put into words. I should have know after I saw the trailer for this movie 3 years ago and it kept being put on the shelve that their was a serious problem with this film.......... B movie all the way.........don't bother unless your really bored........$LABEL$ 0 +FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for this film to come out for almost a year, and finally saw it at the premiere in SB. I met a few of the actors, who were really nice and who were great in the movie. i watched the trailer so many times that i didn't know what to expect but got totally sucked in. the film was really beautiful to look at it and the music was good too. i recommend it to anyone who's a ryan donowho fan, and dominique swain was good in it too. the other actors were good also great. I hope it comes out on DVD soon!!!!!i first got into ryan from watching the OC and then saw him in a bunch of good indies like Imaginary Heroes. He is great in this film, and everything that he does that's indie. I also like Dominique but haven't seen her in as much. Hope to see them both in more soon!!!$LABEL$ 1 +There was a stylish approach to this film on the part of director Vincenzo Natali with interesting camera angles and effective close-ups. It was also refreshing to see Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu given leading roles and expanding their range as performers. This film also included one of the most imaginative "escape" scenes in recent years. The efforts of the director and the actors combined in an effective thriller.Although the plotting of the film was convoluted, the story progressed very clearly as the layers of corporate greed and skullduggery were revealed.In 1949, George Orwell suggested in his famous novel "1984" that the future would be ruled by the totalitarian State, which would control minds and diminish human liberty. It was interesting that in this intriguing futuristic film, it was not the State, but rather the corporate world that controlled and devalued the human worker.$LABEL$ 1 +I felt as though the two hours I spent watching this film may have been better served by perhaps going to the local used bookstore and looking for old fashion magazines and Halston ads. Or perhaps by watching paint dry. Those two employments would have at least engaged my mind a bit more than "India Song." The most frustrating part of sitting through this was that I could see what moods/atmospheres were trying to be created and the notion of these could have been interesting if they had been fleshed out more. Instead, what happened was a presentation of an incoherent, silly chain of nonevents - with the same scenes rehashed over and over to beat some sort of point into our senses.I was loathe to devote more time to this film by writing any sort of review, except to perhaps warn other folks against this waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +Yes, I know I'm one of the few people longing to trample this movie into the dust of oblivion.So let me me tell you why I feel this way. In truth,had it been advertized as a Zombie film or the like,I might have enjoyed it.But right now,I'm totally speechless.*SPOILER...Though I'm not sure what's to spoil* Let's start with the first HUGE flaw. If I did not know that the movie is called "Darkness - The VAMPIRE Version" and had I not seen some sequences where some individuals seem to be sucking blood, I would not have seen the connection with Vampires. I mean, FANGLESS???? Give me a break!!!Second bad point: what's with the Metal? It appears that all young people, but mainly those so-called "vampires", are into various kinds of Metal,judging mainly by their shirts! Don't get me wrong, I've been into the more extreme forms of music for almost 15 years, but nobody 's going to scare me by showing me some ridiculous teenagers in Iron Maiden (of all bands!!!) T-shirts running around,pretending to be Vampires! "Pathetic" is the only only word that I could use here.Third weakness: the actors. Wait a minute. WHAT actors?! You mean the director's wooden friends! Words would be a waste here.Yes, alright, the movie is very gory, but what difference does that make? It WOULD have been a strong point and something to enjoy if the "briliant" director had not chosen to create an ARTIFICIAL vampire topic in this movie. I wanted to see Vampires,but was treated to some stupid looking kids I would have loved to use my baseball bat on. The Film-makers should simply have advertized the movie saying "cheap B-grade horror with no plot but a lot of gore" !!!This movie is blasphemy against the whole concept of Vampirism. And it makes me sick.$LABEL$ 0 +a very mediocre film based on a superb series of stories and novels. I hope Somebody, someday will be able to film it the right way. In the meantime, look for the books (by A. Sapkowski), a very inteligent, postmodern fantasy. By now there should be a translation in english, there translations in german for sure.$LABEL$ 0 +This film, which I rented under the title "Black Voodoo" should be avoided. I was expecting a blaxploitation/horror flick; but what I got was a very dull, standard "ghost extracts vegence". In this case the ghost was that of a religious cult leader who tried to refuse treatment, but who's plea was ignored and he died in an operation. The result: his spirit posesses Nurse Sherry and forces her to commit acts of murder. The only voodoo connection was to one of the three black characters, in this case a blinded ex-football player, who's mom practiced voodoo. The film is very slow and very dull. There is a very standard ending that provides on excitement, followed by a horrificly stupid ending (warning: SPOILER)In which a woman actually manages to defend herself against murder charges by saying she was possessed. This movie is slow, and bad in a non-funny, just stupefying way. Avoid it at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +Not only does this film have one of the great movie titles, it sports the third teaming of 70s child actors Ike Eissenman and Kim Richards. I seem to remember this film being broadcast Halloween week back in '78 going against Linda Blair in Stranger in our House. I missed it on the first run choosing to see the other film. Later, on repeat, I saw I made the right choice. The movie is not really bad, but, really lacks any chills or surprises. Although, I did like the scene where Richard Crenna shoots the family dog to no avail.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm rarely moved to make a comment online about a film. But I can't understand how this one got made. Who made it? How could they have possibly thought they were capable of making a feature film? Did they do a weekend course at some film school, get a nice big cheque from daddy and kidnap David Badiel's family one by one until he agreed to be in it? Or was he by any chance a longtime family friend/distant relation doing this out of sheer, misplaced kindness? I don't care, don't want to know. Even he looks utterly embarrassed to be in it, mumbling his lines and hiding his face from the camera. Meanwhile the DOP must have been the gaffer from Neighbours, there seemed to be absolutely no sound design, the script, the direction and editing were all abysmal, and quite frankly the apathy that overwhelms me right now means that I can't be bothered to spend any more of my life thinking about this film.$LABEL$ 0 +There are few movies that have the massive amount of non stop ninja action as Ninja III: the Domination. This is a story of love, redemption and revenge, however, this is mainly a story about flipping out and killing people for no reason at all. If you've been searching for a movie where a ninja goes absolutely nuts and takes all kinds of people to their graves just because he's a ninja and he can do it, this is the movie for you. I can't think of any movies to compare this to, because no movie is this awesome. Wait, oh, have you ever seen the thing with two heads? There is a part in that where the titular thing is riding around on a motorcycle and about a million cop cars are chasing it/them around, but they keep crashing and what not BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CATCH THE THING WITH TWO HEADS!!! Well, that is kind of what Ninja III is like. I highly recommend this film especially if you like the following things: Ninjas, swords, Lucinda Dickie from Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, video games about being a bouncer in a bar, ambiguous and underdeveloped love stories or "good" ninjas.$LABEL$ 1 +Wow! Wow! Wow! I have never seen a non-preachy documentary on globalization until I saw MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA. This film has zero narration and combines verite footage with sensitive interviews with four teenage workers in China who live inside a factory compound. They play with toys, jump rope, and dance. Yet, the majority of their days and nights consist of work, work, and work -- but the footage of their work is illuminating and mesmerizing to watch. The owner of the factory in China is amazingly open, so much so that he hits home the effects of globalization while he "punishes" the workers. Astutely following Mardi Gras beads from China to the Carnival, the film reveals how the local is connected to the global through humor and interesting, compelling footage from both cultures. One of the most interesting parts in this film is the cross cultural introduction of factory workers and Mardi Gras revelers to each other through pictures. Here, the film comes full circle and shows how images can be a point of communication and transformation. The film is never preachy, is not guilt driven, and allows everyone's point of view to be present. At the end, we -- the viewers -- make up our own conclusions about the complexity of the film, and globalization.$LABEL$ 1 +Crazy director....Yeah, you need to be crazy to make a near movie. Rob Lowe was bad in his character, Ice-t is always bad and Burt Reynolds had nothing to do in the movie. Crazy six is an unknown movie, with some known actors...this is pretty weird. A bad movie with some good actors in it. It looks like the bad movie did an influence to their performance...It did! Crazy people.....I give it *and a half out of *****$LABEL$ 0 +A highly atmospheric cheapie, showing great ingenuity in the use of props, sets and effects (fog, lighting, focus) to create an eerie and moody texture. The story is farfetched, the acting is merely functional, but it shows how imaginative effects can develop an entire visual narrative. This movie is recommended for its mood and texture, not for its story.$LABEL$ 1 +Atlantis was much better than I had anticipated. In some ways it had a better story than come of the other films aimed at a higher age. Although this film did demand a soid attention span at times. It was a great film for all ages. I noticed some of the younger audience expected a comedy but got an adventure. I think everyone is tired of an endless parade of extreme parodies. A lot of these kids have seen nothing but parodies. After a short time everyone seemed very intensely watching Atlantis.$LABEL$ 1 +Have you ever watched a film, when after it's conclusion, your left pondering what in the world it was all about? Well, say hello to "Scream, Baby, Scream". It's not that the story's complex or anything like that, it's just that it plays out in three completely different modes...1. A fun 60s drug movie...2. A much overplayed soap opera...and 3. a horror flick (with very little to "Scream" about). Much to my surprise, I've found out that it was written by one of my all-time favorites, Larry Cohen. Well, I guess even the best have to learn through trial and error.Playing out much like something from H.G. Lewis(only with lesser fx), this "bad" film does have it's perks. For most of it's short running time there's a pretty cool jazz score to be heard, and there are a couple of memorable scenes...one of those being where a group of kids decide to experiment with acid and take a nice long motor bike ride to the zoo. The camera tricks the director uses to indicate their hallucinatory state is just plain retarded, but amusing. Trust me when I tell you, there's no need to run out of the house to catch this one!$LABEL$ 0 +You'll either love or hate movies such as this thriller set inside a lonesome asylum in a far off lonesome land. It's not so much of a horror show, but a concoction of frightening imageries and wackozoid mental patients. "Scream" is the best term to use in what was obviously a popular drive-in classic noted for some strange and wicked behaviors. Notice the "judge", who's about to put on the ax from behind the doctor! Brr-r-r-r!!! Not much else can be described here other than some bloody tasty goodness, but when you get a chance, remember the familiar old saying by the hag lady: "Get out! Get out! And never ever come back!". Don't you wish you haven't looked in the basement?$LABEL$ 1 +Late, great Grade Z drive-in exploitation filmmaker par excellence Al Adamson really outdoes himself with this gloriously ghastly sci-fi soft-core musical comedy atrocity which plumbs deliciously dismal and dopey depths in sheer celluloid silliness and jaw-dropping stupidity. In the grim totalitarian future of 2047 sex has been deemed an illegal act by the Big Brother-like impotent bumbling idiot the Controller (an amusingly goofy Erwin Fuller). However, sweet'n'sexy Cinderella (radiant blonde cutie pie Catherine Erhardt) remains determined to change things for the better. With the help of her effeminate Fairy Godfather (a flamboyantly campy Jay B. Larson), Cinderella attends a grand gala ball with the specific plan of seducing handsome stud Tom Prince (the dorky Vaughn Armstrong) and teaching everyone that making love is a positive, pleasurable and wholly acceptable activity.Adamson directs this ridiculous yarn with his customary all-thumbs incompetence, staging the incredibly awful'n'inept song and dance sequences with a totally sidesplitting lack of skill and flair. The uproariously abysmal "We All Need Love" number with people in absurd animal costumes awkwardly prancing about the forest is a hilariously horrendous marvel; ditto the equally abominable "Mechnical Man" routine featuring a bunch of clumsily cavorting robots. Louis Horvarth's crude, static cinematography, the tacky plastic miniatures, Sparky Sugerman's groovy throbbing disco score, the copious gratuitous nudity (ravishing brunette hottie Sherri Coyle warrants special praise in this particular department), the brain-numbingly puerile attempts at leering lowbrow humor (Roscoe the Robot law enforcer is especially irritating), and the uniformly terrible performances (Renee Harmon's outrageously hammy portrayal of Cinderella's wicked overbearing stepmother cops the big booby prize here) further enhance the strikingly abundant cheesiness to be savored in this delectably dreadful doozy.$LABEL$ 1 +B movie at best. Sound effects are pretty good. Lame concept, decent execution. I suppose it's a rental."You put some Olive Oil in your mouth to save you from de poison, den you cut de bite and suck out de poisen. You gonna be OK Tommy.""You stay by the airphone, when Agent Harris calls you get me!" "Give me a fire extinguisher.""Weapons - we need weapons. Where's the silverware? All we have is this. Sporks!?"Dr Price is the snake expert.Local ERs can handle the occasional snakebite. Alert every ER in the tri-city area.$LABEL$ 0 +Night of the Comet starts as the world prepares for a once in a lifetime event, the passing of a 65 million plus year old comet. Instead of watching the light show Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) decides to spend the night with cinema projectionist Larry Dupree (Michael Bowen) in his booth... They awake the next morning & as Larry attempts to leave the cinema he is attacked & killed by a zombie, the same zombie attacks Regina but she manages to escape where upon she discovers that almost everyone on the entire planet has been turned into red dust. Almost everyone because by some amazing coincidence the only other person to survive happens to be her sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney), they desperately search for more survivors & meet up with a long distance trucker named Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran). Meanwhile an evil bunch of scientists need human blood to develop a serum to save themselves from turning into dust & they're on the look out for unwilling donors...Written & directed by Thom Eberhardt I found Night of the Comet a pretty rubbish viewing experience, I'm surprised at the amount of positive comments on IMDb about it because I just thought it was boring crap that never lived up to it's potential. The script starts off 100 miles an hour with the obliteration of the entire population of Earth & a zombie attack but then it goes absolutely nowhere & then eventually introduces the sinister blood stealing scientists towards the end of the film because by that time the slim story has run it's course. There are plot holes too, if these scientists want blood why shoot the three or four gang members & save the two sisters when the guys would have provided more blood for their experiments, killing them just seemed a totally bizarre & an almost suicidal thing to do considering they need blood to develop a cure, it just doesn't make sense I mean if your going to die & you need to experiment on human blood would rather have five or six donors providing blood or just two? I'm not having the fact that the two sisters survived independently of each other, I mean what are the odds on that? When Hector confronts the female scientist for the first time she never mentions Samantha or where she was or where the underground facility was where they took Regina before she committed suicide so how did Hector know these things? I also thought after the first twenty odd minutes the film slows down to a snails pace & became incredibly boring & dull to watch, after hearing so many good things about it Night of the Comet comes across to me as nothing more than an overrated boring piece of crap.Director Eberhardt does a really good job, I liked the look of the film with it's red tinted sky & he manages to create a really cool atmosphere of isolation. Unfortunately there are far too many shots of empty streets, there are constant montage's of empty streets, deserted roads & abandoned buildings & it gets extremely repetitive & dull. OK we get it there's no one else about so there's no need to keep ramming it down our throats by constantly showing roads without cars on them. The zombies are totally wasted, there are two zombie attacks in the entire film & that's two individual zombies as well although there are a couple of effective nightmare scenes. Night of the Comet pays homage, or rips-off whichever you prefer, several other much better films including the obligatory end of the world shopping spree in a mall lifted from Dawn of the Dead (1978). Forget about any blood or gore as there isn't any.Technically Night of the Comet is pretty good, the special effects are decent enough & the production crew were obviously very good at closing streets off. The acting was alright expect for Maroney as Samantha the air-head blonde who became highly irritating.Night of the Comet was a big disappointment for me, I had hoped for so much more. Persoanlly I found this film dull, boring, uneventful & the puke inducing sequence where the sisters go shopping to the tune of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is probably the worst moment in the film. Really bad & I just don't get why so many people like this, I'm sure I'll get slaughtered for saying it so let the abuse begin I can take it...$LABEL$ 0 +The snobs and pseudo experts consider it "a far cry from De Sica's best" The ones suffering from a serious lack of innocence will find a problem connecting to this masterpiece. De Sica spoke in a very direct way. His Italianness doesn't have the convoluted self examination of modern Italian filmmakers, or the bitter self parody of Pietro Germi, the pungent bittersweetness of Mario Monicelli, the solemnity of Visconti or the cold observation of Antonioni. De Sica told us the stories like a father sitting at the edge of his children's bed before they went to sleep. There is no attempt to intellectualize. Miracolo A Milano and in a lesser degree Il Giudizio Universale are realistic fairy tales, or what today we call magic realism. The film is a gem from beginning to end and Toto is the sort of character that you accept with an open heart but that, naturally, requires for you to have a heart. Cinema in its purest form. Magnificent.$LABEL$ 1 +Kurosawa really blew it on this one. Every genius is allowed a failure. The concept is fine but the execution is badly blurred.There is an air of fantasy about this film making it something of an art film. The poverty stricken of Tokyo deserve a fairer and more realistic portrayal. Many of them have interesting stories to tell. A very disappointing film.$LABEL$ 0 +1996's MICHAEL is warm and winning comedy-fantasy that features one of my favorite performances from the John Travolta library. Travolta gives one of his breeziest and most likable performances as Michael, an archangel whose quiet existence at the home of a lonely innkeeper named Pansy (Jean Stapleton) is disrupted when Pansy reports Michael's presence in her home to a "National Enquirer"-like newspaper and the editor (Bob Hoskins) sends reporters (William Hurt, Andie McDowell, Robert Pastorelli) to the motel to check it out. Hurt, McDowell, and Pastorelli are quite good as the jaded news staffers who have a hard time accepting they've met an angel but this is Travolta's show and he rules as the pot-bellied, sugar-eating, cookie-smelling, pie-loving, Aretha-loving, bull-chasing Michael, an angel who just isn't what you think you of when you think of angels. And you have to love the scene in the bar when he and the ladies dance to "Chain of Fools". I love this movie more and more every time I watch it and it's mainly because of the completely winning performance from John Travolta.$LABEL$ 1 +What did I just watch? I spent 90 minutes of my precious life watching one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. The concept of a serial killer clown is actually quite scary seeing is there are a lot of people who are afraid of clowns....but having it be a 300 pound nursery rhyme reciting killer clown makes a mockery of the genre. I still am wondering how the character Mark wasn't able to run away from the Clown...he's 300 pounds, he's gotta get tired eventually. The whole ending made me get up and literally say aloud "What did I just watch?" Apparently Brandon is Denise's cousin.... and they had got it on near the middle of the movie meaning he had sex with his cousin.....yeah that's something people want so see *shudders*.Another thing I found hilariously stupid was the opening scene where the clown stabs a woman and she says "What did you do?" Well bytch, what do you think he just did? The last thing that was stupidly funny was one second the main character was slapping the hitch-hiker and calling her a c*nt and then 5 minutes later saying violence isn't helping anything....did the writer of the script give the line to the wrong guy? None of this movie makes sense anyway.The movie was more or less a dumb low budget porno which I got sucked into buying (all 3.99)and got no entertainment out of it besides the sex scenes. I'm surprised the fat clown didn't join the orgy, would have fit right in. I hoped the movie would have some entertainment value like other B movies might have, but I was wrong. This is a moronic piece of garbage that's not even worth watching.1 out of 10$LABEL$ 0 +Starting with a "My Name is Joe" like scene in Alcoholics Anonymous tBM careers into a mad spiral of infidelity, double standards and clandestine affairs. but what do you expect from a family of lawyers?A genuinely funny film, with some of the most outrageous characters since The Birdcage, plot and subplot are intertwined with surreal scenes of decadent Parisian life (ever been to a wedding reception in the gents toilet where the brides grandmother and her deranged girlfriend are smoking dope and cracking blue jokes? No, me either!) leading to a final scene of almost Arcadian symbolism.Excellent.$LABEL$ 1 +I liked how this started out, featuring some decent special-effects especially for a film 50 years old. There was some pretty impressive scenery. However, the film bogs down fairly early on with some very dumb dialog as the males all try to flirt with Anne Francis "Altaira Morbius.")Viewing this in the '90s after a long absence, it was fun to see Francis again, an actress who has done mostly television shows since this film was released....and is still acting. It also was interesting to see a young-looking Leslie Nielsen ("Dr. John J. Adams"), who I wouldn't have recognized had it not been for this voice I watched half of this movie before the boredom came almost overwhelming and I had a strong desire to go to sleep. I appreciated them re-doing this VHS tape in stereo. but it was a weak effort. This is one those overrated film where "elites" think is so "heavy" and "thought-provoking." That's nonsense. It only appeared "intelligent" because the rest of the '50s sci-fi films were so stupid!!Some if the early scenes would have looked great on wideescreen, which I didn't have at the time of this writing. Perhaps another look - this time on the 2.35:1 widescreen transfer would make me change this review.$LABEL$ 0 +In Le Million, Rene Clair, one of the cinema's great directors and great pioneers, created a gem of light comedy which for all its lightness is a groundbreaking and technically brilliant film which clearly influenced subsequent film-makers such as the Marx Brothers, Lubitsch, and Mamoulian. The plot, a witty story of a poor artist who wins a huge lottery jackpot but has to search frantically all over town for the missing ticket, is basically just a device to support a series of wonderfully witty comic scenes enacted in a dream world of the director's imagination.One of the most impressive things about this film is that, though it is set in the middle of Paris and includes nothing actually impossible, it achieves a sustained and involving fairy-tale/fantasy atmosphere, in which it seems quite natural that people sing as much as they talk, or that a tussle over a stolen jacket should take on the form of a football game. Another memorable element is that Le Million includes what may be the funniest opera ever put on film (O that blonde-braided soprano! "I laugh, ha! ha!") Also a delight is the casting: Clair has assembled a group of amazing, sharply different character actors, each of them illustrating with deadly satiric accuracy a bourgeois French "type," so that the film seems like a set of Daumier prints come to life.The hilarity takes a little while to get rolling, and I found the characters not as emotionally engaging as they can be even in a light comedy (as they are, for instance, in many Lubitsch films.) For these reasons I refrained from giving it the highest rating. But these minor cavils shouldn't distract from an enthusiastic recommendation.Should you see it? By all means. Highly recommended whether you want a classic and influential work of cinema or just a fun comedy.$LABEL$ 1 +To view the fictionalized biography "The Phenix City Story", I claim, is to enter fields where U.S. filmmakers have seldom ventured, Director Phil Karlson got his directorial assignment on "The Untouchables" TV mega-hit series largely on the basis of "Kansas City Confidential" and this film; and it has become one of the most admired and most- imitated movies ever made. The rarest feat for US filmmakers seems to be the hero-centered purposeful anti-crime film or TV series; I remind the viewer how mightily "Cain's Hundred"'s and "Hardcastle and McCormick"'s and even "the Untouchables'"' producers had to work to produce anything but episodes devoted largely to the unfictional activities of criminals rather than those of their ethical opponents. This powerful, seminal and very-gritty movie has a style all its own; and its lesson seems to be attention to detail about the opponents and victims of criminal organizations as well as their gang members. There is a twelve-minute prelude to the film, in which reporter Clete Roberts interviews the real participants from the Alabama city's who had struggled against its corrupt vice gangs. The problem grew out of the presence of Fort Benning across the river, and the nearly century-long existence of vice dens in the area. The film details the return of John Patterson from Germany where he has been a prosecutor. His father, defeated for Attorney general of Alabama, refuses to join his pursuit of the 14th street vicelords despite several provocations including a beating of his son, avenged by Patterson on his tormentor. There are several well-developed characters, including Ellie, who works in one of the clubs and her honest boyfriend, the leader of the syndicate, the Pattersons and John's wife, Ed Gage, the vicelords' operatives and Zeke Ward, an honest black man victimized for his opposition to them. The cinematography by Harry Neumann and the art direction by Stanley Fleischer are in B/W and are very much like news-film, adding to the film's realistic power. Music by Harry Sukman contributes to the film effectively. Writer Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur produced a swift-paced and straightforward story that divides into parts. Part one illustrates the vicelords' empire from inside one of their clubs, showing the fate of a victim who is beaten and then picked up by police in the pay of the Mob. In part two, Albert Patterson refuses to oppose the leader of the Mob, the intelligent Rhett Tanner. In part three, young Patterson returns and after several incidents including his having to beat up the Mob's head goon to avenge his own beating decides to run his father for Attorney General of the state. His wife is horrified; and the Mob kills Zeke Ward's daughter and dumps the body at Patterson's house with a warning his children will be next. A few more such incidents, including the loss of a trial in which the Pattersons prove the goon killed a friend of theirs who had found the car implicated in the murder of the little girl, and watch the inquest declare the death accidental, convince Patterson to run, and he wins the Democratic statewide nomination despite the Mob's statist tactics--and is promptly assassinated. John Patterson stops a vigilante crowd from starting open warfare with the 14th Street mob and uses their voices to call the capital and demand martial law for Phenix City. The clubs are closed and equipment confiscated, but not before the girl inside is murdered by the Mob's goon, and Patterson has to be stopped by Zeke Ward from killing Tanner instead of delivering him to the law. The drama's ending is upbeat; but the prognosis for the town is less- sanguine than painted; the mob in fact tried to come back then moved to Tennessee. In this well-acted classic of anti-crime film-making, Richard Kiley is young but very strong as Patterson, playing it without an accent. John Mcintyre as his father is very good, while Edward Andrews as Boss Tanner is award caliber. Others in the cast include Kathryn Grant as the girl inside, Ellie, Jean Carson and Kathy Marlowe as the Mob's women, John Larch as their goon, Biff Mcguire as the young victim, James Edwards as Zeke Ward, Lenka Peterson as John's wife, and some good character actors as townsmen and Mob bosses. It is I suggest hard to say enough good things about the realism and lack of posturing in this film; it is certainly one of Phil Karlson's best directorial efforts. Karlson also did "The Scarface Mob" later did "Walking Tall" as well. A sobering and inspiring look at the ease with which complacent citizens of a public-interest democracy can acquiesce to tyranny, and how a few honest men can teach them the need to fight for their rights.$LABEL$ 1 +Superficically, "Brigadoon" is a very promising entertainment package. Gene Kelly and Vincente Minnelli, the team behind "An American in Paris", are reunited with a lot of the great craftsmen and women behind their previous collaborations. Gene's leading lady is Cyd Charisse, one of the best dancers of 40s/50s cinema, and unlike the generally superior "It's Always Fair Weather" this film gave them the chance for not only one but two dances. Lerner and Loewe were the rising team behind such future hits as "My Fair Lady" and Minnelli's musical masterpiece "Gigi"; Lerner and Minnelli had already demonstrated their sanguine collaborative juices on the excellent "American in Paris."What happened along the way? Why is the movie itself such a stupid bore? Minnelli himself didn't want to do the movie, despite his previous warm artistic and personal relationship with Lerner. Maybe it was because the movie's innate conservatism was just a bit too much of two steps forward for MGM and one step backward for Vincente Minnelli. But once trapped in this assignment like the denizens of Brigadoon are trapped within its city limits, Minnelli strove to turn it into something that would be entertaining in a specifically distracting, if not liberating way. The ultimate result is truly horrific to behold.While aiming for the naive charm of previous Minnelli hits like "Cabin in the Sky" and "Meet Me in St. Louis", the plaid-tights wearing inhabitants of Brigadoon can conjure up none of the illusive nostalgia of those never-have-been locales. Its whimsy doesn't even match up to the glossy luster of "Yolanda and the Thief" or "The Pirate" because the highlands settings seem at the same time too specific for such an exotic fantasy and too generic for real human emotions. The only people in Brigadoon who I at least can relate to are the malcontented man who tries to escape and the unfortunate fellow-traveler played by Van Johnson who accidentally shoots him. The general proceedings in the township of Brigadoon itself are too arcane and provincial even to be attributed to a backwards form of Christianity: they seem positively pagan in their aspect. For example, in exchange for Brigadoon's immortality, the honorable and most generally "good" pastor of the town has sacrificed his own place in the supposedly blessed refuge.At one point we're assured that "everybody's looking for their own Brigadoon." Suffice it to say the box office for this picture confirms my own suspicion that most of us aren't looking for this kind of quasi-queasy paradise. The premise itself is ridiculous and almost insultingly patronizing, but could work if the players were perfect. But Kelly himself is the most patronizing thing about the movie, and Charisse is horribly miscast as a virginal optimist in much the same way as Lucille Bremer was miscast in "Yolanda and the Thief." Van Johnson does his best version of the classic Oscar Levant sidekick to Kelly (even lighting 3 cigarettes at one point like Levant in "AIP"), and he provides a lot of amusing moments. But it says something in itself if the best part of a big budget extravaganza with all the best talents of MGM is a tossed-off Van Johnson performance.$LABEL$ 0 +When American author Edgar Allan Poe visits London, he is approached by British journalist Alan Foster, who becomes the target of a peculiar wager. Not believing Poe's assertion that all of his macabre stories have been based on actual experience, Foster accepts a bet from Poe and his friend Sir Thomas Blackwood that he cannot spend an entire night in the Blackwood's haunted castle. Once installed in the abandoned castle, Foster discovers that he is not alone, as he is approached by various beautiful women and handsome men, and a doctor of metaphysics - who explains that they are all lost souls damned to replay the stories of their demises on the anniversary of their deaths! The first time I watched this glorious bit of classic horror, I was mesmerized the entire time. I found the movie genuinely creepy and at the same time sorrowful. Babs Steele is undeniably beautiful. The music score makes the atmosphere twice as terror inducing. The topless scene threw me for a loop, as I was not expecting it. It looks as Synapse did a great job with picture enhancement, because this movie looks damn fine for its age, and it's the Uncut International version, to boot. This is the movie responsible for me starting a Babs Steele and Klaus Kinski collection.$LABEL$ 1 +Near the beginning of "The Godfather: Part III," Michael Corleone's son wants to drop out of law school and become a musician. Michael Corleone does not want this. But his estranged ex-wife, Kay, manages to convince him to let Anthony Corleone pursue music as he wishes. So he does.That seems like an odd way to start a review, as it is a minor plot point and has nothing really to do with the major action. Just bear with me here; you'll see where I'm going with this eventually. Now let me tell you about the major plot. It is about Michael Corleone wanting to quit crime for good (he has largely abandoned all criminal elements in his family business). But then along comes Vincent Mancini, an illegitimate nephew, who is involved in a feud. So of course Michael must endure yet another brush with criminality and gun violence and all that good gangster stuff. Meanwhile, Vincent has a semi-incestuous affair with Michael's daughter Mary. Oh, and Michael and Kay are trying to patch up all the horrid things that happened at the end of Part II.It is like a soap opera. One horrid, awful, 169-minute soap opera. Gone is any sort of the sophistication, romance, and emotional relevance that made the first two movies hit home so hard. After a 16-year break in the franchise, Francis Ford Coppola delivered a mess of sop and pretentiousness entirely incongruous with the first two films, once again proving his last great work was "Apocalypse Now" back in the 1970's.What's worse, "The Godfather: Part III" isn't even a logical follow-up of "The Godfather: Part II." Michael is a completely different person. He hasn't just gone to seed (which might be legitimate, even if it'd be no fun to watch). He's become a goody-goody that's trying to fix all the tragedy that made Part II such a devastating masterpiece. His confession to the priest was bad enough, but that little diabetes attack in the middle pushed it over to nauseating. He also gets back together with Kay! For heaven's sakes, there is absolutely no way that should happen, as the 2nd movie made abundantly clear! She aborted his baby, and his Sicilian upbringing made him despise her for it. Didn't Francis Ford Coppola even think of these things?And don't even get me started on Mary and Vincent's affair! For a romance so forbidden, it was shockingly unengaging. Sofia Coppola's acting did nothing to help. She made the smartest move of her life when she switched from in front of the camera to behind it, because she was possibly THE worst actress I have ever seen in a Best Picture nominee. Every line she delivered was painfully memorized, and every time the drama rested on her acting abilities, all she elicited was inappropriate giggles. In the climactic scene--I won't go into detail, but you'll know which scene I'm talking about when/if you watch it--she looks at Michael and says, "......Daddy?" I think I was meant to cry, but the line was delivered so poorly I burst out into long, loud laughter!Now we get to the climax, and now you will also realize why I took time to start the review with a description of Anthony Corleone's musical ambitions. After 140 minutes of petty drama and irrelevant happenstances, Anthony Corleone returns... with an opera! So Michael, Kay, Mary, and Vincent go to see it, and for about 10-15 minutes a couple killers walk around trying to assassinate Michael. About this climactic sequence, I must say one thing: It was really good! But not because of the killers--they were pretty boring. I just really liked the opera. It had some great music and real great set pieces. And, from what little it showed us, it seemed that the story had echoes of the Corleone family's origin. I'll bet it was one swell opera, and I'll bet Michael Corleone was glad he let his son switch from law school to music.My biggest wish is this: that Francis Ford Coppola had merely filmed Anthony Corleone's opera for 169 minutes and ditched the rest of the soggy melodrama. Better yet, I wish he hadn't made "The Godfather: Part III" at all. Part II gave us the perfect ending. This spin off was self-indulgent and unnecessary.P.S. This is not a gut reaction to the film. I watched all 3 Godfather films over a month ago (though I was rewatching the first one). Not only does this mean that my expectations for Part III weren't screwed (in fact, I had set the bar rather low for it after what I heard), but it also means I've had a good time to think about all three films. While I was a bit disappointed with Part II at first, the more I thought about it, the better it seemed. But with Part III, it was bad to begin with, then got worse the more I thought about it. The sad thing is that many people will stop with Part I, but if they watch Part II as well, they will most likely go on to Part III. If you have the will, watch Parts I & II and pretend like Part III never existed.$LABEL$ 0 +This 1947 film stars and was directed and written by Orson Welles (with a funky Irish accent) and also stars the gorgeous Rita Hayworth with less appealing short blonde hair. So, I've hung out with Orson before in Touch of Evil and Citizen Kane and the Third Man etc. but this was my first Rita Hayworth interaction. Our first meeting went well, she does a superb job playing the frightened/cagey Elsa, married to a crippled millionaire lawyer. Mike (Welles) and Elsa fall for each other. He wants to run away with her, she doesn't know if she can live without the things money can buy. Elsa, her husband, and his partner bicker and bite, just like the sharks Mike describes attacking each other and his foretelling proves just too true. Several twists and turns follow in this murder mystery as we come to the climax in the fun house. (Think the ending shootout in The Man with the Golden Gun, which borrowed heavily from this scene). I wasn't sure who the murderer was until the end.This movie is like shrimp in garlic and lemon. The dish centers on the sea, it is subtle, sour, and pungent, all to great effect. These might not be the best, fresh shrimp, but good quality frozen shrimp from Costco. The flavorful sauce adds to the naturalness of the pink shrimp as you fill up on a healthy, but filling alternative to more mundane, common fare. 7/10 http://blog.myspace.com/locoformovies$LABEL$ 1 +The plot had some wretched, unbelievable twists. However, the chemistry between Mel Brooks and Leslie Ann Warren was excellent. The insight that she comes to, "There are just moments," provides a philosophical handle by which anyone could pick up, and embrace, life.That was one of several moments that were wonderfully memorable.$LABEL$ 1 +As other reviewers have noted, this movie is a cross between (i.e. stolen from) stories we have seen before. Specifically, this looks like Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter inserted into Mad Max. Remove Clint's cigar, and replace with a cigarette; remove his horse and give him a high-tech motorcycle, and voilà, an updated drifter. In this movie, the "hero" is even more blatantly a "Savior" than High Plains Drifter. Now our hero has long brown hair, suffers a wound to his left side, and his entry into town is preceded by a plea for "salvation" by the surviving townspeople--a pretty transparent reference to a "Second Coming." I watched the movie on a hot, humid morning. Sleep was impossible and upon arising at 4:30 am, there was nothing else on TV. So the movie served its purpose. While unoriginal, with characters that are almost comic caricatures, the movie is still somewhat entertaining...at least at 4:30 in the morning.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is honestly one of the greatest movies of all time...if you suffer from insomnia. It is a fool-proof way to guarantee hours of sleep at a time. As the movie slowly progresses, the audience slips into a state of unconsciousness and gradually loses sight of any sort of plot that the movie might actually contain. This effect is surely created due to the lack of sweet action/sweet babes.Also, Mr. Eisenstein was obviously unable to master the art of montage. A prime example of this is the scene on the Odessa steps. For no apparent reason, an event that in real life would have taken a matter of seconds is transformed into a seven minute nightmare for any sane viewer. This editing flaw tarnishes any sort of realism in the entire film. Honestly, i've seen more realistic editing watching cartoons.Some individuals who have commented on this title have hailed Battleship Potemkin as: "One of the greatest movies of all time" and, "Truly a masterpiece". Well i'm writing this comment to persuade readers to avoid watching this film at all costs. My best guess is that my fellow Potemkin critics simply wrote the wrong words in their summaries. Surely what they meant to say was: "One of the greatest snooze-fests of all time" and, "Truly an epic fail".In conclusion, don't waste your time. If you are interested in watching a movie of far superior quality, go to www.youtube.com and watch a Halo 3 montage. If i played the movie "Battleship Potemkin" in a game of slayer on guardian, i would shoot it in the face with my sniper rifle and then teabag its dead body. PEACE!$LABEL$ 0 +Shamefull as it may be, this movie actually made it to the videomarket, bringing shame on my proud country - any attempt to watch this movie without stopping or pausing, will be a fruitless attempt. one cannot bear to see more than one hour of this, then having either fallen asleep, or visited the bathroom for puking.Note: if you haven't seen anything else from Denmark, please remember this:some things were never meant to be - but still some idiot goes ahead and makes it anyway!$LABEL$ 0 +Possibly the best movie ever created in the history of Jeffrey Combs career, and one that should be looked upon by all talent in Hollywood for his versatility, charisma, and uniqueness he brings through his characters and his knowledge of acting.$LABEL$ 1 +In Crystal City, a group of Mormons hire the horse traders Travis (Ben Johnson) and Sandy (Harry Carey Jr.) as wagon masters to lead their caravan to San Juan River. Along the journey, they meet first the broken wagon without water of the quack Dr. A. Locksley Hall (Alan Mowbray) and the prostitutes Denver (Joanne Dru) and Fleuretty Phyffe (Ruth Clifford). Then the sadistic outlaws Clegg boys decide to join the Mormon caravan to disguise the patrol leaded by the Sheriff of Crystal City that is chasing them. When the Navajos cross their path, they are invited to visit their hamlet for a dancing party. When the wagon train is near to their destination, the Clegg boys threaten the settlers, forcing Sandy and Travis to take an attitude."Wagon Master" is another great western of John Ford. The sequences with the wagon train crossing the desert and the hills are impressive. The adventure of the group of Mormons is funny and very entertaining and the songs fit well to the plot despite being dated. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Caravana dos Bravos" ("Caravan of the Braves")$LABEL$ 1 +I loved the the film. it beautifully analyzes Italian petty bourgeois society, how the leftists of the 70s have given up all their ideals and come to a happy arrangement which they don't want disturbed. For instance, the aging psychoanalyst who is jealous of his own son, and doesn't want to be reminded of his more radical youth.For a long time wanted to buy the video after having seen the movie a couple of times on the big screen and on TV, but it seems to have completely disappeared from the market, even in Italy no one in the book shops knew about the film. a great pity.The one sex scene, which everyone seems to go on about, does the film no harm.$LABEL$ 1 +"Blame it on Rio" is a romantic comedy 80's style, with more than an eye full of sex throughout its 101 minute running time.The plot concerns two middle-aged men in crisis, one of whom is sorting through his divorce, the other dealing with the possibility of that same prospect. Both good friends, they decide to take a vacation in exotic Rio de Janeiro, each with a daughter at their side. Complications set in when one of them gets involved with the other's daughter.This potential riot of a story is fairly funny and there are some good lines, however it never really becomes hilarious, as it could have. Any attempt at handling the moral issue seriously doesn't work either, and perhaps director Donen should have stuck to the humour of the situation.Not a bad film, but what really ruins it is Michelle Johnson's awful performance as the naughty little temptress Jennifer. While she uses her body to full advantage, it's the only thing she's got. Michelle's acting prowess leaves a great deal to be desired. No wonder we haven't seen her in anything else.Friday, January 7, 1994 - Video$LABEL$ 0 +This was the very first movie I ever saw in the theatre by myself. I was 7 years old, and to this day it is one of my favorite movies. It's pure smarmy cheese. The cartoon was marketed towards young girls, selling dolls with soft bodies and big plastic heads, one for every colour of the rainbow, with their own special animals, 'sprites' and even a talking rainbow horse. Typical of the time period, each show was about how hope, togetherness and magic can make 'everything all better'.The movie concerns the coming of spring, when all the light and colour returns to the world, but this time it just isn't happening for our lovely hero. A spoiled Princess plots to overtake the soul lightgiver (and implied life giver)of the universe, which happens to be a giant diamond, for her own devious purposes, with no regard for reality, and now Rainbow and her newly found friends Orin, Onyx and Chris must save the universe. As I said before, it's cheesy, but it's cute, and it's exactly like all of the other cartoons from that time period, like the CareBear movies, Strawberry Shortcake, Rose Petal and the Smurfs. All movies created to sell dolls to kids. And it works. :)$LABEL$ 1 +This was a very good PPV, but like Wrestlemania XX some 14 years later, the WWE crammed so many matches on it, some of the matches were useless. I'm not going to go through every match on the card because it would take forever to do.However major highlights included the HUGE pop for Demolition winning the tag team belts from Haku and Andre the Giant, The first ever mixed tag match featuring Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri vs Dusty Rhodes and the late Sapphire and the first ever clash between The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan.Some matches were a complete waste of time. Like The Bolsheviks vs The Hart Foundation was only about 40 seconds long, Koko B Ware vs Rick Martel was short and Big Bossman vs Akeem was too short.Mr Perfect vs Brutus Beefcake and Ted DiBiase vs Jake 'the snake' Roberts were very good indeed.Overall Grade - B$LABEL$ 1 +This film is absolute trash and proceeds to become even worse towards the, very protracted, end! The plot is confused and laboured, the actors have a couldn't care less attitude (maybe they were paid in advance - bad move, or knew they weren't going to get paid), and the sets were featureless, boring and cheap.I fell asleep twice and actually decided to not bother with the last 5 minutes as I assumed the actors would have fallen asleep themselves by then. More unrecoverable life time wasted!If you must watch it, then take it to the bedroom and forget the sleeping pills for once. But maybe you'll need an antidepressant instead!Sometimes it's good if celluloid degrades.$LABEL$ 0 +Fritz Lang directed two great westerns: "Western Union" and "The Return of Frank James". The Frank James movie equals "Jesse James". "Western Union" is one of Randolph Scott's great westerns. I have never seen Robert Young in a western before; he is terrific as the telegraph employee. This is the only movie I can think of that is about the telegraph company opening up in the west. It is a high-geared story about the telegraph in the west, a triangle love story, and about loyalty. The supporting cast is superb. Dean Jagger, who made a few westerns, plays the telegraph manager. Virginia Gilmore, who plays Mr. Jagger's sister, is the love interest in the movie. Ms. Gilmore had a short career in movies. She quit films in 1952 and became a drama coach. She is primarily known as the first Mrs. Yul Brynner. It is great to see Slim Summerville in a movie with Mr. Scott again. They were in two other great movies: "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and "Jesse James".$LABEL$ 1 +Another variation and improvisation on the famous and beloved children tale, La Bete (1975) aka The Beast tries to imagine (in very graphic and what may seem offensive and disturbing but in reality rather silly and comical way), what actually happened between Beauty and the Beast? I am amused by many reviews and comments that seem to look too deeply into this movie. I would not go so far as saying that it is a serious and dark exploration of such subjects as sexual frustration, longing, fulfillment, or satirical criticizing of the catholic Religion. I would not even call it a horror-erotic movie. It's more of the parody on all genres it touches or mentions even though it's got some shocking moments in all departments that sure will stay in your memory.The long (way too long) scene between an Aristocratic young woman and the supposedly horrifying but the most laughable I've ever seen in the movies creature with truly impressive...well anatomy, is set to the clavichord music of Scarlatti and is hysterical. My husband and I both laughed out loud at the exaggerated details of the encounter. The moral of the scene is - beauty can and will defeat the monster. The question is - who is the target audience for the film? For an erotic picture, it is too verbose; for an art movie - it's got too many jaw-dropping scenes of sheer madness and I'd say an abrupt ending. IMO, the film creator did not mean for it to be a serious drama. As a parody of art house/horror/erotica, it is funny and certainly original. Have a good laugh and try not to look for some deep meaning. This story of the curious Beauties and the lustful Beasts certainly is not recommended for co-viewing with the children. The opening scene that may shock an unprepared viewer much more than the infamous scene of bestiality can be successfully used On Discovery channel for the program like "In the world of animals - mating habits and rituals of horses".$LABEL$ 0 +Wow. Simply awful. I was a fan of the original movie, and begrudgingly sat through part 2, 3 was and improvement. 4,5 and Freddy's Dead were pretty bad. But NOTHING is as bad as Freddy's Nightmares. Freddy acts as a Rod Serlingesq host of this anthology series.I can accept how Freddy became one punchline after another, but at least in the movies the appeal of Freddy carried the movies, but here these were so poorly made, they looked like high school productions of a horror series. The poor actors, if you really want to call yourself that after doing this show were obviously exactly what they paid for. I'm nearly certain this was a stopping point for two types of actors. Ones just starting on the Hollywood ladder, brand new willing to take any part that would put off their having to take that porn job they were offered last week, or seasoned actors on their way down the Hollywood ladder willing to take any part that would put off their having to take that porn job they were offered last week.I half expected Dana Plato to guest star, but she was already dead by the time this was in production.To paraphrase Nancy's line in the original Elm St,"What ever you do try not to fall asleep watching this."$LABEL$ 0 +The End of Violence and certainly the Million Dollar hotel hinted at the idea the Wenders has lost his vision, his ability to tell compelling stories through a map of the moving picture. The Land of Plenty seals the coffin, I'm afraid, by being a vastly unimaginative, obviously sentimental and cliché'd film. The characters are entirely flat and stereotyped, the writing, plot and direction are amateurish, at best. For the first time in quite a while, I was impatient for the film to end so I could get on with my life. The war-torn delirium of the uncle, the patriotic abstract gazing at the sky at the conclusion...it all just struck me as being so simple and pathetic, hardly the work of a filmmaker who once made some compelling magic on screen. What happened? The days of experimentation, perceptive writing and interesting filming possibilities are long behind him, I'm afraid. Let's hope he finds his inspiration again... At the Toronto film festival, which is where I saw the film, Wenders was there to introduce it. Completely lacking in humility, he offered us the following: "I hope...no, wait...I KNOW you're going to enjoy the next two hours." I'm afraid he couldn't be more wrong...$LABEL$ 0 +The producer, Matt Mochary, stumbled upon the film's subject, Anderson Sa (leader of the AfroReggae music movement), when on a Hewlett Foundation trip to Rio de Janeiro. Mochary was so moved by Sa's story that he called his friend, NYC filmmaker Jim Zimbalist, who quit his job and joined Mochary in Brazil to work on a documentary on Sa, Rio's favelas, and the culture of violence.The first part of the film shows you the culture of violence in Rio's favelas (shantytowns where the poor live) via footage of police raids and assaults on the residents. The footage is graphic and shocking.Rising from the negativity of the favelas is the charismatic Anderson Sa, who overcame a possible career in drug dealing to start the AfroReggae movement, which combines elements of Afro-Brazilian culture, Reggae, ska, and other elements into a fast-paced, percussion heavy style of music which has since spread to other parts of the world. You can't help but be carried away by the music, especially when you see the local children get involved in Sa's school, which he founded to keep kids out of drug gangs. The rest of the film follows Sa's meteoric rise and his positivity changes many of the children's lives to seek a life beyond drug running. SPOILER: Just when the filmmakers thought they had wrapped filming, an unbelievable life changing event occurs of which the resolution has to be seen to be believed. The film then continues and you are gripped in your seat until the end.This film is a response to "City of God," and a worthy one at that. The bleak situation portrayed in that movie is countered by a real example of how favela dwellers can overcome the dire situation they are in and use their resources to constructive ends. You can't help not liking and rooting for Anderson Sa to succeed.This film is terrifically shot, fast-paced, and is quite absorbing. Judging by the overwhelming response of the audience at last night's SilverDocs screening, the film should get domestic distribution in the US and the thumping soundtrack should be released as well. Keep an eye for this superlative documentary--it is excellent!$LABEL$ 1 +Anyone looking to learn more about the development of skateboarding should find Dogtown and Z-Boys adequate research material. This is not to be confused with Lords of Dogtown, that sorry Hollywood attempt to cash in on the success of the original Dogtown revival. Directed by Stacey Peralta, a former Z-Boys himself as well as pro skater and mastermind behind the 80s Bones Brigade, and co-written with skateboarding photojournalist Craig Stecyk, this documentary traces how a group of surfing kids from Southern California's mean streets (known as Dogtown) who formed the Z-Boys skateboard team (actually there was one girl--Peggy Oki) revolutionized skateboarding. The film contains interviews from nearly all of the Z-Boys (Chris Cahill's whereabouts are unknown) with the most noteable being bad ass Tony Alva and the youngest, Jay Adams, who's talents (along with Perlata) seemed to transcend the rest of the teams. There are interviews of the team's (and the Dogtown shop) founders, surfboard designer Jeff Ho, Skip Engbloom, and Craig Stecyk. There are also interviews of folks like Tony Hawk (obviously), Ian McKaye (Fugazi), and Henry Rollins, who were young kids in the 70s when Dogtown was making it's influence on skateboarding (skateboarding was a whole other context in previous years as the documentary explains). It really shows you not only who the Dogtown team was and how they formed, but why their style changed not only skateboarding tricks (pool skating became immensley popular, and thus gave way to vert skating), but also facilitated the sport (though not into the extreme commercialism it is today) as more than just the fleeting fad it had been earlier as these surfing kids who's waves ran out in the early morning needed ways to spend their time and eventually got into skateboarding. The days of Russ Howell and Alan Gelfand were long over as the Dogtown, at least through the publicity of their skate team, paved the way for the new generation of skaters. Because Dogtown got all the attention, they were able to push skating to the next step.It's a great documentary in the way that it is put together, though Stacey Peralta always knew how to do this even when producing the Bones Brigade mini movies/skate demos like "Ban This" and "Search for Animal Chin." Narrated by Sean Penn, the film is accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, contains lots of terrific archive footage, and lots of interview to give you a genuine feel of who the Z-Boys were and how they made their mark on skateboarding.$LABEL$ 1 +The closing song by Johnny Rivers was the only great thing about this movie. Unfortunately that is all the positive I can say about this western movie. I have to write 8 more lines for my comments to be posted, but there is more than 8 lines of awful in this western. I am not sure if the movie was a tribute to Hopa Along, or just a spoof. The hero and the villain in this movie were too plastic. Not realistic at all. A lot of the supporting actors in this movie looked authentic, but the shooting scenes were a joke. A previous commentator thought this movie was great, and in the comments took a cheap shot at President Bush. This was not a democratic or republican western. It was just a bad western movie to be sold commercially. I wonder if it made any money. At times I thought I was watching a movie made by college movie students. If that was the case, then it was a great movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Co-directed by and starring Rutger Hauer, this film short was based on a short story by Dutch writer Harry Murlisch.In the 10 minutes of the film's length you will get to see a life-time as 'Harry' unravels his long-time fascination with a room he passes constantly in his youth. Returning to the city many years later he finds he has rented the same room.Using black and white film the textures are accentuated in this delicate telling of a tale. The voice of 'Harry' drawing you into his world.A subtle, tight performance from Rutger Hauer and 2 non-speaking characters. Wonderful soundtrack by Dutch musician Dyzack.At the moment difficult to see this movie as it is only available on DVD region 2 "L'infidele" (Liv Ullman) as a bonus track. But is due to be on the re-released DVD of "The Hitcher" - another tight, but very different performance from Hauer!See this film if you can!$LABEL$ 1 +Together with the even more underrated , The Sun Shines Bright, Wagon Master was one of Ford's favorite films. It is a western of exceptional beauty and narrative purity, well acted by members of Ford's 'stock company', including Jane Darwell, Alan Mowbray, Ward Bond,and Harry Carey, Jr.Like almost all of Ford's films,it is a meditation on freedom and community. It is also noteworthy for a much more positive portrayal of Indians than in most of Ford's movies. Ford, for all his faults, remains the supreme poet of American Democracy.$LABEL$ 1 +Love hurts. That, I think, is the main message Mike Binder's newest film Reign Over Me brings across. Whether that love has caused your relationship to become stagnant, or has brought anger from the one you love cheating for years, or has broken your heart to the point of being unable to open yourself up to the world, love hurts. The great thing about this film, however, is not in its portrayal of these lost souls trying to let their past heartbreaks go, but in the eventual restart of new bonds for the future. No one in this drama is perfect; they are all at some degree trapped emotionally in relationships that they can't free themselves from alone. There is some heavy subject material here and I credit Binder for never making the story turn into a political diatribe, but instead infusing the serious moments with some real nice comedic bits allowing the tale to stay character-based and small in scale compared to the epic event that looms overhead. What could have become a trite vehicle for opinions on how 9-11 effected us all, ends up being a story about two men and a connection they share that is the only thing which can save their lives from a life of depression and regret.This is a new career performance for Adam Sandler. I like to think that my favorite director Paul Thomas Anderson was the first to see the childish, pent-up anger in his stupid comedies as something to use dramatically. The juvenility of a character like Billy Madison allows for laughs and potty humor, but also can be used to show a repressed man, shy and shutout to the world around him—a man with no confidence that needs an event of compassion to break him from his shell. Anderson let Sandler do just that in his masterpiece Punch-Drunk Love and Mike Binder has taken it one step further. Sandler plays former dentist Charlie Fineman whose wife and three kids were killed in one of the planes that took down the World Trade Center on 9-11. That one moment crushed any life that he had and as a result, he became reclusive and started to believe he couldn't remember anything that happened before that day. He really delivers a moving portrait of a man trying to keep up the charade in his head while those around him, those that love him, try and open him up to the reality of what happened and what the future holds. Always on edge and ready to snap at any moment when something is mentioned to spark the memory of his perished family, he goes through life with his iPod and headphones, shutting out everything so as not to be tempted remember.Reign Over Me is not about Charlie Fineman though, it is about dentist and family man Alan Johnson. A man that has trapped himself into a marriage and dental practice that both have stagnated into monotony, Johnson needs as much help in his life as his old college roommate Charlie does. Played perfectly by the always brilliant Don Cheadle, Johnson has lost his backbone to try and change his life. He has no friends and when he sees Charlie, by chance, one day, his life evolves into something he hasn't felt in 15 years. He revels in the chance to go out with an old friend no matter how much he has changed from the death of his family. Cheadle's character wants to revert back to the college days of hanging out and Sandler's doesn't mind because all that was before he met his wife. The two men get what they want and allow themselves to grow close despite the years of solitude that used to rule their lives. Once they begin opening up though, it is inevitable that the subject of the tragedy will creep up and test the façade they have created for themselves.The supporting cast does an amazing job helping keep up appearances for the two leads. Jada Pinkett Smith has never been an actress that impressed me and throughout the film played the tough as nails wife nicely, but it is her final scene on the phone with Cheadle that really showed me something different and true. Liv Tyler is a bit out of her element as a psychiatrist, but the movie calls her on this fact and makes the miscasting, perfect casting. The many small cameos are also effective, even writer/director Mike Binder's role as Sandler's old best friend and accountant, (my only gripe here is why he feels the need to put his name in the opening credits as an actor when it is everywhere, considering it is his film). Last but not least is the beautiful Saffron Burrows. She is a great actress and plays the love- crushed divorcée trying to put her life back together wonderfully. A role that seems comic relief at first, but ends up being an integral aspect for what is to come.Binder has crafted one of the best dramatic character studies I have seen in a long time. The direction is almost flawless, (the blurring between cuts and characters in the fore/ background really annoyed me in the beginning), the acting superb, and the story true to itself, never taking the easy way out or wrapping itself up with a neatly tied bow at the conclusion. Even the music was fantastic and used to enhance, not to lead us emotionally, (why after two great uses of the titular song by The Who did Binder feel the need to use the inferior Eddie Veddar remake for the end, I don't know, but it did unfortunately stick out for me). Reign Over Me is a film about love and how although it can cause the worst pain imaginable, it can also save us from regret and allow us to once again see the world as a place of beauty and hope.$LABEL$ 1 +Alright so this episode makes fun of Al Gore. I'm sure it pisses a few liberals off. The thing is South Park makes fun of everybody, much like the Simpsons did. If you get offended that a politician you like is made fun of then maybe you need a better sense of humor and are taking the show too seriously. With that being said this episode is hilarious and one of the best. Al Gores portrayal is hilarious, Cartman's scheme goes terribly wrong and the results will have you rolling on the floor laughing. It is basically everything you would ever want out of a south park episode and it is easily one of my favorites. I'll won't comment too much further on the plot because I don't want to give anything away.$LABEL$ 1 +A young doctor and his wife are suddenly expecting a child. Both are disturbed about a two hour memory lapse on the night of conception. Interesting twist on an hackneyed story. Very good F/X and interesting editing. Jillian McWhirter is outstanding in a cast that features Arnold Vosloo, Wilford Brimley and Brad Dourif. Brimley brings normalcy to the outlandish. Kudos to director Brian Yuzna.$LABEL$ 0 +Ida Lupino was one of the few women to break through the directorial glass ceiling in Hollywood under the studio system. Not surprisingly, she also tackled proto-feminist themes that, when touched at all, were approached in so gingerly a manner that it was seldom quite clear what was being talked about. In Outrage, she treats rape and its aftermath, and though throughout the short movie it's referred to as `criminal assault,' she leaves, for once, no doubt about what happened.Mala Powers (in her official debut) plays a secretary-bookkeeper at a big industrial plant; she lives with her parents but is engaged to a swell guy (Robert Clarke), who just got a raise and now makes $90 a week. Leaving the plant after working late one night, she finds herself being stalked. In the ensuing scene – the best in the movie – she tries to escape her pursuer in a forbidding maze of buildings and alleys but fails.When she returns home, disheveled and in shock, the police can't get much out of her; she claims she never saw her attacker (who manned a snack truck outside the factory). Trying to pretend that nothing happened, she returns to her job but falls apart, thinking that everybody is staring at her, judging her. She goes into a fugue state, running away to Los Angeles on a bus but stumbling off at a rest stop. Waking up in a strange ranch house, she learns that she's been rescued by Tod Andrews, a young minister in a California agricultural town. She lies about her identity and takes a job packing oranges. The two fall vaguely in love, but it's clear to Andrews that Powers is keeping dire secrets. When, at a company picnic, she seizes a wrench and cracks the skull of Jerry Paris, who was trying to steal a kiss, the truth about her past comes out....It was a courageous movie to come out in 1950, and that may explain and excuse some of its shortcomings. Lupino never recaptures the verve of the early assault scene, and the movie wanders off into the bucolic and sentimental, ending up talky and didactic. Yes, Lupino had important information to impart, but she didn't trust the narrative to speak for itself. Her cast, pleasant but bland and generic, weren't much help, either, reverting to melodramatic postures or homespun reassurance. But Outrage was a breakthrough, blazing a trail for later discourse on what the crime of rape really is, and what it really means to its victims.$LABEL$ 1 +This is what happens when you try to adapt a play from the theater. Look at the end of the picture, totally theatrical.With a reminiscent of Les liaisons dangereuses the final steam-less speech try to make us think that the whole (and deep) theme of this matter was the manhood. Who cares by this point? It was about manipulation. And so the audience feels after this movie has ended.Young directors: A play is told with the words more than actions. A film is the opposite most of the times.And I'm not talking about the gay theme, overly exploited without a point ('cause there's no explanation of this topic considering the so called "philosophic" or presumptuous basis) to the level that this film should have been called Grand Gay$LABEL$ 0 +A scientist (John Carradine--sadly) finds out how to bring the dead back to life. However they come back with faces of marble. Eventually this all leads to disaster.Boring, totally predictable 1940s outing. This scared me silly when I was a kid but just bores me now. I had to struggle to stay awake! With one exception, the acting is horrible. Such expressionless boring actors! Hopeless.There are some good things about this: Carradine, despite the script, actually gives a very good performance. And there are a few mildly creepy moments involving a ghost of a Great Dane walking through walls. There's also one of the worst-looking knockouts in cinema history. Still, none of this is fun enough to sit through this. Avoid.$LABEL$ 0 +OK, so I just saw the movie, although it appeared last year... I thought that it was generally a decent movie, except for the storyline, which was stupid and horrible... First of all, we never get to know anything about the creatures, why they appeared, wtf are they doing in our world, and really, have they been on Earth before we were or did they just come from space? Secondly, the role of the butcher to maintain order is just so obviously created... Really, how large could the underground for a sub station could have been? There were only so many of those creatures, so I think instead of killing innocent people in vain, they could have just planted some tactical bombs, or maybe clear the are and a Nuke would have done the job. I know it sounds funny and it is, but I do not see the killing of people as being NECESSARY... Thirdly, Leon acts like Superman jumping on the train and fighting Vinnie Jones, who was way taller and bigger in stature. Then again, when he faces the conductor he does nothing and acts as a wimp, watching all the abominations. I mean OK, the conductor had creepy help(lol), but if Leon was so brave he would have gone all the way... I mean he risks his life first, then does nothing exactly when he should have. He could have died as a hero but lives as a coward... this might be the case, but not after showing so much braveness earlier on... Then, the cop thing... come on! This was a city having a subway, I bet there must have been other cops except that lady, other police stations,this was really kind of silly... All in all, great acting by Vinnie Jones, interesting idea up to the reason behind it which is not really built at all... By the way, what did the signs on the chest mean? Vinnie Jones cannot make up for the rest...$LABEL$ 0 +We now travel to a parallel universe where the appearance of giant prehistoric monsters flattening cities are part of the daily routine. It's the world of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra Ghidrah and their kind - a strange world, and one made even stranger by the appearance of an unidentified flying turtle called Gamera.Forever in the shadow of the monolithic Toho Studios, second rung Daiei Studios were more famous for samurai sagas than monster movies. In the mid 60s they decided to join the giant reptile race and designed a rival monster series to Toho's mammothly successful Godzilla. They wisely chose Gamera as their flagship - a giant turtle that shoots flames from between its snaggle-teeth, and spins through the air by shooting flames through its shell's feet-holes (and at one point you almost see the paper mache shell catch fire!).The first Gamera film "Gamera The Invincible" (as it was sold to the US) is a virtual mirror of the first Godzilla film, only 10 years behind. American fighters chase an unmarked plane over the Arctic to its fiery demise - the nuclear bomb on board ignites and awakens the giant Gamera from its icy slumber. Feeding off atomic energy, it immediately goes on a rampage, and the world wants to destroy Gamera once and for all, but a little Japanese boy named Kenny, who has a psychic connection with the giant turtle and even keeps a miniature version in an aquarium by his bedside, believes Gamera is essentially kind and benevolent. He's like a little Jewish kid with a pinup of Hitler. "Gamera is a GOOD turtle," he pleads, then sulks, and puts on a face like someone's pooped in his coco pops. Miraculously the world's leaders listen to him, and so begins Z-Plan to save the world AND Gamera from complete destruction.Released in 1965, Gamera was a surprising hit. The annoying infantile anthropomorphism actually worked on kiddie audiences in both Japan and the US, and the sight of Gamera on two feet stomping miniatures of Tokyo and the North Pole is gloriously chintzy. Most surprising of all is the longevity of the series: eight original Gamera films, plus a slew of recent remakes. Not bad for a mutant reptile whose only friend is mewing eight year old milquetoast - and if I hear "Gamera is friends to ALL children" one more time I'M going to crush Tokyo. Which appears to be an easy task in the parallel universe where children are smart and turtles are bigger than a Seiko billboard in the 1965 turtle-fest Gamera.$LABEL$ 0 +There are interesting pieces here of and about Bruce Weber's likes and dislikes. Maybe if a professional editor had put it together for Biography, I would have felt more satisfied. Instead, I spent $8 at a film festival on it. For an autobiography, almost nothing is revealed about Bruce Weber, other than he likes to look at photographs, shoot interesting people, especially beautiful teenage boys, and listen to jazz. The director of "Crumb" would have made a much more interesting and cohesive film.$LABEL$ 0 +Gregory Peck and Gig Young are competing for the same girl and after Peck sends Young on a very dangerous mission, they blame him for his reasons. Feeling guilty, Peck goes on an almost impossible task of defending a fort, where they are outnumbered by the Indians. Peck chooses for this mission soldiers which he considers to be the scum of the earth and the actors that play these soldiers, Ward Bond, Lon Chaney Jr., Neville Brand among others, are excellent. The script is derived from a novel by Charles Marquis Warren who was a specialist in westerns, as a writer, director and producer. The idea of using this type of men as heroes inspired many films that came out later including "The Dirty Dozen" made in 1967.$LABEL$ 1 +Coming immediately on the heels of Match Point (2005), a fine if somewhat self-repetitive piece of "serious Woody," Scoop gives new hope to Allen's small but die-hard band of followers (among whom I number myself) that the master has once again found his form. A string of disappointing efforts, culminating in the dreary Melinda and Melinda (2004) and the embarrassing Anything Else (2003) raised serious doubts that another first rate Woody comedy, with or without his own participation as an actor, was in the cards. Happily, the cards turn out to be a Tarot deck that serves as Scoop's clever Maguffin and proffers an optimistic reading for the future of Woody Allen comedy.Even more encouraging, Woody's self-casting - sadly one of the weakest elements of his films in recent years - is here an inspired bit of self-parody as well as a humble recognition at last that he can no longer play romantic leads with women young enough to be his daughters or granddaughters. In Scoop, Allen astutely assigns himself the role of Sid Waterman, an aging magician with cheap tricks and tired stage-patter who, much like Woody himself, has brought his act to London, where audiences - if not more receptive - are at least more polite. Like Chaplin's Calvero in Limelight (1952), Sid Waterman affords Allen the opportunity to don the slightly distorted mask of an artist whose art has declined and whose audience is no longer large or appreciative. Moreover, because they seem in character, Allen's ticks and prolonged stammers are less distracting here than they have been in some time. Waterman's character also functions neatly in the plot. His fake magic body-dissolving box becomes the ironically plausible location for visitations from Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), a notorious journalistic muckraker and recent cardiac arrest victim. Introduced on a River Styx ferryboat-to-Hades, Strombel repeatedly jumps ship because he just can't rest in eternity without communicating one last "scoop" about the identity of the notorious "Tarot killer." Unfortunately, his initial return from the dead leads him to Waterman's magic show and the only conduit for his hot lead turns out to be a journalism undergraduate, Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson), who has been called up from the audience as a comic butt for the magician's climactic trick. Sondra enthusiastically seizes the journalistic opportunity and drags the reluctant Waterman into the investigation to play the role of her millionaire father. As demonstrated in Lost in Translation, Johansson has a talent for comedy, and the querulous by-play between her and Allen is very amusing - and all the more so for never threatening to become a prelude to romance.Scoop's serial killer plot, involving grisly murders of prostitutes and an aristocratic chief suspect, Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), is the no doubt predictable result of Allen's lengthy sabbatical exposure to London's ubiquitous Jack the Ripper landmarks and lore. Yet other facets of Scoop (as of Match Point) also derive from Woody's late life encounter with English culture. Its class structure, manners, idiom, dress, architecture, and, yes, peculiar driving habits give Woody fresh new material for wry observation of human behavior as well as sharp social satire. When, for instance, Sondra is trying to ingratiate herself with Peter Lyman at a ritzy private club, Waterman observes "from his point of view we're scum." A good deal of humor is also generated by the contretemps of stiffly reserved British social manners encountering Waterman's insistent Borscht-belt Jewish plebeianism. And, then, of course, there is Waterman's hilarious exit in a Smart Car he can't remember to drive on the left side of the road.As usual, Allen's humor in Scoop includes heavy doses of in-jokes, taking the form of sly allusions to film and literary sources as well as, increasingly, references to his own filmography. In addition to the pervasive Jack the Ripper references, for instance, the film's soundtrack is dominated by an arrangement of Grieg's "The Hall of the Mountain King," compulsively whistled by Hans Beckert in M, the first masterpiece of the serial killer genre. The post-funeral gathering of journalists who discuss the exploits of newly departed Joe Strombel clearly mimics the opening of Broadway Danny Rose (1984). References to Deconstructing Harry (1997) include the use of Death as a character (along with his peculiar voice and costume), the use of Mandelbaum as a character name, and the mention of Adair University (Harry's "alma mater" and where Sondra is now a student). Moreover, the systematic use of Greek mythology in the underworld river cruise to Hades recalls the use of Greek gods and a Chorus in Mighty Aphrodite (1995).As to quotable gags, Allen's scripts rely less on one-liners than they did earlier in his career, but Scoop does provides at least a couple of memorable ones. To a question about his religion, Waterman answers: "I was born in the Hebrew persuasion, but later I converted to narcissism." And Sondra snaps off this put-down of Waterman's wannabe crime-detecting: "If we put our heads together you'll hear a hollow noise." All in all, Scoop is by far Woody Allen's most satisfying comedy in a decade.$LABEL$ 1 +If I watch a movie and don't once look at my watch or clock to see how much longer it will be running or when I hope that the last scene wasn't the end of the movie, it's got to be pretty good. I'm not an movie internalist or cinema dissectionist. I watch movies and if they keep me interested till the end, then they are pretty good because some of the most critically acclaimed films bore me to death (The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Atonement, Crash. This movie kept me interested and absorbed beginning to end. Acting is great, story is absolutely original, flash-back technique very affective. There was a bit of Citizen Kane thrown in tho when Hoffman trashes his apartment after Tomei leaves him, but I forgive that cause I see it as a homage to, rather than a rip-off of, Orson.$LABEL$ 1 +Mullholland Drive proves once again that David Lynch is the Master of cinematic expression. At the screening last night I witnessed a brilliant addition to the history of cinema. The performances are astounding, the score entrancing, and the photography mesmerizing. David's ability to weave the many elements of film making into a unique and stunning cinematic experience is unequalled. As I watched Mullholland Drive I couldn't help but realize that with David Lynch in this world we are truly blessed. The cinema is blessed as well for, in the films of David Lynch, we are shown that one man's vision can be realized with stunning results. We realize that blockbusters are not the only path. We realize that a true cinematic artist has a chance in this world and in that we are blessed indeed.$LABEL$ 1 +What a disappointment! I've enjoyed the Jon Cleary books about Scobie Malone, but there's little resemblance between him and the cinematic Malone. In the books he's a city detective, who is devoted to his wife and doesn't get involved in fisticuffs. For the film the character has been spiced up, into an outback copper who uses his fists and isn't averse to jumping into bed with a gorgeous girl, though quite what she and the film's other sex interest see in him I don't know; Taylor was 39 at the time and his face was getting puffy.But his character's stamina is remarkable; he flies in from Australia, apparently goes straight to the Commissioner's house (rather unwisely seeking to arrest him during a black-tie reception), saves him from assassination (getting into a fight in the process), goes to a casino with one girl, leaves with another and takes her to bed. So much for jet lag! On the way back to the Commissioner's house (showing a good knowledge of London back streets), he gets beaten up by the baddies, but is still first down to breakfast! It's also remarkable that the commissioner's limo has its windscreen and headlights miraculously repaired within minutes of the assassination attempt and that one character has a touching faith in the precise timekeeping of a clock-activated bomb.The best thing is Joseph the Butler's disdain for the uncouth Malone. And at least the film avoids being a London travelogue, though some scenes take place during the Wimbledon tennis week.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm trying to decide if jumping into a wood chopper would be more enjoyable than this dreck. It finishes the destruction of what was once a classic couple of films. With Jedi, Menace, Clowns and Sith we have the death of Lucas' career. He wants us to swallow the Annakin is Vader nonsense? I never believed it was true. This film vindicates those feelings. The story hasn't worked since Phantom Moron, and each new film just piled the crap on until all that was left was a toy parade. I have to go. I know where some new rocks to throw are. You want spoilers? Here they come. Luke and Leia are NOT related. Vader is NOT their Father. Duke Countoo should have switched sides while he still could. Yoda has less verbal skills than Yogi Berra. His advice has never been any good to anybody. Obi Wan lied to Luke for the first two films. Annakin didn't build C3P0. He found him in the desert and lied to his Mom about putting him together from scratch. Chewbacca has fleas. This whole mess with Vader and the fall of the Republic can be blamed on that stupid b***h Amma-Lamma-Ding-Dong. If she had any brains she wouldn't have come within a light year of Annie, but she had told do what George Lucas wrote for her. What a dope!$LABEL$ 0 +Hoot is a nice plain movie with a simple message. It seemed like that this film was for young children, but I know that adults will like this film. The storyline is pretty simple. A kid who moved to Florida must help a soccer jock and an outcast save burrowing owls from construction of a pancake house. The message in this film is big especially for animal activists and lovers. The message is about doing all you can to save endangered animals. The acting in this film is decent. All the three kids looked like they had good chemistry. The music is not too shabby. I liked Jimmy Buffet's songs in this film. Overall this is a good family film. I rate this film a 9/10.$LABEL$ 1 +Gore hounds beware...this is not your movie. This little nail bitter has very little blood and guts. Its basically a version of Open Water that is effective and worthwhile. But what sets it apart is that we actually like the three leads (unlike Open Water) who find themselves up a tree when a crocodile flips their fishing boat and munches up their guide. We don't want any harm to come to any of them. SO when they start getting into dangerous situations...we actually care. Now I like killer animal flicks but I haven't been too impressed with Lake Placid up to Primeval (although I'm still waiting to see Rogue and hoping it is somewhere as good as this one!) but this little bugger did the job and did the job well. It's scares are creative and it only lapses into the run of the mill frantic crying sobbing and arguing for brief stints of realism so I never got annoyed. I remember reading the true story that inspired this where three guys went fishing and two ended up in a tree while their buddy was killed by the crocodile . But the thing that always impacted me that gets left out from the film was that the crocodile didn't eat up the buddy. No. For hours and hours he swam around the tree and shook the dead body still in his mouth at the friends in the tree. Seeming to stay, if you come down here this is what will happen to you.$LABEL$ 1 +A gaggle of unpleasant city dwellers descend on Le Touquet for a week's holiday. Stories intertwine, characters fight, make friends, deceive each other, have sex...Blanc has gathered together a stellar cast for his adaptation of Connolly's book, but to little avail. What should be hilarious is instead at turns tedious and irritating. All the characters are either pathetic or unpleasant or both, and in the end, despite the farcical nature of things, this viewer was left caring little about what happens to any of them.Credit to the always wonderful Rampling, plus Bouquet and Viard but that's it. And Dutronc looks like he's rather overdone the nips and tucks, if you ask me...$LABEL$ 0 +I can't really criticize this film. It is literally the first film I ever remember seeing and lead to a lifelong love of science fiction and horror films and prehistoric animals. Fortunately, seeing it again years later, it held up fairly well. Rod Cameron plays a big game hunter whose last safari was wiped out by mammoths. No one believes him, including his best friend, played by Cesar Romero, whose brother was among those killed. And Rod Cameron was the only survivor. The film was shot in India and has some good scenery. The acting is on a high level. I don't believe Rod Cameron, Cesar Romero and Marie Winsor ever turned in a bad performance. The mammoths, when they finally arrive are fairly effective. The ending also has an unusual twist, particularly for a 1950's science fiction film. Definitely worth seeing.$LABEL$ 1 +This must be the most boring film I ever saw. The only positive I can say about it is that thankfully I didn't pay to see it. We were given a free showing in school and everyone in the audience just sat there embarrassed wondering when the fun would start. This piece of junk is a badly filmed, way too long film. The actual idea on why making the movie took about 10 seconds to present. The only ones who can be interested in this film are those who lost their jobs and want to know why. They might find some of the interviews interesting. A different edit might have made an interesting documentary of this, but I doubt it, the interviews shown were not engaging in any way. As it is, it is just a tragedy, both to behold and to be a part of. AVOID THIS FILM AT ANY COST!$LABEL$ 0 +Not just the money we paid to rent it or actually go to the movies. I'm talking about how big productions companies waste so much money in things that actually are boring and not to talk about ridiculous. With the millions they used to make a movie like this, because I don't think the actors here would actually work for free or for an insignificant sum. With that money imagine how many good independent movies you could make, or maybe one good Hollywood movie. Its just to rip you off, but not anyone, just the majority of teens that are willing to go and see an Ashton Kutcher movie, just because they are fans of him. I don't really know either how someone with common sense could actually act in this kind of movie. If you actually look at it in prospective the actors are the same quality of this movie. So i guess I shouldn't be surprise, I actually couldn't have expected more.$LABEL$ 0 +The original review I had planned for this movie was perhaps a little over-harsh, so I'll preface with the good: Sleepy Hollow is a perfectly acceptable beer-and-pizza or sleepover movie, the kind you watch with a good group of people when the mood is light and no-one's really focusing on the movie. The visual elements are beautiful, and it is kinda fun, in parts. But horror, my friends, it is not. I made the mistake of watching it expecting something to shiver at with all the lights off. If this is your intention, send me a personal message and I'll offer you a list of alternate recommendations. (That's a serious offer, by the way. True horror fans deserve better.) Now my complaints, complete with SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS Why bother even making a movie "based" on a classic story if you're not even going to attempt to stay true to the sense, feel, tone, or theme of the original? Listen carefully between the lines of ill-written dialogue and you'll hear the slow churn of Washington Irving rolling over in his grave. I will even accept the Big-City Detective bit, but... Ricci drawing warding-hexes around the bed? Come, now. Not only is there nothing even vaguely like this in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", but it's historical BUNK. I don't care what neo-pagan axe you have to grind, but in the 18th century, "witchcraft" meant selling your soul to the Devil in exchange for diabolical powers; this whole fluffy white-witch goddess-worship "an'-it-harm-none" approach to witchcraft dates back, historically, about as far as the British Invasion. (Parties interested in real old-school pagan practices are referred to James Frazer's "The Golden Bough", if you don't believe me.) This creates such a discordant element thrown into the context of the film that the very framework of the Sleepy Hollow legend is shattered. So we wind up with a totally different story altogether. If that was Burton's idea, I wish he'd warned us in advance. Also, I wish he'd come up with a better story than the rather pedestrian one witnessed here. And he might as well have dropped the Irving pretensions altogether. And, at any rate, the movie isn't scary. Not once. Not at all. The warped tree came close, but was more than counterbalanced by the laughable effect of the Hessian's farce-comedy bellowing. And finally, yes, I too wanted Christina Ricci for Christmas, but God clearly never meant her to be a blonde.$LABEL$ 0 +First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.Attributed to Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945When faced with intolerance or injustice, the easiest thing to do is nothing - speak up and you risk becoming an object of scorn. But when does enough become too much? Global anti-Semitic sentiments allowed Hitler's genocidal policies to thrive, and equal doses of fear-mongering and ignorance made it possible for the anti-Communist purges of McCarthyism to destroy thousands of peoples' lives. Inaction makes one no less culpable.Lawrence Newman is a chameleon of a man: quiet and nondescript he blends seamlessly with his surroundings. Lawrence doesn't like to get involved - when he witnesses an attack on a young woman, he tells no one and goes about his business. His world spirals into chaos when he buys a pair of glasses, and is mistaken for one of "them." Lawrence's view of the world and its view of him is forever altered. While the subject matter of this film is not new, its presentation is definitely unique. It is much easier to understand the irrational nature of prejudice, when placed within a certain context - Lawrence is more concerned with the assumptions that he is Jewish, than he is with the views of his attackers. He believes that if he corrects this "oversight" that everything will be all right, not realizing that logic and prejudice never go hand in hand. Whether playing a schemer (the only thing I liked about "Fargo") or a down home nice guy sheriff, William H. Macy's roles are linked by a common thread -his characters share a subtle, deliberate countenance that gives them substance. Macy nails Lawrence down to the smallest detail, and says more with a furtive glance or tremble in his voice than a page of dialogue. By showing, rather than telling, Lawrence is able to share his fear and bewilderment with the viewer. The supporting cast brings the story together.Laura Dern is compelling as Gerty, Lawrence's bombshell wife with a past. Trailer park rough, yet other worldly wise, she has also felt the wrath of prejudice as the result of "a mistake" and unwittingly exacerbates Lawrence's situation. Michael Lee Aday (aka "Meatloaf") is frightening as Fred, the prototypical redneck next door, equal parts ignorance and venom, rallying neighbours to his virulent cause. In the midst of the chaos is Finklestein (David Paymer), the focus of the aggression, and the voice of reason that raises the important questions. Paymer's even handed portrayal keeps Finklestein from becoming a stereotype or someone whose sole purpose is to engender sympathy, making his one of the strongest performances in the film.The tight editing and close-cropped cinematography make for a clean picture with few distractions, and mixes an air of claustrophobia in with the small town USA feel - it is simultaneously comforting and disturbing. The deliberate use of harsh two-tone lighting to accentuate the malevolent aspects of the piece and the carefully scored soundtrack, are powerful without being overwhelming. Finally, the set and costume designs recreate the feel of the era, an essential component in the film's message."Focus'" unconventional approach in dealing with prejudice is reason enough to recommend this film. Just consider the excellent story, solid acting and look of the film as added bonuses.$LABEL$ 1 +Chillers starts on a cold, dark stormy night as a bus drops off three passenger's outside a bus station, a young boy named Mason (Jesse Emery), a college professor Dr. Howard Conrow (David Wohl) & a woman named Sharon Phillips (Laurie Pennington). Inside they discover that they have missed their connecting bus & are stranded for the night. In the waiting area they find two other people, Ronnie (Jim Wolf) & a sleeping woman named Lindsay (Marjorie Fitzsimmons) who is currently having a terrifying nightmare...While swimming in an indoor pool Lindsay encounters & befriends guy named Billy Waters (Jesse Johnson), the next time Lindsay sees Billy he dives into the pool & then seemingly disappears into thin air before he surfaces. Shortly after Lindsay discovers that Billy Water died in a diving accident 5 years ago...Lindsay wakes up & tells the others about her nightmare, everyone else responds by saying that they too have suffered disturbing dreams recently & decide to share them to pass the time...Next up is Mason who tells a story of how he & two friends, Scott (David R. Hamm) & Jimmy (Will Tuckwiller), are terrorised during a camping trip...Then it's Sharon whose story revolves around a newsman named Tom Williams (Thom Delventhal) who she phones up, in no time at all Tom is at her front door but he actually turns out to be a Vampire...It's Ronnie's turn next & he describes how he discovers that he can bring the dead back to life, unfortunately he brings executed mass murderer Nelson Caulder (Bradford Boll) back to homicidal life...Finally Dr. Conrow tells a tale of how two of his students brought an ancient Aztec war-god named Ixpe (Kimberly Harbour) back to life...Then it's back to the bus station for one last (predictable) twist...Written, produced & directed by Daniel Boyd Chillers is one of the worst horror anthologies I've ever seen & I usually really like this sub-genre. The script by Boyd lacks what is needed for films such as Chillers to work, you can see the final twist coming a mile off & each story is really lame. The first one is totally pointless & didn't seem to have an ending & the best thing about these anthologies are the short snappy stories that are rounded off with a neat twist. The second story is predictable &, again, just ends without any payoff. So it continues throughout Chillers that each story is deeply unsatisfying to watch & have no reward for doing so. The character's & dialogue are poorly written, the stories seem to have no original ideas of their own & as a whole the film totally sucks. At least each story doesn't last long & I liked the idea behind the linking segments.Director Boyd was obviously working with a very low budget & it shows. All I can say is if you want to watch a 15 odd minute short story set entirely within a swimming pool then Chillers is for you. The stories are neither clever, scary or have any sort of tension or build up to anything. Having said that it does have a few nice scenes & some surprising competence shines through on occasion. Violence & gore wise there isn't much happening in Chillers, a ripped out heart, a decapitated head & a bitten off hand is as gory as it gets.Technically Chillers is poor stuff that won't impress anyone. Basic cinematography, bad music, cheap special effects & below average production values. Chillers also features one of the worst closing theme songs ever, period. The acting is also of a very low standard.I am sure a lot of effort was put into Chillers as a low budget film & at least the filmmakers tried so I will give credit for that at least, but that still doesn't stop me from thinking it's crap. Similar anthology films like Tales From the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Creepshow (1982) & Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990) are far superior to Chillers so watch one of those instead.$LABEL$ 0 +I saw this film in Winnipeg recently - appropriate, given the location used. I first read Lawrence's book back in the 70's and for me, it's always been a very powerful picture of the trials of aging in our society. It resonated when I was young, and it resonates even more now. When the film came out, I was keen to see if the story could survive. and was thoroughly impressed, especially with Ellen Burstyn's performance. She manages to give us a complete human being, even though the character is generally cranky and judgmental - someone that you wouldn't want to live with. It's great to be able to see favourite characters come to life so authentically.$LABEL$ 1 +Definitely the worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life. I can't find anything positive to say about this movie (if this production is even worthy of that word). This production is not even the standard of a low budget porn-movie!My question is simply: why did someone look at the script and think "Hey I'm gonna make a movie out of this"?At the end of the movie I wasn't even hoping that "Nicole" was going to make it…. She was really that annoying!So for your own sake, do not watch this movie... unless you want to waste 85 minutes of your life...$LABEL$ 0 +***LIGHT SPOILER ALERT*** The story sounds good and if you've read the novel, then you're probably expecting a deep and intense movie that could offer some insight for some interesting and insufficiently explored human relationships.True enough, the script tries to do that, the director tries to do that, but the main cast fails miserably. Maria's acting is so dry that lacks any feeling whatsoever, her most intense moments seem almost comical. Sometimes she seems to be nervous due to the camera. Her only really feeling scene is near the end where she gets dumped by her girlfriend.Ioana seems even more tense than Maria and even worse, she doesn't seem natural at all. Maria had the attitude, even if it was artificially pushed towards being obvious, but she had it and her character received some credibility. And to make matters worse, we don't have an insight on her: where does she come from, how come she got involved in the lesbian relationship, how did the relationship evolve? We only get some bits from her parents and their relationship just seems to 'be' there: it has a content and and end, but no beginning. Just like her partner Maria, she has only once scene that is truly touching, the scene where she dumps Maria's character Kiki.Tudor is the only person in this movie (aside from the landlady, great acting there) who manages to prove some acting talent. He has his character's attitude and it fits him. Only once or twice he seems to falter (the scene at his parents' meal, he tries to be obvious when it wasn't necessary at all).I love the story, Tudor Chirila is OK there, the landlady actually acts and Puya delivers his couple of lines with style, but this doesn't save the movie. Too bad, the entire setting had huge potential and the Romanian cinematography could've used a movie on this theme.Oddly enough, the incestuous relationship between brother and sister seems to have more credibility than the no-background no-feeling (well, Maria's spoken interludes are a nice try in this direction) lesbian relationship of Maria and Ioana. I'm quite sorry for spending money on a ticket, I'd rather had watched it from the comfort of my room.$LABEL$ 0 +I firstly and completely and confidently disagree with the user who calls this a "spoof". Crispin Glover is very serious about his film. He personally introduced the film at the screening I saw in Chicago. He had worked on the film for years and it is the first in an intended trilogy. "What is it?" is Crispin Glover's attempt at an art film in the vein of those he idolizes by Herzog, Lynch etc.I had heard rumor of this film years ago "epic porno movie with all down-syndrome cast directed by crispin glover". When it finally came out i watched the trailer on-line and read the synopsis and i was foaming at the mouth with anticipation. ...I went to chicago to see it and it was a major disappointment. If he took out the goofy sh*t, such as the pot-smoking grandma, and the dancing dolls, he would be left with something much better, but only about 10 minutes long.In other words just watch the trailer, be entertained, and leave it at that. There are some striking images and fantastic juxtapositions and phrases, but its lack of focus amounts to disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +Working at a video store I get to see quite a few movies and on occasion I try to watch some of the not so big movies. Proud happened to be one of them. The initial idea of telling of the story of a primarily black crewed ship during WWII had some merit. However in less than 10 minutes of watching the movie you find out that the primary point of the movie was to tell about racial tension in WWII. The underlying story is about the ship, the crew and their exploits in the war. This primary point is hammered at you to the point of excessiveness all throughout the movie. I commend the men that served on the USS Mason for their triumph in the face of adversity and for the hardships that they endured. A movie should have been made focusing on the accomplishments these men did for themselves, the Navy and for their country and not making a movie whose focus is racism during WWII.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie had very few moments of real drama. After the opening minutes the film descended in a spiral that didn't quite take us to hell and back - viewing was pure purgatory to say the least. The acting was more horrendous than the subject matter of the film and at times I couldn't stop laughing. The continuity between some of the scenes was dire - characters disappeared from scenes without explanation only to be replaced by other characters who minutes earlier had been some where else. Surely this was a spoof of The Exorcist. The collection plate at the church must have been full of copper the day Mr Russo signed up for this one. Do I speak Latin? Et tu Brutus.$LABEL$ 0 +Completely worth checking out. Saw it on MLK's birthday 2006 and it hit me big time. Sometimes it feels like we're all in a trap and are doomed to repeat the past no matter how much we try to change. All we can do is to keep on going and speaking out. Just keep on going. Don't mean to be a downer because that's not the point but maybe we need to get down before we see how much we need to work on ourselves. What happens when we keep being told by the best people like MLK what needs to happen to pull us out of our "dead end road" but we don't listen. I know that some of us do listen but how do we get the rest of the world to see things as they really are? Just keep going, I guess. This movie got me thinking even more about all of this so I guess it has done what it set out to do. That's what I consider to be a good movie or play or book or poem or speech or anything: something that gets you thinking and keyed up to move in an active direction instead of sitting stuck and bored and hopeless.$LABEL$ 1 +Webs starts in 'Chicago: Present Day' as four electricians, Dean (Richard Grieco), Ray (Richard Yearwood), Sheldon (Jeffrey Douglas) & Junior (Jason Jones) are about to disconnect the electric to an unused building scheduled for demolition. As they search for the relevant cables & stuff they come across a set of doors that according to the buildings blue-prints shouldn't be there, being nosey & all that they force the doors open to have a look & find a room full of computers & scientific machinery. As they mess around with some buttons a portal to a parallel universe opens, Dean & Junior accidentally 'fall' in with Ray & Sheldon following soon after in search of their friends. Unfortunately they've all ended up in an exact parallel Earth that has been taken over by a mutant spider thing that either eats people or turns them into mutant soldiers with which she uses to protect herself & do whatever she wants them to really. In a desperate bid for survival they team up with a few of the last remaining humans including the original inventor of the portal Dr. Richard Morelli (Colin Fox) who says that with the help of our electrician boys he might (yeah might) be able to build another portal to take them back home...Edited & directed by David Wu I thought Webs was pretty crap, it's as simple & straight forward as that really. The script by Grenville Case & Robinson Young is preposterous to say the least & has plot holes in it you could drive a tank through, for instance is this film really trying to suggest that a few mutant spider things no bigger than a couple of people in size took over an entire world? How did they do this? If this parallel Earth was the same as ours where the hell was the army? The police? All of our weapons? A few fragile looking spider things against literally billions of humans?! The whole flawed, stupid & downright naff concept constantly bugged me throughout the entire film. Lets not forget that there is a inter-dimensional portal to a parallel Earth in the basement of most buildings that have sat there undisturbed for decades & remain in perfect working order, right? Then there's the nuclear reactor the size of a briefcase, the fact one electrician can make it work perfectly purely by accident as he randomly presses a few buttons in a room that probably had 100's spread over dozens of pieces of equipment & what about the wonderfully thoughtful guy who sets an explosive bobby trap in his base without telling anyone, what if one of his mates had set it off & found themselves blown to pieces by their mates homemade bomb? You wouldn't be best pleased would you? What about food? Do they grow their own in little vegetable patches? I could go on & on all day long about how flawed, ill conceived & poorly written Webs is but I can't be bothered. The character's are clichéd & annoying as is the film as a whole which obviously doesn't help. The only half decent thing I can say about Webs is that it's short & it moves along at a fair pace but when all said & done it's still crap.Director Wu has to take a large chunck of the blame here, for a start the film looks cheap & the editing that he is credited with is terrible. There's lots of annoying inappropriate slow motion shots that come from nowhere, the action scenes are almost identical & become incredibly boring very quickly. He uses that highly annoying quick cut technique along with a bit of the old jerky camera movement, now I don't know about anyone else but I hate this editing style as it just looks a complete incoherent mess. In fact I don't know a single person who does like this sort of thing & I'm puzzled as to why filmmakers think people do. Forget about any gore, just a few shotgun wounds to the spider zombie soldier guys & they don't have red blood anyway so it doesn't relate to reality in my mind.Webs was made-for-TV, the American Sci-Fi Channel I think & it looks every bit as cheap, low budget & rushed as you would expect. It's all so bland, forgettable, flat & dull. The special effects are far from special & the spider thing lacks imagination when finally revealed. The acting was OK considering everything else was so poor & I still can't believe the sweater Grieco was wearing in this.Webs is crap, I can't really say anything good about it other than I've sat through worse films & that's the sole reason I'm not giving it 1 star & a quick glance at the IMDb user ratings for Webs confirms what I already knew in that it has more '1' votes than any other & there is very good reason why...$LABEL$ 0 +When an actor has to play the role of an actor, fictional or factual, the task becomes much more difficult than playing a role. In A Double Life,Ronald Coleman surpassed himself as Anthony John, the tortured double personality. He put into that character all his talent and sincerity. The facial expressions, mannerisms,gait and stance spoke eloquently of what Anthony John was going through while playing Othello on stage. Coleman also did extremely well as a Shakespearean actor in those short scenes as Othello that were part of this gem of a movie. Closups of Coleman's face as Othello tortured by doubts about the fidelity of Desdemona were in themselves scenes worth watching.Add to that, his character's off stage desperation and only someone with Coleman's depth of acting perception can achieve. It was like watching Spenser Tracy as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, except this double role was much more profound and poignant. Shelly Winters looked so sweet, vulnerable and gorgeous at the same time and added her talent to the movie. It is believed that Ronald Coleman liked his role in this film above all others he played and went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor in 1947. I would see this movie repeatedly and never feel bored.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, I don't normally think there's such a thing as a HORRIBLE movie, but this is pretty damned close! The best acting performance in the whole thing was Snoop Dogg, who has one line in a 10 second scene. I agree with the "glad it was short" review. The music videos at the end were cool though.$LABEL$ 0 +First off, I must say that I made the mistake of watching the Election films out of sequence. I say unfortunately, because after seeing Election 2 first, Election seems a bit of a disappointment. Both films are gangster epics that are similar in form. And while Election is an enjoyable piece of cinema... it's just not nearly as good as it's sequel.In the first Election installment, we are shown the two competitors for Chairman; Big D and Lok. After a few scenes of discussion amongst the "Uncle's" as to who should have the Chairman title, they (almost unanimously) decide That Lok (Simon Yam) will helm the Triads. Suffice to say this doesn't go over very well with competitor Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai) and in a bid to influence the takeover, Big D kidnaps two of the uncles in order to sway the election board to his side. This has disastrous results and heads the triads into an all out war. Lok is determined to become Chairman but won't become official until he can recover the "Dragon Head Baton", a material representation of the Chairman's power. The current Chairman, Whistle (Chung Wang) has hidden the baton somewhere in mainland China and the race is on to see who can recover it first.Much of the film is devoted to the recovery of the Baton. As both aspiring leaders search for it they must dodge cops and opposite sides, which leads into one of the stand out scenes in Election, which involves an underling named Jet (Nick Cheung), a machete, and lots of bad guys. Nick Cheung's presence is attention grabbing to say the least... I wonder if this influenced director Johhnie To in any way while making the second Election, as he does deliver more of Jet's character in the sequel.While Nick Cheung gives a scene stealing performance, I must not fail to give due to the rest of the film's actors. Election has a great ensemble cast with well thought out performances that are both subtle and impacting. Simon Yam is his usually glorious self and the film also benefits from heavyweight HK actors like Louis Koo, Tony Leung Ka Fai, and the under-appreciated Suet Lam. There really aren't any weak links in the acting and one could easily believe that they're watching real gangsters.Although the performances are great, one of the most impressive things about Election is Johnnie To's eye for the camera. There are some truly striking shots in the film and it goes without saying that To definitely knows how to frame his shots, as the viewer is treated to a series of innovative and quite brilliant camera placings and angles. All of which makes Election, above all, a great looking film.My issues with the film arises mostly out of the shear amount of characters involved in Election. It gets a bit hard to follow because the film is so full of characters that aren't integral to the plot. While the sequel opts to focus more on the two candidates, the first Election offers the election process as a whole with tons of Uncles, underlings, and police officers crowding the storyline. Maybe the film would have worked better if it would have been a bit longer with more time dedicated to the inner workings of the Triad, or if Director Johnnie To would have funneled down the necessary elements and expounded on them more. Bottom Line- All in all, this is a wonderfully brutal film with a great cast, excellent direction, and leisurely pacing that packs a punch. It's just a little more complicated than it needed to be.$LABEL$ 1 +We gave up at the point where George Clooney's character has his finger-nails extracted. We were not squeamish - having sat through an hour of this drivel we just knew what it felt like. To say this film was incomprehensible, boring, pretentious twaddle would be to over-praise it! How did people manage to sit through this confusing, slow, depressing pseud's corner of a film, let alone nominate it for an Oscar? Clooney looked as ill as we felt watching him. What was he thinking? Oh .. and what was with those subtitles? - did we just have a dud DVD or was the original film done like that - sentences left hanging in mid-air? The film was hard enough to follow without that as well. I pity the cast, who obviously did their best with the material available.$LABEL$ 0 +Got to confess right up front that I didn't watch this entire movie. I missed the first hour during a Sci Fi Channel broadcast. Or was I spared the first hour? The other reviewers sum this one up nicely. It was badly conceived. Badly scripted. Badly acted.But the worst thing for me was the ADR. The entire film, which appeared to have been dubbed, sounded like it was done in somebody's garage. There was a voluminous echo to the words, which just served to make the bad dialog hang. And hang. And hang. Even a made for TV movie should have recognized this.And the idea that alternate dimensions are differentiated by color saturation went out in the 80s, folks.$LABEL$ 0 +The Japanese have always had incredible ambitions in their fantasy movies. They have always been ready to destroy cities by huge plastic monsters coming from outer space and elsewhere. The problem is they have never had the money to succeed in making convincing special effects. This film, released in France under the title Les envahisseurs de l'espace, is no exception. Its ambition is to show three creatures from the giant octopus to the giant lobster trying to have the upper hand on the humans. It's extremely awkward and laughable, but well quite enjoyable too. After all, we do like these creatures and these films after all, don't we?$LABEL$ 0 +At first i didn't think that Ben Affleck could really pull off a funny Christmas movie,, boy was i wrong, my daughter invited me to watch this with her and i was not disappointed at all. James Gandolfini was funny,, i really liked Christina Appelagate, and Catherine O' Hara was good too, the storyline is what really sold me,, i mean,, too put up with family,, at the table for people you only hardly see but once or twice a year,, and probably don't get along with anyway,, you really do need as much alcohol as you're system can stand to deal with Christmas,, so i thought that the premise was good there, buying the family with 250000 dollars, was a little on the far fetched side,, but it turned out to work pretty good for me,, cause it was a riot all the way through, it shows the class struggle of the different families. it has lot's of funny moments, including embarrassing stuff on the computer for a teenage boy. all in all i loved this movie and will watch it again next Christmas or sooner if my daughter wants too.$LABEL$ 1 +Frankly i just enjoy watching James Caan. Wonderful actor. With such simplicity you know exactly what he's thinking. A true pro.I have watched the show from the very beginning and found it different - that's something that is unique in Hollywood - a new idea - not a 3rd version of a current hit show - I also find the show fun and exciting -I like the pacing - you're never bored - I especially like the mystery in each episode - the way it unfolds. I am a big mystery fan and have read a lot of the great mysteries but I find the stories in the show well written and the outcome is rarely obvious. Also extremely interesting to me, probably because I am not a gambler, is the different cons that the 'gamblers' come up with - I was fascinated by the number of schemes that people have come up with to rob Las Vegas. The music: I like the music at the top of the show. Absolutely perfect for the show...Sets the tone and atmosphere . Just marvelous. And of course, there is James Caan.$LABEL$ 1 +No one should ever try to adapt a Tom Robbins book for screen. While the movie is fine and the performances are good, the dialogue, which works well reading it, is crap when spoken. Or, to put it another way, no one would be likely to suggest that hearing someone else's name was like seeing it written in radium on a pearl.Overall, the movie feels like a badly-adapted Cliffs Notes to the book - most of the parts have been hacked down to a fifth of their size in the book, in terms of backstory and current story, and the ending is wildly (and unpleasantly) different from that of the book. Most of the plots from the book have gotten lost, including the one that makes everything make sense at the end, and there's more than one reference that makes sense in the book that makes the viewer say "Huh?" Not a worthy effort, unfortunately - the script should have been read, compared to the book, burned, and all the actors sent off to do something far better. I admire Gus Van Sant tremendously, but not even someone of his calibre could have made a decent movie of such a complex book without making a miniseries.$LABEL$ 0 +A widely unknown strange little western with mindblowing colours (probably the same material as it was used in "Johnny Guitar", I guess "Trucolor" or something, which makes blood drips look like shining rubies), nearly surrealistic scenes with twisted action and characters. Something different, far from being a masterpiece, but there should be paid more attention to this little gem in western encyclopedias.$LABEL$ 1 +note to George Litman, and others: the Mystery Science Theater 3000 riff is "I don't think so, *breeder*".my favorite riff is "Why were you looking at his 'like'?", simply for the complete absurdity. that, and "Right well did not!" over all, I would say we must give credit to the MST3K crew for trying to ridicule this TV movie. you really can't make much fun of the dialog; Bill S was a good playwright. on the other hand, this production is so bad that even he would disown it. a junior high school drama club could do better.I would recommend that you buy a book and read 'Hamlet'.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoyed the movie very much. Everything in The Italian Job is simple. An explosive guy, a safe-cracker, a computer genius, a wheel-man and a man with a spectacular plan of stealing 35 million without using a gun. This film is entertaining although it has no central idea. It is a non-stop movie with lots of actions. All the stunt work is gorgeous. From the speedboat chase in Venice at the beginning to the chase on the busy roads in Los Angeles involving three mini coopers and even a helicopter. The best boast chase I have ever seen. I like the mini coopers. The expert thieves used mini coopers for the getaway cars. The chase between the mini coopers and the motor-bikes is amazing. They chased underground. I can say there was not a moment I was bored. Mark Wahlberg (Charlie Croker), Charlize Theron (Stella Bridger), Donald Sutherland (John Bridger), Jason Statham (Handsome Rob), Seth Green (Lyle), Mos Def (Left Ear) and Edwin Norton (Steve) really did a good job. I like the actors in this film. I have seen a lot of heist movie but The Italian Job& is one of my favourites. A great Hollywood action movie without a drop of blood. After all, I do love this kind of movie.$LABEL$ 1 +When this show first came on the air, I saw it once or twice and thought it was another "fat guy, skinny wife" show that seemed to populate the networks at the time. It was just "okay" upon initial viewings and I didn't watch it again; however, once it went into syndication, I caught several episodes (simply because it was on twice a night), and I'm telling you, the more you watch this show, the funnier it is. Once you see how all of the great supporting characters are connected, this show makes you laugh out loud. Every new episode I watch is more creative than the one before--people who only watch this a couple of times will not notice this. The writing and story lines are much more sophisticated than they appear at first (this is far from "According to Jim"). First of all, Kevin James is hysterical, incredibly charming, and a talented comedic actor, as is the supporting cast. Leah Remini has excellent timing, and Patton Oswalt's Spence is one of the funnier characters on the show. And of course, Jerry Stiller is brilliant as Arthur. I was shocked to read comments that he was the worst part of the show--he's a gigantic part of why this show is so great--his delivery of these ridiculous schemes (rounding out the crazy dad character) are beyond hilarious. And the yelling--the best episode is when they show him as a kid yelling "Lemon Icee!!". That episode, during which Carrie takes him to a therapist in hopes to get him medicated (to make Doug less stressed out), guest star William Hurt decides that Arthur yells because he's never been validated. The latter part of the episode where Doug beats up his childhood self in a therapy session is beyond funny, it's one of the most creative scenes I've seen on a sitcom. I feel the strange need to defend this show, because it is severely underrated--while "Friends" was sometimes amusing, and "Raymond" has some great episodes and characters, they both lacked the creative touch that "King of Queens" has. In an era where most sitcoms have canned jokes and are on the whole mediocre, "King of Queens" continues to push the sitcom envelope and show real comic genius. Critics of this show obviously don't get it--or haven't watched the show enough to give it a chance, because anyone with real comic and creative sensibility has to laugh out loud while watching. It's certainly on par with my other two favorites, "Seinfeld" and "The Office" in its ridiculous tone. It's the Arthurs, Kramers, and Michael Scotts of TV that keep us watching, and laughing out loud.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie was pointless. I can't even call it sci-fi, since that requires more from a movie than merely taking place in space. "Max Q" isn't even set in space for the entire movie. The story/plot is unoriginal, the cast isn't anything to write home about, although it would be strange with a top cast in a mediocre film... Furthermore, it's not particularly exciting or well-told. At least it's evenly balanced in a low quality sort of way, in that nothing or no one stands out. Everything is equally bland. I usually find some quality in "space flicks", even if it's just 90 minutes of semi-lame entertainment bordering on low-budget pathetic, but "Max Q" didn't even give me that satisfaction. All in all , a complete waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +"Cover Girl" is a lacklustre WWII musical with absolutely nothing memorable about it, save for its signature song, "Long Ago and Far Away." This film came out before Gene Kelly really hit his artistic stride, and while there are evidences of his burgeoning talent here, mostly he plays sidekick to Rita Hayworth. And there's the problem. Rita Hayworth is gorgeous, no doubt about that. But she's simply not a compelling screen presence. I've always found myself wanting to like her more than I actually do, and this movie is no exception. She's simply not a very good actress, and she's not even a very good dancer. Good looking as she is, there's something vapid about her, and this movie suffers because of it.Grade: C-$LABEL$ 0 +Well, Anne is way way too old. Wentworth looks younger than she and he should not. Louisa is much too young and too cheerful Oh sister Mary is way too pretty. She is supposed to be average, not pretty. When this actress complains the way Mary should all I think is that she is too pretty to be a complainer. Lady Russell is too Old. This is crazy. If you read the novel, she is Anne's older more mature friend, maybe as old as Annes mother would be which would be around 18-20 years older than Anne- so around 50 NOT 70! Its crazy, doesn't fit. How come Anne is so darn happy in the beginning? She smiles when she says "oh the worst is over, I've seen him now the worst has passed" yeah right. OK if anyone has seen the 1995 Roger Michell version than you cant compare these two. That one is right on. This one is way off. Read the novel and you'll know what I mean.$LABEL$ 0 +Seymour Cassel gives a great performance, a tour de force. His acting as supposed washed up beach stud Duke Slusarski will always have a place in my heart. The film is centered around a nerd who just came to the beach in hopes of honoring his dead brother's dreams. What he gets is lame surf hijinks. Guys cheating, guys fighting, and guys getting drunk going to watch surf documentaries with the whole town of LA on a Friday night. Duke takes the nerd in and tries to teach him how playing volleyball is like touching a woman. Next time my woman talks back I will pretend I'm spiking the ball. Back to Seymour Cassel. The end of the movie turns into a good drama, since the first half of the film really had no point. Duke plays a wonderful game of volleyball, the best he's played in over ten years. The way the scene is shot is beautiful. You can feel the heart this man has for the game and the love of being on the beach. Those five minutes will go down as one of my favorites of all time. 3/10 Bad to Fair, the rest of the movie was lame.$LABEL$ 0 +Kill Me Later" has an interesting initial premise: a suicidal woman (Selma Blair) on the verge of jumping off the top of an office building is protects a bank robber (Max Beesley) who promises to "kill her later."The actual execution of this premise, however, falls flat as almost every action serves as a mere device to move the plot toward its predictable conclusion. Shoddily written characters who exhibit no motive for their behaviors compromise the quality of acting all around. Lack of character depth especially diminishes Selma Blair's performance, whose character Shawn vacillates from being morose to acting "cool" and ultimately comes across as a confused dolt. This is unfortunate, as under other circumstances Ms. Blair is an appealing and capable actress.Compounding matters for the worse is director Dana Lustig's insistence on using rapid cuts, incongruous special effects (e.g. look for an unintentionally hilarious infrared motorcycle chase at the end), and a hip soundtrack in the hopes of appealing to the short attention spans of the MTV crowd. Certainly Ms. Lustig proves that she is able to master the technical side of direction, but in no way does her skill help overcome the film's inherent problems and thus the movie drags on to the end. Clearly, Lustig has a distinct visual style; however it is perhaps better suited to music videos than to feature film.The producers (Ram Bergman & Lustig)can be commended for their ability to realize this film: they were able to scare up $1.5 million to finance the film, secure a good cast, and get domestic and foreign distribution. This is no small feat for an independent film. Yet given the quality of the product, the result is a mixed bag.$LABEL$ 0 +Although I found the acting excellent, and the cinematography beautiful, I was extremely disappointed with the adaptation.One of the significant portions of the novella is the fact that Ethan and Mattie decide to kill themselves, rather than go on. This is never presented in the movie, they show it as if it were a sledding accident.The character changes in Mattie and Zenna are almost non-existent. While in the novella they almost change places, at the end of this adaptation it appears as if they are both invalids.Lastly that Mattie and Ethan consummate their relationship fully nearly destroys the power and poignancy of the finale.The change of the narrator being a preacher was one effective change.Neeson and Arquette are superb in their portrayals. Joan Allen was also wonderful, however her character was much watered down from Whartons novella.I do not expect films to faithfully portray novels, but this one went to far and in the process nearly destroyed the story.Overall, I would not recommend watching this film unless you have read the book as you will come away confused and disappointed.$LABEL$ 0 +-That's pretty much the whole soundtrack to this film. I just saw this baby at the Munich Film Festival and it rocked the house. Director Doug Pray is never seen in this documentary, nor I think he is even heard, but he has done a very intimate look into the lives and history of the "mixer." He has segmented his film into about eight chapters and then his motley group of enthusiastic interviews will be spiced throughout according to what they are talking about. I was never big into "scratching" but the film does a wonderful job of keeping elementary for those who know little, and infusing in-jokes for those who are experts themselves in this area. Mix Master Mike from the Beastie Boys is in this film, but it wasn't until after the film that I could name several heavy hitters in the industry (DJ Shadow, Q- Bert, etc). The extreme fascination for turntables by these talented and quirky DJs is evident in their explanations of what their music means to them. The film also sheds some gratifying light on these guys (and one woman) to be classified as musicians. Pray doesn't let his film idle and if there exists a slow scene it is soon re-energized by hardly ever ceasing music. If nothing else, this film will increase your slang vocabulary. I have to get back to "digging", so I'll end this review. See it, it will be of interest. Good stuff man. Good stuff.$LABEL$ 1 +An ex- informant of the East Germany finishes in Mexico like spy of a student group in 1971 in where she falls in love with one of the activists. This is the first co-production of Mexico with Germany, and although it is a good picture of the ideals that marked, and continue marking (at least to the CGH), youth, as much finishes being something insipid since to the internal dilemmas that it faces Dark brown (Noethem) like the passion by his ideals that Adela feels (Campomanes), as soon as they glimpse, in the case of him, I want to suppose, by the barrier of the language; and in the case of her by its lack of experience. Reason why in the end a concrete identification with any of them does not exist, which causes that what could have been films that even served as document like Red Dawn, finished being one more a film; although I want to clarify that in the room many of the assistants were excited in the conversation with the director, which says to me that no longer they are so young or my ideals have changed.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay, so I get it. We're supposed to be horrified. The idea has been planted. A girl is doing her dad and taking photos of it. Call me over the shock-rock genre but I call for the explicit detailing of an act before I can fall for this. But don't expect me to watch a soft-porn and become horrified that she is 'doing her father'...I mean hasn't that convention become a bit abused in the adult film industry already infiltrated with 'rape, and molestation' porn...Horror isn't what your mind can fool you into believing. It is what actually exists in film. This is where Miike fails in Visitor Q. Extremism becomes mild when it becomes a choose your own adventure.$LABEL$ 0 +Boris Karloff is Matthias Morteval, a dying, lonely old nut who lives in Morhenge Mansion with some servants and tells his doctor friend, "Don't try to doctor me, doctor! I'm disgustingly healthy!" He invites his nieces and nephews to his home and warns them they may have inherited a genetic disease that causes madness by "shrinking the brain" (?)***SPOILERS***Morteval/Karloff ends up dying, and murderous "toys" (designed by his dead brother) start killing off the relatives. A mini cannon fires real bullets into a guys face, a life-sized knight in armor attacks with an axe and a dancing Sheik stabs people with a knife. One guy getting strangled makes some hilarious faces. At the end, Julissa and her boyfriend find Karloff is still alive and hiding out in the dungeon where steel gates seal off the room. He plays the recurring organ theme music (sort of a death rattle used for the killings), the brother's spirit starts talking ("The whole house will go with me!") and the mansion goes up in flames.This senseless mess is too dark, boring and the stupid dialogue never matches the lips.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't listen to fuddy-duddy critics on this one, this is a gem! Young rich Joan and her brother find themselves penniless after their father dies - and now they have to work for a living! She, naturally, becomes a reporter, and he, just as naturally, a driver for the mob! By wild co-incidences their careers meet head on, thanks to gangster Clark Gable. In the meantime there is the chance for a moonlight underwear swim for a bunch of pretty young things and for Joan to do a couple of risque dance numbers (with all the grace of a steam-shovel).But none of this is supposed to be taken seriously - it's all good fun from those wonderful pre-code days, when Hollywood was really naughty. Joan looks great, and displays much of the emotional range that would give her career such longevity (thank God she stopped the dancing!). Gable is remarkable as a slimy gangster - he wasn't a star yet and so didn't have to be the hero. Great to see him playing something different. And William Bakewell is excellent as the poor confused brother. And there are some great montages and tracking shots courtesy of director Harry Beaumont, who moves the piece on with a cracking pace - and an occasional wink to the audience! Great fun!$LABEL$ 1 +I like Goldie Hawn and wanted another one of her films, so when I saw Protocol for $5.50 at Walmart I purchased it. Although mildly amusing, the film never really hits it a stride. Some scenes such as a party scene in a bar just goes on for too long and really has no purpose.Then, of course, there is the preachy scene at the end of the film which gives the whole film a bad taste as far as I'm concerned. I don't think this scene added to the movie at all. I don't like stupid comedies trying to teach me a lesson, written by some '60's burn out especially!In the end, although I'm glad to possess another Hawn movie, I'm not sure it was really worth the money I paid for it!$LABEL$ 0 +Well now, this was certainly a surprise episode. In this anthology science fiction series, with all of this Alien Beings, Extraordinary Occurrences and many Brushes with the Hereafter, this episode would certainly rate as unusual. Its seemingly insignificant settings apparently not imparting any morale at story's end. Or does it? Kicking off with the Silent Movie Form, no recorded dialog, but having Musical accompaniment. In this case it's on the sound track, not utilizing the Playing of Organ or Piano by an on sight Musician. This part of the episode, along with the ending section, also made liberal use o Title Cards, just like "the Old Time Movies." While these Titles are a bit exaggerated and overdone, they are made so intentionally and with an affection for rather than any contempt for The Silent Film.Veteran Comedy Film Director, Norman Z. McLeod, was the man in the Chair for this half-hour installment. He had been the Director of many of the greatest comedies of all time, featuring people like the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Harold Lloyd and Danny Kaye. He was no stranger to to TV, as he had done a lot of work on Television Series.It doesn't appear that he and Mr. Keaton had ever worked together before(as I cannot find any evidence of this)' but judging by the outcome of the film, they succeeded in doing so with flying colors! Anyone who directed Keaton was aware that Buster was also a fine comedy Director as well as a Comedy Player. He was just as comfortable behind the camera as he was in front of it. Their short partnership must have been a harmonious one, with 'give and take' about how to do things. It is apparent that many of the gags were Keaton's, resurrected from his own Silent Picture Days. For example, the gag of putting the pair of pants on with Rollo's(Stanley Adams assistance was done by Keaton and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in one of the Arbuckle 2 Reelers, THE GARAGE (1919). That was a clear example of his craft in a nutshell.Buster knew that we film our world with a camera, rendering it a two dimensional image. This one fact is at the bottom of so many of gags. It is a Cardinal Rule for his film making.The cast was small and once again just chock full-of veteran talent. Stanley Adams was Rollo and served as Mr. Keaton's straight man. Jesse White, the old 'Maytag Repair Man', ran the fix it shop that fixed the 'Time HJelmet'. Gil Lamb, serene veteran of RKO Short Comedy series, was the 1890's Cop. James Flavin, George E.Stone, Harry Fleer, Warren Parker, and Milton Parsons all rounded out this largely silent cast.Without spilling the beans, let's just say that yes, there is probably a lesson to be learned here. If not the one already mentioned, "The Grass Always Looks Greener on the Other Side of the Fence!", then how about, "Be Careful in What You Ask For, Because You Just May Get It!"$LABEL$ 1 +So it's a space movie. But it's low budget. You ask, "what about the effects?" The effects are at times good, and at times really, really bad. I mean bad. And notice I started with the effects.There's a story here, but it's told in what I think is the wrong order. I don't mean a Tarantino style wrong order. I mean, it's told in a completely nonsensical arrangement. Most of it's about a mother (in the future, because you know, it's sci-fi) as told by her daughter, which is mostly exposition done in narrative from the daughter's perspective. Only once you're through the first hour and hear Paul Darrow's voice as a computer do you realize how much more tolerable the constant narrative would have been if he'd read it. This narrative is so constant and inclusive, that the actors on screen hardly say a word for the first hour.There's also a lesson here for you up and coming filmmakers: if you're not doing 2001 and want to have some action (this one does), then PLEASE hire a good fight choreographer. Otherwise, your fights will look like, well, what's in BATTLESPACE. And notice the title has the word "battle" in it. Ugh.I think this might be the classic scenario of trying to make a movie based on nothing more than a concept. And some effects. My biggest surprise is seeing the IMDb listing this film as costing $1.8 million. When you compare it to something like PRIMER, which did better with a budget of a few thousand, you realize in low budget film-making, it's all about the story. I wasn't expecting much - but I was STILL disappointed. Two out of ten stars.$LABEL$ 0 +An excellent family movie... gives a lot to think on... There's absolutely nothing wrong in this film. Everything is just perfect. The script is great - it's so... real... such things could happen in everyone's life. And don't forget about acting - it's just awesome! Just look at Frankie and You'll know what I thought about... This picture is a real can't-miss!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Beautifully filmed, well acted, tightly scripted suspense movie. Had me on the edge of my seat. I liked the lead actress very much, and thought the villain was very well done. Not much to chew on here in the way of a theme, but if you just get in your seat, turn your brain off, watch the fancy camera work, and enjoy the plot, you will have a great time. The plot is well worn, and regular movie goers will probably know more or less what to expect by about ten minutes in. But that didn't bother me, as I enjoyed watching it unfold. In the old days, they might not have focused so tightly on just two characters, and there were some enticing moments when I hoped they were going to let some other people have a few lines. But these folks were probably right to keep the movie so tightly focused. The plot got me by the throat fairly early on, and never let go. It's not a good idea to think too much either during or after the movie. as I'm not sure it makes a great deal of sense. Just sit back and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +It wasn't the worst movie that I have ever seen. However, that is only if I get to count home movies made by 8 year olds. This movie was horrible from start to finish. Nothing about it made it worth watching unless you wanted to show new filmmakers how not to make a film.$LABEL$ 0 +I really liked this movie, it was good, and the actors were brilliant! Leon Robinson, who played Richard, and many other classic singers, is very good at his job, when you see him in a musical movie, you know that it is going to be good! I would suggest that people watch this heart warming, sad, and special movie, if they want to know more about Richard! Outstanding! Fresh!$LABEL$ 1 +I love this movie like no other. Another time I will try to explain its virtues to the uninitiated, but for the moment let me quote a few of pieces the remarkable dialogue, which, please remember, is all tongue in cheek. Aussies and Poms will understand, everyone else-well?(title song lyric)"he can sink a beer, he can pick a queer, in his latest double-breasted Bondi gear."(another song lyric) "All pommies are bastards, bastards, or worse, and England is the a**e-hole of the universe."(during a television interview on an "arty program"): Mr Mackenzie what artists have impressed you most since you've been in England? (Barry's response)Flamin' bull-artists!(while chatting up a naive young pom girl): Mr Mackenzie, I suppose you have hordes of Aboriginal servants back in Australia? (Barry's response) Abos? I've never seen an Abo in me life. Mum does most of the solid yacca (ie hard work) round our place.This is just a taste of the hilarious farce of this bonser Aussie flick. If you can get a copy of it, watch and enjoy.$LABEL$ 1 +Englar Alheimsins are very good movie. She happen on a mental home in Iceland. Ingvar E. Sigurdsson is in a leading role and is good. Other good actors in this movie are Baltasar Kormákur and Bjorn Jorundur. I like this movie she is very good. I voice with this movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Allison Dean's performance is what stands out in my mind watching this film. She balances out the melancholy tone of the film with an iridescent energy. I would like to see more of her.$LABEL$ 1 +I personally liked "The Prophecy" of 1995 a lot. Christopher Walken was, as always, great, and even though the film wasn't flawless, it was a creepy and highly original Horror/Fantasy film that entertained immensely. This inferior 1998 sequel is still worth watching, but mainly due to Walken. Walken is one of the greatest actors around, in my opinion, and he is once again outstanding in the role of the fallen Archangel Gabriel, whom he plays for the second time here. Once again, the war between fallen and loyal Angels is brought to earth. Gabriel returns in order to prevent the birth of a child, namely the child of the angel Danyael (Russel Wong) and the human woman Valerie (Jennifer Beals). This child could once be the determining factor of the celestial war... As I said above, Christopher Walken is once again excellent as Gabriel. Besides Gabriel, however, "The Prophecy II" sadly also includes a bunch of terribly annoying characters. The character of Valerie was annoying enough, and Danayel annoyed me even more. The biggest pain in the ass, however was the character of Izzy (played by Brittany Murphy), a suicidal girl who wouldn't shut up. Still, Walken's performance isn't the only redeeming quality of the film. The entire film is quite dreary, and well-shot in dark colors, which contributes a lot to the atmosphere. Gabriel's resurrection scene in the beginning is furthermore quite impressive, and one of the coolest moments in any of the "Prophecy" films. "The Prophecy II" is nevertheless the weakest of the three "Prophecy" films with Walken. Definitely a Christopher Walken one-man-show, entertaining, but nothing beyond that.$LABEL$ 0 +Might contain spoilers.This is just a good movie. Lots of good silly stuff to laugh at. However, do not watch the TV version, they cut to much out. Dom Deluise is rather awesome as the mafia Don who is hired to kill Robin. All I can say about his ten minutes: it's a long drive from Jersey. Also you gotta love them checking the script to make sure Robin gets another shot. Also: 12th Century Fox.Any bad stuff? The rappers at the beginning and the end seem rather out dated. The songs were rather lame. One time while watching this movie, I could think out a few more times when they could have thrown in another joke or 2. On the whole, however, an enjoyable movie experience. A must watch for comedy fans.$LABEL$ 1 +I am uncertain what to make of this misshapen 2007 dramedy. Attempting to be a new millennium cross-hybrid between On Golden Pond and The Prince of Tides, this film ends up being an erratic mess shifting so mercurially between comedy and melodrama that the emotional pitch always seems off. The main problem seems to be the irreconcilable difference between Garry Marshall's sentimental direction and Mark Andrus' dark, rather confusing screenplay. The story focuses on the unraveling relationship between mother Lilly and daughter Rachel, who have driven all the way from San Francisco to small-town Hull, Idaho where grandmother Georgia lives. The idea is for Lilly to leave Rachel for the summer under Georgia's taskmaster jurisdiction replete with her draconian rules since the young 17-year old has become an incorrigible hellion.The set-up is clear enough, but the characters are made to shift quickly and often inexplicably between sympathetic and shrill to fit the contrived contours of the storyline. It veers haphazardly through issues of alcoholism, child molestation and dysfunctional families until it settles into its pat resolution. The three actresses at the center redeem some of the dramatic convolutions but to varying degrees. Probably due to her off-screen reputation and her scratchy smoker's voice, Lindsay Lohan makes Rachel's promiscuity and manipulative tactics palpable, although she becomes less credible as her character reveals the psychological wounds that give a reason for her hedonistic behavior. Felicity Huffman is forced to play Lilly on two strident notes - as a petulant, resentful daughter to a mother who never got close to her and as an angry, alcoholic mother who starts to recognize her own accountability in her daughter's state of mind. She does what she can with the role on both fronts, but her efforts never add up to a flesh-and-blood human being.At close to seventy, Jane Fonda looks great, even as weather-beaten as she is here, and has the star presence to get away with the cartoon-like dimensions of the flinty Georgia. The problem I have with Fonda's casting is that the legendary actress deserves far more than a series of one-liners and maternal stares. Between this and 2005's execrable Monster-in-Law, it does make one wonder if her best work is behind her. It should come as no surprise that the actresses' male counterparts are completely overshadowed. Garrett Hedlund looks a little too surfer-dude as the naïve Harlan, a devout Mormon whose sudden love for Rachel could delay his two-year missionary stint. Cary Elwes plays on a familiar suspicious note as Lilly's husband, an unfortunate case where predictable casting appears to telegraph the movie's ending.There is also the omnipresent Dermot Mulroney in the morose triple-play role of the wounded widower, Lilly's former flame and Rachel's new boss as town veterinarian Dr. Simon Ward. Laurie Metcalf has a barely-there role as Simon's sister Paula, while Marshall regular Hector Elizondo and songsmith Paul Williams show up in cameos. Some of Andrus' dialogue is plain awful and the wavering seriocomic tone never settles on anything that feels right. There are several small extras with the 2007 DVD, none all too exciting. Marshall provides a commentary track that has plenty of his trademark laconic humor. There are several deleted scenes, including three variations on the ending, and a gag reel. A seven-minute making-of featurette is included, as well as the original theatrical trailer, a six-minute short spotlighting the three actresses and a five-minute tribute to Marshall.$LABEL$ 0 +There is only one word to define the whole movie, that is: awful. How "Mostly Martha" was remade is awful. The title of the movie is awful. The actors are awful. And the idea of combining good cooking and USA is awful. If you have seen "Bella Martha", well that is the original title and it means "Beautiful Martha", this one is a punch in the stomach. The acting of Ms.Jones is so poor and unnatural that even Jessica Alba, considered one of the worst actresses (http://www.razzies.com/history/05nomActr.asp) would have done better. Not to mention the cook, who would better play a different role. And the little girl... not worth mentioning. Bella Martha was a very nice movie, an authentic one... why was it remade? There was a story.... here they took it out. There is no story... What shall it represent? In one way also this movie was perfect. You know when all ingredients fit together? Well this is the case here. A perfect Crap....$LABEL$ 0 +Cinema, at its best is entertainment. If one is to question every aspect with which one finds room for disagreement,and much of recorded history is based on contemporary opinions - often biased - then one should leave the cinema, because their prejudices will always spoil their enjoyment. When I spotted an airplane flying overhead in a film dated 33BC I was amused. The background scenery in "Casablanca" is absurdly fake. So, do I set up a moan & say that the film failed to convince? Fiona, relax and enjoy some excellent acting. Wajda's decision to cast the protagonists as French & Polish was inspired. one was immediately aware of which side each of the main characters was representing. No need to dwell on the authenticity of the wigs. This is powerful cinema. If there is a political message which is still relevant today - have a dinner party - a Château d'Yquem with the foie-gras; a Puligny Montrachet with the entree; some Polish Vodka sorbets and perhaps a 1961 Château Lafite-Rothschild with the beef - and discuss the political aspects of Danton until you drop with fatigue. Danton would surely have agreed?$LABEL$ 1 +In some ways, The Wrath of Kriemhild surpasses Siegfried's Death, but it also loses some of that film's greatness. The plot of this one is more cohesive than the first, which is quite amazing. The second half of the actual poem is a lot sloppier and a lot harder to tread through, until, that is, you get to the climactic battle scenes; only the Iliad's are better. Lang and Harbou embellished the Huns. The poet-compiler of the Nibelungenlied didn't know a Hun from his right ball, and as a result they are, more or less, the same as the Burgundians in custom. For example, although the poet clearly describes Etzel as a heathen (which is Kriemhild's main concern as Rudiger tries to persuade her to marry him), when she gets to Hunland, the first thing she does is go to mass. The Huns here are clearly heathens; they're almost like caveman. The depiction of them is hilarious, especially Verbal, the jester, who has two marvelous scenes. Etzel's character has been given more weight. He is much more formidable. All he does is bemoan his fate in the original poem. Lang and Harbou are masterful at building suspense, especially at the banquet scene, which is intercut with Verbal's second performance to an amazing effect. However, as is the nature of this half of the poem, the film's amazing technical accomplishments are missing in this one, for the most part, except for a dazzling sequence where Etzel's hall burns down with the Nibelungs inside. The one thing I do have to object to is the way Harbou changes the ending. SPOILERS: in the poem, after Hildebrand captures Hagen and Gunther, they are imprisoned. Kriemhild visits Hagen in his cell and demands that he reveal where he has hidden the horde. He refuses and she herself decapitates her brother. When Hagen still refuses, she decapitates him. Hildebrand (or possibly Dietrich) is so disgusted that a woman would presume to murder a great warrior that he, in turn, decapitates her, calling her a "Devil Woman". Etzel, who is much weaker in the poem than he is here, says something silly like: "Ah me!" I can understand why they would want to keep a unity of time and place as Hildebrand brings them from the castle; to retain the prison settings of the two deaths would make the film very anticlimactic. I also understand why they didn't have Hildebrand kill Kriemhild: his character is much reduced here; his name is only mentioned once. But, to have Kriemhild kill herself, adopting Brynhild's death from the Icelandic sources, is just catering to the audience instead of challenging them. The point of the poem is that Kriemhild's wrath goes far beyond it should into the realm of pure evil. Here, we simply have her die for her lost love. It's not as interesting.$LABEL$ 1 +***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** After two so-so outings ("Magnum Force" and "The Enforcer"), Dirty Harry seems to have regained his stride in "Sudden Impact," a gripping thriller that wisely plays to its strengths: the charisma of Clint Eastwood, who also directed, and a story that spends just enough time on exposition and reserves its energy for the big scenes.For once, the case takes Harry outside his native San Francisco (where he's again in trouble with his superiors for his "shoot first, ask questions later" tactics), to the hamlet of San Paulo. There, (WARNING: Potential spoiler) a group of lowlifes is being gruesomely murdered, one at a time, by a woman whom they gang-raped years earlier, and whose sister has been in a state of catatonia ever since the attack.The killer is portrayed by Sondra Locke, and she makes the character of Jennifer Spencer an interesting mix of compassion and cold-bloodedness. Locke's cold eyes and frosty voice, when either trying to comfort her hospitalized sister or dispensing vengeance toward the rapists, are very effective in painting a portrait of a woman wronged whose years of suffering and rage are now beginning to bear deadly fruit.The rapists are a despicable lot, especially the leader, who has "psycho nutjob" practically stamped on his forehead, and a lesbian who seems almost one of the guys, despite her anatomical inability to participate. The flashback scenes, while not graphically explicit, are nightmarish enough, and clearly intended to make the audience cheer for Jennifer as she kills her assailants.Some will dismiss "Sudden Impact" as trash: a mindless, manipulative revenge tale. On a certain level this is true, but it's well-done trash. What works to the movie's advantage is the strength of the Sondra Locke performance, giving us a complex character whose wounds are more visible in her paintings than in her gestures or speech. What we have here is an action movie with a point of view.You can take or leave the idea that some wrongs deserve to be punished by any means necessary, but as the mystery behind the slayings becomes clear to Harry (a realization that, wisely, is not spelled out with dialogue), he is presented with a choice -- what to do about a killer whose motivations he can sympathize with but whose conduct he is bound by law to not tolerate. This makes the story more interesting than the usual Dirty Harry fare.The movie's other redeeming quality is Eastwood's direction. This is, after all, a Dirty Harry movie, and Eastwood knows the character better than anyone else. The movie is directed with style and wit, and edited to give the action scenes a big payoff. Some of the best "Harry moments" in the entire series are here, including Harry's best-known line, "Go ahead -- make my day.""Sudden Impact" is a movie that has the courage of its convictions in presenting a tale about a despicable crime and the brutal consequences that follow. It is also a riveting detective story, well made and well told. And it is certainly never dull. On those criteria, it succeeds tremendously.$LABEL$ 1 +I saw this movie and I thought this is a stupid movie. What is even more stupid is that who had thought an idea that there should be a volcano in Los Angeles? The fact is that there are no volcanoes in Los Angeles. This movie should not be filmed in Los Angeles, it should be filmed in Honolulu Hawaii. Hawaii has volcanoes which is a real fact that this movie should be made in Hawaii's state capital. This movie should be filmed in Hawaii because this is the real idea and not in Los Angeles. There are earthquakes in Los Angeles, but there are no volcanoes. To be honest with you, this is unbelievable nonsense and very foolish. In conclusion, I will not bother with this movie because a volcano in Los Angeles is nothing but nonsense.$LABEL$ 0 +Here's a review for people like me. This movie sucks from beginning to end. I threw popcorn at the screen and resorted to entertaining myself a la MSF2000. The plot hinges on chance happenings and relies on stupidity from people who are supposed to be smart. The lead falls for a con man and it doesn't occur to her that she might get conned????? And she's rich???? And she's a famous psychologist????? COME ON, people. She enters the bar at just the most convenient moment when everyone is assembled to talk about conning her??? That was so staged that it felt like slap in the face to even half-witted movie viewers. Rain man would have been insulted. I also admit that I despise Mamet dialogue with the kind of passion that some people have for meat-eaters, war-starters, and fur-wearers. My hatred is so complete that it defies logic. But I'll give it a shot. That it's not supposed to sound real is fine. I don't care. It's that everyone talks the SAME. Mamet can't create characters; all he can do is foist his voice on us relentlessly through different actors. No wonder his actors are so wooden. They're confused about everyone being the same character. (However, his later films do improve.)$LABEL$ 0 +Basically, "Caprica" is the Cylon origin story. The premise of the show is interesting. However, the writers follow so many story lines and clog it with too many POV characters that it bogs down the storytelling. The plot creeps at glacial speeds dissipating what tension it might have had. In any given episode, little or nothing happens.Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz) is a military contractor working on a robotic soldier using a stolen chip. Unfortunately, his only working prototype is driven by the AI version of his dead daughter Zoe, who died in a suicide bombing caused by Soldiers of the One (STO), an underground monotheist extremist group.Meanwhile, Joseph Adama (father of "Battlestar Galactica"'s Commander Adama) is struggling to hold his family together while searching for the AI version of his daughter (who also died in the bombing) in a Machiavellian virtual version of Caprica (which strongly resembles 1930s Chicago). In addition to the vapid writing, Caprica suffers from a similar problem as many origin stories. We already know how it ends (i.e. the Cylons develop their own civilization and rebel against humanity).$LABEL$ 0 +I was on France, around March 05, and I love to go to this Film Festivals. I knew about this Cinémas d'Amérique Latine de Toulouse, but I've never went to it. I decided to go and then I caught Cero y van 4. The film is stunning. It doesn't caused the impact on me like with the Mexican users, because it was french-subtitled but it's still shocking.This film is a satire about urban violence, about kidnapping and crime on the streets in Mexico. It is a crude portrait of the city. Of a Metropolis. Secuestro Express, with a stunning Mia Maestro, which was also a satire of kidnapping, almost, but with a more serious tone has, and I think so, some kinda connection with Cero y van 4. A, sort of, redemption story and that how much is too much? Man on Fire, that was stunningly strong, was also, not a satire, but a crude portrait into the streets of Mexico. Or it is like The Brave One. A film that shocks and hits you in the guts very hard. This is like The Usual Suspects, it has some plot twists and turns, but that makes it even more believable. Verdict: A film that shocks and makes you believe that there's no security on the streets anymore. Stunning dialogue, impressive direction and astonishing performances. Cero y van 4 is a film that you won't forget soon. Leaves you shaking and stunned.$LABEL$ 1 +Have you ever seen one of those shows that became so popular that it could eventually get away with any crummy nonsense and repetitive halfhearted gimmicks that it's creators can get away with? If you haven't, then you've never seen Family Guy.Fans of the show seem to think of it as witty, edgy, and poignant. It's none of these, it is however dull, repetitive, insulting, and uninspired.The "humor" of the show comes from two sources.1) Irrelevant idiocy. The show often has flashbacks to things that have nothing to do with the plot and are mostly just absurd and pointless. And then there's the random movie references in which the shows characters reenact a scene from a popular movie without effectively parodying it . . . or parodying it at all(which ISN'T FUNNY!!!!!).2) the same crap that's in every episode the show. The one guy is a sexual deviant with STD's, AHA HA! Isn't that funny?! Hey, ya know what's even funnier? Making the same joke about him anywhere between one and fifteen times in a single episode. And don't just tell it numerous times in a single episode, make sure you drag it out so that an entire scene is devoted just to telling the one joke. Now also imagine that this same routine is used over and over again for practically every character in the whole series.The offbeat "un-PC" humor isn't as "un-PC" as they would have you believe, mostly they just say whatever morons think about the latest newspaper headlines, politicians, and random celebrities.The series had it's moments, but now I think it's time just take the show off the air and be done with it.You know what IS funny? I still like this more than Nausicaa of the valley of the wind.$LABEL$ 0 +Those French and those Germans sure have a long history of not liking each other. It is interesting to note that Kamerdaschaft or Comradeship in translation takes place in 1931. Only a few years later, Hitler would siege Germany and begin his plans to take over the world, France being a casualty of his ambitions. But these are times of sereneness compared to the future. A group of miners at the border try to cross over to France to get work. They are spurned back and later at a nightclub by their French neighbors. Then a disaster happens in the mines of the French and a well-crafted and written scene, a troupe of German miners decide to come to the rescue. A simple story is it not? Pabst was a poet of silent cinema and I am not sure if this is his first sound movie or not, but his poetry is there to be discovered. He isn't fussy but brings a rugged realism to the ordeal. Ther is even a flashback to a WWII event that beckons the point of this story. Supposedly based on a real event, the movie does the events proudly with directness and terseness. Smetimes, that's what a movie needs to be.$LABEL$ 1 +Little Quentin seems to have mastered the art of having the cake and eating it.As usual, the pure sadistic display can be explained as a clever thought-provoking way of sending violence back into the audience's face.Sure, Mr Tarantino. Violence is Baaad. Sadism is Baaad. It is well worth wading in it to make that point. How very brilliant.The juvenile part of the audience may well not be clever enough to follow all the smart references to higher levels of consciousness though, but I'm confident they'll see the light one day.Thanks for making this little world of ours a little better. You deserve a medal.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a good adaptation of Austen's novel. Good, but not brilliant.The cinematography is inventive, crossing at times the border to gimmickry, but it certainly avoids the trap of making this look like a boring TV soap in costumes, given that the entire story is dialogue-driven.The acting is competent. Ms Paltrow is aloof, as her character requires, but the required distance from the other characters is accompanied by a much less appropriate detachment from her own actions. In other words, she does not seem to care enough of the results of her match-making endeavours. Some of the supporting cast is guilty of over-acting - very much in the style that is appreciated on stage but out of place in motion pictures. Personally, I had problems accepting Alan Cumming as Mr Elton - to no fault of his own, except for having left such an impression as a gay trolley-dolly in "The High Life" that it is now difficult to accept him playing any serious part. Acting honours go to Toni Collette who manages to radiate warmth, and Jeremy Northam who pitches his character at just the right level.$LABEL$ 1 +How truly sad that this sprung from the same mind as Donnie Darko, possibly one of the best films in this genre. Where do I even begin? I think one of the must infuriating aspects of the film is that we are supposed to be critiquing humanity, and yet we see no humanity in the film. No more than 5 minutes of the film is spend agonizing about the possible death of another human. These are horrible one dimensional cardboard cutouts of human beings. Sadly, that's how they are played with what can only be described as dreadful acting. Is this truly how Kelly sees humanity? Judging from the reaction of viewers, this is a horrible encapsulation of humanity. Why don't the characters in the film ask the questions that all the viewers have? This is not an indictment of humanity. It's an indictment of the straw men that Kelly sets up who bare almost no resemblance to real humans in this situation.To those who say this was a wonderful thought-provoking film, to what are you comparing it? Armageddon? I even saw someone compare this to the works of Kurosawa. How truly deprived must you be to think that this would promote good existential discussion? For the love of all that's good in film! Even Indecent Proposal is ten times the indictment of humanity that this is. There we see people truly agonizing about greed and the human condition. Yes, even Indecent Proposal puts this film to shame for philosophical discussion and yet it gets 5.3 vs 6.0 for this mindless tripe.Rarely have I seen a more pretentious, pontificating, and self aggrandizing, film fall so flatly on its face. This has the depth of a high school film project, and a poor one at that. Truly, that's about the level of the discussion promoted by this film. If you want to see GOOD psychological film making, do yourself a favor and check out Das Experiment. If The Box had lived up even to this one goal, I would have been willing to forgive some of the atrocious acting, gaping plot holes, and sheer nonsensical storyline. Sadly, it can't even do that.The true indictment of humanity is that there are people out there who think this film is a deeply delving introspective look into the human condition. This is not Sartre! This is not even the Cliff Notes version of Sartre! This is a hastily conceived and hack-written 9th grade term paper on Sartre based on some internet message board ramblings. If Sartre were alive, he would sue Kelly for defamation.$LABEL$ 0 +Well as the headline suggests this is not the particularly good movie i was hoping it would be. i thought it would be great with mr fully monty man himself but tragically not. From the beginning i literally lost interest immediately when 2 women are just making tea and then suddenly she points out there is random water coming from under the door, then bam a full on flood through the route of the house its hard to believe they didn't notice the rising water level outside or at least heard it. Sorry for this to sound like a rant but it really grinds my gears and has affected me. Most acting was poor and the story tried to copy nearly every cliché to each disaster movie ever but just failed in that sense. CGI was poor i could do a better job using ms paint, directing poor too, and at the end i didn't care about 1 character at all!!! don't waste your time people no wonder it was released straight to DVD. Well thanks for reading xxx$LABEL$ 0 +Hey look, you don't watch this movie to change your life! But if you are female especially and have always had a little thing for Richard Gere; this movie is right up your street. Diane Lane and Richard Gere have on screen chemistry going way back. 'Nights in Rodanthe' is not a Oscar winner movie and it will probably be forgotten sooner rather than later but if you want an atmospheric, beautifully shot love story between MIDDLE AGED good looking people (they don't make your stomach turn and even when Gere is 'on top' he does not look too jowly) then this is the movie for you. I loved the theme of the story and it was quite relevant in many ways. Of course the whole thing was presented in a superficial way, glossed over and not really dealt with.....I mean I would have liked to know more about the father/son relationship between Gere and James Franco, but the story was really about the idea that a great love can CHANGE you for the better; whether it is a lover, a child, a friend etc. The theme of the film is about love and its mysterious ways. I was kind of surprised that James Franco took such a small part in this film but he is always good even for a few minutes screen time. I really liked this film because it was moving and sweet.$LABEL$ 1 +A man is builing a hotel with a partner. He finds out the hotel is over-insured. Things just get worse. This film has a huge mumber of scenes. They must have been put together in someones' sleep. It jumps around from place to place. It does not stay focused on anything for very long. The ending starts on christmas morning with a hotel fire. It then cuts to a night scene of that fire and then cuts back to day time. The DVD sound track is horrible. It takes a fair plot and turns into the worst film I have scene in a long time.$LABEL$ 0 +Bela Lugosi plays a doctor who will do anything to keep his wife looking young and beautiful. To this end, he drugs brides during their wedding ceremonies to make it look as if they are dead so he can steal their bodies. I'm not exactly sure what he does with the bodies. I don't remember it ever being fully explained. All I know is that he extracts something from them and injects it in his wife. (I'll just guess that it's spinal fluid. Spinal fluid was all the rage of mad scientists in the 40s.) You can pretty much guess the rest from here.There are a couple (well, really more than a couple, but I'll only write about two) of problems that I have with this movie. One is the way Bela is used. Sure, he does a decent enough job in his own overacting sort of way (BTW, the rest of the cast is simply abysmal). But, to have him hiding in the back of a hearse or having him creep into the female reporter's bedroom to do nothing is just silly. Also, why have him beat and/or kill every henchman he has? Is it to make him look evil? Well, someone who is kidnapping comatose brides doesn't really need to be made to look more evil.The second problem I have is the idea of drugging brides. Why brides? Wouldn't any female under the age of 20 do? Watching Bela go through these gyrations to get his victims, I was reminded of the idiotic Fisherman in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. In each case, there would appear to be an easier way of reaching your objective than employing a seemingly impossible plan that depends way to much on circumstances out of your control. (BTW, an alternate title for this movie is The Case of the Missing Brides. I guess that partially explains the need for 'brides'.)$LABEL$ 0 +Truly unique and stunning film of Jules Verne's "For The Flag" by the Czech master director Karel Zeman.Although the story is enacted in a rather understated late Victorian style, the visuals are a knockout. Zeman uses animation, graphics, painted sets, model animation combined with live action to create the atmosphere of Verne that the reader associates in his mind. The style resembles the steel engravings of Dore and Bennet and Riou that illustrated these stories with a healthy dose of Georges Melies added.Photographed in beautiful black and white the animation is of the highest order and not of a Saturday morning variety. There are underwater sequences where the fishes swimming about are so accurately drawn they can be used in a field guide.There are images of ships ,submarines, flying craft, castles,and machinery that are drawn in such accurate detail that one must have a freeze frame on his VCR or DVD to pause the scene and study the remarkable detail that went into this production.The late Victorian atmosphere is designed to look like this world that never was and delight us in the magic of science that made Verne the great father of the genre. If this is not enough, there also is the film score that probably is one of the best ever created for a fantasy or sci-fi film.Truly a forgotten classic, this one is worth hunting down and buying. Always one of my favorite films of all times, it is sure to be one of yours too. And remember- this was done decades before CGI or computer animation. Kudos to the great artists who obviously put their heart into it. It shows. Jules Verne himself would be proud of this movie.A film that deserves to be better known, but those who have seen it love it-and treasure it. An outstanding achievement , this remarkable film just gets better every time you watch it. A true cinematic work of art from a visionary director.$LABEL$ 1 +Definitely one of my favourite movies. The story is good, acting is great, all technicals (especially cinematography) are sharp and the script is clever.Heath Ledger is terrific as Edward ''Ned'' Kelly. He is gripping as the legendary outlaw, and is supported well by Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts and Orlando Bloom. All action sequences are on pointThe film is edge-of-your seat stuff right up to to the end. One of my favourite films from the late legend Heath Ledger, who has been the highlight of every film he has starred in. And makes no mistake here.An excellent film all round.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a movie of which I kept on reading the reviews again and again; and despite it being played at Film Museum and not at Pathe theatres – I decided to give this movie a try. The reasons were many – in the reviews it was compared with Pulp Fiction, it had several parallel stories running in the movie and lastly it had already won 17 awards internationally in various categories. I was eager to see this movie and due to my off day at Greenpeace I decided to make myself happy by going and seeing this movie.It is a story based in Finland. I think it reflected the current life of people in general – drugs, crime, sex, anger, anguish, fear and guilt. Every emotion was captured brilliantly in the movie. There are several characters and stories interwoven but a few characters come back in the latter half – making a link with the beginning sequences and that takes the story forward.The story is about two friends – one of whom is computer geek and the other is a drug addict – son of an abusive father. The drug addict boy trades a Euro 500 note – printed by his friend – to buy back his music system, and in returns gets huge change of cash back to buy more drugs. The trading of Euro 500 note continues to bizarre events – from the shop trader to an auto mechanic cum robber – to a car dealer – to a vacuum cleaner salesman – to a prostitute – to a police officer – then to her family and children. How the beginning of a small thing – creates a chain reaction that lead even after 5 years of that first incident to a depressing last note – which I won't reveal here.The direction is excellent. The character development in the movie is first rate. The character that sticks on your mind even after you come out of the movie is of the vacuum cleaner sales person. All the departments of the movie are handled nicely. Here I would like to make a couple of critical comments. First, during the sequence of one event leading to another I felt that the coincidences were too rapid and forced. But this screenplay writing error is pardon when one sees the whole canvas. Second, the trail of one character leading to another somehow leads back to the first two characters and that again I found to be a forced decision by the screen play writer. There was no need to have the same characters showing up again when there are different causes leading to different effects in such a big city.But after saying that – it is an excellent movie! It is a dark movie with quite a few sex scenes. The characters are having the black, white and gray shades and emotions that change from facing different situation which is brilliantly captured by the director.A top rate movie! It has all the ingredients of becoming a cult movie. I hope that only such movies should not become and achieve the status of cult movies and win lots of awards, because without crime, sex, violence, drugs etc. too one can make fantastic movies – Bicycle Thieves and Pather Panchali are its prime examples – only thing is that they were a long time back and times are changing and I think movies are reflecting the current times.$LABEL$ 1 +this a haunting piece of work.its only ten minutes long but i would sooner pay ten bucks into the cinema to see this than to see any full lenght movie currently doing the rounds. it is a simple piece of a man's reflection.he arrived a young man in this place and was mesmerised by a room and the music coming from it...and now here he sits,dying in old age in this place he so fondly connects to his youth. the music in it is brilliant,the guitars have that jazz-room twang like neil young's music in dead man. if you get the chance,watch this film.its worth it.if rutger hauer made more films like this i think he would get more respect than he gets.at the moment you hear him put under phrases like "everybody's favourite psycho".im sure that is not what rutger would want to be rememered as an actor for.he also directed this film,so in this shows that he a very artistic actor/director.a change from the b-grade movies he has been doing since the early 90's.i hope to see more of this rutger hauer as he is one of my favourite actors.$LABEL$ 1 +The only redeeming part of this movie was the price I paid. At least all I lost was $3.00 and the time elapsed sitting through this bomb. The crew member who was in charge of continuity missed the boat. When the female lead and the FBI guy went to the alleged killers location, Mr. FBI handed the female a revolver. When the alleged killer came out the door, the revolver has magically transformed into an automatic. One is left to ponder would an FBP agent hand a weapon to a civilian? I think not. Ms. Xavier appears to be a very attractive female. It is too bad the R rating did not allow much of her to be seen. It would seem that a film editor cut what might have been the best parts of the film out.$LABEL$ 0 +Only saw this show a few times, but will live in my memory. It is very frustrating that it is so difficult to find this anywhere to purchase and yet there seem to be endless repeats of stuff like Friends! Especially even more difficult to obtain being in England I guess..?They say it was low ratings or was it a complaint from the Bakersfield PD themselves? Maybe it was just too clever for certain people? Anyhow, just about the one comedy I would love to see again but is almost impossible to find. I hear it is being or has been repeated on another network? But alas not over here!!Summary: Ingenious.$LABEL$ 1 +Greetings All,Isn't it amazing the power that films have on you after the 1st viewing ?I was so delighted by the first viewing of this film, I couldn't stop talking about "Flatliners" to all my friends for weeks - mind you I was a very impressionable 18 year old back then and my taste in films have become a little more conservative since then.Then somehow I forgot about this film until I saw the DVD in my local department store and remembering how great it was I thought "Right ! I'll pluck you off the shelf when they bring out the Special Edition".Last week, I was overjoyed when my best friend invited me over to watch Flatliners on DVD. The expectation was that I would love this film even more on 2nd viewing.. How wrong I was !Verdict: after 11 years my view on this film had changed from a very scary 1st class movie to total junk which overplays on the religious and supernatural side of things ratherly superficially.I have never been a big fan of Julia Roberts' acting (excepting for Erin Brockeridge in which she deserved her Oscar) I think the problem with this film definitely lies with the director and a so so mediocre script. I left this film feeling it had no real substance or potential, and just a couple of scarey cheap thrills which weren't very well done at all. Not even the score by James-Newtown Howard, who I rather like as a film composer, could captivate and thrill me.In 1990 I would have given this film 9.5 / 10; but in 2001 I'd be lucky to give it 2 / 10 at best.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is really really bad, it is not very well done and is a lack lustre attempt at something but I am not sure what. I watched it and was very disappointed. It promised a lot, but delivered nothing at all. The characters are shallow and wooden, and the music, if you can call it that, is dreadful. There are of course all the creatures and animated beings, but they are so poorly done that it does not come across as anything other than a third rate movie. It is a real shame that more attention could not have been spent to the special effects, not the be all and end all of a movie I agree, but in a movie that is based around them, it's a very important factor. For me, a very sad attempt, and should be avoided.$LABEL$ 0 +Before I watched this film I read a review here stating that this film could possibly be one of the best films ever!? ha ha Scene by scene the tension grows alright... from the annoying characters in this movie. From the little girl talking gibberish and trying to drown the little boy, to the killer just running about without any notice (and who was the guy at the beach talking to the little boy!?)..things just seem to happen and then go unanswered in this film. As I watched it seemed like the film was going in one direction, then just doesn't go anywhere, but into a new direction...and on and on...The acting is great, but the writing is horrible. Each character, in each scene, says or does something so unbelievable, unrealistic and the reactions of the fellow cast/extras are simply strange. There are no resolutions to the problems developed throughout the film, making it confusing and ultimately a big waste of time.$LABEL$ 0 +I just have to say that this was the third worst movie I have ever seen right after the attack of the murder tomato's 3 and starship troopers 2. It wasn't just dialogs or the paper walls or even the guns shots which just automagically disappeared with no holes in the walls. It was the horrible acting. No wonder that I have never seen these actors before they all probably slept with the director(s). I think i'am being nice to this movie now but that is only because i'am to tired from screaming at the movie (just saw it). My advice is to buy as many DVD's of this movie as you possibly can and burn it so no one ever can see this horrible waste of time, money and film ever again.$LABEL$ 0 +DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT This little forgotten gem holds a special place in my heart and on the Video Nasties List. The flute-sitar-rattle box soundtrack is classic. The main character, although way hotter than most low budget starlets, is a pretty standard low budget lead. The Doctor Masters character is well written and well acted. Some of the lesser characters are kinda stupid but add to the nostalgia of the movie. It's Campy. I ain't trying to lie. The character that makes this great is a Faulknarian Man-Child named Sam, one of the patients in this sanitarium-gone-mad-flick. The gore is pretty standard although I think the color of the blood is awesome. It's so ..Red. This movie, I believe, was received poorly because of it advertising scheme. Some soulless little ad executive got his grubby hands on it and thought " Let's rip of the AD campaign for Last House on the Left, that's doing well". Little chumps like this have ruined the world of film. All balls and no brain. Also, the editor may or may not have been an alcoholic. Maybe there all drunk. You'll see what I mean. One more little note. Don't buy this from the Wally-Mart dollar rack. They have cut it to and unwatchable level. Try to find the longest cut you can.$LABEL$ 1 +Although I love this movie, I can barely watch it, it is so real. So, I put it on tonight and hid behind my bank of computers. I remembered it vividly, but just wanted to see if I could find something I hadn't seen before........I didn't: that's because it's so real to me.Another "user" wrote the ages of the commentators should be shown with their summary. I'm all for that ! It's absolutely obvious that most of these people who've made comments about "Midnight Cowboy" may not have been born when it was released. They are mentioning other movies Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman have appeared in, at a later time. I'll be just as ruinously frank: I am 82-years-old. If you're familiar with some of my other comments, you'll be aware that I was a professional female-impersonator for 60 of those years, and also have appeared in film - you'd never recognize me, even if you were familiar with my night-club persona. Do you think I know a lot about the characters in this film ? YOU BET I DO !!........and am not the least bit ashamed. If you haven't run-into some of them, it's your loss - but, there's a huge chance you have, but just didn't know it. So many moms, dads, sons and daughters could surprise you. It should be no secret MANY actors/actresses have emerged from the backgrounds of "Midnight Cowboy". Who is to judge ? I can name several, current BIG-TIME stars who were raised on the seedy streets of many cities, and weren't the least bit damaged by their time spent there. I make no judgment, because these are humans, just as we all are - love, courage, kindness, compassion, intelligence, humility: you name the attributes, they are all there, no matter what the package looks like.The "trivia" about Hoffman actually begging on the streets to prove he could do the role of "Ratzo" is a gem - he can be seen driving his auto all around Los Angeles - how do you think he gets his input? I can also name lots of male-stars who have stood on the streets and cruised the bars for money. Although the nightclub I last worked in for 26 years was world-famous and legit, I can also name some HUGE stars that had to be constantly chased out our back-street, looking to make a pick-up.This should be no surprise today, although it's definitely action in Hollywood and other cities, large and small. Wake-up and smell the roses. They smell no less sweet because they are of a different hue.Some of the "users" thought "Joe Buck" had been molested by his grandma. Although I saw him in her bed with a boyfriend, I didn't find any incidence of that. Believe-it-or-not, kids haven't ALWAYS had their own rooms - because that is a must today should tell you something kinda kinky may be going-on in the master-bedroom. Whose business? Hoffman may have begged for change on the streets, but some of the "users" point-out that Jon Voight was not a major star for the filming of "Midnight Cowboy" - his actual salary would surprise you. I think he was robbed ! No one can doubt the clarity he put into his role, nor that it MADE him a star for such great work as "Deliverance". He defined a potent man who had conquered his devils and was the better for it: few people commented he had been sodomized in this movie. The end of the 60s may have been one of the first films to be so open, but society has always been hip.I also did not find any homosexuality between "Ratzo" and "Joe" - they were clearly opposites, unappealing to one another. They found a much purely higher relationship - true friendship. If you didn't understand that at the end of the movie, then you've wasted your time. "Joe's" bewilderment, but unashamed devotion was apparent. Yes, Voight deserved an Oscar for this role - one that John Wayne could never pull-off, and he was as handsome in his youth.Hoffman is Hoffman - you expect fireworks. He gave them superbly. Wayne got his Oscar. Every character in this film was beautifully defined - if you don't think they are still around, you are mistaken. "The party" ? - attend some of the "raves" younger people attend.....if you can get in. Look at the lines of people trying to get into the hot clubs - you'll see every outrageous personality.Brenda Viccaro was the epitome of society's sleek women who have to get down to the nitty-gritty at times. If you were shocked by her brilliant acting, thinking "this isn't real", look at today's "ladies" who live on the brink of disrepute....and are admired for it.The brutality "Joe" displayed in robbing the old guy, unfortunately, is also a part of life. You don't have to condone it, but it's not too much different than any violence. "Joe" pointedly named his purpose - in that situation, I'd have handed-over the money quicker than he asked for it. That's one of the scenes that makes this movie a break-through, one which I do not watch. I get heartbroken for both.....John Schlesinger certainly must have been familiar with this sordidness to direct this chillingly beautiful eye-opener- Waldo Salt didn't write from clairvoyance. Anyone who had any part of getting it to the screen must have realized they were making history, and should be proud for the honesty of it. Perhaps "only in America" can we close our eyes to unpleasant situations, while other movie-makers make no compunction in presenting it to the public. Not looking doesn't mean it isn't there - give me the truth every time. Bravo! to all......$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is so great. Its set back in probably the 40's and Meg Ryan's character struggles to be known as 'smart.' Plus Tim Robbins is so cute in this movie. And everything about it has a magical feeling towards it. Everytime I watch it I feel happy. It's definitely a girl movie, and I'm a girl, so I like it. I also love the music. The violin is awesome. but besides that I think it's a cute story and everyone should watch it.$LABEL$ 1 +I think this movie was made backwards, first they shoot a whole lot of scenes and action, and explosions, and then the story-writers got to work trying to find a story to tie all scenes up together. this movie is without any doubt the worst movie I have ever seen, your average porn movie comes with a much better written and much more coherent script. The movie makes NO sense. Seriously, even IF you are a Segal fan there's no reason you should EVER want to see this movie, except if you're one of those folks that like to stare at accidents, because this is a horrible accident, and should never have been released upon this world.Boran.$LABEL$ 0 +I hate this programme: not only is the very concept ludicrous, but it tries so hard to be feasible (something that was left out of similar "I confess" ending programmes like, Muder: She Wrote).Sigh. Why is it that the writers can't ever be intelligent enough in this programme to come up with evidence that would stick and win a decision in court?Come on: after X-amount of years of the cases being unsolved, why must EVERY SUSPECT, EVERY EPISODE *CONFESS* (damn it!) to a murder which would otherwise go unsolved?I bet all police wish that criminals were this good sportsmen: "Aw, shucks, officer, you're a bright one - I guess if you've uncovered enough to convince yourself I did it, I may as well admit to it and make it easier for you in court. What can I say? It's a fair cop."Absolute dog s**t and an insult to those of us with with enough brains to even have heard of I.Q.$LABEL$ 0 +What can be said about a movie about a cross dressing gangster? Not that much. With the average indie style film-making, this film has the timing all wrong. Editing is just awful. As far as the gangster story, it might have been pulled off if the gangsters didn't lack character. Everyone just seemed to be there for some sort of punch line. None of which were funny. The usual suspects in this film are the hooker with the heart of gold, the dying mafia father that wishes his son would make his business legit, the best friend with the "zany" one-liners. But the main character, the gangster that likes to dress up like a girl. Only his motivation for dressing up like a girl is that he got mugged by a woman? Weird. The ending of the movie had to be the nail in the coffin. It was anti-climatic to say the least. I mean I understand how indie filmmakers don't have the equipment for a proper shot out, but they might as well been using water guns. Overall, I would say the hype leading up to it, (red carpet premiere in Vancouver), it was a disappointment.$LABEL$ 0 +There's not a dull moment in Francois Ozon's "Robe d'Ete". It's surprising how much is packed into this short film. While reclining on a deserted beach after a nude swim, a young gay is approached by a girl seeking a light for her cigarette. She invites him to make love in a wooded area near the beach. On returning to the beach. they find that all his clothes have been stolen. She lends him a summer dress to cover his nakedness and requests he return it next day. He rides his bike back to the holiday cabin dressed as a girl. His gay companion is sexually excited. Early next morning the young man returns to the sea and bids farewell to the girl whose holiday has ended. She suggests he keep the dress as a memento of their summer romance. It's a light-hearted film that captures the spirit of summer holidays by the sea, but perhaps not for those who are embarrassed by nudity or homosexual themes.$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this movie at a garage sale when I was like 15. I hated it then, and watching it again, just for the hell of it, it's even worse now. You can hear the director and cameraman in the background yelling commands like "Zoom, zoom, zoom!!!". The are no special effects, just a raw piece of meat that is supposed to be a brain. This is utter crap, and i originally thought it was a one of a kind home movie or something that I bought. But this was distributed elsewhere and it's just really weird to know that other people have seen it. Whoops I need 10 lines....well....this can be an interesting thing to watch to see how no-budget movies were made before the invention of digital cameras. This sucks. Actually, yeah do watch this just to see if you can sit through the worst. If you can make it through this you can make it through anything.$LABEL$ 0 +"Toi le Venin" is Robert Hossein's masterpiece,and one of the great thrillers of the fifties.Based on a Frederic Dard novel,a writer the director often worked with (see also "le Monte-Charge" which Hossein did not direct but in which he was the lead too),the screenplay grabs you from the first pictures on a desert road by night where a beautiful blonde might be the fieriest of the criminals to the mysterious house where he finds his femme fatale ..and her sister.Then begins a cat and mouse play .One of the sisters is in a wheelchair .But is she really disabled?Which one is the criminal who tried to kill the hero on that night? The two actresses,Marina Vlady and the late Odile Versois were sisters.Turn off all the lights before watching.Highly suspenseful.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the worse gay-related movies I have ever seen. Since these are not characters in this story it's hard to comment on the actual film. Therefore, since Colton Ford (aka Glen) laid his life open for all to see, I guess he's fair game to criticize. And that's not hard to do. Here goes. 50 something Glen is a big time porn star who wants fame and fortune as a big time singer. (I guess 11 films makes him a "star") Being gay and forty, I have seen porno and I did not recognize him or his lover. Personally they all look the same to me with different hair styles. Face it, guys, he's no Jeff Stryker, Jim Bently or Casey Donovon. That's OK, though. The purpose of these films takes place in about 6.5 minutes, so they all pretty much have the same requirements, if you know what I mean.So Glen wants to be a serious (legit) singer after he dumps the porno industry but he can't get anyone to take him seriously. I wonder why? Was he so stupid to think that he could whitewash taking his clothes off and having sex on film. And according to the film it's not just porn flicks he indulges in, it's living in a house with other "stars" where people can hook into their bedroom, the bathroom and where ever via webcams . It's 500 dollars an hour to entertain at a private party. Strip gigs at clothing optional "hotels". Doing something called meth which I presume is a drug. And then you have the balls to get angry when someone at a club gig tries to touch you ---- because he's "legit" now. Oy!The only interesting, non-cardboard character is the Academy Award winning gay screen writer who wouldn't give his name. And considering this is a documentary, well, porn is as porn does. You can tell he's most amused by the dumb-bunny porn star.Glen has one hyper-nellie manager (Kyle) who wants to "sell' him as a porno-participant in hopes of getting him gay-club gigs. He tries to do the Svengalli-routine. "Wear this" "Don't smile" "say this" in what amounts to controlling issues. But our anti-hero will not be controlled or told what to do. That's the first mistake. I'm not saying Kyle was right but if any budding singer starts questioning the manager, they're not going to get far. Kind of like: He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.All of this wouldn't have been bad if it weren't for one small tiny bit of information. Drum roll, please. He's bad. He sucks. His singing talent ranks up there with Ashlee Simpson. It's hard to root for someone who -- while trying make his dream come true --- at 50! --- doesn't work like normal people. No job. Can you say lazy-ass? And the whining, and the "Why don't they accept me." song and dance. And after a few months of scraping the surface of the music industry, he spouts off, "Why don't I have a record deal by now." What? Actors are waiters. Writers work in low-level newspapers or mags -- whatever. This guy is above that. It's true. He wants his success now merely because he decided he wanted it. Whine. Whine Whine. His lover leaves him to return to nursing but I tell ya I wouldn't want that moron dispensing medical care to me. Both of them were useless. Airheads. The movie is useless. Unless you really like Whine and Cheeesy people stay away. Do not waste your money on the crappy lives of useless people, there are far more interesting things stuck to the bottom of your shoe.$LABEL$ 0 +The first movie at the Fangoria Festival in Vegas and the most challenging. It's not a movie for everyone. A number of the films that followed used predictable classic horror formulas to tell predictable stories. This picture seemed determined to do its own thing.Tom Savini showed some comic chops as the over the top villain. He dominated every scene he was in, flipping his cape about like Leslie Neilson playing Dracula. It was great to hear his explanation after the film. He had such a good sense of humor about the role.I was glad I didn't have too many preconceptions going in, because the movie offered a lot of surprises. The story was funny and profane and unusual. There was a lot of love lavished on the look. Most important, it had a weird edge to it. Unlike many of the movies that followed and tried to use a similar classic horror style, this was a movie that used its look for a purpose.There were a lot of movies at the Fangoria Festival with bigger budgets, but none that dared to be this different.$LABEL$ 1 +Hopelessly inept and dull movie in which the characters stand around in rooms or a rocket ship and talk endlessly. You might think things would perk up when they explore Mars but these scenes are filmed through a heavy red/orange filter which makes everything very murky. The Martian landscape/vegetation consists mainly of drawings and the monsters are entirely unconvincing. There are echoes of 'Bride Of The Monster' when the heroine carefully winds the octopus like tentacle of a flesh eating plant around her before weakly thrashing about, the difference being that the Ed Wood film is a hundred times more entertaining. Better wear earplugs when watching otherwise the 'sci-fi' music score, repeated endlessly, will drive you insane. If you find yourself unable to sleep one night just slip this one into the VCR and your insomnia will be cured in no time.$LABEL$ 0 +A group of 7 gold prospectors head into a mine that was recently opened back up after an earthquake. Of course, they don't pay attention to local legend that something is down there and killing people. This low budget ($25,000) horror flick has a slight cult following and I'm not exactly sure why (unless it is because it is so obscure). I'll admit the last half hour is pretty entertaining, but the hour getting there is pure torture. Lots of walking and talking and our titular strangeness doesn't appear until 45 minutes in. Even in the extras co-writer Chris Huntley admits it commits the unforgivable sin of being boring. I would forgive them if they were strict amateurs, but this group graduated from USC so I would hope they know an exploitation film should be exploitive. Anyway, like I said, the last half hour is cool as three survivors battle the stop motion monster and there is a cool John Carpenter-like score. I wanted to see more of the monster, but it is literally on screen for 45 seconds.Even if the movie isn't the best, Code Red DVD has given this great attention. You have interviews and an audio commentary by director Melanie Anne Phillips, producer/actor Mark Sawicki and co-writer Huntley. The tales about how the film was made are pretty fascinating and inspiring (like a cave set being built in a backyard). Even more interesting are Sawicki and Huntley's USC student shorts, which are actually all better than the feature production. Huntley was a pretty talented artist and it is a shame he didn't go on to anything else. Sawicki has worked steadily in Hollywood as a visual effects and camera guy. The film's VHS is kind of legendary for how dark it was and I'm sure this is much better. However, you still get scenes where the only image are five helmet lights bouncing around in the blackness. Safe to say, the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE is still "horror film set in a mine" champ.$LABEL$ 0 +Don't be fooled by the other reviewers. Although this film contains an impressive array of talent, the material they present leaves a great deal to be desired. Nat King Cole's 3 numbers are pretty lame and not even close to his later efforts, though he does impress with his piano playing. 'Moms' Mabley is not a bit funny, though I remember her as a very entertaining talk show guest from my youth. Actually, the best performances are from a couple of fat guys who impress with a lively tap dance and a Four Tops takeoff, and the jazz band itself, especially in the number featuring the bass player. The print itself is pretty poor quality, and the wonderful Butterfly McQueen is totally wasted in the wraparound plot.$LABEL$ 0 +I found myself very caught up in this movie, at least at the beginning, and any credit I give to this movie, is Lacey Chabert, she was fantastic!! But thats where it ends. I seem to be very good at figuring out who the killer is, and I like it when a movie is able to completely baffel me, but I felt out and out lied to, they whole time they lead you in one direction and then suddenly they decided to go in a completely different direction at the end, they gave no hit to it at all, thats not misleading that very bad writing and planning, someone did not think at all!I felt the movie would have been much better if they had stuck to the plot that the lead you on, they also seemed to not answer anything, why did Jane(maria) burn down the professor's house.Its a great pity as I felt it started out as a relatively good movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Soldier Blue is a movie with pretensions: pretensions to be some sort of profound statement on man's inhumanity to man, on the white man's exploitation of and brutality towards indigenous peoples; a biting, unflinching and sardonic commentary on the horrors of Vietnam. Well, sorry, but it fails miserably to be any of those things. What Soldier Blue actually is is pernicious, trite, badly made, dishonest rubbish.Another reviewer here hit the nail on the head in saying that it appears to be a hybrid of two entirely different movies. What it is basically is a lame, clichéd, poorly acted "odd couple" romance - Strauss and Bergen overcoming their prejudices about the other's lifestyle and falling in love (ah, bless) - bookended by two sickening massacres which wouldn't have been out of place in a Lucio Fulci splatter flick.There is no excuse for the repulsive, prurient, gore-drenched climax, in which cute little native American children are variously shot, sliced, dismembered and impaled in loving and graphic close-up, and large-breasted native American women are molested, raped and strung up - no excuse, that is, except box office. (The massacre itself, whilst repulsive in its misplaced intention, is very badly staged and shot; a bunch of actors lying around with bright red paint smeared on them, intercut with a few special-effects sequences of beheading/dismemberment - dismemberments, incidentally, which utilised real amputees in their filming. Now that's what I call exploitation.)Forget all the pap you've heard (including the ludicrous commentaries that begin and end the movie) about this being a "protest", an indictment of American brutality towards the native peoples. This film doesn't give a stuff about the plight of the Cheyenne; had it done so it would have featured some involving native American characters, would have led us to get to know and to care about the nameless, faceless innocents who get slaughtered at the climax. Instead what we get is the silly white bread romance of Bergen and Strauss (lousy actors both, in this at least), with plenty of blood, guts and severed heads thrown in to attract the curious.Which is a terrible shame, because there is a movie to be made about the Sand Creek massacre, about all of the real life massacres the US (and Britain, and all so-called "civilised" nations) have participated in over the centuries (Iraq?). this just isn't that movie.$LABEL$ 0 +A featherweight plot and dubious characterizations don't make any difference when a movie is as fun to watch as this one is. Lively action and spectacular stunts - for their day - give this movie some real zip. And there's some actual comedy from the ripping chemistry between the two leads. Quinn makes a good villain also, although his role is completely overshadowed.But don't be fooled by Maureen O'Hara's tough broad role, this is as sexist as any Hollywood movie of this era. You might be able to forgive that because of the time in which it was made, but it's still hard to get past. For all the heroism and gruesomely adult off-screen situations, this is still little more than an adolescent good time.$LABEL$ 1 +While I am a long-time Shatner fan (since we used to watch Trek re-runs over the dinner hour in the early '70s), I cannot think of any possible reason why he wanted to do this film, whether for personal development or business reasons. Did he lose a bet?As a movie fan, I like to appreciate the bad films along with the great ones. But "Shoot or be Shot" doesn't have any flair or funny bits, unintentional or not.While unrated, there were no objectionable scenes (blink or you'll miss it nudity, cartoonish gunfire "violence" with the endless bullet gunfights), so one is led to believe that the producers merely wanted to save the fee required to get the MPAA to rate it. This will make its way to cable with barely 10 seconds edited out.Of the eight people that were in the theatre with us, four of them left mid-way, muttering statements like "This is stupid".Shatner plays an escaped mental patient who has been denied release because he views himself as a screenwriter. The examination board stamps his request "INSANE". He runs into a group of Z-grade moviemakers who "shoot on video because its 80% cheaper than film" and decides to force them to shoot his script at gunpoint. There are a few minor subplots that develop some of the secondary characters, but for the most part, that is the whole movie.If you want to spend 90 minutes on a Shatner "art" film, see "Free Enterprise" instead, it is a much better film.$LABEL$ 0 +NO WAY ! I hated Granny. First, she is way too tall -of course she is, it is Tom, whoever's brother, who's playing her- and I hate that thing she does when she brushes her fake silver hair back, but : there are funny parts in this movie. For instance, the fact that every single actor looks V.G. (very German), and also that they think that, even when left alone, they should pretend that that guy (Tom) is their actual "granny" or something. I specially liked -not- that moment where Charlotte leaves and starts walking to the nearest gas station to ask for some help. She suddenly finds herself in the middle of some woods (where were these before? nobody dares explaining) and turns, turns, turns a-r-oun-d like a ballerina, looking at the stars...and...ignoring the fact that GRANNY'S BEHIND HER, READY TO STRIKE !!! But, anyway, the music wasn't so bad, the haircuts were okay and the ending terribly provocative... Mmmmm... wish I had the German version.$LABEL$ 0 +I ordered this movie on the Internet as it is very difficult to get Turkish movies where we live. I've heard so much about the TV series from my friends and practically everyone in Turkey, I was expecting to see a breakthrough in Turkish cinema. What a disappointment.Me and my husband (who is an admirer of any movie with a bit of Turkish landscape and Turkish dialogues in it) only watched it all the way through because we had paid $20 for the DVD. Well, that was a boring way of wasting it.It was confusing, at times overacted, whereas other times underacted. The storyline was not only confusing, but adding a gay man walking with his dog on the beach and using some toilet humor in the script to make it 'Hollywood' didn't also work for me.The American characters were almost too stereotypical that it was neither funny nor realistic and like another user mentioned, the Turkish customs and lifestyle was irrelevant. The camera movements had no significance. Adding a few Dervishes (never seen in them in Kapadokya by the way) and broken plates -Greek style- only made the movie even more confusing. I am ashamed of this movie and all the noise the press has made about it. There are surely worthy movies made by Turkish directors which deserve more attention and respect.I give this movie 1 out of 10.$LABEL$ 0 +Let me start out by saying I LOVE horror movies. Big budget, low budget, big name actors, no name actors, it doesn't matter. And when it comes to judging movies I am very forgiving. This movie however, is pretty bad.The actors show little or no emotion when delivering their lines and the acting is worse than many lower budget horror flicks I've seen. As the actors get killed off, you could care less. There is very little gore (I have no idea what film other reviewers watched when they say there is good gore in this one, because there isn't) and the special effects are substandard at best. They steal so much from so many better horror movies (Jeepers Creepers, Friday the 13th, Leprachaun) and it still doesn't help.Luckily I saw this on Showtime and didn't have to actually pay any extra money to see it or waste a spot in my Netflix queue on it. There are so many better horror movies out there and I recommend you see those instead of this big letdown.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched this movie by accident on TV and it was so unbelievably awful I could not switch it off. Every single piece of wit and intelligence has been removed from the Oscar Wilde story by the inept screenplay writer. It barely matters because the dire acting, clichéd camera-work and cloying music would have ruined anything resembling like a decent script anyway. The worst performance comes from Patrick Stewart who comes across as the most hammy, talentless, minor mock-Shakespearean nincompoop as the ghost. "Get thee out of here!" he screams at one stage while waving his arms like a pantomime villain. A truly terrible film and why wonders why Stewart, who can act when called upon to do so, has soiled his reputation by making worthless pieces of crap like this and the XMen.$LABEL$ 0 +I rented this movie and watched it 20 times before I took it back to the store. Bill Paxton hired some first rate talent to make a good thriller with some interesting twists. The story is original and well written. Powers Booth and Paxton both deliver good performances. The story is told in an interesting manner with both flashbacks 20 years back, then spots in the present, alternating back and forth. This style of storytelling makes for a good thriller that can't get dull. Bill Paxton, please make more horror movies, you have the talent for it!$LABEL$ 1 +The story, as I understand, is "based on real events." That can be either good or bad, depending on what sort of license is taken with those real events and how they are rendered.In this case, the results are enough to gag a maggot. I wasn't expecting much going in -- anticipating a story of rich high-school kids taking an ocean cruise under a stern skipper. That is, what I figured was a coming-of-age movie along the lines of something about boot camp or basic training, the kind in which the drill sergeant says, "My duty is to snap you out of your winsome civilian ways." Well, it IS that, in a way. The kids start out as kids and end up as an organic group. But this is far hokier than any boot-camp movie I've ever seen, outside of a deliberate comedy. Who WROTE this thing? The air is filled with slogans that belong, not in high school, but in the third grade. The dialog offends the ear.Jeff Bridges usually does a better-than-average job but in this case his performance is mediocre. He brings nothing extra to the part, although given his lines, it's hard to know how he could do much with them. The rest of the cast is undistinguished and a few of the kids are painfully inadequate. There's a lot of tearing up, and considerable crying. The best scene involves a dolphin.The immature clichés continue to the very end. The Coast Guard is cast in the role of the hard-hearted court at the hearing that follows the disaster. The interrogator does nothing but hit Bridges over the head with his misinterpretations and misconstruction of events. "You let the crew drink alcohol, didn't you?" (A couple of harmless drinks.) "And you didn't punish them, though you punished them for killing a fish." (The dolphin business.) The technical details surrounding the sinking are left murky. What is a "white squall" anyway? And if it's as dangerous as Bridges claims, why weren't the whole crew alerted and wearing life vests? But why go on? If "The Albatross" were a Dreadnaught, it would still be torpedoed and sunk by the ludicrous comic-book script.$LABEL$ 0 +I've already commented on this film (under the name TheLegendaryWD). But I see there are others who have commented since. All I can say is: WHAT THE F**K!?". I cannot believe that a whole 16 people have commented on this film or even seen this movie. Add to that the fact that a couple give it great reviews (probably the makers of the film who went to one of those places in a strip mall that provide internet service and wrote a good review - seeing as how there is no way they could or would pay for their own internet provider... just look at their movie). Although I still admit I got a soft spot for this movie. I thought that some of the other people writing about this one might have it confused with another... until I read the reviews... especially the person who identified the tag line on the front of the box: "The Ultimate in Frontal Lobotomy" (what the f**k is that supposed to mean anyway? "frontal" lobotomy?)... I totally forgot about that until I read it in the review. People, we are a select few... I say we meet once a year to view this film... wait, does anyone still have it? If anyone does have it please contact me... I'm dyin' to get drunk.$LABEL$ 0 +Had this been the original 1914 version of TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY (also starring Mary Pickford), I probably would have rated it a lot higher, as this sort of extreme melodrama and sentimentality was pretty typical of the teens. However, by 1922, this film was already starting to show its age. And, compared to many of Ms. Pickford's other films (such as DADDY LONGLEGS, SPARROWS, MY BEST GIRL and SUDS), TESS comes up a tad short--and not every Pickford film merits a 10 (even if she was "America's Sweetheart"). Now this isn't to say that it's a bad film--it certainly isn't. But, I just can't see how so many have given this film a 10.The film has a very long and complicated plot--especially because most films of the era were shorter. A rich old crank builds a mansion at the top of a hill next to the river. At the bottom of the hill are some dirty squatters who he hates but who he cannot evict. So he tries to come up with a variety of ways to get them off the land. One ends up in tragedy, when his daughter's fiancé is killed in a scuffle with the po' folks. The man accused of the murder is dear old Mary's father, though he is innocent. To make things a lot worse, the only witness to the real murder won't talk AND the dead man had gotten his fiancée pregnant! So, at this point, we have an innocent man in prison waiting to be executed and a pregnant lady afraid to tell her sanctimonious father she is "in the family way". There's a ton more to the film, such as the crank's son falling in love with Mary, but it's best you just see the film for yourself.The film excels in some ways. The plot, while very complicated, is also rather interesting and the cinematography is top-notch. The very final scene is also pretty cute. However, there is so much overt sentimentality you can practically cut it with a knife. Mary is SO good and SO sweet and So plucky, at times the viewer might find it all a bit hard to take. While it worked great in 1922 (making her the biggest star in the world), today it's very dated. This is NOT true of all her films, but this one certainly is.By the way, the Image Entertainment DVD is of decent quality, though a few scenes are badly degraded--something that isn't very surprising considering the age of the film. Also, the only extras included are a brief filmography.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a lot of silliness about a woman from London who marries a tea planter from Ceylon whom she barely knows. It's full of cliches, and the Liz Taylor character is not believable. It has a marvelous set, some exotic location footage. It shows Taylor at the height of her beauty. She looks stunning.$LABEL$ 1 +A well-made and imaginative production, refreshingly free from cliché, this somewhat picaresque affair recounts a tale of a close friendship that develops between a man and a boy under less than ideal conditions: the man an escaped convict who has kidnapped the youth for his value as a hostage. Expertly directed by Alan Gibson with a fine sense for balanced narrative movement, the film provides freshness in nearly every scene, as felon Martin Steckert (Richard Harris), believing that his rejection for parole was particularly undeserved, contrives a convoluted but ultimately successful escape plan, following which his spontaneous nature comes to the fore as he flees to the lakeside residence of his childhood. Often bursting into song or dancing a few steps, the capricious Steckert gradually gains the trust and affection of his captive and, as police close in for an inevitable showdown, the tethered pair are seen to be a great deal alike in their responses to forms of rejection, as discerned by a psychiatrist (Lindsay Wagner) assigned to aid a zealous police lieutenant (James Coburn) who is in charge of the manhunt for Steckert and his "prisoner". This is an engrossing story, worth telling, a quickly-paced and novel adventure that profits from a capital performance by Harris, fine turns from Wagner, Coburn, and Karen Black, along with Justin Henry as the snatched lad, with an appropriately whimsical score contributed by Wilfred Josephs, and top-notch cinematography by Frank Watts, with all footage shot in a beautiful autumnal Ontario province.$LABEL$ 1 +For the first forty minutes, Empire really shapes itself up: it appears to be a strong, confident, and relatively unknown gangster flick. At the time I didn't know why, I thought it was good- but now I do. One of the main problems with this film is that it is purely and utterly distasteful. I don't mind films with psychos and things, to prove a point- take Jackie Brown, for example- but they're all so terribly shallow in this, but that is obviously thrown in for entertainment. You literally feel a knot pull in your stomach. Another major problem is the protagonist. He is smug, arrogant, yet- ironically enough- not that bad. He doesn't seem tight enough to be a drug-dealing woman killer. The fact is, at the end of the day, this film is completely pretentious. Not slick, not clever, just dull, and meaningless- this colossal mess should be avoided at all costs. * out of ***** (1 out of 5)$LABEL$ 0 +First of all, in defense of JOAN FONTAINE, it must be said that Ginger Rogers would have been terribly miscast as Alyce, the young British lady who has the title role. Fontaine makes a fetching picture as the heroine here, but her acting inexperience shows badly and her dancing is better left unmentioned. Fortunately, she went on to better things.But here it's FRED ASTAIRE, GEORGE BURNS and GRACIE ALLEN who get the top billing--and they are excellent. Fans of Burns & Allen will be surprised at how easily they fit into Astaire's dance routines. Especially interesting is the big fun house routine that won choreographer Hermes Pans an Oscar. They join Astaire in what has to be the film's most inventive highlight.Unfortunately, not much can be said for the slow pacing of the story--nor some of the stale situations which call for a lot of patience from the viewer. It must be said that some of the humor falls flat and the usual romantic misunderstandings that occur in any Fred Astaire film of this period are given conventional treatment. Only the musical interludes give the story the lift it needs.Some pleasant Gershwin tunes pop up once in awhile but not all of them get the treatment they deserve. The nice supporting cast includes Reginald Gardiner, at his best in a polished comic performance as a conniving servant, Constance Collier and Montagu Love (as Joan's father mistaken as a gardener by Astaire).It's a lighthearted romp whenever Burns & Allen are around to remind us how funny they were in their radio and television days. Both of them are surprisingly adept in keeping up with Astaire's footwork.Director George Stevens makes sure that Joan Fontaine's hillside dance number with Fred is filmed at a discreet distance but clever camera-work cannot disguise the fact that she is out of her element as Astaire's dance partner, something she seems painfully aware of.$LABEL$ 1 +"The Dresser" is a small but absolutely wonderful film, brilliantly acted by Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. How in the world this tiny film attracted enough attention to garner five major Academy Award nominations back in 1983 is a mystery to me, but it's nice to know the Academy can be guilty of a display of good taste every once in a while (of course, they gave the award that year to "Terms of Endearment"-- after all, they don't want to be accused of showing TOO much taste).Albert Finney is a drunken Shakespearean actor in a production of "King Lear"; Tom Courtenay is the man who works double time behind the scenes to keep this actor in front of the footlights. It's both hilarious and piteous to see Courtenay's character showering Finney's with attention and affection, only to see his efforts utterly unappreciated and dismissed, even up to the very bitter end. Finney and Courtenay work wonders together, and though Finney gets the showiest moments (he does get to recite Shakespeare after all), Courtenay is the heart and soul of the film.Grade: A$LABEL$ 1 +A classic 80's movie that Disney for some reason stopped making. I watched this movie everyday when I was in like 6th grade. I found a copy myself after scouring video stores. Well worth it though. One of my all time favs$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is all about reality, submarine warfare in WW2 was not a clean precise science. There were no computers giving exact enemy details, there was no precise instrumentation to 100% control the sub. Not all the crew went to fight with a song in their heart, and a smile on their dial.People with expectations of seeing a "pretty war" in this movie will be grossly disappointed, .............. GOOD, they deserve to be disappointed, they deserve to have reality shoved into their face.War is not clean, exact, fought by people about to break into song. It is endured by scared, cold/burnt, hungry, desperate people willing to do anything to survive."We Dive at Dawn" is a fine example portraying a desperate situation needing desperate actions.$LABEL$ 1 +Having spent all of her money caring for her terminally ill spouse, recently widowed Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring) moves with her two daughters Sarah (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Emma (Chloe Moretz) to her late husband's run-down family home in rural Pennsylvania, where local legends speak of zombies who roam the woods at night.Just seeing the names of this film's writer and director in the opening credits was enough to send shivers up my spine: Boaz Davidson is the 'genius' responsible for penning the scripts for such STV titles as Octopus 1 & 2, Spiders and Crocodile, whilst J.S. Cardone gave us the godawful 'video nasty' The Slayer and dull vampire flick The Forsaken. With such dubious talent responsible, I didn't expect much from Wicked Little things.And having just finished the film, I'm glad I kept my expectations low.Although the movie looks good at times, with lovely use of the eerie woodland locale, and the cast give reasonable performances given the clichéd drivel that they are working with, the plot is so laboured, poorly written, and derivative that it's impossible to be enthusiastic about. Most importantly, perhaps, the film's killers, undead children who rise each night from the mine in which they died, aren't in the least bit scary, a smudge of makeup, black contacts and some crappy joke shop scars doing very little to add to the sense of menace. Scout Taylor-Compton and company do their best to look afraid of the tiny terrors, screaming convincingly with every confrontation, but their admirable attempts to instill a sense of fear in the audience is to little avail: the little blighters just ain't got what it takes to chill the blood.There are a few lacklustre zombie chow scenes in a futile bid to win over gore-hounds, and the final kill, which sees the victim's blood drench both Compton and Heuring, is suitably tasteless, but on the whole, Wicked Little Things (AKA Zombies in the UK) is instantly forgettable trash—just another clunker in the filmographies of Cardone and Davidson.$LABEL$ 0 +I haven't seen "Henry Fool", but after watching "Fay Grim" I'm not sure I want to. Maybe Hartley aims to be the "anti-thriller" director---he sure succeeded with this yawner. Based on the official description---woman discovers that her dead husband's manuscript contains material that could pose a threat to national security---I expected a taut geopolitical drama. Instead I got flimsy structure, goofy dialog, flabby characterizations, a convoluted plot, and a "tone" that shifts so often it suggests that Hartley changed the script according to his mood at any given time. I can hang for a long time with a frustrating, hard-to-follow plot (e.g. "Duplicity") because I figure that the loose ends eventually will come together. Even when they don't, or they do but they leave lingering questions (e.g. "Duplicity"), sharp writing and acting can hold one's interest. But half-way through "Fay Grim" I reached a deadly realization---I didn't know what was going on, and I didn't care. Too bad, because I really like Parker Posey, reduced here to working with an absurd part that asked her to morph from indifferent, estranged wife and indifferent, clueless mother to tough, shrewd international "player" capable of psychological mano a mano with terrorists. There's also bad casting. Jeff Goldblum can be very good, but he's not capable of overcoming miscasting as a CIA operative. He looks almost as uncomfortable in the role as I was watching him in it. His CIA sidekick is worse; he looks like a refugee from the quarterfinals of "American Idol" (are there really young CIA agents with big licks of hair rakishly draped over their foreheads?). Then there's the sticky question of the characters' ages. Goldblum was 54 when he made "Fay Grim"; Thomas Jay Ryan, who plays "Henry Fool", was 44. Neither was made to look or seem older than their actual ages. Yet, a key point in the story is that they served as CIA agents in Nicaragua "back in the '70s." Goldblum's character would've been in his 20s then; Henry Fool would've been a teenager. Was Hartley being "quirky" or lazy? The problems are too numerous to list...$LABEL$ 0 +Begrudgingly gave it a 3 - one point each for Fonda, Stanwyck, and the supporting cast.Never saw this one before - am watching it right now and it has just gotten to the part where Henry Fonda is carrying Babs over the threshold. If I continue watching, it will be just to see if Fonda and Stanwyck will be able to pull this one out of the dumper.But after reading the other viewer comments, I'm not very optimistic.The opening ski scenes were enough to put me off my lunch. The voice-overs were obviously done in a sound studio, and the editing between the exterior shots and the closeups was horrendous. I do not know that much about the technology of that era - but I can't believe there wasn't something they could do to make it more believable.My second gasp of disbelief was when Fonda wiped out and (I imagine due to the extreme velocity of travel) he is burrowed head first into the snow up to his torso - Stanwyck pulls him out with obvious staged difficulty - and, (I imagine because she is such an experienced doctor) does not react at all to his apparently unconscious state and limp posture.Look, I'm completely capable of suspending my disbelief, but I couldn't get over the fact that she had just jostled a man with a possible head injury and that he might be paralyzed for life. Not my idea of big yuks.So, as I finish this comment, we have just seen Kirk's first jealous outburst, and Dr. Hunt is off to perform an appendectomy! I'm not sure which I hate more - the script, the background music, or the story!! Argghhhh! I'm done. Game over. Click.$LABEL$ 0 +The Power started off looking promising but soon became boring and tedious to watch. The plot is about an ancient Aztec doll that takes possession of those who own it. The idea is "decent enough" and this film would have been fairly entertaining had it been done better. However after the first ten minutes or so it soon becomes boring; we don't get any good death scenes and have to listen to loads of talking. At the end one of the possessed men meets his death by melting away in front of two girls, but it's not very interesting and definitely not gory.I wouldn't recommend The Power to any horror or slasher fan as there's little to be gained from it.$LABEL$ 0 +Another FINE effort by America's most UNDERrated filmmaker. His knowledge on the subject of racism is STAGGERING, and IMPRESSES me on more than one level. Accusations that Lee is really just a devious little racist, a poisonous dwarf who opportunistically exploits Hollywood's Affirmative Action system to make movies of inferior quality is utter NONSENSE, mere Right-Wing propaganda. The very notion that Lee would resort to misusing the current climate of political correctness in America in order to produce hate-filled anti-white movies is simply FALSE and malicious.Some of Lee's detractors even go so far as to suggest that GOTB glorifies African-Americans, while putting down other races: obviously, another FALSEHOOD disseminated by people who are AGAINST peaceful co-existence between different races in America and elsewhere.My favourite scene in the movie is a lengthy dialogue early on between the rich black Republican and the others in the bus. The views presented by that man are simply WRONG - all across the board. 100% UNTRUE. He LACKS education, unlike the brilliantly INFORMED guys who quite DESERVEDLY throw him off the bus.TERRIFIC performances, and an INTELLIGENT script make for a viewing experience that has been RARELY rivaled by any political movies made since.I also want to point out the incessant LIES that the Million-Man March had only 80,000 people taking part in it!(And now all you have to do is take the antonyms of all the words written in capital letters...)So what message does Lee send here? If someone doesn't agree with your political views, you simply apply violence and throw him off the bus. I thought the movie said "get ON the bus"...?Apparently, Mr.Lee is for bus-segregation after all, i.e. is no different than those KKK lunatics before him: the bus is only for those blacks who are in line with the Democratic Party's line of thinking. So much for "freeing the slaves"...The end-credits: "This movie was entirely financed by black people." And distributed and marketed by a major Hollywood studio run by Jews and whites whom Farrakhan despises...$LABEL$ 0 +Another first: this French movie is my introduction to the world Eric Rohmer. Perhaps I'm a bit hasty when I say that this is probably my last Rohmer movie but I was immediately turned off by the way Rohmer relies on monotonous philosophical conversations that never get to the point. There is a scene in the movie where the characters discuss love that I thought was never going to end. Honestly, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't understand why Rohmer is so highly regarded among cinephiles. He struck me as being one of those obnoxiously petulant people who are filled with hot air. If this is a sample of what his movies are about, I'm not interested. I don't care much for French cinema (usually reflective and speculative to a fault), so maybe I'm biased.$LABEL$ 0 +One Night at McCool's is one of those films that starts with an awful amount of promise but as the film goes on it becomes silly and loses it's way big time. Liv Tyler plays a manipulative woman who tries to get her own way by flaunting her body to every man she meets ,all of which fall under her spell.There are a few funny moments in this but they get fewer and fewer as the film deteriorates into a comedy farce. Michael Douglas who plays the assassin is good as is Liv Tyler, although she does look like she had put on a bit of weight since armaggedon. This is ok but is only memorable for the scene in which Liv Tyler washes her car, you will know what i mean when you see it fella's! Shwing!!!!! 7 out of 10 (just).$LABEL$ 1 +This is a must see for independant movie fans, but it also holds up well against mainstream movies. I think we have the makings of the next Woody Allen orTrentin Tarrentino here.The budget is painfully low. No special effects whatsoever, and they seemingly used ambient lighting (shot in digital video.) -And yet this movie grabs hold of you and never lets go. The screenplay is somewhat bizarre, yet the actors and director pull it off with complete realism. It has humor, it has intrigue, and it has pathos, and it all works together.No point in describing the details. If you want to see an independantmasterpiece, a virtual lesson in how to make a low budget flick that really works, see this one.-Oh yeah, it's also REALLY entertaining.$LABEL$ 1 +The plot of "Sally of the Sawdust" is the usual melodramatic stuff-- an orphan, rags-to-riches-- but the film rises above most silents thanks to three people: This is not, of course, D. W. Griffith's masterpiece, but it does showcase his film-making savvy in full maturity. He uses all his innovations, which are techniques we take for granted now: close-ups, cross-cutting, a mobile camera, and the ability to modify acting from theatrical exaggeration to cinematic subtlety.W. C. Fields also showcases his skills-- not his signature gruff delivery, but his remarkable dexterity as a physical comedian. He does a few inventive juggling acts, cut too short to be fully appreciated, and some very deft pickpocketing, but it seems that every prop that comes within reach gets manipulated for comic effect-- hat, cane, car roof, dog, cash. He's a joy to behold.Finally, there's Carol Dempster. Much has been said against this actress, but her performance here is also richly comic. She was 22 at the time, playing a teenager, and her approach to the role is a combination of grace and awkwardness that may not be wholly convincing, but she truly engages the eye when she's on screen-- particularly when she's dancing. She's not a beauty--though she's positively luminous in the one scene where she's gussied up like a Talmadge sister-- but her plainness only adds to Sally's character, especially in the many moments when she shows very obvious affection for Fields as her guardian/"father." Few, if any, Hollywood performers could compete with Fields when it came to comedy, but Griffith gives his leading lady every chance to match her co-star, and Dempster absolutely holds her own.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the sequel to Octopus.Pff... OK. A lot of stock footage, but pretty good. I'm surprised that they actually had a giant robot octopus that actually didn't look that bad! I was actually quite surprised by that.The movie overall was just OK fun. It never explained how the octopus got so big, and isn't linked it anyway to the first. But it was still fun.The ending me and my friend laughed at. Basically, after blowing the octopus up once, the two main characters launch a bomb, and five explosions, most stock footage, appear on screen! We joked that they went to the dollar store and bought a 'five missiles in one' toy! Believe me, it has to be seen to believe! Overall just stupid fun. Worth giving a chance, buying if it's cheap.$LABEL$ 0 +This begins a wager between Edgar Allen Poe and a journalist...Poe bets that the man can not spend an entire night in a creepy castle. Well, of course he can, but will he come out unscathed? Hard to say with all these strange people that aren't supposed to be there wandering around, including the icy Barbara Steele. This is a fairly odd film in that the presentation is both in French and English, and switches back and forth a few times. Perhaps this is done because bits of dialog were lost? It's also rather dark and claustrophobic, being that one doesn't see much beyond a small circle of light that candles and such generate, plus there's a feel of dread and impending doom pretty much at all times. This version (on Synapse) is also uncensored and I wondered what might be censored in a film from 1964 until I saw the topless scene, I guess that might be it. Overall this is pretty good and in gloomy black and white. Barbara Steele definitely makes the movie too. 8 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +This is a wonderful look, you should pardon the pun, at 22 women talking about breasts-- theirs, their mothers', other women's, and how they affect so many aspects of their lives. Young girls, old women, and everyone in between (with all shapes, sizes, configurations, etc) talk about developing, reacting, celebrating, hiding, enhancing, or reducing their breasts.It's charming, delightful, sad, funny, and everything in between. Intercut with documentary footage and clips from those famous old "young women's films" that the girls got taken to the cafeteria to see, the interviews are a fascinating window for men who love women & their breasts into what the other half has to say when they don't know you're listening.$LABEL$ 1 +I actually saw this movie at a theater. As soon as I handed the cashier my money, she said two words I had never heard at a theater, before or since: "No refunds!" As soon as I heard those words, I should have just waved bye-bye to my cash and gone home. But no, foolishly, I went in and watched the movie. This movie didn't make ANYONE in the theater laugh. Not even once. Not even inadvertantly! Mostly, we sat there in stunned silence. Every ten minutes or so, someone would yell "This movie SUCKS!" The audience would applaud enthusiastically, then sit there in stunned, bored silence for another ten minutes.$LABEL$ 0 +In "Lassie Come Home," "National Velvet," and "The Courage of Lassie," Elizabeth Taylor was eleven years old … Nevertheless, her charm and beauty were extraordinary, and what she lacked in talent and experience was well hidden in a fine production that was nominated for five Academy Awards… As horse-trainer or dog-owner, as spurned wife or mistress, Liz is a female who is absorbed in the giving and receiving of love: devotion to the object of passion is the center of her life… Little Liz lavishes love on horses and dogs with remarkable intensity… Ecstatic; a dreamer with a turbulent emotional life, persistent, the young Liz dedicates herself to the prize-winning horse the way she later devotes herself to men…Anticipating her later images of young sex goddess, Liz as Velvet is both saintly and mature… Howard Barnes, in the New York Herald Tribune, called her a child who 'lights up with the integrity of a great passion.' Directed by Clarence Brown with loving attention to detail, the movie that made her a star is a big bestseller from another era set in Sussex, England, where Velvet Brown, a butcher's daughter, teams with a vagabond teenager named Mi Taylo (Mickey Rooney) to train for competition a horse she's won in a raffle… From the coastal plains with its beaches, to the rolling hills, thatched cottages, and miles of country walks, "National Velvet" is the product of a bygone era in movie-making… Following closely the structure of the popular Enid Bagnold novel, the movie is part horse story, part family portrait: scenes of training and riding are balanced by cozy family scenes, vignettes about young love and sermons from Mom on the virtues of courage and endurance…The Browns are a noble version of Hollywood rustic… Dedicated to a sober work ethic, they live quiet, exemplary lives… Mrs. Brown (Anne Revere) is the very spirit of plain-folk wisdom; the spokeswoman for common sense and fair play, she knows well enough not to silence the semi-hysterical energy of her horse-crazy daughter, and she lets the girl have her dream…Anne Revere won an Oscar as Velvet's mother, as did editor Robert J. Kern…$LABEL$ 1 +I can never figure if this is the Artiest Soap Opera ever produced, or the Soapiest Art Movie. No matter, John Seale's cinematogaphy is utterly ravishing. Ondaatje's novel is not reduced, but for once, elevated to film. If there is a fault, it is in the original novel, not in Anthony Minghella's beautiful movie. Anyone who has a problem with it's length almost certainly has not read the book, and probably cannot read. I do not like repeating adjectives, but ravishing serves the purpose. Apart from the storyline, the players excel. But it is the Australian sense of light and shade that ultimately triumphs. Like some antipodean Dutch Master, Seale uses a blast of light, where Van Rijn would have used shade. One could weep for cinematography this magnificent.$LABEL$ 1 +This video was my first introduction to the Residents, and I couldn't stop playing it for the past three days. The visuals are dynamite and more inventive and technically complex than any I have ever seen on the big screen or small.The DVD loses points, however, for the pointless addition of new music. The original Residents music is unlike anything else you've ever heard, and will really tweak your brain in the best possible way. The new music however is uniformly uninteresting and in most cases is rather bad in comparison to some of the classic tracks. Also, the uncompleted Vileness Fats video feels VERY incomplete, and I could only fathom the plot of the story from extensive reading of the notes on the disc.Speaking of notes on the disc, this DVD features lots of cool easter eggs that will probably appeal to long-time fans of the Residents. Hint: look for icons on the notes pages that shouldn't be there.From a technical standpoint, the disc is one of the best DVD transfers available. There is virtually no observable pixelization, and only a little edginess in strong contrast points.Kudos for a top notch presentation. This disc really deserves your attention.$LABEL$ 1 +`The Matrix' was an exciting summer blockbuster that was visually fantastic but also curiously thought provoking in its `Twilight Zone'-ish manner. The general rule applies here- and this sequel doesn't match up to its predecessor. Worse than that, it doesn't even compare with it.`Reloaded' explodes onto the screen in the most un-professional fashion. In the opening few seconds the first impression is a generally good one as Trinity is shot in a dream. Immediately after that, the film nose-dives. After a disastrous first 45 minutes, it gradually gains momentum when they enter the Matrix and the Agent Smith battle takes place. But it loses itself all speed when it reaches the 14-minute car chase sequence and gets even worse at the big groan-worthy twist at the end. Worst of all is the overlong `Zion Rave' scene. Not only does it have absolutely nothing to do with the plot, but it's also a pathetic excuse for porn and depressive dance music.The bullet-time aspect of `The Matrix' was a good addition, but in `'Reloaded' they overuse to make it seem boring. In the first one there were interesting plot turns, but here it is too linear to be remotely interesting. The movie is basically, just a series of stylish diversions that prevent us from realising just how empty it really is. It works on the incorrect principle that bigger is better. It appears that `The Matrix' franchise has quickly descended into the special effects drenched misfire that other franchises such as the `Star Wars' saga have.The acting standard is poor for the most part. The best character of course goes to Hugo Weaving's `Agent Smith'- the only one to be slightly interesting. Keanu Reeves is the definitive Neo, but in all the special effects, there is little room to make much of an impact. Academy Award Nominee Laurence Fishburne is reduced to a monotonous mentor with poor dialogue. Carrie Ann Moss' part as the action chick could have been done much better by any other actress. A poor, thrown-together movie, `The Matrix Reloaded' is a disappointment. Those who didn't like the first one are unlikely to flock to it. This one's for die-hard fans only. Even in the movie's own sub-genre of special effect bonanzas (Minority Report, The Matrix etc.) this is still rather poor. My IMDb rating: 4.5/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Most of the comments have been positive but I would like to add that viewers should also focus on the sets. The set designer used a lot of beautiful art deco treatments along with beautiful buildings, stairs, doors, furniture and so forth. It is worth paying attention to. The movie is driven by characterization and symbolism which is very rich. All the gangster actors were cast - it was like seeing old friends and it was a treat. The dialog was amusing at times but stilted at times and I suppose it was meant to be that way. This is a film buff's film. It was made by people, for people who love the medium. Don't miss this one.$LABEL$ 1 +i totally loved this movie, tried to buy it and can't find it. a must see, a movie you can watch again and again, funny but also a tear jerker in one. really good album for the movie. it's a really good 80's movie, i wish i could find a copy to buy this movie, cause i would,the actors in it acted really good.there's a lot of people out there that probably could relate to this movie.that's what makes this movie so good. so go out and try to rent this one, you won't regret it. it's an older movie but it's worth watching, i would not be surprised if they made a remake of this movie soon, but i'm sure it would not be the same. anyone who hasn't seen it, go rent it.$LABEL$ 1 +I went to the pre-screening of "Rory O'Shea Was Here." I like this movie better than I expected, because the excellent casts and the powerful performance. It's a film about the friendship of two handicapped young man. Rory is free spirit young man who wants to be independent regardless his Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He can only move his two fingers but he can talk eloquently and help his new pal, Michael, who has cerebral palsy and is significantly speech impaired. I guess that's enough to start with a weeping drama. Well, it is. But with inspiring messages and deeply moving performances. It made me looking at my life for things I take for granted. What would I do if all I can do is to move my two fingers? I should feel grateful for what I have and what I am capable of doing. This is a good flick, although it could have been better.$LABEL$ 1 +My what a director's intuition can bring on material that needs just the right nudge in the right directions. Young Mr. Lincoln is filled up with some 'old-fashioned' values, which in retrospect, despite its two-dimensional portrayal, is at least more respectably done than one might see in the pap in current cinema. What makes it work so extremely well as it does, in all its simplicity and grandeur, is that its a truly great courtroom drama in the guise of a history lesson. We all know of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th president that did the emancipation and after the Civil war got assassinated. But as the lawyer in his earlier years he was charismatic, funny in the most unexpected places, and a true gentleman. He's not some superhero that can do no wrong (which was Fonda's only apprehension to the part before signing on), but a figure with possible flaws that are surpassed by his innate goodness and clear sight of right and wrong.It's suffice to say that John Ford is exceptional as a storyteller almost without trying. Actually, it's a lie, he does try, but he makes it sort of effortless in the studio system; he worked in an independent manner while also pleasing simultaneously Zanuck, so he was pretty much left alone to his own succinct practices in "editing in camera", and not moving it around so as to not waver far off from the story. It's this strength of conventional wisdom that somehow works hand in hand with the material, as a kind of companion piece to the full-blooded Americana in 1939 as seen in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (only here it's the law and not politics). Fonda is terrific in the lead- his first with Ford- and never lets us loose sight of Lincoln past the make-up and extra boost in the shoes. Fonda's own personality, in a sense, as it would in Grapes of Wrath and My Darling Clementine, comes out in the character of Lincoln. However unlikely it might be, there's no one else from this period that could have played him then: he's mature and wise, but has the gumption to prove himself in this case of a convoluted he-saw-that-but-did-she murder case.Only in little bits and pieces, like that final shot which superimposes Lincoln walking down the road with his monument, and a couple of small instances during that big parade scene early on, seem pretty dated. As far as the goals set out with Young Mr. Lincoln, there were all met by Ford and his crew and cast; it's not as hokey as one might think going in, and it's got a strong balance of humor and genuine pathos.$LABEL$ 1 +'Bluff' has been showing for a good few months at movie theatres in Bogota, and today I finally got round to seeing it. I didn't really know what to expect at all, but was very happily surprised. It is a crime comedy of the same ilk as Snatch etc, and it manages to nicely balance elements of suspense with comedy. The style of the film is established early on with cheerful music and the Argentinean narrator who makes asides direct to camera -- odd the first time, but subsequently fitting naturally.With my less-than-perfect Spanish, I still found the plot and dialogue easy enough to follow, and plenty of the comedy is situational. My Colombian girlfriend was laughing a lot at the various portrayals of people from different regions and social classes which did pass me by somewhat, but for instance a well-acted portrayal of a pompous idiot in a position of power is funny in any language.I think it is to this film's credit that it has something of a global flavour: I wasn't often reminded that this was Colombia that I was watching. Yet it is important to note that many wealthy Bogotanos do live like some of the characters in this film, and it is not a mis-portrayal of Bogota or Colombian society in any way, just a *selective* portrayal -- as is any film supposedly portraying a 'real' situation/culture.I don't know how much of the comedy would be lost in subtitles, but if it comes to your country definitely go check it out: it is a very slick and enjoyable movie with great elements of black humour. And all in a tightly packaged 90 minutes.$LABEL$ 1 +I know it's a Power-Rangers gimmick and catered to 7 year olds but really why were they taking themselves seriously with this movie? If they are going to write a plot with crayons, at least have the decency to make it silly. It's kind of hilarious if you watch this. We have a typical family filled with cliched characters (father a war veteran who lost his wife and blames himself LOLOL), air-head children trying to hard to fill the stereotype but fails with horrendous acting, and a laughably horrid sidekick who serves no purpose to the movie but to fill camera space. Funny stuff!However, the real great moment comes near the end when war-dad and bad-acting-villain try to work a sword fight, but then they realize none of them know how to (probably because no room in budget for choreographers), so they come up with this American Gladiator type setting to run around in. LOL.1/10 rating because they try to treat this seriously.$LABEL$ 0 +I grew up watching the original TV series in the sixties and one thing that I can tell you right away, there is NO comparison. This film was totally ridiculous with a flying suit that was alive. A martian that took different shapes. Special effects that looked like something that a little child would create. In contrast, in the original, characters were developed and the viewers developed a feeling for Tim and Uncle Martin. The only highlight in this film, yes, actually there was one, occurred when Ray Walston finally made an appearance at the end. He wore dark glasses and made references to living on this planet for 30 years as a sort of homage to the TV series. But even the real Uncle Martin could not save this turkey.$LABEL$ 0 +Sorry did i miss something? did i walk out early? The first ten minutes of unusual (and untrue!) stories had me thinking "This is going to be a classic" But it was all down hill from there! The acting was brilliant, for what it's worth William H Macy is fantastic and just gets better and better every film i watch him in. But it never seemed to connect. I was waiting for the big moment where all the stories inter connect and then suddenly..it rains frog?? it was if the writer said "i've gone to deep how can i pull all these stories together cleverely....Oh sod it i'll just have it raining frogs". I like clever movies, i like strange movies but this was just odd and boring. 4/10$LABEL$ 0 +Most Stoogephiles consider this to be the best Stooges short bar none, and they're right. Curly is a scream dressed up in drag as "Senorita Cucaracha", and Moe and Larry are in top form as "Senor Mucho" and "Senor Gusto", respectively. Christine McIntyre's beautiful operatic voice is given full rein--she actually was a trained opera singer--and it's wonderful. The great Gino Corrado is hilarious as a pompous Italian singer terrorized by the Stooges at a society party. Some truly funny gags, good direction and very tight editing make this rise to the very top of the Stooges' prolific output. What's even more amazing is that Curly was having severe health problems at the time, and in several of the shorts he made during this period, you can see that he is obviously ill; his timing is way off, he speaks very slowly and haltingly, and has trouble getting around. Fortunately, his health was in an upswing when he made this film, and it shows. Classic Stooge comedy, and enjoyed by even non-Stooge fans (I had a girlfriend who couldn't stand the Stooges, but even she laughed at this one). A must-see.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the touching story of two families in Israel and the relationships within each family. Each family has a gay son. The stories are interrelated at that point but this film is about all of the family members, not just the two sons. The portraits of each of the family members in both families are well drawn and the story is consistently interesting if a bit bleak.$LABEL$ 1 +I love documentaries. The Andy Goldsworthy doc was great.I looked forward to this one - but was very disappointed. I knew of Kahn and was intrigued by the idea of his lonely death in a Penn Station men's room. There must be a story here, I mistakenly believed.The only story here is of sadly deluded women who had affairs with an ugly little famous married man. In the absence of anything like an explanation for this guy's horrible behavior, we're given endlessly repeated clips of Kahn walking around and painfully long - supposedly contemplative - shots of his soulless buildings.Actually, some of the buildings are interesting but the thrust of the film asks us to think about the guy himself. The overwrought soundtrack references an emotional tug that is entirely absent from the film. Kahn's apparent gifts do not excuse his behavior or martyr his mistresses. This film seems to want to give Kahn the great artiste's free pass and thus make the director and his mother sympathetic figures - I don't buy it.$LABEL$ 0 +Rush in Rio is simply an amazing DVD. This concert is one of the peak moments of the history of Rush and they deliver their music brilliantly and with more power than ever.I was lucky enough to actually be in this concert, and not only that, I was in the very first row grabbing the gate that separated the audience from the stage!! It's the first and only time I've seen a Rush concert live and it was a dream come true for me. I have no words to accurately describe this experience but I can tell you it is one of the highlights of my life.Some people complain about the sound of this DVD saying it is not very clear and polished, but the sound you listen is real, true to how it was in the concert. It is raw and powerful and so authentic that every time I watch it I go back and re-live that beautiful moment. Many artists record live shows and then they make a lot of tweaking, so the final product is far from what the actual concert really was. Sure you can achieve a very sophisticated and polished sound this way but you don't get the real thing. This is not the case with Rush in Rio, this is the real deal!! I admit that I enjoy those fancy sounding concert DVD's, I love music and the sound is a very important aspect, but it's refreshing to listen to a concert that is so honest. You listen to Rush just the way they sound in a live performance, no tricks, no tweaks. This is a real live concert DVD.I highly recommend Rush in Rio, the set-list is fantastic and the performances by Geddy, Alex and Neil are mind-blowing. Not to mention the crowd, you can see how much they love Rush and sing along to every tune, even YYZ which is an instrumental!! I actually appear singing twice; in Tom Sawyer I sing "always hopeful yet discontent" and in Earthshine I sing "only reflect". It's just a few seconds but I simply couldn't believe my eyes when I saw myself in a rush DVD!! Awesome!! I hope you enjoy this magnificent concert from the greatest band on Earth.$LABEL$ 1 +An example of genius filmaking. The epic story of three major stages of life for a young boy told with eloquence and raw fearlessness. Rarely does a film come along that causes me to out loud say during most of the viewing, "this is a really good film...." again and again. That is exactly what happened when I watched this film. I really do not understand how anyone could not like it. I found myself at moments crying and laughing at the very same moment, unable to control how I felt about the scene. The acting is outstanding. Eric Mabius- why is he not all over movie screens? He was really extraordinary. His seemingly effortless attempt on the screen impacted me in deep visceral ways. I thank him. In my opinion, Eric Schaeffer is one of the best filmakers around, and I hope he continues to rise to the challenges that he faces while trying to give us art in the face of ferocious commercial filmaking.$LABEL$ 1 +For those with little time on their hands, I'll sum it up quickly, in one word...pathetic. There are a lot of good examples as to why this movie fits perfectly under that description. So much so that you can barely go through 2 minutes of screen time without seeing something completely stupid and pointless forced upon you. Want a fully naked woman in the first 10 minutes? You got it! The reason she appears is so pointless though that it really sets the tone for the rest of this piece of juvenile crap. You can almost glimpse into the deluded minds of the 12 year old boys that wrote this piece of garbage just by watching this crap that they expect the public to actually pay for!!??!!! I've watched many a movie franchise decline over the years, but American Pie;Beta House has to be one of the worst offenders when you consider that despite the average nature of the original movie, it's still a thousand times funnier than this dreck.The plot is predictable, and sometimes you actually feel like you're watching a school play. The things that happen in this movie are so unrealistic that it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to actually watch it (we're talking Star Wars levels of suspension, like the kind you need to convince yourself Jar Jar is real)The plot is paper thin and mostly the events that transpire are only there to show another pair of breasts or set up yet another pathetic joke. There is no acting talent to speak of, all you get is a bunch of pretty boys trying to make us laugh. And ohhh how they fail!!!! Every gag falls flat and the only thing I laughed at was how socially unaware the scriptwriters appear to be. How else can you explain the bulls**t they try to pass off as a story?They pass up every opportunity to do something worthwhile and entertaining in favour of badly written, lowest common denominator nonsense. The characters have to complete a set number of tasks before they are accepted as members of Beta House, but this is dealt with mostly by a series of very brief montages that imply that they are completing the tasks but we see little to no evidence of it actually happening. Its a very lazy way of telling a story. It also misses opportunities to be funny in doing so.(Imagine say The Wizard of Oz where all the important events happened offscreen instead of on it, and all we see is Dorothy high-fiving the Scarecrow every now and again and saying "Gee that sure was a great adventure we just had back then") Lazy. Lazy. LAZY!!!!The female characters have little or nothing to say. All they do is get naked for no apparent reason and are used as visual props through most of the movie. You braindeads that only seek T&A will not be disappointed, but for that reason alone shame on you. If you buy this on DVD you will be contributing to the downfall of society in your own special way. Congratulations.$LABEL$ 0 +I so much enjoyed this little musical fantasy I bought a copy to share with my friends. It is a pleasant and diverting change from our mundane lives..... I believe that we can all benefit from an active fantasy life, one of joy and indulgence, I heartily recommend it!The performance is excellent, and the music uplifting!$LABEL$ 1 +A friend of mine asked: "Doesn't one have to be pro-euthanasia in order to like this movie? Is it a mistake of the movie to infer most quadriplegics want to end their lives?" Interesting questions.As far as I can see (correct me if I'm wrong), there is only one quadriplegic who wanted to end his life in The Sea Inside. Think Ramón Sampedro addressed this in the movie as well. It is he who wants to die. It is he who is fighting for his right to decide his death. He is speaking for himself and not other quadriplegics. Though his pioneering work, depending on one's perspective, may prove beneficial or damaging to quadriplegics down the road, his primary objective is a personal one. But one thing this movie does (my opinion anyway), is that it forces us the viewers to ask ourselves the inferring questions my friend so succinctly put forth.After my first viewing of The Sea Inside, I walked home in a conflicted blur. I struggled to reconcile with this exasperating notion; why would Ramón want to die? Given the love, care and sacrifices so unconditionally showered on Ramón by the people surrounding him, why would he doggedly cling on to his hurtful decision? Then, on my second viewing, a shared thought between Ramón and the lawyer lady entered my consciousness. It threw up a telling observation: "...total dependency comes at the expense of intimacy." Most human beings crave for such an intimacy. Of course, how much we value such "needs", depends largely on the individual.As a person with a familial-biased sensibility, I empathised strongly with the caregivers in this movie. Why can't Javier consider the sacrifice and the love from his family and friends? Is he blind to it all? I would think not. The miracle of The Sea Inside therefore, is its insightful depiction of a very humanistic tug of war. When we are faced with the guardianship of a sane but incapacitated loved one, whom has expressed a calm, conscious and rational intent to die, what then is the right thing to do? Is caring for and keeping this loved one alive, against his or her will, a pious gesture? Does it show up the worth of our love? Or does it merely soothe our "selfish" fears of irreplaceable loss? With so much understanding accorded to caregivers, wouldn't their invalid charges, by submitting themselves to the total dependency of others for survival, also be an overlooked act of sacrifice? Rhetorical or not, how much is "dignity" worth to an individual? Is living (or dying) with dignity a privilege or a right? If we really care and love a person, should we also respect their eventual decisions in life (as in death)? A torrent of questions the movie might have asked, answers to which, I'm in no position to provide.In our eagerness to intellectually demarcate the merits of pro-life or pro-choice, we run the risk of ignoring a sea of grey that's engulfing the people most intimately affected, the caregivers and the ones they care for. The Sea Inside hence attempted to present the delicate yet complex relationship dynamics between them. Intuitively, this film understands one thing; that the nature of "sacrifice" is never one-sided. In this tug of war, we should endeavour not to win arguments, but to intently observe and hopefully determine, who is the "stronger" party to make that sacrifice.The Sea Inside is a sobering film. It opened my eyes to things I don't wanna see. And for that, I am grateful.$LABEL$ 1 +I had the good fortune of reading the book before seeing the movie. It was an epic of adolescence, a dream of summers gone, a great potential indie film or big budget drama. It somehow got into the hands of a hack, who clearly took notes watching Boogie Nights and Rushmore without actually learning anything at all. The script loses the meat of the book in favor of forced emotional notes and low brow gags. I feel sorry for the actors, since the characters in the book were rich and textured, but cut down to embarrassing charactures in the film. Mason Gamble is great when given the opportunity, as is Dylan Baker, but the skeleton that remains of the story plays out like a bad after school special. Poor people = GOOD, Rich people = BAD. Though it's almost worth watching to see the Southern California beach where Gary Sinise parks his trailer which is meant to pass for a bay in Delaware. It's a good book, but an embarrassing turn for first time director Mills Goodloe. K.$LABEL$ 0 +This is not a new film. It is a re-cut of 1994's "Emmanuelle, Queen of the Galaxy", and it has been significantly truncated. Warning: Many characters appear in the credits that have been cut from the movie!If you want to see this one in its original form, pick up "Queen" - avoid this one at all costs, as the cuts make it even choppier than it was originally.$LABEL$ 0 +It's not really about gymnastics; swap out the occasional training montages and it could just as easily be about archery, or microbiology, or a booger-flicking tournament. Instead, like every other Rocky/Flashdance derivative that flooded the 80s market, it's about conquering adversity with stick-to-it-iveness, rendering all social/personal realities irrelevant by your lonesome - with love interest standing by of course. Ronald Reagan top to bottom, in short; so as a piece of cinema it's down to the details. Some of the actors are quirky enough to liven things up - especially the love interest, brought to you by none other than Mr. Keanu Reeves, warming up for Ted; heroine Olivia D'Abo's hateful alkie dad and big-hair stepsister are more interesting than the sickly mom or her utterly inert bitch-nemeses/teammates, one of whom appears to be made of porcelain. It's my instinct to be appalled by the comic-relief black guys, but on the other hand at least they're in the movie. But D'Abo doesn't quite convince with her awkward-girl shtick, and in the absence of any other narrative focus the lack of interest in the gymnastics themselves really does matter; it's all just bodies hurtling around, and not only is the outcome of the big tournament a foregone conclusion, it's all performed by an obvious double.$LABEL$ 0 +For movie fans who have never heard of the book (Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House") and have never seen the 1963 Robert Wise production with Julie Harris, this remake will seem pretty darn bad.For those of us who have, it is just plain awful.Bad acting (what was Neeson thinking?), goofy computer enhancements, and a further move away from Jackson's story doom this remake.Do yourself a favor and rent the original movie. It still effectively scares without hokey special effects. The acting is professional and believable.For readers of the book, the from 1963 follows the it much closer.$LABEL$ 0 +If you enjoy sitting in the dark, both literally and figuratively, for ninety minutes then this is the movie for you.A waste of actors, resources and audience time. Ultimately a waste of space. Don't be tempted by the resume. There is nothing of any further substance beyond it. The film lacks all of the basics that you might expect from the genre; plot, character, development, denouement. The cast may perhaps take heart from the knowledge that in this instance their efforts will be entirely forgettable and, given time, their careers may perhaps improve.Absolute tripe.$LABEL$ 0 +If you would like to watch an example of how not to make a film, then you need to watch this. I, myself, with no film making experience could do better. The script is laughable with a weak plot and there is no effort to be seen for any intelligent structure. In order to make up for this flaw, you would think the action would be decent, wouldn't you?As the acting, editing and overall piecing together of the film is appalling the only saving grace is the dreadful performance by the lead actor. The reason why he is the saving grace, is because he is so genuinely bad at acting, that he should win an Oscar for it. At least some recognition for making me laugh at him so much.Toss in a dead woman's body after an all male shoot out (where did she come from?), pull the semi automatic trigger tens of times while the soundman pulls off two gunshot effects, reflection of the camera crew in Kool Mo Dee's shades, one and only ONE music track for the WHOLE film, an unoriginal script that has no logic; is a perfect recipe for a really, really bad film. Its actually more fun spotting the errors than actually trying to find something positive. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$ 0 +The final season of Roseanne was a roller coaster ride of crazy. This final episode does just what a previous comment says, it tells us that as much as we might have thought we knew the characters we did not. Roseanne reaches back to season one, and tells us that this show has been her rendition of her life. She says in this final episode that she changed events and people as she sees fit. Scott was not really with Leon, but he existed. Mark and David married opposite wives in real life, and Dan died when she made him live. As events happened in her life, she changed them in her writing. Don't we all wish we could do that. Don't we all have a moment in time that we wish we could just use an eraser and change to our liking. This is what she did with the entire episode. And to another comment I would say that I don't feel cheated, the family was real in my mind, she just changed the way that events happened in their lives. An A+ ending to an A+ show!!!!$LABEL$ 1 +Ever notice how in his later movies Burt Reynolds' laugh sounds like screeching brakes?Must have been hanging out with Hal Needham too much.And from the looks of "Stroker Ace", WAY too much.Can you believe this was based on a book? Neither could I, but it was. And probably not a best-seller, I'll wager. Burt's another good-old-boy in the NASCAR circuit who hitches up with Beatty as a fried chicken magnate with designs on his team. Anderson provides what love interest there is and Nabors does his umpteenth Gomer Pyle impression as faithful mechanic/best friend Lugs. A lot of people here are friends of Burt's or Hal's. Others must have needed the work. And even real NASCAR drivers get in on the act, and look to have more talent than those with SAG cards. As far as laughs go, Bubba Smith (pre-"Police Academy") gets them as Beatty's chauffeur. And Petersen, in full Elvira mode, gets lots of appreciative leers as a lady who wants to get to know Lugs real well. REAL WELL.It's a shame that Burt threw away as much time and effort in a film like "Stroker Ace" where it didn't matter whether he bothered to act or not. They didn't bother to write a character for him, why bother to act?Two stars. Mostly for Petersen, and for the out-takes at the end. Now THEY'RE funny.$LABEL$ 0 +Is this film a joke? Is it a comedy? Surely it isn't a serious thriller? There is no suggestion that there is any intended humor, but on quite a few occasions the poor acting, poor directing, and appalling script had the audience laughing out loud in the cinema. The plot is acceptable - a promising young artist just reaching his peak shot dead by an assassin he walks in on by mistake. The killer sees the young artists work portfolio he is carrying and decides to attend an exhibition of his work. At the exhibition the assassin meets the dead artists sister and they end up falling in love. It is all very predictable stuff and the end will not have anyone guessing as it is so poorly scripted. The film takes place mainly in and around Vienna, Austria, and shows what a beautiful city it is. Do not waste your time on this film though, unless you are studying how NOT to act, direct or script a film!$LABEL$ 0 +There was a great film to be made about Steve Biko. Sadly this wasn't it. Denzel Washington - never the most flexible of actors - is totally unable to convey the great charisma that Biko had. Attenborough's big crowd scenes are laughable. The Soweto massacre wasn't like this, three neat lines of children ( some doing cartwheels!) marching happily into the guns of the soldiers. With Biko dead the film rapidly descends into farce. If the struggle against Apartheid was anything it was a black people's struggle yet somehow we are all supposed to be gripped by the escape of a white man and his family. I'm sure Donald Woods was a decent man and he would be the first to say that Biko was important while he wasn't. Penelope Wilton's accent is pure Hampshire and she seems completely unaware that she is in South Africa at all. at all. The Wood's family dog gets more lines than the black maid. As the family make their escape one the women I saw the film with - incidentally one of only about a dozen black people in a large, full cinema - whispered "This is like the sound of music." She had a point.Overall this is a film by a well-intentioned if somewhat inept white liberal about a radical black people's struggle. And really South Africa needs well-intentioned white liberals like it needs a hole in the head.$LABEL$ 0 +"Citizen X" tells the story of "The Butcher of Rostov", nickname for a heinous and perverse Russian serial killer who claimed 52 lives from 1978-92. The film focuses on the novice detective (Rea) who doggedly pursued the killer against all odds in the face of an uncooperative bureaucracy in self-serving and convenient denial. An HBO product for t.v., the film offers a solid cast, good performances, spares the audience much of the grisly details, but plays out like a docudrama sans the stylistics of similar Hollywood fare. An even and straight-forward dramatization of a serious and comparatively little known story more interesting than "Jack the Ripper". (B)$LABEL$ 1 +When I first got wind of this picture, it was just called "Shepherd" and was supposed to be the film that would put JCVD back into chances of doing theatrical shtuff. I was very well excited about the whole piece.By the time it was titled "The Shepherd: Border Patrol," I was tap-dancing in excitement for this flick. With Isaac Fluorentine at the helm of directing, and JJ Perry pulling stunt coordination, I almost peed me pants in anticipation. Pics were released of JCVD kicking 8 different kinds of arse as well as Scott Adkins playing what I thought was the villain, and I was mind-blown in excitement. I thought it was going to be another epic martial arts situation like Lone Wolf McQuade.Then it came out. I ordered it off Blockbuster online for $20 and was ready for anything. The reviews from vandammefan.net kinda had my ideas alittle altered, but I braced myself. The mail came on day 4 and I ripped open the package. My initial plan was to rush upstairs, rip the face off the cardboard packaging, then smash the case in the proper dynamics so the disc would land in my DVD player. However, I stared at the case for 10 minutes then placed the disc in my player and watched the film.By the time it was over, I was cool as a fool in the pool. The Shepherd is certainly one of my all-time favorite direct-to-video films ever and makes Derailed look like even more of the toilet mess that it is. Sure, some of the fights ran a twee bit short, but they were still VERY awesome. The shootouts were superb, as was Scott Adkins, who SHOULD have been the villain, unlike the forgettable Steven Lord.I highly recommend this flick. Seriously.$LABEL$ 1 +First off I really enjoyed Zombi 2 by Lucio Fulci. This film was utter trash. I couldn't stand to watch it. The storyline was a joke, the acting was a joke, and the fact that Zombi 3 has nothing to do with Zombi 2 is even more a joke.We jump from Voodoo to DEATH 1 THE HARMFUL AGENT BRINING People BACK TO LIFE. Whatever, this movie isn't worth the $1.00 it cost to rent it. I really enjoyed lucio fulci movies but this one was horrible. If Zombi 3 is an indicator for how zombi 4 and 5 are going to be I think I will just skip them.Zombi 2 is an awesome flique tho.$LABEL$ 0 +Pleasant story of the community of Pimlico in London who, after an unexploded WW2 bomb explodes, find a Royal Charter stating that the area they live in forms part of Burgundy.This movie works because it appeals to the fantasy a lot of us have about making up our own rules and not having to listen to THEM. A solid cast of British stalwarts, especially Stanley Holloway, makes this more believable.There are some very nice moments in the film, such as when the people have ran out of supplies and other Londoners on the other side of the barricade start throwing food and other things over to them.Even though you always knew Pimlico would become part of the UK again, the people of PImlico and as a consequence the viewer doesn't mind when this happens, leaving a nice happy feeling.It's amazing to think that these low budget movies from a small studio in London still remain so popular over fifty years later. The producers must have got something right.$LABEL$ 1 +The main reason for writing this review is I found this "revisioning" of a great play and worthy 1972 film, a horrible movie experience. If I can save someone from watching it, I will have done a good thing.This "new" version is loaded with talent, and it all goes wrong. Kenneth Branagh OKs an ugly, sterile, one note set. He proceeds to film the movie from every arty, distracting, self-centered angle possible. We see reflections of the actors in stainless steel, on security monitors, shots of their heads from 200 ft above, close ups of eyes, chins, and on and on. The screenplay, by a Nobel Laureate, introduces long stretchs of unpleasant homosexual banter, that is being faked by both parties,.... I think?? Given the character "twists" how would I know? The characters themselves,so richly drawn in the original, are crass and unsympathetic. The running time has been cut by an hour, which is either the real problem or the kindest thing the Director did for us. The actors perform their lines effectively, but nothing they say or do is remotely believable. Jude Law is over the top more than Caine, but as the credited Producer, must have had Branagh's blessing.All in all I found this to be an ugly to look at, unconvincing shell of a former classic. Why was it even made??? The paying public spent less that $4M worldwide to see it! A vanity piece of work that fails at every turn.$LABEL$ 0 +I had heard of John Garfield, but, didn't know him. I loved this movie. I had never heard of it. I just picked it up randomly. John Garfield is a boxer in the movie. He had been in real life also so he knew his part. He was a fugitive throughout the movie. Someone else killed a man. He character was blamed. He is befriended by a family who has questions and is not quite sure what to make of him. All sorts of minor plots ensue. My favorite was the scary swimming scene in a water tower where the water was deep and one Dead End Kid couldn't swim, AND none of them could get out.John's character saves the day. The Dead End Kids were great as his friends and followers. One of them right to the very end. Ann Sheridan played the family's daughter and John's eventual love interest. She was believable, but not lovable in my opinion-the only weak link in the movie.$LABEL$ 1 +1956's The Man Who Knew Too Much is exceptional entertainment. To those who prefer the 1934 original, I will say that that one is faster paced and wittier. However, even though the American version was (heaven forbid!) a big budget blockbuster, I believe it blows the British version out of the water. I think this is one of Hitchcock's 10 best-no small feat considering he made over 50 films and many of them were among the greatest of all time. I find so many things to love:1)James Stewart, America's favorite everyman for so many years, does an excellent job playing the distressed father here. He can make any film enjoyable, and working with such a likeable character in such a gripping story, he had me rooting for him very intensely. Leslie Banks in the original is nothing in comparison.2)Doris Day. Yes Doris Day. Despite all the criticisms directed toward her, I think she makes the loving wife/mother an extremely sympathetic person. I disagree with the negative remarks towards her character; just because she is soft-spoken and gentle it doesn't mean she is docile and helpless. I don't want to spoil anything, but she does make a crucial discovery by herself after her husband has failed. She gives the story a level of warmth that just wasn't there in the first one, and for those who care about that this version is the way to go. And I loved Que Sera Sera; I think it is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and deservedly won its Oscar. It elevated the film to another level.3)The Albert Hall sequence. I don't think it was too long at all; I think the suspense built the whole time to that terrific crescendo and Hitchcock's direction in this scene was absolutely brilliant. And the assassin was truly frightening. 4)The ending really put a smile on my face; even after the aforementioned scene was over I found the rescue scene to be exciting and it was great to see the charming family together again. The last line in the film is highly amusing. I don't think the film started out slowly; Hithcock was trying to get us to know and like the McKennas and he did a great job. I wasn't a huge fan of the kid playing Hank, but I didn't have a problem with him. Since Hank was Ben and Jo's kid I cared about him too; it's not like he was a brat or anything. I found no major flaws in this movie and so many major and minor virtues. Way to go Hitch!$LABEL$ 1 +I disagree in calling this a stoner movie just because weed also makes an appearance. I can't imagine this as even approaching "stoner classic." That would be like calling Singles a "grunge film." The movie definitely plods along with a murky plot. At times I wondered if the script had either been dropped and shuffled or if they lost it entirely and just tried to wing it. Watching this movie reminded me of watching children play-acting and making the story up as they go along.The characters are wooden, the dialog is taxed, and the whole story seems to be completely disconnected. Who got killed? When? What? And this is how you act when your friend overdoses? Complete lack of emotion and utter disconnect from reality.As for the droning guitar soundtrack that accompanies each scene: enough! It was like watching the opening menu screen where the same track loops endlessly in the background, neither moving forward or back.I kept watching and hoping that the plot would somehow fall in to order, the acting and dialog would improve or something, somehow would focus this mess in to a coherent movie. After 112 minutes, it never happened.$LABEL$ 0 +I enjoy watching people doing breakdance, especially if they do it as well as in the best scenes of this movie which takes you to a disco club called "Roxy". Especially at Christmas time, because there also appears a "MC Santa Claus".Even if this is an old film, and even if I have videotaped it from TV, when the State Movie Archive of Finland showed this in the summer of 2004 on their own big screen, I went there to check it out. It's much more enjoyable on big screen than on TV.Even if many people here think that watching this on big screen is a waste of money for the ticket cost, I disagree with this and I think that when I paid my ticket, I got the money's worth by seeing this, as it is on big screen, especially seated on front row of the cinema, an unforgettable experience, and much better than just on video.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is about a group of extra terrestrial gay black men exterminating females on Earth, in order to create a gay Universe.I watched it with the intent of seeing how bad it was. Still, I was shocked at how bad it was. It looked more like a film made 50 years ago. The acting, if any, is ultra bad. The sets and props are so ridiculously fake, making any college film look mega budget. And the special effects are laughably simple, indeed jaw dropping as others have commented, but jaw droppingly embarrassing.One has to be severely intoxicated, or in an altered state of consciousness in order to appreciate this film. If I was from Denmark, I would be severely embarrassed and humiliated that my countrymen produced such a horrifyingly bad film.$LABEL$ 0 +I hope this group of film-makers never re-unites.$LABEL$ 0 +It purports to be the life of Paul the apostle. It opens with him involved in a loin-cloth wrestling match with a priest. The Pharisees were called that because they "separated" themselves from the Hellenism being forced upon the Jews by their Gentile rulers. The point is that Saul would never have been involved in Greco-Roman wrestling. PERIOD.Then we have the two men (Saul and the Priest, Reuben - a totally extra-biblical fictitious character) shown being washed down in the nude in a Roman style bath house. Again, the Torah, which Saul adhered to religiously, condemned in the strongest possible terms looking upon the nakedness of another man.Reuben is shown being the one that pushes Saul into destroying the church. Again, the text of scripture doesn't matter, for their it is PAUL that says that he laid waste of the church and breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the church.The movie shows Barnabas "sprinkling" Paul - not baptizing (immersing) him, when the Text of Scripture says it was Ananias that did it.Their is no mention of Mark or his turning back so the writers of the script are forced to have Paul and Barnabas argue over Paul's desire to preach in Rome as the basis of their separation.No Silas on Paul's Second and Third Missions; No Timothy... EVER. No Titus; No Apollos... No, NO, NOOOO!!! James is said to have "known Jesus for a long time" rather than it saying, as the Text of Scripture does, that he is Jesus' brother.Why not just call the movie "Frank, the fictitious Apostle?!?!" At least that would be closer to the text of scripture.$LABEL$ 0 +While the film has one redeeming feature, namely some striking shots e.g. the shot of the sheep hanging from the tree, the scene of the funeral procession on the raft, or the scene of the boats leaving the village (which seemed influenced by the scene when the warships approach in the fantastic "Fellini Satyricon"), these were more photographic than cinematographic, and would have been better appreciated hung on a wall in an art gallery than embedded in a painfully slow-paced film that comes in at a whopping 162 minutes and suffers from terrible dialogue, extremely poor character development, over-acting, uninspired symbolism and heavy stylisation. This is the first film I have seen by Angelopoulos, and his reputation having preceded him, I expected a lot better, but can honestly say that this is one of the worst films I've ever seen, and I won't go out of my way to watch any of the director's other work in the future. The four friends I went to see it with agree.$LABEL$ 0 +The film isn't perfect by any means but despite this it is very fun and amusing to watch. I am the first one to agree that Victor Fox isn't really that attractive and his music and style are pretty cheesy. I also agree that the film has some odd distractions and some scenes don't work well. So what? If it makes you smile and you enjoy it who cares? Does every film have to make sense? Does every film have to be perfect? No. A person could get razed admitting that they love this film. Again, so what? It's got lovable characters, it's well shot, the acting is mostly good, it never becomes too maudlin or dramatic, it's quirky. Look at how many people love I Dream of Jeannie. Is it perfect? Heck no! And while this is very different, I say check it out and you'll be in a good mood after you see it.$LABEL$ 1 +This is one strange hacked together film, you get the feeling that the bond company had to come in on this one, I'm not surprised there's no credits on it, who would want to be associated with this film. The Acting of all involved is terribly stilted and the plot jumps around all over, it all makes very little sense. As I said before it looks like the bond company had to come in because it seems like there was alot of footage that wasn't shot that needed to be, and all the music was very ill-fitting library music (cheap I guess). Very, very odd. I might actually buy a DVD of it though, if it could let me in on what the hell was going on, and what happened to this movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I was watching this movie and getting increasingly bored with the silly plot that was going nowhere, when suddenly, the story takes a surreal turn for the worse and has an actor playing herself. Oh how I guffawed. Because it's sooooo funny, isn't it? We know Julia Roberts is playing the character of Tess, and here they are, in the film, cracking the joke that the character of Tess looks a bit like Julia Roberts. So Julia plays someone impersonating Julia. How well she does this, we'll never know, because 99.999% of the audience don't actually know Julia Roberts personally (and reading about her in Hello magazine doesn't count). And then Bruce Willis turns up! Apparently, he's Julia Roberts' best friend. Well, he is in the film... how would I know whether or not Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts even know each other? I'm not in the least bit interested in the personal lives of actors - I just pay my money and expect them to do the job they're paid to do. Anyway they start cracking jokes about the plot twist in the film where Willis (rather unconvincingly) plays a psychiatrist... the one with the little kid in it... you know the one? I don't, I've forgotten what it's called. Willis even drops in a comment about how well that film did at the box office - how modest of you Mr Willis!The problem is that, not only are these scenes pointless and horribly horribly self-indulgent, it also remind us, the viewers, that we're simply watching a bunch of actors strutting around and getting paid vast sums of money for very little effort. You see, when I see a movie, I want to suspend disbelief and forget that I'm watching actors - I want to believe in the story I'm watching. When you start pulling the scenery down, mid- movie, you simply ruin the illusion for me.You know that a TV series has jumped the shark when it starts introducing celebrities, playing themselves (stand up and be counted The Simpsons, Friends, etc.), but this is the first time I've seen a movie jump the shark. I usually stay away from movies like that (e.g. Scary Movie, The Naked Gun, etc.). The trouble is, I honestly never thought the Ocean's 11 films would go in this direction. What a shame.So with suspension of disbelief thrown out the window, and the plot now languishing in the movie then cracks the most wicked joke of all on the audience - the heist actually happened way back in the story, and the final 90 minutes or so of the film was pointless posturing. Yes, that's right: Steven Soderwhatsit and his actor friends all get up, point at us the audience and say, "Ha haaa... you've all been had... thanks for your money!". Then they give us the single fingered salute.Well, right back at you. I didn't actually pay to see this movie... I downloaded the DVD for nothing. How d'ya like them apples? Now THAT'S a plot twist.$LABEL$ 0 +Someone says this anime could be offensive for girls... not really. Embarrassing situations are funny; first time i see this series i was in the video store, people around me started laughing, doesn't matter the age or gender. A teacher said that in order to guarantee the attention of someone in a book the beginning must be entertaining and the ending shouldn't be obvious by just reading the last page. During the first minutes in the series the boy is hit by a car, during the last moments of the series, the same car appears.. Episodes had a touching and funny ending, specially last one. I don't regret to buy these series.$LABEL$ 1 +While in Madrid I was able to see a screener copy of this film. Wow! Gallo is amazing in it. Very unusual performance he gives. Aside from Gallo's genius, the film however is a dull a film I have ever seen in my life and at times is so poorly done it borders on laughable. I am also a Val Kilmer fan so he was part of the reason I made such a grand effort to view the film. The problem is Val is really only in one scene. Having his name in the cast as the lead is an insult to my intelligence and to the rest of the cast. I have only seen Stranded of the directors other films. Both films are far far below average but both contain very interesting Vincent Gallo performances. If you are as much as a Gallo fan as I then see this film regardless of how bad it is. If you do not like Gallo then there is ZERO left to love.$LABEL$ 0 +I can't seem to find anything that is good about this miniseries. Why the hell would you ban chocolate when u could ban something far more practical like smoking or alcohol? Also the fact that its an Australian program and its all set in england and everyone is faking british accents is stupid. Overall i think that this show is Unrealistic and cheap.$LABEL$ 0 +"Fear Of A Black Hat" is everything the (much weaker) "CB-4" SHOULD have been. Rusty Cundieff's satirical eye is ruthless, as he folds, spindles, and mutilates every aspect of hip-hop trends and culture. Does "FoaBH" resemble Spinal Tap? Yes, a bit. Is it derivative of Spinal Tap? No, not really. The aim is more focused, the satire is better focused, and to be honest, it's funnier.$LABEL$ 1 +I have never commented on IMDb before, but I feel I have to after watching The Batman animation. Its absolute rubbish! Warner Brothers had the perfect animation series in Batman in the early 90s so what the hell are they doing trying to mess with the winning formula? I feel like writing a complaint letter to WB. The original animation was dark and brooding, exactly the way Batman was intended to be. WB had to mess this up with some tripe Batman of the Future. Now they produce this drivel. The Joker doesn't remotely resemble the Joker from DC comics. DC should sue. I urge everyone who agrees with me to email or write to WB and use people power to get back the original formula$LABEL$ 0 +As of this writing John Carpenter's 'Halloween' is nearing it's 30th anniversary. It has since spawned 7 sequels, a remake, a whole mess of imitations and every year around Halloween when they do those 'Top 10 Scariest Movies' lists it's always on there. That's quite amazing for a film that was made on a budget of around $300,000 and featured a then almost completely unknown cast of up and coming young talent. I could go on and on, but the big question here is: How does the film hold up today? And all I can say to that is, fantastically! Pros: A simple, but spooky opening credits sequence that really sets the mood. An unforgettable and goosebump-inducing score by director/co-writer John Carpenter and Alan Howarth. Great cinematography. Stellar direction by Carpenter who keeps the suspense high, gets some great shots, and is careful not to show too much of his villain. Good performances from the then mostly unknown cast. A good sense of humor. Michael Myers is one scary, evil guy. A lot of eerie moments that'll stay with you. The pace is slow, but steady and never drags. Unlike most other slasher films, this one is more about suspense and terror than blood and a big body count.Cons: Probably not nearly as scary now as it was then. Many of the goofs really stand out. Final thoughts: I want to start out this section by saying this is not my favorite film in the series. I know that's not a popular opinion, but it's really how I feel. Despite that it truly is an important film that keeps reaching new generations of film buffs. And just because it's been remade for a new generation doesn't mean it'll be forgotten. No way, no how.My rating: 5/5$LABEL$ 1 +Absolutely horrible movie. Not a bad plot concept, but executed horribly. Cliché storyline; bad script. So schlocky it doesn't even qualify for campy. This is the kind of movie that gives sci-fi a bad name.$LABEL$ 0 +ok we have a film that some are calling one of the best movies ever..but i'm sitting here thinking hell the f!, the storys sux{ which there is no story], the diolouge is quite plain, artisticly nothing great!, and the acting is nothing real out standing, so if you want to pretend to be arty say you like it, but if you have a real view say you don't like it or if you did explain why!$LABEL$ 0 +SPOILERSThis movie was rented as a joke, and what a joke it was. The film is based on a dog catcher who is looking for El Chupacabra. The dog catchers outfit is so ridiculous. It looks like he sewed the patch on his hat and for some reason he shows of his "muscles" by rolling up his sleeves. Throughout the movie, mostly at night, you can see how bad the lighting was. They are in a car which is brightly lit and they are driving in pitch black. Often you can see the camera man's shadow on the ground. The costumes are terrible, the lighting is terrible, and the acting is terrible. This is a good movie for a laugh...maybe.$LABEL$ 0 +I first came across 'My Tutor Friend' accidentally one or two years ago while TV surfing. Prior to that, I'd never watched any Korean films before in my whole life, so MTF was really the first Korean film I've ever watched. And- what a delightful surprise! I was thoroughly amused from the beginning to end, and had a great time laughing. Its comic style is quite different from those of the Hong Kong comic films (which I've been to used to all my life and hence tired of as well), breathing fresh air into my humdrum film viewing experience. I thought there're quite a few scenes and tricks in MTF that are pretty hilarious, witty, and original too.I watched MTF the second time a few days ago, and having watched it once already, the surprise/comic effect on me kind of mitigated. That has, however, by no means affected negatively my opinion of the film. Instead, something else came through this time- it moved me- the story about how two young, seemingly 'enemies' who're utterly incompatible get thrown together, and how they gradually resolve their differences and start caring for each other without realizing the feelings themselves, reminds me of the long gone high school days. To me, Su Wan and Ji Hoon ARE actually compatible as they both have something that is pure and genuine inside them, a quality that separates them from people like say, Ji Hoon's sassy girlfriend.The film is divided into two distinct parts- the 1st part deals with the 'fight' between Su Wan and Ji Hoon, and is more violent and faster in pace. After Ji Hoon gets a pass in his final examination and Su Wan dances the (in Ji Hoon's opinion) provocative dance, things start to change. The pace slows down and... Ji Hoon suddenly realizes he cares for Su Wan more than he could ever imagine. So the 2nd part deals with the development of their mutual feelings, leading of course to a happy ending accompanied by a final showdown with the gang boss.Just one last comment. I find this to be a bit unbelievable- the fact that a 21-year-old self-proclaimed 'bad boy' would feel embarrassed being almost naked in front of the girl he bullies and loses his 'cool' is just a little... odd. I guess that shows that Ji Hoon is just a boy pure at heart and isn't really what his appearance seems. Btw, Kwong San Woo (Ji Hoon) DOES have a sexy body and perfect figure! ;-) MTF is definitely on my list of top 10 favorite films of all time.$LABEL$ 1 +despite the occasionally stilted acting and "seen-it-all-before" story, this is a fairly compelling movie.It has suspense, the scenes with the demon are actually pretty creepy, some of the visual effects are superb and best of all, no ridiculously ill placed humour to detract from the film, as too many (wannabe) horror films have in them nowhonestly, this isn't the greatest film ever made, but it actually draws you in and at least makes an attempt at character developmenti was glad i watched it$LABEL$ 1 +Now days, most people don't watch classic movies, such as this. Most of friends only watch movies from the '90s to present. Thats kinda stingy. Most old movies like this are masterpieces, unique in their own way. Only because, back when these movies were being thought of and made, thats when ideas were fresh. Now people strain just to think of new ideas. Anyway, to the movie. For true fans of classic horror. This is for you. The movie is based with a investigator from Scotland Yard investigating the disappearance of an movie actor, and stumbles on to three other strange occurrences with past residents of the same house. I won't say anymore, for I will ruin the movie more than I already have. But it is a terrific movie for as old as it is. And would never mind watching it again!$LABEL$ 1 +"Edge of the City" is another movie that owes a lot of credit to "On the Waterfront". From it's NYC locations, to its score, to the belief that whatever trouble you may be in, you can somehow right your wrongs."Edge" also deals with ideas like loyalty and racism. In my opinion, that is where the movie does not succeed like "Waterfront". At 85 minutes the movie rushes through the establishment of relationships, and ties everything up so quickly that much of it seems forced and unbelievable.Possible Spoilers****The relationship between Sidney Poitier and John Cassavettes could have been further developed in the beginning. I don't believe that these two characters, from two very different places would have built such a strong relationship so quickly. I think that the whole love sub-plot with Cassavettes could have been eliminated. He is so awkward with a woman that it becomes painful to watch. The only reason why it is in the movie is so that she can motivate him to do the right thing at the end. There are other ways that they could have shown this. I would have also liked to see some scenes of Axel in the army to illustrate why he is the way he is.The acting is excellent. Poitier is terrific in a role that is beautifully written. His role as Tyler is interesting and multi-layered, and (especially for 1957), a man who is confident, respected, and intelligent. Cassavettes, as Axel North, while very good, does not seem quite right for the part. Warden is terrific as the boss who knows Axel's secret (although his fight scene with Cassavettes at the end is staged horribly. Too many break-away boxes). I thought Ruby Dee was wonderful in role of Poitier's wife.On the whole, "Edge of the City" is a smart, movie with a very good cast that tries too hard to be an interesting noir style picture, without taking the time to let the drama build.7 out of 10$LABEL$ 1 +Did HeidiJean really see this movie? A great Christmas movie? Not even close. Dull, bland and completely lacking in imagination and heart. I kept watching this movie wondering who the hell thought that Carly Pope could play the lead in this movie! The woman has no detectable personality and gives a completely lackluster performance. Baransky was great as usual and provided the only modicum of interesting the whole thing. Probably her involvement was the only reason this project was green lighted to begin with. Maybe I'm expecting too much for a Lifetime movie played 15 days from Christmas but I sat through this thing thinking that with a different director and a recasting JJ with an actress that at least could elicit sympathy this could have been quite a cute little movie.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't know who wrote the script for this movie, but from the first moment on, I was irritated. Of all possible decisions they could make up in the mountains, why do they make the decision, which is the most dangerous of all? Why do the criminals act dumb, although they managed to get a huge amount of money out of a bank and get away with it? Why doesn't the main criminal land the helicopter, shoot Stallone, grab the money and fly away with the chick as a hostage? And there are more cases of illogical behavior. I'd give this movie 5 points for nice action and great landscape scenery, but due to the illogical behavior of the characters, I just can give this movie 1 point...$LABEL$ 0 +I would say for it's time, this movie was awesome...and yes if you have no desire to become a Christian, then why bother watching it. I saw this movie after I had already been saved and found it to be very moving. I see now they have taken these movies to another level and have created the Left Behind series...they run a close comparison and definitely are more modern to reach people. I think in order to actually judge this movie, you should see it,,,there are 3 or 4 of them in the series if I am not mistaken...don't use our comments to judge, see the movie for yourself!! God will bless you if that is why you are watching them.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is about basically human relations, and the interaction between them. The main character is an old lady who at the twilight of her life starts a journey to her past, doing an analysis of how she lived her life. This journey is precipitated because of the sons economic crisis and his intentions to put her in a nursing home. It is a very honest look to some issues that we all ask ourselves at some point in life, and there is plenty of secondary ideas to discuss in this movie such as family legacy, real love, marriage or destiny. although this type of movie melodramas are nothing new, this one can be useful to watch it with family members to discuss some ideas. There is a good performance by the actors and the characters are very believable, but because of the time some characters are maybe not fully developed. I really recommend this movie for a quiet Saturday afternoon.$LABEL$ 1 +I'd first heard of this show in 2005, first online and then by viewing (and of course, buying)the typically gorgeous, BBC tie-in book. Then I got the DVD; it did not disappoint! I'd been hoping for years someone would make a science fiction program with the emphasis on the thrill of discovery rather than aliens, laser gun fights and other Hollywood 'boogieman' gimmicks! Thank you, Joe Ahearne (also for your Dr. Who work, and Ultraviolet--the mini-series; not the crap movie of the same name)! What compelled me to write this now (2 yrs. later) was that I'd just seen SUNSHINE last night. And what appeared to be in the same family as SPACE ODYSSEY turned into (about 2/3rds of the way in) Freddy Krueger meets 2010! That was when SPACE ODYSSEY really stood out as a positive example of how to do a REAL science fiction film; more science, less fiction! ODYSSEY (like SUNSHINE) also dealt with astronaut shortcomings (Zoe's failed EVA, Ivan's over exertions on Venus, the spats with mission control) and the sheer danger of exploring new planets with unfamiliar dangers (the fatal radiation spike on Mars). I would've easily paid to see this in a theater (I-Max, anyone?). And to top it all, not only were the space vistas jaw droppingly beautiful, but the characters were nicely drawn, too. I found their interplay more realistic than the wall-slamming histrionics of SUNSHINE's Icarus 2 crew (Icarus; dumb name for a solar mission--did anyone read the mythology of Icarus??). Sometimes it takes a not-so-good film to compel one to re-watch a better film. As an armchair astronaut, I'd trade my passage on Icarus for a seat on Pegasus any day. In all fairness, however, the visuals of SUNSHINE are quite stunning, though, and quite memorable. Which is why I was so strongly rooting for it to succeed as an honest-to-goodness sci-fi film. So, even though this review is almost a back-door review of SUNSHINE, I hope it's read for what it was meant to be; strong support for a BBC telefilm that succeeds where most big-budget, bloated cinematic spectacles fail. SPACE ODYSSEY (a.k.a. VOYAGE TO THE PLANETS here in the States) whets the appetite for solid, SCIENCE-fiction and delivers a banquet. I very much enjoyed the pseudo-documentary approach as well. As for the time lag/light-speed quibbles, they ARE addressed, if you pay attention. Where SUNSHINE melts, ODYSSEY keeps its cool. If you're considering going to the movies for another dose of SUNSHINE, stay in; go for a true SPACE ODYSSEY instead!$LABEL$ 1 +For Columbo fans, such as myself, this is the episode of episodes that made a case for why Columbo was so popular, and just how good it really was. Ruth Gordon has a field day (as ever) playing the wittily intelligent crime novelist Abigail Mitchell. Seems Abigail calls her nephew-in-law to sign some papers making him her heir. She never got over her niece's death, and is convinced her dead niece's husband (Charles Frank) did the dirty deed. To tell more would be unthinkable. Mariette Hartley has a sly role as Abigail's personal assistant. This episode of Columbo is in a class by itself. It's a truly well made television movie. I recommend it most highly.$LABEL$ 1 +There are no words to explain how bad NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is. It simply defies description. Something about a computer that can change personal objects into silver balls that enter the victims' mouth, which kills them or turns them into zombies. The whole thing is so wonky that it's stunning. There's also a girl with personal computer in her room and the computer talks via a hand puppet!!!!!!!! I'm not making this stuff up. The computer also controls things like cars, even though there's nothing linking the computer with the vehicle.The "film" is total trash. Surreal bad trash. Spectacularly, one-of-a-kind bad trash. There's a lot of sex scenes thrown here and there, which aren't very hot or erotic. There's even one scene where a woman seemingly makes love or wants to French kiss a tarantula, which had me rolling on the floor.Definitely one of the worst movies ever made. Up there with the equally wretched direct-to-home video BOARDINGHOUSE, or BOOGEYMAN II (both NIGHTMARE WEEKEND and BOOGEYMAN II have scenes with a killer toothbrush!). At least it's fun to watch it and try to make sense of whatever is going on.$LABEL$ 0 +I just finished this movie and my only comment is "OH! WOW!". Jennifer Beals is ok as the fiancee, but Yancy Butler as the female dance instructor is pure sexual dynamite! Having watched her in WITCHBLADE, I was not prepared for the pure unadulterated sensuality and raw sexual excitement she launches onto the screen.I gotta see THIS movie again....if only for Yancy Butler as Corrinne!$LABEL$ 1 +"L'Ossessa" (released in English under many titles and the eeriest of them certainly is "The eerie midnight horror show") is one of the best Italian rip-offs of "The Exorcist". To really appreciate this film you should have a sense of humor. "L'Ossessa" is at the same time sleazy (but naive), pathetic and sometimes even moving.Danila (Stella Carnacina), an art student, goes to an old church to see the statue she's going to restore. It's a wooden statue of Christ, a demonic Christ, maybe already overcome by evil, or fighting against it, or perhaps planning dark deeds. The face shows infinite torment. The statue dates from the 15th century. Danila is impressed by the mastery shown by the sculptor - the statue seems almost alive! She lives with her parents. Her mother Luisa (Lucretia Love) lives a dissolute life and doesn't care too much for keeping up appearances. Her father Mario (Chris Avram) observes everything with disenchanted eyes.The wooden statue will soon assume a human form (Ivan Rassimov) and possess Danila in the carnal and spiritual sense. An amazing scene! The poor Danila, from now on, will suffer the torments of hell.Danila (the lovely Stella Carnacina) was ravished, violated, possessed by the devil and now following his orders, she will try to seduce others. Ain't she emulating her sleazy mother Luisa (Lucretia Love) who feels great pleasure when her lover whips her with a bunch of roses? There is a scene so ridiculous as to be sublime and moving, when Stella Carnacina runs in despair through the narrow streets (possessed by the devil, remember?) of a small Italian town screaming her heart out. Luigi Pistilli is a very good exorcist. His performance is, as usual, intense. The exorcism scenes (particularlly the final battle) are very, very amateurish, but this will only enhance the fun (and/or emotion?) if you've really got a sense of humor.Stella Carnacina is beautiful and looks fresh and innocent, and that's a factor that adds to your pleasure when she's naked, but I think that the film could have explored more her natural beauty. Lucretia Love is a very good sleaze companion (her nude scene with the roses... well.:) Other Italian exorcist rip-offs I would like to recommend for you are: Malabimba (very sleazy and released uncut and digitally restored) "Evil Eye" (Malocchio) - "The Exorcist" was the main source of inspiration for "Evil Eye", but others films, like, for instance, "Rosemary's Baby" should also be taken into account. "Evil Eye" is completely over the top. Not that sleazy but with plenty of gorgeous Italian and Spanish actresses. You'll be drooling all over the film. The film is ridiculous, the story doesn't make any sense, but if you see it in the right mood you might feel moved! - a diabolical sect, possession, murders, despair, love, investigation and beautiful women all around. A wild ride! If you liked "Evil Eye", see also "Ring of Darkness" (Un'Ombra nell'ombra). This film can be found in the alternative market. Search this title in the IMDb. There are good reviews about it.P.S. - "L'Ossessa" has many different faces. It's exploitative, but it can also be serious and moving. It's cheap, cheesy... sleazy (but not that much) and it has an underlying "moral" message. This strange brew can sometimes be very funny. We all already know that "L'Ossessa" is an "Exorcist" rip-off so why can't we see it on its own terms? Yes, Mario Gariazzo was trying to earn a fast buck, but he was able get the most out of a shoestring budget. The story is well told, the film is atmospheric and overall the actors are committed to their roles. See the film with an open mind and you may discover two or three new things.$LABEL$ 1 +A lot has been said about Shinjuku Triad Society as the first true "Miike" film and I thought this sort of description might have been a cliché. But, like all clichés, it is based on the truth. All the Miike trademarks are here, the violence, the black humour, the homosexuality, the taboo testing and the difficult to like central character. Shinjuku is however, one of Miike's most perfectly formed films. He says in an interview that if he made it again it would be different, but not necessarily better. I think what he means is that the film possesses a truly captivating energy and raw edge which seems so fresh that although he might be able to capture a more visually or technically complex movie he could not replicate or better the purity of this film. As you might expect, the violence is utterly visceral, gushing blood and gritty beatings are supplemented by a fantastic scene in which a woman has a chair smashed over her face. (Only a Miike film could let you get away with a sentence like that.) The film has a fantastic pace, unlike Dead or Alive which begins and ends strongly and dips in the middle. Dead or Alive also deals with similar issues, Miike is clearly concerned about the relations between the Japanese and Chinese in the postwar period and this emotive subject is handled well here, the central character really coming to life when you begin to understand his past. I cannot sing Shinjuku's praises enough. I do not want to give away too much. This is Miike before he began to use CGI to animate his films and is almost reminiscent of something like Kitano's Sonatine. The central characters are superbly realized and the final twist guarantees that as soon as the film has finished you'll be popping it back on again to work it all out.$LABEL$ 1 +is not a bad movie but the acting and the screenplay can be better. I like this movie because i have a life that is in good part like the one in the movie. is hard for a lost generation to get a life in Romania, and 90 percent of us choose something else, and that something else includes dealing with people with "bad habits" if you understand me but that comes with the territory. this movie represent me and i like it. i have a rage in me that i barley talk with people, i live in a messed up society and i can't fit in and i don't want to,and that's the story of movie also, if you r like me you can understand the true movie, if not you will find it easy and cheap.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is completely ridiculous. Not only is the plot atrocious, but the acting is horrendous. The special effects are asinine and the entire movie is set in a post-apocalyptic desert. Yet, it is by far the most amusing movie ever given permission to be produced. It is 101 minutes of laughs due to the fact that we all know there will be no fuel in the year 3000, or any El Camino's. There are also other aspects which I will not spoil, just because they are what makes the movies so wonderfully moronic. I highly recommend this movie, just because of its utter idiocy. I have no idea who would watch this expecting it to be a high quality feature, but if a good laugh is what you need, watch Exterminators of the Year 3000!$LABEL$ 1 +With an absolutely amazing cast and crew, this might have been a classic. Instead it is a repetitive paraphrasing of all the conspiracy theories extant in 1979 about the JFK assassination grafted, rather pointlessly, on to a vaguely incoherent plot about the murder of fictitious president Kegan in 1960. Many superb character actors are wasted as they are either not given enough to do - Sterling Hayden or Eli Wallach, for instance, or they are asked to go rather luridly over the top - John Huston. Jeff Bridges and Anthony Perkins do manage to acquit themselves very well, in their very different ways, though.The photography is gorgeous, but does not justify an hour and a half of your life, or the price of the DVD purchase.$LABEL$ 0 +I'm on the opposite end of the previous comment.First of all, I don't think this was intended to be a straight sequel to "The Jerk". I mean, it's not titled "The Jerk 2"... it's "The Jerk, Too", which leads me to believe that while a lot of the character names are the same, it actually revolves around a completely different person.Think about it: Virtually no connection to the previous movie, other than character names; a totally different story; different cast; and the fact that it's a partial musical.I say give this movie some credit. It does have plenty of laughs in it.. Mark Blankfield at his prime.$LABEL$ 1 +As a helpful warning for others, I believe "Skeleton Man" is actually worse than "Raptor Island." I have been using RI as an example of the worst original movie presented on the Sci-Fi channel, but SM is the most laughably incoherent and wretchedly designed movie I have yet seen. Yes, I did watch almost the whole thing, coming into it about 35 minutes into it. It drew me in with its pure ineptitude. What was Sci-Fi thinking? Once Skeleton Man and the surviving platoon leader (or whatever he was--I'm not good on military unit terminology) reached the chemical plant, the movie moved into a zone of impossible nonsense that was almost mesmerizing. I had the same idea as another viewer who wondered if more than one movie had someone been edited together to make one terrible whole.$LABEL$ 0 +Dear Readers,I've found in my studies of movies that whenever Michael Bay makes a movie, people pan it and hate it, yet they still go to see it and it makes somewhere around 100 million dollars. Why? Because Michael Bay is one of the top five directors of all time. Standing alongside Ridley Scott, Spielberg, Kubrick, and Miyazaki, Michael Bay has cemented himself as Hollywood's best action/adventure director. That point is proved with his most panned film, Armageddon.An Asteroid the size of Texas is hurtling towards the planet and the only way NASA can think to take it down is to land a team of men on the asteroid, drill to its core, and drop a nuclear warhead inside then blow up the asteroid. Only one person is qualified enough to do it: Bruce Willis. Willis portrays Harry Stamper, a grizzled hardened oil driller trying to keep what's left of his family together. Not helping that fact is his daughter, Grace (Liv Tyler), having an affair with his best driller, AJ (Ben Affleck). Hired by Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton), the head of NASA, Stamper and his team of roughneck drillers train to become astronauts and save the world.Armageddon is a two part movie. First there's the funny parts where we meet the gang and wackiness abounds. Then they get into space and all the comedy gets sucked out the window and is replaced by mind-blowing special effects, cool music, and great serious acting. Murphy's law goes insane in the second part, meaning that everything that can go wrong, does in fact go wrong, increasing the tension of the film to outstanding levels.With a cool cast and crew (Michael Bay as Director, Jerry Bruckheimer and Gale Anne Hurd as Producers, and J.J. Abrams as one of the scriptwriters.), tons of special effects, great humor, awesome music, plus an intro done by Mr. Ben-Hur himself, Charlton Heston, Armageddon rocks big time.Signed, The Constant DVD Collector, Matt MacleodParental Warnings: This is not a film for kids. The F-bomb is used a few times and lots of other swear words are used as well, plus there's a Strip bar scene and the extremely intense second part might be too hard for a kid to handle.$LABEL$ 0 +Not good! Rent or buy the original! Watch this only if someone has a gun to your head and then....maybe.It is like claiming an Elvis actor is as good as the real King.$LABEL$ 0 +- A film crew is shooting a horror movie in an old, supposedly cursed house where over the years, seven people have mysteriously died. One of the crew finds an old book of spells and it looks like it would be perfect to use in some of the ritual scenes in their movie. It is reasoned that the spells in the book are better written than the script they are using. But as the book is read, the graveyard outside suddenly comes to life. Now the cast and crew are faced with real danger .- IMDb lists a running time of 90 minutes. For the first 60 of those minutes, nothing happens. Far too much time is spent on the movie within a movie. Are we supposed to be frightened by the horror movie that they are shooting? We already know that their movie isn't "real". These scares just don't work.- There are very few things to enjoy about The House of Seven Corpses. The acting is atrocious. Most of these "actors" would have trouble making a elementary school play. The score is terrible. It is very reminiscent of a 70s television series and provides no atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, other than a few moments at the end of the movie, there is none to speak of. Character logic is all but non-existent. Even in a movie, you expect characters to behave in a certain way. Here, I don't think I remember one scene where a character didn't choose the most illogical avenue available to them. And finally, there's those first 60 minutes of the movie that I've already mentioned. Can you say BORING? - I haven't rated The House of Seven Corpses any lower because of instances where the movie (probably by accident) actually works. My two favorite are the beginning and ending. The opening title sequence presents the deaths of the seven previous owners and may be the highlight of the movie. And, the ending scenes on the massive staircase as the zombie menaces the film crew are somewhat effective (what a ringing endorsement). Overall though, these moments aren't enough to make this a good movie.$LABEL$ 0 +Considering John Doe apparently inspired Kyle XY's creator I was expecting its pilot to be quite interesting. However I probably had too high expectations because I was quite disappointed by it. First they turned the protagonist into a freak who had the crazy idea of showing off his amazing knowledge in front of an audience, in a public area. So after that scene I began to worry that it was just entertainment. But the problem is that it got worse as none of the other characters were properly introduced. They focused too much on John Doe which made the story far less intriguing. I was also slightly disappointed by Dominic Purcell's performance because I found he didn't make a believable John Doe. An other problem was the police story. It really felt like déjà vu and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. It leads us to the worst issue in the bunch, the episodic format. I could already see the fillers coming one after an other.So overall I was very disappointed by it and don't recommend it to anyone. Considering how bad it was I better understand now why the show got canceled. In some way I have the impression that it missed its target, developing characters to help the protagonist find his own identity. It's sad because there was potential, like the people he met at the club. The production quality was also quite good and the casting correct. But I'll never know if it got better, probably not, because I don't plan to watch the next episode.$LABEL$ 0 +I can appreciate what Barney is trying to achieve, but after sitting through this last night at a college movie house, I couldn't help but think...when is this gonna end? A very long and ponderous two hours and fifteen minutes. I had only seen a part of Cremaster 3 on DVD and thought I knew what to expect. That said, experimental films such as this are better digested in small increments. There are a couple of beautiful/horrible images...including the title sequence (no kidding), but if you go into this expecting any kind of plot or meaning, then you are in for a long, snooze-inducing ride. I managed to stay awake for the whole thing (if that's a compliment) but more often than not, I was waiting for some kind of meaning or narrative...big mistake. Among the collection of images are a very ornate gift-wrapping ceremony, the creation of a disgusting dish of what appears to be petroleum jelly slabs formed with a cookie cutter and sprinkled with shrimp (this is served to the crew of the ship which is shown throughout the film), a large blubber cheesecake with a large tentacle turd placed in the center of it, and the mutual evisceration of Bjork and director Matthew Barney which eventually culminates in some bizarre kind of communion, followed by their transformation into whale-like creatures. The soundtrack is at times beautiful and annoying...sometimes even maddening. At one time, there is a song being sung by Bjork to go along with the ephemeral rituals being played before us, and at other times there is just a constant droning of a high-pitched instrument, which we see a mysterious woman playing at the beginning and end of the movie. If this sounds like it doesn't make sense, that is because is DOESN'T! If this sounds like your cup of tea, then you will absolutely LOVE it! If this sounds like something that you probably won't like, then stay far away from it, because you will most likely walk out of the theater during the halfway mark like several people at the screening I attended. This is the very definition of an art film. You get from it what you take from it. But otherwise, there really isn't much there, other than a few oddities and constant construction and deconstruction rituals. I'm glad that there is a place for films such as this, but I can't say I would want to sit through it again. However, I can't say I wouldn't want to see one of Barney Cremaster films from start to finish and compare it with this. I think, perhaps now that I know what to expect I might enjoy something like this more. To give you an idea of what kind of comprehension factor this film has, I probably would've liked it better if I had gotten stoned. Then again, it could've felt twice as long as it was, and then it would've REALLY gotten ponderous. Definitely not for everyone.$LABEL$ 0 +I ended up liking this movie but it was not the easiest to get through. What makes the movie great is the music and the scenery. The songs are beautiful and the musicians are talented. A great job was done to show different settings for the Rom people.However, the viewer was not guided enough. A more in depth history of the Rom people would have been nice. Only a fraction of the of the spoken words were given English subtitles. In addition, more explanations about the settings and who was their and some of their challenges would have been appreciated too. It would have helped if there were a narrator too explain about customs, dress and music.$LABEL$ 1 +The Haunting is yet another bad horror remake with phony overdone special effects and a big cast of on screen favorites and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever except maybe for the cinematography.Yes remakes aren't all bad but remakes directed by Jion Da Bont definitely are.I suppose that the A-List actors (Liam Neeson,Catherine Zeta Jones,Owen Wilson)are there to distract us from the boring plot,ridiculous special effects, and terrible attempts at scaring it's audience however this is a movie not a tabloid magazine we don't care whose in it we care about the characters and story two things this film missed.The storyline is like taking the classic novel The Haunting Of Hill House and ripping out four chapters and then using whatever's left for the film it is so boring and a lot of it is unexplained.The characters are pretty thin and while the acting is good you don't really care about any of the characters at all.Lily Taylor gives a horrendous performance and sounds like she's 8 years old when delivering her lines not to mention what a horrible screamer she is.Lily Taylor isn't made for the horror genre at all.The ghosts are stupid and cheesy, they look like a bunch of Casper The Friendly Ghost's and the ghost of Hugh Cain looks like a fat guy dressed as the grim reaper for Halloween with a smoke machine.There is this creature on the roof of one of the rooms that is a giant purple mouth and it's not even funny unintentionally just plain sad.The house is pretty and well designed that is probably the only positive thing about this movie it looks nice but that doesn't save it from it's brutal everything else.I can honestly say i felt like i was wasting my time watching The Haunting on TV for no price so I would've been even more pi$$ed if I had paid to see it but luckily it was on Scream Channel.Overall The Haunting is a boring remake that tries to overwhelm you with bad special effects, a poor attempt at horror.$LABEL$ 0 +[WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS]I have this adult friend for whom the notion that her parents have sex makes her terribly uneasy. She came to mind when I reflected on the audience's reaction to "The Mother." People gasped when May (Anne Reid) writhed passionately in bed with her younger hunk lover, Darren (Daniel Craig) or later saw sexually explicit drawings by May. I doubt the audience was aghast at the nudity or the drawings' content as much as feeling uneasy at seeing a woman in her 60s rapturously enjoying sex.Screenwriter Hanif Kureishi ("My Beautiful Laundrette," "My Son the Fanatic") again proves why he's among the most trenchant storytellers on either side of the Atlantic. His story's not easy to take. This searing family drama isn't a film you can claim you enjoyed watching because it's raw, complex, and often makes us very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it's powerfully good stuff.Kureishi and Roger Michell (who directed "Notting Hill," of all things) craft an unsentimental, wrenching and superbly-acted portrait of an older woman who realizes, after all these years, she can and should still enjoy all of life's pleasures. In a wonderfully epiphanous moment, when her son, Bobby, asks her not to be difficult, May shoots back, "Why not?"Why not, indeed.Anne Reid deserves an Oscar nomination for her turn as May. It's subtle, restrained, powerful and sad, often all at the same time. Watch Reid when May observes Darren and Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw) in a seemingly passionate clutch in a pub. Or, when she begs Paula to open the front door after a disastrous date. Reid's eyes and face reveal all of May's anguish and despair. In the film's most devastating moment, May drops to her knees before Darren, willing to do anything for him, only asking him to be kind. This is a tremendously gutsy performance by a remarkable actress.I enjoyed Michell's use of natural sound, especially when May and Toots first arrive at Bobby's place. It perfectly illustrated the cacophony around May and Toots, the flippant manner in which their own family welcomes them.This film, at times, reminded me of the honesty and rawness of Mike Leigh's work, except "The Mother" hangs on to a slight sense of optimism to keep afloat.My one quibble: Michell's decision to give May and Darren's first love scene an almost cheesy sensibility. The lovers remain out of focus while, in the foreground, a white curtain flutters gently in the breeze. And the only sound is of May in the throes of passion.The problem with Michell's approach is that both Reid and Craig, who completely envelops the role of Darren, plough their way so fearlessly into these roles that it's unfair to hide their characters' almost primitive energy from the audience. Especially since Michell has no qualms about making later sex scenes visceral.This film doesn't have immensely likable characters. We sympathize with May, but she, too, causes her daughter's suffering. But I doubt Kureishi intended to people his story with likable folk. His point, I believe, was to unmask a family that's already cracking when something emotionally cataclysmic happens. It's unflinching in its candor and ultimately unforgettable.$LABEL$ 1 +OK. I know that the wanna-be John Hughes movies of the 80s were all unilaterally flat, so the expectations for this film ran pretty low.Still, after sitting through this crap there's one key thing I can't seem to get out of my head:I just sat through an 80s Rob Lowe movie that had no nudity and only hints of sex in them.The acting is awful, the characters boring and flat, the portrayal of Oxford an absolute insult, and the rowing scenes unexciting, uneventful, and inaccurate.Unless you've got some wierd Ally Sheedy or Amanda Pays (or I guess, Rob Lowe) fetish, there's really no reason to see this one.$LABEL$ 0 +Joseph Conrad's timeless novel, Heart of Darkness, was depicted in the 1994 movie. I have read Conrad's novel, and I must say, even though I prefer the novel itself, the movie was a great depiction. The set and costume designs brought Conrad's novel to life on the screen as we followed Marlow's journey. The acting also brought the characters to life through the mannerisms, voices, and personalities. If you have read the novel, I recommend that you also view this movie. If you have not read the novel, however, the movie may be harder to follow. Conrad's Heart of Darkness is too full of action, emotion, and information to be made into a movie that is a little over an hour and a half long. Therefore, if you have not read the novel, the plot in the movie may seem too cluttered to follow. Overall I gave this movie a seven out of ten. The basic plot of the novel was brought forth to the screen with great sets, costumes, and acting. Nothing can replace Joseph Conrad's original work however.$LABEL$ 1 +this one is about a homicide detective who battles a couple of young rich kids who have nothing better to do than plan an intricate murder and cover it up, they seem to outwit the police force seemingly at will. they taunt the detective by planting clues and leading them off on a wild goose chase. this one has a decent plot with a few good twists at the end of the movie, Sandra Bullock does a fine job in this one as a woman on the edge, not sure of herself and battling her inner demons, she can't seem to keep a man in her life, especially partners, they seem to keep leaving her for some reason. Altogether this isn't a bad film, it keeps you guessing all the way the very shocking ending.$LABEL$ 1 +When I first watched this movie I thought it was a very strange movie. But I know that the director almost always has a purpose when he makes a movie. So I decided to watch it one more time. The second time I watched it I realised that Albert Puyn is a very talented and a very original film maker. In the beginning the viewer was told that the movie took place a decade after the fall of the communism in the eastern Europe. But they had clothes and cars with a design typical for the 1950's. They had plutonium which I think is a symbol for the futuristic trade. I think that it means that the movie's real time is not specified. The music in the movie is creating a long music video which tells some parts of the actual story in the lyrics, specially for the intro and the outro.Albert Puyn is using red and blue back-color when he's showing the symbols for communism (red) and the capitalism and western world (blue). One can notice that Ice-T, has the name Mao (communism) and that when he's in focus the back-color is red. The american cop, starring Burt Reynolds, is always filmed with blue back-color. The club where Mao and his gang hang out is also with red back-color. Crazy six is pendling between the red and the blue color.The white little dog that Mao had in the beginning symbolize, I think, the controlling force. Mao had the dog in the beginning but the cop took it in the end. That symbolize, I guess, the fall of communism and the replacement of the capitalistic way of thinking from the western world in Eastern Europe.I think Crazy Six is a very well-made movie. Albert Puyn creates an sci-fi/action movie with a politicial depth. It's a different but a very special movie about the communism fall in the Eastern Europe.I'm looking forward to watch another spectacular movie of Albert Puyn.$LABEL$ 1 +What a delightful romp – a very competently made film that has so much charm and a feelgood factor that a lot of romantic comedies lack. Einstein is brilliantly acted by Walter Matthau, while Meg Ryan's Catherine is unforgettable – better than I have seen her in those films opposite Tom Hanks – as the young mathematician struggling to be recognized.You don't need to be a young woman to understand Catherine's struggle and feel sympathetic for her immediately, and as a young man it's easy to understand what must have gone through Ed's (Tim Robbins) mind in pursuing his true love. There's universal appeal in these emotions, even if I.Q. keeps it all light, fun and tied up nicely.Sure it's not heavy, but if you look there are some subtexts. People remember Albert Einstein as a scientist yet he was a great spiritualist; his sayings such as something along the lines of, 'If it is not impossible, then why do it?' suggest he is a believer in fulfilling higher goals beyond one's immediate grasp. In this film, there are questions of what an accident really is – such as whether Albert and his whacky sidekicks' intervention in prying Catherine away from stiff-upper-lip, loveless James (Stephen Fry – who gives this otherwise cardboard character life and you cannot help but feel for his lack of feeling) counts. How much intervention happens in our lives that we do not see, and comes across as serendipitous?And of course, we'd like to think in real life, despite what we often observe of the people we know, that we Edwards get the Catherines and Jameses have to learn how to defrost the icewater in their veins. How nice to know that it might work out in I.Q.'s innocent (and disturbingly, exclusively Caucasian) Eisenhower-era land of make-believe.$LABEL$ 1 +With this movie, it's all about style, atmosphere, and acting. True, I didn't believe all of the plot developments, but it didn't matter- the terrific acting, the unexpected plot twists, and the wonderful atmosphere sucked me right in, and carried me along for the ride, and I had a great time. Kenneth Branagh is not only a great actor but a master of accents, and he proves it once again with a flawless Georgia accent. He's surrounded by so much talent in supporting roles (Robert Downey, Jr., Embeth Davidtz from Schindler's List and Fallen, Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, and Robert Duvall) that I was simply blown away. I recently bought a copy of this movie, and I never tire of watching it. Simply one of the best thrillers of the year. If you've ignored this movie (and chances are you have), then I suggest you check it out.$LABEL$ 1 +Well-done ghost story that will give you the creeps and some pretty fair scares along the way. The story unfolds slowly, building atmosphere all the way until you're ready to see the woman in black. You won't forget her once you've seen her. No gore, no knives, no hockey masks--just a well-constructed story that is best viewed at night with the lights out.$LABEL$ 1 +This film is pure 'Hollywood hokum'. It is based upon a novel called 'Not Too Narrow … Not Too Deep' by Richard Sale, which may or may not have been interesting; it would take research to find out! The story in the film takes for granted many incidents and much background which obviously existed in the novel but are nowhere to be seen in the film, so either the film was savagely cut or the screenplay was a mess from the start. There is not one millisecond in this film which is remotely realistic, either in terms of events or characters. It is pure Hollywood fantasy in every respect. Two well-known actors, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre, are so under-used and wasted that there was no point in their being in the film at all. They must have been thrown into the mix in the manner in which one adds a sprinkling of chopped chives to an omelette, hoping that the flavour will be enhanced. The film is a ponderous attempt at producing a 'morality tale', and is so corny that it is laughable. The story concerns some hardened criminals imprisoned in French Guiana who want to escape from their French colonial prison through a jungle (very much a Hollywood set jungle, with a rubber snake). Naturally there has to be a woman in the story, so Joan Crawford hams it up as a down-on-her-luck tramp who for some reason becomes irresistible to Clark Gable, one of the escaped criminals. Crawford in escaping through the jungle wears high-heeled shoes and keeps her makeup fresh. Gable flirts and grimaces and makes mawkish expressions, crinkling his brow as was his wont, smirking and looking suggestively at everybody, which was his manner of acting. It is hard to treat such a character as a hardened criminal when he is always trying so hard to be Clark Gable that surely he hasn't any time left to be a thief. (Attention-seekers are by definition too busy to steal and unsuited to a task which requires that people NOT see them.) The whole escapade is so ridiculous that it can only be regarded as light entertainment. An attempt at religiosity and 'depth' is made by injecting into the story a mysterious 'angel of mercy' who voluntarily walks into the prison and pretends to be an inmate. He helps in the escape and accompanies all the criminals and ministers to their various deaths, helping them to find 'peace' in their last gasps. This character is played very well by Ian Hunter, who retains throughout a convincing air of secret knowledge, smiles enigmatically, makes cryptic prophetic remarks, and has a small spot trained on his face to give him a heavenly glow. The theme is meant to be redemption. You might call it the Donald Duck version of 'Hollywood Goes Moral and Gets Heavy'. For real depth, Hitchcock's 'I Confess' of 1953 shows how it should really be done. By contrast, this piece of trivial nonsense shows just how bare the cupboards of Meaning were in Tinsel Town, and that when they went rummaging for something that might mean something, all they could come up with was, you guessed it, more tinsel.$LABEL$ 0 +While I certainly consider The Exorcist to be a horror classic, I have to admit that I don't hold it in quite as high regard as many other horror fans do. As a consequence of that, I haven't seen many of The Exorcist rip-offs, and if Exorcismo is anything to go by, I'll have to say that's a good thing as this film is boring as hell and certainly not worth spending ninety minutes on it! In fairness to the other Exorcist rip-offs, this is often considered one of the worst, and so maybe it wasn't the best place for me to start. It's not hard to guess what the plot will be: basically it's the same as the one in The Exorcist and sees a girl get possessed by a demonic spirit (which happens to be the spirit of her dead father). The village priest is then called in to perform the exorcism. Like many Spanish horror films, this one stars Paul Naschy, who is pretty much the best thing about the film. Exorcismo was directed by Juan Bosch, who previously directed the derivative Spanish Giallo 'The Killer Wore Gloves'. I haven't seen any of his other films, but on the basis of these two: I believe that originality wasn't one of his strong points. There's not a lot of good things I can say about the film itself; it mostly just plods along and the exorcism scene isn't worth waiting for. I certainly don't recommend it!$LABEL$ 0 +Ultimately too silly and pointless. Yes there is the gilded cage metaphor but probably most kids would miss that. Forgettable. Instantly.Animation is, as we have come to expect, super-real. The plot-line could best be described as thin but tenacious. Although the ending seemed arbitrary to me.The sewer underworld is a suitably disgusting reflection of the world above and, somehow, wealth and money seem to count for a lot there too. Oh yes, and there's a romantic interest with the female being the smarter, more savvy and go-getting of the pair - this in itself is rapidly becoming a tiresome (anti) stereotype. Probably your kids will love it though.$LABEL$ 0 +I don't care what anyone says, this movie was crap. The only thing it had going for it was camera work which was very well done. As for the dialogue I have heard so many people talk about...it sucked too. Yes it was honest and true to life, but so what, I can hear anyone talk like that on the street, or in a fast food joint. What made the dialogue good in movies like Pulp Fiction, and Gosford Park was the fact that it is WRITTEN dialogue, that takes time to think through. Another thing was that the director should not have put himself in the picture. I believe that the male character could have been a lot stronger, but instead it seemed weak. In fact the movie seemed to revolve around the male character, and then he completely disappears in the last twenty minutes. The girl in the film I found completely repulsive, not in appearance, but in her needy needy ways. Saying she is in love with a guy, and actually getting jealous of him the next day, what a crock of crap. Final thing: the sound was terrible, and I hope it was only something that plagued my theater instead of actually being on the final cut of the film. There was a constant buzzing sound during several scenes and it was actually taking away from the talking going on. The one good thing again was Blood's job as the DP, but the actress that played the main guy's ex girlfriend did a very good job as well. These two things couldn't save an ultimately terrible movie, which I refuse to call a film. 2/10$LABEL$ 0 +Back in 74 Eric Monte made the classic T.V show Good Times. JJ has always been my favorite and I love watching the Reruns on T.V Land. Jimmie Walker always seemed to be the star and not Esther Rolle. John Amos most of the time felt a little jealous of Jimmie Walker's popularity winning millions of fans time to sit and watch Good Times. The show would have been dead if JJ would't have been there to save it with his always Kool Aid attitude. Drinking KOOL AID was like his favorite thing on the show. I was 3 when it came out and 8 when it ended. Instead of 1974-1979 it should have went longer like in the 1980's when I was just growing up.$LABEL$ 1 +When I saw this as a child, it answered all of my questions and dispelled any fears or misconceptions that I had. It is easy to watch because it is animated, which makes it unthreatening. It has no moral bias or "preachy" aspects, so nobody should have any objections to it. It is a pleasant film that simply gives the facts of menstruation in a reassuring, "matter-of-fact" way. I hope to show it to my daughter.$LABEL$ 1 +I like a movie that has at least a vestige of a story. This doesn't occur in this movie. It's a series of vignettes with no cohesion.There are scenes of a person collecting pineapple cans. A woman with a blond wig never removes her sun glasses. This woman shoots at other people at the beginning of the movie and we never find out why. She disappears completely after about 30 minutes. There is another coquettish woman who endlessly cleans a man's apartment. There are endless scenes at a fast food joint where the Mamas & Papas 'California Dreaming' is vastly overplayed (I used to like the song). The dialogue is mostly concerned with food (pineapples, chef's salad and ordering drinks…). I assume most of the actors gained weight during this movie because a lot of fast food was consumed.There is no passion in this movie because there is no story. This is purportedly a romance - it is no such thing. I just wonder why I didn't hit the Fast-forward. I kept waiting for something significant to happen – it doesn't. Maybe that's the only consolation to this movie - scenes shifted so rapidly that it tricked you into assuming that there was going to be a revelation to all the nonsense.$LABEL$ 0 +As an ordinary movie-watcher I can't say I enjoyed watching this one. It's not too emotional for a drama, not too gripping for a thriller, not too fast for an action. Plus, some moments of the movie are hardly credible. OK, I understand, soldiers become a bit out of their mind out there, but it's hard to believe that a person would risk his life, carjack into the middle of a hostile city, and after being shouted at by a professor's wife run away, without having asked a question (in a proper way). It would seem terribly romantic if it were an animation or so, but it's supposed to be a SERIOUS film about war.. There are several episodes like this, so the whole picture makes an impression that it's just a raw preview of a movie, and it needs considerable work.It feels like the movie makers wanted to create an image of an emotional brave soldier, but all these 'curves' of his psychology seem simply unnatural.This picture left a question in my head: WHY? Why they gave it an Oscar? Why SIX? And IMHO it's the most thrilling part of the movie :)$LABEL$ 0 +This is a remake of the anime classic from the 80's, and this one is even better. Sylia, Nene, Linna, and Priss are all back as the Knight Sabers in their hard-suits battling the robotic boomers. The animation is crisp, the characters are well-developed, and the action rocks. Priss is a singer in her regular job, so the series features some wonderful songs as well. There is a fair amount of violence, but most of it is against robots, and there is some fan service, but nothing too racy. The DVDs also have many extras, including commentaries, which really enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the show. A must-have for any anime fan.Also recommended: Burst Angel, Armitage III$LABEL$ 1 +Being quite a fan of Charlie Chaplin following good vibes after seeing first 'The Gold Rush' and then 'City Lights', I was eager to see 'The Great Dictator' as I had been told this was, arguably, his best film. I was also intrigued at the fact it was a talkie; my first one, Chaplin-wise.The start is typical Chaplin and blatant proof that when it comes to sound, Chaplain can cut it whilst not solely relying on music to set mood and to do the talking; it's funny, well timed and the elements of slapstick such as falling off an anti-aircraft gun are well tied in with the jokes. It was good to draw the viewer in with this 'classic Chaplin' opening and at the same time, kick start the narrative of characters getting to know one another. What was also well done was the way in which Hitler is spoofed. Any scene involving Hitler or 'Hynkel' in this film, was funny and even now; makes you think back as you know exactly who he's spoofing and does create an internal reaction of some kind. The way in which English in mixed in with the mock German during the dialogue scenes is further proof of the way Chaplin managed to adapt to the talkie era. My favourite joke was the five minute speech Hynkel gave, only for the English translator to translate it into a mere few words; making you think back to footage of Hitler you may have seen giving a speech at some point in your life and, indeed, laugh at him.Historically, the film got a few things right as well. Hynkel is seen getting his photograph taken with children; something Hitler did for recognition as he manipulated the media but here, Hynkel is seen to yawn and act bored; stabbing at Hitler's underhand technique of winning over the German public through sympathy (Oh, he hugs and kisses children. He must be OK!). The film is also given a fantastic premise of a Jewish civilian reinstalled into the ghetto amongst all the travesties going on but with the catch that he is oblivious. Films such as 'The Pianist' and 'Come and See' are two good examples of Nazi cruelty towards 'inferior' people which nowadays, we can all look back on and shake our heads at whereas back in the late 1930's when this was filmed, the fact he had the cruelty going on and was exploiting it makes it even more an astounding achievement. Chaplin has managed to replace guns and truncheons for tomatoes and saucepans and still pulls it off.What I didn't like about the film, however, was the fact it settled into an actual narrative after the opening. This slowed the film up and this is very noticeable as the foot was taken off the gas somewhat. The film started to hint at stories and sub-stories. These included the barber and the female neighbour falling in love and the supposed destruction of Hynkel's palace whereas none of these were actually developed. The 'giving a woman a shave' and the 'whoever has the coin in their pudding does the deed' gags were hinting at these plot paths but in the end, just materialised into nothing but excuses for drawn out, unfunny gags which was disappointing.During the final straight, The Great Dictator gets a boost from the fact the Italian dictator is introduced who adds some much needed life and excuse for comedy to the film. It works a treat as we see them argue and more underhand tactics are exploited when Hynkel attempts to 'overpower' his Italian counterpart through a series of dirty tricks (although, they are humorously foiled). Despite a few weaknesses in pacing during the middle segment and the fact I felt the message at the end was a little forced down my throat, The Great Dictator holds up for viewing today but that's only because he took the gamble of exploiting things nobody else really knew were there.$LABEL$ 1 +This is the "Battlefield Earth" of mini series. It has with a few exceptions, all the disastrous ingredients that doomed that movie and will follow it to the grave in the turkey cemetery. They are both adaptations of books with a endless amount of pages who has been turned to a complete mess by a script writer and a director (In this case they are the same person.) who clearly don't know what they are doing, they have both a messiah wannabe that don't really deliver, as a hero (Played in this case by a guy that looks like Mark Hamill but sadly the force is not with him.) and a bunch of stupid bad guys who likes to betray and mess up the life for each other, they are both containing scenes stolen from better productions and they are both cheap productions who tries to look expensive with some (often badly made) computer animation. The exceptions that actually makes the whole thing worse is the terrible work made by the lighting guy who don't even have the skills to turn on the light in his own living room, the camera work that for no reasons at all sometimes are in tilted "Battlefield Earth" mode but for the most of the time are flat as a pancake, the extremely cheap and to small desert set that only contents a pile of sand in the front of a backdrop painted as a desert, that turns very old very fast because it appears in almost every scene, and the bad idea by the costume designer to try to mimic "The fifth element"'s fashion madness with the addition of the silliest hats ever made. Silly moments to remember: 1. Every scene with the guild guys, who looks like MST3K's observer guys but with silly hats. 2. Irulan shows up at the party dressed in her butterfly dress (Why butterflys? -was the one with stuffed parrots in the cleaner?) with matching silly hat, together with a couple of guys with silly balloon hats. 3. Paul the stand-up comedian. 4. Baron Harkonnen in over acting overdrive, screaming "I,m alive". 5. Every Scene with the backdrop, because it newer fits the foreground 6. Every scene with the Fremen's fake religious cermonies, specially the "water of life" cermony. 7. The battle scenes where the same guys gets killed a couple times and the same things explodes over and over again. It is a lot more but it is a 1000 words limit on this so i better stop before i gets carried away.$LABEL$ 0 +I recently started watching this show, and I have to say that it really made me laugh. You have to appreciate the unrealistic aspects of it, along with everything else. Some other people said this show should have more realistic reactions of the dead, among other things. If you are going accept that Ned can bring the dead back to life, you have to accept that the other completely crazy bits of the show. I couldn't help smiling after every episode I watched. I really think it's great there is a show out there that can take a very strange subject and really make it great to watch. I absolutely love the narration, I think it adds that extra bit of wonder to the whole show. You can't always compare old shows by a writer to his new ones, you have to take everything as it's own entity. Definitely give it a chance, and just enjoy the ridiculous parts as they are.$LABEL$ 1 +A nicely paced romantic war story that should have got more exposure. The Czech pilot who played piano gives a mellow touch to the story. The flying footage may not have been enough for aviation buffs like myself, but then again, this really isn't an action movie. Though it does not have anything in common with the James Salter novel "The Hunters" that became the movie about Korean War F86 Sabre pilots, Dark Blue World had a similar feel but with more of a romantic element to it. Better in some ways than Battle of Britain in that it doesn't rely on big name actors. Suggest viewing this movie with some Czech beer and some Czech dumplings called kneldniky(sp).$LABEL$ 1 +From the opening drum hit of "We're Gonna Groove" to the last guitar hit of "Whole Lotta Love", this two-DVD set might be one of the best music DVD's ever to hit the shelves since the Beatles Anthology was finally released earlier this year.One of the best things about this DVD is that on Disc 1, a whole concert and many television appearances can be found. For instance, the whole Royal Albert Hall concert is on the DVD, as well as some of the best performances from the band's last concert at Knebworth.In the Royal Albert Hall concert, for instance, the band had a lot of room to improvise. Jimmy Page's guitar solos make "Dazed And Confused" a huge rock power ballad as opposed to the laid-back blues song it was on Led Zeppelin I. Next, on DVD 2, is a promotional video for the Led Zeppelin III hit song "Immigrant Song". One of Zeppelin's hardest rocking songs, the video is about as sketchy as a Pre-MTV video was, but it displays a lot of guitar power by Jimmy Page, as it was taken from a live performance. After the video ends, we are treated, in transition, with a short picture of fans filling the seats at Madison Square Garden. The following are performances that were supposed to be part of "The Song Remains The Same", but did not make the cut. Excellent riffs like those in the songs "Black Dog" and "The Ocean" were both present.After the Madison Performances, we are treated with Earl's Court. Most of the Led Zeppelin IV material was played here, like the most popular song that Zeppelin ever recorded, "Stairway to Heaven". It is brilliant as always, even more so than the version on IV.Finally, to end the 5+ hours of live material, is Led Zeppelin's final concert in Knebworth in August of 1979. As the viewer watches this, they have to admit that Robert Plant's voice is getting throatier and deeper from all of the screaming he has done in the past, and it is evident here. On songs like "Kashmir" and "In The Evening", Plant does not have his vocal boost of old, yet, on "Whole Lotta Love", it returns for one more song.Overall, one of the best musical DVD's ever released, only next to the great "Beatles Anthology" boxed set that was released earlier in 2003. The sound, both in 5.1 DTS and 5.1 Dolby Digital, just like the Beatles DVD, gives you a feeling of being on-stage with the performers, standing right next to them, as you would feel on the Beatles DVD when they are jamming in the studio. Even though The Beatles and Led Zeppelin are different bands, though, they each received different DVD's. Even though this set comes on only two discs compared to the five disc Beatles Set, it still feels very filling to the viewer after they have gone through all of that content. It is also a pleasure to watch again and again, not only because of the sound quality, but because of the sheer energy on stage when Robert Plant begins to sing.A brilliant effort from Atlantic.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a great movie. It had one "sot-so-nice" outburst. Plus there were some very intense (drama) scenes which might make it inappropriate for younger viewers, under 6.For a under the radar film, the acting was quite enjoyable, and touched down in our family room for a near perfect landing. It held the attention of our whole family and we were kind of sorry to see it end.This movie had elements of spy kids with young people saving the day, but was given a somewhat more believable scenario. The dream scenes were a distraction at first, but did a great deal to establish the plot. The pranks and hi-jinx were also quite amusing.We hope you like as much as we did.$LABEL$ 1 +"It all depends on how you look at it –we are either halfway to heaven or halfway to hell," says the priest Rev. Harlan in "Northfork." The Polish brothers' film is an ambitious one that will make any intelligent viewer to sit up, provided he or she has patience and basic knowledge of Christianity. The layers of entertainment the film provide takes a viewer beyond the surreal and absurd imagery that is obvious to a less obvious socio-political and theological commentary that ought to provoke a laid-back American to reflect on current social values. The film's adoption of the surreal (coffins that emerge from the depths of man-made lakes to float and disturb the living, homesteaders who nearly "crucify" their feet to wooden floor of their homes, angels who need multiple glasses to read, etc.) and absurd images (of half animals, half toys that are alive, of door bells that make most delicate of musical outputs of a harp, a blind angel who keeps writing unreadable tracts, etc.) could make a viewer unfamiliar with the surreal and absurdist traditions in literature and the arts to wonder what the movie is un-spooling as entertainment. Though European cinema has better credentials in this field, Hollywood has indeed made such films in the past —in "Cat Ballou", Lee Marvin and his horse leaned against the wall to take a nap, several decades ago. "Northfork," in one scene of the citizens leaving the town in cars, seemed to pay homage to the row of cars in "Citizen Kane" taking Kane and his wife out of Xanadu for a picnic.The film is difficult for the uninitiated or the impatient film-goer—the most interesting epilogue (one of the finest I can recall) can be heard as a voice over towards the end of the credits. The directors seem to leave the finest moments to those who can stay with film to the end. If you have the patience you will savor the layers of the film—if you gulp or swallow what the Polish bothers dish out, you will miss out on its many flavors.What is the film all about? At the most obvious layer, a town is being vacated to make way for a dam and hydroelectric-project. Even cemeteries are being dug up so that the mortal remains of the dead can be moved to higher burial grounds. Real estate promoters are hawking the lakeside properties to 6 people who can evict the townsfolk. Of the 6, only one seems to have a conscience and therefore is able to order chicken broth soup, while others cannot get anything served to them.At the next layer, you have Christianity and its interaction on the townsfolk. Most are devout Christians, but in many lurk the instinct to survive at the expense of true Christian principles, exemplified in the priest. Many want to adopt children without accepting the responsibilities associated with such actions.At the next layer, you have the world of angels interacting with near angelic humans and with each other. You realize that the world of the unknown angel who keeps a comic book on Hercules and dreams of a mother, finds one in an androgynous angel called "Flower Hercules." While the filmmaker does give clues that Flower is an extension of the young angel's delirious imagination, subsequent actions of Flower belie this option. You are indeed in the world of angels--not gods but the pure in spirit—and therefore not in the world of the living. The softer focus of the camera is in evidence in these shots.At another layer the toy plane of Irwin becomes a real plane carrying him and his angels to heaven 1000 miles away from Norfolk.The final layer is the social commentary—"The country is divided into two types of people. Fords people and Chevy people." Is there a difference? They think they are different but both are consumerist.To the religious, the film says "Pray and you shall receive" (words of Fr Harlan, quoted by Angel Flower Hercules). To the consumerist, the film says "its what we do with our wings that separate us" (each of the 6 evictors also have wings-one duck/goose feather tucked into their hat bands but their actions are different often far from angelic as suggested by the different reactions to a scratch on a car).The film is certainly not the finest American film but it is definitely a notable path-breaking work--superb visuals, striking performances (especially Nick Nolte), and a loaded script offering several levels of entertainment for mature audiences.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is really wack. There is really nothing nice I can say about it, besides the moral truth expressed in the film's climax concerning people in the neighborhood participating in the fight against crime. Besides all that, the film had nothing: no good shots, no good acting, and no good script. I give this film a F and a 2 out 10.$LABEL$ 0 +I have passed several times on watching this since I figured it was some dumb, sappy, dated romantic comedy. Well, it is a romantic comedy, and maybe a little dated. However, it is not overly sentimental, touching as it does on themes of office politics, adultery, and loneliness. You think you know exactly where things are headed, but there is an element of unpredictability that keeps your interest, and not everything turns out quite as you had expected. But, there is enough wit and charm to touch the most inveterate cynic. If you meet someone who doesn't like this movie, seriously consider how well you want to know them.$LABEL$ 1 +I was very disappointed in this film. The director has shown some talent in his other endeavors, but this just seemed to be filler. There may have been a deep meaning behind it, but it seems to me to be nothing but a director who has access to some toys.I would highly recommend his other works to people, but certainly not this one. As I watched it, I kept on thinking it would pick up after an initial slow period, but it never did. At the end of the movie I was neither entertained nor moved nor thought of things in a new way. I could only say to myself, "What was that?"There were a few really striking parts of the film, but not enough to warrant sitting through it again.$LABEL$ 0 +THE RINGMASTER stars Jerry Springer as a TV talkshow host called Jerry , but it`s not THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW , his guests are trailer trash , but not the trailer trash you get on THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW, they attack one another , but not like on.....What is the point of making a movie about THE JERRY SPRINGER show and pretending it`s not THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW ? And on top of that this is a very boring film$LABEL$ 0 +Thank God I have fast-forward. I think this is a movie about a guy who rises and falls. Whatever: It's a stupid cliché. It doesn't make any difference. There's this guy, javier Bardem, who constructs buildings or something. It doesn't matter. He is handsome, this Javier Bardem. Who cares? I think there is a car wreck but I watched this in fast-forward, so ...who cares? Car wrecks and handsome heroes who struggle back from them smells like a melodrama to me. Javier likes someone , but he marries Maria de Madeiros instead.She is magnificently, poetically beautiful, with a heart-shaped face. Then Javier has an oral-interface with Maribel Verdu, who washes her vulva, beforehand, for some reason. You would think Maribel Verdu, with her hand-washed vulva would be sexy. No, she is not. This is a tedious story about a bunch of people who don't interest me. Javier, Maribel, and Maria have a threesome: How boring. This film is annoying. I think this might be a minor THEME of (some) Spanish-language movies: The rise and predictable fall of a little guy who succeeds against the odds. Let me just clear this up: this is a high-class melodrama or perhaps soap opera. It is not worth your time, except for a laugh.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a stupid movie. When I saw it in a movie theater more than half the audience left before it was half over. I stayed to the bitter end. To show fortitude? I caught it again on television and it was much funnier. Still by no means a classic, or even consistently hilarious but the family kinda grew on me. I love Jessica Lundy anyway. If you've nothing better to do and it's free on t.v. you could do worse.$LABEL$ 0 +Unwatchable. You can't even make it past the first three minutes. And this is coming from a huge Adam Sandler fan!!1$LABEL$ 0 +This tough-to-see little picture played at the Mods & Rockers 2007 festival. It is a wonderful and loving look at Harry Nilsson, using many famous faces who sit for interviews, rarely seen TV performances and behind-the-scenes footage of Nilsson at work. There's even a few shots from "Son Of Dracula". This movie is the final and fitting tribute to one of the finest voices, the most clever songwriter and the funniest man in popular music. It's a crime that this man's name is not as well known as some of the songs he wrote and/or performed. His friends tell incredibly funny stories about this talented hulk with a subconscious wish for self-destruction. As a bonus, you even get Eric Idle performing the song with wrote for Nilsson's final album during the closing credits. It's funny, it's sad. It's not in general release. If this picture plays anywhere near where you live, see it!$LABEL$ 1 +Pearl S.Buck was a brilliant author that was a first American lady won Nobel prize in literature in 1938 and received her prize with Enrico Fermi an Italian Physit.She wrote this romance in 1931 which was a second one after her first novel (East wind and West wind) in 1930 and her beginning in literature was fantastic upon her premier novels.she won in 1935 (Pulitzer prize) in literature on her eternal novel (The good earth) which made a brilliant panorama on the life of Chinese peasant (Wung Lung) and his wife (O-Lane) and their efforts to face the hardness of hard positions in their earth to reach for their big fortune by their shoulders.Paul Muni succeeded in this role as Chinese peasant that he prepared himself in this role upon his sittings with Chinese people in San Francisco in their town to be Chinese exactly as a real and true.Shara Reiner succeeded in her role as (O-Lane) by this brilliant evidence that she won An Academy Awarded as a best actress in 1937.$LABEL$ 1 +No Strings Attached features Carlos Mencia doing stand-up that makes us both laugh and think. Not only does he poke fun at racial issues (like many haters claim), but he also talks about the best way to get illegal immigrants out of the country...what women mean when they say they want to be treated equally...why Americans are crazier than Arab terrorists...why nobody needs to pray for the pope - and what he hopes he's doing in heaven...a theory of how Easter (aka Big Ups to Jesus Day) traditions got started...his viewing of the movie Passion of the Christ - and his sub-sequential argument with a woman about whether or not he's affected by Jesus...how society should treat the physically handicapped...and even if you have the right to tell a joke or not.Also, he never stops reminding us that each of us has a voice. So we should use it to speak the truth, say what we think, and not be afraid if others are offended.Carlos is the bomb.$LABEL$ 1 +This was made in 2004 for gods sake, what happened to our state of the art special effects? What happened to our rough around the edges but still good actors? The actors in this movie were unbelievably horrible, there was one or two that weren't bad, but the rest, biggg thumbs down. Couldn't stand listening to the badly written dialogue, I mean, who the heck wrote that script? Please don't ever write again! Special effects? Don't even get me started on the special effects. SURELY they could have come up with better then fully fake looking green balls of light in the eye sockets. It looks so old and..lame frankly.! Even the easiest thing to make look real..the teeth, THEY looked so fake and stupid I would almost wipe a tear from my eye in annoyance. Come onnnn I cant believe this was even shown to the public.!$LABEL$ 0 +Wow. I felt like I needed to shower off after watching this one, but maybe there were other reasons that I will leave to your imagination. I felt used and abused after wacking, I mean watching this film. Hairy chests, thick mustaches, and well, hairy everything describes this porn/horror movie, but hey, it was 1981, you can't call it "porn" in the 70s and 80s without the hair.As a horror flick, this bites. But as a piece of exploitation/porn from Italy's rich cinematic history- it definitely has a place in my library. The copy I have is in Italian with English subtitles. I wish it had the really poorly dubbed English, I think it would have added to the sleaziness factor that already existed. The only white guy who gets laid in the movie is "Mark Shannon"- he is the moustache wearing, hairy chested piece of machismo who really does try and give a performance every time he "steps up to bat". This was at the end of an era where porn producers were actually trying to make something artistic. Nothing like panning the camera from a tropical backdrop to a hairy man having "doggie-style" sex with a woman. I can't help but laugh.This is one of those movies that I pray my future wife and kids never find.$LABEL$ 0 +Well how can I categorise Farscape without resorting to gushing superlatives? Ok, here goes! The scripts are fantastic, with each episode offering so much entertainment, drama, humour and sheer watchability. The casting is perfect especially that of Zhaan (the blue lady) played by Virginia Hey, each character has a depth that just isn't there on the Star Trek series.I think having an Australian spin on the show makes this for me, Australia has been knocking out quality films for years and Farscape is no exception.I have only seen the first four episodes in UK order and they have a quality that makes each 45 minute show (in the UK) stand out more like a film than a weekly TV series.The episode that really does it for me is 'I, ET' which turns the alien concept around where Moya (a living ship, even the spacecraft has a great character) is forced to land on a planet that has yet to make 'First contact' and is surprisingly earth like and Crichton meets a radio telescope operator and *he* is the 'little green man' to them. Gripping stuff.In short the effects are great, the scripts are top quality and the main characters (not one of them really given any more importance than any other) are interesting, not always 'good' and well just excellent.Roll on the second season!$LABEL$ 1 +In conception a splendid film, investigating the tensions that occur in family life in the idyllic setting of Galiano Island off the coast of British Columbia, _The Lotus Eaters_ is marred by the fact that it has been packaged as a made-for-TV movie, diminishing itself throughout by the addition of chirpy music over potentially powerful scenes, as if to get ready for the interruption of commercials. A pity, really.$LABEL$ 1 +I'm not from USA I'm from central Europe and i think the show is amazingly good. It can be easily compared with married with..children. My title says that it isn't show for conservative public. I mean i'm not so liberal but it may be slight difference between European conservatism and us cons. Anyway, show is starting to be very popular in our area and it's very bad that it contains only two seasons. Last episode opens many continuous and funny moments. Anyway I and many peoples would be glad if that would continue playing. The last thing i'm thrilled about this is some moral education very nice packed into humorous scenes. I mean i have seen many comedies that has over two and even more minutes of very sad in tragic scenes that absolutely don't fit into comedy. War doesn't contain something like that and is made for laughing. It's like The Simpsons and married whose also don't have any sad or even unfunny moments. I'm apologizing for my awful knowledge of English but I still hope that You will understand what I meant.$LABEL$ 1 +I wish "that '70s show" would come back on television. It was the greatest show ever!!! They should make episodes between the other episodes but of course that would be confusing. But I wish it would come back and make more episodes. Please come back... The show was absolutely hilarious. You couldn't laugh without seeing an episode. There is a really funny part in every episode and plus the show was so much better when Hyde and Jackie were going out with each other. Those were the best episodes. "That '70s show is the best".... It will be and always will be the best show ever. It was really sad when the show ended. They should make new episodes.$LABEL$ 1 +Alexandra Ripley wrote a horrible sequel to Margaret Mitchell's masterpiece book published in the 1930's. Margaret Mitchell's heirs sold out their rights and for big bucks allowed Alexandra Ripley to write a piece of junk book even worse than Barbara Cortland romance novels. I was a huge fan of Margaret Mitchells book and the fake sequel by Alexandra Ripley was written just to cash in for money.Although I always admired the acting talent of Joanne Kilmer and Timothy Dalton, this is a really terrible film. The script is horrible and full of clichés. Ann Margarets cameo as Belle Watling is so awful I wanted to slap her.The only worthwhile thing in the movie is Sean Bean who gives a masterful bravura performance as the sexy, feral villain - Lord Fenton. Sean Bean's performance is along the lines of "The Man You Love to Hate" and portrays an unsafe sex symbol.But Sean Bean is only in the first half of the movie so you then have to be tormented with watching an incredibly long 6 hour movie with an insufferably boring script.Don't waste your money on this film, unless you are a hard core Sean Bean fan and just watch it for his wonderful performance.$LABEL$ 0 +This movie is great fun to watch if you love films of the organized crime variety. Those looking for a crime film starring a charismatic lead with dreams of taking over in a bad way may be slightly disappointed with the way this film strides.It is a fun romp through a criminal underworld however and if you aren't familiar with Hong Kong films, then you may be pleasantly surprised by this one. I was somewhat disappointed by some of the choices made story-wise but overall a good crime film. Some things did not make sense but that seems to be the norm with films of the East. People just randomly do things regardless of how their personalities were set up prior. It's a slightly annoying pattern that permeates even in this film.$LABEL$ 1 +The movie was supposed to release in 2002 and was much awaited due to the promos but it finally released in 2003 after the producer diedThe movie is good in parts but overall isn't greatThe scenes between Rani and Ajay are okay but the other scenes are not well handledThe film is too similar to BOLLYWOOD Hollywood and though this was planned before that got released first so originality is lostMilan Luthria disappoints overall after KACHCHE DAAGEMusic is good but too many songsAjay Devgan looks jaded and his appearance gives away that the film was delayed and his acting looks boring too Rani is good Sonali is good too rest are okay$LABEL$ 0 +I heard many stories about this film being great... Well, I took my chance when I saw it for a cheap price at Ebay last month.I watched it, and I have only a few comments about it:1) Terrible story-line, 2) Terrible acting, 3) Bad fighting-scenes...I never seen any worse movie in my life so far!! When the storyline is bad, than at least make the fights something more interesting. But BOTH are done ridiculously bad...* The only positive thing about this movie (in my opinion) is Nikki Berwick. God, she looks nice in this movie.That's about it...$LABEL$ 0 +This is the most depressing film I have ever seen. I first saw it as a child and even thinking about it now really upsets me. I know it was set in a time when life was hard and I know these people were poor and the crops were vital. Yes, I get all that. What I find hard to take is I can't remember one single light moment in the entire film. Maybe it was true to life, I don't know. I'm quite sure the acting was top notch and the direction and quality of filming etc etc was wonderful and I know that every film can't have a happy ending but as a family film it is dire in my opinion.I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to be entertained by a film. I can't stress enough how this film affected me as a child. I was talking about it recently and all the sad memories came flooding back. I think it would have all but the heartless reaching for the Prozac.$LABEL$ 0 +These things have been floating around in my head for damn near 10 years now. Some pieces of this work were really memorable. - Id love to see another more current example of cg showy offy stuff. Actually I'd love to be part of it.If I'd would of had the chance to just say what i wanted and thats it, I wouldn't have to write all this extra in order to make "10 lines if text" as this website requires. I mean really? This almost discourages me, I mean luckily for the guys that made the movie I really liked the Minds Eye - and it took me 3 times to have enough lines, I hope you don't get me on the misspelling. - yup you did.$LABEL$ 1 +If you ever plan on renting (hopefully not buying) this movie, think again. It was as if Gary Busey had a gun to his head and was forced to act or die. I only wonder if Busey was arrested for something and was sentenced to play in this movie because I just don't see the guy that acted so much better with Keanu Reeves in Point Break play in this disaster. It was a feel-good movie, but there are thousands of other feel-good movies that make you laugh without wanting you to get your money back.The only reason I would ever tell someone to rent this movie is to watch this movie is to see Gary Busey jump up and down like a monkey. If you want a good funny movie, pass up Quigley and go rent Spongebob or something.$LABEL$ 0 +Aldolpho (Steve Buscemi), an aspiring film maker, lives in a battered NYC apartment and relies on his mother to help make the rent. He has a beautiful neighbor named Angelica (Jennifer Beals)who may or may not be married but who Aldolpho would love to star in his movie. When Al unexpectedly gets a financial promise of funding for his film from a strange man named Joe, he thinks he's got it made. That is, until Joe takes Al along on an adventure to steal a Porsche for part of the financial backing. Will the film be made before Aldolpho is completely without a moral backbone? And, will Angelica star in the film? This is, in this viewer's opinion, an awful movie. The script is abysmal, with a plot that wanders willy nilly. Beals practically snarls all of her lines and Buscemi, though likable, is nondescript. There is a good deal of distasteful material and unsavory characters to boot. Finally, the production values are very poor, too, making the film look second rate at all times. If you have time on your hands, it is still a good idea not to take a chance with this movie. But, if you are the proverbial glutton for punishment, go ahead and watch the darn thing. Beals does look beautiful, after all.$LABEL$ 0 +I watched "Gristle" primarily for the presence of Michael Dorn, as I enjoyed his Worf portrayal on Star Trek TNG, but had never seen him out of his makeup. Dorn appears to have a nice presence, and probably has the potential for a profitable acting career. This movie, however, gave him little dramatic challenge, except to prove that he can, indeed, use the "F" word.It appears that this movie was made by someone who fancied himself as a forward-thinking type, with a social conscience. Yeah--- for 1965. Today, the themes are so belabored and sophomoric and cornball that even Spike Lee's dreadful "Bamboozled" looks good in comparison.This crime-caper flick has an intricate labrynth of double-, triple-, and quadruple-crosses, but the plot scheme is so convoluted that it collapses upon itself within the first 30 minutes. Mostly, after that point, I simply watched out of momentum, and a mild curiosity about how each scene would play out. There is a great cast here-- you will recognize virtually everyone as a character actor from much better movies. Why are they all in this? I suspect it was 1) The work, and some money, even if modest. 2) Perhaps the director knows all these actors from acting classes and social connections around LA--- you know, perhaps they participated to support him, as a fellow struggling movie guy on the third and fourth tiers of the Hollywood scene. Dunno... but the movie was half-baked--- not really "finished." I gave it a 3, although my affection for the actors involved was undiminished from my admiration of their previous work. Let's hope everybody has moved on to more professional, more carefully done, and more thorough projects since.$LABEL$ 0 +I think is a great and a VERY funny movie. The story is so funny. The daughter Nicole brings her father Andre, in some very embarrassing situations In an effort to impress the boy of her dreams, the daughter pretends that her father is her lover.You just have to see!! Heigl is lovely as Nicole, perhaps too lovely; I'm not sure why she'd need to lie to hook anyone? Gerard Depardieu Acts very great in this comedy film, he is so fun to watch. If you like comedy and romantic film you just have to see this!!! I think you can see this film many time, and you will still have a good laugh.In an effort to impress the boy of her dreams, the girl pretends that her father is her lover.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason to see this film is Sung Hi Lee, the stunning model/actress from Korea who plays "Muka Laka Miki" (give me a break) in this otherwise crappy movie. She is given a fairly substantial part in this film and seems to handle it well, though none of the parts is really interesting or well written. Even for a National Lampoon's movie, it's really stupid. Stupid humor is one thing, but just stupid is another. I may have laughed once, and that was probably just me being polite.Warning: Watching this movie may be bad for your health on two counts: 1) It, like, totally sucks. 2) Sung Hi Lee is so freaking gorgeous she just might blow your brains out of the back of your head upon first sight.So don't say I didn't warn you...$LABEL$ 0 +Have you seen The Graduate? It was hailed as the movie of its generation. But A River Runs Through It is the story about all generations. Long before Dustin Hoffman's character got all wrapped up in the traps of modern suburbia, Norman Maclean and his brother Paul were facing the same crushing pressures of growing up as they tried to find their place in the world. But how could a place like post WW1 Montana be a showcase for the American family, at a time when the Wild West still was not completely gone? Just what has Maclean tapped into that strikes so deeply at who we all are and what we have to go through to find ourselves? As the movie opens, Norman is an old man, flyfishing beside a rushing river, trying to understand the course his own life has taken. The movie is literally a journey up through his own stream of consciousness, against time's current and back to when he was a boy. He and his younger brother Paul were the sons of a Presbyterian minister and devoted mother. The parents fit snugly into their roles. Mom takes care of house and home. Dad does the work of the Lord. The boys ponder what they will be when they grow up. Norm has it narrowed down to a boxer or a minister like his dad. Given the choice, little Paul would be the boxer, since he's told his first choice of pro flyfisherman doesn't even exist. The boys grow up and get into trouble with their pranks, fight to see who is tougher and do the things brothers do, all the while attending church and taking part in all other spiritual matters like flyfishing. They are at similar points in their lives before college. But when Norm returns from his six years at Dartmouth, things are very different. Paul is at the top of his game. Master flyfisherman. Grad of a nearby college and newspaper reporter who knows every cop on the beat and every judge on the bench. Norman is stunningly well educated for his day but has little idea what to do with his life, even as his father grills him about what he intends to do. You're left feeling that at least to Pops, God will call you to your life's work. But you have to stay open and ready to receive it -- all your life. Father has always taken his boys to reflect by the side of the river and contemplate God's eternal words. "Listen," their father urges. It's both Zen and Quakerly. Pretty radical for a stoic clergyman. But with all the beauty and contemplation, and even though the Macleans are truly a God-fearing, scripture-heeding household, how is it that Rev. Maclean's family is unraveling? Paul is true perfection as he fishes the river, but he's feeling the pull of gambling and boozing, while his family doesn't know how to keep him from winding up where he seems to be headed. Mom, Dad and Brother all seem to have the same quiet desperation of not knowing what they should be doing and why they can't seem to help. Pauly just waves it all off with a grin and his irresistible charm. But the junior brother is losing his grip. Norman starts getting his life on track, finding love and career, but Paul continues to slide. The family that loves him watches helplessly. Mother, Father, Brother flounder in their own ways trying to help, but none very effectively. How can a family that loves each other so much be so ill-equipped to handle this? How can someone be so artful and full of grace when out in God's nature, yet be somehow unfit or unwilling to fit into the constructs of society that God's peoples have made for themselves? These are all questions Norman will ponder his entire life. The eternal words beneath the smooth stones of the river forever haunt him, yet keep their secrets. The movie is beautiful to watch. This is certainly God's country, and filming it won an Oscar. Director Robert Redford plays with the story from the book and teases the narration a bit to follow the emotional pattern he's presenting, and it works well. But do go back and read the book, too. You'll see Norman made connections with his old man even deeper than the movie can suggest -- and you'll see the places where the storyteller's very words gurgle and sing right off the page with an exuberance of a river running through it, leading into the unknown.$LABEL$ 1 +#3 in young John Travolta's trilogy of blockbusters. He dances to disco, rock 'n' roll and country. He heads to Houston to find work and love. Gilley's is the hot spot, and it is the time of the mechanical bull. Not to be outdone, I rode the bull at a club in Nashville. I recently saw this nearly forgotten film on television and remembered how good it was and how good a year 1980 was. I wore a black cowboy hat that year just like Travolta. Debra Winger was in her prime. She looks stunning in her red top. There is plenty of charisma. Bud and Sissy seem the ideal couple even if they are trailer trash. They split up just because it feels so good getting back together. Urban Cowboy has an amazing soundtrack. We get to hear Lyin' Eyes by The Eagles and Lookin' For Love by Johnny Lee.$LABEL$ 1 +This was the film that first indicated to me what a great actor Martin Sheen really is. He modestly claims that Charlie is a better actor, Charlie can't hold a candle to him.I found it suspenseful and thoroughly enjoyed the intertwining of the love story with the main plot (and I usually HATE love stories). There's a great plot twist at the end that struck me as being fully credible, particularly in the early 80's time period, and probably now also.The final scene had me on the edge of my seat. This film roundly illustrates that treachery is often doled out by those we trust, while declared enemies have more in common than they suspect, and finally, that human compassion can be found where we least expect it.irenerose$LABEL$ 1 +This film is an insult to the play upon which it is based. The character of Claude has been warped beyond recognition leaving a painful performance that does not even vaguely resemble the original plot. Shame, shame, shame. They have also cut a fair number of the original score of change the context in which the songs are sung. This warps the air of the film and causes the viewer who is aware of how this should be to wince as the writer of this screen play gives Hud a wife,turns Sheila into a spoiled rich girl, characterizes Claude as a cowboy, and kills Burger by sending him to Vietnam instead. If one is not familiar with the original plot I assure you this is not a bad film for you to see, but if you ever wish to see the original or are, as I am, a die-hard fan of the classic play, you would do best to avoid the film altogether. One really must stick to one or the other.$LABEL$ 0 +Conquerer of Shamballa shows what happens when creators of an Anime fail to understand what their fans want. I as a fan did not want a 1920's Evil Nazi movie. What I would have liked to see is a real final showdown between Ed and Dante, as we don't REALLY know what became of her. I also would have liked to get Ed back to his world much sooner and have him stay there, to finally get a chance to be normal. You know, raise a family with a certain blonde mechanic, that sort of thing. No, instead I got a convoluted plot involving Nazi mystics, Fritz Lang and about ten minutes of Al, a joke of a Cameo by Roy Mustang and only one Armstrong joke, one short joke and no Winry hitting Ed with a wrench. Above all, it just didn't feel like Fullmetal Alchemist to me.$LABEL$ 0 +Quick and simple, I love this movie.As some others have mentioned, I also, am not from the south, don't really care for country music and have never worn a cowboy hat. (I've never drove around in a car with a dead body in my trunk either, but I love "Goodfellas.") This is just great film making. Shot in a 2.35 aspect ratio and beautifully transfered to DVD. (The VHS was 1.33 full screen). And yes, a solid 5.1 mix for your viewing pleasure. What can you say about this movie?It's just a great love/hate story set in Texas, with great performances. Travolta is fantastic. Next to "Pulp Fiction", it's the best thing he's done. It's been in my top 5 for 25 years!!Check this one out!!! It's a 10 !!!!$LABEL$ 1 +A party-hardy frat boy's sister is brutally murdered by a street gang, sending the young man into a sudden psychotic rampage. He and his buddies massacre half the city to bring his sister back to life.SAVAGE STREETS was released a year after this film, and was more entertaining. Linnea Quigley, who has a costarring role in this film as the sexy (and briefly nude) girlfriend of one of the guys, also starred in SAVAGE STREETS.This film is subpar, though it delivers enough escapist entertainment and gratuitous nudity to please its intended audience (me).MPAA: Rated R for strong violence, nudity, language, and some sexuality.$LABEL$ 0 +Ludicrous violations of the most basic security regs are only the beginning. It's hard to see how they achieved such abysmal trash on such a low budget. I turned it off once, then got curious to see if it could get any worse. It did.$LABEL$ 0 +So, you wanna be a rock star? See this movie. You don't like rock, you say? Or you're REALLY into heavy metal? Then put on your favorite album and dream yourself away, this movie has nothing to offer. Rarely have I ever seen a movie being able to portrait the dream of being in a rock band as good as this. I had long hair during the late 1980's and early nineties, and I have played guitar for the last 15 years or so. Did I like Rock Star? Oh yes. The music is good, not great, the actors are good, and believable, even Jennifer Aniston plays her part to perfection. And Mark Wahlberg is perfect as the wannabe rock singer. So you know what you're going to get. A movie about dreams coming true, being stepped on, and finally figuring out what life is really about. It's a good solid seven out of ten, no more, no less.$LABEL$ 1 +The "saucy" misadventures of four au pairs who arrive in London on the same day in the early 1970s. There's a Swedish girl, a Danish, a German and a Chinese. The story contrives to get the clothes off all of them, involve them in some Carry On-type humour and couple them with various misfits from the British film and TV culture of the time, including Man About the House star Richard O'Sullivan, future Coronation Street rogue Johnny Briggs and horror film stalwart Ferdy Mayne (playing a sheik). There's a pretty risqué amount of female nudity on display, for those who like that kind of thing (but obviously nothing hardcore).Most of the film is pretty thin and inconsequential; the girls are stereotypes, and German Anita especially suffers from some kind of infantalising disorder - she's a moron obsessed with colour TV who acts like a kind of uninhibited child & dresses to deliberately show her private parts; in another more serious film, she would be a psychiatric case. The most interesting section of the film involves the Swedish girl being taken to a club in London where some dodgy types are still trying to swing, being seduced by a middle-aged rocker, losing her virginity and realising that the scene is not for her. These sequences have some energy in them and point to a more intriguing film than we've ended up with, in which promiscuity and the dregs of the music business and upper classes live soulless and seedy lives (there's a fine turn by John Standing as an impotent public school roué). The strangest of the stories has the Chinese girl (future cannibal film veteran Me Me Lay) getting off with her childish piano prodigy employer, falling mutually in love with and then leaving in the middle of the night for no good reason at all, except some orientalist notion that "Chinese birds are inscrutable, ain't they?!" The film is pretty demeaning to its women characters and there's a smattering of homophobia in the dialogue and one of the characterisations. The end is striking, as Mayne's sheik for no earthly reason (except they have to end the film somehow) whisks all of the girls away to his Arab kingdom for what looks to all the world like a future in the white slave trade, which they are all delighted about.Stuff and nonsense for the most part then, but directed with a fair amount of skill by veteran Val Guest, which puts it as a piece of film-making a notch above most of the 70s Brit sexploitation flicks.$LABEL$ 0 +i searched video store everywhere to find this movie, being the huge elvis fan that i am, and i found it to be a huge disappointment. kurt russel had most of the "elvis moves" down and the voice imitation was great, but the dubbed in singing voice of elvis just didnt work for me. the voice didnt always match up with russels mouth, and it was hard for me to get lost in the plot because it bothered me that it was noticeable. also, there were so many freaking discrepancies in the film, people who dont know much about elvis would probably think them to be facts. songs are sung by him earlier than he recorded them in real life, the time when he got his first guitar is wrong, im pretty sure his brother jesse garron was buried in an unmarked grave, not one with a huge headstone reading JESSE GARRON. i know it was just a tv movie, but they skipped over important events, like the come-back-special, and dragged some scenes out for way too long. if you want to see a good movie that shows elvis in his prime rent THATS THE WAY IT IS, or another elvis concert. hearing and seeing the real elvis preform is the only way to truly see his talent. (brilliant statement i know, but still...go out and rent a good elvis flic.)$LABEL$ 0 +The main premise for this movie is every woman's fantasy: a vagina that kills and eats men. Well at least it is a fantasy for every woman who has ever had a fight against a man. What's that, 99.9999% of women? But don't worry it's not a gory kind of eating of men. It's more like a comical slurping them in, like a drain plug. There's no blood or parts left behind. So for blood, guts & gore fans, forget about this film, not much gore here.The two main characters of the film are somewhat unrealistic. Helen is a good girl who becomes a prostitute. Meanwhile, Dennis is a nice guy who stalks Helen.The story is already a little silly at this point, but then they throw in two more equally silly sub-stories that just send this movie into the bad B-movie territory. The first new sub-story is about Dennis finding new love with a pair of conjoined twins; and then eventually murdering one of them, and becoming a fugitive bank-robber. The second new sub-story is about Helen finding new love with a nice policeman who rescued her from a prostitution-related bad date, and decided he wanted to marry her. Dennis and Helen eventually meet up again at the end of movie in totally unbelievable circumstances, and magically Helen's murderous vagina is cured!$LABEL$ 0 +This film broke a lot of ground and receives on the whole a lot less credit than it's due. It touches on a topic that is ever-present in our daily lives, but which is seen as a phenomenon so common that it does not merit discussion. This phenomenon is that of caregivers (be they doctors or, as in "Broken Promise", a senior social worker) who abuse their position in order to harm those they have been charged to protect.In Broken Promise, Patty Clawson and her family are abandoned by their parents; but are soon picked up by local law enforcement. Faced with the certain prospect of foster care, Patty begs a young social worker to keep her and her brothers and sisters together. This social worker approaches a senior member of another department, but his request is denied.The children are parcelled off to seperate homes, thereby following the prevailing opinions of the day and ensuring a "clean break." But it is this event, the "broken promise" which gives the film it's name, which causes the dramatic tension that is to continue throughout the film. Angered by the Young Social Worker's apparent betrayal, Patty Clawson runs away from the foster home she has been sent to.Faced with the daunting task of finding her family in a climate where the ideal is seen to be a complete separation from the past; she does the only the thing she can to ascertain their whereabouts and breaks into the Senior Social Worker's office to steal the casefile.Apprehended soon after she finds she has made a dangerous enemy. Furious at the embarrassment this little girl has caused him and his department, the Senior Social Worker decides to use his power and authority to destroy her; something that legally he is quite capable of doing.---------------This topic, of the harm of caregivers to clients, is relatively taboo. It certainly has been touched on very little in films as few directors wish to tread the path that would imply that caregivers cause harm.I think that this film plays a very important role in making the public more aware of this sort of thing. The case portrayed is not only plausible, but has probably happened many times before to many other children all over the world. This film is critical to changing public opinion in order to get rid of the laws that protect harmful people like the Senior Social Worker in "Broken Promise".I strongly recommend Broken Promise. It is especially appropriate viewing for trainee social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, and other caregiving professions. It is a lesson in avoidance that should be taken to heart.-----------In terms of the acting in "Broken Promise." Melissa Michaelsen plays a superb part as Patty Clawson. Especially in films such as this believability is critical. If the viewer did not identify with the character of Patty, the whole message of the film would be in jeopardy. It's unfortunate that Melissa doesn't still act in films today, as her performance in "Broken Promise" shows her to have had exceptional talent.$LABEL$ 1 +I think its pretty safe to say that this is the worst film ever made, When I saw the trailer on TV i knew right from second 1 that this would be a piece of **** and it would be best to avoid it, but I somehow got dragged into seeing this by some friends, I walked into the cinema with low expectations but i was hoping there would be a couple of cheap laughs to keep me awake during this film. The so-called "jokes" in this film bring a cringe to the face, they are mostly comprised of people taking hits to the face and balls, the baby looking weird and acting like a horny gangsta and the typical race jokes we see so often in todays garbage comedies. The film is obvious and the story is not only impossible to believe but also predictable and dull. The characters are extremely annoying and heavily stereotyped. I never want to have to see this **** film again, I'd rather take a bullet to the foot than be exposed to this piece of fuckwood ever again. If anyone I see says they liked it i will physically punch them in the face$LABEL$ 0 +I found this to be a so-so romance/drama that has a nice ending and a generally nice feel to it. It's not a Hallmark Hall Of Fame-type family film with sleeping-before-marriage considered "normal" behavior but considering it stars Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, I would have expected a lot rougher movie, at least language-wise. The most memorable part of the film is the portrayal of how difficult it must be to learn how to read and write when you are already an adult. That's the big theme of the movie and it involves some touching scenes but, to be honest, the film isn't that memorable.It's still a fairly mild, nice tale that I would be happy to recommend.$LABEL$ 1 +Well, how to make a movie as provocative as possible? This cartoonishly straight shocker tries by having two low-life Paris women (one prostitute, one recently raped ex-porn actress, no less) lash out and go on a national sex-and-killing spree- of men in particular. Very short running time gives you a hint of the experimental nature of this violently hardcore "Thelma & Louise"- but it's done completely without irony or contemplation for any possible feminist message... And since we don't get very close to the protagonists, the violence actually feels muted and numbing- and maybe that's a good thing. As a liberal advocate of freedom of expression, I always welcome when the "serious" movie industry dares to contain full-on sex scenes. But the question is: Does it work for the movie as a whole? Is it any good? Here, not very, although we're given a new meaning to the phrase "a shot in the ass"! 3 out of 10 from Ozjeppe$LABEL$ 0 +I searched for this movie for years, apparently it ain't available here in the States so bought me a copy off Ebay.Four young hunters and three of their girlfriends venture into the woods searching for a bear that apparently has killed several campers. What they find is an ex-Vietnam vet gone crazy (he kills some of his victims using a glove with long metal finger nails a la Freddy Krueger). As soon as the night falls, one of the girls goes for a walk after a brief argument with her boyfriend, she gets killed. After one of the group finds her body, they all hide in their tents waiting for daylight. Once the sun comes up, all of them try and make it out, but fall victim one by one.Seven bodies, not a lot of gore, but a couple of good murders, especially the girls'deaths. The guys get killed in somewhat bloodless ways (blown up in car, shot to death, knife through head). Overall, INFERNAL TRAP is a nice slasher film from the late 80's. Nothing new, just well acted, fast paced and some pretty ladies. 10 out of 10.$LABEL$ 1 +STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning The American military has just launched a major new stealth fighter plane that can evade detection unlike any other. A renegade pilot (Steve Touissant) steals it and plots to hold the US government to ransom with it. So they are forced to send in their best man John Sands (Seagal, who else?) to stop him, in exchange for his freedom from a detention centre where his mind was to be wiped of all the incriminating information he's learned over the years.I skipped Attack Force because I could tell from the cover and all the post production tampering that had occurred that it would be crap and when all the negative reviews and low user rating came pouring in it just confirmed what I thought. But I decided to give FOF a go because Shadow Man (by the same director) wasn't bad and, what the hell, Seagal was my favourite action star once and maybe, just maybe, he could make a great film again. Oh what a fool I was.Dubbing, horrendous stock footage of aerial stealth fighter jets, awful camera work, cheap production values, risible, unconvincing fight scenes that have become Seagal's trademark and a boring, sleep inducing plot that doesn't go anywhere.Thankfully his next film, Once Upon a Time in the Hood (which I'll be skipping), apparently marks the end of his contract with Sony, meaning no more of these awful European lensed action films and his next film Prince of Pistols might mark a return to theatres. Hell, he's done it before and Stallone will have managed to do it before him (Rocky Balboa.) This isn't a Flight of Fury. It isn't even a flight of fun. It's a flight that fails to even take off the ground. *$LABEL$ 0 +Just before dawn is an underrated horror film from the early eighties. I haven't seen it in years but it had a great impact when I watched it, quite original for its day, the only problem is that it has not been released on video or dvd for years. If you like horror I urge you to check this little gem out!!$LABEL$ 1 +Alas, another Costner movie that was an hour too long. Credible performances, but the script had no where to go and was in no hurry to get there. First we are offered an unrelated string of events few of which further the story. Will the script center on Randall and his wife? Randall and Fischer? How about Fischer and Thomas? In the end, no real front story ever develops and the characters themselves are artificially propped up by monologues from third parties. The singer explains Randall, Randall explains Fischer, on and on. Finally, long after you don't care anymore, you will learn something about the script meetings. Three endings were no doubt proffered and no one could make a decision. The end result? All three were used, one, after another, after another. If you can hang in past the 100th yawn, you'll be able to pick them out. Despite the transparent attempt to gain points with a dedication to the Coast Guard, this one should have washed out the very first day.$LABEL$ 0 +I really enjoyed this movie. Most of the reviews have been bad, but most critics think a movie should be like an idea drama. This movie has a little bit of drama, but the rest is just clean fun and very entertaining. Forget about Julia Roberts being a Pretty Woman, Emma Roberts is a beautiful young lady and there is more to her than just that. Emma was so much fun to watch in the role of Nancy Drew. It is good to see a new face. I believe she will go far.Nancy Drew may not be based upon the books, but the story is still good. There is also a good blend of other character actors and supporting actors like Pat Carroll, Barry Bostwick, Rachel Leigh Cook and Chris Kattan - not credited. I'm surprised Disney did not release this movie. Some people may not like this movie because it does not contain sex, violence, and cursing. This is a good family film which is rare in this day in time. So take your family, see this movie and judge for your self how good it is. I can't wait for the sequel.$LABEL$ 1 +Laputa: castle in the sky is the bomb. The message is as strong as his newer works and more pure, fantastic and flying pirates how could it be any better! The art is totally amazing and the soundtrack, which is reused many times after this, (im not sure if this was the first time i heard it) and evokes in me the most emotional sentimental response of any movie soundtrack. Sheeta, the female lead in this movie is totally awesome and the boy, Pazu is also a great role-model--he lives on his own! The plot is classic Miyazaki. I won't give it away, but the end is really great. I rank this as one of Miyazaki's three best with Nausicaa and Spirited Away. Also you may want to check out Howl's Moving Castle when it comes out (sometime next year i hope) If you like Miyazaki check this one out as it readily available in the USA. Enjoy, Piper A$LABEL$ 1 +After I got done watching this movie I was so upset that I had wasted 2 hours of my life. That's 2 hours I'll never get back. Ugh. When you start this you might think "Wow this is really good!" But rest assured that first impressions mean NOTHING. I was so excited about this movie until the dumbest ending I have ever seen. This movie is simply pathetic. The acting is bland, the story line is anything but original and there's nothing especially unique about this except that it's the WORST MOVIE EVER!!! DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE!!! WARNING!! DUMBEST MOVIE EVER YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU WASTE 2 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE ON THIS!!! 1/10$LABEL$ 0 +It is a wonderful film about people. Strange people. The characters in the movie all have a very tragic past, so they all have their problems. Their problems evolve in a way that makes the plot of the movie very absurd; but that does not make the movie worse, only better, for it is shot in a kind of fantasy-like way, so nothing is real. This review might sound a little weird, but then again, the movie is not quite normal... It is also a hilarious movie at many times. If you have not seen it, see it. Enjoy!$LABEL$ 1 +It is one of the better Indian movies I have seen lately, instead of crappy song and dance or slum dog movies. All the actors have showed the right emotions at the right intensity with right timing. It is the hallmark of a good movie, that it make the viewer go back and research the subject, which exactly what I did checking on Harilal. I always enjoy Akshay Khanna's subtle style of acting and interestingly he had rather a complicated relationship with his own father Vinod Khanna, albeit not as dramatic as Gandhis and wonder how it helped him essay this character. I was impressed by the direction and 2 thumbs up for Anil Kapoor for producing such a classy movie.$LABEL$ 1 +Although it's most certainly politically incorrect to be entertained by a drunk, there's such a charm to Dudley Moore's portrayal of lovable lush, Arthur Bach one can't help but feel for this unique and wonderful character. How can you not be entertained by that infectious laugh and giggle and utter silliness. Although I'm not really a Liza Minnelli fan, she was really excellent as Linda Marolla and I couldn't picture anyone else in that role. Sir John Gielgud was the heart of the film and deserved his Oscar. The rest of the cast also excellent and that great tune "Arthur's Theme", wow. Truly this was one of the Best Comedies of the 1980s. Great films get better with each viewing and that is the case with "Arthur."$LABEL$ 1 +I want to start by stating I am a republican, even though I don't agree with a lot of the things bush has done in office. And I love the daily show and Colbert report. They have to be two of my favorite shows on TV. I enjoy the bush jokes on Conan, Letterman, Leno, because I admit that W is not the smartest guy to ever walk the earth(I do believe he's not the dumbest either.) But it comes to a point when enough is enough and it's not really that funny anymore. I see where it can be funny and it is(hey he's making fun of our authority figure he's hilarious.). Comedy central though is just trying to hard to poke fun at him. I mean maybe one special episode, but an entire series is just dumb. It seems CC is just saying the same bush jokes that we've heard WAY to many times. I really cannot see this show going past 1 season.$LABEL$ 0 +Lost is an extremely well made TV series about some people that are lost on an island. there's so many twists and turns that you can't really decide who your favourite character is, one minute its him then he does something so he's coolest then shes about to do something so shes the coolest then suspense builds up and just as you are about to burst the episode ends and your like noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!so you have to wait a whole week too see the next episode but it is worth the wait. Suspense, action, romance, humour its got it all apart from the topless girls but thats good as it means that you can actually concentrate on the story more and story is what this is all about. so if you like a good story and like suspense this is a good one however 24 i think is probably better.(i have a review on that too that you could check it out.) I would give lost a good 8 out of 10 mainly because its so unpredictable, you never know what will happen next.$LABEL$ 1 +After watching this movie on DVD, I watched the trailer. The voice-over describes the movie as surreal. Well, there's surreal, and there's surreal. There was really only one part of the film that seemed surreal to me, but frankly, it was more confusing than surreal. The other unusual imagery, particularly the lunchroom scene where everybody is on the floor, were so nonsensical they had no meaning. I don't mind imagery that doesn't mean anything, but these scenes just seemed irrelevant.My impression is that the director was trying to convey Logan's inner monologue. I don't know what else would explain what was going on. Unfortunately, nothing I saw gave me any clue what Logan was thinking about, what his perspective was, or even his emotional state. All I could tell was that he wasn't particularly happy with his physical appearance, and that he had a crush on an older boy. I thought the ending signaled what the relationship between the boys had become, but not much else did. Purposely juxtaposing ambiguous scenes with those that were more straightforward seemed more like a cop out than an artistic decision. Still, as tiresome and as content-free the movie was for me, it was a definite change of pace. I very much liked Madagascar Skin, and I had the feeling this movie aspired to that kind of narrative, and perhaps even style. It didn't even come close. For me there's no question about it: this movie deserves an A for effort, but a D for execution.$LABEL$ 0 +Murder Over New York is one of the better Chan mysteries and I've just seen this for the first time.In this one, Charlie Chan is visiting New York to attend a police convention. At the same time, people who are involved with aircraft plants are being murdered and he decides to help with the investigation, along with his Number 2 son. These murders turn out to be the results of sabotage at the aircraft plants and Chan helps to identify the murderer...Charlie Chan is played well by Sidney Toler and the rest of the cast includes Sen Yung as his Number 2 son and Marjorie Weaver.I rather liked this mystery and is worth having if you like this sort of thing.Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie is very good in term of acting and plot. The events and the setting (i.e. how Chris gets the job, Chris's work environment, the face-to-face between the two sides, etc) thereof, on the other hand, are found to be less than realistic.$LABEL$ 1 +To put it simply, I am not fond of westerns. And having never sat through one from beginning to end, I decided to watch "My Darling Clementine" and see it all the way through, no matter how painful it was for me. At first it was excruciating as expected. I found the acting to be laughable, the scenery (your standard dessert, horses and cowboys) boring and the music and its timing teetering on the edge of painful. However, after mentally pep talking myself to struggle on, after the first 20 minutes it began to be quite a bit easier for me to endure. Focusing in on the cinematography, and how John Ford managed to make even the dullest situations (dull according to me that is) look quite stunning at times, made it a lot more interesting. In conclusion, I can't go so far as to say that I enjoyed the movie by the end of it. However it was made well enough for me to sit all the way through to the very end, and that in itself impresses me.$LABEL$ 0 +Somewhere, out there, there must be a list of the all time worst gay films every made. One's that have overlong camera shots of the stars sitting and staring pensively into space, or one's where they focus unbearably long on kitty kats eating spaghetti. This motion sickness picture is a story of a boy and a boy and they live and love and swim and get stuck in grottos and one of them has a depressed mother and another has no mother and they talk and walk and swim and have sex and get drunk and then break up and someone goes to the hospital for eight days and then gets out and there is a lot of fast forward and rewind and there are long pensive shots of one of them looking into space or just sitting and doing nothing. I think it's some sort of gimmicky film making technique or maybe it's that the film is so bad they have to fill it up with long, wasted shots because otherwise if they had to rely on plot or story the film would be about 14 minutes. Don't get me wrong, this is about the 30th gay film I"ve watched in the past 6 months and some of them (most of them) have been very formulmatic, predictable and boring but this is one is really a terrible waste of time. The best one so far was "Beautiful Thing". So, I watched this and after the very first opening shot which lingered and lingered I thought "Oh, no, its going to be creative sinny mah" But I gave it a chance and watched it and then when it ended I tossed the DVD in the trash. Sorry I didn't like it and if you did, sorry if I offend.$LABEL$ 0 +Eskimo is a serious movie about the cultural chasm between an indigenous population and the encroaching white man. Although filmed in a documentary style seemingly with non-professionals, Eskimo is a skilled production that contains a believable story the audience will want to see through to the final shot.The native Eskimo simply has different beliefs and behaviors about women and life than do the whalers that darken his landscape. When an Eskimo man loses his mate, it is natural that other men share their women with their friend. It is also usual for their women to want to take the place of the missing spouse. All of this seems natural in the context of the desolate foreboding Arctic setting. The trusting Eskimo falls prey to unscrupulous white whalers (with heavy European accents) that do not view these natives as their equals. Deceit, drunken orgies, rape, and death occur after the Eskimo men depart for work on the icy cold seas. Eventually the lead Eskimo (Mala) realizes that he has been duped and he takes his revenge. The audience would have cheered in the 1930's theaters.Enter the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the moral dilemma of whether to bring back Mala for trial. The Mounties are played as feeling policemen that know this is not a cut and dry case. Will the Mounties get their man? Is it fair to hold Mala to a code of behavior outside of his traditional society? Is there a way out that does not punish Mala? Is it inevitable that the white man's law must prevail? Is there no hope for innocence?This is not a great movie, but one that you will enjoy for the depth of the issue addressed in a very different setting. I suspect that the filming of the sequences with animals was done before today's disclaimer that none were injured in the making of the film -- so beware of the raw nature sequences. Highly recommended.$LABEL$ 1 +PERHAPS SPOILER !! well, i ve seen it at the film festival in cologne and i have to say it s ridiculous ... sorry author and writer and ...whatever but it is the worst try making a good movie i ve ever seen ... if u ve got 5000 times the possibility to get away from your enemy and u don't do it .... its getting boring ... there are szenes in the movie witch gives u the impression that they are forgotten e.g. a szene in front of a security cam, they are asking for help and a somebody sees it and calles the police ... than there is a cut and .... NOTHING ??!!! ... the killer gets a shot in his head and 50 secs later he is behaving like nothing happened ... no its no zombie movie ... and finally the final ... the BIG END which we were promised .... hmmmm, lets say take a little guy who always wanted to give the world one of the best endings in history so badly that everything goes wrong .... im not going to vote "1" because the actress is beautiful ... ;)$LABEL$ 0 +I couldn't make sense of this film much of the time, and neither could anyone else, based on other reviews. The opening scene of this film has virtually nothing to do with the rest of the story. In it, a photojournalist with a big mustache cancels his vacation to get away from his girlfriend. He is assigned to photograph a mountain range. It's rumored to be haunted, but I couldn't tell whether he heard that from his boss or later in the film. On his way, he meets a beautiful writer (Patty Shepard) and convinces her to join him on his working trip. Throughout the film, there is this terrible music score, mostly consisting of noisy singing that makes you want to scream "SHUT UP ALREADY!!!" What really will gall a person is that the film always seems like it's about to become good, though it never does. There is beautiful mountain scenery and some genuinely creepy atmosphere. The inn and the silent, abandoned old buildings scattered on the mountain are rather ominous. The foggy nights look real, not like someone put an artificial fog machine on the set. And the idea, while not original, had potential. But it never does improve, at least not enough to be worthwhile. Here's how it goes, more or less. They stop at this inn run by a weird innkeeper (you expect him to be named Igor) with a hearing problem. There is a scene where the writer thinks a peeping tom is in her window, but the scene is so dark, I had no idea what was going on. Whether this was poor lighting or a poor film transfer is unknown to me. In any event, we never find out know what happened. There is a scene where she wanders off during the night. Whether she is sleepwalking or mesmerized by the witches of the title is never explained. Another scene which is never explained is when their car is stolen, then found again, with nothing stolen. They wind up in this apparently abandoned mountain village whose sole inhabitant is this seemingly kindly old woman. There are other things, including a chained wild man in a cave who is never explained, an attempt to sacrifice the writer in some way (will they kill her or brainwash her into joining them?), the witches themselves, a bunch of brunette women in white robes who don't show up until the last 15 minutes of the film and whose practices and beliefs are never explained. Even the closing scene doesn't make any sense. When all is said and done, most people will be saying, "Huh?"$LABEL$ 0 +A sequel to Angels With Dirty Faces in name only, The Angels Wash Their Faces suffers somewhat from the usual shenanigans of the Dead End Kids. As a matter of fact, with the presence of the Dead End Kids and Ann Sheridan this should have been treated as an actual sequel to Angels With Dirty Faces, at least for continuity's sake.Speaking of Ann Sheridan, she is the one true shining light of this movie. To paraphrase a cliché, Ann Sheridan could read from a phone book for two hours and I would buy the DVD!Another virtue of this movie is the chemistry between Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately , this aspect of the film is kept too far in the background. For a better example of the Sheridan-Reagan duo I would recommend Juke Girl or Kings Row.$LABEL$ 1 +Without a shadow of a doubt this is and probably will always be the worst film i have ever had the missfortune to see my whole life. Take 5 wooden actors who got thrown out of acting school because they were so wooden someone sat on them thinking they were a bench.Then add a cheap camcorder. You know the old VHS types that cost £20 on ebay. Add a terrible story line with no effects and yes you have this film. What a shocker it was. They couldn't even save it by having a fit girl in it. She was fat and ugly and was the worst of all. I actually watched it all as i could not believe this crap ever got funded.MISS AT ALL COSTS$LABEL$ 0 +- A group of bandits rob a train of the gold shipment it is carrying. In their escape, the bandits split up. The one thief who knows where the gold is hidden is killed before he is able to talk. Three men have a different part of the "clue" that will lead to the gold. Can the banker, the bandit, and the bounty hunter work together to locate the missing loot? Or, will they kill each other first? - The plot is an obvious take-off of Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Various scenes in the movie are also lifted from other films by Leone, Corbucci, and more. But, to me, it's done in a way that doesn't show disrespect to the original work. Instead, Any Gun Can Play lovingly parodies some of the biggest films in Spaghetti Western history. The opening scene of three men riding into town and the final face-off between the three main stars are a wonderful homage to the SWs that came before.- Castellari adds a lot of nice touches of his own - the reflection in the spilled wine, the Stranger's entrance with the vivid red background, and the playful way the gold is discovered in the end. Although highly unbelievable, many of the fight scenes are well staged and directed. Two fight scenes in particular (the market fight and the bath house fight) are very nicely done. He is also unafraid to try different things with his camera. Tight close-ups, overhead shots, and shots around corners are all common in Any Gun Can Play.- Another plus is the cast that Castellari had to work with. George Hilton is always good in these movies. Gilbert Roland is literally playing Gilbert Roland. And SW newcomer Edd Byrnes holds his own with the two SW veterans. The supporting cast features, among others, SW regular Gerard Herter.- Any Gun Can Play should not be taken too seriously. Nice touches of humor can be found throughout the movie. If this is possible with an SW, it's more of a "feel good" movie - very reminiscent of some of the Terence Hill / Bud Spencer films.$LABEL$ 1 +It is Queen Victoria's misfortune to be defined as an historical figure according to her relationships with men.Shortly after she succeeded to the throne she came under the influence of her Prime Minister Lord Melbourne to the extent that she became known as "Mrs Melbourne".After the death of her beloved husband,Albert,she was referred to as "The Widow at Windsor",and years later,a long friendship with her Scottish ghillie John Brown earned her the nickname "Mrs Brown".Such is the price women paid in a patriarchal society. The reality is somewhat different and "Young Victoria" goes some way towards putting the record straight,depicting the queen as an intelligent and independent young woman conscious of the inequities in her society and at her court. Courts have always been hotbeds of seething jealousy,plotting and counter-plotting,naked ambition and sometimes,outright murder. As an 18 year old innocent,Victoria ascended to her uncle's throne,thus initiating a positive orgy of intrigue and a power-struggle between Prime minister Lord Melbourne and his rival Sir Robert Peel. Lord Melbourne cuts a dash in the Old Public School Man kind of way with his finely-honed cynicism and his well-polished gems of advice. Hardly surprising then that the young queen finds herself in awe of him,and even perhaps a little in love,an awe that he ruthlessly exploits,drawing a fine line between attempted seduction and attempted sedition as he forces his policies through against Victoria's better judgement. Into the arena rides Prince Albert,on a mission from King Leopold of Belgium,keen on political rapprochement between Great Britain and the rest of Europe. At first a reluctant suitor,he soon falls in love with the English queen and palliates the influence of the politicians and courtiers. "The Young Victoria" is a beautifully photographed,brilliantly-scored and very sumptuous movie.I note that it has been criticised in some quarters for this sumptuousness as if a movie about 19th century English Royalty should somehow have shown the Empress of India and her family living in rags in a filthy workhouse........I don't think so. I must single out the remarkable Miss Emily Blunt whose beauty reminded me of the young Princess Margaret's.Hers is obviously the pivotal role, and she has absolutely no trouble in dominating the film despite strong performances from Mr Jim Broadbent,Miss Miranda Richardson and Miss Harriet Walter,all immeasurably more experienced. The music is suitably regal and forms a cohesive part of the whole movie without being in any way obtrusive. The fact that Britan flourished more under its two great queens,Elizabeth the First and Victoria,than at any other time is a matter Feminists might like to make more of,but,I suspect,like Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher really powerful women make them feel uncomfortable.If you can work out why there might be a Ph.D . in it.$LABEL$ 1 +Old movie buffs will know why I'd call this one "The Man in the Grey Flannel Robe." Most Bible-based movies are basically schlock- what might call forth smiles and giggles here is how Peck, tries to raise consciousness on a variety of psychological and social issues with the spear carrying Neanderthals all about him. As a Great Romance, it falls flat as unleavened bread. But there is something gripping about this movie. Of all the big Hollywood Bible pictures it most strikingly conveys the ambivalent attitude of the Average American towards belief in the Biblical God. Billy Sunday's thesis is duking it out with H.L. Mencken's antithesis all through the script. Who gets the better of it in the Heavenly Chorus-backed synthesis depends on your point of view. Other than that, D & B boasts a good performances by Peck ( especially in the closing repentance scene) and by Jayne Meadows as his bitter first wife Michol, vivid, moody atmosphere (good idea to set most action at dawn or night), and the rousing rendition of the Twenty-Third Psalm at the end.$LABEL$ 1 +The only reason this movie is not given a 1 (awful) vote is that the acting of both Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan is superb. Ida Lupino who is lovely, as usual, becomes increasingly distraught as she tries various means to rid herself of a madman. Robert Ryan is terrifying as the menacing stranger whose character, guided only by his disturbed mind, changes from one minute to the next. Seemingly simple and docile, suddenly he becomes clever and threatening. Ms. Lupino's character was in more danger from that house she lived in and her own stupidity than by anyone who came along. She could not manage to get out of her of her own house: windows didn't open, both front and back doors locked and unlocked from the inside with a key. You could not have designed a worse fire-trap if you tried. She did not take the precaution of having even one extra key. Nor could she figure out how to summon help from nearby neighbors or get out of her own basement while she was locked in and out of sight of her captor. I don't know what war her husband was killed in, but if it was World War II, the furnishings in her house, the styles of the clothes, especially the children and the telephone company repairman's car are clearly anachronistic. I recommend watching this movie just to see what oddities you can find.$LABEL$ 0 +A police officer (Robert Forster) in a crime ridden city has his wife attacked and young son killed after she dares to stand up to a thug at a petrol station. After the murderers get off scot-free thanks to a corrupt judge and he himself is jailed for 30 days for contempt of court, he decides to take matters into his own hands by joining a group of vigilantes led by a grizzled looking Fred Williamson. These Robin Hood types sort out any criminal that the law is unwilling to prosecute, and with their help he attempts to track down those that wronged him..This film is nothing but a big bag o'clichés. The only thing out of the ordinary is the on-screen slaying of a two year old boy, which was pretty sick. Otherwise it's business as usual for this genre e.g involves lots of car chases, beatings and shootings mixed in with plenty of male posturing. I could have done without the prison fight in the shower involving all those bare-a**ed inmates, though. Also, did they run out of money before filming the last scenes? I mention this because it ends very abruptly with little closure. If anyone knows, give me a bell.. actually, don't bother.To conclude: File under "Forgettable Nonsense". Next..$LABEL$ 0 +I'm lucky enough to have a good quality copy of my VHS on DVD so I can now watch this over and over again. The characters are so well played I can't find fault with any aspect of the casting. OK, so there are a few differences from the book, but the old cliché of love conquering all is so powerfully portrayed that it makes no difference. The reality of living in the rural countryside of early 19th century England is beautifully contrasted by the changing seasons, from biting winter to glorious summer days and this is mirrored in the different characters, from Prue's bullying father to Kester's all encompassing love. A story that changed my life.$LABEL$ 1 +Just once in a while you see a movie so mind-numbingly awful that you have to comment on it. This was that movie. Poorly scripted, acted and totally unbelievable. It's movies like these that show you how good the banal Hollywood trash usually is!$LABEL$ 0 +The story of an obsessed lover (Shahrukh Khan) and the lengths he goes to get his true love (Juhi Chawla) who's already married to her husband (Sunny Deol). The film is considered one of Shahrukh Khan's best performances and won him acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Fear that your love may not be reciprocated, fear that you may lose the one you love, fear that your beloved could have a change of heart. In short, fear is the villain in every love story.But in 'Darr' fear is the ultimate expression of passion, of obsession and of sacrifice. 'Darr' is Rahul's (Shahrukh Khan) story whose love and obsession for Kiran (Juhi Chawla) frees him from all fears of life & death. 'Darr' is Sunil's (Sunny Deol) story, whose enduring love and passion for Kiran gives him the courage to face the fear of death.And finally 'Darr' is Kiran's story who is caught between one man's love and another man's obsession. She fears one & fears for the other. One stands for love, the other for life. In this battle between love & life, the supreme victor is love, because love always wins, in life & death. simply "Darr" is one of the best Indian films ever made.$LABEL$ 1 +Having just watched Acacia, I find that I have to agree with the negative reviews here. I like Asian, and Korean horror, and I had great expectations for this film. Man, was i disappointed. Watching this, I kept thinking "surely they just do this to catch me off guard later on", and for a while I expected something ingenious to happen. However, I slowly realised that the film really is that bad. It is the cheapest cash in into the Asian horror market I have seen so far. The basic story is perhaps not even that bad, but the way it is filmed it seems like the most laughable plot ever. The tree as a 'scary' device might be okay if used cleverly, but all the filmmaker does is giving us different shots of...yes, a tree, over and over again. He seems to hope that the tree will do all the work for him in terms of tension and build-up, but it just feels like what it is: shots of a tree. For goodness' sake!Slow build-ups can be very effective, and a film that presents the viewer with only few glimpses of what is wrong might deliver good scares, but not Acacia. Sure, we get a glimpse of a child on a tricycle disappearing around a corner, and, yet again, meaningful shots of the tree from above, or underneath, or the side, but these scenes are just not scary. They feel silly, especially because you realise that the director means them to be scary. They simply aren't. Apart from that I agree with some of the other reviewers, that the characters are ridiculous. In particular the one character's 'descent into madness' is laughable. However, what really breaks Acacia is the terrible editing. Its hard to see why scenes were cut together the way they are, but it's bad, and it kills any spark of interrest it might have had. It also makes me feel patronised, because I can see what they are trying to achieve with it, but I cannot believe that they think I would fall for such cheap ploys.There are lots of great Asian ghost films, and lots of bad ones, but this is by far the worst I have seen. They must have been going through the list of 'what to put into ghost movies', and ticked them all off, but in the end they forgot to add the actual movie.$LABEL$ 0 +From 2002 on Dutch cinema finally got better again. This movie is still part- and a schoolbook example of the bad period of Dutch cinema.The story is needlessly told in flashback style. All of the 'present' sequences set in France are completely redundant and add nothing to the story, emotions or power. For some reason European filmmakers often find it necessary to tell the story not chronological. I never understood why, or what the appeal of it is.The story self also isn't exactly the greatest. It isn't always clear were the movie is trying to go to and what it tries to tell. The story of a young unexperienced boy falling in love with a wild young girl, who later turns out to be quite psychotic might sound good enough on paper and even shows some parallels to Paul Verhoeven's "Turks fruit", to which this movie often was compared to before and at the time of its release. However the end result is far from comparable. The story fails to capture the right emotions, which is also due to the unimaginative performances from the actors. The way the story is told also makes the movie far from always interesting or compelling. I lost interest for this movie at about 40 minutes through the movie.At the time this movie was made, both Antonie Kamerling and Angela Schijf were promising rising stars, with great potential and ambitions but both their careers have pretty much dried up by now. Angela Schijf seems to give her family more attention than her career (that is not a bad thing of course), while Antonie Kamerling tried to start a career in Hollywood. He never got any further than playing some small bit parts in 2 Renny Harlin flops. To be honest I'm not surprised. It's not that he is a bad actor and he certainly has got the right looks but his English just isn't good enough, to put it mildly. Just listen to him speaking English in the beginning of this movie and you'll understand what I mean. They are really not bad actors but for some reason it doesn't show in this movie. It's probably also due to the poor dialog. I still kind of liked Beau van Erven Dorens. He's been criticized a lot but his acting seems very natural. He always keeps the characters close to who he self is.It by no means is one of the worst movies ever made but it's not exactly one I would recommend either. Bad and uninteresting storytelling makes this a bad movie.4/10$LABEL$ 0 +A not bad but also not so great heist film. Kirk Douglas is a recently released from prison safe-cracker who, after turning down an offer from the Mob, decides to pull the job himself. He recruits circus gymnast Giuliano Gemma. Mayhem ensues. Douglas and Gemma soon find themselves pursued by mafia goon Romano Puppo as well as entangled in a really goofy love triangle with Douglas's infinitely patient girlfriend (Florinda Bolkan). Director Michele Lupo keeps the pace moving quickly and there's at least one excellent and creative car chase sequence involving Puppo & Gemma. Though an Italian production, most of the filming appears to have been done in Germany. Douglas is fine, not just slumming it in an Giallo quickie. The striking Bolkan gives a terrific performance. The music is by Ennio Morricone and the cinematography is by the great Tonino Delli Colli, who managed to work with everyone in Italy (from Wertmuller and Fellini to Pasolini and Leone).$LABEL$ 0 +A cut above from the usual straight to video actioneer, Airborne has enough in the tank to keep it going for the full 90 minutes, although you can't help but think of how low former '80's comedy golden boy Steve Guttenburg has stooped to be in such a cheap production (and playing a hard man too!). The plot is simple, the baddies have stolen a deadly virus and Guttenburg and the rest of his goodie pals are sent to retrieve it, Not bad of its kind but not in the same league (obviously) as the films it is compared too on the cover such as AIR FORCE ONE and CON AIR. The cast is good though, with Sean Bean reprising his Brit.-bad guy character which we have had a glimpse of in such box office smashes as GOLDENEYE and PATRIOT GAMES.$LABEL$ 0 +Every now and again you hear radio djs inviting listeners to nominate movies that the listener can't stand or never watched all the way through. This is the movie that I think of...days later.It's got something to do with a play by Shakespeare. Not sure, but I think I bailed on this movie some 20 odd minutes into it...think I realised that my toenails wouldn't clip themselves, and they were looking at me imploringly to get cut.This movie just seemed boring and pretentious to me.Even though this is the first movie I've given such a low score to (which I've actually attempted to watch), I wouldn't want to put you off other movies by it's English director, Peter Greenaway. I remember thinking that his "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover" was a truly great British film even though its content was at times stomach churning-a brilliant movie, but I can understand why people would balk at seeing it.Another good film by Greenaway was "A zed and two noughts". Again, it had some content that pushed the boundaries of good taste, but was intriguing nonetheless.The other film that I usually think of too late for such radio show topics is "Brazil". Never managed to watch that all the way through either-kept falling asleep!Unless you have a taste for self-important movies which are off-puttingly highly stylised, laboriously paced and difficult to follow, then steer clear of Prosero's Books.$LABEL$ 0 +Bad Actors, bad filming, choppy dialog, shallow characters, but then again it was a bad premise in the first place. Basically, an 11 year old who is bullied because he has very little money is given a blank check by a moronic criminal. Of course, the 11 year old happens to possess enough technology and intelligence to purchase a house, cash a check for 1,000,000 dollars, and even foil three bumbling idiots, reminiscent of the three stooges. Preston Blake is an annoying, obnoxious, boy, who decides that, when written a blank check by a complete stranger, he will take advantage of the situation as best as he can. In other words, he wanders into a bank, hands a teller a check he makes in his printer, and miraculously walks out with a million bucks in cash. Preston is also apparently capable of reaching incredible speeds on his bicycle, due to the fact that a man driving a Jaguar after Preston and his 10-speed could not catch him, even when Preston jumped a row of cars.Of course, with every hokey adventure movie, there has to be hot heroine. In this case our hot heroine is a child molesting FBI agent who dates the eleven year old Preston, and promises another date when he turns 17. However, the absolute worst aspect of this film was not its casting, nor its sloppy dialog, such as "The only other way I could think of skinning a cat is to stick a hose up it's butt and then pick up the fur". It was, rather, the entire fact that nobody in the entire film seemed to realize that the FBI does not give a damn about random people . What I have failed to explain is that Preston uses the alias "Macintosh" to masquerade as an entrepreneur of sorts. Of course, the FBI finds this intriguing and sends our young heroine after Preston, who uses his 11-year old wit to first scream when lobsters fall on his face, then treat her to hamburgers, finishing with a ridiculous romp through a cemented area where water jettison's from the ground. Our heroine fails to realize during this whole adventure that the criminal the FBI is pursuing is slipping and sliding right behind the two, as they make their way to Preston's limousine, complete with a 1-dimensional driver who never fails to provide cheap, 3rd rate laughs that the whole family can choke on.Overall: 1/10 is incredibly gracious for this film. I don't see how it only has a 4.4/10.$LABEL$ 0 +Strangers with candy overacts in all the wrong context, the situations are just not funny with the cheesy voices and bad low brow comedy timing, the clear attempt at dry/black/dark humour is obvious and it fails to deliver on all elements of a good joke.With a high cringe factor and low laugh ratio I was shocked this show went pass the first season, I personally like Scrubs, The Office, 30 Rock, Trailer Park Boys, Pulling, Peep Show, Simpsons, Family Guy and I know what your thinking, these shows aren't weird at all, so some other good shows I've seen are Jam, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, The Book Group, Asylum and Snuff Box which are original with dry/black/dark humour/satire and are all at least 5/10.Garth Marenghi's Darkplace especially is cheap looking, overacted and weird, however the context is thought out and works to make it really out there and entertaining too.$LABEL$ 0 +Jerry spies Tom listening to a creepy story on the radio and seizes the opportunity to scare his nemesis.I didn't find this particular episode that funny: the humour seemed rather constrained and the whole set up was kinda lame (Jerry is essentially the 'bad guy' in this one, tormenting poor Tom for no particular reason).There is the occasional flash of inspiration (such as Tom's literal 'heart in mouth' experience, and the moment when his nines lives are sucked out of his body), but, on the whole, this effort lacks the frenetic pacing, excellent animation and sheer wit of most of T&J's other cartoons.$LABEL$ 0 +I must say this movie is a Mork and Mindy knock off, when watching it i got the chills, I even wet myself a little. When that Korean guy with the spiders in his neck started kicking people i was like oh my lord Asian people smell and suck cause they eat dogs all the time. Any way back on track Chuck had a somewhat terrible performance and lacked the intelligence of a regular non robotic human being. Some people would compare it to his earlier days when he was a car wash analyzer and believed in the holy ghost and the ghost of Christmas past. This movie is so bad I put my new born child in a box and left it in Mr. Norris mailbox. He can raise my kid I'm not letting him into a world where he thinks chuck Norris is a karate expert Ill let him see what that hack is like in real life for the rest of his life.$LABEL$ 0 +A severe backwards step for the puppets in this mainly dull and tedious outing. Guy Rolfe, so fantastic as Andre Toulon in part three barely features this time and Richard Band's fantastical them tune appears with the puppets a fair few minutes in to the film. For the start of the movie we are introduced to the caretaker of Bodega Bay Inn (Gordon Currie) and some youth friends of his (many of the cast are Canadian and are all very good in unfortunately rather undemanding roles - Teresa Hill is quite yummy). Totems, minions of the Egyptian God Sutek want the secret of animation life back and the puppets (when they surface) act with a previously unseen cleverness to attempt to destroy the ugly and very computer game looking Totems. The Totems merely complicate the series and distract from the things that previously made the series so unique - they don't share the weird beauty of the puppets and thus don't really fit in. Top scene is Pinhead using a rag to clean blood from Tunnelers drill bit, classic and about the goriest this film goes. The fifth film was filmed concurrently with this one so expect similar sections of mediocre and a Toulon performance that seems to have been filmed in a different era (or even galaxy). Guy Rolfe deserved better and series fans certainly do. Grrrrrrr.$LABEL$ 0 +Was in the mood for a French film and saw this at Blockbuster. What a little gem it turned out to be! Not sure how I missed Gregori Derangere all these years, but he is fantastic. Such innocence and grace! I love his face and the way he moves. Isabelle Adjani was hilarious--reminded me of Nicole Kidman's over-the-top performance in Moulin Rouge. She looks the same as 20 years ago...truly remarkable. Gerard Depardieu has not held up nearly as well, but his acting continues to amaze. He's perfect in this film. Will probably buy this one, I enjoyed it so much. If you want to see another great French movie, rent Joyeux Noel. Stunning.$LABEL$ 1 +I hate this movie. It is a horrid movie. Sean Young's character is completely unsympathetic. Her performance is wooden at best. The storyline is completely predictable, and completely uninteresting. I would never recommend this film to anyone. It is one of the worst movies I have ever had the misfortune to see.$LABEL$ 0 +This is a film for entertainment; I did not think the world made social commentary from one small film. I personally find this film funny, audacious, and memorable. It is a fantasy not unlike a cinder girl becoming a Princess. This film was done very well I might add, in the 70's a time of the best experiments in film with being able to mention a person's sexuality. This movie is not about a person being homosexual or not, it is however about love, in all it's strange forms. This film does show some of the realities of being gay in the 70's in Hollywood, or in California. Pretty boys being looked after by older not so pretty men. Women who had to stay deeply locked in the emotional closet or risk not having a career. Bathhouses were an integral part of the gay community.THEN the fantasy begins!! Let us mix a lesbian with a gay and add some liquor and what do we have? Well this movie, which in ANY way was better than that dismal redo "The Next Big Thing". Perhaps someone should have asked the entire crew to see this movie and then try to do better.I enjoyed this movie when I saw it in the 70's and it still brings a smile to my lips now. I heartily advise anyone who wants a funny, tender movie- to curl up with some popcorn and have some fun. Some people need to lighten up!!! And this is the film you should do it with!$LABEL$ 1 +THE GOVERNESS is a moody period piece, the meandering story of a Jewish woman who, upon the death of her father, sets out to 1830's Scotland, posing as a Gentile to get work to support her family in London.Rosina - or Mary, as she calls herself in a none too subtle piece of symbolic writing - is a rudderless child, a socialite with dreams of being an actress. She strikes up an alliance with her employer, and by accident solves a crucial problem in his research with photography. Giddy with success, they begin a halting and uncomfortable affair while the eldest son of her paramour falls hopelessly (and inexplicably) in love with her.And like a child, she fails to understand the consequences of her actions - in the end, betraying those she deceived in order to make a life for herself.Many claim this is something of a feminist manifesto, but I disagree. Whether intended or not, this film only resonates with me if I think of it as a cautionary tale. In the end, Rosina's greatest disappointment is the truth - that she lied, happened upon a way to help a man she wanted to be both her father and her lover, and in the end contributed nothing but destruction. As such, the end of the film gives me the impression that nothing she did, no one she used, made her happy - and that is exactly as it should be.Did I need a movie this long and langorous to teach me this lesson? Not at all. On the contrary, had it not been for excellent cinematography, unique score and my hope that she'd get her come-uppance, I wouldn't have stuck with it to the end of the film.Fans of Minnie Driver will likely be disappointed by her uneven performance but may wish to see it anyway; I doubt young female fans of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will be able to stay awake for the payoff they expect, and I can't help thinking this holds too little cultural detail to be of interest, even to photography buffs. The 3 points I award the film are solely for its visual style and score. On the strength of their other work, I assume the actors' performances are so disappointing because of a poor script and worse directing, but they are, in the end, unremarkable.$LABEL$ 0 +I remember coming home from school to watch up and coming this was the story of a black family that moves out of the gheto into a up class community the family was name Wilson Frank Wilson man with his own construction business his wife Joyce was a bank manager they had 3 teenage kids Kevin Valerie and Marcus. This was a very good show. it was educational with out being preachie. the show was well written. This show gave us a look at a successful African American before the Cosby Show. A lot a black actor appeared on this show from Ester Role to David Hubberd to 227 Stonnie Jackson to name a few. If you are able to find this show on DVD you should get it for your whole family$LABEL$ 1 +I bought this DVD after seeing it highly ranked here. It's just a short 20 minutes zombie film. Nothing special about it except for the music perhaps.Don't buy it! Not even really worth spending 20 minutes to see it. Only if you're really bored...$LABEL$ 0 +I am rating this an 8 because of the premise of the film. The acting was fine, there wasn't anyone that stood out as amazing or appalling. It is disturbingly true that intelligent people are having less and less children, or choose to have none at all...whereas dumb ass "W in '04" supporters are procreating like rabbits. And, though I don't believe the earth will actually exist in 500 years, I can see Mike Judge's parodied prophet coming to be, as life imitating art. The world is being run by idiots, and it will get worse as the intelligent free-thinking people become the minority and the "git 'er done" fans outnumber them. The proof is our farce of an election.But I digress. If you are fortunate enough to have this playing in your city, go see it. I have paid my $7.50 plus popcorn to see FAR WORSE rubbish than this (Date Movie or Napoleon Dynamite anyone?). There are laughs, there are cringes, but overall this is entertaining. If you have half a brain, you will think to yourself how this movie, though funny, is spot on (accurate) and a *tiny* bit uncanny. I'm not surprised AT ALL that this movie is almost completely unknown, as Fox was the one distributing this, and they wouldn't want any of their sheep to see this and think "maybe I WILL read a book, and not watch 'Next', or 'Cheaters', or 'Ow my balls'." If our society doesn't stop the dumbing down of everything,and the bastardisation of the English language (ahem, Mr. Bush), then this really is where we are going.$LABEL$ 1 +No matter what other people have said you can't review this movie without comparing it to the original, if it existed on it's own it would be a 2-3 out of 5 film but it is a remake of a 4-5 out of 5 film and so has standards to live up to and we need to see if it reached those standards. If the film was a re-working or, as in Planet of the Apes, a re-imagining of the original you would be able to look at the film in it's own right, only referencing the original. Imagine it this way, if someone took the model in the 'Mona Lisa', posed her in a different way, and painted her you could only compare the framing,concept etc to the original but if someone just repainted her in the position of the original you would have to compare it totally.That said this film doesn't just fail to be as good as the original it fails spectacularly, like it or not the original was one of the best movies ever made, the shower scene will never be forgotten, the remake was meant to be a celebration of Hitchcock but ended up actually degrading him and his master work.The degrading aspects of this picture were Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. It's nothing to do with wether they acted better or not it's that the relationship between Norman and Marion in the original was really quite innocent, Norman didn't really understand sex, he had hardly any contact with the outside world and when he meets beautiful Marion and watches her change you feel that he is partly doing it from fascination as he doesn't really understand sex and his attraction to her,this makes Norman sympathetic and almost an anti-hero, you are on his side because he doesn't fully understand the world and is constantly fighting with himself and his 'Mother'. In the remake that whole dynamic is gone, I must admit to Janet Leigh not being my type but she is very attractive and you can see that, Anne Heche is really unattractive and so Norman finding 'her' Marion attractive is unbelievable if you add that to Vince Vaughn's Norman masturbating whilst looking at her and you get a Norman that is just waiting for a chance to jack off at any naked woman no matter what she looks like, who you feel absolutely no sympathy for, they further destroy Norman's innocent nature by putting the porno mags in his room. It destroys a character that we have come to like and feel sorry for, it's like re-making 'It's a wonderful life' and having the main character a pimp, totally degrading.The only other character that I had problems with was Rita Wilson as Caroline, Marion's workmate. In the original when Pat Hitchcock says the line 'he must have noticed my wedding ring' it elicits a response of laughter as she is absolutely kidding herself, when Rita says it it just seems plausible as there really isn't any other reason why any man would flirt with Anne Heche over her.I'll admit that I am very biased, the original 'Psycho' is my favorite film of all time, had the film been a reworking, with a different angle, then you could have turned these characters on their heads and it would have been perfectly acceptable.Hitch famously thaught the film would be too gory in colour and made it in black and white to lessen it. This also made the film more atmospheric and frightening in it's own way and it gave it a beauty that could never be captured in colour and it is a sad statement about how movies are de-sensetising the public that people have said how the shower scene was more frightening in colour. (n.b before people think 'he can't spell' remember I'm from England and we spell it colour)A remake should be just that, re made, this is a forgery, a complete copy and a very bad one at that. I could go on comparing but there is no point, almost everything is superior in the original. The only one thing that is better is the performance of Viggo Mortensen as Sam Loomis, John Gavin was very flat in the original (Hitch called him 'The Stiff' behind his back) and Mortensen gives a more believable if less likeable performance. William H. Macy and Julianne Moore are the only other actors that hold up to the originals.Overall a movie that should be labeled 'Expensive Embarrassing Failed Experiment. Only view if comparing to original or if original is unknown to you. But view original too' The movie would have got a 3 out of 5 if it were original or a reworking but as it is 0.5 out of 5 (for Macy, Moore and Mortensen)$LABEL$ 0 +What a piece of stupid tripe.I won't even waste time evaluating any of the points of this show. It's not worth the time. The one comment I will make is - why get such a DUMB, inarticulate doofus to be the star?!?There aren't many more dismal testimonials to the deteriorating mental condition of the networks than the fact that FOX has stated it will NOT bring back John Doe (a decent series) but WILL bring back brain-dead drivel like Joe Millionaire for yet another round of killing the brain cells of the american public.FOX has lost it, IMHO.$LABEL$ 0 +This may be one of the best movies I have ever seen. It has anything but a trite plot, and leaves one wondering which way it will go next. It is an interesting portrayal of the struggles of youth, youth who are interested in more than immediate gratification, youth who show some concern about the desires and needs of others.$LABEL$ 1 +This movie has a lot of comedy, not dark and Gordon Liu shines in this one. He displays his comical side and it was really weird seeing him get beat up. His training is "unorthodox" and who would've thought knot tying could be so deadly?? Lots of great stunts and choreography. Very creative!Add Johnny Wang in the mix and you've got an awesome final showdown! Don't mess with Manchu thugs; they're ruthless!$LABEL$ 1 +SPOILERS!I gave this film 2 out of 10 for 2 scenes that I will never forget.....by the way, my husband rented this surprising non-blow 'em up almost chick looking flick...but I guessed why when I saw the cover....girls in school uniforms....duh....lol....ah well, men if ya can't beat 'em join 'em.....;-)Bijou Philips, one of my favorites on the indie screen...too cute......not only gets into bestiality (her toy dog is the best lesbian in town according to her bubbly outrageous character)..that would be the first worthwhile scene..Then she enters a restroom in a lovely gown & goes into a stall....after a bit she gets up, goes out to the party she & the pathetically sad 'Cat' character are at,& hands a shiny silver ice bucket to the host of the party...the host looks in her precious silver ice bucket and says, "oh my god it's poo."I love Bijou Phillips myself for her creativity and unusual movie choices, this would definitely be one of them....and um, I would rent it for the poo scene if I were you.....I am not a big poo jokes fan, but it definitely puts the 'party people' in their place (they didn't look like they were having a good time anyway.....lol)...You will never forget these two scenes...hmm, but is that what we want in our databanks?....Maybe you shouldn't follow my advice at all....lolDominique Swain is kind of squirrelly & sad in her confusing nonsensical role in 'Tart'. I don't know, I can't decide if I like her because she is so into indie films?? Indie films are awesome & all but couldn't she pick a few good ones? I am going to check out a few more of her movies and reserve judgment.... but this one was, (pardon the reference to beasts) a dog.....$LABEL$ 0 +I don't understand why making remakes has become the trend. Every remake I have ever seen is awful, and this is no exception. If any of you have seen the quote from Ben Jones, that it is a "sleazy" piece of trash, he is quite right. Why they would take a wonderful television show, which I loved, have never missed an episode, and own seasons 1-4 on DVD, and ruin it, I'll never know. The television show was a family show, and although Daisy has the body, it was really flaunted, or even addressed in the show, save the outfits. A family show has been turned in to a dirty piece of garbage, and I wouldn't recommend anyone go see it. Another thing I didn't like was that John Schneider and Tom Wopat are excellent actors (along with the rest of the original cast), and they are also extremely cute. The new Bo and Luke are not even a little cute. That was one of the drawers for the show. The casting is terrible. They could have at least gotten a brunette for Daisy. I don't think Burt Reynolds is a qualified Boss Hogg, either. Every other role he has ever played is totally opposite this role. The only role they cast halfway decent is Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse, but still it is no comparison. Denver Pyle is an actor all his own, and that made him perfect for the role. I think that the casting is awful, the story is awful, and all in all ruined a wonderful show and turned it into a dirty, terrible movie. I wouldn't recommend anyone go see it. I only saw it out of curiosity, plus there was a free ticket in season 4 DVD. I would never have paid to see this movie, but it was free. DON'T PAY TO SEE THIS MOVIE.$LABEL$ 0 +I read the recent comments and couldn't wait to see the movie. however, after sitting through 80 minutes of predictable "suprises" that didn't even make me jump and unrealistic villain, i was left hugely disappointed. I thought cartoons were the only movies that were still only 80 minutes long. I thought this might be because of the edits to make it 'R' rated, but the original only contained ten more minutes of "Kill Bill" type blood. When blood sprays out like hoses, reality loses appeal. Add in the killer who's supposed to be a "ghost" but can rip someones head off from the jaw (ala King Kong with the T-Rex), lives through everything and has an ending similar to that of the sopranos finale and you quite possibly have the most over-hyped movie in the last year. After watching the movie i felt like i had seen countless movies with the same plot and method and also felt largely unsatisfied. I dunno what everyone else saw in it, but if you want a good horror movie this weekend, see Halloween, it's definitely worth the $10. When it comes to Hatchet, let's hope the next one IS based on the Book.$LABEL$ 0 +Okay guys, we know why we watch film like "The Invisible Maniac" (just look at the cover, man!). T and A all over the place (with a lot more T than A). But...shouldn't there be a story to go with it?"C'mon," I can hear you say - "this is just girls gettin' naked! Who needs a story??!"Well, if this were called "The NAKED Maniacs", I wouldn't have a problem. But since these guys are cribbing from "The Invisible Man", they need to have a bit of story hereabouts, you know, to keep your mind busy.However, all they can muster up is how this crazy doctor creates an invisibility serum and, when he cracks, uses it to spy on naked women and ends up killing a lot of teenagers. And when you see the smarmy-looking teenagers he goes after, you'll be grateful.One star, for the T and A, but there's a little too much gore for you skin fans, so proceed with caution.TIDBIT - yes, it's THAT Savannah.$LABEL$ 0 +How much do I love this film?! Now I'm not a fan of bad films, but I do love a film that is so bad it's good. This is one of those. Juan Pablo Di Pace has a great butt, looks fab on screen, and definitely doesn't make a bad turn at his acting debut (I believe). Billy Zane is suitably mean and moody, though I still constantly feel that there is something more in him. I felt it in Titanic, the look on his face when La Winslet spat on him for example, totally broken, shocked, and put-down ... fierce! Kelly Brook is a pretty face ... no seriously, I think that's it! It's worth catching this to see one really hot guy, some big bra fillers from Brook, nasty growling from Billy, laugh at the dialogue, revel in the scenery and madness of the whole affair ... I'm gona go watch it again now - yes, I bought it!!!$LABEL$ 0 +I'm trying to picture the pitch for Dark Angel. "I'm thinking Matrix, I'm thinking Bladerunner, I'm thinking that chick that plays Faith in Angel, wearing shiny black leather - or some chick just like her, leave that one with us. Only - get this! - we'll do it without any plot, dialogue, character, decent action or budget, just some loud bangs and a hot chick in shiny black leather straddling a big throbbing bike. Fanboys dig loud bangs and hot chicks in shiny black leather straddling big throbbing bikes, right?"Flashy, shallow, dreary, formulaic, passionless, tedious, dull, dumb, humourless, desultory, barely competent. Live action anime without any action, or indeed any life. SF just the way Joe Fanboy likes it, in fact. :($LABEL$ 0 +I was excited to view a Cataluña´s film in the Berlin´s competition. But after the presentation I was total disappointed and furious. Too much blood, too much time, too much themes for nothing. The Spanish Civil War, like every war, was horrible. The revenge, a very human behavior, not pretty at all, is shown in uncountable films and plays, as well as the relations between homosexuals and the scepticism in Spain about Catholicism . But what Mr Villaronga try, is a pseudo tragedy that can belongs to the worst of the film´s history. It is really a pity to see Angela Molina in this movie. I advise nobody under no circumstances to go to see this film.$LABEL$ 0 +CONTEXT is everything when one goes to rate a movie. When rating this movie one has to consider the time in which it was made. We didn't really know WHAT the inside of the EARTH was in those days so you can't rag on the movie too much for the plot (based on a much older book). For the era, this was top notch special effects and the production quality was great. I watched this movie in a masterfully restored HD master. For the time the makeup and effects almost make the guys in the rubber suits look plausible as a monster-thing. This is pure movie cheese complete with bad rubber suits, models, and creepy costumes. AWESOME. PS Doug McClure ROCKS!$LABEL$ 1 +Dr. Hackenstein begins at the turn of last century, '1909 The dawn of modern medical science' to be exact. Dr. Eliot Hackenstein (David Muir) is in the early stages of his rejuvenation of living tissue experiments, Dr. Hackenstein manages to bring a skinned rat back to life which confirms he has succeeded in bringing the dead back to life... It's now 'Three years later' & Dean Slesinger (Micheal Ensign) is round the Doc's house for dinner. As Dean Slesinger & Dr. Hackenstein eat they talk about Hackenstien's experiments which Dean Slesinger has always been opposed to, Dr. Hackenstein shows Dean Slesinger his laboratory in his attic where he keeps the severed head of his wife Sheila (Sylvia Lee Baker) who died in an unfortunate 'accident' & can telepathically talk to him (Christy Botkin provides Sheila's voice apparently). Dr. Hackenstein also show's Dean Slesinger a skinned chicken running around in a cage & explains that with the process he has developed he will bring Sheila back to life. The Dean has some sort of seizure & apparently dies. Meanwhile sisters Wendy (Bambi Darro as Dyanne DiRossario) & Leslie Trilling (Catherine Davis Cox) plus their Brother Alex (John Alexis) & their cousin Melanie Victor (Stacey Travis) are driving along near Hackenstein's house when they crash, they seek shelter & assistance & arrive upon Hackenstein's doorstep. Dr. Hackenstein invites the four stranded travellers to stay for the night. Later on Dr. Hackenstein is visited by two grave-robbers, Xavier (Logan Ramsey) & Ruby Rhodes (Ann Ramsey) who deliver a male body when Hackenstein actually needs female parts for Sheila. Dr. Hackenstein being the genius that he is decides not to waste the opportunity of having three young beautiful specimens available & starts to 'borrow' the bits 'n' pieces he needs to complete Sheila...Written & directed by Richard Clark I was pleasantly surprised by Dr. Hackenstein, I'll state right now that it ain't brilliant by any stretch of the imagination but for what it was I actually quite liked it. It moves at a reasonable pace even if it does tend to drag a little bit during it's middle as things settle down. The script tries to mix slapstick humour like a scene when Dr. Hackenstein is trying to restrain Melanie & she tries to gain the attention of his deaf housekeeper Yolanda Simpson (Catherine Cahn) by kicking out & Hackenstein keeping Melanie behind Yolanda's back who is seemingly oblivious to what's happening, with a touch of gore but I'd say Dr. Hackenstein is more of a comedy than horror in conception & feel throughout. There are some tacky puns & sexual innuendo as well which are always good for a laugh, Dr. Hackenstein to Wendy "would you like to see my instruments" as an example. I also thought the scene when Mrs Trilling (Phyllis Diller) reports her missing daughter's to the bemused detective Olin (William Schreiner) was a pretty amusing sequence going round in circle's talking about why he isn't looking for them even though he has only just been told, why the cell doesn't have a prisoner in it & that if he didn't find the cousin not to worry about it. None of it's flat laugh-out-loud but I must admit I found myself smiling on occasion & found the film as whole to be quietly amusing. There isn't a lot of on screen gore, a few severed limbs, Sheila's decapitated head, some medical stitching & those skinned animals which are definitely fake by the way. I liked the characters in Dr. Hackenstein too, which was surprise in itself. The acting isn't brilliant but to give everyone credit they put some effort into it, lots of exaggerated facial movements & some serious overacting means it's never dull, oh & the three birds in Dr. Hackenstein are fit if you know what I mean. Technically the film is OK as well, once again it ain't going to win any Oscars but I have to give the filmmakers at least some credit for trying to pull off a turn of the century period setting. It doesn't always work, the clothes are at odds with each other at times, the girls look like their from Victorian England while the guys look like their from a western. The house looks as if all the filmmakers did was remove any modern object from the room & stick a few candles in there! It comes across as a little bit on the cheap side but it really isn't a bad looking film at all considering. Could have done without the comedy music though. Overall I ended up enjoying Dr. Hackenstein much more than I thought I would, although that in itself isn't a recommendation. It's certainly is not the best comedy horror film ever made & it certainly is not the worst either. A watchable enough piece of harmless fun.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is about a couple that decides to take a vacation to The Everglades along with another couple and the family dog. When they first get there, they are not welcomed by the neighboring gas attendant that warms them to stay away from the cabin in which they are to spend the night at for the week. After pestering with the old man, three hillbillys also do not take kindly to their arrival as they approach their car and threaten them to leave. After asking some of the local dummies that can't speak or just don't want to answer, they finaly find the cabin. After they settle in, strange things happen to the visitors including discovering crap on their car, the man thats the head of this trip thats an idiot shoots the family dog thinking it was a killer clawing at the door and a series of deaths later on in the end. Adding a church group did not make the story any better. Then at the end, the idiot that survives the whole ordeal goes around the town carrying a shot gun. Lame. thats what this movie is.$LABEL$ 0 +Jarl and Moodysson are part of an dying breed of political film makers. The Swedish population should appreciate that they try to uncover the truth when the government and media actively distorts and cover up the events surrounding the EU meeting in Gothenburg. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see how these innocent kids have been abused and drugged by the Swedish police and convicted to prison in political trials for sending text messages and as revenge for others actions. The only unfortunate thing about this movie is that it will not reach the broad masses in Sweden as it will only be shown it theaters and not be released on video or aired on television.The political film is important as it can bring new perspectives and insight into complex issues and has a role to play as an educator of the masses.$LABEL$ 1 +This was a film based on the Novel written by the modern literary god that is Koontz? I refuse to believe that studio bought the rights to this movie for anything using the Genius' Koontz name. Ever since my sight became poor enough to require Large Print, I have been unable to read this book as I had at least twice a year since first reading it. I missed the book greatly and was unable to find it in Large Print.I was hoping by renting this movie I would at least get my vicarious Watcher's pleasures, but this movie was a travesty. Because of subtle plot points, it is my belief none of Mr. Koontz's, or most decent authors for that matter books can be crammed into 1-2 hours of film.It will be the wise network, cable or other wise, who buys the rights to this novel and makes a multiple part television movie, i.e. mini series, of this book the RIGHT way!one a star out of five - would that I could go lower ...$LABEL$ 0 +The Thing About My Folks is a wonderful film about relationships - first and foremost an adult son and his father, but also that son with his wife, his sisters and his mother. Paul Reiser has written a semi-autobiographical movie about his relationship with his father. The movie is funny, poignant and thought-provoking. It led me to re-evaluate my own relationship with both my now-deceased father and my adult son. Peter Falk is excellent as Paul's father - the role could not have been better cast. I hope that both Mr. Falk and Mr. Reiser are recognized in next year's movie awards for their efforts - Falk for his performance and Reiser for his script.$LABEL$ 1 +I have just caught this Movie on TCM, and can understand why George Murphy went into Politics if this was the best MGM could serve up to him. It is so slow-moving that the attempt to make it a real film-noir effort does not come off. It featured two of my favouriteplayers in Eve Arden (completely wasted) and Dean Stockwell(the best actor in the Film), but what really hit me was that the leading lady Frances Gifford went through some 90 minutes (it seemed longer!) without changing the expression on her face--her fainting scene was comical. John Hodiak played his role OK, but the script let him, and the rest of the cast, down very badly. I gave it 4 stars mainly because of the photography. It would have been on the first half of the Program when double features were the go.$LABEL$ 0 +This film is just as bad as "The Birdman of Alcatraz". I do not refer to the acting but rather the premise of both films, which try to portray psychopathic criminals as heroic figures. Moreover it disturbs me when well respected, revered actors like Alan Alda (and Burt Lancaster) play such roles, because their status tends to lend credibility to the director's intent to elevate the film's subject, a societal outcast.I was in junior high school during the last years of Caryl Chessman's life and his death penalty appeals and books were very much in the news. I remember the groundswell of opinion that the death penalty was wrong and Chessman was the victim.Get a grip people. Read the history. Chessman was a criminal and sexual predator. He drove around the LA streets at night with a stolen police light in his vehicle. He stopped cars with attractive women inside under the ruse of making a traffic arrest; then abducted and raped the women. Rape is the worst trauma a woman can experience and many victims say they would prefer death to its horror and humiliation.Chessman got exactly what he deserved, it just took a decade too long. No sympathy for the devil here.$LABEL$ 0 +Still being of school age, and having to learn Shakespeare almost constantly for the last four years (which is very off-putting of any writer, no matter how good), I didn't really expect to enjoy this film when my English teacher put it on; I thought it'd be the typical English lesson movie: bad acting, awfully shot, badly edited and the dreaded awful old dialog, so, as you can tell, I was all but ready to go into a coma from the go. However, I watched and, much to my disturbance, found myself not only paying attention, but actually enjoying the movie too. This production of Hamlet is possibly one of the best drama movies I have seen in a long time- and it really brings to life what I expect Shakespeare wanted his plays to be like (well, with the difference that this is cinema) much better than my English teacher harking over the text ever possibly could. The story is good, the dialog seems to flow with an unexpected grace that is far from boring (though a little hard to keep up with if you aren't used to Shakespeare's language) and even the smallest parts are performed with a skill you wouldn't expect; mainly, perhaps, due to the staggering number of cameos this movie has. Brian Blessed and Charlton Heston are as great as you'd expect these two veterans to be, even in such small parts, but it is Robin Williams as Osric and Billy Crystal as the Gravedigger who really stand out, giving such minor parts an unexpected zest, as well as offering some comic relief amidst the tragedy.The main stars, of course, are also wonderful. Kenneth Branagh excels as Hamlet, bringing not only the confusion and pain required to the roll, but also a sort of sardonic air which plays beautifully in the comic scenes, making the movie as a whole much more watchable. The other major players are also good, but it is Kenneth Branagh who stands head and shoulders above the rest in the title role.The set pieces, too, are often quite stunning, giving a refreshing change to the danky old castle corridors we're used to seeing in Shakespeare productions, as well as a real sense of the country around them.Of course, the movie, taken as a movie in its own right, is not without faults, but no major ones (the pacing is the only real problem I can think of offhand, as well as the prose for anyone not used to, as I said, Shakesperean language) and, especially when compared to the sort of Shakespeare productions I'm used to seeing in class, it really is quite brilliant. It's even made me rethink my previous typical teenager stance on Shakespeare, that his plays are boring (I came to the conclusion it's not the plays that are boring, merely the teachers who recite them in class). If only they made all of his plays into movies such as this one, English students in schools everywhere might have a higher opinion of the Bard.Overall 7/10$LABEL$ 1 +Clint Eastwood would star again as the battle-weary Detective Harry Callahan, but would also direct the fourth entry in the 'Dirty Harry' series. 'Sudden Impact' again like the other additions, brings its own distinguishable style and tone, but if anything it's probably the most similar to the original in it's darker and seedy moments (and bestowing a classic line "Go ahead. Make my day")… but some of its humor has to been seen to believe. A bulldog… named meathead that pisses and farts. Oh yeah. However an interesting fact this entry was only one in series to not have it set entirely in San Francisco.The story follows that of detective Callahan trying to put the pieces together of a murder where the victim was shot in the groin and then between the eyes. After getting in some trouble with office superiors and causing a stir which has some crime lord thugs after his blood. He's ordered to take leave, but it falls into a working one where he heads to a coastal town San Paulo, where a murder has occurred similar in vein (bullet to groin and between eyes) to his case. There he begins to dig up dirt, which leads to the idea of someone looking for revenge.To be honest, I wasn't all that crash hot on Eastwood's take, but after many repeat viewings it virtually has grown on me to the point of probably being on par with the first sequel 'Magnum Force'. This well-assembled plot actually gives Eastwood another angle to work upon (even though it feels more like a sophisticated take on the vigilante features running rampant at that time), quite literal with something punishing but luridly damaging. It's like he's experimenting with noir-thriller touches with character-driven traits to help develop the emotionally bubbling and eventual morality framework. His use of images is lasting, due to its slickly foreboding atmospherics. Dark tones, brooding lighting… like the scene towards the end akin to some western showdown of a silhouette figure (Harry with his new .44 automag handgun) moving its way towards the stunned prey on the fishing docks. It's a striking sight that builds fear! Mixing the hauntingly cold with plain brutality and dash of humor. It seemed to come off. A major plus with these films are the dialogues, while I wouldn't call 'Sudden Impact' first-rate, it provides ample biting exchanges and memorably creditable lines… "You're a legend in your own mind". Don't you just love hearing Harry sparking an amusing quip, before pulling out his piece. The beating action when it occurs is excitingly jarring and intense… the only way to go and the pacing flies by with little in the way of flat passages. Lalo Schfrin would return as composer (after 'The Enforcer" had Jerry Fielding scoring) bringing a methodical funky kick, which still breathed those gloomy cues to a texturally breezy score that clicked from the get-go. Bruce Surtees (an Eastwood regular) gets the job behind the camera (where he did a piecing job with 'Dirty Harry') and gives the film plenty of scope by wonderfully framing the backdrops in some impeccable tracking scenes, but also instrument edgy angles within those dramatic moments.Eastwood as the dinosaur Callahan still packs a punch, going beyond just that steely glare to get the job done and probably showing a little more heart than one would expect from a younger Callahan. This going by the sudden shift in a plot turn of Harry's quest for justice… by the badge even though he doesn't always agree with it. I just found it odd… a real change of heart. Across from him is a stupendous performance by his beau at the time Sondra Locke. Her turn of traumatic torment (being senselessly raped along with her younger sister), is hidden by a glassily quiet intensity. When the anger is released, it's tactically accurate in its outcome. Paul Drake is perfectly menacing and filthy as one of the targeted thugs and Audrie J. Neenan nails down a repellently scummy and big-mouthed performance. These people are truly an ugly bunch of saps. Pat Hingle is sturdy as the Chief of the small coastal town. In smaller parts are Bradford Dillman and the agreeably potent Albert Popwell (a regular in the series 1-4, but under different characters). How can you forget him in 'Dirty Harry'… yes he is bank robber that's at the end of the trademark quote "Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"$LABEL$ 1 +Some have commented on the subtitles not being a problem in this film - I beg to differ - the nuisances in the facial expressions and subtle interactions between the characters is such that you can not afford to take your eyes away for even a fraction of a second. I tried to watch, on the DVD, in English to overcome this problem (don't make this mistake the result is a travesty). The only way to get the full benefit is to watch it two or three times in quick succession so you know it and then ignore the subtitles. An acting master class - not in the dialogue but body language.It is the little things - the postmaster/shop keeper puffs out his chest and goes in to get his cap before delivering a letter from !France!. The General's bemused expression as his delight in a bunch of perfect grapes elicits a biblical reference with a profundity worthy of 'Being There'.The cinematography is awesome and the bleak minimalist village with its washed out colour just accentuates the sumptuousness of the feast when it comes. I have a friend who claims to be descended from the Borgias and who's family motto is 'If it is worth doing, it is worth doing to excess' - Amen.I laugh out loud and cry each time I watch this film$LABEL$ 1 +Well, of course not, women are overly sensitive and needy on average, which is interestingly portrayed from mother to whore, though not pseudo-artistically, extravagantly, or blatantly dwelt on. Unlike many of you I have only seen La Maman et La Putain twice. As many good films, I noticed my opinion of it improved after a second viewing. All that I know is what I have seen and have yet to delve into further exploits until I myself have acquired the dvd. I have yet to figure out precisely why I enjoy this movie so much, but really, what do I care why? Though I'm sure I could and will form some wonderful explanation. All right, so you may disagree, perhaps it is a bit boring at times, I'm not an expert. The blonde reminds me of a lovely Grushenka.$LABEL$ 1 +One of the most sublime of American masterpieces, Morrissey opens the film by sexualizing Dallesandro, with his open mouth snoring on a pillow. We wonder, is he coming off a heroin high? We just see his face, then, flash, his body, flash, his naked rear. I can't think of another film that used this flash-blip form of editing so well to create a hypnotic, druggy mood, an editing method that works wonderfully as both pacing and style. After that introduction, when Dallesandro opens his mouth, his accent is jarring -- we expect him to be some kind of soft-spoken androgyne; instead, he's got the voice of a street thug -- Morrissey isn't comfortable letting our assumptions go unchecked. The lengthy opening is very sexy and playful -- it's a combination of martial troubles, Dallesandro's fascinating lip-rubbing kisses, and early morning sexual escapades; it all kind of flows together, if not always smoothly, then emotionally realistically.What I got from this was the same as what I got from "The 400 Blows" when I first saw it -- this is like a 20-something continuation of that story. There's a sense of camaraderie between the flesh sellers and the buyers; when Dallesandro walks the street looking for men (to fund his wife's abortion) there's the feeling of a secret handshake as boys make deals with each other. I never found it boring, though nothing happens -- nothing happens brilliantly, the boys hanging around, as they do, waiting for tricks. The main trick that Dallesandro finds is fascinating to watch, using Greek descriptions and only touching his back, a form of aesthetic body worship on the man's part. It's also dreadfully funny ("I'm not talking to an empty bed, am I?"). It's one of the most revealing scenes in the movie -- in any movie, I think; certainly any movie dealing with sex and sex for sale. When Dallesandro's eyes seem red and swollen, we can't tell if it's because he's drunk, ashamed, embarrassed, or all.The conversations in the film are cut-up -- they don't matter. (The film is silent in a few scenes, some of the most poignant and beautiful you may ever experience.) Yet when Morrissey chooses to include one, the way he includes it (we sort of piece it together), it's startling, such as one conversation between Dallesandro and a newbie hustler -- and neither of them ever mentioning the word "gay" or "hustler." What follows is a scene where we listen to a pair of transvestites as Dallesandro gets serviced -- this just after explaining to the newbie "getting used" to the job.Dallesandro is a subject worthy of the attention paid to him, both by his clients and Morrissey. He's less than effective as an actor, in the sense of acting as performing, but as far as revealing something he's incredible -- he's someone we immediately want to feel above, yet we go through his experiences, with all their complexities, and we're forced to try and know him. He's the kind of blank slate that we're drawn to but can't get a hold on. And of course he's incredibly striking -- forgetting everything else, this is partially a testament to the beauty of the male body, Dallesandro's gorgeous torso and permanently erect nipples.The movie has one devastating scene, but like everything else you can't really master it -- a girl says that she's been raped, and her only self-defense is in saying that, had the rapist only asked for sex, wooed her, he would have gotten a better lay. It's shattering. The movie has feeling for everyone, but even better than that, it's not merely sympathetic, it actually attempts to help us understand human beings -- and without ever dictating what it is we're meant to be understanding. It neither looks down on nor glamorizes the people within the film. It feels inclusive when we see Joe's arm around a transvestite. When he reads a letter (he talks about not getting past grade eight at one point), he's utterly charming, as he pauses on a word...then says, "woteva," and continues.You can learn something more profound from the interaction between Dallesandro and one of his clients in terms of gay-straight relationships than you can from any case study. Here we have the young boy who smiles (his top lip disappears as he does so) when a 30-something gym bunny Korean war veteran runs his fingers through his hair; it's a scene that feels very profound, this adult man sharing something with a younger version of himself -- it's not two gay men together, or a gay man paying a straight man, it's something else you can't put your finger on; questions of sexuality are beside the point. (Never before has popping a pimple seemed as affectionate.) After sharing something with each other emotionally (though with Dallesandro, since he's there for money, it's never apparent why he's there; though he's never less than sincere, which may be his most disarming quality), "So...can you help me out?" The man says sure. "I don't mean my pants!" 10/10$LABEL$ 1 +I honestly can't believe that this film isn't more highly rated. Claude Chabrol could be described as something like a French Alfred Hitchcock, and while this film is only the second one of his that I've seen (the first being Le Boucher), I can already see that this guy is something special just on the strength of these two films. The film is a French and Canadian co-production, and takes place in Canada. The cast is made up of British and Canadian stars and the high quality performances bode well with the rest of the film; most of which is high quality also. The film is a murder mystery and begins when a young girl covered in blood is brought into a police station. After being questioned by Inspector Carella, it emerges that the young girl, Patricia, and her sister Muriel were attacked by a man who killed the sister and only just allowed Patricia to flee. However, as the investigation goes on, Patricia goes back to the station to give new evidence, which reveals a far more shocking identity to the murderer.The performances in this film are excellent. Donald Sutherland is subdued as usual, but he suits the role he's given here very well and I wouldn't hesitate to name his performance in Blood Relatives as one of his very best. The film also features supporting turns from British stars Donald Pleasance and David Hemmings who both give good turns; Pleasance in particular who shows just how great an actor he can be and highlights what a shame it is that he went on to waste himself in Halloween films. The unknown Aude Landry also gives a great performance in her role as Patricia. The movie is very mysterious for the first hour and really keeps the audience hooked. When Inspector Carella discovers Muriel's diary, the film turns into more of a drama in which the girl's last actions are shown; and while this section of the film is not as good as what went before it, it's still interesting and leads into a great twist at the end! Overall, Blood Relatives is a great film that really deserves to be better seen. Le Boucher is a better known effort from Chabrol, but for my money this is at least as good! Highly recommended viewing.$LABEL$ 1 +"I am ... proud of 'Head'," Mike Nesmith has said. He should be, because this film, which either has been derided by many of us or studied and scrutinized by film professors, works on many levels.Yes, it's unconventional. To many, frustrating. It's almost as if the producers hand you the film and tempt: "You figure it out."You probably already know that The Monkees TV show was a runaway marketing success that depended upon business acumen and no small serving of public deception. TV shows are about selling soap and toothpaste first, than to entertain. That The Monkees broke out of the box for a short time to make "Head" is a testament to the group's popularity and importance in pop culture, despite where your head's at. Get one thing straight: "Head" is not The Monkees TV show.So what we have here is a "psychedelic documentary" about Western pop culture from a source that has authority on the subject. "Head" is a movie that could only come from those "inside the box". By 1968, The Monkees' cast and crew were seasoned and weary professionals who had seen their share of promise and disappointment. The movie was a deliberate attempt at market repositioning. So, it did three things: Make a film the way The Monkees envisioned. Most importantly, reinvent the group to one not subservient to it's old bosses - and yas, hipper than before. Make a film that exposed American attitudes of information dissemination."Head", therefore, really is about media manipulation and its net result: deception. The mass media is supposed to inform, educate us on the happenings in the world at large, and ultimately asks us to form opinions of these events that can shape thought into positive action. Thus we assume the information we absorb to be complete and unbiased - otherwise, how can one establish a valued conclusion on any one idea presented by a book, newspaper or TV show? In one of the street interviews in "Head", a guy admits, "I haven't looked at a newspaper or TV in years." Is he lesser or better the man? Even the drug parallels are a soft veiling of "Things are not as they seem." Remember the old joke, "Everything you know is wrong"? The screenplay starts with The Monkees' public admission of it's own "manufactured image" and runs with the football - literally. Is the football scene in the movie a visual manifestation of the whole idea behind "Head"? Is the film a stream-of-consciousness exercise? Is the film the culmination of pot smoking marathons? There are too many coincidences that occur in the film that suggest otherwise. My guess is that "Head" is the culmination of motivations somewhere between intended and unintended.Largely, the insiders responsible for "Head" seem to enjoy themselves in the revelries that take place in the film, but there is anger - anger at the chaos that characterized the late '60s and anger at the way the media, television especially, had changed culture in negative ways. Drugs and violence were strong negative forces in the late '60s and still are, but the producers of "Head" want you to know that poor "information" is a far greater danger.Wars have been attributed to hoaxes and lies. What perfect way to spread disinformation than through TV? Repeatedly, the mysterious black box is seen as an obstacle to The Monkees and seemingly, all of us as well. In one scene, Peter is sullenly sitting in a saloon holding a melting ice cream cone, and is asked by a fellow Monkey, "What's wrong?" "I bought this ice cream cone and I don't want it." The movie suggests that the first purpose of the media is NOT to inform, but to sell en mass blindly. "Head" goes further: put any idea into someone's head, and merrily goes he.The filmmakers know this, and the danger is real. "Head" is either a movie that creates itself "as we go along", or is a deliberate statement. Perhaps, perhaps not. Maybe it is just "Pot meets advertising", as critics scathed in 1968. The jokes are on The Monkees and us. Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.Cheers: A true guilty pleasure. Very funny. Intelligent. Will please the fans. Find the substance, it's there. Unabashedly weird. Bizarre collection of characters. Good tunage. Length is appropriate. Lots of great one liners, including my all time prophetic favorite: "The tragedy of your times, my young friends, is that you may get exactly what you want."Caveats: Dated. Drugs. No plot. No linear delivery of any thought in particular. At least twenty-five stories that interweave in stop-and- go fashion. So, may easily frustrate. May seem pretentious to some. People who can't stand The Monkees need not watch, though that in itself is no reason to avoid it. The psychedelic special effects may kill your ailing picture tube or your acid burnt- out eyeballs.Match, cut.$LABEL$ 1 +I was 19 years old when I saw first saw this film, in the theater. I have a vivid memory of a different ending. Not completely different but significantly. I just watched the movie last night and I was wrong, so I guess the following can't be called a spoiler, since it never happened. The ending I remember was that the boy was hiding in the house completely naked, Frances Austen found him quite easily and after she confronted him, she slowly sank to her knees and went down on him off camera. Only his face was in the frame and it was pretty obvious he was letting it happen, albeit against his will. But nothing like this showed up in the movie. Sandy Dennis was 32 years old when she made this movie, Michael Burns was 22. In the movie, he complains to his sister that Frances makes too big a deal about sex. Yeah? Well, then, so go to bed with her dude, and get it over with. WTF?$LABEL$ 1 diff --git a/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.test.dat b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.test.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b440ee339469510e721f124a158c783f1539e1f2 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.test.dat @@ -0,0 +1,2000 @@ +Fears for T N pension after talks Unions representing workers at Turner Newall say they are 'disappointed' after talks with stricken parent firm Federal Mogul.$LABEL$2 +The Race is On: Second Private Team Sets Launch Date for Human Spaceflight (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - TORONTO, Canada -- A second\team of rocketeers competing for the #36;10 million Ansari X Prize, a contest for\privately funded suborbital space flight, has officially announced the first\launch date for its manned rocket.$LABEL$3 +Ky. Company Wins Grant to Study Peptides (AP) AP - A company founded by a chemistry researcher at the University of Louisville won a grant to develop a method of producing better peptides, which are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.$LABEL$3 +Prediction Unit Helps Forecast Wildfires (AP) AP - It's barely dawn when Mike Fitzpatrick starts his shift with a blur of colorful maps, figures and endless charts, but already he knows what the day will bring. Lightning will strike in places he expects. Winds will pick up, moist places will dry and flames will roar.$LABEL$3 +Calif. Aims to Limit Farm-Related Smog (AP) AP - Southern California's smog-fighting agency went after emissions of the bovine variety Friday, adopting the nation's first rules to reduce air pollution from dairy cow manure.$LABEL$3 +Open Letter Against British Copyright Indoctrination in Schools The British Department for Education and Skills (DfES) recently launched a ""Music Manifesto"" campaign, with the ostensible intention of educating the next generation of British musicians. Unfortunately, they also teamed up with the music industry (EMI, and various artists) to make this popular. EMI has apparently negotiated their end well, so that children in our schools will now be indoctrinated about the illegality of downloading music.The ignorance and audacity of this got to me a little, so I wrote an open letter to the DfES about it. Unfortunately, it's pedantic, as I suppose you have to be when writing to goverment representatives. But I hope you find it useful, and perhaps feel inspired to do something similar, if or when the same thing has happened in your area.$LABEL$3 +Loosing the War on Terrorism \\""Sven Jaschan, self-confessed author of the Netsky and Sasser viruses, is\responsible for 70 percent of virus infections in 2004, according to a six-month\virus roundup published Wednesday by antivirus company Sophos.""\\""The 18-year-old Jaschan was taken into custody in Germany in May by police who\said he had admitted programming both the Netsky and Sasser worms, something\experts at Microsoft confirmed. (A Microsoft antivirus reward program led to the\teenager's arrest.) During the five months preceding Jaschan's capture, there\were at least 25 variants of Netsky and one of the port-scanning network worm\Sasser.""\\""Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said it was staggeri ...\\$LABEL$3 +FOAFKey: FOAF, PGP, Key Distribution, and Bloom Filters \\FOAF/LOAF and bloom filters have a lot of interesting properties for social\network and whitelist distribution.\\I think we can go one level higher though and include GPG/OpenPGP key\fingerpring distribution in the FOAF file for simple web-of-trust based key\distribution.\\What if we used FOAF and included the PGP key fingerprint(s) for identities?\This could mean a lot. You include the PGP key fingerprints within the FOAF\file of your direct friends and then include a bloom filter of the PGP key\fingerprints of your entire whitelist (the source FOAF file would of course need\to be encrypted ).\\Your whitelist would be populated from the social network as your client\discovered new identit ...\\$LABEL$3 +E-mail scam targets police chief Wiltshire Police warns about ""phishing"" after its fraud squad chief was targeted.$LABEL$3 +Card fraud unit nets 36,000 cards In its first two years, the UK's dedicated card fraud unit, has recovered 36,000 stolen cards and 171 arrests - and estimates it saved 65m.$LABEL$3 +Group to Propose New High-Speed Wireless Format LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of technology companies including Texas Instruments Inc. <TXN.N>, STMicroelectronics <STM.PA> and Broadcom Corp. <BRCM.O>, on Thursday said they will propose a new wireless networking standard up to 10 times the speed of the current generation.$LABEL$3 +Apple Launches Graphics Software, Video Bundle LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc.<AAPL.O> on Tuesday began shipping a new program designed to let users create real-time motion graphics and unveiled a discount video-editing software bundle featuring its flagship Final Cut Pro software.$LABEL$3 +Dutch Retailer Beats Apple to Local Download Market AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Free Record Shop, a Dutch music retail chain, beat Apple Computer Inc. to market on Tuesday with the launch of a new download service in Europe's latest battleground for digital song services.$LABEL$3 +Super ant colony hits Australia A giant 100km colony of ants which has been discovered in Melbourne, Australia, could threaten local insect species.$LABEL$3 +Socialites unite dolphin groups Dolphin groups, or ""pods"", rely on socialites to keep them from collapsing, scientists claim.$LABEL$3 +Teenage T. rex's monster growth Tyrannosaurus rex achieved its massive size due to an enormous growth spurt during its adolescent years.$LABEL$3 +Scientists Discover Ganymede has a Lumpy Interior Jet Propulsion Lab -- Scientists have discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. These irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede's icy shell for billions of years...$LABEL$3 +Mars Rovers Relay Images Through Mars Express European Space Agency -- ESAs Mars Express has relayed pictures from one of NASA's Mars rovers for the first time, as part of a set of interplanetary networking demonstrations. The demonstrations pave the way for future Mars missions to draw on joint interplanetary networking capabilities...$LABEL$3 +Rocking the Cradle of Life When did life begin? One evidential clue stems from the fossil records in Western Australia, although whether these layered sediments are biological or chemical has spawned a spirited debate. Oxford researcher, Nicola McLoughlin, describes some of the issues in contention.$LABEL$3 +Storage, servers bruise HP earnings update Earnings per share rise compared with a year ago, but company misses analysts' expectations by a long shot.$LABEL$3 +IBM to hire even more new workers By the end of the year, the computing giant plans to have its biggest headcount since 1991.$LABEL$3 +Sun's Looking Glass Provides 3D View Developers get early code for new operating system 'skin' still being crafted.$LABEL$3 +IBM Chips May Someday Heal Themselves New technology applies electrical fuses to help identify and repair faults.$LABEL$3 +Some People Not Eligible to Get in on Google IPO Google has billed its IPO as a way for everyday people to get in on the process, denying Wall Street the usual stranglehold it's had on IPOs. Public bidding, a minimum of just five shares, an open process with 28 underwriters - all this pointed to a new level of public participation. But this isn't the case.$LABEL$3 +Rivals Try to Turn Tables on Charles Schwab By MICHAEL LIEDTKE SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With its low prices and iconoclastic attitude, discount stock broker Charles Schwab Corp. (SCH) represented an annoying stone in Wall Street's wing-tipped shoes for decades...$LABEL$3 +News: Sluggish movement on power grid cyber security Industry cyber security standards fail to reach some of the most vulnerable components of the power grid.\$LABEL$3 +Giddy Phelps Touches Gold for First Time Michael Phelps won the gold medal in the 400 individual medley and set a world record in a time of 4 minutes 8.26 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Tougher rules won't soften Law's game FOXBOROUGH -- Looking at his ridiculously developed upper body, with huge biceps and hardly an ounce of fat, it's easy to see why Ty Law, arguably the best cornerback in football, chooses physical play over finesse. That's not to imply that he's lacking a finesse component, because he can shut down his side of the field much as Deion Sanders ...$LABEL$1 +Shoppach doesn't appear ready to hit the next level With the weeks dwindling until Jason Varitek enters free agency, the Red Sox continue to carefully monitor Kelly Shoppach , their catcher of the future, in his climb toward the majors. The Sox like most of what they have seen at Triple A Pawtucket from Shoppach, though it remains highly uncertain whether he can make the adjustments at the plate ...$LABEL$1 +Mighty Ortiz makes sure Sox can rest easy Just imagine what David Ortiz could do on a good night's rest. Ortiz spent the night before last with his baby boy, D'Angelo, who is barely 1 month old. He had planned on attending the Red Sox' Family Day at Fenway Park yesterday morning, but he had to sleep in. After all, Ortiz had a son at home, and he ...$LABEL$1 +They've caught his eye In quot;helping themselves, quot; Ricky Bryant, Chas Gessner, Michael Jennings, and David Patten did nothing Friday night to make Bill Belichick's decision on what to do with his receivers any easier.$LABEL$1 +Indians Mount Charge The Cleveland Indians pulled within one game of the AL Central lead by beating the Minnesota Twins, 7-1, Saturday night with home runs by Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.$LABEL$1 +Sister of man who died in Vancouver police custody slams chief (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - The sister of a man who died after a violent confrontation with police has demanded the city's chief constable resign for defending the officer involved.$LABEL$0 +Man Sought #36;50M From McGreevey, Aides Say (AP) AP - The man who claims Gov. James E. McGreevey sexually harassed him was pushing for a cash settlement of up to #36;50 million before the governor decided to announce that he was gay and had an extramarital affair, sources told The Associated Press.$LABEL$0 +Explosions Echo Throughout Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Explosions and gunfire rattled through the city of Najaf as U.S. troops in armored vehicles and tanks rolled back into the streets here Sunday, a day after the collapse of talks - and with them a temporary cease-fire - intended to end the fighting in this holy city...$LABEL$0 +Frail Pope Celebrates Mass at Lourdes LOURDES, France - A frail Pope John Paul II, breathing heavily and gasping at times, celebrated an open-air Mass on Sunday for several hundred thousand pilgrims, many in wheelchairs, at a shrine to the Virgin Mary that is associated with miraculous cures. At one point he said ""help me"" in Polish while struggling through his homily in French...$LABEL$0 +Venezuela Prepares for Chavez Recall Vote Supporters and rivals warn of possible fraud; government says Chavez's defeat could produce turmoil in world oil market.$LABEL$0 +1994 Law Designed to Preserve Guard Jobs (AP) AP - A 1994 law strengthened job protections for National Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty. Here are major provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).$LABEL$0 +Iran Warns Its Missiles Can Hit Anywhere in Israel TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian military official said Sunday Israel and the United States would not dare attack Iran since it could strike back anywhere in Israel with its latest missiles, news agencies reported.$LABEL$0 +Afghan Army Dispatched to Calm Violence KABUL, Afghanistan - Government troops intervened in Afghanistan's latest outbreak of deadly fighting between warlords, flying from the capital to the far west on U.S. and NATO airplanes to retake an air base contested in the violence, officials said Sunday...$LABEL$0 +Johnson Helps D-Backs End Nine-Game Slide (AP) AP - Randy Johnson took a four-hitter into the ninth inning to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game losing streak Sunday, beating Steve Trachsel and the New York Mets 2-0.$LABEL$1 +Retailers Vie for Back-To-School Buyers (Reuters) Reuters - Apparel retailers are hoping their\back-to-school fashions will make the grade among\style-conscious teens and young adults this fall, but it could\be a tough sell, with students and parents keeping a tighter\hold on their wallets.$LABEL$2 +Politics an Afterthought Amid Hurricane (AP) AP - If Hurricane Charley had struck three years ago, President Bush's tour through the wreckage of this coastal city would have been just the sort of post-disaster visit that other presidents have made to the scenes of storms, earthquakes, floods and fires.$LABEL$0 +Spam suspension hits Sohu.com shares (FT.com) FT.com - Shares in Sohu.com, a leading US-listed Chinese internet portal, fell more than 10 per cent on Friday after China's biggest mobile phone network operator imposed a one-year suspension on its multimedia messaging services because of customers being sent spam.$LABEL$3 +Erstad's Double Lifts Angels to Win (AP) AP - Darin Erstad doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Anaheim Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The win pulled Anaheim within a percentage point of Boston and Texas in the AL wild-card race.$LABEL$1 +Drew Out of Braves' Lineup After Injury (AP) AP - Outfielder J.D. Drew missed the Atlanta Braves' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night with a sore right quadriceps.$LABEL$1 +Venezuelans Flood Polls, Voting Extended CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelans voted in huge numbers on Sunday in a historic referendum on whether to recall left-wing President Hugo Chavez and electoral authorities prolonged voting well into the night.$LABEL$0 +Dell Exits Low-End China Consumer PC Market HONG KONG (Reuters) - Dell Inc. <DELL.O>, the world's largest PC maker, said on Monday it has left the low-end consumer PC market in China and cut its overall growth target for the country this year due to stiff competition in the segment.$LABEL$3 +China Says Taiwan Spy Also Operated in U.S. - Media BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing on Monday accused a Chinese-American arrested for spying for Taiwan of building an espionage network in the United States, and said he could go on trial very soon.$LABEL$0 +Another Major Non-Factor Another major, another disappointment for Tiger Woods, the No. 1 ranked player in the world who has not won a major championship since his triumph at the 2002 U.S. Open.$LABEL$1 +US fighter squadron to be deployed in South Korea next month (AFP) AFP - A squadron of US Air Force F-15E fighters based in Alaska will fly to South Korea next month for temporary deployment aimed at enhancing US firepower on the Korean peninsula, US authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Johnson Back to His Best as D-Backs End Streak NEW YORK (Reuters) - Randy Johnson struck out 14 batters in 8 1/3 innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the host New York Mets in the National League Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Restive Maldives eases curfew after rounding up dissidents (AFP) AFP - A curfew in the capital of the Maldives was eased but parliament sessions were put off indefinitely and emergency rule continued following last week's riots, officials and residents said.$LABEL$0 +Vodafone hires Citi for Cesky bid (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The U.K. mobile giant wants to find a way to disentagle the Czech wireless and fixed-line businesses.$LABEL$3 +Dollar Briefly Hits 4-Wk Low Vs Euro LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar dipped to a four-week low against the euro on Monday before rising slightly on profit-taking, but steep oil prices and weak U.S. data continued to fan worries about the health of the world's largest economy.$LABEL$2 +Promoting a Shared Vision As Michael Kaleko kept running into people who were getting older and having more vision problems, he realized he could do something about it.$LABEL$3 +India's Tata expands regional footprint via NatSteel buyout (AFP) AFP - India's Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd. took a strategic step to expand its Asian footprint with the announcement it will buy the Asia-Pacific steel operations of Singapore's NatSteel Ltd.$LABEL$0 +Delegates Urge Cleric to Pull Out of Najaf BAGHDAD, Iraq - Delegates at Iraq's National Conference called on radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to abandon his uprising against U.S. and Iraqi troops and pull his fighters out of a holy shrine in Najaf...$LABEL$0 +Treasuries Slip as Stocks Rally NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices slipped on Monday, though traders characterized the move as profit-taking rather than any fundamental change in sentiment.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Rises Vs Euro on Asset Flows Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against the euro on Monday after a report on flows into U.S. assets showed enough of a rise in foreign investments to offset the current account gap for the month.$LABEL$2 +Sutton Adds Haas, Cink to Ryder Cup Team MILWAUKEE (Sports Network) - U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton finalized his team on Monday when he announced the selections of Jay Haas and Stewart Cink as his captain's picks.$LABEL$1 +Haas and Cink Selected for Ryder Cup Team Jay Haas joined Stewart Cink as the two captain's picks for a U.S. team that will try to regain the cup from Europe next month.$LABEL$1 +Natalie Coughlin Wins 100M Backstroke (AP) AP - American Natalie Coughlin won Olympic gold in the 100-meter backstroke Monday night. Coughlin, the only woman ever to swim under 1 minute in the event, finished first in 1 minute, 0.37 seconds. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who swims at Auburn University in Alabama, earned the silver in 1:00.50. Laure Manaudou of France took bronze in 1:00.88.$LABEL$1 +Oracle Overhauls Sales-Side Apps for CRM Suite (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) has revamped its sales-side CRM applications in version 11i.10 of its sales, marketing, partner relationship management and e-commerce application.$LABEL$3 +UN launches 210-million-dollar appeal for flood-hit Bangladesh (AFP) AFP - The United Nations launched an appeal here for 210 million dollars to help flood victims facing ""grave"" food shortages after two-thirds of Bangladesh was submerged, destroying crops and killing more than 700 people.$LABEL$0 +Indian state rolls out wireless broadband Government in South Indian state of Kerala sets up wireless kiosks as part of initiative to bridge digital divide.$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Survivors Wait for Water, Gas PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Urban rescue teams, insurance adjusters and National Guard troops scattered across Florida Monday to help victims of Hurricane Charley and deliver water and other supplies to thousands of people left homeless...$LABEL$0 +Jackson Squares Off With Prosecutor SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for a showdown with the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...$LABEL$0 +Bobcats Trade Drobnjak to Hawks for Pick (AP) AP - The Charlotte Bobcats traded center Predrag Drobnjak to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday for a second round pick in the 2005 NBA draft.$LABEL$1 +Suspect charged in abduction, sexual assault of 11-year-old girl (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LANGLEY, B.C. (CP) - Police have arrested a man in the kidnapping and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl that frightened this suburban Vancouver community last week.$LABEL$0 +China's Red Flag Linux to focus on enterprise Red Flag Software Co., the company behind China's leading Linux client distribution, plans to focus more on its server operating system and enterprise customers, the company's acting president said.$LABEL$3 +AOL Properties Sign Girafa For Thumbnail Search Images AOL Properties Sign Girafa For Thumbnail Search Images\\Girafa.com Inc. announced today that the CompuServe, Netscape, AIM and ICQ properties of America Online, Inc., have signed an agreement with Girafa to use Girafa's thumbnail search images as an integrated part of their search results.\\Using Girafa's thumbnail search service, search users can ...$LABEL$3 +Cassini Spies Two Little Saturn Moons (AP) AP - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spied two new little moons around satellite-rich Saturn, the space agency said Monday.$LABEL$3 +On front line of AIDS in Russia An industrial city northwest of Moscow struggles as AIDS hits a broader population.$LABEL$0 +Nobel Laureate Decries Stem Cell Limits (AP) AP - A Nobel laureate in medicine said Monday the Bush administration's limits on funding for embryonic stem cell research effectively have stopped the clock on American scientists' efforts to develop treatments for a host of chronic, debilitating diseases.$LABEL$3 +Jury Can Hear of Kobe Accuser's Sex Life (AP) AP - Prosecutors suffered another setback Monday in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, losing a last-ditch attempt to keep the NBA star's lawyers from telling jurors about the alleged victim's sex life.$LABEL$1 +North Korea Talks Still On, China Tells Downer (Reuters) Reuters - China has said no date has been set for\working-level talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis and gave\no indication that the meeting has been canceled, Australian\Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Griffin to Anchor D-Line The Redskins expect huge things from 300-pound Cornelius Griffin, who was signed to aid the team's weakest unit - the defensive line.$LABEL$1 +Last American defector in North Korea agrees to tell story (AFP) AFP - The last surviving American defector to communist North Korea wants to tell his story to put a human face on the Stalinist state which he believes is unfairly vilified abroad, British film-makers said.$LABEL$0 +Live: Olympics day four Richard Faulds and Stephen Parry are going for gold for Great Britain on day four in Athens.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Widens Lead in California, Poll Finds (Reuters) Reuters - Democratic challenger John Kerry\has a commanding lead over President Bush in California of 54\percent to 38 percent among likely voters, a poll released on\Tuesday found.$LABEL$0 +Capacity Crowds at Beach Volleyball Rock the Joint ATHENS (Reuters) - At the beach volleyball, the 2004 Olympics is a sell-out, foot-stomping success.$LABEL$1 +Dollar Near Recent Lows, Awaits ZEW/CPI LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar held steady near this week's four-week low against the euro on Tuesday with investors awaiting a German investor confidence survey and U.S. consumer inflation numbers to shed light on the direction.$LABEL$2 +Intel to delay product aimed for high-definition TVs SAN FRANCISCO -- In the latest of a series of product delays, Intel Corp. has postponed the launch of a video display chip it had previously planned to introduce by year end, putting off a showdown with Texas Instruments Inc. in the fast-growing market for high-definition television displays.$LABEL$2 +Venezuela vote keeps Chavez as president CARACAS -- Venezuelans voted resoundingly to keep firebrand populist Hugo Chavez as their president in a victory that drew noisy reactions yesterday from both sides in the streets. International observers certified the results as clean and accurate.$LABEL$0 +Jailing of HK democrat in China 'politically motivated' (AFP) AFP - Hong Kong democrats accused China of jailing one of their members on trumped-up prostitution charges in a bid to disgrace a political movement Beijing has been feuding with for seven years.$LABEL$0 +Kmart Swings to Profit in 2Q; Stock Surges (AP) AP - Shares of Kmart Holding Corp. surged 17 percent Monday after the discount retailer reported a profit for the second quarter and said chairman and majority owner Edward Lampert is now free to invest the company's #36;2.6 billion in surplus cash.$LABEL$2 +Fischer's Fiancee: Marriage Plans Genuine (AP) AP - Former chess champion Bobby Fischer's announcement thathe is engaged to a Japanese woman could win him sympathy among Japanese officials and help him avoid deportation to the United States, his fiancee and one of his supporters said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Misses Cut in Olympic 100 Free ATHENS, Greece - Top American sprinters Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker missed the cut in the Olympic 100-meter freestyle preliminaries Tuesday, a stunning blow for a country that had always done well in the event. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Australian Ian Thorpe advanced to the evening semifinal a day after dueling teenager Michael Phelps in the 200 freestyle, won by Thorpe...$LABEL$0 +Consumers Would Pay In Phone Proposal A proposal backed by a coalition of telephone carriers would cut billions of dollars in fees owed by long-distance companies to regional phone giants but would allow the regional companies to make up some of the difference by raising monthly phone bills for millions of consumers. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +U.S. Brokers Cease-fire in Western Afghanistan KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has brokered a cease-fire between a renegade Afghan militia leader and the embattled governor of the western province of Herat, Washington's envoy to Kabul said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Sneaky Credit Card Tactics Keep an eye on your credit card issuers -- they may be about to raise your rates.$LABEL$2 +Intel Delays Launch of Projection TV Chip In another product postponement, semiconductor giant Intel Corp. said it won't be offering a chip for projection TVs by the end of 2004 as it had announced earlier this year.$LABEL$3 +Fund pessimism grows NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Money managers are growing more pessimistic about the economy, corporate profits and US stock market returns, according to a monthly survey by Merrill Lynch released Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Kederis proclaims innocence Olympic champion Kostas Kederis today left hospital ahead of his date with IOC inquisitors claiming his innocence and vowing: quot;After the crucifixion comes the resurrection. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Eriksson doesn #39;t feel any extra pressure following scandal NEWCASTLE, England (AP) - England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said Tuesday he isn #39;t under any extra pressure in the aftermath of a scandal that damaged the Football Association #39;s reputation. $LABEL$1 +Injured Heskey to miss England friendly NEWCASTLE, England (AP) - Striker Emile Heskey has pulled out of the England squad ahead of Wednesday #39;s friendly against Ukraine because of a tight hamstring, the Football Association said Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Staples Profit Up, to Enter China Market NEW YORK (Reuters) - Staples Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SPLS.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SPLS.O</A>, the top U.S. office products retailer, on Tuesday reported a 39 percent jump in quarterly profit, raised its full-year forecast and said it plans to enter the fast-growing Chinese market, sending its shares higher.$LABEL$2 +Delegation Is Delayed Before Reaching Najaf AGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 17 A delegation of Iraqis was delayed for security reasons today but still intended to visit Najaf to try to convince a rebellious Shiite cleric and his militia to evacuate a shrine in the holy city and end ...$LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Down, Industry Output Up WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in energy costs reversed, the government said in a report that suggested a slow rate of interest rate hikes is likely.$LABEL$2 +Olympic history for India, UAE An Indian army major shot his way to his country #39;s first ever individual Olympic silver medal on Tuesday, while in the same event an member of Dubai #39;s ruling family became the first ever medallist from the United Arab Emirates. $LABEL$1 +Home Depot Likes High Oil Rising fuel prices, a bugbear for most of the retail sector, are helping Home Depot (HD:NYSE - news - research), the remodeling giant that reported a surge in second-quarter earnings Tuesday and guided the rest of the year higher. $LABEL$2 +China cracks down on quot;phone sex quot; services BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on quot;phone sex quot; services, paralleling another sweeping operation against Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said here Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Surviving Biotech's Downturns Charly Travers offers advice on withstanding the volatility of the biotech sector.$LABEL$2 +Mr Downer shoots his mouth off Just what Alexander Downer was thinking when he declared on radio last Friday that quot;they could fire a missile from North Korea to Sydney quot; is unclear. The provocative remark, just days before his arrival yesterday on his second visit to the North Korean ...$LABEL$0 +Edwards Banned from Games - Source ATHENS (Reuters) - World 100 meters champion Torri Edwards will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a two-year drugs ban was dismissed on Tuesday, a source told Reuters.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Climb on Drop in Consumer Prices NEW YORK - Stocks rose for a second straight session Tuesday as a drop in consumer prices allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term. With gasoline prices falling to eight-month lows, the Consumer Price Index registered a small drop in July, giving consumers a respite from soaring energy prices...$LABEL$0 +Iliadis, Tanimoto win judo golds Ilias Iliadis of Greece thrilled the home crowd Tuesday, beating Roman Gontyuk of Ukraine to win the gold medal in the 81-kilogram class. $LABEL$1 +Sudan vows to restore order to Darfur but calls for African peacekeepers (AFP) AFP - Sudan will take the lead in restoring order to its rebellious Darfur region but needs the support of African peacekeepers and humanitarian aid, Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said.$LABEL$0 +TGn Sync Proposes New WLAN Standard The battle over home entertainment networking is heating up as a coalition proposes yet another standard for the IEEE #39;s consideration. $LABEL$3 +Yahoo! Ups Ante for Small Businesses Web giant Yahoo! is gambling that price cuts on its domain name registration and Web hosting products will make it more competitive with discounters in the space -- which means that small businesses looking to move online get a sweeter deal through ...$LABEL$2 +IBM Buys Two Danish Services Firms IBM said Tuesday it has acquired a pair of Danish IT services firms as part of its effort to broaden its presence in Scandinavia. As a result of the moves, IBM will add about 3,700 IT staffers to its global head count. Financial terms of ...$LABEL$3 +Motorola and HP in Linux tie-up Motorola plans to sell mobile phone network equipment that uses Linux-based code, a step forward in network gear makers #39; efforts to rally around a standard. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Pushes Off SP2 Release Microsoft will delay the release of its SP2 update for another week to fix software glitches. But not everyone is quite so eager to install the SP2 update for Windows XP. In fact, many companies have demanded the ability to prevent their ...$LABEL$3 +Cassini Space Probe Spots Two New Saturn Moons (Reuters) Reuters - Two new moons were spotted around\Saturn by the Cassini space probe, raising the total to 33\moons for the ringed planet, NASA said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Buckeyes have lots to replace but are brimming with optimism There are remarkable similarities between the 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes and those that won the national championship just two years ago. $LABEL$1 +IBM adds midrange server to eServer lineup The new IBM Power5 eServer i5 550 also features higher performance and new virtualization capabilities that allow it to run multiple operating systems at once on separate partitions.$LABEL$3 +iPod Comparison Newsday #146;s Stephen Williams reports on seeing Sony #146;s NW-HD1 audio player in a store: #147; #145;How #146;s it compare to the iPod? #146; I asked a salesman. #145;Battery life is a lot longer, up to 30 hours, #146; he said. #145;The LCD readout is kind of dim, #146; I said. #146;Battery life is a lot longer, #146; he said. #145;I understand it can #146;t play MP3 files, #146; I said. #145;Battery life is a lot longer, #146; he said. #148; Aug 17$LABEL$3 +Mills Grabs \$1B Portfolio; Taubman Likely to Lose Contracts Mills Corp. agreed to purchase a 50 percent interest in nine malls owned by General Motors Asset Management Corp. for just over \$1 billion, creating a new joint venture between the groups. The deal will extend ...$LABEL$2 +Women stumble to silver ATHENS -- The mistakes were so minor. Carly Patterson #39;s foot scraping the lower of the uneven bars. Courtney Kupets #39; tumbling pass that ended here instead of there. Mohini Bhardwaj #39;s slight stumble on the beam. $LABEL$1 +Oil prices bubble to record high The price of oil has continued its sharp rise overnight, closing at a record high. The main contract in New York, light sweet crude for delivery next month, has closed at a record \$US46.75 a barrel - up 70 cents on yesterday #39;s close. $LABEL$0 +Notable quotes Tuesday at the Athens Olympics quot;It hurt like hell. I could see (Thorpe) coming up. But when I was breathing, I saw my team going crazy -- and that really kept me going. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +AMD Ships Notebook Chips It wasn #39;t the first to go small, and it won #39;t be the biggest producer, but AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) 64-bit 90-nanometer (nm) chips are expected to make waves in the semiconductor pool. $LABEL$3 +UK charges 8 in terror plot linked to alert in US LONDON, AUGUST 17: Britain charged eight terror suspects on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit murder and said one had plans that could be used in striking US buildings that were the focus of security scares this month. $LABEL$0 +IBM Seeks To Have SCO Claims Dismissed (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IBM (NYSE: IBM) has -- again -- sought to have the pending legal claims by The SCO Group dismissed. According to a motion it filed in a U.S. district court, IBM argues that SCO has no evidence to support its claims that it appropriated confidential source code from Unix System V and placed it in Linux.$LABEL$3 +SUVs: Live And Let Die NEW YORK - The newly released traffic crash fatality data have something for everyone in the debate about the safety of sport utility vehicles. $LABEL$2 +Security scare as intruder dives in A CANADIAN husband #39;s love for his wife has led to a tightening of security at all Olympic venues in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Team USA barely wins, but struggles not all players #39; fault Now that everybody in and around USA Basketball has breathed a huge sigh of relief, let #39;s not get carried away. $LABEL$1 +UPI NewsTrack Sports -- The United States men #39;s basketball team capped off a big day for the USA by fighting off Greece for a vital win, 77-71. quot;They played with heart, quot; said Coach Larry Brown. quot;That #39;s all you can ask. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Peace delegation leaves Najaf empty-handed as fighting continues BAGHDAD, Iraq - A national political conference #39;s bid to end the fighting in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf appeared to have failed Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Georgian president calls for international conference on South Ossetia TBILISI, Georgia Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appealed to world leaders Tuesday to convene an international conference on the conflict in breakaway South Ossetia, where daily exchanges of gunfire threaten to spark ...$LABEL$0 +Shelling, shooting resumes in breakaway Georgian region (AFP) AFP - Georgian and South Ossetian forces overnight accused each other of trying to storm the other side's positions in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, as four Georgian soldiers were reported to be wounded.$LABEL$0 +Youkilis, McCarty placed on 15-day disabled list BOSTON -- It was another busy day on the medical front for the Red Sox, as a series of roster moves were announced prior to Tuesday night #39;s game against the Blue Jays. $LABEL$1 +Kerry-Kerrey Confusion Trips Up Campaign (AP) AP - John Kerry, Bob Kerrey. It's easy to get confused.$LABEL$0 +Former Florida Swimming Coach Dies at 83 (AP) AP - William H. Harlan, the retired University of Florida swimming coach who led the Gators to eight conference titles, died Tuesday, school officials said. He was 83.$LABEL$1 +US Men Have Right Touch in Relay Duel Against Australia THENS, Aug. 17 - So Michael Phelps is not going to match the seven gold medals won by Mark Spitz. And it is too early to tell if he will match Aleksandr Dityatin, the Soviet gymnast who won eight total medals in 1980. But those were not the ...$LABEL$1 +Schrder adopts Russian orphan Three-year-old Victoria, from St Petersburg, has been living at the Schrders #39; family home in Hanover in northern Germany for several weeks. $LABEL$0 +Cabrera Leads Red Sox Past Blue Jays 5-4 (AP) AP - Orlando Cabrera hit a run-scoring double off the Green Monster in the ninth inning on reliever Justin Speier's second pitch of the game, giving the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +United Arab Emirates trap shooter secures nation #39;s first Olympic gold Sheik Ahmed bin Hashr Al-Maktoum earned the first-ever Olympic medal for the United Arab Emirates when he took home the gold medal in men #39;s double trap shooting on Tuesday in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Sharon orders 1,000 homes in West Bank Israel announced plans for 1,000 houses in the West Bank yesterday, accelerating the expansion of the settlements. $LABEL$0 +So. Cal Player Investigated in Sex Assault (AP) AP - At least one member of the top-ranked Southern California football team is under investigation for sexual assault, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Bush Promotes His Plan for Missile Defense System President Bush, in Pennsylvania, said that opponents of a missile defense system were putting the nation's security at risk.$LABEL$0 +China Sighs in Relief as Yao Scores High BEIJING (Reuters) - China breathed a measured sigh of relief after the skills of its basketball giant Yao Ming dwarfed New Zealand to sweep his team nearer to their goal of reaching the Athens Olympics semi-finals. $LABEL$1 +Israelis OK new homes in West Bank A leaked Israeli plan to build 1,000 new Jewish settler homes in the West Bank yesterday sent Bush administration officials scrambling for a response in the sensitive period before November #39;s presidential election. $LABEL$0 +Britain accuses 8 of terror plot LONDON - British police charged eight terrorist suspects yesterday with conspiring to commit murder and use radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives to cause quot;fear or injury. quot; ...$LABEL$0 +Israel kills 5 in strike at Hamas activist Islamic group #39;s armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. Doctors said he suffered leg wounds. $LABEL$0 +Zambrano Out Early; So Are Mets ENVER, Aug. 17 - Victor Zambrano came to the Mets with radical movement on his pitches, fixable flaws in his delivery and a curious sore spot lingering around his right elbow. $LABEL$1 +Dollar Stuck, CPI Offers Little Direction TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar moved in tight ranges on Wednesday as most investors shrugged off lower-than-expected U.S. inflation data and stuck to the view the U.S. Federal Reserve would continue raising rates.$LABEL$2 +St. Louis Cardinals News Right-hander Matt Morris threw seven solid innings, but the Cardinals needed a bases-loaded walk to second baseman Tony Womack and a grand slam from new right fielder Larry Walker to key a six-run eighth inning for a ...$LABEL$1 +Greek sprinters arrive at IOC hearing ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have arrived at an Athens hotel for an International Olympic Committee (IOC) hearing into their missed doped tests, a saga that has shamed and angered the Olympic host ...$LABEL$1 +Flop in the ninth inning sinks Jays BOSTON -- The Toronto Blue Jays have had worse hitting games this season against lesser pitchers than Pedro Martinez. $LABEL$1 +Fresh Fighting Shatters Short-Lived Ceasefire Deal Renewed clashes in South Ossetia, which resulted in death of two Georgian soldiers, erupted late on August 17, several hours after the South Ossetian and Georgian officials agreed on ceasefire. As a result Tbilisi has already announced that it will not ...$LABEL$0 +Hamm hopes to get on a roll Paul Hamm takes another shot at history tonight, when he'll try to become the first American to win the Olympic men's all-around in gymnastics.$LABEL$1 +Karzai Promises Afghans Security for Election (Reuters) Reuters - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai\promised Afghans greater security when they go to vote in the\country's first ever democratic election during an independence\day speech on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Google Lowers Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering isn't as popular as expected, the company lowered its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from the earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share...$LABEL$0 +Future Doctors, Crossing Borders Students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine learn that diet and culture shape health in East Harlem.$LABEL$0 +Oil Sets New Record \$47 on Iraq Threat LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high of \$47 a barrel on Wednesday after a new threat by rebel militia against Iraqi oil facilities and as the United States said inflation had stayed in check despite rising energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Greek sprinters quit to end Games scandal ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s two top athletes have pulled out of the Athens Olympics and apologised to the Greek people for a scandal over missed dope tests that has tarnished the Games #39; return to their birthplace. $LABEL$1 +Phelps Eyes Fourth Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - A weary Michael Phelps targeted his fourth Olympic gold medal in Athens, turning his attention on Wednesday to the 200 meters individual medley and settling for the second-fastest overall time in the heats.$LABEL$1 +Israel Kills 5 in Attempt to Assassinate Hamas Man GAZA (Reuters) - A senior Hamas leader survived an Israeli assassination attempt in the Gaza Strip Wednesday but at least five other Palestinians were killed in the explosion that tore through his home.$LABEL$0 +Giants win 6th straight, but Schmidt is injured SAN FRANCISCO -- With the first doubleheader at SBC Park set to go off, today already stood to be a long workday for the Giants. It will come on the heels of an even longer night. $LABEL$1 +SEC may put end to quid pro quo (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to vote Wednesday to prohibit mutual fund companies from funneling stock trades to brokerage firms that agree to promote their funds to investors.$LABEL$2 +Real targets iPod with download price cut RealNetworks has kicked off what it claims is the biggest online music sale in history. For a limited time, every song in the firm #39;s RealPlayer Music Store can be downloaded for 49 cents, with most albums available for \$4.99. $LABEL$3 +Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as ""prisoners of war"" for more than five months, saying they wanted to rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government.$LABEL$0 +British Terror Suspects Make First Court Appearance LONDON (Reuters) - British terror suspects charged in a plot linked to security alerts at financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington made their first court appearance Wednesday inside a high security prison.$LABEL$0 +UPDATE: China Mobile 1H Net Up 7.8 On Subscriber Growth HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd. (CHL), the listed unit of China #39;s biggest cellular phone operator, posted Wednesday a 7.8 rise in first-half net profit on a 23 increase in its subscriber base. $LABEL$2 +Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry NEW YORK (Reuters) - Monsanto Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MON.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MON.N</A> on Wednesday said the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in its Roundup herbicide.$LABEL$2 +Cox Communications forms committee to advise on buyout Cox Communications Inc. #39;s board of directors has formed a special committee of independent directors to consider Cox Enterprises Inc. #39;s proposal to take the company private in a \$8 billion stock buyout. $LABEL$2 +Afghan women make brief Olympic debut Afghan women made a short-lived debut in the Olympic Games on Wednesday as 18-year-old judo wildcard Friba Razayee was defeated after 45 seconds of her first match in the under-70kg middleweight. $LABEL$1 +North Korea peace efforts in peril THE international effort to end the North Korean nuclear crisis appears at risk of unravelling, despite Foreign Minister Alexander Downer #39;s high-profile mission to the secretive Stalinist state. $LABEL$0 +10 features for a perfect browser There are some great browsers out there. But they all seem to have some slight niggles, different for each, that make it hard for me to kick back and enjoy them. While there are some projects out there to make browsers more useful for some specialised purposes or by bolting on handy extensions, wouldn't it be great if these people could come up with a standardised set of nice features like these? A lot of browsers may support one or two, but I'll bet none have them all. $LABEL$3 +Cops Test Handheld Fingerprint Reader Several Minnesota police departments are field testing a handheld device that scans a suspect's fingerprint and digitally checks it against Minnesota's criminal history and fingerprint database.$LABEL$3 +Ross Stores Profit Plummets 40 Percent (AP) AP - Discount retailer Ross Stores Inc. Wednesday said its profit fell about 40 percent in the latest quarter due to problems with a new computer system that limited the company's ability to respond to changes in customer demand.$LABEL$2 +Small computers can have multiple personalities, too BOSTON The jury is still out on whether a computer can ever truly be intelligent, but there is no question that it can have multiple personalities. It #39;s just a matter of software. We usually think of the processor chip as the brains of a computer. The ...$LABEL$3 +Rebel threat on the roads leaves Katmandu isolated KATMANDU, Nepal The Nepali capital was largely cut off from the rest of the country on Wednesday after Maoist rebels threatened to attack any vehicles traveling on main roads, in a virtual blockade of Katmandu to press their demands for the release of ...$LABEL$0 +Immigrants settled in big cities, but less likely to find work: StatsCan (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Most of the nearly two million immigrants who arrived in Canada during the 1990s settled in one of the country's 27 census metropolitan areas, but still found it harder to find work than natural-born citizens, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Sun postpones September user show Sun Microsystems Inc. has decided to postpone its September SunNetwork 2004 San Francisco user conference, and is contemplating merging the event with its JavaOne 2005 developer conference, scheduled for the end of June 2005.$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Emotional Zijlaard-van Moorsel defends time trial title ATHENS : Dutch cycling great Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel emotionally defended her Olympic time trial gold medal here. $LABEL$1 +Oracle launches Business Integlligence 10g Oracle introduced a new BI platform yesterday, Business Intelligence 10g that rolls up into one solution all of their BI tools. However, more interesting than the nitty-gritty details of what is included is the back story taking place at the same time.$LABEL$3 +Dutch cyclist defends Olympic gold AMSTERDAM Cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel won the first gold medal for the Netherlands at the Athens Olympic Games on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Kroger's Profit Up; Price Cuts Weigh NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kroger Co., the top U.S. grocer, on Tuesday posted a 29 percent rise in quarterly profit due to cost controls, but price cuts to lure shoppers caused earnings to miss Wall Street estimates and shares fell.$LABEL$2 +Expanding West Major League Soccer's two expansion teams, Real Salt Lake and Club Deportivo Chivas USA, will join the Western Conference for the 2005 season.$LABEL$1 +Pacers Activate Foster From Injured List (AP) AP - The Indiana Pacers activated center Jeff Foster from the injured list Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft finalises three-year government deal Hot on the heels of its 10-year strategic partnership with the London Borough of Newham, Microsoft is close to signing a new broad three-year public sector agreement with the government. $LABEL$3 +Airlines Agree to Cut Flights at Chicago O'Hare CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to 88 arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to cut congestion that has slowed the whole U.S. aviation system, federal officials said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Russia ready to contribute to settlement of South Ossetia conflict: Putin MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is ready to contribute to a settlement of conflict between Georgia and its separatist province of South Ossetia. $LABEL$0 +NASA confident of debris solution Six months before NASA plans to return the shuttle to space, officials think they #39;ve essentially solved the problem that doomed Columbia in 2003 -- debris coming off its fuel $LABEL$3 +Burundi Police Forcibly Disperse Tutsi Protest Police in Burundi #39;s capital, Bujumbura, used tear gas to break up a demonstration Wednesday held to protest the massacre of Congolese Tutsi refugees. $LABEL$0 +Veterans Committee counts for little The Hall of Fame released the latest Veterans Committee ballot yesterday. As you might (or might not) remember, there #39;s a (nearly) new committee in town.$LABEL$1 +Drive maker files counterclaims in patent suit Cornice blasts Seagate's suit over patents for tiny hard drives used in portable gadgets.$LABEL$3 +HP moves network scanning software into beta CHICAGO - Hewlett-Packard(HP) has moved its Active Counter Measures network security software into beta tests with a select group of European and North American customers in hopes of readying the product for a 2005 release, an HP executive said at the HP World conference here in Chicago Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Martin announces major overhaul of key staff in Prime Minister's Office (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Paul Martin announced a major overhaul of his senior staff Wednesday, with several close confidants and one ex-cabinet minister handed major roles in the Prime Minister's Office in a post-election shakeup.$LABEL$0 +Kerry assails Bush troop withdrawal plan (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful Senator John Kerry warned that President George W. Bush's plan to withdraw 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia would hinder the war on terrorism and embolden North Korea.$LABEL$0 +Iraq cleric 'to end Najaf revolt' Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr reportedly agrees to end an uprising in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Medtronic Quarterly Earnings Rise CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MDT.N</A> on Wednesday said its quarterly earnings rose amid brisk demand for devices that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat the spine.$LABEL$2 +Airlines Agree to Cuts at O'Hare Federal officials today announced plans to temporarily cut 37 flights operating at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to help reduce the delay problems that ripple across the country.$LABEL$2 +Stock Prices Climb Ahead of Google IPO NEW YORK - Investors shrugged off rising crude futures Wednesday to capture well-priced shares, sending the Nasdaq composite index up 1.6 percent ahead of Google Inc.'s much-anticipated initial public offering of stock. In afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 67.10, or 0.7 percent, to 10,039.93...$LABEL$0 +Today in Athens Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands wipes a tear after winning the gold medal in the women #39;s road cycling individual time trial at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre in Athens on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Medtronic Quarterly Net Up CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MDT.N</A> on Wednesday said its quarterly earnings rose on brisk demand for devices that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat the spine.$LABEL$2 +Greek sprinters quit Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s top two sprinters have quit the Olympic Games after submitting their country to six days of embarrassment in a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers. $LABEL$1 +Strong Family Equals Strong Education Single mothers, poverty were big factors in school performance HealthDayNews -- American teenagers who live with poor single mothers are more likely to get into trouble at school and have poor marks and are less likely to think they'll go to college, says a Rice University study. Holly Heard, an assistant professor of sociology, analyzed data from thousands of teens who took part in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health...$LABEL$3 +NetRatings survey shows broadband users now a majority in US AUGUST 18, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - A majority of US home Internet users now have broadband, according to a survey by NetRatings Inc. $LABEL$3 +Stunt pilots to save sun dust IT PROMISES to be a scene worthy of a science fiction spectacular. A space probe carrying primordial material scooped from outer space starts to plunge towards our planet. But before it can strike, a helicopter flown by a Hollywood stunt ...$LABEL$3 +U.S. Forces Kill 50 Sadr Militia in Baghdad Suburb BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces killed more than 50 Shi'ite militiamen on Wednesday in a significant advance into a Baghdad suburb that is a powerbase for radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the military said.$LABEL$0 +Owners Seek Best Ballpark Deal for Expos (AP) AP - Trying to get the best possible ballpark deal for the Montreal Expos, major league baseball instructed its lawyers to press ahead with negotiations involving four of the areas bidding for the team.$LABEL$1 +Crowd Inspires Greek Beach Volleyballers; U.S. Duo Ousted ATHENS (Reuters) - A roaring crowd helped inspire Greece's top women's beach volleyball team to trounce China on Wednesday and reach the next round.$LABEL$1 +Boro Captain Warns of Duo #39;s Threat Gareth Southgate has warned Barclays Premiership defences to be wary of Middlesbroughs back-to-form strikers Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.$LABEL$1 +Intuit Posts Wider Loss After Charge (Reuters) Reuters - Intuit Inc. (INTU.O), maker of\the No. 1 U.S. tax presentation software TurboTax, on Wednesday\posted a wider quarterly loss after taking a goodwill\impairment charge during its seasonally weaker fourth quarter.$LABEL$3 +Hamilton Wins Cycling Time Trial Event THENS, Aug. 18 Tyler Hamilton had bruises splotched all over his back, painful souvenirs of a Tour de France gone terribly wrong. $LABEL$1 +Alaska Wildfires Grow to Record 5 Million Acres (Reuters) Reuters - Wildfires have scorched over\5 million acres in Alaska as of Tuesday, forestry officials\said, a new record that signals possible changes in climate\conditions and the composition of the vast forests.$LABEL$3 +Britain #39;s Olympic medal total takes sudden turn for the better Great Britain #39;s performances in the Olympic Games made a dramatic and unexpected improvement yesterday as they won a silver and three bronze medals. They were also guaranteed at least a silver medal in badminton #39;s mixed doubles. $LABEL$1 +Putin faults Georgia on #39;90s tactics in 2 regions TBILISI, Georgia The separatist conflicts in Georgia resulted from the quot;foolish quot; move by Georgia to strip South Ossetia and Abkhazia of their autonomous status during the Soviet collapse, President Vladimir Putin of Russia was quoted as saying on ...$LABEL$0 +Avalanche Sign Damphousse to One-Year Deal (AP) AP - The Colorado Avalanche prepared for the potential loss of several key front-line players, signing former San Jose Sharks captain Vincent Damphousse to a one-year, #36;2 million contract Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Government gives partial clearance to Bangla tour The Government today gave a partial go-ahead for the Indian cricket team #39;s tour of Bangladesh for the first Test match beginning on Thursday but its security delegation will go to Chittagong, the other venue, to make an assessment of the threat perception $LABEL$1 +Viduka Brace Helps Boro To Win After a spell without scoring, Mark Viduka grabbed two goals as Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 3-2. Boro went ahead when Viduka took Stewart Downings pass, brought it sweetly under control and chipped it over onrushing City keeper David James.$LABEL$1 +Hurricane center #39;s projection on Charley not far off, data show FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - (KRT) - Despite criticism that it should have better anticipated Hurricane Charley #39;s rapid intensification and quick turn, the National Hurricane Center #39;s forecast wasn #39;t that far off, a preliminary post-mortem shows. $LABEL$3 +UPDATE 1-J amp;J in talks to buy Guidant - sources Health care and consumer products maker Johnson amp; Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is in negotiations to acquire medical-device maker Guidant Corp.$LABEL$2 +AMP shrugs off British debacle Australian insurer AMP returned to the black in the first half of the year with net profits of A\$378m (150m) after a disastrous foray into Britain pushed it A\$2.16 billion into the red last year. $LABEL$2 +Lloyds TSB cashes in on VoIP Lloyds TSB is gearing up to roll out one of the largest converged networks in Europe, a 500m 70,000 phone VoIP infrastructure linking all the bank #39;s branches and cash points.$LABEL$3 +British athletics appoint psychologist for 2008 Olympics British athletics chiefs have appointed sports psychologist David Collins as Performance Director to produce medal winners at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Olympic Daily Preview - Thursday, August 19 Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Wednesday night it was Paul Hamm #39;s turn to shine for the United States, as he won the gold medal in the men #39;s all-around competition. Will Thursday produce a sweep for the US at the Olympics? ...$LABEL$1 +Arafat urges reforms to rectify his #39;mistakes #39; YASSER Arafat, the Palestinian president, made a rare acknowledgement of mistakes under his rule yesterday and urged reforms to end corruption. $LABEL$0 +Selling Houston Warts and All, Especially Warts Descriptions of urban afflictions and images of giant mosquitoes and cockroaches to convey a sense of how Houston is nevertheless beloved by many residents.$LABEL$2 +Brazil beats Haiti in goodwill soccer game The boys from Brazil beat Haiti #39;s national soccer team Wednesday in a friendly goodwill game 6-0. The game was the brainchild of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was on hand in the Haitian capital for the historical match. $LABEL$1 +Credit Suisse to merge CSFB unit into parent Credit Suisse Group announced plans to merge its Credit Suisse First Boston Securities unit with the rest of the company #39;s operations and cut as many as 300 jobs.$LABEL$2 +Holiday-Shopping Season Remains Sluggish (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. shoppers have kept a tight grip\on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday\showing sluggish sales in the second week of the season.$LABEL$2 +UN to begin second airlift of Vietnamese Montagnards (AFP) AFP - The second major airlift of Vietnamese Montagnards who fled to Cambodia's remote jungles after April anti-government protests will begin at the weekend.$LABEL$0 +Tennis: Roddick and Williams ousted ATHENS Shell-shocked Americans Andy Roddick and Venus Williams joined already-beaten men #39;s top seed Roger Federer in the favourites #39;exodus from the Olympic tennis tournament on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Insurer lowers hurricane estimate Hurricane Charley, the worst storm to hit the US in over a decade, will cost insurers just \$7.4bn, one insurance expert estimates.$LABEL$2 +Nepal Seeks Talks to End Rebel Blockade of Capital KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The fear of attack kept most vehicles off roads leading to Nepal's capital for a second day on Thursday as authorities sought talks to end a siege called by Maoist insurgents.$LABEL$0 +Braves 6, Padres 5 Andruw Jones hit a two-run homer off Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves threw out the potential tying run at the plate for the final out Wednesday night, preserving a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the San Diego Padres. $LABEL$1 +Scandal won #39;t go away ATHENS -- It was telling yesterday that the majority of the dozens of journalists who asked questions and attended a news conference into a Greek doping scandal were mostly Canadian. Question after question came from Canadians. We were all there, I think, ...$LABEL$1 +Hundreds laid off at Fleet offices Bank of America Corp. yesterday laid off hundreds of workers at Fleet bank branches across the Northeast as the North Carolina bank began to implement its brand of ...$LABEL$2 +NetApp CEO: No Storage Spending Shortfall (TechWeb) TechWeb - Customers are decoupling storage from server purchases, which explains why EMC and NetApp earnings were up and why Sun and HP were flat or down, Warmenhoven says.$LABEL$3 +Justices to debate mail-order wine Being freelance wine critics may sound like a sweet gig, but Ray and Eleanor Heald have soured on it. Because their home state, Michigan, blocks direct shipments from out-of-state $LABEL$2 +Stanford's Cubit Hired As W. Mich. Coach (AP) AP - Stanford offensive coordinator Bill Cubit was hired Tuesday as head coach at Western Michigan.$LABEL$1 +Oil prices surge to a new high WASHINGTON -- The price of oil charged to a new high above \$47 a barrel yesterday amid nagging concerns about instability in Iraq, the uncertain fate of Russian petroleum giant Yukos, and the world's limited supply cushion.$LABEL$2 +A shot in the arm for all OLYMPIA, Greece -- A brilliant idea, taking the shot put back to the birthplace of the Olympic Games, proving, if nothing else, that everything old really can become new again. $LABEL$1 +Bomb found near Berlusconi #39;s villa Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi (left) goes for a walk with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair at Berlusconi #39;s villa, Monday. AP ...$LABEL$0 +After Wait, Google Set for Market Debut NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. will make their Nasdaq stock market debut on Thursday after the year's most anticipated initial public offering priced far below initial estimates, raising \$1.67 billion.$LABEL$2 +Bill Clinton Helps Launch Search Engine Former president Bill Clinton on Monday helped launch a new Internet search company backed by the Chinese government which says its technology uses artificial intelligence to produce better results than Google Inc.$LABEL$3 +Harris #39; three-run double in ninth sinks Gagne LOS ANGELES - Paul Lo Duca never got to moonwalk to home plate, though he did skip gleefully to the dugout moments after facing former batterymate Eric Gagne for the first time. $LABEL$1 +Ali gives Iraq fighting chance The back of his shirt told the story last night at the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall.$LABEL$1 +Survey: Napster, iTunes beat other download brands (MacCentral) MacCentral - Market research company Ipsos-Insight on Tuesday announced the results of TEMPO, a quarterly survey of digital music behaviors. According to the report, consumers aged 12 and older in the United States were as likely to be aware of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and Napster 2.0 when it came to recognizing digital music download brands -- each music service registered 20 percent of what TEMPO refers to as ""top-of-mind"" awareness.$LABEL$3 +Qantas says record profit not big enough Australia #39;s flagship carrier Qantas Airways has reported a record annual net profit but warned oil prices threatened its performance, increasing the chance of a hike in ticket price surcharges to offset its fuel bill. $LABEL$2 +State, drug chains reach agreement The state of Maine, Rite Aid Corp., and Community Pharmacy LP have agreed to a consent decree placing conditions on the sale of five Community Pharmacy stores to Rite Aid.$LABEL$2 +Most US homes have broadband connections While the total number of home internet users has reached a plateau in the US, those who do use the internet are adopting broadband at a rapid pace, according to Marc Ryan, senior director of analysis at the audience measurement company. $LABEL$3 +Bluetooth flying bot creates buzz The latest tiny flying robot that could help in search and rescue or surveillance has been unveiled in Japan.$LABEL$3 +Caterpillar snaps up another remanufacturer of engines PEORIA - Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday it will acquire a South Carolina remanufacturer of engines and automatic transmissions, increasing its US employment base by 500 people. $LABEL$3 +Kidnappers threaten to kill western journalist The kidnappers of an American-French journalist in Iraq have threatened to execute him within 48 hours unless US forces withdraw from the holy city of Najaf. $LABEL$0 +Qantas wants better tax treatment MARK COLVIN: Qantas might have posted yet another record profit, but the national carrier #39;s boss, Geoff Dixon, claims earnings are being hampered by unfair subsidies for international carriers allowed to fly in and out of Australia. $LABEL$2 +SA 'mercenaries' plead not guilty Sixty-six men accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea deny breaching Zimbabwe's security laws.$LABEL$0 +Olympics: Hansen still strong enough to take bronze Every ounce of his energy was expended, leaving an empty fuel tank. But, even in a depleted state, Brendan Hansen found a way to bolster his ever-growing swimming legacy. $LABEL$1 +Oil Hits New High Over \$48 as Iraq Violence Flares LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record above \$48 a barrel on Thursday, spurred higher by renewed violence in Iraq and fresh evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not been slowed yet by higher energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Economic Indicators Declined in July A closely watched measure of future economic activity fell in July for the second consecutive month, reinforcing evidence that the nation's financial recovery is slackening.$LABEL$2 +Explorers Find Ancient City in Remote Peru Jungle (Reuters) Reuters - An ancient walled city complex\inhabited some 1,300 years ago by a culture later conquered by\the Incas has been discovered deep in Peru's Amazon jungle,\explorers said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Colgate to Cut 4,400 Jobs, Shut Plants NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CL.N</A> will cut about 4,400 jobs, or 12 percent of its work force, and close nearly a third of its factories under a restructuring, the consumer products company said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Drugstore Offers New Wave of Disposable Cameras NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. on Thursday said it would offer the world's first disposable digital camera with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to instantly preview pictures.$LABEL$3 +Ciena Posts a Loss, Forecasts Flat Sales <p></p><p> By Deborah Cohen</p><p> CHICAGO (Reuters) - Telecommunications equipment makerCiena Corp. <CIEN.O> on Thursday reported a wider loss for thefiscal third quarter due to slack demand and forecast sales inthe current quarter would be little changed from the thirdquarter.</p>$LABEL$3 +U.S. Broadband Penetration Tops 51 By ANICK JESDANUN NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections. July measurements from Nielsen/NetRatings placed the broadband audience at 51 percent of the U.S...$LABEL$3 +American Aaron Peirsol Wins Gold on Appeal ATHENS (Reuters) - Aaron Peirsol won his second gold medal at the Athens Olympics Thursday after winning an appeal against his disqualification from the men's 200 meter backstroke.$LABEL$1 +Abu Ghraib report 'spreads blame' A report on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal will blame at least two dozen more people, say US officials.$LABEL$0 +Ecuadorean Lawsuit Vs Texaco Boils Down to Science (Reuters) Reuters - After a decade\of court battles, lawyers on Wednesday took a lawsuit by\Ecuadorean Indians accusing U.S. oil firm ChevronTexaco Corp..\of polluting the Amazon jungle into the field.$LABEL$3 +Priceline, Ramada to Make Sites More Accessible to Blind In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.$LABEL$3 +Atlantis ""Evidence"" Found in Spain, Ireland In 360 B.C. the Greek philosopher Plato described an island he called Atlantis. Now contradicting new evidence claims the fabled city-state was based on a real place.$LABEL$3 +Groups Eager to Meet With Bush, Kerry (AP) AP - Organizations representing the nation's 3 million scientists, engineers and doctors have invited both presidential candidates to have a word with them #151; online.$LABEL$3 +Carly Patterson Wins the Women's All-Round ATHENS (Reuters) - Carly Patterson upstaged Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina to become the first American in 20 years to seize the women's Olympic gymnastics all-round gold medal on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Court: File-swapping software not liable for copyright violations The makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works swapped online by their users, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a stinging blow to the entertainment industry. $LABEL$3 +Olympics: Olympic weightlifting reels as six more lifters fail drug tests ATHENS : Weightlifting was reeling from the latest crisis to hit the perennially drug-tainted sport here as six more athletes were kicked out of the Olympics for failing dope tests. $LABEL$1 +Colts' Carthon Hopes to Follow Dad in NFL (AP) AP - Ran Carthon tried to avoid playing football after seeing the pain it inflicted on his father, Maurice. Bloodlines, his friends and reality forced a changed of heart.$LABEL$1 +LPGA's Nabisco to Change Dates in 2006 (AP) AP - The Kraft Nabisco Championship will be played one week later than usual starting in 2006, preventing the LPGA Tour's first major from getting lost among other big sporting events.$LABEL$1 +Georgian Troops Leave South Ossetia The soldiers withdrew from the heights above the Ossetian of capital of Tskhinvali Thursday, turning the area over to peacekeepers. Georgia says three of its soldiers were killed in earlier fighting, while Ossetian authorities say three civilians died ...$LABEL$0 +Ohio Sues Best Buy, Alleging Used Sales (AP) AP - Ohio authorities sued Best Buy Co. Inc. on Thursday, alleging the electronics retailer engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices.$LABEL$2 +Cisco Flaw Leaves Router Vulnerable to Attack Cisco Systems issued a security advisory warning that some networks using its routers may be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks. Devices running Internetwork Operating System and enabled for the open shortest path first (OSPF) ...$LABEL$3 +Sprint is chock full of potential heros It would be nice to see this week #39;s 100-meter sprint as simply the best footrace of all time. We could witness four sub-10-second sprints for the first time ever. It would be nice to watch with raised eyebrows instead of furrowed ones. It ...$LABEL$1 +Scientists Study the Hudson River (AP) AP - Scientists are plunking a series of high-tech sensors into the Hudson River in an effort to unravel mysteries of the murky waterway.$LABEL$3 +Study to Examine Effects of Ship Waste (AP) AP - A team of scientists is traveling a 600-mile stretch of the Inside Passage this month to study the effects of cruise ship waste and other contaminants in Southeast Alaska waters.$LABEL$3 +Cink Leads NEC Invitational by One Shot (AP) AP - Free from the burden of trying to make the Ryder Cup team, Stewart Cink looked at ease Thursday on a marathon day at the NEC Invitational that ended with his name atop the leaderboard.$LABEL$1 +Briefly: China interest in key Yukos unit China is interested in participating in the bidding for Yuganskneftegaz, the top oil-producing subsidiary of the Russian oil giant Yukos, a Chinese economic official was quoted as saying in a report Thursday by the Russian news agency Interfax. The ...$LABEL$2 +Apple recalls 28,000 batteries APPLE has issued a safety recall for 28,000 batteries for its Powerbook notebooks, saying they posed a potential fire hazard. $LABEL$3 +Best Buy a Bad Deal? Attorney General Jim Petro is suing Best Buy, alleging the electronics retailer has engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices. $LABEL$2 +Liu brings China 4th gold in weightlifting at Athens Games ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Hercules Liu Chunhong Thursday lifted three world records on her way to winning the women #39;s 69kg gold medal at the Athens Olympics, the fourth of the power sport competition for China. $LABEL$1 +Battling Davenport through Lindsay Davenport continued her dominant recent run and reached the last eight of the Cincinnati Open with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over Lilia Osterloh. $LABEL$1 +Genesis Spacecraft Prepares to Return to Earth with a Piece of the Sun In a dramatic ending that marks a beginning in scientific research, NASA's Genesis spacecraft is set to swing by Earth and jettison a sample return capsule filled with particles of the Sun that may ultimately tell us more about the genesis of our solar system.$LABEL$3 +Badminton pair want more Nathan Robertson says there is no reason why he and badminton partner Gail Emms should not win the next Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Darfur warring parties to meet in Nigeria for peace talks (AFP) AFP - Sudan's government and its foes in the Darfur region's rebel movements will meet on Monday for peace talks which mark a last chance for African diplomacy to solve the crisis before the United Nations steps in.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Oil Exports Still Halved After Basra HQ Attack BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq continued to export oil at one million barrels per day on Friday after an attack on the South Oil Company headquarters took sabotage operations to a new level, an official at the state-owned entity said.$LABEL$0 +US unemployment claims slip but picture still murky NEW YORKFewer Americans lined up to claim first-time jobless benefits last week but analysts said the modest decline said very little about the current state of the labour market. $LABEL$2 +Vt. sues over importing drugs Vermont's Republican governor challenged the Bush administration's prescription drug policy in federal court yesterday, marking the first time a state has chosen a legal avenue in the expanding battle over Canadian imports.$LABEL$2 +For starters, Giants #39; Manning on mark Manning had a decent debut as a starter, but Delhomme overshadowed the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by throwing for a touchdown and running for another in the Carolina Panthers #39; 27-20 exhibition victory last night over ...$LABEL$1 +Clemens deal is waived off CHICAGO -- The Red Sox were ready to welcome Roger Clemens back to Boston. His uniform number (21) was available. Pedro Martinez , who has expressed the utmost respect for Clemens, almost certainly would have made some room for the Rocket near the locker Clemens long used and Martinez now occupies. Curt Schilling would have been thrilled to pitch with ...$LABEL$1 +Life without numbers in a unique Amazon tribe 11=2. Mathematics doesn #39;t get any more basic than this, but even 11 would stump the brightest minds among the Piraha tribe of the Amazon. $LABEL$3 +P2P Services in the Clear In a major setback for the music and movie industries, a federal appeals court upholds a lower court's decision in the infamous Grokster case, ruling peer-to-peer services Morpheus and Grokster are not liable for the copyright infringement of their users. By Katie Dean.$LABEL$3 +Swap Your PC, or Your President The producer of ads featuring PC users who switched to Macs is applying the same tactic to political commercials. This time, he'll focus on former backers of President Bush, recruited online, who've changed their political allegiance. By Louise Witt.$LABEL$3 +Agassi cruises into Washington Open ATP quarter-finals WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Andre Agassi cruised into quarter-finals in Washington Open tennis with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kristian Pless of Denmark here on Thursday night. $LABEL$1 +Producer sues for Rings profits Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz sues the producers of The Lord of the Rings for \$20m in royalties.$LABEL$0 +30,000 More Sudanese Threaten to Cross to Chad -UN (Reuters) Reuters - Some 30,000 Sudanese, victims of fresh\attacks by Arab militia inside Darfur, have threatened to cross\into Chad, the U.N. refugee agency warned on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Google scores first-day bump of 18 (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Even a big first-day jump in shares of Google (GOOG) couldn't quiet debate over whether the Internet search engine's contentious auction was a hit or a flop.$LABEL$3 +Carly Patterson Wins Gymnastics All-Around Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Carly Patterson upstaged Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina to become the first American in 20 years to win the women's Olympic gymnastics all-round gold medal on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +ChevronTexaco hit with \$40.3M ruling Montana jury orders oil firm to pay up over gas pipeline leak from 1955; company plans to appeal. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Montana jury ordered ChevronTexaco Corp., the number two US oil company, to pay \$40.3 million for environmental damage from a gasoline ...$LABEL$2 +3 US boxers punched out of Games Athens -- Vanes Martirosyan became the second American to bow out of the Olympic boxing tournament Thursday when he was defeated 20-11 by Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba in their welterweight bout at 152 pounds. $LABEL$1 +Before-the Bell; Rouse Co. Shares Jump <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=RSE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">RSE.N</A> jumped before the bell after General Growth Properties Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GGP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GGP.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. shopping mall owner, on Friday said it would buy Rouse for \$7.2 billion.$LABEL$2 +Services make big gains in Japan Tertiary index comes in at almost double expectations, drives up yen and helps Nikkei overcome oil. LONDON (Reuters) - The yen hit a four-week high against the dollar Friday as stronger-than-expected Japanese service sector data raised optimism about the ...$LABEL$2 +Google shares bounce up 18 in trading debut In the stock #39;s first day of trading, investors bought, sold and flipped shares at a furious pace, with the price ending just above \$100 - 18 percent higher than where it started. It was, in other words, everything the company #39;s founders, Sergy Brin and ...$LABEL$2 +Stocks Lower as Oil Prices Steam Higher With the much-ballyhooed initial public offering of Google behind them and oil chugging to a new record high, investors took a step back today.$LABEL$2 +Don #39;t expect Tiger to relinquish his top ranking without a fight They #39;re calling Ohio a quot;battleground state, quot; one of the two or three places likely to decide November #39;s presidential election. On local TV, the Bush and Kerry ads air so frequently that it #39;s easy to forget it #39;s Bob Costas who actually runs the country. $LABEL$1 +Understanding Google AdWords Understanding Google AdWords\\Unlike many search engines Google, to its credit, clearly denotes search listings that are paid placement. In fact, Google AdWords appear in a separate section down the left side of the screen.\\Google AdWords provide an inexpensive advertising venue for businesses to advertise products or services to a targeted ...$LABEL$3 +Service packs, senators and civil liberties <strong>Letters:</strong> The bulging postbag gives up its secrets$LABEL$3 +Saints Revoke Waiver Claim on Derek Ross (AP) AP - One day after placing a waiver claim on troubled cornerback Derek Ross, the Saints did an about-face and released the former Ohio State standout after he missed a scheduled flight to New Orleans on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Hooker Furniture Puts Investors First Closing a factory is never popular, but it's the right thing to do.$LABEL$2 +Clicking on Profits The latest data from the US Department of Commerce further bolsters what we have all suspected: E-commerce sales are increasing. Not only might one suspect that consumer confidence has been bolstered since last year, there ...$LABEL$2 +French Take Gold, Bronze in Single Kayak ATHENS, Greece - Winning on whitewater runs in the family for Frenchman Benoit Peschier, though an Olympic gold is something new. Peschier paddled his one-man kayak aggressively but penalty free in both his semifinal and final runs on the manmade Olympic ...$LABEL$1 +Dogs in Training to Sniff Out Cancer Experts have trained unwanted dogs into supersniffers that can detect drugs or bombs. Now they're focusing on a new threat #151;prostate cancer.$LABEL$3 +Antidepressants to Reflect Suicide Risk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to update antidepressant labels to reflect studies that suggest a link between the drugs and suicide in youths, but remains cautious about the strength of such ties, according to documents released on Friday.$LABEL$2 +UAL and Its Creditors Agree to 30-Day Extension UAL's United Airlines will have a 30-day extention on the period in which it can file an exclusive bankruptcy reorganization plan.$LABEL$2 +Mood Mixed Among Darfur Rebels Ahead of Talks CORCHA CAMP, Sudan (Reuters) - A Sudanese rebel commander in a camp in Darfur tells his troops he is hoping for peace. But just a few hours march away, young men say they are convinced Sudan wants to drive them off the land. $LABEL$0 +Crude Price Spike May Send Gas Higher (AP) AP - Amid soaring crude oil prices, gasoline costs have been dropping. But don't expect that to last, economists say.$LABEL$0 +Amazon Snaps Up China's Largest Web Retailer (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) has said it will buy Joyo.com Limited -- a British Virgin Islands company that operates the largest Internet retail Web site in China -- for US #36;75 million.$LABEL$2 +Swimming: Phelps Wins Gold, Pulls Out of Relay ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, who has won five gold medals in the Olympic pool, said Friday he was pulling out of Saturday's 4x100 meter medley relay final to give team mate Ian Crocker the chance to swim.$LABEL$1 +Court Won't Halt Arch Coal's Triton Bid (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday\that Arch Coal Inc. (ACI.N) may proceed with its bid to buy the\assets of rival Triton Coal Co. LLC, denying an emergency\request by the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal, a\spokesman for the agency said.$LABEL$2 +Treasury Prices Take a Breather Today NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices paused for breath on Tuesday after a blistering two-session rally ran out of steam, though analysts still saw room to the upside given the large short-base in the market.$LABEL$2 +Sadr Militiamen Still in Control of Iraq Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Rebel Shi'ite fighters appeared still to be in control of the Imam Ali mosque in the Iraqi city Najaf early on Saturday, but the whereabouts of their leader, the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were unknown.$LABEL$0 +Liverpool completes signings of Alonso, Garcia LIVERPOOL, England (AP) -- Spanish pair Xabi Alonso from Real Sociedad and Luis Garcia from Barcelona signed five-year contracts with Liverpool on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Report: Consumers tuning in to plasma TVs First-quarter shipments of plasma televisions in the United States more than doubled from the previous year, according to research firm iSuppli. Prices fell by nearly \$1,000 over the same period. $LABEL$3 +Seven seize ATHENS -- He was behind at the start. He was behind at the turn. He was behind for 99.99 of the 100 meters. His head was behind Ian Crocker's head at the finish. And yet somehow last night, Michael Phelps won again -- for the fourth and final time in an individual race at these Olympics.$LABEL$1 +One in four servers to run Linux by 2008 In a report, the research firm painted a bright future for the open source operating system, claiming that shipments of servers running Linux -- and revenues from those shipments -- will rise significantly over the next five years.$LABEL$3 +Republican Convention Light on Stars (AP) AP - The Republicans will have one sure Hollywood star for their convention #151; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger #151; along with performers to keep the country music fans happy. But they'll be hard-pressed to match the Democratic convention's appeal to young voters led by Ben Affleck.$LABEL$0 +Italian PM #39;s transplant confirmed After days of speculation sparked by the white bandanna worn by Mr Berlusconi on holiday in Sardinia, Piero Rosati said the results of the operation would show in a couple of months.$LABEL$0 +Apple Recalls Flaming 15-inch PowerBook G4 Battery The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. Apple received four reports of these batteries overheating. No injuries have been reported.$LABEL$3 +Samsung plans to invest Won25,000bn in chips Samsung Electronics, the world #39;s second largest computer chip manufacturer, yesterday said that it would invest Won25,000bn (\$24bn) in its semiconductor business by 2010 to generate $LABEL$2 +Rosetta Mission Sniffing a Comet The European Rosetta mission will sample a comet as it tries to harpoon and hook onto its surface. A specially designed oven will cook the comet in analogy to sniffing for recognizable elements.$LABEL$3 +More gold for Britain as Wiggins strikes Bradley Wiggins has given Britain their second Olympic cycling gold medal in two days, winning the men #39;s 4-km individual pursuit.$LABEL$1 +Soldiers Kill Palestinian Near Gaza-Israel Fence Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian as he approached a security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israeli military sources said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Militia, Shiite Leaders Bicker Over Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders. The clashes between U.S...$LABEL$0 +Strongwoman hoists 100th gold for Chinese delegation Tang Gonghong lifted a world record to claim in Athens the 100th Olympic gold for China since its participation in 1984 Olympic Games on Saturday when $LABEL$1 +West Mulls Boundries for African Fighting (AP) AP - As the month-end deadline nears for Sudan to disarm the mostly Arab pro-government militias in Darfur, the United Nations and Western powers are in a dilemma over how far to go to stop the killing in an African country.$LABEL$0 +Chavez victory confirmed Caracas, Venezuela - The results of an audit support the official vote count showing that President Hugo Chavez won this month #39;s recall referendum in Venezuela, the head of the Organization of American States said Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Wall St.'s Nest Egg - the Housing Sector NEW YORK (Reuters) - If there were any doubts that we're still living in the era of the stay-at-home economy, the rows of empty seats at the Athens Olympics should help erase them.$LABEL$2 +Lithuanians deliver NBA stars another Olympic basketball dunking (AFP) AFP - Lithuania defeated the United States 94-90 in an Olympic men's basketball preliminary round game, only the fourth loss in 115 Olympic starts for the defending champions.$LABEL$1 +Source: Dolphins, Bears on Verge of Deal (AP) AP - The Chicago Bears agreed Saturday to trade receiver Marty Booker to the Miami Dolphins for unsigned Adewale Ogunleye #151; if the Bears can reach a contract agreement with the Pro Bowl defensive end, a source close to the negotiations said.$LABEL$1 +Video Game Makers Go Hollywood. Uh-Oh. OVIE producers are often criticized for running at the sight of original ideas, preferring instead to milk plays, books, news events, toys and even video games for their screenplays.$LABEL$3 +Cricket-Lara mulls over future after England whitewash LONDON (AFP) - Brian Lara said he will take stock before deciding on his future as West Indies captain following his side #39;s 10-wicket defeat to England in the fourth and final Test.$LABEL$1 +Pakistani troops raid two terrorist hideouts PAKISTANI troops backed by artillery and aircraft attacked two suspected terrorist hideouts near the rugged Afghan border yesterday, killing and wounding a number of militants, Pakistan army and security officials said.$LABEL$0 +Fleisher Surges Clear Bruce Fleisher carded a seven-under-par 65 to take a three-shot lead after the second round of the Greater Hickory Classic in North Carolina.$LABEL$1 +Glory Comes Amid Empty Seats and Closed Shutters HERE in Old Europe, people install shutters outside their windows to keep out the heat, the pollution, the daylight, the noise. They also lock the shutters tight when they go away on holiday.$LABEL$1 +Amazon to Buy Chinese Retailer Joyo.com Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. said on Thursday that it will buy Joyo.com Ltd., which runs some of China #39;s biggest retail Web sites, for about \$75 million to gain entry into China #39;s fast-growing market.$LABEL$3 +Salesforce.com 2Q Profit Up Sharply Software developer Salesforce.com Inc. posted a sharp rise in second-quarter profit on better-than-expected revenue during its first quarter as a public company, but investors shunned the stock in late trading $LABEL$3 +Jerkens makes right call with Society Selection Trainer Allen Jerkens hemmed and hawed this past week over running Society Selection in Saturday #39;s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga.$LABEL$1 +Unknown Nesterenko Makes World Headlines (Reuters) Reuters - Belarus' Yuliya Nesterenko won the top\women's athletics gold medal at the Olympics on Saturday,\triumphing over a field stripped of many big names because of\doping woes to win the 100 meters.$LABEL$0 +Ready to Bet on Alternative Energy? Well, Think Again When oil prices rise, public interest in alternative energy often does, too. But the logic is evidently escaping Wall Street.$LABEL$2 +Athletics 5, Devil Rays 0 Barry Zito scattered four hits over eight shutout innings, leading the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-0 on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Fatah hopes Barghouti would take back candidacy Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian movement, hopes that its former West Bank leader Marwan Barghouti would take back his candidacy for the Jan. 9 presidential election.$LABEL$0 +Blasts hit Bangladesh party rally A series of grenade blasts has rocked an opposition party rally in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, killing at least 13 people. There were seven or eight explosions at the Awami League headquarters, as leader Sheikh Hasina addressed a crowd.$LABEL$0 +Belarus #39; Nesterenko fastest in women #39;s 100m first round Belarus #39; Yuliya Nesterenko became the fastest woman to qualify for the women #39;s 100 meters second round at the Olympic Games here on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Around the world The bombing of a UN election office in Afghanistan that injured six policemen drew calls from a UN union Friday for a withdrawal of staffers from the embattled nation.$LABEL$0 +Greek weightlifter awaits verdict Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis will find out on Sunday if he is to be stripped of his medal.$LABEL$0 +Work done, Phelps basks in gold glor And on the eighth day, Michael Phelps actually got to rest. After swimming some 18 races in Olympic competition, Phelps was a mere spectator last night, watching his teammates cap a terrific week for the US swim team.$LABEL$1 +China confronts lack of pipelines China will spend about \$3.4 billion over two to three years laying thousands of miles of oil pipelines to help secure its energy supply in the face of soaring prices and demand.$LABEL$2 +Lane drives in winning run in ninth Jason Lane took an unusual post-game batting practice with hitting coach Gary Gaetti after a disappointing performance Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Games hammered with controversy The International Gymnastics Federation suspended three judges yesterday for a mistake they made in scoring the men #39;s all-around final, but said results would not be changed and Paul Hamm of the United States would keep his gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Admirers look to 2008 But as far as swim greats Rowdy Gaines and John Naber are concerned, what Phelps did in Athens exceeded what Spitz did in Munich in 1972.$LABEL$1 +Arson attack on Jewish centre in Paris (AFP) AFP - A Jewish social centre in central Paris was destroyed by fire overnight in an anti-Semitic arson attack, city authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Colgate to cut workforce CONSUMER goods maker Colgate-Palmolive said today it would cut about 12 per cent of its 37,000-person work force and close a third of its factories worldwide as part of a four-year restructuring.$LABEL$2 +A Founding Father? Give the guy some credit. Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong #39;s embattled Chief Executive, gets precious little of it from his people these daysand heaps of $LABEL$0 +Three People Killed at Afghan Checkpoint KABUL (Reuters) - A man and two women were shot dead by Afghan and U.S.-led troops after their vehicle ran through a checkpoint on Saturday, a U.S. military statement said.$LABEL$0 +PRESS START FOR NOSTALGIA Like Led Zeppelin #39;s #39; #39;Stairway to Heaven #39; #39; and Lynyrd Skynyrd #39;s #39; #39;Freebird, #39; #39; classic video games like Frogger and Pong can bring back an entire era.$LABEL$3 +Emmons loses gold medal after aiming at wrong target American shooter Matt Emmons fired at the wrong target on his final shot Sunday, blowing a commanding lead in the Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event and allowing Jia Zhanbo of China to take the gold.$LABEL$1 +Oil prices look set to dominate The price of oil looks set to grab headlines as analysts forecast that its record-breaking run may well continue.$LABEL$2 +Putin Visits Chechnya Ahead of Election (AP) AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unannounced visit to Chechnya on Sunday, laying flowers at the grave of the war-ravaged region's assassinated president a week before elections for a new leader.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Softball Team Wins, Closes in on Gold ATHENS, Greece - Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team - they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold medal game...$LABEL$0 +More Newcastle United Stories Legendary Real Madrid defender Goyo Benito believes the arrival of Jonathan Woodgate at the Santiago Bernabeu will help bring an avalanche of titles to Real Madrid.$LABEL$1 +Munch masterpiece 'The Scream' stolen from Oslo museum (AFP) AFP - A version of Edvard Munch's masterpiece ""The Scream"" and another famous painting by the great Norwegian artist were stolen from an Oslo museum by armed and hooded robbers, police said.$LABEL$0 +Men Set for Sizzling Duel in 100 Meters ATHENS, Greece - The preliminaries in the 100 meters were perhaps just a sample of what's to come Sunday, when a talented group of qualifiers - including Americans Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and defending champion Maurice Greene - will try to turn their competition into the fastest show at the Athens Games. Five men broke 10 seconds in qualifying Saturday, led by Crawford's time of 9.89...$LABEL$0 +Ulmer storms to gold New Zealand #39;s Sarah Ulmer stormed to gold in the women #39;s individual pursuit in a new world record time. Ulmer, fourth in Sydney four years ago, beat Australia #39;s Katie Mactier in a time of three minutes 24.$LABEL$1 +Goal-happy Ajax and Feyenoord maintain perfect starts Champions Ajax Amsterdam came from behind to thrash NAC Breda 6-2 on Sunday while Feyenoord hit four past Willem II Tilburg to regain the early lead in the Dutch first division.$LABEL$1 +Agency reports climate change major problem Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europes environmental agency warned Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Cycling: Ulmer #39;s scorching times in secret rides New Zealand #39;s star cyclist, Sarah Ulmer, last week rode under world record time twice in an hour during a secret training session in France.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal matches record of 42 league games without a loss on Sunday Arsenal rallied for three second-half goals in 11 minutes on Sunday to beat Middlesbrough 5-3, matching a 25-year-old record of 42 league games without a loss in the top-flight of English soccer.$LABEL$1 +Will High Oil Prices Lead to Recession? (AP) AP - High oil prices, which have been a factor in virtually all U.S. recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year. And the higher crude oil prices climb, the more risk energy costs pose to what, until recently, many expected to be a banner year for the U.S. economy.$LABEL$2 +Labor: Anti-Peres meetings scheduled for Sunday Labor members have scheduled two #39;rebel #39; anti-Peres conferences for Sunday, one to be headed by MK Matan Vilnai and the second by MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Gymnasts Win 3 Medals; Hamm Angry (AP) AP - Terin Humphrey and Annia Hatch got silver. Courtney Kupets got bronze. And Paul Hamm got mad. The United States upped its gymnastics medal haul to seven Sunday night, the most since the Americans won 16 at the boycotted Los Angeles Games in 1984. And they might not be finished yet.$LABEL$1 +Noguchi Wins Marathon BULLETIN<br>BC-OLY--Women's Marathon RUN,0058<br>BULLETIN<br> ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Mizuki Noguchi of Japan won the marathon Sunday in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 20 seconds.$LABEL$1 +More Evidence for Past Water on Mars Summary - (Aug 22, 2004) NASA #39;s Spirit rover has dug up plenty of evidence on slopes of quot;Columbia Hills quot; that water once covered the area.$LABEL$3 +Gatlin Sprints from Unknown to Olympic Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - American Justin Gatlin roared from virtual unknown to win the blue ribband Olympic men's 100 meters race on Sunday, upstaging more illustrious rivals in a pulsating final.$LABEL$1 +Indexes in Japan fall short of hype Japanese stocks have failed to measure up to an assessment made in April by Merrill Lynch #39;s chief global strategist, David Bowers, who said Japan was quot;very much everyone #39;s favorite equity market.$LABEL$2 +GAME DAY RECAP Sunday, August 22 Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer, Moises Alou also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 11-6 on Sunday in the testy conclusion of a three-game series between the NL Central rivals.$LABEL$1 +SI.com HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Kerry Wood got plenty of run support but didn #39;t stick around long enough to take advantage of it. Wood was ejected in the fifth inning for hitting Jeff Kent as the Cubs posted an 11-6 victory over the Astros.$LABEL$1 +Exhausted Massu Outlasts Fish for Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - An exhausted Nicolas Massu reeled in Mardy Fish in five tortuous sets on Sunday to win Chile their second gold medal at an Olympic Games less than 24 hours after helping them to their first.$LABEL$1 +Three people killed at Afghan checkpoint A man and two women were shot dead by Afghan and US-led troops after their vehicle ran through a checkpoint on Saturday, a US military statement said.$LABEL$0 +Karzai set for visit to Pakistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to visit Pakistan to discuss fighting terror and boosting trade.$LABEL$0 +Senate Republican Unveils Plan for Intelligence The plan would give the proposed national director responsibility for intelligence-gathering of the C.I.A. and the Pentagon.$LABEL$0 +Davenport wins in Cincinnati American Lindsay Davenport captured her fourth consecutive title, beating second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the \$US170,000 WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Afghan-Coalition Soldiers Kill 3, Wound 2 at Checkpoint Coalition forces in Afghanistan say that three people were killed and two others critically wounded when their pickup truck tried to run a checkpoint in the province of Ghazni.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Plane Attacks Najaf Rebels as Tanks Near Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked Shi'ite militia positions in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf early on Monday after tanks reinforced the siege of a shrine at the center of a nearly three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +Soldiers face Abu Ghraib hearings Four US soldiers charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners are set to face pre-trial hearings in Germany.$LABEL$0 +Colin Jackson: Hard lessons learnt in the human laboratory Yesterday #39;s Olympics treated us to the two extremes of athletics, the endurance race which tests the body to its limits, and the heavyweight showdown, the sprint, which is in the mind.$LABEL$1 +Cink surfaces as Donald sinks Stewart Cink, who needed only to play around par to convert a five-stroke lead after 54 holes into a win, did just that in the NEC Invitational at Firestone yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Wiretapping on the Net: Who pays? NEW YORK At first glance, it might seem like the simple extension of a standard tool in the fight against the bad guys. But in fact, wiretapping Internet phones to monitor criminals and terrorists is costly $LABEL$3 +Red Sox Rally to Beat White Sox 6-5 (AP) AP - Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz homered on consecutive pitches to start the eighth inning Sunday night and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 for their sixth straight win.$LABEL$1 +Nortel Downsizes Again Aug. 23, 2004 (TheDeal.com) Problem-plagued Nortel Networks Corp. announced plans Thursday, Aug. 19, to eliminate an additional 3,500 jobs and fire seven more senior executives as the company labors to reinvent $LABEL$2 +Prototype copter-cam: Here, there, everywhere It can only remain aloft for three minutes but weighs less than an empty soft drink can -- and it can take and transmit pictures in flight.$LABEL$3 +Cink Justifies Sutton #39;s Faith Three weeks away from the Ryder Cup, American Stewart Cink hopes he has silenced at least some of his critics - if indeed they exist.$LABEL$1 +Plane crashes into Venezuelan mountain killing 25 : A military plane crashed into a mountain in Central Venezuela, killing 25 people, including five children, the Air Force rescue team said in a statement.$LABEL$0 +Africa brings Sudanese parties to the table as UN sanctions loom (AFP) AFP - The African Union will bring Sudan's warring government and rebel armies into talks with regional power-brokers aimed at heading off a mounting humanitarian crisis in the province of Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Taiwan votes on leaner parliament A vote is due to be held in Taiwan on plans to halve the number of seats in the island's famously heated legislature.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei briefly regains 11,000 level TOKYO - Japan #39;s benchmark Nikkei stock index briefly recovered to the 11,000 level Monday morning on widespread buying prompted by advances in US shares last Friday.$LABEL$2 +HK walks out of 68-month deflation cycle, official Hong Kong Financial Secretary Henry Tang said he believed Hong Kong has walked out of the consumer price deflation cycle that lingered for 68 months, according to the consumer price index trend in the past few years.$LABEL$2 +Oil prices In terms of dollar value, of all the products in the world, nothing is traded more than oil. Crude oil traded above 47 dollars a barrel for the first time this week.$LABEL$2 +Chavez rejects CD as opposition Venezuela #39;s President Hugo Chavez has announced that he will no longer recognize the Democratic Coordination or CD as the opposition coalition.$LABEL$2 +ROUNDUP: Franchitti overcomes pit mishap for IRL win FOUNTAIN, Colo. -- Dario Franchitti shook off a potentially dangerous pit mishap to win the IRL #39;s Honda 225 Sunday at Pikes Peak International Raceway.$LABEL$1 +Productivity Growth Slowest in 2 Years (AP) AP - The productivity of America's workers grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the slowest pace in nearly two years, the government reported Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Roundup: Pleasantly Perfect takes Pacific Classic Favored Pleasantly Perfect took charge down the stretch to win by a length in the 14th running of the \$1 million Pacific Classic yesterday at Del Mar. Pleasantly $LABEL$1 +War crimes hearings to begin for 4 at Guantanamo US NAVAL BASE GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- Four suspected Al Qaeda fighters will be formally charged with war crimes this week as the US military opens the first legal hearings for foreign prisoners captured during the war in Afghanistan and held at a remote US Navy base in Cuba.$LABEL$0 +Maoists attack Nepal district HQ More than 1,000 Maoists launched a violent assault on a district headquarters in Nepal #39;s northwestern mountains, officials said Sunday, as angry traders rallied on the streets of Kathmandu to protest a crippling rebel blockade of the capital, now also hit $LABEL$0 +Downer dismisses #39;sexed up #39; Iraq warning claims SYDNEY : Foreign Minister Alexander Downer dismissed newspaper claims the Australian government was repeatedly warned its support for the Iraq war would impede the fight against terrorism.$LABEL$0 +Hamm should support Yang Paul Hamm needs a new marketing strategy. Either that, or he needs a clue. One harmless gesture separates him from lionization in America and canonization in South Korea, and $LABEL$1 +US women avoid disaster, advance ATHENS -- Preliminary-round elimination would have been a disaster for the United States women. Desperate for a victory, the Americans avoided embarrassment by finally playing like a gold medal contender -- and like a team.$LABEL$1 +Australia Airline Announces Fuel Surcharge Australian budget airline Virgin Blue announced Monday it will increase the fuel surcharge it adds to ticket prices from Aug. 26 because of soaring oil prices.$LABEL$2 +ARM agrees to buy Artisan Components for \$903 mn LONDON, August 23 (New Ratings) - ARM Holdings (ARM.ETR) has agreed to buy Artisan Components Inc (ARTI), a US-based provider of integrated circuit designing solutions, for about \$913 million (503.$LABEL$2 +North Korea Says the Tyrant is Bush, not Kim North Korea says it sees no reason to join a working-level meeting with the United States to prepare for further six-party talks on the communist state #39;s nuclear weapons development.$LABEL$0 +Terreblanche challenges SA arrest White supremacist Eugene Terreblanche is detained after allegedly breaking the terms of his parole.$LABEL$0 +Radcliffe withdrawal not due to injury World record holder Paula Radcliffe #39;s tearful withdrawal from the women #39;s Olympic marathon yesterday was not due to injury, the British team says.$LABEL$1 +Dollar Bounces; Eye on Data, Greenspan LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar bounced off recent four-week lows against the euro and yen on Monday in thin August trade with investors focusing on U.S. data and a speech by the Federal Reserve chief later in the week.$LABEL$2 +Stopping spam at the source New antispam technology standards are on the way that promise to hit spammers where it hurts the most--their wallets. At issue is the ability to authenticate the original source of e-mail messages, a major $LABEL$3 +New Fat-Busting Microwave Oven Unveiled TOKYO (Reuters) - Eyeing up that juicy steak but worried about your waistline? Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=6753.T qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">6753.T</A> says it has developed a new fat-busting microwave oven that can melt some of your worries away.$LABEL$3 +Israel OKs More West Bank Settlement Homes JERUSALEM Aug. 23, 2004 - Israel announced plans Monday to build hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank, following an apparent US policy shift on settlements that the Palestinians warned quot;will destroy the peace process.$LABEL$0 +Kmart to Sell 18 Stores to Home Depot NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailer Kmart Holdings Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KMRT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KMRT.O</A> on Monday said it finalized a deal to sell 18 of its stores to Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> for \$271 million.$LABEL$2 +Rules for Overtime Pay To Take Effect Monday Employers and workers are confused by eligibility and classification of the new regulations.$LABEL$2 +Students crazy about iPod follow the music to Apple laptops (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Apple's trendy iPod digital music player, which has revitalized the company, is giving laptop sales a boost during back-to-school season.$LABEL$3 +Stunt pilots to snag a falling NASA craft NASA #39;s three-year effort to bring some genuine star dust back to Earth is set for a dramatic finale Sept. 8 when Hollywood helicopter pilots will attempt a midair retrieval $LABEL$3 +Trial of Accused US Vigilantes Resumes KABUL, Afghanistan Aug. 23, 2004 - A defense lawyer for one of three Americans accused of torturing a dozen Afghan prisoners in a private jail showed a video in court Monday of Afghanistan #39;s former education $LABEL$0 +Sports: Graham says he sent the syringe ATHENS, Greece Track coach Trevor Graham admits he was the person who triggered the BALCO investigation. Graham says he #39;s the one who anonymously sent a syringe of THG to the US Anti-Doping Agency.$LABEL$1 +Seattle Mariners Minor League Report - August 23rd TACOMA RAINIERS - The Rainiers just missed a perfect week when they suffered their only setback on Sunday August 22nd, a 13-6 loss to the Portland Beavers.$LABEL$1 +Southwest Airlines to Cut 88 Flights (Reuters) Reuters - Southwest Airlines Inc. (LUV.N), the\largest U.S. discount carrier, on Monday said it will eliminate\88 scheduled flights in order to boost revenue by freeing up\planes for more lucrative markets.$LABEL$2 +Seattle Times business columnist admits plagiarism, resigns A business columnist has resigned from the Seattle Times after admitting he plagiarized the work of other journalists, said the newspaper.$LABEL$2 +Does Nick Carr matter? Strategybusiness concludes that a controversial new book on the strategic value of information technology is flawed--but correct.\$LABEL$3 +Students Pay More for Beer Than Books British students spend about \$1.8 billion on drink every year, nearly three times as much as they cough up for books, a survey released on Monday showed.$LABEL$2 +Leeds students figure high on working curve Undergraduates in the city earn more than 90 a week on average, just behind Glasgow, Cambridge and Cardiff. Their hard-earned cash is likely to be spent on looking good and socialising, the $LABEL$2 +Windows Upgrade Causing Campus Headaches Microsoft Corp. #39;s decision to release a major upgrade for its flagship operating system in the same month that hundreds of thousands of students are reporting to college campuses across the $LABEL$3 +Intel cuts Pentium 4 prices The newest P4 chips drop in price by 18 percent to 35 percent; a host of other chips are cheaper now as well.$LABEL$3 +Northrop Grumman Gets \$408 Million Pact Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. on Monday said it received a 10-year, \$408 million Army contract to provide simulated battle command training support to Army corps commanders - the latest award in $LABEL$2 +Record biz hammers #39;ostrich #39; downloaders The music industry in the US is making great strides in its campaign against people it says have illegally downloaded music, with courts awarding huge settlements in many cases.$LABEL$3 +Sign-Up Reopened for House Race in La. (AP) AP - A state judge ruled Monday that the sign-up period should be reopened for the Nov. 2 election in Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Rodney Alexander infuriated Democrats by switching to the Republican Party minutes before the qualifying deadline.$LABEL$0 +Oil price down as Iraq fears ease The price of oil has fallen as fears about interruptions to supplies being pumped out of Iraq eased slightly.$LABEL$2 +Israel Accelerates Settlement Drive As Sharon Pushes On With Gaza <b>...</b> The Israeli government was accelerating its settlement program Monday with plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank, bolstered by a US softening of opposition to new construction projects.$LABEL$0 +Obesity Solution: Nuke It Eying that juicy steak but worried about your waistline? Sharp says it has developed a new fat-busting microwave oven that can melt some of your worries away.$LABEL$3 +E-commerce still booming Online retail sales continue to show significant growth, according to the latest figures released by the US Department of Commerce.$LABEL$3 +Lycos offers people and discussion search Terra Lycos SA introduced two search tools on its Lycos U.S. Internet site on Monday as part of a recently announced strategy to focus on services that allow users to connect with others.$LABEL$3 +Oil Eases as Iraq Resumes Exports <p>\</p><p> By Andrew Mitchell</p><p> LONDON (Reuters) - High-flying oil prices eased for a\second session on Monday as Iraq resumed exports from both its\northern and southern outlets after lengthy disruption, despite\fierce fighting in the holy city of Najaf.</p>$LABEL$2 +Botswana miners 'face dismissal' Botswana's giant Debswana diamond mining firm says it will sack workers who carry on with an illegal stoppage.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Men's Hoops Team Finally Gets a Rout ATHENS, Greece - The Americans got a taste of what it was like in the good ol' days. They finally played an opponent they were able to beat easily, routing Angola 89-53 Monday in their final preliminary game of the Olympic men's basketball tournament...$LABEL$0 +Congo Ex-Rebel Group Pulls Out of Government (Reuters) Reuters - The former main rebel group during\Congo's civil war pulled out of a power-sharing transitional\government on Monday, dealing a major blow to the country's\already fragile peace process.$LABEL$0 +Blue Chips Unchanged, Wal-Mart Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were near the unchanged mark on Monday as a disappointing sales forecast from retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WMT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">WMT.N</A> dampened sentiment, offsetting the benefit of easing oil prices.$LABEL$2 +Wiretaps may mute Nextel rivals Fed up with technical excuses, FBI wants carriers to support eavesdropping capabilities for push-to-talk technology now.$LABEL$3 +Partnership Connects Wi-Fi Users In The Sky Wi-Fi is going sky-high thanks to a deal forged between enterprise Internet service provider iPass and Connexion by Boeing. Under the deal, iPass #39;s 528,000-plus Wi-Fi enterprise customers will $LABEL$3 +Wariner Succeeds Johnson as 400 Meter Champion ATHENS (Reuters) - American 400 meters champion Jeremy Wariner succeeded Michael Johnson as the Olympic gold medallist Monday with a personal best of 44.00 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Observers insist: no proof of fraud in Venezuelan referendum. Independent observers confirmed that the random auditing of results from the recall referendum (Sunday August 15) against Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez show there are no indications of fraud as claimed by the opposition.$LABEL$2 +EDS Is Charter Member of Siebel BPO Alliance (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Siebel Systems (Nasdaq: SEBL) has named EDS as the charter partner in Siebels' new business process outsourcing (BPO) global strategic-alliance program. The agreement expands the relationship between EDS and Siebel to provide a set of high-value managed products and service offerings targeted at the BPO and customer relationship management (CRM) marketplaces.$LABEL$3 +Chicago OKs Cubs to Play at Wrigley Field (AP) AP - The city gave the Chicago Cubs the go-ahead to play ball at Wrigley Field on Monday night after the stadium passed another round of inspections of repair work done on its crumbling upper deck.$LABEL$1 +Philippine President Says Country Faces Fiscal Crisis Philippine president Gloria Arroyo warned that her country is in the midst of a fiscal crisis. A report by economists at the University of the Philippines said the country faces economic collapse $LABEL$2 +US men #39;s basketball routs Angola Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Tim Duncan led a balanced American attack with 15 points and seven rebounds, as the United States men #39;s basketball team completed the preliminary round with a resounding 89-53 victory over winless Angola.$LABEL$1 +Patterson gets silver on balance beam Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - American Carly Patterson, the women #39;s all- around champion at the Summer Games, added another medal on Monday night with a silver in the balance beam competition.$LABEL$1 +New Russian-US Team to Leave for ISS in October MOSCOW (AFP) -- A new Russian-US team for the International Space Station (ISS) will take off from the Baikonur space station in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan in October, Russian space officials said. The three-person team, due to be approved on Thursday, will leave for the ISS on board a Russian Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft, Russia's Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos said on its website...$LABEL$3 +Gatlin sprints from unknown to 100m gold Reuters Athens Aug 23: American Justin Gatlin roared from virtual unknown to win the blue ribband Olympic mens 100 metres race yesterday, upstaging defending champion Maurice Greene and other more illustrious rivals.$LABEL$1 +Panama Recalls Ambassador From Cuba (AP) AP - Panama recalled its ambassador from Cuba on Monday after the Cuban government threatened to break off relations in a dispute over four anti-Fidel Castro exiles imprisoned in Panama.$LABEL$0 +Obesity Raises Risk for 9 Different Types of Cancer By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Heart disease and diabetes get all the attention, but expanding waistlines increase the risk for at least nine types of cancer, too. And with the obesity epidemic showing no signs of waning, specialists say they need to better understand how fat cells fuels cancer growth so they might fight back...$LABEL$3 +Credit Card Delinquencies at a 4-Year Low NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans paid their credit card bills on time at a record high level in June, sending credit card delinquencies to their lowest level in four years, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Deal has S2io champing at the gigabit OTTAWA -- A local firm that says it can help shrink backup times at large data centres is growing its business thanks to an alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft: Use Script to Block Windows XP SP2 Updates Microsoft has offered up yet another way for businesses to block the automatic update of Windows XP to the big-deal Service Pack 2 (SP2) upgrade.$LABEL$3 +Marathon meltdown THE winner smiled and then vomited. The roaring favourite collapsed and couldn #39;t finish. The Australian contemplated surrender, staggered on and didn #39;t regret it.$LABEL$1 +Panama-Cuba 'pardon' row worsens Panama recalls its Havana ambassador after Cuba threatened to cut ties if jailed anti-Castro activists are pardoned.$LABEL$0 +Cisco Buys IP Platform Maker Network equipment giant Cisco Systems (Quote, Chart) is buying IP platform specialist P-Cube for \$200 million in cash and stock. P-Cube #39;s technology helps telecom carriers, cable operators and ISPs manage $LABEL$3 +Arafat Meets With Gaza Critic A former Palestinian security minister who could be key to keeping order among rival factions in Gaza after an Israeli pullout held a fence-mending meeting Monday with President Yasser Arafat, officials said.$LABEL$0 +New Overtime Rules Take Effect New Bush administration rules that scale back overtime eligibility for white-collar workers took effect on Monday over protests that they would slash paychecks at a time of economic uncertainty.$LABEL$2 +Japanese joy and British tears IT WAS the night of the longest race and the shortest, a night of distress for Britain #39;s Paula Radcliffe and delight for America #39;s Justin Gatlin.$LABEL$1 +SAP Gets \$35 Million Post Office Pact SAP has landed a \$35 million deal to help the US Postal Service overhaul its human resources systems. According to sources close to the deal, the agreement includes a \$21 million consulting component, and $LABEL$3 +US beats Germany 2-1 in OT, to face Brazil in women #39;s soccer final Heather O #39;Reilly, minutes after missing a wide open net, scored in the ninth minute of overtime Monday to give the United States a 2-1 victory over World Cup champion Germany and a place in Thursday #39;s gold-medal game.$LABEL$1 +Intel drops prices on computer chips SAN FRANCISCO - Intel Corp. has cut prices on its computer chips by as much as 35 percent, though analysts on Monday said the cuts were probably unrelated to swelling inventories of the world #39;s largest chip maker.$LABEL$3 +Israel Announces West Bank Housing Plans (AP) AP - Israel announced plans Monday for 500 new housing units in the West Bank, after an apparent U.S. policy shift that has infuriated the Palestinians. The Palestinians oppose all Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, lands where they hope to establish an independent state.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Holds Gains, Fed Comments Help TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar held on to the previous day's gain on Tuesday, supported by a retreat in oil prices and upbeat comments on the U.S. economy from Federal Reserve officials.$LABEL$2 +SAP Awarded \$35 Million Postal Service Contract The postal service, which employs more than a third of the civilian employees of the federal government, chose SAP after a multi-year evaluation, it said.$LABEL$3 +Dark arts of spin evident in phoney war for Abbey THE phoney war over the fate of Abbey grinds on. Along the way, on all sides, it is producing its predictable crop of knowing winks and destabilising nudges.$LABEL$2 +Controversial US Overtime Rules Take Effect New overtime rules have taken effect in the United States that the government says will strengthen workers #39; rights, but opponents say will significantly reduce workers #39; pay.$LABEL$2 + #39;Marathon mouse #39; doubles stamina Scientists in the United States have genetically engineered mice which can run twice as far as normal before becoming exhausted. The researchers say their finding could lead to drugs or gene $LABEL$3 +SAS Braathens to cut Gatwick, Geneva flights blackhawk writes quot;SAS Braathens, the Norwegian unit of Scandinavian airline SAS, will cut Oslo routes to Geneva and London Gatwick in the first step of a plan to eliminate 10 routes.$LABEL$2 +CAO executives hand over passports Executives at the collapsed China Aviation Oil Singapore have voluntarily handed over their passports to Singapore #39;s police, a spokesman said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Dickens Departs Tony Dickens resigns as head coach at Northwestern six months after leading the Wildcats to the Maryland 4A boys basketball title.$LABEL$1 +Dollar Keeps Gains as Market Awaits Data TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar idled on Tuesday after gaining the previous day, as many investors held off building positions ahead of economic data from the United States.$LABEL$2 +Audit finds no fraud in Venezuelan recall vote CARACAS : An audit of last Sunday #39;s recall vote in Venezuela, which favored keeping President Hugo Chavez in office, found no evidence of fraud, as the opposition had charged, electoral officials said.$LABEL$2 +Chargers, Rivers Agree to Deal The San Diego Chargers finally reached a contract agreement last night with quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers, the fourth overall choice in April #39;s draft, agreed to a six-year deal worth about \$40 million, including $LABEL$1 +Chiefs #39; offense too much for Rams in 24-7 victory The NFL #39;s highest-scoring offense is averaging two touchdowns every three possessions during the preseason. If Kansas City #39;s woeful defense can get its act together, too, the Chiefs could be in for big things.$LABEL$1 +Marathoning mice could have Olympian effects on obesity A molecular switch known to regulate fat metabolism appears to prevent obesity and turns laboratory mice into marathon runners, a Salk Institute study has found.$LABEL$3 +Dominant US captures gold with 79th straight win The US softball team completed its scorched-earth run through the Olympics on Monday with a 5-1 win over Australia, America #39;s third straight gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Johnson amp; Johnson bids for rival NEW YORK Johnson amp; Johnson is in advanced negotiations to acquire Guidant, one of the largest US makers of devices to treat heart and circulatory illnesses, according to executives close to the talks.$LABEL$2 +Yukos warns it oil output is lagging Beleaguered Russian energy giant Yukos has warned that it will not produce as much oil as expected this year. It blames bailiffs who are draining its bank accounts to pay its potentially ruinous tax bill.$LABEL$2 +Pressure points ATHENS -- The booing went on for nearly 10 minutes while Paul Hamm, chalked up and ready, waited beneath the horizontal bar last night. quot;Wow, quot; Hamm told his twin brother Morgan. quot;I've never seen this before. quot;$LABEL$1 +Unions protest as overtime rules take effect WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of workers rallied on the steps of the Labor Department yesterday to protest the implementation of new rules they say will cause as many as 6 million Americans to lose their overtime pay. But the Bush administration officials who crafted the complex regulations insisted more workers will actually qualify for extra pay under the plan, which almost ...$LABEL$2 +Serb denies siege terror charges A Bosnian Serb general accused of organising the siege of Sarajevo pleads not guilty to war crimes charges.$LABEL$0 +11th-hour highlights too late NBC's prime-time Olympic coverage is taped and shaped, the television version of a Reader's Digest condensed book. We get all the US highlights, the big news stories, and a well-edited drama building to the 11 p.m. hour. It's a formula that's been proven to hold an audience and pull ratings. The big downside: You have to stay up until midnight ...$LABEL$1 +No IE? No Can See One thing that #39;s always irritated those who don #39;t choose to use Internet Explorer is finding a website that requires IE. Such complaints seem to have grown all the more passionate now security concerns are driving more users to consider IE alternatives.$LABEL$3 +Iran shuts reformist websites WEBSITES CLOSE to Iran #39;s leading reformist party have been blocked by religious hardliners in the police bureau of public morals.$LABEL$3 +Zambrano right at home No one has been more dominating against National League hitters at home than Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. And Zambrano looked as if he would be at his finest Monday night at Wrigley Field.$LABEL$1 +Torre Calls a Meeting, and the Yanks Respond Joe Torre gathered the Yankees before Monday night #39;s game at Jacobs Field and imparted a simple message: put aside the struggles of the past week.$LABEL$1 +Kerry Dispute Revives Memory of Delta War (AP) AP - The controversy over the Vietnam war record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has trained a fresh light on one of that conflict's lesser-known episodes #151; the operations of America's ""Brown Water Navy"" in rivers, canals and mangrove swamps of the Mekong Delta.$LABEL$0 +Japan to Deport Ex-Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (Reuters) Reuters - Japan issued a deportation order on\Tuesday against former world chess champion Bobby Fischer, who\is wanted in the United States for defying sanctions on\Yugoslavia, an immigration official said.$LABEL$0 +N.Korea Hurls Abuse at Bush, Calls Him Human Trash SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea hurled invective at President Bush for a second day on Tuesday, calling him a political idiot and human trash, and said six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions appeared doomed.$LABEL$0 +Nairobi police disperse Maasai Police in Kenya disperse Maasai protesters in the capital who are seeking the return of leased colonial land.$LABEL$0 +Arctic team finds ship remains A team retracing the route of a group of Victorian Arctic explorers have found parts of their 172-year-old ship.$LABEL$3 +Toy store profits R back up TOY retailer Toys R Us has posted a second-quarter profit, over- turning the loss it made over the same period the year before. The New Jersey-based group, which is considering quitting the toys business, turned $LABEL$2 +Vonage Calls on Linksys for VoIP Linksys will provide broadband-to-phone adapters and, eventually, Wi-Fi equipment.$LABEL$3 +Vonage Calls on Linksys for VoIP (PC World) PC World - Linksys will provide broadband-to-phone adapters and, eventually, Wi-Fi equipment.$LABEL$3 +Mich. Elephant Gets Therapy for Arthritis ROYAL OAK, Mich. - Like any patient, Wanda needs positive reinforcement to wrestle through her physical therapy...$LABEL$0 +Intel slashes Itanium prices as Madison looms Intel has slashed prices across the board as it prepares to get behind new processor lines due this autumn. The Itanium server line has seen cuts of over 30 per cent, while prices for Intel #39;s fastest business $LABEL$3 +Straw: No British troops to Darfur British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said his country does not plan to deploy forces to Darfur in western Sudan but will provide technical assistance.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Guardsmen Ring Najaf Shrine US and Iraqi forces battled militants in Najaf on Tuesday and Iraqi National Guardsmen advanced to within 200 yards of the holy city #39;s Imam Ali Shrine compound, where insurgents loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holed up for weeks.$LABEL$0 +Gregg: I will help to close deal EVERTON chairman Bill Kenwright #39;s plans for a Russian revolution at Goodison Park may have thawed the cold war with director Paul Gregg.$LABEL$1 +Straw: Sudan Must Help Displaced People (AP) AP - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, touring a sprawling desert camp housing 40,000 displaced people from the troubled western Darfur region, urged the Sudanese government to do more to make it safe for the frightened refugees to return home.$LABEL$0 +Japanese Bank Makes Hostile Bid in Takeover Battle The biggest-ever takeover battle in Japan got even bigger today as Sumitomo Mitsui sought to disrupt a rival's expansion plans with a \$29 billion hostile bid for UFJ.$LABEL$2 +Martian Weather Blamed for Loss of Beagle 2 Description: An investigation into the loss of Britain #39;s Beagle 2 spacecraft last December suggests the cause may have been unusual Martian weather.$LABEL$3 +Prodigy Adu Learns His Trade at DC United WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teenager Freddy Adu, America's most talked about soccer player, has hardly set the league alight with his skills in his first season.$LABEL$1 +Japan #39;s SMFG in \$29B bid for UFJ Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. laid out a \$29 billion bid for UFJ Holdings on Tuesday, challenging a rival offer by Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group to form the world #39;s biggest bank.$LABEL$2 +Sex toys find niche market in church-influenced Philippines (AFP) AFP - In this predominantly Roman Catholic country where prostitution is illegal and the church still wields considerable influence on the nation's morals, it is a brave person who goes into business selling sex toys.$LABEL$0 +Director Leaves Hollinger Inc. Board Hollinger Inc., th #39;e Toronto-based holding company controlled by disgraced media baron Conrad Black, lost an independent director Tuesday when a former general in Canada #39;s armed forces resigned from its board.$LABEL$2 +US not involved in Afghan vigilante trial-official An Afghan court was following proper procedures in its trial of three US men accused of torture and kidnapping and the United States would exert no influence on next week #39;s verdict, a US official said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +British Minister Sees 'Show Camp' in Sudan (Reuters) Reuters - Two rows of well-spaced\mattresses with brightly colored covers are laid out in a straw\hut, and the smiling nurse in surgical gloves gives an\injection to a crying baby held by his mother.$LABEL$0 +Bin Laden Driver Charged at Guantanamo GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Osama bin Laden's chauffeur was officially charged Tuesday in the first U.S. military tribunal since World War II, appearing at a pretrial hearing where his lawyer challenged the process as unfair...$LABEL$0 +Cisco Reaches High And Low NEW YORK - Cisco Systems is aggressively trying to build its presence in key growth markets, and it #39;s using both new products and new acquisitions to do it.$LABEL$3 + #39;Somebody please save my dad #39; Nick du Toit #39;s wife and stepdaughter are distraught that there is nothing they can do to help him. On Monday his stepdaughter, Marilise Bezuidenhout, was forced to convey the news of his possible death sentence $LABEL$0 +Update 1: Passengers Stranded by Canceled Flights Thousands of disgruntled vacationers were stranded at Heathrow Airport Tuesday after British Airways canceled scores of flights because of staff shortages and technical hitches.$LABEL$0 +Journalist purportedly kidnapped by militants A group calling itself quot;The Islamic Army in Iraq quot; said Italy must withdraw its 3,000 troops -- or the safety of a missing Italian journalist can #39;t be guaranteed.$LABEL$0 +Discus Champion Thrown Out of Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Hungarian Olympic discus champion Robert Fazekas will lose his gold medal and be expelled from the Games after breaking doping rules, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Cisco to acquire P-Cube for \$200M SAN JOSE, Calif.Cisco Systems Inc. said it has agreed to acquire P-Cube for \$200 million in stock and cash to enable service providers to further control and manage such advanced Internet Protocol services $LABEL$3 +Cisco and Microsoft Partner for CRM 8/24/2004 -- Cisco Systems yesterday announced a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Communications Connector for Microsofts CRM offering.$LABEL$3 +Apple Tops in Customer Satisfaction Dell comes in a close second, while Gateway shows improvement, study says.$LABEL$3 +Sabre, NWA Trade Barbs Over Ticketing Fee AUGUST 25, 2004 -- The Sabre Travel Network yesterday responded quickly to Northwest Airlines #39; decision to impose a fee on all domestic tickets issued through global distribution systems, firing back with its own policy changes and concluding the $LABEL$2 +United #39;s pension dilemma United Airlines says it likely will end funding for employee pension plans, a move that would be the largest ever default by a US company and could lead to a taxpayer-funded bailout rivaling the savings-and-loan fiasco of the 1980s.$LABEL$2 +Linksys, Netgear prep soho VoIP kit WLAN kit makers Linksys and Netgear have rolled out consumer and small-business oriented wireless access points with integrated Voice over IP (VoIP) support.$LABEL$3 +Tiny telescope detects a giant planet A tiny telescope has spotted a giant planet circling a faraway star, using a technique that could open a new phase of planetary discovery, scientists say.$LABEL$3 +Gardner Loses Quest for Repeat Wrestling Gold US heavyweight Rulon Gardner lost his Olympic title Wednesday after being beaten in the semi-final stage of the 120kg Greco-Roman wrestling event by Georgiy Tsurtsumia of Kazakhstan.$LABEL$1 +Playboy Posts Unused Google Excerpt to Web Site (Reuters) Reuters - Playboy magazine on Tuesday\posted to its Web site an unpublished portion from its\interview with Google's founders, which raised regulatory\eyebrows not for what it revealed, but for its timing -- just\before the Internet search engine's much-anticipated initial\public offering.$LABEL$3 +Williams' Status at USC Still Unresolved (AP) AP - Standout receiver Mike Williams is all but certain not to play Saturday night when top-ranked Southern California opens its season because of continuing delays in the school's appeal process to the NCAA. After that, who knows? USC has applied to the NCAA for a progress-toward-degree waiver and reinstatement of Williams' eligibility.$LABEL$1 +Kerry Pledges to Create Higher-Paying Jobs (AP) AP - John Kerry headed to closely divided Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to tell voters he could produce better, higher-paying jobs from the White House than President Bush has.$LABEL$0 +GOP Platform Plan Seeks Gay Marriage Ban (AP) AP - Republican leaders are pushing for a constitutional ban on gay marriage in the GOP platform, opening a new point of contention between social conservatives and outnumbered but vocal factions fighting to give the party's statement of principles a more moderate tone.$LABEL$0 +EPA: U.S. Waterways Contain Polluted Fish (AP) AP - One of every three lakes in the United States, and nearly one-quarter of the nation's rivers contain enough pollution that people should limit or avoid eating fish caught there.$LABEL$3 +Selig Welcomes Government Help In Steroids Scandal NEW YORK -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Monday he would accept government intervention on steroid testing if the players #39; association refuses to change the current rules, which run for two more years.$LABEL$1 +Barents Sea Under Threat from Fishing, Oil (Reuters) Reuters - The Arctic Barents Sea is\under threat from overfishing, oil and gas exploration and\Soviet-era radioactive waste, the U.N. Environment Program said\on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Will This Idea Fly? Charge Some Travelers \$10 for Showing Up Northwest Airlines said it would begin charging a \$10 fee for issuing a ticket at its airport check-in desks.$LABEL$2 +A man with a plan ATHENS -- Four years ago in Sydney, after the US gymnasts had gone medal-free at the Olympics for the first time in 28 years, federation president Bob Colarossi was sitting at a table, explaining that the turnaround already had begun. The women had moved from sixth to fourth in the world in one year, the men from sixth to fifth. ...$LABEL$1 +ASCAP Shakes Down Burning Man for Music Royalties LOS ANGELES, CA -- Officials from ASCAP today indicated they intend to pursue music royalties from the organizers of Burning Man, an artist's gathering and celebration held over the Labor Day holiday near Reno, NV. The unconventional event, held annually since 1986, has never paid fees for any of the music played at the event, says ASCAP. ""We intend to pursue all available avenues to get this issue resolved,"" said Tony Wilcox, ASCAP spokesperson.$LABEL$3 +Branson: Virgin Billionaire Eyes China Telecom Deal Can you hear him now: Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson said in Hong Kong that his company has earmarked \$300 million for a cell phone joint venture in China.$LABEL$2 +Second Prisoner Abuse Report Expected WASHINGTON - Inattention to prisoner issues by senior U.S. military leaders in Iraq and at the Pentagon was a key factor in the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, but there is no evidence they ordered any mistreatment, an independent panel concluded...$LABEL$0 +Cleric Returns to Broker Najaf Peace Deal NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric returned home from Britain on Wednesday to help broker an end to nearly three weeks of fighting in Najaf and is calling on his followers to join him in a march to reclaim the holy city, his spokesmen and witnesses said. Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani return came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City...$LABEL$0 +Police Tear Gas, Arrest Protesters in Bangladesh Baton-wielding riot police fired tear gas and rounded up dozens of demonstrators in Bangladesh on Tuesday during a general strike called to protest a weekend grenade attack that killed 20 people and wounded hundreds at an opposition political rally.$LABEL$0 +Careening Indians Fall Slumping Cleveland lost a three-run lead while Derek Jeter homered and stole two ninth-inning bases as New York sent the Indians to their ninth consecutive loss, 5-4, Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Internosis Will Relocate To Greenbelt in October Internosis Inc., an information technology company in Arlington, plans to move its headquarters to Greenbelt in October. The relocation will bring 170 jobs to Prince George's County.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft offers SP2 compatibility guide Security-focused Windows XP update can be tough on applications. Guidelines are meant to help professionals ""test and mitigate.""$LABEL$3 +Site security gets a recount at Rock the Vote Grassroots movement to register younger voters leaves publishing tools accessible to outsiders.$LABEL$3 +Sony reveals some specs for PSP handheld The PlayStation Portable is going to have one complex processor running the show for games and multimedia.$LABEL$3 +Study: Apple, Dell lead PC customer satisfaction index The PC industry is doing a better job this year of satisfying its U.S. customers, and better technical support and easier-to-use hardware seem to have made a difference, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.$LABEL$3 +UN organizes open-source software day across Asia The United Nations, through its International Open Source Network (IOSN) will organize the first annual Software Freedom Day on Saturday in an effort to educate Asian users about the benefits of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and encourage its wider use in the region.$LABEL$3 +European Union Extends Review of Microsoft Deal By PAUL GEITNER BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Software giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and the media and entertainment powerhouse Time Warner Inc...$LABEL$3 +Darfur: 4-Point Draft Agenda Adopted in Abuja A tentative step was taken yesterday in the quest to finding lasting peace in the crisis torn Dafur region of Sudan when the Abuja peace talks unanimously adopted a four-point draft agenda.$LABEL$0 +UPDATE 2-TD, Banknorth in talks on possible deal Toronto Dominion Bank (TD.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that it is in talks with US-based Banknorth Group (BNK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) about a possible deal, in line with the Canadian bank #39;s push for $LABEL$2 +Jamaican Government to Provide Free Internet Access in Poor <b>...</b> Jamaica #39;s government on Tuesday announced a US\$5 million (Jamaican \$308 million) plan to provide free Internet access in poor communities across the island.$LABEL$3 +A new Golden Girl It took only 49.41 seconds for Tonique Williams-Darling to etch her name in the annals of Bahamian history. Williams-Darling crossed the finish line $LABEL$1 +India's Tata makes powerful debut Shares in Indian software services giant Tata Consultancy close 16 higher on their market debut, raising \$1.2bn for the company.$LABEL$0 +Sudanese rebels agree to take part in peace talks in Abuja ABUJA, Aug 25, 2004 (dpa) -- Rebel groups agreed Wednesday to participate in peace talks with the Sudanese government being held in the Nigerian capital of Abuja after coming under pressure to disarm and accept confinement to camps in the country #39;s $LABEL$0 +Dragging the Net for Cyber Criminals In an attempt to stem the growing tide of online scams, identity theft and the proliferation of junk e-mail, the Justice Department and state law enforcement officials have initiated what seems to be the largest dragnet yet against spammers, so-called ""phishers"" and other Internet con artists. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +EU to probe Microsoft-Time Warner buy The decision is a setback for the two companies and their plan to acquire ContentGuard, a digital rights management firm.$LABEL$3 +Allen Wins Triathlon Kate Allen of Austria wins the triathlon with a late surge Wednesday, passing more than half of the field in the final leg and edging Loretta Harrop of Australia at the finish line.$LABEL$1 +Is Google the Next Netscape? Is Google the Next Netscape?\\To draw a parallel between Netscape #038; Google in their fight against Microsoft, it is necessary to examine the various similarities between the two situations and see if the tactics that worked then will work now. \$LABEL$3 +GM pulls Guy Ritchie car ad after protest Protests from seven safety groups have prompted General Motors to pull a television ad that shows a young boy driving a Corvette sports car so recklessly that it goes airborne, officials of the automaker say.$LABEL$2 +Tiny telescope #39;s big discovery opens new doors WASHINGTON - A tiny telescope has spotted a giant planet circling a faraway star, using a technique that could open a new phase of planetary discovery.$LABEL$3 +News: US cracks down on spam mountain John Ashcroft, the attorney General of the US, is expected to announce on Thursday dozens of lawsuits against alleged spammers following a low key campaign against the practise across the US.\$LABEL$3 +Bryant Prosecutors Say Some Data Tainted DENVER - Crucial DNA evidence tested by defense experts in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case might have been contaminated, prosecutors said in a court filing released Wednesday, just two days before jury selection is to begin. Prosecutors said they had found contamination in DNA ""control"" samples intended to ensure testing was accurate...$LABEL$0 +Poultry Stocks See Mixed Recovery Despite a weak third-quarter earnings report that sent its shares plunging 24 percent Tuesday, poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc.$LABEL$2 +Brazil Tops Spain for Men's Gold in Beach Volleyball ATHENS (Reuters) - Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego beat Spain's Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera 21-16, 21-15 on Wednesday to bag Brazil's first men's Olympic beach volleyball gold medal.$LABEL$1 +NTT DoCoMo, Motorola tie up on 3G handsets NTT DoCoMo will release a handset compatible with non-Japanese cellular networks and with its own 3G (third generation) mobile network early next year.$LABEL$3 +Vonage Awash in Venture Capital VoIP (define) upstart Vonage has quickly amassed another \$105 million from venture capitalists and is looking to Latin America and Asia to accelerate an already torrid growth rate.$LABEL$3 +UN says Afghan vote can legitimise postwar scene (AFP) AFP - Afghanistan has a chance for real political legitimacy when voters go to the polls in the country's first post-Taliban presidential election, the UN's envoy to the nation said.$LABEL$0 +Bryant Prosecutors Question Defense DNA Evidence DENVER (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the rape case against U.S. basketball star Kobe Bryant are questioning the validity of DNA evidence crucial to the defense's case, saying data appeared to have been manipulated and might have to be thrown out.$LABEL$1 +Best Software overhauls Act Best Softwarelaunched this week an overhaul of its Act contact management software, adding to the product line a second version with more scalability and advanced functionality.$LABEL$3 +MOM 2005 Released to Manufacturing Microsoft on Wednesday announced the release to manufacturing of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 and MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition, a new edition that the company previously called MOM 2005 Express.$LABEL$2 +Pittman misses out Fani Halkia (1980), of Greece, clears a hurdle en route to winning a gold medal ahead of fifth place finisher Jana Pittman, of Australia.$LABEL$1 +Jones Advances in Long Jump; Johnson Out ATHENS, Greece - Marion Jones made her Athens debut in virtual anonymity, quietly advancing to the long jump final. Allen Johnson had the attention of everyone in the stadium, for all the wrong reasons...$LABEL$0 +Ford to Repair Faulty Heated Seats in Focus Cars Ford Motor Co. said on Wednesday it will fix malfunctioning heated seats in 33,000 Focus cars, two-thirds of which were sold in Canada.$LABEL$2 +Gartner: Q2 server shipments rise on Sun, Dell strength Server shipments and revenue increased in the second quarter, with low-cost servers based on Linux or the Windows operating system growing faster than their Unix counterparts, according to research firm Gartner Inc.$LABEL$3 +US raids Net song swappers US agents have raided the homes of five people who allegedly traded hundreds of thousands of songs, movies and other copyrighted material over the Internet, Attorney General John Ashcroft says.$LABEL$3 +Dell May Soon Unveil More Consumer Goods -Analyst (Reuters) Reuters - Dell Inc. (DELL.O), the world's\largest PC maker, could announce an expanded selection of its\consumer electronics line in the next several weeks, a retail\industry analyst said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Coke Loses Quiznos Sandwich Account Quiznos Sub, the third-largest US sandwich chain, said on Wednesday it signed a deal to serve PepsiCo Inc. (PEP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) drinks in its US outlets, ending a 23-year relationship with Coca-Cola Co.$LABEL$2 +Israeli army set to unveil stink bomb JERUSALEM: The Israeli army is set to unveil a new weapon designed to get under the noses of Palestinians - a massive stink bomb. A report in the Maariv daily on Wednesday said that the military, which has $LABEL$0 +Northwest sues Sabre over ticket fees Northwest Airlines Corp. filed suit against Sabre Travel Network in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging that Sabre instituted measures that will make it more difficult for the carrier to sell tickets.$LABEL$2 +News: FBI seizes computers in first-ever criminal action against P2P network The Associated Press By Curt Anderson$LABEL$3 +Kuwait assures help on hostages NEW DELHI, Aug. 25. - Kuwait has promised to leave no stone unturned to ensure the safe return of the three Indians who were taken hostage in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +MmO2 Announces 3G Mobile Data Network Launch Customers will be able to download film clips, audio and video, interactive multiplayer games, multimedia music tracks, quot;push-to-watch quot; services, as well as access large e-mail attachments.$LABEL$3 +Republicans Endorse Ban on Gay Marriage NEW YORK - Republicans endorsed an uncompromising position against gay unions Wednesday in a manifesto that contrasts with Vice President Dick Cheney's supportive comments about gay rights and the moderate face the party will show at next week's national convention. A panel made up largely of conservative delegates approved platform language that calls for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and opposes legal recognition of any sort for gay civil unions...$LABEL$0 +Microsoft expands mainframe pitch Company is upgrading current support and service program to draw more mainframe customers.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Justice Department Cracks Down Internet Crime The FBI seized computers, software and equipment as part of an investigation into illegal sharing of copyrighted movies, music and games over an Internet ""peer-to-peer"" network, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE: NZ Auckland Airport FY Net Surges On Travel Boom WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand #39;s Auckland International Airport Ltd. (AIA.NZ) Thursday posted double digit annual profit growth, buoyed by a surge in passenger travel, and said it expects to meet market consensus for the 2005 fiscal year earnings.$LABEL$2 +Mich. Rep. to Head Intelligence Panel (AP) AP - Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan was picked Wednesday to head the House Intelligence Committee amid a heated election-year debate over how to carry out a major overhaul of the nation's intelligence system.$LABEL$0 +Belarus Bank Denies Money Laundering Charge A bank in Belarus has denied US charges that it laundered money for former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Infobank, in a statement, said it has strictly followed international agreements related to the fight against illegal transactions.$LABEL$2 +Singapore Air plans \$7.35B Boeing order Singapore Airlines plans to buy up to 31 Boeing long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Global server sales on the rise Sales of server systems rose 7.7 percent globally in the second quarter to \$11.55 billion as demand for Information Technology remained strong after a three year downturn, market research firm Gartner said in a statement.$LABEL$3 +Oil Prices Alter Direction After a month-long rally that repeatedly pushed prices to new highs, the cost of a barrel slumped for the fourth day, leaving the price \$10 higher than year-ago rate.$LABEL$2 +Warner to Start for Giants This Week (AP) AP - Kurt Warner will start at quarterback for the New York Giants this week, although his competition with rookie Eli Manning for the regular-season job continues.$LABEL$1 +Pinochet Immunity Weighed by Chile Court (AP) AP - Lawyers pressed Chile's Supreme Court on Wednesday to uphold a lower court decision stripping retired Gen. Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution, saying the former dictator should face justice for past human rights abuses.$LABEL$0 +Lawyer for Bush Quits Over Links to Kerry's Foes The quick resignation suggests that the Bush campaign, which has repeatedly said it has no ties to the Swift boat veterans group, is eager to put the issue behind it.$LABEL$0 +Toyota reports a silicon carbide breakthrough Move over silicon chips, there is a new semiconductor king on the horizon. Silicon carbide #39;s (SiC) potential has been known since the 1950 #39;s, but the properties that make is attractive also make it hard to work with.$LABEL$3 +MLB, Va. Officials Meet Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf led a team of negotiators from Major League Baseball in a three-hour meeting Wednesday with the leaders of the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Ortiz Fuels Red Sox Fire as Blue Jays Go Down (Reuters) Reuters - David Ortiz thumped two homers and\drove in four runs to fire the Boston Red Sox to an 11-5 win\over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Ortiz Fuels Red Sox Fire as Blue Jays Go Down TORONTO (Reuters) - David Ortiz thumped two homers and drove in four runs to fire the Boston Red Sox to an 11-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +China warns Singapore officials against future visits to Taiwan (AFP) AFP - China has warned Singapore officials against visiting Taiwan again after a ""private and unofficial"" trip by the city-state's new leader just weeks before he took office strained ties with Beijing.$LABEL$0 +Sistani Urges Supporters to Wait at Najaf Gates BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged his supporters converging on Najaf on Thursday not to enter the battered holy city until he arrived, a senior aide said.$LABEL$0 +Rain threatens triangular final (AFP) AFP - Organisers were left banking on the Dutch weather to spare Saturday's final of the triangular cricket tournament after deciding against altering the fixture schedule in a bid to beat the rain that has marred this warm-up event for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan down India to ensure top six finish (AFP) AFP - Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India 3-0 here to ensure they stand among the top six in the Olympic men's field hockey competition.$LABEL$0 +Singapore Air expands fleet with US\$3.7B Boeing order Singapore Airlines Ltd., Asia #39;s most profitable carrier, is betting new planes will help it lure passengers from Emirates and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.$LABEL$2 +White House Shifts Its Focus on Climate The administration issued a report indicating that emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases were the only likely explanation for global warming.$LABEL$3 +Bush Makes Fourth Trip of Year to N.M. (AP) AP - The ranks of independent voters in New Mexico have grown by nearly 20,000 in the last 10 months, a prize pulling President Bush and rival John Kerry to the state again and again.$LABEL$0 +Charges reduced for Iraq jail MP MANNHEIM, Germany -- A US military policewoman accused in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal had the charges against her reduced yesterday as a set of pretrial hearings wrapped up at an American base in Germany.$LABEL$0 +An insurer sees the light Snoopy has left the building. Well, almost. MetLife Inc. , the insurance giant that employs Charlie Brown's dog in ads, is close to completing a deal to sell its State Street Research and Management investment arm to BlackRock Inc. for about \$400 million. Everyone involved will be better off for it.$LABEL$2 +GM pulls Corvette ad with underage driver DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. has withdrawn a Corvette commercial that shows a young boy driving wildly through city streets after safety advocates complained, the company said yesterday.$LABEL$2 +A mixed economic bag in July Factory orders in July for costly manufactured goods recorded the biggest gain in four months. New home sales, meanwhile, slid, according to a pair of reports $LABEL$2 +Keck telescope confirms important exoplanet discovery Hawaii #39;s Keck Observatory has confirmed the existence of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a distant star, the first one spotted by a network of astronomers using telescopes no larger than the ones you can buy in stores.$LABEL$3 +Civil servants in net porn probe More than 200 staff at the Department of Work and Pensions have been disciplined for downloading porn at work.$LABEL$3 +World #39;s smallest digital camera with zoom lens Come September, Japanese electronics giant Casio Computer will launch the world #39;s smallest digital camera with a zoom lens. Casio #39;s palm-sized Exilim camera is much smaller than others as, for the first time, it uses a ceramic lens.$LABEL$3 +Iraq Mortar Attack Kills 25, Sistani Heads to Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A mortar attack on a packed mosque in the town of Kufa on Thursday killed at least 25 people as Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric headed to the nearby holy city of Najaf to try to end a bloody three-week uprising.$LABEL$0 +Dream Team Leads Spain 44-42 at Halftime ATHENS, Greece - As expected, the U.S. men's basketball team had its hands full in a quarterfinal game against Spain on Thursday...$LABEL$0 +Nokia, Pointsec team on mobile data security Enterprises seeking higher security for their growing number of mobile devices may be interested in new encryption technology that Nokia Corp. is deploying in its smart phone products.$LABEL$3 +BlackRock Buys State Street Research NEW YORK (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BLK.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BLK.N</A>, one of the largest U.S. fixed income managers, on Thursday said it will buy its far smaller competitor State Street Research Management Co., marking the biggest takeover in the asset management business this year.$LABEL$2 +Six-month deal for Hoddle at Wolves The 47-year-old former England coach was unveiled at a press conference, bringing to an end Wolves #39; month-long search for a successor to Dave Jones.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft Expands Windows Update Release Microsoft Corp. is starting to ramp up distribution of its massive security update for the Windows XP operating system, but analysts say they still expect the company to move at a relatively slow pace to avoid widespread glitches.$LABEL$3 +British sailors bag bronze Britain's Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks win bronze in a tense final 49er race on the Saronic Gulf.$LABEL$1 +Understanding Search Engine Models Understanding Search Engine Models\\To understand search engines and search engine marketing, one must first understand the search engine model. There are two fundamentally different types of search engine back ends: site directories and spidering search engines. Site directory databases are built by a person manually inputting data about websites. Most ...$LABEL$3 +Electronic Jihad Internet Attack Rumored For Today Electronic Jihad Internet Attack Rumored For Today\\Is the Electronic Jihad attack happening today or is it just stirred up rumors? Yevgeny Kaspersky has raised concerns of a major attack on the internet today. Kaspersky has been widely quoted as saying that there would be a major online attack against Israeli ...$LABEL$3 +Freddie Mac: Investment Portfolio Grew NEW YORK (Reuters) - Freddie Mac <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=FRE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">FRE.N</A> said on Thursday its mortgage investments, or retained portfolio, grew at an annualized rate of 20.8 percent in July, compared with a 19.4 percent increase in June.$LABEL$2 +Science Magazine: Asia Farmers Sucking Continent Dry (Reuters) Reuters - Asian farmers drilling millions of\pump-operated wells in an ever-deeper search for water are\threatening to suck the continent's underground reserves dry, a\science magazine warned on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Report: Intel Logs Big Gains In Flash Market Intel #39;s share of the booming flash market jumped 40.8 percent in the second quarter, according to market-research firm iSuppli Corp.$LABEL$3 +Morocco #39;s El Guerrouj Olympic champion Morocco #39;s Hicham El Guerrouj won in Athens Tuesday an Olympic title in the 1500m race after two failed attempts in Sydney and Atlanta.$LABEL$1 +McClaren happy with striking duo Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren believes Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink could forge one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in the Barclays Premiership.$LABEL$1 +Iraq group to free 3 Indians, 4 others of Kuwait firm - TV (Reuters) Reuters - Iraqi kidnappers of seven employees of a Kuwaiti company said in a video statement on Thursday they would release the captives once their employer halted operations in Iraq, Al Arabiya television reported.$LABEL$0 +BlackRock to buy State Street Research from MetLife NEW YORK, August 26 (New Ratings) - BlackRock Inc (BLK.NYS), a leading US-based fixed-income asset management company, has reportedly agreed to buy State Street Research amp; Management Company, a unit of MetLife Inc, for \$375 million in a cash and stock $LABEL$2 +Casio Shows Off Slim, Trim Digicams New Exilim models include the thinnest version yet, featuring a new ceramic lens.$LABEL$3 +U.N. Urges Funds to Curb African Locusts (AP) AP - With swarms of locusts threatening crops in a number of African countries, a U.N. agency appealed for an additional #36;70 million in assistance Thursday to prevent the upsurge from becoming a full-scale plague.$LABEL$3 +Nepal blockade 'blow to tourism' Nepal tour operators say tourists cancelled millions of dollars of bookings due to the rebel blockade of Kathmandu.$LABEL$2 +Manchester United cruise into Champions League Manchester United eased into the Champions League group phase with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Dinamo Bucharest at Old Trafford on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Intel Gives Centrino Chip Line a Wireless Upgrade (Reuters) Reuters - Intel Corp. (INTC.O) on Thursday\said it has upgraded the wireless networking capabilities of\its Centrino line of notebook computer chips to allow broader\network access with improved security.$LABEL$3 +Panama pardons Castro 'plotters' Four men accused of planning to kill Cuba's Fidel Castro have been pardoned by Panama's president.$LABEL$0 +Pinochet loses immunity: Your reaction The Supreme Court in Chile has ruled that the former dictator General Pinochet should have his immunity from prosecution removed. A lawsuit was brought by relatives of alleged victims of the military regime Operation Condor.$LABEL$0 +Rangers Sign Weekes, Bolster Goaltending (AP) AP - Goaltender Kevin Weekes signed Thursday with the New York Rangers, who expect the unrestricted free agent to compete for the No. 1 job with Mike Dunham.$LABEL$1 +Glaxo Settles Paxil 'Suicide Pill' Suit NEW YORK (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GSK.L target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GSK.L</A> has agreed to release all clinical studies of its drugs to settle a lawsuit that accused it of withholding negative information about the antidepressant Paxil, the New York Attorney General's office said on Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Spears' Fiance to Star in Her New Video NEW YORK - Britney Spears' former backup dancer and current fiance Kevin Federline can add another title to his resume: co-star. On Wednesday, a Jive Records publicist confirmed Federline is featured in Spears' upcoming ""My Prerogative"" video, set to debut in mid-September...$LABEL$0 +Dollar General earnings up 19 percent CHICAGO (CBS.MW) - Discount retailer Dollar General reported a 19 percent rise in fiscal second-quarter earnings, helped by higher sales and lower charges.$LABEL$2 +No Evidence Of Abuse At Guantanamo, says Australian Foreign <b>...</b> Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says a US investigation has rejected allegations that Australian terror suspect David Hicks was abused while in US custody in Afghanistan and Cuba.$LABEL$0 +British police arrest radical cleric Abu Hamza (AFP) AFP - Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, already detained in London on an extradition request from the United States, was arrested under suspicion of committing or preparing terrorism acts within Britain.$LABEL$0 +Olympics: High-Flying Holm Aims to Defy Science (Reuters) Reuters - Sweden's gold medal-winning high\jumper Stefan Holm reckons he can leap even higher but\scientists say he and other athletes were already close to the\limit of what they can achieve.$LABEL$3 +Japan Won't Have U.S. Beef Anytime Soon (Reuters) Reuters - Japan's lucrative market for U.S.\beef, ruptured by mad cow disease worries, is likely to remain\closed for the rest of this year, U.S. meat industry officials\said on Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Nigeria gives Shell \$1.5 billion eco-bill The Shell oil company has been handed a \$1.5 billion bill for ecological compensation in the Niger delta by the government of Nigeria.$LABEL$2 +Texas School to Offer Women's Gaming Scholarship (Reuters) Reuters - As part of a drive to attract more\women into the male-dominated video game industry, a program\for aspiring game developers at Southern Methodist University\will offer a women-only scholarship, organizers said on\Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Dell adds new switch to lineup Dell has upgraded its PowerConnect line with the addition of the PowerConnect 5324, a 24-port managed gigabit layer 2 switch.$LABEL$3 +103 arrests for Internet fraud, related crimes since June: US (AFP) AFP - US authorities arrested at least 103 suspects and filed 117 criminal complaints since June 1 in a crackdown on various forms of online fraud, Attorney General John Ashcroft said.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Reprimanded for Misleading Linux Ad (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The United Kingdom's advertising watchdog group, the Advertising Standards Association, has found that complaints lodged against a Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) magazine ad that stated that Linux was more expensive than Windows were valid.$LABEL$3 +IBM To Amp Integration with Venetica Buy (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IBM (NYSE: IBM) has said it will purchase Venetica, a privately held firm that provides content-integration software to unstructured data sources.$LABEL$3 +Carter finishes fourth in 400 hurdles James Carter of Baltimore finished fourth in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles today, missing out on a medal. Felix Sanchez, of the Dominican Republic, won the gold medal.$LABEL$1 +London oil drops to \$40 a barrel The cost of a barrel of oil in London has dipped below \$40 as energy prices have continued to slide. The price of Brent crude in London fell to a three-week low of \$39.$LABEL$2 +TiVo loss widens SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - TiVo said its second-quarter loss widened from a year earlier on higher customer acquisition costs. Free!$LABEL$3 +Athletics: Dominant Phillips takes long jump gold ATHENS - Dwight Phillips of the United States completed a hat-trick of global long jump titles when he crushed the field with his opening leap in Thursday #39;s final to win Olympic gold.$LABEL$1 +Jury Selection to Begin in Kobe Bryant Rape Trial EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - Jury selection begins in the Kobe Bryant rape case on Friday when hundreds of potential jurors fill out a questionnaire to help determine if they can sit in judgment in a trial involving race, sex and celebrity.$LABEL$1 +Vioxx Faces Challenges from Insurers, Lawyers Merck amp; Co. faces a dual threat from health insurers and patients #39; lawyers, after a US study suggested its Vioxx arthritis drug carries a greater risk than rival medicines.$LABEL$2 +U.N. Agency Sees No Rapid Development of El Nino (Reuters) Reuters - Fears of a new El Nino, a phenomenon\that brings extreme weather patterns, are unfounded despite\unusual ocean temperatures which often herald the devastating\weather anomaly, the World Meteorological Organization said\Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Visit to a Potemkin village Gongzhong does not resemble any Tibetan village in Tibet. It is a village more from Epcot Center in Walt Disney World.$LABEL$0 +Let basketball As the US men #39;s basketball team limps into the Olympic medal round, the focus has been on the team #39;s lousy outside shooting.$LABEL$1 +Anglers Have Big Impact on Fish Numbers -- Study Recreational anglers may be responsible for landing nearly 25 percent of over-fished salt water species caught off US coasts, a study released on Thursday suggests.$LABEL$3 +Israeli army demolishes 13 Palestinian homes GAZA CITY: The Israeli army demolished 13 Palestinian houses during an incursion in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Nigerian Senate approves \$1.5 bln claim on Shell LAGOS - Nigeria #39;s Senate has passed a resolution asking Shell #39;s Nigerian unit to pay \$1.5 billion in compensation to oilfield communities for pollution, a Senate spokesman said.$LABEL$2 +Goosen takes lead in the BMW Open Retief Goosen, a two-time US Open champion, grabbed the first-round lead in the BMW Open in Nord Eichenried, Germany, with a 6-under-par 66, while Colin Montgomerie improved his European Ryder Cup chances by finishing one stroke back on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt cruises to quarterfinals Former Wimbledon and US Open winner Lleyton Hewitt cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Michael Llodra on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the TD Waterhouse Cup.$LABEL$1 +US edge out Brazil for gold The United States beat Brazil 2-1 in extra time to win the women's Olympic football tournament.$LABEL$0 +Breast scans 'fail' in some women Some women with breast cancer are less likely to have their tumours picked up by scans, say experts.$LABEL$0 +Yemeni Poet Says He Is al-Qaida Member GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba Aug. 26, 2004 - In a dramatic turn that silenced defense lawyers, a Yemeni poet accused of crafting terrorist propaganda argued on Thursday to represent himself before a US $LABEL$0 +Changing of the Guard in US Track and Field Description: NPR #39;s Steve Inskeep talks with USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan about the latest news in track and field at the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Govt. to Test New Air Passenger Screening Program The US government unveiled plans on Thursday for a revised computer-based program using personal information to identify airline passengers who may pose a threat to air travel.$LABEL$3 +Chile Court Strips Pinochet of Immunity (AP) AP - Chile's Supreme Court stripped Gen. Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution Thursday in a ruling that revived hopes of his foes that he might stand trial on charges of human rights abuses during his rule.$LABEL$0 +Amelie's final footsteps retraced Detectives have staged a reconstruction of the final steps of murdered French student Amelie Delagrange.$LABEL$0 +Bush, Kerry Bow to McCain's Wishes on Ads NEW YORK - President Bush and Sen. John Kerry bowed to the wishes of popular maverick John McCain on Thursday, as the president embraced the Republican senator's legal fight against big-money special interest groups airing negative ads and the Democratic nominee scrapped a commercial that featured McCain...$LABEL$0 +Thatcher case twist as list of alleged coup backers vanishes THE Thatcher saga took a dramatic twist last night when it emerged a key witness in the police investigation has disappeared, taking with him a list of wealthy individuals who supposedly bankrolled an alleged coup attempt in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +PeopleSoft customers reassured Oracle Corp. President Charles Phillips on Monday said PeopleSoft Inc. customers have become more comfortable with the prospect of a merger between the two software firms even as the proposed transaction awaits a critical ruling from a Delaware court.$LABEL$2 +Torch passed on winning goal ATHENS -- America #39;s gold-medal soccer players don #39;t just say goodbye; they say hello. quot;The thing I love, quot; retiring captain Julie Foudy said, quot;is that Tarpley and Wambach scored.$LABEL$1 +Union leaders held under ESMA on Day 6 of strike New Delhi, August 26: The sixth day of the truckers strike on Thursday saw 12 more truckers being arrested under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA)in the Capital.$LABEL$2 +DreamWorks Officer Quits DreamWorks SKG, the studio that created the quot;Shrek #39; #39; films, said yesterday that Helene Hahn would step down as chief operating officer.$LABEL$2 +Vote 2004 - a guide to the primary Get ready for the primary with the Herald-Tribunes special news section profiling all the federal, state and local candidates in races in Tuesdays election.$LABEL$0 +Jets, Pennington Talk The New York Jets and quarterback Chad Pennington are looking to finalize a contract extension by next Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Oakland's Durazo Piles on Misery for Baltimore (Reuters) Reuters - Erubiel Durazo's three-run homer in\the second inning helped the Oakland Athletics remain top of\the American League (AL) West with a 9-4 win over the reeling\Baltimore Orioles Thursday.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Oakland's Durazo Piles on Misery for Baltimore NEW YORK (Reuters) - Erubiel Durazo's three-run homer in the second inning helped the Oakland Athletics remain top of the American League (AL) West with a 9-4 win over the reeling Baltimore Orioles Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Sports: Braves 6 Rockies 4 ATLANTA Mike Hampton hit an RBI single and Atlanta stretched its lead in the NL East by winning its fourth in a row 6-to-4 over Colorado.$LABEL$1 +Islamic group holding lorry drivers demands firm quit Iraq (AFP) AFP - A group calling itself the Secret Islamic Army (SIA) will release seven hostages it has been holding for more than a month as soon as their Kuwaiti company says it will no longer operate in Iraq, the SIA announced.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sadr Orders Fighters to Lay Down Weapons NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Rebel Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Friday ordered his men inside Najaf's Imam Ali mosque to lay down their weapons and join thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims outside the shrine.$LABEL$0 +Guo tucks away gold for China China #39;s Guo Jingjing easily won the women #39;s 3-meter springboard last night, and Wu Minxia made it a 1-2 finish for the world #39;s diving superpower, taking the silver.$LABEL$1 +Taiwan Rescuers Dig Out 7 Bodies Buried in Landslide TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan rescue workers dug out seven bodies from mud and rock in a mountain village that was hit by a devastating landslide triggered by Typhoon Aere, but eight still remained buried, officials said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Camarillo #39;s Homer Lifts Mexico SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., Aug. 26 -- Alan Camarillo #39;s first homer of the series came at a perfect time for Mexico. Camarillo hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning on Thursday to propel Guadalupe, Mexico, into $LABEL$1 +Troops close Gaza roads after rockets fired at Israel JERUSALEM -- Israeli forces blocked main roads in Gaza yesterday after rockets were fired at an Israeli town, and troops tore down houses in a refugee camp on the Egyptian border, foreshadowing more unrest after Israel #39;s announced planned pullout next year $LABEL$0 +Exec, wife give Stanford \$43.5 million SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Berkshire Hathaway vice-chairman Charles Munger and his wife Nancy Munger on Thursday donated \$43.5 million to Stanford University and its law school.$LABEL$2 +Athens - a \$12bn bill THE world sighed with relief when Greeks kept their promise to deliver some of the world #39;s finest sport venues in time for the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +HP Unveils Cavalcade of Consumer Products (PC World) PC World - First TVs, new printers, long-lasting inks, and projectors are targeted\ at living room and office.$LABEL$3 +Bush Faces Heavy Pre-RNC Travel Schedule (AP) AP - President Bush charges into the final runup to the Republican National Convention with a heavy campaign schedule in key states he needs to carry in November.$LABEL$0 +Anticipation nation LINCOLN, Neb. -- Carly Simon got it right a generation ago.AN-TI-CI-PA-TION. She wasn't singing about college football, but out here in the heartland of America, as Husker Nation prepares for a new season, the sense of anticipation is enormous.$LABEL$1 +A great catch? Lobsters How does he like lobster? Boiled, steamed, broiled, baked, grilled? Newburg? Bahar Uttam prefers his with a capital L -- Lobsters -- and sees them frolicking on a tennis court rather than laid out on a plate. In Uttam's mind lurks a tasty dish for the town's sporting crowd, one that could satisfy the five-year hunger of tennis junkies, a ...$LABEL$1 +Bureaucracy Pins Rocket to Earth The da Vinci Project, a Toronto group planning to launch a homemade, manned spacecraft in October, is having trouble getting its paperwork off the ground. Canadian regulators are leery of approving the launch. And then there's the matter of finding insurance. By Dan Brekke.$LABEL$3 +Dominicans' Swift Step Into Crisis SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- When Sandro Batista smashed his banana truck into a tree in April, leaving him with two hideously shattered legs and a broken arm, his orthopedic surgeon sent his sister shopping.$LABEL$2 +HP Moves Deeper Into Consumer Electronics Personal computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. is stepping deeper than ever into the consumer electronics arena with its fall product lineup - so don't be surprised if you hear about ""HP TV"" along with ""HDTV"" when shopping for your next television.$LABEL$3 +Sprint, SBC Announce Wi-Fi Roaming Pact Customers of Sprint Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. will be able to use both companies' wireless Internet connections with less hassle under a reciprocal deal announced Friday.$LABEL$3 +Stock Futures Flat Before GDP, Fed Speech NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures were nearly unchanged on Friday as investors awaited key data on the economy that could determine the market's early direction.$LABEL$2 +Interbrew wins shareholder vote to buy AmBev LONDON, August 27 (New Ratings) - Belgian brewing giant, Interbrew SA (ITK.ETR), has received the approval of its shareholders for its proposed acquisition of the Brazilian brewer, AmBev.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Thai Airways Orders 6 Airbus Superjumbos Thai Airways has agreed to buy six Airbus A380s, becoming the 13th airline to order the new quot;superjumbo, quot; the European aircraft maker said Friday.$LABEL$2 +Jacobson Lifts Ryder Cup Hopes with Sparkling 65 MUNICH (Reuters) - Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson made his bid for a last-gasp Ryder Cup spot with a spectacular seven-under-par 65 in the BMW International Open second round on Friday.$LABEL$1 +CSKA sponsor rejects criticism RUSSIAN oil giant Sibneft today rejected any suggestion of a conflict of interest existing between Chelsea and CSKA Moscow who are due to meet in the Champions League.$LABEL$1 +Astronaut Candidates Practice Survival Skills By SARA LEITCH BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) -- Astronauts spend years training before they can lift off into space. They learn to operate shuttles, perform experiments in zero-gravity, and eat bugs if they must...$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Gets in Content Business (AP) AP - RealNetworks Inc. survived the dot-com collapse and an assault from Microsoft Corp. Now it's trying to remake itself into a provider of paid Internet content.$LABEL$3 +United States 66, Russia 62 Frustrated by fouls, turnovers and a feisty opponent, the United States desperately looked for help. Then along came Sheryl Swoopes to set things right.$LABEL$1 +Paula #39;s going for gold PAULA RADCLIFFE has decided she WILL run in tonight #39;s 10,000m race at the Athens Olympics. Today #39;s dramatic decision comes just days after Britain #39;s star long-distance runner was left weeping at the roadside after pulling up in the Olympic marathon.$LABEL$1 +US economic growth slips to 2.8 Annual US economic growth fell to 2.8 in the second quarter of 2004, marking a slowdown from the 3 estimated a month ago.$LABEL$0 +Explosive Remnants Found in Russian Jet Wreckage One of two Russian airliners that crashed nearly simultaneously was brought down by a terrorist act, officials said Friday, after finding traces of explosives in the plane's wreckage. A Web site connected to Islamic militants claimed the action was connected to Russia's fight against Chechen separatists.$LABEL$0 +Who cares about Kerry? It's Bush we can't stand, say Vietnamese (AFP) AFP - The question of whether presidential candidate John Kerry was a coward or a leader during the Vietnam War might be raging in the United States, but on the streets of Hanoi people hope for just one result from the American election -- the exit of George W. Bush.$LABEL$0 +Spike Lee Wins Cybersquatting Case Against Porn Site Movie director Spike Lee has won his\cybersquatting case against a Philippines-based operator who\misused the domain name to redirect surfers to a pornographic\Web Site, arbitrators ruled Friday.$LABEL$3 +Socially Responsible Funds on a Tear Don't be too impressed -- great returns don't always mean much.$LABEL$2 +At least 25 bodies at Sadr #39;s religious court NAJAF, Iraq : At least 25 charred and bloated bodies were discovered in the basement of a religious court set up by rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr in Najaf #39;s Old City, police said.$LABEL$0 +Nepal rejects UN mediation Nepalese Prime Minister has rejected the UN offer of mediating in talks with Maoist rebels. But Sher Bahadur Deuba has not ruled out an expanded role for India to resolve the conflict in the Himalayan kingdom.$LABEL$0 +USOC letter to FIG I write in response to your letter of August 26, 2004, which you asked the United States Olympic Committee to forward to Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm of the United States of America.$LABEL$1 +Japanese Utility Plans IPO in October (AP) AP - Electric Power Development Co., a former state-run utility, said Friday it is planning an initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October, a deal that could be the country's biggest new stock listing in six years.$LABEL$0 +Now It's Official: Economy Shrunk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy slowed more sharply in the second quarter than first thought as oil prices rose and the trade gap swelled, the government said on Friday in a report that confirmed momentum faltered in the spring.$LABEL$2 +Now It #39;s Official: Economy Shrunk The US economy slowed more sharply in the second quarter than first thought as oil prices rose and the trade gap swelled, the government said on Friday in a report that confirmed momentum faltered in the spring.$LABEL$2 +Now It's Official: U.S. Growth Slowed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy slowed more sharply in the second quarter than first thought as oil prices rose and the trade gap swelled, the government said on Friday in a report that confirmed momentum faltered in the spring.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft corrals changes for Longhorn With SP2 out the door, Microsoft turns sights to Longhorn--which won't look quite as expected.$LABEL$3 +Nonnative Goats Bunking at Yellowstone (AP) AP - A new study shows mountain goats are taking hold in Yellowstone National Park, but park officials aren't sure how to handle the presence of the nonnative animals.$LABEL$3 +Less Turbulence Ahead for Airbus, Boeing EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and his US counterpart, Robert Zoellick, aim for a truce in the latest transatlantic row over government aid for aviation rivals Boeing and Airbus.$LABEL$2 +Bon-Ton's Succession Success The transition atop the department store company looks like a pleasant non-story.$LABEL$2 +Friday Focus: Running in the rain Rain is forecast for Saturday in Spa. Here's what the team will do to cope...$LABEL$1 +Procter amp; Gamble: A soap opera success By Davis Dyer, Frederick Dalzell. By Robert Slater. In the 1830s, William Procter, a storekeeper and candle maker, and James Gamble, a soap maker, happened to marry two sisters in Cincinnati, Olivia and Elizabeth Ann Norris.$LABEL$2 +Paisley #39;s decision over disarmament awaited Northern Ireland #39;s politicians have an anxious wait as the Reverend Ian Paisley decides whether to endorse an historic deal with Sinn Fein.$LABEL$0 +VeriSign #39;s Antitrust Claim Against ICANN Dismissed quot;VeriSign #39;s contentions are deficient, quot; Judge Howard Matz wrote in the 16-page decision setting aside the antitrust claims against ICANN.$LABEL$3 +Rooney going nowhere unless price is right: Moyes England striker on his way. Or is he? Will it be St James #39; Park or Old Trafford? Or will he remain at Goodison? Although Wayne Rooney today handed in a transfer request, and set in motion his seemingly inevitable $LABEL$1 +Triathlon: Double for Kiwis in toughest of events NEW ZEALAND scored an unprecedented Olympic double in the men #39;s triathlon yesterday when Hamish Carter no cigar for guessing his roots beat his compatriot, reigning world champion Bevan Docherty, by 7.87 seconds, writes Doug Gillon.$LABEL$1 +Modified US space shuttle ready to fly next spring NASA said Thursday it had corrected flaws that caused the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in February 2003 and that a modified shuttle would be ready to resume flights sometime next Spring.$LABEL$3 +Report: Explosion Kills 2 Near Chechyna (AP) AP - An explosion rocked a police building in the restive Dagestan region adjacent to Chechnya on Friday, and initial reports indicated two people were killed, the Interfax news agency said.$LABEL$0 +Flying Cars Reportedly Still Decades Away (AP) AP - It's a frustrated commuter's escapist fantasy: literally lifting your car out of a clogged highway and soaring through the skies, landing just in time to motor into your driveway.$LABEL$3 +HP to tempt holiday shoppers with sights and sounds The computer-hardware giant, best known for products such as PCs and printers, on Friday laid out its plan to become a brand-name in consumer electronics products such as flat-screen TVs, music players and the devices that move content between them.$LABEL$2 +Thai Airways orders six Airbus superjumbos Thai Airways International plans to buy six Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft that will be delivered in 2008 and 2009. The airline is also ordering two additional A340 aircraft.$LABEL$2 +Shareholders Toast Brewers' Merger BRUSSELS/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Shareholders gave their blessing on Friday for Belgium's Interbrew <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=INTB.BR target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">INTB.BR</A> to buy Brazil's AmBev <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AMBV4.SA target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">AMBV4.SA</A><ABV.N> in a \$9.7 billion deal that will create the world's largest brewer.$LABEL$2 +Argentina Beats U.S. Men's Basketball Team Argentina defeated the United States team of National Basketball Association stars 89-81 here Friday in the Olympic semi-finals, dethroning the three-time defending champions.$LABEL$0 +US Space Agency Improves Shuttle Safety, Management The US space agency, NASA, continues work on improving the safety of the space shuttle, before the fleet of orbiters resumes its visits to the international space station next year.$LABEL$3 +'Dream Team' Out of Gold Race After Loss to Argentina ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. men's basketball team was beaten by Argentina Friday, denying it an Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1992 when NBA players started competing.$LABEL$1 +GOP Urge Bush to Turn Attention From Iraq (AP) AP - Nervous Republicans are urging President Bush to unveil a robust second-term agenda at his convention next week to shift voters' focus from the unpopular war in Iraq and other issues that are a distraction to his re-election drive. Some contend the party should ditch the GOP-fueled controversy over rival John Kerry's combat record in Vietnam.$LABEL$0 +A Canadian Invasion A few weeks ago, in a story on Nortel (NYSE: NT), I asked people to submit a Canadian joke to me. This is as good a place as any to reveal the winner.$LABEL$2 +American Champion Tim Mack Wins Pole Vault Gold American champion Tim Mack won the Olympic pole vault title on Friday with a Games record 5.95 meters after an engrossing duel with teammate Toby Stevenson.$LABEL$1 +Khan urged to stay amateur British boxing sensation Amir Khan is being urged to shun a big-money move to the professional ranks, whether he wins or loses his shot at Olympic gold on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +FBI Suspects Israel Has Spy in Pentagon -- CBS News WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI believes there is an Israeli spy at the very highest level of the Pentagon, CBS News reported on Friday.$LABEL$0 +IBM puts grids to work at U.S. Open IBM will put a collection of its On Demand-related products and technologies to this test next week at the U.S. Open tennis championships, implementing a grid-based infrastructure capable of running multiple workloads including two not associated with the tournament.$LABEL$3 +Sudan remains defiant as time starts to run out BRITAIN has warned Sudan that it still has a lot of work to do to satisfy the international community that it is tackling what the United Nations has described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.$LABEL$0 +Lebanon political drama plays out Syrian scipt The stage is Beirut and the actors are Lebanese; but the audience knows the drama surrounding selection of the countrys president is being produced in Lebanons powerful neighbour Syria.$LABEL$0 +HP brand to inject new life into ink The company splashes a new name on the inks to be used in its photo printers.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 1-Rookie Johnson shares Buick lead with Funk Rookie Zach Johnson produced the day #39;s joint best score, a five-under-par 65, to join Fred Funk at the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the \$4.$LABEL$1 +UK growth at fastest pace in nearly 4 years Britain #39;s economy accelerated to the fastest annual pace in nearly four years in the second quarter as manufacturing emerged from a slump and consumers ratcheted up spending, the government said Friday.$LABEL$2 +Next Version of Windows for PC's to Ship in 2006 To meet its timetable, Microsoft has scaled back its technological ambitions for the product, code-named Longhorn.$LABEL$3 +Siemens Says Cellphone Flaw May Hurt Users and Its Profit Siemens, the world #39;s fourth-largest maker of mobile phones, said Friday that a software flaw that can create a piercing ring in its newest phone models might hurt earnings in its handset division.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft promises new OS for 2006 Microsoft says it plans to broadly release the long-awaited update to its flagship Windows operating system, dubbed #39;Longhorn #39;, in 2006.$LABEL$3 +Yemeni Ambassador to United Nations Dies (AP) AP - Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal, who served as Yemen's ambassador to the United Nations for nearly 30 years, died in New York on Thursday after a long illness, Yemen's Foreign Ministry and its U.N. Mission said Friday. He was 66.$LABEL$0 +Schumacher in uncharted territory MICHAEL Schumacher doesn #39;t need to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to nail his unprecedented seventh Formula One drivers title.$LABEL$1 +Top-ranked Illinois flyin #39; high When the Illinois men #39;s basketball team moved to No. 1 in The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls on Monday afternoon, it was a special moment for the program and the players.$LABEL$1 +Daly penciled in for Deutsche Bank John Daly provided a nice surprise for local golf fans yesterday when he committed to play in next week #39;s Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC of Boston in Norton.$LABEL$1 +Revelations on ""children overboard"" incident put pressure on Australian PM (AFP) AFP - Australian Prime Minister John Howard was fighting to maintain his credibility after official transcripts backed up critics' claims about what he knew of a controversial 2001 sea rescue of boatpeople.$LABEL$0 +Short Jump, Bad Handoff End Jones #39; Games ATHENS, Greece - For Marion Jones, Sydney must seem far more than half a world away. Those Olympics were some dreamland where she ruled track and field with a golden touch and a sweet smile, winning five medals $LABEL$1 +DATA VIEW: HK Exports Slow In July, But Momentum Intact HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong #39;s export expansion slowed a touch in July, as expected, but still continued at double-digit rates thanks to high trade volume with mainland China.$LABEL$2 +Fired-up Baggaley takes silver Australia #39;s Nathan Baggaley was over the moon after winning the silver medal in the Olympic kayaking K1 500 event today. Double world champion Baggaley fired from the start and took an early lead but faded $LABEL$1 +Profiling Shaukat Aziz: economic reformist-turned-PM Shaukat Aziz, taking over as Pakistan #39;s 23rd prime minister on Saturday, is a former private banker credited with infusing new life into an almost bankrupt economy.$LABEL$0 +NCAA Wrong To Close Book On Williams Top-ranked and defending co-national champion USC opens its season tonight against Virginia Tech. Tampa #39;s Mike Williams, the best football player not in the NFL - now officially the best college football player $LABEL$1 +Change on the money One day after National Hockey League executive vice president and chief legal officer Bill Daly accused the NHL Players Association of engaging quot;in a charade quot; with regards to negotiating a collective bargaining agreement -- and believes the start of the 2004-05 season is in jeopardy because the union wants to keep status quo -- Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs said there's ...$LABEL$1 +Eritreans deported by Libya hijack a plane KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Armed with knives, Eritrean deportees hijacked a plane that left Libya carrying about 80 fellow Eritreans and forced it to land yesterday in the Sudanese capital before surrendering to security forces, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Bush administration shifts stance on the cause of warming NEW YORK In a striking shift in the way the Bush administration has portrayed the science of climate change, a new report to Congress focuses on federal research indicating that emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases are the only likely $LABEL$3 +Hamm flap, Dream Team just wrong ATHENS, Greece -- Look at it this way: At least the US basketball team won #39;t be asked to give back its gold medal. On a day that was Olympic in scope both for its shock value and its intrinsic weirdness, the $LABEL$1 +Microsoft #39;s big fix: Security patch now on the market For the past few years, viruses have attacked Microsoft #39;s operating system, Web browser or e-mail programs seemingly on a weekly basis.$LABEL$3 +Second seed Dementieva hammered in New Haven The French Open runner-up, who had progressed to the last four with ease, was completely out of sorts as seventh seed Bovina wrapped up victory in only 56 minutes.$LABEL$1 +Yemen Jails 5 Over Limburg, US Envoy Murder Plot A Yemeni court jailed five al Qaeda supporters for 10 years Saturday for the bombing of the French supertanker Limburg and sentenced to death another militant who plotted to kill the US ambassador to the Arab state.$LABEL$0 +Facing Arrest, Uma Bharti Quits as Madhya Pradesh Chief BHOPAL (PTI) - Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti has been forced out of office after four days of political drama as the issue of tainted ministers came back to haunt the Bharatiya Janata Party.$LABEL$0 +Far from fun and Games for Jones ATHENS, Greece -- So other than your anemic, fifth-place finish in the long jump and the missed baton pass in the 400-meter relay for a big fat quot;Did Not Finish, #39; #39; how did your day go, Marion Jones?$LABEL$1 +Swing and a Miss for Asteroid An asteroid the size of a large storage shed came within 4,100 miles of Earth this spring, making it the closest near miss ever recorded, US astronomers said this week.$LABEL$3 +US team stumbles Marion Jones, the queen of Sydney who finished those 2000 Olympics with a record five track-and-field medals, ended her next Olympics much differently Friday -- out of medals and in tears.$LABEL$1 +Yemen Sentences 15 Militants on Terror Charges A court in Yemen has sentenced one man to death and 14 others to prison terms for a series of attacks and terrorist plots in 2002, including the bombing of a French oil tanker.$LABEL$0 +Shaukat Aziz gets vote of confidence ISLAMABAD: Newly-elected known as finance wizard Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has secured vote of confidence form the national assembly.$LABEL$0 +Australia win Olympic hockey gold ATHENS, Aug 27: Australia won the Olympic men #39;s hockey tournament for the first time in history on Friday, beating the Netherlands 2-1 with a golden goal.$LABEL$1 +GOP Jamboree Could Briefly Lift Stocks NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fasten your seatbelts. The Republicans are coming to town. If things go smoothly at the Republican National Convention, the stock market could get a brief boost next week, experts say.$LABEL$2 +Bea Arthur for President Bea Arthur sparked a security scare at Logan Airport in Boston this week when she tried to board a Cape Air flight with a pocketknife in her handbag. The ""Golden Girls"" star, now 81, was flagged by a Transportation Security Administration agent, who discovered the knife - a strict no-no following 9/11. ""She started yelling that it wasn't hers and said 'The terrorists put it there,' "" a fellow passenger said. ""She kept yelling about the 'terrorists, the terrorists, the terrorists.' "" After the blade was confiscated, Arthur took a keyring from her bag and told the agent it belonged to the ""terrorists,"" before throwing it at them. - via philly.com$LABEL$3 +At Least 24 Killed Morocco Bush Crash (AP) AP - A bus, truck and taxi collided in a mountainous region of western Morocco Saturday, killing 24 people and injuring about 20 others, the official MAP news agency reported.$LABEL$0 +The Digital Transition If my car died tomorrow, I'd have a lot less angst picking its successor than I would if my TV conked out. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-Rob Pegoraro</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Sudanese rebels squabble with government over ceasefire violations (AFP) AFP - Sudanese rebels walked away from African Union peace talks to hold a 24-hour boycott in protest at alleged government attacks on civilians in the war-torn western province of Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Olympics-U.S. Women Show Men How to Win Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. women's basketball team showed their men how to win gold Saturday as around 70,000 spectators flocked to the Olympic stadium for a hectic athletics program on the penultimate night of the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Hard Drive: SP Your XP, RSN Don #39;t have Windows XP? Listen up anyway, because there #39;s a lesson to learn, not to mention sly put downs you can use to annoy your Windows-XP-using-friends so they #39;ll finally break down and admit $LABEL$3 +In Western Iraq, Fundamentalists Hold U.S. Forces at Bay Falluja and Ramadi, and much of Anbar Province, are now controlled by militias, with U.S. troops confined to outside bases.$LABEL$0 +The Hunt for a Hybrid The Aug. 23 front-page article on the Toyota Prius vs. the Honda Civic implied that the main reason people prefer the Prius was its quot;geek-chic look quot; and the image buyers want.$LABEL$2 +Al-Sadr #39;s militia keeps fighting in Baghdad US forces and radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr #39;s militia battled Saturday in Baghdad even as the truce that ended the bloody fighting between US-Iraqi troops and the militia forces in Najaf held for a second day.$LABEL$0 +Britain Edges U.S. for 400M Relay Gold (AP) AP - Stymied by a sloppy handoff in the middle of the race, the United States lost to Great Britain by a hundredth of a second Saturday night in the 400-meter relay #151; a race the American men usually dominate.$LABEL$1 +US suspends helicopter flights after Japan crash (AFP) AFP - The United States suspended flights of CH-53D military helicopters in Japan, bowing to protests over a crash in an Okinawa university campus.$LABEL$0 +Bovina wins Pilot Pen tournament Elena Bovina of Russia outlasted Nathalie Dechy of France 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 and won the Pilot Pen tennis tournament Saturday. Bovina, seeded seventh, won her third WTA title.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt reaches final on Long Island Commack, NY (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Lleyton Hewitt reached Sunday #39;s final at the \$380,000 TD Waterhouse Cup -- a final US Open tune-up.$LABEL$1 +Hurricane Watch Issued for Gaston Off S.C. COLUMBIA, S.C. - A hurricane watch was issued for the South Carolina coast Saturday as forecasters predicted Tropical Storm Gaston would make landfall near Charleston on Sunday night...$LABEL$0 +Kerry Says He's in a 'Fighting Mood' (AP) AP - Democratic Sen. John Kerry said Saturday he's in ""fighting mood"" with two months to go to the presidential as his allies defended him from questions about his valor in Vietnam.$LABEL$0 + #39;We walk a fine line, #39; says the boss whose airline tripped up After one of the most embarrassing weeks in British Airways #39; history, the recriminations begin tomorrow. Rod Eddington, the airline #39;s gregarious Australian chief executive, says he will mount a full investigation $LABEL$2 +GlobeTrotter: Mandrake-based 40GB Linux Mobile Desktop joestar writes quot;Mandrakesoft amp; LaCie have just launched quot;GlobeTrotter quot;, a ultra-compact 40 GB bootable USB hard-drive pre-loaded with Mandrakelinux 10.$LABEL$3 +Health Highlights: Aug. 28, 2004 A new drug that fights a form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, won applause if not approval from a panel of advisors to the US Food and Drug Administration.$LABEL$2 +Hewitt advances to Long Island final Lleyton Hewitt is one match away from winning his second consecutive ATP title, with the Australian reaching the final of the TD Waterhouse Cup at Long Island.$LABEL$1 +Soldiers face death after refusing to bomb Darfur Fifteen armed men in blue uniforms guard the metal stairs leading to the Sudanese court. Among the people massed at the bottom, only those who look official and scream loud $LABEL$0 +Bovina ends two-year wait Seventh-seeded Russian Elena Bovina won her first title in two years by beating France #39;s Nathalie Dechy 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the final of the Pilot Pen tournament.$LABEL$1 +UN, ending mission, says some human rights improvement Sudan's Darfur region (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - AL-FASHER, Sudan (AP) - Security has improved inside camps in Sudan's violence-torn Darfur region, but displaced villagers still face attacks and abuse when leave the camps, a United Nations team said Saturday, wrapping up a mission that could determine whether Sudan is hit with international sanctions.$LABEL$0 +File-Sharers, the Eyes of Justice Are Upon You President Bush likes to project the swashbuckling image, but this week it was the folks over at the Justice Department who formed the posse to go after the evildoers -- the ones on the Internet.$LABEL$3 +Mobile phone #39;deafness #39; risk p2pnet.net News:- Defects in Siemens 65 series mobile phones could cause deafness, says the company. quot;In extreme cases, this volume could lead to hearing damage.$LABEL$3 +Pakistani PM-elect takes parliament confidence vote Pakistani Prime Minister- elect Shaukat Aziz Saturday secured vote of confidence in the National Assembly (NA), the powerful lower house of the parliament,a requirement under the country #39;s constitution.$LABEL$0 +TOMPKINS: Young Brit who fought here has shot at gold Great Britain #39;s Amir Khan, who looked so impressive in winning the 132-pound championship at the Junior International Invitational Boxing Championships here last summer, has a chance for an Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division today.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan province focuses on prayers, curbing vice (Reuters) Reuters - Cinemas are barred from hoisting movie bill-boards and shopkeepers are afraid to display posters featuring women in the historic northern Pakistani city of Peshawar.$LABEL$0 +Apology, refund from cruise line In a move almost unheard of in its industry, Norwegian Cruise Line has apologized for service problems during the Pride of Aloha #39;s first two months of sailing around Hawaii, and is refunding a portion of the service charge to everyone who has cruised on $LABEL$2 +Smith saves United LONDON, Aug. 28. - Alan Smith scored a late equaliser for Manchester United today as the side tied 1-1 at Blackburn. Sir Alex Fergusons side looked headed for their second Premier League defeat of the $LABEL$1 +Sunday: A fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants <b>...</b> Tuesday: A Shiite insurgency appeared to be weakening as Iraqi forces moved to within 200 yards of the Imam Ali Shrine. Wednesday: Iraq #39;s top Shiite cleric returned home with a peace initiative demanding an end to the fighting in Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Terror is below radar in Russia It took 2 days for Russia #39;s security service to announce what virtually everyone else believed from the moment two domestic passenger airlines plunged to earth simultaneously $LABEL$0 +Australian PM calls election on Oct. 9 Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday announced that the next federal election will be held on October 9. He told a press conference here that voters will decide $LABEL$0 +We owe Athens an apology ATHENS -- The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad -- the great disaster that wasn #39;t -- come to an emotional end this afternoon and, really, the world owes Athens an apology.$LABEL$1 +Legendary double for El Guerrouj In a historic 5,000-meter race, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who won gold at 1,500 meters last week, outkicked Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia in $LABEL$1 +Hamm not looking back Controversial Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm is back in the United States and ready to move on. Hamm, in Worcester for the Rock amp; Roll $LABEL$1 +Northwest fee increase has agents crying foul The airline said it will begin paying only \$5 of the \$12.50 cost of booking a Northwest ticket through a global distribution system such as Sabre or Galileo starting Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Sanderson doesn't let gold out of his grasp ATHENS -- Cael Sanderson didn't look too comfortable on the medal stand last night. As the national anthem was played, he went from taking the winners' wreath off his head to putting it back on, to taking it off again and holding it across his chest.$LABEL$1 +Chechens Vote for New Leader, 'Bomber' Kills Self ZNAMENSKOYE, Russia (Reuters) - Chechens voted Sunday for a new president in a tense election, but many doubted the Moscow-backed police officer who was set to win would manage to stamp out rebellion in the turbulent region.$LABEL$0 +US Sprinter Pulled From Relay for Marijuana Violation Less than two hours before the Olympic men #39;s 400-meter relay semifinal on Friday, the United States Coach George Williams pulled John Capel from the race after being told by $LABEL$1 +Five facts about France #39;s Muslim headscarf ban - The French parliament passed the law in March to ban quot;conspicuous symbols quot; of faith from its state school system. Guidelines for applying the law identified Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large $LABEL$0 +Saboteurs Blow Up Oil Pipeline in Iraq (AP) AP - Saboteurs blew up a pipeline in southern Iraq on Sunday in the latest attack targeting the country's crucial oil industry, a senior oil official said.$LABEL$0 +Vote near, Saudis push to modernize RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Even as Saudi Arabia struggles internally with violent extremists and externally with its image as the country that produced most of the attackers of Sept. 11, 2001, the desert kingdom's rulers are moving on multiple fronts to modernize and moderate their nation.$LABEL$0 +French Govt., Muslims Appeal for Reporters' Release PARIS (Reuters) - France's government and leaders of its Muslim minority urged Iraqi militants Sunday to free two French journalists they were holding hostage in a bid to force Paris to revoke its ban on Muslim headscarves in schools.$LABEL$0 +Spilled Oil, Gas Ignite in Iraq's South Rumaila Field BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Oil and gas spilled during recent sabotage attacks on Iraq's southern oil pipelines ignited Sunday and firefighters battled to douse the flames.$LABEL$0 +Conn. Man, 70, Oldest to Swim Channel LONDON - A retired Connecticut pilot has become the oldest person to swim the English Channel. George Brunstad, 70, left Dover, England, Saturday morning heading for the French Coast...$LABEL$0 +Schumacher Clinches Seventh Season Title (AP) AP - Michael Schumacher clinched an unprecedented seventh Formula One drivers' title at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, despite not winning for just the second time in 14 races this season.$LABEL$1 +US Bells Do Video on Path Blazed by Small Telcos The three largest US local telephone corporations made a splash this summer with plans to sell video services on their voice and data lines in a few years.$LABEL$2 +SEC gives a slap on the wrist After last week #39;s settlement with San Francisco investment adviser Garrett Van Wagoner, you have to wonder how serious the Securities and Exchange Commission is about protecting mutual fund shareholders.$LABEL$2 +Helm #39;s perfect 10 And the two-and-a-half back somersaults with one and a half twists in a pike position turned out to be his ticket to a silver medal.$LABEL$1 +Tropical Storm Slams Into Coastal S.C. CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tropical Storm Gaston blasted the South Carolina coast with rain and near-hurricane strength wind early Sunday, flooding roads and knocking out power to at least 75,000 homes...$LABEL$0 +Our mobile margins will fall: Telstra TELSTRA chief financial officer John Stanhope has admitted Telstra #39;s margins in its \$4.5 billion a year mobile phone business will shrink this year in the face of increased price competition and the growing cost of acquiring new customers.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 1-Thompson earns Celtic a record win over Rangers Scottish champions Celtic secured a record seventh successive win over Glasgow rivals Rangers on Sunday with a 1-0 victory courtesy of midfielder Alan Thompson #39;s venomous late strike.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan not for open-ended arms race: spokesman A Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Sunday said Islamabad does not favor an open-ended arms race in South Asia, according to the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).$LABEL$0 +Montgomerie, Donald named as Ryder Cup wildcards European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer named Britons Colin Montgomerie and Luke Donald as his wildcard picks on Sunday for next month #39;s match against the United States.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal #39;s winning ways a joy Legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough said last week that losing Forest #39;s 42-game unbeaten record to Arsenal stuck in the craw quot;because nobody likes them quot;, but surely that is not true.$LABEL$1 +Thousands Hit NYC Streets; Cheney Arrives NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched past the Madison Square Garden site of the Republican National Convention on Sunday, chanting, blowing whistles and carrying anti-war banners as delegates gathered to nominate President Bush for a second term. On the eve of the convention, the demonstrators packed the street from sidewalk to sidewalk for 20 blocks as they slowly filed past...$LABEL$0 +Windows Tip: Scheduled Tasks written by Greg Melton on Monday <b>...</b> If you always forget to scan for viruses, update virus protection, run Disk Defragmenter, or run any other system tool, look to the Task Scheduler for help.$LABEL$3 +Sudan peace talks resume Peace talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese Government have resumed after a 24-hour boycott by rebels who accused Khartoum of violating a ceasefire by killing 75 civilians in six villages.$LABEL$0 +Dyke reopens WMD row Former BBC chief Greg Dyke has reopened the row over Tony Blair #39;s decision to go to war with Iraq. Dyke was forced to resign from his post, along with former BBC chairman Gavyn Davies, last January after Lord $LABEL$0 +Moderate Republicans Criticize Bush (AP) AP - A group of moderate Republicans, many long out of office, called on President Bush and the Republican party to ""come back to the mainstream"" on the eve of the Republican National Convention.$LABEL$0 +Closing Ceremonies Host city Athens bid a final farewell to the athletes and guests of the 2004 Summer Games with a spectacular party under a full moon.$LABEL$1 +China launches science satellite China launched an experimental satellite into orbit Sunday, atop a Long March 2C carrier rocket; reported Xinhua, China #39;s government-run news agency.$LABEL$3 +Sheffield day to day with sprained left ankle New York Yankees right fielder Gary Sheffield missed Sunday #39;s against the Toronto Blue Jays with a sprained left ankle. Sheffield is listed as day to day.$LABEL$1 +PM Hails Successful Launch Of Agni II NEW DELHI, AUG 29: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday congratulated the scientists and engineers for the successful launch of the Agni II missile.$LABEL$0 +Italian Wins Marathon... US Finishes Second Italian Stefano Baldini has won the men #39;s marathon in a time of 2:10:54. Naturalized American Meb Keflezighi was a surprise runnerup with Brazil #39;s Vanderlei Lima finishing third.$LABEL$1 +Warner Will Start for Giants in Opener Eli Manning remains the New York Giants' quarterback of the future. For now, the job belongs to Kurt Warner.$LABEL$1 +A #39;new Greece #39; beams after success of Games As Greeks get a boost, it remains unclear if success will mean higher stature in Europe. By Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.$LABEL$1 +Jimenez wins BMW Open with final-round 66 Spain #39;s Miguel Angel Jimenez won the BMW Open, his fourth title on the European tour this season, and Colin Montgomerie was one of six golfers to claim Ryder Cup berths Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Jays power up to take finale Contrary to popular belief, the power never really snapped back at SkyDome on Sunday. The lights came on after an hour delay, but it took some extra time for the batting orders to provide some extra wattage.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt, Davenport Top US Open Standings (AP) AP - Lleyton Hewitt and Lindsay Davenport could earn up to #36;500,000 extra at the U.S. Open because they finished atop the inaugural US Open Series standings.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft revamps its plans for Longhorn Microsoft is shaking up its plans for the next version of Windows to get the software off the drawing board and into PCs by the end of 2006.$LABEL$3 +SEVEN KILLED IN KABUL BLOODSHED At least seven people have been killed in a bomb blast in central Kabul - the second deadly explosion in Afghanistan over the weekend.$LABEL$0 +Canada, US fail to resolve beef trade dispute Canada and the United States have failed to reach an agreement on resuming US imports of Canadian live cattle, local press reported Sunday.$LABEL$2 +Angels' Glaus Activated From DL (AP) AP - Troy Glaus was activated from the 60-day disabled list Sunday by the Anaheim Angels and was back in the lineup against the Minnesota Twins.$LABEL$1 +Ankiel solid in rehab start, unsure about future More that three years since he threw his last pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals, Ankiel gave up one unearned run and one hit in six innings Sunday for Triple-A Memphis in what could be his final start in the minors.$LABEL$1 +GOP Jamboree May Give Stocks Brief Lift NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fasten your seatbelts. The Republicans are in town. If things go smoothly at the Republican National Convention, the stock market could get a brief boost this week, experts say.$LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Flat, Focus on Data TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks were flat in mid-morning trade on Monday with confidence in the domestic economic outlook failing to offset profit-taking that hit recent gainers such as insurers and real estate stocks.$LABEL$2 +China Launches Mapping Satellite (AP) AP - China on Sunday launched a satellite that will carry out land surveying and other scientific projects for several days and return to Earth, government media reported.$LABEL$3 +Federal-Mogul May Sell Turner amp; Newall Assets, Independent Says Federal-Mogul Corp., the bankrupt US engineering company, may sell its UK-based Turner amp; Newall Plc after the UK division #39;s independent pension trustee rejected a \$130 million cash offer $LABEL$2 +GI #39;s in Talks With Rebels of Sadr Stronghold in Baghdad The American military met for five hours on Sunday with representatives of the rebellious cleric Moktada al-Sadr in the volatile Baghdad Shiite neighborhood of Sadr $LABEL$0 +Allawi Meets Militants, Pushes Amnesty Iraq's interim prime minister said that he had held private meetings with representatives of insurgent groups from Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra to persuade them to accept a government amnesty offer.$LABEL$0 +El Guerrouj, Holmes book spots in Olympic Pantheon Britain #39;s Kelly Holmes and Morocco #39;s Hicham El Guerrouj earned their places among Olympic athletic legends here on Saturday as they won their second golds of the Games.$LABEL$1 +Beijing gears up for 2008 Although the Beijing Olympics is still four years away, the Chinese capital is already gearing up to host the event. The city of over 12 million is refurbishing ancient landmarks in $LABEL$1 +Warner Gets the Nod The first pick in the NFL draft last April will be the first QB off the bench for the Giants as Eli Manning lost the competition for the starting job to veteran Kurt Warner.$LABEL$1 +New Namath Book Is Fact, Not Fiction If you read the recent excerpt of ""Namath"" in Sports Illustrated and were put off by the apparent focus on the iconic Broadway Joe's personal life, be comforted in the knowledge that Mark Kriegel's 441-page biography includes plenty of football, too. The book is exhaustively researched and includes telling anecdotes from Beaver Falls, Pa., to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to New York.$LABEL$1 +Mr. Chang, Strike a Pose Halfway around the world, standing virtually in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the incomparable Timmy Chang is just days away from throwing his first pass of the season. From my tattered sofa, I will be watching him. I want you to watch him, too.$LABEL$1 +ROGER #39;S READY Roger Federer says he #39;s ready to erase the image as being too soft to win in New York. The world #39;s No. 1 player from Switzerland has played three US Opens and lost in the fourth round each time.$LABEL$1 +Still no beef resolution after latest talks NEW YORK, (Aug. 30, 2004) - Cattle farmers and haulers finally looking for a quick end to a 15-month ban on live cattle exports to the US are out of luck after Canadian Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell $LABEL$2 +For Now, Unwired Means Unlisted. That May Change. In October, most major cellphone carriers plan to start compiling a publicly accessible listing of wireless phone numbers.$LABEL$2 +Women #39;s basketball team finds special place in Chancellor #39;s heart The medal ceremony had ended. Van Chancellor had already shed a few tears, but he had held his emotions together through all the hugs and dancing, even through the victory $LABEL$1 +New Pakistan cabinet may be sworn in today Islamabad, :A new Cabinet in Pakistan is likely to be sworn in on Monday, two days after Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz was made the country #39;s 23rd Prime Minister.$LABEL$0 +Infocus: Deploying Network Access Quarantine Control, Part 2 This article discusses Network Access Quarantine Control in Windows Server 2003, which allows administrators to quarantine mobile users and verify their security posture before giving them full access to the network. Part 2 of 2.$LABEL$3 +Scaffold collapse survivors improving One of the men who survived Friday #39;s fatal scaffold collapse is in guarded condition at Detroit Receiving Hospital and the two other survivors were released on Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said.$LABEL$2 +Pollsters refuse to write off Australian PM despite lag in polls (AFP) AFP - Opinion polls give Australia's opposition Labor Party a big lead over Prime Minister John Howard's conservative government as campaigning begins for October 9 elections, but analysts say the real race is still too close to call.$LABEL$0 +Santander accelerates Abbey bid Santander says it aims to complete its takeover of UK mortgage lender Abbey one month sooner than originally planned.$LABEL$2 +A blazing start for Beijing Greece tried to pass the Olympics baton off to Beijing on Sunday night, but it was a tough job. The Chinese are way ahead of the curve already.$LABEL$1 +Wakefield goes deep this time When it comes to giving up long balls, Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield has a short memory. Just three weeks after he surrendered a club-record six home $LABEL$1 +Hot pursuit Times like these make grown men talk to televisions. quot;C'mon, guys, get the darn out, quot; Pedro Martinez shouted at a big screen in the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday as he watched the Blue Jays try to finish off the Yankees with two outs and the potential winning run at the plate in the ninth inning in Toronto.$LABEL$1 +On TV -- from the Internet SAN MATEO, Calif. -- The promise of Internet-based video has long been hamstrung by copyright and piracy worries, slow dial-up connections, technical challenges, and consumer disdain for watching blotchy videos on their home computers.$LABEL$2 +Youngster Khan taken to school The sensation of the Olympic boxing tournament learned yesterday that there #39;s no substitute for experience. At least not in the ring.$LABEL$1 +Challenger disappoints with writedown The Kerry Packer-backed Challenger Financial Services Group has reported its first net loss since incorporating, impacted by a massive writedown of goodwill.$LABEL$2 +Corporate Failures Hurt Pension Guaranty Group Description: A flurry of corporate bankruptcies in the past few years leaves a public agency strapped for cash: the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.$LABEL$2 +Bellhorn makes plenty of noise: Big Second baseman Mark Bellhorn stats, news issued the closing statement in the Red Sox stats, schedule #39; four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers yesterday at Fenway Park.$LABEL$1 +Intel in new chip breakthrough Intel creates a more powerful memory chip without increasing its size, confounding the firm's critics.$LABEL$2 +Going ballistic: Agni-II test fired NEW DELHI: Indias quest to develop a solid missile defence took a step forward today when it successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface Agni-II missile, which can cover targets in the 2000-2500 kms-range, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at $LABEL$0 +Nigerian troops set off on AU peace mission to Darfur (AFP) AFP - A 155-strong company of Nigerian infantry flew out of Abuja, heading for the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur to join an African Union force protecting ceasefire monitors.$LABEL$0 +UPDATE: Sons Of Gwalia In Administration On Hedging Debt PERTH (Dow Jones)--Sons of Gwalia Ltd. (SGW.AU), Australia #39;s second-biggest gold producer, has fallen into administration over aA\$348 million hedge book liability.$LABEL$2 +Carnival crowds likely to top 1m As the Notting Hill Carnival enters its final day, police say they are pleased with how it has gone so far. About 250,000 people took to the streets on Sunday - more than double the first day last year - to celebrate 40 years of the west London event.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Chaba Kills Four in Japan Powerful Typhoon Chaba has plowed into southern Japan, sweeping at least four people to their deaths and injuring more than 30 as it knocked out power to thousands.$LABEL$0 +Vietnam Marks Independence with Pardons for Prisoners HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has released nearly 9,000 prisoners, including 10 inmates whose cases it says had drawn international attention, as part of traditional pardons granted ahead of independence celebrations on September 2.$LABEL$0 +Mining concern names outside managers SYDNEY Sons of Gwalia, the world #39;s leading supplier of tantalum, appointed outside managers on Monday after failing to reach agreement with creditors.$LABEL$2 +Minister Lee Says Uncertainty Deepens Economic Lethargy Deputy Prime Minister and Finance-Economy Minister Lee Hun-jai said Monday the nation #39;s current economic lethargy is due to unsubstantiated uncertainty #39; #39; about the future, which in turn weakens the confidence of market players.$LABEL$2 +Robson #39; Massively Disappointed #39; at Newcastle Exit Departing Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson has spoken of his regret at not being able to complete his mission after being relieved of his duties today.$LABEL$1 +Atlas Copco to Sell Electric Tool Business Swedish engineering company Atlas Copco said Monday it will sell its electric tool business to Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries Co.$LABEL$2 +Sadr Aide Tells Iraq Militia to Cease Fire -TV A top aide to Iraq #39;s rebel Shi #39;ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr Monday called on the Mehdi Army militia to cease fire across Iraq and said Sadr was preparing to announce plans for a major political program.$LABEL$0 +96 Processors Under Your Desktop Roland Piquepaille writes quot;A small Santa Clara-based company, Orion Multisystems, today unveils a new concept in computing, #39;cluster workstations.$LABEL$3 +Defrocked Priest Gets Suspended Sentence for Marathon Attack A defrocked Irish priest who attacked the leader during yesterdays Olympic marathon was given a one year suspended sentence in Athens today.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE:Sinopec 1H Pft Up 51; To Raise Refining Capacity HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China Petroleum amp; Chemical Corp. (SNP), the country #39;s second-largest oil and gas producer, Monday reported a 51 jump in first-half earnings and said it plans to boost its refining capacity by about one-fifth over three years.$LABEL$2 +Rebound in US consumer spending US consumer spending rebounded in July, a sign the economy may be emerging from an early summer decline. Consumer spending rose 0.8 last month, boosted by car and retail sales.$LABEL$2 +Israeli Held Meetings With U.S. Analyst (AP) AP - A senior Israeli diplomat in Washington has met with a Pentagon analyst being investigated by the FBI on suspicion he passed classified information to Israel, Israeli officials confirmed Monday.$LABEL$0 +Regional House Price Declines Possible WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing industry economists on Monday cautioned that rapid house price gains in some areas of the country may not be sustainable.$LABEL$2 +Intel Shrinks Transistor Size By 30 pinkUZI writes quot;Intel will announce that it has crammed 500 million transistors on to a single memory chip, shrinking them in size by 30.$LABEL$3 +US Airways Up on Labor Talks US Airways #39; (UAIR:Nasdaq - news - research) shares jumped almost 20 on news that management and pilots were back at the table, trying to hammer out an agreement on work concessions to save the company.$LABEL$2 +Bryant Makes First Appearance at Trial (AP) AP - NBA star Kobe Bryant arrived at his sexual assault trial Monday as attorneys in the case who spent the weekend poring over questionnaires prepared to question potential jurors individually.$LABEL$3 +Language of goals what counts for tongue-tied Ronnie and Michael England striker Michael Owen said his lack of Spanish and Ronaldo #39;s lack of English did not hinder celebrations of the Brazilian #39;s matchwinner for Real Madrid in Sunday #39;s 1-0 win at Mallorca.$LABEL$1 +Oil Drops Below \$42 a Barrel NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices fell more than \$1 on Monday on continued profit-taking as producer-group OPEC eyed increases in the coming months in its tight spare capacity, countering worries over stumbling Iraqi oil exports.$LABEL$2 +Al-Sadr Calls on Militia to Stop Fighting BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for his followers across Iraq to end fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces and is planning to join the political process in the coming days, an al-Sadr aide said Monday...$LABEL$0 +Regional Home Price Drop Possible WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing industry economists on Monday cautioned that rapid house price gains in some areas of the country may not be sustainable.$LABEL$2 +Man U. and Everton play to scoreless draw Manchester, England (Sports Network) - Manchester United #39;s struggle continued on Monday when they failed to score in a 0-0 tie with Everton at Old Trafford.$LABEL$1 +GOP Sharpens Attacks As Convention Opens NEW YORK (AP) -- Sen. John McCain said Monday it was fair game to criticize Democrat John Kerry's anti-war protests three decades ago, firing an opening salvo as Republicans at their national convention sought to portray President Bush as a strong wartime leader.$LABEL$0 +11 Dead in a Car Bomb in Kabul KABUL (Masnet amp; News Agencies) - At least eleven people, including two US citizens, were killed when a truck bomb exploded in downtown Kabul in the second deadly blast to strike Afghanistan over the weekend.$LABEL$0 +Microsoft spends 1bn to keep out the hackers The growing threat of hackers and viruses has prompted Microsoft to roll out a billion- dollar upgrade of its Windows computer operating system to strengthen security.$LABEL$3 +Juniper Takes Security to Endpoints Juniper Networks (Quote, Chart) has launched a new initiative designed to improve interoperability of popular third-party antivirus and firewall measures with its own Secure Socket Layer (define) Virtual Private Network (define) appliances.$LABEL$3 +Stocks Dip on Consumer Income Report News (AP) AP - An unsettling report on consumer incomes set off a spate of profit-taking on Wall Street Monday as investors worried that a tepid economy would erode companies' third-quarter earnings. Another drop in oil prices failed to shake the gloom from the market.$LABEL$2 +SEC Probes United Rentals, Shares Drop CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators are investigating United Rentals Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=URI.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">URI.N</A> and have subpoenaed some accounting records, the company said on Monday, sending its shares down 21.5 percent.$LABEL$2 +New Chechen Leader Vows Peace, Poll Criticized GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) - Chechnya's new leader vowed on Monday to rebuild the shattered region and crush extremists, after winning an election condemned by rights groups as a stage-managed show and by Washington as seriously flawed.$LABEL$0 +Africa takes tough stand on coups The arrest of Margaret Thatcher's son last week is the latest example of a crackdown on overthrows.$LABEL$0 +Generals May Pay a Price for Iraq Abuse WASHINGTON - The Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal could effectively end the careers of four Army generals who are linked indirectly to the misconduct but face no criminal charges. The four are singled out for varying degrees of criticism - mixed with instances of praise - in two comprehensive investigative reports released last week...$LABEL$0 +Survey: IT spending to grow modestly next year CIO confidence is up in third quarter, according to Forrester poll.$LABEL$3 +Coming to a TV near you: Ads for desktop Linux Linspire CEO points out that recent TV ads serve as indication of acceptance in mainstream populace.$LABEL$3 +FOOTBALL: RAE KNEE SCAN HAS MCLEISH IN A SWEAT ALEX RAE was in hospital yesterday for a scan on his injured knee after playing through the pain barrier in Sunday #39;s Old Firm clash.$LABEL$1 +Iraqi oil exports slump: report NEAR daily attacks on pipelines and pumping stations had pushed down Iraq #39;s oil exports to their lowest point in nearly a year, Britain #39;s Financial Times newspaper reported today.$LABEL$0 +Australia #39;s Seven FY Net Jumps 59 To A\$93.3M -2- SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Australian television broadcaster Seven Network Ltd. (SEV) said Tuesday net profit jumped 59 to A\$93.3 million for the fiscal year ended June 26, boosted by profit proceeds from the sell down of its stake in B Digital.$LABEL$2 +Parts pinch shuts down Ford plant Workers at the Ford plant in Hapeville are getting a second unexpected day off during the dog days of summer. The company has stopped assembly-line production at the plant today because of a continued parts shortage, a Ford official said.$LABEL$2 +Orion Debuts Cluster Workstation Orion Multisystems, a new company founded by former Transmeta (Quote, Chart) executives, debuted a family of workstations Monday that think and act like a cluster of servers.$LABEL$3 +AT amp;T Embraces Voice-over-Internet Telephony AT amp;T is attracted to Voice over IP because Internet telephony is cheaper to offer to businesses and consumers and requires less upfront investment than the old copper wire and traditional switching networks.$LABEL$3 +Off-day would have been welcomed by Sox After another disappointing road trip - the White Sox were 3-4 on a swing through Detroit and Cleveland - a day off sure would look enticing.$LABEL$1 +Maker of Twinkies Delays Filing Annual Report, Hires Turnaround <b>...</b> KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 30 -- Twinkie maker Interstate Bakeries Corp. on Monday delayed filing its annual report for the second time, a move that dragged shares lower by more than 42 percent on speculation about the company #39;s ongoing viability.$LABEL$2 +MND confirms China pulling troops from drill The Ministry of Defense confirmed yesterday that China #39;s military had withdrawn most of its troops from Dongshan Island where it was to hold an annual war game, but would not say if the action indicated Beijing was calling off the maneuvers that simulate $LABEL$0 +A Better Solution for Israel The hysterical tone of Daniel Seidemann #39;s plea to the next US administration to save Israel from itself serves no useful purpose op-ed, Aug. 26.$LABEL$0 +Braves Rally to Defeat Giants 7-6 (AP) AP - Even with a big lead in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves aren't taking anything for granted.$LABEL$1 +Bryant Jury Selection Behind Closed Doors (AP) AP - Prospective jurors in the Kobe Bryant rape case were asked their feelings on racial prejudice, interracial relationships, marital infidelity and justice for the rich and famous in an 82-item questionnaire released Monday.$LABEL$1 +IT seeing steady but slow growth: Forrester projects 7 percent <b>...</b> Tech companies waiting for a big resurgence in spending on computer hardware, software, networks and staff better plan to wait about four more years, Forrester Research projected yesterday.$LABEL$3 +Japan should outsource more The Japanese information services industry clocked up sales of 13,703.9 billion yen in fiscal 2001, according to a report on selected service industries for 2001 released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).$LABEL$0 +White Sox Edge Phillies Joe Borchard wows the crowd with the longest homer in the 14-year history of U.S. Cellular Field as the White Sox edge the Phillies 9-8.$LABEL$1 +ANOTHER VOICE Sugary drinks bad for you Many studies have linked the consumption of nondiet soda and fruit juices with added sugars to obesity and attendant risks of diabetes.$LABEL$3 +Testaverde accepts Parcells #39; nomination Who would have thought that the Dallas Cowboys #39; offense would be the least of coach Bill Parcells problems? After cutting their starting quarterback in training camp, signing a controversial $LABEL$1 +Australia Police to Trap Cyberspace Pedophiles (Reuters) Reuters - Australian police acting as part of an\international ""cyber cop"" network will be able to trap\pedophiles who use the Internet to ""groom"" or lure children for\sex, under new laws passed by parliament on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Marlins keep pace in wild-card race The Mets #39; objective, Fred Wilpon said last winter and into the spring, was to play meaningful games late into the season. The owner was confident his revamped team could compete for first place $LABEL$1 +Milosevic opens his defense case, starting second half of his <b>...</b> Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic opened his long-delayed defense at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal Tuesday, describing the battles of his Serbian people as self defense against internal rebellions and external attacks by Islamic warriors.$LABEL$0 +Injury brings Brown down Troy Brown didn't play any defense against Carolina in Saturday night's exhibition game. Thing is, he didn't play much offense or special teams, either.$LABEL$1 +Starting today, funds' stances on proxies are matter of record Every year, public companies put a number of questions before their stockholders for a vote. Investors weigh in on whether to reelect company directors, reappoint auditors, and approve or kill plans to give big stock option packages to senior executives.$LABEL$2 +Hall of Shame Hall of Fame We spotlight people and products that pester us...and the heroes saving us from annoyances.$LABEL$3 +Athens coverage a winner for NBC NBC and its family of cable networks flooded American households with nearly nonstop coverage of the Athens Olympics, and the strategy - along with strong performances by the US teams in swimming and gymnastics -roduced not only a ratings increase $LABEL$1 +Alitalia union may accept job cuts A top Italian labor leader says his union could consider job cuts at Alitalia to prevent the airline #39;s collapse, as workers at the flag carrier clamored for details of its cost-cutting rescue plan.$LABEL$2 +FCC asks high court to rule on broadband (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - The federal government is challenging an appeals court ruling that, officials fear, would stifle the expansion of cable broadband services by burdening the providers with new regulations.$LABEL$3 +UBS pays 265 million dollars for Schwab capital markets business (AFP) AFP - Swiss banking group UBS said that it had paid 265 million dollars (219 million euros) to buy SoundView, the capital markets division of online broker Charles Schwab to strengthen its position on the US Nasdaq market.$LABEL$2 +Longhorn announcements barely a blimp on IT radar While developers are naturally curious over tweaks to the Longhorn road map, many IT administrators barely take notice. Enterprise IT customers typically lag at least $LABEL$3 +Novell reshuffles biz for Linux focus Novell is reorganising its business to focus on two key areas - Linux and identity management. The networking software firm #39;s Nterprise and Linux operations will be folded into a Platform and Application Services group CRN reports.$LABEL$3 +British Minister to Visit North Korea in September The British government has announced plans to send a top Foreign Office representative to North Korea in September. Junior Minister for East Asia Bill Rammell will become the first British minister to visit $LABEL$0 +Broncos Running Back Out for Entire Season (AP) AP - Denver Broncos running back Mike Anderson will miss the entire season because of a groin injury sustained last weekend in an exhibition game against Houston.$LABEL$1 +Apple unveils super thin iMac in Paris (AFP) AFP - Apple Computers launched the newest version of its iMac model, which at two inches thick, is the world's thinnest desktop computer, the company said.$LABEL$3 +Conditions Worsen in Darfur, U.N. Agencies Say (Reuters) Reuters - Conditions for 1.2 million Sudanese\displaced in Darfur continue to worsen amid violent attacks,\spreading disease, and heavy rains which wreak havoc with aid\convoys, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Australian employee of Canadian oil company reportedly abducted in Yemen (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Diplomats investigated Tuesday a report that an Australian oil engineer had been abducted in Yemen by armed tribesmen, but a conflicting report from Yemen said there was no kidnapping.$LABEL$0 +EU, Japan Win WTO Approval to Impose Duties on US (Update2) The European Union, Japan and Brazil won World Trade Organization backing to impose tariffs on US imports after Congress failed to end illegal corporate subsidies worth \$850 million since 2001.$LABEL$2 +Study: CEOs rewarded for outsourcing NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The CEOs of the top 50 US companies that sent service jobs overseas pulled down far more pay than their counterparts at other large companies last year, a study said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Hartford Sees \$91 Mln in Charley Losses NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HIG.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HIG.N</A> on Tuesday became the latest insurer to issue a profit warning tied to Hurricane Charley, the strongest storm to hit Florida in a dozen years.$LABEL$2 +Roundup: Illini men rise to top of AP poll, win game There was little celebrating when Illinois men #39;s players found out they were ranked No. 1 in the nation yesterday afternoon. There was a game to play at night.$LABEL$1 +Maddux Wins No. 302, Baker Wins No. 1,000 Greg Maddux pitched the Chicago Cubs into the lead in the NL wild-card race and gave Dusty Baker a win to remember. Maddux threw seven shutout innings for his 302nd career win, Baker got his 1,000th victory as a manager and Chicago beat the Montreal Expos 5-2 on Monday night...$LABEL$0 +Apple's New iMac Computer Is All Display PARIS (Reuters) - Apple Computer unveiled, after a two-month delay, its new iMac desktop computer on Tuesday which integrates disk drives and processors into a flat display less than two inches thick.$LABEL$3 +New iMac packs computer into flat screen PARIS Apple Computer engineered another design coup on Tuesday, unveiling a new iMac here that incorporates all of the personal computer #39;s innards into a flat-panel screen that balances on an aluminum stand.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 3-Albertsons hit by California strike; shares fall Albertsons Inc. (ABS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US grocer, on Tuesday reported a substantial drop in its quarterly profit as heavy promotions $LABEL$2 +Samsung readies Philips #39; near-field communications for cellphones MANHASSET, NY - Philips Electronics and Samsung Electronics have entered into a deal that will enable Samsung to deploy cellular devices using Philips #39; near-field communications chip and technology.$LABEL$3 +Putin Says Plane Crashes Involved Terrorists Linked to Al-Qaeda Russian President Vladimir Putin today said the explosions that brought down two airliners in Russia a week ago were the work of terrorists linked to the al- Qaeda terrorist network.$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Frances Nears NE Caribbean (AP) AP - Hurricane Frances strengthened as it churned near islands of the northeastern Caribbean with ferocious winds expected to graze Puerto Rico on Tuesday before the storm plows on toward the Bahamas and the southeastern United States.$LABEL$0 +Kansas City Royals Team Report - August 31 (Sports Network) - The Kansas City Royals try to get back on the winning track this evening when they continue their three-game series with the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.$LABEL$1 +Montreal Expos Team Report - August 31 (Sports Network) - The Montreal Expos were handed a setback in Monday #39;s opener at Olympic Stadium. Greg Maddux threw seven shutout innings and went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate to lead the Cubs to a 5-2 victory.$LABEL$1 +Japanese electronics giants in LCD joint venture Hitachi, Toshiba and Matsushita Electric have formed a joint venture to manufacture large liquid-crystal displays for flat-screen televisions, escalating competition for a piece of the digital living room.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft to delay advanced search technology from Longhorn Microsoft said Friday that it is delaying the release of a new data-storage technology, named WinFS, from the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, in order to deliver the operating system by 2006.$LABEL$3 +Darfur conditions worsen rebels struggle to make headway in talks aiming to ease the conflict in the Darfur region. sanctions on Sudan, by saying Moscow opposed sanctions.$LABEL$0 +Beyond solar system, planets that look familiar The universe looked a little more familiar and friendlier on Tuesday. The roll call of planets beyond the solar system swelled significantly with the announcement of a trio of newly discovered worlds much $LABEL$3 +Credit Suisse to Combine US Unit Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland #39;s second-largest bank, said Tuesday it will combine its US-based Credit Suisse First Boston investment unit with its retail and private banking business within two years.$LABEL$2 +Spammers use sender authentication too, study says The technology hasn't been widely adopted, but spammers are taking it up at a faster rate than legitimate e-mailers.$LABEL$3 +SafeGuard Offers Easy Hard-Drive Protection Upgraded version of this encryption app adds plenty of tools for networked users.$LABEL$3 +Francis Nixes Hurricanes' Front Office Job (AP) AP - Ron Francis turned down a front-office job with the Carolina Hurricanes and is still deciding whether he wants to continue his playing career.$LABEL$1 +Disgraced Greek Sprinters Drug Tested by WADA ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have been dope tested by doctors from the World Anti-Doping Agency, an official said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Skype Telephony Now Available for the Mac Skype for Windows, Skype for Pocket PC and Skype for Linux -- Skype for Mac OS X is free. Skype users can control their online presence and $LABEL$3 +Killings shock, humiliate Nepalese Protesters in Kathmandu have expressed disbelief and frustration after learning of the deaths of 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq. Nepal #39;s ambassador to Qatar, Somananda Suman, confirmed $LABEL$0 +Gaddafi to Compensate Libyan Jews for Lost Homes (Reuters) Reuters - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, easing\his country's way back into the international fold, on Tuesday\became the first Arab leader to promise compensation for Jews\who were forced from their homes due to religious tension.$LABEL$0 +Microsoft To Ship Longhorn in 2006 Without WinFS Microsoft will ship its next Windows client code-named Longhorn in 2006 as originally promised -- but without the next-generation file system known as WinFS.$LABEL$3 +Veritas Keeps Reaching into Its Wallet By acquiring KVault, which makes e-mail-archiving software, it aims to erode EMC #39;s lead and rebuild investors #39; confidence.$LABEL$3 +NL Wrap: Edmonds Double Strike Lifts Cards Over Padres NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jim Edmonds belted two solo homers to lead the host St Louis Cardinals to an easy 9-3 win over the San Diego Padres in National League action at Busch Stadium Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +A Year of Charges, Reforms for Funds NEW YORK -- Just a year ago this week, New York Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer shook the financial services industry -- and investor confidence -- by revealing that four big-name mutual fund companies had cut secret deals allowing a New Jersey hedge fund to profit from short-term trading at the expense of ordinary investors.$LABEL$2 +Moscow Rail Station Evacuated on Bomb Threat, Interfax Says Moscow police are conducting a partial evacuation at the Kursk railway station in central Moscow as they search for explosives after receiving an anonymous phone call from a man threatening $LABEL$0 +Iraq #39;s Chalabi escapes attempt on his life Gunmen opened fire Wednesday on a convoy carrying former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi in an apparent assassination attempt that wounded two of his bodyguards, Chalabi #39;s spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Blu-ray group mandates Microsoft codec for BD-ROM The Blu-ray Disc Association (BRDA) has selected Microsoft #39;s VC-9 video codec for future BD-ROM content, the organisation said today.$LABEL$3 +Mariners riding the Ichiro wave Ichiro Suzuki singled three times last night to etch out a spot in history and to send the Toronto Blue Jays a little deeper into oblivion.$LABEL$1 +Wharf marks debut with wickets In-form Alex Wharf made an impressive start to his international career this morning with wickets in his first two overs against India at Trent Bridge.$LABEL$1 +Roddick blisters junior champ By the time his match with Andy Roddick was over, Jenkins had felt the full fury of Roddick #39;s jet blast. Roddick had nailed a 152-mph serve at him, the fastest serve in Open history and one $LABEL$1 +AMD dual-core demo pips Intel, IBM AMD has demonstrated the company #39;s first dual-core microprocessors. Dual-core processors offer improved performance over single-core chips, especially in multithreaded applications.$LABEL$3 +Gunmen ambush Chalabi #39;s convoy, wound 2 BAGHDAD - Gunmen ambushed the convoy of former Iraqi governing council president Ahmed Chalabi on Wednesday, wounding two of his bodyguards, aides said.$LABEL$0 +Albertsons #39; 2Q Profit Falls 36 Percent Persistent economic sluggishness and continued fallout from the Southern California labor dispute slashed second quarter profits 36 percent for Albertsons Inc.$LABEL$2 +Problem device bypassed trials The catheter that triggered three safety recalls by Boston Scientific Corp. of its best-selling Taxus coronary stent after being linked to three deaths and 47 injuries had not been subjected to the rigors of a human clinical trial, FDA records show.$LABEL$2 +CRM Vendor Entellium Adopts Open-Source Strategy (TechWeb) TechWeb - Availability of Entellium's code could speed development of industry-specific CRM products.$LABEL$3 +Suicide bomber kills at least 10 in Moscow MOSCOW -- A woman strapped with explosives blew herself up outside a busy Moscow subway station yesterday night, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 50 in the second terrorist attack to hit Russia in a week.$LABEL$0 +Old Rumors of Gay Sex Prove Powerful on Web Va. GOP members chose Del. Thelma Drake (Norfolk) to replace Rep. Edward L. Schrock after he resigned amidst allegations Schrock indulged in or solicited gay sex.$LABEL$3 +Monster Mashes Attract Masses Kaiju Big Battel -- a multimedia event in which costumed combatants spew toxic ooze on audience members -- is growing in popularity. There are already dedicated websites and a DVD series. Coming next: a book and TV pilot. By Xeni Jardin.$LABEL$3 +Scottish amp; Southern wraps up a 3bn deal over distribution <b>...</b> SCOTTISH amp; Southern Energy yesterday called time on its 18-month acquisition spree after confirming a 3.1 billion swoop for two gas distribution networks.$LABEL$2 +Manchester United the only team for me, says Rooney Teenage striker Wayne Rooney says Manchester United were the only team he wanted to join once they he knew the club were interested in him.$LABEL$1 +Three jockeys, one trainer arrested LONDON -- British police arrested 16 people, including three jockeys and a trainer, Wednesday as part of a major crackdown on corruption in horse racing.$LABEL$1 +Ooh la la, Apple unveils new iMac (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Attempting to capitalize on iPod mania, Apple Computer Tuesday unveiled a fast new version of the iMac that it all but touted as a smart accessory for the sexy music players.$LABEL$3 +Verizon, Bain Near Canada Directory Deal NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VZ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">VZ.N</A> is near an agreement to sell its Canadian telephone directory business to private equity firm Bain Capital, the New York Post said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +China's Lenovo in talks with 'major IT firm' for acquisition (AFP) AFP - China's largest manufacturer of personal computers Lenovo Group said it is in negotiations with a major information technology company, believed to be US-based IBM.$LABEL$3 +RESEARCH ALERT-First Albany ups SuperGen to quot;buy quot; on drug deal First Albany Capital on Wednesday raised SuperGen Inc. #39;s (SUPG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) stock rating to quot;buy quot; from quot;neutral, quot; following its cancer-drug deal with MGI Pharma Inc.$LABEL$2 +Alien Contact More Likely by quot;Mail quot; Than Radio, Study Says Researchers behind the study speculate that other life-forms may have already sent us messages, perhaps even as organic material embedded in asteroids that have struck Earth.$LABEL$3 +Oracle Moves To Monthly Patch Schedule An alert posted on the company #39;s Web site outlined the patches that should be posted to fix numerous security holes in a number of applications.$LABEL$3 +Internet Explorer Wins the Battle There #39;s a remarkable graph on Google #39;s Zeitgeist site showing the meteoric rise of Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 use and equally catastrophic decline of all other competing browsers.$LABEL$3 +Compete against your friends, SI experts and celebrities in this <b>...</b> OWINGS MILLS, Maryland (Ticker) -- quot;Prime Time quot; has decided this is the right time to return to the NFL. Deion Sanders, regarded as perhaps the most electrifying cornerback in league history, arrived here $LABEL$1 +Paris Tourists Search for Key to 'Da Vinci Code' (Reuters) Reuters - A funny thing happened on the way to the\Mona Lisa. Visitors to the Louvre museum in Paris, home of the\world's most famous painting, started quizzing tour guides\about Dan Brown's best-selling novel ""The Da Vinci Code.""$LABEL$0 +U.S. Factory Growth Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Expansion in the U.S. factory sector slowed in August as higher costs for energy and raw materials squeezed manufacturers, a report showed on Wednesday, but analysts said growth remained relatively robust.$LABEL$2 +China Reports Births of Two Giant Pandas (AP) AP - For pandas, it's practically a baby boom. Two giant pandas were born this week, and mothers and cubs were doing fine, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +D #39;Urso suspended by FA The Football Association has handed referee Andy D #39;Urso a 28-day suspension following his failure to give Barry Ferguson his marching orders against Southampton on August 21.$LABEL$1 +Israel seals off Gaza Strip The Israeli army sealed off Gaza Strip Wednesday by shutting down Erez Crossing and the Industrial Zone and prevented Palestinians from leaving.$LABEL$0 +Need for carbon sink technologies Climate scientists tell a conference that greater efforts should be made to pull CO2 from the atmosphere.$LABEL$3 +Share-deal ban signals MGM deal MOVIE studio Metro-Goldwyn Meyer has reportedly banned some of its staff from buying or selling its shares, stoking speculation that a multibillion-dollar takeover of the group could be days away, with Time Warner the favoured candidate.$LABEL$2 +Dell Debuts Color Laser Printers Three new models are designed for businesses and home office users.$LABEL$3 +Crude oil prices soar on drop in US oil inventories Crude oil futures surged Wednesday as the US Energy Department reported US oil supplies fell more than expected. Crude oil for October delivery rose 1.68 dollars to 43.$LABEL$2 +Taiwan #39;s Acer picks a European as president TAIPEI Acer, the Taiwan computer company, named Gianfranco Lanci of Italy as its president on Wednesday, an appointment that signals the company #39;s ambitions to expand its global market share.$LABEL$3 +Companies Moving Cautiously on Microsoft #39;s SP2 Update quot;Whether companies roll out Windows XP immediately or replace their older operating systems with Windows XP when purchasing new PCs, companies now have to ensure XP SP2 compliancy by determining $LABEL$3 +Milosevic Startled: No Applause It was to have been Slobodan Milosevic #39;s day of dignity, the day on which the former Serbian leader would, with certain drama, lay out his defense strategy in his trial $LABEL$0 +Google shares down ahead of first lockup expiry Shares in newly public Google Inc. fell 2 percent on Wednesday as investors braced for the expiration of a lockup period that has kept insiders at the Web search company from selling stock.$LABEL$2 +Philip Morris, plaintiffs fighting again SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Philip Morris and lawyers who won a ten-(B)billion-dollar judgment against the company are fighting again. The cigarette maker on Monday asked the Illinois Supreme Court to disqualify a Chicago $LABEL$2 +Aether Declines Higher Bid for Unit (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Aether Systems Inc., a Maryland wireless data company that is selling off its operating units, said yesterday it received a #36;30 million offer for a division it had already agreed to sell to another buyer for #36;25 million.$LABEL$3 +Scientists to Study Dairy Going Organic (AP) AP - Cornell researchers will watch five upstate New York dairy herds to learn about the problems and challenges of converting from conventional to organic farming.$LABEL$3 +29 escapees from North seek refuge at school in Beijing BEIJING -- Twenty-nine people believed to be North Korean entered the Japanese school in Beijing on Wednesday morning to seek asylum in a country other than China, according to Foreign Ministry officials in Tokyo.$LABEL$0 +Orioles 8, Devil Rays 0 Javy Lopez drove in four runs, Daniel Cabrera became the first rookie to win 10 games this season, and the Baltimore Orioles held the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to two hits in an 8-0 victory.$LABEL$1 +Europeans Eat Less of Dangerous Fatty Foods By PAUL GEITNER BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Europeans eat less of the most dangerous, cholesterol-raising fats than Americans do and the amount is decreasing, according to a report released Wednesday by the European Food Safety Authority. Scientists at the European Food Safety authority declined to say whether the EU should follow the United States' lead and require special labels on margarine, chips, cookies, fries and other potential sources of trans fatty acids...$LABEL$3 +Samsung Says It Will Expand Chip Factories The Samsung Electronics Company, the Korean electronics giant, said Monday that it would invest \$23.7 billion in new chip production lines over the next six years.$LABEL$2 +SAP software exposes shipper's financial errors The installation of SAP financial software at a major London-based container transport firm exposed flaws in the company's accounting systems and processes, forcing it to restate its earnings.$LABEL$3 +VeriSign sues ICANN in state court VeriSign is asking a California court to order the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to butt out of its business.$LABEL$3 +Mexican columnist murdered A prominent Mexican journalist known for his reports on organised crime is killed on the US border.$LABEL$0 +O's Stuff Devil Rays Javy Lopez drives in four runs, Daniel Cabrera becomes the first rookie to win 10 games this season, and the Orioles hold Tampa Bay to two hits in an 8-0 victory Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Republican Convention Dogged by Relentless Protests (Reuters) Reuters - Five thousand people protesting high\job losses formed a 3 mile unemployment line in Manhattan on\Wednesday and AIDS activists disrupted a Republican meeting on\the third day of the party's convention to nominate the\president to a second term in office.$LABEL$0 +Make hotels just like home HOTEL operators, take note: Todays hotel guests are making a nonsense of room-pricing strategies with their aggressive, Internet-aided discount-hunting.$LABEL$3 +Strong Hurricane Roars Over Bahamas Toward Florida (Reuters) Reuters - Hurricane Frances battered the\southeastern Bahamas islands with 140 mph winds on Wednesday as\it roared toward the United States and put millions of people\on alert along Florida's heavily populated east coast.$LABEL$3 +Update 8: Ford, GM Set Production Cuts on Sales Drop Another disappointing sales month at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. led the nation #39;s two largest automakers to cut planned vehicle production in the fourth quarter, which could hurt profits.$LABEL$2 +Apple Unwraps New IMac G5s PARIS -- Apple Computer will begin shipping its new IMac G5 desktop computer worldwide in mid-September, the company #39;s top marketing executive says.$LABEL$3 +Sneaky Sharing (PC World) PC World - Despite well-publicized wins by piracy foes, illegal digital music and movie trading continues to flourish in underground havens.$LABEL$3 +Hague Court Imposes Defense Counsel on Milosevic THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges at The Hague tribunal on Thursday imposed a defense counsel on former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to avoid further delays in his war crimes trial.$LABEL$0 +It #39;s got to be Cole on the left Football365 #39;s top pundit looks ahead to England #39;s international double-header and calls for Joe Cole to be given the nod on the left... Of the three left-sided options available to Sven-Goran Eriksson on Saturday, I would personally go for Joe Cole.$LABEL$1 +Court imposes lawyer on Milosevic The UN tribunal in The Hague says it will impose a defence lawyer on former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.$LABEL$0 +Not a big hit everywhere Bill Ryan is spending the last days of the summer traveling across Canada and the United States to pitch big shareholders on the complicated plan to sell 51 percent of his Banknorth Group Inc. to Toronto-Dominion Bank .$LABEL$2 +Software Service Aims to Outfox Caller ID A new computerized service enables customers to create phony outbound phone numbers in order to mask their telephone identities.$LABEL$2 +As French school year begins, Iraq crisis tests head scarf ban PARIS -- School doors open for 12 million French children today, but there is far more at stake this year than back-to-school jitters.$LABEL$0 +12 nations agree to locust battle plan DAKAR, Senegal -- Residents burned tires and children took to the streets with sticks in Senegal's capital yesterday to fight an invasion of locusts, as 12 West African nations agreed on a battle plan.$LABEL$0 +He's caught up in hurricane There was the \$5 million Deutsche Bank Championship to prepare for and the Ryder Cup is a few weeks away, but the first order of business for Jim Furyk yesterday was to make sure his wife and children were headed for safety.$LABEL$1 +A serving of football EFL style Can't wait to see the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots look to continue their 15-game winning streak when they host the Indianapolis Colts next Thursday? Gridiron junkies will whet their appetite tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Battis Field in Middleborough, where the Middleboro Cobras and Brockton Buccaneers will tangle for Eastern Football League supremacy.$LABEL$1 +Locals lift Irish squad in Europe tourney Tim Brett and Matt Shinney are lacrosse aficionados and fervent players. Brett, 27, who is a manager at a hotel in Charlestown, and Shinney, 23, a student at Bridgewater State College, are self-described lacrosse quot;weekend warriors. quot;$LABEL$1 +Phone fight against home violence A campaign begins to collect old mobile phones and convert them into alarms for women who are attacked in the home.$LABEL$3 +Israeli forces raid Gaza refugee camp Israeli forces destroyed two five-story apartment buildings in a Gaza refugee camp early Thursday after evacuating thousands of Palestinians from a neighborhood, said residents and the military.$LABEL$0 +Napster Offers Music to Go This service leverages new Windows Media 10 technologies to enable Napster subscribers to download music to portable devices, a technology called Janus.$LABEL$3 +Casagrande and Golbano out of Vuelta Italy #39;s Francesco Casagrande and Carlos Golbano of Spain have been declared unfit to start the Tour of Spain following pre-race blood tests.$LABEL$1 +Japanese Prime Minister Inspects Four Northern Islands under <b>...</b> On September 2, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (right) inspects four northern islands that are under territorial dispute with Russia.$LABEL$0 +Red Hat replaces CFO Red Hat on Thursday named Charles Peters Jr. as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Peters replaces Kevin Thompson, who unexpectedly announced his resignation in June, a few days before the $LABEL$2 +Federated sales decline in August A slow August snapped an eight-month winning streak for Federated Department Stores Inc., which reported its first drop in sales since November.$LABEL$2 +French Students Face New Head Scarf Ban PARIS - Millions of French students returned to school Thursday as a new law that bans Islamic head scarves from classrooms went into effect amid demands by Islamic radicals holding two French hostages in Iraq that the law be scrapped. Muslim leaders in France, who had largely opposed the law, urged calm for the return to class...$LABEL$0 +Scotch Whisky eyes Asian and Eastern European markets (AFP) AFP - A favourite tipple among connoisseurs the world over, whisky is treated with almost religious reverence on the Hebridean island of Islay, home to seven of Scotland's single malt distilleries.$LABEL$0 +Mobile phone sales hit second-quarter record: Gartner (AFP) AFP - Global sales of mobile telephones hit a record 156 million in the second quarter, a study published by the US research group Gartner showed.$LABEL$3 +British Bug Splat Survey Springs Surprise (Reuters) Reuters - The results of one of the stranger\environmental surveys to be conducted in Britain are in -- and\there's a surprise.$LABEL$3 +Specialty Retail Tales Not every specialty retailer is cut from the same mold -- some are just moldy.$LABEL$2 +Smith setback for Windies West Indies have been forced to make a second change to their Champions Trophy squad because of injury. Dwayne Smith is suffering from a shoulder problem and has been replaced by Ryan Hinds.$LABEL$1 +Orange tells customers to Talk Now European carrier Orange is rolling out its own Push To Talk service ahead of efforts to create a standardized PTT system. European mobile carrier Orange has announced $LABEL$3 +Microsoft's Tune Like Many Others Cue the music: Microsoft has officially thrown its headphones into the ring in the contest to bring legal music downloads to the masses. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +RNC Protesters Using Text Messages to Plan Multiple reports of provocateurs setting trash fires in midtown,"" read one text message sent to 400-plus mobile phones this week through a service called Ruckus RNC 2004 Text Alerts.$LABEL$3 +Red Hat replaces CFO Charles Peters Jr. is taking over as the company deals with the aftereffects of restating its earnings for the past three fiscal years.$LABEL$3 +Appeals court faults Oracle in shareholder suit Judges send case back to lower court to sort out allegations of improper bookkeeping and ""suspicious"" stock sales.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Japan to give away over one million XP SP2 CDs TOKYO -- Microsoft Corp.'s Japanese arm will begin giving away more than a million CD-ROMs of the company's latest security update, Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from 27,500 locations during September and October, the company said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Sun to enter content switch market Sun Microsystems Inc. plans later this month to unveil its first ever content switch: a load-balancing and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) acceleration switch based on the Nauticus N2000 products that the Santa Clara, California, company acquired in January of this year.$LABEL$3 +US Airways shares up on possible pilots pact Shares of US Airways Group Inc. rose more than 9 Thursday morning after the airline #39;s pilots union said it may agree on a plan to cut wages and benefits.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft to make foray into online music (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Microsoft makes its long-anticipated entry into the online music market today, marking the first serious challenge to Apple Computer's popular iTunes service.$LABEL$3 +LeapFrog's Greener Pastures (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - If you've ever had the entrepreneurial bug dig its teeth into you, odds are that you might take heart anytime a company's founder steps down and moves on. Granted, sometimes you have instances like Gateway's (NYSE: GTW - News) Ted Waitt and Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) Steve Jobs in which the originators come back to lead their companies, but that's rarely the case.$LABEL$3 +Davenport Advances at U.S. Open NEW YORK - Lindsay Davenport's summer of success stayed on course Thursday when the fifth-seeded former U.S. Open champion defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4, 6-2 and advanced to the third round of the season's final Grand Slam event...$LABEL$0 +Media speculate on successor as England coach prepares to step <b>...</b> With Sir Clive Woodward seemingly on his way to soccer, England #39;s rugby team is looking for a new coach to follow up last year #39;s World Cup triumph.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-Jimenez, Garcia, Donald make Langer a happy man Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia warmed up for this month #39;s Ryder Cup with sparkling starts at the European Masters on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Some Dire Talk From Yukos Lifts Oil Prices OSCOW, Sept. 2- World oil prices rose on Thursday after Russia #39;s largest oil producer, Yukos, said a court ruling quot;paralyzes #39; #39; the company #39;s operations.$LABEL$2 +Megawati kicks off 36th ASEAN economic meeting JAKARTA (Agencies): President Megawati Soekarnoputri opened high-level economic talks between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday with a warning to ASEAN leaders that they must stay the course on their agreed $LABEL$2 +Microsoft bends on Sender ID SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft seems to have agreed to bend to the will of the open source community on its anti-spam technology sender ID.$LABEL$3 +Fossil Pushes Upright Walking Back 2 Million Years, Study Says quot;Dating the beginnings of bipedalism is very important in the human story because, for many experts, it would mark a clear divergence from the ancestral/ape pattern and show that the human lineage had really begun, quot; said Chris Stringer, director of the $LABEL$3 +Semiconductor Manufacturing to Boost Capacity by Half (Update2) Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., China #39;s biggest supplier of made-to-order chips, said its factory capacity will rise by more than half in the second half as the company brings more plants on line.$LABEL$3 +The Playlist: What's Wrong With Digital Music Stores? (PC World) PC World - Though digital music has come a long way, today's online music stores still have significant problems. Here's my fix-it wish list.$LABEL$3 +Counting the Hops (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Like Network Appliance, many top tech firms are snapping up Linux programmers, hoping to influence the way the operating system evolves. The trick is to hire programmers closest to Linux creator Linus Torvalds. Torvalds oversees Linux development, but he delegates pieces of the system to the 25 or so code maintainers,like Trond Myklebust at NetApp.Maintainers in turn break their projects into smaller pieces, overseen by submaintainers.$LABEL$3 +Congress Members Seek Officer's Dismissal (AP) AP - A group of congressional Democrats is asking President Bush to dismiss a senior military intelligence officer who made church speeches that included inflammatory religious remarks while discussing the war on terrorism.$LABEL$0 +French Hostage Transfer Sparks Release Hopes PARIS (Reuters) - Hopes of a swift end to the French hostage crisis rose early Friday, after the Le Figaro newspaper that employs one of the two captives said the men were now being held by Iraqi guerrillas willing to negotiate their release.$LABEL$0 +South Korea Seeks to Play Down Nuclear Disclosure SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Friday it did not expect a shock declaration that government scientists enriched uranium four years ago to upset international efforts to end North Korea's nuclear ambitions.$LABEL$0 +After Steep Drop, Price of Oil Rises The freefall in oil prices ended Monday on a spate of ominous developments, including a deadly attack on a US consulate in Saudi Arabia and reports that OPEC might cut production this week.$LABEL$2 +Ex-teller wins bias case against Citizens A former part-time teller and Mexican immigrant won more than \$100,000 after the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination determined Citizens Bank discriminated against her when it bypassed her for a full-time job in favor of a less experienced white co-worker.$LABEL$2 +Seoul allies calm on nuclear shock South Korea's key allies play down a shock admission its scientists experimented to enrich uranium.$LABEL$0 +Freed trio get warm Delhi welcome Three Indian truck drivers held hostage in Iraq arrive back in Delhi, where large crowds greet them.$LABEL$0 +Oil prices rise on fears about Yukos production Oil prices briefly bolted above \$45 a barrel yesterday, then retreated toward \$44, in a volatile day of trading after Russian oil giant Yukos said its output could suffer because of a court ruling that froze some of its assets.$LABEL$2 +The Bahamas - the real medal winner of the Athens Olympics A different way of calculating the medal standings brings some interesting results.$LABEL$3 +Third Month of Slow Sales for Retailers The August start of the back-to-school shopping season was a disappointment for major retailers.$LABEL$2 +South Koreans Say Secret Work Refined Uranium South Korea admitted that a group of its nuclear scientists secretly produced a small amount of near-weapons grade uranium.$LABEL$0 +Del Monte Needs 9Lives The leading private and branded food and pet products marketer is spending to revamp its image.$LABEL$2 +Utes Pile It On Alex Smith throws for three touchdowns, rushes for two more and finishes with 435 yards of offense, and No. 20 Utah backs up its first preseason ranking with a 41-21 win over Texas A M.$LABEL$1 +High court hears dispute over Michigan interstate wine sales The Supreme Court is considering whether Michigan and other states may bar people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers, a big-money question that could lead to sweeping changes in how alcoholic beverages are regulated $LABEL$2 +Apple faithful's apathy to blame for Napsterized schools <strong>Opinion</strong> Impotent with iPod pride$LABEL$3 +Nepal capital under curfew for 3rd day; violators ordered to be <b>...</b> A shoot-on-sight curfew imposed to prevent riots and violent protests over the killing of 12 Nepalese workers in Iraq entered its third day Friday, while officials said they were trying to recover the bodies of the slain hostages.$LABEL$0 +Md. Board Meeting Worries Democrats Republican-dominated election board met behind closed doors in deliberations that Democrats feared were aimed at ousting Elections Administrator Linda H. Lamone.<BR>\<FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +IBM and Intel to open up blade specifications With today's expected announcement, hardware vendors will get access to the BladeCenter specifications by signing a seven-page licensing agreement, which grants users the right to license the specifications for certain types of products.$LABEL$3 +Columnists: Simple and Secure isn't so Simple Simple to code does not always mean simple for the user. And simple for the user is often not easy to code.$LABEL$3 +Policeman Shot Dead in Saudi Battle One Saudi policeman was killed and three others were wounded in clashes with militants in a town northeast of Riyadh. A number of suspects were arrested in the battles, officials said.$LABEL$0 +EU foreign ministers hope to break deadlock over ASEM summit The European Union said Friday it quot;hoped to reach a conclusion quot; at a meeting of foreign ministers on the participation of military-ruled Myanmar in an upcoming summit of Asian and European nations.$LABEL$2 +First Albany cuts target for Intel, keeps #39;buy #39; rating NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- First Albany lowered its stock price target for Intel (INTC) to \$24 from \$30 following the chip sector bellwether #39;s lowered third-quarter revenue and margin outlook.$LABEL$2 +Lynch triumphs at Redcar Fergal Lynch had a good win at Redcar as he returned to action yesterday along with champion jockey Kieren Fallon, fellow rider Darren Williams and trainer Karl Burke, after their shock $LABEL$1 +9 in a row! Red Sox sweep Angels The Red Sox take control of the American League wild-card race with a 4-3 win over the Angels. It was Boston #39;s ninth straight win -- a season high.$LABEL$1 +The Russians are back St. Paul, Minn.Outclassed and completely humiliated by the Russians here last night, the reeling and desperate Americans are planning wholesale lineup changes to get back on track in the World Cup.$LABEL$1 +US economy generated 144,000 jobs in August (AFP) AFP - The US economy generated 144,000 jobs in August, the Labour Department said, in a sign that the labour market was improving slightly after two sluggish months.$LABEL$2 +Yukos faces tax arrears of \$4bn MOSCOW: Russias tax ministry said on Friday that it had raised its back tax claims against oil major Yukos by a fifth for 01, to 119.$LABEL$2 +Argentine court acquits bombing suspects An Argentine court acquitted five suspects in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people, La Nacion newspaper reported Friday.$LABEL$0 +IBM recalls 225,000 laptop adapters The adapters can overheat and cause damage to the circuit board, according to a safety agency. WASHINGTON: IBM will recall about 225,000 AC power adapters for several models of its laptop computer because $LABEL$3 +Big Blue veteran heads to EMC EMC has hired a former IBM veteran to be its chief technology officer, in what appears to be the latest step in EMC #39;s evolution from a data storage hardware specialist to a more comprehensive computing company.$LABEL$3 +No miracle this time That miracle, of course, took place in Lake Placid, NY, during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Thanks to the likes of Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Ken Morrow and the rest of the US hockey team, the mighty Soviet Union $LABEL$1 +Kerry Vows to Tell Truth as President (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Friday\dismissed the Republican convention as ""bitter and insulting""\and promised to be a U.S. president who would tell Americans\the truth.$LABEL$0 +Intel Outlook May Portend PC Weakness NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp's <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=INTC.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">INTC.O</A> sharp cut in its revenue outlook dragged down shares of personal computer makers on Friday, on fears that the chipmaker's problems could signal weak PC markets, analysts said.$LABEL$2 +Indian inflation peaks on imports Indian inflation hits its highest level in more than three years, boosted by increasing energy and food costs.$LABEL$2 +Judge: Geico can sue Google, Overture over ads A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a trademark infringement suit filed by the Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) against Internet search giants Google Inc. and Overture Services Inc. can proceed.$LABEL$2 +Did Apple Offer Sony an ITunes Deal? Update: A partnership may be crucial for long-term success, one industry insider says.$LABEL$3 +USA : Textile industry to renew request to place embargo on <b>...</b> The US textile industry officials would plead for blocking Chinese imports to the Bush administration this month. Earlier this year, the White House had rejected a similar request made by 130 Republican and Democratic members of Congress.$LABEL$2 +NASA braces for Frances Thousands of automobiles clogged Florida #39;s highways during the largest evacuation in state history as residents anticipated the arrival of Hurricane Frances.$LABEL$3 +LSU, Oklahoma play openers on Saturday Louisiana State beat Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Series title game in the Sugar Bowl last January. Both teams play their openers on Saturday in the first full weekend of the college football season.$LABEL$1 +Gerrard only a 50-50 chance VIENNA - England midfielder Steven Gerrard is a major doubt to face Austria in today #39;s opening 2006 World Cup qualifier. Gerrard has failed to shake off a groin injury suffered in training on Thursday and $LABEL$1 +Israeli Troops Kill Two Palestinians (AP) AP - Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in two separate incidents Friday, and Israeli helicopters fired three missiles at a Gaza warehouse the army said was used for making weapons.$LABEL$0 +Continental won #39;t make pension contributions this year Continental Airlines announced today it will not make any contributions to its pension plan this year, citing as reasons the ongoing uncertainty of the industry #39;s economic environment and the record high cost of jet fuel.$LABEL$2 +Napster tests quot;on-the-go quot; subscription service Napster announced yesterday that it is testing a new subscription service model that would add portable devices to the list of its subscription service #39;s supported devices.$LABEL$3 +A different ball game Two interesting stories this week. One - Manchester United #39;s signing of Wayne Rooney - exciting if rather predictable; another - Southampton #39;s apparent intent to hire England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward - surprising and, to many, baffling.$LABEL$1 +President, PM Review Dialogue Process With India ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Sep 04 (PID) - President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz attended a meeting on Friday to review the progress of the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan delineates a strategy to carry the process $LABEL$0 +MLB: Houston 8, Pittsburgh 6 Carlos Beltran went two for four with a homer and scored three times Friday night as Houston downed Pittsburgh, 8-6. Craig Biggio, Jose Vizcaino and Jeff Bagwell also homered for $LABEL$1 +Attack on UN vehicle kills one in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan : An Afghan man died and five people were hurt in a bomb attack on a UN vehicle in Afghanistan, officials said, in the second deadly blast in a week as the country prepares for next month #39;s polls.$LABEL$0 +Mauresmo cruises to straight-set victory NEW YORK No. 2 women #39;s seed Amelie Mauresmo of France advanced to the fourth round of the US Open, defeating No. 31 seed Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-2, 6-0 Friday.$LABEL$1 +It #39;s not in the cards Jose Lima bounced back in grand style Friday night from one of his worst outings of the season and an eight-day layoff, limiting the National League #39;s most feared lineup to two $LABEL$1 +Protesters greet Taiwan president during brief visit Tensions between Taiwan and China landed on Seattle #39;s doorstep last night when Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian visited Seattle under tight security, greeted by demonstrators both for and against Taiwan independence.$LABEL$0 +Livewire: Fantasy Sports Leagues Thrive Online (Reuters) Reuters - Take 15 million armchair athletes,\add a steady stream of statistics and mix in a healthy dollop\of trash talk. Post it all on the Internet and you've got a #36;3\billion industry built around imaginary sports teams.$LABEL$3 +Yankees, Brown go down swinging Kevin Brown's frustrating season finally reached a boiling point, and now his hot temper could cost the New York Yankees at the most important time. Brown broke his non-pitching hand when he punched a wall in the clubhouse last night during a 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles that cut New York's lead in the AL East ...$LABEL$1 +Medicare Premiums to Rise Record 17 Pct. WASHINGTON - Medicare premiums for doctor visits are going up a record \$11.60 a month next year. The Bush administration says the increase reflects a strengthened Medicare, while Democrats complain that seniors are being unfairly socked...$LABEL$0 +AT amp;T Wireless Moves to Sell Canada Asset T amp;T Wireless Services Inc., the third-largest United States mobile phone company, reached an agreement yesterday with Rogers Communications Inc.$LABEL$2 +Symonds century lifts Australia LONDON, England -- Andrew Symonds rode his luck to score the second one-day century of his career as Australia scored 269-6 from their 50 overs against Pakistan at Lord #39;s.$LABEL$1 +Federer back in Open #39;s fourth round with masterful performance For most tennis players, having about the same number of clean winners as unforced errors translates into a pretty good performance.$LABEL$1 +Two Palestinians kiled in a night raid against a warehouse in Gaza Israeli military helicopters yesterday evening bombarded by missiles a building in one of the refugee camps in the downtown of Gaza, while two Palestinians were killed and other three injured in the sector by the Israeli bullets.$LABEL$0 +Colo. Town Relieved by Bryant Decision (AP) AP - It was the surest sign that the Kobe Bryant case was leaving town for good after a 14-month occupation: A rancher obtained permission to tear down CNN's 15-by-20-foot camera platform near the courthouse.$LABEL$1 +French captives #39; fate mulled BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Islamic militant group that claimed to have kidnapped two French journalists said it would soon decide their fate, according to a message posted on a Web site Friday, and an Iraqi negotiator called the chance for their release quot;excellent $LABEL$0 +Alert shuts Los Angeles airport Parts of Los Angeles international airport are temporarily closed down amid reports of a security breach.$LABEL$0 +Bush cuts down the middle on broccoli question (AFP) AFP - Facing a issue that once tripped up his father, US President George W. Bush told adoring supporters that he likes broccoli. Part of it, anyway.$LABEL$0 +Job numbers give candidates room to debate WASHINGTON - Employers stepped up hiring in August, expanding payrolls by 144,000 and lowering the unemployment rate to 5.4 percent.$LABEL$2 +No. 19 Iowa Dominates Kent St., 39-7 (AP) AP - Drew Tate threw two touchdowns in his first start and No. 19 Iowa turned in a dominating defensive performance to beat Kent State 39-7 in the season opener Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Quick Duff puts Kerr #39;s men into fast lane Brian Kerr took his Ireland squad to the dogs last Wednesday, but the evening spent watching greyhounds race was not solely about relaxation.$LABEL$1 +Email this to a friend Print this story Never content with the simple things in life, Microsoft is apparently on a mobile media crusade with the deceptively unassuming announcement of the companies MSN Music service.$LABEL$3 +Stocks dip after Intel cuts forecast STOCKS in the United States fell - led by technology shares - after the world #39;s biggest semiconductor maker Intel cut its revenue forecast because of slowing demand for personal computers and mobile phones.$LABEL$2 +Hezbollah rejects abolition call The leader of militant Lebanese group Hezbollah rejects a UN call for the organisation to be disbanded.$LABEL$0 +Pierce hunts down Sharapova Maria Sharapova, the 17-year-old Wimbledon champion, was eliminated in the third round at the US Open yesterday by the 27th seed, Mary Pierce, who used to be known as quot;The $LABEL$1 +Singh Takes Two-Shot Lead, Woods Tied for Second NORTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Fiji's Vijay Singh fashioned an eight-under par 63 Saturday to take a two-shot second-round lead on 131 in the Deutsche Bank Championship.$LABEL$1 +Biffle Bests Mears Greg Biffle wins a nearly race-long duel with Casey Mears, pulling away over the last two laps to win the NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday at California Speedway.$LABEL$1 +Wal-Mart Anchors Windows Media Mall The world #39;s largest software company has teamed with the world #39;s largest retailer to help kick off the latest version of Windows Media Player.$LABEL$2 +KERR CRUISES INTO LEAD Cristie Kerr carded a nine-under-par 63 to take a four-stroke lead after the third round of the State Farm Classic in Illinois. Kerr entered the day four shots behind Christina Kim but showed the youngster that Tour veterans must never be underestimated.$LABEL$1 +In Internet Calling, Skype Is Living Up to the Hype Skype is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way for individual customers to use their computers with broadband connections as telephones.$LABEL$3 +The Next Shock: Not Oil, but Debt The American economic ship, which has weathered the recent run-up in crude oil prices, may be more vulnerable to sudden surges in the price of money.$LABEL$2 +Motorists Submitting to High Gas Prices (AP) AP - Americans appear to be getting used to paying more to drive #151; even if it means they have less money to buy other things. For example, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, blamed disappointing sales in August on the fact that shoppers spent more just getting to and from its stores.$LABEL$2 +Judge orders inspector to look at Hollinger dealings A Canadian judge has ordered that a court-appointed inspector be assigned to take a close look at the business dealings of Hollinger Inc, the Conrad Black-controlled company said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Pfizer to settle asbestos claims NEW YORK (DowJonesAP) - Pfizer (PFE) said Friday it has agreed to pay \$430 million to settle all lawsuits against it alleging injury from insulation products made by a subsidiary.$LABEL$2 +Apache Balks At Microsoft #39;s Licensing Demands For Anti-Spam <b>...</b> com. The Apache Software Foundation, developers of the popular open-source Apache web server, said on Thursday that it wouldn #39;t support the proposed anti-spam standard Sender ID, because the licensing terms set by Microsoft Corp.$LABEL$3 +ASEAN moves closer to single market with #39;road map #39;, global trade <b>...</b> JAKARTA : ASEAN finance ministers ended a meeting which saw Southeast Asia edge closer to a Europe-style single market, laying out a quot;road map quot; for integration and opening doors to wider global trade.$LABEL$0 +Canada, Finland rule pools Martin Brodeur made 27 saves, and Brad Richards, Kris Draper, and Joe Sakic scored to help Canada beat Russia, 3-1, last night in Toronto, giving the Canadians a 3-0 record in round-robin play of the World Cup of Hockey.$LABEL$1 +Smith lifts Missouri with all-around effort COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Brad Smith threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 63 yards and another score to help No. 18 Missouri rout Arkansas State, 52-20, last night in the season opener for both teams.$LABEL$1 +UConn passes first test Dan Orlovsky threw for 382 yards and tied his school record with five touchdown passes to lead Connecticut to a 52-14 win over Murray State yesterday in East Hartford.$LABEL$1 +Tigers celebrating after Beavers don #39;t get their kicks Freshman Alexis Serna is down on the field kneeling, pounding the Tiger Stadium turf. He wanted to hide. But couldn #39;t find a place.$LABEL$1 +Russian school death toll tops 340 The death toll in the Russian schoolhouse siege soared to more than 340 yesterday, and the horrifying human cost is likely to keep climbing.$LABEL$0 +Sharapova ousted They were 78 feet and a generation apart. On one end of the Arthur Ashe Stadium court stood Maria Sharapova, the 17-year-old Wimbledon champion with a future as bright as her usual smile.$LABEL$1 +Tom Ridge sets all-age record in winning World Trotting Derby Tom Ridge set an all-age record of 1 minute 50.2 seconds in winning the \$530,000 World Trotting Derby at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fair yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Little guy earns big victory at Open NEW YORK -- Olivier Rochus didn't know quite how to react. First the arms went hesitantly up in the air. Then there was a little half-fist pump, a triumphant bellow, and a smile that could have lit a path through the darkest storm. Then Rochus, a 23-year-old Belgian who prior to this year had never won a match at the ...$LABEL$1 +Checking changes Toward the end of the month if resources are a little tight, there are times when Krista Bergstrom admits she writes a check or two for more than is left in her account.$LABEL$2 +Sales aren #39;t making the grade Retailers in Michigan delighted when students returned to the classroom, but the back-to-school sales haven #39;t generated the kind of dollars many projected.$LABEL$2 +Rossi: #39;I #39;m fairly happy #39; Valentino Rossi, who on Thursday pledged his future to Yamaha, entered the final qualifying session with the fastest time to date, but with the morning rain having washed the circuit clean, the Italian was unable to challenge Makoto Tamada for the pole.$LABEL$1 +Pope Prays for Beslan School Dead at Italy Mass LORETO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope John Paul prayed for the victims of the ""inhumane violence"" of Russia's Beslan school tragedy as he said Mass on Sunday before 200,000 people in central Italy.$LABEL$0 +Kerr happy with Irish win Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr said he was delighted with the 3-0 win over Cyprus after so many players had pulled out of his squad.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft Sees Open-Source Threat Looming Ever Larger Microsoft Corp. is facing growing pressure from open-source software across every segment of its businessa competitive threat that could have significant consequences for its financial future going forward $LABEL$3 +Global sales of mobile phones hit record levels PARIS Global cellphone sales rose to record levels in the second quarter as Nokia clawed back some of its lost market share, according to figures released Thursday.$LABEL$3 +In the end, goofs sink Jays TORONTO -- All the early miscues belonged to the Oakland Athletics but the ones that mattered the most, in the eighth and ninth innings, were made by the Toronto Blue Jays.$LABEL$1 +France Hopeful for Hostages, Fatwa Demands Release (Reuters) Reuters - France remained hopeful on Sunday that\two French hostages in Iraq would be freed and a religious\fatwa issued in Iraq demanded their release.$LABEL$0 +Saddam, Aides to Go on Trial Within Weeks - Daoud Iraq #39;s toppled leader Saddam Hussein and his top aides will go on trial within weeks, Iraqi Minister of State Kasim Daoud said on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +The Lowdown on Downloading Music The digital music space is changing, with more songs and a growing number of places to download music legally. Realizing that the time was ripe to see how we were doing, I took some song recommendations and sat down to see what I could download.$LABEL$3 +Guidant, J amp;J reportedly are in merger talks Johnson amp; Johnson is in advanced negotiations to acquire Guidant, an Indianapolis-based medical device maker, for more than \$24 billion, executives close to the talks said Monday.$LABEL$2 +Iraq Govt. Seeks to Confirm if Saddam Aide Held BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's government was scrambling on Sunday to confirm whether the most wanted Saddam Hussein aide still on the run had been captured, as confident statements that he had been seized gave way to doubt and confusion.$LABEL$0 +Hurricanes Bring Environmental Renewal (AP) AP - Along with their destructive force, hurricanes can have beneficial effects as part of the rhythm of nature. Storms that erode beaches, uproot trees and flatten wildlife habitats may also refresh waterways, revive dry areas and bulk up barrier islands with redistributed sand.$LABEL$3 +Bush takes a double-digit lead as Kerry campaign struggles to regroup (AFP) AFP - George W. Bush took a double-digit lead in what had been a neck-and-neck presidential election contest, prompting Democratic challenger John Kerry to refocus his campaign on bread-and-butter economic issues, where the Republican incumbent president is considered vulnerable.$LABEL$0 +Lord #39;s smiles on India once more India bowled England all out for 181 to win the third one-day international of the NatWest Challenge at Lord #39;s by 23 runs. England would have gone into the second innings confident.$LABEL$1 +Chicago Bears Cut Bryan Robinson LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Veteran defensive lineman Bryan Robinson (pictured) was among 21 players cut Sunday as the Chicago Bears pared their roster to 53.$LABEL$1 +Cycling: Petacchi wins second stage in Spain MADRID : Alessandro Petacchi showed why he is considered one of the world #39;s top sprinters when coming out on top in a mass dash to the line in the second stage of the Tour of Spain.$LABEL$1 +PM and Latham target Sydney Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Mark Latham will target key marginal seats around Sydney as the election campaign hits its second week.$LABEL$0 +Frances Knocks Out Power, Floods Florida FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Hurricane Frances' wind and water whacked swaths of southern Florida with fire-hose force Sunday, submerging entire roadways and tearing off rooftops even as the storm weakened and crawled inland with heavy rain in its wake...$LABEL$0 +World briefs LONDON - A man wielding a machete and a knife attacked two security guards at the building housing the headquarters of the British domestic intelligence service MI5 on Friday, police said.$LABEL$2 +Yankees' Brown Has Successful Surgery Kevin Brown had successful surgery on his broken left hand Sunday and vowed to pitch again for the Yankees this season.$LABEL$1 +S.Africa Cancels Thatcher Meeting with Eq. Guinea South Africa has canceled a meeting with prosecutors from Equatorial Guinea who had hoped to interview Mark Thatcher on his suspected links to a coup plot in the oil-rich country, officials said on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Bangladesh seeks US intelligence cooperation Bangladesh is willing to sign a protocol with the United States to set up a joint working group like India and Pakistan did to enhance Dhaka #39;s capability to effectively deal with future terrorist acts in the country.$LABEL$0 +Titans Release No. 3 QB Jason Gesser (AP) AP - The Tennessee Titans released Jason Gesser, their third quarterback, on Sunday and plan to replace him with a veteran.$LABEL$1 +Jets: Abraham is likely to miss 3 games Though coach Herman Edwards ruled defensive end John Abraham out for only this Sunday #39;s game against the Steelers with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, he #39;ll be $LABEL$1 +Astros 10, Pirates 5 HOUSTON Mike Lamb went four-for-five with a homer and four RB-Is to lead the Houston Astros to their ninth straight win with a 10-to-five victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates today.$LABEL$1 +Labor situation deserves honest talk For a moment last week, President Bush escaped the White House spin chamber and was the plainspoken man much of the nation came to like four years ago.$LABEL$2 +Saddam #39;s top aide al-Douri arrested File photo taken on March 1, 2003 shows Izzat Ibrahim at the Arab Summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. Ibrahim, the second most powerful man of the former Iraqi regime, was captured on Sept.$LABEL$0 +Jags Cut Compton, Maddox (AP) AP - Veteran offensive lineman Mike Compton and rookie defensive tackle Anthony Maddox were among the 12 players cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Former Saddam Deputy Arrested in Iraq (AP) AP - Iraqi authorities claimed on Sunday to have captured Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted member of Saddam Hussein's ousted dictatorship, but there was confusion over the report, as the Iraqi defense minister said word of his arrest was ""baseless.""$LABEL$0 +Couch, Gildon, Levens Among NFL Cuts (AP) AP - Tim Couch's stay in Green Bay was short and unproductive.$LABEL$1 +Tokyo Stocks Higher, Lifted by Survey TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks rose by mid-morning on Monday with a broad range of issues getting a lift from a key survey that boosted optimism on Japan's economic outlook, with expectations rising that growth figures will be revised up.$LABEL$2 +British industry at best in 10 years Manufacturing industry is enjoying its strongest performance for almost 10 years, according to a survey by the Engineering Employers Federation.$LABEL$2 +Porn producers face severe punishment Those who are engaged in the profit-oriented production and dissemination of pornographic materials through the Internet, mobile communication terminals and quot;phone-sex quot; services in China are subject to punishment as severe as life imprisonment, according $LABEL$3 +CRICKET: Kaspa has selectors in a bind MICHAEL Kasprowicz has put national selectors into a difficult situation with a five-wicket burst that has enhanced Australia #39;s hopes of snatching a maiden Champions Trophy in London this month.$LABEL$1 +Tokyo Stocks Higher at Late Morning (AP) AP - Tokyo stocks rose moderately Monday morning on bargain hunting following Friday's losses. The U.S. dollar was up against the Japanese yen.$LABEL$0 +Under Attack, Director Says Hollinger's Black Misled Him Richard N. Perle, a director at the media company Hollinger International who was criticized in an internal report, says he was duped by its former chief, Conrad M. Black.$LABEL$2 +French minister returns empty handed Leaving behind two French reporters still held hostage in Iraq, France #39;s foreign minister headed home from the Middle East but said they were still believed to be alive and that efforts to free them would continue.$LABEL$0 +Possible playoff preview A #39;s take a hit in Toronto but come home <b>...</b> If the playoffs opened right now, instead of next month, the A #39;s would face the Red Sox in the first round -- again. Boston bounced Oakland out of the postseason in five games last year, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to do so.$LABEL$1 +COL FB: Tennessee 42, UNLV 17 Freshman Brent Schaeffer threw for one touchdown and ran for another Sunday as the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers defeated the UNLV Rebels, 42-17.$LABEL$1 +Is It Time For Steroid Testing In High Schools? SALINAS, Calif. -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in meetings Monday that he would accept government intervention on steroid testing if the players #39; association refuses to change the current rules, which run for two more years.$LABEL$1 +Update 4: Tokyo Stocks Fall, US Dollar Climbs Tokyo share prices fell steeply Friday, led by technology stocks after a disappointing report from US chip giant Intel. The US dollar was up against the Japanese yen.$LABEL$2 +West Japan on Guard for Aftershocks After Quakes TOKYO (Reuters) - Residents of western Japan were warned of possible aftershocks on Monday after two strong earthquakes the previous day but authorities said the tremors were not directly linked to a cycle of major seismic activity that hits the region every century or so.$LABEL$0 +Monti gives Abbey takeover green light European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti has given the green light to the UK8.75bn takeover bid by Spain #39;s Santander for the UK #39;s Abbey National.$LABEL$2 +Anwar launches bid to clear name Lawyers for Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, have launched a bid to clear his name. Mr Anwar was freed from jail on Thursday, after a conviction for sodomy was quashed by a Malaysian court.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei hits 5-week closing high on upbeat capital spending data TOKYO - Japan #39;s benchmark Nikkei stock index hit a five-week closing high Monday on upbeat capital spending figures for the April-June quarter by Japanese companies.$LABEL$2 +India and Pakistan wind up talks, deadlock on Kashmir (AFP) AFP - The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan held a closing round of talks amid reports of progress on peripheral issues, but the nuclear rivals remained deadlocked on Kashmir.$LABEL$0 +Public warning over letter bombs The discovery of 10 letter bombs has prompted a police warning to the public to exercise caution. Bedfordshire Police said none of the improvised devices - containing lighter fluid - had ignited, despite the fact that some had been opened.$LABEL$0 +Pornsters face life in China smut crackdown China is stepping up its hard line against internet pornography by threatening life imprisonment for anyoner caught peddling porn.$LABEL$3 +Russia Mourns Hostage Deaths, Putin Criticized BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) - Russia on Monday mourned the deaths of hundreds of children and adults in its worst hostage drama as criticism mounted over the way President Vladimir Putin and his security forces handled the crisis.$LABEL$0 +South American World Cup Qualifiers: Brazil Ease Past Bolivia An impressive first-half display from Brazil saw the Selecao defeat Bolivia 3-1 to move back to the top of the South American World Cup qualifying group.$LABEL$1 +Toyota to open south China plant Japan carmaker Toyota enters a joint venture to produce saloon cars in southern China.$LABEL$2 +So Long XMLHack! \\""It's been a lot of fun writing XMLhack since 1999, but it's time for us to take\a rest.""\\""XMLhack has always been run by volunteers writing in their spare time, and now\most of us have so little of that precious commodity it's infeasible to keep the\site going at anything like the rate we want it to be.""\\""As editor, I'd like to extend my grateful thanks to all the contributors over\time, a list of whom you can see on the contributors page. My special thanks go\to Simon St.Laurent, my co-conspirator from the start.""\\So long guys!\\I've been a subscriber to XMLHack for probably > 3 years now. They were one of\the earlier blog-like sites to have RSS in what I'd call a 'modern' and rich\f ...\\$LABEL$3 +Next gen games prove a challenge Making games for the future consoles is going to take a lot of time and money, a games conference is told.$LABEL$3 +2 charged after Chicago area pals are slain in NC tragedy Ever since they met in fourth grade, Brett Johnson Harman and Kevin McCann were as close as brothers. quot;They had the same mannerisms, the same kind of humor, and they even looked alike, quot; said McCann #39;s father, Dennis McCann.$LABEL$1 +EU: Coke Anti-Trust Deal Not Set in Stone BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A proposed settlement between Coca-Cola Co. and the European Commission to end a long-running antitrust case over fizzy drinks is not yet set in stone, the European Union's executive said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +French Internet provider Wanadoo will build Dutch broadband network (AFP) AFP - The French Internet provider Wanadoo will construct its own broadband network in the Netherlands and hopes to reach 55 percent of Dutch homes, a spokesman told the Financieele Dagblad.$LABEL$3 +Service Sector Hit By High Oil Costs Confidence in service firms has been hit by rising oil prices and interest rates but manufacturers have seen the best rate of orders for nine years, two surveys show.$LABEL$2 +Has Your Broadband Had Its Fiber? Falling costs, new technology, and competition, with a nudge from regulatory changes, are bringing fiber closer to homes in the US just a few years after the idea seemed all but written off.$LABEL$3 +No Sign Yet of Predicted Big California Earthquake (Reuters) Reuters - The clock is running out on a\highly publicized prediction that a major earthquake will rip\through Southern California by Sunday.$LABEL$3 +Donald runs into Ryder form Luke Donald says his win in the European Masters on Sunday bodes well for his upcoming Ryder Cup debut. Donald was one of European captain Bernhard Langer #39;s two picks for the match, which takes place at Oakland Hills, Michigan from 17-19 September.$LABEL$1 +US Marines Die In Fallujah Car Bombing BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A US military official in Iraq said seven American marines have been killed Monday in a car-bomb explosion. Several other Marines have been wounded in the attack.$LABEL$0 +Funds: What Makes a Fund a Winner? (Reuters) Reuters - (Clint Willis is a freelance writer who covers mutual funds\for Reuters. Any opinions in the column are solely those of Mr.\Willis.)$LABEL$2 +Coca-Cola closer to settling EU antitrust case NEW YORK, September 3 (New Ratings) - The European Union has reportedly made significant progress in settling its prolonged antitrust case against The Coca-Cola Co (KO.$LABEL$2 +Softbank's hopes on mobile services dashed (FT.com) FT.com - Softbank's hopes of starting a mobile phone service were dealt a blow on Monday after the Japanese telecoms regulator decided not to allocate bandwidth to new entrants for the time being.$LABEL$3 +Coca-Cola Makes Very Good #39; Bid to End Probe, EU Says (Update2) Coca-Cola Co. moved closer to settling a five-year European Commission antitrust probe after regulators said an offer from the world #39;s biggest soft-drink maker to revamp its sales practices is very good.$LABEL$2 +Sox rookie Diaz dials it up against Ichiro, Mariners The Felix Diaz who struggled mightily for most of the time he has spent at the major league level this season was nowhere to be found Sunday afternoon, and that was a most pleasant development as far as the White Sox were concerned.$LABEL$1 +Iraq Group Sets Ransom, Deadline for French Release (Reuters) Reuters - A statement posted on a Web site\purportedly by an Iraqi group which said it was holding two\French hostages set a #36;5 million ransom on Monday and issued a\48-hour deadline for its demands to be met.$LABEL$0 +Supah Blitz captures Del Mar BC Handicap After spending the first 29 starts of his career mostly confined to the East Coast, Supah Blitz found out what everyone eventually does - it #39;s much better at Del Mar. In his $LABEL$1 +Japanese baseball players set to strike Japanese baseball players will strike for the first time if owners proceed with a proposed merger of two teams, the players #39; union said Monday.$LABEL$1 +From overtime rules to job losses from outsourcing overseas to <b>...</b> Labor Day is one of those terms, like driveway and parkway, that means the opposite of what it seems to mean. Honoring the nation #39;s workers, Labor Day is not for working but for picnics.$LABEL$2 +Super powers make move on September BUOYED by ever-increasing crowd figures and television ratings, rugby union yesterday announced a significant expansion of the southern hemisphere season which includes an assault on the traditional September AFL and NRL finals series.$LABEL$1 +Red Sox, Schilling roll on BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox put themselves in great position for a run at the AL East-leading New York Yankees with a great homestand.$LABEL$1 +PM edges ahead in latest poll JOHN Howard #39;s plea for voters to trust him with the economy is paying early dividends, an exclusive Herald Sun poll shows. The Coalition has moved ahead of Labor by 52 per cent to 48 per cent as the Prime Minister #39;s interest rates campaign takes hold.$LABEL$0 +Retailers Looking to Move Plasma TV's (AP) AP - Hanging stockings by the chimney with care? Retailers hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there #151; to hang a 42-inch plasma-screen TV.$LABEL$2 +Cazenove faces scrutiny over merger talks Cazenove, the Queen #39;s broker, will tomorrow be under pressure to divulge the state of merger talks at its annual shareholder meeting, with US giants circling the firm.$LABEL$2 +Oil Tip-Toes Higher, Watches Stocks, OPEC (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. oil prices edged higher for the\second day in a row on Tuesday amid calls within OPEC to crack\down on excess output at this week's meeting.$LABEL$2 +Bush Backers in Wisconsin Say He Is Decisive in War (Reuters) Reuters - The Iraq war and concerns about\terrorism may determine the outcome of the upcoming election,\and they appear to have bolstered support for President Bush in\at least one Republican bastion in the swing state of\Wisconsin.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Kidnappers of French Reporters Demand Ransom (Update1) The Iraqi kidnappers of two French reporters who have been missing since Aug. 20 today demanded a \$5 million ransom as a condition for their release, according to a statement posted on an Islamic Web site.$LABEL$0 +Capsule to bring the Sun down to Earth A space capsule set to plunge into Earth #39;s atmosphere with a piece of the Sun this Wednesday has spawned additional projects ranging from spacecraft design to the detection of dangerous asteroids.$LABEL$3 +Slovaks and Czechs reject French minister #39;s suggestion over EU <b>...</b> The Slovak and Czech governments Monday rejected a proposal by French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy to axe structural funds for new EU members whose taxes were lower than the European average.$LABEL$2 +Button defends F1 decision Britain #39;s Jenson Button has justified his decision to leave BAR for Williams as the dispute over his future moves towards a conclusion.$LABEL$1 +Reds pick up Miley #39;s option for 2005 Reds general manager Dan O #39;Brien said Sunday what he has hinted at for the last month or so: Dave Miley and his staff will be back for 2005.$LABEL$1 +Streaking Astros Clock Reds 11-5 (AP) AP - Astros pitcher Brandon Backe hit his first career homer, a two-run shot, and allowed one run in seven innings to keep Houston in the thick of the NL wild-card chase with an 11-5 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Maid sues Sony Pictures exec p2pnet.net News- James Jackson, vp of legal affairs for Sony Pictures Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy protection just days before a lawsuit accusing him and his wife of involuntary servitude, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, negligence and $LABEL$3 +Blast kills seven US Marines in Iraq A massive car bomb exploded on the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Fallujah, killing seven United States Marines and wounding several others, a US military official said.$LABEL$0 +Clinton Has Successful Quadruple Bypass NEW YORK - Bill Clinton underwent a successful quadruple heart bypass operation Monday to relieve severely clogged arteries that doctors said put the former president at grave risk of suffering a heart attack. Clinton is expected to make a full recovery, but doctors said he was fortunate to have checked himself into the hospital when he did...$LABEL$0 +Microsoft: scan for spyware before downloading SP2 Microsoft last week warned Windows XP users to scour their systems for spyware before downloading Service Pack 2. An Associated Press report quoted Microsoft executives saying some spyware could cause computers to freeze upon installation.$LABEL$3 +No Kashmir Breakthrough NEW DELHI, 7 September 2004 - India and Pakistan stuck to their guns on the Kashmir issue as the foreign ministers of the two countries concluded their talks yesterday on what was described as a positive note.$LABEL$0 +Golf's New No. 1 Tiger Woods's reign as the world's top player ends at 264 weeks as Vijay Singh has seized the No. 1 spot after beating Woods to win the Deutsche Bank on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Intel lauds milestone in shrinking chips Contradicting fears that the semiconductor industry #39;s pace of development is slowing, Intel Corp has announced that it has achieved a milestone in shrinking the size of transistors that will power its next-generation chips.$LABEL$3 +Philippines mourns dead in Russian school siege The Philippines Saturday expressed quot;deepest sympathy quot; to the families of the dead in the Russian school siege on Friday, in which 322 people were killed when Russian troops stormed $LABEL$3 +CBA to purchase local lender #39;s share Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) said yesterday it was in talks with the Jinan City Commercial Bank (JNCCB) about buying a stake in the regional lender.$LABEL$2 +Singh knocks Woods from No. 1 with victory at TPC of Boston For it to happen on Labor Day became a perfectly fitting reward for Vijay Singh, golf #39;s most noted laborer. The man from Fiji who closes practices ranges for a living opened a new door in world golf Monday.$LABEL$1 +Caribbean Braces for Another Hurricane (AP) AP - Islanders scrambled to put up storm shutters and stock up on supplies as the fourth major hurricane of the season churned closer to the Caribbean, packing sustained winds of 105 mph.$LABEL$0 +Summer Box Office Hits a High, Despite Lows In a summer when many of the studios' biggest bets failed to pay off, it was familiarity in the form of sequels and low-budget comedies that resonated with movie audiences.$LABEL$2 +Pump prices may dip after Labor Day Pump prices have been climbing in advance of Labor Day, as they often do before the last major drive-away weekend of the summer. The average price for self-serve regular $LABEL$2 +Irish Union Airs Fears Over Natl Australia Bank Units DUBLIN (Dow Jones)--Ireland #39;s banking union said Monday it #39;ll write to the Irish Competition Authority and European Commission expressing concern over the prospective sell-off of National Australia Bank Ltd.$LABEL$2 +Once Again, Mets Sputter Toward End of a Season year ago, the Mets were going nowhere when they swept the first-place Atlanta Braves in a three-game series at Shea Stadium on the first three days of September.$LABEL$1 +Petronas pursues China LNG supply opportunities Petroliam Nasional Bhd., or Petronas, Malaysias national oil and gas firm, is in discussions with Chinas State-owned oil and gas firms for potential liquefied natural $LABEL$2 +Russia Says Attack Was To Ignite Regional War The guerrillas who took over a school in southern Russia argued heatedly over whether to abandon the siege in the moments leading up to the firestorm of explosions and shooting that killed hundreds, Russian officials said Monday.$LABEL$0 +INTERVIEW: Australia #39;s QBE Consolidates European Units SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Seeking to cut costs and encouraged by UK regulatory changes, Australia #39;s QBE Insurance group Ltd. (QBE.AU) Tuesday said it will merge its Lloyd #39;s division with other European operations.$LABEL$2 +Dell cuts prices on many corporate products Dell on Monday said it had cut prices by as much as fifth for a range of products aimed at US corporate customers, as the computer maker passed along savings from cheaper components.$LABEL$3 +NL Wrap: Backe Pitches, Hits Astros to Win Over Reds Brandon Backe pitched seven innings and clubbed a two-run homer, the first of his major league career, to earn the Houston Astros an 11-5 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Monday.$LABEL$1 +Longhorns face steeper competition against Razorbacks The University of Texas football team is coming off a 65-0 victory over the North Texas Eagles. Texas dominated every facet of the game against the Eagles.$LABEL$1 +Yankees Win Controversial Game Against Devil Rays NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alex Rodriguez drove in three runs and Orlando Hernandez pitched seven strong innings to guide the New York Yankees past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-4 in the American League Monday.$LABEL$1 +Vijay around, Tiger not yet out of woods The sun was setting when Vijay Singh, Fijian golfer of Indian origin, birdied the 18th here, and it seemed like a sign that Tiger Woods days as the worlds number one player may be fading.$LABEL$1 +Intel To Start Tech Forum with New Chips Intel is expected to kick off its semi-annual developer forum Tuesday by demonstrating a new dual-core processor, something rival AMD showed off last week.$LABEL$3 +Jet could go on market soon to battle Boeing 7E7 Airbus plans to challenge Boeing Co. by offering a new aircraft as early as year-end, its chief executive says. The Toulouse, France-based plane maker is quot;reflecting quot; on whether to introduce an all-new plane $LABEL$2 +Rugby-Lions accept extra match on 2005 New Zealand tour The British and Irish Lions have accepted an extra match on their tour of New Zealand next year. The Lions will now play the traditionally strong Auckland provincial $LABEL$1 +Chargers to start Brees in Houston, beyond com. The San Diego Chargers announced on Monday that Drew Brees will start the 2004 opener against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium.$LABEL$1 +Hurricane loss 'less than feared' Hurricane Frances could cause \$3-6bn in insured losses in the US, less than experts first predicted.$LABEL$2 +Thousands to attend Moscow anti-terror rally Over 100,000 people are expected to attend an anti-terrorism rally in Moscow following the Beslan school massacre. The rally, being held outside the Kremlin, is taking place on the second day of official morning $LABEL$0 +Drug makers target counterfeits Big pharmaceutical companies are testing new tracking technology they hope will help them spot counterfeit drugs before they reach consumers' medicine cabinets.$LABEL$2 +Working Long Hours? Take a Massage Break, Courtesy of Your Boss Companies across the country are offering yoga and meditation classes to help employees relax, reduce stress and recharge.$LABEL$3 +Cairn Energy sees profits slide British oil and gas firm Cairn Energy has seen profits drop 40, but reports strong reserves in its Indian oil fields.$LABEL$2 +UK broadband usage doubles in past six months New research from NOP, shows that more of the UK Internet population are progressing to broadband - with usage at 41 per cent up from 27 per cent just six months ago, and an increase in females using the internet.$LABEL$3 +Beer and drugs hit manufacturing output Factory output fell unexpectedly in July for the second month in a row -- the first back-to-back decline in nearly two years -- as the production of beer and pharmaceuticals plummeted.$LABEL$2 +Israel to close Erez industrial zone before March Israel would start liquidating the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip before launching the first stage of the disengagement plan in March 2005,local newspaper Ha #39;aretz reported on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +PC Screen Price-Fall to Slow in Fourth Quarter (Reuters) Reuters - Prices of computer screens are expected\to fall by less than 5 percent in the fourth quarter as the\market stabilizes on hopes of a pick-up in demand during the\Christmas season, a U.S.-based research firm said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Clashes in Baghdad Slum Kill 22 Iraqis, U.S. Soldier BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi fighters battled U.S. troops in a Baghdad slum district Tuesday, raising the death toll to 22 Iraqis and one U.S. soldier and threatening to wreck a cease-fire called by rebel Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.$LABEL$0 +Fierce Clashes in Iraq Kill 34 People BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces battled insurgents loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Tuesday, in clashes that left at least 34 people dead, including one American soldier, and 193 people injured, U.S...$LABEL$0 +14 Palestinian Militants Killed in Gaza GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Sept. 7, 2004 - Israeli helicopters attacked a Hamas training camp early Tuesday, killing at least 14 militants and wounding 30 others in one of the deadliest airstrikes since fighting broke out four years ago.$LABEL$0 +Genesis Set for Return to Earth Meteors are unpredictable. You never know, not exactly, when one will streak across the sky. Not so on Wednesday, September 8th. At precisely 8:52:46 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), northwest of Bend, Oregon, a fireball will appear: a white-hot dot of light, brighter than the planet Venus, gliding across the blue morning sky.$LABEL$3 +US Open Tennis: Henin-Hardenne falls to Petrova and blunders NEW YORK The rivalry match at the United States Open fizzled, but the mismatch sizzled. After Lindsay Davenport defeated Venus Williams, 7-5, 6-4, in a match that was ho-hum until the last game, Nadia Petrova $LABEL$1 +Soldier charged with murder A British soldier has been charged with the murder of a civilian in Iraq, police said. Trooper Kevin Lee Williams, 21, from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, is due to appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court.$LABEL$0 +King Singh ... at last! The No. 1 golfer in the world is on his way to Glen Abbey for this week #39;s Canadian Open. No, Tiger Woods hasn #39;t changed his plans.$LABEL$1 +Survey: Surge in layoffs, hiring Challenger survey finds most job cuts in 6 months; seasonal hiring by retailers lifts new jobs. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Employers increased both hiring and layoff plans in August, according to a survey released Tuesday by an outplacement firm.$LABEL$2 +Kremlin rules out public inquiry on Beslan LONDON President Vladimir Putin of Russia has ruled out a public inquiry into the Beslan school siege and snarled at those who think he should do business with Chechen militants, two British newspapers said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Tribe challenges American origins Some of the earliest settlers of America may have been from Australia, southern Asia, and the Pacific, not northern Asia, research suggests.$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Ivan again growing in strength, Caribbean islands <b>...</b> Islanders scrambled to put up storm shutters and buy water as hurricane Ivan churned toward Barbados just days after hurricane Frances tore across the Caribbean and through Florida.$LABEL$0 +SI.com SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- A late rally gave the San Diego Padres a rare win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan Klesko delivered a go-ahead RBI single to start a four-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning as San Diego posted a 7-3 victory over St.$LABEL$1 +Pfizer: Exubera Does Well in Trials Drug makers Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis on Tuesday posted positive results from mid-stage trials of an inhaled insulin product for diabetics.$LABEL$2 +CPS to buy additional \$160 million stake in nuclear plant City Public Service (CPS) has reached an agreement with American Electric Power #39;s Texas subsidiary to buy an additional 12 percent equity stake in the South Texas Project for \$160 million.$LABEL$2 +Florida weather may help Israeli citrus industry As sunshine state licks its wounds from Hurricane Frances, Gan Shmuel could reap the benefits. The most important news for Florida #39;s 2.8 million residents this week has not been from the Republican $LABEL$2 +Iran ready to test Shahab-3 missile again: defense minister TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani stressed that Iran #39;s recent test of the Shahab-3 missile was successful, saying his ministry is ready to test it again #39;in the presence of observers #39;.$LABEL$0 +Sidebar: Oracle Adds Software for Managing Supplier Contracts SEPTEMBER 06, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - As part of an ongoing upgrade of its E-Business Suite 11i business applications, Oracle Corp.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Top McAfee exec to step down roundup Plus: Samsung to put hard drives in phones...IDC says external disk storage up...Lawmakers to vote on spyware, piracy bills.$LABEL$3 +Fierce Clashes in Iraq Kill 36; 203 Hurt US troops battled Shiite militiamen loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Tuesday in fierce fighting that killed 36 people, including $LABEL$0 +Florida deaths blamed on Hurricane Frances State and local officials Tuesday said nine people have died in Florida because of Hurricane Frances. The following describes those deaths: - A 15-year-old grandson and a former son $LABEL$1 +UPDATE 4-US Airways appeals directly to pilots on givebacks US Airways Group Inc. (UAIR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) issued a general appeal on Tuesday to the carrier #39;s 3,000 pilots after their union #39;s leaders rejected $LABEL$2 +US Airways, Pilots Union Near Agreement US Airways is seeking \$800 million in concessions from employee unions as it attempts to avoid filing Chapter 11. The Air Line Pilots Association will present its proposal on the evening of $LABEL$2 +Pass defense lags behind Forget about No. 1 rankings. Another number will be tested this week when USC plays Colorado State. It #39;s a triple digit that bothered USC coach Pete Carroll each time he heard it last season.$LABEL$1 +Congressman Spratt wants Fed to US Representative John Spratt of South Carolina said the Federal Reserve should go lightly #39; #39; on raising the benchmark interest rate because of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Cubs, Marlins to make up Frances series with two doubleheaders The Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins will play two doubleheaders to make up the three-game series that was wiped out last weekend in Miami by Hurricane Frances.$LABEL$1 +Spaceport Mum on Frances Shuttle Delays (AP) AP - The director of the hurricane-ravaged Kennedy Space Center refused to speculate Tuesday whether the damage will thwart plans to resume shuttle flights next spring, but his words offered little hope of an on-time launch.$LABEL$3 +Bienvenue, Carrefour Lesser-known French retailer turns in a strong first half. Investors, take notice.$LABEL$2 +HDS aims virtual Lightning at EMC, IBM Discovers virtualisation just as everyone else is trying to forget it$LABEL$3 +Lexmark recalls 40,000 printers Lexmark International Inc. recalled 39,431 printers from the market on Tuesday, according to a statement by Consumer Product Safety Commission.$LABEL$3 +ROBBO USHERS IN NEW ERA Andy Robinson, currently the caretaker of England #39;s only World Cup holding major sports team, is the future, barring a particularly bleak autumn.$LABEL$1 +Czech Republic Crushes Sweden 6-1 (AP) AP - Milan Hejduk scored two goals as the Czech Republic routed Sweden 6-1 Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the World Cup of Hockey.$LABEL$1 +Campaigning Begins for Afghan Election (AP) AP - Afghanistan's historic election campaign got under way Tuesday, pitting 17 hopefuls against interim leader Hamid Karzai in the race to become the impoverished country's first popularly elected president.$LABEL$0 +US Stocks Rise; Oil, Gold Fall A decline in the price of oil helped lift US stocks to their highest level in two-months on Tuesday. The dollar declined against its major rivals as investors took profits $LABEL$2 +Samsung plans to launch mobile phone with stamp-sized hard disc 2004-09-07 Samsung Electronics, the world #39;s third-largest handset maker, recently announced its plans to launch the first mobile phone with a stamp-sized hard disc drive that would expand the memory capacity by 15 times.$LABEL$3 +Netflix and TiVo Joining Forces Online Home entertainment trendsetters Netflix Inc. (NFLX) and TiVo Inc. (TIVO) hope to link up on a service that will use high-speed Internet connections to pipe DVD-quality movies into the homes of their mutual subscribers.$LABEL$3 +Nevada Implements 1st Touch-Screen Voting Machines With Paper-Trail By RACHEL KONRAD CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- In what could become a model for other states, Nevada voters on Tuesday became the first in the nation to cast ballots in a statewide election on computers that printed paper records of electronic ballots...$LABEL$3 +OPEC Can Raise Output Capacity by 1 Mln Barrels/Day (Update1) The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which supplies a third of the world #39;s crude oil, can raise production capacity by 1 million barrels a day by year-end, OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said.$LABEL$2 +CBS Realigns Entertainment Divisions eslie Moonves, the co-president of Viacom, yesterday realigned the management of the company #39;s CBS entertainment division and Paramount television production studio, promising smoother and greater interaction between the two.$LABEL$2 +Asian Stocks Lower, Greenspan Awaited SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks edged lower on Wednesday as profit taking set in after two days of gains and the dollar firmed ahead of comments from Fed chief Alan Greenspan that are expected to cement the case for further U.S. rate rises.$LABEL$2 +Former Banker Quattrone Faces Sentencing NEW YORK (Reuters) - Frank Quattrone, a former star investment banker who once earned \$120 million in a year, will be sentenced on Wednesday for obstructing a federal investigation into some of the most popular stock offerings of the 1990s.$LABEL$2 +For Bush, Kerry, Iraq Is More Than a War (AP) AP - President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are using Iraq to advance their negative campaign tactics as the U.S. military death toll in Iraq tops 1,000. War, it seems, is just another excuse to call the other guy names.$LABEL$0 +Cheney: Kerry 'Wrong Choice' for President (AP) AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that the nation faces the threat of another terrorist attack if voters make the ""wrong choice"" on Election Day, suggesting that Sen. John Kerry would follow a pre-Sept. 11 policy of reacting defensively.$LABEL$0 +Study: Athletic success doesn #39;t pay off in donations Success in big-time sports has little, if any, effect on a college #39;s alumni donations or the academic quality of its applicants, according to a study made under the direction of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.$LABEL$1 +The Discreet Charm of the Very Bourgeois Toy Store? F.A.O. Schwarz may be shuttered and dark, but its catalog is somersaulting back in the direction of well-heeled children and the adults who indulge them.$LABEL$2 +Marlins Streak By Mets A four-day layoff fails to cool off the Marlins, who extend their winning streak to eight games by beating the Mets, 7-3.$LABEL$1 +Matsushita Unveils DVD Recorders, Eyes Higher Share TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic brand products maker Matsushita Electric Industrial unveiled five new DVD recorders on Wednesday and said it was aiming to boost its share of the domestic market to over 40 percent from around 35 percent.$LABEL$3 +CBS #39;s Moonves Gives Loyalists a Piece of the Eye #39;s Pie Viacom co-president and CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves officially whacked the head of the media conglom #39;s television studio yesterday, and divvied up the job among loyal CBS staffers.$LABEL$2 +Nokia Shrinks 'Brick' Handset to Tap New Markets (Reuters) Reuters - Nokia, the world's biggest handset\maker, unveiled on Wednesday a miniature version of its\equivalent of the Swiss Army knife it hopes will lure women and\less-techie business people.$LABEL$3 +Space Capsule Heading Back to Earth A space capsule holding atoms collected from solar wind was en route to a tricky rendezvous with Earth, offering scientists the first material NASA has brought back from space in nearly three decades.$LABEL$3 +Insurance firms can take hit Florida insurance companies can cover the losses of Hurricanes Charley and Frances, even if a few small insurers fail, the state #39;s chief financial officer said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Vijay follows in Tiger #39;s footsteps Tiger Woods has put himself in some peculiar positions this year. He has struggled just to make the cut. Tee shots have ricocheted off corporate tents and small children.$LABEL$1 +NASA's Shuttle Hangar Badly Damaged by Storm The gigantic hangar where the space shuttle is prepared for its missions sustained much more damage from Hurricane Frances than initially believed.$LABEL$3 +Bob Evans, Who Helped I.B.M. Transform Data Processing, Dies at 77 Bob O. Evans led the development of a new class of mainframe computers - the famous 360's - helping turn I.B.M. into a data-processing power.$LABEL$3 +Capriati unnerves Serena It was just about a year ago that Jennifer Capriati had this very same feeling. There she was, in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the lights glaring, more than 20,000 fans screaming. Only the opponent was different, as Capriati faced Justine Henin-Hardenne, serving for what would become one of the most important matches of her career. But that night, ...$LABEL$1 +46 Killed, 270 Injured In Iraqi Violence Baghdad, Sept. 8 (NNN): Bloody clashes on Tuesday between US forces and Shia militiamen left more than 46 persons, including six US soldiers, dead across Iraq during the past 24 hours, officials said here on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Royals pain for Tigers; KC wins season series For all their rejuvenation, the Tigers have lost the season series to the Kansas City Royals, who own the American League #39;s worst record and don #39;t have a winning mark against another AL club.$LABEL$1 +The servers cannot take the strain, captain! A San Francisco startup plans to boldly go where no game developer has gone before with an online game based on the cult TV series quot;Star Trek.$LABEL$3 +Heineken Profit Dips But Repeats Outlook AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken posted a 4.5 percent fall in core profit for the first half on Wednesday, at the low end of expectations as a weak dollar and sluggish markets hurt business.$LABEL$2 +Gibbs Won #39;t Take a Pass on This Soon after Joe Gibbs ended his 11-year retirement from football and reunited his distinguished offensive coaching staff this winter, a call went out to the NFL offices in New York.$LABEL$1 +WTO Hits EU Again Over Sugar Sales GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization (WTO) has again declared some European Union sugar exports illegal, dealing a new blow to the bloc's lavish system of farm subsidies, a trade source close to the case said Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Crude Oil Falls as Purmono Says OPEC Can Boost Output Capacity Crude oil fell as OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the group may raise its spare production capacity to as much as 2.5 million barrels a day by the end of this year, reducing concern about shortages.$LABEL$2 +Cash America shuffles assets, sets special dividend WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Cash America International (PWN) said it #39;s reached a deal to acquire privately owned SuperPawn, operator of a 41-store chain of pawn shops in the US including 21 locations in Las Vegas.$LABEL$2 +Intel silent on Jayhawk replacement SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel Corp. on Tuesday provided a few more details about future plans for its enterprise server processors, but the company maintained its silence on its plans for an upcoming dual-core Xeon processor, which it has promised as the next major follow-up to the Nocona chip it launched in August.$LABEL$3 +Movies in a snap: Netflix and TiVo discuss downloads Bee Staff Writer. The high-tech ground is shifting underfoot again, amid rumblings of a new Silicon Valley alliance that would let owners of TiVo Inc.$LABEL$2 +Serena falls to Capriati after chair ump #39;s miscue Unfairly, unbelievably, Serena Williams was robbed of a point by an umpire #39;s mistake at the US Open, just like her sister was at Wimbledon.$LABEL$1 +NASA space capsule crashes into desert The Genesis space capsule, which had orbited the sun for more than three years in an attempt to find clues to the origin of the solar system, crashed to Earth on Wednesday after its parachute failed to deploy.$LABEL$3 +Hyundai signs deal for China truck plant Hyundai Motor Co. said yesterday that it has signed an agreement with a Chinese company, Jianghuai Automobile Corp., to build a commercial vehicle and engine plant in China #39;s Anhui province.$LABEL$3 +France Mulls Hostage Crisis, Confusion Over Ransom DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) - The French government held crisis talks on the fate of two French journalists held hostage in Iraq Wednesday amid growing uncertainty over whether their kidnappers had demanded a ransom and two-day deadline.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Flat After Greenspan Testimony NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were flat on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the economy had recovered from its soft patch and a number of companies warned about their earnings.$LABEL$2 +Pension Agency Raises Top Annual Benefit 2.8 The federal agency that protects private sector pension plans announced yesterday that the maximum annual benefit for plans taken over in 2005 will be \$45,614 for workers who wait until age 65 to retire.$LABEL$2 +Intel executive: EM64T has set back Itanium SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel Corp.'s decision to begin shipping versions of x86 processors that are capable of 64-bit computing has slowed down the adoption of the company's high-end Itanium processors, a senior executive acknowledged Tuesday during a question and answer session at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco.$LABEL$3 +Attacks on Disney's Eisner Abate On Friday, the former Disney directors who led a shareholder rebellion aimed at the ouster of Disney's chief executive and other directors this year said they had dropped plans to run a slate of directors at next year's shareholders meeting.$LABEL$2 +Sybase releases free Express database for Linux In a bid to expand the customer base for its database software, Sybase Inc. released on Tuesday a free, limited version of its software for deployment on Linux systems.$LABEL$3 +Hall had Penn State executing well against Akron, but BC will be <b>...</b> In recent years, Penn State critics have pointed to its offensive game plan as the source of the team #39;s problems. It was too rigid at times, they said, too reckless at others.$LABEL$1 +Greenspan: Economy Regaining Traction WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy is pulling out of its recent soft patch and appears to be picking up steam, Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday in remarks economists saw as cementing a September rate rise.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Drop After Greenspan Testimony NEW YORK - Investors were unmoved by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's improved assessment of the economy, with stocks falling narrowly Wednesday in light trading. While Greenspan said the economy has ""regained some traction"" after the summer's slowdown, he echoed Wall Street's concerns over energy prices, which have fallen from record highs in recent weeks but stubbornly remain above \$40 per barrel...$LABEL$0 +Subsidy ruling a sweet victory for sugar producers The Federal Government has hailed a World Trade Organisation ruling that European subsidies for sugar producers are in breach of international trade rules.$LABEL$2 +Motorola Aims to Sharpen Design Edge In a 26th-floor office suite overlooking Lake Michigan, some 40 industrial designers, mechanical engineers and specialists in fields ranging from anthropology to musicology $LABEL$3 +The Week: No. 1 at Last water running over a rock, wind ripping across a sand dune, the ocean washing up against the shore. Whatever the image, for the last three years Vijay Singh has been the $LABEL$1 +Groups Offers Beer for Blood Donations (AP) AP - Some in Michigan who roll up their sleeves to donate blood will get a racetrack T-shirt, hat and pin. Sponsors in San Diego have given away whale-watching trips. On Wednesday, the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority handed out vouchers for a pint of any beverage, including beer, in exchange for a pint of blood.$LABEL$3 +Cadence poaches another Intel server staffer <strong>IDF Fall '04</strong> Malhotra rejoins St. Fister$LABEL$3 +Royal Wedding Lures International Media To Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan - Bruneis Royal Wedding between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Haji Al-Mutahdee Billah and Yang Mulia Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman has attracted some 170 foreign journalists to the Sultanate.$LABEL$0 +Amvescap reorganizes after settling The chairman of Amvescap said Wednesday that the company planned to wrap its US mutual fund businesses into one following a \$450 million settlement with regulators over improper trading.$LABEL$2 +Hampton Start Is Pushed Back Again (AP) AP - Atlanta left-hander Mike Hampton was not able to pitch for the Braves on Wednesday, still bothered by a stiff neck that kept him out of his scheduled start Monday.$LABEL$1 +England stars refuse to face media despite World Cup soccer <b>...</b> England #39;s soccer team refused to face the media after their 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory in Poland on Wednesday in protest at negative publicity they received after Saturday #39;s 2-2 tie with Austria.$LABEL$1 +Discoverer of DNA Fingerprinting Has Concerns About Technology One morning 20 years ago, Alec Jeffreys stumbled upon DNA fingerprinting, identifying the patterns of genetic material that are unique to almost every individual. The discovery revolutionized everything from criminal investigations to family law.$LABEL$3 +Germany, Brazil draw Germany and Brazil fought out a 1-1 friendly international draw in their first meeting since the 2002 World Cup final. The visitors opened the scoring on nine minutes thanks to a Ronaldinho free kick, but $LABEL$1 +Martin signals new flexibility to reach health deal with provinces (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) - The federal government will seek a flexible medicare-reform agreement that could include individual deals with provinces, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Israeli Forces Thrust Into Northern Gaza (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli forces thrust into the outskirts\of the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on\Thursday in what the military said was an effort to stop\Palestinians firing rockets into Israel.$LABEL$0 +Delta Aims to Cut Jobs 12, Drop a Hub and Reduce Pay elta Air Lines announced yesterday that it would cut 12 percent of its work force over the next 18 months and said a bankruptcy filing would be quot;a real possibility quot; as soon as the end $LABEL$2 +Ex-WorldCom CEO Wants Witness Immunity (Reuters) Reuters - Lawyers for former WorldCom Chief\Executive Bernard Ebbers are seeking immunity for two witnesses\who they believe could clear their client of fraud charges\related to the company's #36;11 billion accounting scandal,\according to court papers filed on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +New Rules for Rematch of Colts and Patriots Indianapolis' loss to New England in the A.F.C. championship game in January will have an impact on officiating as the N.F.L. begins the 2004 season Thursday night.$LABEL$1 +For BlackBerry Users, a New Way to Write While popular among financial-industry types, the BlackBerry is practically unknown to everyone else. RIM hopes to change that with its new model.$LABEL$3 +Intel conference: Power shift As Intel pursues a new path with improved multi-core chips, AMD says its already one step ahead. Intel told the world this week that there is no race to market the next generation of microchips.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft intros new mice, keyboards Microsoft announced on Wednesday five new mice and keyboards: Wireless Optical Desktop, which comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard; Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse; Digital Media Pro Keyboard; and Standard Wireless Optical Mouse.$LABEL$3 +After Waiting a Long Time, Davenport Keeps It Short he weather played havoc with the United States Open schedule yesterday, but it did not affect Lindsay Davenport #39;s game. In front of a sparse crowd of no more than several hundred people at $LABEL$1 +Two Britons shot dead near death railway bridge (AFP) AFP - Two Britons were shot dead by unknown gunmen near the famous Bridge over the River Kwai in western Thailand, police said.$LABEL$0 +British Airways to shed Qantas londonBritish Airways Plc, Europe #39;s second-biggest airline, will sell its 18 per cent stake in Qantas Airways Ltd. worth 427 million or about \$980 million (Canadian) to cut debt ahead of possible acquisitions in Europe.$LABEL$2 +Molson chief airs doubts The CEO of Molson Inc. raised doubts about his company #39;s deal with Adolph Coors Co., telling a Canadian newspaper he doesn #39;t know whether his shareholders will OK the merger, even though it #39;s quot;the best deal.$LABEL$2 +Bonds's Excuse Has the Scent of Snake Oil, Not Arthritis Balm Barry Bonds's ignorance of the substances obtained by his trainer from Balco is more childish than a youngster's excuse that ""the dog ate my homework.""$LABEL$1 +Court hears Ovitz bid to escape suit WILMINGTON, Del. -- A Delaware corporate law judge Wednesday heard a plea from attorneys for former Walt Disney Co. president Michael Ovitz that asks to remove Ovitz from the list of defendants in a shareholder $LABEL$2 +Egypt steps back on Gaza plan over Israeli attacks Egypt took a step back from plans to help the Palestinians prepare for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza on Wednesday, saying it could not play its role in full as long as Israeli attacks on Palestinians continue.$LABEL$0 +Wind-Aided Delay May Be Plus for Pitt (AP) AP - The rainy remnants of Hurricane Frances forced Pittsburgh to practice inside in advance of its delayed season opener.$LABEL$1 +Honey, did you remember to call the DVD recorder? The machine has a 400GB hard disk drive, is capable of zapping video elsewhere in a home, and is designed to let consumers program recording remotely over the Internet--including via cell phones.$LABEL$3 +China's worst floods in a century kill at least 172, injure thousands BEIJING -- China's Sichuan province faced the threat of epidemics yesterday after the worst flooding in a century killed at least 172 people and left scores missing, while water levels at the huge Three Gorges Dam swelled.$LABEL$0 +Hurricanes May Affect Florida Politics TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Two devastating hurricanes have given President Bush something his political advisers couldn't dream up: the chance to play comforter in chief in a battleground state he is determined to win again...$LABEL$0 +Panis to Retire from Formula One at End of 2004 LONDON (Reuters) - France's Olivier Panis will retire from Formula One at the end of the 2004 season, his team Toyota said on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Dream team In March, when his free agency tour stopped here, five-time Pro Bowl safety John Lynch got a glimpse of the formula that has the New England Patriots poised to establish an NFL record for consecutive victories and become just the second team to win three Super Bowls in four years. Lynch ultimately signed a few days later with ...$LABEL$1 +Trying to recapture glory days With two Super Bowl wins in the last three years, the Patriots have enjoyed the greatest stretch in franchise history, and they've been lauded for doing it with team play. Here are examples of when the other sports franchises in town distinguished themselves in similar fashion.$LABEL$1 +Chip shots NO LONG GAME: It had figured to be a whirlwind tour for John Daly -- from Germany to the Deutsche Bank Championship in our neck of the woods, then onward to the other side of the world to defend his Korean Open title. But his late commitment to the Deutsche Bank and the unusual Monday finish apparently wore him out. ...$LABEL$1 +Transactions BASEBALL Atlanta (NL): Recalled P Roman Colon from Greenville (Southern League). Cincinnati (NL): Announced INF Brandon Larson accepted his outright assignment to Louisville (IL). Tampa Bay (AL): Released 1B-DH Randall Simon; recalled OF Midre Cummings from Durham (IL).$LABEL$1 +Santander sells stake in Royal Bank of Scotland LONDON, September 9 (New Ratings) - Santander Central Hispano (BSD2.FSE) has indicated that it is selling a 2.51 stake in Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, in an attempt to seek regulatory approval to acquire UKs Abbey National Plc.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Philippine Shares End Up 0.7 Percent Philippine shares finished higher for the seventh straight session Thursday on follow-through buying anchored by improved investor sentiment, traders said.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Higher on Drop in Jobless Claims A sharp drop in initial unemployment claims and bullish forecasts from Nokia and Texas Instruments sent stocks slightly higher in early trading Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Self-sustaining killer robot creates a stink It may eat flies and stink to high heaven, but if this robot works, it will be an important step towards making robots fully autonomous.$LABEL$3 +Longhorn to put squeeze on gadgets SAN FRANCISCO--Windows makes it easy to quickly download files to iPods and other portable storage devices--a little too easy in the minds of many IT managers.$LABEL$3 +Singh rules world that is yet to embrace him On Monday, the newly crowned No. 1 walked into a room to face the world #39;s golfing media, having just shot down Tiger Woods in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston.$LABEL$1 +US Treasuries cut early gains on jobless drop US Treasury debt prices cut early gains but remained narrowly higher after the government said that new claims for jobless insurance fell in the latest week.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Higher on Drop in Jobless Claims A sharp drop in initial unemployment claims and bullish forecasts from Nokia and Texas Instruments sent stocks higher in early trading Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Major teams bounce back in World Cup soccer qualifiers LONDON: After a mixed bag of results in the weekend #39;s soccer qualifiers, Europe #39;s major countries asserted their authority this morning with France, England and Italy all winning away.$LABEL$1 +Inzaghi fit for start of season AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi is fit for the start of the Serie A season after recovering from an ankle injury, the club said on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Quattrone gets 18 months in prison Frank Quattrone, who rose to investment banking stardom during the dot.com boom, was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison camp in Lompoc, Calif.$LABEL$2 +P G Backs Profit Forecast, Shares Down (Reuters) Reuters - Procter Gamble Co. on Thursday\backed its quarterly profit outlook, helped by sales of new\products and continued gains in developing markets.$LABEL$2 +Groups Petition U.S. on China Policies (AP) AP - A group of industry, farm and labor groups, seeking to put pressure on the Bush administration before the presidential election, petitioned the government on Thursday to file an unfair trade practices case against China.$LABEL$0 +San Antonio (15-3) at Chicago (2-12) 8:30 pm EST CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Two teams heading in opposite directions meet Monday at the United Center when the San Antonio Spurs visit the Chicago Bulls.$LABEL$1 +Explosives Found Hidden in Closed Russian Cinema ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Police have found explosives, detonators and a gun in a cinema in Russia's second city St Petersburg which was closed for renovation, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Blast Hits Australian Embassy in Jakarta A large explosion was set off early Thursday outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta's financial district, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 150, officials said. Police said the blast appeared to have been a suicide attack using a car bomb.$LABEL$0 +IBM to use dual-core Opteron Big Blue will use AMD's chip in a high-performance server but isn't yet planning a general-purpose Opteron system.$LABEL$3 +German teenager indicted over Sasser worm Prosecutors in Verden, Germany, indicted an 18-year-old student on Wednesday for allegedly creating the Sasser worm that crashed hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide after spreading at lighting speed over the Internet.$LABEL$3 +Teenager Charged With Creating Sasser Informants, seeking a reward from Microsoft, led police to the German student.$LABEL$3 +Google Toolbar Using Browser Keywords Function Google Toolbar Using Keywords Function\\Looks like Google is trying to assure placement within the browser one step at a time. The latest update of the Google toolbar includes ""browse by keyword,"" meaing if I type in ""how do I kill this hangover"" into my IE URL field, I will get ...$LABEL$3 +German teenager charged with creating Sasser virus German student, Sven Jaschan, has been formally charged with computer sabotage, data manipulation and disruption of public systems by German prosecutors.$LABEL$3 +Mortgage Rates Across the US Climb Mortgage rates around the country went up this week, although 30-year mortgages still were below 6 percent for a sixth straight week.$LABEL$2 +Applebee #39;s predicts earnings, units rise Company sees doubling of units to at least 3,000; predicts 17 earnings rise over next 3 to 5 years. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Restaurant chain Applebee #39;s International Inc.$LABEL$2 +Health Insurance Costs Soar, Workers Hit (Reuters) Reuters - Health insurance premiums rose five\times faster than U.S. workers' salaries this year, according\to a survey released on Thursday that also showed slippage in\the percentage of American workers covered by employer health\plans.$LABEL$2 +DAILY DIGEST RealNetworks Inc. has sold about 3 million songs online during a three- week, half-price sale designed to promote an alternative to Apple Computer Inc.$LABEL$3 +Robot eats flies to make power A ROBOT that will generate its own power by eating flies is being developed by British scientists. The idea is to produce electricity by catching flies and digesting them in special fuel cells that will break $LABEL$3 +Shanghai Readies for Rockets-Kings Game (AP) AP - Built in the days of Mao Zedong's 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, Shanghai's rundown city gymnasium is getting the full NBA treatment for next month's exhibition game between the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets.$LABEL$1 +Charting East Asias milestones IT is a special honour for me to be speaking before such a distinguished gathering, including my illustrious predecessor and his colleagues from Korea and Japan who are all well-known for their visionary ideas and as proponents of East Asian cooperation.$LABEL$0 +Dinosaurs May Have Been Doting Parents -Report (Reuters) Reuters - Dinosaurs may not all have been the\terrifying creatures portrayed in blockbuster films but could\have had a more caring, loving nature.$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Ends Download 49-Cent Promo SEATTLE (Reuters) - RealNetworks Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=RNWK.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">RNWK.O</A> is ending its 49 cent-per-song music download service but will keep the promotional prices in place for top 10 songs, the Internet media and software company said on Thursday.$LABEL$2 +IBM Aims New DB2 at Rivals IBM (Quote, Chart) announced its first major database refresh in almost two years with new features from the company #39;s autonomic computing vault.$LABEL$3 +Predators sign 2003 first-round pick ----- NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - The Nashville Predators signed defenseman Ryan Suter, their first-round pick in the 2003 draft, on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +A Taste of Yum! Wins the World Over Strong international sales growth and solid U.S. comps propel the company's stock to its highest price ever.$LABEL$2 +Putin Responds to Terror The Russian president puts some blame on his international critics -- and supports president Bush$LABEL$0 +Intel calls for Internet overhaul The Net needs a new layer of abilities that will deal with imminent problems of capacity, security and reliability, Intel's CTO says.$LABEL$3 +Spam on the menu at annual virus conference BOSTON - Computer viruses and worms will have to share the stage with a new challenger for the attention of attendees at a conference of antivirus researchers: spam e-mail.$LABEL$3 +Jakarta Embassy Blast Kills 9, Hurts 173 JAKARTA, Indonesia - Suspected Muslim militants detonated a car bomb Thursday outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, killing nine people and wounding 173 in a bloody strike at a key U.S. ally in the war in Iraq...$LABEL$0 +IBM #39;s New eServer Supports AMD Dual-Core IBM (Quote, Chart) is looking to get a leg up on the competition with the October 15 launch of eServer 326, a rack-mounted server that supports AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) upcoming dual-core 64-bit processor.$LABEL$3 +Florida Starts To Recover in the Wake of Hurricane Frances President Bush will travel to Florida Wednesday to survey damage from Hurricane Frances. He sent a letter to Congress asking for \$2 billion to help with recovery efforts.$LABEL$3 +British couple shot dead in Thailand A Thai policeman was today being hunted after being accused of killing a British couple near a popular tourist destination last night.$LABEL$0 +Indiana University suffers during PeopleSoft rollout Problems during the rollout of a PeopleSoft financial aid software module at the Indiana University system caused problems for about 3,000 students just as classes were set to start.$LABEL$3 +Bank sits tight on rates as house price inflation eases off By Malcolm Moore, Economics Correspondent (Filed: 10/09/2004). The Bank of England held interest rates at 4.75pc yesterday after a series of recent surveys showed the housing market was slowing down.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Foreign Drug Stocks in Spotlight Foreign drug stocks were in the spotlight Thursday with Food and Drug Administration news pulling the sector down. AstraZeneca PLC took a drubbing on the eve of its FDA advisory panel meeting for its orally $LABEL$2 +Dependent species risk extinction The global extinction crisis is worse than thought, because thousands of quot;affiliated quot; species also at risk do not figure in calculations.$LABEL$3 +CIA accused over Iraq detainees US army generals tell a Senate committee that dozens of detainees may have been held in secret in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Quincy Carter being released by the Cowboys NEW YORK -- Tim Henman #39;s quarterfinal victory at the US Open was a microcosm of his career - long and brilliant in spurts, with an expected disappointment on the horizon.$LABEL$1 +Bush Declares Genocide in Sudan's Darfur (Reuters) Reuters - The United States declared on\Thursday that the violence in Sudan's Darfur region amounted to\genocide and urged the world to back an expanded African\peacekeeping force to halt the bloodshed.$LABEL$0 +Alcoa Warns Earnings to Miss Forecasts (Reuters) Reuters - Alcoa Inc. , the world's largest\aluminum producer, on Thursday warned that third-quarter\results would fall far short of Wall Street expectations, hurt\by plant shutdowns, restructuring costs and weakness in some\markets.$LABEL$2 +Broadband Providers Monitor Philly's Plans To Offer Citywide Wi-Fi (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - With Philadelphia's recent proposal to install a citywide broadband wireless network, will there be brotherly love between the city and its broadband service providers?$LABEL$3 +Bud Selig Has Skin Cancer Surgery NEW YORK -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig had surgery Monday to remove a cancerous lesion from his forehead. The lesion was detected last month during Selig #39;s annual physical, and a biopsy confirmed that it contained melanoma, a form of skin cancer.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan bombs suspected al-Qaida camp Ayman al- Zawahiri, second in command of al-Qaida, said last night that the US faced defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a videotape broadcast by the Arab satellite television station al-Jazeera, he said: quot;The $LABEL$0 +Scientists Stumped by Dead Croakers (AP) AP - Thousands of croakers have washed ashore at beaches along the Atlantic coast in recent days, the latest mass deaths of the popular sport fish.$LABEL$3 +Bin Laden Deputy: U.S. Will Be Defeated (AP) AP - Osama bin Laden's chief deputy proclaimed the United States will ultimately be defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan in a videotape broadcast Thursday that appeared to be a rallying call for al-Qaida ahead of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.$LABEL$0 +FCC Finds US Broadband Deployment Is Accelerating US broadband deployment is accelerating as underserved rural and inner city areas gain greater access to new services, according to a government report.$LABEL$3 +Ivan devastates Grenada ST. GEORGE #39;S, Grenada - Hurricane Ivan took aim yesterday at Jamaica after killing 23 people in five countries and devastating Grenada.$LABEL$0 +Two Charged in S. African Nuclear Trafficking Case JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 9 -- A German man and his colleague appeared in court Thursday on charges of violating South Africa #39;s ban against nuclear proliferation, according to news reports.$LABEL$0 +Georgia Receivers Try to Make Their Mark (AP) AP - It's taken four years and then some. Through injuries, timid play, occasional doubts and flashes of brilliance, everyone at Georgia has waited for Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown to fulfill their enormous potential.$LABEL$1 +Colts Lead Pats Early in Third Quarter FOXBORO, Mass. - Peyton Manning reached the 25,000-yard passing mark faster than anyone but Dan Marino, and the Indianapolis Colts shredded the New England Patriots for a 17-13 halftime lead Thursday night...$LABEL$0 +GAME DAY RECAP Thursday, September 09 Bobby Madritsch pitched eight shutout innings and the Seattle Mariners ended a seven-game losing streak Thursday night with a 7-1 victory over Boston, dropping the Red Sox 3 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.$LABEL$1 +There #39;s a lot on the line for drivers at Richmond this weekend RICHMOND, Va. - Its the 26th race of the Nextel Cup season, and for the first time in the sports history, a season will end before, well, the season.$LABEL$1 +Oil Firm After 4 Percent Jump Oil prices held firm on Friday after leaping almost \$2 a day earlier on news US crude stocks sank to a five-month low last week and distillate fuels barely grew ahead of winter.$LABEL$2 +Patriots Begin Title Defense with Narrow Win Over Colts The New England Patriots began their quest for successive Super Bowl titles with a tight 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the opening game of the NFL season in Foxboro Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Skype releases Pocket PC software Software allows users of personal digital assistants to make free calls using Wi-Fi networks.$LABEL$3 +Skirmish outside Gaza camp kills 5 GAZA CITY -- Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops fought pitched battles Thursday on the outskirts of the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, with schoolchildren scampering through sandy alleyways just yards from the fighting.$LABEL$0 +Roddick bounced Andy Roddick of the United States ran into a bold, bigger version of himself at the US Open, and 6-foot-6 Joachim Johansson of Sweden sent the defending champion home.$LABEL$1 +Oxygen Generator on Space Station Fails The main oxygen generator for the International Space Station has failed, and the two astronauts on board will tap into an attached cargo ship's air supply this weekend.$LABEL$3 +Jakarta bombing blamed on Malaysian fugitives The Indonesian police asserted Friday it would intensify the hunt of two Malaysian fugitives Azahari and Noordin Moh Top believed to be responsible for the Thursday #39;s bombing at the Australian embassy.$LABEL$0 +Stocks on the edge NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Wall Street took a wait-and-see approach to the final day of the trading week, looking for more information on inflation, trade, oil and a report of Michael Eisner #39;s 2006 departure from Disney.$LABEL$2 +Grenada In Crisis - Friday 10, September-2004 DESPAIR is setting in among the 80 000 homeless Grenadians who, ravaged and traumatised by the damage done to them by Hurricane Ivan, exist each day with no food, no water and no hope.$LABEL$0 +For openers, a great weekend Chances are the state of Massachusetts will never crown a high school football state champion. But for those who might covet such an idea, the 2004 season kicks off tonight with about as close as you'll ever get to such a matchup when two of the top squads in Central Mass. meet two of the top-ranked squads in Eastern Mass.$LABEL$1 +Changes to Nigeria union bill The Nigerian senate passes a bill to curb the power of the trade unions, but amends the no-strike clause.$LABEL$0 +CEO Eisner to Step Down in Sept 2006 -WSJ NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Eisner plans to step down as Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive when his contract expires in September 2006, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +WordsWorth Books files Chapter 11 WordsWorth Books, a Harvard Square institution for 29 years, yesterday filed for bankruptcy protection, as its owners seek a buyer or investor to help the independent bookseller compete with giant rivals like Amazon.com.$LABEL$2 +Japan GDP Hurts Yen, U.S. Trade Data Eyed LONDON (Reuters) - The yen fell against other major currencies on Friday on a surprising downward revision to Japanese growth, while the dollar hit three-week lows against the euro on worries about the U.S. trade deficit.$LABEL$2 +Alcoa Shares Fall Most Since April in Europe After Forecast Shares of Alcoa Inc., the world #39;s biggest aluminum producer, fell the most in almost five months in Europe after the company said third-quarter profit from continuing operations will be below analysts #39; estimates.$LABEL$2 +Jim Mora #39;s lucky star Falcons need a healthy Michael Vick This is what #39;s known as lucking into it. Jim Mora gets his first head coaching job at any level, with the Atlanta Falcons, and finds Michael Vick waiting for him.$LABEL$1 +Intel sees big changes to the net The internet will have to be changed to stop it reaching breaking point, according to chip giant Intel..$LABEL$3 +P2P company wants RIAA to face the music The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is being given a taste of its own medicine by peer-to-peer (P2P) company Altnet, which has launched a civil suit against the trade body alleging patent infringement.$LABEL$3 +US Open keeps it in the family It will be a long way from West Lakes when Lleyton Hewitt takes on his younger sister #39;s boyfriend. Robert Lusetich reports. IT is a US Open semi-final that has been previewed many times before -- in Adelaide.$LABEL$1 +Atlanta police arrest Braves player on DUI charge ATLANTA - Atlanta Braves shortsop Rafael Furcal has been arrested on charges of driving under the influence. Jail officials say Furcal was booked into the Atlanta city jail at 6:25 am on charges of DUI, speeding and reckless driving.$LABEL$1 +SportsNetwork Game Preview (Sports Network) - The Kansas City Royals host the opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tonight, just one day after playing a very strange doubleheader.$LABEL$1 +Darfur Rebels Urge Nigeria To Intervene, Kickstart Sudan Peace <b>...</b> Rebel leaders from Sudan #39;s Darfur region called on Thursday on Nigeria to intervene and kickstart African Union-sponsored talks on the crisis in the west of Sudan $LABEL$0 +New Brussels blow for Turkey #39;s EU hopes EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler on Friday became the latest Brussels critic to raise doubts over Turkey #39;s hopes of joining the bloc, as wrangling over Ankara #39;s EU bid heats up.$LABEL$0 +9/10/04 - INDIA-PAKISTAN DIALOGUE The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan have concluded another round of peace talks. The talks in Indias capital, New Delhi, set the stage for an expected meeting at the United Nations later this month $LABEL$0 +Atlanta police arrest Braves player on DUI charge ATLANTA - An Atlanta Braves player is in the Atlanta Jail today after being arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. Members of the DUI Task Force arrested shortstop Rafael Furcal about 4:20 am $LABEL$1 +Telescope snaps distant 'planet' The first direct image of a planet circling another star may have been obtained by a US-European team of astronomers.$LABEL$0 +Insurers Eye Ivan the Terrible How will companies and investors fare if the storm spawns moderate damage?$LABEL$2 +Rummenigge - parise for Bayern coach. (Getty Images) Felix Magath #39;s rigorous new training regime at Bayern Munich has been praised by club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Magath #39;s approach had been criticised by some of his players, and Bayern have made a slow $LABEL$1 +Web Sites Keep Tabs on Campaign Giving As a Washington journalist during the 90s, I made frequent treks to the Federal Election Commission to inspect cabinets full of campaign-finance reports to find out who was giving to whom.$LABEL$3 +Light at Night Might Be a Cancer Risk By Ed Edelson, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Could electric light pose a cancer threat? It might seem like the wildest of paranoid beliefs, but a growing number of scientists suspect it might be true. The reason: Turning on the lights after dark may affect a small number of ""clock genes"" that play a major role in controlling how cells live, die and function, these researchers suggest...$LABEL$3 +Study Suggests Bloodletting May Actually Work By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Could that ancient practice of bleeding patients really have done some good? A scientist says new research on how germs thrive in the body suggests it just may have - for some people. Bacteria need iron to cause infections...$LABEL$3 +Core intermediate goods prices #39; rise fastest in nine years WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Prices of US wholesale goods and services fell 0.1 percent in August, the Labor Department said Friday. The core producer price index -- adjusted to exclude food and energy goods -- also fell 0.1 percent.$LABEL$2 +Oracle's Wish Comes True (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Oracle is one step closer to taking over rival PeopleSoft now that a federal judge has ruled against the federal government's effort to thwart the #36;7.7 billion hostile bid over antitrust concerns, a decision that could spark a rash of tech-sector acquisition attempts.$LABEL$3 +England v Zimbabwe England welcomed back the world #39;s best one-day player on Friday as they began their challenge for the ICC Champions Trophy by naming key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in their line-up to face Zimbabwe at Edgbaston.$LABEL$1 +Decaying Pig Corpses Reveal Forensic Secrets (Reuters) Reuters - Decaying pig corpses deposited\in secret locations around London are providing scientists with\forensic information that may help them solve crimes.$LABEL$3 +Zimbabwe Jails Briton for 7 Years in Mercenary Case HARARE (Reuters) - A Zimbabwe court jailed British former special services officer Simon Mann for seven years on Friday in a case prosecutors had linked to a foiled coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Thousands Demonstrate in Rome for Italian Hostages (Reuters) Reuters - Thousands of Italians marched silently\through Rome in a candlelit procession on Friday to demand the\release of two female aid workers seized in Baghdad.$LABEL$0 +Turkey unlikely to join EU before 2015: commissioner Verheugen (AFP) AFP - Turkey is unlikely to join the European Union before 2015, EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen said in an interview.$LABEL$0 +Genesis data 'retrieved intact' Some material has been found still intact inside the crashed Genesis space capsule, say Nasa scientists.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Ringtones Market Slow to Connect SAN FRANCISCO (Billboard) - With a possible billion-dollar windfall at stake, U.S. music companies are eagerly awaiting the full-blown development of the stateside ringtone market.$LABEL$3 +Oracle case bounces to Europe The European Commission is studying the U.S. court decision favoring Oracle's PeopleSoft buyout and deciding whether to pursue its own objections.$LABEL$3 +Firms announce video antipiracy technology This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half. NDS, STMicroelectronics and Thomson said Friday that they will develop new encryption technology $LABEL$3 +Calif. Energy Panel Criticized for Crisis An appeals court ruled Thursday that federal energy regulators shirked their duty when they declined to order power companies to refund consumers for overcharges during $LABEL$2 +Court rules against state Web-blocking law A Pennsylvania law requiring Internet service providers to block Web sites deemed by the state's prosecuting attorneys to be child pornography has been reversed by a U.S. federal court on free-speech grounds.$LABEL$3 +California group sues Albertson's over privacy concerns A California-based privacy advocacy group is suing supermarket giant Albertson's over alleged privacy violations involving its pharmacy customers.$LABEL$3 +Late rally sees Wall Street end week on a positive note US BLUE-chips recovered from an early fall to end higher as a drop in oil prices offset a profit warning from aluminium maker Alcoa, while a rise in Oracle fuelled a rally in technology stocks after a judge rejected a government attempt to block a $LABEL$2 +ESPN Soccernet.com news services CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy signed forward Alan Gordon on loan from the Portland Timbers of the A-League on Friday. A Galaxy selection in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, the club will have the option $LABEL$1 +Sun To Refresh UltraSPARC Servers SAN FRANCISCOSun Microsystems Inc. next week will roll out two new servers featuring its UltraSPARC IV processors, a Sun executive said Friday.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Troops Lay Siege to Iraqi City (AP) AP - U.S. troops handed over medical supplies to Iraqi relief workers Friday amid a siege of a northeastern ethnic Turkish city where Iraqi and American forces are trying to root out hundreds of militants.$LABEL$0 +Braves hope Furcal #39;s situation doesn #39;t tarnish race While Rafael Furcal #39;s DUI arrest on Friday could serve as a distraction for the remainder of the season, the Braves are looking to put the matter behind them, and at the $LABEL$1 +Alleged U.S. Deserter Set to Surrender (AP) AP - Accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins left his Tokyo hospital for an American military base to surrender to military authorities Saturday, nearly 40 years after he allegedly defected to North Korea.$LABEL$0 +Astronauts Briefly Fix Oxygen Generator (AP) AP - The astronauts aboard the international space station got their broken oxygen generator running after three tries Friday, but the machine shut down again after barely an hour of operation.$LABEL$3 +Alleged U.S. Deserter Set to Surrender TOKYO - Accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins left his Tokyo hospital for an American military base to surrender to military authorities Saturday, nearly 40 years after he allegedly defected to North Korea...$LABEL$0 +Drivers set for mad dash at Richmond The grip on the steering wheel will be a little tighter, aggressions will run a little higher and emotions will be flowing stronger than ever.$LABEL$1 +Milosevic #39;s Lawyers to Appeal Own Appointment THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The two lawyers representing Slobodan Milosevic filed papers Thursday (9 September), asking for permission to appeal their appointment by the UN tribunal.$LABEL$0 +Judge Finds Halliburton Settlement Unacceptable A federal judge in Dallas yesterday rejected a \$6 million settlement in a shareholder suit that alleged Halliburton Co. engaged in accounting fraud, saying the lead plaintiffs #39; lawyer mishandled the case and may have settled for too little money.$LABEL$2 +Flight From Keys Begins as Gusts Whip Jamaica As Hurricane Ivan began to lash Jamaica with wind and rain, officials in Florida stepped up their evacuation efforts.$LABEL$0 +All the world #39;s a web page as the Bard goes online The earliest editions of Shakespeare #39;s plays provide a fascinating insight into how the playwright reworked his masterpieces over time, but until now, due to their age and $LABEL$3 +Storms Seem to Cure Floridians of Hurricane Amnesia The state #39;s East Coast hadn #39;t been hit by a hurricane since 1999. That, and the fact that Florida hasn #39;t had its historic share of such storms in recent decades, has led to some complacency about their effects.$LABEL$2 +Suicide bombers suspected in attack JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Police released yesterday a grainy photo taken by a security camera of a white delivery truck just before it blew up outside the Australian Embassy and said they suspect two suicide bombers in the vehicle set off the explosion, killing seven other people.$LABEL$0 +World News: Zimbabwe jails UK #39;coup plotter #39; The British leader of a group of 67 alleged mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea has been sentenced to seven years in jail.$LABEL$0 +How airlines stand Here #39;s where some of the largest US and Canadian airlines stand in terms of restructuring their operations: - Air Canada: Will emerge from bankruptcy protection by end of September, with a smaller workforce, a reduced fleet, a focus on the no-frills $LABEL$2 +Stocks in a rut According to the FTSE World Index Japan has been best performer of the major markets with a 6 per cent rise in dollar terms while Germany, down 7.7 per cent, was the worst.$LABEL$2 +Indonesian police release video tape of embassy blast Indonesian police have released video footage of the explosion outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta. At the same time they say there is no evidence to support the Australian Foreign Minister #39;s claim that $LABEL$0 +Collingwood anchors England (AFP) AFP - Paul Collingwood's unbeaten 80 took England to 299 for seven against Zimbabwe in their opening Champions Trophy Pool D match at Edgbaston here.$LABEL$0 +Itanium is Intels future Intel racked up some serious karmic debt when it schemed to run AMD out of the PC processor business. Xeon now languishes in Opterons shadow, which strikes me as just desserts for some nasty business.$LABEL$3 +Accused deserter surrenders in Japan An accused US Army deserter has surrendered at a US military base near Tokyo to face charges filed in 1965, the Kyodo news service reported.$LABEL$0 +Garcia's Girlfriend Charged With Assault (AP) AP - Jeff Garcia's girlfriend, Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Year, was charged with assault in a bar fight last month with a woman the Cleveland Browns quarterback once dated.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Piles Pressure on Sudan with New U.N. Measure (Reuters) Reuters - The United\States piled pressure on Sudan Wednesday to accept a more\powerful monitoring force in Darfur with a new U.N. draft\resolution threatening sanctions on its oil industry.$LABEL$0 +Polish PM Tries to Head Off Dispute Over WW2 Claims KRYNICA, Poland (Reuters) - Polish leader Marek Belka tried to head off a controversy with Berlin over World War II reparations after Poland's parliament caused anger in Germany by declaring Poles were still owed for wartime losses.$LABEL$0 +Brown seeks to retain EU rebate Chancellor Gordon Brown has expressed his determination to retain the British rebate on its contributions to the European Union #39;s annual budget.$LABEL$2 +Champions Trophy: England rout Zimbabwe BIRMINGHAM, Sep 11: England got their Champions Trophy campaign off to a successful start with a record 152-run win against Zimbabwe at Edgbaston here Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Tough to predict a hurricane landfall this season #39;s busy season of landfalling Atlantic hurricanes has seen a few less-than-perfect calls by tropical $LABEL$3 +Will Your Next Cell Phone Have a Hard Drive? Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Intel are pushing the development of an interface technology that they hope will smooth the adoption of compact hard drives into mobile phones, PDAs, and digital music players, the companies say.$LABEL$3 +Europe compromises with US on Iran nuke deadline charge Iran vehemently denies. The IAEA has found many previously concealed nuclear activities in Iran. but no quot;smoking gun quot; backing the US view.$LABEL$0 +US soldier convicted of torture in Iraq A US military intelligence soldier in Iraq has been sentenced to 8 months in prison for taking part in torturing detainees in Abu Ghraib prison.$LABEL$0 +Karzai sacks regional governor At least two protesters were killed when supporters of a sacked Afghan governor clashed with US and Afghan security forces in the western city of Herat.$LABEL$0 +Strong quake hits Hokkaido SAPPORO -- A fairly strong earthquake hit eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan, late Monday night, and several people suffered minor injuries, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Fresno St. Blows Out No. 13 Kansas State (AP) AP - Paul Pinegar threw two touchdown passes to Matt Rivera and ran for another score, and Fresno State upset No. 13 Kansas State 45-21 on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Post-Olympic Greece tightens purse, sells family silver to fill budget holes (AFP) AFP - Squeezed by a swelling public deficit and debt following last month's costly Athens Olympics, the Greek government said it would cut defence spending and boost revenue by 1.5 billion euros (1.84 billion dollars) in privatisation receipts.$LABEL$2 +Spanish PM to host French, German allies in Madrid summit (AFP) AFP - Sealing ratification of an EU constitution and the question of terrorism will top the agenda when Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero welcomes French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to a summit meeting Monday.$LABEL$0 +Panasonic unleashes new DVD recorder line Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., better known for its Panasonic brand, will soon start international sales of a high-end DVD recorder that offers network connectivity, the company said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Kiwis trample USrookies LONDON -Nathan Astle #39;s 145 helped give New Zealand a record-setting 210-run victory over cricket rookie United States in the ICC Champions Trophy Pool A match at the Oval yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Restoring an Original At Charles Schwab, executives plan a return to the firm's original mission of serving mom-and-pop, buy-and-hold investors.$LABEL$2 +No. 9 Ohio State Edges Marshall on Last-Second FG COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sports Network) - Mike Nugent #39;s 55-yard field goal as time expired lifted the ninth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to a dramatic 24-21 win over the pesky Marshall Thundering Herd in the first-ever meeting between the teams.$LABEL$1 +Cal Extends Tedford California Bears head coach Jeff Tedford agrees to a five-year contract extension through 2009 on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Kuznetsova Tops Dementieva for Open Title NEW YORK Sept. 11, 2004 - Pounding ferocious forehands and covering the baseline with the muscular legs of a Tour de France rider, Svetlana Kuznetsova overwhelmed Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5 Saturday night in the US Open #39;s first all-Russian final.$LABEL$1 +Fed #39;s Pianalto upbeat on growth, inflation WASHINGTON : The Federal Reserve #39;s policy of gradual interest rate hikes is a sign the US economy does not need the stimulus that low rates supply, according to Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto.$LABEL$2 +Overtime Goal Puts Canada in World Cup Hockey Final Vincent Lecavalier #39;s goal 3:45 into overtime earned Canada a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday and a place in the final of the World Cup of Hockey.$LABEL$1 +American League Game Summary - Minnesota At Detroit Detroit, MI -- Jacque Jones #39; single in the seventh scored Pat Borders with the go-ahead run and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.$LABEL$1 +Early Voters Transform Campaign Landscape (AP) AP - In an election year when just a few thousand votes in a few states could decide the winner, the growing number of voters who cast ballots weeks before Election Day is transforming the landscape for political campaigns.$LABEL$0 +Pudge, Guillen leave with injuries The Tigers lost both of their All-Stars, shortstop Carlos Guillen and catcher Ivan Rodriguez, to knee injuries on separate plays in Saturday #39;s game against the Twins.$LABEL$1 +CHUCK JAFFE BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- A lot of people got excited when Fidelity Investments announced recently that it was cutting fees on five index mutual funds.$LABEL$2 +Orthodox patriarch killed in Greek air crash ATHENSEgypt #39;s Patriarch of Alexandria, whose post traces its lineage to one of Christ #39;s disciples, was killed with his Greek Orthodox retinue yesterday in a helicopter crash, Greek authorities confirmed.$LABEL$0 +Yankees stay in tune Unbeaten Orlando Hernandez pitched seven innings of five-hit ball to win his eighth straight decision, and the New York Yankees beat Sidney Ponson and the Orioles, 5-2, yesterday in Baltimore.$LABEL$1 +Anniversary remembered on game day When the attacks came on Sept. 11, 2001, Tom O'Brien, if only for a moment, stopped being Boston College's coach. On that day, as the World Trade Center and Pentagon smoldered and the world stood still, O'Brien was a Navy man.$LABEL$1 +Bulldogs shock K-State MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Paul Pinegar threw two touchdown passes to Matt Rivera and ran for another score, and Fresno State upset No. 13 Kansas State, 45-21, yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Callender wins job as starter Frustration set in quickly for Andre Callender. He had already waited a whole year, and now he had to wait another game to play college football.$LABEL$1 +Cayman Islands hit by hurricane The full force of Hurricane Ivan has hit the Cayman Islands, ripping up homes and causing extensive flooding. Up to 40,000 residents - including a large British expat community - hid in homes and shelters to try and escape Ivan #39;s ferocious 155mph winds.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Says N.Korea Blast Probably Not Nuclear SEOUL (Reuters) - A huge explosion rocked North Korea last week but U.S. and South Korean officials said on Sunday it was unlikely to have been a nuclear weapons test despite the appearance of a ""peculiar cloud"" over the area.$LABEL$0 +Dolphins' Fiedler Not Happy About Benching (AP) AP - Dave Wannstedt wasn't happy with Jay Fiedler on Saturday, and the feeling was mutual. Wannstedt benched Fiedler at halftime of the Miami Dolphins' 17-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the quarterback said he was disappointed about the quick hook.$LABEL$1 +European Tour hopes still high in Canada Hopes of another European Tour victory on the US PGA Tour remained high as Jesper Parnevik and Vijay Singh enjoyed a share of second place after the third round of the Bell Canadian Open at the Glen Abbey course in Ontario.$LABEL$1 +Senegal #39;s Camara scores first goals for Celtic in 3-0 win Senegal striker Henri Camara scored his first two goals for champions Celtic in their 3-0 win against Dundee in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Conditions in Ohio Point to Kerry, but Bush Runs Strong Everything seemed to be in place for a powerful run by John Kerry in Ohio after Labor Day. Yet polls suggest that Mr. Kerry has actually lost ground.$LABEL$0 +FDA Scientists Testing Limits of Medical Technology By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- A little-known Food and Drug program is testing the latest medical technology to determine how safe and useful it can be. One cutting-edge experiment is designed to see if injecting certain drugs directly into diseased arteries works better than commonly used stents in keeping arteries clear...$LABEL$3 +Gunners step up gear to top table ARSENAL pulled clear at the top of the English Premiership for the first time this season after producing a devastating change of gear to sink London rivals Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage.$LABEL$1 +Qwest to pay \$250 mn to settle with SEC Qwest Communications International, the US telecommunications group, is understood to have agreed to pay \$250 million to end a two-year federal probe of alleged fraudulent accounting practices employed by former management.$LABEL$2 +Coalition holds off efforts to take rebel-run cities US surgical strikes continue in Fallujah, Samarra, and Tal Afar. But US says Iraqi forces are not ready to launch major attacks. By Howard LaFranchi.$LABEL$0 +Germany Cedes 2006 Cup Honor to Brazil (AP) AP - Germany declined the chance to play in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup, with the host nation ceding the honor to Brazil, the 2002 champion.$LABEL$1 +Exit Polls: Hong Kong Democrats Win Limited Gains HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pro-democracy candidates won limited gains in Hong Kong's Legislative Council election on Sunday and the pro-Beijing camp achieved a better-than-expected showing, exit polls showed.$LABEL$0 +HP signs on high-speed networking start-up Hewlett-Packard has signed a deal to sell network adapters from start-up S2io that the companies say can transfer data 10 times faster than today #39;s widespread standard.$LABEL$3 +Putin #39;s policies at fault The spate of terrorist attacks in Russia illustrates that President Vladimir V. Putin #39;s hard-line policy in Chechnya is failing to resolve that conflict or to make Russians safer.$LABEL$0 +Three Said Killed in Afghanistan Protests KABUL, Afghanistan - Protesters angered at President Hamid Karzai's sacking of a warlord governor in the west of the country ransacked U.N. compounds and clashed with security forces Sunday, leaving as many as three people dead and dozens wounded, including three U.S...$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Ivan Batters Grand Cayman GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - Hurricane Ivan battered the Cayman Islands with ferocious 150-mph winds Sunday, threatening a direct hit as it flooded homes and ripped up roofs and trees three stories high. Ivan has killed at least 60 people as it has torn a path of destruction across the Caribbean and was headed next for western Cuba, where it was expected to hit Monday, and could brush the Florida Keys and parts of Florida's Gulf Coast...$LABEL$0 +Upsets Shake Up College Football Poll (AP) AP - The upsets have begun and the little guys are moving into The Associated Press poll. After ranked teams started the season 21-0, five fell to unranked opponents this weekend, shaking up media poll released Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Oracle #39;s Ellison happy as \$5.5m Larry LARRY Ellison, the chief executive of software maker Oracle, earned \$US3.85 million (\$5.53 million) in salary and bonus for the financial year that ended May 31.$LABEL$2 +Lions #39; Rogers could miss season Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers will likely miss the remainder of the 2004 campaign after breaking his clavicle in the first quarter of the team #39;s 20-16 season-opening victory over the Chicago Bears.$LABEL$1 +Insurgents hammer central Baghdad BAGHDAD - Insurgents hammered central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar and rocket barrages ever in the heart of the capital, heralding a day of violence that left nearly 60 dead nationwide as security appeared to spiral out of $LABEL$0 +Hong Kong democrats win more seats Democrats have tightened their grip on Hong Kong #39;s legislature, but still have no mandate to push their agenda of universal suffrage in the southern Chinese enclave.$LABEL$0 +Ten Orioles pitchers issue 14 BBs as Yanks rally for 9-7 victory The New York Yankees took advantage of 14 walks, then capped their latest comeback victory with a couple of strolls around the bases.$LABEL$1 +U.S.: Korea Cloud Not From Nuclear Blast SEOUL, South Korea - A huge mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea was not caused by a nuclear explosion, South Korean and U.S. officials said Sunday, but they said the cause was a mystery...$LABEL$0 +OPEC Eyes Caution, Supply Weighs on Price VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC may resist calls to raise oil output quotas much, if at all, when it meets this week for fear of turning a decline from record prices into a rout.$LABEL$2 +Jarvis teeters on the brink Jarvis admitted yesterday it was in a race against time to raise enough cash from asset sales to satisfy lenders and keep trading beyond January.$LABEL$2 +Ravens Stumble to Loss Cleveland holds Jamal Lewis to just 57 yards on 20 carries and Jeff Garcia accounts for two touchdowns to lead the Browns to a 20-3 victory over the Ravens on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +New Spasm of Violence Sweeps Iraq, Killing 110 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 110 people were killed across Iraq on Sunday in a sharp escalation of violence that saw gun battles, car bombs and bombardments rock the capital.$LABEL$0 +Carpentier regains focus for win MONTEREY, Calif. -- As Patrick Carpentier cruised toward his second straight dominating victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, he let his mind wander.$LABEL$1 +U.S.: Korea Cloud Not From Nuclear Blast (AP) AP - A huge mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea was not caused by a nuclear explosion, South Korean and U.S. officials said Sunday, but they said the cause was a mystery.$LABEL$0 +Cordero sets new club mark com. Cordero notched his 44th save of the season Sunday to establish a Rangers record previously held by current Rangers roving pitching instructor John Wetteland.$LABEL$1 +WPP claims Grey Global prize LONDON, England -- UK-based advertising giant WPP Group says it has won the bidding to acquire US agency Grey Global. WPP, the world #39;s second-largest advertising company, said Sunday it had reached agreement $LABEL$2 +Fierce fighting in Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 12: At least 45 people died in a wave of bombings and battles between US troops and militants on Sunday, as Iraq #39;s US-installed prime minister said over 3,000 had perished in the #39;terrorism #39; washing over the country.$LABEL$0 +Two gored to death in Spanish bull-run Two Spanish men were gored to death by fighting bulls yesterday during the bull-run at the local fiestas in Ampuero, a town 30 miles east of the northern port city of Santander.$LABEL$0 +Speak to my right ear, sing to my left Researchers at the University of California find that the right and left human ears process sound differently: The right ear is better at picking up speech-like sounds and the left is more attuned to music.$LABEL$3 +Sorenstam wins Hammons Classic Annika Sorenstam won her fifth LPGA Tour event of the year, closing with a 1-under 70 Sunday for a four-shot victory at the John Q. Hammons Classic.$LABEL$1 +US Oil Up Above \$43, Watches Ivan, OPEC SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices climbed above \$43 on Monday as energy companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico braced for possible widespread output disruptions from a powerful hurricane and Iraq saw some of the bloodiest violence in weeks.$LABEL$2 +Let a Thousand Ideas Flower: China Is a New Hotbed of Research In recent years, hundreds of multinational companies have set up research laboratories in China.$LABEL$2 +Leftwich Snares Stunner Byron Leftwich caps an 80-yard touchdown drive with a 7-yard toss to rookie Ernest Wilford as time ran out, lifting the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 13-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Will Putin misuse Beslan terrorism? THE UNSPEAKABLE tragedy in Beslan, the town in Southern Russia where terrorists seized a school on the first day of class and where more than 300 people $LABEL$0 +Virus writers look for work THE WRITERS of the MyDoom viruses are encoding job applications into the latest variants of the bug. According to Sophos the plea for work was found when its boffins were stripping the code of the MyDoom-U and MyDoom-V variants.$LABEL$3 +Japanese automaker to boost production capacity in India Major Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp. said Monday it has decided to set up a vehicle assembly plant and a new diesel engine factory in India to boost production in the country #39;s growing market.$LABEL$2 +Putin Seeks More Control Over Regions, Governors In an address to the countrys top officials on Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin announced initiatives that would further strengthen the federal centers control over political life.$LABEL$0 +Bullies move online Singapore - More complaints of cyberbullying are emerging from youngsters in Singapore than any other country except the United States, an international safety group said in a report on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Spam Stopper Detects Sender Patterns (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Commtouch's anti-spam software update halts spam by tracking e-mail server sending patterns.$LABEL$3 +US Airways files for bankruptcy for 2nd time US Airways Group Inc., the nation #39;s seventh-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday for the second time in two years.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft vs Sendo: It #39;s over The legal battle between UK phone manufacturer Sendo and Microsoft has been settled, the companies announced on Monday morning. Sendo had been suing Microsoft for the alleged theft of trade secrets, fraud $LABEL$2 +For Craigslist, city was just the ticket Hadley Weinzierl used Craigslist to furnish her Jamaica Plain apartment, and when she bought a Maltese puppy, she sought advice from fellow Craigslisters on a good vet, a cheap dog-walker, and a park where she could let the dog run without a leash.$LABEL$2 +Today's schedule College soccer: MEN -- Curry at Emerson, 4 p.m.; WOMEN -- Mount Ida at Curry, 3:30 p.m.$LABEL$1 +Schering-Plough and Bayer form strategic alliance Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Bayer designed to maximize the companies #39; pharmaceutical resources while maintaining each company #39;s own strategic interests.$LABEL$2 +Terror Suspect Escapes From Bahrain Court A terror suspect escaped from court in Bahrain Monday after a judge renewed the detention order and three fellow detainees for 30 days.$LABEL$0 +At Last, Success on the Road for Lions The Detroit Lions went three full seasons without winning an away game, setting an NFL record for road futility. They ended that ignominious streak Sunday in their first opportunity of the season, beating the Chicago Bears 20-16 at Soldier Field...$LABEL$0 +IBM delivers Power-based servers with Linux IBM will push its Power5 line of servers down into the low end of the market, taking Linux with it, when it unwraps an aggressively priced series of Linux-only systems on Monday that will go up against the offerings of Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard $LABEL$3 +Frozen Eggs Showing Promise Italian researchers have achieved 13 human births using previously frozen eggs. It's encouraging for women who want to preserve their fertility, but efficiency is still low. By Kristen Philipkoski.$LABEL$3 +Headshake to the SETI Headfake Did the famous screensaver, SETIhome, uncover the first strong evidence for an extraterrestrial signal? The SETI Institute's Seth Shostak discusses how hyperbole can misrepresent the last addition to a list of stellar candidates.$LABEL$3 +Static over RFID A key patent holder wants royalties. If that starts a trend, adoption of radio frequency identification technology could suffer.$LABEL$3 +Russia official gives Yukos assurance Finance minister tells FT that asset sales to pay off tax debt will be market-oriented. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has promised that asset sales to pay off the tax debts of troubled $LABEL$2 +Two Manny dads DAVE Norman, the Sydney police constable who rushed to Jakarta to be with his critically injured daughter Manny Musu, underwent a DNA test to prove he is her biological father.$LABEL$0 +Cahill Could Be in the Clear Tim Cahill could escape suspension for his controversial celebration of Evertons winner at Manchester City when he was sent off for pulling his shirt over his head.$LABEL$1 +CRN INTERVIEW: JOHN FOWLER, SUN Sun #39;s Fowler: Rising Sales While Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM are the recognized leaders of the X86 server market, one player has surprisingly begun to gain ground.$LABEL$3 +Video game pioneer shoots for next level with cell phones (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Video game pioneer Trip Hawkins is going mobile. His latest act, a Silicon Valley company called Digital Chocolate, is developing games and ""lifestyle"" applications for portable phones. He hopes the new venture will turn out like the first he founded, Electronic Arts, the leading video game maker. His most recent gaming company, 3D0, went out of business after a decade. Hawkins spoke with USA TODAY's Edward C. Baigat last week's DemoMobile conference in La Jolla, Calif.$LABEL$3 +Baseball still learning lessons from '94 strike (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - In the 10 years since major league baseball's lights were dimmed and the World Series canceled, players and owners have cashed in.$LABEL$1 +EU weighs euro #39;s rise against dollar European Union finance ministers considered the ever-strengthening euro against the dollar Monday amid appeals for Washington to rein in its budget and current account deficits to stop the slide of the US currency.$LABEL$2 +Personal Tech Fast Forward columnist Rob Pegoraro discusses his latest column on Windows Media Player 10 and answer your personal tech questions.$LABEL$3 +Court to hear Microsoft appeal to \$521M Eolas ruling A panel of judges on Thursday is scheduled to hear Microsoft's appeal in a case where a jury ordered the software maker to pay \$520.6 million in damages after finding that Internet Explorer (IE) infringed on a patent.$LABEL$3 +FDA OKs Kit Used with Hemophilia Therapy CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said on Monday it received U.S. regulatory approval for a kit designed to help patients with the blood disorder hemophilia get regular treatments more quickly and safely.$LABEL$2 +Meditation Practice Helping Arthritis Patients By ALEX DOMINGUEZ BALTIMORE (AP) -- Dalia Isicoff knows pain. A lifelong sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, she has had seven hip replacement surgeries...$LABEL$3 +Training is the Key to Defibrillator Success By DANIEL YEE ALPHARETTA, Ga. (AP) -- Because defibrillators are more affordable than ever, they are quickly becoming commonplace in schools, businesses and other public places such as airports...$LABEL$3 +Novell sees a 'both-source' future CEO asserts the future of software development will not be found in the open-source or proprietary models.$LABEL$3 +Wal-Mart Keeps Its September Sales View Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday maintained its September sales forecast and said back-to-school demand picked up for key categories including electronics and clothing after a sluggish start.$LABEL$2 +Afghan president replaces 2 governors KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai #39;s government Saturday replaced two governors, including a strongman in the west, in a bold step to establish control ahead of landmark presidential elections.$LABEL$0 +Dive recovers Cromwell's sailor A sailor from a sunken ship belonging to Oliver Cromwell's navy had the upper body of a trapeze artist but bowed legs, his recovered skeleton shows.$LABEL$0 +Rogers confirms deal to buy AT amp;T Wireless stake Rogers Communications Inc. (RCIb.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) confirmed on Monday it would buy AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc. #39;s (AWE.$LABEL$2 +Japan Gadget Turns Plants Into Speakers (AP) AP - The therapeutic power of flowers takes on new meaning with a Japanese gadget that turns plants into audio speakers, making the petals and leaves tremble with good vibrations.$LABEL$3 +Copy, rip, or import? If you #39;ve been using the new Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP, you may have noticed that Microsoft shifted from some of the more formal language that it used in Windows Media Player 9 -- quot;Copy from CD quot; and quot;Copy to CD quot; -- to the more casual terms $LABEL$3 +Cisco Melds Add-on Features Into Branch-Office Routers SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Cisco Systems Inc. tomorrow plans to announce an all-new line of branch-office routers that integrate basic routing capabilities with IP voice support, security tools and other functionality.$LABEL$3 +Linux Promoters Challenge Microsoft (AP) AP - Seeking to be more competitive with Microsoft Corp., Linux backers have agreed on a standard version of the operating system so that programs written for one Linux distribution will work with others.$LABEL$3 +Browns day after: Week one The Browns started the season on a good note for the first time since 1994, and the win buoys the teams hopes for the near future.$LABEL$1 +Sharon faces Netanyahu challenge Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has received a surprise challenge to his plan to expedite a pullout from Gaza after Benjamin Netanyahu, his main rival in the Likud party, called for a referendum on the issue.$LABEL$0 +OPEC Seen Wary on Increase in Oil Quotas VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC may resist calls to raise oil output quotas much, if at all, when it meets this week for fear of turning a decline from record prices into a rout.$LABEL$2 +Italian GP, Race Fernando spun out of third position while Jarno finished tenth in this afternoon's Italian Grand Prix$LABEL$1 +Novell: Microsoft 'sucked \$60 billion' out of IT CEO Jack Messman tells conference crowd that Microsoft's licence fees have hobbled the IT industry.$LABEL$3 +Greek Orthodox patriarch is accident victim Vatican, Sep. 13 (CWNews.com) - The Greek Orthodox Patriarch Petros VII of Alexandria was killed in a helicopter crash on September 11, along with several other Orthodox prelates, as he traveled to Mount Athos.$LABEL$0 +Washington admits failure to get Iran to UN Security Council VIENNA (MNA) - A United States official confirmed to AFP news agency on Friday that Washington fails to take Irans nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions against Tehran.$LABEL$0 +My 50 random musings on the final major championship of the year So the last major of 2004 is in the books. Herewith 50 random ruminations on the US Open that was. ... 1. Imagine how good Roger Federer will be once he learns to move around the court a little.$LABEL$1 +Sanchez wins; Costa bows out in Bucharest Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Defending champion David Sanchez advanced, but former French Open titlist Albert Costa was not as fortunate Monday at the \$460,000 Romanian Open.$LABEL$1 +County unemployment drops to 3.7 percent SAN DIEGO - San Diego County #39;s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in August, down from a revised 4.4 percent in July and 4.3 percent a year ago, the California Employment Development Department reported today.$LABEL$2 +Symantec launches antiphishing service SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Symantec Corp. is fishing for dollars with a new service designed to help companies combat the ongoing epidemic of online identity theft, or quot;phishing, quot; scams.$LABEL$3 +Sorrell and WPP rise ever closer to the top LONDON With its agreement to buy Grey Global Group, Sir Martin Sorrell has placed his London-based WPP Group in position to rival Omnicom Group as the world #39;s largest advertising company.$LABEL$2 +Blurry Image Might Be First Picture of Exoplanet The image of a blurry red ball near a failed star just might be the first picture ever snapped of a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer who helped find the object said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Crazy fan disrupts Weir #39;s round IN AN unpleasant repeat of the Athens Games marathon fiasco, Mike Weir was grabbed by a fan as he walked to the 11th tee during the final round of the Canadian Open on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Disney Foes Want Eisner Out Now Disgruntled former Disney directors Roy Disney and Stanley Gold told Disney #39;s board Monday that CEO Michael Eisner should hit the road by early 2005 at the latest.$LABEL$2 +FDA Approves Lens Implant to Sharpen Sight WASHINGTON - There's a new option for people who suffer from extreme nearsightedness, whose world loses its crisp edge just a few inches from their noses. The first implantable lens for nearsightedness was approved Monday by the Food and Drug Administration...$LABEL$0 +Microsoft adds to Visual Studio tools line 2005 Standard Edition targets developers working in small organizations.$LABEL$3 +IBM open-sources speech-recognition development tools The move is designed to spur development in the speech recognition field and outflank rivals by making IBM's free technology the industry standard.$LABEL$3 +Enron to Pay \$321 Million in Pensions HOUSTON (Reuters) - Enron Corp. will pay \$321 million from the proceeds of its sale of its pipeline arm to fund pension plans for thousands of former employees, a government pension agency said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Sony-Led Group to Acquire MGM for \$3B LOS ANGELES Sept. 13, 2004 - A consortium led by Sony Corp. has agreed in principle to acquire famed Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.$LABEL$2 +3 Giants Contest Fines Over Team Meetings (AP) AP - Three New York Giants have filed complaints with the NFL Players Association after being fined by coach Tom Coughlin for not being ""early enough"" to team meetings.$LABEL$1 +Iraqis Plead With U.S. to Return to City (AP) AP - U.S. troops barred anguished crowds from returning to their homes in the besieged city of Tal Afar on Monday as residents described corpses scattered across orchards and the collapse of essential services such as water and electricity.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Opens Higher Led by Tech Stocks TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei share average was up 0.56 percent in early morning trade on Tuesday as another jump in U.S. technology shares encouraged investors to step up buying in local counterparts such as Advantest Corp.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Targets Solo Programmers with New Visual Studio Version ORLANDO, Fla.Microsoft Corp. announced another edition of its upcoming development tools family, releasing information on Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition at the VSLive!$LABEL$3 +Virus #39;talks #39; to victims Virus writers have created a piece of malware that #39;talks #39; to victims. The Amus email worm uses Windows Speech Engine (which is built-in to Windows XP) to deliver a curious message to infected users.$LABEL$3 +EU increases pressure for rights in Myanmar EU foreign ministers agreed Monday to tighten sanctions against Myanmar if it does not improve its human rights record by Oct. 8, when an EU meeting with Asian countries starts in Vietnam.$LABEL$2 +Firefox browser to hit 1.0 milestone Though the release is technically a preview, the 1.0 version is a significant milestone for the open-source browser software, which has already won an enthusiastic following as an alternative to Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer.$LABEL$3 +Service-Sector Revenues Rise in Q2 Revenues in key sectors of the US services industry grew in the second quarter, the government said on Monday in a new survey aimed at measuring growth in the giant tranche of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Osaka school killer of 8, yakuza boss executed TOKYO - Mamoru Takuma, convicted for murdering eight children at an Osaka elementary school in 2001, has been executed, informed sources said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Japan executes child killer Japan has hanged a man convicted of stabbing to death eight elementary school children in a rampage that shocked the nation and severely shook its sense of security, local media have said.$LABEL$0 +Dropping Hyphen, Some Great Old Stores Become Just Macy #39;s n the not-so-distant past, the names Burdines, Rich #39;s, Goldsmith #39;s, Bon March and Lazarus had a local glory as the emporiums where customers bought their back-to-school clothes and discovered their Mother #39;s Day presents.$LABEL$2 +Major League Baseball Box Score COLORADO (7) VS ARIZONA (1) - MID 6TH - IN PROGRESS COLORADO ab rh rbi bb so lob avg A Miles 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .302 R Clayton ss 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 .$LABEL$1 +Ivan Roars Into Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Ivan skirted the western tip of Cuba on Monday and arced into the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 160 mph, bearing down toward landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast later this week.$LABEL$0 +Cisco to debut new router family Internet hardware giant Cisco Systems is said to be preparing to launch a new family of routers that can manage both voice and data applications.$LABEL$3 +Pros in Olympics still in question Wayne Gretzky found himself talking about Mario Lemieux possibly playing in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin when ... whoa! quot;Are you suggesting that you #39;re holding $LABEL$1 +Sony group to buy MGM A consortium led by Sony Corp. has agreed in principle to acquire famed Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. for nearly \$3 billion, MGM said late yesterday.$LABEL$2 +Escobar, Anderson lift Angels Kelvim Escobar pitched seven strong innings and Garret Anderson hit a three-run homer, leading the Anaheim Angels to a 5-1 win over the Mariners last night in Seattle.$LABEL$1 +Turkey #39;s Adultery Ban Would Hinder EU Bid, Aides Say (Update1) Turkey #39;s plan to make adultery a crime may hinder its bid to join the European Union by showing the dominance of conservative forces #39; #39; in Turkish society, European officials said.$LABEL$0 +Carrier #39;s uphill climb US Airways said yesterday it can emerge from bankruptcy a stronger airline, but acknowledged it needs deeper wage concessions from its pilots - something it has failed to get after two years of trying.$LABEL$2 +CREDIT: Canadian Press, Reuters Gretzky, executive director of Team Canada, says each player should treat tonight #39;s World Cup of Hockey championship game against Finland as quot;one of the greatest nights of their life.$LABEL$1 +IBM puts G5 in Linux server The eServer OpenPower 720 is aimed at the entry-level market for 64-bit Linux-based servers and runs various configurations of what IBM calls the Power5 at 1.5 and 1.65GHz.$LABEL$3 +Wenger attacks Madrid for transfer rule-bending Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger accused Real Madrid of ignoring the rules when it wants to sign a new player. Wenger said the Spanish powerhouse has sometimes made its interest known to the $LABEL$1 +The reforms that Putin announced Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a series of measures to strengthen central state powers following the hostage-taking at Beslan when more than 300 people died.$LABEL$0 +Science Students Win \$100,000 Prize Description: Siemens Westinghouse announces the winners of its annual competition for high school students in math, science and technology.$LABEL$3 +Federated Will Rename Stores as Macy #39;s All regional Federated Department Stores will change their names to Macy #39;s in January, the company said yesterday. The decision affects regional department stores that operate as Burdines-Macy #39;s in Florida $LABEL$2 +Help wanted by IT services firms The growing services industry is hiring, but tech workers looking for a job may need to do more than brush up on their coding.$LABEL$3 +Sun trims fourth-quarter earnings by \$12 million Sun Microsystems Inc. trimmed its fourth quarter and full-year 2004 results this week, to account for final accounting of asset retirement obligations and its settlement with Microsoft Corp.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft, Polycom team on collaboration products Microsoft Corp. and Polycom Inc. have struck a multi-year agreement to link Microsoft's Office Live Communications Server with Polycom's conferencing products, the companies plan to announce Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +German investor confidence slumped in September BERLIN - German investor confidence dropped sharply in September, a key economic indicator released Tuesday showed amid concerns about the impact of high oil prices on consumer demand and the outlook for the global economy.$LABEL$0 +Office Depot Sees Profit Below Views NEW YORK (Reuters) - Office Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ODP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">ODP.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. office supply retailer, on Tuesday forecast third-quarter and full-year profits below Wall Street estimates due to disruptions from recent hurricanes.$LABEL$2 +Retail Sales Down; Trade Gap Larger (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. retail sales dipped in August\and the U.S. gap with its international trade partners widened\to a record level in the second quarter of the year, government\reports released on Tuesday showed.$LABEL$2 +Kroger Profit Falls, Warns on Sales NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kroger Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KR.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KR.N</A>, the largest U.S. grocer, on Tuesday reported a 25 percent drop in quarterly profit, hurt by debt redemption costs.$LABEL$2 +Novell reaffirms open source strategy Novell is putting open source and identity management centre stage at its European user conference this week. The networking firm announced that Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES), which includes Novell #39;s $LABEL$3 +Chinese Mobile Phone Giant to Open Up to 3000 Internet Cafes China #39;s second-largest mobile phone company says it plans to open up to 3,000 Internet cafes by the end of this year. State-controlled China Unicom, which already operates 400 Internet cafes across the country $LABEL$3 +A target for terrorists An election campaign parades the political divide in the community. Yesterday, amid the extraordinary uncertainty about whether Australians had been taken hostage in Iraq, we saw the glue that unites the two sides of politics.$LABEL$0 +Canada, Finland set for WCH final Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - The Canadians try to take back what was once theirs tonight when they face Finland in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey final at Air Canada Centre.$LABEL$1 +Kroger Profit Falls, Warns on Sales NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kroger Co. on Tuesday posted a 25 percent drop in quarterly profit and warned it may not reach its sales target for the year, sending shares of the top U.S. grocer down as it grapples with lingering fallout from a strike in Southern California.$LABEL$2 +Iranian nuclear plans #39;unclear #39; The head of the UN #39;s nuclear watchdog says he has seen no firm evidence Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons. But International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El-Baradei said he could not yet give $LABEL$0 +Benitez Plans Tactical Overhaul Rafael Benitez embarks on his first European campaign as Liverpool boss tomorrow with a warning to his players that the continents finest have got wise to English tactics.$LABEL$1 +Whats New With Google News What's New With Google News\\Google News has added a whole bunch of features while we weren't lookin'. First off there's a new pull-down menu at the top of the page which easily allows you access to the top stories across all the Google News properties. If you look at that ...$LABEL$3 +Cisco launches equipment leasing arm in India as it eyes booming IT market (AFP) AFP - US computer networking giant Cisco's Indian subsidiary announced the launch of a leasing arm to grab a slice of the growing domestic IT market.$LABEL$3 +Flower power turns up the volume A Japanese company has come up with a way of turning flowers into loudspeakers.$LABEL$3 +Manpower forecasts positive 4Q hiring pattern Fourth quarter hiring in the Buffalo Niagara Falls market is expected to be on the rise according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.$LABEL$2 +Zurich abandons bid for 2014 Winter Olympics Zurich has decided to quit the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics, according to a statement released bythe Swiss Olympic Association on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Piller Out for Months After Arm Surgery (AP) AP - Titans guard Zach Piller might miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair his ruptured left biceps.$LABEL$1 +Sony Leads MGM Acquisition Entertainment companies had been vying for MGM to get their hands on its library of more than 4,000 titles. Time Warner initially was seen as the front-runner in the race.$LABEL$2 +Novell #39;s Microsoft attack completes Linux conversion Novell Inc. has completed its conversion to Linux by launching an attack on Microsoft Corp., claiming that the company has stifled software innovation and that the market will abandon Microsoft Windows at some point in the future.$LABEL$3 +Sony goes OLED with Japanese CLIE PEG-VZ90 Despite pulling out of the US and European markets, Sony #39;s CLIE line is still kicking in Japan, and is now kicking with an OLED display.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft going for BIG BITE of Apple In case you have not heard, Microsoft just upped the ante in the digital music war when it launched its Windows Media Player 10 and its beta online music store this month.$LABEL$3 +Tyncastle sale gets official go ahead Of the votes received by proxy and from shareholders in the room at a stormy extraordinary general meeting last night, 62.5 were in favour of the resolution.$LABEL$1 +IBM, LG Electronics to End Joint Venture International Business Machines Corp. and LG Electronics Inc. will end an eight-year alliance that helped expand the US computer maker #39;s presence in the booming South Korean PC market.$LABEL$2 +McDonald #39;s boosts annual dividend 38 McDonald #39;s (MCD) Tuesday raised its annual dividend by 38, a move the world #39;s largest restaurant chain said is another sign of its revitalization.$LABEL$2 +Indy 500 qualifying changes aimed at regaining interest INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis 500 will return to four days of qualifying for next year #39;s race, but with a new format of bumping on each day.$LABEL$1 +North Korea Seen as Tying Nuclear Talks to US Election North Korea is waiting out the American presidential election in order to bargain with the winner over its nuclear weapons program, according to analysts here and a British diplomat who left Pyongyang today.$LABEL$0 +Sony Announces the Clie VZ90 Handheld For Japan Sony Japan has released a new Clie for the Japanese market only. The Clie PEG-VZ90 is a Palm OS multimedia Clie handheld, that features a large OLED screen, slider hidden buttons, plentiful memory and WiFi.$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Worries Boost Oil Prices Worries that Hurricane Ivan will hurt oil production in the Gulf of Mexico boosted oil prices Tuesday. In mid-morning New York trading, oil for future delivery hit \$44.$LABEL$2 +Retail Sales Fall 0.3 Percent in August Retail sales slid in August as people steered away from buying cars and shoppers kept a close eye on their spending after splurging in July.$LABEL$2 +Oracle Profit Rises on Software Demand SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. on Tuesday reported a higher quarterly profit as the world's second largest software company benefited from steady demand for its flagship database software.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Eyes Video for Business IM Software giant teams with Polycom to boost sales of Live Communications Server.$LABEL$3 +VILLENEUVE ON VERGE OF F1 RETURN Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve is on the verge of a shock return to Formula One with Renault. The Canadian has been out of Formula One since leaving BAR one race before the end of last season but $LABEL$1 +Batman visits Buckingham Palace A security officer stands by as father #39;s rights campaigner Jason Hatch (R), dressed as Batman, protests on a balcony at Buckingham Palace in London, September 13, 2004.$LABEL$0 +Microsoft mice get biometric Microsoft Corp. has made fingerprint biometric technology an integral part of its keyboard and mouse peripherals with new products that mark the company #39;s first foray into biometric devices.$LABEL$3 +Oracle 1Q Earnings Rise 16 Percent (AP) AP - Business software giant Oracle Corp. said Tuesday that first-quarter earnings rose 16 percent driven by new database license sales that rose 19 percent.$LABEL$3 +Allied Waste shares fall as company again lowers outlook AUSTIN - The stock of Allied Waste Industries Inc. fell Tuesday after the waste hauler cut its 2004 profit outlook for the second time in as many months.$LABEL$2 +Eagles Lose OL Andrews PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, Philadelphia #39;s No. 1 draft pick this year, suffered a fractured right leg in Sunday #39;s game against the New York Giants.$LABEL$1 +Nokia Adopts SD Card Tech into Storage Portfolio To expand the capabilities of SD memory cards in mobile devices, the SD Card Association has recently formed a Mobile Phone Task Force.$LABEL$3 +Dalai Lama Envoy Visits China for Autonomy Talks WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama's special envoy has arrived in China for talks on the exiled spiritual leader's aspirations for Tibetan autonomy, the third such visit in three years, officials in Washington said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Oracle Quarterly Net Income Rises 16 Pct Oracle Corp. (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday reported a 16 percent rise in quarterly net income as the world #39;s second largest software company benefited $LABEL$2 +Sri Lanka raise England #39;s spirits In their opening match of the Champions #39; Trophy, Sri Lanka did little to suggest they have the wherewithal to knock England out of the tournament at the Rose Bowl on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Mourinho happy after 3-0 win Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with his side #39;s performance in the 3-0 win in the Champions League against Paris Saint Germain.$LABEL$1 +CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Expect a comfortable night for the Highbury boys The Gooners take their first step into European football this season tonight by welcoming Dutch league runners-up, PSV Eindhoven, to Highbury.$LABEL$1 +Zimbabwe do England a favour Zimbabwe have been English cricket #39;s bte noir over the past year but here yesterday, they did them a huge favour in the Champions Trophy, despite losing to Sri Lanka by four $LABEL$1 +Inflation fall eases rates pressure INFLATION fell again in August, slipping further below the governments 2 per cent target, driven down by clothing and footwear retailers failing to raise prices after a poor summer.$LABEL$2 +Valley Stars Struggle to Settle Alan Curbishley admits Charltons summer signings have yet to settle at The Valley and blames the loss of virtually an entire side for the clubs stuttering start to the season.$LABEL$1 +Schultz re-ups with Wild St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild and defenseman Nick Schultz agreed to terms on a one-year contract Tuesday. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.$LABEL$1 +Nedved to rejoin Czech national team after injury healed Czech captain Pavel Nedved will return to the national soccer team once his knee is completely healed, he said in a statement which his manager Zdenek Nehoda provided Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan turns up heat on al Qaeda Pakistani forces have been battling al Qaeda fighters in an ongoing operation to rout terrorists in a tribal area near the border with Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence sources said.$LABEL$0 +Champions League: Arsenal 1, PSV Eindhoven 0 Arsenal benefited from an own-goal in a 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in its opening Champions League match at Highbury on Tuesday. The Gunners largely dominated the Group E match, with Jose Antonio $LABEL$1 +Eagles Bring Back Levens; Place Andrews on IR (Reuters) Reuters - The Philadelphia Eagles\made several roster moves on Tuesday, including bringing back\Dorsey Levens and placing Shawn Andrews on injured reserve.$LABEL$1 +LETTER FROM EUROPE The All-Too-Human Hitler, on Your Big Screen The release of a major movie about Hitler is, by definition, a remarkable event in Germany, especially if it portrays one of history #39;s great monsters as a human being, given $LABEL$0 +Sony Set to Exert Influence on Discs As the leader of the group that plans to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony is poised to gain considerable power in its fight to set the format for the next generation of digital video discs.$LABEL$3 +In Retaken Iraqi City, Perils Lurk U.S. forces have controlled Tall Afar since Sunday, after deadly battles last week. On Tuesday, soldiers, led by an Iraqi known as ""The Source,"" reopened the city and searched for insurgents.$LABEL$0 +Lethal Bird Flu Reemerges In Four East Asian Countries The avian influenza virus that swept across East Asia early this year has reemerged in at least four countries in the region despite optimism among health and agriculture officials that the disease had been eradicated through the mass slaughter of chickens.$LABEL$0 +Delta Pilots Tell Negotiators to Get Pact (Reuters) Reuters - Delta Air Lines Inc.'s pilots union on\Tuesday directed its negotiators to work out an agreement to\address the early retirement of a large number of pilots, which\threatens to push the No. 3 U.S. airline into a Chapter 11\bankruptcy filing.$LABEL$2 +Communist Party seeks to win back people #39;s support THE Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has read the writing on the wall and is out to shore up its moral right to keep ruling the country.$LABEL$0 +Chiquita slips on higher Q3 costs CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Higher operating costs are canceling out expense reductions and cutting into Chiquita Brands #39; profit expectations for the third quarter, the company said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Fish coasts through Second seed Mardy Fish brushed aside the challenge of qualifier Andres Pedroso with a 6-1 6-2 win in the International Tennis Championships.$LABEL$1 +Nokia To Expand On-Device Storage Options <a href=""http://news.com.com/NokiajoinsSecureDigitalindustrygroup/2100-1039_3-5365922.html"">Nokia joins Secure Digital industry group</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>CNET News.com</nobr>$LABEL$3 +Labor Allies Want Senate to Block OT Rules (AP) AP - Fresh from their triumph in the House, labor allies want the Senate to derail new Bush administration overtime rules that critics say would prevent 6 million American workers from getting the bonus pay.$LABEL$0 +5000 rally against James Hardie MORE than 5000 building workers and asbestos victims have rallied outside a general meeting for embattled building products company James Hardie in central Sydney today.$LABEL$2 +AL notables Jason Giambi went 0 for 3 with a walk and a long drive to the right-field warning track in his first start for the Yankees since July 23 after recovering from a benign tumor, intestinal parasite, strained groin, and respiratory infection. He is hitless in his last 24 at-bats.$LABEL$1 +The OQO Should Run Linux \\This little OQO machine is certainly pretty cool. The biggest problem\though is that it doesn't run Linux.\\This leaves you with a device heavier than your PDA and all the insecurity and\bloat of Windows and with a price tag of only sub \$2000.\\People don't care what OS their PDA/Handtop runs. It can run an alternative OS\and for the most part consumers don't care. WinCE hasn't exactly been a stellar\market success. While Microsoft does have significant market share PalmOS,\Symbian, and Linux are doing just fine. Also most of the WinCE devices never\have the fit and finish of their Palm and Symbian counterparts.\\I don't know where OQO thinks they are going to fit in. If they were to ...\\$LABEL$3 +Same-sex divorce rules still hazy Now that an Ontario couple has been given Canada #39;s first same-sex divorce, experts are divided over just how easy it will be for gays and lesbians in other provinces to end their marriages.$LABEL$0 +Report: Japan PM Advisers See China Military Threat (Reuters) Reuters - In a move that could further chill ties\between the two Asian powers, an advisory panel to Japan's\prime minister will say China should be described as a military\threat in a defense review, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported\on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +SABMiller #39;s China JV in \$154m deal SABMiller, the world #39;s second largest brewer #39;s Chinese joint-venture, China Resources Breweries Limited (CRB) has acquired the Chinese brewing interests of Lion Nathan for an equity value of \$71-million and estimated assumed debt of \$83-million, CRM $LABEL$2 +Ryder-You can bank on Tiger, says Sutton Tiger Woods has not won a major in two years and lost his world number one ranking but US Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton says reports of his demise will prove badly exaggerated this week.$LABEL$1 +Villeneuve and Sauber With Jacques Villeneuve testing for Renault today at Silverstone there has been the perhaps inevitable speculation that this could change things for next season when Giancarlo Fisichella is due to join Fernando Alonso at Renault F1.$LABEL$1 +Iraqi attacks kill at least 69 At least 69 people have been killed and scores wounded during a day of carnage in Iraq. In Baghdad, 47 Iraqis died and over 120 were injured in a massive explosion near a police station.$LABEL$0 +We need to do well - Benitez Rafael Benitez has admitted Liverpool can finally end speculation over Steven Gerrard #39;s future with a good Champions League campaign.$LABEL$1 +Technical Hitch Delays Russia Space Station Launch (Reuters) Reuters - The launch of a Russian rocket scheduled\to blast off to the International Space Station next month has\been postponed because of problems with the docking system,\Russia's space agency said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +OPEC Aims for 4 Pct Boost in Oil Quotas VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC's core Gulf producers will recommend the cartel raise supply quotas by one million barrels a day, four percent, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Earthquake Rocks Indonesia's Bali, One Dead-Radio JAKARTA (Reuters) - An earthquake rocked Indonesia's premier tourist island of Bali on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least two, El Shinta radio reported, quoting hospital officials.$LABEL$0 +Rockies Terminate Neagle's Contract (Reuters) Reuters - Colorado terminated the contract\of pitcher Denny Neagle on Monday, three days after he was\ticketed for soliciting a women for oral sex.$LABEL$1 +Bridgeway CEO to settle SEC fund charges - WSJ A mutual fund manager long regarded by many as an advocate for the interests of fund shareholders is expected to pay \$5 million to settle charges he overcharged his own investors by nearly that amount, the Wall Street Journal $LABEL$2 +THE 35TH RYDER CUP Tiger #39;s Cup doesn #39;t run over with success Bloomfield Township, Mich. -- The Ryder Cup is upon us, and you know what that means: Time to dress up as Mrs. Doubtfire and taunt Colin Montgomerie from behind the ropes?$LABEL$1 +Earthquake Rocks Indonesia's Bali, One Dead BALI, Indonesia (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia's premier tourist island of Bali Wednesday, killing one person, injuring at least two and triggering some panic, officials said.$LABEL$0 +CBOE to sell stake in National exchange, buy CBOT rights The Chicago Board Options Exchange said Tuesday its directors approved steps to reduce its financial ties to two other exchanges in town.$LABEL$2 +Study: 400K Fewer Tech Jobs Since 2001 The US information tech sector lost 403,300 jobs between March 2001 and this past April, and the market for tech workers remains bleak, according to a new report.$LABEL$2 +Britain #39;s unemployment falls to 20 year low British unemployment fell by 16,000 to 1.41 million between May and July, the lowest level since comparable records began in 1984, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Acrimony in the air on eve of Northern Ireland talks (AFP) AFP - All-party talks to kickstart Northern Ireland's peace process, in limbo for nearly two years, get underway at Leeds Castle with acrimony already in the air.$LABEL$0 +Consumer Group Calls for Probe of #39;Rip-Off #39; ITunes Apple Computer Corp. is charging its British iTunes customers 17 percent more per download than its European customers, a consumer watchdog group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Slowing population 'lacks funds' Rich countries are giving only half the amount they promised to help to slow world population growth, the UN says.$LABEL$3 +Coast Guard Shuts Gulf of Mexico Ports HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard shut five ports on Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico coast states of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi as Hurricane Ivan churned nearer.$LABEL$2 +As hockey clock strikes 12, Canada reclaims World Cup The message board in Canada #39;s dressing room spoke volumes: quot;Practice canceled tomorrow, quot; it read. quot;No one else to beat.$LABEL$1 +SportsNetwork Game Preview (Sports Network) - Tim Wakefield tries for his first win in three starts this evening when the Boston Red Sox continue their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park.$LABEL$1 +Hurricane Ivan Roars Toward Gulf Coast NEW ORLEANS - Stragglers streamed toward higher ground Wednesday on highways turned into one-way evacuation routes and surf started eroding beaches as Hurricane Ivan roared toward the Gulf Coast with 140 mph wind. Nearly 200 miles wide, Ivan could cause significant damage no matter where it strikes, as hurricane-force wind extended up to 105 miles out from the center...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Sink on Coke's Gloomy Forecast NEW YORK - Stocks headed lower Wednesday after beverage giant Coca-Cola Co. issued a gloomy forecast, and a lower-than-expected reading on industrial production for August threw the nation's broader economic outlook into question...$LABEL$0 +Milosevic war crimes trial suspended The war crimes trial of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was today adjourned for a month after key witnesses refused to appear in protest at the court #39;s decision to appoint defence lawyers.$LABEL$0 +'Cities in crisis' leaders warn World leaders warn that rapid urbanisation will become one of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century.$LABEL$3 +Moya Upset in First Round of China Open (AP) AP - Top-seeded Carlos Moya was upset by French qualifier Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-3, in the first round of the China Open on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Key Martha Witness Gets Wrist Slap (CBS/AP) A former brokerage assistant who helped Martha Stewart make her fateful stock trade and later emerged as a key government witness was spared both prison and probation Friday for accepting a payoff during the government #39;s investigation.$LABEL$2 +Jobs #39; Apple vs Beatles #39; Apple p2pnet.net News:- It #39;s Apple vs Apple again - that #39;s to say Steve Jobs #39; Apple versus The Beatles #39; Apple. Apple-B claims Apple-J infringes its trade mark and the latter, quot;is likely to be forced into a multimillion $LABEL$3 +Ferrero advances; Moya stunned in rainy Beijing Beijing, China (Sports Network) - For the second time in as many days, rain was a major factor at the inaugural \$500,000 China Open.$LABEL$1 +Hughes allowed to speak to Rovers The Football Association of Wales have given national boss Mark Hughes permission to speak to Blackburn over their vacant managerial post.$LABEL$1 +MCNAMARA RECEIVES GOOD NEWS Celtic have been boosted by the news that Jackie McNamara should be back in action within six weeks. The Hoops skipper was clearly in agony when he was stretchered off during Tuesday nights 3-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona.$LABEL$1 +Brazil Embraer says suspends US Airways deliveries Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer (EMBR4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research) (ERJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it had suspended aircraft deliveries to US Airways (UAIR.$LABEL$2 +Inzamam happy with win Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq praised his spinners after Pakistan knocked Kenya out of the Champions Trophy with a seven-wicket win at Edgbaston.$LABEL$1 +HP Wins Defense Contract HP (Quote, Chart) was awarded a \$290 million, 10-year outsourcing contract with the Defense Logistics Agency #39;s (DLA) Enterprise Data Center (EDC) program, officials announced Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +World Population to Rise to 8.9 Billion Although world families are getting smaller in many regions, the 50 poorest countries are expected to triple in size to 1.7 billion people by 2050, posing many challenges for world countries.$LABEL$0 +Oracle Fails to Inspire Tech Rally Oracle Corp. handed the software industry some positive earnings news after the bell on Tuesday, but investors pulled cash from the sector on concerns that information technology spending has become anemic.$LABEL$2 +Canadian Driving Champion Jacques Villeneuve to Join Swiss Team Former world driving champion Jacques Villeneuve of Canada has signed a deal to drive for the Swiss-based Sauber Petronas Formula One team next season.$LABEL$1 +Howe won #39;t be back in 2005 According to a report on the MSG Network website, New York Mets manager Art Howe will not return as the team #39;s manager for the 2005 season.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft Warns of JPEG Security Hole Microsoft, which recommended immediate updates, said the newly discovered vulnerability could allow remote code execution of code thanks to a buffer-overrun vulnerability in the processing of JPEG image formats.$LABEL$3 +ADV: Try Currency Trading Risk-Free 30 Days 24-hour commission-free trading, 100-to-1 leverage of your capital, and Dealbook Fx 2 - our free advanced trading software. Sign up for our free 30-day trial and receive one-on-one training.$LABEL$2 +News: Governments slow off the mark to combat growing threats of cybercrime The Associated Press By Robert Wielaard$LABEL$3 +GM Plans to Use Woods More Creatively (AP) AP - General Motors Corp. is thrilled that Tiger Woods will promote Buick for the next five years, but GM chairman Rick Wagoner says the automaker could make better use of the world's best-known golfer.$LABEL$1 +OPEC Increases Oil Output The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has agreed to increase output by one million barrels a day in a move to lower oil prices.$LABEL$2 +Pakistan's Musharraf to Retain Army Post Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will stay on as chief of the army staff beyond the date he promised to give up the post, the information minister said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Celtic captain McNamara out for a month Celtic captain Jackie McNamara will be sidelined for at least a month after sustaining ankle ligament damage in Tuesday #39;s 3-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona.$LABEL$1 +Nokia, NEC Test New IP Multimedia Subsystem Two high-tech communications players have completed the first phase in a series of tests to show how a next-generation IP data and communications infrastructure works.$LABEL$3 +Hughes Seals Rovers Return Blackburn tonight installed Wales boss Mark Hughes as their new manager to take over from Graeme Souness. The identity of the appointment was not a surprise but the speed in which it was announced certainly was.$LABEL$1 +Stewart Asks to Serve Sentence Soon NEW YORK Sept. 15, 2004 - Millionaire executive Martha Stewart announced Wednesday that she had decided to begin her prison sentence for lying about a stock trade as soon as possible.$LABEL$2 +Marlins righthander Burnett to miss Friday #39;s start Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Florida Marlins starting pitcher AJ Burnett is hampered with inflammation in his right elbow and will miss his scheduled start on Friday against the Atlanta Braves.$LABEL$1 +Cisco joins WiMax Forum The networking giant formally signs on to the wireless broadband group as the organization's ranks increase.$LABEL$3 +Devil Rays thumbnails at Fenway Park Records: Boston is 86-56 (second in the AL East); Tampa Bay is 61-80 (fourth in AL East). Tonight (7:05, NESN, WEEI): LHP Scott Kazmir (1-1, 5.62) vs.$LABEL$1 +Chronology of attacks on Westerners in Saudi Arabia Three suspected Muslim militants gunned down a Briton in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday, security sources and diplomats said.$LABEL$0 +McKenzie Ends Holdout and Returns to Green Bay (Reuters) Reuters - Green Bay Packers\cornerback Mike McKenzie ended his lengthy holdout Wednesday\afternoon and joined his teammates in preparation for Week 2.$LABEL$1 +USC Fires Basketball Coach Henry Bibby LOS ANGELES - Henry Bibby was fired as Southern California #39;s basketball coach Monday, just four games into his ninth season. The Trojans, beset by some player dissension, are 2-2.$LABEL$1 +Midtier ERP Vendors Can Capitalize On Oracle Antitrust Verdict The door is open for Oracle to win its bid for PeopleSoft, and for midmarket ERP vendors to increase their business. By Elena Malykhina.$LABEL$3 +USA searches for winning formula Hal Sutton anticipated the question. He had formulated an answer, too, long before he arrived in that Milwaukee hotel ballroom to announce his captain #39;s picks and finalize the US Ryder Cup team.$LABEL$1 +Sudan Rejects US-Sponsored Darfur Resolution Sudan on Wednesday rejected a US-sponsored UN Security Council draft resolution to punish it over a conflict in its western Darfur region, saying the measure was unfair and lacked balance.$LABEL$0 +BTG hits Amazon, Netflix and others with patent suit BTG, a London-based firm that focuses on intellectual property and technology commercialization, filed suit against Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and two other Internet companies for infringing on patents related to the tracking of users online.$LABEL$3 +F1 BOSS LOSES COURT CASE Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestones control over the sport may be on the decline after a court ruled against him in a dispute with three banks.$LABEL$1 +Bush Urges Putin Uphold Russian Democracy (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush on Wednesday urged\Russian President Vladimir Putin to ""uphold the principles of\democracy"" in a carefully worded message expressing concern\about Putin's proposed political reforms.$LABEL$0 +Darfur Peace Talks Struggle for Survival ABUJA (Reuters) - Peace talks between Sudan's government and Darfur rebels struggled for survival after one of the two rebel groups said on Wednesday the negotiations had collapsed but left open the chance of resumption.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Challenges Bush Record on Issues DETROIT - Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush on Wednesday of presiding over an ""excuse presidency,"" challenging Bush's credibility on jobs, the record national deficit and the war in Iraq...$LABEL$0 +IMF: Global financial markets stronger, more resilient Global financial markets are stronger and more resilient than at any time since the stock market bubble burst in the late 1990s, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Lonely men targeted by cell-phone based relationship HONG KONG - There #39;s a new service for men seeking true love. A software company has created an artificial girlfriend that lonely men can download to a mobile phone.$LABEL$3 +Giants' Stoutmire Tears ACL; Lost for Season EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Sports Network) - The New York Giants placed defensive back Omar Stoutmire on injured reserve Wednesday after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday's season-opening 31-17 loss in Philadelphia.$LABEL$1 +Jamaica Searches for Dozens of Fishermen After Ivan Jamaican military forces searched on Wednesday for dozens of fishermen feared missing after Hurricane Ivan #39;s strike on the Caribbean island last weekend, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Infineon to Pay a Fine in the Fixing Of Chip Prices Federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they had cracked a global cartel that had illegally fixed prices of memory chips in personal computers and servers for $LABEL$2 +Sports: Khalil Greene breaks finger LOS ANGELES Khalil (kuh-LEEL #39;) Greene has a broken right index finger and will miss the rest of the regular season. The San Diego Padres shortstop was injured in the fifth inning of Monday night #39;s 9-7 victory $LABEL$1 +Techs extend Nikkei #39;s rally Technology shares edged up in Asia on Tuesday, as crude oil prices hovered near \$44 a barrel and the dollar languished ahead of key US economic data.$LABEL$2 +2 D.C. Men Accused of Defrauding Investors The Securities and Exchange Commission sued two District men yesterday, charging them with improperly soliciting more than \$1.3 million for a real-estate-based Ponzi scheme by preying on fears about neighborhood gentrification.$LABEL$2 +Democrats Seek Louder Voice From Edwards At a time when Vice President Dick Cheney has been mocking John Kerry, John Edwards has adopted a lower-profile stance.$LABEL$0 +Saudis Take a Small Dose of Democracy For the first time in 41 years, Saudi Arabia is allowing local elections. The ruling family's goal, political analysts and diplomats say, is to determine whether a more open government might help defuse a rising armed threat by Muslim militants in the kingdom.$LABEL$0 +magic number down to 10 New York -- If the Braves #39; 13th consecutive division title seemed like a foregone conclusion before Wednesday, well then it seems doubly so today.$LABEL$1 +Sales #39; 28 points help Sun beat Sting, clinch playoff spot The Connecticut Sun clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year behind Nykesha Sales #39; 28 points in an 81-67 win over the Charlotte Sting on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Shareholders Approve Aether Changeover Shareholders approved Aether Systems Inc.'s sale of one of its two remaining operating divisions Wednesday, a deal that will take the Owings Mills company out of the wireless business and nearly complete its transformation into a mortgage investment fund.<BR>\<FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +More Troubles For Howard Tim Howard was quot;horribly at fault quot; and quot;had another bad night, his dreadful error leading to Lyon #39;s first goal quot; in Champions League action.$LABEL$1 +IBM protects passwords with PC chip New PCs will ship with a chip designed to thwart hackers--a hardware approach that's said to be safer than software.$LABEL$3 +Gunmen Seize Three Britons in Baghdad (Reuters) Reuters - Three British nationals, believed to be\civilians, were snatched by gunmen from a house in central\Baghdad early on Thursday, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.$LABEL$0 +Mexico Migrant Smugglers Turning to Sea (AP) AP - Migrant smugglers are skirting heightened security along the border by using small boats to shuttle people from the under-supervised Baja coast into Southern California marinas and harbors, already jammed with legal commercial ships and pleasure boat traffic.$LABEL$0 +Intel Officials Have Bleak View for Iraq WASHINGTON - The National Intelligence Council presented President Bush this summer with several pessimistic scenarios regarding the security situation in Iraq, including the possibility of a civil war there before the end of 2005. In a highly classified National Intelligence Estimate, the council looked at the political, economic and security situation in the war-torn country and determined that - at best - stability in Iraq would be tenuous, a U.S...$LABEL$0 +Real Madrid Ponders Biggest Champions League Loss in Four Years Real Madrid began yesterday #39;s match at Bayer Leverkusen as the bookmakers #39; favorite to win the Champions League. The record nine-time European champion finished with its worst defeat in the competition in more than four years.$LABEL$1 +European Stocks Open Flat, Havas Falls (Reuters) Reuters - European shares opened steady on\Thursday, with French advertising group Havas falling after\news of a capital increase along with its first-half results\but Richemont rallied after reporting strong luxury goods\sales.$LABEL$2 +Briton Shot Dead by Saudi Shopping Center (AP) AP - A Briton who was shot dead outside a Saudi shopping center has been identified as an employee of the communications company Marconi.$LABEL$0 +Icing call Out of money, out of patience, out of time, and for the foreseeable future, out of business.$LABEL$1 +Assembly debates Musharraf role Pakistan's national assembly is due to debate whether President Musharraf should step down as army leader.$LABEL$0 +Senate panel opposes overtime rules A Senate committee voted yesterday to scuttle new rules that critics say would deny overtime pay to millions of workers, as Democrats won the latest round in their election-year bout with President Bush over the issue.$LABEL$2 +Afghan court convicts US trio of torture KABUL, Afghanistan -- Three Americans -- led by a former Green Beret who boasted he had Pentagon support -- were found guilty yesterday of torturing Afghans in a private jail and were sentenced to prison.$LABEL$0 +Russia's Putin once again heads ex-Soviet bloc (AFP) AFP - President Vladimir Putin took over once again as head of the CIS ex-Soviet bloc at a summit in the Kazakh capital Astana, the Interfax news agency reported.$LABEL$0 +Infineon admits conspiracy in DRAM cartel GIANT MEMORY company Infineon will plead guilty to price fixing of DRAM chips and will pay \$160 million in fines to the US government.$LABEL$2 +Briton, two Americans kidnapped in Baghdad (AFP) AFP - Two Americans and a Briton were abducted from their home in a plush Baghdad district at dawn, in the latest blow in Iraq's five-month-old foreign hostage crisis, the interior ministry said.$LABEL$0 +Coke CEO gives pep talk as company lowers outlook Coca-Cola #39;s top executive said Wednesday the beverage maker needs to work harder, better execute its business strategy and improve its culture as he warned that third-quarter per-share income will drop at least 24 percent from a year ago.$LABEL$2 +Ya #39;alon: IDF is in advanced stages of preparation for Gaza pullout The army is in a very advanced stage of preparations for a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements in 2005, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant $LABEL$0 +Big Unit, Not Bonds, Reaches Milestone (AP) AP - Barry Bonds was beaten by Randy Johnson in the race for baseball's latest milestone moment.$LABEL$1 +Indonesian militant sentenced to 12 years in Marriott hotel <b>...</b> : An Indonesian court sentenced a Muslim militant to 12 years in jail on Thursday after finding him guilty of involvement in last year #39;s JW Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.$LABEL$0 +Netopia to Restate Results (Reuters) Reuters - Netopia Inc. a maker of\networking gear, on Thursday said its auditor KPMG LLP\resigned, and said it will restate two years of results and\revise the results in its most recent fiscal quarter.$LABEL$3 +Iraq war allies lash out at Annan Key allies in the US-led war in Iraq reject UN chief Kofi Annan's assertion that the invasion was illegal.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Idles vs. Euro Before U.S. Data LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar kept close to the previous session's one-week highs against the euro on Thursday, holding steady as investors awaited U.S. data to confirm fresh signs of strength in U.S. manufacturing.$LABEL$2 +Iomega readies wireless NAS device Iomega Corp. is soon expected to ship its first network-attached storage (NAS) device based on wireless networking technology.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo! Tunes In to Musicmatch Close watchers of the online music business no doubt noted yesterday #39;s announcement of Yahoo! #39;s (Nasdaq: YHOO) purchase of Musicmatch with interest.$LABEL$3 +UN Says More Money Needed for Population Programs The United Nations released its annual population report on Wednesday, and it said it needs more money for population programs. A top United Nations official says if more money isn #39;t found for population programs $LABEL$0 +European Abortion Debate Turns Divisive (AP) AP - European Parliament legislators on Thursday turned a fight over abortion rights in Portugal into an emotional and divisive debate on women's rights and the division between church and state.$LABEL$0 +UNLV Names Utah's Sanford As Head Coach (AP) AP - Calling UNLV ""a gold mine,"" Mike Sanford took over as coach of the Runnin' Rebels on Monday after two years as offensive coordinator at high-scoring Utah.$LABEL$1 +Senator Criticizes Europe #39;s Boeing Stance European leaders have been making false claims in a commercial-aircraft trade dispute pitting Boeing Co. (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) against its Europe-based rival Airbus, a US senator close to Boeing said on Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Iran Denies Any Nuclear Activity At Suspect Site Parchin VIENNA (AFP) - Iran denied that it had carried out any nuclear-related activity at the Parchin military site which is the subject of US and UN concern.$LABEL$0 +US August Inflation Mild, Job Claims Rise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices inched up just 0.1 percent last month as gasoline and car prices tumbled, the government said on Thursday in a report suggesting an inflation spike earlier this year was an aberration.$LABEL$2 +Hurricane Ivan May Cost as Much as Charley, Frances (Update3) Hurricane Ivan, which slammed into the US Gulf coast today, may cost insurers \$4 billion to \$10 billion, rivaling hurricanes Charley and Frances, Risk Management Solutions Inc.$LABEL$2 +Judge Weighs Evidence in IBM, SCO Case IBM attorneys argued that Utah-based SCO Group has failed to provide any evidence that IBM allowed proprietary Unix code to enter the freely distributed Linux operating system and its \$5 billion suit making that claim should be dismissed.$LABEL$3 +Group Seeks Ways to Prosecute Cybercrime (AP) AP - Governments and private sector officials from around the world sought ways Thursday to jointly combat cybercrime, whose growth mirrors the phenomenal rise of the Internet's popularity.$LABEL$3 +Nortel warns of lower Q3 revenue TORONTO - Nortel Networks warned Thursday its third-quarter revenue will be below the \$2.6 billion US preliminary unaudited revenues it reported for the second quarter.$LABEL$2 +Schooling 'mix up' hits Portugal Schools across Portugal turn away pupils because of a teachers' assignment mix up on the first day of classes.$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Ivan Blasts Alabama, Kills 12 GULF SHORES, Ala. - Hurricane Ivan slammed ashore early Thursday with winds of 130 mph, packing deadly tornadoes and a powerful punch of waves and rain that threatened to swamp communities from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle...$LABEL$0 +New handheld computer from SONY with electroluminescent display (CP) - SONY has introduced it #39;s Clie PEG-VZ90, an entertainment multimedia handheld using Palm OS 5.2.1. The unit boasts the world #39;s largest 480x320 pixels organic electroluminescent (EL) display, which many regard as a next-generation technology capable $LABEL$3 +Ford to Return Electric Cars to Norway (AP) AP - Ford Motor Co. agreed to return about 300 Norwegian-built electric cars to the Nordic country after protests about plans to scrap them, the country's transport minister said Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Keep It in the Family The IRS is gunning for your inherited IRA. Follow these steps to avoid costly penalties.$LABEL$2 +Toyota confirms signing of Italian driver Jarni Trulli from Sauber Toyota confirmed Thursday that Jarno Trulli will drive for the Formula One team starting next season. The Italian signed a two-year contract two days ago and will partner German driver $LABEL$1 +Russian Duma to launch new school massacre probe Russia will launch a second parliamentary inquiry into the Beslan school hostage massacre, Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov said on Thursday, marking a further climbdown by authorities who initially ruled out a probe.$LABEL$0 +Czech Republic's Cell Operators Fined (AP) AP - All three cell phone operators in the Czech Republic were fined a total of #36;1.7 million for breaching competition rules, officials said Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Blackberry shrinks phone keyboard The latest Blackberry mobile device packs a traditional Qwerty keyboard into 20 keys.$LABEL$3 +US August Inflation Mild, Job Claims Rise US consumer prices inched up just 0.1 percent last month as gasoline and car prices tumbled, the government said on Thursday in a report suggesting an inflation spike earlier this year was an aberration.$LABEL$2 +TV war puts tour of India in doubt Australian cricket chiefs fear a battle over television rights could cause next month #39;s Test series in India to be cancelled, and last night were seeking clarification from Indian board president $LABEL$1 +Sharon acknowledges ignoring road map Prime Minister Ariel Sharon acknowledged that Israel was not following the moribund Mideast peace plan, and said an Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip was unlikely to revive it, according $LABEL$0 +A9 Offers Search Results From Five Sources A9 Offers Search Results From Five Sources\\A9, the search engine from Amazon.com, has relaunched its search engine. It now offers search results from several different sources, including the IMDB and of course, Amazon.com. \\I decided to search for Duke Ellington. ""Duke Ellington"" brought about 156,000 results (less than half the ...$LABEL$3 +UEFA Introduces Anti-Doping Program SOFIA (Reuters) - UEFA will enforce a new anti-doping program at all levels in and out of competition, a meeting of the European soccer body's executive committee decided Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Freedom on the March in Iraq, Bush Tells Voters (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush said on\Thursday freedom was on the march in Iraq even as a U.S.\intelligence report depicted a bleak outlook for the country's\future.$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Ivan Slams U.S. Gulf Coast Hurricane Ivan roared into the Gulf Coast near Mobile, Alabama, early this morning with peak winds exceeding 125 miles an hour (200 kilometers an hour).$LABEL$3 +Ferrero upset in second round at China Open BEIJING, China (Ticker) -- One day after top-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain lost in straight sets, his second-seeded compatriot followed suit.$LABEL$1 +CRM Best Practices: TCO and ROI (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - With CRM projects costing millions, even in some mid-size companies, it is no surprise CFOs are leading the charge to be sure the most important projects are first, that they are justified, and that they actually deliver on their forecast benefits.$LABEL$3 +Nortel lowers expectations Nortel said it expects revenue for the third quarter to fall short of expectations.$LABEL$3 +Corning begins work on Taiwan LCD facility Demand for flat-panel devices means that the time is ripe for factories to churn out more glass.$LABEL$3 +Envoys off to inspect NK blast site A group of foreign diplomats has left Pyongyang on Thursday to visit the scene of a mysterious explosion in North Korea. quot;They went today.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Says New Images Show Iran Plans Nuclear Bomb VIENNA (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official said on Thursday that satellite photographs of a suspected nuclear industrial site in Iran demonstrated its intention to develop atomic weapons, an allegation Tehran dismissed as ""a new lie.""$LABEL$0 +BEA's new product chief regroups The first new face after a company shake-up says BEA products will use the advanced research left by departed technology gurus.$LABEL$3 +RIM takes new BlackBerry design overseas Revamped keyboard is key feature of the 7100v, which is headed for European and Asian shores.\$LABEL$3 +AOL drops Microsoft antispam technology com September 16, 2004, 1:15 PM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.$LABEL$3 +EU Wants U.S. Aid to Boeing Clarified (AP) AP - The European Union on Thursday demanded Washington explain more clearly how it subsidizes Boeing Co. and warned it would counter any U.S. challenge targeting EU rival Airbus SAS before the World Trade Organization.$LABEL$0 +EU, US Talks On Aircraft Aid Grounded US and EU negotiators traded arguments on Thursday over state aid for aircraft rivals Airbus and Boeing, but wound up no closer on a sensitive issue that has gathered steam in the run up to the US presidential election.$LABEL$2 +Texas Instruments Plans Buyback (Reuters) Reuters - Texas Instruments Inc., the\largest maker of chips for cellular phones, on Thursday said it\plans to buy back #36;1 billion in stock and boost its quarterly\dividend by more than 17 percent, becoming the latest\technology company to return extra cash to investors.$LABEL$3 +Britain awaits results of N.Korea blast fact-finding trip (AFP) AFP - Britain is awaiting the findings from a technical analysis of what a group of diplomats saw at the site of a huge explosion in North Korea last week, Britain's minister for East Asia said.$LABEL$0 +Kodak, IBM to Make Digital Camera Sensors (AP) AP - Eastman Kodak Co. and International Business Machines Corp. Thursday said they have agreed to develop and make image sensors for digital still cameras and camera phones.$LABEL$3 +EU, US Talks on Aircraft Aid Grounded US and EU negotiators disagreed on Thursday about state aid for aircraft rivals Airbus and Boeing, winding up no closer on a sensitive issue that has gathered steam before the US presidential election.$LABEL$2 +Airbus denies backing Microsoft in EU case Aircraft maker Airbus insisted on Thursday it had no intention of taking sides in a Microsoft antitrust case, even though it filed a brief in an EU court on the software giant #39;s side.$LABEL$2 +AOL Shuns Microsoft Anti-Spam Technology Add America Online Inc. to the growing list of companies and organizations shunning a spam-fighting proposal from Microsoft Corp. AOL cited quot;tepid support quot; for Microsoft #39;s so-called Sender ID technology, which $LABEL$3 +-Posted by dave.rosenberg 1:51 pm (PDT) In what seems to be one of the more bizarre and confusing aspects of the unholy alliance between Sun and Microsoft, Sun #39;s recent 10k filingincludes previously unseen legalese from the settlement agreement.$LABEL$3 +After the Bell-Texas instruments up after sets share buyback Shares of Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) rose after the market close on Thursday, after the chip maker said it plans to buy back \$1 billion in stock $LABEL$2 +Microsoft/Sun documents If you #39;re up for some light reading, see the links below for the underlying documents that formed Microsoft #39;s April settlement with Sun Microsystems.$LABEL$3 +In Athens, the other Olympics It was a sight the Greeks had never seen: Beneath the ancient temples of the Acropolis, dozens of international visitors maneuvered $LABEL$1 +Hong Kong #39;s LegCo Elections: Overcoming the System The 1.784 million voters that participated in Hong Kong #39;s 2004 Legislative Council Election gave a clear signal that they want democracy sooner rather than later.$LABEL$0 +Russians admit airliner bombing blunder Russian security forces were facing further criticism last night after it was revealed that the two female Chechen suicide bombers who destroyed two planes in August with the loss $LABEL$0 +Sun, Microsoft Clause Singles Out Openoffice Sun Microsystems (Quote, Chart) may have saved itself from years of costly litigation when it settled with Microsoft over their long-running Java dispute, but a clause in the landmark deal has open source supporters parsing its potential impact.$LABEL$3 +Villeneuve back in driver #39;s seat and with a point to prove Canadian Jacques Villeneuve hopes to take his revenge on former team BAR by helping Renault take second place in the Formula One championship.$LABEL$1 +Corus makes first profit as UK steel plants return to the black Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steel maker, celebrated its first ever profit yesterday and said its UK plants had contributed to the turnaround.$LABEL$2 +Kluivert gives Souness stuttering start at Newcastle Patrick Kluivert struck twice as Graeme Souness began his reign at St James Park with a 2-0 win over Israeli Arab side Bnei Sakhnin in the UEFA Cup first round, first leg at Newcastle United this morning.$LABEL$1 +Parliament Invasion Spurs Security Concern (AP) AP - Silver buckled shoes, stockings and a ceremonial sword? Time, some say, for Parliament's archaic security measures to be dragged into the 21st century after what was called the worst security breach at the House of Commons since 1642.$LABEL$0 +Zeile to catch one last time Art Howe will fulfill a wish of the retiring Todd Zeile on Friday night: Zeile will catch Tom Glavine in Pittsburgh, his first time behind the plate in 14 years.$LABEL$1 +Global Warming May Spur Fiercer Hurricanes - Experts (Reuters) Reuters - As Hurricane Ivan and its powerful\winds churned through the Gulf of Mexico, scientists told\Congress on Wednesday that global warming could produce\stronger and more destructive hurricanes in the future.$LABEL$3 +Tests Show James Died of Heart Attack LOS ANGELES - Toxicology and other tests determined that funk singer Rick James died last month from a heart attack due to an enlarged heart, with numerous drugs including methamphetamine and cocaine contributing factors, the county coroner announced Thursday. The death was declared an accident, said coroner's spokesman David Campbell, who emphasized that none of the drugs were found to be at life-threatening levels...$LABEL$0 +Knight Ridder Says It Will Miss Targets Knight Ridder Inc. expects third-quarter earnings to exceed expectations, largely due to a per-share gain of 9 cents related to the finalization of certain tax matters.$LABEL$2 +Delay in Shuttle Flights The battering that the hurricanes of the last month has inflicted on NASA centers could strain an already tight schedule for resuming shuttle flights, but it is too early to tell how badly, experts said Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Hokies to Open ACC Play On Saturday, Virginia Tech finally walks into the football room of that exclusive athletic club known as the Atlantic Coast Conference.$LABEL$1 +Airbus sees mobile phone use on planes by 2006 BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhaunet) -- European plane maker Airbus has reported progress in plans to allow passengers to use mobile phones while in flight with a target date of 2006.$LABEL$3 +Tigers Clip Indians 6-4 (AP) AP - Eric Munson and Omar Infante each hit two-run homers and Detroit's bullpen stayed busy all night Thursday, leading the Tigers to a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.$LABEL$1 +Corning begins work on Taiwan LCD facility Encouraged by the demand for LCDs, glass maker Corning on Thursday said it has broken ground for a second manufacturing facility in Taiwan.$LABEL$3 +Forecasters: More Hurricanes May Be on Way Ivan, Frances and Charley delivered three staggering blows to the Gulf Coast and Florida, as well as Caribbean island nations, all in just five weeks.$LABEL$3 +Consumer Prices Climb; Jobless Claims Up (AP) AP - Consumer prices barely budged in August, suggesting that inflation isn't currently a problem for the economy and Federal Reserve policy-makers can stick with a gradual approach to raising interest rates.$LABEL$2 +Goldman Sachs Enters Fray for Takefuji Goldman Sachs Group Inc. may be in talks with the founding family of top Japanese consumer finance firm Takefuji Corp. for a stake of over \$2.$LABEL$2 +Report: Russia may have to delay October space launch to <b>...</b> Russia may have to delay October #39;s planned launch of the next International Space Station crew by up to 10 days to fix a problem on the spacecraft that is to carry them into orbit, Russian news agencies reported.$LABEL$3 +Bounties For Spammers Win Limited FTC Backing The FTC gave limited endorsement to the notion of cash rewards for people who help track down e-mail spammers, but suggested that the measure might work in fewer circumstances than had been pushed by some anti-spam activists. <br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Old Labor Tactics Resurface in New Union Labor experts say Unite Here, the newly merged union that is representing the DC hotel workers in their current contract dispute, is one of the most outspoken and toughest unions under the AFL-CIO umbrella.$LABEL$2 +US, #39;EU-three #39; agree on demand The Bush administration reached a tentative deal yesterday with three European nations at the UN nuclear watchdog agency on the next step in confronting Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.$LABEL$0 +Two hurricanes = two deductibles Many homeowners in the Orlando area suffered a double blow when hurricanes Charley and Frances struck in quick succession. Now, they #39;re smarting from a financial one-two punch - two insurance deductibles.$LABEL$2 +California slashes legal fees in settlement of Microsoft case California lawyers who reached a \$1.1 billion class-action settlement with Microsoft will get less than half the legal fees they requested.$LABEL$2 +Nikkei Hits 2-Week Closing Low TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei average fell for a third straight session to hit a two-week closing low on Friday as renewed earnings concerns prompted selling in Tokyo Electron Ltd., Sony Corp. and other high-tech stocks.$LABEL$2 +Consumer prices up only slightly WASHINGTON - Consumer prices barely budged last month, suggesting that inflation isn #39;t currently a problem for the economy and Federal Reserve policymakers can stick with a gradual approach to raising interest rates.$LABEL$2 +Red Sox ready to end jinx The New York Yankees hold the Curse of the Bambino, the Boston Massacre and their acquisition of Alex Rodriguez in their longstanding dominance over the Red Sox, but recent history suggests changes are coming.$LABEL$1 +Many NHL players head for Europe National Hockey League players began scattering across the globe yesterday in search of work on Day 1 of the lockout, with no negotiations scheduled between union and management.$LABEL$1 +Woods, Mickelson form dynamic US duo For three days, it had been about dinners, galas, black-tie affairs, and enough social engagements to please Paris Hilton.$LABEL$1 +2 US workers seized in Baghdad BAGHDAD -- Kidnappers seized two Americans and a Briton from their central Baghdad villa at dawn yesterday, in a bold raid that could further limit the mobility of foreigners in the Iraqi capital.$LABEL$0 +Jeanne Heads for Bahamas After Killing 3 SAMANA, Dominican Republic - Threatening to regain hurricane strength, Tropical Storm Jeanne headed for the Bahamas on a track for the southeastern United States after killing three people and causing extensive damage in the Caribbean. The storm forced the evacuation of thousands on Thursday as it slammed into the Dominican Republic after punishing Puerto Rico with flash floods and deadly winds...$LABEL$0 +FSB FUD over FOI, you cry <strong>Letters</strong> The postbag, and your miscellaneous musings$LABEL$3 +Cameroon leader's 'divide and rule' Cameroonian politician John Fru Ndi stands as presidential candidate in next month's election, splitting the opposition coalition.$LABEL$0 +Sex Drive With Gina Lynn Wired News introduces a new column by Regina Lynn Preciado. It's about sex. And technology. You'll dig it.$LABEL$3 +British Music Fans Decry ITunes Pricing Consumer group complains of higher prices in U.K. than elsewhere in Europe.$LABEL$3 +Basayev Claims Responsibility for Beslan School Hostage Siege A Chechen rebel commander has claimed responsibility for the school hostage siege in southern Russia earlier this month, during which more than 320 hostages were killed, half of them children.$LABEL$0 +Foreseeing the Suns fate: Astronomical interferometry reveals <b>...</b> For the first time, an international team of astronomers led by Guy Perrin from the Paris Observatory/LESIA, (Meudon, France) and Stephen Ridgway from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (Tucson, Arizona, USA) has observed the close environment of $LABEL$3 +New Media Players Too Small It was a Holy Grail looming on the personal electronics horizon: a pocket-sized device with a workhorse battery and the capacity to hold hours of audio and video.$LABEL$3 +Butt facing ban Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt is facing up to the possibility of a three-match European ban for his moment of UEFA Cup madness. The 29-year-old England international lost his cool with Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin $LABEL$1 +One held in Jakarta embassy blast probe Indonesian police said on Friday they had made their first arrest directly linked to last week #39;s deadly embassy bombing in Jakarta, detaining a man who delivered explosives to those blamed for the attack.$LABEL$0 + #39;Emperor #39; Adriano has Inter under his rule One match into the Italian league season and (Emperor) Adriano already has Inter Milan under his rule. The Brazilian striker has scored six goals in Inter #39;s first four matches this season, including $LABEL$1 +Europe Take Charge at Oakland Hills BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie inspired an early charge by holders Europe as they led the United States in three of the four opening fourball matches at the 35th Ryder Cup on Friday.$LABEL$1 +\$78,000 for a Cane That Helped a Legend Walk the Line Many of Johnny Cash's possessions were sold at Sotheby's, collecting \$3,984,260 for the Cash family, more than double the pre-auction estimate.$LABEL$0 +Butt waits on Uefa ruling Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt is facing up to the possibility of a European three-match ban. The 29-year-old was sent off during Newcastle #39;s 2-0 Uefa Cup win against Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin for grabbing Abas Suan by the throat.$LABEL$1 +USC Fires Basketball Coach Henry Bibby (AP) AP - Henry Bibby was fired as Southern California's basketball coach Monday, just four games into his ninth season. The Trojans, beset by some player dissension, are 2-2.$LABEL$1 +Qualcomm Raises Earnings Forecast Qualcomm Inc. on Friday raised its quarterly profit forecast due to strong demand for its mobile phone technology. The San Diego company said it expects earnings per $LABEL$2 +Veteran defender signs with Newcastle; Dyer out with injury Newcastle, England (Sports Network) - Central defender Ronny Johnsen signed a deal with Newcastle United until the next transfer window in January.$LABEL$1 +Movie casts Afghans as 'Stray Dogs' struggling after hell of war (AFP) AFP - The powerful may wage war, but it is the powerless who suffer its consequences -- that is the message drummed home by quot;Stray Dogs, quot; an Iranian film on Afghanistan's pain after years under the control of warlords and foreign masters.$LABEL$0 +Nalbandian Is Stunned at the Chica Open BEIJING (Reuters) - Resurgent Finn Jarkko Nieminen overpowered David Nalbandian 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 at the China Open on Friday as the seeds continued to tumble in Beijing.$LABEL$1 +IBM embraces grid converts On the eve of a grid-computing conference, Big Blue says five companies and the EPA have plans to build grids.$LABEL$3 +Symantec to offer Web-based Norton AntiVirus console The Web console -- to be made available specifically to corporate and enterprise licensees of Norton AntiVirus software -- will allow administrators to distribute virus definitions and product updates on demand.$LABEL$3 +IBM fits PCs with new hardware-based security chip IBM is using a microcontroller from National Semiconductor that stores passwords, digital certificates and encryption keys.$LABEL$3 +Sandia Motor Speedway for Sale on eBay (AP) AP - And the race is off! Only 29 days and some odd hours left to place your bid on eBay to buy the Sandia Motor Speedway.$LABEL$3 +Pa. Golfer Cleared of Not Yelling 'Fore' (AP) AP - A golfer plunked in the face by an errant ball was unable to convince a jury that the man who hit him was negligent for failing to yell ""Fore!""$LABEL$1 +US Stocks Up, Ford Forecast Gives a Lift NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips advanced on Friday after Ford Motor Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=F.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">F.N</A> raised its earnings forecasts, while wireless technology provider Qualcomm Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=QCOM.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">QCOM.O</A> limited gains on the Nasdaq after saying an accounting review may reduce pretax income.$LABEL$2 +Hurricanes soak Knight Ridder #39;s 3Q Knight Ridder Inc., publisher of the Miami Herald and the Philadelphia Inquirer, said third-quarter earnings will miss Wall Street estimates due to the impact of three recent hurricanes on its Florida newspapers.$LABEL$2 +Trabelsi back on board with Ajax Arsenal target Hatem Trabelsi has settled his differences with Ajax after several months of wrangling. The Tunisian international defender was furious after it emerged a clause in his contract prevented him from completing a move to the Gunners.$LABEL$1 +Boxer Begs Bush to Back Bum Bill Members of California's congressional team make one last effort to look good for the tech industry back home.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: United Needs to Cut \$500M More in Costs United Airlines, in a bankruptcy court filing in advance of a status hearing Friday, has revealed it needs to cut \$500 million more in costs than previously stated.$LABEL$2 +Stellar Putting Gives Europe a 2 - 0 Ryder Cup Lead Inspired by a brilliant putting display, holders Europe secured the first two points in the opening fourball matches against the United States at the 35th Ryder Cup Friday.$LABEL$1 +OSDL teams with another open source group The Beaverton-based Open Source Development Labs announced this week it is combining some efforts with another open source group to further the adoption of Linux.$LABEL$3 +US Airstrikes Said to Kill at Least 44 in Iraq Iraqi health officials said American airstrikes that demolished homes late today in a village south of the volatile city of Falluja killed at least 44 people and wounded 27, including women and children.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Jet Fires at House in Fallujah (AP) AP - An American jet fired a missile at a house where about 10 members of an al-Qaida-linked group were believed to be meeting in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Fallujah on Friday, police and the U.S. military said. At least three people were killed.$LABEL$0 +AOL Rejects SenderID (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Questions regarding potential patent issues and skepticism from the \open source community relating to Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) SenderID have prompted global Internet service provider AOL (NYSE: AOL) to drop the anti-spam technology.$LABEL$3 +ATI Announces HyperMemory ATI Technologies announced a technology that reduces the need for dedicated graphics memory, which could lead to lower PC system costs.$LABEL$3 +Paralympics Open in Athens Nearly 4,000 disabled athletes are in Athens, Greece, for Friday night #39;s opening ceremony of the largest Paralympics in the games #39; 44-year history.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-Nalbandian suffers Beijing shock Finn Jarkko Nieminen overpowered David Nalbandian 6-2 2-6 6-2 at the China Open on Friday as the seeds continued to tumble in Beijing.$LABEL$1 +Mother of Jackson Accuser Testifies SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The mother of the boy accusing Michael Jackson of molestation testified Friday she does not remember a private investigator telling her that he was working for one of the pop star's attorneys, but believed he worked directly for the singer...$LABEL$0 +Hotel Locks Out Employees Over Impending Strike LOS ANGELES -- The labor dispute between workers at nine Los Angeles County hotels and their employers has intensified, with one of the hotels locking out its laundry workers and replacing them.$LABEL$2 +Xybernaut sews up bright-light mobile PC The flat-panel Atigo T/HB, designed for use in bright outdoor lighting, works as a wearable computer or as a wireless display.$LABEL$3 +Pen can pick some bike U-locks That U-shaped bike lock that you thought was so secure may be easy pickings for thieves who have nothing more sophisticated than a Bic pen.$LABEL$2 +INDONESIA: #39;Blow to democracy #39; International and domestic observers lambasted on Thursday the guilty verdict against Tempo magazine #39;s chief editor Bambang Harymurti and called it a setback for the country #39;s press freedom and democracy.$LABEL$0 +Show lights up Paralympics The XII Paralympics begins in Athens, after a spectacular opening ceremony.$LABEL$0 +Burundi: Hold Rebels Responsible for Attack A Burundian rebel movement was responsible for the August 13 slaughter of more than 150 civilians at Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi, and not the combined forces of Hutu and Mai-Mai fighters who have been blamed for the attack, Human Rights Watch said in $LABEL$0 +ATI Shares Resources with HyperMemory Graphics chipmaker ATI (Quote, Chart) unveiled a new technology it said lets its visual chips share system memory for graphics processing.$LABEL$3 +UN #39;s Kofe Annan Calls Iraq War Illegal United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said this week that the US war in Iraq is illegal and questioned whether the country could hold credible $LABEL$0 +US jets hammer Iraqi insurgents as deadly bombings rock Baghdad BAGHDAD : At least six people were killed in two suicide car bombings in Baghdad while another 47 people died in a series of US air strikes around the Iraqi insurgent bastion of Fallujah.$LABEL$0 +Sudan Accuses U.S. Over Darfur Talks Breakdown ABUJA (Reuters) - Sudan blamed the United States for the failure of three weeks of peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels on Friday, but African Union mediators said negotiations would resume in October.$LABEL$0 +Campbell targets City date for Arsenal return Sol Campbell is expected to play for Arsenal #39;s reserves on Monday and could be back in the first team for next weekend #39;s visit to Manchester City.$LABEL$1 +Open-source spat triggers legal threat Company says it paid for the code that was contributed, against contract, to free Mambo publishing software.$LABEL$3 +Virus-Free Macs #147;The single most effective way to avoid viruses and spyware is to simply chuck Windows altogether and buy an Apple Macintosh, #148; writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. #147;There has never been a successful virus written for Mac OS X, and there is almost no spyware that targets the Mac. Plus, the Mac is invulnerable to viruses and spyware written for Windows. Not only is it more secure, but the Mac operating system is more capable, more modern and more attractive than Windows XP, and just as stable. #148; Sep 17$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Athens opens Paralympics with ceremonial extravaganza ATHENS : Some 70,000 spectators filled the Athens Olympic stadium to watch the densely choreographed and emotionally-charged opening ceremony of the 12th Paralympics, the world #39;s premier competition for disabled athletes.$LABEL$1 +Labels, Microsoft in talks on CD copying Record labels and Microsoft are in discussions about ways that the next generation of the Windows operating system, code-named Longhorn, can support copy-protected CD technology.$LABEL$3 +What they said about ... ... Cherie Blair Cherie Blair cast aside her treasured privacy this week, touring newspapers offices and television studios to promote The Goldfish Bowl, her new book, which focuses on Downing Street spouses.$LABEL$0 +FTC Endorses Bounty for Spammers The US Federal Trade Commission has given its endorsement to a plan that would reward insiders for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people or companies that produce spam.$LABEL$3 +After Being Bounced Around Florida Is Bouncing Back Although the three hurricanes that have hit Florida led to a broad economic slowdown, the glimmerings of a miniboom are already apparent.$LABEL$2 +Enter your e-mail: If you can #39;t beat Google, make it better--that seems to be the lesson of A9.com, Amazon #39;s intriguing new search site. For Web searches, A9 simply gives you Google #39;s results, but it does a lot more--for instance $LABEL$3 +MCI Creditors Are Target Of SEC Subpoenas 11 members of MCI Inc.'s former creditors committee asked for documents related to confidential communications between the company and its bondholders, according to federal bankruptcy court filings.$LABEL$2 +Crystal Palace 0, Charlton Athletic 1 Charlton manager Alan Curbishley believes Dennis Rommedahl #39;s sparkling winner will provide the platform for the Dane to recapture the form that made him one of Europe #39;s most feared wingers.$LABEL$1 +Consumers #39; view of economy unchanged NEW YORK - Consumers #39; assessment of the economy held largely steady this month, according to a university research report released Friday.$LABEL$2 +Five killed in suicide car bombing, three taken hostage in Iraq Violence raged on in Iraq on Friday, with five Iraqis killed in a suicide car bombing in Baghdad and three more Turkish drivers reportedly kidnapped.$LABEL$0 +US Airways Said to Plan to Ask Court for Pay Cuts S Airways plans to ask a federal bankruptcy judge on Oct. 7 to impose temporary pay cuts on its workers unless it can reach agreement with its unions before then, people who have been briefed on the company #39;s strategy said yesterday.$LABEL$2 +IPod Rivals Square Off Against Apple A new generation of smaller, sleeker and cheaper MP3 players from the likes of Sony, Rio, Creative and Rave MP are hitting the market this fall, and they all have Apple Computer #39;s white-hot digital music player in their sights.$LABEL$3 +PeopleSoft sweetens employee compensation Business software maker PeopleSoft Friday said it was boosting compensation packages for all employees except its chief executive in a move that would raise the $LABEL$2 +Panama flooding kills nine people At least nine people - seven of them children - have died in flooding in the capital of Panama. The authorities say at least 13 people are still missing after heavy rainfall caused rivers to break their banks.$LABEL$0 +Pierce longs for old days Rusty Pierce has received lessons in pragmatism since joining the Revolution four years ago. Pierce has performed for teams that have inevitably turned to a direct, linear game, with little emphasis on creativity or imagination. The style paid off the last two seasons, but the Revolution might have overly relied on direct play in spending most of this ...$LABEL$1 diff --git a/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.train.dat b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.train.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..161896d2cf84264cce4302b86eac6b7268340411 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.train.dat @@ -0,0 +1,7000 @@ +Wall St. Bears Claw Back Into the Black (Reuters) Reuters - Short-sellers, Wall Street's dwindling\band of ultra-cynics, are seeing green again.$LABEL$2 +Carlyle Looks Toward Commercial Aerospace (Reuters) Reuters - Private investment firm Carlyle Group,\which has a reputation for making well-timed and occasionally\controversial plays in the defense industry, has quietly placed\its bets on another part of the market.$LABEL$2 +Oil and Economy Cloud Stocks' Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Soaring crude prices plus worries\about the economy and the outlook for earnings are expected to\hang over the stock market next week during the depth of the\summer doldrums.$LABEL$2 +Iraq Halts Oil Exports from Main Southern Pipeline (Reuters) Reuters - Authorities have halted oil export\flows from the main pipeline in southern Iraq after\intelligence showed a rebel militia could strike\infrastructure, an oil official said on Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Oil prices soar to all-time record, posing new menace to US economy (AFP) AFP - Tearaway world oil prices, toppling records and straining wallets, present a new economic menace barely three months before the US presidential elections.$LABEL$2 +Stocks End Up, But Near Year Lows (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks ended slightly higher on Friday\but stayed near lows for the year as oil prices surged past #36;46\a barrel, offsetting a positive outlook from computer maker\Dell Inc. (DELL.O)$LABEL$2 +Money Funds Fell in Latest Week (AP) AP - Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds fell by #36;1.17 billion in the latest week to #36;849.98 trillion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Fed minutes show dissent over inflation (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Retail sales bounced back a bit in July, and new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, the government said Thursday, indicating the economy is improving from a midsummer slump.$LABEL$2 +Safety Net (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - After earning a PH.D. in Sociology, Danny Bazil Riley started to work as the general manager at a commercial real estate firm at an annual base salary of #36;70,000. Soon after, a financial planner stopped by his desk to drop off brochures about insurance benefits available through his employer. But, at 32, ""buying insurance was the furthest thing from my mind,"" says Riley.$LABEL$2 +Wall St. Bears Claw Back Into the Black NEW YORK (Reuters) - Short-sellers, Wall Street's dwindling band of ultra-cynics, are seeing green again.$LABEL$2 +Oil and Economy Cloud Stocks' Outlook NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soaring crude prices plus worries about the economy and the outlook for earnings are expected to hang over the stock market next week during the depth of the summer doldrums.$LABEL$2 +No Need for OPEC to Pump More-Iran Gov TEHRAN (Reuters) - OPEC can do nothing to douse scorching oil prices when markets are already oversupplied by 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, Iran's OPEC governor said Saturday, warning that prices could fall sharply.$LABEL$2 +Non-OPEC Nations Should Up Output-Purnomo JAKARTA (Reuters) - Non-OPEC oil exporters should consider increasing output to cool record crude prices, OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Sunday.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO Auction Off to Rocky Start WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The auction for Google Inc.'s highly anticipated initial public offering got off to a rocky start on Friday after the Web search company sidestepped a bullet from U.S. securities regulators.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Falls Broadly on Record Trade Gap NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar tumbled broadly on Friday after data showing a record U.S. trade deficit in June cast fresh doubts on the economy's recovery and its ability to draw foreign capital to fund the growing gap.$LABEL$2 +Rescuing an Old Saver If you think you may need to help your elderly relatives with their finances, don't be shy about having the money talk -- soon.$LABEL$2 +Kids Rule for Back-to-School The purchasing power of kids is a big part of why the back-to-school season has become such a huge marketing phenomenon.$LABEL$2 +In a Down Market, Head Toward Value Funds There is little cause for celebration in the stock market these days, but investors in value-focused mutual funds have reason to feel a bit smug -- if only because they've lost less than the folks who stuck with growth.$LABEL$2 +US trade deficit swells in June The US trade deficit has exploded 19 to a record \$55.8bn as oil costs drove imports higher, according to a latest figures.$LABEL$2 +Shell 'could be target for Total' Oil giant Shell could be bracing itself for a takeover attempt, possibly from French rival Total, a press report claims.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO faces Playboy slip-up The bidding gets underway for Google's public offering, despite last-minute worries over an interview with its bosses in Playboy magazine.$LABEL$2 +Eurozone economy keeps growing Official figures show the 12-nation eurozone economy continues to grow, but there are warnings it may slow down later in the year.$LABEL$2 +Expansion slows in Japan Economic growth in Japan slows down as the country experiences a drop in domestic and corporate spending.$LABEL$2 +Rand falls on shock SA rate cut Interest rates are trimmed to 7.5 by the South African central bank, but the lack of warning hits the rand and surprises markets.$LABEL$2 +Car prices down across the board The cost of buying both new and second hand cars fell sharply over the past five years, a new survey has found.$LABEL$2 +South Korea lowers interest rates South Korea's central bank cuts interest rates by a quarter percentage point to 3.5 in a bid to drive growth in the economy.$LABEL$2 +Google auction begins on Friday An auction of shares in Google, the web search engine which could be floated for as much as \$36bn, takes place on Friday.$LABEL$2 +HP shares tumble on profit news Hewlett-Packard shares fall after disappointing third-quarter profits, while the firm warns the final quarter will also fall short of expectations.$LABEL$2 +Mauritian textile firm cuts jobs One of the oldest textile operators on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius last week shut seven factories and cut 900 jobs.$LABEL$2 +Chad seeks refugee aid from IMF Chad asks the IMF for a loan to pay for looking after more than 100,000 refugees from conflict-torn Darfur in western Sudan.$LABEL$2 +Japan nuclear firm shuts plants The company running the Japanese nuclear plant hit by a fatal accident is to close its reactors for safety checks.$LABEL$2 +Veteran inventor in market float Trevor Baylis, the veteran inventor famous for creating the Freeplay clockwork radio, is planning to float his company on the stock market.$LABEL$2 +Saudi Arabia to open up oil taps Saudi Arabia says it is ready to push an extra 1.3 million barrels a day of oil into the market, to help reverse surging prices.$LABEL$2 +Saudi phone sector gets \$1bn lift A group led by the UAE's Etisalat plans to spend \$1bn (544m) on expansion after winning two mobile phone licences in Saudi Arabia.$LABEL$2 +Indians fill rail skills shortage Network Rail flies in specialist Indian engineers to work on the West Coast Mainline because of a UK skills shortage.$LABEL$2 +Steady as they go BEDFORD -- Scientists at NitroMed Inc. hope their experimental drugs will cure heart disease someday. But lately their focus has been on more mundane matters.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO: Type in 'confusing,' 'secrecy' I've submitted my bid to buy shares of Google Inc. in the computer search company's giant auction-style initial public offering. That could turn out to be the good news or the bad news.$LABEL$2 +A bargain hunter's paradise Massachusetts bargain hunters showed up in droves and shopped hard on yesterday's sales tax holiday, buying everything from treadmills and snow blowers to candles and chandeliers, and crediting the 5-percent tax break with bringing them into the stores.$LABEL$2 +Researchers seek to untangle the e-mail thread E-mail is a victim of its own success. That's the conclusion of IBM Corp. researchers in Cambridge, who have spent nearly a decade conducting field tests at IBM and other companies about how employees work and use electronic mail. It's clear to them that e-mail has become the Internet's killer application.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Corp. 2.0: a kinder corporate culture Even a genius can mess up. Bill Gates was a brilliant technologist when he cofounded Microsoft , but as he guided it to greatness in both size and historical consequence, he blundered. He terrorized underlings with his temper and parceled out praise like Scrooge gave to charity. Only the lash inspired the necessary aggressiveness to beat the competition, he thought.$LABEL$2 +Letters Target the abusers of legal weapons We can all share the outrage, expressed by columnist Steve Bailey (''Summer Sizzler, quot; Aug. 11), at the killings in the city's poor neighborhoods. But there's no need to share his ignorance. He argues for renewal of the so-called assault weapon ban, claiming that otherwise, ''UZIs and AK-47s could again be flooding the streets. quot; His ...$LABEL$2 +Somewhere between gleam and gloom President Bush has been saying that the US economy has ''turned the corner. quot; Democratic presidential candidate Senator John F. Kerry, in the wake of this month's poor jobs report, quipped that it was more like a U-turn.$LABEL$2 +Technology company sues five ex-employees A Marlborough-based technology company is suing five former employees, including three senior managers, for allegedly conspiring against their employer while working on opening a competing business.$LABEL$2 +Grant to aid Lynn Central Square Central Square in Lynn should be looking a bit brighter. New sidewalks, curbs, fences, lights, landscaping, and road improvements are planned for the Gateway Artisan Block, a key area of the square, with \$830,000 in state grant money given to Lynn last week.$LABEL$2 +State grant to aid Lynn; Bank gives Salem \$10k Central Square in Lynn should be looking a bit brighter. New sidewalks, curbs, fences, lights, landscaping, and road improvements are planned for the Gateway Artisan Block, a key area of the square, with \$830,000 in state grant money given to Lynn last week.$LABEL$2 +A New Legal Chapter for a 90's Flameout A lawsuit against Gary Winnick, the former chief of Global Crossing, refocuses attention on what Mr. Winnick knew about his company's finances as it imploded.$LABEL$2 +Will Russia, the Oil Superpower, Flex Its Muscles? Russia is again emerging as a superpower - but the reason has less to do with nuclear weapons than with oil.$LABEL$2 +Switching Titles, if Not Gears, at Dell Kevin B. Rollins, the new chief executive of Dell, talks about Dell's transitory slip in customer service, and why he sees a broader technology recovery taking place.$LABEL$2 +For Sale: The Ultimate Status Symbol With the country in need of cash and rich people dying to show off their wealth, Mr. Stein proposes a unique solution: having the government sell titles of nobility.$LABEL$2 +Quality Gets Swept Away Quality Distribution is hammered after reporting a large loss for the second quarter.$LABEL$2 +Making Your Insurer Pay If Hurricane Charley blows your house down, how can you make your insurance company pay?$LABEL$2 +Delightful Dell The company's results show that it's not grim all over tech world. Just all of it that isn't Dell.$LABEL$2 +Chrysler's Bling King After a tough year, Detroit's troubled carmaker is back -- thanks to a maverick designer and a car that is dazzling the hip-hop crowd$LABEL$2 +What's Cool In the Pool ... ... And Hot On the Deck Americans are spending more on tricking out the places where they swim. Here's a look at the new wave of accessories$LABEL$2 +The Age of Doom In 1993 six geeks had a digital nightmare that changed the culture. It's about to get far creepier$LABEL$2 +Hip Hop's Online Shop Celebrity fashion is booming. These webpreneurs are bringing it to main street$LABEL$2 +Stoking the Steamroller No other recording artist can channel American middle-class tastes quite like Chip Davis and his best-selling band$LABEL$2 +Coming to The Rescue Got a unique problem? Not to worry: you can find a financial planner for every specialized need$LABEL$2 +The New Customers Are In Town Today's customers are increasingly demanding, in Asia as elsewhere in the world. Henry Astorga describes the complex reality faced by today's marketers, which includes much higher expectations than we have been used to. Today's customers want performance, and they want it now! $LABEL$2 +Barrel of Monkeys, 2004 Edition: Notes on Philippine Elections Well, it's election time in the Republic of the Philippines, and that means the monkeys are rolling around in those political barrels, having as much fun as they can while laughing their heads off at the strange goings-on that characterize a democratic process loosely based on the American model but that de facto looks more like a Fellini movie crossed with a Tom and Jerry cartoon - column includes a useful election-year glossary!$LABEL$2 +Oldsmobile: The final parking lot Why General Motors dropped the Oldsmobile. The four brand paradoxes GM had to face - the name, the product, image re-positioning, and the consumer - all added up to a brand that had little hope of rebranding.$LABEL$2 +Not All Jobs Belong To The White Man: Asian Minorities, Affirmative Action, And The Quest For Parity At Work Although a smattering of Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Indians, Thais, and others may crow about seeing their kind sitting in prominent positions in corporations and organizations in the USA, these accomplishments become mere cultural high-fives and ritualistic chest-thumping goaded and impishly patronized by 'mainstream society' - the milder and gentler term for the white-dominated populace.$LABEL$2 +Downhome Pinoy Blues, Intersecting Life Paths, and Heartbreak Songs The Blues is alive and well in the Philippines, as evidenced by this appreciation of the Pinoy Blues band 'Lampano Alley', penned by columnist Clarence Henderson as a counterpoint to his usual economics, business, and culture fare.$LABEL$2 +The Real Time Modern Manila Blues: Bill Monroe Meets Muddy Waters in the Orient Globalization does strange things to people. A day in the life of a Manila Philippines based business consultant - proving that you really CAN talk about Muddy Walters, bluegrass and work all on the same page...$LABEL$2 +Best Asian Tourism Destinations The new APMF survey of the best Asian tourism destinations has just kicked off, but it's crowded at the top, with Chiang Mai in Thailand just leading from perennial favourites Hong Kong, Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, and Bali in Indonesia. Be one of the first to vote and let us know your reasons.$LABEL$2 +What are the best cities for business in Asia? One of our new categories in the APMF Sense of Place survey is for best Asian business city. After a couple of days, Singapore leads the pack, followed by Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong. Enter your vote and comments and make your views count. More new categories include best city for livability, and best tourism destinations.$LABEL$2 +IT alligator tales I grew up in New York, where giant alligators -- sometimes more ornately described as albino alligators -- were rumored to roam the citys sewer systems. According to legend, vacationers picked up the tiny crocodilians in Florida, brought them home to New York, and eventually flushed the little buggers when they grew too big for the local concrete jungle.$LABEL$2 +IT Myth 5: Most IT projects fail Do most IT projects fail? Some point to the number of giant consultancies such as IBM Global Services, Capgemini, and Sapient, who feed off bad experiences encountered by enterprises. Sapient is a company founded on the realization that IT projects are not successful, says Sapient CTO Ben Gaucherin.$LABEL$2 +BEA grabs CA exec to head product group BEA Systems Inc. has hired the Computer Associates International Inc. executive responsible for CA's Unicenter line of enterprise management software to head BEA's product development group.$LABEL$2 +Autodesk tackles project collaboration Autodesk this week unwrapped an updated version of its hosted project collaboration service targeted at the construction and manufacturing industries. Autodesk Buzzsaw lets multiple, dispersed project participants -- including building owners, developers, architects, construction teams, and facility managers -- share and manage data throughout the life of a project, according to Autodesk officials.$LABEL$2 +U.K.'s NHS taps Gartner to help plan \$9B IT overhaul LONDON -- The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) has tapped IT researcher Gartner Inc. to provide market intelligence services as the health organization forges ahead with a mammoth, 5 billion (\$9.2 billion) project to upgrade its information technology infrastructure.$LABEL$2 +Play Boys: Google IPO a Go Anyway Even though Google's two founders gave an interview to Playboy magazine in the midst of its IPO filing, the SEC allowed the company's offering to go ahead. The boys filed the interview with the SEC and corrected mistakes in it.$LABEL$2 +More Big Boobs in Playboy An interview with Google's co-founders due out in the current issue of Playboy may delay the company's IPO. Securities regulations restrict what executives can say while preparing to sell stock for the first time.$LABEL$2 +Dutch Firm Beats Apple to Punch A music retailer from the Netherlands beats Apple by launching a download service in Europe's latest market battleground. Also: Movie industry wrests agreement from defunct company.... Microsoft challenges Photoshop hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +HP to Buy Synstar Hewlett-Packard will pay \$297 million for the British company. Also: TiVo goes all out to attract customers hellip;. Sprint offers service guarantees for business wireless subscribers hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +A Personal Operator From Verizon Verizon plans to offer a service that would act as a virtual switchboard operator, letting customers stay in touch at all times. The program would send phone calls, voicemails and e-mails wherever customers designate. By Elisa Batista.$LABEL$2 +Paid Search Growth May Slow A new Internet advertising forecast shows a slowdown in paid search listings in the next five years. Will the projection affect Google's prospects when it goes public?$LABEL$2 +Fark Sells Out. France Surrenders Blogs are the hottest thing on the Net, but are they messing with traditional publishing principles? One of the most popular, Fark.com, is allegedly selling links. Is it the wave of the future? By Daniel Terdiman.$LABEL$2 +'Madden,' 'ESPN' Football Score in Different Ways (Reuters) Reuters - Was absenteeism a little high\on Tuesday among the guys at the office? EA Sports would like\to think it was because ""Madden NFL 2005"" came out that day,\and some fans of the football simulation are rabid enough to\take a sick day to play it.$LABEL$3 +Group to Propose New High-Speed Wireless Format (Reuters) Reuters - A group of technology companies\including Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN.N), STMicroelectronics\(STM.PA) and Broadcom Corp. (BRCM.O), on Thursday said they\will propose a new wireless networking standard up to 10 times\the speed of the current generation.$LABEL$3 +AOL to Sell Cheap PCs to Minorities and Seniors (Reuters) Reuters - America Online on Thursday said it\plans to sell a low-priced PC targeting low-income and minority\households who agree to sign up for a year of dialup Internet\service.$LABEL$3 +Companies Approve New High-Capacity Disc Format (Reuters) Reuters - A group of consumer electronics\makers said on Wednesday they approved the format for a new\generation of discs that can store five times the data of DVDs\at the same cost -- enough to put a full season of ""The\Sopranos"" on one disc.$LABEL$3 +Missing June Deals Slow to Return for Software Cos. (Reuters) Reuters - The mystery of what went wrong for the\software industry in late June when sales stalled at more than\20 brand-name companies is not even close to being solved\although the third quarter is nearly halfway over.$LABEL$3 +Hacker Cracks Apple's Streaming Technology (AP) AP - The Norwegian hacker famed for developing DVD encryption-cracking software has apparently struck again #151; this time breaking the locks on Apple Computer Inc.'s wireless music streaming technology.$LABEL$3 +European Download Services Go Mobile (Reuters) Reuters - The ability to download complete\tracks directly over cell-phone networks to mobile phones is\becoming a reality in Europe.$LABEL$3 +Open Source Apps Developer SugarCRM Releases Sugar.Sales 1.1 (TechWeb) TechWeb - News - August 13, 2004$LABEL$3 +Oracle Sales Data Seen Being Released (Reuters) Reuters - Oracle Corp. sales documents\detailing highly confidential information, such as which\companies receive discounts on Oracle's business software\products and the size of the discounts, are likely to be made\public, a federal judge said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Sun's Looking Glass Provides 3D View (PC World) PC World - Developers get early code for new operating system 'skin' still being crafted.$LABEL$3 +Apple to open second Japanese retail store this month (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc. will open its second Japanese retail store later this month in the western Japanese city of Osaka, it said Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Charley's Force Took Experts by Surprise (AP) AP - Hurricane Charley's 145-mph force took forecasters by surprise and showed just how shaky a science it still is to predict a storm's intensity #151; even with all the latest satellite and radar technology.$LABEL$3 +Science, Politics Collide in Election Year (AP) AP - With more than 4,000 scientists, including 48 Nobel Prize winners, having signed a statement opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice, this election year is seeing a new development in the uneasy relationship between science and politics.$LABEL$3 +Building Dedicated to Columbia Astronauts (AP) AP - A former dormitory converted to classrooms at the Pensacola Naval Air Station was dedicated Friday to two Columbia astronauts who were among the seven who died in the shuttle disaster Feb. 1, 2003.$LABEL$3 +Russian Cargo Craft Docks at Space Station (AP) AP - A Russian cargo ship docked with the international space station Saturday, bringing food, water, fuel and other items to the two-man Russian-American crew, a space official said.$LABEL$3 +Bangkok's Canals Losing to Urban Sprawl (AP) AP - Along the banks of the canal, women in rowboats grill fish and sell fresh bananas. Families eat on floating pavilions, rocked gently by waves from passing boats.$LABEL$3 +T. Rex Had Teen Growth Spurt, Scientists Say (Reuters) Reuters - Tyrannosaurus Rex grew incredibly fast\during a teenaged growth spurt that saw the dinosaur expand its\bulk by six times, but the fearsome beasts ""lived fast and died\young,"" researchers said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Gene Blocker Turns Monkeys Into Workaholics - Study (Reuters) Reuters - Procrastinating monkeys were turned\into workaholics using a gene treatment to block a key brain\compound, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Dolphins Too Have Born Socialites (Reuters) Reuters - Some people are born to be the life and\soul of the party -- and so it seems are some dolphins.$LABEL$3 +What's in a Name? Well, Matt Is Sexier Than Paul (Reuters) Reuters - As Shakespeare said, a rose by any other\name would smell as sweet. Right?$LABEL$3 +UK Scientists Allowed to Clone Human Embryos (Reuters) Reuters - British scientists said on Wednesday\they had received permission to clone human embryos for medical\research, in what they believe to be the first such license to\be granted in Europe.$LABEL$3 +Russian Alien Spaceship Claims Raise Eyebrows, Skepticism (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - An expedition of Russian researchers claims to have found evidence that an \ alien spaceship had something to do with a huge explosion over Siberia in 1908. \ Experts in asteroids and comets have long said the massive blast was caused \ by a space rock.$LABEL$3 +Comets, Asteroids and Planets around a Nearby Star (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A nearby star thought to harbor comets and asteroids now appears to be home to planets, too. The presumed worlds are smaller than Jupiter and could be as tiny as Pluto, new observations suggest.$LABEL$3 +Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Overnight (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A fine display of shooting stars is underway and peaks overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning. Astronomers expect the 2004 Perseid meteor shower to be one of the best versions of the annual event in several years.$LABEL$3 +Redesigning Rockets: NASA Space Propulsion Finds a New Home (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - While the exploration of the Moon and other planets in our solar system is nbsp;exciting, the first task for astronauts and robots alike is to actually nbsp;get to those destinations.$LABEL$3 +Studies Find Rats Can Get Hooked on Drugs (AP) AP - Rats can become drug addicts. That's important to know, scientists say, and has taken a long time to prove. Now two studies by French and British researchers show the animals exhibit the same compulsive drive for cocaine as people do once they're truly hooked.$LABEL$3 +NASA Chief: 'Let's Go Save the Hubble' (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Amid uncertainty over the fate of the Hubble Space Telescope and with a key instrument not working, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe gave the go-ahead Monday for planning a robotic servicing mission.$LABEL$3 +Armadillo Aerospaces X Prize Prototype Crashes (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Armadillo Aerospace of Mesquite, Texas has reported a \crash last weekend of their prototype X Prize rocket.$LABEL$3 +Prairie Dog Won't Be on Endangered List (AP) AP - The black-tailed prairie dog has been dropped from a list of candidates for the federal endangered species list because scientists have concluded the rodents are no longer threatened.$LABEL$3 +Hubble Trouble: One of Four Instruments Stops Working (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - One of the four astronomical instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope shut down earlier this week and engineers are trying to pin down the problem. The other three instruments continue to operate normally.$LABEL$3 +Invasive Purple Weed May Meet Its Match (AP) AP - They burned it, mowed it, sprayed it and flooded it. But nothing killed the purple loosestrife weed, which has become a regional plague, until officials at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge set a European beetle loose on it.$LABEL$3 +New NASA Supercomputer to Aid Theorists and Shuttle Engineers (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - NASA researchers have teamed up with a pair of Silicon Valley firms to build \ a supercomputer that ranks alongside the world's largest Linux-based systems.$LABEL$3 +Ants Form Supercolony Spanning 60 Miles (AP) AP - Normally clannish and agressive Argentine ants have become so laid back since arriving in Australia decades ago that they no longer fight neighboring nests and have formed a supercolony here that spans 60 miles, scientists say.$LABEL$3 +Viewer's Guide: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Aug. 11-12 (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Every August, when many \ people are vacationing in the country where skies are dark, the best-known meteor \ shower makes its appearance. The annual Perseid meteor shower, as it is called, \ promised to put on an above average display this year.$LABEL$3 +Rescuers Free Beached Whale in Brazil (AP) AP - Rescuers succeeded in freeing a minke whale that washed up on a beach in southeastern Brazil, the fire department said Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Red-Footed Falcon Sighted in Mass. (AP) AP - A red-footed falcon spotted for the first time in North America is enticing birdwatchers to Martha's Vineyard.$LABEL$3 +Weak Version of Most Powerful Explosions Found (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful events in the universe, temporary outshining several galaxies and likely signaling the birth of a black hole.$LABEL$3 +Simultaneous Tropical Storms a Rarity (AP) AP - The prospect that a tropical storm and a hurricane #151; or possibly two hurricanes #151; could strike Florida on the same day is something meteorologists say they have never seen.$LABEL$3 +NASA's Genesis Spacecraft Adjusts Course (AP) AP - NASA's Genesis spacecraft successfully adjusted its course this week as it heads back toward Earth with a sample of solar wind particles, the space agency said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Earth is Rare, New Study Suggests (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Flip a coin. Heads, Earth is a common sort of planet. Tails, and ours is as unusual as a coin landing on edge. That's about the state of knowledge for scientists who ponder the question of our planet's rarity.$LABEL$3 +Scientists Probe Pacific for Dead Zone (AP) AP - His hand on a toggle switch and his eyes on a computer screen, Oregon State University graduate student Anthony Kirincich uses an array of scientific instruments to probe the vibrant waters of the Pacific. He is searching for the absence of life.$LABEL$3 +Life on Mars Likely, Scientist Claims (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - DENVER, COLORADO -- Those twin robots hard at work on Mars have transmitted teasing views that reinforce the prospect that microbial life may exist on the red planet.$LABEL$3 +India Rethinks Plan to Send Man to Moon (AP) AP - India is rethinking its plan to send a man to the moon by 2015, as the mission would cost a lot of money and yield very little in return, the national space agency said Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Natural Sunblock: Sun Dims in Strange Ways (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - When Venus crossed the Sun June 8, showing up as a clear black dot to the delight of millions of skywatchers around the world, astronomers noted something less obvious: The amount of sunlight reaching Earth dipped by 0.1 percent for a few hours.$LABEL$3 +Website Lets Users Scout the Red Planet from Home (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - For those who want to explore Mars but cant wait for a spacecraft to take them there, NASA scientists have reformulated a website that lets the general public search data and images from previous missions.$LABEL$3 +Appeal Rejected in Trout Restoration Plan (AP) AP - The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday rejected environmentalists' appeal of a plan to poison a stream south of Lake Tahoe to aid what wildlife officials call ""the rarest trout in America.$LABEL$3 +Explore the Many Colors of Stars (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - One of the pleasures of \ stargazing is noticing and enjoying the various colors that stars display in \ dark skies. These hues offer direct visual evidence of how stellar temperatures \ vary.$LABEL$3 +Britain Grants Human Cloning License (AP) AP - Britain granted its first license for human cloning Wednesday, joining South Korea on the leading edge of stem cell research, which is restricted by the Bush administration and which many scientists believe may lead to new treatments for a range of diseases.$LABEL$3 +The Next Great Space Race: SpaceShipOne and Wild Fire to Go For the Gold (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A piloted rocket ship race to claim a #36;10 million Ansari X Prize purse for privately financed flight to the edge of space is heating up.$LABEL$3 +Growth, Mortality of T. Rex Gets Clearer (AP) AP - Here's a dinosaur finding that parents can appreciate: The teenage Tyrannosaurus rex typically went through an explosive growth spurt, gaining nearly 5 pounds a day.$LABEL$3 +Space Science Pioneer Van Allen Questions Human Spaceflight (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A leading space scientist has called to question the validity of human spaceflight, suggesting that sending astronauts outward from Earth is outdated, too costly, and the science returned is trivial.$LABEL$3 +China Begins Manned Space Flight Countdown (AP) AP - Chinese astronauts are in the final stages of preparing for a manned space mission that will orbit the globe 14 times before returning to Earth, a state-run newspaper reported Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Sunspot Grows to 20 Times Size of Earth (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A sunspot group aimed squarely \ at Earth has grown to 20 times the size of our planet and has the potential \ to unleash a major solar storm.$LABEL$3 +Japanese Lunar Probe Facing Delays (AP) AP - A lunar orbiter that Japan had planned to launch this year could face further delays, possibly until next year or later, because of a funding shortfall and problems developing the probe's information-gathering capabilities, Japan's space agency said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Pollutants From Asia Appear on East Coast (AP) AP - Scientists looking into air quality and climate change have found pollutants from as far as Asia over New England and the Atlantic.$LABEL$3 +Vietnam's Citadel Vulnerable to Weather (AP) AP - Experts from Europe and Asia surveyed 1,400-year-old relics of an ancient citadel in Hanoi Tuesday and said they were concerned the priceless antiquities were at risk from exposure to the elements.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Barred From Weakening Dolphin Rules (AP) AP - In a victory for environmentalists, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Bush administration cannot change the standards commercial fisheries must meet before the tuna they catch can carry the ""dolphin-safe"" label.$LABEL$3 +Canadian Robot a Candidate to Save Hubble (AP) AP - NASA said Tuesday it is moving ahead with plans to send a robot to the rescue of the aging Hubble Space Telescope.$LABEL$3 +Cave Explorers Discover Pit in Croatia (AP) AP - Cave explorers discovered a pit inside a mountain range in central Croatia believed to have the world's deepest subterranean vertical drop, at nearly 1,700 feet, a scientific institute reported Monday.$LABEL$3 +Aquarium Reviews Death of Dolphin (AP) AP - The chief scientist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore has launched a review of the dolphin breeding program after the death of a 4-month-old dolphin.$LABEL$3 +Scientists Seek Better Way to Measure Rain (AP) AP - Meteorologists at North Carolina State University are working on a way to more accurately measure rainfall in small areas.$LABEL$3 +Wash. State Team's Private Rocket Explodes (AP) AP - A team taking a low-budget stab at the #36;10 million Ansari X Prize for private manned spaceflight suffered a setback Sunday, when their rocket malfunctioned and exploded after shooting less than 1,000 feet in the air.$LABEL$3 +Nevada Ponders Superfund Status for Mine (AP) AP - Pressured by a ranking senator from Nevada and the Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Kenny Guinn says he might reconsider his opposition to a federal Superfund cleanup declaration for a huge abandoned mine contaminated with toxic waste and uranium.$LABEL$3 +Indictments Using DNA on Rise Nationally (AP) AP - Authorities once had no choice but to drop rape cases if they weren't able to catch a suspect before the statute of limitations expired. But prosecutors across the country increasingly are buying themselves time, keeping cold cases alive by indicting unidentified rapists using their DNA profiles.$LABEL$3 +Southeast Coast Sees Fewer Turtle Nests (AP) AP - About half the usual number of loggerhead turtles have nested between North Carolina and Florida this season, and scientists have no explanation for the drop.$LABEL$3 +Company Said to Be Ready to Clone Pets (AP) AP - A company that unveiled the world's first cloned cat nearly three years ago now says it is ready to start filling orders for cloned pets, a newspaper reported Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Deep-Sea Vessel Puts Ocean Floor in Reach (AP) AP - A new deep-sea research vessel will be able to carry people to 99 percent of the ocean floor, diving deeper than the famed Alvin that pioneered the study of seafloor vents, plate tectonics and deep ocean creatures over the past 40 years.$LABEL$3 +Chorus Frog Found Croaking in Virginia (AP) AP - The Southern chorus frog has been found in southeastern Virginia, far outside its previously known range. The animal had never before been reported north of Beaufort County, N.C., about 125 miles to the south.$LABEL$3 +Expedition to Probe Gulf of Mexico (AP) AP - Scientists will use advanced technology never before deployed beneath the sea as they try to discover new creatures, behaviors and phenomena in a 10-day expedition to the Gulf of Mexico's deepest reaches.$LABEL$3 +Feds Accused of Exaggerating Fire Impact (AP) AP - The Forest Service exaggerated the effect of wildfires on California spotted owls in justifying a planned increase in logging in the Sierra Nevada, according to a longtime agency expert who worked on the plan.$LABEL$3 +New Method May Predict Quakes Weeks Ahead (AP) AP - Swedish geologists may have found a way to predict earthquakes weeks before they happen by monitoring the amount of metals like zinc and copper in subsoil water near earthquake sites, scientists said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Marine Expedition Finds New Species (AP) AP - Norwegian scientists who explored the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean said Thursday their findings #151; including what appear to be new species of fish and squid #151; could be used to protect marine ecosystems worldwide.$LABEL$3 +Annual Study Finds Rise in Beach Closures (AP) AP - The number of days that beaches closed or posted warnings because of pollution rose sharply in 2003 due to more rainfall, increased monitoring and tougher standards, an environmental group said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Pacific May Be Seeing New El Nino (AP) AP - Warming water temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific last month may indicate the start of a new El Nino.$LABEL$3 +Cassini Spacecraft Sees Saturn Lightning (AP) AP - The Cassini spacecraft's mission to Saturn has revealed a new radiation belt around the ringed planet and found that lightning in its atmosphere is occurring in different patterns than it did when NASA's Voyagers flew by in the early 1980s, scientists said.$LABEL$3 +Poachers Putting Endangered Rhinos at Risk (AP) AP - Gangs of poachers in Congo have been slaughtering the world's minuscule population of northern white rhinos, reducing the population by about one-half in just more than a year, a key conservation organization said Friday.$LABEL$3 +Experts Downplay Texas Shark Attacks (AP) AP - Three shark attacks off the Texas coast in the past two months are unusual but don't mean there are more sharks than normal along the beach or that they are getting bolder, marine biologists and other experts say.$LABEL$3 +Study Says Birds Feed Other Birds' Young (AP) AP - It's a lesson many little humans could learn from baby birds: Sometimes, being nice to other youngsters pays off. Brown-headed cowbirds, like several other bird species, leave their eggs in the nests of other birds, who then feed and raise the cowbird chicks.$LABEL$3 +Canadian Team Joins Rocket Launch Contest (AP) AP - The #36;10 million competition to send a private manned rocket into space started looking more like a race Thursday, when a Canadian team announced plans to launch its rocket three days after an American group intends to begin qualifying for the Ansari X prize.$LABEL$3 +Universities to Build Largest Telescope (AP) AP - The University of Texas and Texas A amp;M University are planning to construct what they call the world's largest telescope with the help of a Houston businessman's #36;1.25 million gift.$LABEL$3 +Mauritanian Capital Battles Locust Swarm (AP) AP - Residents burned tires and trash in the streets Thursday trying to drive off swarms of locusts descending on the region in what a U.N. agency called the worst sub-Saharan invasion in more than a decade.$LABEL$3 +Customers of Telco Companies Face Privacy Breach A security advisory posted on Bugtraq demonstrates how hackers can compromise customers of T-mobile wireless and Verizon (landline) voicemail boxes. The advisory talks about the use of Caller-ID spoofing the customers number, allowing a bypass of the PIN code since the voicemail thinks that the customer is calling to check their own voicemail. According to Secure Science Corporation, there has been no response from the vendors. Comments have been posted that T-Mobile has optional PIN code protection off by default. Better turn it on. $LABEL$3 +Mozilla To Add Support For XForms, World Yawns It's ironic that Microsoft could help further cement its dominance in the browser market by joining its largest rival in an effort to support web standards. nbsp;At the same time, that act would go a long way towards improving the web in general for developers and users alike.$LABEL$3 +Junk faxes to be legalized as quot;opt-out? quot; The Register ran a story on August 6th called 'Phone spam misery looms stateside.' It seems that there's legislative nastiness underway in Washington, DC to essentially gut the existing junk fax law, and replace it with a marketer's wet dream.$LABEL$3 +Biased Against Whom? Liberal bias versus right-wing conspiracy is a wonderful distraction. There is evidence enough on both sides. How can opposite claims be true? Confront a physicist with evidence supporting contradictory hypotheses and she will go looking for a more basic cause. Let's try that.$LABEL$3 +The Visual World of Michel Gondry A month ago I was introduced to the works of Michel Gondry. In short, I was amazed and tantalized by his short films and music videos. Even if you haven't heard of him, you've probably seen his many works in Gap commercials, various music videos, and the recent movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Many of his works explode with visual elements that, when taken alone, are simple and mundane. However, under his masterful guidance, these elements come together to form a highly mesmerizing visual experience. He never ceases to push visual technologies and challenge our ideas about the visual medium.$LABEL$3 +The Austral-Asian Strike Fighter The Australian Defence Force must defend and project across an air-sea gap. This requires long range autonomous strike weaponry. The Joint Strike Fighter does not solve this issue and detrimentally places added pressure on Australia's limited force of aerial refuelling assets. The world's defence manufacturers are not creating strike platforms that solve Australian needs. For this reason, Australia needs to look to other nations with similar defence needs. In this case, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan all face defending an air-sea gap. Australia should enter a partnership with these nations to create a strike fighter that satisfies the strategic needs of defending an air-sea gap. The benefits of such a partnership will be many.$LABEL$3 +Insecurity: (Or Why Americans Aren't Feeling The Recovery) The New Republic's website is currently carrying an interesting piece which tries to explain the anomaly that although the US economy is growing, a lot of its citizens are still feeling worse off. The article explains the results of a 40 year panel study which has shown that although mean incomes have increased, income variability has increased massively, causing many Americans to feel less well off, despite the growing economy. $LABEL$3 +The Great K5 Limerick Contest Queue submissions being scarce, I suggest we all submit limericks for consideration. Mod up your favorites. I'm no poet, so I'll submit a favorite of my childhood: There was a young woman named Bright, Who traveled much faster than light She set out one day In a relative way And returned on the previous night. I'm afraid I don't remember the author.$LABEL$3 +RuntimeProperties... Reflection from System Properties \\Java developers often load system properties to customize the runtime behavior\of their applications.\\For example a develoepr could define a 'max_connections' system property to\define the maximum number of TCP connections that their application server can\support. While nice, this prevents all other applications from using this\variable name.\\The first reaction to this would be to namespace your variable names. Instead\of using max_connections you would now use\'my.application.Server.MAX_CONNECTIONS' as your property name. This works of\course but now you have to load this property on startup.\\public static int MAX_CONNECTIONS = Integer.parseInt( System.getProperty(\""my.application.Se ...\\$LABEL$3 +Thank You IBM! \\I just wanted to say thanks to IBM for Open Sourcing Cloudscape .\\You guys really have your act together. Keep up the good work!\\$LABEL$3 +LinuxWorld, IDs, and Privacy \\Today Jonathan Moore and I headed over to LinuxWorld after lunch to see what\kind of cool hardware and Linux hacks they had on the expo floor.\\Only \$15 to get in the door so I figure why not.\\I'm a bit of a privacy freak. When you're trading some security for liberty\there are situations where it *might* be worth it. In situations of extreme\violence having the police by your side might be a good idea. \\I think we can all agree that trading liberty for *nothing* isn't worth it.\This country was *founded* on liberty after the British were abusing their\colonial powers. Every true American should cherish their liberty and think\long and hard about just turning them over for no reason.\ ...\\$LABEL$3 +My Blog as a Time Machine \\I'm starting to realize that my blog is a bit of a time machine. For example I\can create a blog entry to warn myself about something that WILL happen in the\future. \\My current NTP blog entry is a good example. I wrote this for myself as\much as for the people who read my blog (or find me via Google).\\I know for sure that NTP on Debian is going to bite me sometime in the future\and I'm going to forget WHY. Then I'm going to (of course) go to Google or my\aggregator and search for NTP and then find my blog post. \\I've done this about a dozen times now and its saved me a TON of time!\\$LABEL$3 +NTP in Debian \\The Network Time Daemon (NTP Daemon) implementation within Debian leaves a\lot to be desired.\\First off they don't include it with a working config. You have to create your\own /etc/ntpd.conf. To make matters worse the configuration doesn't accept DNS\names so you have to manually enter IPs. Fun. I can understand that they might\not want to provide ONE configuration and overwhelm one or two NTP servers but\they can provide a dynamic config that balances load among all available\servers. There is of course the public serves list but you have to Google\for it.\\All you really need to do here is enter a list of servers:\\server time.nist.gov\\server 192.43.244.18\$LABEL$3 +Pretty Log4J \\I've been a big fan of Log4J for a while now but haven't migrated any code\over for one central reason. The following line of code:\\ final static Logger logger = Logger.getLogger( ""some.name"" );\\... is amazingly ugly and difficult to work with.\\Most people use Log4J with a logger based on the classname:\\So we would probably see:\\ static Logger logger = Logger.getLogger( ""org.apache.commons.feedparser.locate.FeedLocator"" );\\Which is amazingly verbose. A lot of developers shorten this to:\\ static Logger logger = Logger.getLogger( FeedLocator.class );\\But this still leaves us with cut and paste errors.\\What if we could just reduce it to:\\ static Logger logger = Logger.g ...\\$LABEL$3 +Saudis: Bin Laden associate surrenders \\""(CNN) -- A longtime associate of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden surrendered to\Saudi Arabian officials Tuesday, a Saudi Interior Ministry official said.""\\""But it is unclear what role, if any, Khaled al-Harbi may have had in any terror\attacks because no public charges have been filed against him.""\\""The Saudi government -- in a statement released by its embassy in Washington --\called al-Harbi's surrender ""the latest direct result"" of its limited, one-month\offer of leniency to terror suspects.""\\This is great! I hope this really starts to pay off. Creative solutions to\terrorism that don't involve violence. \\How refreshing! \\Are you paying attention Bush administration?\\$LABEL$3 +Mozilla Exceptions (mexception) \\For some reason I never released this code.\\I developed it while working on NewsMonster and just forgot I think\\It's an extension for Mozilla that allows you to see all runtime exceptions\(with full stack traces) that are unhandled by Mozilla. \\Just install it and if your code generates an unhandled exception it will show\up in the logs and on the console.\\Very handy for doing any hardcore Mozilla development.\\$LABEL$3 +Ron Regan Jr is My Kinda Guy \\""Now that the country is awash in Reagan nostalgia, some observers are predicting\that you will enter politics. Would you like to be president of the United\States?""\\""I would be unelectable. I'm an atheist. As we all know, that is something\people won't accept.""\\""What would you do if Senator Kerry asked you to be his vice president?""\\""I would question his sanity.""\\""Do you ever go to church?""\\""No. I visit my wife's sangha.""\\""So you sometimes practice Buddhism?""\\""I don't claim anything. But my sympathies would be in that direction. I admire\the fact that the central core of Buddhist teaching involves mindfulness and\loving kindness and compassion.""\\So lets get this straight. He's an a ...\\$LABEL$3 +Al Qaeda member surrenders \\""RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- One of Saudi Arabia's most wanted militants has\turned himself into the authorities, the first senior suspect to surrender under\a one-month government amnesty announced last week.""\\""Othman Al-Omari, number 19 on Saudi Arabia's most wanted list of 26, accepted\King Fahd's offer of amnesty, which was made last week, according to Saudi\sources Monday.""\\""Al-Omari, who turned himself in on Sunday night, was a business partner of\Shaban Al Shihri -- the first al Qaeda member to accept the offer when he turned\himself in Friday.""\\When I first saw this I was really upset. I thought that it would certainly\lead to more violence if they just let terrorists off the ...\\$LABEL$3 +Mission Accomplished! \\""BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Members of Iraq's interim government took an oath of\office Monday just hours after the United States returned the nation's\sovereignty, two days ahead of schedule.""\\""Led by Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, each member of the new\government placed a hand on the Koran and promised to serve with sincerity and\impartiality. Iraqi flags lined the wall behind them.""\\Iraq! Now with 100 less Coalition Provisional Authority! Act now and get a\free Weapon of Mass Destruction (offer only available in Syria, Jordan, Saudi\Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and Iran).\\Also check out our new Puppet Government! Keeps the kids occupied for hours!\\$LABEL$3 +Java3D - Half Right \\SUN has announced that Java3D will be released in a different manner than any\other SUN project in existence.\\""We announce the availability of the source code for the Java 3D API on\java.net. We are involving developers in the evolution of the Java 3D API.\Come join the Java 3D projects on java.net, and download the source code for\the core Java 3D API, vecmath, the Java 3D core utilities, and the Java 3D\program examples.""\\The key thing here is that they have provided the core utils under a BSD license\and even have the CVS available .\\Good job SUN! You're headed in the right direction!\\Here's the only problem:\\""We are releasing the source code for the j3d-core and vecmath projects u ...\\$LABEL$3 +Reverse Psychology \\I really hope SUN doesn't Open Source Java at JavaOne this year. It would be a\terrible decision and seriously hurt the tech industry. Also, it would hurt SUN\and I'm sure their responsible enough to realize this.\\(Lets hope that works!)\\$LABEL$3 +Kerry's Disgusting Ad \\A few days ago Kerry sent around this ad:\\""Yesterday, the Bush-Cheney campaign, losing any last sense of decency, placed\a disgusting ad called ""The Faces of John Kerry's Democratic Party"" as the\main feature on its website. Bizarrely, and without explanation, the ad places\Adolf Hitler among those faces.""\\""The Bush-Cheney campaign must pull this ad off of its website. The use of\Adolf Hitler by any campaign, politician or party is simply wrong.""\\Which of course is a mistake. I went and downloaded the video (which is just\stupid btw. Not a masterpiece by any means.) and there are shots of Hitler in\there, but only from the MoveOn contest from a few months back.\\Here's the problem. The ...\\$LABEL$3 +What would Baby Jesus Think? \\""On Tuesday, Cheney, serving in his role as president of the Senate, appeared in\the chamber for a photo session. A chance meeting with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy\(Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, became an argument about\Cheney's ties to Halliburton Co., an international energy services corporation,\and President Bush's judicial nominees. The exchange ended when Cheney offered\some crass advice.\\'Fuck yourself,' said the man who is a heartbeat from the presidency.""\\Wonder what the moral majority has to say about this?\\It isn't profanity! Its a freedom praise!\\$LABEL$3 +Americans and Freedom \\""When we Americans first began, our biggest danger was clearly in view: we knew\from the bitter experience with King George III that the most serious threat to\democracy is usually the accumulation of too much power in the hands of an\Executive, whether he be a King or a president. Our ingrained American distrust\of concentrated power has very little to do with the character or persona of the\individual who wields that power. It is the power itself that must be\constrained, checked, dispersed and carefully balanced, in order to ensure the\survival of freedom. In addition, our founders taught us that public fear is the\most dangerous enemy of democracy because under the right circumstances it ...\\$LABEL$3 +Why Windows isn't Unix \\""I first heard about this from one of the developers of the hit game SimCity, who\told me that there was a critical bug in his application: it used memory right\after freeing it, a major no-no that happened to work OK on DOS but would not\work under Windows where memory that is freed is likely to be snatched up by\another running application right away. The testers on the Windows team were\going through various popular applications, testing them to make sure they\worked OK, but SimCity kept crashing. They reported this to the Windows\developers, who disassembled SimCity, stepped through it in a debugger, found\the bug, and added special code that checked if SimCity was running, and if it\did ...\\$LABEL$3 +Microsoft, IE and Bloat \\Zawodny threads off of Scoble on the IE issue:\\""I have to say, when I first read that I nearly fell off my chair laughing. I was\thinking ""how stupid ARE these IE guys?!?!?!"" But we all know that Microsoft is\full of smart people who care about what they're doing. So something really\doesn't compute here.""\\""Last time I checked, IE wasn't even close to feature parity with Mozilla's\browsers. No popup blocking, no tabbed browsing, etc.""\\""Does the IE team really not know what their product is missing?""\\Perhaps. It's highly likely that they just don't know.\\The bigger issue here is that Microsoft products can't fail and they can't\succeed. Microsoft has 40-50 billion in the bank. There ...\\$LABEL$3 +DRM is doubleplus good for business, Congress advised The Budget Office and the case of the disappearing public interest$LABEL$3 +HP: The Adaptive Enterprise that can't adapt <strong>Opinion</strong> SAP hardly to blame$LABEL$3 +Buffy the Censor Slayer <strong>Letters</strong> Readers drive stake through parents' group$LABEL$3 +Ashlee Vance: the readers have spoken <strong>Poll results</strong> Bright news for resident <em>Reg</em> ladyboy$LABEL$3 +<em>El Reg</em> pledges to name BSA antipiracy weasel <strong>Competition</strong> Get those suggestions in$LABEL$3 +Wireless net to get speed boost Wireless computer networks could soon be running 10 times faster than they do now.$LABEL$3 +Watchdog rules over broadband The UK's ad watchdog rules over which net connections can be described as full speed broadband.$LABEL$3 +GameBoy mini-games win prize A set of GameBoy micro-games is named as the most innovative game of the year at a festival in Scotland.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft takes down SP2 sharers Microsoft is stopping people getting hold of a key security update via net-based file- sharing systems.$LABEL$3 +Long-awaited Doom 3 hits the UK Doom 3 goes on sale in the UK at a time of renewed concerns over violence in video games.$LABEL$3 +Britons embrace digital lifestyle People in the UK are spending more time and money going digital, says communications watchdog Ofcom.$LABEL$3 +PlayStation potential to learning The PlayStation games console could be developed into a learning tool for children, says a Northumberland head teacher.$LABEL$3 +'Invisible' technology for Olympics Getting the technology in place for Athens 2004 is an Olympic task in itself.$LABEL$3 +Satellite boosts Olympic security An enhanced satellite location system aims to help Olympic security guards react more quickly to emergencies.$LABEL$3 +3D holograms to crack forgeries A 3D hologram technique could transform how experts spot forged signatures and other handwritten documents.$LABEL$3 +Video games 'good for children' Computer games can promote problem-solving and team-building in children, say games industry experts.$LABEL$3 +Fake goods tempting young adults Young people are increasingly happy to buy pirated goods or illegal download content from the net, a survey shows.$LABEL$3 +Catwoman far from perfect The Catwoman game is a major disappointment that feels like a pointless tie-in with the film.$LABEL$3 +'Madden,' 'ESPN' Football Score in Different Ways PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - Was absenteeism a little high on Tuesday among the guys at the office? EA Sports would like to think it was because ""Madden NFL 2005"" came out that day, and some fans of the football simulation are rabid enough to take a sick day to play it.$LABEL$3 +AOL to Sell Cheap PCs to Minorities and Seniors NEW YORK (Reuters) - America Online on Thursday said it plans to sell a low-priced PC targeting low-income and minority households who agree to sign up for a year of dialup Internet service.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft to Introduce Cheaper Version of Windows SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> said it will begin selling a stripped-down, low-cost version of its Windows XP operating system in the emerging markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in order to spread the use of computing and develop technology markets.$LABEL$3 +Companies Approve New High-Capacity Disc Format LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of consumer electronics makers said on Wednesday they approved the format for a new generation of discs that can store five times the data of DVDs at the same cost -- enough to put a full season of ""The Sopranos"" on one disc.$LABEL$3 +Missing June Deals Slow to Return for Software Cos. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The mystery of what went wrong for the software industry in late June when sales stalled at more than 20 brand-name companies is not even close to being solved although the third quarter is nearly halfway over.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Upgrades Software for Digital Pictures SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> released on Tuesday the latest version of its software for editing and organizing digital photographs and images to tap into widespread demand for digital cameras and photography.$LABEL$3 +Google to Pay Yahoo to Settle Patent Dispute SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. <GOOG.O> on Monday again boosted the number of shares it plans to sell in its initial public offering, saying it will issue 2.7 million shares to Yahoo Inc. <YHOO.O> to settle a lawsuit over technology used to display ads.$LABEL$3 +A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination Unfortunately for users, computer equipment manufacturers and resellers don't adequately inform Windows users of the risks involved in accessing the Internet without proper security measures.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</b></font>$LABEL$3 +'SP2' a Must With XP Use Service Pack 2, ""SP2"" for short, aims to stop viruses, worms, browser hijackings and worse by including security features that people have to add and adjust on their own. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-Rob Pegoraro</b></font>$LABEL$3 +Putting Your Own Stamp On All Your Parcels Fido the Stamp is here. Well, he could be -- all it takes is for one dog owner to snap a digital photo of his beloved pooch, submit it to the Stamps.com Web site and order personalized postage. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-Leslie Walker</b></font>$LABEL$3 +Internet Challenges Face-to-Face Mingling At Bungalow Billiards in Chantilly on Wednesday, about a dozen single parents from Northern Virginia gathered at happy hour to mingle, eat and drink. All were divorced or widowed members of the Fairfax chapter of Parents Without Partners.$LABEL$3 +Forecast: Plenty of Activity On the Weather Blog Front If it's possible to love something just because it could visit torrents upon the Washington region, fling hail from the skies and swell streams into rivers, then Jason Samenow is smitten.$LABEL$3 +Google Starts Auction Company launched the biggest electronic auction of stock in Wall Street history Friday but warned that it could face legal liability from a Playboy magazine interview in which some aspects of the Internet search engine's performance were overstated. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</b></font>$LABEL$3 +Bids Placed Despite Mixed News Umesh Patel, a 36-year old software engineer from California, debated until the last minute.$LABEL$3 +Antitrust Lawyer Takes Helm at FTC As Deborah P. Majoras takes over the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, she's expected to build on the broad agenda set by her predecessor, Timothy J. Muris.$LABEL$3 +GAO Calls Stryker Too Heavy for Transport The Army's new medium-weight armored vehicle, the Stryker, weighs so much that it curtails the range of C-130 military cargo aircraft that carry it and under certain conditions make it impossible for the planes to take off, a new report for Congress found.$LABEL$3 +BioVeris Settles 2 Lawsuits Against Chief Executive's Son BioVeris Corp. announced yesterday that it settled two lawsuits against Jacob N. Wohlstadter, its chief executive's son, whom the company had accused of spending millions of dollars on cars and real estate to sabotage a joint venture he ran so he could purchase it for a bargain price.$LABEL$3 +Google: Now Playboy's Latest Bunny Investors in the company that's trying to come off as cute as a bunny could find themselves holding a fistful of vipers if the founders of Google Inc. continue to do things like show up in Playboy magazine around the same time their company is going public. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +EBay Buys Stake in Craigslist Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. said Friday it acquired a 25 percent stake in craigslist, an online community of classified ads and forums. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-Associated Press</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Blog Interrupted The instant message blinked on the computer at Jessica Cutler's desk in the Russell Senate Office Building. ""Oh my God, you're famous.$LABEL$3 +Hungry world 'must eat less meat' People will need to eat more vegetables and less meat because of dwindling water supplies, scientists say.$LABEL$3 +Hopes soar for solo record plane Richard Branson says the Virgin Global Flyer is looking good for its solo trip around the world without refuelling.$LABEL$3 +Arctic team reaches destination A team of British explorers, who are retracing the steps of a Victorian pioneer, have reached Thom Bay.$LABEL$3 +Shuttle camera to watch fuel tank The space shuttle's external fuel tank, implicated in the 2003 Columbia disaster, is to get its own camera.$LABEL$3 +Hubble peers at celestial bubble The Hubble Space Telescope has looked into a bubble of gas and dust being inflated by a young star's particles.$LABEL$3 +Bacteria gives coral orange glow Orange coral common to the Caribbean has bacteria to thank for its hue, say US marine scientists.$LABEL$3 +Honey bees close museum A Worcestershire museum is forced to close for several weeks while a swarm of honey bees is removed.$LABEL$3 +Clouds dash Perseids show The annual Perseid meteor shower could provide a ""spectacular"" show, despite a disappointing start.$LABEL$3 +Worms may slow Parkinson's A protein which helps increase lifespan in worms offers hope for new Parkinson's and Alzheimer's treatments.$LABEL$3 +Nasa help for stem cell study UK tissue engineering experts are teaming up with NASA to find treatments for diseases back on Earth.$LABEL$3 +TB test to slash infection rates A rapid and accurate test for TB could cut infection rates around the world, say experts.$LABEL$3 +Scientists given cloning go-ahead The first request by British scientists to clone human embryos has been granted by experts.$LABEL$3 +Vandals damage bird reserve A disturbance free zone for nesting birds is put at risk by vandals who cut down the boundary fence.$LABEL$3 +Heat waves set to become 'brutal' Heat waves in the 21st Century will be more intense, more frequent and longer, US experts say.$LABEL$3 +Monkeys test 'hardworking gene' Scientists in the United States find a way to turn lazy monkeys into workaholics using gene therapy.$LABEL$3 +Hearing clue to whale evolution The evolution of whales from four-legged land dwellers into streamlined swimmers has been traced in fossilised ears, Nature reports.$LABEL$3 +News: NASA Extends TRMM Operations Through 2004 Hurricane Season NASA will extend operation of the Tropical Rainfall\Measuring Mission (TRMM) through the end of 2004, in light of a\recent request from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric\Administration (NOAA).$LABEL$3 +News: Climate Change Could Doom Alaska's Tundra In the next 100 years, Alaska will experience a massive loss of its historic tundra, as global warming allows these vast regions of cold, dry, lands to support forests and other vegetation that will dramatically alter native ecosystems. (Oregon State University press release)$LABEL$3 +News: How Strongly Does the Sun Influence the Climate? Researchers have shown that the Sun can be responsible for, at most, only a small part of the warming over the last 20-30 years. (Max Planck Society press release)$LABEL$3 +News: New England Forests at Greater Risk from Air Pollution When it comes to forests, air pollution is not an equal opportunity hazard. While dirty air spreads across large areas of the New England region, it's more scattered in the southeastern part of the United States. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)$LABEL$3 +News: Warmer Weather, Human Disturbances Interact to Change Forests While a rapidly changing climate may alter the composition of northern Wisconsin's forests, disturbances such as logging also will play a critical role in how these sylvan ecosystems change over time. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)$LABEL$3 +News: Duke Study Disputes Idea that Trees Can 'Relocate' Quickly in Response to Climate Change In a study with implications for how North American trees might respond to a changing climate, molecular information collected by Duke University researchers refutes a widely accepted theory that many of the continent's tree species migrated rapidly from the deep South as glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age. (Duke University press release)$LABEL$3 +News: Droughts Like 1930s Dust Bowl May Have Been Unexceptional in Prehistoric Times, New Study Suggests Events like the great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, immortalized in ""The Grapes of Wrath"" and remembered as a transforming event for millions of Americans, were regular parts of much-earlier cycles of droughts followed by recoveries in the region, according to new studies by a multi-institutional research team led by Duke University. (Duke University press release)$LABEL$3 +News: New Study to Investigate Demise of Coral Reef Ecosystems Scientists are embarking on a project which will explore how global warming is devastating one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, coral reefs. (University of Newcastle press release)$LABEL$3 +Natural Hazards: Typhoon Rananim The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Typhoon Rananim on August 12 at 2:40 UTC.$LABEL$3 +Horseflies and Meteors Like bugs streaking colorfully down the side window of a moving car, Earthgrazing Perseid meteors could put on a pleasing show after sunset on August 11th.$LABEL$3 +Spinning Brains One day, astronauts could zip across the solar system in spinning spaceships. How will their brains adapt to life onboard a twirling home where strange quot;Coriolis forces quot; rule?$LABEL$3 +What Neil Buzz Left on the Moon A cutting-edge Apollo 11 science experiment left behind in the Sea of Tranquility is still running today.$LABEL$3 +Voyager 1, Prepare for Action At the outer limits of our solar system, a solar shock wave is about to overtake NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft.$LABEL$3 +Saturn Hailstorm When Cassini reached Saturn On June 30th, it dashed through a gap in Saturn's rings, twice. One of onboard science instruments recorded a flurry of ring-dust harmlessly striking the spacecraft.\\$LABEL$3 +Dino-Size Spurt: T. Rex Teens Gained 5 Pounds a Day New analysis of fossil bones indicates that adolescent <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i> dinosaurs grew extremely rapidly, quickly reaching gigantic size.$LABEL$3 +Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater Whale fossils found with tiny ear bones reveal for the first time how the ancestors of whales and dolphins developed their acute underwater hearing.$LABEL$3 +Real ""Danny Deckchairs"" Soar With Just a Seat and Some Balloons In the new movie <i>Danny Deckchair,</i> a truck driver ties party balloons to a chair and flies away. It's called cluster ballooning, and believe it or not, it's a real sport.$LABEL$3 +Unusually Good"" Meteor Shower Expected Tonight Tonight's annual Perseid meteor shower is likely to be a spectacular show of shooting stars zipping across the night sky, according to astronomers.$LABEL$3 +Monster"" Waves Suprisingly Common, Satellites Show Rogue waves #151;eight or more stories or higher #151;are freaks of the ocean once thought to be tall tales told by sailors. But now scientists have satellite evidence that the massive upwellings are not only real but also fairly common.$LABEL$3 +Ancient Olympians Followed ""Atkins"" Diet, Scholar Says What did the first Olympians eat? Food historians are scouring ancient texts to find out.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Warrior Arms Africans to Hunt Sudanese Poachers Armed poachers from Sudan have been raiding and destroying neighboring Central African Republic's wildlife resources for years. Now, with the help of a militant U.S. conservationist, the CAR populace is arming and training itself to fight back.$LABEL$3 +Ancient Olympics Mixed Naked Sports, Pagan Partying Nude athletes, performance-enhancing lizard meat, and animal sacrifices are just a few of the things that separate the ancient Olympics from the modern games, says the author of <i>The Naked Olympics.</i>$LABEL$3 +Travel Column: Offsetting Air Travel's Greenhouse Impact Global warming is threatening travel destinations worldwide. What's more, travelers themselves are contributing to it. Find out what you can do about it.$LABEL$3 +Magma Surge Moves Nevada Mountain, Study Says Why did a Lake Tahoe-area peak move dramatically late last year? A new report says magma deep below surged upward, forcing the mountain to rise.$LABEL$3 +266 Chimps From Lab Adopted by Florida Refuge With an influx of chimps previously used as laboratory animals, Florida's Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care is transforming into the largest chimp sanctuary in the world #151;almost overnight.$LABEL$3 +Locusts Inspire Technology That May Prevent Car Crashes Locusts are commonly associated with plagues, food shortages, and death. But they are also inspiring what may be the next wave in lifesaving collision-avoidance systems.$LABEL$3 +Progress Supply Ship Docks with Space Station NASA -- An unpiloted Russian cargo ship linked up the International Space Station this morning to deliver almost three tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water and supplies to the residents onboard. The ISS Progress 15 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 12:01 a.m...$LABEL$3 +Building Dedicated to Space Shuttle Columbia Astronauts By BILL KACZOR PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- A former dormitory converted to classrooms at the Pensacola Naval Air Station was dedicated Friday to two Columbia astronauts who were among the seven who died in the shuttle disaster Feb...$LABEL$3 +Undersea Habitat Becomes Experimental Space Hospital NASA -- The days of doctors making house calls may seem like ancient history for most patients in North America, but in October, three astronauts and a Canadian doctor will test the latest concepts in long-distance house calls using a unique underwater laboratory. The ability to conduct long-distance health care such as telemonitoring and telerobotic surgery could be key to maintaining the wellness of future spacefarers and responding to medical emergencies on the International Space Station, the moon or Mars...$LABEL$3 +How Mars Fooled the World The famous Orson Welles' radio broadcast of ""The War of the Worlds"" is about to hit the big screen, as film moguls Spielberg and Cruise bring the H.G. Wells' classic back into the popular imagination. Are we so clever today not be duped?$LABEL$3 +Chandra Catches Early Phase of Cosmic Assembly Chandra X-Ray Observatory -- A NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory image has revealed a complex of several intergalactic hot gas clouds in the process of merging. The superb Chandra spatial resolution made it possible to distinguish individual galaxies from the massive clouds of hot gas...$LABEL$3 +Hubble Peers Inside a Celestial Geode Hubble Space Telescope -- In this unusual image, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a rare view of the celestial equivalent of a geode a gas cavity carved by the stellar wind and intense ultraviolet radiation from a hot young star. Real geodes are baseball-sized, hollow rocks that start out as bubbles in volcanic or sedimentary rock...$LABEL$3 +Saturn's Moon Titan: Prebiotic Laboratory by Harry Bortman In this second and final part of the interview, Lunine explains how Huygens may help scientists understand the origin of life on Earth, even if it doesn't detect life on Titan. Astrobiology Magazine -- Titan is the only moon in our solar system with an atmosphere, and it is the organic chemistry that has been detected in that atmosphere that has sparked the imagination of planetary scientists like Lunine...$LABEL$3 +Sharpest Image Ever Obtained of a Circumstellar Disk Reveals Signs of Young Planets MAUNA KEA, Hawaii -- The sharpest image ever taken of a dust disk around another star has revealed structures in the disk which are signs of unseen planets. Dr...$LABEL$3 +Chandra Celebrates Five Years of Scientific Breakthroughs Marshall Space Flight Center -- On August 12, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory opened its sunshade doors for the first time, allowing celestial X-ray light to reach the observatory's mirrors. This one small step for the observatory proved to be a giant leap for science as Chandra began its mission to shed new light on a violent, mysterious universe invisible to the human eye...$LABEL$3 +Some Globular Clusters May Be Leftovers From Snacking Galaxies Globular star clusters are like spherical cathedrals of light -- collections of millions of stars lumped into a space only a few dozen light-years across. If the Earth resided within a globular cluster, our night sky would be alight with thousands of stars more brilliant than Sirius.$LABEL$3 +India Rethinks Plan for Manned Moon Mission By S. SRINIVASAN BANGALORE, India (AP) -- India is rethinking its plan to send a man to the moon by 2015, as the mission would cost a lot of money and yield very little in return, the national space agency said Thursday...$LABEL$3 +Cluster Finds Giant Gas Vortices at the Edge of Earths Magnetic Bubble European Space Agency -- ESAs quartet of space-weather watchers, Cluster, has discovered vortices of ejected solar material high above the Earth. The superheated gases trapped in these structures are probably tunnelling their way into the Earths magnetic bubble, the magnetosphere...$LABEL$3 +Saturn's Moon Titan: Planet Wannabe by Henry Bortman Jonathan Lunine, professor of planetary science and physics at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, has long been fascinated by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. In this first part of the interview, Lunine explains what scientists hope to learn from Huygens...$LABEL$3 +Knocking on Heaven's Door The Milky Way is a vast, diverse neighborhood. If you're hoping to find Earthlike planets that may harbor life, you'll need to narrow the search. Stars are a good place to start, because the dusty discs around stars spawn young planets.$LABEL$3 +China Begins Countdown for Next Manned Space Flight By ELAINE KURTENBACH SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Chinese astronauts are in the final stages of preparing for a manned space mission that will orbit the globe 14 times before returning to Earth, a state-run newspaper reported Thursday. The launch, expected sometime this month, will initially send a manned craft, the Shenzhou 5, into an oval orbit that at its closest will be 125 miles from Earth, the Liberation Daily reported, citing ""relevant channels."" After circling the earth several times, the ship will enter an orbit at about 220 miles from earth, the report said...$LABEL$3 +Trajectory Maneuver Brings Genesis Spacecraft Closer to Home Jet Propulsion Lab -- Thirty days before its historic return to Earth with NASA's first samples from space since the Apollo missions, the Genesis spacecraft successfully completed its twentieth trajectory maneuver. At 12:00 Universal Time (5:00 a.m...$LABEL$3 +Japanese Lunar Probe Mission Facing Delays TOKYO (AP) -- A lunar orbiter that Japan had planned to launch this year could face further delays, possibly until next year or later, because of a funding shortfall and problems developing the probe's information-gathering capabilities, Japan's space agency said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, released a report to a government-run commission explaining expected delays to the launch of the \$135 million Lunar-A probe...$LABEL$3 +Progress Cargo Ship for ISS Launched From Russia MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment blasted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday headed for the international space station, a Russian space official said. The Progress M-50 ship took off at 1:03 a.m...$LABEL$3 +The Annual Perseid Meteor Shower The annual Perseid meteor shower is coming, and forecasters say it could be unusually good. Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a pleasing show after sunset this week.$LABEL$3 +NASA Approves Robotic Hubble Repair Mission (AP) -- NASA's chief is urging his Hubble Space Telescope team to press ahead with plans for a robotic repair mission to the aging observatory, saying, ""Let's go save the Hubble."" Administrator Sean O'Keefe says he will ask Congress for money to accomplish the job. He estimates it will take about \$1 billion to \$1.6 billion to develop and launch a robot to make the needed upgrades to keep the popular telescope running and to get it out of orbit once its work is through...$LABEL$3 +What Is a Comet Made Of? UC Davis -- A new method for looking at the composition of comets using ground-based telescopes has been developed by chemists at UC Davis. Remnants from the formation of our solar system, the makeup of comets gives clues about how the Earth and other planets formed...$LABEL$3 +Dying Star Goes Out With a Ring A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the shimmering embers of a dying star, and in their midst a mysterious doughnut-shaped ring. The dying star is part of a ""planetary nebula"" called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers.$LABEL$3 +Lost Sleep Leads to Health Problems Advice on how to get a good night's slumber and avoid future heart trouble HealthDayNews -- Lack of sleep can cause more than drowsiness; it can contribute to a number of health problems. Short-term effects of lack of sleep include increases in blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, according to an article in the August issue of the Harvard Heart Letter...$LABEL$3 +Which Diet is Best? The One That Works for You By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Gather together some diners who are trying to lose weight, then sit back and listen to the debate. Almost anyone who's on a diet -- or at least one that's working -- is convinced his or her plan is the best...$LABEL$3 +Clouds are Cooler than Smoke Clouds help regulate the Earths climate by reflecting sunlight into space, thus cooling the surface. When cloud patterns change, they modify the Earths energy balance in turn, and temperatures on the Earths surface.$LABEL$3 +Last Year's Flu Shot Imperfect But Effective By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Last year's influenza vaccine was far from a perfect match against the virus that sickened people, but it offered more protection from the illness than experts had previously thought. In very young children, the shot was found to be 25 percent to 49 percent effective in preventing influenza-like illness, which is a suspected case of flu that wasn't confirmed in a laboratory...$LABEL$3 +Olympics Could Call Out the Couch Potatoes As the 2004 Summer Olympics officially get underway Friday with an international broadcast of the opening ceremonies, health experts expect the Athens games to inspire couch potatoes to become more active. But, experts caution, amateurs, particularly sedentary ones, should not jump into a new sports activity without sufficient preparation.$LABEL$3 +Skateboarding Offers a Tough Workout By KRISTA LARSON SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- While the tennis courts at Kennedy Park are bare on a hot afternoon, parents keep dropping off teenagers at the skate park, home to all the day's action...$LABEL$3 +Rats May Help Unravel Human Drug Addiction Mysteries By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rats can become drug addicts. That's important to know, scientists say, and has taken a long time to prove...$LABEL$3 +Sting of Bug Bites Can Linger Into Adulthood By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Contrary to popular belief, not all kids who are allergic to insect stings outgrow their sensitivity. Some people whose allergies left them in fear of bees, wasps, and the like as children still react to their stings as adults, but a new study offers relief: Allergy shots given in childhood can protect them for up to 20 years...$LABEL$3 +FDA Warns of Terrorist Prescription Drug Tampering By DIEDTRA HENDERSON WASHINGTON (AP) -- ""Cues from chatter"" gathered around the world are raising concerns that terrorists might try to attack the domestic food and drug supply, particularly illegally imported prescription drugs, acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford says...$LABEL$3 +Scientists Probe Pacific Ocean for Dead Zones His hand on a toggle switch and his eyes on a computer screen, Oregon State University graduate student Anthony Kirincich uses an array of scientific instruments to probe the vibrant waters of the Pacific. He is searching for the absence of life.$LABEL$3 +Simultaneous Tropical Storms are Very Rare The prospect that a tropical storm and a hurricane - or possibly two hurricanes - could strike Florida on the same day is something meteorologists say they have never seen. ""It's almost unheard of,"" state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.$LABEL$3 +Deaths Raise Fears Over Stomach Stapling Surgery By LINDA A. JOHNSON (AP) -- An obese Massachusetts woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after stomach-stapling surgery, an apparent first that is leading to warnings about the risks of pregancy soon after the surgery...$LABEL$3 +Growth and Mortality Details of T. Rex Get Clearer T. rex was one of the largest meat-eaters ever to walk the land when it died out some 65 million years ago. At an elephant-like 6 tons, it stretched about 40 feet to 45 feet long and measured about 13 feet tall at the hip. The adult skull alone was 5 feet long, with teeth up to a foot long.$LABEL$3 +Britain Approves Human Cloning By EMMA ROSS LONDON (AP) -- Britain granted its first license for human cloning Wednesday, more than three years after becoming the first nation to authorize the technique to produce stem cells for medical research. A team of researchers at Newcastle University hope eventually to create insulin-producing cells that could be transplanted into diabetic patients...$LABEL$3 +New Clot Preventer Saves Lives and Money By Ed Edelson, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- A new anti-clotting drug for people having artery-opening procedures lowers the rate of complications, gets patients out of the hospital faster, and probably saves lives, a study finds. And it saves money to boot, says Dr...$LABEL$3 +The Eyes Are the Window to Hypertension The tiniest blood vessels of the eye can provide a glimpse that may warn of future high blood pressure, Australian researchers report. That finding comes from a computerized analysis of special camera images of the retina, an experimental technique.$LABEL$3 +Progress Is Made Battling Strep Germ By LINDSEY TANNER CHICAGO (AP) -- Scientists say they are making headway in developing a vaccine against a common strep germ, the cause of millions of sore throats as well as a deadly but uncommon flesh-eating disease. A test of an experimental vaccine in just 28 people prompted an immune response with no serious side effects, but it's still not known if the shot would keep people from catching the strep germ...$LABEL$3 +Fake Drug Sales Problematic in Mexico By MARK STEVENSON MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexican authorities are investigating the sale of fake or substandard medicine in a border town so popular among Americans seeking cheap medications that it has more pharmacies than streets. U.S...$LABEL$3 +New Allergy Vaccine Shows Promise In the first trial of its kind, Austrian researchers have achieved success with an allergy vaccine using genetically engineered pollen. The findings are reported in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.$LABEL$3 +First Lady Bashes John Kerry's Pro Stem Cell Stance By RON FOURNIER LANGHORNE, Pa. (AP) -- First lady Laura Bush defended her husband's policy on embryonic stem cell research Monday, calling Democratic rival John Kerry's criticism ""ridiculous"" and accusing proponents of overstating the potential for medical breakthroughs...$LABEL$3 +Doctors Place Hope in Baby Pacemaker Devices By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four-month-old Damaris Ochoa was near death, born with an enlarged heart that was quickly giving out. Obtaining a transplant in time was a long shot...$LABEL$3 +Vending Machines Making Room for Healthy Products By IRA DREYFUSS WASHINGTON (AP) -- The typical vending machine fare consists of chocolate bars and potato chips, leaving few options for people seeking low-calorie or low-salt snacks. That is changing now as companies develop markets for products they expect to satisfy both nutritionists and consumers...$LABEL$3 +Getting beyond the next big thing McKinsey says a post-boom tech industry can profit mightily by taking stock in the operations of many slower-growth industries.$LABEL$3 +If this is a tech rebound, pinch me KnowledgeWharton goes inside the IT conundrum to examine why capital spending--and corporate confidence--remains low.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: HP partners with 3G gear maker roundup Plus: AMD starts shipping 90-nanometer chips...ABC.com to air on Real's SuperPass...Lenovo revenue grows, but problems persist.$LABEL$3 +Judge moves to unseal documents in Oracle case Says certain documents, which Oracle and others want to keep from eyes of rivals, may be necessary to decide case.$LABEL$3 +Study: IT workers more optimistic IT workers' confidence in the employment market kept growing in July, but techies are less happy with actual jobs than workers overall.$LABEL$3 +California urged to use open source, VoIP Authors of a performance review tell the beleaguered state government it could save millions of dollars by adopting open-source software and Internet-based phone calling.$LABEL$3 +Gartner: 'Steer away' from cheap Windows XP That's the research firm's verdict on Microsoft's stripped-down Starter Edition for developing countries.$LABEL$3 +Oracle expands midmarket ambitions Company looks to juice its application server business with a version tuned for smaller organizations.$LABEL$3 +Taking the Microsoft Rorschach test CNET News.com's Charles Cooper asks what it is about Microsoft that pushes so many people straight over the edge?$LABEL$3 +Earnings alert: BEA revenue rises amid turmoil Plus: Dell meets expectations...Storage, servers bruise HP earnings...Healthy sales lift Cisco's profit.$LABEL$3 +AMD starts shipping 90-nanometer chips The chipmaker appears to have met its most recent deadline for production of the smaller-featured chips.$LABEL$3 +Lenovo revenue grows, but problems persist China's largest PC maker sees surge in profits but loses market share to multinational companies.$LABEL$3 +Dell's second-quarter earnings meet expectations CEO says firm saw no sales slowdown. Could results help calm waters after bad news from HP and Cisco?$LABEL$3 +Tech market indeed soft, but HP woes one of a kind HP and Cisco spooked investors with recent comments about sales, but analysts say the overall tech market is still inching along.$LABEL$3 +HP replaces three senior executives Company follows up on promise of ""immediate management changes"" after disappointing earnings report, CNET News.com has learned.$LABEL$3 +Meet the new boss, same as the old boss? When heir apparent Paul Otellini takes the reins, what will the chipmaker look like?$LABEL$3 +IBM's mainframe momentum continues Big Blue's ""dinosaur"" mainframe business gets a boost with a European customer consolidating SAP applications using Linux.$LABEL$3 +Gateway alumnus resurfaces at HP Former Gateway executive to lead consumer marketing efforts at Hewlett-Packard.$LABEL$3 +Security pro: Windows easier to 'own' Windows beats Linux in total cost of 'ownership.' Hold on, that's not a good thing.$LABEL$3 +Securing the gold in Athens Despite age-old Olympic truce known as the ekecheiria, or ""holding of hands,"" security experts aren't taking any chances.\$LABEL$3 +Hacker takes bite out of Apple's iTunes The Norwegian hacker famous for cracking DVD encryption reveals the public key for AirPort Express.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft touts 'Sender ID' to fight spam, scams Proposed tech standard would verify senders' IP addresses to cut malicious phishing and annoying Viagra pitches.$LABEL$3 +Begging for trouble on security Securify founder Taher Elgamal says a patchwork mentality has effectively turned network security into an IT budget black hole.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft's blast from the past A year after the MSBlast worm, the software giant releases SP2 for Windows XP. Would it have stopped the fast-spreading virus?$LABEL$3 +MSBlast suspect pleads guilty The 19-year-old faces up to 37 months in prison after admitting to creating the ""MSBlast.B"" variant.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft plugs hole in Exchange The patch fixes a flaw in the e-mail server software that could be used to get access to in-boxes and information.$LABEL$3 +PC security under fire A vulnerability in AOL's instant messenger could allow attacks. Also: A new Bagle variant rumbles across the Net.$LABEL$3 +Flaw opens AOL chat software to intruders Attackers could bombard PCs using instant messenger's ""away"" feature. AOL says a fix is imminent.$LABEL$3 +HP partners with 3G gear maker Major cell phone infrastructure provider plans to use HP's telecom software in 3G mobile network gear.$LABEL$3 +Cox speed boost leaves some members behind Not all of the cable company's broadband subscribers got a recent hike in bandwidth.$LABEL$3 +Nortel wins Indian wireless contract Nortel scores its first major wireless deal with an Indian service provider.$LABEL$3 +Mosquito software bites smart phones A possible Trojan horse hidden in an illegal cell-phone game hits smart phones using the Symbian operating system.$LABEL$3 +Vonage hangs up on some callers VoIP company suffers ""delays,"" the second glitch in two weeks. Those affected are told to reboot their adaptors.$LABEL$3 +Group proposes faster Wi-Fi specification Networking consortium submits proposal for faster Wi-Fi, as battle lines are drawn between rival groups.$LABEL$3 +Some VoIP calls being blocked Some Net phone users who are also broadband subscribers aren't receiving incoming calls. AT #38;T plans to release patch.$LABEL$3 +Covad tries an end run In a tough scrimmage against resurgent Baby Bells, the broadband pioneer flips open the VoIP playbook.$LABEL$3 +FCC certifies Freescale ultrawideband technology Freescale Semiconductor starts shipping its XS110 chip, which will help consumers to connect devices wirelessly.$LABEL$3 +'Push to talk' meets Wi-Fi FCC says cellular carriers are working on extending the walkie-talkie feature to Wi-Fi networks--which could mean to VoIP phones.$LABEL$3 +PalmSource chairman to step down The separation of PalmOne and PalmSource will be complete with Eric Benhamou's resignation as the latter's chairman.$LABEL$3 +Blu-ray Disc spec approved Next-generation DVD specification approved, clearing way for manufacturers to produce read-only disks.$LABEL$3 +iPod chipmaker plans stock offering PortalPlayer, whose chip powers Apple's MP3 player, files for IPO. Paperwork gives glimpse of potential evolution of iPod.$LABEL$3 +Sony zooms in with new TV tech Electronics giant develops new television technology to attack core business from a new angle.$LABEL$3 +PalmOne to turn off wireless service Handheld maker says it will close down its Palm.Net wireless e-mail and Web service soon.$LABEL$3 +Apple puts edit tools in one basket Bundle of professional video editing applications includes new Motion special-effects software.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft wants to improve your image New imaging software is making eyes at those squinty camera-phone pictures.$LABEL$3 +DVD player profits down to \$1 Want to get into the market for DVD players? Intense competition and standardization mean that you might make more as a mime.$LABEL$3 +Sharp brings 3D to PCs, without the funny specs Firm brings tech already used in phones and laptops to desktops. Screen creates different pixel images for each eye.$LABEL$3 +Report: Los Alamos lab needs better hardware inventory In a report this week, the U.S. Department of Energy said inventory controls at the Los Alamos National Laboratory were not robust enough, and some computers were never entered into the lab's inventory database.$LABEL$3 +Circuit City chooses Linux for cash registers in 600 stores Circuit City this week bucked the trend of retailers opting for Windows-based point-of-sale systems by announcing plans to migrate to Linux-based IBM cash registers at its 600 stores.$LABEL$3 +Training seen as way to counter offshoring Edward Yourdon, a co-founder of the Cutter Consortium, says in an upcoming book that the threat of offshore outsourcing isn't restricted to U.S. software development jobs but to all kinds of knowledge work.$LABEL$3 +Missing June deals slow to return for software companies Software company executives at a CIBC World Markets conference this week cited a variety of reasons for why June sales slowed, from record oil prices to steep software discounting and regulatory distractions on accounting deadlines.$LABEL$3 +VoIP gaining ground, despite cost concerns The voice-over-IP market is growing, and by next year, 50 of all lines installed in the U.S. are expected to rely on VoIP technology -- despite continuing concerns that installations can be costly.$LABEL$3 +Olympic IT security requires advance planning If there's one thing the Atos Origin SA team understands as lead contractor for the Olympic IT infrastructure, it's that you must learn from your mistakes.$LABEL$3 +BEA meets lowered expectations for Q2 Though BEA Systems signed 18 licensing deals worth \$1 million and added 488 new customers during the quarter, licensing revenue dropped to \$116.3 million.$LABEL$3 +Hunt for XP SP2 flaws seen in full swing Security experts said that while the new Service Pack 2 for Windows XP will bolster the operating system's security, hackers will still find a way to exploit any flaws.$LABEL$3 +Tools wrap: Sun, Javalobby, Infravio make moves Officials at Sun Microsystems, Javalobby, and Infravio this week revealed initiatives positioned as advances in either Java development or Web services consumption.$LABEL$3 +Sender ID gains traction Leading ISPs, anti-spam vendors, and e-mail software companies are moving quickly to add support for the Microsoft-backed anti-spam technology standard Sender ID, even as some e-mail experts raise doubts that the technology will work.$LABEL$3 +Storage, servers brings down HP results Hewlett-Packard blindsided analysts with news that its third- and fourth-quarter earnings would badly miss estimates primarily because of problems in its server and storage division.$LABEL$3 +EBay takes stake in Craigslist SAN FRANCISCO - Online auction giant eBay Inc. has acquired a 25 percent stake in San Francisco classified advertisements Web site Craigslist, the companies said Friday.$LABEL$3 +AMD starts shipping 90-nanometer chips to customers Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD Inc.'s) 90-nanometer notebook processors are on their way to customers, according to a research note published by Goldman Sachs Co. Thursday.<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p><p><img src=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.ifw.general/ibmpseries;sz=1x1;ord=200301151450?"" width=""1"" height=""1"" border=""0""/><a href=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9824455;9690404;u?http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9473681;9688522;d?http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/campaigns/boardroom/index.html?ca=pSeries met=boardroom me=E P_Creative=P_InfoW_RSS"">Introducing IBM eServer p5 systems.</a><br/>Powered by IBMs most advanced 64-bit microprocessor (POWER5(tm)), p5 systems can run UNIX and Linux simultaneously. Learn more about eServer p5 systems.</p>$LABEL$3 +FCC mobile spam rule doesn't cover some SMS A rule prohibiting mobile-phone spam adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this month doesn't prohibit phone-to-phone text messaging, but FCC officials believe the new rule, combined with a 13-year-old law, should protect U.S. mobile phone customers against unsolicited commercial e-mail.$LABEL$3 +Benhamou will resign as chairman of PalmSource Eric Benhamou will resign as chairman of PalmSource Inc. on Oct. 28, the company announced Friday. The company said it expects he will continue in his role as chairman of sister company PalmOne Inc.$LABEL$3 +Update: Google raises gavel for IPO auction Friday Google Inc. is opening the auction for its much-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, with plans to announce the pricing of its stock next week.$LABEL$3 +Olympic-size security demands advance planning ATHENS -- If there's one thing the Atos Origin SA team understands as lead contractor for the Olympic IT infrastructure, it's that you must learn from your mistakes.$LABEL$3 +EBay Buys into Craigslist Auction company is apparently drawn to the classifieds model pioneered by community resource site.$LABEL$3 +Is Microsoft's Firewall Secure? Some say Win XP SP2 enhancements cause conflicts, don't protect as claimed.$LABEL$3 +Newest Ad-Aware Exposes Some Users Earliest adopters of updated program should download again to ensure full security.$LABEL$3 +Trojan Bites Symbian Phones Mobile phones are target of virus traveling through illegal version of the game Mosquitos.$LABEL$3 +ATI Brings Digital TV to Your PC HDTV Wonder snags free high-definition transmissions for budget viewing.$LABEL$3 +MSN Adds Movie Downloads and Rentals Microsoft partners with Blockbuster Online, CinemaNow, and MovieTickets.com on one-stop entertainment portal.$LABEL$3 +Win XP Update: A Quiet Start Little fallout reported from service pack, but maybe it's because everyone's being cautious.$LABEL$3 +AOL Launches PC Line AOL courts novices, Spanish-speakers with budget PC that includes a year of AOL service.$LABEL$3 +Caregivers Carry Virtual Clipboard Students design mobile data-access system for health-care workers.$LABEL$3 +Blaster Author Pleads Guilty Teen faces prison for unleashing malicious variant of MS Blaster worm last year.$LABEL$3 +International Group Teams Against Spam Task force plans antispam campaign, from education to cross-border legal efforts.$LABEL$3 +Copiers Need Security, Too Networked multifunction devices share PC vulnerabilities to worms, hackers.$LABEL$3 +Intel Shows Wireless Transceiver Prototype 90-nanometer radio chip promises more power than current CMOS technology.$LABEL$3 +AOL, Yahoo Add New Antispam Tools Services try different approaches to sender authentication to halt spam.$LABEL$3 +Most Spam is Domestic, Study Says Spammers aren't ducking antispam laws by operating offshore, they're just ignoring it.$LABEL$3 +BlackBerries Play Politics Wireless devices slip past anti-gadget policies to open a new communications channel to lawmakers.$LABEL$3 +First Look at Quicken 2005 Intuit tweaks personal finance tool's usability, but update isn't essential if you're running a recent version.$LABEL$3 +Dell Unveils Inexpensive Projector New 2300MP digital model offers high brightness and resolution, at a low price.$LABEL$3 +'Insider' Information Puts City Blogs on the Map Locally focused group ""metro"" blogs -- compilations of events, reflections, recommendations, news and complaints -- are emerging to put a number of big cities in intimate, street-level relief.$LABEL$3 +Judge Says Amazon, Toys 'R' Us Must Work Together By Jeffrey Gold PATERSON, N.J.(AP) - A state judge ordered Toys ""R"" Us and Amazon.com to work together so the online retailer can abide by her order requiring Amazon to keep sellers on its Web site from listing products to which Toys ""R"" Us, which also markets through Amazon, has exclusive rights. Superior Court Judge Margaret M...$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Moves Ahead Despite Playboy Interview Google Inc. (GOOG) forged ahead with its IPO auction Friday, even as the online search engine leader acknowledged a newly published magazine interview with its founders contained misleading information.$LABEL$3 +EBay Buys 25 Percent Stake in Craigslist Network By MAY WONG SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Online auctioneer eBay Inc...$LABEL$3 +Biometrics Creeping Into Everyday Life for Americans Stuffing something in a public locker usually isn't a memorable experience. You drop a coin, take the key and move on. But at the Statue of Liberty, recently reopened after a two-year closure, stashing a package offers a glimpse into the future. To rent, close and reopen lockers, visitors touch an electronic reader that scans fingerprints.$LABEL$3 +Dell Posts Another Quarter of Nice Earnings By MATT SLAGLE DALLAS (AP) -- Offering a stark counterpoint to rival Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. (DELL) reported a nearly 30 percent jump in net income as strong sales of printers, servers and notched double-digit gains in overseas markets...$LABEL$3 +Playboy Article May Raise Concerns for Google By MICHAEL LIEDTKE SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google Inc. (GOOG)'s highly anticipated IPO faced a possible stumbling block Thursday with the release of a Playboy interview that the online search engine leader's co-founders gave just before the company filed its plans raise \$3 billion with its stock offering...$LABEL$3 +Hacker Cracks Apple's Music Streaming Technology SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The Norwegian hacker famed for developing DVD encryption-cracking software has apparently struck again - this time breaking the locks on Apple Computer Inc...$LABEL$3 +Athens Wrestles to Avoid Cell Phone Outages By MATT MOORE ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Amid the roar of the crowd, the silence of the phones can be deafening. As thousands of athletes, spectators, journalists, officials and more descend on the Greek capital ahead of the Aug...$LABEL$3 +Battling Robots in Japan's Pop-Culture Tech The ring sits in the spotlight of a tense, packed auditorium and the jittery fighters await the bell at their red and blue corners. Like any fight, there's always the danger of a punishing uppercut or left hook. But these boxers have even more worries like battery failure and software bugs.$LABEL$3 +Minnesota Teen Pleads Guilty in Web Worm Hack Attack By GENE JOHNSON SEATTLE (AP) -- A Minnesota high school senior pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to unleashing a variant of the ""Blaster"" Internet worm, which crippled more than a million computers last summer. Jeffrey Lee Parson, 19, of Hopkins, Minn., is likely to face 18 months to three years behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of intentionally causing or attempting to cause damage to a protected computer...$LABEL$3 +REVIEW: Windows XP Battens Down Hatches in Latest Patch By MATTHEW FORDAHL (AP) -- With the latest update to Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)'s Windows XP operating system, personal computers will soon join parents, bosses, teachers and spouses as a source of nagging in your life...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Unveils Windows XP 'Starter Edition' Microsoft announced Wednesday it would offer a low-cost starter edition of its Windows XP operating system in Asia starting in October, as it strives to hold onto market share facing erosion from the open-source Linux system and software piracy.$LABEL$3 +Google Sets Date for IPO Google Inc. (GOOG) will close the registration process for its IPO auction Thursday, setting the stage for the online search engine leader's hotly anticipated stock market debut. Google plans to launch an unusual auction to sell 25.7 million shares shortly after closing the registration.$LABEL$3 +321 Studios Reaches Settlement in DVD Copying Dispute By JIM SALTER ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A company driven out of business by Hollywood and the video game industry over its DVD- and computer game-copying software has reached a settlement with the motion picture industry...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Says Battle in Japan Hurting Image By YURI KAGEYAMA TOKYO (AP) -- The head of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)'s Japan unit acknowledged Tuesday that the U.S...$LABEL$3 +Sharp Introduces 3-Dimensional Computer Display By MAY WONG SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Hoping to spur a 3-D revolution, Sharp Systems of America introduced Monday a new flat-panel computer display designed to deliver eye-popping images without the need for special glasses...$LABEL$3 +Google to Give Yahoo More Stock to Settle Dispute Online search engine leader Google Inc. (GOOG) will surrender more than \$300 million of its stock to Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) in a settlement that removes a legal threat hanging over its IPO at the expense of enriching a nettlesome rival.$LABEL$3 +Unprecedented Electronic Digital Net for Olympics By MIRON VAROUHAKIS ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- If you're planning on attending this month's Olympic Games, you'd best be careful what you say and do in public. Software will be watching and listening...$LABEL$3 +Heat Turned Up on Streaming Video Patents By JUSTIN POPE (AP) -- After a recent legal setback, a California company that claims its patents cover the streaming video technology used by adult Web sites is boosting efforts to collect money from a very different group of streaming video users: colleges and universities. Newport Beach, Calif.-based Acacia Media Technologies Corp...$LABEL$3 +Help's on the Way for Bad Dates Via Cell Phone The peak time for dates from hell in New York City is Friday at 8 p.m. - judging by the cell phone calls delivering emergency excuses to bolt. Truth is, they're fake ""rescue"" calls - now being offered by two cell phone providers, Cingular Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA.$LABEL$3 +Reading the Prospectus Critical to IPO Decisions By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ NEW YORK (AP) -- Ever read a company's Security and Exchange Commission filings? No? Consider yourself lucky...$LABEL$3 +Search Engine Forums Spotlight Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: SEMPO Next Steps Mike Grehan's Second SEMPO Article - Overture Bidding Cap - PPC Question for Merchants - SEO Firm Ordered to Refund Fees, Pay Fine - Tracking Past Links Traffic? - Google Settles Overture Patent Dispute - Advice on Site Structure$LABEL$3 +Another Expanded Whois Service Doing in-depth investigation of a web site? Whois.sc offers a wealth of detail about the people and technology behind just about any web site on the planet.$LABEL$3 +Capturing Your Personal Web Forget bookmarks: Web content managers allow you to create your own personal, searchable cache of web pages.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Offers Anti-Spyware App Tired of those unwelcome pests that invade your computer without permission? Banish intrusive spyware and tracking cookies with Yahoo's newly upgraded toolbar.$LABEL$3 +Google, Yahoo Settle Patent and Share Disputes Google and Yahoo announced today that they have resolved two contentious issues between the companies. $LABEL$3 +Search Engine Forums Spotlight Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: Live Reports from Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2004 - PPC Bounce Rate - Google AdWords Myths - After SEMPO: Should We Start a Trade Association? - Search Inventory vs. Conversion - Terra Sells Lycos at Yard Sale Price$LABEL$3 +eBay Buys 25 of CraigList eBay Buys 25 of craiglist\\eBay Inc. today purchased a 25 percent pre-existing minority stake in San Francisco-based craigslist, a popular online network of classified ads and forums. The 25 stake was purchased from a former craigslist employee who first contacted eBay with the proposed sale, according to craigslist officials.\\With dedicated ...$LABEL$3 +Getting Around Search Engine Optimization Roadblocks Getting Around Search Engine Optimization Roadblocks\\Today, I will cover the most difficult technologies and techniques to work with. While each of these technologies, techniques and designs have a useful purpose for web-designers, webmasters and general office staff tasked with keeping the site up to date, they each also present problems ...$LABEL$3 +Search Engine Marketing Mistakes Retailers Need to Avoid Search Engine Marketing Mistakes Retailers Need to Avoid\\According to a recent survey conducted by Shop.org and Forrester, in 2003, online retail sales jumped 51 to reach \$114 billion with 79 of all online retailers (etailers) were profitable. Online sales are expected to reach 6.6 percent of total retail sales in ...$LABEL$3 +Does Playboy Interview Violate Google IPO? Does Playboy Interview Violate Google IPO?\\On the day of the IPO comes more Google controversy - Google rsquo;s founders will appear in an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. Although the interview was apparently held before the IPO hype, the Playboy interview may have broken US Securities laws over pre-IPO #8220;quiet ...$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Bidding Opens Google IPO Bidding Opens\\Google's IPO bidding is officially open. Google and its underwriters expect to open the auction for the shares of Google rsquo;s Class A common stock at 9:00 a.m. EST (press time) on Friday, August 13, 2004. Google bidders must have obtained a bidder ID from ipo.google.com if you ...$LABEL$3 +Claria Cancels \$150 million IPO Claria Cancels \$150 million IPO\Contextual advertising and pop up company Claria Corp. has canceled plans for a \$150 million initial public offering due to ""current market conditions,"" it said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.\\Claria, which filed its original prospectus in April of this year, had not disclosed the number ...$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Registration Ends Today Google IPO Registration Ends Today\\Google has set their IPO registration deadline at today for investors to register for the Google initial public offering.\\Investors wishing to participate in Google's initial public offering have until 5 pm today to register for the auction at ipo.google.com, according to a statement issued Tuesday on ...$LABEL$3 +Thoughts on the Google IPO About the Google IPO\\For the past nine months the financial and Internet world has been watching Google in anticipation of what could be the largest Initial Public Offering of stock in history. If you are reading this column and have not been living on Mars for the past year, you ...$LABEL$3 +Avoid Search Engine Blacklisting Avoid Search Engine Blacklisting\\The best way to avoid being blacklisted by the search engines is to avoid using some questionable techniques that were once popular to gain high rankings. Even if your website is not blacklisted by using some of the techniques below, it may be penalized (buried in the ...$LABEL$3 +Google Index Database to be Archived? Google Index Database to be Archived?\\TechDirt reports that the San Jose Mercury News is running an article about Brewster Kahle's Internet Archive - Archive.org. While he's been profiled many times before, the one interesting tidbit to slip out this time is that Kahle has asked Google to donate their database ...$LABEL$3 +News: U.S. tackles Emergency Alert System insecurity The FCC acknowledges that the government-mandated network that lets officials interrupt radio and television broadcasts in an emergency is vulnerable to electronic tampering.\$LABEL$3 +News: UK police issue 'vicious' Trojan alert Britain's top cybercrime fighters have joined up with the banking industry today in warning of the latest attempt to defraud online banking customers.\$LABEL$3 +News: UK scientists roll out Wi-Fi proof wallpaper British boffins have developed wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi traffic but still allows other wireless transmissions to pass through in a bid to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data via the WLAN.\$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Examining a Public Exploit, Part 1 The purpose of this article is to analyze a public exploit in a lab environment, see the alerts generated by an intrusion detection system, and then do some packet analysis of the malicious binary in order to better understand it.$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Deploying Network Access Quarantine Control, Part 1 This article discusses Network Access Quarantine Control with Windows Server 2003, which allows administrators to quarantine mobile users before giving them full network access, by first ensuring these machines are up-to-date according to a baseline security model.$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Data Driven Attacks Using HTTP Tunneling In this article we will look at a means to bypass the access control restrictions of a company's router or firewall. This information is intended to provide help for those who are legitimately testing the security of a network (whether they are in-house expertise or outside consultants).$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Wireless Attacks and Penetration Testing (part 3 of 3) This third and final part of the wireless pen-test series looks at how to mitigate the security risks outlined in the previous articles, and then looks at some proposed solutions currently in front of the IETF.$LABEL$3 +Columnists: The Panacea of Information Security Step away from all the vendor hype. The one device that will always be the best tool for information security is a competent security professional.$LABEL$3 +Columnists: Redmond's Salvation Service Pack 2 for XP represents a sea change in Microsoft's security posture. Here's why you should ignore the naysayers and start planning your upgrade.\$LABEL$3 +Elsewhere: Blaster B Virus Creator Pleads Guilty A 19-year-old man has pleaded guilty to infecting thousands of businesses and U.S. government computers with the Blaster B virus.\\Jeffrey Lee Parson of Hopkins, Minnesot...$LABEL$3 +Animating for the Super Bowl Against an impossible deadline, a small team at Sony Cinematics Solutions Group created a two-minute animated promo to prove that a tech-savvy group could do dazzling broadcast work. Aug 13$LABEL$3 +Apple Ships Motion Apple has begun shipping Motion, which delivers high-performance, real-time motion graphics design and integration with Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro 3, at a breakthrough price of \$299. Aug 10$LABEL$3 +Apple Introduces Production Suite Production Suite, essential software suite for film and video that delivers real-time production tools in one comprehensive and integrated package, combines Final Cut Pro HD, Motion and DVD Studio Pro 3. Production Suite is available now for a suggested retail price of \$1,299. Aug 10$LABEL$3 +iTunes Music Store Catalog Tops One Million Songs The iTunes Music Store now has more than one million songs available for download in the US, the first online digital music service to offer consumers a million-song catalog. Aug 10$LABEL$3 +Technology as Fashion Analyzing the success of the iPod mini in Japan, JapanConsuming writes, #147;The iPod mini is in fact one of those all too rare examples of an ideal product for the Japanese market. It is a product that does something useful, does it really well, and looks terrific too. None of these factors on their own is enough to make the iPod mini a success; their combination, through deft and creative implementation of function, is what makes the difference. Add in some tried and tested limited supply marketing, a store that looks as good as Louis Vuitton and a high impact award winning advertising campaign that has covered Tokyo in pink, green and yellow for weeks, and some of the reasons for the iPod mini phenomenon can be understood. #148; Aug 10$LABEL$3 +Creating Stunning DVDs #147;No other DVD authoring program in the \$500 price class is capable of creating such stunning, highly creative DVDs as Apple #146;s DVD Studio Pro 3, #148; writes PC Magazine. #147;For video pros looking to take their productions to the next level, it #146;s worth a serious look. #148; Aug 4$LABEL$3 +Revolutionizing Flow Cytometry Dr. Mario Roederer and Adam Treister at Stanford University wrote FlowJo, Mac OS X analysis software for flow cytometers, high-speed, automated microscopes. Today, some 15,000 to 20,000 cytometers in use are Mac based. Aug 3$LABEL$3 +PowerSchool University Attendees at this year #146;s PowerSchool University ramped up their student information system skills with the new PowerSchool 4.0 and augmented their development activities through peer networking. Aug 3$LABEL$3 +Guitar Player Honors GarageBand Guitar Player magazine announced during the summer NAMM show in Nashville that it has awarded GarageBand the magazine #146;s reader #146;s choice for Best Software of 2004. Jul 29$LABEL$3 +Phelps, Thorpe Advance in 200 Freestyle (AP) AP - Michael Phelps took care of qualifying for the Olympic 200-meter freestyle semifinals Sunday, and then found out he had been added to the American team for the evening's 400 freestyle relay final. Phelps' rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband and teammate Klete Keller were faster than the teenager in the 200 free preliminaries.$LABEL$1 +Reds Knock Padres Out of Wild-Card Lead (AP) AP - Wily Mo Pena homered twice and drove in four runs, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres 11-5 on Saturday night. San Diego was knocked out of a share of the NL wild-card lead with the loss and Chicago's victory over Los Angeles earlier in the day.$LABEL$1 +Dreaming done, NBA stars awaken to harsh Olympic reality (AFP) AFP - National Basketball Association players trying to win a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal for the United States have gotten the wake-up call that the ""Dream Team"" days are done even if supporters have not.$LABEL$1 +Indians Beat Twins 7-1, Nearing AL Lead (AP) AP - The Cleveland Indians pulled within one game of the AL Central lead, scoring four runs in the first inning and beating the Minnesota Twins 7-1 Saturday night behind home runs by Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.$LABEL$1 +Galaxy, Crew Play to 0-0 Tie (AP) AP - Kevin Hartman made seven saves for Los Angeles, and Jon Busch had two saves for Columbus as the Galaxy and Crew played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +USC Begins Season Where It Ended, at No. 1 (AP) AP - Southern California will begin defense of its first national title in 31 years as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Trojans earned the top spot in the preseason Associated Press poll released Saturday by receiving 48 of 65 first-place votes and 1,603 points.$LABEL$1 +Italy's Pennetta Wins Idea Prokom Open (AP) AP - Italy's Flavia Pennetta won the Idea Prokom Open for her first WTA Tour title, beating Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 Saturday after French Open champion Anastasia Myskina withdrew before the semifinals because of a rib injury.$LABEL$1 +Tough Race Ahead for Swimmer Phelps ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, his first gold medal safely gathered in, eased through the next phase of his monumental Olympic challenge in the heats of the 200 meters freestyle Sunday but the immensity of the task ahead was clear.$LABEL$1 +Iranian Will Not Meet Israeli in Olympics Due to Weight ATHENS (Reuters) - A diplomatic wrangle of Olympic proportions was avoided Sunday when Iranian world judo champion Arash Miresmaeili failed to make the weight for his clash with an Israeli opponent.$LABEL$1 +Tiger Runs Out of Steam After Storming Start KOHLER, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Tiger Woods failed to make the most of a red-hot start in the U.S. PGA Championship third round on Saturday, having to settle for a three-under-par 69.$LABEL$1 +Colander Misses Chance to Emulate Jones ATHENS (Reuters) - But for a decision that enraged her coach, LaTasha Colander might have been the Marion Jones of the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Olerud Cheers Yankees by Sinking Ex-Team NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Olerud sunk his former team by recording a two-run single in the eighth inning to drive in the go-ahead runs which earned the New York Yankees a 6-4 win over the host Seattle Mariners in the American League Saturday. $LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Jones Homers Twice as Braves Down Cards NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chipper Jones cracked two homers and Julio Franco's two-run double in the seventh inning drove in the winning runs as the streaking Atlanta Braves downed the St. Louis Cardinals 9-7 in the National League Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Olympics-Doping-Greek Media Put Country's Honor Above Athletes ATHENS (Reuters) - The honor of Greece lies above individual athletes and no backstage antics should compromise it, Greek media said Sunday, after the country's top athletes were suspended from the team under a cloud of doping suspicion.$LABEL$1 +Olympics-Rowing-U.S. Eight Beats Canada to Set World Best Time ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States beat Canada in a world best time to qualify for the final of the men's Olympic eights race Sunday, as the two crews renewed their fierce rivalry in front of a raucous crowd at Schinias.$LABEL$1 +Singh Leads, but Leonard Is Following Avoiding the late trouble that knocked other contenders off track, Vijay Singh held a one-stroke lead over Justin Leonard heading into the final round of the P.G.A. Championship.$LABEL$1 +Olerud Bails Out Loaiza in His Latest Bungled Audition John Olerud reveled in his return to Safeco Field by slapping a two-run single that lifted the Yankees and saved Esteban Loaiza from a defeat.$LABEL$1 +Family circle Family Day in the Fens means fun and games to most folks. Players toddle around the bases with wide-eyed kids. Mothers beam. Children smile. All is bliss on the sun-splashed emerald lawn.$LABEL$1 +Notables The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez , who missed Friday night's game with the flu and stayed back at the team hotel yesterday, dropped his appeal of a four-game suspension issued for his involvement in the July 24 brawl at Boston and began serving the penalty. He won't be eligible to play until Thursday at Minnesota.$LABEL$1 +Cubs get delivery from Wood Kerry Wood homered and allowed four hits in eight innings, leading the Chicago Cubs over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0, yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Leskanic winning arms race With Scott Williamson bracing for a potentially grim diagnosis of his latest elbow injury, the Red Sox last night appeared poised to move on without him as Curtis Leskanic inched closer to rejoining the club. The Sox initially indicated they would make an announcement last night on Williamson's injury but changed their position during the first inning of the game ...$LABEL$1 +Rehabbing his career Player introductions at the final Citizens Bank Summer Caravan stop produced an awkward moment. Walter McCarty and Raef LaFrentz were the featured guests for the free basketball clinic at the Cambridge Family YMCA late last week. McCarty's presence yielded chants of quot;Walter, Walter quot; from the crowd of 125 kids. LaFrentz left the young fans wondering, quot;Who is he? quot; The projected ...$LABEL$1 +Warmer and wilder HAVEN, Wis. -- Perched high on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, Whistling Straits is a massive, windswept landscape, as large a golf course as \$40 million can buy. It is complete with sand dunes that could double as ski slopes and deep bunkers that should require elevators.$LABEL$1 +Greek runners are suspended ATHENS -- Star sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were suspended yesterday from the Greek Olympic team for missing drug tests, but their fate was left in the hands of the International Olympic Committee.$LABEL$1 +Throwbacks: Gannon, Collins in good form Rich Gannon , the 2002 NFL MVP who was knocked out of the Raiders' loss to Kansas City last Oct. 20 and had shoulder surgery in November, was 9 for 15 for 69 yards in visiting Oakland's 33-30 exhibition win over the San Francisco 49ers last night.$LABEL$1 +Enough to make you flip Friday night came as close to an old-time local battle for viewers among Channels 4, 5, and 7 as we're likely to see. It was a throwback to pre-cable, pre-dish, and even pre-UHF days as the three local quot;originals quot; served up a special night of sports programming. Although Red Sox-White Sox was on Channel 4's quot;sister quot; station, Channel 38, it ...$LABEL$1 +For Revolution, this tie looks good WASHINGTON -- Rookie Andy Dorman didn't even have time to get his white, long-sleeved jersey smudged on the sloppy RFK Stadium field last night before salvaging a 2-2 tie for the Revolution against D.C. United. Fifty-five seconds after entering the game as a late substitute, Dorman buried a low shot from inside the penalty area and extended his team's unbeaten ...$LABEL$1 +Sing Me Back Home matches track mark OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Sing Me Back Home pulled away in the stretch to win the \$60,000 Decathalon Handicap at Monmouth Park yesterday, equaling the track record for 5 furlongs.$LABEL$1 +Haas in fine form HAVEN, Wis. -- If he were acting his age, Jay Haas would have had the weekend off, resting on his laurels and reaping the benefits of the nice-and-easy Champions Tour.$LABEL$1 +USC starts at the top Southern California greeted news of its first preseason No. 1 ranking since 1979 with ambivalence.$LABEL$1 +'Gardening' costs Appleby -- in spades HAVEN, Wis. -- For 18 holes, Stuart Appleby played flawless golf in yesterday's third round, four birdies and 14 pars. It wasn't until he was done playing that he discovered that it wasn't as good a day as he had thought, that he had made a quadruple bogey.$LABEL$1 +Hungarian GP, Qualifying Fifth and ninth for Fernando and Jarno following qualifying for tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix.$LABEL$1 +Budapest, Free Practice 3 and 4: A tight battle in store The teams have just finished their final preparations for the race and qualifying, in much lower temperatures than yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Overtaking at Budapest? Its possible The Renault F1 Team drivers explain how you can make up positions at the Hungarian circuit.$LABEL$1 +Budapest, Day 1: everythings on track The Renault F1 Team ran through its programme without worrying about the timesheets or its rivals. The focus has been on Sundays race, not Fridays glory.$LABEL$1 +Hungarian GP, Friday Round-Up Fernando tenth and Jarno seventeenth but no cause for concern, while Pat Symonds explains the challenges of Fridays at the race.$LABEL$1 +Redskins Get the Boot A fourth-quarter lead proves fleeting for the Redskins as John Kasay hits a 52-yard field goal Saturday to give the Panthers a 23-20 overtime win.$LABEL$1 +Trojans Open Up No. 1 Defending national champion USC begins the 2004 season right where it left off the year before - as the top ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll.$LABEL$1 +Offense Needs Work There were few offensive highlights during Virginia Tech's first scrimmage of fall practice on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Huey Exits Early Treat Huey, the two-time All-Met Player of the year, suffered a 6-2, 6-0 loss to 29-year-old journeyman Mashiska Washington, the younger brother of former pro and 1996 Wimbledon finalist Malivai.$LABEL$1 +True Sensation Wins A Wet One at Pimlico BALTIMORE, Aug. 14 -- Even before Hurricane Charley ranged up the East Coast and began to drop its drizzle on Pimlico Race Course, the \$75,000 All Brandy Stakes for Maryland-bred fillies and mares had been taken off the track's beat-up turf course.$LABEL$1 +Lynx Infielder Fontenot Has 'Pretty Good Pop for His Size' At 5 feet 8, 160 pounds, second baseman Mike Fontenot looks more like the Class AAA Ottawa Lynx's batboy than one of the Baltimore Orioles' top prospects.$LABEL$1 +Australia, U.S. Set Record The U.S. women's and men's eights team both set world bests in the Olympic rowing competition Sunday along with Australian pair Sally Newmarch and Amber Halliday.$LABEL$1 +Phelps On Relay Team Michael Phelps is named to the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team that will compete in Sunday's final, keeping alive his quest for a possible eight Olympic gold medals.$LABEL$1 +Venezuelans Vote Early in Referendum on Chavez Rule (Reuters) Reuters - Venezuelans turned out early\and in large numbers on Sunday to vote in a historic referendum\that will either remove left-wing President Hugo Chavez from\office or give him a new mandate to govern for the next two\years.$LABEL$0 +S.Koreans Clash with Police on Iraq Troop Dispatch (Reuters) Reuters - South Korean police used water cannon in\central Seoul Sunday to disperse at least 7,000 protesters\urging the government to reverse a controversial decision to\send more troops to Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Palestinians in Israeli Jails Start Hunger Strike (Reuters) Reuters - Thousands of Palestinian\prisoners in Israeli jails began a hunger strike for better\conditions Sunday, but Israel's security minister said he\didn't care if they starved to death.$LABEL$0 +Seven Georgian soldiers wounded as South Ossetia ceasefire violated (AFP) AFP - Sporadic gunfire and shelling took place overnight in the disputed Georgian region of South Ossetia in violation of a fragile ceasefire, wounding seven Georgian servicemen.$LABEL$0 +Rwandan Troops Arrive in Darfur (AP) AP - Dozens of Rwandan soldiers flew into Sudan's troubled Darfur region Sunday, the first foreign armed force deployed in the area since Arab militiamen began a rampage against black African farmers, killing thousands.$LABEL$0 +Rwanda Troops Airlifted to Start AU Mission in Darfur (Reuters) Reuters - Rwandan troops were airlifted on Sunday\to Sudan's Darfur as the first foreign force there, mandated to\protect observers monitoring a cease-fire between the Sudanese\government and rebels in the troubled western region.$LABEL$0 +Bomb at India Independence Parade Kills 15 (AP) AP - A bomb exploded during an Independence Day parade in India's remote northeast Sunday, killing at least 15 people, including schoolchildren, while a rocket attack during a celebration at a school in the separatist region of Kashmir injured 17, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Australian FM to visit North Korea for talks on nuclear crisis (AFP) AFP - Australia's foreign minister will pay a rare visit to North Korea this week for talks on its nuclear programme after creating a stir here by warning a North Korean missile would be able to hit Sydney.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Campaign Helping With Fla. Recovery (AP) AP - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry does not plan to visit Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley because he's concerned his campaign entourage could distract from recovery efforts, he said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Edwards Calls for Changes to Drug Plans (AP) AP - Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards called for changes to prescription drug programs and praised running mate John Kerry's military and government service at an outdoor campaign rally here Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Kerry leading Bush in key swing states (AFP) AFP - Although polls show the US presidential race a virtual dead heat, Democrat John Kerry appears to be gaining an edge over George W. Bush among the key states that could decide the outcome.$LABEL$0 +Democratic Senator Urges Energy Reform (AP) AP - Congress must pass legislation to protect the nation's electricity grid if it wants to avoid repeats of the devastating outages that rolled across eight states last year, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Missouri Attorney General Sues EPA (AP) AP - Missouri's attorney general sued the federal environmental agency on Friday, saying it is behind on testing the state's air for lead as required by law.$LABEL$0 +Mortars Mark Opening of Iraqi Political Conference BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents fired mortars at a meeting where Iraqi leaders met to pick an interim national assembly Sunday, killing at least two people in a grim reminder of the country's tortured path toward democracy.$LABEL$0 +Japan Ministers Pay Homage at Shrine for War Dead TOKYO (Reuters) - Three Japanese ministers paid homage at a controversial shrine for war dead Sunday, the 59th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, a move that drew anger from Asian neighbors.$LABEL$0 +Najaf battle a crucial test for Allawi Clashes between US troops and Sadr militiamen escalated Thursday, as the US surrounded Najaf for possible siege.$LABEL$0 +Who are Ch #225;vez's opponents? On Sunday, Venezuelans will decide whether to cut short the president's term, which is due to end in 2006.$LABEL$0 +Eye on Athens, China stresses a 'frugal' 2008 Olympics Amid a reevaluation, officials this week pushed the completion date for venues back to 2007.$LABEL$0 +Tense Iraq debates new assembly Talks on setting up an Iraqi assembly continue despite fresh violence in Baghdad and the Shia stronghold of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelans vote on Chavez rule A referendum is under way in Venezuela to decide if President Hugo Chavez should remain in office.$LABEL$0 +Pope celebrates Mass in Lourdes An ailing Pope John Paul II says Mass at Lourdes, the French shrine revered by Roman Catholics.$LABEL$0 +Rwandan soldiers arrive in Sudan Rwandan troops arrive in Sudan to help protect ceasefire monitors in the war-ravaged Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Thorpe leads big guns Ian Thorpe sets the fastest time in the 200m freestyle as swimming's top names cruise into the semi-finals.$LABEL$0 +Mystery over judo 'protest' Iran's Arash Miresmaili withdraws from the Olympics amid confusion over his reasons.$LABEL$0 +Jackson probe 'should be public' Santa Barbara's sheriff asks a judge if he can release the results of an inquiry into Michael Jackson's treatment by police.$LABEL$0 +Rumsfeld warning for Iraq's Sadr The Iraq crisis and differences over Nato loom over the US Defence Secretary's meeting with his Russian counterpart.$LABEL$0 +South Ossetia ceasefire discussed Georgia and South Ossetia negotiate the details of a truce they forged, despite reports of a village attack.$LABEL$0 +'Mock executions' for UK hostage The British journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq says he faced mock executions and tried to escape his captors.$LABEL$0 +India carries out rare execution A man convicted of raping and killing a schoolgirl is hanged in India's first execution in nine years.$LABEL$0 +Rowling reads to gathered fans Harry Potter author JK Rowling delights a small group of fans by giving her first public reading in Scotland for four years.$LABEL$0 +President's fate is on the line in Venezuela CARACAS -- Partisans on both sides are calling it the most polarized and important election in Venezuela's history, a presidential recall referendum today that will determine the course of democracy here and could buffet world oil prices. Both campaigns are also utterly convinced they will win.$LABEL$0 +Lamenting London's double-deckers Up-to-date buses supplant symbol LONDON -- On a sweltering August afternoon, George Watson wedged himself, his briefcase, his sports jacket, and his raincoat into a narrow seat aboard the profoundly un-air-conditioned No. 38 bus, as it resumed its rumble down High Holborn, in London's bustling city center.$LABEL$0 +Clash among warlords casts doubt on Afghanistan's security KABUL, Afghanistan -- Rival militias clashed in western Afghanistan yesterday, reportedly killing 21 people and ramping up concern about security as the country prepares for landmark elections.$LABEL$0 +Options running out as Najaf talks collapse BAGHDAD -- After more than a week of fighting between the Mahdi Army and the combined US and Iraqi forces in Najaf, Baghdad's Sadr City, and a half-dozen other cities, analysts say neither interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi nor radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had any good options left other than to talk.$LABEL$0 +Japanese youths' rage fuels wave of violent crime SASEBO, Japan -- On a cloudless afternoon in this sleepy port city, an 11-year-old girl drenched in blood and clutching a box cutter walked into the lunchroom at her elementary school. Teachers and students froze, assuming the sixth-grader known for her lighthearted nature had gravely hurt herself -- but she quickly dispelled that impression, witnesses said, by uttering a few ...$LABEL$0 +NATO proclaims victory in Bosnia SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- When NATO forces first came to Bosnia nearly a decade ago, they lived in heavily guarded compounds, patrolled the streets in tanks, and often wore full body armor.$LABEL$0 +Koreans of mixed race tackle a prejudice SEOUL -- For years, Lee Yu Jin kept her secret. Whenever anybody asked -- and they did all the time as her celebrity as an actress and model spread -- she simply denied the rumors. No, she was not a foreigner. She was Korean.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela Holds Referendum on President CARACAS, Venezuela - The opposition's long and bitter campaign to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez finally came down to a recall referendum Sunday, with the leftist leader hoping a huge turnout among the poor will keep him in power. Activists on both sides set off fireworks and blared recordings of bugle music to wake voters hours before dawn, hoping for a flood of early votes in their favor...$LABEL$0 +Floridians Return to Storm-Ravaged Homes PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - After getting a first look at the widespread damage left behind by Hurricane Charley, Florida residents were faced with the arduous task of sorting through the wreckage, and for some, starting over again...$LABEL$0 +Charley May Not Spike Insurance Premiums MIAMI - Hurricane Charley probably will not cause Floridians' insurance premiums to skyrocket like 1992's Andrew, and fewer insurers should go bankrupt from paying out damages expected to reach the billions of dollars, state and industry officials said Saturday. They say previous premium increases and overhauls made because of Andrew, the most expensive natural disaster in U.S...$LABEL$0 +Florida Residents Face Hurricane Wreckage PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - After getting a first look at the widespread damage left behind by Hurricane Charley, Florida residents were faced with the arduous task of sorting through the wreckage, and for some, starting over again...$LABEL$0 +Phelps, Thorpe Advance in 200 Freestyle ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps took care of qualifying for the Olympic 200-meter freestyle semifinals Sunday, and then found out he had been added to the American team for the evening's 400 freestyle relay final. Phelps' rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband and teammate Klete Keller were faster than the teenager in the 200 free preliminaries...$LABEL$0 +Venezuela Opposition Holds Recall Vote CARACAS, Venezuela - The opposition's long and bitter campaign to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez finally came down to a recall referendum Sunday, with the leftist leader hoping a huge turnout among the poor will keep him in power. Officials from around the world - including Pope John Paul II and U.S...$LABEL$0 +Bomb at India Independence Parade Kills 15 NEW DELHI - A bomb exploded during an Independence Day parade in India's remote northeast on Sunday, killing at least 15 people, officials said, just an hour after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to fight terrorism. The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom was suspected of being behind the attack in Assam state and a second one later in the area, said Assam Inspector General of Police Khagen Sharma...$LABEL$0 +Memorial Service Held for Lori Hacking OREM, Utah - Family and friends of Lori Hacking gathered Saturday for a memorial service to remember the woman whom authorities believe was slain by her husband while she slept. About 600 people attended the service, including the parents of both Lori Hacking and her husband, Mark, who has been charged with her murder...$LABEL$0 +Phelps, Thorpe Advance in 200 Freestyle ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps took care of qualifying for the Olympic 200-meter freestyle semifinals Sunday, and then found out he had been added to the American team for the evening's 400 freestyle relay final. Phelps' rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband and teammate Klete Keller were faster than the teenager in the 200 free preliminaries...$LABEL$0 +Pilgrims Crowd Field for Mass With Pope LOURDES, France - A frail Pope John Paul II celebrated an open-air Mass on Sunday as several hundred thousand pilgrims, many in wheelchairs, crowded onto a field near a French shrine to the Virgin Mary that is associated with miraculous cures of the sick. The Mass was a highlight of the Pope's two-day visit to Lourdes, a town in the Pyrenees where Roman Catholic tradition says St...$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Troops to Take Lead in Fighting Militia Iraq will send troops to Najaf to battle a Shiite Muslim militia after peace talks collapsed between the government and Moqtada Sadr.$LABEL$0 +High Stakes Showdown in Najaf The fallout from Shiites fighting U.S. Marines in a holy city could weaken Iraq's new government$LABEL$0 +Strategies for a Sideways Market (Reuters) Reuters - The bulls and the bears are in this\together, scratching their heads and wondering what's going to\happen next.$LABEL$2 +Art Looks Like Fine Investment for Funds (Reuters) Reuters - Some mutual funds invest in stocks;\others invest in bonds. Now a new breed of funds is offering\the chance to own fine art.$LABEL$2 +Oil and Economy Cloud Stocks' Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Soaring crude prices plus worries\about the economy and the outlook for earnings are expected to\hang over the stock market this week during the depth of the\summer doldrums.$LABEL$2 +Strategies for a Sideways Market WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The bulls and the bears are in this together, scratching their heads and wondering what's going to happen next.$LABEL$2 +Art Looks Like Fine Investment for Funds NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some mutual funds invest in stocks; others invest in bonds. Now a new breed of funds is offering the chance to own fine art.$LABEL$2 +Oil and Economy Cloud Stocks' Outlook NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soaring crude prices plus worries about the economy and the outlook for earnings are expected to hang over the stock market this week during the depth of the summer doldrums.$LABEL$2 +A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Before me lies the patient, a Gateway computer running Windows 98. It is suffering from extremely clogged Internet arteries, unable to reach the Web. As one of The Washington Post's digital doctors, my task is to nurse the machine back to health so my colleague Kathleen Day can access her e-mail and file stories from home.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Lists Apps Affected by XP SP2 (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Microsoft has published a list of nearly 50 software programs that require tweaking in order to work with its most recent Windows update.$LABEL$3 +Europe's Eel Population Collapsing (AP) AP - When a poacher with a baseball bat mugged Willem Dekker for his baby eels, it was further confirmation for the Dutch biologist that the species is in trouble.$LABEL$3 +Genetic Material May Help Make Nano-Devices: Study (Reuters) Reuters - The genetic building blocks that\form the basis for life may also be used to build the tiny\machines of nanotechnology, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Progress Cargo Ship Launched From Russia (AP) AP - A Russian cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment blasted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday headed for the international space station, a Russian space official said.$LABEL$3 +Computer Naivete Costs A Bundle The meltdown of my home computer was my fault, the result of having switched to a high-speed Internet connection without installing a firewall or heeding those pesky warnings to download critical updates for Windows and anti-virus software. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</b></font>$LABEL$3 +NASA Develops Robust Artificial Intelligence for Planetary Rovers NASA is planning to add a strong dose of artificial intelligence (AI) to planetary rovers to make them much more self-reliant, capable of making basic decisions during a mission. Scientists are developing very complex AI software that enables a higher level of robotic intelligence.$LABEL$3 +Science and President Bush Collide in Election Year With more than 4,000 scientists, including 48 Nobel Prize winners, having signed a statement opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice, this election year is seeing a new development in the uneasy relationship between science and politics.$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Charley's Force Took Experts by Surprise By MARCIA DUNN (AP) -- Hurricane Charley's 145-mph force took forecasters by surprise and showed just how shaky a science it still is to predict a storm's intensity - even with all the latest satellite and radar technology. ""Most major hurricanes become major by going through a rapid intensification...$LABEL$3 +New Computer Games Teach Nutrition to Needy In an effort to educate the nation's neediest children on nutrition, a new project uses the familiar medium of video games to broadcast its message. The Fantastic Food Challenge, a package of four computer games, is designed to teach people who get nutrition aid such as federal food stamps how to make better use of their food.$LABEL$3 +Sprint Set to Debut Video-Streaming Cell Phone OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Channel surfing is moving off the couch as Sprint Corp...$LABEL$3 +Kobe Bryant Due Back in Court Monday (AP) AP - With Kobe Bryant's sexual assault trial scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, speculation is mounting that prosecutors are looking for a way to dismiss the charge after a series of setbacks.$LABEL$1 +Rangers Designate Bacsik for Assignment (AP) AP - Pitcher Mike Bacsik was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on Sunday after going 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in three starts.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal Beats Everton to Extend Streak (AP) AP - Arsenal opened its defense of its English title with a 4-1 win at Everton on Sunday, making it 41 straight games without a loss in the Premier League.$LABEL$1 +Nadal Wins in Poland for First ATP Title (AP) AP - Spain's Rafael Nadal won his first ATP singles title Sunday, beating Argentina's Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Idea Prokom Open.$LABEL$1 +Zahringer Leads Field at U.S. Amateur (AP) AP - George Zahringer III is back for another shot at the U.S. Amateur. The New Yorker is one of three returning quarterfinalists for the tournament, which begins Monday at the Winged Foot Golf Club. Lee Williams of Alexander City, Ala., and Patrick Carter of Lesage, W.Va., complete the trio from last year's championship that was won by Nick Flanagan of Australia.$LABEL$1 +Pau Edges Yao in Clash of the Giants ATHENS (Reuters) - Spain's Pau Gasol got the better of China's Yao Ming in Olympic basketball's own clash of the giants Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Hamilton Sets Early Pace as Woods Struggles KOHLER, Wis. (Reuters) - British Open champion Todd Hamilton made the first significant move in the U.S. PGA Championship final round Sunday as overnight pacesetter Vijay Singh prepared for an afternoon tee-off.$LABEL$1 +Iran Defies Olympic Spirit by Shunning Israel ATHENS (Reuters) - Iran's world judo champion Arash Miresmaeili refused to compete against an Israeli Sunday, triggering a fresh crisis at the Olympic Games where race, creed or color are barred from interfering in sport.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Softball Team Puts Australia in Its Place ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States kept itself firmly on course for a third straight Olympic softball gold medal when it thrashed Australia 10-0 Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Schumacher Triumphs as Ferrari Clinches Title BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Michael Schumacher cruised to a record 12th win of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday to hand his Ferrari team a sixth successive constructors' title.$LABEL$1 +Nearly 10 Million Afghans to Embrace Democracy (Reuters) Reuters - Thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan\may have failed to catch Osama bin Laden but they are credited\with encouraging millions of Afghans to register for the\country's historic election in October.$LABEL$0 +Mortars Mark Opening of Iraqi Political Conference (Reuters) Reuters - Insurgents fired mortars at a meeting\where Iraqi leaders met to pick an interim national assembly\Sunday, killing at least two people in a grim reminder of the\country's tortuous path toward democracy.$LABEL$0 +Conference Gives Iraq Democracy First Test (AP) AP - Despite the steady clang of mortar shells outside and persistent violence in the country, many delegates at the opening on Sunday of Iraq's National Conference held out hope that this first fragile taste of democracy would succeed.$LABEL$0 +Countries Run Drills for Panana Attack (AP) AP - The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the ship in the choppy Caribbean waters and began counting crew members, but the numbers did not match those given earlier.$LABEL$0 +Police push for surveillance fee on customers' phone, Internet bills (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's police chiefs propose a surcharge of about 25 cents on monthly telephone and Internet bills to cover the cost of tapping into the communications of terrorists and other criminals.$LABEL$0 +Bush should have tackled reform before naming CIA boss: lawmaker (AFP) AFP - The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee urged fellow lawmakers not to allow confirmation hearings on a new CIA director to derail efforts to overhaul US spy agencies.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelans Rush to Vote in Referendum on Chavez CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelans crowded polling stations on Sunday to vote on whether to recall left-wing President Hugo Chavez or back his mandate to govern the world's No. 5 oil exporter for the next two years.$LABEL$0 +TV: Iraqi Kidnappers of Iran Envoy Want POWs Freed TEHRAN (Reuters) - Kidnappers holding an Iranian diplomat in Iraq will ""punish"" him within 48 hours if Iran does not release 500 prisoners captured in its 1980-1988 war with Iraq, Iranian state television said Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Nearly 10 Million Afghans to Embrace Democracy KABUL (Reuters) - Thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan may have failed to catch Osama bin Laden but they are credited with encouraging millions of Afghans to register for the country's historic election in October.$LABEL$0 +Rebranded Liechtenstein Welcomes Fresh Prince VADUZ, Liechtenstein (Reuters) - The people of Liechtenstein ushered in a new era Sunday as the tiny Alpine principality welcomed a new ruler and sought to shed its image as a haven for money launderers.$LABEL$0 +France marks the 'other D-Day' Two days of celebrations to honour the Allied veterans who liberated southern France near a climax.$LABEL$0 +Phish farewell attracts thousands Jam band"" Phish play their last gigs together at a special festival in the US which has attracted thousands of fans.$LABEL$0 +Iraq troops move angers S Koreans Clashes with riot police erupt as thousands protest in Seoul against plans to send troops to help US-led forces in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Bush Surveys Damage in Florida as Toll Is Expected to Mount Hurricane Charley - one of the most powerful storms in the nation's history - caused at least \$20 billion in damage in Florida alone.$LABEL$0 +Phelps, Rival Thorpe in 200M-Free Semis ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps took care of qualifying for the Olympic 200-meter freestyle semifinals Sunday, and then found out he had been added to the American team for the evening's 400 freestyle relay final. Phelps' rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband and teammate Klete Keller were faster than the teenager in the 200 free preliminaries...$LABEL$0 +Pope Struggles Through Mass at Lourdes LOURDES, France - A sick man among the sick, Pope John Paul II struggled through Sunday Mass at a French shrine that draws desperate people seeking miracle cures. The 84-year-old pontiff gasped, trembled and asked aides for help during the 2 1/2 hour service in sizzling heat...$LABEL$0 +Singh, Leonard in Final Pairing at PGA HAVEN, Wis. - Whistling Straits is suddenly the least of anyone's worries...$LABEL$0 +Venezuela Voters Turn Out in Huge Numbers CARACAS, Venezuela - Voters turned out in huge numbers Sunday to decide whether to keep populist President Hugo Chavez in power or oust him and his social revolution that critics say has sidelined the middle class and fueled tensions between rich and poor. Activists on both sides set off huge firecrackers and played recorded bugle songs to wake voters hours before dawn...$LABEL$0 +Reservists Say War Makes Them Lose Jobs WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of National Guard and Reserve troops who have returned from war in Iraq and Afghanistan are encountering new battles with their civilian employers at home. Jobs were eliminated, benefits reduced and promotions forgotten...$LABEL$0 +Wildfire Sweeps by Old Calif. Mining Town REDDING, Calif. - A wind-fueled wildfire roared through an old mining town near Redding on Sunday, destroying 20 homes and forcing nearly 125 residents to flee, officials said...$LABEL$0 +Charley Damage Estimated at \$11 Billion PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - As Florida residents began sweeping up the wreckage left behind by Hurricane Charley, officials on Sunday estimated damages as high as \$11 billion for insured homes alone...$LABEL$0 +Entertainment World Wary of Microsoft (AP) AP - CinemaNow Inc., the Internet-based movie service, is a rarity in Hollywood #151; a company that eagerly embraces Microsoft Corp. technology and relies on it exclusively to transmit, protect and display the movies it rents to customers. Then again, Microsoft is a major investor in the company, which is also owned by independent studio Lions Gate.$LABEL$3 +Cat Clones \\From CNN (which didn't permalink this article so no PageRank for you!):\\""Baba Ganoush and Tabouli, the first cats cloned by chromatin transfer, tackle a\cat toy in San Francisco Thursday. The technology was developed by Genetic\Savings Clone, a company that produces cat clones.""\\$LABEL$3 +US NBA players become the Nightmare Team after epic loss (AFP) AFP - Call them the ""Nightmare Team"".$LABEL$1 +Report: Roenick Paid for Betting Tips (AP) AP - Flyers star Jeremy Roenick paid more than #36;100,000 to a Florida firm that made millions selling betting tips to gamblers, law enforcement officials told The Philadelphia Inquirer.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Basketball Team Loses to Puerto Rico ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States lost their first basketball match at the Olympics since 1988 on Sunday when Puerto Rico gave them a shock 92-73 trouncing.$LABEL$1 +South Africa Ends Phelps Medal Quest ATHENS (Reuters) - South Africa ruined Michael Phelps's dream of winning a record eight gold medals at the Athens Olympics with a stunning victory in the men's 4x100 meters freestyle final on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Iran Snub to Israel Challenges IOC ATHENS (Reuters) - Iran defied the Olympic spirit on Sunday by refusing to contest a judo bout with an Israeli at the Athens Games, making no effort to hide the fact it was putting solidarity with the Palestinians before gold medals.$LABEL$1 +Romanian Gymnasts Edge Ahead of U.S. Women ATHENS (Reuters) - Daniela Sofronie displayed all her athleticism to edge Romania ahead of the United States in the Olympic women's gymnastics team qualifying Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Roenick Paid for Betting Tips Flyers center Jeremy Roenick paid more than \$100,000 to a Florida firm that made millions selling betting tips to gamblers, law enforcement officials told The Philadelphia Inquirer.$LABEL$1 +Parks Canada protest greets prime minister at closing of Acadian Congress (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - GRAND PRE, N.S. (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin was met with a silent protest Sunday as he attended the closing of the World Acadian Congress in Nova Scotia.$LABEL$0 +Palestinians in Israeli Jails Start Hunger Strike RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began a hunger strike for better conditions on Sunday, but Israel's security minister said he didn't care if they starved to death.$LABEL$0 +Frail Pope Ends Tiring Lourdes Pilgrimage LOURDES, France (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, a sick man among the sick, wound up a emotional visit to this miracle shrine Sunday and struggled with iron determination to finish a sermon in order to encourage others suffering around him.$LABEL$0 +No Gold for Phelps As Relay Team Falters ATHENS, Greece - Mark Spitz can rest easy. The best Michael Phelps can do is win seven gold medals at these Olympics...$LABEL$0 +Dream Team Stunned by Puerto Rico 92-73 ATHENS, Greece - In an upset that was as historic as it was inevitable, the U.S. men's basketball team lost for only the third time ever in the Olympics on Sunday, 92-73 to Puerto Rico...$LABEL$0 +Roddick, Venus, Navratilova Win Openers (AP) AP - Bothered more by the wind and her wrist wrap than her opponent, defending gold medalist Venus Williams overpowered Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-1, 6-2 in the opening match of the Athens Games' tennis tournament. Andy Roddick made his Olympic debut with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Flavio Saretta of Brazil, swatting 12 aces and 16 service winners.$LABEL$1 +American Duo Wins Opening Beach Volleyball Match ATHENS (Reuters) - American Misty May gave team mate Kerri Walsh an ideal 26th birthday present with an easy victory over Japan in their opening match of the Olympics beach volleyball tournament on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Puerto Rico Upsets United States Men The United States men's basketball team lost to Puerto Rico, 92-73. The loss could put the American gold medal hopes in jeopardy.$LABEL$1 +Venezuelans Throng to Polls in Chavez Referendum CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelans crowded polling stations on Sunday to vote on whether to recall left-wing President Hugo Chavez or back his mandate to govern the world's No. 5 oil exporter for the next two years.$LABEL$0 +Schumacher Triumphs as Ferrari Seals Formula One Title BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Michael Schumacher cruised to a record 12th win of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday to hand his Ferrari team a sixth successive constructors' title.$LABEL$1 +Pope Struggles Through Mass at Lourdes (AP) AP - A sick man among the sick, Pope John Paul II struggled through Sunday Mass at a French shrine that draws desperate people seeking miracle cures. The 84-year-old pontiff gasped, trembled and asked aides for help during the 2 1/2 hour service in sizzling heat.$LABEL$0 +Nicholls State Fires Football Coach (AP) AP - Nicholls State football coach Daryl Daye was fired Sunday over accusations of academic fraud involving players and an assistant coach. Daye was not implicated in the alleged fraud, but an investigation found he failed to ""maintain proper controls"" of the assistant, the Southland Conference school said.$LABEL$1 +Florida Starts Massive Hurricane Cleanup PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley's 145 mph winds dug through their ravaged homes on Sunday, sweeping up shattered glass and rescuing what they could as President Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid...$LABEL$0 +Nicky Hilton Marries in Vegas LAS VEGAS - Hotel heiress Nicky Hilton married a New York money manager before dawn Sunday in an impromptu ceremony, according to court filings obtained by The Associated Press. Hilton, 20, married Todd Andrew Meister, 33, at the Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, according a Clark County marriage license...$LABEL$0 +Election-Year Rate Hike Puzzles Some WASHINGTON - Going against conventional wisdom, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates in an election year. And it is Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, a Republican, who is leading the charge even though an incumbent Republican in the White House is facing voter unrest about the state of the economy...$LABEL$0 +Explosions Echo Throughout Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. tanks and troops rolled back into the center of Najaf and battled with Shiite militants Sunday, reigniting violence in the holy city just as delegates in Baghdad opened a conference meant to be a landmark in the country's movement toward democracy...$LABEL$0 +Venezuela Voters Turn Out in Huge Numbers CARACAS, Venezuela - Summoned by bugle calls and firecrackers, millions of Venezuelans turned out in unprecedented numbers Sunday to vote on whether to force leftist President Hugo Chavez from office. Lines snaked for blocks in upscale neighborhoods, where suspicion is high that the leftist leader plans a Cuba-style dictatorship, and in the slums, where support for his ""revolution for the poor"" is fervent...$LABEL$0 +Man Linked to N.J. Gov. Says He's Straight JERUSALEM - The Israeli man at the center of New Jersey Gov. James E...$LABEL$0 +Iraq Reaches Olympic Soccer Quarterfinals ATHENS (Reuters) - Iraq's fairytale Olympic run continued on Sunday when they beat Costa Rica 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +No Gold for Phelps as Relay Team Falters South Africa won the gold medal Sunday in the men's 400-meter freestyle relay with a world-record time of 3 minutes 13.17 seconds.$LABEL$1 +I Confess. I'm a Software Pirate. \\I'm guilty. I'm a Software Pirate! Not just one or two copies of DOS but\probably hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of software.\\Growing up my parents didn't have much money. Certainly not hundred of\thousands of dollars for me to blow on software. I was curious and had a\passion for computers that I couldn't control. I simply wanted to learn and\couldn't afford to pay for software.\\Luckily I did this when I was a kid so hopefully I won't be prosecuted. I also\believe that everything I did was ethical. I didn't take any money out of the\hands of the software industry and I've already contributed WAY more to the\industry than a few hundred thousand in software sales.\\This is th ...\\$LABEL$3 +Venezuela Oil Official Predicts Stability (AP) AP - Venezuela's oil industry will enter a new period of stability and growth after Sunday's referendum on Hugo Chavez's presidency, the president of the state-run oil company said Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Funds: Are Bond Funds Hazardous? (Clint Willis is a freelance writer who covers mutual funds for Reuters. Any opinions in the column are solely those of Mr. Willis.)$LABEL$2 +O's Beat Blue Jays With Eight-Run Eighth (AP) AP - David Newhan tied a career high with four hits, including a go-ahead double in Baltimore's eight-run eighth inning, and the Orioles rallied for an 11-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Italy on alert after purported Al-Qaeda ultimatum expires (AFP) AFP - Italy was on high alert as a group linked to Al-Qaeda reportedly threatened to attack, singling out Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as a target, after the expiry of a deadline for Rome to pull its troops out of Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Edwards Caps Intense Push in Iowa (AP) AP - Capping an intense 10-day competition for Iowa's seven electoral votes, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards accused the Bush administration on Sunday of being captured by drug and insurance interests at the expense of working families.$LABEL$0 +Two visions of Iraq struggle to take hold Fighting in Najaf threatened to undermine a conference to choose a national assembly.$LABEL$0 +Giants Top Phillies 3-1 to Finish Sweep (AP) AP - Brett Tomko allowed one run in six innings for his first win in nearly a month and helped San Francisco complete a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 3-1 victory Sunday.$LABEL$1 +South Africa Ends Phelps' Gold Medal Quest ATHENS (Reuters) - South Africa ruined Michael Phelps's dream of winning a record eight gold medals in a dramatic and controversial day of swimming at the Athens Olympics on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Johnson Helps D - Backs End Nine - Game Slide NEW YORK (AP) -- Randy Johnson took a four-hitter into the ninth inning to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game losing streak Sunday, beating Steve Trachsel and the New York Mets 2-0.$LABEL$1 +Perry Out for Season Eagles running back Bruce Perry will miss his rookie season after dislocating a shoulder in an exhibition game against the New England Patriots.$LABEL$1 +Millions Wait Hours in Venezuela to Vote in Recall Election The unprecedented vote was sluggish as huge crowds lined up at voting booths. Results were not expected until 8 p.m., or later.$LABEL$0 +Leonard Forges Two Clear with Nine to Play at PGA KOHLER, Wisconsin (Reuters) - American Justin Leonard stayed on track for his second major title in the U.S. PGA Championship final round on Sunday, moving two shots clear with nine holes to play.$LABEL$1 +'Alien Vs. Predator' Smacks Down Rivals LOS ANGELES - Movie-goers were easy prey for a double dose of space invaders. The sci-fi smackdown ""Alien vs...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Men Stunned by Puerto Rico, 92-73 ATHENS, Greece - In an upset as historic as it was inevitable, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and the rest of the U.S. basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico on Sunday, only the third Olympic loss ever for America and its first since adding pros...$LABEL$0 +49ers' Beasley Could Miss Several Weeks (AP) AP - Fullback Fred Beasley could be sidelined until the 49ers' season opener Sept. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons with a high left ankle sprain.$LABEL$1 +Dodgers Rally in 8th to Defeat Cubs 8-5 (AP) AP - Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green homered, and Steve Finley hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for an 8-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +UN Weighs Situation in Burundi Following Massacre UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council met in emergency session concerning Burundi on Sunday following the massacre of more than 150 Tutsi Congolese refugees at a camp in western Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Cold Winters Slow Northeast Hemlock Pest (AP) AP - New England's bitterly cold winters may be hard on people, but they have been even harder on an Asian insect that's threatening to destroy hemlocks, one of the signature trees of the region's forests.$LABEL$3 +Teen Is First Black National USTA Champion (AP) AP - Scoville Jenkins, a 17-year-old from Atlanta, became the first black to win the 18s singles championship of the U.S. Tennis Association Boys Nationals.$LABEL$1 +Rwanda Troops Start AU Mission in Darfur (Reuters) Reuters - Rwandan troops arrived in\Darfur Sunday as the first foreign force there, mandated to\protect observers monitoring a shaky cease-fire between the\Sudanese government and rebels in the remote western region.$LABEL$0 +Rwanda Troops Start AU Mission in Darfur EL FASHER, Sudan (Reuters) - Rwandan troops arrived in Darfur Sunday as the first foreign force there, mandated to protect observers monitoring a shaky cease-fire between the Sudanese government and rebels in the remote western region.$LABEL$0 +Marlins Beat Brewers 5-3 in 10 Innings (AP) AP - Luis Castillo tied the score with a ninth-inning single, and pinch-hitter Damion Easley hit a two-run double in the 10th inning that led the Florida Marlins over the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 Sunday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Soldiers Battle Shiites in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. tanks and troops rolled back into the center of Najaf and battled with Shiite militants Sunday, reigniting violence in the holy city just as delegates in Baghdad opened a conference meant to be a landmark in the country's movement toward democracy...$LABEL$0 +NL Wrap: Johnson Fans 14 Mets as Arizona Snaps Slide (Reuters) Reuters - Randy Johnson struck out 14 batters in\8 1/3 innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game\losing streak with a 2-0 win over the New York Mets on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Johnson Fans 14 Mets as Arizona Snaps Slide NEW YORK (Reuters) - Randy Johnson struck out 14 batters in 8 1/3 innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the New York Mets on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +New U.N. Official Assumes Kosovo Control (AP) AP - The new U.N. administrator for Kosovo took control Sunday of the Serbian province, which has remained deeply divided along ethnic lines since the end of a 1999 war.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelans Line Up to Vote on Chavez CARACAS, Venezuela - Summoned by bugle calls and the detonations of huge firecrackers, Venezuelans turned out in unprecedented numbers Sunday to vote on whether to force leftist President Hugo Chavez from office. Some lines at polling places extended for 1.25 miles, stunning even veteran election monitors...$LABEL$0 +AL Wrap: Koskie Slugs Homer in 10th as Twins Edge Indians NEW YORK (Reuters) - Corey Koskie clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning to help the Minnesota Twins hold on to first place in the American League Central with a 4-2 road win over the Cleveland Indians.$LABEL$1 +Whistling Straits Proves It's Major League Whistling Straits has received magnificent reviews during the P.G.A. Championship, which is currently in a three-man playoff between Justin Leonard, Vijay Singh and Chris DiMarco.$LABEL$1 +Puerto Rico Stuns U.S. in Opening Round Puerto Rico upsets the United States, 92-73, at the men's basketball preliminaries on Sunday, the first loss at the Games for the three-time defending gold medalists since 1988.$LABEL$1 +Monday Morning The regular Monday Morning contributors will return to this page next week, as will the weekly poll.$LABEL$1 +Homer Sinks Indians Corey Koskie hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning as the Twins overcame a two-run deficit for a 4-2 win Sunday, giving them a two-game lead over the second-place Indians.$LABEL$1 +Despite Setbacks, Stahl Maintains Healthy Dose of Optimism At 23, pitcher Richard Stahl knows there's still time to impress the Baltimore Orioles' front office. He just needs to stay on the mound long enough.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Koskie Slugs Homer in 10th as Twins Edge Indians (Reuters) Reuters - Corey Koskie clubbed a two-run homer\in the top of the 10th inning to help the Minnesota Twins hold\on to first place in the American League Central with a 4-2\road win over the Cleveland Indians.$LABEL$1 +Venezuela Voters Crowd Polls in Chavez Referendum CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelans crowded polling stations on Sunday to vote on whether to recall left-wing President Hugo Chavez or back his mandate to govern the world's No. 5 oil exporter for the next two years.$LABEL$0 +Device 'may aid kidney dialysis' Scientists are developing a device which could improve the lives of kidney dialysis patients.$LABEL$0 +Shippers: Venezuela Oil Unfazed by Poll CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Oil exports by Venezuela have not been disturbed by the referendum on the rule of President Hugo Chavez, shipping sources said late Sunday.$LABEL$2 +Singh Wins PGA Championship in Playoff (AP) AP - The only birdie Vijay Singh made all day was the only one that mattered. All but counted out of the PGA Championship with a putter that failed him, Singh took advantage of a late collapse by Justin Leonard to get into a three-way playoff Sunday at Whistling Straits, then made the only birdie over the three extra holes to win the final major of the year.$LABEL$1 +Singh Snares PGA Title Vijay Singh outlasts Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco in a three-way playoff to win the PGA Championship on Sunday at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Battles Shiites in Iraqi Holy City (AP) AP - U.S. tanks and troops rolled back into the center of Najaf and battled with Shiite militants Sunday, reigniting violence in the holy city just as delegates in Baghdad opened a conference meant to be a landmark in the country's movement toward democracy.$LABEL$0 +Rumsfeld Briefs Russia on Shift of Forces WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld briefed his Russian counterpart over the weekend on U.S. plans to shift its forces stationed around the globe, in some cases potentially bringing them closer to Russia's borders...$LABEL$0 +China's Panchen Lama visits Tibet The boy named by the Chinese authorities as the 11th Panchen Lama visits a temple in Tibet.$LABEL$0 +DiMarco, Riley Play Way Into Ryder Cup (AP) AP - Chris DiMarco and Chris Riley faced knee-knocking pressure in the last round of the PGA Championship. And what did they get for their efforts? More of the same. DiMarco and Riley played themselves into the pressure-packed Ryder Cup with their performances Sunday in the year's final major. DiMarco finished second after a three-man, three-hole playoff and Riley was fourth #151; good enough to knock Jay Haas and Steve Flesch out of the top 10 in the Ryder Cup point standings.$LABEL$1 +Bomb Kills 16 During Indian Celebration A powerful bomb killed at least 16 people, many of them schoolchildren, and wounded about 40 others as they assembled for an Independence Day parade Sunday in the northeastern state of Assam, authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Shippers: Venezuela Oil Unfazed by Poll (Reuters) Reuters - Oil exports by Venezuela\have not been disturbed by the referendum on the rule of\President Hugo Chavez, shipping sources said late Sunday.$LABEL$2 +Phelps' Quest to Win 8 Gold Medals Ends (AP) AP - Michael Phelps surely didn't bargain for this. His quest to win eight gold medals is over, doomed by America's worst showing in the 400-meter freestyle relay. Gary Hall Jr. is ticked off. And now comes the toughest race of all against Ian Thorpe. Not exactly what Phelps had in mind when he decided to challenge Mark Spitz.$LABEL$1 +Nhleko Scores As Burn Beat MetroStars 1-0 (AP) AP - Reserve forward Toni Nhleko knocked in a header one minute into stoppage time, leading the Dallas Burn to a 1-0 victory over the first-place MetroStars on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Rwandan troops arrive in Darfur as president vows force to protect civilians (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - AL-FASHER, Sudan (AP) - Dozens of Rwandan soldiers arrived in Sudan's troubled Darfur region Sunday, the first foreign armed force deployed in the area since Arab militiamen began a rampage against black African farmers, killing thousands.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Falls to Fresh Low Vs Euro (Reuters) Reuters - The dollar fell to a fresh four-week low\versus the euro on Monday after a widening of the U.S. trade\gap to record levels raised worries about capital inflows in\the United States and a possible slowdown in the economy.$LABEL$2 +Nikkei Falls Over 1 Pct on Oil Worries TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei fell more than one percent by mid-morning on Monday as investors stepped up selling of exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp. amid growing fears of the impact of surging oil prices on the global economy.$LABEL$2 +The Region's Highest-Paid Executives Pay for the Washington area's top executives rose significantly last year, reversing the downward trend that set in with the recession in 2001.$LABEL$2 +As XM Stock Recovered, Executives' Pay Modest Thanks to the SEC, shareholders now get a long-term picture of how their stock is doing, which helps in evaluating executive pay.$LABEL$2 +Lucrative Cash Package Came as Fairchild Reported \$53.2 Million Loss For Jeffrey J. Steiner, chairman and chief executive of Fairchild Corp., nearly \$2.5 million in salary last year was just the beginning.$LABEL$2 +Board Members, Executives and Family Members Can Still Benefit Many of Corporate Washington's executives and board members have side deals with the companies they oversee.$LABEL$2 +Survey Estimates Values of Options, Excludes Exercises Figuring out how much executives get paid can be like predicting the weather -- an inexact science.$LABEL$2 +Government Spending Up Sharply Locally Federal procurement spending in the Washington area rose last year at its highest rate since the 1980s, according to a study to be released today, creating tens of thousands of jobs and increasing economic growth disproportionately in Northern Virginia.$LABEL$2 +Woods Comes Up Empty, but Still No. 1 (AP) AP - Tiger Woods came up empty in a major again, but he's still the No. 1 ranked player in the world.$LABEL$1 +Tennessee Tech's Worrell Extends Contract (AP) AP - Longtime Tennessee Tech women's basketball coach Bill Worrell has agreed to a new three-year contract with the option for three more years, the school announced Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Brad Ott Gets First Nationwide Victory (AP) AP - Brad Ott shot an 8-under 64 on Sunday to win the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship for his first Nationwide victory.$LABEL$1 +Snow Storms Blanket Southern New Zealand (AP) AP - Snow storms isolated New Zealand's fourth biggest city of Dunedin on Monday, closing major roads, shutting schools and factories, and freezing newborn lambs.$LABEL$0 +Swimming showdown Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps will chase gold in the men's 200m freestyle on day three of the Olympics.$LABEL$0 +Puerto Rico Stuns Dream Team, 92-73 ATHENS, Greece - In an upset as historic as it was inevitable, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and the rest of the U.S. basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico on Sunday, only the third Olympic loss ever for America and its first since adding pros...$LABEL$0 +Scrimmage Gets Ugly Ralph Friedgen used a four-letter word to describe his Maryland team's offensive performance in Sunday's practice: blah.$LABEL$1 +Schumacher Sets Mark Michael Schumacher won the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday in Budapest, setting yet another record by becoming the first Formula One driver with 12 victories in a season.$LABEL$1 +Business Is Business When it comes to qualifying for the main draw of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Robert Kendrick knows that survival takes precedence and friendships are put on hold.$LABEL$1 +Iraqi Conference on Election Plan Sinks Into Chaos The conference was thrown into disorder by delegates staging protests against the U.S.-led military operation in Najaf.$LABEL$0 +F.B.I. Goes Knocking for Political Troublemakers The F.B.I. has been questioning demonstrators in an effort to forestall violent protests at the Republican National Convention.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Falls Over 1 Pct on Oil Worries (Reuters) Reuters - Tokyo's Nikkei fell more than one percent\by mid-morning on Monday as investors stepped up selling of\exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp. amid growing fears of the\impact of surging oil prices on the global economy.$LABEL$2 +Falcons' Kerney Sprains Knee in Practice (AP) AP - Atlanta Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney sprained his right knee in practice on Sunday when a lineman rolled on his leg.$LABEL$1 +McGahee Helps Bills Beat Broncos 16-6 (AP) AP - This is what everyone was waiting for from Willis McGahee. After 19 months of recuperation and countless questions about the strength of his left knee, the Buffalo Bills running back finally provided some answers. McGahee had the go-ahead score on a 1-yard run in his NFL preseason debut, helping the Bills to a 16-6 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Tropical Storm Earl Hits Caribbean Isles ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada - Tropical Storm Earl unleashed heavy rains and violent winds that felled trees and ripped off roofs Sunday in the eastern Caribbean, while hundreds of people sought refuge in shelters...$LABEL$0 +Report: Michael Jackson Not 'Manhandled' LOS ANGELES - The state attorney general's office has concluded that Michael Jackson was not ""manhandled"" by sheriff's deputies who took him into custody last year on child molestation charges, CBS News reported Sunday. The findings were contained in a three-page letter Martin A...$LABEL$0 +Democrats Pressure McGreevey to Leave Soon TRENTON, N.J. - High-level New Jersey Democrats said Sunday that pressure is building among members of Gov...$LABEL$0 +Bush Vows Rapid Aid to Hurricane Victims PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley's 145 mph winds dug through their ravaged homes on Sunday, sweeping up shattered glass and rescuing what they could as President Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid...$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Down at Midday on Oil Worries TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei fell 1.66 percent by midday on Monday, extending losses into a third day as growing fears about the impact of surging oil prices on the global economy hit exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp.$LABEL$2 +Dell Exits Low-End China Consumer PC Market (Reuters) Reuters - Dell Inc. (DELL.O), the world's\largest PC maker, said on Monday it has left the low-end\consumer PC market in China and cut its overall growth target\for the country this year due to stiff competition in the\segment.$LABEL$3 +Singh Wins Playoff and P.G.A. Title Several players outplayed Vijay Singh on Sunday, but nobody outlasted him at the 86th P.G.A. Championship.$LABEL$1 +Caterpillar Union Rejects Contract Offer CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Auto Workers (UAW) said its members at Caterpillar Inc on Sunday voted to reject the construction equipment maker's contract proposal, the second time this year workers have voted against a Caterpillar contract offer.$LABEL$2 +NYMEX Crude Hits Record \$46.76 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - NYMEX crude oil futures <CLc1> hit a new record of \$46.76 on Monday on worries about possible unrest and disruption to oil supply as Venezuelans voted in a referendum on whether to recall President Hugo Chavez.$LABEL$2 +Singh Wins Playoff to Seize Third Major Title KOHLER, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Fiji's Vijay Singh held his composure to win the 86th U.S. PGA Championship in a three-way playoff on Sunday, clinching the third major title of his career.$LABEL$1 +South Korea Warns of Possible North Terrorism (Reuters) Reuters - North Korea is threatening to use\terrorism against the South, Seoul's intelligence agency said\in a rare public advisory on Monday, and warned South Korean\citizens in China and Southeast Asia to be on their guard.$LABEL$0 +Afghans Hail Chance for a Choice BAZARAK, Afghanistan<br>Like virtually every adult in this Panjshir Valley village, Rahmal Beg registered to vote weeks ago. Indeed, popular enthusiasm is so high for the Oct. 9 presidential election -- the first in Afghan history -- that thousands of people in the valley have reportedly...$LABEL$0 +Caterpillar Union Rejects Contract Offer CHICAGO (Reuters) - The main union at Caterpillar Inc. said its members voted on Sunday to reject the construction equipment maker's contract proposal, the second time this year the workers have voted against an offer.$LABEL$2 +GM's Made-In-China Cadillacs in Early '05 SHANGHAI (Reuters) - General Motors, the world's largest automaker, will start selling its first made-in-China Cadillacs in early 2005 in a market it expects eventually to account for a fifth of global sales of the luxury brand.$LABEL$2 +Gas Prices Drop, but Increase Expected CAMARILLO, Calif. - Gas prices have dropped nearly 5 cents in the past three weeks with an increase in supply, but soaring crude oil prices could cause rates to rise again soon, an industry analyst said Sunday...$LABEL$0 +Funk Still Gets Cup Spot Though Fred Funk had been rather morose after missing the cut by a stroke in the 86th PGA Championship on Friday, there was great joy on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Report: U.S. to Approve Sale of Aegis Ships to Taiwan (Reuters) Reuters - The United States will announce the sale\of four Aegis missile-defense warships to Taiwan next year with\delivery likely to begin in 2011, a newspaper said on Monday.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Down, Oil Worries Hit Exporters (Reuters) Reuters - Tokyo's Nikkei fell 1.66 percent by\midday on Monday, extending losses into a third day as another\surge in oil prices deepened worries about the global economic\impact and knocked down exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp.$LABEL$0 +Report: U.S. to Approve Sale of Aegis Ships to Taiwan TAIPEI (Reuters) - The United States will announce the sale of four Aegis missile-defense warships to Taiwan next year with delivery likely to begin in 2011, a newspaper said on Monday.$LABEL$0 +Wal-Mart Tries to Shine Its Image by Supporting Public Broadcasting Wal-Mart, stung by criticism of its business tactics, is working to improve its image by supporting public broadcasting.$LABEL$2 +Muddling Through (or Not): Mid-2004 Update on the Philippines Looks like the Philippines, despite itself, has survived the election without excessive violence, major civil unrest, or untoward People Power eruptions. GMA finally has that elusive electoral mandate, and the air of uncertainty that pervaded Manila in the weeks leading up to the election has given way to (for some) an air of cautious optimism or (for others) resignation that nothing ever changes much in the Philippines and that the strong leadership and fundamental changes needed to save the country are long shots.$LABEL$2 +Unseeded Vaidisova Wins Vancouver Open (AP) AP - Unseeded teenager Nicole Vaidisova defeated American Laura Granville 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Vancouver Open on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +F.B.I. Goes Knocking for Political Troublemakers The F.B.I. has been questioning demonstrators in an effort to forestall violent protests at the Republican convention.$LABEL$0 +Sybase looks ahead to RFID The database and mobile software company is set to reveal details on updates to its flagship products and outline RFID plans.$LABEL$3 +Nanotech funding to grow to \$8.6 billion Spending on research will more than double this year, with a growing amount coming from the private sector.$LABEL$3 +Gateway lands on another retailer's shelves Company is set to sell desktops on CompUSA's shelves, providing more competition for HP.$LABEL$3 +Cardinals Ride Rolen Scott Rolen homered twice to become the first NL player to reach 100 RBIs this season as the St. Louis Cardinals downed the Atlanta Braves, 10-4, on Sunday night.$LABEL$1 +Braves Hum Along Braves General Manager John Schuerholz shuffled his deck more than usual this past offseason so doubts were high. Such a challenge makes this season all the sweeter.$LABEL$1 +Tibet's Second-Holiest Monk Makes Rare Lhasa Visit (Reuters) Reuters - Tibet's second-holiest monk, the Panchen\Lama, has visited Lhasa on a rare trip to the Himalayan region\by the living Buddha, whose selection in 1995 was marred by\controversy after the exiled Dalai Lama chose another boy.$LABEL$0 +Greek duo could miss drugs hearing Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou may not be fit enough to attend the hearing into their missed drugs test.$LABEL$0 +Package prompts US embassy alert An unidentified substance sent to the US embassy in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur leads to a security scare. $LABEL$0 +Don't Fear Internet Anonymity Tools (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - There are lots of good reasons for 'net anonymity.$LABEL$3 +Time Is Now for Linux Vendors to Protect Users (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Opinion: It's time for other Linux vendors to follow Red Hat's lead and offer patent infringement protection to their customers.$LABEL$3 +Self-Healing Tech Could Boost IBM's Yield (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Designed to let processors adjust themselves dynamically in response to problems or systems demands without human intervention, the chip-morphing technology could help IBM keep up with demand for good chips.$LABEL$3 +Emergency defers Maldives debate A parliamentary session due to have begun on Monday in the Maldives has been postponed indefinitely.$LABEL$0 +Tigers reject Sri Lanka counter proposal to revive talks (AFP) AFP - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said they will spurn any new government proposals to revive peace talks not giving them self-rule as peacebroker Norway was set to try to jumpstart the negotiations.$LABEL$0 +In Google's Auction, It's Not Easy to Tell a Bid From a Bet In a competition combining suspense and strategy, countless brave souls are hoping to buy a small piece of Google in an auction this week.$LABEL$2 +Suspicious Powder Found at U.S. Embassy in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Suspicious white powder has been found in an envelope that arrived at the U.S. embassy in Malaysia and three staff members quarantined, an embassy official and police said on Monday. ""A letter was delivered that had a suspicious powder in it,"" said an embassy spokesman in Kuala Lumpur. ""The powder is being sent for testing.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Hits 3-Mth Closing Low TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average fell 0.65 percent to a fresh three-month closing low on Monday as crude oil prices again hit record highs in Asian trading hours, clouding the outlook for the global economy.$LABEL$2 +DiMarco, Riley Get on Ryder Cup Team (AP) AP - Hal Sutton had a good idea what kind of U.S. team he would take to the Ryder Cup. All that changed in the final round of the PGA Championship.$LABEL$1 +Chinese dig for villagers buried under landslides after deadly typhoon (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Villagers in an eastern province dug with farm tools Monday to search for 24 people missing in massive landslides unleashed by Typhoon Rananim, which has already been blamed for 115 deaths and is the worst such storm to hit China in seven years.$LABEL$0 +Americans appear in Kabul trial The second hearing in the trial of three Americans accused of torture and running a jail begins in Kabul.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Fall as Oil Hits High SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Exporters led a fall in Asian shares on Monday as oil prices set new highs near \$47 and data showing the U.S. trade deficit widened to a record raised fresh concern about the health of the world's largest economy.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Fall as Oil Hits High (Reuters) Reuters - Exporters led a fall in Asian shares\on Monday as oil prices set new highs near #36;47 and data showing\the U.S. trade deficit widened to a record raised fresh concern\about the health of the world's largest economy.$LABEL$2 +Israel Turns Up Heat on Palestinian Hunger Strike (Reuters) Reuters - Israel declared psychological war on\hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners on Monday, saying it\would barbecue meat outside their cells to try to break their\will.$LABEL$0 +Two Chinese salesman gunned down in Thailand's restive south (AFP) AFP - Two Chinese travelling salesmen have been gunned down in southern Thailand as part of separatist violence which has claimed more than 275 lives since the start of the year, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Israel Turns Up Heat on Palestinian Hunger Strike JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel declared psychological war on hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners on Monday, saying it would barbecue meat outside their cells to try to break their will.$LABEL$0 +Iranian economic reform falters The Iranian parliament votes against key parts of a reform plan aimed at opening the economy to foreign investment.$LABEL$2 +Space-age sport GPS is invading recreational sports. Under clear skies, those signals beaming to earth from satellites can find you on a hilly running trail, in a kayak on the ocean, or on a green fairway where you're trying to fade a 230-yard drive into the wind.$LABEL$2 +Eyes tired? Musical alerts ease computer user #146;s day What was the last sound your computer made? It may have emitted a chime when e-mail arrived, or a heraldic swish when you started up Windows.$LABEL$2 +As money-raisers, 2004 #146;s initial offerings fall short When Inhibitex Inc. set the terms of its initial public offering in March, it thought it was being conservative, expecting shares to sell for \$10 to \$12 apiece.$LABEL$2 +Internet publishing attracting academics BALTIMORE -- Manuel Llinas knew his career was at stake. The young scientist had just finished work on an eye-catching paper on the genome of a parasite that causes malaria. Now he and his lab director faced a critical decision: where to submit the article for publication.$LABEL$2 +Computers with multiple personalities The jury's still out on whether a computer can ever truly be intelligent, but there's no question that it can have multiple personalities. It's just a matter of software.$LABEL$2 +Paint it bleak If the Rolling Stones were hired to write the theme song for this year's Red Sox, the group might overhaul one of their classics. Instead of quot;Satisfaction, quot; they could go with quot;Separation. quot; That's because no matter how hard they try, the Sox can't get no separation in their quest for the top spot in the wild-card race.$LABEL$1 +He #146;s not short on confidence It's a case he could have made more convincingly with something other than a half-swing tapper to the pitcher for the final out of yet another in a seemingly endless series of one-run losses for the Red Sox. But Orlando Cabrera wants fans to believe this: For all the futile swings he has made in his two-week incarnation as a ...$LABEL$1 +Pronger opts out of World Cup Names Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues pulled out of the World Cup of Hockey yesterday with an undisclosed injury, and was replaced on the Canadian team by Jay Bouwmeester of the Florida Panthers. Pronger's decision comes less than a week before the Canadian team opens training camp. The team will practice for the first time Friday in Ottawa. ...$LABEL$1 +Giants finish off Phillies Brett Tomko allowed one run in six innings for his first win in nearly a month, and the San Francisco Giants closed in on the wild-card lead with a 3-1 victory over the Phillies yesterday in Philadelphia, completing a three-game sweep.$LABEL$1 +Texas goes wild The Red Sox have company atop the wild-card standings. In Arlington, Texas, Laynce Nix homered and drove in three runs, including a tiebreaking sacrifice fly, and the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-2, yesterday to sweep the three-game series.$LABEL$1 +49ers #146; Beasley out till opener The cheers went up the instant Willis McGahee took the field. How's that for pressure?$LABEL$1 +At least Light #146;s sense of humor still intact FOXBOROUGH -- Matt Light lost his appendix this summer and, as a result, quite a few pounds, but he didn't lose one ounce of his wit.$LABEL$1 +Dorman #146;s been dandy of late Revolution coach Steve Nicol is not taking credit for the emergence of Andy Dorman. But Nicol's tactical moves helped place Dorman in a position to score his first two goals as a professional, in the final seconds of a 3-0 win at Dallas Wednesday and on his first touch of Saturday night's game at D.C. United for the Revolution's second ...$LABEL$1 +Sudan refugees report new attacks More Sudanese refugees flee across the border into Chad following reports of renewed violence in the Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Bomb at parade in India leaves 16 dead, 40 hurt NEW DELHI -- A powerful bomb killed at least 16 people, many of them schoolchildren, and wounded about 40 others as they assembled for an Independence Day parade yesterday in the northeastern state of Assam, authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Israeli speaks out on McGreevey JERUSALEM -- The Israeli man at the center of the resignation of New Jersey's governor, James E. McGreevey, over a gay affair said in an interview published yesterday that he is straight and had no idea at first that his boss is homosexual.$LABEL$0 +France remembers WWII Riviera mission ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE -- France yesterday honored soldiers, including tens of thousands of Africans, who staged an assault on the French Riviera 60 years ago to break the Nazi grip -- one of the least-remembered military operations of World War II.$LABEL$0 +Pope struggles at shrine Mass LOURDES, France -- A sick man among the sick, Pope John Paul II struggled yesterday through Sunday Mass at a French shrine that draws desperate people seeking miracle cures. The 84-year-old pontiff gasped, trembled, and asked aides for help during the 2-hour service in the sizzling heat.$LABEL$0 +Uncertainty as Venezuela Awaits Referendum Result CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Three Venezuelan government ministers said on Monday President Hugo Chavez had easily survived a referendum on whether to recall him but their comments conflicted with heavy opposition hints they had won.$LABEL$0 +Watchdog attacks ID card scheme Proposals for identity cards and a population register are opposed by Britain's information watchdog.$LABEL$3 +Ebookers sees 'encouraging' signs Internet-based holiday company Ebookers says second-quarter loses have been cut compared with the same period a year ago.$LABEL$3 +Chavez Wins Venezuela Referendum-Official Results (Reuters) Reuters - Venezuelan President Hugo\Chavez has survived a referendum to recall him, according to\results released by electoral authorities on Monday with 94\percent of the vote counted.$LABEL$0 +US embassy in Malaysia in 'anthrax scare' (AFP) AFP - Malaysian emergency services rushed to the tightly-guarded US embassy in Kuala Lumpur after a powder which police said could be anthrax was found in a letter.$LABEL$0 +UN creates game to tackle hunger A forthcoming video game aims to educate children about the global fight against hunger.$LABEL$3 +Chavez Wins Venezuela Referendum-Preliminary Result CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has survived a referendum to recall him, according to preliminary results released by the country's top electoral officer on Monday.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Hit Record (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices jumped to a new record\high near #36;47 on Monday with traders on tenterhooks for the\result of Venezuela's weekend referendum and Iraq's exports\again disrupted by a Shi'ite uprising in the south.$LABEL$2 +They flocked from Games ATHENS -- During yesterday's celebration of the assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Greek orthodox clergy had a stern reminder for the organizers of the Olympic Games: No matter what the advertisements and speeches say about Greece's modern, Western orientation, this country is still the domain of its decidedly traditional, ubiquitous state-sanctioned religion. Speaking over the Byzantine chants of a ...$LABEL$1 +Ginobili gives Argentina big lift at the buzzer Manu Ginobili's off-balance shot left his hand just a split-second before the final buzzer, dropping through the basket to give Argentina an 83-82 victory over Serbia-Montenegro yesterday on the first day of Olympic men's basketball in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Stewart spoils upset bid Sports car ace Ron Fellows nearly pulled off what arguably would have been the biggest upset in NASCAR history, finishing second after starting last yesterday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.$LABEL$1 +US eights glide to finals in record times The US men's and women's eights pulled off huge victories in yesterday's Olympic rowing heats, each setting world bests to advance directly to Sunday's finals.$LABEL$1 +Phelps #146;s quest for 8 golds goes under ATHENS -- The evening began on a down note for the US swimming team, and descended from there. First, world champion Jenny Thompson struggled home fifth in the 100-meter butterfly. Then world record-holder Brendan Hansen was caught by Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the 100 breaststroke. Finally, the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay finished third behind South Africa and the ...$LABEL$1 +Azevedo shot does trick Tony Azevedo whizzed a last-second shot past Croatian goalkeeper Frano Vican to give the American water polo team a 7-6 victory in its tournament opener yesterday.$LABEL$1 +US team kicks over this result ATHENS -- Did Japan's Kosuke Kitajima break the rules when he beat world record-holder Brendan Hansen by 17-100ths of a second in yesterday's Olympic 100-meter breaststroke? Absolutely, insisted Hansen's US teammates, who claimed Kitajima routinely uses the illegal dolphin kick.$LABEL$1 +Clout shown in rout ATHENS -- When the Olympic softball schedule was released, Lisa Fernandez grabbed a marker and began counting down the days. quot;This game is always on my calendar, quot; she said. quot;I have a tremendous history with Australia. quot; And until yesterday, mostly a haunting one.$LABEL$1 +Punching his way forward ATHENS -- There's only room for one Cinderella in a boxing ring. That was the sad lesson Andre Berto learned last night as his long road to the Olympic Games came to an abrupt end at the Peristeri Boxing Hall in his first fight in the welterweight division. First fight, that is, unless you understand what it took for him ...$LABEL$1 +Fighting rages in South Ossetia Heavy fighting erupts in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region, shattering a two-day ceasefire.$LABEL$0 +Sprint Puts Streaming Media on Phones PCS Vision Multimedia streams faster video plus audio channels to Samsung phone.$LABEL$3 +Phelps, Thorpe Face Dutch Threat ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, one gold won but one of his eight title chances now lost, takes on Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband in their long-awaited showdown in the 200 meters freestyle final on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Liechtenstein royals swap power Liechtenstein's Prince Hans-Adam hands over power to his son and invites the whole nation to a garden party.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelan President Survives Recall Vote CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez appeared to have survived a popular referendum to oust him, according to early results Monday, while Venezuela's opposition swiftly claimed fraud. Backers of the leftist populist president set off fireworks and began celebrating in the streets of the capital in the pre-dawn darkness upon hearing the news from Francisco Carrasquero, president of the National Elections Council...$LABEL$0 +Rescue Teams Aid Hurricane Charley Victims PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Urban rescue teams, insurance adjusters and National Guard troops were scattered across Florida to help residents rally from the brunt of Hurricane Charley, the worst storm to hit the state in a dozen years...$LABEL$0 +Journalist, Translator Missing in Iraq (AP) AP - A French-American journalist has disappeared along with his Iraqi translator in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, the provincial deputy governor said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Prudential drops bid for S.Korean assest managing firm (AFP) AFP - A consortium led by British insurer Prudential PLC has dropped its bid for a major South Korean state asset managing company.$LABEL$0 +Bush Plans to Withdraw Troops From Abroad (AP) AP - President Bush's plan to call tens of thousands of U.S. troops home from Europe and Asia could gain him election-year applause from military families, but won't ease the strain on soldiers still battling violent factions in Iraq and Afghanistan.$LABEL$0 +Pair tell of 'Falconio' sighting Two witnesses tell an Australian court they saw UK backpacker Peter Falconio more than a week after he disappeared.$LABEL$0 +'Virtual' repairs for Cutty Sark Digital models of an historic ship are created as part of its restoration to test if it will survive the process.$LABEL$3 +Mass. Republicans Eye Kerry's Senate Seat (AP) AP - Massachusetts Republicans, while supportive of President Bush's re-election, are mindful of the opportunity created should John Kerry beat him in November's election: the state's first Senate vacancy in two decades and a chance to break the Democratic monopoly on its 12-member delegation in Congress.$LABEL$0 +Swatch tax complaint dismissed US officials dismiss claims of tax evasion levelled at watchmaker Swatch by two former employees.$LABEL$2 +Small firms struggle as oil soars Small manufacturers in the UK are struggling in the face of soaring oil prices and higher interest rates, the CBI says.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft takes down SP2 swappers Microsoft is stopping people getting hold of a key security update via net-based file- sharing systems.$LABEL$2 +Symantec Readies Patching Tool ON IPatch monitors, ensures networked Windows systems are current in midsize businesss.$LABEL$3 +Panchen Lama Visits Tibet Capital (AP) AP - The boy chosen by the Chinese government as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama was greeted warmly by dozens of monks when he visited Tibet's most sacred temple, state television reported, giving rare publicity to one of his appearances.$LABEL$0 +BearingPoint Wins ID Project at TSA BearingPoint Inc. of McLean won a \$12 million contract from the Transportation Security Administration to begin the third phase in the agency's program to create a standard identification card for U.S. transportation employees.$LABEL$3 +Government Spending Up Sharply Locally Federal procurement spending in the Washington area rose last year at its highest rate since the 1980s, according to a study to be released today, creating tens of thousands of jobs and increasing economic growth disproportionately in Northern Virginia.$LABEL$3 +Expense Issue Draws Mixed Views From Companies The debate over whether companies should treat stock options as an expense draws mixed reactions from Washington area businesses, some of which have a lot to lose if the accounting rule changes.$LABEL$3 +Palestinian Prisoners Launch Hunger Strike JERUSALEM - More than a thousand Palestinian prisoners went on a hunger strike to press for better conditions, but Israel responded by tightening inmate restrictions, and a Cabinet minister said he wouldn't care if they starved to death. About 1,600 prisoners struck on Sunday...$LABEL$0 +Europe and US in aircraft aid row The European Commission and President George Bush are in a war of words over subsidies given to aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing.$LABEL$2 +Ex-Chess Champion Fischer to Marry Japanese Woman TOKYO (Reuters) - In a bold gambit worthy of the chess champion he once was, Bobby Fischer plans to wed a four-time Japan great in the hope of avoiding deportation home to the United States, where he is wanted for breaking sanctions.$LABEL$0 +Rogue proteins give yeast an edge Rogue proteins that behave like those linked to vCJD and Alzheimer's can give yeast a survival advantage.$LABEL$3 +Twins Rally to Beat Indians in 10 Innings (AP) AP - The Minnesota Twins left Cleveland clinging to first place in the AL Central #151; and already looking ahead to their next showdown with the surprising Indians.$LABEL$1 +Doping-Greek Sprint Duo's Hearing Postponed ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou won a two-day reprieve at the Athens Olympics when a disciplinary hearing investigating their missed drugs tests was adjourned until Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Why cyberscofflaws get off easy CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh explains why convicted virus and worm authors are more likely to do Club Fed than hard time.$LABEL$3 +Pakistan still supporting Kashmiri rebels: Indian Home Ministry (AFP) AFP - Pakistan continues to support Islamic insurgency in Kashmir and will use militant attacks to influence ongoing peace talks with rival India, India's Home Ministry said in its annual report.$LABEL$0 +Lowe's Second-Quarter Profit Rises (Reuters) Reuters - Lowe's Cos. (LOW.N), the second-largest\home improvement retailer behind Home Depot Inc. (HD.N), on\Monday said quarterly profit rose, but trailed estimates.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Seen Little Changed; Oil Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks are seen opening little changed on Monday as crude prices remain high, but insurers may dip on worries about their potential liabilities after a hurricane struck Florida on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Lowe's Second-Quarter Profit Rises ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos. <LOW.N>, the second-largest home improvement retailer behind Home Depot Inc. <HD.N>, on Monday said quarterly profit rose, but trailed estimates.$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Hold Near Record LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices simmered near fresh highs Monday even though early reports of victory for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in a referendum on his rule eased fears that unrest could upset the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +BA workers approve holiday strike British Airways workers plan to strike for 24 hours during the August Bank Holiday weekend unless a pay row is settled, the GMB union said.$LABEL$2 +Doping Probe of Greeks Staggers Toward Farce ATHENS (Reuters) - A doping probe that has dogged the host country's Olympic Games staggered toward farce on Monday when a hearing involving Greece's two top sprinters was postponed again.$LABEL$1 +Lowe's 2Q Earnings Higher on Home Market (AP) AP - Home improvement retailer Lowe's Cos. reported Monday that a robust housing market drove second-quarter earnings higher year-over-year, but results failed to meet Wall Street expectations.$LABEL$2 +Sri Lanka hit by oil strike Workers at Sri Lanka's main oil company end a two-day strike, held in protest at government plans to sell more of the company.$LABEL$2 +Internet calls add foreign accent (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - In the digital age, the next best thing to being there might be this: a French phone number.$LABEL$3 +FCC mobile spam rule doesn't cover some SMS (MacCentral) MacCentral - A rule prohibiting mobile-phone spam adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this month doesn't prohibit phone-to-phone text messaging, but FCC officials believe the new rule, combined with a 13-year-old law, should protect U.S. mobile phone customers against unsolicited commercial e-mail.$LABEL$3 +Ky. Professor Looks to Set Up Telescope (AP) AP - A University of Kentucky professor is pushing to set up a telescope in Australia that students could use via the Internet.$LABEL$3 +Survival of software's fittest Darwin may work in the flat enterprise software market--mergers and acquisitions are expected to increase the clout of leading firms.$LABEL$3 +Playing the convergence game Sony and Microsoft confront consumer apathy as they attempt to turn game consoles into multipurpose entertainment gadgets.$LABEL$3 +Singh Wins Playoff to Seize Third Major Title KOHLER, Wis. (Reuters) - Fiji's Vijay Singh held his composure to win the 86th U.S. PGA Championship in a three-way playoff on Sunday, clinching the third major title of his career.$LABEL$1 +Williams Has No Problem Running with Jones ATHENS (Reuters) - American sprinter Lauryn Williams said on Monday she would have no problem competing on the same team as Marion Jones in the Olympic 4x100 meters relay.$LABEL$1 +Moya Tames Olympic Wind and Enqvist; Dementieva Out ATHENS (Reuters) - Spanish third seed Carlos Moya tamed a swirling wind and dogged Swedish opponent Thomas Enqvist to reach the second round of the Olympic men's singles with a 7-6, 6-7, 9-7 victory Monday.$LABEL$1 +Britain 'sleepwalking' into big-brother state, watchdog warns (AFP) AFP - Britain is ""sleepwalking into a surveillance society"" because of government plans to introduce ID cards and a population register, the nation's information watchdog was quoted as saying.$LABEL$0 +India urges Bangladesh not to kill stray elephants (Reuters) Reuters - Authorities in northeast India urged Bangladesh on Monday not to kill about 100 wild elephants that have strayed across the border and gone on a rampage, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more.$LABEL$0 +Israel Turns Up Heat on Palestinian Hunger Strike JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel declared psychological war on hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners Monday, saying it would barbecue meat outside their cells to try to break their will.$LABEL$0 +Cost Cuts Boost Kmart Quarterly Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Kmart Holding Corp. (KMRT.O) on Monday\reported its third consecutive quarterly profit as cost cuts\made up for slumping sales, and its cash pile grew to about\ #36;2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +Cost Cuts Boost Kmart Quarterly Profit CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holding Corp. <KMRT.O> on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit as cost cuts made up for slumping sales, and its cash pile grew to about \$2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +Wall Street to Open Little Changed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street is seen opening little changed on Monday as crude prices remain high, but insurers may dip on worries about their potential liabilities after a hurricane struck Florida on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Sysco Profit Rises; Sales Have Slowed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sysco Corp. <SYY.N>, the largest U.S. distributor of food to restaurants and hospitals, on Monday said quarterly profit rose as an extra week in the period and acquisitions helped offset the effects of higher food prices.$LABEL$2 +Lowe's Profit Rises But Trails Estimates ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos. <LOW.N>, the No. 2 home improvement retailer behind Home Depot Inc., on Monday reported an 18 percent increase in second-quarter profit, but results trailed estimates as sales weakened in June.$LABEL$2 +Kmart Swings to Second-Quarter Profit (AP) AP - Discount retailer Kmart Holding Corp. reported Monday that the company swung to a profit in the second quarter, but same-store sales were still in decline.$LABEL$2 +Vodafone names former rival as new head of Japanese unit (AFP) AFP - British mobile phone operator Vodafone said it has brought in an executive from Japanese rival NTT DoCoMo to head up its struggling Japanese unit, Vodafone K.K.$LABEL$3 +Cheap Windows comes under fire Microsoft's attempt to win over new users with a cut-down edition of Windows comes in for strong criticism.$LABEL$3 +Wal-Mart Maintains August Sales Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N) on Monday\maintained its August sales forecast and said demand was\particularly strong in the U.S. Southeast last week as people\stocked up on duct tape, rope and water in preparation for\Hurricane Charley.$LABEL$2 +Cost Cuts Help Kmart Post Profit CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holding Corp. <KMRT.O> on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit as cost cuts made up for slumping sales, and its cash pile grew to about \$2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +China's Red Flag Linux to focus on enterprise The company behind China's leading Linux client distribution, Red Flag Software Co. Ltd., is shifting its main focus to its server operating system and enterprise customers, and planning to expand sales overseas, the company's acting president said in an interview on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Symantec releases patching tool Security company Symantec Corp. plans to announce the release of a patch management product on Monday that it says will enable small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to stay on top of software vulnerabilities.$LABEL$3 +Chavez Claims Victory in Referendum on His Rule Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won backing from 58 percent of voters, with 94 percent of electoral rolls counted, in a referendum on whether to recall him.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Tries to Rebound From Loss in Athens (AP) AP - Greetings from the Olympic men's basketball tournament, where America is tied for last place with Angola, Australia, New Zealand, China and the defending world champions from Serbia-Montenegro.$LABEL$1 +Olympian on Briton death charge An Olympic sailor is charged with the manslaughter of a Briton who died after being hit by a car in Athens.$LABEL$0 +AccuRev touts software configuration management approach AccuRev on Monday will release an upgrade to its SCM (software configuration management) package that the company argues offers a superior alternative to file-based SCM systems.$LABEL$3 +End of the line for HP's Alpha processor Hewlett-Packard Co. will release the final processor upgrade for its AlphaServer line of Unix servers on Monday.$LABEL$3 +HP pushes parity for Itanium, PA-RISC servers At its annual HP World user conference in Chicago this week, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) will announce a number of enhancements to its HP-UX operating system, designed to narrow the gap between the capabilities of the company's Integrity and HP 9000 servers.$LABEL$3 +Darfur Displaced Return to 'Live in Fear' of Militia (Reuters) Reuters - Villagers returning to their\homes in Sudan's Darfur region are living in fear of the Arab\militiamen who initially drove them away, the United Nations\said in a report received by Reuters Monday.$LABEL$0 +Sudan Trying to Keep Darfur Promises-U.N. (Reuters) Reuters - Raids by Sudanese forces and Arab\militiamen have worsened a desperate situation in Darfur,\rights groups say, but the United Nations said Khartoum was\making serious efforts to keep pledges to curb the violence.$LABEL$0 +Darfur Displaced Return to 'Live in Fear' of Militia KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) - Villagers returning to their homes in Sudan's Darfur region are living in fear of the Arab militiamen who initially drove them away, the United Nations said in a report received by Reuters Monday.$LABEL$0 +Ex-Chess Champion Fischer to Marry Japanese Woman TOKYO (Reuters) - In a bold gambit worthy of the chess champion he once was, Bobby Fischer plans to wed a four-time Japanese great in the hope of avoiding deportation home to the United States, where he is wanted for breaking sanctions.$LABEL$0 +Heiress Nicky Hilton Marries in Vegas LAS VEGAS - Nicky Hilton, the hotel heiress and socialite, has tied the knot with her beau in a late-night ceremony, according to court filings obtained by The Associated Press. Hilton, 20, married New York money manager Todd Andrew Meister, 33, at the Las Vegas Wedding Chapel early Sunday, according a Clark County marriage license...$LABEL$0 +Anarchists' Convention Debates Voting ATHENS, Ohio - A group of anarchists is taking an unusual step to make its political voice heard - going to the polls. Anarchists generally pride themselves on their rejection of government and its authority...$LABEL$0 +Allstate Says Charley Could Hurt Results NEW YORK (Reuters) - Allstate Corp. <ALL.N>, the No. 2 U.S. home and auto insurer, on Monday said potential losses stemming from Hurricane Charley could hurt its current results.$LABEL$2 +Hungarian central bank cuts key interest rate by half percentage point (AFP) AFP - The Hungarian central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points from 11.5 percent to 11.0 percent, the bank said in a statement posted on its website.$LABEL$2 +CompUSA Stores to Sell Gateway PCs (Reuters) Reuters - Gateway Inc. (GTW.N), the computer\maker that recently shuttered its chain of 188 stores, will\begin selling its desktops at CompUSA Inc.'s outlets later this\week, the two companies said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +CompUSA Stores to Sell Gateway PCs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gateway Inc. <GTW.N>, the computer maker that recently shuttered its chain of 188 stores, will begin selling its desktops at CompUSA Inc.'s outlets later this week, the two companies said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Lebanese shun mobile phones for a day in protest at high costs (AFP) AFP - Lebanese mobile phone users were urged to leave their portable telephones at home or switched off in protest at what is considered one of the costliest services in the world.$LABEL$3 +Forming galaxy cluster captured The Chandra telescope has seen huge gas clouds in space in the act of merging to form a massive galaxy cluster.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Embassy in Malaysia Has Anthrax Scare (AP) AP - Authorities are testing a suspicious powder mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia to determine whether it is anthrax, officials said Monday after the second such scare at a U.S. mission in Asia within a week.$LABEL$0 +Suspicious Powder Found at U.S. Embassy in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) - An envelope containing suspicious white powder and threats against Americans was delivered to the U.S. embassy in Malaysia, prompting health checks on three staff, the embassy and police said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Megawati Defends Achievements Ahead of Vote JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, trying to maintain momentum in a tight election battle, said Monday her government had stabilized the economy and cracked down hard on militants and separatists.$LABEL$0 +Syrian Rights Activist to Be Released Pending Trial DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A Syrian court has agreed to release on bail a prominent rights activist who faces trial on charges of tarnishing the image of the Arab state by publishing false information, one of his lawyers said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Kmart Posts Profit After Cost Cuts CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holding Corp. <KMRT.O> on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit despite slumping sales as it cut jobs and reduced advertising and discounts, boosting its cash pile to \$2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +LifePoint in \$1.1 Billion Province Deal NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rural hospital operator LifePoint Hospitals Inc. <LPNT.O> has agreed to acquire rival Province Healthcare Co. <PRV.N> for \$1.125 billion in cash and stock to broaden its geographic reach, the companies said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Commuter tackles bad train service by starting own railway (AFP) AFP - Grumbling about trains is part of the way of life, but one commuter has decided to do something about it -- by starting his own railway.$LABEL$0 +Israel turns up heat on prisoners Israel launches psychological war against hundreds of Palestinian inmates on hunger strike for better conditions.$LABEL$0 +Czech Coach Hlinka Dies in Car Accident (AP) AP - Czech Republic national ice hockey team coach, and former Pittsburgh Penguins coach, Ivan Hlinka died Monday after sustaining serious injuries in a car crash, an official said.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Set to Open Little Changed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street is set to open little changed on Monday as crude prices remain near their record highs, but insurers may slip on worries about their potential liabilities after a hurricane struck Florida on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Wherenet adds biz rules to RFID The first indication that the value of RFID (radio frequency identification) will extend beyond the supply warehouse was shown last week by WhereNet, a provider of wireless location and communications technology.$LABEL$3 +Oracle readies CRM updates Oracle Corp. plans to release the latest version of its CRM (customer relationship management) applications within the next two months, as part of an ongoing update of its E-Business Suite.$LABEL$3 +Grieving families cremate dead after Assam bombing (Reuters) Reuters - Grieving relatives on Monday cremated victims, mostly women and children, of a separatist bombing in northeastern India, while hundreds of angry people rallied against the rising bloodshed.$LABEL$0 +Chechnya marks 'special' birthday The authorities in war-torn Chechnya announce cash gifts for boys born on the slain leader's birthday.$LABEL$0 +Feedster Includes Kanoodle Ads in RSS Feeds Feedster Includes Kanoodle Ads in RSS Feeds\\Feedster, Inc. today announced the launch of its RSS feed media program. The Company rsquo;s RSS search feeds will soon contain context targeted ads from Kanoodle, Inc., a leading provider of sponsored links for search results and content pages. Alternatively searchers may opt to pay ...$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Continues Despite Playboy Boob Google IPO Continues Despite Playboy Boob\\Google's IPO ran into another problem last week with investors being allowed to start bidding on the company last Friday. Google rsquo;s founders will appear in an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine which will be on the shelves this Friday. Although the interview was apparently held ...$LABEL$3 +Greek Sprinters Given Two-Day Reprieve ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou won a two-day reprieve at the Athens Olympics Monday so they could appear in person at a disciplinary hearing into their missed drugs tests and protest their innocence.$LABEL$1 +Sysco Corp.'s 4Q Profit Up 16 Percent Sysco's fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 16 percent due to an extra week in the quarter, customer-service initiatives and operating efficiency.$LABEL$2 +Chvez Is Declared the Winner in Venezuela Referendum The president won the backing of 58 percent of voters, officials said, but the opposition said that the government had cheated.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Open Near Flat as Oil Near Record NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened little changed on Monday as crude prices remain near their record highs, but early reports of victory for the Venezuelan president in a referendum on his rule eased fears about the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +Letter, suspicious powder spark anthrax scare at U.S. Embassy in Malaysia (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Authorities are testing a suspicious powder mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia to determine whether it's anthrax, officials said Monday. It's the second such scare at a U.S. mission in Asia within a week.$LABEL$0 +Patriots Sign First-Round Pick Watson (AP) AP - The New England Patriots signed first-round draft pick Benjamin Watson on Monday, ending the tight end's lengthy holdout.$LABEL$1 +Indonesia urges debt flexibility Indonesia calls on the International Monetary Fund to help reschedule its debts, as figures reveal a slowdown in economic growth.$LABEL$2 +Oil Holds Near Record Level Oil prices fell 23 cents to \$46.35 a barrel after Venezuelan Hugo Chavez won a recall referendum, appeasing worried energy markets.$LABEL$2 +Ride This Gem Amusement park operators have produced volatile results, but this company has stood the test of time.$LABEL$2 +HP Faces New Realities in a 64-Bit World (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - The company this week will unveil more programs and technologies designed to ease users of its high-end servers onto its Integrity line, which uses Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor.$LABEL$3 +EU Extends Microsoft-Time Warner Review (AP) AP - European antitrust regulators said Monday they have extended their review of a deal between Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc. to make anti-piracy software together.$LABEL$3 +Insurers Begin Tallying Charley Losses (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. insurers on Monday predicted that\Hurricane Charley could be the most costly U.S. storm since\Andrew in 1992, with Florida officials initially estimating\economic losses at #36;15 billion.$LABEL$2 +Google Stays on Track Despite Best Efforts It looks like Google's public stock offering will proceed, no matter how hard the company tries to shoot itself in the foot. Not only that, its unique approach to the IPO game could result in an overhaul of federal securities regulations. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</b></font>$LABEL$3 +Microsoft lists SP2 conflicts Software giant releases just which programs are having issues with its Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP.$LABEL$3 +Chavez Declares Recall Victory; Foes Claim Fraud CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez on Monday declared victory in a historic recall referendum on his rule, but his opponents vowed to challenge vote results they rejected as a ""gigantic fraud.$LABEL$0 +Singh Wins PGA Championship in Playoff HAVEN, Wis. - Vijay Singh shot a 4-over 76 to eke into a three-way playoff Sunday, then made his only birdie of the day on the first of three extra holes to beat Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits...$LABEL$0 +Crews Rush to Hurricane-Ravaged Florida PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Urban rescue teams, insurance adjusters and National Guard troops scattered across Florida Monday to help residents rally from the brunt of Hurricane Charley, the worst storm to hit the state in a dozen years...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Higher Despite Soaring Oil Prices NEW YORK - Wall Street shifted higher Monday as bargain hunters shrugged off skyrocketing oil prices and bought shares following an upbeat sales report from Wal-Mart Stores and a bright outlook from Lowe's. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 84.07, or 0.9 percent, at 9,909.42, after edging 0.1 percent higher last week...$LABEL$0 +China Condemns Whistle-Blower A Communist Party whistle-blower who created a national sensation in China by publicly accusing his superiors of tolerating official corruption has been condemned for breaking party rules and ordered to ""do a complete self-examination,"" authorities announced.$LABEL$0 +KMart Posts Profit; Cash Pile Grows CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holding Corp. <KMRT.O> on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit despite slumping sales as it cut jobs and reduced advertising and discounts, boosting its cash pile to \$2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +Thomson Buys Test Provider Capstar TORONTO (Reuters) - Electronic publisher Thomson Corp. <TOC.TO> said on Monday it will buy test provider Capstar from Educational Testing Service, the latest in a string of acquisitions designed to flesh out its product offerings.$LABEL$2 +Lowe's Reports Increase in Second-Quarter Net Income Lowe's reported a 17.9 percent increase in net income during its second quarter, but results missed Wall Street expectations.$LABEL$2 +New tool identifies 'phishy' Web sites A new software tool from WholeSecurity Inc. can spot fraudulent Web sites used in online cons known as ""phishing"" scams, according to a statement from the company.$LABEL$3 +Lowe's Net Trails Views, But Shares Rise ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos. <LOW.N>, the No. 2 home improvement retailer behind Home Depot Inc., on Monday reported an 18 percent increase in second-quarter profit, but results trailed estimates as sales weakened in June.$LABEL$2 +On the Beastie Boys 'virus' CD <strong>Review</strong> Does not attempt world domination, but$LABEL$3 +Briefly: AOL kicks off free fantasy sports roundup Plus: HP partners with 3G gear maker...AMD starts shipping 90-nanometer chips...ABC.com to air on Real's SuperPass.$LABEL$3 +EC puts off decision on Microsoft, Time Warner deal Regulators could still launch an investigation into the two titans' acquisition of ContentGuard, a digital rights company.$LABEL$3 +An Olympic Selection of Search Resources The 2004 Summer Olympics are underway in Athens and the web is home to plenty of information that makes watching the games even more interesting. $LABEL$3 +KMart Posts Profit; Cash Pile Grows (Reuters) Reuters - Kmart Holding Corp. (KMRT.O) on Monday\reported its third consecutive quarterly profit despite\slumping sales as it cut jobs and reduced advertising and\discounts, boosting its cash pile to #36;2.6 billion.$LABEL$2 +Oil Slips from Record High of \$46.30 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased from new record highs on Monday as victory for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in a referendum on his rule eased fears that unrest could upset the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Gain as Oil Prices Ease NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained on Monday as oil prices dipped after reports of victory for the Venezuelan president in a referendum on his rule eased fears about the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +News: Technology Already Exists to Stabilize Global Warming Existing technologies could stop the escalation of global warming for 50 years and work on implementing them can begin immediately, according to an analysis by Princeton University scientists. (Princeton University press release)$LABEL$3 +News: Future Heat Waves: More Severe, More Frequent, and Longer Lasting Heat waves in Chicago, Paris, and elsewhere in North America and Europe will become more intense, more frequent, and longer lasting in the 21st century, according to a new modeling study by two scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). (NCAR press release)$LABEL$3 +News: New Hypoxic Event Found Off Oregon Coast For the second time in three years, a hypoxic ""dead zone"" has formed off the central Oregon Coast. It's killing fish, crabs and other marine life and leading researchers to believe that a fundamental change may be taking place in ocean conditions in the northern Pacific Ocean. (Oregon State University press release)$LABEL$3 +HP invokes Adaptive Enterprise mantra Hewlett-Packard will detail enhancements to its virtualization products, the HP-UX 11i Unix operating system, and its AlphaServers this week during its HP World 2004 conference in Chicago.$LABEL$3 +Haas, Cink Join Ryder Cup Team Jay Haas became the second-oldest player to be on the Ryder Cup team, joining Stewart Cink as the two captain's picks Monday for a U.S. team that will try to regain the cup from Europe next month.$LABEL$1 +American Aphrodite Brooklyn-native Yvette Jarvis is an 'every woman' in Greece: professional basketball player, model, TV and talk show star and Athens councilwoman.$LABEL$1 +Edwards Appears for Hearing U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards appeared for a hearing on her doping case that will determine whether the reigning 100-meter world champion competes in the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Superstar's uncivil behavior is criminal (Chicago Tribune) Chicago Tribune - Pop stars are no strangers to bad behavior. Smashed guitars, ruined hotel rooms--such misdeeds often are chuckled over later, written up in the tabloids, perhaps listed on invoices for damage. Not so in Russia, where the public expects its performers to remember that they walk in Tchaikovsky's footsteps.$LABEL$0 +Canada must help raise profile of development issues in Africa: Goodale (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Canada intends to return to the forefront on African development issues, beginning with a renewed effort at helping the troubled continent grow out of poverty, says Finance Minister Ralph Goodale.$LABEL$0 +Govt likely to cut oil product duties - official (Reuters) Reuters - The government is expected to slash customs and excise duties on petroleum products in a bid to control inflation without hurting the profitability of oil firms, an oil industry official said on Monday.$LABEL$0 +National pharmacare program would reduce hospital waiting lists: McGuinty (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - A national pharmacare program funded by the federal government would indirectly result in shorter waiting lists, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Losses and Lessons for Bush and Kerry (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles Times - They lost at politics at an early age. Since then, they've rarely made the same campaign mistakes twice.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan Military Plays Down 'Terror Summit' Report ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's military Monday played down a report in the latest edition of Time magazine describing what it called a ""summit of terrorists"" held in March in lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.$LABEL$0 +Trial on Private Prison in Afghanistan Is Underway Jonathan Keith ""Jack"" Idema, the American accused of running a free-lance anti-terror operation and private prison in Afghanistan, testified in court Monday that he could prove U.S. and Afghan authorities were fully aware of his actions.$LABEL$0 +Bush's Withdrawal Plan Could Draw Votes WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to call tens of thousands of U.S. troops home from Europe and Asia could gain him election-year applause from military families, but won't ease the strain on soldiers still battling violent factions in Iraq and Afghanistan...$LABEL$0 +Delegates Urge Al-Sadr to Leave Shrine BAGHDAD, Iraq - Delegates at Iraq's National Conference called Monday for radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to abandon his uprising against U.S. and Iraqi troops and pull his fighters out of a holy shrine in Najaf...$LABEL$0 +Phelps to Take on Thorpe in Busy Night ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps, still smarting after America's upset loss to South Africa in the 400 freestyle relay, returned to the pool Monday and qualified fastest for the Olympic 200-meter butterfly. Phelps' quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games was dashed with the Americans' bronze medal in the relay Sunday night...$LABEL$0 +Haas, Cink Selected for Ryder Cup Team MILWAUKEE - Jay Haas became the second-oldest player to be on the Ryder Cup team, joining Stewart Cink as the two captain's picks Monday for a U.S. team that will try to regain the cup from Europe next month...$LABEL$0 +Florida Hurricane Death Toll Rises to 17 PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Urban rescue teams, insurance adjusters and National Guard troops scattered across Florida Monday to dig out victims of Hurricane Charley and deliver water and other supplies to thousands of people left homeless...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Sharply Higher on Dip in Oil Prices NEW YORK - A drop in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's prompted new bargain-hunting on Wall Street Monday, sending stocks sharply higher. The Dow climbed more than 110 points in morning trading...$LABEL$0 +How to Hire a Financial Planner (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - You've got a money question, and the guy in the next cubicle hasn't a clue how to answer. You need trustworthy information. But where to start?$LABEL$2 +Daimler Nets \$900 Mln Via Hyundai Sale LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler said it raised more than \$900 million by selling its 10.5 percent stake in Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. on Monday, a remnant of its dented ambitions to build a global carmaking empire.$LABEL$2 +AP: Group Discovers John the Baptist Cave (AP) AP - Archaeologists said Monday they have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples #151; a huge cistern with 28 steps leading to an underground pool of water.$LABEL$3 +Speed Up Saddam's Trial, Allawi Tells Court (Reuters) Reuters - Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi\urged an Iraqi court Monday to speed up proceedings against\toppled leader Saddam Hussein and his close aides.$LABEL$0 +The Internet Is Calling Web phone service is exploding. And maverick Jeffrey Citron lit the industry's fuse$LABEL$2 +A Stereo with a Brain You can train Bose's new system to play songs you like. Is it worth the price?$LABEL$2 +The Sponsor Moves In The Days, owned by its advertisers, may boost ABC'S bottom line. But will they control content?$LABEL$2 +South African telephone monopoly to go ahead with lay-offs despite court ban (AFP) AFP - South African fixed line monopoly Telkom vowed to go ahead with plans to cut 4,000 jobs despite a court injunction forcing the state-run enterprise to seek agreement with the unions.$LABEL$3 +China Typhoon Death Toll Rises; 40 Missing (AP) AP - China raised its official death toll from Typhoon Rananim to at least 147 on Monday, as villagers with farm tools dug through massive landslides searching for 40 people still missing.$LABEL$0 +Speed Up Saddam's Trial, Allawi Tells Court BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged an Iraqi court Monday to speed up proceedings against toppled leader Saddam Hussein and his close aides.$LABEL$0 +Singer 'may move to French jail' French rock star Bertrand Cantat could return home from Lithuania to complete his jail term for killing his lover.$LABEL$0 +What is this Man Plotting? A newly revealed summit of terrorists raises fears of a fresh plan to attack the U.S. This bombmaker and pilot could be a key player $LABEL$0 +Stocks Higher on Oil Price Relief NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained on Monday, getting a boost from lower oil prices after news the Venezuelan president survived a recall eased fears about the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +Nanotech Research Spending Seen Reaching #36;8.6 Bln (Reuters) Reuters - Worldwide research and\development spending in the emerging field of nanotechnology\should rise about 10 percent this year to #36;8.6 billion, a\research firm said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Kan. to Move Forward on Dinosaur Exhibit (AP) AP - Concerns about funding and poor attendance will not stop plans to bring a dinosaur exhibit to Science City at Union Station, University of Kansas and Science City officials said.$LABEL$3 +Nanotech Research Spending Seen Reaching \$8.6 Bln SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Worldwide research and development spending in the emerging field of nanotechnology should rise about 10 percent this year to \$8.6 billion, a research firm said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Bombs explode at Nepal luxury hotel, no casualties (Reuters) Reuters - A man on a bicycle threw at least four bombs into the compound of a luxury hotel in Nepal's capital on Monday but the blasts caused no casualties, authorities said.$LABEL$0 +AdWatch: Bush Raps Kerry on Intel Reform (AP) AP - Details of new television ad from President Bush to begin airing Monday:$LABEL$0 +Is 4Kids 4 Investors? 4Kids Entertainment got karate-chopped last week. Can it get back up off the mat?$LABEL$2 +Google: Now Playboy's Latest Bunny (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Investors in the company that's trying to come off as cute as a bunny could find themselves holding a fistful of vipers if the founders of Google Inc. continue to chart their erratic course.$LABEL$3 +Security expert warns computer hackers keeping up with technology (AFP) AFP - Computer hackers are keeping up with the times and are putting an increasingly technology-dependent world at risk, the chairman of leading US-based IT security firm McAfee said.$LABEL$3 +E.U. Extends Review of Anti-Piracy Software Deal European antitrust regulators said Monday they have extended their review of a deal between Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc. to make anti-piracy software together.$LABEL$3 +Bicycle Bomber Attacks Nepal Hotel KATHMANDU, Nepal (Reuters) - A man on a bicycle threw at least four bombs into the compound of a luxury hotel in Nepal's capital Monday but the blasts caused no casualties, authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Charley Sends Mobile Home Stocks Soaring NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of mobile home manufacturers soared on Monday on hopes of increased business after the destruction Hurricane Charley wreaked in Florida over the weekend, an analyst said.$LABEL$2 +Windows update causes headaches Games and security programs are on a long list of software that does not work well with the Windows SP2 update.$LABEL$3 +Nanotech Research Spending Seen Reaching \$8.6B Worldwide research and\development spending in the emerging field of nanotechnology\should rise about 10 percent this year to \$8.6 billion, a\research firm said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Donkey cart beats out Porsche in Portuguese road race (AFP) AFP - A donkey cart beat a Porsche in a race held in a northern Portuguese city over the weekend to see which mode of transportation could best handle car congestion.$LABEL$0 +Sudan army voices opposition to upgrading of African Union mission (AFP) AFP - The Sudanese army expressed opposition to the upgrading of an African Union protection mission newly arrived in the wartorn western region of Darfur into a full-blown peacekeeping force.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Higher on Oil Price Relief (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks gained on Monday, getting\a boost from lower oil prices after news the Venezuelan\president survived a recall eased fears about the country's oil\exports.$LABEL$2 +Intelsat to Be Bought for #36;5 Billion (Reuters) Reuters - Intelsat Ltd., the world's\second-largest satellite operator, said on Monday it agreed to\be bought by a consortium of four private equity firms for #36;5\billion, including assumption of #36;2 billion of debt.$LABEL$2 +Intelsat to Be Bought for \$5 Billion NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intelsat Ltd., the world's second-largest satellite operator, said on Monday it agreed to be bought by a consortium of four private equity firms for \$5 billion, including assumption of \$2 billion of debt.$LABEL$2 +Stamps.com Asks You to Picture This The online postage service offers a chance to put personal pictures on official stamps.$LABEL$2 +Will Schwab Reward Patience? The company saw an improvement in its trades, but will this market be kind to the brokerages?$LABEL$2 +Bacteria Give Coral Its Orange Glow, Study Finds (Reuters) Reuters - The soft orange glow of a common\Caribbean coral comes not from the coral itself but from\bacteria that live inside it, U.S. scientists said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +HP unveils Unix roadmaps <strong>HP World</strong> Free Alpha upgrades to stem defections$LABEL$3 +McAfee grabs Foundstone The former plans to team up its intrusion prevention technology with the latter's vulnerability management software.$LABEL$3 +U.N. Official Urges Political Independence (AP) AP - The United Nations should find ways to demonstrate political independence, regain the neutrality it lost after the Sept. 11 attacks and better communicate with the world's 1 billion Muslims, a top U.N. official said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Jackson Squares Off With Attorney SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Dozens of Michael Jackson's fans pressed against a chain-link fence outside court Monday, staking out viewing spots hours before the pop star was to arrive to face off against the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...$LABEL$0 +AP: Group Discovers John the Baptist Cave KIBBUTZ TZUBA, Israel - Archaeologists said Monday they have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples - a huge cistern with 28 steps leading to an underground pool of water. During an exclusive tour of the cave by The Associated Press, archaeologists presented wall carvings they said tell the story of the fiery New Testament preacher, as well as a stone they believe was used for ceremonial foot washing...$LABEL$0 +Delegates Urge Al-Sadr to Leave Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. tanks rolled into the Old City of Najaf toward a holy Shiite shrine where militants were hiding Monday as participants at a national conference voted to send a delegation here to try to negotiate an end to the fighting...$LABEL$0 +Bush Announces Plan for Troop Realignment WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday announced plans to shift 60,000 to 70,000 U.S. troops who are now stationed in Europe and Asia in one of the largest troop realignments since the end of the Cold War...$LABEL$0 +'SP2' a Must For XP Users (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - To get an idea of how Windows got to be such a mess, think of it as a house that was built on an island in the middle of a lake, deep in the countryside.$LABEL$3 +Rough patches for Microsoft's SP2 Windows update doesn't play well with all applications, even Redmond's. Also: CNET Reviews on security work still to be done.$LABEL$3 +Bryant Defense Wins Ruling In another setback to the prosecution in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, the court maintains ruling that allows information about the accuser's sex life into court.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Up, Oil Price Ease Gives Relief NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks climbed on Monday, getting a boost from lower oil prices after Venezuela's president declared he had survived a recall referendum, easing fears about the country's oil exports.$LABEL$2 +KMart Posts Profit; Cash Hits \$2.6 Bln CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holdings Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KMRT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KMRT.O</A> on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit and boosted its cash pile to \$2.6 billion as it cut spending on advertising and discounts, sending its stock up 14 percent.$LABEL$2 +Personal Tech: Cybersecurity Fast Forward columnist Rob Pegoraro will be online to talk about The Washington Post's special cybersecurity report.$LABEL$3 +PivX hardens Windows with Qwik-Fix Pro PivX Solutions, Inc. of Newport Beach, California, on Monday announced the availability of Qwik-Fix Pro, an intrusion prevention software product for Windows machines that disables or modifies features of Microsoft Corp. Windows and the Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser that are frequent targets of malicious computer hackers and virus writers.$LABEL$3 +No Respite for Microsoft European antitrust regulators extend their review of Microsoft-Time Warner deal. Also: Gateway plans to sell desktops at CompUSA hellip;. Vodafone's Japanese unit headhunts an executive from rival NTT DoCoMo hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +Overland Bullish on Tech Investors are dumping tech stocks with abandon. As for Overland Storage, it is a buyer.$LABEL$2 +Plurality of Worlds in the Universe Did the same Greek philosophers who declared the first truce for Olympic competition have the foresight to imagine a universe not just where many countries could coexist, but also a universe occupied by many such habitable worlds?$LABEL$3 +CompUSA Agrees to Sell Gateway PCs (PC World) PC World - Desktop systems will be available in 226 stores across the U.S.$LABEL$3 +Lowe's Reports 18 Pct. Hike in Profits ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LOW.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">LOW.N</A>, the world's No. 2 home improvement retailer, on Monday reported an 18 percent increase in second-quarter profit and said earnings for the rest of the year would top current estimates.$LABEL$2 +Toymakers' Stocks Hit Lows on Downgrade NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of top toy maker Mattel Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MAT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MAT.N</A> and rival Hasbro Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HAS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HAS.N</A> fell to their lowest levels at least 14 months on Monday after a downgrade by Lehman Brothers, which cited deteriorating industry conditions.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft ships updated Works Version 8 of the low-priced productivity package includes a stand-alone dictionary and a PowerPoint add-on.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: FaceTime pulls in \$16 million roundup Plus: Bladed desktop pioneer gets \$25 million...AOL kicks off free fantasy sports...HP partners with 3G gear maker.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft, Time Warner DRM buy on EU review shelf Regulators could still launch an investigation into the two titans' acquisition of ContentGuard this month.$LABEL$3 +Ex-Polaroid exec takes top finance job at 3Com Donald Halsted, one target of a class-action suit alleging financial improprieties at bankrupt Polaroid, officially becomes CFO.$LABEL$3 +Intel delays first TV chip In another setback, the chipmaker says a processor for large-screen projection TVs won't come out this year.$LABEL$3 +Sybase upgrades PowerBuilder, plots RFID move Sybase Inc. released a new version of its application development tool on Monday, called PowerBuilder 10, and outlined plans for an upgrade to its database software, Adaptive Server Enterprise, which will go into beta at the end of this month and is due for release next year.$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Detecting Worms and Abnormal Activities with NetFlow, Part 1 This paper discusses the use of NetFlow, a traffic profile monitoring technology available on many routers, for use in the early detection of worms, spammers, and other abnormal network activity in large enterprise networks and service providers.$LABEL$3 +Escobedo Keeps U.S. Unbeaten in Boxing (AP) AP - They washed cars, put up posters and sold T-shirts to raise the money to be here. When it was finally time for Vicente Escobedo to fight, his family and friends welcomed him into the arena by waving his picture and chanting ""Chente, Chente.$LABEL$1 +Chronology of Key Events in Kobe Bryant (AP) AP - Timeline of the sexual assault case against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant:$LABEL$1 +Blackhawks Re-Sign Defenseman Berard Chicago, Ill. (Sports Network) - The Chicago Blackhawks Monday agreed to terms on a one-year contract with defenseman Bryan Berard. As per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.$LABEL$1 +India makes elephants appeal Indian asks Bangladesh to spare the lives of around 100 elephants which have strayed across the border.$LABEL$0 +Murder search police make arrest Police investigating the murder of newlywed Chanel Taylor make an arrest.$LABEL$0 +Bush Announces Plan to Realign Thousands of Troops President Bush today announced plans to shift 60,000 to 70,000 U.S. troops who are now stationed in Europe and Asia.$LABEL$0 +Bush Announces Plan for Troop Realignment CINCINNATI - President Bush on Monday announced plans to shift as many as 70,000 U.S. troops who are now stationed in Western Europe and Asia in one of the largest realignments since the end of the Cold War...$LABEL$0 +Jackson Squares Off With Attorney SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for a showdown with the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...$LABEL$0 +Does That Web Site Look Phishy? (PC World) PC World - WholeSecurity's new software claims to identify fraudulent sites.$LABEL$3 +Product Review: Nokia 6820 Wireless Messaging Handset (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 6820 is an ergonomically pleasing handheld device that integrates short text, multimedia and \instant messaging capabilities with all of the features and functions that one normally would expect to find in a dedicated GSM/GPRS cellular phone.$LABEL$3 +Sprint Broadens Its Vision (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Sprint (NYSE: FON) is taking its mobile-data services to the next level, targeting both consumers and business customers, as the carrier rolls out the Sprint TV multimedia service and adds the popular \BlackBerry e-mail application to its portfolio.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Lists XP SP2 Problems (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - With automatic download of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) enormous SP2 security patch to the Windows XP operating system set to begin, the industry still waits to understand its ramifications. Home users that have their preferences set to receive operating-system updates as they are made available by Microsoft may be surprised to learn that some of the software they already run on their systems could be disabled by SP2 or may run very differently.$LABEL$3 +2 More Turkish Men Taken Hostage in Iraq (AP) AP - Armed assailants attacked a convoy of Turkish trucks delivering supplies to U.S. forces in Iraq and took two Turkish drivers hostage, their company said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Group to Talk Coal-Bed Methane Drilling (AP) AP - Dozens of scientists plan to converge at the University of Wyoming to talk about West Nile virus, water pollution and other issues related to coal-bed methane drilling.$LABEL$3 +FDA Approves New Device to Clear Blood Clots By DIEDTRA HENDERSON WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first device to remove blood clots from the brains of people suffering strokes - a new treatment option that could save lives and shave the \$53 billion annual bill to treat strokes, has been approved by the government. In 80 percent of strokes, a blood vessel in the brain becomes clogged by a blood clot, increasing the chance of severe disability or death...$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Sprint to bake in BlackBerry roundup Plus: Microsoft ships updated Works...FaceTime pulls in \$16 million...Bladed desktop pioneer gets \$25 million.$LABEL$3 +Former Polaroid exec takes top finance job at 3Com Donald Halsted, one target of a class action suit alleging financial improprieties at bankrupt Polaroid, officially becomes CFO.$LABEL$3 +Sprint to bake in BlackBerry for businesses Research In Motion's BlackBerry e-mail and data services will be carried on Sprint's networks.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Stocks Rebound as Oil Prices Ease NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rebounded on Monday as oil prices retreated from their highs, while upbeat earnings announcements from retailers fueled the improved sentiment.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Rises Vs Euro After Asset Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar gained against the euro on Monday after a report on flows into U.S. assets showed enough of a rise in foreign investments to offset the current account gap for the month.$LABEL$2 +Bikes Bring Internet to Indian Villagers (AP) AP - For 12-year-old Anju Sharma, hope for a better life arrives in her poor farming village three days a week on a bicycle rickshaw that carries a computer with a high-speed, wireless Internet connection.$LABEL$3 +Celebrity Chefs Are Everywhere in Vegas By ADAM GOLDMAN LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The waiter appears tableside in the cozy dining room laden with oil paintings, stained glass and hints of cherry and oak. Before reciting the day's special menu items, he recounts the restaurant's devotion to farm-fresh produce and tosses out a morsel about its namesake, chef Bradley Ogden...$LABEL$3 +Entertainment World Wary of Microsoft Technology By GARY GENTILE LOS ANGELES (AP) -- CinemaNow Inc., the Internet-based movie service, is a rarity in Hollywood - a company that eagerly embraces Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) technology and relies on it exclusively to transmit, protect and display the movies it rents to customers...$LABEL$3 +European Union Extends Microsoft-Time Warner Review BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- European antitrust regulators said Monday they have extended their review of a deal between Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Time Warner Inc...$LABEL$3 +Patriots Sign Top Pick Watson (Reuters) Reuters - The New England Patriots\Monday announced the signing of first-round draft pick Benjamin\Watson. As per team policy, terms of the tight end's deal were\not released.$LABEL$1 +Olympics: Thorpe Beats Phelps as U.S. Fights Gold Gap ATHENS (Reuters) - Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe beat arch-rival Michael Phelps in the men's 200-meter freestyle on Monday as the United States pursued China, Australia and Japan in the medals table on day three of the Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Awaits Judgment on Venezuela Voting (AP) AP - There was no evident pattern of fraud in Venezuela's balloting that left President Hugo Chavez in office but a final judgment depends on what observers report, the State Department said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Bush, Kerry Press for Women's Votes (AP) AP - Elizabeth Burnosky is a registered Democrat who voted for President Bush in 2000, opposes his policy on Iraq and calls Sen. John Kerry ""a little wussy boy."" Call her conflicted.$LABEL$0 +Insurers face massive storm bill Insurers are counting the cost of Hurricane Charley in Florida, with early damage estimates reaching as high as \$14bn (7.6; 11bn euros).$LABEL$0 +Fischer Appeals to Powell to Help Him Renounce U.S. Citizenship Former chess champion Bobby Fischer announced plans Monday to marry a leading Japanese chess official and appealed to Secretary of State Colin Powell to help him renounce U.S. citizenship, the latest in a series of moves as he seeks to block attempts to deport him to the United States.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela's Chavez Wins Recall Referendum CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez won a recall referendum on his divisive rule in a vote backed on Monday by international observers who found no ""element of fraud.$LABEL$2 +Halliburton Says Army Suspends Withhold Threat WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Halliburton said on Monday the U.S. Army had decided to give the company more time to resolve a billing dispute before withholding payment of up to 15 percent of the company's bills in Iraq and Kuwait.$LABEL$2 +Belo Takes Charge for Advertising Refunds NEW YORK (Reuters) - Media company Belo Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BLC.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BLC.N</A> on Monday said it would refund \$23 million to advertisers because of a circulation scandal at its Dallas Morning News newspaper, resulting in a charge against earnings in the current quarter.$LABEL$2 +LifePoint to Buy Rival for \$1 Bln NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rural hospital operator LifePoint Hospitals Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LPNT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">LPNT.O</A> agreed to buy rival Province Healthcare Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PRV.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">PRV.N</A> for \$1.03 billion in cash and stock to broaden its geographic reach, the companies said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Satellite TV Gains in Race Against Cable Thousands of Americans have defected to satellite TV as the providers have reported hefty gains while the cable industry has declined. Consumers likely will see aggressive marketing promotions in the next six months as companies jockey for customers, analysts say.$LABEL$3 +Columnists: Big Brother's Last Mile The FCC's new ruling on broadband wiretaps will force customers to pay for the privilege of making the Internet less secure.\$LABEL$3 +US to withdraw up to 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia: Bush (AFP) AFP - The United States will withdraw up to 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia over the next decade, President George W. Bush said, in a move aimed at increasing the capability to fight the ""war on terror"" and meet other new threats.$LABEL$0 +Thorpedo Sinks Phelps' Shot at Record ATHENS, Greece - The kid couldn't catch the Thorpedo - and he won't be catching Mark Spitz, either. Michael Phelps' quest for seven gold medals ended after just three events, doomed by another bronze Monday night in the most anticipated race at the Olympic pool - the head-to-head showdown with Australia's Ian Thorpe in the 200-meter freestyle...$LABEL$0 +AP: Group Finds Cave Linked to Baptist KIBBUTZ TZUBA, Israel - Archaeologists said Monday they have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples - a huge cistern with 28 steps leading to an underground pool of water. During an exclusive tour of the cave by The Associated Press, archaeologists presented wall carvings they said tell the story of the fiery New Testament preacher, as well as a stone they believe was used for ceremonial foot washing...$LABEL$0 +Venezuela's Chavez Wins Recall Referendum (Reuters) Reuters - Venezuela's left-wing\President Hugo Chavez won a recall referendum on his divisive\rule in a vote backed on Monday by international observers who\found no ""element of fraud.$LABEL$2 +Private Firms to Buy Intelsat for \$3 Bln PARIS (Reuters) - Four private equity firms plan to buy Bermuda-based Intelsat for about \$3 billion, the world's second-largest satellite operator said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Biometric ID System Said to Delay Venezuela Recall By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The high-tech thumbprint devices were meant to keep people from voting more than once in the recall ballot against President Hugo Chavez. Instead, they often wound up working fitfully - even when Chavez himself voted - contributing to huge delays in Sunday's historic referendum...$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Emergency Aid Set Up in Florida (AP) AP - More than 76,000 meals and snacks have been served to hurricane-ravaged counties in Florida, with thousands more available from federal, local and private agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Taco Bell's Blue Dew Pepsi pushes a blue version of Mountain Dew only at Taco Bell. Is this a winning strategy?$LABEL$2 +Playlist magazine announced; first issue this month (MacCentral) MacCentral - Mac Publishing LLC, the publishers of Macworld magazine on Monday announced Playlist, a new digital music magazine for Mac and Windows users. The new magazine, which will be newsstand-only, will be available on August 24, 2004.$LABEL$3 +Traders Bet on Oracle's PeopleSoft Bid (Reuters) Reuters - Options traders have been\building bullish positions in PeopleSoft Inc. (PSFT.O) as\investors bet a federal judge will approve Oracle Corp.'s\hostile takeover bid of the business software maker, traders\said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Thorpe Beats Phelps as U.S. Suffers Gold Gap ATHENS (Reuters) - Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe beat arch-rival Michael Phelps in the men's 200-meter freestyle on Monday as the United States trailed China, Australia and Japan in the medals table on day three of the Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +Iran Calls for U.N. Intervention in Iraq (AP) AP - Iran and Saudi Arabia called Monday for the United Nations to intervene in Iraq to stop the fighting between U.S. forces and Shhite militants hiding in the holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Congolese Massacre Victims in Burundi Mourned GATUMBA, Burundi (Reuters) - Mourners covered their faces to block the smell of disinfectant and death Monday as they buried more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees burned, hacked and shot in an attack on their camp in western Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Executive Compensation Post staff writer David Hilzenrath and editor Mike Flagg discuss which local executives have the sweetest deals.$LABEL$2 +Kmart: Retail or Real Estate? Lately, the company's retail operation has been lagging behind sales of its locations.$LABEL$2 +RSS gets down to business Calendar application is one of the first non-blogging uses of the standard.$LABEL$3 +Motorola and HP in Linux tie-up Motorola plans first use of the open-source software in the core of next-generation cell phone networks.$LABEL$3 +Singh Growing Hall of Fame Credentials (AP) AP - An official from the World Golf Hall of Fame joined a casual conversation last year about players on the verge of election, and someone mentioned Vijay Singh.$LABEL$1 +Reality TV under fire in Portugal following 'Big Brother' suicide bid (AFP) AFP - Reality television programs were under renewed fire in Portugal after the winner of the nation's first edition of the popular ""Big Brother"" series threatened to throw himself from a bridge over the weekend.$LABEL$0 +2 Kidnapped in Iraq, 2 Others Freed (AP) AP - Armed assailants attacked a convoy of Turkish trucks delivering supplies to U.S. forces in Iraq and took two Turkish drivers hostage, their company said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Conference in Najaf Peace Bid; Oil Well Ablaze BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen battled in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf Monday, just hours after political and religious leaders in Baghdad agreed to make a last-ditch appeal for peace.$LABEL$0 +Equity Firms to Buy Intelsat for \$3.1 Bln PARIS (Reuters) - Intelsat is to be sold to four private equity firms for \$3.1 billion, the world's second-largest satellite operator said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Halliburton: Army to Give Company More Time to Resolve Billing Dispute Halliburton said Monday the U.S. Army had decided to give the company more time to resolve a billing dispute before withholding payment of up to 15 percent of the company's bills in Iraq and Kuwait.$LABEL$2 +Md. Field Dig May Reach Back 16,000 Years (AP) AP - Robert D. Wall is too careful a scientist to say he's on the verge of a sensational discovery.$LABEL$3 +Former Super Flyweight Champion Quiroga Found Dead SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight champion Robert Quiroga was killed early Monday, police said.$LABEL$1 +Olympics: Thorpe Wins 'Race of the Century' ATHENS (Reuters) - Australia's Ian Thorpe won the gold medal in the men's 200 meters freestyle, dubbed the ""race of the century,"" at the Athens Olympics on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Sysco Profit Rises; Sales Volume Flat CHICAGO (Reuters) - Sysco Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SYY.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SYY.N</A>, the largest U.S. distributor of food to restaurants and hospitals, on Monday said quarterly profit rose as an extra week in the period and cost control measures helped offset the higher food prices that were slowing demand.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft details XP SP2 conflicts Microsoft Corp. has published a list of nearly 50 applications and games that may not work correctly after installing Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP.$LABEL$3 +Kobe Bryant Rape Trial Looks Set to Go Ahead (Reuters) Reuters - The trial in the Kobe Bryant rape\case looked set to go ahead later this month after the state's\highest court ruled against prosecutors on Monday over a key\piece of evidence in the high-profile case.$LABEL$1 +White Sox Manager Suspended Two Games (AP) AP - Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was suspended Monday for two games and fined an undisclosed amount for arguing with umpires during an Aug. 9 game against Cleveland.$LABEL$1 +Kobe Bryant Rape Trial Looks Set to Go Ahead EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - The trial in the Kobe Bryant rape case looked set to go ahead later this month after the state's highest court ruled against prosecutors on Monday over a key piece of evidence in the high-profile case.$LABEL$1 +Lufthansa to levy 'temporary' fuel surcharge (AFP) AFP - German carrier Lufthansa said it would levy a temporary fuel surcharge on tickets from August 24, in response to the rise in the price of oil.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Al-Yawer Vows Kurd Rebel Crackdown (AP) AP - Iraq's interim president promised on Monday to prevent Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq from launching attacking into Turkey, apparently hoping to avoid a Turkish military response.$LABEL$0 +Japanese Power Company Missed Inspections (AP) AP - The operator of a nuclear power plant where a long-neglected cooling pipe burst and killed four workers last week said Monday that four other pipes at its reactors also went unchecked for years.$LABEL$0 +Bush Announces Plan for Troop Realignment WASHINGTON - Two Army divisions will return to the United States from Germany as part of a global military restructuring that President Bush says will bring up to 70,000 American troops home in the next decade. Pentagon officials said Monday the 1st Armored Division and 1st Infantry Division probably won't start leaving their bases in Germany until 2006 at the earliest...$LABEL$0 +Intel to Delay Product for High-Definition TVs SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In the latest of a series of product delays, Intel Corp. has postponed the launch of a video display chip it had previously planned to introduce by year end, putting off a showdown with Texas Instruments Inc. in the fast-growing market for high-definition television displays.$LABEL$3 +Dust Clears, Mars Bright, Spirit Good One hundred twenty scientists have published their current running tally of results from the Spirit rover. No lakebed evidence has been found yet, but scientists are impressed with the equipment's diagnostic capabilities so far...$LABEL$3 +Despondent Brown: 'I Feel Like a Failure' (AP) AP - Larry Brown was despondent, the head of the U.S. selection committee was defensive, and Allen Iverson was hanging up on callers who asked what went wrong. A day after their first Olympic loss in 16 years, the Americans were experiencing varying degrees of distress.$LABEL$1 +Beach Volleyball: Cook Propels Australia to Win ATHENS (Reuters) - Twice Olympic beach volleyball medallist Natalie Cook helped new team mate Nicole Sanderson battle nerves to propel Australia to a 21-19, 17-21, 17-15 win against China Monday.$LABEL$1 +Ex-Spymasters Want Power for Intel Czar (AP) AP - Three former spymasters told senators Monday that creating a new national intelligence director would be worthless without giving that person authority over the budgets of the nation's spy agencies.$LABEL$0 +Intel to Delay Product for High-Definition TVs (Reuters) Reuters - In the latest of a series of\product delays, Intel Corp. has postponed the launch of a video\display chip it had previously planned to introduce by year\end, putting off a showdown with Texas Instruments Inc. in the\fast-growing market for high-definition television displays.$LABEL$3 +Most Japanese Women Shun Birth Control Pill By AIKO HAYASHI TOKYO (AP) -- Five years ago Japanese women's rights advocates won their battle to legalize the birth control pill. Now they are waging an even tougher fight - getting women to use it...$LABEL$3 +Oracle updates CRM sales tools Software maker promises that the sales force automation revamp will help sales processes by pulling in more data.$LABEL$3 +Germans Wary of U.S. Troop Withdrawal (AP) AP - German officials voiced concern Monday that their country has the most to lose with President Bush's announcement that tens of thousands of troops will return to the United States over the next decade.$LABEL$0 +Scientists Work on Cure for Mysterious Nerve Disease By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dr. Douglas Kerr painstakingly collected spinal fluid from hundreds of patients with a mysterious disease that can paralyze within hours of attacking - and thinks he may have found a way to fight back...$LABEL$3 +Reds' Griffey Jr. Has Hamstring Surgery (AP) AP - All-Star outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. had surgery Monday to repair his torn right hamstring and is expected to return for spring training.$LABEL$1 +Lightning Reacquire Prospal From Ducks (AP) AP - Vaclav Prospal is returning to the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and will likely take the spot of forward Cory Stillman, who replaced him a year ago.$LABEL$1 +Treasuries Fall as Oil Retreats (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury debt prices fell on\Monday as investors focused on a pullback in oil prices from\record highs and largely shrugged off dismal results from a\regional manufacturing survey.$LABEL$2 +Product Previews, 8/16/2004 Novell brings updated kernel to enterprise LinuxTimed to coincide with this years linuxworld expo, Novell has announced SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9. Though Novells SuSE division has marketed a commercial Linux distribution based on the v2.6 kernel, this is the first to be granted the more stringently qualified enterprise designation. Besides kernel-level improvements and the usual collection of updated software packages, this release offers improved fail-over, clustering, and resource management and comes bundled with Novells ZENworks configuration management software for Linux. The company claims that its AutoBuild system allows it to offer identical configurations for a variety of platforms, including x86 (both 32- and 64-bit), Itanium, IBM POWER, and IBM mainframes. Free evaluation downloads are available now and support subscriptions start at \$349 per dual-CPU server.SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, Novell/SuSE$LABEL$2 +HP's Software Woe Has Bigger Industry Implication (Reuters) Reuters - When Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ.N)\warned of a profit shortfall last week, it blamed problems it\had combining two SAP systems, something that the computer\maker believed would be relatively simple when they were\putting together a deal to buy Compaq two years ago.$LABEL$3 +Mini Could Get Mighty with Speakers (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - iPod mini users might want to consider ditching their earphones if Altec Lansing's iMmini speaker system lives up to its promise. Based on the same technology and engineering as the original inMotion system, the iMmini can be folded into a convenient carrying shape.$LABEL$3 +HP's Software Woe Has Bigger Industry Implication NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Hewlett-Packard Co. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=HPQ.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">HPQ.N</A> warned of a profit shortfall last week, it blamed problems it had combining two SAP systems, something that the computer maker believed would be relatively simple when they were putting together a deal to buy Compaq two years ago.$LABEL$3 +Exercise -- the Real Fountain of Youth Want to age gracefully? Keep moving. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of chronic disease -- such as heart trouble, diabetes, even cancer -- and keep you feeling and looking younger as you age.$LABEL$3 +Apple's colorful computer plans detailed U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publishes Apple patent for ""chameleon"" cases that change their look.$LABEL$3 +Favre Not Sure He Can Throw Fewer Picks (AP) AP - Brett Favre would love to throw fewer interceptions this season. He's just not sure he can. ""It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and that's never more true than with me,"" said Favre, who was picked off 21 times last season, one less than NFL co-leaders Joey Harrington and Marc Bulger. ""When I roll out to pass, I feel like there's a touchdown waiting.$LABEL$1 +V. Williams, Rubin Lose Venus Williams and Chanda Rubin lose to Li Ting and Sun Tian Tian of China in the first round of the doubles tournament.$LABEL$1 +Veterans Set for Republican Convention (AP) AP - Americans who served in the military will be well represented at the upcoming Republican convention, more so than at last month's Democratic convention or in the U.S. population overall, according to the GOP.$LABEL$0 +Congolese Massacre Victims in Burundi Mourned GATUMBA, Burundi (Reuters) - Mourners covered their faces to block the smell of disinfectant and death on Monday as they buried more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees burned, hacked and shot in an attack on their camp in western Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Americans in Afghan Trial Ask FBI for Documents KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Three Americans standing trial in Afghanistan Monday for imprisoning and torturing Afghans were given a week to provide evidence, which they say was withheld by U.S. authorities, proving that they had official clearance.$LABEL$0 +Insurers: Charley Claims at About \$7 Bln NEW YORK (Reuters) - Insurers are braced to pay out about \$7 billion in claims for devastation caused by Hurricane Charley, making the storm the second most costly after Hurricane Andrew, industry and government officials said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Officials say Linux not a price ploy in Microsoft deal Local government in UK says it didn't use the open-source OS as a bargaining chip; Microsoft was simply best option.$LABEL$3 +High Expectations a New Feeling at Cal (AP) AP - A short walk around the California campus this summer was all Geoff McArthur needed as proof of how much Golden Bears football has changed since his freshman year. A program that won only one game in 2001 and has the longest Rose Bowl drought of any Big Ten or Pac-10 team is finally getting noticed at a school more known for its protests than its passing.$LABEL$1 +GM to Begin Making Cadillacs in China (AP) AP - General Motors said Monday it will start making Cadillacs in China this year, joining a race by foreign luxury car brands to sell to the country's newly rich elite.$LABEL$0 +Champion boxer stabbed to death Former super flyweight boxing champion Robert Quiroga has been stabbed to death in San Antonio, Texas.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Sharply Higher on Dip in Oil Prices NEW YORK - A drop in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's prompted some bargain-hunting on Wall Street, sending stocks sharply higher Monday, with the swing exaggerated by thin late summer trading. The Dow Jones industrials surged more than 120 points higher in late trading...$LABEL$0 +Income Gap Up Over Two Decades, Data Show WASHINGTON - Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less. The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy...$LABEL$0 +Trial Set for Courtney Love in Drug Case BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A trial date has been set for Sept...$LABEL$0 +Carter Endorses Chavez Win in Venezuela CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez survived a referendum to oust him, according to results Monday, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and other election observers urged the opposition to accept the vote, deflating claims of fraud...$LABEL$0 +HP's Livermore opts for 'content free' content <strong>HP World</strong> Booth intro steals show$LABEL$3 +Cubs Pitcher Kerry Wood Loses Appeal (AP) AP - Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood's appeal was rejected Monday and he will begin serving his five-game suspension Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Suspected Militants Kidnap Iraqi Officer-Jazeera (Reuters) Reuters - Suspected militants have kidnapped an\Iraqi intelligence officer in response to the fighting in the\holy city of Najaf, Al Jazeera television reported on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Suspected Militants Kidnap Iraqi Officer-Jazeera DUBAI (Reuters) - Suspected militants have kidnapped an Iraqi intelligence officer in response to the fighting in the holy city of Najaf, Al Jazeera television reported on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Cassini finds new Saturn moons The Cassini-Huygens mission in orbit around Saturn discovers two new moons around the ringed planet.$LABEL$3 +Oracle v. DOJ: Traders bet on Oracle special coverage Assuming Oracle will win its antitrust suit, traders are scooping up PeopleSoft options.$LABEL$3 +Open source on the line roundup \Linux shapes up as a software standard for cell phone networks. Also: California sees security in open source.$LABEL$3 +Defense Could Dominate in the Big Ten (AP) AP - Following a mass exodus of offensive stars and starting quarterbacks, defense could dominate the Big Ten this season.$LABEL$1 +Chinese End Venus's Doubles Bid ATHENS (Reuters) - Venus Williams's bid for a second successive Olympic doubles tennis gold ended on Monday when she and stand-in partner Chanda Rubin lost 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to Chinese eighth seeds Li Ting and Sun Tian Tian in the first round.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Bounce Back as Oil Retreats NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rebounded on Monday as worry about oil prices crunching corporate profits eased when crude retreated from record highs.$LABEL$2 +Google Could Make Its Market Debut Wed. NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. appeared set to start trading on Nasdaq on Wednesday, after the Web's No. 1 search engine asked regulators on Monday for final approval to price its closely watched initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Cassini Finds Two New Saturnian Moons Jet Propulsion Lab -- With eyes sharper than any that have peered at Saturn before, the Cassini spacecraft has uncovered two moons, which may be the smallest bodies so far seen around the ringed planet. The moons are approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) across -- smaller than the city of Boulder, Colorado...$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Japan Sneak Through to Win Men's Team Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Japan revived memories of their glorious gymnastics past when they upstaged favorites China and United States to snatch the Olympic men's team gold for the first time in 28 years Monday.$LABEL$1 +Hundreds feared trapped as floods wreak havoc in southwest England (AFP) AFP - Hundreds of people were feared trapped in southwest England after flash floods left a popular coastal tourist village under water and swept dozens of cars and caravans into the sea.$LABEL$0 +Donsanjh still nixing pharmacare, but premiers plan meeting to refine program (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - In his first public address as federal health minister, Ujjal Dosanjh carefully toed the government line on Monday, saying Ottawa is prepared to invest more money in medicare to reduce waiting times, but not by sponsoring a national pharmacare program demanded by the provinces. But even as he was speaking, Saskatchewan's premier said in Regina that provincial premiers will meet one more time to flesh out the details of the proposed pharmacare program before taking their idea to Prime Minister Paul Martin.$LABEL$0 +Gebrselassie 'may pull out' Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie could miss the Olympic 10,000m because of an Achilles injury.$LABEL$0 +Google Stock Offering Remains on Track (AP) AP - Google Inc.'s stock market debut appeared to be on track for later this week after the Internet search company asked regulators to give final approval of the paperwork required for the sale.$LABEL$3 +Apple hints at colorful computer plans Will the company's next PC look like a Christmas tree? A patent filing sheds some light.$LABEL$3 +CA buys PestPatrol antispyware developer Computer Associates has acquired PestPatrol, a company that markets antispyware software, for an undisclosed sum and plans to incorporate PestPatrol's products into its eTrust Threat Management software suite.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft details conflicts in new XP update Microsoft has published a list of nearly 50 applications -- including developer and backup tools, antivirus software and an FTP client -- that may not work correctly after installing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.$LABEL$3 +Sybase upgrades PowerBuilder, plots RFID move At its annual user conference in Orlando, Sybase Inc. released a new version of its application development tool, outlined plans for an upgrade to its database software and planned to preview a system for tracking RFID data.$LABEL$3 +McAfee to buy Foundstone for \$86M McAfee Inc.'s purchase of Foundstone follows several moves in the past year to focus its product offerings and bolster its standing in the intrusion detection and prevention market.$LABEL$3 +IBM plans fewer U.S. layoffs to compensate for offshoring After internal documents revealed plans to send nearly 5,000 jobs to developing countries over two years, IBM became an easy target for critics of outsourcing. Will limiting layoffs take the sting out of moving these jobs abroad?$LABEL$3 +Confidential Oracle sales data likely to be released U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said sales documents detailing highly confidential information, such as which companies receive discounts on Oracle products and the size of the discounts, are likely to be made public.$LABEL$3 +Sidebar: The nuts and bolts of COM -- Objects, Interfaces and GUIDs A quick course in how some of the most esoteric aspects of COM work.$LABEL$3 +Editor's Picks: The Best of our Web Services Coverage A guide to Computerworld's recent coverage of Web services and service-oriented architectures, including user applications, security issues and predictions.$LABEL$3 +Fun With Web services! Forget those pesky business functions. To learn how Web services work and what you can do with them, check out these useful utilities that tell you who uttered that famous Shakespeare line, for example, or even convert Sao Tome dobras to Malawi kwacha.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Messenger Patches Security Hole Yahoo Messenger Patches Security Hole\\If you logged into Yahoo Messenger today and was taken a back by an automatic security download - don't be scared, it's no virus. Yahoo was only patching up a few holes.\\Yahoo has posted a security patch for a flaw in its instant messaging software that ...$LABEL$3 +Overlooked U.S. Men's Gymnasts Take Silver (AP) AP - Twenty years later, the boys are back on the medal stand. The American men's gymnastics program, long overlooked and often unappreciated, won Olympic silver Monday, capping a four-year rebuilding project to take home a medal for the first time since the boycotted 1984 Games.$LABEL$1 +Phelps Upbeat Despite End of Seven-Gold Dream ATHENS (Reuters) - The dream of emulating Mark Spitz's seven Olympic gold medals is over for Michael Phelps but the American refused to be disappointed after finishing third in the most eagerly-awaited race of the Athens Games Monday.$LABEL$1 +Gold at Last for U.S. Swimmer Coughlin ATHENS (Reuters) - Natalie Coughlin's run of bad luck finally took a turn for the better when she won the gold medal in the women's 100 meters backstroke at the Athens Olympics Monday.$LABEL$1 +Google Could Make Its Market Debut Wed. (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc. appeared set\to start trading on Nasdaq on Wednesday, after the Web's No. 1\search engine asked regulators on Monday for final approval to\price its closely watched initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Husky Energy signs seventh contract with China National Offshore Oil Corp. (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CALGARY (CP) - Husky Energy Inc. has further strengthened its relationship with one of China's major oil companies by signing a new exploration agreement in the South China Sea.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelans Vote to Keep Chavez in Office CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelans overwhelmingly voted to keep President Hugo Chavez in office, dealing a crushing defeat to a splintered opposition and allowing the leftist leader to convert one of the biggest challenges of his presidency into an even broader mandate to carry on his ""revolution for the poor."" Stunned opposition leaders, who have fought for years to oust Chavez, claimed fraud after results announced Monday by election officials showed nearly 60 percent of voters had said ""no"" to the question of whether he should leave office immediately. But former President Jimmy Carter and the Organization of American States endorsed the results of Sunday's vote, which saw one of the biggest turnouts in Venezuela's history, and urged everybody to accept the outcome...$LABEL$0 +Dow Closes Up 129 As Oil Prices Drop NEW YORK - A drop in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's helped send stocks sharply higher Monday on Wall Street, with the swing exaggerated by thin late summer trading. The Dow Jones industrials surged nearly 130 points...$LABEL$0 +Lowe's Net Income Up 18 Percent ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LOW.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">LOW.N</A>, the world's second largest home improvement retailer, on Monday reported an 18 percent increase in second-quarter net income and said earnings for the rest of the year would top analysts' estimates.$LABEL$2 +Heat Waves to Worsen Across America, Europe - Study (Reuters) Reuters - Heat waves like those that have hit\Paris and Chicago in recent years are likely to get worse,\roasting more and more cities with ever-higher temperatures,\climate researchers predicted on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Thorpe Wins Men's 200 Freestyle Australia's Ian Thorpe soared past Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands to win the most anticipated race of the Olympics. Michael Phelps finished third.$LABEL$1 +Outfielder Shane Spencer Rejoins Yankees Recently released outfielder Shane Spencer rejoined the Yankees on Monday, signing a minor league contract after working out at their spring training complex.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Ryder Cup Team Roster Set Going with experience, Hal Sutton named Jay Haas and Stewart Cink as captain's selections for this year's United States Ryder Cup team.$LABEL$1 +Haitian Rebel Leader Appears for Trial (AP) AP - Jury selection began Monday for a Haitian paramilitary leader convicted in absentia of killing a businessman and ordering a massacre in the early 1990s but is facing the charges again after returning to lead a revolt against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.$LABEL$0 +For US team, the night of decision The women gymnasts are favored to make history and win gold Tuesday - a Wheaties box moment waiting to happen.$LABEL$0 +Ch #225;vez declares referendum victory, but is battle over? With record turnout, Venezuela's president survives a recall vote, but opponents claim fraud.$LABEL$0 +Aid agencies rethink strategy A new report urges humanitarian groups to maintain a local presence in disaster-prone areas.$LABEL$0 +Even Greek grandmas root for the home team In 2000, Greece brought home 13 medals. The Greek Olympic Committee hopes to double that number.$LABEL$0 +IBM seeks dismissal in second part of SCO case SAN FRANCISCO - IBM Corp. is seeking dismissal of a second major component of the lawsuit filed against it last year by Unix vendor The SCO Group Inc., according to court documents filed Friday by IBM. The documents, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, argue that SCO's breach of contract allegations should be dismissed from the lawsuit.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft delays automatic XP SP2 delivery SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp. has pushed back automatic distribution of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to allow business users more time to instruct their machines to skip the update.$LABEL$3 +CA buys PestPatrol antispyware developer WASHINGTON - Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) said Monday it acquired PestPatrol Inc., a firm marketing antispyware software to enterprises, small businesses and individual consumers.$LABEL$3 +Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside The PC market won't grow as fast in 2004 as originally predicted by Gartner Inc. analysts, as concerns about the overall health of the U.S. economy weigh on the market, the market research company said Monday.$LABEL$3 +UN tries to keep up dialogue after Khartoum irked by Darfur criticism (AFP) AFP - The UN envoy to Sudan has tried to ease the pressure on Khartoum after a flurry of indictments of the government's failure to end the crisis in Darfur drew irate reactions from President Omar al-Beshir.$LABEL$0 +Traders Bet Oracle Wins in Antitrust Case CHICAGO/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Options traders have been building bullish positions in PeopleSoft Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PSFT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">PSFT.O</A> as investors bet a federal judge will approve Oracle Corp.'s hostile takeover bid of the business software maker, traders said on Monday.$LABEL$2 +Is Mercury the Incredible Shrinking Planet? MESSENGER Spacecraft May Find Out (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - With a new spacecraft bound for Mercury, that tiny planet nbsp;near the heart of the solar system, researchers are hoping to solve a slew of riddles about the small world.$LABEL$3 +Canadian Ansari X Prize Entrant Takes the Plunge in Test (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A Canadian team of rocketeers has moved one step closer to\launching its own manned spacecraft with the successful parachute drop test of a\crew capsule today.\\ nbsp;\\The backers of Canadian Arrow, a rocket entry in the #36;10 million\Ansari X Prize competition, watched happily as their crew compartment drifted\down into Lake Ontario.\\ nbsp;\\Today totally proves our Canadian Arrow design, said\Geoff Sheerin, leader of the London, Ontario-based Arrows bid for the X Prize.\It went really well and everything worked as it should. ...$LABEL$3 +Only Three Golds - U.S. Misfires in Early Days in Athens ATHENS (Reuters) - Told to avoid inflaming anti-American sentiment, U.S. athletes may have toned down the bravado too much in the early days of the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Krispy Kreme COO Leaves for New Job CHICAGO (Reuters) - Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KKD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KKD.N</A> said on Monday that its chief operating officer is leaving the company for another job, the latest setback for a company that is trying to recover from sluggish sales and an accounting probe.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO statement ready to go Google's planned flotation moves another step closer after the company and its underwriters ask the SEC to declare its registration effective.$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Retreat From a Record High After Chvez Victory Crude oil for delivery next month settled at \$46.05 a barrel, down 53 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after briefly trading at a new high of \$46.91 early in the day.$LABEL$2 +IBM strikes at SCO claims SCO Group's faltering attack on Linux faces another threat as Big Blue files motion seeking dismissal of contract claims.$LABEL$3 +iSCSI gets some respect Having received a renewed boost from those who see it moving out of niche markets, iSCSI (Internet SCSI) may finally be getting some much-needed respect.$LABEL$3 +Beach Volleyball: Australia in with a Shout ATHENS (Reuters) - To prepare for the Olympics, Kerri Pottharst practiced serving with her team mate screaming in her ear.$LABEL$1 +Flash floods force big rescue operation in tourist area of England (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LONDON (AP) - Heavy rain caused flash floods in seaside communities in southwestern England on Monday, and dozens of people were rescued from cars, trees and rooftops by emergency helicopters and lifeboats, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Harkin Calls Cheney Comments 'Cowardly' (AP) AP - Sen. Tom Harkin pushed the name-calling in the presidential race to a new level, calling Vice President Dick Cheney a coward for not serving in Vietnam and cowardly for his criticism of John Kerry.$LABEL$0 +Players Union Challenges Carter's Release (AP) AP - The NFL Players Association has gotten involved in Quincy Carter's release by the Dallas Cowboys.$LABEL$1 +Deadline Looms for Suspects in UK Anti-Terrorism Raids LONDON (Reuters) - British police must charge or release on Tuesday nine men arrested earlier this month in anti-terrorism raids that followed a tipoff from an al Qaeda suspect in Pakistan and security alerts in the United States.$LABEL$0 +Rwanda issues genocide warning Rwanda warns it will intervene to prevent genocide, as more than 150 Tutsi refugees are buried in Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Shell-Led Russia Venture Vows to Protect Rare Whales (Reuters) Reuters - A Royal Dutch/Shell -led group\developing oil and gas fields in the Russian far east moved to\assure worried ecologists on Friday it is doing all it can to\protect rare gray whales living in the coastal waters.$LABEL$3 +Hurricane Victims Wait for Food and Water PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Driven from splintered trailers, roofless condos and powerless suburban homes, Hurricane Charley's hungry victims sweated through long lines Monday to find food, showers and drinking water three days after the storm left their lives in shambles...$LABEL$0 +Players Union Challenges Carter's Release The NFL Players Association has gotten involved in Quincy Carter's release by the Dallas Cowboys. The union filed a grievance over the release Aug...$LABEL$0 +League-Leading Galaxy Fires Coach (AP) AP - The Los Angeles Galaxy fired coach Sigi Schmid on Monday despite leading Major League Soccer with 34 points.$LABEL$1 +Alcatel hopes security will get users to switch European telecom equipment maker looks to push into corporate switching, a market long dominated by Cisco.$LABEL$3 +Google Could Make Market Debut Wednesday NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. appeared set to start trading on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, after the Web's No. 1 search engine asked regulators for final approval to price its closely watched initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +China Mobile Suspends Sohu for Spamming Customers (Reuters) Reuters - Chinese Internet company Sohu.com\(SOHU.O) on Friday said China Mobile (CHL.N) had suspended Sohu\as a supplier of mobile phone picture services for one year for\unsolicited marketing to some customers.$LABEL$3 +Group to Propose New High-Speed Wireless Format LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of technology companies including Texas Instruments Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=TXN.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">TXN.N</A>, STMicroelectronics <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=STM.PA qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">STM.PA</A> and Broadcom Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=BRCM.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">BRCM.O</A>, on Thursday said they will propose a new wireless networking standard up to 10 times the speed of the current generation.$LABEL$3 +Thorpe Reigns Supreme in Athens Pool, Phelps Grabs Bronze ATHENS (Reuters) - Ian Thorpe became Australia's greatest Olympian and staked a claim to being the best swimmer of his generation when he won ""the race of the century"" at Athens on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Probe into rising ocean acidity The Royal Society launches a scientific investigation into the rising acidity of the Earth's oceans.$LABEL$3 +New bird spotted in Philippines A bird species new to science has been found by researchers on a remote island in the northern Philippines.$LABEL$3 +WholeSecurity program targets fraud sites Tool that identifies Web sites pretending to be connected to banks, eBay, etc., could help leave phishing scammers dead in the water.$LABEL$3 + #147;Generic Superheroes #148; Scripted, produced, cast, costumed, shot, edited and vigorously promoted by Darren Brandl, #147;Generic Superheroes, #148; a 35-minute comedic-action-adventure parody, makes full use of both Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack. #147;Every costume, #148; says the recent high school graduate proudly, #147;was made of 100 percent spandex #133; as any superhero costume should be. #148; Aug 16$LABEL$3 +Celtics Still Waiting to Hear From Payton (AP) AP - Ten days after trading for Gary Payton, the Boston Celtics still have no idea if the nine-time All-Star will ever wear a Celtics' uniform.$LABEL$1 +Russian Supply Craft Docks with Space Station (Reuters) Reuters - A Russian supply ship docked with the\International Space Station on Saturday, delivering food and\fuel to the two astronauts living there, mission control said.$LABEL$3 +A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq (AP) AP - As of Monday, Aug. 16, 935 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the Defense Department. Of those, 697 died as a result of hostile action and 238 died of non-hostile causes.$LABEL$0 +New bird spotted in Philippines A bird species new to science is found by researchers on a remote island in the Philippines.$LABEL$0 +NFL Players Association Files Grievance Over Carter Release (Reuters) Reuters - The NFL Players Association\Monday filed a grievance with the Dallas Cowboys over the\recent release of quarterback Quincy Carter, claiming the\organization was in violation of the league's collective\bargaining agreement.$LABEL$1 +NFL Players Association Files Grievance Over Carter Release WASHINGTON (Sports Network) - The NFL Players Association Monday filed a grievance with the Dallas Cowboys over the recent release of quarterback Quincy Carter, claiming the organization was in violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement.$LABEL$1 +Chavez Survives Recall, Vows to Deepen Revolution CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez easily won a referendum on his rule and on Monday offered to open a dialogue with opponents while also vowing to intensify the reforms at the heart of the nation's political conflict.$LABEL$0 +3Com partners with wireless switch start-up 3Com enters into the wireless switch market through a partnership with start-up Trapeze Networks.$LABEL$3 +SEC Opens Inquiry Into Google Stock Issue (AP) AP - In another twist to Google Inc.'s public stock offering, the Internet search company said federal regulators have opened an informal inquiry into its failure to register millions of shares.$LABEL$3 +NASA Identifies Foam Flaw That Killed Astronauts (Reuters) Reuters - The foam that struck the space\shuttle Columbia after liftoff and led to the deaths of all\seven astronauts on board was defective, NASA said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Catching 'phishers' a WholeSecurity sport Tool that identifies sites pretending to be connected to banks, eBay and more could help leave ""phishing"" scammers dead in the water.$LABEL$3 +Lankford Accepts Minor League Assignment (AP) AP - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ray Lankford accepted a minor league assignment to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, nine days after leaving the team to consider his career options.$LABEL$1 +FBI Tracks Potential GOP Protesters (AP) AP - With the Republican National Convention less than two weeks away, federal agents and city police are keeping tabs on activists and others they believe might try to cause trouble. They are making unannounced visits to people's homes, conducting interviews and monitoring Web sites and meetings.$LABEL$0 +Bush Announces Plan for Troop Realignment (AP) AP - President Bush's plan to restructure U.S. military forces abroad includes bringing two Army divisions home from Cold War-era bases in Germany, and increasing the U.S. presence at bases in countries like Poland, Romania and Uzbekistan, Pentagon officials said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Interior Will Delay Some Energy Projects (AP) AP - The Interior Department said Monday it will begin delaying some new oil and gas drilling projects until the effects on wildlife are studied more thoroughly.$LABEL$3 +Second hat in ring for faster Wi-Fi standard A second consortium puts in a bid for the faster 802.11n spec. But don't expect a battle over formats.$LABEL$3 +3Com partners with wireless-switch upstart 3Com enters into the wireless-switch market through a partnership with start-up Trapeze Networks.$LABEL$3 +Interwoven scoops up records management company ECM (enterprise content management) company Interwoven on Monday announced the acquisition of Software Intelligence, a maker of records management technology, for \$2 million in cash and stock.$LABEL$3 +Thorpedo Sinks Phelps' Shot at Spitz Mark ATHENS, Greece - The kid couldn't catch the Thorpedo - and he won't be catching Mark Spitz, either. Michael Phelps' quest for seven gold medals ended after just three events, doomed by another bronze Monday night in the most anticipated race at the Olympic pool - the head-to-head showdown with Australia's Ian Thorpe in the 200-meter freestyle...$LABEL$0 +SEC Opens Inquiry Into Google Stock Issue SAN FRANCISCO - In another twist to Google Inc.'s public stock offering, the Internet search company said federal regulators have opened an informal inquiry into its failure to register millions of shares. In a regulatory filing Monday, Google said it ""understands"" the inquiry was opened by the Securities and Exchange Commission...$LABEL$0 +Nortel Says Canada Plans Accounting Probe SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.N</A> <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> said on Monday the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the company it will begin a criminal investigation into Nortel's financial accounting.$LABEL$2 +Brazil Starts to Crack Down on Counterfeit Goods Brazil stands to lose billions of dollars in trade benefits from the United States if it does not prove by the end of September that it is making progress in combating copyright piracy.$LABEL$2 +AP: Israel Cave Linked to John the Baptist (AP) AP - Archaeologists think they've found a cave where John the Baptist baptized many of his followers #151; basing their theory on thousands of shards from ritual jugs, a stone used for foot cleansing and wall carvings telling the story of the biblical preacher.$LABEL$3 +Blind Students to Launch NASA Rocket (AP) AP - A dozen blind students from across the United States are at a summer camp this week working on a project most don't associate with the visually impaired #151; launching a NASA rocket.$LABEL$3 +NFL Players Union Files Carter Grievance (AP) AP - The NFL Players Association filed a grievance Monday against the Dallas Cowboys on behalf of Quincy Carter, claiming the quarterback was released by the team for reasons not permitted in the NFL collective bargaining agreement.$LABEL$1 +Mientkiewicz Starts at Second for BoSox (AP) AP - Former Gold Glove first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz got a rough introduction in his first career start at second base.$LABEL$1 +Thorpedo Sinks Phelps' Shot at Spitz Mark (AP) AP - The kid couldn't catch the Thorpedo #151; and he won't be catching Mark Spitz, either. Michael Phelps' quest for seven gold medals ended after just three events, doomed by another bronze Monday night in the most anticipated race at the Olympic pool #151; the head-to-head showdown with Australia's Ian Thorpe in the 200-meter freestyle.$LABEL$1 +Venezuelans Vote to Keep Chavez in Office (AP) AP - Venezuelans overwhelmingly voted to keep President Hugo Chavez in office, dealing a crushing defeat to a splintered opposition and allowing the leftist leader to convert one of the biggest challenges of his presidency into an even broader mandate to carry on his ""revolution for the poor.$LABEL$0 +Edwards Vows Economic Aid for Heartland (AP) AP - Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards promised Monday to deliver high-speed Internet access and more money for people to start businesses in rural areas.$LABEL$0 +Chavez Survives Recall, Vows to Deepen Revolution (Reuters) Reuters - Venezuela's left-wing\President, Hugo Chavez, easily won a referendum on his rule and\on Monday offered to open a dialogue with opponents, while\vowing to intensify the reforms at the heart of the nation's\political conflict.$LABEL$0 +Many engineers lack even a four-year degree About 40 percent of U.S. workers in computer and math science have just a high school diploma or associate degree, according to a new report.$LABEL$3 +British researchers trace John Kerry's family back to European royalty (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LONDON (AP) - Senator John Kerry has blue blood from all the royal houses of Europe, with even more titled relations than President George W. Bush, Burke's Peerage said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Chavez's Victory Garners Int'l Approval (AP) AP - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won international approval from supporters and detractors alike Monday on his decisive referendum victory over opponents trying to oust him.$LABEL$0 +Giants' Nen Still Hoping to Pitch in 2005 (AP) AP - It's approaching two years since Robb Nen last pitched in the majors, but he still believes he can do it again #151; despite his troublesome right shoulder.$LABEL$1 +Haas and Cink Named as U.S. Ryder Cup Wildcards MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (Reuters) - U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, opting for form and experience, selected Jay Haas and Stewart Cink as his wildcard picks for next month's match against Europe.$LABEL$1 +Venezuela Votes by Large Margin to Retain Chvez An opposition movement refused to accept the results, raising prospects for more turmoil in the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.$LABEL$0 +Airline Looks to Delay Its Pension Payments In an effort to conserve cash, financially ailing US Airways Group Inc. said Monday that it plans to ask the Internal Revenue Service for permission to delay payments into the pension plans of two of its employee groups.$LABEL$2 +McDonald's Goes for Gold For a four-year investment estimated at \$65 million, McDonald's has been designated the Official Restaurant of the 2004 Olympic Games.$LABEL$2 +Auction for Shares In Google's IPO May End Today (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Google Inc.'s initial public offering took a major step forward as the company notified investors that today may be their last chance to submit, withdraw or change bids in the unusual #36;3 billion electronic auction for stock in the Internet giant.$LABEL$3 +Four Firms Buy Intelsat Intelsat Ltd., the pioneering commercial satellite company that connected the world through global television and telephone communications, announced Monday its sale to a group of private investors for \$3 billion in cash. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Auction for Shares in Google's IPO May End Google Inc.'s initial public offering took a major step forward as the company notified investors that Tuesday may be their last chance to submit, withdraw or change bids in the unusual \$3 billion electronic auction for stock in the Internet giant. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +BioVeris Files Delayed Annual Report BioVeris Corp. filed its delayed annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday, only days before a scheduled hearing by the Nasdaq Stock Market on whether to delist the Gaithersburg biotechnology company for failing to report earnings. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Background Investigation Shortfall Sends ManTech to a Loss Despite an increase in revenue, ManTech International Corp. swung to a loss during its second quarter when a contract to conduct background investigations for the Department of Defense turned out to be far less lucrative than previously expected.$LABEL$3 +Athletics Win to Hang on to AL West Lead (AP) AP - Mark Redman pitched eight innings of six-hit ball, and the Oakland Athletics used a three-run fifth inning to beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +Nikkei Higher by Midday TOKYO (Reuters) - Gains in banks and exporters helped lift Tokyo's Nikkei 0.84 percent by midday on Tuesday as a fall in crude oil prices and a rebound in U.S. stocks led buyers to pick up shares hit by the index's recent sharp losses.$LABEL$2 +Hewitt, Sluiter, Muller Win at Legg Mason (AP) AP - Lleyton Hewitt breezed to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kenneth Carlsen Monday night in the first round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.$LABEL$1 +Ivan Hlinka, 54, Czech Coach of Gold Medal Hockey Team, Dies Ivan Hlinka coached the Czech Republic to the hockey gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and became the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins two years later.$LABEL$1 +The Geisha Stylist Who Let His Hair Down Here in the Gion geisha district of Japan's ancient capital, even one bad hair day can cost a girl her career. So it is no wonder that Tetsuo Ishihara is the man with the most popular hands in town.$LABEL$0 +Hard-Hit Havana Still Short of Water City workers distributed water in tank trucks Monday and urged about 1.4 million residents of the Cuban capital who had no running water to remain calm, four days after Hurricane Charley roared through the area.$LABEL$0 +Syrian Court Releases Rights Activist on Bail A Syrian court has released on bail a human rights activist charged with tarnishing the country's image but considered by advocacy groups to be a prisoner of conscience, one of his attorneys said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi peace team to go to Najaf An Iraqi delegation is going to Najaf to try to end a stand-off between US-led forces and Shia militants.$LABEL$0 +Seahawks Defeat Packers 21-3 in Preseason (AP) AP - Fourth-string quarterback Seneca Wallace led Seattle on two touchdown drives and the Seahawks took advantage of Tim Couch's dismal debut for Green Bay in a 21-3 exhibition victory over the Packers on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +China Tests New Guided Missile Amid Taiwan Tensions BEIJING (Reuters) - China has successfully tested a new guided missile it says is highly accurate, state media said on Tuesday amid rising tensions with arch-rival Taiwan.$LABEL$0 +New York City Lowering Its Sights for a Convention Boom With the Republican National Convention just two weeks away, signs are pointing to a modest economic boost for few businesses.$LABEL$0 +Streaking Rangers Hold Off Indians 5-2 (AP) AP - Brian Jordan hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to four games with a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +Suspect Admits Jewish Graves Desecration (AP) AP - An unemployed man was arrested Monday in connection with the desecration of a Jewish cemetery earlier this month and an attack on a Muslim, judicial officials said.$LABEL$0 +Hospitalised woman in Vietnam tests positive for bird flu (AFP) AFP - A 19-year-old woman hospitalised in Vietnam has tested positive for the lethal strain of bird flu that has killed 27 people across Asia this year, including 19 in the communist nation, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Rises by Midday TOKYO (Reuters) - Gains in banks and exporters helped lift Tokyo's Nikkei average 0.84 percent by midday on Tuesday as a fall in crude oil prices and a rebound in U.S. stocks led buyers to pick up shares hit by the index's recent sharp losses.$LABEL$2 +Braves' Chipper Jones Hits 300th Homer (AP) AP - Chipper Jones hit his 300th career home run on Monday night, connecting in the Atlanta Braves' game at San Diego.$LABEL$1 +Nikkei Rises by Midday (Reuters) Reuters - Gains in banks and exporters helped lift\Tokyo's Nikkei average 0.84 percent by midday on Tuesday as a\fall in crude oil prices and a rebound in U.S. stocks led\buyers to pick up shares hit by the index's recent sharp\losses.$LABEL$0 +A Texan's Race for the House That Could Lead to the F.C.C. A Republican running for Congress has received heavy donations from industry because of expectations over posts she may receive if she loses and President Bush wins.$LABEL$2 +A New Campaign for Viagra Viagra, which has long taken a staid marketing approach, will join its fast-growing competitors in taking a sly, devil-may-care tack.$LABEL$2 +Halliburton Has More Time to Verify Costs The U.S. Army had granted Halliburton a third extension to substantiate its costs in Iraq and Kuwait.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Delays Automatic Win XP Updates Business users can postpone SP2 installation to complete testing its effect on other programs.$LABEL$3 +A's Quiet Orioles The streaking O's lose for only the third time in 14 games as A's starting pitcher Mark Redman pitches eight strong innings to tame the Orioles, 3-1, on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +Harris Takes the Field Cornerback Walt Harris suits up for his first full practice as a Redskin on Monday after missing minicamp and the first two weeks of training camp.$LABEL$1 +QBs Grab Spotlight Chris Simms, the Buccaneers second-year pro competing for Tampa Bay's No. 2 job, completed 12 of 15 passes for 110 yards to help the Bucs to a 20-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Seahawks Stuff Packers Fourth-string quarterback Seneca Wallace led Seattle on two touchdown drives as the Seahawks defeated the Packers, 21-3, on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +Full Disclosure Ordered The NFL told its coaches Monday that they must be more specific in reporting injuries to players, saying the current wording of the policy ""invites action that runs counter to our intent.$LABEL$1 +A Texan's Race Could Lead to the F.C.C. A Republican running for Congress has received heavy donations from industry because of expectations over posts she may receive if she loses and President Bush wins.$LABEL$2 +Stocks End Sharply Higher as Oil Prices Drop A pull back in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's prompted new bargain-hunting on Wall Street today.$LABEL$2 +LifePoint to Buy Rival for \$1 Bln LifePoint Hospitals has agreed to acquire rival Province Healthcare for \$1.125 billion in cash and stock to broaden its geographic reach.$LABEL$2 +This Date in Baseball - Aug. 17 (AP) AP - 1904 #151; Jesse Tannehill of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter, beating the Chicago White Sox 6-0.$LABEL$1 +Nation's Charter Schools Lagging Behind, U.S. Test Scores Reveal The findings dealt a blow to supporters of the charter school movement, including the Bush administration.$LABEL$0 +BA set to hold key strike talks British Airways is due to hold important talks with union bosses in a bid to avoid industrial action.$LABEL$2 +Yahoo to Sell Domain Names (AP) AP - Yahoo Inc. plans to start selling Internet domain names Tuesday as part of its expanding services for small businesses.$LABEL$3 +Rival Targets Apple's ITunes Customers (AP) AP - For more than a year, Apple Computers Inc. enjoyed singular success selling songs exclusively to users of its iPod portable music player. Now, it's got rival RealNetworks Inc. trying to lure iTunes customers away.$LABEL$3 +Linux clusters gear up for simulated combat Linux Network scores two military-related deals for Linux clusters.$LABEL$3 +IBM to round out iSeries Power5 server family Big Blue is set to debut the eServer i5 550, an iSeries machine it created to serve midsize businesses.$LABEL$3 +Sides Still Far Apart With two fruitless negotiating sessions behind them and only one month left before an NHL lockout, the league and the players association will return to the bargaining table on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Hezbollah Re-Elects Sheik Hassan Nasrallah (AP) AP - Hezbollah's executive has re-elected Sheik Hassan Nasrallah as leader of the militant Shiite Muslim movement, according to a statement Monday by the party that the United States brands as terrorist.$LABEL$0 +Clashes persist in South Ossetia Heavy fighting is reported in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region after the deaths of two soldiers.$LABEL$0 +Briefly: Linux clusters gear up for simulated combat roundup Plus: Sprint to bake in BlackBerry for businesses...Microsoft ships updated Works...FaceTime pulls in \$16 million.$LABEL$3 +Search Engines and Competitive Research Search engines can tell you a lot about your competition, if you know what to look for. A panel of experts offers tips on profiling your competition.$LABEL$3 +Real launches 'Freedom of Choice Campaign' (MacCentral) MacCentral - RealNetworks will tout its new Windows-only Harmony technology, which allows files from its music store to be played on Apple's iPod, in a series of print, radio and online advertising, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. In addition, Real will hold what it calls the biggest music sale in history selling songs for US #36;0.49 and albums for #36;4.99.$LABEL$3 +Marlins Defeat Dodgers 4-2 (AP) AP - Miguel Cabrera homered and Mike Lowell singled home the go-ahead run, helping the Florida Marlins beat the Dodgers 4-2 on Monday night in Paul Lo Duca's return to Los Angeles.$LABEL$1 +Google Says It's Set to End Stock Auction Google might close the bidding in its auction-style initial public offering late Tuesday, moving it one step away from becoming a publicly traded company.$LABEL$2 +Safety Gap Grows Wider Between S.U.V.'s and Cars People driving or riding in a sport utility vehicle in 2003 were nearly 11 percent more likely to die in an accident than people in cars.$LABEL$2 +China Typhoon Death Toll Rises to 164 (Reuters) Reuters - The worst typhoon to hit China in seven\years killed at least 164 people and another 24 were listed as\missing, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Coke's Heyer to Go, May Join Starwood NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co.'s president and chief operating officer, Steven Heyer, will leave the company on Sept. 1 after missing out on the top job in May, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday, citing an internal memo.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Struggles to Extend Gains TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar struggled to extend gains against the euro in rangebound trade on Tuesday after recovering from multi-week lows on bigger-than-expected capital inflows into the United States.$LABEL$2 +AL Wrap: Redman Helps Athletics Maintain AL West Lead NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mark Redman pitched eight strong innings as the Oakland Athletics clung on to first place in the American League West with a 3-1 road win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Australian opposition pulls ahead in close election race, polls show (AFP) AFP - Australia's opposition has clawed back a potentially election-winning lead, boosted by its insistence on extra protection for cheap prescription medicines, two new polls showed.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Delegation Set for Najaf Peace Bid (Reuters) Reuters - Iraqi political and religious leaders\prepared to go to the holy city of Najaf on Tuesday in a\last-ditch bid to persuade a radical Shi'ite cleric to end a\rebellion that has killed hundreds and rattled oil markets.$LABEL$0 +Indonesia Reduces Jail Sentences of Militants (Reuters) Reuters - Six convicted Indonesian militants\linked to the deadly blasts in Bali in 2002 have received a two\month reduction of their jail sentences by President Megawati\Sukarnoputri, a prison warden said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Delegation Set for Najaf Peace Bid BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi political and religious leaders prepared to go to the holy city of Najaf on Tuesday in a last-ditch bid to persuade a radical Shi'ite cleric to end a rebellion that has killed hundreds and rattled oil markets.$LABEL$0 +NL Wrap: Pujols Drives in Five Runs as Cardinals Rout Reds (Reuters) Reuters - Albert Pujols homered for the fifth\time in the last four games and drove in five runs as the St\Louis Cardinals routed the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in National\League play at Busch Stadium on Monday.$LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Pujols Drives in Five Runs as Cardinals Rout Reds NEW YORK (Reuters) - Albert Pujols homered for the fifth time in the last four games and drove in five runs as the St Louis Cardinals routed the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in National League play at Busch Stadium on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Oil Prices Slip Below \$46; Risks Abound SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell \$1 below record highs on Tuesday as fears over supply disruptions in Venezuela eased after President Hugo Chavez won a vote on his rule.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Stalls Despite Capital Flows TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar barely moved on Tuesday, struggling to sustain a modest bounce from multi-week lows against the euro made on bigger-than-expected capital inflows to the United States.$LABEL$2 +Global Warming Menaces California Wine Industry (Reuters) Reuters - California will become hotter and\drier by the end of the century, menacing the valuable wine and\dairy industries, even if dramatic steps are taken to curb\global warming, researchers said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +New intelligence reform bill may pit US Congress against White House (AFP) AFP - The powerful chairman of the US Senate intelligence committee promised to introduce this week a new intelligence reorganization bill likely to set Congress on a collision course with the White House, which favors an intelligence ""czar"" with vaguely defined powers.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Slip Below #36;46; Risks Abound (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices fell #36;1 below record highs\on Tuesday as fears over supply disruptions in Venezuela eased\after President Hugo Chavez won a vote on his rule.$LABEL$2 +Sprinters' coach confident Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou's coach believes they will be cleared by the IOC.$LABEL$0 +Professor devises climate-based model to predict football sackings (AFP) AFP - The life of a football manager in the English Premiership is frantic, pressured and apt to end in sometimes arbitrary dismissal. But now under-fire bosses can predict when they might face the sack -- using the weather.$LABEL$0 +Tokyo Shares Rise But Oil Worries Weigh SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Japanese shares rebounded from three-month lows on Tuesday but stubbornly high oil prices and concern over their impact on corporate earnings capped gains.$LABEL$2 +Celtics Sign Gugliotta, Wait on Payton (AP) AP - Ten days after trading for Gary Payton, the Boston Celtics still have no idea if the nine-time All-Star will ever wear a Celtics' uniform.$LABEL$1 +Giants Clobber Expos 8-5 (AP) AP - Pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants took over the NL wild-card lead with their fifth straight victory, 8-5 over the Montreal Expos on Monday night.$LABEL$1 +Study: Global Warming Could Change Calif. (AP) AP - Global warming could cause dramatically hotter summers and a depleted snow pack in California, leading to a sharp increase in heat-related deaths and jeopardizing the water supply, according to a study released Monday.$LABEL$3 +EU nations slam Tiger rebels as fresh killings dim Sri Lanka peace hopes (AFP) AFP - European Union nations criticised Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels for killing rivals and recruiting child soldiers, appealing to the guerrillas not to undermine the Island's Norwegian-led peace bid.$LABEL$0 +Storage Services Market Heading To #36;30 Billion (TechWeb) TechWeb - The growth comes as more vendors offer more software to offset the plunge in storage hardware prices.$LABEL$3 +Oracle Releases New CRM Software (TechWeb) TechWeb - Integration of sales and marketing is key to new release.$LABEL$3 +Researchers Find New Species of Bird (AP) AP - Filipino and British wildlife researchers say they've stumbled upon what appears to be a new species of flightless bird found only on the tiny forested island of Calayan in the northern Philippines.$LABEL$3 +Israeli Soldiers Kill Two Gaza Militants (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli soldiers shot and killed two\Palestinian militants near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza\Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.$LABEL$0 +Sharon Approves 1,000 Settlement Homes in W.Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved building tenders for 1,000 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank frozen earlier to avoid upsetting the United States, political sources said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Mass. still a no-go for Geic Geico Corp., the nation's fifth-largest auto insurer, started selling policies in New Jersey yesterday for the first time in 28 years, leaving Massachusetts as the lone state where the company won't do business.$LABEL$2 +Bank of America signs in They served up a giant Bank of America sheet cake, festooned the bank branch with balloons, and dispatched smiling greeters to welcome customers in upstate New York yesterday, as the first FleetBoston Financial Corp. branches formally switched to Bank of America.$LABEL$2 +Stakes high for Windows upgrade Microsoft Corp. has put the finishing touches on one of its biggest software overhauls ever after conceding that its Windows XP operating system -- which runs as many as 300 million computers worldwide -- is susceptible to security breaches.$LABEL$2 +For the record Correction: Because of a reporting error, an article in yesterday's Nation pages incorrectly described a Bush campaign ad's accusation about John Kerry's role on the Senate Intelligence Committee in the 1990s. The ad accuses Kerry of having missed three-quarters of the committee's public hearings.$LABEL$2 +Citizens gets US OK for Charter One buy Federal regulators granted Citizens Financial Group approval for its biggest acquisition to date, Charter One Financial Inc. of Ohio. The Federal Reserve Board said the pending merger likely would have a minimal impact on competition even in markets where the two banks overlap. When the \$10.5 billion acquisition is complete, Citizens will be the 11th-biggest bank in the nation ranked ...$LABEL$2 +Stocks surge amid upbeat outlooks NEW YORK -- A drop in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's helped send stocks sharply higher yesterday, with the swing exaggerated by thin late summer trading. The Dow Jones industrials surged nearly 130 points.$LABEL$2 +Krispy Kreme operating chief quits WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.'s John Tate quit as chief operating officer amid a government probe of the chain's accounting and earnings forecasts.$LABEL$2 +FDA adopts 'lighter touch' on drug imports WASHINGTON -- Federal drug regulators are using a quot;lighter touch quot; in their efforts to stop a growing number of cities and states from importing prescription drugs from Canada, and the City of Boston is taking advantage of that new posture.$LABEL$2 +Power line's cost could grow 40 NEW YORK -- Northeast Utilities , UIL Holdings Corp. , and New England's grid operator have proposed changes to a planned power line in Southwest Connecticut that would increase costs by more than 40 percent.$LABEL$2 +January trial is set for former HealthSouth CEO BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A federal judge has scheduled jury selection in the fraud trial of fired HealthSouth Corp. chief executive Richard Scrushy to begin Jan. 5.$LABEL$2 +Taking a crash course For Doug Mientkiewicz, the hardest part of playing second turned out not to be the double play pivot, fielding ground balls, or applying the tag on a steal. No, it came when he was hit by a 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pound train.$LABEL$1 +Blue Jays hope to go places with Gibbons From Montana to Maine, Puerto Rico to Canada, John Gibbons tagged along wherever the military deemed his father should live. The constant travel gave him a taste of the nomadic life of a baseball manager, his future profession. It also gave him an accent all his own, a Texas twang inflected with tinges of New England.$LABEL$1 +Sox and bonds There are games in which players renew their vows as teammates, and last night's 8-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays was one of them. It may not have been as clear as it was in the Yankee-Red Sox brawl game back in late July, which produced an obvious bond.$LABEL$1 +Ainge is waitin' for Payton During a press conference yesterday, Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge answered his cell phone, turned to the audience of reporters, and said, quot;Hold on, it's Gary Payton. quot; It was an obvious joke, but also wishful thinking.$LABEL$1 +American says US backed his jail KABUL, Afghanistan -- Jonathan Keith Idema, an American accused of running a freelance antiterror operation and private prison in Afghanistan, testified in court yesterday that he could prove US and Afghan authorities were fully aware of his actions, and he accused the FBI of confiscating evidence that would support his contention.$LABEL$0 +Communists condemn whistle-blower BEIJING -- A Communist Party whistle-blower who publicly accused his superiors of tolerating official corruption has been condemned for breaking party rules and ordered to quot;do a complete self-examination, quot; authorities announced.$LABEL$0 +Business economists say terror the biggest risk in US (AFP) AFP - Terrorism poses the biggest short-term threat to the US economy, a panel of top business economists said in a survey.$LABEL$2 +Google market debut draws near Google's market flotation draws a step closer as the firm asks regulators to approve the paperwork.$LABEL$3 +New Ernie machine to make debut The new version of Ernie - the number cruncher which selects premium bond prizes - is to be unveiled on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +EasyMobile faces Orange showdown Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou faces a potential clash with Orange over plans for a mobile phone service.$LABEL$3 +Saudis Use 9-11 Report in U.S Ad Campaign (AP) AP - Stung by criticism about its role in fighting terrorism, Saudi Arabia has launched a radio advertising campaign in 19 U.S. cities citing the Sept. 11 commission report as proof that it has been a loyal ally in the fight against al-Qaida.$LABEL$0 +Mexican Migrant Seeks U.S. Work Visa (AP) AP - Omar Garcia Escobedo's family thought their 25-year-old son had, like so many other migrants seeking work in the United States, drowned trying to cross the treacherous, fast flowing Rio Grande River.$LABEL$0 +Stressed, Depressed Japan Princess May Visit Brunei (Reuters) Reuters - Japan's Crown Princess Masako, who\officials say is suffering from a mental disorder caused by the\stress of adapting to royal life, may emerge from months of\seclusion in September to attend a wedding in the tiny\southeast Asian nation of Brunei, a court official said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Nepal Army on Alert, Hotel Shut After Bombs KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal put its security forces on alert on Tuesday to counter a threat by Maoist guerrillas to blockade the capital, as tourists moved out of a luxury hotel after a bomb blast blamed on the rebels.$LABEL$0 +Motorola Expects Strong Sales Growth SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Motorola Inc., the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it expects to sustain strong sales growth in the second half of 2004 thanks to new handsets with innovative designs and features.$LABEL$2 +Fighting in Western Afghanistan Kills 3 (AP) AP - Fighting between rival factions in western Afghanistan killed three militiamen and injured another seven, officials said Tuesday, despite the presence of government and U.S. troops.$LABEL$0 +Phelps's chase of Spitz mark? It's history This was the event Michael Phelps didn't really need to compete in if his goal was to win eight golds. He probably would have had a better chance somewhere else.$LABEL$1 +US dominance an impossible dream It has come to this: Good thing we're in the easy bracket. The United States men's basketball team is in Pool B, along with Greece, Australia, Lithuania, Angola, and, of course, Puerto Rico, the feisty little brother who enjoyed a pretty big laugh at the expense of Uncle Sam's boys Sunday night. Most of the serious teams are ...$LABEL$1 +Rangers remain in step Brian Jordan hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to four games with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Cleveland Indians last night.$LABEL$1 +Watson holdout ends After an 18-day holdout during which he parted ways with his second agent (IMG's Tom Condon , who replaced Darrell Wills , formerly of IMG but now decertified) and hired a third ( Pat Dye Jr. ), first-round pick Benjamin Watson signed a six-year contract and reported to training camp yesterday.$LABEL$1 +A bit of a head-scratcher In many professional leagues recently, the defending champion has had a smooth start to the season. Mexico proved to be an exception, though, as UNAM Pumas fell to Tecos, 1-0, losing two players and coach Hugo Sanchez to ejections Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Czech hockey coach Hlinka dies after car crash Ivan Hlinka, a former Pittsburgh Penguins coach who led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, died yesterday after being injured in a car crash. He was 54.$LABEL$1 +Bronze is golden to Methuen's Pedro Standing in the snow at a medal celebration at the 2002 Winter Games at Salt Lake City, Jimmy Pedro had a sudden inspiration. He took out his cellphone and called his wife, Marie, back in Methuen, Mass.$LABEL$1 +Greeks get surprise gold in synchronized diving It was a glorious surprise, igniting a party complete with song and dance: The Greeks won the first gold medal of their hometown Olympics with an unexpected victory last night in synchronized diving.$LABEL$1 +McCool not getting off the mat The US women's gymnastics team, which wlll go after Olympic gold tonight, will be doing it without Courtney McCool , whom the coaching staff left off the roster after she had a rough night in Sunday's prelims.$LABEL$1 +Red Sox and Patriots ceremoniously beaten Boston sports fans have a track record. Predictably, we watch the Red Sox, Patriots, and big events. So it gets interesting when they go head to head, as they did Friday night. A look at the ratings confirms that the Olympics qualify as an extremely big event.$LABEL$1 +Today's schedule Pro baseball: Red Sox vs. Toronto at Fenway Park, 7 p.m.; Atlantic League -- Nashua vs. Camden at Holman Stadium, Nashua, 6:30 p.m.; International League -- Pawtucket vs. Buffalo at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, R.I., 7 p.m.; Eastern League: Portland vs. New Britain at Hadlock Field, Portland, Maine, 7 p.m.; Northeast League -- Brockton vs. New Haven at Campanelli Stadium, Brockton, ...$LABEL$1 +Israel to Build New Housing Units (AP) AP - The Israeli government on Tuesday invited construction bids for 1,001 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, an official said, in direct violation of a U.S.-backed peace plan calling for a settlement freeze.$LABEL$0 +Sharon 'backs settlement homes' Reports say Israeli PM Ariel Sharon has given the green light to new homes in West Bank settlements.$LABEL$0 +Oprah to sit on murder trial jury US television host Oprah Winfrey is picked to sit on the jury for a murder trial in her home city of Chicago.$LABEL$0 +Motorola Expects Strong Sales Growth (Reuters) Reuters - Motorola Inc., the world's\second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it expects\to sustain strong sales growth in the second half of 2004\thanks to new handsets with innovative designs and features.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Handling of Helicopter Crash Irks Okinawa (Reuters) Reuters - Cities in Okinawa expressed outrage at\the U.S. military on Tuesday for refusing to allow Japanese\police investigate the wreckage of a Marine helicopter that\crashed in the grounds of a university there last week.$LABEL$0 +Testimony Opens in 9/11 Retrial Case (AP) AP - A witness who knew the Hamburg-based Sept. 11 hijackers outlined the group's hatred of Israel and said its members believed suicide attacks were legitimate as testimony opened Tuesday in the retrial of a Moroccan accused of helping the pilots.$LABEL$0 +Home PCs to get key Windows fix PC owners will be able to download a major security update for Windows XP as from Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Science creates 'own mavericks' Britain's scientific community fuels controversies by shunning colleagues with rebel ideas, research suggests.$LABEL$3 +Ward, Pujols, Jones Put Up Big Numbers (AP) AP - Daryle Ward, Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones had big nights at the plate at the expense of National League pitchers.$LABEL$1 +Olympics: Greeks Dive for Joy, More Gold for Thorpe ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece was plunged in national self-satisfaction on Tuesday after its synchronized divers won the host nation's first gold medal of the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +India agree contracts India players agree central contracts for the first time, with top stars netting a basic salary of 59,000.$LABEL$0 +Mortar Attack in Central Baghdad Kills 5 BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents fired a mortar on a busy street in central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing five people and wounding 30, the Interior Ministry and hospital officials said. Iraqi officials had earlier reported the explosion was a car bomb, but later corrected that account...$LABEL$0 +Oil Slips Below \$46 on Venezuela, Russia LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased on Tuesday as fears of supply disruptions in Venezuela and Russia receded following a convincing referendum victory for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and after Russia's YUKOS said it had received an assurance on September exports.$LABEL$2 +Crack Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux <strong>Site Offer</strong> Save 30 at The Reg Bookshop$LABEL$3 +Burundi Army Says Might Enter Congo After Massacre (Reuters) Reuters - The Burundian army said on Tuesday it\might cross into neighboring Congo to pursue rebels and militia\it blames for massacring 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees at a camp\in western Burundi.$LABEL$0 +New Flightless Bird Species Found Off Philippines (Reuters) Reuters - Scientists have discovered a new\species of flightless bird on a remote island in the\Philippines, the conservation group BirdLife International said\on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Macromedia to bolster video on the Web Macromedia on Tuesday is announcing a video kit to enable users of its authoring tools suite, Macromedia Studio MX 2004 with Flash Professional, to more easily add video to their Web sites.$LABEL$3 +Olympics: China Halfway to Completing Medals Plan ATHENS (Reuters) - China led the Olympic medal race going into the fourth day of competition on Tuesday with 10 golds.$LABEL$1 +NY Seen Steady; Eyes on AMAT, Motorola (Reuters) Reuters - Wall Street was set for a steady start\on Tuesday as crude oil prices eased, with results from chip\group Applied Materials (AMAT.O) and inflation data a focus,\while shares in a bullish Motorola (MOT.N) may rise.$LABEL$0 +Burundi Army Says Might Enter Congo After Massacre BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - The Burundi army said on Tuesday it might cross into neighboring Congo to pursue rebels and militia it blames for massacring 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees at a camp in western Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Home Depot Quarterly Profit Rises (Reuters) Reuters - Home Depot Inc. (HD.N), the world's\largest home improvement retailer, on Tuesday said quarterly\profit rose, topping estimates, as technology upgrades and\other store improvements helped boost sales.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot Quarterly Profit Rises ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A>, the world's largest home improvement retailer, on Tuesday said quarterly profit rose, topping estimates, as technology upgrades and other store improvements helped boost sales.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Mired Near Lows Before U.S. Data LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar hovered near a one-month low against the euro on Tuesday as investors awaited U.S. inflation data later in the day for clues on the future path of interest rates.$LABEL$2 +American Allies Embrace U.S. Military Plan (AP) AP - American allies Japan and Australia embraced a new U.S. plan to restructure its forces abroad, while Russia said it was not concerned by the proposal. But Germany, home to 70,000 U.S. soldiers, said any withdrawal from the former Cold War frontier may hurt its economy.$LABEL$0 +Taiwan Offers Compromise on Direct China Links TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian proposed on Tuesday to define direct transport links with rival China as cross-Strait routes, in a bid to bypass a longstanding political dispute, but Beijing is likely to ignore him.$LABEL$0 +Baghdad Blast Kills Seven, Najaf Fighting Rages BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A shell killed seven people in a busy Baghdad street on Tuesday and U.S. forces fought pitched battles with Shi'ite militia in the holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Oil giant Yukos in plea for time Russian oil giant Yukos is to ask a Moscow court for more time to pay its tax bill.$LABEL$2 +Finance workers in union merger A total of 140,000 members at union Unifi are absorbed into Amicus to create a 'super-union' for UK finance workers.$LABEL$2 +IT managers prescribe holistic security <strong>Reg Reader Studies</strong> But don't swallow own medicine$LABEL$3 +UK gamers rush to snap up Doom 3 The eagerly anticipated Doom 3 has stormed to the top of the UK games charts.$LABEL$3 +Wanted: Sleeping Space for Protesters. Hot Water Optional. The protesters coming to New York are receiving an outpouring of hospitality from scores of people who are opening their homes as temporary, free shelter.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Mired Near Lows Before U.S. Data (Reuters) Reuters - The dollar hovered near a one-month low\against the euro on Tuesday as investors awaited U.S. inflation\data later in the day for clues on the future path of interest\rates.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot Profit Tops Estimates on Sales ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> on Tuesday reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit, topping estimates, as technology upgrades and other store improvements helped boost sales.$LABEL$2 +Warming threatens California wine California is to get hotter and drier by the end of the century, threatening its valuable wine industry.$LABEL$3 +North Korea Talks Still On, China Tells Downer BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea's refusal to take part in working-level talks on the nuclear crisis prompted a diplomatic flurry on Tuesday with China, the host of the talks, at the heart of efforts to keep the process on track.$LABEL$0 +Israel Invites Bids in Construction Plan (AP) AP - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved bids for construction of 1,000 homes in Jewish West Bank settlements after freezing them earlier this month, amid growing friction with the United States over continued settlement expansion.$LABEL$0 +Higher oil prices to trim China's 2004 GDP growth (AFP) AFP - Surging oil prices could moderate China's economy this year as rising costs push inflation higher, hitting corporate profits and consumer pocket books, analysts and state press said.$LABEL$0 +Motorola Expects Strong Sales Growth Motorola Inc., the world's\second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it expects\to sustain strong sales growth in the second half of 2004\thanks to new handsets with innovative designs and features.$LABEL$3 +Soldering Surprise There's nothing routine about working in space, as astronaut Mike Fincke found out recently when he did some soldering onboard the International Space Station.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Gymnasts End Rebuilding With Silver (AP) AP - Twenty years later, the boys are back on the medal stand.$LABEL$1 +Three Members of Bhutto's Party Killed (AP) AP - Unidentified gunmen opened fire on supporters of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's party ahead of a key by-election, killing three people, police said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved building tenders for 1,000 more Israeli settlement homes in the occupied West Bank frozen earlier to avoid upsetting the United States, political sources said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Staples Posts Sharply Higher Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Staples Inc. (SPLS.O), the top U.S.\office products retailer, on Tuesday reported a 39 percent jump\in quarterly profit as a weaker dollar boosted results abroad\and initial back-to-school demand drove sales.$LABEL$2 +Vote now to name BSA's antipiracy weasel <strong>Poll</strong> The Mother of all Mustelid polls$LABEL$3 +Russian Court Rejects Researchers' Appeal (AP) AP - The Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from an arms control researcher who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason in what rights advocates have called a politically motivated case.$LABEL$0 +Blu-ray burns for interactive content Flashy features could tempt consumers--and that tempts Hollywood, which could help Blu-ray beat out a rival technology.$LABEL$3 +Standards battle could shoot both sides in foot Tussle over next-generation DVD format could alienate consumers.\$LABEL$3 +Revealing Hospital Gowns Redesigned PORTLAND, Maine - Whether its blue or spotted or stripped, the standard issue hospital gown is drafty and revealing. It's embarrassing for just about anyone who's spent a night in a medical center...$LABEL$0 +Stocks to Be in a Cautious Mood at Open NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen in a cautious mood at the open Tuesday as investors weigh up the merits of Monday's oil-inspired rally...$LABEL$0 +Hostile Takeover The battle moves to the political arena as Taipei and Beijing wrap up their wargames$LABEL$0 +Giving Back Hope A controversial procedure for injured spines has turned a Beijing hospital into a medical mecca\$LABEL$0 +Home Depot Rises Before the Bell NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares in Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> rose before the opening bell on Tuesday after the world's largest home improvement retailer reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit.$LABEL$2 +BOFH takes a hit from Cupid's arrow <strong>Episode 26</strong> Shall I compare thee to an OS2-free Intel box?$LABEL$3 +Nortel Says Canada Plans Accounting Probe Nortel Networks Corp. said on Monday the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told\the company it will begin a criminal investigation into$LABEL$3 +Two Plead Not Guilty in Hacking Case Two men accused of aiding a Romanian man charged with hacking into the online ordering system of the world's largest computer equipment distributor pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.$LABEL$3 +Rival Targets Apple's ITunes Customers For more than a year, Apple Computers Inc. enjoyed singular success selling songs exclusively to users of its iPod portable music player. Now, it's got rival RealNetworks Inc. trying to lure iTunes customers away.$LABEL$3 +Free-Speech for Online Gambling Ads Sought The operator of a gambling news site on the Internet has asked a federal judge to declare that advertisements in U.S. media for foreign online casinos and sports betting outlets are protected by free-speech rights.$LABEL$3 +US hurricane victims face turmoil Many victims of Florida's worst hurricane for years are still homeless, with no electricity or telephone services.$LABEL$0 +Google seeks OK to sell shares Google has signaled that its share auction is nearly complete, asking the Securities and Exchange Commission for approval to begin selling 25.7 million shares of stock starting late this afternoon.$LABEL$2 +\$1.1b deal to join hospital chains BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- LifePoint Hospitals Inc. , an operator of acute care facilities in rural areas, outlined a deal yesterday to buy rival Province Healthcare Co. for about \$1.1 billion in cash and stock.$LABEL$2 +J.C. Penney Posts Second-Quarter Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Department store operator J.C. Penney\Co. Inc. (JCP.N) on Tuesday posted a second-quarter profit,\reversing a year-earlier loss, helped by inventory controls and\strong department store sales.$LABEL$2 +German investor confidents slides on high oil prices (AFP) AFP - Investor confidence in Germany has declined more sharply than anticipated, a major economic think tank said, as high oil prices put a damper on hopes of a continuation of the nascent recovery.$LABEL$2 +J.C. Penney Posts Second-Quarter Profit NEW YORK (Reuters) - Department store operator J.C. Penney Co. Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JCP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JCP.N</A> on Tuesday posted a second-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, helped by inventory controls and strong department store sales.$LABEL$2 +Staples Profit Up Sharply, to Enter China NEW YORK (Reuters) - Staples Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SPLS.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SPLS.O</A>, the top U.S. office products retailer, on Tuesday reported a 39 percent jump in quarterly profit, raised its full-year forecast and said it plans to enter the fast-growing Chinese market.$LABEL$2 +Estee Lauder Quarterly Profit Climbs CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cosmetics manufacturer Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=EL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">EL.N</A> on Tuesday posted a bigger quarterly profit, bolstered by sales in Europe and an improving U.S. retail market.$LABEL$2 +BJ's Profit Rises; Food, Gas Sales Strong CHICAGO (Reuters) - BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BJ.N</A> on Tuesday posted higher quarterly profit as soaring gasoline prices and strong demand for food boosted sales.$LABEL$2 +PalmOne Unveils SD Wi-Fi Card (PC World) PC World - Tiny 802.11b adapter will work with Zire 72, Tungsten T3 handhelds.$LABEL$3 +Americans Miss Cut In a stunning blow to the U.S., Americans Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak miss the cut in the 100-meter freestyle preliminaries.$LABEL$1 +Twins of the world unite in France (AFP) AFP - A tiny French village in Brittany -- the self proclaimed capital of twin-dom -- has played host to an international gathering of thousands of identical twins, triplets and quadruplets.$LABEL$0 +Developing states to seek voice in fighting terror (Reuters) Reuters - Developing nations launched their annual diplomatic summit on Tuesday with a plea to the United States and other powerful countries to consult them on tackling terror and resolving the Middle East conflict$LABEL$0 +Symantec Upgrades Norton Security Products Revamped Norton AntiVirus, Personal Firewall, and AntiSpam tools fight pests and dangers online.$LABEL$3 +Afghan president gains backing of militia commanders ahead of polls (AFP) AFP - A lieutenant of powerful northern warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostam pledged to back incumbent Hamid Karzai in the upcoming presidential vote and said 149 other military commanders would join him.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi Delegation Flies to Najaf in Peace Bid BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A delegation of Iraqi political and religious leaders flew out of Baghdad on U.S. military helicopters Tuesday, heading for Najaf in a bid to end a bloody Shi'ite uprising, delegates said.$LABEL$0 +U.S. to Give Cuba #36;50,000 Hurricane Aid (AP) AP - Cubans hit hard by hurricane Charley will receive #36;50,000 in U.S. assistance, the State Department said Friday.$LABEL$0 +Euro industrial production slows Industrial production in the eurozone \falls by 0.4 in June from May, with Germany registering the biggest fall.$LABEL$2 +German welfare rallies escalate Eastern Germany sees more mass protests over welfare cuts, with smaller rallies in western cities.$LABEL$2 +Ice yields ancient 'plant matter' Scientists drilling ice cores in Greenland have recovered what appear to be plant remains from nearly 3km (two miles) below the surface.$LABEL$3 +Many engineers lack a four-year degree The news comes as some observers warn that the United States needs to focus more on training scientists and engineers.$LABEL$3 +AMD begins shipments of Oakville mobile chips Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) has begun shipping commercial versions of its Athlon 64 processors made using a 90-nanometer process, marking another step forward in the company's transition to the more advanced manufacturing technology.$LABEL$3 +Google seeks to end auction Tuesday Google Inc. wants to conclude its share auction Tuesday, setting the stage for its stock to go public Wednesday, according to a statement on its IPO (initial public offering) Web site.$LABEL$3 +Germany Shaken by U.S. Plans to Withdraw Troops BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government said on Tuesday U.S. plans to pull out 30,000 troops were a sign of Europe's divisions being healed, but communities hit by the decision warned they were headed for economic disaster.$LABEL$0 +Americans Miss Cut in 100-Meter Freestyle ATHENS, Greece - Top American sprinters Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker missed the cut in the Olympic 100-meter freestyle preliminaries Tuesday, a stunning blow for a country that had always done well in the event. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Australian Ian Thorpe advanced to the evening semifinal a day after dueling teenager Michael Phelps in the 200 freestyle, won by Thorpe...$LABEL$0 +790,000 Still Have No Power in Florida PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - About 790,000 people remain without power in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, and officials estimate it could take weeks to get electricity fully restored...$LABEL$0 +'Boots' Takes Gold at the Ferret Olympics SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - While world-class athletes were grunting and groaning on the other side of the Atlantic Sunday, ""Boots"" went for the gold here in his own way...$LABEL$0 +Saks Posts Wider Second-Quarter Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Saks Inc. (SKS.N) on Tuesday posted a\wider quarterly loss as poor sales at its lower-priced\department stores outweighed a strong performance at its Saks\Fifth Avenue luxury chain.$LABEL$2 +July Consumer Prices Drop, Energy Tumbles WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in energy costs reversed, the government said on Tuesday in a report showing underlying inflation pressures largely in check.$LABEL$2 +Housing Starts Rebound Sharply in July WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts rebounded sharply in July, making up almost all the ground lost in a June slump by posting their largest monthly percentage gain since September 2002, a report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday showed.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot, Motorola Rise Before Bell NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> rose before the opening bell on Tuesday after the world's largest home improvement retailer reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit.$LABEL$2 +Researchers Develop Method to Find Algae (AP) AP - Marine researchers are hoping to prevent tides of destructive algae from killing fish and fouling beaches through early detection of the microscopic organisms.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Brokers Cease-fire in Western Afghanistan KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has brokered a cease-fire between a renegade Afghan militia leader and the embattled governor of the western province of Herat, Washington's envoy to Kabul said Tuesday. ""Our expectation is that the agreement that has been made will be honored,"" said ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, adding that the cease-fire was due to take effect at 4 p.m.$LABEL$0 +Football: Liverpool sign Nunez Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez seals the signing of Antonio Nunez from Real Madrid.$LABEL$0 +July Consumer Prices Drop, Energy Tumbles (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July\for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in energy\costs reversed, the government said on Tuesday in a report\showing underlying inflation pressures largely in check.$LABEL$2 +Housing Starts Rebound Sharply in July (Reuters) Reuters - Housing starts rebounded sharply in\July, making up almost all the ground lost in a June slump by\posting their largest monthly percentage gain since September\2002, a report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday showed.$LABEL$2 +Consumer Prices Dip in July Consumer prices, which have been buffeted this year by soaring energy costs, fell by 0.1 percent in July as gasoline costs posted their biggest decline in eight months, the government reported Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Groups: Ill. Butterfly Population Falling (AP) AP - The number of butterflies fluttering around the Chicago area has dropped dramatically this summer, experts and enthusiasts say.$LABEL$3 +Rescue workers comb storm-hit Cornish village after flash flood horror (AFP) AFP - Rescue workers combed a coastal village in north Cornwall for missing persons after a flash flood sent a wall of water tearing through the picturesque tourist spot the day before.$LABEL$0 +Vietnam Hosts Investment Conference (AP) AP - Hoping to boost business ties with Singapore, Vietnam's prime minister opened a forum here Tuesday with promises of economic reform and continued growth.$LABEL$0 +Auto Retailer CarMax Cuts Profit Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Auto retailer CarMax Inc. (KMX.N) on\Tuesday said it was cutting its second-quarter earnings\forecast due to slower-than-expected used-car sales.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Set to Open Up After Reports NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were set to open higher on Tuesday after an economic report showed U.S. consumer prices dropped in July for the first time in eight months and another report said U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in July.$LABEL$2 +Treasuries Edge Ahead on Inflation Relief NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury debt prices firmed on Tuesday after a key reading of U.S. inflation proved softer-than-expected, a relief to investors in fixed-income debt.$LABEL$2 +Chain Store Sales Growth Slows NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricanes Bonnie and Charley slowed U.S. chain store sales growth in the latest week, a report said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Cool Weather Killed Gypsy Moths in Wis. (AP) AP - Wisconsin's annual battle against a leaf-eating insect got some help from this spring's nasty weather, which resulted in a huge decline in tree defoliation, a state forestry expert said Monday.$LABEL$3 +Broadband offers magical journey A 'magic carpet' to take children around the world is one of the projects that has won a community net award.$LABEL$3 +BHP Billiton year to June profit seen up sharply on higher prices, demand (AFP) AFP - Australian resources firm BHP Billiton is expected to post sharply higher earnings in the year to June aided by rising commodities prices, high production levels and continued strong demand from China, analysts said.$LABEL$0 +Profits Up for Farm Equipment Maker Deere CHICAGO (Reuters) - Deere Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DE.N</A>, one of the world's largest farm equipment makers, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings jumped sharply, driven in part by strength in its agricultural and construction equipment businesses.$LABEL$2 +Oil Eases on Venezuela, Russia Optimism LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased on Tuesday as fears of supply disruptions receded following a convincing referendum victory in Venezuela for President Hugo Chavez and after Russia's YUKOS said it had received a government assurance on September exports.$LABEL$2 +Consumer Prices Fell Modestly in July Consumer prices fell by 0.1 percent in July as gasoline costs posted their biggest decline in eight months, the government reported today.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot Reports 19 Percent Rise in Profits Home Depot reported a jump in second-quarter profit on record sales as it benefited from strong performance in stores open at least a year.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft delays SP2 auto update Slowdown will give big companies more time to hunt down compatibility problems, the company says.$LABEL$3 +Google set to list as soon as Wednesday (AFP) AFP - Google Inc.'s hotly anticipated share listing appears set to launch as early as Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +IBM rolls out midrange eServer i5 IBM is filling in the center of its Power 5-based eServer i5 lineup on Tuesday, unwrapping a four-way system aimed at midsize companies looking to consolidate a variety of business applications.$LABEL$3 +NBA Olympians feel urgency after stunning loss (AFP) AFP - Telephone calls from flabergasted friends back home have helped install a sense of urgency in the United States Olympic basketball team in the wake of their stunning loss to Puerto Rico.$LABEL$1 +Court to Consider Yukos' Plea on Tax Bill (AP) AP - A Russian court on Tuesday was to consider the beleaguered Yukos oil company's appeal to suspend government efforts to collect #36;3.4 billion in back taxes #151; a massive bill that has put Russia's largest oil producer on the verge of ruin.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Peace Mission in Najaf; Baghdad Blast Kills 7 NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi political and religious leaders trying to end a radical Shi'ite uprising flew into Najaf Tuesday, where U.S. troops and militia fought pitched battles near the country's holiest Islamic sites.$LABEL$0 +Ugandan Army Says Nine LRA Rebels Killed KAMPALA, Uganda (Reuters) - Ugandan troops killed nine Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels after a devastating raid on the group's headquarters in southern Sudan scattered its main force, the army said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Drop, Housing Starts Soar (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July\for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in energy\costs reversed, the government said on Tuesday in a report\showing inflation pressures largely in check.$LABEL$2 +Profits Up for Farm Equipment Maker Deere (Reuters) Reuters - Deere Co. (DE.N), one of the world's\largest farm equipment makers, on Tuesday said quarterly\earnings jumped sharply, driven in part by strength in its\agricultural and construction equipment businesses.$LABEL$2 +BJ's Wholesale Reports #36;28M 2Q Profit (AP) AP - BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. said Tuesday that sales growth boosted second-quarter earnings 25 percent, and the bulk retailer disclosed it faces #36;16 million in claims over the theft of some of its customers' credit and debit card information.$LABEL$2 +Last Call for Investors to Bid on Google NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time is running out for prospective investors to submit their offers to buy shares of Google Inc, the Web's No. 1 search company.$LABEL$2 +HP's Unix base offered Opteron carrot <strong>HP World</strong> Come for a stroll in the Sun$LABEL$3 +Exploring Venus: The Hothouse Planet Before spaceprobes could photograph Venus up close, the second planet from the Sun was often compared to a sister world, much like the Earth. Planetary scientist, David Grinspoon, discusses with Astrobiology Magazine how that view evolved to consider the extremes encountered on the Venusian surface.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Offering Cheaper Domain Names and Hosting Yahoo Offering Cheaper Domain Names and Hosting\\Yahoo has changed their small business targeting approach by offering domain names for \$9.95 as part of an aggressive move to expand its presence in domains and small business web hosting. Yahoo is also beefing up its shared hosting accounts, offering 2 gigabytes of ...$LABEL$3 +Moldovan summertime 'Love Under a Lime Tree' sets European hips swinging (AFP) AFP - Europe's youth has been singing in Romanian this summer thanks to a Moldovan boys band that has swept to the top of the charts across the continent.$LABEL$0 +Americans Falter in 100M Freestyle Prelims ATHENS, Greece - Top American sprinters Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker missed the cut in the Olympic 100-meter freestyle preliminaries Tuesday, a stunning blow for a country that had always done well in the event. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Australian Ian Thorpe advanced to the evening semifinal a day after dueling teenager Michael Phelps in the 200 freestyle, won by Thorpe...$LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Fall As Gas Costs Drop WASHINGTON - Consumer prices, which have been buffeted this year by soaring energy costs, fell by 0.1 percent in July as gasoline costs posted their biggest decline in eight months, the government reported Tuesday. The Labor Department said the decline in its closely watched Consumer Price Index was the first decrease since a 0.2 percent drop last November, a decline which also reflected a decline in energy costs...$LABEL$0 +U.S. July Output Up; Factories Run Faster WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industrial output advanced in July, as American factories operated at their highest capacity in more than three years, a Federal Reserve report on Tuesday showed.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO Auction to End Tonight Google IPO Auction to End Tonight\\Google has requested that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) declare the Google IPO registration statement effective at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, according to the Google IPO page: www.ipo.google.com. After an IPO registration statement is declared effective, the stock can be ...$LABEL$3 +U.S. Brokers Cease-fire in Western Afghanistan (Reuters) Reuters - The United States has brokered a\cease-fire between a renegade Afghan militia leader and the\embattled governor of the western province of Herat,\Washington's envoy to Kabul said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Warming threatens California wine California will become hotter and drier by the end of the century, threatening its valuable wine and dairy industries, US experts say.$LABEL$0 +Phaithful Phlock to the Phinish as the 21-Year Jam Ends in Tears Phish made its farewell in Vermont this past weekend in true Phish style: playing its own musical marathon, swarmed by adoring fans and isolated from the rest of the world.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Open Higher on Housing, CPI Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Tuesday after two separate reports showed inflationary pressure was held in check in July and U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in the same month.$LABEL$2 +Iraqi Peace Mission in Najaf; Baghdad Blast Kills 7 NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi political and religious leaders trying to end a radical Shi'ite uprising flew into Najaf Tuesday, where U.S. troops and militia fought pitched battles near the country's holiest Islamic sites.$LABEL$0 +U.S. July Output Up; Factories Run Faster (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. industrial output advanced in\July, as American factories operated at their highest capacity\in more than three years, a Federal Reserve report on Tuesday\showed.$LABEL$2 +Last Call for Investors to Bid on Google (Reuters) Reuters - Time is running out for prospective\investors to submit their offers to buy shares of Google Inc,\the Web's No. 1 search company.$LABEL$2 +Intel Delays Digital TV Chips (PC World) PC World - Chip maker postpones yet another product launch.$LABEL$3 +Greek Athletes Shocked by Accusations ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's top two athletes, facing a state prosecutor's investigation over missed drug tests and a motorbike crash, left hospital Tuesday declaring they were innocent and should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +Fish Dumped at Landmark in Pollution Protest (Reuters) Reuters - Environment activists piled thousands of\dead fish at the foot of Berlin's biggest tourist attraction,\the Brandenburg Gate, Tuesday in a demonstration against\over-fishing and pollution in the North Sea.$LABEL$0 +Auto Retailer CarMax Trims Outlook DETROIT (Reuters) - Auto retailer CarMax Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KMX.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KMX.N</A> on Tuesday cut its second-quarter earnings forecast due to slower-than-expected used-car sales, sparking a 3.7 percent drop in its shares.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot Sees 2Q Profit Jump The Home Depot Inc. reported a nearly 19 percent jump in second-quarter profit on record sales as it benefited from strong performance in stores open at least a year. It also raised its earnings outlook for the year.$LABEL$2 +Final frontier: 'Star Wars Trilogy' on DVD (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Fans and retailers alike are preparing for the assault of the most anticipated DVD of them all: the Star Wars Trilogy.$LABEL$3 +Stock lawsuit possible in telecom merger plan (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Former MediaOne Group executives are exploring a class-action lawsuit over Cingular's insistence that AT amp;T Wireless stock options, issued by the millions to employees and former employees of MediaOne, AT amp;T and AT amp;T Wireless, be exercised as soon as the merger closes, people involved in the effort say.$LABEL$3 +Autodesk: Piracy in India Costs Us #36;367M (AP) AP - American design software developer Autodesk Inc. said Tuesday it is losing #36;367 million in potential revenues each year because of software piracy in India.$LABEL$3 +IBM Adds New Power5 iSeries Server (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - The company introduces a new midrange server and expands management and support across the i5 server line.$LABEL$3 +Blind Students to Help Launch NASA Rocket By ALEX DOMINGUEZ BALTIMORE (AP) -- A dozen blind students from across the United States are at a summer camp this week working on a project most don't associate with the visually impaired - launching a NASA rocket. The students are designing and preparing the rocket's payload at the National Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute in Baltimore...$LABEL$3 +Scientist Advocates for Embryonic Stem Cell Research By KATHARINE WEBSTER MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- A Nobel laureate in medicine says the Bush administration's limits on funding for embryonic stem cell research have stopped the clock on American scientists' efforts to develop treatments for a host of chronic, debilitating diseases...$LABEL$3 +The Playboy Google Interview The Google Playboy Interview In Its Entirety\\The infamous Playboy Interview of Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the Google Guys, is now not only available on newsstands all over the country, but also on the Security Exchange Commission's website because of a possible SEC violation. Now, it will be more difficult ...$LABEL$3 +Text Message Leads Police to Killers (AP) AP - A Belgian teenager fired off a mobile phone text message to her father that his live-in girlfriend was trying to kill her in a plea for help just before she died, authorities said.$LABEL$0 +Deere Earnings Jump, Raises 2004 Forecast CHICAGO (Reuters) - Deere Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DE.N</A>, one of the world's largest farm equipment makers, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings jumped sharply, driven in part by strength in its agricultural and construction equipment businesses.$LABEL$2 +Real is playing for keeps in music price war (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - RealNetworks today is slashing the price of a digital download to 49 cents a song from 99 cents - a bold move in the war over digital music.$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Tries to Core Apple RealNetworks launched round two in its heavyweight digital music match against Apple Computer, slashing the cost of its music downloads to take business away from Apple's iTunes download service. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Rival Targets Apple's ITunes Music Customers By ALEX VEIGA LOS ANGELES (AP) -- For more than a year, Apple Computers Inc. enjoyed singular success selling songs exclusively to users of its iPod portable music player...$LABEL$3 +Intel Delays Launch of New Projection TV Chip By MATTHEW FORDAHL SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- In another product postponement, semiconductor giant Intel Corp. (INTC) said it won't be offering a chip for projection TVs by the end of 2004 as it had announced earlier this year...$LABEL$3 +Bikes Bring Internet to Indian Villagers By S. SRINIVASAN BITHOOR, India (AP) -- For 12-year-old Anju Sharma, hope for a better life arrives in her poor farming village three days a week on a bicycle rickshaw that carries a computer with a high-speed, wireless Internet connection...$LABEL$3 +MSN Closes Search Engine Technology Preview MSN Closes Search Engine Technology Preview\\Microsoft's MSN has closed down the preview/beta page of MSN Search Engine Technology ResearchBuzz reports. \\Trying to access it now gets you this page which includes the text ""Once we are ready, we will release another preview of our new algorithmic search engine."" I'm glad ...$LABEL$3 +NHL Labor Negotiations Set to Resume (AP) AP - With two fruitless negotiating sessions behind them and only one month left before an NHL lockout, the league and the players association will return to the bargaining table Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Dollar Gains on Euro After Muted U.S. CPI NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar posted gains against the euro on Tuesday, digesting a slew of U.S. economic data that failed to substantially alter expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.$LABEL$2 +High oil prices hit China growth Rising oil prices are expected to hit China's growth rate this year.$LABEL$2 +US prices in surprise July slide US consumer prices fell by 0.1 in July, the first fall this year, reducing the chances of a September interest rate rise.$LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Tries to Core Apple (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - RealNetworks really knows how to pick a fight. First, the Seattle-based company landed a sucker punch on Apple Computer last month with its new Harmony technology that allows songs sold from Real's online music store to play on Apple's iPod digital music player.$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Awaits Final Approval In a sign that Google Inc. (GOOG)'s initial public offering is imminent, the Internet search company has asked federal regulators to give final approval to the paperwork required for its stock sale.$LABEL$3 +Charges laid against eight British terror suspects (AFP) AFP - Eight men arrested in an anti-terror swoop in London and other parts of England two weeks ago were charged with conspiracy to murder and other terrorist-related activities.$LABEL$0 +Father of Pakistan Al Qaeda Suspect Files Petition ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The father of a computer engineer detained in Pakistan last month for suspected links with al Qaeda filed a petition Tuesday calling for his son to be produced in court and urging authorities not to extradite him.$LABEL$0 +Eight men face terror charges Police in the UK charge eight men with terror offences, including conspiracy to murder.$LABEL$0 +Protester sparks security review Olympics organisers order tighter security after a man leaps into the pool during a synchronised diving final.$LABEL$0 +Man charged with killing ex-miner A 42-year-old man is charged with killing a former miner who was found on his Nottinghamshire doorstep.$LABEL$0 +Iraqis on Mission to End Najaf Insurgency BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's national conference sent a delegation bearing a peace proposal to Najaf on Tuesday, hoping to end the standoff with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which has marred the gathering meant to be a landmark step toward democracy. As the National Conference in Baghdad put together the mission, a mortar round exploded several miles from the gathering's venue, killing seven people and wounding wounding 35, according to the Health Ministry...$LABEL$0 +Sharon Resumes West Bank Construction JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved bids for construction of 1,000 homes in Jewish West Bank settlements after freezing them earlier this month, amid growing friction with the United States over continued settlement expansion. The planned construction violates the internationally backed ""road map"" plan, accepted by Israel, which calls for a construction freeze...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Rise on Drop in Consumer Prices NEW YORK - Stocks rose for a second straight session Tuesday as a drop in consumer prices and a decline in crude oil futures Tuesday allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term. The Dow Jones industrial average pushed past the 10,000 mark for the first time in nearly two weeks...$LABEL$0 +Sharon Resumes West Bank Construction Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved bids for construction of 1,000 homes in Jewish West Bank settlements after freezing them earlier this month, amid growing friction with the United States over continued settlement expansion.$LABEL$0 +Estee Lauder Profit Up, Shares Down (Reuters) Reuters - Cosmetics manufacturer Estee Lauder\Cos. Inc. (EL.N) on Tuesday said quarterly net income jumped 51\percent, bolstered by new product sales and an improving U.S.\retail market.$LABEL$2 +Treasuries Up, Rate Hike Still in Offing (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury debt made moderate gains\on Tuesday after a key reading of U.S. inflation proved softer\than expected, a relief to investors in fixed-income debt.$LABEL$2 +US industrial production rises 0.4 percent in July (AFP) AFP - American industry lifted output moderately in July, the Federal Reserve said, a sign the economy may be finding its feet after a mid-summer slip.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Up, Data Shows Inflation in Check NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained on Tuesday after two separate economic reports showed inflationary pressure was held in check in July and U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in the same month.$LABEL$2 +Kenteris protests innocence Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris insists he is not a drug cheat as he leaves hospital.$LABEL$1 +British eventers slip back Great Britain slip down to third after the cross-country round of the three-day eventing.$LABEL$1 +Drug Shows Promise for Alcoholism Topiramate reduced cravings in small study HealthDayNews -- A drug called topiramate shows promise as a potential new treatment for alcoholism, according to a study in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical Experimental Research. This early-stage study of 150 people with alcohol dependence found that topiramate can reduce self-reported drinking and may reduce self-reported craving for alcohol...$LABEL$3 +UAE wins first Olympic gold Ahmed al-Maktoum becomes the first Olympic medallist from the UAE with gold in the men's double shooting trap.$LABEL$0 +Last Call for Investors to Bid on Google NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time is running out for prospective investors to submit their offers to buy shares of Google Inc, the Web #39;s No. 1 search company. $LABEL$2 +Oil Falls on Reduced Concern About Venezuelan, Russian Supply Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures fell for a second day after a Russian state railway official said shipments of Yukos Oil Co. oil would continue and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a recall vote. $LABEL$2 +Can Glaser, Jobs find harmony? RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser has survived longer than most in the Internet business, largely by pulling rabbits out of his hat when the competition least expects it. $LABEL$2 +PCI: Charley not as devastating as Andrew The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), the group from which member companies write about a third of Florida homeowners insurance, said initial reports from claims adjusters indicate damage from Hurricane Charley, while extensive, was ...$LABEL$2 +Stocks Rise on Drop in Consumer Prices A drop in consumer prices and a decline in crude oil futures Tuesday allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term, and they sent stocks modestly higher. $LABEL$2 +Apax and Permira finalise \$5bn acquisition of moon-landing firm The company that broadcast the moon landings in 1969 and kept the quot;Hotline quot; open between the White House and the Kremlin during the Seventies has been sold for \$5bn (2.7bn), including \$2bn of debt, to a private equity ...$LABEL$2 +US Air to Seek 5-Year Extension for Pension Fund Payments S Airways, facing a cash shortage as it tries to avoid another bankruptcy filing, said yesterday that it would seek government permission to stretch out \$67.5 million in contributions it owes to the pensions of its mechanics and ...$LABEL$2 +Housing Starts Rebound Sharply in July WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts rebounded sharply in July, making up almost all the ground lost in a June slump by posting their largest monthly percentage gain since September 2002, a report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday showed. $LABEL$2 +Mills to pay GM unit \$1 bln for stakes in 9 malls NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Mills Corp. (MLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , a real estate investment trust, on Tuesday said it agreed to buy a 50 percent managing stake in nine regional malls from General Motors Corp. #39;s (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) ...$LABEL$2 +OFT invites comment on Telegraph deal The Office of Fair Trading has set the clock ticking on the process that could see the Barclay brothers #39; deal to buy the Daily Telegraph reviewed by competition watchdogs. $LABEL$2 +Cantor Fitzgerald spinning off unit NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Institutional broker Cantor Fitzgerald said Tuesday it #39;s spinning off its fixed-income voice brokerage operations into a new partnership, and will focus on expansion of its remaining institutional fixed-income and equity business. $LABEL$2 +Around Asia #39;s Markets: Shopping your way to better returns Singapore real estate investment trusts such as CapitaMall Trust may outperform the market this year as acquisitions of shopping malls and industrial buildings bolster rental income. $LABEL$2 +Microsoft delays SP2 auto update Microsoft is delaying distribution of Windows XP Service Pack 2 via its Automatic Update service by at least nine days in order to give corporate customers more time to temporarily block automatic downloading of SP2 by their employees. $LABEL$3 +New moons for Saturn Two small moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn by NASA #39;s Cassini-Huygens probe. The find, which was announced yesterday, raises Saturn #39;s satellite count to 33. $LABEL$3 +Intel Delays LCOS chips for HDTV LCOS technology sandwiches a layer of liquid crystal between a cover glass and a highly reflective, mirror-like surface patterned with pixels that sits on top of a silicon chip. These layers form a microdisplay that can be used in projection displays such ...$LABEL$3 +Intel delays delivery of chip for projection TVs - report BEIJING (AFX-ASIA) - Intel Corp said it is delaying the delivery of its first chip for projection television sets, while rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc is moving on schedule to an advanced manufacturing process, the Wall Street Journal reported. $LABEL$3 +CA moves to tackle spyware In a move to round out its computer security offerings, Computer Associates International Inc. yesterday said it acquired Pest Patrol Inc., a Carlisle, Pa., company that specializes in software to detect and eradicate malicious spyware. $LABEL$3 +Hunters are poised as some whales thrive CAP DE BON DSIR, Quebec A few miles from this spit along the pink granite coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, there is a sheltered cove that has witnessed the full span of the human relationship with whales. <br><a href=""/url?ntc=04SG1 q=http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/science/0804/17whales.html"">Save the whales! Then what?</a> <font class=f>Atlanta nbsp;Journal nbsp;Constitution nbsp;(subscription)</font>$LABEL$3 +PalmOne Unveils Wi-Fi SD Card If you own a Zire 72 or Tungsten T3 and have been longing for better wireless connectivity than their built-in Bluetooth, help is on the way: PalmOne has announced a Wi-Fi SD card for those handhelds. $LABEL$3 +IBM seeks dismissal of breach of contract claims in SCO case IBM has filed court documents seeking a dismissal of a second major component of the lawsuit filed against it last year by Unix supplier SCO. $LABEL$3 +Many engineers lack a four-year degree More than one-fifth of US science and engineering workers do not have a bachelor #39;s degree, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation. $LABEL$3 +HP releases quot;carrier quot; grade Linux for pigeons HP, THE SELLER OF tin and fag-free utopian ideals is flogging commodity, standards-based hardware and software, including Carrier Grade Linux, to telephone company Motorola. $LABEL$3 +Police officer arrested in Internet sex sting WHITE PLAINS, NY (AP) _ A city police officer was arrested at what he thought would be a sexual rendezvous with a teenage boy, six months after he was caught calling himself a quot;boy hunter quot; in an Internet chat profile, officials said. $LABEL$3 +Researchers Develop Method to Find Algae HOUSTON - Marine researchers are hoping to prevent tides of destructive algae from killing fish and fouling beaches through early detection of the microscopic organisms. $LABEL$3 +Indian researcher designs revolutionary low cost PC for the poor Professor Raj Reddy, an Indian researcher in artificial intelligence and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.Has designed a wirelessly networked personal computer worth just 250 US dollars intended for the four billion people around the world who ...$LABEL$3 +3Com partners with wireless switch start-up 3Com is the latest networking company to partner with a wireless LAN switching start-up. 3Com said Monday it will begin reselling a version of the Mobility Exchange Switch and management software from Trapeze Networks under the 3Com brand later this year. $LABEL$3 +Coral gets its color from bacteria The soft orange glow of a common Caribbean coral comes not from the coral itself but from bacteria that live inside it, US scientists said last week. And the bacteria not only give the coral a little night light, but they also break down seawater to help ...$LABEL$3 +2004 Global nanotech spending report Lux Research Inc., a New York-based nanotechnology firm has released a detailed report that suggests global spending on research and capital investment in nanotechnology will reach \$8.6 this year. More than half that figure, \$4.6 billion, will come in the ...$LABEL$3 +WholeSecurity takes phish-blocking to browser WholeSecurity Inc has released technology that the firm says can be used to block web users from inadvertently accessing phishing web sites. The company has signed eBay Inc as a flagship customer, and has the software on millions of desktops. $LABEL$3 +MyDoom worm still causing problems The experts claim hackers have compromised these sites by exploiting scripting vulnerabilities in their guestbooks. $LABEL$3 +Hall-of-Fame credentials HAVEN, Wis. -- An official from the World Golf Hall of Fame joined a casual conversation last year about players on the verge of election and someone mentioned Vijay Singh. quot;He wouldn #39;t get my vote, quot; the official said. $LABEL$1 +Plenty of Room at the Inns of Athens Description: In the weeks leading up to the Olympic games in Athens, hotels were expecting huge crowds to flood the city. Lagging ticket sales at Olympic venues seem to have trickled into the hotel business as well, as crowds have failed to show up as ...$LABEL$1 +Pratt advances to third round Australia #39;s Nicole Pratt has advanced to the third round of the tennis event at the Athens Olympics with a three-set win over Italian Tathiana Garbin. $LABEL$1 +West Indies thrashed by England JUST yesterday, it looked as though West Indies had a chance to finally win their first match in 2004 against England. How quickly that faded away! Simply put, West Indies lost the plot. England, behind on first innings, did just enough to ...$LABEL$1 +Yao #39;s 39 carries China past New Zealand ATHENS, Greece - Yao Ming bounced back from a rough opening game with 39 points and 13 rebounds to lead China to a 69-62 victory over New Zealand in the men #39;s basketball Group A tournament Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Olympics-Henin rust-free but Ferrero falters ATHENS, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Any hint of rust after a 12-week lay-off was long gone by the time Justine Henin-Hardenne took to the Olympic tennis court on Tuesday, a fact drummed mercilessly home to Venezuela #39;s Maria Vento-Kabchi. $LABEL$1 +Rugby-South Africa opt for Venter #39;s physical edge DURBAN, Aug 17 (Reuters) - South Africa hope AJ Venter will add a physical edge to their play in the loose in the deciding Tri-Nations test against Australia in Durban on Saturday. $LABEL$1 +Vatican Says It #39;s Willing #39; to Help End Najaf (Correct) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The Vatican is willing #39; #39; to help end fighting between militiamen loyal to Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi and US forces in Iraq #39;s holy city of Najaf, according to a statement on the Holy See #39;s Web ...$LABEL$0 +UK village wrecked by flash floods Boscastle - Emergency services searched the wreckage of a picturesque English fishing village on Tuesday for 15 people unaccounted for after flash floods created a wall of water which tore through the valley. $LABEL$0 +China #39;s Appeal to North Korea: Attend Nuclear Working Talks China has asked that North Korea attend working-level meetings ahead of the next round of six-party nuclear talks in Beijing. $LABEL$0 +Chess legend wedding bid #39;genuine #39; TOKYO, Japan -- The Japanese woman who plans to marry former world chess champion Bobby Fischer says their feelings are genuine. $LABEL$0 +Al Qaeda operative said to visit Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A senior Al Qaeda operative captured in Britain this month had traveled in March to a militant hideout near the Pakistan-Afghan border and met with other terror suspects, ...$LABEL$0 +German welfare rallies escalate Thousands of people have marched through cities across Germany in renewed protests against welfare cuts. $LABEL$0 +Migrants #39; ordeal ugly side of paradise Pleasant visions of fun in the sun in the Dominican Republic are being shattered by sad images of residents being smuggled away on wooden boats, only to perish at sea. $LABEL$0 +Tamil Tigers are unlikely to change their stripes (NEWS ANALYSIS) : India News gt; New Delhi, Aug 17 : For the first time since Sri Lanka #39;s peace process got under way in February 2002, Tamil Tiger guerrillas have come under flak from the West amid growing signs of a revival of the armed conflict. $LABEL$0 +Deaths in Nigerian cult clashes At least 18 students have been killed in clashes between rival student gangs in south-eastern Nigeria. $LABEL$0 +Motorola Expects Strong Sales in 2nd Half SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Motorola Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MOT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MOT.N</A>, the second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it expects to sustain strong sales growth in the second half of 2004 on new handsets, sparking a 4.7 percent jump in its shares.$LABEL$2 +Work Works for Women Women who work are healthier than women who don't have jobs, suggests a study presented Aug. 16 at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in San Francisco. The University of Pennsylvania study concluded the health benefits that women derive from working aren't diminished by longer work hours or combining longer work hours with those of a spouse.$LABEL$3 +Symantec to reinforce data protection Company's upgrades will put a particular focus on protecting personal information from online thieves.$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Set to Trade this Week On Monday, Google requested final approval from federal regulators to begin trading their stock. Google has asked that the SEC declare its registration statement effective as of 1 pm pacific time today. Google ...$LABEL$2 +European/US private equity consortium buys Intelsat in deal valued at \$5bn An unusual alliance of US and European private equity firms has won the auction to buy Bermuda-based satellite business Intelsat. Europeans Apax and Permira and US firms Apollo Management and Madison Dearborn will pay \$3bn for the business and assume \$2bn ...$LABEL$2 +Windows Update Operating systems just ain #39;t what they used to be. For a while, Microsoft released a new version of Windows every two or three yearseach creating a ripple effect on how we all used and thought about technology. But now, there #39;s a ...$LABEL$3 +New bird survives hungry Filipinos Manila - A new species of flightless bird has been discovered living on a tiny island in the northern Philippines where the inhabitants formerly ate them, scientists and birdwatchers said on Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Intel Delays Digital TV Chips Intel #39;s LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) high-definition television chips first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January will not be released in time for next year #39;s show, as scheduled. $LABEL$3 +CA buys PestPatrol anti-spyware developer Computer Associates said Monday it acquired PestPatrol, a firm marketing anti-spyware software to enterprises, small businesses and individual consumers. $LABEL$3 +KDE 3.3 Linux desktop closes in on Windows The final release of KDE 3.3, an open-source Linux desktop environment, is due in a few days and will give users greatly improved email facilities. $LABEL$3 +Bill Simmons I #39;m starting to wonder if quot;Puerto Rico 92, USA 73 quot; was one of those life-altering upsets, along the lines of quot;USA 4, USSR 3 quot; and quot;Cadwallader 99, Nevada State 98. quot; It #39;s not that we lost. I knew that was going to happen. Even predicted it. It was the way ...$LABEL$1 +Nunez officially joins Liverpool Liverpool, England (Sports Network) - Antonio Nunez arrived at Liverpool Tuesday as part of the deal that sent Michael Owen to Spanish giant Real Madrid. $LABEL$1 +Iranian judo scandal Iran #39;s Judo champion, a favourite at the Athens Games, has disqualified himself rather than face an Israeli opponent, apparently on the instruction of Iran #39;s Olympic Committee. So far the International Olympic Committee has been silent. What #39;s your view? ...$LABEL$1 +The Boks Must Give Lame Kicks the Boot THE Springboks will need to reduce the amount of possession they give away through errant kicking sharply if they are to limit Australia #39;s lethal counterattacking power in Saturday #39;s tri-nations clash in Durban. $LABEL$1 +Basketball: China #39;s Yao Takes Anger Out on New Zealand ATHENS (Reuters) - An angry Yao Ming took his frustrations out on New Zealand at the Olympic men #39;s basketball tournament on Tuesday, pouring in 39 points as China beat the Kiwis 69-62. $LABEL$1 +Lara #39;s captaincy on the line at Oval West Indies captain Brian Lara tips his helmet to the fans after becoming one of only four players to reach ten thousand runs in Test matches. Picture:AP ...$LABEL$1 +Americans lose second beach volleyball match ATHENS, Greece (Ticker) -- The dream of a second consecutive beach volleyball gold medal has become all but impossible for American Dain Blanton. $LABEL$1 +Massacre Threatens to Derail Congolese Peace Process The bodies of about 160 Congolese Tutsis killed in Burundi during the weekend were buried on Monday, but the impact of the massacre is just beginning to be felt. A former rebel group now in the transitional government in the Democratic Republic of Congo ...$LABEL$0 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved tenders to build 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the occupied West Bank, plans that were shelved earlier to avoid discord with Washington, political sources said Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Kidnap accused says he worked for US A former American soldier accused of kidnapping and torturing terror suspects in Afghanistan has told a Kabul court that the FBI is withholding hundreds of documents showing that he was working for the US Government. $LABEL$0 +The New Woman in Schrder #39;s Life Gerhard Schrder is no stranger to sharing his life with members of the opposite sex. On Monday, it was revealed that there was a new young lady on the scene: his freshly adopted three-year old daughter, Viktoria. $LABEL$0 +Sri Lankan navy detects Tamil rebels smuggling weapons COLOMBO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday detected a trawler of the Tamil Tiger rebels suspected of smuggling weapons in seas close to Mullaitivu in northeast of the country, the Defense Ministry said. $LABEL$0 +HK government set to petition release of democrat jailed in China HONG KONG : The Hong Kong government is interceding with the mainland authorities for the release of a legislator who was arrested and jailed in Guangdong. $LABEL$0 +Latham urges PM to remove public service gag MARK COLVIN: The Opposition leader, Mark Latham, has challenged the Prime Minister to remove the gag that #39;s prevented senior government advisers, including those in the PM #39;s office, from talking about what happened in the #39;children overboard #39; affair. $LABEL$0 +TeliaSonera acquires 100 pct of Lithuanian mobile company Omnitel (AFP) AFP - The Swedish-Finnish telecommunications operator TeliaSonera said it had bought the remaining 10 percent stake in Lithuania's major mobile company Omnitel that it did not already own for 63.5 million dollars (51.4 million euros).$LABEL$3 +Matter of Time Before Tibet Lake Bursts -Official (Reuters) Reuters - A Tibetan lake formed by a Himalayan\landslide is steadily rising and will sooner or later burst its\banks and flood a valley in neighboring India, a Chinese\official said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Astronomers give Milky Way an age Astronomers have estimated the age of our galaxy at about 13,600 million years old.$LABEL$3 +Livermore: No need for HP-UX on x86 CHICAGO -- This cannot be an easy time for Ann Livermore. When Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) missed Wall Street's earnings expectations late last week, the blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of the Enterprise Servers and Storage Group, one of the divisions she manages. ""Unacceptable"" problems within the group cost HP \$400 million in revenue and \$275 million in operating profit, said HP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina just hours before HP announced the sacking of three senior executives within the division.$LABEL$3 +Greek Athletes Shocked by Accusations ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) - Greece's top two athletes, facing a state prosecutor's investigation over missed drug tests and a motorbike crash, left a hospital Tuesday declaring they were innocent and should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +Fish Knocks Off Ferrero Mardy Fish turns things around for the biggest victory of his career, a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 comeback against former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.$LABEL$1 +Iverson Breaks Thumb Allen Iverson breaks his right thumb but plans to play anyway Tuesday for the U.S. men's basketball team, which is coming off a loss to Puerto Rico.$LABEL$1 +Britain Charges Suspects in U.S.-Linked Terror Case (Reuters) Reuters - Britain charged eight men on Tuesday\with conspiracy to murder and other terrorism charges, some\relating to plans for U.S. buildings such as the New York Stock\Exchange that were the subject of terrorism alerts this month.$LABEL$0 +Bollywood megastar Bachchan meets Pakistani students to boost ties (AFP) AFP - Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan met with a group of Pakistani students as part of a wider initiative to deepen cultural ties between India and Pakistan.$LABEL$0 +Britain Charges Suspects in U.S.-Linked Terror Case LONDON (Reuters) - Britain charged eight men on Tuesday with conspiracy to murder and other terrorism charges, some relating to plans for U.S. buildings such as the New York Stock Exchange that were the subject of terrorism alerts this month.$LABEL$0 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved tenders to build 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the occupied West Bank, plans that were shelved earlier to avoid discord with Washington, political sources said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Germany Shaken by U.S. Plans to Withdraw Troops BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany said Tuesday U.S. plans to pull out 30,000 troops were a sign Europe's divisions had healed, but communities hit by the decision warned they were headed for economic disaster.$LABEL$0 +Home Depot Raises Outlook, Tops Estimates ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> on Tuesday reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit, topping estimates, as store renovations and efforts to improve service drove higher average sales in every category.$LABEL$2 +Home Depot Writes Big Tickets Shoppers spend more, giving the company yet another quarter of sales growth and even better earnings.$LABEL$2 +Pay Up for Growth Legg Mason's Mary Chris Gay knows when to pay for growth and when to sell a stock.$LABEL$2 +Mounties open Nortel's books The Royal Canadian Mounted Police formally launch a criminal investigation into company's accounting practices.$LABEL$3 +India makes Olympic breakthrough Kashmir veteran Rajyavardhan Rathore wins India's first ever individual silver medal at the Olympic Games.$LABEL$0 +Israel Ends West Bank Construction Freeze JERUSALEM - The Israeli government issued bids Tuesday for 1,000 new homes in Jewish West Bank settlements, insisting the construction has Washington's tacit approval even though it violates a U.S.-backed peace plan. U.S...$LABEL$0 +Iverson Has Broken Thumb, but Will Play ATHENS, Greece - Allen Iverson broke his right thumb but plans to play anyway Tuesday night for the U.S. Olympic basketball team, which is coming off an embarrassing loss to Puerto Rico in its opener...$LABEL$0 +Najaf Fighting Resumes Amid Peace Mission BAGHDAD, Iraq - A pared-down delegation of Iraqis arrived in Najaf by helicopter Tuesday to present radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr with a peace proposal aimed at ending the violent insurgency wracking the holy city. Despite the delegation's presence there, fighting intensified in Najaf, with at least one U.S...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Climb on Drop in Consumer Prices NEW YORK - Stocks rose for a second straight session Tuesday as a drop in consumer prices Tuesday allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term. With gasoline prices falling to eight-month lows, the Consumer Price Index registered a small drop in July, giving consumers a respite from soaring energy prices...$LABEL$0 +US consumer prices post first decline in eight months WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- US consumer prices declined marginally in July, posting the first fall since last November, the Labor Department said in a report released Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Lojack makes Canada move with Boomerang buy The Westwood company is spending \$48 million to acquire Boomerang Tracking Inc., a Montreal company that operates a stolen car recovery system in Canada. $LABEL$2 +US July Output Up; Factories Run Faster WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US industrial output advanced in July, as American factories operated at their highest capacity in more than three years, a Federal Reserve report on Tuesday showed. $LABEL$2 +Researchers Find New Species of Bird MANILA, Philippines - Filipino and British wildlife researchers say they #39;ve stumbled upon what appears to be a new species of flightless bird found only on the tiny forested island of Calayan in the northern ...$LABEL$3 +AMD ships 90nm chips Sunnyvale-based computer chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., says it #39;s shipped its first low-power Mobile AMD Athlon 64 processors made with its new 90 nanometer (nm) manufacturing process. $LABEL$3 +Livermore: No need for HP-UX on x86 CHICAGO -- This cannot be an easy time for Ann Livermore. When Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) missed Wall Street #39;s earnings expectations late last week, the blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of ...$LABEL$3 +Astronomers give Milky Way an age A team working with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile report that our galaxy is 13,600 million years old, give or take 800 million years. $LABEL$3 +I #39;m innocent, says Greek Olympic champion Kenteris Olympic champion Kostas Kenteris, who is likely to be expelled from the Olympics for missing a doping test, said Tuesday that he is not a drugs cheat. $LABEL$1 +Life in Athens: From songs about Dutch swimmers to watching wedgies You #39;ve heard of swimmer #39;s ear, but what about swimmer #39;s wave? It #39;s the odd way in which Olympic swimmers -- and many gymnasts -- acknowledge applause: By raising their arms to the sky, palms upward, then moving their hands about as if they #39;re changing ...$LABEL$1 +Sharon OKs 1,000 new settlement homes JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved tenders to build 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the occupied West Bank, plans that had been shelved earlier to avoid discord with Washington, political sources say. $LABEL$0 +Ex-colleague backs Scrafton on PM #39;s call A FORMER senior Defence Department bureaucrat last night backed her former colleague Michael Scrafton #39;s version of a phone call with John Howard over the children overboard affair. $LABEL$0 +Stocks Up on Earnings, Oil, Economic Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, getting a boost from some strong retail earnings, lower oil prices and two separate economic reports that showed inflationary pressure was held in check and U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in July.$LABEL$2 +IBM expands into Danish IT services market Continuing its assault on the European IT outsourcing market, IBM Corp. has signed agreements to buy two Danish IT services companies and another to provide IT services to one of the country's largest banks.$LABEL$3 +Medical Examiner Finds No Injuries on Thanou-Source ATHENS (Reuters) - A medical examiner has found that Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who was in hospital with fellow athlete Costas Kenteris, had no injuries, a judicial source said on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Yukos Can Ship Oil Amid Tax Dispute, Russia Rail Says (Update5) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Russia #39;s state-owned railway, the shipper of a fourth of OAO Yukos Oil Co. #39;s crude oil, said it will guarantee exports, the clearest sign yet President Vladimir Putin wants to ensure supplies to world markets. $LABEL$2 +Construction driving solid product demand SURGING demand in heavy construction should outweigh any downturn in new home building, according to OneSteel and Boral. $LABEL$2 +Real slashes song prices in online music battle In a move likely to step up the digital music dispute between RealNetworks Inc. and Apple Computer Inc., Real slashed prices at its online music store on Tuesday, offering songs and albums for a limited time at nearly half of what Apple charges at its ...$LABEL$3 +Discovery of Rail points to fragile biodiversity: Birdlife Intl The Calayan Rail, Gallirallus calayaensis, discovered by scientists in the northern tip of Babuyan islands in the Philippines archipelago. Photo: Des Allen/AP. $LABEL$3 +Symantec Upgrades Norton Security Products Symantec has unveiled new versions of its Norton security products--beefing up some of the real-time and automated features--and will release them in the next few weeks. $LABEL$3 +Pranab Mukherjee congratulates Rathore Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday congratulated double trap shooter Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on becoming the first Indian to win a silver medal in an individual event at the Olympics. $LABEL$1 +Iliadis Takes Greece #39;s Second Gold with Judo Win ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek teenager Ilias Iliadis swept up the Olympic host country #39;s second gold medal on Tuesday, winning the men #39;s judo under 81kg category. $LABEL$1 +Bell set for Test debut Ian Bell is almost certain to make his England Test debut on Thursday in the final match against West Indies. $LABEL$1 +Forwards providing platform: Young LOOSEHEAD prop Bill Young believes a change in attitude by the forwards has played a key role in taking the Wallabies to the threshold of winning the Tri-Nations trophy. $LABEL$1 +Schroeder quot;adopts Russian girl quot; BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his wife, Doris, have adopted a 3-year-old Russian girl, German newspapers have reported. $LABEL$0 +Hurricane Charley Tears Into Outback (Reuters) Reuters - Outback Steakhouse Inc. (OSI.N) on\Tuesday said it lost about 130 operating days and up to #36;2\million in revenue because it had to close some restaurants in\the South due to Hurricane Charley.$LABEL$2 +Hurricane Charley Tears Into Outback NEW YORK (Reuters) - Outback Steakhouse Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=OSI.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">OSI.N</A> on Tuesday said it lost about 130 operating days and up to \$2 million in revenue because it had to close some restaurants in the South due to Hurricane Charley.$LABEL$2 +Business Objects to bundle IBM tools The analytics and reporting software maker will begin selling IBM's mainframe access software.$LABEL$3 +N.Y. Atty General Announces Drug-Price Web Site (Reuters) Reuters - New York Attorney General Eliot\Spitzer on Tuesday said his office has created an interactive\Web site to help New Yorkers comparison shop for prescription\drugs, following a statewide survey showing widely varying\prices at pharmacies.$LABEL$3 +Swiss slashes first-half net loss but fuel costs hamper turnaround (AFP) AFP - The airline Swiss said it had managed to cut its first-half net loss by about 90 percent but warned that spiralling fuel costs were hampering a turnaround despite increasing passenger travel.$LABEL$0 +Google IPO Under Threat Due to Shortage of Bids Google has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to make its registration statement effective at 4 pm Eastern time on Tuesday. If the company follows the usual IPO pattern, the share price would be set and the offering ...$LABEL$2 +Halliburton Says Army Can Withold Payments Halliburton Co. on Tuesday blamed politics for a US Army decision to not grant the company more time to resolve a billing dispute in which the Pentagon contends the company did not adequately account for some \$1.8 billion of work done in the Middle East. $LABEL$2 +Cantor Fitzgerald spinning off business Manhattan-based financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald said Tuesday it is spinning off its inter-dealer voice brokerage business and will concentrate on sales and trading, investment banking, asset management and other institutional services. $LABEL$2 +Housing starts jump 8.3 percent Washington, DC, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The US Commerce Department said Tuesday a dip in mortgage rates helped boost home-building activity in July 8.3 percent after falling 7.7 percent in June. $LABEL$2 +Trial date set for ex-HealthSouth CEO Scrushy BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Fired HealthSouth chief executive Richard Scrushy will go on trial January 5th. $LABEL$2 +WWiSE group proposes 540 Mbps Wi-Fi A consortium of companies is pushing a new proposal to the IEEE for 802.11n. 135 Mbps in standard mode, 540 Mbps maximum throughput. Fast enough? ...$LABEL$3 +PalmOne unveils Wi-Fi SD Card It appears the rumours of Palm creating a Wi-Fi card are true, however before you rush to your local electronics store take note that it won #39;t work on any PDA you can find. $LABEL$3 +IBM seeks dismissal of SCO claims IBM has filed a 100-page motion with a US district court in an attempt to have some of the claims made against it by The SCO Group dismissed. $LABEL$3 +The #39;i #39; in #39;Internet #39; It #39;s not exactly an earth-shaking development but I expect that Wired News #39; very public announcement that it would no longer capitalize quot;Internet, quot; quot;Web quot; or quot;Net quot; will provoke some discussion and debate in online publishing circles. $LABEL$3 +Medical Examiner Finds No Injuries on Thanou-Source ATHENS (Reuters) - A medical examiner has found that Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who was in hospital with fellow athlete Costas Kenteris, had no injuries, a judicial source said on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Athens ticket sales #39;improving #39; ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Olympic organizers announced that more than half of available tickets (3.1 million) to the Games have been sold, almost reaching the budget for purchases. $LABEL$1 +Greek wins gold in judo Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Ilias Iliadis captured Greece #39;s second gold medal of the 2004 Olympics with a thrilling victory over Roman Gontyuk of the Ukraine in the men #39;s under 81kg category in judo on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Boston Red Sox Team Report - August 17 (Sports Network) - Pedro Martinez will try to win his fourth consecutive decision, as he takes the hill for the Boston Red Sox in the middle test of a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. $LABEL$1 +Venter back for Boks ABRASIVE Springbok flanker AJ Venter returns to the field on Saturday for South Africa #39;s crunch encounter against Australia, the only change to the team announced by coach Jake White today. $LABEL$1 +Stocks Up on Earnings, Data; Oil Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were higher on Tuesday, boosted by strong earnings from Home Depot Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HD.N</A> and two separate economic reports that showed inflationary pressure was held in check and U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in July.$LABEL$2 +Briefly: Business Objects to bundle IBM tools roundup Plus: Linux clusters gear up for simulated combat...Sprint to bake in BlackBerry for businesses...Microsoft ships updated Works...FaceTime pulls in \$16 million.$LABEL$3 +New Cooperation and New Tensions in Terrorist Hunt The apprehension of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan was wrapped up with almost no notice, but it would have enormous global repercussions.$LABEL$0 +Front-Porch Chat: Birth of a Kerry Campaign Tactic John Kerry has held 10 ""front porch visit"" events an actual front porch is optional where perhaps 100 people ask questions in a low-key campaigning style.$LABEL$0 +Beach Volleyball: Brazilians Aim for Podium Again ATHENS (Reuters) - Brazil have had two women's teams on the beach volleyball podium at the last two Olympics and moved a step closer to a hat-trick Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Welsh to ban strippers in limousines (Reuters) Reuters - Strippers and pole dancers should be banned from performing in stretch limousines, according to a\British report.$LABEL$0 +Google shares could start trading Wednesday MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. - Google?s initial public offering could hit the Nasdaq Stock Market as early as Wednesday if US securities regulators let the Internet search engine close its auction on Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +US consumer prices decline unexpectedly in July NEW YORK, August 17 (New Ratings) The US consumer prices declined for the first time in the past eight months in July this year, driven by the reduced gasoline, clothing and transportation costs during the month. $LABEL$2 +US industrial production rebounds in July WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Output at US factories, mines and utilities rose by 0.4 percent in July, nearly recovering from a 0.5 percent plunge in June, the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Building permits increase 5.7, reversing June downturn WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Construction of new homes recovered in July, as US homebuilders started homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.978 million, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Real to Apple: It #39;s On An old-fashioned price war is gearing up in the digital music download business, with RealNetworks (Quote, Chart) on the offensive. With rival Apple in its crosshairs, RealNetworks has slashed the price on songs sold from its RealPlayer store by 50 ...$LABEL$3 +IBM announces eServer i5 550 The eServer i5 550 comes with a feature called the quot;Solution Edition, quot; which is apparently available with certain Independent Software Vendors. The eServer i5, allegedly, has new ways to handle and optimise multiple operating system sthrough the ...$LABEL$3 +Molik joins Pratt in last 16 ALICIA Molik joined fellow Australian Nicole Pratt in the last 16 of the Olympic tennis competition overnight with a 7-5 6-4 second round win over Slovenia #39;s Katarina Srebotnik. $LABEL$1 +Voices: Iranian Judo scandal Iran #39;s Judo champion, a favourite at the Athens Games, has disqualified himself rather than face an Israeli opponent, apparently on the instruction of Iran #39;s Olympic Committee. So far the International Olympic Committee has been silent. What #39;s your view? ...$LABEL$1 +Fighting Continues In South Ossetia Prague, 17 August 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Fresh fighting and further casualties were reported overnight in Georgia #39;s separatist republic of South Ossetia. The violence erupted hours after Georgia and South Ossetia reached an agreement under which all armed units ...$LABEL$0 +Oil Up on Rosy U.S. Economic Data LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday on cheery economic data showing that inflationary pressure was held in check in July and ahead of weekly inventory due out on Wednesday forecast to show a draw in crude stocks$LABEL$2 +Illinois Helps Residents Import Drugs CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois residents will soon gain access to lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, sidestepping U.S. regulators' objections to imported drugs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Rebels force Nepal firms to close One of Nepal's top hotels and a number of other companies close for business after threats from Maoist rebels.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Broadband Growth Slows - Analyst (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. telephone and cable companies\saw the growth of high-speed Internet services slow in the\second quarter to the lowest rate in a year, an industry\research firm said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Real Slashes Online Song Prices (PC World) PC World - Digital music battle continues, as Real undercuts ITunes' prices.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Broadband Growth Slows - Analyst WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. telephone and cable companies saw the growth of high-speed Internet services slow in the second quarter to the lowest rate in a year, an industry research firm said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Majoras steps into FTC chairman role roundup Plus: Business Objects to bundle IBM tools...Linux clusters gear up for simulated combat...Sprint to bake in BlackBerry for businesses.$LABEL$3 +Illinois Helps Residents Import Drugs (Reuters) Reuters - Illinois residents will soon gain\access to lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the United\Kingdom and Ireland, sidestepping U.S. regulators' objections\to imported drugs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Court Rejects Yukos' Plea on Tax Bill A Russian court today rejected the beleaguered oil company's appeal to suspend government efforts to collect \$3.4 billion in back taxes.$LABEL$2 +Army to Withhold Some Payments From Halliburton The U.S. Army plans to withhold payment on 15 percent of future invoices of Halliburton's logistics deal in Iraq due to an ongoing billing dispute.$LABEL$2 +Chavez lambasts fraud allegations Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez rounds on opponents for alleging fraud in a referendum he seems to have won.$LABEL$0 +Google #39;s auction wrapping up NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Google #39;s long-awaited kickoff as the largest Internet IPO of all time is likely to take place as early as Wednesday after the controversial Dutch auction process wraps up after the bell. $LABEL$2 +Russian Arbitration Court Rejects Yukos Plea The giant Russian oil firm Yukos has failed to convince a Moscow arbitration court to suspend the sale by bailiffs of its Siberian subsidiary to satisfy a \$3.4 billion tax debt. $LABEL$2 +US consumer prices dip 0.1 in July; industrial output and home starts rise WASHINGTON (AP) - US consumer prices eased down by 0.1 per cent in July as gasoline prices dropped, while factory output rose and home construction rebounded, offering hope the economy has escaped its early-summer quot;soft patch. quot; ...$LABEL$2 +JC Penney Posts Operating Profit NEW YORK (Reuters) - Department store operator JC Penney Co. Inc. (JCP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday posted a quarterly operating profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, on inventory controls and strong sales of jeans, home furnishings and career ...$LABEL$2 +Nortel shares down following news of RCMP probe TORONTO - Shares of Nortel Networks dipped on the TSX in the wake of news the RCMP has launched an investigation into accounting practices at the telecommunications company. $LABEL$2 +Mills buys stakes in 9 GM-owned malls Virginia-based REIT will pay \$1B, before transaction costs, for a 50 stake in the properties. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Real estate investment trust Mills Corp. said Tuesday it will buy a 50 percent managing stake in nine regional malls from a General Motors ...$LABEL$2 +Stocks in Motion: Motorola Shares of Motorola (MOT:NYSE - news - research) rose Tuesday after Geoffrey Frost, senior vice president of Motorola #39;s mobile phone division, told Reuters that the company feels quot;very good quot; about sales growth during the second half of the year. $LABEL$2 +Update 1: Swiss Air Lines Posts 1st Quarterly Profit Switzerland #39;s struggling national airline reported a second-quarter profit of 45 million Swiss francs (\$35.6 million) Tuesday, although its figures were boosted by a legal settlement in France. $LABEL$2 +IMF says Czech economic outlook #39;favorable #39; WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday the near-term economic outlook for the Czech Republic, a European Union newcomer, was favorable with growth expected to strengthen. $LABEL$2 +Newest discoveries puts known number of satellites at 33 A camera aboard the Cassini spacecraft flying in orbit around Saturn has discovered two of the tiniest moons in the solar system -- one barely 2 miles in diameter and the other only a half-mile larger, astronomers reported Monday. $LABEL$3 +IBM adds midrange server to eServer lineup AUGUST 17, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - IBM today launched a new one-to-four-way midrange Power5 server that features higher performance and several configurations to meet a wide range of user needs. $LABEL$3 +Q amp;A: HP #39;s Livermore sees no need for HP-UX on x86 AUGUST 17, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - This can #39;t be an easy time for Ann Livermore. When Hewlett-Packard Co. missed Wall Street #39;s earnings expectations late last week, the blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of the Enterprise Servers and Storage Group, ...$LABEL$3 +Indian researcher designs revolutionary low cost PC for the poor Aug 17 - Professor Raj Reddy, an Indian researcher in artificial intelligence and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Has designed a wirelessly networked personal computer worth just 250 US dollars intended for the four billion people around the ...$LABEL$3 +That Special Underwater Glow any coral colonies have a nice healthy glow about them, courtesy of fluorescent proteins produced by the coral animals themselves. $LABEL$3 +Al-Maktoum wins men #39;s double trap shooting gold ATHENS : Sheikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum #39;s six-year quest for Olympic glory ended with a historic first ever gold for the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after he clinched the men #39;s double trap shooting event. $LABEL$1 +E-mail from Athens ATHENS, Greece For people willing to devote an unfathomable \$1.5 billion to quot;security quot; for the Olympic Games, the Greeks sure are careless. As in, they couldn #39;t care less. $LABEL$1 +US takes early lead over Australia THESSALONIKI, Greece - With Abby Wambach out with a suspension after receiving two yellow cards Sunday against Brazil, the US soccer team came together and grabbed the lead early in their game against Australia on Tuesday afternoon. $LABEL$1 +Oil Up on Rosy U.S. Economic Data LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose close to a record high on Tuesday on U.S. economic data showing that inflationary pressure was held in check in July and ahead of weekly inventory due out on Wednesday and forecast to show a draw in crude stocks.$LABEL$2 +Ford Sued in Defective Door Latch Claim DETROIT (Reuters) - A Canadian law firm on Tuesday said it had filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=F.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">F.N</A> over what it claims are defective door latches on about 400,000 of the automaker's popular pickup trucks and SUVs.$LABEL$2 +Mittal steel firm in Bosnia deal LNM Group, the steel giant headed by Indian tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, snaps up a Bosnian steelmaker in a \$280m deal.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO Imminent The company asks federal regulators to approve the paperwork required for its stock sale. Also: Yahoo starts selling domain names hellip;. Canadian officials investigate Nortel Networks hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +PluggedIn: Multifunction Devices Draw Back-To-School Crowd (Reuters) Reuters - The consumer electronics gizmo\that offers many functions in a small package is what's\compelling back-to-school shoppers to open their wallets.$LABEL$3 +PluggedIn: Multifunction Devices Draw Back-To-School Crowd SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The consumer electronics gizmo that offers many functions in a small package is what's compelling back-to-school shoppers to open their wallets.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Kinko's debuts Web-based print options roundup Plus: Majoras takes charge of FTC...Business Objects to bundle IBM tools...Linux clusters gear up for simulated combat.$LABEL$3 +Wireless vendors pledge hurricane relief Cingular and Nextel step in to aid those recovering from Hurricane Charley in Florida.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 In a continued effort to compete with IBM Corp. and its WebSphere offerings, Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004.$LABEL$3 +WR Berkley Sees Hurricane Losses Insurance holding company WR Berkley Corp. said Tuesday that it does not expect its losses from damage caused by Hurricane Charley last week to exceed \$5 million. $LABEL$2 +RealNetwork #39;s 49 cent downloads rile Apple Seattle, WA, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- RealNetworks Inc., is taking on Apple Computer #39;s wildly successful iTunes Music Store with a half-price sale offering music downloads for 49 cents a song. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Delays Windows XP SP2 for Home Users Microsoft has delayed the rollout of XP Service Pack Two (SP2) for home users, and some customers will not be able to download it until the end of the month. The new code was supposed to go out on Microsoft #39;s Automatic Update service on ...$LABEL$3 +Olympics-Shooting-loving Rathore promotes Olympic sports ATHENS, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore loves cricket as much as any Indian, even if the national obsession with ball and bat can make it hard for the country #39;s Olympic athletes to get a look in. $LABEL$1 +Phelps Wins Second Gold Medal, in 200 Fly (AP) AP - American Michael Phelps won the gold medal Tuesday in the 200-meter butterfly with an Olympic-record time of 1:54.04.$LABEL$1 +Redskins Cut Strong Safety Ohalete (AP) AP - Strong safety Ifeanyi Ohalete was cut by the Washington Redskins on Tuesday after starting 15 games for the team last season.$LABEL$1 +Wood's Suspension Upheld (Reuters) Reuters - Major League Baseball\Monday announced a decision on the appeal filed by Chicago Cubs\pitcher Kerry Wood regarding a suspension stemming from an\incident earlier this season.$LABEL$1 +Parry wins butterfly bronze Stephen Parry comes a brilliant third behind Michael Phelps in the men's 200m butterfly.$LABEL$1 +Google IPO Imminent In a sign that Google #39;s initial public offering is imminent, the company has asked federal regulators to give final approval to the paperwork required for its stock sale. $LABEL$2 +Banks want BJ #39;s to pay for credit card fraud CHICAGO, Aug 17 (Reuters) - BJ #39;s Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday said credit card issuers want the retailer to reimburse them for up to \$16 million in fraudulent credit card charges and other costs stemming from a possible ...$LABEL$2 +Negative sentiment towards US stock market rises NEW YORK, August 17 (New Ratings) Analysts at Merrill Lynch say that a recent survey of global fund managers demonstrates continuously increasing negative sentiments towards the US stock market trends. $LABEL$2 +IBM Seeks Another SCO Dismissal The current motion is in addition to the request for a summary judgment IBM has been seeking since early July. If the initial request is granted, it could bring the case to a close without trial. Although summary judgment arguments ...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 In a continued effort to compete with IBM Corp. and its WebSphere offerings, Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004. $LABEL$3 +VARs, Vendors Seize Patch Management Opportunity The delayed arrival of Windows Update Services is giving VARs and patch management vendors a chance to cash in. $LABEL$3 +Iraq peace mission arrives in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - An Iraqi peace delegation has urged a radical Shi #39;ite cleric to call off his uprising in the city of Najaf, where US troops have been pounding militia positions near the country #39;s holiest Islamic sites. $LABEL$0 +Downer to begin nuclear talks FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer will today begin talks with North Korean officials to try to convince the communist state to drop its nuclear weapons program. $LABEL$0 +Southern Africa countries pledge enhanced trade ties with China, India PORT LOUIS, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Southern African countries Tuesday pledged better trade and investment relations with China as well as India in the final communique released at the end of their two-day summit. $LABEL$0 +Chiron Wins Bird Flu Vaccine Deal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chiron Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CHIR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CHIR.O</A> has won a contract to develop a human vaccine against a strain of bird flu that can infect people and ""has the potential to trigger a modern-day pandemic,"" the U.S. government said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Halves Music Prices, Sees Wider Loss (Reuters) Reuters - RealNetworks Inc. on Tuesday halved\prices for songs downloaded from its online music store to win\customers for new technology that has rankled rival Apple\Computer Inc.$LABEL$3 +Benefits Seen in Earth Observation Data (AP) AP - Better weather forecasts to prepare for storms and planning for energy needs months in advance are among the benefits expected from a planned Earth Observation System.$LABEL$3 +Michael Phelps Wins Second Gold Medal (AP) AP - Michael Phelps, denied in his bid to win seven gold medals, picked up his second victory of the Athens Games by winning the 200-meter butterfly Tuesday night in Olympic-record time. Phelps fell just short of his own world record, holding off Takashi Yamamoto to win in 1 minute, 54.01 seconds. The hard-charging Japanese swimmer took silver in 1:54.56, while Great Britain's Stephen Parry won bronze in 1:55.22.$LABEL$1 +Aussies Battle Americans to 1-1 Tie (AP) AP - After 17 years, the Matildas finally caught up to the U.S. women's soccer team. Joanne Peters' 12-yard header in the 82nd minute gave Australia a 1-1 tie Tuesday with the United States, breaking a 15-game Aussie losing streak that dates to the teams' first meeting in 1987.$LABEL$1 +Australia Ties U.S. Joanne Peters' 12-yard header in the 82nd minute gives Australia a 1-1 tie with the United States, while the Americans already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.$LABEL$1 +India boosted as Rathore grabs historic silver (Reuters) Reuters - India erupted with joy as shooter Rajyavardhan Rathore clinched their first medal at the Athens Olympics on Tuesday and their first ever individual silver.$LABEL$0 +Ill. Congressman's Son to Be on Ballot (AP) AP - Democratic Party officials picked U.S. Rep. William Lipinski's son Tuesday to replace his father on the November ballot, a decision engineered by Lipinski after he announced his retirement and withdrew from the race four days earlier.$LABEL$0 +Najaf Fighting Intensifies Amid Peace Push BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. warplane bombed near Najaf's vast cemetery as fighting with Shiite militants intensified Tuesday...$LABEL$0 +Michael Phelps Wins Second Gold Medal ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps, denied in his bid to win seven gold medals, picked up his second victory of the Athens Games by winning the 200-meter butterfly Tuesday night in Olympic-record time. Phelps fell just short of his own world record, holding off Takashi Yamamoto to win in 1 minute, 54.01 seconds...$LABEL$0 +Top-Seeded Federer Upset in Second Round ATHENS, Greece - Top-seeded Roger Federer crashed out in the second round of the Olympic tournament Tuesday night, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Federer, who won Wimbledon the past two years and replaced Andy Roddick atop the rankings in February, was undone by poor serving and a string of unforced errors...$LABEL$0 +TJX Cos. Earnings Fall 4 Percent TJX Cos. Inc. #39;s second-quarter earnings fell 4 percent, reflecting higher markdowns on merchandise due to softer sales trends. $LABEL$2 +US Airways seeks to delay pension payments Dulles, VA, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- US Airways is seeking permission to delay pension contributions of \$67.5 million, so it can keep operating. $LABEL$2 +Cantor Fitzgerald to Split Off Voice-Broking Unit (Update5) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Cantor Fitzgerald LP, one of the two largest Treasury bond brokers, will split off its original business of person-to-person sales to focus on more profitable activities such as institutional equity sales and trading. $LABEL$2 +Cassini Spacecraft Discovers 2 New Moons Around Saturn The US Space Agency #39;s Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new moons around Saturn - bringing the planet #39;s count to 33. NASA said Monday the images of the two, small moons were taken June 1. $LABEL$3 +Intellisync in Danger Intellisync #39;s synchronization software will soon be available on Danger Hiptop devices, through select carriers, allowing wireless synchronization to Outlook on the desktop. $LABEL$3 +Eriksson aims to stick by core of Euro 2004 side SLALEY, England, Aug 17 (Reuters) - England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he is prepared to put his faith in the nucleus of the squad that flopped at Euro 2004 as he tries to plot a successful challenge for the World Cup. $LABEL$1 +Court Throws Out Challenge to Blimp The United States is on the verge of winning its first fencing medal in twenty years. Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are out of the hospital but not out of the woods. $LABEL$1 +History beckons for England It used only to be Australians who suffered from dead-rubber syndrome that most infuriating of conditions whereby a dominant side could write off a failure to complete a clean-sweep by claiming that the match never mattered anyway. Now, however, it is ...$LABEL$1 +Redskins cut former starter Ohalete ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- He was demoted to third string a couple weeks ago, didn #39;t do exactly what the coaches wanted and was coming off a bad game. Ifeanyi Ohalete knew what was coming next. $LABEL$1 +Pittsburgh vs. Arizona PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Jack Wilson lofted a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a wild 8-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the 10th, Jose Castillo drew leadoff walk against Greg Aquino (0-1) and stole ...$LABEL$1 +Bounty-hunter plays to gallery in Kabul KABUL - A bounty hunter accused of running a private torture chamber has gone on trial in Kabul claiming he could not get a fair hearing because the FBI had confiscated vital evidence and locked it in the American Embassy. $LABEL$0 +Demonstrators protest benefit cuts in Berlin Thousands of demonstrators brought protests against benefit cuts to the German capital yesterday, but the Government insisted it would make no further change to measures it sees as key to a more competitive economy. $LABEL$0 +Deere Earnings Up, Raises 2004 Forecast CHICAGO (Reuters) - Deere Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DE.N</A>, one of the world's largest farm equipment makers, said on Tuesday that quarterly earnings jumped 62 percent, driven by strength in its agricultural and construction equipment businesses.$LABEL$2 +Analysts fear longer than expected G5 delays (MacCentral) MacCentral - Analysts from Prudential Equity Group and UBS have warned over the past two days that longer than expected G5 delays from IBM Corp. is the near-term ""key risk"" for Apple Computer Inc. Both firms are concerned the delays could be longer than originally expected.$LABEL$3 +Federer's Games Dream Shattered ATHENS (Reuters) - Top seed Roger Federer was bundled out of the Olympic tennis tournament on Tuesday by unheralded Czech Tomas Berdych.$LABEL$1 +Edwards Out of Games U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards is knocked out of the Olympics for good Tuesday when an arbitration panel upholds her two-year drug suspension.$LABEL$1 +Son Running for Ill. Rep.'s House Seat (AP) AP - Democratic Party officials picked U.S. Rep. William Lipinski's son Tuesday to replace his father on the November ballot, a decision engineered by Lipinski after he announced his retirement and withdrew from the race four days earlier.$LABEL$0 +Interactive Web Sites Provide New Approach to Election Coverage (Editor and Publisher) Editor and Publisher - NEW YORK While most newspapers are utilizing their Web sites to supplement coverage of the presidential race, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times have taken the frenzy over electoral votes and undecided states to the next level with some unusual interactive options.$LABEL$3 +Google set to start trading SAN FRANCISCO - Google looks set to start trading on the Nasdaq today after the web #39;s No 1 search engine asked regulators for final approval to price its closely watched initial public offering. $LABEL$2 +Florida #39;s fiscal shape helps cushion Charley #39;s hit WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Hurricane Charley may have caused up to \$15 billion in damage in Florida, but that is not seen immediately hurting the state #39;s credit picture thanks to strong finances and funds in reserve, analysts said ...$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Rebound Towards Record Highs Oil prices moved back towards record highs tonight amid continued concerns over soaring demand and tight supplies. $LABEL$2 +Army Withholding Halliburton Payments Halliburton (HAL:NYSE - news - research) sank Tuesday after the Army chose not to extend a deadline for the company to explain its billing in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +Air Canada gets green light from creditors After more than 16 months of restructuring, Air Canada #39;s creditors overwhelming endorsed the airline #39;s new business plan during a meeting at a Montreal hotel Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +RealNetworks launches music-download price war Seattle online media company RealNetworks Inc. on Tuesday said a new campaign to attract subscribers to its music download service will add about a penny per share to its third-quarter net loss. $LABEL$3 +Second Wi-Fi standards group steps forward A new battle of technologies may be in the offing in the 802.11n arena as 12 key companies have developed a key proposal to counter another one announced last week that is backed by a group of top wireless players. $LABEL$3 +DOD labs get Linux clusters Linux Networx Inc. delivered two more systems to the Defense Department as part of the military #39;s Technology Insertion 2004 initiative to improve defense laboratories #39; high-performance computing. $LABEL$3 +Livni: Settlement blocs will be strengthened The Housing and Construction Ministry on Tuesday published tenders for about 1,001 new housing units in West Bank settlements. $LABEL$0 +Israeli soldiers kill boy in Nablus A 10-year-old Palestinian boy has been shot dead by Israeli occupation soldiers during an incursion into the centre of the West Bank city of Nablus, according to Palestinian medical sources. $LABEL$0 +Don't Marry Until March Plan a big, fat cheap wedding, and start your coupling with extra cash, not debt.$LABEL$2 +Klochkova Wins 200 IM, Beard Takes Silver (AP) AP - Yana Klochkova of Ukraine completed an Olympic sweep of the individual medleys, winning gold in the 200-meter IM Tuesday night. Amanda Beard of Irvine, Calif., made a dramatic move from fifth to second on the breaststroke portion and earned the silver in 2:11.70 #151; her fifth career Olympic medal.$LABEL$1 +Rumsfeld Warns Against Fixing Intelligence in 'Single Stroke' The secretary of defense signaled he favors a slower, more cautious approach to revamping U.S. intelligence than the Sept. 11 commission does.$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Charley hits Outback NEW YORK (Reuters) - Outback Steakhouse Inc. said Tuesday it lost about 130 operating days and up to \$2 million in revenue because it had to close some restaurants in the South due to Hurricane Charley. $LABEL$2 +Intel TV Chip Is Delayed Intel said it will delay its highly anticipated television chips, based on Liquid Crystal on Silicon, or LCOS, technology, which promises to deliver large screen TVs at a price point half of what they cost today. The chipmaker said the ...$LABEL$3 +Federer #39;s Games Dream Shattered ATHENS (Reuters) - Roger Federer was bundled out of the Olympic tennis tournament Tuesday by unheralded Czech Tomas Berdych. $LABEL$1 +Ruling bars Edwards from Athens competition ATHENS, Greece -- US sprinter Torri Edwards #39; suspension was upheld by a panel of three international arbitrators Tuesday, leaving the reigning 100-meter world champion unable to compete at the Olympics. $LABEL$1 +US soldier killed in eastern Baghdad-military BAGHDAD, Iraq One US soldier was killed and several others were wounded in clashes with Iraqi Shi #39;ite militiamen in a Baghdad suburb Monday, the US military said Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Army Won't Pay 15 Pct of Halliburton Bill WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army will withhold payment on 15 percent of future invoices of Halliburton Co.'s <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HAL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HAL.N</A> logistics deal in Iraq due to a billing dispute that could cost the company \$60 million a month, the military said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Phelps, U.S. Win Men's 4x200 Freestyle Relay ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps led the United States to a narrow victory in the men's 4x200 meters freestyle relay at the Athens Olympics Tuesday to collect his third gold medal in four days.$LABEL$1 +World 100m Champion Torri Edwards Banned from Games ATHENS (Reuters) - World 100 meters champion Torri Edwards will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a two-year drugs ban was dismissed Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +US-led coalition denies airstrikes in western Afghanistan (AFP) AFP - The US military denied reports that the coalition in Afghanistan had launched air strikes to quell fighting in the west of the country.$LABEL$0 +Wal-Mart's Taxing Comps Wal-Mart sees August same-store revenues up 2 to 4. How should investors view this statistical range?$LABEL$2 +Last Call for Investors to Bid on Google (Reuters) Reuters - Time is running out for prospective\investors to submit their offers to buy shares of Google Inc.\(GOOG.O), the Web's No. 1 search company.$LABEL$3 +GameStop Earnings Up on Software Sales (AP) AP - Video-game chain GameStop Corp.'s second-quarter earnings rose on strong sales.$LABEL$3 +IBM adds four-way 550 server to new i5 product line IBM Corp. bolstered the new eServer i5 server lineup with the i5 550, a new system based on the Power 5 chip that can run multiple operating systems.$LABEL$3 +Papua New Guinea, the world's next AIDS frontier (AFP) AFP - The old man lay unattended in the shack which served as a morgue for the General Hospital in Mount Hagen, a busy town in the restive highlands of central Papua New Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Kerry admits to soft spot for Oscar winner Theron (AFP) AFP - Democratic presidential contender John Kerry has a soft spot for South African actress Charlize Theron but is adamant that second wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry changed his life, he has told GQ magazine.$LABEL$0 +Phelps Wins Second Gold Medal ATHENS, Greece - His quest to surpass Mark Spitz out of the way, Michael Phelps got back to winning gold. The 19-year-old from Baltimore claimed his second gold medal of the Athens Games in the 200-meter butterfly Tuesday night, though he was a bit disappointed at failing to break his own world record...$LABEL$0 +US Army to withhold portion of Halliburton payments The billing dispute between the US Army and Houston-based Halliburton Co. continues as the Army on Tuesday said it would withhold paying 15 percent of future invoices from Halliburton. $LABEL$2 +Microsoft Delays SP2 Auto Update For Enterprises Although Monday was to be the day when Microsoft began pushing Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to enterprises, it changed its mind at the last minute and delayed the automatic updating for more than a week. $LABEL$3 +IBM adds four-way 550 server to new i5 product line IBM Corp. bolstered the new eServer i5 server lineup with the i5 550, a new system based on the Power 5 chip that can run multiple operating systems. $LABEL$3 + #39;One in 12 Emails Infected with Virus #39; The number of attempted attacks by computer viruses rocketed in the first half of the year, according to a report published today. $LABEL$3 +Detective Caught in Internet Sting Over Child Sex HITE PLAINS, Aug. 16 - A 16-year veteran of the New York Police Department, who supposedly called himself a quot;boy hunter #39; #39; in an online profile, was arrested on Monday after the Westchester district attorney, Jeanine Pirro, said he tried to ...$LABEL$3 +For Wednesday AMs AP Olympic Digest for Wednesday AMs. The supervisor is Aaron Watson. The phone number for the New York sports desk is (212) 621-1630. Reruns of stories and agate available from http://yourap.org, from the Service Desk (800-838-4616) or your local AP ...$LABEL$1 +Redskins release Ohalete Ashburn, VA (Sports Network) - The Washington Redskins have released safety Ifeanyi Ohalete, a starter for 15 games last season. $LABEL$1 +Eight to Face Court on Terror Murder Plot Charges Eight men will appear in court tomorrow accused of plotting terrorist outrages in Britain and the United States. $LABEL$0 +Microsoft Delays SP2 Auto Update For Enterprises Although Monday was supposed to be the day when Microsoft began pushing Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to enterprises, it changed its mind at the last minute and delayed the automatic updating for more than a ...$LABEL$3 +Aftershock: Brown rips team #39;s lack of effort ATHENS, Greece -- Larry Brown was despondent, the head of the US selection committee was defensive and an irritated Allen Iverson was hanging up on callers who asked what went wrong. $LABEL$1 +Greece grabs first gold HOST nation Greece grabbed its first gold medal of the Athens Olympics this morning when Nikolaos Siranidis and Thomas Bimis won the men #39;s three-metre synchronised diving after China #39;s favourites suffered a no-dive. $LABEL$1 +Were the judges by any chance French? Kosuke Kitajima #39;s technique may get a sharper eye from officials today in the 200-meter breaststroke race. $LABEL$1 +Iran #39;s Olympic snub Iran #39;s transparent decision to boycott head-to-head competitions against Israeli athletes is an assault on the Olympic ideal. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and sternly. Instead, the International Judo Federation could not find enough executive members ...$LABEL$1 +They built it, but no one comes quot;It #39;s sad, quot; the British visitor to Athens said, shaking her head. quot;It #39;s sad that nobody is here, buying tickets to the Olympics. People should be out there telling people that Athens is great. It #39;s a great experience. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +I #39;ll be No.1 - Owen Michael Owen is confident that he will be a success at Real Madrid following his 8m move from Liverpool. $LABEL$1 +Owen gives Sven backing Michael Owen today insisted that Sven-Goran Eriksson has the full backing of the England squad and warned that the coach should not be underestimated. $LABEL$1 +Hewitt in sharp form in Washington WASHINGTON -- Lleyton Hewitt launched his ATP Washington Classic campaign with a 6-1 6-2 first round win over Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark. $LABEL$1 +Kobe win on sex life of accuser Prosecutors in the Kobe Bryant case suffered yet another setback yesterday when a court shot down their last-ditch attempt to keep the accuser #39;s sex life out of the looming trial. $LABEL$1 +Los Angeles loves Lo Duca LOS ANGELES -- Everywhere you looked before Monday night #39;s game at Dodger Stadium, there he was. Paul Lo Duca, the thirtysomething mother of two. Paul Lo Duca, the dude with the thick beard and the backward Dodgers cap. Paul Lo Duca, the guy with the beer ...$LABEL$1 +Packers-Seahawks scoring summary FIRST QUARTER: K Ryan Longwell 47-yard field goal at 9:03. Key plays: QB Brett Favre opened the drive with a 7-yard pass to WR Donald Driver to GB 39. RB Ahman Green 3-yard run, plus 5-yard facemask penalty on Seattle moved ball to GB 47. Favre 11-yard ...$LABEL$1 +Halliburton Now Says It Will Not Get Extension From Army The company said today that the United States Army had decided not to grant it additional time to substantiate its costs in Iraq and Kuwait.$LABEL$2 +Google prepares to wrap up share auction (AFP) AFP - Google Inc prepared to wrap up an extraordinary share auction, meaning a final price in the multi-billion-dollar listing will be announced within days.$LABEL$3 +Gateway: hang onto your hard drive New service plan lets customers keep old drives after replacement to protect data.$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Goes After iPod With Price War RealNetworks Goes After iPod With Price War\\RealNetworks on Tuesday halved the prices for downloaded songs to \$0.49 to win customers away from Apple Computer's iPod craze. RealNetworks has recently launched its ""Harmony"" technology which makes its song downloads compatible with Apple's iPod technology. Apple currently has a firm grasp ...$LABEL$3 +Netscape Browser 7.2 Released by AOL Netscape Browser 7.2 Released by AOL\\America Online has just released Netscape 7.2. Based on Mozilla 1.7, this latest version features better popup blocking, vCard support, an improved junk mail algorithm, better standards support, performance enhancements and several hundred other bug fixes. It also includes patches for recent security vulnerabilities according ...$LABEL$3 +Jury Rejects Thomas Family's GM Claims (AP) AP - The family of former Kansas City Chiefs star Derrick Thomas is not entitled to any money from General Motors Corp. for the Jan. 2000 crash that killed the nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker, a jury ruled Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Last Call for Investors to Bid on Google NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time is running out for prospective investors to submit their offers to buy shares of Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , the Web #39;s No. 1 search company. $LABEL$2 +Oil prices climb again tonight Oil prices moved back towards record highs tonight amid continued concerns over soaring demand and tight supplies. $LABEL$2 +Toyota is outbid for land But state says developer won #39;t necessarily get site Toyota has been outbid by a land developer for state-owned property in York Township, but officials say this is one deal that will be decided by more than money. $LABEL$2 +Edwards banned from Games ATHENS (Reuters) - World 100 metres champion Torri Edwards will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a two-year drugs ban was dismissed. $LABEL$1 +Major Rathore is a perfectionist to the core A man of words, commitment and warmth. Rajyvardhan Singh Rathore combines all these qualities. And he, of course, is one of the most talented shooters of recent times. $LABEL$1 +Burundi authorizes UN camp for Congolese refugees GENEVA, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The government of Burundi has authorized the United Nations to set up a camp for newly-arrived Congolese refugees following the horrific attack on the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi last Friday, UN officials said here ...$LABEL$0 +Germany #39;s Schroeder adopts three-year-old Russian girl BERLIN: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his wife have adopted a daughter, an official with Schroeder #39;s party said Tuesday. Schroeder and his wife, Doris Schroeder-Koepf, picked up the 3-year-old Russian girl named Victoria several weeks ago from a ...$LABEL$0 +Sudan: Foreign Troops Run Gauntlet of Government Displeasure Television footage aired over the weekend showed a group of Rwandan soldiers dancing and clapping their hands. With AK-47 assault rifles firmly strapped across their shoulders, the 150 troops sported green berets adorned with African Union badges as they ...$LABEL$0 +Cardinal hears farewell in John Paul #39;s remarks BRUSSELS One of 15 cardinals with Pope John Paul II during a weekend visit to a French shrine was quoted in Belgian news media on Monday as saying the ailing pontiff may have been making his farewells. $LABEL$0 +Can GameStop Be Stopped? GameStop's lack of a competitive advantage leaves investors with many questions.$LABEL$2 +Advertisers Go Digital to Track Ads NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top marketers are going digital to track the delivery of commercials into U.S. homes with a system some advocates say will revolutionize advertising the way product codes changed the selling of sliced bread.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Advertisers Go Digital to Track Ads NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top marketers are going digital to track the delivery of commercials into U.S. homes with a system some advocates say will revolutionize advertising the way product codes changed the selling of sliced bread.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Gateway says, hold on to your hard drive roundup Plus: Kinko's debuts Web-based print options...Majoras takes charge of FTC...Business Objects to bundle IBM tools.$LABEL$3 +Coyotes Re-Sign Right Wing Mike Johnson (AP) AP - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Mike Johnson on Tuesday to a three-year contract.$LABEL$1 +Holiday Pals Berlusconi, Blair Cement Ties (AP) AP - With a bandanna on his head and a grin on his cheeks, Italy's flamboyant Premier Silvio Berlusconi has been playing vacation host to Britain's Tony Blair in Sardinia, an unlikely holiday coupling that highlights an Italian-British alliance bolstered by the Iraq war.$LABEL$0 +Mobile Boohoo for Sohu Chinese net stock Sohu.com (Nasdaq: SOHU) dropped by 10 on Friday after the company announced that its multimedia messaging services with China Mobile Communication had been temporarily suspended for a year. The sanctions were ...$LABEL$2 +AOL releases Netscape update Netscape Communications upgraded its namesake browser on Tuesday to version 7.2, a rare sign of life at America Online #39;s moribund browser division. $LABEL$3 +Many similarities, differences between #39;04 US basketball and #39;80 Soviet hockey teams This was no miracle, but you could not tell by the amount of elation surrounding the Dream Team #39;s trip to the woodshed Sunday. $LABEL$1 +Top-seeded Federer upset in second round ATHENS, Greece (AP) Top-seeded Roger Federer was eliminated in the second round of the Olympics Tuesday night, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Federer, who won Wimbledon the past two years and replaced Andy Roddick atop ...$LABEL$1 +UN rights chief deeply concerned about refugee camp massacre in Burundi GENEVA, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations human rights chief expressed her deep concern over the massacre in the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi last Friday, a UN official said here Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Public servant backs Scrafton PRIME Minister John Howard said he would not be swayed by more public servants coming forward in relation to the children overboard scandal. $LABEL$0 +US troops move gets muted response BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- Germany #39;s defense minister expressed regret Tuesday about US plans to restructure its forces abroad -- changes expected to hit Germany the hardest with the pullout of two heavy divisions. Japan and Australia embraced the changes. $LABEL$0 +Stocks Higher on Economic Data, Earnings NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks traded higher on Tuesday, despite oil prices hitting a new high before falling back, as U.S. economic reports showed an easing of inflationary pressure and a sharp rebound in the housing market.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Public Now Evenly Split on Iraq War (AP) AP - Nine months of chaos and casualties in Iraq since Saddam Hussein's capture have taken a heavy toll on American opinion of President Bush's decision to go to war. Last December, when Saddam was caught, public support for Bush was 2-to-1 in favor. Now the public is evenly divided on whether the war was the right thing to do or whether it was a mistake.$LABEL$0 +Rumsfeld warns on spy shake-up US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urges caution on US intelligence reform, saying it could create new barriers.$LABEL$0 +Stocks up on positive consumer price report NEW YORK (AP) - A drop in consumer prices and a decline in crude oil futures Tuesday allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term, and they sent stocks modestly higher. $LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Slashes Music-Downloading Prices With competition heating up in the online music business, RealNetworks Inc. slashed prices Tuesday for downloading music. $LABEL$3 +New bird species discovered LONDON - A new species of flightless bird has been discovered on a remote island in the northern Philippines, Filipino and British researchers announced Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Symantec Updates SOHO Gear To Battle Against Worms, Phishing Symantec on Tuesday introduced versions of its consumer and small business security software with updates that protect against network-scanning worms such as Sasser, and keep phishing attacks at bay. $LABEL$3 +Packers #39; rookie punter struggling GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Tim Couch #39;s troubles grasping the West Coast offense gave rookie punter BJ Sander plenty of opportunities to make a good first impression with the Green Bay Packers. $LABEL$1 +Holiday Pals Berlusconi, Blair Cement Ties With a bandanna on his head and a grin on his cheeks, Italy #39;s flamboyant Premier Silvio Berlusconi has been playing vacation host to Britain #39;s Tony Blair in Sardinia, an unlikely holiday coupling that highlights an Italian-British alliance ...$LABEL$0 +Illinois Helps Residents Import Prescription Drugs CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois residents will soon be able to buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, sidestepping U.S. regulators' objections to imported drugs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Giants to Start Manning Against Carolina (AP) AP - Eli Manning is going to get a chance to open the season as the New York Giants' starting quarterback.$LABEL$1 +World 100m Champion Edwards Banned ATHENS (Reuters) - World 100 meters champion Torri Edwards will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a two-year drugs ban was dismissed on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +India to surpass China as world's most populous country in 2050: study (AFP) AFP - India is projected to outpace China and become the world's most populous country by 2050, growing by 50 percent in the next 46 years to reach more than 1.6 billion people, a US research institute said.$LABEL$0 +Odumbe handed five-year ban Former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe receives a five-year ban for receiving money to fix a match.$LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Decline, Housing Rebounds WASHINGTON - Consumer prices fell by 0.1 percent in July as gasoline prices dropped while output at factories and housing construction posted healthy rebounds, offering hope the economy has escaped this summer's ""soft patch."" The Labor Department said Tuesday that the decline in its closely watched Consumer Price Index was the first decrease since a 0.2 percent drop last November. The CPI had been up 0.3 percent in June and an even sharper 0.6 percent in May, reflecting big jumps in energy costs...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Climb on Drop in Consumer Prices NEW YORK - Another jump in oil prices pre-empted a rally on Wall Street Tuesday, though stocks managed to post modest gains on the strength of the latest consumer price report, which put many investors' inflation fears to rest for the near term. Stocks started the session strong after the government's Consumer Price Index registered a small drop in July, giving consumers a respite from soaring energy prices...$LABEL$0 +Treasuries Gain After Tame Inflation NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury debt prices rose on Tuesday after July inflation figures proved subdued and soaring oil prices pointed to slower U.S. consumer spending down the line.$LABEL$2 +New PC Is Created Just for Teenagers (AP) AP - This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.$LABEL$3 +Home Depot raises view as profit tops estimates ATLANTA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. (HD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit, handily topping estimates, as store renovations and efforts to improve service drove higher ...$LABEL$2 +Applied Materials Takes on Metron Applied Materials (Quote, Chart) said it filled a major gap in its services portfolio with its acquisition of Metron Technology (Quote, Chart). $LABEL$2 +Two new, tiny moons found around Saturn Paris, France, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft has detected two tiny, previously-unknown moons orbiting Saturn between Mimas and Enceladus, mission scientists said Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +PalmOne Announces SD WiFi Card palmOne today announces that it is to provide a second level of wireless connectivity for Tungsten T3 and Zire 72 handheld users with the introduction of its first Wi-Fi card. Developed specifically for handheld owners who want to complement the ...$LABEL$3 +Cell phone carriers to get Linux option CHICAGO - Motorola Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. on Monday said they agreed to an expanded deal to help mobile telephone service providers use Linux-based computers to run their core network systems. $LABEL$3 +Coyotes re-sign RW Johnson to three-year deal ----------------------------------------------- GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - Mike Johnson missed most of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but that didn #39;t stop the Phoenix Coyotes from giving him the veteran right wing a three-year contract ...$LABEL$1 +Roddick escapes, Federer doesn #39;t at Olympics Andy Roddick and Roger Federer both found themselves mired in three-set struggles Tuesday night at the Olympics. $LABEL$1 +Giants will give Eli first start Thursday No. 1 draft pick Eli Manning will make his first start at quarterback for the New York Giants in their exhibition game Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, coach Tom Coughlin announced Thursday, according to ESPN. $LABEL$1 +Eight terror suspects charged in Britain LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- British police on Tuesday charged eight terrorism suspects with conspiracy to murder. $LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Drop, Industry Output Up WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in gasoline costs reversed, the government said on Tuesday in a report suggesting the U.S. Federal Reserve can stick to a plan of gradual interest-rate rises.$LABEL$2 +Women Employees Sue Costco Women employees of Costco Wholesale Corp. filed a sex discrimination class action suit today, alleging that the giant retailer imposes a glass ceiling that prevents women from reaching the top and keeps them in lower paid positions.$LABEL$2 +Advertisers Go Digital to Track Ads (Reuters) Reuters - Top marketers are going digital to\track the delivery of commercials into U.S. homes with a system\some advocates say will revolutionize advertising the way\product codes changed the selling of sliced bread.$LABEL$3 +Study: Unpatched PCs compromised in 20 minutes The average ""survival time"" is not even long enough to download patches that would protect a computer from Net threats.$LABEL$3 +Olympics-Fencing-U.S. and Swiss End Gold Drought ATHENS (Reuters) - Mariel Zagunis won the first fencing gold for the United States for 100 years when she beat Xue Tan of China 15-9 in the inaugural Olympic women's sabre final on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Slaves' descendants should get tax exemption: US Senate hopeful (AFP) AFP - American descendants of African slaves should be exempted from US federal taxes for a generation or two to compensate them for the state-sanctioned exploitation of their ancestors, an aspiring US Senate hopeful declared.$LABEL$0 +Britain Charges 8 in Terror Plot Tied to U.S. Alert LONDON (Reuters) - Britain charged eight terrorism suspects Tuesday and said one had plans which could be used in terror attacks on U.S. financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington.$LABEL$0 +Apple #39;s Real Rivalry If you go by the headlines alone, it sounds like RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) is about to embark on a heady money-losing venture as it halves prices for its music download service Harmony, looking to take a bite out of Apple ...$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Federer crashes but Roddick survives Olympic scare ATHENS : World No 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland crashed out of the Olympic tennis tournament when he lost to unseeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. $LABEL$1 +CU #39;s Bloom Denied Request University of Colorado wide receiver Jeremy Bloom has lost his bid to continue playing college football while accepting endorsements to support his professional skiing career. $LABEL$1 +Men #39;s Singles : Interview with JUAN CARLOS FERRERO (ESP) Q. It #39;s a slow road back, isn #39;t it? You #39;ve had the illness and injury problems earlier in this year. Did you lose confidence or what? ...$LABEL$1 +Australia envoy in N Korea talks Australia #39;s foreign minister is in North Korea, urging the Stalinist state to renounce nuclear weapons. $LABEL$0 +IBM Takes New Tack in SCO Legal Battle (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - In its ongoing war with SCO over Linux and Unix IP, IBM is trying a new tactic: declaring that SCO has no rights over its ""homegrown"" Unix code.$LABEL$3 +Today Inca Trail, Tomorrow Inca Road A consortium of nonprofits aim to restore sections of the Inca Road, the 500-year-old route that linked the Inca Empire from present-day Colombia to central Chile.$LABEL$3 +Birding Column: Moments of Photographic Rapture Birdman of Belair Mathew Tekulsky waxes on the serendipitous moments when birds and timing alight together for memorable photographs.$LABEL$3 +Could Australia's Deadly Snakes Put Bite on Cancer? Eighty percent of Australia's snake species are venomous, making the continent a paradise for researchers seeking the next generation of miracle drugs for human diseases.$LABEL$3 +Africa's Penguins Still Reeling From ""Guano Craze Faced with the lingering effects of a 19th-century trade in seabird excrement and more modern pressures, jackass penguins are struggling to recover, conservationists say.$LABEL$3 +Spider-Venom Profits to Be Funneled Into Conservation Pharmaceutical companies have profited from medicines derived from spiders. Now a group called Venom Venture is making sure some of that money goes toward conserving the spiders themselves.$LABEL$3 +Paradoxically, African Railroad Keeps Habitat Intact Normally, transportation routes through wilderness are frowned on by conservationists. But a newly restored railroad in Madagascar is persuading locals not to slash and burn the surrounding landscape.$LABEL$3 +Insect Vibrations Tell of Good Times and Bad Thornbugs communicate by vibrating the branches they live on. Now scientists are discovering just what the bugs are ""saying.$LABEL$3 +Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History Fear of Friday the 13th has roots in a Viking myth, ancient Rome, and even the Last Supper.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Studying Israeli West Bank Home Plan (AP) AP - The United States withheld judgment Tuesday on whether Israel's plans to build 1,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank violate the U.S-led Middle East peace plan.$LABEL$0 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing a party mutiny over his plan to quit the Gaza Strip, has approved 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the West Bank in a move that drew a cautious response on Tuesday from Washington.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sadr Snubs Peace Delegation in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr refused on Tuesday to meet a delegation of Iraqi political and religious leaders seeking to end a rebellion in the holy city of Najaf and other parts of the country.$LABEL$0 +Costco Target of Sex Bias Lawsuit (Reuters) Reuters - Lawyers leading a record-setting\sex discrimination case against Wal-Mart Stores said on Tuesday\they filed a lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST.O),\claiming the company kept women out of top store management\posts.$LABEL$2 +Stocks End Higher, Lifted by Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, even as oil prices hit another record, as investors were encouraged by data showing an easing of inflationary pressure and a sharp rebound in the housing market.$LABEL$2 +Oil Up on Rosy U.S. Economic Data LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose to another record high on Tuesday on U.S. economic data showing inflationary pressure was held in check in July and ahead of weekly inventory data on Wednesday expected to show a decline in crude stocks.$LABEL$2 +HP's order system chaos to continue throughout August <strong>HP World</strong> SAP hell lingers$LABEL$3 +Feature: A New IDEA in Air Quality Monitoring Combining the assets of NASA and the EPA with NOAA's weather information is at the heart of a new NASA project called IDEA:\ Infusing Satellite Data into Environmental Air Quality Applications. IDEA will improve forecasters' ability to track regional pollution and make air quality forecasts.$LABEL$3 +Soldering Surprise on the Space Station There's nothing routine about working in space, as astronaut Mike Fincke found out recently when he did some soldering onboard the International Space Station. ScienceNASA -- Richard Grugel, a materials scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center, watched his video monitor in disbelief...$LABEL$3 +Taking the Pulse of Planet Earth Scientists are planning to take the pulse of the planet -- and more -- in an effort to improve weather forecasts, predict energy needs months in advance, anticipate disease outbreaks and even tell fishermen where the catch will be abundant.$LABEL$3 +AMD Ships New Mobile Athlon 64, 90-nm Processors Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday said it has begun shipping a 3700 mobile Athlon 64 processor. The chip maker also confirmed it has started shipping processors on its 90-nanometer manufacturing process for revenue. $LABEL$3 +Symantec Updates Home And Small-Office Security Products The updates are designed to protect against network-scanning worms and keep phishing attacks at bay. $LABEL$3 +Kinko #39;s Software Connects Windows Apps to Print Centers Fedex Kinko #39;s Tuesday rolled out free software that connects Windows users to the firm #39;s print centers for ordering printing, binding, and shipping services. $LABEL$3 +Olympics-Fencing-US and Swiss End Gold Drought ATHENS (Reuters) - Mariel Zagunis won the first fencing gold for the United States for 100 years when she beat Xue Tan of China 15-9 in the inaugural Olympic women #39;s sabre final on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing a party mutiny over his plan to quit the Gaza Strip, has approved 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the West Bank in a move that drew a cautious response on Tuesday from ...$LABEL$0 +Applied Materials Returns to Profit SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Applied Materials Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AMAT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">AMAT.O</A>, the largest maker of chip-making tools, on Tuesday said healthy spending on new semiconductor factories more than doubled revenue and returned it to a quarterly profit.$LABEL$2 +AMD enters the 90-nanometer zone Chipmaker becomes the last of several well-known chip companies to begin making 90-nanometer processors.$LABEL$3 +Cops Test Handheld Fingerprint Readers EAGAN, Minn. (AP) -- Several Minnesota police departments are field testing a handheld device that scans a suspect's fingerprint and digitally checks it against Minnesota's criminal history and fingerprint database...$LABEL$3 +wheat (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Field trials of genetically modified wheat are still being conducted in Canada by multinational biotech giant Monsanto despite a pledge earlier this year that the testing would be abandoned, critics said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing a party mutiny over his plan to quit the Gaza Strip, has approved 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the West Bank in a move that drew a cautious response Tuesday from Washington.$LABEL$0 +Americans Settle for 1-1 Tie With Aussies THESSALONIKI, Greece - The U.S. women's soccer team needed only a tie Tuesday and that's all it got - settling for a draw against a team it had always beaten...$LABEL$0 +Ill. Plans Online Network to Import Drugs CHICAGO - Ignoring a federal ban on prescription drug imports, Illinois' governor announced Tuesday that the state would have an online clearinghouse running within a month to help residents purchase drugs from Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The state won't import the drugs itself, but plans to contract with a Canadian company to connect state residents with foreign pharmacies that have been approved by state health inspectors...$LABEL$0 +Britain Charges 8 Terrorist Suspects LONDON - British police charged eight terrorist suspects Tuesday of conspiring to commit murder and use radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives to cause ""fear or injury"" in a case involving an alleged top al-Qaida operative at the center of a U.S. terror alert this month...$LABEL$0 +Mobile Boohoo for Sohu (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Chinese net stock Sohu.com (Nasdaq: SOHU - News) dropped by 10 on Friday after the company announced that its multimedia messaging services with China Mobile Communication had been temporarily suspended for a year. The sanctions were imposed after Sohu sent solicitations for phone messaging services without China Mobile's approval. Sohu is now down 25 after its high-flying start to this calendar year.$LABEL$3 +McAfee Finds Security in Foundstone (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Shortly after we came back from our big vacation overseas in May, my Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) PowerBook was hit with a computer virus. I can't tell you which one, but it was enough to cripple my Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) Office for the Mac software. Symantec's (Nasdaq: SYMC - News) Norton Anti-Virus found the bug, and then eradicated it by exterminating my entire in-box. (Thanks, guys.)$LABEL$3 +Fencing: U.S. and Swiss End Gold Drought ATHENS (Reuters) - Mariel Zagunis won the first fencing gold for the United States for 100 years when she beat Xue Tan of China 15-9 in the inaugural Olympic women's sabre final on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Iraq's Sadr Declines to Meet Najaf Peace Delegation NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr refused on Tuesday to meet a delegation of Iraqi political and religious leaders who want him to call off his uprising in the holy city of Najaf and other areas.$LABEL$0 +Court Rejects Yukos #39; Appeals About Tax Claim Yukos suffered a double blow Tuesday when the Moscow Arbitration Court rejected attempts by the oil major to cover part of a \$3.4 billion bill in back taxes and postpone collection of the claim. $LABEL$2 +Costco Target of Sex Bias Lawsuit SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Lawyers leading a record-setting sex discrimination case against Wal-Mart Stores said on Tuesday they filed a lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , claiming the company kept women out of top ...$LABEL$2 +Investors: Nortel may axe 5,000 jobs OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. investors predicted Tuesday the telecom equipment giant will again slash jobs when it reports long-overdue results this week, and shrugged off news of another criminal probe into its high-profile accounting woes. $LABEL$2 +Stocks End Higher, Lifted by Data NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks ended higher on Tuesday, even as oil prices hit another record, as investors were encouraged by data showing an easing of inflationary pressure and a sharp rebound in the housing market. $LABEL$2 +Air Canada Creditors Clear Carrier #39;s Bankruptcy Plan (Update2) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Air Canada creditors including a General Electric Co. unit and Deutsche Bank AG cleared a plan that gives them most of the company #39;s equity when the carrier emerges from bankruptcy protection at the end of September. $LABEL$2 +AMD enters the 90-nanometer zone Advanced Micro Devices says it has reached a chip manufacturing milestone that will lead to improvements across its range of processor offerings for PCs and servers. $LABEL$3 +Flash Video Takes a Front Seat Macromedia announced a new kit that simplifies the way professional developers add video to their Web sites. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Integration Server on Deck Microsoft (Quote, Chart) is ready to ship Host Integration Server 2004, offering a Windows interface to mainframes and legacy applications. $LABEL$3 +Phelps Pushes Gold-Medal Haul to Three ATHENS, Greece - With the quest to surpass Mark Spitz out of the way, Michael Phelps could savor one of the greatest races in swimming history. Phelps claimed his second and third gold medals of the Athens Games on Tuesday, winning the ...$LABEL$1 +Canadian poolcrasher prompts tighter security ATHENS - Olympic organizers have increased security inside all sports venues today after a Canadian, whose body was emblazoned with the name of an Internet casino, climbed out of the stands and jumped off one of the boards into the pool. $LABEL$1 +Americans Settle for 1-1 Tie With Aussies THESSALONIKI, Greece - The US women #39;s soccer team only needed a tie Tuesday, and that #39;s all it got - settling for a draw against a team it had always beaten. The Americans tied Australia 1-1, ending a perfect record against the Matildas ...$LABEL$1 +Southern African Development Community Agrees on New Election Guidelines Southern African leaders have agreed to a set of rules aimed at enhancing the transparency of elections and democratic rule in the region. $LABEL$0 +Army: May Not Withhold Halliburton Money WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Tuesday appeared to reverse a decision to stop paying a portion of Halliburton Co.'s <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HAL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HAL.N</A> bills in Iraq and gave the company more time to resolve a billing dispute.$LABEL$2 +Lions' Porcher Accepting Diminished Role (AP) AP - Robert Porcher knows his NFL career is heading toward the end.$LABEL$1 +Romania Wins Women's Gymnastics Gold, U.S. Takes Silver ATHENS (Reuters) - Romania underlined their superiority over the rest of the field by storming to the women's gymnastics team gold at the Olympic Games Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Japan Powers Past Cuba in Baseball ATHENS (Reuters) - In a baseball battle of gold-medal contenders, Japan banged three home runs to defeat Cuba 6-3 Tuesday, as starter Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched into the ninth.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Up on Data, Despite Oil's Rise NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher for a third successive day on Tuesday, even as oil prices rose to another record, after investors were encouraged by data showing an easing of inflationary pressure and a sharp rebound in the housing market.$LABEL$2 +Restoration Hardware Names Tate COO Tate, who will also become executive vice president of the Corte Madera-based home furnishings chain, was most recently the operating chief at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. $LABEL$2 +Can RealNetworks Play Losses For Gain? NEW YORK - This is how serious the competition for digital music customers has become: RealNetworks will widen its losses in the hope of upgrading users to its premium subscription service. $LABEL$3 +CA Strengthens Security Investment CA (Quote, Chart) has taken a renewed interest this week in network security with two additions to its eTrust portfolio. The company acquired spyware killer PestPatrol and launched a consulting practice to assist partners with Vulnerability Manager ...$LABEL$3 +New Wi-Fi Spec Pushes for 100 Mbps A consortium of companies collaborating under the moniker quot;WWiSE quot; today announced their intended submission of a complete joint proposal to the IEEE 802.11 Task Group N (TGn), which is chartered with developing a next-generation ...$LABEL$3 +DOD Chooses Linux Clusters Linux Networx has announced that two Department of Defense centers will be using Linux cluster supercomputers from the company to conduct battlefield simulations. The clusters are part of an initiative to modernize the DOD #39;s ...$LABEL$3 +RVS Rathore: The silver lining Waiting for the bus to the Markopoulos shooting range this afternoon, a question from a Chinese journalist rattled me. quot;From India? How many medals have you won? quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Overrated NBA athletes losing to better teams For the purist, watching basketball played at the Olympic level is a nice break from what #39;s become of the game in this country. $LABEL$1 +Olympics-Federer #39;s Games dream shattered ATHENS, Aug 17 (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer was bundled out of the Olympic tennis tournament on Tuesday by unheralded Czech Tomas Berdych. $LABEL$1 +Montreal at San Francisco, 7:05 PM SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- The San Francisco Giants will look for their sixth straight win Tuesday when they continue a four-game series against the Montreal Expos at SBC Park. $LABEL$1 +Arrested Qaida terrorist an India-born WASHINGTON: Abu Musa al-Hindi, one of the principle terror suspects charged with plotting to attack US financial institutions, has been identified as India-born Dhiren Barot. British police on Tuesday charged Barot, 32, of gathering surveillance plans of ...$LABEL$0 +Media giant BSkyB sues EDS over troubled CRM system London-based media giant British Sky Broadcasting Group has filed a legal claim against Electronic Data Services over a problematic CRM system designed to support the media company's customer support call centers.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 The newest edition of Host Integration Server, which replaces the 2000 version, is designed to make it easier for users to link Windows systems with IBM mainframes and midrange iSeries servers.$LABEL$3 +Q A: HP's Livermore sees no need for HP-UX on x86 Ann Livermore, executive vice president of HP's Technology Solutions Group, discussed the company's recent earnings report and talked about its hardware plans.$LABEL$3 +Pentagon turns to Linux for high-end battlefield simulations As part of its technology update program, the Defense Department has turned to two 256-processor Linux Networx Evolocity cluster supercomputers to improve complex computerized battlefield simulations.$LABEL$3 +Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside Although the PC market won't grow as fast this year as originally envisioned by Gartner analysts, the industry is still expected to sell 12.6 more units this year than in 2003.$LABEL$3 +IBM seeks dismissal in second part of SCO case In documents filed Friday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, IBM sought the dismissal of a major component of the lawsuit filed against it last year by The SCO Group.$LABEL$3 +Analysts concerned about longer-than-expected G5 delays Analysts from Prudential Equity Group and UBS are warning that delayed shipments of G5 chips from IBM could affect Apple Computer's bottom line$LABEL$3 +Making Slideshows Comparing photo slideshow computer applications, Thomas E. Weber writes for the Wall Street Journal, #147;Those using an Apple computer won #146;t need to agonize over which slideshow program to choose. Apple #146;s excellent iLife package (\$49; included with new Macs) is all they #146;ll need. Users can construct slideshows in the package #146;s easy-to-use iDVD program or move slideshows from iPhoto into iDVD for burning onto a disc. For more effects, the iMovie video-editing software can add panning and zooming motion. #148; Aug 17$LABEL$3 +New Europe Coaches Make Mark in World Cup (AP) AP - It didn't take long for the new coaches of three soccer powers to make their marks.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Rebounds with Narrow Basketball Win Over Greece ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States rebounded from a shock opening game loss to narrowly beat Greece 77-71 at the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Google IPO imminent SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After months of unprecedented hype, Google took a final step toward its long-awaited public stock sale, asking regulators to finalize paperwork that could start trading as early as Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Woman claims Costco discriminates against female managers SAN FRANCISCO An assistant store manager at Costco filed a federal civil rights suit today in San Francisco. Shirley quot;Rae quot; Ellis alleges she was passed over for a promotion because the retail chain #39;s policies discriminate against women. $LABEL$2 +Ford, Magna face class-action suit TORONTO (CP) -- Up to 400,000 Canadians might be driving Ford vehicles with faulty door latches that could lead to serious injury or death, according to a \$527-million class-action lawsuit commenced Tuesday against Ford Motor Co., Magna ...$LABEL$2 +Air Canada gets lease on life Creditors approve plan, get 10 cents on the dollar and allow airline to emerge from bankruptcy. MONTREAL (Reuters) - Air Canada creditors approved a recapitalization plan Tuesday that will allow the world #39;s 11th largest airline to emerge from bankruptcy ...$LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Slashes Prices For Music Downloads For three weeks, it will sell songs for 49 cents and albums for \$4.99--a move that could spark a price war. $LABEL$3 +Shot-Put Returns to Ancient Stadium THENS, Aug. 17 American shot-putter John Godina walked into the ancient Olympic stadium at Olympia when he arrived there earlier this week and the history he had studied in college came to life before his eyes. $LABEL$1 +No deaths #39;miraculous #39; in English flash flooding LONDON British police said today they believed no one had died in flash flooding that struck seaside communities in southwest England, but rescue operations were continuing. $LABEL$0 +Home Depot Profit Tops Estimates on Sales ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. on Tuesday reported a 19 percent rise in second-quarter profit, handily topping estimates, as store renovations and efforts to improve service drove higher average sales in every category.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Up Slightly Vs. Euro NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar eked out marginal gains against the euro on Tuesday as the market digested a slew of U.S. economic data that failed to substantially alter the outlook for gradual increases in U.S. interest rates.$LABEL$2 +Violence Tackled at Online Gaming Parlors (AP) AP - Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt. But real-life violence has flared around some of these businesses, prompting municipal crackdowns.$LABEL$3 +HP's Fiorina stood up by Argentina's President <strong>HP World</strong> Belly bands and three-legged stools$LABEL$3 +News: TRMM Sees Rain from Hurricanes Fall Around the World Since rain and freshwater flooding are the number one causes of death from hurricanes in the United States over the last 30 years, better understanding of these storms is vital for insuring public safety.$LABEL$3 +Desert hospitality, honor, and the war outside the door One Najaf family's shifting view of the fierce fighting that surrounds them.$LABEL$0 +Marked men with no place to hide The Honduran government's crackdown on street gangs has been swift, severe, and apparently successful.$LABEL$0 +Greek baseball team, made in the USA Success at the Games could boost the popularity of a sport unfamiliar to Greeks.$LABEL$0 +Tired of post-9/11 hassles, Arab tourists head east Saudi visitors to Malaysia were up 53 percent in 2004.$LABEL$0 +Sun-shy female commuters fuel an Asian fad Part hat, part mask, part visor, it's a new piece of bicycle headgear.$LABEL$0 +Nepal braced for rebel 'blockade' Nepalese forces are on alert ahead a deadline set by rebels, who have threatened to blockade the capital.$LABEL$0 +J.C. Penney Posts Profit, Sales Strong NEW YORK (Reuters) - Department store operator J.C. Penney Co. Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JCP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JCP.N</A> on Tuesday posted a quarterly operating profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, on inventory controls and strong sales of jeans, home furnishings and career clothes.$LABEL$2 +Treasuries, Oil Up, Inflation in Check NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury debt prices rallied on Tuesday, dragging yields to four-month lows as July inflation figures proved subdued and soaring oil prices pointed to slower U.S. consumer spending down the line.$LABEL$2 +Windows XP Security Update Delayed (AP) AP - Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.$LABEL$3 +Network Solutions is Pathetic \\We have a few domains hosted on Network Solutions. For one reason or another we\were in a hurry and just used NetSol as our registrar. BIG mistake!\\They are one *pathetic* organization!\\They are a DNS company. That's what they DO! Their DNS admin only allows 10\IPs. Of course they don't tell you this when you signup. You only find out that\the UI doesn't allow for additional IPs until try to add them.\\To add insult to injury when you try to move AWAY from NetSol by changing your\primary and secondary they drop your IP configuration immediately. You're just\out of luck if there are clients which have cached your primary and secondary\DNS servers.\$LABEL$3 +Eagles Defensive End Kalu Out for Year (AP) AP - Defensive end N.D. Kalu will miss the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during in Tuesday's practice.$LABEL$1 +US NBA stars pushed to the brink before edging Greece (AFP) AFP - Allen Iverson scored 17 points despite a fractured right thumb and the reeling United States team was pushed to the brink before beating Greece 77-71 in an Olympic preliminary round basketball game.$LABEL$1 +A Big Perk for 84 Lumber Golfers (AP) AP - David Toms was going through his PGA Tour schedule for the remainder of the year when he mentioned the 84 Lumber Classic, which is squeezed between the Ryder Cup and a World Golf Championship in Ireland.$LABEL$1 +Blast in Gaza House Kills at Least Two (AP) AP - An explosion in a house in Gaza City early Wednesday killed at least two people, Palestinian witnesses said. It was not immediately known what caused the blast.$LABEL$0 +Blast in Gaza Home of Hamas Man Kills 4 - Medics GAZA (Reuters) - An explosion tore through the home of a senior Hamas militant in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding him and about a dozen other Palestinians, medics said.$LABEL$0 +Sudan Says More Police to Shield Darfur Refugees ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Sudan plans to double the number of police in Darfur to 20,000, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday in the face of fresh reports that marauding Arab militiamen were still preying on stricken refugees.$LABEL$0 +Report: Japan, Russia to Lose Population WASHINGTON - Japan, Germany and many other large industrialized countries face long-term population slowdowns or declines as more young adults have fewer children or delay child-rearing, demographers say. While the world's population is expected to increase by almost 50 percent by 2050, Japan could lose 20 percent of its population over the next half-century, according to data released Tuesday by the private Population Reference Bureau...$LABEL$0 +Thrilling Relay Win Gets Phelps Third Gold ATHENS, Greece - Now this was a duel in the pool. With Michael Phelps leading off Tuesday night, the United States bested its rival from Down Under in the most thrilling race of the Athens Games...$LABEL$0 +Microsoft Updates Its IBM Connectivity Server On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled the 2004 version of its Host Integration Server (HIS) product, which is designed to integrate IBM mainframes and servers with Windows systems. $LABEL$3 +Official backs Scrafton #39;s version A former federal official has backed Mike Scrafton #39;s story that he told John Howard three days before the 2001 election that the children overboard story was wrong. $LABEL$0 +Japan Turns to 'Dream Team' to Restore Baseball Pride ATHENS (Reuters) - Japan's own baseball ""Dream Team"" hammered arch-rivals Cuba 6-3 and set themselves up as favorites for gold in the Athens Olympics Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +After the Bell-Applied Materials rises after earnings NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Shares of Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , the largest maker of chip-making tools, rose after the bell on Tuesday after the company said healthy spending on new semiconductor factories more than ...$LABEL$2 +Alcoa closing Ohio plant, cutting 140 jobs Alcoa Inc. will close an automotive components factory in Ohio and lay off its staff in a bid to cut excess capacity, the Pittsburgh-based company said Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Berkshire Takes Stake in Pier 1 Fellow Fool Alyce Lomax and I need to debate Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR). Between Alyce covering the company warnings and me advising not to jump off the pier, there has been little good news to report. Is Pier 1 ready to get ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft delays security update for Windows XP Professional REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft has delayed distribution of a security update for users of its Windows XP Professional operating system to give some companies more time to test it, the software company said Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Updates Its IBM Connectivity Server Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the 2004 version of its Host Integration Server (HIS) product, which is designed to integrate IBM mainframes and servers with Windows systems. $LABEL$3 +Motorola rolls out database management software AUGUST 17, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Motorola Inc. announced today it has completed the second phase of a four-phase rollout of information life-cycle management (ILM) software that cut its production database size by as much as 50 in some business ...$LABEL$3 +Greek Soccer Out of Olympic Running The recently crowned European Champions are out of the running for a medal in men #39;s soccer. In the group rounds, Greece lost to Mexico 2:3 and watched as its favorite sons had to give up a chance for a gold to teams like Mali, South Korea, Iraq and ...$LABEL$1 +Kalu out for the year with torn ACL Defensive end ND Kalu will miss the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during in Tuesday #39;s practice. $LABEL$1 +Google IPO Paper Not Declared Effective (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Securities and Exchange\Commission did not declare effective Google Inc.'s registration\statement for its multibillion-dollar initial public offering\by the close of the agency's business day on Tuesday, an SEC\official said.$LABEL$2 +SEC Delays Google Stock Offering Google Inc.'s long-awaited initial stock sale, which appeared imminent Tuesday, has been delayed while the company awaits final approval of its paperwork by the Securities and Exchange Commission. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-Associated Press</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Britain scratching about for medals (AFP) AFP - Britain were neck and neck with Olympic minnows Slovakia and Zimbabwe and desperately hoping for an elusive gold medal later in the week.$LABEL$0 +Mobile Homes a Danger in Hurricane Zones, Owners Say PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (Reuters) - Rita Weston survived Hurricane Charley huddled under a mattress with her husband and mother in a mobile home she bought 35 years ago. But before the storm passed, the home was reduced to scrap wood and metal. $LABEL$2 +Alcoa to Close Ohio Plant, Cut 140 Jobs Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. said Tuesday it is closing its Northwood, Ohio, automotive components factory by year-end to trim excess capacity, which will impact about 140 employees. $LABEL$2 +Cendant breaks off mortgage unit talks The real estate and travel company says it will continue to look for a buyer of its mortgage business. $LABEL$2 +Windows XP Security Update Delayed Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it. $LABEL$3 +New bird species discovered in Babuyan Island A NEW bird species, which is believed to be found nowhere else in the world, has been discovered on the remote island of Calayan, 70 km north of Luzon. $LABEL$3 +IBM Unwraps Middle Tier i5 Server IBM on Tuesday unveiled the eServer i5 550, a new addition to its Power 5-based lineup that it #39;s aiming at mid-sized business. $LABEL$3 +AOL Releases Netscape 7.2 Also included with 7.2 is an improved pop-up blocker which now stops more pop-ups than any previous version of Netscape, something only just apparent in some more widely used browsers, Netscape will even block mouse over pop-ups. $LABEL$3 +Analysts concerned about longer-than-expected G5 delays AUGUST 17, 2004 (MACCENTRAL) - Analysts from Prudential Equity Group and UBS have warned over the past two days that longer than expected G5 delays from IBM Corp. is the near-term quot;key risk quot; for Apple Computer Inc. $LABEL$3 +Japan lifts men #39;s gymnastics team gold (updated) ATHENS, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- World championships third-placers Japan took a sweet revenge on Monday to claim the men #39;s gymnasticsteam title at the Athens Olympics with a total score of 173.821 points. $LABEL$1 +Geogia woman wins medal in fencing ATHENS - The United States won its first fencing medals in 20 years Tuesday, a bronze by an Atlanta-area competitor and a gold by Mariel Zagunis in the saber competition. $LABEL$1 +Iraqi Peace Mission Snubbed by Rebel Cleric Sadr NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday refused to meet an Iraqi peace delegation because of quot;American aggression quot; as US troops pounded militia positions in Najaf near the country #39;s holiest Islamic sites. $LABEL$0 +Israel invites bids for construction of 1,000 more homes in West Bank JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli government on Tuesday issued bids for 1,000 new homes in Jewish West Bank settlements, in a violation of an internationally backed peace plan, but insisted the construction has the tacit approval of one of the backers, the US ...$LABEL$0 +Blast in Gaza Home of Hamas Man Kills 4 - Medics GAZA (Reuters) - An explosion tore through the home of a senior Hamas militant in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding him and about a dozen other Palestinians, medics said. $LABEL$0 +US to withhold Halliburton money The Pentagon is to withhold a proportion of payments to US firm Halliburton which supplies meals to US troops in Iraq.$LABEL$2 +Product Review: HP d530 Business Desktop (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - I.T. managers will appreciate the versatility of the HP (NYSE: HPQ) d530 Business Desktop, equipped with a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 with hyperthreading technology. The small form-factor desktop targets business consumers seeking a reasonably priced, high-end PC. HP has produced a business machine that will fulfill any office task without draining your entire PC budget.$LABEL$3 +Aberdeen: CRM To Lead SMB Enterprise Software Spending (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) still view cost-cutting as their primary reason for making enterprise software purchases. But customer acquisition and retention ranks second, and for that reason they will spend more on CRM functionality than any other enterprise software area this year, according to data gathered by Aberdeen Research.$LABEL$3 +Group Urges EPA for More Pollution Cuts (AP) AP - If the government required deeper cuts in air pollution from power plants, at least 3,000 lives would be saved and 140,000 children would avoid asthma and other respiratory ailments, an environmental group said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +N.Y. Orders Power Plants to Cut Emissions (AP) AP - Citing what they called a public health emergency, New York officials on Tuesday ordered power plants to reduce emissions blamed for acid rain.$LABEL$3 +Crypto researchers abuzz over flaws Presenters at the Crypto 2004 conference identify faster ways to forge digital signatures with common security algorithms.$LABEL$3 +HP WORLD - HP: ProLiant delays to continue through August CHICAGO - Hewlett-Packard Co. customers will continue to have difficulties ordering custom configurations of HP's ProLiant servers though the end of August, company executives told attendees at the HP World conference in Chicago Tuesday. The problems are due to continuing problems with an SAP AG order processing and supply-chain deployment rolled out last month, they said.$LABEL$3 +Venezuelan Officials Agree to Audit Sample (AP) AP - Venezuelan election officials agreed Tuesday to conduct a partial audit of the results of a recall referendum won by President Hugo Chavez, amid opposition charges of election fraud, officials told The Associated Press.$LABEL$0 +Explosion in Hamas Man's Home in Gaza Kills 4 GAZA (Reuters) - An explosion tore through the home of a senior Hamas leader in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding him and about a dozen other Palestinians, medics said.$LABEL$0 +7 Texas Kids Found in Nigeria Orphanage HOUSTON - Seven Texas children were discovered abandoned at a Nigerian orphanage, suffering from disease and malnutrition, and have been brought back to the United States. Child Protective Services, which received emergency custody of the children Monday, is investigating accusations that the children's adoptive mother abandoned them in Nigeria in October and later went to work in Iraq as a private contractor...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Bounces Back to Beat Greece 77-71 ATHENS, Greece - Lamar Odom made a key defensive play on Greece's Dimitris Pipanikoulaou, preventing him from getting a clean layup attempt that could have cut the United States' lead to two points, and the Americans won 77-71 Tuesday night in the second round of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. In a much closer game than expected, the Americans bounced back from their embarrassing loss to Puerto Rico in their opener and avoided dropping to 0-2, which would have matched their loss total from the previous 68 years...$LABEL$0 +Thrilling Relay Win Gets Phelps Third Gold ATHENS, Greece - Now this was a duel in the pool. With Michael Phelps leading off Tuesday night, the United States bested its top rival in the most thrilling race of the Athens Games...$LABEL$0 +ING Withdrawing #36;5 Billion From Janus (AP) AP - Janus Capital Group Inc. on Tuesday identified ING US Financial Services as the client planning to withdraw #36;5 billion from the Denver-based mutual funds giant.$LABEL$2 +SEC Leaves Google Waiting on IPO Go Ahead NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators on Tuesday did not give Google Inc. the green light it needs to price its initial public offering, extending the wait for its highly anticipated market debut.$LABEL$2 +Hoops Team Rebounds The Americans survive a poor shooting night to beat Greece 77-71 at the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Google IPO document not declared WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission has not declared effective Google #39;s registration statement for its multibillion-dollar initial public offering by the close of the agency #39;s business day on Tuesday, an SEC official says. $LABEL$2 +Yukos woes flare up again, offsetting Venezuela vote SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Crude futures headed higher Tuesday to close at a new historic level near \$47 a barrel, following news that a Russian court has rejected a plea from oil giant Yukos to suspend government efforts to collect a \$3.4 billion tax ...$LABEL$2 +Borders 2Q Profits Soar 89 Percent Borders Group Inc. #39;s second-quarter profits rose 89 percent on stronger-than-anticipated book sales and topped Wall Street #39;s estimates. The company also increased its full-year earnings outlook. $LABEL$2 +FTC Seeks to Delay Arch-Triton Merger Antitrust regulators have asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block Arch Coal Inc. #39;s \$364 million acquisition of Triton Coal Co. Ltd., pending court appeal. $LABEL$2 +Another dodo? Flightless bird found in Philippines SCIENTISTS have discovered a new species of flightless bird on a remote island in the Philippines, the conservation group BirdLife International said yesterday. $LABEL$3 +AOL Releases Netscape Browser Update America Online Inc. on Tuesday opened the curtain on its update to the Netscape Web browser. Netscape 7.2 became available for download from the Netscape site. As previously reported, AOL had planned to unveil its first browser update in a year by the ...$LABEL$3 +Gloom amid the boom BANGALORE - The success of India #39;s high-tech and outsourcing industry was built on Bangalore but the southern city where the boom began has now become a victim of its own success. $LABEL$3 +Unobstructed Views: Olympic-sized fools For all their troubles, the Olympic Games remain the greatest unifying force in the world. Every four years, they draw a diverse international audience, bridging cultural gaps, transcending ethnic divisions, and uniting us all in a single, harmonious ...$LABEL$1 +US Wins First Fencing Gold Since 1904 THENS, Aug. 17 As the American fencer Mariel Zagunis yelled in triumph, her teammates rushed her and hurled her into the air. What made their celebratory gesture especially notable was that Zagunis was still holding, and waving, her ...$LABEL$1 +Colombian golfer leads US Amateur qualifying MAMARONECK, NY (AP) Oscar Alvarez of Colombia shot a 3-under-par 67 for the first-round lead at the US Amateur on Monday. Alvarez, a junior at BYU, had five birdies and two bogeys on the 6,775-yard East course at Winged Foot Golf Club, and was the ...$LABEL$1 +North Korea #39;won #39;t pull out of 6-way talks #39; BEIJING - China said yesterday that its close ally North Korea will not be pulling out of six-party talks, despite Pyongyang hinting that Washington #39;s hardline policy made the negotiations unworkable. $LABEL$0 +Annan urges Myanmar to free Suu Kyi NEW YORK UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday raised doubts about Myanmar #39;s resolve to implement a road map for democracy and urged the nation #39;s military leaders to immediately release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. $LABEL$0 +Borders Profits Rise, Raises Outlook NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BGP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BGP.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. bookseller, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings rose, beating estimates by the company and Wall Street, largely because of stronger-than-expected book sales.$LABEL$2 +Army May Not Withhold Halliburton Money WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army reversed a decision late Tuesday to withhold payment on 15 percent of future invoices of Halliburton Co.'s <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HAL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">HAL.N</A> logistics deal in Iraq and gave the company more time to resolve a billing dispute.$LABEL$2 +Google Interview Is Draw for Latest Playboy Issue (Reuters) Reuters - The new issue of Playboy magazine\isn't drawing attention in some circles for its trademark\centerfold but for an interview with the founders of Web search\engine Google Inc. that raised regulatory eyebrows.$LABEL$3 +Williamson Gets Third Opinion on Elbow (AP) AP - Red Sox reliever Scott Williamson sought a third opinion on his ailing right elbow Tuesday before deciding whether to have major reconstructive surgery.$LABEL$1 +Iran Threatens Israel on Nuclear Reactor (AP) AP - Accompanied by a warning that its missiles have the range, Iran on Tuesday said it would destroy Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor if the Jewish state were to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.$LABEL$0 +Grim funeral service held for Burundi massacre victims (AFP) AFP - Thousands of grieving people and top politicians attended a grim funeral service held to bury some 160 Congolese Tutsis slaughtered in a refugee camp in Burundi.$LABEL$0 +Borders Profits Rise, Raises Outlook NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc. (BGP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US bookseller, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings rose, beating estimates by the company and Wall Street, largely because of stronger-than-expected book sales. $LABEL$2 +Applied Materials Reports Profit in 3Q Applied Materials Inc., the world #39;s largest supplier of machines that make computer chips, Tuesday said surging sales in its latest quarter surpassed its own and Wall Street estimates. $LABEL$2 +NZ PRESS: NGC Seeks LPG, Network Businesses To Grow WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--NGC Holdings (NGC.NZ), a New Zealand-based gas distribution and metering concern, is seeking liquified petroleum gas and electricity network businesses in its quest for growth, the Dominion Post reported on its Web site Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +New bird species discovered in Philippines Cambridge, England, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- British and Filipino researchers have found a new bird species on a remote island in the northern Philippines, which is a relative to the familiar Moorhen. $LABEL$3 +AOL adopts Girafa #39;s thumbnail search technology Girafa.com, which develops and providers data visualization solutions and services, announced yesterday that CompuServe, Netscape, AIM and ICQ - properties of America Online (AOL) - have signed an agreement with Girafa to use its thumbnail ...$LABEL$3 +HHS spends \$228M on IT programs A preliminary accounting of efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services shows that the agency has about 19 major health information technology initiatives, totaling about \$228 million. $LABEL$3 +Palm adds an SD Wi-Fi card PalmOne has at long last released an SD Wi-Fi card, enabling PDA users to connect to both office WLANs and public hotspots. However, difficulties with implementing wireless Ethernet on PalmOS mean that the US\$129 card will only work on the Tungsten T3 and ...$LABEL$3 +UAE, India hit Olympic firsts ATHENS The United Arab Emirates and India scored Olympic firsts on day four of the Athens Games on Tuesday and there was good news also for host Greece, which landed its second gold of the competition. $LABEL$1 +Olympics: US NBA stars pushed to the brink before edging Greece ATHENS : Allen Iverson scored 17 points despite a fractured right thumb and the reeling United States team was pushed to the brink before beating Greece 77-71 in an Olympic preliminary round basketball game. $LABEL$1 +Matildas #39;salvage late draw with US ATHENS: Australia #39;s Matildas salvaged a 1-1 draw against the United States at the Athens Olympics on Tuesday to join the Americans in the last eight of the women #39;s soccer tournament. $LABEL$1 +Olympics-Federer #39;s Olympic dream shattered twice over ATHENS, Aug 17 (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer #39;s top target for the year -- an Olympic tennis gold medal -- was taken away from him in a quot;terrible day quot; on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Karzai likely to visit Pakistan next week KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is likely to visit Pakistan from August 23 (Monday), sources said on Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Candidate for Democratic Party Arrested in China ONG KONG, Aug. 17 An already heated election campaign for the legislature here took an unexpected turn today with an announcement by the Democratic Party that one of its candidates had been arrested in mainland China on charges of ...$LABEL$0 +Borders Profits Up, Outlook Raised NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BGP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BGP.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. bookseller, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings rose, beating estimates by the company and Wall Street, as a looming presidential election whetted appetites for political books and led to higher-than-expected sales.$LABEL$2 +Australia Salvages Late Draw with U.S. Women in Soccer ATHENS (Reuters) - Australia's ""Matildas"" salvaged a 1-1 draw against the United States at the Athens Olympics on Tuesday to join the Americans in the last eight of the women's soccer tournament.$LABEL$1 +Manning Gets Chance to Start Giants Coach Tom Coughlin announced that rookie quarterback Eli Manning will start ahead of two-time M.V.P. Kurt Warner in Thursday's preseason game against Carolina.$LABEL$1 +Ruling Likely Ends Bloom's College Football Career The N.C.A.A. has denied Jeremy Bloom's request to play football at Colorado while accepting endorsements to support his skiing career.$LABEL$1 +IMF gives Jamaica thumbs up The International Monetary Fund has praised the Jamaican government for stabilizing the country's economy.$LABEL$2 +Outspoken Winslow Makes Impression at Camp (AP) AP - Hot-tempered and outspoken, Kellen Winslow Jr. isn't toning it down just because he's a rookie.$LABEL$1 +US NBA stars pushed to the brink before edging Greece (AFP) AFP - Sick, injured and reeling from a humiliating loss, the United States basketball team struggled past Greece 77-71 in an Olympic preliminary-round game that signaled more difficulties to come.$LABEL$1 +Israel Kills 5 in Attempt to Assassinate Hamas Man GAZA (Reuters) - A senior Hamas leader survived an Israeli assassination attempt on Wednesday but at least five other Palestinians were killed in the night-time explosion that tore through his Gaza home.$LABEL$0 +Carl Reiner: Comedy as a Life #39;s Work Description: Actor Carl Reiner found his life #39;s calling in the third grade, making his classmates laugh by walking on his hands. The actor, comedian and director joins NPR #39;s Neal Conan and takes calls. $LABEL$3 +Google Stock Sale Delayed as SEC Doesn #39;t Act on IPO (Update1) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. #39;s plan to sell shares today in an initial public offering was delayed because the US Securities and Exchange Commission didn #39;t act on the company #39;s request to approve its stock registration. $LABEL$2 +US withholds some Halliburton payments for Iraq services Halliburton said Tuesday that the US Army had decided not to grant it additional time to substantiate its costs for feeding and housing American troops in Iraq and Kuwait, a decision that could cost the company 15 percent of its payment. $LABEL$2 +Mounties initiate Nortel investigation The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched a criminal investigation into the financial accounting practices of network gear maker Nortel Networks just days before the company is set to release some of its restated financial results. $LABEL$2 +Phelps #39;s dreams meet not-so-bad realities ATHENS Imagine, just for the length of a breezy, sun-kissed summer evening in Athens, that you had not heard a word about Michael Phelps before these Olympics began. That you knew nothing about his childhood in Baltimore; the failed Olympic dreams of his ...$LABEL$1 +Federer eliminated by the 74th-ranked Berdych ATHENS Top-seeded Roger Federer was eliminated in the second round of the Olympic tennis tournament Tuesday, losing to Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. $LABEL$1 +Georgian Leader Seeks Ossetia Conference Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appealed to world leaders Tuesday to convene an international conference on the conflict in breakaway South Ossetia, where daily exchanges of gunfire threaten to spark a war. $LABEL$0 +Australia #39;s Labor Leader Latham Hospitalized With Pancreatitis Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The leader of Australia #39;s main opposition Labor Party, Mark Latham, has been hospitalized with pancreatitis, according to a statement released by his party. $LABEL$0 +Google market debut delayed Google's estimated \$3bn flotation has been delayed by at least a day as the firm awaits regulatory approval.$LABEL$2 +Financial Firms Hasten Their Move to Outsourcing A myriad of financial institutions including banks, mutual funds, insurance companies, investment firms and credit-card companies are sending work to overseas locations.$LABEL$2 +Berlin Zoo Separates Baby Rhino from Clumsy Mother (Reuters) Reuters - Vets at a Berlin zoo have been forced to\separate a baby rhino from his mother for fear she may\accidentally trample him to death, zoo officials said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Novell bundles JBoss app server Novell Inc. earlier this month bundled the open-source, J2EE-compliant JBoss Application Server with its SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, giving application developers a built-in deployment option.$LABEL$3 +Stricken Washington Guard to Return (AP) AP - Twenty months after her teammates helped save her life when her heart stopped, Kayla Burt said Tuesday she plans to again play basketball for Washington in the 2004-05 season.$LABEL$1 +Borders Profits Up, Outlook Raised NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc. (BGP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US bookseller, on Tuesday said quarterly earnings rose, beating estimates by the company and Wall Street, as a looming presidential election ...$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Louisiana-Pacific Names Frost CEO Louisiana-Pacific Corp. named executive vice president Richard W. Frost the lumber company #39;s next chief executive, company officials announced Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Wall Street closes higher, but record oil prices cap day #39;s gains NEW YORK : Wall Street shares closed higher on Tuesday, but record oil prices capped the day #39;s gains amid concerns over a multi-billion-dollar tax bill facing Russian oil giant Yukos. $LABEL$2 +Confidence drops in Germany Investor confidence in Germany, Europe #39;s biggest economy, dropped in August to the lowest level in more than a year, according to data released on Tuesday, amid concern that record oil prices would crimp global growth and impede a recovery in consumer ...$LABEL$2 +IBM to buy Danish firms International Business Machines said Tuesday it would buy two Danish competitors to add consulting services for shipping and logistics companies. $LABEL$2 +XP security update delayed MICROSOFT has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it. $LABEL$3 +Greeks leave hospital to face music Kostas Kederis and Ekaterini Thanou, the Greek sprinters who, it is alleged, deliberately evaded four drugs tests, left hospital yesterday with Kederis having been treated for scratches and Thanou with no visible injuries. $LABEL$1 +White Sox manager sent to hospital White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, set to start a two-game suspension Tuesday night, went to a hospital before the game against Detroit because of pain in his back and side. $LABEL$1 +Hollywood awaits Termite from Texas and Iraqi fly What an inspirational story: former world title contender becomes used car salesman in Texas, becomes rattlesnake killer, becomes pest exterminator in Baghdad, becomes boxing coach of Iraq and self-proclaimed quot;saviour quot; of that troubled nation. It is ...$LABEL$1 +Flash flood in Cornwall leaves villagers missing BOSCASTLE, England Rescue workers searched this coastal village in north Cornwall on Tuesday for missing persons after a flash flood sent a wall of water tearing through the picturesque tourist spot the day before. $LABEL$0 +Calif. Assembly Backs E-Mail Monitoring Disclosure (Reuters) Reuters - California's Assembly on Tuesday\voted to require the state's employers to inform their workers\in writing if e-mail and other Internet activity is monitored\at work.$LABEL$3 +Health Highlights: Aug. 17, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: ----- Arizona Leads Nation in West Nile Cases Thousands of abandoned swimming pools, along with irrigation canals and other prime breeding sites for mosquitoes in Phoenix, have made Arizona the state hardest hit by West Nile virus this year. Arizona has accounted for at least 290 of more than 500 reported cases of West Nile virus in the United States so far in 2004...$LABEL$3 +Illinois Plans Online Network to Import Cheaper Drugs By DON BABWIN CHICAGO (AP) -- Ignoring a federal ban on prescription drug imports, Illinois' governor announced Tuesday that the state would have an online clearinghouse running within a month to help residents purchase drugs from Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The state won't import the drugs itself, but plans to contract with a Canadian company to connect state residents with foreign pharmacies that have been approved by state health inspectors...$LABEL$3 +Free-Speech Protection Sought for Internet Casino Ads By Alan Sayre NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The operator of a gambling news site on the Internet has asked a federal judge to declare that advertisements in U.S. media for foreign online casinos and sports betting outlets are protected by free-speech rights...$LABEL$3 +President OKs More Colombia Assistance (AP) AP - President Bush said Tuesday the U.S. government will continue to assist Colombia in interdicting aircraft suspected of drug trafficking.$LABEL$0 +N.Y. Welcomes Protesters With Discounts (AP) AP - Discounted hotels and Broadway show tickets for convention protesters?$LABEL$0 +A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq (AP) AP - As of Tuesday, Aug. 17, 943 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the Defense Department. Of those, 703 died as a result of hostile action and 240 died of non-hostile causes.$LABEL$0 +India and Pakistan notch up first hockey wins (Reuters) Reuters - Former hockey powerhouses Pakistan and India notched up their first wins of the Athens Olympics on Tuesday, charming crowds with their trademark running games.$LABEL$0 +US CREDIT-Halliburton jostled by Army audit back-and-forth NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - In an otherwise listless credit market, Halliburton has created some drama with its ongoing saga with the Army over its accounting for \$1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait. $LABEL$2 +After the Bell-Applied Materials, Network Appliances rise NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Shares of data storage equipment maker Network Appliance Inc. (NTAP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) rose after the bell on Tuesday after the company posted a quarterly profit that rose 73 percent on strong sales in Asia and ...$LABEL$2 +(Recasts first paragraph, adds transaction details, CEO interview, stock price and byline) NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Mills Corp. (MLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , adeveloper of theme shopping and entertainment malls, on Tuesday said it would pay a General Motors unit about \$1.033 billion to buy a 50 percent managing stake ...$LABEL$2 +Argentina rejects IMF intervention In the face of sharp disagreements between Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on August 8 the Argentine government decided to temporarily suspend negotiations with ...$LABEL$2 +Phelps gets that golden feeling again ATHENS, Greece Take Mark Spitz off his back, and this Phelps kid is pretty fast. quot;It is, quot; Michael Phelps conceded, quot;a little bit easier to get up on the (starting) block. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Olympics: Phelps in Gold Rush, Doping Scandals Rumble On ATHENS (Reuters) - US teenager Michael Phelps powered his way to two more golds in the Olympic swimming pool on Tuesday, setting a new Games record in the 200 meters butterfly and leading a 4 x 200 freestyle cliffhanger. $LABEL$1 +Faulds folds as Al Maktoum triumphs The family name alone, Al Maktoum, offered more than a scintilla of suspicion that we could expect something special. Never mind that victory normally materialises in the form of blue-blooded bloodstock rather from the barrel of ...$LABEL$1 +Stricken Washington guard announces return to court Twenty months after her teammates helped save her life when her heart stopped, Kayla Burt said Tuesday she plans to again play basketball for Washington in the 2004-05 season. $LABEL$1 +UN claims lack of military observers in Darfur region KHARTOUM, Aug 18, 2004 (Financial Times) -- The number of military observers deployed in the Darfur region of Sudan is not sufficient to monitor whether the Sudanese government fulfils its pledges to the United Nations, a senior UN ...$LABEL$0 +Germany #39;s Chancellor Schroder and his wife adopt Russian girl Germany #39;s Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and his wife Doris have adopted a three-year-old Russian girl who has been living with them for over a fortnight, Germany #39;s mass circulation Bild newspaper revealed yesterday. $LABEL$0 +PM #39;a trustworthy invidual #39; PRIME Minister John Howard was a trustworthy individual and most Australians knew it, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said. $LABEL$0 +Consumer Prices Drop as Industry Output Is Up Consumer prices dropped in July for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in gasoline costs reversed, the government said.$LABEL$2 +Hiking With Dogs Has Health Benefits People who love to hike find taking along a four-legged companion can have physical benefits for both ends of the leash. Studies show people are more successful at losing weight when they do it with a friend. What better friend than a dog to provide company and keep a person on track.$LABEL$3 +Netscape browser update released SAN FRANCISCO - After being written off by industry observers last year, America Online Inc.'s browser unit showed signs of life Tuesday as it released an update to its Netscape Web browser.$LABEL$3 +Simms Impressive in Bucs' Preseason Debut (AP) AP - Jon Gruden can understand why Tampa Bay fans are talking about Chris Simms.$LABEL$1 +Vatican Gives Schedule of Pope's Next Trip (AP) AP - Two days after a grueling papal pilgrimage which left some wondering if Pope John Paul II could still travel, the Vatican on Tuesday announced details of the ailing pontiff's next trip.$LABEL$0 +New Computer Is Created Just for Teenagers This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.$LABEL$3 +Violence Tackled at Internet Gaming Parlors By ALEX VEIGA LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt...$LABEL$3 +Google Stock Sale Delayed as SEC Doesn #39;t Act on IPO (Update1) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. #39;s plan to sell shares today in a \$3.47 billion initial public offering was delayed because the US Securities and Exchange Commission didn #39;t act on the company #39;s request to approve its stock registration. $LABEL$2 +Costco employee claims retailer discriminates against women SAN FRANCISCO - An assistant manager at a Costco store filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the retailer of not promoting her because she #39;s a woman. $LABEL$2 +Netscape browser update released SAN FRANCISCO - After being written off by industry observers last year, America Online Inc. #39;s browser unit showed signs of life Tuesday as it released an update to its Netscape Web browser. $LABEL$3 +Study: Spammers, Virus Writers Getting Chummy A new MessageLabs report says more than 86 of the E-mail it sampled in June was spam--and nearly one in 10 contained a virus. $LABEL$3 +Faster Wireless Networking Protocol Proposed The WWiSE proposal builds on the existing and globally adopted 20MHz channel format of the tens of millions of Wi-Fi devices already in use. Its proposal is a second, competing standard that seeks to speed up wireless networks with ...$LABEL$3 +Powell calls Russian FM over Georgian conflict WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell has called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the conflict in Georgia #39;s breakaway region of South Ossetia, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said on Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Sudan deploys additional 2,000 policemen in Darfur KHARTOUM, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The Sudanese government said on Tuesday that it has deployed another 2,000 policemen in Darfur to secure the situation in the area under an agreement with the United Nations. $LABEL$0 +HP Execs: Supply Chain, Order Processing Hurt U.S. Q3 Results (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - A week after shaking up its enterprise hardware business following a poor showing last quarter, Hewlett-Packard put its best face forward before more than 7,000 customers and partners at the HP World conference in Chicago.$LABEL$3 +Vindigo sold to Japanese content company Japan's For-Side.com pays \$36.5 million for provider of maps, news and other material for mobile devices.$LABEL$3 +Britain Charges Eight Terrorist Suspects LONDON - British police charged eight terrorist suspects Tuesday with conspiring to commit murder and use radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives to cause ""fear or injury"" in a case involving an alleged top al-Qaida operative at the center of a U.S. terror alert this month...$LABEL$0 +Google Offering Is Delayed Google's long-awaited initial stock sale, which appeared imminent today, has been delayed while the company awaits final approval of its paperwork by the S.E.C.$LABEL$2 +Benefits Seen in Earth Observation Data (AP) AP - Scientists are planning to take the pulse of the planet #151; and more #151; in an effort to improve weather forecasts, predict energy needs months in advance, anticipate disease outbreaks and even tell fishermen where the catch will be abundant.$LABEL$3 +Maryland Dig May Reach Back 16,000 Years (AP) AP - Robert D. Wall is too careful a scientist to say he's on the verge of a sensational discovery. But the soybean field where the Towson University anthropologist has been digging for more than a decade is yielding hints that someone camped there, on the banks of the Potomac River, as early as 14,000 B.C.$LABEL$3 +Expedition to Peru Finds Five New Sites (AP) AP - An American-led expedition discovered five new districts in what its leader described as an ancient jungle metropolis on the slopes of the Peruvian Andes.$LABEL$3 +SEC Leaves Google Waiting on IPO Go Ahead NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US regulators on Tuesday did not give Google Inc. the green light it needs to price its initial public offering, extending the wait for the Web search giant #39;s eagerly anticipated market ...$LABEL$2 +SEC Is Seen Banning Mutual Fund Practice The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to curb fund companies from steering stock trades to brokerage firms that agree to sell their funds. $LABEL$2 +New Vodafone contract puts Beckham in picture Despite his disappointing performance in Portugal during the World Cup, England captain and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham has at least one loyal supporter in the shape of Vodafone. $LABEL$1 +Israeli Attack in Gaza Kills Five Palestinians, Haaretz Says Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Israeli soldiers were behind an explosion at a house used by Hamas gunmen in Gaza City that killed five Palestinians, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz said, citing an unidentified Israel Defense Forces official. $LABEL$0 +Briefly: Maxtor ships multimedia-friendly drive roundup Plus: Gateway says, hold on to your hard drive...Kinko's debuts Web-based print options...Majoras takes charge of FTC.$LABEL$3 +Maxtor ships multimedia-friendly drive The new DiamondMax 10 drives are designed to help people run multiple applications, such as games and music, without overwhelming their PC system.$LABEL$3 +Gadget price declines slow for summer Consumer electronics prices still drop, mostly, but not so much.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Unveils Budget Domains Deal Domain hosting and parking services drop in price, rise in capacity to lure small businesses.$LABEL$3 +Netscape Updates Browser Mozilla-based Netscape 7.2 improves printing and integrates instant messaging.$LABEL$3 +Crude Oil Trades Near Record on US Economic Growth Report Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures in New York traded near a record \$46.95 a barrel as strengthening US economic figures boosted concern that production capacity may not be adequate to meet global demand. $LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Mixed; Dollar Down Vs. Yen (AP) AP - Tokyo stocks were mixed early Wednesday as concerns about high oil prices vied for buying prompted by Wall Street's strength. The dollar was trading lower against the Japanese yen.$LABEL$0 +Netscape Updates Browser (PC World) PC World - Mozilla-based Netscape 7.2 improves printing and integrates instant messaging.$LABEL$3 +Security Firms Bulk Up (PC World) PC World - CA buys antispyware vendor PestPatrol while McAfee snaps up Foundstone.$LABEL$3 +Moore Takes Stroke Honors at U.S. Amateur (AP) AP - Ryan Moore took medalist honors in stroke-qualifying play at the U.S. Amateur on Tuesday, shooting and even-par 70 for a two-round total of 139.$LABEL$1 +Real music takes bite out of Apple A price war in the online music market began yesterday when RealNetworks began an aggressive campaign to challenge industry leader Apple. $LABEL$3 +New to science, island bird that never flies nest A new species of flightless bird has been discovered on Calayan, a remote island in the Philippines, by an Anglo Filipino expedition. $LABEL$3 +Another Product Delay at Intel Intel originally announced it had developed chip technology for high-definition big-screen televisions at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January. It originally expected that it would ship the TV chip by the end of the year, but ...$LABEL$3 +Game execs predict mergers, price cuts LOS ANGELES - Video game executives believe consolidation will be crucial to their future, but they also want further cuts to hardware prices to boost short-term growth, according to a report set for release this week. $LABEL$3 +It #39;s a big injustice, protests Greek sprinter The Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris left hospital yesterday protesting his innocence ahead of today #39;s International Olympic Committee disciplinary hearing that looks certain to land him with a ban. $LABEL$1 +US NBA stars edge Greece Sick, injured and reeling from a humiliating loss, the United States basketball team struggled past Greece 77-71 in an Olympic preliminary-round game that signalled more difficulties to come. $LABEL$1 +Iraqi delegation flies to Najaf for peace talks An eight-member team of Iraqi political and religious leaders flew to Najaf to talk with Sadr on Tuesday.(Xinhua/AFP) ...$LABEL$0 +UK charges 8 in terror plot linked to US alert LONDON: Britain has charged eight terrorism suspects and said one had plans which could be used in terror attacks on US financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington. $LABEL$0 +China says hopes N.Korea nuclear talks to continue BEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it hoped all six parties taking part in talks on the North Korea nuclear crisis would keep calm, remain flexible and continue negotiations despite inevitable difficulties. $LABEL$0 +British soldier killed in Basra A British soldier was believed to have been killed and another seriously injured last night after clashes with Shia fighters in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. $LABEL$0 +Dominicans send juiced message Dominican New Yorkers had a message yesterday for the newly elected president of their homeland: Let there be light. $LABEL$0 +SEC seeks to update stock sale rules BEIJING, Aug.18 (Xinhuanet) -- The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may revise its rules on initial stock offerings to modernize 1930s-era guidelines, agency commissioners and staff said. $LABEL$2 +AMP #39;s H1 profit beats expectation Insurer and fund manager AMP Ltd. , on Wednesday posted a better-than-expected first-half profit on higher investment returns and improved margins, and targeted a stronger performance for the remainder of the year. $LABEL$2 +Yahoo Unveils Budget Domains Deal Domain hosting and parking services drop in price, rise in capacity to lure small businesses. Trying to attract more small business customers, Yahoo has introduced a new domain name registration service and significantly increased the storage space and ...$LABEL$2 +Fall Season Looks Solid for Retailers, But Holidays Could Be Another Story Against a background of lackluster retail sales in June and July, analysts and merchants still predict a decent, possibly strong, fall selling season for clothes, accessories and home furnishings.$LABEL$2 +Mutual Funds Opt to Liquidate Some of the nations more than 8,000 mutual funds are shutting their doors, as their manag- ers confront a lackluster stock market, great- er regulatory scrutiny and higher costs.$LABEL$2 +Charley Shows Progress, Pitfalls in Forecasting (Reuters) Reuters - A few decades ago, the earliest warning\Floridians would have had of a hurricane would have been black\clouds on the horizon. Now people are complaining after\Hurricane Charley hit shore at a point just 60 miles off from\the track projected by meteorologists.$LABEL$3 +Bears' Tucker Out With Dislocated Elbow (AP) AP - Chicago Bears left guard Rex Tucker will miss eight to 10 weeks of the regular season because of a dislocated left elbow.$LABEL$1 +Researchers Try to Breed Rare Sea Ducks (AP) AP - Researchers at the Alaska Sealife Center are poking into the private lives of Steller's eiders #151; a rare sea duck that is disappearing from its nesting grounds in Alaska.$LABEL$3 +Google #39;s IPO delayed Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering has been delayed while the company awaits final approval of its paperwork by the Securities and Exchange Commission. $LABEL$2 +AMP Turns to 1st-Half Profit After It Cut Debt, Costs (Update4) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- AMP Ltd., Australia #39;s largest life insurer, posted its first half of profit in four after Chief Executive Andrew Mohl reduced debt, cut costs and sold more equity investment products. The stock fell as much as 3.7 percent. $LABEL$2 +Cassini Spacecraft Discovers 2 More Moons Around Saturn The planet with the second largest number of moons now has two more. The US Cassini spacecraft discovered them around Saturn, bringing the giant ringed planet #39;s known total to 33. $LABEL$3 +US no-show: Teamwork When the NBA began sending its players to the Olympics in 1992, one of the league #39;s goals was to spread basketball around the globe. Clearly, the idea worked. $LABEL$1 +Athletes Return to Olympia, Home of Games, After 1,611 Years Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympia, home of the Olympics for more than 12 centuries, will host competition for the first time in 1,611 years when the shot put competition of the Athens Games is contested at Greece #39;s most sacred sporting site. $LABEL$1 +Are England fans are changing their Toon? IN a desperate attempt to spark some public interest in an England team that appears to be quickly losing its appeal, Sven-Gran Eriksson announced his starting line-up for the friendly against Ukraine at St James #39; Park a day earlier than expected. $LABEL$1 +China halfway to complete medals goal BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- China is already halfway to its stated goal of 20 gold medals at the Athens Olympics after going into the fourth day of the 16-day competition, CRIENGLISH.com said Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +China says hopes N.Korea nuclear talks to continue BEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it hoped all six parties taking part in talks on the North Korea nuclear crisis keep calm, remain flexible and continue negotiations despite inevitable difficulties. $LABEL$0 +Senate probe needed: Faulkner A SENATE inquiry was needed into claims that the Prime Minister misled the Australian public over the children overboard affair, Labor Senate Leader John Faulkner said. $LABEL$0 +Athletics' Homers Crush Orioles 11-0 (AP) AP - Tim Hudson pitched a five-hitter to earn his first victory since June 11, and Scott Hatteberg's second grand slam of the season highlighted a four-homer attack that carried the Oakland Athletics past the Baltimore Orioles 11-0 Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Dodging Another Upset, U.S. Holds Off Greece Nobody heard the American players exhale when the buzzer sounded to end a 77-71 victory, because 12,000 delirious fans saluted Greece, the home team that had come close.$LABEL$1 +Humes Sits One Out With a showdown against preseason No. 1 USC on the horizon, tailback Cedric Humes rested his sore ankle and sat out Tuesday's scrimmage.$LABEL$1 +Sox's Guillen Hospitalized Chicago White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen entered a Chicago hospital on Tuesday with symptoms that suggest kidney stones.$LABEL$1 +Effort by Bush on Education Hits Obstacles Since President Bush signed No Child Left Behind, the law has imposed undeniable changes on public education, but it has also faced a backlash.$LABEL$0 +Cleric in Najaf Refuses to Meet Iraqi Mediators The delegation hoped to convince Moktada al- Sadr to disarm his militia, to leave the shrine and to join the political process.$LABEL$0 +Who's Behind the Gold Medalist's Mask? Gosh, an American! Mariel Zagunis crushed Tan Xue of China, 15-9, in the final of the women's saber Tuesday, earning the first American gold in a recognized fencing event.$LABEL$0 +Windows XP SP2 update delayed BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Microsoft Corp. has delayed automatic update of Windows XP Service Pack 2 to American company users until Aug. 25. $LABEL$3 +Cassini found two little Saturn moons BEIJING, Aug.18(Xinhuanet) -- NASA #39;s Cassini spacecraft has spied two new moons around the satellite-rich Saturn. $LABEL$3 +It can #39;t fly and sounds like a trumpet, but new bird delights ornithologists The mystery bird was certainly distinctive: dark brown, red bill, red legs, call like a trumpet, pretty hopeless at flying. You couldn #39;t miss it if you knew it was there. $LABEL$3 +Accused pair to tell their side of story This morning as Britain awakes, Kostas Kenteris and his training partner, Katerina Thanou, will be asked three questions by the disciplinary commission of the International Olympic Committee. These will determine whether they deliberately ...$LABEL$1 +Edwards #39; appeal against two-year ban fails Torri Edwards, the American sprinter, was shown no mercy here last night when the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld her two-year doping ban. $LABEL$1 +Terror charges London, Aug. 17 (Reuters): Britain charged eight men today with conspiracy to murder and other terrorism charges, some of them relating to plans of US buildings that could have been used to organise attacks. $LABEL$0 +Senior Hamas leader wounded An explosion tore through the home of a senior Hamas leader in Gaza yesterday, killing at least five people and wounding him and about a dozen other Palestinians, medics said. $LABEL$0 +US Hopes Influence Can Quell Russian - Georgian Tensions WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (AFP) - The United States is eyeing tensions between Georgia and separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia while hoping US influence with Georgia #39;s new president can halt broader armed conflict in the Caucasus. $LABEL$0 +Seven dead in Baghdad blast Interior Ministry officials had earlier said the blast on Tuesday was caused by a car bomb. At least five cars were ...$LABEL$0 +Japan Stocks Turn Lower on Oil Worries TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average turned lower by late morning on Wednesday as concern over surging oil prices and their possible impact on the global economy hit exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp.$LABEL$2 +Paes-Bhupathi overcome Federer-Allegro (Reuters) Reuters - World number one Roger Federer's top target for the year -- an Olympic tennis gold medal -- was taken away from him in a ""terrible day"" on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Najaf Fighting Continues Amid Peace Push BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi delegates delivered a peace proposal to aides of Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf on Tuesday, but the militant cleric refused to meet with them as explosions, gunfire and a U.S. bombing run persisted in the holy city...$LABEL$0 +Cabrera Leads Red Sox Past Blue Jays 5-4 BOSTON - Orlando Cabrera hit a run-scoring double off the Green Monster in the ninth inning on reliever Justin Speier's second pitch of the game, giving the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Pinch-hitter Dave Roberts drew a leadoff walk in the ninth and was forced out at second base on Johnny Damon's grounder off Kevin Frederick (0-2)...$LABEL$0 +Google flotation still dogged by last minute complications Google #39;s public share offering is expected to go ahead as early as today following a request for final regulatory approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. $LABEL$2 +Alcoa to shutter Ohio automotive components plant PITTSBURGH Alcoa said today it will take a seven (m) million dollar charge to close an automotive components plant in Ohio due to overcapacity. $LABEL$2 +The latest on SP2 The long-awaited Service Pack 2 for the Windows XP Home Edition is expected to start rolling out to PC users Wednesday via Microsoft #39;s Automatic Update service. The company says it is also planning to make the update available for order on a CD, for ...$LABEL$3 +The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ATHENS, Greece -- It began with Allen Iverson -- The Answer, the captain, the leader of Team USA -- forgetting about the fractured bone in his right thumb and courageously hitting the floor against Greece in full regalia. $LABEL$1 +Ancient Site a Throwback for Select Few Athletes THENS, Aug. 17 - Earlier this week, John Godina, a shot-putter from the United States, walked into the ancient stadium at Olympia, about 200 miles southwest of Athens, and the history he had studied in college came to life. $LABEL$1 +Flash floods force huge rescue bid LONDON: Rescue workers combed an English coastal village in north Cornwall yesterday for people missing after a flash flood caused by torrential rain hit Britain #39;s southwestern Atlantic coast. $LABEL$0 +Parliamentarians Not To Compromise Governance For Personal Gains: Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Aug 18 (PID) - President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday urged the Parliamentarians not to compromise governance for personal gains and work selflessly to serve the people and earn a rightful place for the country in the comity of ...$LABEL$0 +Google Offering Waits For SEC Approval Google Inc.'s initial public offering of stock remained on hold Tuesday after the Securities and Exchange Commission delayed final approval of the company's prospectus. The delay did not appear to involve any major new issues, and the company continued to maintain that its IPO is on track. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Dot-Coms Anxious to Get Back in IPO Game The successful bidders for Google shares won't be the only ones watching eagerly to see how much the IPO excites the stock market. Dozens of dot-com companies are hoping that Google's initial public offering marks a reawakening of all things Internet. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Antiwar Protesters Told Shop Till You Drop, Too New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided that if antiwar protesters are to descend on his city by the hundreds of thousands for the Republican Convention, he may as well turn them into shoppers. <BR><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Fairfax Tempts Foreign Firms to Branch Out Fairfax County is hoping to counter the exodus of U.S. jobs to other countries by persuading overseas companies to open branches in Fairfax, where they can hire Americans.$LABEL$3 +Manning Gets Early Go-Ahead to Start Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick in this year's N.F.L. draft, will make his first professional start on Thursday when the Giants take on the Carolina Panthers.$LABEL$1 +Sheffield Should Be Able to Play On The Yankees' Gary Sheffield has a pulled muscle and bursitis in his troublesome left shoulder, but can continue to play.$LABEL$1 +Hudson Handcuffs O's Jermaine Dye began the fireworks in the sixth with a two-run home run and Tim Hudson baffled the Orioles as Oakland rolled, 11-0, Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Cust Slogs Through Season With less than three weeks left in the Class AAA Ottawa Lynx's season, Jack Cust is counting down the days until his two-year stay with the Baltimore Orioles organization ends.$LABEL$1 +Caps' Witt Wins Arbitration Washington Capitals defenseman Brendan Witt was awarded \$2.2 million for the 2004-05 season in his arbitration hearing on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Bailey Tries WR Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey practiced with the offense at wide reciever during the Denver Broncos' practice on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Dot-Coms Get Back in IPO Game (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - The successful bidders for Google shares won't be the only ones watching eagerly to see how much the IPO excites the stock market. Dozens of dot-com companies are hoping that Google's initial public offering marks a reawakening of all things Internet.$LABEL$3 +Production Grew, Prices Fell in July The nation's factories cranked out more products in July, miners dug more minerals and builders broke ground on more homes, the government said yesterday in three reports that showed some rebound in economic activity last month.$LABEL$2 +Mills Buys Into Lakeforest Mall Mills Corp., the Arlington-based retail developer, said yesterday it plans to buy half of Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg and eight other malls around the country in a billion-dollar deal that gives it a new portfolio of shopping centers to redevelop in the years ahead.$LABEL$2 +Airlines Agree to Cuts at O'Hare Airlines operating at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport have agreed to cut flights to reduce delays that ripple across the country, sources familiar with the talks said yesterday.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Brokers Halt to Afghan Infighting (AP) AP - The U.S. ambassador helped broker a cease-fire Tuesday to halt the latest bloody infighting in Afghanistan, persuading a warlord to pull away from a provincial capital as U.S. warplanes circled overhead.$LABEL$0 +GOP Rep. Cubin Wins Wyoming Primary (AP) AP - U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin fended off four Republican challengers in Tuesday's primary election, securing a shot at a sixth term in this fall's general election.$LABEL$0 +Crude rises on Iraq troubles SEPTEMBER oil prices rose yesterday on US economic data showing that inflationary pressure was held in check in July. However, continued disruption in Iraqi supplies and strong world fuel demand and ongoing trouble at Russian oil giant Yukos underpinned ...$LABEL$2 +Bankruptcy fears as Yukos #39; half-year loss hits \$2.65bn YUKOS has reported a net loss of US\$2.65 billion (1.45bn) for the first half of 2004, a period of record oil prices, prompting speculation that the Russian oil firm is on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. $LABEL$2 +Halliburton hit THE US army will withhold payment on 15 per cent of future invoices from Halliburton, the logistics support group which is feeding and housing its troops in Iraq and Kuwait. $LABEL$2 +Wall Street takes heart from positive economic reports A NEW record high for oil took some of the shine off Wall Street trade yesterday. An upbeat picture of inflation and good housing data boosted the mood early on and strong earnings from several retailers, led by Home Depot, also helped to keep the major ...$LABEL$2 +E-Mail Viruses Getting Smarter, Report Says SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Computer viruses spread by e-mail are growing more sophisticated as virus writers and quot;spammers quot; are thought to be joining forces in an effort to make smarter bugs, a computer security group said on Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Games Business Needs Mergers, Price Cuts-Report LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Video game executives believe consolidation will be crucial to their future, but they also want further cuts to hardware prices to boost short-term growth, according to a report set for release this week. $LABEL$3 +Event of the Day -- Men #39;s and women #39;s shot put Why you should watch: Given the longstanding American hegemony in the shot put, it #39;s plausible that the three-man US delegation could sweep the competition. But the most compelling reason to watch is the unparalleled setting. $LABEL$1 +Fellow Jets Are Getting to Know No. 89 EMPSTEAD, NY, Aug. 17 - It has become a recurring part of the practice-field banter at Jets training camp. Jerricho Cotchery, the rookie wide receiver, hauls in another bomb on a post route or makes another touchdown catch, and ...$LABEL$1 +LOOKING BACK 8-Day Battle for Najaf: From Attack to Stalemate AJAF, Iraq, Aug. 16 - Just five days after they arrived here to take over from Army units that had encircled Najaf since an earlier confrontation in the spring, new Marine commanders decided to smash guerrillas loyal to the rebel Shiite ...$LABEL$0 +Soldier dies as British troops clash with Sadr #39;s Basra army A BRITISH soldier was killed and at least one other injured during a fierce firefight with militia fighters in the southern Iraqi city of Basra yesterday. $LABEL$0 +Outgoing Ambassador Of Qatar Meets Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Aug 18 (PID) - The outgoing Ambassador of Qatar, Mr. Abdullah Falah A. Al-Dosari paid a courtesy called on the President General Pervez Musharraf here on Tuesday. $LABEL$0 +Raiders' Gallery Misses Camp With Injury (AP) AP - Left tackle Robert Gallery, the second player taken in the NFL draft, didn't practice Tuesday morning with the Oakland Raiders because of an elbow injury, leaving his status uncertain for Saturday's preseason game against Dallas.$LABEL$1 +Rockies Pitcher Frets Health, Not Baseball (AP) AP - The blood clots that went from Aaron Cook's shoulder to his lungs might threaten his career.$LABEL$1 +Still No Movement in N.H.L. labor Talks The N.H.L. and the players association moved no closer to a collective bargaining agreement during a five-hour meeting Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +What Next for Venezuela? President Hugo Chavez is riding high after his overwhelming victory in a recall vote this week, but analysts say his triumph may have limited impact on the deep economic and political problems threatening this major oil-producing country.$LABEL$0 +Google Offering Waits for Approval Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering of stock remained on hold yesterday after the Securities and Exchange Commission delayed final approval of the company #39;s prospectus. $LABEL$2 +AMP Returns to Profit After Spinoff Australian financial services group AMP Ltd. on Wednesday reported a return to profit in the first half of the year after cutting loose its loss-making British insurance operations. $LABEL$2 +Japan Stocks Fall on Oil Worries TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo #39;s Nikkei average fell 0.59 percent by midday on Wednesday, erasing initial gains, as exporters like Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. declined on concern over the possible impact on the global economy of surging oil prices. $LABEL$2 +TGn Sync Coalition Outlines Proposal for 802.11n TGn Sync, a coalition of more than a dozen vendors, will submit a joint proposal to the IEEE 802.11 Task Group N (TGn) for the next generation 802.11n standard. $LABEL$3 +Hamstring latest setback for Kupets There are favorites and there are expectations, but to compete in the Olympics is to hazard the risk of being outfought, outscored, out-happied. $LABEL$1 +Veteran hurler Beck released by Padres San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - The San Diego Padres requested unconditional release waivers for righthanded reliever Rod Beck on Tuesday, ending the 36- year-old #39;s run in Southern California. $LABEL$1 +Sheffield Should Be Able to Play On INNEAPOLIS, Aug. 17 - The Yankees #39; Gary Sheffield has a pulled muscle and bursitis in his troublesome left shoulder, but can continue to play, according to a diagnosis provided on Tuesday by Dr. Frank Jobe, the noted orthopedic surgeon who ...$LABEL$1 +NFL ROUNDUP Eagles #39; Kalu Will Be Out for the Year Philadelphia Eagles defensive end ND Kalu will miss the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee at yesterday #39;s practice. $LABEL$1 +AL Capsules Orlando Cabrera hit a run-scoring double off the Green Monster in the ninth inning on reliever Justin Speier #39;s second pitch of the game, giving the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. $LABEL$1 +China Battles to Keep N.Korea Nuclear Talks Alive BEIJING (Reuters) - China battled on Wednesday to keep alive six-way talks on dismantling North Korea #39;s nuclear programs, saying it hoped all parties would stay calm and flexible and resume negotiations despite inevitable problems. $LABEL$0 +McKenry doesn #39;t back Scrafton: PM Prime Minister John Howard said a former public servant had not backed the claims by former adviser Mike Scrafton about the children overboard affair. $LABEL$0 +Twins Collect Rare Victory Over Yankees (AP) AP - Brad Radke pitched seven solid innings, Corey Koskie drove in three runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the New York Yankees in the regular season for the first time since 2001 with an 8-2 victory Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +China tries to shut down phone sex lines in anti-porn campaign (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China has ordered severe punishment for phone sex operators as part of a sweeping crackdown on electronic pornography, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Stuck After CPI Fails to Inspire TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar idled on Wednesday after the latest round of U.S. inflation data failed to substantially alter the outlook for gradual increases in interest rates.$LABEL$2 +Yukos, Iraq push oil higher NEW YORK -- Oil prices have moved to fresh record highs of almost \$47 a barrel on concerns about potential supply disruptions in Russia and Iraq. $LABEL$2 +US Stocks Gain for a Third Day, Led by Home Depot, Retailers Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- US stocks rose for a third straight day after an unexpected drop in consumer prices encouraged investors that the Federal Reserve may be able to slow the pace of interest rate increases. Benchmark indexes pared gains as oil prices ...$LABEL$2 +Australia #39;s Pacific Hydro FY04 Net A\$40.7M, Up 39 CANBERRA (Dow Jones)--Renewable energy generator Pacific Hydro Ltd. (PHY.AU) reported Wednesday a 39 jump in net profit, including a one-time tax benefit, to A\$40.7 million in the fiscal year ended June 30, up from A\$29.3 million in the previous year. $LABEL$2 +Warehouse offers cut-price coffins A US discount warehouse chain known for piling #39;em high, and selling #39;em cheap, is offering cut-price coffins along with the buckets of sauce and tubs of ice-cream under a new pilot program. $LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Launches Music Download Price War RealNetworks is sending a real message to Apple, their largest competitor in the online music market. On Tuesday, RealNetworks announced that it was launching the biggest music sale in history, offering single music downloads for just 49 cents, and most ...$LABEL$3 +WinXP SP2 Home Edition To Be Available On Automatic Update Aug 18 Microsoft #39;s channel partners are getting set to put out fires when Windows XP Service Pack 2 becomes available to consumers over the Windows Update service on Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Sutton #39;s Ryder Cup selections are solid MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Hal Sutton will get second-guessed, which is the main by-product of the captain of Ryder Cup teams having two at-large selections and one month before the 35th version of the matches are played at Oakland Hills Country ...$LABEL$1 +Owners, players talk, but nothing resolved Five hours of talks Tuesday brought owners and players no closer to resolving labor disagreements that will lead to a lockout when the collective bargaining agreement ends Sept. 15. $LABEL$1 +Padres release former all-stat Rod Beck, recall Freddy Guzman SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres released reliever Rod Beck on Tuesday and recalled centre fielder Freddy Guzman from triple-A Portland. $LABEL$1 +Mariners Race Past Royals 16-3 (AP) AP - Ichiro Suzuki went 4-for-4 and drove in a career-high five runs, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 16-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Twins Collect Rare Victory Over Yankees MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Brad Radke pitched seven solid innings, Corey Koskie drove in three runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the New York Yankees in the regular season for the first time since 2001 with an 8-2 victory Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Colombian Government Won't Halt Offensive (AP) AP - Colombia's government on Tuesday shrugged off warnings from Marxist rebels that a massive offensive is endangering the lives of dozens of hostages, including three Americans.$LABEL$0 +China Appeals to N. Korea for Nuke Talks (AP) AP - China appealed to North Korea on Tuesday to join working meetings before a new round of six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear program, despite the North's declaration that it saw no point in attending.$LABEL$0 +Haiti court acquits rebel leader A court acquits ex-paramilitary leader Jodel Chamblain of murder in a trial criticised by human rights activists.$LABEL$0 +Intel backtracks on offering chips for projection TVs now In another product postpone-ment, semiconductor giant Intel Corp said it won #39;t be offering a chip for projection TVs by the end of this year as it had announced earlier this year. $LABEL$3 +China tries to shut down phone sex lines in anti-porn campaign SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China has ordered severe punishment for phone sex operators as part of a sweeping crackdown on electronic pornography, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Produce less beef and save water The Stockholm International Water Institute in Sweden claims it takes 15 cubic metres of water, or 15,000 litres, to produce one kilogram of grain-fed beef. $LABEL$3 +US Men Squander Lead, But Hold Off Thorpe to Win ATHENS, Aug. 17 -- Rarely has a huge lead disappeared so quickly. Largely unheralded US swimmer Klete Keller jumped in the pool for the final leg of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay a second-and-a-half ahead of Australian legend Ian Thorpe. $LABEL$1 +Teixeira cycles his way to history ARLINGTON -- Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira made history Tuesday at Ameriquest Field in Arlington against Cleveland when he became the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle. $LABEL$1 +LaCassie, Price qualify for US Amateur Match Play Two of the three Australians who made the field for this week #39;s US Amateur Championship at the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, have made it into the top sixty four who will fight out the Match Play phase of the Championship. $LABEL$1 +Jordanian hostage freed in Iraq A Jordanian who disappeared in Iraq two weeks ago and was believed to have been kidnapped has been freed and is in the custody of Iraqi police, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Ayed told reporters yesterday. $LABEL$0 +Fall Season Looks Solid for Retailers, but Holidays Could Be Another Story Against a background of lackluster retail sales in June and July, analysts and merchants still predict a decent, possibly strong, fall selling season for clothes, accessories and home furnishings.$LABEL$2 +So Google Is Almost Public. Now Comes the Hard Part. Google, whose initial stock offering was delayed by the S.E.C., must prove that its success is not an accident.$LABEL$2 +After Circulation Scandal, a Move to Build Trust Belo Corporation has set aside \$23 million to compensate advertisers for exaggerated circulation figures at The Dallas Morning News.$LABEL$2 +Nevada officials back e-vote systems for primary, general election Nevada election officials are confident that an electronic voting system being used in the Sept. 7 primary and the November election will work as expected, despite a problem that occurred during a demonstration of the technology in California.$LABEL$3 +Motorola rolls out database management software Motorola is using the Application Data Management suite from OuterBay Technology to manage data growth in its Oracle e-business applications.$LABEL$3 +Warriors, Mavs Close on Five-Player Trade (AP) AP - The Warriors and Mavericks are close to completing a five-player trade that would bring forwards Eduardo Najera and Christian Laettner to Golden State and send centers Erick Dampier, Evan Eschmeyer and guard Dan Dickau to Dallas, an NBA source aware of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Must-See TV Lacks Must-Have Buzz Empty seats in Athens offer a bizarre television backdrop for the Olympics - one that cannot be avoided by NBC.$LABEL$1 +Manning Gets Early Go-Ahead to Start Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick in this year's N.F.L. draft, will make his first professional start on Thursday when the Giants take on Carolina.$LABEL$1 +Vazquez and Yankees Buckle Early Because Javier Vazquez fizzled while Brad Radke flourished, the Yankees sustained their first regular-season defeat by the Minnesota Twins since 2001.$LABEL$1 +Still No Movement in N.H.L. Labor Talks The N.H.L. and the players association moved no closer to a collective bargaining agreement during a five-hour meeting.$LABEL$1 +China Hints U.S. Must Return Guantanamo Separatists (Reuters) Reuters - Beijing has hinted that if the United\States releases any Guantanamo Bay detainees from its restive\Muslim far west Xinjiang region, they should be handed over to\Beijing and not sent to a third country.$LABEL$0 +China Hints U.S. Must Return Guantanamo Separatists BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has hinted that if the United States releases any Guantanamo Bay detainees from its restive Muslim far west Xinjiang region, they should be handed over to Beijing and not sent to a third country.$LABEL$0 +Architectural Benefactor J. Irwin Miller Dies J. Irwin Miller, 95, the industrialist and philanthropist who guided Cummins Engine Co. to international prominence and helped shape his home town of Columbus, Ind., into an architectural gem, died Aug. 16 at his home in Columbus. No cause of death was ...$LABEL$2 +Delta May Offer Its Pilots Equity Stake to Get Cuts Delta Air Lines, in an effort to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, is considering giving its pilots an equity stake in exchange for pay and benefit cuts, a Delta pilot spokeswoman said yesterday. $LABEL$2 +The Ballad of Shaikh Ahmed THE guy exudes an aura of sure-fire confidence - the confidence that is based on his burning desire to excel. Shaikh Ahmed Mohammed Hasher Al Maktoum expects to be successful - and he invariably is. $LABEL$1 +Eriksson urges more rest for top players SLALEY, England, Aug 17 (Reuters) - England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has thrown down to gauntlet to the international soccer authorities to preserve the health of the world quot;superstar quot; footballers for major tournaments. $LABEL$1 +US, Jamaica wait to tip hands KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Twenty-four hours before the US National Team takes on the Jamaicans in their first CONCACAF World Cup qualifying semifinal round match, and the Americans were nowhere to be found. $LABEL$1 +An irregular regular loss MINNEAPOLIS -- Considering how much the Yankees have dominated the Twins during the regular season in recent years, it was easy to assume Javier Vazquez picked the right time to return from a nasty two-week bout with conjunctivitis. $LABEL$1 +Santos holds Cubs to one run for win Santos allowed just one run in 6 1-3 innings to win for the first time since beating Chicago on July 16, and the Brewers defeated the Cubs 3-1 Tuesday night. $LABEL$1 +Swimmers, gymnasts lift NBC #39;s early ratings Boosted by strong results from US gymnasts and swimmers, NBC #39;s ratings for the Athens Olympics #39; first four days have topped the disappointing viewership levels of the 2000 Sydney Games. $LABEL$1 +Peace team urges Sadr to call off uprising: Militia positions pounded NAJAF, Aug 17: An Iraqi peace delegation urged Shia leader Moqtada Sadr on Tuesday to call off his uprising in Najaf, and on the battlefront US troops pounded militia positions near the country #39;s holiest sites. $LABEL$0 +China appeals to North Korea to go ahead with nuclear talks BEIJING (AP) China appealed to North Korea on Tuesday to join working meetings before a new round of six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear program, despite the North #39;s declaration that it saw no point in attending. $LABEL$0 +Maoist Rebels Block Land Routes to Nepali Capital KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Maoist rebels, fighting to topple Nepal's constitutional monarchy, cut off all land routes to the Himalayan kingdom's capital on Wednesday, disrupting food and supplies to the city of 1.5 million people.$LABEL$0 +Michael Jackson in legal setback Michael Jackson's lawyers fail in their attempt to have evidence seized in a raid on his ranch thrown out.$LABEL$0 +Cox Forms Committee to Consider Buyout NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cox Communications Inc., the No. 4 U.S. cable television provider, said late on Tuesday it formed a committee of independent directors to consider a \$7.9 billion offer from its controlling family to take the company private.$LABEL$2 +Mavs Acquire Dampier The Associated Press reports that the Warriors and Mavericks are close to completing a deal that would bring Eduardo Najera and Christian Laettner to Golden State and send Erick Dampier, Evan Eschmeyer and Dan Dickau to Dallas.$LABEL$1 +Teixeira Bats for Cycle Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira hit for the cycle and drove in a career-high seven runs in a 16-4 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Analysis: Venezuela off oil market #39;s front burner LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Oil futures reached a record high Tuesday as the market fretted over simmering potential pitfalls other than last weekend #39;s vote in Venezuela that kept controversial strongman Hugo Chavez in the presidency. $LABEL$2 +Production, housing rise while consumer prices decline Washington - The nation #39;s factories cranked out more products in July, miners dug more minerals and builders broke ground on more homes, the government said Tuesday in three reports that showed some rebound in economic activity last ...$LABEL$2 +Charley may cost insurers \$14bn Chicago - Insured losses from Hurricane Charley could be between \$10 billion (R66 billion) and \$14 billion, according to industry estimates released as insurers received thousands of claims from Florida. $LABEL$2 +BJ #39;s will fight banks #39; \$16M claim BJ #39;s Wholesale Club Inc. is gearing up for legal battles with credit-card-issuing banks, which are demanding \$16 million to offset fraudulent credit card charges and other costs related to a security breach apparently involving BJ #39;s ...$LABEL$2 +Winning is Greek to US: Outlasts h ATHENS - Larry Brown found out some things about his team last night. Among them was that Allen Iverson apparently shoots better with a fractured right thumb than he does with two healthy paws. $LABEL$1 +A Throwback to Olympia ATHENS -- Today, Olympians will be in the ancient stadium at Olympia for the shot put competition. Been there, but haven #39;t done that. $LABEL$1 +Agassi overcomes Goldstein in Washington opener NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Number-one seed Andre Agassi survived a surprisingly tough first set test before he eventually coasted to a 6-4 6-2 win over Paul Goldstein at the Washington Classic on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +A gold medal in the ratings Olympic laurels. NBC swept the Nielsen ratings medals, with its first three nights of coverage in Athens taking the top three prime-time spots last week (Aug. 9-15) in viewers and advertiser-coveted young adults. The surge ...$LABEL$1 +Warriors, Mavs close on five-player trade The Warriors and Mavericks are close to completing a five-player trade that would bring forwards Eduardo Najera and Christian Laettner to Golden State and send centers Erick Dampier, Evan Eschmeyer and guard Dan Dickau to Dallas, an NBA source aware of ...$LABEL$1 +Result knot all bad for US: Wins group after tie with Aussies ATHENS - Playing without suspended forward Abby Wambach, the US women #39;s soccer team battled to a mutually beneficial 1-1 draw with Australia last night at Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki. The result was not unexpected, as the ...$LABEL$1 +When it comes to Israel... At first glance it was just another prosaic headline. quot; #39;Militants #39; prevent resumption of work in the seaports, quot; Haaretz said. $LABEL$0 +NL Wrap: Walker Grand Slam Helps Cards Beat Reds Again NEW YORK (Reuters) - Larry Walker hit a grand slam home run to key a six-run eighth inning as the Cardinals stayed hot with a 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in St Louis on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Cave Linked to John the Baptist Found in Israel (Reuters) Reuters - A British archeologist has dug up\evidence linking John the Baptist to a cave used for bathing\rituals in hills near Jerusalem in what he said could be one of\the biggest recent finds for Christian history.$LABEL$3 +Chasing the SUV vote SPORT UTILITY vehicles roared into stump speeches this month, flattening all common sense. At a speech last week introducing President Bush, Virginia #39;s Governor George Allen juiced the crowd by ...$LABEL$2 +SI.com ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The Cincinnati Reds continue to find new ways to lose to the St. Louis Cardinals. $LABEL$1 +Eight terror suspects charged in UK British police have charged eight terrorist suspects with conspiring to commit murder and use radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives to cause quot;fear or injury quot; in a case involving an alleged top al-Qaeda operative at the centre of a US ...$LABEL$0 +Five Palestinians dead in Israeli attempt to kill Hamas activist Israel #39;s air force launched an attack on a Gaza City building early Wednesday, killing at least five people, according to witnesses and officials on both sides. Seven people were also wounded, four critically. $LABEL$0 +Army, in Shift, Will Pay Halliburton The Army reversed a decision to withhold payment on 15 percent of future payments to the Halliburton Company on its contracts in Iraq and Kuwait.$LABEL$2 +The Guy From Green Day Says He Has Your Mother on the Cellphone Ringtones have proved to be such a lucrative side business for cellular phone companies that record labels in the United States have decided they want a piece of that revenue.$LABEL$2 +ING to Withdraw \$5 Bln from Janus Funds NEW YORK (Reuters) - ING U.S. Financial Services said late on Tuesday it will withdraw about \$5 billion from Janus Capital Group Inc. funds by year-end.$LABEL$2 +Gas Price Drop Lowers CPI Moderate news on the inflation front and a Labor Department report showing that consumer prices actually fell in July gave comfort to investors who are worried about potential price hikes. $LABEL$2 +Costco Is Accused of Sex Bias n employee at the Costco Wholesale Corporation filed a national class-action lawsuit against the company yesterday, accusing it of discriminating against women in promotions to store manager. $LABEL$2 +US Wants a Trustee Named to Oversee United #39;s Pensions ASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (AP) - A legal overseer will be appointed to represent participants in United Airlines #39; pension plans now that the company has halted contributions, the Labor Department said on Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +RealNetworks drops music-download price BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- With competition heating up in the online music business, the American digital media group, RealNetworks Inc. yesterday declared war on Apple Computer and its popular iTunes in ternet music store by lowering prices for ...$LABEL$3 +Cash for emails - script kiddies use spam to make their fortunes Money the prime motivator as viruses and spam converge 63.5 of all email during the first six months of 2004 was spam Over 1.5 million phishing emails intercepted Spyware makes its first appearance in the spam attack arsenal Sydney. 17th ...$LABEL$3 +NL Wrap: Walker Grand Slam Helps Cards Beat Reds Again NEW YORK (Reuters) - Larry Walker hit a grand slam home run to key a six-run eighth inning as the Cardinals stayed hot with a 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in St Louis on Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Web page to help with installation of WIndows anti-hacker security patch Information Technology Systems and Services (ITSS) has created a Web page that will walk Microsoft Windows XP users on campus through a major update being released worldwide this month to make the operating system less vulnerable to computer hackers and ...$LABEL$3 +Oil Prices Hold Firm Near #36;47 (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices held steady near #36;47 on\Wednesday, a day after striking another record peak as U.S.\inflation stayed in check despite scorching energy costs and\ahead of weekly data expected to show a drop in crude stocks.$LABEL$2 +Talking with ... Vijay Singh, PGA Tour Vijay Singh, 41, shot a final-round 76 but still won the PGA Championship on Sunday at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis. $LABEL$1 +America pays big price for small mistakes She was shaking her hips, twirling her hands, letting that high-wattage smile shine and turning the arena into her own little disco. $LABEL$1 +Teixeira hits for the cycle ARLINGTON, Texas Mark Teixeira became the second player in Rangers history and first in more than 19 years to hit for the cycle, leading Texas to a 16-4 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. $LABEL$1 +SI.com KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Ichiro Suzuki and the Seattle Mariners made their first appearance at Kauffman Stadium this season, much to the dismay of the Kansas City Royals . $LABEL$1 +British Soldier Killed in Iraq A British soldier has been killed and another injured after clashes with militia forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, said the British Army. $LABEL$0 +UN asks Myanmar to engage opposition parties, release Suu Kyi United Nations, Aug 18 - The United Nations has told the ruling military Junta in Myanmar that its process for transition to democracy and national reconciliation will lack quot;credibility quot; unless it engages the opposition political parties and releases ...$LABEL$0 +China Sighs in Relief as Yao Scores High BEIJING (Reuters) - China breathed a measured sigh of relief after the skills of its basketball giant Yao Ming dwarfed New Zealand to sweep his team nearer to their goal of reaching the Athens Olympics semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Giants Edge Expos J.T. Snow singled in the winning run in the ninth to lead the Giants to their sixth straight victory, 5-4, over the Expos on Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Wednesday's preview Day five of the Games will see 21 golds on offer with Kate Howey and Pippa Funnell aiming for medals.$LABEL$1 +UK terror suspects due in court Eight men charged with conspiracy to murder and plotting to use toxic materials or explosives are due in court.$LABEL$0 +ING to Withdraw \$5 Bln from Janus Funds NEW YORK (Reuters) - ING US Financial Services said late on Tuesday it will withdraw about \$5 billion from Janus Capital Group Inc. funds by year-end. $LABEL$2 +Applied shares flat on lower outlook SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Applied Materials beat Wall Street #39;s third-quarter financial estimates late Tuesday, but shares of the chip equipment company stalled after the company #39;s earnings targets for the fourth quarter came in lower than expected. $LABEL$2 +Investment firm Leucadia holds about 5 pct of MCI WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Investment company Leucadia National Corp. (LUK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it had bought a 4.96 percent stake in MCI Inc. (MCIP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) for about \$245.9 million. $LABEL$2 +Nortel hints it won #39;t tell all Nortel Networks Corp., which plans to shed some light tomorrow morning on its financial performance for the first half of the year, hinted yesterday that those long-awaited results could be short on details. $LABEL$2 +New bird species found in Philippines The bird, dubbed the quot;Calayan Rail quot;, is the size of a small crow and has dark brown plumage and bright orange-red legs and beak, said Carl Oliveros, who helped lead the expedition that found it. $LABEL$3 +Plan for global observation would aid in forecasting of disasters WASHINGTON - What if scientists could forecast Texas floods a full year in advance? Or predict when and how air pollution from Asia or Mexico will settle over Los Angeles or Houston? Or pinpoint the location of the next West Nile virus ...$LABEL$3 +Americans rebound to eke out win over Greece ATHENS, GREECE - The crowd danced and sang and chanted quot;Hellas, Hellas, Hellas quot; and a taunting refrain of quot;Puerto Rico quot; loud enough to stir the ancients or heal Lamar Odom #39;s pained and poisoned stomach. $LABEL$1 +Devers and Moore Called Up by USA Gail Devers and LaShaunte #39;a Moore will replace Torri Edwards, the USA #39;s suspended world champion, in the Olympic 100 and 200 metres races in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Mariners 16, Royals 3 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If Ichiro Suzuki keeps hitting at his second-half pace, Seattle Mariners manager Bob Melvin believes there may be a new addition for the dictionary. $LABEL$1 +Damon #39;s play top choice In the first inning last night at Fenway Park, Red Sox stats, schedule leadoff hitter Johnny Damon stats, news jump-started his team #39;s offense by hitting a home run to right field. $LABEL$1 +US women settle for tie The United States women #39;s soccer team needed only a tie yesterday and that #39;s all it got -- settling for a draw against a team it always had beaten. $LABEL$1 +MLB: Texas 16, Cleveland 4 Arlington, TX, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Mark Teixeira had seven RBI Tuesday to help Scott Erickson earn his first win in over two years as Texas Rangers pounded the Cleveland Indians, 16-4. $LABEL$1 +Miscues Cost U.S. Women Gymnastics Gold (AP) AP - They're the kind of errors only judges see, little things that seem so inconsequential. But those mistakes added up, and they cost the U.S. gymnastics team a gold medal. The Americans settled for silver Tuesday night, done in as much by their own sloppiness as Romania's sheer superiority.$LABEL$1 +Iraqis aim to decide new assembly The Baghdad conference on Iraq's future goes into an unscheduled fourth day as a peace bid fails in Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Inflation #39;s Summer Vacation? At first glance, July #39;s muted price data seems to undercut inflation fighters #39; rate-hike strategy. But the softness isn #39;t likely to stay ...$LABEL$2 +Season far from running course With the PGA Tour #39;s major championships concluded for 2004, we look for other story lines to sustain the golf season. The back nine: ...$LABEL$1 +Federer #39;s Olympics end unexpectedly early with two losses Roger Federer gathered his racket bag and trudged off the court, ignoring fans #39; autograph requests as he headed straight for the exit. $LABEL$1 +Iraqis aim to decide new assembly The national conference on Iraq #39;s future is going into an unscheduled fourth day as delegates hammer out the shape of the first post-war parliament. $LABEL$0 +More hospital tests for Latham OPPOSITION Leader Mark Latham is undergoing further tests at Sydney #39;s St Vincent #39;s Hospital after being diagnosed with pancreatitis. $LABEL$0 +Saved from the saw, ancient Japanese forests now threatened by tourism (AFP) AFP - A generation ago, a battle was successfully waged on this rugged island to preserve what was left of its primeval forests, home to giant trees millennia old. Now tourism spawned by this natural heritage is threatening its survival.$LABEL$0 +Asian Shares Mixed as Oil Steady Near \$47 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - High oil prices kept Asian stock markets in check on Wednesday as investors fretted over the impact of energy costs on corporate earnings, but an upbeat outlook from Applied Materials lifted some tech issues.$LABEL$2 +'Afghanistan needs security help' UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says Afghanistan needs help with security to ensure its presidential elections are successful. $LABEL$0 +Worker alleges sex bias An assistant manager at Costco Wholesale accused the company of discriminating against female workers by failing to promote as many as 650 women to high-paying management jobs. $LABEL$2 +AMP profits beat forecasts SYDNEY (Reuters) - Insurer and fund manager AMP has reported a better-than-expected profit for the first half on higher investment returns and improved margins after casting off its British operations. $LABEL$2 +BHP Billiton doubles H2 net profit SYDNEY, (Reuters) - Aug 18, 2004 The world #39;s biggest mining group, BHP Billiton Ltd./Plc. said on Wednesday its second-half net profit more than doubled on strong demand for industrial raw materials, and forecast sustained high prices for commodities. $LABEL$2 +Clinton #39;s story boosts Borders The Ann Arbor-based bookseller reported Tuesday an 88.9-percent boost in profits for the second quarter and said sales grew more than expected, driven by strong sales of Clinton #39;s book quot;My Life. quot; ...$LABEL$2 +New species of flightless bird #39;s days may be numbered TWITCHERS should book their plane tickets as soon as possible. Wildlife experts yesterday claimed to have discovered a new species of bird in the Philippines. But they immediately warned that the flightless Calayan rail could be driven to extinction by ...$LABEL$3 +AOL releases Netscape 7.2 quot;Corporate execs are more comfortable with a known brand name. Even though Mozilla (and FF, Camino, K-Meleon, etc.) are based on the same code, they are not quot;Netscape quot;. When execs are made aware of the faults and deficiencies of IE, they may think quot;I wish ...$LABEL$3 +palmOne announces SD wi-fi card for Tungsten T3 and Zire 72 palmOne, Inc. is at last bringing a SD wi-fi solution for a couple of its handheld models. To date, palmOne #39;s Wi-Fi option was the Tungsten C, which comes with built-in wireless, incorporates a keyboard and a 320 x 320 transflective TFT display. palmOne ...$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Greek Sprinters Finally Get Chance to Put Case ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s top two sprinters should finally get to put their case on Wednesday in a drugs investigation that has shamed and angered the Olympic host nation. $LABEL$1 +Two-Year Suspension of American Sprinter Is Affirmed The sprinter Torri Edwards of the United States was knocked out of the Olympics for good yesterday when an arbitration panel upheld her two-year drug suspension, saying she should have known tablets provided by her doctor contained ...$LABEL$1 +Shot put: Birthplace of Games becomes field of play again Back when he was a shot putter at Dartmouth, he showed up for practice one day just as a freshman girl learning a new rotation let loose with an errant toss that caught Nelson right in the forehead. $LABEL$1 +Reds #39; bullpen struggles after lefty #39;s strong start The result, however, was all too familiar as the Reds fell to the Cardinals, 7-2, in the middle tilt of a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday evening. $LABEL$1 +Rumsfeld says US forces quot;unlikely quot; to storm holy places in Najaf WASHINGTON : The United States pulled its punch in Iraq as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced US forces arrayed in Najaf against Shiite militants of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr were quot;unlikely quot; to storm the town #39;s holy places to deal the militia ...$LABEL$0 +Asian Shares Mixed as Oil Steady Near #36;47 (Reuters) Reuters - High oil prices kept Asian stock\markets in check on Wednesday as investors fretted over the\impact of energy costs on corporate earnings, but an upbeat\outlook from Applied Materials lifted some tech issues.$LABEL$2 +Tokyo Edge: More Video Options Hard-drive video recorders support HDTV, while Blu-ray and HD-DVD wait in the wings. Plus: pricey headphones and cheap megapixels.$LABEL$3 +Google faces bumpy IPO road, analysts say NEW YORK -- Google Inc. faces serious headwinds as it prepares to launch its long-anticipated initial public offering despite a lacklustre equity market and questions about the company #39;s business plan. $LABEL$2 +US inflation falls for first time in 2004 US inflation fell by 0.1 per cent in July -- the first decline since late last year -- on a drop in gasoline prices, the US Department of Labour said yesterday in a report that suggests underlying price pressures in the world #39;s biggest ...$LABEL$2 +Merrill survey of fund managers finds them more pessimistic, risk averse Global fund managers have become increasingly risk averse and significantly more pessimistic about corporate profits and the US stock market, according to the latest monthly Merrill Lynch amp; Co. Inc. survey. $LABEL$2 +Staples posts 39 jump in second-quarter profit FRAMINGHAM, MASS. -- Riding strong sales across its office products portfolio, Staples Inc. yesterday reported a 39-per-cent jump in second-quarter profit that topped Wall Street forecasts. $LABEL$2 +Nortel probe one of Canada #39;s biggest In what will be one of Canada #39;s largest white-collar crime investigations, the RCMP will assign as many as two dozen officers and forensic accountants to the criminal investigation of Nortel Networks Corp., a source familiar ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft lifts the lid on SP2 SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft has revealed how many fixes and updates are under the bonnet of its megapatch Windows XP Service Pack 2. $LABEL$3 +Hackers join dark side SECURITY EXPERTS MessageLabs say that there is evidence that virus writers are working hand in hand with spammers. $LABEL$3 +Lumber rises on Florida #39;s need to rebuild VANCOUVER -- An already buoyant lumber market is getting a psychological boost from the combined impact of hurricane Charley and reports of surprisingly strong US housing construction activity. $LABEL$3 +Back in the swim: Peirsol, Coughlin give Americans much needed splash ATHENS - As the final leg of the men #39;s 4 x 200 freestyle relay began last night at the Olympic pool, the United States held a lead of at least 1 1/2 body lengths - which, considering the final 200 meters was being swum by 6-foot-6 Klete ...$LABEL$1 +Two Georgians Killed in Breakaway Region TBILISI (Reuters) - At least two Georgian soldiers were killed and five wounded in artillery fire with separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Georgian officials said on Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +Murdoch to face trial on Falconio murder Bradley John Murdoch was ordered to stand trial over the alleged murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio beside a remote Northern Territory highway three years ago. $LABEL$0 +Banned Sprinter Chambers Trys Football (AP) AP - Dwain Chambers will be studying pass patterns and playbooks instead of competing against the world's top sprinters in the Olympics this weekend.$LABEL$1 +Uzbekistan Military Boost May Spark Unrest (AP) AP - Washington's plans to beef up its military base in Uzbekistan as part of a troop realignment abroad could whip up tensions between the impoverished ex-Soviet republic's secular government and radical Islamic groups, analysts and opposition politicians say.$LABEL$0 +Tokyo Edge: More Video Options (PC World) PC World - Hard-drive video recorders support HDTV, while Blu-ray and HD-DVD wait in the wings. Plus: pricey headphones and cheap megapixels.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Troops Training for Iraq in Israel -Paper (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. troops from Iraq are being\trained by the Israeli army in urban and guerrilla warfare\tactics at a military base in Israel, a local newspaper said on\Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Warring Afghan Factions Say Cease-fire Holding (Reuters) Reuters - A renegade Afghan militia commander and a\spokesman for the governor of the western province of Herat\said on Wednesday their forces were honoring a cease-fire\brokered a day earlier by the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Troops Training for Iraq in Israel -Paper JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. troops from Iraq are being trained by the Israeli army in urban and guerrilla warfare tactics at a military base in Israel, a local newspaper said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +British Terror Suspects to Appear in Court LONDON (Reuters) - Eight British terror suspects charged with conspiracy to commit murder in a plot linked to security alerts at financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington make their first appearance in court on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Virtual 3D heart to treat babies Virtual reality techniques are helping Danish doctors diagnose heart defects in newborn babies.$LABEL$3 +Coxless four into final Britain's rowers cruise into Saturday's final of the men's coxless four at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Three Georgian soldiers killed in breakaway region clashes (AFP) AFP - Three Georgian soldiers have been killed and five wounded in clashes in Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, Rustavi 2 television reported, quoting an unnamed official with the Georgian interior ministry.$LABEL$0 +Oil prices edge lower in Asian trading, still near record highs (AFP) AFP - Oil prices were slightly lower in Asian trading on easing concerns over supply disruptions but were still hovering near record highs, dealers said.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Najaf Tense After Cleric Snubs Peace Envoys NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Fears of heavier fighting in Najaf grew on Wednesday after an Iraqi peace delegation failed to defuse a confrontation between U.S. troops and militiamen holed up in a revered shrine in the city.$LABEL$0 +Between Faith and Medicine, How Clear a Line? How will South Africa accredit ""traditional healers"" as legally recognized physicians?$LABEL$0 +Cheaper gas lowers price index Falling gasoline prices in July helped push consumer prices lower for the first time in eight months, indicating that the recent surge in inflation is subsiding. $LABEL$2 +Why Hugo Chavez Won a Landslide Victory When the rule of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was reaffirmed in a landslide 58-42 percent victory on Sunday, the opposition who put the recall vote on the ballot was stunned. They obviously don #39;t spend much time in the nation #39;s poor neighborhoods. $LABEL$2 +Costco faces sex discrimination suit An assistant manager at one of Costco #39;s Colorado warehouses filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the Issaquah-based company yesterday, alleging that it overlooks women for promotion. $LABEL$2 +BHP Billiton 2nd-Half Net Doubles on Commodity Prices (Update2) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest miner, more than doubled second-half profit as Chinese demand boosted commodity prices. The company is considering returning as much as \$2 billion to investors, including share buybacks. $LABEL$2 +Info on car safety off-limits to public The federal agency that oversees auto safety has decided -- based largely on arguments from automakers and their Washington, DC, lobbyists -- that reams of data relating to unsafe automobiles or defective parts will not be available ...$LABEL$2 +Music fans sound off RealNetworks Inc. urged digital-music lovers yesterday to stand up for their freedom of choice. They responded by exercising their freedom of speech -- much to the company #39;s chagrin. $LABEL$3 +China to crack down on telephone sex BEIJING (Reuters) - China #39;s communist leaders, in a fresh move to eradicate pornography, have targeted the telephone sex industry, ordering severe punishment for anyone offering the service, the official People #39;s Daily says. $LABEL$3 +More Video Options The Olympic Games in Athens are pushing many people to finally buy that plasma or LCD television that they #39;ve been dreaming about. Also, the time difference between Japan and Greece is helping sales of video recorders, particularly those that use hard ...$LABEL$3 +Notebook: Sprinter Edwards #39; drug suspension upheld ATHENS US sprinter Torri Edwards was knocked out of the Olympics for good yesterday when an arbitration panel upheld her two-year drug suspension. $LABEL$1 +Finish tarnished by silver ATHENS, Greece -- It was death by a thousand cuts. If you can describe taking silver instead of gold as quot;death. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Roddick escapes, but not Federer ATHENS, Greece Andy Roddick #39;s biggest obstacle to winning the gold medal was Roger Federer, the world #39;s No. 1 player and winner of two of the past three Grand Slam tournaments. So Tuesday, when Federer uncharacteristically lost the magic ...$LABEL$1 +Torri finally out of Olympic Games ATHENS - US sprinter Torri Edwards was knocked out of the Olym- pics for good yesterday when an arbitration panel upheld her two-year drug suspension, rejecting arguments she took banned stimulants by accident. $LABEL$1 +Finley pays dividends in victory Their supposed new pitching staff ace is on the disabled list and their late-inning bullpen situation has the potential to be a mess, but those problems were easy to ignore Tuesday night, thanks in part to Steve Finley. $LABEL$1 +Agassi Opens With A Win In Washington No. 1 seed Andre Agassi overcame a sluggish start to the first set to eventually beat compatriot Paul Goldstein in straight sets at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. $LABEL$1 +British charge 8 tied to terror conspiracy LONDON -- The British police yesterday charged eight men with conspiracy to murder and violations of the Terrorism Act after finding that two of them possessed surveillance information on the financial centers in Washington, New York ...$LABEL$0 +Falconio suspect to stand trial An Australian court has ordered lorry driver Bradley John Murdoch to stand trial over the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, who has been missing for three years. $LABEL$0 +Hundreds of Fleet layoffs expected Bank of America Corp. plans to lay off hundreds of tellers and other branch employees at Fleet banks today, asking them to leave the building immediately as part of the process, according to documents obtained by the Globe and Fleet branch managers told of the decision.$LABEL$2 +Swipe hype: Debit the small stuff Dana Conneally walked into Starbucks at Faneuil Hall one recent morning in desperate need of a coffee fix. The employee at a local law firm handed his debit card to the Starbucks worker, who swiped it, then handed it back -- no signature or personal identification number required.$LABEL$2 +MetLife seen near sale of Hub invest unit MetLife Inc. is in late-stage negotiations to sell one of Boston's oldest investment firms, State Street Research amp; Management Co., to another New York financial giant, BlackRock Inc., according to two executives briefed on the talks.$LABEL$2 +Lawsuits challenge unequal fund fees Fidelity Investments charges two-tenths of 1 percent to manage a \$484 million stock portfolio for the Massachusetts state pension fund. It charges investors in its flagship Magellan fund seven-tenths -- more than three times as much.$LABEL$2 +Nortel accounting faces probe Canadian officials are opening a criminal investigation into accounting at Nortel Networks Corp. Shares in the telecom equipment maker edged lower yesterday.$LABEL$2 +LoJack buys Canadian tracking company LoJack Corp., which makes devices for recovering stolen cars, agreed to buy Boomerang Tracking Inc. for about \$48 million to expand into Canada. LoJack will pay about \$4.32 a share in cash or a combination of cash and stock for the Montreal maker of stolen vehicle recovery equipment, LoJack said. Westwood-based LoJack also gets Boomerang's cash balance of \$12 million. ...$LABEL$2 +Brazilians attack money laundering Brazilian police arrested more than 60 people yesterday in a massive operation to crack down on money laundering, targeting currency changers who illegally transfer money abroad.$LABEL$2 +Europe 'must adapt on climate' Europe must find ways of adapting to a climate that may change drastically by mid-century, the European Environment Agency says.$LABEL$3 +Welcome change for Cabrera Let's say Boston is the sun of the baseball universe, where hope and criticism burn bright, where a city revolves around the game.$LABEL$1 +He gets some credit for this victory As hard as Pedro Martinez went in his previous outing, when he morphed into vintage Pedro and hurled nine shutout innings, the real toll came this week.$LABEL$1 +Giants make it six in row J.T. Snow singled in the winning run with one out in the ninth to lead the San Francisco Giants to their sixth straight victory, 5-4, over the visiting Montreal Expos last night.$LABEL$1 +NL notables Larry Walker was 3 for 4 and is 10 for 27 (.370) with 11 RBIs since joining the Cardinals.$LABEL$1 +Youkilis, McCarty go on DL A season of extraordinary medical adversity posed yet another series of challenges yesterday for the Red Sox as Kevin Youkilis and David McCarty joined the likes of Trot Nixon , Mark Bellhorn , Pokey Reese , and Ellis Burks on the disabled list.$LABEL$1 +Texas rides cycle Mark Teixeira became the second player in Rangers history -- and first in more than 19 years -- to hit for the cycle, leading host Texas to a 16-4 rout of the Cleveland Indians last night.$LABEL$1 +Stops and starts in the fast lane Michael Jennings was a track star at Florida State who also wanted to play football but wasn't confident enough to forgo a track scholarship and try the sport as a walk-on for quot;a team that good. quot;$LABEL$1 +Old college try from Moreland Earthwind Moreland signed with the Patriots Aug. 5, but University of Massachusetts football fans may have heard of him before that. He was a starting cornerback for the Georgia Southern squad that entered the 1998 Division 1-AA national championship game undefeated and then lost to the Minutemen, 55-43.$LABEL$1 +LBs are built from ground up For Bill Belichick, it isn't a preference. In his mind, turning NCAA defensive ends into NFL linebackers is practically a necessity.$LABEL$1 +Knee injury benches Eagles' Kalu for season Philadelphia Eagles defensive end N.D. Kalu will miss the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during yesterday's practice.$LABEL$1 +Jumbo dough for Joe Joe Thornton didn't make the score he was looking for yesterday, but the Bruins captain will earn \$6.75 million, the most of any player in the club's history, if the National Hockey League has a full 2004-05 season.$LABEL$1 +Philo is in the know Normally, there are few sure things in golf, but here's something we can be certain of: The lads in today's final pairing at the 84th New England PGA Championship at Brae Burn Country Club will not require introductions.$LABEL$1 +Northern N.E. reaches peak With some late heroics, Northern New England knocked off undefeated North Shore, 3-2, in the championship game of the Hockey Night in Boston Summer Showcase at Merrimack College last night.$LABEL$1 +China tells US not to send wrong signal to Uighur 'terrorists' (AFP) AFP - China has appealed to the United States not to send the ""wrong signal"" after Washington said a handful of detained Uighurs being held at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay would not be returned to China.$LABEL$0 +Pope Visit Leaves Lourdes with Hefty Deficit PARIS (Reuters) - Pope John Paul's visit to Lourdes last weekend left the Roman Catholic shrine with a 1.2 million euro (\$1.47 million) deficit because pilgrims keen to get good seats at his mass rushed past collection boxes.$LABEL$0 +Haiti ex-rebel head cleared of murder PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A jury yesterday acquitted a leader of a paramilitary group accused of killing thousands, after a 14-hour murder trial that angered human rights groups and provoked criticism of the new US-backed government.$LABEL$0 +Witness says suspect was close to hijackers HAMBURG -- A Moroccan being retried on charges he aided the Sept. 11 plotters was part of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta's inner circle and knew of the group's arguments for turning to violence, a witness testified yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela's Chavez faces political gulfs CARACAS -- Fresh from victory and emboldened by a decisive mandate, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has the opportunity to extend an olive branch to a seething opposition and a suspicious US administration, but the rifts may have grown too deep to be mended.$LABEL$0 +German leader adopts Russian child MOSCOW -- Thousands of Russian children are adopted by foreigners every year -- but few go to such high-profile homes as the leader of Germany.$LABEL$0 +Burundi, Rwanda threaten Congo invasion BUJUMBURA, Burundi -- Burundi and Rwanda threatened yesterday to send soldiers into neighboring Congo to hunt down Hutu extremists responsible for slaughtering more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees at a UN camp in Burundi -- deployments that could reignite a regional conflict in this part of Africa.$LABEL$0 +No SEC Decision on Google IPO Paperwork (AP) AP - Google Inc.'s plans to move ahead with its initial public stock offering ran into a roadblock when the Securities and Exchange Commission didn't approve the Internet search giant's regulatory paperwork as requested.$LABEL$3 +Pakistan Publishes 'Most-Wanted Terrorists' List (Reuters) Reuters - Pakistan published pictures of six\""most-wanted terrorists"" on Wednesday and offered rewards for\information leading to the arrest of two al Qaeda-linked\militants wanted over assassination attempts on the president.$LABEL$0 +MacGowan to play at jazz landmark Legendary singer Shane MacGowan is to play a mini-residency at London's famous Ronnie Scott's jazz club.$LABEL$0 +Insurers escape Hurricane Charley It #39;s hard to see the silver lining to the clouds over Florida at the moment. Soaking debris and destroyed homes, bereaved families and a rearranged landscape are the testament to Hurricane Charley #39;s power. $LABEL$2 +Sex-bias suit filed against Costco A Costco Wholesale assistant manager sued the warehouse-club chain yesterday in federal court, alleging the company #39;s promotion policies keep women from seeking out the top two positions at its stores. $LABEL$2 +Funds turn negative on global profits LONDON (Reuters) - Fund managers #39; views on corporate profitability worldwide have turned sharply negative over the past month for the first time in three years, a Merrill Lynch survey of fund managers shows. $LABEL$2 +Australia #39;s Lend Lease Returns to Profit Property group Lend Lease Corp. on Wednesday announced a return to full-year profit and forecast earnings-per-share growth of more than 15 percent in the current year. $LABEL$2 +HP denies Itanium change cost it sales HP BOSS Ann Livermore said that the move to Itanium was not responsible for HP #39;s sales slump. Livermore, who managed to avoid an axe wielding Carly Fiorina this week as sales in the bits of the company she manages plummeted, said that killing the Alpha ...$LABEL$3 +Digital signatures #39;could be forged #39; Encryption circles are buzzing with news that mathematical functions embedded in common security applications have previously unknown weaknesses. $LABEL$3 +With this effort, they #39;re silver belles ATHENS -- How many gilded fairy tales do you want? There was the Magnificent 7 in Atlanta in 1996 and the Fantastic 5 in Anaheim last summer. Was anyone really counting on dethroning the Romanians at an ...$LABEL$1 +Canadian arrested for #39;interrupting the Games #39; after diving into pool ATHENS (CP) - Olympic organizers increased security inside all sports venues Tuesday after a Canadian spectator climbed out of the stands and jumped off one of the boards into the pool. $LABEL$1 +Say slams teammates #39; relay effort ATHENS -- The meltdown continues in the pool for Canada #39;s swimmers. Only this time, it #39;s talk and not just times that are creating heat. Rick Say, who has posted Canada #39;s best individual showing in the pool with a sixth-place finish in the highly ...$LABEL$1 +White Sox #39;s Guillen hospitalized with what may be kidney stones Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was hospitalized last night and might have kidney stones. Guillen, serving the first game of a two-game suspension, left the ballpark about three hours before the game against Detroit and went to a Chicago hospital ...$LABEL$1 +Last laugh Oh, those wacky Red Sox. Nothing like a little levity to take the edge off a playoff race. That #39;s why Terry Francona #39;s merry pranksters last night let Manny Ramirez lead the charge out of the dugout in the ...$LABEL$1 +Agassi downs crowd favourite TOP seed Andre Agassi cruised into the next round of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington with a 6-4 6-2 win over fellow American Paul Goldstein. $LABEL$1 +Sadr refuses to meet with peace delegation NAJAF, Iraq -- Radical Shi #39;ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr refused yesterday to meet with a delegation of Iraqi political figures that had rushed here from Baghdad with a last-ditch offer for peace, ...$LABEL$0 +Five Palestinians killed Israeli attack that targeted Hamas activist in Gaza City JERUSALEM Israel set off a mysterious explosion in an olive grove near the house of a senior Hamas activist Wednesday, killing five Palestinians and wounding seven. The strike came just before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faced a key party test linked to ...$LABEL$0 +Warring Afghan Factions Say Cease-fire Holding HERAT (Reuters) - A renegade Afghan militia commander and a spokesman for the governor of the western province of Herat said on Wednesday their forces were honoring a cease-fire brokered a day earlier by the US envoy to Afghanistan. $LABEL$0 +5 die as Hamas chief survives Israeli strike GAZA CITYA senior Hamas leader survived an Israeli assassination attempt early today but at least five other Palestinians were killed in the explosion that tore through his Gaza home. $LABEL$0 +Farewell to American friends President Bush #39;s plan to begin pulling most of the US troops out of Europe nearly fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall has many Germans worried. $LABEL$0 +Nepalese Rebel Blockade Cuts Roads to Kathmandu, Reuters Says Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Road traffic to Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu, stopped as communist rebels began a blockade of the city to demand the release of insurgents, Reuters reported. $LABEL$0 +Squaddie Is Killed In Gun Battle A BRITISH soldier was killed and another seriously injured in clashes with Iraqi rebel gunmen in Basra yesterday. $LABEL$0 +Politician #39;s arrest stirs suspicions in Hong Kong BEIJING - The arrest of a Hong Kong pro-democracy candidate in mainland China on charges of soliciting a prostitute touched off a media furor in the former British colony yesterday and fueled suspicion that Beijing was trying to influence ...$LABEL$0 +Greek Sprinters Withdraw from Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Olympic 200 meters champion Costas Kenteris, the focus of an Olympic doping scandal, withdrew from the Athens Games on Wednesday ""out of a sense of responsibility.$LABEL$1 +Dollar Mired Near Lows After Weak Data LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar hovered near multi-week lows on Wednesday as investors questioned whether the U.S. central bank would raise interest rates next month in the light of another round of weak U.S. data.$LABEL$2 +Google Cuts IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between \$85 and \$95 per share from \$108 to \$135 per share.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Philippine Shares Close Lower Philippine shares finished lower Wednesday on selling triggered by a clutch of negative financial news and the steep fall of blue-chip Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. #39;s American depositary receipts, traders said. $LABEL$2 +ING withdrawing from Janus Financial services firm ING has been identified as the company that plans to yank \$5 billion from the hands of Janus Capital Group. $LABEL$2 +Oakville plant #39;s fate is still up in the air Ford is celebrating its 100th anniversary in Canada today amid uncertainty over the future of the automaker #39;s Oakville assembly plant. $LABEL$2 +Benefits Seen in Earth Observation Data WASHINGTON Aug. 17, 2004 Scientists are planning to take the pulse of the planet and more in an effort to improve weather forecasts, predict energy needs months in advance, anticipate disease outbreaks and even tell fishermen where the catch will be ...$LABEL$3 +Greek sprinter Kenteris quits Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Olympic 200 metres champion Costas Kenteris and his fellow Greek Olympic silver medallist Katerina Thanou say they are withdrawing from the Athens Games. $LABEL$1 +UAE joins Olympics gold medal winners UAE joins Olympics gold medal winners ABU DHABI, 18 Aug. 04 (WAM) -- A UAE paper said today that Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashar Al Maktoum #39;s winning of the gold medal in double trap shooting had taken the UAE to the pinnacle of sporting glory at the Olympics. $LABEL$1 +Federer crashes out of Olympics World number one Roger Federer of Switzerland crashed out of the Olympic tennis tournament on Tuesday when he lost to unseeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. $LABEL$1 +2 steps back in Texas ARLINGTON, Texas -- All of a sudden, the Indians #39; prolific offense has been reduced to shambles. And, remember phenom left-hander Cliff Lee, who won 10 games before the All-Star break? He #39;s seemingly forgotten how to pitch. $LABEL$1 +Southern Cal faces sex assault probe A member or members of the USC football team is being investigated for alleged sexual assault, the Los Angeles police department said last night. $LABEL$1 +Mechanic must stand trial for British backpacker #39;s murder A mechanic was ordered today to stand trial for the alleged murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in the Australian Outback three years ago. $LABEL$0 +Google Cuts IPO Price Range (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on\Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited\initial public offering to between #36;85 and #36;95 per share from\ #36;108 to #36;135 per share.$LABEL$2 +Bank of America Plans Big Layoffs -Paper (Reuters) Reuters - Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N), plans\on Wednesday to lay off hundreds of tellers and other employees\at Fleet bank branches, and ask them to leave immediately, the\Boston Globe said on Wednesday, citing documents it obtained\and Fleet branch managers.$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Hold Near \$47 on Iraq Threat LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady near \$47 a barrel on Wednesday a day after setting yet another record when the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, said inflation had stayed in check despite rising energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics (AP) AP - Top Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou withdrew Wednesday from the Athens Games, nearly a week after the duo missed a drug test and were hospitalized after a mysterious motorcycle crash.$LABEL$1 +Teixeira Hits for Cycle in Rangers' Win (AP) AP - Mark Teixeira needed only a single to hit for the cycle, and his Texas Rangers teammates wanted to see him make some baseball history.$LABEL$1 +De Bruijn Leads the Way in 100 Freestyle Heats ATHENS (Reuters) - Triple Sydney Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn, who lost her 100 meters butterfly title on Sunday, posted the fastest heat time as she opened the defense of her 100 freestyle crown on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Mayo Likely to Miss Tour of Spain MADRID (Reuters) - Leading Spanish cyclist Iban Mayo will probably miss next month's Tour of Spain because of a suspected viral infection, his team manager said on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +China Detains Eight Roman Catholic Priests -Group BEIJING (Reuters) - China has detained eight Roman Catholic priests in northern Hebei province, continuing a crackdown on those loyal to the Pope, a U.S.-based religious right group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +No SEC Decision on Google IPO Paperwork SAN JOSE, Calif. - Google Inc.'s plans to move ahead with its initial public stock offering ran into a roadblock when the Securities and Exchange Commission didn't approve the Internet search giant's regulatory paperwork as requested...$LABEL$0 +Eight Terror Suspects Face British Charges LONDON - Two of the suspects allegedly had surveillance plans of the Prudential Building in Newark, N.J., mentioned in the Aug. 1 U.S...$LABEL$0 +BHP Announces Record Annual Profit Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton on Wednesday announced Australia #39;s biggest ever annual net profit, US\$3.51 billion (euros 2.84 billion), thanks to soaring demand. $LABEL$2 +Nestle Profit Rises; Commodity Prices to Crimp Growth (Update4) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, energy and packaging materials increased. $LABEL$2 +CA acquires PestPatrol Over the past year, spyware has become an increasing problem. Every time that you visit a web site, you must run the gauntlet of a variety of pop-up adverts, any of which can be programmed to place spyware on your computer. $LABEL$3 +Greek duo quit Olympics The two Greek sprinters who missed drug tests prior to the start of the Athens Olympics today withdrew from the games. $LABEL$1 +Keller leads relay upset of Aussies ATHENS - Klete Keller says he likes to run with the bulls. Talks a little bull, too. But he doesn #39;t kid around in the water. $LABEL$1 +Americans bounce back Athens -- Allen Iverson scored 17 points, even with the broken thumb on his shooting hand, as the United States rebounded from a shocking opening-game loss to beat Greece 77-71 at the men #39;s Olympic basketball tournament yesterday. $LABEL$1 +Just 16 centuries later, we return to Olympia You remember, of course, Armenian Prince Varazdates and the spectacle of his boxing triumph. And who can forget Zopyros of Athens, wrestling-boxing his way to the junior pankration crown. $LABEL$1 +Selig to get 3-year extension Major League Baseball #39;s owners will convene in Philadelphia today for two days of meetings that will culminate with a coronation of sorts. $LABEL$1 +Downer up-beat on North Korean nuclear talks Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has offered an up-beat assessment at the end of talks in Pyongyang about the North Korean nuclear crisis. $LABEL$0 +Australian opposition leader hospitalised with pancreatitis CANBERRA : Australian opposition leader Mark Latham is in hospital with an inflamed pancreas, his office said. $LABEL$0 +US sweeps away slide in volleyball The United States had lost nine straight Olympic matches, dating to the Atlanta Games in 1996. Clay Stanley made sure it didn't continue.$LABEL$1 +Olympics sport solid ratings Gyms worldwide were dark in anticipation of the Olympic gymnastics competition, NBC's Al Trautwig said this week in a dramatic introduction -- and then the cameras pulled back to reveal row after row of empty seats in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Google Slashes IPO Price Range (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on\Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited\initial public offering to between #36;85 and #36;95 per share from\ #36;108 to #36;135 per share.$LABEL$3 +Sprints More Fun Without Jones, Says Ferguson ATHENS (Reuters) - With no clear-cut favorite, the women's sprints at the Athens Olympics will be more exciting than they were four years ago when Marion Jones dominated, according to Caribbean sprinters Debbie Ferguson and Veronica Campbell.$LABEL$1 +Bomb found near Berlusconi villa Italy police defuse a bomb near Silvio Berlusconi's holiday villa, hours after a visit by the UK's Tony Blair.$LABEL$0 +Google Slashes IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between \$85 and \$95 per share from \$108 to \$135 per share. $LABEL$2 +Prices drop in July WASHINGTON Con-sumer prices in July fell nationally by 0.1 percent and in the New York metro region by 0.2 percent as gasoline prices dropped, the US Labor Department said yesterday. $LABEL$2 +Bank of America Plans Big Layoffs -Paper NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , plans on Wednesday to lay off hundreds of tellers and other employees at Fleet bank branches, and ask them to leave immediately, the Boston Globe said on Wednesday, citing ...$LABEL$2 +Air France raises ticket prices PARIS (Reuters) - French flag carrier Air France is raising its ticket prices by up to 12 euros (8 pounds) per flight leg, joining a number of other airlines in passing on higher jet fuel costs to passengers. $LABEL$2 +Netscape Revamped With Mozilla 1.7 Netscape Communications has released Netscape 7.2, successor to the older version 7.1, which was released in mid-2003. The new release is based on version 1.7 of Mozilla, the most recent version of the Mozilla Internet application suite. $LABEL$3 +Two golds make Phelps #39; day Michael Phelps showed no signs of either yesterday, swimming to two gold medals in the span of an hour at the Athens Olympic Games. $LABEL$1 +Olympia oozes Games history OLYMPIA, GREECE -- Great players will walk upon a historic stage today at the Ancient Olympia Stadium. $LABEL$1 +US choose Devers to replace Edwards Gail Devers and LaShaunte #39;a Moore will replace banned world champion Torri Edwards in the Olympic 100 and 200 metres races. $LABEL$1 +Top players need more rest, says Eriksson WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has urged the international soccer authorities to preserve the health of the world superstar footballers for major tournaments, who expressed his will in Slaley of England on Tuesday ...$LABEL$1 +Rae got what he deserved - Dadu The player kicked in the head by Alex Rae believes the five-match ban imposed on the Rangers midfielder was just. $LABEL$1 +Britain arrests 8 suspects linked to US terror alert Accused of conspiring to commit murder. Alleged Al-Qa #39;ida operative charged with possessing plans of US financial institutions ...$LABEL$0 +Israel #39;s Likud faces major vote after controversial settlement decision JERUSALEM : Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon #39;s Likud party votes on Sharon #39;s intention to bring the opposition Labour party into government, the day after he gave the green light to the construction of 1,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West ...$LABEL$0 +Police defuse bomb after Blair #39;s visit Police have defused a bomb near the Sardinian holiday home of Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, just hours after a visit by Tony Blair. $LABEL$0 +Girlfriend #39;s Family Welcome Backpacker Murder Trial The family of Joanne Lees today welcomed the announcement that a mechanic is to stand trial in Australia for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio. $LABEL$0 +Euro Stocks Slip LONDON (Reuters) - High oil prices weighed on investor sentiment across financial markets on Wednesday as the price of crude stuck stubbornly close to \$47 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +Arafat Says Palestinians Made 'Mistakes' (AP) AP - In a rare admission, Yasser Arafat suggested Wednesday that the Palestinian leadership has made ""mistakes"" and promised to correct them.$LABEL$0 +No New Closures of Japan Nuclear Reactors Needed (Reuters) Reuters - No more Japanese nuclear reactors need to\be closed for inspections, electric power companies said on\Wednesday after submitting reports ordered by the government\following a reactor accident that killed four workers last\week.$LABEL$0 +Invasion alert in DR Congo town Security is stepped up in the border town of Bukavu after Rwanda and Burundi said they could send troops into Democratic Republic of Congo.$LABEL$0 +Blair's 'Freebie' Summer Holidays Irk Britons (Reuters) Reuters - Two continents. Three luxury mansions\courtesy of friends. Endless sun and sea. And a front-row seat\for the Olympics to boot.$LABEL$0 +Karzai Promises Afghans Security for Election KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai promised Afghans greater security when they go to vote in the country's first ever democratic election during an independence day speech on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Blair's 'Freebie' Summer Holidays Irk Britons LONDON (Reuters) - Two continents. Three luxury mansions courtesy of friends. Endless sun and sea. And a front-row seat for the Olympics to boot.$LABEL$0 +Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Bill Nylander survived Hurricane Charley, but the storm still managed to hurt him days after it cut a swath of destruction through his hometown...$LABEL$0 +BHP Billiton 2nd-Half Net Doubles on Commodity Prices (Update3) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest mining company, more than doubled second-half profit as Chinese demand boosted commodity prices and said it may return as much as \$2 billion to investors, including through share buybacks. $LABEL$2 +Update 2: Philippine Shares Close Lower Philippine shares finished lower Wednesday on selling triggered by a clutch of negative financial news and the steep fall of blue-chip Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. #39;s American depositary receipts, traders said. $LABEL$2 +Qualcomm drops licensing suit against TI LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Qualcomm has dropped an \$18 million claim for monetary damages from rival Texas Instruments for publicly discussing terms of a licensing pact, a TI spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. $LABEL$3 +Palm extends Wi-Fi range The PalmOne Wi-Fi SD card has finally arrived, but only for users with the most up to date models. The card is only compatible with two top of the range handsets, the Zire 72 and Tungsten T3. $LABEL$3 +Heavy fighting erupts in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting has broken out between US troops and Shi #39;ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf after a peace delegation failed to broker a truce to end nearly two weeks of clashes. $LABEL$0 +Making Free IPods Pay Off The FreeiPods.com website looks as phony as a \$3 bill. In fact, it's at the forefront of performance-based marketing, as advertisers discover it's more effective to spend \$50 million on gifts than to blow the cash on TV ads. By Leander Kahney.$LABEL$2 +Explosion Hits Iraq Foreign Ministry (AP) AP - A large explosion hit central Baghad on Wednesday close to a convention center where a key national gathering of political, religious and civic leaders entered its final day.$LABEL$0 +Maoist Rebels Block Land Routes to Nepali Capital NAGDHUNGA, Nepal (Reuters) - Maoist rebels, fighting to topple Nepal's constitutional monarchy, cut off all land routes to the Himalayan kingdom's capital on Wednesday, disrupting food and supplies to the city of 1.5 million people.$LABEL$0 +Google Slashes IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the world's most popular Web search engine, on Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering (IPO) to between \$85 and \$95 per share from between \$108 and \$135 per share.$LABEL$2 +Arafat Urges Palestinians to 'Correct Mistakes' (Reuters) Reuters - Palestinian President\Yasser Arafat, under pressure to enact anti-corruption reforms,\said on Wednesday that some officials had misused their posts\and urged efforts to correct ""all the mistakes.$LABEL$0 +Two bombs discovered in Sardinia after Berlusconi-Blair meet (AFP) AFP - Police discovered two bombs near the Sardinian villa of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, just hours after he met his British counterpart Tony Blair on the island.$LABEL$0 +Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars (AFP) AFP - Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars.$LABEL$0 +Arafat Urges Palestinians to 'Correct Mistakes' RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, under pressure to enact anti-corruption reforms, said on Wednesday that some officials had misused their posts and urged efforts to correct ""all the mistakes.$LABEL$0 +China Detains Eight Priests and a Living Buddha -Groups BEIJING (Reuters) - China has detained eight Roman Catholic priests in a crackdown on those loyal to the Pope and arrested a ""Living Buddha"" for arousing superstition at the re-opening of a temple, U.S. groups said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Walker Slam Leads Cardinals Past Reds (AP) AP - Larry Walker has learned quickly that St. Louis Cardinals' fans know how to celebrate.$LABEL$1 +Fighting Rages in Najaf After Peace Bid Fails NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting broke out between U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Iraq's interim defense minister said he expected a ""decisive battle"" to take place on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Crypto researchers abuzz over flaws ZDNet UK: Encryption circles are buzzing with news that mathematical functions embedded in common security applications have previously unknown weaknesses. $LABEL$3 +UA #39;s Beard swims to silver in medley debut ATHENS - American swimmer Michael Phelps collected two more gold medals Tuesday, but even he knew he wasn #39;t the story of the day from the Summer Olympics in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Celebrating human spirit, in all its impurity What if the Olympic Games --started here 2,780 years ago, right in this fertile, ancient town in the western Peloponnesus some 200 miles from Athens -- really mean something? ...$LABEL$1 +Security tightened after fan takes a plunge More security will be placed around the fields of play at the Olympics after a man who wanted to send #39; #39;a loving message to his wife #39; #39; jumped into the diving pool, the Athens Organizing Committee said. $LABEL$1 +Labor determined to reopen children overboard inquiry Labor says there appears to have been pressure from the Prime Minister #39;s office on a public servant and it #39;s reaffirmed its determination to reopen the Senate inquiry into the matter. $LABEL$0 +4 killed, 2 missing as Typhoon Megi hits western Japan TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Four people were killed and two others missing as Typhoon Megi hit west Japan #39;s Kagawa and Ehime prefectures on Wednesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. $LABEL$0 +Wall Street Set to Open Down (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. shares were expected to open lower\on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight,\while Web search engine Google Inc. dented sentiment as it\slashed the price range on its initial public offering.\In a statement posted on its IPO Web site, Google said it had\cut the range on its IPO to #36;85- #36;95 per share from #36;108- #36;135\previously, a 26 percent reduction at the mid-point of the\range.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Crude Sets New Record #36;47 a Barrel (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. oil futures set a new record #36;47.01\a barrel on Wednesday after a new threat against Iraq's oil\sector by rebel Shi'ite militia. U.S. crude traded up 26 cents\to set a new high in the 21-year history of the New York\Mercantile Exchange contract.$LABEL$2 +First Look at Microsoft Money 2005 This Web-savvy update syncs with MSN accounts, but you'll want to be aware of some functionality requirements and service limitations.$LABEL$3 +Google slashes IPO price range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google, the world #39;s most popular Web search engine, has slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between \$85 and \$95 per share from between \$108 and \$135 per share. $LABEL$2 +Canada begins probe of Nortel #39;s accounting TORONTO -- Shares of Nortel Networks edged lower yesterday after Canadian officials said they were opening a criminal investigation into accounting practices at the telecommunications equipment maker. $LABEL$2 +PalmOne Wi-Fi card: a first look Want to add Wi-Fi connectivity to your PalmOne Tungsten T3 or Zire 72 handheld? Your wait is almost over. $LABEL$3 +Kenteris and Thanou Quit Games After an hour of interrogation by a three-man IOC disciplinary panel at the Hilton Hotel this morning, Kenteris emerged amid chaotic scenes to declare that in the national interest he would not be defending the 200metres title he won in Sydney four ...$LABEL$1 +Bomb found near Berlusconi villa Italian police today said they had defused a bomb near the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s Sardinian holiday villa, only hours after a visit by the prime minister, Tony Blair. $LABEL$0 +Burundi Urges Sanctions on Rebels Over Massacre DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Burundi will urge regional leaders at a summit on Wednesday to impose sanctions against the rebel Hutu Forces for National Liberation (FNL), blamed for the slaughter of more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees in ...$LABEL$0 +Australian foreign minister ends #39;productive #39; North Korea talks Australia #39;s foreign minister, Alexander Downer, has wrapped up talks in North Korea on the stand-off over the country #39;s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. $LABEL$0 +Australian terrorist seeks deal to testify in foreign trials SYDNEY : Australia #39;s first convicted terrorist, who confessed to conspiring with Al-Qaeda to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra, wants a deal in exchange for testifying against terror suspects in foreign courts. $LABEL$0 +Wall Street Set to Open Down LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. shares were expected to open lower on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight, while Web search engine Google Inc. dented sentiment as it slashed the price range on its initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Google reduces IPO price range; SEC approval awaited NEW YORK, August 18 (New Ratings) Google Inc has reportedly reduced its expected IPO price range to \$85-\$95 per share, from the previously expected price range of \$108-\$135 per share. The company is unlikely to price its shares until the market closes ...$LABEL$2 +Crude Oil Prices Climb to Record Before US Inventory Report Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil prices rose to a record in New York before a government report that #39;s expected to show the third straight weekly drop in US crude oil inventories. $LABEL$2 +Phelps #39; gold rush ATHENS, Greece - The night before, Michael Phelps had stood by the pool with a strained smile and a bronze medal, his quest for Olympic immortality dashed, his million-dollar bonus lost, his gold medal count stuck on one. $LABEL$1 +Games go eons back in time today ATHENS, Greece The slogan for these Olympics is, quot;Welcome Home. quot; But the Games really go home today, when the men #39;s and women #39;s shot put are held in the excavated stadium of ancient Olympia, which started all this madness in 776 BC ...$LABEL$1 +NHL: No progress in talks With less than a month remaining before the current collective bargaining agreement expires, representatives for the NHL and the Players #39; Association met for nearly 4 1/2 hours yesterday without making any progress on a new CBA. $LABEL$1 +Fighting Rages in Najaf After Peace Bid Fails NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting broke out between US troops and Shi #39;ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Iraq #39;s interim defense minister said he expected a quot;decisive battle quot; to take place on Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +Internet pharmacies get go-ahead The government gives the green-light to internet-only pharmacies in England.$LABEL$3 +Karzai urges neighbours to stop militants crossing borders (AFP) AFP - President Hamid Karzai has called on neighbouring countries to prevent militants crossing into Afghanistan through poorly monitored borders and cooperate in the ""fight against terror.$LABEL$0 +Poll: Kerry Continues to Hold Edge in Pa. (AP) AP - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry is maintaining a slight lead over President Bush in the battleground state of Pennsylvania with crucial support from veterans and military families, according to a poll released Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Najaf clashes as truce talks fail Fighting resumes in the Iraqi city of Najaf between US troops and Shia militias after an abortive peace bid.$LABEL$0 +N Korea food prices 'rocket' Changes in North Korea's economy have led to spiralling food prices many people cannot afford, the UN says.$LABEL$0 +Two die in South Ossetia fighting Clashes with separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia kill two Georgian soldiers.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Won't Send New Delegation to Najaf BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's National Conference refused Wednesday to send a second delegation to the holy city of Najaf to negotiate an end to fighting between U.S. troops and loyalists of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a day after he rebuffed their demand for a meeting...$LABEL$0 +A DIFFERENT SPIN (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - As surely as CDs followed vinyl, there was bound to be a successor to the DVD spinning around in research labs.$LABEL$3 +Sex spam clogs summer in-boxes Summer is associated with romance and spammers are trying to cash in by bombarding inboxes with porn.$LABEL$3 +US children 'abandoned in Africa' Texas authorities are investigating claims that a US mother left her seven adopted children in Nigeria and went to work in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan issues \$1m al-Qaeda list Pakistan offers rewards totalling more than \$1m for the capture of six top al-Qaeda suspects.$LABEL$0 +Sex spam clogs summer in-boxes Summer is traditionally associated with romance and spammers are trying to cash in by bombarding inboxes with porn.$LABEL$0 +Update 14: Google Lowers Its IPO Price Range In a sign that Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering isn #39;t as popular as expected, the Internet search giant lowered its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share. $LABEL$2 +Oil hits new record on fresh Iraq threat LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices have surged to a new high of \$47 a barrel after a new threat by rebel militia against Iraqi oil facilities, and as the United States says inflation has stayed in check despite rising energy costs. $LABEL$2 +Halliburton gets more time to justify bills to US Army NEW YORK, August 18 (New Ratings) The Halliburton Company (HAL.NYS) has reportedly gained more time to justify its bills to the US Army, regarding the company #39;s contract to provide logistic services to the US troops in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +Swisscom Confirms Possible Merger Talks Telecommunications companies Swisscom AG and Telekom Austria AG are in talks over a possible merger, Swisscom said in a statement late Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +AOL releases Netscape browser update Version 7.2 is the first update since mid-2003. The new release is based on version 1.7 of Mozilla, the most recent version of the Mozilla internet application suite. $LABEL$3 +Attachmate Heightens Security, Centralises Management and Brings Microsoft Usability to Host Access with EXTRA! ... Specialist in productivity-enhancing host access, Attachmate, today announces the launch of #39;next generation #39; emulation with EXTRA! Mainframe Server Edition version 8.0 for Windows XP. EXTRA! Mainframe Server Edition offers: 1) complete security framework ...$LABEL$3 +Save The Whales! Then What? AP DE BON DESIR, Quebec, Aug. 11 - A few miles from this spit along the pink granite coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, there is a sheltered cove that has witnessed the full span of the human relationship with whales. $LABEL$3 +Sprinters #39; Withdrawals Lift Cloud Over Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics on Wednesday after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers. $LABEL$1 +Shot put history in Olympia ANCIENT OLYMPIA (Reuters) - American Kristin Heaston launched the shot 16.41 metres to become the first woman to compete at Olympia in the first athletics meeting in the tree-lined grove since the ancient Games were abolished in AD 393. $LABEL$1 +Bomb found near Berlusconi villa POLICE defused a bomb near Premier Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa on the island of Sardinia early today following a tip-off from a radical leftist group, shortly after a visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. $LABEL$0 +Three Georgian servicemen killed in South Ossetia MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Three Georgian servicemen were killed while five others were wounded in overnight fighting in Georgia #39;s breakaway province of South Ossetia, Russian news agencies reported, citing Georgian officials. $LABEL$0 +OPEC: 'Very Small' Impact from Surge LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC producers have said they see little impact on economic growth so far from oil's relentless price surge, which Wednesday racked up yet another record high.$LABEL$2 +Pakistan Mobile Phone Firms Vie for Pent-Up Demand (Reuters) Reuters - Tens of thousands of Pakistanis\endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of\free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in\a country where cell phone usage has remained low.$LABEL$3 +Pakistan Mobile Phone Firms Vie for Pent-Up Demand ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Pakistanis endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in a country where cell phone usage has remained low.$LABEL$3 +Huge waves erode British coast Waves over 20m high are getting bigger, more frequent and are eroding Britain's Atlantic coast, experts say.$LABEL$3 +Chinese Official Sentenced to Death (AP) AP - An official once in charge of guarding cultural relics has been sentenced to death in China's biggest antiquities theft case since the start of communist rule in 1949.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Won't Send New Delegation to Najaf Iraq's National Conference refused today to send a second delegation to negotiate an end to fighting between U.S. troops and loyalists of Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.$LABEL$0 +Google Sharply Reduces IPO Share Price Google, Inc. significantly cut the expected share price for its initial public stock offering this morning, signaling lower-than-anticipated demand for the most highly publicized new stock since the late 1990s. $LABEL$2 +Stocks Are Seen Off a Touch at Open US stocks are seen off a touch at the open Wednesday as the price of oil continues to plague investor sentiment. $LABEL$2 +Bank Of America Announced Layoffs BOSTON (AP) -- The layoffs are a result of Bank America #39;s merger with FleetBoston Financial Corporation. $LABEL$2 +Cassini finds two little Saturn moons The two newly spotted, faint moons are about 3 miles and 4 miles across, and roughly 200,000 kilometres from Saturn #39;s centre. $LABEL$3 +IBM #39;s New Midrange Server Allows Multiple OS Environments IBM #39;s new eServer allows users to run multiple OS environments at the same time to increase efficiency. Customers can purchase the machine based on the processing power they need. The server comes in configurations from one to four-way and ...$LABEL$3 +Phelps Advances in 200-Meter Medley ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps, seeking his sixth medal of the Athens Olympics, advanced in the 200-meter individual medley Wednesday with a conservative swim. $LABEL$1 +Ump says Ozzie threw spitter According to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, umpire Hunter Wendelstedt filed a claim that said Guillen spat on him during an Aug. 9 argument, a big reason Guillen was dealt with so severely by Major League Baseball. $LABEL$1 +Najaf truce offer rejected Militia fighters loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr today continued to battle US soldiers in Najaf, hours after a delegation from Iraq #39;s national conference had left the city empty-handed when its truce offer was turned down. $LABEL$0 +Bomb Found on Island Hours after Blair Visit Police defused a bomb near Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa in Sardinia early today shortly after Tony and Cherie Blair ended a visit to the Italian leader. $LABEL$0 +Don #39;t use Pearl as electoral pawn, family tells politicians The family of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl has appealed to American politicians not to use his name in their election campaigns. $LABEL$0 +Mortgage Applications Jump in Aug 13 Week (Reuters) Reuters - New applications for U.S. home loans\rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage\interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months,\an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Mortgage Applications Jump in Aug 13 Week NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months, an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +High oil prices not hurting German economy: Schroeder (AFP) AFP - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that the hike in oil prices was not currently hurting the eurozone's biggest economy but that he was closely watching the cost of crude.$LABEL$0 +Rocket Slams Into Iraqi Market, Killing 5 (AP) AP - A rocket slammed into a busy market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Wednesday, killing at least five civilians, a U.S. military spokeswoman said.$LABEL$0 +Google Sharply Reduces IPO Share Price Google, Inc. significantly cut the expected share price this morning for its initial public stock offering, signaling lower-than-anticipated demand for the most highly publicized new stock since the late 1990s.$LABEL$3 +E-passports to put new face on old documents Countries begin test programs--get ready for a facial scan the next time you take an overseas flight.$LABEL$3 +Eight to appear in London court on terror plot charges (AFP) AFP - Eight men arrested in anti-terrorist raids two weeks ago were set to appear in a high-security court in London on charges of conspiracy to murder and plotting radioactive, chemical or explosive attacks.$LABEL$0 +Arafat admits 'mistakes' to MPs Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat makes a rare admission that ""unacceptable mistakes"" have been made under him.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Are Seen Off a Touch at Open NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen off a touch at the open Wednesday as the price of oil continues to plague investor sentiment...$LABEL$0 +Arafat Admits Palestinians Made Mistakes RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat acknowledged Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority had made mistakes, but the rare admission appeared to be aimed more at deflecting criticism about his corrupt government than making real changes. In a decade at the helm of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat has resisted attempts to get him to fight official corruption, reform the security services and relinquish some of his near-absolute powers...$LABEL$0 +Google Slashes IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the world #39;s most popular Web search engine, slashed the price of its share offering Wednesday, as what had been touted as the hottest dot-com listing in years fell prey to worry about a slump in ...$LABEL$2 +Nortel shares down on news of criminal probe News of an RCMP criminal investigation of Nortel Networks and its financial accounting practices sent the company #39;s shares down slightly on Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Florida may be insurance bellwether The palm trees that narrowly missed Leo Berard #39;s pondside condominium in Naples, Fla., when they toppled Friday spared him from major repairs on his second home. $LABEL$2 +Taxing bodies must approve lawsuit GALESBURG - Knox County State #39;s Attorney Paul Mangieri, discussing a lawsuit he plans to file against Maytag Corp., said Tuesday he was shocked when the company announced in October 2002 it was closing the Galesburg Refrigeration Products ...$LABEL$2 +Spammers in bed with virus carriers The majority of viruses intercepted by MessageLabs since January have the potential for spam distribution, according to a report by the e-mail security firm. It suggests that the virus authors are now making money by collaborating with spammers. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft unveils mainframe integration tool Microsoft has unveiled Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004, claiming that the legacy integration application will lower the cost of integrating existing IBM mainframe and midrange systems with Windows. $LABEL$3 +Sewage waters a tenth of world #39;s irrigated crops A tenth of the world #39;s irrigated crops - everything from lettuce and tomatoes to mangoes and coconuts - are watered by sewage. And much of that sewage is raw and untreated, gushing direct from sewer pipes into fields at the fringes of the developing ...$LABEL$3 +Ford scraps Oracle-based purchasing system Car giant Ford is reportedly abandoning a \$200m web-based purchasing project because it can #39;t get the software to work properly. $LABEL$3 +Sprinters Withdraw from Olympics Amid Swirling Controversies Two of Greeks most adored athletes have pulled themselves out of their host country #39;s Olympics. Sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou missed an International Olympic Committee mandatory drug test last week. Thanou and Kenteris were then involved ...$LABEL$1 +Tarnished silver for US women ATHENS, Greece -- The American women #39;s gymnasts were in contention for the team gold medal Tuesday night, needing a big finish to beat the Romanians. Courtney Kupets, who had to be replaced on the balance beam because of a pulled hamstring, decided to ...$LABEL$1 +Preview: England-Ukraine With 17 days to go before their World Cup qualifying campaign begins, England are back in action with plenty to prove after the disappointment of Euro 2004 elimination. $LABEL$1 +USA gets silver in kayak singles Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - American Rebecca Giddens captured the silver medal today in the Women #39;s K1 kayak singles competition at the Summer Olympics in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Bomb defused after Blair #39;s Italy visit ROME (Reuters) - A bomb has been defused overnight near the Sardinian holiday villa of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hours after a visit by Tony Blair, Italian police say. $LABEL$0 +Downer upbeat after North Korea meetings MARK COLVIN: The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has met North Korea #39;s Foreign Minister and the President of the Supreme Peoples #39; Assembly in Pyongyang. As one of the few Western nations with diplomatic relations with the isolated totalitarian state, ...$LABEL$0 +Nepal #39;s Maoist Rebels Blockade Paralyzes Kathmandu Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu, has been paralyzed by Maoist rebels, who have imposed a virtual blockade of the city. $LABEL$0 +Pakistan Offers Bounties on Six Wanted Terror Suspects Pakistan has announced bounties and published photographs of six wanted terrorist suspects, including a senior al-Qaida operative accused of masterminding two attempts to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf. $LABEL$0 +Home users get key Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.$LABEL$3 +BioVeris Still May Lose Its Investment BioVeris Corp. stands to lose most or all of its \$41.2 million investment in a joint venture with its chief executive's son if he doesn't raise money to keep it operating, the company said yesterday in its quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.$LABEL$3 +3 Georgian Soldiers Slain in South Ossetia (AP) AP - Three Georgian peacekeepers were killed in overnight shooting in South Ossetia, officials said Wednesday, while Russia scoffed at Georgia's appeal for foreign mediation in the breakaway region where daily exchanges of gunfire have stoked fears of war.$LABEL$0 +Slavery's Harsh History Is Portrayed in Promised Land At the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, slavery's evil becomes palpable; so does a sense of progressive enlightenment.$LABEL$0 +Brookstone Posts a Narrower Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Brookstone Inc. (BKST.O), a retailer\specializing in gadgets and personal electronics, on Wednesday\posted a narrower quarterly loss on strong Father's Day sales\and raised its profit forecast for the full year.$LABEL$2 +Stocks to Watch on Wednesday, August 18 APPLIED MATERIALS INC. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AMAT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">AMAT.O</A>:$LABEL$2 +U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put (AP) AP - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago.$LABEL$1 +Garda quiz two over African death Police in Ireland question two men arrested in Dublin in connection with the murder of the daughter of Malawi's chief justice.$LABEL$0 +Complaints follow Haiti acquittal The US and rights groups condemn the acquittal in Haiti of an ex-paramilitary leader accused of murder.$LABEL$0 +Unanimous vote to raise British interest rates: official minutes (AFP) AFP - The Bank of England's nine-member monetary policy committee voted unanimously to raise interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.75 percent earlier this month, official records showed.$LABEL$2 +Talbots Profit Meets Lowered Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Clothing retailer Talbots Inc. (TLB.N)\on Wednesday posted a slight increase in quarterly profit,\meeting its lowered forecast, as it sold more merchandise at\full price and recorded a tax benefit.$LABEL$2 +High oil costs hit more airlines Air France becomes the latest major airline to raise ticket prices in response to higher fuel costs.$LABEL$2 +Million more in broadband's reach BT is lifting distance limits on broadband enabled exchanges, so that 1m more can get high-speed net.$LABEL$3 +Google Lowers Price Range The search-engine giant, which was expected to go public as early as Wednesday, instead has slashed the deal #39;s expected price range and cut the number of shares being sold by existing shareholder in half. The new parameters suggest a newly public Google ...$LABEL$2 +Pentagon flipflops, will pay Halliburton fully WASHINGTON - The US army said it had suspended its decision to partially withhold payments to Halliburton, the biggest US contractor in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +Report: Bank of America to lay off Fleet workers BOSTON A published report reveals that Bank of America plans to lay off hundreds of tellers and other branch employees at Fleet banks today. $LABEL$2 +Applied doubles revenue Applied Materials, the world #39;s largest manufacturer of chip-making tools, said on Tuesday that its third-quarter revenue doubled, leading to \$441 million in profit. $LABEL$2 +Sony Develops New Chip for More Real and Refined High Definition Video quot;DRC quot; was developed in 1997 as a technology that changed a standard television signal format to a high-definition signal format, based on the concept of establishing a higher definition signal format from scratch. The foundation of this technology was ...$LABEL$3 +Athletes Return to Olympia Home After 1,611 Years (Update3) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympia, home of the Olympics for more than 12 centuries, hosted a track and field event for the first time in 1,611 years when the shot-putters of the Athens Games arrived at Greece #39;s most sacred sporting site. $LABEL$1 +Dampier headed to Mavericks? Longtime Warriors center Erick Dampier could be on the verge of finding a new home, 2 1/2 months after becoming a free agent. $LABEL$1 +SI.com LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Wilson Alvarez continues to pitch his best when the Los Angeles Dodgers need it most. $LABEL$1 +Rwanda, Burundi threaten with Congo invasion afrol News, 18 August - The governments of Rwanda and Burundi may again send troops into Congo Kinshasa (DRC) if Kinshasa does not finally take action against the militias still slaughtering Tutsis. Both claim Friday #39;s massacre was masterminded by ...$LABEL$0 +Soldier Killed in Action Named A British soldier killed after clashes with militia forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra was today named as Lance Corporal Paul David Trevor Thomas. $LABEL$0 +Seiyu posts first half net loss on slower sales, higher costs (AFP) AFP - Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu, controlled by US retail giant Wal-Mart, said it incurred a net loss in the first half to June on the back of slow sales and early retirement costs.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Fights to Keep Off August Lows LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar struggled to pull away from August lows on Wednesday as investors wondered whether the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates next month after another round of weak U.S. data in the previous session.$LABEL$2 +Japanese bank taps RFID for document security NEC Corp. has signed a contract with a Japanese bank for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) -based document management system, the company said Tuesday in a statement.$LABEL$3 +Google drops target price, extends auction to Wednesday Google Inc. lowered the target price per share for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, and asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to give buyers additional time to reconsider their bids, according to a notice on the company's IPO Web site.$LABEL$3 +Summer storms lash Europe, deaths in France (AFP) AFP - Freak storms packing howling winds and heavy rain that lashed Britain and France this week were set to continue after already causing significant destruction and the deaths of at least four people.$LABEL$0 +Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Taser International Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TASR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">TASR.O</A> rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company said it had received five orders totaling more than \$741,000 for its stun guns.$LABEL$2 +Google slashes target stock launch value (AFP) AFP - Internet research engine giant Google Incorporated slashed billions of dollars from the target launch valuation of its stock in a major upset for the biggest technology flotation since the dot.com bubble burst four years ago.$LABEL$3 +Singapore Suspends Some Poultry Imports (AP) AP - Singapore said Wednesday that it has suspended the import of all poultry and poultry products from neighboring Malaysia after avian influenza was discovered at a farm there.$LABEL$0 +Religion Experts Ask How Jesus Would Vote (AP) AP - Just a few miles from George W. Bush's former office at the state Capitol, a panel of religious experts weighed a question with relevance to many people of faith: How would Jesus vote?$LABEL$0 +Oil tops \$47 a barrel Crude oil prices reached a record high of \$47.04 (US) a barrel in pre-market trading Wednesday in New York on lingering concerns about supply from Iraq and Russia. $LABEL$2 +Refinancings soar 21 as rates slump Demand for new home loans and refinancings jump as interest rates slide amid weak economic reports. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for US home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest ...$LABEL$2 +High oil costs hit more airlines Air France and KLM ticket prices are to rise after the carriers imposed further surcharges to counter high fuel costs. $LABEL$2 +Nestle Reports First Half Net Profit Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of \$2.28 billion, up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of \$2.03 billion. $LABEL$2 +Georgia Power wins ruling on research study Georgia Power and Savannah Electric will not have to pay for new research into energy-efficiency programs, the state Public Service Commission ruled Tuesday. $LABEL$2 +Home users get key Windows update From today home users will be able to get hold of Microsoft #39;s long-awaited update for Windows XP. The version of the SP2 security update for the Home Edition of XP has become available via its auto-update service. $LABEL$3 +This information has been provided by the State Statistics Committee The Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new moons at Saturn that may be the smallest bodies seen so far around the ringed planet, according to a NASA press release. $LABEL$3 +Greek sprinters #39; withdrawals lift cloud over Games ATHENS, Greece -- Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics today after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers. $LABEL$1 +Germany #39;s Schroeder confirms adopting Russian toddler German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder confirmed on Wednesday that he and his wife have adopted a child, reported to be a girl from a Russian orphanage, but has called on the media to respect his family #39;s privacy. $LABEL$0 +Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Taser International Inc.\(TASR.O) rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company\said it had received five orders totaling more than #36;741,000\for its stun guns.$LABEL$2 +Dillard's Posts Narrower 2nd-Quarter Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Dillard's Inc. (DDS.N) on Wednesday\reported a narrower quarterly loss as the department store\operator cut costs.$LABEL$2 +Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside (MacCentral) MacCentral - The PC market won't grow as fast in 2004 as originally predicted by Gartner Inc. analysts, as concerns about the overall health of the U.S. economy weigh on the market, the market research company said.$LABEL$3 +Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...$LABEL$0 +8 Terror Suspects Appear in British Court LONDON - Eight men accused of plotting to commit murder and cause mayhem with radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives appeared in court Wednesday in a case linked to a U.S. terror alert this month...$LABEL$0 +Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece - Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash. ""I'm withdrawing from the Olympics,"" Kenteris said after meeting with the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary commission...$LABEL$0 +Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders and slashed its estimated per-share price range...$LABEL$0 +Google Slashes Price of Shares in Initial Public Offering Google cut the price of its share offering today as the new listing fell prey to worry about a slump in demand.$LABEL$2 +How Old is the Milky Way? Observations by an international team of astronomers with the UVES spectrometer on ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile) have thrown new light on the earliest epoch of the Milky Way galaxy.$LABEL$3 +Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares\\Google's IPO wasn't as popular as expected, apparently not as many fish bit at the Dutch Auction bait. Google will be lowering its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share ...$LABEL$3 +American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday's dramatic relay victory, U.S. women's head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Rowers Advance Americans Aquil Abdullah and Henry Nuzum row their double scull furiously down the stretch to cross the line in a dead heat with Norway on Wednesday, winning both teams a spot in a rare seven-boat final.$LABEL$1 +Google Confounds European Investors (Reuters) Reuters - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley\have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of\Europe's institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com\on the eve of its initial public offering.$LABEL$0 +Home users get Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.$LABEL$0 +Assam strike over rebel attacks A general strike called by students in the state to protest against rebel bombings brings life to a standstill.$LABEL$0 +Google Slashes the Size of Its IPO NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years. $LABEL$2 +Yukos sells gas stake YUKOS has sold a 56 per cent stake in a Siberian natural gas company to the Anglo-Russian joint venture TNK-BP to pay off its crushing tax bill, Western oil sources and media reports said today. $LABEL$2 +Futures point lower US stock futures pointed to a weaker start Wednesday as rising oil prices and a major price cut for Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering raised investors #39; eyebrows. $LABEL$2 +Airlines under pressure from soaring fuel price PARIS (Reuters) - Europe #39;s largest carrier Air France-KLM has joined rivals in raising its ticket prices to offset soaring jet fuel costs, but a leading bank has questioned how effective the surcharges will be in protecting airline profits. $LABEL$2 +Costco Tests Casket Market NEW YORK (Reuters) - From the cradle to the grave. You can buy baby food, groceries, computers, furniture and a whole host of things at Costco -- now you can even find caskets at some of its stores. $LABEL$2 +Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars SYDNEY : Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars. $LABEL$2 +Nestle Net Rises 2.1, Less Than Forecast, on Costs (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, milk and packaging increased. $LABEL$2 +China Mobile increases earnings 7.8 HONG KONG China Mobile (Hong Kong), the world #39;s largest cellphone operator by customers, said Wednesday that first-half profit rose 7.8 percent from a year earlier after the company won more new customers than China Unicom by offering cheaper services. $LABEL$2 +Cassini-Huygens discovers two new Saturnian moons The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, a joint project of the US space administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI), has discovered two more small moons orbiting the planet Saturn, bringing the total to 33. $LABEL$3 +Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece Aug. 18, 2004 Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash. $LABEL$1 +Can the peace in Najaf be achieved? Delegates to the Iraqi national conference in Baghdad are holding an unscheduled fourth day of talks. $LABEL$0 +Georgian, South Ossitian Forces Continue Fighting Officials in Georgia say at least two soldiers have been killed and five wounded in the latest battles with separatist fighters in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. $LABEL$0 +China battles for North Korea nuclear talks quot;We believe the six parties have the willingness to continue to promote the procedure of peaceful talks, quot; China #39;s Foreign Ministry said. quot;We ...$LABEL$0 +Nepal rebels cut off routes to capital in first-ever blockade KATHMANDU : Maoist rebels cut off routes to Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu in their first blockade of the city since they launched their insurgency to overthrow the constitutional monarchy eight years ago. $LABEL$0 +Annan: Burmese Democracy Will Fail Without Participation By Opposition UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government #39;s plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy. $LABEL$0 +Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as quot;prisoners of war quot; for more than five months, saying they wanted to rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government. $LABEL$0 +Stocks Set to Open Lower as Oil Hits High NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks are set to open lower on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.$LABEL$2 +Zoo Separates Baby Rhino from Clumsy Mother (Reuters) Reuters - Vets at a Berlin zoo have been forced to\separate a baby rhino from his mother for fear she may\accidentally trample him to death, zoo officials said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Hong Kong Politician's Detention Condemned (AP) AP - Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of ""re-education through labor.$LABEL$0 +Dillard's Loss Narrows But Off Estimates NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dillard's Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DDS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DDS.N</A> on Wednesday reported a narrower quarterly loss as it cut costs, but a drop in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall Street's estimates by a wide margin.$LABEL$2 +Eurozone inflation rate falls in July BRUSSELS, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Eurozone annual inflation fell from 2.4 percent in June to 2.3 percent in July 2004, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), reported on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +US Sighs with Relief But Basketball Concerns Linger ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States men #39;s basketball team could breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday after its first win but lingering concerns over a lack of outside shooting and team defense have coach Larry Brown scrambling for ...$LABEL$1 +Zijlaard-van Moorsel wins women #39;s road individual time trial ATHENS, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Dutch legendary cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel won women #39;s road individual time trial at Athens Olympics with a time of 31:11.53 on Wednesday, ahead of Deirdre Demet-Barry of United States and Karin Thuerig of ...$LABEL$1 +Najaf militants given hours to surrender or face lesson BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan on Wednesday demanded Shiite militants in the holy city of Najaf surrender within hours, or the Iraqi troops would launch a large-scale attack on them. $LABEL$0 +Burundi Summit Expected to Focus on Massacre African regional leaders gather Wednesday, in Tanzania for a summit on Burundi #39;s peace process, but the recent massacre of Congolese Tutsi in a UN refugee camp is expected to be high on the agenda. $LABEL$0 +Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry (Reuters) Reuters - Monsanto Co. (MON.N) on Wednesday said\the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into\potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in\its Roundup herbicide.$LABEL$2 +Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N) on\Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt\by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale\business and Naturalizer chain.$LABEL$2 +Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BWS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BWS.N</A> on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.$LABEL$2 +SAP users warned of false support calls German business software vendor SAP AG issued a warning to customers not to provide confidential information on the phone to people claiming to be company support staff.$LABEL$3 +Five killed in Kashmir violence Separatist militants kill four members of a Muslim family while police shoot dead a senior militant leader in Kashmir.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago...$LABEL$0 +Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders...$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Surge to a New High Today Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel spurred by concern for the safety of oil facilities in Iraq.$LABEL$2 +Iraqis Decline to Send 2nd Peace Mission to Najaf The decision was made today after the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr refused to meet with its first peace team on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Google lowers price range, number of shares, for its IPO When Internet search engine company Google, Inc., of Mountain View, begins to sell shares to the general public -- something expected to happen later this week -- the initial price is expected to be between \$85 and \$95 per share. The company had earlier ...$LABEL$2 +China Mobile Reports Jump in Profits China #39;s largest cell phone service provider, China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd., reported a 7.8 percent jump in first-half profits Wednesday as its number of subscribers rose by 23 percent. $LABEL$2 +Intel delays HDTV market debut Intel has delayed its planned entry into the widescreen high-definition television (HDTV) market until next year. $LABEL$3 +Script kiddies join forces with spammers The firm #39;s E-mail Security Intelligence report, which covers the first half of 2004, highlights the worrying trend of virus writers linking up with spammers; together they are creating a more refined threat to e-mail security. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 Microsoft has announced the imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004 in a bid to compete with IBM #39;s WebSphere. $LABEL$3 +Cryptography break threatens digital signatures Researchers in the field of cryptography have been successfully breaking the hash functions that are used to secure the privacy of electronic communications, threatening the integrity of digital signatures, according to a report on Slashdot. $LABEL$3 +Endurance swimmers short-changed at Olympics: Hackett Australia #39;s Olympic 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett says long-distance swimmers are being robbed of their chance to shine at the Athens Games. $LABEL$1 +Oil at New Record LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence from major economies that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand. Fresh threats by rebel militia in Iraq against oil facilities helped underpin price gains.$LABEL$2 +Radiation and Drug Combo Help With Prostate Cancer By LINDSEY TANNER CHICAGO (AP) -- Men with prostate cancer that doesn't appear to have spread have better survival chances when they get short-term hormone treatment along with standard radiation, rather than radiation alone, a small study found. Almost five years after treatment, six men in the radiation-only study group died of prostate cancer; none of the men who got combined treatment died of prostate cancer...$LABEL$3 +Medical Experts Fear Hurricane Charley's Aftermath By MIKE SCHNEIDER PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) -- Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...$LABEL$3 +Malaysia's Sea Turtles Are in Trouble (AP) AP - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Future Flyers: Pushing Forward for Personal Aircraft (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Ask science fiction fans about the future and no doubt they'll tell you it's full of flying cars.$LABEL$3 +Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Black holes are complex beasts. Among their mysterious traits are intense jets of matter that sometimes shoot out from the rotational poles at nearly light-speed.$LABEL$3 +Kerry to Attack Bush Troop Withdrawal Plan (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Wednesday\planned to attack President Bush's proposal to withdraw 70,000\American troops from Europe and Asia as a threat to national\security that could blunt the war on terror, campaign aides\said.$LABEL$0 +Google Cuts IPO Price by a Quarter to \$85-\$95 a Share (Update7) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., on the eve of pricing the second-biggest Internet initial public offering, slashed the value of the sale almost in half amid the worst market for US IPOs in almost two years. $LABEL$2 +Supply worries push oil to record Oil prices have continued their record-breaking run on Wednesday, busting through the \$47-mark amid concerns that demand will outstrip supply. $LABEL$2 +8/17/04 - Us Concerned About Yukos US officials have expressed concern about the fate of Yukos, the Russian oil company. Yukos shares have dropped sharply in value since the Russian government demanded it pay nearly three and a half billion dollars in back taxes. Russian authorities accuse ...$LABEL$2 +Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower 2Q Loss Dillard #39;s Inc. posted a narrower second-quarter loss Wednesday due to cost cutting, but missed Wall Street expectations by a whopping 15 cents per share. $LABEL$2 +Stocks Open Lower NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks fell at the open on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment. $LABEL$2 +E*Trade Says Customer Trading Dipped in July NEW YORK (Reuters) - E*Trade Financial Corp. (ET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , a major online broker, on Wednesday said customer stock trading for the month of July dropped 1.6 percent from June as investors curbed their enthusiasm for trading stocks. $LABEL$2 +Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children #39;s unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain. $LABEL$2 +Cendant Steals Home Cendant #39;s (NYSE: CD) got many revenue streams, and apparently they all lead home. So perhaps it #39;s understandable to see the multifaceted company pull back from the pending sale of its mortgage business. Last month Cendant revealed that it was in talks to ...$LABEL$2 +Malaysia turtle nesting sites at risk -scientists KIJAL, Malaysia, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia, once a major breeding ground, is in danger of losing its ocean-roaming leatherback turtles as humans eat their eggs, trap them in fishing nets and encroach on nesting sites, scientists said on ...$LABEL$3 +American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The US swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday #39;s dramatic relay victory, US women #39;s head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Dope scandal athletes withdraw Greek Olympic 200 metre champion Costas Kenteris, the focus of an Olympic doping scandal, has withdrawn from the Athens Games quot;out of a sense of responsibility quot;. $LABEL$1 +Renewed focus ends nightmare ATHENS, Greece It began with Allen Iverson The Answer, the captain, the leader of Team USA forgetting about the fractured bone in his right thumb and courageously hitting the floor against Greece in full regalia. $LABEL$1 +Not quite good as gold THENS - The critical eye, firm hand and warm embrace of Bela Karolyi have molded women #39;s gymnastics for the past three decades, producing the perfection of Romania #39;s Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and the sparkle of America #39;s Mary Lou Retton in ...$LABEL$1 +Burundi police fire tear gas at massacre protest BUJUMBURA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Police in Burundi #39;s capital Bujumbura fired tear gas at crowds on Wednesday, protesting against the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a United Nations refugee camp in the west of the country. $LABEL$0 +BellSouth: #36;3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs (Reuters) Reuters - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N) said on\Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a #36;3.3 billion\increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs,\reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.$LABEL$2 +Crude Oil Prices Surge Again Crude oil prices surged again Wednesday, rising above \$47 a barrel amid lingering concerns in supply from Iraq and Russia.$LABEL$2 +UK challenge of India outsourcing The High Street bank could be facing legal action over the transfer sensitive customer data overseas to call centres in India.$LABEL$2 +Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter Google cut its price range to between \$85 and \$95 a share, down from \$108 to \$135, valuing the company at as much as \$25.8 billion.$LABEL$2 +Windows XP Security Update Delayed Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.$LABEL$3 +New PC Is Created Just for Teenagers This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.$LABEL$3 +Violence Tackled at Online Gaming Parlors Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt. But real-life violence has flared around some of these businesses, prompting municipal crackdowns.$LABEL$3 +Web Site Shows New York Drug Prices New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has sued many big-name drug makers for bilking the government with their drug prices, on Tuesday unveiled a Web site that allows consumers to compare prices at pharmacies in the state.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Broadband Growth Slows - Analyst <p></p><p> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. telephone and cable companiessaw the growth of high-speed Internet services slow in thesecond quarter to the lowest rate in a year, an industryresearch firm said on Tuesday.</p>$LABEL$3 +Google Slashes Its IPO Price Range In a sign that Google Inc. (GOOG)'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders.$LABEL$3 +GB badminton duo make final Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms reach the final of the badminton mixed doubles.$LABEL$1 +Bomb Found in Town Near Berlusconi Villa (AP) AP - Police defused a bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader.$LABEL$0 +Just Keep It Peaceful, Protesters; New York Is Offering Discounts In a bid to keep protesters from disrupting the Republican National Convention, the Bloomberg administration is offering ""peaceful political activists"" discounts.$LABEL$0 +Huge boost to Darfur aid effort The World Food Programme is starting to airlift almost 100 more tons of food a day to Sudan's troubled Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter oogle today cut the estimated price range of its initial stock offering by about a quarter, to between \$85 and \$95 a share, valuing the Internet search engine company by as much as \$25.8 billion. $LABEL$2 +BHP profit rises 78 on Chinese demand BHP Billiton on Wednesday reported its highest profit ever as it beefed up production to meet rising demand from China that bolstered prices for its copper, zinc, silver and lead. $LABEL$2 +BellSouth: \$3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a \$3.3 billion increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs, reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 ...$LABEL$2 +Military flipflops, will pay Halliburton fully WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has hastily reversed a decision to partially withhold payments to Halliburton, the biggest US contractor in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +Dillard #39;s misses estimates, shares plunge NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Dillard #39;s Inc. (DDS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday reported a narrower quarterly loss even after it cut costs, but a drop in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall Street #39;s estimates by a wide ...$LABEL$2 +Barclays to Buy CIBC Credit Card Unit for \$293 Mln (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the UK #39;s third- biggest bank, agreed to buy Juniper Financial Corp. from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million in cash to help expand its credit card business in North America. $LABEL$2 +Applied Materials Applied Materials (AMAT: news, chart, profile) shares were off two cents to \$16.05 in trading before the bell Wednesday and had wavered around break-even in late trading Tuesday after the results were announced. $LABEL$2 +Nestle #39;s 1st Half Net Profit Hits \$2.28B Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of 2.84 billion Swiss francs (\$2.28 billion), up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of 2.78 billion francs (then \$2.03 billion). $LABEL$2 +Ringtones are music to record labels #39; ears Rock bands have long prospered by living - and selling - images of hard living and brash poses. But sex, drugs and rock #39;n #39; roll are no longer enough. The definition of cool for some acts now includes mobile phone ringtones. $LABEL$3 +Malaysia #39;s Sea Turtles Are in Trouble KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Kenteris and Thanou Withdraw; Thorpe Targets 3rd Gold (Update2) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympic sprint medalists Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou withdrew from the Athens Games, overshadowing the fifth day of competition in which Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe will compete for his third gold. $LABEL$1 +LeBron, USA Slide By Greece ATHENS, Greece -- Things are clearly far from perfect for the US Olympic men #39;s basketball team. But now, perfection isn #39;t important. Victories are. Against anybody. $LABEL$1 +US women crush South Korea for third straight blowout win ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Looking for answers to an offense that seemed out of synch, the United States finally found them. $LABEL$1 +Canadian tutu man gets five months for Olympic plunge A tutu-clad Canadian who jumped into the Olympic diving pool after a competition was convicted Wednesday of interrupting the games and sentenced to five months in jail. He was released pending an appeal. $LABEL$1 +Howard stands by overboard account PRIME Minister John Howard yesterday said his personal staff witnessed and backed his version of a sensitive phone call with former ministerial adviser Mike Scrafton over the children overboard affair. $LABEL$0 +Weak Ice Cream Sales Melt Nestle's Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Higher raw material costs and lower ice\cream sales in Europe ate into Nestle's (NESN.VX) first-half\results, sending shares in the world's largest food group down\over five percent on Wednesday amid concerns about its\long-term profitability.$LABEL$2 +Weak Ice Cream Sales Melt Nestle's Profit ZURICH (Reuters) - Higher raw material costs and lower ice cream sales in Europe ate into Nestle's <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NESN.VX target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NESN.VX</A> first-half results, sending shares in the world's largest food group down over five percent on Wednesday amid concerns about its long-term profitability.$LABEL$2 +ING to Withdraw \$5 Bln from Janus Funds NEW YORK (Reuters) - ING U.S. Financial Services said it will withdraw about \$5 billion from Janus Capital Group Inc. funds by year-end.$LABEL$2 +Tech Goes for Gold in Athens The success of this year's Olympic games in Athens rides on the fruits of high-tech labor, no matter whether it's the security system, events results or studying sharkskin to build a better swimsuit. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Hilton Offers Reward for Lost Chihuahua LOS ANGELES - It's been a rough month for hotel heiress Paris Hilton. First, her Hollywood Hills home was burglarized and now her pet Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, has disappeared...$LABEL$0 +Arafat Admits Palestinians Made Mistakes RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat acknowledged Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority has made ""mistakes,"" but the rare admission appeared to be aimed more at deflecting criticism about his corrupt government than making real changes. In a decade at the helm of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat has resisted attempts to get him to fight official corruption, reform the security services and relinquish some of his near-absolute powers...$LABEL$0 +Air Canada Stock Plunges on Review MONTREAL (Reuters) - Shares of Air Canada <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AC.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">AC.TO</A> fell by more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange said it was reviewing the company's stock to determine if it meets listing requirements.$LABEL$2 +Pentagon Backs Off Halliburton The Pentagon backed off its threat to withold its monthly payment of about \$60 million a month from a Halliburton subsidiary, which provides services for troops.$LABEL$2 +Rival Targets Apple's iTunes Customers (AP) AP - For more than a year, Apple Computers Inc. enjoyed singular success selling songs exclusively to users of its iPod portable music player. Now, it's got rival RealNetworks Inc. trying to lure iTunes customers away.$LABEL$3 +Air Canada Stock Plunges on Review (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Air Canada (AC.TO) fell by\more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange\said it was reviewing the company's stock to determine if it\meets listing requirements.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Shooter Wins Gold American Kim Rhode rallied in the final rounds to win the gold medal in double trap Wednesday, staking a unique claim as the first and last winner of the Olympic event.$LABEL$1 +US says ""getting nowhere"" with crisis in Darfur (AFP) AFP - The international community is ""getting nowhere"" with the crisis in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the US ambassador to the United Nations, John Danforth, said.$LABEL$0 +Utah's Smith Sets Sights on Heisman Award (AP) AP - So much has changed in Alex Smith's life the past two years, he's still trying to sort through it all.$LABEL$1 +Economies Not Yet Dented by Oil Prices LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC oil producers and Chancellor Schroeder of Germany, which is a prominent consumer, agree that the remorseless rise in the price of crude has so far had little impact on global economic growth.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Up; Investors Bottom Fishing NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were higher on Wednesday as investors bought beaten-down shares, even as the price of oil jumped to new 21-year record highs.$LABEL$2 +England reach for the painkillers as World Cup qualifiers loom (AFP) AFP - England's marketing men must have been tempted to approach the manufacturers of Alka Seltzer, the country's favourite hangover remedy, about sponsoring the international friendly with the Ukraine.$LABEL$0 +Delegate: Al-Sadr Agrees to Withdraw (AP) AP - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has accepted a peace plan drafted by the Iraqi National Conference, which would include laying down arms and withdrawing his militia from a holy shrine in the city of Najaf, a delegate told the conference Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Shanghai's Economy Grows 14.7 Percent (AP) AP - Shanghai's economy grew at a blistering 14.7 percent in the first seven months of the year, seemingly defying efforts to cool off China's economy amid fears of overheating.$LABEL$0 +Web giant Google cuts IPO prices GOOGLE, the web search engine, has slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between 47 and 52 per share from 59 to 74 per share. $LABEL$2 +Record \$4.7bn profit for BHP BHP Billiton #39;s record-breaking profit was driven by China #39;s seemingly insatiable demand for commodities. Picture:Bloomberg ...$LABEL$2 +Insurers #39; Storm Swirls Around Chubb As hurricanes go, Charley stirred up a lot of trouble. The storm will go down as one of the most destructive in history. But it also stirred up trouble on Wall Street, igniting controversy about whether or not it #39;s a good time to look at insurers. $LABEL$2 +Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower Loss in 2Q Dillard #39;s Inc. reported that its loss narrowed in the second quarter to nearly half of what it was a year ago, but it was still far more than Wall Street expected as the chain was dragged down by sluggish sales. $LABEL$2 +Cox Hires Advisers on Parent Bid The Cox Communications (COX:NYSE - news - research) board formed a special panel to consider a take-private bid from the company #39;s controlling shareholder. $LABEL$2 +Is Upgrading to Windows XP SP2 Worthwhile? Users of Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition are scheduled to begin receiving Service Pack 2 via automatic update starting today. But delivery of the Professional Edition has been delayed at least a week while Microsoft and its users grapple ...$LABEL$3 +Google cold shoulder confounds European investors LONDON (Reuters) - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of Europe #39;s institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com on the eve of its ...$LABEL$3 +A Nokia Smartphone With An Edge NEW YORK - It #39;s a little early to tell which camera phone features will resonate with US users in the long term. Americans may never embrace picture and video messaging to the same degree that consumers in South Korea and Japan have. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft wants Web designers to use content tagging Microsoft is urging Web designers to take more responsibility for content filtering, after forming a partnership with ICRA (the Internet Content Rating Association). $LABEL$3 +US comes in second in women #39;s cycling The Dutch rider, who was injured in a crash in the women #39;s road race on Saturday and was unable to defend her Olympic title from Sydney, climbed triumphantly to the top of the podium on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Alonso Next in at Anfield Rafael Benitez #39;s Anfield revolution gathered pace today when the Liverpool manager unveiled one new signing and revealed he was close to completing a deal for another. $LABEL$1 +Let the Games (and parties!) begin ATHENS As the delay-plagued build-up to the Olympics illustrated, the Greeks aren #39;t exactly known for organization and punctuality. But now that stadiums, new metro lines, beautified city squares and a vast ...$LABEL$1 +Wilkinson Ready To Take Next Step Along Road Back Jonny Wilkinson #39;s comeback schedule is set to intensify next week with the England World Cup hero targeting two games in six days. $LABEL$1 +Berry misses cut at US Amateur AMARONECK, NY - Following a opening round 73 Monday, Barden Berry had a rough day, shooting an 83 in the second round of the US Amateur Championships on the West course at Winged Foot Golf Club. $LABEL$1 +Bomb Found in Town Near Berlusconi Villa ROME -- Police defused a bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader. $LABEL$0 +Downer positive over North Korea talks TONY JONES: On a rare visit to North Korea, Australia #39;s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today he #39;s held productive talks on efforts to end the reclusive nation #39;s nuclear program. $LABEL$0 +Hong Kong pro-Beijing politicians accuse opponents of misleading public over sex scandal Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of quot;re-education through labor. quot; ...$LABEL$0 +Iran retaliation threat to Israeli N-plant Iran will strike the Israeli reactor at Dimona if Israel attacks the Islamic republic #39;s nuclear facilities, a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards has said. $LABEL$0 +N. Ireland deal hinges on IRA disarmament (AFP) AFP - British and Irish Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were preparing to head to Belfast, hopeful of a breakthrough in the protracted deadlock over power-sharing in Northern Ireland.$LABEL$0 +Cisco Gets New Partner, Clients, Product in the Core Cisco forged a partnership with Fujitsu wherein the Japanese company will market Cisco #39;s CRS-1 core router to carriers and large enterprises in Japan.$LABEL$3 +Sportsview: Bills Get Playoff Hunger (AP) AP - Pat Williams is a big man with a big heart and appetite. So imagine his dilemma when the Buffalo Bills were back to their bumbling selves at the start of this season.$LABEL$1 +Creating Compelling Search Engine Ads and Landing Pages Effective search engine advertising goes far beyond simply bidding on keywords. With both ads and landing pages, you have scant seconds to capture the imagination and clicks of a searcher.$LABEL$3 +Iraq Delegates Say Sadr Agrees to End Najaf Crisis BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi delegates to a conference choosing a national assembly said Wednesday that radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had agreed to demands to end an uprising in the holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Europe Urged to Continue China Arms Sales Ban Europes leaders were urged today to continue a ban on arms sales to China in protest against torture and human rights abuses. The call came on the eve of an $LABEL$0 +Militants, Israeli Troops Battle in Gaza A period of relative calm in the Gaza Strip was broken by a nearly hour-long battle between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops that left at least one Israeli soldier and one militant dead.$LABEL$0 +THE UNITED NATIONS The Campaign against Kofi The secretary general of the United Nations fights a war on many fronts in his crusade to bring human rights and peace to the world.$LABEL$0 +Hamas Militants Kill Israeli Soldier Hamas militants broke three weeks of relative calm in Gaza on Tuesday, setting off a bomb in what they said was an elaborate scheme that included a tunnel and a double agent.$LABEL$0 +US oil stockpiles drop NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - US stockpiles of crude oil fell by 1.3 million barrels last week, the government reported Wednesday, sending prices to another record high. $LABEL$2 +Barclays Move Towards US Credit Card Market Banking group Barclays today took the first steps towards establishing its Barclaycard operation in the United States credit card market. $LABEL$2 +Ford dumps \$200m Oracle system Ford has ditched Oracle #39;s online purchasing system eVEREST, because of flaws in the software. The car manufacturer has reportedly spent more than \$200m trying to get the system to work since it bought it in 2000. $LABEL$2 +Japan firm unveils world #39;s lightest flying micro-robot TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan #39;s Seiko Epson Corp. said Wednesday it has developed a 12-gram flying micro-robot, the world #39;s lightest. $LABEL$3 +China Unicom cuts ties with 45 ISPs to curb web porn BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- China Unicom announced Wednesday that it has severed ties with 45 Internet service providers (ISP) involved in the use of cell phones in pornographic business in the past month. $LABEL$3 +Fighting Resumes In Al-Najaf After Peace Mission Fails 18 August 2004 -- There has been renewed fighting in the Iraqi city of Al-Najaf between US and Iraqi troops and Shi #39;a militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. $LABEL$0 +What #39;s behind Israeli construction permits? Timing of new building in West Bank linked to political survival instincts of Ariel Sharon. In a move that caught both the international community and the Bush administration by surprise, the government of Israel Tuesdayissued contract proposals for 1,001 ...$LABEL$0 +Chirac and Schroeder to meet with Putin MOSCOW, Aug 18 (AFP) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his Black Sea resort residence at the end of the month, Interfax quoted the top Kremlin spokesman as saying ...$LABEL$0 +UN concerned by lack of Darfur progress on ground KHARTOUM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was very concerned by Sudan #39;s lack of practical progress in bringing security to Darfur, where more than a million people have fled their homes for fear of militia ...$LABEL$0 +Get them caught, get 6 crores Pakistan on Wednesday offered huge rewards totalling Rs 6.5 crore for information leading to the capture of six most wanted terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, including a member of the banned Jash-e-Mohammad who is accused of masterminding two suicide attacks ...$LABEL$0 +Economies Not Yet Dented by Oil Prices (Reuters) Reuters - OPEC oil producers and Chancellor\Schroeder of Germany, which is a prominent consumer, agree that\the remorseless rise in the price of crude has so far had\little impact on global economic growth.$LABEL$2 +SEC Bars Some Mutual Fund Fees (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Securities and Exchange\Commission barred U.S. mutual funds on Wednesday from\channeling brokerage commissions toward Wall Street firms based\on their promotion of the funds' shares.$LABEL$2 +Google Slashes IPO's Size NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.$LABEL$2 +SEC Bars Some Mutual Fund Fees WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission barred U.S. mutual funds on Wednesday from channeling brokerage commissions toward Wall Street firms based on their promotion of the funds' shares.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Open Lower in Moderate Trading Stock prices are lower in moderate trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 23 points in today #39;s early going. Losing issues on the New York Stock Exchange hold a 5-3 lead over gainers. $LABEL$2 +BellSouth Sees Higher Benefits Expense ATLANTA (AP)--Telecommunications firm BellSouth Corp. said Wednesday that the new terms of its tentative labor agreement will change how the company #39;s contribution to retiree medical benefits is calculated and will boost benefit expenses by \$3.3 billion. $LABEL$2 +McDonald #39;s tests MasterCard PayPass NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - McDonald #39;s Corp. announced Wednesday it would launch later this year a new quot;contactless quot; payment option called MasterCard PayPass, which lets customers simply wave or tap the card to complete a quick transaction. $LABEL$2 +Chinese boom pays off for BHP BHP Billiton has delivered the biggest profit ever achieved by an Australian company - a \$US3.38billion (\$4.73billion) whopper, up 78 per cent on last year. $LABEL$2 +Real v Apple music war: iPod freedom petition backfires Hostilities started in late July, when Real cracked Apple #39;s FairPlay code, meaning songs bought from the RealPlayer Music Store could be played on the iPod - a move that went down very badly over at Apple. Real then decided to ratchet up the pressure by ...$LABEL$3 +Security Watch Letter:New MyDoom Piggybacks More Dangerous Worm On Wednesday August 25, Microsoft is rolling out the Windows XP Service Pack 2 to the new Windows Update site so the public can update automatically. For the majority of home users, it #39;s a case of Just Do It. The SP2 update adds security ...$LABEL$3 +IBM Offers New POWER5 eServer i5 550 IBM has unveiled today a new POWER5 system, the eServer i5 550, aimed at mid-sized businesses. The eServer i5 550 features a new Solution Edition, an offering now available with select software vendors. The new eServer i5 also delivers new capabilities ...$LABEL$3 +Marriage between security, business needs KUALA LUMPUR: Computer Associates International Inc (www.ca.com) has announced a new technology model that aligns security management with business needs. $LABEL$3 +Life of Reilly: Athens style Forget democracy, sport and Grecian Formula 16. There #39;s so much more we need to steal from the Greeks -- immediately and maybe sooner. Cheese pies, for instance. Our No. 1 priority should be getting these cheese pies. Lovely, flakey pastries with the ...$LABEL$1 +Springboks targets scrum THE South Africans have called the Wallabies scrum cheats as a fresh round of verbal warfare opened in the Republic last night. $LABEL$1 +Dyer up for sale on ebay The 23-year-old midfielder has been all over the back pages this week, following a reported bust-up with Sir Bobby Robson - and one supporter had has enough. $LABEL$1 +Chicago White Sox Team Report - August 18 (Sports Network) - Jose Contreras tries to stay perfect in a Chicago uniform this evening when the White Sox continue their three-game set against the Detroit Tigers at US Cellular Field. $LABEL$1 +Iraqi Delegates Say Sadr Agrees to End Najaf Crisis BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi delegates to a conference choosing a national assembly said Wednesday that radical Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had agreed to government demands to end an uprising in the holy city of Najaf. $LABEL$0 +Howard defiant as attacks mount PRIME Minister John Howard conceded yesterday a fresh inquiry into the children overboard saga would find he had lied. $LABEL$0 +6 dead in typhoon deluge At least six people died in Shikoku after heavy rains from Typhoon Megi pounded the western Japan island on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said. $LABEL$0 +Health hurdle for Latham #39;s campaign MARK Latham #39;s campaign to become prime minister has suffered an unexpected setback after the Labor leader was rushed to hospital suffering stomach cramps, forcing him to cancel all public engagements until next ...$LABEL$0 +AT amp;T team wins \$1bn network deal AT amp;T, the US telecoms group, and a team of subcontractors have won a contract valued at up to \$1bn to design, build and manage a secure IP-based global network for the US government $LABEL$2 +Profit Takers Ambush Treasuries NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasuries turned tail on Wednesday as recent hefty gains attracted a wave of profit-taking in an otherwise featureless market.$LABEL$2 +Steel boom boosts Iscor's profits Shares in Africa's biggest steel producer surge to a record high on the back of strong interim profits$LABEL$2 +Boy Escapes Cougar Near Canada's Jasper Park (Reuters) Reuters - Canadian wildlife\officials warned visitors to Jasper National Park on Tuesday to\be on the alert for cougars after one the animals attacked a\five-year-old boy.$LABEL$3 +Tiffany amp; Co. selling stake in Aber Diamond TORONTO - Aber Diamond Corp. said Tuesday that world-renowned retailer Tiffany amp; Co. has sold its 8 million shares of Aber, and the companies have ended their discount sales agreement .$LABEL$2 +Intel Says It's Recovered from Missteps (Reuters) Reuters - Intel Corp. will miss\its 2004 product cost reduction targets because of a widely\publicized string of product delays and problems, but those\missteps are largely behind it now, the world's largest chip\maker said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Illini Hope To Reinvigorate Football Program With Zook _ Illinois confirmed Tuesday it is turning to Ron Zook to reinvigorate its struggling football program. The school scheduled an afternoon news conference to introduce the former Florida $LABEL$1 +Zeeland #39;s Kaat to be considered for Hall The Zeeland native made the final ballot of 25 players to be considered by the Veterans Committee. The results will be announced March 2. Kaat, who could not be reached for comment, won 283 $LABEL$1 +Athletes cheat way to fame and fortune Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of major league baseball players have taken steroids in the last few years. Yet no player has ever been suspended for steroid use.$LABEL$1 +Cisco-Fujitsu Deal Highlights Japan #39;s Internet Dominance Cisco, the largest maker of computer-networking equipment, formed an alliance with Fujitsu to increase sales to Japanese telephone carriers.$LABEL$3 +Citigroup faces regulatory probe The UK's Financial Services Authority launches a formal investigation into Citigroup's ""unusual trading activity"".$LABEL$2 +eCOST.com Cuts IPO Price to #36;7 a Share from #36;9- #36;11 (Reuters) Reuters - Online discount retailer eCOST.com\said on Wednesday that it expects its planned initial public\offering will price at #36;7 per share, a reduction from its\previously stated range of #36;9 to #36;11 per share.$LABEL$3 +OPEC Hawks Want to Keep Prices High Raise prices. Ease production. For weeks ahead of this week #39;s OPEC meeting, hawks in the organization have been talking tough about the need to keep oil revenues high - and lowering output.$LABEL$2 +Google Slashes IPO #39;s Size NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years. $LABEL$2 +Update 3: Russia: China to Cover Yukos #39; Rail Fees China has agreed to step in and pay Russian rail fees to ensure that it continues to receive Yukos oil if the company is unable to cover the transport costs, officials at Russia #39;s rail transport monopoly said Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Iraqi official: cleric agrees to withdraw forces from Najaf shrine BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A delegate at Iraq #39;s National Conference in Baghdad says a militant Shiite cleric has agreed to disarm and pull his forces from a shrine in Najaf. $LABEL$0 +SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering registration of Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.OQ target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.OQ</A> effective after 4 p.m. (2000 GMT), sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Gain as Oil Ease from New High NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were higher on Wednesday as investors bought beaten-down shares and oil prices eased from the new 21-year record high hit earlier in the session.$LABEL$2 +Deere's Color Is Green With big tractors, big sales, and big earnings, Deere's hoeing a profitable row.$LABEL$2 +Linux wins heart of global SAP user Switzerland's EndressHauser (International) Holding AG, a global supplier of process control systems, has migrated all its business applications from SAP AG to a mainframe running the open-source Linux operating system.$LABEL$2 +Compuware Accuses IBM of Ambush Tactics (AP) AP - Compuware Corp. is accusing IBM of attempting to ""sandbag"" it with new evidence just three months before the software company's piracy claim against the technology giant is to go to trial.$LABEL$3 +PA minister: Barghouti will drop candidancy Palestinian Authority Minister of State Kadoura Fares said on Tuesday that jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti may abandon his plan to run in the January 9 lection for the presidency of the PA.$LABEL$0 +SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering registration of Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.OQ target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.OQ</A> effective after 4 p.m., sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Cheney, Rumsfeld Say Terror Remains Threat Two of the Bush administration #39;s chief architects of the war on terror offered words of caution along with congratulations on Tuesday, a historic day for this one-time al-Qaida haven.$LABEL$0 +SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering registration of Google Inc. (GOOG.OQ: Quote, Profile, Research) effective after 4 pm (2000 GMT), sources familiar with the matter said on ...$LABEL$2 +Download a Song for 49 Cents Real is in a running battle with Apple, whose iTunes download store dominates with about 70 percent of legal downloading and whose iPod device for music storage is hugely popular. The iPod and iTunes were designed to work exclusively ...$LABEL$2 +RCMP initiates Nortel investigation The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched a criminal investigation into the financial accounting practices of network gear maker Nortel Networks Corp. just days before the company is set to release some of its restated financial results. $LABEL$2 +Profit climbs at Talbots womenswear chain, helped by tax gain HINGHAM, Mass. (AP) - Talbots Inc. said Wednesday its profit for the latest quarter edged up five per cent, boosted by higher sales and an income-tax gain. $LABEL$2 +Citigroup Bond Trading Investigated by UK Regulator (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., the world #39;s biggest bank, is being investigated by the UK market regulator over unusual trading activity #39; #39; in European government bonds earlier this month. $LABEL$2 +Fund managers raise cash-asset level, says survey WASHINGTON, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Fund managers this month boosted the proportion of assets held in cash to the highest level since March 2003 when a global stocks rebound began, said the Washington Post on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Court approves St. Paul \$502.5 mln asbestos accord NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Insurer St. Paul Travelers Companies (STA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said a bankruptcy court approved a \$502.5 million asbestos settlement for all pending asbestos court actions against its Travelers Property ...$LABEL$2 +Epson builds lightest, smallest micro-flying robot EPSON HAS ANNOUNCED that it has developed a successor to the FR the world #39;s smallest and lightest micro-flying robot. The FR-II uses micromechatronics technology, and features Bluetooth wireless control and independent flight. It #39;ll go on show at the ...$LABEL$3 +Norton #39;s 2005 security line-up Norton AntiVirus 2005 #39;s claim to fame is that its Worm Protection feature borrows from firewall technology to block inbound ports so that you can protect yourself against worm attacks such as MSBlast. Its new QuickScan feature also scans your whole system ...$LABEL$3 +Samsung streams on Sprint with MM-A700 Samsung #39;s latest phone offers streaming video and audio, including from major old media companies, along with a megapixel camera. $LABEL$3 +Greek heroes quit Games ATHENS All of Greece expected to see Costas Kenteris crowning its Games with a laurel wreath on his brow, his barrel chest swelling in his blue and white athletic singlet, atop the podium in the Olympic Stadium after successfully defending his 200- meter ...$LABEL$1 +Germany Paddles to Bronze The men #39;s single slalom canoe race ended with balled fists and shouts of joy for Stefan Pfannmller. But for Germany #39;s women, there was nothing to celebrate. $LABEL$1 +Dutch cyclist #39;s fairytale comeback Vouliagmeni, Greece - Watch Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, think Hermann Maier. Awful crash, unlikely fightback, gold within days. Instant Olympic lore. $LABEL$1 +Hamilton takes gold in time trial ATHENS, Greece - The United States took gold and bronze in the men #39;s Olympic cycling individual time trial on Wednesday with Tyler Hamilton topping the podium and his team Bobby Julich finishing third. $LABEL$1 +Sadr agrees to accept Iraq peace mission demands BAGHDAD : Shiite militia leader Moqtada Sadr has agreed to disarm and quit a holy shrine in Najaf as demanded by Iraq #39;s key national conference, one of the organisers of the meeting said. $LABEL$0 +UK Terrorist Suspects Have Case Sent to Old Bailey (Update2) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The case against eight men charged with conspiracy to commit murder and carry out terrorist attacks was referred to the Old Bailey, London #39;s central criminal court. $LABEL$0 +US ; Japanese-born teen youngest US chess champ since Bobby <b>...</b> US News, NEW YORK - A teenager from New York state, who just became the youngest US national chess champion since Bobby Fischer in 1958, says he is more sane than his troubled predecessor.$LABEL$1 +Pacers #39; Foster activated from injured list Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster was activated from the injured list Tuesday. He had missed the first 17 games of the season after undergoing hip surgery in October.$LABEL$1 +Report: Tougher testing on the way for MLB NEW YORK (Ticker) - With the dark cloud of steroids continuing to hover over baseball, it appears a tougher drug-testing policy may be in effect by spring training.$LABEL$1 +Preview of SQL Server 2005 Released December 7, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- According to a report by internetnews.com, Microsoft (microsoft.com) has released the second community technology preview for SQL Server 2005.$LABEL$3 +BusinessWeek Special Report Examines Apple #39;s iPod Lead BusinessWeek has published a special report that asks quot;Could Apple Blow Its iPod Lead? quot; That title is more sensational than the article itself, however, as $LABEL$3 +Microsoft nears release of 64-bit Windows Microsoft said Tuesday that it has released a near-final test version of updates to its Windows and Windows Server operating systems.$LABEL$3 +IBM Nabs \$750M Deal with Lloyds TSB Lloyds TSB has tapped IBM as the key provider for its massive new VoIP infrastructure project. The new project will make Lloyds TSB the owners of one of the largest converged voice and data networks in Europe $LABEL$3 +Students Win \$100,000 in National Team Science Competition Lucie Guo, motivated by the death of her grandfather in China before she was born, spent two summers doing research in a Duke University laboratory.$LABEL$3 +Experts Push for More Computer Security Efforts Computer-security experts, including former government officials, urged the Bush administration on Tuesday to devote more effort to strengthening defenses against viruses, hackers and other online threats.$LABEL$3 +Group Enlists Honey Pots to Track IM, P2P Threats IMlogic Inc. on Tuesday announced plans to use honey pots to track malicious virus activity on instant messaging and peer-to-peer networks.$LABEL$3 +Cisco, Juniper Making Noise in High-End Routing Space Dueling Cisco Systems Inc. and Juniper Networks Inc. are both jockeying for the spotlight on the high end of the routing market with announcements of new developments around their respective CRS-1 and T-series core routers.$LABEL$3 +SEC Seen to OK Google IPO After 4 P.M. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering registration of Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.OQ target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.OQ</A> effective after 4 p.m. (2000 GMT), sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +BellSouth: Retiree Costs to Cut Q4 Earns WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BellSouth Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BLS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BLS.N</A> said on Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a \$3.3 billion increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs, reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.$LABEL$2 +GAO: Homeland Security #39;s Enterprise Architecture Lacks Key Elements In a report, it says the agency #39;s first try at building an enterprise architecture offers a partial foundation, but is lacking in several areas. $LABEL$3 +Compuware Asks Court To Sanction IBM In Software Theft Case DETROIT - Compuware Corp. said on Wednesday it has asked a US court in its software piracy case against IBM to levy sanctions on IBM for delaying release of critical evidence. Specifically, the filing asks the US District Court to order judgment in favor ...$LABEL$3 +US Men Take Gold and Bronze in Cycling Time Trial ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States proved there is more to their cycling team than Lance Armstrong by taking gold and bronze in the men #39;s Olympic individual time trial at the Athens Games Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Iraqi Cleric Agrees Deal to End Siege at Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - The leader of a Shi #39;ite uprising in Iraq agreed Wednesday to leave a holy shrine encircled by US marines, hours after the interim government threatened to storm it and drive out his fighters. $LABEL$0 +Burundi police fire tear gas at massacre protest Police in Burundi #39;s capital Bujumbura fired tear gas at crowds today, protesting against the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a UN refugee camp in the west of the country. $LABEL$0 +Google Slashes IPO, SEC OK Expected Today NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.$LABEL$2 +HP decries Itanium, SAP issues and bad English <strong>HP World</strong> Execs try to respond$LABEL$3 +French watchdog fines Messier 1m Frances AMF market watchdog slapped a one million euro fine on Jean-Marie Messier, the disgraced former chairman of Vivendi Universal , on Tuesday following allegations the media firm had published misleading financial information.$LABEL$2 +Toyota tunes in satellite radio Auto maker Toyota on Tuesday entered into separate deals with rival satellite radio service providers Sirius and XM. Under its agreement with Sirius, Toyota will offer Sirius satellite radio service--either $LABEL$2 +Sprint begins \$3 billion march to 3G Sprint, the fourth-largest US cell phone operator, has started a \$3 billion network upgrade, with \$1 billion earmarked for a wireless broadband service to launch soon in selected cities, a Sprint executive said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Europe troubled by euro rise European officials issued their harshest condemnation yet of the euro #39;s recent surge, in a joint statement after a monthly meeting yesterday.$LABEL$2 +Oil Falls to 3-Month Low as Heating-Oil Supplies Probably Rose Crude oil fell to a three-month low on speculation that warm weather and increased refinery production have bolstered US heating-oil stockpiles.$LABEL$2 +AOL Cuts 750 Jobs America Online Inc., the nation's biggest Internet service, today began cutting 750 jobs, more than half at the firm's Northern Virginia headquarters, company officials said. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$2 +U.S. to Import 4 Million Flu Shot Doses WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials, taking another step to ease the season's flu shot shortage, approved the importation of up to 4 million flu shot doses from Europe on Tuesday for patients willing to sign a consent form.$LABEL$2 +Intel Says It's Recovered from Missteps SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=INTC.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">INTC.O</A> will miss its 2004 product cost reduction targets because of a widely publicized string of product delays and problems, but those missteps are largely behind it now, the world's largest chip maker said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Tyson to Begin Training Mike Tyson is beginning to train for a fight in March, his first since being knocked out by Danny Williams in July.$LABEL$1 +Putin questions Iraqi poll plan Russian leader Vladimir Putin voices doubts over plans to hold elections in Iraq next month.$LABEL$0 +Mortgage Applications Rise as Rates Ease NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months, an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Staples Goes to China? The company impresses the Street with strong earnings, an optimistic outlook, and a toehold abroad.$LABEL$2 +Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed K If you're going to spend a lot producing a slick annual report, go all in.$LABEL$2 +Report: Palestinians, Israel Back Peace Plan CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians and Israelis have agreed in principle to proposals aiming to end their conflict, Egypt's official news agency MENA said on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Storm-ravaged peasants flee as Philippines runs out of money for relief (AFP) AFP - Stunned residents picked their way through a wasteland of mud and rubble to leave storm-ravaged areas of the Philippines as the government said it has run out of money to pay for relief services.$LABEL$0 +Sudanese Hopeful of New Year Peace Deal Mohamed Yousif, Sudans minister of humanitarian affairs, dismissed widespread assertions of government involvement in a vicious militia campaign against civilians in the western region.$LABEL$0 +After all, have we become Russias strategic partner? TDN- Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin was in Ankara on Monday for a state visit unmatched in the history of relations between the Turkish and Russian nations.$LABEL$0 +Charley #39;s insured losses seen hitting \$7.4 billion NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Insurance payments to victims of Hurricane Charley are expected to reach \$7.4 billion, making it the second most costly hurricane to hit the United States, an insurance industry group said on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +US mortgage applications rise as rates ease NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - New applications for US home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months, an industry group said on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Aurora Woman Sues Costco Over Discrimination Claims SAN FRANCISCO -- A Colorado assistant store manager at Costco has filed a federal lawsuit, alleging she was passed over for a promotion because she is a woman. $LABEL$2 +Researcher Finds Flaws in XP SP2 German research firm Heise Security has issued an advisory for a pair of security flaws in Microsoft #39;s (Quote, Chart) recently shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 with a warning that attackers could launch malicious files from an untrusted zone. $LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Halves Music Prices But Move to Confront Apple Will Increase Company #39;s Loss RealNetworks on Tuesday started a promotion that halves the price of its digital music offerings as part of a strategy to force its way onto Apple Computer #39;s popular iPod digital music player. $LABEL$3 +Compuware accuses IBM of ambush tactics in piracy suit DETROIT (AP) -- Compuware Corp. is accusing IBM of attempting to quot;sandbag quot; it with new evidence just three months before the software company #39;s piracy claim against the technology giant is to go to trial. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Funded Study Deciding Factor in 10yr Deal Genevish writes quot;According to an article in the Register, Microsoft and the Newham Council in London have signed an agreement making Microsoft the preferred vendor for the council, instead of the original hybrid MS / Open Source plan. The council was very ...$LABEL$3 +Bilonog Edges Nelson With Last Put as Shot Returns to Olympia Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Yuriy Bilonog won the gold medal in the men #39;s shot put at Olympia, the home of the ancient Games, by virtue of his second-best effort after his last throw matched the leading mark set by US athlete Adam Nelson. $LABEL$1 +Figo takes break from international football LISBON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Portugal captain Luis Figo said on Wednesday he was taking a break from international soccer, although he would not confirm if the decision was final. $LABEL$1 +NLD MP urges people to sign petition Despite intimidation by the ruling Burmese military authorities, the National League for Democracy (NLD) members have continued the signature campaign with increased momentum calling for the release of all political prisoners including NLD leaders Daw ...$LABEL$0 +WFP Tackles #39;Critical Six Weeks #39; in Darfur with Up-Scaling of Air Operations - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is gearing up for the most critical stage yet of its operation to deliver food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people affected by conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. As the rainy season ...$LABEL$0 +Italy Lights the Path for the Olympic Torch Christmas on the island of Sicily, New Year #39;s eve at the bay of Naples. Italy mapped out Tuesday a two-month-long journey for the 2006 Winter Olympics torch, which will cross $LABEL$1 +Lamy Strong Candidate for WTO Job-USTR (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. trade officials said on Tuesday\that former European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy would\be a ""strong candidate"" to lead the World Trade Organization,\but stopped short of formally endorsing him.$LABEL$0 +Janus Finalizes Regulatory Settlement (AP) AP - Janus Capital Group Inc. said Wednesday it has finalized a #36;226.2 million settlement with state and federal regulators over improper trading allegations, part of a scandal sweeping the #36;7 trillion mutual funds industry.$LABEL$2 +Italy's Parmalat sues ex-auditors Parmalat issues proceedings against its ex-auditors over their dealings with the insolvent group before its near collapse$LABEL$2 +Study: Hubble Robotic Repair Mission Too Costly An exhaustive study of NASA #39;s options for repairing the Hubble Space Telescope suggests the currently planned robotic mission may cost too much money and might not be ready to fly before the vaunted observatory breaks down.$LABEL$3 +Dell Cuts Prices on Enterprise Hardware Dell has cut prices on a number of products geared to enterprises. The PowerEdge 4600 dual-processor server price tag has been trimmed by about 22 percent, now starting as low as \$4,194.$LABEL$3 +Boston Globe: #39;Forget Microsoft and buy an Apple iPod - it works #39; quot;As more and more retailers try to cash in on the online music scene, things are becoming increasingly befuddling for consumers -- especially for consumers who stray from the Apple iPod fold.$LABEL$3 +Thunderbird Mail goes 1.0 Mozilla #39;s Thunderbird mail client has reached the 1.0 release point. I #39;ve been using Thunderbird when ever I #39;ve found myself on a Windows box for quite a while now and finally took the plunge on my Powerbook, finally walking away from Mail.$LABEL$3 +Nvidia to work on PlayStation 3 chip Graphics chip leader Nvidia announced Tuesday that it is working with Sony to develop the graphics processor for the next version of Sony #39;s PlayStation video game console.$LABEL$3 +SEC Bars Mutual Fund Payoffs to Brokers WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pushed ahead on Wednesday with reforms of the \$7.5-trillion mutual fund industry amid scandals that have shaken fund investors' confidence.$LABEL$2 +Air Canada Stock Plummets on Review MONTREAL (Reuters) - Shares of Air Canada <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AC.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">AC.TO</A> fell by more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange said it was reviewing the company's stock to determine if it meets listing requirements.$LABEL$2 +Parmalat Sues Ex-Auditors in Chicago MILAN (Reuters) - Parmalat sued its former auditors Deloitte Touche and Grant Thornton on Wednesday, broadening a legal battle to claw back billions of euros from ex-allies the food group says helped drive it into insolvency.$LABEL$2 +Apple zealots slam Real #39;s iPod campaign RealNetworks has stepped up its music #39;war #39; on Apple Computer--with results it clearly didn #39;t expect. $LABEL$3 +Macromedia offers Flash video tool Macromedia hopes to boost use of its Flash format for delivering streaming video with a new development kit. The Flash Video Kit allows users of the company #39;s Dreamweaver Web authoring application to add Flash video to their pages without using the full ...$LABEL$3 +Apple G5 chips #39;in short supply #39; Apple may be facing greater difficulties than previously thought in sourcing chips to power its high-end personal computers. $LABEL$3 +Cycling: Hamilton wins time trial VOULIAGMENI Tyler Hamilton of the United States won the men #39;s time trial gold medal Wednesday, beating defending champion Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia and another American, Bobby Julich. $LABEL$1 +Jail for Olympic pool jump ATHENS (Reuters) - A Canadian man advertising an online gaming site, who broke security and jumped into the Olympic diving pool, has been given a five-month prison term for trespassing and disturbing public order, court officials say. $LABEL$1 +Leaders Threatened by Terrorist Groups Large and Small The vulnerability of world leaders to terrorist attack was starkly exposed again today by the discovery of a bomb near Tony Blair #39;s holiday villa on Sardinia. $LABEL$0 +Food crisis worsens in North Korea BEIJING The collapse of North Korea #39;s economy has caused food prices there to skyrocket and created new groups of people who cannot afford to buy what they need to live, the World Food Program said on Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +German investor confidence surges BERLIN - German investor confidence posted a surprise jump in December as relief over falling oil prices helped to offset concerns about the impact of a surging euro on growth in Europe #39;s biggest economy.$LABEL$0 +EU Weighs Tougher Conditions for Talks With Turkey (Update1) European Union governments may impose tougher conditions on entry talks with Turkey in response to demands by France, Austria and Cyprus, a draft EU compromise shows.$LABEL$0 +Airlines to Cut Flights at Chicago O'Hare WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to 88 arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to cut congestion that has slowed the whole U.S. aviation system, federal officials said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +FAA: Flight-Reduction Deal Set for O #39;Hare WASHINGTON Aug. 18, 2004 Federal officials have reached a temporary agreement to ease congestion at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport that calls for a reduction of 37 daily arrivals by United Airlines and American Airlines, officials said ...$LABEL$2 +Italy #39;s Parmalat sues ex-auditors Italian food giant Parmalat is suing its former auditors over their dealings with the insolvent group before its near collapse last December. $LABEL$2 +Update 2: Swisscom Confirms May Merge With Firm Telecommunications companies Swisscom AG and Telekom Austria AG are in talks over a possible merger, Swisscom said. $LABEL$2 +Cox directors look at proposed buyout Cox Communications Inc. is a step closer to going private, with the cable giant #39;s board of directors forming a special committee of independent directors to consider the Cox Enterprises Inc. proposal to take the company private in a \$7.9 billion buyout. $LABEL$2 +Cassini Probe Discovers Tiny Saturnian Moons Two tiny moons orbiting Saturn -- each measuring around two miles in diameter -- are the latest discovery of the Cassini spacecraft. They are located between the orbits of moons Mimas and Enceladus, a surprise to scientists who thought such ...$LABEL$3 +MS Host Integration Server 2004 Is Weeks Away Starting September 1, 2004, Microsoft will make available Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004 for companies that have been wanting to open their mainframe assets up to deeper integration with Windows-based servers, software and the promise of ...$LABEL$3 +Figo takes break from international game MADRID, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Portugal captain Luis Figo said on Wednesday he was taking an indefinite break from international football, but would not confirm whether his decision was final. $LABEL$1 +Van Basten entrusts Dutch captaincy to Davids AMSTERDAM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Midfielder Edgar Davids #39;s leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude have earned him the captaincy of the Netherlands under new coach Marco van Basten. $LABEL$1 +Russia #39;s Korzhanenko wins women #39;s shot put; American favorites eliminated US medal favorites John Godina and Reese Hoffa were eliminated from the shot put competition, ending hopes of an American sweep. $LABEL$1 +US rowers advances in photo finish SCHINIAS, Greece (AP) The early success of the first black Olympic rower on the US men #39;s team and his Navy officer partner was supposed to end Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his followers are ready to leave the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf if American-led forces pull back from the holy Shi #39;ite site, an aide to Sadr says. $LABEL$0 +Dhiren to father, Abu Musa to al Qaeda According to British cops he is Dhiren Barot to his father and Abu Musa al-Hindi to Al Qaeda. On Wednesday India-born Barot alias al-Hindi, along with seven men of Pakistani origin, arrested in anti-terror raids and charged with plotting radioactive, ...$LABEL$0 +Terrified neighbours see dog kill owner A 39-year-old woman was savaged to death by her pet bull mastiff dog yesterday. Terrified elderly neighbours could only look on as the fatal attack, which started inside Carol Leeanne Taylor #39;s home in the Dunedin suburb of Caversham, spilled on to the ...$LABEL$0 +Garrison gets new contract; King retires WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract to stay on as US Fed Cup captain, while Billie Jean King retired Tuesday as a coach for the team.$LABEL$1 +VARSITY MATCH Oxford regained the MMC Trophy with a hard-fought 18-11 win over Cambridge in the Varsity match at Twickenham. Jon Fennell kicked Oxford into an early lead, but a well-worked try from Fergie Gladstone saw Cambridge hit back.$LABEL$1 +Nintendo Game Machine Gets Good US Start The new portable video-game machine from Nintendo Co. is selling briskly in both the United States and Japan and the company is well on its way to reaching a target of selling 5 million units by April next year.$LABEL$3 +Fledgling Thunderbird takes on Outlook Not content with eating into Microsoft #39;s share of the browser market with Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation has released an open-source email client to rival Outlook.$LABEL$3 +Cybersecurity post needs a promotion, firms say The US government is not taking cybersecurity seriously enough and should spend more money and energy on the topic, a group of computer security firms said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Toyota strikes satellite radio deals with rivals XM, Sirius Rivals XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both have ventured again to the automotive industry in their latest efforts to land new subscribers, announcing separate distribution agreements Tuesday with Toyota Motor Corp.$LABEL$2 +AT amp;T Wins \$1B Treasury Contract VIENNA, Va. -- AT amp;T Government Solutions and its team of subcontractors have been chosen by the Treasury Department to build and deploy the largest civilian agency network, serving more than 1,000 domestic $LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-SEC, NASD probing Jefferies trader #39;s gifts -WSJ US market regulators are looking into whether a Jefferies Group Inc. (JEF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) trader violated rules that prohibit expensive gift-giving in a bid to curry $LABEL$2 +Report: J amp;J in Talks to Acquire Guidant Health care giant Johnson amp; Johnson is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire medical device maker Guidant Corp. for more than \$24 billion.$LABEL$2 +Google Slashes IPO, SEC OK Expected Today NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Up; Traders Eye Crude Oil Prices NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks made gains on Wednesday as investors bought beaten-down shares, while strength in oil prices pushed up energy companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=XOM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">XOM.N</A>$LABEL$2 +Houston serious about keeping its superstar center fielder Winter meetings kick off on Friday in Anaheim. BALCO aside, it #39;s been a quiet baseball offseason, but that #39;s about to change.$LABEL$1 +Charley May Cost Insurers \$7.4 Billion, Industry Says (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Charley will probably cost insurers \$7.4 billion, according to the first loss estimate based on insurance claims. $LABEL$2 +Parmalat sues ex-auditors Deloitte, Grant Thornton MILAN, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Parmalat sued its former auditors Deloitte amp; Touche and Grant Thornton on Wednesday, broadening a legal battle to claw back billions of euros from ex-allies the food group says helped drive it into ...$LABEL$2 +Barclays Buys CIBC US Credit Card Unit for \$293 Mln (Update5) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the UK #39;s third-biggest lender by assets, agreed to buy the US credit card business of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million to expand into the world #39;s biggest credit card market. $LABEL$2 +Tap, Eat, N Go Forget quot;super-sized, quot; McDonald #39;s is going for quot;super-fast quot; service. The nation #39;s largest quick serve restaurant chain is getting ready to test a system that enables customers to tap or wave the new quot;PayPass MasterCard quot; on or near a specially equipped ...$LABEL$2 +Broadband used by 51 percent of online population For the first time, broadband connections are reaching more than half (51 percent) of the American online population at home, according to measurement taken in July by Nielsen/NetRatings, a Milpitas-based Internet audience measurement and research ...$LABEL$3 +Canadian who leaped into Olympic pays the price for 15 minutes of fame ATHENS (CP) - The Canadian who embarrassed Olympic officials by jumping into a Games swimming pool during a diving competition wearing a skirt and advertising an on-line casino has paid the price for his 15 minutes of fame. $LABEL$1 +Els targets improved putting after Whistling Straits woes LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ernie Els has set his sights on an improved putting display at this week #39;s WGC-NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio after the disappointment of tying for fourth at the US PGA Championship on Sunday. $LABEL$1 +8 terror suspects, including alleged al-Qaida figure, charged in Britain LONDON (AP) - Eight suspects, including a man identified in the United States as a senior al-Qaida figure, appeared in court under heavy guard Wednesday as police investigated an alleged plot to commit murder and cause mayhem with chemicals, radioactive ...$LABEL$0 +UN rights envoys urge probe into Burundi massacre GENEVA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - United Nations human rights investigators on Wednesday called on Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to identify and hold accountable those behind the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees. $LABEL$0 +One Hamas leader survived assassination; five Palestinians killed in an Israeli bombardment in Gaza Five Palestinians were killed and other seven injured today at dawn in an Israeli air raid carried out by one Israeli helicopter at the house of a leading figure from the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas) in al-Shuja #39;eya quarters to the east of Gaza. $LABEL$0 +Swiss to hand back more Abacha funds Switzerland is to hand back to Nigeria SFr622 million (\$500 million) belonging to the former ruler, Sani Abacha, and his family. $LABEL$0 +WFP Relying On Airdrops To Bring Food In West Darfur Mud continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to relief efforts in Sudan #39;s Darfur region. Heavy rains have washed out roads and airstrips and the rainy season is expected to last another month or two. $LABEL$0 +Late try gives Oxford win Ross Lavery scored a try two minutes from the end as Oxford University defeated Cambridge 18-11 at Twickenham on Tuesday in another tight finish to the annual University rugby match.$LABEL$1 +Dell trims PC prices for business clients Dell cut prices on some servers and PCs by as much as 22 percent because it #39;s paying less for parts. The company will pass the savings on components such as memory and liquid crystal displays $LABEL$3 +NASA #39;s Return to Flight on Track, Shuttle Officials Say NASA (news - web sites) is close to meeting all of the return-to-flight safety requirements set by Columbia accident investigators and should be able to launch a shuttle by May 2005, shuttle program officials said today.$LABEL$3 +What's Google Minus \$10 Billion? Google drops its price and shares offered. Its magic: turning the hottest IPO in history into a disaster.$LABEL$2 +Wind River's Smooth Sailing (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Investors have unloaded on many software companies lately, such as Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT - News), Siebel (Nasdaq: SEBL - News), Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - News), and so on. However, with the markets perking up this week, investors are a little more sanguine about the sector -- at least for those stocks that exceed expectations.$LABEL$3 +Teleportation goes long distance Physicists teleport particles of light a distance of 600m across the River Danube in Austria, the journal Nature reports.$LABEL$3 +Europe Is Warned of Changing Climate (AP) AP - Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Clinton: Ex-President Inaugurates China-Backed Internet Search <b>...</b> Former President Bill Clinton helped launch a new Internet search firm that claims better results for its engine than Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ). The firm is called Accoona, from the Swahili phrase $LABEL$2 +High court hears dispute over Michigan interstate wine sales SUPREME COURT The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could lead to sweeping changes on how alcoholic beverages are regulated and sold.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Move Higher on Mixed Economic Data Stocks inched higher Tuesday as investors saw the bright side of mixed economic data and rumors about big merger deals, including a report that consumer products giant Johnson amp; Johnson is in talks to purchase a leading medical device maker.$LABEL$2 +IBM: Do We Have a Deal? China #39;s biggest computer maker said it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure that comes amid reports it might buy IBM #39;s personal computer business.$LABEL$2 +Three IPOs Trim Price Ranges Wednesday Three new stocks scheduled to begin trading this week - including Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering - slashed their expected price ranges Wednesday morning as the IPO market readies for a one-month break from trading debuts after ...$LABEL$2 +Oil at \$47, Economic Impact Seen as Muted LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand. $LABEL$2 +McDonald #39;s testing deli sandwiches in Louisville, other markets McDonald #39;s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) plans to expand a test market of five types of deli-style sandwiches to Louisville and three other cities, according to reports. $LABEL$2 +Netscape #39;s Official New Browser is Out AOL (Quote, Chart) developers have rolled out a new version of its venerable Netscape browser, version 7.2. $LABEL$3 +Kenteris, Thanou Quit Games; Thorpe Record Bid Fails (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympic medalists Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou quit the Athens Games, overshadowing the start of track and field events on the fifth day of competition. Venus Williams and Andy Roddick were eliminated from the tennis. $LABEL$1 +Roddick, Williams eliminated from Olympic tennis CBC SPORTS ONLINE - American tennis sensation Andy Roddick #39;s Olympic dreams are over after a straight set loss to No. 16 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in third-round action Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Giambi calls strain #39;nothing serious #39; New York Yankees: First baseman Jason Giambi continued his upper body workout and ran in an indoor pool Wednesday, one day after mildly straining his groin. $LABEL$1 +Olympics: Venus out of Olympics ATHENS : Title-holder Venus Williams of the United States crashed out of the Olympic women #39;s singles tennis tournament here losing a third round tie 6-4, 6-4 to France #39;s Mary Pierce. $LABEL$1 +Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Radical Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has agreed to disarm his Iraqi militia and leave a holy shrine but only after a truce with encircling US marines. $LABEL$0 +Something's Brewing at Diedrich Coffee The Starbucks competitor will sell its international franchise business to battle at home.$LABEL$2 +Report: Palestinians, Israel Back Peace Plan CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians and Israelis have agreed in principle to proposals aiming to end their conflict, Egypt's official news agency MENA said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +State Dept. Warns of Violence in Laos (AP) AP - The State Department is advising Americans traveling or living in Laos to take precautions and avoid areas likely to be hit by continuing violence.$LABEL$0 +VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Driv3r Plot Is Tedious (AP) AP - Atari could have redefined guns and gas pedal mayhem with the much anticipated ""Driv3r"" (pronounced Driver 3), the latest installment in a series of bad-boy-driving-'n'-violence titles. But there's nothing new here to see #151; nothing new graphically, emotionally, or functionally in the way of game play.$LABEL$3 +Credit Suisse to Focus on Investment Bank ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse plans to focus its investment banking activities on high-margin business and float off insurer Winterthur in a long-awaited revamp aimed at boosting the earnings power of Europe's 10th-largest bank.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Economic Outlook Dims a Bit WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economic outlook dimmed somewhat on Tuesday after reports said business productivity grew more slowly in the third quarter than first estimated, labor costs rose and other indicators signaled softening activity.$LABEL$2 +Workers fight bad weather to give aid to storm-ravaged Philippines; 740 dead (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - REAL, Philippines (AP) - Relief crews battling walls of mud and lashing rain to reach villages still isolated days after back-to-back storms devastated the northeastern Philippines have found 51 more bodies, taking the death toll to at least 740 people, officials said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Update 3: Bank of America Cuts Some Fleet Workers Bank of America Corp. laid off an unspecified number of employees Wednesday at hundreds of Fleet Bank branches, a byproduct of the merger of the two banks, a company spokeswoman said. $LABEL$2 +SEC Bars Mutual Fund Payoffs to Brokers WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission pushed ahead on Wednesday with reforms of the \$7.5-trillion mutual fund industry amid scandals that have shaken fund investors #39; confidence. $LABEL$2 +Barclays buys Juniper Financial for \$293M LONDON (AP) British bank Barclays PLC gained its first toehold in the US consumer banking market Wednesday, saying it would buy credit-card company Juniper Financial Corp. from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million in cash. $LABEL$2 +UAL agrees to independent agents to oversee pension funds WASHINGTON : Bankrupt United Airlines has agreed to appoint an independent party to manage its employee pension funds prior to September 15 in an agreement with the US Labor Department. $LABEL$2 +Compuware asks court to punish IBM Software maker Compuware has charged IBM with keeping back key evidence in a long-running legal battle over copyright and anticompetitive practices. $LABEL$3 +Investors Unfazed by Last-Minute Google Moves BOSTON (Reuters) - When investors heard that Google Inc. had cut the price range for shares in its closely watched initial public offering they said they took it in stride and did not make any massive last-minute adjustments. $LABEL$3 +Charley a Harbinger of Busy Hurricane Season? But Hurricane Charley intensified at an astonishing rate just a few hours before making landfall, and its eye wobbled off its forecast track and smashed ashore about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa, killing at least 21. It became the most ...$LABEL$3 +Report: Apple G5 chips scarce Apple Computer may be facing greater difficulties than previously thought in getting hold of chips to power its high-end personal computers. $LABEL$3 +American Cyclist Hamilton Wins Time Trial yler Hamilton and Bobby Julich showed that there is some depth to American cycling, winning the gold and bronze medals today in the men #39;s individual time trial at the Olympics in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Kitajima wins breast stroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breast stroke final at the Athens Olympics early this morning, but Australia #39;s Jim Piper was disqualified. $LABEL$1 +State Dept. Cautious of Najaf Reports WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration reacted cautiously Wednesday to reports that the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had accept a peace plan to end fighting in Najaf. $LABEL$0 +Pakistan publishes photos of six suspects wanted in terror ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan published photos Wednesday in newspapers across the country of six terror suspects including a senior al-Qaeda operative it says were behind attempts to assassinate the nation #39;s president and offered a large ...$LABEL$0 +Steroid Talks Progress Baseball players and owners have made progress toward toughening rules on steroid testing, but there is still plenty of work to be done.$LABEL$1 +Italy Lights the Path for the Olympic Torch ROME (Reuters) - Christmas on the island of Sicily, New Year's eve at the bay of Naples.$LABEL$1 +Five die in renewed Gaza fighting against Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate backed by Israel and Washington as a potential peacemaker, a lawmaker said. killing one soldier and wounding four.$LABEL$0 +Dual-Format Disc That Plays Both HD DVD and DVD Memory-Tech and Toshiba today announced that they have developed a dual-layer ROM (read-only) disc that can store content in both the HD DVD and DVD formats.$LABEL$3 +Energy from waves teenager wins science award A teenager from the San Diego, California area has won The Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology for his quot;Gyro-Gen, quot; a machine that produces electricity from ocean waves.$LABEL$3 +Program Lets People Design 3-D Objects (AP) AP - It's the Internet Revolution meets the Industrial Revolution: a new program that lets people design 3-D objects like car parts and door knobs in metal or plastic then order them online.$LABEL$3 +1.2 million flu shots will stay in Canada after all VANCOUVER - A Vancouver-based firm won #39;t sell 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine to the United States after all, announcing Tuesday that it will sell the doses within Canada instead.$LABEL$2 +Windows XP SP2 Help Certainly you know by now that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) has been released. As anticipated, some systems have had problems after installation of the new service pack. But many people report that their installations have been successful and without ...$LABEL$3 +Slim Majority of Web Users Connect With Broadband For the first time, a slim majority of US Net users are connecting via broadband. In July, 51 percent of America #39;s home online population was using broadband connections, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings. Before July, the ...$LABEL$3 +Bilonog Wins Olympia Shot Put Gold Competing under a flawless blue sky in the tree-lined grove devoted to Zeus, the European gold medallist equaled American champion Adam Nelson #39;s opening mark of 2.16 to capture his first major title on a countback. $LABEL$1 +Kitajima wins breaststroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breaststroke final at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday to collect his second gold medal in four days. $LABEL$1 +Nigerian senate to rule on Darfur troop deployment ABUJA, Aug 18 (AFP) -- The Nigerian senate said on Wednesday it would ask its defence committee to consider a request by President Olusegun Obasanjo for permission to deploy some 1,500 peacekeepers to Sudan #39;s war-torn Darfur region. $LABEL$0 +Google IPO Is Small Hurdle Vs Growing Competition (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., on the last leg of its\race to sell shares to the public, is facing more rivals, large\and small, trying to unseat it as the Web's most popular search\destination.$LABEL$3 +PAC-10 MEN #39;S Basketball: Timing of Bibby firing irks Olson Just last month USC basketball coach Henry Bibby said he was enjoying his job more than ever and getting ready for what he hoped would be a good season.$LABEL$1 +Pacers #39; Foster Activated From Injured List Indianapolis, IN -- Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster was activated from the injured list Tuesday. He had missed the first 17 games of the season after undergoing hip surgery in October.$LABEL$1 +Physicists Teleport Photons Across Danube Austrian researchers have teleported photons, or particles of light, for the first time outside a laboratory using the same technological principles imagined by <I>Star Trek.</I>$LABEL$3 +British Cave Yields Elaborate Ice-Age Art A detailed survey of ancient cave carvings at a site first discovered last year in Nottinghamshire, England, reveals the etchings may be some of most elaborate Ice Age art ever found.$LABEL$3 +Venus: Inhabited World? by Harry Bortman In part 1 of this interview with Astrobiology Magazine editor Henry Bortman, planetary scientist David Grinspoon explained how Venus evolved from a wet planet similar to Earth to the scorching hot, dried-out furnace of today. In part 2, Grinspoon discusses the possibility of life on Venus...$LABEL$3 +Particle Physics in a New Universe By Davide Castelvecchi Stanford University -- A string of recent discoveries in astronomy has left scientists with an unsettling realization: The stuff we know and understand makes up less than 5 percent of the universe. The rest has to be yet-unknown forms of ""dark matter"" and ""dark energy."" At a time of momentous changes in our basic understanding of the universe, a new document outlines the essential role of particle physics in deciphering the laws of nature that govern dark matter, dark energy and more...$LABEL$3 +Compuware asks court to punish IBM Software maker says Big Blue kept hold of key evidence to delay a resolution to a long-running legal spat over copyrighted code.$LABEL$3 +A brighter Outlook? Software startup hopes there's big money in little improvements to Microsoft products.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Macromedia offers Flash video tool roundup Plus: UTStarcom wins Indian IP gear contract...Microsoft tightens Windows-mainframes link...Red Hat names new services executive.$LABEL$3 +Macromedia offers Flash video tool Company hopes to boost use of its Flash format for delivering streaming video with new development kit.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft tightens Windows-mainframes link Company releases revamped version of server software for linking Windows servers to mainframes, other large computers.$LABEL$3 +Red Hat names new services executive Kate Johnson will oversee global training, support and consulting services from the company's headquarters.$LABEL$3 +Report: Apple G5 chips scarce Firm may be facing greater difficulties than previously thought in getting hold of chips to power its high-end PCs.$LABEL$3 +MCI to overhaul network for international calls Company plans to use IP-based gear in network upgrade starting mid-2005, as it seeks to revive its prospects.$LABEL$3 +Study: Broadband leaps past dial-up For the first time ever, more Americans are seeking faster connections to access the Internet.$LABEL$3 +UTStarcom wins Indian IP gear contract India's state-owned telecom provider signs \$8.2 million contract with the company.$LABEL$3 +Juniper engineers depart for start-up Two of the company's top engineers, who helped develop its flagship product, decide to start up their own operation.$LABEL$3 +Real gets flamed over iPod campaign Petition calling on Apple to open its music player to rival tunes becomes target of anti-RealNetworks brickbats.$LABEL$3 +Hynix to build chip plant in China South Korean memory-chip maker Hynix Semiconductor Inc. announced Wednesday that it reached an agreement to construct a wafer fabrication plant (fab) to manufacture chips in Wuxi, China.$LABEL$3 +Researchers find holes in XP SP2 Security researchers inspecting a new update to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP found two software flaws that could allow virus writers and malicious hackers to sidestep new security features in the operating system.$LABEL$3 +Google faces another trademark suit in Germany A German court is set to hear oral arguments in a trademark suit against Google Inc. next week, as the search giant faces yet another legal challenge to its AdWords keyword advertising program.<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p><p><img src=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.ifw.general/ibmpseries;sz=1x1;ord=200301151450?"" width=""1"" height=""1"" border=""0""/><a href=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9824455;9690404;u?http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9473681;9688522;d?http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/campaigns/boardroom/index.html?ca=pSeries met=boardroom me=E P_Creative=P_InfoW_RSS"">Introducing IBM eServer p5 systems.</a><br/>Powered by IBMs most advanced 64-bit microprocessor (POWER5(tm)), p5 systems can run UNIX and Linux simultaneously. Learn more about eServer p5 systems.</p>$LABEL$3 +Where to Dump Your Dead Technology Office Depot teams with HP to recycle your old electronics gear for free.$LABEL$3 +BlackBerries Take Aim at Terrorism Wireless devices are being used to perform background checks at Boston's airport.$LABEL$3 +Google, WebSideStory, Claria Show Negative IPO Trend Google, WebSideStory, Claria Show Negative IPO Trend\\The online advertising, search engine marketing, and web analytics markets may be booming, but for companies looking to go public, there has been a definite negative trend over the past month, with buyers not showing interest, or just waiting, during an otherwise down time ...$LABEL$3 +U.S. Coach Larry Brown Won't Make Changes (AP) AP - Same starting lineup, same subs, same tactics. The U.S. basketball team may be an unimpressive 1-1 in the Olympic tournament, but coach Larry Brown won't do any tinkering for Thursday's game against Australia.$LABEL$1 +Manning to Get First Start Vs. Panthers (AP) AP - What a way to test a rookie quarterback: Give him his first NFL start against the defending NFC champions and their vaunted defense.$LABEL$1 +Toronto Raptors Sign Center Loren Woods (AP) AP - The Toronto Raptors signed free agent center Loren Woods on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Indians Call Up Righty Fernando Cabrera (AP) AP - The Cleveland Indians called up right-hander Fernando Cabrera from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Hamm of U.S. Wins Men's Gymnastics All-Around Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Paul Hamm (U.S.) won the men's gymnastics individual all-around gold medal at the Olympics on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Americans and Dutch Strike Gold in Cycling ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States proved there is more to U.S. cycling than Lance Armstrong on Wednesday and Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands became the most successful woman in Olympic cycling history.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Women Break Oldest Record for Relay Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States broke swimming's oldest world record to win the women's 4x200 meter freestyle relay Olympic gold medal Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Henry, Phelps on Record Track to Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Australia's Jodie Henry armed herself with a world record while Michael Phelps targeted his fourth Olympic gold medal backed by a Games record in qualifying for Thursday's finals.$LABEL$1 +Hamm Wins Gold for U.S. Paul Hamm of the United States won the gold medal Wednesday in all-around gymnastics.$LABEL$1 +U-Va.'s Brooks Out Linebacker Ahmad Brooks missed his second practice after getting into an argument with Cavs Coach Al Groh during Monday's session.$LABEL$1 +Nelson: Shot Put Silver With one last attempt to win gold, Adam Nelson is called for his fifth consecutive foul, leaving him with a silver medal Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Olympian women escape the age barrier (AFP) AFP - The older the violin, the sweeter the music. And the Athens Olympics is proving the lyrics right as Martina Navratilova, Merlene Ottey and company are demonstrating the endurance of women with middle-aged ladies defying perceptions about age and competition in nearly every sport.$LABEL$0 +Russia investors skeptical of Yukos mad scramble for cash (AFP) AFP - Yukos scrambled to scrape together cash for a crushing tax bill by selling off one of its gas companies in the face of deep investor skepticism that Russia's oil giant could survive its standoff with the state.$LABEL$0 +Israeli Helicopter Fires at Gaza Building (AP) AP - An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles in Gaza City after nightfall Wednesday, one at a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood, witnesses said, setting a fire.$LABEL$0 +U.N. Food Agency Steps Up Sudan Aid (AP) AP - The United Nations' food relief agency is gearing up for a ""critical stage"" in feeding refugees in western Sudan as more people flee ethnic violence there and the rainy season peaks, U.N. officials said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Group Asks to Protest in Central Park (AP) AP - An anti-war group planning a massive demonstration the day before the GOP convention asked a judge on Wednesday to overrule city officials and let protesters gather in Central Park.$LABEL$0 +New York Vs. the Protesters (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - NEW YORK -- Hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters, abortion rights supporters, labor rights activists and anarchists are preparing to unfurl banners, march through the streets and rally in the parks, loosening a cacophonous roar of protest during the Republican National Convention.$LABEL$0 +Retiring GOP Rep.: Iraq War Unjustified (AP) AP - A top Republican congressman has broken from his party in the final days of his House career, saying he believes the U.S. military assault on Iraq was unjustified and the situation there has deteriorated into ""a dangerous, costly mess.$LABEL$0 +Lawyers Defend Wen Ho Lee Reporters (AP) AP - An Associated Press reporter and four other journalists shouldn't be punished for keeping secret the names of sources for stories about Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear weapons scientist once suspected of spying, their lawyers told a federal judge Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Cleric Agrees to End Uprising, Demands Truce NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a Shi'ite uprising agreed Wednesday to disarm his militia and leave one of the country's holiest Islamic shrines, but only after a truce with encircling U.S. Marines.$LABEL$0 +Israel's Sharon Confronts Party Rebels Before Vote TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confronted Likud party rebels with a pledge to put the good of Israel first Wednesday as he battled to avoid an embarrassing defeat over his Gaza pullout plan.$LABEL$0 +U.N. Tries to Calm Frontier After Burundi Massacre BUJUMBURA/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers are scrambling to avoid new bloodshed in the volatile Great Lakes region of Africa following a massacre of Congolese refugees in western Burundi, the United Nations said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Cleric Who Died in Pakistan Custody 'Tortured' ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An Afghan Islamic cleric who died in custody in Pakistan on Wednesday had signs of torture on his body, an intelligence official said.$LABEL$0 +Cleric dies in Pakistan custody An Islamic cleric arrested in Pakistan for suspected al-Qaeda links dies in custody, officials say.$LABEL$0 +Teleportation goes long distance Physicists have successfully teleported particles of light over a distance of 600m across the River Danube in Austria, the journal Nature reports.$LABEL$0 +8 Terror Suspects Appear in British Court LONDON - Eight suspects, including a man identified by the United States as a senior al-Qaida figure, appeared in a London court under heavy guard Wednesday as police investigated their alleged plot to commit murder and to cause mayhem with chemical, biological or radioactive materials. A prosecutor also said police were searching about 100 computers and thousands of files, suggesting a protracted investigation that could produce more charges against the suspects, who were seized in raids across England two weeks ago...$LABEL$0 +Demand Soars for Laughing Cow Cheese LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. - Cheese maker Bob Gilbert is struggling with his good fortune and his misfortune...$LABEL$0 +Venus, Roddick Upset in Olympic Tennis ATHENS, Greece - Andy Roddick hit one last errant shot into the net and hung his head, his medal hopes over. A short while later, Venus Williams was gone, too...$LABEL$0 +Kerry Decries Bush Plan to Recall Troops CINCINNATI - John Kerry, telling fellow combat veterans he's their ""true brother in arms,"" said Wednesday that President Bush's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe and Asia would weaken U.S...$LABEL$0 +'Potential Development' in Peterson Case REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - The judge in Scott Peterson's murder trial dismissed the jurors for the day Wednesday, saying, ""There's been a potential development in this case."" Judge Alfred A...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Are Up Despite Rising Oil Prices NEW YORK - Buyers put a positive spin on equities Wednesday, shrugging off rising crude futures as Google Inc. prepared to sell its stock in an initial public offering, albeit it at a far lower price than previously forecast...$LABEL$0 +Kerry Decries Bush Plan to Recall Troops CINCINNATI - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Wednesday criticized President Bush's proposal to recall up to 70,000 foreign troops as a hastily announced plan that raises more doubts about U.S. intentions than it answers...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Climb Despite Rise in Oil Prices NEW YORK - Buyers put a positive spin on the equity markets Wednesday, shrugging off rising crude futures as Google Inc. prepared to sell its stock in an initial public offering, albeit it at a far lower price than previously forecast...$LABEL$0 +'Potential Development' in Peterson Case REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - The judge in Scott Peterson's double murder trial dismissed the jurors for the day Wednesday, saying, ""There's been a potential development in this case."" Judge Alfred A...$LABEL$0 +Sadr Signals He Will Accept Peace Plan Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr signaled that he would accept pleas to dissolve his militia and vacate the sacred Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, but asked for time for further negotiations.$LABEL$0 +China Detains Prominent Buddhist Leader Chinese authorities detained a prominent, U.S.-based Buddhist leader in connection with his plans to reopen an ancient temple complex in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia last week and have forced dozens of his American followers to leave the region, local officials said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Higher, Dow Back Above 10,000 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as investors shrugged off record crude oil prices and bought beaten-down shares, pushing blue chips to close above 10,000 for the first time in 3 weeks.$LABEL$2 +Unpatched PC quot;Survival Time quot; Just 16 Minutes The average unpatched Windows PC lasts less than 20 minutes on the Internet before it #39;s compromised, according to data from the Internet Storm Center. $LABEL$3 +Add-On Toolkit For Outlook Cuts Clutter A small Oregon-based company on Wednesday released a set of integrated add-on tools for Microsoft #39;s Outlook e-mail client. $LABEL$3 +IBM #39;ambush #39; accusation p2pnet.net News:- IBM mainframe software vendor Compuware is suing IBM for antitrust violations claiming IBM used its source code without permission. $LABEL$3 +Epson Announces Advanced Model of the World #39;s Lightest Micro-Flying Robot TOKYO, Japan -- Seiko Epson Corporation ( quot;Epson quot;) has announced that it has successfully developed a lighter and more advanced successor to the FR, the world #39;s smallest and lightest micro-flying robot. Turning once again to its micromechatronics ...$LABEL$3 +Ford scraps Oracle-based procurement system Auto giant Ford Motor confirmed Wednesday that it is abandoning its Oracle-powered online procurement system in favor of technologies it had used previously. $LABEL$3 +Malaysia sets up sanctuary in Terengganu to protect endangered turtles TERENGGANU : Malaysia has gazetted 60 hectares of land off the east coast state of Terengganu to help conserve the dwindling number of endangered sea turtles. $LABEL$3 +With Kenteris and Thanou out of Games, hometown suffers a big blow Give the International Olympic Committee credit. By virture of simply being in the room when the bullet slipped into the chamber, by holding the disciplinary hearing at which, on Wednesday, Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou completed ...$LABEL$1 +Venus, Roddick ousted from Olympics Athens, Greece, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Americans Andy Roddick and Venus Williams were shockingly eliminated in the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Losing No. 1 only a matter of time for Tiger Today, there can be no argument. Attach an asterisk, because in this case the numbers lie. Vijay Singh trails by .1 in the Official World Golf Ranking system, but if you polled the players and the media, Vijay is The Man. Officially he ...$LABEL$1 +Britain #39;s Law takes equestrian silver ATHENS (Reuters) Britain #39;s Leslie Law has won silver in the equestrian three-day event individual behind Bettina Hoy of Germany. $LABEL$1 +Kitajima sweeps both breaststrokes, Hanson third ATHENS --After winning world titles in both breaststroke events last summer while setting world records in each, Japan #39;s Kosuke Kitajima sat helplessly from across the Pacific last month as American Brendan Hansen broke ...$LABEL$1 +Ht England 1 Ukraine 0 Beckham turned provided 10 minutes before the break after Gerrard had been felled as he surged forward, curling a free-kick to the far post where Neville rose to power a header straight at Shovkovsky. $LABEL$1 +Bomb Defused in Sardinia After Berlusoni and Blair Visited OME, Aug. 18 The police defused a bomb today in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, the same town where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had entertained British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie ...$LABEL$0 +Darfur #39;s War of Definitions Finally, the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan is a focal point in international diplomacy and media attention. This is the least to expect after months of bloody campaigns of murder, rape and dare I say, ethnic cleansing, starting as ...$LABEL$0 +Cleric Who Died in Pakistan Custody #39;Tortured #39; ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An Afghan Islamic cleric who died in custody in Pakistan on Wednesday had signs of torture on his body, an intelligence official said. $LABEL$0 +Google Slashes IPO Price UPDATED: Search engine darling Google (Quote, Chart) has slashed the price of its long-awaited public offering by about 30 percent to between \$85 and \$95 per share and plans to sell fewer shares. $LABEL$2 +Janus Loses \$5 Billion The bad news just keeps pouring in for mutual fund manager Janus Capital Group (NYSE: JNS). Yesterday, the Denver-based firm reported that European banker ING Group (NYSE: ING) will pull \$5 billion from its mutual funds, or ...$LABEL$2 +Parmalat sues Grant Thornton, Deloitte for \$10 billion CHICAGO Italian dairy company Parmalat today filed a ten (B) billion dollar lawsuit against two auditors it accuses of overlooking fraud that nearly led to the company #39;s downfall. $LABEL$2 +Is Applied Materials Losing Momentum? Despite a strong third-quarter performance from Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT), a weaker fourth-quarter outlook has the chip equipment maker #39;s shares treading water today. $LABEL$2 +McDonald #39;s to use cashless payment system TORONTO, Aug. 18 McDonald #39;s restaurants has announced an agreement to accept MasterCard PayPass, a new quot;contactless quot; payment option utilizing radio frequency technology at select McDonald #39;s restaurants in the United States. Participating McDonald #39;s ...$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Vivendi, Messier Are Fined \$1.35 Million Vivendi Universal and its former chief Jean-Marie Messier have each been fined 1 million euros (\$1.35 million) for misleading financial information issued by the company when Messier was in charge, Messier #39;s lawyer said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Tiffany sells stake in Aber Diamond, discount arrangement ends TORONTO (CP) - US jewelry retailer Tiffany amp; Co. has sold its nearly 14 per cent stake in Aber Diamond Corp., part owner of Canada #39;s second diamond mine, Diavik.$LABEL$2 +SEC Says Google IPO Document Effective WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday that it declared effective Google Inc.'s <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> registration statement for its initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Australian City Agency Switches to Sun's StarOffice (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - In another blow to Microsoft, a government agency in New South Wales, Australia, signs a deal with Sun to migrate 1,500 users to the company's StarOffice productivity suite and Messaging products.$LABEL$3 +Ford scraps Oracle-based procurement system Automaker dumps Everest procurement system to revert to older technologies.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Mozilla makes Japanese push roundup Plus: Macromedia offers Flash video tool...UTStarcom wins Indian IP gear contract...Microsoft tightens Windows-mainframes link.$LABEL$3 +Pros point to flaws in Windows security update German security company says it found minor problems in SP2; researchers predict more critical issues will emerge.$LABEL$3 +Sears launches consumer electronics line Department store selling projection TVs via Web; will offer them in stores in the fall, with other devices to follow.$LABEL$3 +Wireless sensor networks looking to Zigbee Alliance Imagine a golf course that can sense rainfall, and adjust the automatic sprinkler system to delay a scheduled watering session or focus on parts of the course that didn't get as much rain as others. Or a hotel that can detect when a room is vacant, and turn off the heating or cooling systems in that room to save energy.$LABEL$3 +Web Surfers Hit Higher Speeds The majority of Internet users in the U.S. have ditched dial-up, survey says.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Outlook Tool Launched by You Software You Looking For Another Microsoft Outlook Tool\\Microsoft gobbled up Lookout the other week, an Outlook search tool, but You Software is introducing another option to finding one's way around Outlook - You Perform.\\With hundreds of millions of users around the world, Microsoft Outlook is the standard for business e-mail. One ...$LABEL$3 +Hamm Wins All-Around Gymnastics Title (AP) AP - After falling onto the edge of the judges' table on the landing of his vault, Paul Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympic margin ever.$LABEL$1 +Judge in Bryant Case Loosens Gag Order (AP) AP - The judge in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case has loosened a sweeping gag order after objections from prosecutors, news organizations and attorneys for the accuser.$LABEL$1 +Bulluck Picks Super Bowl Shot Over Cash (AP) AP - Keith Bulluck knows his answer to the question of how much is enough. Coming off his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro season, the Tennessee linebacker could have played out the final year of his contract then become a free agent in search of more money. Instead, he signed a six-year, #36;36 million contract in March and remained a Titan.$LABEL$1 +American Hamm Claims Men's Gymnastics All-Round Crown ATHENS (Reuters) - Paul Hamm became the first American man to claim the Olympic gymnastics men's all-round gold medal on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-Citigroup fined over risky fund recommendations The brokerage watchdog NASD on Tuesday censured Citigroup Inc. (CN: Quote, Profile, Research) and fined the financial services company \$275,000 for violating rules regarding sales of risky investments.$LABEL$2 +UN food agency steps up Sudan aid as rainy season approaches (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - The United Nations' food relief agency is gearing up for a ""critical stage"" in feeding refugees in western Sudan as more people flee ethnic violence there and the rainy season peaks, UN officials said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Cleric Agrees End Uprising, Fighting Continues NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a Shi'ite uprising agreed Wednesday to disarm his militia and leave one of the country's holiest Islamic shrines after warnings of an onslaught by government forces.$LABEL$0 +SA soldiers 'robbed immigrants' Five soldiers appear in court in South Africa accused of robbing Zimbabwean deportees.$LABEL$0 +Israel 'hits' Gaza City targets An Israeli helicopter fires two missiles at targets in Gaza City, Palestinian witnesses say.$LABEL$0 +Paul Hamm Wins All-Around Event After falling on the landing of his vault, Paul Hamm put on two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win Olympic gold, the first ever by a U.S. man.$LABEL$0 +Al-Sadr OKs Plan to End Fighting in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accepted a peace plan Wednesday for Najaf that would disarm his militiamen and remove them from a holy shrine where they are hiding out, according to a spokesman. However, Al-Sadr wanted to negotiate how the deal would be implemented...$LABEL$0 +SEC Gives Final Nod to Google's IPO SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Securities and Exchange Commission granted final approval Wednesday to the paperwork required for Google Inc.'s initial public offering, paving the way for the Internet search giant to set a price for its shares and begin selling them after several stumbles and a last-minute downward revision on the size of the offering...$LABEL$0 +Hamm Wins All-Around Gymnastics Title ATHENS, Greece - After falling onto the edge of the judges' table on the landing of his vault, Paul Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympic margin ever. Needing a 9.825 on high bar, his best event, to tie Kim Dae-eun of South Korea for gold, Hamm was dazzling...$LABEL$0 +Colgate to Cut About 4,400 Jobs Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) will cut about 4,400 jobs and close a third of its factories under a program aimed at fighting rising costs and focusing on higher-profit areas such as oral care, the company said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Lamy Strong Candidate for WTO Job-USTR WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. trade officials said on Tuesday that former European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy would be a ""strong candidate"" to lead the World Trade Organization, but stopped short of formally endorsing him.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Close Higher, Dow Above 10,000 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as investors shrugged off record crude oil prices and bought beaten-down shares, pushing blue chips to close above 10,000 for the first time in 2 weeks.$LABEL$2 +CORRECTED: Charley Shows Progress, Pitfalls in Forecasting (Reuters) Reuters - A few decades ago, the earliest warning\Floridians would have had of a hurricane would have been black\clouds on the horizon. Now people are complaining after\Hurricane Charley hit shore at a point just 60 miles off from\the track projected by meteorologists.$LABEL$3 +Oracle intros Business Intelligence 10g Oracle today introduced the latest version of its Business Intelligence product which combines information access, analysis, reporting, data integration and management tools into a standalone application.$LABEL$3 +Mozilla Sparks New Fire with Thunderbird E-Mail Client Thunderbird is touting its new features, like RSS news and blog reader integration into its e-mail client. Users can scan and sort through hundreds of headlines.$LABEL$3 +Sony Announces PS3 GPU December 07, 2004 - In an announcement made around the midnight hour earlier this morning, Sony Computer Entertainment and NVIDIA Corporation jointly confirmed that they have teamed up to create the graphics chip for Sony #39;s next videogame console.$LABEL$3 +United, American OK flight caps to ease airport gridlock CHICAGO : United Airlines and American Airlines have agreed to temporary flight caps at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport to ease congestion at one of the world #39;s busiest hubs, federal officials said. $LABEL$2 +Stocks End Higher, Dow Back Above 10,000 NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as investors shrugged off record crude oil prices and bought beaten-down shares, pushing blue chips to close above 10,000 for the first time in 3 weeks. $LABEL$2 +Cause of shopping center fire in South Everett under investigation EVERETT Fire investigators are still trying to determine what caused a two-alarm that destroyed a portion of a South Everett shopping center this morning. $LABEL$2 +BigFix eases enterprise deployment of SP2 BigFix, an enterprise security vendor, announced yesterday that its BigFix Enterprise Suite quot;supports and simplifies quot; the deployment of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). $LABEL$3 +Web Surfers Hit Higher Speeds A majority of US home Internet users now have broadband, according to a survey by NetRatings. While the total number of home Internet users has reached a plateau in the US, those who do use the Internet are adopting broadband at a rapid pace, according to ...$LABEL$3 +Compuware Calls for IBM Oust Lawyers for software vendor Compuware (Quote, Chart) filed a motion with a US District Court in Michigan asking a federal judge to impose sanctions against IBM for producing source code two years too late. $LABEL$3 +White House Touts High-End Computing In R amp;D Budgets It #39;s instructing executive-branch heads to give priority to supercomputing and cyberinfrastructure research and development in their fiscal 2006 budgets. $LABEL$3 +Greek sprinters withdraw from Olympics ATHENS -- The final curtain fell Wednesday on a week-long drama that has riveted this nation when Greece #39;s two top sprinters, swept up in a suspected doping scandal, withdrew from the Summer Olympics and competitions that might have ...$LABEL$1 +Olympics : Japan #39;s Kitajima completes breaststroke double ATHENS : Kosuke Kitajima completed a sweep of Olympic breaststroke gold on Wednesday, capturing the 200m title in a Games record ahead of Hungarian teenager Daniel Gyurta. $LABEL$1 +Calls for Sadr militia to disarm NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq #39;s Defence Ministry has ordered Shi #39;ite militiamen in Najaf to immediately lay down their weapons and leave a holy shrine in the city. $LABEL$0 +More Georgian Soldiers Die in South Ossetia Clashes Georgian officials reported four Georgian soldiers were killed in a heavy fighting, which erupted in the South Ossetian conflict zone late on August 18. $LABEL$0 +Riot in Salvadoran jail leaves 20 dead, 30 injured MEXICO CITY, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- A bloody riot Wednesday in the La Esperanza Jail, in Mariona, in the outskirts of San Salvador, left a toll of at least 20 dead and another 30 injured. $LABEL$0 +Intuit Posts Wider Loss After Charge SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intuit Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=INTU.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">INTU.O</A>, maker of the No. 1 U.S. tax presentation software TurboTax, on Wednesday posted a wider quarterly loss from a year earlier after taking a goodwill impairment charge during its seasonally weaker fourth quarter.$LABEL$2 +Software Vendor Lindows Postpones IPO (AP) AP - Software vendor Lindows Inc. formally postponed its initial public offering Wednesday, citing adverse market conditions.$LABEL$3 +Spruced up 64-bit Windows beta ready Microsoft on Wednesday made available the latest builds of its 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, that each features a handful of new improvements including the Luna user interface, Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player, infrastructure support for Bluetooth, and the .Net Framework 1.1.$LABEL$3 +Dollar Up a Bit Against Europe Currencies NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar was a little stronger against the main European currencies but weaker against the yen on Wednesday, with the Japanese currency rallying across the board as dealers adjusted positions.$LABEL$2 +Google Faces Another Keyword Lawsuit Google Faces Another Keyword Lawsuit\\Another lawsuit has been filed against Google because of the trademarked keyterms that companies bid for in the AdWords keyword advertising program. Next week Google will head over to a German courtroom where it will continue to defend its technology against Metaspinner Media GmbH.\$LABEL$3 +Ogunleye Remains Idled in Contract Talks (AP) AP - Idled by a stalemate in contract negotiations, Pro Bowl defensive end Adewale Ogunleye can only wonder where he'll be come September.$LABEL$1 +Portugal Suffers Humiliating Athens Exit in Soccer ATHENS (Reuters) - Portugal were bundled out of the men's soccer tournament at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday after a humiliating 4-2 defeat by Costa Rica.$LABEL$1 +Iraq Cleric Agrees to End Uprising, Fighting Rages On NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a Shi'ite uprising agreed on Wednesday to disarm his militia and leave one of the country's holiest Islamic shrines after warnings of an onslaught by government forces.$LABEL$0 +Argentina to tackle tax 'evaders' The government of Buenos Aires, the richest province of Argentina, says it wants to seize the safety deposit boxes of 35,000 alleged tax debtors. $LABEL$2 +SEC Gives Final Nod to Google #39;s IPO SAN JOSE, Calif. Aug. 18, 2004 The Securities and Exchange Commission granted final approval Wednesday to the paperwork required for Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering, paving the way for the Internet search giant to set a price for its shares and ...$LABEL$2 +O #39;Hare Set to Lose 37 Daily Arrivals Federal officials announced an agreement Wednesday to ease congestion at O #39;Hare International Airport by temporarily cutting 37 daily peak-hour arrivals by United Airlines and American Airlines, its two largest carriers. $LABEL$2 +Moody #39;s raises Dell #39;s senior unsecured debt rating NEW YORK, Aug 18 - Moody #39;s Investors Service said on Wednesday it raised the senior unsecured debt rating of Dell Inc. (DELL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) with a stable outlook citing the firm #39;s strong balance sheet and solid operating and financial ...$LABEL$2 +Roddick, Williams lose in third round Maybe all that talk from Andy Roddick and Venus Williams about taking the Olympics as seriously as a Grand Slam was just that: talk. $LABEL$1 +Hamm stumbles, then soars to gold ATHENS, Greece -- Paul Hamm overcame a fall on the vault to become the first American to win an Olympics men #39;s all-round gymnastics gold medal. $LABEL$1 +Aussie equestrian hopes end in sixth Australia #39;s dreams of an historic fourth successive three-day eventing gold medal ended in disappointment but there was still joy for the team when Andrew Hoy #39;s wife won dual gold medals. $LABEL$1 +Arafat #39;s familiar words must lead to unfamiliar actions If there are any democratic quot;T #39;s quot; to be crossed and quot;I #39;s quot; to be dotted, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat did not leave one undone during his keynote speech to MPs at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah. Arafat looked rejuvenated and emphatic as he ...$LABEL$0 +Salvadoran Prison Riot Kills at Least 20 Prisoners, EFE Reports August 18 (Bloomberg) -- A prison riot in the Central American nation of El Salvador killed at least 20 prisoners and wounded another 30, the Spanish news agency EFE reported, citing prosecutors. $LABEL$0 +PM denies misleading public PRIME Minister John Howard is insisting he has not deliberately misled the Australian public over the children overboard affair. $LABEL$0 +Southern Africa: Zim Election Group Welcomes SADC Guidelines The Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) has welcomed the adoption of guidelines for holding democratic elections at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Mauritius this week. $LABEL$0 +Vivendi, Messier Each Fined EU1 Million by French Regulator Jean-Marie Messier, the former chief of Vivendi Universal SA who is under investigation for alleged fraud and stock manipulation, was fined 1 million euros (\$1.3 million) by French regulator Autoritee des Marches Financiers.$LABEL$2 +Lenovo may be in acquisition talks with IBM HONG KONG - China #39;s biggest computer maker said Tuesday it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure which comes amid reports it might buy IBM Corp.$LABEL$2 +Google Slashes IPO, Gets Pricing Go-Ahead NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.OQ target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.OQ</A> on Wednesday got the green light to go ahead with a downsized version of its much-hyped initial public offering, meaning its shares could debut on Nasdaq as soon as Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Product Review: Business PC Roundup - Part 2 (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Over the last several weeks, NewsFactor has looked at ten of the market's best-known and most sought-after business computers. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The difficult part is finding the one that strikes the best balance between merits and flaws.$LABEL$3 +Analyst: CRM Mergers and Acquisitions Picking Up (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Most industry observers agree that the CRM-software market is picking up speed this year and will continue to do so next year. And most also agree that venture capitalists have been waiting for several years to make their next moves regarding the startups they have backed through the thin years.$LABEL$3 +Vitamin E Thwarts Colds in the Elderly By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Nursing home residents who take daily doses of vitamin E appear to be less likely to develop certain respiratory infections, a new study finds. The protective effect was most pronounced with upper respiratory infections, such as the common cold...$LABEL$3 +Ford kills 'Everest' procurement software system Ford Motor Co. has decided to stop work on a major procurement software system built around Oracle's 11i E-Business Suite of apps and plans to move back toward its original custom-written, mainframe-based applications.$LABEL$3 +NetRatings survey shows broadband users now a majority in U.S. There were an estimated 63 million broadband users, or 51 of all home Internet users, last month compared with 61.3 million dial-up users, 49 of the total, according to a survey by NetRatings Inc.$LABEL$3 +Brief: FedEx Kinko's launches Internet-based print options FedEx Kinko's yesterday launched a Web-based tool geared toward mobile professionals and small businesses that allows Microsoft Windows users to connect to FedEx Kinko's printing centers.$LABEL$3 +Sun postpones September user show In a bid to save money, Sun Microsystems is postponing its SunNetwork 2004 San Francisco user conference and may merge the event with its JavaOne 2005 developer conference, set for next June.$LABEL$3 +Researchers find holes in XP SP2 Security researchers found two software flaws in the Windows XP Service Pack 2 that could allow virus writers and malicious hackers to sidestep new security features in the operating system.$LABEL$3 +HP pledges to correct order processing problems At HP World this week, company officials scrambled to reassure customers that it is working hard to fix its order processing problems by the end of this month.$LABEL$3 +Catching 'gotchas' in tech contracts IT managers and contract specialists often fail to include important criteria in final tech deals, such as performance promises made by vendors during the request for proposals process, said negotiation experts at an IBM Share conference.$LABEL$3 +Netscape 7.2 released Netscape Communications yesterday released Netscape 7.2, which is based on Version 1.7 of Mozilla, the most recent version of the Mozilla Internet application suite.$LABEL$3 +Brief: SAP users warned of false support calls SAP AG is warning customers not to provide confidential information on the phone to people claiming to be company support staff.$LABEL$3 +Review: Robovacs No Match for Normal Vacuum Cleaners By MARK JEWELL BOSTON (AP) -- A new generation of robotic vacuums is ready to do battle with dirt, dust and dog hair with more cleaning power and cunning than their ancestors could muster. Faced with the usual obstacles - furniture, stairs, low-hanging bed skirts and stray socks - they intelligently and acrobatically extricate themselves from most tight spots and largely avoid getting stuck or sucking in what they shouldn't...$LABEL$3 +Sharon's Likud Rejects Coalition Bid--First Returns (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel\Sharon's right-wing Likud party voted Wednesday to bar a\coalition with center-left Labor that he seeks to advance his\Gaza withdrawal plan, according to early returns.$LABEL$0 +UN Concerned by Lack of Darfur Progress on Ground (Reuters) Reuters - The United Nations said on\Wednesday it was concerned by Sudan's lack of progress in\bringing security to Darfur, where more than a million people\have fled their homes for fear of militia attack.$LABEL$0 +Sharon's Likud Rejects Coalition Bid--First Returns TEL AVIV, Israel (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's right-wing Likud party voted Wednesday to bar a coalition with center-left Labor that he seeks to advance his Gaza withdrawal plan, according to early returns.$LABEL$0 +Medtronic Quarterly Net Up (Reuters) Reuters - Medtronic Inc. (MDT.N) on Wednesday\said its quarterly earnings rose on brisk demand for devices\that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat\the spine.$LABEL$2 +Google Says IPO Auction Has Closed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. said on Wednesday that the auction has closed for its initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Bloom Will Appeal Latest NCAA Rebuff (AP) AP - Colorado wide receiver Jeremy Bloom decided Wednesday to keep fighting the NCAA for the right to accept commercial ski endorsements while playing college football.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Forces Kill 50 Sadr Militia in Baghdad Suburb (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. forces killed more than 50 Shi'ite\militiamen Wednesday in a significant advance into a Baghdad\suburb that is a powerbase for radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr,\the military said.$LABEL$0 +Besieging holy sites: past lessons The standoff at one of Islam's holiest shrines parallels one at the Church of the Nativity in 2002.$LABEL$0 +British say US gave terror suspects a heads up Eight alleged terrorists were charged in Britain this week. One was caught with detailed plans of several US buildings.$LABEL$0 +IPO Quiet Period Needs #39;Good, Hard Look #39; -SEC Chief WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rules on what executives may and may not say during the run-up to launching a company onto the public markets need a quot;good, hard look, quot; the top US securities regulator said on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Crude oil crosses the \$47 per barrel mark NEW YORK, August 18 (New Ratings) Crude oil prices reached new record high levels today, following the US Energy Department report regarding the expanded operations by the US refineries and increased gasoline demand for this year. $LABEL$2 +Fleet Bank to lay off workers Hundreds of branch employees at Fleet Bank, one of the largest banks in Philadelphia and now part of Bank of America, are being laid off Wednesday across the Northeast. $LABEL$2 +Intuit Posts Wider Loss After Charge SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intuit Inc. (INTU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , maker of the No. 1 US tax presentation software TurboTax, on Wednesday posted a wider quarterly loss from a year earlier after taking a goodwill impairment charge during its ...$LABEL$2 +Google Gets the Green Light, Markets Perk Up The SEC hurdle had been closely watched after Google made some missteps after announcing its intention to go public, including possibly violating the quiet period regulations. At the market close, the Dow had climbed 110.32 ...$LABEL$2 +Parmalat sues former auditors for at least \$10 bn LONDON, August 18 (New Ratings) The insolvent Italian dairy food product company, Parmalat Finanziaria SpA (PAF.FSE), filed a lawsuit against its former auditors, Deloitte amp; Touche and Grant Thornton, today, seeking damages of at least \$10 billion. $LABEL$2 +Mexican Volkswagen Workers Strike Over Wage Increase Volkswagen workers in Mexico have gone on strike after rejecting a wage increase offered by company management. $LABEL$2 +Synovis shares tumble as profit, revenue fall CHICAGO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Shares of Synovis Life Technologies Inc.(SYNO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) tumbled 13 percent on Wednesday after the company reported a drop in quarterly net income and withdrew its annual and fourth-quarter outlook, citing ...$LABEL$2 +Windows XP SP2 Firewall Last week Microsoft finally released the much-anticipated Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP. This update represents a fundamental change in many aspects of Windows XP security and could reasonably be called the next release of Windows XP as much as a ...$LABEL$3 +Ford kills #39;Everest #39; procurement software system AUGUST 18, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Despite four years in production and an investment of millions of dollars, Ford Motor Co. is pulling the plug on a major procurement software system built around Oracle Corp. #39;s 11i E-Business Suite of applications. $LABEL$3 +Scientists Fear Malaysian Sea Turtles Threatened Scientists warn that the Malaysian populations of several species of sea turtles are on the brink of collapse and could disappear without urgent action to eliminate poaching and other dangers. $LABEL$3 +Hamm Becomes First US Gymnast to Win All-Round Olympic Title Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Paul Hamm out-scored South Korean Kim Dae Eun in the final exercise to become the first US gymnast to win the all-round men #39;s title at an Olympic Games. $LABEL$1 +Return to Olympia worth long wait OLYMPIA Amid the olive trees and just past the ancient ruins, on a hillside bathed in an unrelenting Mediterranean sun, 15,000 spectators from around the world converged on this little town to watch 12 men and 12 women compete in the shot put at the ...$LABEL$1 +Day 5 of Olympics Brings Gold for Some, Major Upsets for Others A total of 21 gold medals will be awarded on Wednesday at the Athens Olympics. Day five medals already awarded include archery, boating and shooting events, as well as judo, cycling, and weightlifting. $LABEL$1 +Radical Shiite Cleric #39;Accepts Peace Plan #39; If the agreement is fulfilled and al-Sadr has made contradictory statements in the past it would resolve a crisis that had angered many of Iraq #39;s majority Shiites and threatened to undermine the fledgling interim government of Prime Minister ...$LABEL$0 + #39;9-11 helper driven by anti-Israeli beliefs #39; A Moroccan accused of helping the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers was part of a group that raged against the United States quot;because it defends Israel quot; and himself approved of Hitler #39;s extermination of the Jews, witnesses testified Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +IBM: Do We Have a Deal? Speculation spreads that China's biggest computer maker will buy IBM's PC business. Also: Clinton attends launch of Chinese search engine powered by AI hellip;. A new DVD can play on old and new HD technology hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +Oil Falls to 3-Month Low on Mild Weather LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than a dollar to a three-month low on Tuesday as mild winter weather sapped demand in the heavy energy consuming U.S. northeast.$LABEL$2 +Wal-Mart does the notebook price limbo The retailer trots out a portable PC for less than \$600. Is it getting ready for a laptop push for the holidays?$LABEL$3 +American Hamm Claims Men's Gymnastics All-Round Crown ATHENS (Reuters) - Paul Hamm etched his name into the record books as he became the first American man to win the Olympic gymnastics all-round crown Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Egypt eyes possible return of ambassador to Israel CAIRO - Egypt raised the possibility Tuesday of returning an ambassador to Israel soon, according to the official Mena news agency, a move that would signal a revival of full diplomatic ties after a four-year break.$LABEL$0 +Woods' Top Ranking on Line at NEC Invite (AP) AP - Tiger Woods already lost out on the majors. Next up could be his No. 1 ranking.$LABEL$1 +Nvidia To Power Next-Gen Sony Console Nvidia Corp. and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) said Tuesday that the two companies are working together to deveop a graphics subsystem for Sony #39;s next-generation video-game console.$LABEL$3 +Mozilla Thunderbird Reaches 1.0 An anonymous reader writes quot;Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 is now available for download on Mozilla #39;s FTP server. quot; Here is the press release announcing the release.$LABEL$3 +NASA Seeks Methods to Repair Shuttles in Flight NASA is hoping techniques that would enable a crew to repair damages to a space shuttle in flight will be ready for the shuttle #39;s planned May 2005 return to space, officials with the agency said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Trend Micro offers cellphone, PDA security CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 7 - Trend Micro has announced the availability of Trend Micro Mobile Security, providing antivirus and anti-spam protection for SMS messaging customers using data-centric mobile phones and PDAs.$LABEL$3 +Regulators clear Google flotation US regulators approve documents relating to Google's flotation, clearing the way for its market debut.$LABEL$2 +Mexican car workers stage walkout Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Mexico, which manufactures VW's New Beetle model, have gone on strike over pay.$LABEL$2 +Heavy rains force another helicopter rescue operation in Britain (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LONDON (AP) - More than 50 people were rescued by a naval helicopter Wednesday after two landslides caused by heavy rain trapped their vehicles on a highway in Scotland, police said.$LABEL$0 +Sharon's Party Bars Bid for Coalition on Gaza Plan TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party voted on Wednesday to bar him from forming a coalition with the Labour opposition, an embarrassing blow that complicates his plan to withdraw from occupied Gaza.$LABEL$0 +Update 1: Sprint Signs \$3 Billion Wireless Pacts Sprint Corp. said Tuesday it reached multi-year agreements totaling \$3 billion with Lucent Technologies Inc., Motorola Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp.$LABEL$2 +Group: Hurricane may cost insurers \$7.4B NEW YORK -- Hurricane Charley will likely cost insurers at least \$7.4 billion, according to the Insurance Institute, an industry trade group that based its estimate on initial claims data from Florida residents and businesses. $LABEL$2 +Medtronic Quarterly Net Up CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. (MDT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said its quarterly earnings rose on brisk demand for devices that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat the spine. $LABEL$2 +Viagra introduces its latest celebrity backer: the devil Gone are the days when coyness ruled the marketing of the drug that helps the condition that men find hard to talk about. In a Madison Avenue dream situation, Viagra is facing some stiff competition in a three-way battle for ...$LABEL$2 +LA parking company lands contract renewal with ABIA Los Angeles-based Ampco System Parking has received a multi-year contract renewal with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. $LABEL$2 +Our most vulnerable citizens don #39;t belong in hurricane danger zones HILTON HEAD, SC Hurricane Charley demonstrated last weekend why some of the nation #39;s most vulnerable folk - the ill, the disabled, and the frail elderly - should think twice before taking up residence in the most dangerous parts of ...$LABEL$3 +US Cyclists Capture Three Medals ATHENS, Greece - Tyler Hamilton #39;s greatest ride capped the finest Olympic day for US cycling, which won three of the six medals awarded in Wednesday #39;s road time trials - surpassing its two total road medals won since the 1984 Games in Los ...$LABEL$1 +American Hamm Claims Men #39;s Gymnastics All-Round Crown ATHENS (Reuters) - Paul Hamm etched his name into the record books as he became the first American man to win the Olympic gymnastics all-round crown Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Cooke Vows to Learn Athens Lesson Nicole Cooke could ride in four or more Olympics but the pain of her first will always be with her. After finishing just outside the medal placings in Sunday #39;s road race, the Welsh cyclist put herself through another half-hour of sun-baked agony in the ...$LABEL$1 +US Women Shatter Olympic 800-Meter Freestyle Relay Record The United States has shattered a 17-year-old world record in the women #39;s Olympic 800-meter freestyle relay. $LABEL$1 +Reid opens his Ireland account Wanted man Andy Reid did his market value no harm by grabbing his first Republic of Ireland goal against Bulgaria at Lansdowne Road tonight. $LABEL$1 +Sadr agrees to lay down arms Iraq #39;s rebel Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr accepted a peace plan to lay down arms and join a Baghdad conference forming an interim national assembly. $LABEL$0 +Karzai Sworn in as Afghanistan's President KABUL (Reuters) - Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president Tuesday, promising to bring peace to the war-torn nation and end the economy's dependence on narcotics.$LABEL$0 +Soldier, 4 Militants Die in Renewed Gaza Fighting GAZA (Reuters) - Four Palestinian militants and an Israeli soldier were killed Tuesday in the heaviest Gaza fighting since Yasser Arafat's death, raising the prospect that renewed violence could complicate a vote for his successor.$LABEL$0 +Ukraine in Turmoil as Agreement Crumbles KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine's outgoing leader denied on Tuesday he had agreed on concessions with his opponents to end a crisis that has plunged the country into turmoil and driven a wedge between Russia and the West.$LABEL$0 +After Bell: Synopsys Falls, CACI Gains NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Synopsys Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SNPS.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SNPS.O</A> tumbled on Wednesday after the semiconductor design software maker reported lower third-quarter net income and said fourth-quarter earnings and revenues would be below Wall Street estimates.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Treasury Debt Prices Drop NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices dropped on Wednesday as the market succumbed to profit-taking after racking up sizable gains over the past month.$LABEL$2 +Intuit Posts Wider Loss on Acquisitions (AP) AP - Intuit Inc., the maker of TurboTax tax-preparation software and QuickBooks accounting programs, posted a wider loss in its latest quarter on acquisition-related expenses.$LABEL$3 +US deaths in combat near 1,000, Iraqi PM meets Putin BAGHDAD (AFP) - The number of US soldiers killed in combat in Iraq neared 1,000 after a spike in violence, as Prime Minister Iyad Allawi prepared for talks in Moscow aimed at reviving business ties despite Russia #39;s opposition to the US-led war.$LABEL$0 +Samsung network aims to keep Olympics on track Cell phones and special network let officials, reporters access info on event results, medal counts, event cancellations and the like.$LABEL$3 +Wal-Mart offers sub-\$600 notebook The retailer trots out a bargain portable PC that packs Wi-Fi. Is it getting ready for a laptop push for the holidays?$LABEL$3 +Google gets IPO green light from SEC The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday gave its approval for Google to proceed with its initial public offering (IPO).$LABEL$3 +FBI Expects Violence at GOP Convention (AP) AP - The FBI anticipates violent protests at the upcoming Republican National Convention in New York but does not have enough evidence to move against any group or person, the bureau's top terrorism official said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Army Deserter to Move to Japan Former US army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins, who deserted to North Korea (news - web sites) four decades ago, said he decided to turn himself in to the US military and risk jail for the sake of his North Korean-born daughters, whom he feared might be $LABEL$0 +Finnish teenagers come top again in school skills Finland has kept its place at the top of a survey measuring teenagers #39; educational skills, with schools in some Asian countries also among the best performers.$LABEL$0 +Temporary Flight Caps Are Just That quot;We #39;ve worked hard to balance the need to provide vibrant air service and grow the economy with the need to clear the skies over O #39;Hare, quot; said Mineta. quot;The process worked, yielding substantial reductions that will produce results for the ...$LABEL$2 +How Redmond Won Newham Microsoft chalked up a couple of government contract wins in the UK this week. But while Redmond touts total cost of ownership studies (TCO), an open source consultant says the numbers don #39;t add up. $LABEL$3 +Spruced up 64-bit Windows beta ready Microsoft on Wednesday made available the latest builds of its 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, that each features a handful of new improvements including the Luna user interface, Windows Messenger, Windows ...$LABEL$3 +Kuranyi gives Klinsmann debut win VIENNA, Austria -- Kevin Kuranyi scored a hat-trick as Germany began life under new coach Juergen Klinsmann with a 3-1 win in a friendly against Austria. $LABEL$1 +Hungary defeats Scotland GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) - Szabolcs Huszti scored two goals as Hungary defeated Scotland 3-0 on Wednesday in an international friendly. $LABEL$1 +Sadr agrees to end Najaf crisis NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a Shi #39;ite uprising has agreed to disarm his militia and leave one of the country #39;s holiest Islamic shrines after warnings of an onslaught by government forces. $LABEL$0 +The Olympics - weapon of mass distraction As Australians watch their country #39;s flag being raised yet again in Athens, it can be imagined that no one is more pleased, nor more relieved, than Prime Minister John Howard, writes The Dominion Post in an editorial. $LABEL$0 +Japan Greets U.S. Army Deserter Jenkins (AP) AP - A North Carolina man who deserted the U.S. Army for North Korea nearly 40 years ago was greeted by cheering crowds Tuesday in his wife's hometown on a remote island in northern Japan, where he said he plans to live his ""remaining days.$LABEL$0 +Scottish landslides trap up more than 50 people (AFP) AFP - More than 50 people were airlifted to safety after landslides caused by violent rain trapped cars on a road in Scotland, just days after flash floods devastated a tourist village in southwest England.$LABEL$0 +NewsView: Mosque Adds Problems for U.S. (AP) AP - The Bush administration is supporting the Iraqi government as it uses diplomacy and the threat of force to oust radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia from a holy shrine in Najaf. At the same time, it is trying to steer clear of becoming the target of an angry Muslim world.$LABEL$0 +After the Bell: Shares of Synopsys Tumble NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Synopsys Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SNPS.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SNPS.O</A> tumbled on Wednesday after the semiconductor design software maker reported lower third-quarter net income and said fourth-quarter earnings and revenues would be below Wall Street estimates.$LABEL$2 +Earl Snyder Called Up to Help Red Sox (AP) AP - Earl Snyder grew up rooting for Red Sox outfielder Ellis Burks. Now he's sitting next to him.$LABEL$1 +U.S.: Al-Sadr Withdrawal Would Be Welcome (AP) AP - The Bush administration reacted suspiciously Wednesday to reports that the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had accepted a peace plan to end fighting in Najaf.$LABEL$0 +'Potential Development' in Peterson Case REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - In a surprise move Wednesday, the judge in Scott Peterson's murder trial postponed the cross-examination of Peterson's former mistress and sent the jury home early because of a ""potential development."" Judge Alfred A...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Close Higher Ahead of Google IPO NEW YORK - Investors shrugged off rising crude futures Wednesday to capture attractively valued shares, sending the Nasdaq composite index up 2 percent ahead of Google Inc.'s much-anticipated initial public offering of stock. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 110 points...$LABEL$0 +Groups Try to Aid Elderly Charley Victims SARASOTA, Fla. - The devastation brought on by Hurricane Charley has been especially painful for an elderly population that is among the largest in the nation...$LABEL$0 +Radical Cleric Accepts Najaf Peace Plan NAJAF, Iraq - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accepted a peace plan Wednesday that would disarm his militia and remove them from their hideout in a revered shrine, raising hopes of resolving a crisis that has angered many of Iraq's majority Shiites and threatened to undermine the fledgling interim government. But al-Sadr has made contradictory statements in the past, and aides to the cleric said he still wanted to negotiate details of the deal to end two weeks of fighting between his forces and U.S.-led troops...$LABEL$0 +Hamm Wins All-Around Gymnastics Title ATHENS, Greece - With his medal hopes all but gone after he hit the judges' table on his vault landing, Paul Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympics margin ever. ""I'm happy right now...$LABEL$0 +Wen Ho Lee Reporters Held in Contempt WASHINGTON - A federal judge held five reporters in contempt Wednesday for refusing to identify their sources for stories about Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear weapons scientist once suspected of spying. U.S...$LABEL$0 +Egypt announces 'breakthrough' on Mideast peace (AFP) AFP - Key players in the search for Middle East peace have reached understanding on a plan that could lead to a comprehensive settlement.$LABEL$0 +MLB, players #39; union engage in steroid talks CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Major League Baseball players and owners are currently meeting to hammer out a deal that would toughen rules on steroid testing in baseball.$LABEL$1 +NVidia to power Sony #39;s Playstation 3 Sony and nVidia are to co-develop a graphics engine to power graphics cards and entertainment consoles. The chip will be used in nVidia #39;s GeForce cards which will power forthcoming consumer devices from Sony $LABEL$3 +Oracle Unveils Standalone Business Intelligence Product Oracle Corp. on Monday introduced a standalone business intelligence product that #39;s designed to address a large portion of an enterprise #39;s analytical requirements, including information access $LABEL$3 +Reading Feeds With Thunderbird The Mozilla Foundation today officially launched the Thunderbird email program - a companion to the Firefox Web browser. If you #39;re on a POP3 or IMAP email server, check out Thunderbird.$LABEL$3 +Weak demand behind Google price cut news analysis Google #39;s decision to cut back its public offering by as much as 30 percent represents a stinging rebuke for a deal once heralded as a surefire windfall not only for the company but the technology industry at large. $LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Set Another Record ARIS, Aug. 18 - Oil prices climbed above \$47 a barrel today, setting yet another record, after figures showed supplies in the United States were down for a third consecutive week while a report from OPEC highlighted the threat of high oil ...$LABEL$2 +US airlines agree to cut flights at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare CHICAGO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - US airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport at peak periods to stem record delays that have slowed aviation nationwide, federal officials said on Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Half of US Web Users Now on Broadband -- Report NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than half of all US residential Internet users reached the Web via fast broadband connections in July, outpacing use of slower, dial-up connections for the first time, market researcher Nielsen//NetRatings said on ...$LABEL$3 +It #39;s hip, it #39;s funky, it #39;s a PC made just for teens AUSTIN (Texas) - It is not your typical, humdrum, slate-coloured computer. Not only is the PC known as the #39;hip-e #39; almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern. $LABEL$3 +Beckham: #39;England needed this boost #39; David Beckham admitted England needed to prove a point by beating Ukraine in Wednesday night #39;s friendly at St James #39; Park. $LABEL$1 +Scotland V Hungary Player Ratings David Marshall The Celtic goalkeeper continued his rapid rise to fame with his first international start. Blameless at the penalty and was given no chance with Hustzi #39;s stunning second. Unlucky to have Pressley #39;s attempted clearance cannon off him ...$LABEL$1 +Lefty done for season with torn left flexor tendon PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Pettitte #39;s frustrating season officially came to an end Wednesday when the Houston Astros announced that the left-hander will undergo surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his left elbow. $LABEL$1 +Bargain-hunting, Iraq deal push up US shares NEW YORK : US share prices surged on Wednesday as bargain hunting and news of a peace deal in the Iraqi city of Najaf overcame all-time high oil prices and weak demand for the Google share float. $LABEL$0 +Pope #39;s French visit leaves debt France #39;s Roman Catholic Church has reported a 1.3m-euro deficit (\$1.6m) from a visit by the Pope to the southern shrine of Lourdes. $LABEL$0 +Five new moons for planet Neptune Five new moons have been discovered orbiting the giant planet Neptune.$LABEL$3 +Vonage: Dial 311 for city info Subscribers of the company's Net phone service can get information on park locations, public transit, and so on.$LABEL$3 +England, Germany Win Cup Qualifying Preps (AP) AP - Looking to rebound after poor showings in Euro 2004, England and Germany won tuneup games Wednesday in preparation for qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup.$LABEL$1 +Dolphins Player Pleads Innocent to Assault (AP) AP - Miami Dolphins receiver David Boston pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges of assaulting a ticket agent at the Burlington International Airport in October.$LABEL$1 +Hairston Out for Season The Orioles learn Wednesday that outfielder Jerry Hairston will be lost for the season with a broken left ankle. Hairston was injured crashing into the outfield wall Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Delta seeks permission to buy back certain bonds NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it was asking permission to buy back debt from about 10 percent of its bondholders, in a first step toward the struggling company #39;s efforts to restructure its ...$LABEL$2 +Briefly: Vonage users dial 311 for city info roundup Plus: Mozilla makes Japanese push...Macromedia offers Flash video tool...UTStarcom wins Indian IP gear contract.$LABEL$3 +IBM chalks up two health care wins The deals with a university medical center and a California health care provider come two weeks after a win with the Mayo Clinic.$LABEL$3 +Results of Presidential Campaign Polls (AP) AP - Results of recent polls on the presidential race. Listed above each set of results is the name of the 2000 winner in a given state, the organization that conducted the poll, the dates, the number interviewed, whether it was adults, registered voters (RV) or likely voters (LV) and the margin of error (MoE). Results may not total 100 percent because of rounding.$LABEL$0 +Crowd Inspires Greek Beach Volleyballers; US Duo Ousted ATHENS (Reuters) - A roaring crowd helped inspire Greece #39;s top women #39;s beach volleyball team to trounce China on Wednesday and reach the next round. $LABEL$1 +Golfer Ryan Baca Misses Cut at US Amateur MAMARONECK, NY - Baylor senior Ryan Baca (Richmond, Texas) finished tied for 128th with a 36-hole total of 155 at the 104th US Amateur golf championship at the 7,266-yard, par-70 Winged Foot Golf Club West Course Tuesday. $LABEL$1 +Sharon #39;s party rejects coalition bid TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon #39;s Likud party has voted to bar him from forming a coalition with the Labour opposition, an embarrassing blow that complicates his plan to withdraw from occupied Gaza. $LABEL$0 +Arafat Admits Mistakes, Slow on Palestinian Reform RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat made a rare admission of mistakes on Wednesday and urged reforms to end corruption after an unprecedented wave of turmoil. $LABEL$0 +African Union pledges to send more troops to Darfur KIGALI,Rawanda, Aug 18, 2004 (RNA)-- The African Union has pledged to send more troops to Darfur, Sudan, to protect civilians in case militias resume attacks on them, official sources told RNA. quot;This is essential in order to give ourselves sufficient ...$LABEL$0 +Study: Global Warming Could Affect Calif. (AP) AP - Global warming could cause dramatically hotter summers and a depleted snow pack in California, leading to a sharp increase in heat-related deaths and jeopardizing the water supply, according to a study released Monday.$LABEL$3 +New Bird Species Found in Philippines (AP) AP - Filipino and British wildlife researchers say they've stumbled upon what appears to be a new species of flightless bird found only on the tiny forested island of Calayan in the northern Philippines.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: IBM chalks up two health care wins roundup Plus: Vonage users dial 311 for city info...Mozilla makes Japanese push...Macromedia offers Flash video tool.$LABEL$3 +Freddie Mac Says May Face SEC Action (Reuters) Reuters - Mortgage finance company Freddie\Mac (FRE.N) on Wednesday said it may face civil action from the\U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations\of securities laws.$LABEL$2 +Freddie Mac Says May Face SEC Action LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=FRE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">FRE.N</A> on Wednesday said it may face civil action from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of securities laws.$LABEL$2 +GOP Incumbent Wins Wyo. Primary for House (AP) AP - Incumbent Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin easily fended off four GOP challengers to earn a shot at a sixth term in November's general election.$LABEL$0 +SEC Gives the Thumbs Up to Google #39;s IPO Earlier Wednesday, Google cut the range of its IPO price to \$85-\$95 per share from \$108-\$135 per share and the number of shares that will be sold from 25.7 million to 19.6 million. The cuts mean Google could raise about \$1.8 billion in ...$LABEL$2 +AUSTRALIA PRESS: Murdoch Drums Up Support For US Move SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--News Corp. (NWS) Chairman Rupert Murdoch said there was quot;no choice quot; but to change the media giant #39;s domicile to the US as he attempts to win over crucial support from Australian investors for the move, the Australian Financial Review ...$LABEL$2 +Delta CEO presents long-awaited plan to board CHICAGO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein presented his long-awaited plan for the airline #39;s future to board members on Wednesday, a strategy that could determine whether the struggling carrier ...$LABEL$2 +Parmalat Sues Grant Thornton and Deloitte Italian-based Parmalat is suing its former auditors -- Grant Thornton International and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu -- for billions of dollars in damages. Parmalat blames its demise on the two companies #39; mismanagement of its finances. $LABEL$2 +Broadband Reaches Critical Mass Nielsen//NetRatings is reporting that broadband connections for the first time reached 51 percent of the American online population at home during the month of July, as compared to 38 percent last July. Sixty-three million Web ...$LABEL$3 +Compuware Blasts IBM #39;s Legal Tactics Two years ago, IBM was ordered to produce the source code for its products, which Compuware identified as containing its pirated intellectual property. The code was missing. But lo and behold -- last week, they called and said they had it, quot; ...$LABEL$3 +A brighter Outlook? The start-up company made its retail debut Wednesday with You Perform, a collection of more than a dozen add-ons for Outlook, the widely used e-mail and calendar application included in Microsoft Office. $LABEL$3 +Five new moons for planet Neptune Five new satellites - and one candidate moon - have been discovered orbiting the giant planet Neptune, bringing its tally of moons to 13. $LABEL$3 +Ford Drops Oracle-based Purchasing System Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday said it has scrapped a 5-year-old project to move suppliers over to an Internet-based purchasing system powered by Oracle Corp. software, deciding instead to revert back to its custom-built system. $LABEL$3 +Pakistani firms answer call for cell phones Tens of thousands of Pakistanis endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in a country where cell phone usage has remained low. $LABEL$3 +UPI NewsTrack Sports ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Paul Hamm produced an amazing comeback Wednesday night to become the first American male to win the Olympic gymnastics all-around gold medal. $LABEL$1 +Historic return but how much has it all changed? The occasion was clearly too much for Kristin Heaton, the first athlete for 1,611 years to compete at the original Olympic Games venue of Olympia. The American opened the women #39;s shot put competition yesterday, but could not ...$LABEL$1 +England Beats Ukraine in World Cup Soccer Warm-Up (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Shaun Wright-Phillips scored in his international debut as England beat Ukraine 3-0 in a warm-up for soccer World Cup qualifying, while Italy lost 2-0 to Iceland. $LABEL$1 +Naked ambition finally earns reward for Williamson For eight years Alison Williamson has been all too aware that the only time she imposed herself on the national consciousness was when she posed nude for a glossy magazine. As of yesterday, she will be remembered as an Olympic bronze ...$LABEL$1 +Doubts over Sadr peace deal The radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was reported last night to have accepted a peace deal that could end the violent two-week uprising in Najaf and see his militia leave the city #39;s Imam Ali Shrine. $LABEL$0 +Typhoon Megi claims six lives Heavy rains from Typhoon Megi pounded Shikoku island in western Japan, killing at least six people, the Mainichi Shimbus reported Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +Freddie Mac May Face SEC Civil Action LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Freddie Mac <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=FRE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">FRE.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. mortgage finance company, on Wednesday said it may face civil action from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of securities laws.$LABEL$2 +IBM tightening Eclipse, Java, Linux links IBM on Thursday will announce the release of a free tools bundle for Eclipse to make it easier to deploy Java applications on Linux.$LABEL$3 +Callahan Gets 'Fresh Start' With 'Huskers (AP) AP - Ten days after getting run out of Oakland, Bill Callahan walked into Lincoln and took over one of the nation's most high-profile college football programs. Time will tell whether it's a soft landing for the man who two years ago led the Raiders to the Super Bowl.$LABEL$1 +Security aide says US will be stronger in Korea after troop withdrawal (AFP) AFP - US national security advisory Condoleezza Rice said that US military power on the Korean peninsula will be stronger even if 12,000 troops are withdrawn under a controversial troop withdrawal plan.$LABEL$0 +Oil soars above 47 on US supply jitters PARIS Oil prices climbed to another high on Wednesday after figures showed US crude supplies were down for a third straight week while a report from OPEC highlighted the threat of high oil prices for world economies. $LABEL$2 +Barclays set to purchase credit card company LONDON Barclays said Wednesday it would buy the US credit card company Juniper Financial for \$293 million as part of its international expansion plan. $LABEL$2 +Bank Of America Layoffs Effect Fleet Banks Employees Bank of America acquired Boston-based Fleet Financial Corporation last Spring -- promising at the time there would be no job cuts from the merger. $LABEL$2 +Fuel surcharges grow LONDON Air France and its unit KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, as well as British Midland Airways, announced new fare surcharges on Wednesday as a result of higher fuel costs. They follow similar moves by British Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa. $LABEL$2 +Inflation slows across euro region BRUSSELS Inflation in the 12 countries sharing the euro slowed for a second month in July as faltering consumer demand deterred companies from passing on rising energy costs. But economists said higher oil prices may fuel a reversal of that trend as the ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft delays upgrade REDMOND, Washington Microsoft has delayed the automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional computer operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it. $LABEL$3 +Half of US web users use Broadband internet connection A small majority of US Internet users are connected with broadband service for the first time. 51 percent of home Internet connections are broadband services in July, according to a Nielsen/NetRatings report. $LABEL$3 +Mars Hills, Crater Yield Evidence of Flowing Water LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The hills of Mars yielded more tantalizing clues about how water shaped the Red Planet in tests by NASA #39;s robotic geologist, Spirit, while its twin, Opportunity, observed the deep crater it climbed into two months ...$LABEL$3 +Compuware asks court to sanction IBM An emergency motion was filed Friday the 13th of August in US District Court of Eastern Michigan, Compuware said that IBM failed to provide essential evidence, which includes several pieces of disputed software source code, until after the case #39;s ...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Previews 64-Bit XP, Promises No Price Hikes It posted a free beta version, and said the new edition would be priced at the same level as the 32-bit edition. $LABEL$3 +Less Outlook clutter with new add-on Toolkit You Software, a small Oregon based company, released a set of add-on tools for Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail client, on Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Brazil hit Haiti for six in Peace Match PORT-AU-PRINCE, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick as world champions Brazil cantered to a 6-0 win over Haiti in a friendly dubbed the Peace Match on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Berlusconi shrugs off fears of new terror threat after Sardinia bomb scare Silvio Berlusconi brushed off fears yesterday of a fresh terrorist threat in Italy, insisting he would finish his holiday in Sardinia despite a bomb scare in the seaside town where Tony Blair ended a flying visit yesterday. $LABEL$0 +Death toll of Salvadoran jail riot rises to 30 MEXICO CITY, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- A riot taking place Wednesday at La Esperanza Jail, in Mariona, in the outskirts of El Salvador,left a toll of 30 dead and 28 injured, with six grenades exploding. $LABEL$0 +Iraqi group threatens to kill missing journalist BAGHDAD - A militant group has released a video saying it kidnapped a missing journalist in Iraq and would kill him unless US forces left Najaf within 48 hours. $LABEL$0 +Medtronic Net Up on Higher ICD Sales CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MDT.N</A> on Wednesday said its quarterly earnings rose on surprisingly brisk demand for devices that slow racing heartbeats, offsetting a weaker-than-expected performance in some of its other businesses.$LABEL$2 +Shielding Your Skin From the Summer Sun Americans have a passion for the great outdoors but often seem downright lackadaisical about protecting their skin from the sun's damaging rays. Myths about sun exposure -- and there are quite a few -- may encourage people's risky behaviors, experts say.$LABEL$3 +Health Highlights: Aug. 18, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: ----- Greek Athletes Who Missed Drug Test Quit Games The two Greek athletes who missed a drug test on Aug. 12 have withdrawn from the Olympic Games...$LABEL$3 +Google Gets IPO Go-Ahead After rocky road to public offering, search engine proceeds--but what will it do with its windfall?$LABEL$3 +New Program Lets People Design 3-D Objects Programs for computer-aided design, or CAD, have been around for decades, but eMachineShop.com appears to be the first service that checks whether a design can be made, tells the customer how much it will cost. If the customer wants the item the design goes to a ""real world"" machine shop for manufacturing.$LABEL$3 +New Target Price Could Make Google a Bargain By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ NEW YORK (AP) -- The e-mail that popped into my inbox early Wednesday morning was the latest in a string of surprises in Google's long-awaited IPO...$LABEL$3 +Pakistan's Ruling Party Claims Win in Vote (AP) AP - The ruling party claimed victory Wednesday in special elections designed to clear the path for Pakistan's finance minister to be elevated to prime minister. The opposition said the vote was rigged.$LABEL$0 +Pope's French visit leaves debt France's Catholic Church posts a huge deficit after a weekend visit by the Pope to the southern shrine of Lourdes.$LABEL$0 +Corzine Indicates He Will Not Seek Governorship of New Jersey Senator Jon S. Corzine said that Gov. James E. McGreevey had told him he was determined to hold office until Nov. 15, removing the possibility of a special election.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Near Flat; J J Pressures Dow NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with oil prices dropping below \$42 a barrel helping to support markets, but Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A> put pressure on the Dow following a report of a possible \$24 billion takeover of cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A>.$LABEL$2 +Google Gets IPO Go-Ahead (PC World) PC World - After rocky road to public offering, search engine proceeds--but what will it do with its windfall?$LABEL$3 +Bedrock in Mars' Gusev Crater Hints at Watery Past Now that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is finally examining bedrock in the ""Columbia Hills,"" it is finding evidence that water thoroughly altered some rocks in Mars' Gusev Crater.$LABEL$3 +Injuries Continue to Bedevil Cardinals (AP) AP - Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Kenny King needs surgery on his right wrist and probably will miss the season, the latest hit to a team struggling with injuries.$LABEL$1 +Raptors Sign Center Loren Woods (AP) AP - The Toronto Raptors signed free agent center Loren Woods on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Heavy Rains Wash Out Mets-Rockies Game (AP) AP - Heavy rains washed out Wednesday night's game between the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies before it ever started.$LABEL$1 +Venezuela Opposition Refuses Recall Audit (AP) AP - Maintaining that a failed referendum to oust Venezuela's president was rigged against them, opposition leaders Wednesday refused to participate in a partial audit of the results as proposed by former President Jimmy Carter.$LABEL$0 +Bush Says Importing Medicines 'Makes Sense' if Safe (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush, facing growing\anger among senior citizens over the high cost of prescription\drugs and a virtual revolt by some states, conceded on\Wednesday it ""makes sense"" for Americans to be able to import\cheaper medicines as long as they are safe.$LABEL$0 +Ghana election draws strong turnout Snaking lines of hundreds of voters built up at balloting places across Ghana on Tuesday, as the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence voted for president.$LABEL$0 + #39;The world is more dangerous #39; The war on terror has made the world a more dangerous place, Pakistan #39;s president has said. General Pervez Musharraf said the world was quot;absolutely quot; less safe, because the war was not addressing the causes of terrorism.$LABEL$0 +Finnish Students Rank #1 in the World Which country has the smartest students in the world? According to a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, pupils in Finland tested higher than those in any other country.$LABEL$0 +Australia amp; New Zealand Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Andrew Mohl (left), chief executive of AMP Ltd., talks with Bloomberg #39;s Kevin Foley in Sydney about first-half profit, investment fees and the strategy for its 10-percent stake in HHG Plc. AMP, Australia #39;s largest life insurer, ...$LABEL$2 +Nortel #39;s Accounting Under Investigation Nortel Networks is under investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for irregularities in past accounting practices. Announcement of the investigation -- two days before its release of first- and second-quarter financials -- caused ...$LABEL$2 +Freddie Mac faces SEC action LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Freddie Mac, the No. 2 US mortgage finance company, said Wednesday it may face civil action from the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of securities laws. $LABEL$2 +Bank of England Should Take a Breather at 4.75 Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- It #39;s time for the Bank of England to take a breather, chill out and learn to stop worrying about the ghost of inflation past. $LABEL$2 +Ford Drops Oracle-based Purchasing System Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday said it has scrapped a five-year-old project to move suppliers over to an Internet-based purchasing system powered by Oracle software, deciding instead to revert back to its custom-built ...$LABEL$3 +Seiko Epson unveils latest mini robot helicopter Japanese company Seiko Epson says it has developed a mini helicopter that is the lightest of its kind and can be used for lifesaving and surveillance. $LABEL$3 +Hamm bounces back after fall to talke gymnastic gold A fall on his vault landing sent Hamm stumbling into the judges #39; table and all the way down to 12th place in the all-around gymnastics final. $LABEL$1 +Team GB Hoping for More Olympic Success Team GB will be hoping for more of the same at the Olympics today after finally delivering on the big stage with a four-medal haul. $LABEL$1 +Paes-Bhupathi overcome injury scare and Federer Athens, Aug 19. (PTI):Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi overcame an injury scare and world number one singles #39; player Roger Federer of Switzerland to advance to the quarterfinals of the men #39;s doubles tennis event at the Olympic Games here on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Al-Sadr agrees to peace plan BAGHDAD, Iraq - Radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militia has been fighting American and Iraqi forces for almost two weeks in Najaf, agreed Wednesday to a peace plan proposed by an Iraqi national ...$LABEL$0 +Barghouti may be ready to quit PA race Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti may be close to withdrawing from the race for Palestinian Authority president. Hatem Abdel Kader, a member of Fatah #39;s $LABEL$0 +Bush speaks of 'Soviet dinar' in speech about Iraq (AFP) AFP - US President George W. Bush spoke of ""the Soviet dinar,"" even though dinars are the Iraqi currency.$LABEL$0 +Google Lowers Expectations for Its Value (AP) AP - Google Inc. dramatically lowered expectations for the Internet search giant's value Wednesday ahead of its much ballyhooed coming out party in the public markets. The offering is still one of the biggest and highly anticipated for an Internet company, surpassing the hot issues of the dot-com boom.$LABEL$3 +End of the line for HP's Alpha The last processor of the chip family is due Monday, signaling the end of a dynasty that never was.$LABEL$3 +Hamm Wins All-Around Gymnastics Title (AP) AP - With his medal hopes all but gone after he hit the judges' table on his vault landing, Paul Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympics margin ever.$LABEL$1 +Iraq Cleric Agrees to End Uprising, Fighting Rages On (Reuters) Reuters - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a\Shi'ite uprising agreed on Wednesday to disarm his militia and\leave one of the country's holiest Islamic shrines after\warnings of an onslaught by government forces.$LABEL$0 +Wen Ho Lee Reporters Held in Contempt (AP) AP - A federal judge held five reporters in contempt Wednesday for refusing to identify their sources for stories about Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear weapons scientist once suspected of spying.$LABEL$0 +Sharon's Party Rebels, Imperils Gaza Pullout Plan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party has dealt a serious setback to his plan to evacuate occupied Gaza by voting to bar him from forging a broad coalition with the Labour opposition.$LABEL$0 +Mozilla launching second act with e-mail client Editor #39;s Summary: The Mozilla Foundation has followed up on the recent success of its Firefox browser with a new open source e-mail client.$LABEL$3 +IMlogic unveils IM, P2P threat-detection network DECEMBER 07, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - IMlogic Inc. and several partners today unveiled a new instant messaging quot;threat center quot; clearinghouse aimed at fighting IM viruses, malicious software code and spam before they occur.$LABEL$3 +Delta turnaround plan to include job cuts Delta Air Lines #39; much-awaited turnaround plan will include more job cuts at the ailing carrier, along with pay and benefits changes. $LABEL$2 +Firewall Protection Without the Conflicts . I understand that Microsoft #39;s Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, a new update, includes improved firewall protection. I currently use Norton Personal Firewall; will any incompatibility result when both firewalls are installed, and is one ...$LABEL$3 +Worst-case scenario comes to pass for US tennis Second-ranked Andy Roddick overplayed this summer and hasn #39;t scored a big win since March and for the first time since she became a legitimate pro, four-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has become vulnerable to anyone inside of the top 40. $LABEL$1 +Americans Smash Last East German Swim World Record ATHENS (Reuters) - The last long-course world swimming record held by now discredited Communist East Germany was finally consigned to history by an American quartet at the Olympics on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Expos #39; Move Remains Undecided ommissioner Bud Selig #39;s three-year contract extension, the start of a television network and a World Cup tournament are likely to gain overwhelming approval from baseball #39;s owners this week, while a decision on the future home of ...$LABEL$1 +Montreal end Giants run Montreal Expos ended the San Francisco Giants #39; six-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Arafat admits he has made many mistakes Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, issued an unprecedented mea culpa yesterday, admitting that he had made mistakes and promising to rectify them. $LABEL$0 +Nepal closes for business as Maoist blockades cut off capital Threats from Maoist rebels in Nepal brought business in the Himalayan kingdom to a halt yesterday, as traffic blockades kept supplies from the capital, Kathmandu. There is only about 10 weeks #39; worth of food in the city, and many travellers ...$LABEL$0 +Typhoon lashes southern Japan; 8 dead TOKYO -- Heavy rain fueled by a typhoon lashed southern Japan, leaving eight people dead and causing landslides and blackouts, officials said Thursday. Two people were missing. $LABEL$0 +Regulators to Widen Mutual Fund Probe (Reuters) Reuters - Misconduct in the U.S. mutual fund\industry is not limited to fund share trading; it's not even\limited to funds, say market regulators.$LABEL$2 +Third-Quarter Productivity Slows to 1.8 The productivity of America #39;s workers grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the slowest pace in nearly two years, the government reported Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Lindows postpones IPO indefinitely Lindows, the Linux-based software developer best known for its legal battles with Microsoft Corp., has indefinitely shelved its plans to become a publicly traded company due to ""current adverse market conditions,"" it announced Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Credit Suisse to merge CSFB Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland #39;s second-biggest bank, plans to combine its Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) securities unit with its banking business in the next two years to boost earnings.$LABEL$2 +Sharon seeks support for planned coalition; Gaza violence kills <b>...</b> JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tried to rally support for the building of a new coalition to implement his planned pullout from Gaza, where two Palestinian militants and an Israeli soldier were killed in a new upsurge of violence.$LABEL$0 +The Investment Column: BHP buoyed by China recovery Like the big oil companies, the world #39;s mining majors are experiencing an embarrassment of riches due to very high commodity prices. BHP Billiton is in the happiest position: it is both the world #39;s biggest miner and has a substantial oil production ...$LABEL$2 +Barclays buys US credit card firm Barclaycard, the UK #39;s largest credit card provider, moved closer to making its first steps in the US market yesterday as its parent group, Barclays, snapped up Juniper Financial Corporation, the North American consumer credit firm, for ...$LABEL$2 +Medtronic Net Up on Higher ICD Sales CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. (MDT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said its quarterly earnings rose on surprisingly brisk demand for devices that slow racing heartbeats, offsetting a weaker-than-expected performance in some ...$LABEL$2 +End of the line for HP #39;s Alpha Hewlett-Packard will release its final Alpha processor on Monday, the beginning of the end for a chip dynasty that never was. $LABEL$3 +Greek pair jump to avoid push The Greek sprinters Kostantinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou facing sanctions after missing drugs tests quit the Games yesterday to avoid the humiliation of being thrown out by the IOC. $LABEL$1 +Soccer: Beckham and Owen lead England to World Cup warm-up win NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND - England deservedly beat Ukraine 3-0 today in their only soccer quot;friendly quot; before the start of their 2006 World Cup qualifying programme next month. $LABEL$1 +Ueno lifts Japan to most judo gold ever ATHENS (Kyodo) Masae Ueno captured the women #39;s 70-kg gold medal, but Hiroshi Izumi had to settle for silver in the men #39;s 90-kg in the judo competition at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +A Note to Lula: Haiti Is in Brazil The English writer George Orwell once expressed doubts about the wisdom of sports contests as a way of bringing nations together. He was writing during the Cold War when the sports arena became a substitute battlefield between the West and East. $LABEL$1 +Wilkinson to raise the bar Sir Clive Woodward yesterday joined the chorus of acclaim that greeted Jonny Wilkinson #39;s return to action on Tuesday night after eight months on the sidelines with a neck injury. $LABEL$1 +Sharon Rebuffed by Party, as Arafat Admits Making Mistakes AMALLAH, West Bank, Aug. 18 - The leaders of Israel and the Palestinians faced deep dissension in their constituencies on Wednesday, with Yasir Arafat making a rare admission of personal error to those seeking change, and Ariel Sharon ...$LABEL$0 +Bomb Is Defused Near a Villa Where Berlusconi Met With Blair OME, Aug. 18 - The police defused a bomb early Wednesday morning in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, the town where hours earlier Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had entertained the British prime minister, Tony Blair, and his wife, Cherie. $LABEL$0 +El Salvador Prison Battle Kills 31 Inmates SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Rival groups of inmates battled with guns, grenades and machetes at a prison in El Salvador on Wednesday, killing at least 31 prisoners. $LABEL$0 +Eight dead as typhoon brings heavy rain to southern Japan Eight people are dead and two are missing in southern Japan because of heavy rain brought by a typhoon. $LABEL$0 +Vaughan banks on attack ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan said today that he expects an evenly matched series with South Africa but suggests his bowlers hold the key.$LABEL$1 +Paris Remembers Jewish Detention Camp (AP) AP - A celebration marking Paris' 60th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi Germany is planned next week. But nothing official was planned for a more somber anniversary Wednesday #151; the liberation of a Jewish detention camp outside Paris that ended one of the most shameful episodes in modern French history.$LABEL$0 +Colombia reverses hostages stance Colombia offers to exchange jailed rebels for hostages held by Farc militants - a reversal of earlier policy.$LABEL$0 +Poll: Voters Eyeing National Security WASHINGTON - Concern about national security is dominating public attention in the final months of the presidential campaign because of continuing fears of terrorism and unhappiness about the war in Iraq, according to a poll released Wednesday. ""For the first time since the Vietnam era, national security issues are looming larger than economic issues in an election year,"" said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People the Press...$LABEL$0 +Johnson and Johnson Looks to Buy Guidant Johnson and Johnson is in negotiations to acquire Guidant, one of the largest American makers of devices to treat heart and circulatory illnesses.$LABEL$2 +EU Appeal to US to bring up Dollar European Central Bank President Jean- Claude Trichet joined European finance ministers in appealing to the US to stem the decline of the dollar, warning that the currencys slide risks derailing global growth.$LABEL$2 +Putting the PC in the PRC IBM may need to do some creative deal making in order to sell PC business to China #39;s Lenovo. By Robert Cyran, Breakingviews. LONDON (Breakingviews) - It #39;s no surprise IBM is in talks to sell its PC business $LABEL$2 +Freddie Mac May Face SEC Action (Reuters) Reuters - Freddie Mac (FRE.N), the No. 2 U.S.\mortgage finance company, on Wednesday said it may face civil\action from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for\possible violations of securities laws.$LABEL$2 +Mars Rovers Find More Evidence of Water (AP) AP - The twin Mars rovers have found a wonderland of weird rocks and enticing dunes along with more evidence the Red Planet once had water, NASA scientists said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Nestle #39;s 1st-Half Net Profit Hits \$2.28B VEVEY, Switzerland Aug. 18, 2004 Nestle SA posted a modest 2 percent increase in profits for the first half of the year as it faced such challenges as higher prices for raw materials like milk and coffee as well as cooler temperatures,which dampened ...$LABEL$2 +Google Inc. says its initial public shares are priced at \$85 each SAN JOSE, Calif. (CP) - Google Inc. says its initial public shares are priced at \$85 each, at the low end of the Internet search giant #39;s downgraded estimates. $LABEL$2 +Pakistan Mobile Phone Firms Vie for Pent-Up Demand ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Pakistanis endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in a country where cell phone usage has remained low. $LABEL$3 +A quick getaway: Greek sprinters beat expulsion by walking out on the games The final curtain yesterday came down on the Greek tragedy which has overshadowed the first week of the Athens Olympics when the sprinters Kostas Kederis and Ekaterini Thanou withdrew from the games. $LABEL$1 +Pettitte out for the season PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Pettitte #39;s first year as a non-Yankee ended yesterday in appropriately depressing fashion: His team was here at Citizens Bank Park, and he was back home in Houston, preparing for season-ending surgery. $LABEL$1 +Canadian Allenby, NCAA champion Moore advance at US Amateur golf event MAMARONECK, NY (CP) - NCAA champion Ryan Moore and Canadian James Allenby were among 32 golfers who advanced with match-play victories Wednesday at the US Amateur. $LABEL$1 +Australia #39;s Downer Calls on North Korea to Attend Nuclear Talks Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he used his visit to North Korea to call on the communist country to attend the next round of six-nation talks on dismantling its nuclear program. $LABEL$0 +Lourdes needs manna from heaven The Catholic shrine of Lourdes yesterday opened a special bank account and appealed for donations from the faithful after it emerged that last weekend #39;s visit by the Pope had left it with a 1.2m (812,000) deficit. $LABEL$0 +Google IPO Prices at #36;85/share - Source (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc.'s GOOG.O initial\public offering of 19.6 million shares priced at #36;85 each, the\low end of their projected range, a source familiar with the\auction said on Wednesday, raising #36;1.67 billion and making it\the fourth-largest U.S. IPO this year.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO Prices at \$85/share - Source SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc.'s GOOG.O initial public offering of 19.6 million shares priced at \$85 each, the low end of their projected range, a source familiar with the auction said on Wednesday, raising \$1.67 billion and making it the fourth-largest U.S. IPO this year.$LABEL$2 +Google's Insiders Strike It Rich With IPO (AP) AP - Lots of people are hoping to get rich off Google Inc.'s stock now that the online search engine's IPO is finally completed. Here's a look at some of the investors that have already locked in huge profits by selling a portion of their stakes:$LABEL$3 +Car-Tracking Device Trades Privacy for Dollars (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Opinion: A device using GSM/GPS wireless that reports your car's wherabouts #151;which is in pilot testing for a British insurance company #151;is the latest example of a technology marvel that brings a serious loss of privacy.$LABEL$3 +Lindows Backs Out of IPO (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Fresh out of its #36;20 million settlement with Microsoft, the company says it ""won't be forced into a cut-rate IPO by a fickle stock market."" Instead, it plans to wait until conditions improve.$LABEL$3 +More evidence of Martian water NASA #39;s Mars rovers have uncovered more tantalizing evidence of a watery past on the Red Planet, scientists said Wednesday. And the rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are continuing to do their jobs months after they were expected to ...$LABEL$3 +Alison Williamson takes bronze to hit her Olympic target after 12 years Inspired by the magnificent surroundings of the Panathinaiko stadium and assisted by a gust of wind and a police siren, the British archer Alison Williamson ended her 12-year quest for an Olympic medal at the fourth attempt when she won bronze in the ...$LABEL$1 +ATHENS OLYMPICS 2004 / Ueno wins Japan #39;s 5th judo gold Masae Ueno will certainly have a tale to tell when she gets back to her Tokyo office. Ueno joined the parade of Japanese Olympic judo champions, winning the women #39;s 70-kilogram gold medal Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Pitcher presumably suffered injury on two-run single PHILADELPHIA -- Considering the number of times Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens were mentioned in the same breath this year, perhaps it #39;s only fitting they should both make headlines with their respective injuries on the same ...$LABEL$1 +Wilkinson #39;s form cheers Woodward The optimism felt by Jonny Wilkinson following his successful comeback for Newcastle in Galway this week was echoed yesterday by a buoyant Sir Clive Woodward, who can now look forward to welcoming his prize asset back into the England fold next month. $LABEL$1 +Football: Early Case Of Liver Damage LIVERPOOL unveiled new signing Antonio Nunez yesterday - but just a few hours later he was lying in agony on the treatment table. The Spaniard - who joined from Real Madrid as part of the deal that saw Michael Owen head in the opposite ...$LABEL$1 +Streaking Red Sox Flutter by Blue Jays 6-4 (AP) AP - Tim Wakefield pitched eight strong innings and the Boston Red Sox moved a season-high 15 games over .500 with a 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Sadr agrees to end Najaf crisis: Iraqi delegates BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi delegates to a conference choosing a national assembly said on Wednesday that radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had agreed to government demands to end the crisis in the holy city of Najaf, 160 km south of ...$LABEL$0 +Radical group plants bomb near Blair holiday villa THE threat to leading politicians from terrorist attack was underlined yesterday when extremists were able to plant a bomb close to the Sardinian villa where Tony and Cherie Blair were staying as guests of Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister. $LABEL$0 +Sharon loses crucial party vote Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, suffered a massive blow to his project to withdraw from settlements in the Gaza Strip last night when his party refused to allow him to invite new partners into the government who might have backed his plans. $LABEL$0 +Summit declares Burundi Hutu FNL rebels #39;terrorists #39; DAR ES SALAAM - African leaders on Wednesday declared quot;a terrorist organisation quot; the rebels who claimed the slaughter of at least 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees in Burundi, but failed to impose sanctions on their group. $LABEL$0 +Profit rises at Chinese mobile giant China Mobile (Hong Kong), the world #39;s largest cellphone operator ranked by customers, said Wednesday that profit rose 7.8 percent in the first half of this year after the company enrolled more new subscribers by offering less-expensive services. Net ...$LABEL$2 +Freddie Mac May Face SEC Action WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US mortgage finance company, on Wednesday said it may face civil action from the US Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of securities laws. $LABEL$2 +Intuit 4Q Loss Widens on Charge MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP)--Intuit Inc. #39;s loss widened for the fourth quarter ended July 31, hurt by slower seasonal sales of the company #39;s tax and finance software and an impairment charge from its decision to sell one of its businesses, the company said ...$LABEL$2 +Techs Lead Tokyo Stocks Up TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average added 0.8 percent by midday on Thursday as tech issues got a lift from a rally on the Nasdaq, but gains were capped and trading choppy as high oil prices fueled concerns about the world economy.$LABEL$2 +US Airways' Grim Warning If US Airways files for bankruptcy a second time, its chairman says, there will be no outside investor, other airline or government aid to rescue it.$LABEL$2 +Alaska Researchers Try to Breed Rare Ducks (AP) AP - Researchers at the Alaska Sealife Center are getting an education in the sex lives of a rare sea duck species that is disappearing from its nesting grounds in Alaska.$LABEL$3 +IBM center gives partners a Linux playground A new set of offerings formed with the expansion of the IBM Virtualization Center has a distinct Linux flavor, including an online quot;how to quot; guide for porting from Windows, Unix or Linux to Linux on Power5.$LABEL$3 +Giants Rout Expos for Doubleheader Split (AP) AP - Barry Bonds homered for the third time in two days to help lead the San Francisco Giants to a 14-4 rout of the Montreal Expos in the second game of a doubleheader after losing the opener Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Gymnast Goes From Oops to a Gold Medal With spectacular performances on his final two events, American Paul Hamm pulled out one of the biggest comebacks in Olympic gymnastic history.$LABEL$1 +Taylor Is Moving Closer A penchant for making big plays and the recent release of Ifeanyi Ohalete has ripped open the door for rookie Sean Taylor to claim a starting spot.$LABEL$1 +Cardinals Lose King Cardinals defensive tackle Kenny King will miss the season after undergoing surgery to repair tendons in his wrist on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Fong, First Asian-American Senator, Dies (AP) AP - Hiram L. Fong, a son of immigrants who overcame poverty to become a millionaire businessman and the first Asian-American elected to the U.S. Senate, died Wednesday. He was 97.$LABEL$0 +Nigeria plans mission to Darfur as Sudan pledges to restore peace (AFP) AFP - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo called for lawmakers to approve the deployment of up to 1,500 peacekeeping troops to Sudan's war-torn province of Darfur, as Khartoum pledged to restore order there.$LABEL$0 +'Better' head injury test devised Scientists develop an electronic device to test for serious head injuries.$LABEL$0 +Rebel in Najaf Sends Messages of Conciliation Moktada al-Sadr suggested he would vacate the shrine in Najaf, disband the Mahdi Army and transform it into a political party.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Criticizes President's Troop Plan Senator John Kerry said that the plan to move 70,000 troops out of Europe and Asia was ill-advised in view of the North Korean nuclear threat.$LABEL$0 +Winfrey, Jury Convict Man of Murder CHICAGO - A jury that included talk show host Oprah Winfrey convicted a man of murder Wednesday after a trial that turned into a media frenzy because of the billionaire in the jury box. Jurors deliberated for more than two hours before convicting 27-year-old Dion Coleman of first-degree murder in the February 2002 shooting death of 23-year-old Walter Holley...$LABEL$0 +O2 outlines 3G catch up strategy O2 has outlined its plans to catch up with 3G rivals Orange and Vodafone by rolling out what it claims will be Europe #39;s first super-fast 3G mobile data network.$LABEL$3 +Dell excludes UK from price cuts Dell is slashing prices on corporate IT solutions by up to 22, but only for US customers. The cuts come on the back of impressive trading figures and lower component costs for Dell, and cover enterprise servers, desktops and laptops.$LABEL$3 +Earliest Signs of Winemaking Found in China Neolithic people in China may have been the first in the world to make wine, according to scientists who have found the earliest evidence of winemaking from $LABEL$3 +Restated 2004 Nortel results set for release Nortel Network Corp. #39;s board of directors was scheduled to meet last night to approve financial data that will be released this morning, giving the public its first look at the company #39;s 2004 performance. $LABEL$2 +Qantas profit takes off Australia #39;s dominant airline, Qantas, has nearly doubled its annual profits after recovering from the previous year #39;s Iraq war and SARS induced downturn. $LABEL$2 +Dream Team most unpopular athletes in Olympics These Dream Team impostors are jeered in Athens bars by Americans, booed in the arena by Greeks and the rest of the world, despised back home by people fed up watching their selfish ways on TV. $LABEL$1 +Ueno, Zviadauri take judo golds Two-time defending champion Masae Ueno earned Japan #39;s fifth gold medal in 10 judo events on Wednesday, extending her three-year undefeated streak in major international competition with an Olympic victory. $LABEL$1 +Ichiro hit by pitch, leaves game KANSAS CITY -- Ichiro Suzuki, the hottest hitter in the Major Leagues since the All-Star break, was hit in the head by a pitch in the third inning Wednesday night and was removed from the Mariners game against the Royals. $LABEL$1 +Late Nigerian Dictator Looted Nearly \$500 Million, Swiss Say ERN, Switzerland, Aug. 18 - Almost all of the nearly \$500 million frozen in Swiss bank accounts connected with the late Nigerian dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, was quot;obviously of criminal origin quot; and may be returned to the Nigerian ...$LABEL$0 +Anti spam bid canned The screensaver launched last week appeared to be a victim of its own success after it was believed over 100,000 people downloaded it within hours of Lycos Europe putting the specially designed screensaver online.$LABEL$3 +Oracle pushes on BI DECEMBER 07, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle Corp. has unveiled Business Intelligence 10g, a stand-alone product that executives said will provide query, reporting and analysis, dashboards, data integration and BI application development.$LABEL$3 +Group Formed to Track, Thwart IM Threats A group of Internet security and instant messaging providers have teamed up to detect and thwart the growing threat of IM and peer-to-peer viruses and worms, they said this week.$LABEL$3 +Shuttle may fly without puncture repair kit NASA is working feverishly to return the space shuttle to flight in May 2005, but it may fly without the capability to fix cracks or holes of the type that doomed Columbia in 2003, officials said on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Cisco, Fujitsu Ally on Router Sales in Asia The Asian market accounted for 9.4 percent of Cisco #39;s sales in the quarter ended October 30, down from 10 percent last year. The spread of high-speed broadband Internet $LABEL$3 +Medtronic Net Up on Higher ICD Sales (Reuters) Reuters - Medtronic Inc. (MDT.N) on Wednesday\said its quarterly earnings rose on surprisingly brisk demand\for devices that slow racing heartbeats, offsetting a\weaker-than-expected performance in some of its other\businesses.$LABEL$2 +Royals Rally to Defeat Mariners 3-2 (AP) AP - John Buck hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Ravens Wait for Sanders While Deion Sanders's return appears more and more imminent, the major remaining question is when the former star will join the Baltimore Ravens.$LABEL$1 +Study: U.S. Needs to Fight Medicare Fraud (AP) AP - Fraud in the #36;300-billion-a-year Medicaid program is widespread and the federal government is not doing enough to combat it, congressional investigators said in a report released Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Sharon's Party Rebels, Imperils Gaza Pullout Plan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's rebellious Likud party has dealt a severe setback to his plan to withdraw from occupied Gaza by voting to bar him from forging a coalition with the Labour opposition.$LABEL$0 +Cost of Benefits Cited as Factor in Slump of Jobs A relentless rise in the cost of employee health insurance has become a significant factor in the employment slump.$LABEL$0 +Weak Demand Leads Google to Lower Its Sights Google slashed the number of shares and concluded its unorthdox online auction by accepting a price well below its original target.$LABEL$0 +Snyder Called Up to Help Red Sox (AP) AP - Earl Snyder grew up rooting for Red Sox outfielder Ellis Burks. Now he's sitting next to him.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Ties Jamaica 1-1 in Cup Qualifier (AP) AP - Brian Ching and Cobi Jones, a pair of substitutes, saved the United States against Jamaica on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Activists Condemn FBI Tactics Before DNC (AP) AP - FBI interviews and surveillance of at least a dozen political activists in Kansas and Missouri prior to the Democratic National Convention amounted to intimidation, contends the American Civil Liberties Union.$LABEL$0 +CORRECTED: Google Sells 19.6 Million Shares at \$85 Each SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.OQ target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.OQ</A>., the world's largest search engine, said on Wednesday it sold 19.6 million shares at \$85 apiece in its long-awaited initial public offering, raising \$1.67 billion for the company.$LABEL$2 +Durazo Leads Athletics by Orioles 5-4 (AP) AP - Erubiel Durazo hit three homers and drove in all five of Oakland's runs, and Mark Mulder became the majors' first 16-game winner by pitching the Athletics to a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +China #39;s appetite boosts BHP BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest mining company, has doubled its profits in the second half of the year on the back of booming global commodity prices. $LABEL$2 +2 Big Carriers at O #39;Hare to Cut Flights HICAGO, Aug. 18 - The nation #39;s two largest airlines, American and United, announced on Wednesday that they would cut flights at O #39;Hare International Airport to ease congestion that has been delaying flights from coast to coast. $LABEL$2 +Production Grew, Prices Fell in July The nation #39;s factories cranked out more products in July, miners dug more minerals and builders broke ground on more homes, the government said yesterday in three reports that showed some rebound in economic activity last month. $LABEL$2 +Citigroup #39;s #39;7bn bond trade under investigation Citigroup, the world #39;s biggest bond broking firm, could face disciplinary action from the Financial Services Authority following an unprecedented 7bn trade in European government bonds this month. $LABEL$2 +Mars Rover Finds Mysterious Rocks and More Signs of Water ith one Mars rover climbing into the hills and the other descending deep into a crater, scientists yesterday reported the discovery of several mysterious rock structures along with yet more signs that Mars was once awash in water. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft previews 64-bit XP, promises no price hikes Microsoft on Wednesday released public previews of the 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as it changed the official names of the high-end operating systems. $LABEL$3 +Ian Thorpe wins bronze in 100 metres freestyle TONY EASTLEY: Ian Thorpe now has the full set of Olympic medals, winning bronze after coming surprisingly close in trying to win the Games treble that is the 100, 200 and 400 metres freestyle events. In winning bronze in the 100 metres final, Thorpe ...$LABEL$1 +US Gymnast Goes From Oops to a Gold Medal THENS, Aug. 18 - After a disastrous landing on the vault that sent him stumbling off the mat and nearly into the judges #39; laps, Paul Hamm thought his night was over. $LABEL$1 +Hansen has an uphill struggle for breaststroke bronze ATHENS, Greece Brendan Hansen is the swimmer who caught a wave and then lost it. He owns two world records and zero gold medals. $LABEL$1 +Sadr caves in to avoid assault THE radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr yesterday demonstrated once again his aptitude for self-preservation when he appeared to blink first in the stand-off with Iraqi and US forces in Najaf. $LABEL$0 +Top security as eight men appear in court on terror charges In a bombproof building, surrounded by police carrying sub-machine guns, the eight men charged with plotting chemical or radioactive attacks in Britain and the United States made their first appearance in court yesterday since their arrest ...$LABEL$0 +UN urged to punish Burundian Hutu rebels AFRICAN leaders appealed to the United Nations Security Council yesterday to impose sanctions on the Burundian rebel group that claimed responsibility for the massacre of at least 160 refugees at a UN camp in Burundi. $LABEL$0 +Charles to help flood victims THE Prince of Wales toured the flood-hit village of Boscastle yesterday - and pledged to make a quot;substantial quot; donation to those facing a massive clean-up operation. $LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Set a New Record as Supply Falls Oil prices climbed above \$47 a barrel, setting yet another record, after figures showed that supplies in the United States were down for a third consecutive week.$LABEL$2 +Google Sets Price of #36;85 in #36;1.67 Bln IPO (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc. on Wednesday\said it priced its long-awaited initial public offering at #36;85\per share, far below initial expectations, ending a tumultuous\process beset by poor market conditions and a series of\missteps.$LABEL$3 +Rowand Powers White Sox Past Tigers 9-2 (AP) AP - Aaron Rowand homered twice #151; including his first career grand slam #151; and Jose Contreras won his third straight decision for Chicago in the White Sox's 9-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Ching's Late Goal Rescues U.S. in Soccer World Cup Qualifier Although the visitors did not get a victory, the United States is still in a good position after what figured to be the most threatening game of the regional semifinal round.$LABEL$1 +Guantanamo Prisoner Goes Before Tribunal (AP) AP - A U.S. military panel heard the case Wednesday of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner accused of fighting for Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime, as a U.S. judge ordered the government to release records of alleged prisoner abuse at the American base.$LABEL$0 +Astros' Clemens Leaves Game Against Phillies PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Houston starting pitcher Roger Clemens left Wednesday's 9-8 win over Philadelphia with a strained right calf.$LABEL$1 +Bomb Found in Town After Blair Visit (AP) AP - Police defused a time-bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Megi hits South Korea More than 2,400 people are evacuated as Typhoon Megi lashes the southern shores of South Korea.$LABEL$0 +XM, Sirius Land Deals With Toyota Rivals XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. on Tuesday traded hits in the intensifying race for new subscribers, separately announcing distribution deals with Toyota Motor Corp.$LABEL$2 +Employers Planned More Layoffs in Nov. Planned job cuts at US companies climbed during November, a report said on Tuesday, a further sign of sluggishness in the labor market.$LABEL$2 +Productivity Growth Slows, Sales Dip US business productivity grew more slowly in the third-quarter than first thought, a government report showed on Tuesday, with other economic indicators also painting a mixed picture for growth.$LABEL$2 +Google share price falls short of predictions Internet search giant Google has priced its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) at just under \$120 a share, far below initial expectations. $LABEL$2 +Murdoch #39;to relaunch News deal #39; if loses poll SYDNEY - Media mogul Rupert Murdoch said in a Thursday newspaper interview he would take a second stab at uprooting his News Corp Ltd empire from Australia to the United States if investors block the deal first time around. $LABEL$2 +Rush for free mobile connections Islamabad, Aug. 18 (Reuters): Tens of thousands of Pakistanis endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in a country where cellphone usage has remained low. $LABEL$3 +Phelps #39; gold haul dream not so bad BEIJING, Aug.19 (Xinhuanet) -- Michael Phelps has taken his haul of gold medals at the Athens Olympics to three after winning the 200 meters butterfly and helping the United States beat Australia in the 4x200 freestyle relay, Shenzhen Daily reported ...$LABEL$1 +Sharon defeated in crunch party vote BEIJING, Aug.19 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has failed to garner the support of the Likud Party Convention for his resolution to negotiate with the Labor Party over a coalition government, according to a CNN report. $LABEL$0 +Roger Clemens' Leg Injury Isn't Serious (AP) AP - Roger Clemens strained his right calf in the Houston Astros' 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night, but the injury isn't considered serious.$LABEL$1 +Astros' Clemens Strains Calf, Leaves Game Against Phillies PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Houston starting pitcher Roger Clemens left Wednesday's 9-8 win over Philadelphia with a strained right calf.$LABEL$1 +El Salvador Jail Riot Kills at Least 31 (AP) AP - Rival inmates fought each other with knives and sticks Wednesday at a San Salvador prison, leaving at least 31 people dead and two dozen injured, officials said.$LABEL$0 +S.Korea's Ruling Party Head Resigns on Father's Past SEOUL (Reuters) - The chairman of South Korea's ruling Uri Party resigned on Thursday after saying his father had served as a military police officer during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule on the peninsula.$LABEL$0 +Santana Sparkles As Twins Stop Yankees 7-2 MINNEAPOLIS - The last time he faced the Yankees, Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins were knocked out of the American League playoffs. This time, Santana knocked down Derek Jeter and silenced New York's powerful lineup...$LABEL$0 +Nortel announces Sprint extension worth US\$1B; Lucent claims US <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Sprint Communications Co. has again split big wireless network equipment contracts between Nortel Networks Corp. and Lucent Technologies.$LABEL$2 +Lenovo, IBM may soon reveal PC unit deal DECEMBER 07, 2004 (REUTERS) - China #39;s largest PC maker, Lenovo Group Ltd., could announce as early as today that it is buying control of IBM #39;s PC-making business for up to \$2 billion, a source familiar with the situation said.$LABEL$2 +SEC gives Google approval for public offering The initial public offering once touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years may have lost some of its momentum. Google Inc. announced Wednesday it has slashed the size of its IPO nearly in half and lowered its estimated price range. $LABEL$2 +Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Plentiful Water quot;We have evidence that interaction with liquid water changed the composition of this rock, quot; said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, chief investigator for the science instruments on both rovers. quot;This is different from the rocks out on ...$LABEL$3 +Telstra relaunches network reliability site Telstra has re-launched a section of its website that allows customers to see current and past network reliability, for the country and their own regions. $LABEL$3 +Zvidauri Wins Gold for Georgia ATHENS (Reuters) - After playing second fiddle at the last two World Championships, Georgia #39;s Zurab Zviadauri finally shook off his choker tag. $LABEL$1 +Brazilian Soccer Brings Joy to Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Aug. 18 -- So far this year, Haiti has endured an armed insurrection that killed 300 people and toppled a president, and floods that wiped out entire villages, with no relief from the grinding misery that comes ...$LABEL$1 +Clemens #39; leg injury isn #39;t serious Roger Clemens strained his right calf in the Houston Astros #39; 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night, but the injury isn #39;t considered serious. $LABEL$1 +Radical cleric now says he #39;ll leave holy shrine Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who has been involved in a two-week battle with US forces, has offered to leave a holy shrine in Najaf. $LABEL$0 +Eight terror suspects appear in British court Eight men charged with planning terrorist attacks in Britain and the US have entered no pleas in a British court guarded by some of the tightest security ever seen. $LABEL$0 +World Trade Center Insurance Payoff Increased by Jury A New York Jury ruled that the two planes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 were two separate events instead of one which increased the insurers liability by at least \$140 million.$LABEL$2 +New media battle for Bafta awards The BBC leads the nominations for the Bafta Interactive Awards, including one for the Radio Times website.$LABEL$0 +Yukos 'hit with fresh tax demand' Russian authorities demand a further \$1.2bn in back-taxes from stricken oil firm Yukos, the Interfax news agency reports.$LABEL$0 +Athletics: Greek sprinters tested Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are given random drugs tests.$LABEL$0 +Karzai warns of Afghan dangers Hamid Karzai warns of the dangers of extremism and drugs as he is sworn in as Afghanistan's elected leader.$LABEL$0 +Google Raises \$1.67 Bln in Cut-Price IPO NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc., the most popular Internet search engine, raised \$1.67 billion on Wednesday in its long-awaited IPO after slashing the price and size of an offer beset by missteps and poor market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Yen Keeps Gains, Capped by Murky Outlook TOKYO (Reuters) - The yen kept most gains against the dollar on Thursday after rallying to a four-week peak, but investors saw no reason to push it higher due to growing uncertainty about the outlook for the Japanese economy.$LABEL$2 +Defense Says Dotson Incompetent for Trial (AP) AP - Psychological testing shows that the former Baylor University basketball player accused of gunning down one of his teammates is not competent to stand trial, his attorneys said Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Crew Edges Wizards Kyle Martino's goal two minutes into injury time gives Columbus a narrow 2-1 victory over Kansas City on Wednesday night.$LABEL$1 +Saulnier Looking Strong Cyril Saulnier's 6-3, 7-6 victory over Gilles Elseneer on Wednesday continues a recent trend of superb play for the 29-year-old Frenchman.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Flat, J J-Guidant Deal Drags Dow NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with lower oil prices helping support markets, but Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A> dragged on the Dow following a report of a possible \$24 billion takeover of cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A>.$LABEL$2 +Broadband goes broader Early Internet entrepreneurs envisioned a day when consumers would devour short bites of entertainment on their computer screens delivered over the Internet by fat broadband pipes. When the companies failed, executives blamed it on ...$LABEL$3 +Compuware Seeks #39;Severe #39; Sanctions in Suit vs. IBM Compuware is seeking reimbursement for its quot;substantial quot; efforts related to IBM #39;s failure to produce the software code, which it wants excluded as evidence from the trial. For its part, IBM remains confident Compuware #39;s latest motion will ...$LABEL$3 +Olympic Games The first Olympic Games were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, famous for its magnificent temples of the gods Zeus and Hera. Take the Rediff Business Quiz and find out what role the corporates play in the ...$LABEL$1 +Terror suspects go to court LONDON - Eight suspects, including a man the United States calls a senior al-Qaida figure, appeared in court under heavy guard yesterday as police investigated their alleged terrorism plots. $LABEL$0 +S.Korea #39;s Ruling Party Head Resigns on Father #39;s Past SEOUL (Reuters) - The chairman of South Korea #39;s ruling Uri Party resigned on Thursday after saying his father had served as a military police officer during Japan #39;s 1910-1945 colonial rule on the peninsula. $LABEL$0 +Holiday-Shopping Season Remains Sluggish NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. shoppers have kept a tight grip on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday showing sluggish sales in the second week of the season.$LABEL$2 +AL Wrap: Santana Solid on Mound as Twins Beat Yankees NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johan Santana pitched seven strong innings to win his fifth straight start and Shannon Stewart homered, had three hits and two RBI to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-2 home win over the New York Yankees.$LABEL$1 +Yankees Glimpse October, and It's Not Pretty On a night when Johan Santana was superb for the Twins, Mike Mussina was inconsistent in his first start since July 6.$LABEL$1 +Preview: day six Day six of the Olympics will see Great Britain's Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms go for gold in badminton.$LABEL$1 +Toppled Power Lines Are Posing a Herculean Task in Florida Five days after Hurricane Charley struck Florida, more than 400,000 customers still lack electricity.$LABEL$0 +Letters show Mandela as man of beneficence (Chicago Tribune) Chicago Tribune - In the 1980s, while in jail on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela wrote a letter to the wife of one of his prison guards. In it, he said he respected her husband, Christo Brand, as a man of integrity. But he was concerned that Brand, an Afrikaner, didn't understand the value of education.$LABEL$0 +Regulators to Widen Mutual Fund Probe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Misconduct in the U.S. mutual fund industry is not limited to fund share trading; it's not even limited to funds, say market regulators.$LABEL$2 +Fiat's Trucks Unit Signs Deal With SAIC (AP) AP - Fiat SpA said Tuesday that its Iveco SpA trucks unit has agreed to develop a long-term partnership with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., one of the largest Chinese automakers, for building trucks and other industrial vehicles.$LABEL$0 +Italy joins Greece in EU dock over dodgy data (AFP) AFP - Following embarrassing revelations over Greece's budget data, the European Union expressed alarm at the reliability of Italy's own deficit figures and called for urgent clarification.$LABEL$2 +Proud Italy awaits La Scala opening with bated breath (AFP) AFP - Italy's cultural cognoscenti were waiting with bated breath for the reopening of the La Scala opera house, restored to its former glory after a sumptuous 61 million euro (81 million dollar) makeover.$LABEL$0 +HHS Buys 'Experimental' Glaxo Flu Vaccine (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. health officials on Tuesday\approved the importation of up to 4 million doses of influenza\vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline , bringing the\U.S. total to 65 million vaccines for this flu season.$LABEL$2 +Gateway Says More PCs Available at Office Depot (Reuters) Reuters - Gateway Inc. (GTW.N) said on\Wednesday its personal computers would be widely available at\Office Depot. (ODP.N) in the latest move by the PC maker to\broaden distribution at retail stores since acquiring rival\eMachines this year.$LABEL$3 +Gateway Says More PCs Available at Office Depot SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Gateway Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=GTW.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">GTW.N</A> said on Wednesday its personal computers would be widely available at Office Depot. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=ODP.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">ODP.N</A> in the latest move by the PC maker to broaden distribution at retail stores since acquiring rival eMachines this year.$LABEL$3 +NL Wrap: Bonds Homers Again as Giants Rout Expos (Reuters) Reuters - Barry Bonds hit his third home\run in two days to help the San Francisco Giants earn a split\of their doubleheader with a 14-4 win over the Montreal Expos\on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Bonds Homers Again as Giants Rout Expos SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Barry Bonds hit his third home run in two days to help the San Francisco Giants earn a split of their doubleheader with a 14-4 win over the Montreal Expos on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Singapore ban after bird flu case Singapore blocks imports of poultry and eggs from Malaysia, after an outbreak of potentially deadly bird flu.$LABEL$0 +HHS Buys 'Experimental' Glaxo Flu Vaccine WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials on Tuesday approved the importation of up to 4 million doses of influenza vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GSK.L target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GSK.L</A> <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GSK.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GSK.N</A>, bringing the U.S. total to 65 million vaccines for this flu season.$LABEL$2 +Billie Jean King Retires as U.S. Fed Cup Coach NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billie Jean King cut her final tie with the U.S. Fed Cup team Tuesday when she retired as coach.$LABEL$1 +Hamas Militants Kill Israeli Soldier Hamas militants killed an Israeli soldier and wounded four with an explosion in a booby-trapped chicken coop Tuesday, in what the Islamic group said was a scheme $LABEL$0 +Delta Plans Job Cuts, Eyes Restructure CHICAGO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc., the number three U.S. carrier, plans more job cuts as it struggles to avoid bankruptcy, Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein said in a memo to employees on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Google Raises \$1.67 Bln in Cut-Price IPO NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc., the most popular Internet search engine, raised \$1.67 billion on Wednesday in its long-awaited IPO after slashing the price and size of an offer beset by missteps and ...$LABEL$2 +Air Canada #39;s creditors approve plan READY TO FLY: The airline plans to emerge from court shelter on Sept. 30 -- if the justices overseeing its restructuring gives the OK at a hearing set for Monday ...$LABEL$2 +Phelps won #39;t top Spitz, but he is putting on the hits ATHENS, Greece If Mark Spitz had never lived, Michael Phelps would have done well to create him as a fictional character. $LABEL$1 +Leisure amp; Arts One thing that the Olympics have always provided is that hardy perennial known as the quot;feel-good story. quot; The sort of story in which, against all odds--and with undeniable drama--the farm boy from Iowa who grew up with rickets in one leg ...$LABEL$1 +Roger Clemens injures leg during Astros #39; 9-8 win over Phillies PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Roger Clemens helped himself at the plate, hurt his leg running the bases and spent the rest of the night watching his teammates pull out an important win. $LABEL$1 +Maoist rebels cut off Kathmandu Maoist rebels yesterday cut off routes into the Nepalese capital Kathmandu in their first blockade of the city since they launched their insurgency to overthrow the constitutional monarchy eight years ago. $LABEL$0 +Schroder adopts Russian orphan Three-year-old Victoria, from St Petersburg, has been living at the Schroders #39; family home in Hanover in northern Germany for several weeks. $LABEL$0 +Keep talking, Downer urges N Korea Australia #39;s foreign minister pressed leaders in North Korea yesterday to remain involved in six-nation talks on its nuclear program, amid concerns that the Pyongyang administration might pull out of preparatory meetings for the next round of negotiations. $LABEL$0 +Prince Charles Helps Boscastle Count the Cost Residents of Boscastle are counting the cost today of the damage estimated at millions of pounds caused by a freak downpour. $LABEL$0 +China Says Taiwan President's U.S. Stop 'A Trick' BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Thursday not to allow Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to set foot on U.S. soil, describing his stopovers en route to Latin America as a trick to sabotage Sino-U.S. relations.$LABEL$0 +Day Six preview Day six of the Olympics will see Great Britain's Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms go for gold in badminton.$LABEL$0 +Records Contradict Kerry Critic's Charges -Report (Reuters) Reuters - Military records contradict a\critic's charge that U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful John\Kerry did not come under fire during the battle that resulted\in military honors for Kerry, The Washington Post reported on\Thursday.$LABEL$0 +The SEC Could Still Slap Google Google has received the green light for its initial stock offering -- but not without ruffling a few feathers at the Securities amp; Exchange Commission, which oversees share offerings. The SEC #39;s job is to make sure that companies disclose all the ...$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Rise to High As Demand Continues The price of oil hit another high yesterday, closing above \$47 a barrel as traders reacted to continuing concerns about supply disruptions from terrorism and instability in oil-producing countries. $LABEL$2 +Nortel Discloses Canadian Criminal Probe Toronto (Aug. 19, 2004) -- Telecommunications equipment giant Nortel Networks Corp. announced this week that its past accounting practices, which are the subject of a criminal probe in the United States, are under scrutiny by Canadian authorities. $LABEL$2 +Giving Investors a Say Like cicadas, debates about corporate governance pop up periodically with a great deal of whir and buzz. In 1992, for example, the business community protested Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Richard C. Breeden #39;s push for ...$LABEL$2 +Demand Helps CACI Profit Increase 56 CACI International Inc. said increased demand for its homeland security and intelligence services helped boost fourth-quarter profit by 56 percent over the same period a year earlier. $LABEL$2 +Computer Q amp;A: Tips on installing Windows XP SP2 It seems that Microsoft #39;s new upgrade to Windows is making some people nervous. That #39;s not surprising, as home and office computing environments are just not as friendly as they used to be due to viruses and spyware. Even the software we ...$LABEL$3 +Wireless Phones shipped to Pakistan TIRVINE (Calif. US): Hop-on Wireless Inc. said it has shipped an initial order of its tri-band (900/1800/1900 MHz) HOP1806 GSM handsets to a distributor in Karachi, Pakistan. $LABEL$3 +AL Wrap: Santana Solid on Mound as Twins Beat Yankees NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johan Santana pitched seven strong innings to win his fifth straight start and Shannon Stewart homered, had three hits and two RBI to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-2 home win over the New York Yankees. $LABEL$1 +NKorea quot;negative quot; over US offer on nuclear weapons: Australia HONG KONG : North Korea shows no sign of accepting US incentives to give up its nuclear weapons programmes, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said. $LABEL$0 +At least four Georgian soldiers killed in separatist region clashes (AFP) AFP - At least four Georgian soldiers were killed and five wounded in overnight clashes in Georgia's separatist, pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, Georgian officers near the frontline with Ossetian forces said early Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Paes and Bhupathi beam in on Olympic glory (AFP) AFP - Indian pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi took another step nearer an elusive Olympic gold medal when they beat Zimbabwe's Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett 6-4, 6-4 to reach the men's doubles semi-finals at the Olympic tennis tournament.$LABEL$0 +Nestle #39;s profit hits \$3.1bn NESTLE SA, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, posted a modest 2 per cent increase in profits for the first half of the year as it faced such challenges as higher prices for raw materials like milk and coffee as well as cooler temperatures, which ...$LABEL$2 +California sues Mirant, alleges energy scheme California sued Mirant Corp., a bankrupt US power producer, accusing it of rigging electricity markets during the 2000-2001 energy crisis that led to rolling blackouts and a tenfold increase in consumer energy prices. $LABEL$2 +Spirit finds more evidence of water LOS ANGELES (AP) The twin Mars rovers have found a wonderland of weird rocks and enticing dunes along with more evidence the Red Planet once had water, NASA scientists said Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Michael Phelps Seeks Fourth Swimming Gold Medal at Athens Games Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Swimmer Michael Phelps seeks his fourth gold medal of the Athens Olympics in tonight #39;s 200-meter individual medley, while female gymnasts compete for the all- around title. $LABEL$1 +The fields of the gods OLYMPIA, Greece The competition was history. The time had come for everyone to leave, to follow the sun toward that narrow path lined with olive trees out of the stadium, a trek that would take athletes and spectators alike not to a ...$LABEL$1 +Record-breaking night ATHENS, Greece -- The world record was like graffiti on a masterpiece, a reminder of a sport #39;s dark past. $LABEL$1 +Sharon #39;s Gaza plan hinges on vote Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has lost a key vote which would have seen the dovish Labour Party join the government coalition and salvage his Gaza disengagement plan. $LABEL$0 +Eight terror suspects appear in UK court Eight suspects, including a man identified in the United States as a senior al-Qaeda figure, appeared in court under heavy guard, as police investigated an alleged plot to commit murder and to cause mayhem with chemicals, radioactive materials, toxic ...$LABEL$0 +China Says Taiwan President #39;s US Stop #39;A Trick #39; BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Thursday not to allow Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to set foot on US soil, describing his stopovers en route to Latin America as a trick to sabotage Sino-US relations. $LABEL$0 +Google Lowers Its Sights as Demand Proves Weak Google's final share price was \$85, far off the target range of \$108 to \$135 a share that the company projected last month.$LABEL$2 +Aziz Wins Pakistan Polls, Paving Way to Be PM (Reuters) Reuters - Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat\Aziz easily won a seat in parliament, clearing the way for him\to take over as prime minister next week, officials said on\Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Aziz Wins Pakistan Polls, Paving Way to Be PM ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz easily won a seat in parliament, clearing the way for him to take over as prime minister next week, officials said on Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Despite itself, Google good for stocks SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Forget the fact that the new definition of the verb quot;to google quot; is: to blow an otherwise foolproof deal; or to miscalculate with extreme hubris. $LABEL$2 +Airlines agree to limit O #39;Hare arrivals SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Major North American airlines agreed to a voluntary limit of 88 arrivals per hour for flights serving Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport during peak traffic periods, the Transportation Department said ...$LABEL$2 +Freddie Mac Receives Notice That It May Face Action by SEC Freddie Mac, the government-chartered mortgage company that restated earnings by \$5 billion, said yesterday that it might be the subject of a civil lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission. $LABEL$2 +Halliburton closes higher on Army #39;s decision to pay DALLAS (CBS.MW) -- Halliburton #39;s shares closed higher Wednesday after the Army Materiel Command reversed its decision to withhold 15 percent of its future payments to the company under a contract to supply and support US troops in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +Delta shares jump on pilot equity talk SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Delta Air Lines shares rose sharply Wednesday ahead of a Thursday meeting at which the carrier is expected to offer its pilots a stake in the struggling company. $LABEL$2 +More Management Changes at Credit Suisse Credit Suisse First Boston, the securities unit of the Credit Suisse Group of Zurich, replaced Adebayo O. Ogunlesi as head of investment banking with its president, Brian D. Finn, eight weeks after Brady W. Dougan was named chief executive. $LABEL$2 +Profit at Talbots Up 4.8 for 2nd Quarter Talbots, the clothing retailer, said yesterday that second-quarter profit rose 4.8 percent as sales increased and the company benefited from the resolution of an income tax issue. $LABEL$2 +Withdrawal for Greek sprinters ATHENS -- Two of Greece #39;s most famous athletes and their coach made their first public appearance here yesterday only to withdraw from the Olympic Games rather than face a panel charged with looking into a ...$LABEL$1 +Silver lining melts foul mood OLYMPIA, Greece -- US shot-putter Adam Nelson stood outside the throwing circle, his hands on the back of his head, his hopes just dashed by a foul on a throw that would have won the gold medal. $LABEL$1 +High and mighty ATHENS -- He was dead and buried 6 feet under the landing mat, and he knew it. quot;That #39;s it, I #39;m done, quot; Paul Hamm told himself last night, after he #39;d tumbled from first to 12th with a slip of a foot on the ...$LABEL$1 +Ching saves best for last KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Without one World Cup qualifier under his belt and only a pair of appearances for the US National Team to speak of, there stood Brian Ching at midfield waiting to enter the match with his team down 1-0 to Jamaica. $LABEL$1 +US marines in tense Najaf standoff NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - US marines and a radical Iraqi cleric are locked in a tense standoff after the firebrand leader refused to leave a holy shrine in Najaf despite earlier agreeing to disarm his militia and withdraw. $LABEL$0 +Burundi inching closer to ending long civil war BUJUMBURA, Burundi Tiny Burundi has seen more than a decade of war, but events in the past few months suggest that it is closer than ever to wrapping up one of Africa #39;s most persistent civil conflicts. $LABEL$0 +Little progress in N Korea talks: Downer North Korea was reluctant to accept a United States plan to give up its nuclear program but would probably attend the next round of talks on the impasse, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said after a brief visit to Pyongyang. $LABEL$0 +Western leaders waiting for African solutions to African wars JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Aug 19, 2004 (AP) -- As the month-end deadline nears for Sudan to disarm the Janjaweed militias in Darfur, the United Nations and Western powers debate how far to go to stop the killing ...$LABEL$0 +Sharon's Party Votes to Exclude Labor (AP) AP - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's own party handed him a stinging rebuke, banning him from adding the moderate Labor Party to his government to bolster a Gaza pullout plan #151; a move that endangered the proposed withdrawal.$LABEL$0 +Tokyo Stocks Rise 1 Percent, Techs Lead TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average appeared headed for its third straight day of gains on Thursday and was up one percent by late afternoon as tech issues such as Shin-Etsu Chemical were lifted by a rally in New York.$LABEL$2 +Google's share price set at 85 dollars (AFP) AFP - Google's share price has been set at 85 dollars in its initial public offering, a company spokeswoman said.$LABEL$3 +Google Sells Shares in IPO for \$85 After Cutting Price of Stock Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., the most-used Internet search engine, sold shares at \$85 each in its initial public offering, the bottom of the range the company had suggested the stock would fetch in the biggest auction-style IPO. $LABEL$2 +BHP Billiton to award shareholders Announcing record profit and revenue for the past year yesterday, global resources group BHP Billiton says it has decided to award a \$2bn bonanza to its shareholders. $LABEL$2 +Army wants Halliburton data on possible effect of withholding WASHINGTON - The US Army wants to know how a threatened plan to withhold \$60 million a month in a billing dispute might affect Halliburton Co. #39;s ability to support US troops in Iraq. $LABEL$2 +3 Directors at Cox to Study Bid by Parent to Take Unit Private ox Communications, the nation #39;s third-largest cable television operator, has formed a committee to consider the \$7.9 billion bid by its parent, Cox Enterprises, to take the company private. $LABEL$2 +Insurer lowers hurricane estimate Hurricane Charley, the worst storm to hit the US in over a decade, will cost insurers \$7.4bn (4bn;5.9bn euros). $LABEL$2 +Blackstone takes Prime Hospitality NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- The Blackstone Group agreed to buy Prime Hospitality Corp., which owns Wellesley Inn and AmeriSuites hotels, for \$790 million, including the assumption of debt. $LABEL$2 +Apple zombies attack RealNetworks REALNETWORKS #39; attempt to get Steve Jobs to open up its proprietary eyePods is getting attacked by Apple #39;s fanatical supporters. $LABEL$3 +Rover discovers clues of water on Mars surface After months of crossing a vast Martian crater floor and zigzagging up low-slung hills, NASA #39;s Spirit rover has spotted its first hint that water once coursed across the now-desert-like region, scientists said Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Cassini finds two more Saturn moons NASA #39;s Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new Saturn moons, the smallest yet found among its dozens of natural satellites. $LABEL$3 +Hamm-dinger Gymnast comes back from 12th place to win The movie pitches, Letterman -- no, Leno -- the unending media requests, the book deals, surely the line is forming on the right for Paul Hamm. $LABEL$1 +Shot putters return to ancient site of first Games OLYMPIA, GREECE - It was a day when the actors took a back seat to the scenery, when the question of who won and who took part was not as significant as where they competed. $LABEL$1 +Brazil beats Haiti as nations play for peace PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Brazil routed a weak Haitian team 6-0 Wednesday in an exhibition game aimed at promoting peace in the Caribbean country. $LABEL$1 +The educated say they #39;re at risk in Sudan OURE CASSONI, CHAD - She pulled tattered socks over her bony legs and stared at the ground, trying to hide the dirty, torn clothing she is so embarrassed to wear. $LABEL$0 +Typhoon Hits Korea, Japan; Kills 9, Grounds Flights (Update1) Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Typhoon Megi churned through the Tsushima Straight dividing Japan and South Korea, leaving nine people dead and thousands homeless as it damaged crops, dumped heavy rains and grounded flights. $LABEL$0 +31 inmates die, dozens wounded at overcrowded Salvadoran facility SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR - Rival inmates fought each other with knives and sticks Wednesday at a San Salvador jail, leaving at least 31 inmates dead and two dozen injured, officials said. $LABEL$0 +Iran warns Israel on pre-emptive strikes Iran warned America and Israel last night that it was ready to launch pre-emptive strikes to stop them attacking its nuclear facilities. $LABEL$0 +Tokyo Stocks Rise as Techs Rally TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average climbed for a third straight day on Thursday, rising over one percent as a rally in New York boosted tech issues such as Toshiba Corp and Shin-Etsu Chemical$LABEL$2 +Dirty Campaign Tricks Now Serious Crimes (AP) AP - Election-year tactics like making anonymous phone calls or inventing make-believe groups to criticize the opponent now come with a higher price: the possibility of time in jail.$LABEL$0 +Oil Above \$47 After New Record SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices struck another record high on Thursday and remained supported above \$47 by a fall in U.S. crude stockpiles and threats by insurgents in Iraq against oil facilities.$LABEL$2 +Greek pair await IAAF fate Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou's missed drugs tests will be investigated by the IAAF.$LABEL$1 +U.N. Remembers Colleagues Lost in Attack (AP) AP - United Nations employees called the attack on U.N. headquarters in Baghdad a year ago ""our Sept. 11."" The death toll of 22 may have been far lower than from the strikes in New York and Washington, but the truck bombing marked a similar fundamental shift between the way things were done then, and the way they're done now.$LABEL$0 +Al-Sadr's Unclear Motives Muddle Efforts (AP) AP - What's clear about radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is that he wants power, U.S. officials say. What's less certain is what he wants to do with that power or how far he'll go to get it.$LABEL$0 +Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer, Dead at 82 LOS ANGELES - Elmer Bernstein, the versatile, Oscar-winning composer who scored such movie classics as ""The Ten Commandments,""""The Magnificent Seven,""""To Kill a Mockingbird,""""The Great Escape"" and ""True Grit,"" died Wednesday. He was 82...$LABEL$0 +United, American agree to #39;de-peak #39; O #39;Hare Bowing to pressure from the US Department of Transportation, airlines that serve Chicago have agreed to cut the number of flights they send to O #39;Hare International Airport. The two most affected airlines are the only two that fly nonstop between O #39;Hare ...$LABEL$2 +Singh could overtake Woods as No. 1 AKRON, Ohio Vijay Singh can make official this week what most already believe: That he, not Tiger Woods, is the world #39;s No. 1 player. $LABEL$1 +Oil Above #36;47 After New Record (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices struck another record high\on Thursday and remained supported above #36;47 by a fall in U.S.\crude stockpiles and threats by insurgents in Iraq against oil\facilities.$LABEL$2 +Braves Edge Padres 6-5 (AP) AP - Andruw Jones hit a two-run homer off Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves threw out the potential tying run at the plate for the final out Wednesday night, preserving a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the San Diego Padres.$LABEL$1 +Shaukat Aziz wins byelection, clears way to become Pakistan's prime minister (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - FATEH JANG, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's finance minister took an important step toward becoming the new prime minister by easily winning two byelections that give him a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for the post, state-run television reported Thursday. Opposition groups insisted the vote was rigged.$LABEL$0 +Techs Lead Stocks Rally as Oil Sets High SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares rallied on Thursday, with Taiwan jumping more than 3 percent, as technology issues chased a rise in their U.S. peers and investors showed resilience to record oil prices.$LABEL$2 +SUSAN TOMPOR: Now we #39;ll see if Google clicks Now Google-gawkers will start to discover if the much-hyped initial public offering was the great, equal-opportunity money maker for all mankind or one incredibly dopey deal. $LABEL$2 +Last Alpha chip to arrive on Monday HP IS TO release the final Alpha processor on Monday bringing to an end the chip that had a cult following for the last 14 years. $LABEL$3 +Remy International will sell its Williams Technologies unit Anderson (Star report) -- Remy International Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its US transmission remanufacturing operation, Williams Technologies Inc., to Caterpillar Inc. $LABEL$3 +Giant waves hurling boulders inland from British coasts: scientists Massive waves created by violent storms off Britain and Ireland are ripping off chunks of cliff and hurling them inland over distances scientists did not think possible. $LABEL$3 +Sony PSP Pushed Back to June 2005? August 18, 2004 - CNN #39;s latest Game Over column suggests that Sony may delay the US release of the PSP to June 2005: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told investors yesterday that his company does not expect the PSP to launch in North America until the second ...$LABEL$3 +Two Greek sprinters withdraw ATHENS, GREECE -- Perhaps attempting to save their country further embarrassment and fearful of an impending ruling from the International Olympic Committee, two Greek sprinters abruptly withdrew from the Olympic Games on Wednesday. $LABEL$1 +Boot Room: At The Office KINGSTON, Jamaica -- An entire nation was a minute plus injury-time away from a massive party here Wednesday night. But when Brian Ching struck for his first international goal, Jamaica #39;s yellow-clad fanatics had to settle for the same old, same old ...$LABEL$1 +Fighting continues in Najaf At least five loud explosions have been heard near holy sites in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Sniper fire could also he heard coming from the area. $LABEL$0 +Anniversary of UN bombing puts spotlight on security problem for the United Nations UNITED NATIONS (AP) A year after the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad killed 22 people, the United Nations remains a target for attacks in Iraq and UN staff angrily allege that major security ...$LABEL$0 +Oil Above \$47 After New Record SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices struck another record high on Thursday and remained supported above \$47 by a fall in US crude stockpiles and threats by insurgents in Iraq against oil facilities. $LABEL$2 +US Airways chairman says airline could face liquidation The chairman of US Airways, David G. Bronner, said Wednesday that its employees must agree to a third round of wage and benefit cuts worth \$800 million in the next 30 days or the airline could be liquidated. $LABEL$2 +Qantas posts record profit SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia #39;s biggest airline Qantas has doubled its full-year profit on cost cuts and a pick-up in traffic, but the prospect of higher fuel costs has sent its shares down six percent. $LABEL$2 +Major bank #39;s layoffs felt in Hudson Valley Bank of America began cutting jobs Wednesday but officials would not confirm how many or where. But a spokeswoman said cuts were occurring, and would eventually reach 12,500, the same number given in spring when the merger became final. $LABEL$2 +Giant waves causing British boulder phenomena LONDON: Massive waves created by violent storms off Britain and Ireland are ripping off chunks of cliff and hurling them inland over distances scientists did not think possible. $LABEL$3 +Now Schoeman grabs silver SILVER FOR SA: Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, centre, the gold medallist, with South Africa #39;s Roland Schoeman, silver, left, and Australia #39;s Ian Thorpe, who took the bronze, during the medal ceremony for the 100-metre freestyle at the ...$LABEL$1 +Moments of unforgettable Olympics Paul Hamm of the USA celebrates with his coach after scoring a 9.837 in the horizontal bar to claim victory in the men #39;s artistic gymnastics individual competition on August 18, 2004, during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Sports ...$LABEL$1 +Saulnier Continues Strong 2004 Showing Seventh-seeded Cyril Saulnier advanced to his sixth ATP quarterfinal this season with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory yesterday over Gilles Elseneer in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at the William HG FitzGerald Tennis Center. $LABEL$1 +Mickelson not giving up on award he wants Having captured the PGA Championship for his fifth victory of the season, Vijay Singh believes he has wrapped up player of the year awards barring an exceptional finish. $LABEL$1 +THE HOUR: When Time Isn #39;t on Israel #39;s Side Some 20 years ago, Ehud Olmert now deputy prime minister of Israel, recently mayor of Jerusalem, back then a rising star in Israel #39;s right-wing firmament was among the principal speakers at a United Jewish Appeal event in ...$LABEL$0 +Georgia Says Six Soldiers Killed in Rebel Region TBILISI (Reuters) - Overnight clashes killed six Georgian servicemen in the rebel South Ossetia region, which Tbilisi is trying to bring back under government control, Deputy Security Minister Gigi Ugulava said on Thursday. $LABEL$0 +Megapixels Gone Mad? Sony's new Cyber-shot P150 raises the bar for high-resolution cameras at affordable prices.$LABEL$3 +Two Polish Soldiers Dead, Five Injured in Iraq -PAP (Reuters) Reuters - Two Polish soldiers were killed and five\injured in a road accident in Hilla after their patrol was\fired on near their Babylon base in southern Iraq, Polish news\agency PAP said on Thursday, citing a military spokesman.$LABEL$0 +'Breathing gene' cot death link Researchers have identified more genetic mutations that appear to be linked with cot death.$LABEL$0 +Gujurat riot retrial due to begin A fresh trial of Hindus accused of burning to death Muslims during the 2002 Gujarat riots is due to begin in Bombay.$LABEL$0 +SEC Orders Mutual Funds to Cease Incentive Pay The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday ordered mutual funds to stop paying higher commissions to brokers who promote the companies #39; funds. The agency also required portfolio managers to reveal investments in funds they ...$LABEL$2 +Air Canada Stock Plummets on Review MONTREAL (Reuters) - Shares of Air Canada (AC.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) fell by more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange said it was reviewing the company #39;s stock to determine if it meets listing requirements. $LABEL$2 +Parmalat sues ex-auditors MILAN (Reuters) - Parmalat is suing its former auditors Deloitte amp; Touche and Grant Thornton, claiming damages of quot;at least \$10 billion quot; and broadening a legal battle to claw back funds from financial partners which it says ...$LABEL$2 +Japanese Stocks Rise for a 3rd Day; Asahi Glass, Daiei Advance Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks rose for a third day, as Asahi Glass Co. and Nippon Mining Holdings Inc. raised their earnings forecasts, sparking optimism domestic economic growth will support profits. $LABEL$2 +Mbeki deal holds out new hope for Ivory Coast South African President Thabo Mbeki concluded four-day talks with all parties in the Ivory Coast conflict on Monday, announcing that agreement on a four-point plan had been reached.$LABEL$0 +Musharraf: Speed up Iraq exit plan LONDON, England -- The US-led coalition must speed up its quot;exit strategy quot; from Iraq by accelerating the training of local security forces, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said.$LABEL$0 +Baseball Today (AP) AP - Atlanta at Los Angeles (10:10 p.m. EDT). The National League division leaders meet in the opener of a four-game series.$LABEL$1 +Report Expected to Blame 24 in Iraq Abuse WASHINGTON - Two dozen people will be blamed by an Army investigation into the abuse of inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, says a senior defense official. The official, who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity, provided no details of the report...$LABEL$0 +Marlins Defeat Dodgers 6-4 LOS ANGELES - Pinch-hitter Lenny Harris delivered a three-run double off Eric Gagne with two outs in the ninth inning, rallying the Florida Marlins past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 Wednesday night. It was only Gagne's second blown save in 100 chances dating to Aug...$LABEL$0 +Irish eyes WE stand on the brink of a historic agreement on Northern Ireland. (Depending on how fast events move today, by teatime we could be celebrating an established fact.$LABEL$0 +File-sharing not a threat to musicians and artists Internet file sharing has been one of the hottest-burning controversies for years. A new survey of musicians and artists promises to throw gas on the fire.$LABEL$3 +Indian shares to notch long-term gains as global investors line up (AFP) AFP - Indian shares, Asia's second top performers last year, are poised for long-term gains as foreign investors buy into the market, seeing the country as an economic ""growth story,"" according to analysts.$LABEL$0 +Google IPO fails to find results it sought A humbled Google Inc. makes its market debut on the Nasdaq exchange this morning after raising \$1.67 billion in an initial public offering that fetched about half of what the Web search company had previously estimated.$LABEL$2 +Small investors scared off by exercise in stock democracy This was supposed to be the people's IPO, an exercise in shareholder democracy that would serve as a model for other companies seeking to go public without the suffocating embrace of Wall Street.$LABEL$2 +Right- and left-click politics The 2004 presidential race ended last week in a stunning defeat for Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, as incumbent President George W. Bush cruised to an easy victory.$LABEL$2 +Big Dig jobs are nearing end of road More than a decade after thousands of construction workers began flocking to the Big Dig, Boston's \$14.6 billion roadway project is winding down -- and so are the jobs.$LABEL$2 +Johnson amp; Johnson missing out on stent sales Johnson amp; Johnson can't supply cardiac stents fast enough to capitalize on three recent recalls by archrival Boston Scientific Corp. , say cardiologists who use both companies' medical devices.$LABEL$2 +Janus settles; tab is \$226m DENVER -- Janus Capital Group Inc. said yesterday it has finalized a \$226.2 million settlement with state and federal regulators over allegations of improper market-timing trades.$LABEL$2 +SEC tells funds to end perks The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered mutual funds to stop paying higher commissions to brokers who promote the companies' funds and required portfolio managers to reveal investments in funds they supervise.$LABEL$2 +Delta says it will cut more jobs ATLANTA -- Struggling Delta Air Lines Inc. plans additional job cuts as part of its effort to avoid bankruptcy, chief executive Gerald Grinstein said yesterday in a memo to employees.$LABEL$2 +Logan may benefit from fewer O'Hare flights WASHINGTON -- Flight reductions by 16 major airlines serving O'Hare International Airport -- the result of two weeks of talks with the Transportation Department to alleviate traffic at the overburdened Chicago airport -- are expected to improve on-time performance nationwide, including at Logan International Airport in Boston, where schedules have suffered because of O'Hare delays, according to aviation officials and ...$LABEL$2 +Pact to organize workers expires at Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless, the largest US mobile-phone operator, said a four-year agreement that would have made it easier for workers to join unions has expired.$LABEL$2 +Prepare for stormy weather with a 'disaster file' As we watched television coverage of Hurricane Charley last weekend, my wife and I reminisced about a time nearly two decades ago when we lived in Florida and got the word to evacuate.$LABEL$2 +Lindows delays planned offering SAN DIEGO -- Software vendor Lindows Inc. formally postponed its initial public offering yesterday, citing adverse market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Making most of momentum To Lynn Sand, the decision by 3Com Corp. to move its worldwide headquarters to Marlborough a year ago was a sure sign that Massachusetts can lure businesses with the best of them.$LABEL$2 +IPod Music Player Winning Over Japan Fans (AP) AP - When Sony Corp. President Kunitake Ando showed off the new Walkman meant to counter the assault by Apple's iPod portable music player, he held the prized gadget at the gala event upside down.$LABEL$3 +High and mighty He was dead and buried 6 feet under the landing mat, and he knew it. quot;That's it, I'm done, quot; Paul Hamm told himself last night, after he'd tumbled from first to 12th with a slip of a foot on the vault.$LABEL$1 +Gagne blows his 2d save Pinch-hitter Lenny Harris delivered a three-run double off Eric Gagne with two outs in the ninth, rallying the Florida Marlins past the Dodgers, 6-4, last night in Los Angeles.$LABEL$1 +Millar gladly takes the fifth With each passing day, with each frozen rope he's been lacing, Kevin Millar has been sending a clear message to American League managers: Go ahead and walk David Ortiz. You'll be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Sweeping sensation The jarring image of a brooding David Ortiz angrily snapping his maple bat over his knee?$LABEL$1 +Purpose pitch It's a pitch she's been waiting 32 years to make. So when Maria Pepe, a skinny, stony-hearted, 44-year-old New Jersey hospital administrator winds up on the mound tomorrow to throw out the first pitch at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., the healing will be complete for an 11-year-old girl done wrong by Little League ...$LABEL$1 +Bowa's status with Phillies is shaky Larry Bowa's time as Philadelphia Phillies' manager could be running out. General manager Ed Wade declined to give Bowa an endorsement before last night's game against the Houston Astros, saying only, quot;He's the manager. quot; Told that comment can be interpreted many ways, Wade replied: quot;Interpret it any way you want. quot; The fiery Bowa has come under scrutiny because the injury-plagued ...$LABEL$1 +Bellhorn poised to make his return The Red Sox may get some urgent relief from their injury crisis as early as tomorrow with the return of Mark Bellhorn . The second baseman, whose left thumb was fractured Aug. 1 by a 94-mile-an-hour fastball from Minnesota closer Joe Nathan , recovered faster than expected and reported to Triple A Pawtucket last night for a rehabilitation assignment.$LABEL$1 +Belichick won't issue any passing grades Tom Brady delivered the signature play of the Patriots' first exhibition game. He dropped back, scrambled to his left, and with Eagles defender N.D. Kalu tugging at his jersey, whipped a spinning first down pass to David Patten .$LABEL$1 +Sanders excites Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are excited about the prospect of having Deion Sanders come out of retirement and be a part of their defensive backfield. The question now is: Will he take them up on their offer?$LABEL$1 +Court rules for BC in flap over exit fee Boston College cleared a major legal hurdle in its bid to join the Atlantic Coast Conference yesterday when a Massachusetts Superior Court judge issued summary judgment in favor of the school's attempt to depart the Big East next July under the old provisions of the conference's constitution.$LABEL$1 +Perk a flight of fancy In a world where enticements and incentives are abundant, it was stunning to hear players at the PGA Championship talk about the latest perk that took them by surprise. How about six free first-class, round-trip tickets to Ireland?$LABEL$1 +Philo puts finishing touch on elusive crown Swirling winds and 252 yards of a confounding downhill shot created quite a backup at Brae Burn Country Club's par-3 17th hole yesterday, player after player having to pursue shots that were blown off line. But when he got to the tee, Ron Philo Jr. wasn't about to complain about the delay.$LABEL$1 +Hard recovery from losses The Massachusetts golf community took a hit last week, losing two distinguished personalities. Ted Carangelo and Ted Kenerson were men of great spirit, devoted to their families, to their businesses, to their golf clubs, and most definitely to the integrity of the game.$LABEL$1 +Vana remains in hunt Frank Vana Jr. is the lone remaining Massachusetts entry in the US Amateur Championship after three days of play at a demanding Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.$LABEL$1 +Pro tours: The stops and the talk WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS Event: NEC Invitational Site: Firestone Country Club, South Course (7,230 yards, par 70), Akron, Ohio. Schedule: Today-Sunday. Purse: \$7 million. Winner's share: \$1.2 million. Television: ESPN (today-tomorrow, 3-7 p.m.) and Channel 4 (Saturday, 2-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-6:30 p.m.). Last year: Darren Clarke won his second WGC title, beating Jonathan Kaye by four strokes. Last week: Vijay Singh ...$LABEL$1 +At least six Georgian soldiers killed in separatist region clashes (AFP) AFP - At least six Georgian soldiers were killed and seven wounded in overnight clashes in Georgia's separatist, pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, an official with the Georgian interior ministry told AFP.$LABEL$0 +Concerns detailed on climate change COPENHAGEN -- Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps, and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europe's environmental agency warned yesterday. The European Environment Agency said much more needs to be done -- and fast. Climate change quot;will considerably affect our societies and environments for decades and centuries to come, quot; its 107-page report ...$LABEL$0 +8 British terror suspects brought to court LONDON -- Eight men charged with conspiracy to murder in a trans-Atlantic terror plot made their first court appearance yesterday in a case that has added to the fierce debate over Britain's terrorism laws and heightened fears in the country's Islamic community of an anti-Muslim backlash.$LABEL$0 +Militants in video threaten to kill journalist BAGHDAD -- A militant group said it has kidnapped a missing Western journalist with Boston-area ties and would kill him if US forces did not leave the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf within 48 hours, Al-Jazeera reported yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Report won't put blame on top brass WASHINGTON -- A long-awaited report on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal will implicate about two dozen military intelligence soldiers and civilian contractors in the intimidation and sexual humiliation of Iraq war prisoners, but will not suggest wrongdoing by military brass outside the prison, senior defense officials said yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Interim assembly selected in Iraq BAGHDAD -- Taking a halting step toward a democratic government, Iraqi political and religious leaders selected an interim national assembly yesterday that includes representatives from many of the parties that control the current government.$LABEL$0 +Terror suspects' photos shown ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Photos were published yesterday in newspapers across Pakistan of six terror suspects, including a senior Al Qaeda operative, the government says were behind attempts to assassinate the nation's president.$LABEL$0 +New Jersey Nets Team Report - December 7 (Sports Network) - The New Jersey Nets try for their third consecutive win this evening when they head to Cleveland to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers at Gund Arena.$LABEL$1 +Harris' Double Leads Marlins Past Dodgers (AP) AP - Lenny Harris has come up with clutch hits throughout his record-breaking career as a pinch hitter. His three-run double off Eric Gagne was a bit more special than most. Harris pushed his major league record for pinch hits to 190 Wednesday night, lining a bases-clearing double into right-center with two outs in the ninth to rally the Florida Marlins past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4.$LABEL$1 +Van Den Hoogenband and Popov Out of 50m Freestyle ATHENS (Reuters) - Olympic 100 meters freestyle champion Pieter van den Hoogenband and world champion Alexander Popov were both eliminated in the heats of the men's 50 meters freestyle in a major shock in the Olympic swimming pool on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Food prices rise on second day of blockade of Nepal's capital (AFP) AFP - A blockade of the Nepalese capital called by Maoist rebels entered a second day, causing a rise in food prices and prompting the government to declare the city had enough supplies for a month.$LABEL$0 +Magnificent Seven composer dies Movie composer Elmer Bernstein, creator of The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, dies aged 82.$LABEL$0 +Rite-Aid slapped after warning CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Rite Aid were hurting pretty good early Tuesday, falling about 5 percent after the drugstore chain warned that weak sales trends could bring its fiscal 2005 numbers in well below previous hopes.$LABEL$2 +Google prices its shares at \$85 WASHINGTON Google closed the unusual auction for its shares yesterday and prepared for its stock to begin trading at \$85 per share, after weaker-than-expected demand from investors forced it to drastically slash the price and size of ...$LABEL$2 +CIBC sale of Juniper completes US retail retreat Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce sold its last retail banking operation in the United States yesterday, ending a brief, but tumultuous, foray south of the border. $LABEL$2 +Ford dumps Oracle CAR FIRM Ford has given up trying to integrate Oracle #39;s Everest system into its networks as a bad job. $LABEL$3 +Henry the turtle heads for the sea - and fame Malaysia - A turtle named Henry headed for the South China Sea one recent moonless night. He was one hour old and not much bigger than a bug, but his flat-flippered dash down the beach showed a determination to live bred into him by ...$LABEL$3 +Hamm #39;s comeback America #39;s Olympic moment Because rarely is a rally so improbable, even the man who pulled it off didn #39;t believe he could. On the same day he crash-landed on the vault and dropped to 12th place, Hamm nailed his final two routines Wednesday evening to claim ...$LABEL$1 +Olympics Notebook: Kenteris, Thanou withdraw after ducking drug tests ATHENS, Greece -- A dark cloud over the Games lifted yesterday as Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out rather than face expulsion over a missed drug test. $LABEL$1 +Harris #39; pinch double off Gagne leads Marlins past Dodgers Lenny Harris has come up with clutch hits throughout his record-breaking career as a pinch hitter. His three-run double off Eric Gagne was a bit more special than most. $LABEL$1 +NL notebook: Pettitte out for season; Clemens hurt The same day the Houston Astros announced that pitcher Andy Pettitte would have surgery on his troublesome left elbow next week, Roger Clemens left last night #39;s game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a strained right calf. $LABEL$1 +Google will float at \$85 a share Google's IPO share price is set at \$85, the bottom of its projected range, as the internet search engine goes public.$LABEL$3 +Doom 3 unleashes hell Doom 3 combines hectic gameplay with genuine shocks to deliver a deliciously uncomfortable gaming experience.$LABEL$3 +Lindows Postpones IPO Its legal battles over, the software vendor will focus on sales until the market ripens.$LABEL$3 +Pakistan minister poised to become PM after by-election wins (AFP) AFP - The way was clear for Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz to become prime minister after unofficial results showed he had secured a seat in parliament's lower house by winning two by-elections.$LABEL$0 +Israeli PM defies party rebellion Israel's Ariel Sharon says he will push ahead with plans for Gaza disengagement, despite a rebuke from his Likud party.$LABEL$0 +Google Overcomes Regulatory, Marketing Gaffes to Do IPO Its Way Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The founders of Google Inc. did it their way, and then they paid the price. Sergey Brin, 30, and Larry Page, 31, completed an initial public offering of the largest Internet search firm yesterday using an unorthodox Dutch auction ...$LABEL$2 +Logan may benefit from fewer O #39;Hare flights WASHINGTON -- Flight reductions by 16 major airlines serving O #39;Hare International Airport -- the result of two weeks of talks with the Transportation Department to alleviate traffic at the ...$LABEL$2 +More Mars secrets uncovered The hills of Mars have yielded fresh clues about how water shaped the Red Planet. Scientists at NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, revealed that the robotic explorers Spirit and Opportunity each made discoveries which indicate that water has ...$LABEL$3 +Sprint stars create new Greek tragedy ATHENS, Greece -- It was just after 8 am Wednesday, and across the street from the downtown Hilton, hundreds of media waited for the ultimate Greek tragedy to reach its sad conclusion. $LABEL$1 +American fouls out OLYMPIA, Greece - When this whole Olympic thing started, the winner of its single event, a 210-yard sprint, would have his name used to identify the Games rather than the year. For instance, 776 BC was the Coroibos Games because ...$LABEL$1 +England 3, Ukraine 0 David Beckham and Michael Owen went about making their peace with England #39;s deflated supporters last night with a goal apiece to help launch England to victory against Ukraine. $LABEL$1 +Singh has put PGA to rest AKRON -- As the \$7 million NEC Invitational begins today on Firestone County Club #39;s South Course, there is bad news for the 75 players in the field who aren #39;t Vijay Singh. $LABEL$1 +Buses defy rebel blockade of Nepal #39;s capital KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A heavily guarded convoy of six buses snaked its way out of Nepal #39;s capital Thursday, the first vehicles to defy Maoist rebels who blockaded Katmandu this week with threats alone and without setting up a single roadblock. $LABEL$0 +Australian Foreign Minister Upbeat on North Korea Nuclear Talks Australia #39;s foreign minister says North Korea shows few signs of compromise but insists a negotiated settlement can still resolve the dispute over Pyongyang #39;s nuclear weapons. $LABEL$0 +Typhoon Megi kills 12 TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Heavy rain from typhoon Megi has lashed South Korea and Japan, prompting the evacuation of some 3,000 people and leaving at least 12 dead. Some 165 Japanese children were trapped at a nature centre. $LABEL$0 +Baghdad bombs still haunt UN GENEVAUN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday met survivors and families of the 22 workers killed in a suicide bombing that shattered United Nations offices in Baghdad last year an attack many employees refer to as quot;our Sept. 11. quot; ...$LABEL$0 +Virtual gaming worlds overtake Namibia Inhabitants of virtual worlds are giving the games they play real economic power, a study has found.$LABEL$3 +Kerry Blames Rising Health Costs for Job Losses (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry, citing a newly\commissioned study, said on Thursday that rising health care\expenses have cost American jobs and President Bush has done\nothing to solve the problem.$LABEL$0 +Bankrupt Commerce One Patents Fetch \$15.5M Bankrupt Internet software maker Commerce One Inc. auctioned off dozens of prized online patents for \$15.5 million in a sale that could provoke a legal scuffle over whether the new owner is entitled to collect royalties from a long list of technology heavyweights.$LABEL$3 +Amazon.com Experiences Sporadic Outage Some customers had trouble reaching Amazon.com's Web site on Monday in what analysts described as probable technical difficulties for the world's largest online retailer during the crucial holiday selling season.$LABEL$3 +EU backs Lamy for trade position The European Commission is backing its former trade commissioner Pascal Lamy to become the next head of the World Trade Organisation.$LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Close Up for Third Day (Reuters) Reuters - Japanese shares rose for a third straight\day on Thursday, advancing over one percent as a rally on Wall\Street encouraged buying of technology issues such as Toshiba\Corp. and Shin-Etsu Chemical$LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Close Up for Third Day TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose for a third straight day on Thursday, advancing over one percent as a rally on Wall Street encouraged buying of technology issues such as Toshiba Corp. and Shin-Etsu Chemical$LABEL$2 +Lindows Postpones IPO (PC World) PC World - Its legal battles over, the software vendor will focus on sales until the market ripens.$LABEL$3 +Israel's Top Court Upholds Dropping of Sharon Case (Reuters) Reuters - Israel's High Court said on Thursday\it was upholding a decision by the country's attorney-general\to drop a bribery case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.$LABEL$0 +Israel's Top Court Upholds Dropping of Sharon Case JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's High Court said on Thursday it was upholding a decision by the country's attorney-general to drop a bribery case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.$LABEL$0 +New Fingerprint Scans Expand to Borders Foreigners entering the United States zipped through the lines at the main port here and several other locations in Arizona and California as a new digital screening program went into effect.$LABEL$3 +Clashes Erupt in Najaf Despite Peace Plan NAJAF, Iraq - Sporadic gunfire and explosions boomed through Najaf on Thursday despite a peace deal in which radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed to disarm his militiamen and pull them out of a revered Shiite shrine they've been taking refuge in. As clashes in Najaf continued, Arab television station Al-Jazeera aired a video Thursday showing a militant group that called itself the Martyrs Brigade vowing to kill a missing Western journalist if U.S...$LABEL$0 +Debit Cards Give Plastic Edge Over Paper 2003 was the first time plastic and other electronic payment methods beat out checks, according to a survey released yesterday by the Federal Reserve.$LABEL$3 +More Web Shopping Is What's in Store The retail sector overall may be reporting a sluggish start to the season, but holiday shoppers are scooping up tech goods at a brisk pace -- and they're scouring the Web for bargains more than ever. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +NY Atty General Spitzer to Run for Gov. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer will announce on Tuesday he will run for governor of the state in 2006, a spokeswoman said.$LABEL$2 +Treasury Prices Falter Before Auctions NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasuries faltered on Tuesday after a blistering two-session rally ran out of steam, though analysts still saw room to the upside given the large short-base in the market.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Awaits Data, Yen Down from Peak LONDON (Reuters) - The yen held close to the previous session's four-week high against the dollar on Thursday while the dollar held steady on the euro as investors awaited U.S. labor and manufacturing data due later. The Japanese currency rose to a high of 109.28 per dollar late on Wednesday, as cross currents in the market, mainly from a steep sterling fall, forced yen sellers to buy the Japanese currency back, pushing it higher against the dollar.$LABEL$2 +Maoist rebel blockade begins to pinch Nepal capital (Reuters) Reuters - Maoist rebels kept vehicles off roads leading to Nepal's capital for a second day on Thursday and residents said fuel was being rationed and food prices had begun to rise.$LABEL$0 +China Bans Video Game for Breach of Sovereignty BEIJING (Reuters) - China, sensitive about issues of national sovereignty, has banned a computer sports game that classifies Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet as countries and has threatened to fine Web sites that supply the game and net cafes that let patrons download it.$LABEL$3 +After Wait, Google Set for Market Debut NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. will make their Nasdaq stock market debut on Thursday after the year #39;s most anticipated initial public offering priced far below initial estimates, raising \$1.67 billion. $LABEL$2 +Qantas posts record annual profit SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Qantas profits soared to a record 648.8 million Australian dollars (US\$463.8 million, euro 376 million) in the past fiscal year, thanks to rising passenger numbers despite fears of Iraq war-related terrorism and the aftermath of ...$LABEL$2 +Pentagon backs off threat to withhold Halliburton fees WASHINGTON - The Army has abruptly reversed itself and decided to pay all of Halliburton Co. #39;s fees to house and feed US troops in Iraq and Kuwait after the company threatened to legally challenge the effort to penalize it. $LABEL$2 +A Long Goodbye at Equifax Give them credit, they #39;re starting the CEO search with plenty of lead time. Early in the day on Aug. 18, Thomas F. Chapman, chairman and CEO of Equifax, stated his intention to retire sometime in late 2005, according to a company statement. While such an ...$LABEL$2 +Real slashes Music Prices RealNetworks has slashed the price for downloading music taking the online music market competition a step further. $LABEL$3 +Texas Firm Targets Teens With Package Of Digital Features Teenagers tend to like instant messaging, TV watching, net surfing, music listening, and shopping, so an Austin, Texas, company has decided to package digital features coveted by teenagers in a PC targeted specifically at teenaged ...$LABEL$3 +Hamm gold by a sliver ATHENS - Paul Hamm feared he had blown a shot for a medal when he stumbled at the end of his performance in the vault, his fourth event in the six-event men #39;s individual all-around final. But the freckle-faced gymnast from Wisconsin ...$LABEL$1 +Hamilton Wins Olympic Time Trial Tyler Hamilton (United States) is the Olympic time trial champion. The man from Marblehead, who crashed out of the 2004 Tour de France, rode away his disappointment by drawing away from defending champion Vyatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) in ...$LABEL$1 +Singh closes in on Tiger AKRON, Ohio - Having closed the gap to a mere one-tenth of a point, Vijay Singh needs only to finish ahead of Tiger Woods at the NEC Invitational, starting today, to end Woods #39; record run as the No. 1-ranked player in the world. $LABEL$1 +Hewitt drives home his return point WASHINGTON - It #39;s night, under the lights at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, and No. 2 seed Lleyton Hewitt is still wearing his white cap backward, the bill of it running down the back of his sweating neck. $LABEL$1 +Wright-Phillips left wanting more Shaun Wright-Phillips has set his sights on being picked for England #39;s World Cup qualifiers after scoring on a scintillating debut for his country. $LABEL$1 +US wings it in Caribbean For the bulk of the 89 minutes that the US National Team went without a goal against an inspired Jamaican side, chances were created -- some of the golden opportunity nature -- but none were converted. And it nearly put the Americans behind the proverbial ...$LABEL$1 +Poles killed after Iraq ambush WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Two Polish troops have been killed and five injured when their vehicles crashed as they were trying to escape an ambush in the central Iraqi city of Hillah, a military spokesman said. $LABEL$0 +Terror suspect killed during interrogation in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A Pakistani religious leader, allegedly linked with the al-Qaeda terrorist network, has died here in police custody, local media reported Thursday. $LABEL$0 +Italy in Hot Seat on Possible Misreporting (AP) AP - The European Union head office said Tuesday it had concerns over Italian budget deficit figures, only a week after Greece was challenged over alleged sloppy bookkeeping and possible underreporting of deficit figures.$LABEL$0 +Virgin plans China mobile service Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson says the firm is in talks with a Chinese company over starting a mobile phone service in mainland China.$LABEL$3 +Is IBM PC sell off preparation for a Power chip attack? <strong>Opinion</strong> A chip on the shoulder?$LABEL$3 +Leadtek WinFast PX6600TD GeForce 6600 card <strong>Review</strong> Mid-range features, performance for under 100?$LABEL$3 +Massive game advertising startup to aid desperate brands <strong>Analysis</strong> Product placement in computer and console games$LABEL$3 +Dollar Awaits Data, Yen Down from Peak LONDON (Reuters) - The yen held close to the previous session's four-week high against the dollar on Thursday while the dollar held steady on the euro as investors awaited U.S. labor and manufacturing data due later. $LABEL$2 +Giddens earns US silver in kayaking Rebecca Giddens made a final charge that nearly landed her a gold medal, but in the end the American settled for silver in yesterday's kayaking single slalom.$LABEL$1 +Estrada gets in some light work Jason Estrada had the perfect opponent last night. An inexperienced one. The Pan Am Games gold medalist had not fought in two months because of a thumb injury and a case of plantar fasciitis that curtailed both his training and his aerobic workouts, and that layoff had his coaches concerned. Unable to run until recently, the Providence, R.I., ...$LABEL$1 +Withdrawal for Greek sprinters Two of Greece's most famous athletes and their coach made their first public appearance here yesterday only to withdraw from the Olympic Games rather than face a panel charged with looking into a possible doping violation.$LABEL$1 +Rhode targets a final gold for US Kim Rhode earned the United States a gold medal in double trap shooting yesterday, staking a unique claim as the first and last winner of the Olympic event.$LABEL$1 +Transactions BASEBALL Arizona (NL): Placed C Koyie Hill on the 15-day DL; purchased contract of C Chris Snyder from El Paso (Texas League). Baltimore (AL): Placed OF Larry Bigbie and 2B-OF Jerry Hairston on the 15-day DL; recalled OF Darnell McDonald from Ottawa (IL); purchased contract of OF Val Majewski from Bowie (EL). Houston (NL): Placed P Andy Pettitte on the ...$LABEL$1 +Silver lining melts foul mood US shot-putter Adam Nelson stood outside the throwing circle, his hands on the back of his head, his hopes just dashed by a foul on a throw that would have won the gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Pair of US squads advance to finals By just two ticks of the clock yesterday morning, the US rowing team squeezed two entries into this weekend's Olympic finals on an otherwise empty day.$LABEL$1 +Dominicans shock US women In an early morning match before a handful of fans, the US women's volleyball team, ranked first in the world, lost to the Dominican Republic, 26-24, 22-25, 27-25, 23-25, 19-17. The US had not lost to the Dominicans, ranked 13th, since 1999 and did not try to dress up one of the biggest upsets of the Games, a loss arguably ...$LABEL$1 +Israeli Court Upholds Decision on Sharon (AP) AP - Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the attorney general's decision to clear Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a corruption case, Israel Radio reported.$LABEL$0 +US denies Ukraine interference US Secretary of State Colin Powell rejects Russian claims that the West wants more influence in Ukraine.$LABEL$0 +Octopus Doesn't Give Up on Motherhood (AP) AP - It was a May-December romance that really had legs: Young Aurora, a female giant octopus and her aging cephalopod suitor J-1 were thrown together for a blind date seven months ago by aquarists who hoped the two would mate.$LABEL$3 +Karzai Sworn in as Afghanistan President KABUL (Reuters) - Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president Tuesday, promising to bring peace to the war-torn nation and end the economy's dependence on narcotics.$LABEL$0 +Megawati's party seals deal with Golkar to dominate Indonesia's parliament (AFP) AFP - President Megawati Sukarnoputri forged a pact with Indonesia's largest political group Golkar to form a bloc that will dominate parliament but is seen as unlikely to ensure her reelection.$LABEL$0 +Lenovo May Be in Acquisition Talks With IBM (AP) AP - China's biggest computer maker said Tuesday it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure which comes amid reports it might buy IBM Corp.'s personal computer business.$LABEL$3 +Merger may axe Fleet jobs BOSTON -- Although published reports yesterday claimed that Bank of America Corp. plans to layoff hundreds of employees at Fleet Banks throughout Massachusetts, Fall River area branches had not received official word by closing time Wednesday, according ...$LABEL$2 +JJB Shares Drop: Profit May Be 20 Less Than Forecast (Update2) Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of JJB Sports Plc, Britain #39;s largest sporting-goods retailer, had their biggest decline in at least two years after the company said profit this fiscal year may be about 20 percent less than forecast amid declining sales. $LABEL$2 +Workplace beware THE LABOR Department #39;s trumpeting of its new regulations governing overtime, which go into effect next week, sounds a little tinny. $LABEL$2 +Saturn in Red This Cassini spacecraft wide angle camera view shows a half-lit Saturn, with two dark storms rolling through its southern hemisphere. The image was taken in visible red light on July 19, 2004, at a distance of 6.2 million kilometers (3.9 million miles) ...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft rolls out fresh Windows XP 64 beta WHILE MICROSOFT and AMD are suggesting it will be well into next year before the final version of WinXP 64 is released, yesterday it started offering a fresh preview edition of its up-and-coming software which now supports both Intel and AMD 64-bit ...$LABEL$3 +Athletes positive coach is to blame ATHENS - They weren #39;t our own tarnished heroes this time, they were bad actors in an overwritten Greek tragedy. But outside the Athens Hilton yesterday morning off the downtown boulevard called Vasillias Sofia, the scene was all too familiar. So were the ...$LABEL$1 +Nelson #39;s day left in ruins He was leading a procession of Olympic shot-putters, thick-bodied, thick-necked men who were about to enter a dirt-floored den of antiquity, and be immersed in history that was as palpable as the crumbling columns and fading marble slabs. $LABEL$1 +Pedal to the medals Vouliagmeni, Greece - The second-fastest move Tyler Hamilton made Wednesday was hopping off the gold-medal platform and running - hobbling, really - to his wife, Haven. $LABEL$1 +Tennis: Australia #39;s Hewitt reaches quarter-finals at Washington tennis WASHINGTON : Lleyton Hewitt further polished his form on hardcourt with the US Open drawing near, earning a 6-3, 6-2 second-round win against Colombian Alejandro Falla at the 500,000-dollar Washington Open. $LABEL$1 +Sharon presses on with Gaza plan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed to press ahead with his Gaza pullout plan despite a humiliating rebuff from his own party of his bid to forge a coalition with the pro-withdrawal Labour Party. $LABEL$0 +Maoist Rebel Blockade Begins to Pinch Nepal Capital KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Maoist rebels kept vehicles off roads leading to Nepal #39;s capital for a second day on Thursday and residents said fuel was being rationed and food prices had begun to rise. $LABEL$0 +One dead, four missing as Typhoon Megi hits S.Korea SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- One died and four others went missing as Typhoon Megi hit South Korea #39;s southern provinces with strong winds and heavy rains, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. $LABEL$0 +First Look: MusicMatch Jukebox's Impressive Version 10 (PC World) PC World - Free software helps organize large music collections.$LABEL$3 +In Brief: Sleepycat releases Berkeley DB XML 2.0 (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Sleepycat Software this week announced the general availability of Berkeley DB XML 2.0, a major upgrade to its open source database for telecommunication infrastructure and enterprise data centers. This release adds support for XQuery 1.0, an emerging standard for XML data access, as well as improvements in performance and usability. Other enhancements include support for XPath 2.0, which allows the selection of a portion of an XML document, and support for the PHP API, which enables developers using the PHP scripting languages to work with XML documents.$LABEL$3 +Garrison Gets New Contract; King Retires (AP) AP - Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract to stay on as U.S. Fed Cup captain, while Billie Jean King retired Tuesday as a coach for the team.$LABEL$1 +Netanyahu backs Sharon #39;s plan for coalition with Labor Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his support Tuesday to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on his plan to invite the Labor Party into a unity government, Ha #39;aretz reported, citing an aide of Sharon.$LABEL$0 +Weightlifters Test Positive for Drugs Before Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Five weightlifters tested positive for drugs before the Athens Olympics and were banned from the Games.$LABEL$1 +Internet patents sold at S.F. auction (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - A group called JGR Acquisition made the winning, #36;15.5 million bid Monday for a batch of obscure but potentially important patents covering technologies for Internet business transactions.$LABEL$3 +Tributes paid to Belgium #39;s #39;magic #39; football coach The Belgian press paid tribute to Raymond Goethals on Tuesday, describing him as the magician and looking back on his teams many victories.$LABEL$1 +Williams #39;Hungary #39; for success British heavyweight hope Danny Williams believes the key to beating WBC champion Vitali Klitschko and becoming the heavyweight champion of the world in Las Vegas on December 11 is his hunger and desire to succeed.$LABEL$1 +'E-Junk' Recycling Still in Its Infancy (AP) AP - When Office Depot, Inc. stores ran an electronics recycling drive last summer that accepted everything from cell phones to televisions, some stores were overwhelmed by the amount of e-trash they received.$LABEL$3 +IBM triples transistor performance with germanium IBM has successfully demonstrated a new technique for improving transistor performance that will help the company build smaller, more powerful chips in the next decade, company researchers said yesterday.$LABEL$3 +Outsourcing growth predicted at 5.9 a year IT job exports are forecast to increase by a compound annual growth rate of 5.9 between 2002 and the end of 2004, said Frost amp; Sullivan.$LABEL$3 +AMD to switch on better Opteron power management Computers with AMD #39;s Opteron processor will soon be able to take advantage of the same power management technology the company has already built into its laptop and desktop microchips.$LABEL$3 +Update 1: Toshiba, Memory-Tech Develop New DVD Two Japanese companies said Tuesday they have developed a DVD that can play on both existing machines and the upcoming high-definition players, raising hopes for a smooth transition as more people dump old TV sets for better screens.$LABEL$3 +Putin Opines on Iraq Election Date (AP) AP - President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he could not imagine how Iraqi elections scheduled for Jan. 30 could be held under current conditions.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Crude Sets New Record: \$47.52/Barrel LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. crude prices rose to another new record on Thursday, rising 25 cents to \$47.52 a barrel on evidence that high prices are not hurting world oil demand growth.$LABEL$2 +UK mortgage lending breaks record Home loan borrowing continued to surge in July, the Council of Mortgage Lenders says.$LABEL$2 +Google IPO priced at \$85 a share NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -- Internet search engine Google has announced it will go public at \$85 a share, paving the way for the widely awaited but troubled stock offering to finally stumble to market on Thursday. $LABEL$2 +After the IPO, Google may need to invest in itself SAN FRANCISCO Google #39;s star-crossed stock offering is making high-tech history. But will its cash windfall help make it a permanent part of Silicon Valley lore despite mounting competition and a tepid market? ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft tries to clear confusion over SP2 A week after releasing Windows XP Service Pack 2 to enterprises, Microsoft is trying to quell confusion over an apparent security flaw and applications that won #39;t work without adjustments. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Unveils 64-Bit Windows Beta Microsoft has made available the latest builds of its 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, which each features a handful of new improvements including the Luna user interface, Windows Messenger, Windows Media ...$LABEL$3 +Return to Ancient Greece enthralls athletes OLYMPIA, GREECE -- Brad Snyder #39;s shot put travelled just more than 19 metres, but the arc of its flight spanned more than 1,600 years. $LABEL$1 +Roddick, Venus make exits ATHENS -- Andy Roddick hit one final errant shot into the net and hung his head, his medal hopes over. A short while later, Venus Williams was gone, too. $LABEL$1 +Els takes aim at his putting LONDON -- Ernie Els has set his sights on an improved putting display this week at the World Golf Championships #39; NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio, after the disappointment of tying for fourth place at the PGA Championship last Sunday. $LABEL$1 +Doped Olympics weightlifters named ATHENS (Reuters) - The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has named the five who failed drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. $LABEL$1 +Salvadoran prison clashes leave at least 31 dead San Salvador -- At least 31 prisoners died and 23 were wounded yesterday during clashes between gang members and other inmates in El Salvador #39;s largest prison, officials said. $LABEL$0 +Customer boost for 3 despite loss Third-generation mobile phone network 3 reports a rise in its UK customer base to 1.2 million - but its Hong Kong parent firm is hit by heavy 3G losses.$LABEL$2 +Spending Cuts May Close Italy's Uffizi -Minister (Reuters) Reuters - Italy's culture minister has threatened to\shut down Florence's Uffizi museum, home of masterpieces by\Michelangelo and Botticelli, if the government doesn't scale\back planned spending cuts.$LABEL$0 +Searching for peace in Nigeria Rival community leaders meet in central Nigeria, the scene of bitter clashes earlier this year.$LABEL$0 +Sony Unveils New Flat TVs, Aims to Boost Share TOKYO (Reuters) - Electronics conglomerate Sony Corp. unveiled eight new flat-screen televisions on Thursday in a product push it hopes will help it secure a leading 35 percent of the domestic market in the key month of December.$LABEL$3 +India Says Rebel Chief Killed in Kashmir Gunbattle SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Indian soldiers killed the head of a guerrilla group fighting for Kashmir's merger with Pakistan in a gunbattle on Thursday, hours before President Abdul Kalam began a rare visit to the region, an official said.$LABEL$0 +Hong Kong chokes under thick smog \Hong Kong's government warns people with heart and respiratory problems to stay in as smog chokes the territory.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Crude Sets New Record: #36;47.52/Barrel (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. crude prices rose to another new\record on Thursday, rising 25 cents to #36;47.52 a barrel on\evidence that high prices are not hurting world oil demand\growth.$LABEL$2 +British retail sales decline for first time in over a year (AFP) AFP - British retail sales fell in July for the first time in over a year, official figures showed, providing further evidence that higher borrowing costs are dampening consumer activity.$LABEL$2 +Wall St. Seen Lower on Oil; Google Eyed PARIS (Reuters) - Sky-high oil prices are likely to pressure Wall Street once again on Thursday, while earnings news from tech giants Ciena <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CIEN.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CIEN.N</A> and Nortel <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> and Google's <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> awaited Nasdaq debut will also steer sentiment.$LABEL$2 +It #39;s A Go For Google After months of missteps and fumbling with initial public offering via an unusual Web-based auction that bucked Wall Street conventions, the troubled pregnancy of Google, the search engine company, will finally be complete. $LABEL$2 +O #39;Hare to reduce flight arrivals Instead of cramming as many as 132 arrivals into an hour, airlines at O #39;Hare Airport agreed Wednesday to limit themselves to just 88 an hour this fall, potentially slashing record delays but raising the prospect of higher prices. $LABEL$2 +At least someone #39;s winning in this war News Item: quot;The US Army has threatened to partially withhold payments to Halliburton due to allegations of overcharges for food, shelter and services. quot; ...$LABEL$2 +Wall St. Seen Lower on Oil; Google Eyed (Reuters) Reuters - Sky-high oil prices are likely to\pressure Wall Street once again on Thursday, while earnings\news from tech giants Ciena (CIEN.N) and Nortel (NT.TO) and\Google's (GOOG.O) awaited Nasdaq debut will also steer\sentiment.$LABEL$2 +US Airways Chairman: Liquidation Possible (Reuters) Reuters - US Airways Group Inc.'s (UAIR.O)\chairman said employees must agree to #36;800 million in new wage\and benefit cuts within 30 days or the airline might be\liquidated, the New York Times said on Thursday, citing an\interview with Chairman David Bronner.$LABEL$2 +Outpost Firewall Pro Supports Microsoft Windows XP SP2 The upcoming Outpost Firewall Pro 2.5 operates seamlessly with XP SP2 to improve security and privacy. $LABEL$3 +More clues hint Mars watery past BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- NASA #39;s Mars rovers have uncovered more clues about how water shaped the Red Planet, scientists said Wednesday. $LABEL$3 +Broadband reach to get broader Broadband will be as widely available as analogue TV by the middle of next year, according to BT. BT has struggled to extend the reach of broadband to certain areas of the country because until now 512Kbps ADSL connections would not work ...$LABEL$3 +PS2 price cut announcement, Xbox also cut Leipzig Game Convention in Germany, the stage for price-slash revelations. Sony has announced that it #39;s slashing the cost of PS2 in the UK and Europe to 104.99 GBP. $LABEL$3 +Caterpillar to Buy Williams Technologies Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday that its Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services unit will acquire Williams Technologies Inc., a remanufacturer of transmissions and engines, from Remy International Inc. for an undisclosed ...$LABEL$3 +Incomparable finish wins gold for gymnast Hamm ATHENS - With a disastrous landing on the vault that sent him stumbling off the mat and nearly into the judges #39; laps, Paul Hamm thought it was over. $LABEL$1 +Greek sprinters face wait to learn fate Greek sprint duo Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou will have to wait until after the Olympic Games to find out their fate following their missed drugs tests, according to athletics chief Arne Ljungqvist. $LABEL$1 +Doping Casts Shadow Over Olympics -- Again ATHENS (Reuters) - Doping cast its sleazy shadow over the Olympics again when it was announced on Thursday that five weightlifters had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. $LABEL$1 +Germany Looking at Citigroup Bond Trading BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's financial watchdog said on Thursday it was looking into recent trading by U.S. financial services group Citigroup <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=C.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">C.N</A> in European government bond and derivative markets, but had not started a formal probe.$LABEL$2 +Sony Unveils New Flat TVs, Aims to Boost Share (Reuters) Reuters - Electronics conglomerate Sony Corp.\unveiled eight new flat-screen televisions on Thursday in a\product push it hopes will help it secure a leading 35 percent\of the domestic market in the key month of December.$LABEL$3 +Nintendo patents key console online gaming features Newly granted IP extends 1999 Net-connected video game patent$LABEL$3 +TV project aims to kick-start 3G High-quality, affordable TV on mobiles could be just what 3G operators are looking for, say researchers.$LABEL$3 +Malaysia Confirms Deadly Bird Flu Found (AP) AP - Malaysia went on a nationwide alert against bird flu Thursday after officials confirmed that a deadly strain of the disease, blamed for the deaths of 27 people in Asia, had been found in a tiny northern village.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sadr Facing 'Final Hours' -Government NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's government warned Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday he would face a military strike within hours unless he ended his uprising, disarmed his militia and quit a shrine in the city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Harris' Double Leads Marlins Past Dodgers Lenny Harris has come up with clutch hits throughout his record-breaking career as a pinch hitter. His three-run double off Eric Gagne was a bit more special than most...$LABEL$0 +US Supreme Court hears dispute over interstate wine sales; Maine <b>...</b> The Supreme Court is considering whether states may bar people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers, a big-money question that could lead to sweeping changes $LABEL$2 +Sprint Speeds Up Wireless Network Sprint (Quote, Chart) has awarded wireless equipment contracts totaling \$3 billion to Lucent (Quote, Chart), Motorola (Quote, Chart) and Nortel (Quote, Chart) to better compete in a sector reshaped by acquisitions and spectrum swaps.$LABEL$2 +After Wait, Google Set for Market Debut NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. will make their Nasdaq stock market debut on Thursday, with some market participants expecting a steady start or slight rise after the company #39;s initial public offering priced far below original estimates. $LABEL$2 +Oil Hits Record on China, India Demand LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record high above \$47 a barrel on Thursday as fresh evidence of demand growth in China and India underlined how rising appetite for oil is straining the world #39;s supply system. $LABEL$2 +Insurance Rates May Not Rise From Charley WEST PALM BEACH -- Hurricane Charley packed more punch than any storm not named Andrew, the Insurance Information Institute said Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +US Airways Chairman: Liquidation Possible NEW YORK (Reuters) - US Airways Group Inc. #39;s (UAIR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) chairman said employees must agree to \$800 million in new wage and benefit cuts within 30 days or the airline might be liquidated, the New York Times said on Thursday, citing ...$LABEL$2 +Hutchison Says Net More Than Doubles on Asset Sales (Update4) Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing #39;s biggest company, said first-half profit more than doubled on gains from asset sales. The company added users at unprofitable high-speed wireless networks in Europe at a ...$LABEL$2 +Google and founders will profit from IPO despite controversies As reports FinanceGates.com, the largest Web search engine Google Inc. is going to reach \$1.67 billion in its initial public offering on Thursday selling 19.6 million shares at \$85 each. Still, analysts consider shares to be overpriced. $LABEL$2 +Mortgage applications rise US mortgage applications climbed 12 percent last week as the lowest mortgage rates in four months prompted consumers to buy homes and refinance loans. $LABEL$2 +New McD offerings come in waves McDonald #39;s took further steps to jazz things up for its customers Wednesday, unveiling a new cashless payment service and expanding the test of deli-style sandwiches at US restaurants. $LABEL$2 +Update 1: Philippine Shares End Higher The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index ended up 16.90 points, or 1.1 percent, at 1,573.27, after giving up 2.4 percent in the past two sessions, including Wednesday #39;s 0.7 percent loss. $LABEL$2 +Germany looking at Citigroup bond trading,no probe BERLIN, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Germany #39;s financial watchdog said on Thursday it was looking into recent trading by US financial services group Citigroup (CN: Quote, Profile, Research) in European government bond and derivative markets, but had not started a ...$LABEL$2 +Retail sales fall more than expected LONDON (Reuters) - Retail sales fell more than expected in July and for the first time in over a year as poor weather pushed down clothing sales sharply. $LABEL$2 +Bluetooth flying bot creates buzz The micro flyer is the next version of the robot by the Japanese technology firm that wowed crowds with last year. $LABEL$3 +Broadband increases its reach, says BT With broadband access an increasingly critical requirement in running a business, BT said as many as 78,000 more West Midland homes and businesses will be brought within reach of its broadband service next month. $LABEL$3 +Malaysia sets up sanctuary for sea turtles Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Malaysia has set aside 60 hectares of land off the east coast state of Terengganu to help conserve its dwindling number of endangered sea turtles. $LABEL$3 +Cornice countersues Seagate Cornice has countersued hard drive rival Seagate, the maker of micro hard drives said yesterday. In a complaint filed with the US District Court for Delaware, the Cornice asked the court not only to determine that certain Seagate patents are invalid but ...$LABEL$3 +Linking remote SME workers to their office networks KUALA LUMPUR: Juniper Networks Inc has introduced solutions that it claimed would provide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a secure, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy method for remote employees to access corporate networks. $LABEL$3 +Summer of spam surges For spammers, it #39;s been a summer of love. Two newly issued reports tracking the circulation of unsolicited e-mails say pornographic spam dominated this summer, nearly all of it originating from Internet addresses in North America. $LABEL$3 +Greeks named in Balco e-mail The Greek sprinters who withdrew from the Olympic Games yesterday were named in an e-mail exchange between Balco Laboratories owner Victor Conte Jr. and a Greek track and field coach, two sources familiar with the case said. $LABEL$1 +Brits to Challenge Hoy Gold Great Britain #39;s three-day eventing team have joined forces with France and the USA to challenge the gold medal claims of Germany and Bettina Hoy. $LABEL$1 +Athletes To Watch Brendan Hansen, United States, swimming The former UT swimmer goes for the gold in the 200-meter breaststroke. The world-record holder at 100 and 200 meters, Hansen won the silver in the 100 breast on the second day of competition. He says a ...$LABEL$1 +Levin advances in US Amateur Damphousse signs with Avs Levin, the low amateur at the US Open who tied for 13th, registered a 3- and-1 win over Mike Lane of Citrus Heights (Sacramento County). $LABEL$1 +Bush and Kerry must engage in Gaza withdrawal The next few weeks may reveal whether or not Prime Minister Sharon will succeed in cobbling together a government that will implement his Gaza withdrawal plan. It is disconcerting to see how difficult he is finding it to ...$LABEL$0 +Shaukat Aziz to be sworn next week ISLAMABAD: Pakistan #39;s Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, a former banker credited with its economic reforms, will take over as prime minister next week following his thumping National Assembly by-election victories on Wednesday. $LABEL$0 +Indonesia #39;s Megawati unveils grand coalition JAKARTA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, fighting to win a fresh term, formally unveiled on Thursday a coalition of parties seeking to ensure she stays in power for the next five years. $LABEL$0 +Expert warns of further landslips An expert has warned that landslides such as those seen this week in Perthshire and north Cornwall are set to become more common. $LABEL$0 +Stocks Seen Little Changed, Oil Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude prices near record highs will again mute any advance in U.S. stocks at the market's open on Thursday, but investors will get a diversion as Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> begins trading after its initial public offering.$LABEL$2 +Oil Hits Record on China, India Demand LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record high above \$47.50 a barrel on Thursday as fresh evidence of demand growth in China and India underlined how rising appetite for oil is straining the world's supply system.$LABEL$2 +Winn-Dixie Posts Loss But Sees Progress NEW YORK (Reuters) - Grocer Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WIN.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">WIN.N</A> on Thursday reported a quarterly loss as restructuring costs weighed on results, but said its efforts to reverse a market share slide are gaining momentum.$LABEL$2 +Limited 2nd-Quarter Earnings Climb NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Limited Brands Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LTD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">LTD.N</A> on Thursday posted a sharply higher quarterly profit, lifted by a rise in sales at stores open at least a year.$LABEL$2 +Drug 'could boost malaria fight' Scientists develop a synthetic version of a herb-based drug to treat malaria.$LABEL$3 +Climate legacy of 'hockey stick' A chart of temperature variation over 1,000 years dubbed the ""hockey stick"" has entered into the folklore of climate scientists, but how accurate is it?$LABEL$3 +Better times for techies? Unemployment drops, optimism rises for computer professionals. Is it because the unhappy ones leave the field?$LABEL$3 +Hall, Lezak Qualify in Olympic 50 Free (AP) AP - American Gary Hall Jr., the defending Olympic champion, and teammate Jason Lezak qualified for the 50-meter freestyle semifinals Thursday, but two of their biggest rivals failed to advance.$LABEL$1 +Possible Eighth Medal Chance for Phelps ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps's chances of winning a record eight medals at the Athens Olympics were given a big boost on Thursday when U.S. team officials said he might swim the heats of the 4x100 medley relay.$LABEL$1 +Dutch Snatch Hockey Win, Pakistan Stun Korea ATHENS (Reuters) - Olympic champions the Netherlands snatched another last-minute victory on Thursday in the men's hockey tournament in Athens and Pakistan stunned Sydney silver medallists South Korea 3-0 with fast-paced, attacking hockey.$LABEL$1 +Rebuffed by Party, Sharon Presses on with Gaza Plan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed on Thursday to press ahead with his Gaza pullout plan despite his own party's humiliating rebuff of his bid to forge a coalition with the pro-withdrawal Labour Party.$LABEL$0 +Israel's Top Court Upholds Dropping of Sharon Case JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday won a final reprieve from criminal prosecution in a bribery scandal that had threatened to topple him and derail his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.$LABEL$0 +Torrential British Rain Set to Cause More Chaos LONDON (Reuters) - After torrential rain caused flash flooding in southern England and a landslide in Scotland this week, meteorologists on Thursday forecast more heavy downpours and urged people to heed bad weather warnings.$LABEL$0 +China protesters threaten suicide \Six Chinese protesters have threatened to jump from the top of a six-storey building in central Beijing.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Set to Open Slightly Lower at Open NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen slightly lower at the open Thursday as investors take some cash off the table after Wednesday's sharp rally...$LABEL$0 +Jury in Peterson Trial Gets Long Weekend REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Jurors in the Scott Peterson murder trial got an early start on their weekend when the judge delayed cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness, then sent them home because of what he described as a ""potential development."" Judge Alfred A...$LABEL$0 +Iraq Says Offensive Vs. Cleric to Start NAJAF, Iraq - An Iraqi Cabinet minister said Thursday that Iraqi forces could begin an offensive against Muqtada al-Sadr within hours, despite the firebrand cleric's acceptance of a peace proposal. To prevent an imminent attack on his forces, who are holed up in the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, al-Sadr must immediately disarm his Mahdi Army militia and hand over its weapons to the authorities, Minister of State Qassim Dawoud said...$LABEL$0 +Google's IPO Price Set at \$85 Before Debut SAN JOSE, California - On the cusp of its voyage into public trading, Google's initial stock price was set at \$85 and its market value calculated at \$23 billion - less than originally expected, but still impressive for a 6-year-old dot-com dreamed up in a garage. The final initial public offering price, set through an unorthodox auction that alienated many on Wall Street, means the stock will likely debut Thursday under the symbol ""GOOG"" on the Nasdaq Stock Market...$LABEL$0 +A broken record: Oil up again New market set as demand in China, India intensifies supply worries, Iraq lends price support. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Oil prices blazed past \$47.50 a barrel and set fresh highs early Thursday as demand growth in China and India exacerbated supply shortage ...$LABEL$2 +HK conglomerate Hutchison #39;s first half net profit up 106 percent HONG KONG : Hutchison Whampoa, the ports-to-telecoms conglomerate owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, reported its first half net profit rose 106 percent to HK\$12.5b (US\$1.6b). $LABEL$2 +NetApp posts profits, continues hiring spree Network Appliance posted positive results for its first quarter of 2005 on Wednesday, reporting a 38 percent increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year, and said it intends to continue hiring 200 new people a quarter. $LABEL$3 +Possible Eighth Medal Chance for Phelps ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps #39;s chances of winning a record eight medals at the Athens Olympics were given a big boost on Thursday when US team officials said he might swim the heats of the 4x100 medley relay. $LABEL$1 +India weightlifter tests positive An Indian weightlifter has tested positive for drugs before the start of the Athens Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced. $LABEL$1 +French to appeal after losing gold ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The French Olympic team is to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to try to win back its three-day event Olympic gold medal in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Supporters now have to wait to see Nunez HE #39;S the man seem-ingly no-one in Liverpool knows anything about - and who #39;ll now have to wait a little longer before attempting to endear himself to a curious Anfield crowd. $LABEL$1 +Ching gains repemption, his goal in 89th minute earning 1-1 qualifying draw in Jamaica. KINGSTON, Jamaica (Wednesday, August 18, 2004) -- Brian Ching was not one to waste a second chance. The reserve striker, who earlier missed an opportunity to tie the game with a point-blank header, made no mistake when he drove home a close-in shot in the ...$LABEL$1 +Iraqi Minister Sets New Deadline For Al-Sadr 19 August 2004 -- An Iraqi government official has said a military offensive against Shi #39;ite militiamen loyal to Shi #39;a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the holy city of Al-Najaf will begin in quot;hours quot; unless they disarm. $LABEL$0 +Georgia Says 6 Soldiers Killed in Latest Clashes in South Ossetia Georgian military officials say at least six Georgian soldiers have been killed and at least seven others wounded in overnight clashes in Georgia #39;s breakaway region of South Ossetia. $LABEL$0 +UK #39;s Blair Alters Holiday After Sardinian Bombs, Corriere Says Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has changed his holiday plans following Wednesday #39;s discovery of two explosive devices near Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s Sardinian villa, where he had been staying, Il Corriere della Sera ...$LABEL$0 +UN Marks Anniversary of Bombing of Baghdad Mission The United Nations is marking the first anniversary of the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed 22 people, including the world body #39;s top envoy to Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello. $LABEL$0 +Oil Hits New Record as Demand Soars LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record high above \$47.50 a barrel on Thursday as fresh evidence of demand growth in China and India underlined how rising appetite for oil is straining the world's supply system.$LABEL$2 +Blast Hits Heavily Fortified Baghdad Area (AP) AP - An explosion Thursday hit the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy in central Baghdad, sending up a plume of gray smoke.$LABEL$0 +Toshiba, Memory-Tech Develop New DVD (AP) AP - Two Japanese companies said Tuesday they have developed a DVD that can play on both existing machines and the upcoming high-definition players, raising hopes for a smooth transition as more people dump old TV sets for better screens.$LABEL$3 +Before-the-Bell: Synopsys Shares Drop (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Synopsys Inc. (SNPS.O), a\semiconductor design software maker, tumbled before the bell on\Thursday, a day after the company reported lower quarterly net\income and said results in the current quarter would be below\Wall Street estimates.$LABEL$2 +Asia feels the pain of oil prices Governments around the region are warning that rising oil prices have started to hurt their economies.$LABEL$2 +Net firms set sights on spammers British net firms are starting to get tough with firms that drum up trade using junk e-mails.$LABEL$3 +Princess Anne in Cyprus to encourage Olympic competitors (AFP) AFP - Princess Anne was in Cyprus to pay a royal morale-boosting visit to Britain's Olympic athletes training on the Mediterranean island before heading off to the Athens Games.$LABEL$0 +Virgin plans China mobile expansion Virgin Group today announced plans to expand its mobile phone services to China in a \$300m (154m) joint venture with a Chinese company.$LABEL$2 +DaVita to buy dialysis clinics for \$3.05 billion The Swedish company Gambro AB will sell a division to an El Segundo company for \$3.05 billion in cash. Gambro Healthcare US, the division being sold, operates clinics for patients undergoing kidney dialysis and has 565 clinics and 43,200 patients.$LABEL$2 +Job Cuts Rise Further in Nov. - Report Planned job cuts at US firms climbed during November, a report said on Tuesday, in a further sign of sluggishness in the labor market.$LABEL$2 +More Web Shopping Is What #39;s in Store The retail sector overall may be reporting a sluggish start to the season, but holiday shoppers are scooping up iPods, DVDs, digital cameras and other tech goods at a brisk pace -- and they $LABEL$2 +Nortel Reports Preliminary Results (Reuters) Reuters - Nortel Networks Corp. (NT.TO) delivered\long-awaited preliminary results for the first half of 2004 on\Thursday that showed estimated first and second quarter\earnings between nil and 1 cent per share, and North America's\biggest telecom equipment supplier said it would cut about\3,500 jobs.$LABEL$2 +Limited Quarterly Earnings Climb NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Limited Brands Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LTD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">LTD.N</A> on Thursday posted sharply higher quarterly earnings on gains from the sale of its stake in Galyans Trading Co. and strong customer response to sales events early in the quarter.$LABEL$2 +Ciena Posts Loss, Forecasts Flat Sales NEW YORK (Reuters) - Telecommunications equipment maker Ciena Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CIEN.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CIEN.O</A> on Thursday reported a wider loss for the fiscal third quarter due to slack demand and forecast sales in the current quarter would be little changed from the third quarter.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Struggles to Stay Off Lows LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar traded near this week's four-week lows against the euro and yen on Thursday ahead of U.S. jobless claims and a key business survey that dealers expect to provide further clues about the interest rate outlook.$LABEL$2 +Groups Chide U.S. on Mercury Regulations (AP) AP - Environmentalists and two Maryland Democratic congressmen chastised the Bush administration Wednesday for proposed regulations they said will not do enough to reduce mercury contamination of Maryland rivers, lakes and the Chesapeake Bay.$LABEL$3 +Group: New England Not Reducing Mercury (AP) AP - If environmental policy were scored like grade-school spelling tests, New England's mercury reduction efforts wouldn't get any gold stars.$LABEL$3 +WTC destruction was two occurrences: jury World Trade Center leaseholder Silverstein Properties Inc. could collect \$4.68 billion in insurance payments after the jury in the second phase of the WTC property insurance litigation decided that the Sept.$LABEL$2 +Update 25: Google #39;s IPO Price Set at \$85 Before Debut On the cusp of its voyage into public trading, Google #39;s initial stock price was set at \$85 and its market value calculated at \$23 billion - less than originally expected, but still impressive for a 6-year-old dot-com dreamed up in a garage. $LABEL$2 +Claire #39;s 2Q Earnings Are Up 48 Percent Jewelry and accessories retailer Claire #39;s Stores Inc. reported Thursday that second-quarter earnings rose 48 percent to beat Wall Street expectations, and guided above estimates for the fourth-quarter and fiscal year periods. $LABEL$2 +Google cuts price range, ends auction SAN JOSE, California - Initial shares of Google Inc. were priced late last night at \$85 US each -- the low end of estimates that the company had revised downward hours earlier. $LABEL$2 +Swisscom confirms Telekom Austria talks have ended ZURICH, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Top Swiss telecoms group Swisscom (SCMN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) confirmed takeover talks with neighbouring Telekom Austria (TELA.VI: Quote, Profile, Research) had ended without result, the group said on Thursday, crushing ...$LABEL$2 +US broadband reaches critical mass Over half of online US households are using broadband to access the internet, according to new research. $LABEL$3 +Six of Top Eight Music Players In Japan Are iPods The AP is reporting that the iPod has become so popular in Japan, despite the introduction of the Sony Walkman NW-HD1, that six of the top 8 selling music players in the country are iPod models. The AP ...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft unveils Works 8 The dictionary module has been integrated into the word processor and is also a stand-alone application in the Works Task Launcher. A thesaurus has been included, as well as the option to set parental controls. $LABEL$3 +Forget the medal count, Phelps has far exceeded expectations Two-time US Olympian Tom Dolan, who took back-to-back gold medals in the 400 IM at Atlanta and Sydney, will analyze races for SI.com throughout the Games. $LABEL$1 +Greek stars fan scandal #39;s flames by withdrawing ATHENS - On a day on which both Greece and the Olympics celebrated themselves by returning the Games to their ancient home in Olympia, two popular Greek athletes withdrew from the track and field competition amid a scandal befitting that ...$LABEL$1 +Americans fall on tennis court A US tennis team expected to collect a gold rush or at least challenge for one, instead got derailed just after coming out of the gate. $LABEL$1 +Figo has a break from international soccer match LISBON, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Portugal captain Luis Figo said here on Wednesday he was taking a break from international soccer, although he would not confirm if the decision was final. $LABEL$1 +Retailer's Share Up on Wal-Mart Interest (AP) AP - Shares of Japan's troubled supermarket chain Daiei Inc. soared 27 percent Thursday following reports that U.S. giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. planned to submit a proposal for turning the company around.$LABEL$2 +Amazon to Buy China's Biggest Internet Retailer (Reuters) Reuters - Internet giant Amazon.com Inc. is to\buy China's biggest online retailer, Joyo.com, sources familiar\with the deal said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Soap Chemical Said Found in Md. Streams (AP) AP - An anti-bacterial agent commonly found in soaps and detergents has been found in water from streams and wastewater treatment plants in the Baltimore area, a Johns Hopkins researcher said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +N.M. Museum to Launch Names Into Space (AP) AP - The New Mexico Museum of Space History will be shipping names to the stars with the first X-Prize launch into space.$LABEL$3 +Update: Google gets IPO green light from SEC The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday gave its approval for Google Inc. to proceed with its initial public offering (IPO).$LABEL$3 +Gateway unveils Grantsdale PCI Express PCs in retail Gateway Inc. will introduce its first desktops based on Intel Corp.'s new 915G chip set through several retail outlets, the company plans to announce Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Intel Chips In for New Gateway PCs Desktops will be available at several retailers, including CompUSA.$LABEL$3 +Lawsuit Filed Over Search Gambling Ads Yahoo, Google and other major web sites have been hit with a lawsuit saying they carry online gambling ads in violation of California law. This comes after two of the major search companies earlier this year made moves that were supposed to remove online gambling ads entirely.$LABEL$3 +Nortel to Cut 3,500 Jobs to Boost Profit OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> posted long-awaited preliminary results for the first half of 2004 on Thursday, estimating first and second quarter earnings between nil and 1 cent per share.$LABEL$2 +Oil Sets Record as New Violence Flares in Iraq LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record on Thursday, spurred higher by renewed violence in Iraq and fresh evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not been slowed yet by higher energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Global Markets: Stocks Up Despite Oil LONDON (Reuters) - European stocks shrugged off new peaks in crude oil prices and moved slightly higher on Thursday with technology firms leading the advance, while bonds and the dollar were steady.$LABEL$2 +Ky. Park, Univ. Open Cave Learning Center (AP) AP - Mammoth Cave National Park and Western Kentucky University have opened a facility that is designed to give students a hands-on learning environment in the longest known cave system in the world.$LABEL$3 +Retail sales fall in July Retail sales fell 0.4 in July - the first monthly decline in over a year - but the underlying trend remains strong, official figures showed today. $LABEL$2 +Google #39;s IPO Price Set at \$85 Before Debut SAN JOSE, California (AP)--On the cusp of its voyage into public trading, Google #39;s initial stock price was set at \$85 and its market value calculated at \$23 billion--less than originally expected, but still impressive for a 6-year-old dot-com ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft downplays XP SP2 flaw claims Microsoft has won the first round against security researchers digging for flaws in its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), dismissing claims by German consultants to have identified vulnerabilities. $LABEL$3 +Technical breakthrough boosts Broadband Britain Broadband should be available through 99.4 per cent of phone lines by next summer thanks to a technical breakthrough by BT. $LABEL$3 +Israeli High Court upholds decision over Sharon graft case JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli High Court of Justice upheld Thursday Attorney General Menachem Mazuz #39;s decision not to indict Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the Greek island corruption case, Haaretz website reported. $LABEL$0 +Two Polish Soldiers Killed In Iraq Avoiding Ambush WARSAW, Aug 19 (AFP) - Two Polish soldiers serving in Iraq were killed and five injured on Thursday in a car crash as they sought to escape an ambush, a military spokesman in Warsaw said. $LABEL$0 +Navistar Results Rise on Truck Demand CHICAGO (Reuters) - Commercial truck maker Navistar International Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NAV.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NAV.N</A> said on Thursday quarterly earnings rose as it boosted sales and controlled costs.$LABEL$2 +Basketball: Americans Behind Again at Halftime ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. men's basketball team were once again in danger of defeat at the Olympic tournament on Thursday, trailing Australia 51-47 at the end of the first half.$LABEL$1 +Doping Casts Shadow Over Olympics -- Again ATHENS (Reuters) - Five weightlifters were banned from the Olympics after failing drugs tests, officials said on Thursday, as doping scandals continued to dominate the first week of the Games.$LABEL$1 +UK Police Arrest One Man Under Anti-Terror Laws (Reuters) Reuters - Police arrested a man in central England\on Thursday under anti-terrorism laws.$LABEL$0 +Ex-Chess Champ Fischer's Marriage Plans Hit Snag TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese chess great who plans to marry former world champion Bobby Fischer and help him avoid deportation home to the United States declared herself on Thursday to be a pawn seeking to become a queen.$LABEL$0 +Gay Couples Plan to Appeal Mass. Ruling BOSTON - A state judge upheld a 1913 law that prohibits out-of-state gay couples from marrying in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage between residents has been legal since May. The eight couples who filed the lawsuit - from Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and New York - sought a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the statute, claiming it is inherently discriminatory...$LABEL$0 +Jobless Claims Dip, No Storm Effect (Reuters) Reuters - The number of Americans filing first\claims for jobless pay fell 3,000 last week, the Labor\Department said on Thursday in a report showing no impact from\Hurricane Charley which struck Florida last Friday.$LABEL$2 +Jobless Claims Dip, No Storm Effect WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing first claims for jobless pay fell 3,000 last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday in a report showing no impact from Hurricane Charley which struck Florida last Friday.$LABEL$2 +Oil Sets Record Amid New Violence in Iraq LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record on Thursday, spurred higher by renewed violence in Iraq and fresh evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not been slowed yet by higher energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Before-the-Bell: Synopsys, DeVry Fall NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of DeVry Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DV.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DV.N</A>, a provider of business and technical education, fell before the bell on Thursday, a day after it reported fourth-quarter earnings that came in just shy of analysts' expectations.$LABEL$2 +Swisscom, Austrian telecom talks cut off: OeIAG (AFP) AFP - Negotiations between the Austrian privatisation agency OeIAG and the Swiss telecommunications group Swisscom for a stake in Telekom Austria ended without a deal, OeIAG said in a statement.$LABEL$0 +Oil Sets Record as New Violence Flares in Iraq LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record on Thursday, spurred higher by renewed violence in Iraq and fresh evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not been slowed yet by higher energy costs. $LABEL$2 +Nortel to Cut 3,500 Jobs to Boost Profit OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. (NT.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) posted long-awaited preliminary results for the first half of 2004 on Thursday, estimating first and second quarter earnings between nil and 1 cent per share. $LABEL$2 +Stocks to Watch on Thursday, August 19 Clothing retailer Limited Brands, whose chains include the Limited, Express, Victoria #39;s Secret and Bath amp; Body Works, posted a sharply higher quarterly profit on Thursday. The company saw a rise in sales at stores open at least a year. Its shares closed ...$LABEL$2 +Net nearly doubles, helped by stronger results at Hutchison HONG KONG Cheung Kong (Holdings), the holding company of the billionaire Li Ka-shing, said Thursday that first-half profit almost doubled, spurred by higher earnings from its Hutchison Whampoa unit and a surge in property sales. $LABEL$2 +Parmalat to sue auditors PARMALAT, the bankrupt Italian food company, is suing outside auditors Grant Thornton and Deloitte amp; Touche, seeking 5.5 billion in damages. $LABEL$2 +Broadband Breaks 50 Of Mass, Marks A Critical Pass More than half (51) of the American online population accessed the Internet via broadband connections in July--up from only 38 percent in July 2003, according to estimates released Tuesday by Nielsen//NetRatings. $LABEL$3 +Micro Focus lifts and shifts Cobol to Linux Micro Focus has extended its #39;Lift and Shift #39; legacy Cobol migration service, adding the option of migrating CICS-based mainframe Cobol applications to HP and IBM Unix and Linux servers. $LABEL$3 +Doping Casts Shadow Over Olympics -- Again ATHENS (Reuters) - Five weightlifters were banned from the Olympics after failing drugs tests, officials said on Thursday, as doping scandals continued to dominate the first week of the Games. $LABEL$1 +England soon lose opener Strauss LONDON, England (Reuters) -- England lost opener Andrew Strauss as they reached 53 for one at lunch on the first day of the fourth and final test against West Indies at The Oval. $LABEL$1 +Another slow start, another fast finish for US women South Korea took an early lead, so did the Czech Republic. Hey, even New Zealand had the US women #39;s basketball team down for a while. $LABEL$1 +Pakistan serves the US heads, not tales KARACHI - Tiring of the carrot and stick approach, and with US presidential elections only a few months away, the US has taken an aggressive role in Pakistan in the hunt for quot;big-name quot; al-Qaeda figures. $LABEL$0 +Jobless Claims Drop for 3rd Straight Week The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits edged down last week for a third consecutive time, signaling that the labor market may be improving after hitting a speed bump in June and July.$LABEL$2 +Survey Notes Rise in U.S. Broadband Users (AP) AP - The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections.$LABEL$3 +Lindows postpones public offering CEO Michael Robertson says the Linux company ""won't be forced into a cut-rate IPO.$LABEL$3 +Violent Standoff in Najaf Continues Negotiations over the embattled city of Najaf took a new and complicated turn Thursday when an official of Iraq's interim government issued fresh demands to be met by rebellious Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, accompanied by warnings of an imminent military offensive at the shrine where Sadr's militia is holed up.$LABEL$0 +Retailer's Shares Up on Wal-Mart Interest (AP) AP - Shares of Japan's troubled supermarket chain Daiei Inc. soared 27 percent Thursday following reports that U.S. giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. planned to submit a proposal for turning the company around.$LABEL$2 +No Frills, but Everything Else Is on Craigslist (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Ernie Miller, a 38-year-old software developer in Silver Spring, offers a telling clue as to how www.craigslist.org became the Internet's go-to place to solve life's vexing problems.$LABEL$3 +N.Y. to Sell Wireless Cos. Lamppost Space (AP) AP - Further proof New York's real estate market is inflated: The city plans to sell space on top of lampposts to wireless phone companies for #36;21.6 million a year.$LABEL$3 +Google Rises in Market Debut (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Google Inc. (GOOG.O) rose 15\percent to #36;98 in the first minutes of their Nasdaq stock\market debut on Thursday after the year's most anticipated\initial public offering priced far below initial estimates.$LABEL$2 +August Mid-Atlantic Factory Output Slows (Reuters) Reuters - Output at U.S. Mid-Atlantic factories\slowed in August as new orders dropped sharply, suggesting\recent weakness in the economy is likely to persist into coming\months.$LABEL$2 +30-Year Mortgage Rates Lowest Since April (Reuters) Reuters - Interest rates on U.S. 30-year\mortgages stayed under 6 percent for a third straight week,\mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said on Thursday,\remaining at their lowest averages since early April.$LABEL$2 +Leading Indicators, Jobless Claims Dip (AP) AP - A closely watched measure of future economic activity fell in July for the second consecutive month, reinforcing evidence that the nation's financial recovery is slackening.$LABEL$2 +SEC: Staffer Heading to Private-Sector Job (AP) AP - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday that a top staffer overseeing the #36;7.6 trillion mutual-fund industry will step down for a private-sector position.$LABEL$2 +Google Rises in Market Debut NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> rose 15 percent to \$98 in the first minutes of their Nasdaq stock market debut on Thursday after the year's most anticipated initial public offering priced far below initial estimates.$LABEL$2 +August Mid-Atlantic Factory Output Slows NEW YORK (Reuters) - Output at U.S. Mid-Atlantic factories slowed in August as new orders dropped sharply, suggesting recent weakness in the economy is likely to persist into coming months.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Sink, Dragged by High Oil Prices NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as investor worries about high energy costs hurting corporate profits kept indexes lower after oil prices broke through \$48 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +Court Deals Blow to Movie Studios LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies by ruling several Internet file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Nortel to Cut 3,500 Jobs to Boost Profits OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NT.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NT.TO</A> earned stock market applause on Thursday as it slashed more jobs, released on-target profit estimates, and took steps to clean up its accounting mess.$LABEL$2 +Navistar Profit Rises, But Shares Fall CHICAGO (Reuters) - Commercial truck maker Navistar International Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NAV.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NAV.N</A> reported higher quarterly earnings on Thursday, but its shares fell more than 5 percent as the market focused on lower-than-expected profit from its core manufacturing operations.$LABEL$2 +UAL: Pension Plan Terminations Likely CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Airlines, which has said it plans to miss nearly \$500 million in pension contributions this fall, said in bankruptcy court papers it likely will be necessary to cancel and replace all of its pension plans.$LABEL$2 +Medtronic Drops, Results Fail to Inspire CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of Medtronic Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MDT.N</A> fell on Thursday as the company's fiscal first-quarter results, released after the market closed on Wednesday, failed to inspire investors.$LABEL$2 +Petsmart Earnings Rise, But Shares Slump NEW YORK (Reuters) - Petsmart Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PETM.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">PETM.O</A>, the top U.S. pet supplies chain, on Thursday said quarterly earnings rose on improved pet services sales, but its stock sank as much as 12 percent as results lagged analysts' expectations.$LABEL$2 +Google Shares Begin Trading on Nasdaq Shortly before noon today, Google Inc. stock began trading under the ticker symbol GOOG on the Nasdaq stock market. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Set New High, Again Crude futures climbed above \$48 a barrel Thursday as market fears of sabotage against the Iraqi oil infrastructure outweighed assurances from Baghdad that exports would increase in coming days.$LABEL$2 +Europe joins Citigroup bond probe France and Germany's market watchdogs say they are looking into Citigroup bond trades already under scrutiny in the UK.$LABEL$2 +Ireland raises growth forecasts Ireland is poised to grow faster with a smaller deficit thanks to the global economic recovery, the government says.$LABEL$2 +Amazon moves into China US internet giant Amazon.com is buying China's largest web retailer Joyo.com, in a deal worth \$75m (41m).$LABEL$2 +French output steps up the pace Europe's bigger economies register yet more productivity growth, while the UK starts to fall behind.$LABEL$2 +Apple warns about bad batteries Apple is recalling 28,000 faulty batteries for its 15-inch Powerbook G4 laptops.$LABEL$2 +Aer Lingus unveils cost cut plans Irish airline Aer Lingus offers workers at least 40,000 euros each to take voluntary redundancy under cost cutting plans.$LABEL$2 +Bangladesh wins \$2bn India deal Indian conglomerate Tata is to invest \$2bn in a power plant in Bangladesh, the country's single largest foreign investment ever.$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Hit \$48 a Barrel as Iraq Violence Flares Oil prices struck a fresh record today on violence in Iraq and evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not slowed due to higher energy costs.$LABEL$2 +Leading Indicators and Jobless Claims Dip A closely watched measure of future economic activity fell in July for the second consecutive month, reinforcing evidence that the nation's financial recovery is slackening.$LABEL$2 +Being Frugal With Google Google begins trading. Finally. Bill Mann's pretty tired of the navel-gazing.$LABEL$2 +A Plastic, Fantastic Gem Claire's Stores continue to crank up sales and get more profitable along the way.$LABEL$2 +The Value of Star Power Coca-Cola lets basketball star LeBron James create a new version of Powerade.$LABEL$2 +Kroger's Profit Up, But Price Cuts Weigh NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kroger Co., the top U.S. grocer, on Tuesday posted a 29 percent rise in quarterly profit due to cost controls, but price cuts to lure shoppers caused earnings to miss Wall Street estimates and shares fell.$LABEL$2 +New Device: Flying Robot Seiko Epson hopes the tiny robot will help in security, disaster and rescue and space exploration. Also: Apple recalls batteries from its 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptops hellip;. Sony unveils eight new flat-screen TVs hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +Apple to Recall 28,000 Laptop Batteries (Reuters) Reuters - Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O) has\agreed to recall about 28,000 batteries used in its 15-inch\PowerBook G4 laptop computers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety\Commission said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Drugstore Offers New Wave of Disposable Cameras (Reuters) Reuters - Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. on Thursday\said it would offer the world's first disposable digital camera\with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to\instantly preview pictures.$LABEL$3 +AT amp;T dials up VoIP service with cable deals (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - AT amp;T (T) is teaming with America's big cable TV operators to offer phone service over their broadband Internet lines, marking the telecom giant's first big move since it announced plans to abandon its traditional consumer long-distance business.$LABEL$3 +Court Deals Blow to Movie Studios (Reuters) Reuters - A federal appeals court on Thursday\delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major\movie studios and music companies by ruling several Internet\file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright\infringement.$LABEL$3 +Online Games Could Be Next Big Thing, But Not Yet (Reuters) Reuters - Video games makers searching\for the next big thing to pull in players at Europe's biggest\computer games fair hope to tempt more gamers to pit their wits\against one other online as Web technology improves.$LABEL$3 +India's leading IT company TCS to list stock next week after share offer (AFP) AFP - Top Indian software exporter Tata Consultancy Services will list its share on the Bombay Stock Exchange next week following its successful maiden share offer, an official said.$LABEL$3 +Apple recalls PowerBook batteries (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc. on Thursday issued a recall for PowerBook batteries sold from January 2004 through August 2004 for use with 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) notebook computers. The batteries, made by LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea, could overheat, posing a fire hazard -- Apple said they have received four such reports, although no injuries have been reported.$LABEL$3 +Chimps From Dutch Lab Face Housing Crisis (AP) AP - Dozens of chimpanzees from a Dutch laboratory face a housing crisis after plans for their early retirement on the Spanish coast collapsed because of residents' fears they would carry infectious diseases.$LABEL$3 +Scientists to Study Effects of Ship Waste (AP) AP - A team of scientists is traveling a 600-mile stretch of the Inside Passage this month to study the effects of cruise ship waste and other contaminants in Southeast Alaska waters.$LABEL$3 +Australian Wheat Farmers Brace for Huge Locust Plague (Reuters) Reuters - Australia's wheat farmers, fresh from\battling the country's worst drought in a century, are now\threatened by a plague of locusts which have already begun to\hatch from a sprawling ""nursery"" in the country's outback.$LABEL$3 +Subway Sandwiches: quot;Warum sind die Amis so fett? quot; That would be ""Why are the Yanks so fat?"" to you and I. This was the slogan used in Germany for a recent Subway/Super Size Me joint advertising campaign. Accompanying the advert was a rounded looking image (full size) of the Statue of Liberty carrying burgers and fries. Did Subway go too far in this campaign, or were they unfairly vilified for their jest?$LABEL$3 +Alienware evolves from gamers to corporates Revamped website signals desire for broader customer base$LABEL$3 +Stocks Slightly Ahead, Lower Oil Helps NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were slightly higher on Tuesday, with lower oil prices helping support markets, but Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A> dragged on the Dow following a report of a possible \$24 billion takeover of cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A>.$LABEL$2 +Grades sent by videophone Alexandra Cook is told her A-level results while on holiday in Australia - by her mum 12,000 miles away.$LABEL$3 +Napster launches download chart Online music service Napster teams up with Virgin Radio to launch a music download chart.$LABEL$3 +Apple to Recall 28,000 Laptop Batteries WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=AAPL.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">AAPL.O</A> has agreed to recall about 28,000 batteries used in its 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptop computers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +EA Video Game 'Madden' Tops 1.3 Million First Week LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ""Madden NFL 2005,"" the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc.'s <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=ERTS.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">ERTS.O</A> pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week of release, the company said on Thursday, citing internal figures.$LABEL$3 +Google's IPO: Grate Expectations Google plans to raise as much as \$1.67 billion in its public stock offering today, but even that impressive estimate doesn't hide the fact that the hype surrounding the search engine's IPO is only half as hot as yesterday. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +No Frills, but Everything Else Is on Craigslist A freewheeling Internet marketplace, <a href=""http://www.craigslist.org"">www.craigslist.org</a> fulfills its users' varied needs. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-Leslie Walker</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Amazon to Buy Chinese Retailer Joyo.com Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. said on Thursday that it will buy Joyo.com Ltd., which\runs some of China's biggest retail Web sites, for about \$75 million to gain entry into China's fast-growing market.$LABEL$3 +US Army Deserter, Family Arrive In Wife #39;s Japanese Hometown SADO. Japan -- A North Carolina man who deserted the US Army for North Korea nearly 40 years ago says today is the first day of the last chapter of his life.$LABEL$0 +Center Nurtures Newborn Security Cos. The Chesapeake Innovation Center is an Annapolis incubator focused solely on developing homeland security technologies.$LABEL$3 +Demand Helps CACI Profit Increase 56 CACI International Inc. said increased demand for its homeland security and intelligence services helped boost fourth-quarter profit by 56 percent over the same period a year earlier.$LABEL$3 +IPod Music Player Winning Over Japan Fans When Sony Corp. President Kunitake Ando showed off the new Walkman meant to counter the assault by Apple's iPod portable music player, he held the prized gadget at the gala event upside down.$LABEL$3 +Vogue Adds Online Shopping Feature While Vogue's September issue is still offering its famously dramatic images of 6-foot beauties clad in high fashion, the publication is adding an extra element that is a bit more utilitarian - online shopping.$LABEL$3 +Review: Robovacs No Match for Vacuum A new generation of robotic vacuums is ready to do battle with dirt, dust and dog hair with more cleaning power and cunning than their ancestors could muster. Faced with the usual obstacles - furniture, stairs, low-hanging bed skirts and stray socks - they intelligently and acrobatically extricate themselves from most tight spots and largely avoid getting stuck or sucking in what they shouldn't.$LABEL$3 +Nortel to Cut 3,500 Jobs to Boost Profit <p></p><p> OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. <NT.TO> <NT.TO>posted long-awaited preliminary results for the first half of2004 on Thursday, estimating first and second quarter earningsbetween nil and 1 cent per share.</p>$LABEL$3 +Seiko Epson Develops Micro Flying Robot Seiko Epson Corp. is developing a flying robot that looks like a miniature helicopter and is about the size of a giant bug. The company hopes it'll prove handy for security, disaster rescue and space exploration.$LABEL$3 +Wash. Man Forms E-Mail Rejection Service NEW YORK - Attention, ladies: If that guy hitting on you just won't quit until you surrender your e-mail address, feel free to call upon Paper Napkin.$LABEL$3 +EA Video Game 'Madden' Tops 1.3 Million First Week <p></p><p> LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ""Madden NFL 2005,"" the latestversion of Electronic Arts Inc.'s <ERTS.O> pro football videogame franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its firstweek of release, the company said on Thursday, citing internalfigures.</p>$LABEL$3 +Antarctic craters reveal strike Scientists map enormous impact craters hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet using satellite technology.$LABEL$3 +Mars hill find hints at wet past Nasa's robotic rover Spirit has found evidence that water washed and altered rocks in the hills it has been exploring on Mars.$LABEL$3 +Animal shortage 'slows science' A shortage of laboratory apes and monkeys could be holding back research into new drug treatments and genetics, it is claimed.$LABEL$3 +Tech's impact on sport success Sports science has allowed athletes to prepare for this Olympiad using technology beyond their predecessors' wildest dreams.$LABEL$3 +Locusts ravage northern Nigeria The locusts swarming across West Africa reach northern Nigeria, devastating fields of crops.$LABEL$3 +Walking in the Void of Space NASA -- Venturing into the vacuum of space, with its extreme temperatures and the challenges of weightlessness in what amounts to a personal spacecraft, can never become routine. Yet humans have made more than 250 spacewalks, 142 of them by NASA astronauts...$LABEL$3 +New Mexico Museum to Launch Names Into Space ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) -- The New Mexico Museum of Space History will be shipping names to the stars with the first X-Prize launch into space...$LABEL$3 +Cooking on a Comet...? European Space Agency -- One of the ingenious instruments on board Rosetta is designed to smell the comet for different substances, analysing samples that have been cooked in a set of miniature ovens. ESAs Rosetta will be the first space mission ever to land on a comet...$LABEL$3 +Sex and Drugs Go Together for Teens By LAURA MECKLER WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's not just a cliche: Sex and drugs often do go together, says a survey of U.S. teenagers...$LABEL$3 +Scientists to Study Effects of Cruise Ship Waste JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- A team of scientists is traveling a 600-mile stretch of the Inside Passage this month to study the effects of cruise ship waste and other contaminants in Southeast Alaska waters. The \$450,000 project is part of a nationwide look at the environmental health of coastal waters...$LABEL$3 +Separate Genes Responsible for Drinking, Alcoholism By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- Some people can drink a lot of alcohol without becoming addicted, and specific genes may help explain why, researchers say. In a new study of Australian twins, scientists found that separate genes appear to be responsible, to some degree, for dependence on alcohol -- addiction -- and how much people drink...$LABEL$3 +An Aspirin a Day -- Good Medicine For Many Most people have heard that taking a small dose of aspirin a day is good for the heart. Doctors routinely recommend it for patients who've had a heart attack or stroke, and studies show its blood-thinning affects can help prevent a repeat of such potentially deadly cardiovascular events.$LABEL$3 +Protein Found to Regulate Sleep, Anxiety Brain peptide may be target for new drugs to treat insomnia, ADHD HealthDayNews -- A brain protein that regulates sleep and anxiety may offer a target for the development of new drugs to treat conditions such as sleep and anxiety disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. In research with rodents, University of California, Irvine scientists found that neuropeptide S (NPS) increases alertness, suppresses sleep and controls stress response...$LABEL$3 +Tomato Juice May Cut Clotting in Diabetics By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- For people with type 2 diabetes, tomato juice may help stave off the heart troubles that often complicate the disease. Researchers have found that drinking tomato juice for three weeks had a blood-thinning effect in people with the disease...$LABEL$3 +IBM asks for Linux ban on SCO No, the SCO Group is the copyright violator, according to Big Blue's latest filing.$LABEL$3 +Cisco flaw opens networks to attacks A router software bug could lead to denial-of-service attacks--but only techies could launch one, an analyst says.$LABEL$3 +Businesses: Routers, shmouters After seeing revenue growth for five quarters in a row, waning interest in the enterprise market results in a drop.$LABEL$3 +VoIP firm tussles with states over phone numbers Dispute between regulators and SBC IP Communications highlights an endangered species: the 10-digit number.$LABEL$3 +Ring tones, phone games to rake it in Revenue from wireless data services could reach \$189 billion in 2009, according to a new report.$LABEL$3 +Nortel to lay off 3,500 The scandal-beset company will also lay off about 10 percent of its work force.$LABEL$3 +Apple recalls overheating batteries The Mac maker says it will replace about 28,000 batteries in one model of PowerBook G4 and tells people to stop using the notebook.$LABEL$3 +Update: Nortel to lay off 10 percent of staff Nortel Networks Corp. will cut 10 percent of its workforce, or around 3,500 jobs, to reduce costs.$LABEL$3 +UK government to extend 3-year contract with Microsoft LONDON -- In a deal that appears to buck the growing trend among governments to adopt open-source alternatives, the U.K.'s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is negotiating a renewal of a three-year agreement with Microsoft Corp.$LABEL$3 +Next-Gen DVD Camps Prep for Price War HD-DVD backers say their format is cheaper and easier to produce than rival Blu-ray.$LABEL$3 +Google IPO Shares Surge in Market Debut Shares of Google Inc. (GOOG) surged nearly 22 percent in their market debut Thursday, the culmination of a unique and bumpy initial stock offering for the 6-year-old dot-com dreamed up in a college dorm room.$LABEL$3 +XBox and EA Sports to Stage Interactive World Cup LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)'s XBox video game system will team up with software maker Electronic Arts Inc...$LABEL$3 +Amazon.com to Acquire Joyo.com SEATTLE (AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) said Thursday it has agreed to buy Joyo.com Ltd., China's largest online retailer of books, music and videos, for \$72 million...$LABEL$3 +N.Y. to Sell Wireless Companies Lamppost Space By ELLEN SIMON NEW YORK (AP) -- Further proof New York's real estate market is inflated: The city plans to sell space on top of lampposts to wireless phone companies for \$21.6 million a year. The equipment would be attached to 18,000 of the city's 200,000 lampposts...$LABEL$3 +In Hurricanes Aftermath, Google is a Priority In Hurricanes Aftermath, Google is a Priority\\It wasnt so much the inability to take a hot shower. It wasnt the inconvenience of having to run to 7-11 for coffee in the morning. It wasnt the fact that we couldnt wash clothes, couldnt watch TV or couldnt get cool (other than ...$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Builds the Yahoo Search Blog Yahoo Builds the Yahoo Search Blog\\When I logged on this morning and checked my daily referral stats I noticed a multiple number of referring links from a domain that was not familiar - YSearchBlog.com. Not only one referral or a handful, but multiple multiple referrals.. my first thought - WOW, ...$LABEL$3 +Should Google blame Foot in Mouth disease, or Evil Bankers? <strong>Analysis</strong> Lost in Space$LABEL$3 +News: South Pole 'cyberterrorist' hack wasn't the first Internal reports show that Romanian cyber extortionists weren't the first to penetrate the South Pole Research Station, but cast doubt on the U.S. claim that life support systems were compromised in the attack.\$LABEL$3 +News: Number crunching boffins unearth crypto flaws Cryptographic researchers have discovered weaknesses in the encryption algorithms that underpin the security and integrity of electronic signatures.\$LABEL$3 +News: DIY phishing kits hit the Net Do-it-yourself phishing kits are being made available for download free of charge from the Internet, according to anti-virus firm Sophos.\$LABEL$3 +Boxer Bowe to Launch Comeback in Sept. (AP) AP - Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe is coming out of retirement after a 17-month prison stint, with a scheduled return to the ring Sept. 25.$LABEL$1 +Cavaliers Sign Varejao to Three-Year Deal (AP) AP - The Cavaliers signed Brazilian rookie forward Anderson Varejao to a three-year contract Thursday.$LABEL$1 +American Amanda Beard Snatches the Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Amanda Beard, twice an Olympic silver medallist back in 1996, finally won individual Olympic gold when she snatched victory from Australia's Leisel Jones in the 200 meter breaststroke Thursday.$LABEL$1 +The Art of Controlled Aggression ATHENS (Reuters) - The word judo means ""Way of Gentleness"" in Japanese.$LABEL$1 +Conquering Man -- and Beast -- Is Crawford's Goal ATHENS (Reuters) - Conquering man's fastest runners at the Olympics is not the only sprint show that may await American Shawn Crawford; his agent is talking about another go at the animal kingdom.$LABEL$1 +Hamilton's career highlights Won 1999 Tour of Denmark Finished 10th in individual time trial in 2000 Olympics at Sydney$LABEL$1 +Wheels are spinning in Marblehead It didn't take long for word of Tyler Hamilton's Olympic gold medal to spread throughout his hometown of Marblehead.$LABEL$1 +Hungary Race Debrief: Fernando solidly best of the rest A closer look at the data from Sundays race shows Fernando full deserved his third place at the Hungaroring after a flawless drive.$LABEL$1 +Fernando Alonso: A job well done The Spaniard didnt quite repeat last years achievement, but his Hungarian podium left him satisfied all the same.$LABEL$1 +Budapest, Race: Renault on the podium Fernando Alonso finished third in the Hungarian Grand Prix, behind two unbeatable Ferraris.$LABEL$1 +Hungarian Grand Prix, Race Fernando finishes third in Hungary, and scores the team's sixth podium of the year.$LABEL$1 +Peirsol's Medal Restored American Aaron Peirsol reclaims the gold medal Thursday night in the 200-meter backstroke after his disqualification was reversed.$LABEL$1 +Owners Extend Selig Owners vote to extend Bud Selig's term as baseball commissioner for three years through 2009 in a unanimous vote Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Expansion Alters Format With the expansion of the ACC, the men's basketball schedule will not incorporate the double round robin format in which each school plays every other twice.$LABEL$1 +Hungary Ends America's Winning Run Defending Olympic champion Hungary hands the United States its first loss in water polo preliminaries Thursday, beating the Americans 7-5.$LABEL$1 +Najaf, Scarred by Urban Warfare, Prepares for More (Reuters) Reuters - If U.S. and Iraqi troops launch a\major assault on radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's militants,\they will have to pass through sniper-infested streets to root\them out of a mosque they can't afford to harm.$LABEL$0 +Annan Vows to Protect U.N. Staff from Attacks (Reuters) Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called\at an emotional tribute on Thursday for the prosecution of\those behind the ""cold-blooded murder"" of 22 people at the\United Nations office in Baghdad one year ago.$LABEL$0 +Stonehenge Tunnel Faces Tough Road Ahead (Reuters) Reuters - Whoever built Stonehenge,\the 5,000-year-old circle of megaliths that towers over green\fields in southern England and lures a million visitors a year,\couldn't have planned for the automobile.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's South Oil Co. Headquarters Torched (AP) AP - Shiite militants loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr broke into the headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Co. on Thursday and set the company's warehouses and offices on fire, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Egypt Air and Gulf Air sign strategic alliance (AFP) AFP - Egypt Air and Gulf Air signed a strategic alliance to boost their cooperation, especially in the Middle East.$LABEL$0 +Two NCSSM students win national team science competition Two students at the Durham NC School of Science and Mathematics will split \$100,000 in scholarship money for their cancer research.$LABEL$3 +Sen. Zell Miller to Be GOP Keynote Speaker (AP) AP - Get ready for some more ""Zell zingers"" from the political convention in New York. But this time, a Bush will be the beneficiary, not the target.$LABEL$0 +FEC Says Corzine Can Give Unlimited Funds (AP) AP - Wealthy members of Congress can give unlimited amounts of their own money to groups for get-out-the-vote drives even though they are barred from raising big checks for their campaigns or others, election officials said Thursday.$LABEL$0 +The youth vote: Hard to tell how it will turn out (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - The youth vote, perhaps the most elusive quarry in U.S. politics, is being Rocked, Smacked Down, Rapped and otherwise goosed by everyone from blinged-out rappers to Harvard professors to the League of Women Voters.$LABEL$0 +Error Puts Kennedy on Airline No-Fly List (AP) AP - The Senate Judiciary Committee heard this morning from one of its own about some of the problems with airline ""no fly"" watch lists. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., says he had a close encounter with the lists when trying to take the U.S. Airways shuttle out of Washington to Boston. The ticket agent wouldn't let him on the plane. His name was on the list in error.$LABEL$0 +UK Police Arrest One Man Under Anti-Terror Laws LONDON (Reuters) - Police arrested a man in central England on Thursday under anti-terrorism laws.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan Arrests Two Al Qaeda Suspects PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani police arrested an Algerian and one other foreigner suspected of links with al Qaeda on Thursday in the northern city of Peshawar after a shoot-out, intelligence officials said.$LABEL$0 +Darfur Rebels Hold Out in Remote Camps CORCHA CAMP, Sudan (Reuters) - Abdul Karim Abdalla pounds the earth with a metal cane in a rebel camp in western Darfur, passionately imploring his fellow fighters to defend the land of their fathers from Arab invaders.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sistani Leaves London Hospital After Operation LONDON (Reuters) - Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric, was discharged from a London hospital on Thursday after heart surgery, but will stay in Britain for the time-being, his spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Iraq mortar fire hits US mission A mortar round hits the roof of the US embassy in Baghdad, slightly injuring two emplyees, a spokesman says.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Slips to New Low Vs Euro NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar fell to a new record low against the euro on Tuesday as investors, tiring of tough talk on exchange rates by European officials, dismissed new warnings from euro zone officials.$LABEL$2 +Kerry Calls Ad Group a 'Front for the Bush Campaign' John Kerry made the comments after weeks of standing by as a group of Vietnam veterans criticized his wartime record.$LABEL$0 +Gov't Gives Najaf Militants 'Final Call' NAJAF, Iraq - Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a ""final call"" Thursday to Shiite insurgents to disarm and withdraw from a revered shrine after his government threatened a massive onslaught by Iraqi forces. As the peace deal for Najaf unraveled, militants bombarded a police station with mortar rounds, killing seven police and injuring 31 others...$LABEL$0 +Leading Indicators, Jobless Claims Dip NEW YORK - A closely watched measure of future economic activity fell in July for the second consecutive month, reinforcing evidence that the nation's financial recovery is slackening. The Conference Board said Thursday its Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators dropped by 0.3 percent in July to 116.0, following a revised decline of 0.1 percent in June...$LABEL$0 +Kerry: Bush Lets Groups Do 'Dirty Work' BOSTON - Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush on Thursday of relying on front groups to challenge his record of valor in Vietnam, asserting, ""He wants them to do his dirty work."" Defending his record, the Democratic presidential candidate said, ""Thirty years ago, official Navy reports documented my service in Vietnam and awarded me the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts."" ""Thirty years ago, this was the plain truth...$LABEL$0 +Phelps Dominates 200 IM for Fourth Gold ATHENS, Greece - American Michael Phelps won his fourth gold medal of the Olympics in the 200-meter individual medley Thursday night, leading the entire race. Phelps finished in an Olympic-record time of 1 minute, 57.14 seconds, lowering his own mark of 1:58.52 set in the semifinals one night earlier...$LABEL$0 +United Likely to Terminate Pension Plans CHICAGO - Cash-strapped United Airlines said in a bankruptcy court filing Thursday that it ""likely"" will be necessary to terminate and replace its employee pension plans. The carrier cited the size of further cost cuts and the need to find bankruptcy-exit financing as reasons for such a drastic move...$LABEL$0 +Jackson Lawyers Call Accuser's Stepfather SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson's defense lawyers aim to find out whether authorities violated his attorney-client privilege when they broke into the office of a private investigator hired by the pop star...$LABEL$0 +Dream Team Pulls Away to Beat Australia ATHENS, Greece - LeBron James eyed Shawn Marion's pass coming toward him and made a split-second decision to redirect the ball. One nifty touch pass later, Dwyane Wade converted it into a layup...$LABEL$0 +Error Puts Kennedy on Airline No-Fly List WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee heard this morning from one of its own about some of the problems with airline ""no fly"" watch lists. Sen...$LABEL$0 +Google Shares Surge Nearly 18 Percent NEW YORK - Shares of Google Inc. surged nearly 18 percent in their market debut Thursday, in the culmination of a unique and bumpy initial stock offering for the 6-year-old dot-com dreamed up in a college dorm room...$LABEL$0 +Kerry: Bush Lets Groups Do 'Dirty Work' BOSTON - Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush on Thursday of relying on front groups to challenge his record of valor in Vietnam, asserting, ""He wants them to do his dirty work."" Fighting back, Kerry said if Bush wants to ""have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: 'Bring it on.'"" Bush served stateside in the Texas Air National Guard during the war...$LABEL$0 +Price-Gouging New Worry in Charley's Wake ORLANDO, Fla. - The oak tree in Ilyse Kusnetz's back yard caused one headache when it crashed into her house during Hurricane Charley...$LABEL$0 +Court Deals Blow to Anti-Piracy Efforts (Reuters) Reuters - A federal appeals court on Thursday\delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major\movie studios and music companies, ruling that several major\online file-sharing software companies are not liable for\copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Google Rises in Market Debut NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> made their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, rising more than 20 percent to over \$100 after an initial public offering marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Court Deals Blow to Anti-Piracy Efforts LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies, ruling that several major online file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Sag as Oil Marches Higher NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Thursday as oil prices marched above \$48 a barrel, but Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> provided some excitement after shares of the Internet search company surged on their debut.$LABEL$2 +Barnes Noble a Hit in 2Q The bookseller beats core earnings estimates and raises its full-year guidance.$LABEL$2 +Web Sites Agree to Be Accessible to Blind (AP) AP - In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.$LABEL$3 +European Winters Could Disappear by 2080 - Report (Reuters) Reuters - Europe is warming up\more quickly than the rest of the world, and cold winters could\disappear almost entirely by 2080 as a result of global\warming, researchers predicted Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Charter Schools and Testing Collide The education policy of the Bush administration is founded on two pillars: standardized testing and charter schools. However, as reported in this New York Times article (see also the audio archive at NPR or nonsubscription coverage at the Boston Globe) , the US Department of Education's own testing data show that nationwide, charter schools are, in aggregate, lagging their public counterparts.$LABEL$3 +Court Ruling Favors Music-Sharing Networks Music file-sharing companies are not legally responsible for the swapping of copyright content through their file-sharing software, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a blow to movie studios and record labels. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-Associated Press</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Can Angling Save World's Largest Salmon? Conservationists say the survival of Mongolia's fabled taimen salmon may depend on an unusual ecotourism venture involving Western anglers.$LABEL$3 +Nanotechnology Material May Supercharge Internet Scientists have manipulated carbon atoms to create a material that could be used to create light-based, versus electronic, switches. The material could lead to a supercharged Internet based entirely on light, scientists say.$LABEL$3 +Charley a Harbinger of Busy Hurricane Season? The killer storm that slammed into Florida on August 13 made two things clear: Hurricanes can still surprise forecasters, and the rest of the 2004 hurricane season probably is going to be quite active.$LABEL$3 +The start of something big? CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos says start-ups and their innovative ideas are the lifeblood of Silicon Valley.$LABEL$3 +How eight pixels cost Microsoft millions Insensitivity to cultural issues has led to some of the software giant's products being banned in some countries.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: EA to take World Cup soccer to Xbox roundup Plus: IBM chalks up two health care wins...Vonage users dial 311 for city info...Mozilla makes Japanese push...Macromedia offers Flash video tool.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft sends security update to home PCs The first Windows XP owners have started to get the SP2 patch--but it'll be a while till Microsoft can get round to everyone.$LABEL$3 +AT T strikes VoIP deals with cable Company points potential Net phone customers to cable giants for broadband--all part of Ma Bell's aggressive VoIP plans.$LABEL$3 +Tech industry split in its political donations The IT industry has two horses in the U.S. presidential race this year.$LABEL$3 +NetSuite relaunches, Oracle delays small business suite Two months after ending a licensing deal with Oracle Corp., midmarket business applications vendor NetSuite Inc. is using its entry-level software relaunch to woo customers of Intuit Inc.'s QuickBooks.$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Valuing Secure Access to Personal Information This article seeks to answer the question: is your personal data safe? Or do you give it away during almost every transaction you make with government or commercial entities?$LABEL$3 +Columnists: Infected In Twenty Minutes What normally happens within twenty minutes? That's how long your average unprotected PC running Windows XP, fresh out of the box, will last once it's connected to the Internet.$LABEL$3 +Selig Receives Three-Year Extension (Reuters) Reuters - Owners on Thursday\unanimously voted to extend the term of baseball commissioner\Bud Selig for three years through 2009.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Soccer Team Playing With Confidence (AP) AP - They play with a confident air these days, even a swagger, more befitting the Brazilians and Germans. And, for the U.S. men's soccer team, that's good #151; very good.$LABEL$1 +3 Schools Set to Join Sun Belt Conference (AP) AP - This is the last season the Sun Belt Conference will be scattered across the country.$LABEL$1 +Amanda Beard Finally Comes of Age in Athens ATHENS (Reuters) - Amanda Beard credited her new-found maturity for ending an eight-year wait for a second Olympic gold medal in Athens Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Selig Receives Three-Year Extension PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Owners on Thursday unanimously voted to extend the term of baseball commissioner Bud Selig for three years through 2009.$LABEL$1 +Former Champ Bowe Eyes a Return to the Ring SHAWNEE, Oklahoma (Sports Network) - Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe is eyeing a return to the ring after hanging up the gloves in 1996.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Aircraft Pound Shi'ite Rebels in Najaf (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. aircraft, apparently AC-130\gunships, pounded positions held by Shi'ite militiamen in the\Iraqi holy city of Najaf Thursday and large orange multiple\flashes lit the night sky.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Oil Exports Unchanged After Basra Attack (Reuters) Reuters - Iraq's oil exports are still flowing at\one million barrels per day through southern terminals despite\an attack on the South Oil Company headquarters on Thursday, an\oil official at the company said.$LABEL$0 +Canada Says G7 Not Doing Enough to Help Africa (Reuters) Reuters - Leaders from the Group of Seven rich\industrialized nations need to do more to aid poor African\countries, Canadian Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said on\Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Rice Counsels Patience During Iraq War (AP) AP - Defending President Bush's foreign policies, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice counseled Americans to be ""less critical of every twist and turn"" in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Says Bush Uses Surrogates to Do 'Dirty Work' (Reuters) Reuters - John Kerry accused President Bush of\using surrogates to ""do his dirty work,"" as the Democratic\presidential challenger hit back on Thursday at a Republican\assault on his Vietnam War record.$LABEL$0 +Border Patrol Training Moves Near Mexico (AP) AP - Incoming Border Patrol agents will train closer to the U.S.-Mexican border when the federal government relocates their academy to Artesia, N.M., Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday.$LABEL$0 +S.Korea's Ruling Party Head Resigns on Father's Past SEOUL (Reuters) - The chairman of South Korea's ruling Uri Party resigned Thursday, an unexpected first casualty of President Roh Moo-hyun's call for an inquiry into who benefited from working with Korea's Japanese colonial rulers.$LABEL$0 +Jackson Accuser Kin Wanted Compensation SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The stepfather of the boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation testified Thursday that he asked for payment from Jackson for the family's participation in a video interview intended to restore Jackson's reputation...$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Down as Oil Tops #36;48 a Barrel (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday as\oil prices climbed above #36;48 a barrel, prompting investor worry\about the effect of high fuel costs on corporate profits and\consumer demand.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Execs Plan More Hiring - Survey (Reuters) Reuters - Most senior executives at large U.S.\companies plan to increase hiring and investments over the next\12 months amid growing optimism about the economy, according to\a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers released on Thursday.$LABEL$2 +US Court Rejects Movie, Music Makers' Piracy Claims LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies, ruling that several online file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Parmalat Adds CSFB to Banks Being Sued MILAN (Reuters) - Parmalat on Thursday fired off the latest lawsuit in its bid to recover billions of euros from banks that did deals with the now insolvent dairy group, suing CSFB for about 250 million euros.$LABEL$2 +Parmalat sues US bank CSFB Italian food giant Parmalat is pushing ahead with plans to sue its former auditors by taking CSFB to task over a bond deal back in 2002.$LABEL$2 +Gateway Launches PCs for Retailers (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Gateway has introduced the first products in a new line of desktop PCs\for sale at major retailers throughout North America, following through\on plans to broaden the company's reach beyond direct-sales channels.$LABEL$3 +Cingular Seeks Amendments in AT T Wireless Merger (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Cingular Wireless has begun soliciting AT T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) bondholders to consent to certain amendments in connection with Cingular's acquisition of AT T.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Releases New 64-Bit Windows Preview (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is offering the latest iteration of its 64-bit computing\platform, announcing the release of beta software for PCs and servers.\The release marks the next step in the software giant's efforts to\address the needs of high-end customers.$LABEL$3 +Compuware Blasts IBM's Legal Tactics (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Compuware accused IBM (NYSE: IBM) of improperly introducing 11th hour evidence in \order to delay a ruling in a legal battle between the two firms. \Compuware is suing IBM for allegedly stealing source code and using it \in its own software products.$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Riles Apple Diehards (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) was outraged when RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) first announced its intentions to go after its iTunes and iPod market share. It should not have been: Its customers, apparently, are more than willing to go to bat for Apple.$LABEL$3 +California Condor Chick Dies Near Nest (AP) AP - A California condor chick that was part of an ambitious breeding program was found dead near its nest, the week after another was discovered with a broken wing and 35 bottle caps in its gullet.$LABEL$3 +IBM shows off new grid apps IBM on Friday is scheduled to make available early versions of three grid-based technologies intended to help corporate and third-party developers better manage grid-based resources as a way to solve large and compute-intensive problems.$LABEL$3 +US Web Shoppers #39; Holiday Spending Up Online consumers in the United States spent \$8.8 billion, excluding travel purchases, in November, a 19 percent jump over the \$7.4 billion spent online a year earlier, a report released on Monday said.$LABEL$2 +Bank of Canada leaves interest rates unchanged The Bank of Canada announced today it is keeping its trend-setting overnight rate at 2.5 per cent, amid fears that the falling US dollar could hurt Canada #39;s economic growth.$LABEL$2 +Navratilova Loses; Fish, Dent Advance (AP) AP - Martina Navratilova's long, illustrious career will end without an Olympic medal. The 47-year-old Navratilova and Lisa Raymond lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Thursday night to fifth-seeded Shinobu Asagoe and Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the quarterfinals, one step shy of the medal round.$LABEL$1 +Flu-shot maker says surplus will stay in Canada The US health secretary is expected to announce an order for five million more doses of flu vaccine, but it appears they won #39;t come from Canada.$LABEL$2 +Steelers G Simmons Out for Season (AP) AP - Pittsburgh right guard Kendall Simmons will miss the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.$LABEL$1 +Adrenaline Junkie Phelps Losing Sleep at Night ATHENS (Reuters) - Adrenaline junkie Michael Phelps won his fourth gold medal of the Athens Olympics Thursday and then complained he was having trouble sleeping.$LABEL$1 +American Aaron Peirsol's Gold Restored on Appeal ATHENS (Reuters) - Aaron Peirsol was awarded gold in the men's 200 meters backstroke at the Athens Olympics on Thursday after winning an appeal against his disqualification then surviving a protest from the British and Austrian teams.$LABEL$1 +Gap Profit Off, Sees More Store Closings (Reuters) Reuters - Gap Inc. (GPS.N), the largest U.S.\specialty apparel retailer, on Thursday reported a slight\decline in quarterly profit, meeting lowered forecasts, after\summer clearance sales drew surprisingly small crowds.$LABEL$2 +Google Up in Market Debut After Bumpy IPO NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> shares made their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, rising sharply to \$100 after an initial public offering marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Gap Profit Off, Sees More Store Closings CHICAGO (Reuters) - Gap Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GPS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GPS.N</A>, the largest U.S. specialty apparel retailer, on Thursday reported a slight decline in quarterly profit, meeting lowered forecasts, after summer clearance sales drew surprisingly small crowds.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Dip as Oil Soars; Google Shines NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, ending four days of gains as oil prices continued their march higher, but Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> created a buzz as shares of the Internet search company surged on their debut.$LABEL$2 + #39;Googlers #39; scoop up piles of cash NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- While Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin each made tens of millions of dollars selling some of their holdings in the Internet search giant, they were hardly alone. $LABEL$2 +Muni Manager Sees More Florida Bonds Ahead NEW YORK (Reuters) - As Florida attempts to recover from an estimated \$15 billion in damages left by Hurricane Charley, tax-exempt debt issuance from the state is likely to increase so Florida can replenish its Hurricane Catastrophe ...$LABEL$2 +United Airlines Likely to Terminate Pension Plans nited Airlines said today that it was likely to terminate and replace its four employee pension plans with less-generous benefits, a drastic move that the airline said was necessary to attract the financing that would allow it to ...$LABEL$2 +Qantas posts record year profit SYDNEY: Qantas Airways Ltd, Australia #39;s biggest airline, said yesterday its full-year profit doubled on cost cuts and a pick-up in passengers, but the prospect of higher fuel costs sent its shares sliding. $LABEL$2 +Israel AG Says Shift Barrier to Avoid Sanctions (Reuters) Reuters - Israel's attorney general urged the\government Thursday to swiftly reroute its barrier in the\occupied West Bank to minimize the risk of international\sanctions after the World Court deemed the project illegal.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Air, Ground Forces Pound Iraqi Militia Posts (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. aircraft and tanks pounded\Shi'ite militia positions around a holy shrine and ancient\cemetery in Najaf early on Friday, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +DaVita ready to expand dialysis services with \$3 billion deal US dialysis company DaVita Inc., a major employer in Pierce County, is poised to buy a Swedish health care companys dialysis operations in a \$3 billion deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.$LABEL$2 +Efforts underway to hold Korean crisis talks: US (AFP) AFP - Diplomatic efforts are underway to hold a preparatory meeting for the six-party talks aimed at ending the nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula, the US State Department said.$LABEL$0 +Bank of Canada missing #36;10,000; employee fired, charged with theft (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The Bank of Canada has fired an employee after #36;10,000 in cash went missing from its Toronto bank-note facility -a rare breach in an institution that prides itself on tight security.$LABEL$0 +Bush Begins Weeklong Stay at Texas Ranch (AP) AP - President Bush and first lady Laura Bush are involved in a little he-said, she-said business here at the presidential ranch.$LABEL$0 +Israel AG Says Shift Barrier to Avoid Sanctions JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's attorney general urged the government Thursday to swiftly reroute its barrier in the occupied West Bank to minimize the risk of international sanctions after the World Court deemed the project illegal.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Air, Ground Forces Pound Iraqi Militia Posts NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft and tanks pounded Shi'ite militia positions around a holy shrine and ancient cemetery in Najaf early on Friday, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Oil Flows Unchanged After Basra HQ Attacked BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite militiamen struck at the center of Iraq's oil industry Thursday, setting the South Oil Company headquarters in the southern port of Basra on fire and further undermining the central government authority, police and officials said.$LABEL$0 +A journey into the epicenter of the Sadr standoff We alerted the Iraqi government, the US military, and the Mahdi Army; we were planning to go to the shrine.$LABEL$0 +US troop shift: A tale of two cities Bush's plan this week to restructure US forces in Europe is stirring up a mix of worry, nostalgia, and hope.$LABEL$0 +Famous scofflaws hit Japan US chess legend Bobby Fischer is the latest in a string of problem migrants for Japan.$LABEL$0 +United Airlines Likely to Terminate Pension Plans The cash-strapped airline said in a bankruptcy court filing today that it ""likely"" will be necessary to terminate and replace its employee pension plans.$LABEL$2 +Court Rules Some File-Sharing Companies Are Not Liable Grokster and StreamCast are not liable for the swapping of copyright content through their file-sharing software, a federal appeals court ruled today.$LABEL$2 +Sunny Days for Video Games Video games were hot in July, and video game stocks should follow the trend.$LABEL$2 +Are Pests Plaguing PETsMART? Sales were lower than expected, and the quality of earnings is in question.$LABEL$2 +Manic Market? Be Like Buffett The graphs look like a nasty saw blade. The headlines are no help. What would Buffett do?$LABEL$2 +Gov't Gives Najaf Militants 'Final Call' NAJAF, Iraq - Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a ""final call"" Thursday to Shiite insurgents to disarm and withdraw from a revered shrine after his government threatened a massive onslaught by Iraqi forces. As a peace deal for Najaf unraveled, militants bombarded a police station with mortar rounds, killing seven police and injuring 31 others...$LABEL$0 +Church Says Girls' Communion Not Valid BRIELLE, N.J. - An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine...$LABEL$0 +US Court Rejects Movie, Music Makers' Piracy Claims (Reuters) Reuters - A federal appeals court on Thursday\delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major\movie studios and music companies, ruling that several online\file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright\infringement.$LABEL$3 +Mars Hills, Crater Yield Evidence of Flowing Water (Reuters) Reuters - The hills of Mars yielded more\tantalizing clues about how water shaped the Red Planet in\tests by NASA's robotic geologist, Spirit, while its twin,\Opportunity, observed the deep crater it climbed into two\months ago, scientists said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Google rises in market debut after bumpy IPO NEW YORK/SEATTLE, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) shares made their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, rising sharply to \$100 after an initial public offering marked by ...$LABEL$2 +Insurance Claims Moving Quickly in Fla. PUNTA GORDA, Fla. Aug. 19, 2004 It took years for many insurance claims to be paid following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. This time, technology is helping speed along the claims process for residents hardest hit by Hurricane Charley. $LABEL$2 +New York crude smashes past 48 dollars for first time NEW YORK : New York crude oil smashed past 48 dollars a barrel for the first time, menacing the 50-dollar mark, as heavy fighting gripped the Iraqi city of Najaf. $LABEL$2 +US Airways Off Course, Again Remember the 1980s movie Wall Street, starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen? For those who don #39;t know, here #39;s a recap: To impress financier Gordon Gecko, played by Douglas, Sheen #39;s Bud Fox provides inside information ...$LABEL$2 +More grunt left in BHP: chief BHP Billiton chief executive Chip Goodyear yesterday insisted this week #39;s record profit quot;isn #39;t as good as it gets quot;, as the market wrestled with how to value the stock amid speculation that its share price was near cycle peaks. $LABEL$2 +Amazon Snaps Up China #39;s Largest Web Retailer Amazon.com says it has reached an agreement to buy Joyo.com, the largest Internet retailer of books, music and videos in China, in a deal worth \$75 million. The rapid growth of broadband access in the region makes Asia a particularly ...$LABEL$2 +Credit Suisse First Boston on Parmalat #39;s lawsuit list LONDON, August 19 (New Ratings) Parmalat Finanziaria SpA (PAF.FSE) announced today that the company has filed a lawsuit against Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), seeking approximately 250 million in claims plus interest from the financial service ...$LABEL$2 +Wall Street Slices SPAM Food purveyor Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) -- owner of the SPAM canned meat bonanza -- had good news this morning, or so you would think. Sales were up 15, unit volume was up 6, and earnings, excluding a positive impact from the ...$LABEL$2 +US Economy: Leading Indicators, Manufacturing Index Slow Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The index of leading US economic indicators fell in July and Philadelphia-area manufacturing expanded at a slower pace this month, signs that record energy prices are keeping growth from accelerating. $LABEL$2 +Stock scheme sweeping nation NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Investors beware: If a wily female, apparently believing she #39;s calling someone else, leaves a message with you advising of a hot stock tip, walk away. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, it #39;s a scam. $LABEL$2 +Fleet workers get pink slips STAFF WRITER; Staff writers Alan J. Wax and Regina Marie Glick contributed to this story. As Bank of America pushes ahead with its takeover of Fleet Bank, about 1,000 jobs were cut companywide yesterday throughout the Northeast, ...$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Mylan Labs: FTC Clears Icahn Stock Buy Shares of Mylan Laboratories Inc., the largest US maker of generic drugs, surged Thursday after the company said investor Carl Icahn was given the green light by regulators to buy up to \$500 million of the company #39;s stock. $LABEL$2 +Microsoft sends security update to home PCs Microsoft has started to send out its latest major security patch to home PCs--but some people won #39;t get it for a while. $LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls Batch of PowerBook Batteries Apple, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, said it would voluntarily recall about 28,000 rechargeable batteries used in its 15-inch PowerBook G4 notebooks. $LABEL$3 +Martian hill shows signs of ancient water LOS ANGELES - NASA #39;s Spirit rover has found more evidence of past water on the hills of Mars, while its twin, Opportunity, has observed a field of dunes inside a crater. $LABEL$3 +Broadband Rules the Internet Broadband across America Broadband has finally superseded dialup connections to the Internet, according to the latest measurements by Nielsen NetRatings. Nielsen reports broadband is used by 63 million users, or 51 percent of the ...$LABEL$3 +Hackers revive iTunes music sharing A group of anonymous programmers has released new software that allows music to be swapped via Apple Computer #39;s popular iTunes jukebox. $LABEL$3 +IBM #39;s New Motion on Linux Aims to #39;Call SCO #39;s Bluff #39; IBM is trying to use SCO as a punching bag this week as Big Blue fires off another motion for partial summary judgment in its legal slugfest over Linux and Unix copyright issues. $LABEL$3 +Loral files reorganization plan with court CHICAGO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Loral Space amp; Communications Ltd. (LRLSQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) , a bankrupt satellite operator, on Thursday said it filed its reorganization plan and it expects to emerge from bankruptcy before year #39;s end. $LABEL$3 +UK radio to chart music downloads LONDON (Reuters) - Virgin Radio and online music service Napster, combining one of the oldest music mediums with the newest, have teamed up to create the first UK radio programme counting down the week #39;s most downloaded songs. $LABEL$3 +Cisco flaw opens networks to attacks Cisco has warned in a security advisory that some networks with its routers could be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks. $LABEL$3 +Windows installer gains .Net authoring Wise Solutions has released Wise for Windows Installer 6.0, featuring .Net support and enhanced tools for creating installations for data-driven Web applications. $LABEL$3 +Seiko Epson puts on show world #39;s lightest flying robot Seiko Epson Corp. announced Wednesday it had developed the world #39;s lightest flying microrobot, with a weight of just 8.6 grams without its battery, or 12.3 grams with the battery installed. $LABEL$3 +AT amp;T strikes VoIP deals with cable In an attempt to spark growth in its Net phone service, AT amp;T has turned to cable companies to pitch the technology to more consumers. $LABEL$3 +Drugstore Offers New Wave of Disposable Cameras NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. (CVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it would offer the world #39;s first disposable digital camera with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to instantly preview pictures. $LABEL$3 +DARPA awards robot aircraft deal Officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a \$1 billion contract to an industry team led by Northrop Grumman Corp. to build three robotic reconnaissance aircraft and a computer operating system to help fly them for the Air ...$LABEL$3 +Digital Angel Renews Distribution Deal Digital Angel Corp., which makes implantable microchips used to track animals, said Thursday that it renewed a contract with a unit of Schering-Plough Corp. for exclusive distribution of its US pet-identification products. $LABEL$3 +USPTO Close to Rejecting Plug-in Patent The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) moved a step closer to overturning a Web browser plug-in patent at the heart of a multi-million dollar dispute between Microsoft (Quote, Chart) and Eolas Technologies. $LABEL$3 +Linux Scales New Test Platform Testing has always been a critical part of IT and certainly has become a fundamental component of Linux adoption. One of the most critical core pieces of Linux testing got a significant upgrade this week, courtesy of the Open Source Development Lab ...$LABEL$3 +Sony Unveils New Flat TVs, Aims to Boost Share TOKYO (Reuters) - Electronics conglomerate Sony Corp. unveiled eight new flat-screen televisions on Thursday in a product push it hopes will help it secure a leading 35 percent of the domestic market in the key month of December. $LABEL$3 +Hamm Has Little Time to Savor All-Around Victory THENS, Aug. 19 It was nearly 3 am and Paul Hamm was alone on his porch at the Olympic village, sky dark, grounds quiet, gold medal hanging around his neck. $LABEL$1 +Reversal Gives Peirsol Gold; Phelps Wins 200 IM THENS, Aug. 29 Swimming #39;s technique critic came in for some criticism of his own tonight in the shark tank disguised as the Olympic pool. But all #39;s well that ends well on the medal stand and, despite being disqualified shortly ...$LABEL$1 +Gymnastics Gold Evens the US with China ATHENS (Reuters) - American swimmer Michael Phelps grabbed a fourth gold at the Athens Olympics Thursday with a clear victory in the 200 meters medley and gold for 16-year-old gymnast Carly Patterson leveled the US with China at 14 ...$LABEL$1 +Olympics-Mayo knocked out, women prosper ATHENS, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Gold medal favourite Carlos Moya joined the exodus of big name tennis players from the Olympics on Thursday, crumbling in the men #39;s quarter-finals against Chile #39;s Nicolas Massu. $LABEL$1 +SHOT PUT Bizarre turn of fortune A shot put competition unique in Olympic history -- ancient or modern -- turned into one of the strangest competitions in the Games history Wednesday evening as the sun was setting on the ancient stadium. $LABEL$1 +Greek Gov #39;t: Games Will Top \$8.5 Billion ATHENS, Greece - Costs for the Athens Olympics are climbing again, expected to top \$8.5 billion because of the massive security and overruns in the last-minute scramble to get venues ready. $LABEL$1 +Soccer: Portugal title hopes end VOLOS, Greece At least the Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, will be pleased that he has Cristiano Ronaldo back early from the Olympics. If only Ronaldo were happy to see him. $LABEL$1 +Team USA #39;s big-bopper is tearing it up at the Games Team USA third baseman Crystl Bustos has been called the Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa of softball, but a more apt comparison would be to Freddy and Jason. $LABEL$1 +Cleric Tells Militia to Turn Over Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - An aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said the militant leader instructed his followers late Thursday to turn over the keys of the revered Shiite shrine they were hiding in to top religious ...$LABEL$0 +UN Staff Marks Baghdad Bomb Anniversary with Security Demand United Nations employees marked the anniversary of the Baghdad bombing with a demand for better security. The fear of further attacks hangs heavy as the world body anticipates a greater role in Iraq, and other world hot spots. $LABEL$0 +S.Korea #39;s Ruling Party Head Resigns on Father #39;s Past SEOUL (Reuters) - The chairman of South Korea #39;s ruling Uri Party resigned Thursday, an unexpected first casualty of President Roh Moo-hyun #39;s call for an inquiry into who benefited from working with Korea #39;s Japanese colonial rulers. $LABEL$0 +Shaukat Aziz Wins By-Election, now Prime Minister-Designate LAHORE, Pakistan: August 19, 2004 (PNS) - Current Federal Finance Minister, Mr. Shaukat Aziz won by-election on his way to officially becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan. As a member of ruling Muslim League and finance minister he is credited with ...$LABEL$0 +How can Tutsi and Hutu divisions be resolved? The massacre of over 160 Congolese Banyamulenge Tutsis in Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi has once again brought to the fore the ethnic problem in Africa #39;s Great Lakes Region. $LABEL$0 +Poor nations pledge to reform UN DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - Developing countries have pledged to band together to force the West to help tackle their problems, ranging from poverty to reform of the United Nations. $LABEL$0 +Bird flu outbreak in Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Malaysian agriculture officials confirmed Thursday bird flu has been detected in two chickens in the northern state of Kelantan. $LABEL$0 +Hungary #39;s Socialists Dump PM, Forint Falls BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) - Hungary #39;s ruling Socialists dumped Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy Thursday, in an attempt to strengthen their hold on a government which has slipped despite a stronger economy and entry into ...$LABEL$0 +Rite Aid Nov. Sales Fall, Bleak Forecast Rite Aid Corp. (RAD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the third-largest US drugstore chain, on Tuesday warned that if current sales trends continue its fiscal 2005 results would fall below expectations it gave in September.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Issues 2nd SQL Server 2005 Public Beta On Friday, Microsoft issued its second Community Technology Preview (CTP) release of SQL Server 2005, while providing public testers with a new beta release as well, SQL Server 2005 Express Manager, a new, free database management tool.$LABEL$3 +Amazon.com to Acquire Joyo.com for \$72M Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to buy Joyo.com Ltd., China's largest online retailer of books, music and videos, for \$72 million.$LABEL$3 +Nortel Networks to Eliminate 3,500 Jobs Nortel Networks said on Thursday it will slash its work force by 3,500, or 10 percent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits.$LABEL$3 +CACI Shares Climb on Positive Earnings Shares of CACI International Inc. surged nearly 14 percent Thursday after the company, which provided private interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere in Iraq, reported a 56 percent jump in earnings.$LABEL$3 +REVIEW: Olympics Online Coverage Though NBC is blanketing seven networks with 1,210 hours of Olympics coverage, there's this pesky, bill-paying task called work that keeps me from fully enjoying the televised competition.$LABEL$3 +Wall St seen starting higher as oil price drops Wall Street futures crept higher in pre-market trading on Tuesday as the price of oil continued its slide and investors assessed the merits of possible acquisition of cardiac-stent maker Guidant by Johnson amp; Johnson.$LABEL$2 +XBox, EA to Stage Interactive World Cup Microsoft Corp.'s XBox video game system will team up with software maker Electronic Arts Inc. to stage an online Interactive World Cup tournament later this year, the companies announced Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Nordstrom Profit Up But Shares Fall NEW YORK (Reuters) - Upscale department store chain Nordstrom Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JWN.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JWN.N</A> said on Thursday quarterly earnings rose 62 percent as it controlled inventory and reduced expenses, but the results fell short of Wall Street's expectations.$LABEL$2 +KDE updates Linux desktop The KDE Project has released version 3.3 of its Linux desktop interface software.$LABEL$3 +Content software targets small publishers Snapbridge Software brings content management to the little guys.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: KDE updates Linux desktop roundup Plus: EA to take World Cup soccer to Xbox...IBM chalks up two health care wins...Vonage users dial 311 for city info.$LABEL$3 +Google rises in market debut The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday approved Google Inc.'s IPO plans, and the company's stock jumped 20 on its first day of trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange.$LABEL$3 +Wi-Fi emerges as emergency communications alternative in Fla. Wi-Fi hot spots emerged as a new emergency communications alternative in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, with traffic at some outlets up 50.$LABEL$3 +HP to deliver vulnerability scanning service by year's end Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to deliver by the end of the year a new vulnerability service designed to help companies proactively detect and fix flaws that could be used in a malicious attacks.$LABEL$3 +U.S. intelligence overhaul eyed amid concerns for antiterror fight Congressional hearings raised more questions than answers about impending organizational changes in the intelligence community and their impact on efforts to improve the nation's antiterror fight.$LABEL$3 +Apple Remote Desktop 2 'well worth the money' Computerworld columnist Yuval Kossovksy takes Apple Remote Desktop 2 out for a spin and finds that its new management features make it an upgrade well worth considering.$LABEL$3 +OSDL introduces improved Linux kernel development tool Open Source Development Lab has upgraded a key Linux kernel development tool, the Scalable Test Platform, with new features to improve simulations of enterprise data centers on the Linux kernel.$LABEL$3 +Nortel to lay off 10 of staff Nortel plans to cut about 3,500 jobs, most of them affecting middle managers, in a move to save \$450 million to \$500 million per year.$LABEL$3 +U.K. government to extend three-year contract with Microsoft The U.K.'s Office of Government Commerce is negotiating a renewal of a three-year agreement with Microsoft Corp. that will focus on services and support.$LABEL$3 +Apple recalls 15-in. PowerBook batteries Apple Computer Inc. has issued a recall for about 28,000 PowerBook batteries sold between January and August for use with its 15-in. PowerBook G4 computers$LABEL$3 +Job cutting worst in 2-1/2 years NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Employers announced 104,530 job cuts last month, capping the worst three months for cutbacks since early 2002, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray amp; Christmas Inc.$LABEL$2 +EDS settles contract dispute with U.K.'s NHS The U.K. National Health Service and Electronic Data Systems reached a settlement after the NHS terminated a contract for the company to supply a secure e-mail and directory system.$LABEL$3 +Peer-to-Peer Companies Win in Court Grokster, Morpheus not liable for user's actions, appeals court says.$LABEL$3 +File-Sharing Networks Found Not Guilty By DAVID KRAVETS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc...$LABEL$3 +Travel Web Sites Agree to Be Accessible to Blind By MICHAEL GORMLEY ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired...$LABEL$3 +Oil Prices Hit New High The price of this key commodity has risen by about a third just since the beginning of July. In London, oil closed at \$43.80 a barrel, while in New York oil closed at \$48.70, up three percent. $LABEL$2 +Delta plan includes job and wage cuts The much-awaited #39;Transformation Plan #39; for Delta Air Lines Inc., one of Tampa International Airport #39;s largest carrier, will include further job cuts, wage and benefit reductions and a new strategy that will help Delta revitalize its entire business. $LABEL$2 +Pace of Mid-Atlantic Factories Moderates NEW YORK (Reuters) - Factories in the US Mid-Atlantic region slowed a little in August but remained at solid levels, although new orders fell sharply in a warning sign for future growth, a report showed on Thursday. $LABEL$2 +Parmalat adds CSFB to list of banks being sued MILAN, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Parmalat on Thursday fired off the latest lawsuit in its bid to recover billions of euros from banks that did deals with the now insolvent dairy group, saying it had sued CSFB for ...$LABEL$2 +UPDATE: NZ #39;s Sky Network TV, INL Enter Merger Talks WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand #39;s monopoly pay television operator Sky Network Television Ltd. (SKY.NZ) said Thursday it is in merger talks with its majority shareholder Independent Newspapers Ltd. (INL.NZ). $LABEL$2 +Apple recalls 15-in. PowerBook batteries AUGUST 19, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Apple Computer Inc. has issued a recall for about 28,000 PowerBook batteries sold between January and August for use with its 15-in. PowerBook G4 computers. The batteries, which were made by LG Chem Ltd. of South Korea, ...$LABEL$3 +Wheel Woes For Mars Rover (AP) PASADENA, Calif. (AP) The Mars rover Spirit has developed a problem with one of its six wheels, but NASA officials said Tuesday they believe the robot geologist can continue working. $LABEL$3 +Brazil Tribe Has Great Excuse for Poor Math Skills WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some people have a great excuse for being bad at math -- their language lacks the words for most numbers, US-based researchers reported on Thursday. $LABEL$3 +Pieter van den Hoogenband #39;s name may be too long, but he #39;s compelling Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands missed qualifying for the semis in the 50 freestyle this morning, and the world #39;s headline writers heaved a sigh of relief. When the Flying Dutchman was beaten by Australia #39;s Ian Thorpe in the 200 freestyle on ...$LABEL$1 +Dope and Kenteris hold focus A weightlifting drugs scandal and yet another twist to the saga of disgraced Greek sprinter Kostadinos Kenteris dominated the Olympics on Thursday as China extended their lead at the top of the medal table. $LABEL$1 +Flyers #39; Kapanen gets contract extension Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers Thursday agreed to a two-year contract extension with veteran forward Sami Kapanen. Financial terms were not disclosed. $LABEL$1 +USA beats Australia For three quarters the US Men #39;s Olympic Team (2-1) chased Australia (1-2) and still heading into the final 10 minutes the Americans trailed 67-65. Stepping up its defense, the US reeled off 10 consecutive points to take control of the game and went on to ...$LABEL$1 +Americans falter, while Ward faces an uphill climb Andre Ward was in the hallway waiting to fight when he got his first glimpse of the fighter standing between him and an Olympic medal. $LABEL$1 +Kobe Defense Opposes Releasing Statements (AP) AP - Defense attorneys argued that Kobe Bryant's statements to investigators after the NBA star was accused of rape last summer should be kept secret because it is not yet certain they will be used in his trial.$LABEL$1 +ACC Picks Jacksonville to Host Title Games (AP) AP - The Atlantic Coast Conference chose Jacksonville on Thursday to host its first two championship games.$LABEL$1 +Eight Wild Cards Added to U.S. Open (AP) AP - Alex Bogomolov Jr., ranked 110th, was among eight young American men given U.S. Open wild cards Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Moyo Knocked Out, Women Prosper ATHENS (Reuters) - Gold medal favorite Carlos Moya joined the exodus of big name tennis players from the Olympics on Thursday, crumbling in the men's quarterfinals against Chile's Nicolas Massu.$LABEL$1 +Two Firms Cleared of Swapping Violations (AP) AP - The makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works swapped online by their users, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a stinging blow to the entertainment industry.$LABEL$3 +Salesforce.com maintains profitability and growth Salesforce.com Inc. on Thursday released its first quarterly results since going public, posting income of \$1.2 million on revenue of \$40.6 million for the three months ended July 31.$LABEL$3 +Basketball: U.S. Wins, Spain Reaches Playoffs ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States finally showed signs of coming together as a team but still needed a late surge to beat Australia 89-79 in the men's Olympic basketball tournament Thursday.$LABEL$1 +AP: Kids Left in Africa Begged for Change (AP) AP - Allegedly abandoned by their American mother in Africa as she took up military contract work in Iraq, seven children from Texas begged small change to buy food and shuttled from a neglectful stranger's care to a concrete-block orphanage, Nigerians said Thursday.$LABEL$0 +Nichols Declines to Appeal Convictions PONCA CITY, Okla. - Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols will not appeal his state murder convictions for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, his attorney said Thursday...$LABEL$0 +Insurance Claims Moving Quickly in Fla. PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - It took years for many insurance claims to be paid following Hurricane Andrew in 1992...$LABEL$0 +Mbeki: Ivory Coast Parties Agree to Push for Peace South African President Thabo Mbeki said Monday he had reached agreement with all sides in Ivory Coast #39;s conflict on measures which should speed up implementation of a French-brokered peace accord.$LABEL$0 +Report: Mladic Gets \$520-A-Month Serb Army Pension BELGRADE (Reuters) - Top war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic is getting about \$520 a month in pension payments from the Serbia and Montenegro military, the Belgrade daily Blic reported Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Dance, Music to Liven German Building (AP) AP - Where communist East German legislators once ruled, modern dance and club music are taking over.$LABEL$0 +Georgia Forces Announce Big Gain Over Separatists TBILISI, Georgia (Reuters) - Georgian forces seized strategic heights from separatist fighters in rebel South Ossetia Thursday and President Mikhail Saakashvili promised more such victories to fulfill a pledge to reunite his fractious country.$LABEL$0 +Google #39;s New Stock Rises to \$100 Mark Description: In the first day of trading in shares of the Internet search engine company Google, the stock rises to above \$100. After much anticipation over the public offering, Google set its initial price at \$85 for Thursday #39;s debut. NPR #39;s Laura Sydell ...$LABEL$2 +HCC Insurance Expects \$10M Charley Losses HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. on Thursday said it expects its third-quarter losses related to Hurricane Charley after reinsurance recoveries will be less than \$10 million, or 10 cents per share. $LABEL$2 +Jetstar boosts Qantas turnover BUDGET airline Jetstar has helped propel Qantas to a record post-tax profit of \$648.4 million. Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon paid tribute to the subsidiary domestic carrier during a formal profit announcement yesterday. $LABEL$2 +Mylan shares spike on interest by Icahn PHILADELPHIA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Shares of Mylan Laboratories Inc. (MYL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) surged more than 10 percent on Thursday after billionaire investor Carl Icahn got federal regulatory approval to buy up 11.9 percent of ...$LABEL$2 +Peer-to-Peer Companies Win in Court A US federal appeals court ruled in favor of peer-to-peer software makers this week, stating that the companies behind the Grokster and Morpheus services are not liable for copyright infringement due to the actions of their users. $LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls Batteries In G4 Laptops Apple Computer Inc. on Thursday recalled the batteries used in 15-inch PowerBook G4 computers, due to an internal short that can cause the batteries to overheat and pose a fire hazard to consumers. $LABEL$3 +American Aaron Peirsol #39;s Gold Restored on Appeal ATHENS (Reuters) - Aaron Peirsol was awarded gold in the men #39;s 200 meters backstroke at the Athens Olympics on Thursday after winning an appeal against his disqualification then surviving a protest from the British and Austrian teams. $LABEL$1 +Simmons #39; season in jeopardy Latrobe, PA (Sports Network) - Pittsburgh Steelers starting guard Kendall Simmons is expected to miss the entire 2004 season after apparently suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. $LABEL$1 +Big Indian Dream comes crashing down Two positive drug tests and Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi playing as if they were on tranquilisers. India had a nightmare day at the Olympics today. $LABEL$1 +England #39;s middle order saves the day England #39;s middle order came up trumps today after early wickets fell in the 4th and final npower test at the Oval. $LABEL$1 +The Changing Face Of Al-Qaeda In a series of apparently well-coordinated raids, British and Pakistani security forces arrested a number of terrorism suspects in early August. Some of the men arrested in the United Kingdom were charged with quot;conspiring...to cause fear, panic, and ...$LABEL$0 +Famous scofflaws hit Japan TOKYO For a country that shut out foreigners for hundreds of years, Japan has proved strangely attractive for problem migrants of late. $LABEL$0 +What Low-Carb Dieters May Be Missing (AP) AP - Low-carb dieters may be missing key nutrients when they eliminate or restrict certain food groups, according to health experts:$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Recommends Throttling Back SUS For SP2 Microsoft on Wednesday posted advice for enterprises relying on Software Update Services (SUS) to prevent network slowdowns and server bottlenecks as they update thousands of PCs to Windows XP Service Pack 2 ...$LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls PowerBook Batteries Apple Computer this week launched a voluntary worldwide 15-inch PowerBook G4 battery exchange program to deal with 28,000 potentially faulty units. $LABEL$3 +Browsing for secure alternative browsers AUGUST 18, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Web browsers are our windows to the Internet. They enable us to navigate about the Internet with ease and they help secure us and protect our privacy when we conduct online transactions. $LABEL$3 +BlackBerrys sync with Mac OS X Software developer Information Appliance Associates announced Thursday the release of an application synchronizing Research In Motion #39;s BlackBerry devices with Apple #39;s Mac OS X. $LABEL$3 +Men #39;s volleyball: US falls to Russia Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The United States men #39;s volleyball team fell below .500 Thursday night with a four-set loss to Russia in Pool B action. $LABEL$1 +Selig #39;s continued reign is bad for baseball In a move that defies logic, a vision for the future and good taste, baseball owners voted unanimously to extend the contract of commissioner Bud Selig through 2009. As a baseball fan, this makes me want to lower the blinds, wear black and listen to my ...$LABEL$1 +Nepal asks Maoists for talks With the Maoist blockade of Kathmandu completing its second day, the Nepal government on Thursday asked the rebels to resume peace talks. $LABEL$0 +New Rules for 'Soft Money' Groups in 2006 (AP) AP - Non-party groups spending millions of dollars in unlimited donations on ads and get-out-the-vote drives in this year's presidential race will face some new ground rules starting with the 2006 election.$LABEL$0 +Google Shares Hit \$100.34 in Market Debut SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a debut vaguely reminiscent of the dot-com boom, shares of Internet search giant Google Inc...$LABEL$0 +Jackson Accuser's Kin Asked for Payment SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The stepfather of the boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation testified Thursday that he asked for payment for the family's participation in a video interview intended to restore Jackson's reputation...$LABEL$0 +Church Says Girl's Communion Not Valid BRIELLE, N.J. - An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine...$LABEL$0 +Follow-Through (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Last year's FORBES E-Gang (see p. 144 for this year's group) featured five luminaries in the field of wireless communication. Two of our picks have left their jobs, while three are steaming ahead.$LABEL$3 +Party Crasher (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Not long ago most corporate computer managers viewed open-source programs like MySQL as toys fit only for hobbyists. But then Linux, an open-source operating system, became a smash hit in corporate sites. Now the folks who embraced Linux are snapping up other bargain programs such as Apache, which serves up Web pages, the MySQL database and scripting languages like PHP, Perl and Python, which are used to create Web pages. So many companies use the combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP (or Perl or Python) that they're described with the acronym LAMP.$LABEL$3 +Obsolete (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - AVOCENT (27, AVCT) is by far the market leader in KVM (keyboard, video, monitor) devices, which allow technicians to run multiple servers using a single computer terminal. Avocent has outsize gross margins (58) on this stuff. In the first half sales rose 23 to #36;174 million, though it lost #36;5 million due to an acquisitions-related charge. The stock's multiple: 73.$LABEL$3 +The Song Remains the Same (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - In an August memo typed from his hospital bed, Steve Jobs--Apple's chief executive, patriarch and media impresario--let his employees know he would be out for a month to recover from surgery to remove a rare form of pancreatic cancer. Patients with this type of cancer, called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, have a 90 survival rate, especially if treated early. Apple says Jobs is due back in September.$LABEL$3 +Cherry-Picking Growth (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Rural hospitals, car insurers and furniture stores aren't exactly the first businesses that come to mind when talking about growth stocks, but fund manager Richard Aster Jr. picks through such sleepy industries to find growing companies that others have ignored.$LABEL$2 +House Call (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - It says something when the world's largest home-improvement retailer, with #36;65 billion in sales, is willing to risk its reputation on an #36;800 fee. Home Depot customers do 25 million transactions each week, and most are happy enough to come back. But the relationship has always ended at the store's threshold. It left to plumbers, electricians and handymen the mud tracks in the living room, the punctured pipes in the basement and the inevitable budget overruns.$LABEL$2 +Relief funds almost spent, says Soliman Stunned residents in General Nakar, Quezon, picked their way through a wasteland of mud and rubble to leave storm-ravaged areas Tuesday as the government said it has run out of money to pay for relief services.$LABEL$0 +Pilots to Pluck Space Capsule From Air (AP) AP - The Genesis space capsule carrying solar wind particles will be plucked from nearly a mile above the Utah desert by stunt helicopter pilots who've replicated the retrieval, without fumbles, in nearly a dozen practice runs.$LABEL$3 +New Genetic Link Found to Crib Deaths (Reuters) Reuters - A collection of genes involved in\early development may help explain why black babies are more at\risk of sudden infant death syndrome than other U.S. groups,\researchers said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Patterson Wins All-Around Gold Carly Patterson became the first American woman to win the gymnastics all-around competition since Mary Lou Retton in 1984.$LABEL$1 +Update 2: Two Firms Cleared of Swapping Violations The makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works swapped online by their users, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a stinging blow to the entertainment industry. $LABEL$2 +Moscow Court Rejects Yukos Appeal A Moscow court has rejected a request to drop part of the criminal case against the jailed former chief of Yukos oil company, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. $LABEL$2 +United Airlines Says It May Terminate Pension Plans (Update3) Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- UAL Corp. #39;s United Airlines, trying to attract financing to exit bankruptcy, said it probably will terminate and replace all its pension plans. $LABEL$2 +Search industry welcomes Google IPO, sees growth SEATTLE, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) competitors large and small welcomed the Web #39;s most popular search engine into their ranks as a publicly traded company on Thursday, saying the search industry ...$LABEL$2 +Hibernia to Sell Mortgage Portfolio Hibernia Corp., the holding company for Hibernia National Bank, said Thursday that it signed a letter of intent to sell its \$10 billion, third-party residential mortgage servicing portfolio to a unit of Citigroup Inc. $LABEL$2 +One China, May Exporters (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - China beckons stock investors with the lure of brisk economic growth. Yet a school of prominent China watchers, led by Morgan Stanley strategist Andy Xie, warns that the domestic overheating could lead to a ""hard landing"" in sectors ranging from steel to real estate. The Chinese government, worried about that very thing, is trying to rein in the torrid expansion.$LABEL$2 +Court Rejects Movie, Music Makers' Piracy Claims LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies, ruling that several online file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +So you want to be a cybercrook... Web villains post do-it-yourself phishing kits to help any amateur become an online con artist.\$LABEL$3 +Google has strong first day of public trading After a bumpy ride toward becoming a publicly traded company, Google Inc. finally saw its stock start trading on the Nasdaq exchange at around noon Eastern Daylight Time Thursday and with a strong opening at \$100.01, up from its \$85 initial offering price. The stock, which trades under the GOOG ticker symbol, closed at \$100.34, up 18 percent.$LABEL$3 +Embarcadero, Ixiasoft focus on data management Embarcadero is shipping Embarcadero Performance Center 1.9, a version of its multiplatform database monitoring product that adds a Web client and management functions for Linux and Unix databases.$LABEL$3 +Tibetans accuse China of meddling in film festival (AFP) AFP - Tibetan activists in India claimed that five films on Tibet have been dropped from the upcoming Asian Film Festival in Bombay under pressure from the Chinese embassy in India.$LABEL$0 +Vanguard Group Closes Int'l Explorer Fund NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Vanguard Group, the second-biggest U.S. mutual fund firm, said on Thursday it has closed the \$1.4 billion Vanguard International Explorer Fund to thwart speculative short-term investors and protect long-term shareholders.$LABEL$2 +Movie, Music Makers' Piracy Claims Denied LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies, ruling that several online file-sharing software companies are not liable for copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Mets Beat Rockies 10-3 to Open Twinbill (AP) AP - Mike Cameron homered and drove in four runs, and Kris Benson pitched six solid innings to lead the New York Mets past the Colorado Rockies 10-3 Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader.$LABEL$1 +Our kids losing ground in math, science OTTAWA -- Canadian students have slipped in the rankings of an international test in reading, math and science, dropping out of the top five in math and science.$LABEL$0 +Google goes public, shares surge nearly 20 percent on first day In the most highly anticipated Wall Street debut since the heady days of the dot-com boom, shares of Google surged nearly 20 percent on their first day of public trading Thursday as the quirky Internet company completed its much-hyped initial stock ...$LABEL$2 +Update 1: US Airways Union Says Labor Deal Is Near Union leaders representing US Airways pilots said Thursday that a new labor agreement could be struck soon, telling their rank and file a new deal is quot;our last opportunity to control the fate of our airline and our careers. quot; ...$LABEL$2 +Delta Air #39;s Revival Plan Preaches Austerity Delta Air Lines (DAL:NYSE - commentary - research) will cut employees and benefits but give a bigger-than-expected role to Song, its low-cost unit, in a widely anticipated but still unannounced overhaul, TheStreet.com has learned. $LABEL$2 +Boston Scientific Stent Gets Extension Medical-device maker Boston Scientific Corp. said Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration approved an extended shelf life of nine months for its Taxus Express2 drug-eluting coronary stent system in the United States, up from six months. $LABEL$2 +Helicopter Stunt Pilots to Snag Stardust for NASA PASADENA, Calif. (Reuters) - NASA has recruited two Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots for an especially tricky maneuver -- snagging a capsule full of stardust as it parachutes back to Earth next month, mission managers said on Thursday. $LABEL$3 +So you want to be a cyber-crook... Some Web sites are now offering surfers the chance to download free quot;phishing kits quot; containing all the graphics, Web code and text required to construct the kind of bogus Web sites used in Internet phishing scams. $LABEL$3 +IE Drag-and-Drop Flaw Warning A security bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer #39;s drag-and-drop feature could put millions of Web surfers at risk of malicious hacker attacks, researchers warned on Thursday. $LABEL$3 +This lying, sneaky spirit of the Games THE struggle for the soul of the Olympics is still not won, not in a thousand years and more. On Wednesday, token events took place on the sacred site where the original Games took place in Ancient Olympia hundreds of years before Christ. $LABEL$1 +Too tall, too old, too artistic, Khorkina makes grand Olympic exit ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The diva does not warm up before her performance. Not much, anyway. That is something that other gymnasts do, and Svetlana Khorkina will never be confused with one of those. $LABEL$1 +Loos? Not in Becks #39; vocab HOW fares Sven-Goran Eriksson? After all his nocturnal romping, were England just as rampant against the Ukraine? Why, certainly. $LABEL$1 +US men #39;s soccer team carries itself with a swagger They play with a confident air these days, even a swagger, more befitting the Brazilians and Germans. $LABEL$1 +15-inch PowerBook G4 Battery Exchange Apple is voluntarily recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable batteries that were sold worldwide from January 2004 through August 2004 for use with 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) notebook computers. The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. Aug 19$LABEL$3 +Google Up in Market Debut After Bumpy IPO NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. shares made their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, rising sharply to \$100 after an initial public offering marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Google makes market debut IN A debut vaguely reminiscent of the dot.com boom, shares of internet search giant Google surged in their first day of public trading. $LABEL$2 +Court Rejects Movie, Music Makers #39; Piracy Claims LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered a stinging blow to the anti-piracy efforts of major movie studios and music companies, ruling that several online file-sharing software companies are not liable for ...$LABEL$2 +Drug store offers new wave of disposable cameras NEW YORK--Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. on Thursday said it would offer the world #39;s first disposable digital camera with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to instantly preview pictures. $LABEL$3 +Hall upset over snub ATHENS Gary Hall Jr. resurfaced for the first time since being left off the medal race in the 4x100-meter sprint relay last weekend, and as expected, he had an opinion. $LABEL$1 +Men #39;s Singles : Chile and USA secure medals ATHENS, 20 August - The semifinal line-up in the men #39;s singles has been settled with both contests featuring a Chile v USA match-up, so each nation is assured of at least one Singles medal. $LABEL$1 +Anno breaks Olympic jinx with judo gold ATHENS Four-time judo world champion Noriko Anno broke her Olympic jinx by winning gold in the women #39;s 78-kilogram event Thursday at the Athens Games but defending Olympic champion Kosei Inoue was dealt shock defeats to miss out on a medal in the ...$LABEL$1 +American Patterson overcomes Russian for all-around Olympic title The 20-year wait is over. America has its new Mary Lou, and her name is Carly Patterson. The 16-year-old dynamo beat Russian superstar Svetlana Khorkina to give the United States another Olympic all-around champion Thursday night, closing with a dazzling ...$LABEL$1 +A new generation of US sprinters take their marks As track and field begins at the Games, it is up to athletes like Lauryn Williams to set right a sport seared by scandal. $LABEL$1 +Sharon #39;s leadership in crisis as Likud rejects settler plan Ariel Sharon #39;s political obituary was being written yesterday as opponents in Labour and his own Likud party turned their backs on the embattled Prime Minister, putting his plan for a staged withdrawal of settlers from the West ...$LABEL$0 +UK welcomes corncrake's comeback The rare corncrake is starting to return to England, but several other birds are still in serious trouble.$LABEL$3 +Dust 'is hidden climate problem' The amount of dust blowing around the world may have serious environmental effects, geographers say.$LABEL$3 +New worm uses IM to lure victims A new version of the worm that spread from infected Microsoft Corp. Internet Information Services (IIS) Web servers in June has been identified and is using instant messages (IMs) and infected Web sites in Russia, Uruguay and the U.S. to spread itself, according to one security company.$LABEL$3 +AMD sneaks strained silicon into chips The design twist will let the company increase the performance of its processors.$LABEL$3 +Your regularly scheduled software patch Oracle follows Microsoft and decides to roll patches out on a monthly timetable, but does that make customers more secure?$LABEL$3 +REVIEW: Olympics Web Coverage Disappoints (AP) AP - Though NBC is blanketing seven networks with 1,210 hours of Olympics coverage, there's this pesky, bill-paying task called work that keeps me from fully enjoying the televised competition.$LABEL$3 +Mission Studying Lionfish Off N.C. Coast (AP) AP - When divers first reported lionfish off the North Carolina coast four years ago, biologist Paula Whitfield thought it must be a mistake or an aberration. The poisonous, carnivorous Indo-Pacific lionfish is native to tropical waters half a world away #151; not the seas off the Outer Banks.$LABEL$3 +Parmalat adds Credit Suisse Extraordinary commissioner Enrico Bondi has filed a claim against CSFB in a Parma court in connection with a forward sale agreement between the bank and Parmalat dating from January 2002. $LABEL$2 +Google has strong first day of public trading After a bumpy ride toward becoming a publicly traded company, Google Inc. finally saw its stock start trading on the Nasdaq exchange at around noon Eastern Daylight Time Thursday and with a strong opening at \$100.01, ...$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Gets Good Grades on SP2 Microsoft has begun sending Windows XP Service Pack 2 to home users via of its automatic update system. Despite a few flaws that already have been found in the massive patch, the update will strengthen system security for most Windows XP ...$LABEL$3 +Do-It-Yourself Phishing Kits Lead To More Scams Do-it-yourself phishing kits are freely available on the Internet, a security firm said Thursday, and they will lead to more scams sent to online consumers. $LABEL$3 +Phelps adds 200-medley to his tally of gold ATHENS Michael Phelps certainly will not beat Mark Spitz #39;s record seven Olympic swimming gold medals in Munich in 1972, but the American youngster is still racking up the gold in Athens. $LABEL$1 +James Lawton: Khorkina the fallen tsarina loses to American princess Svetlana Khorkina was born in a poor industrial town on the Ukraine border, but not in her mind. There, she inhabited the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, surrounded by fawning courtiers and Faberg eggs. It showed here last night as the walls of her ...$LABEL$1 +In badminton, two deserving champions ATHENS As they lunged and lobbed with astonishing skill on Thursday, it was difficult to know whose personal journey had made them the worthier Olympic women #39;s badminton champion. $LABEL$1 +Beckham - played well on Tyneside (Getty Images) Sven-Goran Eriksson hailed David Beckham #39;s strength of character in recovering from his Euro 2004 woes as he said: quot;Criticism only makes him stronger. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Devils re-sign Brylin Brylin, entering his 11th NHL season, agreed to a multiyear deal. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games last year, and had 14 goals and 19 assists. $LABEL$1 +Lara must lead by example or face losing the captaincy The West Indian players and their supporters must be sick to death of reading comments that are highly critical of the way they have played in this series. $LABEL$1 +Balancing the risks in holy Najaf Ayad Allawi #39;s ultimatum yesterday to the rebel Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr - who is holed up with his fighters in the holy city of Najaf - was notable for one thing: the lack of a deadline. $LABEL$0 +Opp will be taken along on all issues: Shaukat ISLAMABAD: Newly elected member of the National Assembly and prime minister-designate, Shaukat Aziz, said on Thursday that Mr Aziz said the government would make sure the opposition stayed abreast of it on all important national issues. $LABEL$0 +DPRK negative #39;over US offer on nuclear weapons HONG KONG: North Korea shows no sign of accepting US incentives to give up its nuclear weapons programmes, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in remarks released on Thursday. $LABEL$0 +Reversal Gives Peirsol Gold; Phelps Wins 200 IM Despite being disqualified shortly after his final, Aaron Peirsol was eventually reinstated as the winner of the 200-meter backstroke event.$LABEL$1 +Mets Open Doubleheader With Victory Mike Cameron homered and drove in four runs, and Kris Benson pitched six solid innings to lead the Mets past Colorado.$LABEL$1 +US stocks: Market dips as oil rises and Google shines NEW YORK - US stocks slid on Thursday, ending four days of gains as oil prices continued their march higher, but Google Inc. created a buzz as shares of the internet search company surged on their debut. $LABEL$2 +Enter your e-mail: System administrators who have been installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 on their own PCs and on test systems are reporting the results of their practice runs to the SANS Institute Web site--and the failure rate seems to be pretty high. $LABEL$3 +Your regularly scheduled software patch The database maker confirmed on Thursday that it plans to start releasing patches on a specific day each month. The move mimics Microsoft #39;s decision last October to release patches for its software on the second Tuesday of each month. $LABEL$3 +AMD sneaks strained silicon into chips Advanced Micro Devices has begun to incorporate a form of strained silicon into its chips, a design twist that will let the company increase the performance of its processors. $LABEL$3 +Precision and Pressure in a Classic Stadium THENS, Aug. 19 The two finalists in the men #39;s archery strode out this afternoon and took their positions side-by-by side between the twin columns topped with the two-faced busts of Hermes that mark the start and finish lines in the ...$LABEL$1 +Sportsview: Khorkina makes grand exit ATHENS, Greece (AP) The diva does not warm up before her performance. Not much, anyway. That is something that other gymnasts do, and Svetlana Khorkina will never be confused with one of those. $LABEL$1 +Dodgers acquire Dessens for bullpen Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired right- handed pitcher Elmer Dessens and cash considerations from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league outfielder Jereme Milons on Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Moore, seven others advance at Amateur MAMARONECK, NY -- NCAA Division I champion Ryan Moore advanced to the quarterfinals Thursday at the US Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club. $LABEL$1 +UN peace chief warns of more violence after Burundi massacre UNITED NATIONS : The UN #39;s peacekeeping chief warned of a surge in violence after the massacre of Congolese refugees in Burundi and called on all parties to step back from the brink of war. $LABEL$0 +AL: Paul, Guerrero, Erstad Guide Angels to Win (Reuters) Reuters - Josh Paul, Vladimir Guerrero and Darin\Erstad hit multi-run homers to lead the Anaheim Angels to a\10-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St. Petersburg\Thursday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Uses Lethal Aircraft to Try to Break Sadr (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. military pounded positions\held by radical clerical Moqtada al-Sadr's lightly armed\militiamen early Friday, unleashing one of its most terrifying\aircraft in a bid to break their will to fight.$LABEL$0 +NL Wrap: Maddux, Sosa Help Cubs Beat Brewers NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greg Maddux overcame a shaky start to post his 301st career win while Sammy Sosa hit his 566th career home run as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 in Milwaukee Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Canadian flagbearer Gill bids hasty exit from Olympic judoka event (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - ATHENS (CP) - Montreal's Nicolas Gill will now play the role of spectator at the Summer Games.$LABEL$0 +Israel's Peres Urges Election, Pressures Sharon JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's opposition Labor Party leader pushed an already embattled prime minister to the wall by advocating early elections a day after Ariel Sharon's Likud party barred him from coalition negotiations.$LABEL$0 +Analysis: Doctors a Part of Iraq Abuse LONDON - Doctors working for the U.S. military in Iraq collaborated with interrogators in the abuse of detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, profoundly breaching medical ethics and human rights, a bioethicist charges in The Lancet medical journal...$LABEL$0 +Yahoo fixes two flaws in mail system Online portal says bugs could have let attackers alter appearance of pages and access a victim's data.\$LABEL$3 +Tokyo's Nikkei Average Falls TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average fell 0.46 percent early morning on Friday with technology shares such as Fujitsu Ltd. leading the way, following a retreat in their U.S. peers and on worries over record-breaking oil prices.$LABEL$2 +Same-Day Doctor Visits Gain Steam in U.S. Life changed for Steve Lunt and his wife when they called Dr. Gordon Moore, who is among a growing number of doctors nationwide who have adopted same-day service. The idea, which experts say is gaining steam, is that scheduling patients immediately for even routine physicals will keep them healthier and happier.$LABEL$3 +Groups Weigh in on Revisions to Food Pyramid By IRA DREYFUSS WASHINGTON (AP) -- Keep the food pyramid but make it more understandable, food industry and consumer group officials told a panel of Agriculture Department officials on Thursday. The department is revising its nutrition graphic to reflect new eating guidelines that are due out early next year by a dietary guidance advisory committee...$LABEL$3 +Health Highlights: Aug. 19, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: ----- Doctor Who Was Focus of Anthrax Probe Loses Job A doctor who has recently become the focus of federal agents investigating the unsolved 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States has lost his job at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr...$LABEL$3 +Scientist says numeracy theories don #39;t add up Language moulds our thoughts so much that we cannot conceptualise ideas for which we do not have words, according to an American researcher. $LABEL$3 +Sony brings new technology to TV line Sony said Thursday that it would begin selling eight new television models outfitted with semiconductors designed to produce sharper images, including two with a lighting system that the company says is the world #39;s first. $LABEL$3 +Napster UK teams with Virgin Radio British radio station Virgin Radio (which is not part of Virgin Group anymore) has teamed up with Napster UK to launch an online music chart called (very creative..) The Napster Online Music Chart. $LABEL$3 +Hewitt advances Lleyton Hewitt of Australia moved into the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Alejandro Falla of Colombia in Washington. $LABEL$1 +Patterson overcomes low vault score to win all-around gold ATHENS, Greece In gymnastics style and personality, it was like watching an American high school cheerleader bringing down the Russian prima ballerina, a dynamo dusting off a diva. At night #39;s end, US teenager Carly Patterson simply ...$LABEL$1 +3 countries will appeal in eventing ATHENS France, Britain and the United States issued a joint challenge Thursday to Germany #39;s gold medal in equestrian team three-day eventing. $LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Maddux, Sosa Help Cubs Beat Brewers NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greg Maddux overcame a shaky start to post his 301st career win while Sammy Sosa hit his 566th career home run as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 in Milwaukee Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Football: US-Jamaica CONCACAF Semifinal Qualifier Ends in Draw Second-half substitute Brian Ching scored the first goal of his international career in the 89th minute to give the United States national soccer team a 1-1 come-from-behind draw against Jamaica in Kingston. $LABEL$1 +Shutdown of the Uffizi is threatened over cuts ROME Italy #39;s culture minister has threatened to shut down the Uffizi museum if the government does not scale back planned spending cuts. $LABEL$0 +Google Shares Hit #36;100.34 in Market Debut (AP) AP - In a debut vaguely reminiscent of the dot-com boom, shares of Internet search giant Google Inc. surged in their first day of public trading Thursday as investors who avoided the company's auction-based offering readily jumped into the familiar territory of the stock market.$LABEL$3 +Olympics Internet Coverage Disappoints The Internet is good for getting results and learning the mechanics of obscure sports but it fails to capture the full glory and personalities that make the Olympics so special.$LABEL$3 +Apple's iPod a Huge Hit in Japan The iPod is proving a colossal hit on the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant's home ground. The tiny white machine is catching on as a fashion statement and turning into a cultural icon here, much the same way it won a fanatical following in the United States.$LABEL$3 +Auction Debate to Outlive Google Debut (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc. (GOOG.O) debuted as a\public company on Thursday, but that did not stop the debate\over whether its auction-based IPO was a success or will\influence future IPOs.$LABEL$2 +Al-Sadr Tells Militia to Turn Over Shrine (AP) AP - Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters Thursday to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, hours after U.S. forces bombed militant positions and Iraq's prime minister made a ""final call"" for the cleric's militia to surrender.$LABEL$0 +AP: Kids Left in Africa Begged for Change (AP) AP - Allegedly abandoned by their American mother in Africa, seven children from Texas begged small change to buy food and shuttled from a neglectful stranger's care to a concrete-block orphanage, Nigerians said Thursday.$LABEL$0 +AP: Kids Left in Africa Begged for Change IBADAN, Nigeria - Allegedly abandoned by their American mother in Africa, seven children from Texas begged small change to buy food and shuttled from a neglectful stranger's care to a concrete-block orphanage, Nigerians said Thursday. Eventually, the children proved their American citizenship to a passing missionary from Texas by singing ""The Star-Spangled Banner."" He notified U.S...$LABEL$0 +Baseball Gives Selig Contract Through 2009 PHILADELPHIA - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig received a contract extension through 2009 Thursday as owners praised his 12-year reign, but dissension surfaced among teams in the decision to launch a World Cup tournament. Selig, who has presided over revolutionary changes in the most traditional of major U.S...$LABEL$0 +India fight back to beat Germany in Champions Trophy (AFP) AFP - India came from behind to defeat new-look Germany 3-1 and remain in contention for a podium finish in the men's Champions Trophy field hockey tournament here.$LABEL$0 +Baseball Gives Selig Contract Through 2009 (AP) AP - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig received a contract extension through 2009 Thursday as owners praised his 12-year reign, but dissension surfaced among teams in the decision to launch a World Cup tournament.$LABEL$1 +UConn Aide Put on Leave After Sex Bust (AP) AP - Connecticut placed assistant men's basketball coach Clyde Vaughan on paid administrative leave Thursday after his arrest in a prostitution sting.$LABEL$1 +COWBOYS 43, SEAHAWKS 39 Jones had 198 yards rushing and three touchdowns, helping Dallas erase a 10-point deficit with less than three minutes to play as the visiting Cowboys stunned the Seattle Seahawks, 43-39, last night.$LABEL$1 +Google shares top 100 on debut NEW YORK Despite voluble skepticism among investors, Google #39;s stock jumped about 18 percent to \$100.01 a share when it debuted Thursday on the Nasdaq stock market. $LABEL$2 +Update 11: Crude Oil Prices Climb Above \$48 a Barrel Crude futures climbed above \$48 a barrel Thursday as market fears of sabotage against the Iraqi oil infrastructure outweighed assurances from Baghdad that exports would increase in coming days. $LABEL$2 +StreamCast, Grokster escape suit AP - A US court says the makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works swapped online by their users, in a stinging blow to the entertainment industry. $LABEL$2 +Wal-Mart looking at Japan #39;s Daiei TOKYO Wal-Mart Stores is considering taking a stake in the heavily indebted Japanese retailer Daiei, a move that could greatly expand the presence of the world #39;s largest retailer in the world #39;s second-largest retail market. $LABEL$2 +Hibbett 2Q Earnings Drop 6 Percent Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc. on Thursday said its second-quarter results dropped 6 percent year-over-year on weaker licensed apparel and fitness-equipment sales, missing industry estimates. $LABEL$2 +Delta faces tricky task in restructuring debt NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is taking steps toward restructuring at least some of its roughly \$20 billion of total debt in a bid to avoid bankruptcy, but it will face an uphill battle, ...$LABEL$2 +Market little changed at open THE sharemarket was virtually flat at the open today as losses in the financial sector and News Corp nullified gains in resources and gold stocks. $LABEL$2 +Michael Hill sparkles Jeweller Michael Hill International has seen its annual profit rise 30 due to increased sales, the company says. $LABEL$2 +Mars Exploration Rovers Update During the last four weeks, the Mars Exploration Rovers have braved the Martian winter to continue their geologic field work, sending home more evidence of past liquid water on the Red Planet and images of bizarre geologic formations the likes ...$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Riles Apple Diehards RealNetworks #39; campaign to grab digital-music market share away from Apple #39;s iTunes service -- most recently, with cut-rate, 49-cent song downloads -- is raising the ire of Apple loyalists. A petition placed online by Real was swamped with ...$LABEL$3 +Casual approach, shot selection land Anthony seat on Team USA bench The question of what #39;s up between coach Larry Brown and nailed-to-the-bench young forward Carmelo Anthony is not, to be sure, the most important one facing the United States men #39;s basketball team. The team #39;s poor shooting -- after going 3-for-17 in ...$LABEL$1 +Granville crushes Czech LAURA GRANVILLE of the United States crushed fifth-seeded Denisa Chladkova of the Czech Republic 6-1 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA event here today. $LABEL$1 +Peres Calls for Israeli Elections After Likud Rejects Talks Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Shimon Peres, chairman of the opposition Labor Party, said Israel should have early elections after the ruling Likud Party voted against coalition talks. $LABEL$0 +San Diego Zoo's Panda Celebrates Birthday (AP) AP - On his first birthday Thursday, giant panda cub Mei Sheng delighted visitors by playing for the first time in snow delivered to him at the San Diego Zoo. He also sat on his ice cake, wrestled with his mom, got his coat incredibly dirty, and didn't read any of the more than 700 birthday wishes sent him via e-mail from as far away as Ireland and Argentina.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Patches the Patch (PC World) PC World - Windows XP Service Pack 2 gets a 'hotfix' for VPNs, part of the\ never-ending process of software development.$LABEL$3 +Groups Eager to Meet With Bush, Kerry (AP) AP - Organizations representing the nation's 3 million scientists, engineers and doctors have invited the two major presidential candidates to have a word with them #151; online.$LABEL$3 +Auction Debate to Outlive Google Debut NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) debuted as a public company on Thursday, but that did not stop the debate over whether its auction-based IPO was a success or will influence future IPOs. $LABEL$2 +Judges rule file-sharing software legal update A federal appeals court has upheld a controversial court decision that said file-sharing software programs such as Grokster or Morpheus are legal. $LABEL$2 +US Air CEO denies liquidation talk CHICAGO (Reuters) - The chief executive of US Airways said Thursday that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is still a possibility for the ailing carrier but that talk of an impending liquidation was unfounded. $LABEL$2 +Investors See Only Negatives Some say indexes dropped Thursday because investors are idling until some good news comes around. Maybe so, but the trading volume of the Nasdaq-100 tracking stock, which we use to get a better feel for how individual tech shares are selling, ...$LABEL$2 +US Economy Recovery slows, leading indicators drop NEW YORK (AP) - Offering more evidence that the US economic recovery is losing steam, a closely watched gauge of future business activity has fallen for the second consecutive month. $LABEL$2 +Microsoft Patches the Patch Windows XP Service Pack 2 gets a #39;hotfix #39; for VPNs, part of the never-ending process of software development. $LABEL$3 +Apple recalls notebook batteries Apple Computer Inc. issued a recall of about 28,000 batteries that were being used in its 15 quot; PowerBook notebook computers. The batteries in question were produced between the January and August time frame. The batters were manufacturered by a Korean firm ...$LABEL$3 +DALE McFEATTERS: Just another work sol on Mars (SH) - While we go about our days, rather amazingly 34 million or so miles away our pair of Mars Rovers are still going about their days, although theirs are 45 minutes longer and are called quot;sols. quot; ...$LABEL$3 +Ford Shelves Oracle-Based Procurement System After nearly five years of development work, Ford Motor Co. will dismantle an Oracle-based procurement application and shift back to earlier technology, a company spokesman confirmed Thursday. $LABEL$3 +Eolas Says Browser Patent Fight Isn #39;t Over Yet Despite reports saying that Microsoft and the W3C have Eolas Technologies on the ropes in their patent battle over basic browser technology, Eolas sounded an upbeat note Thursday. $LABEL$3 +Clearly Carly in women #39;s all-around As Carly Patterson waited for her final routine Thursday night, her coach looked into her eyes and saw a fire that burned brighter than the Olympic flame. $LABEL$1 +Even in win, nasty vibes ATHENS -- As you saw yesterday, they #39;re fighting back now. Not with the world, but with themselves. When you #39;ve been humiliated at your own game, ridiculed and laughed at back home and can #39;t intimidate Australia anymore, someone #39;s bound to mope. $LABEL$1 +Second Wave for US Makes the Difference INGSTON, Jamaica, Aug. 19 - Sixty minutes into Wednesday #39;s World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica, with the United States trailing by 1-0, Brian Ching stood on the sideline, waiting to enter, more excited than nervous. $LABEL$1 +UConn assistant coach placed on administrative leave Connecticut placed assistant men #39;s basketball coach Clyde Vaughan on paid administrative leave Thursday after his arrest in a prostitution sting. $LABEL$1 +Najaf stand-off has beginnings in earlier US failures in Fallujah The battle of Najaf, in which Iraq #39;s fledgling government is being held to ransom by the occupation of Shia Islam #39;s holiest site, can be traced to American political and military failures in recent months. $LABEL$0 +Blair confined to quarters after bomb discovery Italian newspapers claimed yesterday that the Blair family had been confined to their luxury Tuscan quarters following the discovery of a time bomb in a Sardinian resort close to the villa where Silvio Berlusconi regaled Tony and Cherie Blair with ...$LABEL$0 +Global warming on the rise The European Environment Agency reported global climate change, including frequent floods, droughts and heat waves, are severe and will continue to worsen. $LABEL$0 +Natural Gas Seems Headed the Way of Oil: More Demand, Less Supply, Higher Cost At a time when the nation is chafing at its dependence on foreign oil, it is becoming clear that the United States may be headed for the same situation with natural gas.$LABEL$2 +Kmart: Rich in Cash and Real Estate but Not in Sales Kmart looks like a true retail oddity: simultaneously losing ground with the American shopper and generating cash like a slot machine.$LABEL$2 +Google jumps 18 pc on debut NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -- Google stock jumped 18 percent in its long-awaited but rocky debut Thursday. $LABEL$2 +Crude oil soar above \$48 a barrel in NY NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Crude oil futures jumped to new record high Thursday as market concerned that Iraqi exports might drop further because of clashes in southern Iraq between US troopsand fighters loyal to Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada ...$LABEL$2 +Vanguard closes international fund SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Responding to a torrent of new money into its top-performing Vanguard International Explorer fund, the Vanguard Group closed the foreign stock portfolio Thursday to new investors. $LABEL$2 +Hamm Faces Future and Savors Moment THENS, Aug. 19 - It was nearly 3 am, and Paul Hamm was alone on his porch at the Olympic Village, sky dark, grounds quiet, gold medal hanging around his neck just hours after he had won it. $LABEL$1 +With Duncan Providing a Beat, the US Finds Its Rhythm THENS, Aug. 19 - Tim Duncan nearly tore the backboard from its moorings when he dunked the basketball on Thursday, hanging on the rim for emphasis, stretching out his frame for all of Helliniko Indoor Arena to see. $LABEL$1 +Notes: Ichiro CAT scan proves OK KANSAS CITY -- A precautionary CAT scan taken on Ichiro Suzuki on Thursday afternoon was quot;completely normal quot; and the right fielder could continue his pursuit of another 50-hit month Friday night in Detroit. $LABEL$1 +Journalists journey into the center of the storm NAJAF, Iraq What we were about to do was more than risky. It was foolish. Thursday, several journalists began organizing a delegation to enter the Imam Ali shrine in ...$LABEL$0 +ICJ ruling on Israeli fences may lead to sanctions: Attorney General JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said Thursday that the Hague ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israeli security fences could lead to sanctions against the country, local newspaper Ha #39;aretz ...$LABEL$0 +Japanese Stocks Edge Lower TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks edged lower by mid-morning on Friday as a retreat on Wall Street and worries about record-high oil prices prompted profit-taking in some technology and bank shares following the market's recent gains.$LABEL$2 +Rewards Have Risks on the Tehran Stock Exchange The Tehran Stock Exchange has performed magnificently, but the market's list of risks is outsized.$LABEL$2 +7 More Managers Fired Over Nortel Accounting The company announced the firings on Thursday along with a restructuring plan that included layoffs of about 3,500 employees.$LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Treading Water TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks spent Friday morning treading water as worries over record-breaking oil prices and their possible impact to the global economy overshadowed renewed hopes that Japan's economy is still on track for sustained growth.$LABEL$2 +Apple Powerbook G4 Batteries Recalled Thousands of rechargeable batteries for use in Apple #39;s Powerbook G4 laptop are being recalled. The batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard. However, no injuries have been reported. $LABEL$3 +Another medal, two records ATHENS -- Attention, ladies and gentlemen. For his next act, Michael Phelps will break an Olympic record, hurry to the warm-down pool for a swim, run to the locker room, pull on a warm-up suit, walk out to the pool deck and take part in ...$LABEL$1 +Day 6 Roundup: China back on winning track After two days of gloom, China was back on the winning rails on Thursday with Liu Chunhong winning a weightlifting title on her record-shattering binge and its shuttlers contributing two golds in the cliff-hanging finals. $LABEL$1 +ATHENS 2004/Inoue crashes out ATHENS-In one of the biggest shocks in Olympic judo history, defending champion Kosei Inoue was defeated by Dutchman Elco van der Geest in the men #39;s 100-kilogram category Thursday. $LABEL$1 +20 Years Later, #39;the Next Mary Lou #39; Takes Her Place After months of carrying around the pressure to win an Olympic all-around gymnastics title, after being dubbed the next Mary Lou Retton so long ago, Patterson finished her floor exercise Thursday and nearly floated off the floor, leaping ...$LABEL$1 +Athens Olympics Games: Expensive and Over-Hyped Olympics? JEDDAH, 20 August 2004 First, let me make it clear that I have always enjoyed watching the Olympic Games on television ever since I was a child. The problem nowadays is that the Olympics have been turned into gigantic business proposition both for the ...$LABEL$1 +Owen given warm welcome at first Real Madrid session MADRID, Aug 19 (Reuters) - England striker Michael Owen was given a warm welcome by his new Real Madrid team mates and waiting fans on Thursday when he took part in his first training session since joining the club last week. $LABEL$1 +Latham on the mend Federal Labor leader Mark Latham is up and walking around this morning and his office says there is every indication he will leave hospital in the next 48 hours. $LABEL$0 +'Oil Shock' Has Some Economists Worried With growth slowing in China, Europe and Japan, some worry that rapidly escalating prices will trigger a self-reinforcing spiral of falling demand.$LABEL$2 +Sen. Kennedy Flagged By Secret No-Fly List Sen. Edward M. ""Ted"" Kennedy said Thursday that he was stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times last March.$LABEL$2 +United Says Pensions' Termination Likely Cash-strapped UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, continues efforts to further cut costs and emerge from bankruptcy.$LABEL$2 +After Months of Hoopla, Google Debut Fits the Norm In the stock #39;s first day of trading, investors bought, sold and flipped shares at a furious pace, with the price ending just above \$100 - 18 percent above where it started. $LABEL$2 +Update 1: Qantas Says Oil Prices Will Boost Charges Australian flag carrier Qantas on Friday raised fuel surcharges on domestic and international tickets, blaming the skyrocketing price of crude oil prices. $LABEL$2 +US press hit by new circulation figures scandal The company behind the Dallas Morning News agreed on Monday to hand back \$23m (12.5m) to advertisers after admitting circulation figures for the daily and Sunday editions had been inflated. $LABEL$2 +US rates on 30-year mortgages down to a 4-month low WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The average interest rate of 30-year mortgages in the United States declined to the lowest level in four months this week, US mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported on Thursday. $LABEL$2 +One, two, ... er, too many Researchers claim to have solved the mystery of the people who simply do not count. It could be because they are lost for words. $LABEL$3 +Americans Carly Patterson, Michael Phelps Win Gold (Update10) Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Carly Patterson became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the women #39;s all-around gymnastics competition since Mary Lou Retton in 1984, while US swimmer Michael Phelps won a fourth gold medal in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Khorkina #39;s Final Act Centers on Bitterness THE other competitors eagerly chatted with their coaches using high-pitched voices in need of WD-40; Svetlana Khorkina hardly spoke at all as she overemoted like a silent film star while glaring and sulking as usual, even topping herself ...$LABEL$1 +Spectre of closure haunts the Uffizi One of the world #39;s greatest art museums, the Uffizi gallery in Florence, may be forced to close by huge government spending cuts, the Italian heritage minister said yesterday. $LABEL$0 +NYMEX Crude Strikes Record \$48.90 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - NYMEX crude oil futures struck another record at \$48.90 a barrel on Friday before the prompt-month expiry, as surging violence in Iraq sparked fresh concerns over supply disruptions.$LABEL$2 +Loss Widens at Wet Seal et Seal Inc., a retailer of clothing for young women, said yesterday that its second-quarter loss widened after the company recorded a \$75.5 million expense to write down the value of certain assets. $LABEL$2 +Earnings Climb 62 at Hormel Foods he Hormel Foods Corporation posted a 62 percent increase in quarterly profit yesterday, though higher grain costs kept profit below analysts #39; expectations. $LABEL$2 +Agfa-Gevaert, Photo Pioneer, to Sell Film and Lab Business RUSSELS, Aug. 19 - Agfa-Gevaert, one of the oldest names in the photography business, said on Thursday that it was selling its consumer film and photo labs business to the team running it to focus on its more profitable medical imaging and ...$LABEL$2 +World #39;s lightest flying micro-robot unveiled BEIJING, Aug.20(Xinhuanet) -- The world #39;s lightest flying micro-robot has been developed by Japan #39;s Seiko Epson Corporation. $LABEL$3 +FINA rejects protest over Peirsol #39;s reinstatement ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- FINA, the swimming #39;s world governing body, has rejected protest from national federations of Britain and Austria over American Aaron Peirsol #39;s reinstatement after he was disqualified in the 200m backstroke final at the ...$LABEL$1 +Indian doubles pair crash out India #39;s hopes of an Olympic tennis gold medal evaporated last night when Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi lost 6-2, 6-3 to Germany #39;s Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler in the doubles semi-finals. $LABEL$1 +American Patterson takes women #39;s all-around gymnastics gold ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- American Carly Patterson, runner-up in the 2003 Worlds, took the women #39;s individual all-around gymnastics gold medal with 38.387 points at the Athens Olympics here Friday evening. $LABEL$1 +Missed target Unfavorable exchange rates and fear of terrorism are keeping many would-be spectators at home. ATHENS-An uninformed spectator stumbling into the Athens Olympic Sports Complex on Wednesday night could have been forgiven for ...$LABEL$1 +The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Athens, Greece -- LeBron James snuck behind Australia #39;s zone defense in the fourth quarter and quickly made eye contact with Stephon Marbury, who lobbed the ball high above the rim. James catapulted into the air and jammed it home with both hands. $LABEL$1 +Liverpool set for flurry of transfers Rafael Benitez could continue the flurry of activity at Anfield before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. $LABEL$1 +Minister #39;s poll triumph puts him in line to be Pakistan #39;s next PM Three weeks after surviving an assassination attempt, Pakistan #39;s finance minister, Shaukat Aziz, confirmed his place as the country #39;s next prime minister, after coasting to victory in a byelection. $LABEL$0 +US Airways Asks Pilots for Pay Cut WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US Airways <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=UAIR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">UAIR.O</A>, struggling to avoid a second bankruptcy, has asked pilots for a 16.5 percent pay cut, USA Today reported in its Friday editions.$LABEL$2 +Global LCD Oversupply to Peak in Q3 SEOUL (Reuters) - A global oversupply of large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is forecast to peak in the third quarter of this year, but it will balance out by the fourth quarter, a U.S.-based research firm said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +United Warns It May Jettison Pension Plans to Stay Afloat United Airlines said the termination of its four employee pension plans was needed to attract the financing that would allow it to emerge from bankruptcy protection.$LABEL$2 +File-Sharing Sites Found Not Liable for Infringement A court ruled that the distributors of software used by millions of people to exchange music files over the Internet cannot be held liable for aiding copyright infringement.$LABEL$2 +Google shares surge in first day after IPO price cut NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Shares of Google Inc. closed sharply higher Thursday on their first day of trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market after the company cut its IPO (initial public offering) price Wednesday. $LABEL$2 +Nortel cutting 3,500 jobs, fires 7 executives Nortel Networks is eliminating 3,500 jobs and has fired seven more top executives as it struggles to deal with an accounting scandal that has prompted a criminal investigation. $LABEL$2 +Words may limit ideas According to the Telegraph, the Pirah quot;have little social structure, no art, and they barter instead of using currency. Their language is limited to just 10 consonants and vowels. quot; The only words they have for numbers are quot;one, quot; quot;two quot; and quot;many. quot; ...$LABEL$3 +Do-it-yourself phishing kits found on the internet, reveals Sophos Sophos experts have discovered that do-it-yourself phishing kits are being made available for download free of charge from the internet. $LABEL$3 +Phelps wins fourth gold at Athens Olympics ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Michael Phelps won his fourth gold medal at the Olympic Games in the men #39;s 200m individual medley here on Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Tourists award gold to Athens ATHENS (Reuters) - The Olympic hosts are winning rave reviews after the first week of the Athens Games, with foreign visitors expressing delight with the friendly, clean and well-organised Greek capital. $LABEL$1 +NFL ROUNDUP Flutie Eases Back in After Knee Surgery an Diego Chargers quarterback Doug Flutie participated yesterday in his first full practice since having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Aug. 5. $LABEL$1 +Determined Davenport continues winning streak NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Top seed Lindsay Davenport recovered from a set down to battle past American compatriot Lilia Osterloh 4-6 6-4 6-1 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Blast rocks Nepal police post KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Maoist guerrillas have set off a bomb at an empty police post near Kathmandu, police say, and the Nepali capital remains cut off by land for the third day due to a rebel blockade call. $LABEL$0 +Global LCD Oversupply to Peak SEOUL (Reuters) - A global oversupply of large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is forecast to peak in the third quarter of this year, but it will balance out by the fourth quarter, a U.S.-based research firm said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Hits Fresh 4-Week Low Versus Yen TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar hit a fresh four-week low against the yen on Friday on stronger-than-expected Japanese data and as Tokyo stock prices showed resilience in the face of weaker U.S. peers.$LABEL$2 +OPEC Chief: Concerned with Oil Price Rise JAKARTA (Reuters) - OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Friday he was concerned with the continuing rise in global oil prices, but the cartel had not yet seen a cost-driven increase in inflation.$LABEL$2 +EA Video Game 'Madden' Tops 1.3 Million First Week (Reuters) Reuters - ""Madden NFL 2005,"" the latest\version of Electronic Arts Inc.'s (ERTS.O) pro football video\game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first\week of release, the company said on Thursday, citing internal\figures.$LABEL$3 +Japan #39;s Topix Index Gains; Retailers Led by Daiei Inc. Advance Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese retail stocks rose as Daiei Inc. surged on optimism a possible investment by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. may help it avoid going to a government bailout agency. $LABEL$2 +Stunt pilots to aid NASA in catching a piece of the sun Moonlighting Hollywood stunt pilots and NASA scientists are teaming up to snatch a returning space capsule in midair over central Utah next month. $LABEL$3 +India #39;s Pratima, four others suspended for doping : Five weightlifters, including India #39;s Pratima Kumari, were Thursday suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) for failing drug tests conducted at the Olympic Games Thursday, reports Xinhua. $LABEL$1 +Reds with a Spanish spine Rafael Benitez would not have imagined a more troubled introduction to his debut Premiership season following Michael Owen #39;s shock transfer. NANTHA KUMAR examines the tough transition period at Liverpool.LIVERPOOL Football Club were not the only party ...$LABEL$1 +Going extra innings Ten years ago, Bud Selig was commissioner of a sport shut down in a bitter labor dispute and headed for the darkest period in its long, illustrious history. $LABEL$1 +White House pays tribute to UN envoy killed in Iraq WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The White House on Thursday paid tribute to United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello who was killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad one year ago. $LABEL$0 +OPEC Chief: Concerned with Oil Price Rise (Reuters) Reuters - OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said\on Friday he was concerned with the continuing rise in global\oil prices, but the cartel had not yet seen a cost-driven\increase in inflation.$LABEL$2 +Oil Marches Toward #36;50, Weighs on Stocks (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices marched toward #36;50 a\barrel on Friday, weighing on Asian stock markets as investors\fretted over the impact of high energy costs on corporate\profits, consumer spending and economic growth in general.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Dip as Oil Soars; Google Shines (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, ending\four days of gains as oil prices continued their march higher,\but Google Inc. (GOOG.O) created a buzz as shares of the\Internet search company surged on their debut.$LABEL$2 +Gap Profit Off, Sees More Store Closings (Reuters) Reuters - Gap Inc. (GPS.N), the largest U.S.\specialty apparel retailer, on Thursday reported a 7 percent\decline in quarterly profit, meeting lowered forecasts, after\summer clearance sales drew surprisingly small crowds.$LABEL$2 +Google shares soar 18 percent on first day In the stock #39;s first day trading, investors bought, sold and flipped shares at a furious pace, with the price ending just above \$100 -- 18 percent higher than where it started. $LABEL$2 +Nortel Will Cut Workforce by 10 Percent TORONTO, Aug. 19 -- Nortel Networks Corp. said Thursday it will slash its workforce by 3,500, or 10 percent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits. $LABEL$2 +Qantas Boosts Flight Surcharges as Fuel Prices Soar (Update2) Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest airline, increased a surcharge on all tickets as the cost of jet fuel soared to a record. Qantas shares rebounded from a three-month low. $LABEL$2 +Appeals Court Ruling Favors File-Sharing SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 19 -- The makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for copyrighted works swapped online by their users, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a blow to the entertainment industry. $LABEL$2 +Nordstrom #39;s profits up 62; stock falls Nordstrom Inc. #39;s second-quarter profit surged 62 percent on sales of fashions such as tweed jackets and ponchos, but the company missed analyst expectations, sending its shares down in after-hours trading yesterday. $LABEL$2 +Brokerage Gets Fine, 1-Month Ban on Opening New Accounts NEW YORK, Aug. 19 -- National Securities Corp., a Seattle brokerage firm, has agreed to a one-month ban on opening mutual fund accounts and must pay \$600,000 in fines and restitution to settle allegations that its employees helped ...$LABEL$2 +Ohio sues Best Buy, alleges deceptive sales practices Best Buy Co., the biggest electronics retailer in the nation, was sued yesterday by Ohio #39;s attorney general, who accused the company of deceptive sales practices such as repackaging used merchandise and selling it as new. $LABEL$2 +NASA prepares to catch a falling star sample NASA #39;s three-year effort to bring some genuine star dust back to Earth is set for a dramatic finale Sept. 8 when Hollywood helicopter pilots will attempt a midair retrieval of a descending space capsule. $LABEL$3 +Americans playing it cool in the pool ATHENS Michael Phelps might receive his last gold medal of the Athens Olympics in a way no one would envision. $LABEL$1 +Anno Captures Japan #39;s 6th Judo Gold; Inoue Fails to Win Medal Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Noriko Anno, four-time world champion, won Japan #39;s sixth judo gold medal Thursday, defeating China #39;s Liu Xia in the women #39;s 78-kilogram class. $LABEL$1 +Patterson makes it an all-around sweep for US Two decades later, it #39;s time to make room for Carly Patterson as America #39;s next reigning champion of Olympic women #39;s gymnastics. $LABEL$1 +Manning Does His Part to Start a Controversy HARLOTTE, Aug. 19 - Eli Manning was handed his first chance to prove he could be a starting quarterback in the NFL Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. If Manning #39;s performance was any indication, the Kurt Warner era with the ...$LABEL$1 +Dismal weather takes control of NEC AKRON, Ohio -- Golf was supposed to be the headliner Thursday at Firestone Country Club in Akron. What turned out to be the featured performer, instead, was a nasty line of weather that made golf secondary to a lot of other things. $LABEL$1 +Thursday #39;s Golf Capsules Stewart Cink made five birdies on his first 10 holes and led by one shot over Rod Pampling before the rain-delayed first round of the NEC Invitational was suspended by darkness Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Sports: Yankees 13 Twins 10 MINNEAPOLIS The New York Yankees coughed up a 9-to-3 lead before rallying in the ninth inning to beat Minnesota 13-to-10. $LABEL$1 +Standoff Continues with Militant Cleric in Najaf Fighting continues in Najaf even though Iraq #39;s Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has made a final call to Shi #39;ite militants to lay down their weapons and leave the holy Imam Ali shrine in Najaf. Militants threaten to kill a Turkish hostage and missing American ...$LABEL$0 +Russia Accuses Georgia of Violating Cease-Fire Government forces battled separatists for strategic areas near South Ossetia #39;s main city as Georgia sought the upper hand in some of the worst fighting in the breakaway region since a war more than a decade ago. $LABEL$0 +Hungary Crisis Deepens as Prime Minister Quits Moving to end a political crisis with its government coalition partner, Hungary #39;s Socialist Party has announced that Prime Minister Medgyessy is no longer head of the government and that it plans to nominate his replacement next week. $LABEL$0 +Google Up in Market Debut After Bumpy IPO (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc. shares jumped 18\percent in their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday,\after a scaled-down #36;1.67 billion IPO marked by missteps and\lackluster market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Google Up in Market Debut After Bumpy IPO NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. shares jumped 18 percent in their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, after a scaled-down \$1.67 billion IPO marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions.$LABEL$2 +Google #39;s Auction Loosens Wall Street #39;s Grip on High-Priced IPOs Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. #39;s share sale has put Wall Street on notice: The old way of doing business may be ending. $LABEL$2 +The Aftermath Of Charley: The Most Expensive States To Insure Your Home There are always trade-offs to every place people choose to live. If you live in New York, it #39;s too expensive. If you live in Montana, it #39;s too remote. If you live in Florida, you #39;re going to be slammed with hurricanes all the time. $LABEL$2 +Paul Hamm #39;s example PAUL HAMM #39;S fall and rise are what make the Olympics so much more than a sports event. The US gymnast who spun despair into gold on Wednesday gives hope to the whole human endeavor by defusing the word quot;loser. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +All-American girl ATHENS -- That was then and this is now. That was there and this is here. So which is a bigger moment? Mary Lou Retton #39;s quot;No-Fault Vault quot; that produced America #39;s first Olympic all-around gold medal in women #39;s ...$LABEL$1 +Security Officials Relieved, Vigilant ATHENS, Aug. 19 -- Worried about the potential for a terrorist catastrophe, Greece is spending about \$1.5 billion on security for the Olympic Games. The biggest threats so far? Foreign journalists and a Canadian guy dressed in a tutu. $LABEL$1 +Google Up in Market Debut After Bumpy IPO NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc. shares jumped 18 percent in their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday, after a scaled-down \$1.67 billion IPO marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions. $LABEL$2 +US Airways asks pilots for 16.5 cut in pay Struggling US Airways (UAIR) has asked its pilots to accept a 16.5 pay cut while giving them the chance to recoup some of the money by flying more. $LABEL$2 +Daiei shares soar as Wal-Mart confirms interest in ailing retailer TOKYO : Shares in ailing Japanese retailer Daiei Inc. jumped 16 percent after US giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. confirmed it was interested in aiding the firm #39;s revival. $LABEL$2 +FDA to Inspect Boston Scientific Stent Plant -WSJ NEW YORK (Reuters) - The US Food and Drug Administration expects to inspect Boston Scientific Corp. #39;s Galway, Ireland factory in the quot;near future quot; as part of its probe into the company #39;s coronary stent recall, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday. $LABEL$2 +BofA lays off 1,000 at Fleet Boston, MA, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Bank of America has issued pink slips to 1,000 Fleet Boston employees across the Northeast and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said he would investigate. $LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Flat in Late Trade TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks were flat in afternoon trade on Friday as worries about record high oil prices took the edge off investors' appetite for recently battered high tech issues such as Sharp Corp$LABEL$2 +Chevron to appeal pipeline ruling ChevronTexaco, America's second-biggest oil company, is to appeal a court ruling ordering it to pay damages from a pipeline leak, reports say.$LABEL$2 +Hong Kong police look into prank e-mail service (AFP) AFP - Hong Kong police said they were investigating an Internet service that posts bogus e-mails to unwitting recipients claiming to be from the police and other official organisations.$LABEL$3 +Militants Bomb Two Churches in Mosul (AP) AP - Militants bombed two churches Tuesday in Mosul, wounding three people in a coordinated attack apparently aimed at stirring trouble between religious groups in this ethnically diverse northern city.$LABEL$0 +Insiders Get Rich Through Google IPO The biggest individual winners are the top three executives, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt as each make \$41 million.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Researchers Turn to Adult Stem Cells Biotech firms face skepticism as they try to show that their research can work as medicine and as a business. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +China Declares War on Electronic Porn Even for authoritarian rulers, the decree that plugged-in Chinese must be back on the sexual straight and narrow by Oct. 1 will not become reality easily.$LABEL$3 +Mars Exploration Rovers Driving Into the Sunset The Mars rovers fuel their instruments by following the sun and as their energy budget gets tighter during the winter, their terrestrial drivers get more skilled at driving towards the light.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Patches the Patch Windows XP Service Pack 2 gets a 'hotfix' for VPNs, part the never-ending process of software development.$LABEL$3 +Apple Remote Desktop 2 Reviewing Apple Remote Desktop 2 in Computerworld, Yuval Kossovsky writes, #147;I liked what I found. #148; He concludes, #147;I am happy to say that ARD 2 is an excellent upgrade and well worth the money. #148; Aug 19$LABEL$3 +Braves Edge Dodgers 6-5 (AP) AP - Johnny Estrada homered, drove in three runs and started Atlanta's go-ahead rally in the ninth inning, and the Braves beat Eric Gagne and the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 Thursday night.$LABEL$1 +Yankees Blow Lead but Beat Twins 13-10 (AP) AP - Gary Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning Thursday night, sending the New York Yankees to a seesaw, 13-10 win over the Minnesota Twins.$LABEL$1 +Manning Decent in Debut but Giants Lose (AP) AP - Although the spotlight was on Eli Manning, Jake Delhomme shone the brightest.$LABEL$1 +Agassi Moves Into Legg Mason Quarters (AP) AP - Andre Agassi breezed into the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kristian Pless on Thursday night.$LABEL$1 +Trend plans mobile antivirus in 05 Trend Micro Inc is planning to release antivirus software aimed at the mobile carrier and handset maker markets next June, an executive said as the firm launched a free antivirus-antispam package aimed at the end user.$LABEL$3 +Yankees' Closing Acts Resolve All Plot Twists It was a surreal and stomach-turning night for the Yankees against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, and when it ended, it was also a successful night.$LABEL$1 +Bugel's Fine Line Redskins assistant head coach Joe Bugel returns to turn his new group of ""Dirt Bags"" into a mirror image of his ""Hogs"" of the 1980s.$LABEL$1 +Fields Treasures Job After missing all of the Carolina Panthers' 2004 Super Bowl season with Hodgkin's disease, linebacker Mark Fields appreciates every second he spends on the field.$LABEL$1 +Davis Starts Anew Virginia Tech defensive end Jim Davis is ready for a big senior season after missing all of last year with a torn pectoral muscle.$LABEL$1 +Owens, Lewis Face Off After an offseason of verbal jousting when wide receiver Terrell Owens shunned the Ravens for the Eagles, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Owens take it to the field on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt Doesn't Miss Athens Australian Lleyton Hewitt is disappointed at the timing of the Olympics as it related to the tennis schedule and is happy he skipped the Games.$LABEL$1 +Improved Pitching Has the Keys Finishing on an Upswing As the season winds down for the Frederick Keys, Manager Tom Lawless is starting to enjoy the progress his pitching staff has made this season.$LABEL$1 +Bowe Re-Enters Ring Fresh from being released from federal prison last May, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe has set up his first comeback bout for Sept. 25$LABEL$1 +April trial date set for Australian accused of murdering British tourist (AFP) AFP - An Australian mechanic will stand trial next April over the outback murder three years ago of British tourist Peter Falconio, court officials said.$LABEL$0 +Kean Leaving Drew U., No N.J. Run Planned (AP) AP - The chairman of the Sept. 11 commission, former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, will retire as president of Drew University in the spring, the school announced Thursday. Kean will have spent 15 years at the liberal arts school in Madison.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Legal Team Member Is Issued Citation (AP) AP - A member of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's national legal team received a citation on accusations he solicited a prostitute, but the aide said it was the result of a misunderstanding.$LABEL$0 +Five Killed in U.S. Bombing of Iraq's Falluja FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. bombing raid on the restive Iraqi town of Falluja, west of Baghdad, overnight killed five people and wounded six, a hospital doctor said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Kerry attacks 'Vietnam tactics' John Kerry accuses George W Bush of using a front group to launch attacks on his Vietnam war record.$LABEL$0 +Stocks little changed on IBM, J amp;J news Stocks are little-changed in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down five points in today #39;s early going. Losing issues on the New York Stock Exchange hold a narrow lead over gainers.$LABEL$2 +Day Seven preview: Athletics begins Latest updates as Denise Lewis prepares her bid for heptathlon gold.$LABEL$0 +Key US forces to stay in Germany The US military says it will keep its European command in Germany amid plans for a broader pull-out.$LABEL$0 +Anarchists Emerge as the Convention's Wild Card New York police consider self-described anarchists the unknown factor in whether the Republican convention demonstrations remain under control.$LABEL$0 +Yankees Blow Lead but Beat Twins 13-10 MINNEAPOLIS - Gary Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning Thursday night, sending the New York Yankees to a seesaw, 13-10 win over the Minnesota Twins. Down 9-3 and minus Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter after he crashed into the fence, the Twins came back and almost swept the three-game series between AL division leaders...$LABEL$0 +Producer Sues Over 'Rings' Trilogy Profits LOS ANGELES - Pay up, Frodo. So says Saul Zaentz, a Hollywood producer who has sued New Line Cinema for \$20 million in royalties from the blockbuster ""Lord of the Rings"" trilogy...$LABEL$0 +Jackson's Lavish Lifestyle Put on Display SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The elegant life of Michael Jackson was put on display in a courtroom Thursday when defense attorneys showed videotaped scenes from last year's raid on the pop star's lavish Neverland estate...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Struggles to Win Muslim Hearts, Minds The Bush administration is facing growing criticism that it has failed to move aggressively enough in the war of ideas against al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups over the three years since the 9/11 attacks.$LABEL$0 +Court verdict: WTC terror attacks were two occurrences for <b>...</b> A New York court ruled that the World Trade Center terrorist attacks were two separate event, meaning leaseholder Larry Silverstein stands to collect up to \$2.2 billion from nine insurers.$LABEL$2 +South Korea in growth spurt South Korea's economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, but growth is still held back by poor domestic demand.$LABEL$2 +'Madden' Week No. 1 Game Sales Top 1.3 Million (Reuters) Reuters - ""Madden NFL 2005,"" the latest\version of Electronic Arts Inc.'s pro football video game\franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week,\giving a strong kick-off to one of EA's top sellers, the\company said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +'Madden' Week No. 1 Game Sales Top 1.3 Million LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ""Madden NFL 2005,"" the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc.'s pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week, giving a strong kick-off to one of EA's top sellers, the company said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +'We're Done' Can be Predicted Before 'I Do' By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- It seems the seeds of divorce are sown long before a couple recites their wedding vows. New research shows certain relationship skills -- or the lack of them -- can predict whether two people are headed for marital bliss or a painful breakup...$LABEL$3 +Dietary Supplement Industry Hops on Low-Carb Diet Trend By ALICIA CHANG (AP) -- Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the \$20 billion dietary supplement industry. From multivitamins to starch blocker pills, loosely regulated supplements are popping up in the burgeoning low-carb market dominated by food companies...$LABEL$3 +San Diego Zoo's Baby Panda Celebrates First Birthday On his first birthday Thursday, giant panda cub Mei Sheng delighted visitors by playing for the first time in snow delivered to him at the San Diego Zoo. The cub has become quite a little celebrity since his birth a year ago. He is only the second panda born in the United States to survive to his first birthday.$LABEL$3 +Google, Now Much Wealthier, Enters New Phase Google Inc. (GOOG) will have plenty to celebrate at its annual company summer picnic Friday - its debut as a public company gave it an immediate cash infusion of \$1.16 billion, not to mention all the millionaires it made of employees and insiders.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Chain Store Sales Rise NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. chain store sales rose in the week ended December 4, as average sales were generally ahead of last year, but customer counts were down, a report said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Guidant Shares Up on J J Deal Report CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of medical device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A> jumped on Tuesday after a report saying the company was in advanced talks to be acquired by health products maker Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A> for more than \$24 billion.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Plane Launches Airstrike in Fallujah (AP) AP - U.S. forces launched an airstrike Friday in the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah, witnesses said. A U.S. plane fired at least one missile into an industrial area of the city, located 40 miles west of Baghdad, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.$LABEL$0 +Rebels Explode Two Bombs in Katmandu (AP) AP - Suspected rebels shot and wounded a policeman and detonated two powerful bombs in Katmandu on Friday as the guerrilla blockade of the Nepali capital entered its third day. No one was injured in the explosions.$LABEL$0 +GOP Convention Delegation More Diverse (AP) AP - Republicans point to record levels of diversity among delegates to their upcoming convention, though the GOP isn't close to matching the makeup of the U.S. population overall or the Democratic delegation that met last month in Boston.$LABEL$0 +Kathmandu hit by 'rebel' blasts Suspected Maoist rebels in Nepal explode two bombs in Kathmandu, on the third day of a blockade of the capital.$LABEL$0 +India weightlifters test positive Pratima Kumari and Sanamacha Chanu become the first Indians to fail a drugs test at an Olympics competition.$LABEL$0 +Braves Edge Dodgers 6-5 LOS ANGELES - Johnny Estrada homered, drove in three runs and started Atlanta's go-ahead rally in the ninth inning, and the Braves beat Eric Gagne and the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 Thursday night. In a matchup of division leaders, the Dodgers had scored twice in the eighth to tie it 5-5...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Open Flat NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed in early trade on Tuesday, as a report of a possible \$24 billion takeover of cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A> by Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A> and easing oil prices provided support.$LABEL$2 +Nortel Turns a Tiny Corner The Canadian telecom equipment maker has issued its first post-accounting-scandal financial update. So far, so good ...$LABEL$2 +Crude Oil May Rise From Record on Supply Threats (Update1) Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures in New York will probably rise next week, after setting records every day except one since July, on concern that shipments will be curtailed as demand grows, a Bloomberg survey of traders and analysts showed. $LABEL$2 +Qantas raises fuel surcharge Qantas Airways has raised its fuel surcharge on domestic and international tickets by \$4 and \$7, respectively, because of the high price of oil. $LABEL$2 +Tokyo Stocks Flat in Late Trade Retailers such as Ito-Yokado got a lift after government data showed activity in Japan #39;s service sector rose in June as a wide range of businesses including retailers and restaurants enjoyed a recovery in customers. $LABEL$2 +Update 4: Two Firms Cleared of Swapping Violations In a judicial blow to the entertainment industry, a federal appeals court ruled that makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works their users swap online. $LABEL$2 +United wants out United Airlines told a federal bankruptcy court it likely would have to terminate its employee pension plans and replace them with leaner retirement benefits in order to survive. $LABEL$2 +Jury holds Texaco liable for 1955 leak SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW ) -- A jury has ordered Texaco to pay \$15 million to finish the cleanup of a 1955 gas pipeline spill in a small town in Montana, and to pay \$25 in punitive damages, according to published reports. $LABEL$2 +Delta fare plan now seems fair Delta Air Lines #39; decision to reduce fares out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is good news for the region, but the key will be whether the airline is committed to sustaining the reasonable rates. $LABEL$2 +Apple Recalls 28,000 PowerBook Batteries Apple notes that the model and serial numbers are located on the label on the bottom of the battery, and can be viewed by removing the battery from the computer. Apple is providing an online form for consumers to begin the battery recall ...$LABEL$3 +High-Speed Internet Shouldn #39;t Be Delayed Back in the go-go days of the tech boom, there was a lot of talk about fast Internet connections enabling consumers to do all manner of useful and fun things, from online banking to viewing movies online. Well, guess what? Despite the following tech bust, ...$LABEL$3 +AT amp;T keeps expanding Net-phone service The Bedminster-based company yesterday said it was pushing into 21 new markets with the service, AT amp;T CallVantage, and extending an introductory rate offer until Sept. 30. In addition, the company is offering in-home installation of up to five ...$LABEL$3 +Agassi waltzes into Washington quarter-finals Top-seed Andre Agassi easily advanced to the quarter-finals of the Washington ATP tournament overnight, with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kristian Pless. $LABEL$1 +In Greece, an Inside Track for Some Costas #39; nerves are on edge. It #39;s 10:45 am, and he can #39;t get his usual frappe, a coffee-and-milk concoction that #39;s one of Greece #39;s most popular picker-uppers. Twenty-five-year-old Costas is working at the cafe in the Olympic Village international zone for ...$LABEL$1 +US gymnasts double the gold ATHENS, GREECE - Twenty years ago in Los Angeles, it was Mary Lou Retton and the vault without fault. $LABEL$1 +Yankees beat Nathan to avoid Minny sweep Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Gary Sheffield tied the game in the ninth inning with his second homer of the game and Hideki Matsui singled home Alex Rodriguez with the go-ahead run, as the New York Yankees rallied for a 13-10 victory over the ...$LABEL$1 +Braves get a win off Gagne LOS ANGELES -- It wasn #39;ta save situation. But the Braves made sure Eric Gagne enjoyed a second consecutive depressing night, with some help from Johnny Estrada, who enjoyed another successful evening in his native state. $LABEL$1 +Woods near top of soaked NEC AKRON, OHIO - Tiger Woods was cruising at one of his favorite courses before a pair of dropped shots cost him a share of the lead at the weather-delayed WGC-NEC Invitational on Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Two Wounded in Second Bomb Blast in Nepal Capital KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Two people were wounded after a second bomb exploded in Nepal #39;s capital on Friday, the third day of a blockade of the commercial center called by Maoist rebels. $LABEL$0 +Darfur plan #39;difficult #39; The United Nations is seeking to disarm both rebels and government-backed militias in Darfur, a senior UN official says. $LABEL$0 +Typhoon Megi slams into northern Japan TOKYO (Reuters) - Typhoon Megi has killed one person as it slammed ashore in northern Japan, bringing the death toll to at least 13 and cutting power to thousands of homes before heading out into the Pacific. $LABEL$0 +Hungary #39;s ruling Socialist Party dumps PM BUDAPEST, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Hungary #39;s ruling Socialist Party said Thursday that it accepted Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy #39;s resignation and has named a candidate for the post. $LABEL$0 +ANALYSIS-China Uses Deng Xiaoping Centenary to Laud Reform BEIJING (Reuters) - The architect of China #39;s dramatic economic reforms. A benevolent leader who rehabilitated millions purged in the chaotic 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. A military genius. An avid bridge player. A family man. $LABEL$0 +Nikkei Ends Flat, Oil Concerns Weigh TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks ended flat on Friday as worries about record-high oil prices took the edge off investors' appetite for recently battered technology issues such as Sharp Corp.$LABEL$2 +Oil Near \$49 on Mounting Iraq Violence SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Global oil prices rallied to fresh highs on Friday with U.S. crude approaching \$49, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Yen Hits 4-Week High Versus Dollar TOKYO (Reuters) - The yen hit a fresh four-week high against the dollar and edged up against the euro on Friday as stronger-than-expected Japanese data gave the currency a belated boost.$LABEL$2 +IMF's Rato Sees World GDP 4.6 Percent MADRID (Reuters) - IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato sees world economic growth of ""around 4.6 percent"" in 2004 and 2005, according to an interview published in a Spanish newspaper interview on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Olympics boosts WPP growth WPP, the world's third largest advertising services group, has reported 15 growth in profits in the first half of the year.$LABEL$2 +Blogging Across America (PC World) PC World - Who needs postcards? Use high-tech ways to stay in touch while you're\ traveling.$LABEL$3 +Oil Near #36;49 on Mounting Iraq Violence (Reuters) Reuters - Global oil prices rallied to fresh\highs on Friday with U.S. crude approaching #36;49, driven by\escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from\China and India.$LABEL$2 +Google stockowner for a day: a memoir One week ago, I submitted a bid for Google Inc. stock that overestimated the eventual auction price of the computer search company #39;s initial public offering by nearly 30 percent. But I sold my shares shortly ...$LABEL$2 +Oil Near \$49 as Iraq Violence Escalates SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Global oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday with U.S. crude approaching \$49, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Stent recalls could hit inventory The three recalls of Boston Scientific Corp. cardiac stents since July 2 affected many more units than the company has previously disclosed, raising concerns among stock analysts about future inventory levels.$LABEL$2 +Google gets a bounce, ends its first day up 18 percent Shares of Google leaped \$15.34, or 18 percent, to \$100.34 on the Nasdaq exchange yesterday in an opening day of trading that harkened back to the wild run-ups of the dot-com era.$LABEL$2 +Google stockowner for a day: a memoir If only the rest of my investments worked out this way. One week ago, I submitted a bid for Google Inc. stock that overestimated the eventual auction price of the computer search company's initial public offering by nearly 30 percent. But I sold my shares shortly after Google stock began trading yesterday and still walked away with a nice profit, ...$LABEL$2 +Oil prices flare up amid Iraq violence WASHINGTON -- Crude futures plowed to a new high near \$49 a barrel yesterday as the threat of sabotage to Iraqi oil infrastructure loomed larger than promises from Baghdad to boost exports in coming days.$LABEL$2 +State's consumer confidence rises Consumer confidence in Massachusetts jumped to its highest level in more than two years as an improving outlook on the economy and job market sparked consumers' spirits.$LABEL$2 +United Airlines likely to end pension plans UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, trying to attract financing to exit bankruptcy, said it probably will terminate and replace all its pension plans.$LABEL$2 +Where's the WiFi? Park's developer wants to know Ten years ago, Boston real estate developer Norman B. Leventhal spearheaded the transformation of a grungy Financial District garage into a park that's become a downtown oasis.$LABEL$2 +Nortel Networks to cut 3,500 TORONTO -- Nortel Networks said yesterday it will slash its workforce by 3,500, or 10 percent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits.$LABEL$2 +FDA approves lung cancer drug WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved a cancer drug made by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have undergone chemotherapy.$LABEL$2 +Notebook: Six weightlifters caught using steroids ATHENS Weightlifting #39;s governing body isn #39;t about to give up its aggressive pursuit of drug cheaters, even if it jeopardizes the sport #39;s future in the Olympics, the group #39;s top official said yesterday after six more ...$LABEL$1 +Britain target Beijing gold British badminton star Nathan Robertson has set his sights on Olympic gold in Beijing following his silver medal with Gail Emms at the Athens Games. $LABEL$1 +Eli Manning outplays Warner in 1st NY start CHARLOTTE, NC Eli Manning stepped to the line, pointing out the defense just like brother Peyton. $LABEL$1 +Major League Baseball News The Yankees had to venture into improbable territory Thursday night to avoid their first sweep by the Twins since 1991. But like they #39;ve done so many times this season, the Yankees found the heroes to turn lemons into lemonade, winning 13-10. $LABEL$1 +Al-Sadr is sent #39;final call #39; BAGHDAD, Iraq - Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a quot;final call quot; yesterday for Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to agree to a new set of conditions issued by the government and end his rebellion. $LABEL$0 +Peres calls for early general election The leader of the opposition Labour party in Israel, Shimon Peres, has called for an early general election. $LABEL$0 +Kathmandu hit by #39;rebel #39; blasts Suspected Maoist rebels in Nepal have set off two bombs in Kathmandu, on the third day of a blockade of the capital. $LABEL$0 +Power struggle also to blame for Sudan violence KHARTOUM, Sudan - The violence in Sudan #39;s western province of Darfur, where more than 30,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, is widely portrayed as an ethnic-cleansing campaign by Arab militias ...$LABEL$0 +Typhoon leaves 18 missing or dead in Japan, South Korea The casualty toll from a typhoon that has lashed South Korea and Japan this week has reached at least 18 dead or missing. $LABEL$0 +Hungarian Parliament to Elect Premier on Sept. 6, Kovacs Says Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Hungary #39;s parliament will elect a new prime minister on Sept. 6 to succeed Peter Medgyessy, who is quitting after the junior coalition partner withdrew its confidence, outgoing Socialist Chairman Laszlo Kovacs said on state ...$LABEL$0 +Mbeki urges reform of global agencies His call came at the end of his opening address to the ministerial conference of the grouping of 114 developing nations. $LABEL$0 +New flaws found in Microsoft security (AFP) AFP - Internet security experts have found two ""flaws"" with Microsoft Corp's long-awaited security update for its Windows XP operating system, but the software behemoth insists that the new SP2 is secure.$LABEL$3 +An IPO Afterglow in Googleland The most hyped new issue since Netscape chalked up a very tidy gain on its first day of trading. Peace reigns in the Valley ...$LABEL$2 +Nortel Networks to cut 3,500 TORONTO -- Nortel Networks said yesterday it will slash its workforce by 3,500, or 10 percent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal ...$LABEL$2 +Oil barrels toward \$50 Next stop, fifty bucks. Analysts said crude futures could climb that high today, pushed to the psychological barrier of \$50 US a barrel by speculative buying amid escalating threats to Iraq #39;s oil infrastructure. $LABEL$2 +Qantas Boosts Flight Surcharges as Fuel Prices Soar (Update5) Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest airline, increased a surcharge on all tickets as the cost of jet fuel soared to a record. Qantas shares rebounded from a three-month low. $LABEL$2 +Delta #39;s debt plan raises concerns; US Airways labor deal due Delta Air Lines #39; plan to restructure some of its debt outside of bankruptcy has raised concerns among credit analysts who believe the move could be tantamount to defaulting on the money the struggling carrier owes. $LABEL$2 +Nikkei Ends Flat, Oil Concerns Weigh TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks ended flat on Friday as worries about record-high oil prices took the edge off investors #39; appetite for recently battered technology issues such as Sharp Corp. $LABEL$2 +Peer-to-peer networks win ruling Companies providing software that helps music and movie lovers trade files with each other can #39;t be held financially responsible for copyright theft resulting from the trading, a federal court in Los Angeles ruled yesterday. $LABEL$2 +Zurich Financial nearly doubles profit Swiss insurance giant Zurich Financial Services has reported a first-half net profit of \$US1.5 billion (\$A2.1 billion), up 93 per cent from \$US752 million (\$A1.05 billion) in the same period last year, and roughly in line with analysts #39; expectations. $LABEL$2 +Bank of America puts name on Celebrity Series of Boston A day after laying off hundreds of Fleet bank workers, Bank of America received a boost of positive publicity from the arts world. $LABEL$2 +United #39;likely #39; to end pensions For the first time, United Airlines has acknowledged that it is quot;likely quot; to terminate its pension plans, a move the carrier said it needs to attract financing to emerge from bankruptcy. $LABEL$2 +Nordstrom profit soars in quarter, but not enough for Wall St. Nordstrom reported a strong second-quarter profit as it continued to select more relevant inventory and sell more items at full price. $LABEL$2 +Amazon to purchase Chinese on-line retailer Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to buy Joyo.com, China #39;s largest on-line retailer of books, music and videos, for \$75-million (US) to gain access to the world #39;s second-biggest Internet market. $LABEL$2 +Mike #39;s mailbag I got lots of mail this week about my Tuesday column about the Windows XP Service Pack 2 update from Microsoft. $LABEL$3 +Pilots prepare for mid-air catch of Genesis capsule LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- When a capsule from NASA #39;s Genesis spacecraft appears in the sky above the Utah desert on the morning of Sept. 8, it will have withstood more than three years in space and will contain samples of the ...$LABEL$3 + #39;Psst...want the tools to be a cybercriminal? #39; Some websites are now offering surfers the chance to download free quot;phishing kits quot; containing all the graphics, web code and text required to construct the kind of bogus sites used in internet phishing scams. $LABEL$3 +Nortel goes under the knife again WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The latest corporate overhaul by Nortel Networks will shear the company of all its manufacturing operations and leave it with 70 percent fewer workers than it had four years ago. $LABEL$3 +American claims Khorkina crown ATHENS -- With a dazzling routine on the floor, American Carly Patterson staked her claim last night as the new queen of gymnastics. Patterson, 16, spoiled Russian superstar Svetlana Khorkina #39;s final chance at Olympic gold in gymnastics #39; premier event and ...$LABEL$1 +Turnabout fair play for Peirsol On a night when a disqualification was posted, protested, counterprotested twice and ultimately tossed out, the American swimmers claimed their largest medal haul of the meet so far. $LABEL$1 +Woods #39; No. 1 is safe for now Tiger Woods lost the lead to Stewart Cink yesterday but his world ranking is safe for the moment. Free from the burden of trying to make the Ryder Cup team, Cink looked at ease on a marathon day at the NEC Invitational that ended with ...$LABEL$1 +Phelps on way to great 8 That #39;s the goal now, with two events remaining in what already has been a grueling Olympic schedule for this 19-year-old US swimming star. $LABEL$1 +Weight of drugs felt Weightlifting #39;s aggressive pursuit of drug cheaters will continue even if it jeopardizes its future in the Olympics, its top official said yesterday following six more positive doping cases in what is again becoming the Games #39; dirtiest sport. Five ...$LABEL$1 +Olympic diary: Day seven British support in the badminton arena on Thursday caught everyone by surprise, not least the Chinese. $LABEL$1 +Olympic Notes Costs for the Athens Olympics are climbing again, expected to top \$8.5 billion US because of the massive security and overruns in the last-minute scramble to get venues ready, a government official said yesterday. $LABEL$1 +Let gymnasts be kids, not athletic lab rats DAY 6: Canadian sprinter Macro-man (Nic Macrozonaris) told a news conference yesterday that he had a dream in which he won the 100-metre sprint in 9.83 seconds. He has never broken 10 seconds flat. $LABEL$1 + #39;Peg psychologist helps Ford focus ATHENS -- Of the 10,000 athletes in the Athens Olympics, David Ford may be the only one who brought his own personal psychologist. quot;Probably, quot; Roger Friesen said. $LABEL$1 +Stop that blame game ATHENS -- Adam van Koeverden has a message for his fellow Canadian athletes -- quit whining about circumstances you can #39;t control. quot;You can #39;t fall into a corner and cry and say the Canadian sports system has let me down. You have to do things for ...$LABEL$1 +US tanks #39;encircle Najaf shrine #39; American tanks have reportedly encircled the Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, after intensively bombarding rebel positions overnight. $LABEL$0 +Annan vows to protect UN staff from attacks GENEVA - Those behind the quot;cold-blooded murder quot; of 22 people at the United Nations office in Baghdad one year ago must be held to account, no matter how long it takes to find them, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday. $LABEL$0 +Pakistan hunts for key Al Qaeda figure ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani security forces are hunting a Libyan Al Qaeda leader whom senior intelligence officials see as a possible key to finding Osama bin Laden and others in the terrorist ...$LABEL$0 +Oil price hits new high on Iraq violence In the SINGAPORE story headlined quot;Oil hits new high on Iraq violence quot; please read in the 13th paragraph .... as its imports in the first seven ...$LABEL$0 +Improved Latham to leave hospital Federal Labor leader Mark Latham will leave hospital on Saturday at midday after being given the all-clear by doctors. $LABEL$0 +Blogging Across America Who needs postcards? Use high-tech ways to stay in touch while you're traveling.$LABEL$3 +Virtual veins give nurses a hand \A virtual reality hand, complete with vital veins, that ""feels"" could help trainee nurses practice their jabs.$LABEL$3 +Court stops Shrek 2 bootlegs London's High Court imposes an injunction against 12 defendants accused of bootlegging copies of Shrek 2.$LABEL$3 +When a Bridge Becomes a Lifeline Fifteen years after an earthquake damaged San Francisco's Bay Bridge, engineers are attempting to replace it with a stronger span. The project is said to be the most ambitious in state history. Part 1 of 2. By Amit Asaravala.$LABEL$3 +Cell Phone Users Are Finding God Mobile phone owners are blessed with more than just free weekend minutes, as religious institutions and telcos roll out new services to help the observant practice their faith. By Elizabeth Biddlecombe.$LABEL$3 +Finding Nemo by Microchip Armed with tagging devices and satellite tracking, marine scientists follow hundreds of sea animals around the Pacific Ocean, monitoring everything from location and depth to speed and water temperature. By Randy Dotinga.$LABEL$3 +US: Time Running Out in Airbus-Boeing Row PARIS (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it may soon take legal action in a trade row over government help for Airbus and Boeing, particularly as the European aircraft maker was seeking support for a new project. Washington and Brussels have so far resisted launching legal action at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in their battle over allegations of illegal subsidies to the aviation rivals, but that option may now be just weeks away.$LABEL$2 +Campaign Game Mimics Real Life A new simulated election game that lets you play campaign manager to a presidential candidate is both thrillingly and disturbingly similar to real-world politics. A review by Jason Silverman.$LABEL$3 +Stem Cells Rise in Public Opinion More Americans know about stem cell research, and more approve of it this year than in 2001, according to a new Harris Poll. By Kristen Philipkoski.$LABEL$3 +Waiting For Google NEW YORK - Benjamin Franklin, that annoying know-it-all, famously said, quot;Never put off until tomorrow that which you can do today. quot; ...$LABEL$2 +Court rules two software firms not liable for file-share claims San Francisco (AP) -- Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc. are not liable for the swapping of copyright content through their file-sharing software, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a blow to movie studios and record labels. $LABEL$2 +Swiss Re, Zurich peg Charley costs LONDON (CBS.MW) - The costs of Hurricane Charley in Florida to the insurance industry were becoming clearer on Thursday after two major Swiss insurers estimated their claims stemming from the storm last week. $LABEL$2 +State #39;s hospitals can get money if illegal immigrants give status During the next four years, hospitals in the state of Washington could be reimbursed nearly \$13 million for emergency care they provide to uninsured illegal immigrants. $LABEL$2 +AMD #39;s new budget processors AMD #39;s new Sempron range of desktop and notebook CPUs is targeted squarely at Intel #39;s competing Celeron family. $LABEL$3 +Italy #39;s Brugnetti Upstages Perez in 20km Walk ATHENS (Reuters) - Italy #39;s former world champion Ivano Brugnetti returned to the limelight to upstage favorite Jefferson Perez and win the Olympic men #39;s 20km race walk on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Late surge lifts US past Aussies ATHENS -- The Mason #39;s Union membership cards should be arriving any day now, but while they wait for them to be distributed, the United States men #39;s basketball team was able to concoct a winning formula by ...$LABEL$1 +For starters, Eli makes case CHARLOTTE - Kurt Warner may still be the favorite to start the regular-season opener for the Giants. But Eli Manning isn #39;t making Tom Coughlin #39;s decision very easy. $LABEL$1 +ACC game gets home BLACKSBURG -- Jacksonville, Fla., will be the home for the ACC #39;s first two championship games in football in 2005 and #39;06, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Thursday. $LABEL$1 +Youngsters Ready to Make Mark in Track A new wave of talent will be on display when track and field takes center stage at the Olympic Games. $LABEL$1 +Sporadic gunfire in Najaf after aide says radical cleric orders fighters to leave Najaf shrine NAJAF, Iraq (AP) Sporadic gunfire echoed through Najaf on Friday after a night of heavy US bombing that saw radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr order his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf ...$LABEL$0 +Bombs Explode in Nepal Capital as Rebel Siege Bites KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Suspected Maoist guerrillas set off two bombs in and around Nepal #39;s capital on Friday, wounding two people as the commercial center remained cut off for a third day by a rebel-imposed blockade. $LABEL$0 +Cleric prays #39; for freelancer #39;s freedom Rogue Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr has called for the release of an American freelance journalist with New England roots who was seized in Nasiriyah Friday. $LABEL$0 +Darfur humanitarian crisis easing, UN says KHARTOUM, Sudan While violence remains a major concern, the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region is easing and large-scale deaths from malnutrition and disease are likely to be averted as international assistance pours in, UN ...$LABEL$0 +Australia #39;s Howard rules out snap election while rival still ill SYDNEY : Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he would not call a snap general election while opposition leader Mark Latham was ill as he wanted to beat him fair and square. $LABEL$0 +Plant operators grilled by safety panel probing Japanese nuclear plant explosion TOKYO The operators of a Japanese nuclear plant say there was no evidence of danger at the plant before a deadly explosion this month. $LABEL$0 +All-American girl That was then and this is now. That was there and this is here. So which is a bigger moment? Mary Lou Retton's quot;No-Fault Vault quot; that produced America's first Olympic all-around gold medal in women's gymnastics 20 years ago in Los Angeles? Or Carly Patterson's quot;Dream Beam quot; here last night that clinched the second?$LABEL$1 +Message loud and clear A funny thing happened as Orlando Cabrera triumphantly rounded the bases after he knocked in Johnny Damon with his walkoff double off the Green Monster in Tuesday's 5-4 thriller over the Blue Jays. In the stands, Cabrera's wife, Eliana, noticed during the celebration her cellphone ringing. And ringing. And ringing.$LABEL$1 +Atlanta rallies to top Dodgers Johnny Estrada homered, drove in three runs, and started Atlanta's go-ahead rally in the ninth, and the Braves beat Eric Gagne and the Dodgers, 6-5, last night in Los Angeles.$LABEL$1 +Selig gets three-year extension Baseball commissioner Bud Selig received a contract extension through 2009 yesterday as owners praised his 12-year reign, but dissension surfaced among teams in the decision to launch a World Cup tournament.$LABEL$1 +New York averts sweep by Twins Gary Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning last night, sending the New York Yankees to a seesaw 13-10 win over the Minnesota Twins at Minneapolis.$LABEL$1 +For Colvin, it's hip hip hooray For so long, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin couldn't do what he wanted, couldn't play football. Now, he feels he can do whatever his coach wants him to.$LABEL$1 +Help is on the way Former English Premier League rivals Steve Howey and Joe-Max Moore are expected to be available for the Revolution's regular-season stretch run.$LABEL$1 +Lawyers ask to seal Bryant interview EAGLE, Colo. -- Defense attorneys argued in a court filing that Kobe Bryant's statements to investigators after the basketball player was accused of rape last summer should be kept secret because it is not certain they will be used in his trial.$LABEL$1 +Cink gets drop on soggy NEC field Free from the burden of trying to make the Ryder Cup team, Stewart Cink looked at ease yesterday at the NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio. The marathon day ended with his name atop the leaderboard.$LABEL$1 +Defeat for GB canoeists British canoeists Nick Smith and Stuart Bowman are out of the men's C2 doubles.$LABEL$1 +Upbeat De Bruijn Fastest in 50 Freestyle Heats ATHENS (Reuters) - Inge de Bruijn, two of her three Olympic titles already lost, showed her determination to cling on to the last when she posted the fastest time in the 50 meters freestyle heats in Athens on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Phelps on Track for Sixth Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, one more Olympic title to the good, aims to hoist his gold medal tally to five when he takes on fellow American Ian Crocker in the 100 meters butterfly final on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Late Bogies Hurt Woods at Rainy NEC Invitational AKRON, Ohio, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods returned to form at one of his favorite venues before a pair of dropped shots cost him a share of the lead at the weather-affected WGC-NEC Invitational on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Paul, Guerrero, Erstad Homers Guide Angels NEW YORK (Reuters) - Josh Paul, Vladimir Guerrero and Darin Erstad hit multi-run homers to lead the Anaheim Angels to a 10-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St Petersburg on Thursday.$LABEL$1 +Job Cuts Rise Further in Nov. - Report NEW YORK (Reuters) - Planned job cuts at U.S. firms climbed during November, a report said on Tuesday, in a further sign of sluggishness in the labor market.$LABEL$2 +Sheppard makes semi-finals Britain's Alison Sheppard coasts into the women's 50m freestyle semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Productivity Growth Slows; Store Sales Dip WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. business productivity grew more slowly in the third quarter than first thought, a government report showed on Tuesday, while chain store sales fell in the crucial shopping week after Thanksgiving.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Warplanes Bomb Iraq's Falluja Again (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. warplanes attacked targets\in Iraq's Sunni Muslim city of Falluja for a second time on\Friday, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +European diplomats ask to meet detained activists in Maldives (AFP) AFP - European nations have requested the Maldives authorities to give them access to activists detained after last week's pro-democracy demonstrations, diplomatic sources said.$LABEL$0 +Kerry defends Vietnam record, challenges Bush (AFP) AFP - Democratic Senator John Kerry accused President George W. Bush of using a front group to do the ""dirty work"" of attacking his Vietnam War record.$LABEL$0 +'Soft Money' Groups Face New Ground Rules (AP) AP - Interest groups spending big donations on ads and voter outreach in the presidential race will face new limits after the fall election under rules approved by federal regulators. Campaign watchdogs criticized them as too little, too late.$LABEL$0 +N.Korea Says U.S.-S.Korea War Games Undermine Talks SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday annual war games staged by the United States and South Korea were undermining six-party nuclear talks and forcing it to raise the ""quality and quantity"" of its own military deterrent.$LABEL$0 +Oil Swamps Stocks, Supports Bond Prices LONDON (Reuters) - European stocks slipped and the dollar softened on Friday as the rise in crude oil prices toward \$50 a barrel raised the prospect of slower economic growth, which supported bond prices.$LABEL$2 +Oil Near \$49 as Iraq Violence Escalates LONDON (Reuters) - Global oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday carrying U.S. crude close to \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Oil Near \$49 as Iraq Violence Escalates LONDON (Reuters) - Global oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday carrying US crude close to \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India. $LABEL$2 +Qantas slaps new fuel surcharge on fares SYDNEY (Reuters) - Qantas Airways, Australia #39;s biggest airline, says it will raise ticket prices for the second time in three months to help tackle rising fuel costs, just a day after posting a record annual profit. $LABEL$2 +File-sharers win court case TWO FILE SHARING companies have been told by a court that they are not liable for people in their networks swapping illegal content. $LABEL$2 +Nikkei Ends Down, Oil Worries Weigh TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks ended slightly lower on Friday as worries about record-high oil prices took the edge off investors #39; appetite for recently battered technology issues such as Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. $LABEL$2 +Texaco to appeal Sunburst ruling ChevronTexaco, ordered to pay more than \$41 million to more than 75 Sunburst residents who filed a pollution-liability suit, will file a motion for a new trial in the next month, a company spokesman said. $LABEL$2 +Apple #39;s flaming batteries recalled MUCH LOVED music firm Apple has had to recall more than 28,000 rechargeable batteries that it jacks into its aluminium 15-inch PowerBook G4 because they may overheat. $LABEL$3 +Oracle has patch day DATABASE COMPANY Oracle is trying to liven up the sleepy and dull database industry by having a patch day. $LABEL$3 +Reversal of fortune: Upon review, go ATHENS - Aaron Peirsol was reminded last night of a lesson he probably learned as a child: It doesn #39;t pay to make the umpire angry. $LABEL$1 +Deakes wins bronze in 20km walk Australian walker Nathan Deakes has won the Olympic bronze medal in the 20 kilometre walk, Australia #39;s first walking medal in almost half a century. $LABEL$1 +Davenport advances in Cincinnati Mason, OH (Sports Network) - Lindsay Davenport shook off a sluggish start to rally for a three-set victory over unheralded Lilia Osterloh at the inaugural Western amp;amp;amp; Southern Financial Group Women #39;s Open. $LABEL$1 +Bengals brace for old teammate Dillon FOXBORO, Mass. New England Patriots running back Corey Dillon darted up the middle, bounced off one tackler, then made it a point to crash into two more defenders. It hardly mattered to Dillon that this training camp session ...$LABEL$1 +Sadr Militia in Contacts to Hand Over Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Top aides of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr prepared to hand over control of a holy shrine at the center of a crisis in Najaf on Friday to representatives of Iraq #39;s top ayatollah, a Sadr spokesman said. $LABEL$0 +Peacekeepers in S. Ossetia will disarm militia TSKHINVALI. Aug 20 (Interfax) - Russian peacekeepers deployed in South Ossetia plan to collect weapons from militia units in Ossetian and Georgian villages in the self-proclaimed republic. $LABEL$0 +Bomb Blasts Rock Kathmandu Nepal #39;s Maoist rebels opened fire and set off bombs at a government office in Kathmandu Friday, the third day of a blockade of the capital by Maoist rebels. $LABEL$0 +'Deal nearer' in BA strike talks Talks to avoid a crippling strike at British Airways are set to resume on Friday with unions and the airline ""hopeful"" of reaching a deal.$LABEL$2 +MForma buys FingerTwitch (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The Kirkland, Wash., cell-phone game maker will use some of its #36;19 million to buy wireless specialist FingerTwitch Inc.$LABEL$3 +Kazaa owner takes heart from US copyright ruling Sharman Networks, parent company of the peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing software Kazaa, is rejoicing at the US court ruling that found two similar P2P programs, Grokster and Morpheus, do not violate US copyright law. However, the company concedes that the ...$LABEL$2 +United: Pension end is likely United Airlines said termination and replacement of all of its pension plans quot;likely will be required quot; for the company to exit bankruptcy and attract financing. $LABEL$2 +300,000 seek 3,000 dockworker jobs LOS ANGELES Longshore union and port shipping officials yesterday sifted through 300,000 applications submitted as part of a special lottery for 3,000 lucrative temporary dockworker jobs at the nation #39;s largest port complex. $LABEL$2 +Apple recalls 28,00 PowerBook batteries due to fire hazard Apple is recalling 28,000 PowerBook batteries after it was discovered that the batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. $LABEL$3 +So you want to be a cybercrook... According to security firm Sophos, the kits allow users to design sites that have the same look and feel as legitimate online banking sites that can then be used to defraud unsuspecting users by getting them to reveal the details of their financial ...$LABEL$3 +Partisan Feud Deepens Over History Body The ruling and opposition parties on Friday continued to lock horns over the establishment of a committee to explore the truth of the nation #39;s modern history a day after Uri Party leader Shin Ki-nam resigned because of his father #39;s ...$LABEL$0 +Four Indonesian political parties form National Coalition JAKARTA Aug 19 - Four Indonesian political parties - Golkar, Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP), United Development Party (PPP) and Peace and Prosperity Party (PDS) - declared a national coalition on Thursday in their bid to form a good ...$LABEL$0 +Clean-up works on Norfolk Broads The Norfolk Broads are on their way to getting a clean bill of ecological health after a century of stagnation.$LABEL$3 +A Bridge Suspended in Controversy When an earthquake knocked down a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, engineers vowed to make a stronger span. But years later, that plan is still mired in controversy. Part 2 of 2. By Amit Asaravala.$LABEL$3 +Techies Praised for E-Vote Work At a meeting of technologists developing new standards for e-voting systems, the head of the nation's new elections commission lauds computer scientists for the work they're doing on the nation's behalf. By Kim Zetter.$LABEL$3 +The War Room Inside the fully immersive proving ground where tomorrow's soldiers are being trained by coalition forces of the Pentagon, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. By Steve Silberman from Wired magazine.$LABEL$3 +Game Mixes Racing and Role Play In Street Racing Syndicate, a video game scheduled for release at the end of the month, players can test their role-playing mettle in the illegal street-racing scene without the nasty risk of going to jail. A review by Chris Kohler.$LABEL$3 +Google Stock's Wacky Debut After a false start that makes the search giant's stock appear to soar, the company's IPO on the Nasdaq settles down to a more reasonable price, just north of \$100 per share.$LABEL$3 +File-sharing systems in legal win A US court has ruled that file-sharing firms are not responsible for what users do with their software.$LABEL$3 +Talks to resume in BA dispute Talks to avoid a crippling strike at British Airways will resume on Friday with unions and the airline ""hopeful"" of reaching a deal.$LABEL$2 +Asian Stocks: Japan #39;s Topix, Taiwan #39;s Taiex Climbed This Week Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Japan #39;s Topix stock index rose for the first week in three. Retailers such as Ito-Yokado Co. gained after a government report showed service industries expanded more than economists forecast in June, suggesting a pickup in ...$LABEL$2 +Navistar #39;s profit more than triples Navistar International Corp., the world #39;s fourth-largest truckmaker, said profit in the fiscal third quarter more than tripled as truck sales rose and retirement and medical costs declined. $LABEL$2 +Chief economist leaving Bank One Diane Swonk, for years one of the most visible executives at Bank One, said Thursday she #39;s resigning as its chief economist as of Sept. 30. $LABEL$2 +Microsoft SP2 release delayed by security threats within pack In a series of continuing twists, Microsoft has now announced that their Internet release of Service Pack 2 will be delayed in light of serious complaints from current users who have installed it. $LABEL$3 +Lycoris 1.4 integrates Windows apps support Running Windows applications on a Linux desktop has become a little easier with the release of PowerPak 1.4 by Linux vendor Lycoris. Following a deal with software developer CodeWeavers in June, Window-to-Linux software has been integrated with Lycoris #39; ...$LABEL$3 +Eolas patent on Web plug-in technology rejected The controversial Eolas Technologies patent looks like it is about to be rescinded by the US Patent Office. The office has confirmed that it has rejected all of the 10 patent claims that it re-examined. $LABEL$3 +Patterson has golden glow ATHENS - Mary Lou Retton left her phone number for Carly Patterson. Call me, she said, after the Olympic all-around competition. $LABEL$1 +Brugnetti upsets the field to win 20km walk Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The first official track event took place this morning and Italy #39;s Ivano Brugnetti won the men #39;s 20km walk at the Summer Olympics in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Engelsman, Lenton surge to 50m semis Australians Michelle Engelsman and Libby Lenton have both qualified for the women #39;s 50 metres freestyle semi-finals at the Athens Olympics. $LABEL$1 +Woodgate to Face Stringent Medical Jonathan Woodgate #39;s medical with Real Madrid is by no means a formality, despite the confidence of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd. $LABEL$1 +Ain #39;t over till it #39;s over MINNEAPOLIS - Gary Sheffield insists George Steinbrenner is the only person who could tell him to rest his ailing left shoulder, but you can be sure that wasn #39;t on The Boss #39; mind last night. Not after Sheffield once again injected life ...$LABEL$1 +Eli has his moments CHARLOTTE, NC - The Eli Manning Summer School took its first field trip last night, an outing designed to ramp up an educational process that is reaching a critical stage. $LABEL$1 +US track tries to turn the page ATHENS, Greece -- American Lauryn Williams pours down the track in the 100 meters, going faster and faster, smoothly pulling away from the pack, leg muscles bulging, arm muscles straining. She smiles while crossing the finish line, arms in the air. She ...$LABEL$1 +Yanks, Rangers have second thoughts on Loaiza MINNEAPOLIS - The Yankees have held discussions with the Texas Rangers about trading Esteban Loaiza for prospects, but both sides have reservations. $LABEL$1 +Garland, Sox can #39;t tame Tigers The White Sox are sending for pitching help, only the call isn #39;t going out to replace Jon Garland in the rotation -- not yet, anyway. $LABEL$1 +German Press Review: Dilemmas for Sharon and Scientists The difficulties faced by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shared editorial space with the debate surrounding human cloning in the German press Friday. $LABEL$0 +Nepal rebels attack blockaded capital Maoist rebels have opened fire on the security forces and bombed a government building in the heart of Kathmandu amidst a blockade they have enforced on the Nepalese capital. $LABEL$0 +Pakistan #39;s PM-designate declared winner in two by-elections ISLAMABAD : Pakistan formally declared Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz the winner of two by-elections held to clear his path to the prime ministership. $LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sadr Prepares to Hand Over Najaf Shrine (Reuters) Reuters - A radical cleric prepared to hand\control of a shrine at the heart of a Shi'ite uprising in Iraq\to religious authorities on Friday, but still rejected demands\by the interim prime minister to disband his militia.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Abductors Vow to Free U.S. Journalist (AP) AP - A top aide to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who appealed to kidnappers to free a Western journalist, said Friday they had promised to release him. The pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera reported Thursday that a militant group calling itself the Martyrs Brigade had abducted New York journalist Micah Garen and threatened to kill him within 48 hours unless U.S. pulled out of the wear-shattered city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Tokyo Stock Index Ends Lower, Dollar Down (AP) AP - Tokyo's main stock index ended lower Friday amid profit-taking of technology issues and concerns about soaring oil prices. The U.S. dollar was down against the Japanese yen.$LABEL$0 +Iraq's Sadr Prepares to Hand Over Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical cleric prepared to hand control of a shrine at the heart of a Shi'ite uprising in Iraq to religious authorities on Friday, but still rejected demands by the interim prime minister to disband his militia.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Megi Slams North Japan, Death Toll Hits 13 TOKYO (Reuters) - Typhoon Megi killed one person as it slammed ashore in northern Japan on Friday, bringing the death toll to at least 13 and cutting power to thousands of homes before heading out into the Pacific.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan holds al-Qaeda suspects Police in the Pakistani city of Peshawar say they have arrested two foreign al-Qaeda suspects.$LABEL$0 +Death and Sorrow Stalk Sudanese Across Border Hundreds of new refugees from Sudan have poured into overwhelmed camps in Chad. This latest influx is an alarming barometer of the violence inside Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Al-Sadr Tells Militia to Turn Over Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Sporadic gunfire echoed through Najaf on Friday after a night of heavy U.S. bombing that saw radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr call on his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities...$LABEL$0 +Kerry Takes Job Creation Message to N.C. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry came to the heart of a conservative state hit hard by job losses over the past four years to tout his plan for curbing the export of jobs by cutting corporate taxes and enforcing trade agreements...$LABEL$0 +Argentina's Women Sail Into Hockey Semi-Finals ATHENS (Reuters) - Top-ranked Argentina booked their berth in the women's hockey semi-finals at the Athens Olympics on Friday but defending champions Australia now face an obstacle course to qualify for the medal matches.$LABEL$1 +Now free, Jenkins arrives to live on Japanese island with family US deserter and former Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins arrived Tuesday on a remote Japanese island, where he said he hoped to quot;live my remaining days with my wife and children.$LABEL$0 +North Korea Urges Refugees to Return to 'Warm Home' (Reuters) Reuters - North Korea appealed to refugees who have\sought asylum in the South to return to the impoverished state,\avoiding for once labeling them ""human scum"" and saying a warm\home awaits them.$LABEL$0 +Kidnappers Set to Free US Journalist A top aide to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said today that kidnappers who abducted and threatened to kill a US journalist had promised to set him free. $LABEL$0 +Russian textbooks omit Soviets #146; dark chapters MOSCOW -- If you can judge a book by its cover, then the quot;History of Russia and the World in the 20th Century quot; tells students that the Soviet past was all pride and glory: Three of four cover photos invoke Soviet propaganda.$LABEL$0 +Sharon and Arafat defy supporters JERUSALEM -- Embattled leaders Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat rebuffed demands from their backers yesterday, holding steadfast to positions posing great political risk: Sharon insisted he will press on with efforts to pull out of Gaza despite a stinging rebuke from his party, while Arafat refused to sign reform legislation.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan hunts for key Al Qaeda figure ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani security forces are hunting a Libyan Al Qaeda leader whom senior intelligence officials see as a possible key to finding Osama bin Laden and others in the terrorist network's inner circle.$LABEL$0 +At ancient site, a very modern debate -- over traffic SALISBURY, England -- Whoever built Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old circle of megaliths that towers over green fields in southern England and lures a million visitors a year, could not have planned for the automobile.$LABEL$0 +Doctors involved in abuse at Abu Ghraib, report LONDON -- Doctors working for the US military in Iraq collaborated with interrogators in the abuse of detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, profoundly breaching medical ethics and human rights, a bioethicist charges in The Lancet medical journal.$LABEL$0 +UN marks year since deadly bombing of Iraq headquarters GENEVA -- The bombing that wrecked UN offices in Baghdad and killed 22 colleagues a year ago was agony for the United Nations, but terrorist threats won't deter it from helping the victims of conflict, Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday at a memorial.$LABEL$0 +North Korea Urges Refugees to Return to 'Warm Home' SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appealed to refugees who have sought asylum in the South to return to the impoverished state, avoiding for once labeling them ""human scum"" and saying a warm home awaits them.$LABEL$0 +Sadr's aides urge militants to free kidnapped journalist BAGHDAD -- Top aides to firebrand Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on kidnappers yesterday to free a Western journalist they are threatening to kill unless US forces withdraw from the holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Media companies lose file-sharing case SAN FRANCISCO Grokster and StreamCast Networks are not liable for the swapping of copyright content like movies and music through their file-sharing software, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, in a blow to film studios and record labels. $LABEL$2 +24-hour push for NI powersharing Talks to revive powersharing in Northern Ireland have entered a final 24-hour push as Britain and Ireland prepared to publish their painstakingly negotiated peace plans.$LABEL$0 +Apple recalls 28,000 overheating PowerBook batteries Apple is recalling about 28,000 batteries that shipped this year in its PowerBook G4 portable computers. $LABEL$3 +Failure in demand causes LCD sales slump IT #39;S OFFICIAL. People didn #39;t flock to buy LCD units in the second quarter which is disappointing news for manufacturers, which are now awash with the fancy thin film transistor glass. $LABEL$3 +Hochschorner brothers win C2 gold Pavol and Peter Hochschorner took the gold medal once again in pairs canoe slalom Friday, winning by more than 3 seconds. $LABEL$1 +Greek Police Hand Kenteris Crash Report to Prosecutor ATHENS (Reuters) - Traffic police have handed their report to Athens prosecutors on the motorcycle crash reported by disgraced Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, a police source said on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Brit relay teams go through Britain's men's and women's relay teams qualify for their 4x100m medley finals.$LABEL$1 +Colombian Charged in Fla. With Buying Guns (AP) AP - A Colombian arms broker was charged with trying to buy #36;4 million in grenade launchers, machine guns, other high-powered weapons and munitions for a leftist rebel group and promising 2 tons of cocaine as partial payment.$LABEL$0 +WHO and FAO kept in dark on bird flu virus found in pigs in China (AFP) AFP - UN health and agriculture officials in China said they were not informed by the government of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus being found in pigs, the first such discovery in the world.$LABEL$0 +30,000 More Sudanese Threaten to Cross to Chad -UN GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 30,000 Sudanese, victims of fresh attacks by Arab militia inside Darfur, have threatened to cross into Chad, the U.N. refugee agency warned on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Jackson's Lavish Lifestyle Put on Display SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson's elegant home with its lavish playground for children was placed on display in a courtroom as defense attorneys showed a judge videotapes of a raid last year on the pop star's Neverland estate...$LABEL$0 +Nichols Won't Appeal State Convictions PONCA CITY, Okla. - Deciding at the last possible moment not to appeal his conviction, Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols brought his case to a final close, saying he hoped it would begin a ""long-awaited healing process."" For Nichols, it means a life in prison with no further recourse...$LABEL$0 +Terror List Snag Nearly Grounds a Kennedy WASHINGTON - A top Homeland Security official has apologized to Sen. Edward M...$LABEL$0 +Sheffield, Yanks Rally for Win Over Twins The New York Yankees wasted a six-run lead and were about to get swept by the Minnesota Twins until Gary Sheffield saved them - just as he has so often this season. Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning Thursday night, sending the Yankees to a seesaw, 13-10 victory in Minnesota...$LABEL$0 +Al-Sadr Aide: We Will Surrender Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Followers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Friday they were preparing to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shiite religious authorities in a bid to end a two-week-old uprising in the holy city of Najaf. Al-Sadr aide Ahmed al-Shaibany said he was on his way to the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, to offer to present officials there with keys to the shrine...$LABEL$0 +Steroid scandal will be given lip service Do you assume this raging scandal will be enough to overhaul Major League Baseball #39;s laughable drug policy? If so, you must think Bill Clinton didn #39;t have sex with that woman.$LABEL$1 +Legal peer-to-peer services: Gimmick or Genius? Few in the tech world need an introduction to Napster #39;s founder, the college dropout whose revolutionary file-swapping technology shook the foundations of the \$11bn record industry.$LABEL$3 +Stocks to Open Lower on Oil Concerns NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen slightly lower at the open Friday as oil's latest push into record territory continues to unnerve investors...$LABEL$0 +Congo Pulls Diplomats Out of Burundi (Reuters) Reuters - The Democratic Republic of Congo has\pulled all of its diplomats out of neighboring Burundi\following the slaughter of Congolese Tutsi refugees there last\week, its foreign minister said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Stocks to Watch on Aug. 20 (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks to watch: GOOGLE INC.\(GOOG.O) Google shares jumped 18 percent in their long-awaited\stock market debut on Thursday after a scaled-down #36;1.67\billion IPO marked by missteps and lackluster market\conditions. The stock closed at #36;100.34.$LABEL$2 +'Mean Creek': A familiar flow (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - This tiny shot-on-video downer hits theaters at the same time as a more deluxe home version of Martin Scorsese's career-making melodrama Mean Streets comes to DVD. The timing is probably coincidence, because Creek's anti-urban setting (largely a boat in rocky waters) has far more in common with several other well-known movies, which is part of its problem.$LABEL$3 +China Mobile Suspends Chinadotcom Mobile Services (Reuters) Reuters - Chinadotcom (CHINA.O) said on Friday\that its Go2joy mobile messaging unit has been sanctioned by\China Mobile (CHL.N), as part of a broad crackdown on\aggressive marketing by it and 21 other companies.$LABEL$3 +Stocks May Fall at Open, Oil Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks are seen falling for a second-straight day on Friday on concerns the economy and corporate profits will slow after crude futures touched another record in overnight trading.$LABEL$2 +Oil at New High Over \$49 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday, carrying U.S. crude over \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Stocks to Watch on Aug. 20 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks to watch: GOOGLE INC. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> Google shares jumped 18 percent in their long-awaited stock market debut on Thursday after a scaled-down \$1.67 billion IPO marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions. The stock closed at \$100.34. $LABEL$2 +Congo Pulls Diplomats Out of Burundi KINSHASA (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has pulled all of its diplomats out of neighboring Burundi following the slaughter of Congolese Tutsi refugees there last week, its foreign minister said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Brugnetti Strides to First Gold in 20km Walk ATHENS (Reuters) - Italian Ivano Brugnetti strode to victory in the first athletics final of the Athens Olympics on Friday with a commanding performance in the men's 20km walk.$LABEL$1 +Bankruptcy Survivable, US Airways CEO Says A ""frustrated"" chief executive of US Airways Group Inc. told employees yesterday that despite recent assertions from the airline's chairman, the carrier could survive a second bankruptcy filing -- but only with revised labor agreements.$LABEL$2 +Developing countries invest abroad Developing countries are starting to flex their financial muscles and invest overseas.$LABEL$2 +Union sets Eurostar strike date Eurostar workers will stage a 24-hour walk-out over a pay dispute on August 28, their union announces.$LABEL$2 +India orders Olympic dope probe Sports Minister Sunil Dutt says action will be taken after two weightlifters fail a drugs test at the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$0 +Lewis drops off pace Denise Lewis makes a stuttering start to the heptathlon, as fellow Briton Kelly Sotherton storms into second place.$LABEL$1 +China Mobile Suspends Chinadotcom Mobile Services NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinadotcom <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=CHINA.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">CHINA.O</A> said on Friday that its Go2joy mobile messaging unit has been sanctioned by China Mobile <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=CHL.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">CHL.N</A>, as part of a broad crackdown on aggressive marketing by it and 21 other companies.$LABEL$3 +Have Blood, Will Travel The radiation astronauts encounter in deep space could put vital blood-making cells in jeopardy.$LABEL$3 +Two rebel infiltrators killed, separatists detained in Kashmir (AFP) AFP - Indian troops shot dead two rebels who had infiltrated into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistan-controlled zone, while two separatists and nine other people were detained in the region, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Stumbling over SP2 CNET News.com's Mike Ricciuti says Microsoft has no choice but to get the Windows XP update on solid footing--and soon.$LABEL$3 +McDonald's serves up film blitz McDonald's takes out ads in the UK to say a film about its food is ""slick"" and ""well-made"" - but unrealistic.$LABEL$0 +Google Closes Over \$100 After IPO Google Inc #39;s first day as a public company was branded a success by many yesterday. While shares failed to reach the \$135 heights anticipated over recent weeks, the IPO price of \$85 per share was boosted to over \$100 by the end of the day. $LABEL$2 +Nortel #39;s new chief gets down to business William Owens, the new chief executive of Nortel Networks Corp., is putting his personal stamp on the organization. $LABEL$2 +Auto-body chain settles fraud suit An auto-body repair chain with several locations in San Diego County agreed yesterday to pay \$5.8 million to settle a consumer fraud lawsuit alleging that it charged customers for work it never performed. $LABEL$2 +Kerry Takes Job Creation Message to NC CHARLOTTE, NC Aug. 20, 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry came to the heart of a conservative state hit hard by job losses over the past four years to tout his plan for curbing the export of jobs by cutting corporate taxes and enforcing ...$LABEL$2 +PUC delays decision to shift power costs here San Diego Gas amp; Electric Co. customers won a reprieve yesterday when the state utilities commission delayed a decision that could shift \$1 billion in crisis-related power costs to local consumers and cause a major rate increase. $LABEL$2 +'Final Call' for Rebel Iraqi Cleric Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr rejected one of the government's two key demands, increasing the prospect of an intensified military attack against his militia.$LABEL$0 +Stumbling over SP2 People have Bill Gates all wrong. He doesn #39;t want to rule the world (or at least the computerized portion of it). And although he may secretly hope that all Linux source code spontaneously combusts, that isn #39;t his biggest wish. $LABEL$3 +Hollywood stunt pilots hope to snag a falling NASA craft PASADENA To snag a spacecraft as it plummets to Earth after a three-year mission to collect bits of the sun, NASA has turned to Hollywood stunt pilots. $LABEL$3 +Global LCD Oversupply to Peak -Report SEOUL (Reuters) - Excess supplies of large liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are forecast to peak in the third quarter of this year, but will balance out by the fourth, a US research firm said on Friday. $LABEL$3 +Survey Notes Rise in US Broadband Users The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections. $LABEL$3 +Napster Jumps on Chart Bandwagon Napster will be launching its own downloaded music chart on Virgin Radio at 7pm on August 29th. The chart will be compiled from the top 20 most popular tracks bought each week from Napster UK service. The chart will also include tracks that have been ...$LABEL$3 +Lindows halts stock release Linux supplier Lindows has announced it has called a halt to the initial public offering of its common stock after filing for registration in April. $LABEL$3 +DIY phishing kits found on the internet Do-it-yourself phishing kits are being made available for download free of charge from the internet, security watchers have warned. $LABEL$3 +EA game #39;Madden #39; tops 1.3 million first week quot;Madden NFL 2005, quot; the latest version of Electronic Arts #39; pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week of release, the company said Thursday, citing internal figures. $LABEL$3 +Pool of utter mix-ups Athens -- Thursday night at the pool featured a disqualification, then a reversal of the disqualification, then protests of the reversal of the disqualification. Not to mention some nationalistic innuendo, a judge with a language barrier he couldn #39;t ...$LABEL$1 +US gymnast shines ATHENS, Greece -- In the biggest competition of her young life, Carly Patterson made a four-inch balance beam look as wide as a sidewalk. And she danced, leapt and tumbled her way across it Thursday to become only the second American to win ...$LABEL$1 +Brugnetti Strides to First Gold in 20km Walk ATHENS (Reuters) - Italian Ivano Brugnetti strode to victory in the first athletics final of the Athens Olympics on Friday with a commanding performance in the men #39;s 20km walk. $LABEL$1 +Have your say John Robertson today spoke of his pride at seeing son Nathan scoop an Olympic silver medal and insisted: quot;We are definitely celebrating, rather than commiserating. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +IOA sets up committee to probe dope scandal Athens, Aug 20. (PTI):In a belated damage-control exercise, the Indian Olympic Association today announced setting up of a Committee to probe into the Olympic Games doping scandal and suggest stringent measures to curb the menace. $LABEL$1 +FACTBOX-Jonathan Woodgate factbox MADRID, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Factbox on England defender Jonathan Woodgate who will sign for Real Madrid on Saturday after passing a medical on Friday. $LABEL$1 +British canoe pair lose out ATHENS (Reuters) - Slovakian twins Peter and Pavol Hochschorner have paddled to a stunning victory in the men #39;s two man canoe to retain the title they won in Sydney. $LABEL$1 +World News gt; Indians unfazed by Kathmandu blockade - but panic in India: Kanaiyalal Jiwanlal, a businessman from Valsad in Gujarat, has seen sectarian violence and a killer earthquake devastate parts of the western Indian state. Compared to such upheavals, the blockade of Kathmandu, called by Maoists, holds no terror for him. $LABEL$0 +Militants reportedly promise to free kidnapped Western journalist Garen BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A top aide to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who appealed to kidnappers to free a Western journalist, said Friday they had promised to release him. $LABEL$0 +Israel given double warning over impact of West Bank policies JERUSALEM : The Israeli government was given a double warning over its policies in the West Bank as its top legal officer said it faced a real threat of sanctions over its controversial separation barrier and the United States condemned the latest ...$LABEL$0 +Tropical storm death toll hits 13 TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Tropical storm Megi swept over northern Japan on Friday, knocking over a street sign that killed one man, cutting off electricity to 123,000 homes and dumping heavy rains, officials said. $LABEL$0 +Pakistan prime minister-designate declared official victor in by-elections ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan #39;s election commission on Friday officially declared Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz victor in two by-elections, paving the way for him to become the next prime minister. $LABEL$0 +13 injured in plant fire in Japan TOKYO, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Fire broke out Friday at a tire plant belonging to Bridgestone Corp. in Amagi, western Fukuoka Prefecture of Japan, leaving 13 people injured. $LABEL$0 +Twenty-Five Hurt as Azores Plane Avoids Collision (Reuters) Reuters - Twenty-five TAP-Air Portugal passengers\and crew were slightly injured when the plane made a hasty\maneuver to avoid a mid-air collision just before landing on an\island in The Azores on Friday, TAP said.$LABEL$0 +General Growth Properties to Buy Rouse NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Growth Properties Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GGP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GGP.N</A>, the No. 2 U.S. shopping mall owner, on Friday said it would buy Rouse Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=RSE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">RSE.N</A> for \$7.2 billion, expanding its holdings of regional shopping centers and commercial property.$LABEL$2 +UAPB Gets #36;2.5M Science Grant From NSF (AP) AP - The National Science Foundation has awarded a #36;2.5 million grant to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to steer minority students into the sciences, math and technology.$LABEL$3 +Study: Development Endangers Coastal Bays (AP) AP - Maryland's coastal bays support a wide range of aquatic life but are threatened by intense development pressures, according to the first comprehensive study of the chain of shallow bays that separate Ocean City and Assateague Island from the mainland.$LABEL$3 +Oracle moves to monthly patching schedule Weeks after coming under criticism for sitting on patches for multiple holes in its database software, Oracle Corp. has announced that it is moving to a monthly patch release schedule.$LABEL$3 +Cherry to launch keyboard for Linux users Linux users in German-speaking countries and the U.K. will have an opportunity to buy keyboards specially designed for the open source operating system in late September, when Cherry GmbH launches what the company claims is the world's first Linux keyboard.$LABEL$3 +Virtual veins give nurses a hand \A virtual reality hand, complete with vital veins, that ""feels"" could help trainee nurses practise their jabs.$LABEL$3 +Bill Clinton Helps Launch Search Engine Former United States President Bill Clinton speaks at the conclusion of a forum titled New Thinking on Energy Policy: Meeting the Challenges of Security, Development, and Climate Change, at New York University in New York, Monday, Dec. 6, 2004.$LABEL$2 +General Growth Properties to Buy Rouse (Reuters) Reuters - General Growth Properties Inc.\(GGP.N), the No. 2 U.S. shopping mall owner, on Friday said it\would buy Rouse Co. (RSE.N) for #36;7.2 billion, expanding its\holdings of regional shopping centers and commercial property.$LABEL$2 +Police Investigate Sex Play (Reuters) Reuters - German police are investigating a\Spanish theater troupe under obscenity laws after displays of\graphic sex and bestiality in a controversial play called\""XXX,"" authorities said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +US, South Korea fail to hammer out deal over troop cut timetable (AFP) AFP - The United States and South Korea failed to hammer out a deal over a timetable for the planned reduction of US troops here, with Seoul asking for the cut to be delayed, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Researchers to Probe Algae on Lake Shore (AP) AP - Researchers are going scuba diving in Lake Michigan later this month to try to learn why an increasing amount of stinky green algae is accumulating on the shore.$LABEL$3 +Ga. Science Museum to Suspend Operations (AP) AP - After years of declining attendance and contributions, the Science and Technology Museum of Georgia is suspending operations this weekend.$LABEL$3 +30,000 More Sudanese Threaten to Cross to Chad - UN GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 30,000 Sudanese, victims of fresh attacks by Arab militia inside Darfur, have threatened to cross into Chad, already stretched with 200,000 refugees from the conflict, the United Nations said Friday.$LABEL$0 +'Miracle baby' home raid in Kenya Kenyan police seize 10 children from an evangelist's home and quiz his wife over child-trafficking allegations.$LABEL$0 +DaVita to acquire Gambro #39;s US clinics for \$3.1bn NEW YORK, December 7 (newratings.com) - DaVita Inc (DVA.NYS) has agreed to acquire Gambros dialysis clinics in the US for \$3.1 billion in cash, a Bloomberg article said today.$LABEL$2 +Teens Claim to Set New TV-Viewing Record GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A pair of teenagers who spent more than two straight days publicly glued to a television set say they have set a new world record for uninterrupted TV viewing...$LABEL$0 +Al-Sadr Followers Offer to Leave Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Followers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Friday they were prepared to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, and Iraq's interim prime minister said he would not storm the holy site. The moves came after a day and night of fighting in Najaf that killed 77 people and wounded 70 others, as al-Sadr militiamen mortared a police station and U.S...$LABEL$0 +Neuros II 20GB HDD music player <strong><cite>Reg</cite> Review</strong> The world's first easily upgradeable MP3 device?$LABEL$3 +Bioenvision Files for Drug OK in Europe (Reuters) Reuters - Bioenvision Inc. (BIVN.O) said on\Friday it has submitted an application to European regulators\to market its experimental leukemia drug.$LABEL$0 +India cuts duties as inflation hits new high (Reuters) Reuters - India's wholesale price inflation surged to a new 3-1/2-year high of 7.96 percent in the week ended August 7 due to higher energy and manufactured product prices, prompting the government to slash duties on steel.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Softball Team Posts Shutout No. 7 (AP) AP - Cat Osterman struck out 10 in six innings, Crystl Bustos homered and the United States completed a perfect run through the preliminary round with a 3-0 win over Taiwan on Friday, setting up a U.S.-Australia showdown in the semifinals.$LABEL$1 +Paul Hamm's example PAUL HAMM'S fall and rise are what make the Olympics so much more than a sports event. The US gymnast who spun despair into gold on Wednesday gives hope to the whole human endeavor by defusing the word quot;loser. quot;$LABEL$1 +NBC relies on storytelling for continuity The seven-hour time difference between here and Athens creates strange viewing patterns in NBC's all-Olympics-all-the-time world. As host Bob Costas said in signing off Wednesday at midnight Boston time (7 a.m. Athens time): quot;Good night, good morning . . . take your choice. quot;$LABEL$1 +This weekend on TV, radio TODAY AUTO RACING 1 p.m. -- NASCAR Busch Series Cabela's 250 qualifying at Brooklyn, Mich., Speed Channel 3 p.m. -- NASCAR Nextel Cup GFS Marketplace 400 qualifying at Brooklyn, Mich., TNT LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL 1 p.m. -- World Series: Midwest vs. Southeast at Williamsport, Pa., ESPN 5 p.m. -- World Series: Latin America vs. Canada at Williamsport, Pa., ESPN2 8 ...$LABEL$1 +Russia blocks bid by US Russia is one of the biggest, most powerful men's volleyball teams in the world. Already well aware, the United States received another reminder.$LABEL$1 +Late surge lifts US past Aussies The Mason's Union membership cards should be arriving any day now, but while they wait for them to be distributed, the United States men's basketball team was able to concoct a winning formula by relying on their unquestioned athletic superiority over the Australians yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Story has familiar ring The United States Boxing team isn't fighting its opponents any more. It's fighting self-doubt.$LABEL$1 +Fencer Smart can't find winning touch Twice Keeth Smart charged, his opponent attacked and both lights went off. Twice, Smart was left standing on the strip, helmet in hand, after American losses.$LABEL$1 +Finally, events are in track spotlight After a week of swimming, gymnastics, synchronized diving, and beach volleyball, the Olympic menu will offer a steady diet of its bread-and-butter sport beginning this morning.$LABEL$1 +Cannons' Gill fit for playoffs The Boston Cannons lost their last regular-season game but it really didn't matter. They had already clinched a spot in the Major League Lacrosse playoffs. What mattered was that attackman Conor Gill went down with a left knee injury in the fourth quarter and was out for the rest of the game.$LABEL$1 +Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball: Suspended Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen for two games and fined him an undisclosed amount for his comments to the media regarding umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Major League Owners: Voted to extend the contract of Bud Selig, commissioner, for three years through 2009. Chicago (NL): Signed INF Neifi Perez to a minor league contract and assigned ...$LABEL$1 +A winning situation Pleasantly Perfect lost his last race, but that didn't diminish his standing as the top handicap runner in the country. It will take more than one defeat to knock the horse who won the \$4 million Breeders' Cup Classic in October and the \$6 million Dubai World Cup in March off his perch. He has a chance to get back ...$LABEL$1 +Entries just can't keep pace As expected, none of the four United States entries survived yesterday's second set of Olympic rowing semifinals, leaving just four boats -- the men's and women's eights, the men's double sculls and the women's quadruple sculls -- going for medals this weekend, five fewer than in Sydney four years ago.$LABEL$1 +Peirsol golden in beating field, controversy By the time Aaron Peirsol made his last turn and headed into the final 50 meters of the 200 backstroke, he had a body-length lead and was chasing his own world record en route to his second gold of the Games.$LABEL$1 +Israel court orders barrier reply Israel's High Court orders the government to respond to a World Court ruling on the West Bank barrier.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Are at New High, Over \$49 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday, carrying U.S. crude over \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated fuel demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Report: Johnson amp; Johnson in talks to buy Guidant Johnson amp; Johnson (JNJ), the drug and health care products company, is reportedly in advanced negotiations to buy Guidant (GDT), a leading maker of devices to treat heart and circulatory illnesses, for more than \$24 billion.$LABEL$2 +Stunt pilots to hook falling stardust sample A piece of the Sun is set to fall to Earth and be captured by Hollywood stunt pilots in a tricky mid-air manoeuvre, NASA announced on Thursday. $LABEL$3 +Oracle moves to monthly patching schedule Weeks after coming under criticism for sitting on patches for multiple holes in its database software, Oracle Corp. has announced that it is moving to a monthly patch release schedule. $LABEL$3 +Seiko Epson unveil updated micro flying robot Seiko Epson have unveiled their latest wireless flying micro-robot named the FR-II. The successor to the FR robot the latest micromechatronic contraption has a number of improvements. It is 2.3g heavier than the original FR at 12.3g but does away with the ...$LABEL$3 +Gateway spreads out at retail Gateway computers will be more widely available at Office Depot, in the PC maker #39;s latest move to broaden distribution at retail stores since acquiring rival eMachines this year. $LABEL$3 +For Peirsol, a DQ, a wait amp; a reward ATHENS -- The celebration had begun for Aaron Peirsol. He had just become the fifth person in Olympic history to win both backstroke events, adding the 200-meter race to his 100 win from earlier in the week. $LABEL$1 +Woodgate to join Real after passing medical MADRID, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Newcastle United defender Jonathan Woodgate will sign for Real Madrid after passing a medical on Friday, joining the Spanish club on a four-year deal for a reported 20 million euros (\$24.74 million). $LABEL$1 +Judge rejects injunction by organizers over use of Olympic symbols The local issue of Playboy remained on newsstands Friday, after a judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction filed by Athens Games #39; organizers over the magazine #39;s use of Olympic symbols in a photo spread. $LABEL$1 +Greeks deny failed drug test reports ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Olympics officials say they are unaware of any team member failing a drugs test after media reports that the International Olympic Committee had found a Greek competitor had taken banned substances. $LABEL$1 +Fergie #39;s View: Norwich Sir Alex Ferguson faced another nail-biting few days this week as ten of his depleted squad went out on international duty. $LABEL$1 +USA plays inspired, but falls to No. 1 Hungary in water polo ATHENS, Greece With flag-waving, chanting Hungarians creating a chaotic atmosphere at the Olympic Aquatic Center yesterday morning, a young water polo team from the United States discovered something about itself. $LABEL$1 +Men #39;s C2 Canoe Double: Slovakian twins repeat as gold medallists ATHENS, 20 August - Slovakian twins Pavol and Peter HOCHSCHORNER won their second consecutive gold medal in the Men #39;s C2. $LABEL$1 +S.Korea, US End Troop Cut Talks Without Agreement SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States closed a round of defense talks in Seoul on Friday aimed at scheduling a reduction of US troops on the Korean peninsula without agreeing on the timeline of the realignment. $LABEL$0 +China: Deadly Bird Flu Strain Found in Pigs Chinese scientists say they have discovered a deadly strain of the bird flu virus in pigs. Speaking at an international conference on avian flu and SARS in Beijing Friday, Chinese animal research facility official, Chen Hualan said the deadly H5N1 virus ...$LABEL$0 +Korea #39;s tortured reckoning with collaborators It has only just begun and already South Korea #39;s program of historical reckoning of the often brutal Japanese occupation and colonization has produced its first victim. With no small amount of irony, it was the chairman of the governing ...$LABEL$0 +China hands out quot;green card, quot; winning acclaim of foreigners BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- China is granting some foreigners permanent residence in the country with a quot;green card, quot; a credit card-sized photo ID that was revealed to the public at a press conference here Friday. $LABEL$0 +Earnings alert: Novell sees weakness in IT spending Plus: Salesforce reports rise in profit...Nortel to lay off 3,500...Intuit posts loss while revenue rises...BEA earnings rise amid internal turmoil.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Mitsubishi expands solar production roundup Plus: KDE updates Linux desktop...EA to take World Cup soccer to Xbox...IBM chalks up two health care wins.$LABEL$3 +Oracle puts patches on a schedule Following Microsoft's lead, software maker opts to issue fixes on a monthly timetable. But does that make customers more secure?$LABEL$3 +Oil Tops \$49 On Renewed Iraq Violence LONDON (Reuters) - Global oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday, carrying US crude close to \$49.16 a barrel up 46 cents, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated demand growth from China and India. $LABEL$2 +This unconventional IPO has a familiar ring Google, like so many dot-coms before it, came roaring out of the IPO gate Thursday priced at the low end of expectations and promptly surged in value as investors piled onto the much-hyped share offering. $LABEL$2 +Scandal-hit Nortel to make worker cuts NORTEL Networks plans to slash its workforce by 3500, or ten per cent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits. $LABEL$2 +Before the Bell- Rouse Co. shares jump 32 percent NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Shares of The Rouse Co. (RSE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) jumped before the bell after General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US shopping mall owner, on Friday said it would buy Rouse for ...$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Mylan Comments on Icahn Clearance Mylan Laboratories Inc., the largest US maker of generic drugs, cautioned investors Friday that Thursday #39;s jump in share price was likely driven by investor Carl Icahn #39;s clearance to buy a large amount of company stock and fails to reflect quot;negative ...$LABEL$2 +United signals it may end pensions United Airlines has signaled that it may terminate and replace employee pension plans, a move its parent company says is needed before it can emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. $LABEL$2 +Layoffs at Fleet THE LAYOFFS at Fleet seem to be a microcosm of the economy as a whole. Good, higher-paying, full-time jobs, presumably with benefits, are replaced by lower-paying, part-time jobs that may not have the same health care plans. $LABEL$2 +Industry report Delta Air Lines Inc. #39;s plan to restructure some of its debt outside of bankruptcy has raised concerns among credit analysts who say the move could be tantamount to defaulting on the money the struggling carrier owes. $LABEL$2 +Apple recalls 28,000 PowerBook batteries Apple Computer Inc. Thursday morning launched a voluntary worldwide 15-inch PowerBook G4 battery exchange program to deal with 28,000 potentially faulty units.$LABEL$3 +Computer Experts Vie in Hacking Contest (AP) AP - Armed with laptops, modems, hard disk drives and sandwiches, 12 computer experts hunkered down Friday for a seven-hour contest to find the best hacker in tech-savvy Singapore.$LABEL$3 +Pakistani Islamists rally against custodial killing, raids on seminaries (AFP) AFP - Thousands of Islamists demonstrated across Pakistan after Friday prayers against the death of a cleric in detention over suspected links to Al Qaeda and against raids on seminaries.$LABEL$0 +Report: Bush Spent Nearly #36;46M in July (AP) AP - A fresh wave of ads pushed President Bush's spending to nearly #36;46 million for July, the Republican's highest level since he launched the first ad blitz of his re-election campaign in March, a campaign finance report filed Friday shows.$LABEL$0 +Judge Maintains Peirsol Broke Rules ATHENS (Reuters) - The swimming judge who disqualified gold medal winner Aaron Peirsol at the Athens Olympics is standing by his claim that the American backstroker broke the rules.$LABEL$1 +Annan Vows to Protect U.N. Staff from Attacks (Reuters) Reuters - Those behind the ""cold-blooded murder""\of 22 people at the United Nations office in Baghdad one year\ago must be held to account, no matter how long it takes to\find them, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday.$LABEL$0 +General Growth to buy Rouse for \$7.2bn In the latest big deal among US real estate companies, General Growth will pay \$67.50 per share in cash for each share in Rouse, a premium of 33 per cent over its closing stock price of \$50.61 in Thursday New York Stock Exchange trade. $LABEL$2 +Qantas to raise fuel surcharge AUSTRALIAN airline Qantas has upped its prices for the second time in three months, blaming rising oil prices, while budget airline Ryanair insists it will not impose fuel surcharges on customers. $LABEL$2 +File-sharing firms record a win The film and music industries yesterday again lost a legal battle to hold file-sharing companies liable for copyright infringement, setting up an expected confrontation in the Supreme Court. $LABEL$2 +Chinadotcom #39;s Text-Messages Suspended Chinadotcom Corp. said Friday that China #39;s state-controlled wireless carrier fined the company \$160,000 and suspended its text-message services on charges that the cell-phone service provider #39;s Go2joy unit charged inactive users and switched customers #39; ...$LABEL$2 +Report: FDA to relabel antidepressants Agency wants to learn if drugs can lead to suicide in young people; most major drugmakers impacted. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration is expected to call for changes to labels for antidepressants to reflect a new agency analysis ...$LABEL$2 +Apple recalls laptop batteries In cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Apple has voluntarily recalled some of its laptop batteries. The batteries in question are found in 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) laptops. The recall is a result of four reports that the ...$LABEL$3 +Brazil tribe prove words count When it comes to counting, a remote Amazonian tribespeople have been found to be lost for words. Researchers discovered the Piraha tribe of Brazil, with a population of 200, have no words beyond one, two and many. $LABEL$3 +Researchers spot XP SP2 security weakness Security researchers believe they have discovered a weakness in the new security given to Windows XP by the recently unveiled Service Pack 2 (SP2). $LABEL$3 +Somebody else #39;s spam A FEW WEEKS back I spent three days locked up in a room full of Internet experts, pioneers, and thinkers to contemplate the question of how to prevent what the conference #39;s convenors grandly called the quot;Internet meltdown quot;. I was hoping for a particularly ...$LABEL$3 +Finally sync your BlackBerry with your Mac Research In Motion couldn #39;t be bothered to ever get around to doing this themselves, but Information Appliance Associates has just come out with some software which should finally let Mac users satisfy their CrackBerry addictions. There #39;s no support ...$LABEL$3 +Judge Maintains Peirsol Broke Rules ATHENS (Reuters) - The swimming judge who disqualified gold medal winner Aaron Peirsol at the Athens Olympics is standing by his claim that the American backstroker broke the rules. $LABEL$1 +Woodgate joins Real Madrid England international defender Jonathan Woodgate passed his medical and will sign a four-year contract with Real Madrid on Saturday, the Spanish giants said. $LABEL$1 +Live on Sky Sports 2, 5pm (KO 5.15pm) This is, in my opinion, one of the biggest games Manchester United have played for years. It may sound strange ahead of what is only the second game of the season, but don #39;t think this is one they can afford to lose. $LABEL$1 +Race driver killed in crash Race car driver Tommy Baldwin was killed in a crash at Thompson International Speedway during a Featherlite modified race. $LABEL$1 +Tanks encircle shrine in US blitz on rebels UNITED States tanks today encircled the sacred Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, after an intense bombardment of rebel positions overnight. $LABEL$0 +Bombings Hit Kathmandu, as Blockade Starts to Affect Prices The Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, has been hit by bomb blasts on the third day of a blockade called by Maoist rebels. Nepalese business leaders are calling for a cease-fire between the government and the rebels. $LABEL$0 +Kazaa Owner Cheers File-Swapping Decision (AP) AP - The distributor of file-swapping giant Kazaa on Friday welcomed a U.S. court's ruling that two of its rivals are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works shared online by their users.$LABEL$3 +Violence in blockaded Kathmandu as Nepal agrees to meet Maoists halfway (AFP) AFP - Maoist rebels who have cut off Kathmandu for three days attacked security forces and bombed buildings inside the Nepalese capital, as the government partially agreed to guerrilla demands for lifting the blockade.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Set to Fall Amid High Oil Price NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks are poised to fall for a second-straight day on Friday on concerns the economy and corporate profits will slow after crude futures touched another record and inched toward \$50 per barrel.$LABEL$2 +Weak El Nino Seen Affecting U.S. This Fall, Winter (Reuters) Reuters - A weak El Nino, the weather anomaly\that distorts wind and rainfall patterns worldwide, is expected\to develop and affect the United States this fall and winter,\U.S. government weather experts said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Treasuries Yields Near Recent Lows NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yields on U.S. Treasuries held near recent lows on Friday as oil topped \$49 a barrel, threatening the outlook for both the economy and stocks.$LABEL$2 +Magna Int'l Names Mark Hogan as President TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Magna International <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MGa.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MGa.TO</A>, the world's seventh-largest auto-parts supplier, named Mark Hogan as its president on Friday and said he will be based in Detroit.$LABEL$2 +Khan crushes Stilianov British boxer Amir Khan outpoints European champion Dimitar Stilianov in style.$LABEL$1 +Advanced Neuromodulation takes stake in Cyberonics CHICAGO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANSI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said it took an equity stake in Cyberonics Inc. (CYBX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and initiated discussions about combining the two companies. $LABEL$2 +Enter your e-mail: Well, here #39;s the next development in the fee-based music download wars: RealNetworks is selling songs for 49 cents apiece through labor day, undercutting the ITunes Music Store #39;s price by 50 cents. $LABEL$3 +You don #39;t use a yardstick to measure grit ATHENS, Greece Grit is now available in an economy size. It can be found in Carly Patterson, and in spades. $LABEL$1 +Five more suspended by weightlifting body ATHENS -- Weightlifting #39;s aggressive pursuit of drug cheaters will continue even if it jeopardizes its future in the Olympics, its top official said yesterday after six more positive doping cases in what is again becoming the Games #39; dirtiest sport. Five ...$LABEL$1 +Emmons wins gold in prone rifle American Matt Emmons won the gold medal Friday in the 50-meter prone rifle competition with a score of 703.3. $LABEL$1 +Russia Welcomes Georgian Troops #39;Pullout from South Ossetia In its statement issued on August 20 Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed Georgia #39;s decision to pull out its extra troops from the South Ossetian conflict zone. $LABEL$0 +Bomb Blasts Hit Kathmandu, as Rebel Blockade Continues The Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, has been hit by bomb blasts on the third day of a blockade called by Maoist rebels. Nepalese business leaders are calling for a cease-fire between the government and the rebels. $LABEL$0 +Crude oil nears \$50 a barrel Oil prices continue to climb, with a record of \$48.98 reported overnight for US light crude. While prices have fallen back to \$48.56 a barrel, with Brent crude oil at \$44.43, crude seems destined to climb to \$50 a barrel for the first time. $LABEL$0 +Treasuries Yields Near Recent Lows (Reuters) Reuters - Yields on U.S. Treasuries held near\recent lows on Friday as oil topped #36;49 a barrel, threatening\the outlook for both the economy and stocks.$LABEL$2 +Khan moves into quarter-finals (AFP) AFP - Teenage boxer Amir Khan moved into the quarter-finals of the Olympic lightweight division with a storming points win against European champion Dimitar Stilianov of Bulgaria.$LABEL$0 +Kallis, Boucher boost South Africa in Colombo one-dayer (AFP) AFP - Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher slammed half-centuries as South Africa posted a competitive 263-9 in the first one-dayer against Sri Lanka at the Premdasa Stadium here.$LABEL$0 +Oil at New High Over \$49, Iraq Violence Escalates LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices raced to fresh highs on Friday, carrying U.S. crude over \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated fuel demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Oil Tops \$49 Amid Iraq Supply Worries Crude oil prices passed \$49 per barrel today, striking fresh record levels amid heightened concern about supplies in Iraq.$LABEL$2 +World is #39;in more danger #39; PAKISTAN #39;S president has warned that the war on terror has made the world a more dangerous place. Gen. Pervez Musharraf said the world was quot;absolutely quot; less safe because military action had done nothing to tackle the causes of terrorism.$LABEL$0 +Greek athlete fails test A spokesman for Greece's Olympic team confirms that a Greek athlete has failed a dope test.$LABEL$1 +Sadr May Have Escaped Najaf Mosque-Iraq Official BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr may have escaped the U.S.-led military siege of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Scientists Say Risk of Water Wars Rising STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The risk of wars being fought over water is rising because of explosive global population growth and widespread complacency, scientists said on Friday. $LABEL$3 +British Considering Protest of Peirsol #39;s Gold Medal Victory ATHENS, Aug. 20 -- The British Olympic Association is considering whether to bring its protest of an American swimmer #39;s gold medal-winning performance before an international arbitration panel, potentially keeping alive a fiasco that ...$LABEL$1 +Suzuki advances to semis Japan #39;s world open-weight champion, aiming to make up for compatriot Kosei Inoue #39;s shock loss in a lighter men #39;s division, defeated Yury Rybak. $LABEL$1 +Jake White #39;s Springboks Are On the Cusp of a Historic First On Saturday against the Wallabies, they will accomplish what no previous Bok team has managed - winning the Tri-Nations despite losing both away matches. $LABEL$1 +Peres demands early Israeli elections Israel #39;s opposition leader, Shimon Peres, today called for early elections that would effectively rule his party out of joining a coalition to prop up the prime minister, Ariel Sharon. $LABEL$0 +Bomb blasts hit Kathmandu Suspected Maoist rebels today shot and wounded a policeman and detonated two powerful bombs in Kathmandu as the blockade of the Nepalese capital entered its third day. $LABEL$0 +Is Israel planning to attack Iran? JERUSALEM Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem ...$LABEL$0 +UN: Chad Could See More Darfur Refugees GENEVA Aug. 20, 2004 Tens of thousands more refugees might flee Sudan #39;s Darfur region into neighboring Chad because of persistent attacks and rapes by Arab militias, the United Nations said Friday. $LABEL$0 +US warplanes strike Falluja: Report FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) US forces launched two airstrikes today on the troubled Iraqi city of Falluja, hospital officials and witnesses said. $LABEL$0 +Israeli court orders reply for Hague JERUSALEM The Israeli Supreme Court ordered the government to produce a statement in the next 30 days that assesses the ramifications of a nonbinding ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague that declared the Israeli security barrier ...$LABEL$0 +Cleric #39;s Aides: Kidnapped Journalist Will Be Freed Baghdad, Iraq -- Some of Muqtada al-Sadr #39;s aides in Iraq say kidnappers have promised to release a Western journalist, perhaps as early as Friday. $LABEL$0 +Women Lay Claim to #39;Miracle Children #39; Three women sensationally turned up yesterday at the Nairobi CID headquarters and laid claim on some of Archbishop Deya #39;s quot;miracle babies. quot; ...$LABEL$0 +Court to hear medal appeal Britain will find out on Saturday whether its equestrian medals will be upgraded.$LABEL$0 +Guatemala to pay paramilitaries Guatemala's government agrees to pay millions of dollars to former paramilitaries, who some accuse of war crimes.$LABEL$0 +Particle collider edges forward Physicists take a key decision on the technology to be used in the International Linear Collider, one of the grand scientific projects of the 21st Century.$LABEL$0 +Oil Futures Rise to Record as Iraq Fighting Threatens Exports Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures rose to a record, surpassing \$49 a barrel in New York, on concern clashes in southern Iraq between US troops and Shiite Muslim militiamen may cut exports. $LABEL$2 +General Growth Properties to acquire Rouse for \$12.6 bn NEW YORK, August 20 (New Ratings) General Growth Properties Inc (GGP.NYS), the second-largest shopping mall operator in the US, has agreed to buy Rouse Company (RSE), in a cash and debt assumptions deal worth about \$12.6 billion. $LABEL$2 +Cyberonics #39; Shares Jumps on Stock Buy Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc. reported Friday that it purchased 3.5 million shares of Cyberonics Inc., taking a 14.9 percent stake in the Houston-based medical device maker, and expressed an interest in combining the two companies. $LABEL$2 +United set to drop pension plans United Airlines has said it will very likely terminate its four employee pension plans and replace them with less generous benefits. United said the drastic move was needed to attract the financing that would allow it to emerge from bankruptcy. $LABEL$2 +Magna Int #39;l Names Mark Hogan as President TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada #39;s Magna International (MGa.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world #39;s seventh-largest auto-parts supplier, named Mark Hogan as its president on Friday and said he will be based in Detroit. $LABEL$2 +Dim Reality at Sharper Image Shares of Sharper Image (SHRP:Nasdaq - news - research) were under pressure Friday after the company unexpectedly predicted it will lose money in its third quarter and was downgraded by JP Morgan. $LABEL$2 +Lottery for Longshore Jobs Draws More Than 300,000 Description: Union and shipping company officials at the Port of Los Angeles held a lottery Thursday to fill 300,000 longshore jobs. More than 300,000 people applied for the dangerous but lucrative jobs. Results of the lottery will be posted on the Web ...$LABEL$2 +Prehistoric Desert Town Found in Western Sahara (Reuters) Reuters - The remains of a prehistoric town\believed to date back 15,000 years and belong to an ancient\Berber civilization have been discovered in Western Sahara,\Moroccan state media said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Eta rebels explode peace hopes ETA triggered a series of explosions across Spain yesterday in a show of force by a faction within the Basque terrorist organisation opposed to a peace deal with the Socialist Government.$LABEL$0 +Ghana leader looks set to win second term Accra - Ghana #39;s leader, John Kufuor, is expected to win a second and final four-year term when voters in the world #39;s second-biggest cocoa grower choose their leader in a presidential election on Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Software Doesn't Break Laws... ... People do. Or at least that's what two makers of file-sharing software argued successfully in federal court, shifting the balance in the Internet piracy wars away from the Hollywood and the RIAA. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Web Sites Agree to Be Accessible to Blind In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.$LABEL$3 +Blunt Talk on Union Web Site Spotlights Frustration Over Labor Relations Changes Ron Ault, the president of the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, describes himself as ""a very plain-spoken person."" He isn't kidding.$LABEL$3 +Nokia taps Coke exec to refresh brands The hope is that Keith Pardy will put some fizz back in the company's market share stats.$LABEL$3 +Cherry Readies Linux Keyboard \$50 device will feature hot keys designed for the alternative operating system.$LABEL$3 +Japan Court Ex-Chess Champ Fischer Can Be Deported (Reuters) Reuters - A Tokyo court on Friday rejected a\request by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer to have\Japanese authorities halt procedures to deport him, Kyodo news\agency reported.$LABEL$0 +Software Doesn't Break Laws... (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - What do file-sharing companies and the National Rifle Association have in common? A common legal argument, that's what.$LABEL$3 +Stocks Near Flat as Oil Price Hits Record NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday as investors worried high crude prices will hurt the economy and corporate profits, but oil production companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=XOM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">XOM.N</A> and ChevronTexaco Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CVX.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CVX.N</A> got a boost as the price of crude inched toward \$50 per barrel.$LABEL$2 +New Blast Rocks Texas Natural Gas Unit HOUSTON (Reuters) - A new explosion rocked an underground natural gas storage site early Friday, sending a fireball into the sky and prompting the evacuation of homes near the blaze, which has raged since early Thursday.$LABEL$2 +Iraqi Police Enter Najaf Shrine, Arrest Militiamen NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi police took control of the Imam Ali Mosque in the holy city of Najaf on Friday after entering the shrine and arrested some hundreds of militiamen, Interior Ministry and an Iraqi government source said.$LABEL$0 +Japan Court Ex-Chess Champ Fischer Can Be Deported TOKYO (Reuters) - A Tokyo court on Friday rejected a request by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer to have Japanese authorities halt procedures to deport him, Kyodo news agency reported.$LABEL$0 +Second Explosion Rocks Texas Gas Facility MOSS BLUFF, Texas - A second explosion in less than 24 hours rocked a burning underground gas storage facility early Friday, prompting authorities to expand an evacuation zone around the site. The fire at Duke Energy's Moss Bluff natural gas facility intensified overnight, an official said...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Women Beat Spain in First Real Test ATHENS, Greece - Seriously challenged for the first time in these Olympics, the U.S. women's basketball team fought through foul problems and long stretches of frigid shooting to clinch first place in its preliminary group with a 71-58 victory over Spain on Friday...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Up Despite Oil Nearing \$50 a Barrel NEW YORK - Stocks edged higher in early trading Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, even as crude reached new highs and neared \$50 per barrel. A barrel of light crude was quoted at \$49.33, up 63 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, continuing a climb that has sent new intraday highs with every quote...$LABEL$0 +An Elusive Peace in Najaf The standoff is driven by Moqtada Sadr's political ambitions. But how good is his poker game?$LABEL$0 +File Sharing Companies Ruled Not Liable A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that two developers of file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the copyrighted content their users swap online. $LABEL$2 +Update 1: Cyberonics #39; Shares Jump on Stock Buy Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc. reported Friday that it purchased 3.5 million shares of Cyberonics Inc., taking a 14.9 percent stake in the Houston-based medical device maker, and expressed an interest in combining the two companies. $LABEL$2 +Kmart #39;s store sales might cost jobs Report: Retailer could terminate as many as 1,200 positions stemming from stores sold to Home Depot. $LABEL$2 +WPP Profit Rises; Company Ponders Bid for Grey Global (Update5) Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- WPP Group Plc, the world #39;s second- largest advertising and marketing company, said first-half profit rose 11 percent as demand increased in the US and Asia, and reiterated it #39;s looking into buying Grey Global Inc. $LABEL$2 +Flaws and a Delay for XP SP2 Just one day after Microsoft delayed the delivery of its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (XP SP2) update for the Professional Edition, a German research firm announced the discovery of two security flaws in the application. $LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Doesn #39;t Rock NEW YORK - It #39;s never a smart move to pick a public fight with Apple Computer, and it #39;s doubly unwise if that fight involves the iPod in some way. $LABEL$3 +BlackBerry in sync with Mac OS X Software developer Information Appliance Associates announced on Thursday the release of an application synchronising Research In Motion #39;s BlackBerry devices with Apple #39;s Mac OS X. $LABEL$3 +Nokia taps Coke exec to refresh brands Nokia is bringing in a Coca-Cola executive to take over brand management as part of its plan for regaining market share. $LABEL$3 +Probe expanded into Greek sprinters #39; crash, coach #39;s past The state drug agency asked for a warrant Friday to search a warehouse belonging to the coach of two disgraced Greek sprinters who withdrew from the Olympics after they missed a doping test. $LABEL$1 +Rathbone is #39;like Gregan #39; AUSTRALIAN coach Eddie Jones rates winger Clyde Rathbone a potential successor to Wallaby captain George Gregan as the pair reach Test career milestones tonight against South Africa in Durban. $LABEL$1 +Two more Americans fail to master Olympic boxing style No chance, Dad. The best amateur boxers know just how to move and exactly when to pounce -- and three Americans who failed to match that style are out of the Olympics. $LABEL$1 +USA women #39;s basketball team pulls away to beat Spain Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The US women #39;s basketball team continued its impressive play at the Olympics, pulling away from previously-unbeaten Spain for a 71-58 victory on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Twenty-Five Hurt as Azores Plane Avoids Collision LISBON (Reuters) - Twenty-five TAP-Air Portugal passengers and crew were slightly injured when the plane made a hasty maneuver to avoid a mid-air collision just before landing on an island in The Azores on Friday, TAP said. $LABEL$0 +Holes found in Windows XP update Security firms are starting to find loopholes and bugs in the SP2 security update for Windows XP.$LABEL$3 +Search Engine Forums Spotlight Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: How Do You Compete With the Fortune 500s - Google Prices Stock at \$85 Per Share - MSN Block-Level Link Analysis - Slickest Link Building Tricks - Your Message to New SEOs - How To Handle AdWords With Thousands Of Keywords$LABEL$3 +Amazon to Purchase Chinese Retailer Joyo.com Amazon to Purchase Chinese Retailer Joyo.com\\Amazon.com agreed to buy Joyo.com which is China's largest online retailer of books, music and videos. The agreed purchase will be at \$75 million for Amazon to enter the world's second largest populated Internet market.\\Amazon will pay \$72 million in cash and assume employee stock ...$LABEL$3 +Court Rules File Sharing Legal Court Rules File Sharing Legal\\A federal appeals court has upheld a controversial decision which ruled that file sharing software such as Kazaa, Morpheus or Grokster are indeed legal. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruled on Thursday that peer-to-peer software developers were not liable for any ...$LABEL$3 +Basketball: U.S. Women Win After a Tough Test ATHENS (Reuters) - The unbeaten U.S. women's basketball team had their sternest test of the Olympic tournament so far Friday, needing an eight point run in the third quarter to pull away and beat Spain 71-58.$LABEL$1 +FDA Sees Changes to Antidepressant Labels WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to update antidepressant labels to reflect studies that suggest a link between the drugs and suicide in youth, according to documents released on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Holes found in Windows update Security firms are starting to find loopholes and bugs in the SP2 security update for Windows XP.$LABEL$0 +Is Netflix Doomed? A Netflix mailer may be black and white and red all over, but that's not the only punch line.$LABEL$2 +Iraqi Police in Control of Najaf Shrine, According to Reports Hundreds of militiamen were arrested today when police entered the Imam Ali Mosque, but rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr was not found, Iraqi officials said.$LABEL$0 +Avian flu 'discovered in pigs' Scientists in China say they have discovered the highly virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in pigs.$LABEL$3 +Advanced Neuromodulation takes stake in Cyberonics CHICAGO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANSI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said it took a 14.9 percent equity stake in Cyberonics Inc. (CYBX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , expressing interest in combining the two companies, ...$LABEL$2 +Mylan Explains Trading Surge That #39;s what Mylan Laboratories (MYL :Nasdaq - news - research) sort of did Friday in addressing a surge in trading volume Thursday. $LABEL$2 +Nordstrom shares are hammered after earnings miss CHICAGO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Shares of Nordstrom Inc. (JWN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) dropped 9 percent early on Friday after the luxury retailer missed Wall Street #39;s earnings target and forecast disappointing profits for the current quarter. $LABEL$2 +Dollar Rises; Traders Drop Bets Currency to Reach One-Month Low Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar climbed against the euro after some traders abandoned bets that a slowdown in growth reflected in economic reports this week would push the US currency to a one-month low. $LABEL$2 +Ohio sues Best Buy for alleged unfair business practices YESTERDAY THE STATE OF OHIO sued Best Buy for alleged unfair and deceptive business practices. Ohio state is claiming the company repackaged used goods and sold them as if they were new, as well as not honouring rebates, refunds, exchange programs and ...$LABEL$2 +Holes found in Windows XP update Barely hours after home users started securing their PCs with a key update for Windows XP, security experts have found ways around it. $LABEL$3 +Probe Set to Return with Sun Sample Aug. 20, 2004 A small science satellite dispatched to just beyond Earth #39;s magnetosphere returns to the home planet next month to deliver a most unique package: particles of the sun. $LABEL$3 +Greek Athlete Tests Positive for Drugs ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek pride was dealt another blow Friday when one of their athletes failed a drugs test at the Olympics just 48 hours after its two top sprinters pulled out of the Games in a doping scandal. $LABEL$1 +Fergie undecided over Ronaldo Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is still unsure whether to field Cristiano Ronaldo in Saturday #39;s Premiership clash against Norwich. $LABEL$1 +Israel Faces New Pressure Over Security Barrier The Israeli government is facing new pressure over its controversial West Bank security barrier, which the World Court has ruled is illegal and should be dismantled. $LABEL$0 +Japan Court Ex-Chess Champ Fischer Can Be Deported TOKYO (Reuters) - A Tokyo court on Friday rejected a request by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer to have Japanese authorities halt procedures to deport him, Kyodo news agency reported. $LABEL$0 +UN Official Warns of #39;Spiral of Violence #39; Following Burundi Massacre The United Nation #39;s top peacekeeping official says there is quot;real danger quot; of a new war in central Africa following the massacre of Congolese refugees in Burundi. $LABEL$0 +Latham to be released from hospital Mr Latham is due to leave St Vincent #39;s hospital in Sydney after being treated for pancreatitis. Mr Latham says he is feeling much better and expects to be back at work next week. $LABEL$0 +Google Shares Jump 18 In NASDAQ Debut Google Shares Jump 18 In NASDAQ Debut\\Google stock shares rose 18 percent in their NASDAQ stock market debut yesterday, after a scaled-down \$1.67 billion IPO marked by missteps and lackluster market conditions. Google co-founder Larry Page and chief executive Eric Schmidt showed up at the Nasdaq stock market as Google ...$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Now Powers OptusNet of Australia and New Zealand Yahoo Now Powers OptusNet of Australia and New Zealand\\Yahoo Search now powers the search engine results for OptusNet, Australia's second largest Internet service provider. The Age reports that Optus signed an agreement with Yahoo's Australia and New Zealand divisions where in Yahoo! Search Technology will power the OptusNet dialup ...$LABEL$3 +Lithuanians face US NBA stars in Olympic basketball showdown (AFP) AFP - A struggling United States basketball team coming off two narrow escapes and a epic loss faces its toughest Olympic test yet Saturday against unbeaten Lithuania, which is playing like the team to beat for gold.$LABEL$1 +Iran Urges Meeting on Iraq 'Catastrophe' (AP) AP - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami called on Muslim countries Friday to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the ""catastrophe"" in Iraq, particularly the 2-week standoff in the holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +Feds Subpoena Fannie Mae -Source WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Regulators investigating Fannie Mae's accounting practices have sent subpoenas to the No. 1 U.S. mortgage finance company in connection with the probe, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Anadarko to Sell Gulf Assets for \$1.3 Bln NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anadarko Petroleum Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=APC.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">APC.N</A> has agreed to sell oil properties in the Gulf of Mexico to Apache Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=APA.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">APA.N</A> and a royalty interest to Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. for a total of \$1.31 billion as part of its plan to slash debt and buy back stock, the company said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Kerry touts job-creation plans (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry promised to help boost US job growth and take a harder line on alleged abuses by China as he touted his economic plan.$LABEL$0 +Scalpers Sell Athens Tickets at Face Value ATHENS (Reuters) - The Athens 2004 Games which will have a place in history as the Olympics' homecoming may also be remembered as the Games that redefined a ticket scalper's job.$LABEL$1 +Japan Court: Bobby Fischer Can Be Deported TOKYO (Reuters) - A Tokyo court on Friday rejected a request by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer to have the Japanese authorities halt procedures to deport him, his lawyer said.$LABEL$0 +Champions League matches in Group A Liverpool: 22-Chris Kirkland; 17-Josemi, 23-Jamie Carragher, 4-Sami Hyypia, 6-John Arne Riise; 18-Antonio Nunez, 8-Steven Gerrard, 14-Xabi Alonso, 10-Luis Garcia; 7-Harry Kewell, 5-Milan Baros.$LABEL$1 +Sony's TV Plans Take Shape New 46-inch LCD is just one of eight flat-panel models launched this week.$LABEL$3 +Beyonce's Hair Is Worth Millions (AP) AP - Beyonce reportedly makes up to #36;4.7 million for just 10 days of work a year #151; and that's just her hair. But she has to inform L'Oreal of ""any radical change to her hair any concert tour may necessitate"" and keep it in excellent condition, according to The Smoking Gun Web site, which has posted the contract between the singer and the cosmetic giant.$LABEL$3 +Sony's TV Plans Take Shape (PC World) PC World - New 46-inch LCD is just one of eight flat-panel models launched this week.$LABEL$3 +Airline Stops Three-Day Weekend Bookings (AP) AP - British Airways said Friday it has stopped taking bookings for the three-day weekend at the end of August because of a threatened strike over pay by check-in staff and baggage handlers.$LABEL$0 +Midway Could Be Viacom Acquisition Target (Reuters) Reuters - Media conglomerate Viacom Inc.\(VIAb.N) is considering expanding into the video game business\and could acquire publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY.N),\according to a regulatory filing on Friday by Viacom chief\Sumner Redstone, who owns a controlling stake in Midway.$LABEL$2 +Qantas, Jetstar fares rise with oil Qantas domestic and international air fares will rise by \$4 and \$7 respectively from next week as the airline lifts its fuel surcharge to offset soaring oil prices. Despite posting a record annual net profit of \$648.40 million on ...$LABEL$2 +Rouse Co. to be sold for \$7.2 billion Another of Greater Baltimore #39;s marquee companies will soon have out-of-state ownership, as Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. announced Friday morning it will buy the Rouse Co. for \$7.2 billion. $LABEL$2 +Advanced Neuromodulation initiates merger talks with Cyberonics NEW YORK, August 20 (New Ratings) Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc (ANSI.NAS) has acquired a 14.9 equity stake in Cyberonics Inc (CYBX), while initiating talks for combining the two companies. $LABEL$2 +Midway Could Be Viacom Acquisition Target LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VIAb.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">VIAb.N</A> is considering expanding into the video game business and could acquire publisher Midway Games Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MWY.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MWY.N</A>, according to a regulatory filing on Friday by Viacom chief Sumner Redstone, who owns a controlling stake in Midway.$LABEL$2 +Apple recalls 28,000 PowerBook G4 batteries Apple has recalled 28,000 of the batteries used in its 15in aluminium PowerBook G4 laptop computers sold earlier this year in the US and via its online and retail stores, after receiving four reports of the batteries overheating. $LABEL$3 +Deakes takes a walk into history The 27-year-old took out bronze in the men #39;s 20km walk -- winning Australia #39;s first Olympic medal for walking in almost 45 years. $LABEL$1 +Harmison strikes twice for dominant England LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Steve Harmison took two cheap wickets to leave West Indies reeling on 54 for three on the second day of the fourth test at The Oval on Friday after England #39;s wagging tail had pushed the hosts to 470 all out. $LABEL$1 +Us Grand Prix Is Back The United States Grand Prix is to return to the MotoGP calendar next year after an 11-year absence. $LABEL$1 +UN remembers Iraq staff, a year after bombing GENEVA: Tears flowed as the United Nations marked the first anniversary yesterday of the bombing that shattered its Baghdad headquarters. $LABEL$0 +PM: Australia aims to keep good relations with both US, China Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday that Australia #39;s policy is aimed at keeping good relations with both the United States and China. $LABEL$0 +Dell's Secret Earnings Engine The company gets its highest profit margins from a conspicuously old economy business.$LABEL$2 +Confusion Surrounds Seizure of Iraqi Mosque NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - The fate of a radical Shi'ite rebellion in the holy city of Najaf was uncertain Friday amid disputed reports that Iraqi police had gained control of the Imam Ali Mosque.$LABEL$0 +US: Time Running Out in Airbus-Boeing Row (Reuters) Reuters - The United States said on Tuesday it may\soon take legal action in a trade row over government help for\Airbus and Boeing, particularly as the European aircraft maker\was seeking support for a new project. Washington and Brussels\have so far resisted launching legal action at the World Trade\Organization (WTO) in their battle over allegations of illegal\subsidies to the aviation rivals, but that option may now be\just weeks away.$LABEL$2 +Militants Remove Arms From Najaf Shrine BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed their weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf as part of an arrangement aimed at ending a 2-week-old anti-U.S. uprising centered on the holy site...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Women's Basketball Team Beats Spain ATHENS, Greece - The U.S. women's basketball team got just what it wanted against Spain - a victory and a test...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Up Despite Oil Nearing \$50 a Barrel NEW YORK - Stocks edged higher in early trading Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, even as crude reached new highs and flirted with \$50 per barrel. A barrel of light crude was quoted at \$48.97, up 27 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after setting a new intraday record earlier in the session at \$49.40...$LABEL$0 +Tigers #39; Monroe facing theft charge in Charlotte County Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe was arrested for allegedly stealing a \$29.99 belt from a department store, a records clerk at Charlotte County jail said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Insiders Get Rich Through IPO (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Google's Wednesday initial public offering, despite its failure to price as high or sell as many shares as the company had hoped, still made a host of existing stockholders instant millionaires and billionaires.$LABEL$3 +Google AdWords Dynamic Keyword Insertion Google AdWords Dynamic Keyword Insertion\\Just another tip on improving conversion rates with Google AdWords. When search words appear in a Google ad they are bolded. A good way to improve click through rate (and thus lower price per click) is to place keywords in the ad.\\Sometimes it may not be ...$LABEL$3 +Pakistan to rest speed duo Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said he #39;d likely rest Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami for Tuesday #39;s limited-overs match against an Australian Chairman #39;s XI as Pakistan continues to ease its pace bowlers into the tour.$LABEL$1 +Movie Studios Lose In Case Against File-Sharing Apps The decision is likely to force the industry to take the more costly and less-popular route of going directly after file-swappers. $LABEL$2 +BHP had talks on India steel MINING giant BHP Billiton has confirmed it held preliminary talks with the Government of India #39;s Orissa state and Korean steel maker Posco about options for its iron ore business on the sub-continent. $LABEL$2 +Ceradyne shares surge on Army contract award NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Shares of Ceradyne Inc. (CRDN.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , a maker of ceramic body armor, surged to an all-time high on Friday on news that the company has won a US Army contract worth up to \$461 million. $LABEL$2 +Bush hasn #39;t decided on tax reform-Treasury #39;s Snow WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush has not decided on whether wholesale changes to the US tax code would be a focus of administration policy if he won a second term, US Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Friday. $LABEL$2 +Alcatel Spreading DSL Wealth in China Building on a longstanding relationship, Alcatel (Quote, Chart) will help China Telecom deploy 1.3 million DSL (define) lines, the latest in a slew of recent industry deals from emerging markets. $LABEL$3 +Microsoft HotFixes Flaw In XP Fix Microsoft has released yet another hotfix #39;to fix a newly discovered problem in its XP Service Pack2 (XP SP2) release. $LABEL$3 +Washing your hands with soap could damage the environment Washing your hands with soap may clean them for you, but according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, toxic chemicals used in hand soaps, cleaners and other personal care products to kill germs are deposited and remain ...$LABEL$3 +Greek athlete tests positive Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - A member of the Greek Olympic team has tested positive for a banned substance, this according to a news bulletin released by the Hellenic Olympic Committee on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Scalpers Sell Athens Tickets at Face Value ATHENS (Reuters) - The Athens 2004 Games which will have a place in history as the Olympics #39; homecoming may also be remembered as the Games that redefined a ticket scalper #39;s job. $LABEL$1 +Peschier wins gold in kayak Benoit Peschier was aggressive and precise while a British medal hopeful was timid when the French dominated the men #39;s slalom Olympic kayaking on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Aussie woman takes 500 time trial in the velodrome ATHENS (AP) Anna Meares of Australia won the gold medal Friday in the 500-meter time trial with a world-record time of 33.952 seconds. $LABEL$1 +Detroit Tigers Team Report - August 20 Detroit comes into tonight #39;s tilt on a winning note after Bobby Higginson homered twice to lead the Tigers to an 8-4 pasting of the Chicago White Sox. $LABEL$1 +Anaheim Angels Team Report - August 20 (Sports Network) - The Anaheim Angels try to make it three straight wins this evening when they start a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. $LABEL$1 +Maoist rebels bomb Nepalese capital KATHMANDU - Suspected Maoist rebels exploded two bombs in Kathmandu on Friday, the third day of their blockade of Nepal #39;s capital city. $LABEL$0 +Japan Court: Bobby Fischer Can Be Deported TOKYO (Reuters) - A Tokyo court on Friday rejected a request by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer to have the Japanese authorities halt procedures to deport him, his lawyer said. $LABEL$0 +PM clarifies Downer #39;s ANZUS comments MAXINE MCKEW: The Prime Minister has gently steered his Government back onto the official diplomatic line about Australia #39;s military obligations to America. $LABEL$0 +News: Download.Ject-style worm spreads via IM A Download.Ject-style worm which spreads through instant messages is spreading across the Net, according to intrusion prevention firm PivX.\$LABEL$3 +Taiwan's Economy Expands at Fast Pace (AP) AP - Taiwan's economy expanded at its fastest pace in four years during the second quarter as the global economy recovered, boosting foreign trade and increasing manufacturing output, the government said Friday.$LABEL$2 +Advocate Or Promoter? (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - As the second employee of InfoSpace, Jean-Remy Facq saw the value of his stock inflate and then collapse. Now he's suing in federal court in Seattle for a #36;4.5 million refund of 1999 federal income tax. He's just one of 200 tech workers who have hired Seattle tax lawyer/CPA Brian G. Isaacson in the hope his novel theories will help them slash old (and sometimes unpaid) tax bills from their exercise of stock options for shares that later tanked.$LABEL$2 +Crushing the Little Guys (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - In 1999 a wave of novice broadcasters tried to start several thousand new ""low-power"" FM radio stations, fledgling outfits that would fill gaps in the FM radio band. One group sought a license to air Baptist homilies in Connecticut, another for jazz in Oklahoma, another for Vietnamese talk shows in Minnesota.$LABEL$2 +Cheapware (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Craig Murphy has had enough. As chief technology officer at Sabre Holdings, which runs the world's largest airfare and ticketing network, Murphy has spent millions of dollars on database and other software from companies like Oracle. But last year, when Sabre was building a new computer system for online shoppers, Murphy took a flyer on a database program from a little-known company in Sweden that charges only #36;495 per server computer, versus a #36;160,000 list price for Oracle. Guess what? The Swedish stuff works great. ...$LABEL$3 +Greek Athlete Tests Positive for Drugs ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek pride was dealt another blow on Friday when one of their athletes failed a drugs test at the Olympics just 48 hours after its two top sprinters pulled out of the Games in a doping scandal.$LABEL$1 +General Growth to Buy Rouse for \$7.2 Billion A Chicago developer of regional shopping malls said today it will buy Maryland's The Rouse Co. for about \$7.2 billion.$LABEL$2 +Baseball must clean up its act B aseball #39;s dirty little secret is leaking out all over now. Steroids known as the quot;clear quot; and the quot;cream quot; have gushed into the news, staining the reputations of stars such as Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, and $LABEL$1 +General Growth Set to Buy Rouse for \$7.2B COLUMBIA, Md. Aug. 20, 2004 General Growth Properties Inc., a Chicago-based developer of regional shopping malls, said Friday it will buy the Rouse Co. for about \$7.2 billion. The deal will provide it with more leverage in negotiations with top ...$LABEL$2 +Best Buy sued for #39;ripping off #39; consumers Giant US electronics retailer Best Buy has been sued by the State of Ohio over alleged unfair and deceptive business practices. $LABEL$2 +Insurance giant Aetna to buy Columbia company for \$250 million (Hartford, Connecticut-Dow Jones/AP) Aug. 20, 2004 - Health-insurance giant Aetna says it #39;s agreed to buy Strategic Resource Company of Columbia for \$250 million. $LABEL$2 +BlackBerry in Sync with Apple Mac fans now can sync their BlackBerry devices with their PCs using software from Information Appliance Associates. The BlackBerry platform has developed a broad following in the enterprise, delivering wireless access to e-mail and ...$LABEL$3 +NASCAR driver killed Veteran NASCAR driver Tommy Baldwin was killed in a wreck at Thompson International Speedway in Conn. Thursday night. $LABEL$1 +Jamaica #39;s Fuller joins Portsmouth LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Jamaica striker Ricardo Fuller has joined Portsmouth from Preston North End on a two-year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Chicago White Sox Team Report - August 20 (Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox were handed an 8-4 setback by the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Bobby Higginson homered twice to lead Detroit. $LABEL$1 +Georgian troops pull out from conflict zone after intense fighting MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- All Georgian troops have withdrawn from the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone following a week-long battle between the two sides, Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze said on Friday. $LABEL$0 +US Hostage in Good Health - Jazeera Tape DUBAI (Reuters) - A US hostage in Iraq Micah Garen, appearing on a videotape, has called on the United States to stop the bloodshed in the Iraqi city of Najaf, Al Jazeera television said Friday. $LABEL$0 +Marrying the Ideal to the Real (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Rajiv Laroia was handed a dream assignment at Lucent's Bell Labs in 1997: Invent a way to put a broadband Internet in the sky. Don't worry about existing cell phone systems, just do it right.$LABEL$3 +Stocks Higher as Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks traded slightly higher on Friday, even as oil flirted near the \$50-per-barrel mark, suggesting that investors were snatching up beaten-down shares and growing confident that oil prices may be leveling off.$LABEL$2 +Tigers' Craig Monroe Facing Theft Charge (AP) AP - Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe was arrested for allegedly stealing a #36;29.99 belt from a department store, a records clerk at Charlotte County jail said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Higher As Oil Nears \$50 a Barrel NEW YORK - Stocks moved slightly higher Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, even as crude reached new highs and flirted with \$50 per barrel. A barrel of light crude was quoted at \$48.90, up 20 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after setting a new intraday record earlier in the session at \$49.40...$LABEL$0 +Militants Remove Arms From Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf in a step aimed at ending the 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site. Iraq's highest Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, agreed to take control of the shrine, which al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia turned into a stronghold and refuge during their fight with U.S...$LABEL$0 +NFL Game Tackles Competition Madden NFL 2005 sells more than 1.3 million copies in its first week. Also: Viacom considers buying Midway Games hellip;. China Mobile sanctions Go2joy mobile messaging unit hellip;. and more.$LABEL$2 +Google shines on second day Shares of Google are on the way up again on their second day of trading.$LABEL$3 +Dollar Up Vs. Most Except Yen NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rose against almost every one of its main counterparts except the yen on Friday, as technically focused investors shifted positions and considered the implications of spiking oil prices.$LABEL$2 +N.C. Co. Develops Germ-Fighting Clothes (AP) AP - Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, undersea explorers are living a safer life thanks to germ-fighting clothing made in Kinston.$LABEL$3 +Brazil Tribe Has Great Excuse for Poor Math Skills (Reuters) Reuters - Some people have a great excuse for\being bad at math -- their language lacks the words for most\numbers, U.S.-based researchers reported on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Strong growth for Linux servers End-user adoption of Linux servers for enterprise workloads hosting ISV applications and databases is ramping up rapidly, with newly published data indicating that uptake of the operating system has doubled over the past year.$LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls PowerBook Batteries Both the CPSC and Apple advised G4 customers affected by the fault to contact Apple immediately. Apple said it has made provision to supply replacement batteries free of charge by arrangement with the battery #39;s South Korean manufacturer, ...$LABEL$3 +Researchers Spot XP SP2 Security Weakness Microsoft believes that any hacker looking to exploit this issue would have to rely on considerable help from users. The company said an attacker would need to first entice the user to visit a specific Web site and then entice them to drag ...$LABEL$3 +Reports criticize DHS for lack of progress on IT AUGUST 20, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - As the debate about adding a national intelligence director proceeds, two government reports are shedding new light on an existing dilemma: If DHS CIO Steven Cooper can #39;t wrestle the agency #39;s sprawling bureaucracy into ...$LABEL$3 +Yahoo fixes two flaws in mail system News.com: Yahoo fixed two flaws in its free mail system that could have allowed a malicious user to read a victim #39;s browser cookies and change the appearance of some pages, Yahoo said Thursday. $LABEL$3 +Massu beats Dent to reach gold medal match Nicolas Massu beat Taylor Dent of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-1 Friday in the tennis semifinals to move within one victory of giving Chile its first Olympic gold medal in any sport. $LABEL$1 +Swansong for Gebrselassie Gebrselassie has already won everything under the sun. Twice an Olympic champion, in Atlanta and Sydney, the 10,000m legend has dominated the event for nearly ten years. By the time of Atlanta 1996, Gebrselassie was already the reigning world record ...$LABEL$1 +Meares, Hoy win cycling gold in record times Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Track cyclists Anna Meares of Australia and Chris Hoy of Great Britain won time trial gold medals Friday afternoon with record times. $LABEL$1 +Sadr #39;s aide denies entering of Iraqi police into Najaf shrine BAGHDAD, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- A top aide to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr denied a government announcement that Iraqi police entered Imam Ali shrine in Najaf on Friday, Al-Jazeera TV channel reported. $LABEL$0 +Syrian, Algerian arrested over Madrid train bombings A Syrian and an Algerian have been arrested in Spain in connection with the March 11 Madrid train bombings, the Spanish interior ministry said. $LABEL$0 +Second Chance on Lone Star Matt Richey weighs in on Lone Star Steakhouse's roundtrip from \$22 to \$33 back to \$22.$LABEL$2 +EU's incoming antitrust chief says honorary degree won't affect view of Gates (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union's incoming antitrust chief said Friday she thought Microsoft chairman Bill Gates was doing a ""good job"" when she awarded him an honorary degree eight years ago as head of a Dutch business school.$LABEL$0 +Iraqi footballers' fury at Bush Iraq's Olympic footballers attack President Bush, accusing him of exploiting their success.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela audit 'confirms' result Venezuelan officials say first results of an audit of the vote on President Chavez's rule show no fraud.$LABEL$0 +Napster Founder Introduces New File Sharing Service In yet more file sharing news, NME is reporting that Napster founder Shawn Fanning is planning another legal music download service that will reportedly have an almost limitless amount of tracks.$LABEL$3 +Thunderbird 1.0 takes on Entourage, Eudora Weeks after the launch of its Firefox 1.0 Web browser, the Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday is set to release version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client.$LABEL$3 +Analysts spot slump in LAN switch market But the overall market should still show growth over the year, researchers say.$LABEL$3 +Rouse Jumps on General Growth Buyout Commercial real-estate developer Rouse (RSE ) agreed to be acquired by General Growth Properties (GGP ), the No. 2 US shopping-mall owner, in a \$12.6 billion deal, which includes the assumption of \$5.4 billion of existing debt. Terms: \$67.50 cash per ...$LABEL$2 +Stocks in Motion: Wet Seal Shares of Wet Seal (WTSLA:Nasdaq - news - research) were among the Nasdaq #39;s losers Friday after the company posted a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss, warned that third-quarter results would be weaker than expected, and said that it is considering ...$LABEL$2 +Berlusconi hair mystery revealed by Italian surgeon (AFP) AFP - The mystery of Silvio Berlusconi's rapper-style bandana was explained when plastic surgeon Piero Rosati told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera that he had performed a hair transplant operation on the Italian prime minister.$LABEL$0 +Xbox to Stop Making Some Sports Games (AP) AP - Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video game business will lay off 76 workers and stop making some sports games, the company said.$LABEL$3 +Birders Flock to See Rare, Lonesome Falcon (Reuters) Reuters - Hundreds of U.S. bird-lovers have\flocked to a New England resort island to catch a glimpse of a\rare falcon that appears to have made a wrong turn, ended up\half a world away and may never find its way home.$LABEL$3 +Oil Producers Emerging to Sell at Record Prices LONDON (Reuters) - Oil producers are emerging to lock in record high prices for their future crude output, but activity is modest as firms still fear calling a premature end to this year #39;s stunning price rise, traders said on Friday. $LABEL$2 +Dollar Up Vs. Most Except Yen NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rose against almost every one of its main counterparts except the yen on Friday, as technically focused investors shifted positions and considered the implications of spiking oil prices. $LABEL$2 +Soft Demand for TFTs Affects Prices TFT LCD panel prices are expected to fall significantly for larger area 17 inch and 19 inch panels for LCD TVs, but the cost of products in the shops is still seen as a barrier to high volume consumer demand, according to ...$LABEL$3 +New Download.Ject Attack Hits IM Networks The Download.Ject malware attack has resurfaced, using the popular AIM and ICQ (define) instant messaging networks to spread itself. $LABEL$3 +Carly Patterson, Paul Hamm help define these Games Quick, what athlete defines the Olympics more than any other? Bruce Jenner? Maybe. Carl Lewis? Possibly. Jesse Owens? Could be. Mark Spitz? Nice choice. $LABEL$1 +Hoy wins gold by a whisker Cyclist Chris Hoy today secured Britain #39;s second gold medal of the Games by winning the men #39;s 1km time trial in a new Olympic-record time. $LABEL$1 +Bombs explode in Nepal capital KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal #39;s embattled government has offered to meet a demand by Maoist rebels to end their blockade of the capital after the guerrillas set off two bombs in and around Kathmandu. $LABEL$0 +Prints lead to two Madrid arrests Algerian Abdelkrim Beghdali, 41, and Syrian Safwan Sabagh, 41, were arrested days after the 11 March attacks but released because of lack of evidence. $LABEL$0 +UAL, Creditors Agree to 30-Day Extension (Reuters) Reuters - UAL Corp.'s (UALAQ.OB) United Airlines\on Friday said it has agreed with its creditors committee to a\30-day extension on the period in which it can file an\exclusive bankruptcy reorganization plan.$LABEL$2 +NFL Suspends Saints' Hodge for 4 Games (AP) AP - New Orleans Saints linebacker Sedrick Hodge has been suspended for four games by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy.$LABEL$1 +Swimming: Shibata Wins Women's 800m Freestyle ATHENS (Reuters) - Japan's Ai Shibata prevailed in a sprint finish to win the women's 800 meter freestyle gold medal at the Athens Games Friday.$LABEL$1 +Webb Ousted in Prelim Alan Webb is outmaneuvered and outrun as he failed to make it out of the preliminary round in the 1,500 meters.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Soccer Team Fights Past Japan 2-1 THESSALONIKI, Greece - Abby Wambach will never score an easier goal. From one foot away, she tapped the ball into the net and put the United States into the Olympic semifinals...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Move Higher As Oil Prices Decline NEW YORK - Stocks moved slightly higher Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, helped in afternoon trading by falling oil prices that had earlier reached new highs and flirted with \$50 per barrel. A barrel of light crude was quoted at \$48.42, down 28 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after hitting a record intraday high earlier in the session at \$49.40...$LABEL$0 +Nature and Nurture, the Recipe for Olympic Gold Olympic champions have their parents to thank for their physiology #151;but no one is born a world-record holder. That also requires training, nutrition, desire, and determination.$LABEL$3 +Maine Program Asks Sea-Kayakers to ""Leave No Trace In this week's <I>TravelWatch</I> column, <I>National Geographic Traveler</I> geotourism editor Jonathan B. Tourtellot examines a stewardship program that keeps Maine's ocean islands untrampled.$LABEL$3 +Airfares to rise as cost of fuel reaches record Air passengers are set to pay for record oil prices as airlines move to increase ticket prices. Qantas said yesterday it would increase the fuel surcharge it includes in the cost of tickets and Air New Zealand is expected to follow. $LABEL$2 +The Rouse Co. sold for \$12.6 billion General Growth Properties is going mall shopping, as it announced plans Friday to buy shopping mall owner The Rouse Co. $LABEL$2 +UAL, creditors agree to extend exclusivity 30 days CHICAGO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - UAL Corp. #39;s (UALAQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) United Airlines on Friday said it has agreed with its creditors committee to a 30-day extension on the period in which it can file an exclusive bankruptcy reorganization plan. $LABEL$2 +Anadarko to sell Gulf of Mexico shelf properties for \$1.3B Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has agreed to sell its Gulf of Mexico shelf properties in two deals that total \$1.312 billion. $LABEL$2 +Highland buys Tremont Boston in four-hotel deal worth \$227M The 322-room Tremont Boston was sold to Highland Hospitality Corp., a Virginia-based real estate investment trust that purchased the hotel along with three others for \$227 million from Wyndham International Inc. $LABEL$2 +US #39;s Snow-dollar to remain top reserve currency DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug 20 (Reuters) - High foreign ownership of US debt is quot;a healthy situation quot; and the dollar will remain the world #39;s preferred reserve currency, Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Friday. $LABEL$2 +NASA Recruits Stunt Pilots To Catch Sun Capsule NASA has enlisted the aid of Hollywood stunt pilots to retrieve a space capsule as it falls to Earth. The Genesis probe has collected tiny particles of the sun -- a stream of charged atoms known as quot;solar wind quot; -- from a region located about ...$LABEL$3 +Canon unveils new digital camera quartet Canon is today adding four new digital cameras to its range, including the launch of flagship professional and entry-level models in its PowerShot series. $LABEL$3 +Phelps wins duel with Crocker ATHENS, Greece -- American Michael Phelps won the gold medal Friday in the 100-meter butterfly with an Olympic-record time of 51.25 seconds. $LABEL$1 +Security for Olympics Successful, Greek Defense Minister Says Greece #39;s defense minister says his country #39;s security preparations for the Athens Olympics have been so successful that it is now in a position to advise China, the host of the 2008 Summer Games, on how to avoid terrorist attacks. But the minister says ...$LABEL$1 +Not Roddick, but Fish reaches finals ATHENS, Greece - Despite early disappointment in the Olympic tennis tournament, the US by was treated by Mardy Fish to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Ganzalez in the semifinal match. $LABEL$1 +USA women pass first big test: Spain ATHENS The USA women #39;s basketball team sailed through their first three games as though they were on a Mediterranean cruise, trouncing opponents by more than 30 points a game. $LABEL$1 +Father of crew chief killed in crash Thompson, CT (Sports Network) - Tom Baldwin, 57, father of Nextel Cup driver Kasey Kahne #39;s crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr., was killed in a crash at the Thompson International Speedway. He was driving in a Featherlite modified race on Thursday night. $LABEL$1 +Confusion Surrounds Seizure of Iraqi Mosque NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq #39;s interim government said it had defused a Shi #39;ite rebellion in Najaf on Friday without a shot being fired, but rebel militiamen denied police had seized the city #39;s sacred Imam Ali Mosque from their control. $LABEL$0 +Report: Japanese court dismisses request to halt deportation of chess legend Bobby Fischer TOKYO Japan #39;s main news agency reports a Tokyo court has dismissed a request to stop the deportation proceedings against fugitive chess master Bobby Fischer. $LABEL$0 +Australian opposition leader to leave hospital SYDNEY: Mark Latham, leader of Australia #39;s opposition Labor party, will leave hospital today and plans to be back at work next week after suffering an inflammation of the pancreas just months out from a general election. $LABEL$0 +Sensei's World (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Walk the hilly campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, Calif. and you enter the fabulous world of the international nonprofit. The three-year-old school has so far put about #36;300 million into its 103 suburban Orange County acres, and this is still a work in progress. As of this fall, only 400 students will meander among the rich, Romanesque architecture.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Vets Make Case for Kerry in Vietnam (AP) AP - Vietnam veterans supporting John Kerry for president made their case Friday in the heart of what was once enemy territory.$LABEL$0 +Group Finds Ancient Ships Off Italy Coast (AP) AP - Archaeologists exploring the bottom of the sea off the island of Capri have found the wrecks of three ancient ships that once plied the Mediterranean between Rome and northern African colonies.$LABEL$3 +EU commissioner admits Gates link The EC's new competition commissioner admits that she once gave an honorary degree to Bill Gates, founder of the firm that is battling Brussels on anti-trust issues.$LABEL$2 +Phelps Wins 100-Meter Butterfly American Michael Phelps won the gold medal Friday in the 100-meter butterfly with an Olympic-record time of 51.25 seconds.$LABEL$0 +Maker of disposable RFID tags gets millions The Swedish Industrial Development Fund has invested about \$4 million in Cypak, which makes throwaway RFID tags.$LABEL$3 +Best Software strategizes for midmarket dominance For a company that owns two of the most widely used midmarket software packages for sales and contact management, Best Software Inc. has been a fairly low-key competitor in the market over the past few years.$LABEL$3 +Mood Mixed Among Darfur Rebels Ahead of Talks (Reuters) Reuters - A Sudanese rebel commander\in a camp in Darfur tells his troops he is hoping for peace.\But just a few hours march away, young men say they are\convinced Sudan wants to drive them off the land.$LABEL$0 +Two Blasts Rock Market in Ukraine Capital, 13 Hurt (Reuters) Reuters - Two blasts rocked a wholesale market in\the northern suburbs of Ukraine's capital Kiev on Friday,\wounding 13, two seriously, an Emergencies Ministry official\said.$LABEL$0 +Yanks' Giambi Gets Groin Strain Treatment (AP) AP - Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi is getting treatment for a strained left groin and might resume running outdoors next week.$LABEL$1 +Guilty plea from N.B. man who allegedly planned shooting spree rejected (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - A New Brunswick man who was allegedly planning a shooting spree before it was thwarted by a friendly dog was sent back to jail Friday after prosecutors refused to let him plead guilty to weapons charges.$LABEL$0 +Pirates' Wells to Miss 2nd Straight Start (AP) AP - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kip Wells will skip his second straight start after tests Friday indicated rest would help his injured elbow.$LABEL$1 +Phelps Captures Fifth Gold, Seventh Medal ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps clinched his fifth gold medal and became the first man since Mark Spitz to hold four individual Olympic swimming titles when he won the 100 meter butterfly final Friday.$LABEL$1 +Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine -Witnesses NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite fighters appeared still to be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf on Friday after Iraq's interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.$LABEL$0 +US E-Commerce Sales Rise in Second Quarter (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. retail sales over the Internet\rose 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2004 and gained 23.1\percent compared with the same period last year as consumers\continued to turn to e-commerce to make purchases, a government\report showed on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Italian deputies drowned out in mobile phone clampdown: report (AFP) AFP - Thwarted so far in his attempts to clamp down on mobile telephone use among deputies, the speaker of the Italian parliament has hit upon a sophisticated way of getting tough, a weekly newspaper reported.$LABEL$3 +Death Watch (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Soka University in Japan trains students for government employment exams and touts their success. Might a presence of followers in the civil service be of more than spiritual use to Soka Gakkai? Consider this case from the files of the Tokyo civil courts.$LABEL$2 +UAL, creditors agree to 30-day extension CHICAGO - UAL Corp. #39;s United Airlines Friday said it has agreed with its creditors committee to a 30-day extension on the period in which it can file an exclusive bankruptcy reorganization plan. $LABEL$2 +Mall Retailers Trim Estimates Some shoddy reports trickling in Thursday night threw a wrench into an otherwise uneventful second-quarter earnings season for retailers. At least one analyst thinks its a harbinger, as consumers get cautious about spending money on anything that isn #39;t ...$LABEL$2 +Highland Buys Four Hotels From Wyndham Highland Hospitality Corp. a lodging real estate investment trust, said Friday that it bought four hotels from Wyndham International Inc. for \$227 million, plus closing adjustments. $LABEL$2 +Apple Recalls 28,000 G4 Laptop Batteries Apple announced a recall of some 28,000 lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in the 15-inch model of its PowerBook G4 laptops. The computer maker said the batteries could overheat, creating a fire hazard. They will be replaced at no ...$LABEL$3 +Google #39;s ups and downs Google #39;s long-awaited public offering finally made it to the street, but the search is still on for Microsoft #39;s Windows update. $LABEL$3 +AMD To Add #39;Strained Silicon #39; To Processors Advanced Micro Devices will add quot;strained silicon quot; to its microprocessor lineup this quarter, a company spokesman confirmed Friday, an esoteric technique used to improve performance. $LABEL$3 +Phelps adds yet another gold Michael Phelps collected his fifth gold medal of the Games with victory in the men #39;s 100 metres butterfly today. $LABEL$1 +America #39;s great hope in 1,500 can #39;t make it out of first round Alan Webb, who was supposed to end America #39;s streak of mediocrity in middle-distance races, got outmaneuvered and outrun as he failed to make it out of the preliminary round in the 1,500 meters. $LABEL$1 +US women #39;s soccer through to semifinals Thessaloniki, Greece (Sports Network) - The United States women #39;s soccer team advanced to the final four of the Olympics with a narrow 2-1 victory over Japan Friday. $LABEL$1 +Chad: Hepatitis E Breaks Out As More Refugees Threaten to Cross Border The deadly viral infection Hepatitis E has broken out among refugees from Sudan #39;s Darfur region at two camps in eastern Chad and may have passed into the local community, aid workers said on Friday. $LABEL$0 +Briefly: Gmail delivered to desktops roundup Plus: Maker of disposable RFID tags gets millions...Mitsubishi expands solar production...KDE updates Linux desktop...EA to take World Cup soccer to Xbox.$LABEL$3 +Oil Falls from #36;49, Iraq Violence Peaks (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices hit fresh highs on Friday,\lifting U.S. crude above #36;49 a barrel, driven by escalating\violence in Iraq and unabated fuel demand growth from China and\India.$LABEL$2 +Bills' McGahee Said to Ask for Trade (AP) AP - Running back Willis McGahee has asked the Buffalo Bills to trade him if he is not their starter on opening day, a source told The Associated Press on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Golfer Thatcher Leads at Reno-Tahoe Open (AP) AP - Mark Calcavecchia briefly took the lead Friday before a double bogey left him one stroke behind leader Roland Thatcher after the first round of the rain-delayed Reno-Tahoe Open.$LABEL$1 +Thirty-three injured when Air Portugal plane dives to avoid collision (AFP) AFP - A TAP-Air Portugal airliner dived sharply to avoid a mid-air collision with a smaller aircraft just before landing on the mid-Atlantic Azores islands, slightly injuring 33 people.$LABEL$0 +Three Indicted in Raising Funds for Hamas (AP) AP - A look at the three men charged with financing terrorist activities in Israel:$LABEL$0 +Giving Voice to A Billion Things (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - When Robert Poor looks at the world, he sees 50 billion embedded microcontrollers, the workhorse chips inside cars, traffic lights and air conditioners, doing their jobs in splendid isolation. Then he imagines what will happen when they all can talk to one another.$LABEL$2 +Japanese Court Dismisses Fischer Request (AP) AP - A Japanese court dismissed a request to halt deportation proceedings against fugitive chess legend Bobby Fischer, his lawyers said Friday.$LABEL$0 +C-USA Officials Vote on League Title Game (AP) AP - Conference USA athletic directors have voted unanimously to recommend holding the league's inaugural football championship game in 2005.$LABEL$1 +Militants Remove Arms From Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf in a step aimed at ending the 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site. Al-Sadr's followers remained in control of the walled shrine compound, but kept their guns outside...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Edge Higher As Oil Prices Fall NEW YORK - Stocks moved slightly higher Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, helped in afternoon trading by falling oil prices that had earlier reached new highs and flirted with \$50 per barrel. A barrel of light crude was quoted at \$48.15, down 55 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after hitting a record intraday high earlier in the session at \$49.40...$LABEL$0 +Nortel: Nowhere To Go But Up NEW YORK - It certainly sounds like bad news when a company fires seven executives for financial malfeasance, lays off 3,500 employees and advises investors that it expects sluggish market growth for the year. But for Ontario-based Nortel Networks, it #39;s ...$LABEL$2 +Unions #39;close to BA deal #39; Union negotiators today claimed they were close to agreeing a pay deal with British Airways to avoid a bank holiday strike and the resulting travel chaos. $LABEL$2 +Rouse Co. to be sold for \$7.2 billion Rouse Co., the Baltimore-based real estate investment trust that owns the Mall St. Matthews, is being sold to Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. for \$7.2 billion, according to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal. $LABEL$2 +Chinadotcom Gets Sanctions From China Mobile Communication NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Chinadotcom Corp. (CHINA) said government-controlled China Mobile Communications Corp. imposed sanctions on its Go2joy mobile applications unit for alleged offenses in its business practice. $LABEL$2 +Bank of America quiet regarding local layoffs While they have been quick to say how much customers will enjoy doing business with Bank of America now that it has taken over Fleet branches, bank officials have had little information to offer about how jobs will be impacted by the ...$LABEL$2 +NASA turns to stunt pilots to snag solar stardust PASADENA, CALIF. - Two helicopter stunt pilots from Hollywood will try to snag a capsule of stardust in midair, NASA has announced. $LABEL$3 +Ancient Mask, #39;Olympic #39; Ring Found in Thracian Tomb SHIPKA, Bulgaria (Reuters) - A Bulgarian archaeologist has unearthed an ancient gold mask and a ring featuring an quot;Olympic quot; rower in what he called an unrivalled find in the study of classical antiquity. $LABEL$3 +Broadband Use Passes Dial-Up Just over half of US Internet users now connect through broadband, according to a new survey. Nielsen/Netratings reports that in July, 51 percent of Internet users had DSL, cable, or other fast connections, up dramatically from 38 percent in ...$LABEL$3 +Greek weightlifter tests positive ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece looks set to lose the first medal it won at the Athens Olympics after bronze-winning weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis failed a drugs test. $LABEL$1 +Hall defends 50m crown American Gary Hall has defended his Olympic 50m freestyle title in a hotly-contested race in Athens. $LABEL$1 +Harmison takes eight, England near clean sweep LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Steve Harmison took eight wickets against a hapless West Indies to leave England in sight of a seventh successive victory on day two of the fourth test at the Oval on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Cyclists find fast track as competition begins ATHENS, Greece -- Erin Mirabella of the United States predicted a fast track for the opening day of track cycling competition at the Olympic Velodrome on Friday. $LABEL$1 +America #39;s great hope in 1,500 has early exit, Devers squeaks into 100 semis Alan Webb, who was supposed to end America #39;s streak of mediocrity in middle-distance races, got outmaneuvered and outrun as he failed to make it out of the preliminary round in the 1,500 meters. $LABEL$1 +Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine -Witnesses NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi #39;ite fighters appeared still to be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf on Friday after Iraq #39;s interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being ...$LABEL$0 +Putin Calls on Tbilisi, Tskhinvali for a Compromise Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope on August 20, that the Georgian and South Ossetian sides will show political will and follow undertaken commitments over ceasefire. $LABEL$0 +Prime Minister #39;s Expected Resignation Overshadows Hungary #39;s National Day BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Hungary #39;s ruling Socialist Party confirmed Friday, August 20, it had accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy and will shortly name a successor. The government crisis overshadowed Friday #39;s celebrations ...$LABEL$0 +2 held over Madrid train bombings Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- Police arrested two men on Friday in eastern Spain for alleged links to the Madrid train bombings last March, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman told CNN. $LABEL$0 +Super search Accoona.com launched in US and China The New Jersey-based Accoona Corporation, an industry pioneer in artificial intelligence search technology, announced on Monday the launch of Accoona.$LABEL$2 +Raiders, Cowboys Look to Improve Games (AP) AP - Mistakes defined Oakland's dismal 2003 season opener, and they showed up again in the team's exhibition opener: costly penalties and boneheaded decisions abounded.$LABEL$1 +Germany drops junta prosecutions Germany drops proceedings against ex-Argentine junta officials thought to be involved in the killing of Germans.$LABEL$0 +Is United Taking Aim at Retirees? The airline's plan to emerge from bankruptcy may include canceling its pension plans.$LABEL$2 +Deduct IRA Losses? In Some Cases If the market has made a dent in your retirement account, there are instances when you may deduct the losses.$LABEL$2 +Stocks stall at open NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Stocks stalled at the open Tuesday as investors shrugged off the impact of weaker crude prices and reports that Johnson amp; Johnson is seeking to buy Guidant in a \$24 billion deal.$LABEL$2 +Contracting Riches For Nation's Capital The metropolitan Washington region is reaping the rewards of Uncle Sam's procurement spending, with last year marking the highest growth rate of federal contract dollars in the area since the Beltway Bandit days of the 1980s. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Xbox to Stop Making Some Sports Games Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video game business will lay off 76 workers and stop making some sports games, the company said.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Shuts Sports Video Games Unit (Reuters) Reuters - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) has closed\a studio operation that made some of its sports video games,\cutting 76 positions, a spokeswoman said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +List of Foreigners Taken Hostage in Iraq (AP) AP - Insurgents in Iraq have kidnapped dozens of people in their campaign to drive out coalition forces and hamper reconstruction:$LABEL$0 +UAL, Creditors Agree to Extend Exclusivity 30 Days CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Airlines on Friday said it has agreed with its creditors' committee to a 30-day extension, subject to court approval, of the period during which it can exclusively file a bankruptcy reorganization plan.$LABEL$2 +NASA Researchers, Stunt Pilots Prepare for Genesis Probe's Return (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A team of NASA scientists, navigators and helicopter stunt pilots is ready to snatch a space sample canister out of the sky next month when the Genesis spacecraft returns to Earth.$LABEL$3 +Scan the Summer Sky for the Archer (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - On these late summer evenings \ after the Sun has set, look low in the south for the classical Archer, Sagittarius.$LABEL$3 +Kerry Stirs Gasoline Debate Amid Record Oil Prices (Reuters) Reuters - Crude oil prices near #36;50 a barrel\spurred an attempt by John Kerry's campaign on Friday to\re-inject gasoline price concerns into the election-year\debate.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Stocks Gain as Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks made gains in light volume on Friday as investors were encouraged about the prospects for corporate profits after oil prices eased from their peak.$LABEL$2 +Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine - Witness NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite fighters appeared to be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf on Friday hours after Iraq's interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.$LABEL$0 +Feds Subpoena Fannie Mae in Probe-Source WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Regulators investigating Fannie Mae's accounting practices have sent subpoenas to the No. 1 U.S. mortgage finance company in connection with the probe, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +US arrests two Hamas 'racketeers' US authorities arrest two alleged members of Palestinian militant group Hamas on racketeering and terrorism charges.$LABEL$0 +FDA to Inspect Boston Scientific Stent Plant -WSJ (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration\expects to inspect Boston Scientific Corp.'s Galway, Ireland\factory in the ""near future"" as part of its probe into the\company's coronary stent recall, the Wall Street Journal said\on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Music Piracy Lawsuits Wend Through Court (AP) AP - A woman in Milwaukee and her ex-boyfriend are under orders to pay thousands to the recording industry. A man in California refinanced his home to pay an #36;11,000 settlement. A year after it began, the industry's legal campaign against Internet music piracy is inching through the federal courts, producing some unexpected twists.$LABEL$3 +Saints' Hodge Is Suspended for Four Games (Reuters) Reuters - Linebacker Sedrick Hodge of\the New Orleans Saints was suspended for four games by the NFL\for violating the league's substance abuse policy.$LABEL$1 +Money Out of a Pipeline (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Martha and the Vandellas recorded A 1965 Motown classic that began: ""Nowhere to run to, baby/Nowhere to hide."" With the stock and bond markets not going much of anywhere, you may despair of finding any good liquid investment for your cash. Of course, you can tie up your money for long periods with hedge funds and their ilk, hoping for decent returns. But there are some good alternatives, particularly in the energy sector. In this issue, fellow columnist Richard Lehmann discusses royalty trusts, which focus on oil and gas extraction (see p. 206).$LABEL$2 +Oil Falls from Highs After Missing \$50 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased from new highs on Friday as dealers pocketed profits from a long record-breaking run after escalating violence in Iraq took U.S. crude close to \$50 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +ACC Football Begins New Era With Miami (AP) AP - The Miami Hurricanes spent the last year preparing to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Are they ready? ""The way I see it, we're just playing easier teams,"" defensive end Bryan Pata said. ""We're going to dominate each and every game.$LABEL$1 +UAL, Creditors Agree to 30 Day Extension CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Airlines on Friday said it has agreed with its creditors' committee to a 30-day extension, subject to court approval, of the period during which it can exclusively file a bankruptcy reorganization plan.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Rise as Oil Retreats from High NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained ground in light volume on Friday as investors were encouraged about the prospects for corporate profits after oil prices fell from their peak.$LABEL$2 +Treasuries Edge Down as Oil Retreat NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices edged lower on Friday as oil prices retreated from record highs, but trading was thin as a dearth of data prompted many investors to take off for an early weekend.$LABEL$2 +Brazil finds true value of art The Brazilian government and a United Nations agency team up to help the country reap more financial rewards from its ""creative industries"".$LABEL$2 +Jobs cut in Credit Suisse reshuffle Credit Suisse today announced that up to 300 jobs will be lost in an overhaul of its troubled investment banking business. The company said its investment arm - Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) - would be $LABEL$2 +Phelps' Fourth Individual Gold Ties Spitz ATHENS, Greece - Mark Spitz, you've got company after all. Michael Phelps matched Spitz's record of four individual gold medals in the Olympic pool with a stirring comeback in the 100-meter butterfly, nipping rival and teammate Ian Crocker at the wall Friday night...$LABEL$0 +Militants Still in Control of Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr removed weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf but remained in control of the holy site Friday amid efforts to end their 2-week-old uprising. Fighters from al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia were inside the shrine but left their guns outside...$LABEL$0 +United Argues It May Terminate Pensions CHICAGO - United Airlines would be within its rights to terminate its employee pension plans but hasn't yet decided to do so, an attorney for the carrier said Friday, as two unions urged a judge to block a financing plan they say is predicated on the airline halting fund contributions. The hearing came a day after the release of court papers in which United warned it ""likely"" will have to end those pension funds in order to secure the loans it needs to get out of bankruptcy...$LABEL$0 +Briefly: Linux release features Windows support roundup Plus: Gmail delivered to desktops...Chinadotcom mobile services suspended...Maker of disposable RFID tags gets millions...Mitsubishi expands solar production.$LABEL$3 +PostgreSQL 8.0 will run on Windows Open-source database to jump from beta testing to production within three months.$LABEL$3 +Linux release features Windows support Release makes use of technology from CodeWeavers to let customers run applications from Microsoft.$LABEL$3 +AMD using strained silicon on 90-nanometer chips Advanced Micro Devices(AMD) will implement the strained silicon manufacturing technique on its upcoming 90-nanometer processors as well as 130-nanometer processors released this quarter, an AMD spokesman said Friday.$LABEL$3 +Groups Meet to Discuss Climate Change New strategies to confront global warming took center stage in Buenos Aires on Monday, where thousands of environmentalists and government policy-makers gathered for an international conference on climate change.$LABEL$0 +Which Candidates Do Tech Companies Support? Technology employees are donating slightly more money to the Republican party.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Sends XP SP2 Home OS security fix is being rolled out to users who have enabled Automatic Updates.$LABEL$3 +UAL, Creditors Agree to 30 Day Extension (Reuters) Reuters - United Airlines on Friday said it has\agreed with its creditors' committee to a 30-day extension,\subject to court approval, of the period during which it can\exclusively file a bankruptcy reorganization plan.$LABEL$2 +Analysts See Grim Future for Wet Seal (Reuters) Reuters - Wet Seal Inc. (WTSLA.O) may have little\choice but to close hundreds of its teen-oriented stores and\convert dozens more to its upscale Arden B. brand if it hopes\to stay out of bankruptcy, analysts said on Friday.$LABEL$2 +Fact and Comment (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - The news from Iran is grim. This islamic dictatorship--the biggest source of terrorist training and financing in the world and the nation that's doing all it can to stir up trouble in already combustible Iraq--is clearly on the cusp of becoming a nuclear power. The clerical fascists running the country have dropped just about all pretense of their atomic programs being energy-related only. Tehran announced in July that it had resumed making the centrifuges needed to produce highly enriched uranium, a key ingredient for nuclear bombs. ...$LABEL$2 +White House Deals With Detainee Legalities (AP) AP - The Bush administration is taking the narrowest possible view of legal rights the Supreme Court gave to terrorism detainees while trying to fend off any new court challenges. Ultimately the high court probably will weigh in again, lawyers said.$LABEL$0 +Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine -- Witness NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite fighters appeared to be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf Friday, hours after Iraq's interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.$LABEL$0 +Constantine and the rise of Christianity The history of how Christianity became an accepted mainstream religion is an interesting one. If you have never heard the story of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his effect on the world's current religious landscape, read on to learn how one mans actions during his rise to power changed the world forever. $LABEL$3 +Electronic Arts Breaking Out The company's stock is not as popular as Madden NFL 2005, with its top sales numbers. Yet.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft benches sports games Turn out the lights, the party's over for unit that created mainstream sports games for the Xbox. Seventy-six workers lose jobs.$LABEL$3 +Kazaa Owner Cheers Court's File-Swapping Decision By MIKE CORDER SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- The distributor of file-swapping giant Kazaa on Friday welcomed a U.S. court's ruling that two of its rivals are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works shared online by their users...$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Mail Fixes Security Flaws Yahoo Mail Fixes Security Flaws\\Yahoo reportedly fixed two flaws in Yahoo Mail which had the potential to allow a hacker to read a victim's browser cookies and change the appearance of some pages, Yahoo told news services. A Yahoo representative said the flaws were fixed last month by making changes ...$LABEL$3 +News: Slow-moving lawsuits over music downloads producing court twists The Associated Press By Ted Bridis$LABEL$3 +Bloody Battle Dulls Cleric's Heroic Image (AP) AP - Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has emerged from a bloody, two-week showdown with U.S. forces with his militia intact but his heroic image in question.$LABEL$0 +Why Tech Stocks Stink (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - The wit who dubbed August ""the dog days of summer"" could have been looking at 2004's tech stocks in his crystal ball. Just what is ailing these critters? Let's look at all of the possible explanations. Perhaps by eliminating the foolish and transient we can discover a theme and pick up some bargains.$LABEL$2 +Hanes Opens Unmentionables Market in China (AP) AP - Hanes is entering the lucrative consumer market of the world's most populous nation, China.$LABEL$0 +GOP Convention Light on Stars (AP) AP - The Republicans will have one sure Hollywood star for their convention #151; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger #151; along with performers to keep the country music fans happy. But they'll be hard-pressed to match the Democratic convention's appeal to young voters led by Ben Affleck.$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Higher as Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday, as investor worry about high fuel costs crimping consumer spending and hurting company profits eased after crude oil prices fell from their peak.$LABEL$2 +Swimming: Fifth Gold, Seventh Medal for Phelps ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps won his fifth gold medal at the Athens Olympics Friday to claim a place alongside Mark Spitz as one of the greatest swimmers in Olympic history.$LABEL$1 +Bush Spending Spree Continues, More Cash to Burn (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush's campaign spent\ #36;45.8 million in July, the bulk of it on advertising, but he\still had about #36;32.5 million left to spend before he accepts\his party's nomination next month, according to a filing\released on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Swimming: Shibata Joins Japanese Gold Rush ATHENS (Reuters) - Ai Shibata wore down French teen-ager Laure Manaudou to win the women's 800 meters freestyle gold medal at the Athens Olympics Friday and provide Japan with their first female swimming champion in 12 years.$LABEL$1 +Congo Former Foes Head to S.Africa for Talks KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Reuters) - Former rebels and loyalists now in Congo's transitional government headed to South Africa on Friday for talks on reviving the country's shaky peace process and improving regional security, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Blast at Police Post in Nassiriya, Three Dead NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A blast ripped through a police station in the town of Nassiriya in southern Iraq on Friday, killing three police and wounding others, police said.$LABEL$0 +UN warns of Sudan refugee exodus Some 30,000 Sudanese refugees might cross into Chad to escape persecution by Arab militia, the UN warns.$LABEL$0 +Miami Struggles on Offense The Redskins on Saturday will face a Dolphins team facing a number of issues on offense.$LABEL$1 +Phelps to Forgo Final Race of Olympics ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps is done for the Olympics. Shortly after winning his fifth gold medal and seventh overall, Phelps told U.S...$LABEL$0 +IRS: Rose Owes Nearly \$1M in Unpaid Taxes MIAMI - Pete Rose is back in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which says the baseball great owes nearly \$1 million in unpaid taxes. The IRS filed a federal tax lien in Broward County on Tuesday alleging that baseball's all-time hits king owes \$973,693.28 in back taxes from 1997 to 2002...$LABEL$0 +Spectrum of Stormy Saturn Seeing Saturn in different wavelengths gives mission scientists a new and stormy picture of weather on the gas giant. While the view in ultraviolet highlights the stratosphere, the view in infrared shows swirling patterns from rotating cloud bands...$LABEL$3 +DNA Project May Reunite Adoptees with their Parents By MITCH STACY SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- Linda Hammer has helped thousands of adoptees find birth families through her people-finding Web site, weekly radio show and newspaper column...$LABEL$3 +Drag-and-drop flaw mars Microsoft's latest update An independent researcher finds an Internet Explorer vulnerability that could turn drag-and-drop into drag-and-infect.$LABEL$3 +Report: Consumers tuning in to plasma TVs Shipments go up, prices go down...with more of the same on the horizon.$LABEL$3 +'Doom 3' Game Unlikely for Xbox This Year - Id CEO (Reuters) Reuters - The Xbox version of ""Doom 3,"" the\long-awaited PC video game recently released to wide acclaim,\is not likely to be released in 2004 dealing a blow to\enthusiastic game players who are anxiously awaiting it.$LABEL$3 +Federal Court Rules for P2P Networks (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - A federal appeals court has ruled that two peer-to-peer online music-sharing networks, Grokster and StreamCast, are not liable for the illegal swapping of copyrighted music and other entertainment files on their networks.$LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls 28,000 PowerBook Batteries Due to Overheating Concern (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has issued a warning related to potential problems with the\batteries in some 28,000 of its 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptop computers,\telling customers that the batteries may pose a fire hazard due to\overheating.$LABEL$3 +Nokia Taps Ex-Coke Exec for Branding Help (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - On the heels of -- and perhaps in response to -- its recent struggles with declining market share, mobile-handset maker Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has signed former Coca-Cola executive Keith Pardy to head up its branding efforts. Pardy, a 17-year Coke veteran, was vice president of the company's non-cola branding efforts.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Gets Good Grades on SP2 (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Service Pack 2 for Windows XP is one of the company's most ambitious operating system updates ever, and -- as expected -- some experts already have discovered security vulnerabilities in the giant patch.$LABEL$3 +The CRM Money Pit - Part 4 (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Over the course of this five-part series, CRM Daily examines areas that tend to develop into financial black holes for companies launching or updating a CRM project.$LABEL$3 +BlackBerry in Sync with Apple (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Information Appliance Associates is offering an application that links the \BlackBerry mobile e-mail platform with Mac OS X, further extending BlackBerry's considerable reach.$LABEL$3 +Dolphins Ask Williams for #36;8.6 Million (AP) AP - The Miami Dolphins have asked Ricky Williams to return #36;8.6 million they say the running back owes the team because he has decided to retire.$LABEL$1 +'Doom 3' Game Unlikely for Xbox This Year - Id CEO NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Xbox version of ""Doom 3,"" the long-awaited PC video game recently released to wide acclaim, is not likely to be released in 2004 dealing a blow to enthusiastic game players who are anxiously awaiting it.$LABEL$3 +Reds' Graves Placed on DL With Sore Back (AP) AP - Cincinnati Reds closer Danny Graves was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of lower back spasms that flared up during his last outing.$LABEL$1 +Swimming: Phelps Wins Fifth Gold, Seventh Medal ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps clinched his fifth gold medal and became the first man since Mark Spitz to hold four individual Olympic swimming titles when he won the 100 meter butterfly final Friday.$LABEL$1 +Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine -- Witnesses NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite fighters appeared to be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf Friday hours after Iraq's interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.$LABEL$0 +Vagrant Killings Raise Fears of Brazil Death Squad SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - The beating to death of four vagrants and the battering of several others in downtown Sao Paulo have raised suspicions of death squads as crime soars in this vast South American city, officials said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Belgium impounds Ukraine plane A Nato-chartered Ukrainian cargo plane is detained in Brussels after a court ruling in a financial dispute.$LABEL$0 +Bush Aide Says White House Is Not Linked to Anti-Kerry Ad The president's spokesman said the White House had nothing to do with accusations John Kerry lied about his military service.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Says Bush Ignores 'Average Folks' CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday traced North Carolina's job loss over the past four years to President Bush's fixation on tax cuts for the wealthy and indifference to the needs of everyday Americans.$LABEL$0 +Online sales continue to rise, up 23.1 from a year ago While they're still a sliver of overall U.S. retail sales, retail online sales continued to rise in the second quarter of the year to \$15.7 billion, according to figures released today by the U.S. Department of Commerce.$LABEL$3 +J.D. Edwards users still aren't sold on PeopleSoft's takeover Based on interviews with J.D. Edwards users and an informal poll conducted by Computerworld, PeopleSoft has yet to win over the new customer base it inherited after buying its former competitor one year ago.$LABEL$3 +Possible security breach seen at AOL An AOL user who logged on to check his online financial portfolio was given access to someone else's data and is calling on AOL to correct what he sees as a security breach. AOL acknowledged an ""issue,"" but said corrective action has been taken.$LABEL$3 +Former Microsoft COO: Intelligence overhaul means crushing 'fiefdoms' Ending turf battles and ""fiefdoms"" will be as important as IT investments if the U.S. intelligence community is to be successfully overhauled, said Bob Herbold, former executive vice president and COO at Microsoft.$LABEL$3 +Reports criticize DHS for lack of progress on IT The GAO and the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general have issued critical reports about IT at the DHS -- a development that calls into question whether a proposed consolidation of U.S. intelligence agencies would lead to the same kinds of problems.$LABEL$3 +Oracle moves to monthly patching schedule After coming under criticism for sitting on patches for multiple holes in its database software, Oracle has announced that it will move to a monthly patch release schedule, though it hasn't said when.$LABEL$3 +New Download.Ject worm variant appears A new version of the Download.ject worm has begun spreading on the Internet, according to security firm PivX.$LABEL$3 +Reporter's notebook: HP World users disdain offshore support move This week's HP World is over, and users at the event had a lot of things on their minds.$LABEL$3 +Tech industry split in its political donations Tech industry political action committees and employees from computer and Internet companies have contributed just over \$1.6 million to President George Bush, and almost the same amount to Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry.$LABEL$3 +More money for fuel cells Neah Power Systems, which develops fuel cells for notebooks, raises \$12 million in venture funding.$LABEL$3 +Phelps Adds New Olympic Triumph (Reuters) Reuters - American teen-ager Michael Phelps, one\of the superstars of the 2004 Athens Games, added a seventh\medal Friday night to his collection of Olympic keepsakes but\new doping scandals tarnished world sporting's greatest event.$LABEL$0 +N.S. submariner recalls harrowing experiences in career spent underwater (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - HALIFAX (CP) - As Sam Jennings started to regain consciousness, he saw the dark smoke billowing through his submarine.$LABEL$0 +White House Says It Is Not Behind Attack Ads (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush and a top\adviser have long-standing ties to people behind advertisements\claiming Sen. John Kerry lied about his war record, but the\campaign denied any part in the ads on Friday and criticized\Kerry for ""losing his cool.$LABEL$0 +IRS: Rose Owes Nearly \$1M in Unpaid Taxes MIAMI - Pete Rose is back in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which says the baseball great owes nearly \$1 million in unpaid taxes. The IRS filed a federal tax lien in Broward County on Tuesday alleging that baseball's all-time hits king owes \$973,693.28 in back taxes from 1997 to 2002...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Edge Higher As Oil Prices Fall NEW YORK - A welcome slide in oil prices set off a relief rally on Wall Street Friday, with stocks posting a healthy advance as crude approached but then fell back from the \$50 a barrel mark. The major indexes all ended the week higher...$LABEL$0 +FCC Issues Rate Freeze for Phone Networks (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. communications regulators on\Friday issued interim rules that would freeze for six months\the wholesale rates for leasing access to the major U.S. local\telephone networks.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Jump as Oil Retreats from High NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks jumped higher on Friday, as investor worry about high fuel costs crimping consumer spending and hurting company profits eased after crude oil prices fell from their peak.$LABEL$2 +General Growth to Buy Rouse for \$7.2 Bln NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Growth Properties Inc. on Friday said it would buy Rouse Co. for \$7.2 billion, adding such swank shopping centers as Chicago's Water Tower Place and Boston's Fanueil Hall to what is already the nation's second largest mall portfolio.$LABEL$2 +United Air Raises Fuel Surcharge NEW YORK (Reuters) - UAL Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=UALAQ.OB target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">UALAQ.OB</A> , the parent of United Airlines, said on Friday it would raise its existing \$10 each-way fuel surcharge by an additional \$5 due to soaring fuel costs.$LABEL$2 +SEC Proxy Access Plan Stalled WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 10 months after moving boldly to boost the power of U.S. shareholders in choosing corporate directors, the Securities and Exchange Commission has become mired in disagreement.$LABEL$2 +Kerry takes legal action against Vietnam critics (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry's campaign formally alleged that a group attacking his Vietnam war record had illegal ties to US President George W. Bush's reelection bid.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Treasury Prices Edge Lower NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices edged lower on Friday as oil prices retreated from record highs, but trading was thin as a dearth of data prompted many investors to take off for an early weekend.$LABEL$2 +Briefly: More money for fuel cells roundup Plus: Linux release features Windows support...Gmail delivered to desktops...Chinadotcom mobile services suspended...Maker of disposable RFID tags gets millions...Mitsubishi expands solar production.$LABEL$3 +UAL Wins OK for Exclusivity Extension (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Friday\approved a 30-day exclusivity extension for United Airlines,\giving the carrier another month to file its own reorganization\plan without competing plans from creditors.$LABEL$2 +Gas stoppage may have caused deadly Belgian blast: TV report (AFP) AFP - A Belgian gas explosion in which 20 people were killed may have resulted from a combination of a halt in the gas circulation in a pipeline and existing damage to the main, Belgian television said.$LABEL$0 +UAL Wins OK for Exclusivity Extension CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Friday approved a 30-day exclusivity extension for United Airlines, giving the carrier another month to file its own reorganization plan without competing plans from creditors.$LABEL$2 +McGahee Pressures Bills According to the Associated Press, second-year running back Willis McGahee has asked the Buffalo Bills to trade him if he is not named the starter for opening day.$LABEL$1 +Briefly: Glitches hit some EarthLink-hosted sites roundup Plus: More money for fuel cells...Linux release features Windows support...Gmail delivered to desktops.$LABEL$3 +A chat check list for IT managers There are hundreds of considerations when selecting and implementing an IM management solution -- from product features and technology to pricing. Still, IM security consultants and vendors agree that the following points apply across the board.$LABEL$3 +Enterprise IM: Dangerous by default Organizations frequently pick a corporate-grade IM system -- IBM Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing, Jabber Messenger, or Microsoft LCS (Live Communications Server), for example -- thinking that internal-only IM is immune from threats.$LABEL$3 +Reining in public IM There is no question that IM is entrenched in the enterprise. More than 90 percent of businesses report IM activity, according to Osterman Research. A main reason, as we discovered in ""Getting serious about enterprise IM,"" is the improved productivity and reduced communications costs that IM delivers. What should concern CIOs is that unsanctioned consumer IM networks -- such as those from America Online, ICQ, Microsoft, and Yahoo -- make up 80 percent of corporate IM use today, and the number of users of these unsecured IM networks is growing at a fast clip, according to The Radicati Group. True, public IM networks offer enterprises some protection, such as very basic identity control. But organizations are still exposed to a multitude of security risks, including viruses and breached firewalls.$LABEL$3 +Kennedy, Kendall Suspended for Brawling (AP) AP - Colorado Rockies pitcher Joe Kennedy was suspended Friday for five games and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Kendall four for their parts in a bench-clearing brawl Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Tennessee May Start Freshman QB in Opener (AP) AP - Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer are trying to accomplish a feat that even Peyton Manning couldn't pull off at Tennessee #151; start at quarterback in the season-opener as a freshman.$LABEL$1 +Boeing Sees EU Agreeing to End Launch Aid WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Boeing Co. official said on Friday he was optimistic the European Union would agree to end government aid to develop new aircraft, which has helped its chief rival Airbus grab more than half of the civil aircraft market.$LABEL$2 +Bekele Succeeds Mentor Gebrselassie ATHENS (Reuters) - Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele succeeded his mentor Haile Gebrselassie as the Olympic 10,000 meters champion Friday after an astonishing final lap in the longest track event.$LABEL$1 +Zimbabwe moves to restrict NGOs Zimbabwe's government unveils a bill which would ban many human rights groups and charities.$LABEL$0 +9/11 Commission Formally Disbands WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11 commission closes down Saturday, but its members plan to continue testifying before Congress and traveling the country to try to get the government to improve homeland security...$LABEL$0 +Militia Offers to Cede Control of Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - A rebel cleric's militiamen kept their guns outside a holy site Friday after issuing a surprise offer to give up control of the Imam Ali Shrine to Shiite Muslim religious leaders, but negotiators wrangled into the night over getting the militants out of the compound. The removal of weapons and pledge to hand over keys to religious authorities was seen as a big step toward a resolution of the two-week faceoff in Najaf that has killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds in fighting between Muqtada al-Sadr's militia and a joint U.S.-Iraq force...$LABEL$0 +Sanofi-Aventis becomes world's third-largest pharmaceutical company (AFP) AFP - French pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Synthelabo formally announced the birth of Sanofi-Aventis, the world's third-largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe.$LABEL$0 +Team USA Says Labor Woes Won't Affect Cup (AP) AP - Team USA players promise NHL labor problems that could threaten the upcoming season won't be a distraction at the World Cup of Hockey.$LABEL$1 +Judge gives lawyers more time to review evidence in Regina election challenge (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - REGINA (CP) - A judge has given lawyers for former NDP MP Dick Proctor more time to pore over federal voter lists as they try to force a byelection that could, if successful, ultimately shift the balance of power in the House of Commons.$LABEL$0 +Ex-Enron CEO Seeks Separate Trial HOUSTON (Reuters) - Lawyers for former Enron Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ENRNQ.PK target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">ENRNQ.PK</A> chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on Friday asked a federal court to separate his trial from his former boss Ken Lay's on charges linked to the downfall of the energy company.$LABEL$2 +Arch Coal: Triton Acquisition Completed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arch Coal Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ACI.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">ACI.N</A> said on Friday it had completed the acquisition of rival Triton Coal Co. after a U.S. appeals court denied the government's bid to block the deal.$LABEL$2 +FCC Puts Hold on Wholesale Phone Rates (AP) AP - Federal regulators Friday imposed a six-month freeze on the rates regional phone companies may charge their competitors to use networks to provide local service.$LABEL$0 +Nicaragua, Taiwan open trade talks (AFP) AFP - Nicaragua and Taiwan opened talks aimed at drafting a free-trade deal by the end of 2005, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Linux Desktop Needs PC Vendor Support (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Opinion: If the Linux desktop is ever to be more than a niche player, it needs a hand from PC vendors, including real support from the ones that already claim to back it.$LABEL$3 +Rose Takes Big Tax Hit Pete Rose is back in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which says the baseball great owes nearly \$1 million in unpaid taxes.$LABEL$1 +Dolphins Want a Refund From Williams The Miami Dolphins have asked Ricky Williams to return \$8.6 million they say the running back owes the team because he has decided to retire.$LABEL$1 +Rain Hampers Play at NEC Invitational Only 24 players finished the second round at Firestone South, but the forecast was for dry, cool weather the final two days.$LABEL$1 +Possible security breach seen at AOL America Online Inc. is acknowledging an ""issue"" that allowed some of its members to gain access to online financial portfolios of other members. But the Internet service provider downplayed the incident, saying no personal identifying information such as usernames or credit card numbers was ever compromised.$LABEL$3 +Ex-Enron CEO Seeks Separate Trial (Reuters) Reuters - Lawyers for former Enron Corp.\(ENRNQ.PK) chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on Friday asked a\federal court to separate his trial from his former boss Ken\Lay's on charges linked to the downfall of the energy company.$LABEL$2 +Moore Reaches U.S. Amateur Semifinals (AP) AP - Ryan Moore keeps rolling along in the U.S. Amateur, moving into the semifinals with a 3 and 2 victory over Jason Hartwick on Friday at Winged Foot Golf Club.$LABEL$1 +GM's CEO Pours Cold Water on Gas Tax Hike DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GM.N</A> on Friday said Americans had no need to worry about talk of higher federal gasoline taxes being used to curb their dependency on foreign oil.$LABEL$2 +Major League Approves Baseball Channel for TV LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Major League Baseball has approved the creation of a national cable television channel devoted to America's favorite pastime, but regular-season games may be confined to the dugouts for the network's first year, a top league official said on Friday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Arrests Two in Hamas Financing Case WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials have arrested two men whom they accuse of funneling money to the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the past 15 years, the Justice Department said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Chilean Judge Questions Pinochet on Riggs Money SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A Chilean judge has questioned former dictator Augusto Pinochet about secret U.S. bank accounts worth up to \$8 million, a member of Pinochet's legal defense said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Agent: Rose Making Payments on Back Taxes PLANTATION, Fla. - Pete Rose owes almost \$1 million in back federal taxes, but he is making monthly payments on the debt, his representative said Friday...$LABEL$0 +Courtney Love Pleads Innocent to Assault LOS ANGELES - Courtney Love pleaded innocent Friday to a felony assault charge for allegedly attacking a woman with a liquor bottle at her ex-boyfriend's home in April. The mercurial rocker, wearing a long black dress, was composed in court, responding to Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Dennis Mulcahy's questions with ""yes"" or ""no."" Outside, she appeared shaken while talking with reporters...$LABEL$0 +Is VoIP just chump change? AT #38;T Chief David Dorman says he expects VoIP to be a \$2 billion-a-year business, small change for his company.$LABEL$3 +Major League Approves Baseball Channel for TV (Reuters) Reuters - Major League Baseball has approved\the creation of a national cable television channel devoted to\America's favorite pastime, but regular-season games may be\confined to the dugouts for the network's first year, a top\league official said on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Beleaguered CNE hoping for banner summer as others long for days gone by (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Sweet-talking carnies wasted no time launching into their well-rehearsed patter Friday at the opening day of the Canadian National Exhibition, hoping to put the plagues of the previous summer behind them.$LABEL$0 +Judge Revokes Mine Permit in Florida (AP) AP - A federal judge Friday revoked a permit to develop a limestone mine amid 6,000 acres of habitat that could be used by the endangered Florida panther.$LABEL$3 +Court Won't Halt Arch Coal's Triton Bid WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arch Coal Inc <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ACI.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">ACI.N</A>. on Friday pressed forward with its acquisition of rival Triton Coal Co. LLC after a U.S. appeals court denied an emergency request by antitrust authorities to block the deal.$LABEL$2 +Fischer fails to halt deportation A court in Japan rejects former chess champion Bobby Fischer's request to halt \his deportation to the US.$LABEL$0 +U-Md. Locks Up Friedgen University of Maryland head football coach Ralph Friedgen signed a contract extension on Friday that will keep him in College Park through 2012.$LABEL$1 +Intelligence everywhere If Y2K is remembered for getting companies to buy new hardware and upgrade old software, the latest driver of change, Sarbanes-Oxley, will be remembered for democratizing information and making accountability a companywide responsibility. Its reporting requirements make it mandatory that businesses hold everyone's feet to the fire.$LABEL$2 +Sun goes down, Empire blows up Well, I had my second date with Margot last week. It was nice. We attended a seminar on multimodal component interfaces and then went on a romantic stroll around a waste treatment facility. She says the smell of methane calms her nerves. I sure can pick em, cant I?$LABEL$2 +Javalobby removes Java specs at Suns request Javalobby, an online community of Java developers, has removed from its new JDocs documentation Web site several vital Java APIs at the request of Java founder Sun Microsystems, an official with Javalobby said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +FCC sets interim network-sharing rules ASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will require incumbent telephone carriers to continue offering parts of their networks to competitors while the commission rewrites those network-sharing rules.$LABEL$3 +Paes-Bhupathi lose to Ancic-Ljubicic (Reuters) Reuters - Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia beat fifth-seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes of India 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 16-14 in the men's doubles bronze medal match at the Olympic Games on Friday.$LABEL$0 +NYC Denies All Central Park Rally Permits (AP) AP - The city's decision to deny a permit to protesters for a rally on Central Park's Great Lawn on the weekend before the Republican National Convention is about preserving the lawn, not suppressing speech, lawyers for the city said in federal court Friday.$LABEL$0 +Volunteer Links Anti-Kerry Flier to GOP (AP) AP - A volunteer for John Kerry said Friday he picked up a flier in Bush-Cheney headquarters in Gainesville, Fla., promoting Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group the Bush campaign has insisted for weeks it has no connection to.$LABEL$0 +30 More Days of Exclusivity for UAL OK'd (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Friday\granted United Airlines another 30 days of exclusivity, giving\it until the end of September to file its own reorganization\plan without competing plans from creditors.$LABEL$2 +Bombs Prompt Call for U.N. Afghan Pullout (AP) AP - The bombing of a U.N. election office in Afghanistan that injuring six policemen drew calls from a U.N. union Friday for a withdrawal of staffers from the embattled nation.$LABEL$0 +Greek Drugs Embarrassment Overshadows Phelps ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece was rocked by the threat of being stripped of an Athens Games medal and the host nation's team manager offered to quit on Friday, as doping overshadowed Michael Phelps' drive to be Olympic swimming's top medal winner.$LABEL$1 +Pinochet probed on bank accounts A Chilean judge questions former dictator Augusto Pinochet about secret US bank accounts.$LABEL$0 +A Sense of Security An Independent News writer tells of his switch from Windows to a 15-inch PowerBook,: #147;Two months in, I have a prevailing sense of security and safety. There #146;s been not a sniff of system meltdown. The software and security updates are easy, convenient and (via broadband) fast. The sense of considerable computing power and massive processing going on is very evident, but it feels secure behind the OS X firewall and a router; and all with no need for antivirus software. #148; Aug 20$LABEL$3 +After Five Golds, Phelps Bows Out of Relay (AP) AP - Michael Phelps ended his magnificent Olympics with a magnanimous gesture. He matched Mark Spitz's record of four individual gold medals in the pool, then gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker #151; whom Phelps had just beaten.$LABEL$1 +Mets' McEwing Probably Lost for Season (AP) AP - New York Mets infielder Joe McEwing is likely done for the season after breaking a bone in his left leg.$LABEL$1 +Chain Store Sales Rise in the Latest Week NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. chain store sales rose in the week ended December 4, as average sales were generally ahead of last year, but customer counts were down, a report said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Four Tied for Lead at Reno-Tahoe Open (AP) AP - Scott McCarron made four birdies in 12 holes, moving into a four-way tie for the lead in the second round of the Reno-Tahoe Open on Friday before thunderstorms forced play to be suspended.$LABEL$1 +Candidate, Party Spending Tops #36;1 Billion (AP) AP - Spending by presidential and congressional candidates and the national party committees that support them already tops #36;1 billion for the 2004 election cycle, with more than two months of campaigning to go.$LABEL$0 +Kerry, Bush Escalate Battle Over Vietnam Ads (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John\Kerry asked the Federal Election Commission on Friday to force\a group accused of collaborating with the Bush campaign to\withdraw ads challenging his service in Vietnam as the\presidential race took a decidedly bitter turn.$LABEL$0 +Reform Advocates in China Hope for a Birthday Present The Communist Party is using the 100th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birthday to emphasize the urgency of overhauling the one-party political system.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Now Said to Support Growth for Some West Bank Settlements The Bush administration, moving to lend support to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has approved growth in some Israeli settlements in the West Bank.$LABEL$0 +Pinsent bids for glory British rower Matthew Pinsent will be aiming for his fourth Olympic gold when 'Super Saturday' starts in Athens.$LABEL$1 +India clears cricket team to begin Bangladesh tour (Reuters) Reuters - India said on Tuesday its national cricket team's Bangladesh tour could begin, after a threat from an Islamic militant group prompted a security review.$LABEL$0 +Court: Cos. Not Liable for Online Abuses (AP) AP - In a judicial blow to the entertainment industry, a federal appeals court ruled that makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works their users swap online.$LABEL$3 +Hezbollah-Linked Network Ordered to Comply (AP) AP - France's highest administrative body on Friday ordered a Lebanese TV network linked to the anti-Israel group Hezbollah to adhere to broadcast regulations or face being banned from French airwaves.$LABEL$0 +Iranian diplomat, Egyptian charged over assassination plot (AFP) AFP - Egypt said it has charged an Iranian diplomat and an Egyptian national over a plot to assassinate an unidentified public figure.$LABEL$0 +Moveon.org subscriber-data leaked through search Dozens of the political action committee's subscriber pages exposed by simple Google search.$LABEL$3 +An Oil Shock That Could Be an Economic Stimulus in Disguise Despite the parallels with the oil shocks of past decades, the impact of the oil spike on the economy is likely to be much less intense than in previous surges.$LABEL$2 +Reshaping a Reshaper of Landscapes The Rouse Company, the mall developer that has reshaped the nation's landscape, agreed to be acquired by General Growth Properties for \$7.2 billion in cash.$LABEL$2 +'Doom 3' Game Unlikely for Xbox This Year - id CEO NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Xbox version of ""Doom 3,"" the long-awaited PC video game recently released to wide acclaim, is not likely to be released in 2004 dealing a blow to enthusiastic game players who are anxiously awaiting it.$LABEL$3 +'Doom 3' Game Unlikely for Xbox This Year - id CEO (Reuters) Reuters - The Xbox version of ""Doom 3,"" the\long-awaited PC video game recently released to wide acclaim,\is not likely to be released in 2004 dealing a blow to\enthusiastic game players who are anxiously awaiting it.$LABEL$3 +Sen. Kerry Nearly Matches Bush's Fund-Raising (Reuters) Reuters - Democratic presidential\contender Sen. John Kerry nearly caught up to President Bush's\record-breaking fund-raising efforts by taking in #36;233.5\million, his campaign said on Friday, just behind the\incumbent's #36;242 million.$LABEL$0 +Check your marital status Plenty of spouses would probably sometimes like to forget their nuptials, but a spate of South African single woman were recently in for the shock of their lives when they discovered that they were in fact married. This prompted the country's department of Home Affairs to launch a marital status awareness campaign, in order to clamp down on the illegal marriages.$LABEL$3 +Bearhug Politics: Careful Steps to a New Bush-McCain Alliance George W. Bush and John McCain's bearhug and smooch on the campaign trail last week was one of the odder embraces in politics in a long while.$LABEL$0 +Google Faces Challenge of Public Company Status (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Your name is synonymous with searching the Internet, and you've just raised roughly #36;1.7 billion from investors by going public. What are you going to do now?$LABEL$3 +Athletics Pound Devil Rays 9-5 (AP) AP - Eric Chavez homered twice and Bobby Crosby went 3-for-5 with a home run to break out of a length slump as the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-5 Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Dutch Clear Van Gogh Slay Suspects (AP) AP - Six men arrested following the slaying of filmmaker Theo van Gogh are no longer suspects in the killing, but still face charges for belonging to a terrorist group, authorities said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Google Faces Challenge of Public Company Status Your name is synonymous with searching the Internet, and you've just raised roughly \$1.7 billion from investors by going public. What are you going to do now?$LABEL$3 +Schilling Shines As Red Sox Rout White Sox (AP) AP - Curt Schilling allowed three hits in seven shutout innings for his 15th win and Manny Ramirez hit a grand slam to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Chicago White Sox 10-1 Friday night.$LABEL$1 +GI Jenkins Said Willing to Face U.S. Tribunal -Media (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. Army sergeant accused of deserting\to North Korea in 1965 and now hospitalized in Japan is willing\to appear before the U.S. military in Japan for a plea bargain,\Japanese media reports said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Clashes Slow as Cleric's Grip on Mosque Seems to Slip Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel Shiite cleric, still retained control of a Najaf shrine, though there were signs his grip might be weakening.$LABEL$0 +Rookie Leads Falcons Past Vikings 27-24 (AP) AP - The quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons appeared comfortable in the new West Coast offense, calmly using his mobility to avoid pressure and then finding open receivers.$LABEL$1 +Phillies Top Brewers 4-2 to Stop Skid (AP) AP - Jim Thome and Bobby Abreu homered and Eric Milton pitched seven solid innings as Philadelphia ended a seven-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Davenport Advances at Ohio Tournament (AP) AP - Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport cruised past seventh-seeded Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Western and Southern Women's Open.$LABEL$1 +Ortiz Stifle Yankees Ramon Ortiz pitched four-hit ball for eight stellar innings to lead the Anaheim Angels over the Yankees.$LABEL$1 +Wide U.S. Inquiry Into Purchasing for Health Care The case appears to be focused on whether hospitals are fraudulently overcharging Medicare and other programs for goods.$LABEL$0 +Musharraf #39;s one-way deal is just the ticket NO WONDER that President Musharraf is pleased with his trip to London yesterday and Washington at the weekend. He has been fted as the chief ally in the War on Terror, a third implicit $LABEL$0 +Cards Top Pirates 5-3 to Sweep Twinbill (AP) AP - Scott Rolen became the third St. Louis player to hit 30 homers this season and Chris Carpenter set a career best with his 13th win, leading the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Friday night to complete a day-night doubleheader sweep.$LABEL$1 +Japan Tropical Storm Death Toll Hits 13 (AP) AP - Tropical storm Megi swept out to sea beyond northern Japan on Friday, leaving behind an arc of destruction that killed 13 people, left hundreds homeless and cut off power to tens of thousands, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Week on High Note Despite rising oil prices, U.S. stocks this week had their biggest rally since October, as investors reacted to some positive economic indicators, the easing of tensions in Iraq and Google Inc.'s unexpectedly strong performance after going public.$LABEL$2 +Hundreds Report Watch-List Trials For more than a year and a half, Rep. John Lewis has endured lengthy delays at the ticket counter, intense questioning by airline employees and suspicious glances by fellow passengers.$LABEL$2 +N. Irish deal hangs on IRA arms photos Anglo-Irish attempts to seal a lasting political settlement in Northern Ireland hinge on whether the IRA will allow pictures to be taken of their weapons being destroyed.$LABEL$0 +Prominent Eatery Seeks Chapter 11 Protection Galileo, the 21st Street restaurant that's a landmark in Washington cuisine and a frequent gathering place for the rich and powerful, filed for bankruptcy reorganization this week in the face of nearly \$2.5 million in debts, including a claim by the District for more than \$1 million in unpaid taxes and penalties.$LABEL$2 +Tensions Escalate Between Israel, Iran JERUSALEM - Iran threatened this week to attack Israel's nuclear facilities. Israel ominously warned that it ""knows how to defend itself."" Tensions between the two arch enemies have suddenly escalated, underlining the other great enmity that has been bubbling on the sidelines of the Arab-Israeli conflict for more than two decades...$LABEL$0 +NBA Jazz activate Spanish guard Lopez (AFP) AFP - Utah Jazz point guard Raul Lopez, a Spaniard who has missed the past two months while battling torn right knee ligaments, was activated by the National Basketball Association club.$LABEL$1 +Eagles Beat Ravens 26-17 but Lose Runner (AP) AP - Terrell Owens caught Donovan McNabb's long pass in stride, raced into the end zone, put his hands on his hips, stared at the crowd and nodded his head.$LABEL$1 +Four Dead After Attack on Homeless Man (AP) AP - Four homeless men were bludgeoned to death and six were in critical condition on Friday following early morning attacks by unknown assailants in downtown streets of Sao Paulo, a police spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Expos Lose Johnson, Armas to Injuries (AP) AP - Montreal Expos first baseman Nick Johnson was hit on the side of the head by a hard grounder and was carried off the field on a stretcher Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Chavez Urges Foes to Accept Defeat, Scoffs at Fraud CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday urged his opponents to recognize his recall referendum victory and pledged dialogue even with his ""most bitter enemies"" to heal the country's deep political divisions.$LABEL$0 +With Boxing Show, Fox Makes Quick Move, but Judge Reacts The Fox network tried to move the premiere of ""The Next Great Champ"" to the day before a hearing, but the judge moved the hearing to the day of the premiere.$LABEL$2 +Yankees Are Powerless, and Stadium Was, Too The big scoreboards at Yankee Stadium went dark in the seventh inning Friday night, not that the Yankees were lighting them up, anyway.$LABEL$1 +2 Ex-I.R.S. Lawyers' Licenses Suspended for Misconduct The law licenses of two former Internal Revenue Service lawyers have been suspended after they defrauded the courts so that the I.R.S. could win 1,300 tax shelter cases.$LABEL$2 +Chinese Advocates of Reform Seek Help From Deng's Spirit China's retired elders are using the 100th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birthday to emphasize the urgency of political reform.$LABEL$0 +Dolphins Want Pay Back The Miami Dolphins have asked Ricky Williams to return \$8.6 million they say the running back owes the team because he has decided to retire.$LABEL$1 +Cink Leads Soaking NEC Leader Stewart Cink played eight holes Friday morning to polish off a first-round 7-under 63 at the NEC Invitational and was at 8 under when play was suspended.$LABEL$1 +AND1 Mix Tape Tour Hop-Steps Into MCI Tonight The AND 1 Mix Tape Tour, whose emphasis on dunks over defense and trash-talk over chalk talk has vaulted AND1 from being a niche clothing line to a major athletic apparel manufacturer, culminates tonight at MCI Center. Attendance for the tour is up 30 percent this year, averaging about 7,000 spectators per game. About 10,000 are expected at tonight's event, which begins at 7:30.$LABEL$1 +Austin Relieved His Head Wasn't Shouldering a Problem Potomac Cannons right-handed pitcher Jeff Austin said he thought we was a head case after several horrendous outings with the big league club in Cincinnati last May.$LABEL$1 +Towers Stumps O's Again Former Oriole Josh Towers beats the O's for the second time in a week after allowing one run and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings as the Blue Jays triumph, 14-4, on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Corelli author loses plot in summerhouse theft (Reuters) Reuters - Louis de Bernieres, author of the best-selling novel ""Captain Corelli's Mandolin"", faces having\to rewrite the first four chapters of his new novel because his computer was stolen from his summerhouse.$LABEL$0 +Sadr Militiamen Still in Control of Iraq Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Rebel Shi'ite fighters appeared still to be in control of the Imam Ali mosque in the Iraqi city of Najaf, but the whereabouts of their leader, the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were unknown on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +McGahee: Play Me or Trade Me Running back Willis McGahee has asked the Buffalo Bills to trade him if he is not their starter on opening day, a source told The Associated Press on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Ortiz Stones Yankees Ramon Ortiz pitched four-hit ball for eight stellar innings and led the Anaheim Angels over the New York Yankees, 5-0, on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Moveon.org subscribers exposed Dozens of the political action committee's subscriber pages revealed by simple Google search.$LABEL$3 +Vietnam Vets in Hanoi Back Kerry with T-Shirts (Reuters) Reuters - With the U.S. presidential race taking a\decidedly bitter turn over John Kerry's Vietnam war record,\U.S. veterans in Hanoi are selling T-shirts supporting his run\for the White House.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Begins Criminal Probe on Riggs-Paper WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into possible wrongdoing at Riggs Bank, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing a letter from the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to federal bank regulators.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Begins Criminal Probe on Riggs-Paper (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Justice Department has\begun a criminal investigation into possible wrongdoing at\Riggs Bank, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing a\letter from the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to\federal bank regulators.$LABEL$2 +Phelps Gets Five Golds, Then Steps Aside ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps doesn't mind making history while sitting in the stands. The man who dominated the attention at the Olympic pool gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker...$LABEL$0 +Dodgers Beat the Braves 3-2 in 11 Innings (AP) AP - Adrian Beltre tied the game in the ninth inning with a home run off John Smoltz and won it in the 11th with his major league-leading 38th homer, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Pettersen in Lead at Wendy's LPGA (AP) AP - A steady downpour didn't qualify as bad weather to Suzann Pettersen. Playing through heavy showers was fine to Pettersen, who took a one-stroke lead Friday at the Wendy's Championship for Children. More than an inch of rain pounded Tartan Fields Golf Club, suspending play late in the afternoon #151; as was the case in the first round.$LABEL$1 +Oil Price Comes Close to \$50 but Then It Stages a Retreat il prices climbed nearer to \$50 a barrel yesterday before retreating, as traders reacted to reports on the conflict in Iraq, concerned that growing unrest might interrupt crude oil exports. $LABEL$2 +Grokster Wins Legal Victory over Copyrights Hollywood and the entertainment industry were set back by a legal decision that was favorable to Internet file-sharing company Grokster. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday in San Francisco that distributors of ...$LABEL$2 +Good for Google GOOGLE #39;S INITIAL public stock offering, for all the talk about its unusual auction and the missteps of company executives, has produced a desirable outcome. The stock, fairly priced at \$85 a share for the 19.6 million shares, has generated a reasonable ...$LABEL$2 +Rival has deal for mall owner WASHINGTON - Rouse Co., the once-visionary real estate firm that founded the city of Columbia, Md., and revitalized Harborplace in Baltimore, is being acquired for \$7.2 billion in cash by General Growth Properties, a Chicago-based owner ...$LABEL$2 +FCC Adds 6 Months to Local Phone Line Rules The Federal Communications Commission yesterday released a set of stop-gap rules governing local phone competition that requires regional telephone companies to continue leasing their lines to rivals at discounted rates for six months. $LABEL$2 +US Begins Criminal Probe on Riggs-Paper WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into possible wrongdoing at Riggs Bank, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing a letter from the US attorney for the District of Columbia to federal bank ...$LABEL$2 +Dallas firm interested in buying Cyberonics Cyberonics, the maker of a device that treats epilepsy, has nabbed the attention of a buyer. Advanced Neuromodulation Systems of Dallas said Friday it has acquired 15 percent of the company and added that it may want to buy it ...$LABEL$2 +Sir Martin Sorrell #39;very impressed #39; with US group Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, yesterday declared he was quot;very impressed quot; with Grey Global, stoking speculation WPP will bid for the US advertising company. $LABEL$2 +Arch Coal completes Triton deal SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Arch Coal said it completed its \$364 million acquisition of Triton Coal Friday, hours after a Federal Court turned down efforts by the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal. $LABEL$2 +Bay Street gets a boost from gold and technology sectors Toronto stocks closed higher yesterday, notching their first winning week in three as technology and gold issues teamed up to boost the market. $LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Inch Back Down Oil prices fell below \$48 a barrel as tensions between US forces and rebel fighters in Iraq eased, raising hopes that attacks against the country #39;s oil infrastructure would subside. US light crude for September delivery settled at \$47.86 on the New York ...$LABEL$2 +Airways pilots extend talks Pilots for US Airways are continuing to negotiate this weekend over the Arlington airline #39;s demand for a 16.5 percent pay cut, despite a warning from management that negotiations should have concluded yesterday. $LABEL$2 +Viacom could consider acquiring Midway Games LOS ANGELES Media conglomerate Viacom is considering entering the video game business and could acquire Midway Games, Viacom chief Sumner Redstone, who owns a controlling stake in Midway, said in a regulatory filing Friday. $LABEL$2 +Marvell Posts 54 Increase in Earnings Shares of the Marvell Technology Group gained yesterday after the company said second-quarter earnings tripled as revenue rose 54 percent. $LABEL$2 +Woods looks like he #39;ll stay No. 1 _ for now Stewart Cink was atop the leaderboard, and David Toms had the lead in the clubhouse. But with only 24 players completing second-round play in the rain-delayed NEC Invitational, it was hard to tell who had control. $LABEL$1 +Bekele begins reign as world #39;s distance-running king With a breathtaking final 400 meters late Friday night, the 22-year-old Ethiopian laid claim to the Olympic 10,000-meter throne previously occupied by his countryman Haile Gebrselassie. $LABEL$1 +Mets give up six in first, can #39;t struggle back SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Noah Lowry has pitched so well that Felipe Alou now counts on the rookie to win every time out -- a standard the San Francisco skipper held only for ace Jason Schmidt in the past. $LABEL$1 +Compete against your friends, SI experts and celebrities in this pro football pickoff PHILADELPHIA -- In his own inimitable fashion, Terrell Owens made it quite clear during the offseason that, all in all, he #39;d rather be in Philadelphia. He squawked long and loud, and eventually whined his way out of Baltimore. $LABEL$1 +Cubs Blast Six Homers in Astros Mauling NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mark Grudzielanek hit two of Chicago #39;s six home runs and Glendon Rusch pitched seven strong innings to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 9-2 pasting of the Astros in Houston on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Rangers beat Royals for seventh straight KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If his inconsiderate neighbor would just lose that noisy alarm clock, there #39;s no telling how many home runs David Dellucci might hit. $LABEL$1 +Overton beats hometown favorite On a day when it would #39;ve been easy to lose, Evansville #39;s Jeff Overton instead advanced to the semifinals of the 104th US Amateur Championship. $LABEL$1 +Ortiz shines in Angels win Ramon Ortiz pitched eight shutout innings as Adam Kennedy and Garret Anderson homered to lead the Anaheim Angels to a 5-0 road win over the New York Yankees on Friday. $LABEL$1 +Major League Baseball to Create Channel OS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball has approved the creation of a national cable television channel devoted to the sport, but regular-season games may be confined to the bench for the network #39;s first year, a top league ...$LABEL$1 +Schaub Rallies Falcons Matt Schaub threw one of his three touchdown passes to first-round pick Michael Jenkins as the Atlanta Falcons rallied for a 27-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a pre-season game. $LABEL$1 +Red Sox Bash White Sox 10-1 (AP) AP - After struggling for three months, the Boston Red Sox are getting hot. Curt Schilling allowed three hits in seven shutout innings for his 15th win and Manny Ramirez hit a grand slam to lead Boston over the Chicago White Sox 10-1 Friday night.$LABEL$1 +The Bad Overshadows Good in Eagles Win (AP) AP - Correll Buckhalter's injury overshadowed Terrell Owens' spectacular debut with the Philadelphia Eagles. Owens caught an 81-yard TD pass from Donovan McNabb on Philadelphia's first play, and rookie J.R. Reed returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score, leading the Eagles over the Baltimore Ravens 26-17 in a preseason game Friday night.$LABEL$1 +IE Flaw Affects Windows XP SP2 Systems The quot;highly criticial quot; vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5, and 6 on fully patched PCs running either Windows XP SP1 or the newer SP2. $LABEL$3 +Hollywood to grab stardust for Nasa PASADENA (California) - Hollywood stunt pilots and Nasa scientists are teaming up to snatch a capsule full of stardust as it parachutes back to Earth next month. $LABEL$3 +Apple Announces Voluntary Recall of Powerbook Batteries Apple, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced Thursday a voluntary recall of 15 quot; Aluminum PowerBook batteries. The batteries being recalled could potentially overheat, though no injuries relating ...$LABEL$3 +Learning to write with classroom blogs Last spring Marisa Dudiak took her second-grade class in Frederick County, Maryland, on a field trip to an American Indian farm. $LABEL$3 +E-Commerce Sales Rise in Second Quarter WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US retail sales over the Internet rose 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2004 and gained 23.1 percent compared with the same period last year as consumers continued to turn to e-commerce to make purchases, a government report ...$LABEL$3 +Lonely town holds view of space #39;s deep corners Sutherland, South Africa - It #39;s a 60-mile drive off the main highway in South Africa #39;s Northern Cape to this 19th century wool-producing town, but the desert landscape is so desolate it can feel as if the distance is 6,000 miles. The narrow ...$LABEL$3 +Moveon.org subscriber-data leaked through search Subscribers to Moveon.org #39;s mailing lists may have found their interest in the anti-Bush political site a matter of public record. $LABEL$3 +Good-looking, Lightweight #39;Push-to-Talk #39; Phone for Business Users You #39;ll either love or hate the metallic copper-tone case, but for us it is a welcome break from the generic silver or gray phones that everyone seems to have. (A silver version is also available, for the more timid.) Although by no means ...$LABEL$3 +AMD using strained silicon on 90-nanometer chips Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will implement the strained silicon manufacturing technique on its upcoming 90-nanometer processors as well as 130-nanometer processors released this quarter, an AMD spokesman said Friday. $LABEL$3 +Phone company replies to man 28 years later A Romanian man #39;s had a reply from the country #39;s state phone company 28 years after asking them to install a phone. Gheorghe Titianu from the northern town of Suceava said he was delighted when he saw the letter. However, the letter was simply ...$LABEL$3 +Blackberry in sync with Apple computers Information Appliance Associates, a software developer, announced the release of an application synchronizing Research In Motion #39;s (RIM) BlackBerry mobile devices with Apple #39;s Mac OS X. $LABEL$3 +Australian opposition leader released from hospital (AFP) AFP - Australian opposition leader Mark Latham was released from hospital Saturday after suffering from an inflamed pancreas in the lead up to national elections.$LABEL$0 +Kerry Tries to Counter Impact of Criticism WASHINGTON - Attacks on John Kerry's war record may be beginning to have an impact, polls suggest, amid raised voices and new TV ads on a subject at least temporarily dominating debate in the close presidential race. Democrats are laboring to deflect the questioning of Kerry's record with fresh ads touting his fitness for national command, even as the White House mocks the Massachusetts senator as ""losing his cool"" over claims he lied to win military medals in Vietnam...$LABEL$0 +Captors treat journalist well #39; An American freelance journalist with New England ties was shown in a video on al-Jazeera TV saying he is being treated well, #39; #39; while an aide to Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr said Micah Garen may be released soon. $LABEL$0 +Lab finds deadly H5N1 virus in pigs in China BEIJING - Chinese researchers have made the first-ever discovery of a lethal strain of bird flu in pigs, sparking concerns that the virus may mutate into an even deadlier strain and cause a new epidemic in Asia. $LABEL$0 +Maoist blockade of Kathmandu continues Bombs have exploded in Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu in the third day of a Maoist rebel blockade which is choking the passage of supplies to the city. $LABEL$0 +Make aid a demilitarized zone OXFORD, England A year ago Thursday, I was visiting the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad with my good friend, Arthur Helton, a human rights lawyer, to investigate the human costs of the war and its aftermath. We were sitting with Sergio Vieira de ...$LABEL$0 +Muslim Nations Urged to Meet About Najaf by Iran Leader EHRAN, Aug. 20 -President Mohammad Khatami has called on Muslim countries to hold an emergency summit meeting to help stop the violence between American forces and Shiite militiamen in Najaf, the official news agency, IRNA, reported ...$LABEL$0 +Fire stops production at Bridgestone #39;s biggest tire plant in Japan TOKYO : Production at Bridgestone #39;s biggest tire plant in Japan remained suspended a day after a fire broke out at a rubber refining facility, a company spokesman said. $LABEL$0 +Australia Considers Stockpiling Crude Oil, Australian Reports Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Australia #39;s government is considering stockpiling crude oil or refined petroleum products to protect the country from disruption to oil imports, the Australian reported. $LABEL$0 +China Invokes Deng to Send Tough Taiwan Message BEIJING (Reuters) - China invoked late leader Deng Xiaoping on Saturday in its campaign to recover Taiwan, lauding his proposal to recover the island by a quot;one country, two systems quot; formula but saying he never gave up the threat of force. $LABEL$0 +Utes D coordinator has two offers SALT LAKE CITY -- Defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham is deciding whether to stay at University of Utah and accept its head coaching job or take a rival offer from Brigham Young University.$LABEL$1 +Expedition Aims to Find Lost Slave Ship (AP) AP - Archaeologists are set to begin an expedition this month in hopes of finding a Spanish ship that wrecked along the jagged reefs off the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1841 carrying a cargo of African slaves.$LABEL$0 +Rate of oil exploration slows WASHINGTON -- Despite record oil prices and strong projected demand from China and the United States, major oil firms are skimping on their exploration budgets and pocketing big profits while waiting out the storm of high prices, oil analysts say.$LABEL$2 +New Fan Pier owners may take on partners The prospective new owners of Boston's Fan Pier said yesterday they would not rule out selling sections or taking on partners to develop nonresidential components of the 3 million-square-foot project.$LABEL$2 +Firm buys Rouse in \$12.6b deal A Boston landmark changed hands yesterday, as the Rouse Company , the developer and owner of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, agreed to be purchased by General Growth Properties Inc. of Chicago.$LABEL$2 +Changes at the Herald THE REGION The Boston Herald named business columnist Cosmo Macero Jr. editor of its business section, replacing Ted Bunker, a nine-year Herald veteran, who has left the newspaper to quot;pursue other opportunities, quot; according to a Herald statement. Macero, 37, will continue to write a regular business column. Herald editorial director Ken Chandler said Macero was promoted quot;to make the section ...$LABEL$2 +Mass. job growth highest since #146;00 Massachusetts bucked the national hiring slowdown in July as the state posted its biggest monthly job gains in nearly four years and manufacturing employment surged.$LABEL$2 +Giving back in a big way WOBURN -- Few developers could build a commercial property empire of 74 debt-free office, industrial, retail, and research buildings valued at about \$800 million. Even fewer would then give most of it away.$LABEL$2 +NL notables Expos first baseman Nick Johnson was hit on the side of the head by a hard grounder in the third inning and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Johnson immediately went down face first onto the infield. The Expos said Johnson never lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital for X-rays. The Expos' starting pitcher, Tony Armas ...$LABEL$1 +Rose owes almost \$1m in back taxes PLANTATION, Fla. -- Pete Rose owes almost \$1 million in federal back taxes, but he is making monthly payments on the debt, his representative said yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Car accident can't keep coach away SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Randy Hien has spent more than two decades managing Little League baseball, and he wasn't going to miss the Lincoln (R.I.) All-Stars team's trip to the Little League World Series, even though a recent car accident nearly killed him.$LABEL$1 +Red Sox: Burly effort CHICAGO -- A year ago last night, Kevin Millar emblazoned a new slogan in the New England lexicon and the Red Sox began to turn around their season. Millar responded to waning support for the Sox after they lost 11 of their first 19 games in August by declaring, quot;I want to see somebody Cowboy Up and stand behind this ...$LABEL$1 +Ralston's position? Whatever it takes FOXBOROUGH -- Steve Ralston will be in the Revolution's starting lineup tonight against Kansas City, but his position is a mystery. Ralston has played more MLS games (271) than anyone, until recently nearly all of those matches in the same role, but Ralston has moved into three midfield positions and displayed some of his most impressive performances at right back ...$LABEL$1 +Everhart won't join Huggins The merry-go-round future of Northeastern men's basketball coach Ron Everhart slowed down, at least temporarily, yesterday when Everhart decided not to pursue a position as an assistant on Bob Huggins's staff at the University of Cincinnati.$LABEL$1 +Eagles apply some more polish Far from being a finished product after its first preseason scrimmage last Monday, Boston College's football team continued to polish its game in its second scrimmage last night at Alumni Stadium, despite a 45-minute delay because of lightning and torrential rain.$LABEL$1 +Toms not all wet at NEC David Toms finished at 4-under-par 66 just ahead of a downpour yesterday during the second round of the NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio, leaving him the clubhouse leader.$LABEL$1 +Mass. girls defend NORTH ANDOVER -- Massachusetts defended its Hockey Night in Boston Girls Summer Showcase title yesterday with a 9-3 victory over Minnesota in the championship game at Merrimack College.$LABEL$1 +As Milosevic turns 63, UN judges seek to get trial back on track THE HAGUE -- Slobodan Milosevic spent a fourth birthday in UN custody yesterday, his war crimes trial at a standstill because of his fragile health and his judges facing a dilemma on how to get it going again.$LABEL$0 +Israel #146;s AG suggests changes to barrier JERUSALEM -- Israel risks international sanctions and other serious diplomatic repercussions surrounding the barrier it is building in the West Bank and must be prepared to make further changes in the route, the nation's attorney general has warned in a report.$LABEL$0 +Hostage says he #146;s being treated well BAGHDAD -- A US journalist with Boston-area ties who was abducted by militants in Iraq and threatened with death said in a video aired yesterday that his captors were treating him well, while an Italian journalist also was reported missing in the war-torn country.$LABEL$0 +Capital professor lands lead role with UK Athletics EDINBURGH University professor Dave Collins was today appointed as the new performance director of UK Athletics. The ex-Royal Marine, who has worked with competitors across a range of sports in the Capital $LABEL$1 +On Tape, Abducted Reporter Says He's OK (AP) AP - A U.S. journalist abducted by militants in Iraq and threatened with death said in a video aired Friday that his captors were treating him well, while an Italian journalist also was reported missing in the war-torn country.$LABEL$0 +Fourth gold for Pinsent Great Britain's Matthew Pinsent claims his fourth Olympic gold as the men's coxless four triumph in a photo finish.$LABEL$0 +Across New York, a Death Penalty Stuck in Limbo A ruling by New York's highest court on the state's death penalty law has complicated the job of prosecutors and left the fate of inmates uncertain.$LABEL$0 +Golden mask sensational #39; SHIPKA, BulgariaA Bulgarian archaeologist has unearthed a 2,400-year-old golden mask in the tomb of an ancient Thracian king a find he says is unrivalled in the study of classical antiquity. $LABEL$3 +Greece Soul Searches, Phelps Nears Record ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece, an ancient nation, searched its soul over a new doping scandal on Saturday while Michael Phelps, a fresh-faced American teenager, prepared to enter the Olympic record books without having to swim a stroke. The Olympics started its eighth day with 32 gold medals up for grabs in what has been dubbed Super Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Liquor Inhaler Debuts Alcohol-Free in NYC NEW YORK - Fruit-infused water and Gatorade - not vodka and whiskey - were the inhalants offered at the Manhattan debut of a controversial new device that lets drinkers take vaporized shots of alcohol, and opponents want to make sure the machines stay liquor-free. The machine, the Alcohol Without Liquid vaporizer, or AWOL, lets its users inhale liquor by mixing it with pressurized oxygen...$LABEL$0 +Fourth gold for Pinsent Britain's Matthew Pinsent claims his fourth Olympic gold as the men's coxless four triumph in a photo finish.$LABEL$1 +Phelps #39; gesture is worth a million Just when we thought the kid couldn #39;t do anything more to amaze us, he raised the bar Friday night and did it without putting a hand in the water. $LABEL$1 +I couldn #39;t stop Woodgate - Newcastle boss Robson Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson admits he is stunned at the speed of Jon Woodgate #39;s move to Real Madrid. $LABEL$1 +Greek jubilation no myth in #39;Peg Despite sluggish ticket sales and a scandal involving their star athletes, members of Winnipeg #39;s Greek community are still thrilled Greece is hosting this year #39;s Olympic Games. quot;There #39;s a lot of excitement, quot; said Chris Iacovidis, president of the Greek ...$LABEL$1 +Sox cruise past Chicago CHICAGO --- Elvis didn #39;t leave the building on Friday night, but Manny Ramirez and Orlando Cabrera both did. And Curt Schilling left the Chicago White Sox feeling quot;all shook up. quot; ...$LABEL$1 +Wily Devers snares spot in semifinals ATHENS -- The US women #39;s trio of 100-meter sprinters, including five-time Olympian Gail Devers, all raced into the semifinals with strong, controlled performances yesterday in the debut of the track and ...$LABEL$1 +Wambach #39;s boot boosts US into semifinals THESSALONIKI, Greece -- Abby Wambach will never score an easier goal. From 1 foot away, she tapped the ball into the net and put the United States into the Olympic semifinals. $LABEL$1 +In a flash, Escobedo's dream is over ATHENS -- Vicente Escobedo learned a hard lesson yesterday at Peristeri Boxing Hall. He learned you have to be ready when your moment arrives or you will chase your dream all night without ever reaching it.$LABEL$1 +'Style' scores in Spa feature SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Sense of Style lived up to her billing as the odds-on favorite and drew off through the stretch for a 6 3/4-length victory in the \$250,000 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race Course yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Different world NEWPORT, Vt. -- Lisa Klefos can't quite remember whether it was city life that drove her out of Boston or the beauty of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom that drew her up-country. It was either a combination of quot;drivers, politics, and taxes quot; that made it time for her to leave, or it is the overwhelming beauty of the Lake Memphremagog region she ...$LABEL$1 +Vendt's quest quashed ATHENS -- Erik Vendt's Olympics ended in the morning yesterday, when he ran out of gas in the preliminaries and failed to qualify for tonight's final of the 1,500-meter freestyle, where he's the world bronze medalist.$LABEL$1 +Cannons find target in rout The Boston Cannons said they weren't looking for revenge last night against the Baltimore Bayhawks, who drubbed the Cannons in their penultimate game of the season. That's what they said.$LABEL$1 +Heyl's spirits still afloat ATHENS -- Brett Heyl, the Norwich, Vt., native who had hopes of making the finals of the men's slalom kayak event, finished 12th in the morning heat yesterday, dropping him from the finals.$LABEL$1 +Japan's Ueno pitcher perfect vs. China ATHENS -- Yukiko Ueno pitched the first perfect game in Olympic softball history, leading Japan to a 2-0 win over China yesterday and a spot in the semifinals.$LABEL$1 +Distant memory in 10,000 ATHENS -- The two best 10,000-meter runners in history, two slender athletes from an impoverished country, met on the greatest stage of them all last night to decide if the new truly had surpassed the old.$LABEL$1 +Wadlow, Spaulding finally get a windfall ATHENS -- The fastest 49er on the Saronic Gulf yesterday was the one with the American flag spinnaker.$LABEL$1 +For Hall, a splash and dash to another gold ATHENS -- The defending champ took the blocks as if he were Apollo Creed last night, dressed in a star-spangled robe and trunks and brandishing his clasped hands like a prizefighter. And then Gary Hall Jr. went out and knocked the rest of the swimming world on its backside again, winning the 50-meter freestyle by a hundredth of a second ...$LABEL$1 +Greece Soul Searches, Phelps Nears Record ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece, an ancient nation, searched its soul over a new doping scandal on Saturday while Michael Phelps, a fresh-faced American teenager, prepared to enter the Olympic record books without having to swim a stroke. $LABEL$1 +Power outage wreaks havoc in Bronx Perhaps it won #39;t rank in the memory banks of New Yorkers to the extent the 1965, 1977 or 2003 blackouts do, but for the 53,530 in attendance at Yankee Stadium for Friday #39;s game against the Anaheim Angels, the unplugged ...$LABEL$1 +Emmons gives it best shot It would #39;ve been understandable if American Matt Emmons had a bad first Olympic experience. The way things had been going, he seemed destined for that. $LABEL$1 +Mets lose Trach in field SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Trachsel lasted only four innings and the Mets committed three errors in a 7-3 loss to the Giants last night at SBC Park. $LABEL$1 +NL notables Expos first baseman Nick Johnson was hit on the side of the head by a hard grounder in the third inning and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Johnson immediately went down face first onto the infield. The Expos said Johnson never lost ...$LABEL$1 +Murder police carry out searches Police investigating the murder of a woman in south-west London carry out house-to-house inquiries.$LABEL$0 +Report asserts Kazaa makes the rules Setting aside Sharman Networks #39; objections, an Australian judge accepted last Friday an affidavit with potentially damaging assertions about Kazaa #39;s handling of copyrighted material.$LABEL$3 +Congress Wants Rights Board Key members of Congress and the 9/11 commission make it clear that a federal board to protect civil liberties in the age of terrorism is not optional. But they're struggling to figure out how to establish it. By Ryan Singel.$LABEL$3 +Apple in iTunes.co.uk cybersquatting row Apple has been accused of bullying tactics in its battle to force a small UK firm to hand over ownership of the iTunes.co.uk web address.$LABEL$3 +You're Athletes, Not Journalists Olympians can do media interviews but they'd better not blog. The International Olympic Committee, interested in protecting lucrative broadcasting contracts, forbids any activity that might upset the networks.$LABEL$3 +Truckers defy Kathmandu blockade More lorry drivers are bringing supplies to Nepal's capital in defiance of an indefinite blockade by Maoist rebels.$LABEL$0 +Accused Hamas Leader Denies U.S. Charges DAMASCUS, Syria - A senior official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas indicted in the United States for conspiring to fund terror attacks against Israel denied the accusations and said the charges were driven by election-year politics in the United States. ""This is election campaigning,"" Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau, told The Associated Press in Damascus on Friday...$LABEL$0 +Riddick's mixed bag of tricks The Chronicle of Riddick franchise is very mixed in terms of success and quality.$LABEL$3 +AMD adds power saving at the high end Future Opteron processors will have power management technology from AMD #39;s laptop and desktop systems, the company has announced.$LABEL$3 +Malaysia testing 3 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysian officials on Saturday were testing three people who fell ill in a village hit by the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, after international health officials warned that the virus appeared to be entrenched in parts of ...$LABEL$0 +Iraqi captors to #39;free US journalist #39; The captors of an French-American journalist being held in Iraq have announced he will be released soon. $LABEL$0 +Truckers defy Kathmandu blockade More lorry drivers are defying the indefinite Maoist blockade of Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu, which is entering its fourth day. $LABEL$0 +Russian Cossacks ride for country again STAVROPOL, RUSSIA -- Once they were the outriders of the Russian empire, feared and fearless warriors who extended the Czar #39;s authority as far as their horses would carry them. $LABEL$0 +Abductions in Iraq catch Nepal government off guard Grappling with a blockade called by Maoist rebels and the closure of leading business houses, the Nepal government was caught off guard by reports of the possible abduction of 12 of its nationals in Iraq on Saturday. $LABEL$0 +As Milosevic turns 63, UN judges seek to get trial back on track THE HAGUE -- Slobodan Milosevic spent a fourth birthday in UN custody yesterday, his war crimes trial at a standstill because of his fragile health and his judges facing a dilemma on how to get it ...$LABEL$0 +Seven separatist rebels killed in restive Aceh BANDA ACEH, Aceh (AFP): Seven separatist rebels have been killed in the latest clashes to hit the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh, the military said on Saturday. $LABEL$0 +Policeman Killed as Nepal Siege Grips Capital (Reuters) Reuters - Suspected insurgents shot dead a\policeman in Nepal's capital on Saturday as the military said\it could escort food shipments into the city to ease a\rebel-inspired blockade.$LABEL$0 +Young French woman murdered in London park (AFP) AFP - A young French woman died in a London hospital on hours after being struck violently on the head with a blunt instrument while walking home across Twickenham Park, a police spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +HK heat 'risks bacteria growth' \Hong Kong scientists warn rising global temperatures may transform the city into a breeding ground for viruses.$LABEL$0 +Militiamen begin to leave Shi #146;te shrine NAJAF, Iraq -- Militia fighters began to leave the Shrine of Imam Ali yesterday, taking up positions outside the sacred site or fleeing the city, after rebellious Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr offered to return custody of the complex to moderate clerics.$LABEL$0 +US Changes West Bank Policy to Help Sharon: NYTimes (Reuters) Reuters - The Bush administration has signaled\approval of growth in some Israeli settlements in the West Bank\in a policy change aimed at helping Prime Minister Ariel\Sharon, the New York Times said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Iran Hangs Three Drug Smugglers in Public - Paper (Reuters) Reuters - Iran has hanged three drug smugglers in\a public square in the southern province of Kerman, the\Jomhuri-ye Eslami newspaper reported on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +US Changes West Bank Policy to Help Sharon: NYTimes NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Bush administration has signaled approval of growth in some Israeli settlements in the West Bank in a policy change aimed at helping Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the New York Times said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Iran Hangs Three Drug Smugglers in Public - Paper TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has hanged three drug smugglers in a public square in the southern province of Kerman, the Jomhuri-ye Eslami newspaper reported on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +UN airlifts food to Darfur town The UN drops food into remote communities in Sudan's troubled Darfur region that are cut off by rain.$LABEL$0 +Jackson search 'ignored warrant' Michael Jackson's Neverland manager claims police wanted to search areas unspecified by their warrant.$LABEL$0 +Pakistani Forces Attack Terrorist Lairs ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani troops backed by artillery and aircraft attacked two suspected terrorist hideouts near the rugged Afghan border on Saturday, killing and wounding a number of militants, Pakistan army and security officials said. The attack was launched near Shakai in the South Waziristan tribal region, scene of several military counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida fugitives and renegade tribesmen in the recent months...$LABEL$0 +Week Ahead: Stocks May Rally if Oil Eases (Reuters) Reuters - Investors will watch for oil news from\Russia and Iraq next week, but skepticism that crude prices can\stay sky-high is growing and a break in the energy market would\fuel a rally in U.S. stock markets.$LABEL$2 +Oil Unlikely to Knock Fed Off Rate Plan (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. economy may lose a step to\record high oil prices but concerns over inflation are likely\to keep the Federal Reserve on a steady course of gradually\raising interest rates, analysts say.$LABEL$2 +Week Ahead: Stocks May Rally if Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors will watch for oil news from Russia and Iraq next week, but skepticism that crude prices can stay sky-high is growing and a break in the energy market would fuel a rally in U.S. stock markets.$LABEL$2 +Two Blasts Hit Northwest Spain After ETA Warnings MADRID (Reuters) - Explosions rocked containers in two separate coastal cities in northwestern Spain on Saturday after a Basque newspaper received a telephoned warning in the name of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, state radio said.$LABEL$0 +German Police Detain 10 Neo-Nazis Before Hess March MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - German police detained 10 neo-Nazis on Saturday before a march marking the anniversary of the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess.$LABEL$0 +UN staff call for Afghan pullout The UN staff union calls for all personnel to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, saying it has become too dangerous.$LABEL$0 +Two bombs explode in Spain's northwest, ETA suspected (AFP) AFP - Two bombs exploded in two coastal towns in northwestern Spain, after an anonymous tip-off by a caller claiming to belong to the Basque separatist organization ETA, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.$LABEL$0 +Multifunction Devices Draw Back-To-School Crowd (Reuters) Reuters - The consumer electronics gizmo\that offers many functions in a small package is what's\compelling back-to-school shoppers to open their wallets.$LABEL$3 +Woods May Stay No. 1 - for Now (AP) AP - Stewart Cink was atop the leaderboard, and David Toms had the lead in the clubhouse. But with only 24 players completing second-round play in the rain-delayed NEC Invitational, it was hard to tell who had control.$LABEL$1 +Away on Business: Making a Difference NEW YORK (Reuters) - Working in poverty-stricken areas gives corporate travelers an up-close look at global problems such as disease, illiteracy or injustice. It also puts them in a position to bring about change.$LABEL$2 +Multifunction Devices Draw Back-To-School Crowd SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The consumer electronics gizmo that offers many functions in a small package is what's compelling back-to-school shoppers to open their wallets.$LABEL$3 +Online Satirists Pull No Punches on U.S. Election (Reuters) Reuters - Some are born to rule, others to\ridicule, is a worthy reminder to U.S presidential hopefuls\struck by an endless arsenal of satirical barbs on the Web.$LABEL$3 +Spain bombs 'follow Eta warning' Bombs explode in separate Spanish towns after a warning in the name of the armed Basque separatist group, Eta.$LABEL$0 +Phelps Bows Out With Magnanimous Gesture ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps doesn't mind making history while sitting in the stands. The man who dominated the attention at the Olympic pool gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker...$LABEL$0 +Bombs Explode at Rally in Bangladesh DHAKA, Bangladesh - A series of bombs exploded at an opposition rally in the Bangladesh capital Saturday, killing one person and injuring hundreds, witnesses said. The blasts occurred as the main opposition leader Sheikh Hasina was addressing the rally from atop a truck...$LABEL$0 +Judges Suspended Three judges are suspended Saturday for a mistake in scoring the men's gymnastics all-around final, but results are not be changed and American Paul Hamm keeps his gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Crawford Wins 100 Preliminaries Shawn Crawford speeds to victory in 10.02 seconds in the first round of the men's 100 meters, leading three Americans into the second round.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Beats Australia After a miserable Olympics four years ago, the U.S. men's volleyball team has guaranteed a place in the medal round.$LABEL$1 +Pinsent Wins Fourth Gold Rower Matthew Pinsent wins his fourth gold medal Saturday after his boat edges Canada by .08 seconds in the coxless four.$LABEL$1 +Ainslie clinches Finn gold Britain's Ben Ainslie retains his overall lead in the final race of the Finn class.$LABEL$1 +Blast at Bangladesh Opposition Meeting Kills 4 DHAKA (Reuters) - At least four people were killed when one or more bombs exploded as former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed addressed a public meeting outside her party headquarters on Saturday, police and witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Two Blasts Hit Northwest Spain After ETA Warnings MADRID (Reuters) - Small explosions rattled two coastal cities in northwestern Spain on Saturday, injuring at least one person, after a telephoned warning in the name of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Blast hits Bangladesh party rally A bomb explodes at an opposition rally in Bangladesh, killing at least one person, witnesses and police say.$LABEL$0 +Blast at Bangladesh Opposition Meeting Kills 4 (Reuters) Reuters - At least four people were killed when one\or more bombs exploded as former Bangladesh prime minister\Sheikh Hasina Wajed addressed a public meeting outside her\party headquarters on Saturday, police and witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Ainslie wins second Olympics yachting gold (AFP) AFP - Britain's Ben Ainslie collected his second successive Olympic Games yachting gold medal when he took victory in the Finn class.$LABEL$0 +Helicopter Stunt Pilots to Snag Stardust for NASA (Reuters) Reuters - NASA has recruited two\Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots for an especially tricky\maneuver -- snagging a capsule full of stardust as it\parachutes back to Earth next month, mission managers said on\Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Olympic Games Hit Stride with Medals Free-For-All ATHENS (Reuters) - Norway, Germany, France, Britain Romania, New Zealand and Australia all looted the gold-medal chest in the Athens Olympic rowing basin on Saturday, as Greece counted the cost of the Games in national pride and treasure.$LABEL$1 +Anderson offers England victory as Windies lose Lara, Gayle (AFP) AFP - James Anderson took the crucial wickets of Chris Gayle and Brian Lara as England pressed for victory in the fourth Test against the West Indies at the Oval here.$LABEL$0 +Court Acquits Mooning Theater Director (AP) AP - The Supreme Court has quashed charges of obscene exposure levied last year against avant-garde theater director Gerald Thomas, who mooned an audience after an opera performance.$LABEL$0 +Newspaper: U.S. Knew About Abandoned Kids (AP) AP - U.S. State Department officials learned that seven American children had been abandoned at a Nigerian orphanage but waited more than a week to check on the youths, who were suffering from malnutrition, malaria and typhoid, a newspaper reported Saturday.$LABEL$0 +For Native Alaskans, Tradition Is Yielding to Modern Customs Centuries-old traditions in Gambell, a village of 700, have been slipping away, as one of the most remote villages on earth finally contends with the modern world.$LABEL$0 +Sudan vows not to return displaced to their homes without watchdog's okay (AFP) AFP - The Sudanese government pledged that it would return none of the more than one million people displaced by the civil war in Darfur to their homes without the prior approval of the International Organisation for Migration.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan failing to keep Kashmir pledge - India (Reuters) Reuters - India's ruling Congress party accused Pakistan on Saturday of not keeping its promise to halt support for Kashmiri militants fighting against New Delhi's rule in the disputed Himalayan region.$LABEL$0 +Germans 'lose event gold' Germany is reportedly stripped of its three-day event team gold medal after a joint appeal was upheld.$LABEL$1 +High crude here to stay Oil dipping almost \$1 doesn #39;t signal the beginning of a major retreat, say commodities experts who suggest crude might never fall below \$40 US a barrel again.$LABEL$2 +Google goes public After a series of missteps, Google finally pulled off its much-hyped initial public offering Thursday. The good news about this unusual IPO, which sought to deprive Wall Street banks of full control over the $LABEL$2 +Venezuela Awaits Result of Presidential Recall Vote Audit Venezuelan election officials say they expect to announce Saturday, results of a partial audit of last Sunday #39;s presidential recall referendum.$LABEL$2 +British Airways strike averted after agreement reached A planned strike by British Airways(BA) workers on the August Bank Holiday has been called off after a pay settlement was reached between employers and BA staff, Sky TV reported Saturday.$LABEL$2 +2 Big Carriers at O #39;Hare to Cut Flights The nation #39;s two largest airlines, American and United, announced on Wednesday that they would cut flights at O #39;Hare International Airport to ease congestion that has been delaying flights from coast to coast.$LABEL$2 +US Air flying towards shutdown? US Airways faces a serious risk of going out of business, according to some leading airline analysts, despite claims by the CEO of the nation #39;s No.$LABEL$2 +Calif. Plan Aims to Add Solar Energy to Homes California should try to add solar energy systems to 1 million homes by 2017 to save electricity and cut pollution from power plants, Gov.$LABEL$2 +Nortel: Nowhere To Go But Up NEW YORK - It certainly sounds like bad news when a company fires seven executives for financial malfeasance, lays off 3,500 employees and advises investors that it expects sluggish market growth for the year.$LABEL$2 +The Aftermath Of Charley: The Most Expensive States To Insure Your <b>...</b> There are always trade-offs to every place people choose to live. If you live in New York, it #39;s too expensive. If you live in Montana, it #39;s too remote.$LABEL$2 +Medical Stocks Up 2.8 Percent on Week Medical-related stocks largely closed up Friday afternoon as Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc. bought a sizable chunk of Cyberonics Inc.$LABEL$2 +Armor Holdings Selected for DoD Program Body and vehicle armor company Armor Holdings Inc. said Friday it was selected as one of the companies to receive a Defense Department ceramic body armor contract that could be worth up to \$461 million over 36 months.$LABEL$2 +Red Cross will assist in locating relatives Local residents having difficulty reaching relatives in the areas recently hit by Hurricane Charley are urged to contact the Washtenaw County Chapter of the Red Cross for assistance.$LABEL$2 +Movie Studios Lose In Case Against File-Sharing Apps The decision is likely to force the industry to take the more costly and less-popular route of going directly after file-swappers.$LABEL$3 +Latest SP2 Flaw Bypasses IE Security Zone Security researchers have discovered another vulnerability in Windows XP Service Pack 2, but it doesn #39;t appear to be an immediate threat.$LABEL$3 +Absence of linguistic skills could hamper thinking ability Not being part of a culture with a highly developed language, could limit your thoughts, at least as far as numbers are concerned, reveals a new study conducted by a psychologist at the Columbia University in New York.$LABEL$3 +A Guidebook for Every Taste LANNING a trip involves many difficult decisions, but near the top of my list is standing in a bookstore trying to choose from a daunting lineup of guidebooks, a purchase that brands the owner $LABEL$3 +Mars Rover Finds Mysterious Rocks and More Signs of Water ith one Mars rover climbing into the hills and the other descending deep into a crater, scientists yesterday reported the discovery of several mysterious rock structures along with yet more signs that Mars was once awash in water.$LABEL$3 +NASA Researchers, Stunt Pilots Prepare for Genesis Probe #39;s Return A team of NASA (news - web sites) scientists, navigators and helicopter stunt pilots is ready to snatch a space sample canister out of the sky next month when the Genesis spacecraft returns to Earth.$LABEL$3 +Apple Announces Voluntary Recall of Powerbook Batteries Apple, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced Thursday a voluntary recall of 15 quot; Aluminum PowerBook batteries.$LABEL$3 +Battle heightens over San Francisco bridge costs Plagued by delays and cost overruns, a \$5.1 billion renovation of San Francisco #39;s Bay Bridge has run into added problems as the state refuses to pay for $LABEL$3 +Google #39;s ups and downs Google #39;s long-awaited public offering finally made it to the street, but the search is still on for Microsoft #39;s Windows update.$LABEL$3 +Electronic Arts Breaking Out Game kingpin and Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) has another hit on its hands. Madden NFL 2005 was the top-selling game its first week on the market.$LABEL$3 +Austria backs away from privatization VIENNA Austria backed away from a full privatization of its top telecommunications company after merger talks with Swisscom failed.$LABEL$3 +Amazon to purchase Chinese on-line retailer Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to buy Joyo.com, China #39;s largest on-line retailer of books, music and videos, for \$75-million (US) to gain access to the world #39;s second-biggest Internet market.$LABEL$3 +Valley wins point on spyware Technology companies in Silicon Valley have beaten back what they saw as an overreaching attempt in the California legislature to control computer spyware and hope that a new more palatable $LABEL$3 +Survey Notes Rise in US Broadband Users The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections. July measurements from Nielsen/NetRatings placed the broadband audience at 51 percent of the US online population at home.$LABEL$3 +Is VoIP just chump change? AT amp;T #39;s Net phone service may ultimately generate less than \$2 billion a year in revenue, Chief Executive David Dorman said Friday, which is chump change to a corporate giant.$LABEL$3 +Chinadotcom #39;s Text-Messages Suspended Chinadotcom Corp. said Friday that China #39;s state-controlled wireless carrier fined the company \$160,000 and suspended its text-message services on charges that the cell-phone service provider #39;s Go2joy unit $LABEL$3 +Scientists Make Malaria Drug Based on Herbal Remedy Scientists have created a synthetic drug which could offer new hope in the fight against malaria. Nearly two billion people live in areas affected by malaria.$LABEL$3 +LCD price cuts on the rise due to oversupply Prices are expected to fall for 17 and 19 inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TV panels based on Thin Film Technology (TFT), according to a report by Electronic News.$LABEL$3 +Sports Headlines from the Summer Olympics Saturday marks the final day of swimming at the 2004 Olympics and even though American Michael Phelps will not be in the pool for the 400-meter medley relay he will have a chance to tie an incredible record.$LABEL$1 +Monty still coming to terms with marriage split COLIN MONTGOMERIE openly admits he is losing sleep. But there are more serious things than the Ryder Cup on his mind. As he continues his bid to be part of Europes team next month, Montgomerie is still $LABEL$1 +Pittman Makes Remarkable Hurdles Comeback Thirteen days after undergoing knee surgery, world champion Jana Pittman made a remarkable comeback Saturday morning by winning her preliminary heat of the women #39;s 400-meter hurdles.$LABEL$1 +Demetra Proud of Husband #39;s Achievements Matthew Pinsent got the nod to carry on moments after winning his fourth Olympic gold medal from the person who matters most, his wife Demetra.$LABEL$1 +Tennis: Agassi, Hewitt Advance to Legg Mason Semifinals Two former world-number-one tennis stars, American Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, have advanced to the semifinals of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington.$LABEL$1 +Afghan women blaze a trail ATHENS, Greece -- At 14.14 seconds, Robina Muqimyar posted the second-slowest time among 63 women in the 100-meter trials. But she and judo competitor Friba Razayee also have achieved historic firsts -- they $LABEL$1 +World champs Serbia-Montenegro in trouble after loss to Spain Spain clinched first place in its group with a 76-68 victory Saturday, leaving Serbia-Montenegro in danger of failing to reach the quarterfinals.$LABEL$1 +Alonso the pass master Spain international Xabi Alonso is a player that epitomises the type of footballer Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants to have at Anfield.$LABEL$1 +West Indies Hold Up England March James Anderson took both wickets to fall as England were met with West Indian defiance on the third day of the final Test at the Oval.$LABEL$1 +Red Sox 10, White Sox 1 While Curt Schilling had a performance befitting a King on Friday night, Mark Buehrle and the White Sox were all shook up. The 38,720 fans who attended quot;Elvis Night quot; at US Cellular Field $LABEL$1 +Favorite son eliminated Hoosier Overton fends off four-time Winged Foot champ and St. John #39;s grad Svoboda in Amateur. BY MARK HERRMANN. MAMARONECK, NY - The golf phrase quot;local knowledge quot; took on new meaning this week at the US Amateur.$LABEL$1 +Cubs Blast Six Homers in Astros Mauling Mark Grudzielanek hit two of Chicago #39;s six home runs and Glendon Rusch pitched seven strong innings to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 9-2 pasting of the Astros in Houston on Friday.$LABEL$1 +Najaf Standoff Continues Shi #39;ite militiamen continue to occupy the Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, despite religious authorities #39; efforts to end the 17-day standoff.$LABEL$0 +More Violence in Nepal on 4th Day of Rebel Blockade In Nepal, fresh violence has erupted in the capital, Kathmandu, on the fourth day of a blockade imposed by Maoist rebels. The rebels are not backing down, even though the government has agreed to one of their key demands.$LABEL$0 +Malaysian bird flu an isolated case A recent case of bird flu Malaysia appears to be an isolated event, the World Health Organization says. Health officials have confirmed the case, found in the poultry of $LABEL$0 +Russian Cossacks ride for country again Once they were the outriders of the Russian empire, feared and fearless warriors who extended the Czar #39;s authority as far as their horses would carry them.$LABEL$0 +Two blasts hit northwest Spain Small explosions have rattled two towns in northwestern Spain, injuring four people, after a telephoned warning in the name of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, officials said.$LABEL$0 +A balancing act: Australia #39;s diplomatic relations HAMISH ROBERTSON: The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, sparked quite an argument last week with his comments in Beijing about whether Australia would side with the United States in any war over Taiwan.$LABEL$0 +Ex-Enron CEO Seeks Separate Trial Lawyers for former Enron Corp. (ENRNQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on Friday asked a federal court to separate his trial from his former boss Ken Lay #39;s $LABEL$2 +FDA Alters Tack on Children and Antidepressants A Food and Drug Administration reexamination of data linking the pediatric use of some antidepressants to increased suicidal tendencies has once again found a connection, and the agency is $LABEL$2 +Indian, British scientists working on drug to fight malaria At least 27 people are reported to have died of malaria in Alindra, India and 293 are seriously ill with the disease which broke out after the heavy rains and floods.$LABEL$3 +Storm-tossed counties to head back to school That #39;s what happened to Charlotte High School because of Hurricane Charley. A complex with 2,200 students, slightly bigger than Tallahassee #39;s largest high school, was demolished Aug. 13 by ferocious $LABEL$3 +Kerry accuses Vietnam critics of illegal ties to Bush campaign (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry's campaign has formally alleged that a group attacking his Vietnam war record had illegal ties to US President George W. Bush's re-election bid.$LABEL$0 +Hamm Won Gymnastics Gold on Score Error: FIG ATHENS (Reuters) - American Paul Hamm, who became the first American to win the Olympics men's all-round gymnastics title, should not have been awarded the gold, the sport's governing body ruled Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Cassini Spies Two Moons Around Saturn (AP) AP - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spied two new little moons around satellite-rich Saturn, the space agency said.$LABEL$3 +Olympics: Germans Unhorsed Amid Games Gold Binge ATHENS (Reuters) - Norway, Germany, France, Britain, Romania, New Zealand and Australia all looted the gold-medal chest in the Athens Olympic rowing basin on Saturday, as Greece counted the cost of the Games in national pride and cash.$LABEL$1 +Ruling Says Mistake Gave Paul Hamm Gold ATHENS, Greece - Paul Hamm's gold medal just lost some of its luster. A mistake in scoring of the all-around gymnastics final cost Yang Tae-young the gold that ended up going to Hamm, the International Gymnastics Federation said Saturday...$LABEL$0 +Phelps Will Finish Olympics As a Spectator ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps doesn't mind making history while sitting in the stands. The man who dominated the attention at the Olympic pool gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Wins Sailing Gold Americans Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham win their first Olympic titles after outmaneuvering their British rivals during the final 470 class race.$LABEL$1 +Equestrian Medal Overturned France is awarded the gold medal in the three-day equestrian team event after winning an appeal with Britain and the United States against an earlier decision that gave the victory to Germany.$LABEL$1 +Oil prices hit new high - and more to come Crude oil prices will top \$US50 (\$A69) a barrel for the first time this week, despite a slight fall in New York on Friday night, some analysts have predicted.$LABEL$2 +British Airways Averts Strike, Agrees Pay With Unions (Update2) British Airways Plc, Europe #39;s second- biggest airline, reached a pay accord with unions, averting a strike planned for the Aug. 27-30 holiday weekend by 11,000 baggage handlers and check-in staff.$LABEL$2 +Reshaping a Reshaper of Landscapes he Rouse Company, the mall developer and manager that has helped reshape the nation #39;s landscape, agreed yesterday to be acquired by General Growth Properties, the big owner of shopping centers, for \$7.$LABEL$2 +UPDATE 3-US airlines agree to cut flights at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare US airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport at peak periods to stem record delays that have slowed aviation nationwide, federal officials said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +SEC Rules Expand Disclosure Companies must disclose more information about their business deals and financial obligations starting Monday, when new Securities and Exchange Commission rules take effect.$LABEL$2 +FCC Puts Hold on Wholesale Phone Rates WASHINGTON Aug. 20, 2004 - Federal regulators Friday imposed a six-month freeze on the rates regional phone companies may charge their competitors to use networks to provide local service.$LABEL$2 +IE Flaw Affects Windows XP SP2 Systems The quot;highly criticial quot; vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5, and 6 on fully patched PCs running either Windows XP SP1 or the newer SP2.$LABEL$3 +Latest color pictures from Cassini look like artwork NASA has released three new stunning color pictures taken by the Cassini spacecraft exploring the planet Saturn. The images show the giant planet, its golden rings and several moons.$LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls PowerBook Batteries Apple Computer this week launched a voluntary worldwide 15-inch PowerBook G4 battery exchange program to deal with 28,000 potentially faulty units.$LABEL$3 +Phelps: Packing up seven medals ATHENS: Michael Phelps won gold in the 100m butterfly on Friday to take his Olympic medal tally to five gold and two bronze. A medal of any colour now will him equal the record for most medals at a single $LABEL$1 +More Home stories: Great Britain #39;s gold medal tally now stands at five after Leslie Law was handed the individual three day eventing title - in a courtroom.$LABEL$1 +Woodgate out to prove his worth at Real Madrid Jonathan Woodgate says he has learned from his past mistakes off the pitch and is now determined to make the headlines solely for his footballing prowess after completing a dream move to Real Madrid.$LABEL$1 +Forlan aiming for fresh start at Villarreal Uruguay striker Diego Forlan said he was looking for a fresh start after leaving Manchester United to join Primera Liga side Villarreal.$LABEL$1 +US basketball not only struggling team Take heart, Larry Brown. Yours is not the sole face of frustration at an Olympic basketball tournament that #39;s shaping up as the most compelling since 1988.$LABEL$1 +Spaniards can lift Liverpool: Benitez Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists his new Spanish signings will help the Reds to become contenders for the English Premiership crown.$LABEL$1 +Cricket: Anderson offers England victory as Windies lose Lara <b>...</b> LONDON : James Anderson took the crucial wickets of Chris Gayle and Brian Lara as England pressed for victory in the fourth Test against the West Indies at the Oval here.$LABEL$1 +Blast hits Bangladesh party rally A bomb has exploded at an opposition party rally in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, killing at least one person, witnesses and police say.$LABEL$0 +Six dead as Nepal rebels vow to step up blockade KATHMANDU : Maoist rebels who have cut off Nepal #39;s capital for four days pledged to expand their blockade to the Tibetan border as fresh violence left six people dead.$LABEL$0 +Two bombs explode in Spain TWO bombs exploded today in two coastal towns in northwestern Spain, after a tip-off by a caller claiming to represent the Basque separatist organisation ETA, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Howard says help at hand PRIME Minister Mr John Howard was yesterday forced to defend Mr Alexander Downer in relation to the Foreign Ministers comments that Australia was not bound to help the US defend Taiwan.$LABEL$0 +Burundi Agrees to Move Tutsi Refugees to Safety Following last week #39;s massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a refugee camp near Burundi #39;s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Burundian government is speeding up efforts to help the United Nations set up more secure camps in the $LABEL$0 +US demands quick result on Airbus subsidy dispute PARIS, Dec 7 (AFP) - The United States wants rapid progress in resolving a dispute with the European Union on public aid to rival aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus, and will call for World Trade Organisation mediation if US-EU talks do not produce results $LABEL$2 +Chicago Firm Acquires Rouse for \$7.2 Billion Rouse Co., the real estate developer that transformed America #39;s suburban landscape by creating the indoor shopping mall and self-contained communities far from city centers $LABEL$2 +British equestrian team get silver Germany have lost their two gold medals in the equestrian three-day eventing competition after France, Britain and the United States won their appeal to sport #39;s highest appeal body.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-England edge towards series whitewash England made slow progress towards a seventh successive test win with West Indies 274 for six on day three of the fourth test at the Oval on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Hobbled Sharon #39;s options limited despite vow to implement Gaza <b>...</b> JERUSALEM Aug 20 - Humiliated by his own party and under pressure from the opposition to call new elections, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appears in no position to ensure the implementation of his Gaza pullout plan.$LABEL$0 +Bush Touts His Education Agenda on Radio (AP) AP - In a back-to-school message, President Bush says that while many public schools aren't making the grade, he should get high marks from voters for the No Child Left Behind Act.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Chain Store Sales Rise (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. chain store sales rose in the\week ended December 4, as average sales were generally ahead of\last year, but customer counts were down, a report said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Edwards Faults Bush for Overtime Pay Cuts (Reuters) Reuters - Vice presidential candidate John\Edwards on Saturday assailed a new Bush administration policy\that excludes millions of Americans from overtime pay and\promised that the Democratic ticket would ensure that workers\are rewarded for their efforts.$LABEL$0 +'Mercenaries' avoid deportation Seventy men held in Zimbabwe accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea will not be extradited.$LABEL$0 +Edwards Denounces New Overtime Rules WASHINGTON - In blasting new overtime rules that take effect Monday, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards says he can't understand why the Bush administration wants to undermine a system that rewards workers who toil long hours. ""If you work hard, then you should be rewarded for that effort,"" Edwards said Saturday in the Democrats' weekly radio address...$LABEL$0 +Chavez #39;s victory The reaction by Venezuela #39;s opposition to the failed effort to recall President Hugo Chavez was disorganized and misguided. The two dozen groups behind the recall never worked together on a political message $LABEL$2 +Swimming: Phelps Wins a Classic Then Steps Aside Michael Phelps, who thrilled packed crowds for a week with his record-breaking feats in the pool, bowed out in true style on the penultimate evening of the Athens Olympic swimming competition.$LABEL$1 +Cink leads from Woods after second round of NEC Ryder Cup captain #39;s pick Stewart Cink continued his assault on the \$7 million NEC Invitational after completing his rain-delayed second round in two-under-par 68 on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Judges suspended for scoring error, but Hamm keeps gold Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - American Paul Hamm will get to keep his gold medal for the all-around competition, even though the International Gymnastics Federation announced the suspension of three judges for a scoring error that would have given $LABEL$1 +Iraqi Sadr Militia Maintain Control of Najaf Shrine, BBC Says Supporters of Iraqi Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr remain in control of the Imam Ali mosque in the southern city of Najaf after 16 days of fighting with US-led forces, the British Broadcasting Corp.$LABEL$0 +Nepalese rebels set off bombs in capital Kathmandu - Nepalese rebels shot a policeman and set off two bombs in Kathmandu on Friday while keeping up a blockade that has isolated the capital since midweek to press demands for the release of rebels held by the government.$LABEL$0 +Russian Peacekeepers Move Into S. Ossetia Hoping to end persistent skirmishing, peacekeepers moved into areas near South Ossetia #39;s capital to separate Georgian troops and fighters from the breakaway region, officials said Friday.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan army says Al-Qaeda-linked militants killed near Afghan <b>...</b> ISLAMABAD : Pakistani forces have killed quot;a few quot; militants in operations to flush out Al-Qaeda linked rebels in the northwestern tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, the military said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Hutu killers #39;ready for international court #39; The Hutu rebel movement which claims responsibility for last week #39;s massacre of Congolese Tutsis at a refugee camp in Burundi says, unrepentantly, it is ready to appear before an international tribunal.$LABEL$0 +Astronauts May Soon Wear Germ-Fighting Clothes KINSTON, N.C. (AP) -- Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, undersea explorers are living a safer life thanks to germ-fighting clothing made in Kinston...$LABEL$3 +Edwards denounces new overtime rules In blasting new overtime rules that take effect Monday, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards says he can #39;t understand why the Bush administration wants to undermine a system that rewards workers who toil long hours.$LABEL$2 +Hollinger Inc. Director Rohmer May Leave Board, Post Reports Richard Rohmer, a friend of Conrad Black and director of Black #39;s holding company, Hollinger Inc., may resign from the board as early as next week because he #39;s tired of dealing with complex $LABEL$2 +Leading Indicators, Jobless Claims Fall NEW YORK Aug. 19, 2004 - Offering more evidence that the nation #39;s economic recovery is losing steam, a closely watched gauge of future business activity fell in July for the second consecutive month.$LABEL$2 +Girl-next-door Gemma is all the vogue in America NEDLANDS teenager Gemma Ward has scored one of the biggest coups of her short modelling career - the cover of style bible American Vogue.$LABEL$0 +Cricket: England whitewash England beat the West Indies by 10 wickets to seal a 4-0 series whitewash.$LABEL$0 +New Painkiller Produces Fewer Side Effects By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter HealthDayNews -- A new painkiller, one of the family of COX-2 inhibitors, appears to be as safe as certain other drugs when it comes to cardiac effects. And it's safer than other drugs that can cause gastrointestinal complications, new research contends...$LABEL$3 +Exercise Pays Off in Long Run The effects of behavior modification programs designed to encourage physical activity last for at least three months after completion of such programs, says a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).$LABEL$3 +Google Sets Possible Precedent for Future IPOs While Google Inc. (GOOG) made some well publicized mistakes leading up to its initial public offering, the IPO still brought in \$1.1 billion for the company and more than \$450 million for its founders and initial investors. But was the company's unique Dutch auction system successful enough for other companies to follow Google's lead?$LABEL$3 +United Given New Deadline to Devise Plan A federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday gave United Airlines another 30 days to come up with a restructuring plan, but he warned the airline and its warring unions $LABEL$2 +Red Cross volunteer joins Florida efforts John Souza, a volunteer with the Boone County chapter of the American Red Cross, is the second Columbia resident to join efforts to assist people who were affected by Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley.$LABEL$2 +Treasury 10-Year Notes Hold Close to April High for Second Week US 10-year Treasury notes finished for a second week at the highest since April, on speculation record oil prices will hinder economic growth, prompting the Federal Reserve to slow the pace of interest-rate increases.$LABEL$2 +More Than 300,000 Vie for 3,000 LA Port Jobs More than 300,000 people participated in a lottery on Thursday for 3,000 well-paying longshore jobs at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where shipping volumes are booming, a Pacific Maritime Association spokesman said.$LABEL$2 +South Africa win Tri-nations title DURBAN, South Africa -- South Africa beat Australia 23-19 to regain the Tri-nations title after a five-year break. Percy Montgomery and wing Breyton Paulse received yellow cards which put the Springboks under $LABEL$1 +Wambach #39;s boot boosts US into semifinals Abby Wambach will never score an easier goal. From 1 foot away, she tapped the ball into the net and put the United States into the Olympic semifinals.$LABEL$1 +Morocco Arrests 64 Migrants Trying to Reach Spain RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's navy arrested 64 Moroccans trying to reach Spain illegally on a rubber speed boat, official news agency MAP said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Google Go Lucky One of Googles earliest features was a simple button beneath its search box that reads Im feeling lucky. The intention is for info-hungry masses to enter search terms, click on the lucky button and, voila, land on precisely the web page $LABEL$2 +Chavez Urges Foes to Accept Defeat, Scoffs at Fraud Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday urged his opponents to recognize his recall referendum victory and pledged dialogue even with his quot;most bitter enemies $LABEL$2 +Google Faces Challenge of Public Company Status Your name is synonymous with searching the Internet, and you #39;ve just raised roughly \$1.7 billion from investors by going public.$LABEL$2 +Greene set to back up big talk and he has said it in London, said it in Zurich and already said it here in Athens - he only had to turn up to retain his Olympic 100 metres title.$LABEL$1 +Sudan Dismisses UN Warning Of New Refugee Exodus To Chad KHARTOUM, Aug 21 (AFP) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail Saturday dimissed a UN warning that some 30,000 people displaced by the civil war in Darfur were poised to join a mounting exodus to neighbouring Chad.$LABEL$0 +Opposition rejects audit of Chvez recall vote CARACAS The Venezuelan electoral authorities on Thursday conducted a random audit of the referendum that confirmed President Hugo Chvez #39;s mandate, but the opposition rejected it and said the vote was a fraud.$LABEL$2 +POLITICAL POINTS 3:33 PM Taking Care of Business resident Bush will chalk up a victory on a contentious labor issue on Monday, but Democrats intend to work overtime to make him pay a political price.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Troops Clash with Shi'ite Militia in Najaf (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. troops clashed with Shi'ite\militiamen in Najaf on Saturday, interrupting a day of relative\calm in the holy city with the sound of mortar,\rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Britain's Lewis out of heptathlon (AFP) AFP - Britain's defending Olympic Games heptathlon champion Denise Lewis withdrew from the event after the fifth discipline.$LABEL$0 +Sudan vows open mind in Darfur talks -- but no magic wand in sight (AFP) AFP - Sudan has pledged an open mind going into peace talks with rebels from the war-ravaged western Darfur region and is apparently seeking to use accords it signed with southern fighters as a model to settle the conflict.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Troops Clash with Shi'ite Militia in Najaf NAJAF (Reuters) - U.S. troops clashed with Shi'ite militiamen in Najaf on Saturday, interrupting a day of relative calm in the holy city with the sound of mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire, witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Google scores first-day bump of 18 Even a big first-day jump in shares of Google (GOOG) couldn #39;t quiet debate over whether the Internet search engine #39;s contentious auction was a hit or a flop.$LABEL$2 +Mastering Madden NFL isn #39;ta snap It #39;s that time of year again, when normally affable, outgoing people abandon their families for hours at a time to stare enraptured at their TV screens.$LABEL$3 +Half of US Web Users Now on Broadband -- Report More than half of all US residential Internet users reached the Web via fast broadband connections in July, outpacing use of slower, dial-up connections for the first time $LABEL$3 +Global LCD Oversupply to Peak in Q3 A global oversupply of large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is forecast to peak in the third quarter of this year, but it will balance out by the fourth quarter, a US-based research firm said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Athletics: Olympic Record For Bekele, Webb Eliminated From 1500 <b>...</b> The biggest applause at Olympic Stadium yesterday, the first day of athletics competition, didnt come for Greek heptathlete Aryiro Strataki or triple jumper Hristos Meletoglou $LABEL$1 +Drugs found in raid on Greek coach #39;s store Greek police found nutritional supplements containing banned stimulants and steroids in a raid on premises used by the sprint coach at the centre of the Athens Olympics $LABEL$1 +Soccer: Real wanted England international Woodgate despite injury LONDON : England international defender Jonathan Woodgate, Real Madrid #39;s new recruit from Newcastle, will be out of action for a month but that did not deter the Spanish giants from signing him.$LABEL$1 +Olympics: American sprint stars throw down 100m gauntlet ATHENS : America #39;s 100 metres sprint stars threw down the gauntlet at the Olympics but their Carribean rivals replied with a double salvo of their own to give the blue riband event an added edge.$LABEL$1 +FORLAN SEALS SPANISH SWITCH Villarreal have completed the signing of Manchester United misfit Diego Forlan on a five-year deal. The Uruguayan hit-man never convinced during his time at Old Trafford following a 7.$LABEL$1 +South Africa win Tri-Nations A SECOND-HALF Springbok blitz gave South Africa their first Tri-Nations rugby title in six years with a win over Australia at Kings Park.$LABEL$1 +Sudan, UN Sign Deal on #39;Refugees Return #39; KHARTOUM, August 21 (IslamOnline.net amp; News Agencies) - Eight days before the expiry of the UN Security Council deadline on Darfur, Sudan said it would disarm militias in the troubled area gradually, and signed a deal with the United Nations saying it $LABEL$0 +Rahul the #39;darling #39; at AICC conclave New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today virtually took a back seat at the AICC session which saw many delegates hailing Rahul Gandhi as the future leader with not so subtle hints.$LABEL$0 +Surefire Google Adwords Formula Surefire Google Adwords Formula\\Success with Google Adwords isn't quite as easy as some would have you believe. Still just about anyone who is persistent can succeed if they'll but implement a consistent testing program. Since testing can produce a nearly constant improvement in your click through rate (CTR).\\Heres the surefire ...$LABEL$3 +A Key Year for Willingham, Notre Dame (AP) AP - Will Tyrone Willingham be the next Ara Parseghian or the next Bob Davie?$LABEL$1 +Judging Error Gave Hamm Gold ATHENS, Greece - Paul Hamm's gold medal just lost its luster. A scoring mistake at the all-around gymnastics final cost South Korea's Yang Tae-young the gold that ended up going to Hamm, the International Gymnastics Federation ruled Saturday...$LABEL$0 +Phelps Will End Olympics Cheering for Team ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps doesn't mind making history while sitting in the stands. The man who dominated the attention at the Olympic pool gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker...$LABEL$0 +Militia, Shiite Leaders Bicker Over Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of a revered Shiite shrine at the center of the crisis in Najaf on Saturday, as they bickered with top Shiite religious leaders over how to hand the holy site over. As the standoff dragged on, heavy clashes broke out for about 45 minutes near the cemetery and the Old City on Saturday afternoon between al-Sadr's militiamen and U.S...$LABEL$0 +Oil prices slip back after coming close to \$50 level Oil prices surged closer to \$50 a barrel after hitting yet another record high in the US yesterday, as confusion reigned over the fate of Najaf, sparking fresh fears about Iraq #39;s oil supplies.$LABEL$2 +Rouse Sale Ends Independence of Unique Visionary The \$7.2 billion sale of The Rouse Co. marks the end of a fiercely independent real estate and shopping mall company that oversaw America #39;s 20th Century migration from $LABEL$2 +New OT rules to take effect In an unprecedented overhaul of the nations overtime pay rules, the Bush administration is delivering to its business allies an election-year plum theyve sought for decades.$LABEL$2 +Activities Slowly Resume in Florida Schools Hit Hard by Storm The Lemon Bay Manta Rays were not going to let a hurricane get in the way of football. On Friday, they headed to the practice field for the first time in eight $LABEL$2 +Nation-wide Truckers Strike Evokes Mixed Response New Delhi, August 21 (NNN): An indefinite nationwide strike of truckers protesting against the imposition of service tax on Saturday evoked mixed response with a section of transporters in Karnataka and Tamilnadu staying away from the protest.$LABEL$2 +Criticism heaped on Caltrans as bridge costs spiral upward \$19 <b>...</b> Demolition of the 1927 span of the Carquinez Bridge, projected by Caltrans engineers to cost \$16 million, will likely climb to about \$35 million, according to a Bechtel Corp.$LABEL$3 +Judge Revokes Mine Permit in Florida FORT MYERS, Fla. - A federal judge Friday revoked a permit to develop a limestone mine amid 6,000 acres of habitat that could be used by the endangered Florida panther.$LABEL$3 +Russia helps Malaysia develop space industry Moscow, Aug 21 (VNA) - Russian Roskosmos space agency will help Malaysia build a space and satellite controlling centre and will help develop Malaysia #39;s space programme, said Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov while meeting his Malaysian $LABEL$3 +Four golds in a row for Pinsent British rower Matthew Pinsent won a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal when Team GB #39;s coxless fours crew triumphed in Greece.$LABEL$1 +Afghan woman basks in Olympic moment The fireworks shot out from the top of the Olympic Stadium, the grand finale of the Opening Ceremonies lighting up the Athens sky.$LABEL$1 +Forlan confirms move Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan signed with Villareal in order to obtain regular playing time. The Uruguay international was unveiled with the Spanish outfit on Saturday after passing a medical.$LABEL$1 +US women back on right track The US Women #39;s National Team did not string together a complete 90 minutes of soccer in beating Japan 2-1 in its Olympic quarterfinal on Friday, however, it was the side #39;s finest performance of the tournament so far.$LABEL$1 +Militants bicker over surrender of shrine Najaf, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of a revered shrine at the centre of the crisis in Najaf on Saturday as they bickered with top Shia leaders over how to hand the holy site over.$LABEL$0 +Rwanda vows to defend against rebels based in Congo Rwanda will defend its people if armed extremists based in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) cross the border into the country to carry out similar attacks $LABEL$0 +China Invokes Deng to Send Tough Taiwan Message China invoked late leader Deng Xiaoping on Saturday in its campaign to recover Taiwan, lauding his proposal to recover the island by a quot;one country, two systems quot; formula but saying he never gave up the threat of force.$LABEL$0 +Vote Audit Confirms Chavez Recall Win Fair-Official (Reuters) Reuters - An audit done by\international observers has confirmed that President Hugo\Chavez beat a recall referendum and that the vote was fair, an\electoral council official said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Vote Audit Confirms Chavez Recall Win Fair-Official CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - An audit done by international observers has confirmed that President Hugo Chavez beat a recall referendum and that the vote was fair, an electoral council official said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Insurers Object to a Major Part of Medicare Law Private insurers have told the Bush administration that they will not expand their role in Medicare if they have to serve large multistate regions.$LABEL$0 +Tubes, Pump and Fragile Hope Keep a Baby's Heart Beating In a desperate move to save an infant, doctors sought a device they had never tried before: a miniaturized pump called the Berlin Heart.$LABEL$0 +Truckers strike to protest service tax NEW DELHI: Over three million trucks went off the Indian roads on Saturday as truckers launched their indefinite nationwide strike to protest against the imposition of a service tax on transport booking agents.$LABEL$2 +Plano Family Waits For Bobcats PLANOTexas - The traps are out as a Plano family waits to see if a bobcat #39;s kittens take the bait. The mother bobcat was captured Wednesday, and one of three kittens was captured Friday morning.$LABEL$3 +Lindows halts stock release Linux supplier Lindows has announced it has called a halt to the initial public offering of its common stock after filing for registration in April.$LABEL$3 +Great Britain wins gold again in track cycling Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - For the second straight day a Briton captured gold at the Olympic Velodrome. Bradley Wiggins won the men #39;s individual 4,000-meter pursuit Saturday, one day after teammate $LABEL$1 +Sit-In Halts Neo-Nazi March Residents of the northern Bavarian town of Wunsiedel temporarily stopped a neo-Nazi march to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the death of Rudolf Hess, Hitler #39;s deputy, who had been jailed for life in 1946.$LABEL$0 +Crawford, Four Others Post Fast 100 Times (AP) AP - It was only the second round of the 100 meters, yet the world's top sprinters already were playing a lightning-quick game of ""Can You Top This?"" Five men broke 10 seconds Saturday, with Shawn Crawford's time of 9.89 the best of the round. And several top competitors slowed before the end, which means there could be some incredibly fast times in the semifinals and final Sunday night.$LABEL$1 +Andre Rison Signs With CFL Club (AP) AP - Former Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison signed with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, less than two weeks after a U.S. judge ordered his arrest for failing to pay child support.$LABEL$1 +Latin America on Alert for Terror MONTERREY, Mexico - Governments throughout Mexico and Central America are on alert as evidence grows that al-Qaida members are traveling in the region and looking for recruits to carry out attacks in Latin America - the potential last frontier for international terrorism. The territory could be a perfect staging ground for Osama bin Laden's militants, with homegrown rebel groups, drug and people smugglers, and corrupt governments...$LABEL$0 +Iraq Pulls Off Another Soccer Stunner IRAKLION, Greece - The Iraqi soccer team is one victory away from an improbable trip to the podium. Emad Mohammed's 12-yard bicycle kick in the 64th minute gave Iraq a 1-0 victory over Australia in the quarterfinals Saturday, putting the invaded, war-torn country in position to compete for only its second Olympic medal in the nation's history...$LABEL$0 +NASA prepares to catch a falling star sample NASA #39;s three-year effort to bring some genuine star dust back to Earth is set for a dramatic finale Sept. 8 when Hollywood helicopter pilots will attempt a midair retrieval of a descending space capsule.$LABEL$3 +NetApp strengthens partnership with Oracle and VERITAS By edu h. lopez. Network Appliance (NetApp) has unveiled its strategy for the Philippine market as it strengthens its strategic partnership with Oracle and VERITAS.$LABEL$3 +Broadband Use Passes Dial-Up Just over half of US Internet users now connect through broadband, according to a new survey. Nielsen/Netratings reports that in July, 51 percent of Internet users had DSL, cable, or other fast $LABEL$3 +French equestrinan protest finally upheld Four days after the competition was held, France was finally awarded a gold medal Saturday in the Olympic equestrian three-day team event.$LABEL$1 +Alonso seals Liverpool move quot;I #39;m going to a club with a lot of history and a great present, quot; Alonso told a press conference here in the presence of Real Sociedad president Jose Luis Astiarzan.$LABEL$1 +Wiggins adds Britain #39;s 2nd velodrome gold Britain #39;s Bradley Wiggins won the gold medal in men #39;s individual pursuit Saturday, finishing the 4,000-meter final in 4:16.$LABEL$1 +Cleric Maintains His Hold on Najaf Shrine, Even While Saying He #39;ll <b>...</b> The Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr remained in control of a holy shrine here on Saturday in defiance of the Iraqi government, even as his aides said they were making $LABEL$0 +At least 14 people killed, 200 injured in Bangladesh #39;s bomb blasts At least 14 people were killed and over 200 injured, as a series of bombs and grenades exploded through a rally here organized by the main opposition the Awami League Saturday $LABEL$0 +Sharon, Arafat Defy Demands From Backers JERUSALEM Aug. 19, 2004 - Embattled leaders Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat rebuffed demands from their backers Thursday, holding steadfast to positions posing great political risk: Sharon insisted he will $LABEL$0 +Swimming: Phelps Wins Eighth Medal at Athens Games ATHENS (Reuters) - American swimmer Michael Phelps won an Olympic record-equaling eighth medal at the Athens Games when the U.S. team took gold in the men's 4x100 meters medley relay Saturday.$LABEL$1 +G.O.P. Vows to Offer Detailed Agenda at Its Convention Republicans also said they would seek to turn any disruptions at the convention to their advantage, by portraying protests as Democratic-sanctioned displays of disrespect for a sitting president.$LABEL$0 +Sunday Without Favorite Comic? Not So Funny Newspapers across the country have been engaging in discussions about whether their current rosters of comics are a luxury, given the current dreary economics of the newspaper business.$LABEL$0 +Passenger #39;s horror tale illustrates the madness at O #39;Hare When you are flying out of Lambert Field, 66-year-old Norma J. Oermann has some simple advice. Avoid Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare airport at all cost.$LABEL$2 +Google #39;s Disappointment Chills Lindows #39; IPO Ardor Execs postponed their IPO after Google backed off previous estimates of how much it would charge for its own IPO. By Larry Greenemeier.$LABEL$3 +East Africans dominate day Americans lag in men #39;s 10,000 Athens -- It #39;s always a pleasure watching masters of their craft at work, and such a moment occurred Friday night on the first full day of Olympic track and field competition when men with long-distance motors lined up for the final of the 10,000 meters.$LABEL$1 +Running (Not Hiding) From the Doping Police THEY do not approach their subjects wearing lab coats to indicate a) they work behind the Clinique counter at Saks, or b) they test for drug cheats at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +David Davies gets swimming bronze Australia #39;s Grant Hackett has won the 1500 metres freestyle at the Athens Olympics to become just the fourth man to win the race twice at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Crawford leads way to 100 semifinals ATHENS, Greece - United States sprinters Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and Maurice Greene advanced to the semifinals of the men #39;s 100-meter race on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Aussies Upset U.S. Women in Medley Relay (AP) AP - Petria Thomas overtook Jenny Thompson on the third leg of the Olympic women's 400-meter medley relay Saturday night, helping Australia upset the United States in world-record time.$LABEL$1 +Soccer: Euphoric Iraq Reach Semi-Finals ATHENS (Reuters) - Iraq's footballers extended their fairytale run at the Athens Olympics Saturday, beating Australia 1-0 to reach the semi-finals of the men's tournament.$LABEL$1 +Golf: Stewart Cink Leads NEC Invitational American golfer Stewart Cink has the lead after completing the rain-delayed second round of the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational tournament in Akron, Ohio.$LABEL$1 +Scoring questioned in men #39;s all-around gymnastics event The International Gymnastics Federation opened an investigation Friday morning into the scoring of the men #39;s all-around competition.$LABEL$1 +Law rules after court overturns German gold Leslie Law tonight became Great Britain #39;s first eventing gold medallist since 1972 - without leaving his Hereford home. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has upheld the combined British, French and American $LABEL$1 +Woodgate move has Robson #39;s blessing Woodgate, 24, has passed a stringent medical in the Spanish capital and will today sign a four-year deal - with the option of an extra year - at the Bernabeu following his 15.$LABEL$1 +Henin-Hardenne in third round ATHENS, Aug. 17. - World No 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne, sidelined for 11 weeks by a debilitating virus, swept into the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament today with a straight sets win over Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela.$LABEL$1 +South Africa wins Tri-Nations rugby South Africa held off Australia 23-19 in a dramatic finale and won the Tri-Nations rugby title for the first time since 1998 on Saturday at King #39;s Park.$LABEL$1 +Explosions Target Bangladesh Opposition Rally In Bangladesh, a series of explosions at an opposition party rally, where a former prime minister was speaking, killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens of others.$LABEL$0 +Georgia Announces Troop Pullback in Rebel Region Georgia said on Friday its troops had withdrawn after seizing strategic ground in a rebel territory, in a move sure to be welcomed by Washington alarmed at a drift toward war in an economically vital region.$LABEL$0 +Waiting For Google NEW YORK - Benjamin Franklin, that annoying know-it-all, famously said, quot;Never put off until tomorrow that which you can do today.$LABEL$2 +How Michigan athletes fared at the Olympics Olympic events involving athletes and coaches with connections to Michigan. All listed are on Team USA unless otherwise indicated: Andre Dirrell of Flint advanced into the boxing quarterfinals, needing $LABEL$1 +Bombs Kill 12 at Bangladesh Opposition Rally At least 12 people were killed and 100 wounded in a bomb attack on Saturday on an opposition rally in Bangladesh #39;s capital, police and witnesses said.$LABEL$0 +Friends and curious turn out for goodbye to alleged Montreal Mob boss (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - MONTREAL (CP) - At least 200 people paid their final respects Saturday to Frank Cotroni, the reputed head of the Montreal Mafia who died of cancer at the age of 72.$LABEL$0 +Judging Error Led to Paul Hamm's Gold ATHENS, Greece - Paul Hamm's gold medal just lost its luster. A scoring mistake at the all-around gymnastics final cost South Korea's Yang Tae-young the gold that ended up going to Hamm, the International Gymnastics Federation ruled Saturday...$LABEL$0 +Sampanis denies doping GREECE #39;S first Athens medallist Leonidas Sampanis today denied taking banned substances despite testing positive for the male hormone testosterone.$LABEL$1 +Puerto Ricans break Boomers #39; hearts Australia #39;s hopes of an Olympic Games men #39;s basketball quarter-final berth slumped with a heart-breaking 87-82 loss to Puerto Rico.$LABEL$1 +Harmison tops Test ratings Steve Harmison has become the first England bowler for more than two decades to lead the Test rankings. Harmison, who took 17 wickets in the series win over West Indies, has topped the PWC Ratings.$LABEL$1 +Scores killed in Bangladesh blast A series of bombs have exploded at an opposition rally in Bangladesh #39;s capital, killing at least 14 people and injuring hundreds, witnesses and news reports have said.$LABEL$0 +Rebels Explode Two Bombs in Katmandu Suspected Maoist rebels shot and wounded a policeman and detonated two powerful bombs in Katmandu on Friday to reinforce a blockade of the Nepali capital to press for the release of jailed guerrillas.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelan audit confirms victory Venezuela's electoral officials say an audit of the vote on President Hugo Chavez's rule shows it was fair.$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Week on High Note Despite rising oil prices, US stocks this week had their biggest rally since October, as investors reacted to some positive economic indicators, the easing of tensions in Iraq and $LABEL$2 +10 Killed by Bombs at Bangladesh Rally DHAKA, Bangladesh Aug. 21, 2004 - A series of bombs exploded as a top Bangladeshi opposition leader was speaking at a rally from atop a truck Saturday, killing at least 14 people and injuring hundreds, witnesses and news reports said.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan Says Holds Suspects Planning Major Attacks (Reuters) Reuters - Pakistan has arrested up to six\people, including an Egyptian national, suspected of planning\major attacks in the capital Islamabad, Information Minister\Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Dollar Hits New Low Against Euro The U.S. dollar sank to a new all-time low against the euro Tuesday as a mini-rally in the U.S. currency sputtered out.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Wins Medley Relay The United States wins the men's 400-meter medley relay in world-record time Saturday night, giving Michael Phelps his record eighth medal of the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Plane Delays From O #39;Hare Even if you never fly through Chicago, your plane may end up delayed because of congestion at the O #39;Hare Airport. Delays there cause a ripple effect through the country #39;s entire air-traffic system.$LABEL$2 +Drugstore Offers New Wave of Disposable Cameras Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. (CVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it would offer the world #39;s first disposable digital camera with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to instantly preview pictures.$LABEL$3 +Smit lauds Boks resolve South Africa skipper John Smit paid tribute to his team #39;s resilience after the 23-19 victory over Australia, which won them the 2004 Tri-Nations.$LABEL$1 +Australia Sets World Record in Women #39;s 400-Meter Medley Relay Australia set a world record in the women #39;s 400-meter medley relay at the Olympics, as Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas and Jodie Henry covered the distance in 3 minutes, 57.$LABEL$1 +Americans Fail to Qualify in Cycling Their times were fast. So were their exits. American cyclists were simply overmatched on the speedy Olympic velodrome Saturday, all getting bounced in the preliminaries.$LABEL$1 +Soldiers kill Palestinian near Gaza-Israel fence Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian as he approached a security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israeli military sources said today.$LABEL$0 +Brazil tribe prove words count When it comes to counting, a remote Amazonian tribespeople have been found to be lost for words. Researchers discovered the Piraha tribe of Brazil, with a population of 200, have no words beyond one, two and many.$LABEL$3 +Sobrero Markgraf And Boxx One Win Away From Olympic Medals Former Irish soccer stars to play with Team USA in Monday #39;s semifinals vs. Germany (Aug. 23, 10:00 am South Bend time on MSNBC); Gonzalez and Mexico fall to Brazil in quarterfinals.$LABEL$1 +Kidnappers lift death threat on US journalist An aide to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says Iraqi kidnappers have lifted their death threat on a US journalist. The aide says he has spoken to mediators who say they #39;re working out a way to have Micah Garen of New York released.$LABEL$0 +German police detain 74 neo-Nazis Anti-Nazi groups held counter-demonstrations, some holding banners proclaiming quot;Neo-Nazis are a joke quot;. Hess was found hanged in his prison cell in the Spandau district of Berlin in 1987.$LABEL$0 +Absent Phelps Gets Eighth Medal ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States broke the world record to win the men's 4x100 meters medley relay at the Athens Olympics Saturday and allow Michael Phelps to match Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin's 1980 record for the most medals at one Games.$LABEL$1 +Basketball: Lithuania Shoots Down United States ATHENS (Reuters) - Sarunas Jasikevicius went on a shooting spree in the last three minutes of play to lift Lithuania to a 94-90 victory over the United States in the men's Olympic basketball tournament Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Graphic Designer Fired After Heckling Bush (AP) AP - A man who heckled President Bush at a political rally was fired from his job at an advertising and design company for offending a client who provided tickets to the event.$LABEL$0 +Olympics: Swimming Ends with U.S. and Australian Records ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States and Australia set world records in the men's and women's 4x100 medley relay races on Saturday, the final day of swimming competition at the Athens 2004 Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Henin Blasts Her Way to Gold By Ossian Shine ATHENS (Reuters) - Justine Henin-Hardenne blasted her way to Olympic gold Saturday, beating Amelie Mauresmo 6-3, 6-3 in a clash of the world's top two players.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Men Set World Record, Without Phelps ATHENS, Greece - The United States won the men's 400-meter medley relay in world-record time Saturday night, giving Michael Phelps his record eighth medal of the Athens Olympics without him getting into the pool. Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak won in 3 minutes, 30.68 seconds, lowering the old mark of 3:31.54 set by the Americans at last year's world championships in Barcelona, Spain...$LABEL$0 +Lithuania Deals Dream Team Second Loss ATHENS, Greece - Redemption came from the perfect spot - the 3-point line - for Sarunas Jasikevicius. The Lithuanian guard, whose off-target 3-pointer kept his team from pulling off the biggest upset of the Sydney Olympics, didn't miss when it counted Saturday night against the Americans in a thrilling 94-90 victory...$LABEL$0 +Another Bad Dream Sarunas Jasikevicius shoots Lithuania's men's basketball team to a 94-90 victory over the United States on Saturday, America's second loss of the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Mixed response to strike AIMTC rebuts Govt claims Trucks parked at Yashwanthpur in Bangalore on Saturday following the indefinite strike called by the All-India Motor Transport Congress.$LABEL$2 +Olympics-Henin sets gold standard in thrilling comeback Justine Henin-Hardenne staged one of the greatest comebacks of her career to fight back from 5-1 down in the final set and beat French Open champion Anastasia Myskina $LABEL$1 +Pakistan foils al-Qaeda attacks PAKISTANI security agencies have arrested nearly a dozen al-Qaeda-linked terror suspects who allegedly plotted to attack key sites including military headquarters, the US embassy and parliament.$LABEL$0 +TCU, Louisville Try to Leave C-USA Champs (AP) AP - TCU helped change the Bowl Championship Series, even though its season ended at home. The Horned Frogs won their first 10 games last season, and reached sixth in the BCS standings, the highest ranking for a team not in one of the BCS conferences. A loss at Southern Miss ended TCU's bid of becoming the first BCS outsider to break into a big-money bowl game. That also cost the Frogs the Conference USA title and sent them to the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl.$LABEL$1 +Lithuania Shoots Down U.S. in Men's Olympic Basketball ATHENS (Reuters) - Sarunas Jasikevicius went on a shooting spree in the last three minutes of play to lift Lithuania to a 94-90 victory over the United States in the men's Olympic basketball tournament Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Boehner Favored in Taped Phone Call Case (AP) AP - A federal judge has sided with Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, in his six-year-old lawsuit against Rep. James McDermott, D-Wash., over an illegally recorded phone call.$LABEL$0 +Lithuania Upsets the United States The U.S. men's basketball team lost to Lithuania, 94-90, today at the Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +Life without numbers in a unique Amazon tribe 11=2. Mathematics doesn #39;t get any more basic than this, but even 11 would stump the brightest minds among the Piraha tribe of the Amazon.$LABEL$3 +Ulmer breaks world record in qualifying New Zealand #39;s Sarah Ulmer dealt her rivals a heavy psychogical blow today, reclaiming her individual pursuit world record in magnificent fashion at a sweltering Olympic Velodrome here today.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan Says Holds Suspects Planning Major Attacks Pakistan has arrested up to six people, including an Egyptian national, suspected of planning major attacks in the capital Islamabad, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Iraqis Celebrate Olympic Victory with Bullets BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis, weary of violence and deprivation, erupted in wild celebration Saturday after their national soccer team beat Australia 1-0 in the Athens Games.$LABEL$0 +Neo-Nazis arrested at Hess march German police detain 110 people at a march to mark the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess.$LABEL$0 +Moveon.org subscriber-data leaked through search Subscribers to Moveon.org #39;s mailing lists may have found their interest in the anti-Bush political site a matter of public record.$LABEL$3 +Henin-Hardenne wins Olympic gold The world number one broke a jittery Mauresmo twice to take the opening set and the Frenchwoman failed to get a foot-hold in the second set.$LABEL$1 +Judging Error Led to Hamm #39;s Gold Paul Hamm thought his fantastic finish was too good to be true. Maybe he was right. The International Gymnastics Federation ruled Saturday that Yang Tae-young was unfairly docked $LABEL$1 +WPP Profit Up 11, Aided by Global Advertising Upturn The WPP Group, the world #39;s second-largest advertising and marketing company, reported on Friday that profit for the first half of the year rose 11 percent, providing further $LABEL$2 +Olympic Swimming Ends with U.S., Australian Records ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States and Australia set world records in the men's and women's 4x100 medley relay races Saturday, the final day of swimming competition at the Athens 2004 Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan Says It Holds Suspects Planning Big Attacks ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has arrested up to 10 al Qaeda suspects, including two Egyptians, suspected of planning major suicide attacks against the government and the U.S. embassy earlier this month, ministers said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Phelps Has Front-Row Seat for Record Swim ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps had a front-row seat at the pool, and made Olympic history without ever getting wet. Decked out in a white shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops, Phelps led cheers and waved an American flag while his teammates did all the work in the 400-meter individual medley Saturday night...$LABEL$0 +Fight Over Kerry's War Record Escalates WASHINGTON - John Kerry's Vietnam War service records run to multiple medal commendations and a notation of ""conspicuous gallantry"" in combat. President Bush's file tracks the stateside career of a National Guard test pilot...$LABEL$0 +Judging Error Led to Hamm's Gold ATHENS, Greece - Paul Hamm thought his fantastic finish was too good to be true. Maybe he was right...$LABEL$0 +Carter Center, OAS Confirm Chavez Victory After Audit (Update1) The Carter Center and the Organization of American States said an audit of returns from Sunday #39;s recall vote won by President Hugo Chavez found no evidence of irregularities.$LABEL$2 +Edwards blasts new OT rules In Saturday radio address, VP candidate says measure curtails pay at a time workers need it. ATLANTA (CNN) - Calling to mind his days unloading tractor trailers during the summer, Sen. John Edwards blasted $LABEL$2 +Chilean Beats Dent for Tennis Bronze It #39;s safe to say Justine Henin-Hardenne is back on top of her game. She #39;s healthy for the first time in months - and has a gold medal to prove it.$LABEL$1 +MONTY ON TRACK FOR WILD CARD Barring a miracle tomorrow Colin Montgomerie will now need a wild card to be part of Europe #39;s bid to retain the Ryder Cup next month.$LABEL$1 +Vijay Singh win more than 10 million US dollars in one season Singh ended the five-year reign of Tiger Woods as world number one in September, defeating Woods in a man-to-man duel for the Deutche Bank Championship title to confirm his supremacy.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Signals Flexibility on Israeli Settlement Growth CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - The Bush administration signaled on Saturday that it may accept limited growth within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank in a shift that could help embattled Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.$LABEL$0 +Can OHare trims help Gary gain? Flight reductions announced Wednesday by 16 major airlines serving ChicagosOHare International Airport are expected to improve nationwide on-time performance but $LABEL$2 +Truckers begin All-India strike With the All India Motor Transport Congress rejecting the government #39;s last-minute bid for a negotiated settlement, truck owners have gone on an indefinite strike demanding the scrapping of service tax.$LABEL$2 +Reading Sharon #39;s Mind In a much-noted speech last week, Israels Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ostensibly made a dramatic reversal in course. But I am wondering whether to take his shift at face value.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Celebrates Surprise Win in Olympics (AP) AP - A stream of red tracer bullets cut through the night sky amid a hail of celebratory gunfire as Iraqis, exhausted from war and unending violence, celebrated their national soccer team's startling 1-0 victory over Australia in the Olympic quarterfinal.$LABEL$0 +Sudan, U.N. Sign Deal for Displaced People (AP) AP - The Sudanese government signed an agreement with the U.N. migration agency Saturday to ensure that more than 1 million people displaced by violence in the western region of Darfur can voluntarily return home #151; but cannot be forced to do so.$LABEL$0 +Bush Pressing Case for 'Ownership Society' (AP) AP - Amid signs that the economy is cooling, President Bush is showcasing initiatives for a second term under the banner of an ""ownership society"" in hopes of bolstering his economic stewardship credentials.$LABEL$0 +Olympic Soccer: Euphoric Iraq Reaches Semifinals ATHENS (Reuters) - Iraq's footballers beat Australia 1-0 Saturday to reach the semifinals of the Olympic men's tournament, triggering celebratory gunfire in their violence-racked country.$LABEL$1 +Vietnam vet springs to Kerry's defense (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry's efforts to refute charges that he embellished his Vietnam War record got a boost, as a fellow veteran said some of the accusations were untrue.$LABEL$0 +Lithuania's Perimeter Shooting Leaves U.S. Outside Looking In Larry Brown's squad could not hold back a deep and talented Lithuanian team, losing, 94-90, to fall to 2-2 in the preliminary round at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Nesterenko Takes Gold Yuliya Nesterenko ends two decades of American dominance in the 100 meters with a closing surge to catch Lauryn Williams.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Look to Nudge Higher; Oil Dips NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks looked to open a touch higher on Tuesday, with Wall Street welcoming a slip in oil prices and a report of a possible \$24 billion takeover of cardiovascular device maker Guidant Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A> by Johnson Johnson <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A>.$LABEL$2 +Hungarian Socialists choose alternatives as new prime minister (AFP) AFP - Hungary's ruling Socialist Party approved two alternative candidates to replace outgoing prime minister Peter Medgyessy who resigned after a row with his liberal coalition partners.$LABEL$0 +Officials Forecast Hope for Victims of Hurricane State officials say the statewide slowdown caused by Hurricane Charley, with estimated losses of \$20 billion, will probably last no more than a month or two.$LABEL$2 +Mixed response to truckers strike NEW DELHI, Aug. 21. - The indefinite nationwide strike by truck operators against imposition of service tax evoked a mixed response on the first day of the stir today even as government appeared unwilling $LABEL$2 +Saturday Night #39;s Alright for Blighty Matthew Pinsents coxless four team, sailor Ben Ainslie and cyclist Bradley Wiggins all struck gold on a day to remember for Team GB at the Olympics in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Sudan: confident in convincing the UN Security Council of progress <b>...</b> Sudan #39;s foreign minister Mustafa Othman Ismael stressed yesterday that his country #39;s government is confident it will convince the UN Security Council of the progress it had attained in Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Bomb attack on Hasina Over a dozen people were killed and nearly 300 injured in a bomb and grenade attack on a public rally in the heart of the city that was being addressed by Awami League leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.$LABEL$0 +Airways pilots extend talks Pilots for US Airways are continuing to negotiate this weekend over the Arlington airline #39;s demand for a 16.5 percent pay cut, despite a warning from management that negotiations should have concluded yesterday.$LABEL$2 +Viacom panel to look at video-game arena NEW YORK -- Given that its chairman owns a large stake of a video-game company, media giant Viacom Inc. has appointed a three-person committee to evaluate dealings in the video-game arena and protect against potential conflicts of interest.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Sends XP SP2 Home Microsoft this week began distributing its latest update to the Windows XP operating system to home users through its Automatic Updates feature.$LABEL$3 +Mars Rover Sniffs Out Signs of Water After a tedious crawl across the desert floor and a slow, energy-strapped hike up hills, the Mars rover Spirit has finally rewarded scientists with tantalizing $LABEL$3 +Online retail sales continue to surge Online retail sales continue to show significant growth, according to the latest figures released by the US Department of Commerce.$LABEL$3 +Bekele keeps 10,000m gold in Ethiopia Kenenisa Bekele used a breathtaking final 400 meters late Friday to claim the Olympic 10,000-meter throne previously occupied by his Ethiopian countryman, Haile Gebrselassie.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt Survives Saulnier; Agassi Rolls Past Mathieu After sweeping through his first two opponents, Lleyton Hewitt finally found a challenge at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. And it almost took the No.$LABEL$1 +Greece 88, Angola 56 Greece avoided any suspense about whether it would advance by taking an 18-point halftime lead on the way to an 88-56 victory over Angola on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Nesterenko Wins Sprint Gold for Belarus Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus sped to an unexpected victory in the women #39;s 100 meter final at the Athens Olympics Saturday. The high-striding Belarussian clocked 10.$LABEL$1 +Clean sweep by England LONDON, Aug. 21. - England beat the West Indies by 10 wickets on the third day of the fourth and final Test at the Oval, here today giving them a 4-0 sweep.$LABEL$1 +Blast outside Bangladesh opposition HQ kills 6 DHAKA - At least six people were killed and more than 200 injured in a series of bomb blasts at a meeting of the main opposition Awami League in the capital on Saturday, witnesses and news reports said.$LABEL$0 +Veteran Backs Kerry on Silver Star Account (AP) AP - A Chicago Tribune editor who was on the Vietnam mission for which John Kerry received the Silver Star is backing up Kerry's account of the incident.$LABEL$0 +Olympic Basketball: Lithuania Guard Shoots Down U.S. ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States crashed to its second defeat in the Olympic men's basketball tournament Saturday when a late shooting spree by Sarunas Jasikevicius propelled Lithuania to a 94-90 victory.$LABEL$1 +Absent Phelps Gets Eighth Medal ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps got his eighth medal at the Athens Olympics Saturday without even getting wet when the United States broke the world record in the men's 4x100 meters medley relay.$LABEL$1 +Murder victim 'missed her stop' A 22-year-old French woman was killed while walking home after missing her bus stop, police believe.$LABEL$0 +Battle on Secret Evidence in Jackson Case SANTA MARIA, Calif. - In a high-stakes drama of legal gamesmanship, prosecutors and defense lawyers in the Michael Jackson child molestation case are battling over still-secret evidence that might make or break the case against the pop star...$LABEL$0 +Bush Pressing Case for 'Ownership Society' WASHINGTON - Amid signs that the economy is cooling, President Bush is showcasing initiatives for a second term under the banner of an ""ownership society"" in hopes of bolstering his economic stewardship credentials. His platform includes initiatives to help people buy homes, start businesses, hone job skills and set up tax-free retirement and health care accounts - plus a still unspecified tax-code overhaul...$LABEL$0 +Dream Team Loses Again, but Still Advances ATHENS, Greece - The U.S. men's basketball team endured another brutal loss...$LABEL$0 +Open Source, Performance, and Innovation \\At work we're mostly an OSS shop. Partly because I have a strong bias towards\OSS but cost, reliability, security, etc are all leading factors.\\For the last several months now I've been in an interesting position to prove\the benefits of OSS in a real-world environment.\\We've had to extend a number of OSS tools to fit into our production\environment. These are significant additions and non-trivial.\\Open Source allows you to STAND on the shoulders of gods. For example we've\been having a problem with the Jakarta DBCP connection pool. It was running\out of connections in highly threaded environments and is slow. Certainly\slower than would be necessary.\\Long story short. Last night ...\\$LABEL$3 +Audit Confirms Chvez Victory in Recall An audit of Venezuela #39;s recall referendum has confirmed that President Hugo Chvez won fairly and found no evidence to support fraud charges, observers and electoral council officials said Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Governor Promises Help Reopening Schools Affected By Charley One week after Hurricane Charley chewed a path from Punta Gorda to Daytona Beach, Gov. Jeb Bush promises to to use state resources to help schools damaged or destroyed by the storm to reopen quickly.$LABEL$2 +India #39;s 3 Million Truckers Strike Over Planned Tax Increase India #39;s three million truck drivers started a strike today to protest a planned tax on cargo transportation by road, prompting local units of Honda Motor Co.$LABEL$2 +Boom! Big kickoff for #39;Madden 2005 #39; EA #39;s newest version of top title sells 1.3 million copies in first week, holding off competition. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - quot;Madden NFL 2005, quot; the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc.$LABEL$3 +Disposable Digital Camera Debuts At 1,000 CVS Pharmacies Digital disposable cameras are debuting in about 1,000 CVS stores across the nation, the retail chain said Thursday. The one-time-use cameras, which feature a color preview screen, have 25 pictures and are priced at \$19.$LABEL$3 +Cink holds lead at NEC Invitational Stewart Cink leads the NEC Invitational World Golf Championships as he nears the end of the third round. Cink is 10 under after 16 holes, just two shots clear of David Toms, eight under after 17 holes.$LABEL$1 +Explosions at Protest Rally in Bangladesh Kill 9 Several explosions ripped through a Bangladeshi opposition party rally here on Saturday, killing at least 9 people and wounding as $LABEL$0 +Sudan #39;s quest for peace Conflict seems to have become a way of life for Sudan that has struggled to find peace and stability since its independence in 1956.$LABEL$0 +Peres facing attack from Labor MKs over continued talks with Likud Labor Party Chair Shimon Peres is facing growing opposition from his party over his decision to continue coalition talks with Likud despite the Likud convention #39;s resolution last week against bringing Labor into the government.$LABEL$0 +Up to seven killed in Chechnya shootout: report (AFP) AFP - Up to seven people were killed in an attack on a police station in Grozny, the capital of the Russian breakaway republic of Chechnya, a report quoting officials said.$LABEL$0 +Jasikevicius makes most of second chance to stun US NBA stars (AFP) AFP - Lithuanian sharpshooter Sarunas Jasikevicius, snubbed by the National Basketball Association, made the most of his second chance to deliver a dagger into the hearts of a United States Olympic team of NBA talent.$LABEL$1 +Fleisher Takes Lead at Hickory Classic (AP) AP - Bruce Fleisher parlayed eight birdies into a tournament-low 65 Saturday and cruised to a 3-shot lead after the second round of the Greater Hickory Classic.$LABEL$1 +Olympic Basketball: United States Stunned Again ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States crashed to its second defeat in the Olympic men's basketball tournament Saturday when a late shooting spree by Sarunas Jasikevicius propelled Lithuania to a 94-90 victory.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Forces Keep Sh'ite Militants Guessing NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces appeared to keep Sh'ite militants guessing in the city of Najaf overnight, firing off sporadic rounds as a military aircraft flew overhead.$LABEL$0 +Chile Asks Pinochet to Explain \$8 Million US Bank Accounts Chile #39;s former dictator Augusto Pinochet reportedly is the target of an investigation in his homeland probing up US bank accounts controlled by the ex-president.$LABEL$2 +Solar power bill supported Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday threw his support behind a bill to dramatically increase the number of California homes using solar power, reviving a legislative effort that seemed all but dead last week.$LABEL$2 +World marks go in the pool ATHENS - The Australian women and American men ended the swimming competition at the Athens 2004 Olympics Games in style Saturday, both breaking world records in the 4x100 meter medley relays.$LABEL$1 +Dolphins on verge of trading Ogunleye to Bears The Miami Dolphins have agreed to trade defensive end Adewale Ogunleye to the Chicago Bears for wide receiver Marty Booker and a 2005 third-round pick, if agent Drew Rosenhaus can work out a new contract for Ogunleye by 7 pm Saturday, according to a $LABEL$1 +Najaf Fighting Flares; Sadr Forces Hold Shrine Description: US forces clash again in Najaf with fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Efforts by the Iraqi government to reach a disarmament deal with Sadr are at an impasse, and his forces continue to hold the Imam Ali shrine.$LABEL$0 +Police killed in pre-poll Chechnya attacks -agency Gunmen attacked a police station and voting centres in Russia #39;s war-torn Chechnya, killing at least 11 people, Interfax news agency said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Nesterenko Speeds to Win in Women's 100-Meter Final ATHENS (Reuters) - Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus sped to an unexpected victory in the women's 100 meter final at the Athens Olympics Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Graphic Designer Fired After Heckling Bush CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A man who heckled President Bush at a political rally was fired from his job at an advertising and design company for offending a client who provided tickets to the event...$LABEL$0 +Also from this section Innovative Solutions quot;, promises the Riggs Bank slogan emblazoned across the home page of its website. quot;For over 165 years we #39;ve been developing innovative, custom-tailored solutions to improve the lives of our customers.$LABEL$2 +Two golds again in new judging debacle? Not this time A grand judging goof at the Athens Olympics cheapened American gymnast Paul Hamm #39;s historic gold and gave South Korea another good reason to cry robbery at the games.$LABEL$1 +British sport #39;s new superhero revives the Olympic spirit Matthew Pinsent was hailed as the new superman of British sport yesterday, after winning gold at his fourth consecutive Olympic Games.$LABEL$1 +Malaysia testing 3 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated Malaysian officials on Saturday were testing three people who fell ill in a village hit by the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, after international health officials warned that the virus appeared to be entrenched in parts of $LABEL$0 +Kroger's Profit Climbs, Misses Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Kroger Co. , the top U.S.\grocer, on Tuesday said quarterly profit rose 29 percent as it\kept a tight rein on expenses and sales rebounded.$LABEL$2 +Blasts Shake Najaf as U.S. Planes Attack Rebels NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Strong blasts were heard in the besieged city of Najaf early Sunday as U.S. military planes unleashed cannon and howitzer fire and a heavy firefight erupted.$LABEL$0 +Ramirez, Red Sox Batter White Sox Manny Ramirez homered and drove in five runs as the Red Sox earned their fifth straight victory.$LABEL$1 +Somalia to get new parliament Somalia's first parliament for 13 years is expected to be sworn in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Audit of Venezuelan vote confirms Chavez victory CARACAS, VENEZUELA - An audit of ballots from 150 voting stations has confirmed that President Hugo Chavez won last week #39;s recall referendum, reported the Organization of American States Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Beware! Bugs can attack Net phones THEY are becoming increasingly popular because they are cheap. However, before you rush off to buy an Internet phone or Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, you should know that they are $LABEL$3 +Stunt pilots to hook falling stardust sample A piece of the Sun is set to fall to Earth and be captured by Hollywood stunt pilots in a tricky mid-air manoeuvre, NASA announced on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +World record in sights of 100-meter field quot;We #39;re going to have a party, quot; Maurice Greene said Saturday, looking forward to Sunday #39;s final in the Olympic men #39;s 100-meter dash.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt calls on fighting spirit SECOND-seed Lleyton Hewitt needed all of his famed tenacity to overcome feisty Frenchman Cyril Saulnier 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and reach the semi-finals of the Washington Open.$LABEL$1 +Deng #39;s name used to pressure Jiang THE 100th birth anniversary of China #39;s late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, which falls today, has been used by influential party elders to put pressure on former president Jiang Zemin to fully relinquish authority to his successor Hu Jintao.$LABEL$0 +US Boxer Dirrell Powers Into Quarters Ron Siler had just taken a beating, and now it seemed like the whole US boxing team was down for the count. Fighters weren #39;t following directions, medal hopes were slipping $LABEL$1 +False report of Swedish king's assassination on faked BBC website (AFP) AFP - Hoaxers imitated the BBC news website on the Internet, including a fake announcement that King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden had been assassinated in Athens while attending the Olympic Games, according to reports.$LABEL$0 +Treasury Prices Take a Breather Today (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury prices paused for breath\on Tuesday after a blistering two-session rally ran out of\steam, though analysts still saw room to the upside given the\large short-base in the market.$LABEL$2 +Cink Takes Commanding Lead Over Woods at NEC AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Stewart Cink was on the verge of his fourth career win after shooting a two-under-par 68 for a five-shot lead in the third round of the \$7 million NEC Invitational Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Four Immigrants Die Trying to Reach Spanish Shore MADRID (Reuters) - Four sub-Saharan Africans trying to immigrate illegally drowned 20 feet from shore Saturday at the same Spanish beach where 33 would-be immigrants died last week, state radio said.$LABEL$0 +Unfriendly airline grounds its pension plans Fly the friendly skies may be United Airlines slogan. But employees of Americas largest carrier wont be so convinced this weekend, on the heels of it filing court documents saying it is likely to scrap its pension plans.$LABEL$2 +US Airways Chairman: Liquidation Possible US Airways Group Inc. #39;s (UAIR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) chairman said employees must agree to \$800 million in new wage and benefit cuts within 30 days or the airline might be liquidated, the New York Times said on Thursday, citing $LABEL$2 +HBOS in talks to fund 8bn Abbey bid HBOS is said to be in talks with potential financial backers over how to fund an 8bn takeover bid for Abbey National in a move to break up a takeover plan from Spain #39;s Banco Santander Central Hispano.$LABEL$2 +Update 4: Two Firms Cleared of Swapping Violations In a judicial blow to the entertainment industry, a federal appeals court ruled that makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works their users swap online.$LABEL$3 +Google Goes Public at \$85/share adpowers writes quot;It is official. Google will have its IPO debut at \$85 per share. To quote the article, #39;At that price, the low end of its recently revised range, Google raised \$1.$LABEL$3 +High-Speed Internet Shouldn #39;t Be Delayed Back in the go-go days of the tech boom, there was a lot of talk about fast Internet connections enabling consumers to do all manner of useful and fun things, from online banking to viewing movies online.$LABEL$3 +Hidayat fulfills potential with badminton gold ATHENS: Taufik Hidayat couldnt stop the tears after winning Indonesias first gold medal of the Athens Olympics. The unheralded Hidayat won the mens badminton title Saturday, beating seventh-seeded $LABEL$1 +Bush's Nephew Rips Armed Border Guards (AP) AP - President Bush's nephew, campaigning for overseas votes in Mexico on Saturday, called the federal policy of arming U.S. Border Patrol agents with plastic pellet guns ""reprehensible.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Launches Fresh Assault on Sadr Forces in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces launched a fresh assault on Shi'ite rebels in the embattled Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday after talks on transferring control of the mosque at the center of a two-week siege ran into difficulties.$LABEL$0 +'Tax super-rich at 50' proposal Hit the super-rich with a 50 inheritance tax and allow cuts for the middle class, says a leading think tank.$LABEL$0 +Shiites Hold Najaf Shrine; Clashes Flare NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders. An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...$LABEL$0 +Spectator Phelps' 8th Medal Ties Record ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps won another gold medal, this time wearing khaki shorts and flip-flops. From a front-row seat at the Olympic pool, Phelps watched his teammates do all the work in the 400-meter medley relay Saturday night...$LABEL$0 +Dream Team Loses Again, but Still Advances ATHENS, Greece - The United States men's basketball team endured another brutal loss Saturday night. But because Angola is playing even worse than the Americans, the Dream Team is in the quarterfinals of the Athens Games...$LABEL$0 +Woman Chows 38 Lobsters in Eating Contest KENNEBUNK, Maine - America's top speed-eater wolfed down 38 lobsters in 12 minutes Saturday to win the World Lobster Eating Contest. Sonya Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., won \$500 and a trophy belt for her efforts, consuming 9.76 pounds of lobster meat...$LABEL$0 +US Airways asks pilots for 16.5 cut in pay Struggling US Airways (UAIR) has asked its pilots to accept a 16.5 pay cut while giving them the chance to recoup some of the money by flying more.$LABEL$2 +Competition probe would see Santander turn its back on Abbey Banco Santander would walk away from its 8.2bn offer for Abbey National, the mortgage bank, if a rival bid from one or more UK banks led to a lengthy investigation by the competition authorities.$LABEL$2 +Google Shares Gain in Market Debut Shares of Google Inc. made their market debut on Thursday and quickly traded up 19 percent at \$101.28. The Web search company #39;s initial public offering priced at \$85 $LABEL$3 +Springboks beat Australia in tr-nations rugby South Africa has defeated Australia in the final match of the rugby Tri Nations series. Africa correspondent Sally Sara reports, the Springboks won 23 to 19 in front of a home crowd in Durban.$LABEL$1 +Johnson probably out for season with broken cheekbone Montreal Expos first baseman Nick Johnson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a broken right cheekbone and is probably out for the rest of the season.$LABEL$1 +Moore versus List in US Amateur final Mamaroneck, NY (Sports Network) - Ryan Moore, the medalist in stroke play, dispatched Jeff Overton, 3 amp; 2 in one of Saturday #39;s semifinal matches to reach Sunday #39;s 36-hole final at the US Amateur Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club.$LABEL$1 +Praying for Sistani #39;s Good Health ast week, the Iraqi city of Najaf teetered between hopes for a truce and threats of an all-out government assault to rout the rebel Islamic cleric Moktada al-Sadr.$LABEL$0 +Hasina escapes unhurt as Dhaka blast kills 14 DHAKA: Bangladesh opposition leader and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina had a narrow escape as a powerful blast at a rally of her Awami League party killed 14 people and injured 200 here on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan Says It Has Foiled Terror Plots Pakistan has arrested at least five al-Qaida-linked terrorists who were plotting suicide attacks on government leaders and the US Embassy, officials announced Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Rebels attack Chechen police station, several people killed Several people were killed and a few others wounded when rebels attacked a police station in the capital of Russia #39;s breakaway Chechen republic on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, citing officials.$LABEL$0 +British military to get first Muslim chaplain: report (AFP) AFP - Britain's army forces are to get their first Muslim chaplain, a defense ministry source was quoted as saying.$LABEL$0 +Indian mother swims home from Sri Lanka (AFP) AFP - A 34-year-old Indian mother of one has fulfilled her dream to swim seven seas after crossing the Palk Strait dividing India and Sri Lanka in a marathon 14-hour feat, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Airport workers strike BA pay deal More than 10,000 British Airways staff will be balloted by their unions this week over a last-ditch pay deal that has lifted the threat of bank holiday travel chaos at Heathrow.$LABEL$2 +Nobody is neutral about the great Google gamble The initial public offering of Google brings to mind one of the great one-liners offered by Clint Eastwood in one of his Dirty Harry films: quot;Opinions are like a**holes, quot; Harry says.$LABEL$2 +Gloves are off as Abbey war turns dirty ANYONE who thought the battle for Marks amp; Spencer had plumbed the depths of City depravity with its stories of fisticuffs in Baker Street and allegations of interference with mobile phone records may have to draw breath as the banking battle gets serious.$LABEL$2 +Online hits climb the charts as radio embraces the internet age THE online music generation will become the legitimate test of the top 20 chart toppers next week when Virgin and BBC Radio One launch shows featuring tracks downloaded from the internet.$LABEL$3 +Epson develops worlds lightest flying robot The micro-robot weighs a mere 8.6 grams without battery, or 12.3 grams with the battery attached. It measures 13.6 centimeters in diameter and 8.5 centimeters in height.$LABEL$3 +Pieces of eight for Phelps How far do you have to go to win an Olympic title? How about eight titles? If you #39;re Michael Phelps, you would have to go a long way, 70 kilometres in fact, because that is how far the American golden boy of the pool has swum at these Games.$LABEL$1 + #39;Testosterone oozed from the screen #39; Forget those chariots, this was Rowing Boats Of Fire. The heart-stopping, edge-of-the-seat, photo finish victory for the men #39;s coxless four was without a doubt one of the Great British Sporting Moments.$LABEL$1 +American Sprinters Show a Mix of Bluster and Speed Shawn Crawford of the United States left the baseball cap at home and no longer needed the showy sunglasses he wore in Saturday morning #39;s first heat.$LABEL$1 +South Africa 23 - 19 Australia When Percy Montgomery sent his third and last penalty of the afternoon sailing between the uprights to take South Africa out to 23-7 after 63 minutes, it seemed safe to contemplate the remarkable idea that South Africa were to be Tri Nations champions.$LABEL$1 +Belarus Breaks US Hold in 100m Dash For the first time in 20 years, an American woman did not win gold in the 100m dash. On Saturday that honor went to Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus.$LABEL$1 +Green flexes muscles vs. Braves Shawn Green hit a grand slam in the first inning and a solo homer in the third to lead the Dodgers to a 7-4 victory Saturday against the Atlanta Braves $LABEL$1 +US Launches Fresh Assault on Sadr Forces in Najaf US forces launched a fresh assault on Shi #39;ite rebels in the embattled Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday after talks on transferring control of the mosque at the center of a two-week siege ran into difficulties.$LABEL$0 +Sudan, UN agree on right of return of Darfur displaced The Sudanese government and the UN migration agency here Saturday signed an agreement ensuring right of return of Darfur displaced.$LABEL$0 +Four people injured in bomb explosions in Spain Four people were wounded on Saturday when two bombs exploded at the tourist localities of Sanjenjo and Baiona, in Galicia, north Spain.$LABEL$0 +IDF troops kill man close to Gaza fence Israeli troops spotted a Palestinian in the security zone about 50 meters from the fence separating Gaza from Israel and shot him dead early yesterday.$LABEL$0 +The rivers of blood still run deep in Africa #39;s Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region, which has paid Africa #39;s highest price in human lives and destruction from ethnic conflict, could soon be plunged again into wholesale war as a result of the recent massacre of 160 Congolese Tutsis in Burundi by Hutu militias.$LABEL$0 +China takes a great leap backwards for Deng IN LIFE he was feared and revered, but in death the father of Chinas 20-year economic miracle and crusher of Tiananmen Square had assumed iconic status.$LABEL$0 +The Fischer defence Last week as Bobby Fischer languished in a detention centre in Japan, his new fiancee announced their impending nuptials. Andrew Alderson reports on the latest twist in the bizarre life $LABEL$0 +British Airways in Pact With Unions British Airways PLC reached a pay accord early Saturday with two unions, averting a planned strike during the Aug. 27-30 holiday weekend by 11,000 baggage handlers and check-in workers.$LABEL$2 +Johnson Leaves Game With Strained Hip (AP) AP - Detroit Tigers right-hander Jason Johnson left his start Saturday against the Seattle Mariners with a strained left hip.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan says holds suspects planning big attacks (Reuters) Reuters - UPDATE 3-Pakistan arrests up to 10 al Qaeda suspects$LABEL$0 +Kerry Camp Makes Video to Defuse Attacks (AP) AP - Sen. John Kerry's campaign released a video Saturday comparing the controversy over Kerry's Vietnam service to attacks on John McCain during the 2000 Republican primaries.$LABEL$0 +McDonald's: CEO Resting After New Surgery WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief executive of McDonald's Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MCD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">MCD.N</A> is recuperating after another surgery, the world's largest fast-food company said on Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Good Samaritans Aiding Hurricane Victims PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Hundreds of local residents and some from across the nation have turned out to provide a vast array of free aid since Hurricane Charley ravaged the area on Aug...$LABEL$0 +Militants Hold Najaf Shrine; Bombing Heard NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders. An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...$LABEL$0 +Red Sox Top White Sox Manny Ramirez homered and drove in five runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 10-7 Saturday for their fifth straight win.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt Thunders to Final Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Robby Ginepri on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Offense Is Steamrolled Quarterback Aaron Polanco took a brutal hit in the back during Navy's scrimmage, symbolizing the Mids' mediocre offensive effort Saturday.$LABEL$1 +ON THE CONTRARY Energy Answers, Left Unspoken F you #39;re worried about the nation #39;s energy future, you can take heart in the positions of both major parties #39; presidential candidates.$LABEL$2 +Paul Hamm gold an error n American Paul Hamm, who become the first American to win the Olympics mens all-around gymnastics title, should not have been awarded the gold, the sports governing body ruled on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Valencia downs Zaragoza in Spanish Supercup Spanish international Vicente Rodriguez struck from a 62nd-minute free kick Saturday to earn Valencia a 1-0 victory over Zaragoza in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup.$LABEL$1 +Colts WR Walters Breaks Left Arm Vs. Jets (AP) AP - Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Troy Walters broke his left arm on the first series of Saturday night's preseason game against the New York Jets.$LABEL$1 +Bucks Acquire Guard Maurice Williams (AP) AP - The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Maurice ""Mo"" Williams after the Utah Jazz did not match the offer sheet the guard signed on Aug. 6.$LABEL$1 +Angels Rattle Loaiza, Blast Yankees 6-1 (AP) AP - Esteban Loaiza is pitching his way out of the New York Yankees' rotation.$LABEL$1 +McDonald's: CEO Resting After New Surgery WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief executive of McDonald's Corp. is recuperating after another surgery, the world's largest fast-food company said on Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Kerry Makes 'Non-Political' Florida Visit (AP) AP - Presidential candidate John Kerry may have won a few votes during his tour of neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Charley, but he said #151; as any politician must #151; that strengthening support in a battleground state was not the reason for his visit.$LABEL$0 +Meth Cooks May Be Caught Pink-Handed (AP) AP - It may fall a shade shy of catching thieves red-handed, but for farmers fed up with methamphetamine cooks filching their fertilizer, staining them pink will do just fine.$LABEL$3 +Chilean Pair Win Country's First Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez won Chile's first gold medal at an Olympics in a five-set tennis marathon that ended at 2:37 a.m. on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +French reporters vanish in Iraq Paris confirms two French journalists are missing in Iraq as concern grows for the safety of an Italian.$LABEL$0 +MLB: Los Angeles 7, Atlanta 4 Shawn Green hit two home runs Saturday, including a grand slam, to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves.$LABEL$1 +Dropped Fly Lets Mets Nip Giants in 12th (AP) AP - Dustan Mohr allowed two runs to score when he dropped a fly ball in the 12th inning, and the New York Mets overcame a shaky return by Tom Glavine and a team-record six double plays to beat the San Francisco Giants 11-9 Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Police Killed in Pre-Poll Chechnya Attacks -- Agency MOSCOW (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked a police station and voting centers in Russia's war-torn Chechnya, killing at least 11 people, Interfax news agency said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +In Mr. Bush's Neighborhood, a Peculiar Intersection The relationship between President Bush and Wall Street has always been a tangled one, layered with paradox and outright contradiction.$LABEL$2 +Video Game Makers Go Hollywood. Uh-Oh. Seeking to establish the medium as a mass market form of entertainment instead of a niche technology, the game industry has taken the playbook of the movie business.$LABEL$2 +That Not-So-Distant Thunder in the Bond Market HEN investors consider the bond market these days, the low level of interest rates should be more cause for worry than for gratitude.$LABEL$2 +Hewitt overcomes Ginepri to reach Washington final Australian Lleyton Hewitt eased into the final of the Washington Classic on Saturday with a 6-3 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded American Robby Ginepri.$LABEL$1 +Usual suspects could be challenged The pressure on IRL IndyCar Series championship leaders Tony Kanaan and Buddy Rice is beginning to increase with the end of the 2004 season just eight weeks -- or five races -- away.$LABEL$1 +Bomb attack kills 12 at Bangladesh rally At least 12 people were killed and 100 wounded in a bomb attack yesterday on an opposition rally in Bangladesh #39;s capital Dhaka.$LABEL$0 +Fatal accidents damage Japan #39;s nuclear dream On the coast of the Japan Sea, two and a half hours by train from Kyoto, is the quiet fishing village of Mihama. Noted for its harbour and beautiful beaches, it draws tourists from all over the country.$LABEL$0 +Wall St.'s Nest Egg - the Housing Sector (Reuters) Reuters - If there were any doubts that we're\still living in the era of the stay-at-home economy, the rows\of empty seats at the Athens Olympics should help erase them.$LABEL$2 +Pakistan Says It Has Foiled Terror Plots (AP) AP - Pakistan has arrested at least five al-Qaida-linked terrorists who were plotting suicide attacks on government leaders and the U.S. Embassy, officials announced Saturday.$LABEL$0 +AUDIT CONFIRMS CHAVEZ VICTORY An audit of last week #39;s recall vote in Venezuela has found no evidence of fraud in the process that endorsed President Hugo Chavez as leader.$LABEL$2 +Charlie Bell recovering from second colorectal surgery CHICAGO McDonald #39;s President and CEO Charlie Bell is resting comfortably today after undergoing a second colorectal procedure.$LABEL$2 +ANALYSIS-Indo-Pak peace bid runs into rough water Pakistan #39;s President Pervez Musharraf is quot;confused quot; and not a little impatient. India is concerned, and Kashmiris are increasingly pessimistic.$LABEL$0 +Al-Qaida Said to Recruit in Latin America MONTERREY, Mexico - Governments throughout Mexico and Central America are on alert as evidence grows that al-Qaida members are traveling in the region and looking for recruits to carry out attacks in Latin America - the potential last frontier for international terrorism. The territory could be a perfect staging ground for Osama bin Laden's militants, with homegrown rebel groups, drug and people smugglers, and corrupt governments...$LABEL$0 +Mistakes Are Abundant Missed tackles, penalties and other assorted errors marked Maryland's intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, a dire portent of another slow start.$LABEL$1 +Cink Excels at NEC Stewart Cink used a 2-under 68 on Saturday to extend his lead at the NEC Invitational to five shots while Tiger Woods and David Toms faded.$LABEL$1 +Blue Jays Drub O's Carlos Delgado homered and drove in three runs as the Toronto Blue Jays handed the Baltimore Orioles their fifth straight loss, 10-4, on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +New Orleans Quarterback Aaron Brooks Tweaks Strained Right Thigh in Game Against Green Bay (AP) AP - New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks tweaked his strained right thigh and hobbled off the field in the second quarter of the Saints' game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +NL: Green Homers Lift Los Angeles Past Atlanta (Reuters) Reuters - Shawn Green hit two home runs,\including a grand slam, as Los Angeles defeated the Atlanta\Braves 7-4 in a battle of National League division leaders at\Dodger Stadium Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Han Shoots Par, Leads Wendy's Championship (AP) AP - Hee-Won Han was back atop the leaderboard at the Wendy's Championship for Children. Han, the defending champion and 2002 runner-up, shot an even-par 72 in the third round Saturday to take a two-shot lead. The South Korean had earlier rounds of 66 and 70 at the rain-soaked and muddy Tartan Fields Golf Club and was at 8-under-par 208.$LABEL$1 +Chemical may cause muscle disease Scientists say a defect in a key protein may cause the muscle-wasting disease muscular dystrophy.$LABEL$0 +McDonald #39;s: CEO Resting After New Surgery The chief executive of McDonald #39;s Corp. (MCD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is recuperating after another surgery, the world #39;s largest fast-food company said on Saturday.$LABEL$2 +Enter your e-mail: I just spent an enjoyable afternoon at the Classic Gaming Expo in San Jose--a place where Pac-Man and Donkey Kong are revered, the Atari 2600 and Intellivision are respected gaming platforms, and the men and women who created titles such as Centipede and $LABEL$3 +Controversy Again Taints Olympic Games ATHENS, Greece - Bad judging has become a tradition at the Olympics, almost its own event really. From the robbery of Munich, where officials stole a basketball gold from the United States and gave it to Russia $LABEL$1 +Unknown Nesterenko Makes World Headlines Belarus #39; Yuliya Nesterenko won the top women #39;s athletics gold medal at the Olympics on Saturday, triumphing over a field stripped of many big names because of doping woes to win the 100 meters.$LABEL$1 +Concerns mount for reporters missing in Iraq A freelance Italian journalist who had been working in the troubled Iraqi city of Najaf is missing and his driver has reportedly been killed, government and aid officials said on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Aircraft Make New Attack on Rebels in Najaf (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. aircraft launched a fresh\assault on Shi'ite rebels in the embattled Iraqi city of Najaf\early Sunday after talks on transferring control of the mosque\at the center of a two-week siege ran into trouble.$LABEL$0 +Two French Journalists Missing in Iraq - Ministry (Reuters) Reuters - Two French journalists are missing in\Iraq and have not been heard from since Thursday, the Foreign\Ministry in Paris said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Carter Out for Season for Seminoles (AP) AP - Florida State tight end Donnie Carter will miss the upcoming season with a torn right knee ligament, coach Bobby Bowden said Saturday.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Aircraft Make New Attack on Rebels in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft launched a fresh assault on Shi'ite rebels in the embattled Iraqi city of Najaf early Sunday after talks on transferring control of the mosque at the center of a two-week siege ran into trouble.$LABEL$0 +Two French Journalists Missing in Iraq - Ministry PARIS (Reuters) - Two French journalists are missing in Iraq and have not been heard from since Thursday, the Foreign Ministry in Paris said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela finds no fraud in election Venezuela #39;s electoral authorities said Saturday an audit of the vote on President Hugo Chavez #39;s rule found no proof of fraud.$LABEL$2 +Matfield turns the Aussie tide A rugby nation lifted its head once more last night. The surprise was that it was South Africa, not Australia or New Zealand, who emerged into the light clutching the coveted Tri-Nations trophy.$LABEL$1 +NL: Green Homers Lift Los Angeles Past Atlanta Shawn Green hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as Los Angeles defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-4 in a battle of National League division leaders at Dodger Stadium Saturday.$LABEL$1 +American Says He Was on bin Laden's Trail (AP) AP - An American on trial for allegedly torturing Afghan terror suspects in a private jail claimed Saturday in his first interview from custody that he was hot on the heels of Osama bin Laden and other militant leaders when he was arrested on July 5.$LABEL$0 +Dutch arrest in Iraq genocide case A 62-year-old Dutchman will be charged for war crimes and as an accomplice to genocide for supplying lethal chemicals to Saddam Hussein #39;s regime, prosecutors said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Former Swift Boat Commander Backs Kerry on Vietnam (Reuters) Reuters - A journalist who commanded a boat\alongside John Kerry in Vietnam broke a 35-year silence on\Saturday and defended the Democratic presidential candidate\against Republican critics of his military service and\integrity.$LABEL$0 +Bush pressing case for #39;ownership society #39; Amid signs that the economy is cooling, President Bush is showcasing initiatives for a second term under the banner of an quot;ownership society quot; in hopes of bolstering his economic stewardship credentials.$LABEL$2 +Rules for Overtime Pay to Take Effect After months of heated debate, a major revision, protests and an unsuccessful legislative assault, the most sweeping changes to the nation #39;s overtime rules in more than 50 years take effect tomorrow.$LABEL$2 +Indian truckers launch strike NEW DELHI: India #39;s largest truckers #39; union began a nationwide strike yesterday, disrupting shipment of goods, to protest a government plan for a service tax on transport booking agents.$LABEL$2 +Bank One Chief Economist to Step Down Bank One said Thursday that its chief economist is leaving the company, less than two months after it was purchased by JP Morgan Chase amp; Co.$LABEL$2 +Nortel Will Cut Workforce by 10 Percent TORONTO, Aug. 19 -- Nortel Networks Corp. said Thursday it will slash its workforce by 3,500, or 10 percent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits.$LABEL$2 +Workers at Mexico #39;s Volkswagen plant end strike, accept 4.5 wage <b>...</b> Workers at Volkswagen #39;s Mexico plant agreed to end their three-day-old strike and accept a pay package close to the company #39;s original offer, officials said after talks that stretched into the early hours of Saturday.$LABEL$2 +High-Speed Users Move Into Majority Web users with fast broadband connections have finally muscled aside dial-up users to form a majority of the American Internet population, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings.$LABEL$3 +Yosemite National Park to use from GM hybrid technology Hybrid engines manufactured by General Motors Corp. will be used to power some buses in California #39;s Yosemite National Park -- a move aimed at curbing emissions in the pristine reserve.$LABEL$3 +Inside Lines: Athens brings out the Games #39; feminine side Have you noticed how women are beginning to dominate these Olympics? A week ago it was Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki who was a star of the show at the opening ceremony.$LABEL$1 +Bangladesh Blasts Kill 13, Injure Opposition Leader, AFP Says A series of explosions at a political rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh killed more than 13 people and injured up to 80, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Agence France-Presse $LABEL$0 +Rebels in Nepal Kill Policeman as the Capital Endures a Siege Suspected insurgents shot dead a policeman on Saturday in Katmandu, Nepal #39;s capital, as the military said it could escort food shipments into the city to ease a blockade inspired by antigovernment guerrillas.$LABEL$0 +Four injured in blasts MADRID: Two bombs exploded in coastal towns in northern Spain yesterday injuring four people after a local paper received a warning in the name of the Basque separatist organisation ETA.$LABEL$0 +More violence ahead of Chechen election There has been more violence in the strife-torn republic of Chechnya, just days before the Russian region is due to elect a new president.$LABEL$0 +Kazaa Owner Cheers File-Swapping Decision (AP) AP - The distributor of file-swapping giant Kazaa welcomed a U.S. court's ruling that two of its rivals are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works shared online by their users.$LABEL$3 +Brunell, Redskins Shellac Dolphins 17-0 (AP) AP - Mark Brunell directed two touchdown drives, and the Washington Redskins controlled the ball for 41 minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins 17-0 Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Global LCD Oversupply to Peak -Report Excess supplies of large liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are forecast to peak in the third quarter of this year, but will balance out by the fourth, a US research firm said on Friday.$LABEL$3 +Hewitt goes through in Washington Second-seed Lleyton Hewitt moved into the quarterfinals of the Washington Open with a routine 6-3 6-2 win over Colombian Alejandro Falla.$LABEL$1 +Bekele wins 10,000m gold as Gebrselassie #39;s era ends Kenenisa Bekele stormed to the men #39;s 10,000 meters title as his once all-conquoring fellow Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie ended at the Olympic Games on Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Bayliss in spat with Ducati boss Bayliss was reportedly involved in a heated argument in the pits at the German Grand Prix last month with team boss Livio Suppo. An uneasy relationship has developed between the former world $LABEL$1 +Harmison rated best Test bowler ENGLAND fast bowler Steve Harmison is the world #39;s number one bowler, according to the latest PwC Test ratings. The Durham quick #39;s match-winning nine-wicket haul in the fourth and final Test against the West $LABEL$1 +STOCKS amp; BONDS Investors Regain Optimism as Crude Oil Prices <b>...</b> tocks climbed yesterday as a drop in crude oil prices from their peak eased investors #39; worries that high fuel costs would crimp consumer spending and hurt company profits.$LABEL$2 +Mars rovers still phoning home While we go about our days, an amazing 34 million or so miles away our pair of Mars Rovers are still going about their days, although theirs are 45 minutes longer and are called quot;sols.$LABEL$3 +Muller, Hewitt for final UNHERALDED Gilles Muller spoiled a star-studded finals scenario at the Washington Open today, muscling aside Andre Agassi 6-4, 7-5 to move into a match-up with Lleyton Hewitt.$LABEL$1 +Bangladesh Awakes in Shock as Blast Toll Hits 16 (Reuters) Reuters - Extra armed police patrolled the streets\of the Bangladeshi capital and traffic was light on Sunday, a\working day, as shocked Bangladeshis woke up to the aftermath\of grenade blasts that killed at least 16 people.$LABEL$0 +Explanation Sought for Lobster Decline (AP) AP - Maine's lobstermen have been hauling up phenomenal numbers for almost 15 years. Their 62.3 million pounds in 2002 set a record #151; triple the typical catch during the 1980s. That's more than #36;200 million worth of lobster and by far the dominant share of the Northeast's most valuable fishery. But can it last?$LABEL$3 +Redskins Execute, Roll The Redskins were crisp on offense and defense, holding the ball for 41 minutes and allowing 98 total yards in a complete 17-0 victory in Miami.$LABEL$1 +Wizards End Skid Davy Arnaud scored his ninth goal of the season in the 66th minute to give the Kansas City Wizards a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Is United Taking Aim at Retirees? The story for bankrupt air carrier United Airlines (OTC BB: UALAQ) is a simple one: It doesn #39;t have enough cash on hand to take care of all of its obligations.$LABEL$2 +Violence in Iraq drives oil to new high of over \$49 Oil prices raced to fresh highs Friday, carrying US crude to over \$49 a barrel, driven by escalating violence in Iraq and unabated fuel demand growth from China and India.$LABEL$2 +Agassi, Davenport move into semifinals of separate tournaments Agassi, Hewitt advance: Andre Agassi continued to make quick work of the field at the Legg Mason tournament in Washington, DC, winning 6-4, 6-4 yesterday over Paul-Henri Mathieu to reach the tournament #39;s semifinals for the seventh consecutive year.$LABEL$1 +Woodgate: A dream come true The England international completed his 13.4million move from Newcastle to the Spanish giants on Friday and was officially unveiled to the media on Saturday afternoon.$LABEL$1 +American League Game Summary - Cleveland At Minnesota Minneapolis, MN -- Cristian Guzman drove in three runs to lead Minnesota to an 8-1 win over Cleveland in the middle contest of a crucial three-game set at the Metrodome.$LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Green Homers Lift Los Angeles Past Atlanta NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shawn Green hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as Los Angeles defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-4 in a battle of National League division leaders at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Radcliffe shrugs off pressure Britain's gold medal hope in the women's marathon Paula Radcliffe insists she is focused ahead of the race.$LABEL$0 +Houllier praises Rafa #39;s new Liverpool Gerard Houllier was angry to read reports about his criticism of Rafael Benitez in the Sunday papers, and insists he believes the Spaniard is doing well at Anfield.$LABEL$1 +Stocks Edge Higher As Oil Prices Fall A welcome slide in oil prices set off a relief rally on Wall Street Friday, with stocks posting a healthy advance as crude approached but then fell back from the \$50 a barrel mark.$LABEL$2 +Google shares rise in debut Shares in Google rose \$15.01 or 17.7 percent, to open at \$100.01 its public debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The jump was a surprise, given the initial \$85 price of the shares and the unusual style of the sale.$LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Doesn #39;t Rock NEW YORK - It #39;s never a smart move to pick a public fight with Apple Computer, and it #39;s doubly unwise if that fight involves the iPod in some way.$LABEL$3 +College established for Internet game industry A college to provide training for the Internet games industry has been opened in Beijing. China #39;s Ministry of Information Technology, the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council, and a Beijing Internet company devised the new college as a joint venture.$LABEL$3 +Virgin to launch online music chart ahead of Radio One LONDON - Virgin Radio is to broadcast weekly chart rundowns using Napster online sales figures from August 29, beating BBC Radio One to the punch.$LABEL$3 +Henin-Hardenne beats Mauresmo; Gonzalez #39;s long day yields gold <b>...</b> Healthy at last, Justine Henin-Hardenne is back at the top of her game. And she has a gold medal to prove it. In a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final that wasn #39;t really close, the top-ranked Henin-Hardenne overwhelmed $LABEL$1 +Dodgers 7, Braves 4 Los Angeles, Ca. -- Shawn Green belted a grand slam and a solo homer as Los Angeles beat Mike Hampton and the Atlanta Braves 7-to-4 Saturday afternoon.$LABEL$1 +Pak in fresh assault on terror hideouts Islamabad, Aug. 21: Pakistani security forces today attacked suspected terrorist hideouts in the border regions of South Waziristan after rocket attacks on military positions from different areas of Shakai valley.$LABEL$0 +US swimmer Phelps puts on show for the ages As of Saturday, the end of the swimming competitions, he had eight medals: Six gold and two bronze. In comparison, Canada has won two silver and a bronze.$LABEL$1 +Golf: Cink seizes five-shot lead at Akron golf AKRON : American Stewart Cink carded a two-under-par 68 on Saturday to seize a five-stroke lead after the third round at the seven million dollar World Golf Championship Invitational tournament.$LABEL$1 +Australia #39;s Molik wins women #39;s singles tennis bronze Unseeded Alicia Molik of Australia upset No. 3 Anastasia Myskina of Russia 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Olympic women #39;s singles tennis bronze medal.$LABEL$1 +Tigers Edge Mariners in 11 Wild Innings (AP) AP - Craig Monroe hit an RBI single with one out in the 11th inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a wild 11-10 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Kerry Raises #36;2M for Democrats in N.Y. (AP) AP - John Kerry raised #36;2 million for Democrats in just a few hours Saturday, making two stops in this understated and elegant vacation destination for the Northeastern well-to-do.$LABEL$0 +Green's Slam Lifts L.A. Shawn Green connects on a grand slam and a solo homer to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Atlanta Braves 7-4 on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Stranded Afghan Refugees Find a Home in Canada TORONTO -- Habibullah Abdul Ghafar is drinking black tea and resting after arriving in Canada from Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian country where he and his family were stranded as refugees. Inside his one-bedroom apartment on the east side of Toronto, the furniture is sparse. A sofa, chair and kitchen table the Canadian government gave them line the room.$LABEL$0 +Wells of Life Run Dry for Sudanese Trauma and malnutrition leave many refugee mothers unable to breast-feed.$LABEL$0 +Tigers Call Up Dingman, Option Novoa (AP) AP - The Detroit Tigers optioned reliever Roberto Novoa to Double-A Erie and called up relief pitcher Craig Dingman from Triple-A Toledo.$LABEL$1 +Australian Taliban and bin Laden bodyguards to face US military justice (AFP) AFP - The United States will this week start controversial military proceedings against an Australian Taliban fighter and three bodyguards for Osama bin Laden.$LABEL$0 +British give shrink an Olympian job LONDON (AFP) - British athletics chiefs have named sports psychologist David Collins as the new Performance Director with the job of producing medal winners at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Insurers Object to New Provision in Medicare Law Private insurers have told the Bush administration that they will not expand their role in Medicare if they have to serve large multistate regions.$LABEL$2 +Overtime rules go in effect Monday Whether they #39;ve been ready for months or are frantically working overtime to catch up, employers of all stripes have until Monday to conform to new labor regulations.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Mainly Gains, Shrugs Off Oil, Gold The dollar strengthened against most major currencies on Friday as dealers shrugged off soaring gold and oil prices and bought the currency largely on technical and positioning grounds.$LABEL$2 +Cink increases lead in Ohio USA Ryder Cup wildcard Stewart Cink increased his lead to five shots after three rounds of the WGC Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Ohio.$LABEL$1 +US runners display dashing look on oval: Williams finds silver <b>...</b> Lauryn Williams #39; magical summer began with her winning the NCAA 100-meter championship in June in Austin, Texas. It continued at the US Trials in July, where $LABEL$1 +Tennis: Hewitt cruises into Washington quarter-finals Second-seed Lleyton Hewitt moved into the quarterfinals of the Washington Open tennis tournament with a routine 6-3 6-2 win over Colombian Alejandro Falla today.$LABEL$1 +World champion Rossi set to dent Honda morale in Brno BRNO (Czech Republic): World champion Valentino Rossi is 22 points clear in the title race but the Yamaha rider will not be taking it easy at this weekends Czech Grand Prix.$LABEL$1 +Crude oil may rise on supply threats Crude oil futures in New York, after passing US\$49 a barrel, may rise further next week on increasing concern that shipments will be curtailed just as demand accelerates, a Bloomberg survey of traders and analysts showed.$LABEL$2 +Greenback gains on euro even as US economy slips The US dollar climbed against the euro after some traders abandoned bets that a slowdown in growth reflected in economic reports this week would push the US currency to a one-month low.$LABEL$2 +Pinsent and crew take rowing honors Matthew Pinsent won his fourth successive Olympic gold medal amid tears of joy and relief yesterday as the British coxless four beat Canada in one of the closest rowing finals ever.$LABEL$1 +Jets 31, Colts 7 The New York Jets found a winning combination Saturday night -- a near-perfect game from Chad Pennington and an opportunistic defense.$LABEL$1 +Rookie has become #39;the man #39; Any lingering doubts as to whether rookie Julius Jones possesses the necessary toughness to be the Cowboys #39; carry-the-mail back now, and in years to come, were disposed of Monday night in Seattle.$LABEL$1 +Springboks win Tri-Nations title to complete amazing recovery (AFP) AFP - South Africa completed one of the great u-turns in rugby union history by beating Australia 23-19 to lift the Tri-Nations trophy a second time.$LABEL$0 +South Africa Win Second Tri-Nations Title DURBAN (Reuters) - South Africa survived two late yellow cards to win their second Tri-nations title with a rousing 23-19 triumph over Australia in Durban on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Kerry comrade breaks war silence A US officer who fought alongside presidential candidate John Kerry in Vietnam condemns his critics.$LABEL$0 +UK teacher wins US ultra-marathon \A Cornish teacher claims one of sport's endurance crowns by winning a 3,100-mile race across the US.$LABEL$0 +Palmer Passes Test Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer enjoyed his breakthrough game at the expense of the Super Bowl champion Patriots, racking up 179 yards on 12-of-19 passing in a 31-3 triumph on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Lost Votes in N.M. a Cautionary Tale Four years ago, about 2,300 voters cast their ballots before Election Day on state-of-the-art, push-button electronic voting machines. For 678 of them, their votes were never recorded.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Online Ticketing The percentage of online sales for movie tickets tripled in the past three years, and growth should continue at least through 2008, the most recent data from Jupiter Research show.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +T-Mobile's Sidekick II Strikes a Functional Balance of Voice, Data Uses Wireless-industry types like to talk about ""smart phones"" as if these souped-up, Internet-capable, multifunction cell phones all have the same IQ. But they don't.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Prices Fluctuate in a Flash Prices for flash memory cards -- the little modules used by digital cameras, handheld organizers, MP3 players and cell phones to store pictures, music and other data -- are headed down -- way down. Past trends suggest that prices will drop 35 percent a year, but industry analysts think that rate will be more like 40 or 50 percent this year and next, due to more manufacturers entering the market.$LABEL$3 +Int #39;l observers #39; audit backs Venezuelan referendum results An audit by the international observers supported the official results of the recall referendum on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cesar Gaviria, the secretary general of $LABEL$2 +Workers face new overtime rules Salaried workers who have been getting overtime pay should take notice: The rules are about to change. Under new federal regulations that go into effect tomorrow, some white-collar workers $LABEL$2 +Unheralded Nesterenko captures 100m gold glory Athens -- If there is a more obscure Olympic 100-meter champion than Yuliya Nesterenko, let her step forward and identify herself.$LABEL$1 +Golf Roundup Han leads by two in Wendy #39;s tourney Han, the 2003 champion and 2002 runner-up, shot an even-par 72 in the third round yesterday to take a two-shot lead. Han had earlier rounds of 66 and 70 at the rain-soaked and muddy Tartan Fields Golf Club and was at 8-under-par 208.$LABEL$1 +Sox slap a high-five for beating ChiSox After tiptoeing through a minefield of controversy, upheaval and unexpected mediocrity for more than three months, the Red Sox stats, schedule finally have their strut back.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan: Arrests spoil major al-Qaida plot Pakistan has arrested at least five al-Qaida-linked terrorists who were plotting suicide attacks on government leaders and the US Embassy, officials announced Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Hungary #39;s ruling Socialist Party names 2 candidates for PM Hungary #39;s ruling Socialist Party named Peter Kiss and Ferenc Gyurcsany as candidates for prime minister on Saturday, two days after the party accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy.$LABEL$0 +Cowboys Rally to Beat Raiders, 21-20 (AP) AP - Kerry Collins' one completion covered almost as many yards as Rich Gannon's seven. That's one reason why he might be a better fit in the Oakland Raiders' new offense. Collins' 89-yard scoring strike to Doug Gabriel in the third quarter was the biggest play of the game before the Dallas Cowboys rallied to beat Oakland 21-20 on Tony Romo's 1-yard keeper with six seconds left Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Earthquakes Rattle Burn 3-0 (AP) AP - Brian Ching scored a team-best 11th goal of season to lead the San Jose Earthquakes past the Dallas Burn 3-0 on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +Heed Those Wary Instincts When it comes to your money (or anything else, for that matter), I believe you should trust your gut.$LABEL$2 +Learning Is a Dangerous Thing to Deduct Tax law has long allowed a taxpayer to deduct the cost of work-related education if it maintains or improves skills needed in his or her present job or business, or if it is required by an employer.$LABEL$2 +Coming Soon, a 24-Plex Not So Near You There's something special about a night at the movies -- it's all about friends, American pop culture and escape. And it's accessible to just about everyone.$LABEL$2 +Nepal rebels storm mountain town Hundreds of Maoist rebels swoop on the Nepalese town of Khalanga, killing at least one soldier.$LABEL$0 +Bills RB Henry Knocked Out in Preseason (AP) AP - Bills running back Travis Henry bruised his ribs in Saturday night's preseason game against Tennessee.$LABEL$1 +Audit Finds No Fraud In Venezuelan Election The referendum on Aug. 15, 2004 rejected the petition to revoke the mandate of President Hugo Chavez. The observation of The Carter Center mission confirms the results announced by the National Election Council $LABEL$2 +China lures Amazon.com, other online e-commerce giants Going store-to-store hunting for bargains holds no appeal for Wang Qin, a busy securities industry employee who says he would rather spend his time and energy on work.$LABEL$3 +Michael Phelps: A very nice guy finishes first At 8:41 pm Thursday, Greek time, Michael Phelps was on the medal stand, the champion of the 200-meter individual medley. He was wearing his official $LABEL$1 +Getting Greene #39;s GOAT a chore worthy of an Olympic medal The tattoo on Maurice Greene #39;s right shoulder succinctly sums up where he feels he ranks in the world of sprinting. quot;Greatest of all time, quot; he will shout after a victory while thumping it.$LABEL$1 +Profile: Chen Qi/Ma Lin, China #39;s new amp;quotgolden pair quot; From Seoul 1988 to Athens 2004, China has pocketed every gold for men #39;s doubles in the Olympic table tennis tournament and, more amazingly, each time the gold has gone to a different pair of players.$LABEL$1 +GAME DAY RECAP Saturday, August 21 But Desi Relaford #39;s ninth-inning drive with two runners on and two out settled into the glove of right fielder Gary Matthews Jr.$LABEL$1 +Grenades kill 18 at Dhaka rally Police and paramilitary are patrolling the streets of the Bangladeshi capital after several grenades exploded near former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she spoke at a party rally Saturday, killing at least 18 people and $LABEL$0 +Calf Problem Rules Ruud Out Of Turkish Trip Ruud van Nistelrooy will not travel to Turkey for United #39;s Champions League group D finale against Fenerbahce. The Dutch striker missed out on Saturday #39;s 3-0 win over Southampton at Old Trafford, and Sir Alex $LABEL$1 +Mars Hills, Crater Yield Evidence of Flowing Water The hills of Mars yielded more tantalizing clues about how water shaped the Red Planet in tests by NASA (news - web sites) #39;s robotic geologist, Spirit, while its twin $LABEL$3 +PAULA HOLDS MEDAL HOPES Long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe is tipped to add to Britain #39;s Olympic gold medal tally when she competes in the women #39;s marathon today.$LABEL$1 +Muller upsets Agassi in semis Luxembourg #39;s Gilles Muller is ranked so low he has to qualify next week just to see if he can even get into the US Open in less than two weeks.$LABEL$1 +Green Bay Packers GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Darren Sharper returned one his team #39;s three interceptions 90 yards for a touchdown, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 19-14 preseason victory over the New Orleans Saints .$LABEL$1 +Game On For Classic Gaming Expo 2004 jm writes quot;The Classic Gaming Expo 2004 kicks off this weekend, with over 60 industry guests. This year the CGE is being held at San Jose #39;s McEnery Convention Center, August 21st amp; 22nd.$LABEL$3 +Tremendous Victory In Venezuela WHILE India was celebrating its Independence Day, another important event was taking place on the other side of the world, in Venezuela.$LABEL$2 +Olympic gold provides inspiration Britain #39;s Olympic success and gold medal tally gives the papers an excuse to wax lyrical on Sunday. Matthew Pinsent #39;s fourth rowing gold and his team #39;s success in the coxless four is the cause of many quot;oar-some quot; puns.$LABEL$1 +SI.com SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Josh Beckett helped himself to his first win in over three months. Beckett doubled in the sixth inning to tie the game and scored the go-ahead run on Juan Pierre #39;s home run one batter $LABEL$1 +Lights-out putting ends Overton run By STEVE FORD Courier amp; Press staff writer 464-7511 or sfordevansville.net. Jeff Overton #39;s run in the 104th US Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club near New York City ended one day too soon.$LABEL$1 +Mohr is less in loss to Mets San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Dustan Mohr dropped a fly ball with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 12th inning to allow two runs to score, and the New York Mets went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants 11-9 in the see-saw middle $LABEL$1 +Brees Passes Chargers Past Cardinals 38-13 (AP) AP - Drew Brees continued his strong exhibition season, passing the San Diego Chargers to a big halftime lead and a 38-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +In Op-Ed Piece, McGreevey Defends Choice (AP) AP - In a newspaper opinion piece published Sunday, New Jersey's embattled governor says his decision not to leave office immediately because of a sex scandal was ""difficult"" to make but one he will not change.$LABEL$0 +Sportsview: Manning Assaults NFL Records (AP) AP - There are traces of Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Steve Young in Peyton Manning, not to mention the DNA of dear old dad, Archie. They're all there in his arm, his accuracy, his eyes, his brains.$LABEL$1 +Lavish times in oil patch? Not a chance Dude, where #39;s my boom? That #39;s a question a lot of Hous- tonians are asking as oil crowds the \$50-a-barrel mark. Where #39;s the frenetic hiring as oil companies staff up for the good times?$LABEL$2 +New hospital design aids healing, cuts errors Greeters direct new arrivals at the elevators. Wireless telephone systems and Internet access are available. And every guest room is private, cheerful and has a fold-out chairbed.$LABEL$2 +EIGHTH IS EASIEST Swimmer Michael Phelps might have turned in his most wonderfully uplifting performance of the Olympics last night. And he didn #39;t even get wet.$LABEL$1 +Scoring goof taints gold One of the feel-good stories of the Olympics turned sour Saturday, becoming the latest in a long line of scoring controversies that seem to show up in every Games.$LABEL$1 +De Bruijn, Hall retain 50m titles DEFENDING champion Inge de Bruijn of Holland won the women #39;s 50m swim final in 24.58 seconds last night. It was the 30-year-old #39;s first gold in Athens and the fourth of her career.$LABEL$1 +Bobble by Mohr costs Giants game SAN FRANCISCO - Dustan Mohr of the San Francisco Giants sat in front of his locker with his head buried in his hands. Even in a new ballpark, right field in San Francisco remains treacherous territory.$LABEL$1 +18 killed in grenade attacks in Bangladesh At least 18 people were confirmed killed, and some 300 were injured as unidentified assailants hurled over ten grenades toward a rally organized by the main opposition $LABEL$0 +Pakistan foils Al-Qaeda linked plot for assassinations, attacks ISLAMABAD : Pakistan has busted an Al-Qaeda linked plot to kill high profile civil and military officials and attack key sites including the US embassy and the military headquarters, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Chua: Three free from bird flu KUALA LUMPUR: The three people warded at the Kota Baru Hospital on Thursday are confirmed to be free from bird flu. Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said tests conducted by Institute of Medical Research $LABEL$0 +Militants #39; positions bombed WANA, Aug 21: Fighter planes and helicopter gunships carried out strikes on militants #39; positions in South Waziristan on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan awaiting formal US consent for new envoy: Kasuri ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Saturday said the government was awaiting a formal consent from the US government over the nomination of General (retd) Jehangir Karamat as Pakistans new ambassador.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan spin India to defeat (AFP) AFP - Pakistan spinners Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took seven wickets between them to bowl their side to a 66-run win over arch-rivals India in the opening match of the triangular event here.$LABEL$0 +Williams stunned by Belarus runner Lauryn Williams never saw her coming. Not as a contender in the weeks and months leading up to the Olympics. Not as a blur whooshing up on her right.$LABEL$1 +Athens Games halfway home free Staggering traffic problems, nightmarish security concerns and incomplete construction of sports venues that would cause an embarrassment to the host country.$LABEL$1 +Padres doomed by big innings The Marlins used a pair of three-run innings to ease past the Padres for an 8-2 victory Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 44,149 at PETCO Park.$LABEL$1 +Nallen Loses in Playoff TUCSON, Ariz. (ussid) Former University of Arizona men #39;s golfer Chris Nallen lost in 19 holes in the semifinals of match play at the 2004 United States Amateur Championship Saturday at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY.$LABEL$1 +Rolen #39;s 31st HR gives Cards 3-0 lead Despite piling up impressive offensive numbers, the St. Louis Cardinals aren #39;t ready to bask in their success just yet. The Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-6 on Saturday night, moving $LABEL$1 +Putin lays wreath at Akhmad Kadyrov #39;s grave TSENTOROI, Chechnya. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Chechen village of Tsentoroi on Sunday morning and laid a wreath at the grave of former Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov.$LABEL$0 +Cisco sees momentum in CRS-1 sales Executives at networking giant Cisco Systems say the company #39;s new CRS-1 core Internet router is ahead of revenue targets, just as the company announced on Sunday a smaller version of the product.$LABEL$3 +Nortel battles back Nortel Networks is only a shadow of what it was three years ago. It has shed 61,500 workers worldwide, and announced last week another 3,500 are slated to go.$LABEL$2 +Qantas points to upbeat outlook Barring negative impacts on the aviation industry, such as global terrorism, Australia #39;s flagship carrier had an upbeat future, Qantas #39; chief executive Geoff Dixon said.$LABEL$2 +Red Cross Calls For More Help For Hurricane Victims MANCHESTER, NH -- More victims of Hurricane Charley returned to the devastation Friday, Red Cross officials said more help is needed.$LABEL$2 +Internet phone service seen as growth industry Rising broadband penetration is keeping equipment makers for Internet phone service on their toes in light of their aggression participation in the upcoming Taipei telecom show, event organizers said yesterday.$LABEL$3 +Lindows Delays IPO In the latest setback for IPO hopeful tech companies, San Diego-based Lindows (www.lindows.com) has indefinately postponed its IPO.$LABEL$3 +Campbell takes bronze ATHENS, Greece - Veronica Campbell snatched Jamaica #39;s first Olympic medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with a third-place finish in the women #39;s 100-metre final last night.$LABEL$1 +On deck: Marlins (60-60) at Padres (65-56), 7:05 tonight The Skinny: Beckett is facing the Padres for the first time in San Diego. In two career starts in Florida, Beckett is 2-0 against the Padres with a 1.93 ERA.$LABEL$1 +A wary sense of relief in Athens ATHENS At the end of the first week of the Olympic Games, security officials are generally pleased, even surprised, by the calm so far, though they caution that a safe opening ceremony and first week may encourage a laxness that could yet give terrorists $LABEL$1 +French reporters vanish in Iraq Two veteran French journalists have gone missing in Iraq as concern mounts over the fate of an Italian reporter. George Malbrunot of Le Figaro newspaper and Christian Chesnot of French radio have not been $LABEL$0 +Tibetans say Dalai Lama may not return in this life It is 45 years since Tibet #39;s god-king, the Dalai Lama, fled his homeland on horseback as Chinese shells rained down on his capital.$LABEL$0 +Burundian rebels: we #39;re ready to defend ourselves in court in <b>...</b> Leaders of a Burundian rebel group said Friday they were ready to defend themselves in an international court against war crimes charges after they took responsibility for the massacre of 163 refugees, their spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Aziz calls for resolution of Kashmir issue ISLAMABAD: Pakistan #39;s prime minister-designate said he wants the dispute over Kashmir to be resolved according to the wishes of people living in the region.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Would Allow 720 Snowmobiles Daily at Yellowstone With federal courts in disagreement over how many snowmobiles should be permitted in Yellowstone National Park, the National Park Service proposed a temporary option.$LABEL$3 +Antidepressant Study Seen to Back Expert A government scientist had concluded last year that most antidepressants are too dangerous for children because of a suicide risk and a new study appears to confirm his findings.$LABEL$3 +Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, Who Helped Develop the CAT Scanner, Dies at 84 Sir Godfrey Hounsfield was a British electrical engineer whose work in creating the CAT scan won him a Nobel Prize.$LABEL$3 +Mars Rover Finds Mysterious Rocks and More Signs of Water Both rovers, the Spirit and the Opportunity, have more than doubled their intended lifetimes of three months.$LABEL$3 +Facing Middle Age and AIDS Although AIDS is thought of as a disease of the young, in the United States it is rapidly becoming one of the middle-aged and even the old.$LABEL$3 +The Making of an X Box Warrior The military has quietly become an industry leader in video-game design, creating games to train and even recruit the soldiers of the PlayStation generation. Will virtual boot camp make combat more real or more surreal?$LABEL$3 +When the Computer Opens the Closet For many women who marry gay men, the truth comes out late at night, not in the bedroom but in front of the family's computer screen.$LABEL$3 +Entrepreneurial Success via the Internet It took the death of his business partner at 21 for Josh Mohrer to get serious about trying to make their fledgling internet business a success.$LABEL$3 +Bangladesh in Shock as Blast Toll Hits 17 (Reuters) Reuters - Extra armed police patrolled the streets\of the Bangladeshi capital and traffic was light on Sunday, a\working day, as shocked Bangladeshis woke up to the aftermath\of grenade blasts that killed at least 17 people.$LABEL$0 +Nepal Seeks to Break Rebel Siege with Air Patrols (Reuters) Reuters - Military helicopters provided air\cover to vehicles ferrying crucial supplies to the Nepali\capital on Sunday, as a blockade called by Maoist rebels\stretched into its fifth day, a senior army officer said.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan PM shrugs off Indian allegations of cross-border infiltration (AFP) AFP - Pakistani Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain played down accusations by India's ruling party that Islamabad had not stopped militants from infiltrating Indian-controlled Kashmir.$LABEL$0 +Bangladesh in Shock as Blast Toll Hits 17 DHAKA (Reuters) - Extra armed police patrolled the streets of the Bangladeshi capital and traffic was light on Sunday, a working day, as shocked Bangladeshis woke up to the aftermath of grenade blasts that killed at least 17 people.$LABEL$0 +Car bomb explodes in north Iraq Two people die in a car bombing apparently targeting a provincial official in the Iraqi town of Baquba.$LABEL$0 +Qantas Doesn #39;t Need an Airline Replacement for BA, Dixon Says Qantas Airways Ltd. should not seek another airline to replace British Airways Plc if the UK carrier sells its stake in the business, Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said.$LABEL$2 +World #39;s Fastest Men Take Center Stage at Games For 10 pulsating seconds, the fastest men on earth take center stage on Sunday at the Olympics to run for the ultimate prize -- the 100 meters gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Vandy #39;s List gets in final of Amateur MAMARONECK, NY - Luke List has already made it further than he ever thought, so why stop now? That #39;s the attitude of the 19-year-old Vanderbilt sophomore, who continued his string of US Amateur upsets with $LABEL$1 +BEARS CAPTURE BOOKER The Chicago Bears have acquired hold-out Pro Bowl defensive end Adewale Ogunleye from the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Marty Booker and a 2005 third-round pick.$LABEL$1 +Boks snatch Tri-Nations The Springboks have won the Tri-Nations title with a 23-19 win against the Wallabies in Durban. In a tense finish, the Wallabies scored twice in the final 10 minutes with the Springboks reduced to 13 men, but the home side held on for a deserved victory.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan sweep nets bomb suspects Pakistan has arrested more than five suspects in a plot to bomb several high-profile targets in Islamabad, including the US Embassy and the official residences of Pakistan #39;s president, Gen.$LABEL$0 +China celebrates Deng centenary China is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping, its late supreme leader. For most Chinese the diminutive figure was the man who set the country on a pragmatic reformist $LABEL$0 +Religion Feeds Sudan's Fire Political rivalries, ethnic strife and poverty have fueled the clashes, but that has not stopped combatants from invoking religion and challenging the devotion of their rivals.$LABEL$0 +Venezuela audit reveals no fraud - observers International observers in Venezuela say an audit of the referendum results which confirmed President Hugo Chavez #39;s mandate in office has revealed no evidence of fraud.$LABEL$2 +THE WEEK ON THE STREET NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- It sure isn #39;t the Goldilocks Economy of yesteryear -- you know, not too hot, not too cold, but just right.$LABEL$2 +After Storm, a New Look at Stiffer Building Codes When structural engineers from Miami pushed the rest of Florida to adopt much stricter building codes after Hurricane Andrew, the response was generally blas.$LABEL$2 +Wal-Mart plaintiff tells story Melissa Howard hated the trips to Hooters for Wal-Mart management meetings. But the strip clubs were even worse, she said. While the store manager of a Wal-Mart in Bluffton, Howard traveled $LABEL$2 +Amazon \$75m purchases Chinese Joyo After quite a few of negotiations, China #39;s non-state-run Joyo.com Ltd. has finally reached a deal with Amazon.com Inc., the US E-commerce giant, which possibly meant a beginning $LABEL$3 +AT amp;T strikes VoIP deals with cable In an attempt to spark growth in its Net phone service, AT amp;T has turned to cable companies to pitch the technology to more consumers.$LABEL$3 +Cink still afloat AKRON -- What #39;s already been a great week for Stewart Cink could get even better today if he can finish the job he started Thursday in the \$7 million NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club.$LABEL$1 +Woodgate Windfall Will Be Well Spent - Shepherd Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has sought to reassure the Magpies fans that the money brought in by the sale of Jonathan Woodgate will be spent wisely.$LABEL$1 +Dhaka tense after grenade blasts kill 16 Police are patrolling the streets of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, after a series of grenade blasts killed at least 16 people. At least seven grenades were thrown at a rally yesterday of more than 3,000 supporters of the main opposition Awami League.$LABEL$0 +Car Bomb Explodes North of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police say a car bomb has exploded north of the Iraqi capital, killing two people and injuring four others, including a deputy provincial governor.$LABEL$0 +18 Killed by Bombs at Bangladesh Rally (AP) AP - Soldiers and armed police patrolled the Bangladeshi capital on Sunday, a day after more than a dozen grenades were thrown at an opposition rally, killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds.$LABEL$0 +Chavez urges opposition to recognize results of referendum CARACAS, August 22 (Itar-Tass) -- President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez has called on the opposition to recognize the results of a referendum on confidence in the president held on August 15.$LABEL$2 +IPO thrusts Google into new direction There #39;s the multibillion-dollar auction that snubs Wall Street #39;s powerful investment banks. There #39;s the IPO manifesto with the pledge to change the world.$LABEL$2 +Overtime changes create potential minefield Labor unions say 6 million workers could lose overtime pay when a redefinition of overtime regulations -he most sweeping change to wage-and-hour laws in half a century -es effect tomorrow.$LABEL$2 +Truckers strike, prices to soar NEW DELHi, AUGUST 21: Truckers went on a nation-wide strike from Saturday to protest against the imposition of the 10 per cent service tax in the Budget.$LABEL$2 +Make all mobile homes safer during hurricanes While the complete post-mortem about Hurricane Charley will take months to complete, some conclusions already are apparent. For one, houses fared much better in the Category 4 winds than mobile homes.$LABEL$2 +Brazil Tribe Has Great Excuse for Poor Math Skills Some people have a great excuse for being bad at math -- their language lacks the words for most numbers, US-based researchers reported on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Judges suspended in gymnastics scandal The International Gymnastics Federation suspended three judges Saturday for a mistake in scoring the men #39;s all-around final but said results won #39;t be changed and American Paul Hamm will keep his gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Belgian makes golden comeback ATHENS, GREECE - Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium won the singles gold medal in tennis, beating Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-3, 6-3 in the final.$LABEL$1 +Listen to Greene roar ATHENS -- Maurice Greene flexed his arms, thumped his chest and gathered the media for a post-race announcement. quot;We #39;re going to have a party tomorrow and everybody #39;s invited -- I #39;m buying, quot; said the defending $LABEL$1 +Sluggish Seahawks buried by Broncos If last night #39;s Seahawks-Broncos exhibition game was a Super Bowl preview, as some have predicted, the Seahawks are in trouble.$LABEL$1 +Glavine shaky in first start since taxi crash SAN FRANCISCO - Mets left-hander Tom Glavine endured a shaky return in his first pitching appearance since he lost two front teeth in a taxi accident, as New York beat San Francisco 11-9 in 12 innings yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Angels win tale of 2 games They played a day-night singleheader at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, one game that felt like two, each with their own distinct heroes for the Angels.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan in #39;al-Qaeda #39; arrests At least five suspected terrorists, with alleged links to al Qaeda, have been arrested in Pakistan. It is claimed they had been plotting to launch suicide attacks on government leaders and the US Embassy.$LABEL$0 +2 killed in car bomb explosion north of Baghdad Two people were killed and four others injured when a car bomb went off on Sunday near Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, police sources said.$LABEL$0 +Over 100 undocumented asylum seekers rescued in Italy More than 100 undocumented asylum seekers claiming to be Palestinians rest after being rescued by the Italian Coast Guard off Sicily 21 August 2004 in the harbour of the Italian island of Lampedusa.$LABEL$0 +China college for Internet game industry A college to provide training for the Internet games industry has been opened in Beijing. Xinhua, China #39;s main government-run news agency, reported Saturday that China #39;s Ministry $LABEL$3 +Quite a spread JAY, Vt. -- From the top of the gondola building, 4,000 feet up on the summit of Jay Peak, the rolling hills of the Northeast Kingdom fade into the distance of hazy summer air. The forestland of this mountain gives way to a patchwork of fields, barns, and silos, with white steeples marking a village green. At the base, brown ...$LABEL$1 +Maine's Crocker part of record-setting team ATHENS -- Michael Phelps was sitting in the bleachers in his team shirt and shorts last night, waving a small American flag and exulting in every gold medal. Especially the one he got without swimming a stroke.$LABEL$1 +No gain on this return CINCINNATI -- At the height of his efforts to get out of this town, Corey Dillon declared, quot;Rudi ain't no C.D. quot; Dillon, now a Patriot, genuinely liked his former backup with the Bengals -- Rudi Johnson -- and really didn't mean it the way it sounded.$LABEL$1 +If this keeps up, they just may be able to swing it CHICAGO -- This national TV stuff, Terry Francona still has some work to do. quot;I showed up for the wrong inning, quot; said the Red Sox manager, who had been lined up to do a between-innings interview by Fox yesterday and eventually got on, but just a little later than he thought he would.$LABEL$1 +Costantino leads R.I. to win SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Chris Costantino struck out Jacob Maxwell with the bases loaded to end the game as Lincoln, R.I., held on to beat Davenport, Iowa, 3-2, last night in Little League World Series action. Costantino finished with 15 strikeouts and allowed just four hits in picking up the win.$LABEL$1 +Lakewood company in \$3B deal The Swedish company Gambro AB will sell its Lakewood-based division to a California company for \$3.05 billion in cash. The division, Gambro Healthcare US, operates clinics for patients undergoing kidney dialysis and has 565 clinics and 43,200 patients.$LABEL$2 +Loaiza elicits boos Esteban Loaiza is pitching his way out of the New York Yankees' rotation. Jose Guillen and Jeff DaVanon homered off the newest target of booing at Yankee Stadium, and Loaiza failed to make it out of the fourth inning yesterday in the Angels' storm-interrupted 6-1 win over New York.$LABEL$1 +Revolution lack magic touches FOXBOROUGH -- Taylor Twellman regained his scoring touch last night, but the Revolution squandered the lead in falling, 2-1, to the Kansas City Wizards, their first loss since July 4.$LABEL$1 +Footing shaky in San Jose The San Jose Earthquakes, winners of two of the last three MLS Cups, could be leaving the Bay Area after this season.$LABEL$1 +A breath of fresh heir at BU Incoming Boston University freshman Chris Bourque recently filled out the Terriers' standard player form that is kept on file at the school's sports information office. quot;It's all the usual stuff -- date of birth, height, weight, and all that, quot; said Ed Carpenter, who has headed up the sports information department for some 30 years. quot;But the part I liked best ...$LABEL$1 +State regulators, in a bid to ensure accurate auction ads, target firms Three companies accused of falsely advertising multimillion-dollar estate sales and auctions of property seized by the federal government or county sheriffs have signed settlement agreements with Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly.$LABEL$2 +Payton profile? Let George do it For the benefit of those who believe Gary Payton will arrive in Boston sometime before the start of training camp Oct. 4 (read: Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers), here is a primer of sorts on the veteran point guard. Everyone knows what Payton has done over a 14-year career that includes just about everything except an NBA championship. Everyone knows ...$LABEL$1 +Coming: IT that adapts to users' requirements The march of information technology into the workplace has been greeted with a mix of awe and resistance. For all their promise of productivity gains, computers, business software, and telecommunications gear have disrupted processes at the core of a company's identity.$LABEL$2 +La Salle selects Giannini PHILADELPHIA -- La Salle's monthlong search for a head men's basketball coach is over. Maine coach John Giannini will be named the coach at La Salle tomorrow, according to a source familiar with the school's coaching search.$LABEL$1 +Cink putts his way to 5-shot lead Stewart Cink seized control of the NEC Invitational with six straight one-putt greens and a chip-in from 50 feet for birdie on the 18th hole yesterday for a 2-under-par 68, giving him a five-shot lead over a trio of Ryder Cup teammates.$LABEL$1 +The Bush team's stealthy assault on tax policy You have to say this for President Bush and his advisers: They are not a timid bunch.$LABEL$2 +Modern technology for an ancient sport One sport that relies increasingly on GPS technology is horseback riding ( quot;Space-age sport, quot; Aug. 16). Horseback riders who practice trail riding for pleasure, or the more demanding cross country sports, are beginning to use GPS in large numbers.$LABEL$2 +Lawsuits hold good news for investors If you are looking for the most interesting fallout from the mutual fund scandals of the past year, don't go looking in old headlines. Look instead at some fairly new court cases.$LABEL$2 +Via a grave site, Spain relives harsh divisions GRANADA, Spain -- On a hillside overlooking the Sierra Nevada mountains, a gnarled olive tree and a simple granite marker stand where historians believe Spain's most celebrated 20th-century poet, Federico Garcia Lorca, was summarily executed and dumped in a communal grave.$LABEL$0 +Clashes in Najaf threaten peace bid NAJAF, Iraq -- Loyalists to Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr remained in control of the gold-domed Imam Ali shrine yesterday after failing to reach an agreement with representatives of Iraq's most senior Shi'ite leader on how to hand over the holy site.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan says suicide-attack plot on leaders, embassy foiled ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- At least five Al Qaeda-linked terrorists suspected of plotting suicide attacks on government leaders and the US Embassy have been arrested by Pakistan, officials announced yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Mideast, N. Africa terror warning set On the heels of a US indictment of Hamas figures, the State Department issued an updated warning yesterday that Americans in the Middle East and North Africa could be targets of terrorist attacks. quot;Anti-American violence could include possible terrorist actions against aviation, ground transportation, and maritime interests, quot; the department said. The indictment was unsealed Friday in Chicago against a political ...$LABEL$0 +Bombings kill 14 at a rally by Bangladesh opposition DHAKA, Bangladesh -- A series of bombs exploded yesterday as a Bangladeshi opposition leader was speaking at a rally. At least 14 people were killed and hundreds were wounded, witnesses and news reports said.$LABEL$0 +US shows flexibility on Israeli settlements CRAWFORD, Texas -- The Bush administration confirmed yesterday that it may accept limited growth within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank in a shift that could help embattled Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.$LABEL$0 +China hails 100th anniversary of birth of nation #146;s modernizer GUANGAN, China -- Deng Xianyan ran his fingers over a bottle of Deng family liquor as he mulled the legacy of his famous cousin, the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.$LABEL$0 +Rolling through rural China, train of doctors restores sight KASHGAR, China -- Impatiently, Gopur Samat stood at the ready as a nurse stripped the bandage from his right eye and steered his attention toward a chart 20 feet away. Smiling, Gopur pointed up. Still smiling as the nurse gestured toward another symbol, he pointed down. Then left, then right. Gopur, 68, suddenly could see clearly again.$LABEL$0 +Sampanis stripped of bronze Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis is stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive for drugs.$LABEL$1 +Unclear on overtime rules In a landmark overhaul of pay eligibility, the Labor Department and unions clash over how much clarity has really been attained. By JEFF HARRINGTON, Times Staff Writer.$LABEL$2 +Big deals alter face of mall industry In the late 1980s, developers were breaking ground for new shopping centers in the United States at the rate of four a day. In 2004, only three regional malls are expected to open the whole year.$LABEL$2 +... we #39;d better get ready The argument against strengthening building requirements is simple: It would cost too much. And poor people couldn #39;t afford it.$LABEL$2 +Indian PM pledges to check spiraling inflation rate Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said that controlling record-high inflation, which has soared in recent weeks to touch a new three-and-a-half year high, was $LABEL$2 +Sports:Greek weightlifter stripped of medal ATHENS, Greece Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis has been stripped of his bronze medal for a doping offense. It was the first medal to be stripped from an athlete in Athens because of doping.$LABEL$1 +Our performance was 100 per cent #39; SCHINIAS, GreeceFor a few anxious moments, not knowing the colour of the Olympic medal he had just won was the best part of these Games for Canadian rowing star Barney Williams.$LABEL$1 +Moore ousts Overton in US Amateur Moore, a senior at UNLV who has already won the NCAA Division I, US Amateur Public Links and Western Amateur titles, will face Luke List, who beat Chris Nallen in 19 holes, in today #39;s 36-hole final.$LABEL$1 +Nepal capital at mercy of unseen menace in the mountains NAUBISE, Nepal : Somewhere on the other side of the mist-covered green hills that guard Nepal #39;s ancient capital Kathmandu, Maoist rebels are grinning.$LABEL$0 +Bird Flu Believed Endemic in Asia, Spreads to Pigs The discovery of a deadly bird flu strain in Malaysia after cases elsewhere in Southeast Asia signaled a major winter outbreak was likely, international health experts said on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Rolling through rural China, train of doctors restores sight Impatiently, Gopur Samat stood at the ready as a nurse stripped the bandage from his right eye and steered his attention toward a chart 20 feet away.$LABEL$0 +J amp;J Reportedly Eyes Guidant Johnson amp; Johnson (JNJ:NYSE - news - research) reportedly is negotiating to buy Guidant (GDT:NYSE - news - research) for \$24 billion, a transaction that would unite two big manufacturers of coronary devices.$LABEL$2 +The Rovers The Issue: Two vehicles are still puttering around the surface of Mars. Our View: Their mission is paying off in knowledge. While we go about our days, rather amazingly 34 million or so miles away, our pair $LABEL$3 +Surviving the IPO From Hell Months ago, when the idea of Google #39;s inevitable IPO could be discussed by its leaders only in hypothetical terms, cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were trying to explain $LABEL$2 +Overtime law clarification is hard to figure Depending on who is doing the analysis, either an additional 1.3 million American workers will be eligible for overtime beginning tomorrow, or 6 million will be stripped of that right.$LABEL$2 +World #39;s lightest flying micro-robot unveiled The world #39;s lightest flying micro-robot has been developed by Japan #39;s Seiko Epson Corporation. The 12-gram robot resembles a small helicopter and is about 136 millimetres wide $LABEL$3 +IOC Bans Greek Medallist From Games The Olympics are less than a week away and organizers are pulling the pieces together for the Aug. 13 opening. Dana Vollmer will be one of those tales of courage that come up during the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Bangladesh paralysed by strikes Opposition activists have brought many towns and cities in Bangladesh to a halt, the day after 18 people died in explosions at a political rally.$LABEL$0 +India withdraws patronage to EU visits in J amp;K Furious with a quot;biased quot; and interventionist report by a European parliamentary delegation, whose leader called Jammu and Kashmir quot;the world #39;s most beautiful prison, quot; India has withdrawn official patronage to such visits.$LABEL$0 +Zito Silences D-Rays' Bats in A's 5-0 Win (AP) AP - Barry Zito scattered four hits over eight shutout innings, leading the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-0 on Saturday night.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Aircraft Make New Attack on Rebels in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft launched a fresh assault on Shi'ite rebels in the Iraqi city of Najaf early on Sunday after talks on surrendering control of the gold-domed mosque at the center of an 18-day siege ran into trouble.$LABEL$0 +Tigers Edge Mariners in 11 Wild Innings DETROIT - Craig Monroe hit an RBI single with one out in the 11th inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a wild 11-10 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. The teams combined for a Comerica Park-record 36 hits, including 21 by Seattle...$LABEL$0 +Militants Hold Najaf Shrine; Bombing Heard NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine as clashes flared in Najaf on Sunday, raising fears a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders. An unofficial mediator and distant relative of the cleric pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Men End 40-Year Rowing Drought ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States stormed to their first Olympic men's eights title in 40 years on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Greece Shamed Again at Their Own Games ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greeks were shamed again at their own Olympics on Sunday when bronze medal weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis was kicked out after failing a dope test.$LABEL$1 +Venezuela Audit Results Support Vote Count (AP) AP - The results of an audit support the official vote count showing that President Hugo Chavez won this month's recall referendum in Venezuela, the head of the Organization of American States said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +China Executes Man for Killing Rapists (Reuters) Reuters - China has executed a 25-year-old\university dropout for killing six men, four of whom had raped\him after getting him drunk, the Beijing Youth Daily said on\Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Nepal Seeks to Break Rebel Siege with Air Patrols KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Military helicopters provided air cover to vehicles ferrying crucial supplies to the Nepali capital on Sunday, a senior army officer said, as a blockade called by Maoist rebels stretched into its fifth day.$LABEL$0 +N.Korea Dubs South 'Wicked Terrorist' Over Refugees SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has denounced South Korean authorities as ""wicked terrorists"" who orchestrated the airlift of 468 North Korean refugees as part of a plot to bring down the communist system.$LABEL$0 +Residents Return to Darfur After Fleeing Attack SANI DELAIBA, Sudan (Reuters) - ""Only God saved us when the Janjaweed attacked. We had to walk to safety and 12 men were killed,"" said Khultoum Eissa Abdallah, now back in her hometown in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Palestinians Denounce U.S. Over Settlement Shift RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians accused the United States on Sunday of destroying hopes of negotiations with Israel for a Palestinian state, after Washington signaled it could accept some growth of settlements in the West Bank.$LABEL$0 +Charley hurts Disney workers Walt Disney World escaped serious storm damage from Hurricane Charley last weekend, but many central Florida residents, including employees of the Magic Kingdom and other Orlando theme parks, weren #39;t so lucky.$LABEL$2 +Tooele grapples with Wal-Mart Wal-Mart didn #39;t completely kill downtown Tooele - but it came pretty darn close. Today, 14 years after the giant retailer opened one of its first Utah stores here, Tooele #39;s old $LABEL$2 +Utah a Clean Air Act offender, study says A new national study identifies Utah as one of at least 29 states that have loopholes in their laws allowing for quot;accidental quot; pollution emissions beyond the limits of the federal Clean Air Act.$LABEL$3 +Apple Recalls 28,000 Faulty Batteries Sold with 15-inch PowerBook Apple has had to recall up to 28,000 notebook batteries that were sold for use with their 15-inch PowerBook. Apple reports that faulty batteries sold between January 2004 and August 2004 can overheat and pose a fire hazard.$LABEL$3 +Sampanis confirmed positive The IOC executive board met early on Sunday to rule on the case, which shocked the host nation days after its top sprint pair withdrew after missing an eve-of-Games dope test.$LABEL$1 +Olympic Soccer: Euphoric Iraq Reaches Semifinals Iraq #39;s footballers beat Australia 1-0 Saturday to reach the semifinals of the Olympic men #39;s tournament, triggering celebratory gunfire in their violence-racked country.$LABEL$1 +Roundup: Chelsea #39;s tactics yield another shutout win Chelsea beat Birmingham 1-0 yesterday on Joe Cole #39;s 68th-minute goal for its second straight shutout in the English Premier League.$LABEL$1 +Maoist rebels bomb government buildings Police in Nepal say more than 1,000 Maoist rebels have stormed a district headquarters in the country #39;s northwest, bombing government buildings and killing at least one soldier.$LABEL$0 +Police: Car Bomb Expodes North of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb exploded north of the Iraqi capital on Sunday, killing two people and injuring four others, including a deputy provincial governor, police said.$LABEL$0 +Preparing your business for the unexpected That #39;s the estimate of how much damage Hurricane Charley has wracked upon Florida. Much of that has been done to small businesses.$LABEL$2 +Phelps simply a cut above Michael Phelps has proven he is the best swimmer ever -- in and out of the pool. Yesterday, the 6-ft. 5-in. 19-year-old from Baltimore won his sixth gold medal to add to his two bronze, making him the swimmer $LABEL$1 +South Korea to File Petition With CAS on Gymnast #39;s Case The South Korean delegation to the Athens Olympics will file a petition on the case of Yang Tae-young, bronze medallist in gymnastics mens individual all-around event, with the Court of $LABEL$1 +One gamble Bears really had to take The Bears traded Marty Booker to Miami for Adewale Ogunleye because they had no choice but to do so. Talent levels being equal, a defensive end is more valuable than a wide receiver.$LABEL$1 +Five terrorists arrested in Pak. Islamabad, Aug. 22. (PTI): Pakistan #39;s security agencies have arrested five al Qaeda-linked terrorists who were plotting suicide attacks on senior leaders and key installations in the country, including the $LABEL$0 +Shell shuts 30,000 bpd more due to Nigeria protest Royal Dutch/Shell has shut in another 30,000 barrels per day of oil output in Nigeria due to a protest by villagers over jobs, bringing its total cut to 100,000 bpd, a spokesman said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +He's running with it When NBC first called Bob Neumeier, he was asked if he'd be willing to work on Olympics wrestling and rowing coverage in Athens. quot;I was flattered and grateful for the opportunity, quot; he said. He was willing to learn the nuances of those sports at the Olympic level and start mastering the pronunciation of hundreds of new names.$LABEL$1 +Today's schedule Pro baseball: Eastern League -- Trenton vs. Portland (2) at Hadlock Field, Portland, Maine, 1 p.m.; New Hampshire vs. New Britain at New Britain (Conn.) Stadium, 1:30 p.m.; Northeast League -- North Shore vs. New Haven at Yale Field, New Haven, 2 p.m.; Elmira vs. Brockton (2) at Campanelli Stadium, Brockton, 5 p.m.$LABEL$1 +Santana exception to rule The next time you're inclined to dismiss baseball's Rule 5 draft in December as an exercise of little consequence, remember that Johan Santana, the pitcher Pedro Martinez said reminded him of a younger version of himself, only with better stuff, was a Rule 5 pick five years ago.$LABEL$1 +Transactions BASEBALL Kansas City (AL): Activated P Jeremy Affeldt from the 15-day DL; optioned P Jorge Vasquez to Wichita (Texas League).$LABEL$1 +Notables The Twins were 3 for 4 on stolen bases and lead the majors with 39 steals in 49 attempts since the All-Star break.$LABEL$1 +Green lifts Dodgers past Braves Shawn Green hit a grand slam and a solo homer to lead the host Los Angeles Dodgers past the Atlanta Braves, 7-4, yesterday, snapping Mike Hampton's string of seven straight wins.$LABEL$1 +The Missing Shoppers Something odd happened on the way to global recovery. The shoppers are not turning out the way they normally do when things start to look up.$LABEL$2 +Greek weightlifter stripped of medal for drugs Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis, Greece #39;s first medal winner at the Athens Olympics, was stripped of his bronze medal and excluded from the Games Sunday for a doping offense, another big blow for the host nation which is welcoming the homecoming $LABEL$1 +DAVENPORT HANDED FINAL PLACE Lindsay Davenport will face Vera Zvonareva in the final of the Cincinnati Open, after Marion Bartoli was forced to withdraw with a hand injury.$LABEL$1 +Three tested for bird flu discharged from Malaysian hospital KUALA LUMPUR : Three Malaysians who fell ill in a village hit by the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain have been discharged from a hospital after tests showed no sign of the virus, a senior official said.$LABEL$0 +Rate hikes by Fed work in two ways If you #39;ve noticed that the price of everything from milk to gasoline to automobiles seems to be going up, you #39;re as observant as Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.$LABEL$2 +Santander May Drop Abbey on Competition Inquiry, Telegraph Says Santander Central Hispano SA, the biggest bank in Spain and Latin America, may drop its 8.2 billion (\$14.9 billion) offer to buy Abbey National Plc if rival bids lead to a long competition $LABEL$2 +Smart little suckers A new generation of robotic vacuums is ready to do battle with dirt, dust and dog hair with more cleaning power and cunning than their ancestors could muster.$LABEL$3 +Relaxed atmosphere lifts Moore, List into final At the US Amateur, players wear shorts and spectators get to walk right down the fairways. So compared with the US Open, which is run by the same outfit, everything about this championship is decidedly relaxed.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan cuffs Al-Qaida-linked terrorists ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Military forces arrested at least five al-Qaida-linked terrorists plotting to launch suicide attacks on the US Embassy and Pakistani leaders, the government said yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Law: No feud with coach CINCINNATI -- Ty Law responded last night to reports published last week that he and coach Bill Belichick were feuding over a bonus for showing up at training camp in shape.$LABEL$1 +Cleaning up Washington #39;s #39;Iraqi problem #39;: invest authority in <b>...</b> Is there a quot;Sunni problem quot; in Iraq, as the United States would like us to believe? If there is, it is entirely of Washington #39;s making.$LABEL$0 +French victim's family come to UK The family of a French woman murdered in south-west London are travelling to the UK to meet detectives.$LABEL$0 +Pinsent considers future British rower Matthew Pinsent is undecided whether to go for a fifth gold medal in Beijing.$LABEL$1 +Volkswagen #39;s Mexican Workers Accept Pay Increase, Reforma Says Mexican union workers for Volkswagen AG, Europe #39;s largest carmaker, accepted the company #39;s offer for a 6.1 percent pay increase and will return to work today after going on strike Wednesday, Reforma newspaper said.$LABEL$2 +Bad news? It #39;s good news for Bush It is now official: The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. Last week #39;s Congressional Budget Office tax-burden study confirms what the eye can see: John Edwards #39; quot;two Americas quot; continues to grow.$LABEL$2 +US men hot-foot it in heats On target and on fire, the US men #39;s 100-meter sprinters scorched the Olympic Stadium #39;s fast track through two rounds yesterday to advance to today #39;s $LABEL$1 +Agassi knocked out in surprising semifinal The top-seeded Agassi was eliminated in the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Saturday in Washington by unseeded Gilles Muller.$LABEL$1 +Spain #39;s win puts Serbia on brink Spain clinched first place in Group A with a 76-68 victory yesterday in Athens, leaving Serbia-Montenegro in danger of failing to reach the quarterfinals.$LABEL$1 +Canada losing swagger In 1904 at the St. Louis Olympic Games, Canada won gold in soccer. In 1936 in Berlin, our nation won silver in basketball. That #39;s it for traditional team sports.$LABEL$1 +People flee storm-ravaged Philippine towns as rescuers search for <b>...</b> Panicked residents scrambled to flee three storm-ravaged coastal Philippine towns on Sunday while rescuers made last-ditch attempts to find survivors of the powerful storm that left more than 1,100 dead and missing.$LABEL$0 +In Mars rock, telltale ripples and mysteries NEW YORK With one Mars rover climbing into the hills and the other descending deep into a crater, scientists reported the discovery of several mysterious rock structures, along with yet more signs that Mars was once awash in water.$LABEL$3 +PINSENT WEIGHS UP FUTURE British rowing hero Matthew Pinsent is in no hurry make a decision over whether he will compete at the next Olympics in Beijing. Pinsent guided Britain to first place in the coxless fours at the Athens games $LABEL$1 +Some 50 rebels killed in Chechnya: spokesman Russian troops killed some 50 rebels in a recent operation in Russia #39;s breakaway republic of Chechnya, the Interfax news agency reported Sunday, quoting.$LABEL$0 +Sporadic Violence in Bangladesh After Rally Attack DHAKA (Reuters) - Angry mobs ransacked a railway station and burned train coaches in Bangladesh on Sunday, officials said, as sporadic violence erupted after grenade attacks on an opposition party rally killed at least 17 people.$LABEL$0 +Nesterenko of Belarus wins women #39;s 100m Olympic gold Belarus #39; Yuliya Nesterenko became the fastest woman in the world, winning the 100m gold medal at the Olympic Games here Saturday evening.$LABEL$1 +News Briefs Stewart Cink seized control of the NEC Invitational at Akron, Ohio, with six straight one-putt greens and a chip-in from 50 feet for birdie on the 18th hole Saturday for a 2-under 68, giving him a five-shot lead over a trio of Ryder Cup teammates.$LABEL$1 +HK wins first Olympic medal since 1997 Table tennis players Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak won here Saturday the first Olympic medal for Chinese Hong Kong since the former British-occupied territory returned to China on July 1, 1997.$LABEL$1 +Young French woman murdered in London park LONDON, Aug 21 (AFP) - A young Frenchwoman has been bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument in a park on the outskirts of London and police do not rule out that she was the victim of an unknown serial killer, they said Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Three more Malaysians face bird flu checks Three children of a Malaysian vet have joined her in hospital for checks to see if they have bird flu, state media reported on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Israel Bus Blast Said Mechanical Problem (AP) AP - An Israeli bus exploded in a Jerusalem neighborhood early Sunday, but officials said the blast had been caused by a mechanical problem. There were no injuries.$LABEL$0 +China's President Hails Deng Xiaoping (AP) AP - Speaking to hundreds of top leaders and ordinary citizens, China's President Hu Jintao hailed Deng Xiaoping as the architect of China's economic reforms on Sunday, the 100-year anniversary of the late supreme leader's birth.$LABEL$0 +Rivals: Cisco's tactics unfair (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Cisco Systems' substantial influence over the #36;8 million technology plan for San Jose's new City Hall reflects a deliberate strategy by the networking giant: get involved in the planning process early to win more business down the road.$LABEL$3 +Workplace beware THE Labor Department #39;s trumpeting of its new regulations governing overtime, which go into effect this week, sounds a little tinny.$LABEL$2 +Metro briefs A Bolingbrook firm is recalling 406,000 pounds of frozen beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, officials said. The Quantum Foods beef, including frozen patties and steaks, were produced June 23 and 24 and distributed nationwide.$LABEL$2 +The world is Borders #39; oyster Borders Group Inc. made \$120 million in profits in 2003, hauling in most of that money from its 450 Borders superstores in the United States.$LABEL$2 +Competition Probe Threatens Abbey Deal The Spanish bank poised to take over Abbey National will walk away if the 8.2 billion deal is stalled by competition concerns, it was reported today.$LABEL$2 +Greek weightlifter stripped of bronze Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis on Sunday was stripped of the bronze medal he won last week and banished from the Athens Games for failing an antidoping test.$LABEL$1 +Baffling day in baffling race It was another glorious opportunity for the Giants to provide an answer to the burning question of the day, namely, quot;How the hell are these guys in the wild-card race?$LABEL$1 +WOMENS POLE VAULT A huge comedown for defending champ Dragila Athens -- Stacy Dragila, the first great woman pole vaulter and 2000 Olympic champion, will not be defending her gold medal in Athens.$LABEL$1 +US military launches attack outside Najaf shrine US troops and warplanes pounded Mehdi Army positions outside the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf early Sunday, US military officials said.$LABEL$0 +Prime Minister says he #39;s satisfied Guantanamo Bay offers <b>...</b> Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday he remains satisfied that the US military trial awaiting Australian terror suspect David Hicks at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be consistent with Australian criminal justice.$LABEL$0 +EA game #39;Madden #39; tops 1.3 million first week quot;Madden NFL 2005, quot; the latest version of Electronic Arts #39; pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week of release, the company said Thursday, citing internal figures.$LABEL$3 +Germany #39;s Schumann wins pistol gold : Germany #39;s Ralf Schumann Saturday claimed his third Olympic gold when he won the men #39;s 25 metres rapid pistol event scoring 694.$LABEL$1 +Critical penalty costs Raiders quot;There have been a lot of BS calls, just like that one, quot; Scott said, referring to the new interpretation of the 5-yard rule.$LABEL$1 +World News gt; US launches fresh offensive against Iraqi rebels: US aircrafts Sunday pounded positions held by militants loyal to Iraq #39;s radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the besieged sacred city of Najaf, Xinhua reports.$LABEL$0 +BA staff call off holiday strikes A planned strike by British Airways staff that threatened to disrupt the travel plans of half a million people was halted yesterday after management and workers reached an agreement.$LABEL$0 +Taking stock During the salad days of the Internet frenzy, it was common to hear murmurings like this in Silicon Valley: quot;That house on the corner was listed for \$1.$LABEL$2 +Hamid Karzai to arrive Islamabad on Monday ISLAMABAD : Afghan President Hamid Karzai is arriving in Islamabad on Monday on a two day visit to Pakistan. He will have talks with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Ch.$LABEL$2 +Gary airport development vital to entire state The US government made this clear in recent weeks as the Federal Aviation Administration held meetings to get the big airlines to reduce the number of flights they put through O #39;Hare.$LABEL$2 +Seiko Epson Develops Micro Flying Robot Seiko Epson Corp. is developing a flying robot that looks like a miniature helicopter and is about the size of a giant bug. The company hopes it #39;ll prove handy for security, disaster rescue and space exploration.$LABEL$3 +Phelps watches and wins Phelps tied the record for most medals by an athlete at a single Olympics, matching the achievement of Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin in the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.$LABEL$1 +Williams happy with silver in 100 Nesterenko, a Belarusian who had never broken 11 seconds before the Olympics but did it in all four rounds here, won gold in 10.93 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Raiders #39; revamped defense still needs tinkering An online scouting service recently rated the Dallas Cowboys in a tie with the 49ers as the second least-talented offense in the NFL.$LABEL$1 +Everton to meet on Monday to discuss new funding Everton #39;s board of directors will meet on Monday to discuss new investment in the hard-up English Premier League side, the club said on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Ten al-Qaeda suspects arrested in Pakistan for planned attacks Islamabad, Aug 22 (DPA) Pakistan #39;s Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said today that the security agencies have arrested at least ten suspected al-Qaeda operatives who were planning to attack important government and US targets in Islamabad last week.$LABEL$0 +Greenspan in Focus This Week LONDON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan will hog the limelight in financial markets this week as investors seek clues on how quickly U.S. interest rates will rise as soaring oil prices start to affect economic activity.$LABEL$2 +Google Roadshows Left Small Investors Out NEW YORK (Reuters) - The initial public offering of Internet search engine Google Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GOOG.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GOOG.O</A> was billed as a bonanza for millions of U.S. investors -- but the little guy, with check in hand, was left out of the party.$LABEL$2 +U.S. OKs Status of 10 Guantanamo Prisoners GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - U.S. military review panels have decided not to release 10 Guantanamo Bay detainees, concluding they were properly classified as ""enemy combatants,"" a military official said Saturday...$LABEL$0 +Oil Falls from Highs After Missing \$50 Oil prices eased from new highs on Friday as dealers pocketed profits from a long record-breaking run after escalating violence in Iraq took US crude close to \$50 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +Business View: It #39;s looking like Madrid or bust for Abbey No Mates Are cracks appearing in the Abbey-Santander romance? Certainly, the engaged couple do not seem as close as they were a few days ago.$LABEL$2 +Judges rule file-sharing software legal update A federal appeals court has upheld a controversial court decision that said file-sharing software programs such as Grokster or Morpheus are legal.$LABEL$3 +Maine #39;s new gold standard Michael Phelps gave Ian Crocker a gift and Crocker made the most of it Saturday. As Phelps watched from the stands, cheering and waving a small American flag, Crocker $LABEL$1 +Profile: Chen Qi/Ma Lin, China #39;s new quot;golden pair quot; This time in Athens, the quot;golden pair quot; China had prepared for its rivals was Chen Qi and Ma Lin, two Olympic rookies. In the final match played in the Galatsi Olympic Hall in northwest Athens Saturday afternoon $LABEL$1 +Dhaka Rally Attack Kills 14, Injures Hundreds A grenade attack at a rally for the Awami Union Party in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka left 14 people dead and more than 300 injured.$LABEL$0 +As countdown goes on, so does the killing SO, JUST the nine days to go. Nine days for the Sudanese government to clean up its act, disarm the Janjaweed militia and make Darfur safe for the 1.2 million people driven from their homes by the campaign $LABEL$0 +Peres demands early Israeli elections Israel #39;s opposition leader, Shimon Peres, today called for early elections that would effectively rule his party out of joining a coalition to prop up the prime minister, Ariel Sharon.$LABEL$0 +Competition rules could scupper Abbey deal The Spanish bank poised to take over Britain #39;s Abbey National will walk away if the 8.2bn (12.1bn) deal is stalled by competition concerns, it was reported today.$LABEL$2 +US court: Software can #39;t commit piracy Truly decentralised peer-to-peer (P2P) software can #39;t be held accountable for its misuse, according to a US federal appeals court.$LABEL$3 +Pinsent victory sparks gold rush Rower Matthew Pinsent has won a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the coxless four, while Britain picked up further gold medals in the sailing, cycling and three-day eventing.$LABEL$1 +Cubs face music after suffering heartbreak Usually after a heartbreaking loss, the losing team #39;s locker room is as quiet as a tomb. Cubs closer LaTroy Hawkins, who allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth and suffered the $LABEL$1 +US tanks advance toward Najaf shrine: Arabiya TV US military tanks advanced to a few hundred meters away from Imam Ali shrine for the first time during Najaf crisis, al-Arabiya TV channel reported on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Straw to urge Sudan to end Darfur crisis and reach settlement with <b>...</b> Britain #39;s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw flies to Sudan on Monday to press the government to end the humanitarian crisis engulfing the western region of Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Washington Post Details Ex-Uri Party Head #39;s Downfall The resignation of Uri Party chairman Shin Ki-nam after disclosures that his father was a Japanese collaborator is an example showing that the memory of Japanese imperialism is still alive in China and South Korea, the Washington Post reported on Friday.$LABEL$0 +Greenspan in Focus This Week (Reuters) Reuters - Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan\will hog the limelight in financial markets this week as\investors seek clues on how quickly U.S. interest rates will\rise as soaring oil prices start to affect economic activity.$LABEL$2 +Google Roadshows Left Small Investors Out (Reuters) Reuters - The initial public offering of\Internet search engine Google Inc. (GOOG.O) was billed as a\bonanza for millions of U.S. investors -- but the little guy,\with check in hand, was left out of the party.$LABEL$2 +Uma Bharti to quit over rioting charges (Reuters) Reuters - The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has sought to resign after a court ordered her arrest in connection with a 10-year-old rioting case, the head of her Hindu nationalist party said on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Softball: U.S. Thrashes Australia, Japan Wins ATHENS (Reuters) - The red, white and blue U.S. softball machine are one win away from their third straight gold medal after rolling over Australia 5-0 in their semi-final on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Palestinian Carries Tune and His People's Dreams Palestinians are utterly consumed by the fate of the 26-year-old man who will compete in Lebanon in the final of the televised contest to be named the Arab worlds finest singer.$LABEL$0 +Please hand the opposition the silver bullet ... so it may finally <b>...</b> University de Los Andes (ULA) lecturer Jutta Schmitt writes: In the wake of the Presidential recall referendum and as soon as the preliminary results had been announced by the National Elections Council (CNE) in the early morning hours of Monday, August 16 $LABEL$2 +Pinsent will retire ... and then return: Redgrave Matthew Pinsent is to announce his retirement, according to Sir Steven Redgrave, but is likely to follow in his footsteps by changing his mind and returning to the sport.$LABEL$1 +Duvall rider, teammates awarded bronze medal ATHENS, Greece -- Duvall #39;s Amy Tryon will return home from the 2004 Olympics with a medal after all. Tryon and the other members of the US equestrian team earned the bronze medal in the team-eventing competition $LABEL$1 +Mob sets train on fire in Bangladesh DHAKA: An angry mob set fire to a passenger train in central Bangladesh Sunday, injuring at least 20 people after a grenade attack on an opposition rally that killed 18 people and wounded hundreds, police said.$LABEL$0 +Munch #39;s quot;The Scream quot; stolen Armed robbers have stolen masterpieces by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch from a museum in Oslo and national radio said a version of quot;The Scream quot; was part of the haul.$LABEL$0 +22 killed, several injured in Chechen separatist attack in Grozny MOSCOW: Attacks by Chechen militants in Grozny, left 22 people dead including policemen and injured several others. Several Chechen guerrillas attacked a police station and polling station in the north of $LABEL$0 +Palestinians Say U.S. Destroys Hope Over Settlements (Reuters) Reuters - Palestinians accused the\United States on Sunday of destroying the Middle East peace\process after Washington signaled it could accept some growth\of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.$LABEL$0 +Arsenal gunning to equal unbeaten record and take on Europe (AFP) AFP - English Premiership champions Arsenal play their first home game of the new season against Middlesbrough hoping to extend their unbeaten run to 42 league games, equalling a 26-year-old record.$LABEL$0 +Clashes Near Iraq's Najaf Kill 40 People-Govt. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 40 Iraqis were killed on Saturday in fierce clashes near the southern city of Najaf, where Shi'ite militias are involved in a standoff with U.S.-led forces, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Iran's Bushehr Atomic Power Plant Faces More Delays TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran on Sunday announced a further substantial delay in the long overdue project to complete its first nuclear power plant, part of a program which Washington says could be used to make atomic arms.$LABEL$0 +Arsonists Set Fire to Parisian Jewish Soup Kitchen PARIS (Reuters) - Arsonists set fire to a Jewish soup kitchen in central Paris early on Sunday morning and daubed Nazi symbols on the building, police said, in the latest anti-Semitic act in France.$LABEL$0 +You Say You Wanna Revolution Do you hate the government? Do you want to smash the corporate slave state? Are you an anarchist, punk, eco-freak with a bad haircut and attitude? Is your idea of a fun hobby sitting in your basement practicing your bomb-making skills? Do you listen to Rage Against the Machine all the time and have your walls lined with posters of Che Guevara? Do you actually want to do something to bring about the Revolution instead of getting stoned and rambling about the Zapatistas? Well here's something easy and powerful you can do to help bring the walls down: Vote for Bush.$LABEL$3 +GB boss defends swimmers Britain's swimming coach Bill Sweetenham defends his team's record in Athens.$LABEL$1 +A Bridge Suspended in Controversy In the history of ambitious bridge projects, doubt -- and the controversy that stems from it -- tends to make regular appearances.$LABEL$2 +British Wiggins wins men #39;s individual pursuit at Athens Olympics New Olympic record holder British cyclist Bradley Wiggins won the men #39;s individual pursuit at the Athens Olympics with a time of 4:16.$LABEL$1 + #39;The Scream #39; stolen from museum Armed men stormed into an art museum Sunday, threatened staff at gunpoint and stole Edvard Munch #39;s famous paintings quot;The Scream quot; and quot;Madonna quot; before the eyes of stunned museum-goers.$LABEL$0 +Palestinians criticize US shift on settlements Palestinian officials on Sunday accused the United States of harming prospects for Mideast peace after the latest indications that Washington is ready to accept some Israeli expansion of West Bank settlements.$LABEL$0 +Programs: Turbine Builds the Buzz for 'Middle-Earth Online' (Reuters) Reuters - The people crammed into a\meeting room at the Providence Convention Center were\contemplating a long visit to an exotic land. They wanted to\know about the shape of the mountains and what the weather\would be like. They asked if the natives would be approachable.$LABEL$3 +Google Roadshows Left Small Investors Out NEW YORK (Reuters) - The initial public offering of Internet search engine Google Inc. was billed as a bonanza for millions of U.S. investors -- but the little guy, with check in hand, was left out of the party.$LABEL$2 +Wiggins Overcomes Mcgee Fear Bradley Wiggins had dreamed of winning an Olympic gold since he was 12, but the Londoner got the fright of his life when Brad McGee returned to track racing two years ago.$LABEL$1 +Attack On Israeli Army Backfires Militants attacking an Israeli armored bulldozer inadvertently killed three other Palestinians Tuesday during an Israeli operation to destroy weapons-smuggling tunnels from Egypt.$LABEL$0 +Report: Arafat seeking Abbas #39; return to activity Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is interested in returning former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to activity, according to Fatah central committee member Sacher Habash.$LABEL$0 +Car Bomb in Iraq Kills 2, Wounds 4 Two Iraqis have been killed and at least four others wounded in a car bomb explosion north of the capital, Baghdad. The attack occurred in al-Khalis, a town just north of the volatile city of Baquba.$LABEL$0 +Tom Plate The Latest China Syndrome You can bet they have been salivating, waiting patiently for the delicious, divisive moment: for Cultural Revolution Two or Tiananmen Square Two.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Beats Australia, 5-0 Lisa Fernandez pitches a three-hitter Sunday and as the Americans roll to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold medal game.$LABEL$1 +Munch's Famous 'Scream,' 'Madonna' Stolen OSLO, Norway - Armed men stormed into an art museum Sunday, threatened staff at gunpoint and stole Edvard Munch's famous paintings ""The Scream"" and ""Madonna"" before the eyes of stunned museum-goers. The thieves yanked the paintings off the walls of Oslo's Munch museum and loaded them into a waiting car outside, said a witness, French radio producer Francois Castang...$LABEL$0 +Hamm Goes for More Gold Amid Controversy ATHENS, Greece - Despite the controversy surrounding his gold medal in the all-around, Paul Hamm has a chance to win two more golds Sunday. The American will compete in the finals of the pommel horse and the floor exercise - the latter against his twin brother, Morgan...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Wins Rowing Gold The American men's elite eight crew ends a four-decade drought in rowing gold medals Sunday, pulling out to a big lead and fending off a late charge by the Netherlands.$LABEL$1 +Word Champion ATHENS -- With his big, thick right hand, Pete Clentzos slaps his belly. The hand bounces off.$LABEL$1 +Programs: Turbine Builds the Buzz for 'Middle-Earth Online' PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - The people crammed into a meeting room at the Providence Convention Center were contemplating a long visit to an exotic land. They wanted to know about the shape of the mountains and what the weather would be like. They asked if the natives would be approachable.$LABEL$3 +It's a Bird, It's a Planet, It's the Space Station When the space station passes across the Sun or moon, the scene offers an interesting demonstration of how planet hunter's look for new candidates by measuring the periodic dimming of a parent star.$LABEL$3 +Water on Mars: More Evidences The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA #39;s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Softball Team Wins, Closes in on Gold (AP) AP - One more victory and U.S. softball team will have its goal: a third Olympic gold. Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team #151; they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold medal game.$LABEL$1 +Athens Track Set for Sizzling Men's 100 (AP) AP - The preliminaries in the 100 meters were perhaps just a sample of what's to come Sunday, when a talented group of qualifiers #151; including Americans Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and defending champion Maurice Greene #151; will try to turn their competition into the fastest show at the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Airline, pilots trying for deal US Airways and its pilots #39; union failed to announce a tentative labor agreement on Friday, but both sides said they remained optimistic that a bargain would be struck soon.$LABEL$2 +Big week ahead for Bay Area in Legislature In an 11th-hour twist, the Bay Area is at the epicenter of political quakes that jolted lawmakers over the weekend and will rock the Legislature #39;s annual frenzied wrap-up this week.$LABEL$2 +Tech pros on what Google IPO means for Silicon Valley The initial public offering of Internet search leader Google riveted the attention of the technology world and served as a reminder that Silicon Valley remains a unique place in the business world.$LABEL$3 +US men fall again A stake in the heart of USA mens basketball was delivered Saturday by a player who was inches from doing it four years ago in Sydney, Australia.$LABEL$1 +Hamm Goes for More Gold Amid Controversy Despite the controversy surrounding his gold medal in the all-around, Paul Hamm has a chance to win two more golds Sunday. The American will compete in the finals of the pommel $LABEL$1 +Victor victorious led from the front They drank the champagne, bore smiles the width of the Vaal River and took the plaudits of a nation. And they deserved every single moment of the adulation.$LABEL$1 +Ogunleye traded for Bear receiver A messy contract holdout and the need for a top-flight wide receiver prompted the Dolphins to agree on a trade Saturday that will send defensive end Adewale Ogunleye to the Chicago Bears for Marty Booker and a 2005 third-round draft pick.$LABEL$1 +Fightings Continue in Najaf Militant supporters of radical Iraqi Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a sacred religious shrine Sunday as fighting flared around the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.$LABEL$0 +Al Qaeda plot to blow up key installations in Pak foiled: Rashid : With the arrest of six Al Qaeda suspects, law enforcement agencies here claimed to have foiled a plot to blow up key sites, including President #39;s House, military headquarters, the US embassy and parliament, the country #39;s Information Minister Sheikh Rashid $LABEL$0 +BA plane makes emergency landing in Canada (AFP) AFP - A London-bound British Airways plane carrying 302 passengers from Phoenix, Arizona was diverted to Montreal for technical reasons, a spokesman for the airline told AFP.$LABEL$0 +Error Helps Mets Defeat Giants in 12 (AP) AP - Dustan Mohr allowed two runs to score when he dropped a fly ball in the 12th inning, and the New York Mets overcame a shaky return by Tom Glavine and a team-record six double plays to beat the San Francisco Giants 11-9 Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Angels Rough Up Loaiza in Win Over Yanks (AP) AP - Jose Guillen and Jeff DaVanon homer off Esteban Loaiza, who failed to make it out of the fourth inning Saturday, as the Anaheim Angels defeated the New York Yankees 6-1 in a storm-interrupted game.$LABEL$1 +Wrong target drama costs US shooting gold China #39;s Jia Zhanbo claimed the gold medal in the men #39;s 50-metre rifle three-position target event at the Athens Olympics, after American Matthew Emmons was ruled to have fired at the wrong target on the verge of victory.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Tanks Move Toward Najaf Shrine, Clashes Kill 40 NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. tanks rumbled to within 800 meters (yards) of a holy shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday as fierce clashes with Shi'ite rebels in a nearby town killed at least 40 Iraqis, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Table tennis: Gold for China Zhang Yining beats North Korea's Kim Hyang-Mi to win the table tennis women's singles.$LABEL$0 +Ciena Posts Wider 3Q Loss on Charges Ciena Corp., a maker of fiber optic products and services, posted a wider third-quarter loss Thursday on restructuring and acquisition charges, and warned that fourth-quarter revenue would be flat with third-quarter results due to quot;ongoing customer $LABEL$3 +Rampant England eye top spot after seven wins in a row Despite having won 10 out of 11 tests so far this year, England are still a long way from being the best team in the world. Arch-rivals Australia hold sway at the $LABEL$1 +Berlusconi to visit Libya ITALY #39;S Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said this weekend he would meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday to discuss clandestine immigration and also reparation claims covering nearly two decades of Italian occupation of Libya.$LABEL$0 +Koch: I Support Bush, His Stance on Iraq (AP) AP - Calling himself a ""liberal with sanity,"" former mayor Ed Koch #151; a lifelong Democrat #151; said he decided to support President Bush in the 2004 election because of Bush's stance on Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Shooting: 'Wrong Target' Drama Costs U.S. Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - American Matthew Emmons fired at the wrong target on the verge of victory in the Olympics men's 50-meter rife three-position target event to surrender an almost certain gold medal to China's Jia Zhanbo on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Clashes Across Bangladesh After Rally Attack DHAKA (Reuters) - Clashes between police and opposition supporters erupted across Bangladesh on Sunday in the aftermath of grenade attacks on a rally that killed 17.$LABEL$0 +Iconic Munch Painting Stolen from Museum in Norway Edvard Munch's paintings ""The Scream"" and ""Madonna"" were stolen from an art museum Sunday while armed men threatened the staff at gunpoint.$LABEL$0 +Athens Track Set for Sizzling Men's 100 ATHENS, Greece - The preliminaries in the 100 meters were perhaps just a sample of what's to come Sunday, when a talented group of qualifiers - including Americans Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and defending champion Maurice Greene - will try to turn their competition into the fastest show at the Athens Games. Five men broke 10 seconds in qualifying Saturday, led by Crawford's time of 9.89...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Warplanes Bomb Najaf's Old City NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. warplanes bombed Najaf's Old City and gunfire rattled on Sunday amid fears a plan to end the standoff with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could collapse...$LABEL$0 +Seiko Epson develops tiny flying robot Seiko Epson is developing a flying robot that looks like a miniature helicopter and is about the size of a giant bug. The company hopes it #39;ll prove handy for security, disaster rescue and space exploration.$LABEL$3 +US wins silver in 50m rifle; China gets gold Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Michael Anti of the United States won the silver on Sunday in the men #39;s 50m rifle 3-position event at the Summer Olympics in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan: Al-Qaida Plot Intercepted Pakistani authorities say they have intercepted a plot by the al-Qaida terror network to kill high profile civil and military officials and attack key sites, including military headquarters and the US embassy in Islamabad.$LABEL$0 +The aftermath of the Grozny bomb Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to wartorn Chechnya ahead of presidential elections next week. He laid a wreath at the grave of the province #39;s recently assassinated Russian-backed leader.$LABEL$0 +Amelie killer #39;may be local #39; The killer of French woman Amelie Delagrange may be a local man with knowledge of the area, police said today. Detectives are examining the possibility based on the advice of an offender profiler who has been called in on the murder hunt.$LABEL$0 +NAM boycott stirs sanctions fears in Israel Measures adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement to boycott Israeli settlers and firms building the West Bank barrier have stirred real worries in the Jewish state of a broader sanctions campaign.$LABEL$0 +Cheney Is a Quiet Force Behind Bush Presidency (Reuters) Reuters - Dick Cheney is one of the most\powerful vice presidents in U.S. history, regarded as a driving\force behind the Iraq war and the Bush administration's\industry-friendly energy policy.$LABEL$0 +Building code back in hot seat With insurance claim projections from Hurricane Charley climbing above \$11 billion, some in the building industry believe the hurricane standards in the uniform Florida Building Code may $LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-Gibernau cruises to victory at Czech GP Spaniard Sete Gibernau cruised to his third win of the season in the Czech MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off a tough challenge from championship leader Valentino Rossi.$LABEL$1 +Singapore #39;s new PM delivers national day rally speech Singapore #39;s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday night delivered his first National Day Rally speech since he was sworn in as the country #39;s third Prime Minister.$LABEL$0 +Marks and Spencer loses crown as Britain's top clothing retailer (AFP) AFP - Marks and Spencer has been overtaken as Britain's biggest clothing retailer by supermarket giant Asda, which is owned by the world's largest retail store Wal-Mart, industry figures showed.$LABEL$2 +Gymnast Khorkina Says 'Judges Robbed Me' MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to American Carly Patterson in the women's all-round gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold medal and said ""everything was decided in advance.$LABEL$1 +Stocks May Rally if Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors will watch for oil news from Russia and Iraq this week, but skepticism that crude prices will stay sky-high is growing and a break in the energy market would fuel a rally in the U.S. stock market.$LABEL$2 +COTE D IVOIRE: All sides pledge commitment to peace process again <b>...</b> ABIDJAN, 7 December (IRIN) - South African President Thabo Mbeki ended his mediation in Cote d #39;Ivoire having wrangled promises from all sides to revive the flagging peace process.$LABEL$0 +Palestinians Chide U.S. Over Settlements JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders on Sunday accused the United States of harming prospects for Mideast peace after the latest indications that Washington is ready to accept some Israeli expansion of West Bank settlements. The New York Times reported Saturday that the United States will now tacitly support construction in built-up areas of major Jewish settlements, while remaining opposed to housing activity in undeveloped areas...$LABEL$0 +Greek Weightlifter Stripped of Olympic Medal, Ejected From Athens <b>...</b> The International Olympic Committee has stripped a Greek weightlifter of his bronze medal and expelled him from the Athens Games for a doping offense.$LABEL$1 +England humble Windies ONCE the tailenders of world cricket, England thumped the West Indies by 10 wickets at the Oval to complete a 4-0 whitewash yesterday and are now snapping at Australia #39;s heels for world dominance.$LABEL$1 +Iraq clashes kill 40, handover talks stall US tanks rumbled to within 800 metres of a holy shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf today as fierce clashes with Shiite rebels in a nearby town killed at least 40 Iraqis, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Train set ablaze as violence spreads in Bangladesh Dhaka, Aug 22. (PTI, UNI, AP): Angry opposition protestors set fire to a passenger train and clashed with police in southern Bangladesh today amid general strikes in several cities to protest the series of $LABEL$0 +North Korea Denounces Mass Defection North Korea has denounced as quot;wicked terrorists quot; the South Korean officials who orchestrated last month #39;s airlift to Seoul of 468 North Korean defectors.$LABEL$0 +Judge gives United temporary reprieve A federal bankruptcy judge has given United Airlines a 30-day quot;test period quot; to show it can cooperate with its unions on a restructuring plan, rejecting union calls to open the process up to rival proposals immediately because United has not $LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-Gibernau storms to pole for Czech GP Spaniard Sete Gibernau stormed into pole position for Sunday #39;s Czech MotoGP Grand Prix, edging out Brazilian Alex Barros at the end of the rain-affected second qualifying session.$LABEL$1 +Swiss pair eliminates Holdren, Metzger Stein Metzger screamed, as if the noise would somehow keep the ball off the sand for an extra split second. He threw his body parallel to the ground, but the ball bounced inches out of his reach, as partner Dax Holdren looked on.$LABEL$1 +Mob sets fire to train in protest at attack An angry mob set fire to a passenger train in central Bangladesh yesterday, injuring at least 20 people, in retaliation for a grenade attack on an opposition rally that killed 22 people and wounded hundreds, police said.$LABEL$0 +BA prepares new sick leave deal British Airways says it will introduce a company-wide sick leave policy giving managers greater powers to monitor employees #39; absence under a deal hammered out with unions to avert a 24-hour strike.$LABEL$2 +Asda clothing overtakes M amp;S Marks amp; Spencer is no longer the UK #39;s largest clothing retailer after losing its crown to supermarket chain Asda. Industry figures for the 12 weeks to July 25 are understood to show that Asda now has a leading $LABEL$2 +India News gt; Trucker #39;s strike enters second day: The Delhi government Sunday braced to tackle a rise in prices of essential commodities and vegetables as an indefinite nationwide truckers #39; strike entered its second day.$LABEL$2 +Amazon.com to Acquire Retailer Joyo.com Internet retail giant Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Joyo.com Ltd., China #39;s largest online retailer of books, music and videos, in a deal worth about \$75 million.$LABEL$3 +EPA must close loopholes in emissions law Loopholes in state laws that regulate hazardous emissions pose a serious risk to the health of millions of Americans and need to be revised, according to a report published this week.$LABEL$3 +Korea #39;s chances for duplicate gold appear slim The satisfaction of knowing they should have won gymnastics gold might be all the South Koreans get. While the country #39;s Olympic team met with lawyers Sunday to plan its appeal over the medal given to American $LABEL$1 +Baseball Today Minnesota at Texas (8:05 pm EDT). Kenny Rogers (15-5) goes for his 16th win as Texas resumes its AL West title chase. * Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek, Red Sox.$LABEL$1 +Russian President Visits Chechnya Russian President Vladimir Putrin has made an unannounced trip to Chechnya to honor the memory of the assassinated leader of the restive southern republic, one week before a scheduled vote to replace him.$LABEL$0 +China executes man who killed his rapists Beijing - China has executed a university dropout for killing six men - four of whom had raped him, state media reported on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Malaysia Teenager in Hospital for Bird Flu Checks A teenager from the village at the center of a bird flu outbreak has been hospitalized with cold symptoms, Malaysia #39;s health minister said on Friday, as poultry farmers counted their losses.$LABEL$0 +Iraq Keeps South Oil Pipeline Shut BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Authorities kept a main oil pipeline in southern Iraq shut on Sunday rather than risk it being attacked, restricting the country's exports to half normal levels, a South Oil Official said.$LABEL$2 +Volleyball: China Clinches Top Spot, U.S. Faces Crunch ATHENS (Reuters) - China underlined their gold medal ambitions in Olympic women's volleyball on Sunday, clinching top spot in Pool B with a straight sets win over Russia.$LABEL$1 +Schwarzenegger wins car ad case Arnold Schwarzenegger has settled a dispute with an Ohio car company which used photos of him in an advertising campaign without his permission.$LABEL$2 +JK gaffe costs Microsoft dear LONDON: It was a tiny software slip up - just eight pixels symbolising Jammu and Kashmir, which were coloured a different shade of green from the rest of India.$LABEL$3 +Athens champion album - Aug. 21 (1) Britain #39;s Yngling crew Shirley Robertson (M), Sarah Webb (R) and Sarah Ayton celebrate at award ceremony after winning the first title at the Athens Olympic Games on August 21, 2004.$LABEL$1 +New York Mets Team Report - August 22 (Sports Network) - Matt Ginter will get the start for an injured Victor Zambrano this afternoon when the New York Mets conclude their three-game series with the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park.$LABEL$1 +British Air to monitor sick leave British Airways PLC said Sunday it would introduce a company-wide sick leave policy giving managers greater powers to monitor employees #39; absence under a deal hammered out with unions to avert a 24-hour strike.$LABEL$2 +Marks and Spencer loses crown as Britain #39;s top clothing retailer LONDON : Marks and Spencer has been overtaken as Britain #39;s biggest clothing retailer by supermarket giant Asda, which is owned by the world #39;s largest retail store Wal-Mart, industry figures showed.$LABEL$2 +Inside the Yukos Endgame As in so many murder mysteries, the killing of the Russian oil giant Yukos - which began last fall with the arrest of its CEO, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and could climax at any time with the firm #39;s bankruptcy or forced sale of assets -s being committed $LABEL$2 +Stumbling over SP2 People have Bill Gates all wrong. He doesn #39;t want to rule the world (or at least the computerized portion of it). And although he may secretly hope that all Linux source code spontaneously combusts, that isn #39;t his biggest wish.$LABEL$3 +AT amp;T will offer VoIP service in Hampton Roads The firm #39;s new Internet calling plan is cheaper than traditional phone service and has more features. AT amp;T has followed its recent announcement that it #39;s not marketing new residential telephone service by $LABEL$3 +EA Video Game #39;Madden #39; Tops 1.3 Million First Week quot;Madden NFL 2005, quot; the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc. #39;s ERTS.O pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week of release, the company said on Thursday, citing internal figures.$LABEL$3 +China college for Internet game industry A college to provide training for the Internet games industry has been opened in Beijing. Xinhua, China #39;s main government-run news agency, reported Saturday that China #39;s Ministry of Information Technology, the $LABEL$3 +Youth Movement for the US Begins The tattoo on Lauryn Williams #39;s right hip is new this year, but it is already dated. It is Mickey Mouse, baton in hand, dashing through the University of Miami logo.$LABEL$1 +Hewitt to face the unexpected Lleyton Hewitt has an unexpected rival in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic after Andre Agassi was beaten in straight sets by unheralded Luxembourg player Gilles Muller on Saturday.$LABEL$1 +Gymnast Khorkina Says #39;Judges Robbed Me #39; Russia #39;s Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to American Carly Patterson in the women #39;s all-round gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold $LABEL$1 +Springboks prove passion is back SOUTH AFRICA completed their resurrection from international disgrace to rugby power with their most important win since the World Cup final in 1995, which briefly united the Rainbow Nation.$LABEL$1 +Venezuela plane crash #39;kills 25 #39; A Venezuelan air force plane has crashed, killing all 25 passengers and crew, aviation officials say. The aircraft came down in bad weather in a mountainous region in Carabobo state, west of the capital, Caracas, Reuters quoted an official as saying.$LABEL$0 +Google Roadshows Left Small Investors Out (Reuters) Reuters - The initial public offering of\Internet search engine Google Inc. was billed as a bonanza for\millions of U.S. investors -- but the little guy, with check in\hand, was left out of the party.$LABEL$2 +Iraq Keeps South Oil Pipeline Shut (Reuters) Reuters - Authorities kept a main oil pipeline in\southern Iraq shut on Sunday rather than risk it being\attacked, restricting the country's exports to half normal\levels, a South Oil Official said.$LABEL$2 +Pope Condemns Unethical Science, Cloning (AP) AP - Pope John Paul II warned in a statement released Sunday that humanity's speedy progress in science and technology risks overlooking moral values, citing with particular concern experiments in human cloning.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Aircraft Hit Militias in Najaf as Tanks Near Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. helicopter gunships pounded Shi'ite militias in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday as tanks rumbled to within 800 meters (yards) of a holy shrine at the center of a near three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Rolls Into Softball Gold-Medal Game ATHENS, Greece - Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team - they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold medal game...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Soldiers, Militiamen Clash in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. warplanes bombed Najaf's Old City and troops clashed with Shiite militiamen Sunday amid fears a plan to end the standoff could collapse...$LABEL$0 +Auction Remains Dutch Mainstay Google #39;s so-called Dutch auction may have intrigued Wall Street, but nobody here was buying it, figuratively or literally. Instead, Dutch people, the butts $LABEL$3 +Making A Splash What a week! Here #39;s to Phelps, Thorpe and all the other breakout stars - especially the unheralded Africans. It was an irresistible formula for concocting the most popular Olympic event of the first week.$LABEL$1 +Mactier collects pursuit silver Australian cyclist Katie Mactier has won silver behind New Zealand world champion Sarah Ulmer in the women #39;s 3000 metre individual pursuit at the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Lack of a successor clouds future after Arafat YASSER Arafat seems to have held off one more challenge to his rule. But his latest victory does not answer the question of what will happen when he finally does leave the political scene.$LABEL$0 +Stocks #39; second thoughts Indexes are up so far this week, but another record oil price could put some of those gains at risk. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - US stock markets were set for a little slip at Friday #39;s open, but it would take a $LABEL$2 +The biggest Mac is resting THE Australian chief executive of McDonald #39;s is recuperating after more surgery, the world #39;s largest fast-food company said.$LABEL$2 +Schwarzenegger, auto dealer settle An Ohio auto dealership and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have settled a legal dispute over the use of his photograph in a series of car advertisements, officials announced Friday.$LABEL$2 +EA Video Game #39;Madden #39; Tops 1.3 Million First Week quot;Madden NFL 2005, quot; the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc. #39;s pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week of release, the company said on Thursday, citing internal figures.$LABEL$3 +Seiko Epson unveil updated micro flying robot Seiko Epson have unveiled their latest wireless flying micro-robot named the FR-II. The successor to the FR robot the latest micromechatronic contraption has a number of improvements.$LABEL$3 +Powerful Nesterenko seizes the moment It was the final of the forgotten. Those who raced it, this weirdest of women #39;s 100-metres dashes, were a largely unknown lot; the winner, Yuliya Nesterenko, ran into history from the comfortable starting blocks of near-total anonymity.$LABEL$1 + #39;Who says we can #39;t play? #39; say goldstruck British papers From tail-dragging despair to unabashed joy, Britain #39;s newspapers rebounded on Sunday, swelling with pride after five gold medals in one day erased the pain of the first Olympic week in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Patterson answers history and defending champ ATHENS - She did not have the magnetic power of Mary Lou Retton, or the dizzy charm of Sarah Hughes, but Carly Patterson did have one final dance in front of her, one last chance to prove that her face belonged on those 70 million McDonald #39;s bags and $LABEL$1 +Straw to press Sudan on violence Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will seek to intensify the pressure on the government of Sudan to tackle the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Car bomb kills two in Baghdad A car bomb exploded north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad today, killing two people and injuring four others, including a deputy provincial governor, police said.$LABEL$0 +Abdullah flies flag of Mid-East reform HIGH above white-walled, seven-hilled Amman, in the heart of the Jordanian royal palace compound, a national flag flies in the desert breeze.$LABEL$0 +Greek Weightlifter Out Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis is stripped of his bronze medal and expelled from the Olympics for a doping offense.$LABEL$1 +Still Under Wraps Although Joe Gibbs is back in Washington, we're unlikely to see any elements of his offensive system on display until Opening Day.$LABEL$1 +Emmons Loses Gold American shooter Matt Emmons fired at the wrong target on his final shot Sunday, blowing a commanding lead in the Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event and allowing Jia Zhanbo of China to take the gold$LABEL$1 +New Doping Scandal at Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Almost 100 runners set out on Sunday to recreate history's legendary Marathon while a modern day doping scandal threatened the gold medal won by Russia at the first Olympic event held at Ancient Olympia in 1,600 years.$LABEL$1 +Vegetable prices shoot up due to truckers #39; strike Prices of vegetables, fruits and other perishable commodities shot up on Sunday though movement of essential goods across the country by and large remained unaffected as the truckers #39; strike to protest imposition of service tax entered the second day.$LABEL$2 +SAP migration part of Nortel #39;s cost-cutting plans A standartisation to SAP is part of Nortel Networks #39; restructuting plans and is part of a move that will also see 10 of its workforce, or around 3500 jobs, eliminated.$LABEL$3 +Nesterenko surprises field with speed Winning the 100 meters at the Olympics isn #39;t simply a tradition carried on by generations of American women sprinters, it #39;s an exercise in domination.$LABEL$1 +Mental lapse costs American shooting gold An almost unthinkable lapse of concentration Sunday cost American Matt Emmons an Olympic shooting gold medal. Emmons, far ahead going into his final shot in the three-position $LABEL$1 +OBL still untraced, says Pakistan Pakistan said Sunday it still has no information about the whereabouts of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his close associates.$LABEL$0 +One dead, six missing after Maoist attack More than 1000 Maoist rebels stormed a district headquarters in Nepal #39;s north-western mountains, bombing government buildings and killing at least one soldier, as they kept up a blockade $LABEL$0 +Israel PM vows to bring Labour into government despite vote by <b>...</b> JERUSALEM : Beleaguered Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon persisted with plans to form a new government including the main opposition Labour party, bolstered by Washington #39;s backing for the expansion of West Bank settlements.$LABEL$0 +25 dead in Venezuela military plane crash CARACAS : A military airplane crashed in a mountainous region in northeastern Venezuela killing all 25 passengers, a spokesman for the air rescue service told AFP.$LABEL$0 +Thousands Registered to Vote in 2 States-Report (Reuters) Reuters - About 46,000 people are registered to\vote in two states, New York and Florida, a violation of both\states' laws that could affect the outcome of the November\presidential election, according to an investigation by the\Daily News.$LABEL$0 +Dollar May Fall on Concern Climbing Oil Prices Will Slow Growth The dollar may fall against the euro for a third week in four on concern near-record crude oil prices will temper the pace of expansion in the US economy, a survey by Bloomberg News indicates.$LABEL$2 +Our swimming saviours A FAST finish in the pool at Athens has delivered Australia #39;s best swimming medal haul since the 1956 Melbourne Games. A heroic butterfly leg from Petria Thomas in the women #39;s medley relay yesterday snared the team #39;s seventh and final gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Ulmer wins gold in pursuit cycling Sarah Ulmer of New Zealand continued her dominance of pursuit racing Sunday, breaking her own world record to win the Olympic gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Moore And List Advance To US Amateur Final Mamaroneck, NY - Ryan Moore, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., the NCAA Division I champion who has won all four golf events he has entered since late May, and Luke List, 19, of Ringgold, Ga.$LABEL$1 +Car bomb explodes near military convoy A car bomb detonated near a US military convoy on Sunday outside the northern city of Mosul, the military said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.$LABEL$0 +Arafat refuses to sign anti-corruption legislation Ramallah (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Yasser Arafat refused to sign anti-corruption legislation as demanded by Palestinian law-makers. In a long and tense speech to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the $LABEL$0 +Let UN chief get on with job: Blair TONY Blair threw his weight behind Kofi Annan yesterday amid a growing clamour in the US for the UN Secretary-General to resign over the Iraq oil-for-food scandal.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Rolls Into Softball Gold-Medal Game ATHENS, Greece - Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team - they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold-medal game against the Aussies...$LABEL$0 +Pursuit team secure medal Britain's team pursuit quartet will race off for gold against Australia on Monday.$LABEL$1 +UK takes lead role in stem cell research POTTERS BAR, England At the end of a winding country road lined with hedgerows and tidy brick homes sits a new prefabricated building chock-full of monitors and filters.$LABEL$3 +User, beware of new XP patch Microsoft has a massive patch for some of the many bugs and security holes in Windows XP. If you #39;re using Windows XP, you might want to download the software patch and install it.$LABEL$3 +Ulmer wins gold in cycling Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Sarah Ulmer of New Zealand won the women #39;s individual pursuit competition in track cycling Sunday at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 + #39;Sold out #39; signs going up at Games events In the midst of the heaving throng of more than 100,000 who turned out in Athens to welcome home the victorious Greek soccer team last month, someone asked how Athens would deal with the crowds during the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +China #39;s Zhang a gold medalist again in table tennis Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - China #39;s Zhang Yining, already a gold medalist here with doubles partner Wang Nan, won the women #39;s singles title Sunday with a four-set victory over Hyang Mi Kim of North Korea.$LABEL$1 +Travelers Could Soon Report to Work Mid-Flight (Reuters) Reuters - Business travelers will be able to\surf the Web securely on long-distance flights by combining\services from Boeing Co. (BA.N) and iPass Inc. (IPAS.O), the\companies plan to announce on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Brands Change Course to Combat Atkins NEW YORK (Reuters) - The biggest U.S. weight loss companies are taking aim at the low-carb diet craze with new programs, products and marketing campaigns they hope will boost membership rolls and revitalize sales.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Planes Hit Militias as Tanks Near Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. helicopter gunships pounded Shi'ite militias in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday as tanks rumbled to within 800 meters (yards) of a holy shrine at the center of a near three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +Travelers Could Soon Report to Work Mid-Flight NEW YORK (Reuters) - Business travelers will be able to surf the Web securely on long-distance flights by combining services from Boeing Co. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=BA.N qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">BA.N</A> and iPass Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=IPAS.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">IPAS.O</A>, the companies plan to announce on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Not All Dutch Auctions Are Equal Jeff Stacey, managing director of researcher IPO Monitor in Los Angeles, says Dutch auctions are designed to set the price accurately right away.$LABEL$2 +Update 1: Net Rivals Rise and Fall on Google IPO Rivals to Internet search giant Google Inc. rode the momentum of its long-awaited initial public offering and saw mixed gains in early trading Thursday, but sank near the closing bell as Google #39;s shares remained $LABEL$3 +American hits wrong target and loses gold Matthew Emmons is a trained accountant but he got his numbers terribly wrong at the Olympics. The American sharpshooter was just one shot away from a second Olympic gold $LABEL$1 +Car bomb explodes near military convoy A car bomb detonated near a US military convoy on Sunday outside the northern city of Mosul, the military said. Two children were injured in the blast, said Dr.$LABEL$0 +Iran delays nuclear plant opening Iran says it has delayed plans to start up its first nuclear reactor by a year - but it plans to build more plants with Russian help.$LABEL$0 +Singapore backs Beijing on Taiwan SINGAPORE #39;S new leader tried to mend fences with China today, saying the city-state would back Beijing if Taipei quot;provoked quot; armed conflict across the Taiwan Strait.$LABEL$0 +Blazers' Randolph Questioned by Police (AP) AP - Portland Trail Blazers forward Zach Randolph was questioned by police after witnessing the shootings of three men inside a bar early Sunday.$LABEL$1 +British Airways plane makes emergency landing in Montreal (AFP) AFP - A British Airways 747 en route from Phoenix, Arizona to London made an emergency landing in Montreal following a mechanical problem with the plane, a company spokesman told AFP.$LABEL$0 +I spy with my little... This state-of-the-art spy helicopter features its own computer, a digital camera and Bluetooth wireless technology so it can transmit instant pictures.$LABEL$3 +Ulmer gives New Zealand historic gold Athens - Sarah Ulmer gave New Zealand their first ever Olympic cycling gold medal and only their second of the Athens Games on Sunday, breaking her own world record for the women #39;s 3-km individual pursuit in the process.$LABEL$1 +Celtic tunes up with win over Inverness Aberdeen, Scotland (Sports Network) - Celtic remained perfect in Scottish Premier League play this season with a 3-1 win over Inverness at the Pittodrie.$LABEL$1 +Injured Gail Devers Can't Finish Hurdles (AP) AP - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, was unable to complete even one hurdle in 100-meter event Sunday #151; failing once again to win an Olympic hurdling medal.$LABEL$1 +Martin meeting with Liberal caucus early test in art of compromise (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - This week's gathering of federal Liberals will allow Paul Martin to hone his skills for the consensus-building exercise that is minority government.$LABEL$0 +Senate Republicans Weigh Dismantling CIA WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Republicans proposed removing the nation's largest intelligence gathering operations from the CIA and the Pentagon and putting them directly under a new national intelligence director. Sen...$LABEL$0 +Palestinians Chide U.S. Over Settlements JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders reacted angrily on Sunday to Washington's apparent readiness to allow construction inside Israeli settlements in the West Bank, warning that it would destroy the peace process. U.S...$LABEL$0 +Injured Gail Devers Can't Finish Hurdles ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, was unable to complete even one hurdle in 100-meter event Sunday - failing once again to win an Olympic hurdling medal. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the hurdles but has always flopped at the Olympics, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle...$LABEL$0 +Audit of referendum supports Chavez An audit by international observers supported official elections results that gave President Hugo Chavez a victory over a recall vote against him, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States announced.$LABEL$2 +M amp;S overtaken as top UK clothes retailer Marks amp; Spencer is no longer the UKs largest clothing retailer after losing its crown to supermarket chain Asda, it was reported today.$LABEL$2 +TXT-to-pay parking gets green light Wellington City Council will this week start replacing 1300 parking meters with 300 pay-and-display machines that can accept payments from mobile phones or credit cards.$LABEL$3 +Judge #39;s ruling too close to home quot;IG has verified that Colombian judge Oscar Buitrago Reyes, one of three officials suspended by the FIG (world gymnastics body) on August 21, has lived and worked in Ohio for several years, quot; the magazine #39;s website said on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Rowing: Pinsent #39;s emotions run free after gold medal No 4 and it beat anything the 20th could offer either. A fourth successive gold medal for Matthew Pinsent by only just 0.08s. Barney Williams $LABEL$1 +Bears, Dolphins swap former Pro Bowlers The Chicago Bears have sent wide receiver Marty Booker and a 2005 third-round draft pick to the Miami Dophins for disgruntled defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.$LABEL$1 +Celtic reclaim lead with 3-1 win over 10-man Inverness Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League on Sunday with Wales striker John Hartson scoring twice for the champions in a 3-1 win over 10-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle.$LABEL$1 +Aggressive Springboks revive memories of World Cup win Two discards held centre stage yesterday as the Springboks revived memories of their World Cup triumph when they nailed the Tri-Nations title.$LABEL$1 +Palestinians say US destroys hope over settlements RAMALLAH: Palestinians yesterday accused the United States of destroying hopes of negotiations with Israel for a Palestinian state, after the US signalled it could accept some growth of settlements in the West Bank.$LABEL$0 +This gold tarnished Federation rules that judges #39; mistake cost S. Korea #39;s Yang a victory, but Hamm gets to keep medal. ATHENS, Greece - Paul Hamm was erroneously awarded the gold medal in the men #39;s all-around Wednesday night because $LABEL$1 +Hungarian fencing referee suspended for two years A Hungarian fencing referee was expelled from the Olympics and suspended for two years Sunday after making several errors during Saturday night #39;s gold-medal match in men #39;s team foil.$LABEL$1 +Injured Devers Can't Finish Hurdles (AP) AP - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, failed once again in the Olympics as she was struck by injury before the first hurdle. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the 100-meter hurdles, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle. She sat on the track for about two minutes, rubbing her left leg and grimacing.$LABEL$1 +Pope Condemns Unethical Science, Cloning CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II warned in a statement released Sunday that humanity #39;s speedy progress in science and technology risks overlooking moral values, citing with particular concern experiments in human cloning.$LABEL$3 +Greek weightlifter stripped of bronze for doping In another embarrassing incident for the Olympic host nation, a Greek weightlifter has been stripped of his bronze medal for a doping offence.$LABEL$1 +Ulmer surprised with record time Sarah Ulmer #39;s blitzing gold medal ride at the Olympic Velodrome on Monday has left her eating her own words. Ulmer broke the women #39;s 3000m individual pursuit world record for the second time in two days in the final.$LABEL$1 +Paula Radcliffe gives up Paula Radcliffe has withdrawn in tears after just over two hours of the Olympic women #39;s marathon. The world record holder and big favourite was in fourth place at the time but was losing ground.$LABEL$1 +Jaguars Release Sack Leader Brackens (AP) AP - The Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday released defensive end Tony Brackens, the team's all-time sack leader.$LABEL$1 +Chicago Orders Cubs to Fix Wrigley Field (AP) AP - The protective netting in place to protect fans from falling concrete at Wrigley Field must be replaced with a permanent solution if the Chicago Cubs want to play at the stadium next spring.$LABEL$1 +Halliburton Awaits Decision on Payments (AP) AP - After a week of flip-flops by the Army, Halliburton is waiting for a final decision on whether the military will withhold 15 percent of payments for some of its work in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +IOC Taking Back Women's Shot Put Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - Women's Olympic shot put champion Irina Korzhanenko of Russia will lose her gold medal after testing positive for a banned steroid, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee's anti-doping body said Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Radcliffe suffers marathon agony An exhausted Paula Radcliffe fails to finish in Athens as Japan's Mizuki Noguchi wins the women's marathon.$LABEL$0 +Google #39;s woes shouldn #39;t bury IPO auction idea Google Inc. #39;s stumbles shouldn #39;t be used to write off the idea of employing auctions to sell stock to the public. Certainly, the initial public offering of the Internet search $LABEL$2 +Arsenal equal record Arsenal came back from two goals down to equal Nottingham Forest #39;s 42-match unbeaten run that has stood for 25 years. The Gunners went ahead in the 26th minute through Thierry Henry, but Arsenal were stunned $LABEL$1 +Dope tests catch medallists A Greek Olympian has been stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive for drugs, and a Russian gold medallist has also reportedly failed a test.$LABEL$1 +Olympics: Ulmer smashes world record to bag pursuit cycling gold ATHENS : New Zealand #39;s Sarah Ulmer smashed her second world record in as many days on the way to claiming the 3000-metre individual pursuit cycling gold medal at the Athens Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Kastor takes bronze in marathon; Japan #39;s Noguchi wins American Deena Kastor crosed the finish line crying as she captured the bronze medal in the marathon Sunday. She finished the course in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 19 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Boston at Chicago Sox, 8:05 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox will go for a three-game sweep when they face the Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field on Sunday night.$LABEL$1 +Mob sets Bangladesh train alight An angry mob set fire to a passenger train in central Bangladesh yesterday as they protested against a grenade attack on an Opposition rally that killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds.$LABEL$0 +Kadyrov absolutely rejected extreme forms of Wahhabism Putin MOSCOW, August 22 (Itar-Tass) --Akhmad Kadyrov was absolutely against the extreme forms of Wahhabism, which some forces are still trying to plant on our land, President Vladimir Putin said in the RTR documentary, Akhmad Kadyrov.$LABEL$0 +Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq Is Released (AP) AP - U.S. journalist Micah Garen, who was kidnapped in Iraq more than a week ago, was released Sunday in the southern city of Nasiriyah. Garen spoke to Al-Jazeera television, confirming he was freed.$LABEL$0 +Noguchi Reduces Radcliffe to Tears, Kastor Wins Bronze ATHENS (Reuters) - Japan's diminutive Mizuki Noguchi put on an extraordinary display of front-running to win the Olympic women's marathon title on Sunday as Paula Radcliffe's challenge ended in bitter tears.$LABEL$1 +Murkowski Braces for Alaska Sen. Primary (AP) AP - Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she has not asked Alaskans to like the way she got her job #151; she was appointed by her father, Gov. Frank Murkowski.$LABEL$0 +Singapore 'would not back Taiwan' Singapore's new PM says he would not back Taiwan if it provoked a war with China over independence.$LABEL$0 +Irish sunken wreck likely Cromwell's flagship, archaeologists say (AFP) AFP - The wreck of a 17th-century ship found preserved in a sandbar in southern Ireland five years ago could well be the navy flagship of England ruler Oliver Cromwell, according to a Irish government archaeologist.$LABEL$0 +25 People Killed in Venezuela Plane Crash (AP) AP - A military plane crashed into a mountain in central Venezuela, killing 25 people, including five children, the air force rescue team said in a statement Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Injured Devers Can't Finish Hurdles ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, failed once again in the Olympics as she was struck by injury before the first hurdle. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the 100-meter hurdles, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Prepares for Guantanamo Arraignments GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - One man allegedly worked as an al-Qaida accountant. Another, a poet, is accused of crafting terrorist propaganda...$LABEL$0 +Henry wants silverware Arsenal striker Thierry Henry insisted there must be an end product to the Gunners #39; record-breaking run. As Arsenal equalled Nottingham Forest #39;s 42-game unbeaten League run Henry said: quot;Even on the pitch we didn #39;t realise what we had done.$LABEL$1 +Ticket Scalpers Not Doing Good Business in Athens The perennial Olympics pariah, commonly known as the ticket scalper, is having a hard time in Athens. Scalpers normally buy hard-to-get tickets, with hopes of selling them later at highly inflated prices.$LABEL$1 +Swiss Pair Eliminates Holdren, Metzger Dax Holdren could only watch helplessly as partner Stein Metzger made a desperate dive for the ball, screaming as if the noise could stop it from hitting the sizzling sand.$LABEL$1 +Family #39;s farewell to Amelie The devastated parents and sister of murdered French woman Amelie Delagrange left a heart-rending farewell at the scene where she was brutally attacked.$LABEL$0 +Singapore #39;s PM Backs China Over Taiwan Independence Singapore #39;s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned Taiwan against moving toward independence, saying he supports the quot;one China quot; policy.$LABEL$0 +Oil addicts It lubricates all our lives. But can we live without the black stuff, asks Heather Stewart. Sky-high oil prices are already taking their toll, eating into consumers #39; spending power and squeezing corporate margins $LABEL$2 +Olympians pursuit of marketing gold begins long before medals <b>...</b> For millions of Americans, gymnast Paul Hamm #39;s fame began only when the broad-shouldered Olympian shrugged off a fall in the vaulting competition last week and made an inspired comeback to win gold.$LABEL$2 +Reporting to Work Mid-Flight Business travelers will soon take advantage of airborne internet if two companies have their way. Boeing and software maker iPass plan to use satellite and Wi-Fi to connect high fliers to the office.$LABEL$2 +Arsenal matches record of 42 league games without a loss Defending champion Arsenal matched a 25-year-old record of 42 league games without a loss in the top tier of English soccer by rallying past Middlesbrough 5-3 Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Najaf police: a thin blue line between foes US troops encircled the Shrine of Ali Sunday as fighting resumed. The standoff leaves Iraqi police with few allies. By Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.$LABEL$0 +Iran Announces Delays in First Nuclear Reactor Coming on Line Iran says its first nuclear reactor, being built with the help of Russia, will not go on line until October 2006, a year later than planned.$LABEL$0 +Family mourn quot;angel quot; slain in London The family of a French woman who police think might have been slain by a serial hammer killer have paid tribute to an quot;angel quot; who found happiness during her time in London.$LABEL$0 +25 people killed in Venezuela plane crash A military plane crashed into a mountain in central Venezuela, killing 25 people, including five children, the air force rescue team said in a statement Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelan Vote Audit Backs Chavez, Finds No Fraud An audit of Venezuela #39;s referendum results has confirmed President Hugo Chavez won the poll fairly and found no evidence to support the opposition #39;s claims $LABEL$2 +Venezuela plane crash kills 25 A Venezuelan air force plane carrying three crew members and 22 passengers has crashed in bad weather in central Venezuela, killing all on board, an aviation official said Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Injured Devers Can't Finish Hurdles (AP) AP - Gail Devers failed once again in the Olympic 100-meter hurdles, falling to injury just steps into her first race. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the event, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Japanese Woman Wins Marathon; Kastor Third (AP) AP - Mizuki Noguchi of Japan held on for the gold and American Deena Kastor used a late burst for a stunning bronze medal finish Sunday night in the Olympic marathon. Kastor's third place gave the United States its first marathon medal since Joan Benoit's gold in Los Angeles 20 years ago.$LABEL$1 +AP Reporter Recalls Deng for His Humor (AP) AP - Many Americans remember the late Deng Xiaoping as a little man with big ideas at a Houston, Texas, barbecue grinning up at the cameras from under a ten-gallon hat.$LABEL$0 +Women's Hoops Cruises America's Katie Smith reinjures her right knee early in a dominating 100-62 women's basketball victory over China on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +A Rash Product That Sells Itself COVINGTON, La. - Retired Louisiana pharmacist George Boudreaux hasn't needed Madison Avenue pitchmen to get the word out about his concoction to treat diaper rash...$LABEL$0 +4 U.S. Marines Killed in Iraq Incidents NAJAF, Iraq - Four U.S. Marines assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force have been killed in separate incidents in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the military announced Sunday...$LABEL$0 +Smith Reinjures Knee in U.S. Hoops Win ATHENS, Greece - This latest victory for the U.S. women's basketball team came with a scare - from an injury, not the opponent...$LABEL$0 +Injured Devers Can't Finish Hurdles ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers failed once again in the Olympic 100-meter hurdles, falling to injury just steps into her first race. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the event, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle Sunday...$LABEL$0 +General Growth to become stronger with acquisition of Rouse General Growth Properties, the company that owns Ala Moana Center, Victoria Ward Ltd., and Hilo #39;s Prince Kuhio Plaza, stands to gain even more leverage with national retail chains after acquiring the Rouse Co.$LABEL$2 +Santos May Report 40 Drop in First-Half Profit as Output Fell Santos Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest natural gas producer, may report first-half profit fell 40 percent after a fire on New Year #39;s Day at its gas processing plant in central Australia cut production.$LABEL$2 +Agfa-Gevaert quits camera film business One of the best-known names in camera film, Agfa-Gevaert, is quitting the industry due to the booming popularity of digital cameras.$LABEL$2 +Santos increases gas fields SANTOS has moved to consolidate its gas exploration and production business in offshore Victoria, picking up a dominant position in the southern Gippsland Basin.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft pays dearly for insults through ignorance INSENSITIVE computer programmers with little knowledge of geography have cost the giant Microsoft company hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business and led hapless company employees to be arrested by offended governments.$LABEL$3 +Travel sites agree to changes for the blind Priceline.com and Ramada.com have agreed to make their Web pages easier to navigate for the blind and visually impaired as part of a settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.$LABEL$3 +Noguchi wins marathon, Kastor gives United States a surprising <b>...</b> Mizuki Noguchi of Japan held on for the gold and American Deena Kastor used a late burst for a stunning bronze medal finish Sunday night in the Olympic marathon.$LABEL$1 +US Pressures Rebels in Najaf as Talks to End Fighting Stall As negotiations between Moktada al-Sadr and the interim Iraqi government stalled today, American forces intensified pressure on rebels loyal to Mr.$LABEL$0 +Murder shows parallels with Marsha killing In a murder case echoing that of student Marsha McDonnell, police found the body of a young woman bludgeoned to death in Twickenham.$LABEL$0 +Make our case Last week, Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz submitted a reportedly dire study to the government on the ramifications of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the security fence, and warned that it could result in sanctions against Israel.$LABEL$0 +Car blast targets Iraqi official A car bomb has exploded north of the Iraqi capital, killing two people and injuring four others, including the deputy provincial governor of Diyala.$LABEL$0 +Indictment Said Issued in Colo. Scandal (AP) AP - A state grand jury has handed down an indictment regarding the use of prostitutes to entice football recruits to the University of Colorado, according to a published report.$LABEL$1 +Sudan Delegations in Nigeria for Peace Talks (Reuters) Reuters - Sudanese Darfur rebels arrived in Nigeria\on Sunday ahead of peace talks under the African Union (AU) to\resolve a conflict that has killed up to 50,000 and displaced\more than a million people.$LABEL$0 +El Guerrouj and Kaouch Lead Into 1,500 Final ATHENS (Reuters) - Moroccan duo Hicham El Guerrouj and Adil Kaouch led the way into the Olympic men's 1,500 meters final when they each won one of Saturday's semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Sudan Delegations in Nigeria for Peace Talks ABUJA (Reuters) - Sudanese Darfur rebels arrived in Nigeria on Sunday ahead of peace talks under the African Union (AU) to resolve a conflict that has killed up to 50,000 and displaced more than a million people.$LABEL$0 +Jones Leads Cowboys to Stunning Win Over Seahawks Julius Jones scored on a 17-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left as the Dallas Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the last two minutes to stun the Seattle Seahawks 43-39 in the National Football League Monday.$LABEL$1 +Ringtone chartshow to air on British TV (FT.com) FT.com - A new weekly music television show that will showcase charts for mobile phone ringtones and music downloads is to be aired on ITV1 in a sign of the growing influence of both the mobile phone and the internet on music sales.$LABEL$3 +Evocative, and Steamy, Marathon Goes to Japanese Woman ATHENS, Aug. 22 The marathon was inspired by suffering, and on the day an event that is as much a test of character as a test of endurance returned to its Olympic roots, the suffering returned, too.$LABEL$0 +Asda Tops Mark amp; Spencer on UK Clothing Sales, Telegraph Says Wal-Mart Stores Inc. #39;s Asda, the UK #39;s second biggest supermarket chain, surpassed Marks amp; Spencer Group Plc as Britain #39;s largest clothing retailer in the last three months, according to the Sunday Telegraph.$LABEL$2 +Olympics: New Doping Scandal, Judging Scandals at Games Japan #39;s Mizuki Nogushi won the first Olympic marathon raced from the historic site in 108 years on Sunday, but for Britain the race turned into heartbreak as its top runner quit in tears.$LABEL$1 +Khorkina Bitter at All-Around Defeat Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to American Carly Patterson in the women #39;s all-around gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold medal and said quot;everything was decided in advance.$LABEL$1 +Clashes break out in Najaf, but government says it hopes to <b>...</b> By Abdul Hussein Al-Obeidi, Associated Press, 8/22/2004 15:32. NAJAF, Iraq (AP) Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf #39;s Old City on Sunday in a fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations $LABEL$0 +Putin Flies to Chechnya Ahead of Vote A week before the Chechen presidential election, President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Chechnya on Sunday to lay red carnations on the grave of slain Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov.$LABEL$0 +E-Vote Machines: Secret Testing Even though tax money pays for voting machines, the three companies that certify the nation's voting technologies operate in secret. The reason? Their contracts with the voting machine makers specify secrecy.$LABEL$2 +Athletics: Powell leads the way into wide-open 100 final ATHENS - Asafa Powell led the way into what appears to be a wide-open Olympic 100m final on Sunday as the Jamaican won his semifinal in 9.95 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Australian Newbery wins women #39;s platform Olympic gold Chantelle Newbery won Australia #39;s first gold medal in diving since 1924 Sunday night, easily holding off China #39;s Lao Lishi and Aussie teammate Loudy Tourky in women #39;s 10-meter platform.$LABEL$1 +Sudanese Darfur Rebels Arrive for Peace Talks Rebel delegates from Sudan #39;s western Darfur region have arrived in Nigeria for talks with Sudanese officials on ending violence sparked by a rebel uprising 18 months ago.$LABEL$0 +Munch's famous painting The Scream stolen from Norway museum - again (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OSLO, Norway (AP) - Armed men stormed into an art museum Sunday, threatened staff at gunpoint and stole Edvard Munch's famous paintings The Scream and Madonna before stunned museum-goers.$LABEL$0 +Mets Recall Ginter, Option 1B Brazell (AP) AP - The New York Mets recalled right-hander Matt Ginter from Triple-A Norfolk in time for him to start Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants.$LABEL$1 +Leg Injury Knocks Devers Out of Hurdles ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers failed once again in the Olympic 100-meter hurdles, falling to injury just steps into her first heat. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the event, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle Sunday...$LABEL$0 +Boudreaux's Butt Paste Sells Itself COVINGTON, La. - Retired Louisiana pharmacist George Boudreaux hasn't needed Madison Avenue pitchmen to get the word out about his concoction to treat diaper rash...$LABEL$0 +Amazon buys into growing Chinese online retail market Amazon.com, the world #39;s biggest online retailer, is to buy Chinese rival Joyo.com for about \$75m in a deal that will give it a substantial presence in China #39;s growing internet market.$LABEL$3 +Michael Phelps Wins 6 Gold Medals in Swimming in Athens The eight days of Olympic swimming competition ended Saturday night at the Athens Summer Games. And the big star was American Michael Phelps.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin Wins 100 Meters; Greene Third Justin Gatlin ran the race of his life, barely holding off the field Sunday night to win the 100 meters in 9.85 seconds. Francis Obikwelu of Portugal got the silver $LABEL$1 +Ulmer has golden glow Exhausted cyclist Sarah Ulmer is still on a high from taking gold at the Olympics in world record time. She is back at the Olympic village and still cannot believe the number of New Zealanders at the velodrome to cheer her on.$LABEL$1 +Lleyton Hewitt beats Gilles Muller to win title in Washington Lleyton Hewitt strong first serve and excellent court coverage ended the best week of Gilles Muller #39;s career. Hewitt beat the Luxembourg player 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.$LABEL$1 +Newbery Wins Platform Diving Gold for Australia Chantelle Newbery became the first Australian to win the Olympic women #39;s platform diving title with a clearcut victory in the final on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Molina ties career high with four hits BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Kelvim Escobar was the latest Anaheim Angels #39; pitcher to subdue the New York Yankees. Escobar pitched seven strong innings and Bengie Molina tied a career-high with four hits, including $LABEL$1 +Bears have edge in Ogunleye trade (Aug. 22, 2004) -- The Miami Dolphins desperately needed a receiver. The Chicago Bears desperately needed a defensive end. But take a closer look, and it seems clear that the Bears came out on top in the deal -- by a lot.$LABEL$1 +Group frees US journalist hostage in Iraq fiance who spent three months with me in Nassiriya, quot; Garen told Arab satellite television Al Jazeera by telephone. He was speaking from the Nassiriya office of rebel Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.$LABEL$0 +Tramps victim to suspected Brazil death squad One vagrant died and three were badly beaten in overnight attacks in Brazil #39;s biggest city of Sao Paulo, raising the number of victims of a suspected death squad to 14 in four days.$LABEL$0 +Wood, Baker, Oswalt Tossed From Game (AP) AP - Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood, manager Dusty Baker and Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt were ejected Sunday during the NL Central rivals' final game of a three-game series.$LABEL$1 +Pakistan defeats Chairman #39;s XI at Lilac Hill An impressive century by opening batsman Salman Butt helped Pakistan notch up their first tour win with a 43-run victory over a Cricket Australia Chairman #39;s XI at Lilac Hill in Perth.$LABEL$1 +Noguchi wins Olympic marathon as tearful Radcliffe crashes out (AFP) AFP - Mizuki Noguchi kept the Olympic Games women's marathon title in Japan when she clinched gold here in a time of 2hrs 26min 20sec.$LABEL$0 +9/11 Commission Details Lax U.S. Controls (AP) AP - A new report from the now-defunct Sept. 11 commission details the lax controls on immigration and customs that the hijackers exploited to carry out their plot.$LABEL$0 +In Mr. Bush's Neighborhood, a Peculiar Intersection The relationship between President Bush and Wall Street has always been layered with paradox and outright contradiction.$LABEL$0 +Oil price a concern for US economy High oil prices, which have been a factor in virtually all US recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year.$LABEL$2 +Taste solution to pigeon predators Pigeon fanciers in Britain, tired of having their prize racing birds snatched by predators, have a plan to save them - by making them taste too nasty for other birds to eat.$LABEL$3 +Can Radcliffe Rise from Athens Ashes? So Paula Radcliffe is mortal, and probably now destined never to win an Olympic gold medal. For the past two years she has run like a goddess inexorably heading towards Athens glory.$LABEL$1 +Stefan Holm win #39;s high jump gold Stefan Holm of Sweden won the Olympic high jump Sunday, clearing 7 feet, 8 inches (2.36 meters) as Sweden took three gold medals in the first two days of competition.$LABEL$1 +Raffarin pledges to be quot;extremely severe quot; against anti-semitism <b>...</b> French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin declared Sunday that quot;France will be extremely severe against those who perpetrate anti-semitism, quot; after visiting the Jewish social $LABEL$0 +Blue Jays Beat Orioles 8-5 for Sweep (AP) AP - Eric Hinske and Vernon Wells homered, and the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with an 8-5 victory Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin Takes 100 Meter Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - American Justin Gatlin shot to victory in the Olympic 100 meters final on Sunday in an atmosphere of fevered excitement.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin Wins 100 Sprint America's Justin Gatlin runa the race of his life, barely holding off the field Sunday to win the 100 meters in 9.85 seconds.$LABEL$1 +Blue Jays Sweep O's Miguel Tejada went 4 for 5 with a homer, three doubles and five RBI for the Orioles, but it could not prevent the O's from being swept by the now hot-hitting Blue Jays, 8-5, on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin Takes 100 Meters Gold ATHENS (Reuters) - American Justin Gatlin shot to victory in the Olympic 100 meters final on Sunday in an atmosphere of fevered excitement.$LABEL$1 +New Afghan Army asserts itself Rivals in western Afghanistan agreed to a cease-fire last week after the arrival of the Afghan National Army.$LABEL$0 +Series of explosions mark ETA's return At least seven small bombs have exploded in Spain's seaside resorts this month.$LABEL$0 +Moscow on the Mediterranean? Russia's yacht craze Yachting is one of the new luxuries for Moscow's superrich.$LABEL$0 +France: A year after the heatwave Is the country better prepared to prevent a repeat of last August's deadly crisis?$LABEL$0 +Doctor, heal thyself During a recent visit to Jaipur I was informed that in the last two years the clinics and nursing homes of over 30 doctors had been attacked by attendants and friends of patients and the public.$LABEL$2 +Novell Turns A Q3 Profit Novell Inc. is reporting a big turnaround in its financial picture. The networking company is reporting a third-quarter profit of \$23.$LABEL$3 +Evocative, and Steamy, Marathon Goes to Japanese Woman The marathon was inspired by suffering, and on the day an event that is as much a test of character as a test of endurance returned to its Olympic roots, the suffering returned, too.$LABEL$1 +US hold on 100 broken ATHENS - Lauryn Williams never heard of Yuliya Nesterenko until this weekend. The same might be said about the Belarussian #39;s knowledge of the 20-year-old American.$LABEL$1 +Sudan jails some Darfur security forces - report Sudan said it had imprisoned some Darfur militia and police for crimes including rape, the first admission that government security forces have committed human rights abuses there, a Khartoum daily said on Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan Details Suicide Attacks Plot ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Aug. 22, 2004 - Security forces hunted for more terror suspects, officials said Sunday, as Pakistan revealed it has arrested a dozen al-Qaida-linked militants planning to launch simultaneous $LABEL$0 +War Crimes Hearings to Begin for 4 Guantanamo Prisoners Four suspected al Qaeda fighters will be formally charged with war crimes this week as the US military opens the first legal hearings for foreign $LABEL$0 +Dole Questions Kerry's Vietnam Wounds CRAWFORD, Texas - Former Republican Sen. Bob Dole suggested Sunday that John Kerry apologize for past testimony before Congress about alleged atrocities during the Vietnam War and joined critics of the Democratic presidential candidate who say he received an early exit from combat for ""superficial wounds."" Dole also called on Kerry to release all the records of his service in Vietnam...$LABEL$0 +Munch's Iconic 'Scream' Stolen in Norway OSLO, Norway - Armed, masked thieves burst into a lightly guarded Oslo museum Sunday and snatched the Edvard Munch masterpiece ""The Scream"" and a second Munch painting from the walls as stunned visitors watched in shock. It was the second time in a decade that a version of the iconic ""Scream,"" which depicts an anguished, opened-mouthed figure grabbing the sides of its head, had been stolen from an Oslo museum...$LABEL$0 +Gatlin Takes 100 Meter Gold American Justin Gatlin shot to victory in the Olympic 100 meters final on Sunday in an atmosphere of fevered excitement. Gatlin flew across the line in 9.85 seconds, one $LABEL$1 +Underneath the competition, sportsmanship ethic prevails Many athletes exude ideals of Games, from embraces in the pool to a fencing timeout. By Mark Sappenfield Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.$LABEL$1 +Sharing the Gold After years of sacrificing, athletes don #39;t come to the Olympics to put self-interest aside; they come to be No. 1. Get all of today #39;s headlines, or alerts on specific topics.$LABEL$1 +Americans lose again ATHENS, Greece - Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, whose off-target three-pointer kept his team from pulling off the biggest upset of the Sydney Olympics, didnt miss when it counted on Saturday night against the Americans in a thrilling 94-90 $LABEL$1 +US jets hit Sadr men as tanks near Najaf shrine NAJAF (Iraq) - US helicopter gunships pounded supporters of Moqtada Al Sadr in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf yesterday as tanks rumbled to within 800 metres of a holy shrine at the centre of a near three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +Singapore #39;would not recognise #39; independent Taiwan Singapore #39;s new Prime Minister, in his first policy speech since taking office, has warned of the dangers of war if Taiwan makes a miscalculation in its relations with China.$LABEL$0 +A monkey off their back Danielle Rhoades still remembers the taste of debt: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tuna fish. That #39;s mainly what she subsisted on for a year - after living more extravagantly during her first year $LABEL$2 +Record-breaking Kiwi relegates Mactier to silver Southern stars: 3000 metres women #39;s pursuit gold medallist Sarah Ulmer, right, hug #39;s Australia #39;s silver medallist Katie Mactier after beating her in a record breaking final.$LABEL$1 +Sri Lankas finest hour Sri Lankas emphatic victory over the South Africans must count among the finest in their cricketing history. Graeme Smiths side were taken apart with the efficiency of crew changing tyres at a car race.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 2-Gibernau beats Rossi in Czech GP revenge Spaniard Sete Gibernau cruised to his third win of the season in the Czech MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off a tough challenge from championship leader Valentino Rossi.$LABEL$1 +Ramirez Hits 3-Run Homer, Cubs Beat Astros (AP) AP - Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer, Moises Alou also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 11-6 on Sunday in the testy conclusion of a three-game series between the NL Central rivals.$LABEL$1 +Islamic group posts alleged pictures of Nepalese abducted in Iraq (AFP) AFP - An Islamic militant group published on a website the alleged pictures of twelve Nepalese citizens whom it said it had abducted for cooperating with US forces in Iraq.$LABEL$0 +Gymnastics: Misery for Hamm, Khorkina ATHENS (Reuters) - All-round champion Paul Hamm's Olympic fortunes took a downward turn on Sunday when he was outdone by the mastery of Kyle Shewfelt and Teng Haibin in the men's apparatus finals.$LABEL$1 +Bush campaign aide resigns amid controversy over campaign ads (AFP) AFP - The highly-charged debate over John Kerry's record in the Vietnam War raged, after a veteran working to help re-elect incumbent president George W. Bush resigned, while the Democratic challenger lodged a formal complaint with election authorities.$LABEL$0 +Exhausted Agassi Withdraws from Long Island Tournament NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Andre Agassi has withdrawn from the TD Waterhouse Cup, starting on Monday on Long Island, citing fatigue.$LABEL$1 +Nigeria Wants AU Troops to Disarm Darfur Rebels ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday proposed to give a greater role to African Union (AU) troops in restoring peace to Sudan's Darfur region on the eve of talks between the Sudanese government and rebels.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Planes Hit Militias as Tanks Near Najaf Shrine NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. helicopter gunships pounded Shi'ite militias in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday as tanks rumbled to within 800 meters (yards) of a besieged shrine at the center of a near three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +India reduces steel import tax to rein in prices MUMBAI India has cut the import tax on steel for a third time this year and canceled customs duty on raw materials to contain prices after they rose to their highest in a decade.$LABEL$2 +Foul Taste to Keep Pigeons Safe Racing pigeon owners are planning to make their birds less tasty in a bid to stop them being eaten by peregrine falcons, it was revealed today.$LABEL$3 +100-meter winners are new crew ATHENS Justin Gatlin of the United States held off a late charge by Francis Obikwelu, a Nigerian-born Portuguese, on Sunday to win one of the fastest 100-meter finals in Olympic history.$LABEL$1 +Where it all began, Noguchi wins marathon ATHENS The marathon was inspired by suffering, and on the day an event that is as much a test of character as a test of endurance returned to its Olympic roots and the evocative marble horseshoe that is Panathanaiko stadium, the suffering returned, too.$LABEL$1 +Cyclist gets gold plus the record ATHENS Capping a perfect year, Sarah Ulmer of New Zealand set a stunning world record and won Olympic gold to add to her world title in the three-kilometer pursuit on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +I was robbed, Khorkina tells Russian paper MOSCOW Russia #39;s Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to Carly Patterson of the United States in the women #39;s all-round gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold medal, saying quot;everything was decided in advance.$LABEL$1 +Strike is averted by deal with British Airways LONDON British Airways and union leaders said over the weekend that they had agreed to a three-year pay deal for check-in employees and baggage handlers and that a strike scheduled for Friday had been suspended.$LABEL$0 +Basketball: U.S. Women Win Again, Greece Qualify ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States ran their preliminary round record to a perfect 5-0 with a 100-62 drubbing of China at the women's Olympic basketball tournament on Sunday, remaining on course for a third consecutive gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Angels Take Third Straight From Yankees Bengie Molina went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer, Kelvim Escobar outpitched Kevin Brown and the Anaheim Angels completed a three-game sweep.$LABEL$1 +Update 12: Judge Won #39;t Block United Pension Plans A federal bankruptcy judge approved United Airlines #39; amended financing plan Friday, rejecting union arguments that United didn #39;t try hard enough to come up with an alternative that would continue company contributions to employee pension funds.$LABEL$2 +German group Nanno and two US groups buy Agfa-Gevaert photo <b>...</b> German private equity firm Nanno and two US groups have reportedly joined forces to back the management buy-out of the troubled consumer photo business from Belgian-based Agfa-Gevaert for a reported E175m.$LABEL$2 +Tribe has great excuse for poor math skills Some people have a great excuse for being bad at math -- their language lacks the words for most numbers, US-based researchers reported on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +No news is good news on Athens #39; security front The 17-day Olympic Games passed the halfway point this weekend, and the best news on the security front was that there was no news at all.$LABEL$1 +Final scores from 2004 US Amateur Semifinals - Saturday, August 21 ----- Ryan Moore (1) def. Jeff Overton (20), 2 and 1 Luke List (6) def. Chris Nallen (10), 19 Holes.$LABEL$1 +Twins finish homestand with sweep Brad Radke pitched seven strong innings while Torii Hunter had three hits and three RBIs as the Twins knocked down the Indians again with a 7-3 victory Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Nigeria Wants AU Troops to Disarm Darfur Rebels Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday proposed to give a greater role to African Union (AU) troops in restoring peace to Sudan #39;s Darfur region on the eve of talks between the Sudanese government and rebels.$LABEL$0 +Bogus Degrees Lawsuit An online university that supposedly granted a business degree to a cat has been sued for consumer fraud. The lawsuit was filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General #39;s Office against Dallas-based Trinity Southern $LABEL$3 +India News: Truckers #39; strike enters second day (NIGHT LEAD) The finance minister said he suspected a role for transport booking agents in misguiding the truck operators and inciting them to go on strike.$LABEL$2 +ZOYSA PUTS SOUTH AFRICA TO THE SWORD Nuwan Zoysa ripped through South Africa #39;s upper order to power Sri Lanka to a 37-run victory in the second One Day International in Colombo.$LABEL$1 +Fierce gunfire erupts in Najaf after mortar fire NAJAF: A fierce gunbattle erupted between US troops and radical Shi #39;ite militants near Najaf #39;s holy shrine this morning, a Reuters witness said.$LABEL$0 +Three Dead In Roadblock Incident In Afghanistan 22 August 2004 -- The US-led coalition forces said that troops fired on a truck that attempted to run through a joint Afghan National Army and coalition checkpoint near Ghazni, killing three and wounding two others.$LABEL$0 +Moribund 'lad mag' market in Britain gets a boost (AFP) AFP - A decade ago, Britain's magazine market was shaken up by a series of men's titles which offered an unsubtle mix of football, humour and scantily-clad women. Now a new revolution has begun, using much the same formula.$LABEL$0 +Fiorentina, Atalanta Win at Italian Cup (AP) AP - Fiorentina, Atalanta, Messina and Livorno all won their first-round matches of the Italian Cup on Sunday, stepping closer to qualification for the next round.$LABEL$1 +Kerry, Bush battle for crucial military vote (AFP) AFP - Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry are battling feverishly for the support of soldiers and veterans, but Bush seems to have gained the upper hand as Kerry's military past comes under attack.$LABEL$0 +Shuttle repair plan remains in the works The space shuttle may begin flying before NASA has a reliable plan to fix damage similar to that which doomed the Columbia shuttle in February 2003, the manager of the shuttle program said Monday.$LABEL$3 +Transport owners wrongly advised: FM NEW DELHI: Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said truck operators and owners, who are on strike protesting the imposition of service tax, have been wrongly advised and misguided by goods transport agents even as the government $LABEL$2 +Pope Condemns Human Cloning and Arrogance of Man Pope John Paul on Sunday condemned human cloning as an arrogant attempt to improve on God #39;s creation. quot;The sense of power that every technical progress inspires in man is $LABEL$3 +Sony tries to win back flat-panel TV market TOKYO - Sony Corp is attempting to claw back market share of the domestic flat-panel TV market with the launch of eight new televisions.$LABEL$3 +One, two, ... er, too many Researchers claim to have solved the mystery of the people who simply do not count. It could be because they are lost for words. The Piraha of the Amazon have almost legendary status in language research.$LABEL$3 +Web sites agree to be accessible to blind In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.$LABEL$3 +Earnings Grow at Salesforce Salesforce.com (CRM:NYSE - commentary - research), a provider of Internet-based customer relationship management software, posted its first quarterly profit as a public company after the bell Thursday.$LABEL$3 +Hewitt ends drought LLEYTON HEWITT further fine-tuned his game ahead of the US Open with a convincing 6-3 6-4 win over Gilles Muller to capture the Washington Open today.$LABEL$1 +Mactier #39;s pursuit halted by Kiwi gold CHAMPION Kiwi cyclist Sarah Ulmer denied Victorian Katie Mactier the Olympic Games 3000m individual pursuit gold medal today by smashing the world record.$LABEL$1 +Super Saturday Britain finally struck gold at the Athens Games. Germany lost two golds but won one more in equestrian. Swimming events concluded and track and field heated up on day eight.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal win thriller, equal Notts record LONDON, AUGUST 22: Arsenal equalled Nottingham Forests 42-match unbeaten league record in heart-stopping style on Sunday when the Premier League champions roared back from 1-3 down to beat Middlesbrough 5-3 at Highbury.$LABEL$1 +Edgar powers streak to four The Cardinals may or may not ever see the dominant Matt Morris of 2001 ever again, the pitcher who finished third in Cy Young balloting and was the undisputed No.$LABEL$1 +Violence erupts following Bangladesh attack Sporadic violence has erupted in Bangladesh in response to a deadly grenade attack on an opposition rally, which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 100.$LABEL$0 +Calling the shots KATHMANDU, AUGUST 22: Nabil bank chairman Satyendra Shrestha, who earlier headed the RBI equivalent, the Rashtra Bank of Nepal, cant understand that the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA), which is performing wonders under the UN mission in Congo, is still to $LABEL$0 +Report: Consumers tuning in to plasma TVs First-quarter shipments of plasma televisions in the United States more than doubled from the previous year, according to research firm iSuppli.$LABEL$3 +Helicopter Stunt Pilots to Snag Stardust for NASA NASA has recruited two Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots for an especially tricky maneuver -- snagging a capsule full of stardust as it parachutes back to Earth next month, mission managers said on Thursday.$LABEL$3 +US e-commerce sales rise in second quarter WASHINGTON - US retail sales over the Internet rose 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2004 and gained 23.1 percent compared with the same period last year as consumers continued to turn to e-commerce to make purchases, a government report showed on $LABEL$3 + quot;Microsoft #39;s Actions Validate Our Linux Strategy Every Day, quot; Says <b>...</b> Novell earned \$23 million, or six cents a share, on revenues of \$305 million in its fiscal third quarter ended July 31. It derived \$12 million in revenues from its presumably unprofitable SUSE Linux business $LABEL$3 +American Gatlin becomes world #39;s fastest man Justin Gatlin of the United States became the fastest man in the world after winning the men #39;s 100 meters dash at the 28th Olympic Games here on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Surfing rides new wave of popularity in Britain's lukewarm seas (AFP) AFP - The teenage girls squint into the sun, watching the surfer expertly ride a rolling wave into the shoreline. ""He's good,"" one says to the other. ""And cute,"" comes the giggled response.$LABEL$0 +AL Wrap: Molina Leads Angels to Sweep of Yankees (Reuters) Reuters - Bengie Molina had four hits, including\a three-run homer, as the Anaheim Angels completed a three-game\series sweep with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees on\Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Music Mogul Davis Challenges Retailers (AP) AP - Legendary music mogul Clive Davis has some advice for music retailers looking to persuade music fans to return to traditional record shops: Make shopping more fun.$LABEL$2 +AL Wrap: Molina Leads Angels to Sweep of Yankees NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bengie Molina had four hits, including a three-run homer, as the Anaheim Angels completed a three-game series sweep with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Blasts, Gunfire Shake Najaf As Talks Drag NAJAF, Iraq - Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf's Old City on Sunday in a fierce battle between U.S. forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations dragged on for the handover of the shrine that the fighters have used for their stronghold...$LABEL$0 +U.S. Gymnasts Win 3 Medals; Hamm Angry ATHENS, Greece - Three got medals, and Paul Hamm got mad. The United States upped its gymnastics medal haul to seven Sunday night, the most since the Americans won 16 at the boycotted Los Angeles Games in 1984...$LABEL$0 +Thieves Grab 'The Scream' From Museum OSLO, Norway - Armed, masked thieves burst into a lightly guarded Oslo museum Sunday and snatched the Edvard Munch masterpiece ""The Scream"" and a second Munch painting from the walls as stunned visitors watched in shock. It was the second time in a decade that a version of the iconic ""Scream,"" which depicts an anguished, opened-mouthed figure grabbing the sides of its head, had been stolen from an Oslo museum...$LABEL$0 +Venezuelan president appeals for unity Pledging to respect private wealth and fight corruption, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has told his opponents they should not fear his left-wing quot;revolution quot;.$LABEL$2 + #39;Dutch auction #39; finds few takers in the Netherlands NIJMEGEN, Netherlands Google #39;s so-called Dutch auction may have intrigued Wall Street, but nobody here was buying it, figuratively or literally.$LABEL$3 +Sony unveils new flat-screen TVs TOKYO - Electronics conglomerate Sony have unveiled eight new flat-screen televisions in a product push it hopes will help it secure a leading share of the domestic market.$LABEL$3 +Climbing Back Up Mary Meeker can tell you first hand about bubbles bursting. For much of the 1990s, she was called quot;Queen of the Net, quot; for her knack for picking tech stocks and helping companies like Netscape go public.$LABEL$3 +Outsider wins marathon JAPAN #39;S Mizuki Noguchi foiled premature British celebrations to win the women #39;s marathon today, beating world record-holder and scorching favourite Paula Radcliffe.$LABEL$1 +Men #39;s Singles : Interview with N. MASSU (CHI) NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah, I think it #39;s I #39;m so happy and I cannot believe this. Is too much in two days to win two medals, gold medals.$LABEL$1 +Olympic Basketball: Lithuania Guard Shoots Down US The United States crashed to its second defeat in the Olympic men #39;s basketball tournament Saturday when a late shooting spree by Sarunas Jasikevicius propelled Lithuania to a 94-90 victory.$LABEL$1 +Silver to McGee, Mactier into final There were a couple of near misses for Australia on the second night of track cycling competition, with a silver medal to Brad McGee in the 4000m individual pursuit and fourth place to the team sprint trio.$LABEL$1 +Track and field: Big night for Lauryn Williams Moments after the women #39;s Olympic 100-meter final last night, US sprinter Lauryn Williams looked up at the giant scoreboard in Olympic Stadium and saw an inspiring image, captured $LABEL$1 +Four-in-row to Davenport AMERICAN Lindsay Davenport won her fourth consecutive title of the year today, beating second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-2 in the final of the Cincinnati Open.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal fight back to match record Arsenal equaled Nottingham Forest #39;s 42-match unbeaten league record by battling back from 3-1 down to beat Middlesbrough 5-3 at Highbury, with French international striker Thierry Henry scoring twice.$LABEL$1 +Biffle, Martin give Roush 1-2 punch at Michigan BROOKLYN, Mich. (SportsTicker) - Greg Biffle took over the lead with 17 laps left and held off teammate Mark Martin to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Key moments in the Darfur rebellion KHARTOUM, Aug 22 (AFP) -- Since early 2003, Sudan #39;s western Darfur region has been in the throes of armed conflict between government forces backed by Arab militias and several rebel movements.$LABEL$0 +PA in talks with World Bank over Gaza after pullout The Palestinian Authority is negotiating with the World Bank and, indirectly, with Israeli representatives, regarding economic and administrative arrangements for the post-disengagement Gaza Strip.$LABEL$0 +Braves Score 8 in 2nd Inning, Beat Dodgers (AP) AP - Chipper Jones' three-run homer capped an eight-run second inning, J.D. Drew hit a two-run double and the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-1 on Sunday for a split of the four-game series.$LABEL$1 +U.N. Says Darfur Camps in Chad Close to Capacity (Reuters) Reuters - Refugee camps in Chad housing\200,000 Sudanese fleeing fighting in Darfur are near capacity\and placing a huge burden on Sudan's impoverished western\neighbor, the United Nations said Friday.$LABEL$0 +Apple recalls 15in PowerBook batteries Apple has asked anyone who has a certain 15in PowerBook G4 models to return the battery, which could be faulty. The recall follows four complaints made to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding batteries that have overheated.$LABEL$3 +BHP Billiton, Alcoa to Sell Shares in Metal Distribution Unit BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest mining company, and Alcoa Inc. said they plan to sell shares in their metal-processing and distribution venture.$LABEL$2 +Santander plans 2,500 Abbey cuts Banco Santander will today tell Abbey National #39;s union that about 2,500 jobs will go if the Spanish bank is successful in its takeover bid.$LABEL$2 +Most allowed to return home after gas fire MOSS BLUFF -- Hundreds of people who were evacuated last week when a tower of burning natural gas began roaring from an underground storage cavern were allowed to return home this morning.$LABEL$2 +Cink cruises to wire-to-wire victory If anyone had questions about Stewart Cink being chosen for the Ryder Cup team, he answered them with authority Sunday at the NEC Invitational, never letting anyone within two shots and becoming the first wire-to-wire winner this year on the PGA Tour.$LABEL$1 +NEWBERY DIVES AND BINGS UP GOLD Chantelle Newbery has jumped into sporting history by winning Australias first Olympic diving gold medal since 1924 in the women #39;s 10 metre platform in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Major attack by rebels on Nepalese town KATHMANDU - Hundreds of Maoist rebels stormed a town in the north-west of Nepal yesterday, bombing government buildings and killing a soldier, while others kept up a blockade on roads surrounding the capital, Kathmandu, for a fifth day.$LABEL$0 +Hicks #39; dad just wants to hug son THE parents of Australian terrorist suspect David Hicks are headed for Cuba for an emotional reunion with their son, who has been in US military detention for almost three years.$LABEL$0 +Pavano Homers As Marlins Beat Padres 8-3 (AP) AP - Carl Pavano pitched six solid innings, hit a home run and drove in two runs to lead the Florida Marlins to an 8-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Truckers #39; stir evokes mixed response New Delhi, Aug 21.(PTI): The indefinite nationwide truckers #39; strike protesting the imposition of service tax today evoked mixed response with a section of transporters in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu staying away from the protest.$LABEL$2 +Gold a family affair for champion Newbery Chantelle Newbery gave up diving after her son was born, but she returned to the sport, and on Monday morning she became the first Australian to win an Olympic diving title in 80 years.$LABEL$1 +Secrecy shrouds US e-vote machines THE three companies that certify the US #39; voting technologies operate in secrecy, and refuse to discuss flaws in the ATM-like machines to be used by nearly one in three voters in the presidential poll in November.$LABEL$2 +Foster #39;s Group Probably Turned to Second-Half Loss on Charges Foster #39;s Group Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest beer and winemaker, probably turned to a loss in the second-half after taking charges to restructure its Beringer Blass wine business, analysts said.$LABEL$2 +Cink eases to four-shot win at NEC Invitational Stewart Cink maintained his composure to register an even par final round score of 70 for a four-shot victory at the \$7 million WGC-NEC Invitational on Sunday, his second win of the season.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin Wins Olympic 100 Meters; Greene Finishes Third (Update4) Justin Gatlin of the US ran the fastest time in the world this year to become the youngest Olympic 100 meters champion for 36 years.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal equal record Arsenal matched Nottingham Forest #39;s record of 42 consecutive league games without defeat at Highbury on Sunday afternoon after defeating a stubborn Middlesbrough side in an extraordinary eight goal thriller.$LABEL$1 +Tanks close in on sacred shrine as US launches fresh assault on <b>...</b> US forces renewed their assault yesterday on Mehdi Army positions in and around Najaf #39;s old city with an early morning bombing raid and an advance which brought tanks at some points $LABEL$0 +Violence spreads after rally ends in 19 deaths Violence spread across Bangladesh yesterday, as mobs set railway coaches on fire and smashed cars in retaliation for grenade attacks on an opposition rally in Dhaka that left 19 people dead and 200 injured.$LABEL$0 +Vet and three children show no bird flu symptoms SEREMBAN: A veterinarian and three of her children, who have been warded for observation at the Kota Baru Hospital, do not have a persistent fever or sore throat - the common symptoms of avian influenza.$LABEL$0 +Karzai set for visit to Pakistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai is due to arrive in Pakistan on Monday for a two-day official visit, originally scheduled for last month.$LABEL$0 +Crude Oil Steady as Fighting in Southern Iraq Limits Exports Crude oil futures were little changed in New York after falling Friday on expectations reduced fighting in Iraq #39;s holy city of Najaf may enable the country to restore oil exports to full capacity.$LABEL$2 +Strike Ends at VW Factory in Mexico Workers at Volkswagen #39;s Mexico plant agreed to end a three-day-old strike Saturday and accept a pay package very close to the company #39;s original offer, officials $LABEL$2 +Japanese Stocks May Gain After Oil Declines; Toyota May Advance Japanese stocks may rise after oil prices fell from a record in New York, easing concern higher energy costs will damp consumer spending and corporate profits.$LABEL$2 +Sorry Hamm Flops on Apparatus Paul Hamm had hoped to continue the American gymnastics carnival at the Olympics Games on Sunday. Instead, as well as facing a battle to hold onto the individual gold that $LABEL$1 +Noguchi wins marathon as Radcliffe pulls up World record holder Paula Radcliffe pulled up in tears before the end of the women #39;s marathon today as Mizuki Noguchi ensured the gold medal would be returning to Japan.$LABEL$1 +Parks Canada sends managers from Ottawa to Alberta to help during strike (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - BANFF, Alta. (CP) - Parks Canada brass from Ottawa are trading their three-piece suits for park uniforms to help relieve managers in Alberta who have been working without a break since a strike began over a week ago.$LABEL$0 +Jolts of Electricity Reviving Coral Reef (AP) AP - As the late-afternoon sun bathes the beach with a soft warmth, gentle waves lap quietly at the shore #151; and strollers occasionally stumble over a thick wad of white cables embedded in the fine, black sand.$LABEL$3 +NL Wrap: Ramirez Lifts Cubs Over Astros After Wood Exit NEW YORK (Reuters) - Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer as the Chicago Cubs survived the ejection of starting pitcher Kerry Wood to defeat the Astros 11-6 in National League play in Houston on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +Bush advisers wary of oil In shift of tone, White House says high energy prices are now dragging on US economy. CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush #39;s economic advisers are warning that high energy prices have become a drag on $LABEL$2 +10 seconds that change everything ATHENS - Ten seconds. Barely time enough to tie a shoe, wash a glass, get the paper off the porch. But when the moment comes, and eight men kneel at their blocks and peer down the empty, waiting track, it is as if the entire Olympics stop to watch.$LABEL$1 +Giant Gilles slays Andre WASHINGTON: Luxembourg #39;s Gilles Muller stunned top-seeded Andre Agassi 6-4, 7-5 to reach the final of the Washington Classic on Saturday, depriving the American veteran an opportunity of picking up a sixth victory at this event.$LABEL$1 +Wenger #39;s dashing Musketeers cut Middlesbrough to pieces Try telling Arsenal the Premiership is a marathon not a sprint. The champions have come out of the blocks at an extraordinary pace, racking up nine goals in two games and $LABEL$1 +Juanjo #39;s early exit paves way for Celtic joy Cliches and elbows were out in force yesterday. quot;I honestly didn #39;t see it, quot; said Celtic manager Martin O #39;Neill, but Caley coach John Robertson did.$LABEL$1 +Franchitti wins Pikes Peak after pit mishap Although Dario Franchitti was criticized for making the jump to the IRL from the former CART series, his decision is starting to look like a good one.$LABEL$1 +Nine held in plot to attack key buildings ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Sunday that law enforcement agencies had arrested nine people including Farooq Usman and Ghulam Mustafa in connection with the plot to blow up key buildings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.$LABEL$0 +SOMALIA ENDS 13 YEARS OF ANARCHY International mediators have sworn in all the main warlords who will become members of Somalia #39;s new parliament in a major step towards ending 13 years of anarchy.$LABEL$0 +Settlers #39; compensation board formed A disengagement administration that would handle compensation to the evacuated Gaza Strip and northern West Bank settlers was established Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Analysts Debate Effect of High Oil Prices High oil prices, which have been a factor in virtually all US recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year.$LABEL$2 +Child soldiers square up to US tanks Struggling to lift a Kalashnikov, a 12-year-old with the Mahdi army militia said he could do anything in battle except fly a helicopter.$LABEL$0 +Four Dead After Attack on Homeless Man Four homeless men were bludgeoned to death and six were in critical condition on Friday following early morning attacks by unknown assailants in downtown streets of Sao Paulo, a police spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Cink Eases to Four-Shot Win at NEC Invitational AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Stewart Cink maintained his composure to register an even par final round score of 70 for a four-shot victory at the \$7 million WGC-NEC Invitational on Sunday, his second win of the season.$LABEL$1 +Tokyo Stocks Open Higher TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.67 percent at the opening on Monday after crude oil dropped back from record highs above \$49 a barrel, encouraging some investors to return to the Tokyo stock market in search of bargains.$LABEL$2 +Beach Volleyball: Brazil Veterans Reach Semis ATHENS (Reuters) - Veterans Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede beat Sandra Pires and Ana Paula Connelly in an all-Brazil women's beach volleyball contest on Sunday, showing experience counts as they advanced to the Olympic semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Underwater Archaeologists Dig for History (AP) AP - Instead of wearing khakis, students this summer at Croton Point Park donned wet suits and scuba gear as they dug up discoveries beyond the reach of landlocked archaeologists.$LABEL$3 +More Tramp Victims of Suspected Brazil Death Squad SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - One vagrant died and three were badly beaten in overnight attacks in Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo, raising the number of victims of a suspected death squad to 14 in four days.$LABEL$0 +Gatlin Blazes to 100 Gold; Greene Third ATHENS, Greece - Justin Gatlin ran the race of his life Sunday night, barely holding off the fastest Olympic 100 field in history to win the gold in 9.85 seconds. Francis Obikwelu of Portugal got the silver in 9.86...$LABEL$0 +Parks Canada sends managers from Ottawa to Alberta to help during <b>...</b> BANFF, Alta. (CP) - Parks Canada brass from Ottawa are trading their three-piece suits for park uniforms to help relieve managers in Alberta who have been working without a break since a strike began over a week ago.$LABEL$2 +Blumenthal to examine hospital medical supply charges NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is working with federal investigators to examine whether Yale-New Haven Hospital and other nonprofit hospitals in Connecticut are overcharging government agencies for medical supplies.$LABEL$2 +Google #39;s debut in the stock market sends a mixed signal A weaker-than-expected premarket auction, followed by two brisk days of trading, tell a tale of tech IPO market. By Daniel B. Wood Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.$LABEL$2 +Daiei slipping away The latest twist on the thrashings of dying retail giant Daiei developed last week when it emerged that Wal-Mart has been in talks with the IRCJ, the government #39;s turn-around fund, to possibly taking a position in Daiei.$LABEL$2 +Make inheritance tax fairer, urges thinktank Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will today be urged to risk the wrath of wealthier voters by reforming the tax laws on inheritance so as to close loopholes on gifts that allow the better-off to escape the Treasury #39;s grip.$LABEL$2 +Qantas in talks with Singapore Air on A380 cost cuts SYDNEY: Australia #39;s flagship carrier, Qantas, said yesterday it is talking with Singapore Airlines on ways to cut costs as both prepare to roll out the colossal A380 jet.$LABEL$2 +College-savings plan will gain flexibility The tax-sheltered plan, cited as one of the nation #39;s worst by researcher Morningstar Inc., could feature mutual funds from Fidelity Investments by early 2005, and more flexible account options are on the way.$LABEL$2 +Kiwi gold beats Mactier #39;s effort SARAH ULMER gave New Zealand its first ever Olympic cycling gold medal and only their second gold of the Athens Games overnight. And she broke her own world record for the women #39;s 3km individual pursuit.$LABEL$1 +Shot put earns a dubious distinction as first and last test <b>...</b> The executive board of the IOC will meet at 5am for the second day running, this time to take away the women #39;s shot put gold medal from Russian Irina Korzhanenko.$LABEL$1 +Evening Attire spoils Funny Cide homecoming The other gutsy gelding in the field ruined Funny Cide #39;s homecoming Sunday at Saratoga. Evening Attire, a 6-year-old gelding, ended a year of frustration by returning $LABEL$1 +NL Wrap: Ramirez Lifts Cubs Over Astros After Wood Exit Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer as the Chicago Cubs survived the ejection of starting pitcher Kerry Wood to defeat the Astros 11-6 in National League play in Houston on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +European team starts to take shape Luke Donald made an early charge in a late bid to make his first Ryder Cup team, but now must wait one week to see if European captain Bernhard Langer finds him worthy of a captain #39;s pick.$LABEL$1 +Singapore announces relaxation of rules on political expression Singapore #39;s new Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has announced a partial relaxation of rules on political expression. But, he warns race and religion will remain sensitive issues subject to restrictions.$LABEL$0 +25 arrested ahead of Karzais visit ISLAMABAD: Twenty-five people were arrested in raids at Afghan slums on the outskirts of Islamabad on Sunday and illegal weapons were seized from them, police said.$LABEL$0 +News in brief More than 20 passengers were injured when a train was set ablaze yesterday near Bhairab, 50 miles east of Dhaka in central Bangladesh, apparently in retaliation for 22 deaths and hundreds of injuries caused by explosions at an opposition rally.$LABEL$0 +Arson attack raises fears of anti-Semitic epidemic in France An arson attack destroyed a Jewish social club in the heart of Paris yesterday, alarming and infuriating French politicians and Jewish leaders who are struggling to halt an epidemic of anti-Semitic incidents across France.$LABEL$0 +Somalians sworn in NAIROBI International mediators swore in members of Somalia #39;s new Parliament on Sunday, a move seen as a crucial step toward establishing the first central government in the country since 1991.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan and Egypt favourites for World Team Squash title ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt will start their campaign as top seeds for the 22-country 13th PIA World Junior Mens Team Squash Championship starting at the Mushaf Squash Complex on Monday (today).$LABEL$0 +Arkansas Farm Produces Most U.S. Goldfish (AP) AP - There is a good chance that the colorful carp you won at the county fair or picked up at the local pet shop came from Pool Fisheries, which sits in the middle of an Arkansas field in Lonoke County, the self-proclaimed baitfish capital of the world where more than 6 billion minnows and goldfish are bred each year.$LABEL$3 +Agassi Withdraws from Long Island Tournament NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Andre Agassi has withdrawn from the TD Waterhouse Cup, starting in Long Island on Monday, citing fatigue.$LABEL$1 +Biffle Dominates at GFS Marketplace 400 Greg Biffle drove to an easy victory, pulling away from gambling teammate Mark Martin at the end of the Nascar Nextel Cup race Sunday in Michigan.$LABEL$1 +Tokyo Stocks Open Higher Japan #39;s Nikkei average rose 0.67 percent at the opening on Monday after crude oil dropped back from record highs above \$49 a barrel, encouraging some investors to return to the Tokyo stock market in search of bargains.$LABEL$2 +Will hydrogen soon kill Middle East crude? driven by the continuing power struggle in Iraq, by fears for the solvency of the Russian oil giant Yukos, and by surging demand for oil in Asia, notably in China.$LABEL$2 +Australia #39;s Fortescue China Deal On Pilbara Rail MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Australian iron ore company Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG.AU) said Monday it has entered into a contract with China Railway Engineering Corp.$LABEL$2 +Shewfelt's shining moment: Calgary gymnast gives Canadians reason to cheer (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - (CP) - Kyle Shewfelt is Canada's golden boy.$LABEL$0 +Gatlin Sprints from Unknown to Olympic Gold American Justin Gatlin roared from virtual unknown to win the blue ribband Olympic men #39;s 100 meters race on Sunday, upstaging defending champion Maurice Greene and other more illustrious rivals.$LABEL$1 +Roundup: Colts receiver Walters might need surgery Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Troy Walters might need surgery on his broken right arm that he injured in Saturday #39;s night preseason game against the New York Jets.$LABEL$1 +Graham Admits Sending THG Syringe to USADA Trevor Graham, the coach of Olympic 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin, admitted on Monday he had been the unidentified coach who sent a syringe of the designer steroid THG (tetrahydrogestrinone) to the United States Anti-Doping Agency $LABEL$1 +Human rights group have criticised hearings Four suspected al Qaeda fighters held at Guantanamo Bay will be formally charged with war crimes this week. The men, captured during the war in Afghanistan, will be arraigned before a panel of US military officials on Tuesday at the base in Cuba.$LABEL$0 +Deng work goes on, says Hu The achievements and theories of the late leader Deng Xiaoping will continue to change and influence China and the world, President Hu Jintao said yesterday.$LABEL$0 +Independent judges vital A series of prohibitions recently issued by the Higher People #39;s Court of the Beijing Municipality on judges #39; dealings with cases are expected to help maintain justice if strictly implemented, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily.$LABEL$0 +Marks And Spencer Loses Crown As Britain #39;s Top Clothing Retailer LONDON, Aug 22 (AFP) - Marks and Spencer has been overtaken as Britain #39;s biggest clothing retailer by supermarket giant Asda, which is owned by the world #39;s largest retail store Wal-Mart, industry figures showed Sunday.$LABEL$2 +Mizuki Noguchi of Japan wins women #39;s marathon gold Japan #39;s Mizuki Noguchi captured the gold medal in the women #39;s marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens on August 22. Noguchi, silver medalist in last year #39;s world championships in Paris, took over the lead $LABEL$1 +Hearn Earns First Nationwide Tour Victory (AP) AP - David Hearn of Canada earned his first Nationwide Tour victory Sunday, closing with a 1-under 71 and beating David Mckenzie by a stroke at the Alberta Classic.$LABEL$1 +Santander soothes unions #39; fears over Abbey jobs The chairman of Santander Central Hispano, the Spanish bank which is bidding for Abbey National, will tell unions today that a successful acquisition by his company will result in less than $LABEL$2 +Snapshots from the men #39;s 100 I wrote down my picks before the race started and I had them in this order: Asafa Powell, Shawn Crawford, and Maurice Greene. I picked Justin Gatlin for fourth.$LABEL$1 + #39;She isn #39;ta quitter... it was heartbreaking sight #39; The former mile world record holder Steve Cram claimed last night that Paula Radcliffe should not be considered quot;a quitter quot; for failing to complete the marathon in Athens yesterday.$LABEL$1 +Athletics: Suspended judge lives near Hamm ATHENS - The Colombian judge suspended for giving South Korea #39;s Yang Tae-young an incorrect score in the Olympic men #39;s all-round event lives in gold medallist Paul Hamm #39;s home state, International Gymnast magazine reported on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +The Sputtering Yankees Look for a Jump Start ne bad breaking ball did in the Yankees yesterday. Usually, one mistake does not cost them so dearly, but the Yankees are not usually scrounging for hits either.$LABEL$1 +Insider Racing News Nextel Cup and NASCAR are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. This web site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR.$LABEL$1 +China celebrates Deng anniversary BEIJING, China -- China has hailed its late former leader Den Xiaoping on the 100th anniversary of his birth. President Hu Jintao praised Deng as a man who made the people #39;s interests a priority.$LABEL$0 +US Forces Kill 3 Afghans at Checkpoint KABUL, Afghanistan Aug. 22, 2004 - US soldiers sprayed a pickup truck with bullets after it failed to stop at a roadblock in central Afghanistan, killing two women and a man and critically wounding two other $LABEL$0 +Germany repeats rowing glory in Athens German rowers repeated their Olympic glory in Athens with two gold medals in women #39;s quadruple sculls and women #39;s single sculls.$LABEL$0 +NYMEX Oil Ticks Higher on Iraq Fighting (Reuters) Reuters - NYMEX crude futures traded\slightly higher on Sunday amid fresh violence in the holy Iraqi\city of Najaf.$LABEL$2 +Palestinians Cheer 'Superstar' Contestant (AP) AP - Worn down by four years of bloody conflict with Israel, Palestinians found a welcome diversion Sunday: watching Ammar Hassan, one of their own, compete for the title of best singer in the Arab world.$LABEL$0 +Report: Indictment in Colo. Football Case (AP) AP - A state grand jury has handed down an indictment regarding the use of prostitutes to entice football recruits to the University of Colorado, according to a published report.$LABEL$1 +Tokyo Stocks Firmer as Oil Drops Back TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.91 percent in early trade on Monday after crude oil dropped back from record highs above \$49 a barrel, encouraging some investors to return to the Tokyo stock market in search of bargains.$LABEL$2 +Mother of Dead UK Soldier to Sue Government -Report LONDON (Reuters) - The mother of a young British soldier killed in Iraq plans to sue the government for breaching its duty of care to her son by not supplying key defensive equipment, the Guardian newspaper reported on Monday.$LABEL$0 +Tokyo Stocks Open Up on Oil Price Retreat TOKYO - Tokyo stocks opened higher Monday as investors regained confidence from Wall Street's rally and a retreat in surging oil prices. The U.S...$LABEL$0 +Tata Steel springs surprise price cut Mumbai, Aug. 22: Ratan Tata rousted industry shoguns out of their Sunday siestas with the announcement that Tata Steel would reduce prices by Rs 2,000 per tonne in a decision that takes immediate effect.$LABEL$2 +Overtime Rules Change I have been talking about this for a month, and I am finally starting to see more stories about the remarkable changes that begin today.$LABEL$2 +Qantas #39;must open its register #39; if BA sells QANTAS should open up its share register rather than seek another airline owner if British Airways ever decided to sell its stake, Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said yesterday.$LABEL$2 +Rail defect likely case of Pilbara derailment The company managing Rio Tinto iron ore #39;s rail lines in the Pilbara, in north-west Western Australia, says equipment failure rather than human error is to blame for a major derailment last week.$LABEL$2 +Stock market advances THE local stock market advanced today after a slide in oil prices sparked a rally on Wall Street on Friday. A fall in the price of crude oil was expected to ease investor concerns about high fuel costs crimping $LABEL$2 +New dossier fans flames of Collins Stewart row with analyst The battle between Collins Stewart and its former employee James Middleweek took yet another bizarre twist this weekend, as a new dossier containing refuted allegations of insider dealing against $LABEL$2 +How Google floated past Wall St By going Dutch, the geeks of the search engine taught the bankers a lesson in finance, writes John Naughton. If you were seeking a case study in schadenfreude, then last week #39;s coverage of the Google flotation $LABEL$3 +Fertilizer thieves targeted with stain Farmers fed up with methamphetamine cooks stealing their fertilizer may soon catch them pink handed, thanks to a new dye developed by a Southern Illinois farmer.$LABEL$3 +Cink wins by four shots STEWART CINK cruised to a comfortable four-shot win at the NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio today. Cink started the day with a five-shot cushion and, while it wasn #39;t all smooth sailing, Rory Sabbatini was the $LABEL$1 +SA coach Simons could quit South Africa coach Eric Simons is considering resigning because of the team #39;s poor performances in Sri Lanka. South Africa drew the first Test but lost the second by 313 runs and they have already been defeated in the first one-day international.$LABEL$1 +Oswalt #39;s ejection untimely Roy Oswalt received the backing of his teammates when it looked like Michael Barrett was heading toward the mound for an unfriendly visit.$LABEL$1 +Nepalese struggle to break rebel hold on capital Essential supplies were being ferried into Kathmandu yesterday under the protection of military helicopters, after Maoist rebels cut off Nepal #39;s capital from the rest of the Himalayan kingdom for the fifth day.$LABEL$0 +We Are the People For politicians who remember 1989 and the fall of the Berlin wall, the historic echo must be deafening. It all began in Leipzig, where in a Monday-night ritual marchers took $LABEL$0 +Captured mercenaries escape mass execution Seventy suspected mercenaries standing trial in Harare escaped a possible death sentence yesterday when Zimbabwe announced that they will not be extradited to Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Mystery of Wales turtle 'solved' Scientists think they may know why the world's largest leatherback turtle was washed up on a Welsh beach.$LABEL$3 +Santander may cut 4,500 jobs as part of 8bn Abbey National <b>...</b> Emilio Botin, head of Banco Santander Central Hispano, is today expected to tell union officials that the Spanish bank #39;s 8bn takeover of Abbey National might cause up to 4,500 job losses over three years.$LABEL$2 +Why Bush is on the carpet with Hoover We are likely to hear a lot about former United States president Herbert Hoover in the coming months as the US election approaches in November.$LABEL$2 +Catching Meth Cooks Pink-Handed WICHITA, Kan. -- It may fall a shade shy of catching thieves redhanded, but for farmers fed up with methamphetamine cooks filching their fertilizer, staining them pink will do just fine.$LABEL$3 +Gatlin dethrones Greene in 100 meters ATHENS, Greece -- Greek quot;sirtaki quot; music that starts slow and finishes fast whipped the Olympic Stadium audience into a frenzy Sunday night before the most exciting 10 seconds in sports.$LABEL$1 +Questions Remain for the Jets ith half the preseason over and the annual ritual of facing the Giants looming, the Jets seem to possess a powerful offense, but their now-speedy defense is still having trouble halting the run.$LABEL$1 +Germans mass against benefit changes Tens of thousands of Germans are expected on the streets of Berlin today for the latest of a series of demonstration which the organisers say will continue until the government withdraws its plans to cut social benefit payments.$LABEL$0 +Mugabe refuses extradition Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe #39;s president, has rejected a request from Equatorial Guinea for the extradition of 70 alleged mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in the west African country.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Gymnasts Win 3 Medals; Hamm Angry (AP) AP - Three got medals, and Paul Hamm got mad. The United States upped its gymnastics medal haul to seven Sunday night, the most since the Americans won 16 at the boycotted Los Angeles Games in 1984. And they might not be finished yet.$LABEL$1 +Asian Stocks Rise After Oil Drops From Record; Toyota Gains Asian stocks advanced after oil prices fell from a record Friday in New York, easing concern higher energy costs will damp consumer spending and corporate profits.$LABEL$2 +Brown accused of #39;baby bonds bribe #39; A treasury plan to distribute baby bond vouchers worth almost 1 billion weeks before the likely date of the next election was condemned by the Tories last night as a quot;cynical bribe quot;.$LABEL$2 +Chilean #39;s Endurance Feat Frustrates the US Again Somehow, Nicolas Massu of Chile summoned the strength and the shots to win his second gold medal of the Olympic Games. That is twice as many medals as the entire United States tennis team won.$LABEL$1 +Gatlin turns on the power to take gold When Justin Gatlin became entangled in the drug-testing net three years ago, he managed to wriggle out of it on the grounds of suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.$LABEL$1 +Franchitti climbs to IRL triumph at Pikes Peak FOUNTAIN, Colo. (SportsTicker) - It appears Dario Franchitti is getting the hang of the Indy Racing League. Franchitti dominated Sunday #39;s Honda Indy 225 at Pikes Peak International Raceway for his second IRL win of the season.$LABEL$1 +Sunday #39;s Golf Capsules Stewart Cink closed with an even-par 70 to beat Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini by four strokes Sunday at the NEC Invitational, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour this year.$LABEL$1 +The Call Is Cheap. The Wiretap Is Extra. Wiretapping Internet phones to monitor criminals and terrorists is costly and complex, and potentially a big burden on new businesses trying to sell the phone service.$LABEL$3 +Google Is One for the Books, Leaving Some With Regrets Top Silicon Valley venture capitalists who missed out on the Google deal are scratching their heads.$LABEL$3 +Ideas for Buyers and Renters An idea to make it easier to purchase a house, and another idea to make it easier to pay rent.$LABEL$3 +Fantasy Leagues Attract Money From Advertisers Free or low-cost services from AOL, NFL.com and even Best Buy are attracting advertising dollars for fantasy sports leagues.$LABEL$3 +Lawsuit Claims Free Speech for Online Casino Ads An Internet company that publishes information about online gambling has asked a judge to decide whether advertisements for Internet casinos are protected forms of speech.$LABEL$3 +Arsonists Destroy Jewish Center in Paris (AP) AP - Arsonists destroyed a Jewish community center in eastern Paris before dawn on Sunday, leaving behind red graffiti with menacing anti-Semitic messages such as ""Jews get out.$LABEL$0 +Panthers Contending With Banged Up O-Line (AP) AP - Once considered a rebuilding project, the Carolina Panthers' offensive line has become a concern as injuries mount.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Journalist Held in Iraq Is Released (AP) AP - U.S. journalist Micah Garen, who was kidnapped in Iraq more than a week ago, was released Sunday in the southern city of Nasiriyah. Garen spoke to Al-Jazeera television, confirming his release.$LABEL$0 +Sudan says it will cut number of paramilitary forces operating in Darfur (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - In a goodwill gesture on the eve of peace talks in Nigeria, Sudan said Sunday it will cut the number of paramilitary forces operating in Darfur by 30 per cent in a bid to ease tensions in the troubled region, where an 18-month conflict has claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 people.$LABEL$0 +A New Way to Spell Pain Relief: M-I-N-T-Y F-R-E-S-H Tylenol Cool Caplets, adult-strength headache tablets with a strong mint taste, are hoped to make the brand more hip.$LABEL$2 +Trip to Olympics or Feel-Good Talk? The Answer Was a Surprise to Many Michael Weisman, producer of some of the biggest games in sports, has become the executive producer of ""The Jane Pauley Show.$LABEL$2 +Wal-Mart Unit Passes Rival in Britain Asda, a unit of Wal-Mart, has overtaken Marks Spencer as Britains biggest clothing retailer, industry figures showed.$LABEL$2 +Supermarket giant usurps title MARKS amp; Spencer has lost its much-coveted crown as the UKs largest clothing retailer, to the supermarket chain Asda. Industry figures for the 12 weeks to 25 July show that Asda now has a leading 9.4 per $LABEL$2 +New twist in Middleweek saga as FSA enters fray FINANCIAL regulators will today examine fresh allegations about the professional conduct of James Middleweek, the analyst who has been embroiled in a bitter feud with former employer Collins Stewart.$LABEL$2 +Post-9/11 Mergers Brought Problems Government service firms often leaped before they looked as they scrambled to buy their way into the booming intelligence and anti-terrorism field.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Toyota's Prius Proving to Be the Hotter Hybrid The trouncing of the Civic calls into question the depth of the hybrid phenomenon, suggesting that what seems like a new consumer appetite for clean technology could be more a hunger for one cool car.<br><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +California Beats N. Carolina 9-2 in LLWS (AP) AP - Danny Leon hit a two-run homer, and Tyler Carp and John Lister added solo homers to lead Conejo Valley Little League to a 9-2 victory over Morganton, N.C., on Sunday in the Little League World Series.$LABEL$1 +Rookie Taylor Wins Playoff at Reno-Tahoe (AP) AP - Rookie Vaughn Taylor claimed his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, rolling in an 11-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to win a four-way playoff at the Reno-Tahoe Open.$LABEL$1 +Death and taxes are certain - but so are con tricks quot;INHERITANCE tax to rise 50 per cent, quot; thundered some Sunday newspapers. quot;Blair plans relief from inheritance tax, quot; suggested others.$LABEL$2 +Parks strike helping Alta. town business The rotating strike by workers at Canada #39;s national parks is having an unexpected impact in some places: it #39;s helping -- not hurting -- business.$LABEL$2 +The Call Is Cheap. The Wiretap Is Extra. t first glance, it might seem like the simple extension of a standard tool in the fight against the bad guys. But in fact, wiretapping Internet phones to monitor criminals and terrorists is costly $LABEL$3 +Thwarting Meth Kansas could be getting some help soon in its fight against methamphetamine. That #39;s thanks to a new product that could deter thefts of the fertilizer anhydrous ammonia, a component of meth production.$LABEL$3 +Hackers revive iTunes music sharing - OurTune A group of anonymous programmers has released new software that allows music to be swapped via Apple Computer #39;s popular iTunes jukebox.$LABEL$3 +Gatlin becomes world #39;s fastest man Justin Gatlin became the fastest man in the world after winning the men #39;s 100 meters dash at the 28th Olympic Games Sunday evening.$LABEL$1 +Korea to lodge appeal South Korea confirmed yesterday they will lodge an appeal with sport #39;s supreme legal body over scoring errors at the Olympic gymnastics tournament which robbed them of a gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Olympia champion has drug positive The Russian who made history when she became the first woman to win a gold medal at the sacred site of ancient Olympia has tested positive for an anabolic steroid.$LABEL$1 +Davenport reaches Cincinnati Open final CINCINNATI (Ohio): American Lindsay Davenport advanced to the final of the WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday after Frances Marion Bartoli pulled out with a blister on her right hand.$LABEL$1 +Arsenal equal Nottingham Forest #39;s 42-match unbeaten record with a <b>...</b> It was not enough for Arsenal to make their mark by pulling level with Nottingham Forest #39;s record of 42 League matches undefeated.$LABEL$1 +Train set on fire by mob DHAKA: A mob torched a train in central Bangladesh yesterday as anger over a grenade attack which killed 19 people and narrowly missed opposition leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed erupted in violence and protests, officials said.$LABEL$0 +Guantanamo alert for terror hearings GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE: US military authorities yesterday defended the special trials for war on terror detainees that start this week as they stepped up security at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba for the hearings.$LABEL$0 +Somalia swears in new MPs SOMALIA, the only country without a national government, took a step towards ending its failed-state status yesterday as international mediators swore in members of its new parliament.$LABEL$0 +Lee eases curbs on political expression SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore yesterday announced a partial relaxation of rules on political expression but warned that race and religion will remain sensitive issues subject to restrictions.$LABEL$0 +Schrder #39;s Best quot;PR Campaign quot; The German chancellor #39;s decision to adopt a young child has unleashed massive media coverage. Schrder #39;s been fighting revelations about his private life but the current attention could help rather than harm his career.$LABEL$0 +Ashour Conquers World Junior Squash Title ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Aug 23 (PNS) - Egypt Ramy Ashour became the newest World Junior Squash Champion following a 3-0 finals victory in the PIA 13th World Junior Squash Championships against Yasir Butt of Pakistan at the Mushaf Ali Mir Squash Complex $LABEL$0 +Post-9/11 Mergers Brought Problems Government service firms often leaped before they looked as they scrambled to buy their way into the booming intelligence and anti-terrorism field. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$2 +Anaheim Claims Sweep The red hot Angels completed their first sweep of the Yankees since the 1999 season with a 4-3 win, their fifth straight, Sunday in New York.$LABEL$1 +NBC's Five-Ring Circus If Roone Arledge invented the modern TV Olympics, Dick Ebersol has imploded it. Everyone wants to watch the Olympics, but they're just too unwatchable -- too much, too fragmented, too staged, too jingoistic, too hyped, too commercialized, too long, too <em>everything</em>. The Olympics no longer feel Olympian. They feel like a sweeps-week sports reality show.$LABEL$1 +THECHAT <em> Dean Cain has spent much of his life in a uniform. He's done time as an all-American safety at Princeton (where he established a since-broken single-season Division I-AA record for interceptions), an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills (before a preseason knee injury ended his football career), a sportsman of the future (in the aptly named movie ""Futuresport"") and an iconic superhero (in television's ""Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman""). Next up is a set of pinstripes -- Cain plays star third baseman Conrad Dean in the CBS drama ""Clubhouse,"" which is scheduled to debut next month. </em>$LABEL$1 +Title No.22 for Hewitt in Washington Australian Lleyton Hewitt has claimed his third title of the year with victory in the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. The South Australian No.$LABEL$1 +Honda Indy 225 Top-Three Finishers Transcript DAN WHELDON: Especially following last week, it was one of the most challenging races of the year. The flag was just changing completely the whole day.$LABEL$1 +Funny Cide Finishes Second in His Return Home Because of setbacks in his training, Funny Cide didn #39;t have the chance to run in the Travers Stakes last summer after he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.$LABEL$1 +US planes pound militants in Najaf NAJAF: US planes pounded Iraqi militias in Najaf last night after tanks rumbled to within 800 metres of a holy shrine at the centre of a near three-week insurgency.$LABEL$0 +Putin flies to Chechnya for tribute to slain president THE Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made an unannounced visit to Chechnya yesterday to lay flowers at the grave of the regions assassinated president a week before the election to replace him.$LABEL$0 +Venezuelan president reshuffles cabinet Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday appointed new ministers of interior and justice and information, a cabinet reshuffle after his victory in a recall referendum.$LABEL$2 +Australia #39;s Woolworths second-half profit up Australian supermarket giant, Woolworths, beat forecasts on Monday with a 12 per cent rise in second-half profit on vigorous cost savings and its ability to drive margins despite a competitive onslaught.$LABEL$2 +US economy buffeted by record high oil prices High oil prices, which have een a factor in virtually all US recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year. And the higher crude oil prices climb, the more risk energy $LABEL$2 +Ministers deny interest in raising inheritance tax Downing Street distanced itself last night from reports that inheritance tax will rise to 50 per cent for the wealthiest families.$LABEL$2 +THE REVIEW It #39;s easy to spot ESPN NFL 2K5 on the shelf: It #39;s the one that #39;s \$20, making it the least expensive sports video game available for PlayStation2 and Xbox.$LABEL$3 +Track team is tops for NBC NBC #39;s Olympic track and field production and announcing unit needed just three days of competition to show it is one of the network #39;s best groups in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Mets #39; Aggressive Bonds Strategy Backfires Barry Bonds lounged in his personal leather recliner, watching his personal big-screen television, flanked by three of his devoted handlers.$LABEL$1 +Reporter Freed as Rebel Cleric Brokers a Deal A kidnapped American journalist was released Sunday after the intervention of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, even as his Shiite militia engaged $LABEL$0 +Nikkei Up Over 1 Percent at Midday TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei stock average rose 1.02 percent by midsession on Monday as investors were encouraged to seek bargains by a recovery in U.S. stocks after crude oil prices retreated from record highs.$LABEL$2 +Mets' Aggressive Bonds Strategy Backfires The Mets attacked Barry Bonds as if they had a brand-new scouting report on him, and he basically deposited it in McCovey Cove.$LABEL$1 +Reporter Freed as Rebel Cleric Brokers a Deal A kidnapped American journalist was released, even as Moktada al-Sadr's militia engaged in heavy fighting in Najaf.$LABEL$0 +A G.O.P. Senator Proposes a Plan to Split Up C.I.A. The proposed legislation would break up the C.I.A. and divide its responsibilities among three new spy agencies.$LABEL$0 +Kerry TV Ad Pins Veterans' Attack Firmly on Bush The ad blames President Bush for a campaign by a ""front group"" of veterans that Senator John Kerry said had smeared his Vietnam record.$LABEL$0 +Nikkei Up Over 1 Percent at Midday The Nikkei stock average rose 1.02 percent by midsession on Monday as investors were encouraged to seek bargains by a recovery in US stocks after crude oil prices retreated from record highs.$LABEL$2 +Google #39;s Offering Proves Stock Auctions Can Really Work t worked. Google #39;s auction process, both criticized and feared on Wall Street, could have gone much more smoothly, and investors might yet regret putting money into a company that plans to go its own way regardless of what others think.$LABEL$3 +Pigeon fanciers use taste to ward off falcons London - British pigeon fanciers are developing methods to make their birds taste so awful that peregrine falcons in the wild are put off preying on them, the Sunday Telegraph reported.$LABEL$3 +Windows upgrade helps hold down the fort Are you nervous about viruses, worms, spyware and other threats to your computer? Wish you had the power to appoint an intelligence czar to safeguard your PC?$LABEL$3 +Shot-putter Korzhanenko to be stripped of gold: Russians Russian Olympic shot put champion Irina Korzhanenko will lose her gold medal after testing positive for a banned steroid, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee #39;s anti-doping body said overnight.$LABEL$1 +Young drivers rule in today #39;s Indy Racing League Last week at Kentucky Speedway, 41-year-old Adrian Fernandez became just the second driver older than 30 to win a race this season.$LABEL$1 +Berths in Semifinals for Two Americans On aqua-colored walls and giant blue columns, Patricia Miranda saw all she needed to see. The message was written in white inside Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, even next to the wrestling mats in case anyone forgot.$LABEL$1 +Four Marines killed in Anbar province BAGHDAD, Iraq Four Marines have been killed in separate incidents in Iraq #39;s volatile Anbar province. The US military says one Marine was killed in action yesterday, while two others died of wounds sustained $LABEL$0 +Oil raises economists #39; concerns WASHINGTON - Crude oil prices soaring to nearly \$50 a barrel have heightened concerns that sustained high energy costs could drag the slowing US and world economies into a more serious downturn.$LABEL$2 +Advanced Model of World #39;s Smallest Flying Microrobot from Epson Epson has long been engaged in the research and development of microrobots and in the development of applications for their enabling technologies.$LABEL$3 +Which Candidates Do Tech Companies Support? In a down year for tech industry contributions to political groups, political action committees (PACs) and employees from computer and Internet companies have contributed just over \$1.$LABEL$3 +Moore battles back to top List at US amateur championship Ryan Moore staged a remarkable comeback to overhaul Luke List in the 36-hole final of the US amateur championship at the Winged Foot Golf Club on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +CMS Energy to Offer \$200 Million Notes CMS Energy Corp., the holding company for utility Consumers Energy, said Tuesday that it plans to offer \$200 million of convertible senior notes due 2024, subject to market conditions.$LABEL$2 diff --git a/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.valid.dat b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.valid.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2e35cc37f468bb0a841e4b7c7ad754714bcf951d --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/204.AGNews10K/AGNews10K.valid.dat @@ -0,0 +1,1000 @@ +Rebels withdraw blockade of Kathmandu Nepalese rebels said today they were removing a blockade of the capital that had cut Kathmandu off from the rest of the country for a week.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Aere Pounds Northern Taiwan At least seven people are confirmed dead as Typhoon Aere pounded northern Taiwan with high winds and heavy rain. The storm hit the area with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers-an-hour.$LABEL$0 +Greenpeace Protests Ford's Plans for Cars (AP) AP - Greenpeace activists scaled the walls of Ford Motor Co.'s Norwegian headquarters Tuesday to protest plans to destroy hundreds of non-polluting electric cars.$LABEL$0 +Online Music Goes Back to School (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - In this era of high-speed Internet access, the back-to-school season features college students streaming back into their broadband-wired dormitory rooms, booting up their computers and letting gigabytes of digital tunes flow like a waterfall -- and for many students, the question of whether the downloading violates copyright laws plays second fiddle. However, a legal, affordable alternative has a chance to thrive in this potentially huge market, or at least that's what the digital music business and the universities are hoping.$LABEL$3 +EDS to Pay #36;50M to Extend Opsware Deal (AP) AP - Electronic Data Systems Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to pay #36;50 million to extend an agreement with Opsware Inc. for software used in running data centers.$LABEL$3 +National Commerce, Stockholders Settle NEW YORK (Reuters) - National Commerce Financial Corp.<A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NCF.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NCF.N</A> said on Tuesday it agreed to settle previously disclosed shareholder class-action lawsuits challenging its proposed merger with SunTrust Banks, Inc.<A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=STI.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">STI.N</A>.$LABEL$2 +New York Jets Sign Quincy Carter HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Quarterback Quincy Carter signed with the New York Jets on Tuesday, three weeks after his surprising release by Dallas...$LABEL$0 +Abuse Judge Forcing Intelligence Testimony MANNHEIM, Germany - The U.S. military judge hearing the Abu Ghraib abuse said Tuesday that prosecutors have until Sept...$LABEL$0 +Kodak buying National Semi #39;s image sensor business Eastman Kodak Co. says it #39;s agreed to buy the Imaging business of National Semiconductor Corp., which develops and manufactures complimentary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor devices.$LABEL$2 +National Semiconductor to Sell Imaging Unit National Semiconductor Corp. said Monday it agreed to sell its imaging business, which makes chips used in small cameras and cell phones, to camera giant Eastman Kodak Co., as it focuses on its main business of making analog chips.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: EDS extends Opsware contract roundup Plus: AOL signs up for Omniture traffic tool...Friendster hires ex-AOL ad exec...HP inks deal with energy firm.$LABEL$3 +Shell settles with SEC for \$120 mln DALLAS (CBS.MW) -- Royal Dutch/Shell Group will pay a \$120 million penalty to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of its overstatement of nearly 4.5 billion barrels of proven reserves, the federal agency said Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +US Airways: More Turbulence Ahead? Attempting to ward off a second bankruptcy filing, management and pilots of US Airways (Nasdaq: UAIR) took discussions of concessions that might keep the airline afloat through this past weekend.$LABEL$2 +Citigroup to buy First American Bank Citigroup of New York said Tuesday it will acquire First American Bank of Bryan, Texas. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Citigroup #39;s earnings.$LABEL$2 +Heinz Profit Rises, Shares Higher Ketchup maker HJ Heinz Co. (HNZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday said quarterly profit rose 7.8 percent, excluding a year-earlier tax benefit, as demand for new products $LABEL$2 +Northern Ireland #39;s only brewery to close BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Northern Ireland #39;s only brewery must close after a suitable buyer failed to come forward, its Belgian owner Interbew announced Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Adelphia seeks \$3.2B from Rigases Bankrupt cable operator asks court to force payments, says family already admitted they owe money. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adelphia Communications Corp.$LABEL$2 +British Gas bills to rise The energy provider said household gas bills would rise by 12.4 per cent and electricity by 9.4 per cent from September 20. The company blamed the increases on the record price of wholesale gas, which also impacts on the cost of producing electricity.$LABEL$2 +Cisco to acquire software developer P-Cube for \$200M AUGUST 24, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Cisco Systems Inc. said yesterday that it has agreed to acquire Sunnyvale, Calif., software developer P-Cube Inc.$LABEL$3 +Windows XP SP2 Automatic Update due tomorrow Windows XP users with Automatic Update enabled will have a rather hefty download tomorrow (August 25), as Microsoft plans to release Service Pack 2 for Windows XP via Automatic Update.$LABEL$3 +Indiana man charged with hacking into former employer #39;s systems AUGUST 24, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - A Columbus, Ind., man was charged yesterday in federal court with hacking into the systems of his Gloucester, Mass.$LABEL$3 +Russian teenager wins cycling gold Russian teenager Mikhail Ignatyev gave his nation their first medal of the Olympic track cycling competition on Tuesday, winning gold in the men #39;s points race.$LABEL$1 +Newcastle United Football Club back in for Rooney? Everton Football Club have rejected an offer of 20million from Newcastle United Football Club for Wayne Rooney - although they may return with an improved offer.$LABEL$1 +The first Guantanamo trials are set to take place The historic military trials of four al Qaeda suspects are set to get under way at the US military base in Cuba. The Guantanamo Bay cases mark the first time military commissions have been held for more than 50 years.$LABEL$0 +Eastern provinces prepare for typhoon The eye of typhoon Aere will move northwestward after sweeping past a sea area off Taipei and will hit East China coastal areas between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.$LABEL$0 +Tehran Threatens To Retaliate If Israel Strikes Nuclear Facilities Iran has reiterated that it will retaliate if Israel carries out a preemptive strike against its nuclear program. The escalating war of words comes as a top US arms-control official has charged that Tehran $LABEL$0 +Luddite <em>Reg</em> readers want flat weather, please <strong>Letters</strong> Oh, and don't be mean to spamvertised sites$LABEL$3 +Russians Complain About Gymnastics Scoring (AP) AP - The Russian Olympic delegation joined the growing list of Olympic malcontents Tuesday, arguing that its two biggest stars got cheated in the gymnastics competition.$LABEL$1 +Verizon, Qwest Ask Court to Block New FCC Rules (Reuters) Reuters - Verizon Communications Inc. and\Qwest Communications International Inc. asked a federal court\on Tuesday to block temporary rules by the U.S. Federal\Communications Commission forcing the companies to lease phone\lines to rivals for at least another six months.$LABEL$2 +Quincy Carter Finds a Home with the Jets (Reuters) Reuters - The New York Jets\solved their backup quarterback problems by signing Quincy\Carter, who was recently released by the Dallas Cowboys. Terms\of the deal were not announced.$LABEL$1 +Verizon, Qwest Ask Court to Block FCC WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VZ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">VZ.N</A> and Qwest Communications International Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=Q.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">Q.N</A> asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to block temporary rules by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission forcing the companies to lease phone lines to rivals for at least another six months.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Blue Chips Near Flat; Verizon Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were lower on Tuesday, as a drop in phone company Verizon Communications Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VZ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">VZ.N</A> overshadowed a brokerage upgrade on Caterpillar Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CAT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CAT.N</A> and a three-session drop in oil prices.$LABEL$2 +US Airways: More Turbulence Ahead? Management and pilots break off talks, making liquidation more likely.$LABEL$2 +Typhoon Aere Menaces Taiwan, Markets Close (Reuters) Reuters - Strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon\Aere pounded Taiwan on Tuesday, disrupting air and sea traffic\and forcing financial markets, schools and businesses in Taipei\and nearby counties to close.$LABEL$3 +Heinz Squeezes Out Results Heinz (NYSE: HNZ) is probably one of the most efficiently run public companies and continues to quot;remove clutter quot; and quot;squeeze out cost quot; to improve cash management and balance sheet performance.$LABEL$2 +DBCC says Philippines not in a fiscal crisis situation Malacaang allayed fears yesterday that the Philippines is on the brink of a financial crisis as it assured that the government is exerting its best efforts to bring down the widening $LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-Citigroup to acquire First American Bank of Texas Citigroup Inc. (CN: Quote, Profile, Research) the world #39;s largest financial services company, said on Tuesday it will acquire First American Bank in the quickly-growing Texas market.$LABEL$2 +Belfast brewery to close after 107 years Northern Ireland #39;s only brewery is to close with the loss of up to 85 jobs after failing to find a buyer, its Belgian owner Interbrew says.$LABEL$2 +National Commerce to Settle Suits National Commerce Financial Corp. said Tuesday that it agreed to settle shareholder lawsuits challenging SunTrust Banks Inc. #39;s proposed purchase of the financial services company.$LABEL$2 +Kodak buys National Semis imaging business ROCHESTER, NYEastman Kodak will acquire the imaging business of National Semiconductor Corp., which develops and manufactures metal oxide semiconductor image sensor devices.$LABEL$2 +Verizon, Qwest Ask Court to Block FCC Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Qwest Communications International Inc. (QN: Quote, Profile, Research) asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to block $LABEL$2 +Paying an ARM and a Leg Shares of Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation ARM Holdings (Nasdaq: ARMHY) tumbled 19 on Monday in response to the company #39;s buyout offer initially valued at \$913 million $LABEL$2 +Microsoft To Resume SP2 Auto Updating Wednesday Microsoft will resume rolling out Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Wednesday when it starts pushing the massive update to business users via Windows Automatic Update and the Windows Update Web site.$LABEL$3 +Cingular to use AT amp;T brand six months after merger Cingular Wireless LLC, AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc. and AT amp;T Corp. reported an agreement resolving issues related to the use of the AT amp;T brand in connection with Cingulars pending acquisition of AWS, as $LABEL$3 +Intel Cuts Prices in Preparation for New Product Line Intel is moving to reduce its chip inventory and make way for new products by deeply discounting some of its Pentium 4 and Itanium processors.$LABEL$3 +T-Mobile Checks in at Red Roof T-Mobile Hotspot #39;s network of public venues with Wi-Fi is extensive and its partners are big names you #39;ve heard of(Starbucks, FedEx Kinko #39;s, Borders Books).$LABEL$3 +Virtual Girlfriend Sven-Erik writes quot; BBC News reports about a Hong Kong based company called Artificial Life that has developed a solution for men without a partner, in the form of a virtual girlfriend that appear as an animated figure on the video screen of a mobile phone $LABEL$3 +Gartner optimistic about chip numbers But that optimism isn #39;t matched by Infineon, which said that while the market worldwide remains buoyant, the US is a special case and cautioned that growth might not be as strong as it expected.$LABEL$3 +Study: Apple, Dell lead PC customer satisfaction index The PC industry is doing a better job of satisfying its US customers than in recent years, and improvements to technical support seem to have done the trick, according to the $LABEL$3 +SAP To Build New Human Resources System for US Postal Service The US Postal Service has awarded SAP a \$35 million contract to supply a new human-resources system. SAP has benefited from a series of big customer wins this year, showing strong revenue growth $LABEL$3 +Backyard telescope helps find new planet With the help of a modified backyard telescope, astronomers have discovered a giant planet orbiting another star. It is the first extrasolar world found with such modest equipment.$LABEL$3 +Upset Russians ask IOC to take long look at gymnastics The Russian Olympic delegation joined the growing list of Olympic malcontents Tuesday, arguing that its two biggest stars got cheated in the gymnastics competition.$LABEL$1 +Italians brush off kidnapping threat Italy #39;s government insisted Tuesday it will keep its troops in Iraq despite a demand by militants holding an Italian journalist hostage that Italian forces pull out within 48 hours.$LABEL$0 +Nepal rebels suspend blockade for a month Nepal #39;s Maoist rebels have temporarily called off a crippling economic blockade of the capital effective on Wednesday, saying the move was in response to popular appeals.$LABEL$0 +Consumers set for huge bill rises British Gas have announced a large bill increase for its millions of customers. The energy giant said household gas bills would rise by 12.$LABEL$2 +Briefly: Real touts one week, 1 million songs roundup Plus: Chipmaker Fujitsu prepares WiMax chip...EDS extends Opsware contract...AOL signs up for Omniture traffic tool.$LABEL$3 +Minor Earthquake Shakes Athens; No Damage or Injuries A minor earthquake rattled Olympic venues in Athens Tuesday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The tremor was measured at 4.5 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter about 70 kilometers northeast of the Greek capital, under the Aegean Sea.$LABEL$1 +Carter - joined the Jets. (Getty Images) Less than three weeks after being released by the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Quincy Carter has landed with the New York Jets. Carter arrived in New York on Tuesday and signed a one-year contract.$LABEL$1 +Uncle Bobby speaks out on Rooney Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson has insisted his club #39;s interest in Wayne Rooney is genuine amid talk of conspiracy theories. The 71-year-old confirmed for the first time that United are chasing the teenager #39;s $LABEL$1 +Chipmaker Fujitsu prepares WiMax chip Company preps single chip WiMax compliant part for use in wireless broadband gear.$LABEL$3 +HP puts choke hold on virus throttling product After unveiling cutting-edge technology for choking off the spread of viruses in March, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) is quietly shelving the project, citing conflicts with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, a company executive said.$LABEL$3 +Study: Apple, Dell lead PC customer satisfaction index The PC industry is doing a better job of satisfying its U.S. customers than in recent years, and improvements to technical support seem to have done the trick, according to the results of a study released Tuesday by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.$LABEL$3 +Calif. Wins at Little League World Series (AP) AP - Jordan Brower struck out eight batters and knocked in the winning run to lead Thousand Oaks, Calif., into the United States semifinals with a 3-1 win over Lincoln, R.I., at the Little League World Series on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Oil Prices Fall to \$45 as Iraq Oil Flows LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell sharply to \$45 on Tuesday, extending losses to a third day as a more optimistic Iraq export picture helped unwind some of the supply worries that have lifted the market to historic levels.$LABEL$2 +Verizon, Qwest Ask Court to Block New FCC Rules WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc. and Qwest Communications International Inc. asked a federal court on Tuesday to block temporary rules by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission forcing the companies to lease phone lines to rivals for at least another six months.$LABEL$2 +Blue Chips Near Flat; Verizon Weighs NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were lower on Tuesday, as a drop in phone company Verizon Communications Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VZ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">VZ.N</A> overshadowed a brokerage upgrade on Caterpillar Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CAT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CAT.N</A> and a three-session drop in oil prices.$LABEL$2 +Check Ears Before You Pick a Fight, Study Advises (Reuters) Reuters - It may be wise to check out a\stranger's ears before picking a fight, U.S. researchers\advised on Monday.$LABEL$3 +Scientists to Flesh Out George Washington's Appearance (Reuters) Reuters - Americans know George\Washington as the dour founding father with white hair and\ponytail depicted on U.S. currency, but most people have little\idea what the nation's first president really looked like\beyond this stock image.$LABEL$3 +Poultry Producer's Stock Falls 23 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SAFM.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SAFM.O</A> on Tuesday said it is being hurt by lower wholesale prices and higher grain costs in the current quarter, sparking a 23 percent drop in its stock and pulling down shares of its rivals.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Climbs, But Real Money on Sideline NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar was mostly stronger across the board on Tuesday as dealers pared back bets against the currency in predominantly technical trading.$LABEL$2 +Botswana firm 'dismisses' workers Botswanan diamond mining firm Debswana dismisses workers who took part in an illegal strike, agency reports say.$LABEL$2 +Italian troops 'to stay in Iraq' Italy says it has no intention of withdrawing its troops from Iraq despite the demands of kidnappers who seized an Italian journalist.$LABEL$0 +Shell Settles Oil Reserve Fraud Case for \$150.7 Million Shell agreed today to finalized settlements with U.S. and UK regulators over its mis-statement of proven oil reserves.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Sprinters Take Aim at 200M Semifinals ATHENS, Greece - Three Americans, including 100-meter gold medalist Justin Gatlin, will attempt to advance to the semifinals in the 200 meters Tuesday when action resumes on the Olympic Stadium track at 1 p.m. EDT...$LABEL$0 +Ad spending predicted to rise Fueled by optimism for a growing US economy, two advertising forecasters yesterday predicted notable gains for the industry next year, despite the absence of the presidential $LABEL$2 +PUTIN ON RUSSIAN-BELARUSSIAN COMPROMISE IN GAS PRICES Russia and Belarus achieved compromise and settled the gas pricing problem, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a joint press conference with his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.$LABEL$2 +AT amp;T Cell-Phone Brand Will Live On The enterprise customers doing cell-phone business with the confusing mix of AT amp;T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and AT amp;T now have a future roadmap, after the three companies $LABEL$3 +Vonage, NETGEAR to Offer VoIP/WLAN Devices Vonage has teamed with NETGEAR Inc. to develop a suite of broadband telephony devices incorporating the latest version of Texas Instruments #39; VoIP and WLAN chipsets.$LABEL$3 +Olympic Results: Tuesday, August 24 Australia has pulled off an upset win in the Olympic baseball semi-final, defeating gold medal favorite Japan, 1-0. Two Australian pitchers shut down Japan #39;s all-professional lineup Tuesday while Aussie first $LABEL$1 +Saints behaviour unacceptable: Barnwell Southampton have been told it was quot;unacceptable quot; they parted company with manager Paul Sturrock after just two games into the Barclays Premiership season.$LABEL$1 +Rangers seek Champions League riches against CSKA Moscow Rangers can reduce their grim 68 million pound (\$123 million) debt by beating CSKA Moscow in Wednesday #39;s final Champions League qualifier but manager Alex McLeish $LABEL$1 +Jets end not subject to suspension New York Jets defensive end John Abraham, alleged to have violated the terms of his aftercare treatment, will meet with league officials Wednesday to appeal the findings of a recent random test.$LABEL$1 +Bali bomb conspirator escapes punishment for the crime One of the key members of the Bali bomb conspiracy, Idris, has escaped punishment for the crime. Indonesia correspondent Tim Palmer reports, the man confessed to his involvement in the Bali bombing, but the $LABEL$0 +Verizon, Qwest Ask Court to Block Rules Verizon and Qwest asked a federal court to block temporary rules forcing the companies to lease phone lines to rivals for at least another six months. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-Reuters</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Fosters restructure proves costly Australia #39;s largest beer and wine company, Foster #39;s Group, said its second-half net profit fell 72 per cent on costs to restructure its wine business, and forecast modest growth for 2005.$LABEL$2 +Internets Google goes public After a series of missteps, Google finally pulled off its much-hyped initial public offering last week. The good news about this unusual IPO, which sought to deprive Wall Street banks of full control over $LABEL$2 +UK Regulator Calls Shell Misconduct Unprecedented #39; (Update2) UK regulators said Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Europe #39;s second-largest oil company, was guilty of unprecedented misconduct #39; #39; in overstating reserves that led to fines of \$151.$LABEL$2 +Markets lower as falling price for oil and BMO earnings fail to <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - A strong profit report from the Bank of Montreal and a lower price for oil weren #39;t enough to spark buying interest as North American stock markets edged lower Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +UPDATE 4-Sanderson warns on prices, costs, 3rd-qtr net up Poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc. (SAFM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday said it is being hurt by lower wholesale prices and higher grain costs in the $LABEL$2 +She Loves You; well, Virtually Hong Kong-based phone technology firm, Artificial Life, has announced the upcoming release of its new 3G game Virtual Girlfriend. Virtual Girlfriend is a mobile phone game that is based on intelligent animated $LABEL$3 +Microsoft leaves UN industry group Microsoft has followed a European company in withdrawing from a UN software standards group for commerce. Known as the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic $LABEL$3 +Gold medalist Noguchi pondering future ATHENS - While world record holder Paula Radcliffe is still picking up the pieces after burning out in the women #39;s marathon at Athens Olympics, gold medal winner Mizuki Noguchi is simply basking in the glory and pondering her next move.$LABEL$1 +Australian rowers reprimanded ATHENS: The Australian Olympic women #39;s eight have been reprimanded for a breach of team protocol over an ugly war of words between crew members after one quit rowing three quarters of the way through the Olympic final.$LABEL$1 +Italian troops #39;to stay in Iraq #39; Italy says it has no intention of withdrawing its 3,000 troops from Iraq in the face of demands from kidnappers who have seized an Italian journalist.$LABEL$0 +Locusts invade ""Passion of Christ"" town (Reuters) Reuters - It seemed like an invasion of Biblical proportions in the Italian town of Matera, the outdoor setting for Mel Gibson's film\""The Passion of The Christ"".$LABEL$0 +Afghans to Free 400 Pakistani Prisoners (AP) AP - Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised Tuesday to repatriate 400 Pakistani prisoners who fought with the former ruling Taliban regime and have been held in Afghan jails since 2001, a Pakistani official said.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Fall to \$45 as Iraq Oil Flows LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than a dollar to \$45 on Tuesday, in a third day of losses as a more optimistic Iraq export picture helped unwind some of the supply worries that have lifted the market to historic levels.$LABEL$2 +Jets Sign Quincy Carter Quarterback Quincy Carter signed with the Jets on Tuesday, three weeks after his surprising release by Dallas.$LABEL$1 +Treasuries Slip on Lower Crude Oil CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices fell for a third session on Tuesday as oil prices simmered down and dealers became convinced of future Federal Reserve rate hikes after upbeat comments by Fed Governor Ben Bernanke.$LABEL$2 +United Adds Fee for Frequent-Flier Phone Bookings United Airlines is adding a \$15 fee for booking frequent-flier trips by telephone.$LABEL$2 +Rulon Gardner Wins First Two Matches ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Rulon Gardner won two pool matches Tuesday, his first in the Olympics since his monumental gold-medal upset of Russia's supposedly unbeatable Alexander Karelin in Sydney, to move within one victory of reaching the Greco-Roman wrestling semifinals at 264 1/2 pounds (120kg).$LABEL$0 +Polish Cops Bust 100-Member Computer Piracy Gang WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish police have broken up a gang of more than 100 hackers who sold pirated music and films, using academic computer systems around the world to store their wares, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Amazon lists PlayStation 3 Retailer's Japanese arm posts product page for hotly anticipated game console.$LABEL$3 +Bank Shares Higher As M amp;A Hits Market Financial stocks got a lift Tuesday as speculation about merger and acquisition activity was injected into the market after Citigroup Inc.$LABEL$2 +US Home Sales Slow In July Home sales slowed in the Untied States in July, but experts say they still moved at a healthy pace. Tuesday #39;s report from a business group (the National Association of Realtors) says sales of previously-owned homes dropped 2.9 percent in July.$LABEL$2 +Group urges EPA to cut pollution If the government required deeper cuts in air pollution from power plants, at least 3,000 lives would be saved and 140,000 children would avoid asthma and other respiratory ailments, an environmental group said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +International hacker ring busted p2pnet.net News:- A large international network of hackers who stole computer programmes, films and music and then sold them on the black market has been broken up by Polish police.$LABEL$3 +Argentina beat Italy for place in football final Favourites Argentina beat Italy 3-0 this morning to claim their place in the final of the men #39;s Olympic football tournament. Goals by leading goalscorer Carlos Tevez, with a smart volley after 16 minutes, and $LABEL$1 +Katie Smith tears cartilage; disappointment for Serbia amp; <b>...</b> Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - US women #39;s basketball player Katie Smith will miss the remainder of the Olympics after an MRI exam revealed torn cartilage in her right knee.$LABEL$1 +Argos #39; Bishop grabs weekly CFL award CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Toronto fans weren #39;t the only people who took notice of quarterback Michael Bishop #39;s first start of the season.$LABEL$1 +Study: Apple, Dell lead PC customer satisfaction index (MacCentral) MacCentral - The PC industry is doing a better job of satisfying its U.S. customers than in recent years, and improvements to technical support seem to have done the trick, according to the results of a study released Tuesday by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.$LABEL$3 +Karzai declares Afghanistan and Pakistan ""brothers in fighting terror"" (AFP) AFP - Pakistan and Afghanistan have reaffirmed they are partners in fighting terrorism, Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared at the end of a two-day visit.$LABEL$0 +Citigroup to Acquire First American Bank NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=C.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">C.N</A> the world's largest financial services company, said on Tuesday it will acquire First American Bank in the quickly-growing Texas market.$LABEL$2 +Short Ride to Disaster Selling stocks short is a very, very risky move that shouldn't be attempted by new investors.$LABEL$2 +Khan guarantees medal British lightweight Amir Khan beats South Korean Baik Jong-sub to secure at least a bronze medal.$LABEL$1 +Holmes on course for double Britain's Kelly Holmes stays on track for a medal double as she qualifies for the 1500m semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Najaf's Residents Feel Trapped in Battle (AP) AP - For nearly three weeks, Amer al-Jamali hasn't been able to go to work. He cannot visit his father, find medication for his diabetic children or even sleep on his roof to escape the city's suffocating heat made worse by power outages.$LABEL$0 +China braces for Typhoon Aere after seven feared dead in Taiwan, Japan (AFP) AFP - Typhoon Aere pounded northern Taiwan with heavy rain and powerful winds triggering landslides and causing widespread disruption to transport, and leaving at least seven people feared dead.$LABEL$0 +Web Scribe Ranks Olympic Last-Place Losers (Reuters) Reuters - For those who believe the adage ""all\Olympic athletes are winners,"" a Canadian man has dedicated the\past 10 days to proving you wrong.$LABEL$3 +RealNetworks Sells 1 Million Songs Since Price Cut (Reuters) Reuters - RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK.O) has sold\more than a million song downloads since launching a 49 cent\per song campaign a week ago, the Internet media and software\company said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 4-Possis tumbles after disappointing heart trial Shares of Possis Medical Inc. (POSS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) tumbled as much as 41 percent on Tuesday after the company cut its earnings outlook due to $LABEL$2 +Russia, Belarus set new deadline for common currency Sochi. (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko announced they have set a new deadline - January 1, 2006 - for the introduction of a common currency in their nations.$LABEL$2 +85 jobs to go with closure of Belfast brewery A brewery in west Belfast which produces Bass beer is to close in January with the loss of up to 85 jobs. It will bring to an end 107 years of brewing at Ulster Brewery on Glen Road.$LABEL$2 +RealNetworks Sells 1 Million Songs Since Price Cut RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has sold more than a million song downloads since launching a 49 cent per song campaign a week ago, the Internet media and software company said on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Cingular, AT amp;T Reach Branding Agreement It #39;s official. Cingular Wireless may continue to use the AT amp;T Wireless brand in its advertising, at least in the short term, following its planned merger with the carrier.$LABEL$3 +Of Marathon Mice And Fat Men NEW YORK - By attacking the same basic biology drug companies are targeting for new anti-fat drugs, researchers have genetically engineered mice with abilities far beyond those of normal rodents.$LABEL$3 +Gartner: Chip revenue to see steady growth Worldwide semiconductor revenue is expected to rise by over 27 percent during 2004, according to a new report. Revenue this year will reach \$226 billion, market research company Gartner said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +T-Mobile, Colubris Land Wi-Fi Hotel Deals T-Mobile USA has inked a deal to deliver Wi-Fi access to Accor Hotels #39; Red Roof Inns. Separately, Colubris Networks has been tapped by i-Hotel International to help it deliver high-speed wireless access to hotels across Canada.$LABEL$3 +Hadash Party joins prisoners #39; strike for 24 hours The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality Party (Hadash) is organizing a 24-hour hunger strike on Wednesday at a protest tent being set up at the Umm el-Fahm junction in solidarity with Palestinian security prisoners.$LABEL$3 +Wi-Fi Adapters Turn Inward Those wireless LAN cards that insert into a laptop, Tablet PC or PDA have just gone on the endangered species list, according to a new report published this week.$LABEL$3 +McPeak collects elusive Olympic medal ATHENS - Holly McPeak finally won the Olympics medal that has eluded her for so long, teaming with Elaine Youngs to win a bronze medal for the United States in beach volleyball Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +Discus Champion Thrown Out of Games Hungarian Olympic discus champion Robert Fazekas will lose his gold medal and be expelled from the Games after breaking doping rules, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +American Decathlete Clay Currently in Third World record holder Roman Sebrle moved ominously close to Dmitriy Karpov with just two disciplines remaining in the Olympic decathlon Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Jets sign Quincy Carter Quarterback Quincy Carter signed with the New York Jets on Tuesday, three weeks after his surprising release by Dallas. Carter, who started every game for the Cowboys last season, was released Aug. 4, before the team #39;s first exhibition game.$LABEL$1 +Father and son collect consecutive holes-in-one as partners in <b>...</b> Tradition goes that if you #39;re lucky enough to shoot a hole-in-one, then you buy the drinks back at the clubhouse. Steve Percassi, 57, and his 28-year-old son, Steve Jr.$LABEL$1 +Chechen Government: 12 Militants Killed Chechnya #39;s Kremlin-backed government says its forces have killed 12 militants in the latest clashes in the breakaway republic.$LABEL$0 +IRAQ VIOLANTE DO NOT SURRENDER TO TERROR BLACKMAIL (AGI) Rome, Italy, Aug 24 The president of the Left Democrat MPs, Luciano Violante, speaking of the abduction of the Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni in Iraq said that it was necessary not to surrender to the blackmail of terrorists.$LABEL$0 +BIG HIKE IN ENERGY BILLS The company says the record price of wholesale gas, which also effects the cost of electricity, is to blame. A spokesman said the increases would add an extra 7p a day to electricity bills.$LABEL$2 +Putin Says Belarus Gas Spat Is Over President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia and Belarus have put a sharp dispute over natural gas deliveries behind them and that there are no obstacles to good relations.$LABEL$2 +Vonage Teams With Netgear on VoIP Tech According to a June 2004 report by industry research firm In-Stat/MDR, more than 10 percent of all broadband subscribers will use broadband IP telephony by the end of 2008.$LABEL$3 +Iraqi ministers escape attacks BAGHDAD (BBC)-- Two Iraqi interim government ministers have survived apparent assassination attempts in the capital Baghdad. Convoys carrying the environment and education ministers were attacked on their way to offices in the city.$LABEL$0 +Blue Chips Nudge Ahead, Oil Eases NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were little changed on Tuesday as an upgrade on Caterpillar Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CAT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CAT.N</A> and a three-session drop in oil prices offset weakness in technology shares.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Takes the Bronze in Women's Beach Volleyball ATHENS (Reuters) - Americans Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs beat an injured Natalie Cook and partner Nicole Sanderson of Australia to claim the bronze medal in the Olympic women's beach volleyball competition Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +German Officials' Growth Outlook Better (AP) AP - German finance professionals grew less pessimistic about the country's economic growth outlook, but remain concerned that the euro's record highs against the U.S. dollar will weigh on exports, a monthly survey showed Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Twenty Schools Sign Up for Legal Song Downloads WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. colleges and universities are increasingly giving students free access to download services like Roxio Inc.'s Napster to discourage illegal song copying, the recording industry said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Bin Laden Driver Charged at Guantanamo GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Osama bin Laden's chauffeur was formally charged Tuesday in the first U.S. military tribunal since World War II, appearing at a pretrial hearing where his lawyer challenged the process as unfair...$LABEL$0 +Eclipse to consider open-source data reporting Business intelligence software company Actuate proposes an open-source Java-based reporting tools.$LABEL$3 +Gartner: Chip revenue to see steady growth At the same time, an increase in inventory is making chip vendors and distributors worried.$LABEL$3 +AMD chips edge ahead of Intel Figures from ZDNet Germany labs indicate that AMD's fastest chips outpace those of Intel for mainstream applications.$LABEL$3 +Nokia to offer encryption tool The handset maker is teaming up with a Swedish security company to offer encryption software for some of its phones.$LABEL$3 +Colgate to Cut 12 Percent of Work Force (Reuters) Reuters - Colgate-Palmolive Co. said on\Tuesday it would cut about 12 percent of its 37,000-person work\force as part of a four-year restructuring plan for which it\anticipates after-tax charges of #36;550 million to #36;650 million.$LABEL$2 +PluggedIn: Lost? Your Phone Knows a Way Out (Reuters) Reuters - Back when everyone\believed the world was flat, people thought these rocky shores\on Spain's windswept ""coast of death"" were the end of the\world. In today's world, you only need a mobile phone to get\there ... and back.$LABEL$3 +Polish Cops Bust 100-Member Computer Piracy Gang (Reuters) Reuters - Polish police have broken up a gang of\more than 100 hackers who sold pirated music and films, using\academic computer systems around the world to store their\wares, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Twenty Schools Sign Up for Legal Song Downloads (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. colleges and universities are\increasingly giving students free access to download services\like Roxio Inc.'s Napster to discourage illegal song copying,\the recording industry said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Blue Chips Are Flat, Caterpillar Gains NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were little changed on Tuesday as an upgrade on Caterpillar Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CAT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">CAT.N</A> and a three-session drop in oil prices offset weakness in technology shares.$LABEL$2 +Trial Letdown Hits Possis Medical Disappointing trial data regarding the AngioJet catheter takes a 38 bite out of Possis Medical's stock.$LABEL$2 +Colleges Rally Against Music Piracy The nation's colleges and universities are taking more aggressive steps to curb rampant Internet music piracy, according to a report released today. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-washingtonpost.com</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Stocks to Watch Tuesday (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks to watch on Tuesday: JOHNSON \JOHNSON , GUIDANT CORP.$LABEL$2 +HP Shelves Virus Throttler Security service was discontinued because of compatibility problems with Windows.$LABEL$3 +A missed chance RBI could rue OIL continues to set new records by the day. Last Friday, it was in whispering distance of \$50 a barrel as Iraq and the woes of the giant Russian producer, Yukos, kept markets on tenterhooks.$LABEL$2 +Shell Shocked? Long-suffering investors in Royal Dutch Petroleum (NYSE: RD) and Shell Transport (NYSE: SC) likely spent the day wondering whether this morning #39;s news might finally clear the air.$LABEL$2 +Trial Letdown Hits Possis Medical Shares of device maker Possis Medical (Nasdaq: POSS) are down 38 to \$19.20 after the company cut its fiscal 2005 earnings outlook after a trial involving its AngioJet blood clot treatment yielded disappointing results.$LABEL$2 +Sumitomo puts \$29 bn takeover bid for UFJ Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Japans second largest bank, today put forward a 3,200 billion (\$29 billion) takeover bid for United Financial Group (UFJ), the countrys fourth biggest lender, in an effort to regain initiative in its bidding $LABEL$2 +Japan Tobacco #39;s Canadian Unit Files for Bankruptcy Protection Japan Tobacco Inc. #39;s Canadian unit, JTI-Macdonald, filed for bankruptcy protection after the Quebec government sued it for C\$1.$LABEL$2 +Cognos Makes \$52.2 Million Offer for Frango Business-software maker Cognos will buy Swedish financial-reporting software company Frango for \$52.2 million. Cognos says the acquisition will strengthen its portfolio of corporate performance $LABEL$2 +Cisco Systems Acquires P-Cube P-Cube develops service control platforms, which help service providers identify subscribers, classify applications, improve service performance and charge for multiple services without costly infrastructure upgrades, Cisco said.$LABEL$3 +OMB Names Timothy Young As No. 2 IT Exec As associate administrator for E-government and IT, he #39;s being assigned to identify, develop, and implement the government #39;s E-government priorities.$LABEL$3 +Apple tops US consumer satisfaction Recent data published by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows Apple leading the consumer computer industry with the the highest customer satisfaction.$LABEL$3 +Rangers coach calls on fans to back spurned Australian Olympian Rangers coach Alex McLeish has called on fans to back the likely return of Australian Olympian Craig Moore for the crucial Champions league return leg against CSKA Moscow here.$LABEL$1 +Noguchi looks back quot;I really feel its weight, quot; Noguchi said. quot;Every time I look at it, my eyes well up in tears. I want to show it to all the people who made it possible.$LABEL$1 +NBA stars face formidable challengers Winning a gold medal would ease the sting of two Olympic qualifying defeats for the United States team of NBA stars. But their path to defending the throne is a rocky one, with unbeaten Spain coming up first $LABEL$1 +Italy upsets Americans in semifinals US women #39;s water polo coach Guy Baker was seething so much about an unusual call that he could barely speak. His world champion squad was too quot;crushed quot; to explain what happened.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-Argentina outplay Italy to secure easy passage Favourites Argentina swept Italy aside on Tuesday to march into the final of the Olympic Games soccer tournament without having conceded a goal in five games.$LABEL$1 +Karzai declares Afghanistan and Pakistan quot;brothers in fighting <b>...</b> ISLAMABAD : Pakistan and Afghanistan have reaffirmed they are partners in fighting terrorism, Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared at the end of a two-day visit.$LABEL$0 +S P Lifts Calif. Bond Rating 3 Notches (Reuters) Reuters - Standard Poor's Ratings\Services on Tuesday raised its general obligation bond rating\on California to 'A' from 'BBB,' citing an easing of the Golden\State's cash crunch.$LABEL$2 +Colleges Rally Against Music Piracy (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Colleges and universities across the country are taking new steps to fight rampant Internet music piracy by beefing up their education efforts, offering legal music downloading options and stiffening penalties for illegal file sharing, according to a report released today.$LABEL$3 +Intel Cuts Prices in Preparation for New Product Line (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Intel has slashed prices by up to 35 percent on some of its \Pentium 4 and Itanium processors, bringing down the costs of some desktop and notebook computers by as much as #36;200.$LABEL$3 +Gateway Adds Micro Center to Its Distribution Channel (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Gateway has added another marquee name to the roster of retailers that sell its line of personal computers and other products: Micro Center. Gateway's new line of notebooks, desktops and monitors are now available at the retailer's 20 stores nationwide, says a corporate statement.$LABEL$2 +Whale trapped at N.S. power plant after swimming through sluice gates (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, N.S. (CP) - A hydroelectric plant in Nova Scotia remained shut down Tuesday after a wayward whale swam through the underwater gates that connect the facility with the Bay of Fundy.$LABEL$0 +Product Review: IBM ThinkPad X40 (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The ultra-portable sector of the notebook industry over the last few years has become a showcase for the engineering prowess of the world's largest computer companies.$LABEL$3 +A Golden Moment for Misty May and Kerri Walsh ATHENS (Reuters) - Americans Misty May and Kerri Walsh finished off their Olympic beach volleyball competition with a perfect record and a gold medal after beating Brazil in straight sets in the final match Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Ex-Member of Kerry Legal Team Arraigned (AP) AP - A former member of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's legal team pleaded innocent Tuesday to a charge of soliciting a prostitute.$LABEL$0 +JTI-Macdonald Files for Court Protection VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Japan Tobacco's <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=2914.T target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">2914.T</A> JTI-Macdonald Corp. unit filed for court protection from creditors on Tuesday in a fight with Quebec tax officials, who have accused the firm of smuggling to avoid more than \$1 billion in taxes.$LABEL$2 +S P Lifts Calif. Bond Rating 3 Notches SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Standard Poor's Ratings Services on Tuesday raised its general obligation bond rating on California to 'A' from 'BBB,' citing an easing of the Golden State's cash crunch.$LABEL$2 +Iraq Forces Advance on Najaf Shrine, Battle Rages NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces tightened their grip on the streets around a sacred shrine in Najaf Tuesday after the government warned Shi'ite rebels inside they would be killed if they did not surrender.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Fall to \$45 as Iraq Oil Flows Oil prices dropped sharply today, extending losses to a third day as a more optimistic Iraq export picture helped partly unwind some supply worries.$LABEL$2 +Food Prices Up As India Strike Continues Prices for food and essential commodities spiraled upward Tuesday as thousands of truck drivers in India ignored a government appeal to call off a four-day-old nationwide strike.$LABEL$2 +Failed European first Mars probe, Beagle 2, still a mystery Scientists are no closer to discovering what happened to the ill-fated space probe Beagle 2, which vanished while attempting to land on Mars, according to an investigation released Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Global chip sales to increase 27 percent in 2004: study Worldwide semiconductor revenue is forecast to reach 226 billion US dollars in 2004, a 27.4 percent increase from 2003 revenues, according to the latest quarterly update released Tuesday by Gartner.$LABEL$3 +Pay heed to domestic market, IT firms told Indian software companies, which have been busy conquering the world and neglecting their backyard, should not continue doing so. This is because the domestic market is going to grow into a huge opportunity $LABEL$3 +EDS Signs With Opsware, Again Global IT services powerhouse EDS extended it contract with Opsware (Quote, Chart) for data center automation software and services, the company said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Nokia to offer encryption tool Nokia plans to work with Swedish security company Pointsec Mobile Technologies to develop an encryption tool for high-end phones, the companies said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Highlights from NBC #39;s Olympic coverage, and a look ahead HIGHLIGHT: Gymnastics team Al Trautwig and Tim Daggett #39;s superb job on the audience #39;s protest of Alexei Nemov #39;s score on the high bars.$LABEL$1 +Italy #39;s military presence in Iraq will continue despite abduction Italy will do whatever is possible to secure the release of an Italian freelance journalist kidnapped byIraqi insurgents, but will not bow to demands to withdraw its troops, the Italian government said Tuesday.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Aere Lashes Taiwan #39;s Capital Typhoon Aere battered northern Taiwan on Tuesday with howling winds and sheets of rain that grounded flights, shut down financial markets and triggered mudslides on the densely populated island.$LABEL$0 +Execs upbeat on IT spending Amid mixed indications of software industry's health, polled tech execs predict spending rise.$LABEL$3 +AMD desktop chips edge ahead of Intel Figures from ZDNet Germany labs show AMD's fastest chips outpacing its rival's for mainstream applications.$LABEL$3 +Vonage connects with Linksys, Netgear on VoIP Vonage teams with Wi-Fi equipment makers Linksys and Netgear on voice over Internet Protocol.$LABEL$3 +Adelphia Wants Rigas Family to Repay Billions WASHINGTON (Dow Jones/AP) -- Adelphia Communications wants its founder to pay more than \$3 billion the cable company says it #39;s owed.$LABEL$2 +Challenges Face Mideast Leaders (CBS/AP) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that he would push ahead with a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip despite a stinging setback to the plan from his Likud Party.$LABEL$0 +Shell Settles Corporate Fraud Charges for \$120 Million Royal Dutch/Shell, one of the world #39;s largest oil companies, agreed yesterday to pay \$120 million in penalties to settle charges of corporate fraud with the Securities and Exchange Commission for overstating its oil reserves.$LABEL$2 +TD, Banknorth in Talks on Possible Deal Canada #39;s Toronto Dominion Bank (TD.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that it is in talks with US-based Banknorth Group (BNK.$LABEL$2 +Update 4: Kuwait Foreign Minister Discusses Oil Kuwait #39;s foreign minister said Wednesday that Middle East oil exporters are producing at maximum capacity to stabilize prices that are being driven up by speculators from outside the region.$LABEL$2 +Japan #39;s banking revival starts with a cleanup quot;Revival starts with a cleanup, quot; said post-World War II finance minister Juichi Tsushima on August 17, 1945. And a convoluted cleanup in Japan #39;s banking business is what is under way today.$LABEL$2 +EU will probe Microsoft, Time Warner buy European antitrust regulators have announced they will conduct an in-depth investigation into a plan by Microsoft and Time Warner to acquire digital rights management company ContentGuard, a move that #39;s seen as a setback for the deal.$LABEL$2 +Toll Brothers profit jumps 56 percent NEW YORK - Toll Brothers Inc., a US builder of luxury homes, said on Wednesday third-quarter profit rose 56 percent, easily beating analysts forecasts, helped by record home-building revenue.$LABEL$2 +Durable Goods Orders Rise on Plane Demand Orders for US durable goods -- items meant to last at least three years -- posted a larger-than-expected rise in July, boosted by an increase in demand for passenger $LABEL$2 +HHG buoyed by return to profits British insurer and fund manager HHG was back in the black at the half-year stage today as it recovered from losses of 902m (1.$LABEL$2 +ATA says its not leaving Midway Airport INDIANAPOLIS ATA Airlines is denying reports that it wants to sell its gates at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport. The Indianapolis-based airline released a brief statement from chairman J-George Mikelsons, saying $LABEL$2 +Stocks to Open Higher, Oil Still Focus US stocks are expected to open modestly higher Wednesday, as oil prices remain center stage but thin summer volumes are likely to continue.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft announces SP2 support for Singapore users The days of piece-meal patching and shipped updates are over as Microsoft Singapore urged users to take advantage of the Automatic Updates feature in Windows XP to upgrade to Service Pack 2 (SP2).$LABEL$3 +UT club has dreams of a mission to the red planet and a small but determined group of engineering graduate students is organizing to get the word out. Members of the campus chapter of $LABEL$3 +NTT DoCoMo, Motorola Strike Phone Deal NTT DoCoMo, Japan #39;s top mobile-phone carrier, and Motorola Inc., the world #39;s No. 2 cell-phone maker, plan to develop a next-generation mobile phone that subscribers in Japan can also use while traveling in $LABEL$3 +Semiconductor sales booming in 2004 Worldwide semiconductor sales will reach \$226bn in 2004, a 27.4 per cent increase from 2003, according to the latest prediction from Gartner.$LABEL$3 +New RealPlayer Software Manages Media From Different Stores <b>...</b> Harmony, which is incorporated in version 10.5 (and will also be in the next version of the RealRhapsody music service), allows the player to manage Digital Rights Management (DRM)-protected $LABEL$3 +Aussie teacher quits after web threats AN AUSSIE teacher has quit after 35 years after his students threatened him on a web page. Greg Frawley was one of about 10 teachers threatened on the page set up by students at Hurlstone Agricultural High School.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo! loses US appeal over French ruling on Nazi auctions Yahoo! has lost an appeal against a US district courts ruling which said that the company does not have to obey a French courts decision requiring it to block French citizens from accessing internet auctions of Nazi memorabilia at Yahoo!$LABEL$3 +Cisco boosts carrier offerings with P-Cube buy Cisco Systems has confirmed that it is to spend \$200m to acquire privately held P-Cube, a California-based developer of internet protocol (IP) service control platforms.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft pulls out of standards group over intellectual property <b>...</b> Microsoft has pulled out of an international standards body because of concerns over control of intellectual property contributed to the group.$LABEL$3 +US tops the spam league The US is the originator of over 42 of the worlds unsolicited commercial e-mail, making it the worst offender in a league table of the top 12 spam producing countries published yesterday by anti-virus firm Sophos.$LABEL$3 +SMIC to challenge latest TSMC infringement claims Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) said Wednesday it will defend itself against the latest allegations of patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation $LABEL$3 +UN organizes open-source software day across Asia The United Nations, through its International Open Source Network (IOSN) will organize the first annual Software Freedom Day on Saturday in an effort to educate Asian users $LABEL$3 +Hollywood sues DVD-chip makers The Motion Picture Ass. of America (MPAA) yesterday confirmed the organisation has begun legal proceedings against two makers of DVD chip alleging that the pair #39;s willingness to offer their products more widely than they should.$LABEL$3 +Actuate Joins Eclipse; Starts Open Source BI Project Actuate Corp. announced that it has joined the Eclipse Foundation, the organization focused on delivering an open source development environment, and has launched a new Eclipse project to focus on open-source business intelligence and reporting tools.$LABEL$3 +SAP Delivers for the Mailman Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of night can keep the US Postal Service from its appointed rounds, but a 25-year-old Human Resources software system is apparently stopping the mailman in his tracks.$LABEL$3 +NASA Picks Swede Launch Site for Balloons STOCKHOLM, Sweden Aug. 24, 2004 - NASA has agreed to launch its largest scientific balloons from a site in northern Sweden, a spokesman said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Google #39;s Real Rivals: Yahoo, MSN, And Amazon A customer-satisfaction study of E-business Web sites says Google has a huge lead among search-engine sites but will face still challenges from portals.$LABEL$3 +3rd time proves golden charm for El Guerrouj Hicham El Guerrouj was likening the meaning of his daughter #39;s name to the precious gold he had earned, but the Moroccan might as well have been describing the last half of the men #39;s 1,500 meters at Olympic Stadium last night.$LABEL$1 +Olympic Results: Wednesday, August 25 The first of 18 gold medals to be awarded Wednesday, on the 12th day of the summer Olympics in Athens goes to Kate Allen of Austria.$LABEL$1 +Greek judo star dies after leap ATHENS A member of Greeces Olympic judo squad who leaped from a third-story apartment after an argument with her boyfriend just days before the Athens Games has died, a hospital source said Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Isinbayeva aims to be female Bubka Yelena Isinbayeva beat her own world record to clinch the Olympic women #39;s pole vault gold on Tuesday coming one step closer to matching the performances of her idol, Sergei Bubka.$LABEL$1 +Olympic diary: Day 12 Brazilian fans got a little bit too excited during the final of the women #39;s beach volleyball competition. Seeing that their team of Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar was struggling $LABEL$1 +Moorcroft Would Back Radcliffe Bid David Moorcroft believes Paula Radcliffe is capable of making the impossible possible by competing in the Olympic 10,000metres in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Foudy Improves, Remains Game-Time Decision ATHENS, Greece - US soccer captain Julie Foudy #39;s sprained right ankle showed signs of improvement Wednesday, although she remains a game-time decision for Thursday #39;s gold-medal game against Brazil.$LABEL$1 +US boxer topples the Russian giant He saw the looks and he heard the snickers and he guessed that the joke was at his expense. Boxing has never been the subtlest of sports, and Ward has never been the largest of light heavyweights.$LABEL$1 +Danish player strike is called off Danish league players suspended their weeklong strike on Wednesday, allowing the Brondby and Aalborg clubs to field their full squads for Thursday #39;s UEFA Cup matches.$LABEL$1 +Sudan accepts deployment of more AU peacekeepers: official Sudan is to accept the deployment of more African peacekeepers for the cantonment of the rebels in Darfur, Sudanese Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa said Wednesday, as $LABEL$0 +Settling Israeli Settlements Palestinian officials have called on the Bush administration to clarify its position on the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.$LABEL$0 +Polio threatening to reach epidemic proportions in Africa The crippling Polio disease has spread to at least one dozen countries in West and Central Africa and is threatening to become an epidemic, the United Nations has said.$LABEL$0 +Palestinian intelligence chief shot Gunmen ambushed the head of the Palestinian intelligence service in Gaza City today, seriously wounding him in the chest and killing two bodyguards after opening fire on his convoy, Palestinian officials said.$LABEL$0 +BA cancels four more flights British Airways has cancelled four domestic flights but says other services have returned to normal at Heathrow Airport after severe disruptions earlier this week.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan #39;s Caretaker Prime Minister Steps Down Pakistan #39;s caretaker prime minister has stepped down, clearing the way for Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz to take control of the country #39;s Parliament.$LABEL$0 +Hopes for peace talks as Nepal rebels lift blockade Nepal #39;s ruling coalition has expressed hopes for peace talks with Maoist rebels, as the capital, Kathmandu, returned to normal after the rebels lifted a week-long blockade.$LABEL$0 +Japan #39;s NTT DoCoMo, Motorola strike deal to develop mobile phone TOKYO Schaumburg(Illinois)-based Motorola and Japan #39;s top mobile-phone carrier plan to develop a more sophisticated mobile phone that subscribers in Japan can use while traveling to other parts of Asia and to Europe.$LABEL$3 +Rulon Gardner Loses Bid for Repeat Gold (AP) AP - Rulon Gardner was in another Olympic wrestling upset #151; his own. One of the biggest stars of the 2000 Summer Games, Gardner was thrown to the mat in overtime Wednesday by Kazakhstan's Georgi Tsurtsumia and lost 4-1 in his Greco-Roman semifinal match.$LABEL$1 +Durable Goods Orders Rise on Plane Demand (Reuters) Reuters - Orders for U.S. durable goods --\items meant to last at least three years -- posted a\larger-than-expected rise in July, boosted by an increase in\demand for passenger aircraft, a Commerce Department report on\Wednesday showed.$LABEL$2 +Oil Prices Halt Three-Day Losing Streak (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices rose modestly on Wednesday,\halting a three-day losing streak on profit-taking from record\highs near #36;50 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +Two Russian Planes Crash, Cause Unclear (Reuters) Reuters - Two Russian passenger planes crashed\almost simultaneously, killing all 89 people on board in what\investigators said on Wednesday was probably a freak\coincidence but might have been a terrorist attack.$LABEL$0 +Beltre Hits 40th in Dodgers' Win (AP) AP - Adrian Beltre hit a grand slam to become the first player to reach 40 home runs this season, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 10-2 victory over the Montreal Expos on Tuesday night. His previous career high for homers was 23, set last season.$LABEL$1 +TD, Banknorth in Talks on Possible Deal (Reuters) Reuters - Canada's Toronto Dominion Bank (TD.TO)\said on Wednesday that it is in talks with U.S.-based Banknorth\Group (BNK.N) about a possible deal.$LABEL$2 +DoubleClick Signs on MSN to Use Its Rich Media Ads (Reuters) Reuters - A top executive for Web marketing\company DoubleClick (DCLK.O) on Tuesday said Microsoft Corp's\(MSFT.O) MSN Web portal will use its rich media ads online,\paving the way for wider use of a key DoubleClick product.$LABEL$3 +EU Probes Microsoft/Time Warner Venture (Reuters) Reuters - The European Commission on Wednesday\launched an in-depth investigation of plans by Microsoft Corp.\and Time Warner Inc. to acquire joint control of U.S.\ContentGuard Holdings Inc.$LABEL$2 +Jeter Helps Yankees Steal One in Cleveland (AP) AP - A night after he was hit on the left elbow by a pitch, Derek Jeter stole two bases in the ninth inning and scored on Hideki Matsui's two-out single to lead the visiting New York Yankees past Cleveland 5-4 Tuesday night, handing the Indians their ninth straight loss.$LABEL$1 +Typhoon Aere Pounds Taiwan, Heads Into China (Reuters) Reuters - A powerful typhoon triggered landslides\and flash floods in northern Taiwan on Wednesday before plowing\into China where hundreds of thousands of people have been\evacuated.$LABEL$0 +Justice Dept. to Announce Cyber-Crime Crackdown (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - The Justice Department is set to announce a major crackdown on cyber-crime that will include arrests, subpoenas and property seizures of alleged e-mail spammers and online scam artists, according to law enforcement and industry sources.$LABEL$3 +Redefining Swedishness (and causing a stir in the literary world) (AFP) AFP - In once uniform Sweden, a book being hailed as the ultimate generational novel serves as a reminder that you no longer need to be a blond, blue-eyed, beer-guzzling giant, or even speak the language correctly, to be considered truly Swedish.$LABEL$0 +NTT DoCoMo, Motorola Strike Phone Deal (AP) AP - NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile-phone carrier, and Motorola Inc., the world's No. 2 cell-phone maker, plan to develop a more sophisticated mobile phone that subscribers in Japan can also use while traveling to other parts of Asia as well as Europe, the companies said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Gunmen Attack Senior Palestinian Officer (AP) AP - Gunmen opened fire at a convoy carrying the deputy Palestinian intelligence chief on Wednesday, seriously wounding him in the chest and killing two bodyguards, Palestinian officials said.$LABEL$0 +Jets Sign Quarterback Quincy Carter (AP) AP - Herman Edwards believes not giving Quincy Carter a second chance would be a crime.$LABEL$1 +Canada Picks Same-Sex Advocates As Judges (AP) AP - Two judges known for supporting same-sex unions were nominated Tuesday to fill vacancies on Canada's Supreme Court, and they will be assessed in the country's first-ever public screening of such appointments.$LABEL$0 +Mortgage Applications Off in Aug. 20 Week (Reuters) Reuters - New applications for U.S. home loans\fell last week after a brief bounce, as 30-year mortgage\interest rates edged up, an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +NTT DoCoMo, Motorola to develop 3G mobile handset for business users (AFP) AFP - Japan's top cellphone operator NTT DoCoMo and US telecoms giant Motorola announced a deal to jointly develop a third-generation handset for business users, marking the American company's first major foray into the lucrative Japanese mobile phone market.$LABEL$3 +Zimbabwe Opposition to Boycott Elections (AP) AP - Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change said Wednesday that it would boycott future elections until the government reforms election laws, ends what the movement calls state-sponsored political violence and repeals what it terms repressive media and security laws.$LABEL$0 +Bryant Judge Restricts Courtroom Cameras (AP) AP - The judge in the Kobe Bryant rape case on Tuesday sharply restricted how the news media may cover the trial using television and still cameras, saying he was worried too much exposure could threaten the fairness of the proceedings.$LABEL$1 +Actuate Joins Eclipse, Starts Open-Source BI Project (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - After joining the Eclipse Foundation, the company launches a project to create open-source business intelligence and reporting tools.$LABEL$3 +Baseball Today (AP) AP - San Francisco at Florida (7:05 p.m. EDT). Giants rookie Noah Lowry (3-0) starts against Dontrelle Willis (9-9).$LABEL$1 +Fact and Comment (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - The news from Iran is grim. This Islamic dictatorship--the biggest source of terrorist training and financing in the world and the nation that's doing all it can to stir up trouble in already combustible Iraq--is clearly on the cusp of becoming a nuclear power. The clerical fascists running the country have dropped just about all pretense of their atomic programs being energy-related only. Tehran announced in July that it had resumed making the centrifuges needed to produce highly enriched uranium, a key ingredient for nuclear bombs. ...$LABEL$2 +Toronto hostage-taker holds woman at gunpoint, shot dead by police: reports (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - An armed hostage-taking at the height of morning rush-hour in front of Toronto's busy Union Station on Monday morning ended with a police sharpshooter killing a male suspect, broadcast reports said.$LABEL$0 +EU Extends Review of Microsoft Deal (AP) AP - Software giant Microsoft Corp. and the media and entertainment powerhouse Time Warner Inc. ran into fresh trouble with the European Union on Wednesday as antitrust regulators ordered an in-depth probe of their deal to collaborate in making anti-piracy software.$LABEL$3 +Critical Netscape Flaw Found (PC World) PC World - Web servers may be vulnerable to attack, security company warns.$LABEL$3 +Sharapova Loses to Wild Card in Conn. (AP) AP - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was upset in three sets by wild card Mashona Washington Tuesday in the Pilot Pen tennis tournament. Sharapova had 12 double-faults in the match. Three of them occurred in the two games that Washington broke the fourth-seeded Russian in the deciding set of her 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win.$LABEL$1 +Els Reflects on Season of Heartache (AP) AP - ""To be No. 1 in the world is one thing, but to win a major, that's what we all strive for. That's what we all want."" #151; Ernie Els, three weeks before the Masters.$LABEL$1 +Humpback Whale Trapped at Power Plant (AP) AP - A hydroelectric plant in Nova Scotia remained closed Tuesday after a wayward humpback whale swam through the underwater gates connecting the facility with the Atlantic Ocean.$LABEL$3 +Trading Privacy for Convenience A test project, now in use at Reagan National Airport, aims to give frequent fliers a quicker pass through security checkpoints by using the latest biometric technologies -- such as eye scans -- to verify a passenger's identity.$LABEL$2 +NASA Picks Swede Launch Site for Balloons (AP) AP - NASA has agreed to launch its largest scientific balloons from a site in northern Sweden, a spokesman said Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Project Shows Promise for Grape Growers (AP) AP - Since the discovery five years ago that a ravenous insect was spreading grape-killing Pierce's Disease in California, grape growers have contributed millions of dollars to fund research projects they hope can end the scourge.$LABEL$3 +Skilled Labor in High Demand, Low Supply Some contend that low-cost labor in India, China and elsewhere is far from the only thing inhibiting job growth in the United States -- skilled workers just aren't out there. American adults rank 12th in literacy among those of 20 high-income, industrialized countries, according to a study.$LABEL$2 +Blueberry Compound Fights Cholesterol, Study Finds (Reuters) Reuters - A compound used by blueberries and\grapes to fight off fungal infections could help lower\cholesterol, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Fishing Warnings Up Due to Mercury Pollution-EPA (Reuters) Reuters - Americans were cautioned about\eating fish from more than one-third of U.S. lakes and nearly\one-fourth of its rivers last year due to pollution from\mercury and other chemicals, the U.S. Environmental Protection\Agency said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Weak El Nino Forecast in Pacific by End August-NOAA (Reuters) Reuters - A weak El Nino, a weather pattern\that distorts wind and rainfall patterns worldwide, is expected\to develop in the central Pacific by the end of this month,\U.S. government forecasters said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Molineux joy at Hoddle deal Former England manager Glenn Hoddle has been unveiled as the new boss of Championship strugglers Wolves. Hoddles appointment was announced at a Molineux press conference this morning, and he will take charge of the side for an initial six-month period.$LABEL$1 +Inhaled Anthrax Vaccine Protects in Animals-Report (Reuters) Reuters - A powdered anthrax vaccine that\people potentially could take by themselves protects rabbits\against the deadliest form of the bacteria, researchers said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Durable Goods Orders Rise in July America's factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods in July post the biggest gain in four months, an encouraging sign that the economy is emerging from an early summer funk.$LABEL$2 +China raises domestic fuel prices China is planning to raise domestic petrol and diesel retail prices by about 6 as crude oil prices stay near record highs.$LABEL$2 +Cigarette firm acts in tax row One of Canada's biggest cigarette firms seeks creditor protection after a C\$1.4bn(US\$1bn) tax claim over alleged smuggling.$LABEL$2 +US house sales fall in July Sales of non-new houses in the US fell last month but still exceeded analyst forecasts.$LABEL$2 +Famous film maker put up for sale Ilford Imaging, the world's largest producer of black and white camera film, is up for sale after going into administration.$LABEL$2 +State discloses venture results Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill yesterday released results for the 103 venture capital funds the state pension plan invested in from 1986 through 1998, which ranged from a searing 127 percent annual gain to a dismal 46 percent annual decline.$LABEL$2 +Funeral director suspended for 5 years A state regulatory board yesterday handed a five-year suspension to a Lawrence funeral director accused of unprofessional conduct and deceptive practices, including one case where he refused to complete funeral arrangements for a client because she had purchased a lower-priced casket elsewhere.$LABEL$2 +Putnam as pariah The flagship George Putnam fund has managed to beat the Dow Jones industrial average by four percentage points in this year's trying market.$LABEL$2 +Shakedown street Whether you live in Brookline or Scituate or Framingham, it is a good day when the town finally gets around to doing something about your beaten-up street. The potholes get filled, and the street gets repaved. New sidewalks and lighting go in. Trees and even some flowers are planted.$LABEL$2 +Jeter Walks, Runs and Pulls Yanks to Victory Derek Jeter, who suffered a bone bruise on his left elbow when he was plunked by a pitch Monday, not only played Tuesday, but he turned out to be the star.$LABEL$1 +In place of dollars, a cool change Cash has never been so cool. Usher Raymond IV, the 25-year-old R amp;B singer who has been dubbed the king of pop, launched the Usher Debit MasterCard late last month. The sleek black card, which features the artist's face, has been passed out to concertgoers during his nationwide ''The Truth Tour. quot; The card is also available through a website, ushermc.com.$LABEL$2 +Jets Turn to Carter to Back Up Pennington Dissatisfied by the performance of three backups who have never taken a regular-season snap in the N.F.L., the Jets signed Quincy Carter.$LABEL$1 +July home sales strong An expected spike in mortgage rates was supposed to cool off the red-hot housing market, but that spike failed to happen, and real estate sales remained strong in July both locally and nationally, according to reports released yesterday.$LABEL$2 +Prices for oil fall for 3d day WASHINGTON -- Oil prices tumbled for a third consecutive day yesterday, briefly falling below \$45 a barrel, as geopolitical concerns that had brought the market to a boil in recent weeks appeared to cool off.$LABEL$2 +Yukos suffers another setback MOSCOW -- Russian oil company Yukos suffered a fresh setback yesterday in its survival struggle against multibillion-dollar tax bills when one of its appeals was thrown out and another adjourned by a Moscow court.$LABEL$2 +Royal Dutch/Shell fined \$120m WASHINGTON -- A \$120 million fine levied on Royal Dutch/Shell Group by the Securities and Exchange Commission resolves the company's part in the SEC inquiry into the overstatement of oil and gas reserves, but the role of individuals is still under investigation, regulators said yesterday..$LABEL$2 +A young monk opens a rare window of candor in Tibet He confirms Chinese are diluting traditional Buddhist culture and the monks' role.$LABEL$0 +Fresh face lift ATHENS -- In a race of attrition that resembled a demolition derby as much as an Olympic final, Joanna Hayes of the United States captured gold in the 100-meter hurdles last night because she managed to keep her feet while others were losing theirs.$LABEL$1 +Toronto-Dominion seeks Banknorth stake Toronto-Dominion Bank is in the final stages of negotiations to take a controlling interest in New England regional bank Banknorth Group Inc. in a transaction worth as much as \$3.5 billion, according to executives involved in the talks.$LABEL$2 +Give handball a sporting chance ATHENS -- I saw a game that featured, with only the slightest expansion of our basic concepts, fast breaks, fouled in the act of shooting, sneakaways, pivotmen, turnovers, weaves, give-and-gos, lookaway passes, backward bounce passes, skip passes, a penalty shot, a backdoor play, and great shot blocking worthy of a Russell or a Roy.$LABEL$1 +Hunt for clues to Russia crashes Russian investigators refuse to rule out sabotage after two airliners crash minutes apart, killing 89 people.$LABEL$0 +Middle management TORONTO -- The life of the setup reliever, lived to the fullest here last night by Mike Timlin, is rarely rewarded in the box score with the capital S' (as in save, or seal of approval).$LABEL$1 +Another one-run game won? This is too good TORONTO -- Maybe the capricious forces that rule the baseball universe, the ones that so far this summer have dictated that 26 of the 30 teams in the major leagues would have won more one-run games than the Red Sox, finally are tilting in the Sox' favor. After last night's 5-4 escape over the Toronto Blue Jays, the one in ...$LABEL$1 +On tap: aluminum bottles PITTSBURGH -- How much would you pay for a bottle of beer that stays cold nearly an hour longer?$LABEL$2 +Top Shia leader returns to Iraq Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, seen by many as crucial to ending the Najaf crisis, is back in Iraq from the UK.$LABEL$0 +July Durable Good Orders Rise 1.7 Percent America's factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods post the biggest gain in four months, a sign that the economy is emerging from an early summer funk.$LABEL$2 +Cheney rejects gay marriage ban US Vice-President Dick Cheney opposes a federal ban on gay marriage - seemingly contradicting George Bush.$LABEL$0 +A Bank Takeover in Japan Breaks Tradition The biggest takeover battle in Japanese history got even bigger as the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group sought to disrupt a rival's expansion plans with a \$29 billion hostile bid for UFJ Holdings.$LABEL$2 +Carter signs with Jets Quarterback Quincy Carter signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets yesterday, three weeks after his surprising release by Dallas.$LABEL$1 +BC freshmen forced to stand on own feet Kicker Ryan Ohliger of Newark, Del., and punter Johnny Ayers of Oakton, Va., will have the huge responsibility of being the only freshman starters on the Boston College football team this season. Pressure? What pressure?$LABEL$1 +Dozens Charged in Crackdown on Spam and Scams Federal and state law enforcement agencies have quietly arrested or charged dozens of people with crimes related to junk e-mail, identity theft and other online scams.$LABEL$2 +Clearing the hurdle of doping scandals ATHENS -- Evita Agiasoteli has been counting Greece's Olympic medals. Each one comes with a celebration from the boy next door, who likes to run through their neighborhood in the northern Athenian suburb of Nea Ionia yelling quot;Hellas! quot; with each gold. Other neighbors often leave their evening yogurts unfinished so they can join the boy's victory cheer.$LABEL$1 +Some Light Shed on Panel Decision to Deny Aid to United Members of a federal loan board said they felt United Airlines bid for \$1.6 billion in assistance was based on a faulty business plan.$LABEL$2 +After comeback, comedown for US Playing from behind finally doomed the US women's volleyball team. After struggling just to get out of the preliminary round, the Americans were eliminated from the Olympics yesterday in Athens when a late rally fizzled against Brazil in a quarterfinal defeat, 25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27, 15-6.$LABEL$1 +Zimbabwe opposition poll boycott Zimbabwe's main opposition party say they will not take part in elections unless major reforms are made.$LABEL$0 +No finishing kick left for Pappas ATHENS -- Tom Pappas, a US gold medal favorite in the decathlon, saw his quest for an Olympic crown dashed yesterday by a serious foot injury that forced him to withdraw from the pole vault portion of the 10-event competition.$LABEL$1 +Europe helps tackle Morocco fires France, Spain and Italy are sending water-bomber planes to Morocco to fight a major forest fire . $LABEL$0 +Ward: No size too great ATHENS -- As the deeply religious Andre Ward, the 20-year-old from Oakland, Calif., waited through the day for last night's match with two-time world champion Evgeny Makarenko, he pondered his predicament. Not only was he facing the pre-Olympic gold medal favorite in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight division, but he was stepping in against a 6-foot-6-inch opponent who towered ...$LABEL$1 +Aussies face Cuba in final Brendan Kingman's sixth-inning RBI single sent Australia to a stunning 1-0 victory yesterday over Japan, putting the Aussies in today's gold medal game against Cuba.$LABEL$1 +Lincoln's summer run comes to end Sidearm curveballs, regular fastballs, and even some knuckleballs. No matter the direction or the spin, Jordan Brower was nearly unhittable.$LABEL$1 +Hmong ordered from Thai camp Soldiers order about 1,500 ethnic Hmong people to leave a refugee camp in central Thailand.$LABEL$0 +US sailors lose guessing game In the course of an hour, the notorious Meltemi wind yesterday cost American sailors Tim Wadlow of Marblehead and Pete Spaulding their chance to win a medal in their first Olympics.$LABEL$1 +NL notables Braves right fielder J.D. Drew cut his head when he hit it on the dugout railing following batting practice and was removed from the starting lineup against Colorado. Drew was taken to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, where he received two staples to close the wound. He returned to Turner Field and was in uniform by the fourth inning but did ...$LABEL$1 +Beltre's slam lifts Dodgers Adrian Beltre hit a grand slam to become the first player to reach 40 home runs this year, and Alex Cora homered and had five RBIs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 10-2 rout of the Expos in Montreal.$LABEL$1 +Israel wins first Olympic gold Israeli windsurfer Gal Fridman makes sporting history by winning his country's first gold medal in the men's Mistral.$LABEL$0 +Thousands at Bangladesh funeral Up to 30,000 people attend the funeral of a Bangladeshi opposition politician killed in a grenade attack in Dhaka.$LABEL$0 +AL notables The Yankees posted their 48th come-from-behind victory, most in the majors. Chris Young -- the Rangers' 16th starter this season -- became the first pitcher from Princeton to start a major league game since Dave Sisler of the 1961 Washington Senators.$LABEL$1 +Indian politician sent to prison Top Hindu nationalist politician Uma Bharti is remanded in an Indian jail over charges of inciting religious violence 10 years ago.$LABEL$0 +Software Seeks Online Bargains Consumers in the United States are already spending record amounts of money online. One e-commerce company has a novel way to help Net shoppers hunt for bargains this holiday season.$LABEL$2 +Controversy mishandled all around ATHENS -- For a while, if the Olympic repo men were to come looking for his gold medal, it seemed as if Paul Hamm would have to do the old twin spin that used to work so well back home in Wisconsin. quot;Sorry, I'm his brother Morgan, quot; Paul would say. quot;Paul's down at the Parthenon. Or maybe the Plaka. No, ...$LABEL$1 +Dominant US women's squad a true dream team ATHENS -- Through five games, the US women are outscoring opponents by 29 points a game. They've been dominant to the point of ennui. They crush their opponents on the glass, hand out twice as many assists per game, and, generally, have it their way, every game. They lead the Olympics in nine statistical categories.$LABEL$1 +Barents Sea 'faces major threats' The pristine Arctic waters of the Barents Sea are overfished and face serious pollution problems, the UN says.$LABEL$0 +Going deep -- for memories TORONTO -- Last night, Doug Mientkiewicz was on call as the Red Sox' emergency catcher in case calamity befell Doug Mirabelli , raising the uncomfortable specter of the one-time minor league catcher trying to corral Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. He escaped that duty, serving only as a pinch runner and defensive replacement at first base for Kevin Millar in last night's ...$LABEL$1 +They're quick to impress ATHENS -- Another night, another strong showing for America's sprinters. Allyson Felix , at 18 years old the youngest of the young lions, cruised to victory in her 200-meter heat, and then easily won her semifinal heat (22.36) to advance to the finals.$LABEL$1 +'DNA analysis' spots e-mail spam Computational biologists at IBM develop an anti-spam filter that works in the same way scientists analyse DNA.$LABEL$0 +Coach still fighting mad at Estrada ATHENS -- It had been 24 hours since Providence super heavyweight Jason Estrada not only lost a boxing match but also his dignity, and US boxing coach Basheer Abdullah still wasn't over it.$LABEL$1 +Band 'dumps sewage on tourists' The Dave Matthews Band is sued for allegedly dumping human waste from a bus onto a boat in the Chicago River.$LABEL$0 +Efforts to eradicate polio falter JOHANNESBURG -- The global effort to eradicate polio will not meet its deadline to stop transmission of the virus by the end of the year, a World Health Organization official acknowledged yesterday, citing the spread of cases from northern Nigeria.$LABEL$0 +Magazine offers reward for return of paintings OSLO -- The weekly magazine Se og Hoer offered a \$14,800 reward yesterday for information leading to the return of two priceless Edvard Munch masterpieces stolen from an Oslo museum over the weekend. The city-owned Munch Museum reopened yesterday, two days after three masked robbers, including at least one with a pistol, snatched ''The Scream quot; and ''Madonna quot; and fled in ...$LABEL$0 +Naples police in huge mafia swoop Hundreds of carabinieri police are taking part in an operation to crush a wave of mafia killings in Naples.$LABEL$0 +Afghan leader vows to release 400 Pakistani prisoners ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised yesterday to repatriate 400 Pakistani prisoners who fought with the former ruling Taliban regime and have been held in Afghan jails since 2001, a Pakistani official said.$LABEL$0 +A Trail of 'Major Failures' Leads to Defense Secretary's Office In tracing responsibility for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, a panel drew a line that extended to Donald H. Rumsfeld.$LABEL$0 +Bush Campaign's Top Outside Lawyer Advised Veterans Group Benjamin L. Ginsberg said the veterans attacking John Kerry's Vietnam War record asked for his help and that he agreed.$LABEL$0 +Outsourcing issue flares up at chip conference STANFORD, CALIFORNIA - On Monday, the same day the California Senate passed a bill that would ban state agencies from contracting services out to companies that use overseas labor, opponents and proponents of offshore outsourcing clashed during a conference at Stanford University.$LABEL$2 +Actuate moves to take enterprise reporting to open source Business intelligence software vendor Actuate Corp. is hitching its wagon to the open-source movement in the hope of seeing its applications get even broader acceptance in the marketplace.$LABEL$2 +Top Cleric Looks to Broker Deal in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric returned to the country from Britain on Wednesday and his aides called for a nationwide march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in this holy city...$LABEL$0 +Israel Wins First-Ever Olympic Gold ATHENS, Greece - A windsurfer whose first name means ""wave"" in Hebrew gave Israel its first Olympic gold medal ever Wednesday, taking a plunge in the Saronic Gulf to celebrate. Gal Fridman sailed a remarkably consistent regatta, never finishing worse than eighth in the 11-race series...$LABEL$0 +Stocks to Watch Tuesday NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks to watch on Tuesday: JOHNSON JOHNSON <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=JNJ.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">JNJ.N</A>, GUIDANT CORP. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GDT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">GDT.N</A>$LABEL$2 +Preston Bows Out Matt Daniels had a homer and four RBIs, and tossed a two-hitter to lead Richmond, Texas, to a 13-1 win over Preston, Md., at the Little League World Series on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Top Cleric Looks to Broker Deal in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric returned home from Britain on Wednesday to help broker an end to nearly three weeks of fighting in Najaf and is calling on his followers to join him in a march to reclaim the holy city, his spokesmen and witnesses said. Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani return came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City...$LABEL$0 +Adrian Beltre Hits His 40th Home Run Adrian Beltre's first five full seasons in the majors were marked by stretches of inconsistency and only flashes of power potential. This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third baseman has become one of baseball's most prolific sluggers...$LABEL$0 +Midfield Now Strength Not so long ago, D.C. United was throwing inexperienced players into the starting lineup and calling up minor leaguers to fill the roster.$LABEL$1 +Russian Jet Crashes Kill at Least 135 BUCHALKI, Russia - A Russian airliner crashed and another apparently broke up in the air almost simultaneously after taking off from the same airport, officials said, killing all 89 people aboard and raising fears of a terrorist attack. Authorities said rescuers found wreckage from a Tu-154 jet with at least 46 on board, about nine hours after it issued a distress signal and disappeared from radar screens over the Rostov region some 600 miles south of Moscow...$LABEL$0 +Unit's Report Supports Kerry's Version WASHINGTON - The Navy task force overseeing John Kerry's swift boat squadron in Vietnam reported that his group of boats came under enemy fire during a March 13, 1969, incident that three decades later is being challenged by the Democratic presidential nominee's critics. The March 18, 1969, weekly report from Task Force 115, which was located by The Associated Press during a search of Navy archives, is the latest document to surface that supports Kerry's description of an event for which he won a Bronze Star and a third Purple Heart...$LABEL$0 +Mitch Decides to Stay Ryan Mitch, a backup quarterback who had missed two practices and a team meeting, returned Tuesday and pledged to remain with the Maryland program the next four years.$LABEL$1 +Prison Abuse Report Cites Top Commanders WASHINGTON - Inattention to prisoner issues by senior U.S. military leaders in Iraq and at the Pentagon was a key factor in the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, but there is no evidence they ordered any mistreatment, an independent panel concluded...$LABEL$0 +Wide-Open Receiving The wide receivers position is the one truly unsettled position for the Virginia Cavaliers as they begin a season of great expectations.$LABEL$1 +2 Russian Jets Crash Within Minutes Officials made no immediate statements about the possible causes of the twin crashes but the timing raised suspicions of a terrorist attack.$LABEL$0 +MLB, D.C. Talk Major League Baseball negotiators held day-long sessions with District officials Tuesday and toured RFK Stadium as part of efforts to find a new home for the Montreal Expos.$LABEL$1 +A Push for More Power At Iraq Plant The story of Baiji power station, which can produce more electricity than any plant in Iraq, helps explain why power generation remains one of the most vexing reconstruction challenges in the country.$LABEL$0 +Money Is Driving Moscow Makeover For decades, pilgrims to Red Square have first passed in the shadow of the stolid Moskva hotel and the elegant Manezh exhibition hall. Once they made it across the square's cobblestoned expanse, they found their view obscured by the modernist concrete hulk known as the Hotel Rossiya.$LABEL$0 +From Coal to Culture This old mining town in the northeast of England used to be a grimy industrial wasteland. Now it's becoming a gleaming cultural center and -- who would have thought it? -- tourist destination$LABEL$0 +Slopes Only for Bloom Two-sport star Jeremy Bloom lost an appeal to an NCAA panel on Tuesday to keep his college eligibility as a football player at Colorado while still being allowed to receive endorsements as a professional skier.$LABEL$1 +On the Road to Greatness Based on Che Guevara's early days, <I>The Motorcycle Diaries</i> is a tender tribute to the young man, not the myth$LABEL$0 +Nice Witch of the North Comedienne Shabana Rehman's Pakistani roots and Norwegian lifestyle make a provocative comic brew$LABEL$0 +Justice to Announce Cyber-Crime Crackdown The Justice Department is set to announce a major crackdown on cyber-crime that will include arrests, subpoenas and property seizures of alleged e-mail spammers and online scam artists, according to law enforcement and industry sources. <BR><FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Verizon, Qwest to Fight FCC Rate Freeze Verizon Communications Inc. and other parties have asked a federal court to throw out a set of temporary regulations banning giant regional phone companies from raising the wholesale rates they charge competitors for at least six months. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Northwest Ticket Fees Urge Web Use Beginning Friday, travelers on Northwest Airlines will have to pay as much as \$10 extra to buy tickets by phone or in person, rather than through Northwest's Web site. <BR>\<FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2""\ color=""#666666""><B>-The Washington Post</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Report Says Air Force's Space Programs Improved The Air Force's management of its space programs has improved during the past year but some systems, including an early warning missile contract, will continue to need special attention, according to an advisory panel review released yesterday.$LABEL$3 +Md. Machines Seek Vote Of Confidence Critics say the state has been too quick to embrace electronic voting and could be headed for a fiasco in November elections.$LABEL$3 +EU Extends Review of Microsoft-Time Warner Deal Software giant Microsoft Corp. and the media and entertainment powerhouse Time Warner Inc. ran into fresh trouble with the European Union on Wednesday as antitrust regulators ordered an in-depth probe of their deal to collaborate in making anti-piracy software.$LABEL$3 +'NFL 2K5' Edges Out 'Madden NF' The virtual football championship matchup this year pits ""Madden NFL 2005"" against ""ESPN NFL 2K5"" from Sega's ESPN Videogames division. Both E-rated titles excel at delivering the National Football League experience to your living room through a combination of excellent controls, online gameplay and improved defensive features.$LABEL$3 +Museum welcomes flesh-eating bugs London museum takes charge of 100 flesh-eating beetles used to strip animal carcasses down to bare bones.$LABEL$3 +Fear and Loathing in #133; Lobsterland When lobsters flirt or fight they first signal their intention by urinating in one another's faces. Strange facts like this are published in a new book about the little-known life of these familiar crustaceans.$LABEL$3 +Secret Sex Lives Of High-flying Finch Uncovered In The Rockies To shed light on the secretive sex lives of rosy-finches, birds that nest high in the Rocky Mountains, researchers clip on crampons and get climbing.$LABEL$3 +Textile Fragments Provide Details of Ancient Lives Charred and brittle bits of fabric are providing new insights into the lives of prehistoric people, thanks to advances in chemical analysis of textiles.$LABEL$3 +Who Knew? U.S. Presidential Trivia Just 11 weeks remain in the race for the White House. Getting into the campaign spirit, National Geographic News reviews presidential trivia.$LABEL$3 +US deserter reunited with family arrived on a remote island in northern Japan to start a new life with his Japanese wife and their two daughters. court-martial last month after saying he deserted from South Korea because he was frightened.$LABEL$0 +Grains Found in Georgia Traced to Huge Asteroid Impact ATLANTA (AP) -- A layer of quartz grains found in an east Georgia kaolin mine have been traced to the impact of a giant asteroid that crashed near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay 35 million years ago. The 54-mile-wide crater left by the meteor, the sixth-largest in the world, has previously been identified as the source of a rare mineral called Georgiaite...$LABEL$3 +NASA Picks Swede Launch Site for Giant Balloons By TOMMY GRANDELL STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- NASA has agreed to launch its largest scientific balloons from a site in northern Sweden, a spokesman said Tuesday. To launch them, the Swedish Space Corp., which owns Esrange, has signed a \$1.32 million contract with the Swedish construction company NCC to double the size of the present launch pad...$LABEL$3 +Space Radiation May Harm Astronauts' Blood Cells In the time it takes you to read this sentence, more than 10 million red blood cells in your body will die. Don't be alarmed; it's natural, and stem cells in your bone marrow are constantly making enough new cells to replace the dying ones. But what if those blood-making cells stopped working? This could be a concern for astronauts taking long trips beyond Earth orbit.$LABEL$3 +Meteorites Supplied Earth Life with Phosphorus University of Arizona -- University of Arizona scientists have discovered that meteorites, particularly iron meteorites, may have been critical to the evolution of life on Earth. Their research shows that meteorites easily could have provided more phosphorus than naturally occurs on Earth -- enough phosphorus to give rise to biomolecules which eventually assembled into living, replicating organisms...$LABEL$3 +Health Highlights: Aug. 24, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: ----- Contaminated Fish in Many U.S. Lakes and Rivers Fish that may be contaminated with dioxin, mercury, PCBs and pesticides are swimming in more than one-third of the United States' lakes and nearly one-quarter of its rivers, according to a list of advisories released by the Environmental Protection Agency...$LABEL$3 +EU will probe Microsoft, Time Warner buy The decision is a setback for the two companies and their plan to acquire ContentGuard, a digital rights management firm.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Microsoft IPTV to woo Swiss test group roundup Plus: Sony speeds up Memory Stick cards...Real touts one week, 1 million songs...Chipmaker Fujitsu prepares WiMax chip.$LABEL$3 +SP2: Bad for your blood pressure? That's what some IT managers say, a survey finds. Even more believe it'll be the toughest Windows update ever.$LABEL$3 +Report: companies expect fast IT spending growth But IDC researchers voice a more cautious view, based on factors including high oil prices.$LABEL$3 +Actuate pushes open-source data reporting The software maker proposes open-source Java-based reporting tools for consideration by the Eclipse open-source foundation.$LABEL$3 +IBM lays claim to extension of server reign Says new research shows that it remains the top server computer vendor. But HP trumpets leadership in ""high growth"" segments.$LABEL$3 +Japan designers shoot for supercomputer on a chip The MDGrape 3 chip will calculate faster than most supercomputers in existence, its creators say.\$LABEL$3 +Nanotech will tap nature's potential, investor says Venture capitalist says a revolution is at hand, despite a setback like Nanosys' canceled IPO.$LABEL$3 +Latest International news on mobile: sms INT to 7333 Hamid Karzai was sworn in on Tuesday as Afghanistan #39;s first elected president in a ceremony attended by several foreign dignitaries, including US Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld, report agencies.$LABEL$0 +Verizon blames federal rules for broadband holdup Company is holding back high-speed fiber service out of fear that it will have to lease the links to rivals at below its own cost.$LABEL$3 +CompactFlash card takes licking, keeps ticking Bridge demolition destroys digital camera, but CompactFlash card hangs on to bridge's final moments.$LABEL$3 +Sony speeds up Memory Stick cards Starting in October, the company will begin selling higher-speed cards that transfer data at rates of up to 80mbps.$LABEL$3 +ISS: Critical Netscape flaw could be widespread Security company Internet Security Systems is warning of a critical security hole in a commonly used technology from the Mozilla Foundation called the Netscape Network Security Services library that could leave Web servers vulnerable to remote attack.$LABEL$3 +Washington State Ferries expands ferryboat Wi-Fi service Washington State Ferries expects to provide passengers on its high-traffic Puget Sound routes with free Wi-Fi service it will begin rolling out next month.$LABEL$3 +Tight security as Karzai is sworn in AFGHANISTANS capital Kabul was placed under tight security today for the historic inauguration of Hamid Karzai as the countrys first popularly elected president.$LABEL$0 +EDS extends IT automation deal with Opsware for three years Outsourcing vendor Electronic Data Systems has renewed an agreement for IT services from automation and utility software company Opsware that could be worth \$145 million over eight years.$LABEL$3 +Actuate moves to take enterprise reporting to open-source Business intelligence software vendor Actuate is teaming up with the open-source movement in an effort to give its applications more exposure in the marketplace.$LABEL$3 +HP shelves virus-throttling product Virus Throttler, unveiled by HP in February, was one of two new security services developed by company researchers that debuted at the RSA Security Conference.$LABEL$3 +New IRS accounting system, a year late, nears completion With the deployment of a new financial accounting system for the IRS running a year late, officials involved with the project now say it will go live in October.$LABEL$3 +Study: E-business customer satisfaction on the rise Users of portals, news sites and search engines were a bit less satisfied than average consumer scores overall, a University of Michigan survey show. Scores were higher for online travel, retail, auction and brokerage sites.$LABEL$3 +Indiana man charged with hacking into former employer's systems Patrick Angle, was charged with intentionally deleting the source code for software he had been developing for Massachusetts-based Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates.$LABEL$3 +Connexion by Boeing partners with iPass The agreement with Connexion by Boeing will give iPass customers Wi-Fi access while flying, while Boeing gets a partner that knows how to sell service contracts for hot spot connectivity to business travelers.$LABEL$3 +EU extends MS, Time Warner probe The European Commission (EC) opened an in-depth investigation on Wednesday into plans by Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc. to take over U.S. digital rights management (DRM) company ContentGuard Holdings Inc.$LABEL$3 +SMIC to challenge latest TSMC infringement claims Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) said Wednesday it will defend itself against the latest allegations of patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation made by rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC).$LABEL$3 +Intel to launch tri-mode Wi-Fi chip set Fulfilling a long-time goal, Intel Corp. is set to introduce on Thursday its first chip set that supports all three current forms of Wi-Fi, according to sources familiar with the announcement.$LABEL$3 +Rossi named new Atalanta coach Serie A strugglers Atalanta have named Delio Rossi as their new coach, the club announced on its website on Tuesday. Rossi, the 44-year-old who previously coached Salerno and Lecce in Italy #39;s top-flight, replaces Andrea Mandorlini.$LABEL$1 +Outsourcing issue flares up at chip conference STANFORD, CALIF. -- On Monday, the same day the California Senate passed a bill that would ban state agencies from contracting services out to companies that use overseas labor, opponents and proponents of offshore outsourcing clashed during a conference at Stanford University.<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p><p><img src=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.ifw.general/ibmpseries;sz=1x1;ord=200301151450?"" width=""1"" height=""1"" border=""0""/><a href=""http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9824455;9690404;u?http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9473681;9688522;d?http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/campaigns/boardroom/index.html?ca=pSeries met=boardroom me=E P_Creative=P_InfoW_RSS"">Introducing IBM eServer p5 systems.</a><br/>Powered by IBMs most advanced 64-bit microprocessor (POWER5(tm)), p5 systems can run UNIX and Linux simultaneously. Learn more about eServer p5 systems.</p>$LABEL$3 +BEA departures continue BEA Systems continues to see an exodus of high-level executives, with Chief Marketing Officer Tod Nielsen exiting this week.$LABEL$3 +India beats Germany in Champions Trophy field hockey India rallied to outscore Germany 3-1 for its first victory in the men #39;s Champions Trophy field hockey tournament in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Gartner: '04 chip revenue growth strong, '05 weaker BOSTON - The semiconductor industry remains on track to record a significant increase in revenue during 2004, according to Gartner Inc.'s latest forecast for the year released Tuesday. After that, however, the outlook takes a turn for the worse.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo's legal battle over Nazi items continues PARIS - Yahoo Inc. may after all find itself having to answer to the French courts for its failure to block French users' access to information about the sale of Nazi memorabilia on its U.S. Web sites.$LABEL$3 +ISS: Critical Netscape hole could be widespread Security company Internet Security Systems Inc. (ISS) is warning its customers about a critical security hole in a commonly used technology from the Mozilla Foundation called the Netscape Network Security Services (NSS) library that could make Web servers vulnerable to remote attack.$LABEL$3 +Players get a chance to beat Tiger Woods at his own game Tiger Woods is faltering on the PGA Tour these days, while Vijay Singh has taken over the No. 1 ranking in the world. If only Woods could play like his video game character in quot;Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005.$LABEL$1 +Yahoo Faces New Court Battle over Nazi Items U.S. court says it's a French matter; plaintiff organizations want ban on sale of Nazi memorabilia.$LABEL$3 +NBC's Olympic Coverage Irks HDTV Owners HDTV sports fans are disappointed that there's a limited menu of Olympic sports that can be seen on high definition and that many of these events are shown 24 hours or later than they are on NBC.$LABEL$3 +Report Shows Universities Curtailing Online Piracy By ALEX VEIGA LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Despite evidence that sharing music and movies online remains popular, a report issued Tuesday by a committee of entertainment and university leaders says universities have made strides the past year to curtail online piracy. The report, submitted to Congress by the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities, highlights steps taken by the universities to tackle Internet piracy but offers few details of their effectiveness...$LABEL$3 +University Offers Free Microsoft Software to Students PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) -- Students returning to Washington State University this week found free Microsoft software waiting for them...$LABEL$3 +NTT DoCoMo and Motorola Strike Phone Deal TOKYO (AP) -- NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile-phone carrier, and Motorola Inc. (MOT), the world's No...$LABEL$3 +Bank of America Exec to Get Severance Pay Bank of America Corp. said a departing executive is eligible to collect about \$20.7 million in severance and other payments from the company.$LABEL$2 +Boeing wins \$7.35B airplane order Singapore Airlines, Asia #39;s most profitable airline, eyes growth with plans to buy up to 31 jets. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines said Wednesday it planned to buy up to 31 Boeing Co.$LABEL$2 +Jamaica to Provide Free Internet Access KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- Jamaica's government on Tuesday announced a \$5 million program to provide free Internet access in poor communities across the island. The ""e-Jamaica"" initiative will establish 60 Internet centers across the country by 2010, mostly in post offices, said Commerce and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft offers SP2 compatibility guide Microsoft has launched a do-it-yourself kit to help IT professionals assess their software #39;s compatibility with Windows XP Service Pack 2. Fears among system administrators and IT managers that XP SP2 may $LABEL$3 +BenQ wins ODM contract from Nokia SOME INDUSTRY OBSERVERS had predicted that BenQ had shot itself in the foot by promoting its own branded mobile handsets at the recent European footie (soccer) fest in Portugal.$LABEL$3 +More delays for British Airways passengers in London (AFP) AFP - British Airways cancelled four more flights due to what it called lingering problems from a staff shortage at London's Heathrow Airport which delayed thousands of travellers earlier in the week.$LABEL$0 +Indian Software Giant Shares Start Trading (AP) AP - Shares of India's top software firm, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., soared as much as 41 percent in their first day of trading Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Williams-Sonoma Profit Up; Keeps Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM.N) on\Wednesday posted a better-than-expected 55 percent increase in\quarterly profit, sending its stock up 6 percent, as sales\jumped at its Pottery Barn chain.$LABEL$2 +Nobel prizes to be announced in October, Blair and Bush in the running (AFP) AFP - The 2004 Nobel prizes will be announced between October 4 and 11, the Nobel Foundation said, with US president George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the running for the prestigious Peace Prize.$LABEL$0 +Hockey teams seek foreign secrets of success (Reuters) Reuters - When India play Pakistan, it is a classic hockey match, their historic rivalry sucking in the whole stadium.$LABEL$0 +Astra Cancer Drug Tied to More Pneumonia (Reuters) Reuters - AstraZeneca Plc. said on Wednesday a new\study in Japan showed a higher rate of a potentially fatal side\effect in patients taking its lung cancer pill Iressa than that\demonstrated in an earlier analysis.$LABEL$2 +Aussies finish 1-2 in women #39;s triathlon Austrian Kate Allen won gold in the Olympic women amp;apos;s triathlon Wednesday while American Susan Williams took the bronze. Allen was time in two hours, four minutes, 43.$LABEL$1 +Banknorth, TD Bank Are in Talks Canada #39;s TD Bank Financial Group is discussing quot;a possible transaction quot; with the Northeast regional bank Banknorth Group Inc.$LABEL$2 +Heat is on MTFG to place UFJ bid Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. was under pressure Wednesday to come up with a takeover offer for UFJ Holdings Inc. that would fend off an unexpectedly generous \$29 billion rival bid by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.$LABEL$2 +Two Turks kidnapped in Iraq, risk execution: TV report (AFP) AFP - A Turkish television channel aired footage showing two Turks believed to be held hostage in Iraq by armed militants who have threatened to execute them unless their company withdraws from the country within 72 hours.$LABEL$0 +Two Israelis among dead in Russian plane crash At least two Israeli citizens were among 89 people killed in two passenger plane crashes in Russia late on Tuesday, an Israeli embassy official said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon forces 240,000 to flee CHINA evacuated hundreds of thousands of people as Typhoon Aere lashed neighbouring Taiwan yesterday, triggering landslides and leaving at least seven people feared dead.$LABEL$0 +More BA flights canceled More British Airways flights were canceled Wednesday after thousands were stranded by canceled flights at London #39;s Heathrow Airport because of staff shortages at the airline.$LABEL$0 +Hicks charged with war crimes ACCUSED Australian Taliban fighter David Hicks was charged with war crimes by a US military tribunal today after meeting his father for the first time in five years.$LABEL$0 +Experts Say Nepal Rebels #39; Plan Resembles Peru #39;s Shining Path Nepal #39;s communist insurgency has been flexing its muscles, with a successful blockade of the capital Kathmandu. Experts say the Maoists have modeled themselves on Peru #39;s Shining Path, using violence to end Nepal #39;s rigid caste system.$LABEL$0 +India, GCC agree to promote economic cooperation New Delhi, Aug 25 (VNA) - India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) signed on Wednesday a Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation to boost economic and trading ties as well as to explore the possibility of a free trade area between India and GCC $LABEL$2 +US economy boosted by rise in manufacturing orders Fears of a slowdown in the US economy today eased as factories reported a jump in orders for costly manufactured goods during July.$LABEL$2 +Toll Brothers 3Q Profits Beat Estimates Luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc. reported Wednesday that strong demand pushed third-quarter profits well above Wall Street expectations.$LABEL$2 +Sprint provides VoIP to eighth-largest cable company Sprint Corp. said Wednesday that it will provide Internet telephone service to cable operator Mediacom Communications Corp. #39;s customer base of 2.7 million homes in 23 states.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Edge Lower As Oil Prices Climb Stocks edged lower Wednesday as investors weighed rising oil prices against a pair of government reports that gave a mixed picture about the economy.$LABEL$2 +UPDATE 2-US mortgage applications fall 6.3 percent in week Applications for US home loans fell 6.3 percent last week after a brief bounce in early August spurred by a drop in mortgage rates, an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Last call for Jack Daniel #39;s? Brown-Forman #39;s whiskey sales are strong but Wall Street sees cracks in the company #39;s china sales. By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writer.$LABEL$2 +HHG gets out of red zone AMP spin-off HHG plc has produced a pound stg. 46 million (\$A117 million) profit for the six months to June 30 - a massive turnaround from the pound stg.$LABEL$2 +Motorola takes step into Japan market TOKYO Motorola and NTT DoCoMo said on Wednesday that they would jointly develop third-generation cellphones, giving the American company an important foothold in the Japanese market.$LABEL$3 +Dragging the Net for Cyber Criminals In an attempt to stem the growing tide of online scams, identity theft and the proliferation of junk e-mail, the Justice Department and state law enforcement officials have initiated what $LABEL$3 +Sheep put brave face on stress LONDON, England -- Sheep have shown researchers why stressed-out people are comforted by the sight of a friendly face. Scientists at the Babraham Institute in the eastern English city of Cambridge discovered $LABEL$3 +Small #39;scope spots big planet A new extra-solar planet has been identified orbiting a star 500 light years from our solar system. The discovery was made by a team using a four-inch diameter telescope to make their observations - a size $LABEL$3 +Linksys, Vonage In Equipment Deal Irvine-based Linksys (www.linksys.com) announced that it is in a deal with Voice over IP (VoIP) provider Vonage (www.vonage.com) to provide equipment for home and small businesses.$LABEL$3 +Semiconductor Market Grow 27 Percent in 2004 However, the Gartner Dataquest Semiconductor Inventory Index showed inventories in the supply chain at the low end of the quot;caution quot; zone.$LABEL$3 +EFF wins JibJab case p2pnet.net News:- Still smiling because of its victory over Hollywood, the EFF has chalked up another win. This time, Music publisher Ludlow Music has officially backed down on its threats against web animation $LABEL$3 +MS anti-Linux ad #39;misleading #39; p2pnet.net News:- A Microsoft UK quot;WEIGHING THE COST OF LINUX VS. WINDOWS? LET #39;S REVIEW THE FACTS quot; magazine ad has been nailed as misleading by Britain #39;s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).$LABEL$3 +Yahoo Continues Fight Over Nazi Paraphernalia Furthering a story that began in 2000, the US Court of Appeals has ruled that US District Court judge operated outside the realm of his jurisdiction by attempting to rule on a case with international ramifications.$LABEL$3 +Beware #39;Peeping Tom Webcam Worm #39; A warning was issued today about a Peeping Tom computer virus which can hijack webcams and spy on users. The virus, or worm as it is technically $LABEL$3 +Sony preparing high-speed Memory Stick Pro Sony is continuing development of its Memory Stick format, with a new high-speed variety due out this fall. Backward compatible with existing devices, it will be recognizable by a red and white color scheme.$LABEL$3 +El Guerrouj: destiny fulfilled The great Moroccan reveals hidden depths to fit the final piece into a reign that was lacking just one achievement, reports Len Johnson.$LABEL$1 +In memory of Luke, Loretta races for her life LUKE. His name is tattooed forever on her right ankle. His memory, just as permanently, in her heart. Loretta Harrop ran the race of her life in Athens yesterday, the inspiration of her late $LABEL$1 +Victory is golden for city cyclist Edmonton #39;s Lori-Ann Muenzer defied two of the world #39;s best cyclists Tuesday to top the field of 500-metre sprinters, laying claim to the first gold medal ever won by a Canadian track cyclist.$LABEL$1 +More blazers than tracksuits at Games If you picture an Olympic team as athletes in tracksuits with a few blazer-clad types in the background to look after them, it is time for a radical rethink.$LABEL$1 +Formula One statistics for Belgian Grand Prix Michael Schumacher #39;s Hungarian Grand Prix victory was the German #39;s 12th in 13 races this year, a Formula One record for a single season.$LABEL$1 +Sri Lanka spinners throttle South Africa Sri Lanka spinners Rangana Herath and Tillakaratne Dilshan shared six wickets to help bowl South Africa out for 191 in the third one-day international on Sunday.$LABEL$1 +McLEISH GOING FOR GLORY Rangers manager Alex McLeish insists the prestige of taking on European football #39;s elite is the only thing spurring him on to steer the club into the Champions League.$LABEL$1 +Iraq #39;s Sistani Returns, Plans to End Najaf Crisis Iraq #39;s top Shi #39;ite cleric made a sudden return to the country on Wednesday and said he had a plan to end an uprising in the quot;burning city quot; of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer to its holiest shrine.$LABEL$0 +Royal Dutch/Shell Fined \$150 Million Description: Royal Dutch/Shell agrees to pay more than \$150 million to settle fraud charges in the United States and Britain. The company was accused of overstating its proven oil and gas reserves by more than 20 percent.$LABEL$2 +Kuwait pumping crude oil at maximum levels Kuwaiti FM says his country is producing oil at maximum capacity to try to stabilise oil prices. NEW DELHI - Kuwait #39;s foreign minister said Wednesday his government was pumping crude to maximum capacity to $LABEL$2 +Europe starts new Microsoft probe The European Commission has opened a probe into Microsoft #39;s and Time Warner #39;s plans to buy anti-piracy software manufacturer ContentGuard.$LABEL$2 +US July Durable Goods Orders Probably Rose 1, Survey Shows US orders for durable goods may have risen for a second straight month in July, paced by more bookings for commercial aircraft, computers and machinery, according to a survey of economists ahead of today #39;s government report.$LABEL$2 +Motorola To Develop FOMA Mobile Phone Handset for DoCoMo DoCoMo previously procured FOMA handsets only from domestic manufacturers. The two companies -- Motorola and DoCoMo -- said they aim to market the new handset from next spring targeting business users.$LABEL$3 +Dozens charged in spam, scam crackdown Federal and state law enforcement agencies have quietly arrested or charged dozens of people with crimes related to junk e-mail, identity theft and other online scams in recent weeks, according to several people involved in the actions.$LABEL$3 +Sheep pine for absent friends: official The Cambridge University team which discovered that sheep prefer happy, smiley people has once again pushed back the envelope of ovine understanding with the revelation that sheep cheer up when they see snaps of friends and relatives.$LABEL$3 +Advertising watchdog reprimands Microsoft over #39;facts #39; Microsoft recently launched a #39;Get the Facts #39; ad campaign telling consumers Linux isn #39;t cheaper than Windows. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) thinks they should get the facts too -- but it #39;s warned Microsoft to make sure its are straight first.$LABEL$3 +Rbot virus spies on surfers A new worm has been discovered in the wild that #39;s not just settling for invading users #39; PCs - it wants to invade their homes too.$LABEL$3 +Computer Associatates Bonus Proposal Defeated The management of Computer Associates (CA:NYSE - news - research) on Wednesday defeated three efforts by shareholders and corporate governance advocates to punish the company for an accounting scandal that led to the restatement of \$2 billion in revenue $LABEL$3 +Israelis celebrate first gold medal Israel #39;s first gold medalist ever, Gal Fridman, Wednesday met an outburst of joy seconds after he won the men #39;s Mistral sailing race at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Humpback Whale Trapped at Power Plant ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, Nova Scotia - A hydroelectric plant in Nova Scotia remained closed Tuesday after a wayward humpback whale swam through the underwater gates connecting the facility with the Atlantic Ocean.$LABEL$3 +Bronze possible for Hill ATHENS -- Shawn Hill #39;s Olympics are over, but it remains to be seen if he will bring back a medal from Athens. The 23-year-old Mississauga pitcher tossed six quality innings in Canada #39;s 8-5 loss to Cuba on Tuesday night, ending up with a no decision.$LABEL$1 +Radcliffe is running again Paula Radcliffe stepped up her training in Athens this morning as she prepares to make a final decision over whether to run the 10,000m on Friday night.$LABEL$1 +Flight Data Recorders Found of 2 Crashed Planes in Russia Investigators picked through the scattered wreckage today of two Russian passenger jets that crashed nearly simultaneously Tuesday night after leaving Moscow, and reported $LABEL$0 +Paris marks liberation from Nazis Thousands of people in Paris are preparing to mark the anniversary of the city #39;s liberation in World War II. Sixty years ago, the Nazi troops who had occupied the French capital for four years, surrendered.$LABEL$0 +Durable Goods Orders Up; Homes Sales Down WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for U.S. durable goods posted a larger-than-expected rise in July, but new home sales showed signs of buckling under the weight of higher interest rates, two government reports showed on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Astra Cancer Drug Tied to More Pneumonia TOKYO (Reuters) - AstraZeneca Plc. said on Wednesday a new study in Japan showed a higher rate of a potentially fatal side effect in patients taking its lung cancer pill Iressa than that demonstrated in an earlier analysis.$LABEL$2 +Toronto-Dominion in Talks With Banknorth of Maine (Update2) Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada #39;s second-largest bank by assets, said it #39;s in talks for a possible transaction #39; #39; with Banknorth Group Inc.$LABEL$2 +Music Publisher Settles Copyright Skirmish Over Guthrie Classic San Francisco, CA - Music publisher Ludlow Music, Inc., has officially backed down on its threats against web animation studio JibJab Media Inc.$LABEL$3 +CA #39;s Cron To Remain Interim CEO Don #39;t expect Ken Cron to become CEO of Computer Associates International. At least, not anytime soon. Cron, currently CA #39;s interim CEO, will likely retain that status after the company #39;s annual stockholders $LABEL$3 +Olympics Chiefs Want Bush Campaign to Back Off (Reuters) Reuters - Olympic officials are seething at a\campaign ad for President Bush which, they say, hijacks the\Olympic brand.$LABEL$0 +Durable Goods, Housing Data Trip Stocks NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were slightly lower on Wednesday after government reports for July on durable goods orders and new home sales cast some doubt on the strength of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Mortgage Applications Fall 6.3 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Applications for U.S. home loans fell 6.3 percent last week after a brief bounce in early August spurred by a drop in mortgage rates, an industry group said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Palestine condemns attack on deputy intelligence chief Brig. Rashid Abu Shbak, chief of Palestinian preventive security in Gaza, described on Wednesday the attack on the deputy chief of security intelligence Tareq Abu Rajab as quot;a condemned crime quot;.$LABEL$0 +Economic Doubts Rally Treasuries NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury debt prices rallied on Wednesday as the latest U.S. economic data contained enough soft spots to keep the economic outlook uncertain.$LABEL$2 +S.Africa Police Arrest Thatcher Son in Coup Probe CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in a mercenary plot against the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Australian may get family reunion before war crime tribunal GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba : The father of accused Australian terrorist David Hicks hopes to hold an emotional reunion with his son before he appears before a US war crimes tribunal.$LABEL$0 +Gaza Gunmen Shoot Palestinian Intelligence Chief GAZA (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed the commander of the Palestinian intelligence service in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, wounding him, killing two bodyguards and fueling fears of spreading chaos.$LABEL$0 +Singapore Air Sets \$7.35 Bln Boeing Order SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world's second most valuable airline, said on Wednesday it planned to buy up to 31 Boeing Co 777-300ER planes worth about US\$7.35 billion to support growth plans.$LABEL$2 +Two Russian Planes Crash, Cause Unclear MOSCOW (Reuters) - Two Russian passenger planes crashed almost simultaneously, killing all 89 people on board in what investigators said on Wednesday might have been a terrorist attack or simply a mysterious coincidence.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Aere Pounds Taiwan, Heads Into China TAIPEI (Reuters) - A powerful typhoon triggered landslides and flash floods in northern Taiwan on Wednesday before plowing into China where hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated.$LABEL$0 +TD, Banknorth in Talks on Possible Deal TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Toronto Dominion Bank <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TD.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">TD.TO</A> said on Wednesday that it is in talks with U.S.-based Banknorth Group <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BNK.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BNK.N</A> about a possible deal.$LABEL$2 +U.S. New Home Sales Fall in July WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. new home sales fell more than expected in July to the their lowest pace since December, as higher mortgage rates cooled the housing market, a government report showed on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Sudan Govt. Agrees to Bigger AU Force in Darfur ABUJA (Reuters) - Sudan's government agreed in a breakthrough at peace talks on Wednesday to allow more African Union troops to enter the Darfur region to confine rebel fighters to their bases, a possible precursor to disarmament.$LABEL$0 +Bulgaria Won't Pay Libya Over HIV Case (AP) AP - A senior Bulgarian official ruled out paying any compensation to get Libya to reconsider the death sentences of five Bulgarian nurses accused of infecting children with HIV.$LABEL$0 +Paris Fetes 1944 Liberation from Nazi Occupation PARIS (Reuters) - Two columns of Second World War tanks, trucks and cars rumbled through Paris on Wednesday to re-enact the arrival of French and United States forces 60 years ago to liberate the city from four years of Nazi occupation.$LABEL$0 +Shell 'faces \$1.5bn Nigeria bill' The Senate in Nigeria reportedly passes a motion requiring Shell's operation in the country to pay \$1.5bn in compensation to oilfield communities.$LABEL$2 +Europe starts new Microsoft probe The European Commission opens a probe into Microsoft and Time Warner's plans to buy anti-piracy firm ContentGuard.$LABEL$2 +MmO2 leapfrogs rivals with super-fast 3G Telecoms provider mmO2 says it will adopt extra fast 3G network technology from next summer, although the ultra-high-speed network initially will be available only in the Isle of Man.$LABEL$3 +Indian low-cost airline expands India's first low-cost airline, Air Deccan, offers cheap flights between Bangalore and New Delhi.$LABEL$2 +Bahrain eyes power grid upgrade Middle East island nation Bahrain is to spend \$1.86bn upgrading its electricity network after Monday's blackout brought the country to a standstill.$LABEL$2 +Student #39;s Projects Win \$100,000 in Siemens Westinghouse <b>...</b> Aaron Goldin, a senior San Dieguito High School Academy in Encinitas, CA, won the \$100,000 Grand Prize scholarship in the individual category for inventing the Gyro-Gen, a gyroscope that converts ocean wave energy into electricity.$LABEL$3 +Pinochet to testify in Jara case Chile's ex-leader Augusto Pinochet is told to give written testimony in the 1973 murder of singer Victor Jara.$LABEL$0 +Oil Prices Halt Three-Day Losing Streak Oil prices rose modestly today, halting a three-day losing streak on profit-taking from record highs near \$50 a barrel.$LABEL$2 +Can Lifeway Survive a Disaster? What happens when a great company gets hit by unforeseen circumstances?$LABEL$2 +Don't Make the Babies Cry The telecom industry has endured some tough times. They haven't seen anything yet.$LABEL$2 +Bush Campaign's Top Outside Lawyer Resigns An election lawyer for President Bush also has been advising a veterans group running TV ads against John Kerry.$LABEL$0 +Sleepless sheep can count on familiar faces The way to soothe an anxious sheep is to show it a picture of another sheep. British scientists believe that - like humans - sheep need to see a familiar face when they are alone.$LABEL$3 +Consumers Trade in Home Phones for Mobile and Web Laura Bekke moved into her new Amsterdam flat last week and declined to have a fixed phone line installed. Merijn Groenhart, a $LABEL$3 +Microsoft Leaves UN Standards Group pk2000 writes quot;Microsoft withdrew from a United Nations software standards group for commerce. quot; #39;Unfortunately, for now, we have made the decision to stop participating in UN/Cefact for business reasons and this serves as notification of our immediate $LABEL$3 +Harrop wins silver FORMER Aussie backpacker Kate Allen pipped Australian favourite Loretta Harrop in sight of the finish to win the Olympic women #39;s triathlon today, but will take the gold medal home to Austria.$LABEL$1 +South Africa opts to bat first at Dambulla Dambulla: South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bat in the third One-dayer against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.$LABEL$1 +Two Russian Planes Crash, 89 Die, After Hijack Alarm (Update7) Two Russian passenger airliners from Moscow crashed within minutes of each other, killing all 89 passengers and crew, the greatest number of civilian Russian air deaths in a single day for more than three years.$LABEL$0 +'On Death and Dying' Author Dies at 78 PHOENIX - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who revolutionized the way the world looks at terminally ill patients with her book ""On Death and Dying"" and later as a pioneer for hospice care, has died. She was 78...$LABEL$0 +Russia Probes Cause of Two Plane Crashes BUCHALKI, Russia - Russian emergency workers searched heaps of twisted metal and tall grass Wednesday for clues about what caused two airliners to plunge to earth within minutes of each other, killing all 89 people aboard. Officials said one jet sent a hijack distress signal, raising fears terrorists had struck...$LABEL$0 +Thatcher's Son Charged in Coup Plot CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested Wednesday and charged with helping to finance a foiled plot to overthrow the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. Thatcher, a 51-year-old businessman who has lived in South Africa since 2002, was arrested at his Cape Town home shortly after 7 a.m...$LABEL$0 +Australian Detainee Meets With Father GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The father of an imprisoned Australian cowboy accused of fighting with Afghanistan's ousted Taliban saw his son for the first time in five years Wednesday, as he prepared to go before an American military tribunal on war crimes charges. After the meeting, David Hicks, 29, wore a suit and tie as he arrived for a tribunal hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit war crimes, aiding the enemy and attempted murder for allegedly firing at U.S...$LABEL$0 +Sistani Returns to Iraq, Calls for March on Najaf Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, returned to the country on Wednesday and urged Iraqis to march on the ""burning city"" of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer to its sacred shrine.$LABEL$0 +July Durable Good Orders Rise 1.7 Percent WASHINGTON Aug. 25, 2004 - America #39;s factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods in July post the biggest gain in four months, an encouraging sign that the economy is emerging from an early summer funk.$LABEL$2 +Tata Consulting Services makes successful IPO Indian software and services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made its stock market debut today, jumping 16 per cent over the day as investors piled money into the firm.$LABEL$2 +Politics cloud debate on Philippine #39;crisis #39; MANILA When President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared this week that the Philippines was quot;already in the midst of a fiscal crisis, quot; many thought she was just stating the obvious.$LABEL$2 +Macrovision CDS-300 version 7 beta <strong>Exclusive</strong> A CD lock-in tech that only annoys P2P traders?$LABEL$3 +Wayward whale yet to leave NS power plant area ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, NS - Nova Scotia Power officials continued to keep the sluice gates open at one of the utility #39;s hydroelectric plants Wednesday in hopes a wayward whale would leave the area and head for the open waters of the Bay of Fundy.$LABEL$3 +American Susan Williams Takes Triathlon Bronze Kate Allen produced a stunning run to overhaul long-time leader Loretta Harrop in the last 150 meters of the women #39;s Olympic triathlon Wednesday and win Austria #39;s first gold medal at Athens.$LABEL$1 +Programs: for Stealth Lovers, 'Thief' Is a Steal PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - One of the joys of the games in the ""Thief"" series is the ability to sneak up on opponents, quietly take them out with a good knock on the noggin, and then dump their body in the shadows so you can resume your hunt for loot.$LABEL$3 +Livewire: Beep! Beep! Ultra-Fast Broadband Is Here LONDON (Reuters) - For Rainer Kinnunen, life has been a bit of a blur since he signed up for a superhigh-speed Internet service three years ago.$LABEL$3 +Consumers Trade in Home Phones for Mobile and Web AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Laura Bekke moved into her new Amsterdam flat last week and declined to have a fixed phone line installed. Merijn Groenhart, a disc jockey in the same city, has lived without a home phone for over a year.$LABEL$3 +Playboy Posts Unused Google Excerpt to Web Site SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Playboy magazine on Tuesday posted to its Web site an unpublished portion from its interview with Google's founders, which raised regulatory eyebrows not for what it revealed, but for its timing -- just before the Internet search engine's much-anticipated initial public offering.$LABEL$3 +DoubleClick Signs on MSN to Use Its Rich Media Ads NEW YORK (Reuters) - A top executive for Web marketing company DoubleClick <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=DCLK.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">DCLK.O</A> on Tuesday said Microsoft Corp's <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=MSFT.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">MSFT.O</A> MSN Web portal will use its rich media ads online, paving the way for wider use of a key DoubleClick product.$LABEL$3 +New Project Shows Promise for Grape Growers By DAISY NGUYEN RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- Since the discovery five years ago that a ravenous insect was spreading grape-killing Pierce's Disease in California, grape growers have contributed millions of dollars to fund research projects they hope can end the scourge...$LABEL$3 +Early Heart Attacks Likelier in Smokers If you're under 40 and smoke, your risk of having a heart attack is significantly greater than someone your age who doesn't, a new study finds. According to the report, male smokers between the ages of 35 and 39 were almost five times as likely to have a nonfatal heart attack as were nonsmokers.$LABEL$3 +Draining Brain Toxins May Slow Alzheimer's Cognitive test scores remained stable in treated patients HealthDayNews -- Reducing levels of specific toxins in the brain may help stabilize cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients. That's the finding of preliminary research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease...$LABEL$3 +CA execs can keep bonuses--for now Computer Associates International shareholders vote down a proposal to recoup money paid to top execs during an accounting scandal.$LABEL$3 +Gartner sees solid server sales IBM, HP, Sun and Dell lead the market, which saw 7.7 percent revenue growth in the second quarter, compared with a year earlier.$LABEL$3 +Programs: for Stealth Lovers, 'Thief' Is a Steal (Reuters) Reuters - One of the joys of the games\in the ""Thief"" series is the ability to sneak up on opponents,\quietly take them out with a good knock on the noggin, and then\dump their body in the shadows so you can resume your hunt for\loot.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Women's Hoops Team Cruises Into Semis (AP) AP - Hushing a boisterous crowd with its all-around domination, the United States defeated Greece 102-72 Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Olympic women's basketball tournament. The Americans, seeking their third straight gold medal, will play Russia in the semifinals Friday.$LABEL$1 +Livewire: Beep! Beep! Ultra-Fast Broadband Is Here (Reuters) Reuters - For Rainer Kinnunen, life has been a bit\of a blur since he signed up for a superhigh-speed Internet\service three years ago.$LABEL$3 +Consumers Trade in Home Phones for Mobile and Web (Reuters) Reuters - Laura Bekke moved into her new\Amsterdam flat last week and declined to have a fixed phone\line installed. Merijn Groenhart, a disc jockey in the same\city, has lived without a home phone for over a year.$LABEL$3 +Soft Margins Cut Bombardier Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Second-quarter profit fell by\two-thirds at plane and train maker Bombardier Inc. (BBDb.TO)\as its regional aircraft business lagged a rebound in the\business jet market, the company said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +US Women's NBA stars get the message - gold or failure (AFP) AFP - Hours before the United States women's basketball Dream Team routed Greece 102-72 to reach the Olympic semi-finals, US captain Dawn Staley gathered the squad to make sure they knew the stakes.$LABEL$1 +Over 100 Arrested in U.S. Spam Crackdown (AP) AP - The Justice Department has made a series of arrests against purveyors of e-mail ""spam"" as part of a nationwide crackdown against Internet scam artists, a marketing group said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Gartner: Q2 server shipments up on Sun, Dell strength Server shipments and revenue increased in the second quarter as Sun Microsystems Inc. and Dell Inc. gained market share at the expense of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) and IBM Corp., according to research released by Gartner Inc. Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Intel Eyes Tri-Mode Wi-Fi (PC World) PC World - Upcoming chip set will support 802.11a, b, and g networks.$LABEL$3 +Typhoon Aere slams into China after claiming 12 lives elsewhere (AFP) AFP - Typhoon Aere slammed into China after killing at least 12 people in the region and forcing more than half a million Chinese to evacuate their homes and thousands of fishing boats to return to port.$LABEL$0 +Europeans on Ryder Cup Scramble at BMW (AP) AP - Sergio Garcia can afford to look relaxed at the BMW International Open. The Spaniard is one of six players to have sealed berths on the 12-man European Ryder Cup team that faces the United States at Oakland Hills in Michigan on Sept. 15-17.$LABEL$1 +Basketball: U.S., Russia Set for Semifinal Showdown ATHENS (Reuters) - The unbeaten U.S. women's basketball team cruised to another victory Wednesday, pummeling Greece 102-72 to advance to the Olympic semi-finals.$LABEL$1 +Japan Plans to Launch Spy Satellites (AP) AP - A Japanese government panel has approved plans to send two spy satellites into Earth's orbit beginning next year, a media report said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Williams-Sonoma Profit Up; Stock Jumps CHICAGO (Reuters) - Williams-Sonoma Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WSM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">WSM.N</A> on Wednesday posted a better-than-expected 55 percent increase in quarterly profit, sending its stock up 10 percent, as sales jumped at its Pottery Barn chain.$LABEL$2 +Soft Margins Cut Bombardier Profit MONTREAL (Reuters) - Second-quarter profit fell by two-thirds at plane and train maker Bombardier Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BBDb.TO target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BBDb.TO</A> as its regional aircraft business lagged a rebound in the business jet market, the company said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Montgomerie, Donald Paired in Ryder Cup Race MUNICH (Reuters) - The two favorites for a Ryder Cup wildcard, youngster Luke Donald and seven-time European number one Colin Montgomerie, have been paired for the first two rounds of the BMW International Open that begins Thursday.$LABEL$1 +AL Wrap: Matsui's Late Single Leads Yankees Past Indians NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hideki Matsui drove in the winning run with a ninth-inning single to earn the rallying New York Yankees a 5-4 victory over the host Cleveland Indians in the American League Tuesday.$LABEL$1 +Gymnastics: Russia Chief Blasts 'Judging Mafia' MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's gymnastics chief Leonid Arkayev has added his voice to a chorus of public opinion calling for major reforms in his sport, saying Olympic gymnasts are powerless against what he called ""judging mafia.$LABEL$1 +RIAA Cheers College Music Deals Penn State, Cornell University among those offering paid download services to students.$LABEL$3 +Prisoners 'to get Afghan trials' The US says many of the prisoners it is holding in Afghanistan will stand trial under Afghan law.$LABEL$0 +U.S. Cruises Past Greece The women's basketball team advances to the semifinals with a 102-72 win over Greece, which had heart, the home court and little else.$LABEL$1 +Australian Detainee Meets With Father GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The father of an imprisoned Australian cowboy accused of fighting with Afghanistan's ousted Taliban saw his son for the first time in five years Wednesday as he headed into an American military tribunal to face war crimes charges. David Hicks, 29, wore a suit and tie as he arrived for a tribunal hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit war crimes, aiding the enemy and attempted murder for allegedly firing at U.S...$LABEL$0 +Israel Wins First Olympic Gold A windsurfer whose first name means ""wave"" in Hebrew gave Israel its first Olympic gold medal ever Wednesday, taking a plunge in the Saronic Gulf to celebrate.$LABEL$1 +Pakhalina Leads Springboard Preliminaries Yulia Pakhalina of Russia leads the Olympic preliminaries of 3-meter springboard diving, beating out Canada's Blythe Hartley and China's Guo Jingjing.$LABEL$1 +Slyusareva Wins Women's Points Race Russia's Olga Slyusareva adds an Olympic gold medal to her collection of world championships, easily winning the points race Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Google Blesses Blogger Users with AdSense Advertising Google Blesses Blogger Users with AdSense Advertising\\Blogger, having replaced the default Google powered AdSense ads with a search enhanced Blogger task bar, has recently announced that they will now make Google AdSense advertisements available to Blogger members and other personal blog owners via a new program. Biz Stone, a Google ...$LABEL$3 +Friendster Names Ex-AOL Executive VP of Sales Friendster Names Ex-AOL Executive VP of Sales\\Friendster today announced that it has named Charles Barrett as Vice President of Sales, effective immediately. Charlie will oversee all aspects of advertising sales. His first initiatives will include building a world-class national ad sales team and creating new revenue producing programs. In addition, ...$LABEL$3 +Real Networks iTunes Price Cutting Bags 1 Million Sales Real Network's iTunes Price Cutting Bags 1 Million Sales\\Real Network's recent price cutting of iPod compatible song downloads may not be bringing profit to the company, but it is cutting into the iTunes market as well as carving their own song download market before Microsoft enters the picture. Real has ...$LABEL$3 +Infocus: Using Libwhisker This article discusses the use of Libwhisker, a PERL module which allows for the creation of custom HTTP packets and can be used for penetration testing various web applications.$LABEL$3 +Reactors Trim Radioactive Waste Researchers at a Department of Energy lab are developing fuel rods that could halve the amount of nuclear waste produced. That's good news for Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where 40 years' worth of radioactive material is slated to be stored. By John Gartner.$LABEL$3 +Copyright Bill Needs Big Changes Technology companies and public-interest groups want to narrow the scope of the controversial Induce Act to focus on those who engage in 'mass, indiscriminate infringing conduct.' By Katie Dean.$LABEL$3 +JibJab Is Free for You and Me Turns out that Ludlow Music, which claims to own the copyright on a classic Woody Gutherie song, may not actually own it after all. Which means JibJab, a scrappy web animation site, gets to use 'This Land Is Your Land' to its heart's content. By Katie Dean.$LABEL$3 +Poll: Voters Want Paper Trail Almost three-quarters of likely voters think electronic voting systems should produce a paper record the voter can verify, according to a new poll. But that's not likely to happen for many of them in November. By Laila Weir.$LABEL$3 +Attacking the Fourth Estate A series of subpoenas issued to reporters as part of the Justice Department's investigation of the leak of a CIA operative's identity seems more like a tactic of intimidation than legitimate information gathering. Commentary by Adam L. Penenberg.$LABEL$3 +Master of the Nerdiverse Craig Newmark could become a dot-org millionaire. He'd rather help you find a cheap sublet, a cool job and maybe even a date. By Josh McHugh from Wired magazine.$LABEL$3 +Music Services Score an A-Plus More colleges and universities are embracing music services for their students in an effort to cut down on peer-to-peer traffic that clogs school networks and puts students at risk for lawsuits. By Katie Dean.$LABEL$3 +The New American Idol Politics as usual? Hasta la vista, baby. The radical center has flexed its muscle in California, short-circuiting the parties and going directly to the people. Now it could sweep the nation. By Jill Stewart from Wired magazine.$LABEL$3 +Dozens Charged in Push Against Spam and Scams Federal and state law enforcement agencies have quietly arrested or charged dozens of people with crimes related to junk e-mail, identity theft and other online scams.$LABEL$3 +European Union Extends Review of Microsoft Deal Microsoft and Time Warner ran into fresh trouble in Europe today as antitrust regulators ordered an in-depth probe of their deal to collaborate in making anti-piracy software.$LABEL$3 +Polish Cops Bust Computer Piracy Gang Polish police have broken up a gang of more than 100 hackers who sold pirated music and films, using academic computer systems around the world.$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 3-Williams-Sonoma quarterly profit up; stock jumps Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a better-than-expected 55 percent increase in quarterly profit, sending its stock up 10 $LABEL$2 +Update 3: EU Probes Microsoft-Time Warner Deal Risking another trans-Atlantic tussle over Microsoft Corp., European Union antitrust regulators said Wednesday they were investigating whether the software giant #39;s deal with media conglomerate Time Warner Inc.$LABEL$2 +Seven Brokerages Fined Total \$3.65M by SEC Seven regional brokerage firms have been fined a total \$3.65 million by federal regulators for allegedly failing to disclose that they received payments for issuing research on certain companies, in a settlement announced Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Durable Goods Orders Up; Homes Sales Down Orders for US durable goods posted a larger-than-expected rise in July, but new home sales showed signs of buckling under the weight of higher interest rates, two government reports showed on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Soft Margins Cut Bombardier Profit Second-quarter profit fell by two-thirds at plane and train maker Bombardier Inc. (BBDb.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) as its regional aircraft business lagged a rebound $LABEL$2 +US Economy: July New Home Sales Fall, Durable Goods Rise US new home sales in July fell 6.4 percent to a 1.134 million annual rate, the year #39;s slowest pace and a sign housing may provide less fuel for the economy in coming months.$LABEL$2 +Gartner: Q2 server shipments up on Sun, Dell strength Server shipments and revenue increased in the second quarter as Sun Microsystems Inc. and Dell Inc. gained market share at the expense of Hewlett-Packard Co.$LABEL$2 +DoCoMo, Motorola Partner on 3G Phone US and Japanese mobile-phone giants Motorola and DoCoMo are teaming up to develop a FOMA handset that runs on GSM/GPRS networks. The third-generation device will allow Japanese business users $LABEL$3 +CA execs can keep bonuses--for now Computer Associates International shareholders on Wednesday struck down a proposal to recoup money paid out to executives during a long-running accounting scandal.$LABEL$3 +Intel Eyes Tri-Mode Wi-Fi Fulfilling a long-time goal, Intel is set to introduce this week its first chipset that supports all three current forms of Wi-Fi, according to sources familiar with the announcement.$LABEL$3 +Israel celebrates joy of first gold medal Israel has celebrated its first Olympic gold medal, saying Gal Fridman #39;s win gave pride and joy to Jewish people around the world.$LABEL$1 +Cricket: Officials Call Off Australia-Pakistan Match Due to Heavy <b>...</b> Organizers in Amstelveen, the Netherlands have called off the cricket match between Australia and Pakistan after heavy rain overnight soaked the pitch.$LABEL$1 +Cricket: Herath puts South Africa in spin DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka : Little-known spinner Rangana Herath grabbed three wickets as Sri Lanka boosted their chances of wrapping up the one-day series when they restricted South Africa to a modest 191 in the third match here.$LABEL$1 +Anky van Grunsven continues domination in dressage Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands successfully defended her gold medal in the individual dressage event on Wednesday at the Olympics.$LABEL$1 +Michael Reiziger out with shoulder injury MIDDLESBROUGH, Aug 24 (SW) - Michael Reiziger will be sidelined for the coming six to eight weeks. The player dislocated his shoulder a few weeks ago and is unable to play on.$LABEL$1 +Quarter million Chinese flee typhoon Typhoon Aere made landfall in southeastern China Wednesday after killing five people and flooding Taiwan, the BBC reported. The storm system packing winds of 86 mph and gusts $LABEL$0 +Occupation army invades Nablus, detains leader of al-Aqsa group The Israeli occupation army yesterday renewed its invasion of Nablus city to the north of the West Bank and imposed curfew, while the Israeli military vehicles were deployed intensively in several areas of the city.$LABEL$0 +Guantanamo detainee visits with parents An Australian detainee being arraigned Wednesday before a US military commission on charges of attempted murder and aiding al Qaeda met with his parents, their first visit together in five years.$LABEL$0 +Hungarian prime minister resigns, pre-empting ouster (AFP) AFP - Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy resigned, pre-empting a move by his ruling Socialist party to oust him in a no-confidence vote in parliament next month.$LABEL$0 +Olympic Gold's Price: #36;12 Bln for Athens (Reuters) Reuters - The Athens Olympics will cost a total of\almost 10 billion euros ( #36;12.09 billion), more than double the\original target, pushing Greece's budget gap well above EU\limits, finance ministry sources said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Militants Threaten Turkish Hostages' Lives (AP) AP - Militants in Iraq are threatening to kill two Turkish hostages if their company does not withdraw from the country within three days, Turkish media reported Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Sardine Migration One of Nature's Great Wonders (Reuters) Reuters - Once a year the\normally-tranquil waters off South Africa's balmy east coast\bubble as billions of sardines migrate north with sharks and\dolphins in hot pursuit.$LABEL$3 +Ad watchdog warns Microsoft to 'Get the Facts' Linux 10 times more expensive? U.K. standards body says company's ""Get the Facts"" ad campaign may be misleading.$LABEL$3 +Virgin plans China mobile service Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has said the group is in talks with a Chinese company over setting up a mobile phone service in mainland China.$LABEL$2 +CA shareholders reject compensation proposal Computer Associates shareholders have defeated a stockholder proposal calling for current and former executives to return bonuses based on restated results, the company said.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Up on Conflicting Economic Reports Stocks inched higher in quiet trading Wednesday as a pair of government reports offered conflicting signals about the economy and oil prices declined.$LABEL$2 +Second-Quarter Server Sales Grow 8 Economic worries notwithstanding, the server market continued to grow at a healthy clip in the second quarter, according to research firm Gartner.$LABEL$2 +Brokerage unit saps H amp;R Block but will it be sold? A day after H amp;R Block Inc. (HRB.N: Quote, Profile, Research) reported its first-quarter loss some analysts wondered if the largest US tax preparation firm would consider selling its brokerage business.$LABEL$2 +Applebee #39;s: Olympics ate our sales Applebee #39;s International Inc. shares fell more than 4 percent Wednesday after the restaurant company reported weak August sales and said it expects the Olympics will hurt sales for the first week of September.$LABEL$2 +Windows XP Service Pack 2 Comes Complete With Errors Microsoft began rolling out SP2 last week, claiming that the software offers the latest security #39;innovations, #39; fixes several major security holes, and provides new protective features.$LABEL$3 +DoCoMo, Motorola to build FOMA/GSM handset Increasing NTT DoCoMo #39;s reach outside Japan, the Japanese carrier has partnered with Motorola to build a 3G FOMA phone that also does GSM/GPRS.$LABEL$3 +Sheepish portraits can calm woolly nerves London - British scientists have found a seemingly unlikely way to soothe anxious sheep, a report said on Wednesday - by showing them photographs of other sheep.$LABEL$3 +Tiny telescope spots giant planet A tiny telescope has spotted a giant planet circling a faraway star, using a technique that could open a new phase of planetary discovery, according to scientists.$LABEL$3 +JibJab Is Free For You and Me Ludlow Music dropped its demands that JibJab, a small web animation site, stop using Woody Guthrie #39;s quot;This Land is Your Land quot; in a satirical Flash cartoon.$LABEL$3 +Japan win baseball bronze Japan #39;s all-professional team have overpowered newcomers Canada 11-2 to win the Olympic baseball bronze medal, restoring some of their pride following a shock 1-0 semi-final loss to Australia.$LABEL$1 +Don #39;t do the math in the Hamm controversy If everybody always agreed with me, there wouldn #39;t be any sense in writing a column. So in the true Olympic spirit, it #39;s your turn.$LABEL$1 +Van Grunsven wins sixth equestrian medal Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands successfully defended her Olympic title Wednesday by winning the individual dressage competition.$LABEL$1 +Thatcher #39;s son arrested over coup plot claims Mark Thatcher, the son of the former prime minister Baroness Thatcher, has been arrested at his home in Cape Town . South African authorities say he has been detained by police investigating an alleged coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea .$LABEL$0 +Passengers face more delays British Airways has cancelled four domestic flights as the effects of yesterday #39;s problems continued to disrupt operations from Heathrow.$LABEL$0 +Israeli FM praises French fight against anti-Semitism Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom said here Wednesday that he was confident French authorities are making every effort to fight against anti-Semitism.$LABEL$0 +PM Shujaat tenders resignation, federal cabinet dissolved ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat has resigned from his office and the federal cabinet has also been dissolved. The national assembly will elect the leader of the house on Friday while the new prime minister will take oath on Saturday.$LABEL$0 +Instant Messaging On Rise at Work and Mobile Instant Messaging On Rise at Work and Mobile\\Instant Message use in the workplace and on mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) is on the rise, according to a new survey from America Online Inc. The second annual survey on instant messaging use in America, released today by the world's ...$LABEL$3 +RIAA Cheers College Music Deals (PC World) PC World - Penn State, Cornell University among those offering paid download services to students.$LABEL$3 +Britain to deploy fighter planes to Afghanistan (AFP) AFP - Britain said it would deploy six Royal Air Force Harrier jets to Afghanistan, the first time it has sent combat planes to the country following the fall of the Taliban regime.$LABEL$0 +Server Sales Continue to Soar (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - According to Gartner, worldwide server revenue increased in the second quarter by 7.7 percent over the year-ago period, and server shipments jumped 24.5 percent.$LABEL$3 +Gardner Unable to Defend His Olympic Title ATHENS (Reuters) - U.S. heavyweight Rulon Gardner lost his Olympic title Wednesday after being beaten in the semi-final stage of the 120kg Greco-Roman wrestling event by Georgiy Tsurtsumia of Kazakhstan.$LABEL$1 +Spokane diocese files for bankruptcy By becoming only the third diocese nationally to seek shelter in bankruptcy court, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane is hoping the court will help provide a clearer picture of its financial liability in mounting sex-abuse lawsuits and goad its $LABEL$2 +Singapore Air Sets \$7.35 Bln Boeing Order SINGAPORE/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SIAL.SI target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">SIAL.SI</A> plans to buy up to 31 Boeing Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BA.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BA.N</A> long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Sick Serbians Bow Out in Volleyball ATHENS (Reuters) - Reigning champions Serbia and Montenegro, hit by a virus, were eliminated from the men's Olympic volleyball tournament Wednesday in an outstanding match with Russia.$LABEL$1 +Gambro Sells US Clinics Business Gambro, the Swedish medical technology group controlled by the Wallenberg family, on Tuesday confirmed the sale of its US dialysis clinics business to DaVita and also unveiled $LABEL$2 +Churches 'snap up Passion DVDs' Makers of The Passion of the Christ are tempting US churches with bulk orders, says The New York Times.$LABEL$0 +A Small Cap for Any Market The market may be stuck in neutral, but your portfolio doesn't have to be.$LABEL$2 +Iraq's Leading Shiite Cleric Looks to Broker Deal With Rebels Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani returned after surgery, raising hopes that the rebellion led by Moktada al-Sadr would be resolved.$LABEL$0 +Jury Rules WTC Attacks Were Two Events; Silverstein May Recover 2x <b>...</b> The second of three scheduled trials to determine the amount of the recovery for the destruction of the World Trade Center #39;s twin towers ended in a victory for master lease holder Silverstein Properties, and its head Larry Silverstein.$LABEL$2 +Hollywood battles DVD chip makers Hollywood has made legal moves against two chip makers in its bid to combat DVD piracy.$LABEL$3 +US cracks down on spam mountain John Ashcroft, the attorney General of the US, is expected to announce on Thursday dozens of lawsuits against alleged spammers following a low key campaign against the practise across the US.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Pulls Out of UN Talks In an e-mail message sent Monday to two officials of the UN standards group, Dave Welsh, a Microsoft program manager, wrote: quot;Microsoft regularly evaluates its standards participation and its $LABEL$3 +Bad Hair Day for Sir Mark First, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was caught in his pyjamas when police raided his Cape Town home. Then he was robbed in a holding cell while waiting to be charged with helping finance a foiled coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Italian troops to stay on in Iraq despite hostage ultimatum The Italian government said Tuesday it would maintain its 3,000 troops in Iraq despite an ultimatum from a radical Muslim group holding an Italian journalist and demanding that Rome withdraw its forces within 48 hours.$LABEL$0 +Bills QB Losman to Have Surgery on Leg (AP) AP - Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback J.P. Losman will have surgery Thursday to repair the left leg he broke in practice.$LABEL$1 +Nigerian Senate Orders Shell Unit to Pay (AP) AP - Nigeria's Senate has ordered a subsidiary of petroleum giant Royal/Dutch Shell to pay a Nigerian ethnic group #36;1.5 billion for oil spills in their homelands, but the legislative body can't enforce the resolution, an official said Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Australian Taliban charged at US military tribunal after meeting family (AFP) AFP - A US military tribunal charged Australian Taliban fighter David Hicks with warcrimes after he was allowed to meet his family for the first time in five years.$LABEL$0 +Report: Iraqi Official's In-Law Abducted (AP) AP - Militants said Wednesday they had kidnapped the brother-in-law of Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan and demanded he end all military operations in the holy city of Najaf, according to a video, Al-Jazeera television reported. The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified.$LABEL$0 +Accreditation Team Criticizes U. of Ill. (AP) AP - A panel from the association that accredits the University of Illinois chastised the school Wednesday for failing to resolve the long-standing controversy over its American Indian mascot, which supporters argue is an honored tradition and others say is racially offensive.$LABEL$1 +Edwards Stumps in Democratic Stronghold (AP) AP - Vice presidential candidate John Edwards on Wednesday sought to assure black supporters that he and John Kerry have ""fought for this community our entire lives"" #151; and would continue doing so #151; on a day devoted to reaching out to the base in the Democratic stronghold of northeast Ohio.$LABEL$0 +GM Pulls 'Jack Flash' Corvette Ad DETROIT (Reuters) - Protests from seven safety groups prompted General Motors Corp. to pull a television ad that shows a young boy driving a Corvette sports car so recklessly that it goes airborne, officials of the automaker said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Boeing and Airbus clash The US and the EU have agreed to hold further talks in order to avoid legal action in the trade dispute over government support for Airbus and Boeing.$LABEL$2 +Canada bank, Banknorth talk \$2B deal Canada #39;s Toronto Dominion Bank said Wednesday it is in talks with US-based Banknorth Group about a possible deal, while a published report said the two parties are in advanced negotiations that could lead to a \$2.$LABEL$2 +Williams-Sonoma Delivers Value If you received a cool catalog in the mail recently, most likely it came from one of the companies under the umbrella of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM).$LABEL$2 +Boston Scientific Gets FDA Balloon OK Medical device company Boston Scientific Corp. said Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration granted the company US marketing clearance for its peripheral cutting balloon microsurgical dilation device to improve blood flow to diseased kidneys.$LABEL$2 +Investors Pull Out of Homebuilder Stocks Investors pulled out of homebuilder stocks on Wednesday after a pair of economic reports on the pace of home sales indicated the once-hot market might be cooling.$LABEL$2 +Smucker Spreads It On Thick The latest earnings report from jam specialist JM Smucker (NYSE: SJM) heralds quot;Record First Quarter Results. quot; Read carefully, though.$LABEL$2 +Beer Shows Its quot;Metal quot; Early 2000 we took a look at beermeister Miller as it prepared to take some of its nice, cold, frosty brew doggies out of their traditional glass bottles and aluminum $LABEL$2 +Key Windows update fully rolls out Computer giant Microsoft has fully rolled out its crucial security update to computers running its Windows XP. Last week, it quot;soft launched quot; Service Pack 2 (SP2) security update, making it available for some $LABEL$3 +Motorola, DoCoMo Team For 3G Handsets Motorola and NTT DoCoMo plan to target Japanese business travelers with a new 3G handset next spring that will run on W-CDMA and GSM networks.$LABEL$3 +Update 8: Justice Dept. Cracks Down Internet Crime The Justice Department on Wednesday shut down a network allegedly used to illegally share copyrighted music, movies, software and games and, separately, has embarked a nationwide campaign against purveyors of e-mail quot;spam.$LABEL$3 +Semiconductor Sales Booming in 2004 Worldwide semiconductor sales will reach US\$226 billion in 2004, a 27.4 percent increase from 2003, according to the latest prediction from Gartner.$LABEL$3 +WS-I tackles Web services attachments Standards body the Web Services Interoperability Organization, or WS-I, on Tuesday published updated standards compliance guidelines for applications that use file attachments.$LABEL$3 +Hollywood battles DVD chip makers The Motion Picture Association of America #39;s (MPAA) campaign against movie piracy has taken another turn after it confirmed it was suing two chip makers.$LABEL$3 +One dream inspires El Guerrouj Throughout the chilly Moroccan winter, one dream burned bright for Hicham El Guerrouj as he trained in the thin air of the Atlas mountains.$LABEL$1 +Fridman: #39;My Dream has Come True #39; Gal Fridman today added a glorious chapter to Israels tragic Olympic history and sent a nation into delirious bewilderment by winning their first ever gold medal.$LABEL$1 +Bayley wins Keirin gold medal, capping Australia #39;s golden show Australia #39;s Ryan Bayley won the men #39;s Keirin final Wednesday, becoming the only cyclist to win two individual gold medals at the Athens Games.$LABEL$1 +Athletics: She #39;s the Bahamas #39; darling ATHENS - Tonique Williams-Darling has claimed the Bahamas #39; first individual athletics gold by blasting to the women #39;s 400m title.$LABEL$1 +Argentina Continues to Stifle, Will Play for Gold rgentina swept aside Italy, 3-0, yesterday in Athens to advance to the final of the Olympic men #39;s soccer tournament without conceding a goal in five games.$LABEL$1 +NATO says #39;so far so good #39; on Olympic security BRUSSELS : NATO remains on alert to protect the Olympics from extremists, even if no incidents have occurred and the perceived threat remains low as the Games move into their last few days, an official said.$LABEL$1 +Not Normal Routine for Gymnastics The gymnastics competition at the 2004 Olympic Games produced some extraordinary performances, but ultimately was overshadowed by judging controversies that pitted nation against $LABEL$1 +Son of #39;Iron Lady #39; a coup plotter? Former British PM Margaret Thatcher #39;s son arrested in South Africa for possible connection to alleged coup plot. After numerous rumors and allegations linking him to a plan to overthrow the leader of oil-rich $LABEL$0 +Sistani returns as US forces trap Mehdi Army Iraq #39;s Shi #39;a spiritual leader rushed back from abroad on Wednesday to quot;save Najaf quot; after American forces smashed militia defences to trap hundreds of supporters of rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the city #39;s shrine.$LABEL$0 +2 More Nations Report Polio Cases Cases of polio have been found in Mali and Guinea, bringing to 12 the number of African countries recently reinfected by an ongoing polio epidemic in Nigeria.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan #39;s caretaker PM resigns Pakistan #39;s interim Prime Minister Chaudhry Shaujaat Hussain has announced his resignation, paving the way for his successor Shauket Aziz.$LABEL$0 +Washington ignores North #39;s verbal attacks Washington shrugged off harsh verbal attacks from North Korea against US President George W. Bush, saying that the insults would not hinder efforts to end nuclear crisis on the peninsula.$LABEL$0 +WHO Official Seeks More Money for Bird Flu The world #39;s wealthier nations must contribute more money and intellectual power to fighting bird flu or risk a worldwide epidemic that spreads to people, a Vietnam-based official from the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Israelis to Expand West Bank Settlements Description: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he is committed to dismantling Jewish settlements in Gaza. But Israel says it will continue to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and cites the tacit approval of the Bush administration.$LABEL$0 +BA services #39;back to normal #39; British Airways today said it had resumed normal service for most of its operations as it reduced the number of cancelled flights to four.$LABEL$0 +Pakistan PM makes way for Aziz Pakistan #39;s caretaker prime minister has resigned and his cabinet dissolved in a formality to allow the finance minister to take over as head of the government.$LABEL$0 +Fuji Readies 16X DVDs (PC World) PC World - Fuji joins the fray of makers of 16X DVD media with scheduled fall release.$LABEL$3 +Hurt Leopold Off U.S. Team at World Cup (AP) AP - Jordan Leopold of the Calgary Flames pulled out of the World Cup on Wednesday because of a concussion, the third key defenseman lost by the defending champion United States.$LABEL$1 +'Super Earth' Discovered at Nearby Star (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - In a discovery that has left one expert stunned, European astronomers have \ found one of the smallest planets known outside our solar system, a world about \ 14 times the mass of our own around a star much like the Sun.$LABEL$3 +U.S. Overcomes Cuban Jamming of Broadcasts (AP) AP - The Bush administration has successfully overcome Cuban jamming of U.S. government radio and television broadcasts through transmission from a military aircraft, the State Department said Monday.$LABEL$0 +Sky Capture: How NASA Will Bring Genesis Down to Earth (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - An experienced team of pilots, engineers and scientists are relying on a reinforced skydiving parachute and a helicopter's hook to safely return the first samples from space since the Apollo era.$LABEL$3 +OmniVision's No Flash in the Pan The specialty chip maker predicts a lean transition quarter, but it plans a rebound in 2005.$LABEL$2 +Prosecutors Seize Medical Files of Greek Sprint Stars Prosecutors seize the hospital records of two Greek sprinting stars who withdrew from the Olympics after they missed a doping test and were involved in a suspicious motorcycle accident.$LABEL$1 +Door open for silicon replacement A breakthrough in the way scientists make crystals could lead to a replacement for silicon in chips for devices.$LABEL$3 +Card fraud prevention 'pays off' Fraud on UK credit cards has fallen - but identity fraud is on the up, a survey from analysts Datamonitor finds.$LABEL$3 +Europeans investigate Microsoft #39;s intentions The European Commission announced Wednesday it will extend an antitrust investigation of a move by Microsoft and Time Warner to take control of technology that could help the music and movie industries fight piracy.$LABEL$2 +Windows XP SP2 Has a Dangerous Hole Windows XP Service Pack 2 promises to raise the security bar for the sometimes beleaguered operating system. Unfortunately, one of the new features could be spoofed so that it reports misleading information $LABEL$3 +Tiny telescope spots new Jupiter-sized planet WASHINGTON - Astronomers have used a network of small telescopes to discover a planet circling a far-off star. quot;This discovery demonstrates that even humble telescopes can make huge contributions to planet $LABEL$3 +Ad claimed Linux 10 times more expensive than Windows LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - A Microsoft advertisement claiming that the Linux operating system is much more expensive to operate than its own Windows was found to be misleading by the a UK regulator on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Real Sells 1 Million Songs in First Week of Promotion RealNetworks says it sold a million songs in the first week of its 49-cent-per-track promotion. The digital-media firm also signed agreements with the University of California at Berkeley and $LABEL$3 +Liverpool Progresses to Champions League; Monaco, Inter Advance Four-time champion Liverpool progressed to soccer #39;s Champions League 2-1 on aggregate, overcoming a 1-0 home defeat to AK Graz in the second leg of qualifying.$LABEL$1 +Justice Dept. Cracks Down on Internet Crime Moving against Internet crime, the Justice Department on Wednesday disrupted a network allegedly used to illegally share copyrighted files and was engaged in a series of arrests against purveyors of e-mail ""spam."" <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-AP</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Music Industry Sues 744 More for File Sharing The trade group representing the\U.S. music industry has filed a new round of lawsuits against\744 people it alleges used online file-sharing networks to\illegally trade in copyrighted materials, it said on Wednesday. <FONT face=""verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica"" size=""-2"" color=""#666666""><B>-Reuters</B></FONT>$LABEL$3 +Squeezing Out Monkey Clones Researchers who once dismissed another team's cloning method used the disputed process to create monkey embryos. By Kristen Philipkoski.$LABEL$3 +Smallest 'Earth-like' planet seen European scientists have discovered what they describe as the smallest Earth-like planet orbiting a star outside of our Solar System.$LABEL$3 +Door open for silicon replacement A breakthrough in the way scientists make crystals could lead to a replacement for silicon in electronic devices.$LABEL$3 +Site Bars Black Box Voting Head A politically progressive website at the forefront of discussions about electronic-voting machines and election irregularities is barring Black Box Voting founder Bev Harris from posting to its site. By Joanna Glasner.$LABEL$3 +Open-source developers focus on accessibility KDE'S developers unveil plans to make things easier for people with disabilities through their Linux desktop software.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: WS-I tackles Web services attachments roundup Plus: Newspaper sites take up paid search ads...Microsoft IPTV to woo Swiss test group...Sony speeds up Memory Stick cards...Real touts one week, 1 million songs.$LABEL$3 +WS-I tackles Web services attachments Standards body publishes three technical compliance guidlines regarding how attached files exchange data.$LABEL$3 +Amazon to sell AT T's Net phone service Second such partnership in one week underscores the importance of VoIP in Ma Bell's long-term plans.$LABEL$3 +Justice Department Cracks Down On Spammers It disrupted a network allegedly used to illegally share copyrighted files and is making a series of arrests against purveyors of spam.$LABEL$3 +China's Inbreeding Pandas to Be Given More Space (Reuters) Reuters - China is trying to stop its pandas,\rebounding from the brink of extinction, from inbreeding by\building them a giant safari park, Xinhua news agency said on\Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +US Military, Spy Satellites Need More Coordination (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. troops increasingly rely on\data collected by satellites, but the intelligence and military\communities lack a process for coordinating which technologies\to fund, an Air Force official said on Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Roads Go Wild, Get Safer No street signs. No crosswalks. No accidents. Surprise: Making driving seem more dangerous could make it safer. By Tom McNichol from Wired magazine.$LABEL$3 +Japan's Hot Springs Sullied by Scandal (AP) AP - For at least four centuries, the rust-colored waters that bubble out of the mountainside behind the Ikaho Shrine have been as good as gold to this little spa village. Shared by dozens of inns, the spring waters are among the most venerable in the country.$LABEL$0 +Hurricane Charley Leaves Cuba \$1 Billion Bill HAVANA (Reuters) - Hurricane Charley caused more than \$1 billion in damage to Havana and its surrounding provinces when it roared through western Cuba on Aug. 13, killing four people, a leader of the ruling Communist Party said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Intel Unit Members Faulted in Iraq Abuse WASHINGTON - Twenty-seven members of an intelligence unit at Abu Ghraib prison either requested or condoned certain abuses of Iraqi prisoners there, an Army investigation found. ""We discovered serious misconduct and a loss of moral values,"" said Gen...$LABEL$0 +Stocks Up on Conflicting Economic Reports NEW YORK - Stocks inched higher in quiet trading Wednesday as a pair of government reports offered conflicting signals about the economy and oil prices declined. Despite the modest rise in share prices, investors have been in no hurry to commit new money to stocks...$LABEL$0 +Video Feeds Follow Podcasting Just as people currently use newsreaders to read syndicated text from blogs and news sites, a few hackers are creating applications that let users view syndicated video feeds. Think of it as TiVocasting. By Daniel Terdiman.$LABEL$3 +Atlanta Fed chief sees respectable US job growth Atlanta Federal Reserve President Jack Guynn said on Wednesday he expected quot;respectable quot; US job growth in the coming months.$LABEL$2 +Singapore Air signs \$7 billion Boeing deal SINGAPORE Singapore Airlines, Asia #39;s fourth-largest carrier, said on Wednesday that it had chosen Boeing to supply as many as 31 new long-range jetliners, a deal that could be worth more than \$7 billion to the US aerospace company.$LABEL$2 +Sprint, Mediacom agreement could lead to wireless reseller deal Sprint Corp. announced a multiyear agreement with the countrys eighth-largest cable operator Mediacom Communications Corp., enabling Mediacom to provide telephony services in nearly all of its markets currently covering 2.7 million homes in 23 states.$LABEL$2 +Global server sales up in second quarter Global sales of servers, powerful computers used by large companies, rose 7.7 percent in the second quarter to \$11.55 billion (6.4 billion pounds) as demand for information technology remained strong after a three-year downturn $LABEL$3 +Fuji Readies 16X DVDs Fuji Photo Film, better known by its FujiFilm brand name, will begin selling 16X DVDR media and double-layer DVDR media later this year.$LABEL$3 +Report: US Leads in Spam Production The United States tops the quot;Dirty Dozen quot; list of spam-producing countries released by security firm Sophos. quot;The problem is that there is so much money to be made with spam, and it is very $LABEL$3 +Custom-System Builders: Intel Price Cuts Move Processor Sweet Spot System builders say Intel #39;s latest price cuts will help them clear out old inventory and should move the sweet spot of the company #39;s processor lineup to the 3GHz Pentium 4 from the 2.8GHz Pentium 4. After $LABEL$3 +Sam Kellerman / FOXSports.com Posted: 2 minutes ago I confess that I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to women #39;s beach volleyball. In fact, I know only one thing about the sport - that it is the supreme aesthetic experience available on planet Earth.$LABEL$1 +Countdown to Spa. As the F1 circus leaves Hungary in Eastern Europe, the build up begins to F1s eagerly awaited return to the great Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium this weekend.$LABEL$1 +Iran #39;s Supreme Leader Warns US About Najaf Siege Iran #39;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the United States is facing what he called quot;decades of hatred quot; in the Islamic world because of the US-led military siege in the Iraqi Shi #39;ite holy city of Najaf.$LABEL$0 +The semantics of Israeli occupation Every few months, an Israeli official creates a public-relations nightmare for government spokesmen by simply pointing out the obvious.$LABEL$0 +H R Block Files One Away Declining mortgage margins sink the tax-preparation specialist's first quarter.$LABEL$2 +Second Career for Old Robot: Art A German art group reprograms old assembly-line robots to become autonomous artists. The machines draw, spin tunes and dance in public. The group wants to show that the industrial beasts can create beauty. By David Cohn.$LABEL$3 +Open source makes noise Developers forum looks at Linux for the disabled. Also: Microsoft chided for ad campaign.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft wraps up MOM 2005 management tool Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it has finished work on Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005, a major update to its MOM 2000 performance management software.$LABEL$3 +Italian transport minister in call to unions over Alitalia crisis (AFP) AFP - Italian Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi urged trade unions to cooperate in efforts to end the crisis at Alitalia, warning that the government had already done all it could.$LABEL$0 +Florida E-Vote Study Debunked Statisticians release an analysis debunking a previous Berkeley study that said President Bush received more votes than he should have in Florida counties that used touch-screen voting machines. By Kim Zetter.$LABEL$3 +Nigerian Senate orders Shell to pay 1.5 billion dollar compensation (AFP) AFP - The Nigerian Senate has ordered Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell to pay 1.5 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) compensation for damages caused by nearly 60 years of exploration in the Niger Delta, a Senate document said.$LABEL$0 +Sunlight to Fuel Hydrogen Future Solar power these days comes from cells that turn light into electricity, but researchers are now working on materials that can crank out hydrogen. By John Gartner.$LABEL$3 +Seeking a Sleeping Giant (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles Times - BAMIAN, Afghanistan #8212; Archeologist Zemaryalai Tarzi can barely bring himself to look at the ravaged cliff face where two ancient Buddhas towered until the Taliban infamously blasted them to bits.$LABEL$0 +Plans to Expand Settlements Spark Anger (AP) AP - The recent announcement of plans to add more than 1,800 housing units to West Bank settlements may have sparked world anger, but on the ground it's just business as usual. The fact is #151; settlement building never stopped.$LABEL$0 +Civilian aircraft keep US factories busy in July (AFP) AFP - Roaring demand for civilian planes added thrust to the US manufacturing sector in July, government figures showed, an encouraging sign for factories.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Shrugs Off Overvalued U.S. Housing NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar so far has brushed off signs the U.S. property market could be overheating as house prices keep rising quickly and consumer demand stays robust.$LABEL$2 +Basketball: U.S., Russia, Brazil in Semifinals ATHENS (Reuters) - The unbeaten U.S. women's basketball team cruised to another victory Wednesday, pummeling Greece 102-72 to advance to the Olympic semifinals where it will meet Russia.$LABEL$1 +Top Seed Federer Handed Tough Opener at U.S. Open NEW YORK (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer faces a stern test in the first round of the U.S. Open after being pitted against Spaniard Albert Costa in Wednesday's draw.$LABEL$1 +Shell increases 2004 spending in Europe LONDON -- Royal Dutch/Shell Group on Wednesday announced a \$150 million increase in the amount of money it will spend in 2004 on exploration and production in Europe, bringing the total to \$1.$LABEL$2 +Possible Bank Merger: Banknorth, TD Bank are in talks Canada #39;s TD Bank Financial Group says it #39;s discussing a quot;possible transaction quot; with Portland, Maine-based Banknorth Group.$LABEL$2 +FDA OKs Boston Scientific Cutting Balloon Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it received US regulatory approval for a device to treat complications that arise in patients with end-stage kidney disease who need dialysis.$LABEL$2 +H amp;R Block Files One Away One quarterly earnings report cannot make or break a company. Sure, it can provide a fair depiction of a company #39;s current state of affairs, but by definition it is a backward-looking tool.$LABEL$2 +Civilian aircraft keep US factories busy in July WASHINGTON : Roaring demand for civilian planes added thrust to the US manufacturing sector in July, government figures showed, an encouraging sign for factories.$LABEL$2 +Northwest Sues Sabre Over Contract Northwest Airlines Corp. said Wednesday it is suing Sabre Travel Network for breach of contract in a Minnesota district court. The airline alleges the unit of Sabre Holdings Corp.$LABEL$2 +Stocks stick close to the flatline The Dow Jones industrial average is down four points at ten-thousand-94. Decliners on the New York Stock Exchange hold a narrow lead over advancers.$LABEL$2 +Microsoft Releases MOM 2005 to Manufacturing Microsoft on Wednesday reached another milestone in its multiyear Dynamic Systems Initiative when it released to manufacturing the latest version of its Microsoft Operations Manager.$LABEL$2 +Toll Brothers #39; profit soars 56 HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. (Dow Jones/AP) -- Toll Brothers Inc. Wednesday said profit for its latest quarter surged 56 percent as demand for new luxury homes remained strong.$LABEL$2 +TCS shares close at 16 premium on debut Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, and Mr S. Ramadorai, Managing Director, look at the TCS shares being listed on the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Citigroup Resets \$1.18 Billion Credit for Cinram International Citigroup Inc. refinanced a \$1.18 billion credit facility for Cinram International Inc., the world #39;s second-biggest maker of digital video disks, that will reduce the company #39;s borrowing costs, the company said.$LABEL$2 +Justice Dept. Cracks Down Internet Crime WASHINGTON Aug. 25, 2004 - Federal agents seized computers and software Wednesday as part of an investigation targeting an Internet network used to illegally share copyrighted music, movies, software and games, Attorney General John Ashcroft said.$LABEL$3 +Gartner sees solid server sales Global revenue from server sales climbed to \$11.5 billion in the second quarter, according to new data from Gartner. This represents a 7.7 percent revenue increase over the same period last year, the market researcher said Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +New Technique to Advance Semiconductors In an advance that could lead to lighter spacecraft and smarter cars, researchers have developed a new technique for producing a high-quality semiconductor that #39;s much more resistant to extreme conditions than the silicon found in most of today #39;s $LABEL$3 +Under Fire, CA Pledges To Right Its Ship Facing palatable shareholder anger, top executives of Computer Associates International pledged Wednesday to add 150 new employees to aid its channel efforts and to overcome distractions created by the accounting scandal that continues to haunt the company $LABEL$3 + #39;Super Earth-like #39; planet discovered PARIS - European astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of what they say is the smallest known planet orbiting a star other than our sun.$LABEL$3 +Best Software overhauls Act Best Software launched this week an overhaul of its Act contact management software, adding to the product line a second version with more scalability and advanced functionality.$LABEL$3 +WS-I Addresses Web Services Attachments Interoperability The Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I) on Tuesday announced three new profiles have been published as quot;Final Material: quot; Basic Profile 1.1, Attachments Profile 1.0, and Simple SOAP Binding Profile 1.0.$LABEL$3 +Webcam worm watches from afar A new version of an old computer worm has a nasty twist, anti-virus firm Sophos warned on Monday. The Rbot-GR worm can use webcams attached to infected computers to spy on users.$LABEL$3 +Athletics: Champion of champions quot;Hee-sham! Hee-sham! Hee-sham! quot; they called, pressing flesh against the chest-high fence that separates the champions from the hordes in the belly of the Olympic Stadium.$LABEL$1 +Record Run Gives American Joanna Hayes Hurdles Gold Joanna Hayes of the United States stamped her authority on a chaotic Olympic 100 meters hurdles competition when she blazed to the gold medal in a Games record 12.$LABEL$1 +Isinbayeva cleared high five OLYMPIC pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva said today she cleared five metres in training earlier this year under competition conditions, nine centimetres more than the world record she set in winning gold in Athens.$LABEL$1 +Hicks fronts military commission DAVID Hicks, the Australian accused of fighting with the Taliban, appeared before a US military commission panel overnight, with defence lawyers challenging the impartiality of one panel member once praised for quot;tracking and killing quot; Taliban fighters.$LABEL$0 +Bali bombers may be brought here THE Australian Government may try to bring those behind the Bali bombings to Australia for trial if they avoid jail time in Indonesia.$LABEL$0 +New Polio Cases Reported in Sudan Global health officials say war-torn Sudan is one of three sub-Saharan African countries reporting new cases of polio. The new polio virus is believed to the same strain registered in a major outbreak in northern Nigeria.$LABEL$0 +Rebels lift blockade, warn of more Maoists rebels have lifted a blockade that cut Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu off from the rest of the country for a week. In a statement released Tuesday, however, the rebels warned the $LABEL$0 +Former Enron Executive Will Pay \$1.49 Million Enron Corp. #39;s former director of investor relations has agreed to pay \$1.49 million to settle fraud charges related to the bankrupt energy company, US securities regulators said on Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Can You Live with Windows XP SP2? Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Microsoft Windows XP is expected to start showing up on many more desktops today (Wednesday 8/25), as Microsoft starts to deliver it to XP Professional users who have automatic updates turned on, as well as via Windows Update.$LABEL$3 +It #39;s out there somewhere Astronomers are claiming to have found a quot;super-Earth quot; orbiting a star some 50 light years away. They say the finding could significantly boost the hunt for worlds beyond our Solar System.$LABEL$3 +Briefly: Music promoter offers concert downloads Music promoter the Mean Fiddler has signed a deal with Universal Records that will let fans download live tracks from bands who are playing at events such as the Reading Festival.$LABEL$3 +Vonage doubles its money Broadband Internet telephony company Vonage raised \$105 million in its latest round of funding, which will be used to expand its reach in the United States and internationally.$LABEL$3 +ATHENS OLYMPICS 2003 / Hayes captures bizarre 100-meter hurdles <b>...</b> As the American sliced to victory in Tuesday night #39;s final of the women #39;s 100-meter hurdles at the Athens Olympics, a crash early in the race had taken out two of her main rivals.$LABEL$1 +Israeli dedicates first gold to Munich victims Israel #39;s first Olympic gold medallist has dedicated his victory to his 11 countrymen killed in the Munich massacre of 1972, vowing he would visit their memorial to show them his medal.$LABEL$1 +Brazilians win gold at the beach Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Brazil #39;s Ricardo Sanos and Emanuel Rego won their country #39;s first-ever gold medal in men #39;s beach volleyball Wednesday night with a straight set victory over Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera of Spain.$LABEL$1 +Ba #39;asyir transferred to Cipinang, formal charges expected in days Investigators submitted the case file on cleric Abu Bakar Ba #39;asyir to prosecutors on Wednesday, paving the way for his trial on charges of involvement in a string of terrorist attacks across the country.$LABEL$0 +Netherlands Panel Suggests Turkey-EU Talks (AP) AP - An influential Dutch advisory body said Wednesday that Islam was not a bar to membership in the European Union and recommended the organization open talks with Turkey, while insisting Ankara do more to meet EU human rights standards.$LABEL$0 +Bryant Prosecutors Question Defense DNA Evidence (Reuters) Reuters - Prosecutors in the rape case against\U.S. basketball star Kobe Bryant are questioning the validity\of DNA evidence crucial to the defense's case, saying data\appeared to have been manipulated and might have to be thrown\out.$LABEL$1 +Wiesel urges swift action in Sudan; Danny Glover arrested at Sudanese embassy (AFP) AFP - Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel urged the international community to take swift action to end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's embattled Darfur region.$LABEL$0 +Ridge: Convention Security Measures Solid (AP) AP - Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday that security measures for the Republican National Convention are as strong and well-coordinated as officials have had for any event.$LABEL$0 +A Low-Key Olympic Return for Marion Jones ATHENS (Reuters) - Triple champion Marion Jones made a low-key return to Olympic competition Wednesday by successfully qualifying for Friday's women's long jump final.$LABEL$1 +India wins \$77m steel investment Australia's largest steelmaker BlueScope is to build three manufacturing plants in India, as part of an ongoing expansion across Asia.$LABEL$2 +Dirrell Boosts American Title Hopes in Boxing ATHENS (Reuters) - Middleweight Andre Dirrell boosted the United States' slim hopes of winning an Olympic boxing title by booking a place in the semi-finals with a narrow victory over Cuba's Yordani Despaigne Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Halkia Stuns Sad Pittman in Hurdles ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sensation Fani Halkia blitzed to gold in the Olympic women's 400 meters hurdles on Wednesday to confirm her meteoric rise in the world elite.$LABEL$1 +Iraqi killed on 'march to Najaf' At least one person is killed apparently heeding a top Iraqi cleric's call to march on Najaf, where a stand-off continues.$LABEL$0 +Man shot dead in Canada stand-off Police shoot and kill an armed man who had taken a woman hostage in a dramatic stand-off in the Canadian city of Toronto.$LABEL$0 +M. Jones Advances American Marion Jones advances to the final of the long jump in her first appearance of the Athens Olympics but Allen Johnson exits the second round of the 110-meter hurdles.$LABEL$1 +Ridge Reviews Security in N.Y., Declaring 'We Are Prepared' The homeland security secretary today inspected arrangements for the Republican convention that starts next week.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Rally on Lower Oil Prices NEW YORK - Stocks rallied in quiet trading Wednesday as lower oil prices brought out buyers, countering a pair of government reports that gave a mixed picture of the economy. In the final hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 83.62, or 0.8 percent, to 10,182.25...$LABEL$0 +US Stocks Gain as Oil Prices Tumble US stocks made strong gains in late-day trading on Wednesday, as a tumble in oil prices boosted investor confidence about the economy, but thin volume meant dealers were skeptical about the strength of the rally.$LABEL$2 +Altria, Kraft Foods raise dividend payouts NEW YORK, August 25 (New Ratings) - Altria Group Inc (MO.NYS), the parent group of the tobacco company, Philip Morris, raised its regular quarterly dividend today from \$0.$LABEL$2 +JB Oxford Sued by SEC for Improper Mutual Fund Trades (Update2) JB Oxford Holdings Inc., a Beverly Hills-based discount brokerage firm, was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly allowing thousands of improper trades in more than 600 mutual funds.$LABEL$2 +Oil falls \$1-a-barrel as gasoline prices slide Oil prices fell more than \$1 to just over \$44 a barrel Wednesday, dragged down by heavy losses in US gasoline futures after summer driving demand failed to meet expectations.$LABEL$2 +Global server revenue up 8 percent in second quarter Worldwide server revenue surpassed 11.5 billion US dollars in the second quarter of 2004, up 7.7 percent from the same quarter a year ago, according to a study released Wednesday by Gartner.$LABEL$3 +Sprinting Toward VoIP Telecom network operator Sprint (Quote, Chart) will provide VoIP services to cable operator Mediacom Communications under a multi-year deal announced today.$LABEL$3 +MPAA sues DVD chipmakers The Motion Picture Association of America #39;s war on piracy took an unexpected turn this week with a new lawsuit. This time, instead of targeting pirates directly the MPAA has sued two microchip makers, Sigma Designs, Inc.$LABEL$3 +Greek sprinter rides cheers to victory ATHENS - Homeland favorite Fani Halkia of Greece, cheered on by her compatriots in Olympic Stadium, roared to victory in the women #39;s 400 meter hurdles Wednesday night, taking the gold medal in a time of 52.$LABEL$1 +Sa #39;adi Thawfeeq reporting from Dambulla DAMBULLA, Wednesday - Sri Lanka spinners strangled the South African batting dismissing them for 191 in 50 overs on a slow two-paced pitch at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium here today - venue of the third one-day international played under lights.$LABEL$1 +India gt; India-Kuwait sign extradition treaty New Delhi, Aug 25 Learning a quick lesson from the ongoing Indian hostage crisis in Iraq, India and Kuwait tonight pledged to jointly combat terrorism by signing an extradition treaty and an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.$LABEL$0 +US agents raid five locations in digital piracy probe (AFP) AFP - US federal agents raided five locations in what authorities described as the first criminal enforcement action targeting copyright piracy of films, music and software on peer-to-peer networks.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Releases MOM 2005 to Manufacturing (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - The latest version of its Microsoft Operations Manager includes 20 new Microsoft Management Packs that encapsulate intimate knowledge about how specific applications should work, with the aims of cutting operational cost and complexity.$LABEL$3 +New Technique to Advance Semiconductors (AP) AP - In an advance that could lead to lighter spacecraft and smarter cars, researchers have developed a new technique for producing a high-quality semiconductor that's much more resistant to extreme conditions than the silicon found in most of today's electronics.$LABEL$3 +Simple Telescopes Discover New Planet (AP) AP - Astronomers using telescopes not much larger than the spyglass Galileo wielded 400 years ago have discovered a new Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a bright, distant star.$LABEL$3 +Paris Fetes 1944 Liberation from Nazi Occupation World War II tanks rumbled through Paris on Wednesday and thousands of Parisians danced in the streets to re-enact the arrival of French and US forces 60 years ago to liberate $LABEL$0 +Briefly: Music promoter offers concert downloads roundup Plus: WS-I tackles Web services attachments...Newspaper sites take up paid search ads...Microsoft IPTV to woo Swiss test group.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft's MOM goes out the door Software giant takes big step toward October release of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005.$LABEL$3 +Death of the Internet greatly exaggerated Russian antivirus expert says claims in the media of an ""electronic Jihad"" were taken out of context.$LABEL$3 +Vonage doubles its money Funding round of \$105 million brings broadband Internet telephony company's total haul to \$208 million.$LABEL$3 +It's all a game for Bush vs. Kerry The presidential race is being played out in several new video and online games.$LABEL$3 +Deutsche Bank hit again by phishing attack Deutsche Bank AG was the target of a renewed phishing attack late Tuesday extending into Wednesday, after facing its first-ever reported assault last week, according to a bank spokesman.$LABEL$3 +NTT DoCoMo, Motorola tie up on 3G handsets NTT DoCoMo will release a handset compatible with non-Japanese cellular networks and with its own 3G (third generation) mobile network early next year. The handset will be made by Motorola Inc. for DoCoMo and will also support wireless LAN, the two companies said in a statement on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Playboy Publishes More of the Google Interview on Playboy.com Playboy Publishes More of the Google Interview on Playboy.com\\Playboy magazine on Tuesday published previously unsyndicated interview excerpts to its Web site from its interview with Google's founders. The original interview was published just before the Internet search engine's much-anticipated initial public offering.\\In the never before seen excerpt on Playboy.com, Google ...$LABEL$3 +Search Engine Marketing Issues - Link Popularity Search Engine Marketing Issues - Link Popularity\\For years, ""link popularity"" and ""Google PageRank"" have been the talk of the town in the search engine optimization community. However, the definition of link popularity and how it differs from PageRank (PR), as well as how much effect these actually have on search ...$LABEL$3 +Shell to Spend More on North Sea Venture Royal Dutch/Shell Group announced Wednesday that it would spend US\$1.8 billion on exploration and production in the North Sea, including building a pipeline to transfer gas from Norway to Britain.$LABEL$2 +Asian Stocks: Japan Climbs, Led by UFJ; China Mobile Advances Japanese stocks rose, with the Topix index having its longest winning streak in 13 months. UFJ Holdings Inc. advanced after Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.$LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-Northwest, Sabre tussle heats up, Sabre shares fall A dispute between Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWAC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sabre Holdings Corp. (TSG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) intensified $LABEL$2 +How to Make Millions, Slowly In the best combination of tobacco #39;n #39; food news since Homer Simpson #39;s tomacco, today Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and its cheesy stepchild Kraft (NYSE: KFT) both upped their dividends.$LABEL$2 +Williams-Sonoma 2nd-Qtr Net Rises 55; Shares Soar (Update5) Williams-Sonoma Inc. said second- quarter profit rose 55 percent, boosted by the addition of Pottery Barn stores and sale of outdoor furniture.$LABEL$2 +Ex-Exron exec to pay \$1.49M to settle charges While criminal trials await other former Enron Corp. executives, the Houston-based company #39;s former director of investor relations has agreed to pay \$1.$LABEL$2 +Oil tumbles below \$44 Oil prices sank more than 2 percent and fell below \$44 a barrel Wednesday, extending their recent slide after a government report showed domestic gasoline supplies had not fallen last week, as Wall Street had expected last week.$LABEL$2 +Toll Bros. tops target Toll Brothers Inc., a US builder of luxury homes, said Wednesday fiscal third-quarter profit rose 56 percent, easily beating analysts #39; forecasts, helped by record home-building revenue.$LABEL$2 +Motorola to develop FOMA handset for DoCoMo TOKYO - NTT DoCoMo Inc and Motorola Inc of the United States said Wednesday they will jointly develop a handset for DoCoMo #39;s third-generation FOMA mobile phone service.$LABEL$3 +Technique allows more resilient semiconductors In an advance that could lead to lighter spacecraft and smarter cars, researchers have developed a new technique for producing a high-quality computer chip that is much more resistant to extreme conditions than the silicon found in most of today #39;s $LABEL$3 +UN-funded agency releases free Linux user manual The International Open Source Network (IOSN), an organization funded by the United Nations, has released a beginner #39;s manual for the Linux desktop.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo has problem with the Nazis YAHOO #39;S BID to stop two French groups stopping it selling neo-nazi paraphernalia are having a job convincing the US court system to intervene.$LABEL$3 +LogicLibrary Announces Logidex 3.5 for J2EE and .NET LogicLibrary, a provider of software asset management tools, Tuesday announced Logidex 3.5 for J2EE and .NET platforms that features compliance with the Basic Profile of the Web Services $LABEL$3 +Lagat Remains Gracious in Defeat Bernard Lagat gave Kenya a silver medal in the men #39;s 1,500m race, marginally losing out to race favourite Hicham El Guerrouj in a dramatic final on Tuesday night.$LABEL$1 +JOHNSON AND JONES PROGRESS Marion Jones made a low-profile return to the Olympics on Wednesday, four years after her name was up in lights for the duration of the Sydney Games.$LABEL$1 +Second Andre win in a row boosts US gold medal hopes Andre Dirrell, fighting with a tattoo of his grandfather #39;s face on his back, assured the United States of at least two boxing medals Wednesday by narrowly beating Cuba #39;s Yordani Despaigne to advance to the Olympic middleweight semifinals.$LABEL$1 +Satisfied Customers Jefferson Graham writes for USA Today, #147;Apple #146;s trendy iPod digital music player, which has revitalized the company, is giving laptop sales a boost during back-to-school season. Many students, after falling in love with the iPod, are packing for college with new Apple Macintosh computers. #148; Aug 23$LABEL$3 +U.S. State Dept Finishes Review of Iraq Aid Plan (Reuters) Reuters - The State Department finished an\intensive review this week on how best to spend #36;18.4 billion\in U.S. aid to Iraq and may shift focus to smaller-scale\projects, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Va. Senate Leader Opposes Baseball Plan (AP) AP - As baseball officials met Wednesday with backers hoping to lure the Montreal Expos to Northern Virginia, a second key lawmaker said he opposes a plan to finance a ballpark with bonds backed by the ""moral obligation"" of the state.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Soldier Dies in Truck Crash in Iraq (AP) AP - A U.S. soldier was killed in a truck accident north of the Iraqi capital on Wednesday, a military spokesman said.$LABEL$0 +Stocks End Up as Oil Prices Fall NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as a drop in oil prices boosted investor confidence about the economy, but thin volume meant dealers were skeptical about the strength of the rally.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Dips Against Most Major Currencies NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar dipped against most major currencies on Wednesday after mixed data on U.S. durable goods orders and weaker-than-expected new home sales did little to brighten the U.S. economic outlook.$LABEL$2 +Longer-Dated Treasuries Rise NEW YORK (Reuters) - Longer-dated Treasuries rose on Wednesday as a soggy batch of U.S. economic data dampened the outlook for future growth, although a disappointing auction of 2-year notes curbed the session's gains.$LABEL$2 +Northwest, Sabre Tussle Heats Up CHICAGO (Reuters) - A dispute between Northwest Airlines Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NWAC.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NWAC.O</A> and Sabre Holdings Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TSG.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">TSG.N</A> intensified on Wednesday as the airline sued Sabre for changing the way it displays fares on its computerized reservation system.$LABEL$2 +Starbucks Aug. Same-Store Sales Up 8 Pct SEATTLE (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp., the world's largest coffee-shop chain, on Wednesday said sales at stores open at least a year rose 8 percent in August, the first time growth fell below double-digits in nine months.$LABEL$2 +Washington Post Editor Stepping Down Steve Coll, The Washington Post's managing editor for six years, said today he is stepping down at the end of the year to pursue book projects.$LABEL$2 +Hungarian tycoon picked as new PM Hungary's ruling Socialists choose a multi-millionaire to succeed Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy.$LABEL$0 +Still AT T Wireless, for a Spell A tussle over the beleaguered wireless service provider's brand name leaves one Fool uninspired.$LABEL$2 +Plan Comes Under Fire As baseball officials met Wednesday with backers of a northern Virginia ballpark for the Expos, a second key lawmaker said he opposes a plan to finance the stadium.$LABEL$1 +U.S. Prepares for Possible Flu Outbreak WASHINGTON - Closing schools, restricting travel and rationing scarce medications may be the nation's first protections if a powerful new flu strain spurs a worldwide outbreak because it will take months to brew a vaccine, say government preparations for the next pandemic. Specialists say it's only a matter of time before the next one strikes, and concern is rising that the recurring bird flu in Asia could be the trigger if it mutates in a way that lets it spread easily among people...$LABEL$0 +Australian Held in Cuba Pleads Innocent GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - An Australian cowboy accused of fighting with the Taliban against U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan pleaded innocent to war crimes charges Wednesday before a U.S...$LABEL$0 +Starbucks Posts Robust August Sales Starbucks #39; (SBUX:Nasdaq - news - research) sales slowed a bit in August, but still came in above the coffee shop chain #39;s long-term targets.$LABEL$2 +Rate Scare at H amp;R Block H amp;R Block #39;s (HRB:NYSE - news - research) low-multiple shares cheapened Wednesday as investors tried to digest its explanation for a wide first-quarter earnings miss.$LABEL$2 +EU Probes DRM Deal The European Commission is investigating the proposed acquisition of DRM software maker ContentGuard by Microsoft and Time Warner.$LABEL$2 +Stocks Rally on Lower Oil Prices Stocks rallied in quiet trading Wednesday as lower oil prices brought out buyers, countering a pair of government reports that gave a mixed picture of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Two Regional Bells Sue To Lift Access-Price Freeze Verizon and Qwest have asked a federal court to force the FCC to drop its price freeze on the fees their competitors pay to connect to their regional networks.$LABEL$2 +Bill to raise Calif. minimum wage advances A bill to raise California #39;s minimum wage to \$7.75 an hour over the next two years is headed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, providing a major test of his pledge to reject $LABEL$2 +Microsoft Posts Windows XP Service Pack 2 Compatibility Guide Microsoft has released a kit to help IT professionals spot compatibility problems between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and other applications, and how to roll out fixes.$LABEL$3 +Modified Mice Stay Super-Fit -- Without Exercise The super-rodents can run farther and about an hour longer than average mice. The new rodents also appear to resist weight gain in the complete absence of exerciseeven when fed a high-fat diet that led normal mice to become obese.$LABEL$3 +Smallest #39;Earth-like #39; planet seen European scientists have discovered what they describe as the smallest Earth-like planet orbiting a star outside our Solar System.$LABEL$3 +Celebrating Open Source Several organisations will celebrate Saturday #39;s International Software Freedom Day by hosting open source events around the country.$LABEL$3 +ATHENS OLYMPICS 2004 / Japan bags bronze medal Japan hustled, hurled, homered--and what would it be if it didn #39;t bunt a few times--to a face-saving Olympic bronze medal in baseball.$LABEL$1 +Airline Security Said Tight in Russia (AP) AP - At Moscow's biggest international airport, people cannot even enter the building without passing through metal detectors. But such tough security contrasts with domestic flights that lack reinforced cockpit doors and funding for other basic safeguards.$LABEL$0 +Sprint, Mediacom Announce VOIP Deal (AP) AP - Sprint Corp. and cable television provider Mediacom Communications Corp. announced an agreement Wednesday that will allow Sprint to offer Internet telephone service to Mediacom's 2.7 million household subscribers.$LABEL$3 +Navy Report Backs Kerry Role in Incident (AP) AP - A Navy report filed five days after a disputed incident in Vietnam supports John Kerry's version and contradicts critics who say the Democratic presidential nominee never came under enemy gunfire when he won two medals.$LABEL$0 +Lucent Lands Isle Of Man Deal The Isle of Man is once again in the spotlight, this time with mmO2 #39;s plans to tap Lucent Technologies for a Manx Telecom UMTS network.$LABEL$3 +Starbucks Aug. Same-Store Sales Up 8 Pct Starbucks Corp., the world #39;s largest coffee-shop chain, on Wednesday said sales at stores open at least a year rose 8 percent in August, the first time growth fell below double-digits in nine months.$LABEL$2 +Stocks End Up as Oil Prices Fall US stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as a drop in oil prices boosted investor confidence about the economy, but thin volume meant dealers were skeptical about the strength of the rally.$LABEL$2 +Simple Telescopes Discover New Planet Astronomers using telescopes not much larger than the spyglass Galileo wielded 400 years ago have discovered a new Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a bright, distant star.$LABEL$3 +Today #39;s Home News Greek athlete Fani Halkia finished in 52.82 to win the gold medal in the women #39;s 400m hurdles final on Wednesday. She is the third Greek athlete to win Olympic gold in an athletics event, after Voula Patoulidou and Costas Kenteris.$LABEL$1 +Thatcher #39;s Son Charged in Coup Plot CAPE TOWN, South Africa Aug. 25, 2004 - The son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, an ex-race car driver whose business career has been dogged by accusations of questionable arms deals and $LABEL$0 +Japan Planning to Launch Spy Satellites TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese government panel has approved plans to send two spy satellites into Earth's orbit beginning next year, a media report said Wednesday. If confirmed, the missions would be the first since late 2003 for Japan's ailing space program, which has suffered a slew of launch and mission failures...$LABEL$3 +Microsoft wraps up MOM 2005 management tool Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 offers new features such as graphical systems views and enhanced reporting tools, and has been designed to be easier to deploy than its predecessor.$LABEL$3 +Deutsche Bank hit again by phishing attack After facing its first-ever phishing attack last week, Deutsche Bank AG said today it was the target of a renewed assault that began late yesterday and continued until this morning.$LABEL$3 +Yahoo's legal battle over Nazi items continues The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a District Court judgment on procedural grounds, opening up again the question of whether Yahoo is responsible under French law for information published on its Yahoo.com portal.$LABEL$3 +Gartner: '04 chip revenue growth strong, '05 weaker The semiconductor industry should take in \$226 billion in revenue this year, up 27 from last year, according to research firm Gartner Inc. But that grow is expected to slow in 2005.$LABEL$3 +Outsourcing issue flares up at chip conference A panel including two venture investors, a scholar, a laid-off software engineer and two chip industry CEOs debated the issue at the Hot Chips event sponsored by the IEEE.$LABEL$3 +CA shareholders back management over bonuses issue Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) avoided a revolt at its annual meeting on Wednesday, when shareholders voted down a proposal requesting that the company's board adopt a policy of revoking executive bonuses paid based on financial results that are later revised.$LABEL$3 +RIAA Expands P-to-P Lawsuits Latest round of legal action targets users of a variety of services, including eDonkey.$LABEL$3 +HDTV Competition Could Bring Deals Prices are likely to drop as more outlets, including PC vendors, get into the market.$LABEL$3 +Search Engine Giving Away \$5 Million in Advertising Search Engine Giving Away \$5 Million in Advertising\\Search engine Tygo.com hit the Internet today with an unusual marketing approach that matches its unusual advertising model. The new search engine is giving away \$5,000,000 in advertising through its Flat Rate Placement program to introduce advertisers to its new advertising model. Tygo.com ...$LABEL$3 +UPDATE 3-TD Bank woos Banknorth for US expansion Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) , which earlier this year ended talks to merge its discount brokerage unit with E-Trade Financial (ET.$LABEL$2 +Yemen Seaports on Alert for Possible Terror Attack (Reuters) Reuters - Yemen has received information that\foreign terrorists are planning to attack its sea ports, a\security source said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +IBM nets 500m Lloyds TSB deal COMPUTER bellwether IBM has signed a seven-year, 500 million contract with Lloyds TSB to supply the UK bank with internet telephony and data services.$LABEL$3 +Gardner Puts Down Boots to Begin New Life ATHENS (Reuters) - A giant man placing his blue boots in the center of a yellow mat would be a strange sight to the uninitiated.$LABEL$1 +Delta Halfway Through Restructuring - WSJ NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DAL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">DAL.N</A>, still hoping to avoid filing for bankruptcy, has completed about half its planned restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.$LABEL$2 +Jones in Long-Jump Final; Johnson Falters ATHENS, Greece - Marion Jones made a quiet Athens debut, advancing easily to the long jump final. Allen Johnson had the attention of everyone in the stadium, for all the wrong reasons...$LABEL$0 +Royal Dutch/Shell Settles with SEC The US Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK #39;s Financial Services Authority have formally agreed on Shell in July for misleading the market.$LABEL$2 +Boeing stock soars on news of 777 order Shares in The Boeing Co. hit a one-year high Wednesday on news that the aircraft builder has received an order to build 18 777-300 ER (extended range) airplanes for Singapore Airlines, with the airline also $LABEL$2 +Stocks rally as falling oil prices lure buyers Stocks rallied in quiet trading Wednesday as oil prices fell for a third straight day and countered a pair of government reports that gave a mixed picture of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Oil: Price drops nearly US\$2 a barrel NEW YORK - Oil prices fell nearly US\$2 a barrel on Wednesday, dragged down by heavy losses in US petrol futures after summer driving demand in the world #39;s largest consumer failed to meet expectations.$LABEL$2 +CA shareholders back management over bonuses issue Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) avoided a revolt at its annual meeting on Wednesday, when shareholders voted down a proposal requesting that the company #39;s board adopt a policy of revoking executive $LABEL$3 +American Teen Allyson Felix Grabs 200 Meter Silver Jamaican speedster Veronica Campbell earned the Caribbean nation their first Olympic gold medal of the 2004 Games when she won the 200 meters Wednesday in a searing 22.$LABEL$1 +Fridman gives Israel first-ever gold medal Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Israel picked up its first-ever gold medal at the Olympics on Wednesday when windsurfer Gal Fridman won the men #39;s mistral.$LABEL$1 +Rangers 1-1 CSKA Moscow Vagner Love struck the killer blow to Rangers #39; Champions League ambitions as CSKA Moscow left Ibrox with a deserved 3-2 victory on aggregate.$LABEL$1 +HDTV Competition Could Bring Deals (PC World) PC World - Prices are likely to drop as more outlets, including PC vendors, get into the market.$LABEL$3 +Olympic Wrap: Greece Hails New Diva in Halkia ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece hailed a new sporting diva on Wednesday when Fani Halkia surged from relative obscurity a few days ago to be crowned the women's 400 meters hurdles Olympic champion.$LABEL$1 +Tiny Telescope Detects a Giant Planet (Reuters) Reuters - A tiny telescope has spotted a giant\planet circling a faraway star, using a technique that could\open a new phase of planetary discovery, scientists said on\Tuesday.$LABEL$3 +Federer and Henin-Hardenne Get the Top Spots for U.S. Open Roger Federer will open against Albert Costa, and Justine Henin-Hardenne will play a qualifier when the tournament begins Monday.$LABEL$1 +Dell May Soon Unveil More Consumer Goods -Analyst NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dell Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=DELL.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"">DELL.O</A>, the world's largest PC maker, could announce an expanded selection of its consumer electronics line in the next several weeks, a retail industry analyst said on Wednesday.$LABEL$3 +Mars Odyssey Begins Overtime After Successful Mission NASA -- NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter begins working overtime today after completing a prime mission that discovered vast supplies of frozen water, ran a safety check for future astronauts, and mapped surface textures and minerals all over Mars, among other feats. ""Odyssey has accomplished all of its mission-success criteria,"" said Dr...$LABEL$3 +Possible Flu Outbreak Threatens U.S. By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States may have to close schools, restrict travel and ration scarce medications if a powerful new flu strain spurs a worldwide outbreak, according to federal plans for the next pandemic, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. It will take months to brew a vaccine that works against the kind of super-flu that causes a pandemic, although government preparations include research to speed that production...$LABEL$3 +New Technique to Advance Semiconductor Performance By MATTHEW FORDAHL (AP) -- In an advance that could lead to lighter spacecraft and smarter cars, researchers have developed a new technique for producing a high-quality semiconductor that's much more resistant to extreme conditions than the silicon found in most of today's electronics. Devices built with the rugged material would not require cooling and other protections that add size, weight and cost to traditional silicon electronics in power systems, jet engines, rockets, wireless transmitters and other equipment exposed to harsh environments...$LABEL$3 +New Lawsuit Challenges Anti-Piracy Technology By LAURENCE FROST PARIS (AP) -- Copy protection technologies used to prevent CDs from being pirated online are facing a legal challenge in France, where a judge began a formal investigation of record label EMI Group PLC for using them. Confirming a report in French financial daily Les Echos, the record store Fnac said Wednesday it has also been placed under investigation by a French judge along with EMI's French arm...$LABEL$3 +Review: Game Boy Add-On Video Is Limiting (AP) AP - A pair of new add-ons for Nintendo Co.'s Game Boy Advance turn the handheld into something considerably more than a gaming machine #151; a video phone and a video player. As long as you bear in mind that you're dealing with a toy, you might not be too bothered by the less than stellar quality.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Expands Windows Update Release (AP) AP - Microsoft Corp. is starting to ramp up distribution of its massive security update for the Windows XP operating system, but analysts say they still expect the company to move at a relatively slow pace to avoid widespread glitches.$LABEL$3 +Real Madrid, Man Utd, Juventus Advance (AP) AP - Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid advanced Wednesday night to the first round of the European Champions League, and American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley scored to help PSV Eindhoven qualify.$LABEL$1 +Discrimination at U.S. Polls Now 'Subtler, More Creative' (Reuters) Reuters - The old methods of U.S.\discrimination at the polls have been replaced by ""subtler and\more creative tactics,"" according to a report released on\Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +House Intelligence Chairman Named (Reuters) Reuters - Michigan Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra\was picked to head the House Intelligence Committee, replacing\Rep. Porter Goss who has been nominated to head the Central\Intelligence Agency, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said\on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Deadline looms in Sudan crisis Khartoum agrees to allow more African Union troops and monitors in Darfur.$LABEL$0 +Sadr loyalty grows, even as Sistani returns Mahdi Army emerging as well-organized parallel government$LABEL$0 +Red Roof Inns Selects T-Mobile for Broadband Service (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Building on its strategy to push its service into hotels, T-Mobile will be making its HotSpot wireless-broadband service available throughout the Red Roof Inn chain, owned by Accor. Under the agreement, guests at the Red Roof Inns can access the network in the common area and in individual rooms.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Releases SP2 Test Guide (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has taken steps to help enterprise developers who want to test their applications against Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).$LABEL$3 +Sistani to Lead Peace Mission to Embattled Iraq City NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric was due to travel to Najaf on Thursday after making a surprise return to the country to try to end bitter fighting creeping ever closer to the city's holiest shrine.$LABEL$0 +Stocks Close Higher in Light Volume NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks made strong gains on Wednesday as a tumble in oil prices boosted investor confidence about the economy, but thin volume meant dealers were skeptical about the strength of the rally.$LABEL$2 +US Awards Airliner Antimissile Contracts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Northrop Grumman Corp. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NOC.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">NOC.N</A> and BAE Systems PLC <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BA.L target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">BA.L</A> were tapped by the Bush administration on Wednesday to develop competing systems to protect U.S. commercial aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles, a potential multibillion-dollar market.$LABEL$2 +Coke Loses Quiznos Sandwich Account ATLANTA (Reuters) - Quiznos Sub, the third-largest U.S. sandwich chain, said on Wednesday it signed a deal to serve PepsiCo Inc. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PEP.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">PEP.N</A> drinks in its U.S. outlets, ending a 23-year relationship with Coca-Cola Co. <A HREF=""http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KO.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"">KO.N</A>$LABEL$2 +U.S. Treasury Prices Are Mixed NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices were mixed on Wednesday as economic data proved tepid and demand for an auction of two-year notes was thin.$LABEL$2 +Dollar Dips Against Most Major Currencies NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar dropped against most major currencies on Wednesday after mixed data on U.S. durable goods orders and weaker-than-expected new home sales did little to brighten the U.S. economic outlook.$LABEL$2 +Alitalia unions get pay warning The Italian government warns the unions at airline Alitalia that if they do not agree to pay cuts, the carrier could go bankrupt within a month.$LABEL$2 +U.S. Launches Fierce Air Attack on Rebels in Najaf (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. planes unleashed a fierce\attack on rebel targets in Najaf early on Thursday, a Reuters\witness said.$LABEL$0 +Vice chairman quits Wal-Mart (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Thomas Coughlin, who joined Wal-Mart Stores as head of security and rose to vice chairman, will give up the post early next year after 25 years of service that helped the company become the world's biggest retailer.$LABEL$2 +Berlusconi in Libya to discuss illegal immigration with Kadhafi (AFP) AFP - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi for talks on how to stop illegal immigrants using the north African state as a springboard for entry into Italy.$LABEL$0 +Bush Campaign Lawyer Quits Over Ties to Ads Group (Reuters) Reuters - A top lawyer for President\Bush's re-election campaign resigned on Wednesday after\disclosing he has been providing legal advice to a group that\accuses Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry of lying\about his Vietnam War record.$LABEL$0 +Mishap Ends Briton's Transpacific Rowing Attempt ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A British man's attempt to become the first person to row across the North Pacific Ocean ended after his boat capsized, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.$LABEL$0 +Boeing Wins Order From Singapore, Fails to Sell 7E7 (Update1) Boeing Co, the world #39;s second-biggest maker of commercial aircraft, won a \$3.6 billion order for 18 planes from Singapore Airlines Ltd.$LABEL$2 +Washington Post Managing Editor Stepping Down Steve Coll, The Washington Post #39;s managing editor for six years, said today he is stepping down at the end of the year to pursue book projects.$LABEL$2 +Greenspan Says Effects of Japan Currency Sales Hard to Gauge The effect of Japan #39;s currency sales this year and last on the value of the yen are difficult to judge, #39; #39; Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.$LABEL$2 +DOJ Raids Private P2P Operation Authorities raided five residences and and an Internet service provider Wednesday morning in the first federal criminal enforcement action against private peer-to-peer (P2P) (define) networks.$LABEL$3 +Server Sales Favor Linux Linux servers are on the rise again thanks in part to low-end and x86-64 based servers, according to a new survey by market research firm Gartner.$LABEL$3 +Computer Associates shareholders defeat proposal to recall bonuses Shareholders of Computer Associates International, the software maker tarred by an accounting scandal, Wednesday defeated a proposal calling for current and former executives to return bonuses based on restated results.$LABEL$3 +RIAA Steps Up P2P Legal Campaign The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) launched its back-to-school, anti peer-to-peer (P2P) (define) campaign Tuesday with a national media briefing praising the efforts of a handful of colleges and universities to stop piracy.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Releases MOM 2005 To Manufacturing Channel partners say the release of enterprise and SMB versions of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 this week will boost Windows management but they #39;re not sure whether it will boost sales.$LABEL$3 +Microsoft Windows-Linux Comparison Found to be Unfair A Microsoft ad saying that Linux was 10 times more expensive than Windows has been found to be an unfair advert in the UK. The UK #39;s Advertising Standards Authority $LABEL$3 +Open-Source Community Skeptical About Microsoft #39;s Sender ID <b>...</b> Microsoft this month is moving forward with the developer implementation of its anti-spam Sender ID framework, but open-source advocates and mail vendors doubt whether the software giant #39;s new proposed license meets open-source requirements.$LABEL$3 +Ask Kim Komando Q: I hear weird sounds coming from my computer - for instance, a door opening and closing. Is this normal? I use America Online. A: These sounds are coming from your AOL Buddy List, letting you know when a buddy has logged in or logged off.$LABEL$3 +Greek comes from nowhere to win women #39;s hurdles To the roar of an adoring home crowd, Fani Halkia completed her unexpected romp through the Olympics on Wednesday with a victory in the women #39;s 400-meter hurdles.$LABEL$1 +WRAPUP 1-Record-breaking Arsenal sweep past Rovers Champions Arsenal made history on Wednesday by trouncing Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Highbury to set a 43-match unbeaten league record in English football.$LABEL$1 +High drama as stars dissolve in tracks of tears ATHENS: Seldom have sporting moments of inconceivable pain and delirious joy covered more emotional ground yet been so difficult to distinguish.$LABEL$1 +Athens Asides AUSTRIAN triathlon athlete Kate Allen passed Australia #39;s Loretta Harrop just seconds before crossing the finish line yesterday, completing a stunning race in which she passed over half the field during the final leg.$LABEL$1 +Fridman gets Israel #39;s 1st ever gold ATHENS - Windsurfer Gal Fridman won his country #39;s first gold medal since Israel began competing in the Olympics at Helsinki in 1952 when he captured the men #39;s Mistral sailboard title at Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +UPDATE 1-Rangers crash out after home draw with CSKA Rangers failed to reach the Champions League group stage for a second successive season as CSKA Moscow progressed 3-2 on aggregate after a 1-1 away draw on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Cost of Gold in Olympics: \$12.1 Bln The Athens Olympics will cost a total of almost 10 billion euros (\$12.1 billion), more than double the original target, pushing Greece #39;s budget gap well above EU limits, finance ministry sources said on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Danish players suspend strike against FIFA transfer rules COPENHAGEN: Danish footballers on Wednesday temporarily suspended their week-long strike action in protest at a rule by the games ruling body FIFA concerning the transfer of players under 23 years old.$LABEL$1 +SI.com HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Jeff Kent was the latest to put a knockout punch on the Philadelphia Phillies . Now the question is, for how much longer will Larry Bowa hang on to the ropes?$LABEL$1 +Thatcher son held in S Africa probe for role in Guinea coup CAPE TOWN, AUGUST 25: The son of former British PM Margaret Thatcher was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in a mercenary plot against the government of Equatorial Guinea.$LABEL$0 +Kathmandu back in business after Maoist rebels lift blockade KATHMANDU - Food and supplies are rolling into Kathmandu again after Maoist rebels lift a week-long blockade that demonstrated their growing power in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom.$LABEL$0 +Praying for Christian Unity, Pope Sends Treasured Icon Back to <b>...</b> Vatican City, Aug. 25--Pope John Paul II on Wednesday kissed a treasured Russian icon and sent it back to Moscow as a sign of his affection for the Russian Orthodox Church and his desire to end $LABEL$0 +Cingular, AT T and AT T Wireless Resolve Brand Issues (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - AT T Wireless and \Cingular Wireless say they have resolved the issues relating to Cingular's use of the AT T brand name once Cingular's acquisition of its former rival is complete. The agreement also includes a provision for the purchase of AT T network services.$LABEL$3 +Report: Enterprises Go Outside for Security Help (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - It is no secret that enterprise networks are increasingly under attack from a variety of sources that are difficult to thwart. To address the problem, many are turning to outside security providers, which is driving \the rapid evolution of new safeguarding technologies, according to \research conducted by the Yankee Group.$LABEL$3 +New Jersey's Xanadu Faces Stiff Environmental Tests (Reuters) Reuters - Xanadu, a #36;1.3 billion entertainment\complex planned for New Jersey, now faces a stiffer\environmental test because two state agencies likely will\demand a more in-depth look at how air quality and traffic\would be affected.$LABEL$3 +Former Enron Executive Pleads Guilty to Aiding Securities Fraud Former Enron Corp. executive Mark Koenig pleaded guilty in federal court in Houston to aiding and abetting securities fraud and has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.$LABEL$2 +Dow Closes Up 83 on Lower Oil Prices Stocks rallied in quiet trading Wednesday as oil prices fell for a fourth straight session, countering a pair of government reports that gave a mixed picture of the economy.$LABEL$2 +Citigroup Buys Texas Bank Continuing to snap up branch networks in states with large Hispanic populations, Citigroup Inc. Tuesday, Aug. 24, agreed to buy First American Bank of Texas for an undisclosed price.$LABEL$2 +Department Of Justice raids P2P users homes Today the US Department of Justice launched an assault on P2P filesharing. Using search warrants, they searched five homes and the offices of one ISP.$LABEL$3 +Tiny telescope detects a giant planet A tiny telescope has spotted a giant planet circling a faraway star, using a technique that could open a new phase of planetary discovery, scientists said.$LABEL$3 + #39;Marathon #39; mice ready to run and run The marathon mouse has been unveiled by scientists: a rodent which, with a little genetic tinkering, can run twice as far as a normal mouse.$LABEL$3 +Report: Asia faces water shortage Scientists are warning that Asian farmers are drying up the continents underground reserves by drilling millions of pump-operated wells to draw out water.$LABEL$3 +Cable Operator Mediacom Partners With Sprint In the latest alliance between a cable and telephone company, cable operator Mediacom Communications Corp. on Wednesday said it would use Sprint Corp.$LABEL$3 +You can blame NASA for the peculiar weather I have resisted commenting on this summer #39;s weather in hopes that it would straighten itself out. Since that no longer seems possible, however, I feel compelled to offer some advice on the subject.$LABEL$3 +Gardner Puts Down Boots to Begin New Life A giant man placing his blue boots in the center of a yellow mat would be a strange sight to the uninitiated. But to American Rulon Gardner, the symbolism was huge.$LABEL$1 +Sri Lanka clinch series DAMBULLA: Marvan Atapattu slammed a solid 97 not out on a difficult pitch as Sri Lanka wrapped up the one-day cricket series with a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the third match on Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +250,000 Chinese flee typhoon TAIPEI, Taiwan -- China has begun evacuating almost 250,000 people from coastal areas as it braces for the onslaught of Typhoon Aere.$LABEL$0 +JCC Arson Roils French Jews Jewish leaders expressed growing frustration this week with continuing anti-Semitic violence in Europe following the torching of a Jewish community center in Paris early Sunday.$LABEL$0 +Europe Opens Another Inquiry Involving Microsoft The European Commission has opened an investigation into the planned acquisition of ContentGuard Holdings by Microsoft and Time Warner, a commission spokeswoman said Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Cirrus Logic to Lay Off Workers Cirrus Logic Inc., a maker of microchips for consumer electronics, on Wednesday said it will lay off 7 percent of its employees to save \$2 million to \$3 million per quarter, with expense reductions starting in its third quarter.$LABEL$2 +US banks want a piece of Texas US banks are feasting on the fast-growing Texas market, where a rapidly growing population and its ability to lure new businesses have experts predicting competition for deals there will become more intense.$LABEL$2 +Wall Street rallys as falling oil prices lure buyers By George Chamberlin , Daily Transcript Financial Correspondent. A big drop in oil prices helped stock prices move higher Wednesday.$LABEL$2 +Calif. to host greatest garage sale ever The state is holding a rummage sale to get rid of a whole bunch of unwanted stuff. SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is holding a rummage sale to dispose of unwanted state property from aircraft engines to jewelry.$LABEL$2 +Mediacom Taps Sprint to Provide VoIP Mediacom Communications says it will launch VoIP telephone service in selected markets in the first half of 2005 in partnership with Sprint.$LABEL$3 +Simply the best? Arsenal #39;s victory over Blackburn has set a new record of 43 league matches unbeaten, surpassing the old mark set by Nottingham Forest in 1978.$LABEL$1 +Hicks confirms abuse allegations ACCUSED Australian terrorist David Hicks confirmed allegations he was abused while in US military ustody in Afghanistan, his father said today.$LABEL$0 +Briefly: Toshiba tinkers with Wi-Fi for TV roundup Plus: Music promoter offers concert downloads...WS-I tackles Web services attachments...Newspaper sites take up paid search ads.$LABEL$3 +Accounting deadline could kill software spending Wall Street analysts debate whether year-end Sarbanes-Oxley deadline will sap demand for corporate software systems.$LABEL$3 +Redback on the comeback trail Eight months after it emerged from bankruptcy, Redback Networks is racking up new contracts.$LABEL$3 +Toshiba tinkers with Wi-Fi for TV The 802.11a offshoot will allow TVs and other non-PC devices to receive video files more easily.$LABEL$3 +Borland acquires software project planning tool Focused on improving its requirements management arsenal for software development, Borland Software on Wednesday is announcing its acquisition of Estimate Professional, a software project planning and estimation tool.$LABEL$3 +Cubs Nudge Brewers 4-2 on Last-Gasp Homer (AP) AP - Corey Patterson hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday to give the Cubs a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago's eighth victory in 11 games.$LABEL$1 +German investor confidence stabilises in December on oil price declines (AFP) AFP - Investor confidence in Germany, the eurozone's biggest economy, stabilised, albeit at low levels, in December, as falling oil prices helped offset concerns about the negative economic effects of the strong euro, a new poll showed.$LABEL$2 +US new home sales dive 6.4 percent in July (AFP) AFP - Sales of new US homes plunged in July for the second straight month, data showed, a sign of chillier demand cooling the once red-hot market.$LABEL$2 +Open-Source Community Skeptical About Microsoft's Sender ID License (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Sender ID's license is making it impossible for open-source programmers to use it in their e-mail applications.$LABEL$3 +BA boss admits 'we got it wrong' British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington admits the airline ""got it wrong"" after staff shortages led to travel chaos.$LABEL$0 +Dirrell Boosts American Title Hopes in Boxing Middleweight Andre Dirrell boosted the United States #39; slim hopes of winning an Olympic boxing title by booking a place in the semi-finals with a narrow victory over Cuba #39;s Yordani Despaigne Wednesday.$LABEL$1 +Japan #39;s UFJ Says It Is Examining SMFG Offer, But No Change to MTFG <b>...</b> Earlier, SMFG said it offered the one-for-one share exchange ratio to UFJ Holdings as part of its bid to win the support of UFJ for its merger proposal over a rival offer from MTFG.$LABEL$2 +Airline to charge \$10 for buying tickets NEW YORK To the long list of things that used to be free but that airlines now want you to pay for, add walking up to the counter to buy a ticket.$LABEL$2 +UPDATE 1-Soft landing for China economy not yet assured-IMF A soft landing for China #39;s booming economy was not yet a sure thing, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, despite a raft of measures by Beijing to slow investment in overheated sectors.$LABEL$2 +Liquidation threat grows at Alitalia MILAN Alitalia moved closer to liquidation Wednesday with a government official demanding that the management of the Italian state-owned airline and its unions reach a quick agreement on a restructuring plan.$LABEL$2 +Virus worms way into webcams It sounds like a sci-fi nightmare, but it could be every teenage geek #39;s dream: a computer worm that can wriggle into bedrooms and secretly hijack webcams to spy on people.$LABEL$3 +US court delivers blow to Yahoo A US appeals court has ruled that a lower tribunal had no right to decide a case brought against US internet giant Yahoo by two French groups trying to halt online sales of Nazi memorabilia.$LABEL$3 +PDF Proof: #39;This Song is Your Song #39; A court case alleging copyright infringement against a Web site using a popular song in a political parody ended abruptly when an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) investigation revealed that Woody Guthrie #39;s quot;This Land is Your Land quot; is in the public $LABEL$3 +Telekom Austria posts better than expected results Telekom Austria AG has posted better than expected financial results for the first half of the year, scarcely one week after merger talks with Swisscom AG broke down.$LABEL$3 +Alternatives To The INDUCE Act The Importance of writes quot;The INDUCE Act, which has been discussed many times previously, will likely be getting a lot more attention thanks to the recent Grokster decision.$LABEL$3 +PlayStation Portable Chip Details boarder8925 writes quot;The Register posted an article today that detailed the PlayStation Portable #39;s chip specs. The CPU will run at up to 333MHz, and its frontside bus at up to 166MHz.$LABEL$3 +Athletics: For Greeks, hurdles offer redemption after heroes #39; fall ATHENS In her semifinal, Fani Halkia had run the fastest women #39;s 400-meter hurdles in Olympic history. After the final on Wednesday night she ran what might have been the slowest victory lap.$LABEL$1 +Wrestling: Cinderella in Sydney suffers turnabout at hands of <b>...</b> One of the big stars of the 2000 Summer Games, Gardner was thrown to the mat in overtime by Georgi Tsurtsumia of Kazakhstan and lost 4-1 in his Greco-Roman semifinal match.$LABEL$1 +Jana vows to return JANA Pittman, the girl who had no right to even be in an Olympic final, today ran her heart out but ultimately finished just out of the medals in the 400m hurdles final.$LABEL$1 +Cuba takes gold medal in baseball ATHENS Cuba captured its third gold medal in Olympic baseball on Wednesday, beating Australia by 6-2 as Frederich Cepeda hit a two-run homer for the Cubans.$LABEL$1 +US appeals court delivers blow to Yahoo over Nazi memorabilia row (AFP) AFP - A US appeals court has ruled that a lower tribunal had no right to decide a case brought against US Internet giant Yahoo by two French groups trying to halt online sales of Nazi memorabilia.$LABEL$3 +N.B. truck driver accused in heist of 50,000 cans of Moosehead beer (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - FREDERICTON (CP) - A New Brunswick truck driver arrested in Ontario this week has been accused by police of stealing 50,000 cans of Moosehead beer.$LABEL$0 +SkyCity plays its cards right NEW Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group expects to double its Australian earnings in 2004-05 following its takeover of the Darwin casino.$LABEL$2 +Bouygues and Vivendi in mobile deal PARIS Bouygues Telecom and Vivendi Universal, both of France, began a new mobile phone service Wednesday in an attempt to bolster their market share and increase revenue from young customers.$LABEL$3 +Beckoned by the Balkans LONDON For a company that had just reported a 26 percent increase in its quarterly earnings, sharply beating market expectations, Telekom Austria found itself with an awful lot of explaining to do as its top executives met with analysts and investors in $LABEL$3 +Militant cleric charged in 2003 hotel bombing JAKARTA A militant Muslim cleric was charged Wednesday under a tough antiterrorism law in the bombing of a Jakarta hotel and could face the death penalty if convicted.$LABEL$0 +Dual-core chips bring dual caches Dual-core chips that AMD and Intel plan to bring to market next year won't be sharing their memories.$LABEL$3 +Winamp flaw: Digital attacks use skins for camouflage Users of the music player should watch out for hacked themes; a flaw allows would-be intruders to take control of PCs.$LABEL$3 +BMC adds PeopleSoft management BMC Software has released a new version of Patrol for PeopleSoft 2.0 that allows companies to centrally manage PeopleSoft users, transactions, jobs, SQL requests, and business processes.$LABEL$3 +CAO chief faces Singapore probe The chief of Beijing-backed China Aviation Oil #39;s (CAO) Singapore unit has agreed to return to Singapore this week to face investigators in the city-state #39;s biggest financial scandal since the 1995 fall of Barings Bank, company $LABEL$2 +A Microsoft deal gets full EU inquiry BRUSSELS The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Microsoft #39;s and Time Warner #39;s plans to jointly acquire ContentGuard Holdings, a specialist in software that protects digital material from counterfeiting, a commission spokeswoman $LABEL$2 +Feds Bust File-Sharing Sites Operation Digital Gridlock targets peer-to-peer sites, ISPs in piracy investigation.$LABEL$3 diff --git a/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.test.dat b/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.test.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0e305566727fc0058bd7b733dec5a2f318203071 --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.test.dat @@ -0,0 +1,2000 @@ +Piece of Junk!. This product does not transmit over the radio to any standard that I expected. I have to turn my volume 60% up to even hear that it is playing. I had a similar product from this company for an earlier model of the IPOD and it worked great. I ordered this to replace my old one and to use with my new IPOD G3. What a mistake, it is not powerfull enought to overpower other stations and I get scratchy signal all the time even with the volume up 60%. Save your money, look at other options and companies out there.$LABEL$0 +what. I read an endorsement from dog problems . com that recommends this product. We have not yet been able to get ours to work. Spent $10 on new batteries as hand held indicates low battery. There is not one indication that dog has received a signal. Would really like to get this resolved. Hoping that company will make good on the product.$LABEL$0 +Dissatisfied. The DVD does not work at all. I am extremely disappointed because I was promised a great product and I was sent a messed up movie.$LABEL$0 +will break down. The lens breaks down easily! The lens is supported on the camera by mechanically weak clippers. After some time (< 1.5 years in my case) the strain broke down the clippers. I always keep the camera in a cushioned case, and it suffered no shocks or drops.$LABEL$0 +My favorite book. I read this book many years ago and have never forgotten it. Brooks masterfully spins a tale in which he will pull the reader in. I found myself attached to the characters and when the book was over, it was like leaving a group of good friends. I'm no great critic of books, but I know what I like; and in my opinion, Brooks couldn't have written a better book!$LABEL$1 +Genius! These locks are the best choice.. They were super easy to install, key is always on the fridge and my daughter (little hercules) cannot open them. Good investment, would recommend.$LABEL$1 +THIS MAN IS GOING PLATNUM!!!. If you ask me, his album is the best yet in 2000. Every single song is blazin'. I love the fact that Tela is orginal, his voice is unique and baller type. I think it's about time we found some good new talent. He definatley deserves to go platnum this round.$LABEL$1 +Agreed with others here, will not purchase - waiting for Extended Version. I love these movies, they are some of my all time favorites. But most of us who love them already have them, and won't likely be forking out more money for a version that does not include the extended release. To most, they are the complete versions of the films. I encourage those of you considering this purchase to hold back your money and wait - buying this will only reinforce the idea that they can release multiple versions over time to increase their profits.$LABEL$1 +Please don't buy this. Ok look, I read a few bad reviews on here and bought this anyway because I was desperate and thought it would work well enough. It honestly doesn't. So don't waste your time buying this when it's a sure bet that it won't work. All it does is light up my screen over and over again, bouncing back and forth from "Charging Battery" to "No Charger", which actually ends up draining my battery even more than it would if I just let it sit there. Just don't do it.$LABEL$0 +Great add-on for a laptop. I recently bought this speaker for my wife's new laptop.** Minimizes wires and keeps the counter clean (USB connection/power)** Alternate line jack and a/c adapter** Great sound (it has a rear subwoofer port)** Volume control on top right with plenty of range$LABEL$1 +Buyer beware. I thought I was buying an Uniden TCX905 to add to my parents existing Uniden phones, however that is not what I got. I received two phones in boxes that said Uniden TCX905, however, after talking to Uniden Technical Support when the phone would not register we discovered that they were Uniden Tru9485 phones in Uniden TCX905 boxes. Luckily I was able to return both of the supposed Uniden TCX905 phones to Amazon without cost to me. I ordered the Uniden TCX905s directly from Uniden and paid a little bit more, but they worked right out of the box.$LABEL$0 +As manufacture has defined - quite and clean fresh air, easy cleaning filter rods and wire core.. As manufacture has defined - quite and clean fresh air, easy cleaning filter rods and wire core.Quick deliver and the price perfect - no need to by filters simply clean the rods and clear the wire core on the top by lifting where indicated.$LABEL$1 +More details on Kirk's plan, please!. This book was a fun read, but I wish the author offered more details on how Kirk reprogrammed the simulator computer. Did he use his fellow cadet's computer expertise? How did they get thru security to reprogram the simulator?$LABEL$1 +tastes like an apple Jolly Rancher. While I'm a big fan of Hooah bars, this particular flavor tastes like apple jolly ranchers. No kidding. If that's okay with you, then go for the apple flavor. I'd recommend the chocolate.$LABEL$1 +A great world. A great trilogy.. This is the first Margaret Weis book I've read. It is still one of my favorite. You've got love Simpkin. He is to this series that the Genie is to Disney's "Aladdin" movie. The first book gets your interest. The other two books continue the great adventure.$LABEL$1 +deep end. Heralding from Glasgow, Scotland, Aqua Bassino delivers a pitch perfect album under a startling array of influences, ranging from Jazz and African rhythms, to Nu-Soul and House. "Beats and Bobs" unfolds each track with a deep and intimate layering of textures, a lot of which is provided by live instrumentation and vocal performances. Avoiding over sampling and the generic feel of drum machines, it favors quiet rhythms with an organic feel. At times, the piano delivers such emotionally rich melodies, a strange melancholy creeps in, and seems to resuscitate the spirits of Eric Satie and Claude Debussy.$LABEL$1 +Foreign talent wasted in American film.. All state side movies featuring excellent kung fu talent like Jet Li and Jackie Chan are slow and boring because in the U.S. there are no good martial art choreographers working in Hollywood. This movie is a case in point. The first fight scene with Jet Li does'nt happen til a good 20 minutes into the movie. And the rest of the picture you see Jet in slow, week, "American"(by which I mean explosions, bullets, and one or two punches) fight scenes that are a waste of his time. You dont believe me watch this movie, then compare it to some of his sweet over-sea pictures like "Legend" or "Legend of the Red Dragon" and you'll know what Im talking about. Dont buy or even rent this piece of garbage or, any of his state side films like "The One" which is just special effects (any fight movie is sad if you need computer special effects to make your kung fu look neat like Blade 2 with Wesley Snipes).$LABEL$0 +Money well spent. This little stick vacuum is perfect for exactly what it is meant to do, quick pick ups. I charged it exactly as directions indicated and it's been great for picking up in the dining area after my little ones. It's also great for a quick pick up on the stairs and entry rugs. I like the versatility of having just a hand vac too.$LABEL$1 +Western Civilization: Volume I: To 1715. Seller was prompt. Book was gently used--in good shape. My daughter is currently enjoying (yes, enjoying)it as the text for a college course. Antil-biblical bias is evident as in many secular texts.$LABEL$1 +UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The only reason I bought this movie is because I love the old one so much and the guy that reviewed it for Amazon said this was one case where the new out did the old. Guess he likes really crappy movies. I was done with remakes, they always have to change the story line, for the worse. Examples: Planet of the Apes, Time Machine, and lets not forget how they destroyed The Day the Earth Stood Still! Anyway, it jumped all over the place. I guess Hollywood thinks that if thet throw in a lot of special effects we will watch anything. Please, please, please, if anyone from Hollywood is reading this, please don't touch Forbidden Planet, you have destroyed enough of the old classic Sci-Fi's, leave well enough alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Worst ST album EVER. This album is complete filler. There is not even a single worthwhile song to be floated by another 9 tracks of filler. It is 100% tripe. It is odd how a band that was so powerful in it's genesis would cash in and sell out to the weakest level. Lights Camera was garbage too, but at least ST fans could pretend to like it. This one leaves no room for imagination. The fact that any one related to Queensryche had anything to do with this album is a big STAY CLEAR SIGN. This one isn't even worth the time it has taken you to read this review.$LABEL$0 +Starts out good, doesn't last. I liked my first Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse I bought a year ago to use with my laptop so much that I bought two more within the last six months, one for my desktop and one for my business use laptop. The mouse has great features, I liked the small "tail" and the especially the fact that the tail can swing to multiple positions to accommodate other USB plug-ins. However, that swinging tail doesn't seem to hold up for long. All three of our mouses (mice) are experiencing the same problem with losing connectivity to the PC, we can wiggle the tail or turn it to another position and it may, or may not, light its little green "good to go" light. Very, very aggravating, we expected better from Microsoft branded products.$LABEL$0 +In spite of proper prep; the mirror fell off!. Well, I have convex mirrors on all of our cars (4 cars - 8 mirrors) so I know how to put these on. This is the first brand that has fallen off. Need I say anymore.$LABEL$0 +side effect - itching, irritation. I've been using this product for the past several months, but only about one application per day because of the intractable itching and irritation. I will go back to the 2% solution. I did not see any noticeable results with this product, possibly because I was taking less than the customary amount per day.$LABEL$0 +Great stickers, but not permanent.. My company uses over 50,000 of stickers of this size a year so I have quite a bit of experience with them. These stickers are top quality in every respect. They print very well and maintain what was printed on them without smudging or other problems. The easy peel aspect is very nice and does help with efficiency in applying sticker.The only problem these stickers have for us is that they are not permanent application stickers. The adhesive on these creates a reasonably strong bond, but will pull off. It appears they are designed to do this. I know that some people want to be able to remove their stickers later and for those type of people these stickers would be perfect. However, in our particular use we need the stickers to not be removable and thus these are not perfect for us. You will have to judge for yourself how this would affect you.$LABEL$1 +Lightweight. The weight of the paper is near onion-skin. I cannot imagine it being able to withstand steady use.$LABEL$0 +A big no, no. This book is a scam, a perfect example how the self-publishing industry can be discredited.It is not worth its money.The author takes pride that it wrote it in two weeks back in 2001 and the quality is similar.Out of the 121 pages of the book, only 31 are written by the author, the remaining are downloaded pages from internet and exerpts from his new book.I felt betrayed from buying this book and I would suggest Amazon should not promote this kind of books.$LABEL$0 +Ride is too short for use in Cycling. I enjoyed the other Bike-O-Vision projects very much but this presentation is so short, under twenty minutes. It was not very appropriate for indoor cycling training.$LABEL$0 +Studded Dog Collar...... This is one of ther funniest CDs I have ever listened to! Vol II is just hilarious! I got a huge kick out of the Bixby routine, and the one about the graveyard. It's a must buy for those with a sense of humour!$LABEL$1 +It burned fast... then it burned out!!!. This is the second one! I received the rep[lacement under warranty and guess what?! It died too! after about just over a month of use. Sticking to brand from now on. No more chinesse cheapo burners.My old HP still kicking after 4 years, thats quality! Its true what they say, you get what you pay for. Learned the hard way.$LABEL$0 +Warmth without the noise.. This heater keeps the furnace from coming on all night and works great. Just keep your windows cracked a little and enjoy the warmth.$LABEL$1 +how can an artist loose his soul?. I EXPECTED THIS TO BE A RE-RELEASE OF LIMAHLS' PAST RECORDINGS; I'VE NEVER BEEN SO LET DOWN! REMEMBER KAJAGOOGOO?, REMEMBER WHEN LIMAHL LEFT THE GROUP FOR HIS SOLO ENDEAVORS LEAVING BEHIND "KAJA". ON THEIR OWN...THE BAND OR LIMAHL DIDN'T SOUND TOO BAD....UNTILL THIS RELEASE! SOME WOULD CALL THIS NEW LIMAHL SOUND,MATURE OR POLISHED;I CALL IT WAY OVER-PRODUCED,TO THE POINT THAT POOR LIMAHL SOUNDS LIKE A LOUNGE SINGER! BUY SOME WORKS HERE AT AMAZON.COM BY KAJAGOOGOO OR AFTER THE BREAK-UP "KAJA"...BUT NOT THIS RELEASE! THIS RELEASE REPRESENTS ALL THAT IS WRONG WITH THE CURRENT MUSIC INDUSTRY....THE SELLING OF ONES SOUL TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK$! LIMAHL....R.I.P$LABEL$0 +Love it but it had to grow on me.. It does have a strong soapy note, with a light powdery scent. You will smell very clean and fresh.This could easily be a unisex fragrance but it's nothing that would make a man feel awkward wearing it.$LABEL$1 +A Valuable Video for Kendoists. I was delighted to view this video. Produced in the early 1960's the production of the video is not modern but the content is a delight for kendoist. The techniques displayed are all of high standard. There is little time in 30 minutes to be a real instructional video but there is a lot for the beginner to see and to get a good impression of good kendo. The Iaido displayed is a bonus. Be sure to buy it and add it to your collection.$LABEL$1 +I am more to blame than Jordan. I was vacationing in Kenya when I finished "Eldest" and needed a new book desperately. The only book of interest I found a bookstore in Mombasa was Crossroads of Twilight. For some reason I do not remember, I read all previous 9 books in the Wheel of Time epic (and I use that in the negative sense). So I place the blame squarely on my shoulders for reading such an awful book.Jordan creates a fascinating world, but after Book III, he gets lost in his own story. Honestly, and without exaggeration, there is not ONE plot development in this book. Yes, that's correct: not one thing of importance happens in the 800+ pages. Unfortunately, that has become the norm for Robert Jordan. If you just have to finish this series (I am officially at the "I could care less" stage), do yourself a favor and skip this book and go on to Book XI.$LABEL$0 +Caveat Emptor!!!. Buyer Beware! The product description for this item is very misleading, as is the picture shown. This is not, in fact, a seat cover that allows you to use your console, but a SOLID BENCH cover. I have tried for several weeks to exchange this item, but it seems that it is always after business hours at this seller's location, and messages left on the answering machine as well as via e-mail are ignored. If you do want a solid bench seat cover, however, this item looks good, and seems like a good quality buy.$LABEL$0 +A Must Have!!. Soma Holiday is a must have for every music collection, especially every Rock collection. Each song becomes addictive almost instantly!! The lyrics can be felt by anyone no matter what age, etc. I highly reccommend this CD and if you get a chance check these guys out live because they definitely ROCK!!$LABEL$1 +Slow and boring. Slow. The devil is almost ridiculous. No dramatic intensity at all. The action looks fake. The end is too easy.$LABEL$0 +OLD TEXT WITH MANY ERRORS. I used this text to teach a machine design class a community college. I has many errors in equations presented as well as in the answers presented in the back of the book. Problems are presented without any illustrations were needed.$LABEL$0 +Capo can be used for Strumstick. This capo is designed for a banjo, but I recently bought a strumstick (a hand held dulcimer - Strumstick.com)and the capo works great for it.$LABEL$1 +5 Star yoga. This dvd is fabulous. You get 2 full 20 minute workouts led by one of the worlds most famous yoga instructors. Tara Stiles. Learn more about her on her website [...]The yoga poses flow quickly helping your body stay heated. You definitely are getting a great workout from this dvd. Maybe it isnt for people that are used to doing boring yoga journal dvds. Tara is featured frequently in womens Health magazine. She also has a hugely popular YouTube channel. So if you want to make an informed purchase check out some of her YouTube workouts and hten you can get an idea of what you are getting here. [...]Also you can pre order her new book that releass in August right here on Amazon!Slim Calm Sexy Yoga: The 15-minute yoga solution for feeling and looking your best from head to toe$LABEL$1 +Disappointing compared to her first two albums. Not much quality here from a previously very gifted artist. She should avoid the populous themes and stick to mature subject matter as she did on her first two outstanding efforts.Purchase the other 2 (definitely) first and then this one but only if you must.$LABEL$0 +Full of fun. Blackmailer overflows with colorful characters and a suspenseful plot with a well done twist at the end. The protagonist is a publisher in a down and out New York shop who is offered the chance to publish a sure fire best seller which would catapult his firm into the top ranks.Twice. And that's just in the first few chapters.After that, we get the usual goons, gams, and gunsels so popular in 1950's noir. However, there is a lot more here than just a clever plot. The author understands the publishing business and wiretapping quite well, and the reader will learn a bit about both in several well-turned passages.The plot moves quickly enough to keep us from not questioning it too much. The profusion of unusual characters keeps the book interesting all the way through. And just when we think we know what's going on, we get another twist.This is not great literature, but it is a fine way to while away a rainy Saturday afternoon.$LABEL$1 +not easy for a child to enjoy. i was dissappointed with this house. My 3 year old girl loves Dora and was excited but when she started to play with it, it doesn't do much to keep a childs interest. They made one door open. No other doors,oven, cabinets, etc open. The family figurines don't fit on the couch and keep falling off. They should have made this so the figurines can use the furniture. THe first thing my daughter does is she goes to put the family on the furniture, and they fall off. They are hard to keep standing, not very flexible at all and i think they could have done some more things with this for them to enjoy.. Kids love to open and close things and if you're going to have house furniture, the figurines that go with it should fit easily. I got frustrated trying to get the Mami and Papi to sit or stand. How do you think a 3 yr old feels.$LABEL$0 +Excellent vocals --- Excellent songwriters. Sit! Stay! has become one of my favorite music collections. Lead vocals, Rich Currier and Gary German, seem to belong together - they blend so well that it's hard to believe that the sound isn't produced from one singer."Colorado Sky" is clearly the strongest track but "Tres Hombres, Dos Equis y Una Paloma" and "Phantom Canyon Road" are so strong, it's hard not to consider them as the album flagship.These "Bad Dogs" should definitely get their own dog run!$LABEL$1 +Things we don't need to be told by snotty little grrls.. When did we determine being a snotty prep school grad made you an ettiquite guru? Deluded much?haleth- I hate to tell you but knowing the "grrls" personally I have to inform you that they are not "characters", they portray themselves as they would like to be seen- which is better than everyone else.Real class is making those around you feel special no matter what their background, ethnicity, upbringing, education, or outfit.Their tone and "quirky" little nuances like RANDOM CAPITALIZATION are old because they have already been DONE. Cynthia Rowley & Ilene Rosenzweig?Time to get a new gig grrls.$LABEL$0 +OMG the chemical burn.. Way back when, I used to love Brilliant Pomade (that came in a little pump bottle) and I used it frequently.Recently, I bought this and now I have the WORST chemical burn rash on my neck. It's disgusting.And it burns like hell.I don't have sensitive skin and I've never had a problem with any product of this nature. Not sure what's in this but I can't use it.Test it on your arm first. Burns on your nape aren't fun.$LABEL$0 +Pave Rolling Trio should roll back to it's creator Serious Rip Off. Purchased this and it arrived fast but;no glimmer at allone stone feel out in the box on arrivalfeels and looks very cheap and bubble gum machine likeworth about $2.50, nothing more then that..royal rip off and I question who would ever write it's grand, seriously ...run from this one$LABEL$0 +Want a fun mystery? Start with book one!. In my opinion, the "Hannah Swensen Mysteries" should definately be read in order! To me, the whole series is like one big book of friends. If you pick up this book, which is the sixth in the series, and read it before you have read the previous stories, you probably will be disappointed. Every book I read, I love Hannah, Lisa, Norman, and Moshe more! Is Hannah perfect? No! But, who is? So, if you are interested, start with book one.Yes, this book is different from the first five. But, I liked that it had a different flare. This is not my favorite in the series but I wouldn't have missed it! Don't compare this series to others! This is the type of mystery where you lean back, kick off your shoes, grab a bon bon, and enjoy a fun and entertaining story. I love the development of the characters, the funny situations, the mysteries, and the conclusions. These are definately not boring or tedious. They are light and fun.$LABEL$1 +A broken tooth is better than this mess!. Minus 3 stars!! What a waste! Instead of leaving Alexander's homosexuality in the background (as private matters should be) the viewer is subjected to, not a war story, but a "love" story. Men kssing over and over and lusting after each other. The scene in which Alexander put a major lip lock on the "guy" in the middle of a big feast and the is cheered by his equally perverted men -- is sickening!!!! I did not even get to then end of it. A fishook in the eye would have been more fun!!$LABEL$0 +Shepherding a Child's Heart. This is a sick book written by an angry and sick man who appears to enjoy the touch of baby flesh on his hand. He portrays himself as a man of G-d, but truly, he a man of the devil. If I did to Mr. Tripp what he suggests I do to my children, surely he would have me arrested for assult in the first degree. Save your money and buy a decent book. May I suggest "Effective Discipline in the Home and School," by Genevieve Painter, Ed.D and Raymond Corsini, Ph.D., or any of the Positive Parenting book one can purchase on Amazon.com.Dr. James A. Deutch, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Adlerian Family Counselor$LABEL$0 +Obsolete. This book refers to Version 0.9 of GIMP. As of this review, Version 2.6 is current.Nuff said?Seriously, it spends a lot of copy on installing on Linux and setting up SCSI scanners, Ridiculous today!Whether the material about using GIMP is still relevant is irrelevant. The book is completely out of date!$LABEL$0 +Grossly Outdated Material. While this may have been a very good book in 1979, the, avian information gained over the last 20 years makes these older book obsolete, if not down right dangerous. These older books should remain out of print. I would recommend a more recent publication including periodicals such as "Bird Talk" magazine with up to the minute articles from today's (1999) experts. I've kept African Grey's for almost 10 years now.$LABEL$0 +Dr. Atkins New Diet Cookbook. If you are on this diet, this book has many wonderful recipes to try. The Austrian Paprika Chicken is wonderful! A good resource.$LABEL$1 +This is great but the sound is kinda bad.. I love Slayers!!! The story is great, the fighting is great, but i have one problem and that's the sound. For example their's a guy walking down a hall right while the foot steps sounds get their before the guy's feet touch the ground!!!! That's a bad thing people!!! And another thing is when Lina is talking her mouth this moving and she isn't talking!!!! But other than a few sound problems this's a fun box set.$LABEL$1 +More expensive but worth the peace of mind.. I have built SATA RAID configurations in the past without using raid enabled drives and I have gone through some real nightmares, the money you save is not worth the heartache of a failed RAID. Did you know that a Windows Server 2003 box can still run with two failed RAID SATA drives, although very very very slowly. Of course it is a false hope because as soon as you reboot it's over. The drives are high quality and worked great.$LABEL$1 +Almost Thrilled To See This.. We know that LOTR is going to look phenomenal on Blu-Ray, so seeing this set pop up thrilled me...until I saw that they were only giving us the theatrical release, thus presumably making us wait an immeasurable period before announcing the extended editions. Not cool, not at all. Milking it is absolutely ridiculous, so give a nod to the fans--the extended edition should be available simultaneously.$LABEL$0 +The best ever. Perhaps the most revered of all kung-fu films, this film combines a truly original concept and plot, awesome fight sequences, and the most intense animal to animal fighting to hit the screen. Easily considered the "gold standard" of films of its type, this is hands-down THE MUST-HAVE movie. If you are an aspiring collector, START HERE (or with Shaolin Master Killer). Every "serious" collector HAS it! Some people like "Return of ---" better. Not me.$LABEL$1 +Not a bad book, but not good either.. While the book itself covers many different illusions that are quite common to the avid magician, the book fails to provide very good descriptions of how to perform the illusion. Honestly, spend the extra cash and buy both the royal road to card magic and bobos coin magic book to actually get a better start.$LABEL$0 +Lacks compassion. Plot is very slow moving and simple. I couldn't finish. The characters especially the main is shallow, racist, and self-centered. The Bible says we will always have the poor with us. So why have characters, who live in an uneducated, unindustrialized country with little or no economic opportunity to support themselves, criticize people who beg as being lazy? This political statement represents a lack of Christian compassion in these characters who obviously don't appreciate Christ who gives unconditional love and not what is deserved. I couldn't read any more of this book, it turned my stomach.$LABEL$0 +horrible twist ties. These bags are HORRIBLE. You have to fumble with the top to open the bag (not sanitary) then once you pour/pump the milk in, you have to put it in a mug to tie and freeze!! Who has time to wait for it to freeze to remove the mug!?!! Also dealing with the twist tie is a nightmare and it's impossible to get all the air out.Also, The bags take up too much room in the freezer. I LOVE the bags that can lie flat like Lansinoh (much easier to pour, freeze, and unthaw as they can lay flat). You can buy 25 Lansinoh bags for $6 at Target, and they're much much better qualityI'm throwing the rest of mine away. They're totally useless$LABEL$0 +So hot, it melts itself!. This lamp lasted only eight months before the heat from the head of the lamp melted the plastic bracket it was mounted on. The head of the lamp now dangles uselessly by its cord. By the way, the lamp gets so hot that it could burn you if it is on for as few as ten seconds, so there is a safety concern apart from the self-destruction problem. The bulbs are also nearly impossible to find. I do not recommend purchasing this lamp - keep shopping.$LABEL$0 +BORING!. I had a tough time getting through this book. I really enjoyed previous Carly Phillips books and just finished the Hot Number, Hot Item, etc.. series before I started this book and I have to say, those were above and beyond better than "Cross My Heart".The book was boring and the main characters weren't terribly likeable. Thank goodness Hunter and Molly were good supporting characters or this would be a real dud. Stick with previous CF books - it's ok to miss this one!$LABEL$0 +Did nothing. This product did nothing to help grow my nails. In fact when I took it off with nail polish remover my nails started to grow almost immediately. So I'm avoiding using it unless I am going to use it as a base coat but since it didn't help my nails grow I feel that I may just throw it away and accept a loss. Too bad. I was hoping it would help.I had the polish on my nails for a solid 2 weeks. And during that time my nails barely grew at all. I was thinking it was just that I had quit biting my nails and the immediate growth was over with. I was wrong. I don't recommend this nail polish to help grow your nails. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Simple and effective. I do not speak Spanish and languages do not come easy to me. But I have been wanting to learn and teach my children (age 3 & 5) at a casual pace. This method is perfect for us!! I only bought one book, not realizing it's a workbook, but so far I just read it to my kids while we eat lunch or breakfast and we go through it together. The kids are really picking up on it and it has been a fun learning experience for all of us! I also bought a couple of fun cd's (Muévete- Learn Spanish Through Song and MovementandSongs in Spanish for Children) that we all love listening to and dancing to, which helps integrade the language in our home in a fun way.$LABEL$1 +Cool Exhaust Fans. This is a good product from thermaltake. Place it below my Graphics card. Doesn't flow a large amount of air but its fine. Dropped my temps by aboout 5 celcius. Not bad for a silent and low priced slot fan.$LABEL$1 +WOT!!!!. This has 2 b her best album 2 D8!!!! trust me!!! i dnt no if evry1 els is listnin 2 the same cd as me but she sounds real good and the songs r ALLLLLLLL GOOD!!!!!!!!!Standout tracksGet right (original and remix)step into my worldWhatever you wanna doCherry pieRyde Or DieI, LoveSO ITS A GOOD CD BUY IT NOW!!!! u wnt b disapointed$LABEL$1 +Find it.. I can not believe no one else has written a review for this outstanding thriller.Frank Pagan, the protagonist, is a bruised, battered London cop, whi is assigned to the anti-terrorist squad.The "Jig" of the title is a well-accomplished Irish killer.Frank has to catch him.So, yes: it's a chase story. And it moves. The body count is awesome, the tension is overwhelming. The atmosphere is gritty, sweaty, saeamy. It's real. While it doesn't actually say so in the text, you know that Frank Hagan is a man who farts. He's human. He's damaged: a widower, still in love with his dead wife. He's... eccentric: a Londoner who drives a huge American car and plays 1950s rock and roll LOUD on the car stereo.The story is a tad dated, but gripping nonetheless. Read it, then read the follow-ups: Jigsaw, and Heat.They all compare favourably with Nelson Demille's "Cathedral".. enough said?$LABEL$1 +chrono cross. this is a great sequel to chrono trigger some people might not agree like i did at first but i have come to love it.this game jumps into everything fast and for an rpg the talking is really low and has alot to do with the previous game.the game aslo has really good gameplay and is different on your second playthrew your choices effect the story and the paths you take so its always different i highly reccomend this game not only to a chrono trigger fan but a fan of rpgs.$LABEL$1 +Bags. This product is exactly what is described on the package. It does what it is suppose to. I like this product$LABEL$1 +A MUST read. The Dust Bowl is raging on and Billie Jo is in the middle of it. Her family is struggling to keep their farm in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Billie Jo's mother wants to move but her father is convinced that he can make something grow. Then,when the family finds out that Billie Jo's mother is going to have a baby boy, everyone was overjoyed. Everything seemed perfect. But, one day a tragic accident occures. When the baby comes, Billie Jo's little brother and her mother both die. Billie Jo is lost and confused without her mother. Nothing is right anymore.This was a GREAT, GREAT book! Karen Hesse captures you with free verse poems that make up the whole book. Your heart will be taken along in the journey with all the characters in this book. People of all ages will love this book no matter what.$LABEL$1 +Proof that fecal matter can be pressed onto a disc.. This is the worst game that I have seen in years.I am not going to repeat what people are saying about this game. I will add the following points:The audio is horrible. You can pretty much hear which individual sound bites they are stringing together to make (in)coherent commentary. Also the sound quality is right up there with a decent AM radio station.The menus are the most non-intuitive I have seen in years.Bottom line is, anyone that has been duped into buying this game: we should band together and file a class action lawsuit against EA. The game is that bad.$LABEL$0 +This book is christian propaganda at its best!. This book is the Christian whine heard around the world. It is about Christians who are mad because Universities teach everything in an open fair way instead of teaching Christian values. They use the guise in the book of being republicans not wanting such a liberal teaching stance, but you can see right through it. How obtuse for this nations Christians to try and make everything about them and their religion....it is a religion, not the way of the world. It is such Christian propaganda. I was disgusted.$LABEL$0 +Crap. I purchased this product thinking that it was would be nice considering the prices for street glow are much higher. Well I received the unit had it professionally installed and my main control unit was faulty wasn't pushing the power out, so the company who installed told me to contact the company to get a replacement and to my suprise there not open on the weekends.. So I just decided to place an order for the main control unit to save me the hassle well now it turns out that I only get 2 colors blue and green and various different shades of these to colors. This product is crap, now im going to have to fight the fight to get my money back for the led crap and the installation fees I've had to pay. I strongly avoid getting this kit.$LABEL$0 +Goes on and on and on. I've had this little gadget for years and while the Cuisine Art equivalent (a gift) has come, tried, and failed, this little unassuming Braun machine just keeps whipping and pureeing like on day one. Very happy with it!$LABEL$1 +Amazing one.... I thought a lot about this lens and sigma 10-20 mm before plunging into Canon and I never regret the decision I took!!This lens is amazing and provides beautiful wide angle shots with 'WOW' factor in each and every shot... Very less distraction, decently built body...apart from this it is THE Canon Optics that gives this a differentiating factor from other third party manufacturers and it is worth the premium you pay for Canon optics.$LABEL$1 +Book 4 of a huge plot.. The line of the Kent famiy is followed through with Amanda Kent as the main player. Amanda, daughter of Gilbert Kent was kidnapped and held as a wife by an Indian brave until his death when she was released.She then married a fur trapper who also died,leaving her to m ake her living as a bar keeper until she was caught up in the Battle of the Alamo and again taken prisoner as the woman of a Mexican Officer.She was treated well by him and gave birth to his son,Louis. By chance, she met,very briefly, with her cousin Jared who had been searching for her for years and inherited, on behalf of his son Jephtha,the control of his share of a gold mine. Determined to restore the printing firm of Kent and Sons in Boston to the family control, she and Louis set up house in Boston where she battles for ownership of the firm from the evil Hamilton Stovall,the man who swindled her family of their fortune and business.$LABEL$1 +oo la la. nice, heavy duty sheets. super-deep pockets. the color is true to the picture. these sheets are a great bargain for high end thread count.$LABEL$1 +This CD ROCKS!. In Palm Trees & Power LInes, Sugarcult's lyrics travel into more serious territory, but still are accompanied by their killer hooks and guitar riffs! Highly recommended to any Sugarcult fan! Favorite songs:She's the blade,Champagne,Memory,Counting Stars, but all the songs are awesome!$LABEL$1 +Beautiful. The box called to me graphically. The fragrance is unique. I had to have it. I love to breath it in.$LABEL$1 +I hate this machine.. I hate this machine. I like to drink espresso so I absolutely wanted a machine that would make both coffee and espresso. The main problem is the machine has no automatic shut off so if I leave the house and forget to manually turn off the machine, the coffee evaporates and the pot burns. I didn't think they made machines like that anymore - it should come with fire insurance. Also, the coffee results are spotty. Sometimes the coffee is great but then I've had several times when only hot water has come through. The coffee filter holder is very hard to fit into the machine. You have to line it up exactly with a hard to see notch to insert it. I have a Krups coffee grinder that has been a wonderful workhorse for me so I decided to buy this when my DeLonghi gave up the ghost (that one I loved). I would never recommend this and if you want to buy it from me, I'll give you a good deal! I am going to call Krups and see if they will take it back or exchange it. Ha, good luck to me.$LABEL$0 +Great little item. I knew exactly what I wanted when I ordered this, but couldn't find it in my town. I ordered it from Amazon, and really like it.I use it in my bathroom to keep my hair thingies and night creams in. It works perfectly. It's well made, yet simple. The top part has a little lift-up hatch that makes it nice for things you want to access all the time.Great little item!$LABEL$1 +Makes Danielle Steele look like Shakespeare. This book was really lame. It is riddled with cliches and it is shorter then a young adult novel. Total waste of time. The Lifetime movie was much better, so you know how bad this really was.$LABEL$0 +Biased, weak and with little use, but concise. I read this book here in Brazil.I'm an agronomist and I like to read books.This book has an obvious anti-catholic bias.About the popes who were murdered by their catholic faith, there's nothing.The enormous failures of famous protestants such as Luther (anti-semithism and racism), Henry VIII (madness, womanizer, etc.), etc. have no place on this book.Even about the founder of pentecostalism , the pastor Charles Fox Parham who was an eugenicist, pedophile, gay and racist, there's no place in this book.The anti-catholic bias is obvious.No defects are showed, among famous protestant founders.In fact, 100% of great protestants had enormous defects.The best chapter of this book is about Islam.Showing Islam as a result of a weak easter christianity,in a chapter.This book has some very little utility.$LABEL$0 +Piazzolla brazillian version. Only Astor Piazzolla could equal himself. A bandoneon virtuoso playing his own works, nobody could do better than him. However Four Seasons of Buenos Aires deserves a place of honour in the cd collection of Piazzolla's fans.$LABEL$1 +Great. I have been using this pump for many years before it stopped. The new one I ordered is even better. I use it to pump water through a pond filter to a waterfall about 10 ft. away and 3 ft. high.$LABEL$1 +this movie made me cringed & twitch to the max. bad acting bad storytelling bad everything i wish this movie was never made i strongly disliked this movie it seriously was a waste of time and money to make god this movie is terrible seriously terrible and i thought my movies were bad but this movie takes the cake and just ruins my childhood foreverSurvivor's Quest (Star Wars)Star Wars: Fool's Bargain (Novella)Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1)Dark Force Rising (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 2)The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3)Specter of the Past (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn #1)Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 2)Allegiance (Star Wars)Star Wars: Choices of OneOutbound Flight (Star Wars)$LABEL$0 +Absolutely a great read!. I loved this book for the prose and the story. It would have rated a 10, but for 2 incidents that were too far out there to even be included in the plot (you'll know which ones when you read them). I was captivated from the opening page through to the end.$LABEL$1 +Great quality and very useful. Great customer service from the Handy House! Due to a packaging snag, my order came without a rolling pin cover, but they shipped out another promptly when I let them know.Both the cloth and pin cover are of great quality, and the cloth is well hemmed. I used it for my Christmas cookies as soon as I got it, and they both worked great!$LABEL$1 +An Excellent Teacher. Alright, I've haven't read the final book. I do have an unfinished version that Professor Sanford distributed when I took this class from him at the U of Maryland. The initial version was excellent. I had tried to slog through other presentations on fracture mechanics and had gotten lost in the details.Rather than just presenting the stress intensity factor and other concepts, he gave a good historical development of just where these quantities came from and why anyone would or should use them to predict time to failure.$LABEL$1 +Just a gift. My husband had been wanting this book for a good long while. He's happy with it. We got it 2 days after ordering and it's in perfect condition.$LABEL$1 +Not good. I was so looking forward to this book. For a variety of reasons I was sure that I would love it. Instead I found, after the first few chapters, that I was making myself read it in the hope that it was somehow going to get better. Its one thing to try and turn a light and frothy story into something deeper with political overtones, but its another to make it boring, awkwardly paced, and with dialogue that slips in and out of being stilted again and again. Some people loved it though, so I would think your best choice is to find a copy and read a bit to see what you think.$LABEL$0 +Pet Taxi replacement door. The dimensions of the door were not listed in the description; so while my pet taxi is a large, it is evidently older than the ones this door was made for. Listing the dimensions of the door would not be difficult and would save customers having to return items because they are the wrong size.$LABEL$0 +Rogers and Hamerstein disappointment. This is a beautifully restored and digitally remastered copy. One of the poorest examples of the genius of Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. Poor screenplay, poor plot, very few hit songs. If on Broadway today, it would close in the first week if not after the first night. I resold this DVD.$LABEL$0 +An okay book. This book was very very very very very very very very very very gooooooooooodAlthough it was a little too explanatory!$LABEL$0 +Raising your child like you'd train a horse?. Well, if you read Ezzo's books and just change a few things, you'll have a great manual for training a wild horse. In other words, to break the natural inclinations for an animal to survive and thrive in it's natural environment in order to accomodate the wishes of its master in an unnatural environment. Now, I'm not against domesticating animals, but I am wholeheartedly against training mothers and babies not to trust themselves.Visit www.ezzo.info for a thorough discussion of this author.$LABEL$0 +awesome book. this exact same thing happened to me. exactly. when i read it i couldn't believe it. i love this book!$LABEL$1 +Living with an anorexic - a life line. I found this book invaluable. My anorexic neice said it was the best thign she had read to explain what was going on inside her head. Wow - it was like lights going on. Really helpful ot be able to see the disorder from her point of view. I was floundering before I read this. I storngly recommend it to those of us desperate to help a loved one who is lost in anorexia and fighting to find their way out, or not yet ready to fight!$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY!!. We purchased this plasma and 8 months later it stoped working. We had a manufacturer warranty, which is worse than the plasma itself. Haier promised they would replace with an upgraded model in ten days. After the ten days came and went then they say they would only replace the moniter in 15-20 business days. We are still waiting for a replacement.$LABEL$0 +Take a risk if you've never heard his music.... cause I'm glad I did! This the first Elliot Smith CD I have and I'm definitely getting another. The songwriting is awesome and Elliot has a great voice! My favorite songs (even though they're all good): Son of Sam, LA, Color Bars, Can't Make a Sound, and In the Lost and Found.$LABEL$1 +Decent machine. Not as good as my Norelco 7775X Cool Skin Shaver, but gives a decent shave for the price.$LABEL$1 +Too small. The pages on this score pad are too small to write in the numbers. There is no space to add up the scores until you get to the final score. Could contribute to errors in addition.$LABEL$0 +Not happy. Over I like the gun but the chrome is peeling off both of the psh 1's I own.Called porter cable and they tried to replace it with a cheap black and decker homeowner model.They then referred me to a local repair center but they didn't manufacture the tool so what could they do.Every time I use this tool I cut my hand open and porter cable did nothing to make it right.In conclusion porter cable is a shell of what they used to be.Very diss appointed$LABEL$0 +didn't last. My repair was a 3/4" hole in the vinyl seat of a kitchen stool. I followed the directions carefully, but the patch kept cracking and I kept adding new layers to patch the cracks. It finally seemed ok except for looking a little higher than the rest of the seat since I had to put extra layers. I didn't use it for a few days. Then when we did sit on it it started cracking again and after a couple of days the central part of the patch fell out.$LABEL$0 +a very sad and scary love story. I thought this book was very much in keeping with Stephen King's newer style of writing. Different from the classics but very good. I liked his descriptions of love never lost in all the characters. He has an amazing grasp of the everyday which I really enjoy. He can make you see the characters so clearly, I really liked Brenda Meserve and Bill Dean, so stuck in the past. Stephen King has such a grip on his characters. Aside from my admiration of his love for his characters this book also scared me silly. when he spoke about Mike Noonan's encounters with ghosts made my hair stand on end. He continues to be an excellent storyteller. I started with "The Shining" and have enjoyed all of his books$LABEL$1 +Christmas. This was a Christmas present for my Dad. He loved it! It fits his weapon perfectly and he says it's very comfortable to wear. Thank you!$LABEL$1 +One of the greatest films from Jamaica. The first time I saw Smile Orange I was 10 years old (I'm 30 now), my mother and I brought it from our local Jamaican record shop. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. The cast is wonderful and I am sure you will find Ceril the bus boy sweet and funny...just remember "Plate" and you will see what I am talking about. Buy this movie and let Ringo, Joe and Ceril take you on a wild ride!$LABEL$1 +if it aint broke don't fix it. This game when it first came out was simply great and remained great for a year or two and then they decided to "up-date" the game or to "improve" it which the 2nd age was a wonderful update but everything after that was down hill from there and the more they update it the worse they make it I realize there just trying to improve it but the game was better back before UO: Renissance came out and everything they have done since then including UO:R has been a major dissapointment and this new Age of Shadows update is without a doubt the worst one yet and i definetly suggest you not purchase this game unless you are already a UO player and are already deeply involved with a house(es) and extensive fortune if not play another game this one is as the title imply's only a shadow of it's former glory$LABEL$0 +The worst one yet. The first Spy Kids movie was enjoyed by all in our family and our kids insisted on seeing all of the sequels. They should have stuck to the first one as in so many cases. Did not have the same energy and quirkiness that the first movie had. The characters also did not interact with each other in that easy way found in the the first movie.$LABEL$0 +Where there's smoke there's usually fire...usually. Smokin Aces is a good action movie for those people that like action movies. It's funny, smart, and packed with good scenes that make it worth watching. There are enough twists and there is enough violence to liken it to other similar movies like Snatch, Ronin, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and I enjoyed it. The HD-DVD combo worked well in my 360 HD-DVD player and showed marked improvement. I would recommend this to the action movie fan easily as well as anyone looking for a good HD-DVD to add to their collection.$LABEL$1 +Fair Book but get other sources as well. I have used Microsoft Press books to get through my entire MCSE certification. I bought this book and used it along with Transcender and that was not enough to pass the exam. This book did not stress enough a lot of the key areas that were covered on the exam (especailly in the area of cryptography).$LABEL$0 +The Gift of Intuition and Consciousness. Penney Peirce has written a thoughtful, grounded, and well put together book on how to access an innate capacity in the human brain. Intuition is our natural heritage and this is one of the best books on the market that dispels the woo-woo and focuses on the matter of fact ways to utilize it to one's advantage. In my opinion, we are all intuitives, while others are psychic and capable of seeing realms of creation in multiple dimensions. Nevertheless, this is a fabulous and organized way to consciousness and discipline to achieve practical application of one's inner knowing. When intuition and intellect combine forces in harmony ... much more awareness is at your disposal to create the life you truly want.$LABEL$1 +Good Movie. Bale has been the best Batman. The story was a little long in the middle. Overall an excellent superhero movie.$LABEL$1 +One of the best original FPS you can play!!!. This game is one of the best first person shooter games I had ever played! I had tried all of the xbox first person shooters and this is defitenitely the best for me since Halo! The graphics are excellent and the originality is awesome! This game is so good that it is worth buying it. You will not regret it. Like Halo I will never resell mine because I cannot wait to replayed again and again!!!$LABEL$1 +Not what it's cracked up to be. To sum it up, this book is another example of a lost opportunity to realize the potential of an interesting theme, namely the juxtaposition of two cultures and its effect on one individual. The writing is simplistic and cliche-ridden, and the number of references to pop culture will give the book the shelf life of a BenLo movie. Superficial and manufactured, this one will take little time to read and even less time to forget.$LABEL$0 +blind, not deaf. Blind is a treat, if pop music is up your alley, this is the street you want to be on. I've had this album 16 years or so, and after properly hearing it on every stereo I own in every room of my house for years, I'd have to say I'm very happy I bought it.This one won't tire out easily. Brilliant lyrics, sung beautifully, over crisp, airy guitar and drums, whats not to like? As clear as an early morning breeze on a summer day on the coast, these songs will penetrate and invigorate your mind. Enjoy these songs and wish that there were more.$LABEL$1 +another exercise in pseudo-spirituality. This book will give some people the psychological comfort they're seeking but for me it was just another exercise in pseudo-spirituality. I have read countless books on spirituality and self-improvement, and I can honestly say this book is no exception. Personally, the more I question my existence the less I believe in a human "soul" - rather it's ALL soul (or whatever you want to call it - spirit, energy, intelligence, God, Easter Bunny!). Personally, I wouldn't bother with this book and check out Krishnamurti's, Book of Life or Total Freedom.$LABEL$0 +Awesome. Hands down the best and most comfortable mouse I've ever used. I scoffed at paying so much for such a common piece of equipment, but regretted my decision when I bought a cheap piece of crap.This mouse is frickin amazing. Worth every penny. I've since bought several others for my other desktop and laptop computers. Things sick.$LABEL$1 +Excellent USB drive. An excellent device - good transfer rates, robust & has a very well designed rubber sling for attachment to a keyring.$LABEL$1 +burn notice season 2. purchased burn notice season 2 dvds came on time in good condition ,at a fair price, very good quality in both video and audio.consider a must have for anyone like me who is a devoted fan of B&N;.$LABEL$1 +Great little paint set.. Purchased this for my two year old whom loves to paint. After she pulled this out of her stocking she wasn't interested in any other gifts. We are always thrilled with Melissa & Doug products!$LABEL$1 +If you have nothing else to do. This book is a good "airplane book" . You can read it from New york to LA and never miss anything. There are many inaccuracies that a good Software Engineer can point out, but the one that bothered me most is that there are no stairs in the Giralda. Did Dan Brown really spend time in Seville?$LABEL$0 +Move on. I saw this movie when it was originally released and have to say that may thoughts of it have not gotten any better in that time. I had high hopes for it going in and kept waiting for that moment when I would feel that my money had not been wasted. The moment never came. This was an awful movie. Boring dialog, uninteresting characters, painfully slow pacing. This is really no different than any of the other movies Paul Thomas Anderson has written and directed. This is the worst of the big 3 but they are all highly overrated.$LABEL$0 +Wow! So many elements in this.book...... A murder mystery that covers so many topics: police investigations, the occult, divorce and the breakdown of the family unit, in depth character analysis, etc. Excellent twists and turns that keep you wondering till the very end of the story. A must read.....$LABEL$1 +Greatest Gift of All. With "Built to Last," the Grateful Dead give their fans the ultimate gift. . . . an album so mediocre that even the most enthusiastic fan would be thankful that there would be no more to come. This is the Dead's final trip to the studio. Had they called it a day after "In the Dark," many may have been left wondering what would have followed. Now that the Dead had a certified hit record, how would they follow it up? Rather than leave fans imagining great albums of the future (not that "In the Dark" was any masterpiece, in my opinion), they deliver "Built to Last," demonstrating that the long, strange trip was over indeed.$LABEL$0 +Why Aren't These I-ties Getting More Ink?. The Code is a great combination of musical exercises from some seriousouly talented Italians. North America may have invented this genre, but the children of the Continent are having pretty big fun trying it on for themselves.$LABEL$1 +Only one bulb works - I gave it two and a half stars. I previously purchased the Rayovac SP8DA Black Sportsman 8D Lantern from a local store and liked it a lot. With the prediction of Super Storm Sandy hitting the Northeast, I decided to buy another one, this time from Amazon. From the moment I added the batteries and turned it on, only one bulb has worked. I am really disappointed with this purchase.Just have not had the time to return it!$LABEL$0 +Old greed dies hard... Despite the fact that the country (not just the right, as in Reagan's case) practically beatified Roosevelt at the time of his death, and also despite the virtually unanimous opinion among historians that he was one on of the three truly great leaders this country has ever had, authors like Flynn just cannot seem to let it go. The anti-FDR/New Deal/Yalta smear brigade, fueled from the beginning by the same 'big money' that ironically caused the Depression in the first place, marches on to its own drummer, preaching to its own choir.If a man is measured by who his enemies were, then the legacy of FDR, only perhaps second to Lincoln, may rest undisputed.$LABEL$0 +This is a Bohemian flick. After 10 minutes, I had enough. First of all, the visual clarity could have been done a whole lot better, especially with the technology at our disposal. Secondly, this film reminds me of the psychedelic 70's or something. No worse, it reminds me of something you would see during an hallucination on LSD. The music was psychedelic, the drawings were psychedelic, and the constant frontal, nudity scenes gave me nausea. The film gave me a headache!$LABEL$0 +Too much Hype, no substance. I too believed all the hype of this being "the first classic album of the year". Could not wait to get my hands on it and they suffered through a disappointing effort of dark droning and sub-par effort. Stay away!$LABEL$0 +Nice Printer, But..... This printer works well, was reviewed well online, and does exactly what it is supposed to. The problem is the software, it's a NIGHTMARE. I always have to fight to get it to print. Either you let windows install the printer, or use the driver on the cd, and when you print you just get an error message, and have to reboot the computer to get it to print, OR you install all the unnecessary software made for servers, send it to print in the "paper port" program, then have to tell that program to print it. Either way if you buy this printer you can no longet in 1 quick step print your pages.Oh and by-the-way, I use windows XP Home so nothing outdated, but noticed it works a little better with XP Pro.$LABEL$0 +Endlessly replayable. It allways amazes me that this album didn't sell as well as the others. Like most of the early Queen albums, it has everything: rockers, ballads, weird multi-tracked constructions, ...If you like guitars and rock, two tracks on this album are outstanding: crank up the volume and listen to "Fat Bottom Girls" and "More of That Jazz". Awesome.$LABEL$1 +I wish i wasn't so naive. I bought this book, I will admit, actually expecting something good and amazing. I liked how to make war, and i have now learned the hard way not to buy a book just by the authors name. This is disappointing. Good authors like Stephen Coonts, Michael Crichton, and others, I am able to buy from in confidence, expecting a good read. How is a production delay due to a minor problem a 'dirty little secret?' Wow, I feel so dirty now that I know that!$LABEL$0 +Does not serve the purpose. I bought this headset to use it with Skype, not to use it with a phone. I the only way I could make this headset work with my computer was by downloading additional software, which made operation much more complicated. For some reason this thing does not work windows bluetooth drivers. After the software trial ran out I would have had to pay, so I ended up not using the head set at all.If you want to use your headset with a PC, get another one... the other Motorola headsets appear to work just fine.$LABEL$0 +Fair. Bad DVD defected I played it and the first DVD was defected and i was disppointed in it big time .$LABEL$0 +Legend of Spyro; A New Beginning. The first Spyro was so much fun looking for eggs and secret stuff, but this Spyro is nothing but fighting. If you really liked the first Spyro then don't buy this one, it is a waste of good money.$LABEL$0 +THUMBTACK. I have three or four Bob Mould albums and one Husker Du live album. There are times I put them on but with all the music I have, Bob gets played maybe once a year or so.However, every so often I put on this CD just for the song Thumbtack. I dont know what it is but that song is as hard as any blaring electric guitar song to me and lots to say in a very to the point way of saying it. I used to hate buying albums for one song which was the norm in the 70's and 80's but with this album, I stumbled upon this little gem of a song.For that reason, I give this album (and yes there are other songs I like here) five stars just for Thumbtack. Yes, I as a reveiwer can do that.$LABEL$1 +Star of David Pewter Cuff Bracelet. Was disappointed all around, sorry to say. The bracelet was not formed with the bias of the wrist; The metal was not thick enough or formulated with enough base metal to withstand body heat so it constantly lost shape and loosened - the design could be seen from the underside/inside. But more importantly it quickly cracked and broke from the edge to one of the star's because of the above reasons as well as, apparently, from not having a thick enough border/edge. Also, upon arrival even one of the star's had already lost it's blacking. However, I liked the idea; If manufacturer recalculated the design I'd try to purchase it again....$LABEL$0 +Absolute Rubbish. Bitter disappointment are the only words I can use to describe my reaction to this CD. Whilst I don't expect Alanis to carry on writing in exactly the same style as her first album, this music is written in a desparate attempt to be different. Her music makes no sense!! A few good songs like "That I would be good" "buy the book" just highlight how poor this album is!$LABEL$0 +Horrible!!!. Without any question the worst official Hawkwind album. they trash everything that moves .Huw Lloyd Langton seemed to have only learnt one set guitar chords and one tone..his lack of suitable style and limited dimensions to his playing severly tested my huge love otherwise of Hawkwind for a decade almost. (I like Huw personally but in Hawkwind he was a disaster!)A dreadful heavy trash of Swindells "Shot Down in the night" .. a crass ruining of "Spirit of the Age" .. "Lighthouse" is just pathetic.. "Brainstorm" and "Master of the Universe" are insipid and listening to this reminds one of the saying of feeling like you are savaged aurally by a dead sheep!Urban Guerilla is crass but listenable. Motorway City is ok.Silver Machine cuts out with an explosion (mercifully!) to save the listener any more pain.Get the idea.. I hate this album LOL!!$LABEL$0 +Cool Vacuum. I just had this vacuum for about a month and it does what it advertised--lots of cleaning power!On the first day we got it, I test drive my DC15 on the family room carpet. I had just vacuumed the room the previous night and the new DC15 still managed to pick up half barrel of filth. There is no doubt about its legendary ability to deliver extra suctions power.The only negative I have was its choice of plastic. The material seems cheap and flimsy. The roller-stand in the back of the ball looks frail and about to crack. For the price they charge I would expect a lot better choice of plastic.$LABEL$1 +Hilarious and heartbreaking. Catherine Newman's big heart, sharp wit, and breathtakingly good writing take what could have been a standard "momoir" and elevate it to -- dare I say it? -- literature. A wonderful read for every mother who's ever secretly wondered what the heck she got herself into. Be prepared to laugh, often, and keep the Kleenex handy.$LABEL$1 +Love it!!. Great Show can't believe it is over. Hope JJ comes out with another great show, Fringe and Lost how can you top those !!!$LABEL$1 +Best transmitter out there!. I tried the Belkin trasmitter before buying this Kensington. The Belkin worked ok at first but after a few weeks it got a lot of static. I live near DC and it's harder to find a clear radio station, which has a lot to do with the static, i'm sure. I returned my Belkin and bought this Kensington transmitter from the apple store. I have had no problems with it since i bought it a few months ago. There is no static at all when i play my ipod - even living near the city! This is definitely the best transmitter to go with if you've been having lots of static problems.$LABEL$1 +Great Summer Read. This series by Alexander McCall Smith is great easy & fun summer reading. Start with book one and see the character's personalities and relationships build.$LABEL$1 +John Cale's Brilliance - LIVE -. If you're looking for a piece of brilliance and maybe something a little more accessible than some of John's other works you won't be disappointed with this work. Spanning a large piece of his career and some new stuff, John's voice accompanied by solo guitar or piano is simply fabulous. I recommend this release to anyone with an interest in listening to genius with out high production.$LABEL$1 +Candy don't taste so good anymore.... I can see how feminists would be all over this. 14 year old nymph gets back at an older masochist. Or is it the other way around ? I really wanted to like this film, but it was too slow and too drawn out. At some point you just feel like sceaming: OK, I GET IT ALREADY. That, and shortly after you want to slap the guy for acting/being stupid. You know she is still in the house, you have a chance to get out, but what do you do ? You go look for her. Dumbass. You deserve everything you get, all the way to the unlikely ending.And then it's over, and you still have questions. Granted, that was the intent, but it makes you feel empty, which was supposed to make you converse with other people about this film I guess. For me however, once was enough. I never need to see it again or talk about it, ever.$LABEL$0 +A Must Read!. This book was one of the best. It is about a girl who is accused for murder while on a trip to Rhode Island. Avi uses desciption and vividness to pull the reader right into this book. While it is hard to explain as to what the book was about I will say that it is a must read and that if you have ever wondered what the hard times at sea where like and what the true meaning of friendship is like you will love this book. Charlotte, the main character, is easy to get to know and is someone everyone can relate to with her ongoing bravery and fears.$LABEL$1 +Very Satisfied. My wife is very pleased with the product and I am very pleased with the service.. Thank You$LABEL$1 +Gift gone a little wrong. I bought this for my mother-in-law for Christmas. She was really excited to get this frame, and I believe when I purchased it the ratings were a little higher. I can see that it isn't that great. We had to ship it back because there were some significant problems (it was showing any pictures and there were lines across the screen). We shipped it back and are awaiting the new one to arrive. I hope that it is much better. I gave it two because it seems like a good product, but the ratings could change depending when we get it.$LABEL$0 +Great Lamp- Good Value. I was surprised at how nice this lamp is. It's quite heavy, all metal and has tempered milky glass - not plastic- on the underside of the shade. The base felt like it weighed several pounds. I like it because it not only provides indirect light upward, it also shines a nice diffuse light downward. There are two sockets for bulbs. It says you can use up to 150 watt bulbs -if you want that much light. It has a long cord that you pull out from the base. I did find it a bit trying at first to push all the extra cord into the pole segments that screw together. But putting things like this together is not exactly my forte. It took me about 20-30 minutes to get it all unpacked and set up. I am quite happy with this purchase.$LABEL$1 +perfect. Loved it! Got here in great time, looks great on. Wish the chain was a little longer, but really, no complaints. Have gotten several compliments each time I wear it. Would buy from this seller again.$LABEL$1 +DVD part went bust after just 11 months.. Bought it Nov. 2003, broke 9/30/04 and the warranty covers labor for only 90 days. It never worked that well to begin with, some DVD wouldn't work on it, although they worked fine on other players.$LABEL$0 +Bolsters need covers. When I got this bolster a year ago, it adequately served its purpose, and I didn't think too much about it. I didn't use it all that often, but it was quite serviceable whenever I did. Then my massage therapist forgot her round bolster, and used mine, getting massage oil all over it. Since she is a kind thoughtful person, she offered to clean it for me. It totally and completely shrunk, nearly 30% shrinkage. Replacement bolster covers are not available from the Hugger Mugger website as of 5 minutes ago, so I now have either a completely useless bolster, or I have to go scouring the web to try to find a replacement cover from an outlet that I would trust. Bottom line: don't get your bolster dirty, or you will have completely wasted your money.$LABEL$0 +DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. As an avowed movie geek myself, I thought I owed it to myself to check out the poster boy for geekdom. I WAS WRONG. I was casually aware of Knwoles borderline-... writing style, and found it charming at times. But this book is painfully ghost written, it feels more like something that would be in one of Knowles' precious cracker jacks boxes than a real book. I kept wanting to skip forward because it was so boring, but figured the good parts were right around the bend. I lost hope 3/4 of the way through, and finishing the last pages was truly an ordeal. Get ANY book besides this, or better yet, go get some movies to support your own geekdo instead of supporting this guys bloated ... and ego. I WISH I COULD GIVE IT ZERO STARS$LABEL$0 +Love them. This review is very deserving of 5 stars. My boyfriend needed a new pair of chucks for work that matched his uniform... we don't wear many other types of shoes.. Love chuck taylors! 5 stars for fast shipping, and low price. Thanks!$LABEL$1 +good. nothing fancy - but he got it here early. there really isn't much else to say - I bought a book, and it came.$LABEL$1 +Not a great buy. I ordered some cookbooks for my husband and this was recommended by a friend but I think the paperback version is just not as nice as the hard cover. It is more of a "story-cook book" and he doesn't like it. Wanted to return it but I was too late.$LABEL$0 +This is not the same band....... The editorial review indicates that this CD is of the "same exceptional quality" of the only studio album produced by Colwell-Winfield. This couldn't be further from the truth! In fact, the band had broken up by the time this was recorded. Colwell, Winfield and Purro seemingly threw together pick-up players for this gig. None of the magic of their studio album is present here, with lackluster performances... and the recording quality is less than adequate...especially on the " three bonus tracks".I feel silly that I got taken in on this one, but the description looked great. Talk about cashing in on former glory!!$LABEL$0 +A knife to make you smile. Every time I pick up this excellent knife I smile, knowing that it's going to be fun to use. It was a gift, and one of the best gifts I have received in a long time. After ten months of heavy use it looks like new.This knife is lighter than you might expect, which I feel helps me to work rapidly, and is just the right size for excellent control-- I tend to "choke up" on the knife and grip the blade with my thumb for extra control. Its slim profile and the granton edge mean easier chopping and the ability to easily create very thin slices. The light weight means less fatigue. As a result of excellent design, this tool can mow through great quantities of all sorts of veggies. It's also incredibly sharp. A winner and an amazing bargain.I own other Forschner products, including theR.H. Forschner by Victorinox 8-Inch Chef's Knife, Black Fibrox HandleandR H. Forschner by Victorinox 3.24-Inch Paring Knife, Small Black Polypropylene Handle. Both are also excellent.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your time. I rented this as you usually can't go wrong with Bruce Willis and Forrest Whitaker. How wrong I was. None of the characters are likable and by the end, I wished they would all die. Also, for a short movie, it seems there were a few scenes just to stretch it out. For example showing the girls driving around with loud music and smoking. 10 seconds of that was enough to get the feel for the scene. It seemed like it dragged on for 3-4 minutes. I fell asleep during part of one of those long drawn out scenes.I can only assume Wills and Whitaker did this for the money. It is awful!$LABEL$0 +Cheapie Tray!. Man Bumbo, I'd be willing to pay an extra five bucks for a QUALITY tray. The one you're selling now is JUNK!The tray would be PERFECT if it stayed put and was easy to attach. My 4.5 month old can easily take the top of the tray off. I read somewhere that the top of the tray snaps into place if you work with it, but I haven't found this to be true.Great idea, just needs to be improved.$LABEL$0 +Write N Learn. I purchased this toy for my 3 year old nephew as a Christmas present and I am told he is really enjoying it. He travels around with it in his back pack. I hope that it will be useful in him learning the ABC's and how to write.$LABEL$1 +Book is misleading. The photos in the book are mostly made with vintage ribbons from the 20' or 30's. Instructions are lacking. Example: Book tells you to use 1" ribbon but does not say what kind. I felt it was misleading. Why not show photos of flowers made with ribbon that is readily available. All book says is not to use cheap ribbon. What does that mean? So why have a book with photos of flowers you can't make.$LABEL$0 +Laugh Out Loud. I loved Minerva, it was a great start to the 6 sisters series, it made me run out to track down the remaining 5 books of the series. You will definitely find yourself laughing out loud at this book and the others, as well. I love marion chesney.$LABEL$1 +NCIS Episode Call to Silence. By far my favorite episode of this great series. Charles Durning does an excellent job of portraying a WWII vet who believes he has killed his best friend.$LABEL$1 +You lost me with Oprah.. I like Amazon, I'm sure the Kindle is a great product, but there is no way that I will buy it now that Oprah is endorsing it. It was a bad move on Amazon's part to use her as a promoter of the product.$LABEL$0 +Behind the 8-Ball: A Recovery Guide for the Families of Gamblers. I'm struggling to get through this book. If you are looking for something positive to get yourself through a difficult time, this book is not for you. It does tell you what to look for and how to protect yourself, but does not instill any hope for a future for the compulsive gambler, whether you are staying with them or not. Again, if you are looking for hope, this book isn't it. All it does is leave you depressed.$LABEL$0 +disappointed. WOW! This movie stunk on so many levels, I don't know where to start. My son & I really enjoy watching the first two and were terribly disappointed while struggling to endure through this mess. The story line COULD HAVE been interesting; but the script and the acting was painful to watch. Brandon (whom I love) seemed to be sleepwalking through the movie; and the relationship between him & his son (and his wife) was just stupid. I HATED, HATED the actress who replaced Rachel! Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh (whom I also love) were the ONLY interesting characters worth watching. Unfortunately, the martial arts were reduced to a minimum - too bad. Even John Hannah lacked his quirky humor that makes him so endearing. Overall, a big jip!$LABEL$0 +666- Is there anything evil in there?. When you first hear the name 666, you think of something evil. WRONG! The record, Paradoxx, is full of great dance tracks, and the only thing to remind of the "diablo" are the Spanish-evil-sounding lyrics. The aggressive sound of the synths is well combined with the party-shaking rhythm, the result is guaranteed to make you dance.$LABEL$1 +Worth it. I picked up "To Kill A King" at a movie rental place one night when I was just browsing (as usual) for something more than the action/crude comedy/horror that so often lines the shelves of the new releases. The store had only one or two copies of this one and so I thought I'd take a look. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Since that night, I purchased the DVD for my own collection and have shared it with a few people who all liked it as well. I've watched it several times since I bought it and will watch again I'm sure. It's not often that I want to see any movie more than once or twice in a year but this one is definitely worth it, I think.$LABEL$1 +Hi. Greatest book ever I loved it!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS BOOK OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!! It was absolutely amazing so awesome and cool and wonderful$LABEL$1 +Loved it. I didn't think I'd be interested in this movie but I ended up absoutely loving it. I've never seen the play so it was completely new to me. I loved the music and the humor. This is a movie that will put you in a good mood for sure. All the lead characters were great but for me, it was the supporting characters that really made this a great movie. James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and others were all great! I did feel though that John Travolta was miscast. He doesn't have a good singing voice and he seemed to be trying to be Mike Myers. If they're going to have a male for the role, I think Myers would have be perfect for it. But Travolta was still good.$LABEL$1 +defective DVD. Movie is excellent after I bought the DVD it would just play up to scene 14 and skip to the end..they replaced it and it was the same thing.. I finally had to go rent the movie and watch it...strong performance by both actors...movie is a ***** (five star) but not on DVD$LABEL$0 +Forever a fan of Bel Ami. No matter how many photo books I buy, BelAmi will always rank number 1 with me. The photos are always clean and crisp with the most beautiful young men.$LABEL$1 +Big improvement. Nice looking, sounding computer speakers. The bass is really strong and the lowest setting is all that is required really. Good enough sound to fill the space of a studio apartment.$LABEL$1 +This book is fascinating.. I read the making of the atomic bomb by the same author and remianed fascinated for 800 pages. This book is equally marvelous. The previous book dealt with the advances in science and the people who made them, beginning in the 19th century. The hydrogen bomb was conceived during the epoch subsequent to the making of the atomic bomb and its promoter, Edward Teller, was not a popular person at the time; he encountered resistence. The author describes the personalities who were working on these weapons, famous scientists, and their quirks and weaknesses. Also, all of the science that goes on. I did stop to study a bit.$LABEL$1 +Very disappointed. My 8 year old son bought the RipStik with his saving and I we hate it. He is good with skates and skateboards but can only ride this a couple of feet. I read the reviews on Amazon and people said the product was great and how fun it was. He has tried to ride it and cannot get more than a few feet. I definitely do not recommend this product for a child. It says 8 and up but I would not even consider it unless they are in their high teens. I am very disappointed that he spent so much money and cannot ride it. The wheels spin forward and backward and in a circle at the same time. I tried to stand on it and had to hold the counter to keep my balance. It is very hard to balance because of the way the wheels spin. Would never buy this again.$LABEL$0 +second-hand and too wet. It actually is of little importance to a listener how long and why this outfit kept in the shade. This album will, for all we know, put them away for longer still. Reason is a-plenty. To begin with, neo-romantic synhty-pop is not quite making hey these days. The material smacks of Wet Wet Wet's heydays. And anyway, this sort of nagging suicidal gloom is too much to bear in A-ha, Weeping Willows, Doves and the entire Glitterhouse label's output. On the plus side we have here 11 cute and crafty tune arrangements - but then again, vaguely reminiscent of 80's new wave era which Erasure never failed to subscibe to. Wake up, little Suzie, wake up!$LABEL$0 +Perversely Uplifting. I am trying to be frugal with my five star reviews but this album deserves full marks without question. Judging by my screen name, one can safely assume that I am a Will Oldham fan. I, myself not being much of a writer, will avoid trying to pin this album down with my words but direct those interested to reviews at both pitchforkmedia.com and nme.com.$LABEL$1 +once broken, no fix available. May I add to those who had the problem with the orange connector separating from the main hose. At that point it is worthless. I see that Fiskars no longer carries this product - wonder why.$LABEL$0 +Loves it!!!!. This is actually THE anime that first got me interested in anime. My older brother used to watch a lot of anime when we were growing up and I could never get into it until he brought this home. It's a classic and really delivers in the action department.So glad to have found this movie after all these years!!$LABEL$1 +ehh,,,take a pass. I have to say that Mos kinda crapped out on this one. I was expecting a lot more out of this album than what I got. The album is ok, but I wouldn't go running around telling people to buy it. I stlll will enjoy Mos on other levels,,,specifically I against I, a track you can find on Daddy G's album. That track is amazing. Sorry Mos, you should of worked harder on this one$LABEL$0 +Not too bad, but nothing much really. Now don't get me wrong here. It's a great movie, well a good movie. But this isn't the movie, it's the comic book.The problem is, it IS the movie! There is nothing here that stands out on it's own from the movie and all the other hype. It's a good movie, but it's not a good comic book in it's own right.Or to simplify further, it'd be better if there wasn't a movie, because this is just the movie on paper (well, a movie on paper is a script, but you get the metaphor). If you've seen the movie, don't bother. If not, go ahead.$LABEL$0 +Pass on the '06; you'll need the '07 by the time it arrives. I ordered this calendar as a Christmas present for my friend at the beginning of December with a shipping estimate of about the 16th of December, and the 16th of January is approaching and it still apparently has not shipped. In my opinion I should receive 1/12th of it for free since my friend won't be able to use the January page; along with a complimentary Christmas gift for next year. But instead I decided that I would do the world a favor and save them the embarrassment of wrapping and giving an empty box with an IOU note as a gift. You can't use an IOU note to keep track of the date. So please do ME a favor and pass on this calendar no matter how attractive you think an actor might be. They're not very attractive when they're stealing your hard earned greenbacks, think about that. Oh and by the way I've also been forced to give this item one star of which it doesn't deserve since to my knowledge it may not even exist. Thank You.$LABEL$0 +Does what it is supposed to do. Great price on Amazon.. Product worked as it should.Cheaper from Amazon and is exactly the same thing as the Corvette branded one GM sells.Nice item to have if you have a car that is stored for the winter or otherwise not driven very often. Cars with proximity FOBs and lots of on board electronics don't like sitting around without charging for more than a couple weeks.$LABEL$1 +A1 quilt book. This is an exceptionally easy book to follow directions and everything is wonderful. I will definitely buy from this author again and again.$LABEL$1 +It's No Bargin. Got this as a gift. It worked fine for the first two albums that I played but after that it hasn't gotten up to the proper speed. I haven't been able to find any solution to the problem from the Web.$LABEL$0 +DISASTER........ I am sorry to say this purchase was a total waste of money. I accept some of the blame. I purchased this game not knowing that it was actually an ADD-ON game to an early version of "Combat Flight Simulator". I purchased Battle of Britain as a stand alone game...this obviously was not going to work. Having opened the package and reading the instructions I thought that it may work as I do have Combat Flight Simulator 3. This is not the case... Now the game required is no longer available, so I am left with a game that is absolutely useless. I emailed my issue to Amazon and was informed that I could return the item but having destroyed the packaging and the cost of returning the game to the USA, I chose not to do so.I guess it's a case of "buyer beware" and make sure you understand all the instructions.$LABEL$0 +It Does Spark. When it comes out of the box and I first start using it, the air is powerful but definitely not hot enough. So the more I have used it over some months of time the hotter it has gotten, which I really like. But the last few weeks I have noticed some sparking. Freaks me out a bit! I have been buying this brand for a while and my previous ones just shut down after about a year but this ones sparks. Time to buy another blow dryer I guess. Sparking from an appliance is never good.$LABEL$0 +Bad. So So So Bad. And not in a campy good way.. Recently moved and while placing books back on the shelf, ran across this one. Can't remember if I bought it or someone gave it to me ... so grabbed it for my train commute read.UNREADABLE. Horrifying awful. Was this "published" by a vanity or pay press? I cannot imagine any editor ran through this. Beyond trite. Worse than junior high journal entries I used to correct.Hope the author kept her day job... and also hope she used a pen name to protect herself. (Would have given it NO stars if there was such an option). This 'book' didn't even make the donate bag... directly to recycling.$LABEL$0 +Oh my, the downfall.. Ugh, what happened here? The band really shows their creativity, yes, and have complexity, but the riffs...are GONE! WHOOSH! They're extinct! Metallica really have reached their low on this album. Gone are the great riffs, filled with jamming sessions. Not that that's bad. It's just the riffs that make Metallica. But, they do get better with the next album, Reload. I'm glad they aren't making stuff like this anymore.$LABEL$0 +incredibly funny!. wow, this book was sooo funny! This book is about a teenage boy, whose mom is a stripper at a sleezy club. He's completelly ashamed of his mom, so he doesn't tell his girlfriend. He is a typical teenage boy; very insecure. His only real friend is a girlcrazy self acclaimed doctor. This is all until he meets his future girlfriend. She's beautiful, and new to the school. When he finally gets the courage to ask her out, she automaticlally says yes.He finds later, that he really loves this girl, and he can not keep the secret about his mom. Him and his girlfriend broke his virginity, and did everything together. This book is better for teenagers, because much of the subject matter is "unsutible for young children" lol$LABEL$1 +Misleading. What a rip-off...It states it works with original X-Box. It doesn't mention the fact that you need an adapter for it which is near impossible to find. I sent it back. Waste of time.$LABEL$0 +Great nights sleep!. You sleep so sound with this pillow, you sleep through normal home noises that might normally wake you. My wife and I have spent hundreds of dollars on memory foam, down feather, select comfort and more, but these gel pillows are like a dream come true when it comes to a great nights sleep.$LABEL$1 +great series. I enjoyed all of the books in this series. Each one brought on a new adventure. It is easy reading and more than enjoyable.$LABEL$1 +AN EASY FUN READ. I saw the movie first, then read the book. It is written in an easy to read style, and follows the movie closely. The book wastes no words and has fast paced action, just like the movie. If you liked the movie you should love this novel.$LABEL$1 +NOT ORIGINAL ARTISTS. Although reasonably well-executed, this CD is performed, in its entirety, by the BB Band, apparently a studio group. This fact is not clear from Amazon's description. In fact, Amazon lists it as "Various Artists". The CD itself does not let you know it's by the BB Band on the front cover. It tells you on the side and on the back, in very fine print. I assume people looking for these songs are also looking for the original artists--they should not buy this album.$LABEL$0 +Calming/meditation Music at its Best. This is one of my favorite CDs to play when I need stress reduction or want to meditate. The music is wonderful, and I look forward to purchasing more CDs by Gerald Jay Markoe.$LABEL$1 +The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This book kind of confused me in the end, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can't wait to watch the movie.$LABEL$1 +Bulky! not what i hoped for. after shopping around for wirless headphones for my mp3 player i went with the creative digital wireless headphones, i have a creative labs zen touch mp3 player. the headphones themselves are bulky and fit really funny, they do not stay on your head unless you are sitting very still. the audio sounds great, great bass, but if you are 10 feet or more away from your source yo get a static noise that sounds like a loose cable. for the prce these are ok for indoor use. i returned mine the nxt day i got them, very unhappy with them.$LABEL$0 +Blown away. If you have it on cd, get the video/dvd, also. Clapton at his best with a great lineup backing him during this emotional journey back to the basics and blues. One of the best sit down, on the spot, versatile jams. You can hear and feel the emotion during this set and if you can hold down the lump in your throat during "Tears in Heaven", all the power to you.$LABEL$1 +Works fine as far as i can see. I used this as an extension to connect my Behringer mixer to a stereo receiver and audio quality is just fine. I have ordered a handful of cables from cables to go and they ship quickly and quality is good enough for 99% of applications. I use them a lot on my home equipment.$LABEL$1 +** WOW~~~~~~. i never thought i will gonna love this book this much.!!Good for yourself, good for your teen-kid, good for your adult-kid,good for sunday bible study,i just bought 8 of them from different seller. lolGod will bless all of you with this book.!!$LABEL$1 +National Geographic for Kids. After reading all of the reviews I have decided not to buy this for my grandson. I always thought National Geographis was a great magazine but it sounds like it has gone down hill badly with all the ads. I am so glad I read the reviews before buying.$LABEL$0 +NOT SOFT!!! NOT What I expected. I have always had Egyptian cotton sheets for as long as i can remember. These sheets are terrible. NOT SOFT and always look wrinkled. I just purchased another set from Dillards and they are only 500 thread count and much softer and half the price.$LABEL$0 +This book sucks!. You know I bought this book because I mistakingly saw the Amazon reviews..but what I read was the published reviews (which must get a kiok back or something). Anyone, and I mean, ANYONE could write this book, because there is NO WRITING. It's a book of forms, lame ones at that. Like a To Do List? Date - What to do - Who do you need help to Get it Done - Done checkmark.Wow! That was deeeeeep insight.DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Go out to lunch instead and spend the $6-$8. I would rate this book a zero star if I could.$LABEL$0 +didn't last long. This itme is one of those tools I don't use often, but when I need it there is nothing like a good spindle sander to get around those curves. When I recieved it I was impressed with the way it was built, the nice storage for the extra spindles and the way it worked. I had no need for it really at the moment and after a couple test runs it sat in the corner. Last month I did need it and the nasty grinding sound coming from it did not bode well. The spindle would spin around but there was no oscillation at all. I cleaned everything up as best I could and it gave me a few half hearted movements and more grinding sounds. It is now sitting in the garage and I reclaimed my old spindle sander from my uncle. I was pleased to find out the sleaves fit my old one. I will use them.$LABEL$0 +Looks good, but doesnt last long. Looks great out of the box, but within weeks, the "chrome" starts pitting!I'm disappointing in the quality of this product.I love the look and design of it, I just wish it lasted a bit longer than a few weeks.$LABEL$0 +Superior. The ratchet knob on the top sets the time a minute per click, so it really takes a lot of work to set a time 12 hours, but it does the job. The radio isn't really that great but I can get local stations ok. I took the clock apart and wired it to activate a fire buzzer when the alarm goes off. The only parts I needed was a reed relay, some wire and a switch. Now I can really wake up with a serious alarm. (any day of the week)The liquid quartz display is too hard to read. I can't see to make out the days of the week. I like the clock and it is a good idea, but I wish all letters and numbers were LEDs so I could see them.$LABEL$1 +Black metal Loft Bed. I really like the way it's structured but was a bit disappointed that the futon cushion did not come with it. I was under the understanding that it did. I knew the matress didn't but it seemed that in the description, it mentioned the futon cushion.$LABEL$1 +"Terrifying--needed a little smoothing.". I am a big fan of the films; Silence of the Lambs and, Hannibal. This is the first book by Thomas Harris I have read. The main reason I had to read this book was the fact that it will soon be a movie.I have my fingers crossed that this movie does credit to the book. I'm sad to see that the original director did not direct this movie. Since he didn't, a better choice may have been David Fincher (Fight Club). At any rate, I have my hopes up.I was disappointed with the way the author left some parts of the story unfinished, such as the chapter about Dolarhydes childhood. Harris had an excellent chance of putting together a fantastic finale, yet he rushed the ending. Don't get me wrong, the ending, as well as the whole book was spooky. Just a little touch-up and this book would have been a perfect 5.$LABEL$1 +Where is the Silk??. Again this states to be a silk reed grass arrangement, it is plastic. The plant is plastic, states created from durable silk. the plant part is not silk, it is plastic. plastic plastic plastic, I dont care what the cost of shipping is, its going back. I will never order another thing from this company.$LABEL$0 +No original version. Very disappointed to discover the original releases are not included.I am sure the ridiculous edits to tie in the prequels are also theonly version available, sorry but Boba Fett is not from New Zealand!$LABEL$0 +Amos and Andy dialog. This film is a depiction of black people in the souththat isn't much like what they were like historically, but is like what white culture stereotyped them.The music and dance is the best of this movie.The plot like the dialog is bad: the country cotton picker is shucked like corn by the city slicker woman and her friends in the fast crowd.$LABEL$0 +No Replacement Bulbs. Light Blaster(tm) Ultra Spectrum Torchiere Floor Lamp is a good lamp, solidly made, but there is a problem with the bulbs. The lamp came with the VIVA PBCFS2670120v 26W which I cannot find after hours of searching. LampsPlus sells the lamp but doesn't sell the bulb. The bulb which they are now shipping with the lamp, the MaxLite GU24, doesn't fit 2 of the 4 sockets. It is just a little too wide. We broke a bulb when the lamp arrived and immediately tried to replace it but we could not. So don't buy the lamp unless you can find replacement bulbs which we could not find and which LampsPlus.com will not find for you.$LABEL$0 +Bob is just so cool.. Bob must appreciate the illustrations in this book. My nieces and nephews do. We get a kick out of listening to the song on the CD and reading the text along with it. The drawings are appealing and only a bit bizarre. Gives the kids an antidote to Berenstain Bears.Grown ups would like this books, too.$LABEL$1 +doesn't work very well. I wanted to like this mouse, and have used a similar one from Kensington with great success for years, but for some reason it just doesn't work very well and is a great disappointment. Now I have to go out and buy another brand of the same thing just to get work done! It's way way too jumpy, on any number of surfaces I tried. It keeps releasing the item I've selected too soon so the amount of clicking and dragging I have to do just to get one thing done has been increased tenfold. It jumps the cursor all over the screen when my hand is just sitting still not moving. Very frustrating to use. Can't wait to get rid of it.$LABEL$0 +Business trivia. The authors deliver as promised through a blitzkrieg tour of '100 Great Businesses'. At times the information is scarce and superficial, but if you're looking for business trivia, or a quick glimpse for areas worth further research, this is a great book for the task.$LABEL$1 +good vendor coverage. I had no idea a book on firewalls could be this big! The authors have striven to write a definitive Handbook (in the German sense of the word). It spans every major implementation, circa 2003 - Cisco, Nokia, Solairs, linux,... Which explains a substantial part of the heft. The firewall market has these major platforms, and there is enough detail on each for you to be able to install and run it.But the book is more than a set of disparate sections on each vendor. More broadly, it goes into the theory of Intrusion Detection Systems and the common ideas behind most firewalls. You should note that the IDS topic alone is considered sufficiently important by others to have books devoted to it. The level of detail in this book about IDS is not the most comprehensive. But you'll get the gist.So within the covers of this book, you are getting a broad scope of product information and theory. Even if the book's title is somewhat strident.$LABEL$1 +A slim volume. This thinnest of books is nothing more than a handful of poorly captioned photos. Its price is beyond belief considering its paltry contents. Be warned.$LABEL$0 +This is BEYOND sloooow service!. one month later and I still don't have it! Talk about SLOW service, not to mention totally unacceptable. I would never buy from this company again.$LABEL$0 +A terrific buy on some of the best music ever written. I can't say enough good things about this compilation of the complete works of JS Bach. Just a set of the complete organ music of Bach or the complete cantatas often costs more than this entire 155 CD set of all Bach's music. All of it! Most of the performances are at least good, many are excellent, and some are even superlative. And the sound is excellent throughout.I have admired the Fagius performances of the organ music even before buying this set, having already heard some of his recordings. These alone, incorporated in 17 packed CDs, are worth the price of the set. All 200+ sacred catatas are spread over 60 disks. For me, this has been the highlight because the performers seem to be having such a good time doing the music. It's fun to just pick a number, find it, and enjoy the music.Brilliant Classics has treated us to a real musical banquet. Enjoy the feast!$LABEL$1 +Good deep fryer. I like this product because it is compact enough to fry enough food for a single person or a couple at once. Very little oil is used and the food come out crisp and moist on the inside.My four children have used mine so much and love it they are each getting one for Christmas.$LABEL$1 +this product is something wrong. I have 200GB & 160GB LaCie external HD, and they have been working property on 3 of my PC's. That's why I trust this brand to buy the 250GB this time.I was wrong.This 250GB HD didn't recognized 3 of my PC's(including Dell).I asked what's wrong to LaCie by mail, and they answered me that my PC's have problem, even I explained a lot about the situation!I just returned the product to Amazon.com.After that, I found so many people complain with this item on many site!Don't buy it, if you read this kind of review!$LABEL$0 +Hunt this one out. Watching this on my Amazon Prime movies was really quite a treat. Much better than a lot of mainstream movies. Actor Willem Dafoe gives an outstanding performance here in this much different type of movie.$LABEL$1 +Same as Stack-On SPAD-100. Odentical to Stack-On SPAD-100. So, it's silica gel in a box with it's own regen. heater that plugs in.Convenient to regen but you need 2 to protect your stored items while no. 1 is regenerating for 8+ hours. Shop around, get best price and buy either one.But...it does not circulate air so don't expect it to really dry out a closet or a cabinet.Works as well as a box of silica gel because that's exactly what it is. But.. no need for long oven bakeouts just plug it in and don't touch for 8 hours. I'll be amazed if a cheap heater like this lasts more than a few regens and I'll just break it open and use the silica gel in a perforated aluminum can which you can regen in an oven. Or use pyrex and Maybe regen slowly at low power in a microwave - haven't tried that and don't recommend it without checking with manufacturers of silica gel.$LABEL$1 +Decent. This is an album that you would rather choose certain songs from. There are very good songs but not every one is that great. I highly recommend, Hide Away, Sacrifice, Watch Dem Roll, and Sticky. But that's about it...$LABEL$1 +You have to be kidding me?. I'm a huge horror movie fan. This is not a horror movie. I might not be so pissed if I wasn't so blatantly lied to. For the first 30 min or so I was waiting for something interesting to happen. Nothing ever did. It probably took less than a few days to shoot and a few hundred bucks. Then the advertisers went to town. This movie is far from worth it.$LABEL$0 +Makes Sense To Average Person--Nortel exposed. I was hesitant to read the book after reading the "Incoherent" review left by a reviewer. I read the other book by this author and actually won a few good bets, one of the recent bets I won is shown as an image on the other book page. Seems the reviewer who wrote "Incoherent" must have a beef with the author.I can see that there are areas of the book that can be hard to understand if someone is looking for a quick simple explanation of investing techniques or tips to get rich now. However in exposing the Nortel possible stock manipulation, the authors' explanation seems plausible.After doing some homework, his recommendation would have returned prices increasing over 8% annually, plus the rates are still higher than bank returns, 4.6% annually. Better than losing money on FORD or other stocks.$LABEL$1 +Anything for money!. It is so sad what people will do for money. Lying, sensationalizing, disrespecting and profitting off another under those reasons is simply wrong. But then again, many people have been doing that to Michael Jackson for years. It's little wonder he hurt. Don't buy this book and allow these kinds of people to treat their fellow man in this way.$LABEL$0 +Son loves it.. 10 month old son loves this!! Bright sounds and lights, fun to play with!One of his favorite toys.$LABEL$1 +Nice alternative the the controller. I love being able to navigate the Xross bar with one hand. I use this extensively to play my video files from my NAS and it works flawlessly. Bluetooth does not require you to point at the screen, but I am already trained to do so.Only thing is that I wish it had a backlight - tough to see in the dark and the key layout is such that you can't easily feel your way to the buttons. The Verizon and Comcast remotes are well designed for this.$LABEL$1 +Same Ole...Same Ole. Production values were not on par with his voice, and his voice is showing signs of the strain that his overperforming has caused. The song was much better sounding from Westlife, if I'm being REALLY honest. Take a voice break, ROO!$LABEL$0 +This camera is horrible and customer service stinks. I purchased two of these cameras for wildlife surveys and they both worked for about 1 week then one of them started to only take black images both day and night. So I sent it in for repair and they charged me 10$ to send it in even though it was under warranty then I got it back and it worked for a few weeks and it messed up again and I sent it in again and another 10$ and then it broke again so I gave up on this camera. The other system worked for about 1 month got some good images on it then it started doing the same thing as the first one so then I quit using either camera now they are just sitting and collecting dust. Probably should just throw them away. I have since purchased three other camera brands and would recommend the leaf river IR3-bu as my favorite IR flash camera even over the the other two cameras I have tried the no flash cuddeback and stealh cam I230IR.$LABEL$0 +Dang yo. You all are right. The ink is where they get you. It doesn't even last a semester. It's cheaper to print my papers at the library than at my house!$LABEL$0 +Classic. This story -- as with most Dr. Seuss books -- is great. Kids and adults can enjoy The Cat in the Hat!$LABEL$1 +PC Games, Hoyle Card. If you live in Europe, don't waste your money on this program! I live in Spain, and the program will NOT load on my computer with Spanish language Windows XP. I was really disappointed because I enjoy playing Bridge on computer; if someone knows a card game program that will load, please let me know!$LABEL$0 +This book stunk. This book was simply terrible. The writing is poor; the flow terrible. No one in the book is sympathetic -- not the Princess, not any of the staff, and certainly not the author. Much has been written, good and bad, about the Princess. I bought this book because I'd hoped to hear an unbiased view. Jephson has almost nothing nice to say about her. I hate books where I wish they would end soon; I felt that way throughout this book. I forced myself to finish reading it because I'd hoped to find something worthwhile. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Passes "Skype" Standards.... Which means that, those guys in Taiwan don't have a clue!Being the ONLY typical "home" telephone Skype supports this: "cheaply made, LOW speaker & ringer quality, DROPPING calls constantly" telephone should be avoided...But wait, I need a telephone to use with my Skype service, without having to have my computer running or wearing those stupid-looking Headphone/Mic combos!!Geez...that only leaves this lousy RTX Dualphone 3088 series, right?!yeah, until the makers of the RTX dualphone 3088 step up and fix this junk of theirs...I honestly don't know of another VOIP phone maker that we CAN use Skype with!!I wasted $169+tax+shipping...but hey, I did get rid of Vonage & my ISP's "hostage" telephone services!!(wasn't there suppose too be an UP-Side to this??)$LABEL$0 +The CD cover says it all. Horns, strings, guitars, organs, morrocos, washboards, percussions and many others, its all on this CD 'Motorcade Of Generosity', and I like it.You won't hear any of these songs on the radio because it's different but that's what is good about it.This CAKE CD is more about the music than the lyrics like their other CDsThis is the type of CD that the more you listen to it the better it gets.CAKE who don't like Cake.$LABEL$1 +poor sizing. very poor sizing.. very disappointed when i recieved my boots. i read the other reviews to make sure the sizing was true to size the shaft of the boot is soooo.. off im a thick bottom girl thick thighs and booty .. howver i am a size 8 in boots the 8 was like a 6 5"6 about 145 pds these boots are not worth buying poor quality as well.$LABEL$0 +A "dreamy" movie that puts you to sleep. The film struck me as though I were watching it after having had as much champagne as Nicole Kidman had at the party at the outset. A slow, miserably trying movie which wants to be something more than it actually is. It did not intrigue me at all, and I felt it that it was something Stanley Kubrick had shot if he were smoking hashish in astonishing quantities. The New York locations were artificially unconvincing, Tom Cruise's performance was adequately lukewarm-like most of his prioir performances, in this viewer's opinion. The story was at best, uninteresting, and, as you can surmise, I felt that this was an instantly forgettable film unworthy of even a second viewing because I found it to be inordinately boring. The only highlight for me was seeing Nicole Kidman's tantalizingly luscious nipples.$LABEL$0 +An excellent, comprehensive description of the survivor. I recommend this book very highly. It has really helped me to accept and personally verify my own past and painful experiences. A definite MUST on one's path of self-healing and discovery!!$LABEL$1 +Powerful and Beautiful. This concert recorded at the famed Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City is one of the best Lola Beltran performances I have ever heard. Some Opera fans might know this venue thanks to the famed recordings of Maria Callas' 1951 Aida. This wonderful recording includes a two disk set featuring Beltran singing boleros and rancheros that highlight Beltran's powerful and beautiful voice. Although it is live, the audience is quiet, and the recording is perfect. One minor complaint for the US market: There are no liner notes, and there should be.$LABEL$1 +...go read, don't be afraid. "A reader, August 23, 1998" writes in his review exactly what you might expect from people who are (to say the least) not open for new insights and ideas. "while the real scientists are busy..." ==> busy doing what?! Busy hiding from revolutionary ideas that's a threat to what they were taught? REAL scientists would jump on the challenge thrown at them to look into the fascinating world they had closed their eyes for. It's (seemingly) far-fetched ideas that can mean breakthroughs and revolutions in what we know about the world's history.So don't let yourself be put off by such narrowminded disregarding and open up. Maybe there's a whole lot more than what we have been taught to believe...$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I couldn't wait to get these can chillers, but my experience with them has been a real disappointment. They probably are as good as an ordinary can cover, but certainly nothing more. How do different people have such different results from products?, where some are just delighted and others have poor results?$LABEL$0 +Brave. Just BluRay? Sounds a lot like "records", "tapes", then "cd's". I'm just not buying it. Why the same run around?$LABEL$0 +Oh, how stupid can they be?. Well, a lot. More than a lot. Poor Will does his best with a doggie script. He accounts for the one star.I don't know why those enlightened movie companies insist in making one SF dog after another. Did you watch the "The Chronicles of Riddick", "Sky Captain", or "AvP"? There are plenty of others around, all of them sucking money out of our pockets.They need to fool us in order to pay for the great CGI effects I suppose. They fail to understand that if CGI is used to generate profits, it will kill the emotional content of the movie. What's left is the customary Hollywood Pablum dulling our senses.Do not relate this dog to any of Isaac Asimov's works. They stole the title and we shall punish them by forgetting this miserable mutt.$LABEL$0 +lack of clarity. I have a feeling if I was able to sit down and talk with Graham, I might agree with him more than I think. Unfortunately this book is one of the most poorly written and badly edited pieces of literature that I've seen in a long time. I found a lot of things that are so generically obvious that they shouldn't have taken up the entire chapters that were used to state them, several things that I might agree with if I could get through the lingo-laden, spiritual sales talk enough to understand what he meant, many things that just didn't make since at all not to mention complete contradictions of prior statements within the book, and some things that are outright questionable. He might have some good points in his personal vision, but unfortunately this book is such a mess that none of them are communicated.$LABEL$0 +Easier to follow than the cast album. I liked this musical very much! I remember watching the Tony Awards the year that the original production won the Award for Best Musical over "Beauty and the Beast"--the more likely contender for the top prize; and I thought it was a mistake until I had seen the original cast program. I had only heard the cast album of "Beauty" and once I saw "Passion" I saw "Beauty" as an overblown, juvenile production for the kiddies and I don't see how it could have been nominated. I think that Jere Shea is very good-looking gentleman with a good voice as Georgio, Marin Mazzie is a beauty of an actress as Clara and then there is Donna Murphy in her Tony Award-winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive yet passionate older woman reaching out desperately for Georgio's love. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sondheim--the Broadway genius who wrote the score.$LABEL$1 +Not such a good buy. I was quite disappointed that the fabric actually does not have the shiny appearance as shown in the picture. It looks functional and plain. The bag cost just about $20 after the high shipping and handling charge. Therefore, the price really was not that great.$LABEL$0 +great way to promote our self absorbed culture. This book and the praise it has generated over the years has always bothered me. At first I thought it meant I was just too selfish. But the more I have had people praise it and then try to tell me why it is so great the more I understand that they are confused. The story of someone who takes everything that someone else has to offer without any thanks or anything to give back is NOT an example of love. It is an example of a truly warped relationship. Anybody out there who thinks that they are really in a relationship when the only thing happening is them giving to the other person(s) needs to build a little self esteem. I hate to break it to you but you are being used. Relationships are reciprocal. I would NEVER read this book to a child.$LABEL$0 +Revised edition worth it, but recycle the CD. Five stars for the revised edition book, two stars for the (too fast, too cheesy, and is that a synthesizer?) CD... I'll give the set four stars (rounding up). The revised edition appears to have the same pieces as the original, but in a larger print size that is a relief. In my opinion, it's worth getting the new book, but you should recycle the CD.$LABEL$1 +Having fun staying fit looking better. Best way to get fit and enjoy it...this dvd gives you a delightful way to do what it takes to get inshape and enjoy the view....$LABEL$1 +Major Disappointment. While I applaud anyone who can dance up and down a narrow restaurant aisle, dodging service people and customers, I don't care to see dancing in that venue. The constant distractions were more than annoying. As for the dancing, with just a couple of exceptions (and they were wonderful), it was boring! No fire, no life, no joy. Some interesting costuming, which I enjoyed, but some were down right vulgar! So if you enjoy the skill and passion of belly dancing, stay away from this DVD.$LABEL$0 +WATCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WAS SHOWING ON AMAZON. WATCH DOES NOT MATCHING BOOK ALSO INSTRUCTIONS NOT VERY UNSTANDABLE. NOT TOO HAPPY WHEN IT ARRIVED AND DIFFERENT ON MAIN PAGE FOR AMAZON OR RETAILLER$LABEL$0 +wrong cover sent. Placed the order for a 2007 Prius using the online vehicle selector and was sent a cover for a much smaller car so the cover did not fit and had to be returned. The material is a highly reflective silver that is very bright like a Mylar space blanket. In the past the type of material has made the greatest difference in longevity with the expensive ones lasting up to 10 years on my cars and cheaper ones lasting 2-3 years regardless of the color of the car cover.$LABEL$0 +Very comfortable belt. This belt lives up to its reputation. It is very comfortable to wear and the bottles don't move at all. It's also not hot.$LABEL$1 +so educational and yet fun. the crusin world game is so fun because you get 2 c different places while your still sitting on the floor playing a video game.u get 2 c places and like monuments and the kind of terrean they have in that country or city or continent.i think it is better than the other crusisn usa because it has many different choices of cars. and you can choose the place you want to play in.$LABEL$1 +'Emma' Leaves You Hanging, Breathlessly. Emma's Secret is really an outstanding book by one of my all-time favorite authors.Although the story is about Emma Harte and her legacy, don't expect A Woman of Substance. But do plan for a wonderful novel about a new generation of characters, plus a cliffhanger of sorts.Anyone who enjoys a good family saga, a novel of romance, or of women's empowerment will love Emma's Secret.$LABEL$1 +Non Stick, My Eye!. This pan looks great. The first time I used it, nothing stuck. The second time I used it, things stuck, but not too badly. Tonight, the third time I've used it, and this time with spray oil on it, I've had to let it soak, scrubbed it out, and am letting it soak some more. The pan is very square, with inner corners that are hard to clean when things stuck, so it's just a pain to use. The grill part is okay, it's the pan part that is troublesome. I'm going to go shopping for something else.Unless you like washing dishes, don't buy this thing!$LABEL$0 +Incredible. Topper is the best hapr player I have ever heard. He has an intensity that cannot be rivalled. If you ever get a chance to see him live do not pass it up!!$LABEL$1 +Works well with newer televisions.. Bought two for two different tvs. It plugged into back of one no problem but the other required a 3.5mm female RCA to stereo adapter, which isn't included.$LABEL$1 +not appropriate for my car like it said!. This item seemed like a good fit for what I needed for my car (2005 Jetta). My original gas cap had a crack in the seal and was making the check engine light come on every time i turned on the car. I searched on amazon and the item had a check list at the top to make sure that the item would fit the vehicle you were buying it for. This extra feature DID NOT WORK. I don't know if that's Amazon's fault or the sellers, but I was very disappointing to find out that Jetta's have a ventilation system in the car so that the gas cap does not need to be self ventilating. Needless to say it was a waste of money and the 6 dollar shipping that they charged me. Be careful with check list if it tells you the item will be a fit for your car.. it still may not be what you need.$LABEL$0 +Fell apart after one season. This canner developed holes and rust after less than one season of canning. The rack inside is flimsy as discussed by others. It rusts after a few canning sessions.$LABEL$0 +Cheaply made. You have to enter the code both to open it and to close it. Don't be fooled by the optimistic description, there are much better key boxes out there.$LABEL$0 +Elf Ears Purchase. Very good purchase, not expensive, they are a good size and stay on your ears. Worked great for a Christmas Elf, just a few weeks ago!$LABEL$0 +Wonderful Natural Moisturizer. I love this natural shea butter, it works wonders as a face moisturizer and doesn't break my skin out, but keeps it looking moist, firm and it has a nice glow. I like this best when mixed with a few drops of one of the NOW oils, such as their jojoba oil, which is also wonderful.$LABEL$1 +Definitly the best murder mystery every written.. What can I say? There is no other book that I've read (and let me tell you, I've read quite a few) that completely baffled me the way this one did. Not only is the real culprit a mastermind, but Christie is as well.$LABEL$1 +Does not work with NB-2LH Canon Rebel XT battery. I'm not sure if I'm a special case or not, but my battery fits into the charger, and it plugs in and the lights flash and everything, however when I pop the battery back into the camera after a long charge, nothing.To make sure that the problem was the charger not the battery, I tried charging the battery with a friends charger who has the same camera. Voila, no problem.Again, I'm not sure if I have a defective model, and I appreciate the company offering an affordable model, however this turned out not to be a viable option for me.$LABEL$0 +broken after a few days. It last about 3-4 days. No mist coming out. Read through the user's manual and it seems to break easily if water gets into a hole at the water basin, which I can imagine happens to everyone in the daily refill.$LABEL$0 +Pure Country Classics: The #1 Hits. While I could not be dubbed an overt Country music fan, I was motivated to purchase this CD because it contained many hits with which I was familiar when growing up in the 50's and 60's. A good number of these tunes were "crossover" hits, appearing simultaneously on both Country and Pop music charts. The tunes are all very melodic and evocative of their era and "classics" all. I highly recommend this to music lovers of all stripes, particularly to those who grew up when the lines between rock n' roll and country music were blurred.$LABEL$1 +Bad. I had to read this book for school, and, first let me say I'm not just some highs chooler who hates to read, my favorite writers are Kafka, Faulkner and Dostoevsky, but this book was all but utter trash. It had a few meaningful moments, but generally it was devoid of characterization, emotion, and plot. I give it two stars for trying, but it just tries too hard to be great. Gaines-Accept average.$LABEL$0 +Toddy cold brew coffee maker. After calling around to different local coffee shops, I purchased a Toddy T2N Cold Brew System from Amazon. It was exactly as described and it arrived a day earlier than I expected. Amazon gave "free" shipping for this item - making it very convenient.I recommend "cold brew coffee"! It is brewed once and can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. You add the brewed coffee with water to make each cup. The taste is smooth and the cold brew system cuts out some of the acid in the coffee.$LABEL$1 +It only lasted for a year :(. I've bought it in 01/08/01, started to use it on February (It was bought on the USA) and it was doing fine, untill some weeks ago. Now it seems not to recognize the blank media. I'm dissapointed because I thought Phillips was a good brand of electronics :($LABEL$0 +Good Home Use Fryer. The unit works well; it heats quickly, I love the closing cover before you drop the basket to eliminate oil splash. The oil pan removes for easy cleaning. I did find that I had to cook longer than the product stated, but that was really no problem, everything came out great. I would reccomend this unit.$LABEL$1 +Works, But Is Highly Disappointing.... I will admit that this guide to weightloss does work effectively, but there is a great flaw. That flaw is that the weight that you loose is extra easy to put back on again. Once you start this program, you can never stop. So if you are looking for a way to loose the pounds and KEEP THEM OFF, this is not the book/plan you would like to go with.$LABEL$0 +Abbey throws it all into this one. I'm a bit of an Abbey fanatic, so this review is naturally biased. Yet, this is probably the best of his fictional works (of course the book is quite autobiographical too). Abbey throws all of his jokes, phrases, and wisdom into this one.$LABEL$1 +label maker for cd's. This is a great product! It's easy to use, and it makes the cd's, dvd's look like professional items, instead of just being scribbled on.$LABEL$1 +fun!. Bloodrayne aged shockingly well. Frankly, I'm amazed that it aged as well as it did. My only problem is that it gets old after a few hours.$LABEL$1 +Two parts "Mission Impossible"; one part "Naked Gun". ..and not not in a good way.2.5 stars.This is a pretty cookie-cutter version of a "Mission Impossible" movie except that it obviously doesn't take itself too seriously (at least, I hope that was the intent). The plot is silly and the story doesn't flow well. I'm not sure what Diaz is there for other than eye-candy (the helpless-dumb-blond-thing gets old pretty quickly). If you're looking for mindless distraction, then KaD is mildly entertaining.Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +Great for DVD, shows how bad Cable really is!!!. The first time I turned on my new CT32D10, I thought it was terrible.Actually, with the new 3-line Digital Comb filter and line correction, it showed how bad basic 1970's-technology cable really is when shown through an advanced tv meant to be optimized for digital!!! If you get this tv, upgrade to Digital Cable or Dish.The picture is fantastic with DVD through Component Video Inputs and the Video inputs from the VCR and Camcorder. The Simulated Surround Sound is also a big plus!A great buy for the price! Upgrade to all digital if you buy!!$LABEL$1 +Great Pre-inked Stamp!. Great for daily use at work. Not messy and refillable, what could be better! Will definitely be buying another xstamper!$LABEL$1 +Your kidding...right?. The content on this compact disc [copies] pop formations only modified in a younger form, which lacks enjoyability and anything with the synonym of that previous adjective...in other words, I could make better music by bashing my head against the toilet seat. ...!$LABEL$0 +a little friend. The miele vacuum cleaner acts as your little friend for wood floors. It picks up sand and everything else from wood floors, very efficient! It is light and easy to use. The cord could be longer, you need a room with more plugs... It works 100 times better than a broom on all hard floors. It's good on carpet but best on hard floors.$LABEL$1 +I think Taylor Hicks is the Best American Idol ever!!!. Taylor has soul all the way. All my friends and famly wanted him to win since he first sang at auditions. His songs on this cd are so good they give me goosebumps. I hope you buy it because he's better than any of the rest and his full album is gonna rock the world!$LABEL$1 +love these girls. I got one of these dolls for my 7th birthday, back in 1990. I loved it so much!! So I was thrilled to see I can still buy them, more than 20 years later, for my own daughter. She is 6 now and she looks forward to her new doll every birthday. This is a tradition you should start! Even if your daughter is already a few years old.$LABEL$1 +R2/D2 with sounds and lights. This is the greatest R2/D2 figure yet. The sounds and lights are great, details are excellent.$LABEL$1 +Learn to play the Jorma way !. Having always been a fan of Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna, I was searching for an instructional video program that would teach me the Jorma style. Not only did I find what I was looking for, but Jorma teaches his style himself! A must have for all guitar playing Hot Tuna fans.$LABEL$1 +A Must-Have in the kitchen. After using a Sunbeam mixer for 35 years, I needed to replace my worn-out friend. I shopped and compared products and prices for a couple years. I knew about the wonderful KitchenAid mixers reputation from friends and opted for that brand. I found Amazon.com offering a new KitchenAid Artisan mixer for $242.00. Wow, such a deal! No tax, no shipping and a $30 rebate from KitchenAid! Buying from Amazon saved me $88.00, and I became one very-pleased shopper.$LABEL$1 +Rather bad --. even awful.Is there anything worse than a gathering of unknown actors playing the roles of bad, and badly self-conscious (even Molly Parker), actors who are convincingly "acting" like amatuers -- including those who are ostensibly successful?And then the best parts are played by Sandra Oh, who has less than fifteen seconds of screen time, and a guy who is instead a cop pretending to be an actor: better at it than all the other actors who, according to the script, had and or were training in acting.And I must have missed the widescreen.$LABEL$0 +funky patchouli smell. this was not the most refreshing and clean patchouli scent I have encountered...more musty, less earthy. I typically love this scent...just not in this particular soap!$LABEL$0 +Eclectic and Effective Mix CD. Interesting collection of musical styles, from ambient to dance to funk to rap. Despite the diversity of sounds, the cycle is mixed together beautifully. I didn't know any of the artists going in except the Beta Band, and I still loved it. The liner notes say it best; good mood stuff, great as a background selection after the clubs. "God bless the Infesticons, f*** the Majesticons!" Ya gotta love it.$LABEL$1 +seem to work. When I take them my legs feel less heavy in the evening...But I have to say I only yook them some 2 weks or so$LABEL$1 +Two good songs and a barrage of below average garbage.. High Noon and It's on Me.....thats it. Plus a cover from a good band Forkboy (Lard). Yet another below average album from this below average band.$LABEL$0 +Great Product, Great Customer Service!. I purchased this adapter (47185) at Walmart. It is ruggedly consructed and easy to install and works great. The real reason for my review is to commend the customer service at Hopkins Mfg. Some how I misplaced the mounting bracket that came with the adapter when I was working on the wiring and drilling mounting holes. I called Hopkins to buy another bracket... they said they will send me one for free, and 36 hours later it was at my door! Thanks Hopkins.$LABEL$1 +Adequate entertainment for young children, mind-numbingly boring for adults. The plot doesn't get interesting until about three-quarters of the way through the film. Until then, the audience is subjected to various scenes of Benji galavanting through the town or suburbs and having brief interactions with rather anonymous townsfolk.$LABEL$0 +Hitch Extension. This was the wrong hitch that I initially ordered because the display picture showed three hitches. I thought that the order was for all three types of hitches. But I was wrong. Before sending it back, I tried it in my vehicle receiver hitch and it didn't fit. Amazon refund procedure is very user friendly and I was able to return and get a refund. I ordered the correct hitch the second time around.$LABEL$0 +Peeling off. I bought these to iron on the inside of the knees of all my kids jeans to try to prevent the holes that inevitably appear. Unfortunately they are all peeling off after one wear/wash. As another reviewer speculated, maybe they aren't designed to work in high friction areas, or areas of clothing which endure a lot of stretching, but isn't that where you'd naturally need a patch?$LABEL$0 +A fun read.. This first novel is well written, fast paced, vivid and an all over fun book to read. The time and place come to life as you sail the blue seas with unforgettable pirates that break away from the usual sterotypes. And there's romance as well. I'm looking forward to the sequel.$LABEL$1 +Did Hunter REALLY write this book?. Unlike the first two ( outstanding ) books of this series, I found the characters flat and unreal, the plot thin and the action/suspense (?) almost non-existant.Sorry to say, the premium price I paid to obtain this book was money better spent elsewhere UNLESS one insists on having all three books.Better left unread than read and disappointed.$LABEL$0 +What Was Koontz Thinkin. This book started out good but what happened to the ending. That was the worst book i've ever read in my life. I'm a big koontz fan but what was he thinking. I wouldn't waste my time reading this book. I,ve read at least twenty of koontz's books and I've liked most of them but this was horrible.$LABEL$0 +Very Disappointed. you wouldn't think I would ever need to give a light bulb a poor review however this burned out after only 3 weeks of use...it's for my bedroom light, I might have gotten a total of 5 hours use out of it. I am replacing the light so that I don't have to deal with these bulbs anymore.$LABEL$0 +Save your money for the real thing. Great idea, poor execution. Very difficult to see a thing and keep it in focus, and the lighting function for underwater, which is why I bought it, doesn't really work unless you're in pretty clear water.$LABEL$0 +Absolutely fantastic!. I have a neurological disorder and, so, don't have the best dexterity in my hands. I was a little worried about being able to use the Kindle easily, but it is perfectly designed for ease of use. The page turn buttons are so much easier than physically turning the pages of a book. The 5 way joy-stick button is also very easy to use. I absolutely love my Kindle 2! I'm reading more now than I used to, it is just so much more fun!$LABEL$1 +Kicks your ass.. This is a great exercise video if you've hit a fitness plateau. The music is pretty eighties funky and the moves are a little difficult, but it gets your heart rate WAY up there and really is quite energizing. Just when you think you're going to die, she stops and you actually feel really good.$LABEL$1 +Toss this in the garbage - there are better Dyer books. Or, you may prefer to tear out the pages that are not worthwhile; Dyer has truly written some excellent books. However, the ones you want to read are those he published in the 80's and 90's. There's a lot of sage wisdom to be found in those. But this? Please. I've written this old man off mainly because he's discarded common sense for religious nonsense, and that's really disappointing. May I share one of the bits of "insight" to be found in this book? Here: "LIVE the Ten Commandments". Say WHAT?!? Once I read that, I nearly cracked up laughing. What delusion. Having said that, there are some good things in the book, but it's not worth buying for them. Again, look to his earlier works for his best material, when he was mentally sound and sharp.$LABEL$0 +Don't Bother. There are too many other good books out there (by Sandra Brown and others) to even waste your time on this one. It's flat, and not to mention silly. I didn't like either or the main characters, it just didn't do it for me. I believe this was Sandra's first novel (don't quote me). If it was, I'll give her credit, it was not bad for a first. But like I said, just leave it on the shelf and move on.$LABEL$0 +Horrible taste. This product tastes horrible. I was looking for a soy free protein and came upon this item. I mixed it with soymilk and it tasted like pea-flavored chalk. I thought I might have used too much powder so I tried half the amount of powder and it still tasted the same. Not wanting to give up, I mixed in a scoop of strawberry flavored whey protein and it truly tasted like a combination of strawberry and chalk.My fiancee then tried it and couldn't take more than a sip. In the end, I was able to down three cups of it, but I don't think I can drink any more in the future. I am going to take them up on their money back product guarantee.$LABEL$0 +Time Bomb in the Church. My wife is a Pastor. This was helpful in reminding us of the need to take one day off a week for family and me!$LABEL$1 +Too small!. I ordered this seat cover for my Schwinn 120 Upright Bike. The description said that it fits any regular bike seat and that the cushion could be adjusted, but sadly this is not so. The seat cover doesn't even come close to fitting my bike. It's weird that Schwinn makes seat covers that don't fit a standard Schwinn bike seat...$LABEL$0 +It almost works. I bought it because it was going cheap.The sticky parts that I received for the trap are not that sticky. Otherwise it seems to almost work fine.$LABEL$0 +superb. Lisa Richard has a tremendous voice, beautiful and rich. It's strong and full of emotion, and the songs are both and touching and funny, and she has the range to sing anything and make it special. I truly love listening to both of Lisa's albums, they are both terrific.$LABEL$1 +BEWARE! Pan and scan DVD. These two movies are not Conway's best, but they are still pretty good. The only problem, and the reason for the 1 star rating, is that the DVD presents these films with the sides cut off. In other words, Pan and scan. Had I know that, I would not have bought this.$LABEL$0 +Overall a great intro to a band that does not get press now. This album showcases who this band is - wild, southern and loud...you will like it and sing proudly of a group that sang and played hard.$LABEL$1 +wonderful healthy product. I started using this brand of salt on the advice of a Heaslth Care professional. Salt used properly helps balance the body systems, along with enough water for our bodies. These things work together in amazing ways.$LABEL$0 +WOULD RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!. LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! It is great for anyone who loves original Walt Disney cartoons. My kids ages 2 - 12 all loved it. The songs were wonderful!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Wonderful. I would describe this book as self-help. It was sent to me by my cousin who is a missionary in Mexico. I had made some life changes that were truly making me stressful. She thought this would be a good book for me. She was so right. The basic theme was letting the Lord help you with your problems. It also gives lessons to do after every chapter if one chooses to do them. I recommend it highly.$LABEL$1 +Not good for night times. Target diapers are much better than these diapers. My daughter sleeps through the night. When she wakes up her dress, the sheet everything will be wet. This diaper is ok to use during the day times but definitely not at night.$LABEL$0 +created a love of reading and history. I too was given this title as "required" reading as a student in 8th grade in Canada. It still remains a book that had an enormous impact in my love of reading!$LABEL$1 +Imagine Da Vinci's Giocconda with the surrounding landscape cut off.. As Barry Stone coments (I do totally agree and fairly recomend to read his review before buying the item (sorrowfully I didn't)) I have waited too long to see this beautiful Piece of Art on DVD. "Tis Pity the most beautiful scenes have been cut off". Two of them could have been maybe eliminated for its nudity or sexual content: an incredibly filmed horse intercourse, and the dead brother execution procession. But also, the most surprising beginning is out: before Film credits and name appear, there is a long landscape scene within a colorless winter dry tree forest you swear the film will be a black and white one, when suddenly the camera falls over the only orange leave lasting in this gray branches web. That is art, I will never forget. That film is quite old and has become yellowish and faded is understandable in some way. Unfortunately,"tis also a pity". We will be waiting for a better copy.$LABEL$0 +Great book!. The book covers everything you would want to know about Catholicism in a concise, easy to read, yet thorough style.$LABEL$1 +UK hip hop branding with top-notch Australian Hip Hop.. I've always liked Mystro, I'm quite a big fan of the Australian Hip Hop scene and since he's infamous for spending a lot of time in Australia when on tour, there is no suprise he made an album out of it.This feature's everyone of any calibre in Australian hip hop; Layla, Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Hunter, Dazah, Downsyde etc. I could go on.It was $3.45 when i bought it, suprised the price went up the way it did. Oh well, if you can get over it, like hip hop and want something different with lyrical gems, this CD is for you.$LABEL$1 +great outdoor speakers. great sounding outdoor speakers at a very reasonable price. the only potential downside is that they generally must be mounted "vertically" vs. "horizontally" which can create space issues depending on where you are mounting.$LABEL$1 +Brilliant - Audio version was captivating. This review is based on the audio version. First let me say, that I generally do not care for short stories, and I have also managed to avoid most books about war. Once I began listening to this book, I would find myself sitting in my car (after having reached my destination) just to hear a bit more. The reader was fabulous and the stories ...all of them....just had me wanting to hear more.The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories filled with tension. The stories are based on the Vietnam War experience of the author and his buddies. The reader/listener is drawn into each story involving the men of Alpha Company. You feel a part of the bond they have for each other, and you feel their anger, their isolation, loneliness and their fears as you listen to the voices of the soldiers.This should be required reading for high school students in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +Not my best purchase. These lites are nit that great. I bought them to go under my cabinets and they have poor lighting!!!!$LABEL$0 +Wrong Disc!. Of course, i'm a huge fan of Gilmore Girls. That's why i was so excited to receive the complete series collection. However, when i got it, i noticed that in the season one folder, i had two copies of the second disc and not one disc 4. I don't know what to think but it was highly disappointing. You'd think that the packages would be checked before they're sent out like that!$LABEL$1 +NOT AS PICTURED. MY COMPANY BOUGHT THIS CHAIR IN BURGUNDY FOR ME AS A PRIZE. WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CHAIR IT WASN'T THE SAME AS PICTURED AND WAS BLACK INSTEAD OF BURGUNDY. THE SCREWS ARE PUSHING THRU THE CUSHION ON THE SEAT AND I'M AFRAID THAT THEY'LL EVENTUALLY PUSH THRU THE MATERIAL. OF COURSE THE SEAT ISN'T VERY COMFORTABLE EITHER. I'D NEVER BUY FROM THE GREEN GROUP AGAIN.$LABEL$0 +Apple corer.... Works well. We found it works better if you level off the bottom of the apple, and hold a paper towel over the top of the corer so you don't get splashed. Much, much easier than coring the apple with a knife!$LABEL$1 +Incredible. A great concert with the band at it's best plus an orchestra. Would also recommend ELP Live - King Biscuit Flower Hour. No orchestra but recording quality is amazing.$LABEL$1 +Worth less than one star. I picked up this book after searching for hours at the bookstore. I wanted something light and fun to read after oral surgery. Plus it was on the Bargain Table (now I know why). Reading the back of this book, I thought it might fit the bill. Needless to say, I'd rather sit through more mouth surgery than read this drivel. Awful! The book reads like it was written by a 12 year old. I was so bored and disgusted that I put this book down after just a few pages and stred out a window for awhile (that was more entertaining than the book!) Run from this book!$LABEL$0 +The best album I've heard in a very long time. Literally Grammy material. This is the best album I've heard in a very long time. Despite its being a jewish album recorded in several languages, it will appeal to people of standard tastes. It is very hard to describe, as it is almost a new genre. Middle eastern world music with a jam band feel and the precision of classical? Neo-classical jewish middle eastern/latin fem psychedelic jazz? middle eastern rock/psychedelic spiritual jam band music performed by obsessive compulsive classically trained gypsies? I don't know what to call it, and neither will you. But you will love it.If it were in english, it would be nominated for a grammy.$LABEL$1 +Very light and very sharp!. (9/11 Update): I find myself using the 'bird beak' parer almost daily. It is beginning to dull a bit. I know these knives were not designed to last a lifetime, but I would have paid a few cents more to have them shipped in cardboard blade protectors.(Original): I purchased these primarily because of the great reviews in 'Chef's Illustrated'. These are exceptionally sharp (and thin). I do not have a clue as to how long the sharp blades will last. However, I can assure the reader that these do not come close to having the 'heft' of Wusthof Classic,or Henckels Four Star. Having said that, it is ridiculous, based on the price, to try to compare them.'Cooks Illustrated' gave a very nice review of these knives and there is no reason for me to debate that review. I am rating them 4-Stars simply because they are not in the class of Wusthof Classic, or Henckels Four Star.$LABEL$1 +SHOULD NOT HAVE READ "NEVER LOOK BACK". This was a really waste of time for me. I have read all of the Lou Boldt series so I thought anything by Ridley Person would be good, boy, was I wrong. There were many, many boring pages, to much description of what I think was going on. So much was really unbelieveable. Clayton or what ever his code name is at the present time, is a superman, cannot be killed no matter what. Just an all around bad book for me. I did read it all thinking it had to get better, but it did not. Read something you know you like or some of the Lou Boldt books and leave this one alone.$LABEL$0 +Hildegard of Bingen's Spiritual Remedies. Hildegard of Bingen's Spiritual Remedies is an excellent book which explains the health of our physical and spiritual life and its healing in very practical and clear terms. It is a real must for those who care for their health and strive to do so with natural means effectively and if necessary complemented by medial means. I purchased it from Amazon who have very many good books relating to Hildegard of Bingen.John Evans, Australia$LABEL$1 +Don't Be Fooled Like Me. I purchased this CD thinking this was the entire book version on CD. IT IS NOT! This CD is a poor introduction to an EXCELLENT book about the Federal Reserve. BUY THE BOOK!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +I love this pot. I love this pot. I have made everything from soups, chowders,roasts, sauces, etc. It has even heat and is so easy to clean. No scrubbing is needed. Just soak for a few minutes and thats it. The only problem I have had is that the inside bottom is quite stained but I think it's because I use it so often cooking with red wines, etc.It is the perfect size to cook for 4-6 people.I have used this both for stovetop and oven. I say one review where it was said they were afraid of the handle. I've had the oven to 350 and it's fine. I use this more than any of my other pans and keep it right on my stove. Attractive looking. I would buy more of these pans.$LABEL$1 +Best car seat around. My daughter loves this car seat! Cute fabric and lots of room for her to stretch. It must be the most comfortable and safest car seat around.$LABEL$1 +A freshman effort from two who should have done better.... Lumet and Jones had experience and success when they picked up this project - unfortunately neither had experience or success with adapting a broadway musical to the silverscreen - and it shows - quincy jones obliterated a perfect score with meaningless dribble and sidney lumet miscast and misdirected the rest - what a shame - the original score (music and lyrics) by charlie smalls was perfect, melodic, lyrical & memorable - mr. smalls should have told mr. jones to, "play it the way i wrote it!" - all melody is lost, the lyrics are half sung half spoken in some overacted and oddball interpretations - it's a visual mess with a cheesy studio feel - buy the Original Broadway Soundtrack to get a real sense of the music and story - buy tickets to a local production - just don't waste your money on this junk of an adaptation - poor charlie smalls...$LABEL$0 +On an Edge of Steel. Like other Burke novels the character is given a crystal clear goal and he pursues the monster with every step he takes. An extremely quick read but enjoyable as always.Unlike other thriller writers, Vachss implants/transfers his disgust and rage against criminals who prey on the weak or unfortunate. Having been exposed to this brand of evil makes the eventual conclusion feel righteous and the reader is left not feeling a shred of sympathy for the villain, who is by his crime a despicable coward.$LABEL$1 +Not quite up to OXO standards. I wanted to wait to give this some usage before reviewing. Now that we have used it for six months, we have ordered a replacement. It works well, but now has a nice crop of rust. When it comes to can openers and being around industrial openers for decades, I was surprised by how quickly this one rusted. When washed, we hand dry them, so there is a design element that allows this to retain some moisture in the cutting mechanism. Sadly, there is no way to save it.$LABEL$0 +Journey to the Sacred Garden. This is a great book and cd for a practical application in the direction of mediation and shamanism. It is more than an explanation of things and more of an experiential event. I recommend this book and the one that follows it for those who are looking to do work and have not yet found a group or teacher to help them with the real work.$LABEL$1 +To Be Continued...?. Shades of Rick Berman, I paid for a whole book, not a part 1 that leaves me hanging like the first installment of a 2-part Star Trek episode. Regarding the content, I found the story line incongruous with the TV series regarding the attitude of Starfleet to the Voyager crew. I found it difficult to believe the events of book were plausible.I was not a great far of Voyager when it was airing but have rediscovered it on Netflix and now can't get enough of it. I was hoping for a satisfying epilogue to the series finale, "Endgame", which I found to be one of the best episodes contained in any of the ST series franchises. My only complaint was the rather abrupt ending that I had hoped this book would resolve. So far, not so. I will buy part 2 to see what happens to the crew. Hopefully there will be some resolution of the characters lives.$LABEL$0 +Good movie but read the book FIRST. Not a bad adaptation of a book, but, as with many flicks, reading the book first will help the movie make sense. The book's creepier and richer, but some of the movie's musical numbers are amusing and creative in their own way.The Wybie character might have been introduced to meet the PC/diversity compulsion of modern cinema. Wybie is a distraction, then an irritant, and finally his role destroys a major part of Coraline's character development present in the book.So I'd say, buy and read the book first, then view the movie.$LABEL$1 +more books more lust. If you liked the original Book Lust, you will also enjoy More Book Lust. The only problem I have with both volumes is the author's inclusion of lists of one author's works. In some cases they were interesting introductions to writers I hadn't heard of, but those authors could have been included in other book lists.$LABEL$1 +Expensive for something that doesn't work!. Sure the product made my hair "smooth", but it wasn't super silky smooth. The product has a wierd smell, not too happy when I have it on my hair. This doesn't help with frizzy hair, even if you used it with the CHI ceramic flat iron.I wouldn't recommend this product, unless you want to spend $19 with a $6 order to have free shipping!$LABEL$0 +Amazon Kindle Stinks. I bought an Amazon Kindle on August 15. I used it 4 times. By September 11 it was not working. Not only that I can not get anyone to contact me or to give me someplace that could repair the Kindle. I bought 6 books that I cannot use because the Kindle does not work. I would advise anyone not to buy this product.$LABEL$0 +A Must-have. The instructions are so clear and understandable that even for me (a non native speaker and non mathematician!!) there is no problem to follow them :))Strongly recommended for those who want to have fun with interesting and beautiful paper designs!$LABEL$1 +Oh... My... God.... All I can say is this: Holy crap. "Ronin" not only has amazing fight scenes, but it offers an interesting look at religion and reincarnation. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are completely remarkable, and the character of Dethen manages to be an extremely likable villain. This is quite possibly the best book I've ever read.$LABEL$1 +It works! for almost two months?. I used this in a sick house bedroom (lots of mold about including one toxic strain, likely due to a leaking ceiling) and I was no longer sneezing before going to bed each night. In a month's time, however, the unit was already constantly making random noises that sounded like its bulb was about to explode, and the light would flicker on and off, often waking me up, all night long. I got another air filter machine, (True Allergen Remover: HEPA type?) and that seems to help maybe as good as this machine, but as the bulb to this unit burnt out in just over two months of use, I'll be sticking with my other machine. Even if I got a new bulb for this, I don't want to be constantly woken up by this thing. If I hadn't been in the process of moving and packing stuff up I would have tried calling the company to get a replacement bulb.Be Warned!$LABEL$0 +Great Exercise!. I purchased three Denise Austin workout DVD's at one time. Why? Denise Austin is in her 50's, has always stayed fit, and is such an encourager to be healthy and exercise for your life! This DVD is great, harder than I thought it would be, but a great workout. I would also suggest reading Denise's book "Fit and Fabulous After 40"; it is an awesome book full of great information, and certainly applicable to aging and weight loss. Denise is the same throughout all her videos, she gently pushes to keep you going so you have the most benefit.$LABEL$1 +Expensive, but works perfectly. While I can't compare this product's effectiveness to that of other screen cleaners, as this is the first one I've ever used, this product works amazingly well and restored my LCD to its original glory.I bought this based on the other reviews, specifically mentioning the Powerbook, because my MacBook Pro screen was extremely dirty, with streaks on it that clearly annoyed during movie playback. It arrived, and voila, my MacBook Pro's screen looks factory new.The solution lets out a bit of a foamy soap when rubbed in, and it just works wonders. The only thing is, this product is quite expensive. Not surprising considering it's a "Monster" product.$LABEL$1 +Myst sequel didn't quite live up to expectations. I have loved, played, and collected the Myst games for years, but Myst Revelation was slightly disappointing. I didn't get as absorbed into the story line as much. The game is still fun, and just as challenging, with beautiful graphics, I just enjoyed the previous ones better. If you are planning on buying it, please do!! Just don't expect as much as the first 3 previous Myst games.$LABEL$1 +Worked great, then it didn't. I've had this speaker dock mostly in my office for the last 3 months and used it mostly every work day. When it worked, it worked great but then it just stopped working. I am thinking it might work if I could get the insert replaced but I'm not sure I want to spend any more money on it. Disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Started out great..... I really enjoyed my Moto Rokr s9's for the first week. Then the touch buttons to turn the sound up and down stopped working. Then the move 1 song back button stopped working. Then today the volume, which I can't control via the buttons on its own went down while I was wearing them without me doing anything. And I can't get the volume back up because the buttons stopped working. Fortunately Amazon is sending me a replacement, but I am expecting better quality out of these. If not I will lower my rating to zero stars.$LABEL$0 +leak ALL the time. These cups definitely leak no matter how you close them. I have called avent several times about this and they claim that the cups and the rest of the spout assembly need to be boiled at least once a month with a couple of spoons of vinegar to remove any minerals or residue. I tried this and they still leak. I don't know if all sippy cups leak to some extent, but these cups really leave a mess everywhere and I don't want anyone else wasting their money on them. I loved the Avent bottles, but these cups are just horrible.$LABEL$0 +Runs, But Needs Work. As a former naval aviator I can appreciate Vistica's perspective of how the navy mishandled numerous situations. However, the books relies mainly on speculation, and would not "hold up in court". Public relations play a large role in politics and the military. Perhaps the navy should look into Clinton's spin machine; he seems to recover intact from seemingly inarguable situations. Ego and competition play a part in every organization, but when it occurs in the military, the results are often front page news. But 99% of the military is made up of outstanding, honest, hardworking individuals, paid with pride and a sense of honor (last sentence written to the Bloomington, IN critic. Yes, I'm glad you went the MBA route also. The military needs strong leaders, not weak followers).$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware. I have had Epson printers for over 10 years so I know a good Epson printer when I see one. This is not a good printer. The colours are dull despite being heavy on ink and the printer needs constant head cleaning to keep away heavy banding. While not being a professional standard at this price you would expect this to be a quality product. Mine failed after 15 months and, in my opinion, Tech Support are neither Technical or Supportive.I would strongly advise caution before paying your hard earned cash for this unit. As for me I moved to a Canon i9100 - Lets see if this fares any better.$LABEL$0 +(Bad). Well first let me say that he got one star because he had enough courage to put out some trash like that. The album is beyond terrible. I should have known that it would be hot garbage from seing him perform. He lip sincs and he has no stage presence. He IS ADORABLE but that is about it. He yells through the whole album and the songs are corny. He needs to take some lesson from LBW on how to rap cuz his daddy can't rap either. Also the little boy has hair extensions. But I recommend that you all go buy LBW'S new CD Doggy Bag. It has hot tracks produced by JD and the neptunes and the raps are tyte.$LABEL$0 +Junk. This book is basically a word for word copy from freely avaliable online documents and other books. The author fails to mention the documents that he uses as sources for his factual information. The worst part is, some of the sources the author used were unreliable themselves. Talking about libnet like it is a program just shows how inexperienced the author is in the subject he is writing about. How could one possibly write a technical book about something they don't know much about. As for the ethical part, there is hardly anything ethical about breaking into other systems. If you want to know how the hackers really get in, get hacking exposed. Hacking Exposed pulls no punches on describing how it is actually done. Spend your money on better things.$LABEL$0 +Not the typical Sony product. As a believer in Sony products, I was shocked at the low quality of this item. A few issues were:- Range: Was reported to be 24 feet. Best I got was 10 feet.- Noise: Constantly heard loud hiss.- Battery: Was never able to get it to fully charged.- Overall quality: Would only work for 5 minutes at a time.I returned this product to Amazon and urge you to consider a different wireless headphone.$LABEL$0 +Great Stuff. This isn't any of your bad hip hop/rap that dominates MTV, no. This is GOOD hip hop music. I highly recommend this CD if you want to try something new, or are already a fan of the genre.$LABEL$1 +Excellent choice!. This camera was actually purchased for my teenage daughter. This is our 4th Easyshare Camera and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I purchased a different Easyshare in March and, although it is wonderful, once I saw how small and easy to use this one is - I wish I would have waited and got this same one instead. I find myself borrowing this one from my daughter and using it more than my own (which is also a wonderful camera)...$LABEL$1 +Harris's best. This book has the best discovery scene I've ever read--that moment when the detective notices an overlooked similarity between two crime scenes and understands its significance. The scene is hushed, rapt, and real."Red Dragon" also has the best development of an abnormal character I've read. The killer comes from a plausibly rotten family, and his pathology grows by accretion. He aquires an obsession with teeth when he serves in the military; later he happens upon a drawing by William Blake and is galvanized. He puts the teeth and the drawing together, absorbs some Blakeian mysticism, and comes up with his killer persona. Like most readers of the genre, I dislike the flashbacks and the earnest psychologizing that slow a book down. But in "Red Dragon" the flashbacks are far from routine, and the psychologizing is full of incident. Harris knows better than all but a few other writers how to create a madman.$LABEL$1 +As it says in the title, it is a "personal account".. Krakauer's book is by all means fascinating. Far from being a literary masterpiece (his writing skills surely do not deserve a Nobel prize), it manages to trigger the fear associated with high-altitude climbing. Rather than comparing the characters' heroics (or lack thereof), the reader should focus on the description of effort and hardship of all of the expeditioneers who were present during those fateful days of May '96. I will read Anatoli Boukreev's book next, in order to gain more insight into the tragedy that captivated so many. In hope of not sounding too redundant, it would be senseless to view this book as a finger-pointing rampage. Krakauer actually praises Boukreev's [valiant] efforts during the crisis. As for us, the readers, please keep in mind that we have no place for judging ANYONE, anyhow.$LABEL$1 +A Major Gripe. The original Brothers Hildebrandt illustrations are NOT included in this re-issue! How can they call this a 25th anniversary edition without the original art?$LABEL$1 +Peace in the midst of the daily storm. No matter what the problem or storm is in your life this devotional book isdefinitely annointed with GODS peace and love in the midst of any storm$LABEL$1 +Waste of Money. I ordered this book while I was taking psychology in college, but I rarely found a need to use it. I did very well with just the required text. It just felt nice to own for a sense of insurance or if you're having a hard time.$LABEL$0 +AWSOME GAME. This was my first game for the PSP. I was amazed by the graphics on this game there great! The tracks are great and very fun. Though there aren't many tracks they still remain very fun anytime you play them. The speed classes you can play are insane. You start off pretty slow but every speed class is much faster than the last witch provides a good challege anytime. The cars or pods or ships or whatever you wanna call the things you race are amazing. It takes different skills to race each 1 so being good with 1 doesn't mean your a master of the game. One of my favorite parts of this game is the downloads. You can go online with this game and download new stuff like new tracks, racers, and wallpapers. Overall this game is 1 of the best games for the PSP. This is a must buy$LABEL$1 +Sorry Al, a bad review.. "In 3-D" isn't really worth the money. If you're into Weird Al, get either "Running With Scissors" or "Bad Hair Day". If you want comdey, get Ray Stevens.$LABEL$0 +Hmmmm. I used to buy the small round white cleansing puffs and I could use one of them for months. These break down a lot quicker so have to use them quicker.$LABEL$0 +Pleased with bottle warmer. My husband and I have found this bottle warmer to be very effective and work great for our needs. We use the Avent bottles and have had great success with this product for heating them up. It heats them evenly, unlike the microwave. We noticed that it's important to read the instructions thoroughly before using it. It's also important to keep the heating chamber cleaned out and free of water deposits. This caused ours to under-heat the bottles. It took a little getting used to in order to understand how much water to use for what size bottle we're trying to heat, but over all we like it and we've gotten a lot of use out of our bottle warmer.$LABEL$1 +Works on some devices - poor filtering. Works on some devices but not 2nd gen Zune players (8gb, 30gb, 80gb). Worse than other USB chargers in filtering ignition static (i.e., not good for powering MP3 player while playing).$LABEL$0 +A Page Turner!. This novel was a definite page-turner for me! The drama started on page one and kept flowing through until the end. Each one of the Matthews sons represents a different walk of life: the thug, the minister, and the family man. Each has good intentions but they all get pulled into three very difficult family situations....ironically, it's the brotherly strength and love (along with a feisty matriarch) that carries forth and pulls them through some very difficult times.I liked Johnson's style of allowing each character to narrate their story. The pace was just right and scenarios were believable; although it made me wince every time I read some words repeatedly used incorrectly outside of the character's dialogue (ex. fambly for family, axed for asked, etc.). Otherwise, it was a great novel.$LABEL$1 +Very DIssapointed. I purchased this food processor to do smaller jobs. I have used it twice. The first time to simply grate cheese. Simple task, it almost burned the motor out. The second time I was make a dip. The chopping blade is now stuck in the processing bowl. I have the larger 11 cup processor and am very satisified. Much easier to use and even though it costs more, it has been money well spent. I am in the process of sending this back to cuisinart (not to be replaced).$LABEL$0 +SHE IS DA BOMB. I think Christina Aguilera has a terrific and catchy voice. SHe is cute and has a lotta catchy songs. There are some(only a couple) songs that arn't as well written as others,but this CD is worth buying and giving a try.SO EMOTIONAL is a catchy tune just like Genie In A Bottle You should defintiy buy this CD!!$LABEL$1 +Upset Mom. This is great product, however, in order to download spelling words you must order a subscription for $30/year. How hard would it be for them to include the software? I was disappointed because I want to use this for many years and think it's a bit ridiculous. I just wanted to warn everyone because this fact was not advertised on the Leap Frog website or any where else when I was researching this. I feel a bit ripped off!:)$LABEL$0 +what a waste. I was sooooooo dissapointed with this CD. Don't get me wrong, I am a J-Lo fan and I thought the first CD was great but I couldn't dance to this. The music sounded more like house music. I just wasn't feeling what she was trying to do and the fact that she can't sing didn't help matters either. I'll be more cautious about buying her next CD.$LABEL$0 +they don't HAVE this item. they don't HAVE this item, they sent something else, and when i called to change it to the picture shown, they said it was not available. very annoying waste of time.the actual item pictured is 5 star. i rate amazons way of doing business one, if that.$LABEL$0 +This recording is a bity dry...poor conducting. I don't see why anyone would settle for this recording. Not only is the sound quality bad(it's stereo but sounds like mono), the interpretation is also dry. Not even the overture was done right. The singers are good, though I don't feel other's enthusiasm for the Figaro here. You may want to try the recordings on Decca.$LABEL$0 +A TV movie. Good hearted, but not even close to the laughter level of the best the brothers have done... Amid all the freaks was the altered Cher supposed to be real?$LABEL$0 +Attention Insomniacs!. Figure skating fans! Are you having trouble getting a good night's rest because of insomnia? Have I got the cure-all for you! Read Heart and Soul by Elvis Stojko. It's a guaranteed yawner--except for the unintentionally funny stuff. I have never seen a more boring, predictable, cliched book on figure skating in my life, and I've read many.$LABEL$0 +Bon-Aire BA121L 120V Air Compressor/Inflator review. I had used these types of pumps in the past and was not impressed. However, the Bon-Aire BA121L 120V Air Compressor/Inflator was very IMPRESSIVE! It easily inflated several tires of different shapes and sizes. I would recommend this product to anyone in the future and I would certainly purchase another in the future...$LABEL$1 +Fits and Tastes Right. Let me start off by saying I hate the taste of municipal water. The chlorine and other tastes make in virtually undrinkable. That's where this filter comes in.For me, the bad news is that I can't stand forking voer $40 to Sears for the privelige of screwing one of these into the filter port of my refrigerator. In my area, these filters are for some reason difficult to find in Big Box stores. I am not sure why. I have taken a chance before on no-name, unbranded filters from the internet and had good results. However, when I saw these OEM filters at a competitive price, I jumped and have not been disappointed. The water that is filtered through them tastes good (no chlorine or mineral tastes) and there are no leaks--they do precisely what inline water filters are supposed to do.Buy the filters, be happy, and drink lots of water.$LABEL$1 +Self serving and unhelpful. My sister is bipolar. I hoped this book would help me understand what she is going through. However, it was not very helpful and just left me more confused. This book does not seem to depict the whole reality of what the author's life must have been like...but maybe that is not possible because of her illness.$LABEL$0 +anointed. I used to own this tape and I lost it. I saw these sisters in concert years ago and I mean they are anointed! The stores weren't carrying the CD, but I am glad I found it on Amazon. When you want some good worship music--turn this on. I even jog to a couple of their fast tracks. Great Cd!$LABEL$1 +Too hard, too easy...You've got to be kidding me!. My family LOVES this game. We happened to pick it up late one night and thought it might be a good way to break the ice with new inlaws over for the holidays. Before this game, you could feel the akwardness in the air...but after we played one night we got a long just fine. We all started out quiet, but once we started to get more competitive we wer yelling answers at the top of our lungs! Sure some questions were relly hard, and some were really easy...but it's just the same as Trivial Pursuit. If you're not savvy in a certain subject, of course it's going to be hard. THAT'S THE POINT!$LABEL$1 +love it!. one of the funniest movies of all time. hard to find in a store so i ordered a used copy. the seller sent it quickly and it arrived just as described. thanks!$LABEL$1 +One of the best books by LJB. Even though this book is one of the longer ones, I found it to be a little stretched out. But there was a lot of really interesting events in this book. Even though I normally don't enjoy trains or books about trains, I loved this one.$LABEL$1 +Awful book to be included in the otherwise great series. This it not Terry Goodkind's best work, to put it kindly. I know there is a reason for him setting up the background on the characters, but it could have been done in a chapter. It's awful. For those that thought Soul of the Fire was awful, it was about 10 steps above this one.$LABEL$0 +a great book. I love this book!!! I think that it is a great book. Everyone should read it, even those who don't like horses very much. This was a very good book. It was well written and I enjoyed reading it. I think Marguerite Henry is a wonderful author. I would reccomend this book to those who love to read.$LABEL$1 +No originals, just 'Trane. The irony of the Prestige John Coltrane albums (about 19 in all; I owned them all when they first came out) is that there are no originals. I am told (I think by Ira Gitler) the reason is that Prestige owned all the publishing; so, he saved the originals (he certainly had them in volume) for his later Atlantic recordings. In any case, the music was marvelous; don't overlook the ones released under Red Garland's name. We are lucky that this music was recorded and saved in such a short time allowing consistency. It's still timeless.$LABEL$1 +It's Great!!!. Tamora Pierce has outdone herself once again. I have read most of her books and believe that this is the best yet. Although a bit longer than her other stories, you still put this one down wishing it were longer. As soon as I finished the book I started to reread it! We are also finally given a chance to be reintroduced to characters from other books who haven't been able to take a role in Kel's study's yet. Even though there are more of them, all of the characters feel real, and make you want to jump in and join in the action. I reccomend this for any fantasy lover, or anyone into sword and sorcery novels. It's great!$LABEL$1 +A bit silly. A bit silly, and certainly not thorough enough to give anyone any detailed insight into the world of witchcraft. I am sure that there are those who believe they have achieved magical things with the spells herein, but my impression is that saying meaningless words and drawing pretty, but again meaningless, simplistic drawings, is not what those who practice wicca, witchcraft, or magick, in any serious way would regard as a serious incursion into a fascinating arena of belief.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Story!!!. I must say that Mos Def did an excellent job with this part. It really surprised me because I had not seen him play any serious parts. Eventhough this was based on a true story, he made it very believable. I recommend that everyone see this movie, especially if you are a Mos Def fan.$LABEL$1 +Careful! Use oil to protect your skin!. The first few times I used this trimmer, all was well. My fuzz (I had a lot) disappeared painlessly and I couldn't be happier.However, I soon developed bumps all over my cheeks, and they rapidly turned into painful red spots. I tried to remove these spots with lotions and cleansers and, after becoming even more irritated, my skin developed dark scars.Now I have bumps under the scars and my skin on my lower cheeks near my jawline is just a mess.I've since stopped using the trimmer, and I'm taking care of my skin over there. It's getting better, but slowly, because I have dark skin and the dark marks stay for longer.ADVICE: Use an oil like tea tree oil (great for pimples, too!) to protect your skin as you trim hair. Never use on dry skin, because you could irritate it. Don't be left with horrible scarring like me.$LABEL$0 +An Excellent read. When I decided to purchase this book I wanted to look deeper into the subject of Law and Attraction. I have already read some of this Author's books and am very much impressed. Ask and it is Given will explain to anyone just what the title says. If you will only clear your mind of false perceptions you will be able to understand the book's message. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Disappointing product.. I ordered the 16 oz. feeder as our old feeder was several years old and falling apart. The new feeder was a disappointment because it was not properly balanced and tilted/spilled when hung by the provided hook. I don't recommend it to anyone. I did not send it back because the shipping charges would make it even more of a bad buy. I'm sticking with Perky Pet products from now on.$LABEL$0 +Fun to read.. Just received my copy yesterday and this book is FUN TO READ! Working at creating my first dinner this week. Thanks GreenCross Of Seattle! See you at next years HempFest 2006! Life is better with books like this. I enjoy your sites links too!$LABEL$1 +Read 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' to understand this movie. This movie is a grisly fairy-tale, Little Red Riding Hood with all the gory details of the wolf's attacks and his death by axe. The child is the key to the story. The violence is so exaggerated as to be a horrible parody. The line the male killer makes (who has no name by the way) at the end about the little girl is everything. A very dark comic parable. Don't take its over-the-top violence seriously.$LABEL$1 +Sorry, but it's true. 2 stars. I love the book series, but the movie was disappointing. Now my family thinks the books are boring and that I have a lousy sense of good reading. This was the only thing that I thought could get my husband interested in reading the books, but he slept through most of the movie. I am sorry to all the hard working people.I don't think you should make any movies of the other books . I have read #'S 1-6 and can't wait to get # 7 in soft. Please, if you read this, do not skip the books. THE KIDS books are not as good, but they have different characters and stories. PLEASE USE YOUR MONEY ON THE BOOKS. YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT THEM DOWN.$LABEL$0 +Find a better book. This book is comprehensive, yes, but the explanations are poor. I find his writing style difficult to follow. The book is poorly edited as well, for example, the second chapter introduces datapath logic cells and then immediately goes into a multipage treatise of multiplier architecture. Interesting information but it seems much out of place given the context. The problems are not very helpful either. Often you will need to search for information outside of the text in order to complete the question. The author obviously knows the subject well, I just don't think he does a very good job of teaching it.$LABEL$0 +vastly disappointed. I think the few pages of map/compass reading, undestanding and wilderness orienteering pale in comparison to all the games, gatherings and contests the author discusses.For the price, vastly overrated, over priced.I was mislead by positive ratings. Many better and more detailed books out there.$LABEL$0 +Shrill propaganda for software anarchists. Useful, but not terribly original, content undermined by smug self-congratulating boosterism. Alternates between run-of-the-mill thinking on domain modeling, pseudo-intellectual philosophical tangents, and foaming-at-the-mouth extreme programming propaganda. Deeply slanted, with a degenerate view of software engineering.$LABEL$0 +More than expected. The packaging made the item even more special, as it was a gift for someone. Very pleased. Great price. Thank you.$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY THIS MOVIE!!. THIS HAS TO BE THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. THE ACTING IS HORRIBLE, THE MAKE-UP IS WORSE, AND THE PLOT, WHAT PLOT? I WOULD'VE SENT IT BACK, BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY COST ME MORE TO DO THAT AND I ALREADY WASTED ENOUGH MONEY. THE ONLY THING GOOD ABOUT THE MOVIE IS WHEN IT FINALLY ENDED!! PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. IT IS TRULY NOT WORTH IT.$LABEL$0 +Greatest Gospel Singer. It is generally conceded that Mahalia Jackson was the greatest female Gospel singer of all time. "Tennessee" Ernie Ford was, in my personal estimation, the greatest male Gospel singer of all time. As Willie Nelson once said: "All music is Gospel."$LABEL$1 +"Only for cult followers...". The whole time you follow Harvey getting drugs, using drugs, placing bets, and doing other bad things while on duty. It's tedious and painful to watch; I can only give it points for its "right there," documentary-style camera-work and Harvey's effort in portraying the character. Rent it first to see if you want to buy... But be warned, Harvey will do an anguished, tormented whine/cry of agony that will stay with you for 3 days at least...$LABEL$0 +Poor quality. The sound track was horrible - could barely hear the dialog while the special effects and music were extremely loud. A lot of the scenes were very dark. Did not hold up as well as I remember the original.$LABEL$0 +An adamantly recommended acquisition. In Rules Of Civility For The 21st Century, Henry Wheelwright has assembled a compendium of two hundred rules of civility drawn from submission by some four million Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts across the country. The rules of conduct were sent in by boys for themselves and others after reflecting on the rules that President George Washington copied out for himself as a youth of 14. Also provided for the reader is a Civility Workshop addressing modern threats to civility and keys to character building and leadership. Line illustrations enhanced Rules Of Civility For The 21st Century, which is an adamantly recommended acquisition for every school and public library in every community in America.$LABEL$1 +Heartbreaking and lovely.... I first encountered Amy Bloom's keen insight and matter-of-fact humanity in the pages of New Woman magazine, where she writes a monthly advice column called "Sex/Life." Upon discovering she had written a novel, I ordered it without hesitation. I was not disappointed. Love Invents Us is a startling and sensuous look at human relationships. Bloom shows us how every love affair (define that as you will) leaves its footprints on our personalities, with wonderful or disastrous results$LABEL$1 +Honesty & Beautiful Writing. Fumbling Toward Divinity by Craig Hickman is a wonderful read. Not only does Craig share the raw emotions surrounding adoptees searching for and finding their birth families, but he also shares the real issues faced by gay people and their families. His honesty and beautiful writing touches on many themes. One can only grow in insight and understanding by reading this book. Joining Craig on his journey is an adventure surrounded by pain and love.$LABEL$1 +disappointed. ORIENTAL MUSIC (DULL) AND ORIENTAL COSTUMES (THE BEST PART OF THE OPERA)SUNG IN ENGLISH BY PERFORMERS WITH ACCENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.THANK GOODNESS FOR SUBTITLES.IN ADDITION, THE LIBRETTO IS AWFUL!WHAT A BORE! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.AND, BELIEVE ME, I'M A BIG DOMINGO FAN.$LABEL$0 +Once And A While. One and a while a book will come along that will change the perception you have for yourself. In this case, my own case, a child of sexual abuse-I was fortunate enough to find several books that have helped me to understand,learn and grow past the abuse. Those books are: Breaking Free: Help for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, Nightmares Echo and Courage To Heal.If you want your life to change, even if you have not been abused but suspect of someone that may have been-It's time to read these books!$LABEL$1 +THE TRAILOR. I have seen the movie many times and enjoy the scenes and the music, I was wondering what music was used in the 2nd half of the trailor?$LABEL$1 +More BS but slightly entertaining. I read this book when it came out many years ago and I have to say that while slightly entertaining I felt that the author was a BS artist.I never served in the FFL, but I have served 15 years in the USMC and the USA and I cannot tolerate whiners and complainers.I felt that Jennings is a quitter because he broke his contract with the Legion by deserting his comrades.No branch of the military ever promises you a rose garden especially the Legion.$LABEL$0 +worse than 1 star book. I only read a few pages of this book,but, then I flipped through the pagesand found some stuff that was notappropriate for the characters' ages to doand for kids my age to read. I think this bookshould go on a "must not read" list.I think this book should not be injunior high school libraries.$LABEL$0 +What a messed up excuse for a film!. I was so incredibly disappointed by this film.The acting was wooden (and that's insulting to trees), the filming was amateurish, the plot was paper thin - I guessed who it was three minutes into the film, and forced myself to watch the rest of it because I had paid for it.Admittedly the only real sex scene was mildly hot, but no more than you see on normal television. This was lame with a capital L.Wish I had saved my money and would tell anyone thinking of buying it to rent it if you must, but don't put any hard earned cash into buying it.Going to the back of my DVD shelf to gather dust until I get round to selling it.Big thumbs down.$LABEL$0 +The Borowsky Family's Musical Favorites of All Times. Musical Favorites of All Times, the Borowsky family's genre spanning arrangement of classical music, is a collection of long cherished and well-known pieces, all played with a clarity and skillful sound unique to the Borowsky family of musicians. This collection has clearly been put together with hard work, and dedication, not to mention skill, as the pieces within represent some of the most accurate, soulful, and standard breaking playing of our time.As best exemplified by the performance of David Popper's Gavotte, and Ernest Bloch's Nigun, the Borowsky family plays with authority, commanding the ear, leading the listener into the swirling emotion of the piece being played.Five stars out of five for an impressive collection and a wonderful listening experience that defines the epitome of what the classical musician should be.$LABEL$1 +Please don't ever make me watch this thing again!!. This movie was not very true to the book. The man in the yellow suit didn't wear a yellow suit, Winnie had a turtle, not a frog. . etc. It was pretty well made, but if you are a great fan of the book you might not like it. The new version made in 2002 is a little more accurate to the book, so you might try that as an alternate to this. The story of this movie is pretty good though, because the book was a very good book. People who remember this movie from their childhood might like this, though. I didn't really like it because it strayed too far from the book, but others might.$LABEL$0 +Beware the purple prose. I generally like most fantasy books at least a little bit, but this one left me wondering if an editor had ever seen the manuscript. There is promise in the basic idea behind the novel, but the text is in sore need of a good editor so that the story can become refined and easier to read.I don't recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +EXACTLY What I needed!. Yes, it's a small shelf, but it's the PERFECT size to put between your desk and the wall if you want to get your CPU off the desk or floor. The CPU is on the top shelf, modems and routers on the second shelf and surge protectors on the bottom shelf - all in one place, out of the way and easy to move when you want to clean. Also, the shelf is easy to put together and VERY sturdy. I plan to get some in larger sizes to use in the mudroom.$LABEL$1 +BIG disappointment. I was extremely disappointed in my 2mm 24" snake chain. I have bought several pieces in the past from Silver Insanity, but it seems they've decided to cut corners. I would be surprised if this chain measured ONE mm let alone 2. I have other 2 MM chains and this one is HALF the size. It feels very light. Not at all what I'd come to expect quality wise from Silver Insanity. I will not buy anymore silver from them.$LABEL$0 +Breakout Thriller. This is a great book. I've enjoyed the others in the series, but MOTION TO DISMISS, takes Kali to a new level. The plot is intriguing and the pacing suspenseful, but what makes this book stand out in my mind are the characters. All of the main characters are flawed and complex human beings. They are very real and believably unpredictable. There are lots of weighty issues to ponder here, but they never get in the way of the story. This is an author to watch.$LABEL$1 +Time passed this. 2 1/2A perfectly mediocre live capsule from this minor folk-proggie does capture a few instrumental moments of passion (the second half of Year of the Cat and some creative liberties with the following Pink Panther theme finally breathe much needed life into the disc), but the majority of singer-songwriter-slush feels autopiloted-bland at best, worse off for that pretentious late 70's British sort of lyrical and vocal delivery. I would say that if you enjoy newer Steely Dan, then rock out with this.$LABEL$0 +Great for specialty rice as well. We tried this with Basamati rice and the results were outstanding - 2 cups water to one cup of rice, microwave on high for 5 minutes and then at 40% for 15 minutes. You get great tasting rice and a wonderful aroma in your kitchen. I have found that it does leak a little, which is easily solved by placing the cooker on a dinner plate in the microwave.$LABEL$1 +Some stuff but mostly fluff. We are all looking to get as many takeaways from these types of books as possible with having to read through to much fluff but this one misses the mark and pretty bad. I found myself reading through pages and pages without highlighting anything of note as a practical takeaway. There a dozen or so nuggets in this book but its not worth the 200 os so pages of mostly text no images to get to these. The amount of references and quotes I just found plain odd and of no use.Its also pretty dated now$LABEL$0 +When Moviegoers Wept. Reduces the culture-changing ideas of Breuer, Freud, Nietzsche, and von Salome to a series of pop-psychology soundbites.A "period piece" in which the actresses and actors have visibly modern makeup, hair styles, and clothing.Slapstick action and flat acting.$LABEL$0 +Good Product money wise but not Safe. I am very much impressed with the quality of the Leather Pouch from my new Treo . I was very happy of the same . However While traveling as it was hooked to my trouser , my Treo fell down twice from this Pouch . As it does not have a Locking Facility , It creates a Problem . It has just a Magnetic flap which is of no use when your Expensive Treo Falls down Twice and has a Lot of Scratches on them . Hence if they would only have a Locking facility on the Flap it would be great.$LABEL$0 +Not very good, unless.... Not very good, unless you like that low growl voice that doesn't seem to take much talent to generate. At least this singer is able to get most of the lyrics across in an intelligible manner, but it's a disservice to these songs to growl them out. Your own stuff, OK, but not these classics.$LABEL$0 +Clancy @ the Speed of Dr. Suess. I just recevied this book today. First I want to rate a seller because i couldn't figure out how in my shop zone. I want to make this comment about liquidotcom3 (I believe that is his name)My comment is "Used? The only thing wrong with the book is a slightly bent upper right hand corner, and I probably did that unpacking it! I ordered it last wednesday Oct 2 and it came today oct 9th, pretty impressive!"I have read 19 pages so far and know about 4-5 featuresnow that i didn't know about FP2002. I can tell this will be a good book. It is technical enough to learn from, but it reads fast! BUY IT!As a business owner, I have to be on the cutting edge of the software that I work with, and I think this book is going to take me there. I will do another reveiw when I am finished. I may even read it straight through.$LABEL$1 +Probably the closest you'll get to hardcore on her.. I had a friend show me this a while back and believe me this isn't hardcore or anything, but its a lot closer to it than Girls Gone Wild. There isn't any actual Sex in it but it does show a LOT of vagina. Don't get your hopes up yet though. Most of the girls aren't that hot and a lot of their vaginas aren't the best looking either. ESPECIALLY the chick on the front, Kobe or whatever. Hers in the worst. But if you're desperate and actually want to fork over money for grade F quality "pornography" than by all means.$LABEL$0 +GREAT "How-To" Guide for Communications Professionals. This book is a clear, concise read on handling the media during a crisis - and how to come out a winner. At just under 200 pages, it's packed with more useful info than a book 3x its size.The one thing that really stands out is Hoffman's clear understanding in all communications - know who your audience is and speak directly to them - no matter what the medium. This is NOT a "How-To Spin" book - but a "'How-To' put the facts out there honestly and in the best possible light" book.I recommend it for ALL folks in the executive levels in corporate America as well as those in PR, communications, Marketing, or agency work.$LABEL$1 +Nice product.. This vacuum sucks! I mean that in a good way. It has excellent suction. Does a great job on carpets! I would give it 5 stars, except that: 1. It's a bit on the heavy side; 2. the electrical cord isn't designed to retract; and 3. the switch on the vacuum that turns on and off the rotating brush for when you go from carpet to bare floor (and vice versa) doesn't seem to work. It keeps springing back to "ON" position, and doesn't click to stay "OFF." I considered returning it, but when I checked the floor models at local stores I noticed that they didn't work either. I thought I knew how to flip a switch, but perhaps I'm suffering some sort of skill deficiency here. There must be some trick to it that I haven't figured out yet. I will be checking courses at my local Community College for switch flipping, and keep you posted if I find any.$LABEL$1 +The fix is in!. I've played a lot of BackGammon in my days but this farce takes the cake. The dice are loaded in the computers favor. Play 100 games and lose 40 of them because the computer gives you the one role in a 100 that will hurt you,,,,and at the same time he gets the perfect roll to get your exposed man. Once in a while is OK, but it's consistent and annoying. Just because the setting is expert, doesn't mean the computer has to win at all costs, even cheating.$LABEL$0 +Too much melodrama for me. My previous review was deleted because I used the word "dreck."This book would trade the massacres of Rwanda and Burundi for a soapy Mill Valley love affair, and I think that's tragic. A thoroughly disappointing book.$LABEL$0 +Scandle, sex, and fun. I never really was all that interested in the whole Henry VIII thing but I was given this book and just started reading the first couple of pages. It really has a way of engaging you from the start. In the beginning Mary is only a little girl involved in this larger than life role she has to play. You follow her along with her exciting life, and just when things start to cool off for her, you become fixed on her sister. I loved reading how nasty the author made her. I know there are legends of how Ann really was a royal pain. The author did a good job playing it up. It really is quite long over 650 pages, but you wouldn't know it, I read it in 6 days. Its really a page turner. It really only portrays Ann, and Mary in depth, and I liked that. I also liked how the author depicts an aging, baby of a king who likes to get his own way. In the end the author does an amazing job wrapping up the looses ends to the already known facts making this history/fiction story a great read.$LABEL$1 +A masterpiece. Of course he never wrote an autobiography, but if he told it to cronies, it would sound like this, then he'd have them shot. So imagine Stalin telling his life story, a crude thug boasting of his power, telling little anecdotes about exterminating millions, and sharing his innermost "thoughts". It's black humor at its best. Lourie is a sovietologist and literary translator from Russian, he's done the research, spent time in Russia, he knows his stuff. It's hard to imagine a more accurate portrait of the monster, and once you start reading, you can't put it down. Should be required reading, lest we forget. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +not so great, but worth a read. This is surely not one of the best books of Andy McNab.Liberation Day is a funny book with nice characters and Humour.The Story is not so great as Crisis Four or Firewall, but it's a good read and worth the money.$LABEL$1 +A poignant tale of a young Irish-American Boy .. This book by Dennis Smith is a fine prequel to his Engine Co. 82. In 82 we saw a young man dealing with the job he has chosen for himself, and a difficult job that was. In Song for Mary we see the boy who became that man. The only way a man could become a fireman is if he had great compassion for humanity. Mary, his mother, gave him this compassion. The "Song" of the title resonates throughout the book with the haunting refrain of The Rose of Tralee. I thought this memoir was as good, if not better, than those of Frank McCourt and others which have filled the bookshops recently. A MUST-READ for anyone who cherishes their Irish-American heritage or if they came of age in New York City,$LABEL$1 +Kinda sucks to play - but has nice special effects unseen in any other game. I think it's about time gamers DEMANDED their games have spectacular new special effects AND be fun to play.This game was not fun to play.I would rather fast forward through a video of someone else completing the game just so I could see the special effects and design, and not have to hack out hour after hour of horrible game play.This design team was just chosen to do the next gen design for a upcoming Jedi title- it had better be FUN as well as DEVASTATINGLY BEAUTIFUL.$LABEL$0 +Decent--Could be Much Better. I have read several Koontz novels. It seems like we are beginning to see patterns from previous novels(i.e. dogs, TICKTOCK(actually another book), supernatural, warped personalities). I feel like I have read a similar story from previous stories written by Koontz. I think the dog piece is a stretch. The explanation of Bryan was another reach for the reader. I didn't feel the characters and their interaction with TICKTOCK was a good fit. I would recommend the book--but if you are a Koontz fan--you have seen this type of story before.$LABEL$0 +If I could rate this 0, I would. Gone through 2 in as many months.. My local hardware store didn't have any toilet tot locks, & the chain store only had this brand, one kind, no choices. The first one broke after 1 month of NORMAL use. The second broke after one month of NORMAL use. I would happily pay thirty bucks for one that would last more than a month & that I could give to someone else once my toddler is old enough to not try flushing toys down the toilet, but cheap sells. :-\ I refuse to pay for a THIRD one of these so I just hope we're not snaking toys out of the toilet at all. (I would put a door knob lock on the doors, but we have door knob covers from the same brand on our door knobs & those suck too!! If my toddler hits them hard & long enough, they just FALL OFF!!)$LABEL$0 +Where is Mystery Science Theater 3000 when you really need it?. Extremely awful Keanu Reeves stinker that not only lives up to the word of mouth but surpasses it in spades. Keanu proves once and for all on how bad an actor he is with a groundbreaking bad performance and a script that helps him out a lot in proving that. Only his co-stars come out of this film with their heads held up high with great performances by Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, and Peter Stormare but not even their great performances can salvage this disaster. This is fresh material for the show " Mystery Science Theater 3000" and I hope they can get a print of this movie and tear it apart for the garbage it really is.$LABEL$0 +Moving. This book was a fantastically written piece of a terrible journey a family went through. What a wonderful way with words Louis Lowry has. I was moved to tears.$LABEL$1 +Victorinox Paring Knife. Victorinox paring knives come in two styles: short handle and a long hangle. I have a couple of each. The blades are the same on both styles. I prefer the "longer handle" style. "Longer" means only about 3/8" longer nylon/plastic handls. The blades are stainless, thin and somewhat flexible. I can get quite a sharp edge on the knives. Easy to use, and inexpensive. Great knives.$LABEL$1 +horrible. These are the roughest sheets I have ever purchased. 1000 thread? more like 10!I returned them after trying to get them to soften up in the wash and they had to be ironed.$LABEL$0 +Hoping for more stamping DVDs like this.... This was great, especially if you need to have your stamping classes at home. Mary Jo's presentations have a lot of clarity and a very relaxed approach to creativity. Since I rarely get to see people actually doing techniques, I really enjoyed watching the processes happening in such detail since it was longer than the videos I've seen. The DVD format gives a lot of flexibility in viewing and Mary Jo has a friendly presence as she provides numerous tips along with the project at hand. I hope Page Sage will produce more in this line of product.$LABEL$1 +The Worst Book Ever Written. The most insulting and boring book ever written. It is a biting social commentary on men-women relations that is so one-sided and vulgar that most readers do not take seriously. Don't ask me how it ended because I couldn't stand the torture of the book$LABEL$0 +Would prefer to see a photo of Julia Child herself on the cover. This book has been highly recommended to read, and I want to buy a copy for myself and for a gift. However, I am deeply disappointed to see photos of the film Julie & Julia all over the cover.$LABEL$0 +One of the best CDs I have in my collection. When I first heard this CD I thought the music was OK. Then I listened to the words and I was touched by the lyrics. The songs are amazing musically and thel lyrics are great. I like the songs 'liquid', 'art in me' and 'worlds apart' the best. Everyone should own this CD. IT'S GREAT!!!$LABEL$1 +A Treasuretrove of Olde Recipes Found in an Olde Attic. A nice book that resembles an old "redback speller.I am looking to collect at least four more of these books$LABEL$1 +Lone Wolf. After all these years this series of movies are great. This blu ray edition is not digitally remastered however there is improvement from the DVD Collection that came out in 1990's. For the asking price this is good value.$LABEL$1 +Soooo relaxing and beautiful! Stunning!. I've been a devoted fan of LoungeV films on Youtube and finally decided to buy a present for my parents. Guess what, they loved it!!! It's an excellent addition to any home and I am not speaking of an average film you watch on your TV, it's a dream world that you bring home! I will be ordering one for myself to play in a loop on the dining room TV that I will hang on the wall - finally removing that ugly painting my wife put.Just one thing, the film has two parts but I would prefer a continuous playback. Oh, by the way, the DVD case print quality is not ideal even though I really like the design.$LABEL$1 +Greatest book of all time!. This is one of the greatest books that I have ever read! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read! This is an awsome book it as one of the greatest books of all time! Along with the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, The China Garden by Liz Berry, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carry, and Old Magic by Marianne Curley!$LABEL$1 +Not impressed compared to Red Herrings. It is OK but I would expect much higher level for the author. Plots are no captivating, too much getting into detail which does not benefit the experience. All other Archer's book will keep me awake till I find out what is going on except for this one. I just ticked the box that I read it.Archer is my favourite author today, i started reading his book in November 2012 and have only couple left. Enjoyed all of them except for this one.$LABEL$0 +No Better Than The Book, But Worthy of A Classic. I read this book in 6th grade (outside of school) and was blown away by it. I expected the movie to be horrible, but it's the best "book-movie" I've ever seen. It is definitely worth buying, but you have to read the book first. The book will illuminate your mind with great masculine and feminine representivity and just change your life.$LABEL$1 +Tear-Jerker. This book was an amazing piece. I read the whole thing in a couple days. I just couldn't stop until I got to the end. It brought tears to my eyes! I would recommend this tear-jerker to anyone who has a strong stomach! (Very graphic!)$LABEL$1 +Just what I remembered. My grandmother bought this book for me when I was a young child and it helped me become familiar with Bible stories. At that time, there were three different books. Now all the material is in one convenient hard cover book complete with Scripture references and trivia. My children enjoy reading the book and it is even teaching them another lesson -- how to share. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Satisfaction. Enjoy a cup of this each morning. I especially appreciate that Folgers Cappuccino does not have a strong acid aftertaste. I will continue to purchase but wish the price was a bit lower.$LABEL$1 +Healthy Body Cookbook. This book contains great ideas that are also tasty. My picky eaters enjoyed the Breakfast No-Bake granola bars, the Awesome Banana Berry Pancakes and the Creamy, Dreamy Yogurt Orange-Banana Frozen pops. We are excited to try many of the other great recipe ideas. The recipes in here are easy to follow, and taste great!$LABEL$1 +Interesting Reading. Even though the material is dated, it gives an interesting perspective on the different forms of life and ecosystems that go unnoticed throughout the year.$LABEL$1 +Say it aint so. I use a lot of Clubman products but this one has left my home never to return. Without a doubt the worst smelling aftershave ive ever gotten a whiff of. I love the Clubman regular and Bay Rum as well as their talc but this stuff is simply awful. They really need to rethink the formula on this Lilac stuff as it really does stink, literally.$LABEL$0 +Not What I Expected........ Maybe it was the writer's fault, but this story just wasn't presented the way I thought it would be. It turned out to be more of a travelogue of this little neighborhood than individual stories about the ladies themselves. I couldn't finish it.$LABEL$0 +No frills at THE BASE. THE BASE is an overall average film. Clearly the actors' talents are not put to full use. Mark Dacascos' excellent martial arts skills are supressed to appear like a good street fighter, not the impressive military weapon he is suppose to portray. The story line is interesting, but is weakened by the poor ending of this action film. The good guy wins, but it is a dismal victory. The nudity added to The Base does not really flow with the story line. The director clearly failed in this film. The acting in this film is very good, but the camera angles were not. I'm sure the actors were disappointed with the final product. THE BASE is worth seeing once. I suggest renting versus buying.$LABEL$0 +worked great until it wore out. Product was great and kept my wet and dirty coveralls off the seat. Then after about three weeks the fabric material separated from the edge seam. It still works but is mostly just bare wire coils showing. I am hard on things but Grandpa had a similar product that had a stiff polypropelene like fabric that lasted years and he worked in a coal mine.$LABEL$0 +Watched all the games live in HD. Not going to purchase this set to watch them again in SD. Hopefully this stays 1 star and sells terribly.$LABEL$0 +'Toast 8' by Roxio. My last version of Toast was 6. I found many more useful features in Toast 8; ... too many to list here. Just go to the Roxio web site for a list of all the new features. It is totally Mac OS X and Mac Intel Core compatible as well. I am extremely pleased with ths new, easy to use version with so many great features including seamless 'EyeTV recording, etc., etc.!$LABEL$1 +Thorough treatment. Levy presents a well-articulated, easily read treatment of the Tabernacle of Moses, its furnishings, utensils, services and priestly clothing and functions. A great book to read to see how God was foreshadowing His Son, Jesus, well before His incarnation. Levy clearly ties together Old Testament practices & theology, which we often ignore, and New Testament beliefs. I would recommend this to anyone interested in understanding: (a) more about the Tabernacle itself, (b) a deeper insight into Jewish practices and their foundations, (c) a fuller and richer understanding of God's plan of redemption and atonement, sanctification and regeneration, worship and communication with God.$LABEL$1 +Warranty Extension. Just got the watch and it seems to be working great. I have adjusted the date and time base on the mechanical instructions given. The watch has performed well for the 1st week.I got several compliments on the watch.Only suggestion to Stuhrling is they need to make the emblem in the middle of the watch a decal rather than a stamped letter. Could have made the watch even more impressive.I hope to get several years of use.Warranty card they send you gives an extra year extension if you fill out the review. Not sure how they track it.$LABEL$1 +Coding mistakes and more. It's heavy on VB.Net, which I didn't expect, based on the title and the year released. What bothers me most is the mistakes in their code. For example, they have you define tables in an Access database, and then, in code, they use different table names. That's just the beginning. The structure of the written code is bizarre; indents are random and meaningless. They don't use good programming practices, either, such as using a with/end with struture instead of typing the same variable name over and over...I don't believe the source code for the book ever was published by "Premier Press" (don't be fooled by a name).$LABEL$0 +No Problems. Not much to say about this product. I used it per instructions, it was quick and easy and no problems.$LABEL$1 +Good for some, not others.... There are two different types of Madden player. Some go for accurate simulation and detail, others go for creativity and solid presentation. If your likings fall under the latter of the two, prepare to be bitterly disappointed.Sure, it is true that the gameplay is amazing. Player likenesses are unmistakeable and the action is great. However, those of us who want more from their Madden find this game to be empty and gutless. There is no Create-a-team, create a stadium, or create a fan feature that has been such a great part of the recent current-gen Madden games. The 'create player' function is a joke, and franchise mode has VERY little to offer. You can find all of these features by picking up the game for 10 or 20 dollars less on the PS2, XBOX, or Gamecube. 360 fans deserve better.$LABEL$0 +The worst book I ever read. It is the worst book I ever read. Subject matter is not explained properly. Examples are complex and lengthy. Don't buy this book.$LABEL$0 +Frábert!!. Björk can sing anything!!! A great jazz album, mostly in Icelandic with a fantastic version of 'Can'Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine' in English.$LABEL$1 +worked at first. When i first bought this product it was great now it won't turn on and its only few mths old. I don't have receipt so can not return it just stuck with a broken humidifier.$LABEL$0 +The perfect antidote to Outliers. The perfect antidote to Outliers, this book demonstrates the unavoidable pitfalls to attempting the lifestyle espoused by Outliers. It is possible to be successful AND happy, but not unless you make happiness a goal that you manage as vigorously as you manage success. This is written by a psychologist for the stars, and is filled with both easy to remember anecdotal stories and sound principals which I have observed in the people I consider fabulously successful and yet still completely grounded and approachable.$LABEL$1 +Don't Buy this watch!. Don't buy this watch unless you want to adjust time every morning when you wake up! This is the only explanation about "automatic"!I am Very disappointed about this product! I bought this for my boyfriend as a gift. It said Water resistance 100 feet, but It had moisture inside the watch by wearing around household sinks after a few days we purchased it! We had been sending back and forward to the factory, but they had never fixed the problem.$LABEL$0 +Does as stated. This stove can come in really handy even without a power outage. Used it to cook brunch for a crowd. Also was handy during an outdoor BBQ as an extra burner to sautee onions next to the grill. Would be easier to clean if the base around the burner was a smoothe paint rather than dull. Overall, works well.$LABEL$1 +Waste of time.. This book was poorly written, and presented most of its subjects in a cursory, unintuitive manner. The treatment of the technical subjects amounted to little more than a bulleted list of formulae. The author justified this by continually making the point that MBAs need only a high-level understanding of topics such as finance and economics, but the book does not even give the reader that. All in all, a grave disappointment for someone who wishes to learn about business.$LABEL$0 +Typical V-Tech, BROKEN!. We've been burned by V-Tech and their inferior products twice before. The V-Smile system only worked for a few months; the V-Pocket worked for exactly 13 days. So, I suppose this is pretty much our fault for buying our 7 year old what he REALLY wanted for his birthday.Imagine my complete lack of surprise when I pulled this system out of the box on his birthday and it didn't work at all. We've tried all of the "Troubleshooting Tips" three times and tried various outlets in the house. The thing does not work. When we called V-Tech about the issue, we were told that since we bought the unit 3.5 months ago (when it was on a great sale), it is not their problem. Lovely customer service.Save your money and always buy LEAP FROG! We've never had a single problem (read: heartbroken child) over Leap Frog products.$LABEL$0 +Discover this Band. Fastway just couldn't break into the upper tier of metal acts in the 1980's and I'm not sure why? Give this disk a listen, and you'll see that the band had a knack for writing great rock music. Tunes like "All I Need is Your Love" and "Feel Me, Touch Me" are instantly catchy, and stay with you long after the disk is over. Fast Eddie's guitar work is fantastic! Check out that cool riff on "Say What You Will", that song should have been a staple on metal radio. The song "Heft" is great. It's an odd little tune with a killer bass and drum combo. If Pete Way was playing bass on this disk, then he is responsible for two of my favorite undiscovered bands "Fastway" and "Waysted", and "Heft" may be one of the coolest tunes from the era. You can't go wrong picking up this disk for under $10.$LABEL$1 +A very neurologically biased book! Not recommended.. This book is basically a book written to bring more business to neurologists. Written by two neurologists who state ADD is best treated by neurologists and with medications. Their bias gets in the way of this book being useful. In the real world, try to find a neurologist who will take on ADD patients! Psychologists and psychiatrists are much better trained and equiped, AND available to treat this disorder. I would never recommend this book to my patients!$LABEL$0 +Boring. This book takes one chapter worth of material on a very interesting subject and repeats it over and over to the point where the reader is bored sensless. I couldn't even finish the thing. I learned from this that the Pulitzer prize is no mark of excellence. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +Boring Insipid Nonentity. As intriguing as the concept may seem, in reality the fiction is trite. Cared little for the characters or the direction. For postmodern thrills, rent a later Godard picture.$LABEL$0 +Pass this one by.. I bought this keyboard to replace a malfunctioning Gearhead keyboard. But I started having problems right out of the box. Keys did not function. The mouse has to be within 3 feet of the receiver AND the infrared dot has to be pointed at the receiver. The feel of the keyboard (shape of the keys and curve of the board was very good. However the plastic is very rough and cheap, almost feeling like it's recycled. I don't think it will survive being dropped even once. I find it interesting that the keyboard signal is RF but the mouse is infrared (and therefore line-of-sight only). Why 2 different systems??No more cheap keyboards for me. I'm buying a good wireless Logitech unit.$LABEL$0 +Captivating Sound. "Storm at Sunup" is my favorite album of all time. Incredible texture in sounds along with Vannelli's strong voice delivers an extremely cativating sound. This music changed my life.I personally like the Gino of the 70's. With his rocking sound and incredible use of technology for it's time, Vannelli creates music that makes my heart pound when I hear it.$LABEL$1 +Will teach you to be skeptical. Every member of every school board should read this book. Politicians and policy makers are constantly using distorted, misleading, and erroneous data when the describe the state of public education. Armed with the knowledge in this book, readers can't begin to question poor data instead of just swallowing it whole. Pretty easy read for the non-technical.$LABEL$1 +DON'T BUY A DREAMCAST JUMP PACK..Buy a PREFORMACE JUMP PACK!. It looks like people are complaining about how you don't feel anything with this product. Well, i own two "'preformace' jump packs" (not made by dreamcast) and they work great. And PLUS not only are they a jump/rumble pack, but it also holds 200 blocks of memory. So folks i strongly suggest buying these from this after market company.Oh yeah...You feel the RuMbLE....TRUST ME.$LABEL$0 +My 6th Graders Love It!. This was an excellent illustrated book that I used in my 6th grade social studies class.The kids loved the creation stories,Cronos,Zeus,Apollo,etc because it is an easy read for kids and adults.Plus the kids loved the illustrations.We have been using this book in the classroom for years and will continue to use it for years to come.$LABEL$1 +Great and USABLE! book. After reading this book I imediately restructured my email inbox and started sending much fewer/shorter mails. In return I right away started spend less time managing mail and I even get less mails back (since I send less) as wellGreat return on reading investment :-)$LABEL$1 +Great book!. This book gives a great look into the Jewish mindset of the early 1900s. A must read for any young Bible student.$LABEL$1 +Kind-of boring. The songs are mostly ballads. They sound very similar to one another. I had a hard time listening to the album in its entirety.Buy her self-titled album or "Crossroads" or "Telling Stories" instead.$LABEL$0 +Hip Hop Essential Classic. Great and essential Album for all Hip Hop Fans...Prodigy's verses and Havoc's beats on this album have inspired and influenced an entire generation of young rappers, even your favorite rapper, (insert thug/gangsta rapper name here) can't deny that Mobb Deep is one of the greatest and most influential Hip Hop Groups of all time...If you are a Hip Hop fan and you don't own or have never heard this album...SHame on you...$LABEL$1 +Release the UNCUT episodes!. Count me among the people who will not be adding this DVD set to my collection. I have been anticipating the release of the "Roseanne" DVD sets for years, but after realizing that they're being offered using the edited-for-syndication version of each episode, I have no interest. While I understand the reasoning behind cropping them up to air in syndication, there's no excuse to release a full season collection using anything but the uncut episodes.It's ironic that Roseanne waged very public battles for control of the show that bore her name, but has no authority (or, at least, objections) over its being released in this truncated form.$LABEL$0 +Best of the Vampire Chronicles!. Anne's telling of the creation of vampires is truely unique and imaginative. A must for anyone who loves mystery, suspense and fantasy. The cast of characters that Anne creates is rather large, but in the end, all the characters come together in an amazing ending. Anne Rice has truely out done herself with this chapter in the chronicles. A definate must read!$LABEL$1 +doesn't fit. The ladder for this seat did not touch the floor. We had to send it back because it was about an inch or two short. If you do decide to try the product, you should measure your toilet first. That said, I do agree with some of the other postings that it seemed rather flimsy. Even if it had reached the floor, the seat did not fit firmly on the seat. Perhaps its just made for other toilets.$LABEL$0 +AAR is the BEST OF THE BEST!. The All American Rejects are from Stillwater Oklahoma and this band knows their stuff. If you are the type of punk rocker this CD is for you! Different songs that have an AWESOME beat! This band is known for their most popular song, "Swing, Swing" So listen to this album today!$LABEL$1 +Sensational show!. This unassuming little show about a small Texas town and it's football team was a great ride, all the way through to the final season. The show features well-rounded characters with realistic problems and believable flaws. And, that's refreshing, compared to some of today's reality shows (where the filthy rich drum up pseudo-problems to complain about).Maybe the fictional town of Dillon, Texas reminded me nostalgically of my own hometown, where the whole town populace came out on Friday nights to cheer on the football team of the only high school in town. Or maybe the fictional characters just remind me of my own classmates, teachers, and coaches. But, whatever the reason, this is one great show, well-acted and under-recognized.$LABEL$1 +Disappointment. Looks great on the internet but dont buy it sight unseen. It is a real disappointment from the chintzy finish to the cheap plastic handles and knobs also takes forever to toast and that is impossible to regulate. Really a poor value for the inflated price.$LABEL$0 +good, but can be better. I like the postures just like what I had in bikram yoga class. But somehow I found the backgound music is dull......I need some encouraging and upbeat music to stimulate my work-out!!!$LABEL$1 +If I could give 10 stars, I would!!!. The first time I saw this movie, I fell in love with it! If you've ever wondered "what if", you'll enjoy this movie! I can't understand why anyone wouldn't enjoy this. It's funny, emotional, romantic, and VERY intelligent! The fact that a woman's life could change course so much after a two second distraction amazes me and really makes me think. If I had to recommend only one movie to own, it would most definitly be "Sliding Doors."$LABEL$1 +I wanted to scream.. I wanted to scream while watching this movie. The entire beginning of the movie shows that the I.D. isn't connected to religion. Then the end of the movie shows that religion and science are in a constant battle. Not only was the movie inaccurate but poorly created.However, my friend who I saw it with seemed to think that having ID in classrooms is a good idea after seeing the movie. I berated her intelligence until she agreed with me. I figured that's what any person whole believes in evolution would do, right Ben Stein?$LABEL$0 +Disappointing quality. I really liked these headphones when I first got them but the "relationship" went down hill oh so very quickly. Within two months of receipt, the on-off slide switch broke off. A few months later the plug developed an intermittent break. Twist the cord just right and you had stereo otherwise only one headphone would work. It finally got so bad that I have put it back into its case and stopped using them. Disappointing for a pair of $100 headphones. These were very lightly used headphones and not thrown around or abused. When not actually in use, they would be in their padded, zippered case. I cannot recommend them for their lack of quality.$LABEL$0 +Business Primer for Grade School Children. The author seemed to spend more time defending the compensation packages of the poor misunderstood CEOs in this country than on the basics of investing and the markets. I have gotten better information free from mutual fund companies trying to promote their products. If I had been given this as a required reading in high school I would have criticised it as much too basic. Bascially a waste of money!$LABEL$0 +Don't buy this!. I have used crock pots for years with great success. My son bought me this one as a gift and it certainly looked attractive. The problem with this one is that the heat regulator is not working. It is on full blast high or nothing at all. The low setting just does not work. It gets extremely hot on the outside, burning hot! The food burns if left all day ( or all night). You pretty much have to stand over it. This is not safe to be left to cook when you are not home. I have just burned my last meal in this one. Out in the trash it goes!$LABEL$0 +Postum. You can now get Postum at Postum.com. I got my order last week and it was great. Just want to let people know who are looking for it.$LABEL$1 +I can't believe I wasted my money on this.. As a fan of the Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake series, I picked up this book in hopes it'd have the same genius of the early books in the Anita series.Boy was I dead wrong.After the first 25 or so pages, I set the book down and haven't touched it since. The writing is absolutely atrocious and the pretense of the story is ridiculous. A rock star recording artist VAMPIRE HUNTER. That's just as farfetched as being a brain surgeon astronaut who lives on Mars.Don't waste your time or money on this book.$LABEL$0 +A good battery. This is a good battery. The life of the battery is not quite like the original one from verizon but you definetly get the most for what you pay. It's almost as good for a lot cheaper.$LABEL$1 +Snagged immediately.. These hose looked great. However, they got a giant snag within one hour of wearing them. Not worth the price.$LABEL$0 +HD -DVD DON'T BUY. I bought this movie for a friends Birthday. One thing the company doesn't tell you is that HD-DVD is no longer in buisness since Nov 2008, so you pay for something you can't even use. I tried to turn it over to see if it had standard DVD on the other side - it doesn't! I gave to my friend for her Birthday and now I can't return it because I bought it in oct for her Birthday in Dec, and it has been over 30 days.Oh, and on the inside it has a note to go to[...] for firmware updates and the site is no longer there. Also, the note shouldn't be on the inside it should be on the outside of the package. This product shouldn't even be on the shelves and I ended up learning about HD-DVD being out of business from the article below.[...]$LABEL$0 +In all fairness I did not finish the book. I was very excited to read this book based on other reviews and the short excerpt. I ready about 25% of it and that I had to push through. It was really difficult to develop a true interest in the characters and the plot. The attempted sexual tension became annoying and superfluous. I would definitely be interested in learning more about that area but not by reading this book.$LABEL$0 +Do you love phrases like sequestered ironic eyes and obtusively abstract posturing? This book is for you. The story beneath the tidal wave of verbosity is marginally interesting. If you are willing to read thirty pages and realize nothing has happened, plus don't mind struggling through embarrassingly juvenile and artificially bucolic descriptions of intimacy and romance, then you will enjoy this book. I really wanted to like it given the critical praise. Unfortunately, this is a critic's book chased by condescending critics' opinions. The critics would be out of a job if they agreed with us, after all.$LABEL$0 +A Chinese Junk. I have had two bad machines in less than a year, and I only bake about 4 loaves of white bread a month. The second machine was furnished under the warranty and cost me $33.33 for shipping. It wasn't worth the shipping cost since the motor stopped kneading in only three months. I could have shipped it back to Cuisinart for an "evaluation" and possibly another replacement for the cost of shipping. It wasn't worth the trouble since, in my view, this model is a piece of Chinese junk.$LABEL$0 +Garmin Cigarette Lighter Adapter. Your website mentioned this adapter is for the Gamin C330 GPS but the it can't fit. The connection on the C330 is different.$LABEL$0 +cookie cutters. Nice assortment of shapes for the perfect barnyard of cookies. Big enough to decorate, small enough for the perfect treat.$LABEL$1 +great anime!!. Many people compare it to the Rurouni Kenshin series, but its more like a mix between City Hunter and Cowboy Bebop. So if you like either one of these, give Trigun a shot.$LABEL$1 +Very moving. I have always loved this book. Was very glad to have found it again. A must for anyone who cares about children with special needs.$LABEL$1 +Not authors. A choice excerpt:"The best way to start writing a class is to decide what you want it to do. For this, a Python-based modelof refrigerator behaviors, Fridge, is the first thing, and it should be basic. While you're thinking aboutit, focus on what you will need a particular Fridge object to do for your own purposes. You wantenough behaviors available that this object can be used to make food, yet you don't want to worry aboutaspects of real-life refrigerators that won't be included in a simplified example, such as temperature, thefreezer, defrosting, and electricity--all of these are unnecessary details that would only complicate ourpurpose here. For now, let's just add to the docstring for the Fridge class to define the behaviors thatyou will be building soon."Did an editor even look at this?$LABEL$0 +one of the best heroines ever. this is the first johanna lindsey book i ever read and after i read this book i was addicted. the heroine is a stubborn, spoiled, independant young woman and i loved her. she was just what the arrogant hero needed. she made me LOL when she grabbed the hair of the serving girl at the inn and threatened her if she went near her bethrothed again. her loyalness to that english guy was really annoying but overall this was a great book.$LABEL$1 +Possibly the best CD ever. Ever time this CD goes in the player its like getting in a time machine and revisitng my high school and college years. Every song brings back good memories. This is great stuff.$LABEL$1 +Not Bad.. I bought this a couple of years ago and just started using it again recently. I use it often, usually for an hour at a time. My only complaint is that the seat is not very cushioned. By the time I've been on the bike for an hour, I can no longer stand the bum pain and I have to stop. I am glad to have this bike, though. There are days that I do not get to go out to exercise and the bike is a good alternative for me. Plus, I can just sit and watch a movie while I ride it, so it doesn't get boring.$LABEL$1 +All sheet, no ghost.... This lavish-looking French production, while it does provide simmering atmosphere by the kettle-full, falls well short in the story department, substituting fill-in-the-blank visual cliche (treading heavily on del Toro's turf in particular) for narrative/dramatic cohesion at nearly every turn. Dialogue and acting are also subpar. It reminded me, as such, of Anthony Hickox's 2010 'Knife Edge,' another attractive but creatively malnourished Euro-natural potboiler. Sumptuous photography and creepy setting distinguish what otherwise might pass for a long, mildly intriguing video-game demo. 2-plus stars.$LABEL$0 +i should have known.... by the price, the look, the description, and most of all by the advertisements listed on the cover and elsewhere for numerous ~1001 hints~ types of books that this would be a waste of money. time to rack another one up as a learning experience.this book can be summed up in a few words, and many less pages than the 212 you would end up paying for: kitty litter trays, dishpans in "designer" colors, ice cube bins, drawer dividers, cup hooks, shelving units made of boards'n'bricks, and a calendar-style planner.ponder deeply the implications of using those items in your life, and save the $10.00 you would have spent to learn "the secrets of uncluttering your home" from this book. it may sound as if i'm spoiling the ending for you, but as far as i can tell none of those items has been a secret for the last half-a-century.$LABEL$0 +cute toy but not durable. My cat loved this toy but she destroyed it in about 5 minutes. It's really quite flimsy. Perhaps if your cat is very gentle and just wants to cuddle with it, this would be a good toy. My girl loves to go crazy with her toys so this didn't hold up at all. In fact, the little beads and bell fell out almost instantly and is really quite a choking hazard. I'm surprised that they advertise it as "durable" because it most certainly is not.$LABEL$0 +Its ok. it is fun when you start.but when you play it for a long timeit gets boring i got Delta Force Trilogy pack coming soon BUY THAT INSTED.$LABEL$0 +great purchase. Looked forever for a brown suede feather down comforter. Finally found it at a great price...free shipping...and came fast!!!$LABEL$1 +Disgusting distortion of truth. Liberal viewpoints at every turn. Hirsh makes Bush out to look like the devil. As if every failure is Bush's fault, and every success was done in spite of Bush.$LABEL$0 +4-year old son loves this!. This was a Christmas present for our 4-year old son. We found that spraying the molds w/nonstick spray is necessary or the "snacks" don't come out in 1 piece. And yes, we set the Scooby timer twice; the gel isn't hardened in 5:00-8:00. I think the snacks smell nauseating, but our son loves them! He enjoys playing w/the Mystery Machine as a toy, so it serves a double purpose. Santa brought a refill as a stocking stuffer, but now we can't find them anywhere. Maybe Jello or gummies will work? Toy is durable so far (only 4 wks old, tho).$LABEL$1 +Moving and Wonderful, Evocative and Elegant. I caught this on Masterpiece Theatre, it is truly amazing. A story within a story. The cast of characters is superb and makes you almost want to know each one.Each character is unique. The story of the massive and unique photograph collection is amazing in itself. But the stories within the stories, as told to the mean American who threatens to destroy the photo collection are the real jewels. As the film unfolds we are drawn onto the black and white photos in the collection. We see the body of photographs as a whole for thier special beauty. I felt joy, amazement and wonder....This film is a contemporary masterpiece.One of my favorite joys of the past year.$LABEL$1 +New PCAT version. The Kaplan book is very good as other reviews have said....but it does not include the latest changes. Calculus questions are throughout the math section and quite a few organic chemistry reaction are in the chem section. Review your textbooks and don't rely only on the Kaplan book for those. Otherwise the review was fine, especially the Biology and general Chemistry sections. I just wish I didn't have to wait 4-6 weeks to find out what I go on the test!$LABEL$1 +Solid book on Java networking. The book covers numerous topics. For background material, it covers TCP/IP theory, security, threading, exceptions, and streams. In the actual networking part of the book, it covers client-side and server-side networking, URLs, datagrams, multicasting, RMI, CORBA, Servlets, and Message Streams. In other words, there is a wide range of topics covered.The book is full of actual code examples. I especially enjoyed one like the finger client and the dns client. These are real world examples that will be extremely useful if I ever need to implement these protocols using Java.One error that I noticed was that it mentioned that the source code from the book was available from two web sites. In reality, at the present time, it is only available from the first one mentioned.Overall, it is a book that is worth owning and has the broadest coverage of any of the Java networking books on the market.$LABEL$1 +Oshima-san, konnichi wa!. I bought this video just to see Tokyo beauty OSHIMA HIROMI (in Japan, surnames come first, but she's "Hiromi Oshima" to "Hakujin"), and she doesn't disappoint me in it. I studied Japanese at San Francisco City College, and I've dated several girls from Japan. In the video, I also like to see Pilar Lastra who is second to Oshima-san in sexiness to me. Nicole Whitehead is sexy too, but her scenes aren't as good as some of the other girls. Coleen Marie is rather sexy with good scenes. Tailor James and Stephanie Glasson aren't bad, but they fall far behind Hiromi and Pilar in my book. I never watch any of the other girls besides Hiromi, Pilar, Nicole, Coleen, Tailor and Stephanie. It's not bad to like 6 of 12 Playmates in such videos. Some videos in the series have only one girl I watch.$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointing. I'm a big fan of Card and picked this up only on that basis. The dust jacket blurb didn't sound promising but, hey, its Orson Scott Card. Well, very disappointed is what I am. The character dialog was not believable and the opening set-up wasn't making much sense. But I thought it really started going south when the mechanical soldiers showed up in New York and Our Heroes just happened to be there! The Liberal-Conservative conflict at the base of this story was hard for me to resolve in the beginning. Not because Card wasn't beating me over the head with it but because I kept thinking there has to be more to this story. It was an easy read so I kept at it. The afterword says Card wrote this as the setting of a video game. Well, I guess it was plotted like a video game. I don't really know anything about Card's politics. He comes across as a right wing nut case in the afterward which explains the right wing nut case conspiracy theory of the book.$LABEL$0 +They changed the collar. Jockey changed the shape of their crew neck T. Now it isn't as good. Before the collar didn't stick out the back of sweaters as much as it does now. Booooo.$LABEL$0 +Very Good Cables. These are very good cables; they worked as well as much more expensive ($30 Vizio brand) cables. I saw absolutely no difference in picture quality between the two different brands. Don't waste your money on more expensive cables.$LABEL$1 +Mature female review. I loved this film when I first saw it...I was only 10 at the time and I learned all the words to every song back then and remember them now at age 58The CD is wonderful...good sound, clear and just plain lovely..$LABEL$1 +Didn't work so it went back.. This was my first experience with a code reader and it was my luck to get a defective one. It kept reading ERROR and would not finish searching for codes despite repeated attempts, so I sent it back, which Amazon made super easy by the way. Maybe they tried to build it too cheaply or something. However, the company has a really good reputation so I gave them another try and ordered the advanced model 3100.$LABEL$0 +cheap, but works?. this product IS cheap, but it works for now. really, we have no other options that i can find, so i am stuck with this- until it breaks. one thing i really suggest doing is measuring the distance between doors. i didn't think there was much of a gap between the doors, but there is. i had to very carefully bend the flaps up a little more so it would catch on the door. once my kids see that if i pull out on the door a little to open it, this will be useless. i am just counting the days until that happens or it breaks. though, i would buy this again because I HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS! lol!$LABEL$0 +Complete Crap. I've had this phone for over a year now. I don't make or receive many calls, but when I do it's a crap shoot. The phone will chirp and shut off for no good reason. It said the battery was low and shut off when it was almost a full charge.I have had to pop the battery out to reset the phone several times just to get it to work. One time it locked-up and wouldn't even shut off without removing the battery.I have had no problems with the push-to-talk feature.My husband has this same phone and has no problems, so it's entirely possible I have a lemon of a phone.I would never recommend this phone to anyone.$LABEL$0 +college physics book review. it came in exactly the condition it was advertised in and it came within like 6 days of ordering it (including the weekend). great purchase.$LABEL$1 +chan-a-thon. This is the best purchase a Chan fan can buy. All of the selected titles is what every fan would enjoy. The selection offers a different Chan offspring assisting the master and of course its not really a Chan film without Birmingham. Enjoy.$LABEL$1 +Black & Decker Garment Steamer. This was a pretty pitiful attempt at a garment steamer. Very little steam was produced [meaning the shirt being 'steamed' didn't have a prayer of losing its wrinkles] and I'm returning the item which was a Christmas gift to my son-in-law.$LABEL$0 +Bad luck maybe. Maybe its just bad luck but I had two of these usb drives and both failed in some way. The first one I had I was unable to delete or add any new data. So I returned it and got another one. After a month of use the drive would only function at 1.1 usb speeds. I tried it in different computers but still the same problem. So I'm done with this drive and will move onto a different brand.$LABEL$0 +Romance without smut. I loved this book. A woman is in a car crash and thinks she is going go die. She promises to "do good" if she is allowed to live. You then get to see how she goes from a self-centered, rich person to a truely caring, helpful one, and all the bumps that go along with it. Her family thinks she is losing it (her mind) because they don't understand why she is changing. The people at the country club don't understand. It's a very enjoyable book. There is romance in it, but the sex scenes are not explicet, which I truely enjoy. It is nice to read a book that doesn't go into detail with the bedroom scenes and leaves something for your imagination.$LABEL$1 +Too small. It was too small for the tacoma. Direct me to a longer one.As a result splash of mud is still coming back on the back section. How can this be corrected.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work, so disappointed. I received this bank today, opened it up, added batteries, followed the instructions for inserting money and...nothing. My husband and I proceeded to mess around with it for several minutes to no avail. Good thing I tried it out before I gave it to my son for Christmas!$LABEL$0 +Canadians beware. I would strongly advise Canadians not to purchase this item. Possession of one of these would be asking for a Human Rights Commission investigation. It may be funny and legal in the US, but not in Canada. Beware and play it safe.$LABEL$0 +Broke quite quick. The volume control stopped working quite soon - works in certain positions only. The soft covers deteriorated very quickly. Two stars for a relative comfort.$LABEL$0 +Healthy snack - Happy life. Actually is hard to get snack food without preservatives or anyother dangerus additives, so you have to create your snacks by yourself. Nesco is a great tool to improve family's diet.I live in Costa Rica and I have used with wide range of tropical fruits like mango, papaya etc.. It always does an outstanding performance.$LABEL$1 +Paranormal. 5 discs or 1? Hmm seems to be 5, or is it?Season 3 before 1 or 2, or just a mind altering glitch?Reality or Fantasy, mind tripping games,unknown possibilties?I am getting a DVD set regardless of the implications.$LABEL$1 +Very functioknal and punches very clean holes. Looking at some of the 1 star reviews, I was a bit reluctant to order this and tried it as soon as I opened the package. I am on a diet and so far had to punch 3 extra holes on each of my belts. This one, when used, on a wood base, punches verey professional holes with no effort. Two hammer strikes and there you go. Love it.$LABEL$1 +Disgusting, Distortive, Biased Propaganda. Ms. Bikel makes absolutely no effort to present the facts of the cases she examines in a balanced, accurate, and truthful manner. She deliberately suffuses her work with falsehoods and questionable statements recited as fact, and presents every contention made by her convicted subjects as the gospel (or better, perhaps, "her gospel," from which she preaches quite broadly). The fact that police reports, investigative proceeds, eyewitness accounts, collateral witness statements, and court transcripts contradict these contentions seems to be of no issue to her. While it may be legitimate to debate the appropriateness of life sentences without the possibility of parole being given to young murderers, this documentary contributes nothing of value to that debate. A pronounced and self-proclaimed ideologue, Ms. Bikel brings her brand of blind, fact-averse advocacy to a topic that is actually much better treated without it.$LABEL$0 +really neat. The tines could be a little less flexible to give you a really good scratch, but overall, I love it. I've never seen anything so trippy and everyone who sees this needs to try it.$LABEL$1 +Too Slow, falls apart. If you are sifting a small amount and a fine powder, it is ok. But, to sift 2 c flour it takes forever. And don't ever try to sift brown sugar, it gunks-up. Also, the handle keeps coming-off of the sifter mechanism. Don't waste your money or time.$LABEL$0 +keepin it real. Yo she was an o.k. singer, but she was no acter. Her new c.d. was wack and everyone knows that. Just because she is no longer with us everyone feels the need to lie and not keep it real. She was tight nahh I'm lying, she was wack and couldn't write a song at all. I think every hit song was written by someone else. She never did tell the truth about her and R.Kelly, that is when she was tight. RIP---Aaliyah$LABEL$0 +It is a piece of junk. It dulls in under 5 cuts. BUYER BEWARE. The blade is the most inferior and over priced I have purchased. I later found a carbide excellent quality blade at a local hardward store that is makita brand and carbide for only $80.00 I suggest to buyers stay away from this china junk and look for a carbide makita brand blade for the close to the same price.$LABEL$0 +No wonder this has been discountined. I'm a creature of habit, so I kept buying this specific earpiece for my cell phone, since I liked the way it was designed. Small, simple, and I didn't have to look like someone from "Star Trek" with that dumb thing blinking in my ear. It works well, and has excellent sound quality both for my voice and the earpiece. What I liked is there is this rubber "hook" that keeps it in your ear, and is very comfortable. However, every one I've bought (and I've bought a lot of them) has the same problem which is the "hook" breaks off no matter how gentle you are with it. So then you have to sort of stick the earpiece in your ear, and hope for the best. For a while they were very cheap so it wasn't that bad, but now they are hard to find. Soon they will all be gone, and I'll have to find something else. So should you.$LABEL$0 +A Familiar Overview of The Middle Ages. This book provides an approachable overview in story-telling narrative form of the re-birth of the quest for reason during the Middle Ages of European history. It offers very little which is not already known by anyone familiar with the period or the history of the Roman Catholic Church and its grip on the intellectual development of the European culture at that time. By all means read it if you want a good overview of this strange time, but keep in mind that it is an overview and at the 30,000 foot level.One complaint I must register here is the choice of title. There is very little here about Aristotle or his writings, or his thought. if you are interested in that seek the "Cambridge Companion to Aristotle."$LABEL$0 +Quality less than expected. I was disappointed in this product. True, it is advertised as "lightweight," but I was stunned to see how little down it actually holds. Most of the baffle boxes had so little down in them, you could easily see daylight through the comforter when held in the air. On the "warmth scale" printed on the package, this one rates 2 out of 7. Wish they'd have added that critical information to the product description.$LABEL$0 +great headphones. i would pay more for these, i love that i never have to worry about them falling out of my ears. i think my small ears dont keep the cheap apple ones in, so these are great!$LABEL$1 +Courageous!!!!. Now this the first movie that I am seeing that talks about a man's relationship with his Creator and responsibility to his family, without getting all religious. It screens real life issues men all around the world are going through and show an example of a solution that encourages making a Commitment to self, God and family.This I recommend to every man to watch.(I know Hollywood would not like to promote this)$LABEL$1 +these batteries are worthless. I thought it would be possible to get a quality replacement battery for a low price.I. Was. Wrong.About two months after buying them they no longer hold a charge. Phone shows battery fully charged, dial a number and press talk, phone goes dead and blank. I know how to maximize battery life, so I'm sure it wasn't me. I bought two as I have 2 phones that these fit, both stopped working. Unfortunately it was past the return date, so I recycled them and bought oem batteries, which are going strong 18 months later. Maybe someone makes decent cheap replacements, but it sure isn't these people.$LABEL$0 +AVOID - AWFUL ITEM!!! Comes apart and dog swallows!. There are so many problems with this item it is difficult to know where to begin but to warn other potential buyers I'll go down the list of why you should avoid this item.The knobby spikes for teeth cleaning are sharp and caused my dogs gums/tongue to bleed!It is slighly flavored - and the dog loved that - but it encourages chewing on a product that comes apart in big chunks that my dog swallowed before I could get him to spit it out. It's chewy and flavored but breaks off easily which brings the final point...It lasted all of maybe 30 minutes. At the end of that time period my dog had bleedig gums and tongue (I stopped playing with him immediately) and while my back was turned, grabbed the tug toy off the table to chew which immediately resulted in a big chunk coming off in his mouth that he promptly swallowed. Hopefully he will be okay but now we are left "keeping an eye" for things to "pass".Save a trip to the vet and avoid this awful product!$LABEL$0 +1530 - new and improved model is definitely not an improvement. Well, here it is, July 2005, and I have the 1530 model. I also bought it from HSN. It also lasted 5-6 months. Of course the warranty is for only 3 months. Pure junk. I will never buy a Cyberhome product again. I wish I could take back the compliments I gave about it the first 2 months that I had it. It worked great in the beginning, then I experienced all the problems that everyone here has mentioned. I have noticed that many stores no longer carry this model. Maybe there were just too many complaints.$LABEL$0 +The Soul of Baseball at It's Intellectual Best. Bartlett Giamatti's essays provide you with a delightful dimension of the national pastime which you will find in no other source. It reflect's one man's eloquent love of the game before and beyond the hoopla, hype and heavy hand of greed. It is a very refreshing, quick read worthy of your investment of time and a few dollars less than a movie ticket!$LABEL$1 +LOVE IT!!!. This is the second of the triology: Champion Dreams, Horsez and Petz Horsez 2. The game is quite fun, as much as Champion Dreams and the main characters are invovled. I bought this 3 years ago and I'm still playing, btw I'm 46 years old.$LABEL$1 +Didn't work for me. I bought this pan because my cat squats right inside the door to her regular covered litter pan, hangs her bottom over the edge, and pees on the floor. I bought a pan with a high side but she still can't keep everything inside. I hoped the Clevercat design would prevent spillover, but Ginger just bypassed the middle step and peed directly on the floor when confronted with this product. I tried it both with the top off and on, and it didn't seem to make any difference. It looked like a good idea, it just didn't work with my cat. FWIW, she's sixteen years old - a younger cat might take to it more readily.$LABEL$0 +No real plot. I loved all the books in the A. Blake series until this one. The other reviews that gave low ratings have already explained the problems with this novel and I don't need to repeat it. I tried two times to read this book and managed to read half only. It is so bad with no plot and the usually charming characters (Anita, Jean-Claude, Richard) have turned into perverted psychopaths, completely unlikable. I wish I never started this book and only kept the earlier as a pleasant memory. I wont even look at any more books from this author.$LABEL$0 +Destroyed in two days.. I bought this product from Petsmart a couple of months ago. We used it on our 55 pound Lab and she was able to shred the zipper on both sides. She was crate trained prior but tried and was able to get out of this, destroying both doors in the process. I think it might be okay for smaller dogs, but I wouldn't really recommend it, its to poorly constructed.$LABEL$0 +good product. I'm totally satisfied with the sound quality and comfort of these earphones. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another pair. They do a great job of blocking outside noise. Great price also.$LABEL$1 +Krups Coffee Grinder. Excellent coffee grinder--does a great job. The best grinder I have used in some time. Fast shipping, terrific product. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. This is not Wolinsky's best effort.First, it needs serious editing.Second, this is just a re-packaging of the current pop psychology thinking. Wolinsky adds to the confusion by adding another component. Instead of YOU acting out on unconscious urges, Wolinsky introduces 'Inner Child' and 'Hypnosis'... so NOW the Inner Child HYPNOTIZES you into acting out on unconscious urges.What's his answer? The same as the old psycho-analytic approach: awareness. When you can become CONSCIOUSLY aware of the processes and the relationships then *poof* they are resolved!I was disappointed that this "Quantum Psychology" expert put so little thought or effort into this book. If you have any education in the area of psychology, this is a waste of your time.$LABEL$0 +This book has been around for awhile but it still applies today. The copyright of this book is 1985. I wasn't sure how it would apply to today's living. I am 51 and bought the book because someone told me about it. I wasn't sure that I was a woman who "loved too much" but wanted to see for myself. This book is an eye opener. I see how I live every day as a woman who loves too much and how I am making myself unhappy every day. I love the book but it hurts a little to see what I'm doing to myself.$LABEL$1 +Nice little whistling kettle. This whistling tea kettle heats enough water to make two 12-oz cups of tea, hot cocoa, etc. The whistle starts as a cute little chirping sound as the water begins to create steam, then progresses to a rather loud, sharp whistling that you just can't ignore. The easy-fill opening is very nice, too. Don't overfill, though, because you'll end up with a hot, wet mess on your stove top.$LABEL$1 +Sent wrong item.. I ordered this item but received an alternative. What I ordered used 2 AAA batteries & weighed 1.12 ounces. What I received uses 2 AA batteries & weighs 2.5 oz.$LABEL$0 +Customer support is awful. Vosky worked great for several months. When Skype upgraded their software the Vosky sofware was not compatable. Vosky customer support offered several different solutions, but thus far none have worked.Each time you contact their customer support, you must fill out a new problem report form. I am about ready to throw Vosky in the trash.$LABEL$0 +Great movie, just couldn't watch it at home. I guess I missed the fine print about the format of this particular dvd. I was unable to play it on my home dvd player. So, I wasted my money. If Amazon is selling dvds with different formats, then putting the particular format in big bold letters would have prevented this sort of thing.$LABEL$0 +Protracted and Expensive. This is the first of six kits, each equally priced. I found the method to be fraught with language cues that were too syrupy to swallow ("popping above the line", "solution sandwich", "lifestyle surgery", and "tender morsels"). Doing cycles are at the heart of the program, a process that, for me, lent itself more to manufacturing emotion vs. excavating damaging shadow beliefs. I ended up dropping out, and feeling much better for it.I'd recommend saving your money on this one. Try Martha Beck's Joy Diet instead.$LABEL$0 +Piece of crap.. First, the chopping blade spring flew out when I opened it up after using it. After I got the stupid thing back together, after 3 or 4 uses, the stupid bowl CRACKED. I was only marginally shocked, because even after reading all the good reviews, I had a feeling I'd be the one to get the crappy one. Grr.$LABEL$0 +PIXIES CLASSIC!!!. I really enjoy all the stuff Pixies create, and the songs of the classic DOOLITTLE are all high points in Pixies career! All the songs are great, with the classics GOUGE AWAY, TAME, WAVE OF MUTILATION, DEBASER and MONKEY GONE TO HEAVEN!!!! If you like Nirvana, you got to check DOOLITTLE!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Do Not Buy It. First item does not work with all mini-discs, I burned about 15 and only worked with 3 and sometimes.Second Display worked only for one month.Third .. Headphones did not work anymore.So, nothing works at all.I also buy another mp3 player and all of the 15 mini-discs worked with this new mp3-player.Sorry about my english.$LABEL$0 +Expensive fan in a box. The product description does not make it clear, but this device is not a digital sound generator. It's just a fan in a box with two power settings (high and very high) and some bevels that you can adjust. The two settings are very similar, and for many people this will mean that the lowest setting will not be quiet enough, or the highest setting will not be loud enough. This is a lot of money to pay for a fan in a box, and I wish I could get my money back. I recommend the Sharper Image sound generator, instead. It has a volume knob as well as options for selecting different types of background noise.$LABEL$0 +loved it. it is a place were all these people are supposed to meet but they all get there at the wrong times and meet others and see what happens from there$LABEL$1 +Not Worth It. Virtually unusable outdoors, can't see menu in daylight - don't consider this product no matter how cheap.$LABEL$0 +GOT IT FIRST. I haven't purchased this album, and i probably won't because, as has been said, it's too expensive. however, i know all these songs because i bought all the singles as they came out! If you get them at the right stores, they are much cheaper than this. try newberry comics, or any other local non-franchise store that you can find. 10 songs and 40 bucks? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?$LABEL$0 +My favorite Album Forever. Awesome Strong Touching and Beautiful God Bless You George!I popped this tape 3 times before I bought the CDBut I cant find In My Life to save my Life LOLI am searching for that album that was so unjustly discontinued. *sigh*$LABEL$1 +rockers. just got these a month ago and have been very pleased. the price is right and so far they are bringing the tones i want from my p-bass. i tried flat wounds only to find them too mellow for what i want. strap a set of these on and get ready to rock. they do not disappoint.$LABEL$1 +Great clipper... Cuts very well. As good as you will find at a great value. As always Amazon is the best store around.$LABEL$1 +just great music. This is a fantastic soundtrack -- there's not a miss on it. It's paced to keep you rolling along with the overall feel of the CD and independent of it being a soundtrack it has a great history of music on it. I'll Fly Away is done wonderfullly, and every song fits well within the collection. This isn't country music. It's evocative blues /roots/ gospel.From the liner notes: The reason for our using so much of the era's music in the movie was simple," explains Ethan Coen. "We have always liked it. The mountain music, the delta blues, gospel, the chain-gang chants, would later evolve into bluegrass, commercial country music and rock n' roll. But it is compelling music in its own right, harking back to a time when music was a part of everyday life and not something performed by celebrities. That folk aspect of the music both accounts for its vitality and makes it fold naturally into our story without feeling forced or theatrical."$LABEL$1 +telephoto lens and vignetteing. Quite a bit of very obvious vignetteing around the edges, coming almost 1/3 of the way into the photo at times. Not good for many practical applications.$LABEL$0 +Hardly a book to interest a person who thinks for himself.. When we talk about Kirby Godsey, let's be honest. The author has a long way to go to reach someone who has thought beyond the preachments of Southern Baptists and others. I suppose some case could be made for this work to be compared with Tillich's "The Shaking of the Foundations," which didn't shake any foundations to my knowledge, though some found it interesting. Another book from the past comes to mind, "Your God is too small." I guess I just don't feel the need of anyone else telling me what God is really like or what the Bible really means or what should be going on in the churches. The rampant confusion on matters religious is well beyond the ability of Dr. Godsey to say anything of any real importance. Godsey's own denomination is one of the better examples of the confusion of which I speak.$LABEL$0 +Put me to sleep!. I tried to watch this movie twice and I couldn't finish it. Everyone else must have seen a different movie than I did. The pacing was slow, I couldn't stand the main character and I had no idea where it was going. I felt sorry for the brother and thought that the main character was the biggest hypocrite in the world. Don't waste your time with this one!$LABEL$0 +Decent for removing upper lip/chin hair. I guess I'm going against the crowd and have to say I like this product quite a bit. It's not perfect but it helps me take off most of the hair on my upper lip and the soft hair on my chin.The only bad thing about that is, if you leave the cream on for more than 8 minutes, it tends to sting for an hour or two after wiping off the cream. So if the hair comes off around 6 minutes, please happily do so!Tip: BE SURE TO USE WARM MOIST PAPER TOWEL. It'll help with removing the hair. :)$LABEL$1 +A Nice Movie. This is my favorite movie. I have watched it over and over. I never get tired of Frosty the Snowman. I like the actors who do the voices. Jimmy Durante and June Foray and Billy De Wolfe and Jackie Vernon. My favorite character is Karen..The movie Frosty Returns is not as good.$LABEL$1 +very short and the real action is missing!. After seeing NOVA: the day the earth shook, this is a real bummer. That's why I recommended the nova tape INSTEAD of this, read my NOVA review to know why.This video only contains news footage of the AFTERMATH of a Californian quake. No actual earthquake footage, just footage of the damages, for only a short 30 minutes. Interesting here and there, (so called earthquake safe highways, weren't earthquake resistent after all) but not worth the money, in my opinion.$LABEL$0 +lizard spit cymbal polish. lizard spit polish,great name for this green colored stuff, but the best thing is that with very little effort your cymbals will look fantastic.this is a great product and for just abit of pocket change. alan cassidy-wescott.$LABEL$1 +Giant chess. This chess is fun. Especially if you have children.Pros: Large, adjustable weight, lightweight, tough board-mat,convenient bag.Cons: Little fragile, not completely B/W but Yellowish/BlueishRecommend !$LABEL$1 +A wonderfully spooky horror film.. I came across this dvd by pure chance.I am so glad i did it's gory and keeps you in suspence.I love this movie.$LABEL$1 +Horrid movie. This is a sad knock-off of the classic film Rocky Horror. it is over the top campy, the comedy is predictable and the movie is horrible, I would not wish a viewing of this movie on anyone. save yourself and dont watch it.$LABEL$0 +PSYCH. Oh joy! A show that is fast paced, witty, and clean. I just goes to show that if writers have real talent, a show can be successful and satisfying without sex, foul language, and explosions every 5 minutes. Characters are quirky but not over the top and flash backs are a great touch.$LABEL$1 +Another horrible remake. No insult to the lovely Jessica Alba but after viewing this, she is not ready for any lead roles yet. The movie was basically generic, the acting was sub par and the movie did not have that horror movie feel to it. There was no suspense and the only frightening thing was that I purchased the movie new. The plot was thin and so was the pacing of the entire film. You don't care for any of the characters and trust me; I have been watching and collecting horror movies for years. This one stinks, badly. Hollywood needs to stop butchering Asian films. If you never seen the Ring, put this movie down and watch the Ring instead. Alba could have learned a few pointers from Mrs. Watts.$LABEL$0 +too big. I thought this item was too big...I returned it and bought a small diaper stacker. It looked like an eye sore in the bedroom.I had it hanging on the back of the bedroom door and I often shut the door when baby naps and you cannot shut the door w/ this on the door. It is probably helpfull for some, but not for me.$LABEL$0 +Halibuts - Great surf music. The Halibuts are a great surf band with a dedicated following of surfers in the south bay of LA. Chumming is their first album and every song is a classic! Add this to your collection and you won't regret it.$LABEL$1 +on time and good working condition. it was exactly as the seller said , in great condition and was sent to us within 2 weeks .$LABEL$1 +One of the most significant films of the century. This is an essential film, because of this early discussion of feminist themes, depiction of an orgnized working class, and evidence of the quality work produced by these black listed film producers and actors.$LABEL$1 +LOVE Jackie, Don't love the new Freddy.. I adore Jackie Earle Haley as an actor. He's one of the best, I actually enjoyed the whole cast, but I don't appreciate them trying to recreate Freddy. I understand that they were trying to make him scarier, but that's just not who Freddy is. He's a little scary at times, but he also likes to crack jokes at every opportunity. That's just who Freddy is, it doesn't work any other way. They might as well try to create a whole new villain with Freddy's MO... never mind, I don't want them doing that either. Just, leave Freddy alone. ROBERT FOREVER.$LABEL$0 +Gold Toes Bermuda Socks. I love these socks. For a few years, I have bought them at JC Penney's, but this year, they did not have the color I like -- stone. Stone-colored socks go veryGold Toe Women's Bermuda Turn Cuff Sock, size 9-11well with khakis, which I wear a lot. The Gold Toes website also does not show these socks in stone, just black and white, so I figure that stone-colored socks are no longer being made. That's why I bought 2 dozen pair.The socks are very soft, comfortable, and cozy, not too tight or too loose. I will miss them when they are gone. The photo that goes with this review may show the so-called "khaki"-colored sock. The stone sock is lighter in color and goes really well with most khaki or chino pants. The khaki-colored sock is too dark for most khaki or chino pants.$LABEL$1 +Cannot stand listening to this performance. Time passes fast, and 1970 is a prehistorical age for this kind of music.I had the bad idea to buy this recording: Britten is directing this music disregarding his own annotations on the scores he adapted !! (I had to study them for a concert).But worst, soloists are singing in a terrible "italian melodrammatic style" (as we say "with big potatoes in their mouth"). The chorus is too large, the tempo too slow, terribly slow. The brasses are untuned, the orchestra is not convincing at all.Dido and Aeneas follows the same destiny.Want to buy back my CDs :)?$LABEL$0 +Extremely buggy. The game is buggy ... . I played it 3 times, and all 3 times it locked up to the point where i had to shut off the console unit and start it back up again. Also, the graphics disappear while your playing and you can't see where you're going. Great job in the quality assurance lab my Acclaim!!! DO NOT BUY$LABEL$0 +I was not impressed. I realize that this was one of Nora Roberts' earlier books, so the fact that the writing was not as good did not surprise me. However, I was very dissapointed that she speant almost no time letting the readers see Seth's thoughts until the very end and then, in a very uncharacteristic move for Roberts, allows her heroin to forgive him without too much changing or apoligizing on his part. I think this was an interesting book to read because of the fact that it was so early into Roberts' career but as a novel, I was just not impressed.$LABEL$0 +tedious to read. This book had some interesting plot twists, and certainly the author is talented and has a very literary (if not pompous) style that results in some beautiful passages. But the book was extremely tedious...every little detail expressed in excruciating detail, Henry's every thought examined from 12 different directions. My favorite -- a squash match that has no bearing on the plot, and takes 15 pages to describe. Do you need to know any more?$LABEL$0 +Good, but different. I knew I would miss Richard Anderson, but Ben Browder is growing on me. Beau Bridges makes a great Commanding General, good casting.Claudia Black as Vala has really helped to make the show interesting and funny, I really love her character!$LABEL$1 +Metallica:Phantom Puppets.. This is Phantom Garbage! It is basically some Australian put together bootleg with unseen interviews from Germany and Australia and some interviews all thrown in like a compilation.$LABEL$0 +DON'T BUY. IT IS HORRIBLE!!!MADE ME GAIN 5-6 POUNDS IN 3 DAYS...I felt so so big,plus THE END OF THE MONTH I WAS 5 DAYS LATE AND NOT PREGNANCY(I HAS BEEN NEVER LATE),THANKS TO ZXT I LOST MY WEIGHT BACK.DONT BUY THIS.$LABEL$0 +A complete waste of money!. If you want to learn Dreamweaver do not buy this book. This is the required book for a college class I am taking on Dreamweaver- it is an awful book. No explanations, just lots of click here, do this, do that. They don't tell you why you are doing what you are doing. The instructions are unclear- I often cannot find what button or command they are referring to. Everyone in the class is having these problems. The instructor is having to walk us through all of the exercises that we should be able to do on our own with the book. I have learned nothing from this book.$LABEL$0 +Excellent new Bond. I'm an old Connery fan but Craig adds a different twist to a cool new Bond. Vey well played, enjoyed it very much. Very little of the gadgets that had gotten overblown and it's a serious film too.Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Successful Loo84. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind cards, are DREADFUL.I would definately NOT recommend ANYONE buy these cards at all. They are a complete waste of money and I will tell you why:EVERY CARD starts off with a positive statement, then ends in negativity about ones life and how you lived your life before changing your mind set.T Harv Eker is clearly a Millionaire by doing these cards and getting the general public to buy them! Good idea, I should have thought of that!!They are NOT helpful in any way shape or form. I dont appreciate being reminded about my previous life experiences via these cards. Amazon should take them off their site so that people do not waste their money. And thats the truth.These cards would continue to make T Harv Eker a Millionaire but not You or I! Cheryl Richardsons Daily Affirmation cards are more "warm, inviting, friendly and CONSISTENTLY POSITIVE"!DO NOT BUY THESE CARDS, you'll be wasiting your money.thank you .$LABEL$0 +TWO 11/16...NO 3/4. Stanley 11 pc. deep 1/2 drive impact sockets. Contained two 11/16 and no 3/4. The duplicate socket is a Husky not Stanley. Looks like Stanley dumps their mistakes on Amazon. To much trouble to return...I'll look for a 3/4 at the flea market. Should have looked there first.$LABEL$0 +Bad scent; terrible burning sensation. Pros:Lathers very well.Cons:I like sandalwood, but "ashtray" is the perfect descriptor for this smell. It's really heinous. It's a little better on your face after shaving, but not pleasant during.And for me personally, some ingredient causes an allergic reaction that makes the whole experience one of intense burning.If neither of those are an issue for you, this might be a decent product.$LABEL$0 +FILM FESTIVAL CARNIVOUS!. Terorrists bother film-goers and critics at Cannes Film Festival. Best safe if you wear sunglasses (so to minimize your identity). '99 Oscars honoring Kazan has potential for "...life to imitate art...". Wouldn't that be cool? Let's GO!$LABEL$1 +When Nora slams the door, she is just running away.... Nora---everyone praises her as this great feminist...she's immature! You don't just run away from your problems like that. She had three kids, a house, and a husband. She had responsibilites. It is her own problem if she has discovered that her marriage isn't all that- but the fact is, she created three children who deserve a mother to support them and help raise them. She feels as though she is being treated like a child- well, its not exactly an adult thing to do to abandon all of your responsibilities. If there is one thing my parents have taught me, it is "finish something you start." Nora Helmer sickens me and all those who glorify her irresponsible actions should take a second look at their priorities.$LABEL$0 +diana may have screamed on part of a song but.... fantasia, well she just totally WHINES...get over it she can only do two types of music where as diana can do anything at least...i would take screaming on a verse over whining on just about everything...she thinks she about fifteen years older than she really is and needs to get over herself...at least diana was humble...!$LABEL$0 +My new favorite. The novel Slaughter House Five is a great story. It describes Billy Pilgrim's time travel and adventures throughout the whole book. The writer kept me going and I could not put this book down. It is definitely a reread and I look forward to reading more of Kurt Vonnegut's writing pieces. Though, the reason I am giving this a four star, is because of the introduction. The introduction did not have a good foundation, and lacked interest, though I enjoy Kurt Vonnegut's honest style of writing and I look forward to the next Vonnegut novel I will read.$LABEL$1 +This game is one of the best this system will ever have. this game is so awsome little short but the gameplay maks up for all of the short parts and re-using of the levels$LABEL$1 +Dependable & stylish. I bought my Tag eight years ago and have worn it for scuba diving, skiing, exercising, and eating at top French restaurants. Every two or three years I change the battery; otherwise it needs no attention and has performed flawlessly. The only annoying things with the watch are (i) the bezel is difficult to grip with wet fingers or dive gloves, and (ii) there is insufficient contrast between the dial face and the hands when you're underwater, which makes it difficult sometimes to read the time. These two limitations are a function of the fact it was designed more to be fashionable than functional - but it does function pretty well regardless.Many people (men and women) have commented over the years on how attractive the watch is. I wanted a watch that would be able to go wherever I went and be appropriate regardless of conditions. I also wanted something that wasn't too fussy. The Tag has served me well and I don't envisage replacing it anytime soon.$LABEL$1 +Magazine Fab! Subscription- not so hot.. Lucky is one of my frequent checkout pickups. Bright, fun, and not requiring any frontal lobe interference, it's the perfect pick-me-up for the early morning commuter train. I give it five fabulous stars!However, the actual subscription was very underhanded! Within the space of a week I was sent last month's issue (long gone from the stands), the issue just about to decirculate, and, finally, the actual current issue. So, two weeks after my order i am already 3 issues in to a 12 issue subscription, and none too happy about it. Condé Nast needs to be told that subscribers do not exist to let them clear out their unsold backlog!$LABEL$0 +More of the same?. Ok, the Emancipation of Mimi was one of the best Mariah Carey albums ever, but rereleasing this so soon? and with more of the same old songs? WHAT a RIPOFF!!!$LABEL$0 +Reform isn't Jewish Living. "This definitive guide for Reform Jewish practice" ignores the fact that the Reform movement (from Germany) did away with all ritual practices, and only recently added some back optionally, when its membership was dying. Ask an elder "Reform" person how many of his grandchildren are Jewish."Jewish Living is an ideal gift for b'nei mitzvah, confirmation, and graduation" -- Buy the kid a Kitzur Shulchan Aruch so he knows what the true Jewish law is. And just wtf is a "confirmation"? Find that in the last 3300 years of our history. Seriously.$LABEL$0 +decent start to trilogy. A little more slow paced than I'd like, but ends strong. Interested in.reading next book. Reminds me of sign of seven trilogy$LABEL$1 +an atrocity. this is in no way the CLASSIC Massacre of Florida that it claims to be. "From Beyond" was and still is a great death metal album with power and ferocious vocal attack. You are better off listening to Kam's new horror-rock band Denial Fiend insted of Massacre's "Promise" album.$LABEL$0 +Where Did Our Ross Go?. When I buy a Diana Ross CD, I expect to hear Diana Ross. Not Diana Ross & the Supremes or The Supremes after Diana Ross after leaving the Supremes. Especially since only Diana's photo is on the cover.Track 1-19 is Diana Ross & The Supremes Track 37-42 is the Supremes after Diana Ross left the Supremes. So really only Track 20-36 is Diana Ross, 17 songs. Now really Universal Records someone there is not doing their homework.You should hire me, I know I could do a better job with the entire Motown Catalog. In fact I have suggested songs that you have included recently. Case in point "To Love Again" "Never Say I Don't Love You" "You Were The One" and others.$LABEL$0 +Enlightening Read and Entertaining. This book was very illuminating. My daughter was diagnosed with dyspraxia a few years ago, but now that she is 12 years old, this book perfectly fits her current situation. I will be reading it with her so she can know she is not alone and to give her coping strategies. This book is humorous, straight-forward, and informative. Everyone who is a teacher should read this to help them understand what life is like for a child with dyspraxia. It would also be very helpful for relatives. The author's voice is clear and entertaining and shines a bright light on what it is like to have this disorder. Great book!$LABEL$1 +This thing will heat your whole house and everything in it. I bought the 402b because it has HDMI switching, lots of input options, and hightly rated sound output. I also bought it because I have had a JVC audio system for 15 years and love it.The good part of the receiver is it's great specifications and HDMI support. The bad part is that it that the hardware is poorly executed. It is inexcusable to put out a product that becomes too hot to touch after half an hour of use at normal sound volumes. JVC apparently thinks it's some kind of crime to put cooling fans in receivers. As a result, you get a box that is cool to the touch in standby, and so hot that you literally can't touch the top after half an hour of use. I had to drill extra holes in the back of my entertainment center, and am now out looking for a PC fan that I can run along side it.I would be surprised if I don't have a different receiver within the month.If you live in Alaska, go for it. Otherwise, I'd shop around.$LABEL$0 +Don't believe everything you read. I found a number of inaccuracies in this book, one of the largest being Mr. Jordan's explication of the expression "as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle." It appears that he hasn't read Matthew 18 which states "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."$LABEL$0 +It was Boring. Movie was boring and predictable. And costumes were super cheap-looking. I basicaly fell asleep thourghout the whole film.The movie couldn't been better.$LABEL$0 +Waste King L-8000. Shipping service excellent, Fast, Fast,Fast. It's hard to believe that the installation was fast and easy. I had my daughter boyfriend come and give me a hand cause I really thought I was going to have trouble installing the Waste King. From start to finish it took us 1hour clean up and all. (LOL I didn't need him at all .I read all review which were help full to. ***** five stars........Thank YouWaste King L-8000$LABEL$1 +This book wasn't that great. I read the sample and liked the story enough to buy the book on my kindle. I wish I hadn't to be honest, what a waste of $9.99. Where the first chapter was decent, it really started to lag in the middle and toward the end. The characters were flat, the story ended ridiculously and where is the story telling? The author didn't go into details on anything. Also the magical fight scene at the end was laughable at best. I was very disappointed with this book and will not read any of her other work.$LABEL$0 +LUNATIC. Knight is nothing but a bully and a lunatic. He's proof that you can do whatever the hell you want as long as you win and make $$$$$$$$$$$$$.Typical America these days.When he got fired from Indiana I had a parade down my street.$LABEL$0 +It's Alive!. History is alive and well in this creative book!From elementary school to high school, "Making Social Studies Come Alive" will aid both teacher and student. The projects are "do-able," enjoyable, AND educational.This book deserves to be on the honor roll! A+!$LABEL$1 +Fine for a tire pump. I purchased this to use in my garage so I don't have to put air in my tires in 10 below zero winter temps.It works fine, plenty of air, doesn't leak air when sitting, works as advertised.Pro: Much better, faster than those little air pumps with no storage.Con: It's a bit noisy, but it only turns on when you're using it, and it is in the garage, so it's ok with me. The hose is some kind of plastic, so it's stiff in the cold.Attachments are medium grade, ok for light use.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing.. Get the 10th Anniversary Edition. Nick Jonas is really miscast. The audio mix on "One Day More" is inexcusably bad. Remember, it's about the music and the story, not the lighting and effects. Alfie Boe is does great as Jean Valjean.$LABEL$0 +Loved it!. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Very cute story and a lot of tension between the h/h since this was a 'forbidden' romance plot. If you've ever been a fan of reality tv this is a fun story of what could happen behind the scenes from one of your fav shows. The only downside was continual references to the heroines sister who was flakey and self absorbed. But I enjoyed JM so much that I was willing to read the sequel who happens to star the flakey sister, but based on reviews this book went in the opposite direction from this one with a murder plot. Meh..keep writing more sweet love stories like Jane Millionaire!! Trust me, they dont always need to involve murder mystery, vampires, shape shifters or paransormal plots. There's more enough of that to choose from these days (which is ok if u like those genres but I am personally burnt out with them). Anywho I give Jane Millionaire a solid 4 stars for a sweet and simple romance story.$LABEL$1 +Pure Rubbish!. This amp sucks! Bottom line. It's big for nothing. Piece of crap! The bass knob does not work. Way overrated power! Not 2ohm mono stable! Even the crossover sucks. If I were u I would buy the hi tonics Brutus line or for a lil bit more money go with soundstream. They have always been my favorite amps. Never let me down!$LABEL$0 +wrong product. The wires do not fit the small marble cheese cutter that I have. There was not enough information about this product when I ordered it, so I had no choice but to send it back. I will not order another one on line again.$LABEL$0 +3 of 7 dead at 1 year.. I purchased 7 of these for our smoke detectors in Aug. 2010. One of the detectors began chirping with a dead battery at about 8 months. Two others went dead in the last week (Aug. 2011).$LABEL$0 +Cattle Call Content. I bought this cd for my 88-year-old mom. She loves the selection of classic cowboy songs. The sound quality and clarity are great.$LABEL$1 +Childhood. Fireball was a candy that I grew up with...and it was so good to see it was still around. The taste is the same as I remember. The price was right and so was the quantity. Love it.$LABEL$1 +PREQUEL TO NOTHING. I am dissapointed with this attempt at a connection to the Alien franchise ... that s all I got ..that's it$LABEL$0 +LIGHT BUT SOLID. I don't use this pole for fishing or wading I use it along the trails I walk including side walks and find it a very solid feeling walking stick.$LABEL$1 +One of the best all-around skillets!. This is a wonderful skillet for those who like the ease of nonstick but the durability and results of stainless.I can make a frittata, an omelette or a casserole with cheese and get awesome, even cooking -- brown the top in the oven...and clean up is a breeze.It's just a great, useful piece of cookware and I don't remember how I got along without it. My only recommendation is to buy a lid if you don't have one that fits a 12 skillet, as this doesn't come with one.$LABEL$1 +Very thought provoking. Even though I've been disappointed in most of the book of the month picks, I selected this book because of Oprah. I was very pleasantly surprised.While I usually enjoy mind candy; happily-ever-after types, I thoroughly enjoyed the message this book gave me. We all live our lives based on our own perceptions of truth. But the truth is, we can only judge another persons actions after walking a mile in their shoes, so to speak.The author's empathy toward ALL the characters impressed me, and I finished this book with the feeling that I (and everybody else I know) am too quick to stereotype and judge people I don't know. For instance, I believe the negative reviewers of this book just didn't 'get it'. But then, who am I to judge?$LABEL$1 +Poor Quality. The VHS tape was ok, but the content of the material was disappointing and the performances were not full content but cut off in the middle.$LABEL$0 +Musically it's Ok. Theologically, it's Calvinism. Bleh.. The songs are catchy enough if you like acoustical, Christiany, coffee-house type music. The group's Calvinism is a bit much and hard to take, but that's a prelude to a theological debate more than it is a critique of the music. I just caught myself singing along while my brain was checked out. Then I started thinking about WHAT they were saying and I thought to myself, "Uh. Nope." And then I traded in the CD.$LABEL$0 +sesame crackers. They're great crackers made with sunflower oil. They taste good and don't detract from the taste of whatever you decide to spread on them. They arrive with many broken ones, however.$LABEL$1 +Great storylines, acting, plots. Have not seen all episodes yet, but the ones I have seen I have enjoyed the storylines, action, and actors. Well written. Will order a series at a time. Place it up against similiar modern series. Glad these DVDs were made available so younger audiences can view. My Dad requested that I get all of the volumes.$LABEL$1 +The book that changed my life. Dear Mr. Thourlby,Thank you for your wonderful no-nonsense guide, You Are What You Wear. I bought a copy of it in a used book store and it has paid off immensely in increased self-esteem, increased respect, and increased income.Like many others I never gave a thought to what clothing "says" about a person.Color, style, cut, materials, now all seem to "talk" since you have given them a voice.Thank you for making the unspoken words of clothing visible. I now ask, "What does this tie, shirt, coat, hat, etc. say? Before I will put it on.I just bought your book, "Passport To Power", (full price I might add) and hope I enjoy it as much as the other book.Are you still teaching your course at Emory? I would love to attend it.$LABEL$1 +BUY IT. This is one to remember. The training is excellent. Two brothers are determing to master the shaolin iron finger to beat the taoist who is training in internal power.$LABEL$1 +Not exactly what I expected. When the Voltron Collection One arrived it was not the same edition as I expected. Even though the Collector tin was part of this purchase the Collectors Edition was not inside. A Second edition release was inside and not the fold out collector's edition.Even though this was the series I wanted, it is not the edition I was expecting to receive.$LABEL$0 +Left me feeling like I'd just watched "Love Story" again.. Far better if I would have stopped with book three. The characters were developed in an interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable manner to that point. I've had enough depressing experiences in life and don't need to be reading a book that gives me another dose. Unfortunately I had already ordered the fifth book in the series. It arrived and I threw it on the shelf with no desire to read further.$LABEL$0 +Best omega-3 supplement, hands down!. I've tried lots of omega-3 supplements -- fish oil capsules, flax seeds, etc. -- but this is the only one where I've actually FELT the results. I began taking the supplement for nerve support, and within a few days I felt less tense, had fewer anxieties, and slept much more soundly. Also, I was one of those non-smokers who'd bum a cigarette when I felt tense, but I haven't had that craving since starting coromega -- six months ago! To me, that's miraculous. It does taste great, and there's no fishy after taste or burp, yecch. The packets are very convenient, and the oil doesn't go rancid. Amazon's prices are hard to beat, and if you put this on autoship, you'll always have a supply handy.$LABEL$1 +RHCP fans everywhere are insulted!!. In the time it's taken for the Chili Peppers to release thier last two albums they've turned from one of the best bands of the past 20 years to a mass produced teen pop band! Anthony Kiedis sounds like he should be singing in an emo band and Flea's bass lines have about as much balls as the last James Taylor album (don't get me wrong, I love James Taylor). Also, a double album? There arn't enough quality songs on this record to make a single album! Now, for those people that say artist's music changes over time, you're right and a lot of the time it's a welcome change, but their music should evolve and become even greater than it was, not something that sounds like it's made for teenie boppers.Flea was quoted saying "If you don't like this album, you don't like the Chili Peppers." Well I loved the Chili Peppers and "Heyyooo this is what I sayyooo, THIS ALBUM SUCKS MY KISS!!!!" Stick with the first 7 albums!$LABEL$0 +Always Writes Ahead Of The Curve. Candace Bushnell always writes ahead of the curve. The women of Sex and the City were ahead of their time, and now Bushnell has shown us a new breed of women in Lipstick Jungle. These women are strong, powerful, successful, and flawed. They, like so many women today, are entrepreneurs in the corporate world. But what I especially love about this book is the attention that Bushnell pays to their flaws. Nobody is perfect, and nobody was ever meant to be. These three women face the same difficulties as women everywhere: temptation, finding love, divorce, fear of failure, etc... And even though these women live in a world few of us will ever be part of, each still struggles to figure out what will truly make them happy. Bushnell's characters are human, and women everywhere will be able to relate to them.$LABEL$1 +Reconocimiento. Después de conocer las bondades que ofrece un programa como el Star Ofice, se requería un libro que nos llevase a entender y poner en práctica las diferentes herramientas del programa. Con su libro Aurelio Mejía pone al alcance de legos y entendidos un libro que lo conduce a uno de la mano con absoluta claridad y secillez.$LABEL$1 +LIBERACE: AN AMERICAN BOY. THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER LIBERACE BOOKS. PUBLISHED BY, ST. MARTIN'S UNIVERSITY PRESS, IT DOES NOT FOCUS SO MUCH ON LIBERACE'S JEWELS, COSTUME ECT., BUT RATHER, WHAT EVENTS IN LIBERACE'S LIFE SHAPED THE PERSON HE WAS TO BECOME.HIS PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF 30 YEARS (RAY ARNETT) IS AN EXTREMELY CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE FOR MANY YEARS NOW; HE ALSO LOVED THE BOOK$LABEL$1 +LIGHT BUT SOLID. I don't use this pole for fishing or wading I use it along the trails I walk including side walks and find it a very solid feeling walking stick.$LABEL$1 +Wanted Dead or Alive. Wanted Dead or Alive staring Rutger Hauer as a bounty hunter and Gene Simmons as a Terrorist on the loose in Los Angeles. While it was your standard blow up shootem up action movie, it has a decent storyline and likeable characters. Well acted and a little more serious than Lethal Weapon, this is definately a movie worth taking home.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. From start to finish I didn't connect with any of the characters. And the story itself didn't hold me at all. There were too many plots and characters and it was really lacking in emotion. This is really strange though, because she has a few others that hit the mark dead on, and I suggest that people read those. But this one doesn't even seem like it was written by her.$LABEL$0 +Watts 5YR Premier Filter 5-Year/20,000-Gallon Inline Ice Maker Water Filter. This company must have brought up Argenion water filter. I am telling you this is the best thing you can install under the sink for drinking water. I use to see other kind in my younger days and it made my water taste so much better when I live in Philadelphia. I move and I was still hook on it. Found the Argenion, 20,000 gals 5 years life at home depot. Home depot start to sell GE model. Last only 6 months, at a cost of $30.00.I search high and low for the Argenion and found Watts had brought the company. I install the Watts. I am a happy camper. Keep up the good work Watts.$LABEL$1 +terribly overpriced. the shelves were adequate for my purpose, but i was insulted by the price. i dont need anything given to me but expect a fair value. if there was $5 worth of materials in this i would be shocked. would have returned it but was too lazy.$LABEL$0 +Not what i was looking for. I thought this would be a book about drills for the Pose Method. It was a 23 page pamphlet summary of a video I didn't have. It wasn't clear in the description what it was. It was a waste of $10.$LABEL$0 +silent witness. It was great. I had trouble putting the book down. The author has a knack for kEeping you glued to the book.$LABEL$1 +Duped IS the word!!!. Believe it or not, we watched this movie from beginning to end--just to see if there's ANY redeeming feature. What a waste of time! We've enjoyed all sorts of movies, from the serious to the ridiculous--but this movie is totally pointless. Pointless doesn't even begin to describe it. What a cheap piece of #%$&@%! If you have any appreciation for the art of movie-making, for a good story, for good acting, for provocative ideas, for a good laugh, or even for the sheer entertainment value of the ridiculous, don't spend any money on it. And please, if you have seen it, add your 2 cents here so that fewer people get duped.$LABEL$0 +Scientist?. This man addressed to me the filthiest racist insult I ever heard from a colleague or former colleague at the University of Southampton. Ask him about it. Today, he would be liable for criminal prosecution for that comment. I would be the first to call the police in.$LABEL$0 +Blood-soaked history at it's best. From a musical, mythological, & historical perspective, this is some of the best viking metal out there. After listening to this album it's hard not to be nostalgic about the era in which the vikings made a name for themselves.Musically, I would compare this band to iced earth...plenty of growls, but the vocalist is also capable of a wide range of melodic screams.I also highly recommend Miklagard, and anything by Doomsword.$LABEL$1 +Interesting idea, painfully amateurish writing. The heading basically says it all. An interesting concept with some interesting characters, but the writer tries so hard to use colorful, complex language that you just space out trying to follow it. Way too impressed with its own cleverness.$LABEL$0 +Headphones surpassed all expectations. All I need to say is that the noise canceling on these headphones is very good. I could barely hear any noise or passengers when I'm using them on the bus. Sound quality is very excellent too, every single note is reproduced faithfully. I don't think you can do much better than this, its Bose quality without the price.$LABEL$1 +Excellent, but somewhat dated, travel guide.. As long as the reader understands that this book was released in 2004, before Hurricane Katrina, this is still a very useful guide to New Orleans, especially the French Quarter. Some businesses have changed or gone under due to the lack of tourist trade, but the French Quarter had almost no significant damage from the storm. We visited New Orleans in June of 2008, so we took this book with us. There is a revised issue coming in the late Fall of 2008, so if your trip is after that time wait for the new revision. The information is very well presented, and the book is a great carry-around guide.$LABEL$1 +Marine scout snipers trust Tucker NOW in the field/And this is a great book. Marine scout snipers trust Mike Tucker RIGHT NOWIN IRAQ, as our paratrooper brothers andSpecial Forces did in Iraq--the scouts andsnipers from the 101st and 82nd in thisbook did well to listen to Mike, and hedid justice to their actions . . . see thereview by Sgt. Joe Lebleu on this site. . .in AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ. There is nothingjuvenile or pornographic about this bookat all. We use it here to help us fightin the war we are still fighting here.Many of my fellow Marines have read it andpraise it. Tucker is doing solid, solidfieldwork with us now on missions withscout/snipers, and Marine infantry.Read this book, it is a helluva' read.5 stars, for sure. Accurate, and timely.$LABEL$1 +Well written and interesting to read. This is an outstanding personal story of one who was trained and fought in the P 51 Mustang, one of the most popular and outstanding airplanes of WW II.$LABEL$1 +This girl can sing!. Christina's voice is amazing.She is not just a teenybopper.She has great talent!$LABEL$1 +great book for the road warrior. extremely helpful for those arriving at new places around the world which are new turf. Latest edition needs better updating. I bought it thinking that the verson from a couple years back would be updated, but the updating is somewhat limited. Still an excellent resource for both the domestic and world traveller.$LABEL$1 +Flaws in DVD. Received the item in what appeared to be "new" condition, but when we watched it, there were many parts that stopped and started and jumped. Several places we missed because of the quality of the tape. I had thrown away the outer package, so don't know how to send it back for a replacement, but it was definitely "not new".Please help me to get a refund or a replacement.$LABEL$0 +Terrible Causes MS Outlook to Crash - Nonresponsive Customer Service. Terrible Product! I installed it and it made my MS Outlook crash several times a day. Twice I had to reinstall Outlook. Contacted their customer service about the problem. No help, they kept telling me how to reset my Zone Alarm account password. Obviously they don't read their incoming emails and just send out some canned message. After several days of this, I uninstalled Zone Alarm and installed PC-cillin. I had no further problems with Outlook. I previously used Norton and never had my email crash with their product either. My recommendation, don't buy unless you enjoy having Outlook crash and you like to reload software. Interestingly, when I asked for a refund they never answered my emails - go figure.$LABEL$0 +Keyboard Drawer. After a few months of light use, the screws fell out, jamming the sliding track. Had to completely disassemble and reassemble product. Would recommend using Locktite when putting this together. This unit is a little flimsy, bends easily when using the mouse, causing a flex that probably caused the screws to loosen.$LABEL$0 +Adorable Book!!. My 3 year old son loves this book. He has already learned his uppercase letters, so this book is great for teaching the lowercase letters that he is still quite unfamiliar with. The story is very cute, and he is hooked on it! We checked this one (along with Alphabet Adventure and Alphabet Rescue) out at our local library and he loved it so much that we bought them.I would highly recommend this book (and the other two!) to anyone with preschool/kindergarten children.$LABEL$1 +Not really permanent. While I'm sure these would stain your clothes and the colors themselves are alright I purchased these permanent markers to write on plastic surfaces. They didn't work for what I needed. The ink pools and puddles when I use them. My sharpies worked fine on the same surface.If I wanted just pretty colored markers I would have gotten a different type of marker, but I needed permanent makers and these did not fit my needs.I can't speak for other projects, but I will state, these do not work on plastic surfaces. If you need to write on something only a permanent marker will stay on, then do not get these.$LABEL$0 +disappointing. i love Movies from other country's,i never watch american movies anymore.i waited for Martyrs for 2 months,i bought it today,watched it,i was very disappointed.not very violent,nothing to disturbing,just a Blah type movie,maybe i didnt enjoy Martyrs cause i am Desinsitized (SP)?? nothing is disturbing to me anymore. also stay away from (Frontiers) *Blah* of a movie.i dont mean to be so mean but eh...$LABEL$0 +HE IS A WANKSTA AND I SMELL PUSSY. he just needs to retire. screw this non-gangsta. no real G sings, they just rap, GOD!$LABEL$0 +Great Gift. This was a gift to someone who loves music and was a singer herself at one time. She enjoyed. CK$LABEL$1 +sucked. this movie sucked dont waste your money. this isnt even a production movie just a bunch of vhs quilty and grainy footage of crap.$LABEL$0 +Seller NEVER sent us the item. I would love to say this is a great movie but the seller never sent it to us. I have contacted them several times and all they can tell me is that they have no way to track their shipments. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!! And now the order is no longer showing on the Amazon website so I can't even dispute it.$LABEL$0 +Another question. Whats the name of the song playing while they are at the first club, something about how "i'm like an outlaw", sort of a techno beat to it. Any help would be appreciated.$LABEL$1 +The Energy Approach...... I have started reading this book and have difficulty putting it down. This book definitely provides some deeper insight into an aspect of personality and can provide info into relationships and why they work or vice versa.........Just buy the book, you will have no regrets.$LABEL$1 +Real None Greasy Baby Oil. It does not leave any grease on your hands or skin. When it dries, it just feel like baby powder without any residue. It applies like a lotion. We stopped using baby oil after using this product.Somewhat expensive.$LABEL$1 +I can't stand Jim Carrey!. Never was a fan of Ace Ventura or the Mask. A bit too silly for me. I was skeptical of this Carrey vehicle only to find out that it's not. This movie is way more clever and funny then it was given credit for, this is a nice departure for Carrey and it's almost always (Godzilla 97 excepted) good to see Broderick in anything. If you don't usually like Carrey, give this one a try, it may surprise you.$LABEL$1 +Waterhole #3 VHS. This VHS is bad quality it jumps and it's just no good, But can't find the box it came in to return it. I was upset about this my husband just loves this movie, Thanks for checking with me on this item.$LABEL$0 +A realistic account of Indian mentality to discuss and argure.. The author brings out effectively the Indian tradition of peaceful debate on matters of social importance from ancient times till now. This tradition of positive argumentativeness seems to be the strength of Indian democracy's success inspite of some sectarian politics rampent now. Indian pluralism will survive Dr. Sen says by this nature of Indian minds. A very good book boldly written.MKV$LABEL$1 +Beautiful book - worth persisting with. I picked up this book with great expectiations, having recently devoured Cloud Street, The Riders, Shallows, Scission and an Open Swimmer I was looking forward to more from my favourite writer.After the first couple of chapters I was struggling to like it, wonedring where he was going and why he was painting such poor characters and situations (I really don't like the way some authors potray the internet). It seemed a bit close to Shallows as well for.But then the story griped me. Being a West Aussie myself and having lived in most of the areas this book picked up on I could really identify with the landscapes and people as their characters developed.The story to me was one of how people lived their lives dealing with deaths and how letting go and realising that dead people are not more than they were and shouldn't be built up into images that restrict you living your life.$LABEL$1 +Common Sense. This book was an OK read. If you have the common sense of how to put a baby to bed, it really won't help you. It did have a few good ideas example: Give the child a lovee, like a lamb or music maker to sleep with everynight and the child will become more relaxed and dependant on it instead of you when he/she wakes in the night. That's about it, the rest was common sense things like give him a passy, rock him , feed him etc.$LABEL$0 +Poor quality. AVOID THIS PRODUCT!! Not the quality I am used to. My husband purchased this as a present for me because he knows I love to cook in cast iron. I was skeptical once I seen the product. It did not look to have any "seasoning" on the pan. I only had to cook with this pan one time. Cast iron is known for cooking food evenly. It did not, the food stuck. A total mess! I actually had to scrub the pan clean. It was returned!! After some research, I still can't find if the Camp Chef products are made in China. With it not actually being said on Amazon the country of origin. I would assume that it is made in China. I will ALWAYS buy the Lodge cast iron products where you know they are made in Tennessee and what you are getting.$LABEL$0 +Great Book. The recipes are well written and easy to fallow. There's a picture for every pie or tart in the book. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. Every recipe I have tried so far is delicious.$LABEL$1 +The Greatest, Greatest Hits. If you have not heard Sublime, you don't know what you are missing. They have a sound that is unlike any mainstream music. Not only should you buy their Greatest Hits, explore all of their other alblums. . .you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +New music for a new millenium. Many of the songs on the CD do bring back a nostalgic feeling of the Pumpkins of old, but their new sound definitely helps to build on the idea of keeping things fresh. Never one to just sit back and do that same thing over and over, Billy Corgan helps to bring this entire album together with his familiar vocals. The first song, Everlasting Gaze, is an incredibly powerful piece that is reminiscent of the Pumpkins earlier work, but still has a taste of something new. All in all a great buy, and any true Pumpkins fan will enjoy it.$LABEL$1 +Worst looking diamond I have ever seen. I saw the negative reviews and, despite them, decided to give these a shot. The second I took them out of the package I knew that they were going right back. These are UTTERLY the worst looking diamonds I have ever seen, even for $99. I am not a diamond expert but a diamond should not a have milky white color.The good thing is Amazon makes returns easy...$LABEL$0 +JUNK, JUNK, JUNK. As my title says this camera is a piece of JUNK! My daughter got this item for christmas. Have not used it once because it does not work AT ALL. Biggest waste of money. Please be aware- just go out and spend a little bit more money and get them the real deal.$LABEL$0 +Can Kids Still Read Kipling?. I got this so that my husband could read stories to my 10-year-old granddaughter -- he loves to read, she loves to be read to. Kipling provides adventure and different cultures, so I figured it would entertain them both. I had not factored in how limited our vocabularies are today. My husband had to stop frequently to explain words; occasionally, he would have to look one up. They both still enjoyed the stories. (I also think it did my granddaughter good to learn that even grown ups have to look up words; there is no stigma to using a dictionary -- or in our case, the internet.)I would recommend the book to anyone who wants their child to achieve a high score on the verbal SAT, but I think a child would be better off to have it read to him than to read it solo.The book itself is large and heavy (hardback), but the print is a comfortable size.$LABEL$1 +Works as advertised - just set your charge cycle properly. Nineteen months after using this battery everyday, it's now showing some signs of wear. Occasional reconditioning restores some capacity, but from a high of about 2.5 hours, am now down to 40 mins per charge, all things being equal.I've modified the cycle, as suggested by the IBM Battery Maximizer app, hoping this will extend the life some more. Apparently, if you're plugged in most of the time, it's better to get the charger to stop at less than 100% capacity, and start recharging at below 90% capacity.Nothing wrong with the battery, really. It works as advertised. I just wished it would have lived a little longer.$LABEL$1 +ABSOLUTELY ANGRY. I love The Golden Girls. I had this set bought for meThe Golden Girls - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-7)because it is obviously all of the seasons that were released individually but together in one package. The only problem is that when I get them I put the first disc in and started out working great! That is...it played perfectly...until the 5th episode and then decides that it doesn't want to work any longer and starts skipping large chunks of episodes. I am absolutely furious! Seeing as how it was ordered for me I don't know who to get in touch with, whether any of the other discs are going to be problematic (it is a 21 disc set!), and whether or not I'll be able to get an exchange or if they will even work.That said, save yourself some trouble and go out to a store and buy the seasons individually. At least then you'll have a better chance of them working properly. You may even save money in the end that way. I just want discs that work!$LABEL$0 +s2 Camera Batteries. This may be a bargin for the batteries, I'm not certain yet but they seem to hold up. It is the charger that I didn't think was that great. It wouldn't charge the batteries right out of the box. I had to use a better Energizer charger to initially charge the batteries. Once the batteries had a charge it seems to work OK, but if I were to buy again I probably would go for the Sony Charger.$LABEL$0 +PLEXSUPPLY SELLING FAKES, AMAZON DOESN'T CARE. If you decide to purchase this product, be very, very careful who the seller is. PLEXSUPPLY is just sending out fakes thrown into a ziplock bag and advertising it as a genuine photon light. Amazon has been contacted about this but apparently they don't care about it, so it's up to us to let all you know about this little con-job. Pretty shady if you ask me...$LABEL$0 +Really good. Really liked this novel. Enjoyed the characters, especially the professor who reminded me of someone I once knew and the story itself was very interesting and well written. Read it in two days. Can't say I pondered the story afterwards but I definitely recommend it.$LABEL$1 +the kensington pilotboard. I am typing this review on my new kensington pilotboard. it is a very nice keyboard, and I love it. the forward/back buttons next to the mouse wheel are very nice, and incredibly useful! (I hate having to go up to the top of my browser to go back) a wonderful keyboard.$LABEL$1 +A great read about chasing and fullfilling our dreams. A friend loaned me this book about a week ago and I found it to be a great read. I'm one of those wan-a-bee's "trying to leave the dock" and will begin retirement soon with a boat (trawler) in my immediate future. This book affirmed that I'm heading in the right direction to begin living my dream as soon as I can. I'll be purchasing a copy to share with friends and to read again while I'm in the water chasing whales and my own dreams in Washington State and Alaska.$LABEL$1 +FANTASTIC. This is a great single !! I have been listening to techno dance music for over 15 years now and this is the best stuff that has come out by anyone in years. It has a great beat and great to dance to ! For any techno buff, this is an absolute must !!$LABEL$1 +Dont Buy. This DVD Player will not play +R DVD's. The menu displaying DivX files on DivX DVD'x is horrible. The menu did not display well, the file names were shortened and the filing system was not how I had made the files when I made the DVD. Don't be fooled by the HDMI connection either, it makes absolutely no difference in picture quality. Toshiba should be ashamed to put their name on such an un-user-friendly product$LABEL$0 +Poor Quality. Better Puppets available. This Puppet is not as plush as it appears in the photo. It is actually made from a very thin material which does not hold its form. As a consequence when using the puppet the dog's head is crumpled and distorted and his eyes collapsed back and barely visible. I have tried to bolster the head by stuffing it with paper towels but it doesn't seem to be a good fix. Additionally the puppet does not seem to be sized for adult hands. I have medium sized hands and can barely get my hand comfortably into position to move the mouth. I have collected 6 puppets including this one which I use to play with my son. Of the six this puppet is the only one which doesn't get used. I would definitely recommend the Melissa & Doug line of hand puppets over this one. They are in a totally different class and a much higher quality.$LABEL$0 +Vampirism as a lifestyle. This film has very good acting and directing. You would be hard pressed to find so differently with the stars at hand in the picture. The movie focuses on a more dramatic side of vampires, over the classic horror view; however this works in its advantage. It does not overglorify nor does it over dramatize the life of vampires, as one would imagine it to be. This is the way the average person SHOULD think of vampires. Not Twilight, and not 30 Days of Night either. If you want to know what it is to be a vampire, the way you it probably would be if they existed, then this film is for you.$LABEL$1 +calibration disk. its got 3 levels of calibration. Gets as detailed as you wanna get. Definitely brought out the best picture out of my plasma$LABEL$1 +it's pronounced "don't rip-off you previous album.". i hate to be negative, especially about a very talented artist, but this album just sounded like he copied "collaborations" and just switched a few of the words. like "47 pop stars" it was just lame compared to the acappela "47 m.c.'s" from "collaborations" which was brilliant. there are a few good tracks, but i was dissapointed by the lack of creativity. hopefully K.J. will not try to follow what seemed to be a successful formula when he records his next album. COME ON K.J., I'VE HEARD YOU DO BETTER THAN THIS!$LABEL$0 +Wire pokes out. I am a full-figured woman and the underwire on this bra sticks out near the closure no matter how I try to adjust the fit. I bought the bra because I was having a problem with my shoulder that makes putting on a bra with the hooks in the back very difficult. I generally don't wear underwire bras since I find them uncomfortable. On the plus side, this bra is fairly easy to put on and to snap closed and it is comfortable. On the negative side, I have to wear it under a very loose top because the underwire sticks out so far. I would not recommend this bra.$LABEL$0 +Excellent guide to pitfalls on spiritual path. I really appreciated this books exposition on the many pitfalls of the meditators path, and ways that we start playing ego games, philosophy games, etc. I also found it very readable.I think regardless of your path of practice, theravada or zen, buddhist, hindu or Taoist, there is opportunity to learn here.I also found it interesting to get a variety of different perspectives onpractice. As someone from more of a theravada background, it was interestingto get such a concise and lucid introduction to mahayana and vajrayana ideas.Trungpa is not a lightweight in his ideas, his presentation is forceful, and he has a clear idea of how things are. Agree or not, there is plenty to chew on here.$LABEL$1 +A Nice Showcase for Beatles MUSIC!. I took my children to see this movie when it was first released. They were Frampton and BeeGees fans and didn't really listen to the Beatles. I, however, owned every Beatles album in existance as I now own the CD's. I never saw why the reviewers hated this movie and it's accompanying album. The music was very well done, every song. If you wanted the Beatles then this was not for you, but if you liked Beatles music then the performances were fine. I loved George Burns' rendition of "I'm Fixing A Hole Where The Rain Comes In" and many of the other performances were great for the novel performances of the original Beatles music. If you wanted great acting and directing, well then this movie is not for you. It's not a very good movie. If you like to listen to offbeat and different performances of the Beatles' music, I don't see how you can go wrong.$LABEL$1 +The Big Book of Painting Nature in Oil. Really helpful book. Very well organized. Easy to find any subject or any method. Step by step instructions. Excellent pictures, easy to follow instructions.$LABEL$1 +Good product, undesired color. I had used a jumbo toy hammock for my children's stuffed animals in our old house and, when we moved, was looking to replace it. I found this and expected one as pictured. I should have read the text further as it does say colors vary. We ended up with blue which does not work with my daughter's pink and yellow room. Great product for getting all those stuffed animals up and away but they REALLY need to have a color option.$LABEL$0 +really awful...save your money. This book proves that anyone can write a book. It's by far the worst book I've read on nutrition. Nothing enlightening...offensive and full of awful language. I could have dealt with a little offensive language but seriously...every page? The authors may have meant well but they should consider becoming sailors.$LABEL$0 +amazing illustrations!!. The poetic and thought provoking adventure that unfolds through the course of this book is quite captivating in and of itself, yet I believe the fantastic watercolors that illustrate the tale are beautiful and eye catching enough to stand on their own, if needs be. Whether you have kids or not, this book is a collectable for anyone who appreciates this kind of creative eye-candy.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing product. This grill does not make a good panini. There is not enough pressure on the upper grill, and it does not make those distinctive panini stripes.$LABEL$0 +disappointed in Sony. Last year I bought two boomboxes from Amazon and they were fabulous. This year I decided to try the sony cfds22. I wanted black but they only had the silver left. I asked and was assured they were the same. I bought the unit based on the glowing customer review. Well I was wrong. I think it might be a product control issue as I am usually very pleased with sony products. Nevertheless my mega bass would turn off on its own and there was continual static whether I was playing the cd, tape or the radio. Perhaps there are some units out there that are great but I was not lucky enough to get one. Back to the POst office to ship this back.$LABEL$0 +Give Dre a call. I am a NO LIMIT fan, but snoops album isnt what I or some others expected it to be. His first album was a huge success,his second o.k, but his latest album is a little less than average.This album shows how he was better off with his old label (Death Row)and producer Dr Dre.$LABEL$0 +breathtaking. i've just re-started beading after a hiatus of about ten years, so i am not familiar with recent beading books and can't compare this to any other overviews that might be out there.however, in and of itself, this is a beautiful, well-illustrated, far-ranging work. africa is well-represented. north AND south american indian work is represented, including the work of the inuit and northwestern nations. there is a section on greenland beadwork, short, but more than i have found yet. asia, india, oceania, the middle and near east and europe have their sections. the final section is a brief but reasonably adequate, description of techniques.the photos are breathtaking. and dangerous. i have already mentally designed at least five new projects. the only complaint i have is the lack of dating for some of what are probably 19th century postcards and photos and for what may be relatively recent photos.i think this would be a worthwhile addition to even extensive beading collections.$LABEL$1 +grate movie. i've seen this movie 1 1/2 times. and i just wanan say: it's awesome! and it's so true too...like that Buddy Christ is SO sumthing those catholics would do.and it's got alot of good points in the movie from the bible that the catholics tend to hide. also, since the main chick in this movie is Jesus' great great great great great great great great great great niece, it just goes to show that jesus DID have bro's and sisters!! but that wasn't a surprise to me, since i READ the bible...something supposed "christians" tend not to do...but this didn't get 5 starz cuz there WERE some parts that were offensive to me. being as i'm a Christian.but all in all this got a Four. and i would recomend this movie to anyone, but there's too much swearing. although if there wasnt, i know lotsa ppl who would appreciate the true facts from the bible in this movie!$LABEL$1 +couldn't live without it. My son has practically lived in this seat since birth, and it still has so much mileage left for it! He is only 2 months, and he'll be using this for so much longer. It is very versatile with the recline and kickstand. The toys aren't that great, and he gets bored with them, but they attach with velcro, so you can swap them with others. When he was first born, he loved looking at the zebra prints. I would recommend this chair instead of a bouncer chair, since you can use it for longer, and it essentially provides the same function. Vibration function is also nice.$LABEL$1 +Good but not a real mystery. Lots of interesting details about what goes on behind the scenes at the Metropolitan & the Natural History Museum, but a really weak mystery plotline. _NO_ knowledge of Africa at all, just New York PC views. They're two different things. Willem van der Post's death is pure Hollywood -- anyone with any knowledge of Africa would just burst out laughing. The author also knows nothing about Continental names. 'Van der' is Dutch & any name which contains it is perfectly ordinary. 'Von' is Austrian & is always part of an aristocratic name. Also note that 'van der Post' would be listed under 'P', _not_ 'v'. I mention this because it's a significant point in the plot at the end. But this is a book written by an American for fellow-Americans.$LABEL$0 +Not As Good. I have had a few pairs of the standard rainbow sandals; decided to try the helps after someone stole my other rainbows. For my money the standard raainbows are five-star sandals and cost less. These don't fit quite as well and the soles are not as comfortable as standard rubber. They last longer and I will replete regarding wear down the road.$LABEL$1 +Great book on the first 100 years of Studebaker. I have a copy of this book which was sent to me when I was a youngster who corresponded with the editor of The Studebaker News (a publication for Studebaker Dealers). I still have the original box that it was mailed in. I consider it a collector's item.$LABEL$1 +madabout. I discovered James Hunter through a Van Morrison compilation CD and fell instantly in love!! He is my favorite sound: great R&B; spiced lyrics, just enough "mistake makin" and "love thinking" to suit the real feel ofthat genuine genre of my favorites like James Brown, Sam Cooke and Otis!! You would swear the guy was a close relative of Ray Charles with a hip edge!! And not to even mention the band..WOW.. SEXY,SEXY, SEXY!These guys nail it and if you love a great sax sound you will be addicted like me!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +yes total waste of money. This is the second HP printer I bought and frankly the only reason I tried this printer was because of the network connectivity. I haven't written many reviews before, but this product is soo bad that I had to add to the list of angry customers. Getting the printer to load 1 piece of paper is a nightmare. Now i get paper jam warnings when there is no paper in the bloody machine. Anyone see office space? yeah after I get my new Canon printer, i will re-enact that scene. perhaps i should record it and send it to HP?$LABEL$0 +i dont think this works.... 3rd bottle already. strange....i just dont think this works. i take vitex/ dong quai instead. let's see how that turns out.i do see that it helps regulate but has anyone had any success in getting pregnant??? and if so, how long did it take with the use of fertilaid?i am inclined to just trying one more bottle but since i have pcos, maybe it just isnt for me...$LABEL$0 +Release date April 1 2008. Better not be an April Fool's Joke. Thankfully it wasn't. Love Becker. This has to be my favorite unreleased TV series. (I'm editing my review) I was a little wary of that release date, however I now have the 3 disc DVD in my hands. 22 episodes of fun & laughter.On the box it says full screen, however I have a widescreen TV and I was expecting to see black borders on either side of the picture but instead the picture fills up the whole of the TV without looking stretched. Yippeee. There are no subtitles. Is it strange that I love this show yet think Cheeers is nothing special?$LABEL$1 +Missing pages. Purchased this 'New" from Collect Musings - a Calif. bookstore through Amazon. Book looked great with a pristine dust cover. However, pages 33 to 46 are not in the book. There is 1 ripped edge of a page showing. Looks like the section was omitted from the printing and the book is a 'second'. For almost $40 that is unacceptable.$LABEL$0 +HAD TO RETURN ITEM - TOO BIG. I had to return this battery that I ordered for my cordless phone.It was too big for my phone and I could not use it.Therefore, I can't say how well this battery works.$LABEL$0 +They don't fit motorola. I guess it's my fault for not vetting the product well enough. These things are throw aways anyhow. I sure it would've broke like my others$LABEL$0 +Waste of money. I bought 2 of these timers and within a month one stopped making any sound. The other is so quiet you have to be right next to it to hear it go off. Not worth buying.$LABEL$0 +Great trimmer!. Always wanted a trimmer that would not cut me several times in the process, this remington 1000 its great, I was afraid of using it at first hoping not to cut myself, well not worries!! I was even rough in a few spots by accident and not even one cut!!! I love it; its great!!!$LABEL$1 +Poor Supplier Management. Melissa and Doug should be embarrassed. Either they are getting too big to care or they are too small to know any better, either way I ordered this product and it was shipped to me with only about 70% of the parts. Really, how does this even pass weight inspection to get shipped? Where is the QC?Melissa and Doug? Maybe Scrooge and The Grinch! This was going to be my hero present this year...thanks a lot.$LABEL$0 +fedora linux ready. low price and linux compatibility were my prerequisites for a router. as a retired computer system manager, i was hesitant to introduce another point of failure. but there was really little to do other than hook it up and go to the url and go through menu. all without involvement with att (ptl). my network consists of a 32 bit computer and a 64 bit computer, both running fedora 11. speed? i can watch justin.tv on wireless.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy this toy.. Our child also loves this toy but the tractor only lasts for about a week before it starts breaking down. We have brought the tractor back THREE TIMES and have yet to get one that works for longer than a week. It's a real shame that the manufacturer can't make this toy durable enough to last. It breaks our little boys heart every time we have to bring his tractor back to the store. Take my advice and stay away from this product!!!!$LABEL$0 +Burning Books on Fenwick Street. A fictional account of what could happen to our country if we allow our politicians and special interests to get out of control.Mr. Dravis tells a story almost as well as Jean Shephard!A book that even this Nixon admirer enjoyed.Excelsior!$LABEL$1 +Very Good Quality. This is a very good quality DVD of a fireplace. It has Christmas music or crackle noise or both. Very cool. Of course, if you have a lousy TV, you get a lousy experience. The item arrived quickly and in good condition. I am very pleased with this purchase.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful!. I read this book in one sitting. I felt like Martha Manning was writing about my life! There were so many parallels to my own depression that I understood just what she was going through. I'm glad to finally read a book by someone that's been there and describes this personal hell so eloquently.$LABEL$1 +Russian Friend Says He Loves This Book. My Russian friend to whom I sent this book says it's exactly as it's title states: fun and easy. He was very grateful to receive it and I've noticed a big improvement in his written communication with me since he's had it. Fantastic find!$LABEL$1 +Useless Junk. I purchased this adapter because I wanted to connect to a tv thru a S-video cable instead of a VGA cable.The cable didn't do as I intended.$LABEL$0 +this movie sux!. Absolutely no horror content involved! Another work of some horn dog; making women sex slaves. Terrible movie!! All the women walk around half dressed and talk in baby talk. No respect for women. The scariest part about this movie, is that there are still people that think this way and don't respect women as their equals.$LABEL$0 +Love my Cat genie, but. I love my cat genie, and these cartridges work great. However, I really wish it would have specified whether this was the scented or unscented cartridge.$LABEL$1 +Quotable Runner fan. The Quotable Runner is not just a book; it's like having a knowledgable running companion on call 24/7. The book was a fun read and easy to stop then pick up again when I had a chance. I took the book with me everywhere I went so I wouldn't miss an opportunity to read a few pages when I had some down time.As someone who enjoys-but struggles with-running, I drew a great deal of inspiration from this little treasure trove of quotes. I love to hear about the experiences of more seasoned runners. Gaining insight as to what makes them tick and keeps them going helps to keep me going full steam ahead!My thanks to Mark Will-Weber for this inspirational little book :)$LABEL$1 +Great GPS. We owned a Mio GPS, but, even after updating the maps, our house which was built in 2003 was not on the GPS... This GPS had it from the begining and is great at guiding us on our vacation.$LABEL$1 +Richard Langer writes the best bread machine books. I was a professional baker for years, which made me a relentless bread-critic. I have many other bread machine books, but they just don't compare to Richard Langer's, which have become the only ones I use regularly. His breads stick in your memory and call out to be made again and again.$LABEL$1 +disappointing title from a great band. When I first heard of the realease of the new Self album I ran to the stores to buy it. My joy was stopped short after I listened to it. What is this? It sounds nothing like the weird yet genious music that has made me come to love this band. The only reason I would buy this cd is if you are a huge Self fan but warning: prepare for a letdown.$LABEL$0 +gets hot, works but software not-so-good. same as above:I've had it for about two months have dubbed some twenty of my VHS tapes. While I can capture fairly easily the moviefactory 3SE is lacking(software/driver updates applied)I get better results with Nero.and often the resultant DVD's are coasters,,,for no obvious reason.I've also begun using the Plextor m402u capture-X,,,much better product,runs cool for a few dollars more.same !@#$ software(studio 8, ugh!). But other software is included.$LABEL$0 +IN Person. Tony Bennett is one smooth singer. Having been a star, a has been, and a retro-icon, he has known every degree of fame, and deserves all the kudos his recent renaissance has afforded him.Tony isn't one to blow you away. He's more quiet ocean breeze than tsunami, and is a master of under delivery. You don't realize how good he is until you hear a certain phrase or note that simply demands attention.What a selection of melodies, all great, all well known. Sung in the Bennett style, delivery first class, arrangements very good. Recording quality very impresive . Bennett is a professional,$LABEL$1 +Bump To The Funk. Putting things in context, you could compartmentalize "The Twist" as being BIG BIG in the early 60s, and then disco came along in the ~ mid 70s. That left a lot of years in between, roughly from 1963-1974. "Tighten Up" is likely the most easily recognizable dance tune from that whole period.Yes it's ironic & sad that the song was released in early April, 1968; that being said perhaps one can remember it as the tune that kept us along going & dancing during that period. I certainly do. I can't possibly remember how many times I got together with a group of kids & just danced away, and let all the troubles & injustices of the world melt away.Additionally, this song introduced the "funk sound" that became so prevalent particularly from about 1968- 1973. Then came disco. Enough said!!$LABEL$1 +Some reading hints for this disappointing book. I was disappointed by this long Clancy book. I did notice his writing begin to slip with Rainbow Six, but at this point, I think he's done for. Still, I'll probably keep reading his books like many others. Here are two hints to save time when you read this book.1. This is a great opportunity to try your speed reading. I promise you that no passage in this book needs to be read carefully.2. As soon as you see Cathy Ryan in the book, skip the section altogether (these sections have no relevance whatsoever and repeat things we all know from prior books). Depending upon how quickly you read, this could save you an hour or so.Hopefully, Tom Clancy's next book reverses this trend.$LABEL$0 +Long Time User. I've been using Kelocote for nine months at my surgeons recommendation for some new, large scars. It's hard to really say how much it helps with the appearance of the scars since I don't know what would've happenend without it but my gut tells me it has helped some. I still have some nasty keloid scars but they seem to be softening.One thing I am certain about is that it has helped with the soreness and itching that can come with new scars. I've had very little of that.Make sure you use it right. A little goes a long way. Don't over-cover the scars. You should barely be able to feel that it's there. A common mistake.I definitely would recommend this or the Scar Away patches if you prefer. They're decent too.$LABEL$1 +The Best Beatles Story. When I first was introduced to the Beatles music, I loved it right away because of the sound and mood it gave. I was so impressed with the fab 4 that I went to the library as soon as possible to find out a little about them. I happened to come across the best Beatles story available. The Love You Make told each detail as someone living the story would see it...that's because the author did live it. The Peter Brown from 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' wrote the book. I was hooked till the end. Since then, I've read several other books about the Beatles, but none have come close to being as good as this one. If you want to know the true story of the Beatles, this is the book you should choose!$LABEL$1 +Mediocre. There was once a time where the brand ALVIN meant you were getting a good product.This is a very lightly constructed lamp. Since I work with the same materials it's built from I can easily reinforce it where it's weak. For the average buyer however, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.The arms are light gauge square steel tube and are not very sturdy.The lens, while is it indeed glass it is meager at best, with strong chromatic aberration when viewing through the lens at anything but 20 to center.The springs are very weak.The lamp head is injection modeled ABS and it is not very well gusseted. There is a great deal of flex.As of 1-2-2013 I've had the lamp nearly four months and made five modifications; the head housing of the lamp, and the friction binding for the head itself, head shade, the mount post and surface mount.All in all, it's worth exactly what it costs, and no more.If you want something that will last for years, this is NOT the one to buy.$LABEL$0 +You Won't Regret Purchasing ... A MUST HAVE!. To put it simply, I was in awe when I first received my copy ofAfrican American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and theVision. "Insightful," "thorough," "tasteful," and "definitive" all come to mind as I think about ways to describe this comprehensive book. Every member of these organizations should have this on their shelves. Also, very interesting for anyone interested in African Americana ... It is a must read, a must!!!!$LABEL$1 +Pretty silly. This is a pretty silly computer animated movie for kids. Don't expect anything too spectacular from this movie. It's fairly disjointed and jumps around a lot.$LABEL$0 +A Well-Made Book!. This book would have to be one of the best books I have ever read! I couldn't put it down, and all my friends are now reading, and loving it! It is the story of a nameless mute, the lowest of the low, who escapes from servanthood, only to find it is a girl! It is a story of self-discovery, love and friendship, all in a beautifully woven story, whose plot twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. I recommend it to anyone who remotely likes fantasy (although some of my friends who have never read fantasy in their lives loved it) or anyone who loves a great book. The second one in the series is wonderful too, and I am just about to get reading on the 3rd book. Happy reading!$LABEL$1 +Entertainingly good. I was worried when previewing this movie's reviews that it was going to be just another poor attempt at making a movie set in WW II. But I was wrong. I really, really liked this movie! The acting was great; the story was suspenseful and I whole heartedly agree with all the glowing reviews. Well worth it.$LABEL$1 +Manufacturer ruined this product. We had purchased several of these cases. They were great. Then the manufacturer decided to redesign them and make a case of far less quality. It is very disappointing.Like Beverly McCarty said: "It is flimsy material around the zipper, there is no carry handle, the case size itself is smaller." It does not have the rings inside anymore either.I called the company and they confirmed that the product was changed yet they kept the same price.**I would not recommend this product anymore.**$LABEL$0 +Pirates. I've played the Demo for this title and it is Sid Meyers Pirates redone or as close as it can get without violating copywrite laws. It has almost everything the original Pirates had. The only thing I didn't see in the Demo was the sword fighting section when you try to capture someone in a town. It may be there in the full game. The Demo played smooth and the graphics were very good. If you liked Pirates you will like this one.$LABEL$1 +A Gift from John. When i first heard about this album I had a brief moment of dread. Take a bunch of songs I love and give them the "guest star remake" treatment--you know, "Sam Stone" as a duet with Sting.No such worries anymore. These are the real songs, plain as can be, plainly and sparely arranged and played by regular guys--no bells and whistles. Very few songwriters write songs that could withstand such treatment. Prine's songs shine like burnished gold, but then he's always been good at leaving things out. Who else could sum up an entire relationship with, "Well ya know she still laughs with me/But she waits just a second too long."These are fifteen of the man's best, which is to say fifteen of the best songs ever written by anyone. Every home should have more than one John Prine album, but this would be an excellent start. For long time fans who love the songs, it is a rare and generous gift from one of the great singer/songsriters of all time.Thanks, John.$LABEL$1 +Clearrrr. Just starting to read the book, but I have found it easy to read and to use on my way to learn this wonderful craft.$LABEL$1 +Costs a lot to OPERATE. We paid the $400 for the Edenpure because we thought it would save us on utility bills over the long run. (The ads say it "costs pennies to operate." Well, that's a LOT of pennies, because our gas bill went down and our electric bill went up enough to offset it. It doesn't seem to heat any better than our oil-filled radiator-type heater, either.$LABEL$0 +fav book. I bought this book when I was living in THE city on the lower east side about four years ago. I could swear that the guy who sold it to me was Fred Savage. I purchased it because of the cover, and the description on the back, and the charm of the old seller. (Old paperback copy with trippy picture) It was the best 50cents-$1.00 I ever spent. I won't go on about the book because from reading other reviews here, the story either crawls inside your dreams and mind and causes the most longing, wondrous sense of deja-vu, or it bores you. It is very close to my heart. There is no piece of art , literary or otherwise that has affected me so much.$LABEL$1 +Extremely poor quality. The lowest quality item I have ever received from Amazon. Board is made of cheap, splintering pine. Holes are not neatly drilled. Includes a flimsy deck of playing cards from a never-heard-of Chinese company. Hinge on board is loose. Case's metal accents were scratched. Another fine example of low quality goods coming out of China. Possibly a former display item, as box had clearly been opened before.$LABEL$0 +high on hyperbole - short on details. Not worth the money as a technical reference or how-to book. Otherwise a pleasant read with some inpired pics and a very general overview of the process. Speaks, for the most part, to strawbale contruction as if strawbales are some naturally occurring thing harvested from the wild when are in fact a product of energy intensive industrial agriculture. Fails to provide important technical details such as estimating for coverage, application on masonry, frame and other 'natural' structures, guidelines for plaster preparation. If you already have building experience and skills there are far better reference books available to actually base work upon.$LABEL$0 +nothing like original. i bought this game on the assumption that it was going to be indentical to the original. NOPE!the techniques bought are difficult to perform.if anybody remembers how the acro circus worked, it was like ryan or alex would jump and spin, hit the enemy and you could either kick or punch them. in this gba version, alex/ryan just spins and spins like a bowling ball! i mean seriously you can spin your way to the end of the game. i beat the game once like that.this game doesn't even play like the original. atlus tweaked this game too much for my taste. if you had good feelings about the original NES game, i don't recommend playing this one. i feel really gipped about buying it.$LABEL$0 +What Were They Thinking????. Ok, I am like the biggest N'Sync freak out there, and when I bought this video I thought that it would be N'Sync havin a party with their sexy selves, but yet again it was some stupid girls, having a party about N'Sync. Now N' in the mix was awesome!! Justin Timberlake iz mine ladies thanks!!$LABEL$0 +A Manufacturing Book That Applies to Many Industries. I first read the book while working at an electric utility, Florida Power and Light. While enjoying it immensely, I didn't see its application to what we were doing. Several years later, while consulting with a hospital, I "saw" that their medical records department was having the same problems Alex Rogo had in his plant. Their "product" is the generation of a patient bill, developed by "processing" the patient's medical records. I enouraged the director to read THE GOAL, we then proceeded to improve the throughput of her operation by identifying "Herbie", addressing batch issues, etc. Now I look for "Herbies" everywhere!$LABEL$1 +Very Complete Book on the King Of Pop. i really dug this book on The KIng Of Pop.Adrian Grant has done great stuff on MIchael.this book gives dates of his Writting&Production and ALbums released.also Concerts.very well in depth Profile on THE Man.getting this book helped me get songs that he did for others oe sung on.MICHAEL JACKSON is STILL THE BADDEST ARTIST ALIVE TODAY.nobody can count MJ out.$LABEL$1 +I'm Still Wishing for "Part II". Let's get the obligatory statement out of the way now - "it's good to be the king".I remember enjoying this immensely back in the 80s, and am actually amazed I waited this long to look for it on DVD. I'm really big on intelligent satire, which is one reason I enjoy Mel Brooks more than the rest of my family.I sum it up this way:- if you like "Napolean Dynamite" and "Jackass", I don't think you'll even notice most of the humor in this movie;- if you like "Police Squad" and "Monty Python", this is right up your alley.$LABEL$1 +Not recommended for beginners. If you know nothing about javascript, it will be more like 'teach yourself in 6 months', as there is an assumption that you have previous object programming experience. Although well designed and well written, this book really misses the mark for beginners and, at least for myself, was disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Christmas present was a winner!. The jersey is great. The material is good quality. Just like what we'd find in the store.$LABEL$1 +Dont waste your money.... This sounded too good to be true and BAM! It is. We used it (for a grand total of 3 times) to dump our cards at a wedding. So far the prongs have bent 2x and the harddrive needed to be reformatted once. And since this thing actaully failed at a wedding - wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Better off buying more cards.$LABEL$0 +Espresso Maker. Very disappointed at this machine; I did the reseach, read all the customer's review, and the machine doesn't live up to the review. Don't know what to do with it yet. The milk just doens't heat up and the foam over flow, so will have to stop the heating process.$LABEL$0 +Two out of three's not bad. Two of the three broke within the first two weeks, only left with the USB data cable.............fast shipping though$LABEL$0 +Republishing older books - a disappointing sales strategy. Frankly, I think Nora Roberts must be raking in enough money for her popular novels without having to resort to the rather sneaky republishing strategies of books touted as "new" - and you buy them only to discover that - gee, golly, gosh - you've read them years ago and had expected something new! Waste of money and disappointment in this author whose novels usually offer a nice little get-away. I'll be more careful in the future of pre-ordering her "new" books! Sorry, Nora, you just went down a few notches on my scale! The one star is for just this -- not the novel itself which, if not among her best, is a pleasant distraction on a rainy day with nothing else to do.$LABEL$0 +I DIDN'T LIKE. THE BEST OF THIS BOOK YOU HAVE ALL READY SEEN, IS THE NICE PICTURE IN THE COVER AND THE AMBISIOS TITLE OF THE BOOK. THE CONTENTS IS NOT TO MUCH IN ACCORDANCE WHITH THE TITLE. IT HAS A COLLECTION OF PROYECTS (NOT ALL OF THEM ARE BAD)TO MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR CAR, BUT NOT REALLY TO RESTORE. WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS BOOK I DIDN'T READ THE CUSTOMERS REVIEW SECTION, THE NEXT TIME I ASK FOR A BOOK I WILL FIRST READ THIS SECTION.$LABEL$0 +Ms. Reichs: Keep Your Day Job. Ms. Reichs is by profession a pathologist. Please don't give that up. This book has a cast as long as your arm, along with many biker clubs & their affiliates. Apparently Ms. Reichs believes bikers are all druggies or murderers. Not a good one in the bunch. Throw in Kit, her very corny nephew and you have the makings for a not so good novel.The story seems not to be able to stay focused. It begins to wander out of control. There are sub-stories to be had which deter the main story even further. The the novel just is not focused at all. 2/3 of the way through, I found I just didn't care how this thing turned out. Please, send Kit back to Texas, stay away from bikers & their clubs, focus on your profession & give us readers a gentle break$LABEL$0 +Great price. I'm pleased by the packaging and the scent seems to be the original. Great price for that size.I would def buy this again and also recommend to others.$LABEL$1 +I've seen all this before..... This movie is a derivation of everything you've ever seen before.Avatar=Alien (with Sig. Weaver)+Star Wars 1(with blue but less annoying race of Jar Jar Binks)+Harry Potter(flying dragons)+Disney movies (over saturated color and animation)+Top Gun (what's with the US Marine's schtick in all these invade-um movies anyway?)Okay Mr. Cameron, I see that you are getting really good with computer animation....I get it (hence the additional star in the rating).The problem is that I sat there fore 2 hours, THINKING that I was watching computer animation.I'm off to see the Hurt Locker now....atleast there will be a decent story.$LABEL$0 +Great basic primer for an AA. This little book is so helpful to old and new AA's in helping get over those old urges, low self-esteem and more. Some of the material is not covered any where else and is a really good book to use at half-way houses because it allows people to speak their feelings about what is going on with them via the topics covered in the book. From week to week, as people get sober, the subjects in this book allow them to express their progress and to begin to understand the journey that they are on in a very positive way.$LABEL$1 +Perfect!. I bought this for my sister for her first baby and she loves it! I was looking for something with a little of pink in it, as she had a girl, and also something for her small space. She says it fits perfectly into her tiny apartment, and she loves the colors. But most of all, she loves that her baby loves to sleep in it - and she should know, her baby was coliky!$LABEL$1 +Thrilling. Was exciting almost from the get go. Samuel L played his part to the tee,weird, but focused, though out. The Owen brother fit right in, as being innocent. I thought he was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, but Samuel L saw it differently..$LABEL$1 +Scorched my dog's neck. Please beware when buying this product. Look at the photos in the image gallery of my dog's neck. This product was used exactly under the written directions of the manual. It burned her neck badly. I would never buy this product again. We followed the instructions to the letter and it still burned her neck. Buyer beware!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Piece of Junk. I purchase this item along with my Casio watch, and now I wish I hadn't. It broke on the first try. There is NO INSTRUCTIONS with the item and I am generally good with mechanical things, but Amazon would do well to not purchase this garbage again.PS - Instructions would be nice.$LABEL$0 +Gossip of the Worst Kind. The writer says at the beginning that Bob refused to talk to him for this book so instead he seeks out ex-girlfriends, fired band members, relatives of those Bob supposedly done wrong (e.g. Phil Ochs) and records their mostly negative observations about Bob. If you want to read a lot of rumors and Bob bashing along with a rehash of what has been printed in other biographies.....this Bob's for you!$LABEL$0 +OH, JOY OF JOYS! THIS IS SUPER! :-D :-D :-D. Hi everybody! Oh boy, what a crazy year I had! My daycare in Pennsylvania (!!!) got bulldozed to put up a strip mall, and now I am in the process of starting up a NEW one! :-D I still gots Corey, Sethy and Tony! MY LITTLE ONES!!!! :-DWell me reviewing Kidz Bop Gold. ME AND THE LITTLE TYKEY POOS LOVE IT!!!?!? We doesn't LIKE those awful Beetle Bug guys and those Simon and Garfunkel peeples versions, did you know those artists do... oh gosh... DWUGS??? :-O BUT THATS OKAY! CUZ NOW WE GOTS SOME KIDS AND SOME TALENTLESS HACK SINGING IT!!!!! :-D :-D :-D FUN TO SKIP TO MY LOO TOO!!! HEHE!!!! Who needs those horrible KISS guyses when we have KIDZ BOPPPP!?!?!? BOP TIL YOU DROP!!!I wuz gonna give it five stars, but I signed in, to find all my reviewses were erased somehow! :-O but I know it had to be a mistakey! I mean Amazon would never delete my reviews... right? HAVE A JOYOUS DAY!!! Love Mervie$LABEL$0 +A CONCERNED PARENT. I BOUGHT THIS PRODUCT FOR MY NINE YEAR OLD, WHO IS GONG INTO THE FOURTH GRADE. WHILE SETTING UP THE PROGRAM IN OUR COMPUTER, IT FROZE UP. WE COULD NOT GET THE PROGRAM TO WORK. AFTER ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES, I CALLED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. WHEN YOU CALL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, YOU GO THROUGH SOME PROMPTS AND THEN YOU'RE TRANSFERED TO THE NEXT AVAILABLE OPERATOR. THE PHONE WILL RING TEN TIMES, THEN YOU'RE PUT ON HOLD FOR ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE YOU'RE DISCONNECTED. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD A BAD CONNECTION OR SOMETHING, SO I TRIED THREE MORE TIMES - SAME THING HAPPENED EACH TIME! I CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY TRANSFERED ME TO THE SAME NUMBER, WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED AGAIN!! I GUESS I'M STUCK BECAUSE ONCE YOU BREAK THE SEAL ON SOFTWARE YOU CAN'T RETURN IT. I FOUND THE EXPERIENCE VERY UPSETTING AND MY LITTLE GIRL IS NOT HAPPY TO HAVE RECEIVED A GIFT THAT DIDN'T WORK!!$LABEL$0 +Jams, shoots blanks, drives you crazy. It was a nice idea to put the driver right over the staple. Puts the force where you need it, right? Unfortunately, this seems to have turned out to be more of an engineering problem than Arrow realized. I just dropped mine in the trash because I was fed up of spending more time clearing jams and shooting blanks than actually stapling. This is a well-made, clever gadget. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.$LABEL$0 +Hair Remover. I really resent having to travel to the UPS store to return an item that Inever ordered in the first place. Why can't you just ship ONLY the itemsordered? I also would like to know why I'm not getting a full refund of$32.99.$LABEL$0 +Not for the serious!. This book reads as though it was written by the staff from the television show, "The View". Jez...$LABEL$0 +Mastered at the wrong speed. The songs are mastered way faster than the original records were. The girls sound like they had a dose of helium before recording.$LABEL$0 +received wrong item, twice. I ordered backup by StompSoft, because I had one at home.You sent backup by Migo. I notified you. You sent me another shipment of the same thing, backup by Migo. And told me I would be charged for the second shipment, too, if I didn't return the one by some deadline. I am still evaluating the one to see if it will do, or just not do. I get limited access time at the customers site and backups take a long time and have to run off hours. Backups I get but auto scheduling is not yet working.Rich$LABEL$0 +a wonderful entertaining educational little book. diagrams of positions where you KNOW there is a combination, and have to find it. one of the best ways to hone this skill, essential to any chessplayer. this convenient book is great for travel or those moments when no board is available. solve all of them and id say you were at minimum a uscf expert.i am a uscf postal master.$LABEL$1 +Perfect rugged Zippo. Zippo makes a damn durable product, and the black crackle is one of the best. It's very hard to wear off the finish of these lighters and they're pretty much unstoppable.$LABEL$1 +Not an$80 knife set. These knives don't have an edge. They have serrations. They are more suited to cutting rope than a steak.$LABEL$0 +Oozing with atmosphere.. Until recently, "Sphere" was my favorite book. I read it in the mid-90s, when I was a teenager, and was ecstatic when I saw they were making a movie. Sure, the movie's slow as heck, but the atmosphere is extraordinary. I don't know what it is about this movie. I can't say I can watch it over and over, but it is worth watching at least once. Elliot Goldenthal's music is perfect for the film, as well. I couldn't have asked for a better adaptation of one of my favorite books.$LABEL$1 +No style. No message. Not sexy.. The reviewer who said this is a collection of puzzle pieces, or Polaroids, was half right. Not many (if any) of these photos would be considered stylish, quality, or sexy if done by anyone. Cramped into this format, poorly cropped, you spend more time looking at the fold between pages and wondering what the photo might have been. Coming from Rankin, given the price, it looks like he was late on a rent payment and threw this together quickly over a weekend. The models are unattractive, to the extent you can make them out, and the photographs present them in an even-more-unflattering light. The shots of the empty sofa actually had more going for them than the shots of the models.$LABEL$0 +Top 100 novels? Seriously?. I read one novel by John Le Carre before: Our Kind of Traitor, which was terribly disappointing. Th Spy, on the other hand, has been included in the list of top 100 novels of the century by Time. I picked it up.The beginning of the novel is gripping, the plot develops unpredictably. However, from the middle of the book it just deteriorates into cliches, "good British spies against bad communists". I wish the author spent time studying East German justice system, to at least get the terminology right. It's a spoiler, but at the end of the novel the German intelloigence officer walks into a prison full of political detainees, opens the door with his own keys and lets the character - detained by the communist state - out into the street, where another escapee is waiting for her...Thhis novel is good to read in the dentist's waiting room. Top 100? No way.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT. WARRNING.... Do not buy this unit. I have ahd to send it back to JVC three times and they still won't send me a new one. The VCR tapes won't come out when you push eject. JVC service people won't refund shipping charges even when the unit is broken. I am out over 100.00 in shipping too. Don't buy anything JVC. BAD SERVICE.$LABEL$0 +Would give zero stars if I could!!. We have a 70lb lab mix and were desperately looking for something that he couldnt destroy within minutes. We thought, given the size of this bone and the fact that it is advertised as a real cow bone that he would have a more difficult time. We quickly found that this bone had a soft spot which allowed him to get several larger pieces off of it. Within 5 minutes it was unusable as we found that both knuckle ends had the same kind of soft spot which allowed him to gnaw deeply into the bone. After ingesting a few pieces he had loose stools for the next 24 hours. The smell of the bone is also very repulsive. We definitely DO NOT recommend this bone under any circumstances.$LABEL$0 +Cute show. I purchased this DVD set for my 9 year old daughter and I to watch together. I watched it when I was her age and fell in love with the show. I'm glad it is now on DVD for us to both enjoy, but the quality of the DVD is not great. It just seems like it could have remastered better. The volume on the TV has to be turned up really high to hear it. However, it's not so bad that you can't watch it, and I would still recommend it, as it's a very wholesome show (unlike the shows nowadays).$LABEL$1 +Pure Beauty. Definitely in my top ten movies, Amelie has the perfect combination of pure hilarity and beautiful romance (not the sappy kind). Following the beautiful Amelie around her touching spouts of good will and wicked little fun makes you feel supremley happy. I highly recommend this film to anyone, especially those who need a quick cheer up.$LABEL$1 +Great. This is a very good book, I recive it late it took around 15 days to come as I remember), but it is a great book.$LABEL$1 +Buyers Beware !!!. First the positive. John Brown's commentary on First Peter is a classic and should be a part of every Christian's library if they are serious about studying the bible. For the commentary in and of itself, I give a 5-star review.Why the negative? Because the ad as given is only for half of the commentary set!! Brown's commentary was originally published in three volumes. Sovereign Grace Publishers re-published this in a two volume set (volume one containing the original volume 1 and half of volume 2, and volume two containing the original volume's rest of volume 2 and volume 3). Therefore when purchasing this book, you are only getting half of the full original commentary set! That's a pretty hefty price for half a commentary.$LABEL$0 +Hairmetal done right. Twisted Sister is one of the very few hairmetal bands that have talent and arent cliche. Everyone thinks that just because Bon Jovi, Warrant, and Poison sucks that so will TS...WRONG! TS is a decent band to say the least, and Dee Snider will murder Bon Jovi with his pinky! Everyones heard 'We're not Gonna Take it' and 'I wanna Rock!' before, but those arent TS's only good songs. Anyway, the instrumental section of Sister is good as well and makes Bon Jovi look like road kill (well, they are road kill). This is good hairmetal, so get TS, Van Halens 1984, and something by Motley Crue where Vince Niel isn't there (I hate Vince Niel...).$LABEL$1 +Emergency Undelete DOES NOT WORK!. Bookmstr's review is totally on the mark, except in my case it didn't find ANY files. Other programs at least saw all of my accidentally deleted files. This program showed me nothing. I even deleted a file and immediately tested it and it wouldn't find the file.$LABEL$0 +do yourself a favor and read the book!. this movie was horrible. it did the book no justice at all. it's supposed to depict the future and yet it was made in the sixties which is obvious and makes it feel like something from the past. some parts are right on but too many are different from the book. read the book because there are some parts and feelings/ideas that you will miss out on by just watching this terrible movie. if you have read the book, don't make the same mistake as me and watch this movie! it will ruin the book for you!$LABEL$0 +Pretty colors. I got this for my boyfriend since he is born in the year of the rabbit. I have mine, the monkey. Which I think looks a little more "traditional" then it's fellow friend the rabbit. Still a great collectable.$LABEL$1 +Deceptive pictures, mediocre comforter. My experience was similar to that of the first poster. The material is much rougher, and different in texture and color, from that of the pic. The inside of the comforter feels like burlap. The whole ensemble seems cheaply made, particularly the pillow covers. The bed skirt is a solid gold color. Despite the Amazon 'discount' I feel I could have gotten a better set for a similar price from my local stores, it's about equivalent to a $30 set. Instead of paying return shipping i'll keep it, but beware purchasing bedding from Amazon!Sadly, this is my first negative experience with Amazon, despite the fact that I order from here often. From now on I will stick to books.$LABEL$0 +Oxo Cookie Scoop. Very good quality and value for price. Worked fine for making uniform cookies as well as meat balls.$LABEL$0 +A realistic workout. This is the best prenatal workout I've found so far. There are great tips/explanations about how working out while pregnant is different. Best of all there is a pause for a pee break! Talk about catered to a pregnant woman!$LABEL$1 +I deleted this one. I didnt like this versrion was very helpful in my study so i have deleted it fom my kindle fire.$LABEL$0 +Very Happy with purchase.. The item was the same as what it was described as. Great value for the money with the Special Edition!$LABEL$1 +ANN COULTER: INSANE OR MORONIC?. Ann Coulter pulls out all the stops with this tome - part love letter to Joe McCarthy, part anti-Commie scream. Readers will find it hard to believe that Ms. Coulter has been outside her bunker for the last 25 years, her view of the world is so, so "duck 'n' cover." She rants at liberals with such unrelenting, name-calling shrillness it is almost kitschy, but sadly lacks the charm of other 1950's artifacts. Treason is also enormously error laden.$LABEL$0 +Awesome. I've owned the vinyl version of this for years. 4 amazing tunes; each starts with a melodic intro for a few rounds then launches into an incredible free-form trip, spilling over into atonal bombastity--but these ain't no amateur noisemakers. Hear Clarke and Hancock at their best--supporting roles with no pressure to live up to early solo album expectations. As out there as each tune gets, each musician always maintains a sense of where they are in the song, how their playing relates to what the other guys are doing, and they manage to bring everything back down to earth for the outro. If you are a fan of any of these players, or just free-form jazz in general, you need this album!$LABEL$1 +PLEASE BE AWARE OF ALL INGREDIENTS. I have both heard and read that this product can be helpful for many things, and I was very hopeful that this product would be able to help with my pain management, but actually ended up harming more then helping. Unfortunately the other ingredients in this product happened to be what I am allergic to. So i honestly cannot give this an honest rating because it did not help my situation. I will say PLEASE BE AWARE OF ALL INGREDIENTS when purchasing natural products. I am a firm believer that natural is the way to go, but only when fully researched.$LABEL$0 +Nice music from years back!. I enjoy listening to music in my car. I often listen to this CD. It brings back memories. It's a very good quality recording that sounds good.$LABEL$1 +WORTH WATCHING!!!. This movie has its highs and low points.I must agree with the description, of one of the most horrific, bludgening, quenching scenes in cinematic history. Which is one of its few highlights.THE GOODthe premise alone, is not new, but I like where it was headed.storyline stayed on point and never deterred.clear understanding of the concept the director was trying to portray.THE BADfilm quality- mixed reaction on this one, b/c the quality (whenever the entire frame wasn't pitch black, was of good quality)too much dark/black out frames/scenes with only audio.THE UGLYn/aCONCLUSIONITS WORTH A BUY, the reason(s) I would recommendthe behind the scenes, making of, commentary bonuses lays much needed insight, for reasoning.the ending- a twist, that wasn't detectible. The ending was let down, but the scene prior to the ending, was remarkable (in order to clear things that occured in the beginning)1 of the finest Direct to DVD films.$LABEL$1 +Skip This One. The 1 star says it all. This video is only of interest to fans who like his raw un-westernized music. This DVD did nothing for me.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful!. She has put my feelings into words...my conversations into lyrics. My favorite song is Loyalty. Depressed after listening? No, on the contrary...felt as if someone indeed had walked a mile or two in my shoes...and had the talent and the guts to put those miles to music.$LABEL$1 +funny, funny man.... I have seen this man twice in person, and will see him again next time he is in town. Fluffy is so funny...Everyone that has seen this DVD that I know thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend it if you want to entertain visitors to your home, or just want to laugh out loud!!!$LABEL$1 +This book has been my "Bible" to Life.. I first read this book in 1978. A friend of mine recomended it to me. I was going through a very difficult period. I remember when I opened the first page, I was sitting by a stream near the apartments where I lived, feeling very sad and as I started reading it, I could feel a spirit near me and it was comforting. When I finally finished this book, I decided that this book would be my Bible to life. I have given this book to several "very close" friends and have recommened it to others. I now need a copy for me since I gave my own copy away. This book will remain on my selves until I leave this earth.$LABEL$1 +Comments to the product. The Frei reportage is highly intensive, comparison between action and the Nachtwey photos is interesting. For 20 dollars plus mail expense I missed, however, a still photogallery!$LABEL$1 +Well done Gerber. This is a nice combo. With the sheath it fits you like a tomahawk with the light and durable handle, minus the pike of course. It does have a hammer end opposite the blade. Comes presharpened and the saw fits snug in the handle with an additional clamp to ensure secureness. both pieces have rubberized coating on the grip. 3 tools in one. This is going to replace my hatchet in my backpack.$LABEL$1 +Oh my, what a singer!. What a terrible tragedy that such a talented singer was taken by cancer at such a young age. The music she made was heart breakingly beautiful. I have only just discovered Eva Cassidy, but I already know her Songbird CD would have to be included in my list of Desert Island Discs. Wonderful, wonderful music...sometimes delicate and soothing and sometimes powerful and moving, Eva had it all. One song on the CD has even joined my special category of a "Perfect Song" (Songbird)--and that is a rare honor indeed. :)$LABEL$1 +The Cure for All Diseases. Don't waste your money. No human can possibly have any kind of a life and live like this woman wants you to...perhaps if you live in a plastic bubble...no wait, I'm sure she wouldn't want you exposed to plastic...make that a glass bubble. Maybe her ideas work..I don't know because I have to work and to live like this would take all day. If your life is totally unbearable you could try this I guess.$LABEL$0 +Punked electronica. Frankly, was quite disappointed with what they have put in the soundtrack. Of course, it IS OST but I would rather have there dialogues from the movie. Unless you're really suicidal, I wouldn't recommend it.$LABEL$0 +Battery cover is very poor quality. only had this battery on for one day, the battery itself seemed to last a little longer, but the extended cover comes off very easily, without pressing the release button. It is a very cheap plastic, poorly made cover. I will have to spend extra $$$ for a better cover.$LABEL$0 +Cutesy but not worth the time. For the record, I do love Catherine Zeta-Jones, George Clooney and Billy Bob Thornton...but this movie was a bore. I watched the first 20 minutes of it and I decided that I would rather sleep. Later on I sat through the entire movie and decided that I was happy with the sleeping option I had chosen the night before. It does have some witty lines in it, although NOTHING in the film had me in rolling on the floor laughing. Wait till it comes on TV. Don't bother to buy it or rent it.$LABEL$0 +After 4-5 wearings, the belt started to separate (the black side from the brown side). After 4-5 wearings, the belt started to separate (the black side from the brown side. SAVE YOUR MONEY - DON'T BUY IT!$LABEL$0 +�I Am Not Amused�. Watching The Gold Rush, I understand why Chaplin had trouble achieving a breakthrough in Britain. The humour in the film is very unsophisticated, at times even ridiculous. Chaplin has had 4 or 5 ideas for 'funny' situations, and has then tried to link them together to a film. A few of the situations are a bit funny, but the film as a whole is not funny at all.$LABEL$0 +Burned By Skillet. We bought this skillet while on vacation,what a mistake,I agree with everyone else who gave this thing negative responses. The coating started to peel off after a couple of uses. I wish I could take it back to the store but we were in another state when we bought it. We plan on calling the company and complain but I don't expect much success. DO NOT BUY THIS SKILLET !!!!!$LABEL$0 +THE BOY IN THE GIRL'S BATHROOM. I liked this book it was good and awsome. I would all was read this book because when the boy was mad he would shout at peole like his friend. When I mad I shout at my friends.$LABEL$0 +Buy this album!. I met Alpin in 2005 when he came to my small hometown in Griffin, GA. Immediately I knew there was something different not only about his personality but in his music. I have been playing piano for years and had heard many professional musicians throughout my life. I have heard some pianists that have really moved me emotionally - but none like this young man. That night, Alpin became a friend to me and a kindred musical spirit. If you have not listened to Alpin's music, then I strongly encourage you to listen for yourself. Every time I listen to his album, I am overwhelmed with the purity of the sound and yet the passion that enriches every tone.Alpin, wherever you are right now, I just want you to know that Richard and I think about you all the time and we cannot wait until you make a tour back to Georgia so that we can hear you and see you again.$LABEL$1 +Simple and effective, superb. I purchased this book when my game was at it's absolute worst. I was trying anything and everything (playing multiple times a week, lessons from pros, video recording my swing, etc), and had dug myself into a "paralysis-by-analysis" situation. I took the winter off, and this spring I re-read only one book I had purchased, Ben Hogans. I stuck with his principles and didn't concentrate on any of the other "methods" from other books/instructors. And wow. I'm playing with confidence, and surprising myself on how consistent I can be. Mr Hogan's lessons are easy to follow on the course, and do not require too many swing thoughts clouding your brain. It becomes automatic, and makes the game more enjoyable.$LABEL$1 +Great buy for the price. I was very pleased with the product for the price I paid. It was easy to use and the picture quality was good for my use. Granted, I'm sure there are better products with better quality, but if you are looking for something affordable this is a great buy.$LABEL$1 +One of the best CD's I've ever bought. One of the few cds that I can play all the way through without skipping tracks. Although it is a little softer than their earlier stuff, this cd is definately worth the money. Some of the best songs on the album are "Fade" and "Pressure". "Epiphany" is a REALLY kick @$$ song. "Outside" isn't quite as good as the live version feat Fred Durst from the Family Values tour, but it's still a great song. And last but not least, "It's Been Awhile".$LABEL$1 +this adapter sucks!!. Really.I've got nothing against Sony (I've got a lot of great Sony gear), but this is a really bad cd adapter compared with other CHEAPER ones.I've got a Sony discman, but with this adapter for my car radio, everything sounds so compressed.It cuts all low frequencies that I can hear with other adapters, and the high response is too hifi.$LABEL$0 +Come On Beyonce!. Beyonce used to be in a great group called Destiny's Child. And she threw it out the window. Yes, Hilary Duff did that too. But there both stupid. When you have friends, you should keep them, and not throw them out the window. Well, enough about that, let's get back to the reviewing.crazy in love 5/5naughty girl 2/5baby boy 5/5 besthop hop star 1/5 worstbe with you 4/5me myself and i 4/5yes 3/5signs 4/5speechless 3/5that's how you like it 4/5the closer i get to you 4/5dangerously in love 5/5beyonce interlude 1/5 (bad interlude)gift from virgo 2/5daddy 3/5overall 2/5My recommendation is either burn it, or don't buy it and watch it go down the billboard charts.ListenersVery Strong VoiceYoure Cool Friends Might Have ItReturnersWay Too Slow SongsNot Any Good Songs (baby boy and crazy in love are actually pretty good)So take my advice or read others because it's the same review.I hope this helped.$LABEL$0 +The best system out there. Well I searched alot for the best, and I bought the Peg-Perego but it was the worst! I had to exchange it three times. So finally I saw the reviews on the Chicco Cortina, and decided to go with it. Well all the reviews were right on, this is the best system. It is easy to use, and very nice. I dropped some juice on it and it cleaned right up! How NICE.... And EASE! wow, the stroller really can be closed with one hand. The infant seat is very lightweight, and the stroller with the adjustable handle... I just cant say enough, I just wish I had purchased this one first and never had to experience the other one.The Chicco Cortina is hands down the best system out there.$LABEL$1 +Justin Warfield is the bomb. From Ivy league west coast liberal tree hugging rapping B-baller to flowing prose on Bomb the Bass to goth-punk retro revivalist, Justin Warfield has covered multiple genres with varying success. My guess is it's a one off for them.Anyway, what do I think of the album? I think if you can get past your pretensions and just see the album on simply its merits, you would see far less 1 star reviews. As a fan of Justin's sparse catalog, I found it odd for him to choose this genre. However, I still enjoy listening to it and tried to explain to my friends the other day that the band should have been called the 'Peter Murphies' or something like that. It doesn't mean it isnt good music. It means that I appreciate it on the level with better groups in this genre.It is repetitive. It is dreary. But, best of all its heavy and I crank it and can almost imagine I'm out at the Kingfish again with the subs thumping under my feet.$LABEL$1 +Gah! Bring back Buffy!. I finally caved and watched this movie to try to understand it's prominence in pop-culture.13 year old girls are entitled to neurotic fantasies--they're 13!--and this movie seems to hit every bad news, sublimated, masochistic, narcissistic beat. This movie is an understandable craze for tween girls thoroughly f****d up by puberty and culture . . . The fact that this movie has such a large 'adult' female audience is REALLY disturbing. I think even less of some of my co-workers than I did before.Me? I'm a 43 year old woman and I'll stick with Buffy reruns for my vampire entertainment, thanks just the same.$LABEL$0 +another industrial-metal hellsphere from A. Grossman & Co.. The third release from the man who brought you 1992's industrial-metal masterpiece, "Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame", this album is a must for the fans. The guitar is a bit overdosed this time around, but it has some of the coolest backing electronics I have ever heard (ex. the electro back build in "Black Eye"). The vocals are also much less distorted than on previous releases, but lyrically just as twisted, and the drums just thunder and devastate. Basically, a good apocalyptic onslaught of brutal electro-metal. If you're into Ministry, Godflesh, KMFDM, Chainsaws.And.Children, Rammstein, Static-X, etc etc...this is a definite record to invest in.$LABEL$1 +The best bars by far!. These taste so good , you are almost thinking this is a candy bar instead of a protein bar. I prefer the balance bar gold to their other types.$LABEL$1 +Great little camera!. We already had a Canon Rebel Digital but wanted something smaller to use for just fun stuff. This camera is perfect.$LABEL$1 +what junk. I write under very special conditions. I was using a palm with a keyboard, but I found it not to be powerful enough. A laptop was too heavy, the battery life was miserable, and it took forever to turn on. I found a jornada on Ebay. It is a piece of junk! They get constant memory losses, and it took a week for the screen to fall right off its hinges. I got another and it was wiped with the most crucial information of my life. Like you I read negative revues and gave it the benefit of the doubt(after all I love all electronics), but heed my warning STAND CLEAR.$LABEL$0 +Best BBC, even better than Pride and Prejudice. Seeing and owning this has placed the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice to my no. 2 slot and I never thought than anything could surpass it. I love it and after seeing another person's copy of it, I had to own my own. I will watch this time after time and never tire of the image, the music and love story and the story of how the industrial revolution affected lives of common people who worked at the mills.It's truly a story of tragedy, love and triumph. Well well done.$LABEL$1 +What Garden?. I bought this for my Drinkwell Platinum which I and my cats love. However nothing green grew from the seed pod, just some white stringy things. Next time I'm not going to waste my time. I will buy $0.10 worth of barley grass and a little potting soil and grow my catgrass (barley grass) the right way. No fault of Amazon as a reseller but Drinkwell really needs to improve these or quit selling junk.$LABEL$0 +Broke !. When I tried to open the tube to put the battery in, the clips that keep it together broke. Now every time I use it, I have to re- duct tape it together.Otherwise, it would have been a good light.$LABEL$0 +Grisham's Best. I've read a number of Grisham's works, and The Testament is his deepest, from a spiritual standpoint, and clearly his best. Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +very user unfriendly. I would not recomend this product to anyone.There is no way that a person that has limited time available could expect to gain any thing from this product.I honestly believe that I have not gained a single word to my spanish vocabulary from what I knew going in to this program$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. Description indicates this is a color edition which I have been looking for. The picture on the front of the box is in color but the DVD is in B/W$LABEL$0 +This games is a blast!. We love this game. It's a new spin on an old dice game. We especially like the "spicy" version. Don't let the name fool you. It's not just for adults. Kids will love it.$LABEL$1 +Not hot enough. This unit is not worth the extra money. With the removable plates it lost the heat transfer to the meat and just does not get hot enough. I used a simple Foreman grill before [not removable plates] but this one does just not measure up$LABEL$0 +Levi's 518 Junors' superlow boot cut jean, railer, 3 long. these jeans were a gift for my granddoughter she liked them very much. I would recomend these Levi's 518 junior jeans for any one that can wear this fit, they looked good on my granddoughter. I would buy them again, for her.$LABEL$1 +WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS?. This movie is nothing but soft-core porn. That is the problem with Gay & Lesbian movies: They are overflowing with SEX. I am a gay man that owns HUNDREDS of movies, but have only TWO gay-themed movies in my collection. Why? Because they are usually filled with a huge amount of sex and rediculous amounts of nudity. This is why people are so hateful and fearful of the gay community. because we represent ourselves in this way. WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS?$LABEL$0 +sadly disappointed. This is the second Coby I have owned. I bought the first one a year ago. It lasted about 6 months and then died on me. It said wrong disc. I had the 2 year warranty and so I got another one. This last one didn't even last 1 month before it started saying wrong disc. I really like the dvd player when it is working. I am very sad that it quit. I am not sure which one I am going to get to replace it, but I sure hope it works longer then this one. If you do decide to buy this one definately get the 2 year replacement package!!$LABEL$0 +DO NOT USE THIS AS ONLY SOURCE TO PASS TEST!. Just to confirm what many have already said:I used this book as a single source to take the test. I am NOT a beginner with computers. I failed the test -- TWICE.$LABEL$0 +great xmas gift. bought this for my mother-in-law..she had blender but through years lost small bowl, never taught she could find another. And it was very reasonably priced$LABEL$1 +Digital copy is not HD. Great movie but about this BlueRay combo I just can say disappointing. To download the movie you need a DVD drive in your computer/mac and then what you get is just the low resolution version of the movie. Again, not worth it.$LABEL$0 +5 stars if Sony mentions S-video in minidv specification. To the previous poster, the manual tells you what is accepted and what is not.$LABEL$1 +Great concept, Just not good enough. I bought this for my daughter's room because she didnt' have a phone jack and I thought it clevor to have a wireless one since kids change their rooms around all the time. We were pretty excited about the concept, however, it doesn't work well at all. It's a bunch of static. Can hear the other person, but definitely something wrong with the Jack. I wouldn't recommend it nor spend that much on it. We didn't return it because what a hassle to return and pay for shipping again and my daughter was just excited to have the phone working.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work. To be fair, I got this used. A new one may be fine, but the used one only flashed on the lights and then did nothing. I wasn't sure if the problem was the unit or the connection to the cable company. The device came with no information, so I had to download a manual and finally figured out that if the power button didn't stay on, it was malfunctioning. I returned it.$LABEL$0 +The music is good, the vocals are not. After buying The Rising In The East dvd I just thought that Halford had lost it. His vocals and constant staring into a teleprompter are terrible. After watching Live Vengeance I now realize that Halford is just a terrible singer live. His vocals are unlistenable here. He's way out of key and hits so many wrong notes it's embarrassing. Oh well, I'll just stick to the studio albums where I guess they can fix the vocals.$LABEL$0 +Great Product. I am very satisfied with this product. I have seen other Nintendo Cases and this case is by far the best deal. It is compact but yet has plenty of room to store the system and the games and extras needed. It is very durable. I would recommend this product to many others. It does come in different colors. I also saw this product at a gamming store but the price here was the same well like $2.00 cheaper I didn't have to pay tax on it like in the store and the shipping was free and fast.$LABEL$1 +longer version. this book is packed with info.. it's the longer version of "a brief history" and how your prof. has so much info..that's not showing up in your shorter text (if you're getting the brief version) it has a lot of pics..and maps..and is easy to read.. very informative ..text book$LABEL$1 +Great Idea but it doesn't work. Mounted my IDE drive in the case. Yes it is tight but everything fits. Followed all directions but neither Win XP nor Win 7 64bit could recognize this drive. Have sent several emails to the company support and they have answered them all. But they were no help because it still doesn't work and their only answer is " It should". I am not a novice at this and have been building computers for many years but this unit has me stymied. I would send it back but I would have more in shipping than the unit costs.2/9/11 Revision.According to the manual you should set drive jumpers to "master". Well this wasn't working so I removed the "master" jumper and suddenly the drive works as it should. I now give five stars for the NexStar unit but only one star to tech support for not suggesting this.$LABEL$0 +Does not work. I replaced a feeder that after 10 years stopped working. Food did not flow out anymore. This has not worked once since i got it. Food gets stuck and i have to shake itfor food to come out.$LABEL$0 +Armageddon's Children. i am very satisfied with the book "Armageddon's Children "by Terry Brooks.I follow his bookswas deliverd swiftly and as promised.$LABEL$1 +I don't recommend it. I love Cris Connor's voice and style, but in this CD these qualities just aren't there. She sounded old! I blame myself for not having listened to more of the samples, and reading carefully the "liner notes."$LABEL$0 +Wonderful!!. Anne Stuart is my favorite author and the hero's she writes about are the best. She did not disappoint me with her latest PRINCE OF MAGIC. This is a wonderful book and truly enjoyable, with plenty of dark undertones. A beautiful romance, a great secondary romance, and two deliciously evil people. It also come equiped with two ghost, former monks Brother Paul and Brother Septimus. A wondufully tortured hero and a free spirited you woman. Write more stories like this one Ms. Stuart!!$LABEL$1 +Authors should be sued. I bought the book, read it, and thought it mightwork for me. I was at about 270 - 275 lbs for quitea few years. That was in 1999. By 01/01/00 I hit300 lbs. That was the straw that broke my back.My doctor was complaining about heart palpatations,High cholesterol and High Tri-glicerides. I knewsomething had to change.I did an internet search on Triglicerides, and foundthe Atkins diet. I bought two or three of his books.By 01/01/01 (a year later), I dropped 60 lbs. My doctorwas thrilled with the weight loss but didn't care for thehigher cholesterol. I weened myself off of the Atkins(then I was 205), and the blood stats couldn't be better.Not to mention he took me off of my high blood pressuremeds! That doesn't happen too often :).$LABEL$0 +Classic. John Carpenter's Halloween tells the story of an escaped mental patient Michael Myers(Nick Castle)Michael was locked up for 15 years after he killed his sister.Dr.Loomis(Donald Pleasence) is on a frantic search for michael, Loomis knows Michael will return home to kill.Laurie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis) a shy teenager is being stalked unknowingly by Michael.As the night goes on Michael kills her friends till it comes down to Laurie and Michael.The Screenplay was done by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.Great script one of the best of the genre.And John Carpenter directing was top notch. He creates the perfect mood and will make you feel trapped just like the characters.Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee were awesome in their roles.And the score by John Carpenter was very chillingThe Halloween DVD is loaded with must see extras$LABEL$1 +CAREFUL. Usually I use water base Min Wax Urethane, still not sure why I got this. Recommended by salesperson? I don't know BUT IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE!!! I applied this to a new b/r vanity carcass and doors/ drawer fronts on Wednesday, today is Friday and it is still tacky to touch!! I have resorted to putting the doors and drawers out in the sun hoping the UV will help, inside I am using a heater + fan to try n force dry it If I can finally get this dry enough to sand I will complete the job with Min Wax, if it doesn't dry then I guess I will have to strip it down. SHAME ON YOU VARATHANE! ! ! !$LABEL$0 +Sleeping with Dan.... A while ago I was given Dan Chadburn's CD, Solo Piano as a gift and had set it aside until recently. While I was down with the flu, I went looking for some soothing music to help me sleep. I found Mr. Chadburn's CD and thought it sounded like a perfect choice - and It was! It not only quickly ushered me into peaceful dreams but (having my player set on continuous play) was there to welcome me awake with inspiration, energy and HEALTH! I'm no Doctor, but I figured if sleeping with Dan Chadburn helped me get well, what would living with him do for me? Ok, I'm being silly here...but I really am a HUGE fan now! Playing his Solo Piano while I work, play, and LIVE has really been amazing -- his music speaks the perfect language of inspiration and peace to my soul. Please, don't take my word for it... Let your soul decide -- Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +A Bit Disappointing. I saw an ad for this book in a magazine. The ad was written well enough to get me to bite. However once I bought and read the book, I felt rather disappointed. Not every chapter is written by Dan. Some parts of the book felt like advertisements themselves. It is not like I did not learn anything from this book. But if I had it to do over, I would have skipped it.$LABEL$0 +Frist Look at a New Author with Great Potential. The stories are rivting with the best character development I have ever seen in a short story. I look forward to reading future works by this author.$LABEL$1 +Incredible monotony. I bought this album on the strength of reviews I'd read, without ever having heard a note of Coyote Oldman's music. Big mistake. This is the kind of "ambient" music where one sustained note makes up a whole track. I listened to it all the way through and asked myself, "HUH? So where's the music?" This album may be good noise to cure insomnia or to produce a meditative stupor, but I'm appalled that anyone considers it to be music. I guess anything that comes out of a musical instrument can be called "music" if you're seriously determined to find favor with the products of primitive cultures. Equal rights for the musically disabled? Do yourself a favor and listen to a Coyote Oldman album BEFORE you buy one.$LABEL$0 +Did not last. Probably ok for minimal clean up, but not really a "body" trimmer. Did replace with Phillips which was made for men's bodies. Got nicked in a sensitive area -- ouch.$LABEL$0 +Civ Pro's Bosom Buddy = Joseph Glannan. If you're taking Civ Pro, then you need this book. And that is all that needs to be said.$LABEL$1 +Started Out Good and then Fizzled. This book kept my attention for the first two chapters (15 pages). After that, it went downhill fast. There just didn't seem to be any new and exciting ideas that sprung out of this book. In fact, everything this book suggested I had either already tried without success or were so tacky that I wouldn't try them. Bottom line, don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +This is Kitaro!. Silk Road 2 is a beautiful piece of music, and again Kitaro shows himself to be a master in painting a picture with music. The ten pieces on this disk are exquisitely done and can, if you let them, transport you to another place and time. This is an excellent sequel to Silk Road 1, and I highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +JUNK!. Don't bother!! The screws never tightened down into the table saw groove. The product is useless. Just sorry that I wasn't smart enough to send it right back when I got it. Live and learn$LABEL$0 +Dangerous Grains review. Good only for those with gluten sensitivity. Not necessary for those who just want to be gluten free due to no medical problems. Very technical with no recipes and no daily food plan.$LABEL$0 +Will not pick up digital cable. While the specs indicate it can receive digital cable, it does not. This is the 800e model - it picks up HD digital TV over the antenna, but can only receive analog cable through the coax input cable. Since most cable providers are going digital, very few analog stations will be accessible through cable with this device. Unfortunately, it is a product whose time has passed. If all you need is to pick up the over-the-air HD signals, then this product should work fine for you. If you need to receive digital channels through your cable, you will need the 801e model. Be forewarned though - Windows Media Center only receives analog channels. You will have to upgrade to Windows 7 for Media Center to be updated to pick up digital cable channels.$LABEL$0 +Great movie. My kids saw the other version of this movie with Kathy Bates. They loved that movie... and they love this version!Great family movie.$LABEL$1 +AMAZON STILL TREAT ME GOOD.... ...Haven't had a bad run-in w/ a supplier or amazon! Keep up the Good Work$LABEL$1 +Nicely Produced Second Album. Hands is deep and wide, with selections both personal and political. She offers a few older songs and covers ('Hands', 'Bread and Roses', Bev Grant's 'We Were There'), some more recent originals, all well-produced with guest artists Tom Prasada-Rao and Abby Newton (among others) layering in piano, cello, percussion, and other harmonies. A cover of Phil Ochs' Hands opens the record followed by twelve more songs of labor, unity, identity, activism, and awareness. Also, Pat includes liner notes giving further accessibility to the music. If you have her first album, this won't disappoint.$LABEL$1 +DADs NO HELP HERE. To be honest, I didn't read the entire book since it was so general. I was hoping for a more personal view of the author's experiences but there weren't many. This book was a total compilation of other's views. I am tired of reading books on children. I don't want multiple references for multiple issues. I was hoping this was a dad who had real experiences to share with other dads. Unfortunately, this is another author trying to sell books. Do yourself a favor and buy 'What to Expect, The Toddler's Years' by Arlene Eisenburg. This is a reference we trust.$LABEL$0 +OMG Its about time!. My boys have been wanting the Oddessey on dvd forever, and its only been found on old VHS. Why the wait for dvd?$LABEL$1 +Wha?. HOW ON EARTH do they think a package of corn muffin mix that sells for under two dollars in Kansas, USA is worth fourteen dollars?! What a ripoff! The muffin mix is good, and I'd give it 4 stars, but NOT at that price.$LABEL$0 +Neat idea, poor engineering.. This filter does not prime itself without a lot of help from you. Lots of air gets trapped in the intake tube and is a real headache to clear this and get any kind of water flowthrough the filter. The bio-wheel does not spin very easily and needs a lot of water to spin it, which this filter fails to provide. So the wheel usually just sits there. I've owned larger versions of this filter in the past, and had the same problems. They require a ton of fiddling-with after a water change, power outage, etc to get them going correctly. Buy a different brand and be happier.$LABEL$0 +LOVE THIS MOVIE!!. I recieved this about two months ago and my 4 year old daughter still wants to watch it everday! This is my all time favortie movie and now its hers to :) not to mention its great quality, one of my favorite purchases$LABEL$1 +THE BEST AND HEAVIEST BOOK I EVER READ!!. A GREAT READ, A MUST READ, A DIFFICULT READ. I HAD TO PUT THE BOOK down 3 TIMES ON MY COMMUTE WITH TEARS IN MY EYES. This book will give me some of strongest and most lasting memories, and I have read a lot on the holocaust. This time you can really feel for the characters and their plight. Mila 18 can make you hate and runs the gammet on emotions.It is important and we have all heard it before that we never forget, so that we never repeat. But history repeates itself over and over again. similar situations are going on in 1999, just not as obvious.AS THE NEW YORK TIMES SAYS ON THE BACK COVER "A VERY IMPORTANT BOOK."$LABEL$1 +Unbelievable sound. Wow!!! These speakers r amazing - can hear sounds in music that never heard before. Its top rated but u have to know how to add 12 volt transformer to make it work at home! Beautiful clear audio best ever and batteries last long time too. I can not stress enough how stunning sound is! You will appreciate sense of hearing and music on a new level!$LABEL$1 +Caution!. Unfortunately, this collection of songs is sung by The Pioneer Creek Gang, not the original artists. This was not clear in the Amazon information about these CDs. I thought the PCG was the producer or group that put this collection of songs together. The only positive thing about the collection is the humor in how awful the songs sound - however, that humor quickly fades when you realize that you've wasted [your money] Skip this one and go for the real thing. I thought [the price] sounded too good to be true for 2 CDs and all these great songs - and it was!$LABEL$0 +One of the best books ever written!. That may be slight hyperbole. Reading Stuart makes me start talking like Stuart. I think I may _be_ Stuart! This book works both as comedy and, well I'm not sure Al planned for this... as therapy too. I've actually found some strength from both the book and the movie. I'm not kidding. You'll find yourself laughing out loud in public (well, that is, if you read it in public) _and_ walking away feeling better about yourself. I'm not kidding.$LABEL$1 +Polaris pump. It was the same pump I had and installation was very quick because it hooked up the same. it is much quieter and seemed to be more efficient than the old one. Received it in just a couple of days, much quicker than the expected date.$LABEL$1 +Fascinating read. A wonderful tale of human survival. A great book club read...so much to discuss. I felt like I was in the middle of the ocean with P$LABEL$1 +OKAY. I think the book was okay. But I am only ten so I do not like to read 1st grade books! So kids who like Easy Readers I encourage you to read the adventurist book called Paris Cat!$LABEL$0 +An epic American classic.. I can see why some may consider this book to be a jab at capitalism. It definitely doesn't hold back when it comes to demonizing banks and business. If you can set that aside (which I think most people can), this novel is truly one of the greatest American tales of all time. It would take a cold-heart person to not be moved by the story of the Joad family. My favorite Steinbeck was always Of Mice and Men, but THe Grapes of Wrath easily took its place the from the second I finished it. You must read this amazingly well-written novel.$LABEL$1 +Not what I wanted for my first Smart Phone. I have had the Q for about 6 months. The day I brought it home I could not get it to charge, I took it back and they said it was user error. The third time I took it in they finally replaced the battery and gave me a new charger. The battery display still reads one bar when fully charged.The activ link to my laptop has been harder than getting a child to eat veggies. I tryied with the bluetooth... no luck, then the USB... no luck, took it to a friend who knows what he is doing and same thing. Still not able to get it to link.Modem Capabilities do not work either. I have downloaded all the software needed and still trying to steal a neighbors connection.I bought this phone thinking this will be great... all the options I wanted and none of them work. Yes it is great for numbers, calendar, checking e-mail on the go. But I wanted it for so much more.$LABEL$0 +Skips horribly. The packaging is beyond amazing and it looks like a million bucks but the vinyls skip all over the place and somehow/someway it's only on songs that I truly care about. Too much money to have this poor of a pressing, returning it tomorrow.....$LABEL$0 +Decent Slippers. I liked these slippers except for a rather stiff sole. I would have kept them if they weren't too big. I wear a 10.5 to 11 size shoe so therefore ordered the XL for 9.5- 10.5 M. However, they were too long in the front and it was a serious stumbling risk so back they went.$LABEL$1 +Rusting!. I bought these knives in October 2012 and they have begun to rust! They are stamped "stainless steel". I have Ginsu knives that are over 30 years old that don't have a spot of rust on them. I have other Henckels knives that I bought over 10 years ago that are still beautiful. Don't buy these. If I could I would return them for a refund.Update:I noticed another reviewer said German knives are best. These knives are clearly stamped "made in China."$LABEL$0 +silpat. While I love these mats they are very much over priced and the one that I ordered from them was very small, while it is the size they specified and I expected so that they did not do anything wrong at all, I am very unhappy it takes two of them to go on one cookie sheet so that is why it gave it only two stars.$LABEL$0 +Guillermo Herrera Arreola. Chayito. Felicidades por este maravilloso CD. que es una selección de las canciones que más se escuchan en México, y aunque este CD. ahún no esta en venta en nuestro país, yo lo compre en Chicago y estoy facinado con el. Espero pronto tener tu nueva producción de Discos Musart ( los 2 anteriores ya los tengo : el de tambora y el de la moneda se voltió).Un abrazo y que Dios te bendiga.Con AmorGuillermo Herrera$LABEL$1 +"Look for the exit...". Like most movies these days, this one starts with an interesting concept and then somewhere everything goes wrong. Rent this movie and then send me the 15 dollars you saved by not buying it. There is really nothing to this movie. There is no mystery or suspense. Everything is spelled out to you along the way in plain english. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because the acting was good. Unfortunately that does not save this movie from disaster. You are welcome in advance.$LABEL$0 +Terrific.. This is a wonderful collection to thrill any Doris Day fan or those who love classic American popular music. It's in superb sound: the digital remastering is amongst the best I have heard - the years seem to fly away. The huge book and complete discography will give hours of pleasure. I love it. I also recommend the sequel, Secret Love. Thanks to all at Bear Family Records, Germany, for the project.$LABEL$1 +Great but.... The movie is taken almost verbatium from the book so reading the book after watching the movie, I found myself skimming past half the book. There is some material not covered in the movie but not much.$LABEL$1 +Nice while they worked. I paid $500 for these and treated them as such. They lasted three years until they began to short out and are now junk.$LABEL$0 +Dont waste your money. In spite of the other reviews I bought this toy. It was just as bad as everyone said. Cheap plastic, it will not move half the time, it just sits there and humms, then after a few tries it will move forward or back for a little while. That is all it will move though, there is no way to go side to side. They conviently dont mention it is a wired remote. And this all started off badly when I realized the dozer was designed to never be removed from the packaging. There is no way to easily remove the toy without damaging the dozer, it is screwed into plastic holders that are screwed into larger plastic holders that are screwed through the box into a plastic plate which prevents anyone from removing the dozer from the box. I spent more time removing it from the box than playing with it. When I realized you could not turn right or left I was finished. A really cheap toy, poorly thought out and poorly designed. Spend some extra and get a decent toy, not a Cat dozer.$LABEL$0 +Lemon Jelly...for anyone who likes music!. Firstly, I rarely, if *ever* give anything this high a rating. But this is a case where I think it merits it. It's just that good.This CD is simply a joy to listen to. I have listened to it many, many times now and it just gets better. The only track I don't like to listen to that much is "Experiment No. 6", and that's not because it's a bad track, on the contrary, I think it's very good. It's just that it's quite dark and isn't upbeat like the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy dark music from time to time as well, but I just feel it kind of brings the mood down of the album a little.But that's a minor quibble. If you are a music fan, *any* kind of music fan, *get this album*! This is music with a soul. If it doesn't give you goosebumps, check your pulse!-Adam$LABEL$1 +Surprisingly good. I totally agree with the other reviewers: a great bucket for a great price. I also would have been put off by the vinyl handle, and would not have bought this but for the previous review. Fully agreed, the handle is sturdy and does not appear to want to fail. I also see that the bucket doesn't have the failing of other collapsible buckets, which want to fall to the side if the handle is not supported. I ran a "tip test" in the kitchen, and even with vigorous prodding, this bucket did NOT want to collapse, tip, or lean over and spill its water. Fully recommended and happily owned.$LABEL$1 +Very Intresting Read. The events of 9/11 were devestating, this book doesn't try to refute those facts. This book does, however, bring forth several ideas backed with enough logical evidence that makes a person think twice about what was really going on that day and how the government used the event as leverage to forge war. A few of the ideas mentioned in this book are; the 767 hitting the pentagon, yet no piece of the plane was ever recovered (the first time in history there's been no recovery of ANY piece of a plane after crashing on american soil), the mysterious stock-dumping of the airline companies affected on 9/11, and a very intresting piece on the heroin trade in afghanistan as being the main reason to forge war. As an American, I'd stand behind this book 100% with what's presented, it's obvious there's more going on than meets the eye.$LABEL$1 +Another Mediocre Monster Cable. I've bought several Monster Cable products for electric guitar and home audio/video systems over the past three or four decades and while all have been free from defects and performed adequately I don't actually use any of them any more. There are simply too many better-sounding cables available, many for less money. Cables make a bigger difference than most people think and I have found that it's worth exploring alternatives. For instrument cable I recommend Lava Cable.$LABEL$0 +Miracle at At. Anna. Just pitiful! For a man critical of other war time movies, Spike Lee put together the most convoluted, incoherent and defaming movie of its kind. His attempt to portray the brave 92nd/Buffalo soldiers in an heroic light failed, and actually accomplished the opposite. They were portrayed as undisciplined and irreverant. They were cast in a light inferior to those around them, while the self serving portrayal of white officers as bigoted idiots was just as offensive.Couple this with a completely disjointed story, gratuitous violence not at all in the vein of other superior movies about WWII until the village battle, and the unnecessry sexual encounter after the all in the movie call on Christ for their protection, and you have a true piece of crap.Mr. Lee really needs to think long and hard before he tries to make another attempt at bringing to light the true heroism of the Black American soldier. That would be the true miracle, for he has done all a grave disservice.$LABEL$0 +Very fun, and will entertain you for hours!. Urban Operations is an excellent mission pack. The new weapons are awesome and useful, and the levels are fun and exciting. The new features are a great addition and add many hours of adventure. The classic levels that are redone are also very fun with the new weapons. You will enjoy this mission pack if you liked Rogue Spear.$LABEL$1 +Indispensable. As an adult acne sufferer, I couldn't understand where my acne came from or why I developed acne at age 26 when I had never had acne before. After reading Dr. Fulton's book, I came to terms with accepting that I have acne and that I can only control it to have clear skin, which I do now. This book does an excellent job in doing away with the myths and the facts, from cultural history to how cosmetics can cause acne. Dr. Fulton writes from experience, having been born with acne as a newborn and having suffered with it his whole life.This book is not meant to cure acne. However, it does offer a basic regimen for treating it at home. I recommend this book to any person in the dermatology or esthetic field. To the acne sufferer, I recommend this book, not as a way to cure your acne, but to better inform yourself about your own condition. I know that I can deal with it better now that I know what is and what isn't.$LABEL$1 +Don't bother!. The pilot was interesting. The series could have had potential but went in too many disjointed directions. Even in the commentaries they admit there were plot points and/or events that made no sense. Eric Stoltz is a good actor - too bad.$LABEL$0 +nice. This cd from late 1991 shows Perry's synthesizer based dub tracks in fine form. The tracks and his voice are in fine form on this cd, and while the overall magic from the Black Ark days are long gone, Perry continues to create his own wonderfully quirky dub stylings that are pleasing to his fans.Nice stuff.$LABEL$1 +Actual practical advice. While what Williams says is all excellent (nits picked by impatient colicky philistines notwithstanding), what really sets this book apart is the workbook approach: you actually learn how to write more clearly by doing the exercises. Brilliant and useful.$LABEL$1 +Shoe is not the same as what is shown on Amazon product page. The Sperry shoes are fine, but be careful in that what Amazon shows (a reddish brown leather with white sole) is not the shoe that is actually sent as that one is a tan shoe with a brown sole. Got these for my son's birthday and was disappointed that what I thought we ordered wasn't what we actually got. Went back and double checked to make sure I didn't just select the wrong pair, and now see that the small thumbnail image doesn't match the original product page.$LABEL$0 +What a Waste. I got this with high hopes. I'd heard the movie mentioned during an interview on a PBS radio show. So, I checked it out as I find watching movies about baseball more interesting than watching baseball. The plot and dialogue are as predictable as the alphabet. It got so I knew what was going to be done and said a full minute before it materialized on the screen. Gag...$LABEL$0 +School House Rock. This edition has both grammar and science. I like being able to use the specific topic easily.$LABEL$1 +doctor lingo. Get this book only if you can understand the doctor language because that is pretty much all it is. It only explains the chemical process in your brain, etc. instead of how to deal.$LABEL$0 +FAIL- steaming hot juice. This is the worst juicer ever. I was making 32 ounces of juice, a mixture of veg, fruit, and leafy greens. I was alternating items and allowing time for the machine to work, as instructed. The "champion" took 30 minutes to make that amount of juice! and i had to stop and rinse the machine off to cool it. The juice was literally steaming hot. NOT a hot idea for a raw foodist! The super crappy part is that you cant return used juicers. DO NOT BUY THIS JUICER! I would not even sell it to anyone, it sucks so much that I would feel guilty!$LABEL$0 +As good as Patrick O'Hearn. If you're a fan of Patrick O'Hearn's sound, I think you'll be pleased with this album that might fall somewhere between "Between Two Worlds" and "Metaphor" of O'Hearn's. It's relaxing, but cheery -- excellent for solid listening or background ambiance.I bought this album based on Amazon.com recommendations, and I was VERY pleased with it. I'll be looking for more of Helpling's material.$LABEL$1 +mototola H700. I bought this mototola bluetooth H 700 from Ace digital and I regret doing this. A lot of static and doesnt work even one feet away from phone. Even the plug is a foregn looking adapter. It almost seems like a refurbihed or defective model. My cousin bought the same thing from a regular store and his works fine. I would not recommend anyone to buy this product on line except if it is from a known store whom you can contact and get replaced if the need be.$LABEL$0 +You know you want it! :). This CD rocks! The song 'Yellow' really grew on me! It's awesome! Buy one + share it with your friends or give it as a gift. You will not be disappointed! Rock on!~ :)$LABEL$1 +One more 'No' vote. Like many other reviewers, I found the attempt to imbed trig into a fairy tale very unamusing at best. The math concepts covered were hard to keep straight, since you had to keep re-reading the crappy story to refresh your memory. I can't imagine that anyone could really learn trig (or anything) with this kind of approach. And the author shouldn't have even attempted to write it...not without some serious background work in creative writing anyway.$LABEL$0 +Tries too hard to be clever.. Little Children starring Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson thinks it's the clever cousin of American Beauty. I was expecting a thought-provoking and intelligent look at married couples in crisis - what I got was a bunch of self-important adults acting like greedy babies (now I know why the film is called Little Children). Whoever the narrator was of this film really got on my nerves after the first 15 minutes. Wilson has still not impressed as a serious actor while Jennifer Connelly (a true talent) barely has any scenes. Winslet is good as usual but I found it very difficult to try and feel sympathetic for her character or situation. The graphic sex scenes didn't help much, this film was a major disappointment, I'd skip this one!$LABEL$0 +It is too cheap to use - My daughter hated this.. Better buy something strong - this can not hold her binder and she hated this.Now I have a piece of metal that I can't use.$LABEL$0 +What! What! No Limits on the rise again!. Easily one of the dopest cds of the year 2000, but it'll probably get slepped on, because the haters are in full effect when it comes to No Limit. This cd can be listened to from the begining to the end without skipping a single song. The beats are excellent, even without Beats by the pound, the new production team is holding their own. You got to feel C-Murders maturity on this cd, hes taking his game to a whole other level. K-blaque----puttin it down for NoLimitsoldiers.com$LABEL$1 +The birth of one man's passion for life. This is my all-time favorite book! I read it as an undergraduate German major - in German, of course! The story has so many messages - how what we don't face will come back to us; how much of life we miss when we're to afraid to live it; how things become more intense and beautiful when love is in our hearts. The characters are developed in such a loving manner that I found myself liking and sympathizing with all, despite their faults. I think that this book makes a great summer read.Contrary to the prior review, I would not recommend the movie based on this book. I was very excited when I heard that Sam Shepard was tackling this project, but I was ultimately disappointed. There is no replacing the real thing!$LABEL$1 +It's going back because I didn't understand what the "UK Version" meant at the time I ordered it.. This DVD of Downton Abbey Season 3 said it was the "original UK edition/version" but at the time I had no clue that meant it wouldn't play on USA DVD players. I've since found out it's only playable in Region 2. More detail in that main title would have been appreciated. When I order & receive the USA version of Downton Abbey Season 3 I will write a 5 star review because I'm watching it weekly on PBS. Looking forward to Season 4. I highly recommend to anyone to get all of them but be careful to purchase the correct version for the USA.$LABEL$0 +A true horror classic!. THE MANITOU is a true horror classic that still stands up despite multiple readings and over 25 years of time thanks to Masterton's sense of mood and his wonderful wit. Although the novel is filled with chilling and gory scenes, it's our hero Harry Erskine's terrific charm that keeps us speeding along through the story. Watching as a resurrected medicine man is about to born from the neck of a comatose woman, Harry handles the situation with black humor and an unstoppable drive to see the woman saved. Masterton's original ending (as it was presented in the first edition) is much different and much weaker, included here as a bonus. I hear tell that there's a fourth Manitou novel on the way...following two other sequels REVENGE OF THE MANITOU and BURIAL. I, for one, can't wait!$LABEL$1 +Great as an overview, as a reference...eh.. I'm writing a college thesis on Pullman's His Dark Materials, so I was excited to find this book. However, I was slightly disappointed when it arrived. It's well written and a great overview, but if you've already started doing some looking and thinking on your own it doesn't give you much that's new.This book is a great starting point, and great for a fun read. I don't so much reccomend it as a primary reference, but as a helpful guide it's very well done.$LABEL$1 +wouldn't buy it again. delivery:right on timecondition: second hand, good condition so I can recommend the seller. not a single page is damaged. the only note is that the book was filthy on the outside (just cleaned it with a wet cloth and it was ok)content: it's all about psyco mambo jumbo. how you have to visualize the moment, repeat to yourself "i'm the best" and all that shrink stuff.will most likely give it to my 2 year old to play with$LABEL$0 +The books are better. Having read the books and enjoyed them thoroughly, I bought the game.At 25 I'm an avid gamer (I've been gaming since games were invented for the 386). I was disappointed. The graphics are ok but the game play is not the greatest. Fight scenes are awkward and there are too many items to use, that are not very useful.There were just too many little things that annoyed me about this game, one of them being that there's no save-anywhere feature, you have to start at the beginning of the chapter.The story is good, but it's like Return to Krondor for Dummies. Stick with reading the books, you'll probably be disappointed with the game.$LABEL$0 +Nice thin watch. I was looking for a nice slim replacement for my Skagen which for some reason decided to stop keeping time consistently. I wanted a slim one with both gold & silver and this is it. The one thing I liked better about my old Skagen is the band. It had a much more flexible wristband. This one is is little stiffer, which is only a problem if you have a small wrist, which I do. Otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +Best shaver for the money.. I have had 3 Norelco shavers in the past. My 3rd one got wet and quit working. I didn't want to pay $40 to $100 for another electric. Quite by chance, I discovered this Braun. I couldn't believe the low price. I bought it and was skeptical at first about its abilities. My beard is tough also. It does a remarkably good job of shaving plain and simple. I can't believe it runs on 2 AA batteries and I can't believe it can be cleaned under running water. The overall design is very nice. Somebody put some thought into the design. I will be buying another one to put away.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic epic. This is one epic book like other novels Danielle Steel has penned yet another masterpiece. The trials and tribulations Zoya has to go through is truly awe inspiring. From the russian revolution through the depression and world wars 1 & 2. Danielle Steel has woven facts of history through another tale of fiction.This is yet another masterpiece.$LABEL$1 +It's Not Like "How You Remind Me". I liked the song/video for How You Remind Me, and Nickelback hails from my hometown, so I decided to buy the CD. I'm really disappointed.All of the intuitive lyrics and emotion of How You Remind Me were pretty much dumped for the rest of the CD. It's too abusive and hard. It's just all the same notes, heavily distorted, and a lot of yelling.Also, even though it's not labeled, this CD is full with Explicit Lyrics, making it sound worse to me.$LABEL$0 +Spectacular.. An amazing collection of pictures. I have a handlebar moustache and couldn't imagine not having this in my collection. A must for the enthusiast of facial hair or photography. Or both. :)$LABEL$1 +Might be ok, but the first part is confusing. Would not buy. This book starts off by talking about organizer vs file browser. But it doesn't tell you how to get to the organizer - that WORKS. And it talks about setting up watch folders to get pictures into the organizer. That does not work either. Maybe the author should try to use the software before writing about it.$LABEL$0 +worthless. I have had the product for a month and not a single roach has been trapped though i see them everywhere. Too bad there is no zero stars because that is what this one deserves. I was disappointed, deceived and most of all cheated out of my money. there are cheaper brands that can show more results. if it was not so much work i feel like i could sue these guys. They really should be ashamed of themselves$LABEL$0 +Split at the seam. I would have to agree with some of the other reviews. The first one we purchased split at the seam the very first time we used it. Assuming we were just unlucky, we replaced it with another one and eaxctly the same thing happened again. I am unable to recommend this product.$LABEL$0 +very good itam. Usually i wanted to have item. so nearly i bought it in the amazon.finally reactor stove system delived to me and today i use to heat water in the M.T.very very good. i'm saticefied of msr.Recommend item for people to love M.T or to enjoy varity life.$LABEL$1 +Okay when your options are limited. I purchased this book while on vacation. While much of the book is factually correct some of the language is off, she uses 'em rather than them, and the supposed relationships between Anne of Cleves and the men that surrounded her are figments of an over active imagination. If you have no other options it is a decent read but if you are deciding between this and another book you really want to buy, choose the other book.$LABEL$0 +Beware of mold!!!. Wonderful book containing a ton of information and health hazards that we should start to recognize. Mold is coming to the forefront as a major cause of health problems. It's in the air and we should seriously look at this problem exactly as the Medallion Team has.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Heart Pounding Country Music!!!!!!. I absolutly love this CD! I particularly like the song "Don't be Stupid". The violins are magical and Shania's voice is breathtaking. My husband and I play this CD over and over we like it so much. He is particularly fond of the song, "Honey I'm Home". He says she "hits the nail on the head" with her lyrics. It reminds him of me. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a different kind of Country music that incorporates voice and insturments for what I consider to be a "New" kind of sound.$LABEL$1 +SANTANA-SUPERNATURAL. OUTSTANDING CD! SANTANA WAS ALWAYS A GREAT GROUP-SINCE THE 70'S! CELEBRATE HIS EXPLOSION INTO 2000 WITH A MIXTURE OF FINE LISTENING. SMOOTH IS THE ULTIMATE! If you enjoy this fantastic cd- explore Santana's past ventures with prime hits like "You've Got to Change Your Evil Ways" & "Evil Woman".$LABEL$1 +excellent product. Great lip balm. Goes on easily & lasts a long time. Always looking for a good herbal lip balm, think I've found it.$LABEL$1 +Mostly Redundant Information. If you have read ANY other material about starting a business, and/or the business of professional organizing, then this book (which is actually a printed Word document in a binder) may be a waste of time and money. It rehashes basic business formation and marketing principles (which are covered in with more depth and accuracy elsewhere) and gives little information on actually doing the job and setting the policies of a professional organizer. The templates are pretty standard (why include the standard fax cover sheet from Microsoft Word?) and not well-designed. If this is your FIRST foray into this area, then fine, but I'd recommend Cyndi Seidler's manual instead, which has more info. about doing a needs assessment.$LABEL$0 +Too bad I can't give it 0 stars.. This book sucks. There are not NEAR enough examples, and the examples that ARE given are both incomplete (for example, giving ONLY an example of a loop instead of a complete script) and CRYPTIC AS HELL. This book should be used to stoke fires, not to teach JavaScript. It's not for beginners or pros. SKIP IT.$LABEL$0 +Misto Gourmet oilive oil sprayer. I bought this sprayer as a Christmas present and the person used it only 2 times and the white screw cap inside that holds the spray mechanism in place broke. It seems that this is a faulty part of the sprayer. I would like to know if I could get a replacement part for it. I was very disapointed in this product due to it breaking.$LABEL$0 +Excellent!. Anyone with a curiosity about what happens when you die, will thoroughly enjoy this History Channel special! This is one of the best they have ever presented.In this video, the viewer will hear from both sides: those who believe that when you die, that "it" is over for good, then there are those who believe there is an afterlife. Thank goodness for Christian viewers, the makers of this video were able to find WAY more people who believe in God, Heaven and an afterlife! I found this video to be VERY reassuring.$LABEL$1 +Not my first choice. I was surprised that nearly a third of the book had absolutely nothing to do with implementing SugarCRM, and the remaining sections were truly vague. If you want a book that describes generic concepts about what a CRM is and why you might want one, this book is for you. If you don't have a clue what a CRM system is, this book is a nice primer. In fact for the first third of the book, I believe it mentions other CRM products more often than Sugar.If you are actually trying to implement SugarCRM and expect this book to show you how to change a single setting to customize it your way, you will be sorely disappointed. There are vague references to things like "use the admin panel to change user permissions" but nothing more detailed than that simple phrase - and very little of that.$LABEL$0 +goodasgold. The Stanco Non-stick oven liner is performing as advertised. Had to trim a little as I have a gas oven and shield must fit inside heat vents. Has not curled or buckled.$LABEL$1 +Interesting premise, but..... This book was poorly written, and the characters shallow and trite. The book was based on an interesting premise, however, just poorly executed.$LABEL$0 +A Glorious Book on the Glorious Macy's Parade!. A glorious book indeed, glorious image after glorious image (the N.Y. Daily News images are especially stunning), many never published before appear on page after page! Each image is eye candy, then the last few pages present stunning color images from the parade, in fact the color quality of the images are breathtaking, like a splash of Technicolor and the best color work I have seen in any book recently! Added to the fun and historic scope of the history presented by the author make this a keepsake and collectible indeed! And the next best thing to actually being at the parade in person!$LABEL$1 +A Clunker of a Show. This show is a real disappointment, as you can see from all the overwhelmingly bad reviews. Don't waste your time and money on this one. Terrible plot, bad acting, just say no to this turkey.$LABEL$0 +Midland Weather Alert. We have used one for years and ordered a couple more for our remote farm buildings. They work well and have proven to be extremely reliable with absolutely no problems other than accidentally unplugging one and letting the batteries run down. Good reception although we are outside the normal station range. We have tried others and I would rate this one the best of all of them.$LABEL$1 +If you been there than you have done this. I got this to explain to my wife what I did before I met her and it was an eye opener for her. For me it explains the basics but there are just somethings in life that you have to experence to really get the for.$LABEL$1 +I would buy this again.... I was excited to see that there was a Blu-Ray version of this Jamiroquai concert. Other reviews had mentioned sound quality and I was almost deterred by their ratings, however I found the sound quality to be quite good for a concert. I think they were expecting the sound quality to be that of a normal produced audio recording. I am extremely pleased by my purchase and I'm glad to have this concert in my music library. It makes me hope that Jamiroquai will do more live performances, and if I'm not able to attend, they will document the footage with the same clarity as this concert. I would recommend this disc to anyone.$LABEL$1 +Ladies and son. I was suppose to receive The ladies and son,too! The book A whole new batch of recipes from Savannah, I never received. I got the first book,very nice, Like I said I never recieved the second book. Then I got an e-mail saying it had been sent back from someone else to Amazon.My credit card was credited for it. So I probably will have to re-order or buy somewhere else.$LABEL$0 +great for casual use. We use this to take occasional short home videos. The camera is easy to use and has great features. The 25x optical zoom is a must have. I really like how the display rotates so I can see the picture while recording myself.The only disadvantages are that a docking station is required and sometimes I have to wiggle the camcorder on the docking station to get the charger connections to connect. The power adapter and usb connections should be built into the unit.$LABEL$1 +not a big deal. Don't buy this movie expecting anything great.The majority of the movie is watching the kid walk in the streets talking to his friends.Then when they finally do show the supposedly "good scenes", the women cover themselves with pots or towels!! I don't know what is so GROUND BREAKING about this movie.It's no big deal.$LABEL$0 +Long live the Hammond B-3. The Hammond B-3 never sounded better...or so loud...(though Greg Rollie's B-3 really cooked on the first Santana albums).....Long live Lee, Frostie, and the Hammond B-3...Buy this album!!!!$LABEL$1 +A terrific self-help introduction to acupressure.. Acupressure: The Timeless Art Of Self Healing explores this ancient Eastern medical art which has evolved over the course of many centuries and is recognized as being a highly effective and natural way to relieve pain and stimulate healing. Acupressure focuses on the energies flowing through the human body along biological meridian lines. This "viewer friendly" informational video provides step-by-step instructions and demonstrations on utilizing acupuncture for "what ails you", including such common problems as headache, sinus problems, back pain, toothache, PMS, stress, sexual enhancement, appetite control, facelift, and much, much more. Acupressure is a highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library alternative medicine and self-help video collections.$LABEL$1 +Flipping Brilliant. Fantastic stuff from the Lips. I bought this one, listened to it for two days, and then it took over my stereo for about a month. This CD is worth your time, though I must confess my disappointment in finding that many of the tracks are simply remixed versions of previous songs. Not that this is a big problem, but as a part of our consumer culture I feel ripped off whenever some of the tracks are just repeats. Hey, I've no musical knowledge, and I am sure that there are many people who appreciate the difference between the songs, but just not me. Regardless, buy this CD so that the Lips make more music!$LABEL$1 +Misleading and A Waste of Money and Time. We were extremely disappointed with how misleading the description of the movie was and felt like we were cheated out of our $3.99. We didn't even get a third into the movie before we had to turn it off out of disgust, but based on other reviews, it sounds like it only got worse from there. If I could get a refund on this purchase, I would in a heartbeat.$LABEL$0 +I want my money back. I usually like Sandler stuff, but this movie was a real stinker. Not only was the subject matter offensive and could have been funny, it was not. He reminds me of a little kid who says shocking words to get attention. Acting is bad, formula like, even the racy scenes were predictable teenager. It needs a warning label on this one,.$LABEL$0 +More Great Innovative Brit Stuff. What can I say? Let's put it this way. "My Friend the Sun", is so damned pretty, melodic and heartfelt, it ranks up there with something you'd have expected from Lennon and McCartney! Nuff' said!$LABEL$1 +Not much fun. If you are looking for a "fun" dance workout, look somewhere else. I wanted a good workout incorporating dance movement but was sadly disappointed with this dvd.$LABEL$0 +Piece of junk. One or two swipes with this broom and the handle starts unscrewing and twirls the broom all over the place. Then you have to stop sweeping and screw the handle back on. Now do this a dozen times before you've finished sweeping the kitchen and you'll be ready to throw this useless piece of junk out.$LABEL$0 +A hot iron. So far so good. I haven't bought a new iron in 20 years, when I bought one at a flea market that was probably 20 years old then. It was the old heavy kind, and I doubted if a "new-fangled" one would be as good. But alas, it is. Very fast warm-up, and has a substantial feel, which is what so many new irons seems to lack.$LABEL$1 +Incredible! It really works! Really!!. MY daughter is almost 6 years old and we have had SUCH a hard time trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb. I finally ordered this and after the first time i put it on her thumb, she hasn't sucked it since! not even once! She has no desire! Even after the taste wore off, she doesn't suck her thumb! What a great product! It is wonderful!$LABEL$1 +Big Disappointment. I bought this phone in 2007 for work purposes as I work from home with a separate line. The DECT 6.0 was a big influence on my purchase decision. My biggest complaint is that it does not hold a charge at all. This is not just annoying but embarrassing as I use it for work. It used to give a warning beep at least when the battery was running low but now just cuts off. I now can barely use it for 1/2 hour at a time. It doesn't make me look professional to say the least. Any attempted use of speakerphone results in sudden death. The sound quality is not great and I have actually had interference from another person's call on the line once (I am also using Vonage for this line so I'm not sure if that's the phone's fault?! I thought that's what DECT was for though). I've ordered the replacement battery and if that doesn't sort it out will be replacing it but I'm not impressed with vtech based on this. Sounds like a known fault with this phone and I hate waste!$LABEL$0 +Funny, Exciting, and Entertaining. Although I didn't want to admit it, this movie was actually good. I had no itnerest in seeing it, but I was on vacation and my dad wanted to watch it on the T.V. movies service. I sat down and got really into the plot. Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen and Just Shoot Me's Enrico Colantoni were extremely funny. Also, the hilarious english teacher from Ten Things I Hate About You was great in this. I recommend this movie to people who don't think they're going to like it.$LABEL$1 +dog raincoat. Strong petroleum odor did not wash out. wrong size sent. Did arrive on time. I would only recomend this product for extreme down-pour conditions.$LABEL$0 +NO VOLUME CONTROL. My son received this as a gift and it has NO VOLUME CONTROL. It is horribly loud. It became an outside only toy for that reason. The handle and battery compartment broke open after being dropped outside ONCE and rendered the toy dead. Thank goodness.$LABEL$0 +This is a really awesome album!!!. Take off your Pants and Jacket is a really cool album. My mom made me get the edited version because she is against anything that has a little bad language. I have listened to it at my friend's house and it is awesome. It shows their caring side and their crazy side. Try to get the special edition version because they are a lot better. There are three special edition versions. Yellow plane. Green Jacket and Ted Pants or something like that. I have listened to all the songs and they are awesome!!!!! This albums [rocks]!!$LABEL$1 +Great for burning CDS. I use these to burn CDS and have not come across an issue to date! There are more discs in here than i think i will ever use! It fits on average about 16 songs if you were wondering :)$LABEL$1 +I'm feelin' it. Can't get enough is my favorite, I've been sweating it since I heard it in 1999. I even went so far as to take my friend's single, but I lost it. ...$LABEL$1 +Doesn't clean dishes at all. I had been very pleased with Meyer's products, especially the basil scented all purpose cleaner and cleansing powder. This product is awful. Dishes do not come clean, even if I rinse prior to washing. I called Meyer's to see if they would offer a coupon for another product since I was very disappointed. They increased my disappointment by acknowledging the the product doesn't work at all on tea or coffee stains but didn't offer anything other then "return it to the store you bought it from". terrible customer service$LABEL$0 +Forever Gypsy Rocks!. F..king Great CD!! Killer songs and music, production kind of sucks though. Can't wait to get the next one!! Buy it if you haven't yet!$LABEL$1 +Isn't It Ironic. Isn't it ironic that one of Alanis's biggest hits, "Ironic" isn't represented here? Check the track listing that Amazon provides above.$LABEL$0 +Easy to use book from a great seller. Book is comprehensive without being overwhelming. It is easy to reference. Seller shipped product quickly, good condition.$LABEL$1 +Worst Scoop Ever, Cute Case. Whoever designed this has never scooped a cat litter box and has no clue about how this scoop wouldn't work for doing such a thing. Anyone who likes this scoop must not realize there are other scoops out there that would make the job 1000 times easier.The angle of the scoop is all wrong so you can't really get any leverage. It's no surprise to read reviews about the scoop breaking. It's just not made properly to be a scoop. The scalloped edge in the front is another design flaw that leads to a poorly designed useless scoop.My poor arthritic mom has been struggling with this scoop for months, not knowing she could be in less pain and get the job done quicker and better if only she had a good scoop.I wish I could give this product negative stars for the pain it's given my mother.$LABEL$0 +definitely a swindle. An incompetent attempt to compose a makeshift compillation without knowing anything abouth the epoch. 9/10 of the stuff represents commercial pop or more or less decent music but with no relation to the hippy culture. Small Faces are a mod group and Temptations - afro-american soul. Why The Marmelade and Ike&Tina; Turner? Why not It's a Beautiful Day or Greateful Dead? Not Bob Dylan? A greate disappointment.They compillators should call it "Square bourgeois commercial pop cover versions"$LABEL$0 +Book 1, still my favorite. The first-ever Sluggy book! Introducing our cast of characters: Riff: an inventor and freelance bum who summons Satan on the Internet. Torg: a mild-mannered web designer. Bun-bun: Torg's pet rabbit, a cute talking mini-lop with a dark past. Zoe: innocent college student, neighbor, and straight-woman. Kiki: the friendly ferret who says, "Don't plan Torg's death! Stay good, Sam!" Including parodies of Star Trek, X-files, and a bonus story not found on the Internet: A Day in the Park with Bun-bun and Teddy Weddy.$LABEL$1 +Forget it!. I am an obsessive DVD collector and I adore Dynasty. Even still, I will not play this 1 season for the price of 2 game. The only way I'll get this and Volume One is they go on sale for half price. Especially since it will probably mean leaving Krystle and Alexis burning in that cabin for a few years!$LABEL$0 +Those eyebrows!!. I loved the episodes. The only thing that bothered me, was the eyebrow penciled in too drastic for Kyra's face. Instead of taking in the script, all I could stare at were those ugly eyebrows. I think the makeup artist got carried away.$LABEL$1 +Not for Serious study. This version of the Mishnah is not complete and leaves out entire tractates.The numbering does not agree with the Mishnah.Not for Serious Jewish study, lots of good wisdom but numbering does not agree with the Talmud.$LABEL$0 +a couple of good rarities. This compilation has an edited version of "Figure Of Eight", which I believe is the same as the single version. There are two rarities on this CD which are worth the purchase to the serious collector; "Party Party" is a dance number, sounding pretty much from the era it was recorded in (late 1980s). "I Wanna Cry" is a slow, hard driving blues tune. Fairly sure these tracks were recorded during the "Flowers In The Dirt" sessions, since this disc was released around the same time. This was originally issued as a radio promo disc, and is indeed a rare find.$LABEL$1 +Holes Is Kool / By:Munadi Grade 6, Brooklyn!!!. My Review of Holes is that Holes is all about a kid named Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing shoes but he didn't, but Zero did and then he dropped it off a bridge, and it landed on Stanley. Stanley fell with the shoes and the police thought that he stole the shoes from the homeless shelter. So, the police caught Stanley and put him in the military camp called Camp Green Lake. And all you have to do there is just dig holes to find a mystery object that only the evil warden knows about. This book teaches you a lesson: Don't ever steal anything because you might end up in a place like Stanley was, or maybe even worse...$LABEL$1 +Poor Audio Mix. I purchased this disk along with others to play in my Acura DVD-A system. I found the overall audio quality to be a bit disappointing...and the mix to be a bit "over the top" with surround effects. Major vocals coming from rear speakers, etc.I also found the overall sound to lack the brightness and crispness on this specific disk. In fact, the demo disk for my TL has the Marvin Gaye song "Let's Get It On" and it is remarkably brighter on that disk than on this collection.If you are looking for DVD-A disks with 5.1 surround...I'd pass on this one and maybe purchase the CD of this album.$LABEL$0 +this is so bad. I cannot believe how weak this music is. The singer tries real hard to sound like York but he sounds like an idiot because his lyrics are so bad. And the music, while well-produced, is just annoying. These guys cant write, sing, or do anything right on this album. How old are they like 12? Sounds like it.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. THE MOBILE IS USELESS. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS. I TOOK THE PLANETS BY THMESELVES AND PASTED THEM TO MY SON'E CEILING. IF THATS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO, THEN I WOULD SAY BUY THIS, BUT IF YOU THINK THE MOBILE LOOKS COOL, BEWARE, ITS NOT.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!. HP might know how to make a computer but they CANNOT make a camera that is worth buying. Camera has never taken great pictures and 5 months after the warranty ran out, the camera quit. It turns on for a second, shows an E106 error message, and shuts down. In doing some checking this means the lens is stuck. HP Support was horrible and stated it could take up to $200 to fix it!!! What??? The camera is not worth it. It eats batteries and no matter how much you customize the options, the picture color/quality is never true to life. I will buy a DEPENDABLE name brand (Canon) next time!$LABEL$0 +Not like what described. It says hand free, but actually, it is not hand free. I have to open cover many many times during the pasta making becuase dough stuck and can not move on.$LABEL$0 +good. It works better than a regular hdmi cable, how much I cant tell you you can buy it for a couple of bucks and works perfect$LABEL$1 +Instant Classic. I love these books they are very entertaining and colorful and my son loves the stories. Bought one for grandp and one for grandma for christmas!$LABEL$1 +Mila Jovovich!. Mila once again makes the bad guy zombies pay for their violent nature!All of the resident eveil movies have been action packed and fun to watch.5 star rating$LABEL$1 +Dead in 5 months. This player sat on my daughter's bedside table for 5 months...it was never dropped, spilled on, or abused in any way. After 2 months, it began to rattle. Now it is DEAD. Power comes on and nothing happens. Of course, the original warranty was three months. I purchased an extended warranty thru Amazon and will get my original purchase price back, less shipping and the price of the warranty (net about $70). We have been through several of these little DVD players over the years, but this one sets a record for the most rapid demise. Pathetic.If you are buying any of these little DVD players, get the one year warranty because odds are it will die within a year. I was optimistic and got the two year warranty...coulda saved 5 bucks.$LABEL$0 +Not up to standards of Denise Austin. I've used Denise Austin items for years and have been happy. I was not happy with this video. Her pace was too quick and she did not give instructions beforehand. There was a woman on the video who was doing the "modified" version but she didn't state that too well into the program. She changes everything quickly without notification and with little instruction in "how to". Very disappointed. I would recommend that anyone buying this video sit through it first so you can see the changes. It is not a difficult one if you are just starting out, just confusing and it does accomplish its purpose.$LABEL$0 +I rather run far than to take a walk with this album..... Tori, what have you done to yourself?!?!? This album just [bites]. I just saw you in concert, and you are so pretentious it makes me sick. All the songs sound the same, I mean, Wampum Prayer has to be the most horrible song ever made on earth. Yes, there are one or two good songs, "Wednesday" and "Gold Dust", but the rest are just horrible. I miss the old Tori, bring her back. I would NOT recommend this album. The style just has changed so much. :($LABEL$0 +Totally Lame. I believed the reviews raving about this video. I thought it might be a nice little variation of my routine.It took too long to get started doing anything. I can't imagine what good the fire breathing technique could do for you. It just seems kooky. The narrator is unseen and spooky and the chick doing the exercise is freaky with her smug little smirk. I will never use this CD, what a waste of money.I will stick with my favorites, flow yoga, cardio and weightlifting.$LABEL$0 +Imaginary Day concert at VILLA MONTOLVO. I was fortunate to have been at two of the threenights they were filming this DVD at Villa Montolvoin Saratoga,California.In as much as the performence pales in comparisonto a "LIVE" Pat Metheny Group concert the DVD stilldoes a wonderful job of capturing the essence of whatthis band it about.A no frills kind of group that isand always has been about the "MUSIC".If you want totake a nice long "TRIP" go see them "LIVE" you will neverever forget the experience.Thanks Steve Rodby and band for yourhard work and efforts on this DVD project.Can't hardlywait to see you again in November.BestBOB C.$LABEL$1 +Good but didn't last long..... I bought this and after using it about three times a week for 6 months- the watch will not connect with the heart strap. I have tried new battery, after new battery- and still no connection. When it works, it does work well. Just disappointed that it didn't last long!$LABEL$0 +I spent money on...?. If the goal of this text was to hone my editing skills and to make sure that, as a future English teacher, I can identify grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors then the publishers have succeeded. I had more luck with the preparatory materials offered on the CSET website even if it was painful to print over fifty pages after paying $35 for this test prep book. This book is dreadful and has not helped me in the least to feel more confident in my ability to take this test.$LABEL$0 +Truly Brilliant!. Gates of Fire is, hands down, one of the best historical fiction books ever written, in my opinion. One of the most incredible things about this book, as has been the case with all of Pressfield's books, is the amount of historical fact that it contains. I've read it 4 times, thus far, and love it every single time! I, also, highly recommend his lastest work "The Profession", incredibly entertaining and offers a work, from which Pressfield had to create the "historical facts", rather than simply researching them. Of which he did an outsanding job!$LABEL$1 +So cute. I ordered this puzzle to use at school with my Special Needs students. They all love it and I love that I can use the net in a few different ways. Great product.$LABEL$1 +Great for even bigger hands. Once my family started eating a lot of potatoes and sweet potatoes I found it necessary to purchase a good scrub brush as we like to leave the skin on.This is great, really cleans the potatoes and other root vegetables really well. Easy to clean and easy to use even for someone with XL hands like myself.OXO has yet to disappoint me.$LABEL$1 +I'm not insane!!. I remember watching this flick when I was about 10 years old over at a friend's house. This was a sit on the edge of your seat and hold your breath movie. At least at that age it was. However, as the years have gone by (I'm 25 years old now), I have found it nearly immpossible to find this movie. And of course my cohorts must be thoroughly uncultured, because it is even more remote to find someone who has actually seen or heard of this movie. So I'm in a record store a couple of years ago and decide to take a chance and see if they carry it or can order it and lo and behold..... This flick DOES exist!! And NOOOOOOOOO, they can't order and break my heart in telling me this. Now if only I can bide my time long enough to get my hands on a copy. My kids are gonna love it!$LABEL$1 +A must see for disco fans out there!. This movie was hilarious! Great music (though not original artists)! Filmed in Singapore. Well acted. A must see for disco fans! Relive Saturday Night Fever!$LABEL$1 +Haunting. This is a haunting book that left me feeling like I had been through the same exhausting experiences as its protagonist. A very quick, gripping read. Nothing in specific can really account for the way the writing put you under its spell except for a clear style that pulls you in and makes you care.$LABEL$1 +Big Mistake Buying It. I wrote down Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan about 5 years ago. Apparently I had heard one by this artist back then that appealed to me. Well, I finally decided I'd waited long enough to get it, and so, even though my money was tight, I said, "What the heck; I'm going to finally get it!" I couldn't wait to hear it. Boy, was I disappointed! It's been a BIG mistake! I am now going to return it. Maybe one of the others is good, but I definitely would not recommend this one!!$LABEL$0 +I cant stop Laughing. At first I did not believe this movie was funny till I started (Laughing) reading the reviews (Laughing) I wish I had a dollar for every time some one said this is not a anti-Christian movie (laughing) I would be the richest man in the world (still Laughing)$LABEL$0 +A different view of war. This shows the other side of war. Taking place in a hospital during WWI, it is excellent in giving a true picture of the English doughboy. Using real-life characters (Sigfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owens, Robert Graves)one feels the horror of war seen by sensitive poets. A good follow up to "Great War and Modern Memory" by Paul Fussell, a National Award winning book, published by Oxford University Press.$LABEL$1 +OK at first.. Doesn't appear to work any more. Didn't mind the large size and cheapish "feel". If it was still working. Price was right-and probably not worth my time to try to get any money back. So I guess it was worth a few bucks to have it for a while-kinda like renting it. I'm guessing not all readers will fail like mine so, hey, if you feel lucky, buy one..$LABEL$0 +The handle really sucks. The plastic handle is hard, and it hurts your palm. I don't like it, even though it is cheap.$LABEL$0 +tfciii. To make my review meaningful, I am at a disadvantage because I did not own a Kindle 1 before I bought the Kindle 2. Having read many Kindle 2 reviews of customers who owned the earlier model I knew of many of their negative comments.I love my Kindle 2. I find it works great even reading in bright sunlight, but it is not so good reading in limited light. Among the negative comments from those who previously owned a Kindle 1 was that Amazon advertised that no book would cost more than $9.99. Obviously, many books do cost more than that. As to what Amazon previously advertised, I don't know.It is a great way to spend time reading from a list of reading material I choose, especially when I am on the road.$LABEL$1 +Broke after 2 uses. We bought this for our board meetings and the wine opener broke after 2 uses. Very disappointed in this product.$LABEL$0 +Great for travel. Great sound even if it is small. It will not wake up your neighbors, but it is great for travel. Small, light and easy to carry.$LABEL$1 +Nice pair of locks. Good for luggage pack, TSA approved and used it all my transit,, i lock the suitcases with these locks and never seen any trouble...$LABEL$1 +Memorable drama for any baby boomer..... Thoroughly entertaining drama involving Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in starring roles about unrequited love in times of tough family values and expectations.I have enjoyed this movie for decades on TV and VHS and now complete the circle with my own CD format.Handy hint: keep a box of Kleenex within easy reach!$LABEL$1 +Pettipants. I like the pettipants, but they were not as long as the picture showed. When I washed them they shrank. They are nice for my shirts around the knee around, but do not work for the longer skirts.$LABEL$1 +not as great as we thought. although there are many piece to build a large maze, we found it wasnt sturdy. Also regular marbles wont work in it at all. It comes with smaller sized light weight plastic marbles. Unfortunately the cost vs qualtiy isnt worth it.$LABEL$0 +No captions or subtitles for the hearing impaired!. We were really looking forward to watching this. But, then, we realized that there was no way to get subtitles or captions for my hearing-impaired wife. Finally simply deleted it and wasted my money - no refund from Amazon, of course. I suggest that Amazon specifically list whether a video is for the hearing impaired. We'll not make that mistake again.$LABEL$0 +leonides. it's not the kind of music u can listen to every day , but his playing is awesome , something to marvel !!$LABEL$1 +Bob Harper dvd. I thought i was inshape till i tried this dvd with my girlfriend...been doing this for 3 weeks now and its still kickin my butt.$LABEL$1 +Cute but defective. I liked the looks of this boombox, and ordered one. It's larger than it looks, and a little bulky. The sound quality wasn't bad, but the flat knobs are a little tricky to turn.After about an hour of play, the CD stopped working, and the unit began to smell like burning plastic.I had to return it.$LABEL$0 +Over-rated. This game is a puzzle game. I personally feel that the reviews are too over-rated for what it's worth. It's kind of like Bejeweled except you can only line up blocks vertically, and not horizontally, which kind of bothers me. There's not really a storyline ... it's not incredibly fun, but will probably last you a fairly good ten minutes of game play. It's really the effects when you line up the same colored blocks and the sounds and graphics that give you that "high" of the game.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. This text does not show the advanced components of form and reports as the text promised. Even for the basic material, the verbiage was obtuse and confusing. I would not recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +How to Gett SSI & Social Security Disability. Mike has the best of intentions but... it's obvious this is a self published book with a very poor writing style. As a previous SSA worker, he has a lot of useless SSA 'speak'and loads of equally useless insider buzz words. Large print is annoying and used to take up space because he has so little to say. There's maybe 500 words about filling out an application for SSDI. The title is a lie and absolutely misleading. Do not buy it, save your money.$LABEL$0 +The only herb guide you will ever need. I started becoming interested in the use of herbs in 1999. I literally bought a dozen books on herbs, vitamins and natural remedies. This is the only book I have kept. It is my number one source for herb information. I also love the format of it. Not too wordy...just the facts and what you need to know. I would love to see this book updated and released as a newer edition but still wouldn't trade my older edition for a million dollars. Seriously, it's just that good of a tool in learning and using herbs.$LABEL$1 +This film is wonderful, heartwarming, engaging...stupendous!. Here is a perfect movie. The actors (Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jessica Tandy in particular) are credible, rounded, warm, funny, absolutely perfect. The plot is (in its way) epic, involving a long time span, with significant developments in both past and present. It is a total must-see!This film too offers tons of memorable moments. It will also supply those quotes to use when one tires of the usual Gone With the Wind or Wizzard of Oz items. You will NOT forget "Towanda," or "The Secret's in the Sauce" in any near future.This movie is a masterpiece, and a masterful presentation of some most significant lives, and of a way of life which should have survived.$LABEL$1 +swish!. Great story that keeps you turning pages. Lots of laughs along the way. Engaging writing. I particularly enjoyed the little glimpse we get of life on the non-casino side of town in Las Vegas. I've read just about everything that's been written on that city, and this is the first time I've learned what it's really like to live there. I recommend "Money Shot" highly.$LABEL$1 +This one-star rating is generous--save your money!!!. I love The Secret and own many, many manifesting audio and DVD programs, so I looked forward to Subliminal Manifestation. This DVD is awful. I would have been disappointed had I spent even $8, let alone $80 (I purchased it directly from the website).Please save your money on this one.$LABEL$0 +love my svu. Love SVU, have all 10 seasons so far, I think that Novak should come back or else they should keep Cabot but really need to stop bringing in so many ADA's. Can't wait for season 11 to be out.$LABEL$1 +FANTABULIS. great animationhot pokemonFunny box artwhat more cooood a pokeKID ( under 13 )WANTBUY IT.This is the story>ash and his arch rival picachu travel to South Hampton, England 2 see what they might c..thanks$LABEL$1 +Golding at his Greatest. Golding certainly seems to root out the very psychology that lays behind the rudimentary world of the male youth. In magnificently eloquent prose and a deeply engrossing story to boot, Lord of the Flies has deservedly been dubbed a modern classic. One can relate to the actions of the characters simply because we were all once of that age and were all once driven by the same urges, impulses, and emotions that Golding so graphically and yet so effectively illustrates. An essential read there can be no doubt......$LABEL$1 +The Dutiful Rake. Harriet Klausner summarized the plot so I won't do that here, but her 5-star review is way off. I will say this novel had such a nice beginning. A spirited and independent heroine, and a masculine but not overly domineering hero who was attracted to the heroine without really wanting to be. Well, all that burnt out real quick, and the heroine somehow became timid, and easily led into stupid situations, while the hero became thick-headed and unreasonable.I don't like novels where it's obvious that just a simple conversation between the two main characters will clear the air and resolve their differences -- and they never have that conversation until the last five pages of the book. (Sigh.) This is not a horribly bad story, and it's not badly written, but I got more and more annoyed with the plot and with the characters as I read on. I just think Ms. Rolls is capable of much better storytelling than this.$LABEL$0 +Good size but fit is hit or miss. We have a few of these. In different sizes. They go together easily. No idea why the first step is knocking out plastic parts. They couldn't do this? Otherwise assembly takes about 60 seconds. We have several of this size box and some have tops that fit perfectly. Others have tops that are too deep and the lock hole doesn't line up. It is weather resistant but not water (or insect) proof. Even when perfectly assembled there are small cracks between the pieces that allow small bugs to enter. So not for dog food or anything like that. Stuff inside stays dry. Also, if you use a lock understand that the lock is just aesthetic. A ten year old could pull the sides or back off to gain access.$LABEL$1 +Not bad. I thought this movie was going to suck. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. But the first The Hills Have Eyes is better. Of course the first movie is usually better!!!! You should give this movie a chance. Its not that bad!!!!$LABEL$0 +Horrible. I used these on my iPod. I also used these for running. the sound is ok. Very little bass and kind trebly. They lasted about 6 months then stopped working all the while they kept deteriorating. The cord is very thin and very weak. I stepped on it twice and the wiring became exposed. The cord ultimately looked like an electrical taped mess. The left channel stopped working after 6 months. I wouldn't recommend these to anyone who is going to use these for working out in any way. I suppose they are fine for commuting or general use.$LABEL$0 +short life. i purchased one in 2008 as well. mine lasted for 3 years, better than 1.5 but still not what i expected. it is still in one piece but the code came up for MAF and i'm getting the same symptoms before i replaced it.$LABEL$0 +Stop with the so called, "Inspirational Stuff". Not only outdated, this book is impracticable, condescending, and pedantic. Unless you need inspiration, spirituality, and out-dated advice, I would suggest you spend your money on more practical writing guides. Just my opinion... Good luck, all!$LABEL$0 +Swing Out Sister does it again, Wonderful. After waiting patiently for the latest edition of Swing Out Sister to arrive, I could not wait to listen to the Stylish vocal's of Corrine. From the catchy "Who's been Sleeping, to the haunting vocal's on "Make you Stay, Swing Out Sister proves they are among the very best.This cd feed's your heart and soul. Thank you Swing Out Sister-La La La mean's I love you$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I was really disappointed. There was no detailed movements. Too much talk with roughly movements. It was a waste of time and money. I'm not sure it is helpful even to the biginner.$LABEL$0 +Asleep at the Watch. Immerse yourself once again in the seafaring adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin as they roam the almost unexplored oceans of the early 17th century, and participate in the bittersweet "liberation" of Chile. The 85 year-old O'Brian's flawless dialogue and meticulous attention to detail makes this book -- like the rest of the series -- a historical tour de force. Unfortunately after 20 previous books, Aubrey and Maturin have few surprises left, and hundreds of pages filled with the impenetrable politics and minutia of daily naval life may be as stupefying as Dr. Maturin's regular doses of laudanum and hellebore for readers unaware that a great naval battle invariably lurks in the closing pages. O'Brian addicts will welcome another chance to visit their favorite characters, but people new to O'Brian should visit the earlier, fresher books of the series -- say "The Far Side Of The World."-- Auralgo$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. When purchasing this book, I expected to read about rodeo and native american life with a little romance. I did learn a lot of the native american way of life and enjoyed reading about it. The romance story line was decent, but not incredible. The only mention of rodeo was towards the end. When the author misinformed the readers and wrote that the flankstrap used in the roughstock events is tied around the animals testicles. This is untrue. The fact is that the strap is used as a conditioning tool and does not harm the animal at all. In fact, some of the animals used in saddle bronc and bareback (which are horse events)are female not male. The author needed to get her facts straight or left rodeo out of the book completely.$LABEL$0 +Haunting. After spending a summer alone, Akilah can't wait for her best friend, Victoria, to return from Nigeria (her country of birth). She's excited to start fifth grade with her fun-loving friend.But Victoria comes back a different person. She is subdued, unsmiling, and imposes a new rule on Akilah: "No laughter here." After their class views a puberty video, Victoria reveals the truth to Akilah: While she was in Nigeria, her mother had her circumcised, to make her a "pure" and "clean" Nigerian woman.Shocked, Akilah struggles to do the right thing. She is horrified by the ritualistic cruelty to which her friend has been exposed, but her own family has always taught her to revere traditional African culture. Together, Akilah and Victoria try to accept what has happened and re-learn how to laugh.Rita Williams-Garcia won the 2011 Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor for One Crazy Summer.$LABEL$1 +Inexpensive & works great. The only reason I gave this 4 stars, is that it's a little short (and I'm short!). However, the fact that it comes fully assembled & ready to use is a gigantic plus.$LABEL$1 +Avoid...or you'll be sorry you didn't. I love OXO products in the kitchen so I figured the mop would be wonderful. Wrong. The head falls off, a lot! If you try to do anything but a straight forward, backward motion, forget it, you will be holding the nice ergonomic handle and the wet dirty head will be on the floor, which you will then get covered with dirty water while trying to figure out how to put it back on over and over. And if the head is not falling off, its getting caught up in the rollers, so that the rollers on the operators side are hitting the floor instead of the head scrubbing it. Forget trying to get all the water out to do that last clean swipe. Its not gonna happen with this mop. I wonder how long BB&B's satisfaction guar is? I am not happy to spend $25 on this which got both me and the floor dirtier!$LABEL$0 +Attention grabber--you won't put it down. Sylvia Browne paints a very vivid picture of how everything looks on the other side, buildings, statues, hobbies and more. She also tells how things work when you cross over. What processes you go through before and after coming to this world. I guess we won't know for sure if she's right until we all cross over. But it is a very good book that I couldn't put down. It made me want to get hypnotized to see what my subconscious knows.$LABEL$1 +Wake up to natural healing. Hellinger teaches her readers how to take matters regarding their health into their own hands, literally. The author has brilliantly deduced and presented the lowest common denominator for your ailments. She writes about two natural methods that could save millions of lives during the flu season: the "Hellinger Hiatal Hernia Applied Self-Help Technique" and the "Hellinger Life Saving Technique of Manually Boosting the Immune System." These techniques, which the author discovered and honors, allow you to circumvent drugs and medication that can destroy and handicap the body's natural healing dynamics. Celebrate: once you've healed naturally, it's forever. You must believe in natural healing for this effective process to work.I healed myself from decades of struggle with adrenal exhaustion, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia. I no longer take any of the prescription medications I formerly used to manage my condition.$LABEL$1 +Surprisingly good.. I've read a couple of reviews that already give the gist of the story so I'll just give my opinion. I found Aphrodite's Passion so much better than Aphrodite's Kiss, the prequel. This is one of the few books that the heroine isn't an idiot. Which is a rare find these days. However, the hero, Hale, isn't my favorite type, hence the 4 star rating. I can't write what my problem with him is unless I give away too much so let's just say he's a really good hero but not great:)If you're bored with the same old thing, I recommend buying this book.$LABEL$1 +Awesome toy. I got this for my daughter's #1 b-day and she loves it. She plays with it all the time with or without the balls. She figured it out really quick and just loves the music and taking the balls from the bottom and putting them in the top. She likes that she get's to push the button that lets them down. I couldn't have gotten a better toy.$LABEL$1 +Every woman should read this book. I borrowed this book from my friend and immediately decided that I needed my own copy. It helped me to understand things about my body, that I hadn't figured out on my own. I have started charting and it is really nice knowing what is happening and what will happen. I think that every woman should know the things in this book.$LABEL$1 +Was hoping for more. Ooling is my favorite tea but this one was a disappointment. It was fairly weak in flavor even when adding extra leaves, also the flavor seemed 'off' to me.$LABEL$0 +Walk out of this movie, it'n not worth anyone's time. This movie fails to describe the main Argument and doesn't follow any stroy. It is filled with modern music and fast camera movements whcih distracts viewers from concentarting on the subject. This movie is not worth the 1 hr and 30 minutes that it demands from the audience. It is one of the WORST movies I've ever seen!$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I was a little disappointed when I got the cable in the mail... it wasn't what I was looking for.$LABEL$0 +A Worthy Follow-up. Overall, a very enjoyable album and a worthy sophomore effort from Norah Jones. Most tracks feel comfortable and familiar. That's not criticism, but I get the impression that she knows where her strengths are. The one 'outside the box' track is the rather bizarre duet with Dolly Parton. That one should have been left 'outside the CD' as far as I'm concerned. But for that track, I would have given the album 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +Piece of.... Horrible, just like other owners, the Eigen fell about 6 inches on the ground. Would not load, became extremely hot and when attempted to have serviced by RIO, they said we will fix it for $100. Hmm..let me think have you send me a refurbished Rio Eigen or buy an Apple Shuffle? Thanks but Ill pass!$LABEL$0 +Bad examples poor coverage. I've read about 30 Oracle books. I wanted to find this book useful, but after 100 pages, I could not stomach it. Bad examples, poor verbiage, lousy structure, since oracle writers have little competition, the demands for quality are not that great. I found Sams series books much more useful.$LABEL$0 +Finish bad within 1 month. After less than 1 month of use, the entire exterior of the chiminea is spotted, pitted, and streaked. It does not come off. i sent pictures off to Blue Rooster, who promptly replied that it was called OXIDATION, and could be easily fixed with a good scrub down and a couple of coats of high heat BBQ paint. I really don't feel that I should have to go through this after less than a month. If what is needed to prevent this from happening is a couple of coats of high heat BBQ paint, then why wasn't this applied at the factory? I am waiting to see how this will be resolved.The company has refunded the purchase price in full. I do not know why the finish turned so bad so fast, however am pleased with the way the company handled it. I feel that I should add that, apart from the finish, there was nothing else wrong with the chiminea$LABEL$0 +Perfect. What can I possibly add to what has gone before me? Not for everyone, this incredible tome (or, rather, TWENTY of them!) is a weighty reminder of the turbulent and varied history of the English language. Actually, it IS for everyone. One soon gets lost in the story; each page providing splendid new wonders, and forgotten comforting vistas. How did I live without it?October 2010: a few weeks ago I noticed an issue with Vol 3 - pages 890 and 892 were blank. After some to-ing and fro-ing with Oxford University Press (OUP), I was sent a reprinted copy of Vol 3, this time with all pages printed! Customer support with OUP was fantastic. OUP did acknowledge there is an issue with Vol 3 in some of the printings, and that they intend replacing all faulty copies. So, check vol. 3!$LABEL$1 +Great topic, should have ended far better than it did. Overall the book wasn't a bad read. The topic of exploring some of the sinister aspects of the Catholic world I found very appealing - especially as I am one ! Unfortunately the book started out promising much but in the end turned out a bit of a fizzer. I was left feeling a great deal more could have been done with the topic - to be honest, the ending was nauseating. However, to the credit of Mr Case (whomever that may be) it certainly makes one want to head off and find out more about the subject.$LABEL$0 +Avoid this player if you like classical music. If you like to listen to CDs where there is no break in the music between 2 tracks, avoid this player! I like to listen to classical music, and often I will program only a few tracks, e.g., to listen to one symphony on a CD with multiple works. The way it is designed, there is a break when switching tracks, so if you're listening to a movement that spans several tracks, you get a "skip"!If I'm listening to an entire CD, it doesn't happen, but it's horrible if you're listening to part of it.I've talked to the company, and it was hard to even explain the problem to them - I guess no one there listens to classical music (or other albums with continuous music) anymore. Their only suggestion, after weeks of discussion, was to take it to a repair shop. Given what I've read elsewhere, I suspect I've stumbled across a design defect, not something that can be fixed.$LABEL$0 +Hard to review this when I can't buy it due to no samples. I'd love to have somesamples. I've heard his music, and love it, but I couldn'ttell that from this site. The other reviews actually saidnothing about what's actually on the CD. Quite a price fornot even having one sample.$LABEL$0 +good movie. I recommend this product cause' is something a little different of what the horror movies offer, the drama is well written, even though there's some issues with effects and some irregularities with reality adaptation, but hey what movie in this world is perfect.$LABEL$1 +Didn't work, bought it again, didn't work again!. I bought this so-called lens cleaner twice from different sellers and neither time could I get any of my DVD or CD players to read the disc. I thought the first copy might have been a dud (it was an open box) so I bought another one. Boy am I stupid! My Panasonic DVD player won't read it, my Toshiba DVD player won't read it, my Philips CD player won't read it. I don't understand how a company can sell a product that simply won't work in who knows how many different brands of players!Don't waste your time and money!$LABEL$0 +Complete fizzle of right ear bud after two weeks of use.. I came across these to replace some cheap earbuds I got from the grocery store. I found these and was pleased with the price and the good reviews. I read some of the bad reviews, and noticed a lot were about this very problem. I thought to myself, "Oh, they probably weren't being handled well". That was definitely not the issue. The fizzle happened while I was on a trip, while the earbuds were in my ear. This was very upsetting. I found I could get the sound back for a while if I bent the cord a certain way, but it would simply go out again. They have great sound and fair noise cancelling while they are working. The problem is they don't last long. These are not worth the fifteen dollars I paid for them.$LABEL$0 +don't bother. I'm running Windows 7 and it won't install because the software doesn't recognize anything beyond Windows XP. If I had known this I would never have ordered it!!$LABEL$0 +poor quality. I saw this movie as a child so I was expecting to enjoy it again. You can never go back! That is not the worst of it.... the quality on the dvd is pretty bad, like it was recorded from a vhs and burned from someone's laptop. pathetic$LABEL$0 +Works well. I wanted covers for my kitchenaid because it is just easier than using foil or plastic wrap. I love this product. I have a 4 1/2 qt bowl and it fits perfectly. I wish the hole in the middle wasn't so deep (it pops out downward). Not sure what it is for. But the lids works for what I need.$LABEL$1 +Poor Gilbert :-(. Poor Gilbert! He must have turned over in his grave every day since this monstrosity was created.Removing the opera from Japan and dressing the characters in British 1920s formal attire takes Mikado out of context, and renders it humorless and senseless.Gilbert was a genius. The creator of this perversion is not!$LABEL$0 +What is this book about????. If there was a setting, a plot, or even a climax to this book I must have missed it! I also don't understand why Nick McDonell needed 98 chapters to write about nothing! It took all my energy to get through this book, I was bored from start to finish. Nice try!!$LABEL$0 +So short and we paid nearly $7. It was only 40 pages and the front of it says it only cost $2.99 at the stores.. So short and we paid nearly $7. It was only 40 pages and the front of it says it only cost $2.99 at the stores.$LABEL$0 +Philip Kaplan has done it again. giving it 5 stars would be a bit of a stretch, but overall I found it to be a great read from beginning to end.quite an eye opener, giving you a behind the scenes look into the seedy world of dotcoms.too bad about the ugly cover, even though that shade of red is my favorite.$LABEL$1 +Cry Baby. I also wanted to check out this book after the Terry Gross interview on Fresh Air, October 8th. Bill OReilly has made an entire career out of baseless character defamation, incendiary and intellectually weak commentary, and name calling. Yet he got completely bent out of shape because a respected journalist asked him a few tough questions. I mean really, walking out of the studio? Did Terry Gross hurt your wittle feewings Bill? I guess if you can't stand the heat...As for the book, I browsed it at my local bookstore. It's a travesty that amazon doesn't have a 0 stars option on these reviews. My advice - if you feel the need to watch a temper tamtrum in action, save your money and just watch his TV show or listen to the Terry Gross interview on audiostream$LABEL$0 +... what went wrong!. Ive been looking forward to this game for about 6 months and finially I found it in store. Unfortuantely, that store wont let me return it!The AI is shocking, the camera controls are next to impossible to use at any descent speed, and I cant get the game to run for more than 10 minutes without a crash to desktop. If you dont believe me, check out the gamespot review below...it sums up my feelings pretty well.Very dissapointed :-($LABEL$0 +Great collection. Finally found this again, after searching for it for years. Great collection of Holiday tunes that aren't in rotation very often$LABEL$1 +Attractive, but flimsy. . .. While this is an attractive teapot, I am disappointed by the quality of its construction. First, the glass is EXTREMELY thin; also, the lid does not sit tightly on the body of the teapot. The teapot is very small (which I knew beforehand)--so while it's suitable for the person I'm giving it to, I would not recommend it to those wanting to make more than 1 cup of tea at a time.For the price, I expected more. Next time, I will invest in a teapot of higher quality.$LABEL$0 +what a crock!. The book is written like the advice is magic. Its annoying. They could have just written an article on the suggestions. Not worth buying, just borrow it from the library, skim the material and send it back. Better yet, borrow the film. You get the same out of it.$LABEL$0 +Interesting reading but far from a work of science. No matter what the subject the author manages to pull a conclusion out of the data, often using his own ideas.While some of his work seems excellent, the praise went to his head and now he knows it all. Buy it used, so you won't feel like you wasted your money.$LABEL$0 +Drop-Dead Blonde DOA. This book included 4 short stories written by different authors. Nancy Martin's entry was good. So was one of the others, but two of them were awful. Bad plotting abominable editing, poor knowledge of basics of English grammar made them much less than good reading. I'm surprised Nancy Martin would allow her work to be published with such a waste of my time and all the other readers too. This book is available in paper at very high prices. I hope no one is fooled into wasting their money$LABEL$0 +Informative. My journey to "better eating and exercise" is one baby step at a time. This book moves in that same manner. You are not overwhelmed with all the things you SHOULD do. It's written in simple steps. You can choose any one at a time until you're ready for the next. There is not too much new under the sun but this book documents the latest in simple terms.Sandra Wilkes$LABEL$1 +We love it. My mother in law originally bought this book for my son last year (age 2 at the time). He LOVED it. We read it year-round. Unfortunately, he got sick on it in his bed in the fall (yes, he even looked at it in bed!) and we had to throw it away. Luckily, Santa brought him a brand new one for Christmas this year. He is 3 1/2 now and instantly remembered the book and has not put it down since. My 7 year old daughter also enjoys it, too. Of course, being 3, he likes to do a few of the same pages over and over, but i try to get him to try a new one occasionally. ;)$LABEL$1 +Oscar et La Dame Rose. This was another book our French group read and found very touching and imaginative. It drew me in and I savored every chapter. I would recommend this book.$LABEL$1 +NICE, CLEAN PRINT OF GOLDEN AGE ANIMATION!..NICE!. After watching this classic animation on DVD, I was pleased (for the most part),of the print quality,color,details,..(sound was mono) hd sound would have been nice. But, all in all...enjoyed watching it.I once had this same cartoon on Super 8 film, and this DVD print blows that film print away! I wish that the original paramount logo was on the intro, (was not), This is A MUST HAVE DVD for animation buffs like myself. It is a fun, enjoyable cartoon to watch, with great characters. I WISH SOME STUDIO WOULD RELEASE THE COMPLETE DIGITALLY REMASTERED ...BLACK and WHITE POPEYE CARTOONS, AS A PACKAGE A-Z!!!. Anyways, enjoy this DVD!$LABEL$1 +Practical Guide to New Age Philosophy and Application. This is a simple guide to New Age philosophy with some practical applications to use such as charts, visuliaztions and affirmations.$LABEL$1 +Tire Gauge Cover way too big. The 89590 Gauge Cover is WAY to big for the 2343 Tire Gauge. Amazon states " Frequently Bought Together" is the 2343 AutoMeter and the Moroso 89590 Gauge cover. The AutoMeter tire gauge comes from Amazon, the cover comes from an other vendor. I don't know who is at fault, but I am not happy. It is too much work to send the products back, so I consider the cover as a loss. I have to mention that the cover is well made.$LABEL$0 +sharpen your axe, Simon. Another colossal disappointment. Readers and seekers of factual evidence have a difficult time discovering reliable science, which this book does not represent. A scientist or researcher cannot have an agenda other than developing a fair postulate from sound facts. Good research includes all that is known first, and then confining tests to rigorous and sound analysis. Southerton does not do this, as so many pseudo scientists do. This kind of researching falls in the same category as Erich Von Daniken's "research."It's a real pity that people of any faith will cast their beliefs to the wind without first establishing the validity of an author's premise and examination methodology. They are however, of like minds, who look for an excuse to rationalize the abandonment of beliefs over a seemingly unsolvable conflict of ideas.$LABEL$0 +great informative magazine for enthusiasts. This magazine was purchased as a Christmas gift for an enthusiast. The articles are informative and easy to read. Makes a great gift!$LABEL$1 +NG. A typical pocket radio, but with an inconvenient FM antenna.Not long after purchase the volume control became noisy and continued to deteriorate with time. It is now almost impossible to adjust.I have many Sony products (TVs, FM tuner, CD player, DVD player, etc) but this little radio is a "bummer".My next one will be Panasonic.$LABEL$0 +60 dollars?!?!?. That's more than a concert ticket! Surely I must have missed the buzz that this is the most awesome music and demands a price like that, or maybe it's today's exchange rate.I can appreciate any ambitious musical effort from any country,in tune or out, rock equals guitar or not, but let's keep the distribution to realistic levels in this electronic age. Granted, I paid 30.00+ for Orianthi's Australian distributed Violet Journey, but knew from the previews that something fantanstic was going to erupt from this artist. Not going to bore you with accolades. If you know of her, you know. No musical or style comparisons here, it's about asking price and return on personal investment of the music that appeals to individual taste, but, come on man, 60.00 for a CD?$LABEL$0 +Think Pad Mini-Dock. This dock is your basic "connections" dock. It has the requisite USB ports, serial, parallel, key board, mouse and monitor connections but there is no space for an extra hard drive (could connect using the USB port). All in all it makes it easier to disconnect from a home office setup and take the ThinkPad on the road and is a good buy for the money.$LABEL$1 +Fantasia 2000. I was extremely pleased with the cost, quick delivery, and excellent condition of this DVD. I highly recommend this vendor, and would use them again!$LABEL$1 +Let me see, which world is this?. This not a story of something happening, or of people (or Spirits) doing something, but of characters standing around postulating. (Very British, I guess.) When you hear the terms the ages of Mouldwrap and Witspell you think Harry Potter Universe. But you're wrong. When you get to the part where Plato is listing his definitions, you think this will get better, it's a set up, like Douglas Adams in the Hitchhiker Books, preparing to hit you with strings of belly laughs. Wrong, some people might think Ackroyd is funny or a wit. No, he's not. Plato's world seems to be built of elements scoured from Asimov's Nightfall and Brin's The Practice Effect. If this is British satire, well then, back to Monty Python.$LABEL$0 +84 minutes of nothing!. 84 minutes of nothing! That is what this movie is all about. Some movies you wait to see what is going to happen next, 1313 is....will something ever going to happen next?! The only thing I can take from this movie is that a bunch of cute well fit guys parading in a huge hose in white underwear looking for each other.... " Adam... Adam... where are you Adam? " It is probably the only line these guys needed to memorize to play this movie. They were supposed to be in new Mexico but they didn't even bother to try not to film the palm trees of Malibu California. Even a voyeur will get bored with this movie. I can't believe I wasted my time watching this awfulness. I guess what kept me going was the hope that nothing could be so bad and something will ever happen in this total flop. Beware!!!$LABEL$0 +Go Conan!. All of the Conan movies are great, and no one fits the bill better than Arnold ;) There are some scenes in these movies though, that are....exposed....lots of nudity that I had never seen before....but that's ok, I could look at Arnold all day ;)$LABEL$1 +Dogs love it!. I recently purchased one of these for may parents German Shepard who just loves playing with it. It's her favorite toy. I bought a similar toy by the same company (birds in a nest), and my pug absolutely loves it. If your dog likes to play with toys, this puzzle will be his/her favorite!$LABEL$1 +Good, clean,funny movie!. Very funny-good cast-just a good movie to watch when you need a good laugh!! You can't go wrong with Tom Hanks!$LABEL$1 +A great book. Robert Cormier did a great job on writing this book. "I am the Cheese" is a great book that makes you think which you don't encounter often. It is full of suspense and drama. It is confusing at times but at the end it all comes together. The book was so interesting it was hard to stop reading. My favorite part is at the end when the title comes into play. I would recommend this book to any mature reader who likes suspense and drama.$LABEL$1 +Unsatisfying. I think Schickler wrote this book after one too many martinis, or after reading the New York Post for three weeks straight. It attempts to look at both the underbelly and the inner lives of yuppie New Yorkers. The use of the apartment building as a framing device is interesting, but it ultimately points out the book's weakness: a thin plot, and some rather misogynistic, anti-woman writing. Schickler is really interested in the story of one woman, Evie, and the two roommates who both want her. That the story is ultimately sick and simplistic is dissappointing; but that Schickler makes us wade through some sort of mediocre, almost-unrelated chapters on other apartment dweller is worse. Read the gossip pages instead.$LABEL$0 +I cannnot believe I paid $85.40 for this!. I ordered this speaker new. I was sent a used one that was covered in dirt and FOOD. It was also missing the power cord so it couldn't even be used. The instructions manual was missing as well. I would advise everyone against purchasing this speaker from Galactics.$LABEL$0 +To bury the present to preserve the memory!. RDA: October 1990. Alex's mother, a devoted and convinced defender of the Socialist ideals wakes up after eight months in bed. It's to say she never realized about the transcendental changes.Alex is afraid to tell her the truth about Berlin's Wall and the arrival of the capitalism at East Germany, due the fact she can get worse after her first stroke out. So he decides to create an Island of the past where nothing has happened, a sort of memory's museum making her believe nothing has changed.A fabulous dramatic comedy which plays hard with many items all the way through.Amazingly directed by Wolfgang Becker, awarded as the Best European film in 2003.$LABEL$1 +Pumpkin B utter Candle. I just received this new scent - Pumpkin Butter. It has no smell what so ever!! I am very disappointed as I have been more then pleased with the past candles I have ordered from Woodwick.I am very disappointed and will return this candle. Don't know if it is a flaw in this candle or if this is suppose to be the scent. (I received the large Pumpkin Butter Large Jar ) Returningthis candle for sure.$LABEL$0 +Fiction. We have to remember what this book is: Fiction.Well, Dan Brown, I guess I won't be seeing you after I die.$LABEL$0 +IF YOU CARE ABOUT TWEETER SOUND DO NOT BUY THESE. got it installed rather easily but the sound was empty in the higher frequencies VERY TINNEY. if you don't care about the quality then get them. these are very poorly made speakers. it is not a good deal$LABEL$0 +Book 4 - eh. I'll keep it short ...while you will wade through it, waiting for ANYthing, book 4 pretty much sucked. Didn't stop me from buying book 5. Even with the apologia at the end of 4, it was still not a very good book. Book 5 is getting back to speed ... we'll see...it's getting back to the characters I want to know about (tho, C1 totally baffled me). Oh. I'm a Tyrion fan.$LABEL$0 +Her best album. Janet Jackson's best album by far! It all seems so old-school now, but still great music with then ground-breaking rhythm, style mixing, and lyrics. Good stuff!$LABEL$1 +Good Price - Hope you like to yell. We bought this phone only because it was the cheapest with Caller ID and an answering machine together. We were constantly hearing complaints from people we were talking to that we did not sound loud enough. The sound on our end was just as bad! If you like to yell this phone if for you...If not, look for something better.$LABEL$0 +healthy, lightly sweet instant oatmeal. I enjoy many of the Kashi brand items, so I thought I would give this one a try. The flavor is light and not too sweet, which I didn't mind. But I noticed two things that put me off a bit: 1) orange bits, like tiny pieces of carrot, and 2) grittiness. I know Kashi adds healthy extras to their products, but the texture was not something I was used to.$LABEL$1 +Not there for the long run ...!. I bought one of these and am the only one to have used it. After a year or two, it began to stop popping the complete eight tblspoons that had been prescribed. Half of the kernels at least were left in the popper at the end of the popping session. Don't know if it doesn't heat up properly now, but it was treated like gold and simply is not a good machine. Someone needs to reinvent the older models which were fast and reliable and easy to clean. They put the current machines -- at almost any price point -- to shame. I'd be CRAZY to own another Stir Crazy ....$LABEL$0 +This reference is oversimplistic. Check it out in a store before buying it online. This book is written much differently than the Harvard Med Guide to Men's Health (which is an excellent book and a good read.) I am a health professional and I was disappointed to find that this book is indexed for use as an alphabetical reference and it is written in (too) simplistic language. Moreover, the explanation of where the research and conclusions come from (large research studies like the Nurse's Health Study, etc.) is absent. As a desk reference, this is a weak resource and as a comprehensive summary of Harvard Med conclusions, it also lacks cohesive, integrated organization.$LABEL$0 +Seriously?. I'm stunned by all the positive reviews of this book. For me it was unreadable. I found the romance to be a "wham-bam" kind of thing, the hero stilted and uninteresting, and the entire tone of the book felt like something written by somebody with no idea of the mores and history of the Regency period. I know this isn't true because I really enjoyed Putney's "The Rake".This book was just painful. There are actually moments when one of the daughters comments on her parents' behavior by saying something like, "There go the Parents again, misbehaving!" It was more like Gidget than something you'd associate with the 18th century. I guess there must be a huge market for heroines who act like they are from 2013, but are stuck in the 18th century, because that is what this book felt like.I'll read more Putney because I've read several of her books that are quite good. This is not one of them.$LABEL$0 +Good Remote - works great with most equipment!. I bought this remote from Amazon! Great value! I haven't turned on the RF capability yet. IR works very well on most devices (My Epson Projector, Pioneer Receiver, Panasonic Blue Ray player). I am having significant trouble with the Comcast set top box connected to their anyroom DVR. None of the codes given in the book work. Apparently the cable box requires a 5 digit code and the remote only provides 3 digits. Has anyone else run into this problem before? Would appreciate some feedback!$LABEL$1 +Call it something by another name!. To edit a book in order to make it into a movie such as 'The Fellowship of the Ring' did, is very common place and acceptable. After all squeezing an epic reading experience into 2 hours is impossible. On the other hand what happened in 'The Two Towers'(?) is like splatting some paint onto a canvas and passing it off as a Picasso. To alter the inherent nature of a main character is a crime against the book, and no longer worthy of it's title. Peter Jackson could just as well have started from scratch and made a great movie, but let's face it, he wanted to cash in on a much loved classic, not honor it.$LABEL$0 +High quality to buy. I just bought not long time ago, I still didn't use it because I bought these 2 pack brush head for keep instock but I will use them very soon. Right now I am using Elite (E-series) brush head, It is very good quality. I don't have to go to dentist every year anymore.$LABEL$1 +Narcissism run amok. The tale of freed slaves finding their way is decent stuff, worth retelling. But Huffman spends so much of the book talking not about slaves or their descendents but about himself, and the lots and lots and lots of sorta boring research he had to do, and how he really, really didn't like having to go to Liberia. Bummer, dude. Perhaps another author will give this topic the treatment it deserves.$LABEL$0 +Piano music. Part of this is a sample on Windows 7 and the music is Sleep Away and it is beautiful to listen and you can also buy his CD's online. Listen to your sample at least and hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.$LABEL$1 +Dull Noir Wastes Fine Cast. Strong performances by Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan cannot save this dreary RKO crime drama. Based on the Bartlett Cormack play, "The Racket" (1951) has little spark and few surprises. Ray Collins stands out as the corrupt DA, but second-billed Lizabeth Scott gets saddled with a nothing role. Not even an uncredited assist from director Nicholas Ray could enliven the noir potboiler.$LABEL$0 +REALLY Wonderful Snack!. I have now ordered these Honey Graham Sticks twice and we all love them. My kids adore them and I do to. There is no guilt eating these wonderful snacks and I will surely order them again.$LABEL$1 +Tasty Chunx Abound!. How fortunate was I to pick this album up the day of release! And What A Release! Lemmy & his Bruise Brothers fire off a few more rounds to nail ya down! Premier selections include: Shut Your Mouth, Mine All Mine, Brave New World, and my personal fave, Voices From The War! Please do yourself a favor, enjoy the 1st song on the disc, skip past the 2nd & then Buckle In!$LABEL$1 +CD Quality. The quality of the CD I got was awful. It sounded like a pirated CD, the music was not clear - it's like being played from a tape. I can hardly hear the voices of the singers. The volume varies from one song to the other which made it hard for me to play it for my son on his sleep. I'm pretty sure it is not my player 'cause when I played the Baby Einstein CD I bought from Target, the music from that CD was crisp and clear.$LABEL$0 +Great alert. I received the alert system 6 days after ordering it. One day I was heading out the door with my kids on a nice, partly cloudy day when we heard a loud alert coming from a room on the other side of the house. I hadn't heard the alarm before, so we went to check it out. The radio alarm is loud, so it would definitely wake you in an emergency. The weather channel was alerting us that we were in a tornado warning. I got the kids and we went to the basement. About 3-5 minutes later the tornado sirens started going off outside. The alert system gave us several extra minutes before the outside alarms went off. A tornado did not come through our direct area, but it was nice to know when to head to safety. You can set the alarm to sound for many different watches and warnings and for different county areas. With all the extra storms this year, I thought that this could be handy and it already proved it works great.$LABEL$1 +Order cancelled without warning.. I was buying this CD for a friend and the order was cancelled, with no e-mail explaining why, just a letter from Amazon basically saying "F-you. You are not important, move along"Needless to say I would avoid this store at all costs.$LABEL$0 +Same Name - Different Product. As of November 2005 Amazon is shipping "Version 5" of the WRT54G. Thing is - it's a completely different product than they've been shipping for the past several years. Whereas Versions 1-4 were incremental tweaks to the hardware, Version 5 is a completely new entry, with far less RAM and running a completely different operating system (VxWorks). All previous versions ran Linux and were known for their high quality and reliability, as well as the ability to use upgraded firmwares. See other comments here and on other linksys-enthusiast sites - this new version is a turkey. It may be selling under the same name, but it's no different than if Mercedes started selling a Kia witha a trident hastily slapped on it. I've purchased a dozen of the real WRT54G's for friends and family but this is the end of the line. Some say a WRT54GL is available in Europe for our friends there that want the good one (same as version 4 here). Versions 1-4 got 5 stars; this one gets 1.$LABEL$0 +Love this stuff. I love this cream and am also disapppinted at how hard it is to find. It absorbs well into my skin without being greasy.$LABEL$1 +Microphone is Weak. The microphone is way too weak to be able to sustain a comfortable conversation. You get what you pay for in this case.$LABEL$0 +I'm definitely in the minority here...but that's okay.. I have a five year old daugher who has been a "blankie" kid since she was an infant. Let me just say...this book scared the bejeezus out of her. After reading the book to her, she asked if we were going to cut up her blanket now that she's in kindergarten.We donate books to the public library regularly and this will be in the next batch.$LABEL$0 +Nut seized up on first try - had to cut bolt!. Amazon you should remove this item from your store. It is expensive and flawed. As many other reviewers have experienced, I couldn't remove the nut from the bolt after the first application. I had to cut the bolt with a Sawzall to remove. I got this for Xmas and didn't try it until yesterday so I am beyond my return date. Terrible experience all the way around!$LABEL$0 +Highly readable and provocative. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to talk with John Irving at a dinner party? Wouldn't it be fun to run into the likes of Timothy Findley at the Second Cup and be able to ask him what inspires his writing and what he thinks about the meaning of it all? Most of us are unlikely to have sucn encounters. However, in the spirit of our age of virtual reality, Douglas Todd has provided us with the next best thing. In Brave Souls, he offers interviews with 28 of North America's most intriguing and artistic souls. Patricia Murphy, Catholic Register$LABEL$1 +Breaks easily and the WORST customer service. Had to send the base unit back TWICE due to it not charging the handset. Was able to send it back after many, many phone calls and explanations to the rep. Have had this phone for less than one year and already hate it for it's unreliability and lack of functions.WORST customer service I've ever encountered. Well, except for Dell, but that's another review.I recommend the Panasonic MultiTalk. It costs a little more but worth it.$LABEL$0 +Disappointment. Couldn't understand what the British actors were saying and it jumped from one year to the next with no explanation. I had high hopes, but thought it was very mediocre.$LABEL$0 +Well Researched--and Too Much So. Kaplan is an excellent researcher. His book is also boring as all heck, too. Dickens, in my opinion, is usually quite funny, or poignant, or both. Don't bother, unless you're doing a paper on Dicken's kidney problems or his friends, and who cares?$LABEL$0 +very eye-opening. i loved what chernin had to say about the importance of telling your mother-story over and over until you reach a place of understanding with your idea of your mother as a person. i feel like i am doing this now and this book was a wonderful guide - great stories by all the women.$LABEL$1 +Not great. Having heard the track "This bitter land" from this album and "Sober" from their next release I expected more from this album. Unfortunately "This bitter land "is the only track I like at all. It is certainly an original and interesting sound they have, but not a great album for my taste.$LABEL$0 +What a read!!!!!!. This book has a very different premise...time travel to the time of Jesus. The story was very researched and a thrill to read. I loved the subject matter as it combined both "thriller" and religious aspects. It made me think, laugh and cry! I highly recommend this book!$LABEL$1 +Full of lies.... When you do not come from an Arabic country, reading this book might be extremely horrifying because of the events that take place in the story. However, if you are an Arab then you know that the events stated in this book will never occur. Saudi Arabia is a country, it has rules and laws, and there are many mnay laws that protect women in Saudi Arabia regardless of what this book says. Many of the information about the Islamic religion is false as well. If you want to read a book to get a sense of what women's lives are in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world then do yourself a favor and do not read this book! Our lives, thank God, are wonderful. We have our rights, and we are equal to men. There is no law that demeans women in the Arabian world. I am an Arab, I am a woman, I come from an open-minded society (Kuwait), and yet I am strongly against this book because it does not speak the truth.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Energy. I am a relatively new fan of techno and I must say that I find BT to be consistent and energetic. The thing that attracted me to techno to begin with is the complexity of rythym bound together in one presentation. BT does this beautifully, and the first time I listened to "Godspeed" I had goosebumps. BT drew me into this world, as he was the first artist I was introduced to. I have just purchased two of his other works, R&R and ESCM and will review those later. For anyone who is looking to get into techno, I recommend BT. Warning: Do not listen to over and over again, like the NC gent mentioned. It is true. It's like a great movie, you wish you hadn't seen it already so you can enjoy it for the first time all over again.$LABEL$1 +Great thermos!. This is a very good thermos. It doesn't leak. The only problem is it is bigger than I planned and doesn't fit inside my briefcase very well.$LABEL$1 +Did not receive this item.. It has been one month since I placed my order for this item, and I have not as yet received it. Am I ever going to get it? Nothing to review.$LABEL$0 +Battery eating mouse. Works as intended, but Logitech says in manuals to expect 4 months of battery life from mouse. I'v owned product for about 6 months and changed the mouse batteries 3 times so far, less than 2 months per change. Not very "green". Listen, I can afford the batteries, but--call me deluded--I expect more. Logitech has work to do ...$LABEL$0 +Xtreme Machines Inside the Ride. Awesome and unique CD. If you are into motorsports, this is about as close as you will get to being at the controls without spending the hundreds of thousands required to own one of these beasts. Get it.....you will not regret it!$LABEL$1 +worst ever. I bought 2 of these and they are the worst sharpener I ever owned never got it sharp enough to slice paper and most of the diamond grit come off the fingers and just left a big mess of dust I would never ever buy this again or recommend it to anyone!!!!$LABEL$0 +Another great Star Wars soundtrack. First of all, I would like to point out that I do not own this exact soundtrack but the older collecters edition. I am writing the review on here because the reviews for the other soundtrack are for the movie, not the score. I highly doubt that there is any difference in the music though.John Williams' final installment to the Star Wars soundtracks is just as good as the previous ones. The epic fleet music to the Emperor music is fantastic. This score is a bit darker than its predecessors but that's a good thing considering the story involved. There is a lot of great music in here that should please just about anyone.$LABEL$1 +A Little Book on Basset Hounds. A review of: Basset Hounds A Andrews and McMeel gift bookFirst of all, this is a tiny book measuring only about 3 inches by 4 inches, but it's packed with interesting and useful information as well as the predictably adorable photos of basset hounds. It starts with an informative history of bassets then gives a detailed description of the "breed standard", the characteristics judges use at dog shows. Then there's very practical advice about choosing a puppy, caring for and bonding with your puppy and some general information about training and care. There's still a lot to know about raising a dog that isn't covered in such a short book, but a surprising amount of information is included between these tiny covers, and it takes at most half an hour to read it all.$LABEL$1 +Hilarious. I brought the DvD because I was curious about the whole falling out that The Game had with G-Unit. I was surprised at how the the Boroughs of New York embraced The Game and shunned G-Unit. The Game walked around New York Talking to people (Something that 50 can not do without getting Robbed) asking them how they felt about 50 and G-Unit and it was not good. The Game actually had jokes which made the DvD entertaining and funny.$LABEL$1 +Great Price. Product arrived on time and as describes. The great Price made it more than worth it. yes yes yes yes$LABEL$1 +Worth the Money. I bought this for my teenage daughter. My niece recommended it for her. At first I thought it was way too expensive, but after buying two other cheaper flat irons that didn't work well for her, I am convinced I should have just bought this in the beginning. It gets very hot which is needed for coarse, thick or curly hair. Highly recommend it!$LABEL$1 +souvenir doll. Sweet porcelain doll in blue dress was purchased as a souvenir for my granddaughter who appeared in "Cinderella" in our local community. My granddaughter loved the doll, who came with her own doll stand, and represented the work she had put forth for the play. This doll is a "character doll" and not suitable for play for young children. It is fragile.$LABEL$1 +Surprisingly disappointing. Perhaps I expected too much, but while this book is amazingly comprehensive, it is also amazingly amateurish. Almost every entry is filled with opinions - how does one separate facts (an encyclopedia is supposed to have facts in it, right?) from Gray's perspectives? It feels like reading something from a freshman writing seminar.$LABEL$0 +Zagat Hits the Skids. Although the ratings are generated by questionaire entries, the writing is within the Zagats control. This book used to be witty and entertaining; now it seems as if a high-school English class was hired to do the writing. The ratings and addresses are useful, but what happened to the prose??? Boring.$LABEL$0 +This movie was never that good.,. I also do not know why they bothered with this limited edition gift set. The extra disk does nothing except waste your time.$LABEL$0 +My Hands Definitely Didn't Clap.. Boring, not as good as the first one. Would make you think the first one was a bore too. Sorry Toby.$LABEL$0 +Improbable characters that work. Who else but Elmore Leonard could come up with a phony priest and an ex-con standup comic as his hero and heroine? I'm guessing the Catholic Church left its marks on him in one way or another because he's had Catholic characters in other books, most notably TOUCH and BANDITS. I went to Catholic school, and the title PAGAN BABIES alone was enough to stir memories and draw me in. (And a tip of the hat to the person who thought to put a mission box on the cover. Perfect!) Leonard unfolds this story of scammers and scumbags with a deft hand, giving us a generous helping of his signature humor and bull's eye dialogue. No one writes like him, and thank God he's so prolific. The man is a national treasure.$LABEL$1 +The Book of Chapin Opens Up. This was the first album I ever bought. At the age of ten (okay I was a weird kid) I cleaned out my parent's garage in exhange for this album. Harry is king of the story-song and some of his best are here. The world became aware of Harry with "Cats in the Cradle" but that song only scratches the surface of his talent. "What Made America Famous" is an excellent story of common-man heroics in the face of adversity. "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" is a light-hearted story of a fateful produce delivery gone awry. "Halfway to Heaven" explores a bored, married man's inner conflict with his beautiful young secretary and his dissatisfaction at having experienced so little in life. Like my other Chapin favorites, it is a song that expresses real emotions and the drama of everyday life. It is an even, somewhat somber album that doesn't come close to matching the energy and heart of his live performances, but it is an outstanding album and a good Chapin starter.$LABEL$1 +Good Enough To Keep Me Playing. Don't have to worry about batteries or re-charging batteries anymore. Since it's cheaper than the original ones, the material is expected to be cheap too, especially for the buttons. But if you're just going after something that will work and keep you playing then this should do. The wire is long enough but I use a USB extension cable to make it longer and reach as far as I want to.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected from Sting. I got this as a gift for my Husband, but after we both listened to it we were very dissapointed.$LABEL$0 +revenge is sweet.... I sat and watched all of season 1 in 3 days...I couldn't stop...it is fantastic. Can't wait for season 2 to start$LABEL$1 +Chamberlain garage door opener. I had the purple learn button on my unit so this product worked great for me and it was shipped very fast.$LABEL$1 +Looking for something efective. Bought the product because last year my dog, a wonderful big Golden Retriever had a serious desease from ticks, and the products we had been using did not provide good enough coverage for ticks. Have applied it today because I just came back from the States and will see if it works.....our vet said it's very good, so we hope the dog will be effectively protected and able to go to his everyday walk, everywhere.$LABEL$1 +Really great CD. I bought this for my daughter, to use for her singing lessons. Brilliant that you get both instrumental and vocal versions. Perfect for us.$LABEL$1 +Do not purchase, have a snooze instead.. Lewis write great books, but this is not one of them.Liar's Poker was a great read, even read it a second time last Christmas. However, this new one trades on his reputation far more than the content.Let's get to the point - it's boring.$LABEL$0 +Brecht's Alienation. The book is a good guide on tracing the evolution of the notion of alienation in theater. A different route from the naturalistic theater tradition, alienation aims at "extracting" emotions in theater and sticking with the message and aim of a play. Peter Thompson's work indirectly traces the idea of showing that acting is just plain "acting". He does this by reviewing the various experiences of staging Brecht's classic "Mother Courage and Her Children". For actors dreaming to just plainly "act" in theater (acting a character and not being a character), the good is a good guide. For those dreaming to be the mother in Mother Courage and The Mother, Shente in The Good Person of Setzuan, and St. Joan in St. Joan of the Stockyards--learn from this book.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. Gergen's book is awash with name-dropping, inside baseball, and self-serving reminders of his proximity to power and his influence,,,although the evidence of whether any of the truly powerful accepted his advice or were influenced by him in any meaningful way is scanty. In my judgment, it has been his willingness to pander which has made him a "bi-partisan" figure, rather than true intellect or political savvy (a la Moynihan).I find the book to be the same as the man,,,narcissistic and full of self-promotion. There are much better views inside Washinton.$LABEL$0 +A bit thin. Ladder of Years was my first experience with Anne Tyler. I was only mildly impressed, because I thought the development of the plot was a bit thin. The book incorporated many real-life situations and emotions, but Tyler was too vague in her descriptions. Tyler left too much to the reader's imagination, which made it a bit difficult to really connect with the characters. It was a constant guessing game throughout the book as too what Delia was really feeling. It was almost impossible because of lack of description to decipher the real reason for Delia leaving, and whether or not she was justifiable in doing so.$LABEL$0 +Beautifully written summary of scientific knowledge. This book is a terrific, elegantly written (and occasionally funny) summary of the scientific understanding we have about cats. Among other things, its useful to know what is really demonstrated and what is just folklore. And yes, cats are just as unique as we think they are. Although solidly based on research, the book is written in a journalistic style that is easy to read. I am a high school biology teacher and read a lot of science, Budiansky is one of the very best of the popularizers. Parts of this book are so eloquent, I plan to read them aloud to my classes.$LABEL$1 +Poor quality. I like the lightness of the bulb. But the quality of the lamp is very disappointing. It stands there in tilt and the screw is hard to adjust.$LABEL$0 +Emancipate Us.. This cd is great and the re-release promises to be better. It's worth the price just for the 5 videos you will have...Then 4 new songs.. What a package and Mimi fans don't mind at all..Heck it'll make a great gift for someone else if you already have it.$LABEL$1 +good buy. Sometimes hard to find black tv trays so I ordered these. So far so good. just what I was looking for.$LABEL$1 +Choppy - could have been better.... I agree with other reviewers - 2 hours is insufficient. It seems like the movie is broken into 3-5 minute segments of the most important scenes in the book. It's very choppy, rushed, and doesn't really explain anything. If you watch this (and haven't read the book), you're going to wonder what the hell happened between certain scenes. I thought the cast was great, but the movie just didn't flow. If you're looking for a good adaptation, check out one of the BBC/Masterpiece Theatre productions; they never disappoint.$LABEL$0 +Too Bad!. I ordered this book from the "Used Book" section on 4/12/09. Today is 5/13/09 and I still HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT. I guess this supplier wasn't such a good choice after all. TOO BAD!$LABEL$0 +Great Buy!. Best backpack I've ever owned! Plenty of useful pockets. If you're not sure what to put in all those pockets, it even has little square hardware symbol logos sewn into the inside of each pocket... and there's a legend in the main compartment that explains each symbol. The handle is a big plus. It wears comfortably, and is made of water resistant material. The Mp3 pouch holds an external HD perfectly, though it's weight makes the bag slouch, especially when the main compartment is open. The file pocket is great for keeping bills and other paperwork separate. Great design overall, my wife wanted it when I walked in with it on my shoulder... I'll have to get her the Metro by Ogio, she liked that one too. Very nice laptop backpack in every way.$LABEL$1 +fuzzies up in the wash. this blanket was beautiful when it arrived and I washed by itself it before use. It got fuzzies ALL over it, plus a big ball of fuzzies in the dryer screen. I tried washing it again and using a different brand of dryer sheet and still fuzzies and another ball of fuzzies in the dryer screen. I tried using a tape roller on it (like for pet hair), it got some of the fuzzies but not all of them. but of course they come off and stick to my clothes! I will try putting this in the dryer again on no heat, to try to get the fuzzies off.this is too bad. I've purchased from Warm Things in the past and had good things to say. this blanket is a real dud. assuming i can't get the fuzzies off with an hour in the dryer on cool i will be contacting Warm Things to see if i can return this.UPDATE: Warm Things allowed me to return this item. Fantastic customer service!! Absolutely would order from them again.$LABEL$0 +really?. This movie is a joke. The story line sounds like it fits on a napkin and was made up by improv people within 2mins. This movie makes no sense, none of it does. Things are horribly obvious, stupid, and badly put together. I dog dreams better movies than that. I was more than disappointed and frustrated with this movie. Total waste of time to watch this, because at the end you feel even dumber for sitting through it that long.$LABEL$0 +Flows through you like water. Tori's music is always reflective of her life, like any artist. At the same time, an artist continually explores technique to add to their base of knowledge. Tori always injects these things into her music...that is what makes her the great artist that she is. To Venus and Back...the new material...is more about atmosphere than clear expression of emotion ... more evident on Little Earthquakes. I like the fact that the words and their meanings are not so immediate...they too become atmospheric. She is masterful at the use and combinations of sounds and uses her voice more instrumentally here. I am a big fan, and this recording (live set is excellent too... those pining for "the old Tori" will appreciate it) is as great as all her other ones.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. The Descent is one of my favorite films by far. I was surprised when a sequel was announced. To me, the first film (uncut version) resolved everything. My greatest fears were confirm when I finally got to watch The Descent Part 2 over the weekend.What were they thinking! Leave well enough alone!$LABEL$0 +Wonderful Look at Gay Life in the British Fifties. Neil Bartlett's The House on Brooke Street is a wonderfully written look at the repressive 1950's in Britain. It has the erotic charge and the creepy paranoid (with good reason) fear mixed in equal measures to make this novel feel vivid and authentic. The unnamed lead chararcter takes the reader through his encounters and furtive loves through the decades to when he writes it all down in 1956 in a very compulsive manner that is sad and lonely with the thin shadows of anger, rebellion and triumph creeping in on the edges. It is an evocative look at a time but also a look at a time about to change. A very knowing, readable novel.$LABEL$1 +Excellent and detailed reference. The coverage of the topic is broad and deep. It is one of the few introductory books that devotes some space to transfer function modeling and does so intelligibly.A must have for the novice as well as those more familiar with the topic that need a solid reference.$LABEL$1 +One star. Great pictures (for black and white), including of the tombs of some of the great Chinese Muslim saints; but regarding content the author displays very little interest/appreciation for the religion of Islam; he presents a book that is quite "fuzzy around the edges," with very little regard for the vast wealth of Islamic/Sufi tradition in China, including the Naqshbandiyya (Khuffiyya/Jahriyya) and Qadiriyya orders. One would wish to see in a book like this much more probing and intelligent representation of these truely fascinating people, the Hui Muslims.$LABEL$0 +The best companion to your coffee mug. Picked up this SACD based on the many positive reviews here and I must agree. The album is highly repeatable without fatigue. If you enjoy relaxing music mixed with soft vocals, then take a chance and in a few weeks, you too will be writing the next review.$LABEL$1 +Terezin revisited. Beautifully sung and played. Reminds one of the Berlin cafe music from the 1920s, which is probably where most of the composers found their niche. Sad to know that these people didn't survive, but their music lives on!$LABEL$1 +revisting my childhood. I had already seen this movie in the past, the fact that I had a "craving" to see it again should say something! It is a chick flick there is a ditzy blonde character nothing more than a light fun comedy to relax..........$LABEL$1 +How a uke should sound!!!. I have been a fan of the ukulele since growing up in Hawaii and hearing some really good players. IZ of course is a favorite with his ability to make a few clear notes have so much feeling. Troy in this CD captures some really great uke playing and has the ability to have a lot of flourish without going over the top(easy to do I guess). There is good feeling with some very complex playing. I would highly recommend this to someone new to the uke as well as those who have loved it for many years.$LABEL$1 +interesting. I thought the book, being short, was well done. I'm not a tolkien, the man, fan, myself, I just like the books he wrote. It was short enough to keep me interested and didn't go into tolkien worship. He was a man just like any of us. White didn't go into intense depth like some of the other authors, who border on tolkien worship. This book is for those who want to skim his life, his associations, like C.S. Lewis, his wife, etc., to see who he really is really quickly and go on. The few supposed 'errors' as some other reviewers put it, are completely outweighed by the many facts put forth by the author that paint the picture as it is done in other works, but at 30,000 feet. Like I said before if you want more depth and concise tolkien history go to some other book.$LABEL$1 +Funnier in memory. I remembered this as a really funny movie, but wasn't all that amused by it. I guess humor changes as times change.$LABEL$0 +Alan Dean Foster's best work. I rate "Nor Crystal Tears" as Alan Dean Foster's best work, and as one of the best books I have ever read. It is a masterfully written story of first contact. With rarely a dull moment, it really is worth reading.If you haven't read anything by Alan Dean Foster, this is a good place to start.$LABEL$1 +One of my all time favorite Jane Austen movies. "Persuasion" is a wonderful book and this is a fantastic movie version of the book. I had a VHS version of this for years and finally picked up the DVD.The cast is spot on - without "big" names to which the script is molded around. It is very true to the book - and evokes in the viewer a lingering wistfulness of what might have been.My recommendation is to read the book first and then see the movie to see the characters brought to life. If you are not a reader, you will still enjoy the beautiful story of a love that survives despite all odds against it.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money, bought and immediately sold!. I heard one song and hated it immediately! Don't even bother!$LABEL$0 +Remastered Audio should be called UN-Mastered re-do. "The Colour Collection"[2007] is NOT Available Anymore, I hope.This is the same 'collection' of recordings as "20th Century Masters", Millenium Collection released in 2003. Billed as (remastered), a better designation would be "Un-Mastered". The audio is flat dynamically on the newer release[as if compressed or limited for dupping purposes].Not to worry, I returned the disc for a refund. I Love You, AMAZON!$LABEL$0 +Great Screwdriver. Great screwdriver saves space by not having to carry two !quick change works greatcan't find them in stores like this !will buy more just to allways have one$LABEL$1 +Save your money !!. These DVD's are junk. I have tried half of the spindle and can't get one to record. I have used two different burners and niether will record them. They either spit them back out with a message such as "unrecordable" or they record half way and then spit them out with different error messages.They must be made in China and should be recalled. I'll stick with Memorex.$LABEL$0 +Great glove for the price. Made with a tougher leather this gloves lasts WAY longer than other more expensive gloves. Sure the other gloves have that super soft leather, but with that comes accelerated wear and tear. Often times the expensive gloves develop minor tears after just one game. These gloves will last you most of the season. I found that I often lost my glove before it wore out. The only drawback is that the hand tends to sweat more in this glove, but if you remove it after every shot you won't have a problem.$LABEL$1 +Not worth $60.00!. I saw all of the positive reviews for this body pillow and drooled over it for some time. It seemed like the best one on amazon. Boy, was I wrong! I'm pregnant and the first night I slept on it was horrible. I woke up with pains in my shoulders from the seams so I removed the cover that came with it as I had read about in other reviews. The next night, same thing. After a week of this I finally gave up. It takes up most of a queen sized bed and I found it didn't give me any support where I needed it. I'm 5'5 1/2'' and slender. No matter what position I was in the pillow was still very uncomfortable. I put it in my daughter's room. Seems the only thing in this house who liked it were the cats. Now it is just taking up space. I would recommend buying a body pillow without any seams in it because for me it just cut into my neck and shoulders all night long.$LABEL$0 +The weakest in an otherwise decent series. It seems to be the habit of most fantasy writers (or perhaps their publishers) to forever stick with the characters and worlds that made them famous; this pattern can be witnessed over and over again in the fantasy genre (see R.A. Salvatore, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, et al). The result, unfortunately, is usually books like this. One gets the feeling that even Brooks has grown tired of the series. The plot is nothing any faithful reader of Brooks isn't familiar with by now, and the literary execution is, to say the least, uninspired. Sadly, however, I'm sure that as I write this, Terry's publishing company is pressuring him to come up with yet another Shannarra novel, perhaps this time an epilogue to the series. What a waste of talent.$LABEL$0 +completely worthless product. I just tried EnurAid and found it did absolutely nothing to solve the problem. I wonder if it's just a placebo because it has absolutely no effect whatsoever. Please take this useless product off the market and above all, stop taking people's money for it.$LABEL$0 +Works great, when it works. This is my 4th wireless mouse, and the only one that I've owned that is sufficiently smooth and accurate for gaming. Its also reasonably easy on the batteries. Ergonomically, its great. Just one problem, and its a big one. Sometimes it just stops working. Sometimes re-establishing the connection through the control panel will work, sometimes not. Sometimes reinstalling the drivers will work, sometimes not. Sometimes absolutely nothing can be done to get it to work, but then the next day it will be working fine.If the mouse spirits are kind to you, you'll love this mouse. If not, you'll curse it$LABEL$0 +Trap. I read reviews on this trap and was excited to give it a try. I placed and set the trap as described, but was very disaapointed with the results. The gopher unbelievably was able to defeat the trap many times, packing the trap with dirt but not setting it off and being killed as descibed by the manufacturer. The spring on the trap is too week, and the trigger is of poor material/design. I'd stick to the "Vitor" brand black box, as it works good on gophers not experianced with trapping techniques. I finally decided to hook a metal dryer vent tube up to my cars exhaust pipe, ran the other end of the pipe down the hole, let the car idle for a while, and killed em dead.$LABEL$0 +Another fitness trainer jumps on the bandwagon and falls off. Very weak attempt at covering weight training for golf, I already do more in the gym than this book suggests. Nutrition chapter was especially disappointing$LABEL$0 +this book is boring. It took so much effort to get through this book, and I'm not even sure why I read the whole thing--I must have been really bored. If you want to read a book full of stories about wealthy teenage boys who can't decide which ivy league school to attend written by a man who clearly thinks academic achievement is the single most important thing in life, this is the book for you. And most of the stories sound fictional; maybe that's just because Pollack isn't a talented writer.I gained nothing from this book and I want my money back.$LABEL$0 +Stats Class Workbook. The workbook was missing the key software that will be required in the course. VERY UNHAPPY. I wrote customer services and was not offered the missing software, but only to send it back. I need the workbook for my class, and the class is in its fourth week. I have since ordered the software from the manufacturer.Jim McShane$LABEL$0 +BEWARE: These gloves run very SMALL. I typically wear a medium & could barely get my hand in the glove. Go up one size, I need to return mine for a large (at least).$LABEL$0 +Rudyard Kipling and India folk talkes. This is a classic folk tale which tells about the domestication of animals. One after one, from cow to cat, the animals become friendly to humans. The CAT is the last animal, and it refuses to fall for the perceived enslavement. Then the woman has to become creative and entice the Cat to join the family.$LABEL$1 +Recommended. We were recently at the falconry at Ashford Castle in Ireland. Our excellent falconer guide mentioned this book as the definitive read about this type of wonderful bird. I ordered it for my husband and he is enjoying it. The book itself looks like it stood on library shelves for a time and was discarded. This makes us like it all the more.$LABEL$1 +I don't know what to say.... Nobody buys a CD advertised like this! What are the pieces Rubinstein is playing on this CD??? Tell me that and I might purchase it.$LABEL$0 +Some good ideas, and some good research. This book has some good ideas, i enjoyed it. The author knows more about the government than some want to believe. You have to check on some of the "cures" yourself - do more research if you want to be sure.Those who only review "the author" really should not buy his books. If you think he makes more money than the government OR the drug companies, youre wrong. I've worked for both for many, many years.$LABEL$1 +My bad. I should have read what this was better before ordering it....I hope to get use from it...but not to bright.$LABEL$0 +Save your money!. Product does not work. You have to hair at least a quarter inch in length, according to their directions for it to properly work. Ladies are not going to let their chin hair grow to that length in order to use this product. It certainly does not work with hair less than 1/4 inch. It is similar to waxing anyway.$LABEL$0 +Not missing much. Buried Alive revolves around a group of college kids who soon learn that the demonic spirit of a woman murdered in their vacation house is out for blood, and guess who's in her axe-wielding sights? Robert Kurtzman, best known as partner to gore effects gurus Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger (hence, KNB Effects) and the original scripter for From Dusk Till Dawn, directs Buried Alive, and sadly it comes off as another derivative, uninspired slasher flick that provides little in the way of scares or suspense. The acting is atrocious and the story is cliche and oh so predictable (for the most part), but Buried Alive does have a few good moments of note, including some nifty gore effects and a small role from Saw's Tobin "Jigsaw" Bell, who himself up's the creep factor just by appearing on film. All in all, Buried Alive may be worth a look for die hard slasher fans, but those that don't see it won't be missing much at all either.$LABEL$0 +A Good Buy?. Don't bother with this book unless you want to read a novel worthy of a daytime soap opera. There's nothing but melodrama here. The characters' cookie cutter emotions end up reassuring readers rather than transporting them to a place where they stand to gain a deeper understanding of human life and its complexities.$LABEL$0 +Software stinks. The card is solid. Getting it to work on Windows XP is another matter.With blank drives, couldn't download from web or from CD to the floppythat it requires (file is 32 MB, floppy holds 1.44MB)With drive with data on it, couldn't get the program toput the drives into RAID 1. Vague user manual. No online or phone support.Taking it back for refund.$LABEL$0 +Father Ted collection. It will be the perfect gift for my husband. We were introduced to Father Ted while on a recent trip to Ireland and will enjoy watching the collection. Thank you for having it available!$LABEL$1 +EXCITING ACTION. ANOTHER THAI ACTION DVD WITH SOME HUMOR TOSSED IN. A MAFIA GANG FORCES A MARTIAL ARTIST TO STEAL INFO BY KIDNAPPING HIS BROTHER. BIG MISTAKE !!$LABEL$1 +Great Films, Lousy Set. Believe all that you read about the defects of this set. There is freezing/skipping in every film in the set that I tried to watch (4 out of 8) and the manufacturer will not do a thing about it. They ignored two emails from me that were very detailed and explicit about the dvd set's issues. Luckilly Astro Video, the Amazon retailer that I purchased it from were good enough to do a return for me. Although I rabidly want these films in my collection, I will not buy this set again until all the issues have been corrected by the manufacturer. Don't be like me, believe what you see written here and steer clear!$LABEL$0 +Yawn yawn yawn ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Diamond Dave is a crap album. This guy was only cool with 2 guitarists, Eddie VH and Steve Vai. As for this album, boring covers all the way through with a naff version of Icecream Man. All you can tell from this is that DLR has lost all direction. He couldn't get back with VH. Other musicians have dropped him. Perhaps it's time he retired. After all is getting old now.$LABEL$0 +Don't Buy this.... I loved this toy at the toy store but then we came home and tried to get it working and we hated it. Don't get me wrong the IDEA of the toy is great. But the company that makes this toy should worry less about the money and getting it out on the market faster. In the long run, they'll just loose money. If I could change this toy I would make sure the coin and money withdrawn and DESPOISTS work. Instead of a card maybe their should be a combanation like for other safes. When I came online to check out the reviews I reliezed I wasn't the ONLY one wit this problem!!$LABEL$0 +Deceptive advertising!. I agree with Troy. In addition, the picture is misleading by not showing the type of electrical connection. It turns out that this product is not a standard 120 plug, (U.S.) It appears to be a 220 volt plug and renders it unusable to the average consumer. Even though I have the ability to make it work, I do not have the interest or time and do not recommend this product.Get Real!T.L.$LABEL$0 +not good. The book was not what I taught it was. I was really looking for a color wheel guide to beading. This book did not meet those requirements.$LABEL$0 +Very poor quality MADE IN CHINA. Received the shamino bicycle and in bold letters on the box MADE IN CHINA. I started to not receive it and have it returned. I took it home and was doing the minor assembly and noted the machining of the fasteners was terrible and the nuts were loose on the studs/bolts they were fitted on. Packaging was just ok...........there was a loss of paint on the seat post from rubbing something. the tires inflation is rated for 45 to 60 lbs. I was pumping up the rear tire after doing the front tire and got to the 45 lbs ok.............then got a loud pop and the tire blew out very loud. As i write this I do not think this bike was advertised made in china........if you want a good dependable shamino bike buy a used one that was made in the USA. Amazon should not sell substandard made in china items.............I learned my lesson about Amazon and you should also.$LABEL$0 +Good concept, poor content, lacks detail. The video covers what could be interesting and important joint locking and joint control techniques. But the videography is terrible. It looks like they had the video recorder on a tripod 10 meters away and filmed this in one or two sessions with NO closeups. Even though I am an experienced martial artist (17 years), and aficionado of joint techniques, I could not figure out the hand and finger positions the people used and described in the video. The subtitles had poor English so additional detail could not be gained there. From the distance the techniques were shot it looks like they have some interesting methods and techniques, but there is almost no way even experienced practitioners would be able to apply these without multiple trial and error sessions. I gave it 2 stars because there is potential there, but all and all it is a disappointment.$LABEL$0 +Killing Time - Different but Enjoyable. I enjoyed this book. I salute Linda Howard for trying different types of story lines. Don't listen to the negative reviews. If you are a Linda Howard fan, read it and enjoy. I know you'll love the end. By the time I closed this book - I was very satified and had a smile on my face. I will never miss a Linda Howard book!Don't forget to read my very favorites - After the Night *******, Open Season ******, Shades of Twilight ******, Son of the Morning *********, Dream Man ******, Dying to Please *****.$LABEL$1 +Info about Virgo Degan. Virgo Degan's first album, entitled "Yes, it is.", was produced by Chuck Henry of 10 West Productions, and released to critical acclaim in the fall of 2003."YES, IT IS" is an eclectic mix of digital and progressive rock, trance and ballads from LA-based vocalist Virgo Degan.Track Listing: 1. Bourbon Drive, 2. Stop Sayin' That!, 3. Just You and Me, 4. Can I Go On?, 5. Stop Sayin' That! (Dark Trance Mix).$LABEL$1 +Far from a triumph.. Blackmantle is in my opinion a hugely disappointing effort from Kennealy-Morrison and is symptomatic of a slide that has occurred in the quality of the series since the Copper Crown ( a truly superb book ). I agree with the comments about it being a thinly disguised autobiographical novel and it got far too mystical in places -not enough essential action. I await the arrival of the Deer's Cry on this side of the Atlantic with a touch of foreboding- especially given some of the comments I've read on it$LABEL$0 +Dangerous nonsense. Such a shame. I saw the book advertised on TV and was intrigued. But within the first few chapters I began to question some of the logic. For example, from Chapter 2 "Consider this--animals in the wild such as chimpanzees do not get sick!" ... at which point I thought, erm, yes they do? Then, as I was asked to consider more and more "startling bits of data" that were clearly suspect I started to get really suspicious about about the author and the authenticity of what I was reading. So I Googled him. I suggest before buying this book you read his Wikipedia entry. That, and other references, have made me decide to throw this book in the recycling, and satisfy my interest in naturopathy from an author who's much more legitimate.$LABEL$0 +Would Not Recommend this Toy. My 2 year old son received this toy as a gift. Although he somewhat enjoys playing with it, I was seriously disappointed with the functionality of the click bricks.First, the click bricks don't 'stick' together well. If you pick up two joined sections or try to reposition them they fall apart -- very frustrating for a 2 year old!! I think the magnets are way too weak. Some of the magnets don't work at all!Second, you can't really build much of anything with the pieces in this set. They have some neat pictures of built projects on the box, but good luck recreating them!I would absolutely not recommend this toy. My son has MUCH more fun playing with his Mega Blocks and with his basic wooden alphabet blocks. Hope this review is helpful to you!$LABEL$0 +Sennheiser RS-120 Wireless Headphones. Excellent sound, but fits like most headphones. I expecially liked the padding around the ears. I thought it was a good buy for the price. I use the set mainly for watching TV, so I don't wake my wife, and it works great.$LABEL$1 +Weight Loss. Great product for the price!! I haven't seen much loss, but my craving for food has decreased throughout the day!$LABEL$1 +At first I liked it. The cream is smooth, unscented and non-greasy. It didn't dry out my skin and it didn't cause breakouts! (I have combination skin) I thought I had a winner! However, after going through a complete tube, I realized that the cream didn't work. It didn't moisturize, reduce wrinkles or fade age spots. Nothing. I've had other Alpha products and they are always excellent, this wrinkle cream just didn't work for me at all. Unless they tweak the formula, I wouldn't recommend.$LABEL$0 +laughable!. I have to say I had my hopes up when I bought this book, but this book is non realistic, who has time to explore their bodies, for hours on end. It wasn't disgusting in anyway but the terms she uses for body parts some times I could not stop laughing! Rose buds, petals, love bud I mean come on who uses terms like that? I certainly don't and never will!!!!! Good Luck to the next person who reads this book!$LABEL$0 +Cross Mini Gel Rollerball. This refill was what I expected and I am enjoying using my Cross pen again.$LABEL$1 +tough to beat. I have to say I'm totally hooked on this show, I can't wait to get the next season on dvd! As a doctoral student in clinical psych I'd say it's probably the closest thing to real therapy that your going to see on tv or movies, it's the closest I've seen. Of course it's sped up to fit one client into one season, but it's pretty accurate in its depiction of how a psychdynamically-oriented clinician goes about work. The fact that he does his own personal therapy is a major plus for the show, it gives you a great view of the human side of the therapist that you don't see when he's the therapist. Overall, it's a great show. If you like this type of therapy (psychdynamically-oriented, non-manualized, etc.), or if you have had some of this type of therapy yourself, I'm sure you will really like In Treatment.$LABEL$1 +bad deal / rip off. Don't buy this. I bought this because it was recommended in other people bought this section, when I order my Slime COMP06 Pro Power Heavy-Duty Tire Inflator. It doesn't work, when I turn on the power switch on the pump the red power light on the adapter goes out and nothing happen. No worth the price to send it back. (JUNK)$LABEL$0 +I'm returning mine. I just received my SanDisk Cruzer Micro with U3 today, and it's going right back where it came from. If you don't use THEIR software's eject, you get an error message the next time you insert the USB key. This wouldn't be a problem, except that their software is sensitive to certain settings that I have, and _disappears_ from my screen before I can click on the Eject button. Hardware should not be settings-dependent. Also, if the USB connector is retractable, there should be a flap to prevent dust from gathering inside.$LABEL$0 +Great giraffe but seam tore. I was given this giraffe at my shower. I love it and was hoping my son would too. Within 2 weeks of use (just for music as my son is too young to interact with it) the seam has opened up and the leg is falling off. I don't know how this happened as it hasn't been used much. I feel like it was just not stitched well. I have contacted the company so I hope they will replace the giraffe.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful Film!. This film is the best Little Women film to date! Claire Danes was not the best Beth, but very enchanting. Winona Ryder did a superb job as Jo. Kirsten Dunst was very funny and enchanting as young Amy. Susan Sarandon was wonderful as Marmee.$LABEL$1 +really bad book. I am glad I didn't pay money to receive this book. I got it at the library's free table. I started to read it and found that it was full of violence. I stopped reading it and threw it away. Our society is violent enough w/o books having violence in them. So I threw it away and hurled it way back in the trash bin so nobody could reach it, it was just so bad. I would give no stars if I could.$LABEL$0 +Megadeth's sound is huge... this just sounds weak. I too was psyched for this DVD. I've seen the band several times the past couple years, and think they are pumping on all cylinders. However, the sound production on this DVD just really disappointed me. There is no punch to it at all. Honestly, I have trouble watching it for this reason. I've heard the cds sound better, I am a huge 'deth fan so I may gave them a try. But this DVD left me feeling empty.$LABEL$0 +On my top 5 list of favorite movies. This movie was just simply amazing. If you are the type of person who easily feels other people's pain then you may need an entire tissue box after the movie is over. I felt everything the movie wanted me to feel. Guilt, remorse, sadness, and even happiness. I don't understand why people would totally dislike the movie just because of a few factual mistakes. There are thousands maybe even millions of movies that don't get the facts %100 right. I hate when people look for the negative in things and then forget all about the positive. If this movie didn't move you to want to at least consider donating you have no heart..regardless if the facts weren't all right. I cry every single time I watch this movie. Will Smith is a wonderful actor and he deserved every award for this movie. My copy of the movie got scratched so I immediately went on to Amazon to search for a new copy.$LABEL$1 +dark and depressing. I love Angela Hunt's books because they are all different. Unfortunately, I knew I was in trouble with this one when I read of Mark's favorite pastime. From there, things went from bad to worse. The book depressed me, possibly because it addresses the afterlife and I was just looking for a good inspirational read. I also had trouble understanding if Ms. Hunt was really trying to describe hell, purgatory, or was merely using poetic license to get readers to take stock of their relationship with God. If the latter is the case, she succeeded. However, I do think that any book that addresses such a dark issue needs to thoroughly counterbalance that darkness with the Hope we can have in Jesus Christ. Kudos to Angela Hunt for tackling all topics, but I will probably not recommend this book to any friends!$LABEL$0 +Great Guides. I ordered both Barcelona & Madrid before my May trip to Spain- saw them in the Magellan travel catalogue a couple weeks before I left town, and thought these might be helpful. As it was my first time in Spain and I speak only a little Spanish, they proved really helpful, much better than carrying around a guidebook.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy!. I have had some real problems with this software. And the customer service at Pinnacle is terrible! The always tell you the same thing, "Uninstall and re-install".When I would burn my finished product onto VCD, deleted scenes or something would blink in and throw my movie off sync. Talk about annoying! I am sure there is software better than this out there. I am going to try Adobe Premier now and I hope I get the results from it that I need.*Mac users praise the computer gods for giving you Imovie!$LABEL$0 +Well, if you are a true Beatle fan..... I have been a Beatles fan since 1964, and I have distinct memories of the band's influence on my young life. I saw Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be in the theater when they were first released. This film has always been the Holy Grail of Beatle fandom.Now that I own it, I can honestly say I understand why it took so long to release it to the public. That thirty years of isolation, locked up in a vault somewhere in London, only improved its standing in my imagination, not on actual film. The BBC was right to bury this. As a film, or television special, it's horrible.But as a fan, I had to have it. Now, that's all I can say about it; I own it. When will Let It Be be released?$LABEL$0 +what happened to the romance. I really liked the previous books in this series a whole lot so was very excited when this book came out. I read it and there was no eric or bill, so no romance involving sookie. That is what I like so I was very disappointed with this book. I hope definately dead is better but it doesn't sound like it will be.$LABEL$0 +Have GPS Will Travel. It is just fantastic. If Columbus had one of these , the history of the world--- , well who knows! I love it. The voice is harsh and the pronunciation at times is tough to follow. But all in all do not leave home without it.$LABEL$1 +Essential Batman. I absolutely loved this boxset, almost based completely on the special features of which there are a ton!! Obviously the movies are here, and they look and sound great. But the main thing would be all the special features. Nice buy for any Batman or action fan.$LABEL$1 +Tedious and Endless. This film presents an interesting but sad story about female miners who were living in an impossible situation in Northern Minnesota mine country. However, the presentation of the fact that these women were constantly hassled on their jobs and in their community is way overdone. And nearly every single male character in the movie is portrayed as vulgar and evil, with the exception of one miner's husband and the lawyer who takes the harrassment case to court.This movie tedious and neverending, and much of the dialoge is so "movie of the week." Skip it.$LABEL$0 +Outstanding Bible Survey. I was handed this book by my Youth pastor in high school, and it helped me form the foundation of my personal faith. I am currently leading a group of high school guys through the book and they also are loving. Great for new or old christians who want to start their learning in the bible and theology.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy this toy!. I bought this for my 9-year-old son on his birthday and it is totally useless. As other reviewers have noted, after a few firings, it jams up and the more the bullets jam, the more damaged they become. Furthermore, it's hard to find replacement bullets. This was a total waste of money and I doubt we will ever purchase a Nerf gun again.$LABEL$0 +this should be your civ pro bible. If you are taking Civil Procedure, this book should be your Bible. Period.$LABEL$1 +HORRIBLE!!. This item is cute and supposedly "protects" little fingers from being cut. This item is horrible and useless - I am returning this junk. It is comfortable and fits well in my hands, but as you try to cut your little one's fingernails... it is impossible. The "skin guards" around the clippers make it IMPOSSIBLE to cut nails accurately. I am disappointed... sassy usually comes out with really great products... NOT THIS TIME! EPIC FAIL! >:^($LABEL$0 +Informed Decisions - 2nd edition. As an owner of the original "Informed Decisions" I was thrilled to see that there was an updated edition. I purchased the 1st edition when afamily member was diagnosed with cancer and it was a wonderful help -notto try to make decisions, but to know what to ask the doctors.I purchased the new edition in order to try to do the same for a familymember with oral cancer. What a disappointment!!! I expected to findupdated info about staging and survival rates, Not there!! Just a generaldiscussion that is not any more helpful than the information in ageneral use medical text, such as Merck's, Johns Hopkins, etc. If agood text is needed, find a used copy of the original "Informed Decisions" and check the data with your doctors.$LABEL$0 +Good price but poor quality. The seat foam was poor quality/ low density......not comfortable. Don't feel that it would have held up for very long.$LABEL$0 +I watched it 3 times in one day.. I notice how this movie didn't get rated with 5 stars. Maybe because Owen Wilson is always funny with ben stiller by his side. But I gotta say he pulled it off without B.Stiller. Not all can relate to this movie. I know I wish I had someone to fend off the bullies while I was in school. LOL!well, my fav part was when Owen ( Drillbit) told the kids to find a common ground with the bullies. So the fat kid had a free-style (rap) competition with the main bully. Except he only made the bullies more furious and embarassed them.there are other funny parts in the movie but this just made the movie..to me anyway.$LABEL$1 +Fan of old musicals. Still well done by this fabulous duo. Its in color, but I prefer black & white. Still worth the purchase price.$LABEL$1 +An odd and enchanting writer from Denmark. Hoeg is known in the States for his mystery/exoticica Smilla's Sense of Snow, but when addressing his fantasy/real world body of work he falls into the rarified atmosphere of South American novelists who mix a crackling good story with elements of fancy. Yet Hoeg's fancies are dark and brooding and compellingly written. Bravo and more please.$LABEL$1 +warm hands, warm heart. Bought them for my daughter who is off at college in NJ, because she couldn't find them in stores. Arrived on time, nice packaging.$LABEL$1 +let down. Willing to give it some more time but this record is a big let down. It's still Supergrass so there are lots of great vocals and band personality but the songs are largely insignifigant. Where is the weight?"Prophet 15" and "Run" are all that keeps me from smashing this thing over my head and into one hundred bits. Run is a top 15 Supergrass song but low on that list. Prophet 15 would have made a nice b-side surprise. Something is rotten here.I saw it coming when the last album was dominated by weak material but I did not want to believe that it could happen.The last album has some gems though that more than save it and seperated Supergrass as one of the true musical leaders of this pale generation.Why could this not have continued?Let down. Who is next to fall?$LABEL$0 +Useful for a beginner. I bought this book hoping to pick up a little bit of the language that so many of my friends speak.Although it is no substitute for personal instruction, I found this to be quite useful. I learned a few colloquialisms, and the author interjects some interesting culture notes here and there.All in all, I'd say it's work the couple of bucks to pick it up. Recommended.$LABEL$1 +Sopie and the Bfg make a very good team.. When Sophie first met the Bfg she was scared. They became friends and at the end the rescue was very entertaining. I think other people should read this book because it is a delightful book.$LABEL$1 +Sucked!. I was really hoping for some good chuckles on my hour long commute to work. This didn't give me any chuckles. It was more cringe worthy than anything. I'm hoping his other stuff is better and will give it a try, but I would recommend skipping this one.$LABEL$0 +Ashes to Ashes, Boring-to-More-Boring. Looking over the reviews, I can't believe I'm reading the same book! I am sooooooooooooooo bored, I can only read a few pages before falling asleep at night. Yet, I am plugging on because I did read Tami Hoag's last book, "Ashes to Ashes" and found it engrossing. The only reason I don't just QUIT reading this book is because I've never done that before and I am curious enough to want to know what happens. I can't recommend it to others, though. Do a crossword puzzle instead.$LABEL$0 +Good read - though gratuitous in parts. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and would have given it 5 stars except I felt some of the story line was overly gratutious.$LABEL$1 +A perfect book for young Star Wars Fans. I think that this book is middling in complex wording, probly created for kids around the ages 8-12. Even though it was a bit slow, and I prefer more complex wording, it was a fairly good book as far as the plot goes. For older readers seeking Star Wars Books, try the Young Jedi Knights series, but this book is a perfect book for a younger reader.$LABEL$1 +Poorly Written Book. It is a great story idea, but the writer made it predictable and trite. There were many long dialogues where nothing was actually said. I was horribly disappointed, and I live in the town the story was set. That in itself should have kept me interested...or maybe not?$LABEL$0 +Did not get the product I ordered. The product I ordered was the large version of this book. What a received was a smaller version. Not what I wanted. Extremely disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Out of This World. I love M.I.A. She experiments with music like a scientist does with lab rats. Crazy beats, untouchable energy I love it.$LABEL$1 +Excellent protein supplement. My son recommended this for my recovery from heart surgery six months ago. My wife and I have been taking it ever since. I think NOW products are good across the board, and this one is particularly good. I'd recommend the "natural" flavor over the "Dutch Chocolate." The natural flavor doesn't require a much to constitute the same amount of protein, thus saving money, and the natural has a very neutral flavor. We use it in a smoothie every morning with lots of different nuts and Green Vibrance and a banana. Makes for a very filling breakfast. I think this product really helped in my recovery.$LABEL$1 +The Best Despite Others' Criticism. This book was one of the BEST I have read in a long time. It takes a fantasy sci-fi book to a new level. It was supenseful, intriguing, and a renewal of faith. A great way to say "what if God had made a place other than Earth..." Overall: This deserves six stars.$LABEL$1 +Worst album ever?. I would give this no stars if that option were available. The only interesting thing about this album is that it is mentioned by Thomas Pynchon in Gravity's Rainbow. Amateurish, pseudo-psychedelic pseudo-folk of the cheesiest, silliest, most inane and cloying sort. Do not listen to this album. It may be hazardous to your mental health, especially if you attempt it with trendy chemical amusment aid. No redeeming value on any level, even as an artifact of silly psychedelia. When I had to move I threw it in the dumpster.$LABEL$0 +Repetitive, boring. Too long, too repetitive and almost no dialogue creates an extended agony that sometimes might be confusing.$LABEL$0 +No NON. Monotonic dribble. This is definatly the ... NON release so far, asides "Might". I can only recommend NON's "God and Beast" or "Easy listening to the Iron Youth". If you are looking for a good noise, look for titles from Merzbow, Painjerk, Deathpile, Whitehouse, Masonna and others. NON is way too over-rated.$LABEL$0 +Inaccurate Sizing. If you have a larger breed dog (GSDs, Labradors, Huskies, etc.), beware of the sizing.I decided to buy one of these muzzles for my 9 month old German Shepherd for when he goes to the Vet. The sizing information on the packaging and the website are all way off so I didn't really get to test it out. They both suggest a size 3 for GSDs, but in reality, the size 3 is half of what my dog would need. And my dog is standard size, so he's not over-sized or anything.I returned this and ordered a Size 4XL. Hopefully that will fit.$LABEL$0 +Great price and functionality.. I was looking for a compact electric kettle that would be good for travel. The Proctor Silex K2070Y 1 Liter Electric Kettle was the best choice I could find, and the price was very attractive. It is a very useful and mostly well-designed unit. Lightweight, compact, easy to see the water level, easy to see the "on" light, and fast. Two and a half minutes to a boil (filled at the minimum level; enough for one large cup). The only down side is the on-off trigger sticks up and might break off during travel, and the pouring screen (inside the spout) is not very secure. It has come loose several times inside the pot. All-in-all, a very good product.$LABEL$1 +Good stuff. This thing is just as advertised. The hose is good quality. It is well built and works very well.One word of warning: This thing is HEAVY. Think through what you are going to mount it to and how.$LABEL$1 +Captivating. An excellent book. Jennings story gives a child's account on a very profound and important subject matter. I discovered once I began reading his book, I could not put it down. I strongly recommend it--a most captivating narrative of what a child had to endure.$LABEL$1 +A delightful twist on an old favorite. My four year old daughter adores this book. Already a huge fan of the classic Cinderella story, she found this book at the library and enjoyed it so much I had to purchase a copy for our own collection. The illustrations are bright, colorful and clever. The story is long enough to hold the interest of a child who is ready to move beyond single-sentence storytelling, yet not so long that it takes forever to finish the book (always a plus if you have a child that is always trying to negotiate for just one more book before bedtime).$LABEL$1 +My cat love it!. Great Supplement!! I got both the one for dogs, and the one for cats. They all love this supplement very much! The only reason I am rating it 4 instead of 5 because the tablet is slightly too big for my 15- year- old cat, so I have to powder it to put in her food. It would be great if they can make manufacture one in a powder form.$LABEL$1 +Great guide but needs updating. This book is excellent for both the novice and experienced eBayer alike. Everyone who uses eBay regularly should be able to take something away from this book.As a previous reviewer has stated, some of the tips are common sense, and come straight off the ebay site. However, its great to have these tips in one place and easily referenced. This can serve as a checklist for your own buying and selling procedures.PS: Second edition has now been released. Make sure you are buying the new one.The one big negative - no coverage of the latest 'bid sniping software'. This automates your bidding, allows better planning, does not increase the sell value early in the auction and maximizes the chance of winning (by placing a bid in the last seconds of auction). This software isn't highly publicized by ebay.This is a great book, but look out for newer texts covering the latest auction software.$LABEL$1 +Yummy!. This is great for settling the tummy.And for those of you wondering if you can use this syrup for sodamaking with something like a sodatream - Yes you CAN. Each bottle will make between 2-4 litres of cola depending on how strong you like the flavour. So, slightly more expensive than sodastrems flavours, but WAY BETTER TASTING and no artificial sweeteners.$LABEL$1 +Teaching Strategies for Nurse Educators (2nd Ed). I really enjoy using this book, it was one of our recommended books for the Masters of Nursing Education class. Have already used it a lot as a resource for my Nursing Education Practicum clinical log and other papers that have to be written with references.$LABEL$1 +Awful "voice" for this character. Selma Blair did not understand this character. Her tone of voice is really unappealing. I am very disappointed and will not use this in my class. Poor product.$LABEL$0 +Can't beat this - easy problem free. There is nothing to say really, I have no problems,I support 5 major formats, it is small, and user friendly. I would recommend this to anyone! I had this for about a year now and still no problems.$LABEL$1 +Not to my liking. I'm not sure what everyone is talking about in the previous reviews. We had this for a bookclub and several members, including myself, found the religious overtones offensive. The author appears to be pious and judgmental. Just because you think about a sin doesn't make it a sin! Would not recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +Excellent magazine. I received my first issue much sooner than expected and I'm pleased with the informative articles and wonderful photographs in the magazine. If you're a horse lover, this magazine is sure to please.$LABEL$1 +FOR COLLECTORS ONLY. This 1955 effort for Prestige is marred for me by vocalizing on 2 tracks and rather loud congo playing from Candido on several others. Fortunately Bennie and Charlie Rouse returned to the studio several years later and recorded BACK ON THE SCENE for Blue Note. It is much the better of the two and is included in the 3 CD box set which gives you 5 LPs worth of music,including SOUL STIRRIN--WALKIN AND TALKIN and more.$LABEL$0 +Horrible!. Forever was forever boring. I enjoyed the first ten pages and then it was all down hill from there. I've been told the first two books by McCann were far better, maybe I'll give those a try.$LABEL$0 +5 scenes too late.... Everything seemed okay, but when we went to watch it - and tried over and over again, the movie skips the beginning scenes of the movie. I was very disappointed at a product that was supposed to be in new condition. The DVD is useless.$LABEL$0 +A Good Knot Book. This book gives clearly illustrated instructions on tying many very useful knots. It organizes them under headings of Sailing, Hiking and Climbing in which they are most commonly used. The author includes the strength of most of these knots which describes how much they weaken the lines in which they are tied - often leaving less than 50% of the original strength of the line! Some knots do not hold well when bending (you will learn the definition of this term, as well as "hitch" and "knot") together two ropes of unequal size. Maybe you should use a different knot? Budworth has a suggestion!This book is both useful and interesting thanks to the inclusion of a brief history of each knot. It did not change my life, but it did change how I secure my anchors! I recommend it!$LABEL$1 +Look great, work great.. I've owned a similar set of these for 8 years that came from the dealer when I bought my car. They've been great and totally trouble free so I bought these for my old truck after recently purchasing new tires/wheels. These fit great on the longer studded 3/4 ton and 1 ton axles. Let's not kid each other - if a real thief wants your tires/wheels there are relatively easy ways for them to get any wheel lock off. For the modest price, however, why not try to at least deter the casual thief? These fit the bill, look great and come with a great warranty.Cheers!$LABEL$1 +never recieved my books. i never recieved the book because you messed up with the shipping. I got my money back a month alter for it but i still never read it. i will never buy anything from amazon again. noone even offered to resend the book free of cost which they should have because i waited for it for so long. 3 different books i had this problem with.$LABEL$0 +Time Travel & Pseudo-Scientific Jargon. Time travel and what-have-beens are among my favorite type of book. Highly recommended are Anderson's TIME PATROL, Piper's LORD KALVAN or Dann's TIMESHARE series.However, Mr. Parkinson has produced a plot with a minimal storyline, characters with confusing pasts, presents and futures, a knowledge of history which would not do justice to a ten year old and glossed over this dross with mathematical constructs and scientific jargon in a mish-mash of nihilism. Having received the enire series plus his TIMECOP work, the best I would note is that Mr. Parkinson's writing is of a consistent level -- unfortunately, that level is poor.$LABEL$0 +Vornado EH1-0028-06. EH1-0028-06 This is a very dangerous product, The cord gets extremely hot, causing the outlet to turn dark black, I notice a burning smell and checked the heater and the outlet was on fire. Luckly We were able to put the fire out before it caught the house on fire, I would not recommend this product to anyone. If you do buy it or already have one check the out let often!!!$LABEL$0 +Wonderful performance of Swan Lake. First thing is to say that indeed, today, you can find much better recording qualities (we are in the DDD era). However this performance by Boston and Ozawa is the only one that got the zing. It's really emotional and Ozawa truly lives Tchaikovsky's dream. As others have already noted, the string work is magnificent, and the listener might cry together with the swan... If you are a ballet fan, Buy this CD!$LABEL$1 +Not Very Good!!. I was assigned to read "Define Normal" & if not for that, I wouldn't have finished it. I think the age level it was meant for doesn't match the age level that would actually enjoy it. I agree very much with the review that called it dry, it lacked emotion & any depth into the characters. I found it boring & corny. I just don't really think that the author really has much talent. It's not a book someone could really get into. The only positive thing about it is that it's easy & fast to read, only I think a 4 year old could read it. Nope, I would say, don't waste your time & money.$LABEL$0 +Fun, but does NOT contain words that you can use every day. I actually purchased the day calendar that was produced from this book by Jeffrey Kacirk. The information he provides about each word is fascinating and wonderful! However, this is a book full of words that are forgotten for a reason...they are no longer of much use to those living in our times! Some could be used, but most refer to things that are no longer in use, or to issues or items that we no longer have knowledge of. For instance, there are many words that refer to horses as a means of transportation--since we rarely use them in this manner, the words are not functional for our society.I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history or etymology, but not to those who, like me, are looking for words to add to their current vocabulary. I enjoy the information, but that enjoyment is soured by my dissapointment in not finding words that I can actually use from day to day.$LABEL$0 +Uses 100% CPU, No Response from email Support. I've used Trend Micro for a couple of years as a happy user and upgraded recently. I installed 2007 on one of my 3 PC's. A Trend Micro program called PcnSrv... will eat between 90 to 100% of CPU. I have to kill the process in order to use the computer. Apparently this is a known problem but Trend Micro has no obvious information on their website about it. Via google I found some information about this problem with a suggestion to deactivate SpyBot. But that did not work. I sent 2 or 3 support emails, and they never respond. I am getting rid of this product and will not install it on my other 2 PC's. It is bad enough to have a problem like this but when the support staff will not respond, that is a deal killer. Very disappointed. I wasted my money.$LABEL$0 +Overheats in Microwave. I bought this set because it said it was "Microwave Safe". I don't know what this term means in respect to this set. After heating a cup of coffee up for only 30 seconds, it is untouchable and the coffee is still cold! The plates and bowls get too hot also to the point you have to use potholders after 30 seconds. I am thinking of returning them for safety reasons. Also, you try to put them in a dishwasher, the wierd sizes of everything do not fit properly. On the positive side, they look pretty.$LABEL$0 +Time better spent painting your house. I listened to this as a book on tape. After each chapter, each tape, I would think "this has got to get better, this is Grisham." I have no doubt that if I had been reading this book I would have given it up after the second or third chapter -- and I ALWAYS finish a book I've started.$LABEL$0 +Crystal cracked. After about a month of ownership of this beautiful watch, I went into HyVee's beer refrigerator for 30 minutes. I was diligently choosing beers I was curious about. I then walked outside into a hot, humid day. I drove home. During the drive, I begun to hear a cracking sound. I wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it was near.After I arrived home, I looked at my watch to see the crystal was cracked right down the middle. In fact, to my horror, I got to see it crack one last time.The watch still works great. I plan on getting it repaired. Unfortunately, the one item that's not under warranty is the crystal.$LABEL$0 +Fair Warning. Okay, okay, how do I say this nicely? This book is all but unreadable. Period. But not for the reason(s) you might think. The author is British. I am a not, and frankly, half the time while toiling through this book, I didn't have a clue as to what this writer was talking about. You see, that's because the book is written a la "British humor". British humor combined with late 20th century British slang terms, references, in-country gossip, yada, yada,yada. It's a book written by a Y2K Brit for fellow Y2K Brits. While his stories of previous Tour races are interesting and well written, so much of the rest of the book, like I said before, had me more than once thinking, "What is this guy talking about??"All you Anglophiles can turn up your noses if you wish, but I personally would not recommend this book. I am sorry I bought it; even used, it was not worth it.$LABEL$0 +ok (optimal kuality). few albums came out in 1998 with more far reaching impact ... possibly it will prove to be easier for +40 people to enjoy talvin singh's sitar-tabla-vocals-fused sound than the young people of the here and now ... we've travelled the track before hand in hand with ravi shankar etc. ... anyone who adore singh as much as I should look into the works of nusfrat fateh ali khan as well ... talvin singh bodies electric$LABEL$1 +My most favorite movie!. THis is the best movie ever!! James woods is hilarious. I have seen this in theatres and i just had to buy it and see it again!The ending is amazing!!$LABEL$1 +Great solo's. Nice to hear something lean, mean and raw.. If you like weather report or return to forever, you need to hear this CD. Wayne Reynolds is a very scary bass player who is obviously into Jaco, but he's definately doing his own thing. I heard several different influences as I listened, such as Ornette Coleman, early 70's Miles, and the two I mentioned above. Overall, I was very impressed with the CD.$LABEL$1 +I Beg to Differ. I thought BASIL was an intriguing film - a classical tale of revenge gone wrong. I couldn't figure out why it was rated R though, since there are no sex scenes, and less violence than what is found in most contemporary films.I didn't find it dull at all, so I guess I will be one of the few people who thoroughly enjoyed this film. Christian Slater did a fine job - as usual, and I found the ending to be sweet.Had the lead character found someone to love, I would have given the movie 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +BEST CD IN A WHILE!!!. This CD is great! I love every song on "Free Me"! Emma truly is a fantastic artist! I really hope she makes it big in America! Buy this album because you won't be dissatisfied with it! Join the Emma Street Team: (...)$LABEL$1 +Do not waste your money.. My husband rented this movie . Within five minutes he turned it off. That is pretty sad because he usually will give more time than that!!' He said it was horrible.$LABEL$0 +An inspirational treasure. I am reading Things Unseen for the 3rd time now. I expect it won't be the last time. This book is a work of art & I am shocked to learn it is out of print. It is readable for people of all ages and capacities. If you want to rejuvenate your view of the purpose and meaning of your life, start right here. You won't be able to put it down. If this book were written by a more well known author it would be in every church library and Buchanan would be a millionaire.$LABEL$1 +Just what I wanted. I do residential remodeling, so I'm always using a compressor--inside the house, or outside. I have a Porter-Cable 6 gallon pancake compressor that was part of a kit, and a good buy to get me started, but the PC is NOISY, so I hate to take it indoors. And it's relatively heavy. The DeWalt was just what I was looking for. It's quiet, and as it turns out, it usually has enough capacity to run either the brad nailer or finish nailer, regardless of the job (inside or out). Much lighter to pack and carry, too.$LABEL$1 +Sony M-470 Microcassette Voice Recorder. I would not recommend this product. The loud buzzing noise during playback made it almost impossible to hear what was on the tape. I tried different tapes and speeds and a mic but to no avail. Digital please!$LABEL$0 +Take along train included; not wooden. Just so you are aware, this is a take along thomas train included with the movie, not a wooden thomas. It is not compatable with the thomas wooden railway.$LABEL$1 +Greatest Band Ever!!!!. I love the CD!! I Know Travis and he is a fun person. I love his music!! He and his whole band is the greatest rock group ever!!I play guitar and Dudly inspires me!! I like the way he plays!! I think if you haven't heard this band you should!!!$LABEL$1 +The Rippingtons ~ [Rippin'] Live Across America!. I have listened to many traditional and contemporary jazz artists, but none inspire me like The Rippingtons.I bought this after seeing it on the shelves and listening to music samples. All of the tracks are performed live, with 9 of them being remixes of some of their previously recorded work, 3 of them being remixes of well-known songs by other artists, and 2 being altogether new, never-been-heard before songs.And it is for the one song, "Road Warriors," that I bought this CD. The electric guitar, and just the whole arrangement of the song, is just so POWERFUL and MOVING. "Are We There Yet?" the second new song on the disc, simply sounds like a more mellow version of "Road Warriors," following the same melody.Sure, the other performances were good, but nothing special if you've already heard them before on their previous CDs; they're just done with that much better instrumentation this time around.$LABEL$1 +Muito Bom!. Muito bom!!!I gave this to my kids to watch before traveling to Brazil and they loved it. I myself speak pretty decent Portuguese, yet still picked up a lot of new phrases from the more advanced chapters. Great product.$LABEL$1 +A Biased Film ??. They have taken 3 stories and put the women in a worst case scenario. I felt like this film was really trying to push "Pro-Abortion" down my throat, and not very subtley. They are using high drama and emotions to try to influence those who question allowing abortions as a "convenience" for a woman. Very few women have abortions due to life threatening situations. In reality, most abortions are a matter of convenience. Period. Why not be honest about it ??? I wouldn't recommend this film, but if you are really pro-abortion, you would probably like it. This film is biased, but if you realize that up front, then it's okay.$LABEL$0 +Tears and MORE TEARS.... I love this band. I just saw them in NYC and the show was fantastic. That's why I had to have this DVD.With that said, this is probably the worst concert footage I've ever seen of them. The performance is uninspired.The footage looks grainy and poorly shot, and the set list sucks as well.I COULDN'T EVEN MAKE IT THOUGH THE WHOLE SHOW. I still think they are great and would see them LIVE againin a heart beat. But they do not translate to DVD very well or at least on this DVD.SAVE YOUR MONEY and buy a ticket when they come to your city next. You will not be disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Awesome. If your tired of mixing gas and pulling till you get blisters on your fingers. Get this trimmer. Charged the batteries up as soon as I received it. Next day I trimmed the whole back and front yard. I have fence line,5 mature trees in the back. Front street line,driveway,walkway,etc. Its not loud and not heavy,anyone could use this. This was one of most awesome tool purchases I have made. I use to make my son do the weeding,but I tell him I will do it.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing!. I bought this book for my kids on my kindle fire, and it doesn't work...there are double pages and pages with nothing on them etc...Very annoying! If your thinking about buying on Kindle Fire...DONT DO IT!!$LABEL$0 +good but having lots of powder. these gloves are good, fits well but they left lots of powder on my hands when i remove them so i have to wash my hands$LABEL$1 +NOT A QUICK FIX!. I bought this thinking it would speed up the process getting rid of my yeast infection. I was dead wrong! I wish I would have read the reviews before I even bought this stuff. I too initially had a burning sensation. About 36 hours later I started to feel a little different, so I thought this medicine was a get worse before it gets better type of medicine. Using this only prolonged the treatment of my yeast infection. Like many other reviews, I too had to use another 'regular' cream to treat the yeast infection, despite the use of this one a day. Save yourself time, money, and aggravation by using something like 3 day or 7 day.$LABEL$0 +Dissatisfied Mom & Disappointed Son. The go kart just won't hold a charge - whether I charge if for 1 hour or overnight. We live on a 9 house cul du sac and my son can't even go around the cul du sac before it runs out of power. He is very disappointed! I am contacting Razor and hopefully they will know how to fix this problem.$LABEL$0 +Wrong Handle. Be sure to read the product description before purchasing this. You will probably need to purchase new tips to fit the handle that comes with the hose. I would purchase them from Goodman's- not from another picture listed with this item. They may not necessarily be the right ones. While I had an issue with Goodman's on this initially, they made it right and I applaud their concern for their customers!$LABEL$0 +The Art of the Automobile. Great information. There are models mentioned that I am seeing for the first time.$LABEL$1 +Nice illustrations!. A great children's Bible, with lovely illustrations. Not a "take to Church" size, but a great lap cuddling, story and discussion time book. Thanks! Bought for my grandchildren to learn from.$LABEL$1 +very peaceful and soothing. This album is useful for (1) focusing on work and (2) de-stressing from everyday anxieties. This album has been able to soothe me at key moments. I listened to the album on Magnatune and then had to purchase it because I enjoyed it so much. I would whole-heartedly recommend it. I think the first reviewer's idea to give this album as a gift is great.$LABEL$1 +Kinobe - Soundphiles. Kinobe's first album, SOUNDPHILES, finds them raiding the crates for all sorts of samples and influences, from the neo-spaghetti Western of "Hombre" to the voodoo funk of "Bayou Barrataria." Some mighty fine downtempo on display here, probably best exemplified by the sleazy listening classic, "Slip Into Something." It makes you feel sexy just listening to it. In some places, though, there's a bit too much reliance on samples to carry the track, such as "The Biological Break" or just plain outright silliness from a mediocre M.C., such as "Theatricks." But when they stick to smooth downtempo grooves, they're on fine ground: the lazy country vibes of "Bopalong" or the blissful "Lucidity" which suddenly kicks into house gear or the through-and-through calm of "Hammock Island." Slip into something comfortable and enjoy this album.$LABEL$1 +Buyer Beware. The sets shown in this video are not traditional Shaolin Kung Fu. Rather they are a poor mixture of Wu Shu (Chinese aerobics) and a common village art known as Long Fist. This style of Kung Fu is a creation of the Communist government of China and one designed to sucker money from naive Westerners.$LABEL$0 +Great bags!. These bags are perfect for storing milk in the fridge or the freezer. Based on other reviews I was skeptical to buy them because of the leaking issue, but i've only had one bag leak on me ever and i've been exclusively breast feeding/pumping for 7 months now and have used these bags since the beginning. I registered for them because they held the most milk. The bags that I freeze, I usually only put 6-7 oz max in each one so they will lay flat. However I keep milk in these bags in the fridge also and will sometimes put up to 10 oz in each bag. You can fit 12 oz like someone said but then the bag is hard to zip and even harder to pour the milk out of without spilling so I just stick with 10 oz. I highly recommend them!! They also don't leak or anything while pouring milk into a bottle which is great!! This is something I keep buying over and over!$LABEL$1 +Works. I bought this product because I have sun spots on the upper parts of my cheekbones and forehead. I had heard that this product's ingredients are not as harsh as a lot of the skin lightening products on the market. I've been using this product for about a month (2 times a day when I remember) and it has helped lighten the sun damage considerably. I don't know if the sun spots will ever be completely gone. But I've started using dermablend foundation which has worked out well to help cover what still remains. I have very pale porcelean like skin and with the help of this and the dermablend my skin looks almost perfect.$LABEL$1 +if you're reading this, you should buy this album. solid musicianship, solid songwriting, a variety of styles, terrifc, compelling vocals. you even get a song from the viewpoint of a migrating whale and a song about slowing down on a fresno-area twisty road--what more do you want? if you need a frame of reference for the sake of comparison, they are more traditional than, say, the beachwood sparks. if you think you don't like "country music," you must be thinking about that swill nashville pumps out. this ain't that. check it out.$LABEL$1 +do not waste your money. this is not much of bond movie, if you would ask me. I love daniel criag as a actor, but I do not see him as bond. I could not watch this movie could only watch about 15 mintues of it to date. Bring back old bond not this none playful one we know and love.$LABEL$0 +Worst company ever!!!!. I ordered Chocolate from Italy. Maybe this was the first mistake since it is Texas in the Summer. Anyway I took a chance because this is suppose to be the best chocolate in the world; according to another website. Anyway the chocolate arrived at my door when I was not there.So fedex in all its wisdom drove around with it all day and tried again when I was not there. I had to go to the fed ex office and pick it up.When I opened the box of course the chocolate was soup and the remains of a soggy single ice pack. What does this say about this company?They ship from Italy with one tiny ice pack; not even dry ice.Also they said it was my fault that I was not home when Fed ex tried to deliver the package. So I am out $75 and nothing to show for it.Please send a message to this company that their chocolate is not all it is cracked up to be.$LABEL$0 +Didn't notice a difference. I like Aussie products and they smell great tooWhen I got this in the mail, I was excited because I thought hey who doesn't like softer hair? and so cheap too!I used it for about 2 weeks and noticed that even though it smells like coconuts, it didn't do very much for my hair like I expectedInstead of soft and sleek as I was expecting, it was more like salt water hair lookI will still use it, if I want to appear like me and my hair have been to the beach but for shine and sofy and sleek I like the Dove hair serum they best$LABEL$0 +Not what we expected.... My son received this toy on his first birthday. He loves Winnie-the-Pooh, and although it seems to be a very durable toy, it is difficult to play with. The "wires" aren't spaced far enough apart to easily maneuver bees from one side to the other. That's basically all this toy consists of, other than having a nice "baby powder" smell. It just doesn't hold my son's interest for very long.$LABEL$0 +I fell in love with this sound.... I listened to this CD, and bought the rest of their titles. I never fall in love with any music on the first go... but I did here. They are the only band of which I have all the albums.I can't praise this band enough. Tight harmonies, accomplished music, thoughtful lyrics... Doug, Jerry, and Ty do it all. Get it, throw it in the player, let the music wash over you. Then, dig out the lyric sheet and play it again. There is many levels to some of the songs... what does "six broken soldiers" mean, anyway? mmmmm$LABEL$1 +SO uncomfortable and not safe!. We bought this a few months ago for our 1 year old daughter. I had an off brand carrier with my son and loved it, so I thought this would be even better. Wrong. My shoulders ache 5 minutes after putting it on. Even my husband, who is strong and has a high pain tolerance, can't wear it for longer than 30 minutes.Because my daughter's feet can reach the bottom of the frame, she tends to stand up and wiggle out of the straps. I hate that I'm constantly having to tell her to sit down. I listed it on Craigslist and I'm going to purchase something different.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. This racquet is light and confortable. I use it since I was trying to play my initial shots. Thanks a lot!!Helio$LABEL$1 +poor software I can not connect it to win.xp. I am spending hours to find out1-Were I can not get any information how to instal this product to win.xp.2- How I can transfare picture from DSC to my PC (even with my former win.983- How can I send email?May be somebody answer meoverall I give zero rating for this product web info,and help$LABEL$1 +The "Citizen Kane" of Canadian Frat Movies. Just like my title said, this movie is the "Citizen Kane" of Canadian Frat Movies. It's ultra raunchy, made up of fart humor, vomit humor, getting people high at a funeral, among other things. It's politically incorrect, and darn proud of it. Catch it if you can.$LABEL$1 +What?. It's as though somebody had a good idea, and then decided against it, and chose to go with what the lunchlady said instead. Avoid.$LABEL$0 +The most boring movie ever made. I never thought I could be so bored watching two naked ladies, but I was. I couldn't even make it half way through before I removed the DVD and threw it into the garbage. This is just a chick-flick for lesbians, because no guys could possibly be interested in the endless dialogue about nothing. These girls just drone on and on about nothing in particular, most of which is just them telling lies. I guess the fact that they are naked for 99% of the time is supposed to keep you tuned in. But like they said on Seinfeld: "There's good naked, and there's bad naked." Well, let me tell you, this was "bad naked." No stars for you! (Yes, I know, it shows that I gave it one star. But this is because Amazon forced me to.)$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for. I knew this was a cheap flask and went into the purchase with open eyes but, you get what you pay for!Plus:+Good size - I like the capacity, curve and general dimensions+Sturdy - nice gauge steel+PriceNegative:-It leaks - the stopper in the cap is made out of some sort of hard plastic or vinyl that doesn't seal. Needless to say, bourbon leaking into your pocket is not a good feature.I'll try to find something that I can replace the seal with and get it to do the one job its made for. If I can get it to not leak I would give this product four stars but it loses two because I have to hack it to get it to work.$LABEL$0 +Very cheaply made. I would not recommend this.. This item looks great in the photo, but when it arrived it was so badly made that I sent it back immediately. The bottom plastic part that is supposed to screw into the glass wouldn't sit properly or screw in correctly, so the metal part of the bottom also sat crookedly.The "copper" outside parts were cheap as well and looked like they would discolor immediately out in the elements. I would not recommend this item to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Infamous Aircaraft. The book is misnamed. There were very little about "Dangerous designs and their vices" and I was disappointed with it. I found some sections interesting but becasue of the title I was expecting so much more. The section on early Russian jets was the part I enjoyed the most. Just wish the author had talked about the vices of those aricraft.$LABEL$0 +doesnt touch american wasteland. because american wasteland had no load time they must have thrown the load time to this game. when your in free mode it takes 7 seconds to load the next player on the list...... n64 was faster...... no customization either not a very good game this is a game that u want to rent not buy first$LABEL$0 +Yellowing elastic band. After the first washing, the poorly sewn elastic band of these briefs turned a grotesque yellow color. Also, the order took a long time to arrive; and, when it arrived, one of the two packs of briefs was the wrong size! Poor service and a low quality product! I can not in good conscience recommend this product to anyone else.$LABEL$0 +Beautifully written!. I am only done with the first book in this set and half way through the second, but the story is great! Beautifully written and enjoyable to read.$LABEL$1 +Best Tortilla Warmer. This warms the tortillas really well and then keeps the tortillas warm for quite awhile. Looks good on the table too. Doesn't take up too much storage room in the kitchen cupboards. The only thing I've not done is washed it. I usually wipe it down with a damp cloth/sponge. Looks very bright and good on the table too. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Garmin Get Lost. I am extremely disappointed in my Garmin....it knows less than I do and often wants me to drive in the direct opposition to where I have told it I want to go...then it yells at me telling me to turn around and I have to shut it off. I feel sorry for folks who do have a poor sense of direction if they try to rely on this product.$LABEL$0 +Poor quality. Basket is of poor quality with the weaves sticking out in places. It is a little smaller in size than expected.$LABEL$0 +Xenosaga special edition dvd. The actual game is great, but its takes a long time to play through (approx 80 hours). This dvd is good for saving you the time of actually playing through it (or a second play through), and you still get to watch all the high quality cut scenes. However, I still recommend getting the game, because there is a lot of things left out in the movie.$LABEL$1 +ATTACK OF THE FAKE BATS. WELL, I HOPED TO PUT MY DVD COPY UP FOR RESALE, BUT THERE IS NO 'DO YOU HAVE ONE TO SELL' BUTTON TO PUSH. IT DEFINITELY BELONGS WITH 'KILLER TOMATOES' AND SUCH. GOOD TO WATCH WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO USE YOUR BRAIN AT ALL - JUST SIT THERE, SIP YOUR SODA POP AND LAUGH.$LABEL$0 +Good for the price. I bought this after borrowing a similar one from a friend. No, the sound is not perfect, and yes, sometimes you get some static from the radio stations, and sometimes you have to try to find another station. But I live in Washington, D.C. and often travel the I-95 corridor to New York, and I have never once not been able to use it at all. Sometimes it gets a bit fuzzy, as I said, but you can still hear your music. So, I would suggest it for anyone who is just looking for an affordable way to listen to their i-pod in the car.$LABEL$1 +A memory to this day.. It'a A Beautiful Day opened for Neil Diamond in the first fieldhouse concert i was ever at as a freshman at the University of Iowa in Iowa City,Ia. It was Oct.or Nov.of 1970. And when we heard that violin sound, we were blown away. Talk about Layla, and Stairway To Heaven sure. But in my mind, White Bird is right up there as a song for all time. The beginning plucks to the violin strings at the beginning of the song bring a wide smile every time i hear it. And it was just the beginning of so many wonderful shows at the fieldhouse, the Duane Allman Memorial Fieldhouse. It has always been great to be a Hawkeye but it was especially great in the days from '70-'74. Check this album out. Acehigh$LABEL$1 +Twenty Three Years Later.... We might know "Airport 75" right? Now Twenty Three years later, we have "Turbulence." Both are 747s, both have no pilots, both have to make emergency landing. This movie should have been aptly named "Airport 97." The only actor that could take a beating was the 747 itself. Everyone else was clueless and unrealistic. Only if stewardesses were given pilot licenses. Lauren Holly didn't need the hairspray that Karen Black needed in 75.$LABEL$0 +Joy Spring. If Clifford Brown had lived to make more recordings, he would be better known today, and this would be at the center of more collections. The solos are great, and the ensemble work is inspired -- the product of arrangements by West Coast jazz arranger Jack Montrose, whose charts set the standard for West Coast jazz. A vintage recording without a "historical" feel to it, completely enjoyable today.$LABEL$1 +$250 stick of garbage. Used it four times and it was dead forever when I plugged it in during a plane trip when I really needed it. The problem with all Sony laptops is the batteries which suck.$LABEL$0 +No information about size, it may be just anything. Wüsthof Classic 2-Piece Carving Set in Presentation Box - but there is no information about size of item, therefore it's just useless for me.BTW, where is a button to post it ?$LABEL$0 +Form your own opinion. this is my first time seeing this movie and I was blown away by the performances. Jeffrey Wright is an underrated actor, wish we could see more of him. when the movie came out, i think on hbo, there was a negative critique given to this movie from a magazine that I supported. because of the critique, i wouldn't give this movie the time of day. i must say how wrong they were!!! this is an excellent movie and i no longer go by the reviews of others, i form my own opinion. will definitely add this movie to my collection.$LABEL$1 +Cheaper Than TurboTax, But Not Worth It. I used Turbo Tax for many years and every year it got better and better. Then I tried Tax Cut for two years in a row and was surprised how much clumsier of a program it was to use. I even ran into situations where I had to override TaxCut's built in methods to get certain things done correctly. I've never had to do so with Turbo Tax. I finally wrote on my file folder where I collect receipts for the coming tax years "Do Not Buy Tax Cut" so that I wouldn't forget.If you are doing a simple tax return then almost any software will do, but if you have a more complex return with rental properties, investments, trusts or anything else beyond normal wage and salary income and the common deductions then TurboTax is IMO the way to go.If your needs are fairly straightforward, then saving a few bucks by getting TaxCut might be OK.$LABEL$0 +Sucks. This album really sucks, and that's all I got to say about that. Well first of all, the academia wants to pass this guy as a rocker, which he is not, he is straight up pop. Rockers write their own songs, they don't rip off other people's songs.$LABEL$0 +Part order. The part I order was to have ,(VGA Y cable) 15pin on the male end, only had 14. Send back only to get the same cable$LABEL$0 +He is a victim of what he rights about (he's afraid of guns). Could not finish a book about how we are afraid of all these things for no reason when he puts out misinformation and engages in the very behavior he critisizes.$LABEL$0 +Great Music!. This has a lot of party music which is good for parties and a couple of slow songs. "Get the Party Started" has a great beat and great singing. "Don't Let Me Get Me" is another great song and says that you shouldn't let people try to change. If you like party music you'll love this CD. that is all, Good-bye.$LABEL$1 +Worst $5 spent ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. This was the biggest waste of money ever. If you are truly trying to gain information regarding actual Alaskan oil feild "experience" ie the day to day life do not waste your money on this!!$LABEL$0 +Fabulous!!. I have a pair for both my stepdaughter and me. They work like I want them too!!! The colors are vibrant, and I don't get headaches anymore! Thanks!!!! I have already recommended this product and site to some people. I will definitely come back if I need another pair.$LABEL$1 +Great product. This is a great French press. Easy to use, effective, and an overall success. I would recommend this product to any coffee enthusiast.$LABEL$1 +rip off. this is a total rip off. may as well put some plastic bags over your feet. will probably work better.$LABEL$0 +why I'm the first?. I've no word to describe the atmosphere of this album. I suggest for all the people that loves the 80 English music$LABEL$1 +The LCD screen breaks easily & not worth the cost to fix. Same as others with the breaking LCD screen what a bummer they should do some sort of testing with pressure placed on the screen and have to meet a minimum force to break. I like the camera other than that. Slim and long lasting battery user friendly It would have cost $130 to send back and replace the screen I can get a new one on e bay for that so I won't buy Olympus cameras any more. I am going to try Sony now.$LABEL$0 +great German resource. This is perfect for the German scholar needing to know every word! It includes full guidelines for the new language reform. It rivals the Langenscheidt series and is affordable.$LABEL$1 +AWSOME!. THIS GAME WAS THE REASON I BOUGHT A PS2 FOR SIMPLY PUT THE GAME IS GORGEOUS FINALLY HAS VOICE ACTING THE READING THE TEXT OF THE PAST FINAL FANTASY'S GOT ANNOYING THANK GOD THEY CANNED THE TEXT FINALLY PERSONALLY MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN FINAL FANTASY X ARE 1:RIKKU TOTAL BABE2.LULU SHE RULES.3.YUNA SHE IS A COOL SUMMONER4.SIN SIMPLEY AWSOME TO LOOK AT$LABEL$1 +If you loved Hee Haw this is right up your corn row. Another silly downhome approach to lifes complex issues like, cheatin' drinkin' and four wheelin'. Ridicously simple and yet overbearing. The I.Q. allowable for maximum enjoyment of this record should not exceed 72.$LABEL$0 +A good looking, working tea kettle. What is there to say about a tea kettle? it handles the tea making just fine. The design is overall appealing, especially since I have matching teacups from another company. Like another review said, this comes with a removable whistle over the spout, not the lever.Cons: Besides the lack of the lever from the picture, the whistle is not very loud at first, so take that as a pro or con as you see fit.Also, the whistle is not going to work unless you completely close the top of the lid, and properly secure the whistle to the spout. Otherwise the steam just flows out random openings and does nothing.Only other downside is that the top of the kettle is kind of hard to remove, especially if you can only grip the little black nob due to heat.Overall, a working, good looking, teakettle, but I bought this for about half price. I wouldn't suggest it for its normal price though. If your going to spend over fifty dollers for a kettle, make sure its one you want.$LABEL$1 +Excellent coverage of exchange 5.5. Great book. I see that one of the reveiewers has stated that the book doesn't cover exchange in a wan/production environment, I agree but my advice would always be to buy more than one book when dealing with a product has huge as exchange 5.5.This book covers detailed using exchange in a single domain environment. Their are excellent explanations on migrating from msmail and ccmail to exchange. Disaster recovery, mta parameters and good explanations on all of the connectors.If you are new to exchange I would recommend this as the first book to read, followed by the excellent Tony Redmond exchange planning guide.$LABEL$1 +Dont order from worldofbookusa!. It has been a month since I ordered this book from worldofbookusa and I still have not received it. I'm sure the book is great but the supplier is not.$LABEL$0 +A Family Favorite. The reviewer who said a preschooler could not sit through this book has no children. All of Lynley Dodds' books are great. But Slinky Malinky is just outstanding among young children's literature.$LABEL$1 +Terrible.. My car will not accept this cassette. It's terrible. I tried in another car and it's loud. You can hear it whirring. Don't buy. Try sony or voss - they are much better quality.$LABEL$0 +Very good!!!. Great information about the breed. This is not just another "one size fits all" dog book with the same doggy content and different breed photo on the cover. Scotties have an unique personality and need understanding.$LABEL$1 +Missing pin?. Maybe I'm just stupid and should have realized this from the acronyms in the product description, but there is a pin that is not wired in this cable. This pin happens to be the signal that tells my laptop hardware info on the monitor I attach to... so when I hook this cable to my Samsung DLP HDTV that has a VGA port, my laptop can only assume its a generic VGA monitor and displays in resolutions that don't fit on my HDTV (like 1024x768.) I tried another VGA cable I had that has all the pins wired, and my laptop immediately recognizes the display as a Samsung HDTV and defaults to a 720p resolution. Since the purpose of purchasing this cable was to hook up to my HDTV, this cable is useless to me.$LABEL$0 +Sound great but flimsy. Will not last.. I tried the cheaper in ear noise cancelling Sony earphones and they broke in a very short amount of time. I figured the more expensive version would be more durable. I WAS WRONG. These broke in an even shorter amount of time - 2 weeks. $50 is a lot to spend on disposable headphones. I guess Sony makes all of their products disposable; portable CD-players, stereos, etc. Sony customer service also sucks. Pray you'll never have to deal with them. Better yet, just don't buy Sony and go with Shure. It is more but worth it because it will last. Buy from a company that doesn't believe in disposable products.$LABEL$0 +CD player does not work. Just got this as a X-mas gift for my wife and the CD player now can only play one song before it says there is no disk. I am returning it for another brand.$LABEL$0 +Hilariously Bad. Hokey, cliched, comically terrible and an absolute joy for any B Movie lover to watch. An amazingly hard to track down film,as well, I discovered. .$LABEL$1 +Not Happy. This cleaning machine worked great when it was brand new and I left it sit just as the instructions say so it is always ready to use. Then one day I wasn't getting any solution spraying out and I had a real mess to clean up! I took everything apart I could including the pump and cleaned it but it still doesn't spray. I give up!$LABEL$0 +This is how music is supposed to be.... McLachlan is astounding! Her voice combined with the cleverly written lyrics are emotionally charged; something that is rare with many female artists, specifically mainstream.I first heard Sarah when her song, "I Will Remember You", was played in a video montage of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Captivated by her beautiful voice, I wanted to hear more. Thinking that "I Will Remember You" was a track on Surfacing, I purchased the album. You'd think I'd be disappointed to find out it wasn't, but I was highly satisfied with the mistake I made! I immediately fell in love with almost song (with the exception of "I Love You").The lyrics are dark, deep, & oddly unique, McLachlan's voice it haunting, both making Surfacing so damn good.This album is highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Great hands on instructor. I have watched Mark do LIVE trades using some of the indicators reviewed in this DVD set. He is very knowledgeable in options and futures trading. If you apply the information on just the inertia indicator, you will gain an edge in your trading.$LABEL$1 +doesnt work. i tried it with 3 different devices into my receiver none work, they all have very weak audio and in only 1 speaker works at all$LABEL$0 +Only for serious Akkerman fans. I bought this as a CD in 2012, forgetting that I had owned it as a vinyl LP in the late 70s. If I had remembered, I would not have bought it again. I DO like the final 7 short songs of the album: some blues-rock that sounds improvised; also a jig and a couple medieval pieces that are cool but not as well developed as some similar works that appeared on Focus 3, Hamburger Concerto, and Akkerman's album Tabernakel. HOWEVER, the first cut, "Fresh Air", is a tedious, 20 minute example of one of those 1970s unsuccessful attempts to elevate rock music to a higher art form. Yes, there are some impressively-fast guitar licks which are instantly recognizable as Jan Akkerman. But, otherwise, I find the song unlistenable; beginning and end are dreary, noisy chaos in between. Quite a bipolar album!$LABEL$0 +a vital and reliable companion to u.s. history today. This volume contains entries that deal with concepts, events, persons, and movements in u.s. history. The length of the entries is appropriate to the topic considered. In addition, the entires both inform the reader with up-to-date information and indicate how revisionist historians have resahped opionions or refocused the discipline. The entries are clearly written and eminently readable. They are persuasive in thier opionions, yet respectful of other stances. The cross references are helpful and ample. The same obtains for the bibliographies. The Oxford Companion to U.S. History far surpasses some other contemporary dictionaries in U.S. history. Its articles are treated in more depth and greater nuances. The entries in the other dictionaries are too short and far too superficial. I would highly recommend this for people involved in serious historical study and research.$LABEL$1 +yawn fest. This series is incredibly lame and boring! Not worth the money, especially since there are only 10 episodes! I do not recommend this series, and it's not often I say that!$LABEL$0 +worked great. until it broke.. It worked great. Until it broke. It fell into the tea kettle while I was boiling water and it stopped working. Sure... maybe it's not meant to be boiled... but considering what it's designed to do, one would think it could survive 185 degree temps for 5 seconds (that's how long it took to fish it out)! I'd imagine if the seal around the thermometer's face was better, it'd be fine. But, it's not. The word "disposable" comes to mind regarding all these cheap thermometers.$LABEL$0 +Great Literature. Friends who had tried this book were divided - one thought it was great, another thought it was too "dark". I found it moving and beautiful - the plot grows out of the people's characters, and they are sympathetic people.$LABEL$1 +OMG, How can you stand this crap?. This CD sucks. I wouldn't spend my money on this. All I can say is don't waste your money, buy somthing else.$LABEL$0 +Didn't like it.. I really didn't like this product! The smell is very strong and my stomach was totally doin' back flips! It also made my skin very, very dry! I don't know... I just wasn't into this product!$LABEL$0 +Falls apart quickly!. I got this mat a couple months ago and practice in a studio twice a week.Now there are peeled spots where my feet land in downward dog! The material peels off! I am surrounded by little blue foam nubs by the end of my practice.Is no one else having this problem?My other mat was five years old and only faded slightly where my downward dog feet went.So disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Nice but very unsafe design. I must agree that the set is very cute and this is what made us keepping it even with doubts about its design and quality. After just a few days of using it, my 2.5 years old leaned backward and broke the back of the chair. She is only 25 lb and did not do anything that the child of this age does when is sitting in the chair. I find this set is very unsafe and will not recommend to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Project Runway Season 3. The creativity and drama once again prove to be awesome. Jeffrey is such a jerk, Angela is so two faced and Laura Bennett is the ultimate chic NYC woman. Michael is the baby faced sweet heart and Uli the Uber beachwear queen.$LABEL$1 +Great followup to excellent first movie. Couldn't pass up buying this movie when it was dirt cheap at $10!Iron man is one of my sons favorite action stars and he watches the first two movies over and over.I like the overall story, think it was a great follow up to first movie, and cant wait for the next one due out 2013.$LABEL$1 +I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. This book has infuriated me! You know why? The author is sympathetic to the hijackers of Flight PK 326, especially Arshad. My family and I were aboard that flight and I can tell you by their actions on that plane, that they do not deserve anyone's sympathy. If that's not enough, half the book is written on heresay and facts that, in no way, the author could have witnessed. This book is a sham. Do me a favor and take your money elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Oh, Romeo... Hello, my name is Alexandra Marie Anne Bunitorisua and i am reviewing "Barbie as Juliet". I think that Barbie is very ugly and wrong. What are toys trying to teach children these days?!? That it is fine to graduate schools? Girls should stay home and help their mothers until they are four teen, and then they get married and have children at fifteen. These dolls are very bad for young girls because they make it seem like girls can particapate in sports, which they cannot. That is my opinion and i hope you follow by it. its true.$LABEL$0 +Great. i bought this for only one scene. my favorite snl skit. connie "the hawk" hawkins vs Paul Simon. its great quality and by for the best snl skit all time.$LABEL$1 +Don't start reading this series.... Although this is mostly a well-written series, do not read it until the author has the full set of books completed, which at the rate he is working will be in about 10 years. He is already about 4 years behind on the next installment (A Dance with Dragons), and two more novels are supposed to be added after that. Just on content, this book is worth 4 stars, but the lack of completion for the series ruins it.Also, be sure to note that the content is for adults only, with some sexually explicit material.It also seems that the latter books in the series tend to ramble, making me long for the more concise, action-oriented content of the first two books.$LABEL$0 +Much ado about nothing. Seemed very shallow as though it was written for 1 purpose only, to sell. Nothing but a bunch of anecdotal stories that have aleady been recounted over and over again in your standard MBA program with a sampling of Public Speaking 101 class thrown in. Kind of like being invited to dinner, expecting a big t-bone steak and baked potato, and only getting salad. I think the author would approve of that imagery$LABEL$0 +On With the Story. Book arrived safely and in good condition. Shipping was rapid, perhaps supernaturally so. I'm amazed and humbled.$LABEL$1 +One and done.... Upon hearing "In the Walls" on a DVD sampler, I though this amazing track would be accompanied by several more.Boy was I wrong! This band is directionless. Instead of simply taking from their influences like an Interpol, they just throw theirs into a blender and get this...Please listen to the samples before you but this.$LABEL$0 +This band rocks. I saw The Young Dubliners at a free concert in Santa Monica this summer and was so impressed I bought the CD. This album was a delightful surprise. I like every song on it. This is an excellent band that brilliantly combines traditional celtic style and instruments with modern rock n roll. I've listened to it over and over and still enjoy it.$LABEL$1 +WRONG BATTERY SHIPPED. I have returned the incorrect item to seller for a credit (refund); hopefully I'll see a credit on my credit card statement soon! The ordered battery number and the invoice number were correct. Item received was not.$LABEL$0 +Puff Pastry. I can think of one function this book might serve well: as table top "puff pastry". Ever had puff pastry? It's full of air with no real substance. This book reminds me of something a pseudo-craft person might use to convince everyone they are a "Witch". (You in the craft know what I'm referring to...those who enter the craft for all the wrong reasons, who want to impress people, and do no real work to gain knowledge) I'm sorry, I hate being negative, but if you are seeking lots of pretty pictures complete with a snazzy little "bow" to tie the book closed-this fills the bill. Kudos to the Graphic Design team, who did the layout, it displays very well. (My college degree is in Graphic Design) If you are seriously seeking spell work, I suggest you try other books. Morgana$LABEL$0 +A sweet and touching story of creativity and family. This is a wonderful book about Emma, a little girl who wants to be an artist. Her parents and teacher, though, don't understand her creative vision. When her grandmother comes to visit, she finally finds someone to share her art with, and finds someone new to love.The first time I read this book, I was afraid that the grandmother would die in the end. So you won't worry, I want to tell you now that the grandmother DOES NOT die.$LABEL$1 +Question about track 6. Can anyone tell me what happens about 3:08 of track 6 on Retropolis? Is this cracking up sound a recording blunder or wierd sounds added by the Flowerkings? Please let me know your thoughts.$LABEL$1 +its a 2 piece protector and the plastic piece. wont stay aligned... very frustrating. having to use with only the rubber piece. would not reccomend to anyone to buy$LABEL$0 +FUNNY. Jeff Dunham is the best very very funny every time I need a good laugh I will watch his movies WELL worth the money anyway you can't put a price on laughter wish I had a dollar every time he made my laugh.$LABEL$1 +marketseller lost the order. unable to review the product since the order was never filled due to being lost . . . the first time this has ever happened.$LABEL$0 +talented? what?. How can he be such an enormous talent when all he does is copy off of other people? sorry i just cant see it. I dont think he does justice to Nolan Porter's "If I could only be sure" on the first track at all: If you want to hear some great music listen to the original!!!$LABEL$0 +Ken's Review. I have a Lahsa Apsos whose fur is too thick for the groomer. I will just have to look for a bigger and stronger groomer. I am really sorry it doesn't work as all I can do now is try to find another. If your manufacturer has a recommendation I would appreciate hearing from them. Thank you in advance for your kind help.$LABEL$0 +Wannabe Beatles. It seems that they have always tried to be like The Beatles in everyway of their career. They keep telling everyone they are greater than Jesus - the world only took note when The Beatles said it. This album is REALLY disappointing and shows the weak(est?) side of Oasis...great sound when snapped.$LABEL$0 +Great Pet Bath. I love this pet bath. Not only is it cute but my Teddy Bear Hamster loves it.Haven't put any sand in it yet. I just wanted to see how he would react to it and he's been climbing in and out of it all night.When I first opened the box and took this Chinchilla bath out I thought it was huge and that I would have to return for a refund.Then when I measured my Hamster I realized that he would never fit in the smaller one. A dwarf Hamster yes, but not a Teddy Bear.My Hamster is nearly 6 inches long so he'll have plenty of room to roll around in there.Seller/Store chooses the color. Mine is yellow.It's about 7-3/4 inches tall not including the ears. From the middle it's about 6 inches wide.The opening in front is about 3-1/2 inches tall and 4 inches wide.I like this product and would reccomend. Oh, and the seller was very helpful as well.$LABEL$1 +Sheer delight. Auto Da Fay is about as good as autobiography gets. Fay Weldon has a wonderful zest for life and a larger than life-size personality that comes through on every page. It's the sort of book that cheers you up and restores your faith in human nature.A Good Boy Tomorrow: Memoirs of A Fundamentalist UpbringingBasic Flying Instruction: A Comprehensive Introduction to Western Philosophy$LABEL$1 +Turned my HDTV into an iPod. You can probably just watch video Podcasts on your computer screen just as well, but I have come to enjoy watching them on an HDTV. The Apple TV also shows videos from YouTube, shows pictures from my photo collection, plays music and all the stuff you can do with a computer or an iPod. I have just been using it a couple of weeks but I am very pleased with what it does and like using it very much.$LABEL$1 +Lovely. This is really a great book. I am a total DMB fanatic and it told me very interesting facts about Dave's and the rest of DMB's life. Like the time a snuck into a bush with some of his dads friends and smoked with them. That experience lead to the song "Tripping Billies" I really loved this book and I truly recomend this book to any DMB fan.$LABEL$1 +Not Good Quality. The quality of this product is very bad because it broke now it is not useful for me. Today I ordered from different company/member from Amazon. Hope this quality will be good.$LABEL$0 +Wake Up Simmons, Your product needs WORK.. In my 59 years as a farm boy and then an engineer, I've seen some poorly designed products...and this one needs some work. Our water quality is quite good but my hydrants eventually begin to weep after it is shut down. I was sold these with the assurance by the sales person that the working/moving parts could be serviced above-ground. NOT-SO. The stem was so well stuck that I was sure that I was going to break it if I pulled any harder. So I reassembled the unit and worked the handle and adjusted the tension until it finally quit leaking. That is the last time I've used either of the units. Now these exist as legacy waste on my farm and a lesson learned. Don't buy these unless you want to dig them out of the ground after 3-4 years. Bad Product.$LABEL$0 +I did not receive what was advertised. The book I bought was advertised as being leather, not leatherette, or bonded leather, or imitation leather, but LEATHER. What I received was not leather, but imitation leather. I am willing to pay more for what I want but do not appreciated false advertising.$LABEL$0 +Poor Service. Very poor service... vendor did not mail book and I was forced to buy the book at a bookstore in order to have it for class.Vendor blamed it on being new to the process... unfortunately I suffered the loss...I asked for a refund...$LABEL$0 +Another Amazing produce from Moleskine. Moleskine has become a standard in my life. This size is so great, plus the quality of paper almost wants to make you journal/write. Once you start using moleskine, you will never go back to anything else. The simple thing like a pocket and the close clasp is so great.$LABEL$1 +Listen before you buy. I would have not bought this album if I had a chance to (legally) listen to the whole thing first.This album may be good in its own right, perhaps by another band or even as a side project, but I enjoy Slipknot for their style of brutality and this was such a major disappointment. A little change or experimentation is good although this is just too much. Also, the sound production is way overdone (mainstreamed, radio-friendly, or whatever you want to call it) for my taste but this may not bother most people.I would return the CD if it were possible.$LABEL$0 +Not Impressed. Despite the reviews posted by others, I foolishly bought this book. After reading it, I shipped it back. Very, very introductory book that barely covers the basics. Agree with one of the other reviewers - take a training class or sit with someone already knowledgable.$LABEL$0 +Sizzling, concentrated conservative ideas...no sugar added. Dr. Michael Savage has hit another home run with this provocative book of his no-nonsense expression of conservative ideas. Dr. Savage does not apologize for his concrete conservative stance on the important issues facing our nation today. If only the vast expanse of our liberal college campuses would begin to expose our next generation to some of this truth serum...$LABEL$1 +Excellent Product. Forget the old "water bath" canners! This is an excellent product...quick and efficient with a handy guide for canning various foods!$LABEL$1 +Awesome - This book blew my mind!. I was so excited to finally get a copy of this book. After reading this book, I was totally blown away! It completely changed the way I think about dating and relationships. I have been telling everyone I know about this book. I honestly feel that every student and parent needs to read this book!$LABEL$1 +First time Koontz reader enjoyed it.... I have never read any of Dean Koontz's novels, and just picked this one up randomly. I really enjoyed the story, but it is so violent & disturbing that I felt guilty for reading it. However, all in all, I did enjoy the book. Can anyone suggest better Koontz books for me to read?$LABEL$1 +A very pleasing album.. This is a very nice and romantic piano album, only seems that the style (or the melody) of each piece is too similar with one another.$LABEL$1 +vellux blanket. I have always been fond of Vellux blankets.The quality is good,they are lightweight,good for summer and winter.But the current one I purchased is not really as good as the old one I feel.Not as soft.$LABEL$1 +OK product, crappy seller. I received my turntable in, what I thought, perfect condition. "Super Saver Shipping" is actually USP ground from NY, which takes all of eternity and then some, to arrive in CA.The turntable itself looks sturdy, but I haven't been able to test anything else, as the needle it came with was BROKEN. Which now means I have to buy a $21 dollar replacement. Or wait through the living hell of returning the item to J&R;, a seller that doesn't accept normal e-mail returns.Amazon should really look into who sells on their website.$LABEL$0 +Too Loud for Office. The heat output was great, construction was as expected, but this was WAY too loud for office use. Sent it back and did trial and error with 2 other units at Wal-mart...still haven't found a very quiet one.$LABEL$0 +im not liking it already. i just purchased my bbs 3 days ago and still the order has not be processedim not liking this alreadyit probably worth the money but the waiting just for processing the order is a pain i can imagine what its like when it comes to shipping$LABEL$0 +Don't dismiss this CD - It grows on you!. I first heard about this CD on the Radio. Our local AM station that plays standards was playing "It's My Life" (the Bon Jovi cover). It was such a great arrangement that I didn't realize it was a cover until the song was almost over. I was so impressed that I bought the CD the next day.I am a big lounge/standards collector (mostly LP's) and this CD is a great fit to my collection. What impressed me most is that Paul took this project seriously, it's NOT done tongue-in-cheek. Just read the liner notes and you'll soon see that he is proud of this album - as well he should be.$LABEL$1 +More Garbage By A Wanna-Be. Who is this person who feels qualified to write an Encyclopedia of Hip Hop? First of all, she is not qualified. Second of all, who has ever heard of this broad? Her writing is sub-standard at best--a wanna-be intellectual pretending to be smart. Skip this book and save your $6. It's not even worth that. Hold out for a real historian to come through and write a definitive tome. This is a piece of garbage by a wanna-be writer with NO credentials in Hip Hop. Tell this loser to get a job and leave the writing to those with knowledge, talent, and experience.$LABEL$0 +SURPRISES AT EVERY CHAPTER!. This is a really great book.Of course, you should read Foundation and Foundation and Empire first to understand the plot better. The second part of this book(search by the Foundation) follows Arcadia, preffered to be called Arkady, as she travels and finds out where the Socond Foundation is (or so she thinks). Her father is also working on the subject. Just a few words( they won't really spoil you the ending) DON'T READ THE LAST PAGE UNTIL YOU REALLY GET TO IT! I did and it spoiled me all the fun, especially the last two words, if ya know what I mean.Read it from begining to end. Also(you'll know when you read it) don't trust Anthor! I will not tell why, you'll have to read it by yourself. The book has many surprises, espacially in the last two chapters (The answer that satisfied and The answer that was true).They really give you different viewpoints! In all, I think it's a very good book full with surprises from begining to end---- which is not here yet!$LABEL$1 +Canon Scanner. Good scanner with excellent resolution. Software is not "user friendly"; too complex. Top of unit is curved and if desk space is an issue, it wont support any thing on top of the unit. Negative and slide scanning a plus.$LABEL$1 +Waste of Money. Don't buy this. It's like 4 girls and some of the scenes are looped. If you want to waste your money, but this movie$LABEL$0 +Not so much for the big mixers. This Cloth Cover is great and made from a very good material, but it doesn't quite fit the 6 quart KitchenAid mixer it is a few inches short.$LABEL$1 +I've got a better Idea. Tie a plastic golf ball on a string and tie it to the celing of your garage. Position your car where you normally park and lower the ball until it hits your windshield. Price .25 cents. HAHA. But seriously. This item stinks. It works 1/2 the time. Has a VERY ANNOYING clicking along with it. CLICK CLICK CLICK.. AWWWWWWW Cheap plastic. Dont drop it, it will break. Makes sence seeing it was made in Japan.$LABEL$0 +Not as advertised. As with many other reviewers of this product, I only got one canvas in the package, not 6. This company either can't count to six, or it has the most expensive single canvas I have ever seen. Amazon's return process made it simple enough to get my money back, but with all of the negative reviews of this product, it is obvious that there is a serious problem with the way the product is described.$LABEL$0 +If you say the authors are wrong, you prove their thesis!. Beckwith and Koukl firmly refute relativism and many self-defeating positions liberals take on current cultural issues. In fact, if you think these authors are absolutely wrong, you prove their point . . . you're really saying they're absolutely right! Not just for Christians, this is for every American concerned about our crumbling culture.$LABEL$1 +Rambling and struggling too hard to impress. Is this book interesting? Well yes, this is an interesting topic, and the author covers lot's of ground, and obviously knows a great deal about the history of science; in particular physical science.However, the first 200 pages killed the curiosity of this reader - I have a clear feeling it was more important to the author to impress me than to educate me. I do not need to have every scientist living between 1600 and 1900 mentioned (or know that the author knows about them) - I need just fifty pages background to develop the ideas we are to discuss later. After 200 pages I was totally exhausted and bored.$LABEL$0 +All Night Runner. As an ultra runner myself I know Dean personally anmd have met him a few times.Having run myself for 19 eyears on every continent myself I certainly can nrelate to his stories.I am not i9nterested in finishinmg times but rather enjoy the experience being in nature.Dean, I think is opver doing iot a little andn maybe not too many people can relate to what he does on teh same level.However I think the book was well wtritten also the appeal and audience may have been somewaht limited.It espouses several good human qualities such as detemination, disciplene and endurance, all attribute sthat will benefit anybody throughout life.All in all, I think this is an excellent book, well written and certainly entertaining to read even if you are not a runner.$LABEL$1 +The Revenge of making a good Halloween film.. What happened? This film saga was good until this one came out. I admit it was decent, but thats no excuse for bad acting, bad storyline, and no jump or frightening scenes at all. The story is boring in a way. Michael returns after jaime when shes in a mental asylum. This film was poorly made and poorly written, and the characters are so bad you dont care if they die. This is by far the worst in the series. I only liked it because of some deaths were cool. But this is my own opinion and i still think its worth to rent.$LABEL$0 +Wake-up and Smell the Coffee. Anybody who buys this book must be masochistic. The last book was a joke on the faithful readers who invested much time and money on this series(i.e. 200 pages on Egwene getting the Nobles permission to travel w/ her army--what a bore!). That was enough to convince me that Jordan has lost touch with reality.$LABEL$0 +Still Tight After All These Years. Another disc of solid musicianship from the current lineup of Chicago. Gone is the syrupy, smoky haze of stellar production by David Foster, Humberto Gatica, Chas Sanford and Ron Nevison. I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing, as I loved Chicago with heavy production but Chicago "Stripped" still shows what a great bunch of musicians these guys still are and always have been. Little to no processing on instruments or vocals [there are a few verbs, delays and keyboard/sequencers/loops, but if you can find them, they're ALL the way in the back] this is a solid bunch of songs accomplished only as Chicago can do them. Four out of five stars because I wasn't dazzled through the first listen, but I did have a smile on my face the whole time. Standout cuts: '90 Degrees and Freezing', 'Lovin Chains' & 'Feel'. Thanks guys - as always it was worth the wait!$LABEL$1 +Not one-touch. I bought a Maxtor product assuming that it would function like the100GB and 200GB products that I had purchased previously -- walk upto a PC, turn on the Maxtor, connect the USB cables, and it's done.Unfortunately, since this terabyte drive came pre-formatted for a Mac,I had to install their software, re-format the Maxtor, and thenit became a "one-touch" product.Maxtor should sell products that are consistent with their originalphilosophy, i.e. sell a "one-touch" drive in two editions -- onepre-formatted for the PC, one for the Mac, and whatever otherpre-formatted flavors.It's nice to tinker with computers and hard drives, but as an end-userI expect the product to be useful out-of-the-box. That's why I wasloyal to the Maxtor brand.Unfortunately, a one-touch product it's not.Other than that, it seems to be working fairly reliably as mytertiary-storage device.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money!. Too bad Amazon won't allow 0 or negative stars. I read the bad reviews on these but decided to try it anyway because the fetching Mrs. wanted it bad. What a mistake! When the plastic mount for the laser pickup broke from snapping CDs onto the spindle, it jammed and burned out a motor. It is the cheeziest CD drive mechanism I have ever laid eyes on, and I've seen a lot of them in my line of work. Avoid this piece of junk at all costs!$LABEL$0 +The best undies!. I've been wearing this style of undies for years. They are the most comfortable I've found. They never ride up giving wedgies and they cover to just about an inch below the belly button. Love them!$LABEL$1 +Not very consistant pieces. The songs aren't all consistant, one moment it's quiet as a mouse, the next it's banging like trashcans falling over. The songs are all very pleasant, if not the typical mozart. The only noteworthy one I have to brag about would be #5 "Jupiter" is just beautiful. Only problem is, that it makes you jumpy, it just bangs and booms, though very thrilling once you get the hang of it.$LABEL$1 +Die Trying... to finish this book!. I'm female, so maybe this is just a guy's book. I always like a good hero, and Jack Reacher qualifies as such, but I certainly am not interested in paragraphs-long descriptions of the geophysicalities of bullets as they traverse through the atmosphere. This and other testosterone-laden information unfortunately comes well into the book, so I plowed through to the end. I couldn't suspend disbelief in order to believe that any human can discern the difference between 1.4 seconds and 2.1 seconds (as it relates to the time it takes for a bullet to travel). I believe it took me 3.7 seconds to scan through each page to a part that I could tolerate reading until the end of the book, which fell flat.$LABEL$0 +I love the book and the series. It was a great book and series. Keep in mind it is an historical fiction - so some is simply made up. I read all of the series, and even though you know the ending it was a wonderful adventure.One funny - and a little distracting for me, was the fact that corn was mentioned in the book... I wrote the author, explaining that corn was a "new world" discovery, and did not exixt in Eurpoe durin the Roman days. He did change the next book, but did not get all corn out... He sent me an autographed first edition for my "help"...$LABEL$1 +Not Good. Sure Christina has a good voice,but a good cd? No way!I was excited to get this cd after hearing Gini in a Bottle and What a Girl Wants but once I listened to it I instantly took it out of my cd player. Hardly any songs are good or catchy. If you want to get a good pop album buy a Britney Spears cd.$LABEL$0 +What???. I saw a special on Mario Bava and it featured many of his horror films. They looked very interesting and interviwers said tha many of Bava's ideas were later copied by American filmakers. With that said "Lisa and the Devil" filmed in '76 is a mess of a movie. It makes no sense, and sometimes that's fun in a horror flick, but in this movie it's annoying and quite dull. I realize I saw this movie on cable but what happened to the exorcism scene that I saw in the special on Bava. Not that it would have made the movie any more intelligable, but at least a bit more interesting. Overall not a good movie.$LABEL$0 +Hitech - AC Adaptor Plug (converts European plugs to US Outlets). We bought a small fan in Spain last summer to provide some ventilation in a small room some friends in Madrid were letting us use as we traveled around from one place to another. It was so efficient that we decided to make room for it in an extra suitcase we had to buy to get the things we acquired in Spain home. This adaptor plug works just fine in doing what it was designed to do. However, be aware of the fact that your appliance without further adaptors to change the current from 110 to 220 will function at about half the speed! Of course, you could plug your appliance into a 220 outlet if you can figure out how to make that work.¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)$LABEL$1 +GeoSafari Jr. Talking Telescope. This was a gift for a 6 year old boy and a opportunity for his parents to spend time helping him learn to use it. The telescope was a great hit.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected!!. I have been waiting for this cd for a while and I must say it was a complete disapointment for me.I am a devoted fan and I must say this production is not even close to the previous cd's.The songs are too bland and the quality of the compositions is very poor and flat.Overall a bad cd.$LABEL$0 +loving it. little black backpack is such an awesome song; i loved it from the first time i heard it on the radio. the chick from portland talking smack about them should go grow some taste.$LABEL$1 +this game sucks. this game is a waste of time and money it is only fun when playing on manager mode. The minor league thing was cool but still I am bitter because the A teams from leagues like the South Atlantic league were not in the game. get MLB Baseball it is a much better game$LABEL$0 +NOT GENUINE - KNOCKOFFS. I bought these bags thinking they were the real thing. Went thru 2 bags, each had holes in them after short time using them..I thought. When I went to the Kirby dealership they said they were knockoffs, then I noticed all the bags I had bought had holes in the seam. USELESS.$LABEL$0 +No subtitles. I was disappointed to find that when I received the DVDs that there are no subtitles or captions for the hearing impaired and there was no notation on the product description to that effect.$LABEL$0 +Richard is the Best. This isn't his best.. I use this and Sweatin' to the Oldies III. I love the music and dancing, however it is hard to follow this video because the camera isn't always on Richard at the beginning of a dance or when he changes steps. Head shots don't help with foot work. STTO III is more professional in this regard. At first I thought that this didn't provide as good a workout as STTO III, but my heart rate and sweat prove otherwise. I believe it is because these dances use your arms more. Richard is great for those of us who don't have perfect bodies and probably never will. Even though I am toned and losing weight, I will never look like Denise Austin or Kathy Ireland. I've just ordered the original STTO and will let you know what I think.$LABEL$1 +Keeps a smile on your face. This American release of the British powerhouse recording star contains a sampling of the types of songs which keep your feet tapping and a smile on your face. The Loco-Motion makes it hard to sit still while listening. I Should Be So Lucky is set to a beat in a European style which draws the listener to the lyrics. In summary, this is a CD that makes the listener feel good and just plain "enjoy the music."$LABEL$1 +The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. I was not impressed and will not be reading the other two books in the series.$LABEL$0 +Second rate. Very disappointing. Didn't add much to the BSG universe; in fact, a sizeable portion of the footage seemed to be lifted from the series.$LABEL$0 +Bad game, dissapointed, traded for Ace Combat 6 now very happy!. This game is horrendous, get Ace Combat 6 instead for the same price and you will be a happy camper.$LABEL$0 +Storage Case. This is a very sturdy product that works well with medium to thin puzzles. Excellent for helping keep puzzles in one place.$LABEL$1 +This one's already on preorder. I am getting this bad boy without hesitation. The Gift set trilogy is already on order with the extended version of them all and of RoTK I shall complete the trilogy have the book on my TV screen with 5.1 sound! 50 minutes(or more) each chapter contains an extended extention over the last. Peter Jackson really knew what he was doing with this movie and there is no movie out today that I find worth watching except for this trilogy. If you are frivolous(or a sincere fan) get the gift set on all three movies.They giftsets contain in addition to(not instead of) the usuall extended edition trilogy:Fellowship: National Geographic Doc, Statues from which the first movie ended.Towers: Making of Golumn, Golumn statueKing: Minas Tirith castle, Making of the music of Middle Earth.$LABEL$1 +Astra Yarn - Ombres. Believe it or not,I am crocheting a throw with this product right now. It is so soft, the colors are beautiful, and it is so easy to work with. I love this yarn.$LABEL$1 +Careful - Not backward compatible. I still have not used the product to full capacity, however, it is much faster. I would be careful however if you are putting it in a native SQL 7 environment - you can upgrade the database, however any manipulations you do in 2000 will not be reflected when transfering back to SQL 7. If you upgrade (as if you have a choice), realize there is no capability to use both versions.$LABEL$1 +IS THERE NO GOD??. First, there was nick carter, forever polluting the music business. Then came aaron, who delivered a crippling blow. This is the final nail in the coffin of good music. This is the worst piece of trash ever to come out of the sewer that is the music industry. How can this girl live with herself? She sings worse than her brother aaron ( worse than nails across a blackboard) and put out the ugliest music video since the days of Michal Jackson. The Carter parents should be shot. If one more Carter sibling records something, I will kill myself.$LABEL$0 +Poor Design. The roll is WAY too large for anything other than long pattern Snap-on wrenches or similar. I have no idea what they were thinking when they designed this monstrosity as the designer surely did not experiment with actually putting standard wrenches in it. The pockets are just too deep to be of any use. It is really close to worthless because it just takes up too much space and the wrenches get lost in the overly large pockets. Also, it is not cotton duck and it is made in China. I found other rolls by Tool Pak and they are 100 percent better.$LABEL$0 +Smell Like Machine Oil. I purchased 3 of the white ones and they smell like machine oil. Washed them once and they still smell like oil. Not worth the shipping to get an RMA and return them.$LABEL$0 +Total Comfort, Excellent Sound. Total over the ear and headband comfort with excellent sound. The over the ear wasn't so thick as to totally exclude the world around you so you can still respond to others--after you take them off, of course, and ask them to repeat themselves. ;) Not being aware of your surroundings can be dangerous. Not being aware of your spouse, suicidal. ;) The only thing I could wish for is a volume or mute control on the cord, but this was an excellent buy for the cost. I wear this headset above all others because of the comfort. The L for left and R for right is a nice touch.$LABEL$1 +GREEEAT!. my english is not as good as you might like, but i will give it a try.the trigger finger has become my KEY midi hardware as a trigger, im a DJ and i've been working with many other midi hardware, this one finally satisfied my needs.great response, fast, many many knobs , and...many pads :Pits a bit heavy, but for gigs, its the best you can get.y used a M-AUDIO midi keyboard, and this new one replaced my entire set.it{s a must, for drummers its a must, its not expensive, you can use it for secuences.the only problem i had it's the USB cable, it has been giving me problems on stage, thats a really BAD CON. but once repleaced, it worked fine for me.BUY, BUYi didn't give it a 5 star review, but.. the cable took off one.$LABEL$1 +DOA. I am sure this is frabjous and more....but it arrived DOA, so I'll never know. Sad. And no returns or exchanges. More sad.$LABEL$0 +HATE IT!!. Come to find out that this DVD will not play at all. I have to have a "International" DVD player in order to view it. So I will not be ordering anything else movie wise from other countries.$LABEL$0 +Nice looking, BUT very fragile. I bought several of these frames and I had a lot of prints to frame and like d the clean lines, and low cost.I really like the look of floating glass frames, and it provides more options for your photos or art.The problem with these frames is that like many things made in China, they are cheap...at great cost.The glass broke from the pressure of putting those little tabs that hold it together down, and (as someone who works with glass) I know that this type of break only occurs in glass which is not properly annealed.What does this mean to you? It is DANGEROUS!!! A product like this should be made with either safety glass, hard glass (pyrex, borosilicate) or, at the very least, properly annealed soft glass (actually any & all of these glasses should be annealed to remove stress)...but, without getting too technical- all I can say is that the glass in this product is unsuitable for it's purpose, and fundamentally unsafe.$LABEL$0 +Dave Feffer is not what he appears to be in this book!. Dave Feffer is someone who manipulates evidence and people in other cases and has let other criminals go free. He is NOT the hero that he appears to be in this book. He is a deceitful and evil man who is in it for the money and fame it provides him with and he doesn't care about who he has hurt or victimized in the process. I know of two families devistated by his involvement and actions in other court cases. Don't believe everything that you read. Do the research on the other things that he has done.$LABEL$0 +Overlooked, Undervalued, But Still A Pop Music Masterpiece. Fine songwriting, produced with perfection, and timelessly listenable.When this recording was released Loggins and Messina would soon break up. You'd never know it.Many excellent recordings suffer from not having enough drama; an all-over sameness of sound, tension without release, bad pacing. I could describe many qualities that make recordings with wonderful parts not wonderful as a whole. In contrast, Mother Lode is the complete package, enjoyable in its full presentation as it is in its individual parts. A real gem.I loved the L.A. country-rock style of the early albums. The fine crafting of songs. This effort, while not as commercially viable as its predecessors, still resonates today in a way that the more popular Loggins and Messina recordings do not. I urge you to give it a place in your CD collection.$LABEL$1 +Poorly edited. If any U.S. citizen would read the section on the United States, one would quickly realize how poorly edited this book is. He refers to Clinton as having been ALMOST IMPEACHED. HE WAS IMPEACHED!!! He misuses facts and statistics with a snide bias. Too bad. It could have been a useful book. Mine is now in the trash.ADW$LABEL$0 +COLORA HENNA VEG-HAIR COLOR. THIS WAS THE WORST HAIR PRODUCT THAT I EVER USED. IT HAD A TERRIBLE ODOR ANDIT TURNED MY HAIR RED.$LABEL$0 +Paige is intolerable. I really loved this show through the first 3 seasons. However, the new Paige character is just unwatchable. Not only is she obnoxious in that "I'm a teenager and I know everything" sort of way, she's even self-rightous and soooooo politically correct it's enough to turn your stomach.And she doesn't fit. There's absolutely no chemistry between her and the other girls. None ever developed no matter how many seasons she was on the show.As if that's not bad enough, the scripts just got so incredibly dumb in season 4. I remember watching the first few episodes when it aired and all of us were groaning and rolling our eyes at the goody-goody two shoes approach the writers decided to take. It was like a film strip aimed at teaching third graders how to be good, in that really overbearing, obnoxious sort of way.Skip this one, stick with the first three seasons instead.$LABEL$0 +Great Beginning...poor ending. Parricia Corwell, Cruel & Unusual was breathtaking in the beginning! Her relation to her family, her dedication to her work exeptional. However, this story began to get boring towards the end...the ending, not too great.$LABEL$1 +Good device, instructions cold be better. The CD installed 3 software executables without any desktop shortcuts. The sparse documentation gave no hint of which of the 3 modules to start with. I ran "Eye-One Diagnostics" and it could detect the device. Vista complained that the driver was not digitally signed. I finally hunted around on the xrite web site to find and download the correct driver, and then I had to hunt through the Vista hardware device list to find the Eye-One and install the driver files.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful movie! Don't forget to watch Special Features too!!. It's hard to pinpoint what I loved best about this movie - it was all so well done! The acting, the storyline, the photography, the soundtrack, the overall message...it was all superb! Movies about actual events are the BEST!! I think audiences crave this - learning how other people react to tragic and heartbreaking events in their lives. We can all draw something out of this girl's story that we can apply to our own lives and attitudes about our future. The amazing scenery of Hawaii and the awesome surfing work to make this movie so engaging. The DVD has a ton of Special Features!! Check them out!$LABEL$1 +Condensed, but that's why it's called a Pocket Guide.... Good overview and quick read on the subject. It is a great resource if you are just starting a study on Islam or if you need a quick review. Does not go into too much detail so that is where it is lacking but I think that was the purpose for writing this book.Because it gives a fair understanding of Islam and I believe accomplished what it wanted to be.$LABEL$1 +Shallow read. This book tries to cover everything. Thus each topic is covered only breifly. The orginization and wording is passible at best. This book is not really for beginners but for the times when we forget the simple tasks.On the plus side, it is one of the few reference books with precompilers in it.$LABEL$0 +Solar Spot Light. Disappointed in the amount of light it gives. Disappointed in the product and also the advertising that says it is a strong solar light. Not worth the money spent.$LABEL$0 +This is one of the more unusual and good books in the series. This is one of the freshest and most engaging Star Wars novels written in a long time. The plot is original and the characters, from Prince Isolder to Teneniel, are believeable and likeable.(when they are supposed to be likeable) The conflicts are well crafted and the story sparkles. Good Work$LABEL$1 +Great DVD content but.... I watched this on a cable channel a while ago, and I was so glad to finally see this on DVD (it was only available on VHS), I read the review of the other same title DVD and I decided to get this because this one seemed not to have the 1:30 Devine comercial, to my bad luck the person who shipped my product from amazon apparently didn't have a clue of this and sent me the Devine (cheaper) one and I paid the price for this one :-( I don't even know if I could something about it.Wynton Marsalis is the best by the way. Thank you Wynton for this great series. One recommendation for the future in DVD, the one on Duke Ellington, I think it was called "In Duke we trust" or something like that.$LABEL$0 +over a thousand kiddos can't be wrong.... I have given this book as a gift more than 100 times now. I often give it to graduates - both high school and college. As a teacher, I've had the opportunity to read this book to over a thousand students. Of course there have been students who didn't get it or who did get it and simply didn't like the book, but most (possibly over 80%) have enjoyed the story and learned something from it. I have also sent this book to people in some sort of trouble - jail or rehab type situations - and the gift has always been received with great enthusiasm. Personally, the book changed my life, as trite as that sounds. I keep hoping Oprah will discover and share it.$LABEL$1 +Short battery life. Using Rechargeable AAA batteries, with the Battery Saver feature turned on, about two hours. Sometimes I get more using alkalines, but not much more. Honestly, this unit is worthless, because I can't trust the batteries.Order a Garmin Etrex Legend instead. It isn't much more expensive, larger or heavier, and it includes a base map of roads, towns, and shorelines. The Legend comes with a cable to transfer data from your computer. The Legend's screen is a bit larger, but shows much more detail. And - the batteries last hours and hours.$LABEL$0 +great music and a worthy cause. The John Lennon covers were great and complement the original recordings. And the cause couldn't be more worthy (both supporting Amnesty International and raising awareness of the genocide in Darfur).$LABEL$1 +Aesthetically Pleasing. Great to look at -- in the tradition of Eraserhead or Freaks.But that's the troublesome aspect. It's mostly aesthetics, with a great backup score.Very little information, almost no social consciousness -- one would think it had been made decades ago. Singer objectifies the people in front of the lens shamelessly. Or perhaps he is just woefully behind the times and didn't know what he was doing. I would hope that was the case. But if you just want to see a good looking black and white film, it's got some great shots.$LABEL$0 +SMUT. I loved THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL and was excited to start this one. Disappointment is an understatement. I find it difficult to enjoy a book in which I have no sympathy for the heroine. I'm turning the pages only because I can't wait for her to get what's coming to her, only it can't come soon enough. Beatrice's lies, incest and selfishness drag on for pages and pages and pages. Needless to say, I will not be reading the next books in this series since I'm struggling to finish this one.$LABEL$0 +Eloise. My daughter and I love Eloise, so it was nice to have Eloise in our home for the holiday season.$LABEL$1 +Published in 1916...so dated!. I was looking to inspire my son to read more...this definitely didn't do it...bad choice of stories and so dated!$LABEL$0 +Great companion when watching the series. I love this book. I refer to it and make my own notes in it when I watch each episode so that someday I will have watched them all. One thing that I have a question about. This is regarding the few episodes that were taped rather than filmed. The author says they were taped then transferred to 16mm film for broadcast. I just don't understand why they they wern't just broadcast from the original tape. This way they would not "look like a copy of something" rather than an original tape. You would think that with today's technology restoration could be made of these tapes to make them look other than a cheap Kinescope from the past. Otherwise, thanks for a great book.$LABEL$1 +This not a Stebel horn as pictured, its a Flosser. Its not 139 db as stated its 115 db. Recieved the horn. Box says Flosser, the horn has Flosser in big letters where its sposed to say Stebel as it does in the picture on Amazon. The box says its 115 db at two metres, not the 139 db its supposed to be. Came with no reciept so dont know if there will be a warranty. Would not have bought if it had been properly discribed, just another ripoff.$LABEL$0 +"meant to live" is deceiving. if you think switchfoot's "beautiful letdown" will follow in the wake of "meant to live", think again."dare you to move" sums up the whole cd, mellow and bland.sure,they are a christian band and have inspiring lyrics which could "move" people.but this allbum is pretty boring.i mean seriosuly guys, take a listen and try not to fall asleep."meant to live" is a good song, but other than that-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.$LABEL$0 +Read Suspicion First. This book has the same two characters as Suspicion, Kate Logan and Mitch Calhoon. I would recommend reading that one first. Kate Logan an attorney is asked to represent Todd Buchanan, a man being sought for the death of his wife Molly. The problem with this is that Molly was the sister of Mitch, Kate's boyfriend. It all started with two people agreeing to meet in person after they first meet in an internet chat room.$LABEL$1 +I recommend this book to everyone I know having multiples. I think this book is the best resource for women having multiples on what to do during their pregnancy. I tried to follow the recommendations as closely as I could, although taking in 4,000 calories a day was almost impossible!! My triplets were born at 35 weeks and all came home from the hospital with me and I have to give some of the credit to following the advice in this book.I did see the negative review from the husband of the lady who could not "force feed" herself. That is unfortunate, but I don't not think it will apply to most women.$LABEL$1 +best invention ever for cat owners - but costly. I absolutely LOVE my scoop-free self-cleaning litter box. I can't think of a chore I hated more than cleaning out the litter box, and now I can ignore it for two weeks. Change the refill is quick and not too messy. The refills are expensive, but to me, it's worth it to avoid dealing with cat litter on a daily basis. I don't find the smell to be much of a problem, except a little in the summer.One other thing I'll mention is that the company has great customer service. When my first box stopped working, they were very responsive. First they sent some troubleshooting ideas, and when those didn't work, they sent a free replacement which came very quickly.So bottom line: I'd give it 5 stars if the refills were not quite so expensive, but other than that, it's a product I don't think I could live without anymore.$LABEL$1 +No thermostat!. The description of this product clearly states, "Adjustable thermostat automatically maintains desired room temperature". However, there is no temperature thermostat. There is nothing but one knob for high or low power (1 or 2 setting), and a second knob labeled 1-2-3-4-5-6, 6 being highest. No idea what actual room temperature these settings translate too. I am very disappointed! I ordered this over a Honeywell electric silent baseboard heater because the DeLonghi description said it had a thermostat.It does heat silently and pretty well, but it had a large dent on the top of the unit due to poor packaging and delivery damage.$LABEL$0 +Entertaining and illuminating, enjoyable, but not Faulkner. Heddle obviously draws from his knowledge of the physics academic community (and physics itself) to write this. This is to the good; one should write about things one knows about, and this allows one to convey the ring of truth (and allows the reader to actually learn something).His point of view is also clear, but not thrust annoyingly upon the reader (at least to my ear). (Unlike other authors who write in science-related fields whom I could point out.)There is good use of humor (I laughed out loud in places as well), insight into human behavior, etc.; so it's definitely worth a read.But in honesty, I wouldn't quite consider it highbrow/fine literature. (Perhaps one more go-around with an editor might have made a big difference.)$LABEL$1 +Merely a retelling of Anna's book. I was quite disappointed in this book, especially since it claims to be a scholarly work. As a scholar of Thailand, I was very disppointed and didn't get further than Chapter 1. The author clearly has no knowledge of Thailand's history, language, or religion let alone how Anna Leonowens is looked upon by Thais. Chapter 1 is merely a retelling, almost like a cliff notes version, of Anna Leonowens' & Margaret Landon's novels. While it was nice to see the debunked history of Leonowens' life, it would've been nice to see the debunked history of her writings as well.$LABEL$0 +not the best. the name of these hip scarves is true. they are deff. imperfect! they are made really cheap, and dont really stay on your hips really well when your dancing. i wouldnt buy another one.$LABEL$0 +Coarse and Trashy. This could have been a very good story if it could have been told with class instead of such trashy coarseness. I will not be reading anything else from this author. This one was stomach turning enough.$LABEL$0 +Almost. This cd was not quite what anyone expected. 1,2,and3 are ok but the rest don't bother listening. I read Justin's review and he said that they were proud of their acomplishments on this album. I guess the public was just suprised at the styles of music they put on here. I'd sugjest just getting used to the cd then you can learn to apriciate thier hard work and dedication!$LABEL$1 +A Favorite!. This toy is one of my 'kids' favorites! I ordered several of them in case they ripped one of them up but so far, are all still intact! And the sounds are SO funny (and realistic)!$LABEL$1 +Adventures worth sharing. I found this book while browsing at Best Buy waiting for a friend to buy a washing machine. I didn't buy it then, but I kept going back to it in my mind and decided I had to read it. I'm glad I did.Although the writing itself is not particularly noteworthy, Ms. DeLong's career is worth reading about. Her knowledge of the criminal mind is extrordinary. It is sad that that there have to be people like Special Agent DeLong out there to catch the scum who victimize other people, but reading this book made me feel like there are people out there looking out for myself and those I love.$LABEL$1 +One of Abbey's Better Novels. Abbey is at his doomsday best with this tale that leaves a glimmer of hope that we can yet save ourselves. Say what what you want about Abbey (narcissistic, sexist, moody), the guy could write! He was also ahead of his time in his warnings about our abuse of the environment!$LABEL$1 +Poor. The fan never worked well (didn't turn freely and was horribly noisy), and it conked out completely a month after the warranty expired.$LABEL$0 +The final battle (and an awesome conclusion!). Max has been completely absorbed into the consciousness and has no control over his body at all. But the others are determined not to give up. They've got two of the three Stones of Midnight, so they have that adventage. But Liz is devestated - she's just lost Adam, and the thought that she might lose Max, the love of her life, as well is almost more then she can bear. Isabel learns she may be able to return to her home planet - but she can't leave her brother behind. Or can she? Michael's torn between his love for Maria and the chance for him and his brother to return home. Alex, in spite of loving Isabel and wanting her to stay, tries to be there for her. And Maria is completely heartbroken that Michael will most likely leave her. They'll all work together to fight the final battle to free Max and the beings of his home planet from the consciousness. But can they triumph - or are the efforts too little too late? Read to find out!$LABEL$1 +Not an expert, but I like it. I've never played an electric guitar, but I some classical guitar lessons a long time ago. I went to my guitar store and looked at the Les Paul Standard, which was more money than I wanted to spend. I read that the Studio was not as pretty, but musically almost the same. Without having seen the instrument, I ordered one.I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised. It really looks nice, a little darker than in the picture. On the heavy side, but feels very well made. I wanted an instrument I won't need to replace in six months, and I'm confident it will stay better than me for the foreseeable future.It makes a good sound as far as I can tell, but as I said, I'm new to the instrument. Still, very pleased.$LABEL$1 +Great music, but not a lot of it. First the good news: the music is wonderful. Great playing, and a terrific mix of standard jazz styles (There Ain't No Sweet Man, in particular) with Beiderbecke's chamber explorations. It's definitely worth many listenings.The not-so-good news. I didn't think it was technically possible to only put 43 minutes of music on a compact disk. Seriously, the album seems awfully short for the money.$LABEL$1 +Outstanding. The author did exhaustive research on this book. It was informative without being pedantic, revealing much about the personalities and politics of the day.$LABEL$1 +A Tip on securing the Router Template Guide Adapter. A previous reviewer (i.e., Adrian) wrote that he had to tinker with it to attach it to his router. I tinkered, and tinkered with the adapter and couldn't get it attached. I even tried to call Bosch but it was after hours. Then I thought I would remove the base plate (it couldn't hurt, right?), and T.G. I did. Because there in lies the secret to attaching it--at least for me. Under the plate I discovered the spring tension latch which must be engaged for the template adapter to lock securely in place. I suspect this is what Adrian meant by his "fiddling", but did not elaborate for those who would follow him. But I have! So now, there should be no excuses. For you other people that are, like I was, ignorant of this latch, now you'll know,and be spared the frustration.Gosh, Adrian, it would have taken you just a minute to elaborate on this. :-)$LABEL$1 +Works well until it gives up the ghost. For the first year we owned this rice cooker it was very nice. Many times we have been cooking rice in it and steaming vegetables in the tray at the same time, and it has always come out nicely. After about 18 months of use, it just flat out stopped working. It worked one day, and the very next day - nothing. No light on the front, no heat from the heating element, nothing. As it was well out of warranty, I took it apart and could find no parts that looked to have failed. All of the electrical connections were solid with no corrosion. No broken or shorted wires, no burned out components. It just gave up the ghost for not apparent reason. Not worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Rupesh Goel. Clark has written a book both simple and detailed - for both the specialists and the generalists - in the big, bad, and exciting world of simulations.Sometimes the process IS the product - if you believe that you will love the notes in the book from Clark's developer's diary - he brilliantly captures the tradeoffs of design, technology, learning, legal and commercial issues, in the process of creating the simulations.I recommend this to anyone serious about simulations development or use.$LABEL$1 +Some real gems here.... After listening to Mr. Armstrong's work on albums such as the Moulin Rouge and Rome + Juliet soundtracks, I was really looking forward to seeing what he did on his own. While some tunes here are WAY too sentimental for me, the majority (especially the instrumental pieces) are wonderful. Soaring, simple melodies that take you from here to there and back again... It's one of the reasons why music is so powerful.$LABEL$1 +Eh, not as good as I remember. I remember catching an episode of this show here & there was I was young, probably 12. I remember it being kinda fun. So I impulsively bought this dvd (somewhere else for around $20) & I just couldn't get into it. I watched about 3 1/2 episodes, but Jessica (one of the main stars) just grated on my nerves. This girl was such a tease. Plus everytime she did something wrong she got off pretty lightly. If anything she would get back at somebody else. She was also very easily forgiven by her sister, whom she used just like everyone else. Some shows like Saved by the Bell I can watch now & still enjoy, but not this show. I'm happy for the huge fans of this show that it's out there for them. However, if you aren't a hard core fan, like me, make it a rental, not a purchase. Oh, the show also seems like a showcase for these girls bodies. So I wouldn't be surprised if some girls brothers decided to watch this show with them.$LABEL$0 +Nice Lantern. This lantern is sturdy built. It a thicker plastic outside, than the one I had. I believe the battery is what gives it more weight. It is not real heavy and I can still lift it with no problem. It is just different than the one I had, and takes getting use to it. I have not had to actually use it for a power outage as of yet, but have turned it on to see how it does, and it works good. I like the looks of it, and am glad I chose this one. I believe it to be a good lantern and would recommend it.It qualified for the super saver shipping at Amazon, so shipping was free. I like those type of deals.I believe this lantern is going to last a long time.$LABEL$1 +Won't buy from this seller again. Not only is their customer service terrible (if you can get a hold of someone), they're charging a $21 restocking fee. FOR A BAG. I don't see that warning mentioned on the shopping page. Bad deal.$LABEL$0 +partridge family - up to date. This is a very hard to find CD and has songs that most other partridge family albums do not, such as "You are always on my mind" and "Umbrella Man".....$LABEL$1 +Junk. For the price to get you by for maybe a week then they break I bought 3 belts and they all broke!$LABEL$0 +Works great. They were just what I needed and i haven't had any problems with them. I haven't received any errors while burning with these ones either.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the money. If you really know and like Arkansas this will be very disappointing. Arkansas is a beautiful state but you wouldn't know it from seeing this video. They avoid most of the areas of natural beauty and when they do venture slightly into those areas, we notice they filmed this in late winter or early spring when trees are just starting to leaf out, arguably the least attractive time of year in Arkansas.A few of the topics they cover are interesting but most are just stereotypical small town/hillbilly type stuff that could have been shot in rural Kentucky or Tennesee. If you don't know anything about Arkansas before you watch this, you still won't know anything after you see it.Production values are amateurish but would have been OK if they had let the state's natural beauty and friendly people speak for themseves.And it is way overpriced.$LABEL$0 +it's just ok. This workout does offer some cardio benefit. It also does introduce you to some basic Bhangra steps. It is not a serious workout or dance video. I wouldn't buy it just "to mix up my workout".$LABEL$0 +"In Pursuit of a better game". I was very disappointed with this game. I thought since it was a Trivial Pursuit game that I would would enjoy it as much as the original. The questions are obscure and boring, there is no real objective to the game, the rules are confusing and the game board and pieces are poor quality. Do yourself a favor and avoid this game and stick with original Trivial Pursuit games!$LABEL$0 +I'm torn.... I don't whether to laugh, cry or vomit. His singing is horrendous, and may give me nightmares tonight. Two words.Download this. Trust me the RIAA will not care but they may put you in a padded cell. Oh lord...my ears, my ears.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work for us. We have a small farm pond with an algae problem. We put 4 of these in the pond and waited...no change...ever. Buy an algaecide.2 stars only because the item was exactly as described and it may work for different types of algae. Who knows.$LABEL$0 +disappointed. We dined in the restaurant and enjoyed the food; I found it to be comparable with restaurants in Mexico. I ordered the book and was totally disappointed. The dishes I enjoyed in the restaurant are not in the book! It is a generic cookbook about tex-mex food obviously written to capitalize on their fame. They don't even have the recipe for the chimichurri sauce that is on every table.$LABEL$0 +Plays the Notes. If you like Spanish Flamenco and 'classical-on-guitar', and have already heard Segovia or Sabicas or Lagoya/Presti or the Romeros or Williams play some of this music, then you might also think Barrueco comes in somewhere distant. For enjoyment, also consider artists Parkening, Bream, Isben, Holzman or... well, all these folks project more than just the notes. This earnest-but-mechanical effort by Barrueco is an acoustically clear recording but contains not ALL of the music... IMHO.$LABEL$0 +Interesting biography. This book gives an interesting look into the founder of modern karate, and some practical advice for living.$LABEL$1 +v220 lack alot. I have always had a motorola cell phone but the v220 is a big let down. It looks, feels, and operates like a cheap phone.$LABEL$0 +Great Value!. I usually buy the normal (small) sized canister of ReptoMin sticks for my aquatic turtles. Never again! This is HUGE it will literally last months. And for the same price as the small one at the store. From now on I am getting my turtle food from amazon. Excellent price!$LABEL$1 +A wide range of material which shows off her talent.. The first time I heard her music was when "Dive" was new. Since then I forgot about her. A friend was talking about her so I bought "Eden". Wow! it blew me away. Her range of material as well as her amazing voice are incredible. After listening to it all day I plan to collect the other discs she has out, even the imports. For anyone who is tired of hearing the same tired material played on the radio I highly urge you to check out this disc. It's incredible.$LABEL$1 +Bellydance. Keti Sharif has put together a very informative and delightfully presented instructional book. The photography is excellent and the instructions are very clear and make sense.Keti Sharif is australia born and lives on the Red Sea in Egypt. She performs and teaches bellydance and hosts cultural tours of Egypt. Well done Keti. I teach bellydance and will be only too pleased to promote this book at my classes. My students will most likely buy a copy of this book.Anyone interested in Bellydance and Egyptian Culture or Middle Eastern Culture would be very pleased with the contents of this book, women love to express themselves and this type of dance does so refreshingly and culturally diverse techniques are explained.To celebrate our bodies is our divine right and we can enhance our health by bellydance. I invite women to take up this ancient art of expression, celebration, and good workout with pleasant music and rythms.$LABEL$1 +American dad season #5. this show has easily become one of my favorite animated series ive watched in along time. well written and the animation is fantastic! the characters are unbelievably hilarious.$LABEL$1 +its ok....cheap but ok. I am 8 months pregnant and was able to put the rocking chair together by myself. I think its ugly and cheap looking. I sat in it for 2 mins and when i took my feet off the ottoman there was marks from where my feels had been resting. The cushions is thin and not comfy at all and the fabric is not soft. I wish i had got a better chair :( I do like the size of the chair, not to big not to small, fits nice in babies room. I would not recommend this chair to anyone...$LABEL$0 +Great Coat. I got one of the best deals possible...a $ 275 coat for just $ 58!! Its great quality, wonderfully warm and looks great, on just about anything.$LABEL$1 +One Word - Brilliant.. One Word - Brilliant. Some films just turn out to be so good that words just don't seem to be enough to describe it. Watch it. Seriously.$LABEL$1 +Most annoying chord book, ever. I have a banjo chord book that is arranged by note. If you want to learn a C7 all you do is go to the C section. This one is arranged by key. If you are a beginner like me, I bet you are just trying to learn chords, not keys yet. You have to flip all through the book trying to find your chord. Find a book where the chords are listed in the order of notes, not by keys. You will be much happier.$LABEL$0 +Piece of Junk. Installed this on a new build and immediately the fan started spinning loudly and to think this unit is supposed to keep things quietly. The following day, the system would not boot up at all due to a Thermal Control Module (TCM) that went bad overnight. I tried calling CoolIt Systems technical support line and someone is supposedly calling me back. Well, I been waiting for over a week now and still no return call. Will try again.$LABEL$0 +Super the 2nd time around. Read the originally series the 1st time - in the seventies. It was amazing. Beautiful art, great covers, a super star line-up. This collection shows off comics' 1st full story arc well.$LABEL$1 +Watcher in the Woods. This movie has suspense and is so good ! I like it very much and would recommend it to everyone. It is clean entertainment and holds your attention. It won't scare you to death, but it will keep you watching non-stop.$LABEL$1 +i hate to diss a master p product or a flick with such a dope title but.... what can i say about this movie? truth be told, i couldnt finish watching it. i don't want to be too harsh because he is master p and has done a lot for the music industry, but i really don't think very many of his movies are very good. i saw this flick about 6 months ago and all i remember is that i turned it off after about 20 minutes. thankfully i rented it and didnt buy it. i would suggest saving your money unless you collect underground indie movies or at least are a HUGE master p and tony cox fan, even still i can't recommend that you buy it.$LABEL$0 +No Warranty on probes. CAUTION: My unit had been used about six times when the first probe failed. The second probe failed the next time I used it.What's more, the probe(s) ARE NOT covered by Polders warranty, and cost $17+ EACH by UPS ground (USPS postage would be 60 cents).Even worse, Polder didn't even respond to my email.$LABEL$0 +sufficient isolation for office settings, mediocre sound quality. Compared to stock iPod phones, these are an improvement, but absolutely nothing compared to "real" headphones: Ety er4p, Senn 280, Senn 580, Grado 80 (I own them all).The sound quality is quite mediocre, but I listen to it at such low volumes it hardly matters.At work I don't like sitting with full size phones and the etys, while superb, isolate me too much so these are a nice default.I use it in the office when I need a little bit of isolation from the background noise but not too much isolation so I cannot respond when someone asks me a question.... and they are shiny too..$LABEL$0 +DO not waste your money. it SUCKS. dont waste your money on this P.O.S. I usually never write a review on products, but this product is so bad, I would feel wrong if I did not say anything. If your not going to listen, let it be, your going to find yourself wishing you spent your money on something else.$LABEL$0 +Discusthing. I never got to use the trimmer. The motor doesn't work even after buying new batteries, and the cutting head looks like it's been smashed.It's not worth the postage or trouble to return it,so it just lays in the drawer.$LABEL$0 +Truly new & creative ideas for home & spirit. After reading this book I had so many ideas I didn't know where to begin. I first saw Kelee on Oprah and thought her story was remarkable....her work with Habitat for Humanity is so inspiring. And now I can use her immense spirit and creativity for my own home. She is like a spiritual Martha Stewart but so much more interesting!$LABEL$1 +shallow and disappointing. I thought this book was dull and disappointing. If you are looking for just a bit of light reading for the sake of a story, this may be the book for you - but if you are looking for a novel that is intriguing, moving and involving, this certainly didn't make the grade for me. The writing is dull, the characters are flat, the plot moves along like a simplistic fantasy with the characters making their choices with an unrealistically shallow level of conflict. I personally found I was unable to empathise with any of them because I felt they just weren't real to me, despite the book's issues being quite close to my heart. It's magazine-rack stuff.$LABEL$0 +A bit of sham. I was looking forward to this but it's a slim paper back book with a bland text book cover. It's certainly not worth the price.$LABEL$0 +This is garbage. These songs are NOT performed by the original artists, know that first of all. As such, they sound cheap rip offs (because they are). If this is the kind of music you're after, you are MUCH better off to by it by the artist's themselves or off of other compilations.$LABEL$0 +THE BEST HEADPHONE IN THE MARKET. IT IS THE BEST HEADPHONE I EVER HAVE, SOUND IS 10 POINTS, CONFORT 10 POINTS.$LABEL$1 +Awesome DS game, but..... I love it I really do. The most fun of Mario games but not the best in my opinion. There are some problems like the saving part. I can't save much data because some parts of the game only allow you to save data like the mushroom houses. Overall it's not that bad once you geat use to it.$LABEL$1 +Fascinating story. This story is absolutely captivating. The author is a man who is unable to communicate except for his ability to blink one eye. The entire book was dictated in this manner after having suffered a stroke. I read this book from the mindset of a health professional and I found it to be very helpful for empathizing with the patient. It is important to remember that just because a patient cannot speak, does not mean that they are not fully in their mind. I think this book would be a fascinating and useful read for both health professionals and lay persons.$LABEL$1 +Was a great blog, crappy book. Salam Pax started out well. Then he got commercialized. The tone of his writing has changed dramatically, and the influence from the anti-war crowd has all but consumed his writing.I'd love to tune back in years from now after he's been forgotten, to see if he returned to writing from the heart.$LABEL$0 +Bad Toy. This product is awful. I loved Lite Brite as a child but this is NOT the same. The pegs are very hard to put in and they fall out really easily. You can't put two in next to each other without one falling out. It is very frustrating for my daughter. The drawer where you keep the pegs gets stuck all the time and the pegs go flying when you do get it open. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +JoJo is a HoHo ....her cd is Retarded ..everything suxxx !!!. "Leave" get out is the ONLY good song on her album everything esle is just trash.....plus all of her songs sound the same....i would tell people to just burn it or not buy it at all it is the WORST album Ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!JOJO SUXX!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +A good mystery game. If your kids like mysteries this is the game for them! Who's picture is your opponet holding ask questions get answers and have fun while you go!$LABEL$1 +Best version of him. Mas Amedda was always one of the more interesting aliens in the prequels. This figure gets pretty high marks. The only thing I would like to see in a future update is a soft goods outer cloak. The hard plastic works well enough but limits articulation. Also, the soft goods would probably just look even more regal.$LABEL$1 +MUST BUY, you will NEVER find a better kosher marshmallow. We've tried them all, thrown away tons, shipped in many, stumbled across many at kosher markets, and we've ALWAYS come up w/ the same opinion....you simply cannot beat Paskesz Marshmallows at all. These are not just kosher, but are soft, yummy, correct texture, and do EXCELLENT over Sukkot campfires! BUY and you won't be dissapointed, guaranteed. There is no other option (we've tried many times!).Thank you Paskesz!$LABEL$1 +Not worth the paper its written on!. One of the worse ways to learn the blues... Don't waste your time or your money.$LABEL$0 +Don't Let a Murderer Profit. The author killed a man ("self defense' with a belt and a plastic bag. Uh-huh) and now profits from this book while the victim's family wakes up every day without him. By all means, read this book at the library, buy it used, or borrow it from a friend, but do NOT purchase it new.$LABEL$0 +Very realistic SACD sounding. "I can't believe they're early 1960's recordings!!"The sound is so vivid, lifelike and alive. This SACD disc has promptly transported me to the day it was recorded. I even heard bernstein breathing and can feel his hand movements while he's conducting. This is a real Hi-Resolution treat!!$LABEL$1 +Hmm.... This book, to me was pretty boring. I only read to half the book and put it away. Maybe one day I will open up this book again, but it won't be soon.$LABEL$0 +HUGE FAN -- MORE HUGELY DISAPPOINTED. This CD is all remakes, mostly more (overly) produced. If you want the better, less overdubbed claptrap songs, get SUBSTANCE. That's what I just did. I am Waaaaay disappointed. I've been a fan since the 80's (I had the original SUBSTANCE in cassette form. Actually, I still do, but I wanted to get the CD). Just very, very unhappy with my purchase. Thankfully, I didn't pay too much for it. If anyone knows which CD had the song, "KRAFTY" (I adored that video), please let me know. Happy New-Ordering, folks!$LABEL$0 +tracy byrd,i love you.. i have almost every cd of tracy's. i would love to meet him one day. if i ever get to meet him,i'm going to pack him in my suitcase and bring him home with me.$LABEL$1 +Review. It is not what i thought its going to be, absoloutely rediculous wasting my time and hard earned money looking for this$LABEL$0 +I finally give up.. I have purchased three of these over the course of the last few years. My mother-in-law bought me another. So four total. After four, I am giving up and buying a new product that gets better reviews. Without fail, the sound starts to go bad and then won't work all together. It is beyond frustrating and I am going to shell out some extra money for one that doesn't turn on and off on it's own. If I were you, I would look at another product.$LABEL$0 +ABSOLUTE JUNK!. This is your classic Chinese-made junk...rusted like a tin can within no time flat! Got a full refund. Buy American. Go USA!$LABEL$0 +Bored?. Only watch if U R Xtremely bored - and have not another thing in the whole video stratosphere 2watch other than this....I gave it a chance, but I will watch Troy for the 112th time B4 continuing to torture myself with this.. sighhh. I should not have even reviewed it. Just should have typed"no"$LABEL$0 +Poor quality - Impossible to use. My daughter got a White SC-20 for Christmas from Santa. I hoped that this machine would be of the same quality as White's line of sewing machines and sergers, however I was disappointed beyond belief. The machine is made of cheap plastic, including the foot pedal and bobbin assembly. Even after threading it correctly, adjusting tension and trying unsuccessfully for about an hour and a half, I could not get it to sew a single stitch. The thread kept binding up and knotting around the bobbin assembly. The machine is cute, but a total piece of junk. Save your cash and grief and go for a low end singer or kenmore. At least you can get a straight stitch out of them.$LABEL$0 +Not Sturdy Enough. I bought two of these. One broke the first time I used it, the other lasted two weeks. Simply put, these controllers are cheap. They aren't as durable as standard Nintendo controllers. Buyer beware. If I had it to do over, I'd have bought some authentic N64 contollers.$LABEL$0 +another brilliant slow brew by Shyamalan. Ok, folks, after his last few films, was anyone really surprised by the slow pace of much of this film, and the surprise ending? That's what M. Night Shyamalan does! His movies are not about the monsters and special effects -- each is a discourse on morality and spirituality. The lesson here is on family and protecting your children - how far would you go?I loved this film. it was probably closest to 'Signs' in pace and message. Visually, it was stunning. I love the way Shyamalan captures the facial expressions and feelings of his characters, and while I guessed the outcome of the film, it was still great to sit and watch.$LABEL$1 +Too much irrelevant trivia. The idea of emphasizing the rivals in Lincoln's cabinet is different from anything else I've read about that period. However, Goodwin uses up too many pages on the socializing in Washington..especially with Kate Chase. 757 pages is is a big bite, and some trimming tto the identified issue would have been appreciated.$LABEL$1 +this is one of the worst toys i have ever gotten. hi I'm 9 and i got this for me ninth birthday I was so excited.it came a couple days after my birthday when i was at a friends my dad opened go go.all it did was go in a circle and bark.it's ugly too.it comes with a brush but the hair gets tangled in 5 days. the fur feels wierd too it's all oily and gross.it cmres with the hankerchief that is really ugly and also fells really wierd.Don't buy your kid this horrible product or they will cry!$LABEL$0 +for my new phone.. i got this to put music on my phone. i could have bought cheaper but wanted to ship the item in time so i bought it here.$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointing. This was a good movie that suffered from a mediocre BD tranfer as it is just comparable with the DVD release.$LABEL$0 +I'd like to give it 10 stars!. My favorite Lowen and Navarro cd!!! It has the energy an spirit of a live performance, but the vocals and harmonies are flawless, the instrumentals are incredible - it truly is the best of both worlds. It's hard to believe this was just recorded as an "afterthought" by the house sound mixer. It's truly an inspiring cd, and one I never tire of listening to.$LABEL$1 +Movie. This was a good movie, but it was a little to drawn out in parts. But yet a heart warming movie. George Clooney was pretty good in this move.$LABEL$1 +I don't get it. I just don't get it. Virgin Records lists this as the seventh best album ever. I can't figure out why. When Man on the Moon came out I hated it, but I figured there was something else on the album that made up for it. There wasn't.I bought mine used, and at [the listed price], I think I got robbed. Nothing on here is particularly impressive. The "emotion" that is supposed to sell the song can be found in equal quality on a Backstreet Boys album, and they have catchier tunes.All in all, this is NOT the decade-defining album the producers try to sell it off as. Save your money, or better yet, take the money you would have spent on this album and bet your friends that the members of REM end up homeless within the span of five years.$LABEL$0 +Slammin Tracks!. Saw her live in San Francisco last weekend at the Pride Festivities. Tracks 3,8, and 10 are the best to jam to. 10 gets all the club play and it's about 7 minutes long. All in all you'll like it if you have any of her other music! J--San Francisco$LABEL$1 +Waiting...waiting...eject. I've watched slow-starters before, but this movie dragged for the full 10 minutes that I gave it to draw me in. The scenery & the players were dismal and the script was juvenile: First, you invite your dysfunctional adult sister to join you & your wife on a quiet getaway out of town? Then, you cave in on her pushy curbside plea to also allow her new male friend, whom you've never met, to come join you around the campfire? I mean, really?I confess to jones-ing for some good bloody gore once in awhile, but this one found my husband, having murmured "ugh" minutes before I did, watching me from afar to see how long it would take me to wave a white flag and choose a new film to pop in.In summary, I "let him in" but then I sent him packing (I re-sold him to Amazon). This one's a waste of time compared to the many frightful heavy-hitters that I've acquired through Amazon.$LABEL$0 +The Ugly Duckling meets Pretty Woman. Disney movies have all the same plot elements, so I was able to predict the rest of the movie within 30 minutes of watching it...an "ugly" duckling girl turns out to be princess of some unknown country of people with an undeterminable accent who give her a makeover to look all fake and "beautiful" and teach her proper manners while she's going to high school and has always liked the jerk jock that didn't pay any attention to her when she was ugly unlike the nice quiet guy that did who she ends up blowing off for the jock only to be swept up in a series of embarrassing mistakes with the jock who she finds out what he's really like and has thought to have lost chances with the quiet guy but miraculously appears all slick and handsome at her special royal ballroom party and they dance and kiss and I puke. There, now you don't have to see it, because you already have (i.e. every teenage romance ever made).$LABEL$0 +I hear it's horrible! I have better!. I hear this kit is pretty bad.I used to collect spy toys (the company is Spy Gear). I had a bunch of secret listeners. It had removable ear buds. I have like 2 I belive. They work great in my DS! My friend tried the same thing only some other stuff wich was her Fly Pentop earbuds and her Scooby Doo Radio earbuds and they work great too! About the DS cases I have a Nintendogs case and it was Nintendo certified and it is awsome! Now those game cases. My friend has 4 game cases and they looked cool so then I went throught my house looking for somthing to use and I found a Barbie suitcase (since I have a million Barbie things) and it works great! It can hold 2 GBA games, 3 DS games or 1 GBA game and 2 DS game! I hear the Car Adapter works SO GET IT SEPARATE!! I hope this helped!$LABEL$0 +Perfect for my body butter!. I make body butter with this, coconut oil and pure shea butter (plus essential oils). Turns out wonderfully! This is a great product and goes a long way!$LABEL$1 +WHY DID I BUY THIS BOOK?. Thank God I bought it USED!!! This was the WORST, UNBELIEVEABLE, book of Robinson's that I have read, and I have read them all!$LABEL$0 +She Can Paint, Too!. Fans of the golden age Disney films and animation in general are very familiar with the brilliant career of color genius Mary Blair, one of the most important graphic and commercial artists of the century, and some of her best work is found right here between these covers. These beautiful illustrations are among the warmest and most engaging she ever did. "I Can Fly" is one of the very earliest (and best) Golden Books, and this miniature edition seems to be complete, unlike the more common modern reprints which are severely truncated. The color reproduction isn't a hundred percent accurate, either, but unless you want to spend considerable time at the swap meets or on eBay, this is your best bet. For more about Mary Blair (as well as Golden Books hall of famer Gustav Tenggren and many others) see John Canemaker's excellent book "Before The Animation Begins". Oh, yeah, and if you're a real little kid you'll find it much easier reading than this slightly pompous review.$LABEL$1 +Router gone bad after 4 months. The router seemed to work fine in the beginning but then I upgraded the firmware to the latest version 5.02 and the router has now gone bad. I have much lost time trying to resolve this and now have to pay shipping fees to send out the bad router for RMA. This does not seem fair since the router is only 4 months old. I will be very wary of Netgear products in the future.$LABEL$0 +Jacket Messed up. Has anyone else noticed that the synopsises of the episodes on the cover don't match the episodes played? High Price and not accurate besides. The titles match but not what happens. Very strange.$LABEL$0 +The First World War--The Complete Series. I highly recommend this video series to those who already have some familiarity with the events of WWI, but not for people just wanting to learn the general history of the period. There is greater focus presented here on the non-Euopean aspects of the war, showing it to be in fact a global experience. Plus, the author and producers made a determined effort to be even handed in their portrayals of the combatants; with explanations of the actions and viewpoints of the Central Powers and the Allies in equal measure. Areas which I would have like to have had explored a little more were the campaigns of Austria-Hungary; and the unprecedented impact of war on civilians, such as the Belgians, the Armenians, and women. Anyone who interested in delving a little deeper into the lesser known aspects of The Great War will truly enjoy "The First World War--The Complete Series."$LABEL$1 +Not that much rumble. For subwoofers placement is key and can make or break your subwoofer. I have mine in a corner-ish spot, but it still doesn't give that chest pounding bass. Oh well, It's small so that's good for me because I'm using it with my PC.I have this connected to a Harmon Kardon Hk3390 receiver and On the back of the sub I set the volume 3/4 and on the receiver I set the bass knob to 3/4 aswell maybe it is defective because there the subwoofer only responds when the volume is 3/4 or higher. One thing to note is that it is very musical, it's not like those massive one note car subs that only go boom.$LABEL$1 +The Farmer's Almanac, explained like my grandpa would!. Like the other reviewer, I've always heard from my grandpa and dad that you should plant "when the signs are right". They both follow the farmer's almanac religiously. BUT, they have never been able to explain to me what the different signs were and how they interact with each other. THIS BOOK DOES THAT!I was so excited when I picked this book up while on vacation in the NC mountains - it explains things the way my grandpa would, kinda folksy and without a lot of fluff, but packed with meaning.If you are a gardener, and have tried to understand the almanac, then this is a quick but VERY PRODUCTIVE read!$LABEL$1 +'Precepts of the Samurai'. A nearly extinct class of honorable warriors, this book not only gives a visual and technical description of the art of "drawing" the samurai sword, but Sensei Shimabukuro also instills upon the reader ageless knowledge and wisdom.As a student of Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaijutsu, I have found that the classes have opened up a new perspective on life and this book is one I often refer too, when I feel a little lost in my lessons and in my life.Definitely a must-have for any student of this art, practioner of another martial form or for someone who wants a little bit of instrospective enlightenment.Find your Heijoshin.$LABEL$1 +Good read.. I would recomend this book to friends. Still enjoy sitting down and reading Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary.$LABEL$1 +Good heavy duty rain poncho.. This poncho does everything they say it does. I like it, but it is really awfully heavy & hot in warm weather rain. I would say it is well worth the money.$LABEL$1 +Your all in one Gardening & Farming magazine. I wish I had known about this magazine years ago, love it. FULL of helpful information if you garden or farm. I learn many things with each new issue and look forward to receiving them. Very helpful articles, tips and stories to help you make the most our of your land, gardening, farming and producing. Will certainly re-subscribe every year.$LABEL$1 +Fun, but doesn't "rinse" off. Great toy, but doesn't just rinse off with water. It leaves a tint/hue to my bathtub and walls that comes off easily with a basic shower cleaner. Not a huge deal, but DOES require more cleaning effort that one would think.$LABEL$1 +Recieved wrong item. I got thee other style of floor mat of this brand but cant find an email to contact you with. The one with red on and 1 solid black stipe down the middle$LABEL$0 +it doesn't know weather it wants to be a comedy or a drama. The acting was wooden. The direction seemed nearly non existent, or at the very last seriously flawed. The romatic lead (Shemar whatshisface) is a soap opera actor, chosen for his puppy dog glances, not his acting. He was perfectly cast. If you like black cinema's you will be dissapointed by this movie. The flick misses on all counts.$LABEL$0 +Beware the 12-track abridged version!. Be careful! The 2000 reissue of Madness's classic CD "Keep Moving" omitted two tracks from the original ("Wings of a Dove "and "Sun and the Rain") and shuffled the play order of the others.Make certain you're getting the 14-track version of this CD or risk missing two classic Madness songs. The 14-track CD is still available, so buy carefully!$LABEL$0 +Book 4 - eh. I'll keep it short ...while you will wade through it, waiting for ANYthing, book 4 pretty much sucked. Didn't stop me from buying book 5. Even with the apologia at the end of 4, it was still not a very good book. Book 5 is getting back to speed ... we'll see...it's getting back to the characters I want to know about (tho, C1 totally baffled me). Oh. I'm a Tyrion fan.$LABEL$0 +Kids loved it!. Very action oriented book! Lots of Kung Fu, a little bit of blood and gore, bit of fantasy (animals behaving in sympathy with humans) a litte (not too accurate) culture thrown in, definitely some mystery and good vs. evil. My 10 year old read it and REALLY loved it...he can't wait for the next book to come out. Consider that very sensitive children might be bothered by multiple deaths and violence. Resistent readers may be inspired by this book with very appealing characters and a clear sense of conflict re: obeying, thinking for oneself, appropriate use of violence.$LABEL$1 +Not Really a Murder Mystery. The back of the book, which I read before I made my purchase, led me to believe that I would be in for a good thriller. Boy, was I mislead. From the start, it is obvious who the killer is. The only "mystery" to solve is, where did the killer run to?I expected some deep, dark secrets regarding the double murder and their child, but there were none. I am so disappointed, that I will never read this author again.$LABEL$0 +Why not 5 Stars? Like Chris Degarmo, something's missing.... First of all, since Chris Degarmo left the band, Queensryche has never been the same. They've been "off." Some bands can live on with replacement parts, but it was too noticeable without Chris. Don't get me wrong, I really like Queensryche, but Greatest Hits? Queensryche is not that kind of band. A compilation of band or fan favorites? Yes! Greatest Hits or Best of? No such thing for Queensryche. So what they've had some commercial success, this package still misrepresents all that Queensryche has to offer, especially in their earlier work. "Live Evolution" was the right idea, but anyone could tell too easily that there was something missing without Chris. If you've never heard any Queensryche this is overall a really great mix, so by all means buy it. But don't be fooled into thinking these are their Greatest hits.$LABEL$1 +Very Entertaining!. As a preschool teacher, I'm always looking for good books that will keep the attention of my kids. Even though this book is a little lengthy for very small children, it really keeps their attention. The kids get a kick out of the fact that a doughnut has an opinion whether he should be eaten or not. They also really loved the ending. I have already recommended this book to family, friends, and other teachers. Very cute!$LABEL$1 +Great for the Newbie. If you're new to the bar or beverage industry, this book will help you understand the basics of managing a bar. It's a little dated but most of the material is still relevant. The copy is large but I think its a filler more than a necessity. Good buy when bought used.$LABEL$1 +AGAIN,ONE LESSER,ONE GOOD. THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN TO MY HEART is the lesser one with a few hits and a lot of fillers, and again a few songs from the country albums of 1963.The pleasant surprize is WE'LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE.REMEMBER ME is the good one ,in which DEAN has fun with some modern standards of the time.Also included are BUMMING AROUND,one of his national anthems,MY SHOES KEEP WALKING BACK TO YOU and WALK ON BY(both wonderful).DINO'S fans will love this LP.It is a perfect selection of songs for him.Wouldn't it have been nice if they had coupled all the good albums together and left the others with a stamp labeled LEFTOVERS-COLLECTORS ITEMS?$LABEL$1 +Sonic Kung Fu. Fast and fun pop-rock, a more ballad oriented set than the debut album, but still plenty of electronica influence. From Rush Hour with Love, Try Everything, Luxury Cage and Kung Fu Movies are standout tracks. Saffron is the only singer whose lyrics reference Mortal Kombat 2, Haggen-Das and early Cure all in one song and make it work perfectly. Good Stuff.$LABEL$1 +balloon jigsaw. Great jigsaw. A broken ankle kept us at it for hours at a time and there were enough picture clues to make it really interesting and fun. We finished it together in about two weeks "working" an hour or two each day. It's not for the faint of heart but not frustrating either...will hold your attention, relies heavily on perception of color and position in space. Great puzzle!$LABEL$1 +Soft?. There is nothing soft about the Davinci Tool. It is very awkward to use. Tried using it several times and did not like it at all.$LABEL$0 +Power Rangers Galactic Gift Set. This pack contains 3 Power Rangers videos! 1.Power Rangers Lost Galaxy:The Power of Teamwork Over Comes All-contains Quaser Quest parts 1, and 2, and Race to the Rescue. 2.PRLG:The Return of the Magna Defender- Magna Defender, Sunflower Search, Orion Rises, Orion Returns, and Redemption Day 3.Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue- Operation Lightspeed, Lightspeed Teamwork, and Trial By Fire.The main villains in these videos are: Scorpious, Trakeena, Furio, Treacheron, and Destructso (for the PRLG ones) Diabolico, Vypra, Loki, Impus, and Jinxer (for the PRLR ones)$LABEL$1 +Great, simple workout in 30 min to do at home. Love this video. It makes pilates simple and something anyone can do. In 30 min I get an overall body workout. Can't wait to move up to the intermediate workout.$LABEL$1 +It would be best if we could combine the two !. Mame with Lucille Ball and Auntie Mame with Rossalyn Russell are both GREAT !! Each has moments that are best on it's version.The Fox Hunt is best with Lucille, but the Christmas job in Macy's is best with Rossalyn. Get Both and have a "Mame-a-Thon"on Christmas Day!!$LABEL$1 +Extremely disappointing. Despite my admiration for Zwicky, I must say I felt this book totally uninteresting; there is hardly anything on his methodology and many silly remarks, such as "you can tell there are doing great work here, their restrooms are clean!". Sadly, this was not a joke!$LABEL$0 +ultrasonic doesnt work. the only thing that works is the alarm, the rest doesnt do anything to dogs the ultrasonic doesnt work at all$LABEL$0 +A very unreal portrait of urban life. i really can't believe that the sexual abuse you watch in this movie can actually happened in the real urban life ... she actually seems very permissive and condoning , accepting and encouraging this male abusiness and even appeared to enjoy it !$LABEL$0 +Keeps you in suspense from cover to cover. This book keeps you wondering just how history did unfold; with catholicism and the epistles. A well rounded book with all the trimmings. The uniquely fresh look the book gives of the first apostles probable incounters along with the fast pace and Hi-tech scientific plot plays out wounderfully between countries and intensifying situations. You won't be able to set this book down$LABEL$1 +Not much fun. My 5 year old seemed to like this game a little but I thought it was really boring. It's all chance with no skill or strategy involved. Frankly, it's just not that exciting and we don't really play it much at all.$LABEL$0 +One of the best , know ur place.. First off to all you reviewers who just hate and dont respect the music, don't leave a review if you dont like shyne, idiots.This is a great album, i can admit that its not as good as his first. Still love shyne's lyrics sceme, one of the best. Shyne in my opinion raps better than most rappers caught up in the political scene. Whole cd bangs buy it or shut up.$LABEL$1 +It's a great player.....for a few months.. I received this MP3 player as a gift last July, and I didn't start using it until last winter. However, within the past few months a significant problem has occured with the headphone jack and the sound quality is terrible now. Apparently this is a widespread problem with this player, and all you have to do is Google "headphone jack Creative Zen Micro" and find the Creative discussion board to read hundreds of complaints about this one problem. To make matters worse, their customer service is practically non-responsive. Do the smart thing and purchase a different MP3 player.$LABEL$0 +Creative Improvised Music from the Pacific NW. Dave Storrs and The Tone Sharks are at it again. This quintet of very talented musicians met for 2 days in 1999 to spontaneously compose or collectively improvise on all the compositions excepting cub scout barbecue (sounds like a minimum of written composition there either). Storrs and his Tone Sharks have been a fixture in the Pacific NW for years and their interaction is unpredictable and entertaining. They are having fun too for sure. Thank you Amazon for finding independent labels like Louie [...] because they often record the finest local music. Anyone interested in genre-busting creative improvised music should listen to Tone Sharks recordings. And better yet, catch them live.$LABEL$1 +GREAT MP3 player!!. I have had one of these for 10 months and I love it! I use it often and it has never given me any problems! Great sound and user friendly.My daughter has an ipod. Although the Zen Nano I have is not as powerful, I still prefer it.If you don't want to shuck out the money for an ipod, don't buy one of the cheap MP3 players. I would highly reccommend the Zen Nano!$LABEL$1 +Generic and unspiring = as i lay dying.... Once i finnaly got aild's latest release "frail words collapse" i realy hated it...For the minute i put it on my stereo, it totaly sounded like crap and it just got worse & worse if you looking for any outstanding track or any song that sounds decent skip this because you won't find it here ! I got this because one of my friends who actullie seen aild live told me that they were "awsome"...Well, he was wrong!! Mediocre music for mediocre ppl is what aild is and will always be! Don't buy it unless you want to be bored to death with a repetetive/mediocre sound!$LABEL$0 +Mellencamp Returns To His Rock Roots Here. With WHENEVER WE WANTED, John Mellencamp drops the "Cougar" altogether and returns to his rock style and party-oriented lyrics from his early days, while continuing his deeper lyrical concerns. The remastering on this CD adds depth and definition to every single song, and the bonus cuts are quite interesting. Any serious Mellencamp fan must own this one.$LABEL$1 +ho-hum. blah, takes a day to master a pilot prof if you're half-decent.adds a completely useless side to a game that is wholly land-based.bit of a sideshow to the grinding blahfest that was swg...ah well, with the cu swg isn't around for much longer in this galaxy anyway.AVOID$LABEL$0 +Just another halocaust book. This book is just like all the rest of the halocaust books. It got very old very quick. I didn't enjoy it much. I had to read it for school and it really didn't interest me at all.$LABEL$0 +I threw it away!. This flavor was so terrible that I ended up throwing it away after trying it once. I absolutely love the vanilla ice cream royale and the strawberry banana smoothie flavors of this same product. I bought the chocolate mint flavor based on positive reviews - so maybe it was just me but I really could not stand it!$LABEL$0 +Useless.. This kind of "experimentation" was already over in the days of Woolf and Joyce. Not only was D.F. Wallace incredibly overrated and incredibly out of touch, but he's left us a legacy of second-rate regurgitated drivel like this as well. Thanks, guy.Whatever happened to telling real stories about real people?$LABEL$0 +Good for beginners. There are more than enough excellent tracks on this disc to make it a good buy. There are many songs left off, though, that are much more enjoyable and impressive than half the songs included here. Danger Street, the best rock song he's ever done, is missing. Vulcan Princess and Lopsy Lu, the two best songs on his self-titled album, are also missing. Worse yet, however, is the omission of nearly all of his most stunning bass jams. It would be nice to have a compilation that really shows off the full limits of Stanley Clarke's incredible talent.How about a second disc? Suggestions:Life Is Just a Game and Desert Song from School Days;Lords of the Low Frequencies, Illegal, and Funk Is Its Own Reward from East River Drive;Play the Bass and Time Exposure from Time Exposure;Basketball from Hideaway;Bassically Taps from If This Bass Could Only Talk.Until you've heard those songs, you really haven't heard Stanley Clarke.$LABEL$1 +Only one disc would play. The first disc would not play in any machine it tried (3). The 2nd disc was OK. The item was returned and I was given a no hassle refund.$LABEL$0 +The real deal. This CD puts you at an up-close table and you can practically smell the cigarette smoke and dried beer on the carpet. Billy Joe is backed by a 3-piece rock trio (not to be confused with a country band) led by the late Eddy Shaver on guitar. Besides the tremendous songwriting, it's Eddy's guitar work that super charged the band's live performances during this era. His homegrown creativity of blending styles and tones is powerfully evident throughout this live CD. Billy Joe's resume is packed with songwriting credits affiliated with many Nashville artists, although his own presentation style of these songs is far removed from Nashville and sits right in the heart of a Texas honky tonk. If you can't stand the way Nashville does it, boy have I got the CD for you!$LABEL$1 +Works well. A lot of at-home workout equipment is gimmicky, but this lives up to its advertisements. It's easy to put up and remove, and is stable in the door-frame. Plus, I don't have to embarrass myself at the gym :)$LABEL$1 +You call this "Like New"!?. I just bought a Spice controller and I thought when they meant "like new" I thought it would be like it was still in the container seal or something, but when I got it, it looked as it was in a old garage. It was working just fine, just this moment I was playing Zelda Wind Waker having a rematch on one my save files with Puppet Ganon, the Analog stick just all of the sudden stopped working. I have no idea on how it just wouldn't work. If I don't fix this, I think I feel like I wasted my $20.00 + Tax.$LABEL$0 +Tweaker. I've been looking for a tool like this for some time. Anyone who does house framing needs one of these. We've all had twisted lumber to deal with. This tool makes it very easy to straighten two by lumber. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Are you people kidding. It amazes me on the propaganda bull that can influence people on twisted facts. Watch C-Span or the History Channel for the real facts you'll be amazes on who has the horns here. I once watch on the History Channel about the Persian Gulf war and how we screwed that up that cuased us to go back but I bet that was President Obama's fault too. Does it reality matter what faith you are because there are radicals no matter where you look in any faith. All I know is Mitt Romney even states he'll downsize the Federal government and remove where ever there is waste to him. For example the USPS and education is well in his sites. Wakeup people we are all in this together. By the way it's true about flying saucers I read it in the National Enquire and yes Elvis did go back to his planet.$LABEL$0 +Pales Next to Spenser!. As an avid fan of the genre, I began this book with high hopes that ended in disappointment. Never before have I seen such a derivative work like this. So derivative, it borders on outright plagiarism! Mr. Crais is obviously intimately familiar with the works of the venerable Robert B. Parker; however, in this case, imitation is NOT flattering at all.$LABEL$0 +HDMI Cable. These are great cables at a reasonable price. They are heavy duty with the diameter the size of a dime. You will like these cables.$LABEL$1 +it didn't work for me. I would not recommend this product, because it did not work for me.my search will continue for an effective Tongkat product$LABEL$0 +Worth the price. This product was delivered before the expected delivery date...as usuall when dealing with Amazon.com. Its amazing that 1 GB (wich holds a ton of files)can be on such a small disk. It has worked flawlessly in my cell phone now for 3 months. I also use a disk reader to pull the pictures to my computer. Its held up well. I recommend this size for any product that accepts it. No worries about running out of memory.$LABEL$1 +Good Product. Item is as pictures and described. You may want to place a nonslip mat underneath this to keep it from sliding, though that is not strictly necessary.$LABEL$1 +at last!. This film represents to me the challenge and spirit of karate. I've recommended it to groups who have not studied karate for the spirituality and philosophy. And it has great action sceens! If you are truly brave, listen to the blind flute player and have the courage and humility for the student and teacher to learn together.$LABEL$1 +It's great if you like headaches, stomach ulcers, and frustration!. Way too many issues with the wn311t. Worked okay for about 2 months on my XP computer. Then the issues started. Spent about 3 days problem solving, checking out online threads ... updating firmware/drivers, etc. All to no avail. My Netgear router is perfect. But this wireless receiver isn't worth all the headaches. I've even had some of my techie friends come over that do the networking for fortune 500 companies and they scratch their heads.Unless you like stomach ulcers, headaches and making cancer . . . I'd stay away.I never write reviews. This is my first. But I felt compelled to so that maybe I can save some poor soul some misery.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. I purchased this CD a second time because the 1st one I purchased started to skip. I liked this CD better than his first one.$LABEL$1 +Simply the Best!. This album give us the best from this pop group....They are simply the best group ever!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Poor Quality Envelopes. Have plenty of tape available when using these envelopes. Sealing glue is terrible and will not hold your enclosed material securely. Also tape over bottom flap since that has a tendency to pull apart also.$LABEL$0 +Poor Editing. I just received this book yesterday, so I don't have a lot to say about the test-taking advice and practice questions. All I have read so far is the first chapter (introduction). In all honesty, I find it hard to believe this book was even edited. On at least four occasions, I found myself feeling deja vue - and the reason was entire sections were duplicated and repeated in succession! And it's not like they accidentally put in the same page twice. You finish a section at the bottom of one page, and there it is again at the top of the next page. I just don't understand how that could happen - if anyone took the time to give the chapter a once-over they would have caught it. Interestingly, you can see the introduction right here on Amazon before purchasing, but the problem appears to have been fixed for the online view. Too bad not for the $26 version I bought.$LABEL$0 +cordless right angle drill. I purchased the drill and only used it a couple of time-4-5 and the chuck broke. I have recently had a corded impact wrench and an XRP drill go out. Much poorer quality than my previous buys. Have started moving towards Hatichi.$LABEL$0 +A Bunch of Gobbledygook. I saw this man on Oprah Winfrey trying to explain why Barack Obama went to Trinity Church to hear that racist Rev. Wright preach his propaganda about the U.S. Gov't creating the AIDS virus to kill black people, along with saying G-D America, we brought 9/11 on ourselves. He gave some mumbo-jumbo answer that it was basically because of America's "collective pain". What a bunch of malarky. Obama went to that church to get himself some "street cred". Also, his wife agrees with the pastor, read her thesis yourself it's posted on the net. Oprah is pushing her agenda on America, just like others are trying to do and it is not going to work. Do not bother reading this book, it's a bunch of malarky. Save your money. Also, what are this man's credentials, does he have any?? Tolle is nothing more than Oprah's new tool if you ask me.$LABEL$0 +Awesome. I like to carry a keychain flashlight and, over the years, have had numerous different types. I ran across an ad, online, for the Photon and decided to try one. This is the best I have had. It is so tiny and so bright. I really don't need all the flashing modes but it is sturdy and easy to carry. I like that the batteries can be replaced and that they are reasonably priced. I had one small light where the batteries cost more than the light did. This Photon is a definite thumbs up.$LABEL$1 +Absolutely unlistenable. Knowing and kitsch and soooo achingly hip, so wink-wink more ironic than you are, an ugly and ungainly mash of diverse styles into music so deeply irritating I never want to hear it ever again. I tried my best. Gimmicks do not equal music.$LABEL$0 +Do not get this 'toy'. This item teaches children how to un-do locks and bolts making it easier for them to escape the house. We bought this for my Autistic brother and he promptly started undoing all the locks in all the house. Now, we have to alarms all doors in the house andd he still escapes constantly. BAD TOY IDEAL!!!!$LABEL$0 +doesn't work. I purchased this item to install an aftermarket Kenwood stereo in a 2001 Ford Focus. It fits flush with the dash, but the stereo doesn't fit.$LABEL$0 +A rare gem. A true gem of a book, dealing with a subject that is much overlooked. As the inspiration for Orwell's 1984 revising history, it is a chilling look at early Soviet attempts to rewrite history by erasing people from photos. Watching a photo of 5 men dwindle down to a picture of one as the others are disgraced, imprisoned, killed and then erased is just mindblowing!Whether you are a fan of Soviet history (i'm not) or not, the cold war touched us all and this book documents it in the entirety$LABEL$1 +If your a Goofball like me you will luv this comedy. I realize that not everyone has a corny type of sense of humor like I do where you find silly movies like naked gun or nacho libre just full of laughs ..And Im not the type to rank movies but if you like those type of comedies im sure you will love weekend at bernies ..i literly couldnt stop laughing ..the plot, the scheming is so far out there it truly has 90 min of laughs and its a really enjoyable movie ..I dont usally buy movies anymore but I had to on this one..bottom line either way buy or rent it its a must see "$LABEL$1 +Handy cables. I used these in a group of 3 to provide component video and audio to my tv. These worked out great and they look really cool.$LABEL$1 +as described. Looks great, very close to matching brick color of the house. to top it off best price I could find for a mailbox that holds weeks worth of mail.$LABEL$1 +The Catswold Portal. I found this book to be exceptionally original. As a reader of SciFi Fantasy for over 25 years I can say that this one is a keeper.. ( I have just finished it for a 3rd time) The only problem I have is finding out if there are anymore books about the Catswold and the Netherworld, if not Ms Murphy should sit down and start writing them. So many of her books are also out of print. I can only say I will be heading for the library.$LABEL$1 +Willie can do no wrong, but this is close.. First, let me state emphatically that I am a huge Willie Nelson fan. He is, by far, my favorite recording artist and I have seen him in concert three times. That said, there is not much in this book to recommend it. There are a few very funny jokes, although not that dirty. There are dozens of simple, yet profound, song lyrics, mostly of his lesser known works. As a reader, I would have preferred to hear Willie sing them. Willie tells you he is in favor of the family farm, God, marijuana, less government. He is against smoking. He plays golf and jogs. Everybody seems to be his best friend. But, if you are a Willie fan, you already know that. And there's the problem. I didn't read anything about him I didn't already know. Damn, I wish he would really get serious about writing an autobiography. There is so much I would love to learn about Willie, but it's not here. Save your money and buy another Willie CD.$LABEL$0 +A spanking good read.. This book is to the point and well written; I enjoyed reding it! In fact having read a lot of other DOM books I would rate this one in the best top 10! Great ideas and methods, great information and a real look inside the DOM mind!$LABEL$1 +Not Stainless Steel. These pliers are not stainless steel. They came packed/coated with a yellowish oil, like mild steel tools often are. The description didn't specify the materials so now I know to look for that. The manufacturers box that they were delivered in had the word "Stainless" before Steel scratched off with a black magic marker.$LABEL$0 +Cuisinart Stainless Thermal Carafe Can Definitely Stand the Heat in the Kitchen. Our original carafe was glass that held 12 cups. Well worth the extra cost even though you lose 2 cups. We're thinking of purchasing a second for dinner parties.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Product. I just took the plunge and purchased this unit. It is outstanding. Although using a DVD through a VCR is probably does not give the best picture, it worked quite well doing it this way. Another review said you cannot, I had no problem. I have an older TV set so this is the only way I could hook it up until later. Plays all my DVDs with no problem. Well worth the money. I purchased it for $179 with the current $20 rebate.$LABEL$1 +Very good Nay, but shame on the rest!. The Nay music is outstanding, but the accompanying music mostly keyboards and ultra modern sounds just don't fit at all and detracts from the excellent nay. Oh, well, what a shame to spoil such excellent music!$LABEL$0 +Buy something else!. I've never written a review on Amazon before. I bought this product from a local store last spring. Really a bad purchase. Couldn't suck up anything! I was cleaning out my garage this summer and acutally put it out for the garbage man to pick up. I wouldn't even give it away to someone because I felt like I was just passing along a problem to someone else. Told the wife sorry about wasting the money...but live and learn.$LABEL$0 +Quick shipment!!. I ordered this product Wednesday night and it came to me by Friday morning. It was the quickest shipment I've ever received. I had standard delivery and at wasn't too happy that it was not part of Amazon's $25 Free shipping policy but the fact that it arrived so fast made up for it.Filter-wise, this one does a good job for my humidifier. Soaking in vinegar helps prolong the life of the filter.$LABEL$1 +Beats the pop tart to death. My wife & mom really like these. They are really good & replace the breakfast rush meal$LABEL$1 +enlighting, good analysis. text is good, explains things well.don't have to be a nuclear scientist to understand it.$LABEL$1 +Wide but Shallow. Briefly introduces you to the elements of JBuilder database development. The coverage is wide but extremely shallow. You will obtain a cursory understanding of many database development topics. Each presentation covers less than is covered in JBuilder3's Developer's Guide, which comes with JBuilder3, and is surprisingly accessible. Like the other volumes in the Referentia series, you can use this to rapidly acquire a comfortable "feel" for the topics, but you won't gain a sound understanding of database development from the superficial exercises.$LABEL$0 +Seasons. This is, I feel, one of the better eps. Has the effects of the various seasons, plus gardening, fishing, snowball fights.. quite entertaining. I did lose the ability to see the fish in aquariums even with an upgraded graphic card.The one downside, which is with all the Sims2 ep's, is that upon installation the game creates an openning in one's firewall giving EA Games repeated access to one's pc through the game's exe. Having Norton AV and the additional firewall control, I was able to create blocks and I never play the game while on the internet. I had spent considerable time trying to get answers as to why EA Games was infiltrating my pc, first there were denials. When screen shots of my firewall was sent to them as proof, I was given the most idiotic "explanations". To date, not even the corporate office has responded. This has fostered feelings of mistrust for me. I will no longer purchase EA or Electronic Arts games.$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for.. or do you?. I bought a this starter mp4 for my wife. After the ooo and awww of a little video, came the real reason of why it is so cheap.It has battery charge issues like the first generation iPod Shuffle. Bad part is, there is no warranty and support.It is like the Shaq sneakers from Payless. Look great for the first couple of months until it is not returnable. And you can't upgrade to a pair of jordans. Be Warned!!$LABEL$0 +dont bother. I haven't read such a load of trash for ages. It is not based as far as I can see on any scientific basis just his opinion. It appears to be just a desire to make money. Please don't bother.$LABEL$0 +Very good game!. Very good game! good graphics as well as sound. playable content is enough to keep you going for quite a while, and until you start bringing friends over and playing against them. :) It gets better even more.$LABEL$1 +Not for me.. Could not find a way to finish this. This was a book club selection, and just not my cup of hemlock.$LABEL$0 +Alright for younger girls. I bought this for my daughter, 10 at the time,and she enjoyed it somewhat. Though it did not hold her attention long. She said it was fun,but she became bored with it after about 2 months. It has since passed on to my 8 year old niece. Who pretty much gave it the same review.$LABEL$0 +Coraline. "We are small but we are many we are many but we are small we were here before you rose we will be here when you fall." That is one of the things that Coraline heres when she moves into her new home.This is the best book you could ever buy & own. When I first read this book I had a cold shiver down my spine because of the great details this author gifts us.This book is so frankly disturbing in a scary way. If you buy this book & get more into this book you will find some scary things like the voices that Coraline heres & you will find some odd things like Coraline's "other" Mother & her "other" Father.Coraline finds ghosts & sprites that are trapped and Coraline helps them get free. So if you like scary books with odd things and scary things this is the book for you.By: Rachell$LABEL$1 +Worse than expected. This dreadful film--amateurish to the point of laughter--is an example of the inferiority of Twentieth Century Fox Chan films. For real style and laughs, watch the cheapie Monogram Chan movies with Mantan Moorland and Willie Best. The fact that these films are politically incorrect, adds to their appeal.$LABEL$0 +Lots of good music in here. This has been my favorite of several fake books I've purchased. I'm still new at the keyboard, but this book is challenging me to learn more chords and pick up things on my own. The selection should please just about anyone.Yes, the print is a little small, but that's the trade-off for getting so much.I would recommend to anyone who can manage to get around the keys on their own. If you're going the route of taking lessons, this may not be for you. But if you want to make your own way and have a good ear and feel for music, this is a great book.Since I've purchased it around the first of January 2010, I've added a half-dozen or more brand new songs to my repetoire. My goal for 2010 is to be able to play 150-200 songs. I see that as entirely possible with what's provided.$LABEL$1 +When good bears go bad... Bad movies are made. When an oversized rogue bear starts hunting and killing tourists, hikers, and campers in Yellowstone National Park, it's up to park director Charlie Kittridge (Joe Dorsey) to stop him by any means possible. This doesn't sit well with a tree-hugging ranger, Christopher George (Michael Kelly), who seems to think maybe the bear could just use a little xanax and massage therapy. Old "Smoky" is just misunderstood, you see.Staci Layne Wilson$LABEL$0 +HISTORY WORTH READING. Probably one of Jeff Shaara's best books to date, useing the same style of his father's excellent book on Gettysburg, "Killer Angels". While I consider myself more of a Civil War student, I read this book to learn a little more about the Revolution, a period I had very scanty detailed knowledge of. This book really delves into the day to day activities of the officers and men and brings you into this period very effectively. The novel sustains the actual history throughout, and in the style of his other books and his father's, the end brings out the later history of the key players - in this case, a sad ending for several dominant figures in the success of the Revolutionary War, who became broke and/or broken by the peace that followed. Even sadder, is that I never heard of several of these men, and their efforts should have made them American heroes in our history books. A worthwhile and interesting way to learn about the foundation of our country!$LABEL$1 +The absolute Best Bottle!. I would recommend these bottles to anyone, whether they Breast or Bottle feed. My son was very picky and I tried every kind of bottle out there, these were the only kind he liked. The silicone nipples make a huge difference. These bottles are very durable and also very easy to clean. A must have for every mom!$LABEL$1 +I usually love her books but this one was the same old story. J.A.K.'s stories are usually a quick enjoyable read. They get to the point and the main characters are usually fun interesting people with great more than one dimentional PERSONALTIES! Not these! The story was boring, new age was boring, the scenery was boring, and the romance was boring (which was unforgivable). The only good part was that I would never have figured out who did the dirty deed .... probaly because the characters were not very well developed. I felt that she got an old plot and changed the location and the characters names but left out the good stuff. I was disappointed and will wait to buy her next book in paperback (if I buy it at all) instead of buying another J.A.K.s hard cover just because I love J.A.K.$LABEL$0 +..But check first with your eye doctor. I never thought I would give five stars to a game that involves probably 100+ hours of matching jewels on a grid, but this is very well thought out, and quite complex and large. The designers have somehow created a system by which the player is constantly challenged in a series of puzzle-solving battles involving a fair amount of skill, but also a fair amount of luck. As you advance, you open up new areas on the map, acquire new skills, collect tribute money from cities, build features onto your castle which enable you to collect new spells and skills, etc.$LABEL$1 +STAY AWAY FROM THIS CD. Greg Kihn is actually one of the best muscians I've heard in my lifetime but this LIVE album wasnt for me. The hit songs are all interupted by him talking and HE TALKS A LOT on this recording. HE talks nonsense almost as if he was drunk when he did this performance. This CD shoould have been a standup comedy album for all intents and purposes, but May i say he shouldnt quit his day job as a musician. Overall the song list was pretty decent but I recomend you buy his actual recording of these songs not this LIVE album. But I paid $5 so, it wasnt all that bad. IF your looking to collect his music then this CD is for you otherwise you WONT find anything good here.$LABEL$0 +Mouse. It works like a new one. Hooked it up and it worked instantly. I had a corded one just like it, so I knew what I was getting.$LABEL$1 +Springtime For Hitler. I was in London last week and decided to see the exciting musical, Notre Dame de Paris. Let's be honest, this may be the worst large-scale musical in the history of theater. The show is so bad that I had to buy the recording. The lyrics are both abysmal and repetitive, the music is uninteresting, and the performances are way over the top. Everyone should buy this CD because this musical and this recording may be discussed forever in the annals of musical theater disasters. Honestly, this score is so bad, it is actually fun to listen to. " BELLE, There's a demon inside her who came from HELL. And he turned my eyes from God, and oh, I FELL. " " Torn Apart. I am a man divided. Torn Apart. I want two women's love. Two women want my love. I don't know how to cut my heart in two. " Enjoy!$LABEL$0 +thanks. This item meets expectations set by the listing. Very quiet while operating, yes I don't hear it. I like the flow control. Very quit shipping.$LABEL$1 +A Pleasent Surprise from the Emerald Isle. This album is fantastic and has heart and soul of a gifted song writer and storyteller. I've seen Ricky Warwick in concert as the opening act for Def Leppard and he's fabulous!!! Buy this record and you'll see what I mean!!$LABEL$1 +This Book Goes Well with Scarlett's Walk by Tori Amos. As both Scarlett's Walk and this book involves the Great American Road Trip.You got to love how well researched this book is.For example, his discription of Kobolds. Did people actually do that? Did he make it up?Who knows? He has a rich tapestry of gods, djinns, and quiet Shadow who only wants to get back to his wife, a normal regular life, gets caught up in the beginning of a raging storm.As usual Neil Gaiman creates so many amazing characters. As usual, he has stories hidden inside stories like treasures, like stained glass filled with a variety of patterns.Read this story and enjoy how every character, humans and gods is distinct with their own individual voice.$LABEL$1 +Great Spiral Cutter. Due to the slippage I was left with a spiral cut for an overhead can light. I had to use other methods to create a trim ring to cover up the cut made from this useless attachment. I would try the sandpaper friction ring theory but I already threw this thing in the trash. I don't need anymore screwed up circle cuts.$LABEL$0 +Batman: Returns, Awesome but dosent match "Batman". 1992 saw the release of the much anticipating "Batman: Returns" and it really is a mixed feeling movie. Its enjoyable but in the way it dosent match its predessor "Batman" it is very cool how it is all dark and got a creepy vibe and its storyline is OK but it just dosent really meet perfection. Penguin is absolutely disgusting and i really hate him and Catwoman is cool but in other words they are cool villians. Same "SPECIAL" featues as #1. This film is good and I reccomend you to see it but if u have to choose 1 out of the 2 "Batman" is the way to go.$LABEL$1 +Nice product. This is a well made cover that comes with its own bottle. The cover is durable, but will not hold any other product than the bottle that came with it - at least not that I found. I use insulated covers over 24 oz soda-type bottles and this would not work. But my son is using it for his water bottle. I've seen cheaper water bottles, but I still have some doubts of the life-expectancy of this one.$LABEL$1 +It broke in 16 days. While it worked, this vcr was great. However, after it ate two videos and stopped working within 16 days of purchase, this vcr was a lot less appealing. I do not recomend it at all.$LABEL$0 +limited use. This is handy to keep in the car to transport hot or cold items short distances. However the top doesn't seal tightly, so in many cases a cooler is a better option.$LABEL$0 +Great!. I use this all the time to record things at work and it is great. Crystal clear voice recording the first time, I have never had it pick up a single background noise. The earphones for playback are also top-notch, it has great sound. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a nice headset with lots of uses!$LABEL$1 +Dead On 12 oz Hammer. I like the feel and balance of the hammer. Good weight for general use. The only negative is it looks like the manufacturer used a machete to fit the hammer head to the handle, not sure how well it will stay attached over time.$LABEL$1 +Another Hit for Exam Cram -- Thank you MS Wong. Excellent preparation for the exam. Like the Performance Tuning, DBA, and Network Exam Crams, the material is well organized, thorough, and the practice exams are harder than the real thing.$LABEL$1 +the best cd i have bought in a very long time. There are a lot of good artists and music out but this kid is the best sound out. dynamic!. uplifting!. After hearing this one I went out and bought his other cds. Guaranteed I will see him in concert. he truly sings from his soul. More than a talent!$LABEL$1 +QUESTIONS?. I've got a question. Where did this guy come from? Tried this. At first I was looking for redeeming value. After awhile I just sat back and enjoyed this guy who apologizies for nothing and even gives us something to think about in the way we view relationships. T to the m-fin' K, you're a welcome edition to my comedy library.$LABEL$1 +How to increase your pleasure. By accident I read Richard Rhodes' DARK SUN (a history of the A-bomb) before I viewed this film. Hard to believe how deep Kubrick's wit could cut into real life at the time he made the film. DR STRANGEGLOVE puts the Cold War to shame.$LABEL$1 +Only worked a few times. Only used a few time and color faded. Black is weak and the color cartride doesn't work. They didn't ship in HP box only plastic pouch, saying that it was a greener way to go less waste. I got ripped. Don't buy if I could give 0 stars I would. Total waste of money. For what was listed as NEW CARTRIDGES!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Simply the best...needs an update. I bought this book back in the 80s when it first came out. I've consulted it so many times over the years that it is virtually falling apart. The reviews are generally a joy to read, even when I disagree with them, which isnt often. Peary's reviews are intelligent, yet down to earth, and make you want to search out and see the films he talks about. My only regret is that the book is out of print, and desperately needs an update. I'd love to know what he thinks of the films of the last 25 years since the book was written....$LABEL$1 +this movie was AWFUL. ugh...total waste of money. I can't believe I really wasted $4 on a movie I watched for 30 minutes and then turned it off.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing........ I love most of Melissa and Doug's toys but I thought this was to much of the same thing. All the tricks were pretty much the same idea. And every trick was made from wood which makes this durable but not very fun. I remember the magic set my brother had as a kid. It had the glass with the liquid and the quarter trick with the box. Just other things that were quick, fun and easy. I gave this to my niece who is 6 years old. Her eyes lit up when she saw this but when it was opened and played with, I could tell she was not finding these tricks that fun or easy.$LABEL$0 +Yeah right!. Uh I guess if you have nothing better to listen to...Really a novelty in my opinion...I would like to hear a symphony orchestra do it... :) with a little electric guitar thrown in for good measure...in the end was decent :)$LABEL$0 +This is a good series. I like the books in this series, as they frequently give information missing in other how-to books. This book is the least helpful, but then, I am usually looking for specific information.$LABEL$1 +fun fun fun. my little girl got this for christmas and loves it. everything fits in the bag so storage is not a problem. contains messes! what a plus! has everything you could want to play with your dolls.$LABEL$1 +Mind corrupting Religious Indoctrination. -RE: (Book) "Sound Health, Sound Wealth" By Luanne Oakes-Ms. Oakes says: "As we increasinglymaster our perceptions, beliefs, and thought/feeling patterns, wemagnetically attract that which we most desire." -- Luanne Oakes=========================================I say: Zombie-robots are incapable of "mastering" themselves!Or, "Perceptions, beliefs, and thought/feeling patterns".I say: All 'that' is 'reserved' for the 'rational' few among us.========================================="Luanne Oakes" system, and style of expressing many of her mindcontrolling assertions and MAZE-like deflections from 'rational-reality',remind me of "Deepak Chupra's" writing; serving a similar purpose namely,to mandate 'blind faith' in a farce as the absolute only way to besuccessful at anything!-$LABEL$0 +Painful. This book was truly a waste of time.. Very little happens to progress the story, go ahead and skip this one$LABEL$0 +Not quite what I had expected. In my opinion, this book reflects the limited access that the author had to the people behind the pages. It comes across as a well chronicled excursion through the world of drug development and managed healthcare issues. However, the content is hardly Merck-specific. Much of this could have been written based on newspaper articles on the company. It offers no insights of significance into what made Merck such a great company and how the greatness might have contributed to the troubles it is currently facing. In sum, I would say that the title is grossly misleading.$LABEL$0 +falls apart. the unit is somewhat flimsy and does not hold up. we bought two and sent them both back as they do not h old up to cookie dough scooping$LABEL$0 +hi lift. this lifts very well with 30 v. no bleaching is required and it comes out very bright on lighter hair. also it does no leave hair dry and damaged like normal bleach and add dye routines$LABEL$1 +The latest release from 3DD...amazing. Many people have stated that this is unlike the last 3 Doors Down CD 'Away From The Sun', in my opinion this is better with some very good songs on this CD. The evidence of maturity as individuals and as a band is shown in this CD a evolution as a group would go through. The album doesn't really pick up a gear until the 3rd song in the hitsong 'Let Me Go' which sounds like Creed and PJ sounds mixed together. 'Be Somebody' is a song full of important messages for people to be themselves and not what others want them to be. The weakest song in my opinion was 'Landing in London' with Seger. Just didn't appeal to me. My favourite song was 'Live For Today', excellent lyrics ina world going faster and faster day by day. Any fan of 3DD should be pleased by this newest CD from this pure rock group that has matured and will be around for some time to come.$LABEL$1 +Zen and the Art of the Detective Novel. I read the first of the Flap Tucker series, EASY, and was on Amazon minutes after the last page ordering another in the series, EASY AS ONE, TWO, THREE. I really like this good ol' boy with a feng shui brainpan. These are readable, clever mysteries in the style of Lawrence Block. The only problem is...after number 4, you're Tucker'd out. We need more of this great series.$LABEL$1 +A holy purpose as an excuse for mediocre.. I found the message of this novel, or should I say this message disquised as a novel, compelling enough to get me to the end of this book. But look out, this is poorly written stuff. Characters, plot, story integrity, it's all pretty bad. At worst you feel cheated and wonder how this lack of respect for the reader should reflect on the sincerity and veracity of the material. All in all, I read it, considered it, and wished I'd borrowed it.$LABEL$0 +Worthless. Harriman edited and altered Rand's journal entries without noting it. This makes this book worthless. And this kind of dishonesty from Harriman is, to use one of Rand's favorite words, evil!$LABEL$0 +Robinson Crusoe. The long awaited "Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" has finally arrived on home video on DVD by VCI. This DVD entitled "Robinson Crusoe" purports to be a "restoration." The original film had two things going for it - a fine performance by Dan O'Herlihy and vivid color. VCI got one out of two. The so-called restoration's color is sub-par, although they managed to get a lot of dirt and scratches out, the color is not close to being vivid. It didn't help that it was filmed in bargain basement Pathecolor. The sound track has on and off thumping noises that are most annoying. Only if you are a fan of this film is it worth seeing or even buying. This restoration looks like it was one of those digital jobs. VCI should leave the restorations to Criterion and Robert A. Harris. I was really looking forward to this DVD but ended up being badly disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Quality Control Issues with this Brand. I too received my cart in a damaged box and 3 of the 4 wheels were broken. ALso, mine was brown now black as pictured. I was told by Amazon that I could contact the company directly to get replacement wheels although no contact information was included in the box and Amazon does not keep a record of it either. Amazon was very good to try to rectify my situation since the contact information was unavailable. I think this could still be used as a plant stand without wheels but still disappointing when I look at. This seems to be an issue of quality control in general with this brand. If you read reviews for their other products there seems to be a trend of cheaply made items.$LABEL$0 +Hypocrite!. Yes the book is all sweet and mealy mouthed and pink-happy ended, but why did then the sexy filly Waterwheel, that the author actually owned in real life turn up at an auction and sell for 1000 $, with a broken sesamoid bone and in foal? So much for care, love and responsibility! It is only luck, and none of Smiley's doing that Waterwheel ended up in a nice green pasture and not in somebody's dinner plate. Hypocrite! The book is nice and entertaining, but horse lovers should never buy it.$LABEL$0 +Fight propaganda with propaganda?. How does writing a biased right-wing version of history make up for the so-called "left-wing bias" of modern textbooks? Thomas E. Woods Jr hardly tries to detail a factual version of history. He merely tries to fight supposed propaganda with more unapologetic propaganda. This book is nothing more than a novelty item.$LABEL$0 +satisfied if a little disappointed. Once Upon a Mattress was everything that I would have liked it to be. But I was under the impression that Carol Burnett played the Princess Winifred. I was disappointed about that but overall, I am quite satisfied with the dvd. Now, all I need is the original screen play. If you know of anyone or website that does screenplays, I would be most interested in finding out.I did forget that there was a couple of songs that was left out, such as the Minstrel's song and the song about Normandie. That too was disappointing.$LABEL$1 +Bad.. I would not recommend this toy to anybody. Would rate 1/2 star if that were an option. It is highly disappointing. We returned ours. Even our young child was not impressed. 1. The toy projects light, and the stars are just shadows, not the other way around. I feel this is backwards. 2. The light is not very strong, and the constellations and words are fuzzy & difficult to see, even in a small room. 3. The toy runs on batteries instead of electricity, and eats up batteries extremely fast (ours may have been defective, but it only ran for a few hours on one set of fresh batteries, repeatedly). 4. It was fickle. Sometimes it would turn on, and other times it would not. It would work with one set of batteries, but not another. 5. It's an inconvenient size and odd shape for its purpose.$LABEL$0 +Great for those who like it.... I read this as a teenager and liked the dark themes, the deep pessimism and preoccupation with death, the more horrible the better. Now I read it and don't like it any more.If you enjoy Holocaust poetry or Darfur poetry or poetry about senseless, tragic death and loss you will like this. I am acquainted with a major contemporary poet who considers Housman to be brilliant in every sense of the word.In terms of poets who can be a bit "dark", I like Poe, Pound and TS Eliot, but I just can't see that brilliance in Housman.Not to say that Housman was not a brilliant intellectual; he is considered one of the the leading scholars of his time as Professor of Latin at Cambridge. That does not help me though, as the poetry often seems "pedantic" in the sense of being ostentatious in one's learning.This book has been in print continuously since 1896 so some people like it all of the time. Maybe you are one of them.$LABEL$0 +ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES EVER MADE. Can I give a film a 0? Awful, awful, awful. Lou Diamond Phillips is so over the top it is like he is the only one getting the joke. Mark Wahlberg, who redeemed himself with BOOGIE NIGHTS from his Marky Mark days, slides back down.What is really a hoot is the screenwriter's commentary. He talks with passion about the film as if he was Tarantino. That this script got produced is a slap to the face to all aspiring screenwriters out there.Do yourself a favor and watch something decent.$LABEL$0 +Redundant, redundant,reduntant.... This would have made an excellent article. As a book, it's a rip-off. I kept waiting for "the good part," which for me would have been the author's ideas on effective P.R. He convinced me of his basic premise, that advertising is a waste for establishing a brand. He did not tell me how to effectively use P.R. to do that.$LABEL$0 +Skip It. I read everything that Tom Robbins writes. Until I read this, I loved everything he wrote. This is a compilation of some pretty boring stuff. Read the novels. Skip this.$LABEL$0 +FUN FOR THE KIDS...POISON FOR THE ADULTS. Beware all you "musical" haters, this one really bites. Gordon fans are truly in for a rough and torturous time. Take my advise: If your over 10 years old and your mind has matured along with your body, avoid this one at all costs.$LABEL$0 +ridiculous. This was a rip off. Sat down with the girlfriend expecting it to be a follow up to the movie. It turns out to just be a few minutes long. I've seen commercials longer than this! I can't believe I paid for it. So disappointing$LABEL$0 +A great period piece.. Contrary to what some reviewers might think there are thousands of wonderful, stark gritty photos, whole books as a matter of fact with this exact subject matter. Back in the days before political correctness photo's of murdersand accidental deaths(especially auto accidents) clearly showing the victims were common place. Joe Pesci really comes through as a little man isolated in one of the biggest cities in America who craves love and affection and compromises himself trying to get it. The set and wardrobe work was spot on as well. This movie never got the recognition it deserved. The only downside of this and too many DVD's is this terrible DVD-R on demand format. We get screwed while the studios make even more money on their movies.$LABEL$1 +ok but................... Smaller than I realized. I also purchased an "Uncle Mike's" car organizer. If you are looking for a larger more roomy organizer go with the Uncle Mike's.$LABEL$0 +Pat - You are no Willy Hung. Okay, I admit I laughed and told all my friends about it. Pat Boone bare-chested, wearing leather and crooning Smoke on the Water is something I never could have imagined. However, to actually listen to this -- I've tried and it just ain't possible. This is physically painful.$LABEL$0 +Really not the best of MST. I paid for this one based on my love of the show but this one really isn't their best- by far. Not as many jokes as the show usually had & the jokes that are there just aren't that funny. Even the movies aren't that entertaining (cheesewise I mean). There are better episodes you can purchase out here. I'd go with just about any of them before this one. Still love the show, but in this case they really missed the mark on funny.$LABEL$0 +...plastic?!. I bought this thinking that it would fit the Handspring Visor...it doesn't but that's not Franklin Covey's fault. Just beware all you Handspring owners that this won't work. I'm glad it didn't work however. It's constructed of cheap plastic and isn't very usable for 8-1/2 x 11" planners. Yuck.$LABEL$0 +A good condensed Drucker reader. Peter Drucker has written a whole lot of books and a whole many articles on business management. For the past 60+ years, his writings have helped managers understand how to operate and run a business "effectively" for the short and long term. But, it would be impossible for most practicing managers to read all of these books and articles to understand Peter Drucker's advice. This book tries to condense his essential advice into digestible bits that can be quickly read when and where you have time.This was my first "real" formal book on management. And I think this was the best introduction I could have got. Read it and you will agree.$LABEL$1 +A great classic book with a great storyline. I had read this book in high school and had forgotten how great a book this was. This book has so much in the story that makes you think and alot of it makes you relate to real life.The character's in story reach out to you in way that makes you feel like you are in there world. Scout was one of my favorite charactors the way she was through the book. My other favorite charactor is Jem. I love how both of the kids were afraid of so much but from there fear they learned so much. I also love how they stood by people in the story.Overall I forgot just how good this classic novel this was and I wish Harper Lee had written more books.$LABEL$1 +Release the Director's Cut!. This version of Jane Eyre is quite good. Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska are perfect together! However, this story can't be told in a mere 2 hours. This movie would be excellent if there were more/extended scenes with Rochester and Jane. The deleted scenes, part of the bonus material on this DVD, should all be in the film. For instance, the veil scene and Rochester chasing after Jane need to be included as they would provide more depth to the story. I will always love the Toby Stephens/Ruth Wilson version best, but this film is very moving. Again this film is very good, but it is too short--release an extended/director's cut version. Sign the petition for a director's cut on ipetitions.$LABEL$1 +The best thing for a humidor.. If you have ever had to constantly keep tabs on your hygrometer and add more water or try to dry it out then this product is for you. It is so easy it's unbelievable.If you have a humidor then you need this product. It really makes life so much more simple.$LABEL$1 +very well done. Good overview of bacons working career. color is good,images clear and explanations of work and time frame very well organized$LABEL$1 +Great but depressing......... This is a great CD it has all my favorite artist like KORN,LIMP BIZKIT,GUNS N ROSES,EMINEN,EVERLAST and much more artist I like.The only thing is that the are to depressing,I mean I like the CD and all,but it needed to be more....well....um.....not to sad.P.S. MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THE PEOPLES BODY WHO DONT AGREE WITH MY INTERVIEW!$LABEL$1 +Boring and illogical. If you want to read a book about being buried in muck, this is the book for you! I only got halfway through this one. It was painful to read because the action was so slow, and I couldn't care less about the characters, even poor Chekov as written.The thing that annoyed me the most though is that the writer didn't seem to think about the world (s)he was writing in. The characters spoke and acted as if the colony had been around for years, the people having old sayings and developed farmlands and ranches and old habits, when the book itself says they've been on this new planet for about 6 weeks! Flaws in logic continued throughout, and combining that with muddy characters (in more ways than one) that I didn't care about, I just couldn't find a reason to go on. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +Dissapointing. Although I apreciate the frankness of this book, I was dissapointed by the emphasis on the male's point of view in the book. Considerably more information and pictures of penises are included than vaginas. Also, the woman's feelings, role, and consent are ignored in the discussion of sex. According to the book, people have sex beacuse "the man wants to get as close to the woman as he can." There is no mention of whether or not the woman wants to have sex or enjoys it. There is also talk of the physiological changes in a man when he's having sex, but none anout the women. And finally, lots of talk and pictures about sperm, but very little mention of the eggs role ("semen is how you and I and all of us started") and no pictures of an egg. Instead it shows a picture of a sperm curling up to a heart.$LABEL$0 +A very clever comedy. A comedy about a a science nerd vs. his newly aquired love interest he affectionatly named Daisy, the main character hasn't even seen the outside of his lab for years, before he accidently sees Daisy on the computer monitor, from there the story unfolds... The series from the very beginning had me and my friends cracking up, I would rate this 6/5 stars if I could. It has some running gags that never grow old, and make you wonder what's going to happen next. My only complaint is it's only 12 episodes long, it could of easily be lengthened to twice that many and still not be tired. A definite must watch for any comedy anime fan.I definetly suggest this anime, one of the all-time bests.$LABEL$1 +Ordered two because of poor reviews. Have an older microwave built-in which doesn't have a turntable. Had used the micro-go-round previously and had pretty good luck with it. However, one of the two is already not working very well. Can only turn it several times and then it goes no further, which is just a step above having no turntable at all. Have a second in reserve and am hopeful that it might work better than this one.$LABEL$0 +Nice from afar, far from nice.. Unacceptable quality of workmenship. Even for $20.Pros:Nice blue box, unmarked.Frontal view of pendant is nice and shiny, just as pictured.Cons:Easily noticible mold line with ugly blotches along the entire inside circumference of the pendant.Thin chain, not shiny, not glamorous.It resembles a $100 Tiffany's pendant chain but the blotchy mold line really junks this other wise decent pendant. I decided not to give this gift so it's just collecting dust now. I can't return it because it says you need a certificate of appraisal or something.$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for.. The quality control sucks. Several bits had the holes in the center off center. The case did not close well and some bits rattled around. I spent almost 3 times as much for my set but it worked the first time and will work many more. I do my own lock work and I use security/tamper-proof screws so these bits have to work. Save up and pay a little more.$LABEL$0 +That didn't taste like I thought it would.... I wanted to read some fantasy, some high IQ stuff, some thought-provoking short stories I could read on the DART getting to work. Well, after reading all of these stories, I'm convinced that writers do not submit their prize stories for anthologies. They submit their scraps. That's craps with an extra S. I'm dissapointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Perhaps if I lower my expectations to what one might expect if judging a suburban high school writing contest...hmmm...no, I'm still dissappointed. The people who put this together owe me $10 just for reading through it. If you read this then you should demand compensation. I am not better off after reading this book. Maybe I didn't do enough shrooms before reading it. :-($LABEL$0 +Only two disadvantages. We bought this gate because my toddler son figured out how to undo the cheap wood dog gates. We're very pleased so far.Pro:-Looks great in black. Lots of compliments-Wide entry. Others are not as wide-Low step height-Easy install. I didn't even need the instructions (which were missing in one of my gates)-Very secure. My son can shake it and it won't budge.-Requires three steps to open which makes it difficult for my toddler to figure out. 1) Push button on handle, 2) Rotate handle, and 3) Lift gate slightly and rotateCons:-In order for the handle to work properly, the gate requires A LOT of tension on the wall to push the handle closed. If you are not mounting this at a stud, it may very well damage your wall. (It damaged my friend's walls) Without this extreme wall tension, the handle is not used at all and it to open the gate you just need to lift the entire gate and rotate it.-Cost. Must be one of the most expensive, but so far to us, its worth it!$LABEL$1 +Sissel is awesome. This is a dvd of a live Sissel concert, and if you have ever had the opportunity to see her in concert, I think you will enjoy this dvd, and if you haven't, it will make you want to see her when the opportunity arises. She has such an awesome voice, and she is beautiful, as well as very personable with her audience.$LABEL$1 +Hard to tell, but I think it is helpful. I have arthritis in my foot which seems painful sometimes, and other times it is not painful. I use the Topricin every day, and I think it does help. Of course, it is hard to say for sure because I don't know how the foot would feel without the Topricin, so how can a person compare? If nothing else, it's the placebo effect. I tried Penetrex, not so sure about that one, but it's about $20 for 2 oz. and the Topricin is about the same price for 4 oz. Sometimes I wonder if it's the massaging in the cream which helps, but I'll keep using it.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful colorful movie. My granddaughter loves this film. when she was at my home- she watched it twice all the way thru. She is four years old.$LABEL$1 +The finest pictorial display of Japanese Underculture. A magnificent exploration of the underbelly of Japanese culture. One of our biggest selling books filled with rude pictures and miniturisation.$LABEL$1 +Cheap in all aspects. You get what you pay for. This pedometer broke after using it a few times. The clip on the back cracked after attaching it to my thin cotton pants. I glued a strap on it so I could keep using it and 3 days later it stopped counting. It just says 0000 all the time. I only needed something to work for 8 weeks for a contest I am doing and this failed. The same thing happened to the 2nd one I purchased. At least I didn't waste to much money on them.$LABEL$0 +Do Not Buy Westinghouse LCD TV's. My LTV-32W1 broke 1 month out of warranty. It turns out that Westinghouse does not have authorized service centers. Several TV repair shops wouldn't even look at it because they can't get parts. One shop finally took it but returned it after a month, unable to get parts. Westinghouse themselves don't even sell parts, check their webite.$LABEL$0 +Addicting. If you're used to regular super-sweet gum, you may not like this because it has a little less flavor. You really do get used to it though and it's probably much better for your teeth.I started chewing this years ago when it was made with sorbitol. They've since reformulated it with xylitol and while it took me a little while to get used to it, I'm hooked yet again. I go through this stuff like it's candy! I literally chew a piece after almost everything I eat. It keeps my teeth clean and my breath a little fresher. The weird thing about this gum is that the flavor doesn't last very long. That's fine with me. I usually spit it out after 5-10 minutes.$LABEL$1 +Guardian angel. My first Julie Garwood book and I loved it she tells a great story I could not put it down. I also love series an the next is even better.$LABEL$1 +Not as indepth as expected. The write up of the book is detailed and promises a wealth of information regarding the title. A quick read of the introduction and a little research on the author leads one to believe this will be the be all and end all of reading material required on the topic. The content of the book turns out to be a simple collection of stories which only give a basic and unsophisticated review of what the topic could possibly be about. This leaves one with the option of giving up or doing extensive research on the topic to full in the vast blanks left by the book.$LABEL$0 +Snooze. If you like boring, cacophonous guitar, then by all means, listen to "Heavy" by Tegan & Sara. But I must warn you: if you decide to torture yourself by playing this song, you should probably wait for a night when you are plagued with intense insomnia because this song will put you to sleep. The repetition in the lyrics is rivaled only by the recurrence of a single sound produced by scratching a fork against a desk, although I think that Tegan & Sara actually considers it guitar. She sings about being unstoppable, but the stop button on my CD player begs to differ. I strongly do not recommend listening to this song unless you wish to punish yourself mercilessly. Seriously, just shoot yourself in the foot and you'll get the same effect.$LABEL$0 +Our baby didn't feel secure in this swing. We actually traded swings with a friend who had the more traditional swing - our baby would not relax in the Papasan. When he was in the regular swings at his daycare, he'd snooze right away. After we switched swings, he loved his new one. He was a pretty big baby, and I think he just couldn't snuggle down since the indention is pretty shallow.$LABEL$0 +Isn't nearly as sturdy as the picture. Took about 30 seconds for my dog to tear apart. Took it out of the box and gave it to him. Walked up the stairs to find half of it hanging from his mouth and the other half on the stairs. The rubber is very thin and pliable. I thought I was getting a ball that was hardened rubber. Not the case.One note, the description says that it's great for stuffing treats into it. While that maybe the case, the dog will tear apart the toy getting to it. Also, it better be a big treat as the holes are big.$LABEL$0 +thriller? erotica? or else?. The story is short and bad for an erotica thriller. There aren't enough thrills to really make it a good thriller, and there aren't enough sex to make it a good erotica either. I was hoping the story would get better as I read on, but I was wrong. What a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +SAHARA REVIEW. I have read Clive Cussler's Book Sahara and as usual it was a great book. As you can see I am a big fan. If a book appears on the shelf with Clive Cussler or even NUMA files - It is immediately bought. I saw the film Sahara - What a dissapointment. The actors were very much less than convincing. The thread of the book was totally lost in the movie. Somewhere so was Abraham Lincoln. The story plot was very much lost and re-written in the movie. If I were Clive Cussler and wrote this book and then saw the movie - I don't think I would recognize it as the same thing. In my final opinion movie very poorly done. Wrong actors to play the parts and plot so re-written.$LABEL$0 +This set is awesome but .... ... I found this last year at TJMax for 49$. Some of the prices I'm seeing here for 'out of date' Lego sets are really outrageous. If you do some research online (or at your local 'cheap' stores ie. Ross, TJMax, Marshall's, etc, you can find these 'out of date' sets for really really cheap (as they should be).$LABEL$1 +She blends in great with the changes of music. For all of those who don't think that this album is great, they're all full of it. Whitney came through and alot of people expected her to come back with the sound of years past. If the people who write in were true fans, they should've been keeping up and they would know what kind of style Whitney is coming back out with. Mariah's a great singer but Whitney's my girl. Reviewer's say that she shouldn't change her style but Ms. Carey did the same, what about her. Much love Mariah but I gotta keep it real, both of you sound great. Whitney came out blazin' especially with the first track. She has great producers and who said that Whitney isn't an R&B artist? She kept it tight to death and with the changing times she gets much respect from me. Don't change a thing Whitney!$LABEL$1 +Doesn't Deserve A Title. Obie Trice is wack...straight up...that's how it is. He's not a good rapper at all. First off his flow is awful...you read that right AWFUL. It sounds like he is offbeat the entire cd. He does rhyme but he is incredibly corny. IF Got Some Teeth isn't the worst leadoff single for an album that I've heard this year...I don't know what is. The beats are decent...not all that and a bag of chips like many have claimed, and he definitely doesn't have a song where he just rips it. The album has no replay value. Once you hear it, that's it...let it collect dust with your Loon, Juelz, and Budden cds. Not good. 1 star.$LABEL$0 +Poor!!!. This stand arrived in a damaged box, missing instructions, missing components for assembly and missing the end stoppers in the feet. This stand looked as if it was repacked from the damaged shelf area. Extremely disappointed !$LABEL$0 +A political soap-box. My first Tolstoy book. Tolstoy spent 100 pages developing a story and 400 pages complaining about the criminal justice system. Of all the imprisoned characters that Tolstoy introduced into the novel, not one of them deserved to be in prison. Not one lawyer, judge, or prison guard was described as a good person. When Tolstoy creates such a lop-sided story just to try and stress his point, I find it difficult to give his opinions merit. Tolstoy also presented his philosophy on the ownership of land in this book, which was much more interesting than his oft repeated view of the prison system.$LABEL$0 +screwed by factory reconditioned magellan gps. Magellan company I wish you bad things!received magellan gps last christmasfinally figured out there was something wrong with this thing in mayCalled the INDIANS was told reconditioned product 3 monthsMagellan you suck!1 year guarantee on new productsThe problem I have with their position isI thought a factory reconditioned produt would be checked out before reselling.I used this unit about 4 times as this technolgy is new to me a 59erI just bought a tom tom new for my daughter and suggest to others to stay away from magellan!!!$LABEL$0 +This isn't just about funny pictures of dogs. I got it for my mother, who is a big fan of the Wegman calendars. She found it interesting, even though it's not just about the dogs- there is a good deal of depth to the art, and the book conveys it. But don't expect a picture book analog of the calendars.$LABEL$1 +My toddler loves these puzzles. My three year old wants to play with these every night. He never plays with one toy for more than 2 minutes, but he will play with these puzzles for 30 minutes straight! It's not to overwhelming for him (we bought a 42 piece, and sometimes he gets frustrated and doesn't want to finish) plus he can do it on his own. We can go over the colors, the animals, and what types of transportation vehicles he is putting together next. So, very educational at the same time. Also, NO BATTERIES, so an activity he is willing to do quietly on his own. His little sister tries to chew on them (14 months old), and they don't break or melt away either. Great price for 4 puzzles. If he gets bored with one, we just pick out another picture. He's into tractors, so he really likes that one the best.$LABEL$1 +Save your money. I was disappointed in this book. Nowhere does it tell how to actually do this Rapid Eye Technology. It just tells you to buy her videos or to see a "technician." I'm giving it two stars instead of just one because the author sounds like a genuinely good person. She describes how she fasted and prayed and asked God to give her a technique that would help people. She also includes several chapters on what she calls life skills. But overall, when I buy a book, I expect to learn something I can actually apply, not just a sales pitch.$LABEL$0 +Just See an Dialect Coach. I tried to learn an accent the cheap way by buying this book, but realized the only way to learn accents or dialects effectively is to see a dialect coach.$LABEL$0 +Big fat book!. This is an all-around great cook book with nice big pictures, and error free recipes. I've tried several already, and they've all turned out great. I didn't believe I could get good tasting ribs from only 2 hours of cooking, but it really worked.The only complaint I have is that I was looking for a standard, straightforward bbq book, and for the most part this is just that, however, certain recipes seem to veer off into the "exotic" realm. I'll use Steven Raichlen's BBQ Bible for crazy exotic BBQ.But I guess I can't really complain. The Kansas City Ribs recipe is excellent, and Weber gives great advice on grilling and grilling techniques. Good thing I own a Weber grill.A great book to have in your library.$LABEL$1 +Very Nice. This CD falls somewhere between pop and pop-rock. Easy listening, fun, bright music that really takes you back to those favourite moments early in the series. I wish they would do a soundtrack for each season! I really recommend it!$LABEL$1 +Another one Clint Eastwood will be remembered for.... There are some very good and lengthy reviews on here for this movie... so I have nothing further I could possibly add to the review; I just wanted to write this bit so that I could vote and give it a 5 star review. It is that good.$LABEL$1 +Good. 12 Stones is a good small band. They haven't been together very long so some of the songs on their first song are similar in sound. They are great band, and I am disappointed that they got no recognition from the collaboration they did with Evanescene. Since they've haven't been together too long and signed a record contract shortly after you can guarantee that their next CD will be 5/5, they will have more time to record and will definetly sound amazing.Support this small band help'em make it big they deserve it! Buy The CD! It's Great!$LABEL$1 +What you would expect. This book was rarely accurate and hardly worth the time I took reading it. Preaching from a single-minded point of view, the author professes to understand a culture and institution where she is an outsider. Having experienced The Citadel experience first hand, I can assure you it is one that is not easily explained to the outsider. Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but quite a few of the points made in this book reflect upon a mind set that I can not comprehend. Read for yourselves, but I also implore you to keep an open mind about a school that has produced some of the finest patriots of the United States.$LABEL$0 +Good stuff. Old School and cool local influences galore, this album sure rocks and brings back the pleasant why-worry times. Too bad Seattle's an expensive flight away, would like to see them live...$LABEL$1 +Gerber's fruits are cooked. I've been giving my daughter Gerber fruits, veggies, and meat as everyday-meals since she was 6 months old, thinking that she's got enough vitamins and prebiotics. However, she developed digestive problem and chronic constipation; she almost stopped gaining weight since she was 9 months old. I took her to GI and she told me that those packed fruits are all cooked! And there are additives to keep them fresh for long period of time! I started to puree fruits and veggies using Vitamix, and only use Gerber fruits&veggies; when we are out and about. Now, after half a year of probiotics and wholesome food, she's slowly getting better and opens her mouth to food.Now, think about this: if you puree an apple and leave it alone for 5 minutes, it'll change color due to oxidation. So, how can Gerber's apple puree keep the same color for so long a time?$LABEL$0 +Enjoyable. In my quest to buy as many Christmas movies as possible I found a gem in this one. Quite the twist in the end that makes this movie worth purchasing.$LABEL$1 +The Excitement Fades Fast. We bought this on the strength of one TV episode (the first 20 minutes of the DVD) . Watching it all the way through, this is by far the weakest Wiggles DVD of the six we own. We just logged in to Amazon expecting to see poor reviews for 'Feel Like Dancing' and are quite surprised by the high score and rave reviews. Save for a few of the songs, this DVD is terribly boring. We're not sure why the Wiggles, or many of the reviewers, feel that children will feel compelled to dance to ballet, the waltz, and slow square dancing. Our 5 year old daughter and 18 month old son were entertained for the first few songs, then bored for most of the second half. Not sure how well this will entertain on our two 1200+ mile road trips this summer.$LABEL$0 +NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. please don't buy this. this is straight bullsh*t. this guy is killing rap and hip hop. he cant rap sorry beats and soft. he is making rap soft PLEASE DONT BUY THIS...GO BUY A TUPAC CD$LABEL$0 +An amazing testimony. Mrs. Herzberger's very powerful story bears eloquent witness to the innumerable atrocities of the Holocaust and her remarkable resilency and tenacity. It is a testament to her abilities as a writer that we walk through her journey alongside her, all senses and emotions fully engaged. While displays of the worst results of dehumanization occur all around her, Magda retains her dignity and humanity, giving great honor to the memories of those who did not survive. More than a story of survival, her book is a profound spiritual experience about life and living. As groups of people continue to be marginalized, scapegoated and discriminated against today, SURVIVAL reminds us of the ultimate result of such folly. It should be required reading for all political leaders, teachers and students. I greatly admire Mrs. Herzberger for writing this book.Gregory N. Shrader, Ph.D.Psychologist$LABEL$1 +best idea. Just wanted to say that my grandaughter is so taken with anything that Elmo does that at 18m she is so brilliant, LOL. she is enamored with Elmo so anytime we get something of his especially dvd's that she can watch, they are very affective. I am so greatful for these DVDs as is her mother!!!! He keeps her very interested in everything.$LABEL$1 +Well-researched, but, dull, dull, dull. I read a lot of true-crime stories. Perfect Murder Perfect Town was a great disappointment. The author's research was impressive, but his storyline, and style need a lot of help. The book is a jumble of characters that continually pop in and out without a proper lead-in. I also found this book provided no new facts about the JonBenet murder. The story is very slow, very difficult to follow, and will test even the most avid reader's concentration. Sorry Lawrence Schiller, take some time off and try again!$LABEL$0 +Sure To Beat Jedi Outcast. This game looks really cool. Knights of the Old Republic takes place 4,000 years before the first Star Wars film, in the middle of a war between the Jedi and the Sith. You have a fully customizable character, and you always have an older sibling of the opposite gender who is a skilled Jedi Knight. Eventually you will become one, too. But before that, it's you and whatever blasters you may find or pick up. Also, you can make a group that can consist of Wookiees, Jedi, droids, Twi'Leks, or whatever is present and strikes your fancy. You'll travel to many worlds in your ship, the Ebon Hawk, very similar to the Millenium Falcon. En route, however you'll face Sith fighters. This game looks very exciting.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. This case sucks, pure and simple. The camera barely fits in there, the top doesn't stay shut worth a hoot, and there's no room for extra batteries, or much else of anything. The sides and tops are v/ thinly padded, and let's just say the word "synthetic" needs to be inserted in front of leather. The material is of low quality and thin. There is no carry strap, so you must have the strap on your camera, so when you want to take pictures you have to take the camera out of the bag and unhook the catch loop of the bag from the camera strap. If you forget to reattach the loop, and put the camera back in the bag and sling it on your shoulder, prepare on losing the case, because as I said before, the flap doesn't stay closed. This is the reason my case went bye-bye last weekend w/ extra memory cards in it. I look at the positive side and figure at least I can get a good case now. Do yourself a fawor and don't buy this case.$LABEL$0 +Strayhorn . . .. This is a good example and performance of Strayhorn and his arranging style. I would recommend this to anyone that likes such and Jazz.$LABEL$1 +Piece of junk.. Hardly ever worked. Jams, doesn't fire, poorly designed. What were they thinkin'? Waste of money. Now I have to buy yet another staple gun to complete an upholstery project. Previously had to junk an Arrow PowerShot, which also fell apart almost immediately. What is it with staple guns? Are they really meant to be one-time (or a few-time) use?$LABEL$0 +Lovely. This is a very good, high quality product. The description told me exactly what I needed to know concerning size and type.$LABEL$1 +Not a Holder for the PSP Slim.. It only works with the PSP Fatboy,but not with the PSP Slim. The Slim just slids out, nothing is holding it. Its firm with the PSP Fatboy.$LABEL$0 +Perfect. The Instinct, believe it or not, is even more riveting than the band's first release, since the mixes are more "up front" and you get the satisfaction of hearing their songs while feeling as if you are seeing them live. This album is evidence that if you give a strong band time to perfect their sound, they can become great in no time. Denali's commitment to the beauty of the song is what sets them apart from most other "indie rock" bands...Brilliant.$LABEL$1 +Forbidden Planet Movie Review. This science fiction movie is one of the top five made in the 1950's and is even superior to the original "War of the Worlds" made in the 1950's. The story is truly a superior work as the events portrayed are possible in theory.$LABEL$1 +Great music, but too many medleys. Tom Fettke's Majesty and Glory contains some wonderful music, but in doing so many medleys it leaves the listener 'hanging' wanting to hear the rest of the verses of the hymns. The best two songs (for which I bought the cd) are not medleys, and I am able to get my complete hymnal 'fix' listening to those two songs. I don't regret buying the cd, but it could have been done with 'more of each hymn' instead of 'seeing' how many hymns for which Fettke 'could create an itch' for the particular hymns.$LABEL$1 +a great way to learn more about Buddhism. This is a well written book that gives you a lot of in depth information about Buddhism. I think a beginner should start with Rahula's What the Buddha Taught. After that, this would be a great choice. However, for those who have some knowledge of Buddhism and want to learn more, as they travel on the path, this is a wonderful book. Buy it. You'll like it.$LABEL$1 +For Kids - But Great for Adults. This book is written for kids - but the author has written it in a way that works for adults also. Good solid information that is communicated for all ages. Excellent for the person thinking about raising goats or the novice just beginning with goats.$LABEL$1 +castle in the air. the books are really cool. i love Dianas books and i am so happy that the books were in stock because there were non in stock anywhere near my house.$LABEL$1 +a bit too small but fits on my average head. A bit small but just frumpy looking. I guess Mcgonagall's hat is supposed to have that look? It's nice a soft.$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware!!. If I'd only read the reviews before purchasing this for my 6 year old I would never have bought it! It is VERY flimsy and top heavy. The elevator gets stuck and it does take awhile to put together. As I was driving all over town looking for the best price I wondered why no store had the batcave out on display. Once we got it together I realized why. We ended up taking off the bottom poles and moving some of the parts around so it would stop falling over. We have lots of batman toys and other mattel products. This is by far the biggest disappointment in 10 years of toy buying. If it wasn't from Santa it would be going back without a doubt. Buy anything else!$LABEL$0 +Every episode reviewed!. This book is so great for the fan of the show. It reviews every episode in the four seasons in detail with topics such as girl talk, fetishes, trivia, and fashion victims under each episode. The author, Jim Smith, gives his thoughts on each episode too. This book is great to rehash your favorite episodes. Though it is unauthorized, it is fun to read up on everything you've watched for the past four seasons.$LABEL$1 +I read everyone's complaints about it being from China. and I didn't think it was going to be THIS bad. I'm positive that you can get a better quality pen at the dollar store. This thing feels like cheapo plastic painted chrome, it hardly has any weight to it and it's not smooth when you twist it either. This is worst than junk.$LABEL$0 +Not quite the Originals. Beware, these songs sound a bit remixed, and are not the original sounding radio hit singles. Usually .89 cent songs are a red-flag.$LABEL$0 +A lot of information on St. Peter. I enjoyed this book. Most writers about St. Peter beat around the bush and do not talk about Peter the man. This book does. The language can slow your reading pace a bit, but that is what dictionaries are for.$LABEL$1 +Mediocre and short-lived. I've used my T200T 50 to 60 times over a few years. It has always been sort of sluggish and quick to fade (and my beard is far from heavy). The thing recently quit altogether. Reason I'm online right now is because I was searching for "troubleshooting conair t200t" and "conair t200t repair." (No luck so far.) I did note that Conair's website does not offer a "contact us" feature. Hmm.$LABEL$0 +Terrible. I really do not know what this product is good for. It looked great and I thought I can use it to massage my back.But the handle is so flimsy that I thought it would break if I pressed it against my back. Also the balls on it are so ruff that you can not use it rub on your muscles.$LABEL$0 +This Lens Rocks. There are 2 lenses you should have in your camera bag which will cover 95% of most users needs. I do believe that Canon prices their lenses a little too high, but who doesn't. Many users a lot of money on a camera body and very little on glass. The first thing I noticed is that the colors are more vivid. The lens is much more efficient with light, especially with low light conditions. This lens will last me through many generations of camera bodies. And for the other lens you need, 70-200 L Is USM 2.8.$LABEL$1 +don't buy this one first. If you are planning on buying a Roger Waters album, get Amused To Death and The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking first (unless you enjoy eighties music). They are beautiful, and this one is rather annoying eighties music.$LABEL$0 +Excellent overview of the women's movement. I've probably read 60 books on the women's movement. Most of it is garbage that makes you want to gnash your teeth at the enormous errors being made.This book however puts the movement on a solid footing and is brilliant throughout.I took one star off because every other chapter appears to have been written by Judith Hughes. She is more of an activist than a scholar or a thinker, and seems to want to change things rather than understand them.Midgley is the mighty Minnie Mouse that the women's movement has sought. Finally, someone who can think clearly.I have no idea why this book has been so overlooked. It's one of the greatest books of philosophy ever written, and it's clean and tight and not very long.Read it, or forever remain a stupid dupe of the Maoist juggernaut initiated by SdB.$LABEL$1 +extremely disappointing..... I first heard about this flick a couple of years ago, and was waiting for it to hit theatres. I almost forgot about it, then was surprised to find it on the Blockbuster shelves a few weeks back....I should have forgotten about this movie!You know there's problems when even the Writers/Stars of the film are telling fans to stay away from this.$LABEL$0 +Blind to any media faults. A very unsatisfying book. Provides interesting snippets of information, yet the author seems blind to its implications. The majority of the Presidential 'scandals' come across to this reader, anyway, as minor and unimportant; blown all out of proportion by a media swarm desperately racing to be the next Woodward and Bernstein. The Clinton section seems rushed and unedited, a way to finish up a mostly pointless book while the Clinton scandals still have some interest to potential buyers. If you must read it, wait until it is in the remainders section at $2 a pop.$LABEL$0 +For Kids only. I thought this DVD would help me with american sign language as I am a beginner. I felt like a child as I watched the illustrations. I couldn't quite understand the zoo stuff. It did teach some words but not enough, way to much focus on the field trips.$LABEL$0 +ANY 1 WHO LIKES TO READ ABOUT MPD SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK I FIND IT UTTERLY FASINATING I FIRST SAW THE MOVIE THAT IS HOW I FOUND THE BOOK THIS IS A VERY DETAILED BOOK TELLING EVERYTHING TRUDDI AND THE TROOPS ENDURED IT IS FASCINATING THAT THE ACTUAL TRUDDI CHASE WENT TO SLEEP AT TWO YEARS OLD.$LABEL$1 +One of the best all time family movies ever. This movie is well acted, simple, sweet and life affirming. And funny too! what more can one ask?$LABEL$1 +not worth watching. Just what kind of movie is this??? The animation didn't stand out, the music was too childish, and they could've given it a bit more detail! Almost everything in the movie was outdated. I think this movie should never exist again.$LABEL$0 +misleading advertising. I feel cheated, advertising suggest all the 3 cards butI only received one, I made the complaint but they told me it's just one card... Ifeel hurt$LABEL$0 +Everyone from the third world thinks this is a great country. which is why they have all moved here. Compared to India it is great. I think the point that he is missing is that native born Americans do not recognize this country as being the same one that we grew up in. This country was Great; but has been steadily declining in every area since 1965. It was great because our ancestors died fighting to make it that way. It has morphed into a capitalistic, violent, immoral society with native born Americans forced into second class citizenship.$LABEL$0 +I am crying, this movie is that BAD!. Even with half the budget of the original film this movie could have been alot better if they would have not used the same corny plot line ripped of other movies, and not relyed on CGI, and come on strobe lights for gunfire.. WTF!!!I'll give the film 1 star because of Richard Burgi who should have turned this film down, no paycheck is worth a mans pride and dignity.Back to the guns,alot of the guns looked stupid and plastic, And the nudity wasn't even needed not that I'm complaining but it really wasn't needed for the scene. I am still ripping my hair out over the guns..Oh when will hollywood find some real film-makers, I could have made a better movie with that exact same budget, Infact I dare Columbia Tri-star to allow me to make a film!Blah, I'm done with this review I needa take some advil for the migrane I got from viewing this film, just read the Original Starship Troopers novel, its 20 Times better than both films...$LABEL$0 +Terrible, poor quality shoes. I was looking to replace my 4-yr old Bostonian Tahoe shoes which appear to be no longer in production. The Andover shoes seemed to be a similar replacement from the photos, but are of a terrible quality. These shoes look like they are straight from a tuxedo rental shop. The "leather" is plastic looking and artificially shiny and the shoes are horribly rigid and uncomfortable.$LABEL$0 +Electric pump failed. Took it to France and electric pump only worked for a minute and blew. Bought a hand pump to pump it up. It was a painful job. After it was fully pumped the bed was rather comfortable. Decided not to bring home to return because once it was pumped there was no way to deflate to the extend that it would fit back into the original box.$LABEL$0 +Great workout!. This was the third bellydance video I've tried and really enjoyed it. There were some parts that could have been better. For example, at times, the camera focused on her face when she was doing moves with the hips. I needed to see exactly how the move was being done but had to improvise and hope I was doing it right. Yes, she is very beautiful but it would have been better to watch the entire move. Also, some moves were only done once or in one set as soon as I was getting it. It was a little inconvenient to stop the tape and practice. Other than that, it is a great workout which is fun. The negatives don't detract too much from the overall tape. I look forward to doing the workout each day and do feel I get better each time I do it. I even work up a sweat! Overall, I do recommend this tape. It's a new and different way to move each day!$LABEL$1 +GOOD PLOT BUT THE CHARACTERS NEED SOME WORK. OVERALL I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I THINK IF THERE WERE MORE TRUE CONNECTIONS WITH THE CHARACTERS I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED IT MORE. THE TWISTS AND TURNS IN THE STORY WAS WHAT KEPT ME READING.ONE OF THE REVIEWERS GAVE THE ENDING AWAY, WHICH I THINK IS VERY UNFAIR TO THE READERS THAT CHECK OUT THE REVIEWS.THERE ARE SOME GOOD AND BAD REVIEWS ON THIS BOOK BUT I THINK YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINION.$LABEL$1 +best S.f. guidebook. I love this book!! We live an hour north of S.F. and when ever we go to the city we start with one of these great walks. We have gone and explored neighborhoods we never would have without this book. San Francisco is such a beautiful city and getting to the top of some obscure staircase always gives you a unique and beautiful view. It is a must for anyone who lives in or near S.F.$LABEL$1 +30 GB Zune. Upon opening package on Christmas day, the USB cable was found to be defective and it will take a week or so to get it replaced. This put a damper on what should have been a great gift for my son since he can't really use it.$LABEL$0 +very uncomfortable. It is very pretty looking and stylish but very unconfortable. it made blisters on my feet.$LABEL$0 +Try The Ultimate Blue Train. If you are a John Coltrane or jazz fan, and if you enjoy "Blue Train", I highly recommend getting "The Ultimate Blue Train"... available from Amazon. It has the same 5 original songs, plus 2 alternate takes of Blue Train and Lazy Bird, plus it is newly remastered and is enhanced with many interviews with the other players and Rudy Van Gelder, plus a video of Miles Davis and John Coltrane performing "So What" and tons of photos. This version is great, but the "Ultimate" is so much better and worth the few extra dollars.$LABEL$1 +GOOD PRODUCT. I continue to order theses I use 100% syn oil and this works well keeps the oil cleaner longer than any other I have ordered$LABEL$1 +I Gotta Go is GREAT!. I saw these I Gotta Go potty training reviews and had to go buy one for my son. I LOVE this DVD! The concept is great. I never thought children (and parents!) could have fun while potty training. There is no stress for my son or us.He does not want to wear diapers anymore. The songs are so cute, we all sing them.I am glad we bought the DVD, the tape would have been worn out by now! I recommend it to anyone I know who is potty training their children!$LABEL$1 +Excellent Manual for Selling. This book is every salesperson's dream.Hogan outlines everything in the form of a model for influence then proceeds to share a well conceived step by step approach that works as well in real life as it does in print.I've been selling for almost half of my life (almost 20 years)and have found The Psychology of Persuasion to be one of the most helpful books about influence and communication I've ever read.Any salesperson would do well to read and implement the paradigm of persuasion. The techniques of reading nonverbal communication, utilizing seating arrangements and so on is all easy to understand.I love the book.Marcy Singer$LABEL$1 +Awesome Book on the life of the Great Patriot Veer Savarkar. Awesome must read book for every Hindu and every Indian about the life and works of the Great Patriot andfreedom fighter Veer Savarkar.$LABEL$1 +Is this FUN?. *stabs Avril voodoo doll several times with kitchen knife*Now THAT'S fun.This is a pop album, not rock. Deluded fans take note! I would call it humorous but it just annoys me. Can't sing, her voice is whingy and beyond tuneful. The main reason im going to this fuss to write a review though is because I have seen her in interviews and she comes across as rude, stuck up and generally vile in every possibly way. Has NOBODY noticed this?The songs are horrid and cringeful. Who would call a song sk8er boi with serious face? The lack of dignity is shocking.Though I must praise Avril for starting the craze of long straight hair and tomboy clothing for teenage girls, it means I can wear my fairy clothes without embarassment. I love my fairy clothes.A girl living opposite my house loves this album, or her other album I dont know. Whatever. She plays it loud sometimes. Pity me please.$LABEL$0 +Primus-Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. Amazing footage. Any Primus fan should definitely have this DVD. The EP is good too, but it's very different. The first couple of times I listened to it I really didn't like it, but it is really incerdible. Riffs like I've never heard before, even from Primus. It's a must have, you won't be dissapointed. Les is the man!$LABEL$1 +Excellent absorbency and best price ever!. These work great. They are narrow and short, but work really well. If more coverage is needed I just use two. This is by far the best price I have ever seen on them with the subscribe program. I only use natural care products since the others have chemicals in them that have been linked to cancers. I recommend these to any one who wants to keep the chemicals out!$LABEL$1 +Diana's in love with herself.... yes, and we've got the pictures to prove it! I'm a little confused- is she selling the music or the face?? What, a few risque, sassy songs, a load of pictures and we've got a winner? I don't think so at all. Spend your money on real vocalists like Sarah Vaughn or Claire Martin. Eliane Elias can sure kick a-- on the piano and she even composes tunes, too. Now THAT's versatile. Diana just sings the exact SAME way on different tunes, that's all.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic. Great set of knives. Very sharp. It was a bit pricier than I had intended, but I had a lot of fun buying the extra knives needed to complete this set.$LABEL$1 +bubbling mixture of ancient and modern Greece. A convoluted patchwork novel that entrances the reader with it's poetic narrative. Threads of ancient and modern Greece run silver and gold in this book, complementing each other. The stories of generations of Greek women run together in a spiral circle that leads the reader along. A satisfying and dreamy read.$LABEL$1 +but the sound!. Wonderful selection of tracks, but the reviewers who commented on the sound quality are correct, it's unbearable. LOUD hissing. I have 35 year old Parker LPs that sound better. I was swayed to buy it by the many positive reviews. I was wrong, the sound guys were right.$LABEL$0 +Delightful romantic comedy. Keven Kline does a fabulous job. He's almost more believable as a Frenchman than Jean Reno! Watch this one with someone you love.$LABEL$1 +NOVA: Secrets of the Samurai Sword. A very interesting documentary on the art and science involved in manufacturing a samurai sword. The journey begins with the selection of the metal and the viewer then follows craftsmen producing a sword using the same techniques as their ancestors. Interwoven are scenes with swordsmen demonstrating their skills on bamboo targets and a brief history of the samurai and historical use of these weapons. Modern science is used to explain the strength of the sword and the reason behind the shape of the blade. My only criticism is making the handles, which can be quite ornate, was not explored. The focus is on the blade.Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in martial arts and weaponry in particular.$LABEL$1 +Deflates overnight. Does what it needs to do---but has a slow leak so must be reinflated every 24 hours. That's a disappointment.$LABEL$0 +A good classic for the collection.... This movie is an excellent addition to any film buffs collection. Although it cant compare to the first and original piece, it combines extraordinary film techniques and backgrounds, (especially for its time) And shows an arabian adventure for the ages.$LABEL$1 +dramatic. the emotional complexity of the pain and choice of musical expression make this album a must have item for those with passion for blues,soul,modern instramental expression.$LABEL$1 +Nutrition advice at its worst. This book provided some of the most misleading, slanted view of nutrition I have read in a while. As the author demonized grains in general I found myself so very frustrated. As a Dietitian I am quite aware of the benefits of a whole grain based diet. I am quite aware that one of Americas downfalls is an overconsumption of refined grain products, but equally so, one of Americas number one problems is its underconsumption of whole grains. This book is a set up for environmental and long term health disaster. This book seems to promote the overconsumption of protein which can destroy a persons health almsot as fast as it destroys resources. In addition, treating the general public as Diabetics is a sure way to set up for failure.$LABEL$0 +will not fit the new Motorola Droid Razr. The cable was fine and the price is great but the problem is it will not fit the phone I bought it for the new Motorola Droid Razr. Maybe it fit an older model but if you just got the new model this cable won't fit it. Other than that, fast shipping and great price as well as a nice cable! Just wish it fit my phone...$LABEL$0 +Needs a lot of work. After reading previous reviews, I gather people either love or hate this book. So farI haven't been able to get past the first three chapters, so I'd agree with the haters. A lot of things I have learned before about networking and subnetting are now explained in a confusing way or flatly contradict what I knew before. So who should I believe? According to the other reviewers on this site, I don't think I (and others) can rely 100% on the accuracy of the explanations offered. I do however agree that the questions at the end of the chapters are excellent.$LABEL$0 +Jane Langton thrills us again. In this addition to Ms. Langton's wonderful Homer Kelly mysteries, she again leads us through a maze of personalities possibilities and well described places to a very satisfying conclusion. Even if you've never been to Cambridge, she makes it possible, with her descriptions and drawings to imagine yourself there. Her characters are, as always, imperfect but lovable. There are just the right balance of humor, suspense and philosophy that make Ms. Langton's books worth reading - again and again.$LABEL$1 +IS THIS BRITNEY OR A MUPPET SINGING ???. If she is a singer I want to be a singer too. I know that I don't have any talent, but she does not have it neither. I completely sure that everyone sing better than her after listening this piece of garbage. I feel really offended with this cd, how her company allows britney to did this cd? The US lawS should prohibit this cd, it is so awful that it can be considered environmental contamination.$LABEL$0 +A controller without a D-pad!. Don't take the "5 stars rating" reviews in such consideration, because their owners don't seem to play many diferent type of games. It's directional pad is a COMPLETE JUNK. If you have emulators on your computer, like M.A.M.E, and usually play fighting games (Street Fighter, KOF etc...), FORGET it.It is also NOT recommended to play any other emulator games. PC games are also a hard task to do.Why?Simply because the D-pad doesn't work. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to make the moves work well.The one star I gave goes to all the rest (I mean the buttons and the design).Stay away from any gamepad from MS. They are the worst choice.$LABEL$0 +Get it before it's gone. If you don't have this, get it now while you can! You won't be sorry. Beautiful and relaxing music that will brighten your day.$LABEL$1 +Awesome- Relaxing. I have tons of Dan Gibson's stuff. This Cd in particular is so relaxing, It's Jazzy, mellow, laid back music. My masseuse, even plays it for clients during a session.It's perfect candle-lit, bubble bath music :)$LABEL$1 +Mask. The poems in Mask are exquisite. Many of the poems make a deep contribution to the interpretation of Charlotte Salomon--Berlin-born artist who perished at Auschwitz--her struggles and her transcendent ability to turn those struggles into art. Elana Wolff's poems remind me of the poems of Jane Kenyon, one of my favourite poets on earth, in their conciseness, and also in the translucent way they portray love--even in its darkest context.$LABEL$1 +Great American Bash predictions. (1) Friend vs. Friend World Heavyweight ChampionshipRey Mysterio(c) vs. Batistawinner- batista(2) Fatal Four Way Elimination Number 1 Contenders MatchKurt Angle vs. JBL vs. Booker T vs. Lashleywinner- kurt angleorder of elimination- Lashley, booker t, and jbl(3) Undertaker vs. Umagawinner- Umaga(4) WWE Tag Team titles Ladder MatchMNM(c) vs. London and Kendrickswinner- London and kendricks(5) United States ChampionshipChris Benoit(c) vs. Finlay or Matt Hardy or triple threatwinner- benoit(6) Cruiserweight Invitational for the Cruiserweight titleSuper Crazy(c) vs. Psychosis vs. Jamie Noble vs. Kid Kash vs. Funaki vs. Gregory Helms vs. Scottie 2 Hotty vs. Nunzio vs. Gunner Scottwinner- gunner scott(7) Number 1 Contenders match for the wwe tag titlesGymini w/simon dean vs. Regal and Birchillwinners- Gymini$LABEL$1 +Not that much rumble. For subwoofers placement is key and can make or break your subwoofer. I have mine in a corner-ish spot, but it still doesn't give that chest pounding bass. Oh well, It's small so that's good for me because I'm using it with my PC.I have this connected to a Harmon Kardon Hk3390 receiver and On the back of the sub I set the volume 3/4 and on the receiver I set the bass knob to 3/4 aswell maybe it is defective because there the subwoofer only responds when the volume is 3/4 or higher. One thing to note is that it is very musical, it's not like those massive one note car subs that only go boom.$LABEL$1 +Not the Best Cook novel. I am a big fan of Glen Cook's stories and I had known about this book for years, but couldn't find it. I have ready every book of Mr. Cook's, and enjoyed most (no, not all though), but this one was bad. Simplistic characters with no depth and predictable story. I could only assume that this is the first story he ever wrote... and it shows. If you enjoy the Black Company series and the Dread Empire stories then stay away from this book. If you are a fan and just have to have this book to complete your collection, I have a copy that I will sell you$LABEL$0 +This Movie Was Enjoyable. I really enjoyed this movie. It was a very funny movie and worth seeing. I would watch it again and again.$LABEL$1 +Granddaughter loves this. I gave the Twilight Ladybug 5 stars because it was the perfect toy for our little toddler...she loves to watch the stars on the ceiling each night before going to sleep.$LABEL$1 +Great Product for your money. This is a great product and I have had no trouble working it. The only problemn I had is I was missing the stylus when I received it. But, I just went to the local gammming store and they hooked me up with one. I have no problems with it or the software. I loved it and so does my son, I think I am going to have to get him one next!!!$LABEL$1 +Not what we were expecting. The cover looked very interesting and tasteful. We were very disappointed that the whole book was in black n white and the photos were old, as it seemed to have been taken back in the 60's. My wife and I couldn't get into the reading as the graphics were not very appealing. We concluded that it was a waste of our money. We ended up much happier with Erotic Massage by Charla Hathaway.$LABEL$0 +Sobering, but hopeful.... This book presents sobering views of our past, present, and possible futures, if we continue on the path we are currently on. My fiancee and I have been reading it to each other, and it's the perfect book for us right now, as we make decisions about how to accomplish meaningful change in our lives, community and the world.$LABEL$1 +Power Problems here too!. Hmm...seems Panasonic has a problem that needs to be addressed. My 3-yr-old set would not power up, we would unplug the set then plug it back in and it would be fine. A couple of days ago it decided not to power on at all. When the set is turned on, it trys to power up and then just turns off. I have always been a Panasonic fan and have enjoyed the set, but I have to admit I'm rethinking my loyalty. My 12-yr-old Toshiba hasn't missed a beat. Anybody had any success in getting a response from Panasonic?$LABEL$0 +epic fail. The descrition says 8 gauge power wire but it looks more like 12 gauge.... its better used as speaker wire dont waste your money. If your serious about amping up your system spend the extra money and get a true amp wiring kit$LABEL$0 +Exactly what you think it is. This case is exactly what it looks like. It protects the iPod pretty well, leaving only the ports and hold button open to the elements. The opening for the headphone is about 7 mm in diameter so if you have a headphone jack that is bigger than that, you may run into some problems. The touchwheel remains sensitive and the screen is well protected. It comes with a case for both sizes of the 5G ipod. I only have the 30Gb version, but the case fits very snug. The only complaint I can think of is that the case will scratch. But that can happen with any plastic case and the whole point of a case is to have the scratches occur on your case and not on your iPod.$LABEL$1 +Stripper Clips. 20 for 5 dollars this is a steal! Got mine in the mail pretty fast, they were brand new and lighty oiled all but one works great. I definitely recommend this to anyone who owns an SKS.$LABEL$1 +Terrible experience. Didn't got what I ordered. Cannot rate because they sent a cheep substitution which is not acceptable. No response to efforts to contact seller. They do not answer e-mail$LABEL$0 +Xzibit's new cd is one of the better album's this year.. I was impressed with this whole album. I can actually listen to this whole cd without skipping tracks. To me that deserves a five star rating. The production of this album is solid even with Dre not involved. I have to say each beat is unique from what you might expect in a westcoast album. Xzibit has definitely stepped his game up and I look forward to his future releases. I strongly recommend this album. It proves to be one of the better albums coming from the west this year.$LABEL$1 +This is the one you want. This is the top one to buy right now for home users. Some important things to note.(1) Make sure you turn off the Microsoft Wireless Zero Configuration service. You do that in the Control Panel --> Services. Then you install the vendor-supplied wireless software, and you'll have no connection drops. This is important because Microsoft Zero Configuration Service is a piece of crap.(2) Make sure you use some sort of authentication for wireless, preferably WEP 128 combined with MAC Address Filtering.(3) After you get it up and running (reading the instructions) do a firmware upgrade and update your firmware to the latest version.Mine has been running for almost a year and I've never had a single problem.$LABEL$1 +Good quality buy. As usual Russell puts out a great shirt. It looses a star because the XL size was a bit big on me-ever other XL shirt fits fine!$LABEL$1 +Horrific. Ok, I heard Flood recently(I know this has been out for like ten years now). Real cool song, but that's all. This album really sucks. It's really mellow and almost boy-bandish. The drum machine the band utilizes is laughable. This is a horrible record. Thats all$LABEL$0 +SHEER DISAPPOINTMENT. WHAT HAVE THEY DONE. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL THEIR OTHER CD'S. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED HERE.I CAN ONLY HOPE THEY GO BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE. THIS IS NOT A CD I WILL LISTEN TO MUCH. WHAT A BUMMER.$LABEL$0 +Mind-numbingly derivative action drama. Yuk!. What makes this movie different from all the other over-the-top action films of this genre that has preceded this? Absolutely nothing at all. All visual hyperbole and ridiculous cliched macho heroics from the strictly one-dimensional acting 'talents' of Segal. Appeals only to the brain-dead. Wake up people: you're being rinsed and bleached by those greedy Hollywood titans -- and, to think that a New Zealander was complicit in the making of this piece of asinine drivel.$LABEL$0 +movie review. Don't bother wasting your money..What a HUGE disappointment! This was simply boring, and nothing but a BIG political statement ...we watch our movies for entertainment, not for political opinions and leanings of writers and actors...We bought it and threw it in the trash...! When I want to find out how to vote, I do my research on both parties and look up voting records.$LABEL$0 +Betty Crocker Diabetes Cookbook. Bought this for my mom. She has a hard time keeping up with what to eat and what not to eat. She says this cookbook is great. For the recipes they use ingredients you probably have on hand. Most cookbooks for diabetes require you to buy extra ingredients, not normally on hand. She loves it!!!$LABEL$1 +Thin and cheap. These tshirts are as thin as you can imagine. After one wash the neck and arms stretched out unacceptably. I cannot recommend this product.$LABEL$0 +not satisfied. battery that I received did not work. Was not able to take pictures of a very important event because of it. I bought a universal charger at Best Buy for less. Felt it was wrong to make me pay postage since you sent me someting defective.$LABEL$0 +HUH>?. I rented this game expecting some fast and furious gameplay, the truth is, is that thats all you get. No statistics or roster changes!!!! Thats a major blow, besides that it has dumb gimics like when you have to play against a team of dolphins... WHY??? I recommend renting it first, the graphics are the only good thing about it, all you do is play play play, it gets pretty redundant and boring after a while, with no stats or rosters to look at.$LABEL$0 +Good, but not so very wild. I really enjoyed reading this book, but it struck me more as comedy than erotica. It is well written, with a wry, lively humour, but while the sex scenes are cute, they're neither as frequent nor as hard as I've come to expect from Black Lace. 5 stars as a read, 3 stars as erotica.$LABEL$1 +Big Disappointment. This book could have been alot better. I read these online reviews cause I was dying to read another Love Stories book and when I read these reviews, I thought the book was going to be cool, but I was so wrong. The only way this book is sad is that I actually wasted my money buying it. The plot is very unrealistic and stupid. I have read much better.$LABEL$0 +WAcom Tablet Intuos 3. I've been using this tablet for 2 years already & love it. It makes Corel's Painter lX.5 a breeze to sketch with ~ and working with tight areas on photo editing is much smoother. (My son-in-law & granddaughter also enjoy working with it.)After working with the pen it's hard to use a regular mouse again. Another perk is Vista's handwriting recognition feature... now I rarely use the keyboard.I cannot recommend this product enough. Just remember to keep your driver updated. You'll wonder why you never bought one sooner!$LABEL$1 +Another version of Cole Porter's style..... After the Cole Porter movie came out a few years ago (ie: the movie with Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd), there was a resurgence in interest in Cole Porter's hits.This CD has most of Cole's hits from the movie, although the songs are not sung by modern singers (as in the recent De-LOVELY movie). Thus, the songs in this Cd were recorded before the movie.Please note that the earlier recordings included in this CD will not sound as "sharp" as the movie version tracks (ie: the soundtrack's songs to the movie which is called "De-Lovely"). However, if you can afford to buy both versions (ie: this CD and the De-Lovely CD) I think you will be able to get a nice "feel" for Cole Porter.A nice addition to your music history CD Library,in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +Lousy, and OVER PRICED. My wife and I purchased this usit at I am an avid cigar smoker and we have kids. I read all the great reviews on this usit and thought for sure this was going to be a winner.I couldn't be more wrong.This unit itself is large and bulky. The filters and a pain to remove and clean, and the unit is NOT quiet as stated by the manufacturer. Not to mention the timer went out and now we're hearing crackling coming from inside the unit. Customer service was unhelpful and now this 500 dollar machine is sitting in the closet taking up space.We'll be switching back to Oreck soon. Stay away from this! Unless of course you like wasting money.$LABEL$0 +Where's the ".Net". I found the title of this book to be very misleading. First and foremost, this book has nothing to do with the ".Net" platform. At best this book reviews some Microsoft technologies that can be used when creating an e-commerce site (namely, Commerce Server), but misses the whole point of the ".Net" platform (i.e. web services and the like). Additionally, I found the author to be very self-aggrandizing - "I found that..." or "When I do do this I ..." or "I will define ...". This becomes overbearing by chapter 2 - the entire first 300+ pages are about the esoteric nuance of web design - in his opinion. This book is weak in examples and techniques - it is not a ".Net Bible" by any stretch of the immagination.$LABEL$0 +Crap..... Well, I got scammed. These cables do not work. My Roku image was covered with static. Swapped cables with one I purchased a while back somewhere else (for about the same price) and it worked great. Do not buy these cables...$LABEL$0 +didn't work at all. I bought this to get rid of the crow's feet and fine lines under my eyes. I've used this now for about three months with absolutely no improvement whatsoever. It is pleasant to use and doesn't irritate my eyes, but just didn't do a thing for me.$LABEL$0 +True musical genius exists in various genres. 1. Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal... whatever you want to call it has the reputation of being basic music, performed by... unsophisticated "rock stars". The bottomline is that incredible artists exists in a variety of genres and disciplines and Steve Vai is truly a guitar genius. This DVD concert is a musician's dream; no compromises, total 100% performances by a band that is truly top notch (amazing amazing band). In this day of vanilla music, I'm truly grateful that there are still a few hardcore musical titans to keep me inspired.2. This DVD is highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Bad quality gloves. I would not recommend this product to any one. Had tears in the seams within a week of using it.$LABEL$0 +Intermatic TN1 Standard Lamp & Appliance Timer. Unfortunately this product does not work as it should on a 50 Hertz voltage system.$LABEL$0 +leaked. i got 2 of those bottles i liked the fact that it was made out of glass because piggies like to crew i was wrong i payed so much money and both of the bottles start leaking right after i start using them i hate it i have like 5 bottles not working in my house$LABEL$0 +Grisham should take a break. I think it's time for Grisham to take a break from writing anddo something else to get recharged. His best work was his first book.The next two were fairly good and different from the first, A Time to Kill. Perhaps if he took a few years off he would come up with an original storyline again. I have read all of his books but I would gladly wait several years for a quality novel.$LABEL$0 +America the Beautiful. A neat book for children over 6. Beautifully illustrated. Makes a child think and react on his/her own. Teaches children to be individuals.$LABEL$1 +You can't argue with Early Church Fathers. Webster takes on a very textbook style in writing his book. He quotes directly from Early Church Fathers who did not believe in the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome or the Papacy of Peter. Although it is not the particular subject matter, it explains well how the Catholic Universal Church evolved into a Dictorial Roman religion packed full of pagan and gnostic theologies.In conclusion, the arguement brought up in Webster's book cannot be ignored, and prominent Roman Catholic Apologists cannot refute the claims made in this book.$LABEL$1 +Pike Street Fleece Sheet Set. Absolutely the worst purchase I have ever made. I should have done a better job going through the reviews of this product and I would have realized how bad they were before I ordered them. Unfortunately I only read the Amazon description. Very bad product-flimsy, thin, definitely not like other micro-fleece sheets I have.$LABEL$0 +Died quickly. With this battery you get what you paid for. It died within 6 months. No short cuts, if your phones battery goes dead, just get another phone, good batteries cost almost as much as the phone and cheap batteries like this one aren't worth the trouble.$LABEL$0 +WOW!!!. I had the pleasure of owning this cd one point and time. This group is off the hook. Talking about voices blending, and not missing a key. I was in Memphis at the COGIC convention and the girls performed at the saturday night concert(at the pyramid), that was my first time hearing them, and I loved their sound ever since then. I'm like a few others, I lost the cd and it has been hard trying to come across another. Amazon or somebody reading this please tell me where I can find another copy. Thanx!!$LABEL$1 +WAIST OF MONEY!!!. I bought these today at our local pet store and they are going right back tomarrow! This was the first attempt to cut my cat's nails and, though she was patient with me, they left her nails jagged and rough. I thought it was my technique, so I tried several different ways and none of them worked! These things cost me $14.99, too!!! I'm going to try the Millers forge pet nail clipper on this site or ebay...which ever is cheaper. It had good reviews and might actually work!!! This product is a waist of money.$LABEL$0 +Abridged!!??!!. Just so you know: the Oxford World Classics edition of LA REINE MARGOT is abridged. Oxford "justifies" the abridged version by saying it's the best known, but I think if MARGOT were as popular as THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, Oxford would spend the extra money to give it to us in full. I understand things like Readers Digest condensing books for the masses, but shouldn't something as scholarly as Oxford World Classics give us the real thing? What about Dumas fans who want to read his stories they way he wrote them? Most Dumas readers aren't afraid of long books, especially if they've read MONTE CRISTO or VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE(which is almost TWICE as long as MONTE CRISTO). Unfortunately, the unabridged version seems only available in French. But I'm a biggish Dumas fan, so I read Oxford's abridged MARGOT rather than nothing. It's great, Great, GREAT, but a shadow hung over the entire book making wonder what I was missing. What Dumas-esque character moments did I miss? What details?$LABEL$0 +This book is a must for anybody who has a dog.. I'm a Floridian and I have a dog, so I was pleased to find "The Florida Dog Lover's Companion." I now know which hotels, motels and restaurants where my "best friend" is welcome, as well as parks, beaches and other diversions for pooches. Thank you Sally and Robert for writing this book!$LABEL$1 +this game stinks!!!!!!!!. What is wrong with this game! people are all "it is cool" but really it stinks. I mean what is so "fun" about going around and killing things.i hear my friends say "the blood is blue" that is just sick this M rated game turned my friends into jerks because they got all violent. I went to my friends B-day party and thay played this all night! idid not even pick up the controller! I wanted to go home! so dont mess up your brain!$LABEL$0 +Love jack. Am enjoying reading Child's books, but this one is kinda slow, althought it picks up toward the end. Still worth it$LABEL$1 +How to use frontline for cats. Take $70 out of your wallet. Light it on fire. Go buy advantage. Frontline is utterly worthless. I have a 20lb indoor cat who has been plagued by fleas this winter. I won't go into the ordeal I have gone through for the past 3 months. But in short- I followed their directions in case of re-infestation and ended up using 6 month supply in half the time. Not only did this cheat me out of a refund but made my poor cat suffer. I would give it a Zero if I could.$LABEL$0 +Generic "no name" hose. This review has nothing to do with this item's quality. After receiving this soaker hose from Rittenhouse I wanted to return it. There are absolutely no markings or labels with the package that would indicated that this is nothing but a bulk produced, cheap hose. I was expecting the soaker hose shown in this ad's image: "Lawson Osmile Professional Soaker Hose". Only time will tell if this hose holds up any better than others I have tried. As it sits right now it's still coiled up and strapped as I have intentions of trying to return it to Rittenhouse.$LABEL$0 +A Great Series. I bought Sakura Diaries on a whim. I'd never heard of it and I wanted something different. I was tired of the things I watched on a regular basis and wanted a change. So I bought this series and absolutely loved it.It's about a young girl. She's in love with a guy but he's in love with another girl. This is definitely a series recommended to everyone. It's fun, delightful, and wondeful. Especially that you're getting the entire series, all 12 episodes for such a low price. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Isn't what I was expecting. Not many options for recipes since they are all kind of the same. It is just taking all fruits and blending them. I wanted more recipes making balanced smoothies.$LABEL$0 +Don't stand, don't seal!. I did not like these bags for three reasons: (1) they don't seal well - you have to remove the air and then roll the bags down with the twist tie; (2) the bags are oddly shaped and don't stand up in the freezer; (3) THEY LEAK when thawing. I have had more than one bag leak in the thawing process. Those that didn't leak then leaked when I was transfering the milk. I much prefer the Gerber bags. They stand up on their own, the have the ziplock seal and I haven't had one leak.$LABEL$0 +Only slightly insightful. I was very disappointed in this book. Although there were moments of insight offered by this author, for the most part I found myself growing impatient with the simplistic faith perspective that ran throughout. There are many more interesting memoirs to read on disordered eating -- ones that look at the problem from the spiritual side. I am thinking in particular of anything written by Geneen Roth. Then too, there is a whinney undertone to this book that is a little off putting as well. Not that the book is steeped in this, but every so often I felt my eyes roll.$LABEL$0 +Bob create reggae to speak for the people. I think the Marley family needs to listen to Bob interviews and learn that Bob was not looking for quick money and fame, that come to him naturally. Reggae is to educate all people around the world and to bring consciousness to African about our struggle. And the family is just capitalizing on his hard work for a quick profit, and forget Bob and the other wailers hard struggle to be recognize by the international seen hope they will learn and get back to the roots of the people that has not voice, that Bob intended the music to speak for.$LABEL$0 +Ms. Butler delivers again. I love Octavia Butler's work and this trilogy is no exception. The characters are engaging and thoughtful and the author takes the time to explore the main themes of what it means to be human and how human sexuality affects our view of ourselves. There are no easy answers here: the reader can chose for herself whether we as humans would be better off with our violent but independent traits, or left physically dependent on another but in a healthy loving relationship, or relationships, as the author presents. No clear cut answers, which is as it should be, I think.The only reason I don't wholeheartedly give this a 5 star rating is that these books aren't for everyone given the thematic material. I wouldn't recommend them for a younger reader, for example.$LABEL$1 +Dissatisfied. The item that we selected through Amazon was a different set of cards. We received the Sicilian set when we ordered a generic set. This makes playing Scopa more difficult. The seller did not provide any package tracking information, and when received the card box was damaged.I contacted the seller regarding shipping and was provided a curt response.I would not recommend this seller to anyone.$LABEL$0 +A unique view of what it means to be human.. We all have wondered how our brains work, but this bookexplores the subject in a novel and compelling way. Throughcase studies of the more interesting of his neurologysubjects over the years, Dr. Sacks speculates on the needfor language, our perceptions of the world, and how wethink. Stimulating and intriguing, I enjoyed this book andlook forward to more from Dr. Sacks.$LABEL$1 +A business book with a difference. A must for people wanting to be in the web marketing business. Ad. agency people will have to read Marketing.com it's got everything one needs to know about business on the net.$LABEL$1 +CUTE BUT VERY FLIMSY. I already knew that these were not sturdy by the reviews but I figured the price was right so why not, well the pros are they are cute and colorful, the kids will love them, the cons are they are very small, poorly made and flimsy, so if they are strictly for that once in a blue moon emergency they are fine, but for camping etc they wouldn't last 10 mins, and be prepared, they are just a few inches high, to me they were originally meant to be toy lanterns or disposable$LABEL$0 +good enough. doesn't charge and the hooks that hold it in to the ipod have a hard time releasing especiially if the ipod is encased in an acrylic belkin protection sleeve but other than that I would buy again.$LABEL$1 +Overall, not bad. When I first ordered these I ignored some of the reviews I had seen about the shoes and got a size seven because that's what the chart said my size should be but I was wrong to ignore the reviews, the sizing is really small on these shoes so order a size up. Other than that I really like the shoes. The color is great and they are very comfortable!$LABEL$1 +God must be American.... I couldn't relate to this book. If God were talking & wanted the 'world' to read his book ..he'd have given examples that touched a chord with all humans.Seems to me that he speaks Enlish, follows american politics ...and just about everything else falls in to 'eastern theory' or 'eastern mystics'..he should know theres no east ..theres India, theres China, theres Japan..they all have their distinct philosophies.I am pretty certain if God were talking I'd be able to relate to him...Unless of course God wrote this book for Americans...maybe theres book 6 or 7 for the rest of us.$LABEL$0 +This is a good product. The Poise pads .... This is a good product. The Poise pads were small enough that they didn't feel bulky. However, they did a good job of absorbing. I felt comfortable wearing the Poise pads and had no worries about any leakage. I would definitely buy Poise for future use and would recommend them to others.$LABEL$1 +Not so great. This spray kills most ants within 5 - 10 seconds, but does not appear to inhibit further ant infestations. Some family members find the smell of the spray quite objectionable.$LABEL$0 +Fits my 2000 Subaru Outback. I use this on my 2000 Subaru Outback. My stock oil drain plug was getting a little beat up, and this is a perfect fit replacement. This also fits the transmission drain on my car. The plugs are the same.$LABEL$1 +I used to somewhat like this band..... but it just gets kind of old, this album has a few gems, and the rest is just screaming and pure noise. the best songs are the ones where there is actual singing in it, it provides a good mix and a change of pace."Wait and Bleed" is by far the best song on the album and i never seem to get tired of it. "Surfacing" is also pretty good along with "Spit it out" and "Me inside"(Although a little too short.The rest of the album is just a bunch of incomprehensible screaming, deafening guitars, a couple of clowns(literally) hitting trash cans and a drummer thats so good he really seems out of his element.$LABEL$0 +This really is the canine's privates. I bought this book when I first started on my Music Technology degree... I'm now just finishing my final year project, and I have to tell you... this book has been a fantastic help. Quite a lot of what is contained within is more information than I've needed personally, but if you have a real interest in the nitty-gritty of sound synthesis, then this is the book for you. Fantastic. You can hear how this book has helped my band by visiting www.groovedealer.com and checking out our mp3s. Also, we have free soundfonts available for download... so come check us out.$LABEL$1 +"Under The Pink" is her overall best.. I remember in 1992 when "Tori" released her debut, who knew how long she'd be around. It's good to have her here 12 years later. In that span of time, I believe this is my favorite of hers. It's not the most consistent, but still very strong. Included are three of her most popular songs "Cornflake Girl", "Past The Mission", and "God", which I like the most. However, they're all good, and each have something different to offer the listener. A new fan may just want to get her recent "Tales Of A Librarian" collection, but for "Tori Amos", I think 1994 was "A Pretty Good Year".$LABEL$1 +Not Large Size. Product quality is good, but it is a Medium size item and definitely not Large as advertised.$LABEL$0 +Uneven bevel. The jaws were ground unevenly and don't bite against the pivot. I have to move it to the tip to cut a wire.$LABEL$0 +Great Phone. We are using this phone in a small medical office with three stations and three lines. Sound quality is excellent. It also integrates easily with other equipment like "on-hold gold".$LABEL$1 +Pretty good. I like that this metronome is fairly loud (there are still times when I'm playing with my piano trio that we can't hear it.) But for personal practice, it's definitely more than adequate. I like the tone of the notes for tuning to. Another small qualm is that the speaker is on the back of the metronome. It's nice to have the temperature and hygrometer, but a friend who has this metronome told me that he has to put new batteries in it all the time. I've had mine for only a month so I haven't experienced that yet.$LABEL$1 +Arm Saver. This is a great little kitchen tool and I am now sending them to family and friends. Does just one job - pops open sealed jars that don't twist open easily. I have MS and weak arms so most jars I can not twist open any more. I also have "band" openers that work too. But this little gadget just sits in the top drawer and is quick to grab and use. I rate this 6 out of 5 stars. Hint - combine with other items for the $25 free shipping or it is too expensive alone.$LABEL$1 +No more being left behind!. The pet stroller is so much fun! I strolled a 5K with my 13 year old scottie and we had such a great time! He loves the action but just can't walk that far anymore. The stroller was very easy to assemble, folds (fairly) flat for storage and transport, is tall enough that I do not have to stoop like with some baby unmbrella strollers and the wheels are large and agile enough to handle a variety of "road" conditions. It's terrific.$LABEL$1 +Extremely disappointing!!. Daphne Bennett wrote the best biography of the Empress Frederick - "Vicky" - and everyone should read it, as opposed to Pakula's book which is a pale and anemic and boring imitator. Pakula just can't organize her endless material and make an intimate and involving story out it. She has basically rehashed Bennett's book and added a ton of mother-daughter letters which are eternally cumbersome and difficult and slow down the flow of the book. These letters seemed to be simply dumped here and there and would have been best summarized. Pakula makes history quite an ordeal!$LABEL$0 +Caution - This may not be what you get. I am a big Star Trek fan and a big Amazon fan so imagine how pleased I was (after having bought this calendar way back in August) to see that this looked like a totally different cover for the same year (2005).However, when I recently received the calendar it was the same white background as the one I had purchase several months ago. I have contacted Amazon customer service and they could not yet determine if there are indeed two different calendars. They are investigating. In the meantime, I thought I would enter this review to keep other Star Trek "nuts" like myself (who absolutely must collect ever different calendar) from making my mistake.I will update this review as soon as I get a definitive answer from Amazon. Until then...CAUTION...what you see is not what you get!$LABEL$0 +Zoom H4. As a musician, I have found this handy recorder to be a very fine recorder with multiple resources for recording. It is also has many resources that you find in good recording studios which you can use to make quality stereo and 4 track recordings. It is very important that one read every word of the instruction manual many times in order to understand this device and make good use of all its resources. The quality of the recordings I have done so far is excellent.$LABEL$1 +Comments that are not specific to the item's content may not be posted on our site.. As a dummy, i found this book written in a condescending and haughty tone. Where are the pictures of 50ft women?$LABEL$0 +low budget/high aspirations. I have no objectivity. I wrote the script for this movie. It was so much less than it might have been. And yet, Ray Sharkey (in one of his last roles) brought something to the character that no one could write, something deep and tragic that almost saves the film from "compleat scrap-heap". Hard to find, and expensive, no video library is complete without it. RVC$LABEL$0 +Awful. bulbs blew after 4 months, can not get into back to replace. NO technical support. Waste of money, very upset$LABEL$0 +Not A 'Complete' Dictionary. I purchased this Dictionary for my daughters thinking it was a thorough complete dictionary that would meet all of their needs when searching for a word. I have recently come to learn that this book definetly falls short of a complete dictionary,..as it simply does not contain many words you would find in any other complete dictionary. Several times my children were searching for a word and gave up not being able to find it in the book, so I had to get MY dictionary so they could find the definition! Very disappointing!$LABEL$0 +Surprisingly Disappointed. I am the biggest fan of Jonathan Butler however, this CD is not his best work. "Do You Love Me" as well as some other work in the past has been so outstanding that I was really disappointed with "Story of Life".I was expecting more great ballads like "Do Love Me", "Life After You", and "Lost in Love".$LABEL$0 +cute lunchbox. This is a great lunchbox, cute pattern, completely waterproof and easy to clean/wipe down and it is not too big or too small.$LABEL$1 +I was bored!. I didn't much enjoy this book. The hero was way to whiney and wordy, and the heroine was waspish - and what is with her infatuation with the dog? Another thing I didn't understand is why the hero kept all the staff at the manor. He should have sent them away. Both the hero and heroine were thoroughly unlikeable.$LABEL$0 +File under BUSINESS, not MOVIES. Do you love movies, or do you love backroom business gossip about the movie industry? If it's the former, skip this book.Movies could just as easily be widgets in this repetitive, uninteresting chronicle of Mirimax and Sundance. They are secondary to the details of executives and business deals in this yawner.Imagine having seemingly unlimited access to some of the greatest film makers of the 90's, and all you can come up with is what hardnoses the Weinsteins are. Don't stop the presses.$LABEL$0 +An "eye opener".. I decided to buy this book to have a different, more esoteric view of music. If you desire to view this theme on a natural or more scientific perspective, this is not the correct book.An author who poses himself like THE ALL, writing as if he knew the distant future, as well as pinpoint our erroneous conceptions of how we see music to-day (which he does), can give a very interesting perspective. Yet, interesting perspectives must obviously provide the perspective which is at stake. One cannot just pose the question and then evade the answer by writting something as shallow as, "you will find the answer as you evolve as a race"....A sad-hungry hippie wrote this book. Yet I must admitt that it is an excellent midnight-bathroom book!!$LABEL$0 +Great Source of Information. It is a totally comprehensive book detailing the observations Dave Pelz has made from his schools and from his engineering studies of how a golfer can putt successfully by learning the feedbacks necessary to understand the mechanisms of putting. His "tools" can be made easily. There is a wealth of information, well presented, and informative pictures!$LABEL$1 +Good cable for cheap. it does its job , what's important for much cheaper than Microcenter or Best Buy.$LABEL$1 +Easy Read and High Value. This is another great book by a great author. It was easy to read and also implement suggested meeting styles. I recommend visiting the author's website to get additional handouts.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic Workout !!!. As a FIRM fanatic for the last 3 years, I had to take a moment to share my opinion on this DVD.Allie, in my humble opinion, is the very best of the FIRM instructors at preparing the user to smoothly run through the workout without a level of sheer frustration. She gives you proper form, breathing recommendations, and a smooth transition throughout this workout.You never stop moving from one set of weights (if not a beginning) to another to work different muscle groups. I have only used this DVD once, so far, but I already know that it will become a well used workout.Well worth the money and time!!!!$LABEL$1 +For kids or not?. If you love golf, you can't go wrong with this title. Very realistic golf. Very beautiful golf. Did I mention this is a golf game? Unfortunately I do not like golf. However, at least I can recognize a decent game. This is truly a decent game. Not great, but not terrible.Bottom line: Is it fun? yes, if you love golf. Will I keep it? Nope. YOu have to love golf to do that. Is it for kids? Nope. Too slow, and too many controls.$LABEL$1 +attractive lights--excellent seller. While solar lights have not yet been "perfected" as far as the light they emit, these particular ones are the brightest I have purchased in years. The look great, are pretty sturdy, and the seller is terrific as I had a small concern and the seller contacted me immediately--I would certainly buy these again as path lights--$LABEL$1 +Hard Rock Suckage. I saw these guys per chance during this tour. They played Horde for some unknown reason. With all the hype that surrounds these schlemiels, i can't get over the played out rock poses of Mr. stapp and the atrocious penchant for writing tunes that are only enjoyed by those who drink PBR in a smokey hick bar. Rev up your truck, grow your mullet and move to the sunny coast. I will give them two stars based on the fact that all of thier songs sound the same, but don't necessarily make my ears bleed.$LABEL$0 +Unique Classics. Considering the technical limitations of the period during which these jazz treats were made, you may be surprised at how good they sound. They aren't as good as you would find on a vinyl LP but when they're matched with the visuals, they are probably the best you can get for the time, which seems to be about the 1940s and 1950s.Lovers of earlier big band will revel in some of the unique features of many of these numbers. Solos on bass clarinet and valve trombone, a song/dance rendition of the classic "Bli-Blip" which you may never get tired of, and Lionel Hampton's piano magic on "TV Special". You can be forgiven for not knowing that "The Hamp" played piano too. The second half of this DVD demonstrates what a sensational bandleader and entertainer he was.And finally, if Ray Nance's broad grin at the end of his violin solo doesn't lift your spirits, you may need professional help.$LABEL$1 +the brat pack. it is the best collection i purchased because of the 3 movies and the music compact disc that comes included. thank you raul$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. I actually liked this BT, but those I talk to don't. This thing picks up every bit of back ground noise. Bustling with paperwork comes across louder than my voice and prompts a "Ahh! what is that!" response from the person on the other end. Although it's light, it doesn't settle into my ear well. After about 20 minutes, it has to come out due to the sharp corner poking into my ear. I've broken two of the ear loops. Not really usable unless you're in a quite place.$LABEL$0 +Big disappointment. My fifteen year old is using this book in LAUSD high school so I was confident that a book by an old Exeter professor would be more than adequate. I was wrong. Had Brown walked into an Exeter classroom with this book thirty-five years ago we would have nailed him spread eagle to a Harkness table. I bought my kid a copy of Weeks and Atkins, the book used by my prep school teacher Arthur Weeks and Brown himself when he taught at Exeter.$LABEL$0 +Ott Floor Lamp. I purchased this lamp because it looked like it would fit into home decor and not look so industrial. I use it for doing quilting and it's wonderful. The tiny stitches really show up well under this light. The lamp is beautiful and has a clear non-glare light that is easy on the eyes. I had been shopping around before I purchased it and Amazon had a great price on this lamp. It's hard for me to sit anywhere else in the house to read or do needle work now. My favorite place is by this lamp!$LABEL$1 +Amazing!. I am the sole owner of a book and DVD sales company and a lot of the other tape I have used from other companies, this is by far the best tape I have used in a long time. It is a cheap price but a good good quality. I would HIGHLY recommend this for any shipping company.$LABEL$1 +Read Memories of a Catholic Girlhood instead. I love most of Mary McCarthy, but in my opinion, this is her weakest book. It covers basically the same territory as Memories of a Catholic Girlhood, which she wrote in the 1950s. Here, however, there's little trace of her signature, tightly-wrought style. Instead, the style is baggy, with convoluted sentences, chatty asides, digressions within digressions, and endless lists of books she read, names of friends, etc. As a result, I often lost track of the basic story - which, after all, was the exact same story she had already told in Memories of a Catholic Girlhood. I'm rather confused as to why McCarthy wrote this book at all. Given that she had already written a detailed memoir of her formative years, why not just skip ahead to the mid-1930s, the subject of her unfinished "Intellectual Memoirs"?$LABEL$0 +Not That Good. I have been purchasing NBA Live since the Sega Genesis days. I waited anxiously for the release of 2000 expecting a stellar game due to new competition form the Dreamcast, I was very dissapointed. The game is better in part due to the old classic teams and the MJ one on one but the graphics I belive actually got worse if you can believe it. I think they spent too much time focusing on the teams and MJ and the graphics suffered. NBA 2K on Dreamcast is ten times better, they really took the time to make that game realistic, EA slipped on 2000.$LABEL$0 +Easy to understand, lots of fun.. My son absolutely loves this and our youngest daughter is intrigued. I guess I have the older version. but this is great game for kindergarden and below. I guess the newer model its not as loud. that is the only knock i have on it, if someone in the room wants to watch the boob tube and not read subtitles or wear headphones.Its fun and my boy doesn't get upset when I beat him, he understands luck is involved. We repick our color right before we start each game, so that don't subconsciously cheat setting up the next game.$LABEL$1 +Super Duper.. I just had to throw a good 5 stars for this album. These guys have always been good and, having lived in Lawrence and attending KU, the only thing I regret is not attending while they were forming and playing up there! Road Rash forever!$LABEL$1 +one of the most tiring books I've ever read!. I am sure that after the great performance by Tom Hanks portraying Forrest Gump, everyone is dying to hear of a sequel to the movie. Gump & Co. brings that to the readers except Forrest's life does not match up to the life of Forrest from the movie. Forrest isn't having the best time of his life and he needs to survive all the hardships being thrown to him. Reading the book is suppose to give you the sense of reading the continuation of his life. The past references that Forrest makes in the book are not equivalent to the movie itself. In the movie for example, his long time sweetheart Jenny was buried under "their tree" in Forrest's backyard. In the book, I really wanted to put the book down. Some parts just didn't make sense. The movie and the novel were two entirely different things. I highly do not recommend this book if you are interested in reading a sequel to Forrest Gump. Just wait for the actual movie sequel.$LABEL$0 +great jacket. awsomr jacket been on a late season ride in ny with it kept me bice and warm has held up to my son and my 3 dogs and not a single problem$LABEL$1 +what a sham. I was ready to boogie to all the fabulous records they have listed using the artist who originally sang the songs but when I started to play the cd it was singers attempting to sing the songs. I was horrified to find out that the product was not as listed. they should not be able to get away with misrepresenting their product. I was very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +It's a Classic. Hygeia was published a fair bit ago--1979. It's a classic in the field of woman's herbalism. And it is 'way before its time if you consider that mind-body-spirit medicine is much more accepted now than before. Jeannine seems to bridge that gap in Hygeia well before others did. Prepare yourself for a relaxed, extensive journey into herbalism and philosophy written in Jeannine's trademark style.$LABEL$1 +Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. How disappointing. The rating is not based on the films- four of the five films are incredibly fun and full of lunacy- it is Universal's half-hearted effort that is really a let-down. For that studio to re-release them in no better condition than they were in the late-90s releases is insulting. No effort was made to find better film elements, the extras are pathetic (they would've been fine as part of a larger collection of extras) and "Duck Soup", one of the top 100 American Films of all time, doesn't even merit a commentary track!Compare this shoddy work with MGM's labor of love from earlier this year on "A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races", and Universal's effort looks darned poor.Universal needs to hear from Marx Brothers fans, too. The Brothers deserve better and so do we.$LABEL$0 +ehhhhh. I was REEEEALLY excited when I received my copy of this album. I took it to my car and started listening with the system blasting. I found myself pressing "next track" more than loving the music.It's definitely unique. Some of the songs are REEEALLY good, but the rest make up for it. Ugglor|Mossen might be one of the best songs I've ever heard. The rest of the cd can't compete though. The reason this album earned 2 stars is because this song is on it.I've reviewed a number of cds and box sets... if it's great GOA you're looking for you get you movin and groovin, go other places. It may be a great album for some of you looking for a unique sound that unmatchable (like I thought it would be), but I can't say I'm satisfied.$LABEL$0 +FUN!!!. My son received these blocks for his 5th birthday and he has had a lot of fun with them. They seem to be a very sturdy and solid toy, considering they weigh nearly 20 pounds! Even my three older girls, ages 7-11 were down on the floor playing with them and having a lot of fun. Thanks Melissa & Doug for another great toy!!!$LABEL$1 +Pretty Solid. Plastic wheel and the line coating came melted in a spot. Pretty nice though works great and is holding down my 60lb husky just fine.Edit: I am changing my review due to an incident Yesterday. the small cable that hooks to the dog broke. My husky is currently missing and has been since I got home from work yesterday. I spent 4 hours looking for him and will spend more time after work today. I hope we find him and he isn't hurt.$LABEL$0 +We enjoyed it!. Awesome seeing all these action stars together!!! It was gut ripping gun fights thru the whole movie, but worth it to see these guys together!$LABEL$1 +Out of the Race. TWICE SHY by Dick Francis is an off day at the track. Jonathan Derry is a nice enough young physicist who acquires some musical tapes, which are in reality a fancy computerized betting system. But in the world of computers a hiatus of fourteen years doesn't work and neither does the change in narrators.Add TWICE SHY to your collection by all means, but try WILD HORSES for a trip into the power of Dick Francis.Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.$LABEL$0 +Just alright.... The game has fairly good cartoonish graphics for the time it was made. The voice acting is clique but serves its purpose for the game style. Plenty of war materials to get anyone happy. The biggest issue is the controls. They are hard to get use to and some what clumsy. It didn't feel natural to move and conduct basic movements and commands. After a while I got tired of it and simply put the game down. I don't any intention of ever playing it again. Just not worth the time.$LABEL$0 +Statin levels. Based on what I have researched/read each pill in this formula should contain 3.4mg ofLovastatins, (Icluding monacolins KA form).The FDA will not allow these companies to print this on the label. They want everyone reliant on large pharma. This formula was tested and contained no mycotoxin citrinin (thought to cause chronic kidney disease in the Balkans where this toxin is found in high levels) a dosage of three pills a day should be a good start and is the minimum effective dosage shown to work in clinical trials.I would also recommend taking a CoQ10 supplement like Q-gel which is solubilized in polysorbate 80, for excellent absorption.$LABEL$1 +I Gotta Go is GREAT!. I saw these I Gotta Go potty training reviews and had to go buy one for my son. I LOVE this DVD! The concept is great. I never thought children (and parents!) could have fun while potty training. There is no stress for my son or us.He does not want to wear diapers anymore. The songs are so cute, we all sing them.I am glad we bought the DVD, the tape would have been worn out by now! I recommend it to anyone I know who is potty training their children!$LABEL$1 +Isn't comedy supposed to be funny?. If you lined up all of the humourous material on the 2 CD's, you'd laugh for 5 minutes. But those 5 minutes would be F**king hysterical. Funny in places but very diluted.$LABEL$0 +a little light reading. This is Nepal as it was in the 80's A throwaway novel, when compared to his masterworks like the Mars Trilogy, this entertaining read is highly recommended for anyone who has trekked [or dreams of trekking] in Nepal. He evokes the Kathmandu of the late 70s and 80s perfectly - from named restaurants and hippie highpoints to the bustle, muck and medieval layers of Kathmandu and its environs. Descriptions of the town and trekking the nearby mountains ring true, although the plot itself is too thin to support much examination. It's a fun book, in the style of The Ascent of Rum Doodle.$LABEL$1 +A bit thin and oriented to the big end of the scale. What I didn't realise when I ordered this is that it is an publication of a US kennel association. It is a slim book, gives a good, realistic overview of kenneling from a management perspective, and is a good thing to read if you need to decide basic questions like "is the kennel business for me?" and "what are the main issues in kennel management?" Its orientation is toward large kennels (65+ dogs) in the US. For someone like me, who is thinking about a small kennel in Australia, it was interesting, but not really worth its pricetag.$LABEL$0 +No mention of diabetes?. Not to oversimplify, but if a guide to dwarf hamsters doesn't mention diabetes - a *huge* issue with the Campbells variety - then assume it's flawed in other ways, too.$LABEL$0 diff --git a/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.train.dat b/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.train.dat new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7f117290929d45ccdb446c38a10d6631792611ab --- /dev/null +++ b/text_defense/206.Amazon_Review_Polarity10K/amazon.train.dat @@ -0,0 +1,8000 @@ +Hayden cooler. This product worked well. Came with all the parts I needed for my project. Easy install and it worked. I will buy another in the future if I have another project.$LABEL$1 +This book was very interesting.. This book although it started out slow was one I would recommend to other readers. It tells the life in detail of a young girl who became a woman before her time. Anyone who thinks he/she has a burden that you will never over come just read this book, after hearing about Delorise life yor problems will feel much lighter.$LABEL$1 +Holland 1990. To the extent that a Nomeansno show was exactly like a spiritual revelation, this cd is the resurrection and the life.While everything about Wrong is right, some of these songs, especially What Slayde Says and Victory, are about the finest versions of these songs I am familiar with. They distort and mess with your expectations. The vocals are totally clear. I gets to shakin'.When I put this on tonite, I had just forgotten how good it was. It's like a perfect Nomeansno show, and I ain't apologizing for it.$LABEL$1 +Great product and value. I am very pleased with the CD and the fact that it is in great condition. Great value and very timely service.$LABEL$1 +great book. i got it for a friend since he was joining the marines and he needed to study so this was my going away present for him and he loved it i wish this guy the best$LABEL$1 +Great for sweaters. These are perfect to hang up sweaters and t-shirts. Exactly what I wanted. No more wrinkles from folding and putting them in a drawer$LABEL$1 +Tough but enjoyable. It's a tough workout, especially when you first begin. But it helps you sweat and you feel like you've done a lot after. Not bad.$LABEL$1 +Regression. I wasn't sure how this cd would work. I bought it with my fingers crossed that it would. I live in a place where therapists don't offer this sort of thing. So, it was my last resort. I've tried it 2 times now and both times, it worked! My body was put into deep relaxation...not sure my body has ever been so relaxed!One thing that many don't understand about Past-Life Regressions is that you see past lives and you see the death. It can be a very educational thing for us as long as we don't view this instance as a part of our current life. There is separation there and it needs to be there. If you see yourself in a way that is painful to watch, it's okay. Learn from it. Move on. There's no reason to claim any of the emotions or instances as your own now.Past-Life Regressions can help us recognize those parts of us that we don't quite understand. Relationships, hobbies, little quirks, habits etc.$LABEL$1 +If you like suspense movies, you are going to love this one.. This is the best movie I have ever seen. Even though everyone dies at the end, I still get a sense that those guys are still running around the woods looking for the Blair Witch. The camera is used masterfully with not even a hint of bluriness . Go see this movie, I would give it my highest recommendations. Two thumbs up!!$LABEL$1 +Died in less than three months. I bought one of these locally. Sound quality was okay, but not wonderful. I mainly used it to charge my iPod Video, and for that it worked fine.That is, until is died for no reason what-so-ever.My opinion: it's junk. Look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Not user friendly. The concept of this product is very good; but the installation is not user friendly. Perhaps it would be easier if the instructions were a little clearer. I like to think of myself as a pretty handy person, but not with these gadgets. I actually gave up and will be returning the item.$LABEL$0 +Bonsai Buy!. The book was an old book and I bought it from the Salvation Army via amazon.com. What I was looking for was the section that identified the plant and then goes on to describe each plant's attributes, needs and care. It will save me hours of research and the information is still the same as if it were a brand new book. Bonsai Buy!$LABEL$1 +Didn't work for me.. This book had a lot of good ideas. They simply did not work for me. My son did not want to sleep unless he was being held. I ended up doing a modified Ferber: we let him cry for one minute at a time. It took two weeks, and now I have a baby who goes down to sleep smiling at seven pm, and wakes up smiling and happy at six am.Try this book first, but if it doesn't work, don't blame yourself. Every baby is different.$LABEL$0 +Get Real And Stop Making Crap Like This. A movie about a drug dealing rapper...Gee, wonder why I'm not interested?$LABEL$0 +not worth the money. sure this thing might work if you can stand having that tight thing on your leg all night... I tried it for 10 minutes and was so uncomfortable with that just being on my leg. I"m also so restless that I flip from one side to the other so I think the pillow is my best bet... The size was spot on but when your trying to sleep you don't really want anything constricting on you, it wasn't really all that tight but it was awkward.... I can't imagine putting that thing on every night...$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your time. Bob Marley was the King. If you want to hear his music listen to his music...by him. These people have talent but don't need to show it doing bad versions of Bob's songs. Go get the real thing...If you got it all then listen to some new original music by "Onyan Art"...'Hurricane is coming'.$LABEL$0 +Two Minutes Silence is the ONLY good track on this album (should have been released as a single). And indeed, it provides a welcome relief for weary listeners struggling their way through this horrendous monument to artistic vanity and pretentiousness. I cannot imagine there are many who've honestly listened to this pseudo-art more than once all the way through. The only role this album plays in music history is to serve, like the Wedding Album, as a dire warning to all of how awful the results can be when artistic pretentiousness prevails over good judgement and true creativity. I'd gladly listen to an album's worth of 'Two minutes Silence' rather than just two more minutes of this nauseating tripe.$LABEL$0 +Grandparents that are not close. I think that this is a great book to communicate with my grandchildren that live far away.I first saw this postcard book in the Cape a few years ago , but didn't buy it at that time and was searching this year for it when we were at Cape Cod and couldn't find it so then I thought that Amazon must have it .And they did.$LABEL$1 +Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!. I admire the intrepid readers who were able to slog through this tedious book long enough to form a conclusion as to whether Sickert was or was not Jack the Ripper. I'm willing to take Cornwell's word for it. Just don't ask me to try reading the book again.$LABEL$0 +Great quality book. I agree with Suzanne's review of this book. I also purchased this for my son, and he really enjoys it. Really, really well made with very thick pages. Multiple textures and colorful illustrations. My only complaint would be that the text is a bit boring... "this big truck has a shiny red door"... "and this big truck has bumpy wheels".. (etc) Otherwise, I would give it 5 stars.Really good value for the price though.*** Other REALLY good touchy feely books are "Dinosaurs" and "Mermaids". (also by Usborne - Fiona Watt/Rachel Wells)$LABEL$1 +Fairly superficial. If you are looking for an overview of the causes of infertility, or are newly diagnosed with infertility, this might be a useful book. If you are an infertility patient you probably already know most of what is in it - for example it covers the testing that is done to determine causes of infertility.If you are looking for a really good explanation of how your body works, and how you can maximize your chances of getting pregnant, get Toni Weschler's "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It's much more thorough and complete description of how you can increase your chances of getting pregnant.The section on mind/body is really stress reduction techniques, which are available in many other places. Infertility causes stress, and stress aggravates infertility, so stress reduction and coping strategies matter. However, buying a book on meditation will give you a much better introduction into how to use and apply the techniques described here.$LABEL$0 +War Horse(Blue-ray). I bought this move to add to my collection of DVD's. It is a wonderful movie and there is no way to describe the difference between regual viewing and Blue-Ray.$LABEL$1 +Very nice.... Smaller than I thought, but very witty and it goes with my red and white kitchen. Guests think that its cute lol.$LABEL$1 +this has some very good original/traditional songs. this is a very good christmas cd. christmas rock,santa's gonna take it all back are very crappy and the total opposite of what christmas is all about and hot rod sleigh just sucks.....BUT.... the rest of the cd is so good that it makes it worth having to program out those songs each time you play it. Bethlehem in Birmingham, what made the baby cry, and Jesus gets jealous of santa clause just might be some of the most beautiful christmas songs ever written.$LABEL$1 +Works well but not perfect.. It worked well but there seemed to be some problems with taking my settings. Most of it was solved by Logitech's excellent tech support so if have any problems give them a call.$LABEL$1 +Amazing, simply amazing.. I heard a large sum of reviews claiming the picture quality was quite low for this box set's episodes. And after so many claims, i waited a month until i bought the blu ray, hoping it would be fixed. I have watched every episode in awe, the picture quality is absolutely perfect. I think that its safe to buy this blu ray now, since funimation must've fixed whatever was producing the low quality episodes before. Not only are the episodes amazing quality, the font of the subtitles has a fresh new feel, that for some reason, makes reading them feel a lot more in touch with the episode. (I guess you have to see it yourself to get what I mean)The boxing case is just incredible,the holographic cover is the biz! It even comes with 4 high quality poster cards.This is a must buy, and make sure you buy the second box set in august, as it holds some of FMA's greatest moments.$LABEL$1 +50 bucks and it works great.... Used many other shavers but this one works...I was going to buy the high-end version for a lot more, but then I found this and glad I bought the reconditioned versionUse it everyday on my way to work for about 3 months nowIt has already paid for the amount of 3-blade razors that I used to use, but without the razor burnThe only drawback is that it does not get every single neck hair...thus I carry one of my left over 3-blade razors and use that to get those 2 to 3 remaining hairs...At this point I am not even sure why you NEED the cleaning...I just click open the screen, turn it on for 3 seconds outside my car window...and I'm done...then every week or so I use that cleaning brush thing when I am recharging...Items like this is what Amazon was invented for...$LABEL$1 +NOT ORIGINAL DVD, BUT COPY. THIS DVD IS NOT AN ORIGINAL, BUT A COPY OF IT. I RECEIVED AN BLANK BLACK DVD BOX WITH HANDWRITTEN NAME OF THE MOVIE ON IT. WEN I OPENED THEBOX IT HAD A BLANK DVD WITH NOTHING WRITTEN ON IT NOW ANY PICTURE ON IT. IT WAS POSTED AS VERY GOOD CONDITION ANDI DID NOT PAY FOR A CPY OF HE MOVIE.$LABEL$0 +This is a wonderful series. I really have enjoyed this series, I am now on the return to red river of the north series and yearn for more and more about these characters...Lauraine is a wonderful writer and although I am just now reading her books I am throughly enthralled with them...$LABEL$1 +A well-constructed mystery.. This is one of Christie's most interesting novels. Don't be surprised if you can't put it down!! You will be quite surprised at the ending and kicking yourself for not guessing whodunit! My hint to you--listen to the description Christie gives about the mind of a murderer, and then try to pick which character matches.$LABEL$1 +What a disppointment. I was thrilled when they came out with "Ride Again". It was the Aces from the old days. And "Out Of The Blue" gave us some good new material. But this one was a real disappointment. I should have guess by the title that it was a live album - recorded in concert, and it sounds like it. Not only does the music sound dead, and sometimes muffled, but the group sounds tired. I was way excited about hearing some of my old favorites in CD quality, but no such luck. Come on guys, do another "Ride Again". You can do so much better than this.$LABEL$0 +Sound Blaster Audigy SE. The Sound Blaster Audigy SE has been around for a long time which to my mind is not such a bad thing. For the price when compared to on-board sound it represents good if not great value. So if you have a little PC upgrade knowledge, a few dollars in your pocket and listen to music / video on your computer go for it.$LABEL$1 +Funny...for 30 pages. This book was funny...for about 30 pages. But after that, the story of these self-centered, materialistic, and shallow people just became repetitive and sad.$LABEL$0 +Made in Thailand. Just purchased this item in white. Was so excited about buying what I thought was a French made stock pot that I didn't think to check where it was actually made. I tipped the box over and saw that it was made in Thailand.After finding this out and reading some of the negative reviews, I will be returning this not-so-French stock pot.$LABEL$0 +Reliability Problems. My AVR 347 was wonderful at first, but shortly after the warranty expired, it start to fail. It would occasionally flash "Protect" on the front panel then shutdown. Originally, the receiver would do this every few hours, but now, it won't stay on for more than a couple of minutes. I sent it in for repair, but after spending $100 at an authorized HK service center, it still has the same problem. Searching the Internet, I now find that many other owners are having the same problem. I caution anyone considering a Harmon Kardon receiver to look into the reliability problems before making a purchase. I can assure you that my next receive will not be a HK.$LABEL$0 +Strength and Sensuality. Oreet's bellydance is one of the best dance workout I have ever encountered. I feel like a different person each and ever time I workout with her video. I have much more confidence in myself as a woman. Loving everything about my body this dance is all about celebrating and liberating myself as a women. It's a self-esteem video for whatever insecurites that might have entered my mind. Thanks Oreet for making a difference in the way I see myself. When I workout I become a completely different person and now all my friends are fascinated which is a good thing more sales for your tape. Oreet without knowing... you are great inspiration to me...$LABEL$1 +Hee Hee Hee....CAMP!. This is a campy low budget witch film. Decent acting...campy plot. If you don't expect oscar worthy anything, then you'll enjoy this one. Especially if you and your slightly drunk friends can add witty commentary along the way.$LABEL$1 +Misrepresentation of Book and Poor Customer Service. This seller misrepresented his book. It was in poor quality and also torn due to mailing in a regular thin envelope. Due to the weight of the book, it damaged the cover.I am still waiting for the refund on the book after mailing it back on June 29, 2010 and today is July 19, 2010. He sent me back the $5.00 shipping charge but not the cost of the book.I do not recommend this seller to anyone. This is the worst experience that I have had with an Amazon book seller.$LABEL$0 +Well written, a must for anyone who aspires to climb Denali. Sherwonit has written an interesting history of the expeditions on Denali. It is not a "page-turner" but anyone interested in climbing will appreciate the stories of successful and unsuccessful first ascents, first winter ascents and first solo ascents.$LABEL$1 +A good movie based on a good book. Everyone in my family read the Da Vinci Code and enjoyed it. A movie - well maybe. So often good books just don't make the transition to good books. This was the wonderful exception. The casting was well done - some well-known stars and some new faces. The locations were perfect. Again, some familiar tourist sites and some really great new places.The extras on the DVD were really neat. I especially like the short about Dan Brown and the director getting together to put cryptic items in several scenes to act as pointers to what was really going on. I had missed most of them, but that just gives me another excuse to go back and watch it again.Hope everyone else enjoys this movie.$LABEL$1 +A Superb Offering!. King Diamond comes through with an outstanding album with Puppet Master. I got to see the opening night of his tour in Hollywood. It was a fantastic show. This record provides the listener with another excellent story and awesome music to boot. I love House of God and this one is as good.$LABEL$1 +Ponderous, plodding, weighty. As a former employee of Bank of America, NT & SA (the REAL Bank of America), I bought this to see how the old Bank could get so taken by this guy. It confirmed what I'd already suspected, that the old BofA's wimpy management at the time was no match for this operator. Unfortunately, the book is pretty light on the merger details. It does contain some glaring errors about the old BofA.The book is way too long, and is essentially a big valentine to Hugh McColl. Thankfully, I bought a used copy.It should be titled, 'A History of Banking in North Carolina and the Deep South.'$LABEL$0 +THE BEST OF POP. This is Paulina Rubio's great work of art. She blends all kinds of rhytms, lyrics, and feelings that make of BORDER GIRL an excellent album worth buying it.My favorite ones are UNDENIABLE (recorder part in NY and part in Oslo, Norway), THE ONE YOU LOVE (That's PAULINA's seal), THE LAST GOODBYE (a "ranchera-hip-hop?" in English???). Yep, as Paulina says: "There are not rules when it all comes down to pop music."This album is way better than Shakira's, honestly. Buying this CD will be the best thing you can do. This is such a great album. Five stars for Paulina, who has done it again.$LABEL$1 +TexasLily. This is the first time that I have read the author Patricia Rice. The story flowed at a good pace and kept my interest from beginning to end. Liked the characters. I would definitely consider reading another Patricia Rice Historical Romance.$LABEL$1 +great book, but one ethical issue. How it could be possibly be ethical to charge $52 dollars for a 98 page paperback is just beyond me. Was there a shortage of cardboard and binding tape? Acedemics- sure, but it's ethics, not biotechnology!$LABEL$0 +Huge disappointment!. I work in a library and have read other books about Mary Jemison. I was really looking forward to reading this book. It was quite a disappointment. I borrowed this from our Main Library since my branch's copy hadn't arrived yet--boy, am I sorry I wasted the Library's money! I think it was half the style of writing and half lack of information. Not very entertaining at all. If other poets write fiction like this, I'm not going to even try to read them!$LABEL$0 +Another way of looking for the gap in history. The book was interesting. A short novel,with a different kind of look at pre history. The author tells you how it might have been after the Time of Atlantis,and before the time of the flood. When demigods were roaming the world in place of terrorist, and when mankind seemed be in the dark ages of prehistory. Sinned the first person of the story speaks to you as if you were his sidekick. Very well done. The Tiamat, could surely be a real character, now and then. Julia$LABEL$1 +Fox Mobile Base Much Improved. The steel wheels make this a "buy," but be sure to order the matching rails if you need the extensions - the rails offered by Amazon were for the "old" Fox base, and at much greater expense I had to purchase these rails from Grizzly (recommended by Fox). Amazon did take back the rails that did not fit with no issues. Hopefully Amazon has already fixed this issue.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy it. HTML version of an article omits 8 figures. Not good idea for making a comparison of two GRAPHICAL notations.$LABEL$0 +Swing arm breaks. While I like the slim profile provided by the face armor, this thing is poorly designed. It pivots on square plastic pegs and shatters after you flip it out a few times. Mine took less than a month to break.$LABEL$0 +Solid and reliable.... Nice solid manufacture, simple and easy to carry, super sharp blades and lovely after sale policy to sharpen your nail clipper for free, nobody appreciates good products without great warranties, overall the Tweezerman folding nail clipper is a good solid product with minor aesthetical details over which to improve.$LABEL$1 +Disapointed. I read Last Words and I really liked it so I bought Brain Droppings. I found this book to be very mean-spirited. George's personality doesn't come through in the book like it does in person. Brain Droppings seems to be a list of his notes on what he might put into his live act. If I had to guess his book was written to pay his huge tax bill.$LABEL$0 +it's great. This chute really works great! it's very easy to mount and it brings the ball back out to you. You don't need another person to throw the ball to you or chase it yourself so you get to spend more time practicing your shot.$LABEL$1 +Purchased five months ago, developing tears despite only light use. I purchased this backpack about five months ago and initially was impressed with the product. It appeared sturdy and well-constructed and was reasonably comfortable to carry. I've been using it lightly since - no more than a couple of days a month carrying loads up to twenty pounds. Unfortunately the stitching at the bottom corners of the backpack (the bottom two corners of the main compartment that are closest to the wearer's back) has started to open up. One corner is entirely open such that there's a one inch gap in the corner through which objects can fall and the other corner is starting to unravel but is not yet open. I haven't been carrying any sharp or unusual objects that should cause this to happen so I have to give this product only two stars.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed in This Rusty Kettle. I specifically purchased a relatively expensive stainless kettle to avoid problems with rusting. This kettle rusted more quickly and extensively than cheap porcelain ones. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Single factor failure. Someone else correctly pointed out the inaccessible battery compartment. He had speculated that the problem was limited to the units produced in 2004. Not sure the problem is limited. Mine was purchased in 2007 (although may have been produced in 2004??). The cover for the batter compartment cannot be opened. Had I made any greater effort than I did, I would have broken the cover. Who approves the design of stuff like this, and why is there apparently no quality check before it gets out the door. Will never know how this item might have performed since I couldn't turn it on. Lost all interest after failure to insert batteries.$LABEL$0 +Total junk. I bought this bike from Toys'R'Us in a box and had to return it because it was next to impossible to assemble and overall built quality was horrible. This is an example of a product produced evidently without any quality control whatsoever. The front wheel was about 3-4 mm wider than the front fork which it was supposed to fit into. There were only two ways to get it in - use brutal force and expand the fork at a risk of damaging it or assemble it incorrectly by removing the nuts which should go inside of the fork. Perhaps this is how toy stores have to do it - but in this case I would not want this bike anyway. The wheel bearing felt overtightened to the level that wheel would not spin freely, the handlebars would turn only with signficant friction and effort. I was amazed to see what kind of junk this bike is. Stay away by all means.$LABEL$0 +Exactly as described, 15 feet of stereo 3.5mm headphone cable. Works as described, no distortion issues. I use this in my workout room so I can watch TV and wear headphones while I run.$LABEL$1 +Starting really slow. OK, maybe I need to wait until I've watched the whole thing, but I've gotten through the first three discs and this is sloooooooow!Well, I made it through the whole set of discs and have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. The pace of the story did pick up and the Marine Corps never looked better. But, I think they could have done a better job. Doesn't compare to Band of Brothers, and I'm a former Marine!$LABEL$0 +Great Family Album. If you liked "Return to Pooh Corner", you will love this album. My children like it and listen to the songs often (even my 10 year old).$LABEL$1 +Fragile. Broke the first week I had them. I use a leather soft side case with some hard cardboard reinforment in my purse and haven't had a problem with other sunglasses.$LABEL$0 +another stupid review. these book are a great read every young girl should read little women it gives you a picture of how weomen have changed over the last century what was important to them$LABEL$1 +Cheap chinese junk!. One of the arms broke on my rabbit after less than a year of use. The warranty is a joke. You have to pay for round trip shipping, so why not just pay for a new one instead of a repaired one? They will never get my money again.$LABEL$0 +Fell for the Glowing Reviews Here. My old food processor/blender stopped working after 20 years and so I needed a new one. I decided to buy a mini processor/blender and after reading the reviews here on Amazon, I decided to purchase the Proctor Silex 72500RY. Big Mistake! I tried making a dressing with ginger. I cut small slices and put it in the chopper along with some honey, mustard, and a little water. Some tiny slices of ginger never got chopped no matter how many times I tried. Very frustrating. I should have shelled out more dollars and bought a better chopper!!$LABEL$0 +What are people raving about? This movie was bad. Classic? Horror? I don't think so. I consider myself to be a film buff but I could hardly pay attention to this movie. The effects were comical, I would have laughed if I wouldn't had been so bored to tears. The plot was ridiculous and the characters were anemic. The most disappointing aspect was its failure to meet the hype. Every time the music began playing and practically nothing would happen, I'd get angry at the director for wasting the music, which could have been this movie's only saving grace. I was sorely disappointed. Don't believe the hype.$LABEL$0 +Every woman should read this. This is the most refreshing book to pregnancy and every day events in pregnancy. Every minute I was laughing. My husband found som many little comments to be so funny, he had to read it himself! This was a big step for him!!! Every woman either thinking of getting pregnant or is pregnant should read this.$LABEL$1 +Don't get your hopes up.. When I saw this video I thought Oh boy!!! Dawn French (Dibley, Murder Most Horrid), Jennifer Saunders (Ab Fab, French & Saunders), Tracey Ullman (you know), Ruby Wax, it must be wonderful!!! Unfortunely, I saw none of the biting wit, acid humor nor sharp edged satire of their later efforts. They play around with some sitcom conventions but the humor is all very conventional. I didn't finish watching the tapes.$LABEL$0 +What were they thinking?. A horribly executed satire piece that is boring from its start to its ridiculous finish. The humor is dry and the acting is poor, I can't believe Hugh Grant would sign on to an atrocity like this considering the direction of his career as of late. I gave this 2 stars only because of Dennis Quaid's very humorous and satirical portrayal of the American president, it's a shame that his was the only performance in the film that made me laugh. With the country's current take on both President Bush and American Idol, the concept of this film is good from a pop culture standpoint, unfortunately better screenwriting may have made a world of difference for this disaster.$LABEL$0 +KEEPS YOU IN SUSPENSE FOR AN ENDING, BUT THERE ISN'T ONE!!. James Herbert is one of my favorite authors because of his grisly detail, and the book I read before this was the Fog. Upon reading it, I felt like I was reading it all over again. I read this book, and was very disappointed from it. James Herbert builds a book out of old ideas. The story is good, but the plot is not thought over enough.$LABEL$0 +Forest saw blades. Absolutely the finest saw blade I have used in 45 years of wood working. Balance is perfect. It even sounds quieter. And guess what, if it ever does get dull just send it in and Forest will sharpen it for free. I have two of them and they have all but replaced many other blades in my shop.Kelly McCLanahan$LABEL$0 +Do not buy this product. My unit quit reading all DVD's. I was very disappointed and surprised because I bought a Sony because I thought it would be more reliable, and I only use my DVD player maybe once a week to watch a movie. I am not a heavy user and still it quit working. When I called Sony, they informed me I could either get it repaired for $169 or get a refurbished one for $109...since mine is practically brand new why would I do that..who knows what I would get as a replacement.So I bought a different DVD player, not Sony, to replace the non-working one for less than half the price of their offers. The VCR still works fine. No explanation was given why this happened.$LABEL$0 +sickening. this game is one of the worst I have ever seen for ps2!I was extremely disappointed with the graphics! the gameplay was awful! I found my self frustrated and annoyed!the load time was way over limits for such poor graphicsall UBI soft did was take the ps1 game and make it a littleharder. Tarzan untamed is just a platform game I thoughtI was back on my old Super Nintendo there is only one path,one way! everything else is decoration! I myself am a trueTarzan fan but this is awful! and for 50 bucks its even worse$LABEL$0 +Great Tool. Well-made tool; rugged and very strong. I used it to pull the pitman arm off a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it probably took 400 ft/lbs of torque to get the arm loose. No other puller could have taken that much force. You can't go wrong with OTC tools.$LABEL$1 +Best in some respects. This is the best longwave UV flashlight I have ever used in terms of light quality, i.e. it has very little visible purple light. It also seems to be built as sturdy as any flashlight could be. On the other hand, it is only about half as bright (in UV) as my no-brand Chinese 21-LED UV light that (1) cost about half as much (2) uses cheaper AAA batteries and (3) unfortunately puts out a lot of visible purple light. The light from the Inova is also less focused than most other UV flashlights--could be considered either better or worse depending on your needs.$LABEL$1 +Brilliant, hilarious, stop reading so much into it. Have to say, as a librarian and parent of 2 young children, I found this book to be an absolute joy. I actually laughed so hard I cried the first time I read it to my son. It's absurd, it's challenging, it's brilliant.$LABEL$1 +TEAC AD500 Integrated CD/Cassette Deck. I have been looking for this type machine for a long time. I was disapointed. It broke down right away. Guess I am still looking.$LABEL$0 +Waste of money. Another album, Another piece of sh#t released. Cam ron aint got no skills. He's another commercial rappa like Gay-z. this album is bull Sh#t n if u like this crap u is a dum a## herb wit no sense in good rap music. Don buy this.$LABEL$0 +Great listening. If you love great lyricsIf you love folklore tunesIf you love a great voiceIf you love percussionsThis album is great, great, great$LABEL$1 +Great SDTK to "One" of the Best. This is more of a documentary SDTK than anything else. But it is still good. Ghost is probably the best track on here. I am not that impress with the 50 Cent song or the Eminem track. They are not whack tracks, but they are not great either. Hardcore Pac fans like myself, this is a definite buy. Everyone else, you shoudl buy it and not download it.Top 3 Songs: Ghost, Runnin, Death Around The CornerBottom 3 Songs: One Day At a Time, Realest Killaz, Same SongSleeper; Bury Me A G$LABEL$1 +Primitive and simple sounds ruin this promising album. I could hear better music on a National Geographic special of Africa. This shows no progression from their last release, Undertow. Not worth the money.$LABEL$0 +it is not comfortable.... This cot seemed like the perfect solution for taking my 4 year old grandson on trips but he couldn't sleep on it and ended up sleeping with me anyway. I should have heeded the other reviews.$LABEL$0 +WARNING: SAVE YOURSELF TEN BUCKS !. Well, somebody has got to be the first to review it, so here goes.Of all the country albums I've heard, this is definitely the worst ever! I bought it just for "A cowboy's born with a broken heart", expecting the rest to be in the same vein (at least the titles looked promissing). I don't know how the other albums by this band sound, but this is pathetic. You can hardly call this country music by any standard. The first couple of tracks sound more like "praise songs", the harmonies are almost gospel-like. The only tracks bearable are "In another tear from now", "If her heart ain't in Memphis" and the forementioned "A cowboy's born ...". Only the latter is really good, the other two being ruined somewhere down the line. ABSOLUTE LOW HOWEVER IS THE KINKS-COVER "YOU REALLY GOT ME".Verdict: one star for "A cowboy's born ..." and the effort. They should thank me for that one star.$LABEL$0 +I wouldn't buy it!. It has a samsung logo, but it looks fake after I bought it. The belt clipper tore of the phone holder with no reason.$LABEL$0 +Tracklisting. 1. Outro Lado (NY C12 mix)2. Outro Lado (Presence mix by Charles Webster)3. Brazilectro (Maurice Fulton remix)4. Humana (London Elektricity mix)5. Outro Lado (Presence Dub by Charles Webster mix)6. Brazilectro (Amazonia Hyper remix)$LABEL$1 +Bad experience. I looked over the Internet for several screen protectors for my new PSP, and I found this one as the best option.(The screen protector from Sony it's only available in Japan). I follow all the instructions and I have bubbles everywhere. I take it away, put it again, and I can manage to have less bubbles, very little and tiny ones, but still have them. It looks good for protecting the screen, but terrible for admiring this amazing screen.$LABEL$0 +If you have a thyroid problem this book won't help!. I read this book & was very disappointed. It has some basic things that anyone with a thyroid problem already knows. As far as the diagnosis method it is to eat a 1000 calorie diet for 28 days to see if you loose weight normally. And the diet to lose weight is to eat 1000 calories a day. Very unhealthy & unrealistic.$LABEL$0 +no good. I bought this game and just as said in all the other bad reviews it did not work properly. I couldn't put in any of the codes off my pc. You could use the cheats that were already programmed in to it, but soon found it messed up the game. There was not a phone # to call, not in this country anyway.I spent hours trying to figure out this and it was useless. It was very frustrating and would advise against buying.$LABEL$0 +for my daughter. I was adaquately pleased with this item for my daughter. I am hoping to add many charms for her over the next years.$LABEL$1 +Horrible. Absolutely horrible product provider. The mesh below the spigot where the water comes out was bent and full of dirt upon arrival. I also received a chrome filter but I had ordered a white one.$LABEL$0 +Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 11. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 11I've been using this product for about a month now. I used version 9xx for several years. Version 11 is much more stable; it maintains the same intuitive user interface; and in general, makes a rather complex process relatively simple. One caution: pay close attention to the RECOMMENDED system requirements (as opposed to the MINIMUM requirements). Any video editing package must necessarily utilize a lot of system horsepower and resources. So - unless you have the required system components - look to a more basic editing package.$LABEL$1 +Not as great as I thought. From the review I thought this would be a great book to have, but I find it lacking and thin. Many of the suggestion were repeated [...]. I thought this book is more about ideas of words to write, and indeed it has some, but not a lot to choose from.$LABEL$0 +Just Wait A Second. When people are saying this is the best punk album ever, that's quite ridiculous. I know there are at least two NoFX albums that are much better than this. "Ribbed" and the album everyone hates because it's raw "Liberal Animation". I read a review for this album that said My Hear Is Yearning an opera was 10/10 because of diversity! WTF! I didn't pick this cd up for an opera song, or a folk song. It's called diversity in a PUNK song. Diversity doesn't always meen a different genre, it can also meen a different style of punk. I also disagree when people say that this album get's five stars because sometimes you can't understand what the lead singer is saying.Well this cd really is good, but I'm sick of people saying this is the best cd because there is one diverse opera song.Best songs- Linoleum/Jeff Wears Birkenstocks/ Punk Guy$LABEL$1 +JAMES BOND LOSES. Why do most of John Gardner's James Bond novels seem like screenplays? I think that is what was always missing from his writings. Because they were similar to screenplays they read like movie scripts, not novels. It just leaves the reader so uninvolved. Detail and flavor for the settings are always noticeably absent from his Bond novels. This one is no exception. I suppose we all lose!$LABEL$0 +frustrated with product support. I offer this assessment with a certain amount of sorrow and I offer it on behalf of myself and the friend who I gave this item for Christmas last year. I actually liked the knock box in terms of function. But I'm unhappy with the company response when I attempted to purchase replacement rubber grommets that split after a short time. I was told to buy the entire knock box bar and that was my only recourse. I found this to be very poor customer support. You can't tell me they don't have the rubber grommets they could sell at a fraction of the cost. Plus I don't like scrapping a perfectly good piece of metal. Very not green.$LABEL$0 +FLA's most consistant effort. you really can't compare it to anything else. FLA is industrial...but...not. FLA has always been more subdued than, say, skinny puppy or ministry. more atmospheric. this is music you play while driving at NIGHT. its very sleek, and enjoyable from start to finish, but you have to listen for the little melodic, rhythmic, production complexities. its definitely a landmark album for industrial music, it announces the arrival of electro-industrial (just as NIN's Broken and Ministry's Psalm 69 did for industrial metal, the same year might I add). Personally i like Reclamation just as an overall snapshot of their career or Implode as an example of how far they've come, but after you pick up those amazing CDs this should definitely be the next to get.$LABEL$1 +A good read. Bought becuase i was buying a new husky puppy and i feel that this book really helped. It arrived in a timely fashion and was in perfect condition.$LABEL$1 +Madness in the House. Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough are terrific in this understated thiller you will not soon forget. Their dreary house provides past dreams lost and insidious remedies to correct their condition. Superior acting .$LABEL$1 +First Class. Brigadoon has always been a first class movie. We have seen it many times, mostly on TV, and once in the theater when it frist came out.We would recommend this movie to all those people who like good musicals, made by fanstastic actors.$LABEL$1 +Best TV Show I've Seen. Period.. While I am not a TV buff and haven't seen many series from before the 90s, this is easily the best TV series I have ever seen. I have made my family and friends all watch it with me, and all are hooked. I started in the middle of season 4, but still became addicted and joined Netflix solely for the purpose of getting the rest of it when my local Blockbuster didn't have it. Amazing and totally worth the expense.$LABEL$1 +Too shallow to be very useful. I teach Microsoft networking and have been charged with learning IIS. I need to know the Why's and the details of IIS, and this book didn't do it. It hits many areas in general overview, but then spends CHAPTERS talking about general NT topics (backup/restore, domain authentication, fault tolerance, etc). Not recommended unless you want overview-level only.$LABEL$0 +A blatant example of cultural racism.. This book by Berenger contains the two most blatant examples of cultural racism currently in print that I have yet found. See the arrogant dismissal of Berenger of the Hungarian origins and the unbelievable dismissal of Jews in Hapsburg history most obviously in the area of the Rothchild's. I have no idea what positive value this book may have, but as an artifact of racism, it is quite impressive.Michael Wahrman$LABEL$0 +A-MAY-ZING. Quite simply the finest book ever written. The translation is breathtakingly eloquent. I have read each night over and over again.$LABEL$1 +Looks good so far. Checked out from library, read intro... I like the brain-based approach, but would be more complete with a religious angle on contributing to ending hate. Up to date with references to 9-11.$LABEL$1 +Love Dee Henderson. I have read all of the books in this series a long time ago...they are great books and really got me started reading her works...Take time to read and find out about this "family".$LABEL$1 +Terrible, Broke 2 hours into 12 day road trip, ruined gifts. I purchased this carrier to take on a road trip over Christmas. Only two hours into a 12 day trip the drivers side zipper broke. Luckily the kids didn't notice and I was able to spend an entire day trying to re-wrap the gifts that weren't completely ruined by water! We fought the stupid thing every time we had to use it. The straps were too long and even after adjusting them, they rubbed the paint on my new car as we drove. We had to hold our belongings in with Duct Tape and several things got wet again on the ride home. I'm terribly disappointed in this product. I have returned mine asking fora refund. I do not recommend.$LABEL$0 +Garmin Carrying Case. This case is much too small. It does not hold everything you need so therefore it's kind of useless.$LABEL$0 +**. I heard Oliver Stone promoting this film on NPR. He said, "I share certain traits of Nixon's." When the interviewer asked Stone to name one of those traits, Stone said, "Paranoia." That admission kind of sums up everything that's wrong with this and all of Oliver Stone's films. They are filled with paranoia. Reality-marring paranoia. Well, at least he admits to his paranoia. But too bad he has to splash it up on movie screens.$LABEL$0 +Needs to be proofread!. I'm reviewing algebra after not doing math for almost 6 years. I already had a basic understanding of algebra from high school so this book is good in that it's straight to the point. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through and there's already been 3 instances where the examples have completely confused me because there are mistakes in the problems. Don't believe me? Check out page 14, they're switching the signs when finding the remainder but they don't mention it anywhere in the lesson. On page 40 the exponent is a typo so the solution makes no sense! These are just a few of the mistakes I've come across and I'm sure there will be more so if you're buying this book be prepared for confusion.$LABEL$0 +Happy with it. Right the battery life is short and there is a lag when a button is pressed, but other than that I'm glad to not have any problems. Unfortunately I DID pay over $200 for this product and cannot find any accessories for it. I've had it for at least 1/2 a year now and enjoy every function of it!$LABEL$1 +Sabrent USB 2.0 to SATA/IDE Hard Drive Adapter. This is a very handy device if you need to get something off a hard drive. My sister-in-law's computer drive was damaged by lightning and would not boot up. She decided to buy a new computer but wanted some pictures and files that had not been backed up. With this cable was able to copy her files to a thumb drive and she was happy to have those valuable pictures of a vacation trip.$LABEL$1 +Starts off good, but disintegrates into poorly related ideas. I was expecting much from the reviews, but felt as I moved into the fifth chapter that the coherence of the presentation and thematic development was falling apart. I found it became too confusing for me given the time I have to study this.$LABEL$0 +SC-200A Charger/Maintainer. I bought this to keep the battery up on my 1999 Chevy truck. The truck is being driven alot less due to the high price of gas and after 4 or more days of being parked it would ether turn over slow or not at all. This charger keeps the battery up to full charge and overcomes the drain from the alarm and other accessories that are online all the time. I was skeptical of the low price since other like chargers cost twice as much. I can recomend this charger.$LABEL$1 +Bad Luck?. This is my second indiglo watch. The date on the first watch did not roll over correctly. On the second watch the indiglo worked well for the 1st month and then it stopped working.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. I paid over $27 including shipping for this DVD and was truely disappointed. The movie is in B&W showing only one dance that lasted less than 10 minutes. I did not learn anything nor get anything out of this DVD. It is truely a waste of time and money. Again, please do not buy this DVD and waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Get To Really Know Your Child!. Knowing Laura personaly, I can tell you that her two children are living proof that the content of her book is a success! If you want to really understand,identify and connect with your child, this is a must read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.$LABEL$1 +Small jobs only.. Yes it sucks more air than other battery powered vacuums but: in brief it is rather heavy and has very short battery life and no extension handle accessory. Even using the 18v so called long lasting $90 battery, it quits only after about 1,500 sq. ft of dusty floor space, about 15 minutes of use. Dewalt customer service said that it would pickup multiple bags of cement but it will NOT in my experience hardly do much dust off the floor. I spent $240 on the vacuum, charger, and best battery and feel this is too much for the results I got. The unit is light until the battery is put in then it is really heavy (I'm a 250lb man and think so). The body is wide bulky but should be narrow in format and longer since it bumps everything and bumps you in the side which is part of why it seems heavy.$LABEL$0 +awesome stability. The On Stage KT7800 Plus is an exceptional value. Final assembly can be completed within minutes--no tools are needed--just place the legs into place and slide the locking pegs into position and secure with a twist. It not only is extremely well built, it has unsurpassed stability, and is cosmetically appealing. The multi-level positioning makes it ideal for those of varying heights. And, I am sure that this bench is quite capable of handling the indicated weight limitation. I've looked at and sat on a more expensive (twice the price) bench at my local Guitar Center and their bench has nothing on the KT7800 Plus.$LABEL$1 +falls apart and not water tight. I purchased 3 of these and I no longer have any. Yes they are very bright, but what good is that when the light falls apart on the lightest bump or curb hop. I lost two of them before using zip ties to hold the 3rd together, but it failed from water intrusion. $75 and 4 months later I have no lights. Save your money and get a USB light.$LABEL$0 +The Spellsong Cycle. A newly imagined world of horses, swords, castles,the evil and the righteous,with a twist of music and magic. It is well written and captivates the reader with the desire to find out what is going to happen next, Which is the reason for the this question. Why??? is the following book "The Spellsong War" Kindle Edition, not available in Australia? Could you please supply me with an answer. Walter Winch.$LABEL$1 +Awesome!. I was surprised by the ending, saddened, and left totally amazed. This is a great book that continues the tradition. I got it at midnight, read it immediately, and slept away the rest of today. Totally worth it! -Syd Salsman (daughter)$LABEL$1 +Nuuse. Handy case. I bought these for my B&D Lithium cordless that should have come with a set of at least screw driver bits$LABEL$1 +its an awsome idea-the product is very poor quality. During the baseball game, the bat totally snapped in half-luckily the remote was not damaged. An adult was playing the game, the baseball attachment was not struck-just the swing of the bat broke the attachment. Now the golf club and tennis racket are useless.$LABEL$0 +A guilty pleasure!. Outstanding book, engrossing, a classic! Inspiring, delicious, erotic and full of inhibition, "Lip Service" is a pillow book for the '90s. The writing is flawless and easily flows without interruption. Read it in the privacy of your home, if the puritanical type. Otherwise, take this book to a cafe or into the office lunch room and revel in its naughty revelations. Don't be surprised if this book fills your cheeks with color and makes you glance around to look at other people in a differen way. "Lip Service" is a guilty pleasure to read - share it with your girlfriends.$LABEL$1 +Must Buy!!. I feel of the left leaning books that are out there, this is the BEST. If you listen to his shows he is a wonderful common sense talk show host. His book is just as good. Ed really is where America needs to be. He leans left of center, which is where I think most common sense republicans will understand and agree on most of his book. Neo-cons you want to read him because this is where your party is heading. Left of Center and Liberals please buy, you need to move the party back or else bush and pals will make this a worse place. Left of center is ok, and actually moves the country forward. MUST BUY!$LABEL$1 +Good introductory book on C++!. This book takes you from C++ ground zero up to writing some fairly complicated and interesting programs in a short time. Mr. Lippman provides progressively harder problems that need to be solved, and at each stage teaches you exactly those new language elements that are needed to solve each problem, so you can understand from the beginning the usefulness (and necessity) of the language features. The example programs are interesting, and best of all, he provides answers to the programming exercises (I always love it when an author does that!), so you can practice what you're learning and get feedback on how you're doing!$LABEL$1 +Cute, but breaks easily. I really liked this night light because it matched our set. We put it up for our new daughter and our one year old son touched it and it broke. It is nice to have the light bulb included as many other night lights do not have this feature, but if you have other little ones around be weary. It will probably break very easily for you as well.$LABEL$0 +Amazing Diversity of Life. Tasmania: Land of the Devils does focus on the famous devil, but covers a vast array of other wildlife as well. Also seen in this program: the wombat, sea eagle, blue-tongued lizard, wallaby, swan, sea dragon, sea horse, tiger snake, carpet shark, mountain dragon, kangaroo, gannet, albatross, giant crayfish, and the platypus! And that's the ones I remember!The cinemaphotography, as usual in this series, was excellent. Whether it was watching the sea eagle hunt (it is so effective it only needs 10 minutes a day) or being taken through the undersea kelp forests (150-feet high!), the viewer is immersed in a wealth of sights and sounds.Great program on Tasmania and its wildlife. Five stars!$LABEL$1 +great service. I received this in record speed, especially during the holiday mail chaos. The cd was in Great condition and who could ask for a better product? Thanks$LABEL$1 +Tales of frigid wives. Hey, maybe if these women were "ministering" to their husband's needs they wouldn't have to turn to pornography."I started buying sexy nighties, acting sexier, and suddenly I realized I was bowing down to an idol. "This book is just full of the whining accounts of frigid wives who blame pornography for their bad marriages. Why is "acting sexy" within the bounds of a marriage bowing down to an idol? These women deserve their bitter, lonely, sexless lives.$LABEL$0 +Not useful for PFC 6+. This reference book restates most of the reference material available in the PFC online books. The reason for this (as stated in the book) is that back in PB 5 days, the online books were only available if the CD was in your drive. As of PB 6, the books can be installed on a hard drive. The PFC 6 features are only glanced at. The focus is on PFC 5 features. So if you're using PB 5/PFC 5, this book is great. Otherwise, it's not useful at all. I returned this book.$LABEL$0 +Graceland II. This is the album Paul Simon should have made after "Graceland". The lyrics get a little jammed up, much like Simon's, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Clean production too. They need an opening spot on a national tour, maybe next time Barenaked Ladies tour, or something like that.$LABEL$1 +Skyjacker Brake lines. Excellent product! They really make the brakes feel much firmer more solid than the stock brake lines. Expensive, but worth it!!$LABEL$1 +Excellent Ambient CD. I am always listening to ambient music on winamp or on my ipod. Ambient is great music to listen to when on the computer, studying, or just chill'n. This CD now part of my ambient arsenal. This CD is fantasic! My question is, "When is the next one going to come out?"$LABEL$1 +Epoxy inner layer peels off. I spent over $60 on 3 water bottles. I was expecting superior quality for this price but the bottles were easily dented. The real problem is not with the dents but the epoxy that is coating the inside of the bottle is peeling off. It is really disguising. I hand wash all of my bottles so this is very disappointing. The company does not stand behind their product. They will not give refunds for anything over 30 days old. Stay away from this company and their products. For this price their products should be guaranteed. I will never purchase a sigg product again.$LABEL$0 +beware. If cheap smelling cologne that is usually handed back to the clerk at the counter to put back is your thing, buy it. If you enjoy finer fragrances for men don't even waste a second of your time. Its smell is both ugly and outdated.Definitely make sure and smell this first if you decide you might buy it.I bought this last year and ended up giving it away.$LABEL$0 +Great Hound. Terrence Fisher directed many great Hammer Films, and this is one of his best. Cushing is a great Holmes and this version of the story is very well paced. Christopher Lee gets to play a romantic lead for once, and he is very good. I own several versions of this story, and this is my favorite.$LABEL$1 +Dissapointment. I was captivated by his first book, Rocket Boys, but this book turned out to be a disappointment. I couldn't get in the groove. Put it down far too often.$LABEL$0 +Fraught with fallacy. Polyamory works (quite well actually) when the central character is young and attractive and horny. Add a few years that bring droop, sag and jiggly jowls. Add to that tricky financial considerations (which is the main source of contention in monogamous relationships), children (from other relationships or otherwise) and the care of aging parents. Then the whole concept goes to hell in a hand basket. Polyamory is our era's freak-show-du-jour. Our alternative to the failed free-love mish-mash of the 60s. That didn't survive and neither will polyamory. But it sells books. Oh Behave!$LABEL$0 +Great Wire. I needed to extend my speaker positioning and this wire sure did. I need to add 8 more words, DONE$LABEL$1 +Great Shoes. These shoes look great and my son said they felt good also. This means a lot from him because he complains so much about the way shoes feel.$LABEL$1 +Looks nice, sorts laundry, don't bother with the wheels.. This product is very nice. It is on the delicate side, if you sat on it you would break it for sure. its pretty, looks nice, etc. Cons? It sort of falls apart, if you will. All the pieces just sort of set inside of each other.. Nothing really "fastens down" or "snaps in". So if you scoop into the basked you may bring the entire basket and the mounting brackets with you. Thats ok, you just put them back into place, not a big deal. I would of like to have it snap together a bit.The wheels? don't bother. If you want this as a roll around unit, you have come to the wrong place.$LABEL$1 +Lacking in the basics. As with most pose books, there is a severe lack of detail and contrast in the photos. The purpose of this book is to provide an alternative to life drawing, but fails in the very aspect of life drawing that makes it so effective. With such poor photography, it is extremely difficult to discern the surface features that are so important to learning artistic human anatomy. While the poses have a slightly more natural bend than most books in this genre, there is still an unnatural stiffness, or exaggeration of movement that is rarely every desired in figure references. In addition, all of the models are young college age people, with little or no ethnic diversity.The overall direction of this book attempts to provide the artist with a holistic smattering of references in anatomy, movement and lighting, but fails in all three catagories, badly. I don't recommend this book to anyone with serious ambitions in learning to draw the human figure.$LABEL$0 +Car Valet. I liked the idea of this tray for my 2-year old daughter for long car trips. It is soft, so it can't injure her in an accident, but the tray is durable. The problem might be my specific car design. When it hangs off the back of the front seat, it seats too low and my daughter kept hitting it with her legs. My husband tried to adjust it, but with no success.$LABEL$1 +History of the American Revolution made fun!. In preparation on a column that I am doing for middle and teen readers on espionage, I picked this title up at the library on the recommendation of the young adult librarian. What a great suggestion! Allen does a fantastic job of leading the reader through the incredible story of spying, double agents, and treason during the Revolutionary War. This book has it all - invisible ink, disguises, codebooks, hidden messages, and more. And readers are invited to test themselves at decoding, using a "mask", and other spy talents. Recommended for school use in American History units, and for anyone (gr 4 and up) that is looking for something really different and entertaining, while being completely factual! This would make a great read-aloud for teachers too.$LABEL$1 +Easy for VB developers. I you read it once and did not understand some chapters or terms, read it again and how easy everything appears to be. Will really help to use for your own purposes from the very beginning.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy this. I solved this cube 2 times and while I was on my 3rd solve one of the pieces popped out, So like the 3x3x3 I just popped it back in, but when I did this one of the centers snapped off and the cube was broken. I now have a QJ 4x4x4 and it is one of the best you can get. You can get it for about 14$.$LABEL$0 +A seminal work in international relations. Many criticisms to Waltz's work are unfounded, in that the book is not intended to be an end all for explaining wars in international relations. It does however, provide the reader with a theoretical framework of international relations. The three images of analysis provide for a generalization of the system in which war is promulgated. This book and a bevy of later works argue what level of analysis is best at explicating the cause of war. Don't read this book as a means to finding a simplistic answer to the cause of war, rather read it with the hope of gaining a better understanding of the causes of war.For those interested in international relations, Keohane and Nye's works are very worthwhile.$LABEL$1 +Constant buzzing. I purchased three of these from Amazon for my two Sony Ericsson W580i's and one Samsung A737. All three paired quickly and correctly. The only problem was that there was constant buzzing heard by the person receiving the call from all three cell phones. As a test I paired all three of my cell phones with my existing Samsung WEP200 bluetooth headset instead -- no buzzing from any of the phones. I ended up returning all three H500's and purchased the WEP200's instead. I don't know if the three I received were defective, but for sure there were not compatible with my cell phones.$LABEL$0 +Best rock album ever?. Very tight. Innovative guitar work. Led Zepp and many others soon followed. And that new Scottish singer -- Rod Stewart -- I think he'll be around awhile.$LABEL$1 +Broken. This tea set is very cute , but it's very small .( Tiny )I was very angry when i opened the box ! there was the tea set in a million peices !! some one didn't do there job right !They just put a open package , that holds the tea set , in a box with out any packageing , so by the time I got it , it was all broken ..$LABEL$0 +good pointers. So for all of you who said this isnt' like her show. Well, hello, it is. Pointers all the way through for male and females.Yes, there are many staged scenarios but they are to help those get through a date or a bar/ coffee scene.I didnt buy this but I borrowed through the library.$LABEL$1 +99% advertising. These magazine really is just a bunch of advertising. You might as well just pick up a South Coast brochure rather than pay for this. I subscribed for just five bucks a year, and I still feel ripped off!!There is really just one semi-interesting restaurant related article per issue, but I can just go to yelp instead for free advice.LA Weekly is better (and free)$LABEL$0 +One of the best albums ever made. 6 stars!. Words cannot describe how incredible this album is, but I'll try. First of all, this is easily one of my favorite 10 albums of all time. I can't get the songs out of my head... the music is so catchy, AND the lyrics are so intelligent and piercing! E experiments with a few different styles here, from harder stuff like Mental to funk like Guest List, to more depressing slow stuff like Manchild. My favorites are Not Ready Yet, Flower, Guest List, Your Lucky Day in Hell, and Manchild. However, it's ALL great stuff. The only low points for me are Mental and Spunky, but that's only because they're not INCREDIBLE like the rest of the songs... they're still very good by normal standards though! My only warning would be that this album is VERY depressing... by the time the last notes of Manchild (a real downer of a song, but an appropriate last track) have faded, I'm often in tears. But it's so worth it! Buy this album!$LABEL$1 +Disgusting. This book claims to be like 50 Shades of Grey. It is NOTHING like 50 Shades. This book is full of endless torture and rape. The sexual situations are not consenual between parties. I read about half of the first book and then returned the second and third. This is very dark and very disturbing. Not sure why someone would write and sell this garbage.$LABEL$0 +I couldn't get into the show. I saw the previews for My Own Worst Enemy and I was excited because it looked like an original show. I mean one guy with two lives and he didn't know about it? The show had some high points, but overall it didn't deliver like I hoped it would and I found myself getting distracted while watching it.$LABEL$0 +Broken. The switch on this hairdryer was broken when I received the product. Revlon RV408 1875 watt full-size turbo dryer. I do not recommend it.$LABEL$0 +Simple toy but classic fun. This is a very simple toy, doesn't make noise, basic shape sorter. And we like it! My son is under 12 months, but he enjoys handling the animals, opening the barn door, and I go over the letters and animal names with him. It's easy to clean, which I like. I'd say this is good from over 6 months to whenever they get bored with it. It's a colorful toy at a reasonable price! (if you get it on sale, like I did!)$LABEL$1 +Only got one bowl!. Only one of the four bowls got delivered to me and by the time I got online to complain, this item was no longer in stock and it was more trouble to return it than to settle for 1/4 of the product I paid full price for... Such a shame too, as i do so love that one bowl!$LABEL$0 +Very limited Spanish.. I bought this to help me teach Spanish to my grandchildren and I was quite disappointed. It is mostly arts & crafts and VERY little Spanish. And when it says "Basic Spanish," it really means basic.$LABEL$0 +Surprisingly sturdy. As my title suggests, this fridge lock actually works very well and is pretty strong and sturdy. I strongly advise that you apply it correctly and not take any shortcuts. Take the time to clean the surface properly and align the pieces before applying and it should last long enough for your child to outgrow the need for it.$LABEL$1 +.... Hmmm... now, could someone tell me where I've heard this before...death guitar samples, machine gun beats, and loud screaming. OH! WAIT! Atari teenage riot! Now don't get me wrong, the album is OK, but ATR does it 100 times better. Believe me, Im a HUGE Digital Hardcore fan, i own at least one album of every DHR artist. Im also willing to forgive the fact that Ec8or aren't very original, im somewhat lenient on that, but the truth is the only good songs on the album are; "i dont wanna be a part of this", "think about", and "spex is a fat B!tch". But you wanna know the funny thing? These 3 songs TOTALLY make the album worth buying.$LABEL$1 +God awful. Dali is correct about this CD. This is just another crappy screamo band with no talent. Iron Maiden had 3 guitarists at one point. Unlike this band, they made it work. The stupid singer/guitarist has to have the ****ty bassist do the "hardcore screams". These guys fall under the same pile of **** as bands like My Chemical Romance and Silverstein. They're another band that appeals to the brainwashed MTV masses. These guys can take their stupid radio with them while they slit their wrists, because i'll be listening to Iron Maiden instead.UP THE IRONS! And to Josh, I can and will make a better CD than this band someday.$LABEL$0 +Chick Lit at it's Best!. I loved Billerbeck's Ashley Stockingdale Series, so I was eager to see if her new Spa Girls Series had the same sass and flair. I was not disappointed! In this series, there are three friends who meet regularly at a day spa to re-connect and work out their problems. All three characters are well-drawn and interesting--which only makes you long for the next book in the series. The star of this one, Lilly, is a flawed, quirky, and completely lovable financial guru turned fashion designer. I enjoyed getting a peak into the fashion industry. As with all of Billerbeck's books, there is a romantic thread that has you guessing til the end which guy will be The One. It's a rare book that can make me laugh out loud, but this one had me cackling several times. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installments of Spa Girls!$LABEL$1 +No bouncy bouncy problems!. This is a great CD player! The bouncies of the road, running, walking or driving don't disturb it! Of course, the only drawback is that it doesn't come with car adapters, and they can get pretty expensive. But, for the money it costs, it is a wonderful buy!$LABEL$1 +Great Music!. Was one of the best CD's I purchased! If your a fan of AFI or Electronica this is a MUST-BUY!$LABEL$1 +What Was All The Hoopla About?. I had heard that Eyes Wide Shut wasn't any good, but I went ahead and rented it to see what all the "talk" was about. What a terrible dissapointment! This movie was like a soft core porno flick. The only plot this movie had was sex. Cruise and Kidman didn't do too good a job acting either. Eyes Wide Shut was a bad movie from the get go. I would advise not renting it.$LABEL$0 +Not to be Missed. I am a life-long fan of Shirley Jackson and, especially, "The Haunting of Hill House." It is only recently that I have had the opportunity to read many of her works which, for some unknown reason, are out-of-print. "The Sundial" is, at the same time, psychologically unnerving and immensely humorous. It is quite disturbing to read about the rantings of Aunt Fanny and the schemes of Fancy. But, at the same time, to imagine this handful of awful people who hate each other unendingly having to spend eternity with one another is incredibly funny. I must admit, I was a little disappointed when the book ended, but I realize that it must have been in the master plan of the author to leave the reader without the information which would have unnecessarily cleared up questions which will instead linger on the mind.$LABEL$1 +great product and value!. Johnson's products are great as always, good for both kids and adults with delicate skin. The price is much lower than the market.$LABEL$1 +Two Large Baoxers love this bed. We have had this bed for a couple of weeks now and both our boxers (one 95lb and one 75lb) love it. We use it inside and put a small blanket on it. The cover alone seemed a little rough. I love it because I can vac all around and under it, instead of having to move the dog bed every time I vac. I rated it a four star because it arrived with missing parts. I called the factory and they immediately sent the part to me. It was just a matter of having to wait the extra week. It does take up quit a bit of room, but hey, it's a large bed for large dogs. I had no big problem putting it together and so far see no bending of the frame, possibly a slight sag in the material although the dogs are still elevated off the floor even when both of them are on the bed at the same time. And I don't foresee the material stretching any further. For the price and even much more, I don't think you can get a better bed. We have placed an order or another, the dogs are tired of sharing.$LABEL$1 +A BORE AND MISLEADING.. AFTER hearing oops oh my the thought album would be exciting and similar to that. the cd is very boring i do not like and i think the ashanti cd is better .$LABEL$0 +Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!. In this book the Baudelaire are faced with numerous of situations that can change there lifes forever. They must once agein try proving count ofal's identity, run laps every night, pass many exams, and still manage to sleep. But, with the help of there friends, the two Quagmire triplets, they manage to survive. Until something terrible happenes to Quagmire triplets, thanks to there own forturn, and coach Genghis.I think this book is the best in its series, this is because it has a little bit of everything in it, and you can relate to it more than the other books. This is because, it is all about thehaving to deal with unfairness, and I am sure we all think we have that. But from werid teachers, to even bullys, the Baudelaires have another adventure that is worth reading, so go and read this book I'm sure you woun't put it down!$LABEL$1 +Don't let the price fool you!!. Don't let the dealers rip you off(alltel,verizon,t-molbe etc.) This battery works just like the big boys and saves you a bundle. Super fast service and the product is perfect. Jon Tabor$LABEL$1 +Arrived DOA - Chance you take. Item was purchased as is w/ no guarantee at a terrific price. Most of the time you do get what you paid for. Item arrived with broken lid and was inoperable. Some you win, some you lose.$LABEL$0 +NOT for the Buffett Fan. ... This CD is terrible, and Im a die-hard Parrothead from South Florida !! A collection of ultra slow ballads, some of which I swear Jimmy fell asleep in the middle of. Then a few of those songs yhat arent really songs, just Jimmy talking to himself. The last 3 songs were ok, but sounded similar to some of his older songs. No catchy rhythms or verses, just boring tunes and your glad when their over. ...$LABEL$0 +Hello, my name is Tamer and this is my Review. I cant believe that "Jim Carrey" wasnt nominated for the Oscar he did dammn good work here! A movie who conntens good gags but actually is a sad story! A must see! Jims best role ever and a lovely "Courtney Love" who acts very well! This DVD have some very good Features so it is a must for every Collectors heart! Two Thumbs up!$LABEL$1 +Novel Says Nothing. This novel is boring, has a jumbled beginning, drags in the middle and rushes the ending. It's saving grace is that it capitalizes on common human feelings and relationships, while never really saying anything. The theme, as near as I can figure: "You are unique, just like everyone else." Who doesn't relate to Conrad? Comments welcome.$LABEL$0 +Protector of the Small #3- Squire. I actually thought this book was better then the one before it (Page) which surprised me as usually I find in Tamora Pierce's quartets the first book is the best, then they get slowly a little worse each time. But even though Kel wasn't working aound the palace any more, this book was still really intresting and it was great that it was a lot longer then the first two books. I have one complaint: Cleon. ....Otherwise the book was brilliant. I loved all the bits with jousting and Kel's visions outside the Chamber of the ordeal. I now think I undestand what the Ordeal does; as well as making Kel face her fears inside the chamber, it set her a challenge for the future, as it did Alanna ( Kel's was the metal machines-Alanna's was Duke Roger.) A great addition to this quartet and I'm really looking forward to reading book 4, Lady Knight.$LABEL$1 +Great deal!. I've been using the sennheiser 151 headset for over 6 years now. I've gone through 4 sets in that time (on my 4th now). I'm pretty rough on the units... with wires being ran over with my chair wheels... toddler chewing on my microphone, the ear muffs being physically busted from being stepped on.... various things that happen blah blah... My last unit actually still works great minus the physical damage my toddler and I did to it. I highly recommend this unit for media and gamming.I can't believe I got a like new unit for under $30 shipped. These are high quality and I remember when they were around $100 new (and still up there on some places on the net).$LABEL$1 +great gift. our granddaughter loved getting this as a Christmas gift. She enjoyed watching it grow a little bit more every day.$LABEL$1 +Price is ridiculous - buy it at shopkitchenaid.com. I saw in another review that someone regretted not purchasing it at the KitchenAid site. I just went to the KA site, didn't see the jar and chatted with their online help - they did confirm to me that the "KitchenAid Pro Line Coffee Mill Replacement Bin" SKU:KPCGBIN was indeed the correct part. Oddly enough, there is no picture of the "bin" but that's why KA has an online help system I suppose. Anyway, I ordered two (one for backup just in case - mama isn't kind without her coffee). Total cost for two, shipped, plus tax was under $30.I'm all about making a profit but when you can get it for less than half price by going direct to the KA site, one would be foolish not to.Happy shopping!$LABEL$0 +wack music. sorry to say this, but you can't make a hit song saying you want a 'night we will remember forever'....and then say in the hook 'im only in town,for one night.' when are latino rappers gonna realize there's more to rap than hoes,money, cars,cruisin,clubbin....etc. records like this add fuel to the rap stereotype that its trash-music.$LABEL$0 +Just to support Mills on this. This album truly is a 1 star album, hope fully he can go Proof of D12 on us, and rid the radio waves of junk.$LABEL$0 +EEEEEPPPPPP! This Mouse Roars!.... I received this mouse as a gift and I like it. It fits my hand perfect (as a right hander.) If a left hander were to use my mouse they would find it very uncomfortable (if using with their left hand.) The thumb button is great to re-program for games. The wheel is smoother then the Microsoft Optical counterpart.I use the keyboard whenever possible for shortcut keys but some activities such as surfing the web and playing games can be greatly enhanced by having a good mouse. This mouse has fulfills all the needs I have.Optical is the way to go if you spend large amounts of time at a PC. It avoids the snags and slowdowns of non-optical mice. The optical logo is nice if your in the dark (and your monitor goes to sleep) so you can quickly grab the mouse and active the monitor.This is a great affordable mouse. It's a must get if your still using a non-optical or non-wireless mouse!$LABEL$1 +BAD NEWS IS RIGHT. This program is full of bugs. The UI is actually OK, but the program just does not work. Error after error, coaster after coaster.$LABEL$0 +Harley oil change. Great book, will pay for itself in no time flat. Thinking about buying it?? Get it, you will not be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Clear not Blue. The picture shows a blue urinal, but the description says it's clear. It's clear, and to me that's a disadvantage because everywhere you carry it your urine is on display.$LABEL$0 +just avoid it!. JUST HOW AMAZING THAT VAL KILMER CAN ALWAYS FINDS HIS WAY INTO LOUSY MOVIES,NOW HE DOES IT AGAIN!$LABEL$0 +Excellent compressor. The MF-1052 works. I would give it 5 stars if it had standard fittings. I will need to replace the fittings. But it works. I filled my trailer tires (225/75/15) in just a couple minutes. I was worried because this is not the model that got such rave reviews on the 4WD sites but it looks exactly like the 1050 model and the performance must be pretty close. You cannot use this through the cigarette lighter, you must connect to battery with included clips. This is a good thing because it is more powerful than most small compressors. It is great for re-inflating tires after a day on the beach.$LABEL$1 +Don't bother. this movie is horrible! I bet all of those in it hope it disappears. Nicole Kidman is good in it but the overall story is very boring, this is a waste of money and time, don't bother.$LABEL$0 +Bad purchase. I bought this bag for my son last May. He used it once for a trip from CA to Boston. Now when he's ready to make a trip to NY the clasp is missing it's tongue. Will never purchase from this company again.$LABEL$0 +Writing with errors after 3 months. It was great for the first 3 months. I use Nero Ultra 6 (not OEM from this product) and is up to date. After 3 months of use, it wrote with errors and cannot use those discs. Nero can varify whatever writing with it. Now, it's just a DVD-ROM, not DVD-RW double layer!$LABEL$0 +A Childhood Classic Read. My grandson, 3 yrs old, is a big fan of Thomas the Tank. This classic tale has become a favorite already, I think because it does have colorful drawings of the story and, it is about trains. He thinks twice now about saying " I can't". If he does, Grandma quietly repeats " I think I can, I think I can...". He will grin and forge ahead with the task or skill he was attempting.It is often one of his picks for a bedtime story. Train-loving child or not, the message is timeless.$LABEL$1 +Quick service, good price. The website was a little confusing, but once I found the products I wanted, I was happy with the result.Quick response in mailing the bowls to me.$LABEL$1 +Good, but . . .. This could be the kind of novel that readers love -- a keep-you-on-edge-of-your-seat kind of novel. But somewhere along the line, the writer has to deliver, has to get the reader to believe in something, even if there's an unexpected twist at the end. This novel never makes the last jump. Even at the end, you're left with questions, unsatisfied. The writing is good -- different because its third person, present tense -- but expert. Only the ending, the relationship between the two primary characters, rings false. I would read more books by Mr. Stone in spite of my reservations about this one. Still, a worthwhile read.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected. I ordered this product because of it's advertised health benefits, but I found that it is not something I like! I suppose it is of good quality for what it is. Maybe it is an acquired taste.$LABEL$0 +NOT THE GREATEST FILM.. It's worth having to see a young deniro and Keitell. This was the beginning for Deniro-Scorcese team. They would do bigger and better things in later years. This film was probably cheaply budgeted. It jumps during scenes and can be hard to follow at times. Scorcese betters his directing by the time taxi driver is released. This film does influence other films to be later released. (sopranos, Good fellas).$LABEL$1 +DVD Packaging is UNACCEPTABLE!. What is WRONG with this company? Season 11 was released with packaging that didn't allow for removing the discs without destroying them. You can't take them out to play or you risk ruining them. STUPID!!!Virtually every review by customers complained about this and it looks like sales plummented for season 12. I am a hardcore fan, BUT...I want new boxes for seasons 11 and 12, or I won't be purchasing ANYTHING from them again.Season six shipped with a new format package and cover (which didn't ruin the DVDs) and eventually FOX offered a replacement box so that it matched seasons 1 - 5. You would have figured that FOX learned their lesson from this. The show is great, no denying it, but their decision to change the packaging to this complete crap format cannot be tolerated.A mistake for season 11, it is inexcusable to repeat the mistake for season 12!I am done...up yours, FOX...$LABEL$0 +not a typical star trek book. This book was fantasy, not science fiction. I loved book 1, but unless you like pure way out there fantasy, I would skip book 2.$LABEL$0 +?????????????????????????. Let me start by saying im a fan of the Jason seris and the freddy seris. And i find this to be a true failier in the horror seris. Its pure stupididy wraped up in a DvD that is pure crap. Im giveing it two stars only because it did give me some small bits of enjoyment and it was better than the monstrousity of pure stupidity they call Jason X. But whatch Freddy and Jason fight for yourself you might like it its OK but the original of both files is way better i meen WAY better.$LABEL$0 +Ok product, accesories needed and wrench failed. I used the Tool Force product for several hours; I was trying to spray latex paint onto a wooden surface.Things I knew:1)I would need additional accessories that did not come with the gun (water/oil separator)2)The included 2.0 tip is recommended to spray latex paint.Things I did not know:1)The gun came with the 1.4 tip pre installed. I attempted to remove the 1.4 tip but the open ended wrench bent. I soldered on.2)1.4mm is too small for latex materials (unless you want to use the gun all day)3)I couldn't find a replacement wrench and thus the gun is ruined (full of dried paint)4)A $10 equivalent (sans the 2.0mm tip) is available at your local harbor freight.If the wrench wasn't so cheaply made, I would be giving this product a 4 star rating. Tool Force is probably made by the same people who made the HF model. They look identical. I would opt for the cheaper option and buy the 2.0 tip separately if I was doing this again.$LABEL$0 +No Results. I purchased the 30 day supply (90 capsules).One of the ingredients in is Biotin (300mcg/0.3mg) which is known to promote skin, hair and nail improvements and growth. Another ingredient is He Shou Wu (99mg) an Asian herb that promotes not only hair improvements but physical improves to one's body.I was very optimistic about this product. I have been sampling a number of hair growth products. Fast Grow compared to the others showed disappointedly no results for me. Prior to beginning this new product I trim my hair.Instructions are to take 3 capsules daily ideally with a meal or snack. There were no side effects that I noticed. At the end of the month the growth that occurred was the normal growth, there was no accelerated growth while using this product. Hope this was helpful.$LABEL$0 +Excellent essays on interesting, varied subjects.. I have read other Travelers' Tales (France, Spain) and have enjoyed all of them. The personal experiences of real travelers is more valuable than just guidebook-suggestions of places to see and things to do. I like the addition of 15 Things not to Miss at the end of the book. Well done!$LABEL$1 +LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. I think that the Lemony Snicket Movie was great! There's only one thing I can say bad about it: Klaus (pronounced Kl-OW-ss and not Clause) just wasn't right! He didn't have glasses and his face just wasn't, well, right! Liam Aiken is a great actor and all but just not right for the role. Other than that, it was great. I will admit I was a bit worried about Jim Carrey as Count Olaf (I thought he might be a bit TOO goofy) but he turned out to be great for the part. And all the other characters were great, too, especially Violet. I definitely recommend seeing this movie. It was great and you won't regret it!$LABEL$1 +I love this movie!. I'd wanted to see this movie for a long time, but was extremely busy when it was in the theater and couldn't go. I was thrilled when it came out on DVD.The beginning of the movie was a bit of a shock for me, as none of my friends who had seen the movie warned me. (But it's okay...the movie has a happy ending! :c) )Nemo is so cute with his lucky fin and he reminds me of human children who want to push the envelope with their parents. This is a movie the most people are going to enjoy. I could definitely watch it again!$LABEL$1 +My Life As A Turkey. My Life as a Turkey is a heartwarming film about one mans adventure in learning about wild turkeys and how it hanged his life forever.$LABEL$1 +Best OIF documentary. This is by far the best war documentary that covers the current conflicts. I am a Soldier with 2 tours in Iraq and I think this story is amazing. The actual Documentary itself was very well made and the whole thing is a tear fest. It is insane what these guys went through and I think every American should watch this film, these Marines of Lima CO are an inspiration for me. I am a Combat medic (the equivalent of a Corpsman) in the Army and for those of you that want to see the average experiences of the infantry in Iraq, this isn't average, this is the worst case scenerio.Another film that is worth watching and I think shows the average experience of life in Iraq is Occupation: Dreamland, which follows the 82nd. Another one is Gunner Palace and it does reflect how a lot of support personnel are living in Iraq, yet the troops in it are an embarrassment to the Army. An amazing documentary that covers WW2 is The War by Ken Burns, nothing compares to it.$LABEL$1 +PUTTING A SHINE ON AN OLD KING'S CROWN. This new definitive bio of Michael "King of Baseball" Kelly adds new luster to the crown of this early Red Sox player. Kelly's life and game were those of legend. Unfortunately, the passage of time has relegated that legend to the history and statistics books. With this bio, Kelly has been resurrected as a high living and loving human being; a human face has been added to the bronze plaque in baseball's Hall of Fame. Well researched and documented, filled with rare images assembled in one place for the first time, this book throbs with the life of a beloved record maker/breaker, Michael "King" Kelly.$LABEL$1 +Pull out the superglue!. My sister gave me these shoes because they were a lot smaller than she expected, even though she ordered them in her size (7). I wear a smaller shoe (6.5) and they fit me exactly. The shoes are cute and VERY comfortable (they actually feel amazing considering the height of shoe). I wore the shoes for the first time today at work, on carpet, and the sole of one of the shoes is already starting to peel off. Note that I did not wear the shoes from my car in the parking lot to the office. I put them on once I arrived in the office, and I sat at my desk for the majority of the day. I'll pull out the superglue, but it's still disappointing that I have to repair brand new shoes after only wearing them once.$LABEL$0 +The key to the life I want. This is an amazing book that describes exactly what the Christian life is all about. If every Christian could only learn what is on these pages, we would be a very different Church here on earth. The only downside to this book is that it spends a lot of time debating against what seems to be people who were teaching against the need for the Spirit at all. These people are no longer around, but the arguments against them are still useful, just not as needed as they were then. Overall a wonderful book.$LABEL$1 +The book that never ends. This book starts out great. It's cheeky and funny.. but this books big problem is that the plot is to thin. So, your boss is crazy.. then what? The answer to this is nothing! That's it.. the book is about an evil boss and that is all the book is about. There are no twist, no mystery, no nothing... After about 200 pages, the jokes gets old and you just want it be over..$LABEL$0 +Excellent!. I'm not much of a reader, but this book was one I NEEDED to read and enjoyed doing it at the same time. If you are struggling with this in your life don't hesitate. Although the book is directed towards married men. It also applies to single men like myself. I'm about to marry the most beautiful and loving woman and I don't need sexual sin in my life EVER! A real man would strive to be sexually pure for God, his wife or future wife, as well as himself. The author has helped me put up safeguards to protect myself from Satan's attacks. I highly recommend this book, so much so that I am also ordering ever book in the Every Man's series.$LABEL$1 +Rio Carbon 5G Mp3. Rio Carbon 5G Mp3 player does an overall good job. It's hard to find another player that has this much space for the price. A couple of flaws that need to be addressed are:1. The player tends to freeze and need to be re-booted if the charge is low.2. Books parts tend to load onto the player out of order even when you've synced them to the player in order. The most common problem is that part 10 will come after part 1 of the book so if you're not paying attention you're suddenly at the end of the book. I've had the ending of a story ruined more than once due to this problem.CH$LABEL$1 +If this is the Brazilian-made transfer done in Manuas, Brasil, from the original British VCR tape Avoid this!. Please try to locate and see the original VHS videotape from the 1980's that this Brazilian transfer DVD was made from (if this is indeed the Brazilian Manaus-made transfer from the original videotape). This DVD is a very shoddy and poor copy of the original with poor graphic image and sound quality compared to the original VHS videotape. That original VHS tape is worth its weight in GOLD!!! But not this DVD, alas!$LABEL$0 +not a linear text, but a true map!. This book is a map or a model of spiritual ascension that can be used by anyone, as ascension is affecting everyone on the planet.It is not written in a linear manner, so certain sections will "spring out" to you depending upon where you are in the lightbody process.For beginners, it makes no sense upon the first read, and sounds crazy on the second read. It is designed to bury pieces of its truth within your spirit. (that comment should comfort and not scare, so process your fear!)I recommending reading it through, then picking it up again and again as the years go by. This is an authoritative channel.Remember, however, it is only a "map." You may prefer another map, which is fine as long as it helps you arrive at your destination on time!$LABEL$1 +A walk back 30+ years. I first heard Rare Bird in late 1973 and fell in love with "Hey Man". I bought the album (remember albums?), then lent it to a friend in the late 70's and never saw it again. For 25 years I've tried to find a copy and was amazed when I saw Epic Forest available on Amazon. As soon as I received and played the CD it brought me right back to the 70's. Yet the sounds of this band are timeless. I hear shades of Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Stevie Winwood, Steely Dan and Jethro Tull in the unique style of Rare Bird. The vocal harmonies, acoustics, and hard licks are in great diversity, but make the listening very easy. I realize that I had pretty good musical tastes 30+ years ago. I just wonder why the band wasn't a greater commercial success. This was a purchase that I will cherish for a long time.Epic Forest$LABEL$1 +Great DVD for kids. My 10 year old loves watching vintage cartoons. This was perfect for him, and his younger brothers like watching cartoons that were around even before their grandparents :)$LABEL$1 +Breaking Point. The book Breaking Point is on a boy named Paul Richmond who is a loser that switches schools a lot. He attends Gate Highschool, which is a rich school. His mother works there so he gets in free. During the story he becomes friends with the most popular guy in school. He doesnt know that his friend is going to use him to plant a bomb that will blow away the whole school!I liked this book a lot overall becuause it had a very good way of making me keep on reading. there were many exciting parts throughout the book also.I would recommend this book to teenagers mostly. Boys or girls will enjoy this book a lot on teen anarchy. It was great.~Chara, straight up from Compton$LABEL$1 +worked one week. Nice product but it worked only 1 week with my 90W laptop, then blew the fuse. Should ship with an extra fuse.$LABEL$0 +Very enjoyable. Unlike the annoyingly stupid Brown Bear, etc., this book is easy on the parent's nerves. I can read it over and over.$LABEL$1 +Best Wok. I researched other Wok's before I chose this one. I liked all the reviews this was getting, so I took a chance. Like any other review, there will be some people that do not like it. This Wok makes excellent food! I love it! Curing instructions come with it. Just follow them and and BAM, you'll be set. The Wok comes oiled up, to prevent rust. So that will have to be washed. Like I said, the curing instructions come with it, so just follow it. Tells you the proper steps to follow. If I had to but another Wok for whatever reason, I would definitely buy another one of these! Like always, shipping was awesome....it got to my house so fast.$LABEL$1 +Does this stuff work at all?. We have three adult indoor cats in Seattle in our small home. Recently one of our cats got outdoors and we ended up with fleas. We used this exact product and three weeks later we noticed nothing had changed. There where still fleas. So we applied the other dose and three weeks later we have seen a 0% decrease in flea popuation. This cost us 100$ and we do not make loads of money so to spend 100$ on a product that did NOTHING is quite a loss. I will never buy Frontline again in this lifetime.$LABEL$0 +oscar wothery. This is ryan goslings greatest work by far. Watching this movie is like takeing the painful heartbreaking trip of additction yourself. Mr gosling pulls you into the film and won't let you go.$LABEL$1 +In puragorys shadow and by infernos light. Worf and Garak go into the gamma quadrant to investigate a cardassian code whice garak claims was sent by tain the former leader of the obsidian order. They progress further into the gamma quadrant where they are captured by gem hadar. Worf is forced to fight the gemhadar while garak engineers their escape from the dominion prison camp . It is a great episode which is one of my favorites it shows worfs true test of klingon honor and spirit.meanwhile on ds9 doctor bashier was replaced by a changeling where he is damageing station systems and would be sucessful if doctor bashier wouldnt have hailed the station from the gamma quadrant.A taskforce of klingon ships arrive from cardassian space and gowron agrees to ally the klingon empire with the federation once again and it is the beginning of the dominion war saga a must see !!$LABEL$1 +It's bad!. I used to play this game over my cousin's house. Besides the hideous 2D graphics, the plot must have been stolen or something because I sure couldn't find it. The gameplay wasn't as bad as the AI though. All in all, this game does start out fun but after about fifteen(15) minutes you should turn the Playstation off so it isn't left on when you fall asleep.$LABEL$0 +Not any good. I'm a big fan of DJ Sakin and Friends - Torsten Stenzel acted as producer for their magnificent progressive trance album Walk on Fire. DJ Sakin hasn't released a lot of new music lately, so I decided to purchase this Chillin' in Ibiza album and give Torsten a shot. Big mistake....the music is boring, the songs aren't any good....what more can I say?$LABEL$0 +2 great shows! Loved them both!. We all truly enjoyed both of these! They are both classics and will be forever! Get these! You will love them!$LABEL$1 +An Inspirational Movie. The beautiful story of the appearance of Our Lady to poor peasant children in Portugal is well told and portrayed. As Jesus said often, the strong faith and innocence of children is to be envied and emulated by adults if they wish to enter into the kingdom of heaven. These children reflect perfectly that strong faith and innocence.$LABEL$1 +AWFUL BOOK AND VERY BORING. I found this tale extremely well written but also very boring and gruesome. I almost 'gave up the ship' and ditched this book several times but plodded thru-I was not rewarded for my efforts. The ending did not make me believe in god at all as the cover suggests but in the brutality of man in a survival situation.$LABEL$0 +Boring. I finally caught up with this film, and, like so many high profile classics, I found it to be tedious. The script lumbered along and I found no enthusiasm for any of the characters. I must admit that the title character is complex and for that consideration, as well as the look of the period, I gave it 2 stars.$LABEL$0 +Good Book, some problems with it.. This was required reading for a class I was taking in multicultural issues. It was very interesting but it was hard to read parts of it because of the nature of confronting our biases that the book addresses. I did have some issues with the way the book approached discussing the role of white people in society. It was almost as if the authors wanted me to feel bad about being white. Overall it was very informative and gave really good examples and implications for clinical use.$LABEL$1 +Worthless for 90 degree cuts. The product description is misleading: there IS an attachment for doing 45 degree cuts and that works - not great but does work. The problem is that this tool does nothing to help with perfect 90 degree cuts. The description says you use the flat base for 90 degree cuts, but that doesn't really do anything for you. I can make cuts easier with a regular X-acto knife, or a single edge razor blade which is what I ended up using because I felt it gave me better control than this tool.$LABEL$0 +Driving Rain. I do not own "Driving Rain" at this time, however, I'm sure I would love it. Anything, Sir Paul does I love it, he's a great person and a talent writer, singer,composser and musician. I wish him all the happiness life can bring. When the Beatles first came to the US, I was a died hard "Elvis" fan, still am, however, Sir Paul is now tired with "Elvis" in my heart. I saw his concert on 4th of July at RFK stadium, in Washington, DC, wow! what a concert. I got the same feeling seeing Sir Paul, as I did when I saw "Elvis" in concert, both a once in a life time concert. Paul, be safe and happy always. Congrat's on your marriage, although no one will take the place of your beloved wife "Linda" and the mother of your children. Keep singing, always.$LABEL$1 +Unsubstantiated Junk. Sadly, this book is actually assigned reading in some colleges and universities, which means students will believe as fact its rather thin argument that industrial development in the world stems from a decline in the value placed on womanhood. The author apparently hasn't studied the very real oppression of women during earlier time periods in history. This is junk social science, and, horrifically has been given credibility it does not deserve. Admittedly, the premise is unique. The 'academics' behind the premise, however, are weak at best, and downright dangerous at worst. Connections are drawn with no grounds other than the author's personal claim that various advances in industry or science are related to anti-faminist attitudes and have sexual undertones.If you like this book, you'll love the equally distorted sexual references in Spinning Straw Into Gold (by Gould).$LABEL$0 +I tried so hard to like this book.... I tried so hard to like this book. The story is a magnificent one, the history so alive but I couldn't get myself past the fact that a 6-8 year old could be so wordly and articulate. Her obsession and goal to marry Prince Salim from such a young age held little ground. No reason or impetus was given for this sudden aspiration. I only got to chapter 3 when I had to put it down as it lacked conviction and authority.$LABEL$0 +Sophomoric story signifying nothing. Johnston revealed his lack of sophistication and understanding of our tax system and how we got to where we are now. A terrible misconstruction of events and misrepresentation of the facts. Events are taken out of context and the spin put on these events by Johnston is truly outrageous. Were you aware, Mr. Johnston, of what else was happening in our country, in our economy, in our culture, and within our government during the time frame when these events were taking place? What a waste of time.$LABEL$0 +Binding fell apart at first reading.. The book is great. It is just what I was looking for - acupressure points for healing. However the book and binding are very old and the binding fell apart and all pages are loose now.$LABEL$0 +love it. got it for my husband and he loves them. i pocket is a nice touch for sure. He is usually xl but got L and fits him perfectly$LABEL$1 +A Swell Pioneer Aviation Book. Ms. Cummins has produced a very attractive small volume on Blanche Stuart Scott, pioneer aviator. The volume is well designed, as might be expected from a mainline publisher (Harper Collins) and the text is informative. While the book yields a good notion of who Ms. Stuart Scott was, a better exposition of Ms. Stuart Scott's 'crustiness' would probably have increased our understanding. There are the inevitable errors, of course, including an unfortunate caption of a photograph (on page 49) mistakenly identifying Lincoln Beachey as the aviator of a Wright biplane. Also, there is confusion about the supposed role of a non-existent sand bag in the fatal fall of Harriet Quimby and William Willard at Squantum, Massachusetts, in 1911. Taken as a whole, however, this book is well worth the purchase price and adds to our knowledge of one of the most colorful aviators of the pre-WWI period.$LABEL$1 +A Cluster of too many confusing names. Sutcliff's attempt at accuratly telling Mallory's version in a easy read is trashed, whan she tries to add too many names into one's head.I would not recommend this book for someone who is looking for a fun, enchantful version of King Arthur.$LABEL$0 +Sick, twisted, and incredibly funny. My wife won't let me watch this DVD when she is in the house. I also find much of this program to be disturbing. But it is also very, very funny. I am constantly amazed by the skill of the principal actors/writers who are able to create and portray incredibly detailed and interesting characters. If you have a strong stomach, and like to laugh, this is a great DVD to buy.BTW, after inquiring to BBC America, they told me that they currently have no plans to release season 2 in the States. C'mon BBC, give the people what they want: Season 2!!!UPDATE MAY 18, 2005: I've seen that BBC now has plans to release all three seasons of League of Gentlemen, plus the Christmas special, in a single box set. In such a character driven show, I can't wait to see how it all wraps up. . . FINALLY!!!$LABEL$1 +Love it. This is one of my favorite movies, with some really good one-liners. I have watched it many times and still laugh each time$LABEL$1 +Before St Anger: Metallica fan, after it: I am confused. I am very sorry to say that this album totally SUCKS and dont even deserve 1 star. I dont know what the hell happened to Metallica. Awfull music, awfull vocals and back vocals, no solos, ??. I am pretty sure this is the end for Metallica, and a s a fan I am really sorry.$LABEL$0 +It cheats!. This game is well done, fun, and addictive, BUT it cheats. There are a small number of words in its dictionary that do not appear in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (4th edition). It beat me tonight (barely) by using GADJO. If you look this up in the OSPD4, it isn't there. If you look it up in its own online version, it's there, but with "Definition not available". If you look it up in Google, it's a Barcelona-based gypsy-ska group, which gets its name from the Roma word for non-Romanji people. (That's the sort of obscure word that Scrabble lives by, but to use such a word when it is NOT in the OSPD is just cheating!) This is the second or third time in a year or so that I have encountered one of these. Grrrr....$LABEL$0 +very nice and heavy but not white. This spoon rest is a nice shape and nice and heavy like the Corningware bakewear. Now I wish I had gotten the two spoon version, but at least the old yellow melted on one side plastic spoon rest we have had for over 20 years is gone. The rooster and hen match my kitchen decor but the main color itself is beige/dark ivory/cream-just not white. The rooster and hen design in the bowl part is not like anyone would be able to tell anyway, just us cooks. Anyone will be able to tell it is not white like I know every time I am in the kitchen. I have never owned any Corningware this color- I didn't even know that they made any base color but white.$LABEL$0 +Not In My Back Yard. An old dog professsional photographer temporarily bed ridden (due to an accident)(James Stewart). A junior socialite (Grace Kelly) looking to get hitched to old dog photographer. A back yard full of troubled `lonely crowd' urban neighbors in 1950's New York. Bring in a salesman (Raymond Burr) neighbor (could it be Willie Loman going off the edge) in an unhappy marriage. Add in the master suspense director Alfred Hitchcock and you have the making of a classic suspense thriller. The plot revolves around the clues picked up by Stewart as he, out of boredom or otherwise, hones in on the apartment across the way. By the time Stewart and crew are done old Raymond Burr is going to need more than Perry Mason to get out of this fix. A word on Grace Kelly. They say Prince Rainer of Monaco, her husband, a man not known for showing emotion openly cried when she died in that car accident long ago. Now I know why. Enough said.$LABEL$1 +More than a Mirage. When Transformers started relaunching G1 characters as modern, re-tooled versions in the Generations line I was stoked. Born in the early 80's I wasn't able to enjoy the original toys unless I went to older kid's houses. I loved the cartoon and the characters. Now with these toys, especially Mirage here, I'm able to enjoy and appreciate them as a homage as well as fully posable action figures that are able to capture the essence of the character in Robot mode as well as a realistic vehicle mode. Sweet!$LABEL$1 +Deftly analyzes over 2,000 of Koryusai's designs. Isoda Koryusai produced thousands of designs between 1769 and 1781, a crucial period in the Japanese print tradition era, and though he was honored in Japan for his works, he's been largely neglected by western art scholars. Allen Hockley's The Prints Of Isoda Koryusai deftly analyzes over 2,000 of Koryusai's designs, surveying his influence as a minor Edo-period artist and arguing that Koryusai excelled in his output and his creation of popular commodities. The Prints Of Isoda Koryusai is essential reading for any student of Japanese printmaking history and artists.$LABEL$1 +very very exellent. i think the water boy was the best films i have ever seen. its funny,its sad,its nerve racking and best of all is the best film in the universe if i would i would give it more 5 stars about a million or more.i recomened this film and is the best film in the universe.$LABEL$1 +Practical help, step-by-step process.. This book takes you through all the details, big and small of setting up your own practice. Dr. Hunt explains her points concisely, with helpful anecdotes from personal experience. The book is very easy to read with easy to reference chapters and section highlights. There are useful templates in the back for finances, intaking, and forcasting future needs. I found this book to be one of the most useful books in getting started. Even if you are a seasoned private practictioner, this book can help you streamline and cut costs even more, or simply be a fresh reminder.$LABEL$1 +A true Inspiration. This album was truly in inspiration. William belted his heart out in "I Believe I can Fly", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". His voice was that of an angel sent from up above. Y.M.C.A had me dancing in my car on the way to work.....I have listened to William's album everyday from the day I bought it, and that was several weeks ago. William's unique and powerful has definently changed the music industry. If you do not own this album you should go out and buy it today. Go William!!!!$LABEL$1 +King Of The Hill - The Complete First Season. King Of The Hill - The Complete First Season is very entertaining. The episodes are animated and for adult viewing. King Of The HIll - The Complete First Season has episodes that alot of people can relate to like education / school for adults, work / employment issues and raising children. I suggest watching / purchasing King Of The Hill - The Complete First Season!$LABEL$1 +Works well with my new Kodak camera. I orginally bought one of these cards for my brother for his Treo 650. Then decided to buy two more for myself. One for my new camera (Kodak v610) and my Treo 650. So far the card has worked great in both, with fast delivery!$LABEL$1 +Worked ok for a year. This worked ok for a year, but then it was not performing as well and occassionally we saw smoke coming from it. We cleaned it over and over and this seemed to make no difference. Finally we just replaced it with a different model.$LABEL$0 +A Beautifully Overrated Gem. Perhaps if the book had not received the prize and so much praise I would have been pleasantly surprised, but after all the hype I would tend to agree with the dissenters here below, that The Hours, although superbly crafted and elegantly written, is a hollow and ultimately disappointing reference to Virginia Woolf's masterpiece. Cunningham's prose moved me, but his invented characters did not. (Of course Virginia herself is untouchable.) I am puzzled, still, at my disappointment; have I missed something, or am I merely more discerning, wary of the aura of prize-winning?$LABEL$0 +Crap, crap and more crap. I should have believed all the other reviews. Broke off the first time Grandma tried to open the closet and didnt' realize we had a lock on it. If Grandma can break it off, pretty sure it wouldn't have been long before the 3 year old could have done it. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +LACK OF SERVICE. Have still not received...after several weeks,,, any information as to how to order repair service. My unit is not working but I have no way to have it repaired....Very, very dissappointed...........$LABEL$0 +funny. Ed Norton is so funny and so is Robin Williams in this movie. It's a definite one to check out$LABEL$1 +as many reviewers said. i didnt like this book, wich i bought with two other ring books which i liked. rings were unrealitic as somthing somone would wear once much less on a regular basis. they were more like display pieces than rings. i would not purchase this book if i knew what i do now.$LABEL$0 +Do Not Buy. This product claimed to work with both PC and MAC. It did not. I comes with nothing to install it onto your computers and it comes with nothing to actually connect your computers to the product. You end up spending more money and it still doesn't work.$LABEL$0 +Great for learning. Great translation, easy to understand. I bought it for my daughter because the translation is aesy to understand in modern english. Subtitles also help with the understanding of the text.$LABEL$1 +Birthday Skates. These were purchased for my nephew for his birthday. They were what he wanted and has had no problem with them.$LABEL$1 +Very cute!. Unfortunately, my little girl still only played with the manufacturer's tag! But the quality was good! She did like the inside rattle though!$LABEL$1 +suckie every where. this gun is not as good. i have used the tan and black version of it and it has no power and no accuraccy what so ever. in fact i have used this gun on th socom video game and it sucks there too. i also read a reveiw of the real gun and it sucks there in iraq too. im startin to think that they purposly made this gun suckie. just dont buy plz!$LABEL$0 +Vapid and inane. A total embarrassment to the author. Dull and poorly written. After forcing myself to get through the first 45 pages, I gave up. This book is perhaps faithful to the A&E movie---certainly not to the original Austen book. It has Bingley as OWNER of Netherfield (he is only renting it!) and ignores the fact that the BENNETS are the first family of the village; hence Caroline would have had to socialize with them whether she wanted to or not---certainly before accepting an invitation from Colonel Forster!! This is only the beginning of the ludicrous inaccuracies. The book is also dreadfully copy-edited; I found the same kinds of errors my high school students routinely make. Reviewers who raved about this just aren't very discriminating.$LABEL$0 +Building Blocks Method of Learning Guitar. I have Guitar Coach and Intermediate Guitar coach and find both to be excellent learning tools. I have several video lessons, and a shelves full of books on how to play guitar. I have found that I am making the most progress with Charanga (Guitar Coach) CDs over everything else I've tried, not to mention I'm having a lot of fun in the process!Thanks to Charanga for the effort they put into making such a fantastic product!$LABEL$1 +When will we see Flash on DVD. This series was amazing my favorite TV show I wish WB would hurry up and put the hole series on DVD in a box set whats taking them soo long can't they see there is thousands of Flash fans just waiting to get there hands on a DVD box set of this please release this onto DVD$LABEL$1 +zzzzzzz. I tried several times to read this book. I even got half way through it before I gave up the last time. It is just plain BORING! There isn't even colorful descriptors to keep you awake. Truthfully, after trying three times to read this, I still have absolutely no idea what it's about.$LABEL$0 +Poorly Made. Immediately upon assembly, we found this product to be poorly made. The mesh above the lamp was so poorly designed that it could not be reapplied after the bulb was inserted. It stands askew because poor alignment of the gold dividers in the shaft. Although it serves its basic function of providing light, it was not worth $28.$LABEL$0 +An insult to the legacy of James Brown. This concert is obviously being marketed by it's historical context, taking place on the night after Dr. King's assassination. It is also a good performance by James Brown, but then, he never put on a bad show. However, the lighting of the DVD is so bad it's almost un-watchable. It's amazing it was shown on television that night because it looks like it was shot in a coal mine! If James Brown was still alive he would never have authorized this DVD, because he always took pride in his product and his responsibility to his fans. If you must have this concert just get the CD because the visuals are atrocious!$LABEL$0 +Wenzel Insta-Flex Queen Airbed with Pump. This bed was absolutely dreadful. The bed popped a hole along the seam after a mere couple of weeks. We tried to patch up the hole, but it kept getting larger and we had to replace the bed. I can only tell you to be careful if you buy this bed and keep your receipt. Our mattress is headed for the trash recycle bin, where it belongs. Shame on you Wenzel for selling such a bad product. Amazon customers beware of this product!$LABEL$0 +Simply does not work on new Mac's. I have no doubt that at one time Final cut 4 was a great product. But beware to those that have new Mac's with Intel chips. This version simply does not work on them. I bought a brand new mac book pro with the intel chip and this program did not work. Luckily I did not spend that much and was able to get a refund. But if you have bought a new Mac you will need to look at getting newer software.$LABEL$0 +Another great model from Tamiya. I love Tamiya models they find the right spot of easy to build while still having a good amount of challegen to them. This is a great model of a German 88. The only problem I have with it is the men keep falling over. But beyond that its a great models. Keep in mind this is not a toy. You have to put it togeother yourself and paint it yourself. If you like that. You can never good wrong with a Tamiya model.$LABEL$1 +Great toy!. I bought this for a joined Christmas present for my 3 and 4 year old, not sure whether it was going to be a bust or something that they could really enjoy at such a young age. My 3 year old has a little trouble getting more complex structures built because of how strong the magnets are, but my 4 year old LOVES them. She has declared them her favorite toy of the holiday, and plays with them constantly. The magnets are of such great quality, and are built to last. Even though you are only given the little bars and the silver balls, the possibilities are endless. They come packaged great, so it's easy to tell if any pieces have gone missing. I would recommend this to anyone. More than just the average toy you find nowadays, where lights and sounds and flashy things replace quality and actual entertainment value!$LABEL$1 +A Welcome Change in Sytemic Thinking. This book presents a revolutionary, yet simple thesis on the Bible's teaching about "divorce." For too many years churches have burdened divorced individuals with the feeling that they are somehow now "disqualified" because of it. Divorce has been treated as an almost "unpardonable sin." Callison's book dispells this attitude and belief by simply pointing out the translations of the O.T. Hebrew words and the N.T. Greek words used for "bill of divorce" and "putting away." It is a welcome message that should help countless divorced people regain the joy of their relationship with God.$LABEL$1 +Best for the Price. I highly recommend the HT-DDW900. Excellent Home theater system in the ~$250 price range. Plenty of power for my needs (16 x 16 room). Must read the owners manual to understand the system as most functionality is configured through the remote control... definitely a bit more complicated system setup than my old Home Theater system. The setup microphone is useful if you don't want to bother to learn the remote.$LABEL$1 +Very Moving. This album covers all the highs and lows of being in love. Definitely a record worth getting.$LABEL$1 +Conscience of a Conservative. I was very discusted with the book itself. This is not an original but a copy made and very poorly bound duplicate. It was sold as a used copy but this did not mean a duplicate copy. This was a new copy. The price was high for a duplicate. It missed all normal identification of publisher etc that would be carried in an original. The content is that of the Goldwater, not great, but what I wanted. I really should have returned the copy because it was not as advertised. The original should really be in historical class and currently is not easy to find in many public libraries.$LABEL$0 +OK. if you have seen the other total recal you don;t need to watch this one, not sure why they copied the original$LABEL$0 +A Great, Great, Movie. Wow, what A Great, Great, Movie. I loved everything about Thor, the movie was excellent from beginning to end. The writing alone pulls you in and makes you care. Despite being set on multiple planets, all planets involved, thanks to amazing special effects, brilliant acting, and clever writing, are incredibly believable and real. The movie has humor, scares, bonus characters, tie ins with other movies, and an overall compelling story line. Chris Hemsworth is excellent as Thor, Natalie Portman delivers a great performance as well, and Kenneth Branagh does an amazing job directing the film. This movie is worth your time and money, and is definitely a film to watch over, and over again.$LABEL$1 +absolute garbage. Bought a big box of these.Tried 4 pairs while winter hiking and I got one pair to almost get lukewarm for about 2 minutes.It did that probably because of the effort I put into shaking it and rubbing it around my freezing hands.Save your money and buy something else like wool mits. They'll outlast this crap any given day.$LABEL$0 +Just Gotta Love the Speedway. This watch adjusts well, fits great, looks good, keeps good time, and is good for dress or play. Sooooo what more do you want in a watch in this price range. I only hope Invicta gets it's head out of it's you know what and goes back to what really works. If they don't they will be sorry for the new speedways are nothing like these. The reserves, grand diver, and this are all what's great about the speedway line. So get yours soon for they are not making these anymore.$LABEL$1 +baby proof. A well written story about a couple who both do not want to have children. However, after marriage and time one of them decides they changed their mind. Where this revelation leads will have you absorbed in needing to know the outcome. Great story once again by Emily Giffin. I have read 4 books by her and none have disapointed. All hard to put down.$LABEL$1 +Whoever loves magneto should read this.. You see here a lot of things happen, Magneto gets an asteroid city called Avalon for mutant to live in, Bishop and Cable come back, they almost get killed, Wolverine's adamantium gets ripped out of his bones by Magneto and his powers, Charles Xavier gets angry like he did when he turned into onslaught and using his powers left Magneto brainless, not including a shocing betrayal by one of the X-men and also an abandoning by another X-man. You really ought to read this book.$LABEL$1 +Dissapointing. I feel I must agree with Greg B. To say a movie wasn't good because it wasn't the same as the book it was based upon is ridiculous, for film must follow different conventions than the written word. HOWEVER, that maxim is true only most of the time. Sometimes, what was left out of a film in the transfer from book to screen would have made a better cinematic impression . Such is the case with "A Simple Plan". Scott Smith more than likely felt compelled to water down his novel to fit Hollywood's narrow views of what makes a successful movie. He probably felt he had managed to still retain the spirit and impact of the book. Sorry,Scott, but I disagree. It was bungled badly, and what could have been a truly chilling morality tale ended up a by the numbers actiion thriller, with a thin moral fabric tacked on as an afterthought. Fair at best, only because a fine cast of actors save what should have rated zero stars. A dissapointment.$LABEL$0 +The Secret Life of Bees. This book was thought provoking, funny, truthful and very touching. I needed to read it slowly so I wouldn't miss any of the details. A great book for a vaction, even if the vacation is in the comfort of your own home. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +predictable, pedestrian mystery. This "femjep" mystery has all of the flaws of a beginning effort and few of the charms. The focus is really on the relationship between reporter Irene Kelly and detective Frank Harriman. Solving the mystery is almost incidental. And Irene doesn't do much investigating. Things happen to her and she overlooks obvious clues (e. g., the cable truck sitting outside her house for several days). She finds herself in far more physical danger than any one person would face in a lifetime, and yet the solution to the crime pops up when she isn't even looking for it. Burke has an annoying habit of trying to misdirect the reader -- which a mystery writer is supposed to do -- but in such a heavy-handed way that no reasonably intelligent reader is going to be fooled.$LABEL$0 +nice and unique experience. A nice and unique experience , written very clearly and arrenged in such a way that keeps the piano playing experience vary special . The book includes many popular songs from this wonderful musical.Not very hard to play though it requires some practice .$LABEL$1 +BUYER BEWARE!. It is a good RC car for baby 1 1/2 yrs and up... IF IT WORKS! Just like many other reviews, I like how it fell safe to the kid but this things does not turn.It will only go straight...not so fun anymore when you have to chase the car as well. Also, the way it designed will not last long.$LABEL$0 +Crooked Cuts. The MK 370 is lightweigt and powerful enough for the average do it your selfer,however the chrome slide rail system must be re-engineered. I find it next to impossible to make accurate or straight cuts while using this saw. I would certainly like to upgrade to the 770k or the 101prok but do not want to experience the same problems.$LABEL$0 +does not look good and does not feel right. does not look good and does not feel righttoo wide at the thighs$LABEL$0 +quilt group demo. Got the book in the nick of time:I did a crash course of this book and gave a demo during my quilting guild meeting!$LABEL$1 +enjoyed!. Great to get back to the original. Always loved the story, but only knew movie versions. Very interesting to see the differences btwn Dickens' story and the TV story. Illustrations are great, too--so NOT post-modern.$LABEL$1 +Authentic powerful blend of traditional songs and creativity. Picked this CD up at Wupatki National Monument out west. The songs are based on traditional Hopi songs but with embellishments such as flute and occasional background nature sounds. A great mix of drumming, chanting, rattlework. Definately easier for most westerners to listen to than powwow songs. A bit more tribal than the latest Carlos Nakai but generally in that genree. Sounds somewhere between Nakai and Douglas Blue Feather. Really suprisingly great stuff.$LABEL$1 +Fred Saberhagen. is one of my favorite vampire authors! I've read all his vampire books! I wish there were more. He's at the top of my list, and that's a very long list...$LABEL$1 +Fun little game. I love doing Jumbles - I buy all of the Jumble books I can find. The hand-held version is not as entertaining as the books because it doesn't have the cartoons, and you can't see the bonus puzzle letters until you get to the bonus puzzle, but for when you're on the road, it's better than lugging a book and a pencil. Very easy to use, and well made, though I wish the display was a little easier to read in dim light.$LABEL$1 +Parent Trap, updated. What an adorable story. This novel offers the romance fare that I love ... a cozy community of warm characters that bring the hero and heroine together and believable obstacles that keep them apart. Karen Rose Smith is known for crafting tender, emotional love stories, and Mom Meets Dad lives up to her usual high standards.$LABEL$1 +Not What I Expected. Although the book is very interesting, it really didn't have in it what I thought would be in it. I actually bought the book for my husband, who is into model rocketry and is making his own rocket engines and I thought this book would be informative enough to teach him to make the black powder that goes in them. Well, it is...if you have ten years to wait for everything to cure and get to a point where it's "good" enough to use for black powder. I really did think he could put the knowledge he gained there to work immediately and therefore I was disappointed in the content of the book. If you have ten years to wait for everything to come together then this is a book for you. If you want to put the knowledge to work for you right away, forget it!$LABEL$0 +Good quality. plastic spine was complete and had NO damage. i recommend this book for anyone going into a medical laboratory tech field.$LABEL$1 +My daughter and I LOVE this CD!. The songs on this CD are infectious and fun. There is not one annoying song on here. I love Willie the King, Snow Day, and The Hoppity Song the most. IF you're an adult that cringes at the idea of a kids' CD, this is absolutely the one for you!$LABEL$1 +An OK effort.. Too few new songs and the renditions of her old ones aren't that different. Overall a disapointment, but I am still a fan of talent.$LABEL$1 +Very comfy!. These are the most comfortable character shoes I've ever owned! They are like putting your foot inside a pillow. The only down side is that the soles could be a little stronger. I slipped on some stairs and broke the heal off of my first pair. (That was a sad day.) But they are great for stage and dancing, just make sure to scuff up the soles before you do anything in them!$LABEL$1 +Easy to pack. I have been traveling a lot to visit Grandchildren, etc. The Kindle is much easier to pack that a stack of books. It is great not having to worry about bookmarks falling out and finding my place again. The downloads are quick and easy. Bookmarking spots to return to are easy, too. I have a variety of books so I can read whatever I feel like. My kids are envious.$LABEL$1 +DOA. Product DOA. Installed on an old PowerMac G4. Might as well have stuck a piece of toast in my machine. Bought a card from Circuit City (~$20) which immediately worked fine. Probably just got a bad card (quality control isn't the best on $4 electronics...). Looking back, probably should have bought two at that cost hoping one of the two would be OK.$LABEL$0 +Worked great!. I had to do a few runs of Cat6 through my attic into 3 rooms in my home. This really helped a lot. Sure you could make your own or use a different kind of device (originally I used a wire hanger), but this did the job better. I was up in the attic and my wife was at the receiving end using the magnet to attach the nickel-plated steel ball chain. You might have issues if the wall you're working on is insulated or if you have horizontal studs/fire-stops. It was perfect for what I needed.$LABEL$1 +Love it Love it Love it. Not only did the CD contain all the old time Christian music seen in the movie, but it also had a screen saver that is so fun. It plays the banjo, rings a cow bell, and multiple other goodies that making computing more fun.$LABEL$1 +Huge Hit.. FIRST IMPRESSION: This toy was a big hit with the kids the moment they tried it out.DURABILITY: Initially I thought it looked a bit flimsy, but it's been a while and everything is still intact and working perfectly.CUSTOMER SERVICE: The box was missing one item when it arrived. We called the company and got the part within the same week, with a few extra parts along with it. Customer service from that company is fantastic. They were very polite and resolved our problem right away.FUN FACTOR: The rockets go very high, and kids in our area congregate in our yard to have a turn at stomping. It really is a lot of fun for both kids and adults as well.RECOMMENDATION: Give it try. Most kids flip out for this toy.$LABEL$1 +Waste of time. As others have found, this is the worst piece of junk that I have ever seen. Shame on ToysRUs for even carrying it. It will be returned today, one day after purchase, after 2 accomplished seemstresses tried in vain to get it to work. Trash, pure trash, and a waste of good plastic. Stay away unless you want to feel like a sap for falling for it.$LABEL$0 +Fiskars 9210 grass shears. Both my niece and I have used the shears and are both very pleased with it I like the swivel aspect of it. I have bought Fiskars products before and have always been happy with them.$LABEL$1 +Classic! Must read for everyone. I read this book in high school but when we decided to read this in my book club I realized I forgot almost the whole story line. I loved reading this and looking at the characters from a whole different perspective. This is an American classic and a must read for everyone. I think this shows that money does not always produce happiness.$LABEL$1 +boring.... I thought it would be a great movie, Angela Basset and Whoopy Goldberg are so great ! But it was not, not at all. One word resumes this movie : boring. It is so predictable that there is no need to watch the end, you know it from the very beginning !$LABEL$0 +Waste of time. She basically destroys your ego with the idea that she's going to build it up. Seeing as how she's never been trained as a counselor she has undertaken a task she's incapable of finishing. This book left me feeling suicidal. If you're under any kind of stress at all? This is NOT the book for you. If you're looking for good advice? This is NOT the book for you.Basically? This book is a waste of time and money.$LABEL$0 +Good light. This is for our bearded dragon--the light shipped quickly and does exactly what we need it to do. We have a happy lizard!$LABEL$1 +Wonderful artwork!. This deck is not for someone who likes color. These drawings are wonderful and neutral in color. They are very Medieval in style and done by the late Brian Williams, who is one of my favorite Tarot card artists. If you are not a beginner and collect Tarot cards or are looking for something unusual - this deck is great.$LABEL$1 +Scared Miss Muffet from the theater!. One of the most irreverent films. The characters in this film are 2-dimensional. The storyline is not that strong. The storytelling is choppy and disjointed. Some of the effects don't look too impressive because you can see that it's been computer generated.Kids will enjoy it for its sophomoric action. Not a film that will enrich the mind.$LABEL$0 +Great Little Bubble Machine. I baught this over a year ago to keep my dog busy. (He loves bubbles) I have left it in the yard the entire time and it still works.$LABEL$1 +Best Musical of the 50's. This is the movie that made me fall in love with Doris Day and Howard Keel. It was so much better than Annie Get Your Gun where Betty Hutton sang to herself or to the last row in the audience. There was so much chemistry and great songs. The Black Hills song is great and I thought all the songs were meant for Mr. Keel and Ms. Day. She was great in both "characters" and he is my hero! A must have.$LABEL$1 +Elmo Gund hand puppet. I am quite dissapointed with this Gund Elmo Hand Puppet as it shows its mouthwide open, but when you use it - it does not open wide, in fact it is difficultto open. Rating - poor!$LABEL$0 +Good kids cd!. Great CD to accompany the book, as sometimes you have a book with references to songs and dont have the songs! The versions are fun and engaging for children.$LABEL$1 +Cold and unmoving. In 1970, Twentieth Century Fox released "M*A*S*H," a huge box-office smash that put Elliott Gould on the map, and established Robert Altman, a veteran director of TV's "Bonanza," as one of the important figures of 1970's cinema. Much like Gould, Altman quickly burned out, and there's hardly a spark of imagination to be found in "Quintet."Set in some barren wasteland of the future, it involves a macabre twist on backgammon in which the loser is murdered. The location, a snow swept Montreal, and the contrasting claustrophobic interior scenes, are appealing to the eye, and the cast, headed by Paul Newman, is not without interest.But "Quintet" is as cold and unmoving as its landscapes, simply another credit in Altman's filmography that boasts of his maverick credentials, but makes you wonder why "maverick credentials" are something to boast about.Brian W. Fairbanks$LABEL$0 +This Sucks!. Why? It is recorded in LP! On a commercial tape! I only got it because this will never be on DVD as these rappers on here are not salable today.$LABEL$0 +Best soundtrack since Clueless. I've loved Howie Beno's work since he was in Drag/13mg, and his She Bop with Cruella DeVille is gutsy and aggressive. Yoo Hoo is an instant classic, and the scenes from the movie with them walking slow motion ala 'Suburbia' are forever linked in my mind.Transister's 'Flow' is a very sweet, sad song, very moving. Not since the Cure's 'Disintegration' have I gotten so choked up by a song.$LABEL$1 +Amazing Durability!. I bought this camera for my daughter 2 years ago. My 3 kids play with it frequently. It has been dropped on the tile floor many times without breaking. Last week, my 3 year old son put the camera in the bathtub. It was completely submerged. You could see water inside the view finder and on the screen. I was certain it had finally met its demise. However, I took the batteries out and dried it as best I could for 5 days. Today, I put the batteries back in and much to my surprise it STILL WORKS!! Like most reviews say, the picture quality is not good. My daughter gets frustrated with blurry pictures if she is not holding the camera completely still. But, man, is this thing ever tough!$LABEL$1 +The real thing. Aside from the a young man's bravery this movie reminds about the communism. People tend to forget the history, that is why we have so many repeats. I am a Bulgarian and in 1952 I was only 4, but I could not agree more with the movie, at the same time recommend it to anyone. Anyone who cherishes the freedom the way it should be cherished.$LABEL$1 +Tear Jerker Movies. This is a excellent movie it is hard to keep dry eyes even for a man. Ithas a positive ending.$LABEL$1 +This is the version you want.. IF YOU SAW THE EX IN THE THEATRE AND LOVED IT, THIS IS THE VERSION YOU WANT! THIS IS THE VERSION THAT WAS SHOWN IN THE THEATRE. The unrated version has a lot of material cut out, including a lot of character development and stuff that made the movie funny in the first place. This PG-13 version is 5 minutes longer than the unrated. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that this rated version is available in widescreen at this time.$LABEL$1 +No warmer on pot. I bought this tea pot 1 month ago and I have not been happy with it. The biggest reason that I bought a tea pot is becasue I drink a lot of tea and I hate to have to get up an leave my desk to make another cup of tea. I thought that I would have a whole pot of hot water by my desk. Alas, this pot does not keep the water hot like a coffee pot! By the time I finish drinking my first cup and go for a refill the water is already luke warm and cold by the third cup :-(I should have just bought a coffee pot becasue it keeps the water hot for a couple hours.$LABEL$0 +$45 for the same old stuff?. Citizen Kane (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]$45 for the same old stuff? You must be kidding!! It's a steal!What's new here to justify $ 45 when we bought it for under $ 20?$LABEL$0 +Very Simple. If I had a ten year old interested in WHY a surfboard is made to look the way it does then this would be the book for him/her. If you want a book that will help you craft a surfboard out of a blank material, the tools, material and tecniques needed, and provide step by step instruction; this isn't the book for you.$LABEL$0 +Library. I bought this book for my boyfriend and I and it was from a library and tape was all over it. Pages are not damaged, just the stamp of the library. One annoying thing happened when I went to my library and it set off alarms.$LABEL$1 +too wordy. I found this book much to wordy to actually be helpful. It seems like the author was more interested in being witty and cracking jokes than in providing cold, hard facts. Although some of the stories are entertaining, I would have welcomed something with a more serious and mature tone. I found myself skimming through most of the anecdotes, in an effort to get to the real information.$LABEL$0 +Awesome ! Awesome ! Awesome!. Ive only used the sticker part of this machine but I made yard sale signs with cut out letters from my Cricut & the Xyron making stickers out of the letters. I didnt have to spend hours coloring bubble letters with stinky permanent markers ! Soo worth it already ! Cant wait to do laminating & magnets ! Buy it !!!$LABEL$1 +Save Your Money. This scale is incredibly inaccurate and inconsistent. I can stand on the scale and weigh myself. Take a shower and be 3 pounds lighter. Save your money and buy something else.$LABEL$0 +Dinosaurs 3 and 4. These DVD's arrived in good time and in condition as written. looking forward to watching again, I love the eerie.Earl and I were both surprised at a new baby late in life and both babes wanted "The Mama"$LABEL$1 +Must have at least 2 controllers. Sony should have included 2 controllers with the Playstation. They didn't so you have to buy another one. The controllers are sturdy and the battery life is excellent (for now).$LABEL$1 +Great for a while. I really enjoyed it till it suddenly died a couple weeks after buying it... it actually got quite hot... something probably burnt up inside. Amazon made the return/refund super easy.$LABEL$0 +It's not standard! It doesn't work!. Wondering why this is so cheap? Simply because it doesn't work! The audio jack's size is not standard, meaning your sound will be distorted.$LABEL$0 +Hard to find bulb that put our living room back in the pink.. We have a pink themed living room and the old pink 3 way bulbs that we had finally burnt out. After looking locally to no avail, we found this bulb on ebay. Quick ship and a great price made my wife happy and me a hero.$LABEL$1 +A FIVE STAR SONG A TWO STAR ALBUM. As many fellow reviewers assert, there's only one real reason to own this history-making CD: the nearly 17 minute version of LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY.The irresistibly danceable disco-erotica features Donna's moans and groans but it's the structuring of the glorious music that makes this such an awesome track. Each section has its own unique feel, culminating in the choral climax (no pun intended!) and a return to the whispery sparse opening, and then another choral eruption. Probably the best disco recording ever!The rest of the album is basically boring pap...but Donna's voice prophesies her future vocal triumphs.The aforementioned 17 minutes makes this a must-have for discophiles.$LABEL$1 +it's OK. For the price I am disappointed the straps don't go all the way around the bag, thus the straps could pull out. But the size, color and material used was of good quality. I think it's a bit overpriced for what you get and I will be continuing my search. I embroder our bags for our guests as a gift. My prior bags all had a small zipper pocket on the inside and I would like to return to that style.$LABEL$1 +This item is not worth ordering.. I Orded two of these mirrors for Christmas presents and am sending both of them back. The mirror material is cheap and makes the mirror distorted. The light is very small. I would be embarrassed to give these to anyone for Christmas. It cost me $9 to have these cheaply made items shipped to me and will cost more to send them back.$LABEL$0 +The Right Stuff. I've read the reviews on this book at Barnes and Nobles, but the place to buy it is here at Amazon. I put this book on my coffee table and it always sparks a discussion. Very well done! I truly loved it!$LABEL$1 +Scarlet Feather. (This review refers to the abridged audio cassette version). This is not one of Maeve Binchy's best books. It is a boring story about a catering company called "Scarlet Feather". The names of the characters just ran together and and there was hardly any plot. I couldn't wait until the end of the tape!$LABEL$0 +Very Disappointed. What a waste of a few hours of my life! I thought I would get a few laughs from Janet E., even though I knew it wouldn't be the same as the Plum series...what a joke. Preposterous situations, no spark at all, totally predictable at the end. I won't be reading any more from this collaboration, that's for sure. I didn't care for any of these characters at all.$LABEL$0 +cauiously optimistic. This is my second one, the first was a gift that did not recharge after less than a year.$LABEL$1 +clone album. This album sounds the same as their last one iresistable bliss,but with drum n bass.BOO !$LABEL$0 +Lousy packaging. When the rifle arrived, the wood stock was broken in two because of the complete lack of padding in the package (the box was WAY to big for the rifle). Then when I tried to return it, the Amazon web site said it had no record of ANY orders with them. I WILL NEVER ORDER THROUGH AMAZON AGAIN!$LABEL$0 +my favorite yoga DVD. This was my first experience with a yoga DVD, and I liked it so much that I've started practicing daily. I've since bought more yoga DVDs by other people, but this is my favorite. I wish I could find different ones that Yolanda has done!$LABEL$1 +Sierra made in TAIWAN. What a joke, do we not make anything in this country of ours. I wish it was mandatory that the sellers of anything anywhere put the country of origin in the ad. Somewhere, someone in our country has lost his job, or had his hours cut. Yet the oil filter cost the same as if it were made here in the USA. Never again.$LABEL$0 +A Powerful Message. If you do all the exercises in this book like I did, your life as well as your skills will improve to deal with everyday life. I recommend it not only to college students but people in business and every walk of life.$LABEL$1 +Too Much Allegory... Read Love Wins Instead. I tried to get into this literary classic and just couldn't quite understand it. It came highly recommended to me by a friend of mine because he knew I had just read and enjoyed Rob Bell's, "Love Wins". Apparently Lewis and Bell think similarly on issues relating to Heaven, Hell, and the afterlife. But, there was just too much use of allegory and symbolism in "The Great Divorce" that I couldn't bring myself to finish it simply for a lack of understanding on my part. If I can't understand a book then I don't see the sense in continuing to read it. And, so I reluctantly stopped reading this one about halfway through. If you have no problem understanding allegory, then I recommend this book. But, if you are like me and find it difficult to understand allegory, then save yourself the time and read Love Wins instead.$LABEL$0 +Craniosacral Therapy. This book was very helpful in presenting alternatives to traditional medicine for a variety of health issues.$LABEL$0 +Worthless drivel. I have to agree with the many readers who loathed this book. I have read a great deal of fantasy and sci/fi and in comparison, this story seemed dull and boring. With the thinly detailed characters and the predicatible plot I found myself tuning out and having to read pages again. I was sorely disappointed by this one. I kept waiting for something to be interesting, but it never happened. I won't even bother to read the third one. Unfortunately, I don't care what happens to these characters.$LABEL$0 +Ricks has broken the code. Remarkable: a reporter who apparently has no military service but demonstrates an unusual understanding of the military and its many subcultures. From a purely literary standpoint it's journeyman stuff; only a few minor characters really flesh out to three dimensions, and the plot goes off the rails at the end. But the novel's main conceit (an e-mail revolution within the US Army officer corps) and its principal theme - where does duty lie? - are well-developed. Military officers should read this book.$LABEL$1 +you made bad!!. bu yazmz ingilizce tecrüme edersinizbiz bölge insanlar olarak bölgemizi ilgilendiren sorunlar hakknda yerinde aratrmalar yaplarak bir sonuca varlcana inanyoruz. soykrmn yapldnn iddia edildii km.lerce uzakta sadkl ve bilimsel bir alma yaplmas gereki deildir.$LABEL$0 +My First Anita Shreve novel-My last. As an avid reader, I have always prided myself on getting through books quickly, thoroughly, and always shutting the final page with a satisfied sigh and a feeling of wonderment. There has been only one exception-this novel. I found it very difficult to get through, as the narrator is a despicable bore. Although Anita Shreve portrays the Victorian era very well, I found the descriptions to be dry and lacking in imagination. The beginning and middle lasted far too long, and the ending was too short,although I was grateful that my misery was finally at an end. This was my first Anita Shreve novel and as other reviewers have described this work as one of her best, it is sure to be my last.$LABEL$0 +A great, great astrology book. Definitely one of my favorites. Carol Rushman shares from her astrological wisdom and experience, cases and techniques that help the reader get a good insight not only on the theoretical astrology, but also on the practical approach to predictive astrology.This book changed my approach to predictive astrology and has sharpened my astrological tools.It is very accesible to all readers, from beginners to advanced students of astrology.$LABEL$1 +this is trash. ok i know bands are supposed to evolve into newer sounds. however, they've completely lost that gritty sound that made them so appealing, the lyrics are mediocre at best (esp bev. hills & we are all on drugs are painful to listen to) and the album lacks the intensity of several of the previous ones. and i have a high tolerance for crappy weezer. of course i liked blue and pinkerton best. but i liked maladroit too! and even green! but this is marginally acceptable. Rivers Cuomo is essentially mocking me because i know he can do better and he isn't, on purpose, just to piss me off. I mean, i heard they picked from over 200 songs the ones that go on this album, and that makes me wonder what the rejected songs sound like (really really bad?) and how much time they actually spend on each song. Like it'd be impressive if the album was good, but it's not.$LABEL$0 +NOT a feelgood movie but a must see. If there ever was a more powerful movie than this I have yet to see it. I have seen this movie several times since it's release in 1983 and the effect has always been the same. You go to bed and it replays in your head then you wake up and it dominates your entire following day. With performances so powerful from Jane Alexander and others that you will never forget. Also this movie makes use of scenes with children asking their innocent questions as they do that will tear your heart apart as they are among the first to succumb to the radiation sickness. So if you want to see a film that will be hard to shake from your memory for weeks but will not leave you feeling particularly happy this is the ticket. I personally think it should be required viewing in all schools across America to remind our young that there are some things much more important than the latest Britney and N' Sync releases.$LABEL$1 +Amazing toy for playing with electricity. This toy is so awesome! Honestly, when I play with this toy with my 6 year old niece, I have more fun then her. I think she's probably too young for it. Probably this is the best educational toy I've ever seen, in my entire life! It's so cool! It seriously has all of the functionality of the sold school soldering boards, with no mess! And you can play with it FAST! You can take it out, play with it, and put it away in 10 or fifteen minutes! It's so EASY to have fun with this toy!$LABEL$1 +Nice stand, no really... Nice Stand..... I use this mic stand for a Shure PG58 mic and it works perfect for my particular DJ setup - reaching over and around the rest of my gear to my face. It is sturdy and well made... The only minor issue I have with it is the weight of the mic sometimes causes the stand to tip a little, but turning it slightly or adjusting it some fixes it no problem.$LABEL$1 +Glad I bought it.. So far I have made a skirt and a top and now I am making another skirt. I have tied on new thread and re- threaded the machine from scratch. I have adjusted the tension for various materials, two and three needles. No thread breakage. I am soooooooo pleased. This is not my first serger and I have no complaints. It does the job and I didn't spend a lot of money. I love getting value for my hard eared dollars and I'm glad that this is so easy to get up and running.$LABEL$1 +Amerigel Wound Dressing. My husband first used Amerigel Wound Dressing after his Podiatrist provided it to him for a toe infection. After I read the ingredients, I was sceptical that it would be effective. Then he an unexpected,unrelated medical problem with the foot itself, which required surgery, leaving a large surgical wound. I used the Amerigel Wound Dressing and was amazed how well the wound healed. At a post-op checkup with the surgeon, he said to me, "That's Good Stuff". It is necessary to use the AmeriGel wound Dressing daily, until the wound heals, which can vary from person to person. I have purchased several tubes and highly recommend this product.$LABEL$1 +Pretentious and boring.. This magazine is really horrendous--long, wandering, and pedantic articles guaranteed to make you sleep. The most recent issue has a rather pointless story on what kind of debaters Obama and Romney are and how they will most likely fare against each other. After endless paragraphs we finally learn that Obama is a pretty good debator, by God, and that Romney is too. But here's the big dramatic point: Romney sometimes gets flustered when he debates. Stop the presses!A second article goes over familiar territory: if you're against Obama, you're a racist. Except in this case, the writer really means it. You can't say anything bad about Obama because he's black and most likely you aren't. So stop complaining about him. Because if you do, you're a racist.Why would anyone pay a subscription for this kind of stuff?$LABEL$0 +A nice little movie. Kind of interesting, though Julia seems to be just picking up a check in this one. She doesn't seem convincing as the star who falls for an ordinary guy.$LABEL$1 +Recommended for insomniacs. One of the previous reviews, defensive, spiteful and jealous in tone - Colson Whitehead really IS all that - reads as though it was written by the author himself. Anyone who reads Black Issues Book Review magazine knows what's hot and what's not in the black literary world. As it is, the title of this book very aptly describes what happens when any reader of the male gender picks it up and tries to read it: HE SLEEPS. This one should be recommended for insomniacs.$LABEL$0 +Kind of suckie. If my feet could stay in the foot pads and stop coming out after the velcro comes loose maybe I could get a work out from this product. My shoes are 9 and 1/2 so they are not particularly small. I am heading to the hardware store right now to see if I can find poxy and some plastic to lengthen the heel bracing part of the foot pad. Wish me luck!$LABEL$0 +Too Basic & Not Enough Info. This is really too basic for any 1st year or experienced soccer coach. More thought should have been put into the preparation and the transitions. Your local libray will probably give you more information.$LABEL$0 +Written well... with distasteful content. I personally did not enjoy this book. In fact, i found the content to have some what traumatized me. Seriously, I do wish i hadn't exposed myself to such vile, disturbing details in which he describes his "Sex life." Purely disgusting and unimportant. Nevertheless i read on, hoping to find an ending worthwhile, only find the book ending abruptly without satisfying me. I almost thought about burning it when i was finished reading it, as to spare someone from such nastiness. Instead, I traded it at a book store for another book. In a word - yuck.$LABEL$0 +Grisham proves there is life for him outside of courtrooms.. Good plot, and easy reading. He ventures away from the classic trial theme and does a good job at it.$LABEL$1 +NOT VERY GOOD!!. not very good and does NOT contain the Christmas Special (which is apparently the only funny episode) Please avoid this movie unless you absolutely have to!!$LABEL$0 +Collimation Easily Done. When I received it the collimation was off. Rather than send it back and risk getting another pair that was off, I called Celestron. The "Life Time No Fault Warranty" only applies if you get it from an "authorized" dealer even though my pair was new. Which means you need to pay like $200+ for these to actually have a warranty. However I asked if I could collimate it myself even though the manual says it should only be done by a professional with specialized tools. They could not or would not tell me anything about how to collimate it. Luckily I did find some general instructions on the web and found the prism tilt screws to turn and got it perfect. You need to gently pry back the edge of the rubber hand grips to access the screws. It whole process wasn't even that difficult! I don't know why it has to be such a state secret with Celestron. Since then the binos have been wonderful and well worth the discount of buying from an "unauthorized dealer".$LABEL$1 +It was great!. I read this book a few months after it came out and have recommended it to many since. The story takes place in the San Francisco bay area and makes its way to the pacific coast and all the way to eastern Canada. During this story I thought the 'psycho' nephew Nicholas was the main charactor. He fit in perfectly, The story is about his Aunt (who is in a bad marriage) and who falls head over heals for an eligible bachlor -- a pianist who is gay. I think everyone in this story had 'a few screws loose'. This made the story all the more pleasing because in everyone's life there are people like this.The main charactor turns out to be Nicholas's aunt Joyclyn. The ending may surprise you. This is a book to read on a recliner, when ou just feel like letting go of your troubles and reading about the zaniness that others possess. A strong recommendation$LABEL$1 +pretty nice. I haven't had any trouble standing this up and don't find it cheap looking at all. I use it as decoration in my room and to hide my hamper and it has been great. Have had it for a year, light portable and pretty! It's true, the material they used is a little weird and I'm sure there might be something more fabulous out there but this is definitely better priced and better looking than stuff i've seen laying around at target walmart and similar stores.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. This book was the biggest waste of money in the world, don't buy it unless you want to get a 16 overall. (I got a 39 with another book)$LABEL$0 +great beginning baton!. my 9 year old daughter just started twirling lessons with girl scouts and this baton has been perfect! Her only complaint is that it is not purple like another girl's and does not have bumps that let you know when your hand has slipped down.$LABEL$1 +Awesome shaver!!!. This is one of the best shavers on the market. Whatever they say about Norelco being the best,I think Panasonic rocks when it comes to shavers. My husband's been using a 7xxx model for 3 years now and I decided to buy a new, more advanced, model for him since he's been kind of reluctant to shave lately. And, needless to say, I like him better with smooth and soft shaved skin...The result- he's been shaving every 2 days thanks to the fact this model makes less noise, has a great easy-grip design, recharges incredibly quickly and looks cool in the bathroom (Men love beautiful toys- from Gameboy Advance to Pro Curve shavers.) I'll buy him more Panasonic products in the future; recommend you to do the same; won't regret it!!!:)You'd ask "why 4 stars, then?" Well, lets leave some room for more HiTech advances...$LABEL$1 +Not that great- not worth the time. I had to read this book for a 7th grade report, and belive me, it was terrible. The whole school hated it, all the teachers too-except the ones who taught literature. Is this some universally bad book for kids, and great book for adults into literature? I strongly object one of the other reveiws,the one who says kids who don't like this book haven't read "great literature." I love to read, and even though Western novels aren't my favorite, I do know the difference between a good book and a bad one- this was clearly one bad book. Many reviewers say this book was too descriptive. It definatly was, but that is not a major reson to dislike this book. The major thing was that it was too boring, I couldn't read more than ten pages before starting to skip words, sentences, even paragraphs.$LABEL$0 +The Book is Great!. Its just that I'm very dissapointed that there were no landscapers, who included Leprechauns in their "Legends of Ireland" display for the 2007 Flower Show at the Philadelphia Convention Center :-($LABEL$1 +Great survival product. This is a great survival product and works very well if you know how to use it. I actually bought two, one for practice and one for emergencies. This product will work even if wet, however I would only really use it as a last resort fire starter because lighters that you buy from the store do the same thing at a cheaper price. Nonetheless it is a good product to have on you for emergencies. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't come with a striker.$LABEL$1 +Everything's forgettable but the ending. Watching Remember Me is a strange and frustrating experience.For most of the time, it's a generic romantic movie about a brooding and troubled guy (Robert Pattinson) falling in love with a cute blonde (Emile de Ravin) and how that love helps lift him out of his funk to become the man we always knew he could be. It's crap, but it's well crafted crap.[...]$LABEL$0 +Following in the trail. After reading this book I had to return to the scene of the crime.As a lover of Provence, I headed first to the local cafe in Maussane where all the regulars discussed this terrible misdeed.I eyed every gypsy suspiciously, wondering if they were the culprit. After a few more Pastis, I thought about the day he was finally returned to his loving home. Yo-yo in Provence is in my heart.$LABEL$1 +... what did he say...?. Ok. Here's teh story.1. Put CD intoplayer.2. Play track 1.3. ...what did he say?If this is REALLY clean...I think it needs more of the "dust" off.$LABEL$0 +Little Thomas Fan. This is a wonderful book. It has poems about new trains yet some of the older trains and of course all the favorite trains. It has all forms of poems, some short some long. Great for the younger fans and for the older ones too. Beautiful colorfull pages. Over all this is our favorite by far of all the Thomas books. And we have a ton of them. We get them for all over the world, England, New Zealand.$LABEL$1 +You get what you pay for.. First of all they were too small and I am having to buy a whole new pair, a different shoe altogether because I was not thrilled with these.They have a smooth rubber sole instead of the hard leather you normally find in character shoes.The upper material does not give very well which makes breaking them in next to impossible.$LABEL$0 +I liked this movie...... .... but then I'm a huge Harvey Keitel fan! This was one of the better ones in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +little old. It is not recent. but is OK. The package is very bad, I made exchane three times still have scrached DVD. I finaly give up.$LABEL$0 +Stick with VHS!. These films are all 5-star classics so surely they deserve better treatment than has been meted out here. The picture quality is appalling, the synchronisation poor, and the sound barely audible. Also since there are no extra features, the price being charged is ridiculously high as the 3 films could fit comfortably onto a single dual-layer disc.$LABEL$0 +good product. I hate the feel of most foundations and this product works really well and gives life to middle age skin. Unfortunately Revlon is no longer making it so is no longer available. So happy to get some before your supply was goneRevlon Skinlights Instant Skin Brightener, SPF 15, 04 Bare Light, 1.5 fl oz (44.3 ml)$LABEL$1 +Great Value! Buy them. Yes, they did have a smell to them! But once it clears up you can enjoy the ottoman set! High functional! Buy them you will love them. I order 3 sets and they are perfect for my living room.$LABEL$1 +do not buy this comforter!. This comforter is a dud. It is advertised light weight because there is such a minimal amount of down. The cover is not white it is grey. It may have baffle box construction but the edges are cheaply made (not gusseted as would be expected on baffle box construction). This would have been our 3rd comforter in 43 years. Our 1st 2 were beautiful, plump, soft treasures and I was very excited about getting number 3 but now I am just very annoyed. I had it shipped 1-2 days shipping (not cheap) and now I have to send it back plus they do not honor Amazon Prime Shipping Think this time I am just going to buy from a Name Brand REPUTABLE company. If this is "Warm Things" Supremium, that being the best they have, we don't need them. Pacific Coast and Lands End make a beautiful product...may look at them again and The Company Store is very good also. Don't make the same mistake I did-$LABEL$0 +Overall, pretty good.. All things considered, this was a great trio of books. The characters, story plots, and settings are all very believable, but they are also interesting. While not as good as the Zahn trilogy or the Han Solo Trilogy, pretty interesting reading for any Star Wars fan.$LABEL$1 +A fever I want to sweat out.. ohh myyy godd. now all mighty P!ATD followers. dont hate me for saying this, but this sounds all the same. the only difference is the synthesiser. i give ryan ross credit for the lyrics (wich are very provocative) and i give brendon M'd parents credit for making him so fine. the voice is good but it all has the same tone.$LABEL$0 +Lousy, Blurry, and returned for a refund. I bought this at CVS because we needed one immediately, to figure out if we should take our 3 year old to urgent care or wait and see if she was better in the morning. For the price, I knew/assumed it would be cheaply made, but hoped it would be adequate for the job. It was anything but. It's nothing but a penlight with a piece of mylar foil to reflect the light. Could not get the ear in focus at all, and it was difficult to keep turned on since you have to press and hold the pocket clip into the side of the light to turn it on. Never did see how my daughter's ear looked until we took her to the doctor and looked through his professional W/A unit.I also tried it on our 5 year old and my wife's ear, but had no better luck there. Returned it for a refund, and am now looking for a better unit to have for next time.$LABEL$0 +Self important and boring. No one can deny that this film is stunningly beautiful. The Montana scenery all captured by fine photography is wonderful. But, unfortuanately that's all the film has going for it. The acting is good and it's certaintly interesting to see Pitt, (looking alot like the young Redford), in his first major screen role but no one really makes much impression. Basically this is self important, one note movie about the susposed joys of family love brought together by the dullest of sports, fishing, with little plot, humour or suspense. The strikingly similar "Legends of the Fall" is much better.$LABEL$0 +Interesting Series. I don't subscribe to HBO but heard lots of good things about the series. So far I am enjoying it alot.$LABEL$1 +Idina Menzel - Still I Can't Be Still Bomb!!. Idina (Adena) Menzel's newest album, Still I Can't Be Still, is hip, up-beat, and great to listen to with your Man.. Or Woman. The songs are great. The beat is great, and the Lyrics are a work of art themselves!$LABEL$1 +Kovels' Dictionary of Marks -- Pottery And Porcelain : 1650 to 1850 (Kovel's Dictionary of Marks). Overall it is helpful. I am really just getting into this, so it is great to have something I can refer to to get an idea of where the item I have comes from.$LABEL$1 +Perfect Wrap for a mild to cool day!. Love these wraps. I have officially ordered 7 from this vendor. I LOVE THEM. Super cute, bright colors that pop with everything that I wear. It's great to wrap up in at the office when it gets chilly. Light weight and nice. I always receive compliments when I wear them. I plan on buying more.$LABEL$1 +This CD was compiled by Vanilla Ice...... Where's Eric B. & Rakim? Where's Big Daddy Kane? Where's Public Enemy? Where's BDP? I'll house you?? That's not even hip hop, that's HOUSE MUSIC!!! The Cd is wack...you'll get bored after the first two tracks...don't spend your money...$LABEL$0 +I GIVE IT AN 8 BUT NOT 10 !. I must say that this is a good book for everyone who want to learn JAVA. But I am sorry to say that this book is only a refrence for JAVA but not a bible for JAVA. I have to say that because in this book the authors only briefly show the way to compile the source code and not explain it in detial. This problem may be seem is minor, but for a new programmer this is a great problem. This is because when we save our file with the .java, what appear in the screen is another name. For example if the programmer save the file as MyFile.java, the name that appears in the screen is MyFi~1.jav, so he will compile it with "javac MyFi~1.jav" because this is file that show in the screen. In this section, I think the way that presented by the book "Teach yourself JAVA in 21 days" is better. I hope that the authors can take note about it and have a great improvement in the next book. Finally I would like to say this is a good book but a perfect one !$LABEL$1 +The One & Only. What can I say. This book is the camera collectors Bible. In short, if you sell or collect antique cameras you must own this book.$LABEL$1 +Tedious and predictable. Based on a very weird premise, Willis tries for tension but achieves only tedium. The characters are not plausible, the plot is too easy to predict, and the whole is unsatisfying.I just hope I never have a near-death experience. I wouldn't want to run into any of the cardboard characters in this book.$LABEL$0 +The author is very ignorant.... This book is very ignorant of the Seventh-day Adventist Doctrines and belief systems. After reading the first chapter, I quickly discovered that this man has very little knowledge (if any) of the subject. What a complete waste of money! If you do read this book, make sure that you check out Amazon's refund policy first!$LABEL$0 +I Was a Teenage Bloodsucker.... Sabella is the coming-of-age story of a confused young vampire on Novo Mars. Like many of Lee's books, this one is dream-like and full of supernatural eroticism.Unfortunately, it is almost painfully slow and the first person narration was not very illuminating. I (finally) reached then end of the book and felt like I did not know the characters at all.$LABEL$0 +Not the Black Mark verison. Like the other 1 star reviews this is just for the fact that this is not the Black Mark "666" issue.The bonus song is the one minute or so of the low groaning/chant sound that ends other bathory CD's.On the good side the songs match the Table of contents unlike some of the Black Mark Cd's.The cover work for Odin's Wild Hunt is off color and no CD information.The other side of the cover is black.This is a not a bootleg and if you buy a used copy of the Black Mark reissue listed in Amazon make sure it isn't a Kraze Manufactured CD.These review will show up in 3 places just make sure the Cd you are going to order has Black Mark Germany as record label.It will have the lyrics and catalog number BMCC666-4(Black Mark Compact Disc ,fourth release) when you get it.$LABEL$0 +Fascinating Read.... I was actually taken aback after reading this. A very difficult book to discredit as the writing within these pages are too 'real' and very much sing some kind of truth. Venomous ? The author would not have any real motive to exaggerate or dress up any story but tell it like it is as they say in NYC ! I read this really quickly and I couldn't put it down when I started. The actual read itself is like watching film footage it's that real sounding. Fred ? I believe him... However it was a long time ago, people can and often do change. The principal point is that there are disturbed people on the loose out there with easy access to weapons and a warped bonding with fame which terrifies some high profile celebs etc. The book for me concludes that no-one won in the end, but even then, the fans (shortened term for fanatic I might add!)continue to haunt Yoko at times.$LABEL$1 +Great Service. The product was shipped quickly and arrived just in time for my Mom's Birthday. Thanks!$LABEL$1 +Undiscovered Pop Genius. R. Stevie is phenomenal. Nobody else tries so many different ideas on a single album and suceeds like R. Stevie. From polished pop to experimental noise rock, he covers all the bases! Enigmatic! Essential! If you don't own an R. Stevie Album, then you aren't truly a music fan...yet.$LABEL$1 +Sturdy but smelly. I bought this item for transporting around 100-lb load. It works very well. However, the rubber on the two wheels emits strong pungent chemicals that give me serious headaches. I have to store it on my balcony and keep spraying Clorox. After weeks the smell was subdued a little bit. Buyers beware if you have little kids, animal, or sensitive house members.$LABEL$0 +Great for amateurs, but not for professional photogs.. This book seems to get overall good scoring, so i'll be somewhat contrarian here, and mark it down, simply because it should specify if the book is for amateurs or professionals.Whilst it's all you need to get going in food photography if you're beginner to photography, it is of no help to professionals.$LABEL$0 +Mary Kay Oil Control Lotion. This product is not for someone who blots more than twice a day. The Mary Kay Oil Mattifier is much much better. For really oily skin like mine this product was NOT effective whatsoever at minimizing shine. I still had to blot around 10-12 times a day (average). This product seems more suited for someone who may be shiny during summer months but fine the rest of the year. Definately NOT for someone who experiences oiliness & shine all year round!$LABEL$0 +Not Squirrel proof. I have had this feeder for about a year. The squirrels have figured out how to lift the top and climb inside then proceed to clean out the feeder completely. In addition, they have somehow managed to bend the metal "perch" feeder area so that even when they step on it, it doesn't completely close and they have access to the food. Stop-A-Squirrel feeders are much better.$LABEL$0 +Angry book by an angry man. I hated this book. I wanted to read it because a have a couple of family members with addiction problems who recovered on their own without AA. The author's style of writing is terrible and I think his story could have been told just as well without the choppy sentences and probably a record number of F words in any book I have ever read. I also don't beleive the story of the dental procedures done without any novocane. Sounds like something from "Marathon Man". If he had had a ruptured appendix, would they have removed it without any anesthesia? A person can go into shock from pain and I have never heard of the use of novocane triggering any relapse in an addict. After all, it is injected into the nerve, not the bloodstream.$LABEL$0 +Time for Metallica to retire.. I would like to say that I used to be a huge Metallica fan. Kea, Rtl, MoP, AJfA were amazing albums. Even the black album had it's moments. I was hoping that this record would return the band to it former glory (for me anyway). I was wrong. The album sounds like a demo and the engineering is horrible. Also, I dont know what Lars was trying to do with his drumming. There is an effect on the snare drum that is not only annoying, but down right distracting. They lyrics and choruses are also sub par. However, the guitars on this album are great. Very kill em all , old school metal sounding. Buttom line is that it is time for Metallica to retire.$LABEL$0 +Trace. This book is definitely not worth buying. While Scarpetta skill returns a bit in Trace, it is not enough to carry the wispy plot. Marino has become a completely reinvented character. Anyone who read the earlier books will not recognize him. I agree that Ms Cornwell should read her earlier work. Lucy is a complete enigma in this story. What is the point of including her?$LABEL$0 +well. nothing against the man, but I am not exactly a fan of his music. i like commissioned better. where are they???$LABEL$0 +Simply fabulous.. I know Iced Earth since two or three months and i'm already a big fan! Alive In Athens is purely a masterpiece, and is going to become a classick. All the song are better and more powerful then the original, and thanks to Mattew Barlow for his voice, he's simply one of the best singer of today.$LABEL$1 +Yes Broadcasts. This is the best Live Yes dvdout there,even if not all of the tracks are live,This is really a newer (longer )Beat Club collectionWith songs which aired on two original beat club shows,The new stuff on this dvd is more Beat club stuff from the first Line up of the Group,and its greatto have,The only downer is they didn't added that other Yes Show they have as a extra,that came out asanother dvd$LABEL$1 +Get better screws. The screws for the chairs are fine. The table screws are 100% garbage. Do not ruin a nice Product by attempting to install these. I am in the construction trades and have the right tools. These screws are not to be used. Lowes has them in the 2 pack bags. Take them and match up a set. You will need 8 total.$LABEL$1 +A Real Pot Boiler. Great effort for a first solo book. I have enjoyed the books written with James Patterson so eagerly awaited the release of The Blue Zone. I was not disappointed. A fast paced thriller which I had trouble putting down. This is the best compliment I could give a book. The characters were extremely well developed. I look forward to future books and Andrew Gross will be on my must read list from now on.$LABEL$1 +Admirable attempt. This game has a decent premise, let the player run free while doing jobs for different factions. True, it's been done before, but never in a location such as this, everyone adds their own little tweaks. my biggest gripe with this game is that it looks horrible! i have a fairly nice gaming rig, athlon64 3700, 1gig corsair xms memory, geforce 7600 OC, as you can see, this rig isn't a puppy, i can run F.E.A.R, doom 3,far cry, half life 2, and oblivion at mid/high to high settings with almost no slowdown, this game looks like Morrowind and still slows down. The other thing is the voice acting, in the cinematics, it's ok, but in the actualy game itself, it sounds terrible. it's a game they could have done so much with, but for one reason or another, they didn't/couldn't. well, you all know how atari's been doing lately, and perhaps games like this are the result, or the cause.$LABEL$0 +How did this pass through safety tests for kids?. After my 4-year old BEGGED me for this thing, I caved in and purchased it before Christmas. It took FOREVER to figure out how to get the springing mechanism to work. You have to push it down in such an awkward way that I kept having to push it down for him...which isn't much fun. Then in order to get the "jumping" action, you practically have to throw the thing and literally slam it into something in order for the jumping action to start. Oh, but wait, there's a little area underneath that little tiny fingers can get trapped into....he nearly lost his finger!!!! HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE UNSAFE toy. NOT FOR KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 8. What a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +The many many other reviews on this page are right. This card will let you down in the end. If only I'd read these reviews before I bought it. The night I got my GameCube back in March, I bought this memory card along with it, thinking it'd be great because it had so much memory space. And up till now, it was fine. But about 20 minutes ago, the card became corrupted. I tried shaking it, blowing off dust, trying different slots, selecting no on the "Would you like to format?" selection screen again and again, but nothing works. All my data is unusable now. My Sonic games, Metal Gear Solid: TTS, Super Mario Sunshine, all of it, unusable. Now all I'm left with is regret. As another one of the many many people who were duped into buying this piece of junk, all I can say is: DO NOT BUY THIS. I can't stress that enough. It's just not worth it.$LABEL$0 +Love It!. I love my Breadman Panini Maker. This is so simple to use, lots of fun & grills sandwiches in no time! I used a french bread and filled the panini with cheeses, tomatoes, and meat (roasted tomato turkey breast for my husband & a honey ham for myself). Very yummy & the grill marks make it look just beautiful. I'm very happy with my purchase & highly recommend this Breadman Panini Maker. I was leary at buying the smaller price Panini maker but after receiving & using this I was very surprised! It's huge, very heavy, & makes perfect Panini sandwiches. An awesome value for an awesome price, you don't have to spend tons of money on the more expensive ones when this one goes beyond 100%! What are you waiting for? You're still here reading this? Go add this to your shopping cart now! :oD$LABEL$1 +Works for me!. I bought this item 3-4 years ago,although mine does not have the timer like the newer models. Initially it worked for a few days and then I couldn't get the toaster to shut off. When I contacted Black and Decker they informed me that they no longer did repairs, but would replace the item. All I had to do was to tell them the model$LABEL$1 +This is a puzzle in disguise. This book is neither a novella or novel; rather it is an intricate puzzle in the form of a book. Who are the abos? The shoadw children? And are the hill men either of these, or something different? Like many of Wolfe's books, this is one that doesn't get boring or repetetive in time, it gets more and more fascinating. Each time you read it, you find a new piece to the puzzle.$LABEL$1 +the newest diva. christina aguilera is a wonderful singer, the absolute best of the teen pop singers today. its terrible to compare her to people like britney spears because her talent is so superior to theirs. she will definitly be the mariah or whitney of the next millennium!$LABEL$1 +Brilliant and gripping. As always, author Daniel Silva has crafted a compelling story in THE CONFESSOR, bravely tackling a topic that is bound to be controversial.THE CONFESSOR again displays the careful and scholarly research that Silva's works always evidence. While the book is fiction, it is completely fact-based.Here, he has constructed a fictional tale revolving around a significant contrast. He distinguishes between the phony assistance that the Vatican pretended to the world to be giving, albeit passively, to the Jews of Europe during World War II and the active, but hidden, way in which the Church actually supported the Nazis.He examines the scholarly evidence in this murder mystery set in the present day. His story is gripping and compelling, so much so that a reader cannot wait to turn the next page.THE CONFESSOR proves that Daniel Silva must be included in any current list of that group of leading authors of thrillers.$LABEL$1 +Outlander. I'm a huge fan of Jim Caviezel and, when I saw this on tv, I knew I had to have it. It's a bit corny in places but one of the better "8 PM SciFi Sat. movies". A good story to it and most of the acting is pretty good. I'm very happy with this purchase and, if you like Jim Caviezel or just a pretty good scifi movie, I'd recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Great pan. I purchased this based upon a review in a leading consumer magazine. It came in a set with an 8 inch pan. Both are highly recommended. We run them through the dishwasher and after several months of daily use, they still look new. They are great to cook with!$LABEL$1 +A great satire made by a great performance by Rachel Weisz. Fantastic satire about the minefield of relationships that really makes you think about the people around you. Rachel Weisz proves once again to be the best versatile actress we have around with a powerful performance that seduces as well as scares the willies out of you. She makes this film hands down with her talent and she will have you talking with your partner well after the film is over. The rest of the cast is just as great with Paul Rudd giving a great transformation on screen from geek to hunk. This was one of the best films that I have seen in a long time, and I hope Rachel Weisz and director Neil LaBute work together again.$LABEL$1 +Muffin Tops Are The Best. Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode about the muffin tops. While the episode was quite humorous, its absolutely true. The muffin tops are the best part of the muffin. This Roshco Top of Muffin Pan gives you what everyone realy wants-the muffin tops. Not only do you get wonderful domed muffin tops but they effortlessly slide right out of the non-stick pan. For anyone who has ever tried to peel the paper off a muffin or had their muffin bottoms stuck to the pan, this item is the one for you.$LABEL$1 +A great subwoofer. We have a basic extensive system set up with a Yamaha HTR-5760 7.1 receiver, 2 x E90 towers, EC25 center channel, and a pair of E30 rear speakers. This sub is the perfect complement to anyone's component home audio system. It excells in music and movie experiences, and the variable crossover and volume is great to custom tune to each situation. I cannot think of a better sub for the price on the market. It truly carries a great smooth sound not found in smaller subwoofers, and is easily capable of pressurizing standard size rooms. I am extremely pleased with this product and recommend it to anyone who doesn't have the thousand to drop on the ones that the "number driven" stores try to sell. A must buy...$LABEL$1 +Very Good !! must see movie. I picked this movie up at my local library last week and very much enjoyed it. I watched the movie, the extras, and the movie with commentary and enjoyed and learned from almost everything.This movie has such a clear explanation of the crisis of global warming and even why we have been so ignorant to it for all these years.One of the parts of this film that touched me personally was how some of the stars of the film have dealt with the struggle of getting the goverment to take action on global warming and how they deal with the thought of a possible loss. This film and another documentary on pbs helped me deal with my own frustrations about global warming and goverment inaction.P.S. This film has re-sparked my desire to get involved and do what I can.$LABEL$1 +A Triumph. "An excellent book! A thorough, lively interpretation of how Europe got to where it is today and the struggles Europeans had to overcome, sometimes with US help but often in defiance of the USA. In addition to being well-researched, Hitchcock illuminates his themes with very telling details from everyday life and biographies of overlooked historical figures that inform his thesis. A brisk, well-informed counter to the usual Europe-bashing in today's media. Highly recommended."$LABEL$1 +The Romantic Tradition. Wonderfully playing continuing the tradition of two of her teacher's, Rubenstien and Hess. Technically impeccable, grounded in the Russian tradition -- interpretatively simple and direct a la Artur, warm enveloping tone included. Having worked with her personally, I can assure you that you will be hard pressed to find much better on the market today from contemporary pianists, and it's a pity that this recording will most likely stay relatively unknown. Nonetheless, if you are reading this considering whether or not to purchase, I strongly urge you to do so; you will see that in this modern age, the Romantic School of piano playing lives on.$LABEL$1 +Talented and then some!. It's not just because I've had the pleasure to know these guys, or because I sat thru hours of rehearsals and studio time, it's because of the talent, passion, and drive of these musicians that this is one of my favorite cd's ever and I still sing Surprise Party when I'm in the shower. On stage and in my headphones, Brax shines!$LABEL$1 +No more Pascal?!. This would be a 5-star IDE if not for Metrowerks' decision to drop Pascal support. That fact was unbeknownst to me when I bought this upgrade, which is now worthless because of my investment in Pascal-based legacy products. Metrowerks was kind enough to send me version 4.0, however, and promises to re-introduce OS X Pascal support at a later date.$LABEL$0 +Piece of Junk. I was a little skeptical when I bought this, and for good reason. It locks up the network connection after about 15 minutes of use. I tried 3 different drivers and about 15 different configurations, using XP Home and a NetGear router. Ended up spending $16 on a NetGear USB wireless adapterNETGEAR WG111US Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapterand it's worked absolutely flawlessly.$LABEL$0 +Wii Play. What fun this product is. And Wii accessories were so difficult to get during the Christmas season. This was perfect for our adult son who loves sports.$LABEL$1 +Do not forget what was left out of Live at Luther College. As a devoted DMB fan, I have to admit Everyday has a tendency to make one apprehensive about the new edge to the band. However, after sinking into the music it is clear that the creative abilities of the band are alive and well. This studio release does not possess the standard acoustic guitar, sax, violin, base, and drum sound accustomed in their preceding albums. But, neither did Live at Luther College. DMB is making some personal musical breakthroughs with this latest effort, listening to the lyrics, chords, and instruments it is clear that the best is yet to come. Buy this album, imagine what it will sound like live with an acoustic guitar and enjoy.$LABEL$1 +I think that this is a killer cd, it remindes me of new york. this cd is so cabaret.its great,its wild,stunning, dangerous, and hilarious all at the same time.$LABEL$1 +This movie is the cure for insomnia . . .. I would have given it only one star, except for Michael Caine's acting ability. The movie was a depressing and boring experience. Attention magicians and magic enthusiasts . . . it ain't there.$LABEL$0 +I agree with Jason............. I have been a die-hard Kim fan since her JM days. Any chick that would put Vanessa Del Rio in her video gets my vote any day! Naked Truth picks up where Hardcore left off and I cannot wait for baby girl to get out of the clink. I KNOW she is gonna be hungrier than ever. Lil Kim forever and a day!$LABEL$1 +Fabulous song. A Song for my Daughter by Ray Allaire is a must hear to anyone that cherishes the unique love between a father and daughter.$LABEL$1 +typos/errors galore!. I enjoyed this novel, but it was VERY difficult to read on Kindle. The family tree diagram in the paper version was not in Kindle version plus there were all kinds of typos and errors in the electronic version. It was distracting and made it a more difficult read. Using the Glossary at the end of the book was also awkward. Very disappointed...$LABEL$0 +ok. these sheets were functional,but not the quality that i expected. i have purchased sheets from your site before and was very pleased. i'll need to be more diligent in choosing products next time. thank you.$LABEL$0 +Smart Purchase!. I wasn't sure I would have a need or use for any GPS but now that I have the TomTom I am so glad - I use it all the time. It is accurate, clear, sleek, user-friendly and an overall quality product. I have friends with the GPS built in to their cars and there are ridiculour flaws to the routes. My TomTom in superior! I use it to find new routes to regular commutes/travel and to discover new places to go in neihboring towns and in the city nearby. It is the best purchase and I am thrilled to have it - glad to answer any questions about it too - I'm a big fan!$LABEL$1 +Unpersuaded. This overwritten slog through multiple rapes, tortures, and murders surely would appeal only to the most macho of males.$LABEL$0 +One great moving western...another Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas sucess. If you are a westerns fan and like Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, and Kirk Douglas, this is one you should not miss.$LABEL$1 +bangin and slappin. I like this cd better then most of yukmouth. Damn what took him so long. Yuk falling off fast.$LABEL$1 +Radical is one thing, freakish is another. I admire Marc Minkowski and his excellent Louvre ensemble, but what was he thinking here? Except for a few numbers taken slower thn usual, his tempos race madly, to the point of freahishness. If you don't know what you're getting in for, every number will make you blink tiwce--it doesn't seem conceivable that a good musician would commit this kind of bizarre distortion on Handel, even in the name of authenticity. I guess the amazon reviewer considers 'radical' a word of praise, but not in this case. It's a shame that Minkowski's chorus and soloists are generally superior since they are asked to sing while chasing after a fire truck.I doubt that my opinion will be popular here, but newcomers might welcome the warning. To my ears, this Messiah is unlistenable.$LABEL$0 +Needs Improvement. I was really excited to receive this product, but it didn't turn out as expected. I ordered the chrome and aluminum, in order to do the checker board pattern, but the chrome came in 4 x 4's and the aluminum in 6 x 6's. Several pieces were also scratched from poor packaging. Sheet material can be bought with protective film, and for the plated/painted parts, they need to be wrapped with something. This could be a great product, but its quality and delivery kills it.$LABEL$0 +Rusted less than a month. These lights add a nice touch to your patio or back yard and that was the reason why i have been buying so many of them and giving them to friends. On the box it was indicated that it was water resistant and that they are safe to be used outdoors. The ones i have in my back yard (close to a sprinkler) rusted and the lights don't work any more. so i ended up purchasing more from ABCTOY4me and will givie it one last shot. if they rust again, i am going to return them.$LABEL$0 +non-reducing cream. This reducing cream does nothing but make your skin feel weighed down. The jar is small & it does nothing to decrease cellulite or fat, don't waste your money$LABEL$0 +Awful Show. I was excited to watch Torchwood because I am both a Doctor Who and Sci-Fifan. I thought it would be as good as Doctor Who. I was in for a big dissapointment. The episodes are sub par copies of X-files episodes and other sci-fi series and lack in originality. The characters are uninteresting and the acting isn't that great. I'm surprised that this show hasn't been cancelled. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Reader Rabbit Doesn't Work - NO TECH SUPPORT. We were unable to install this on any of 3 computers. The installer has major errors. BAD NEWS There is no tech support for these products. What a total waste of money$LABEL$0 +Sea of Harmony. A very thorough album, with references to water and nature all over the tracks. Sarah's voice is extraordinarily suited to these themes, and the album sports an all around solid production, at times reminiscent of Broadway.$LABEL$1 +Warning to ordinary readers!. I am writing this review because I wish I had read one like it before I bought this book. The only reason to read this book is if your religious or other beliefs prevent you from reading a real thriller (such as one written by Thomas Perry or James W. Hall): one with well-drawn characters, realistic dialog, a plot-line free of contradictions, professionally edited, tighly written and with no glaring grammatical mistakes. If you don't care about those things, and if you can't abide even a hint of sex, profanity or bloodshed, and if you like to read about people praying every five pages, then this book is for you. And don't be misled (like I was) by the high reader rating - it's pretty obvious that most of them were planted.$LABEL$0 +THE RIFLEMAN VOLUME 4. VIDEO ANNOTATION The video includes five episodes: "Man From Salinas" starring Robert Culp, "The Vaqueros" starring Sammy Davis Jr., "The Deadly Image" and "Waste Parts One and Two" starring Vito Scotti and Enid Jaynes. Total Running time 140 minutes$LABEL$1 +The Best Book on Characterization Ever Written!. This book was given to me on my birthday over twenty-seven years ago. I glanced at it briefly, and since that time it sat on my bookshelf gathering dust. What a mistake. Just the other day I was having some trouble with a story character, and piled it up with some others covering the same subject for later use. What a gold mine of incisive instruction! I can't put it down. Although written in 1942 (ironically the year of my birth), absolutely everything Ms. Elwood presents today is right on target. Writtten with step-by-step perfection, she teaches "show not tell" better than any "live" instructor I've ever sat under. You must have this book!$LABEL$1 +Vintage beauty!. The pattern Audun Ferme can be intermingled with others produced by Villeroy & Boch. They have charm,vintage motives, and the high quality Villeroy & Boch are known for. If you want elegance and vintage charm, this is the pattern for you.$LABEL$1 +I was there! It was stunning.. Wow. I wonder if you can see me on this DVD! I can tell you that this concert is the most exhilerating show that I've ever attended and I'm sure this captures Joan Armatrading's masterful folk/rock/soul/reggae/jazz brilliance in some form, and for that it is simply essential.To "B4inSF:" this IS the Montalvo concert!! You were there (as was I). Rejoice!$LABEL$1 +This book scarred my 4-year-old.. I preface this by saying that every kid/parent has different preferences and I may not the best judge. But I just didn't understand this book. And neither did my four year old, who was terrified and in tears half way through. The page where the bullies hit the kid was so scary for him. The drawings made the bully pigs seems malicious and scary, and the drawing of them actually hitting Benny in the mouth was just too much. I didn't get it. "Papa, will you never read that scary book again," my son said through sniffles. We never will.$LABEL$0 +big time garbage!!!!!!!!!. this has got to be the worst Hip-Hop cd ever. the only track that's tight is the first track. this is a massive dissapointment if your a true Hip-Hop head you will understand when you listen to this cd. do yourself a favor don't cop this cd, if you do you will tell yourself i should of listen to that kat on the amazon reviews...$LABEL$0 +Audio book by Nathaniel Parker: Charlie Higson: Blood Fever. Listening to any audio book read by Nathaniel Parker is always a joy. This Young Bond story turns out quite sinister including lots of killings of more or less innocent people (which to my knowledge is the tendency of the adult James Bond stories,too). The plot is altogether clever, compelling and surprising to the very end. The story starts with an idyllic scene in the Greek archipelago and gets soon to Eton College from where some boys and teachers James Bond including travel for the summer holiday to the island of Sardinia and get involved with art thieves, pirates and bandits. The course of events is directed by the local rich lunatic who naturally wants even more power over other people and helds as a prisoner the compulsory young beautiful English girl for James Bond to rescue.Nathaniel Parker as the reader makes this story even more live and exciting by his marvelous characterizations and strong empathizing with the interpretation.$LABEL$1 +Not Great. This wagon isn't as great as it should be for the price. My son hates it because he can't turn it, so front heavy. I don't like it because when the sides are removed the end gate doesn't remove so you can't use it without the sides.$LABEL$0 +NOT as advertised in picture and NOT worth 50 dollars. One would assume that if you are going to spend fifty dollars on a spice rack, there would be no skimping on quality. The picture and descriptions of this item would have you believe that the spice holders themselves would be stainless steel or some form of at least aluminum. They even add a nice metallic sheen in the picture. In addition, you would think that with fifty dollars they would make the core glass or at least a strong composite. The shakers clear area is a cheap plastic. The stand itself appears durable but the shaker color does not match the stainless steel stand or my other stainless appliances. It actually looks cheap next to them. I would not recommend this product and will likely return this item. Positives include a strong base and magnets that work. I have no other compliments.$LABEL$0 +Blast: unavailabilty. I have shared this product, everyone liked it as well as I did. Problem: I can't find it anywhere. What's up with that? I originally found it at Walmart. I would really like to purchase some more, if I could just find it. I have looked in every store and online. Anybody know where I can purchase it???$LABEL$1 +eh. not all that impressive. if you want something like this you could easily create it on your own. it has a board with rooms found in the house and a die with different options.$LABEL$0 +A "Must-See" DVD. We loved this at the movies & are excited that it's now available on DVD!It's appropriate for all ages (teens to seniors) & could be a really useful tool for preparing for marriage, strengthening good marriages & helping bad ones. We bought one for each of our married children!$LABEL$1 +Stickers are supposed to stick!. What a huge disappointment. Save your money. We bought this for our son who loves monster trucks to go with the hardcover, (which we are happy with). But the stickers don't stick! It's frustrating for a little boy, and therefore for the parents.$LABEL$0 +A great book for any child. This is a wonderful book for children. My kids suprised me by pulling it off their bookshelf and asking me to read it to them. They are typical American children with no sense of what it must be like to grow up in a different culture. But they loved this book and so did I. It's simply written, so that children from 7-100 can understand it -- and even electronic-age kids can relate to the experience of growing up without a Nintendo DS or a Wii, or even a TV.$LABEL$1 +Great product and awesome customer service!. This is my second Casio pocket-size calculator. I loved the first one I bought and that led me to buy this one. It fits in my purse and it has a very convenience size to be carried around. Also, I received it on time, as promised. I'm very pleased with my Amazon.com experience!$LABEL$1 +BEST BOOK!. The Outcast of Redwall is one of the best books ever written! It deserves 500 stars! It is about Sunflash the Mace, lord of Salamandastron, Swartt Sixclaw, a weasel, and Swartt's son Veil. It has a very intriguing plot where Sunflash the Mace and Swartt Sixclaw swear to kill each other and Veil is taken in at Redwall when just a baby. He is cast out seasons later for trying to commit a murder as well as many other things. The end is totally unpridictable and very exciting.$LABEL$1 +not worth a penny. This is simply a new page for an old product with too many bad reviews. Notice that all the good reviews sound kind of the same. (Yes, there are people who get paid to make verified purchases and write good reviews.) Don't buy this robe; it will fall apart after one or two washings.$LABEL$0 +A Joycean discourse on the tribulations of Black America.. Louis Edwards, in the esteemed tradition of Joyce, Wolff and John Edgar Wideman, delivers a tour de force in his first novel "Ten Seconds". With remarkably swift yet extremely provocative prose, Edwards recounts the life of a young African-American man attempting to ground his identity in the south. Using a Joycean technique, in terms of the cyclical structure of the novel (based on ten seconds of a 100 meter race), Edwards captivates the reader from page one. Once you pick this, you will not put it down until it is over. Wonderful!$LABEL$1 +Great Product. product was on time. no damages and worth the Price! from now on i will order my picks only from them.$LABEL$1 +Can anyone say over-written?. One of the reviews on here hit it right on the head. Nothing much happens to this guy. As a result, he has to wax poetic on every detail of his life.Police officers have a tough job. So do many others. I'm not sure that rates 500 pages of what is supposed to be soaring prose.And a TERRIBlE idea to release this before the summer. This is the antithesis of a summer read!He's getting by on his Harvard English degree. I didn't get through it all, sorry--ran out of interest.$LABEL$0 +Collection. I had been looking for this book for a while to add to my collection of books containing stories about the Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It was worth the wait.$LABEL$1 +Less than zero. Too bad I could not rate this book a zero because it screams for it! To say I was disappointed is a gross understatement. I read the reviews from many readers and really expected a good read but in my opinion this book lacked everything I look for in Vampire Eroticism/Romance. The characters were dead-on one dimensional. There was no definable tension between Domini and Alec, no suspense within the story, and certainly no anticipation leading into the sex which, let's face it, all Vampire addicts crave and expect. And really, what was up with that Indiana Jones hat??? That was a real turn off for me. A Vampire with a fedora? Ick! If you're looking for a sweet ride to the dark side, hit it with J R Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.$LABEL$0 +rfrus. Overpriced, I am unable to use because there is no gas can adapter included. Save yourself $10 b going to Harbor Freight and purchasing a sipon hose.$LABEL$0 +Does this clown even know where the Mystic is!?. The Mystic and Southie and Dorchester? That's like basing the MOB is Wellesley! For those that care, the Mystic borders Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett and Charlestown, all north of Boston(any part). Give this guy geography lessons then go get a good Ludlum book?!$LABEL$0 +The complete Don Fury recordings are available in mp3!. The wiki link says that Brian "Zoid" the singer has a nerve problem and can't sing anymore. Who knows if that is even true. The link is in German and the computer translated it after a couple tries. Check out the complete Don Fury sessions on mp3 format at Amazon, only $8.99 . The cd sold out within a week at RevHq.com. The quality of the recording is beyond perfect and what you would expect from the legend, Don Fury. Very famous pioneer in these kinds of arts. This is the heart of the art of it.$LABEL$1 +Lasted A Whole 2 Months. I bought this with high hopes. Right out of the box this thing was super loud but I thought maybe it would settle in. Well it did. The noise dropped off after about 3 days. But I should have returned it right away. The thing died completely just outside the return window. Total junk!$LABEL$0 +ViaVoice Mac OS X doesn't work beyond 10.3.5. I recently purchased ViaVoice MAC OS X because I had used the OS 9 version and liked it. When I up-graded to a new G4 Powerbook running OS 10.3.7, I purchased the new version so that it would work with OS X. After installing it and going through the training, I found that I could not use it, because it kept unexpectedly quiting when I tried to launch Speakpad. I called Scansoft and was informed that it only works with 10.3.5 or below. I have searched many descriptions of the product and no mention of this was found. Tech support said that they had been working on it, but saw no new release in the near future. I would not recommend the product if you plan to use an up-to-date operating system. ScanSoft ought to make this clear in their product requierments.$LABEL$0 +A great idea for a book, but messed up by authors' poor job. A great idea for a book, but the book is messed up by the authors' silliness and self-indulgence. Had the authors just dealt with their topic, it would be five stars. Instead,the book suffers from two major problems. First, almost every paragraph is replete with childish "inside" jokes, sophomoric asides (invariably Lefist where they are politifal), imbecilic puns and similar self-indulgent stupidity, apparently included to show how clever the authors are. Instead, all this junk just distracts from any discussion and generally leaves the reader grinding his teeth in annoyance. Second, there are serious and repeated errors in the descriptions of the movie plots. Did the authors actually watch all the films discussed, or did they rely on others (grad students, perhaps?) for some of the material? My conclusion is that the topic is well worth a book, and its a shame the authors made such a mess of this one.$LABEL$0 +Plain doesn't work.. This is the biggest piece of crap I have ever bought. I am shocked that it says "Belkin" on the label. It plain doesn't work on any of my memory cards.I bought the Belkin Multimedia Reader & Writer Expresscard for my new Macbook Pro, and it works exactly as well as a piece of ham. Well, that's probably not fair. I imagine it ejects from my Expresscard slot cleaner than a piece of ham would; but functionally it is the same as ham.I have tried five different SD cards of various capacities in it, and it failed to read any of them. I am surprised at the poor quality from a Belkin product. After all, this isn't a no-name EBay special freshly shipped from China. It's a BELKIN!$LABEL$0 +PUKAGE. PLEASE. YEA BUSH DOESN`T COPY NIRVANA SSSUUUURRRREEEEE.HE`S ALMOST AS ANNOYING AS NO DOUBT.GAVIN SHOULD GO COUNTRY.$LABEL$0 +review. Its over-sized kiss lock hard ware is perfectly cute. However, its opening is extremely narrow and flat so it is uncomfortable and ugly. The material is not leather but cheap vinyl or PVC.$LABEL$0 +don't buy sony ever. i just upgraded my operating system to windows xp and the printer didn't work.I need to get a new driver.I visited the web site and no driver for windows xp.I called customer service (and spent an hour and half hold ) and they said XP WASN'T IN THE MARKET WHEN THEY MADE THE PRINTER,SO THEY ONLY GUARANTEE THAT THE PRINTER WILL WORK WITH DRIVER THAT WAS ON THE MARKET THEN,THEY DONT HAVE TO MAKE NEW DRIVER FOR FUTURE OPERATING SYSTEMS. YOU MAY, HOWEVER, REPURCHASE THIS ITEM NEW SLIGHTLY MORE FEATURES AND XP COMPATABLE.so if you want to upgrade your system in next 3 to 6 months sony may not work with your upgrade and they won't do anything about it.Thats what sony's policy is.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your $$. Didnt cover any of my tatts, from red to black to purple.I will just have to wear boots and long sleeves$LABEL$0 +My favorite gift for parents-to-be. I buy this for friends as soon as I hear that they are expecting their first. There are so many practical things that you just don't know until after you actually have a baby, and then you're stuck with the stroller that takes two hands and a PhD to fold up. This little book is solid consumer advice, and gives the feeling that these decisions are not that impossible after all.$LABEL$1 +Right Wing Propaganda. This so called "neutral" video is blatent right-wing propaganda.Proof:It has won the John Birch Society Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking. That must prove that it is unbiased. The film was financed and produced by Citizens United, a conservative group in Washington.It was first shown at a conservative film festival.If you are a right wing ideologue who wants his/her preconceptions reinforced, this is the movie for you.Otherwise don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +The Pilgrim's Progress (complete and unabridged version). UNFAIR you are showing a wonderful book, which I have read and thouroughly enjoyed so I orderd (I thought) another one for my son. I was VERY disappointed when I saw what book had been sent me. It WAS NOT "Pilgrim Progress in todays English" which is the book that I was under the impression I had ordered. The one I received was the 'COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED EDITION". The one I thought I would be getting is "In todays English". NO WAY can my young adult student begin to understand this language! I was very disappointed, but the cost of returning it would have been more than what I paid for the book in the first place.$LABEL$0 +A FABULOUS CD!!. I LOVE this CD! I listen to it when I exercise. it was my favorite of the Christmas presents I got last year! The only songs that are missing are Fatidous Horses and Say You Say Me. i really wish those two songs were on the CD but I love the CD anyway. I was really suprise to see that The Tapdance song is on the CD. If you loved the movie get the CD!!!!$LABEL$1 +Nice pistol!!!. I bought both PT80 and PT85.I think it is much better than PT-85.But I don't like the way to open up cover.Compare to Walther PPK witch made in Japan,and PT85.PT80 is made in Span.Well done!good job Spaner!$LABEL$1 +put up or shut up. Well there isnt much to say but if you want the best you are going to get the best in static-x.Good heavy music with booming sound it's the perfect mix with Waynes sing to scream vocals.Some of the better song are "I'm with stupid,Push it,Bled for Days,Fix and December."Static-X has there own sound but they are comparible to Rob Zombie,Coal Chamber,Pantera,Fear Factory,some Korn and InsolenceDo what ya have to do.$LABEL$1 +An album of poor quality. This is plainly an album of poor quality. Not only has Russell Watson a course and untrained voice, his performances are non-stylish, unsubtle and unidiomatic. The orchestral support is mediocre and the recording acoustics is far too overblown. I don't think this is a good recording at all.$LABEL$0 +Great singing marred by abysmal production. Madeleine Grey was one of the great voices of the 20th century. Unfortunately, her early death robbed us of a great artist. What with the superlative computer musical reprocessing techniques - there is no excuse for the horrendous production of this disk. It is time for EMI to reissue these performances and give them the care and attention that these great performances demand. Until then - avoid this savage butchery!$LABEL$0 +Blue Dog Notecards. I liked them so much I orderd two more boxes. Now I have one to use, one to frame and one to keep untouched by human hands. The box they come in is as nice as the cards themselves.$LABEL$1 +BE FORWARNED. Remember before you even think of buying this book that there are a few prerequisites before you can even think of getting started. 1.) The required excercises must be done in a gym. 2.) You need 20 minutes 3 days a week, and 45 minutes 3 days a week for the excercises. 3.) The program relies heavily on supplements which happen to be manufactured by the author's former employer. So besides the investment of the book (Which you don't even need because all the info is free on the web site for free), you need a gym membership and a budget for supplements. Be careful if you are a novice dieter or weightlifter--this is not for you.$LABEL$0 +You will probably not find this review helpful. Ok, so call me shallow, but I guess I tried to watch this movie a couple years ago, and I found it again the other day on my DVD shelf. I could not figure out how it got there or why I didn't remember much of it. Well, I figured it out pretty quickly. The female lead looks like she forgot to take off ghoul makeup and put on wrinkle cream or any other makeup. I mean seriously she looks so weathered that it pretty much ruins the movie, which otherwise is generally entertaining. I would have preferred looking at a fat lady for 90 minutes to looking at the lines all over her face.$LABEL$0 +WORST FILM I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. Really, this is the worst film I've seen in years. I had expected a quality film from Julia Roberts, but this film distorts, changes (for the worst) and ruins the classical Snow White story most of us are familiar with. It's too scary for children, and yet the film was probably made for audiences under 10 years old. Nathan Lane turns in an embarrassing performance, and Julia Roberts' performance is one-dimensional and SO boring. I'm sorry I wasted my money on this movie.$LABEL$0 +Share this book with all the precious women in your life!. I LOVE this book! I encourage you to pass this along to mothers, daughters, sisters, friends...everyone will love it and be enriched greatly just by reading this sweet, funny, thought-provoking book by the incomparable Beth Moore!$LABEL$1 +Totally Gross!. These are totally inedible. I could not believe how disgusting they tasted. I wish I would have read the reviews before I purchased these. Now I guess they will have to go to some unlucky trick-or-treaters, otherwise I don't know what I would do with them. They have no flavor whatsoever. ICK!$LABEL$0 +Great company, gorgeous shoe. This is a beautiful shoe and I was surprised at just how fast my order was taken care of how soon I had received it. I would recommend this merchant to anyone and would not hesitate to use them again.$LABEL$1 +Goldsmith Borrows A Little from Himself. With a career spanning over four decades, Goldsmith has attained a position as one of the movie's most prolific and innovative composers. Although his work during the past ten years does not compare to his landmark work of the 60's and 70's, he did do two exemplary scores in the 90's: one is the music to "The Ghost in the Darkness" and "Total Recall."What makes "Recall" such a winner is that it seems to pay homage to Goldsmith's earlier triumphs. One can hear "The Omen," "Planet of the Apes," the underrated "Secret of N.I.M.H" and even "Gremlins" in the otherworldly melodies used to complement the film. There is much originality in this composition with the opening and closing themes being especially awesome in their execution. But it is the patented Goldsmith "touches" that make this one significant and a worthy, albeit unintended, "introduction" for those who are just discovering the composer.$LABEL$1 +Close but no Ceegar!. This is the second rack purchased from Kingwin and I am disappointed. The tiny fan is way too noisy, and the system is not swappable without turning off the computer, even though it has a key to turn off power and unlock the tray.With external drives in general, all you need to do is either use the Safe remove in the oS or simly unplug the power. The drive stops and the reference in My Computer disappears. But with the Kingwin, using the key to turn off power does not provide this functionality. In fact, if you do so, you must reboot anyway, and it will involve a hard reboot, as the OS is stuck looking for this drive in an endless loop for reboot. You can go ahead and pull the drive, it is shut off, but the icon for it does not disappear from Computer, as does externals do.I'll likely look for a true hot swappable enclosure.Win 7 64 bit, AMD system 12G memory.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Book. I can't describe it. I bought this book and finished it in 1 week, which is great for me. ;) I found myself thinking about the characters all day and couldn't wait to get home to read more of it!MUST READ!!!$LABEL$1 +Good Grill, BAD cover. What a ripoff -literally. It rips if you look at it the wrong way. This thin and poorly made grill cover will not enhance the reputation of its manufacturer, CharGriller, a company that makes a respectable grill and smoker at the right price. Since there doesn't seem to be another cover available anywhere that fits this BBQ, I suggest that you store it in your garage or car port or buy another brand of grill.$LABEL$0 +nifty little pocket edition. This low cost thrift edition has great print quality and is strongly enough bound to be folded back and carried around in a backpack.$LABEL$1 +I Didn't Understand, So I watched it again. I first watched the movie on PBS. I didn't fully understand who some of the characters were and how they fit into the picture. I bought the movie so that I could watch it again. I now understand what was going on. I know things back then are not the way they are now, except the fact that most of the time money is everything. How did we get from there to here? Some standards have gone down the trash. The ladies and gentlemen all talk so proper. Lizzie is so stubborn. But her mother got to me the most. I found her nagging voice very irritating and the way she could change her opinion of other people so quickly so she does not look stupid to her family and friends. Mr.Darcy is proof that you can change the first impression you give other people. But it also helps you to see that if you never tell anyone how you feel, how will you ever know how they feel. And most of all I did get that warm and tinglely feeling at the end of the movie.$LABEL$1 +A Very Good Summary. A little smart-alecky for its own good sometimes, and sometimes drawing some probably unfair conclusions, this book is still the best summary of all the Clinton scandals until 1998. And oh my, were there a lot of meat to those scandals. It's a startling reminder of just how much substantiated fact was involved with the Clinton allegations compared to the allegations that the left just can't seem to make stick on Bush.$LABEL$1 +is an ink eater. This printer takes sooo much ink.the only feature that's great is the scanner, but it only scans if you have ink.$LABEL$0 +Bulky little Bible. I bought this Bible to carry in my car as a spare Bible. I thougt it was going to be very compact but it was not the case. It is small but very thick. I think that a thinline Bible would have worked better for portability. However I have no complaints about the content and quality, excellent as always.$LABEL$1 +All in one small package. Bought the 16gb version and updated with the new January update adding mail, etc. It makes this fine item even more complete! Love it! Battery life can be short at times, but what do you expect with such a large case.$LABEL$1 +Belkins TuneCast II isn't worth it.. I was looking for an fm tuner to use in my car for going down the highway. i'm not rich and this one was the cheapest i could use with my new Sansa Clip. but only to find out that i GOT cheap. all i got was static when i tried to use it in the car and home sterio. the range (according to Belkin.com) is 10 to 30 ft. with 10 or less being optimal. so i went to their web site and looked up the best options to tune the radio to (like the directions say) only to find that even with the transmitter sitting ON TOP OF the sterio (clearly less than 10 feet away) all i got was static with a very slight hint of music. and the worst thing is i'm not even from a town with heavy fm signals. i tried high, i tried low, and even in the middle of the fm band and got static. ok, yeah, some where better than others but none were even remotely close to being listenable.$LABEL$0 +Great Product, Watch Your Seller. I got this item in great shape - no rust etc, X-Acto quality, but - Be careful where you buy this. My seller's shipping policy (which I read AFTER receiving the item) DOUBLED ITS PRICE becuase I live in Hawaii. It arrived by USPS Prioriy Mail (Amazon Standard Shipping), the cost of which is minimal, but the seller used my location as an excuse to add an OUTRAGREOUS SURCHARGE.$LABEL$0 +did NOT play!. would not play ...and whatever is region 2 is the problem. Sure wish someone told me what region means prior to wasting my money on.$LABEL$0 +pretty good fun. My son got this for his 3rd birthday. He loves it because it is easy to make go however I was disappointed because I have yet to see it go a few 5 feet.$LABEL$1 +Cute-looking, but totally unreliable. Just like another commenter, my 'cute' Canon tortured me by sometimes showing a blinking 'H' after removing a roll a film. At times the film could not even be rewound, and the camera had to be send to a Canon Repair Center, which then spoiled the film - which of course had always unique pictures on it that could not be replaced :-(I eventually made Canon give me a refund.$LABEL$0 +if you need POTS only. We've got a Step 2 kitchen from our friends with TONS of extra stuff, but the two pots (the ones which actually make sounds) were missing.I searched on-line and found that for the set Amazon has the best price, however, if you only need Pot and Frying pan, as we do, go to Step2 replacement parts, they are 3 times cheaper than the whole set. If you got your kitchen from friends or other places, you probably already have plates and spoons, so why spend more on stuff you really don't need.$LABEL$0 +Fiery Review of Fire. This engaging film benefitted from superb writing, excellent directing as well as editing. All the characters from main to supporting were totally believeable.$LABEL$1 +Without the CD this book is useless. The CD which comes with this book contains the best stuff from the book and you have to pay about $30 for each semester you want to read the info from the CD. The book is full of examples, but little how to use the info or even how the examples used the info to get to their success.$LABEL$0 +Great Product! I love it!. Great to use. Can take it anywhere. Fits anywhere. Stays put on dash, even better if you have a padded dashboard cover.$LABEL$1 +The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey. I read the book and was really disappointed by the content in it. It is a sorry read. I would not recommend this book to anyone. Sorry but that's the truth. ERL$LABEL$0 +Better than I was expecting. I was introduced to Alizee through World of Warcraft. My nephew showed me a video with all of the dances, and Jen ai Marre was the song playing in the background for one of them. I really fell in love with the song, and saw the CD here. I decided to pick it up.Needless to say, I really dig this CD. While there are some perennial favorites for me, the whole thing is really enjoyable. The melody is just fantastic and her voice seems to have a lot of soul to it. If this is considered "Pop music", I want to hear more like it here in the states.I only wish I knew French to truly understand it...$LABEL$1 +Save Your Money.... I wanted so much to like this, such a great idea. I agree with other reviews, you cannot fit an"assembled" sandwich in the bottom, it is too shallow. The lids on the two inner containers shrank and did not fit after one run through the dishwasher. These are supposed to be top-rack safe....GRRR. Unfortunately, these were relegated to the "donate" pile after just one use. What a waste.$LABEL$0 +Not Impressed with the new version.. I've had the older version (11B) for over a year and have never had a problem. I bought the new one (54G) a month ago and have been unable to connect via the Internet. I've emailed Linksys support multiple times and they don't even respond. And just this week the built in mic stopped working. All I hear is static. I love the linksys wireless products and have spent a lot of money with them. I can only hope this is just a fluke and that Linksys will pony up to not only replacing mine, but fixing this problem for everyone.$LABEL$0 +Happened upon the book..... I was staying at a Bed And Breakfast at Rushford MN and found this book laying on the coffee table upstairs. I started reading and couldn't put it down until I was done at 12:30 am. A very fascinating book. I wish he would write more. I still want to know why Nehring asked him if he wanted to sleep with his wife. There are stories waiting to be fleshed out here. Can't wait. Good book.$LABEL$1 +My husband loves this book.. I bought this book as a suprise and he loves it. He looks at it all of the time. It is full of information and pictures to go with everything. He looks at it to learn new stuff, review what he already knows, and in case he forgot something. I definitly recomend this book.$LABEL$1 +Diary of a Spider. my 8 year old granddaughter said she loved it.I can't give you anymore feed back because I don't get any for myself.$LABEL$1 +Poor Customer Service & A Great Program Ruined. I don't own this version but I have used it and it has deteriorated greatly over the years. Canvas 3.5 was the best and Canvas 5.0 wasn't bad but Canvas 8 had quite a few problems on the mac including a windows type interface and stability problems. After Deneba sold it to ACD, it went down hill fast. Deneba had great customer service and support but ACD was lousy in this area and they raised the price significantly. ACD kept sending me offers to buy the windows version (I have bought 5 different mac versions) when I sent them an email asking about a fourth coming mac version they would not even answer the email. I think the once great graphics program "Canvas" is dead (at least for the mac)$LABEL$0 +Black & Decker Auto Wrench. I bought this item for my Husband for Christmas, he said it was junk. The battery went out the first week, it was dye cast and looks cheap, I'm sorry I relied on the picture to provide a nice description of a present. Had I known it was so cheap looking I would have never purchased it.$LABEL$0 +WRONG ITEM SENT. I ordered this item on the basis that it offer FM radio capability. This feature was clearly stated in the product description WITH NO MENTION OF IT BEING AN OPTION. The name of the item includes the phrase "FM Radio PCI Card"When I got the item it did NOT have FM capability and the supporting documentation indicated that it is an option on certain models only.This error was extremely upsetting to me since I am unable to return the item (because it was taken out of the USA).[...]$LABEL$0 +My two cent. I've had my Slick U212 since about 1988, my first and only tripod. Bought it used from a amateur photo shoot buddy. His thing was the Leica R4, If I remember correctly, while mine was the Olympus OM4 SLR.Haven't used my U212 much since the days of photo shoots. Currently looking around to supplement the U212 with a ball head by Bogen Monfrotto and a binocular adaptor. Lots of searching and thinking with adaptors and bushings because Monfrotto is threaded for 3/8" while the U212 is 1/4".All this tinkering just to find all that is really needed is the binocular adaptor and perhaps some spare quick shoes for the U212. The Slick Universal U212 really is universal.The U212 is not the lightest, strongest, or flexible (head swapping) unit available. If your needs for a tripod are general and non specific the U212 has proven over the years to be exceptional.$LABEL$1 +Some crazy joints. Yo fab needed to get some more street dreams u hear mike shorey and him goin to that beat on make u mine and u hear how sick it is hes slowly killin whoever hes talkin about and what about that whole "I'm talkin recklace now/ cuz i'm the reason all your girls are you exes now". Fab is officially the smoothest boy rapper u can meet and if anyone denys it u gotta go through me!$LABEL$1 +Thin gruel, way overpromised. Far from being a comprehensive tour of science-oriented travels, this is simply a cursory, spotty travelogue.The bits and pieces are fine and fun, but hardly worthyof a booklength treatment. This would have made a fine magazine article.$LABEL$0 +WAY TOO SMALL. Chances are, you will not fit in this. Way too small,even my wife who is 5'6" tall and weighs 105 lbs. cant fit. Better off buying something else. Dont waste your time or money.$LABEL$0 +Not for beginners. The reviews led me to believe that this yoga tape was for beginners. I didn't feel the instructions were complete enough and I had to keep looking up at the tape to see how to do the poses. I have never tried yoga before and do not recommend this tape for someone who is new to this form of exercise.$LABEL$0 +No heavy metal here!. This album is horrible. Has nothing to do with heavy metal. Ballads only. Not worth even one star. Their first album is excellent.$LABEL$0 +Not so hot.... I was kind of dissapointed with this book. Most of these ideas are common sense, and not overly ground breaking. The way the book lays out hands is somewhat tedious.$LABEL$0 +Just another reporter looking for a couple bucks. This book is horrible. Skip it. just get 'Generation Kill' instead.John Koopman is right. He is no reporter as he states early in this rushed, hackneyed attempt at storytelling. Full of typos, I wonder if anyone really did proofread it.Also, the actual reporting of action doesn't even begin until page 111. The previous 110 pages of drivel are Koopman's life. Trust me, 5 pages would have sufficed.Poorly written, slow, and written a jarring short-sentence style, I will soon be listing it for sale here while it's still in hardback.AVOID!!.$LABEL$0 +SACD Stereo Only. This is a fantastic set of music from Everlast. However, it is not multichannel SACD, but Stereo SACD. I am disappointed, and hope I keep someone else from the same.$LABEL$0 +not the cd you think it is. this is the score from the movie, not a soundtrack of the songs from the movie. A big mistake on the part of the record company, as Monkey Bone has one of the best soundtracks of the year.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT get a self propelled vacume!! Way to heavy!. I had my heart set on a self propell vac because I have a bad back. After 14 months the self propell broke! It is now easier to push my car down the street then push this thing across the livingroom because the self propell unit inside the vacume is so heavy, it really weighs the vacume down. It still sucks great but if I'm going to keep useing it I will have to go back to physical therapy.This thing is such a tank if you run into a pice of furniture it will dent your furniture!Carring it up and down the stairs while trying to vacume is impossible. The self propell unit is so heavy it really defeats the purpose of having one.Hoover is still my favorite vac, just don't get a self propell!$LABEL$0 +Great shipping and quality. Bought as a gift for my g/f. They came in and were in great condition. Fast shipping too. Thanks a bunch.$LABEL$1 +McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub. I usually make my own rub as it's simple and as long as your spices are fresh, it can come out exactly as you like it.I tried this product only because there was a considerable savings offered at the grocery store. The flavor is not too hot and not too sweet and pleasant and not overpowering.It contains chili pepper, red pepper, brown sugar, garlic, onion salt and apple cider vinegar which are ingredients I normally wouldn't use, but it did add a great flavor to my pork ribs.I'm happy with this rub and will probably use it again in the future.$LABEL$1 +No Surprise........ ...Alice did it again with her 2nd CD! What a voice! There isn't one bad song on the entire CD. However, if I had to pick my favorite - I pick Alice and her piano on "Northern Star" - true honesty and grace as well as strong passion. My other favorites would have to be "Some Things Get Lost" (she has a great voice for ballads) and "Parallel Life". Although it took some getting use to, I do like the new versions of "I Hear You Say" and "I'll Be The One". Hopefully, we'll start hearing it in Columbus soon! Way to go Alice!$LABEL$1 +Five stars, for Erin Grey, not Gil Gerard. The price of this DVD set can not be beat. If you are a fan of this series and you want to watch these episodes again, you won't go wrong in getting this.But as I watched the shows, it was Erin Grey who really stood out. After watching a handful I predicted what Buck would do. Gil Gerard must have had a "kick" clause in his contract because that's all this guy did in every episode. Season one of course was much better. There's only thirteen episodes in season two, which meant it was thirteen too many.The guest stars here really stood out and that's why I am glad I own this. Roddy McDowell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dorothy Stratton, Gary Coleman, Buster Crabb, etc. They were excellent.$LABEL$1 +SWV Christmas CD. The best christmas CD ever!!!!... I enjoyed it a lot and what makes it so bad... I'm still listing to the CD and its January$LABEL$1 +Comfortable Elegance. I absolutely adore this ear cuff; it is sleek and comfy. I haven't felt any pain or irritation while wearing this cuff, it is a bit tricky to put it on and off, but nothing to hinder it. Once on, the cuff stays in place and I have no worries of it might falling off. I also just bought the 6DSS Sterling Silver tiny earwrap as well. Excellent for a first cuff. The little thumb-sized plastic container it came in has already come in hand for keeping my growing collection of ear cuffs! Love it!$LABEL$1 +Is this what pop culture is coming to?. Techno, schmecno...who would dare to call this garbage "music?" The lyrics are boring, repetitive, and stupid, and these guys can NOT sing or dance. I believe that this is a group of guys with absolutely ZERO talent attempting to become a boy band. News Flash: we don't want to listen to annoying, mechanical voices! Not to mention their awful music videos...the cheesy computer animation is horrible. "I'm blue, da ba dee da ba..." Puh-leeze! This is a disgrace to the music industry. They should have called this album "Europoop" (I did not make a typo)! If "europop" is what you want, try S Club 7...NOT this garbage!$LABEL$0 +Very disappointing. I have owned a hard copy edition of Britannica for over 25 years and it's a masterpiece. I have owned software versions for 6 years, and this year's is without a doubt the worst product of all, and clearly inferior to the contemporaneous Encarta 2002, Worldbook 2002, and even Grolier's 2002. Advertising of content has been confusing and deceitful. Navigation is very poor.$LABEL$0 +Not Much Help. I have a 1996 Dodge Ram Cummins 3/4 ton four wheel drive. I purchase this manual to help me do maintenance on the vehicle. The manual does not show my front or rear differental or brakes and believe me if you have a Dodge 4/4 you are going to need a manual that does.$LABEL$0 +Flimsy Product. Long story short... I received the product and it look like a decent product...But after a few weeks of usage... I placed the lid on the table... not hard at all...and the lid broke... really??? it's not like I dropped it... but now i need another one...I suggest getting acrylic i suppose...$LABEL$0 +Ridiculous. Are people comparing this to Oldboy? Oldboy was flabbergasting. It delivers an invisible slap of surprise on the watcher's face. Mr. Vengeance fails miserably at creating any sort of effect whatsoever. The storyline is a bit challenged, if you ask me. There is no real feeling of revenge and most of the time the screenplay with characters coming in and going out creates confusion. It took me a while to understand what's actually going on. I watched this 40 days back and can't even recall what happens in the end. What's even more confusing is that I've known to have a prodigious memory of mind, or atleast I claim to.In any case, absolute bollocks of a movie watching experience. Avoid.$LABEL$0 +size information not in online description. I purchased the fannypacks for my 5 and 3 year old grandchildren. Since they are called "kids," I thought that they would be child-size. However, when they arrived I discovered that they are made for adolescents, requiring the belt to be shortened several inches for our family's use. In fact, the tag says "intended for children 8 and over." It would have been helpful if that information had been included in the online description. Having a pouch for a drink bottle is a good feature, and the quality is good. The size is just larger than the online info implies.$LABEL$1 +What a waste. This is the first Bowie cd and I'm already disgusted. I bought this thinking I would get complete unedited songs but all this has is severely cut songs and a promo for his website. If you're going to make it pc compatible than at least give us a couple of videos at least. My advice: Skip Bowie altogether. He's a businessman not a musician dedicated to bringing the ultimate in quality to his fans.$LABEL$0 +Bravo. I love this DVD! It is recorded at the end of a tour. They are home in Seattle and the band is very tight. They appear to be happy to be home and they put a great show for the home audiance. There personalities really come through on this dvd. Ann and Nancy Wilson prove that they are two of the best female performers on the planet. Ann's voice sounds great on classics like "Alone". Nancy's shows off her guitar playing on songs like "Love Alive". They play all the classics and in the middle of the concert Ann and Namcy do an acoustic set which ends with a great Elton John cover of "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters". Their vocal harmonies are like ear candy. The whole band sounds great. They have gotten better with age and have work hard to master their craft. Their covers of Led Zepplin are outstanding. They have stood the test of time. I highly recommend this dvd!$LABEL$1 +don't bother. Why this item got the reviews it did I'll never understand. My light worked briefly, after fiddling with the switch, then never lit up again. In addition, the four batteries make it heavy even with a hardcover book and it is bulky. Back to my quest for the perfect spouse-friendly light.$LABEL$0 +You may need to be a detective noir fan to enjoy this.. I didn't enjoy reading this book. I think the noir type writing made me feel like I was reading a spoof that was too long. I enjoyed the Rochester references... maybe I just don't enjoy detective noir... although I enjoyed Agatha Christie... but I think that's not "noir".$LABEL$0 +Great purchase will be better the second time. OK, I'm a white collar guy who just wanted an alternative to jeans to play outside with my kids and then head to the store with my wife without changing. This was a completely blind purchase and these are perfect. Took them to the mountains and rode the sled in the snow and also horseback all day. They did not soak like jeans or get me cold. I live in the desert and can wear them in the warm weather. Very tough and better looking than any jeans. BUT pay heed to the reviews. Put your vanity aside and order an extra inch on the waist; they are tighter and less stretchy than your jeans. My second pair will be even better now that I know that.Cheers.$LABEL$1 +A Fusion Classic. This album is Brand X at their best. Many would say that Mahavishnu's Inner Mounting Flame was the quintessential fusion album, but I'd say this one delivers stiff competition. Lumley's flowing melodies soar in front of Goodsall's intricate picked (not strummed) rhythms and Jones' innovative bass lines. If that's not enough, Phil Collins does his best work ever on the drums right here. There's no comparision to his work in Genesis -- who knew the guy could play this well? If you love fusion, you've gotta have this one.$LABEL$1 +MPS5280. I found this book in our adoption agency and had to buy it. I like the fact that it's easy to read and that it mentions high level milestones for my son. While I didn't give birth, I think it gives common sense advice to mom's about recovery and the relationship advice is true whether you adopt or give birth. If you are looking for a very detailed book, this is not the one, but for something high level (believe me, I have Dr. Sears book and several other's that I think are way too much to read during the first few months). Not to mention in those books, my son who was born 4 weeks early may or may not fit the timeframe. This book makes it easier to relate to since it's my month and if he doesn't fit the timeframe, it's high level enough to know it's okay if he's not reached that milestone yet. I recommend this book for new parents and as a shower/baby gift.$LABEL$1 +New And Fresh beats. This album is great it brings to the plate a set new and fresh group of beats. This is a great CD to espand your study of groove-ology and rythm. I would recomend this CD to anyone who loves new and fresh sounds. EVERYONE should jam this CD loud all the time!!$LABEL$1 +Concise, easy to read and riddled with errors.. A good introduction as long as the reader relies on the prose sections, and not the illustations or the study questions. Shows evidence of hasty and slipshod editing. My CCNA exam contained a large number of questions on topics not covered by this book.$LABEL$0 +Speaker Stand work PERFECT, just minor drilling. The speaker Stands are just fine, I see many reviews that people have cracked them. yes the holes for the pre screw insert are a bit small. you could get smaller screws, OR just get a little bigger size drill bit and make the holes bigger. it worked great for me and no cracking or anything. i love them stands. now the only problem I have is that they uped the price to 50 bucks a set!... however.. i guess its still okay with free shipping.$LABEL$1 +poor and uneven qaulity. Very think chews, cut unevenly, many with holes like swiss cheese. Not appropriate for use unless you cull through the bag removing the discards.$LABEL$0 +Hawk Ceramic Performance Pads. Installed this on my 2002 Tacoma, about 1000 miles ago and so far I have been satisfied. I resurfaced the existing brembo OE rotors and popped in the Hawk Ceramic Performance Pads. Followed the bedding process per Hawk instructions and they made considerably more dust than the ATE Ceramic Pads they were replacing. Just during the short bedding process there was a light coat of dust on the rims. They have a noticably better bite than the ATE Ceramics, but an ever so slightly higher noise also. Overall, satisfied with them, but only time or miles will tell.$LABEL$1 +The Breakthrough Fish Carving Manual. I recommend this book if you are a fish carver or would like to be. One of the best informative manuals on fish carving if not the best. George Goetzelman orecartent@webtv.net$LABEL$1 +The game is a 5 star game. The Elder Scrolls IV is a great fantasy role playing game. The grapics are great. It has hours and hours of entertainment. The only problem is once you start playing the time goes by and it is 4 AM and you are worn out the next day. Buy it!$LABEL$1 +A Lovely, Lovely Story. I have just discovered Liz Carlyle and I feel fortunate indeed. I am halway through her second book, "A Woman Scorned" and I can barely tear myself away from it. This is a very gifted author and all her books should be read (I think in the order she has written them). Unfortunately there are only four books right now, but we can only hope that she is as prolific as she is gifted. Her characters are so well drawn out you can actually remember them. Her secondary characters are also rich and vibrant. Her dialogue is wonderful and her prose is unique and highly-charged emotionally whether she is describing a thought or a sensuous love scene. Buy her. Read her. Treasure her. I can't wait to read all of her books.$LABEL$1 +Fire Emblem rocks. Fire Emblem is an awsome game. I used an entiere 12 pack of batteries on this game. I have beaten the game 3 times, and find it highly addictive. I put in endless hours at the stadium to level up my army before going into a big match with the Black Fang, and I thought that Nintrndo should release the other Fire Emblem games to the US. Ever since the days of the Super Nintendo, Fire Emblem has been around. the two characters from Super Smash Brothers Melee, they are Fire Emblem People.(Roy and the other one) This is one of the best games of all time.$LABEL$1 +new feature. I've been using Petmate water fountains for a few years now, tending to get a couple of years of use out of them. For the price, the amount of use (two cats) and hair I'm usually cleaning out of the pump, it seems reasonable to me. I bought the latest one recently and was pleased to see they've included a screen in front of the pump that is catching a lot of the hair before it gets to the pump.This has a nice water flow, is usually quiet (unless there's a clog or water is pouring out of the resevoir) and the cats have no problem drinking from it. Those are its pros, along with its price (much better than the version that the vet pushes). However, I've noticed that this unit is more difficult to put back together after taking it apart for cleaning, which cost it a star (not sure if it'll get easier over time but am certainly hoping so).$LABEL$1 +THE MATRIX RELOADED WITH BOREDOM. I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. THE MOVIE IS SO BAD THAT ANYWHERE IS A GOOD START. BUT, NO, I'LL START AT THE FIGHTS. THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THEM AND THEY DON'T MAKE SENSE. WHY PUT ONE GUY BEATING A HUNDRED MEN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND... YOU GET MY DRIFT. AND IF HE IS ABLE TO FLY, WHY SHOULD THE MOVIEMAKER MAKE HIM FIGHT. WHY NOT JUST MAKE HIM FLY AWAY!WHAT A PIECE OF TRASH! I AM GLAD I DIDN'T BUY IT, I RENTED IT. I TRIED TO GET MY MONEY BACK, BUT THE VIDEO STORE INSISTED THAT ONCE I STARTED TO WATCH THIS GARBAGE... ER, MOVIE, I WAS STUCK WITH THE BILL. DARN! I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS.AND BY THE WAY, TO THE REVIEWER WHO CLAIMS THAT THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR MORONS, GET A LIFE! THIS MOVIE IS BAD! PLAIN AND SIMPLE. SHOW HOW INTELLIGENT YOU REALLY ARE AND ADMIT IT!$LABEL$0 +Works Like It Should. Added this valve to my new shower head and it works well. The package includes an o-ring which I initially installed with the valve. Using teflon tape there was a small leak at that joint, so I removed the valve, took out the o-ring, added a bit more tape and now the joint is leak free. I see no need for the o-ring. Valve does seem to shut off the water completely with my shower head. It is easy to turn and does not seem to reduce the water flow to the shower head.$LABEL$1 +So very long and wordy. We selected this book for our December book club discussion. I am only on page 388, and at this point it has become just a chore to pick it up and make my way through it. All about Una all the time, in way way way too many words. For more detail on my one star rating, let me refer you to the review titled: Everyone Loves Una; Or, The Navel-Gazer: A Mary Sue. I couldn't agree more or say it better.$LABEL$0 +Works very nice. My school owns two of these and they have worked quite well. We run an NT network and have 2 labs with about 50 computers in each. The computers in the lab print to these, and because we run a network and the printer can two, every classroom and can print to the lab printers. The printer is very versatile with 2 or 3 automatic bays for paper and 2 manual entry paper bays for large papers or envelopes and such. It prints extremely fast, but takes about 5 minutes to warm up in the morning, or 2 minutes to warm up if it hasn't been used in a couple hours. It rarely has problems, and when it does it is usually the kids' fault. It has worked extremely well for our school and has had only a few minor problems.$LABEL$1 +Looks cool, bad coffee. Life is just too short to get frustrated by bad coffee every morning. A decent cup (or three) of *strong* coffee is all I require - is this too much to ask? Apparently so for this machine. It looks cool and the carafe feels heavy and high quality, but the coffee is really weak and awful. I have been putting in 2-3 extra scoops of grounds and I still don't like the coffee. Now, I feel like I'm just throwing good money after bad by wasting all that extra coffee grounds. Plus, the warming plate keeps the coffee way too hot and it tastes burned within 15 minutes or so. I figured out why the coffee is so weak - the hot water only sprays out of one little hole onto the grounds - my previous Krups had about 6 little holes to "shower" the coffee grounds. I wish I could return this Braun - I will give it away and buy either another Krups or a Cuisinart.$LABEL$0 +Marry Me Gwen Stefani!. I think that at this point in No Doubts career, it was high time for them to produce an disc with all of their singles. My favorite cut on this is the high octane bombast of "New". I love the over processed drums, the 80s style keyboards, and everything about the song. Another highlight is "Hella Good," which is from the rock steady album. Over all, I believe that this is an album thats all about change, as is the band. They have gone from scrappy kids who like Ska, to neo New wavers in 10 years. They have a way of paying homage to their influences, while claiming the styles for their own in a way that no other band is capable of. the only thing that would make it better is if this record was sequenced chronologically, either in correct, or reverse order, so the listener could take the journey with the band, instead of having it scattered around.$LABEL$1 +There is better. I thought this book would help me learn Java when I first bought it, but I think the examples are skimpy. A more complete reference and tutorial is Cay Horstman's and Gary Cornell's 7 ed. of Core Java 2: Volumes 1 and 2. These 2 volumes have great examples, and go more in-depth into Java. Skip Schildt's book, and buy the Core Java Volumes even if you need just a reference. You will be happier, and learn more.$LABEL$0 +I like it. I like a singer who connects to the song and he does this well..I like his voice and how he projects it..This would be good for a gradutaion or to give to someone you want to make proud..Great work...$LABEL$1 +Butz: A Pathological Liar. This author has some nerve trying to rewrite history. Most of my grandmother's family was murdered by the Nazis. To compound this tragedy by denying that 6 million Jews were killed is a further atrocity. The fact that anyone can believe this crap is alarming. The Holocaust DID happen. If you don't believe it, go to any Holocaust memorial (Washington, DC, etc) and see the documentation and photographs for yourself. Also, Yad Vashem (a memorial in Israel) may have a website. The Simon Weisenthal Center also has a website.$LABEL$0 +Family Guy Vol 7. Did not arrive in the same type of packaging as all my other volumes that I purchased from Walmart. Otherwise, new quality and shipped fast.$LABEL$0 +Great for Your Mexican Theme Party. We use this for Mexican Fiesta party music and it helps set the tone for a nice gathering. Nice traditional Mariachi Mexican music.$LABEL$1 +Junk zipper. I bought two of these. The zipper on both broke after the first use. This bag is junk. No one could have possibly tested this product.$LABEL$0 +Below average. I bought this laptop a year ago. When it reached, it came with a faulty DVD ROM drive. I had to take DVD ROM out myself and send it back to HP and after they recieved it, they sent me a new DVD ROM which worked well.Couple of months later, the LCD screen won't stay upright and it became loose. So, this time I had to send whole laptop back to HP.I had a tough time with their customer care service. Everytime (5 times) I called them they have tradition of putting me on hold of minimum of 20 mins with breaks of "Sir, Please hold on, I will be with you shortly. I am trying to pull out your record" after every 5 minutesJust yesterday the battery died.I am sure I could have found better laptop had I spent some more time searching.Think twice before buying this.$LABEL$0 +How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out. This is a great book with wonderful and exciting ways for you to tell about Jesus in all situations. It is a wonderful book to read and then go out and find ways to really do the work.$LABEL$1 +Great idea, poor design. This started out as a great little item. I ended up returning it the first time I had to replace the batteries (about 2 months later). Once the old batteries were removed, everything was reset, and I had to reset the time, month, year, and even had to re-calibrate the compass. What a pain, and not worth the money. If I only had to reset the calendar, that would be fine, but having to re-calibrate the compass is a pain.$LABEL$0 +great if lasted. I got it about a year 6 month ago. Used it very lightly - 10 times perhaps and the rest of the time it was either in my garage or in my car. When I got it out for a next shoot I noticed that quite a bit of grease leaked out out of head. Good thing it did not ruin anything else, since it was pretty sticky. It still works at the moment, but once grease is gone its days are numbered. This is by far the least amount of use I have ever gotten out of a head.Other than that it is a bit heavy for the specs. I guess this is what you get for not going with a reputable brand... It is amazing how many times I have to relearn this simple fact.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed!. This was a painful read. I bought this and Glasshouse together to read while recovering from surgery. Thankfully, I had also purchased some other titles because after forcing myself to finish Accelerando I could not bring myself to even start Glasshouse.I enjoy when an author creates their own vocabulary to express new concepts but Stross takes this practice to an uncomfortable extreme. The number of new concepts being presented along with their associated descriptors was disorienting and hard to follow. Somewhere around the middle of the book, I decided to stop trying to understand the details and just focused on finishing the larger story. I was disappointed again. The End did not justify the means.My opinion: Accelerando as a destination is not worth the journey.$LABEL$0 +Just one minor criticism. Archer tells us about Whitechapel at the time of World War I. He misses out that Whitechapel was predominantly Jewish and it was here that the Jewish Legion (part of the British Army) was organized, paraded (right down Charlie's street) and became the model for the Jewish Brigade of World War II.$LABEL$1 +Mr. Who or What!. I am so Thankful this film came on Sundance for had it not I would have made the error in buying it for my collection. Really there was what could have been a "real story" here but that did not happend. Instead the director took this film on what seemed to be a if you will "trip". It went here, there, everywhere, leaving you saying what the heck is this so called film I'm watching. Then the so called female friend still doesn't know the difference between a gay man & a straight man with all the gay men she is surrounded by. Please if "anything" rent this film do not buy it. If someone elese were to take and rewrite this script it would be a great story and done without spending a ton of money as well. Simply the director failed at telling any kind of story here. If your bored or a lazy Sunday afternoon take a peak but remember even if it's a lazy afternoon you can not get back the lazy time you gave up by watching this film.Peace & Blesssings,Hope This Helps someone from buying.$LABEL$0 +precise and sophicated. Volume 3 is much more detailed to the previous two publications. It covers a wide range of projects from the desktop competition to the huge kansai airport. But it seems that the author have too much emphasis on the kansai and alleviate the depth of the others$LABEL$1 +It�s not even fun, don�t waste your time.. What a piece of ..., As a New Yorker for over 15 years, and an active member of the NYPD, I could only guess that Katz wrote this over simplified fantasy while looking out his hotel room window in-between ordering room service.Anyone who has lived in NYC should immediately recognize how ridiculous, inaccurate and off base this book is.ESU is made up of great men and women who are serious about what they do. Katz does not do them justice; he distorts reality and glorifies the wrong things to the point his writing is unreadable; I'll admit I could only get halfway through it before saying enough. It's not even fun, don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +GOOD Movie, EXCELLENT Picture!!!!. I was not sure what to expect from this movie, as we never had seen it before. It was not bad, some funny moments, but seemed to move slow at some points. We decided to buy it because it was in 3D and not many movie out yet for this new technology. The picture was Amazing!! It was a perfect picture on our TV. I saw NO ghosting the images were crisp and the depth and imagery was GREAT!! A must buy for a fan of the Blu-ray 3D movies.My equipment:*Samsung LN46C750 46-Inch 1080p 3D LCD HDTV (Black)*Samsung BD-C6900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player*Onkyo HT-S3300 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package (Black)$LABEL$1 +A Must for any Mountaineer!. This adaptation of John Denver's beloved song is a must for any family who has ties to West Virginia. The illustrations are beautiful and detailed, and the CD is a fun bonus. (Our son likes to have the CD playing as he follows along in the book.) Everyone loves "Country Roads," but West Virginians especially enjoy this, our adopted state anthem. A great way to introduce the song to the next generation.$LABEL$1 +ok games. The games are ok. But sometimes difficult to play or understand the rules. WHen have nothing else to play they will do. I was disappointed in the creativity of the games.$LABEL$0 +Great song on a crap album. The rating is for the entire album. I almost gave it one star, but "Crazy" is the catchiest thing I've heard in over a year & deserves much better supporting material than the junk on here. I'm so disappointed...I really wanted to find some hidden gem, but after having it play constantly in my car for the last week, nothing as yet has jumped out of my speakers.It's called inspiration flowed for three minutes & needed some filler to justify a cd length release. A lot of the lyrics for other songs are creepy (but not in any cathartic good way.) And the beats (sans Crazy)are pretty lame too. I borrowed my roommates copy & sure am glad I didn't spend my own 10 bucks.Not many people are able to make an album that's consistently good beginning to end. Who knows why the muse can depart just as quickly as it arrives?$LABEL$0 +Highly Recommended. What a great book! All you need to know about your horse's muscles, why you need to stretch and in what situations, is in this book. I have never come across something quite so comprehensive and easy to understand in one book before. It has wonderful big glossy colour pictures, spiral bound for easy page turning as well as being able to keep it open on the page you want while trying out some exercises on your horse.I did several relevant stretch exercises on my horse's sore back end, and within a week he was helping to stretch himself and really seemed to enjoy it, closing his eyes, relaxing and wiggling his lips. His lunging work has also become easier as he has become more supple.I especially recommend this book for anyone doing competition work with their horses, as they can become quite tense in certain areas and this book helps to explain and show you how to release the tension. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Basic start reading for the begginer. This book is both a begginer's obligatory reading and a consultation source for the practising lawyer dealing with antitrust issues. It is also quoted in many foreign books about the subject, for example "Os fundamentos do Antitruste" written by a Brazilian professor (Dr. Paula A. Forgioni) also because it is one of the most comprehensive existing/available in the market. In my opinion a book needed in any reasonable office's library. As I have read some parts of it borrowing from a coleague I will by one for myself.$LABEL$1 +Constantly changing features on DVDs. Stargate is a great Sci-Fi show, but you probably know that already or you wouldn't be reading a review of Season 3's DVD.I'm a little disappointed that they continue to experiment with the special features on the DVDs. Each disk of Season 2 included the trailers for the shows on that disk. Very nice - we would watch the previews before actually watching the shows. Season 3 does not have that feature - no trailers to be found.As this is a television series that spans many seasons, we were expecting more continuity between each season's DVDs. Not that they would add something, take it away and maybe they will add it back in a later season.Other than that - I would highly recommend the series and the purchase of Season 3.$LABEL$1 +UltraVoilet makes for UltraViolence. The movie is great. The blu-ray is sharp and the extras are really neat. So why did I give this item a low rating? The "digital copy" is horrible. I travel and like to bring movies on my iPad. The digital copy of this movie must be streamed thru the UltraViolet site. Really??? I am not happy. What a waste. That must be why the item was cheaper than I expected.$LABEL$0 +This Book is New York.. This Book is New York. Some say it's the city's foundation. Sure,... it may be on paper, but so what. It's still New York. Take it or leave it. It's just a fact. Some say it's New York dirt. But that's what makes it so worth reading. It shows a side of the city that some New Yorkers may not know or remember. This is why it's worth your time. Similar to certain films being a love story about the city itself (Manhattan (1979), When Harry Met Sally (1989) and You've Got Mail (1998)) this book also goes with other great books about the city, including two recent ones called "Through The Children's Gate" (2006) & "Seven At The Sevens (2012). Enjoy reading the books and seeing the films that are love stories about a wonderful city called New York. There's no place like it on Earth.$LABEL$1 +Safari!!!. Our baby room is a safari theme and this giraffe fits right in perfectly! Standing in the corner it really adds to the decor!$LABEL$1 +This video IS For Your Eyes only!. This definetlty is THE best 007 ever since Ian Fleming started to write the novels! Perfect storyline, acting, old-time techology, and villans. Definately buy this video, but remember, it's for your eyes only!$LABEL$1 +As seen on TV crap. I have tried to use this twice on different types of screws. Both times following the directions completely destroyed the screw and I had to cut it off.$LABEL$0 +YES. From the first chord of this album, you are for something special, unique and wonderful. Such a voice. Such joy. Alice Smith welcome!$LABEL$1 +Modern Hollywood can't make a 5 star comedy - UNTIL NOW. I thought it couldn't be done. This is not the era of Lloyd, or Fields or Laurel and Hardy. It's not the era of Capra or Preston. 99% of modern comedies suck badly, and or are mean spirited.But miracle of miracles, someone current, finally made an hilarious movie with a heart as big as "You Can't Take it With You!"Credit here goes not to the very good cast but stunningly to the writer/directors: Michael Arndt - Screenwriter, co directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris.Brilliant, and wise. Not just a movie about dysfunctional, it's a movie where looser are shown to be the winners they really are, just for surviving, like all of us. Not a moment of saccharine either. It sharp and intelligent.Beautiful, beautiful movie from beginning to end, and what an ending!$LABEL$1 +Great memories. Great memories of Tom Browne's Funkin' for Jamaica and Thighs High (grip yo' hips and move). Just recently purchase this cd and it's as hot as I remember, plus many more nice songs. I would recommend this cd for any jazz-funk fan. Excellent choice to add to collection.$LABEL$1 +Pretty but too fragile. Buyer beware! Beautiful to look at but you can't actually USE it! Especially if you have kids. All are chipping. And Pfaltzgraff didn't stand behind this product for us. After a few months we called to complain and ask to exchange for another style, but we were basically told, "Sorry, no exchange. Everybody knows stoneware chips, you should have selected a different material". Um, what? That wasn't on your product description. This junk chips when you put it in the dishwasher and it bumps against another plate! So after barely a year, we will be throwing out a HUGE set that we purchased during a kitchen remodel. (Same review posted for 16-piece set.)$LABEL$0 +blown away. This CD just blew me away. It has so much depth and compassion.Jamie's voice is awesome and the arrangements are beautiful. This work will last.I've listened to it again and again.$LABEL$1 +Can wash more vegetables in here!. We have a bigger sink so this works great for washing huge salads really well. It fit so much more than the standard strainer. I like the rubber grip arms and that its stainless steel as well. Kind of expesive but worth it!$LABEL$1 +WHAT A RIPOFF!!. RECEIVED THIS ON 3/18/10 AND NOW JUST HOOKING IT UP AND THIS UNIT ONLY WORKS WITH AN OPENER 2005 OR OLDER. THEY DON'T PUT THAT IN THERE ADVERTISEMENT!! SOLD BUY "HHWHOLESALE" I GUESS THEY GOT MY 20 BUCKS, ISN'T WORTH THE SHIPPING TO SEND IT BACK. WILL NEVER BUY FROM AMAZON AGAIN.$LABEL$0 +A really good read!. I found the book suspenseful, surprising, creative and thought provoking. At times I had some difficulty following the various storylines, but it was well worth it. I was hard-pressed to put down.$LABEL$1 +Nice stand. I have a pretty heavy synth keyboard and this stand does the job well. Does not shake or rock. Pretty sturdy. I agree the directions arent that good but it really isnt hard to put together at all. Quality stand.$LABEL$1 +Garbage In - Garbage Out.. Another person trying to disprove something they don't want to beleive. Ovewhelming evidence proves that Jesus was crucified. Nothing in this book disproves it, because nothing in this book can stand on its own.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I was looking forward to this,dinosaurs,time travel,sounded great but even after 7 episodes i cant watch anymore,its cheesy,the characters are awful,storylines are drab & the acting is bad,even the dinosaurs cant save this.kids will probably love it but from an adult who grew up on the x files this just dont cut it.$LABEL$0 +Christmas Hope. I have never seen this movie before and I just love it. I really love movies like this. It has meaning to it. I would recommend it for anybody to watch.$LABEL$1 +Exactly what I wanted :). Thank you, this is exactly what I wanted when I purchased this item. It met every expectation I had. Thanx! :)$LABEL$1 +Big Disappointment. I have read many of Miss Thompson's books and liked most of them. I read this book in the Kindle version, and I don't know what happened to it. The mistakes were so many that I kept asking myself why I kept on reading. Typos, misplaced sentence parts, and flat out wrong words just jump out at me. The story did hold me for a while. But then I had more than a third to go and just got tired of the distruction and human suffering. I don't know the history of this great hurricane, but many of the scenes were unbelievable even in the name of fiction. Sorry, Janice, I had to quit the book before I finished it. I just couldn't stomach anymore.$LABEL$0 +Poor quality controll with no Manufacture support. The First Aid [2.0] kit I received was of poor quality. The right seam on hte left inside pocket was only sewn 1/2 way to the bottom. See Pics posted. Needle holes could be seen in the plastic and I called the manufacture who confirmed the pocket should be sewn all the way. I asked them If they would support their product and they would not. This was clearly a manufacturing defect and the Manufacture (or should I say importer) told me they could not help me and to return it to where I bought it from. The case was made overseas with the finest of craftmanship NOT. Hopefully the seller will replace the defective item. Very Poor construction on this Adventure Medical Kit [2.0] and no Manufacture support. This will be the last Adventure Med Kit I buy or Recommend.$LABEL$0 +a dissenting opinion. The concept behind this book is interesting but it's art work holds no appeal for my niece. For example, O's representative of an olive is not a beautiful green mediterranean olive but a gray olive that looks more like a rock with a red center. T is a dry looking piece of toast. I like the unconventional choices just not the artwork.$LABEL$0 +Solid Entertainment. I saw bad reviews for this movie, and those reviews made me want to see "The Bourne Legacy" because they were along the lines of, "It's too slow, too much character development." And that's exactly what I want in a movie like this! Jeremy Renner is excellent as the lead character, and ably supported by the wonderful Rachel Weisz. Then you throw Ed Norton in the mix and you have a riveting and intriguing action/spy/thriller that raises a lot of question about boundaries, both political and philosophical, and leaves you longing for more.It's very much a Bourne movie, but with better camera work (yes, the last two Matt Damon ones left me a little nauseous from the "realistic" camera shake). Thoroughly recommended, and waiting for the follow-up.$LABEL$1 +It's OK, not great. It's very tough to find a decent soaker hose, at any cost. Swan is downright terrible and the company doesn't respond. This hose worked well for a couple of years before splitting on the sides. It's not used everyday. Maybe only 10 times a month during the summer and only at night for about an hour each time. The top side of the hose is very difficult to find and can only be set out during the day. The hose is very light and tends to keep twisting. Can take an hour to set up correctly. Still,it's the best I've found.$LABEL$0 +Whisk works just as well. I received the Smoothie Jr. as a gift and was so excited. After unpacking the machine I realized I was missing the stir stick. Back to Basics was wonderful!!! They sent one to me free of charge. I was ready to make great milkshakes and smoothies. My first attempt flopped. I tried a simple milkshake, but it would not mix up, let alone dispense from the dispenser. I kept adding milk to make it thinner, but it never would work.I thought, maybe it's my fault, let's try again. I tried using a banana, strawberry yogurt, orange marmalade, 1/2 cup crushed ice and used over a cup of milk. The machine wouldn't even chop the banana, let alone finish off the ice. I am very frustrated with the machine, and hate to tell the person who gave it to me.Good Luck with yours should you decide to purchase. You may want to try the Elite, it could be stronger.$LABEL$0 +good for custom workout. Although this wasnt exactly what i was searching for it is a very good dvd. allowing you to choose your workouts so that you can customize your daily routine is something that I dont see on many dvds.the poses are held for a resonable amount of time and the effects of the workout are instant, you want stress relief, you'll find it here.$LABEL$1 +Movie Yes, Soundtrack No. Sorry Samuel, the movie "Black Snake Moan" was good, but the soundtrack not so good.$LABEL$0 +HORRIBLE, DOES NOT REPRESENT VIEW OF MOST CHRISTIANS. Horrified is the key word here. I am horrified at Andrews' views so much that this is the first book for which I am writing a review. I am a born again Christian, I know my bible and love the Lord but and am sickened by Christians who take this viewpoint, and sad to think that other people think this is how Christians operate. Andrews' advice to a friend about his daughter, and the description of him and a male teacher "FORCING" a 6th grade boy to submit to corporal punishment 2 or 3 times in a row, then each time forcing the boy to put his arms around Andrews' neck to hug him back, is SICK. MY ADVICE IS - DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. I cringe at Christians like this, and feel very sorry for their families and the people who are influenced by or affected by their viewpoints. The only reason I gave this book one star is because I couldn't give it zero or minus stars. Andrews made a few good points but there have to be better books out there.$LABEL$0 +A thick thinker, intriguing. This is a very interesting book, but people looking for an easy read with simply-constructed theses should look elsewhere. Pinchbeck approaches his writing as serious science and the text is thick with philosophy, psychology and more.The theories advanced by Pinchbeck are mostly collected theories of others who came before him, enhanced by his own experiences with psychodelics. Some of it will be scoffed at by people who have made up their minds about the way things are and Pinchbeck both acknowledges this and expects it.Early in the book, he turns these people on their heads and sweeps them aside, inviting the curious and those readers with a will to think about things beyond the way they have been explained, beyond the way we are most comfortable with, to read on.Do I buy what Pinchbeck is selling? Some of it, sure. Some of it seems a stretch, but some of it is intriguing. Don't buy this book looking for alternative answers, buy it if you're looking for a thinker.$LABEL$1 +I just have to say my piece. Tried this game on my two machines: Duron-1200, 256MB, GF3-64MB, Win98SE -and- a laptop P4-2667, 512MB, ATI9000-64MB, Win98SE.I managed to play at most about 5 minutes then it took down both my PCs. Game didn't work on both campaign and multiplayer modes.After many attempts, reboots, even reinstalls, I gave up, and already uninstalled the game.Although, I'm thinking of trying it on my third PC: P3-550, 256MB, GF3-64MB, Win98SE... nah...$LABEL$0 +Don't Bother. I really wanted to like this book; the plot sounded interesting, and it started off okay, but the more I read it, the worse it got. The plot became highly predictable, the writing is atrocious, and the ending punchless. Mr. Dirgo is obviously a Clive Cussler wannabe, but has neither the imagination or story-telling ability (not to mention basic grasp of the English language) to even be mentioned in the same breath as Cussler. To make it to the plodding end of this book requires a lot of patience and a high tolerance for baseless dialogue.$LABEL$0 +disappointing series. I have read all 4 books in this series and I would not recommend them to anyone. I am 36 yrs old and this series is for the young adult crowd so maybe I am too old to enjoy it. I found the main character Bella so annoying I had a hard time reading the books. The story took a strange direction in the last book (I thought way too out there for teens). I read the books because I saw a preview for the Twilight movie which I hope is not as bad as the books. I recommend checking them out from your local library before you waste your money. Just a side note- this is the only time I have ever written a review about books or anything, that is how bad I thought the books were.$LABEL$0 +Great idea, bad product.. Do not buy this sink. I bought this sink for the room it provides. It is large and deep and I can wash almost anything easily in it. Within months though, the bottom looked terrible despite our efforts to follow all maker recommendations for care. Within a year the white finish was completely worn away in places leaving black areas showing through. The best I have gotten from American Standard is that they will give me $100 credit toward another of their sinks.$LABEL$0 +Is this a book or a video game???. This was great the first time I read....er..played it...NOT! If you can't get enough of reading the paper, books, newspapers then now you can also READ a video game. That's right. Read instead of play. The graphics are TERRIBLE. If I wanted old school graphics I'd buy an old school game. Oh and if I wanted to read I'd buy a periodical not a game.$LABEL$0 +The illustrated Mary. Very illustrated featuring mainly Mary's imprisionment. This book focuses on many specific parts of her life, hands...eyes...handywork ect. It shows many portraits I have never seen before. Including one of Mary and Darney together. I had forgotten that Mary wore wigs later in life, "When the executioner held up the royal head on the scaffold he found himself holding the Queen's wig while her head fell onto the boards beneath." If this dosen't conjure up an image I don't know what will.$LABEL$0 +Watch this movie the day after "never". The science is deplorable and the acting is worse. If the world should end the day after tomorrow, and you haven't yet seen this movie, consider yourself lucky!$LABEL$0 +It is a pleasure to have and listen to this CD. I just love the music from Hans Zimmer... He is one of the best.I have listened to this CD over and over again for months and months. My husband plays the CD for me when he knows I need some relaxation and peace. Buy it and you will love it too.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful. What the heck is wrong with North American radio? I know...it's a rhetorical question but one that needs to be asked. Especially when it ignores wonderful albums like H.M.S. Fable. This is dense, fluid, passionate music rich in melodies, potent in vocals and song-writing. And, it's by yet another ignored Britpop band. There seems to be no stomach for bands like this one, Shed Seven, Cast, etc. in Canada and the U.S. And, it takes a huge label push to make Travis a "hit" here as well. More fool us. This is yet another album I recommend to people who think rock is dead. No way, No how. Michael Head is a superb writer and performer and the group scores on each of the album's 12 cuts. Check out "Comedy" in particular. It'll remind you of The Beatles, The Byrds, The Moody Blues and more sixties acts. Yet it has a bold, modern sound that hooks the listener in effortlessly and wonderfully. Superb music-making.$LABEL$1 +Don't believe 100% leather. I've had this product for 5 years and bought it because it advertised 100% leather. The ottoman began cracking and flaking showing black material, now the seat of the chair is also. Very disappointed, a total waste of money.$LABEL$0 +I enjoyed this movie. I will not compare this to Gone with the wind, as that would be unfair. I think the story was predictable in places, but some of the supporting cast was superb. Nicole Kidman did a good job, and Jude Law LOOKED GREAT! :)Anyway, the movie was entertaining and I enjoyed it. The movie sountrack is really good. If you like bluegrass music, you should definitely purchase the soundtrack.$LABEL$1 +the xyron machine. I don't like this machine at all. I have tried and tried,it keeps buckling up and I have wasted too much film.It is susposed to be so easy.ha,ha.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS MICROSCOPIC BOOK. I already have the original CubeBook for The Earth and it is truly wonderful. Today I received my order of 3 CubeBooks to give as holiday gifts. Sadly, these were designed for creatures from another world. They are tiny and not worth even looking at. Amazon has the dimensions stated wrong. They are indeed 2.5" cubed. The binding breaks as soon as you open them. Whoever decided that this "mini" CubeBook would be a great idea must have been on some weird, mind(IQ)-altering drugs. I'm sending them back immediately. They are useless. The original version is wonderful though. I'd give this tiny version zero stars if I could.$LABEL$0 +Warning!!! This book will damage you and your family from healing!!. As a psychotherapist, I assure you that reparative therapy is not only an ineffective and unethical practice, but also damaging to the soul and self of your loved one. Acceptance is what you and your family needs. The American Psychological Association has deemed reparative therapy unethical practice, and the author of this book, provided he is utilizing this therapy with clients, could and should lose his license to practice. There are many other books available on Amazon.com that can help (What the Bible Really Says About HomosexualityorPositively Gay: New Approaches to Gay and Lesbian Life), but this is not one of them!$LABEL$0 +for serious listening AND for pleasure. These earphones are so "pure" that they allow the sound of a condutor's upbeat -- the whoosh of a baton and a sleeve -- to come through the silence preceding the downbeat. They simply carry everything that was recorded to your ears, without any interference or coloration.$LABEL$1 +Video of chair exersizes for seniors. I was very disappointed with the video. The man doing the demo and dialog is so distracting that I was unable to follow. I couldn't even watch the entire video. It's a lot of money to sit on my shelf!$LABEL$0 +I love these pots and pans.. I love these pots and pans. Only one draw back. There was a piece of plastic that came with the set and I have absolutely no idea what it is to be used with or for.$LABEL$1 +One of my favorite hip hop albums. Ever.. I've been listening to this CD regularly since I bought it in France over 10 years ago. I can say that about maybe a handful of other CDs. La classe on dirait...$LABEL$1 +Loved It Until It Died!. After two months of use, one day the computer stopped recognizing the drive. I called Seagate, spent an hour on the phone troubleshooting with them only to learn that the drive is basically dead. My company's IT dept. confirmed this.When I called warranty service, Seagate said the warranty had expired. I told them the drive was only a few months and there is a one-year warranty so how could the warranty have expired? Very frustrating so now I have to send all kinds of proof for a product that was a gift, pretty challenging. Also their service center is in India so you get occassional bad phone connections and some difficulty communicating.More than anything, the massive loss of data is really, really bad. I got a quote from them to recover the data: $1,400. I don't have that kind of money to get my data back.Buyer Beware.$LABEL$0 +works great, ignore the previous reviewer. You do not need to use the included software to edit your videos, only to capture and convert them. Once captured, you can use Adobe Premiere or the editing program of your choice.Also, the included Ulead and Main Actor editing software is used by many and far from freebie 'junk.' Why slam Dazzle for including this extra where others wouldn't have bothered? For most people it is more than enough, and saves the cost of additional apps.$LABEL$1 +A great book that you can read quickly.. This was an ejoyable book. Novalee really grew up from her experiences. It was great to read a book that puts some much emphasis on the joys of reading.$LABEL$1 +It Could Have Been Better. Shirley Bassey was voted the best female vocalist in the last 50 years, and most of her recordings reflect that. However, this CD is the exception. I don't know if she was just having a bad day, but every song seems to be a struggle for her, and knowing Bassey, there was no reason to struggle! The only song on this CD that she manages to give the "Bassey treatment" to is "As If We Never Said Goodbye", and even it could have been better. The rest are hard to listen to. I love the picture on the cover though.$LABEL$0 +INTELLIGENT, BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. I must admit I am not a techno/trance fan, but a friend of mine made me listen to this album and I was awe-struck. Stryke has done what many other d.j.'s don't seem to do in my opinion, that is he puts heart into it. This album will wrap you up and carry you away. I strongly recomend this c.d. not just to ravers and d.j.'s, but to any music lover with an open mind.$LABEL$1 +About as Compelling as Me Finishing This Title. I managed to find out that this book wasn't expensive or even rare, as it seems to be. It's just obscure and negligent, and for once, I wish it would be kept that way. The sum of this hundred page book is: inconclusive. It's a theory based on looking at a few flags and thinking to yourself "Hey, these are similar." One of the ideas used to support the theory in this book is the lack of evidence in the formation of Switzerland, and then the large omission of time between that and the Swiss bankers infamous today. There is little concrete historical reality beyond a few fantasmic imaginations and a lack of true Templar scholarship. While I like to believe that some Templars survived the Inquisition, and God knows they did, there is no way, simply no way that a lack of evidence refutes and/or supports evidence.$LABEL$0 +Potionless Potion. Like other users have said, this product had zero effect on me. I have pretty bad anxiety and take an SSRI every day, and have Xanax on hand for as-needed use, so perhaps it's just not strong enough for me, but taking it was no different than drinking gross water.$LABEL$0 +Sub Par Silverberg, only for die-hard fans of Silverberg. I love Silverberg, he's become my favorite sci fi author by far. With that said, this book is as close to garbage Silverberg will get. What a slog just to get through it. The book should have been edited to less than 100 pages because nothing really ever happens, a whiny, flawed, racist, ex-king/future king recants old stories from his youth amidst a swirling future backdrop that is poorly built except for small snatches. Only a few worlds and technologies and cultural ideas get elaborated upon. And I found the ghosting done only by gypsies into the past and present and future to be fairly stupid and ill-conceived. Some parts were interesting but most of time I found myself saying...I think I care, I think I care, I think I care, I think I don't.$LABEL$0 +Batteries are not replaceable. Good toothbrush but the batteries are not replaceable so you need to replace the whole unit when they won't hold a charge anymore$LABEL$0 +prayer book. I use this prayer book daily. There are prayers for just about every aspect of your life. A wonderful book!!$LABEL$1 +Joel did not like "compilations". Joel did not believe one could study The Infinite Way as an intellectual pursuit. Students were to take entire classes, the series of lectures and join in the consciousness of the class as it unfolded. He never combined classes by topic as Sinkler and others did. When he discovered that Sinkler did this, it was a great disappointment to him.$LABEL$0 +total piece of junk. this heart rate monitor did not work, it either gave me a crazy reading or none at all, I returned it and bought a Polar that works like a champ$LABEL$0 +Valuable Discernment Tool. I had already read a number of more academic books about spiritual direction when I discovered Fleetwood Range's down-to-earth approach to the topic. Her wealth of experience as a spiritual director, along with her understanding of the ambivalence with which many individuals are called to this ministry, makes her book a valuable tool for discernment. By the time I finished reading it, I was able to say without hesitation, "Yes, spiritual direction is indeed where God is calling me to serve." I highly recommend her book to anyone drawn to this topic.$LABEL$1 +Just painful. Boring and painful. Andy never quits whining or smoking long enough to partially resemble someone you would want to do well. I would have prefered for her to have been fired, disgraced, and thrown out on the curb.$LABEL$0 +Why not just be truthful about the product in the description.. The listing stated that this item was an 'Official Nintendo Wii' charger. The charger they sent is clearly not. It's half the weight and quality of an original.I don't mind if an item is not an official item, but list it so. Blatant lies in a listing needs to be addressed by Amazon.When contacting the seller multiple times, you get absolutely no response, so I had to open a case against them. Lets see how that goes.$LABEL$0 +The best word to describe this product: "Lame". I bought this as an advertized package with Elenco AmeriKit Learn to Solder Kit. I saw a review on there talking about how they wished it had a "Desoldering pump" My solder-friendly friends told me they had never heard of a "Desoldering Pump". This is likely why-a product this poor is not worth notoriety. The pump is incredibly weak, and works about 1 in 10 attempts. The only way to get enough suction to pick up the melted solder was to hit the release button, which would then kick-back, suck up some of the solder, and then smush the rest onto the pad. I recommend just using the sponge supplied in the learn to solder kit.$LABEL$0 +These puzzles were fun to do!. There's a real reward doing these humorous puzzles, a good chuckle at the end. I'm a cryptogram nut these days and I found this one a real hoot. Each puzzle rated a least a smile and at most a belly laugh. If you like this kind of puzzle, by all means get this one. Oh yes, the pages are nice and sturdy, so you don't have to worry about making holes in the paper when you erase.$LABEL$1 +Boring - don't buy. We got this game in a bundle with the Wii system. Within 5 minutes you are bored. Don't bother buying it. If you really want it, go to a used game store and pay less. I think that is where I am going to take mine!$LABEL$0 +Potboiler, moves along but very unlikely. This is a historical naval book with a lead character much like Alistair MacLean heroes - obstinate, insubordinate, convinced he's smarter than anyone else, declamatory, and full of action. The novelist has his character speaking in little cliches to himself - in for a penny in for a pound Halfhyde! The action progresses well and the historical setting, as far as I can tell, is accurate. Battle sequences are stirring, but all in all .... The entire finish of the book hangs on a monstrous coincidence between nature starting her battle at the same time that the Japanese fire their guns. Unbelievable, and a bit too coy, also bad geology.$LABEL$0 +hated it!!!. UGH!! i did not like this book at all!! i couldnt even finish it because i got so fed up with the 'hero' he was abusive, rude and i dont know how anyone could love him!! i was ready to throw this book out the window!! women were treated so badly in this book!! and there were very weird parts in this book. this was the first book i have read by this author and i dont plan to read any of her books again!!dont waste your money on this book!!!$LABEL$0 +Didn't fit. Will be returning these shoes after the holiday season. They are a very narrow fit and they do not stretch.$LABEL$0 +Definitive versions. Maazel does the best Beethoven, and he did it best when he was with the Cleveland Orchestra. These are my definitive versions of the 9th and 5th, with the 9th being particularly sublime. Every single movement he (and the singers) just nail. Perfect sound quality, wonderful recording. You can often find the individuals symphonies on single CDs, but it's nice to have them all together. The included Overtures (Egmont and Fidelio) are just OK, not my favorites by a long shot, but decent enough for a free-be. If you just need to have the nine symphonies on CD and don't want to spread them out over different conductors / orchestras, you could do a lot worse than this.$LABEL$1 +Mediocre effort. This just lacks the usual you would expect from YES. Only two good cuts and the rest are disappointing. Their first 3 efforts were their absolute best.$LABEL$0 +You're kidding, right?. I found a copy of "The Iron Tower" in a shoebox of books I bought at a yard sale recently. I read the back cover and was greeted with the line, "Dennis L. McKiernan's Mithgar books are among the most beloved in all of fantasy fiction." Well this book is a must read then, right? Right??Don't believe everything you read.I struggled about a third of the way into the 600 page novel before I realized this was one of the worst fantasy novels I had ever read. Never mind the derivative story; the novel itself is badly written. One of the most glaring problems is the excessive use of passive voice. While it is not techincally wrong, it comes off as amateur and hackneyed. Also, any time an author uses "lo!" in the course of his writing, and is attempting a serious tone, I cringe. I cringed a lot while reading this.$LABEL$0 +I cannot believe.... I cannot believe that people would give this film 5 stars. I forced myself to watch the entire film just because I could not believe that someone would actually recommend this film. Yea it has an interesting twist, but it gets real painful after a while. If you love it, god bless...$LABEL$0 +The trailer is misleading. What you seen in the trailer is basically the first several minutes of the movie. I thought the movie would be about a strong independent woman like the movie Tangled but it's not. The final battle is not even between the main character and the bad guy. Also the movie was very scary for my 5 year old$LABEL$0 +No one like them. Ever since my dad first bought their tapes in the mid- 90's, I've been listening and loving the harmony of The Winanas. I think I know every song because every song is different and you can't help but join in when they sing. The ballads, gospel that is, are so moving and the duets with Vanessa Bell and Anita Baker are wonderful. if you have never heard these men sing, you're missing something so melodious and mind blowing. I'm telling you if a kid at the age of 10 can fall in love them, then you can too. I love The Winans Music!$LABEL$1 +I have to admit that. I am a fool for once more being lured to buying a Scarpetta book. Why does Cornwell insist on writing about her? There is no more inspiration, there is no more life, there is no more hope and there is no more redemption for that once-wonderful-now-a-caricature lady. Some claim here that Cornwell returned to her former form. Don't make me laugh! She had lost everything in fiction world five years ago and she reached the zenith of silliness when she published Isle of Dogs. Now she is trying to do the same thing with the Scarpetta series, making herself a pity caricature of a once-respected author. No more Cornwell for me: Neither from the bookseller nor from the library. If you are wise enough, you will do the same. Let her stop feeding these silly things into us under the name of "novel"$LABEL$0 +Small Sacrifices. When ordered it showed art work on jacket and 2 disc and when i received it today there was no cover art and only 1 disc. Haven't watched it yet but if the quality of the picture is as bad as the packaging, I have a feeling I got ripped off 22 bucks :-($LABEL$0 +Shame on Disney for Ruining P.L. Travers' Books!. P.L. Travers rightfully objected to the way Disney's team ruined Mary Poppins' character. It was bad enough to turn it into a musical--the "real" Mary Poppins never sang--but adding cartoons?? Anyone of any age who has read the books **before** seeing the movie has found this very sappy, saccharine movie very hard to digest. I know I did when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I agree with another reviewer--this is one of Disney's worst movies ever. [...]$LABEL$0 +do not buy this. i had to return it because the right channel from the cddid not work.besides this, though, the remote control was confusing.the sound was boomy.i really expected much better for this much money.fortunately, i purchased through amazon.com - so returningit was no problem.$LABEL$0 +Impressive!. How is it that the Star Trek series can spend $2 million an episode, and only come up with a halfway decent script about 10% of the time? Meanwhile, writers like Ken Wharton, working all alone, can come up with a fast, action-filled, provocative book like this one, and do it for probably less than a $10,000 advance. I don't particularly like "hard" science fiction, and I am sooo bored with authors pontificating about God, the universe, and everything. But Wharton has some genuinely fresh ideas, they're clearly written, and he's got a sizzling story to boot. I only gave it 4 stars (because I'm against grade-inflation!), but it's one of the best books I've read this year!$LABEL$1 +Rocking on the deck. I have 4 of these on my 900 sq foot deck hook to an outdoor amp, streaming from my wireless network. Sound is good and makes having parties more fun.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful book. If I could have only one book of "A Christmas Carol" this is the one that I would want. The illustrations are beautiful. The price was terrific. I liked mine so much that I ordered one for a friend. Love it.$LABEL$1 +Excellent from cover to cover!. I loved this book, it gave me chills. Robinson's writing is so great that at times I could feel as if I was there and forgot I was reading. Highly recommend The Didymus Contingency!Trust me you too will feel as if you have been taken back in time, and you might not want to leave...$LABEL$1 +Missing Pages. This book is great except for the fact that pages are missing!! Apparently this is not uncommon from this publisher. Check that you have all the pages when you receive the book, so you dont get screwed by Amazon's return policy if you don't happen to read the darn thing front to back in the first 30 days...$LABEL$0 +I thought "The Bodyguard" was the worst until I heard this... This soundtrack is even worse than "The Bodyguard". Both are schmaltzy, overblown portrayals of unrealistic love. "My Heart WIll Go On" is the equivalent of "I Will Always Love You"--loud, laborous, over-played but with no feeling. Crap$LABEL$0 +Boring and repetetive. I found the second season rather boring and repetitive. There are no new ideas. My wife and I stopped watching after the third disk.$LABEL$0 +Sorry, But I like Her Earlier Works!. I read the first 50-60 pages and gave up. I am glad that I got this book from the library.I found it to be too convoluted, and could not find a character that I enjoyed enough to try and get through the rest of this book. I am still not clear on the cross dresser double personality thing.I love Jennifer Cruise, and have read all of her books, but I really like her earlier ones. It seems like the last couple I have read just don't quite measure up to those. She seems to be trying to top herself, and to my mind, getting so far out there that her books are no longer quite so enjoyable. I generally consider this genre to be "lighter" reading. Something to enjoy while I relax after work.In this book I could not even keep track of the characters. I just could not get into it. If you are a fan of Welcom to Temptation, Tell Me Lies, and Crazy for You, I do not think that you will enjoy this book.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS!. My scanner never worked. The software cannot find the scanner(or the connection.) I studied all the documentation and downloaded the fix program from hp's website, but it still doesn't work.(It was good that they have a "fix" program on their web site to fix this problem, but is it means that they know this product is not perfect?) The so called warrantee for the 3200 model is not protect me at all. No email support. Phone support cost me $2.5/Min by calling a 900 number. To get it repaired, you have to CALL the tech support($2.5/min) to convience them it was the hardware probelm(their problems), not other problems(my problems).... I gave up. and I will never buy any hp product any more.$LABEL$0 +works well. After returning a Virgin model of the same type of radio, I was wondering if I'd ever find one that worked! Well, this one does...the battery has lasted over 3 weeks, the reception is decent, and it's so lightweight that you do forget you're wearing it. I recommend this Sony, if you are looking for a simple way to listen to music while you are at the gym, beach, etc...$LABEL$1 +Sound of Thunder. This is one of the worst movie I have ever seen. Its special effects are poor and it is hard to understand what is happening. A lot of the film is totally dark and it is almost impossible to know what is going on. And the dinosaurs were terrible this is a real picture movie, and the use creatures look totally unrealistic and creatures that never existed. And its special effects would have been outdated 10 years ago. I hated this movie.$LABEL$0 +Great Weight Training for 50 Plus Adults. This video is fun and at a great pace to get back in to caring for your body. The videos inserted between the exercises give one time to catch their breath. The spots that the various exercises tone are explained in detail.$LABEL$1 +Great Anime - Crap DVD ed.... very good movie - 4 stars!but this us edition only contains the english dub!!!(and got very poor picture quality...)$LABEL$0 +Very disappointed. I bought this Stanley 20 oz. Thermos/Food Jar for my husband. We live in a very cold climate and he welcomes something hot for lunch when his job is such that he works outside all the time no matter what the weather. This Stanley has not worked. He says it does not keep the food hot. For the price I paid, I would have expected a better product. I had purchased one a few years back and it seemed to work for a few years. Needless to say, I am disappointed in wasting money.$LABEL$0 +Gods green Earth. What on Gods green Earth would have R.J. approve of such horrible art work? I am not convinced in the least, that the artist/s even read the WoT series. To qualify myself, I am an avid fan of RJ's work and have read the entire series 4 times now, I am sure I now know what the characters are supposed to look like. Within the covers of this illustrated guide, is perhaps the worst depiction of character resemblance I have ever SEEN!!! It turns my stomach. As an example, Lanfear is described in the series repeatedly as possibly one of the most beautiful women ever... In the Guide, she looks like a pigs behind!! Due to the poor quality of the art, I find it very difficult to even read the contents. I guess I will just have to keep waiting for Path of Daggers!! If you want to see excellant drawings based on the the Wheel of Time series, I suggest checking out the work of Richard Boye and/or Dragonluv on the web... at least they read the series. -Kinslayer$LABEL$0 +jack. I have a 42"panasonic plasma that I decided to hang on a wall. After shopping around and educating myself with various choices I decided on the Sanus vmpl50b. Amazonas usual had a great price and I had the mount the same week on regular FREE shipping. The product is easy to install and is of excellent quality. Very heavy gauge steel.My set is about 40lbs. so it easily holds my T.V. and much more. A word of caution for Panasonic users. This mount allegedly holds up to a 56"set but my 42" just fit withnothing to spare. That is because the Panasonic mounting screws are very wide spread only a few inches from the sides. The mounting bar is only 29" long so be careful.But if your set fits it's a great wall mount.$LABEL$1 +Very Short and Very Specialized. In my opinion, this is probably most suited for the most severe cases, but the book is short and cheap.$LABEL$0 +fragile. I bought this 5x5 for my fiance. He was a bit frustrated since he wanted 3x3. Well you will definately find 5x5 more difficult and I guess my fiance didn't like such a challenge. However it's a good challenge and he'll try to solve it after I get a 3x3 one first. :) He found 5x5 very fragile. You just have to get used to it. Otherwise, it's a nice thing to have and entertain your guests. :)$LABEL$1 +Cauldron. It started slow but gained momentum. The story is very good. I'm having a hard time putting my Kindle Fire down at night$LABEL$1 +This "Ghostbusters" is still a cheap knock off. I remember seeing one episode of this as a little girl, and being confused and disappointed that it was not a continuation of the awesome movie starring Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd.I could not understand why there were two ghostbuster cartoons that looked so different, both in character, content and plot quality.Now, at least I understand why the original franchise relabeled themselves "The Real Ghostbusters" to avoid any confusion with this wretched series. The cartoony ghosts and ghostbusting gorila do absolutely nothing for the plot. I honestly cannot see how this series was made considering the original one was the big money and merchandise maker.Even after all of these years, the series is still a waste of time for people expecting to see something like the movie. Save yourselves time and money and just look for the other series.$LABEL$0 +Available, though not on Amazon. i Googled this, and found it on another site:[...].I never got to see "Tonka" on tv or screen, as a kid all i had was a book of it. but i too was taken by the story, and it has remained an interest since then, perhaps sparking my lifelong interest in American Indian history and heritage. Also, not far from where we live here in Kansas, is the museum in Lawrence where the (badly) stuffed remains of Comanche are on exhibit. I always found it rather funny that he is positioned in his glass case with hindquarters facing the room, as though he wants to protect the many NA greats pictured in the case he faces.$LABEL$1 +A Trip Down Memory Lane. I remember when I was very little (can't believe I actually remember it that far), my parents bought me this album on cassette. It reminds me of both times my family and I went to Walt Disney World. I lost the cassette tape years ago, and I was surprised to find this album on CD, so I had to order it. The renditions of classic Disney songs are fantastic. Olivia Newton-John's rendition of "Part of Your World" is just beautiful. The Disney Big Band medley of "The Mickey Mouse Club" and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" reminds me of my recent trip to WDW. And, "Remember the Magic" as sung by Brian McKnight always brings joyful tears to my eye. Highly recommended by me to any Disney fan out there. It's well worth the money. Now I have something relaxing to listen to while doing homework in my small college dorm room.$LABEL$1 +Perfect!. Love them! They work perfectly! I bought them for my husband and he uses them every time he wears a tie, and comments on how well he likes them almost every time!$LABEL$1 +Great Ring!. This ring is beautiful. I've had it for about a month now and it still shines! There is a very small gap between the rings, but I don't see what the problem with that is (it is two rings after all)! Everyone that I have shown it to cannot tell that it is not real. There is some wear on the side of the ring that rubs the other but its on the inside where you don't see it. I use it as my wedding set and wear it everyday with no discoloration and wash my hands with it on with no problems. This is a beautiful ring and I would highly recommend it :)$LABEL$1 +Chilling and awakening.. This excellently researched and lucidly written dissection of the development and activities of the Psychiatric establishment was immediately a favorite. If Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward met Stephen King and pursued the trail of madness and subsidized chaos they could not have surpassed Mr. Wiseman's straightforward and gripping exposition of the development of influence and and power by the Psyciatric elite. Here he lays out clearly the methods in creating madness, subsidy and more madness. I cannot recommend this highly enough as an enjoyable and enlightening addition to the aware and concerned person's library.$LABEL$1 +has quality but no plot. I am not sure why I saw this movie, its not usually the kind of movie I like. I probably just was in a bad mood and wanted to see loads of pale people in dark clothes, blood, full moon and rainy streets. So far, so good. It is a well made story, though I am not sure what the story is. It is entertaining and it makes some effort with creating an appropriate atmosphere including the way it is told by a narrator. The movie has some highlights (I esp. like the scene where half of his head slips off) but it lacks from the absence of a "hero(ine)" or whatever central character to identify with. It would make a good pc-game without much alteration.$LABEL$1 +Standing Next to History. This book gave some very interesting and revealing insight into the Secret Services' job of providing protection to the highest officers of our government. After some rocky beginnings when holders of high office were either killed or wounded or suffered some close calls from those who want to kill this nation's leaders the Secret Service is doing much better. It would provide a fine career for young, intelligent, dedicated persons.$LABEL$1 +Yuck!. I expected a dark, terse, exciting horror film. Instead, I got this. Now, no offense to the people who made it, but this was the most disappointing film since...(twenty seconds later)...since...Anyhow, I didn't like it. It didn't scary me at all (okay, the scene with Noah, Samara, and the TV was a LITTLE bit creepy). Actually, I thought it was more comedy than horror, such as the scene my friends and I have dubbed "The Suicidal Demon Horse Scene!" (I cracked up when I saw that, not that there's anything funny horses die).And another thing! People in horror movie's are SO STUPID. It really ticks me off. I was near the end of the movie, and Rachel (was that her name?) was trapped in the well, and she finds (spoilers) and I'm like "WHY THE HECK DID YOU WATCH THAT STUPID TAPE IN THE FIRST PLACE!?"There were really two things I liked. The premise (inspired idea) and the scene where we see the video. That was my favorite scene, hands down. Wait, no... Suicidal Demon Horse!!Is "Ringu" better?$LABEL$0 +Beautiful..absolutly breath-taking. Never has there been a tale quite so epic, so emotional, and thought provoking. Dante, has done what no one else has dared to do, take us on a guided tour of hell, purgatory, and paradise. He makes you believe and fear the real thing. This story will stand for another 700 years as one of the single most important literary works of all time.$LABEL$1 +stay away from it. this book is not even good for the beginners. it dumps the code without any good explanation. there are also many errors which will cause the beginners endless pains when they try to test the examples. to the author: please write something you REALLY know, and practice on daily basis. TIA.$LABEL$0 +Beyond bathroom literature. This may actually be the worst book ever written. There's really not much more to say about it. It's just that bad.$LABEL$0 +Where is the rack and other two jars I thought I ordered. Very disppointed. Please change the image in the listing. Very misleading. I would have ordered something else if knew that only one jar was being sent!$LABEL$0 +best game for gamecube so far!!!. Great game with great features....many things to unlock such as almost 300 trophies, great 1p. and 1p.-4p. modes such giant melee!,zoom in on and look around on a paused screen and even take snap shots of that screen in a special melee mode!,and good graphics.$LABEL$1 +Should be titled Statistics While Yawning. I had to read this book for a statistics class I'm taking and it was the most painful experience I've ever had while reading a book. Most of the time it felt like I was reading, "blah blah blah blah blah." No there weren't tears, but I was definitely yawning throughout the whole thing. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night recently and couldn't get back to sleep so I picked up this book and started reading. It worked great in helping me get back to sleep. This book is NOT for the average, normal person. It's pretty much for Derek Rowntree alone. He's the only one who would really find the things he's written of interest. He makes statistics a bore and I normally love math. DON'T get this book and if you're a professor/instructor PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't make your students read it. Unless of course you pride yourself on being the most hated professor...in which case assigning this book should do the trick!$LABEL$0 +Great Buy. These were a nice set of knives and quite sharp. We were quite impressed by the quality for the price. These items should all be hand-washed since the dishwasher can dull the edges very quickly.The knives are stainless steel in color, and come in a nice black block. The weight of the knives were decent (not too heavy, nor too light). It makes a wonderful addition to every kitchen.$LABEL$1 +An Entertaining Legal Thriller. This is the second in the 'Chambers of Justice' series by Craig Parshall. As with the first one, this is well done.The plot centers around the child welfare authorities trying to remove parental custody based on an allegation of terrible child abuse. There are many twists and turns throughout. The courtroom drama is great as is the rest.In addition to being a legal thriller, this book explores many spiritual issues. The lead character, Will Chambers is a fledgling Christian who is working on his spiritual life in addition to the action in the main storyline. That part is well done also.I will certainly be checking out more books in this series. I recommend this book, but readers should probably start with 'The Resurrection File', which is the first one in this collection.$LABEL$1 +Dremel Router Bits. I used the round over bit to finish off some wooden puzzles. It performed very well. Limitations of the Dremel and the bits means you have to be careful with the feed rate. However, the bit performed very well.$LABEL$1 +Great for students!. I find this documentary very inspiring, and I personally really like it. I showed to to my students in my geography for ELLs class, and they all loved it too! Their reactions to the movie were impressionable and very thoughtful.$LABEL$1 +Do Not Buy. This product claimed to work with both PC and MAC. It did not. I comes with nothing to install it onto your computers and it comes with nothing to actually connect your computers to the product. You end up spending more money and it still doesn't work.$LABEL$0 +The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is wonderful!. I bought this book because my sons and I (6 & 8) have been choosing classics to read through. We have been loving this book - it is easy reading yet very entertaining for both my sons and myself.$LABEL$1 +Throwing pearls before geeks. This DVD presents and incomparable collection of historic dance clips. But whoever is behind Dancetime Publications hasn't got a clue about handling historical material. They ripped out the original soundtracks and replaced them with a ragtime piano track that has nothing to do with either the rhythm of the dancers or the music of the periods. Get this DVD --- because I know of no other source to see these dance clips --- but be prepared to turn the sound off, and wonder how anyone could have blown it this bad in their concept of historical preservation.$LABEL$0 +broken after used 4 times. this item is not lasting. I used it four times and it breaks with leaking. The warranty is only for one month. I would not recommend it.$LABEL$0 +Hackman's Great. Gene Hackman is not handsome or suave. He isn't a tough guy in the mold of Bogart or Cagney though he has a manly presence. He doesn't have a romantic persona on screen, but somehow he carries off a believable middle-age romance with Ann Margret in Twice in a Lifetime. Well, who wouldn't if the object of affection was Ann-Margret?When a man leaves his family after fifty, dumps his wife, lovely Ellen Burstyn, and separates himself from his angry daughter, Amy Madigan of the short hair do and Ally Sheedy of the Brat Pack fame, well, all hell breaks lose. If blue collar, Mariner and Sea Hawk rooting, Harry MacKenzie wants a second chance at love, he has to face the wrath of all those that love him.This is an uncharacteristic look at middle-age divorce and love so rare in a Hollywood film. Harry has wrought a moral and ethical riddle. The audience will have to decide.$LABEL$1 +Simple and very functional. We were looking for a desk for our son's room. This one was the right size and I expect will be able to grow with him through the school years. One slight disappointment we had was the cover for the keyboard tray is attached to the desk and not the tray as some are. This limits the use of the tray as a drawer which we had intended since the son in question is not yet old enough for a computer.That said, this is still a good desk for the money.$LABEL$1 +Not for everyone.. This a great tool if you work on cars. But it tends to over read the OBD1 cars. You have to learn how to use it,it's more than just plug it in and read it. When you use it on OBD1 one problem can cause more than one code to show, that doesn't mean you have more than one problem even though it looks that way. I still like this reader, but it's not for everybody. Great price on Amazon.$LABEL$1 +Gabby Reece's book Rocks!. I loved reading BIg Girl in the Middle! I was amazed to find that Gabrielle Reece was more fascinating than I thought she'd be. The girl is witty, beautiful, and she has some pretty deep thoughts on a lot of things-and a great deal of insight to back it all up! I think she should seriously be considered as a good example of a role model for girls, and some people out there would probably be better off if they acted more like her!$LABEL$1 +Getting Ready to Share Old Photos. I am getting ready to put together a disc of all the old photographs I have of our family and share them with others!$LABEL$1 +No good. I bought this EH40 on July 2012 for my water heater. It's easy to install and program, just read the instructions. When I was done programing it, and let it do its work I noticed 3 hours later the time was off and the timer programs I had put in where erased. Because it has an AA batery, I installed a brand new one hoping this solved the problem.Programed the timer again and the next day the same thing. The time was off and could not access the programing area beacuse it seemed frozen. I reseted, and placed it on manual and turned the heater on for 3 days and did not disconfigurate. After those 3 days, i programed the timer again and the same thing happend, lost all configuration. I called Intermatic and they were of no help. Started reading online for ways to solve the issue and some people say it's electric noise that scrambles the information. Some say that's not right and just stay away from this product.So now I have a $70.00 on-off manual water heater switch.$LABEL$0 +Double Duty Product: Best for Removing Long Last Lip Color. I use these pads every day for effortless removal of long lasting lip color such as Cover Girl Outlast, Revlon Colorstay Overtime and Max Factor Lipfinity. The pads are very thin and are saturated with an oil-based liquid.They are also good for removing waterproof mascara, but they do leave oily residue around the eyes. For that reason, when I wear regular non-waterproof mascara, I prefer to take it off with the other formula of Almay eye makeup remover pads that are non-oily.Both of these Almay products are great for travel as they are lightweight, thin and you can put several pads in a zip-lok baggie without taking up much space at all. I've used both formulas for many years and am very happy with them.$LABEL$1 +Rechargeable battery not sold in US. One reason I chose this player is because it claims to be rechargeable through USB. But to do so, you need a recahrgeable battery, aaa/r03/um-4, which seems not to be sold in the US. I tried the other type of recahrgeable battery that is sold in US, but didn't work.If I knew this, I would have bought other player from established brand.$LABEL$0 +Do not purchase this item. I purchased this vacuum based on the reviews I read, so obviously I thought it would a good and lasting product but NOOOO!!! About a 1 year later it's not picking up like it use to and now two years later the vacuum sucks it clogs up and shuts off completely after 5 minutes. Now I have to purchase a new vacuum and it will not be a Dirt Devil.....$LABEL$0 +...one of the best..!!. After browsing his homepage, I started to look for his book in book store and finally got it. As same from the title, Tropical Blend, so pics inside this book has trees, forest, or beach..really tropical!!. So, now I put his book on my bed side table, which I can flip it after work or beside rest. This is one of the best on my collection..!! Don't miss it..!!$LABEL$1 +Very dissapointed!!. OMG, I received this product yesterday, and It did not work at all!! Anyone who buy this product will be very frustrated.$LABEL$0 +An excellent Spanish dictionary. Maria Moliner's dictionary is the most comprehensive and up-to-date product in its class. As the above reviewer notes, it contains a wealth of entries, secondary meanings, etymology, and a diversity of usage examples that truly reflect the Spanish language of the present day. This product also comes in CD version, which adds convenience since it enables users to work with it within a word processing software package.Given its numerous outstanding features, Maria Moliner's dictionary is, undoubtedly, one of the most useful tools on the Spanish language writer's desk.$LABEL$1 +Great value and flexibility for the price. I have a larger router and shop built router table and wanted an smaller router for hand held use and general backup. For this price is is like getting a router table, a plunge router and an fixed base for about the price I paid for my 3HP router. The table is not the best in the world but better than any other less than $100 that I have seen. I set it up with a different bit than my main table and can easily pass from one to another. In fact, I can set this table on my larger one as needed. It includes both 1/4 and 1/2 inch collets. Very versatile.$LABEL$1 +Just plain awful. I was required to read this book in an English class, almost back-to-back with the Crucible and the Scarlet Letter. Depressing reading about repressed people -- run if you can!$LABEL$0 +would have been better is not for marketing. There are three problems with the movie. The first of which is lighting. Ok I know is a victorian prision and it not going be the best lit place in the world, but its also just a movie so realism is not needed. The second is the structure its a bit hard to follow all the flash backs, and some extra footage puting sceans into greating contex would be been welcomed. The third is marking, as the ending shows and if follow the drug use of one main characters, its the story of one most brutal assults I have ever seen. This is what makes the book and movie much better then somthing one would see on American over the air tv or the laughable lifetime nextwork.$LABEL$0 +Great Vacuum. I just received this week the Bissell Healthy Home. I had read previous reviews and was somewhat skeptical. I really like the performance of the vacuum. I did not find it to be to heavy to push nor was it noisy. I like the long hose. The suction is very good and works much better on bare floors than my old Hoover Wind Tunnel. For the price, it is a great machine.$LABEL$1 +Great for the purpose I bought it for!. It is a durable product, considering it is inflatable around the outside. The inside is mesh, allowing the water to come through for a great cooling experience in the pool.$LABEL$1 +PATHETIC. This is the worst program ever.It gets beat in every category by word.This is overpriced garbage that has many bugs and kinks.Corel puts out a terrible product at a horrible price.IF YOU ARE BUYING A DELL PAY THE FEE TO UPGRADE TO WORD. It cost a little more now but it is better than alot more later!$LABEL$0 +The Majestic. I normally don't care for Jim Carrey's acting but heard this was good. Boy werethey right. He played a serious role and since I went to school in the 50's, thiswas really enjoyable to me. I ordered the CD because I liked the music in the movie so much. Movie and CD are great in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +Loved this book. I bought this for my mom because her library didn't carry it. I had gotten it from my library and thought it was wonderful.$LABEL$1 +Amazing piece of work. DVD]]]Amazing Stories - The Complete First SeasonPlease, some-one in authority, tell us when we will be able to buy the complete second series of this amazing series. I'm down on my hands and k nees and pleading for this great final of an amazing set of stories. cheers, robert$LABEL$1 +Beware: this is NOT Abbado's Deutsche Grammophon recording!. This recording was made during a live performance in Florence in May 1971, whereas the DG version was recorded in September 1971. The soloists of both productions are exactly the same, but the orchestral and choral forces are not. The recorded sound of the Florence production is quite awful (extremely "boxy", bothersome "humming" sound virtually throughout).$LABEL$0 +Cruise control switch replacement. The membrane covering my cruise control switches,on my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport, had deteriorated. The Ford dealer proudly announced he could replace them for $230.00. I found them at Amazon for $53.00. Four days later armed with a screwdriver, needle nose pliers and an 8mm socketand a 12 wrench for the battery, and 20 minutes I had the new switches installed. They were great, work as they should and I did the happy dance.$LABEL$1 +The score: Killers 1000, irony 0. The main word that comes to mind is "refreshing". While I'm not a victim, I have been a serious rock fan for 40 years. Was getting bored with the current scene of the last 10 years and bought this as a last-ditch effort to see what's up. Well kids, the game has been raised! How great is it to see a group of musicians enjoying themselves, enjoying the music, with NO wink-wink, clique-ish snobbery - just total comittment to the show. If you're losing your faith in Rock, visit the Albert Hall footage and REPENT!$LABEL$1 +awesome book. This book is a really good read. I have enjoyed it so far. I MUST admit I am not perfect (as we all know no one is), but it is such a great guideline and a must have for those who are serious about their health. I love the fact that it is from a Biblical view point . So many things were mentioned that I would have never though of. Again, it is a great book. I hope it is enjoyed as much by others.$LABEL$1 +Best for voip telephony. This is a great phone for voip, the quality is great, battery lasts long, and lot of options on the menu, the porcess to create a skype account is very easy and you can save a lot of money on international calls...$LABEL$1 +what a very cool album. I really love thic cd, and i also love the other one's that this group have made of course, i recommend anyone that likes to listen to this mexican group to buy it, since it contains alot of the old songs that they made back in the 1970's to the 1980's and until this new millenium.$LABEL$1 +EVERY MARYLAND AND ACC FAN WILL LOVE IT!. Having grown up in Maryland and evolved into an ACC basketball fanatic (even attending dreaded NC State), Cole Classics brought back wonderful memories of idols, games and the cold, crisp days of college basketball on Tobacco Road. I kept turning pages and saying, "Oh yeah, I remember him"! From great triumphs to mind-boggling losses, it all came back with a smile and a story for MY young kids. Fantastic reading, great stories and even greater memories!$LABEL$1 +Not what I thought. I was recommended this by a friend but sadly it's not the story of a small water mammal who, in the throes of existential crisis, rescues his tiny community on the banks of the Thame from a series of rapacious raids by mink led by the evil Bliar.I suppose it's all very well for those who like this sort of thing, but it's not really reading as such, is it?$LABEL$0 +Excellent Action! Powerful Plot Line Keeps you guessing. This is an excellent action movie, which the plot line keeps you guessing until the end. Ironically it stars a lesser known action star Douglas, who really makes this an excellent movie.$LABEL$1 +As seen on TV! Over 1.5 Million readers SCAMMED. If you saw the infomercial, and want to want to line the pockets of this huckster even further, then this is the 570 page waste of time you've been waiting for!Don't drink the water! Don't eat the food, Stop taking your medications! And then subscribe to his "newsletter" at an addition $$$$ and you'll live to be 200 years old.Personally, I'd rather die happy at an earlier age than live longer and unhappy in a perpetual state of "Natural cure" paranoia.If you want a good simple book of natural cures then read: Doctor's Book of Home Remedies: Simple, Doctor-Approved Self-Care Solutions for 146 Common Health Conditions from the editor of Prevention Magazine.$LABEL$0 +NEW 70'S MUSIC TO ME. I got this last week never having heard of it and with no review's i took a chance and i am glad i did. This is a 2 cd set with cd #2 being live. It is really hard to define there music but there is some very good guitar playing especially in the live cd. The muscian's are tight i guess you could say they play a lot of different music pop/rock/a little country/blue's very good stuff. If you want to try something new from the 70's i would suggest this. I like to find old stuff from that time period that i like and this was worth the price. The opening of the story behind Mendelbaum on the liner note's state's mendelbaum was different. Musically led by the lighting fast ripping lick's of chris michie's cherry red 1968 gibson sg special. He write's most of the song's and his solo's are tight. There are five member's in the band guitar organ bass keyboard's and drum's. Very fresh music from the 70's i hope you like it as much as i have good stuff.$LABEL$1 +Incredibly fun but not incredibly durable. I bought 2 of these. They fly very very well right out of the box but make sure you don't throw them anywhere that they can hit something hard like a tree or concrete. They're both still flying, but one is harder to make go far distances because it's got some wear on it lolExtremely fun to play with though if you've got the open space to throw them.$LABEL$1 +Why Pan and Scan?. The Journey Of Natty Gann is the story about the adventures of a young woman from Chicago who is on the road to find her father who was sent all the way to Washington to work. Along the way, she befriends a wolf-dog(the same animal that played in the 1991 film White Fang), and a drifter. The bad thing about this dvd version is that it is only in pan and scan when it should be widescreen. We are only seeing half of the picture! DvDs were developed to make movies look as good on television screens as they did when they first came out in theaters. It is a matter of choice, but I refuse to buy any DVD, Disney included, that is not in its correct aspect ratio, and I urge anyone who feels the same way to contact them and try to get them to release a widescreen version of this movie.$LABEL$0 +Great!. This is an excellent book for any age. I would recommend it to anyone. When David's girlfreind Senna (hence the title) disappears at the end of the dock, he and four other freinds must rescue her, even if it means travelling to another universe to find her. The only thing some of you might not like about it is that some of the things are a little hard-to-believe. I don't have a problem with that kind of stuff, it's just that I know some people don't like those kinds of things. (I'm just warning you)$LABEL$1 +Left me without lights. After properly replacing my both my sockets, I drove for less than to hours with my head lights on, when I found that the low beam contacts both melted, and my lights simply went out.$LABEL$0 +I was a little disappointed. This light works good, but I was a little dissappointed in the "belt-clip" that was supposed to "conveniently hook" to my belt. The one I received won't clip to anything, and near as I can figure, you need another part of the "system" to attach to your belt for it to work. Now I'll have to find that part or else jury-rig something...$LABEL$1 +Well.... This is, of course, typical BBB house. He hits Chicago style, does some booty and then the guessable disco grooves that he's known for. Bad Boy Bill fans will love the album.One reviewer stated that "if you are looking for progressive house" that you shouldn't look to Bill. Well no kidding. BBB doesn't PLAY progressive. However, neither do Sasha and Digweed. That's called progressive and melodic trance.Please learn your genres before you go slamming an artist.$LABEL$1 +"The lyrical King, from Da' Boogie Down Bronx!!". "Commentating, illustrating/ description given, adjective expert..." were the eye opening, jaw dropping, opening words on the ground-breaking, mega Hip-Hop classic, hit-single "IT'S YOURS". Although the lyrics on "IT'S YOURS" were written by his older brother "SPECIAL K" (member of the Treacherous 3), T La Rock would later team up with producer extraordinaire and master of the beat "MANTRONIK", and put out a string of classic hits through out the mid '80's. T is better known for his superb lyrical eloquence and metaphor mechanics (and giving birth to LL's original style of rap. Just listen to his first album closely). Super Rapper T La Rock has NEVER recorded a wack record. All his joints are "Funky Fresh"! This CD contains nothing less than classic, raw, B-Boy material. This is Hip-Hop in it's purest , rawest form. In T La Rock's own words "strong lyrics, no gimmicks, no yes, yes, ya'll!"$LABEL$1 +does not ship in 24 hours. don't know anything about the phone or service, but i ordered the package from amazon on dec. 2 and it has not yet shipped. it's the 17th today. i elected to use super saver shipping. big mistake. pay the extra 10 dollars and hope you have better luck than me.$LABEL$0 +Excellent video, I watch it again and again. This is an exceptional representation of Navy SEAL training. The video goes into extraordinary detail, and really makes you understand what these young men go through. Despite its length, I have watched it upwards of five times. Each time I find it educational, impressive, and inspiring. After seeing this film you understand why less than 20% of BUD/S trainees make it through, and why less than 0.5% of soldiers in the Navy are SEALs.Also highly recommended for anyone considering applying to BUD/S. It certainly lets you know what you are getting into.$LABEL$1 +please print this review for others to read!. i cant say enough bad things about this cd. it sucks. please dont waste your money like i did. super cheesy lyrics, bad guitar playing, bad vocals, everything is wrong here. and who is the 'tard who produced this crap? he needs a beatin'. go buy blink 182 instead and don't waste your money on imposters.$LABEL$0 +What happened to Bone Thugs. This is a major drop off in quality from the old days. Not horrible but not too good either. 2.5Top TracksReal LifeWhat's FriendsEveryday$LABEL$0 +Delightfully punny!. I sat down with my 7-year old as we took turns reading the clever, witty little poem puns. I found myself laughing at the end of each pun, & my daughter occasionally stopping a moment, thinking, & finally laughing herself as she "got" the punchline. But, most of the puns she got right away. And if the 30 poems aren't reason enough to purchase this book, on the last page of the book the author/teacher includes a Word Play Guide to point out the language skill each of the poems employ (pun, idiom, personification, etc.). Making it an excellent teaching tool.$LABEL$1 +ha, first review. this album kills all. get it, for god's sake!!! I swear, you won't be disappointed.standout tracks include The Leaving Song Part II, death of Seasons, and ...but home is nowhere.$LABEL$1 +tis a catholic rosary. just received this booklet. I have prayed the Catholic rosary for about 20 some years butwanted to learn the episcopal/anglican way. this book is not that---it is a booklet on the CATHOLICrosary [nothing against catholicism] and do not appreciate being misled--or so it seems--by thetitle.$LABEL$0 +Quality peice of jewelry.. I sent this to my Daughter as a gift. She really likes it and said it is very sturdy, especially the hinge, and it is big enough for two small cutout pictures of my Granddaughters. She wears it all the time, one of her favorite pieces of jewelry.$LABEL$1 +You do not know, how much of a surprise when I received this stockpot, yes, I will leave it and do with it for dinner today! Alt. You do not know, how much of a surprise when I received this stockpot, yes, I will leave it and do with it for dinner today! Although it's at the bottom of two small sand hole, but I do not care! I like its color, and its arc is happy the way!$LABEL$1 +great collection!. what you have here is a collection of JLO videos, for die-hard fans, and for people who just like collecting such stuff, this dvd will be a great thing to add to your collection, every single video looks just amazing, from the concept, to the dance. As someone here mentioned in the 5.1 dolbi surround you can hear the uncesored version of Play video, but this only is you have a home theatre, on your PC the sound will be awful. The thing that is really dissapointing is that not all of her videos are included, only one version of If you had my love (not a problem though for those who have the Feelin So Good dvd), of Waiting for tonight, Jenny from the block, All I have and Baby I Love U! Well nothin can be perfect, but this is not really a minus, its just a bit dissapointing, this shold've been a full collection, but...Still its a true must have for everyone! Its not about voice or something, this is just about the videos, and lets be honest Miss Lopez does this GREAT$LABEL$1 +Not for me. Pillow feels squishy and soft - until you put it on the bed and try to sleep on it. Too much fill, not enough give. Too big for under my neck, causing my head to be at an awkward angle. Gave it three days, went back to my old pillow.Might be good for someone with a bigger frame than me, or likes a very firm pillow.$LABEL$0 +Idiots Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles. This book is packed with very helpful information. It is current and includes sections addressing the internet's role in magazine publishing, however the authors have devised cute section headings that make it difficult to use as a reference tool. I also noticed a focus on travel writing-so if that is your interest this book is for you. If you want a good no-frills intro to magazine publishing I would suggest "Writing and Selling Magazine Articles," by Eva Shaw.$LABEL$1 +Excellent CD. I was really surprised that the Offspring could come back and make a great CD. Americana wasn't that great, and I hesitated in buying this CD, but ended up getting it for Christmas. This is a great CD for anyone who loves punk rock, and I think it's a must have for any Offspring fan.$LABEL$1 +Extremely dull read. While I appreciate the originality of the effort, it makes for a very tedious dull read. I can see this working better as a TV show and even then it is a stretch.$LABEL$0 +Nice gun, awful instructions. Gun feels very solid. Has a nice metal barrel and clips. Took a while to figure out the battery goes in the ris. Do not like how the ris kinda block the gun sights though. So I took ris off and installed grenade launcher. Took a while but I got it on and it was sturdy, no wobbles. Problem was that I could not find where the battery is installed in grenade launcher. If anyone knows please let me know. Ended up taking grenade launcher off and putting the grip on with ris. Did not put the sling on yet. After the hard time with the gun instructions I will battle the sling instructions another day.I do have a cm023 I got of amazon and I do like this gun better.$LABEL$1 +poor value, get this music & more on other CD's. There is much good music here but some of this 3 cd box set CD is duplicated on the more recent released single CD's "West Coast Jazz", "The Steamer" & "Award Winner". Those CD's, better mixes with more bits, contain less duplication of outtakes and more other songs, particularly more ballads (see my reviews).For the same price, the prudent Getz collector will get the three Cool classics listed above, instead.This music is mostly faster bebop.$LABEL$0 +Lots of fun and good for your mind!. This is a great toy for just about any age. It really gets you thinking, yet it's satisfying enough to keep your interest and it will not discourage small children as easily as some puzzles. Highly recommended!!$LABEL$1 +does what is says. I found this product while in maui. I love it! It makes your skin soft and turns your skin a deep dark brown.$LABEL$1 +Ridiculously good.. The lens is solid, easy to use and ridiculously sharp at all f-stops. It makes my Sony cameras better than they were. I recommend it for people who need this focal length for their portrait and still life work. The focus (same as in every macro lens) will be too slow to use for sports. But that's not why one buys this particular lens!$LABEL$1 +Excellent Service. I was VERY pleased with the product and the service. My order arrived within 3 days of my placing my order and I didn't ask for any type of express shipping. Bravo!!$LABEL$1 +The best mouse for gamer.. I have two mouse Logitech; the MX518 and the G5; but I prefer the G5 for their comfort; soft slip and answer speed; also the precision of their laser$LABEL$1 +Hello, it's 2011? Where is the DVD?. I've never seen this movie, but have read the book at least 3 times as it's one of my favorite stories. I'd really like to see it, but my VHS no longer works and well as everyone will agree VHS is ancient history these days. That is the only reason for the one star is because it has not come out on DVD. Come on and release in DVD! I cannot believe this isn't out in DVD format. It's ridiculous considering what movies do get put on DVD.$LABEL$0 +Audiovox Goes to Maine. We recently took a road trip to Maine with our two children ages 11 and 14. I purchased 2 Audiovox DVD players and 2 cases that attach to the head rests. It was great! We took quite a few movies with us and the trip went so fast for the kids. They were easy to operate and the bonus was the ipod doc. I recommend these Audiovox DVD players to everyone with kids. They are fabulous. The screen quality is excellent and the sound is too. Oh and the kids love having thier own remotes to operate it. As I always say....happy kids...happy parents! Thank you. Mrs. S. Brown - Tenafly, NJ$LABEL$1 +slap me when it's over. this is a boring read for me. too much revelry in describing everything and i mean everything. no shortage of new characters. they come and go one after another. i just wanted to get to Dracula! pacing leaves a lot to be desired. mid-read, i skipped pages when there's no action going on (believe me, still describing and describing....on and on and on....) and headed for the climax. guess what? did not miss a thing.$LABEL$0 +What a Disappointment!. I had looked forward to this book very much. I am fascinated with books and their history, and the background and subject matter give this book an entirely different level for enjoyment.But I have had it with the hero: Alex Plumtree who is beginning to look more and more like the world's biggest patsy. The things which happen to him, mostly brought about by people who "have been sworn to secrecy" or who "just want to protect him" boggle the imagination. It's time he stood up to his "friends" and said, "Enough already." Unless of course he enjoys being the fool.$LABEL$0 +Great tool. We had two cheap department store pepper mills that were driving me crazy. I love to cook and if you're making a large pot of anything or seasoning a roast to go in the oven it took forever to get enough pepper ground. In addition, I have carpal tunnel so not only was I frustrated, it was painful too! I didn't particularly want to spend $50-$100 to get a really "good" pepper mill. This pepper mill, like all the Oxo products I've tried, is well made and extremely well designed for doing the job it was meant for with maximum comfort and maximum efficiency. Thank goodness there are companies like Oxo!$LABEL$1 +old batteries. the batteries that they sent me was older than the one i had in my phone, and would not hold a charge. they did try to fix the problem by sending me replacements (3 total) and the last one was a little better that the one that was in my phone.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful intro to music of Portugal's former African colonies. I lucked into this CD for free(!), and I am so glad. It introduced me to Cesaria Evora and other fabulous artists from these countries. The beats are infectious, the music often haunting and always interesting. It's still in regular rotation in my home. I recommend it highly!$LABEL$1 +Belly ache laughing type of funny. Bought this DVD for my kids (10,8,6,4 & 2) after watching the Flintstones movie on tv from the mid-90's. We watched season 1 in the car in route to the beach and I have NEVER heard my kids laugh so hard. It's clean, good fun for the whole family without any sexual/inappropriate undertones as you find in most kids shows/movies.$LABEL$1 +Poor Release of Movie. I found this movie very poor and totally a waste of my time. It's plot needs to be rewritten and it does not contain a deeper meaning. The ending was very disapointing and without proper conclusion. Denzel Washington did a great job playing the detective and John Goodman is a very good actor yet the other charaters did not do thier job and was poorly acted. My recommendation is to stay away from this movie and save your money. Buy somthing that has a good plot. D- is my rating$LABEL$0 +vulgar, disgusting, and hysterical!. definately not for the timid or sensative listener. i love his music! he is funny as anything and has a great voice. hes unafraid to sing about the twisted and bizare. it also doesnt hurt that he is sooo good looking.$LABEL$1 +Had a few funny moments. This movie has some good moments that generated a few laughs from a chuckle to a gut busting guffaw. Then it got weird and stupid.$LABEL$0 +Great in any genre. I have read this book cover-to-cover four times. I never fail to find something new and revealing in it-some fresh aspect I had not properly explored previously. All history should be written this well. But beyond history, Connell brings a novelist's eye as to which details are telling and worth the reader's time. This book should have won the pulitzer, but that is another matter.$LABEL$1 +I love this CD!!. I bought 2 of these CD's one to play in my car the whole time and another to play in my house. I'm thinking about buying another as a back up! hehe Carrie has such a lovely voice. You won't regret buying this one!$LABEL$1 +Like A Train Wreck---I Still Watched It. This is supposed to be a remake of a French film; I haven't seen the French version, which is just as well, because a film should stand on its own merits.With the exception of several, isolated, instances, this comedy is not funny. The problem is the script and therefore the directing, pure and simple, not the acting. Regardless of the French version, this is another instance of an old, re-rehashed theme beaten to death by Hollywood: a social misfit who accidentally creates havoc gets superglued to the straight guy, driving him bonkers, but by the end of the film the misfit endears himself to the straight guy and even saves him from some problem or other. Like I said, an old, old cliche done to death (You Me and Dupree is a relatively recent one, for example; What About Bob? had the saving grace that the straight guy never embraces the misfit and is instead driven mad).$LABEL$0 +Sensual, Beautiful Movie. Texas used to be owned by Mexico before the U.S. occupied Mexico City in 1847 and in 1848 a peace treaty was signed; Mexico ceded Texas, California and New Mexico (including all the present-day states of the Southwest).Anyway, I forgot about this bit of U.S. history and this movie reminded me of that, which is an enlightening part of its subplot.With this in the backdrop, the romantic love story between Tita and Pedro unfolds.If you remember ever being truly in-love, I feel some scenes will remind you of that feeling, what a nice surprise...$LABEL$1 +Tea time delight.... I'm a fan of Margaret Rutherford and Agatha Christie...so this is a charming, delightful way to spend a bit of time...best viewed with hot tea and scones.$LABEL$1 +didn't like it. I came across this book looking for one about cancer and thought it sounded (and looked) interesting. It wasn't! The whole book is just reading different e-mails the author and her friends wrote to each other, and more than half the time I didn't know what they were talking about. I didn't even know who these people were to the author (like sister, Aunt, etc., I THINK they were friends,) and what some of the things and places mentioned were. It got confusing the more I read and there wasn't much explaination about subjects being discussed, since these were just letters between two people. I found the book very boring and couldn't even get through the whole thing. Very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Simply Hilarious!!!!!!!!. This is one of the best collections of children's poetry I have come across (and I consider myself a connoisseur). These poems are hilarious- sometimes didactic, sometimes fanciful and absurd-- they all appeal to the humorous sensibilities of children (and adults). This has worked for me as an extremely successful present on many an occasion- highly recommended!!!$LABEL$1 +Very bad sound quality. One of the worst doo-wop / vocal groupo compact discs I've heard for a long time! Every other CD might have the same tracks in better sound quality, this is just the worst quality soundwise - avoid it!$LABEL$0 +This Is Not Metal Or Even Rock. Hearing that Led Zeppelin was a heavy metal band,(and I am a huge metal fan), I decided to buy this album since I had heard it was pretty good.Well it stinks.Not anywhere on this lousy album is not even the slightest hint of metal. Actually The Beatles get heavier than this. Dy'er Maker is so un-heavy it should be included with Frank Sinatra. Only if you are a pop fan should you buy this album, so metalheads and headbangers, STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +THE SH*T!. This is where it's at, get this now! SO funny, better than the other garbage the sell you. Like the Trilogy, buy this and #4 and you're set.$LABEL$1 +It works for me!. Super convenient that I got three for the price of one. It takes a bit to heat up (not that I really need it to be all that hot) and there isn't an on/off switch; which I actually like since I can just plug it in, do something else (like change my clothes or whatever) then come back to work on my hair. I have curly/wavy hair so holding a curl isn't a problem at all. All I need the iron to do is to smooth out my existing curls and to shape them better, the iron does just that.I've read a lot of bad reviews on this product. Usually, curling irons that work for people with straight hair never seem to work for my hair. So maybe this iron is the opposite of the usual. Maybe it just works better for wavy/curly type of hair.$LABEL$1 +Bravo Mr. Iyer!. I read this book many years ago when Cuba wasn't so much in the news and I must say that I have only the fondest memories of reading this passion packed novel. I felt every emotion whether happy or sad that the protagonists felt. It is a wonderful book that provides an accurate not exaggerated insight of how Cubans really live in Castro's Cuba. If you love the Cuban culture, its music and people, I recommend you read this novel. It will transport you to la Habana in seconds and it may even help you better understand the very sad and depressing Cuban phlight.$LABEL$1 +Great and practical book. The book is very practical for advanced programmers. Definitely, it's not for beginners.Although the book was published in 2005, most guidelines are applicable today. However, some others are outdated (pictures of old versions of Visual Studio, some settings have changed in recent versions of VS, newer languages and .Net frameworks are obviously not covered here).The book deserves a careful reading; it will help any coder develop quality, maintainable code.$LABEL$1 +A Meditation for Living Right Daily. I found this book while looking for some history in thekind of meditation books for recovering alcoholics. Peoplewho have proved that their lives have changed miraculouslyby the practice of principles and living on spiritual basis.This little book is amazing. Just a few lines of encouragementeach day. Spirituality is indeed a feeding of the mind on thewholeness and beauty that comes from God. Many basic principleslearned here add peace to my life. The combination of scriptureswith little commentary is especially good for those of us lookingto feed ourselves spiritually in a short time - on the run.Sometimes you can find a real gem. This book is so simply butedifying and uplifting. To meditate on my heavly Father (fromwhom all blessings flow). Use it. I'm thankful I found it.My husband didn't read much scripture -- but he does read thislittle book.!! Thanks to the Author!!Linda$LABEL$1 +Predictable & Boring. This was one of those movies that never exactly held my attention. I figured out the plot way ahead of time because it reminds me of the movie Preacher's Kid but with less singing and not as much of a plot. Waste of time!$LABEL$0 +Fox-Franzen Connection. Having just finished "The Corrections" and "Strong Motion", I listened to Jonathan Franzen's interview on NPR and notched up the volume when he was asked to cite his favorite works of fiction. With utmost trust in his recommendations, I then immediately acquired both of them -Fox's "Desparate Characters" and Christina Stead's "The Man Who Loved Children." "Desparate Characters" is indeed an artfully crafted, exquisitely written novella, and would make an equally artful film or stage play if Annette Benning and Kevin Spacey agreed to work together again as Sophie and Otto. Franzen's worshipful preface, however, embarrassed me for him. Perhaps that's just his way. Ms. Fox's influence on his writing is evident throughout his work and I thank him for helping me discover her voice. My teenage son discovered her voice several years ago, when he read "The Slave Dancer", so readers with adolescent children might want to point them in her direction.$LABEL$1 +I really did not care for the Giver.. The Giver to me was not a good book. You could not leave in the comunity,and the life style was boring. This book was not my favorite. A little advice - don't read this book. I think the book Green Eggs and Ham was a better book than this book. This book would have been alot better if it had more action. The comunity had alot of dumb rules in it.$LABEL$0 +WHAT HAPPENED TO METALLICA???????????????????????????. No Joke, this is one of the worst albums EVER!!!!!!!!! I just cannot believe my ears. This is the same band that put out "whiplash" "Battery" "Master of Puppets" and "One" ? just to name a few. I am so disgusted. I wish I didn't even have to give this one star. You guys are killing me. Horrible.....$LABEL$0 +Not so much.... Well, I was not very impressed with this book. Too many unexplained circumstances. No way in heck "Jazz" could pass as her twin to so many people her twin is close to.And the whole exported porn storyline? Not romantic to say the least.I wasn't impressed by the author's writing style, and there are way too many typos in the novel (she needs a better proof-reader). However, I was interested to see how the novel ended, so it did hold my attention to an extent.I don't think I will be buying more of St. Claire's books, though.$LABEL$0 +garbage comedy. i'm never critical with my movies and pretty open to stupid and silly stuff, but this movie is pretty awful. there are some funny moments, but the dreadfulness of this whole thing is too much for youtube clips worthy scenes to sit through.$LABEL$0 +The book is not the best!. It is not the best book I have read. It was really weird and freaky. The thing about it was that I didn't comprehend it much. It was really a book that doesn't suit me that much. I didn't understand it much. At times, I felt stupid reading it because I didn't understand it. If you are a person who likes reading books about fire, this book is for you.I really don't want to have to read it again and I didn't like it. It was way out of my league. I didn't care for the Ray Bradbury. But, I am not saying I hate him. I am sayinh I might tru some of his other books as well as this book that I didn't like. Although this book does not fit my categories or my type of books, I would not recommend it to other people who like serious stuff.$LABEL$0 +spots on second screen 3 months after replcing the 1st. This product is faulty (a lemon), the first one stopped working after 5 months, they sent a new one after two months; that one developed spots on the screen two months later as others have reported.A waste of money and time.$LABEL$0 +Terrible. I enjoy Charisma Carpenter's work, I really do. But this movie - how on earth did she let herself be talked into such a woeful waste of time? To say the acting, beside hers, is abysmal would be an act of kindness. The husband and the agent's acting was so bad it made me cringe. At least it was a cheap buy. There's nothing about this train wreck that is worth recommending.$LABEL$0 +Pretty Tasty. I'm an amateur chef at best. But given the fact that these are mostly humble and slow-cooked dishes from a French brasserie (equivalent to a moderate restaurant with a large menu), the dishes come out delicious and are just plain honest.I've made the coq au vin, beouf bourgignon, and porc roti au lait with little more than a large pot, a stove top and some time (and some thyme...it's a pun).It's a great book with some great inserts of snarky wit from Tony Bourdain.$LABEL$1 +Open package and dimensions incorrectly listed!!. Package arrived open. Dimensions listed in description are wrong! They are H 48" x W 1" x L 0.5". You can only fit 3 cables in it. Adhesive tape sucks and won't stick well!they list dimension as:Length: 1.20 inchesWidth: 2 inchesHeight: 48 inches$LABEL$0 +happy grandson. I was very happy to find these airplanes. My grandson loves to go outside and play with them instead of video stuff.$LABEL$1 +This book is horrible. This book is blashpeme. The author writes lies about Jesus Christ the Son of God and Savior of all mankind. I would not recommend this book. Instead read the Bible to know the truth about Jesus.$LABEL$0 +Good Basic Overview, Not Current with Today's IP Technology. I expected the 2006 fourth edition to be more up to date with today's IP satellite technology. While the networking chapter discusses IP, it is in the contex of ATM and TDM technology with little or no information on current IP topologies and satellite Internet IP services like Hughes and BGAN among others. Additionally, there is no mention of current DVB-S or S2 technology which is widely deployed today. Roddy fails to make note of the broadcasting migration to IP with most of the broadcasting information somewhat dated.$LABEL$1 +Nice little camera for the price!. I bought this for my 24 year old daughter for Christmas. She is extremely happy with it. The batteries don't seem to drain as fast as her previous camera and she really likes the 2.4 inch screen, which is why she wanted a new camera. Is really easy to use and didn't take long for her to figure out all the cool features. Very glad I picked this camera.$LABEL$1 +gets annoying real quick. well I got this a while ago, and at first, well it wasn't bad, it was catchy and a few songs stuck in my head, but I had been listening to it while I was out and busy, so when I actually sat down and listened to it and the lyrics, well I realized that it's quite awful! the lyrics don't mean anything! the music in the background is completely unoriginal...I mean they certainly didn't go out of their way to create this album.and also, what the hell is the difference between fall out boy and panic at the disco? this isn't real music. real music comes from the soul, it's like dna, no one has the same dna. well I guess there's cloning..$LABEL$0 +Terrible.. At first look this gate seems like it would be the perfect gate for families with older and younger children. I was looking forward to having my older children be able to walk through the gate without climbing over and at the same time keep my little one off of the stairs. When I opened the box the gate was unusable from the beginning. The latching mechanism did not even meet the other side of the gate. It was 2 or 3 inches short of even latching. I checked the box and directions to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Nope. Just made wrong!$LABEL$0 +I used to be so obbsessed with this movie..........!. i used to be so obbsessed with the movie blade, but now im getting over it a little.but i still absolutley praise this magnificent movie, the main reason i loved this movie was stephen dorff's character "deacon frost"......not only is he sexy, he also brouhgt depth and mystery to the film, he was the best part of the film!! the only part i didnt get about this movie is when frost called the blood gad "la magra" and the world was supposed to turn into a bunch of vampires right? well anyways, i still loved the whole movie, if you havent seen it, go see it.$LABEL$1 +Another Great Bruder Toy. Everything works about this set. All the parts on the loader operate smoothly and easily. The details are appropriate for the price and the intended purpose -- play -- of the set. My three year old has great fun switching out the attachments. The only negative is that when detaching and reattaching parts, it is a bit too easy to crack the plastic around the connectors. This happened to my son's set. However, even with the cracks, everything still operates well.$LABEL$1 +LIGHTS ! CAMERA ! INSIGHT !. I always dismissed Orwell as someone who wrote a great book ("Animal Farm") and who otherwise "showed no leg".Wrong.The "Essays" sits like a seeming cinderblock on my nightstand, but gets nibbled at each and every night, at precisely the time when it would be so easy for me to simply go to sleep. Demonstrably, he writes well, for I do not go to sleep.Orwell is a master of the English language and of reasoned discourse. His politics are not MY politics, but who cares ? His well-written essays bid me forgive everything. Besides, there are more than a thousand pages of his "stuff" right here at my fingertips, so how could I possibly go to sleep?Thanks, George. If you wish to be paroled from the Hell to which all Socialists are sent, put me down as a reference.$LABEL$1 +Too much emphasis on the program "HoTMetaL Pro". I received this book from a colleague. I was hoping touse it as an HTML reference, but I didn't find it veryuseful for that.It is very heavy on instruction in the software includedon the CD-ROM. If you are interested in Windowsshareware, this may be useful to you. If you aren'ton Windows, I would not recommend the book.$LABEL$0 +recevied items much earlier than imagined. Just wait 3 days and I got the items from UPS. Very quickly. The 6 items (can) were packed well in a solid paper box.$LABEL$1 +DECEPTION: The Album. I have been a great fan of Wayne Hussey, and Craig Adams since the days when they ruled the goth world with Andrew Eldrich in The Sisters of Mercy. When they departed the S.O.M and formed The Mission, their first LP First Chapter was great. Gods Own Medicine which was the follow up album was a masterpiece in my judgement. The albums that followed "Children" & "Carved in Sand" were good. Then Simon Hinckler left the band and everything that followed was a disaster. The indie release The Mask was treacherous to listen to, and much to my sadness after listening to Resurrection, I can only think back to the days of past, when The Mission UK, ruled the world.$LABEL$0 +to bad you can't steer this scooter. Purchased for a 5 year old who was already riding a scooter but thought he might like a skateboard. I thought this would be perfect, but you can't make it turn at all. It only goes straight. I tried to lean on the edge to get it to turn to no avail. I wouldn't recommend this item for a child who already rides a scooter.$LABEL$0 +MarkW. Made in China.Tray with bamboo handles doesn't match. Blueberries are painted red on one lid. Typical Chinese junk, but my girlfriend thought it was cute.$LABEL$0 +Child abuse is not Christian. James Dobson, who wrote about proudly beating his own dog with a leather belt, gives sadistic, un-Christian advice to parents looking for help. Skip this book, practice the Golden Rule. If you think Jesus would approve of whipping little children, you need to repeat Sunday School.$LABEL$0 +Reliable mechanism, but not durable. I've gone through quite a supply of breakaway collars for my cats, so I've had a chance to practically evaluate several major brands, this one included. This collar features a broad ovoid tab as the latching mechanism, and it's just hands above the snap latches on other collars. Unfortunately, the reflective material, which to me is as much a safety requirement at a reliable latch, quickly faded and the adhesive holding the reflective fabric fails, rendering the nice and otherwise durable collar ineffective within a few months. When new, the reflective material was easily bright enough to spot a kitty in the dark at a 100 yards with a single bulb AA LED flashlight, so no problem being visible in car headlights. Without the same reflective material, the cat is invisible under the same conditions. The snug latch releases easily when torqued from the side as it would when caught on a passing object or brush. This would be a 5 star review if the product were durable.$LABEL$0 +What do you expect from Perfecto. One star is very generous in my opinion. The first couple of songs sound great. Progressive and dark. It sounded promising. Then as we progressed further into the cd, Hernan Cattaneo shifted toward flamey mainstream music. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointing. After years of using a 10/100 hub I decided to "upgrade" to a switch. Expecting a good product from Linksys, especially since they were acquired by Cisco, I purchased the SD208 8-port 10/100 switch. I put it on my network and the problems began. Any time I would attempt to transfer large volumes (1GB+) of data between two of my PC's the switch would freeze up on me and I'd have to unplug it and plug it back in to regain network connectivity.I've put old reliable hub back in place and I'm returning the Linksys back to Amazon. I think I'll give D-Link a try.$LABEL$0 +great gift - surprisingly interesting!. I gave this book to my husband, at his request. He's an engineer, so I figured that this would be a book that interested similar minds. :) It turns out to be really facinating - our extended family and friends have enjoyed sharing it, and the photos are beautiful and interesting for all ages. My only wish is that it still was easy to find in hardback, as I think that would be nice.The book is written "story-style," which makes the information a lot more palatable to those who don't have a geology background. The historical and environmental perspectives are woven together with very thoughtful writing. There is a lot of data in this book, but I don't think it reads like a textbook, which is nice.Overall, this is a great book. It makes a wonderful gift for just about anyone who appreciates the environment or anyone who has an interest in understanding the land formations they see or live on.$LABEL$1 +My tub now feels like a spa!. These are very fluffy, very soft towels as thick as anything you'd find in a quality spa.I did notice that when laundered with fabric softener they were not absorbent at all; I've read elsewhere that towels shouldn't be laundered that way. With standard (icky) towels, I've always found softener necessary to make them feel nice. With these towels, it's not necessary at all. These are scrumptiously soft and -- when laundered properly -- are not only absorbent but feel quite decadent, too!$LABEL$1 +Must read book. This is an absolutely must-read book for those looking for a comprehensive view of US History. It's amazing how one-sided the history we're taught in school is. I am recommending this book to everybody.$LABEL$1 +Nice film. My son went to West Point so the film caught my attention. Nice movie, especially if you are a Tyrone Power fan.$LABEL$1 +Pleased!. This watch is beautiful and wears nicely on my thin wrist. I really like the flippable colors. On the whole a great buy! The only issue I've noted is that the metal dial surface scratches quite easily. In just a couple of weeks, I have a fair number of scratches and I am not a very rough user.$LABEL$1 +Landscape Quilts by Nancy Zeiman... I ordered this book from 3 different vendors.the first sent me the wrong title, the second cancelled the order without informing me,the third informs me that the isbn code is wrong for this book, it does not match this title.If this book is not available it needs to be removed from Amazon.I really wanted the book and have been very frustrated. Faith Stone$LABEL$0 +Inexpensive, wireless, great graphics, fun for whole family.. As always, nintendo may not be doing the whole package such as HD dvd or Blue ray, or monster HD graphics, but The 480P, wireless network, unique controlers, and low price tag make this unit a very formitable competition for the X box 360 and PS3. One thing nintendo has never left out is the whole family. This unit may not have all of the violent and top selling games at the other two units, but it has plenty of games that are fun, and allowable for 5-8 year olds to play with. This is worth checking out. I'm sure you will not be dissappointed.$LABEL$1 +written by a brainless fool for brainless fools.. The woman is totaly off her rocker, she feeds this garbage to the message board political bloogers online who understand nothing about the Bill of Rights or the Constution, I suggest they and Milkin read these documents before they fall into the pit of ignorance and hate.$LABEL$0 +Glad I bought the large size!. This works well and doesn't leave a greasy feeling. I put it on my cuticles every chance I get. My husband uses it on his hands too.$LABEL$1 +No, no , and no. I found these to be horrible. Air pockets everywhere, even after applying via the instructions. (I used to apply vinyl graphics to glass in my career, so I know how to do this stuff...) and this was just awful. It also made it very hard to see the graphics, even in the spots without air pockets. The material is just strange.Ended up not using it at all. Good luck if you decide to try it.$LABEL$0 +PASS. I have owned 6-8 sets of hair rollers in 30 years and these are the worst! I cannot hold curl well and I had to buy clips to hold the roller in and the case is too large to store! Pass onit other products much nicer and convenient.$LABEL$0 +Vulgar Display of Music. The ex- kings of glam who trie to be a metal band only get worst with this one. I think if they replaced Phil Anselmo on vocals, they would have more chance to be a real heavy band. anyway, there are some good songs on this one. And the cover artwork, well, forget about it..$LABEL$0 +Excellent *****John Merril has done his homework.. John Merril sets up three portfolios,each holding stocks bonds and cash.He takes the reader thru every bull and bear market from 1926 thru 1997. Many authors of investment books avoid the investment history of the 1930s and other prolonged bear markets but Merril wants the reader to realize the risk and the reward that comes whith investing.I would urge anyone who has a 401k plan or Ira to purchase this book. Mr.Merril may have some different views then others when it comes to indexing and foreign investing but explains his views honestly.This is a great book and I don`t know why since it`s published over a year ago that no one has reviewed it.This is a book that should be updated every year.$LABEL$1 +Why was this supposed to be a masterpiece??. Here we go...I would have wanted more guitars - not necessarily distorted but imagine something like Coldplay;I would have definitely wanted a bettere technical production - this recording [is] a crying shame. Whoever did the mastering just scooped out the EQ and the result sounds hollow.. .a submarine bell allright! Vocals on some tracks are just hideously recorded... did they just take the demo scratch vocals & then built everything else around it?Unfortunately most of the stuff sounds dated and at the most sounds like an interesting demo. This leads me to thank Amazon.com for their support of second and third tier acts... I guess I'll have a fair chance of seeing my band's product distributed as well!...$LABEL$0 +These run SMALL!. Right this minute I am comfortably wearing a pair of size 6 Lee boot cut jeans.I ordered these in a 9 (because I am aware jrs sizes run smaller).They are so small I can't even get them on!Not even close!Just be aware of this if you decide to order these.Otherwise they are really cute.$LABEL$0 +What a waste!. There was almost nothing usefull. The collection of names is very small and the names were either completely off, or something I already know. At the same time, I am aware of many Jewish names which were not included. The book does not explain the meaning of the names either! The only more or less interesting few pages were on Jewish naming tradition. About 25% of 114 pages are filled with quotes - what a waste of paper. If I wrote a book like that, I would be ashamed to release it!$LABEL$0 +The first half is awful!. The first half of this album is horrid! It sounds like a bad mariachi (sp?) band. However, the last half is very good and very danceable.$LABEL$0 +Installation and Operation of SB5120 Cable Modem. The SB5120 was easy to install and put into operation. I had never installed a cable modem or wireless router. I knew nothing about installing these. However, the instructions that came with the modem were simple and easy to understand. It took about 5 minutes to install. The modem has been in operation for approximately 1 month with no issues. It's working great.$LABEL$1 +Great DVD recorder - Funai built. These Funai based recorders are great. They never fail and last better than any others I've owned.$LABEL$1 +so far, so good. We've had this sharpener for a little over a month now and it has been a life saver. It brought our very dull knives back to function again, and it's super easy to use.I would recomend this product to anyone who needs something quick and easy, and is not very good with the block sharpeners that are out there.$LABEL$1 +much quieter. So much quieter than my old fan and it looks great too.The only drawback is that it is difficult to replace the bulbs.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Ninja Movie. My son is a huge fan of Richard Harrison. He has this movie Ninja the Protector on VHS tape and it began playing badly. I found this movie on DVD. The order came quickly and in excellent condition I will order from this company again. Thank you !$LABEL$1 +AWESOME!. I am a huge Neil Young fan. I own most of his releases and have been at many of his concerts since the 1980's - most recently his solo accoustic.For several years, I have been hoping for another accoustic Neil Young release. My wish came true with Silver & Gold. If you like Neil's accoustic style sound, you'll love this release. It is so soothing with intelligent, thoughtful lyrics. Think about this - with this release, this artist has had major hits in 5 decades (60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and now, 2000. Incredible. When many artists loose their touch or inspiration (not to mention their voice), Neil Young still sounds awesome. A must own!$LABEL$1 +Volume "blues" keeps this little guy from being a rock star.. Some reviews on this device allude to the volume not being loud enough. After owning it for a month, I agree whole heartily. I'm a rocker..what can I say..I like my music loud(not insanely loud) but loud nonetheless. I have the much larger Zen and although I dig the reduced size of the 512TXFM, I honestly miss the volume of the Zen. I know, I know, you can mess with the equalizer..done that already..still not the same..I know, I know, you can run your MP3's through an external gain software like MP3 gain..love that MP3 gain, but why should I have to add another step before uploading my tunes into the MuVo? So, what I have been doing is uploading my tunes and then during playback I find the ones that are really low in volume(most 70's stuff) and then go in take it out, MP3gain it, put it back in......bummer..Otherwise, this is a great little product and well worth the $$$$LABEL$1 +A lot of infor. The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook (Crafts Highlights)This book does cover a lot of ground. Everything from Fine Art, to Car and Motorcycles, to Finger Nails and Modelling, but I don't beleve it gives any of them the space needed to give a good comprehensive view. This book is great, if you what to know the verity of uses for an Air Brush, but if you want a of how do you do this. Find another book.$LABEL$0 +Dissapointed. The Enid Blyton Collection: "Enchanted Wood", "Magic Faraway Tree" and "Folk of the Faraway Tree"This order was place on the 19th of December 2010.It is 01/20/2011 and I have not received it yet.I never had this problem before and frankly quite disappointed.I have been told that a new shipment was sent out last week.And I'm still waiting...$LABEL$0 +Worthless. Don't buy it! It doesn't hold the bra snuggly enough so it still can fold up & crease. It's just as bad as my usual method of throwing it in a mesh bag & washing.$LABEL$0 +unworkable product. These masks only work if you use one or both hands to secure them to your face. You wind up breathing more room air than oxygen because of their poor design. The bag is too small & when you exhale it blows right up into your eyes.$LABEL$0 +Great introduction to DVD!. This was my first purchase of any DVD title. I had seen the video before, but the DVD quality of video and sound was awsome. Great songs, especially "silver spring", "Rhiannon", "Go Your Own Way", "Songbird", too many others to mention. Overall, I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone who loves great music.$LABEL$1 +Truly a Great Album - If you're a socially awkward weirdo from Oregon. One of the Strongest Tallica releases ever. Don't be fooled. This is an awesome album. All tracks are strong.Unnamed Feeling, St. Anger, Frantic, and Some Kind of Monster stand out as the best tracks.This with an awesome DVD is really worth the price.Highly recommended!My brother must've written this, I think the album is garbage.$LABEL$0 +Misleading description, this is the TV version, NOT the movie!. I am wondering why there is no mention in the product description that this is the TELEVISION version of The Third Man with Michael Rennie and NOT the movie with Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten as the wonderful review above this describes.Unfortunately, Amazon hasn't put a system of checks and balances in place to keep this type of misleading practice from happening.$LABEL$0 +The Book Bash Review. A beautiful book! A simply delightful read to share with your children. The moral lessons reach far beyond what we usually try to instill in our children.$LABEL$1 +Worst Purchase I ever made... The product worked just ok for about a year with the head being replaced after the first couple of months, now I am spending more money just to try to keep it running. The unit stops after running for a day, I have replaced the battery twice, gone through two packs of cartidges and still have the same issue. The mfg. told me most folks run fine and there is nothing wrong with these, yet when I called my local MM repair shop, they told me they would add me to their 3+ page waiting list and can't promise they can even get to me this summer. This is no doubt one of the worst purchases I have ever made.. HIGHLY NOT reccomended..Use something like a can of yard guard a day, will be much cheaper and probably work better.$LABEL$0 +Mingus at his best. While most of these tunes appear on other Mingus albums, this disc has the best versions; they really move, and the whole band sounds energized. I would recommend this disc to anyone interested in Mingus or looking for an introduction to his work.$LABEL$1 +didn't last long. this headset worked fine on PC and PS3 until the microphone stopped working one day (only ~3 months since i purchased it), never to work again. looking at the other reviews this does not seem uncommon.$LABEL$0 +Attractive Braclets. Have not installed them yet, but they are just as I expected. Hanging ring on back is probably unnecessary because it is not sturdy enough to hold a shelf. Needs to be attached in a more permanent way.$LABEL$1 +What else would expect for a K-body - 5 stars. If you are looking at Bessey K-Bodys, you already know how good a quality of clamp these are. I've been using the four I purchased for about a month now and have experience absolutely no issues. These 24's are perfect for edge gluing and I've made some pretty nice raised panel blanks using them.Amazon can do a better job packaging the clamps for shipping, but that is an Amazon issue, not a Bessey Issue.$LABEL$1 +awesome minus one. I saw this musical at the Dominion Theatre in the West End and it was truly amazing, unlike any musical I've been to before. The audience was rocking out, waving glowsticks, clapping, and singing along by the time the cast sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the end. The soundtrack perfectly captures the fun of the show, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. The only downside is that "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is omitted, quite strangely given its prominence in the show and its popularity in general. Still, the CD is entirely worth buying AND the show is definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.$LABEL$1 +Another Philip Dick prpoposal. As with Blade Runner, both based on Philip Dick scifi proposals, excelent! Bluray resulted to be the best format to get involved in created scenarios.$LABEL$1 +Bad acting. The movie was very boring. Mostly, because of SJ Parker. She can't act. She was so fake that I hardly made myself to finish watching it. She had the same voice, gestures, and the whole character like Paula from "Failure to launch". Additionally, I was distracted by her absolutely horrible look. This is the movie when she looked the worst.$LABEL$0 +The Bean Trees. Taylor Greer encounters many obstacles in her journey headed to nowhere. She leaves her hometown looking to start a new, when a lady puts a child in the front seat of her Volkswagen and walks off. Taylor has no choice, but to take care of the child at least for a little while. But Taylor ends up loving the child more and more each day. Along her journey she meets many interesting people; Maggie- a woman that fixes cars for a living , Lou Ann- an overprotective mother and Mrs. Parsons- an old, blind woman that babysits small children. Taylor picks up a few jobs here and there, until she meets Lou Ann and moves in with her. Taylor's mission in this book is to find the child's relative's, but she never does. That's why I gave it two stars. I don't really like how the book ends, because it leaves you wondering. This book is slow paced and easy to read, if your looking for something simple it's nice.$LABEL$0 +Excellant!!. This game is pretty cool, pulling over speeders and running away from the cops. It is definatly worth the price!$LABEL$1 +Not bad. I like Kalfus' writing style although some of these stories had predictable endings. Others did move me and held my interest.$LABEL$1 +A Night With Secret Garden. This is the best DVD live I have in my collection I have all of there CDs$LABEL$1 +This Album SUCKS!. I don't have much to say about the album except that it SUCKS! It's not what I expected. Her single "Girl Fight" was a cover up. Had she stuck to this style of music she might have been alright. Don't get me wrong, the girl can sing but she needs to make wiser decisions as far as the compostion of her CD.$LABEL$0 +Back to the past. Reading the reviews and listening to the album I get confused because itis, surprisingly, just a remake of her excellent album "Dry" of... 1993! It seems that, along with U2's latest, she is getting back to her roots. If that is all she could extract musically and creatively from living in New York in the last year, then I would conclude that is a lot of hype for nothing. Ifyou still want to listen to PJ,start with "Dry" and this latest is not at all compulsory.$LABEL$0 +Blah.... I've read Melanie George's books before and this one is BLAH! I should have paid more attention to the one star reviews as they are very accurate! I had to force myself to read through and have no idea how I managed to get to page 28. Just decided to quit and move on, definitely a waste of time & money.$LABEL$0 +Suckular at best. Luckily, my boyfriend picked this up in the $5 bin at a discount store. If he had spent anymore on this soon-to-be door stopper, I would be irate. I'd donate this to Goodwill, but it seems unfair for someone else to be duped into buying this suckular movie.I've seen and enjoyed "Wet Hot American Summer," so I thought that this film from David Wain would deliver..nope. The final scene is an absurd musical recap of the disjointed sketches. The finale just didn't work. I thought for certain that this was originally a musical/play penned by the writers, and adapted unsuccessfully into a film--I wanted desperately to think that this was not the intended product. Nope.Skip this movie. Charlton Heston's Moses made me laugh more than this wannabe religious satire. I wish I could get back the 96 minutes that I spent on this film and go to church instead.$LABEL$0 +Kipper is the best!. My four year old granddaughter loves the Kipper DVD's. She watches them over and over and just loves the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Kipper is gentle fun that teaches life lessons with subtlety and grace and without being treacly. I cannot recommend them more highly than that. What fun!!!!$LABEL$1 +A short well written book on Medical Aspects of Eating Disorders. This book is a gem. It is clearly written and well edited. In spite of its brevity (perhaps because of it!)it manages to pack into a neat and organized package most of the key clinical info that I need to fulfill my role as Medical Director of a Partial Hospital for E.D.s. This book helped me remember and retain (and have quickly available for cases), all the basic Medicine knowledge that is pertinent to my role; knowledge that I needed to be a Physician in the broad and well-rounded way that is necessary when treating women who are not only psychiatrically challenging, but who are often quite sick due to medical complications of their disorder. Beautifully done, and a pleasure to read as well!$LABEL$1 +DEPRESSING!! Not at all what I thought it would be.. This was one of the most depressing movie I've ever seen. It was like that the whole way through. Even the ending was awful. I strongly recommend not seeing this movie. It would be a big waste of time.$LABEL$0 +Low cost low quality. I have had CLP300 for 5 months now. It basically worked OK for children's school projects.I noticed a few problems with it:1. When I turn it on, the entire house light start blinking; do not know if it uses too much current2. The drum area is VERY hot and give burning smell. It stays hot even after idle for a long time3. The color tone are off a lot. It simply prints very saturated colors far off from the original pictures. I was using the original toner.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work out. American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch Deluxe Hand Reel MowerThis mower did not work out. It was extremely hard to push and did not cut grass well. It clumped the grass clippings and what it dut it cut unevenly. I do not think even someone quite strong would be satisfied with its performance. I have used push mowers previously and this one just doesn't serve the purpose.$LABEL$0 +Another Winner From Diane. This book lives up to her earlier works. It did not disappoint me in any way.$LABEL$1 +Great headgear!. This is at least the third pair of these that my son has had. It is the only headgear that he has asked for again, before he always switched each time he needed new ones. Wore out one pair, only had to get a new one this time because his old ones had tape on them, all the wrestlers like to tape the straps and this year our state school association does not allow for any "modification" of headgear, so we bought these. An excellent product, I'm sure when he wears these out we will buy another.$LABEL$1 +Good After Modifications. This backpack camera bag is good. Plenty of pockes and spots to hold all your photo stuff. I have a 40D, S5 IS, Minolta 370n film camera and an ultra portable camera all in this bag. i also have lens adapters and lenses for all as well. Chargers, batteries, lens cleaner. i had to make two modifications.....the handle at the top is just a nylon strap that cuts into your hand if all loaded up with camer equipment. The other one is the space reserved for your DSLR is at the top of the bag.....this is fine probably the safest place, but is lacking pading to protect your LCD...I added a couple of pieces of padding from another bag here to protect the camera a bit more...just in case.$LABEL$1 +Obnoxious Series. I can't believe that anyone actually likes this show. It is the cheesiest and most ridiculous show that I have ever seen on TV. You would have to be a moron to buy this.PS: Chuck can't even do his essential roundhouse kick in the last season.$LABEL$0 +Very Over Rated. This story has been told many times and in many forms. This time it's form uses a little girl, a dysfunctional family and a beauty pageant. There are the typical family losers... the motivational speaker father who is a failure at motivating anybody, the plain jane little girl who dreams of winning the "Little Miss Sunshine" Beauty pageant, the mom who has no control over anything or anybody, the brother who hates his family so much that he has stopped speaking to anybody, the uncle who has recently tried commtting suicide, and the dirty old grandfather.. Cliche to say the least. The old VW bus they go cross country in has no gears so they have to push it to start it running (you get the idea).. On the way the grandpa dies so they put him in the back of the old bus and take him along (shades of National Lampoon's Vacation)..Don't waste your money.. There is nothing cute or special about this movie.. I wish I didn't waste my money or my time.$LABEL$0 +darkness of light. this is a prime example of life in the fast lane the innocent the beauitful and the playboy its how you would want to be love and treated without the nonsense of lies and others bs if you really dont want to be married to someone then stay single and grow old by your self !$LABEL$1 +gift from daughter. I was not familiar with "Castle" at the time my daughter bought me this season. I enjoyed it so much that I went and bought the first season. Now I'm a full fledged fan. DVR it just in case I can't watch it.$LABEL$1 +Now an old favorite. I collect breakfast cookbooks (yep, there are TONS out there!) but Marion's book has become one of my absolute faves: stained, dog-eared and notated. The Dried Fruit Cream Scones are excellent as are the Shirred Eggs, but her recipe for Pulled Bread (the easiest recipe in the world!) made me a fan for life. Many recipes have variations, and chapters consist of everything from breads to meat, as well as accompaniments including spreads and beverages and pies! Many of the recipes are ways to use up leftovers and hail from times past; don't look for new-fangled fusion cooking here, as Marion has strong opinions about not "startling" anyone that early in the morning. This is comfort food, folks, tried and true.$LABEL$1 +'Reefer Madness' (Gotham Dist.) Running time: 67 minutes. When I first saw this cheezy flick at a summer midnight madness film festival twenty-some years ago,I honestly thought it was a joke.I mean,the young people in this 1938 B/W film almost make Ward and June Cleaver look cool.1938,is this right?The Three Stooges were still new at that time.If parents truly wish for their off-spring to avoid blowing weed,they may not want to choose to show them this DVD.It's SO hard to take seriously.Thank goodness there aren't any 'extra features' here.I don't think I could've taken it.'Reefer...' does have a sole purpose,to watch maybe every two years after dark when there isn't any thing good on TV.$LABEL$0 +Useful Information. The coil itself works fine BUT, it does not come with "Supplied with 0.8 ohm ballast resistor, terminal and boot" like Amazon says it does. Which sucks, because now I have to order those parts seperately and wait longer to get my car running. If you need the ballast resistor, terminal and boot, order theMSD Ignition 8203 Blaster 2 Hi-Performance Coil, which includes them. Amazon, you really should change your description to match what the product comes with.$LABEL$0 +Countdown. The second to last album featuring the sounds and style that made them icons to their original fan base, Bebe le Strange is a worthy addition to any iPod. This review applies to all their works up to (and including) Greatest Hits Live (1980).$LABEL$1 +excellent classic. This movie is still a marvellously acted film, even in this age of over digitalized special effects. It is well worth a rewatch.$LABEL$1 +No so good.... I have a five month old Puggle. I decided to buy this for her because she's a very aggressive chewer. It seemed durable and long lasting. Nope. Not so much. I gave it to her and she had half of it chewed with in 20 minutes. I do not recommend this chew bone for dogs who are very aggressive chewers. It breaks down too quickly. :($LABEL$0 +Really?. I think the price of this item is a testament of how desperate people are. Do not buy this product. The older product will actually help your pet lose weight. The older version (which is a little more difficult to program) is the one you want to actually help your cat lose weight. Any intelligent cat will be able to discover how to coax the food from this feeder. Do not purchase this feeder. The older version is what you want, but it is not available and not worth your money$LABEL$0 +Great product but over priced!. This definitely keeps cans cold But I believe that the price is double what it sould be. If money is no object buy it....$LABEL$0 +he loves it. Bought for my nephew, he loves it. Not sure why it's so expensive compared to others in the same collection....$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Addicting!. This is one of the best buys that I've made all year. (Yes, I know it's March.) I played it for hours and hours. Sleep became secondary. In fact, the only reason I'm not playing now is because my game freezes after about 2 hours of playing. I don't know if my laptop is the problem or the disk. I'm still trying to figure it out. Other than that, the game is simply amazing. You control everything. You handle ride speeds, research and development, and garbage can placement. You have to deal with bank debts, lost guests, vandelism, crashed rides, and business quotas. I highly recommend this game. Once I finish this one, I'll probably get the new Expansion Pack. If you want a great gift for someone or are thinking of getting it for yourself, BUY IT!$LABEL$1 +Not what I had in mind!. I've been searching for a different shower curtain to go in a yellow bathroom and this looked perfect. When it arrived, what I thought was a white background turned out to be a darker beige linen look. The colors were very, very bright and the pattern repeated frequently. I didn't even take it out of the package, just knew at a glance it wasn't what I thought it would look like!$LABEL$0 +worth its weight in gold!. We take this wagon to the farmers' market, the beach, the park, the mountains, for walks in the neighborhood, downtown, etc. For us, this wagon was a great alternative to a double stroller...with more functionality and definitely more fun. Whether you're carrying stuff, or kids, or a little of both, this wagon goes everywhere and holds up beautifully. If you take off the sides and rotate the handle completely under the base, you can even fit it in the trunk of a Nissan Altima!$LABEL$1 +not worth it. I found these speakers to be average. you would be better off going with the $5 speakers available at any office supply store. the sound was decently loud, but quality degraded as the sound went up. the actual shapes of the speakers are not as pleasing as the picture might make it seem.$LABEL$0 +Excellent songwriting and even better musical performances. An amazing album from the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world. Even though Little Feat has rarely gotten the recognition or praise they deserve by the rock press, they continue to get better with time. They have always been one of the tightest bands around and they have produced one of their truly classic albums. The music runs the gamut of rock, blues and jazz played in the amalgam that is Little Feats inimitable sound. If you have never heard Little Feat before, this is a good place to start along with either one of their live albums, and if you are already a Featster you won't be disappointed by their latest effort.$LABEL$1 +Portable and very interactive. I too selected book primarily as it was an inexpensive book ( with good reviews) which helped meet a free shipping requirement ! what a gem.. Small yes, but my 14 month old son loves it !.The flaps are beautifully designed into the pictures and it is such a delight to see his face light up each time we lift a flap. . Yes the flaps are a little snug, but we do it together.. I loosen them as he turns the page and he then thinks he is doing it all alone ! Its nice and small, so its very transportable. I was looking for more of these... Zoo animals ???$LABEL$1 +mas. overall the sound quality is better than other computer speaker system, sharp and crip. you can def hear surround effectthe only thing that i'm concerned is bass - not enough power to pump up bass, but is decent enough as long as you plug into optical$LABEL$1 +boring. this is one of the most boring books i have bought in a long time. sorry, layout, context are really nothing to write home about. If you want to use it at the bottom of a pile of coffeetable books i guess it's would be fine but I am sure there are cheaper options.$LABEL$0 +Poor Effort with Liberal Racist Overtones. If this one of the best books that contempory fiction writers have to offer, then the TV set and old, worn-out movie plots have little competition from the literary world. This book is poorly written and constructed. It is not intersting. It has a liberal slanted viewpoint and racial connotations. It was a disappointing read, good enough for an A++ on a high school term project, but grossly deficient for a published work of fiction.$LABEL$0 +Only 1 For Price. I am pleased how quickly the capkeeper arrived. I just placed my order a few days ago, and it is already here.The capkeeper is just as promised. However, I do see a flaw in the design - the string attached is much shorter than I thought it would be.Also, I thought that 2 capkeepers were included, but I was wrong. I think that the title is a little misleading. You only get 1 for this price.*****UPDATE***** Since writing this review I have decided to no longer use capkeepers. Once the temperature rose above 70F, the adhesive consistantly moved around. Eventually it fell off. It's not worth the hassle.$LABEL$0 +A thoroughly entertaining book. Smith really knows how to capture your attention and get your imagination raging. I first read The River God and was amaized to find out that there was this sequal available. Having snapped it up immediately, I set down to read the book.I was found to be in a vegetative state whilst reading the book. Completely oblivious to everything else around me until it was finished. It was very easy going and I was taken into the heart of Ethiopia where our famous Taita created the most amaizing and stunning tomb--the richest in history.I now find out that there is another book which is the sequal to this book. I assure you that that book is on its way to my post office as i write this review.Wilbur - thanks for such a lekker series of books.$LABEL$1 +Personal view. Music appreciation is a very personal thing, and I can only express my own view, which others may disagree. The first thing is that I found Mr Watson's voice to be not that beautiful. The timbre is very ordinary indeed. I also found his singing to be rather charmless. It doesn't communicate. I often found the performance here bland and strident. I believe I listened with an open mind and these are merely my personal observations. Hope they won't cause any offence to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Really huge mug. I love this huge mug, which holds a little over 24 oz. It's a very well made ceramic mug, and the rubber ring on the bottom is a good thing.$LABEL$1 +not happy. I wish I could return the sheets. Very cheap, they stretch, fuzz, and are just cheap. Unfortunetly I bought 4 sets. I am stuck with them for this winter if they last that long. The up side the colors are great, real solid and holding the color well. thats it.$LABEL$0 +Buyer beware. At the moment I am in the middle of a 3-day ordeal sorting out Outlook 2002, which comes with the ipaq. Outlook 2002 has many many many known bugs (which only now I find out) and I can't for the life of me figure out why HP would ship it with their hardware. DO NOT INSTALL OUTLOOK 2002 on your machine.The ipaq itself may be OK, but if this is a foreshadowing of the fun to come...$LABEL$0 +Waste of time!. This book tops the charts for worst book I've read in quite some time. Heavy-handed characterisation, dull plotting, lots of gratuitous violence, and bad writing to boot! I mean, how can both of the women characters (there are only two, besides the 9-year old girl in danger of being molested) be the most beautiful ever? Why do they both have - I kid you not - "chalcedony" skin? Did the writers run out of words for white? I mean if you're going to be cliche, at least you could use "alabaster" or "ivory" for variation. Oh yeah, did I mention that both of these women are rape victims - one before the book, one during the book - sadly, all too typical. Too bad, because the premise looked interesting.$LABEL$0 +RESPECT FOR HAMILTON, he is a real artist. I really enjoyed this CD from the first song to the last. His songs are REAL and I have alot of respect for his artistic talent and his sexy raspy voice. His songs make me feel like true R&B; music isn't being lost in the merge with pop music (because I was beginning to think J. Timberlake was going to be called our next "King of R&B;"). Bottom line Anthony sings with real soul and heart and the songs have meaning (there is a social concern).... an honest definition of R&B; soul.I ended up buying the CD for everyone in my family.My favorite song is "Charlene" but I also love "Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens" and "Coming From Where I'm From." You won't waste your money by investing in his CD$LABEL$1 +Is this for real?. Please write a review if you have seen, sat in, and/or purchased the Gray Malta Spa. I am considering buying one, but need to know whether or not it is as good a deal as it sounds.What is the size of the pump (1.5hp?)?Is the pressure sufficient from all of the jets?Does it retain heat well?What kind of warranty does it come with?How durable is the cover?Thank you.$LABEL$1 +I Don't understand all the hype. Just finished this so-called masterpiece and found it to be an average read at best. Yes, there were parts that made me chuckle, but they ran about even with those that bored me enough to fast forward through some sections. I leave this book without keeping a memory of even one likeable character.I'm glad for those readers who found this book to be so enthralling. I'm glad we all don't have the same likes and opinions or it would make for a very dull world.$LABEL$0 +Not that exciting. I was expecting more of a subtle plot with better character development due to the nature of the story (children who don't age until they go back out into the real world) - in my mind the story wasn't plausible. After a 100 years I would expect the characters to have more depth. I was bored with this novel and put it down around 2/3rds of the way through.$LABEL$0 +Get a Clue!. Vital Idol really misses the target by not having Rebel Yell. What an embarrassing oversight! Doesn't any record company have the good sense to pull together a REAL collection of his greatest hits? You know, one that includes: Rebel Yell, Cradle of Love, Dancing with Myself, To be a Lover,....$LABEL$0 +Righteousness. I noticed that a "former" minister stated that this church teaches righteousness by works...i beg to differ, i am a researcher and found no such thing. I encourage all readers to go to the source.adventist.org. this christian organization teaches the biblical righteousness by faith.$LABEL$0 +In a word: Brilliant. i'm a poe scholar and this cd is nothing short of brilliant. if you like poe, classical music, experimental/art music, or goth-industrial music, you need this cd.$LABEL$1 +My nephew...the doctor. My nephew is two years old and adores this Christmas present! My sister, a registered nurse, used it to demonstrate her job to him and he went around to everyone to check their blood pressure or take their temperature. No it's not the greatest gift in the world, but he has a lot of fun playing with it...$LABEL$1 +NO where near as Good as DAH 1. This game would be alright, had I never played the original. The original game's humor was much better. The plot was more interesting. The game's physics made the game more enjoyable. For instance, theholo-bob feature seemed a lot more sleaker than the body snatch feature in the sequel. Do your self a favor and stay away from this one, rent only.$LABEL$0 +Too small for squirrels. This trap is way too small for the squirrels around me, it is more like a chipmunk or rat sized trap. I highly recommend you sketch out the measurements before buying so you can see how small it is. 5 inches by 7 inches is a very small width/height. After I got mine I went to Harbor Freight and got a larger trap for about the same price, and so far I have caught two squirrels in two days in the larger trap while this Havahart model sits nearby untouched.If you are transporting your squirrels I recommend you put the whole trap in a disposable plastic bag as they will likely pee when in the car.$LABEL$0 +Sorry but..... This may be the greatest spiritual secret ever told but it has been told time and time again in a number of books, so don't buy the book because of the title. I guarantee that if you have read any spiritual books, this 'secret' will be familiar. What the book doesn't do is explain this concept' in any useful or informative way.I was disappointed in this book. I thought it badly written, unlikely and light weight. There is a book written by Gary Renard titled 'Disappearance of the Universe'. This book has massive spiritual content and is purported to be true. This is the book to read. Much better value for your money.( Link below)Rightly or wrongly I felt that this book was written for commercial reasons only.The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness$LABEL$0 +Don't use the unbox. I made the decision to download to Amazon unbox to view this video. Unfortunately the video did not display correctly on the unbox and at one point just went blank so all I could do is listen to the audio. Difficult (at best) to get Amazon to help. Best I could do is send an email and hope they will help me.$LABEL$0 +I needed more info on the characters. First of all, I love the literature that Nora Roberts writes. However, with this book, I felt that it lacked something that her other novels have. I needed more information on the grooms. I felt this novel was RUSHED and did not have the time and care taken to it like many of her other novels.$LABEL$1 +headset. I have had three of the headsets they work great but after a month or so they all broke. I am now looking for a good one so I don't have to keep buying me one once a month.$LABEL$0 +urbane but stupendous ignorance, sold as profit. How can I take seriously an "expert" who devotes pages 5 and 6 of his book to trying to convince us that the Phoenicians invented talking? Does Mr. Urban really believe what he tells his readers - that, until a mere of thousand years ago when the Phoenicians came along, humankind communicated purely by drawing pictures and letting loose the occasional wordless grunt?It simply did not happen that way - ask any linguist, archeologist, or historianThe author of this work also misleads his readers on the origin of the word "phonics." Contrary to his assertion, it doesn't have to do with the word "Phoenician" at all. Checking "phonics" and "Phoenician" in any dictionary which gives word-origins will confirm that.I'd rather fail to communicate at all than communicate false-to-fact information, even for the vast sums that Hal Urban claims he makes from selling his inaccuracies to corporations and the general public.$LABEL$0 +look for alternative. It does it's job against thicker hair, but for thinner hair it just pushes it around.after two month of usage it stopped working, so I decided to just take it apart and guess what I found. WATER.they claim it's water tight but water was everywhere, battery, motor, etc.Seriously look for alternative before considering this one.$LABEL$0 +A Great Global Underground Debut. Danny Howells is the second Nubreed DJ featured in the series. Howells is an innovative and exciting DJ with that extraordinary gift to mix sets that take the electronica fan on journeys using his decks as transport.Both discs are very good in my opinion. Neither are highly innovative, but both work and the end product are two above average sets.Keep your eyes and ears on this guy. He continues to rise in rank on my personal favorite DJ list. Don't miss him live if you ever get the chance.Both disc 1 and disc 2, get 4/5 stars.$LABEL$1 +ZICO AND VITACOCO. MY SON PREFERS ZICO AND I PREFER VITACOCO. Both are delicious and extremely healthy for you.When I order I get both. My family thinks Zico is less sweet than Vitacoco and like it a tad better. It is a very close second to Vitacoco in my book. By the way, each family member drinks at least two a day. These drinks have replaced soda.$LABEL$1 +A little too depressing for a Self-Help book. I read Sark I know how she guest-stars Sabrina Ward-Harrison in her books, so I looked forward to reading a copy of Sabrina's book. First off: The art is gorgeous. Really. Her collages are very personal and her effort pays off hansomly. On the other hand, the content of the book itself is pretty much a big downer. There's no resolution to any of her dillemas, just a big complaint about how she feels she has no control about her esteem-lacking life. I'm sure that if I knew her I would be feeling much different. But there isn't the payoff that comes with seeing the other side of her personality. I do hope she keeps writing (she does have promise and her art is great), but her next piece has more "arc" to it from the internally repressed to the externally liberated.$LABEL$0 +Better for lighter bikes. We are using this rack to store a 27lb bike. Anything heavier may be a problem, since the construction does not include a support arm and relies on the hinge mechanism.We have taken care to place the bike gently on the rack, and even then it bounces a little.Not the quality and strength we expected, however, for the price it is a four star.$LABEL$1 +DON'T BUY THESE UNLESS YOU NEED COASTERS! THEY ARE GARBAGE!!. I bought 200 of these (2 - 100 disk Spindles) in June of 2004. They were GREAT! I had 4 bad burns and the rest were flawless.In October I ordered 400 more (4 - 100 disk Spindles. Apparently, Memorex went to a different manufacturer for the new disks. THESE NEW DISKS ARE AWFUL. I HAVE THROWN AWAY ALMOST ALL OF THEM. I ESTIMATE MY SUCCESS RATE IS LESS THAN 5 OUT OF 100!!!I am outraged by this and feel ripped off. I will never buy them again. I can't take a chance ordering Disks from Amazon because I cant return them once I open the Spindle. THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS WASTED!$LABEL$0 +If I no Like, You Should No like This. This bad bad BAD!. This no toy no good. It break when they got it. Now i am sad sadSAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yes, we are all sad because this thingymabobber ruined ourCrhistmas (not really, but the people not happy) so look howmany sad faces had been made? This item, possess the darkside!Dang, how do those people make crap and get paid?BAD! BAD! BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bye Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Great Small Sat replacement. I purchased these because my old JBL sats. finally died after 8 years. These are excellent replacement sats. for any installation. Great tone, wonderful range and a good sensitivity to boot. These are fill-ins until I gather enough information to buy a completely new setup, but these will make excellent rear sats. in the future as well.Overall, a great speaker for my needs.$LABEL$1 +Good product. I haven't used them much yet, but they will provide a great deal of utility when I do use them.$LABEL$1 +Excellent compilation.. I normally stay away from Greatest Hits cds because you tend to get cheated somehow. The songs are usually the radio (i.e. shortened) version of the original, or the Greatest Hits cd only includes the more widely accepted songs of the artist and exclude the gems that didn't get a lot of radio play. This Babyface Greatest Hits cd includes the original versions of the songs and even an extended live version of his song with Eric Clapton. This is a nice cd, even for those who feel Babyface is a little too "soft" for their taste. I would highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +A sad but powerful story that everyone should read. One of the best books I have ever read. Sad but extremely powerful. It is a must read for anyone, especially mothers who are having a difficult time coming to grips with the sexual orientation of their children.The book is well written and detailed. You feel a connection with Bobby and his mother through out the book. At times, the book can be a tear jerker. But then again, tear jerkers are the books that hit home the hardest and make their mark.$LABEL$1 +This book is the best!!!. I love this book. Especially the parts about Liath. I've read the second one. Is there a third? Please tell me if you know. The storyline keeps you wondering and you don't want to put the book down. The ideas the author has come up with are great! All the magic and you wonder just what Liaths abilities are and how Alain comes into it. It's wonderfull.$LABEL$1 +A good book if your not in a hurry. This is a pretty good book...It's not perfect but Frances Mayes does a great job letting us(the reader) see what she sees and tastes what she tastes. I found the recipes a bit much..I am not one to read recipes unless I am acually going to make something..Overall great book...a great book for a long train ride.$LABEL$1 +I am very upset. The Long & Short is FALSE ADVERTISING. The product they show you is not what you get. I live in the Caribbean and it not Feasible to ship it back so I have to consider it a loss.$LABEL$0 +Centrifugal Bumblepuppy. Matt Mahaffey, the creative force behind Self, has accomplished one of the most compelling and enjoyable albums I have ever heard. In his first outing on DreamWorks records, the band has produced a powerful and skilled recording full of catchy hooks, uncommon sampling and creatively appealing lyrics. All of this is backed up with competent instrumentation. This album just knocks the balls off of my chin and forces me to take notice. And notice I did. Not to say that the other tracks on this CD aren't anything less than outstanding, but be sure to pay close attention to "The End of it All", "It All Comes Out in the Wash" and "Placing the Blame".$LABEL$1 +IT STINKS!!!!!!!!!. After having purchased FIVE palm III's and after throwing out all of them due to mechanical and electronical failure, I would like to say that this certain piece of plastic is nothing but plastic rubbish. Conterary to what the company and other reviewers might say, I think that no one should purchase this item. Spend your money on something that actually works and don't make the mistake that I made of buying five of these exuces for equiptment. PLEASE!$LABEL$0 +Closet Maid Plastic Top. These are great additions to the Closet Maid drawer baskets. Provides just the extra counter space I need.$LABEL$1 +Not what it appears to be. I thought this book was going to be just about Yorkies but it is more a general book with a few added pages about Yorkies. Not what I expected and the grooming section is really pretty sad.$LABEL$0 +Sludge attack................. Maybe it's not the best story. Maybe it's not the best effects. But still I have to say best Godzilla movie ever! In this film it's more of a fantasy. A boy who worships his friend Godzilla. The reason why this movie was made because of the polution in japan.$LABEL$1 +This cable was poorly manufactured. I bought this cable to listen to music on my cell phone. It does not work at all when it is plugged into the earphone jack. It only works if I push and pull the male end of the plug until I find a spot where it conducts. Since it's not in the correct position, it will not lock in place and I have to use tape in order to hold it. I have tried two other similar cables to check that it wasn't the cell phone causing the problem, and they both worked perfectly. I recommend you not buy this product.$LABEL$0 +Sometimes growing up is not easy. I always enjoy Ms. Pappano's books and this is no exception. She certainly has expert touch in character studies. Ethan and Grace have a lot to over come, not only with each other but within themselves. Abuse comes in many forms and how it affects each child depends upon the individual. Ethan became wild because everyone expected him to and Grace withdrew into herself and tried to become "invisible". Good read, not just fluff. Message for all. Forgiveness would seem to be the key word...they had to forgive themselves, each other and family. Acceptance comes next. Their row to hoe will not be easy.$LABEL$1 +What a relief..... After being diagnosed with celiac disease, I was desperate to find GF pasta. As previous reviewers have stated, with some extra shredded cheese added.... this tastes just like Kraft Mac and Cheese.Downgraded a star because I have found better, creamier mac an cheese from another manufacturer.$LABEL$1 +What I Thought About Elmo in Grouchland. It was the worst movie I had ever seen in my life. I saw it at the movies with a friend and my mom. It was so bad that we left before it was even half over!$LABEL$0 +Mediocre at best. This book basically gives you the watered-down rehashed MSDN version of .NET socket and network programming. This is a 350 page book attempting to cover all aspects of this subject including remoting and the structure of the .NET libraries without getting into much detail in each one.A mere 18 pages is devoted to server side socket programming, but even that is packed with so much fluff that a programmer winds up with too little information to implement an regular TCP socket server, much less an asynchronous one.$LABEL$0 +Pass on this one.... I bought this gun a few months ago at Lowes. Most of my experience with this gun is with using 2" nails. I can report to all that this gun frequently mis-fires (dry fire). Also, the gun doesn't always 'reset' back into the proper firing position. DeWalt has missed the mark with this gun and I would not recommend it to anyone. In my opinion this gun should be recalled. Don't be lured by the good looks and light weight - the substance is not behing the style. Thank goodness Lowes took this product back - I told the customer service person that it's a RTV (return to vendor)...$LABEL$0 +Great CD. **** 1 Star's. Great Cd I loved it. And don't worry about all of the 1 star ratings. go ahead and read them all of them are not bout the CD just people that dislike rap or Eminem. They have nothing to do with the CD$LABEL$1 +Continuing with the Rush string of phenomenal music.. RUSH continue to prove that they can write some of the best music available. Well-seasoned after some 19 albums, Test For Echo shows these three musicians, each at the top of their art, will stop only when they're good and ready.$LABEL$1 +We love Jesse Stone. We have the complete series. love them and watch them regularly.Waiting for the next feature to come out in DVD.$LABEL$1 +Stick a Fork In It. I've read this series since the first installment, and unfortunately they keep getting worse.Renie, who used to be somewhat amusing, keeps getting more and more annoying. Way too much time is spent on stupidity such as her stuffed ape being "kidnapped" and her rabbit dressed in a tutu. Her mouthiness and attitude are also no longer entertaining -- the character has become unbearable. And Judith isn't much better -- people talking to her because she smiles warmly at them has long since gotten ridiculous.When you run out of feasible reasons for your characters to be involved in murder and the reasons become as convoluted and lame as they have with this series, it's time to stick a fork in it.$LABEL$0 +Zzzzzzz!. This books starts out interesting but in the middle gets REALLY SLOW - the only action being everybody's mouths flapping nonstop. I kept skipping ahead to see if anything interesting would ever happen again but it never did. Endless philosophizing, women "bonding" with each other, everybody preaching to each other, on and on ad nauseum. In real life these people would never have made it across the country because they spent 90% of their time talking.$LABEL$0 +Time travel, love and getting to change history!!. I bought this book after reading a review somewhere. When i picked it up i was like ok it is good but it did get better. It is definetly for kids 15 or younger just becuase of the way it is written. However i am 21 and i liked it.After wrecking her dad's brand new BMW, she wishs (while holding her necklace) that she was anywhere else only to transported back in time. She soon finds herself in love and wanting some soap. She eventually gets back only to find that everthing has changed because she went back in time, so she goes back again to fix what she did. She even just might get the guy she loves from when she went back in time :)......$LABEL$1 +May be okay, but it didn't work well for me. This worked, but the sound quality was very disappointing. There was background noise on every frequency I tried.A friend hooked up their Transpod in my car and it was world's better...gonna invest in that, I think.$LABEL$0 +junk. bought this product to run my electric fillet knife, and it will not hardly turn it over. do not buy this adapter.$LABEL$0 +Handset Loses Contact. Good sturdy telephone for the two weeks we had it. However, handset would often shut off when you just laid it down on the table. It would restart if you removed and reinserted the battery cover. Obviously, we had to return it as defective.$LABEL$0 +IT WORKS. I just want to say how I tired this prooduct two years ago and it worked, however things did not turn out well for me I took some time to heal and now I am back buying the sticks again to try this again. I should be back next month saying I am pregnant that is how confident I am with the product.$LABEL$1 +Worth every Penny!!!. Its a wonderful game for an excellent price. Be prepared to spend hours and hours on this game; if your a fan of strategy games like Civ Rev and Risk.$LABEL$1 +Not that great. I got this book from a friend who's always giving me fun, short reads. It's an ok book. I saw some other posts saying that this is for people who have no clue and it's true. I believe you can learn at least a little something from every book out there, so I will finish it, but I haven't found anything extraordinary so far.$LABEL$0 +Too Difficult To Use. For a patient recovering from heart surgery, the pillow is too difficult to get "into", meaning they cannot pull themselves up to get against the pillow.$LABEL$0 +Good Price, Good product. Cheap and fast delivery of this iPod after merket charger.. I works fine and I saved some money.. The only thin i dont like is the red lite that is on whenever its plugged in..$LABEL$1 +Take Flight. Beautiful catchy rock. You absolutely can not help but sing along, tap your foot, and sing these songs in your head for the next week. They went on to form Buzz Zeemer with Tommy Conwell. Gotta check out their self-titled debut that just went to CD. www.record-cellar.com$LABEL$1 +Wildly over rated!. From Brooklyn myself, there are loads of bands regurgitating simplistic, non-catchy, synth meets poor guitar work ballads about the lost and lonely artists of the world, and in this case Williamsburg. This band has been blown out of proportion without the talent to back them up. I'm ashamed of touch and go records... I mean it would be one thing if they were good live, but there not! Uggh, when will music matter over style? Did I mention TV on the Radio did a fashion spread to promote their album?$LABEL$0 +WORST FILM EVER MADE!!!!!. "Battlefield: Earth" is just another good example of how NOT to make a movie. Within the first 30 minutes of this garbage, I felt the need to cut out my eyes with a white hot Buck knife. Yes, ladies & gentleman, it's THAT bad. (I'm actually surprised that I watched 30 minutes worth of it. LOL) Avoid this film at all costs.$LABEL$0 +Good Value for the money.....but. Not bad for someone who wants to take candid shots and display or share them on the web. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Of course, the worse aspect of the camera is the auto shut off and resetting of the settings.$LABEL$1 +Oh dear: what a boring life. This book could only possibly appeal to diehard ABBA fans who still want to know what made Annifrid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha tick. At the very least there should be some explanation for the costumes. But what Agnetha has dished is the least revealing autobiography in living memory. She retraces events familiar to any self respecting fan and ignores questions of personality, musical preference...well, just about everything that makes one want to read someone else's story. I read the book in one sitting (very easy) and haven't touched it since, despite there being some excellent photos of her and the rest of the group. If you'd like something at least a little racy I'd recommend the (probably mostly fictional) biography "The Name Of The Game", but as for "As I Am" best get on with your (probably more interesting) life.$LABEL$0 +Useful book. I found this book to present a straightforward look into the complex world of neural networks. It is ideal for someone with little or no background in the subject yet covers sophisticated techniques as well. There were plenty of diagrams and many practical examples of how to use neural networks in the "real world." The software presents some challenges, however, given it predates Windows 98 and 2000. It seems to only work with US regional settings. Nevertheless, I was able to get it up and running and enjoyed the several examples and exercises described in the book. Overall, nicely written, an excellent introduction to the subject, and a good value.$LABEL$1 +You need this!!!. For residential or commercial use, you can't go wrong. Working in the home improvement industry, my line of work is window and door installations. Working off a scaffold with an 18 volt cordless drill is now a thing of the past. The PS20 is a fraction of the weight of its 18 volt big brother, plus it fits conveniently in my tool pouch. It's magnetic tip keeps the screws where they belong when reaching. Don't get me wrong, my 18 volt Bosch is a workhorse but you can't beat the PS20 for its portability, power (impressive for a 12 volt), and battery life. Another great Bosch product!!!$LABEL$1 +Hauntingly beautiful a true work of art!. Kaitlyn ni Donovan's Cd, Songs For 'Three Days' echos of impressionistic classical music, jazz Celtic and pop. Every track held attention. I was constantly suprised at the diversness and fluidity of the music. Lots of stringed instruments, oddest being ukulele create a delicate backdrop for the CD. I'd compare ni Donovan's vocals a bit of Enya mixed with Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and Suzanne Vega. Lacking a lyric sheet, the lyrics I could make out seemed enigmatic and personal. Excellent introspective bedtime or reading music. Kaitlyn ni Donovan's Songs for 'Three Days' could have mass appeal if it weren't too painfully an original rare find.$LABEL$1 +wannabe classic. This is just a mediocre crime novel masquerading as high literature. If you like this genre, go for established crime writers - at least they write well researched books with interesting plots. The prose is patronizing, the characters are shallow, the big bang of the beginning is an inaudible invisible whimper by page 20. The lack of research may not be obvious to an American reader, but as an Indian let me assure you that no Indian can have a name like Ray Singh (they are both last names) or Ruana Singh. I cannot believe I wasted my time reading this through to the end...with all the hype about it I felt I had to!$LABEL$0 +Canto Di Primavera. The album's title sounds somewhat like a veal entree in an Italian ristorante, the contents is quite close to it too. Some instrumental passages are reminiscent of the group's early years and suggest that the former mastery is hiding behind the mediocrity of the music. A couple of exuberant songs (the title track inclusive) are variations on themes of a little shepherd girls' choir, the rest is outright boring, best when used for an acupuncture session, highly recommended for the occasion.$LABEL$0 +Acetate PIllow. I am using it mainly for decoration, i.e. do not sleep with it. So it is holding up beautifully$LABEL$1 +Horrible!. The cartridge didn't work. Rather than just printing text on the page it streaked dark wide black shading throughout every page. I put old cartridge back in printer and confirmed that problem is the new cartridge not my printer.$LABEL$0 +Too predictable. I was hoping this would be more of an interesting story, I was quite disappointed to find out that it was a basic and very sad story. It was also quite predictable. I had expected to discover a more complex, and less sad story.$LABEL$0 +Everyone should see it.. I think that everyone should see the North and South movies it is the best I love all the actors. The movie made you feel good inside and I liked how it should the good and bad people in the North and the South I think everyone should see this.$LABEL$1 +I wish everyone could see this film. I just saw it last night and was deeply moved. I didn't cry watching it, but for some reason have found myself crying today as I think about the film. I won't reiterate what's been said previously by many of the reviewers--except to say this movie will move you profoundly.I've found having children changes your perspective on everything. As a father of a beautiful, wonderful 5 year-old boy, I pray for all the children out there who are subjected to similar experiences because we adults can't get it right.$LABEL$1 +Keeps on pointing the way!. Back in 2006 this items was the must have in laser pointers for my job. 5 years later and it still does the job like it did on day one. (also a few batteries later). Quality has stood up over time. Great product!$LABEL$1 +Connelly churns out another good novel. Connelly did it again with Lost Light. His work is everything you're looking for and yet the story is unpredictable enough to keep you reading and turning the pages. Like most characters in this genre of books, Bosch's life is written out as a chronology. In this novel he's now retired and he does reflect back, if briefly, on some of the previous cases we all read about. Its an appealing element to the Bosch series in that you find yourself relating to the character, almost as if you can imagine getting to know them. If you like Connelly, you'll probably find that this is one of his best works. You can see his continued growth as a writer and his works generally continue to get better and are more polished. Connelly shows again that he's one of the most gifted writers in this genre. All in all, another great read.$LABEL$1 +All I Can Add is -- Bravo Andy Hunter!. This was a great album that I bought due to hearing the track "Go" on the video game "SSX3". I have been a long-time listener of New Age music, moreso than Techno\Trance music. I have to rate this album equal to the best offerings from Jean-Jarre and Vangelis.I can't wait for more from Andy and I hope that his sophmore effort is just as well done!$LABEL$1 +Poor Design. I have owned a 395 for a couple of years now and this tool has a very flimsy drive shaft made of soft plastic. If you use it very much or for too long of a time at once, the shaft will melt and break. I would not recommend this tool until Dremel starts adding about 10 extra shafts to each kit or makes them of a more durable material that does not melt under stress.$LABEL$0 +Buy a different workout. I read these reviews before I purchased this kit, but I thought the other reviews were probably from people who weren't in good shape. Well, now, I know why these workouts are free on hulu and the infomercial isn't on TV anymore. They lack sufficient warm-up, provide very little form instruction which could easily lead to injury, and are just generally ill-conceived. I was very disappointed. Save your money and buy something else.$LABEL$0 +Good overall. I have had this product for I think about 6 months now and I still haven't had to change the filter. When I first got it, I did have to buy an attatchment from the hardware store for my faucet. My faucet is the kind that is supposed to look like an old farmhouse faucet, so it was a little small. The attachment was only around $1 so it wasn't a big deal. The filter does leak every now and then, epecially when I use hot water, but it doesn't leak enough to bother me. It still does what it needs to do and it saves me a ton of money on bottled water.$LABEL$1 +The advice is good but.... The childish writing style gets old very quickly. If you're smart you can learn from a lot of different sources. I don't want to say there is nothing to be learned here. It's just that you can see the destination of this book long before you get there. And it's not a long book.$LABEL$0 +awesome rock cd. I think this cd is great. I'm not a terribly big fan of hard rock but this cd is great to listen to if you feel like rocking hard. That said, I really like the track Drive because it shows that Incubus can be softer too, as well as Pardon Me for it's lyrics and awesome chorus. I guess one of the main reasons I like this cd is because it got me hooked on Incubus, now I can't wait to get my hands on their next cd. It's also good because Incubus is one of those bands that can really rock without using a lot of swear words. If you're looking for a good rock band or are just an Incubus fan I definitely recommend picking up this cd!$LABEL$1 +"There's not going to be any evacuation!". Ouch! Man, alive, this movie almost has to be seen to be believed! How Irwin Allen convinced all these stars to even look at the script is an amazing feat! If you want a medley of disaster movies, than this one is for you, others should stay away like it was the plague. The other reviewers all correct in their statements, any other Irwin Allen disaster movie or any other disaster movie should suffice. The highlight of the movie really is James Franciscus and his overblown dialogue. As I said, if you're in for a cheesy movie with tons of stars trying to earn a few bucks to pay off some taxes or blackmail, this might be the movie for you.....others....BEVARE!$LABEL$0 +Awful company. I have tried to contact this company for a return and I still haven't heard from them.I have called and emailed them also.Awful service$LABEL$0 +Works as Advertised. First, recommend buying the accessory kit with the rotisserie.I'm very pleased with the virtual brand new condition of theunit, the completeness of the system, and the fact that it indeedworks as advertised. Have enjoyed a wonderful pork roast and beef steaks, although the latter did not brown due the shortnessof the time needed to cook medium rare. The accessory recipe book's recommended cooking times are extremely accurate. Overall, I'm delighted, and can't wait to try other recipes.$LABEL$1 +Lifesaver. This is a must have when your tv doesn't have enough a/v connectors. Even though the manual was missing, it took less than 5 minutes to conncet the Direct TV, vcr & television. The little remote is very handy, we just attached a piece of velcro to it & keep it with the tv remote. This tiny little expander takes up little room, you can place it on top of your other items or on the side of the television. I LOVE IT!!!$LABEL$1 +Amazing!. I don't really want to fill this out. Don't waste your time reading right now, just get thee to a theater to see this movie! Theron is amazing in this role. Who knew? Now, WE do! I totally forgot there was an actor on that screen, and believed this was Aileen Wuornos. The only real disappointment was in Ms. Ricci's performance. Either the character was not developed enough or she just wasn't into it. She seemed to play one note, and that was whiney baby dyke. Theron, however, did not let those less capable prevent her from blowing other Oscar competition out of the water.Thank you Patty Jenkins for doing this film, and thank you Charlize for your passion and talent and having the guts to let us see what you can do. Not an easy thing, but lady, you've got it!$LABEL$1 +Staying With My Boys. Very disappointing book. The subject should have had a better author. The book was so boring I never finished it.$LABEL$0 +Highly Recommended DVD!. Serpentine is a really thorough technique and choreo DVD! Exactly what I was looking for, especially if you've danced a bit already! There's so much info in here you really get your money's worth and who doesn't <3 Rachel Brice?!$LABEL$1 +Unfair. This unfair.I have no idea who this Al SAffeeAmazon Ought to take off its list.This NOT the furqaan al haq.In islam Al furqan is the quran and thisone is clearly not one..well far from it...it is the anti-christ of Quran and Furqan.$LABEL$0 +Sorry, not happy.. Wahl Professional 8061 5-star Series Deluxe Rechargeable Shaver ShaperAfter several uses of this product I was not happy with my results. Did not get the close shave I was looking for. Hopeing to get similar results, as I uses to from my Remington shaver design for black man's. Also sorry to say Remington does'nt make this shaver anymore. I'm not very happy with Remington on that note too. Just not happy with this Wahl shaver.$LABEL$0 +irritating piece of research. Anyone doing research into the history of anaesthesia should check this out, but this should definitely not be the last or only word on the controversy. Historians tend to disagree on who should be credited with the discovery of anaesthesia in the United States: Wells or Morton. MacQuitty plants herself well within the Morton supporter's camp, oversimplifying a complex series of human interactions and relationships by dismissing Wells' role in the "discovery" (excuse the scare quotes) and adpotion of surgical anaesthesia, especially when treating ether, nitrous oxide, and cholorform as historically identical substances.$LABEL$0 +This box set shows Judy at her best throughout her life.. I have this set, and it is really great! It includes 4 CD's, a book and a video. It has most of her best solos and a few duets. I listen to the CD's over and over. The book has dozens of photos, and the video shows Judy on her short-lived T.V. show. This is a great gift for any Judy fan, because it features the World's Greatest Entertainer, Miss Judy Garland!$LABEL$1 +Good Equipment. I purchased this because I do alot of number punching at work and I hate using the embedded keypad on the top row of the laptop I use. The install was easy and the driver also includes a calculator software with number transfering capabilities as well. I found it useless, but it [work for] many poeple's needs. My only Gripe is that the cable comes out of it on the right hand side, if you have it on the right side of the keyboard it has to go back around to the left side. No big deal but it is just kinda quirkie and thought that I would throw that in.Other than that it is awesome, the keys respond like it is an embedded keyboard and it doesn't hog a usb port, I know some have the hub but a co-worker has one like that and the hub on it doesn't work so I figured go with the Serial port and not use the USB... I own nothing else that uses a serial port so it works out great.$LABEL$1 +perfect feeder. This feeder was exactly what I was looking for. The product was improved by making the flower white to cut down on attracting bees. It is the perfect size since humming birds are lone feeders and you do not need many ports since only one will feed at a time. It allows me to buy more and spread them out around the house to cut down on the fighting over a feeder. I had no problem with leakage. It was a great year for my humming birds thanks to this product.$LABEL$1 +Lentek Bark Free Dog Training Device. I have not had any success with my dogs on this product. The dogs simply ignore the sound and keep on barking. I am very disapointed in the product.$LABEL$0 +Absolutely Amazing.. One of the most hilarious and touching books ever written. Dr. Manning's style is stunning and incredibly beautiful.$LABEL$1 +Oh Boy! It finished teaching HTML..... I thought this book was supposed to be teaching us XML but it goes on about HTML and how it is the distant cousin of XML and how XML is soon going to be the parent of HTML. The author hasn't even tried to get in-depth of the whole XML concept it seems as though the author just wanted to get a book out and here was a great opportunity for her. The author gets into a subject and does not explain it there and then instead you are referred to another "Skill" in the book. That becomes frustrating. If you really want to learn XML better get another book, you will be wasting your time, money and mind on this book.$LABEL$0 +Not the best. This CD originally appeared as part of the 5 disc COLLECTION and as such doesn't stand up as a reording in it's own right. Much of the material is from John's latter works so will only be of interest if you havn't got the original albums. Unfortunately the excellent the title track and FALLING LEAVES fail to lift this hotch potch above the mediocre. Only recommended if you are determined to own any collection of John's that you can get your hands on.$LABEL$0 +My favorite perfume.. It's the only perfume I wear. Why use anything else when I get such great comments when I wear Passion.I've used it for many years.$LABEL$1 +I want more. This CD/DVD set is great, but I really wish they had taped the whole concert like they did the one at Wrigley Field. All of the songs are on the CD and you get to hear Jimmy's comments to the audience which many times make the show. But there is only about an hour of the actual concert on the DVD. I would have preferred that they tape the whole concert and sell it separately. However, in my case something is better than nothing so I would recommend this set.$LABEL$1 +Different strokes for different folks. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I happen to think that the first CD is crap and I love the second CD. It just goes to show you, don't listen to what half of these people say, Get what you want because it's what you like. The first Cd is to much trance for me to handle, the second CD was great soulful house music with a latin flavor. I enjoy most of the Knee Deep remixes and it's nice to finally have 'pasilda' on disc.$LABEL$1 +Good read, not up to usual par. While this was a good, gripping read, the story was not up to Iles' usual standards.That knocks it down a star, but the quality of the writing, not the plausability of the story, provide huge enjoyment.$LABEL$1 +Needs updating. This compilation of old articles from HBR is somewhat disjointed and definitely out-of-date. The book is not much more than a blatant attempt to trade on the HBR name at the expense of the consumer.$LABEL$0 +Unblack to the core!!!. This is no joke. This is the real deal for Unblack Metal. We stay true to glorifying Christ and to His Message. "Invert the Inverted Cross" says it all! This is not a rip-off of Darkthrone or any other Black Metal band. This is simply giving you the other side of the story, the TRUE side!This music is for those who have drowned themselves in the lies that Black Metal has told. This music is atmospheric and truly a classic! It existed long enough to say what needed to be said. The lyrics are extreme, just as Christianity is. You can burn our churches and kill our people, but God has the ultimate victory!Hail the Eternal Emporer, Jesus Christ!Love,Servus Dei from Offertory$LABEL$1 +Good Product. I've been using the Sony Dect 6.0 for 2 months now as a replacement for a Sony 900 mhz cordless product that gave us over 15 years of good service. Range, clarity and battery life are exceptional. There are more features available than I will ever need or use. I have no complaints and rate the product 5 stars across the board.$LABEL$1 +Pretty . . . and Flimsy. Cool glowing lighted keyboard . . . combined with flimsy build quality and it's a gigantic waste of money. If you are a power user or have a tendency to be a little firm on the keyboard, do not buy this model. It is not sturdy at all. If you like the cool glow, get a lava lamp instead plus a real keyboard-- and have some money left over.$LABEL$0 +Almost as good as No!. 'Here Come the ABCs' is a very good children's record/dvd. It is really well made and although it is made for pre-schoolers, it isn't annoying for a parent/adult.The animations and videos on the dvd are very intersting too, even though the budget for them was clearly low.It is obvioulsy made for a younger crowd than NO! was, but still, it's almost as good and entertaining for any TMBG fan.I say definitely worth buying.$LABEL$1 +Powerful read!. Tim gives an excellant portrayal of PTSD in action. This is a book I recommend for Vietnam vetswho can relate who suffer from memories from the Vietnam war. He shares so compassionatelythe pain and sorrow only another vet can know that words cannot speak. The slow-motion memories ofwar that come back to haunt. Beautifully written and depicted grief release from one vet to any other who lived it.$LABEL$1 +Can't smell it...not worth the money. bought this because it was a good deal, or at least appeared to be. It's almost scent-less...there's a reason it's on sale.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your time!. I just rented this and wow, I want those two hours of my life back. Me being a marine biologist myself, I was interested in this movie but it turned out to be downright terrible. I barely cracked a smile during the whole thing, and this was disappointing because Bill Murray is one of my favorite actors.$LABEL$0 +Good idea, poor presentation.. The author needs to take creative writing classes. The language was stilted, and the dialogue artificial, both deadly sins in my opinion, especially when the subject - kids being trained as terrorists - could have been so compelling. I confess, I could not finish it.$LABEL$0 +8th day of christmas 2011 review. On the 8th day of christmas 2011 Im going to review...Child's Play. There are so many plotholes in this film that I can't type them all in one sitting. The acting is terrible at best. The premise is preposterous & stupid. The devices that made Chucky look like he was real are faulty at best. Worst of all,even thought the cast saids that Chucky's body is becoming more human,he can still move & LIVE without a head,with one arm and with only one leg. They to shoot it like a million times before he goes down for the count for good. Overall,while it is scary for some people,it's dated at best. I give this movie a 2 and a half out of 10.$LABEL$0 +They just keep getting better!. After seeing the show True Blood on HBO this past year I just had to know more about Sookie's world. I thought the series started a little slow with Dead Until Dark but DEFINITELY picked up with Living Dead In Dallas. Club Dead blew me away! I LOVED IT! I picked it up four days ago and finished last night. I'm already two chapters into Dead to the world. I love the development of the characters relationships. Especially Sookie and Eric. I have a BIG crush on Eric! haha. GREAT SERIES SO FAR! I look forward to the rest of the series.$LABEL$1 +Poor Syntax, Spelling, and Lack of a Translator. I would be careful purchasing this edition of The Master and Margarita. The lack of a translator was apparent with misspelled words (haze, spelled ha2e), poor sentence structure (often lacking a verb), and the spacing was not indicative of who was speaking.I have since gone on and purchased the edition by Picador and find it an entrancing read. I realize now how much I missed out of the first three chapter of the edition I purchased from Amazon by Classic House Publishing.$LABEL$0 +Great to see this film on DVD.. I have always loved this film, and its great to see it on DVD at last.$LABEL$1 +sent wrong cable. This cable was supposed to be good for Game cube. The one they sent doesn't fit in the game cube. It's totally useless.$LABEL$0 +A Very Underrated Movie. I saw this movie on TV about 10 years ago while channel surfing and loved it so much I could not get it out of my head. I had to buy a used VHS tape as there is no DVD available in US.William Holden and David Niven are terrific but the best in the cast is Maggie McNamara and I wish she had done more movie work. The dialogue is witty and the story is charming.With all the trash being put on DVD it is a shame that this little gem is not. It is also fairly hard to find the tape and it is not cheap but it is worth paying a higher price for.Again, the biggest asset of this movie is Maggie McNamara and you will not get to see her in anything else of this caliber.$LABEL$1 +Loved It. Everyone that has commented seem to think the movie was awful.. Me on the other hand has never watched the Avartar Airbender cartoon.. So maybe I don't know what it should have or shouldn't have been .. But I really enjoyed the movie.. And i'm a strong movie buff of any Fantasy Movie as long as their is a story line.I actually hope their is a 2 on the horizon. And any way it was only for entertainment.. Not to build my life on.. So i give it a big thumbs up and to me the special effects was awesome.The actors did a good job on bringing to movie to life. I wasn't trying to pick the movie a part but to enjoy the movie. But then thats just my opinion. I would recommen you watching it and forming your own opinion.$LABEL$1 +Too general. There was not enough information as far as I was concerned. I think there are other books out there that are more specific and contain far more information.$LABEL$0 +Not My Favorite. I love almost everything written by Georgette Heyer. And this book is one of the reasons why I say "almost"...This book is more of a Gothic-style romance, but even considering that, I found it a creepy and unpleasant read. And if you are looking for a romance novel, there is very little focus on the romance and more on the weird goings-on of possibly deranged family members.I would steer clear of this one! She has so many other great novels, don't waste your time here.I'd give it a one-star, but I just can't do that to a Heyer novel.$LABEL$0 +DON'T READ!!!!! BAD INFO!!!!!!!!!. I just want to say that i love 98 Degrees!!!! I love their music, their looks, and their down to earth attitudes. So don't get me wrong when i say i don't like this book. It has nothing to do with them. The one who wrote this book can't even get their names right. She keeps on calling Jeff....Jeff Lachey. If you are going to write a book about someone you should at least get their names right. Plus it was so chessy. One part is like Nick is sad....Nick is lonely.....He is wearing only his boxers and his tattoos. He has tons of girls numbers but no true love. He wonders if there is any yoo-hoo in the fridge. It gets annoying. Plus when she talks about the songs she gets the parts wrong of who sings what. I know everyone may not know everything about 98 but if you are going to write a book about them you should get your facts straight. Anyone go get their offical book when it comes out. Don't waste your time or money with this one!$LABEL$0 +Excelent low cost option. Excellent low cost watch, perfect for measuring energy loss and lap times. Not recomended for every day use as a watch since the red button on the front tends to press itself and starts the chronometer.$LABEL$1 +Better to save your money. Having read Hernandez's high-powered "A is for Admissions," I was very disappointed by this product resulting from the collaboration of two seeming experts. Each page contains one advice, with only a few sentences of explanation, so the content of the book could've easily been compacted into fewer pages. Also, the advice seems to be a downgrade compared to those offered in Hernandez's other book; some are rehashed, while others non-brainers. Save your money and time by avoiding this book. If you want sound admissions advice, get Hernandez's other book instead.$LABEL$0 +HP1209 = JUNK. The FUNCTIONS of this printer/copier/scanner are AWESOME, but the QUALITY is absolute GARBAGE. For about the first 6 months, this printer would handle envelope printing reasonably well, but after that printing envelopes is essentially impossible. The printer usually destroys 3-4 envelopes before it gets one that is marginally acceptable. Additionally frustrating is that - like many HP printers - there is no reasonable way to extract paper jams. Also, the software that comes with the printer is NOT user-friendly. Finally, after recently re-installing Windows XP, the HP driver software (unnecessarily) re-installs the printer drivers EVERY time the computer boots up; sometimes it re-installs the printer drivers at random times. This is VERY FRUSTRATING.$LABEL$0 +Extremely pleased. The Xpad is everything I expected and more. It has a non-slip surface, it eliminates all heat between the laptop and my legs. It allows the proper air flow around the lap top without interfering with its internal cooling system. Xpad is extremely light, so anytime I move my laptop, the Xpad goes with it.$LABEL$1 +The Melody At Night. A big let down after the Koln Concert... sounded more like piped in office music.$LABEL$0 +Poor Quality..Bad Choice... I had purchased Xerox 470, and had to swap it back 3 times for a new machine from XEROX because the paper wouldn't feed without jamming or the rollers wouldn't grab a single sheet [grabbed 5 etc.] Each machine i replaced experienced the exact same problems. Furthermore the ink cartridges are a ripoff because they do not last long and even though there maybe ink left, once the machine says "low ink" you cannot overide and keep printing. I did find XEROX support good, however this product was so poor that i simply ended up giving it away to a charity.$LABEL$0 +College text book. Product took longer than expected. Class started and had no book. Won't be buying from here again.$LABEL$0 +A ho hum movie cliche about a fictional tribe that never existed. Too bad good actors were wasted on a bullspit fantasy script. While the press touts this as being about the "Black Paw" tribe of California, NO such tribe ever existed, and IF this is supposed to be in California, why are the "Indians" dressed in northern plains (Lakota) style...???This movie is NOT fact based, so view it in that context...$LABEL$0 +Nice album for relaxing or doing work.. I listen to this when working on homework or just chilling by myself. Has a hip urban sound to it. Reminds me of a high end bar filled with professionals. Get it if you like electronic lounge thats relaxing and sounds hip.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I was disappointed in this item. Although it holds quite a bit and is fairly light weight, it got dirty quickly and is difficult to clean. Not worth the $84 cost.$LABEL$0 +Kindle edition problems. I haven't yet been able to read the book, but the Kindle edition has a serious flaw. The type is very small. I had to increase the size substantially in order to read it, and after doing that all my other books are too large. It is just a small nuisance but I would appreciate it if future digital editions were of standard size print so that I can simply set my Kindle to the size I want.$LABEL$0 +Good product, but needs much better packaging and shipping!. The item and price were good. But as other reviewers have said before, the backboard came in scratched due to lack of proper packaging. Needed 2 hours, and 2 adults to assemble. A good set of tools helps too!$LABEL$1 +Two Damfools (three, counting moi). I remember the afternoon in 1968 when I walked into downtown New Haven's Merle's Record Rack and was shown with great furtiveness a NEW John Lennon LP that was being kept UNDER the counter. It was literally encased in a brown paper slipcover that revealed only John's and Yoko's b&w; faces.As if being let in on a big conspiracy, I was told that the Beatle and his wife were totally naked on the cover: frontal nudity and rear nakedness on the LP sleeve's flip. So, like a dummy I laid out good money for what is TOTAL GARBAGE.Noise. Junk. Offal. Piffle. You pick the negatory noun.The photos are ugly. The recordings are uglier. This is the barrel bottom of Sixties crapola, and that's coming from a devoted John Lennon fan.Please don't make the same mistake I did way back when.$LABEL$0 +A Great Actor in a Great Role. Spencer Tracy is a great actor and in The Last Hurrah he plays an old school politician, the Mayor of a Boston-like city. His nephew, a journalist, is the eyes and ears for the audience and we see Tracy's character doing the good and the not so good in his position as Mayor. This is a great story with a great cast (Basil Rathbone, John Carradine).$LABEL$1 +Brainless, Shallow, and Absolutely Hilarious. This film is from the same wackos who gave us Airplane, Police Academy, and Naked Gun. If you've seen even just one of these, you pretty much know what to expect from this one. Except for one thing: for sheer mindless fun, Top Secret tops them all.The movie stars a young (and apparently not very role-choosy) Val Kilmer as a teen rock n' roll idol who goes on a road tour in East Germany, where he meets and falls in love with Hilary (Lucy Gutteridge), who enlists his aid to rescue her scientist father.But really, who cares about the plot? Watch this show for the deliciously insane gags. I won't even mention a single one of them, because they have to be seen to be believed.Sure, the humor is unsophisticated. Even dumb. But that's the point. We all have to treat ourselves to this sort of lunacy now and then. And I'd have to say that Top Secret is the best way to do just that.$LABEL$1 +Uneven. "The Tommyknockers" starts as many of King books do. Something unusual happens to a Maine resident, a blue-jeans everyman. Then, an apocalypse of events follows and we get what we like so much in his fiction: ordinary individuals facing problems which are usually too difficult for them to overcome. Snip: (...)$LABEL$0 +The Blue Cheer of the New Millenium. If you have been waiting for the followup to Vincebus Eruptum for 40 years, hoping to find it each time a new group popped up promising to deliver but never really doing it, well this is IT! You need this music and you will LOVE it.These guys put it all together with the fire of their excellent live album to come up with a true classic that I guess people 40 years from now will still adore. Long live Fu Manchu!$LABEL$1 +Completely Disappointed. When ordering this book, I thought I was getting the full-size version. I have looked and looked at the display page and did not find anything anywhere stating it was the pocket-sized version. I ordered this and Dating for Dummies for a friend. Now I have to go find something else for a gift. I would feel like a "Dummy" only giving them two small, hard-to-read novelty books!$LABEL$0 +Treo Headset letDown. A charge doesn't last long and it sometimes won't work at all. Flimsy, cheap-like.$LABEL$0 +Best de-burring tool I've used. This is great for deburring holes drilled in metal, but it works terribly for deburring holes in wood, soft plastic, and flesh.$LABEL$1 +The book on Avid Xpess. Great book for beginners and experienced Avid users alike.Incredibly well structered, very easy to understand, lots of tips and tricks. From setting up your system to using advanced keyframes, this book is a great resource on Avid Xpress!$LABEL$1 +Well Crafted Lyrics. Listen to "Yummy Down on This". Ignoring the song's perverted subject matter, you have to admit that the lyrics were very intelligently crafted. Jimmy Pop obviously spent a good deal of time getting these lyrics to flow smoothly, often with several different levels of meaning. The other songs on this album have many of the same characteristics.Guys may tend to relate to some of the songs more than the gals. In fact, most women will probably find songs like "A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When The Stripper Is Crying" offensive. Come to think of it, this song manages to press almost every offensive button imaginable.The bottom line: This album is very vulgar and perverted, BUT contains lyrics that are much more complex (hidden meanings and subtle humor) than most rap albums out today.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed.... I was disappointed with this mystery. I've read quite a few, but I found this story a little dull, and the characters not particularrly strong.$LABEL$0 +I keep talking to myself!!!. I loved the features that this phone offered, you could upload photos (not that I ended up doing it) or music to create your own ringtone. However, I would end up on the phone talking to myself at least a few times a week! If you are on the phone longer than 30 minutes the person you WERE talking to can no longer hear you, which sent you searching for the other handset! You could still hear them.So after about 3 months of this problem my friends and family already knew, if I didn't respond to them it wasn't because I wasn't paying attention!The battery began to die sooner and sooner around the 1 year mark as well.$LABEL$0 +Good view of network planning. This book gives you a big overview of network planning for Cellular Network Planning, is an introduction to the issue. Good book.$LABEL$1 +The MM275 is cheap and flimsy. I bought the Black And Decker MM275 based only on an Amazon recommendation. Within minutes of using this lawn mower I knew that my purchase of the MM275 was a mistake.Cons:* The bar height is not adjustable. I'm 5'11", and the bar is below my waist, which is uncomfortable.* The power switch is mushy soft plastic, like a chew toy for a dog. This essential part feels like it will break within a year, and reviews of similar Black And Decker lawn mowers say that it does.* The power connector doesn't have a lock or clip, so the power cord falls out. You'll need to tape or glue the power cord to the switch housing.* The motor is under-powered. I had to mow my lawn twice to get an even cut.* The shroud has a big nose. You can't do edges with this mower.Pros:* Very light. You can mow with one hand.$LABEL$0 +Easy to install... also works for 96 Infiniti I30. I didn't realize that it is so easy to replace hood struts until I saw a video on youtube. I was still a bit skeptical if I can DIY. Purchased two lift supports from Amazon (the site is helpful in that it told me the product would fit my Infiniti), and, the installation took less than 10 minutes.$LABEL$1 +Ben Marcus is a young beautiful god. Ben Marcus is a young, beautiful god. What more of a review do you want?$LABEL$1 +Shaker Leaks. The shaker looks nice, but if you plan to use it for actually making drinks you will be disappointed. Like the first reviewer says, no matter how you hold the shaker, it will leak and create a mess in your kitchen/bar area. Pass.$LABEL$0 +really?. This book had so much potential. broken hearted new mother seeks out her dead baby daddy's family and falls in love with charming younger brother. too bad that she is clearly weak willed when it comes to attractive men and kinda an idiot. too bad he is a total idiot with the maturity level of a eight grader. boxing...really??$LABEL$0 +Works great and easy to install. This is such a great addition to the 14 inch Jet bandsaw that I'm surprised Jet doesn't just make it standard on all their 14 inch saws. I was able to install it by myself, and I'm an old guy. I rigged a rope from the ceiling to support the top arm of the saw, disconnected the bolt, and lowered it to the floor. After that, the installation goes very easy and straightforward. Putting the top arm back on was the opposite of taking it off, but be sure that you can tie off the rope so you can use both hands to tighten the bolt.The only negative is the blade that ships with the riser block - it's not very good. Buy yourself a selection of Timber Wolf blades to use for resawing.Having the extra resaw capability if really nice and increases the usefulness of the saw. I recommend this accessory.$LABEL$1 +Wait to buy til they ditch the music. I had read several reviews on "James Earl Jones Reads the Bible" and most of them mentioned the music--some positive, some merely accepting, and some very negative. Because I've been searching for an unembellished, undramatized reading of the Scriptures, this should have sent up a red flag to stop me from purchasing it. However, I figured with James Earl Jones' marvelous voice, how bad could it be? I would suggest you hold off buying it until they produce another one without the loud, lame and distracting music and give us the choice.$LABEL$0 +A great book. Jon Krakauer has been very lucky with his assignments with Outside Magazine. Granted, getting stuck in a blizzard on Mt Everest isn't what most people would describe as lucky; however, he sure has profitted fom writing Into The Wild and Into Thin Air. This book is very well researched but does tend to drag at points, especially when he brings in his own personal accounts. Over all, I would say he's an alright writer who has benefitted from being at the right place at the right time. This book is definitely worth your time.$LABEL$1 +THIS IS A CHILDREN'S BOOK. I like to think I have read a lot of books in my day, and the most important thing to keep in mind when reading something is know the context of what is being written, make no mistake, this book was written for people too immature to read Harry Potter. The plot and characters are underdeveloped. The whole thing is a huge Tolkien ripoff (but so is most Fantasy). This book is for first time fantasy readers who are 8 to 12. But before reading this i would recomend reading Harry Potter and the Wheel Of Time so you have and idea of what good Fantasy is.i will admit it was entertaining but anyone who gives this 5 stars needs to read a Game of Thrones by George RR Martin and know what quality fantasy is. This is not quality, it is some kid trying to scrape money together to pay for college and taking the easy way out without making his book worth reading.$LABEL$0 +Questionable benefit. I am unsure of the benefit of using this CD lens cleaner. It MAY have solved the problem of a dirty/dusty lens, but it may not have, as the problem on one CD player was only temporarily resolved. Another CD player that otherwise worked fine could not recognize this disc at all, and on all of my players that did, it could not advance to the third track, which contains only music. Significant skipping was noticed on all CD players, including those that never skip on other discs. If nothing else, this cleaner may provide a superficial and temporary fix, but if your CD player's lens needs cleaning, there are likely better and more effective ways of solving the problem.$LABEL$0 +Character studies in surburbia. Frank and April Wheeler on the outside are the "perfect couple" living in suburban Connecticut with their two children. Behind closed doors, though, April is a failed actress (that she is played in the film version by the terrific Kate Winslet is ironic) and Frank endures the drudgery of a 9-to-5 job. Planning to move to Paris and fulfill their expectations of greatness, Frank and April's shared life shatters with revelations of infidelity and broken promises. A lot of people pretend to be something they're not; this isn't new, but Richard Yates brings a fresh look to 1950s hopefulness and optimism in his dark look at marriage and coupledom.$LABEL$1 +Not too Durable. I used the beanbag mount for the Garmin iQue product. When I purchased the C550, I tried the suction cup mount but I could never get it to stick to the windshield for more than a few days. I purchased the Garmin Dashboard mount and it lasted three weeks, or until the first really hot day. The car is kept garaged during the day and at night so it was only one day of heavy sunshine needed to separate the base from the dashboard. I wound up with the C550 in my lap at 60 mph.I can't recommend this product to anyone due to safety concerns. If the glue had separated during a tight turn, it could have resulted in an accident.For now, I'm going back to the beanbag mount but I'll give careful consideration to a factory-installed GPS in my next car.Bob$LABEL$0 +a good one but not great.. Teh first three free cd's are filled with alot of hard blues rockin and ballads. The feel here is more laid back , and this is close in some ways to 'free at last' but this isn't a bad cd at all. It has many bonus tracks and the sound is excellent. The music though is good , but not standout , and even if he cover had said 'free' highway instead of just highway" , I don't think that this would have been a big hit. It would have sold more though than it did. This is good cd it's just not as powerful as 'heartbreaker' or 'tons of sobs' or 'free'. The songs are good guitar driven songs but they are mostly mellow. And that's good too. It's a good mellow rock cd mostly. So if you like mellow rock and laid back songs with a few rockers then this one is for you.$LABEL$1 +What went wrong??. I started listening to 'ryche with Rage for order, which is outstanding. I anxiously awaited Mindcrime, which was even better. I enthusiastically awaited Empire. When it was released I rushed out and bought it and was sorely disappointed. The music lost it's energy and seemed to go comercial. Save your money and get mindcrime.$LABEL$0 +Sexual braggadocio from a smart, conceited Italian. Alberto Bevilacqua is an accomplished novelist and, I now know, quite the man about town. This book is all about the women he's known, about how exquisitely sensitive he was and is to them; about men, his friends, and his life. It's full of bragging and posturing. He is pretty good at describing sexual acts, bodies, and female orgasm, but one of those orgasms -- fantastic, never-to-be-forgotten -- he believes he incited in one of the women he writes about was less impressive -- to this reader -- than he intended. (What if she was faking?) I liked his memories of his very young adolescence. This book was adored in Italy but I would guess that they saw right through it in France.$LABEL$0 +Well written and clinically useful. Well written manual and very useful reference for docs taking care of vascular patients$LABEL$1 +Didn't love it.... This book started out ok, but the middle and end were very disappointing. I never found the love story to be very believable, nor the decisions made by Miranda. I couldn't see the relationship of the two main characters lasting. They were so different in every way, with no shared views, and they didn't even really seem to be in love! The ending was totally illogical. I would have given one star but I did enjoy the beginning of the book so I gave two instead.... plus at least it wasn't boring.$LABEL$0 +No HDMI ????. This appears to be a well-made unit, with many excellent features save one (which is the kiss of death for any "current" DVD player): IT HAS NO HDMI OUTPUT.What this means, of course, is that it cannot be attached to any modern HDMI LCTV with the "single" HDMI cable and must be connected with the bundle of composite cables - YUK.One other note: the supplied IR remote control, while well-designed from an ergonomic perspective, would only connect with the player when DIRECTLY pointed (as in "exactly") the player unit. Not handy in larger rooms or when the player is in a slightly off-side location.But the lack of HDMI is the deal-killer with this one. Ouch!$LABEL$0 +Not what's pictured. Was very disappointed to receive this item and discover that it's all chrome, not white and chrome as it's pictured.$LABEL$0 +Pretentious, dry and BORING!. I excitedly bought this book after hearing wonderful things about it from friends, fellow students and teachers. I was profoundly disappointed. Moore never actually guides one through "cultivating depth and sacredness". He lectures about subjects that the average reader cares little about. There are a great many books out there that are infinitely more accessible to the common reader. I suggest that they be sought out. This book is thoroughly unenjoyable.$LABEL$0 +A space opera reminiscent of star wars. An easy read that will make you feel good, but not very challenged. There is usually little doubt as to what will happen next, but the characters are interesting at times (even if they are somewhat cariacatured). The warlike Barryarans and peacenik Betans don't display much variety, but the character of Miles Vorkosigan is interesting to read in action. Lois Bujold gets better with her later novels about this strange universe set in a future where humans migrated to the stars as tribes and lost touch with each other for a time and then found each other again. The Barrayarans appear to be made to resemble the Soviets (warlike and totalitarian), while the Betans are Anglo-American democratic pacifists. All in all Bujold is a good writer (as she proves with some later adventures starring Miles), but here she appears to be experimenting and growing still. Not bad and not the best, but it's a better read than most other science fiction out there.$LABEL$1 +A truly magical album. I can still remember the feeling of electric delight that went through me when I first heard this album. While cynics can dismiss it as derivative, obnoxious, mindless frat-rock, I feel like they're missing out. This album is the most visceral expression of joy I have ever heard. It's triumphant, vibrant and elating. Exploding with hedonistic zeal, this is an album about being alive and present in the purest sense. Whether one enjoys it ironically or sincerely, the feeling is the same: delighting, uplifting and intoxicating. And in case anyone is wondering, I'm being dead serious.$LABEL$1 +Trumpet stuff. Good stuff, works fell on my trumpet. Valves work better than without oil. Would buy again if it is needed$LABEL$1 +T-fal Iron. In the short time that I have been using the T-fal iron, I have been impressed with the smoothness of the soleplate, as well as the Easycord System. If there is a problem, it is in the instruction manual, which I found somewhat confusing. Actually, the manual makes the iron seem more complicated than it is. However, the Manual should be consulted in depth prior to use of the iron, and its precautions adhered to.$LABEL$1 +Getting rid of this toy today. My baby received this toy as a gift, even though it's a good looking toy, I am concern about my baby's safety, He doesn't walk yet, so I used it in the sitting mode, today my baby was riding it and he tried to reach the front toys, in a flash the car roll over itself getting upside down, my baby's forehead went straight to the floor, thanks God our floor is carpeted and he was far away from furniture. If it wasn't for the carpet my son would have a big bump on his head. I was happy with this toy before this happened but I am not let my baby to play with it anymore.$LABEL$0 +WOW!!!!. it took me around 2 hours to read this book, i got so into it. this book is soo awesome! i love to read but now i read nothing unless robert cormier wrote it...$LABEL$1 +not very good. It's probably a good tip to never use a cookbook by someone who doesn't know that a potato is a vegetable......otherwise, not the best of food.$LABEL$0 +LONG TIME COMING.... OMIGOD, I'M ABOUT TO BURST INTO TEARS!! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST EVER, THEY DON'T DO CARTOONS LIKE THIS ANYMORE...CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO ARRIVE!!! I KNOW MY KIDS WILL LOVE THEM...$LABEL$1 +Rather dull writing. Quite a disappointment - very dull, perhaps even.... soggy! Not worth the time. I think this needed a better editor with the literary/erotica taste of Bright or Sheiner, and then it might have come together. And it could do without the weird waterproof pages.$LABEL$0 +Great Fuzz buster!. This detector has saved me already a few times on the highway. I purchased it because I used to drive a sluggish SUV, and now find my self driving a new sports coup far faster than I am used to. To be on the safe side, I got this to be precautionary. The distance it can detect in a straight line is great. I do have questions about how well it can detect from behind but so far so good. I do like the blue lights that go off to alert you, but they will make you jumpy when driving at night on the highway and they go off like a cop is already on your tail. Great for price and like the City mode that mutes false alerts.$LABEL$1 +works great. Love the review from the guy who never plugged it in...anyway, seems to be working fine for me. I have my Directv receiver and a DVD player split with no noticable loss of video quality or sound from either piece. The only complaint I have is that the remote included only seems to work from a max distance of about 10 feet. This can be remedied if you have a programmable remote.$LABEL$1 +BEST BUY IN HEADPHONES!. These headphones are a best buy at only about $20 and you have to spend much more to get better ones. They're very comfortable and light. The bass is deep and the midrange and high-end is fairly clear. You have to keep the volume at a moderate level since the bass is strong. Otherwise this an amazing buy at the price.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed as well,. I have been trying to concieve 13 years now, I got the flu 3weeks ago and since have been tired my 13 yr old daughter said "mom, I know your pregnant, I just feel it" so I went and bought a test easy enough pregnant or not pregnant right, well I took the test in the morning 1st thing and it said pregnant I was on cloud nine in shock my husband and I were elated, but I wanted to be sure before I got telling people outside my immediate family so I had a blood test "It was Negative" I'm so tired from this emotional rollercoaster and I called Clearblue they said they want all the packaging and are sending me an envelope to send it in to them for their lab to review,, I looked here and it seems I'm not the only one, what emotional distress, I think I'd pull this product until the testing phase is over, or until all the kinks are worked out..$LABEL$0 +poor battery life. Batteries lasted 2 days. They were supposed to be for a dog bark collar. I have never used a battery that gives a low battery warning the same day you install them. Don't buy these or anything that uses them.$LABEL$0 +The Milennium Approaches -- And It Is Grand. An absolutely amazing book. Helprin's command of the English language is breathtaking (keep a dictionary nearby!). Lyrical in its vision and prose, Helprin gives us an optimistic, hopeful view of the coming millenium.$LABEL$1 +Bad Episode Picks.. Really missed seeing this show. Doesn't seem to get as much air time as it used too so I thought this compilation would be just perfect. This show and a few others are out on this "Television Favorites" collection. Maybe it's just me but I basicly expected the episodes picked to be the best and most favorite one's. I was alittle let down by the episodes on here because I could remember so many great one's that were ignored.$LABEL$0 +I love it. I have five dogs and have tried most of the flea meds out there. Nothing has worked like frontline. This product was cheap on here (at least half the price of the same meds at the vet)$LABEL$1 +Exciting!. With his first novel, Dan Blankenship shows he has a real gift for writing. The Running Girl is suspenseful and exciting! The classic tale of good versus evil. The characters are well written into the author's vivid imagination. This book shows a positive family situation with a good message and I would classify this book as Christian reading. There are a lot of religious beliefs and ideas that may not be shared by all readers. I look forward to reading more suspense writing in the mainstream from this author.$LABEL$1 +Good bag for a small camera.. I bought this bag because Amazon had a big discount on this bag if bought with the Nikon D40x. I don't understand because this bag is soo small for a DSLR like the D40x. The only way I can carry a lens with the camera is if I leave the 18-55mm attached to the body, and then orient it upright. However, for a point and shoot or a prosumer camera, this is a great bag. (Although I don't know why you would need all this space for a point and shoot) It's got lots of pockets and is very sturdy. Couple of useless things on the bag, the zipper to close the inside body is very hard to close and not necessary. Also, not much you can fit into the little zippered pocket on the top flap of the bag.I am speaking about this bag from a camera point of view though. I can see how this bag would be quite useful and spacious for a digital video camera.$LABEL$1 +Great book. Great book. Really practical, clear, balanced and logical. I've read a lot of books in this area of study lately and it is unquestionably one of the best. A good balance using the most pertinent information from cognitive behavioral, psychotherapy and spiritual studies. The case studies are great. It's nicely grounded. I underlined many passages and find it helpful to just go back and read the underlines. It's been helpful both personally and in my work with clients. It's a book I've recommended to many people already.$LABEL$1 +Great Fun. I have read some negative comments on this game, all I have to say to is, where's your sense of fun? This games does not pretend to be a simulator, it's an arcade action game based on WWII. I've had hours of fun with this game, sure some of the missions are hard but it's still great fun. The graphics and sound are all great. It's all done very tongue-in-cheekIf you want some fun action then give it a look.$LABEL$1 +Not fun. This game is small in stature, much like the other "House of Marbles" games we have owned. I bought this game, along with "Hoopla" because they were both on clearance. I don't feel as if I got my money's worth, even for the price I paid. This game is extremely hard to master, especially if you're 6-years-old or younger. My kids grew frustrated with this game rather quickly, and it hasn't been out of the closet since.$LABEL$0 +Expensive junk. This router has been nothing but an expensive pain, a black hole for troubleshooting, and Cisco/ Linksys stopped supporting the first versions of it very soon after I purchased one. Obviously, they would like to pretend they never made this device. The N wireless is slow, disconnects, and has no range at times. Perhaps disable the wireless and use it as an expensive little switch? Not sure it can be trusted for that. They should have been recalled! We tossed this in a corner and switched back to a reliable 54G we had around.$LABEL$0 +The Kennedys. I ordered this movie for my husband because he had seen the show on tv and he wanted the DVD. When we got it we set down and watched it in two nights and it was really good. I knew my husband would enjoy it but I wasn't sure if I would but I really enjoyed it. If you liked The Kennedys then you need to get this dvd and watch it, it is a really good movie. The actors and actress in this movie was awsome it was well done. It really makes you understand the Kennedy family and what all they went through.$LABEL$1 +Sorry but who sings the songs is as important as the songs. The conductor and the singers can make a beautiful song the opera that everyone jeers and hates. To have a Russian singer doing o mio babbino caro is just plain silly...give the woman a break and play something from Russian opera...give a beautiful melodic aria to a lyrical singer like Caballe...boo hiss. Try Opera's Greatest Moments where they give Hvorostvsky an aria from Pique Dame and leave the bel canto to bel canto singers.$LABEL$0 +Just plain dumb. It was compared to a Bond movie. No way. Poor acting, poor plots. Waste of time and money.$LABEL$0 +Tiffen UV Protection File\ter. Bought this to go with the Olympus four-thirds E PL 2 camera. It is totally useless because it does not screw onto the lens. Shame on Amazon for recommending the purchase of this turkey along with the camera. It was cheap enough so it's not worth the hassle to try to return it and get a refund. Don't waste your money on this.$LABEL$0 +Consistancy = Awesomeness. The Planet Smasher's latest CD is a superb addition to their already stellar discography. Any PS fan will not be disappointed with the songs on this CD, they uphold that really great reggae/rock blend from Mighty. The songs "Here Come the Mods" and "Bullets to the Ground" resemble the feel of "Missionary's Downfall" and "Giants" upholds the slower feel of "Wish I Were American." Definetely a good CD for any ska collection.$LABEL$1 +never shipped. I never received this order. I received an email stating they were cancelling it and I will receive a refund for the gift certificate, but never received it$LABEL$0 +A great album!. I would give this more stars if I could. Andrea Bocelli has such a divine voice. Buy this album and your love it. He has such a beautiful voice!$LABEL$1 +Mediocre At Best. Another reviewer said that it is lamentable that MIT is no longer using this book. I'm an MIT student that had to use this book and am very happy that MIT had enough sense to change texts. The explanations were poor and it was almost devoid of decent pictures (visualizing is VERY important in calculus). Also, the examples were next to useless. I wound up using my high school AP Calculus book by Thomas/Finney (I think this is the book MIT uses now) rather than this text. There are a number of excellent Calculus books published, but this isn't one of them. Anybody who says this is the best calculus book hasn't reviewed many books.$LABEL$0 +VERY EARLY WAYNE. CLASSIC JOHN WAYNE-IF YOU LOVE HIM, YOU WILL LOVE THESE COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL FILMS$LABEL$0 +Ancient Economics 101. After taking yet another one of Prof. Figueira's courses on the ancient world, I was pleased to read something that was less overpowering to my mind. I think that Profs. Figueira and Brennan were able to capyture the similarities between our modern world and that of the ancient. They were able to apply concepts that we readily know now, to a world that we won't understand immediately. In particular the emphasis on ancient coinage was employed well.$LABEL$1 +Worthless. This book is absolutely worthless. The information is ridiculously vague. For example, if you wish to remove your radiator and install a new one, the steps basically say:1) remove radiator.2) install new radiator.No kidding! I couldn't have figured that out myself! And most of the book is like that. I don't know how you can cover model years 1967-89 and say anything of value.$LABEL$0 +This book doesn't exist. There's no such thing as Absolute Sandman by Brian Azzarello. This is a Neil Gaiman book from the 90s. Azzarello certainly wasn't writing any comics in 1980. Why is there a listing for a book that doesnt exist?$LABEL$0 +is double dipping good for business? if you think making your customers angry is, so yes it is!. There is no way i will buy the theatrical versions in blu-ray.Warner should know that millions of fan will wait for the EE.$LABEL$0 +Highly Recommended Read. Marty Neumeier's book is one of the best books I've come across on topics dealing with business strategy and design. A great read -- I highly recommend it!$LABEL$1 +"desperate American women". An unexpected bestseller, this self-help book for women who want to hook a man seems to have struck a chord with "desperate American women".That about sums it up~$LABEL$0 +Wipe my butt with this album. I liked camron's first album. He came off to me as an MC who has talent and needs to grow into his style and song content. But over the years, Cam hasn't grown and has become increasingly ignorant. What man would drown himself in pink outfits? Cam you are a man (at least I thought so) not a woman. Pink outfits are not cool. Him and his wack underlings (diplomats) need to find the nearest Super K mart and start their promising careers as stock boys. Listen to real MC's Like Mos Def and Krs One.$LABEL$0 +you gotta love this guy. Gordy Seegerman is definitely an "everyman" we can feel for...especially if you love whodunits - and music (whether or not Barry Manilow is your favorite singer). Dylan Schaffer's writing is wonderfully witty, his characters unique, and his storytelling will have you turning pages eagerly, usually with a smile on your face. The sequel "I Right the Wrongs" follows up and doesn't disappoint!$LABEL$1 +Bike Rack Review. The rack overall is fine. The way it bolts into the hitch is problematic. Even if it is tightened very securely, it becomes loose after about 20 miles of driving and the rack wobbles seriously, side to side.$LABEL$0 +not Hard..not Good. This game is very limited. There was supposed to be a website where you could download added features. But the original company sold, so no extras.$LABEL$0 +Their best album...Technical deathmetal, at its best!. Cryptopsy are a band that althought their sound changed quite a bit? They still manage to come out with some amazing music..."None so vile" by cryptopsy is in my opinion their best album todate and its even better then their debut "blasphemy made flesh" which was a very amazing technical album but had horrible production. Now onto, "none so vile" ? If you love your deathmetal technical,intelligent, amazing drummer (Flo) and originality for days? Get this album!As for the vocals ? I prefer lordworn's vocals over Chris barnes (sfu) , George "corpsegrinder"fisher (cc) ,and, Will rahmer (mortician), I mean those are the worse bands and all of those bands have horrible vocalists. If your a deathmetal purist? Then buy cryptopsy' "none so vile" because its a masterpiece.$LABEL$1 +Really? People actually rated this 5 stars?. I rarely find a book that I dislike as much as this one. Clara was a pathetic, unfulfilled, horny character who gives romance writers a bad name and McClain was an arrogant jerk who was always being rude and insulting to her. Puff the cat was the highlight of the book and he shouldn't have even been in most of it because what idiot would kidnap a cat with their victim when they could leave it behind? I can't in good conscience recommend this book but judging by the ratings of other reviewers I am in the minority, so you might enjoy it more than I did.$LABEL$0 +La Mission. This movie is fantastic. I love San Francisco and I love the actors. The story line is very special. I am so happy that I chose to purchase this film.$LABEL$1 +Classics won't scare you anymore. I just couldn't believe Emile Zola's genius when I heard that he wrote Therese Raquin on a newspaper manager's order of a detective novel.He simply read the newspapers for a clipping about murder and started writing it. What is surprising here is not how he started the novel but how he managed to make it a classic. It is a classic indeed, with an exception that I can offer it not only to "classics" readers but to any reader who is not conservative(for the book shows pure reality that is contrary to general taboos). It has everything that a classic should have: great use of language, a style(ie naturalism ), an insight to human feelings, mentality and conflicts, permanence through the years. What's more, it has everything that a bestseller should have,too: fascination, big events like murder, intrigues, love, hatred, sensuality. Perhaps you will find even more when you read the novel. It is everything one expects from a book.$LABEL$1 +Stop kidding yourselves.... Look, Gnecco's voice is extraordinary--there's little doubt about that. But there isn't one decent song or original turn on this whole album. It's all forgettable overproduced noise, and its edge is completely dulled by its own indulgent and corporatized marketing 'package.' I kinda wish they just cranked out a low budget live thing instead of this Dreamworks-2-years-in-overdevelopement monstrosity.I saw this guy play in a coffeeshop in northern New Jersey--just him and a guitar--and he was pretty damn impressive. He should hire/collaborate with a guy who can write and produce a decent song and become very, very, famous.This album could and should have been a lot better.$LABEL$0 +I wish there was more where this came from!. If you like the old lords of acid and praga khan, you'll love this album! It's a must have for anyones LOA & Friends music collection.$LABEL$1 +Bulky, but very useful. Until the recent release of low power CF wireless lan cards, this was your only option for going mobile with you iPaq Pocket PC. I've used the sleeve extensively with a Cisco Aironet 340 WLAN card and it works great. Want to go wide area? Slap in a Seirra Wireless Aircard and truely go mobile.While the sleeve is a bit bulky, the heft definately is out weighed by the usefulness. With new Pocket PC 2002 iPaq's (or the pending upgrade from Compaq for current owners), you can use VPN features while away from the office. The nice thing is Compaq seems very commited to the current form factor, meaning that even if you buy a new iPaq, the sleeve will still work for some time to come.$LABEL$1 +Item not delivered. I never received the item I ordered despite repeated attempts to contact Amazon and Buy-it-now-store. I will never order another item when Buy-it-now-store is the selected vendor.$LABEL$0 +RCA 16 gauge wire. The strands in the wire are very thin and tend to break off. I am still abe to hear the sounds clearly but I am not sure if I am getting the optimum quality of sound.$LABEL$0 +Yuch!. I listened to the audiotape of this book. The reader did the best she could with the incredibly cornball dialogue and trite descriptions, but it was still barely tolerable.If I heard the words "Little Bear Lake" and "Robert Flaubert" one more time I would have screamed. Who told the author that constant repetition was a GOOD thing? Somehow she must have the idea that it is somehow romantic to constantly repeat names and places.Not only is the story trite and predictable, but the bigger than life protagonist and his idolicized dead father are annoying as hell. If Robbie was so perfect then why on earth did Maggie dump him? And the wize words that come out of 25-year-old Elliot's mouth are ludicrous. Quoting the Great Gatsby? How pretentious!Romance followers will still probably swoon over this pap, but literature lovers will barf.$LABEL$0 +Big Dissapointment. I thought that this album was going to be the bomb but it totally ...! The only good song on the album is 'Heard it All Before'. There may be two other songs that grow on you but that is it. The lyrics are great but the rythms and melodies are skrewed. All the songs sound almost the same and her voice never really changes.... I think sunshine needs to collaborate with some other producers next album because this one bombed bad.$LABEL$0 +I could have written this study guide myself. This study guide is horrible. While it serves as an adequate review of material that is covered up to the level of education prospective teachers are expected to accomplish,it is poorly edited and does not provide accurate details about the structure of the test. I would advise anyone preparing to take the Praxis II Spanish test to refrain from purchasing this study guide. The official study guide published by ETS is very good and can be used in combination with a good grammar guide and materials from your literature and culture courses.$LABEL$0 +Junk. Nothing works properly on this gadget. The wireless function is a joke, the USB connection simply does not work and the printers that are incompatible is huge, Linksys will not even release a list. Read the rest of the reviews below this one and know exactly what all those one star reviewers went through, as I did. Stay away, not ready for prime time AT ALL!!!$LABEL$0 +Not What I Hoped For. I was so looking forward to these shoes, especially after reading all the wonderful reviews. They did arrive very quickly and I tried them on right away. The fit was fine, but I found the meshy fabric too be loose. I couldn't do alot of walking in them because I thought they would fly off. The fabric was very breathable and the arch and heal support was wonderful. Wished they would have worked, but I had to send them back.$LABEL$0 +short lasting HDTV for over $200!. I had bought this item at SAM's Club in Sept. 2008. The TV started acting up near the end of April 2009. The TV ,when initially, turned on, would make a loud pop or a high pitch buzz and the screen would go black. After doing this 2-3 times back to back, the TV would warm up and finally work. I use this mainly as a TV, now I am using the screensaver on my computer to warm up the unit, so I can watch TV (Very inconvient). I am considering getting a 19" Vizio LCD. I only wished that I had read the reviews prior to my purchase. I am definantly staying away from ALL Phillips Magnavox products in the future FOREVER!$LABEL$0 +Early-90s "dump" to CD needs RE-MASTERING!. There's a problem here. The Cars sold mega-platinum, especially Heartbeat City, which virtually defined the mid-1980s sound and look. So! Why is this CD a crude, early transfer with virtually no packaging?Seems the problem is, Elektra's out of business, or bought-out by a larger, more apathetic company. Also, could be the more "casual" Cars fans are tired of these Top Ten singles and MTV staples.Being ignored are we, the long-term, die-hard Cars fans who listen to EVERY album, EVERY summer ("it turns me upside-down / like a merry-go-round"). Whether this album is too commercial, or that other album too "arty" is NOT THE POINT. We deserve a quality reproduction of this ground-breaking album.Sadly, this current CD version is sonically INFERIOR to a clean cassette, or even vinyl on a good turntable. This. Is. WRONG.$LABEL$0 +IT WORKS!!. Have tried no less than 10 "guaranteed to work" remedies for keeping deer fromeating my shrubs next to my house no doubt! Some worked better than others, but all of them had 1 thing in common. Reapplication after rain etc. This is as simple as hooking up to a garden hose and turning it on. Have seen no visible evidence ofdeer eating on (new or existing) growth since it has been in use. Approx 3 weeks!!*****ADDED BONUS****** My 5 year old grandaugher loves it too! She thinks it is a game of who she can fool into getting squirted.$LABEL$1 +To the guy who hates Sonic Adventure 2.... If you hate 3D Sonic games, but like the 2D Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic CD... AND SOME OTHER GOOD 2D SONIC GAMES... you're a true sonic fan. I love the 3d sonic games. I just wish that SEGA wouldn't be third party. I like Nintendo and I think SEGA and Nintendo are tied. And I still think they're rivals! But to the guy who hates Sonic Adventure 2... you suck.$LABEL$1 +The so-called "greatest" 100 guitarists list in 2000-whenever told all I needed to know.. No Scandinavians. No Japanese. No John Petrucci. Jack White ahead of Tom Morello. Eddie Van Halen all the way down at 70. And I haven't called out half of the things wrong with this joke of a list, I'm sure. RS is an expensive bonfire, and they don't deserve your money.$LABEL$0 +Good Working Picture of the Opening. This book offers advice for the practitioner of the Spanish. It is reasonably complete in the fact that it covers the opening from the point of view of black's responses.As you know the Spanish goes 1. e4-e5, 2. Nf3-Nc6 3. Bb5 ... It is here where the author starts. The book goes through all the major variations in some detail. (Often my computer will eventually diverge down some hidden lines of play which were overlooked by this book.) The only major drawback with this book is that the exchange variation is not covered in-depth.Overall, this is a good book and recomended for any player. (Also, if you are a beginner and are looking to study the openings, the Ruy Lopez and the Queen's Gambit are a good place to start.)$LABEL$1 +I Fell Using This Bath Mat. These mats are very large and have a great thick rubber feel. But the "suction cups" on these mats can be problematic. The second time I used my mat, I moved to turn around in the shower and instead of the "suction cups" gripping the tub and keeping the mat in place, the mat suddenly slid down toward the drain. The thick rubber surface of the mat kept my feet in place, so my feet slid with the mat. I tried to catch myself, but it happened so fast that I couldn't. I fell very hard and landed squarely on my rump in the tub. I was sore for 3 days following this incident, but otherwise I was okay. This was a frightful experience and the one good thing that came of it was that I got to stop my 83 year old Mother from using the mat I had purchased for her. My Mother is very frail and had she slipped on the mat and fallen as hard as I did, I have no doubt that she'd have fractured bones.$LABEL$0 +Great, Great, Great Book!. As always, Lynne Graham delivered a wonderful read. This book, as ALL her books, has GREAT: gorgeous billionaire hero, virginal heroine, memorable dialogue & scenes, romantic setting, wonderful chemistry between hero and heroine. I have read all her books, and they're all excellent. I eagerly await her newest release. If you enjoy reading romances that are pure escape, romantic, Cinderella-type romances, I highly recommend Lynne Graham.$LABEL$1 +Bunch of self-righteous pussies.. Aaron Lewis needs to quit his bitching. I can't believe I wasted my money on this.$LABEL$0 +Put your money towards something else. We have had nothing but trouble with this thing. Like other reviewers said the part that lifts up to empty the potty is not convenient. The latches on back to keep it together are very flimsy. The step stool only works when you take the potty apart and turn it upside down. The only time its convenient is if you are ready to move the seat to the adult toilet and use the step stool part as a step stool full time. But the worst part of this thing is the splash guard. My son never played with it. But once it was moved to the big toilet it would often come off and fall into the large toilet all on its own as my son was trying to get down. One day it fell off while I was taking him off the potty and I flushed before I realized it was in there. No, I didn't expect the chair to potty train my child for me but I certainly expected something that wouldn't fall apart.$LABEL$0 +Awful!. This only seeem to work when it wants to. Not at all consistant. Sorry I purchased it. Don't spend your money.$LABEL$0 +Should be in everyone's library!. I've been familiar with this liver flush from back in the days when it was just a little book-let. It was amazing back then and it's still amazing now. We spend so many years abusing our bodies with improper diets, eating chemicals and other toxic substances that our livers need a break! Your liver makes stones from all this abuse and this flush removes them safely, easily, and effectively. It's easy to do and requires very little monetary investment. Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +Perfect. After listening to this album for the gazillionth time the other night, it occurred to me that if I had to pick just one album to take to the grave this would be it. While I love much of VM's music, for me Astral Weeks is only approached by the almost-as-wonderful Veedon Fleece.I'm not going to write a lengthy review, many others have already done so much better than I could but I figured I should give perhaps the best album ever recorded a 5 star rating. So here it is.$LABEL$1 +Much too long and boring. Like a text book. Gave up. I could not continue with this book any longer than 200 pages. Did'nt care what happened to the people. Found that I was speed reading just to get through it. This book is not for me. Can't give it away.$LABEL$0 +Not the same as before.... Though the quality is not as great as the previous script books, Volume 3 of Season 2 does have some of the best scripts of the season!The book is slightly smaller than the previous 4, yet holds as many scripts. The pictures of the side and cover are smaller as well. Still, it holds the scripts that are the main point. Nice otherwise for any Buffy fan!$LABEL$1 +it does not work. The quality of this '61 language' CD is pathetic.There is very little information per language and thereis no way you will learn anything from this.$LABEL$0 +Small Miracles: Extraordinary Coincidences from Everyday Life. Very disappointing book, stories are short and where there should be the end of the stories is the authors thoughts, with lend no value to anything!$LABEL$0 +Maybe I'm biased.... I AM a friend of his :) Normally I don't enjoy poetry, but his is really easy to relate to (especially if your name is Bret Easton Ellis). The poems themselves range from introspective to insightful and if he's lucky, both! As a whole, the collection is wonderfully eclectic and a joy to read.$LABEL$1 +Piece of garbage. I couldn't even get enough blood out to complete the test which means that I never received the results from the test. All of the equipment that comes with this kit is cheap and ineffective. Don't waiste your time.$LABEL$0 +Horrible Conversion!!!. I love this show. That said... the creators of this masterpiece should have the right to shoot whoever made these DVD prints. When the DVDs do actually play, they look like I made a copy with a pudding covered VHS tape. On some episodes I can almost see through Sam if he has on black. The black levels are horrible. The coloring is just plain off. Colorized versions of old Gilligan's Island look better than this. Also, I thought I could get past the music part, but OMG it just sucks. Next time let me record some Casio songs and throw them in there... it'd be better! The music was such a part of the show.. I feel ripped off in every way buying this. Seasons 3-5. Season one played fines and had the music.$LABEL$0 +Head phone for cell phone. Works great my mom loves them. Blue tooth just is to much hastle. Keep it simple.$LABEL$1 +Teach ANYTHING to anyone?! I don't think so!. These books have the most misleading titles! Unless you are teaching Sunday school bible classes, this book is mostly useless, because the only examples it gives you are about how to better teach the bible. The title says 'teach almost anything to pratically anyone'. That is so NOT TRUE. Sure, it gives you some pointers, but I feel I have to squeeze the text really hard to get some juice.I bought this book and 'Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher' hoping to learn how to teach better, and to get in touch with modern teaching skills. What a disappointment and a waste of money! The other book went straight to the garbage can.Another thing: if all the examples of bible teaching were stripped out of the book, it would be half the size and, perhaps, a much more pleasurable read. Maybe it would even earn another star!$LABEL$0 +Linspire? Use Ubuntu instead.. Linspire takes a free (as in beer and as in speech) Linux distribution known as Debian, and then charges for the "service" of downloading software from a repository that is about 1/7th the size of the Debian repositories. If you wish ease of use, and adhere to the Debian ideal, get yourself a free-of-charge copy of Ubuntu courtesy of http://shipit.ubuntu.com, and then access the Ubuntu and Debian archives WITHOUT having to subscribe to anything.$LABEL$0 +Awsome Cd. I Met Them A Few Times And Gone To Alot oF there Concerts And Theres Only 1 Thing TO Say About This Band Is Amazing There A Great Band With Very Good Songs Its Worth The Money 4 The Cd Belive Me Every Song Is Awsome And Just Buy It ITS GREAT!$LABEL$1 +Can't judge this book by its cover.... I was looking for a good "reference" book on VBScript that would cover each function, their methods, properties, etc. While this book does indeed contain this information, its only 100 of its 800 pages (in an non-indexed appendix). It tries to be a little bit of everything (COM, ASP, browser controls to name a few), but doesn't excel at any of its topics. For example, there is a 16 page chapter on using COM components in MTS (this is supposed to be a Visual Basic Script reference guide remember!) This is a topic that can't even be introduced in 16 pages.The book almost seems like outtakes from books that never quite made it to print.If you're looking for a good VB script reference, this isn't it.$LABEL$0 +Don't buy this!!!!. I have a Cuisinart coffee maker, model DCC-1100. This filter was supposed to fit, but it does not. And the handle came off instantly. I could use it without the handle if the filter fit, but, to repeat, it does not fit!$LABEL$0 +What a disappointment. After listening to and loving River Runs Red, I went out and bought their next album, Ugly. Turns out Ugly is lame in comparison. Did Cher become the new lead singer or something? Just listen to How it Would Be, and try to tell me that's not Cher. Not that I have anything against Cher, but she just doesn't fit in the metal scene.$LABEL$0 +So Outdated Dont waste your money!. This book was written in 1988, and refers to the mass suicide in James Town as "a few years ago." This book is completely outdated and truly truly for people who have ZERO self esteem. I admit I have my issues hence why i purchased this but even I couldn't finish, let alone really start this book. I spent a half hour attempting to read the beginning and skimmed for another 1/2 (see? I tried) I'm 21 years old and its completely irrelevant to these times, the way my generation thinks and behaves. My advice, leave this one alone unless your a pathetic wallowing mess who wants to read examples of other wallowing pathetic messes ( example: Robert R. "I hate my life because my gf left me." Susan Q. "My work makes me feel worthless" etc etc) No real advice just a bunch of bull. Whatever it takes to sell books I guess.$LABEL$0 +Disapointment. I am very disapointed since I received a Blue Ray for Zone B (Europe) and I cannot watch it in the US???How Amazon does this in the US?$LABEL$0 +GREAT ALBUM, BUT YOU'RE BUYING THE WRONG VERSION!. The Japanese imports of the Doobie catalog are remastered.Warner Brothers here in the U.S. is still selling the old LP-EQ'd, terrible-sounding masters they released on CD in 1990.If you love these albums, get a set of the Japanese editions. They cost more, but they're worth it.Here is the link to the Japanese remaster ofStampede.$LABEL$0 +didn't fit as described. amazon has a feature called, "make sure it fits your vehicle". It FAILED. i had to return this cap since it is the wrong one. i later looked at the reviews and found out i wasn't the only person to return this item for not fitting my vehicle.$LABEL$0 +Excellent saw.. I bought this saw with some reservation to replace my existing Porter Cable 347's. Those saws were my favorite and I could no longer find them anywhere. I was pleasantly suprised that the saws power and design did not let me down. It appeared bulky from the pictures but the actual saw gaurds and the such are not intrusive like I thought they would have been.The basics are the same as the trusty 347. Nice substantial magnesium base, light weight, lots of power etc., but the subtle improvements (angled cut to the base, built-in sawdust deflector, rubber handle, to name a few) are very nice, making this saw a joy to use.Enjoy.$LABEL$1 +Spanx. They are okay however the waistband keeps rolling so not really what I am looking for as it bunches up at waist and not a smooth look like I thought it would be.$LABEL$0 +NETWORKED TV. Well, it isn't HDTV but it works and works well! You can see clearly once it is set up properly. The system installed easily and worked out of the box with no problems. The software was a bit sparce but it worked. I use it to take pictures of patients and the quality is good. Hey, it's no Mona Lisa but at least I can see which Mrs Jones is here today!Buy it. It is good value for money.$LABEL$1 +Fraud. This guy is a fake. The book is ok. The author has no business writing about this topic. After purchasing a $39 ebook from his that did not deliver on the promise, I tried to get a refund and couldn't. I did some research on him and it turns out he has NO experience as a marketer. He's a general writer who's sold a lot of articles. He has NO business talking about "empire building" or "nich marketing". Besides the fact that he is extremely unprofessional in his business dealings.$LABEL$0 +One of the best coaches active today. Nick Saban relives his coaching through the LSU years. The major disappointment here is that Alabama is mentioned and pictured on the front cover, but there is not one word written inside the two covers about Alabama. My interest transferred to Alabama when Bear Bryant went there in the mid-to-late 50's. Good book on self improvements more than football.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money !!. I bought this game at Best Buy, and was told it was "just as good as Sony but cheaper cuz the Sony name wasn't on it". As soon as I got, it home and opened it, I found out why it's cheaper: 1. gotta load the software every time (yeah right, that's a great feature !!) 2. Cartridge got stuck in the game deck 3. Saves unbelievable and excruciatingly slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww !! This piece of "hardware" isn't worth the plastic packing it came in. What a complete WASTE !! Time to try and get my money back.$LABEL$0 +like design and product but not color. the product is great. i prefer it over other popular drugstore eyebrow pencils that are similar. i like how thin the liner is. and how it twists instead of having to sharpen. and the brow brush on the end is so practical. however i only gave this 4 stars because the color is kind of dark. I have dark blonde hair with highlights and my eyebrows are more like a light brown and this color is at least as dark as my eyebrows if not more. not sure how the other colors compare but i like this product enough to try to find it in blonde, instead of just dark blonde.$LABEL$1 +Excellent book for even reluctant readers!. I loved "Belle Prater's Boy" from the moment I began reading it, and my love only deepened when I began teaching the book to my 6th grade students. The children were immediately fascinated with the many mysteries in the book, such as the sudden disappearance of Belle Prater, the mysterious circumstances of Amos' death, and why Gypsy has strange, violent nightmares. The author skillfully reveals clues steadily throughout the book, causing readers to keep reading until their teacher forces them to put the book down. :-) My students loved examining the clues and playing detective to determine how the pieces fit together, as well as discussing the themes of forgiveness and how appearances can be deceiving. "Belle Prater's Boy" proved to be an excellent book for my 6th graders, many of whom are reluctant and/or struggling readers. I give it my highest recommendation for children's literature!$LABEL$1 +Interesting Beef Jerky. This brand of jerky has its own different, distinck flavor compared to other brands. It's quite a good flavor, I would call it interesting as it tastes different than most jerky's out there. The consistency is good, it has a nice texture, chewy and a bit juicy. It's not the best out there but it is very good in its own way. It has a bit of a sausage taste to it, kind of like a slim jim but you can barely notice it. Also, it is a bit salty. There is nothing out of the ordinary in the ingredients list.This is a good choice if you want a high protein, low calorie, low fat, and low carb snack on the go.$LABEL$1 +Hectically paced, poorly executed. Hermann Scherchen belongs with Jascha Horenstein in that quirky category of great conductors who recorded with such poor orchestras that it's often hard to listen to the results. Considering how truly terrible the Vienna Symphon(Pro Musica) was in the Westminster era, you have to tiptoe carefully indeed to avoid some real train wrecks. Even the Vienna Staatsoper orchestra, which is supposed to be composed of members of the Vienna Philharmonic, was veyr raggedy in those days. This is a breakneck Eroica performed without much technical finesse, yet among Scherhcen's Beethoven readings, it is typical in both respects.$LABEL$0 +Worth watching.. EXCELLENT special effects. Optimus Prime and Megatron rocked. Storyline wasn't too in-depth, that's my only gripe about this movie. Looking forward to seeing the sequel. 4 stars. Definitely worth watching.$LABEL$1 +A worthwhile read, but not for the mystery.... While I agree for the most part with the more prestigious reviews already posted, in the end, this book falls flat. Unsworth impressively whisks the reader back to medieval England, presenting characters who are sympathetic to a 20th century audience, and the story progresses in an interesting and thoughtful way. However, the final answer to the whodunit is much less impressive than the portrayal of the acting process, especially the interactions and improvisations that are part of every stage production$LABEL$1 +The name is miss leading.. There was nothing wrong with the tools themself but they were not specifically Electrian tools. It has standard tools in it not special for an Electrical work.$LABEL$0 +He STILL does not explain!. Martyn Gregory STILL does not explain why the following happened!1. Why was a partial embalming done on Princess Diana while she lay in the French hospital.2. Why did street cleaners come into the tunnel just a few hours after the accident to clean the street where the accident was.3. Why did they reopen the tunnel just hours after the accident.4. Why was Henri Paul's blood packed with carbon monoxide.5. Why wouldn't anyone let Henri Paul's family do an independent study on Henri Paul's blood6. Why were witnesses that saw certain things eliminated from the investigation. And on and on and on. In my mind, Princess Diana was 'eliminated' by top professionals....and they got away with it. Read 'The Hidden Evidence and 'The Murder of Princess Diana'!$LABEL$0 +Stunning. Lyric, unsentimental... moving... Kleinzahler demonstrates tremendous virtuoso as a poet, integrating the language of the city and the language of the heart into his work.One of the very few contemporary poets today with a lyrical ear and a vision for a poetry that challenges what he calls the "professional neuroticism" of the neo-confessional poem and the vacant opacity of avant-garde poetics.These poems hit close to home. They are engaged in the city with all of its energy, loneliness, and paradoxes.$LABEL$1 +A disappointed little girl..... Why in the world would they still be selling software that only runs on a 16-bit architecture? At least, they should make an upgrade available. Who even looks at that stuff anymore? You just expect the software to run, but if you have a computer purchased in this CENTURY, this won't run. What a disappointed little girl I have.$LABEL$0 +thought it would be better. Everything that volume five was, this one wasn't. It had some mediocre tunes, but nothing that approached the flow and catchyness it's predecessor had. I tried to like it and if I hadn't listened to the previous ones, I might have liked it. That is the problems when you get compilations, the listener is subject tothe whims of the compilers and there are no guarantees. In the big picture there are no guarantees either and I'll take my lumps.$LABEL$0 +Busted and empty pills in bottle. I have been buying NOW products for a while because I used to feel like their quality standards were very high compared to other manufacturers. When I received this product several capsules had leaked into my entire bottle covering the pills in the awful taste of raw supplements. Additionally some just appeared to have been blank from the factory. As far as effectiveness of this supplement, it is too early to tell. At this point I will probably be switching manufacturers should I buy more.$LABEL$0 +Stereo mode didn't work for auxiliary mode. I love the way this looks but the functionality just wasn't there. At this price point that just didn't make sense. I ended up with another Tivoli product but found that for the cost this should work better. The Stereo mode didn't work (the 2nd speaker) when I was using the auxiliary input. Returned and got the iPal and am very happy.$LABEL$0 +dissatisfied log 10. Yes, like all of the numerous dissatisfied customers who had problems with this product, the screws and nuts are not compatible. I had to force fit the screws. Once assembled, the apparatus is unstable to do chin-ups. WARNING: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Defective card. I have always used sandisk CF cards. I bought this for my new Canon 40D and right away I started to see that one out of every 100 images was corrupted. First I thought it was the new camera but soon the camera started to freeze on me when in continuous shooting mode. I thought I might have a bad copy of the 40D! Did some research and found that the same issue was faced by others and the issue was the card and not the camera. I replaced it with an EXTREME III 4GB card and i have not seen the problem since even in continuous shooting mode. I'd recommend sticking with EXTREME III series for now!$LABEL$0 +Not a nickel would I spend.... If sales of this CD featuring "various artists" help Stan's widow and family, so be it; but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone to whom this music really means something.I had to listen to one of my old Stan Rogers albums to hear the real thing and get this pale imitation out of my system.$LABEL$0 +JUST GREAT!. I'm from India and Junoon are one of my fave bands! They are just great! The way they blend the east and west together with their music is amazing! I'd recommend this album to anybody who enjoys good music.$LABEL$1 +Dissapointing. A Steven Spielberg sci fi film starring Tom Cruise can create a lot of hype and expectations and unfortunately this film fails to live up to them. The film's first twenty minutes are compelling but once Cruise has to go on the run the film falls apart. The action scenes in this movie are laughable and their is far too much CGI. The process of how the precogs determine the future is not explained well enough either. Spielberg last great film was Jurassic Park and he has been slipping ever since, by focusing too much on effects and not on relatable charachters or compelling story.$LABEL$0 +Does what it's supposed to do.... I was in a bandaged split on my right foot and halfway up my leg after my Achilles tendon surgery. I used the waterproof medical tape for a few weeks whenever I needed to wrap white plastic trash bags around my foot and leg before showering. The tape held well without being too sticky and painful when it needed to be pulled off. I used two trash bags and "double wrapped" for better water resistance. You have to do a good job because water will find it's way in if you don't. The bag and tape ritual was a royal hassle for a few weeks but the tape did what it was supposed to do.$LABEL$1 +Tough tubes. Resistance is GOOD, first need to get used to them, they will shoot out when in a bind. They are an alternative to iron weights at home in the room.$LABEL$1 +Professors please don't ........Please. Please listen to the words of an undergrad. I have had a strong background in Calculus I and when i was assigned this book for my Cal I class.....I became confused. This is the worst book ever. Every one who has taken Cal I at Tulane also agrees.$LABEL$0 +There is no low speed!. We just turned our red Dualit mixer on for the first time. The mixer is designed with 5 speed settings. The very first speed - the "blend" setting - sent our mix spewing across the kitchen. Racy is indeed a correct term. Either our product is defective or the engineers have never made a cake and don't understand a slow start-up. Sadly, we're packaging and returning this mixer, and then washing the ingredients off the cabinets.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Album By One Of The Best Blues Guitarists Around. Jimmy Thackery is one of the best blues guitarists around. His talents should make him known to a far wider audience than he seems to have but such are the unfortunate realities in the lives of musicians. Thackery is one of those guys whose name should be instantly recognized among blues fans, but whose name is not that well known. Too bad.This is one of Thackery's first releases and it's an excellent album. If you like blues guitar, then this album is well worth your attention.If you like artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn, you'll like this Thackery release.$LABEL$1 +Captive. I read this book in one day, I could not put it down. A very different James Patterson but just as great as ever. I strongly recommend this book. You will love the characters and the writing is extraordinary.I have since passed it on to all of my friends who have all equally enjoyed it as much as me.$LABEL$1 +Don't bother. DBZ, GAG! don't waste your money on anything with the title Dragon Ball Z. Go spend your money on a decent series like Trigun or Cowboy Bebop. I only gave it one star because it didn't have a zero stars option.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. The first bottle I got had a pinhole in it and it leaked into the box, tossed it out and Amazon, as always came through and replace it. I am very disappointed in the product however, makes my hair feel greasy no matter how little of it I use, will stick with Catwalk super mousse, for fine straight hair, the Catwalk is a better product for me.$LABEL$0 +the camera armor. i was a tad skeptical about ordering this product. when it was orderd,it was long before i recieved this package.and it fit my nikon d-60 like a glove.i was so relieved to know my camera will be better protected way better then when i had no armor at all. im really satisfied.if anyone has a good camera,you should invest in this lil honey.i will tell all my friends where to go to get this armor.this item makes perfect sense.and it was shipped in no time at all,all i can say is im very happy i bought this......way to go guys,keep up the good work.............robert, aka bat anderson$LABEL$1 +Truly illiterate and truly fatuous.. I am 55 years old and have a master's in journalism. I am a professional copy editor. When I read this book I became so frustrated I came close several times to throwing it away.This book had to have been published without an editor. About every third sentence in the entire text is not a sentence with a subject and verb -- instead what you get is a clause, dangling by itself, with a period at the end.Also, the author must have sat down before he wrote this manuscript and compiled a list of every obscure word he could find in the dictionary -- or worse, German publications from the 1920s and 1930s -- and made sure he used every last one.If I knew a way to ask for my money back I certainly would do so.This book is a nightmare.$LABEL$0 +Cheating on cheats. The box never said that it wouldn't work with newer versions of PS2 and I would have to buy an $8 upgrade disk. The upgrade should be free!!!$LABEL$0 +Tedious and uninspiring. This was a BAD movie. Not only was it boring, it also gave you no emotional connection to its characters. The main revelation seems to be that, (NEWS FLASH!) women think about sex, too. I was especially saddened that the conclusions the couple reached after their mutual mistakes were that 1) the word "forever" made the wife nervous and 2) they needed to go home right away and ...s. And this in the midst of a crowded department store while taking their young daughter Christmas shopping. Wow! That's romantic! Talk about the love of a lifetime! I'm sorry that Tom and Nicole wasted so much time and effort for so little reward.$LABEL$0 +Profiteering. When I tried to order this item Amazon wanted $15+ to handle and ship a $12.75 item. Until now I never thought Amazon were in the business of rip offs! Now I know better and will look for a more honest supplier.$LABEL$0 +Good coverage of Postfix. This book does a decent job of covering the basics of Postfix configuration and various options available to the administrator.$LABEL$1 +Let's get back to our roots!. The battle for everything is a wonderfully musical album that really goes back to the roots of a true artist. John more or less is Five For Fighting and his passion for music really shines through. Similar to America Town, there are classic guitar sounds combined with beautiful piano melodies. One Hundread Years, the single from this album, is the type of song that makes you think, laugh and cry. Disneyland just puts a smile on my face and reminds me of many summers at Disneyworld. NYC weather report really shows urban flare to it, and just is a wonderful song. I had very high expecations after America Town for this album, and John delivered 1,000 fold. If you don't have this album get it now, cause it is the type of album that you can listen to over and over again!$LABEL$1 +Nothing New. I heard some of this album and it is definitely nothing new. What Limp Bizkit is doing has been done before, and much better. If you enjoy the rap/rock/metal of Limp Bizkit, then listen to Rage Against the Machine because their music is much more passionate and meaningful than anything Limp Bizkit has released up to now. "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all" was a step in the right direction for this band, but "Significant Other" is not in my opinion.$LABEL$0 +The most fun in SF. Stephenson is one of the 3 best cyberpunk authors, one of the 10 best SF authors, and certainly one of the 100 best authors alive (how's that for random?) This may not be his best book, but is the most fun, and not to be missed. If you are new to Stephenson, promise yourself to give it 50 pages. If you do, you'll read everything he has written. Do it in this order: Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon. After that, you're on your own, because you are truly hooked.$LABEL$1 +Drools. It seems well made and holds plenty of water, however, the sprinkler (rose) doesn't sprinkle very well. I tried using it for watering some seedlings and I nearly drown them. Very disappointed!$LABEL$0 +Very bad quality sofa. Yes, indeed, the sofa looked great on the picture for me too, in addition to that the reviews were just excellent, though, I suspect the were written by request of the company's owner. The sofa proved to be of a bad quality, awfully inconvenient and doesn't have much of space as a sofa compared to other ones. As one of the reviewers noted the useless pillows slide off, the sofa has a bar in the middle once it turns into bed and I have backaches all the time after I sleep on it. I did not have much of a choice a year ago when I moved into a new apartment, and it seemed to be as a good idea to buy this bed from the Internet. I doubt I will ever be purchasing furniture online after this terrible experience!$LABEL$0 +Very Leaky!!!. We bought this tent as a first timer camper for our family. We liked the size and that it had 3 rooms. We were very excited to have a tent of our own as we had borrowed them in the past. The first time we used it everything went well. Set up was quick and easy and it didn't rain. Then next trip it rained and when we found out it was leaking everyhing was soaked soo bad that we had to pack up and go home. We were very disappointed so we returned the tent to the store for a refund. Since we have not bought another tent as we are afraid of the same thing happening. I don't understand how other reviewers can say that this tent did not leak at all?????$LABEL$0 +poker tabletop. This tabletop was what I expected. It arrived in good condition, on time as promised. I used it for a home game on top of 2 card tables. It worked perfectly. The cup holders are shallow and 2 people spilled drinks on it. For the money it is worth it.$LABEL$1 +For those that enjoy military SF.... While the author's style adds little to push the edge of the envelope in SciFi it is, when action is presented, a fast paced exciting read. This helps to cover the logic inconsistencies that pop-up from time to time. His character development leans too heavily on sterotypes, but that doesn't get in the way of the story line. One petty observation, my First Edition had far too many typos, errors and word ommissions, which I hope will be corrected in future editions. I make enough of these myself...$LABEL$1 +A prayer to the DVD gods. Among many others, I, too, remain bewildered by the absence on DVD format of this brilliantly hillarious film. All the performances mentioned in these Amazon reviews were terrific; I just want to add Wilfred Lawson's butler Peacock for special mention.$LABEL$1 +Too messy!. I bought Harrah my large dog some of this 2 years ago, and of course it smells SO GOOD, but it is just too messy.Most of the "bar" has been turned into powder from it being so brittle. So you get maybe 1/4 of the "ice cream bar" intact while the rest just sits on the bottom.I do not mind my Harrah having fun while eating a treat but even she was turned off trying to figure out where the "powder" went. (Since its freeze dried, unless you get a sizeable chunk the minute the powder is wettened by her nose or tongue its "melted") This just confused her and she ended up leaving the powder and small pieces alone.But if youre lucky and can get a pretty entact bar, I'd say give it a try. She seemed to like the sweetness.$LABEL$0 +Totally 70s. This is the sequel to the classic 1996 hit that parodied the cliches of slasher horror films. A typical updated slasher film, yet the brilliance lies in parodying that which it is, a chessey slasher film on a low budget. David Arqutte is a Clive Barker look alike. I gave it two stars because my tastes have changed since I was the geek rooting on the killer. At one dollar, you can't go wrong for cheap slasher flicks, except it lacks the drive in aura of Halloween or even the classic icons of Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street. As a straight slasher film series, this would be great, instead it's poking fun at the slasher film cliches. A joke it is.$LABEL$0 +$96? Are you kidding???. I think there must be an error in the decimal point in the price. A box of refills shouldn't cost more than about $10 at target.$LABEL$0 +very interesting book, but...... This is a very readable and useful book, I appreciate it. However, almost of all people in the book are the westerners with few exception ;( Mishima Yukio and Hafez ). Therefore, you cannot find famous Arabian, Persian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese gay & lesbian people. And in the book, there do not exist important figures like Platon, Epameinondas, Harmodios and Aristogeiton et al. In addition , even Jean Cocteau, Ludwig 2nd , Truman Capote, Somerset Maugham, and Luchino Visconti also are absent.$LABEL$1 +Purchased for a charity auction. This was auctioned off at Emeril's big annual charity dinner, Norman was a guest chef!! Auction lot included 20 specialty chef cookbooks.$LABEL$1 +Don't Bother. I can't believe that Sidney Sheldon wrote this novel. I have read all of his novels, and enjoyed them, but I found myself skimming this one after I was only halfway done. The dialogue between the characters was lame and unbelievable. The story was choppy and didn't flow at all. I was thankful I borrowed this book from the library!I found it very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Wait for the movie then go see something else. Poorly written and entirely predictable. I could not wait to put it down and regret ever picking it up. The book back cover reads better than the book.$LABEL$0 +not so hot. Fun, in low-key sort of way, but it has both the strengths and weaknesses of a first novel: cheerful and insouciant, but searching for a solid ground.$LABEL$0 +Good poetry book for young kids.. I got this for my son, and he enjoys its offbeat teenage humor. I enjoy that he is seeing reading and writing presented in a different way.$LABEL$1 +Convoluted plot. This is an extremely convoluted novel. There are multiple subplots which seem disconnected but then at the end are coincidentally brought together (maybe??). You spend half your time trying to figure out who's who. Maybe it's time for Cornwell to go back to "plot" school.$LABEL$0 +sympathy for women over 50.... felt so bad that these wonderful beautiful talented actors had to resort to such drivel to make a sawbuck... at least Joan looked normal and aged well, Bette having to out ghoul the ghouls to illicit some scare tactics and rats n tweety bird for dinner just took the cake, and that dang song would not leave my head about that DaDDY!!! whose address is heaven above, well I wish that is were this film would go, the ending on the beach was unexpected but that ice cream looked good and back then they made it with the good stuff... Bette's daughter is abs gorgeous and expected to see more of her but after she witnessed this death march would expect she would steer clear, oh well, maybe a remake with Angelina Jolie and Jenn Aniston in 2025 is something to look forward to!! ;}}$LABEL$0 +A total wast of time. I'm so sorry for my precious time that spent on reading this stupid book, if you are over 30 year old , never ever read this book ... it is for immature girls!$LABEL$0 +Boring!!!!!!. I have been a Stephen King fan for years and loved his earlier books. This one is a disaster. I kept trying to read it but finally gave up. I think he has lost his ability to write great books such as The Stand, Carrie, Pet Sematary, Salem's Lot and other earlier books. Luckily I got this book as part of an introductory offer for membership in a book club. I'm glad I didn't spend much money on it.$LABEL$0 +Classic?. Seems most like to refer to "Heartbreaker" as his masterpiece, and while I tend to like "Love Is Hell" and "Cold Roses" a hair more, this is in my top three. Being his first solo album after he ended Whiskeytown, this naturally sounds like that band more than his later albums do. It's all alt-country here. After the intro track, this starts out rocking with "To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high), then quickly mellows for most of the rest. Many of these are what I consider to be quality sad songs, if not lyrically, then musically. The first half of "Heartbreaker" I find the strongest, and a few songs are really slow, but the whole thing holds up well. There's no doubt this guy can write a good song. Again, this might not be the first Ryan Adams album I reach for, but It'll always remain in my vinyl collection.$LABEL$1 +First Rate Production is a MUST for Serling Fans. This is an excellent biographical documentary about the life and works of Rod Serling. It is brilliantly constructed and edited. This well crafted presentation is a first rate production all around. Rod Serling was a man of great literary and social intellect, somewhat ignored because of the genre he worked within and was famous for. His endearing legacy, "The Twilight Zone" frequently bordered on the edges of science fiction if not immersed in it. Society's values being what they are, science fiction has never been thoroughly embraced by conventional thought as a legitimate literary or cinematic art form until very recently. That is society's loss and Serling's heartbreak. I originally saw this documentary on Public Television and was pleased to find it issued on VHS. Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +SG love. I have personally enjoyed this book. As an aspiring photographer, i am very happy with the quality of the photos, and the type of content this book has to offer. SG fans can view the girls at their best. Missy Suicide did a wonderful job.$LABEL$1 +where are the captions!?. I found the "unofficial guide" a better read. It is more pithy. In this book you have to plod through a bunch of boring stuff on the push to get the movie made. The majority of the few, uninteresting photos have no captions.$LABEL$0 +Funny, but it didn't make me feel any better about my weight!. Camryn Manheim is an sassy, award-winning actress and laugh-out-loud funny. This book is a personal account of her experiences of fat-ism and her journey to self-acceptance.Manheim is a natural storyteller and, being overweight myself, there was a lot here to relate to, but although I enjoyed the book, there were no groundbreaking revelations for me here ... though it does make a pretty strong case against society's obsession with being thin, this book is in no way a "self-help" book (to be fair, it doesn't claim to be) and it didn't help me to "make peace" with my fat. It did however make me laugh a lot and that's reason enough to encourage others to read it!Thank you Camryn, for speaking out for big women everywhere.$LABEL$1 +Don't Waste your Money. Pros- cheapCons- There is just no other way to put it. This is crap. You have to constantly fix the string, unplug turn it upside down take off the cap (and this is not easy, I am 62 and have small hands and can't reach and use the pressure needed to remove. I have to use something to pry it open. Then minutes later I am doing it all over and over and over. I never even made it to the back yard before I threw the dam thing away.$LABEL$0 +Does not work for BMWs. Seems like a totally fine product (well constructed) BUT IT DOES NOT WORK FOR BMWs (even though the description says that it is for "import" vehicles). I have a 2005 325Ci and these screws are too thick.$LABEL$0 +Bert and Fritz together at last!. This is a relatively straightforward propaganda melodrama, with nothingparticularly compelling to recommend it, but for one notable exception.Bertold Brecht's villains and miscreants are all so full of gusto. They share kinship with the ones in Threepenny Opera and Mahagonny after all. It seems Brecht could not create a scoundrel he couldn't admire on a certain, mischievous level. The ones in this film are no exception, and lift it out of the "ordinary" into the realm of the "oddity".$LABEL$0 +There are errors in this book!. I just took my exam yesterday and attended a week long seminar to prepare. This book has errors in it and was really difficult to read for me (the cryptography section was written in mathematical formulas).A better choice is The All in One CISSP Prep Guide by Shon Harris. That book also includes a CD with practice exams.Even though I took the test yesterday, I just ordered the Shon Harris book for my reference. That is how good that book was.Good luck on the test.$LABEL$0 +Gato at his best. Gato at his best. What more can you ask for. Just keep repeating myself. Again and again and agai and again.$LABEL$1 +BIG NIN FAN - - - BUT THIS DVD DISAPOINTED ME. I like Trent Reznor work but he let it me down with this dvd if you already have the cd don't make the same mistake i made don't buy the dvd i assure you the cd is much better than the dvd Trent Reznor doesn't offer anything new here is a waste of money the reason i bought it was because i was very impressed with marilyn manson god guns and government dvd and i was expecting same thing with and all that could have been i was so wrong$LABEL$0 +Great show, defective dvds. I absolutly love Doctor Who, and think it's a great show, but when I bought this set, I recieved defective dvds, which I then returned only to recieve another set of defective dvds, and now I'm still waiting on a refund. Therefore, you may want to consider buying this on iTunes, unless you really want the special features and the Christmas episode, which is not currently on iTunes. Either way, I would recomend buying it from somewhere, it's fantastic.$LABEL$0 +Amazon.com waffles. Amazon.com's suspension of its normal rules and policies for this one title boggles the mind, but it does reveal a clear demonstration of bias. You've just rendered your rating system unreliable, as attacks are not reviews.Please cancel my account until you either apply the same rules to all books or rescind your silly "Aren't presidential election years great?" campaign.In the meantime, you'll find me shopping at BOOKSAMILLION.COM (WHERE THE BARGAINS ARE BETTER THAN AMAZON'S).$LABEL$1 +I thought he was going to sing. We bought this album as my mother is a huge fan of Regis and we always buy two Christmas albums a year. What a disappointment. Regis doesn't so much sing as talk along to the background music. His wife's voice on Baby its cold outside is great - compared to him. This will be one of those CDs that go in a drawer and never see the light of day again.$LABEL$0 +This compilation is THE BEST.. All the great hits of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich on one CD's. Exellent mastered.$LABEL$1 +A bit pricey, but they make you look good. We recently held a luncheon for 150 industry guests. I put a light-yellow background and logo on these, then printed everybody's first name real big in dark blue. Underneath was their last name and company name. The badges looked fantastic.The price is a bit expensive for stickers, but the adhesive sticks sell to clothing and comes off easily. Overall I'm real happy.$LABEL$1 +Only for Mandy Fans!. I love Mandy Moore and was very excited to get this soundtrack. It was certainly worth it. Each Mandy song is gorgeous and she sounds lovely. Cry was the best song on her latest CD and probably one of the prettiest ballads I've heard. Only Hope is another romantic ballad that suits her perfectly and she sounds better that ever. Its Gonna Be Love is a mid tempo track that is sweet and catchy. The other tracks by the other artists are not as great. Fans of Mandy Moore are certainly not fans of the type of music the other songs are except for If You Believe by christian pop singer Racael Lampa. An uplifting ballad that showcases her amazing voice. The other songs by Toploader and Switchfoot are very slow, boring, and not very interesting. As I said, this is a must for Mandy Moore fans, she is at her best.$LABEL$1 +danger, will robinson. If you are looking for a wrestling game that is fun and involving, don't buy this one. All of the hype about this game is wrong, as the grappling system is reduced, there is no story line, and it will take you ten years to win a belt..in summary, don't buy this product!$LABEL$0 +flimsy mount. Got this telescope for hubby's Christmas. Flimsy mount, difficult to align, eye piece too loose for focusing. Worse, he's owned it only seven weeks and one leg failed, collapsed onto backyard concrete patio. Now we're having problems with customer service at Celestron, not promising replacement telescope with new warranty (for what the warranty is worth). Before you buy, remember that if you need to return the telescope, YOU pay shipping both ways. Disappointed with the brand.$LABEL$0 +Amateur at Best. No excuse for charging pprofessional amount for this rather pathetic and lackluster homemade production.....if I were a relative, maybe it would be worth it - but sad and annoying to watch!!$LABEL$0 +Amy's best pop music album. This is Amy Grant's best pop album. There are the hits we all know about such as Baby Baby, Every Heartbeat, Good For Me, That's What Love Is For, and I Will Remember You. But she also does well with the fun songs Galileo and Hats. Ask Me is an incredibley poignant song about sexual abuse. And You're Not Alone and How Can We See That Far are relationship ballads.Is this album "Christian" or "Pop"? The answer is it is a pop album that clearly has a Christian base - many references, some obvious (Hope Set High) and some not so obvious (Every Heartbeat) point to her faith in God.Top to bottom, one of the best all around pop albums if the early 1990s.$LABEL$1 +Cheap. Bought this a couple of years ago for my son (age 5 at the time). It's heavy and cheaply made. When he was actually ready for lessons, the instructor couldn't get it to tune correctly. I am not a guitar player, so I cannot describe what was wrong, but something about the bridge and neck that would need some work in order to get it in playing shape. I wound up buying a Fender starter that was more, but so far worth it....$LABEL$0 +dark water series. these dvd series captures a tv series that was on in the 80's. I only wish that the tv show would have finished out the season. We will never know how it was to end. however the dvd's are good guality.$LABEL$1 +Great for early readers. My 4 year old and 2 year old both love this book. The 4 year old is a beginning reader and has had this book memorized for years now. She is able to identify simple words as she recites the story. My two year old also has the book memorized and loves to pretend to read. Both of them call this story "oops" and laugh every time the turkey does something silly.$LABEL$1 +What a Mistake!. I too thought that with 2.4GHz this would be a great monitor - WRONG! I cannot believe how much static you hear on the lowest volume! I thought maybe all monitors sounded like this until I started reading reviews. Do not waste your money!$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. If it were any other band, I'd probably rate this higher, but my boys just took a bad turn. I don't know what Chris was thinking when he wrote these lyrics. How he went from the poetic "Girl From a Pawnshop" off of Three Snakes to "Heavy" and "Kickin' My Heart Around" is beyond me. He used to write the best words. Also, the album has too much noise; if they've completely changed their style, I don't like it. Hopefully, they were just trying to get their name known again, and they'll go back to their good stuff from now on.$LABEL$0 +Sheds Bristles Consistently. Even with a shaving brush stand and gentle use (both in the cup and on my face), this brush has lost bristles every time I've used it. I will be returning it. I get a better shave using the regular shaving cream, hand-applied, that I was using.$LABEL$0 +Koolatron Multi Purpose Adapter. I just received my unit and looked for the other 2 adapters that it shows in the picture. There is only the 1. Why is there a picture of 2 plugs ? ? ? ? Can another multi car adapter be pluged into this ?So that I can be charging up to 3 items? This lacks through information to use this. When I plug my phone into this and it doesn't work it will go back. There is no phone number for customer service???$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected from Calphalon. I've gotten fabulous bargains on Calphalon at Amazon before - top quality stuff at great prices. So I thought I was getting the same with this pan. Not so. The non-stick coating is fine, but the pan seems cheaply made because of the handle. It's not a nice, heavy, cast handle like I usually get, but made of some sort of lightweight metal that I'd expect to find on a cheap grocery-store pan. The edges on the handle aren't even smooth.$LABEL$0 +Not worth it. I had this thermostat in my home for 3 years. It mysteriously failed for 3 days last year (no AC) and then suddenly worked right before the AC repair man could arrive. It worked another year and experienced same issue but never regained consciousness. It would not keep the numerically selected setting. I could actually stand there and watch it climb or drop over 10 degrees in a matter of seconds, which in turn would immediately shut off either my heat or AC, whichever. Backup batteries were not related to this issue. Owners manual had no customer service hot line number for me to call (another nice touch, very professional). It now adorns the local landfill. Try a Rite Temp touch-pad at half the price.$LABEL$0 +Relaxation & Meditation. Most people who are serious about meditating yearn for a combination of sounds that harmonize with music. I like many types of sounds, rain, ocean waves, tranquil melodies.I am sorry, Hans Peter Neuber presents to many instrumental pieces. It is hard to meditate when once into a nice mood an electronic oboe or electronic piano comes blairing to the forefront. I wish Hans would have not put so many different instruments into the composition. It is a nice driving CD but is not conducive to meditating deeply.This CD needs more natural sounds and less electronic sounds.$LABEL$0 +Router O' Piece of Crap. This router worked for one day on a pc with Windows 2000. Tried to hook up a pc and a mac (OS X) to it.Rumor has that it can be done, but Linksys doesn't support their products hooked up to a mac, so don't expect any advice. If you want to do this do not buy this, get an Asante router. We had nothing but problems and in the end I couldn't hook it back up to my computer(pc)and get on line. Stay away from this router!$LABEL$0 +Ehhh. Not very good at all, I bought this to make hummus and it didn't do well at all, never got the mxture to blend well at all and the machine was very noisy also!$LABEL$0 +Flat and dissapointing. Although Sawyer writes competently I gave it 2 stars for failure to live up to possibilities. Two humanoid societies interact after 40,000 or so years of separate development with differing histories, cultures, values, etc. What happens? We obsess about the characters and love lives of Mary (the human) and the Neantherthal (whatsisnameagain, he looks like Arnold without the chin), a couple of boring representatives of their species. "Harlequin" as another reviewer labeled it, sounds right.I think Sawyer's desire that things turn out right prevents a sense of danger or conflict that might make things work. I kept waiting for the Pentagon to start war-gaming the possibilities (you could send an army over in New Mexico and have it pop up in Beijing for instance), for the Neanderthal vs Human championship(Neanderthals win), but all I got is this unrealistic plot and goody-goody philosophy.Oh well, back to the Martian Chronicles, Dune, whatever.$LABEL$0 +Really nice blend of fast and slow titles. A REALLY nice addition to any collection and if you like this type of music, by all means GET THIS!The only reason it is not a 5 is because I "ruined" myself by listening to his best of CD too much! :) If you have "best of" then by all means get this, if you don't - get that CD, see if you like his style - THEN get this one!The first two songs are what it is all about:Birdsong is a fast flirty ride - just like a bird flying - you can almost feel it! while "Distant thunder" is the perfect blend of styles - very slow and sweeping that makes him perfect to listen to!I would say this is a worthy addition to your collection.Jim$LABEL$1 +What was he thinking?. Presents the Analects "in authentic I Ching order," an absurd decision which just means that any given passage is practically impossible to find. (In fact, a number of passages are left out, and at least one is included twice.) Contemporary language, occasionally clumsy and rarely lively. Pinyin romanization.$LABEL$0 +Surreal Adventure. Each time another Atlantis game is released, the version becomes more surreal than the last. This one is divided into worlds within worlds, and takes the player into an adventure set outside time and space. It has it's sense of humor & whimsy for certain, but overall, it is one that is easy to play again and again.$LABEL$1 +Sweet Mountable Laser. I put this on my airsoft gun and the first game i played with it i pointed at my friend who was on the other team, he hid behind cover and said "Well thats intimidating." Otherwise its a pretty sweet laser, i put it on my sniper so its easier to no scope at close range if i have to. Ive had it for a while and use it a lot and the batteries are still doing good. I had to put tape around it so it would fit more snug in the rail mount. to adjust it you just spin the front of it and i taped that after it was adjusted so it wouldnt move.$LABEL$1 +Jimi who??. i like jimi hendirx...but his cousin BLOWS HIM AWAY. his charisma alone makes him unstoppable. this whole album carries furious guitar riffs and funky blues breakdown all while sending a positive message to the listener. this is one of the best albums ive heard in a long, long time.$LABEL$1 +Waste of Money. There is a lot of clever advertising surrounding this book, but I found this book utterly useless. I was expecting to see a lot of sample code and examples of the various topologies: buck , boost, forward etc. If you interested in learning the spice language then I recommend one of the books by Muhammad H. Rashid,instead.$LABEL$0 +Super series for media & film studies (16-19 year olds). I am biased, as I'm the Series Editor, but every title in the series has lots of factual and conceptual background information for each topic, two sample six-week teaching schemes and teaching tips (and downloadable photocopiable worksheets and web notes from [...]) as well as 3-5 detailed case studies, full glossary and suggestions for further research.Every writer is an experienced teacher and/or examiner and most titles (with the exception of ones with 'British' in the title) have a fairly international perspective.More titles on the way...$LABEL$1 +An excellent book for the amateur home inspector.. Learn how to inspect and evaluate a house, to find both obvious and hidden defects. Lots of photos, drawings, and comprehensive checklists make it easy to spot the clues.$LABEL$1 +More like fever out, fever out. "Naked eye" was the only good song on this entire album. It's a different sound compared to most bands, but I couldn't adjust to their style of music. "Naked eye" sounded different than the rest of their songs on this album (unfortunately).$LABEL$0 +Bathtime fun!. I like this toy for my toddler son. We work on concepts "in" and "out" with the bugs in the net while he is in the bath. One thing I will note is that the toy we got has a pink net and a lot of pink in it. (Different than the current picture.) We don't mind but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable giving it as a gift to a little boy who is not my own because some people would think it is a girl's toy with all the pink. He loves to squirt the buggies. For us, a 5-star buy.$LABEL$1 +Try to Focus, People!. As important as it is to rebut the spiceworld comment, it's more important to realize that it was probably a joke. A Hard Day's Night contains actual, funny jokes. And great music. It's a great film.$LABEL$1 +Sketching fun for everyone. I got this book for my Grandson who loves bugs and likes drawing. We each drew bugs from the book and were surprised how easy it was to draw something with such detail and be so realistic.It was a nice break from all the electronic toys!Draw 50 Creepy Crawlies$LABEL$1 +I don't really like the taste of it, but works.. I like the taste and flavor of Yogi teas but this is not one of them.It definitely causes me pretty bad cramping but finally gets the results. I do not think I will be using it on regular basis, rather use Miralax with a lot less discomfort and good results.$LABEL$1 +a one man wrecking crew. An Iranian terrorist wants to become a nuclear power, and steals the radioactive material and the scientist needed to build a bomb. Only Nick Carter, American superhero can stop him. Will he? Of course, but as expected by the title, lots of dead bodies litter the streets of the Middle East before its over. This book is written for readers of Soldiers of Fortune who think the NRA is perhaps a little too left wing. Keep in mind it's basically a comic book, and you may enjoy the fast paced action. It's stocked full of gory detail and women who swoon into Carter's arms, just like James Bond.$LABEL$0 +Welcome to the mind of a confused babbler!!. This is not a book, it's more like a bland paper to be submitted to scome academic journal. The author claims that bangladesh is becoming a hotbed of fundamentalism, yet the constitution is firmly based on secular principles. They even have Christmas, Doorga Pooja, Diwali as state holidays. If you're interested in reading the biased opinion's of a perosn, you might like the book, but if you want intelligent interpretation / exposition of facts, you'll be disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Good For Its Intended Purpose, But Not For Mine. This is more like a textbook on war. It's well done. And, I'm sure it is good for its intended purpose, but not for mine. I therefore made a mistake getting it. Just wanted you to know.$LABEL$0 +No typical thriller. This book will mean many things to many people. I found that The One Year works at many levels.$LABEL$1 +Awful disappointment. I sorely disagree with the other reviews. this book was awful!!!!!!!! i love this type of book, but this particular one did nothing for me. it's insanely boring, dont bother!!! instead, do yourself a favor and pick up "killer heels" by sheryl j. anderson and "killer blonde" by laura levine.$LABEL$0 +works GREAT for Poison Ivy!!!! Quick & Effective. I like the Boiron products and can depend on the company. The dispenser makes despensing the remedy very easy. The remedy "works like magic" on Poison Ivy. The only thing that slowed me down was the entity I bought it from said to expect deliver 7 to 10 days, so KEEP IT ON HAND!$LABEL$1 +I ordered the st Andrews flag .what I received was an aqua blue flag I will never fly. This is not a St Andrews flag this flag is is aqua blue not like it's picture.It is so thin see through material. I will never fly this flag .$LABEL$0 +People's, I Love You!. There have been {So Called} One Hit Wonder artist's that I thought were extremely underrated and they had Stunning Hits and one of those artist's is the band, People!. Their late 60s version of the song, I Love You, is worth the price of admission by itself plus they had other good songs too. I finally found myself an alternate Disc of People! with this song on it (it's the, Long Album Version, and I love it) and it's called "Best of People! Vol 1 - 40 Year Anniversary" but because of it's originality; I would have liked to have owned this Disc. I have asked myself many times; why is this, People;I love You, CD OOP when there are so many other One Hit Wonder Artist's CD's in print PLUS I couldn't find this song on a various artist's CD either. Is it because this material has been forgotten by everyone except for the reviewers on this Disc?.....Maybe.....But that song is a step above many others (One Hit Wonders or not).$LABEL$1 +Brodeur scared the public about a non-existent risk. Brodeur is a powerful writer, and his book launched a series of investigations of possible effects of magnetic fields from power lines. In the last couple of years, the verdict is in: power lines do not have a detectable health effect. Brodeur was wrong. Brodeur caused authorities in several countries to waste enormous amounts of money: estimates range from hundreds of millions of dollars to the billions. He's a scaremonger. John W. Farley Professor of Physics University of Nevada, Las Vegas$LABEL$0 +Wild West cat collar. This is a great collar with a Western Flair! It comes with a bell attached to the collar. It makes a wonderful gift for your cat.$LABEL$1 +This is the beginning of Chaos. This is the very first book about Chaos I've ever read. And it was the right one: Now, my Master degree thesis is about nonlinear dynamics.Everybody can read this book and rapidly enjoy this new way to see the world. The beauty of the book doesn't reside on the highly technified material it covers, it resides on the passion that Gleick reflects when he describes this journey into discovery. This book is the milestone to the beginning of a self-directed search for knowledge and sense in a complex but wonderful world.For those who already know about Chaos theory, fractals and nonlinearity, this book represents a great opportunity to remember that the mathematics can be beautiful and overwhelmingly common in the real world too.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy this product!. This product totally doesn't work. I can't get my TV into HD at all no matter what the configuration in the XBox settings. I thought this was the Microsoft version but it's just a piece of crap from Intec.$LABEL$0 +"Sunrise" remix- NOT worth it!. I LOVE Duran Duran, but I wish I had my money back for this import single. "What Happens Tomorrow" is an incredible song, but I bought this for the Eric Prydz Mix of "Sunrise," hoping to finally hear a club mix that actually included the vocals. (The first batch of remixes found on the "Sunrise" single all neglected to include Simon's full vocals.) Disappointed again! The beat to this version is great, but it is only 3 & a half minutes long & features only a few background vocals at the beginning. I guess there will never be a full-out vocal club mix available on CD. The closest thing I know of is the Jason Nevins Mix on the "Queer Eye" soundtrack.Bottom line: Someone needs to take lessons from bands like Erasure, who still put out singles with multiple remixes & non-album songs that are well worth the money. 13 bucks is just too much for an album version that I already have & a short, vocal-less club mix. Shame on Epic records & Duran Duran!$LABEL$0 +KJV Parallel Bible Comentary. My wife is a new Christian and has trouble understanding the Bible at times. A friend loaned her a copy of this book and she fell in love with it. I was excited when I found a new copy at such a great price. I've seen simular books that cost around 400 dollars. The book came in it's original wrapper and was in exelent condition.$LABEL$1 +Very buggy product. Confirming the other reviews on this product, the item is quite buggy. The product has very unreliable issues with the volume and when it is increased can keep going by itself to maximum or goes all the way to volume when decreased.I use this item when riding my motorcycle with my the ipod on under my helmet. So once I set the volume I'm ok. It's nice to have the pause when I stop next to one of my riding buddies and I don't have to dig out the ipod to pause it to hear what he is saying. That and the next/previous track buttons seem to work fine. Don't know why the volume is so buggy but for the cheap price I paid for it I can live with it. The unit straps real nice to my handle bar next to the grip.$LABEL$0 +Kind of pricey for a cable. As a cable, yes, it works. The red strip around the plug for the right channel is coming off straight out of the box. Cheaply made.$LABEL$0 +worked great.. for a few days.. Panasonic ER421KC Nose and Ear Hair Trimmer, Wet/Dry, LightedIt worked fine. didnt' pull at all. Really cut the hair my other brand would simply pass over.and it was quieter by a bit, too.but.. after a few days of owning it, used it twice, it simply wont run with any battery I put in it.The problem then is return, refund, etc.. so I think I'll see if best buy carries the same model, just to save all thathassle.Very nice unit, but apparently, see other reviews, there are some dependability issues.$LABEL$1 +what a mess. i am giving this a one star review because received damaged materials, i do not know if it happened in shipping or prior but 2 largest pieces, the top where you put the baby down and one side were delivered cracked. it is still usable and i am too pregnant and stresses enough already to have to deal with complaints and unscrewing parts we already put together, packaging everything and sending it back only to wait for it again, specially because of the circumstances i have, i need it done in couple of days.reading through some other reviews i see i am not the only one. this is not a $10 item or something it's easily shipped back and forth, and they sure do charge enough for shipping, so it should come to our homes in one piece and undamaged.i'm really disappointed and know i will NOT buy items like this through amazon again or online for that matter.i will be posting pictures of the damage too under customer photos once i download them!$LABEL$0 +Cute movie!. I think this is one of the most adorable movies I have ever seen. I think as far as made for tv movies go this one is excellent! The actors were all great! Also what makes it such a good movie is that is a true story.$LABEL$1 +deluxe photo bag. This was purchased as a gift for Christmas. The person who received it said that it was perfect for her camera equipment. She was able to fit all of her equipment into the bag and said she really likes it. The weight of the bag is just right, not to heavy to carry and construction of the bag was good. It is not flimsly - sturdy and well made.$LABEL$1 +Original version available in the UK. This is the reworked version made for the US. If you want to find the original ones, check out The Open University website in the UK.$LABEL$1 +Hilarious...... Oh dear? This is for real???????. I thought "Redneck woman" was a hilarious camp send-up of Country & Western music until the truth dawned on me - that this Gretchen Wilson woman was for real.Being ingorant, illiterate, uncultured and narrow minded is not a sin - as long as one is endeavouring to do something about this situation. Celebrating ignorance is foolish.Dear Gretchen,Buy some books, do some reading. Travel and try to travel to some other countries. Listen to more music from other places and other times. Use the money you make from this CD to get yourself an education. I think you will be very embarrassed about this CD in the future. Sorry!$LABEL$0 +No es Karaoke. This isn't Karaoke. No lyrics display. This is strictly music without a vocal track. The lyrics are included in the liner notes, in little tiny print. Of course, if that's what you're looking for, the music is nicely done, and sounds like Mana.Este CD no es Karaoke. La letra no sale en pantalla. Es tan solo la musica sin cantante. La letra viene en el papelito que va dentro de la caja de CD. No era lo que esperaba. Sin embargo, si eso es lo que buscas, suena bien. Tal cual como los temas originales.$LABEL$0 +A Bad Choice. Avoid this line of Sony portable CD players - sound is awful. Sony usually provides much better quality.$LABEL$0 +BROKEN AFTER 15 MONTHS!. I BOUGHT THE EDGER TRIMMER ON APRIL 25TH 2009. THIS IS IT'S SECOND SEASON AND ALREADY TWO BATTERYS HAVE GONE BAD. SO I BOUGHT ONE NEW BATTERY FROM THEM TWO MONTHS AGO AND 12 SPOOLS OF CUTTING WIRE.TWO DAYS AGO IT STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER.NOW I'M STUCK WITH A NEW BATTERY AND TWELVE SPOOLS OF WIRE THAT IS OF NO USE TO ME.I CANNOT HONESTLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT BECAUSE OUT OF THE 15 MONTHS OR SO THAT I HAVE HAD IT I ONLY GOT TO USE IT ABOUT 35 TIMES. MY PROPERTY IS NOT THAT BIG AND THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS SHODDY CONSTRUCTION AND VERY LITTLE WARRANTY TO BACK IT UP. I SENT THIS INFORMATION TO WORX ON LINE YESTERDAY AND IT WAS NOT PUBLISHED.(THEY DON'T PUBLISH BAD REVIEWS)SO IN MY OPINION " WORX DOES NOT WORX " SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STICK WITH A GAS OR PLUG IN ELECTRIC TRIMMER.THANK'S AND GOOD LUCK. > JOHN DUNKLE$LABEL$0 +A great pleasure for little ones.. I ordered two sets for my 2 grandsons, ages 2 and 3. They love superheroes and thewy love these characters.$LABEL$1 +My three cats and I loved this book!. I love my kitties. They may love me (at least they put on a good show around mealtime). We all loved this book.Why?Because we have a sense of humor! It's silly, irreverant and has fantastic illustrations.Unless you have a brain that's smaller and more simplistic than mine and my three cats' brains (a tall order, but if you read some of the other sourPUSS reviews, you will see there are even dimmer bulbs out there), you will find this book a delight!$LABEL$1 +A soul searching journey into relaxation and meditation. A wonderful way to put things in perspective anywhere, anytime. Uplifting, calming, soothing, serenity.$LABEL$1 +Necessary. The Fruit of Your Pain by Laverne Hanes-Stevens, PH.D is a necessary tool for anyone who wants to mature in their Christian walk. First, it helps one to accept the fact that there "will" be -not "might" be - seasons of struggle and pain in our lives. But, as the book explains, we can do more than simply accept that fact, we can actually be fruitful and grow as a result of our struggles. The 31 Meditations for Growing Kingdom Fruit exercises at the end of the book are especially helpful because it helps you to actually "develop" the fruit in your life.$LABEL$1 +Cute idea...cheap product.. This is just the product I was looking for as I searched the internet all month for the perfect toy for my car-loving 23 month old son. I was so excited to find this cute playmat. When I recieved it I was alittle worried about the durability, but my son loved it Christmas morning! It is now the day after Christmas and this morning I realized that the paperlike covering is peeling off of the mat, leaving white spots all over the cute town/road side of the playmat. It had not even been open for 24 hours. I am sad, because my son loves it, but the peeling stuff is a choking hazard so I had to put it up. The funny thing is, my son is young and has been very gentle with this mat. I wonder how fast it would have fallen apart if I had a 5 or 6 year old son!$LABEL$0 +pendant. You get what you pay for! the pendent is tiny. i knew that and that is fine. i didn't want a big one. it is beautiful and wears well. the only complaint i have is the chain is too thin. i have to be so very careful because if it gets caught on anything, it will just break. It really does concern me so i will have to buy another one when i find it that i think is more sterdy that won't break as easy. don't expect anything huge!$LABEL$0 +Novelty Item. Bought this light last year. Nice light with three options low high and single bulb. Find the light is not very bright. For the price, better off getting new HID light. Picked up Redline Nebo. BRIGHT LIGHT. Good throw capability.$LABEL$0 +Thank you!. The price was right and the book arrived in perfect condition. This is a gift, so that was very important to us.$LABEL$1 +Prime Livgren material . . . Moving. . .thus its Prime Mover. Prime Mover is a rerecording/rerelease of an album previously released by Livgren's former band, AD. I have never listened to the original Prime Mover album, but if it was half the quality of this disk, it was great material.In his earlier AD material, Livgren's exuberance over his rebirth sometimes overpowered his work. Gone was much of the subtlety that characterized his best Kansas material. By the time Prime Mover was created, he gained that subtlety back and he's put together some really good material here.Stand outs include Children of the Shadows, and Wandering Spirit. The remake of Fair Exchange, Kansas tune, is first rate, as are the new songs, Incantos and Out of Opus.New Kind of Love, a new kind of song for Livgren is the only tune that rubs me wrong. Just not my style, thats all.Production, material, performance all first rate, pick Prime Mover II up!Questions regarding this review, email me.$LABEL$1 +Not painful. This product is all they say that it is. It is not painful and you are 'hair free' for weeks. I am so pleased with it I found it to be more than I expected. Nothing else has worked as well. buy it with confidence.$LABEL$1 +HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR METAL MEATHEADZ. Most METAL people will probably say the SCORPIONS suck or that they are GAY and what have you. They only know the 80's material and unfortunately, the SCORPIONS probably do not play this kind of material anymore.ULI JON ROTH and his solo band is the only unit keeping this monumental music alive. Mere words will do this recording an injustice. The only thing I can say is that if you are a fan of RETRO 70's heavy rock, then you must seek this and LONESOME CROW by the SCORPIONS, for you would be truly missing out.$LABEL$1 +She Knocks It Out of the Park. I have bought this book for quite a few of my closest friends. This book is candid, funny, frank and insightful. It really helps to put things in perspective when feelings make situations appear cloudy. This book comes highly recommended. You'll love it!Although I would recommend that you "Read with Caution." Never let your guy see this book. Ever...$LABEL$1 +Reminds me of Foo Fighters. Listen to the melodies,the drumming, the way the music is written,sure sounds alot like Foo Fighters and thats a good thing. I'm glad J Mascis has started writting again,started penning some nice rockin bouncy tunes with of course his signature guitar solo's.$LABEL$1 +Not What I expected. I was disappointed in this bread box. I paid full price for it (24.99) and it arrived broken. The roll part seemed flimsy to me and it didn't roll well at all. I returned it.$LABEL$0 +Great stuff. I appreciate latin music, but normally wouldn't buy it (no hable espanol!). Buena Vista is my first, and I haven't been dissapointed. Great music, especially if you pick it up on DVD-audio. Feels like you're sitting in the middle of the street in Havana listening to these guys. After listening to this disc, along with some other DVD-Audio's, I can't understand why the format hasn't taken off more!$LABEL$1 +I'd give this 10 stars if I could. An absolutely delightful book to read to a young girl. It has a slot to place her photo to personalize it when you first open the book. The CD is nice as well. Great value and you will be happy to buy this for your daughter who will cherish this.$LABEL$1 +Definatly not the best.. This was a very poor baby name book. Looked like something a 2nd grader would read. Was not impressed at all.$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware.... Got the router, and when it chooses to it work fine. Unfortunately, even after upgrading the firmware from the shipped version 1 to the current 4.1.x, the product still doesn't want to work. So far as I can tell, they put so many bells and whistles on it that they didn't have time to make it all work together.It reboots continually, causing you to lose anything you were working on, phone calls to drop, etc.Spend your money on a product that works.$LABEL$0 +Great for storing spices. I buy my spices in bulk, so they always come in plastic bags which are easy to lose track of in the cupboard. These work perfectly for storing them. Afordable and cute. They are a tad bit on the bulky side and arent very stackable, but I will definitely buy more if needed.$LABEL$1 +Deep reminder on technical issues in petroleum.. This book served as a very deep and efficient reminder on issues I had studied in field of upstream in l'ENSPM at Petroleum Economics and Management course. Might be looking too technical, but no important point is missed.Really useful and helpful for non-technical people with engineering background in upstream petroleum economics.$LABEL$1 +Impressive!!!. I had no prior knowledge of this movie other than seeing the dvd at Best Buy. I was able to rent a copy and was supremely pleased with the results. This is a high caliber action movie that was extremely gripping from start to finish with many surpises along the way. The pace was relentless with high octane action set pieces from start to finish. Not a lot of dialogue, but this is the type of movie that Hollywood is always trying to make and usually fails after blowing 100 million. You will not be disapointed!!!$LABEL$1 +Not durable. I got the Jbuds to listen to mp3 while walking my dag at the park. After a few weeks the left side went out, if i jiggled the cord it would sometimes phase back in, then the right side went out. I thought it might be my mp3 player, but after testing i found it was the jbuds. I thought I might have just gotten a defective on and was going to get another pair but read several reviews of the exact same problem happening.Frustrating and disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Excellent book for Clinical Approach, good for basic facts. This book is divided into 2 parts: Part 1 deals with The Clinical Approach, and Part 2 deals with the Essential Background Information.The Clinical Approach is the best part and includes 10 chapters (CNS, Eyes, Limbs, Head & Neck, Abdomen, Respiratory system, CVS, Hematology, Diabetes, and Skin). It focuses on the physical examination, and on the symptomatology.The second part contains a summary of basic clinical facts about the diseases which you can read in any standard textbook. In addition, there're many important subjects which are not covered properly in this section (e.g. dermatology).This book is not intended to be a complete textbook, and I think it should be supplemented by further reading. The margins of the pages are large so that you can add your additional notes. It contains few diagrams (no photographic pictures) and many tables.$LABEL$1 +An engrossing tale of an incredible man. This is a very informative educational mini-series that traces one of Shackleton's explorations to the Antarctic. It is an incredible tale of survival of his entire crew mostly due to Shackleton's leadership and refusal to fail. I have seen other accounts of this expedition, but this is by far the best one.$LABEL$1 +Not Funny. I've heard a lot about this, and I wanted to see it, but very few of the tweets actually made me laugh. Also, most of the jokes were just gross : / But hey, everyone laughs at different things, you might enjoy it. I'm just saying I wish I hadn't payed, cause it was a waste of money. :( It's for a good cause, though.$LABEL$0 +Good workout for intermediate to advanced. The hour long, in-studio session on this DVD is excellent -demanding but without crazy, circus-type stunts. It is comparable to the Sadie Nardini DVDs I've tried. The only drawback in my opinion is the monotone, sometimes mumbling instruction that at times gets drowned out by the music (perhaps recording the instruction separately would've helped). I found the additional sessions filmed throughout the city peculiar. They lack instruction and aren't filmed in a way that makes following along very easy. They are artfully edited and show off Tara's skill but these qualities are likely of secondary concern to most shopping for yoga DVDs. These are minor quibbles though and the hour long session alone makes this a worthy investment for anyone looking for a challenging yoga DVD that will leave you sweating.$LABEL$1 +I want my Saturday night back!. If you are a pseudo-intellectual, this is your film. You will be wowed by the lack of plot, the paper-thin character development, and the bored, vacant expressions on the characters' faces, which you will no doubt ascribe to their deep understanding of the timeless misery of the human experience.But if you are like me and just want to enjoy a movie without hollow pretense, save your money. At least I rented this one!$LABEL$0 +Hay Fever. I was not aware that this was a live stage play. It was hard to follow on the audio tape. This was not really a 'story' being told. You really had to visualize who the characters were and what they were doing. This is not good for an audio book content.I am an avid audio book listener.$LABEL$0 +Nick. This product is not the original compaq battery it is a cheap copy and does not perform to the same standard as the original. The battery does not calibrate properly and lasts about 1 hour. All in all you should save your money and find a genuine compaq battery on ebay.$LABEL$0 +Poor Quality ... Cheap Price Though.. Most of the security hex and torx have irregularly drilled center holes. Many holes are shallow and will not fit. OK for $5 as the spanner and tri are OK. Cannot recommend.$LABEL$0 +Very fast, Reliable CF Reader. This product is much too under-rated. I've used it many, many times with both my mac and my windows machine without a glitch. The data transfer rate is quite fast and reliable. The USB 2.0 interface makes transferring big amounts of files a breeze. It used to take my about 7 minutes for my camera to download 256Mb worth of pictures to my computer. With this reader, I do the same in about 40 seconds. For this price + some rebates you might find out there, you have a no-brainer here. Of course, the only caveat is that it only reads CompactFlash Cards, but if that's all you use, then it should not be a problem. Great Buy.$LABEL$1 +Great Service. The DVD arrived swiftly and in great condition, just as promised. I was very pleased with the service. Kudos~!$LABEL$1 +Classic, yet contemporary - and surprisingly good!. Fans of 1960's era Europop chanteuse - Francoise Hardy - will find much to be surprised and delighted by with 'Tant de Belles Choses' a contemporary (2004) album that plays hallmark to all of Hardy's strengths and charms while managing to sound positively fresh, relevant and certain to appeal to the post-millennium iPod set with absolutely no previous exposure to Hardy's works.While some tracks retain the classic 60's era Chanson sound (À L'ombre De La Lune' - 'Soir De Gala' - 'Grand Hotel'), the majority of the album uses modern studio production and instrumentation (eg - 'Jardinier Bénévole' - 'Sur Quel Volcan?' - 'Un Air De Guitare') that will easily fool listeners if you tell them that these are tracks by such melodic, atmospheric artists such as Air or Ivy. 'Tant de Belles Choses' is incredibly moody and melodic. Perfect rainy day music to deliciously gloom over, yet fantastically sexy all the way through thanks to Hardy's vocal magic.$LABEL$1 +science fiction at its finest. This is one of those books that I think even adults will like. I am 22 year old and I thought this book was absolutely awesome. he futuristic theme of this book is incredible. When I read it I didnt think that this book would be for young adults. I thought the theme was too mature and intellectual.I dont want to give up too much of he story but I highly recommend this awesome story.9 out of 10$LABEL$1 +An Incredible Waste. Josh Groban had such promise, with a tremendous voice with incredible range and a budding, strong presence. Then came "Live at the Greek." It saddens me greatly to see that Groban has sold out and is now paying for it with voice problems. They're notable from the very beginning of this concert DVD, where Groban sounds strained and nasal. There's no denying that Groban is a grown man in control of his career. He claims credit for this concert as a producer, writer, creator. Even if he didn't, he's getting paid mega wages for it. So I find it impossible to cut him any slack for such a poor performance. "Live at the Greek" is a waste of Groban's talent, and (I agree with other disappointed buyers), a complete waste of money! My advice? Get it at a used CD store. I'm sure the stores are full of them.$LABEL$0 +AWFUL PACKAGING. I WON'T BUY IT.. I don't care if I sound like a total idiot for saying the following: I will NOT buy season 6 unless they keep the packaging consistant with the previous seasons.$LABEL$0 +Vanity. Beautiful!! Very surprising at the quality for how much I paid! it was a steal! I bought it for my daughter cause it was cheaper than the plastic disney ones or any of the ones made for kids. I just put a new fabric on the chair to make it special to her & it was for christmas, so she was even more excited thinking santa claus made it specifically for her, it was her favorite gift. I would buy another$LABEL$1 +Egyptian Goddeath. I was 100% disappointed by the aroma of Egyptian Goddess. I put it on and immediately wished I hadn't. It stayed on for 3 good days, and I showered each day. I have tried to give it away, but nobody wants it. Next week it will be making it's way to the great-grandmother, maybe she will like it. To sum it up very quickly: Do not buy this scent if you are under the age of 75; it smells like old lady, exactly. Pretty much the same reason I cannot give it away.I would give 1 star, but I don't want to trash the entire Auric Blends line. Their Patchouli blend is awesome and I love that. Not sure what happened with the Egyptian Goddess, but pee-yew! I'd like to try their other scents, but now I am not sure I should stray from the patchouli.$LABEL$0 +Geeze. These guys played at my school.......they are really really lame, they all had on the same exact outfit. Their music is quite boring, and they were just annoying guys. I went to their website and read there lyrics......wow,that was terrible. They have a song dedicated to smoking pot,boy, is that ever fresh and cool. These bands from the bay area sure are lousy.1 star is generous. [...]$LABEL$0 +no good. too small。and And is not the same as in the picture。so i dont like 。and i dont thank its good$LABEL$0 +A kids review. Where the red fern growsBy Wilson RawlsWhere the red fern grows is a story about a boy who honestly wants a dog, gets two honestly, and honestly deserves every prize he receives.He earned the money for his dogs working for two years straight, piercing his feet on thorns to get berries, doing every chore he can do, and finally, he earns the 50 dollars and buys his dogs.His dogs are Little Ann and Old Dan, the two inseparable forever. Where one goes, the other follows, they would fight together, play together, hunt together, sleep together and die together, If they have to.I was required to read this book, and I was very uneasy about the coon hunting, but after a while, you understand what it means to Billy. I also didn't think much of chopping down a tree days on end to get one coon...But, it serves the purpose of showing what trust there is between the three, a determination that will never yield....Though it might have a sad ending, the end still leads hope.$LABEL$1 +What A Voice!!. Miki Howard deserves a better career than she has had, thus far. What a talent!! Her re-make of Aretha's "Till You Come Back To Me" is light-years better than the original. The test of a true talent & good voice is how it handles time. Aretha Franklin can't sing to save her life now. She has abused her body & voice with up-and-down obesity & smoking, such that she just cannot do it anymore, physically. Plus, she's embarrassing to look at, she is so overweight. Miki's talent & voice have handled the passage of time incredibly intact, flawless. I pray she keeps recording!! God bless you, Miki!!$LABEL$1 +My daughters' favorite book of all time. Both of my daughters were enchanted by this book. We got it when they were 2 & 3 years old. Children have rich imaginations and rather than being frightened (as some reviewers thought children might be) they felt empowered by the story. Parents are not always around when you're faced with a frightening situation. Ida was able to save her baby sister and return her to the garden because she listened to and acted on the internalized teachings of her father. And in the end, the goblins turned out to be "just babies, like her sister." All was well.While pre-schoolers may not have been able to explain this allegory, they understand it on a deep and personal level. In their late 20s now, my daughters still love this book.$LABEL$1 +?????What??????. This movie has nothing to do with the michael myers serial killings!And magical masks that make your head explode?What the hell?This movie sucks bad.$LABEL$0 +The best book I have ever read in my life!!!!. I am not the kind of person who reads a book twice. I enjoy reading a good book and then moving on to another good book. But, I have to say I read My Family and Other Animals at least fifteen times. Every time is better than the next.Gerald Durrell never fails to make me laugh, no matter how many times I read his book. I laugh so loud that my parents come into the room to check if I am alright.This is a great copy of what has to be my favorite book.$LABEL$1 +very dull. I saw the pretty good reviews of this book and expected a lot, consequently I kept reading expecting it to pick up, but it just didn't. Nick was basically a jerk; he (and this is a bad thing) seemed like an unnecessary character. He didn't have much depth and was annoying as was Pru whose shyness didn't disolve until about page 330. I couldn't take anymore blushing or stamering. The entire novel lacked quality dialogue/conversations. Finally, there seemed to be no basis for Pru's love for Nick and when he started to love her I just didn't understand how they could love each other and didn't believe it was possible in the way the novel was written. Basically this book was torturous to read.$LABEL$0 +problem, but samsung came thru. i purchased this tv from amazon march 18 2008. it was great untill the warranty ran out 12 months later. now it takes about 10 min. to come on and every day is a little slower. i paid $1144.00 for it and to fix this problem is $1200.00 + labor. as long as this is the only problem i have with it i will not have it repaired. i will wait till it wont come on at all and then buy a new tv but not a samsung.06/05/08 revised--talked to samsung and they extended warranty to cover my problem.i will continue to buy samsung products after all.$LABEL$0 +Pleasant, Amusing and Enjoyable. I really enjoyed this book. It was a light, easy read and it was quite funny. I like Jon Ronson and I admire him for his courage.I'm not sure how much of the book I believe. I think that in a general sense it is probably all true-to-life but some of the specifics must have been embellished, if only to make them funnier. The occasional lack of believability doesn't make the book less enjoyable.Mr. Ronson showed a great deal of the human side of the extremists he studied. His exploration of the events behind the Ruby Ridge incident was particularly poignant.I'd like to see a followup story that describes the reactions of the people he interviewed for this book at having their stories published, having fun poked at them, etc. I wonder which of them (if any) were flattered/angry/pleased, etc. by it.This book was one of my favorite reads of the winter.$LABEL$1 +Extremely useful and highly recommended. Read Sklansky and Harrington last month. Very good books and a must read for anyone interested in playing poker well. Have been playing dealer's choice poker variations for about fifteen years. Have been playing Hold'em, specifically, for about four months now.The Sklansky and Harrington books give you a lot of theory. They teach you how to think about poker. This book gives you all practicum, which is especially great for the beginner and intermediate player. The author provides very straight forward explanations for his decisions, and in the process reinforces proper play, while also discouraging improper play.This book is a great complement to the other two books mentioned. Will help reinforce the basics -- plays that we take for granted, forget about, and therefore get wrong under pressure. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning solid basic game play, or for reinforcing the basics as well.$LABEL$1 +There are others that work better. There are other peelers that work better...especially the part that is supposed to make the initial cuts into the skin. This one uses a very small plastic blade situated in the middle of the side of the instrument, which makes it difficult to "sweep", or manipulate around the circumference of the fruit.The ones that work the best are those that have an elliptical blade at the end of the instrument, and all you have to do is make an initial cut to get it under the skin and then simply pull it around the fruit.$LABEL$0 +No Fine Balance Here. Mistry's ability to interweave several heart-breaking stories in detail is prodigious. However, looking for balance is a relentless grind -- this novel is entirely too long, depressing and bereft of hope, despite the 'fine balance' between hope and despair it purports to represent. The concluding chapters are especially contrived and frankly, unbelievable. The story grinds to a halt in much the same inexcusable way as A Man in Full, leaving this reader especially vexed at wasting so much time reading it. The attempt to associate this tale with Balzac's Pere Goriot is hubristic at worst, wishful thinking at best.$LABEL$0 +They are ok BUT.... I originally decided to buy these OXO measuring cups because the price was reasonable and it has more cups then normal. At first I thought the extra cups were nice even though they are not really necessary.I've had them less than a month and already the numbers are coming off. LESS THAN A MONTH! I've come to realize the extra cups are actually a liability because they are hard to tell apart without the numbers on them. I would not buy these again. I feel like I've wasted my money. I should have just spent more money on cups with etched numbers on them.$LABEL$0 +Highly disappointed. This was a Plus size elizabethan costume. The material was what is to be expected from a $50 halloween costume- you want nice you have to pay a lot more. There were two problems. The first and main problem is Plus size women tend to be well endowed. The costume fit everywhere but the bosom area. The only plus size women the costume would have fit would have to be absolutely flat chested, as I am sure the model probably was. Even taped down I could have never fit my ample chest into this thing. And if you were taller than 5' 5" the costume would be too short. The additional curves of a plus size drew it up some. I am 5'10" and it came halfway up to my knees- not even close to the ground.The makers need to realize that there is more to a plus size outfit than adding a little extra material on the sides. Buyers beware.$LABEL$0 +Unfortunate choice of actors. I enjoyed the whole "romantic comedy gone wrong" theme, and the music was well thought out. Unfortunately, I dislike Bill Pullman as an actor (a purely personal thing, I'll admit), and I couldn't really take Ellen DeGeneres seriously as a bride - or as much else in the movie! Otherwise a good movie, but the "stars" ruined it for me.$LABEL$0 +not at all like the others. when i first saw the previews for scary movie 3 on tv i thought it would be just as funny as the first 2..but boy was i wrongg..the movie totally suckd it was not funny at all nd anyone who thought it was is retarded bc the movie was outright retarded i would not recommend this movie to anyone if u wanna see funny movies the first 2(scary movie & scary movie 2) were off the hook halirous..this movie madd fun of the stupiest movies it was a total dissapointment..and i hope that they post this review up bc people should know how the movie really was$LABEL$0 +Not what I had hoped for.... I realize that I'm cutting against the grain of all of the earlier reviews, but I found The Discovery Study Bible to be decidedly disappointing. I've owned it for about a year now, and it is still my least favorite Bible.I find the formatting to be distracting and obtrusive. I actually have a hard time finding certain passages because of the unnatural way that the "study centers" are inserted into the middle of the text. I do not find the margin helps to be very helpful at all. The dictionary in the back is too short to be of much use. I'd rather have a concordance than the multiple blank pages for notes in the back. And as trivial as it may sound, the cover design is just plain ugly.Ultimately, I find the features of this study Bible to rarely add to my study of the Scriptures. I only use this Bible when it's my only option at a given time and would not recommend it to anyone. I would strongly recommend the QUEST Study Bible instead.$LABEL$0 +Nice sound, nice looking.... I needed a mute for a concert and I did'nt have one yet. I remembered of my french teacher saying that Denis Wick was a good reference. It sound really great, it is well made, nice wood finish. The bas point is that you must buy the bag separately. At this price, they could put a simple bag, because sometime you don't use it for month and don't put it in your instrument case.$LABEL$1 +Stylish and Durable, with a HORRIBLE LEAKING PROBLEM. I have three kids, and for the third time, I am utterly dissapointed with Avent's product. With each new child, we bought a fresh supply of bottles, hoping Avent had fixed this problem. We really wanted these bottles to work, as they seem to be the most durable and stylish ones on the market, and our kids never had any problems with the nipples. However, each time, we ended up having to switch to another brand.The leak is not just a spot here or there. It is often a torrential downpour, leaking out the sides of the white cap. I know many people who have had the same problem.For as expensive as these bottles are, I would think Avent would take more pride in their product, fixing such simple things as a leak.Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +GE Cord Untangler (TL26135). This is the only untangler that has stayed connected to the phone handle. It does have slight static at times, but overall it's a very good product.$LABEL$1 +Heed the warnings!. I should have checked the reviews on this one before buying. Learned my lesson. Can't buy Mary Jo Putney without doing that anymore. The only reason I'm not giving this story one star is because it was good and kept my interest - until Viola's big reveal. I figured early on that she was a bastard and that it was her natural father who gave her the property. I was not prepared in the least for the wagering whore part - and she was a talented and good one too. Just yuck. My heroines don't have to be virgins, just not... this. And the reason that she was one made no sense at all. Ferdinand was likable enough. Charming, good-looking, sexy, a bit of a naughty fellow growing up. Yet, he was a virgin at 27. I'm sorry this reversal of rake/whore and angel/virgin was nothing but revolting. As a result I quit reading at page 215.$LABEL$0 +Only Maginally Funny.... This is probably just my patircular taste but I only found a few snips to be funny. I only decided to watch the movie because I had heard some coworkers talk about how funny it was and I happen to love Mark W. However, as expected I didn't care for the movie.$LABEL$0 +A family of poems: my favorite poetry for children by Caroline Kennedy. I received this book as a gift and was very impressed by the choice of poetry, the introduction to each section and the fabulous illustrations. I ordered 2 for my grown children and grandchildren.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic Movie. This movie is one of the best I've seen in a long time. This movie can be interpreted in so many ways and can mean many different things to many people. The young star does an incredible job, considering her experience. It is difficult to decribe much about the movie itself without giving much away. In general, for me, the movie is about the fact that the love of parent and child is the same no matter the socioeconomic status of the people.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the price. This is an ok monitor. It seems to have good range and even has a nightlight feature you can use in the room but it has terrible feedback and goes through batteries like crazy. If I leave it plugged in, the feedback is ten times worse and so loud! Using just the batteries we can use it maybe one night and a few naps the next day. To make matters worse, there is no low battery indication so many times it has died on me and meanwhile the baby has been awake and crying for sometime. Now I feel like I have go upstairs and check on him every 5 minutes while he naps. For this much money, it should at least warn you when the batteries are low. Got out of the shower today to find it had died again. That's the last time, we're getting another monitor.$LABEL$0 +Never buya gift card from amazon. I bought my mom an online gift card (emailed) from Amazon and it turned into the worst, most stressful present I ever bought her. The gift card took over a year to use including extra money Amazon gave her for her inconvenience. Amazon dose not mention that the gift card can not be used on every item. Also, after checkout the gift card may only apply 20% to each item, leaving you with money left over and your credit card charged when you thought you finished the gift card. Believe me it's happened multiple times. Save your self the stress and time of multiple phone calls to Amazon and choose any other company for a gift card.$LABEL$0 +Almost Exactly As Described. What I ordered. Arrived on time. Unfortunately could not be registered by Adobe because of a serial number problem. But it works. I use it all the time. Lots of people I've talked to prefer this version of Photoshop to the newer one. It was good when it came out. It remains good to this day. How many pieces of software can you say that about?$LABEL$1 +Very informative and well written. Answered virtually all of my questions on LAN wiring and it didn't even put me to sleep in the process! Excellent book to start learning about LAN construction and as an ongoing reference. Looking forward to the next edition.$LABEL$1 +What happened?. How did Art Alexakis, frontman of Colorfinger, one of the greatest alternative punk bands in the world, go on to form a band that was even heavier, and then turn them into MTV fodder? This is an album that can stand with Soundgarden's "Ultramega OK" and Mudhoney's debut. Art's vocals are angry and tourtured by the tribulations that were happening to him at the time, not by the memories of those tribulations like the "Learning How to Smile" album. If you enjoy "Heroin Girl," "When It All Goes Wrong Again," "Twistinside" (a Colorfinger song by the way) or old proto-grunge like Mudhoney or older Nirvana, absolutely check this out. Nirvana's "Bleach" is a good album. This is better. This is emotional, hard-hitting rock and roll.$LABEL$1 +Not for everyone, but.... A touching and humanistic look at a young female necrophiliac. Explores the roots of her fascination with death and her adult sexual conflicts. I like how this movie de-categorizes people with sexual deviations; we cannot so readily label this woman a "pervert" after we see this movie. We can identify with her because, we all have secrets and skeletons. "Mental disorders" are not so easily dismissed when we see how they develop from circumstances that could've happened to any of us.$LABEL$1 +Fun Travel Companion. I got this book as a going away present and enjoyed it tremendously. It's a travel book with a twist, an insider's view of the people and crew inflight. Some of the strong points are the humor and feelings that are in some of the chapters. One flaw is that unless you are a frequent traveler, some of the humor is missed. A Frank Steward is at times quite frank, so if you can't laugh at yourself, than this isn't for you. Overall rating 8 out of 10. I look forward to the next flight.$LABEL$1 +This guy is a flaming (...). "Appeasement" is trivialized here in Hannity's book. Every policy directive from a Democrat that doesn't call for the immediate and overwhelming use of US might is appeasement. Republicans get a free ride: Bush I's not riding into Baghdad, Nixon's warming relations to China, Reagan not invading the USSR, etc. Also not mentioned in this book: bitter GOP partisanship during conflicts going back to WWI. Essentially, any and all charges he puts forth in this book more than apply to the GOP, (...).$LABEL$0 +Maytag cordless iron. My husband wanted to get this iron for my birthday. I told him I wanted something a little more romantic. He ordered it anyway. I am soooo happy with this iron and very glad he went ahead and purchased it despite my objection. Everytime I use it I thank him for thinking of me.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I bought this book in a moment of weakness because I needed something to read on a trip to Ireland. What a struggle, both to read and not to discard. The story line was a 19th century version of a Super Mario game in which Charles and Melanie Fraser wandered all about London looking for gold ring that would get their son, Colin, back. At every turn, things get more convoluted and contrived: ... Gimme a break, please. Aside from all of the tapestry and the score card you need to keep track of everyone, you know how the books going to end before you've read 20 pages. My mistake. I should have doen my homework before buying it.$LABEL$0 +Amazing Book!. This book really illustrates how much God wants to do for His kids - us! It breaks down the extremely simple steps to believing to receive healing. Would recommend it to everyone - especially those who are looking for a closer relationship with and bigger heart for God!$LABEL$1 +Traffic Meter not as advertised. This program claims in the company information to provide data such as which pages visitors entered through, which referrers sent visitors, and what keywords brought viewers to your site. What you get is a "lite" version for which you must purchase a "professional" upgrade to get the features advertised! It provides the basics, but not the bells and whistles promised. It was a rip-off.$LABEL$0 +a big waste of paper. Most readers, including myself, were disappointed with this book. I expected to read about Led Zeppelin's musical creations, not their several encounters with groupies. Although the groupies played a big part in the band's writing and behavior, we did not need to have every detail about what they did. Richard Cole talked more about groupies and his own life than any of the band members. I was hoping to learn what Led Zeppelin was like in the studio, on stage, etc., but this book was about trashing of hotel rooms, relations with women, and other useless information that had nothing to do with the great music they created. I was going to give this book to my thirteen year old son for his birthday, but after reading it, I realized it is NOT for young teens.$LABEL$0 +Muscle milk NATURALS- sweeter taste. Ive been using the muscle milk powder- chocolate flavor for sometime now but they were out of the 'regular' one so i bought 'naturals' same flavor- I hate really sweet things and the naturals version of the product is significantly sweeter than the original. If you do not like sweet stuff- the naturals line is not for you. I could not even get one drink down :($LABEL$0 +1st Book is a tad confusing and slow. Like I said above, the first book is slow and confusing. However near the end of the book things really REALLY picked up, and I finished it and the other 2 in less than a week and a half!! The series rocks!! Guess what happens to Xander?? ;)$LABEL$1 +An altoid would have the same effect. The homeopathic moon drops taste bad and do nothing. At least if it was a mint it would give you fresh breath. This lozenge doesn't help you sleep or give you fresh breath. Do not waste your money on this product. I think homeopathy has more of a placebo effect than anything.$LABEL$0 +Didn't care for it. My 8 month old figured out how to rip it off the table in 2 seconds flat (no matter how much time I spent trying to secure it before she got to it). She loves the pictures and loves to rip it off the table but it doesn't do much for protecting her from germs.$LABEL$0 +The worst release I've experienced. After 10 years of using ACT! and being mostly happy with one release after another from the original ACT up to and including 6.0, this was the brick wall I finally hit.My notebook is a Dell Latitude 512K RAM, 40Gig Hard drive, Pentium III processor and it couldn't handle the program. Slow, ponderous, complicated, wouldn't sychronize with my Palm T5, unresponsive service techs, what more could they do to alienate the ACT community of users?After 2 months of using ACT 7.0 (2005) I uninstalled it and reinstalled ACT 6.0..My hair is growing back in!Stay away !!$LABEL$0 +Is this even music?. I've never heard such [...] "music" in my life. [...] This music [...]! I can't stand listening to one of there songs without getting ready to kill myself. DON'T BUY THIS CD OR ANY OTHER COLDPLAY STUFF! If you realy want good-hearted music, get city of evil by avenged sevenfold. Now that will be money well spent instead of this piece of [...].$LABEL$0 +Worth it for "Missing You". Now that he has passed away, I recall how much I liked "Missing you" in 1982. It has a bold wall of sound, rare for him, and a good hook. I think it's his most underrated song -- it sounds like a top five hit but only made it to #23 on the charts. He should have done more in this style. Like Madonna, he stuck new songs on his greatest hits that were actual hits too.$LABEL$1 +We HATE this carseat. We have 3 month old twins and are returning 2 of these terrible carseats. After 2 hours of trying to install these seats, we've decided that they are not safe. In the rear facing position, it is impossible to tighten the Latch belt enough to prevent the seat from moving from side to side. We also tried installing it with the car seat belt and did not have any better luck. The "level with ground" guideline (on the side of the should harness) was only level when the base was placed half way up the back of the seat. This left only 2-3 inches of the base supporting the weight of the child and the carseat.The seat is also HUGE. We have a Volvo S80 and a Chevy Tahoe and neither are large enough to accommodate this carseat in the rear facing position. Because we have twins, we have to place the seats behind the driver and passenger seats making both very uncomfortable.This may be a good seat in the forward facing position but it definitely isn't a good "3 in 1" seat.$LABEL$0 +The large size of this product is an .... The large size of this product is an excellent value for the price. The shampoo does an excellent job at helping cure dandruff and other problems of my scalp. Quick, effective, and economical! I'd certainly purchase this item again.$LABEL$1 +big disappointment. Wasn't what I expected... Within a week I just gave it to my friend. Now I come over his house, he leave it off to the side too. I brought a Death Adder after I gave the Habu away... love my DA!$LABEL$0 +The b*#ch is back!. This CD is very cool. The beats are tight. Kim's in her best form since Hardcore and it's an easy listen. I like "Can't Mess w/ Queen B" where she addresses all haters and invites all worthy suitors. I also like 'Doing It Way Big', 'This Is a Warning' and 'When Kim Say'. Seriously, I liked the entire CD. The "Queeen B, Supreeme B" is back.$LABEL$1 +What were the publishers thinking?. In assessing this book as chick-lit? It's really a very well defined genre right now, and just because the protagonist sleeps with ten men, doesn't make it chick-lit. The novel is dark and dreary (really); the main protagonist comes across not as courageous but as immesurably whiny.I'm surprised at the reviews and reviewers also, one of whom dubbed this a true successor to Bridget Jones--there is no way Gray can measure up to Fielding's witty style.The book has very few redeeming features. The writing is leaden, weighs you down (where was her editor?) and add to that the darkness of the book, it's suffocating.There's a blurb at the back from some Suzanne Finnamore who felt "inadequate as a writer more than once" upon reading this book. Well. All I can say is if THIS book makes you feel inadequate, perhaps you shouldn't quit your day job.$LABEL$0 +A VERY AGRESSIVE WATCH. I just get this watch a few days ago. I buyed it because the really agressive look it sport. I have had previously a Casio HD600 for 18 months so I already knew the gimmick of this watches. In this model was aditionally important to me: 200 meter WR, shock & mud ressistance, the automatic light feature and the mineral glass. The buttons are stiff but not unpleasant. The only two things I would add are a bilingual week days (English-Spanish) and a 60/40 distribution of the dial for the hour-date display, since you look the time much more than the date. The price on Amazon was the lowest. Vicente.$LABEL$1 +waste of money. not enough description of the content of the book. I feel like cheated. the entire book is about theory. but choice is an actual action. I was expecting there can be some real-life/historical examples...$LABEL$0 +Ok, but not really worth looking at. Candyman isn't as creative with his hook murders as he was with the first. Lots more gore and people getting gutted, but not nearly as entertaining as the first. The same as most of Clive Barker's sequels, lacks imagination.$LABEL$0 +Rocky Mountain Radar earns Lousy Customer Service. I installed this unit in a full sized pickup truck. The rear antenna wire is NOT long enough. I called Rocky Mountain Radar, spoke with Raul, and he advised me to go out and buy an extra wire (cost $14.99). Raul also gave me a list of conditions that needed to be met so that the unit will still work. I asked him if he had an extra wire he could send to me. His reply? "We are not a stereo store. You will have to buy the extra wire yourself". I asked Raul if other customers had advised him that the rear wire was not long enough. He replied "yes, we advise them the same as me".If a problem is already known, why doesn't Rocky Mountain Radar have a part that they can send you? Seems kind of like a cheap company to me.$LABEL$0 +Very Poor Quality Control. This product has great features and a great price, but the quality issues negate both. Take a look at the Netgear forums, and you'll find every user has the same problem- works fine for about 3 months (lenght of warrantee), then gets finicky, then cuts out completely. Support is well-intentioned, but forumulaic. Stay away from the WPN824 unless you can find the V2 of the product.$LABEL$0 +Better than we thought at first. I bought this game for my son for Christmas. I had never heard of this game before but I found it here while browsing and thought he would like it. He took one look at it and thought it looked dumb, and waited a day or so before he tried it. To his surprise, he LOVES it!!! It's sort of a logic/puzzle type game where you have to go to this place, get this item, take it to another place, etc. It reminds me a little of the Legend of Zelda games which are also a big favorite of my son.$LABEL$1 +Terribly scarred by ignorance. Sproul is a good theologon. Granted. Smart guy too. Very logical. But he has absolutely no idea about what he's talking about here. A main part of his arguement lies in the "fact" that quantum physics is logically impossible and therefore 70+ years of study into this field has been a waste of time and a number of Nobel Prize awards should be immediately recalled. Sprould doesn't in any way understand quantum and, when I realized this, I also realized that he could be sprouting anything he wants to about any subject on the hope that his audience has even less knowlege about it than he does. So, his book remains, in my opinion, a nice idea, but one that can in no way be backed up logically.$LABEL$0 +A priceless book for fans of the Wreath-and-Crest.. Do you want to know how many horsepower the Cadillac V-16 had? Do you want to see the list of features on the 1957 Fleetwood Brougham? How about the V-8-6-4 engine? The answers to all these questions and more can be found in the book, which is a must have for all Cadillac fans. However, they should produce a second edition if they want to include The Northstar System, which brought me to enjoy Cadillacs.$LABEL$1 +More fun than the LeapPad itself for my three-year-old. My 3-year-old son just got the whole First LeapPad treatment for his birthday, and so far he's had more fun with the backpack than with the LeapPad itself. It was fun to watch his excitement as he filled up his backpack with all of the books and cartridges he had gotten. Then he put it on and ran around the house at full speed, giggling. I don't know which he liked better--the "organization" of his stuff or the feel of that extra weight on his back, which made him run really fast! If you're buying the LeadPad for a special kid and want to make a big hit, you'll definitely want to include this accessory.$LABEL$1 +This movie is a Flop!. The wardrobe and sets are very good. The acting is poor, and the cast of actors is Horrible! The sound quality is good, with great cinematography. However, this is NOT a movie that is good enough to buy. It’s best to RENT this movie. This movie gets real cheesy and attempts to copy Lord of the Rings mythical creatures. It’s not well executed and flops in the end.$LABEL$0 +Good Gloves. Gloves say what they do, very good gripping gloves. Just wish they were a little warmer. I would recommend these gloves$LABEL$1 +As good as it gets !!!. I ordered this bag for "Panasonic DMC-FZ7S 6MP Digital Camera". I just gave a best guess to see if my camera will fit inside this bag. And to my surprise it worked. This bag is excellent for this camera. The design and safety features are good. Its handy while travelling. I recommend this bag for whoever is owning this camera.$LABEL$1 +Cheap made in China. This quilt is cheap acrylic and made in China. It smells awful when you take it out of the bag. It does not look high quality. I returned it immediately.$LABEL$0 +Nothing Else Like It!. Well shot, well edited, and paced quickly enough that you don't get bored, but slowly enough that important topics are covered in depth. Where else are you going to find an instructional documentary that takes you inside growrooms? For a younger generation, (accustomed to learning visually) this DVD is an invaluable resource. Of course, if you're a serious student, read the book, but the DVDs are a great place for the novice to start.$LABEL$1 +If you are anal retentative about writing utensils or paper buy this. If you are tired of throwing pens that are loose inside your pockets or carry one of those memo books that gets screwed up after a while you need to buy this.I really like to always have writing utensils and something to write on regardless of where I am.This little kit is made well:1) Zippers work really well without them hanging up on loose threads.2) Carries 4 writing instruments on the outside "pockets" (recommend something with clips to keep them in there though)3) The paper themselves work as advertised: ink not running off when wet and paper not destroyed when wet and you write on them.4) The the pen that is came with is tiny, works while upside down and does not like to explode on you when you really don't want it to.$LABEL$1 +great mini. Great mini but I've only used it once....It wont hold vertical for heavy cameras but otherwise its the best constructed mini tripod ever, although I probably would just use my shoe if the situation presented itself$LABEL$0 +Nero Burning Rom is MUCH better. Roxio Easy Media Creator 7, follows the legacy of all their products: bugy, bad customer support, very little support for 3rd party images etc, and virtually uncustomizable compared to Nero Burning Rom. The last time I used Easy Media creator 7 was to burn a CD in iTunes (relies on the Roxio ASPI driver, even in Windows XP)$LABEL$0 +Suprised that Disney would support a design this lousy. All the reviews about poor quality are spot on. The door on mickey's head is the most annoying. They designed this thing with absolutley no way for it to stay closed!!! It really sucked to see my son get so excited to get this toy, and then get sooo upset because it doesn't work right. I hear "fix it Daddy" more than anything else when my son is playing with this. I have to use half a roll of tape to keep this darn thing together, plus the characters talk in the wrong voices half the time! I expect more from Disney than this!!!$LABEL$0 +readable historical account that is very relevant today. I came to this book as someone interested in new media rather than as an art historian, and I found it fascinating. Fried uses Diderot and other eighteen century art critics' writing to understand how the beholder of paintings is positioned. He uses an abundance of paintings (reproduced in good quality black and white) and citations of art criticism to show the ways in which painted characters ignore the beholder, first by being absorbed in quiet activities, and later in self-abandonment. While the beholder is clearly set apart from the represented world in history paintings, Diderot also writes about entering landscape paintings, stepping inside the world.I found the book very readable and thought-provoking, and relevant to far more than just eighteenth century French art. Personally I will use it in relation to our current notions of immersion and interactivity.$LABEL$1 +Mixed reviews. I initially found this book pretty interesting. I watched Thomas Friedman's interview on Charlie Rose and found him to be an interesting speaker on timely issues related to globalization.When I got the book and started reading it, I got pretty tired of reading the made-up terms he used, eg. electronic herd etc..I found the book to be biased towards the benefits of globalization and dismissing the disadvantages.What I did like about the book was some of the personal anecdotes he relates to the readers, ultimately giving you the feel that you're hearing the story from the man on the ground.I found doomsdayer520's review of this book to be particularly helpful.$LABEL$0 +For an "insight" look into biblical characters. This fascinating book will acquaint you with all the major biblical personalities so that you can pick out the ones you would like to know better and read about them in the Bible. This book is highly readable and will not intimidate the neophyte.$LABEL$1 +Fabio's Yoga. This is not a video for a Yoga beginner...very difficult to follow and Bryan Kest is very annoying as a teacher...that is if you are into the whole Fabio thing.$LABEL$0 +Works well. It works nicely. Can even add your own things to its library. Cons are is that it should be quiet when you speak into it and it doesn't shut off. Otherwise it's great$LABEL$1 +Great bathinga. THis is a nice mineral bath. It has a pleasant scent and I feel very relaxed when bathing in this.$LABEL$1 +Nice for the car. I already had one from Thompson's Cigar and needed another one for my second vehicle (tired of moving the other one back and forth). Works great. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the plastic might have some defects. Part of the hinge broke (still usable) within the first week.$LABEL$1 +Pocket Pedometer. Works great, received it in a timely manner, only wish the clip stayed on better when I have to use it.....love having it in my pocket!!$LABEL$1 +AWESOME GAME!. I bought this game for my 11-yr old. His review is: "I like this game because you can fly, drive & fight w/Autobots. Good amount of action, somewhat challenging which makes it fun. Graphics are pretty good. Has "challenge missions" & 23 "story missions" that are based on the movie. CONS: Limited area in which to move the character around in. Good game to get!"$LABEL$1 +Fun and easy. I found this to be a easy dvd to use. I love the way they not only show you but provide the tab at the same time. The way the songs are broken down makes learning the songs manageable and not overwhelming. So you can take your time and learn each part or just the parts you like most. Very pleased with this purchase.$LABEL$1 +Perfect for a family movie night. Item and package arrived fine and on time. It is a relaxing moving very recommended to have a good time in family.$LABEL$1 +worth the dough. this gadget bag is really good for any gadgets... cameras, camcorders, i even found myself using it for water bottles and books. its worth the hefty price, durable and easy to clean with plenty of room, this thing keeps your gadgets safe through anything. its great!$LABEL$1 +Reactionary Nonsense. This book could have been written in 1890; all the old rubbish is here - smug Anglo-Saxon superiority, the belief that "human nature" makes socialism and even serious reforms impossible, the angry assertion that the so-called natural order of things has been needlessly disrupted by such dastardly trouble-makers as Plato, Thomas Moore, Rousseau and, above all others, the red devil Karl Marx. Not a word here about the roles that the slave trade and piracy by such delightful fellows as Drake and Morgan played in the growth of capitalism in Britain and North America. If free market capitalism brings freedom, then how come such tyrants as Pinochet, Francisco Franco and Somoza loved it? And why did the German capitalists finance Hitler? John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan would have loved this book. Rosa Luxemburg and and Martin Luther King would have hated it. That says it all.t$LABEL$0 +Helped me get a great LAST Score (164). After reading the reviews for LSAT prep guides on Amazon I decided to this one. I used it as my ONLY study guide; however, I did make sure to go through the book thoroughly. I did all the exercises in every section and this left me very well prepared for the exam.The book did a great job of pointing out some of the common mistakes that LSAT takers make as well as giving you tips and tricks for every section on the LSAT.I've read that other books do a better job preparing you for the Games section but I found this book easy to follow and in depth in that respect. All of the game types are covered. Let me issue this warning to potential LSAT takers...ignore game types at your own risk, they are all subtley different with their own intricacies. I skipped one of the game types in the book and guess what showed up on the LSAT!Good Luck!$LABEL$1 +Beautiful Watch. I bought this watch without realising that it was reversible. But it is the best feature.It is a dress watch, but I tend to wear it everyday to work, I have been wearing it for several months and it has some signs of wear, but they are only visible if you examine the watch.It is really beautiful and is lasting better than some of the pricey real gold watches I have, so I am delighted and might buy another for my mom before she "borrows" mine.$LABEL$1 +Stank stinks. I'm a fan of Hip Hop but not a fan of OutKast. The beats are terrible and the leyrix don't make sense. Mybe because I don't like this type of Hip Hop.$LABEL$0 +Super strong toy. This is a cute and colorful toy. It is super durable, which is necessary since I have twins who are constantly yanking things out of each other's hands and waging war over toys. Thankfully I bought two, for which I am grateful.$LABEL$1 +Good movie, bad DVD.. It was a marvelous movie, but the thing is thats all the DVD has. The movie, thats it. No bonus features what so ever. Not even bloopers. I expected much more from this. I guess the only exciting thing is that I can watch it in Spanish.$LABEL$0 +lite weight. I purchased the nail/staple remover in order to remove staples attached to wooden posts holding up field fencing. The remover is just to lite weight to work effective. I purched a bolt cutter for less money and cut the staple into and then twisted it so as to expose the wire and remove it.$LABEL$0 +How Do You Know. I enjoyed watching this movie. I like the actors that were gathered for the movie. They are all very good actors and each become the movie character, thus making the movie believable. I loved the comment "get me a list of no extradition countries."$LABEL$1 +Just no.. This movie is kind of crap. There I said it, I watched this for Hardy and was not disappointed in its badness. Reminded me of Lawnmower Man, a very slightly superior film. Everyone I wanted to live dies and those I wanted to perish clung stubbornly to life. Their must be better films to waste your time with, pass on this, life is too short.$LABEL$0 +Very nice!. I was very impressed with the sunblocker. Living west of where I work forces me to drive into the sun both to and from work each day. I had no problem installing the sunblocker on the face shield (just be sure to put enough soap in the water as they instruct); it took only a few minutes. By the next morning, it was ready to go. The only thing that would have made it a FIVE STAR item for me was the color. I would have wanted it to be some dark shade of gray - not GREEN.$LABEL$1 +Maybe not important, but intersting. Gloria Vanderbilt was 80 years old when she published this book, which I find astonishing. She has lived through so much tragedy, lived so many different lives, had so many relationships that much of it really does not matter anymore, but it is interesting to read about it.$LABEL$1 +Horrible for the New Generation. My 11 year old son was assigned this book this year, and he absolutely hated it. The plot is not nearly fast enough for this generation of children, and there is almost no action. He fell asleep about five times reading this book. No matter what version, The Secret Garden is much too slow.$LABEL$0 +Spider-Man The New Animated Series: Season One. MTV tryed to be edgey. but most the time it doesn't work. For die hard spider-man fans only$LABEL$0 +Justified 1. Proper combination of philosophy, anthropology, and action, among a plate of characters sufficiently diverse to give anyone a someone with whom to identify, all neatly justifying behavior that is, at once, both right and wrong, revealing difficult choices confronting the human condition. Ultimate redemption, and its failure, commitments and their inadequacies, all held together with humor and irony, and just plain excellent acting. This is a series for all, from writers to watchers: no one gets out unchanged.$LABEL$1 +This is a Great Diaper Pail!. We received this diaper pail as a shower gift and absolutely LOVE it. The system is SO easy to use, and, unlike what some reviewers say, can be done one-handed. We use about 10 diapers a day for our 3 month old daughter and have to empty the pail about once a week (usually on trash day!). It is a cinch to empty - when the last one is dropped in, turn the knob several times, push the cut button and turn several more times. Then, just open the bottom of the pail and pull out the "string" of individually wrapped diapers. To start a new string all you have to do is tie a knot and you are ready to go! Since we have brought our daughter home, we have used 6 of the refills, which costs about $30 total, bringing the monthly cost to around $10 so far. I'm sure it will go up slightly when she starts on solids. We have not had problems with the smell - there isn't any. The little bit of extra money is well worth the ease to me.$LABEL$1 +Great Bag for a Great Price. Bought the bag as a gift. He loved it for his brand new computer. Not many nice bags fit a 17inch. But this one does and still has lots of room for books and other things. It looks good and is very durable. Great for school! Loved the bag and loved the price. Saw it at a store for $100. Can't beat that!$LABEL$1 +a birthday gift for my brother. my brother liked his gift!! He loves books.I remember reading this book in school,I hope he likes it and enjoys reading it.$LABEL$1 +Folding Speakers but poor sound quality! =(. I bought this hoping I could get a portable speaker set that didn't use batteries. However, I was a little worried by the outer appearance of the box that had different sports ball on it (like a soccer ball). It immediately made me think that they sent the wrong. But after opening, it matched the description of when I bought it. After I tried it, only one of the speakers worked. The other had a scratchy, fuzzy, static-y sound. I don't know if mine was defective... but I would suggest you to pay a little more for better quality. Or just purchase ones that use batteries...$LABEL$0 +Good Cover at a Good Price. This cover is made of high quality nylon. It's easy to put on/off and covers my tractor completely.$LABEL$1 +Um...Yeah. Excellent Book!- hard to understand if you have never read anything about the three kingdoms beforeI've played the video games about it so i understood it betterDefinite buy for a Chinese history fan!$LABEL$1 +A member of a quiet set speaks out. The author explains many aspects of a loner's lifestyle, and how such a person interacts (or not) with society. The lives of both historical figures and contemporary celebrities are referenced. Many examples from pop culture are looked at. Being a loner is neither promoted nor explained away. The sentiments in this book are the result of an informed, unapologetic, balanced (and unpopulated) vantage point. No matter what degree of loner or sociable person you are, you will be informed by and be able to relate to this book.$LABEL$1 +Undoable. The list of do's and dont's to attain results on this diet is exorbitant. The products one would have to buy,the daily ingestion of herbs & pills, and the colon cleansing techniques are outrageous. You even have to use daily hormone injections to illicit best results. This diet would require a 24/7 commitment and lots of money.$LABEL$0 +Dissertation Assistance. This book is written in a personal format that pulls the reader in as being personally coached by two professors. While there may be dissertaions for dummy's, doctoral students are not dummy's and should use this book to assist with the doctoral journey.$LABEL$1 +napkin holder. Product was not what I expected.It also was crammed into a box that was too small and arrived broken.Did not want to go to the trouble of trying to return.$LABEL$0 +freshman at CHS. I am reading this book for school, and I think it is a very good book so far. Im only on chapter 15 but should be finished soon. When I first started reading it, I wasnt really into it; but the closer I got to the ceremony of twelve, the more interested I got.The thing that makes this book interesting is the fact that only one person knows the history of the world. This is a very good book for young people. Every school should assign this book.$LABEL$1 +igivethis10stars. this is the best album in my entire collection. i recomend it to anyone who enjoys good listening. a stand out factor to me is how the whole album plays as one blending song from tack 4 onwards. if you like "easy-listening" metal buy this album. the use of synth is brilliant as is the varying vocal patterns. if you are looking for similar music try little known australian band alchemist (an interesting blend of mystical sitars and powerful drums), and devins other projects infinity and strapping young lad.$LABEL$1 +Great to tote along. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. I ordered three bags: pink, purple, and a green for myself. I am giving them as gifts for my bridesmaids. The quality and size is excellent. I was a little dissapointed with the green bag, the color is not as pictured. So I will be giving the bag to a friend and I just ordered a black one for myself. I would highly recommend these totes.$LABEL$1 +Great CD. I loved this CD. I was just browsing in a music store and happened to notice it had just been released. Since I loved Deluxe so much, I figured this one was a pretty sure thing, and I wasn't disappointed. Better Than Ezra is just one of those bands that speaks to my emotions, and this CD is not exception.$LABEL$1 +This Is Wrestling...... Hello wrestling fans.....after watch WrestleManiaXXVIII, my wife and I decided to collect all the WrestleMania's.....so we are. Not in any paticular order, but as we find them.....now.....these are the best way to get the early shows.....5ive shows per volume.....now you can't beat that.....remember, these shows started before we had DVD's (when we only had VHS) so things got edited, but these shows are complete.....again, my wife and I have no complaints and actually really enjoy watching these so very much.....brings back memories galore.....this is wrestling!.....you're either a fan or not.....if 'yes' then buy this because this is for you.....if 'not', then why are you even looking? This is a must for any WWE fan!$LABEL$1 +Angelina. This was made when Angelina was still nuts, I'm just not sure if she was still blood in a vial nuts. Fun movie, don't be looking for anything deep, but some solid research done on the mythological ideas. Oh, Angelina looks outstanding.$LABEL$1 +Not So Happy. I mainly bought this for my husband who always forgets where he parked his car in the parking garage at work. I tried using mine and had it on my key chain in my pocket. The voice recorder is "okay" but crackly and weak. Also, the button was being pushed in my pocket and I could hear myself speaking in my pocket. Finally, the thing fell off my key chain and I gave up on it. It's in my drawer at home. Maybe it would be better to carry it inside a purse; but to me that would be a lot of trouble to retrieve each time.$LABEL$0 +Downhill after the first 300 pages. If I had been asked to rate this work after the first 300 pages, I would have been hard pressed not to award 5 stars. However, the last half was a real slog. In fact, I had to skip a 100 or so pages near the end just to say I finished it - only to find that almost nothing had been resolved after all this effort. I don't mind (and sometimes really enjoy) multi book series but not this one. An editor with a liberal red pen would have improved this book considerably.$LABEL$0 +Turtle Floating Dock. This product is design for turles I have a red ear slider turtle and she does not fit on the dock. I was disapointed for the actual size of the Dock.It would be great for a baby turtle but not for an 8month read ear slider.$LABEL$0 +Great book! Pretend with Miss Kim, April 8, 2008 is a great help with my grandkids.. Pretend with Miss Kim, April 8, 2008By A. Royal (Mebane, NC) - See all my reviewsMy grandkids loves Pretend With Miss Kim DVD. They really get goingwith the children on the video and love the songs. It is a great DVD!$LABEL$1 +Disgusting and stupid!. I am sooooo sick of this filthy lyric music cluttering up the airwaves. This song is so childish it's sickening. Those words sound so juvenile that I,m wondering if they even came from these 20 somethings. The guitar parts are from some Stevie Nicks song from about 20 years ago but that can't save this garbage track. This song wasn't even sexy at all. It was disgusting to listen to. I would give this -ten if I could.$LABEL$0 +All three movies, no extras. This pack contains all three full length movies in Blu Ray format, but contains absolutely no extras. Not a big deal to me as the price I paid was a steal, but if you're looking for extras, they aren't in this set.$LABEL$1 +Best book ever written!. And I know books! I saw some of what she describes and believe the book to be 100% true. I dont ever want to read it again, but everyone should read it at least once. Thank you Mary and Jesus for this revelation, I am saved now because of it, and so are many of my family!$LABEL$1 +cheep not worth it.. The saying goes you get what you pay for. This vest just a basic vest, LED's are basic not bright enough to make any difference at a distance. I found a real safety vest at safetyyousee.com with real bright LED's but the cost isnt for the basic cheep vest.$LABEL$0 +A Native Treasure. BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE/It's My Way is both noteworthy for her 1960's songs illustrating the plight of Native Americans, and as being highly talented innovator of western European folk tradition and one of the first cultural fusion musicians. Often accompanying herself on a bow-harp, at other times with rich instrumental backup, her music is sometimes eerie, always uncompromising.Little Wheel Spin and SpinIlluminationsFire & Fleet & CandlelightMany a Mile$LABEL$1 +How fun it is to Read this book. In this book, theres a girl that doesnt want to go to the camp because she doesn't like the water at all. Her brother likes the water and he wants to go to the camp. There is something in the water, that grabs her, she doesnt know what it is. Interested????? Well you should be, read the book to figure it out!!!!by Alex$LABEL$1 +An Intelligent Mystery. I'm not a big mystery fan, so I DIDN'T guess the killer right away (and I'm not sure I believe those who say they did...), but I agree that the real pleasure of this novel is in the writing itself - Nelson's prose is fluid, his metaphors apt, and his insights into the position of the gay male in society at the turn of the millenium simply dead on target. His choice of the first person pulled me right in and made me a part of the experience - I've never been to London until now.$LABEL$1 +Chevrolet by the Numbers: The Essential Chevrolet Parts Reference 1970-1975. Very nice book of Chevrolet Part Numbers for 1970-1975 Vehicles. I have used a previous copy of this book very extensively in the past.$LABEL$1 +Terrible sound quality- like a cheap radio (I returned them). This sony PRODUCT MDR-RF975RK was aweful. The volume was very low, I had to crank the volume on my sterio to hear anything, there was lots of static and as you moved around it would suddenly turn into a deafening screeming sound. I was unable to use these comfortably at home or at work. In neither place do I have a cordless phone, but there was tons of interferance and they were so abrasive to my ears I gave up beacuse I was afraid I'd get ear damage. I let them charge for a full 24 hours before I used them.I would not even try these- they sound worse than a 2$ raido speaker. My guess is that you have to have a chord, or maybe infared technology instead, or maybe you can;t live in a city ( like I do), and must not have any electornics anywhere near them.I bought these from ( and returned them to) Vanns, which was A GOOD COMPANY to deal with. I thank Vanns for refunding my money so quickly.$LABEL$0 +Only buy this if you have a table with a short leg.... Yes, I know it's supposed to be satire.Yes, the dialogue is delightful and quaint.Yes, Larry McMurtry (who's written more screenplays and novels than God himself) is the author.That doesn't magically transform "Sin Killer" into a good book.I got this is a gift, so I spent no money on it, but I *still* feel cheated. If you've ever read McMurtry, skip this book; it will shake your faith--usually well-earned--in his writing. If you're not familiar with McMurtry's works, don't read this; it's not at all representative of his genius.I'm going to re-read "Lonesome Dove" just to get the bad taste out of my mouth from "Sin Killer".$LABEL$0 +This is a piece of shit. Kindly don't buy this. It smells okay and evaporates in less than 10 mins. I ordered after reading all the reviews but i realized now that they didn't help me choose a right product.$LABEL$0 +The dead orchid. "Wild Orchid" is an erotic movie starring Mickey Rourke and some other people. Essentially, it's a pornographic movie, another attempt to mainstream porn. Above all, it's a *failed* attempt to mainstream porn. The movie is really bad, and can almost be considered an unintentional parody of pornography. My favourite scene is when Young Woman enters car, and finds Older Woman having sex with Man. She is distressed and asks Rourke to stop them. Rourke responds, in a voice that's supposed to be erotic and passionate: "I WANT TO, BABY. BUT I CAN'T. I JUST CAN'T".HA HA HA HA HA.Mickey is a really bad First Lover.Later, the prudish Young Woman and Mickey (who both have sexual inhibitions of some kind) finally "do it". The trailer looked promising, but alas, you don't see much...Just as well. I mean, we can't mainstream porn, now can we?PS. I like orchids. The plants, I mean.$LABEL$0 +Ocean DULL-er Scene. The first mistake with the title is the word 'modern'. There is nothing new about this music - Ocean Colour Scene are stuck in the sixties and I wish they would stay there. The music is boring with little or no originality. Sadly OCS come from my hometown, a fact I am very ashamed of. I suppose this is what you get from 4 men who consider Paul Weller a musical genius. DO NOT BUY$LABEL$0 +Pretty but uncomfortable. Okay, so I love pink stuff, and these are pink, but the little bumpies on the in-soles hurt the bottom of my feet after a while. If I wear them with socks, then it doesn't hurt. Also they run really big. I am a 7-1/2 to 8, but I am able to fit into size 6-7 of these shoes. Interesting. I say: not worth it if you want comfortable sandals.$LABEL$0 +Advertised but did not receive item. Not sure exactly what happened but the item I ordered was not the item I received. I believe it was not available so I was sent something else. The vendor did refund my money. Also, I had to rate this toy because it would process without a rating. I gave the toy the lowest rating possilbe due to the fact that I didn't receive the toy.$LABEL$0 +It was unusable for me. I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one frustrated with using Micro Money 2006. I thought I was doing something wrong. It duplicated my bank acct etc. I uninstalled it & purchased Quicken on line only trying for 2 days to figure this one out. Unless you are an computer expert, I recommend you try something else. One is just paying for the name. Good luck.$LABEL$0 +Sweet and charming book for baby. This is another adorable "Olivia" book. We have them all because I have a daughter named Olivia (she's 16 and still loves the books). This one is a board book for toddlers learning to count. The illustrations are great, but not stimulating enough for a baby - if that's what you're looking for. Otherwise, it's wonderful.$LABEL$1 +Gena does it again. This is one of VERY many novels that I have read from Gena's collection. I was not at all disappointed. It's just steamy enough.$LABEL$1 +Defective Item. I purchased this item to safeguard my apartment. It worked fine for the first couple of days then it would stop working (technically the sensors would not be linked to the main unit and I had to re-sync the unit). I tried it out for a couple more days and it stopped working again (once again I had to re-sync the sensors). After the 4th time of doing this I returned the item.$LABEL$0 +A slip from mr. Harrold. Glenn Harrold's produces fine hypnotic CDs and much of his work is first rate. Unlike some of his master pieces (A Chakra MeditationandUnleash Your True Potential) this CD however is not worth much. It generally centers around the feeling of deserving to be rich instead of tackling the behavior needed to actually become it. Also if you want to achieve financial independence there are much better sources out there, with more concrete and usable knowledge, likeYour Money or Your LifeandRich Dad, Poor Dad.And if all you really wanted was to feel better about yourself, relax and get more energy, then getUnleash Your True Potentialby the same author, it's far better and actually deliver on its promise.$LABEL$0 +Tati's final feature film. After suffering major losses with his previous film, "Playtime," he returned to his successful formula of following Mr. Hulot's adventures in this his last feature release. He produced a TV movie for Swedish television after this for his last effort.If you love Tati, you'll love this film.$LABEL$1 +Black Belt Mag.. Ordered in September 2006, and have yet to receive an issue, today is Dec 21.06. Most of the time you can count on amazon, but I'm beginning to think that this is a rip off. I rated one star, because your can't give no stars$LABEL$0 +The Outsiders. The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, describes the lives of young adults when they are going through tough times. The "greasers", Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Two-Bit, and Dally are the poorer boys of the city. The Socs,(also called the Socials) are the higher class of boys in the city. They bully and beat-up the greasers just because they are poorer than they are. I enjoyed this book due to the characters, how they act, and how humorous they are. My favorite characters are Darry and Ponyboy. I like Darry because he is smart and strong. I also like Darry because he likes to show off his muscles. I like Ponyboy because he enjoys movies and he always sticks to his gut feeling. You should read The Outsiders- it is a great book!$LABEL$1 +Not as expected. You are constantly referred to his website www.lowcarboptions.com to obtain what brand names of vitamins, minerals, food, etc. that he recommends. Once you get there it is just 3 products and his own version of vitamins and minerals; plus the expense of becoming a member, but for what? A few coupons on products he refuses to mention?$LABEL$0 +They don't fit!. My son is 3 and weighs 26 lbs, and they do not fit him around the waist. His little butt is constantly sticking out. They are bulky on him and he complains about them being uncomfortable. He can easily pull them down, getting them back up is another issue though. Because they are so big, they roll funny and he needs help to get them back up. They also do not reattach once you tear the sides, and this is a tad annoying. It means that anytime he poops I have to completely undress him to put another on. They also do not seem to be very absorbent and have leaked when he has pooped.$LABEL$0 +Audio skips!. I dont know how amazon ripped this CD but it skips everywhere in the same places no matter what mp3 player I use. Otherwise its sublime. Just annoying when you're trying to listen to it and it keeps skipping. I want my money back!$LABEL$0 +Does not fit 22 quart white. This lid was advertised alongside the 22 quart white cambro container and stated it would fit. It does not, it is way too small. Now, I have a round white container and no lid !! I can't even find another one on Amazon that will fit it.$LABEL$0 +Does not work. Transmission of sound and video was only clear when the transmitter and the receiver are 10 feet apart (with no physical barriers in between). I tried connecting the receiver to a tv on the 2nd story and another occasion to a tv about 30 feet away with two walls in-between. For both instances, the noise reception was on and off, the video reception was blurry.$LABEL$0 +Very Lightweight Rain Suit. I have used my rain suit loads of times. For some reason, the bum of my pants is always wet after riding my bike while the ground is wet. I use the rain jacket and the rain pants, and the jacket comes below the top of the pants. The rain is not coming from the top of the pants and leaking down. I have observed that much. It seems to be coming from the seam; but when I inspect the seam, it appears intact. It's kind of a mystery to me. Othan than at my bum, it does keep the rain out very well and is also a very good shield from the wind. I like the suit very much. It is very lightweight and portable and works very well, but I had to downgrade from 5 stars for the wet-bum issue.$LABEL$1 +a very boring and confusing book. I am from mit, and I'm really smart. I cannot understand this book. There are also quite a few mistakes in this book.$LABEL$0 +false title. this is the ohio state edition that is not mentioned in the title but mentioned in the middle of the description. no picture should have been a red flag. should have known $0.12 for a college text book was too good to be true. returned.$LABEL$0 +Awesome..... I was very pleased with everything from the service, the product, and the delivery. Thank you very much for the professional manner in which everything was handled.$LABEL$1 +A major pain!. These were SUCH a pain to clean and use - my kitchen looked like a science lab. I threw them all out.$LABEL$0 +Folk songs about train wrecks are put in perspective.. Ms. Lyle shows a historian's perspicaciousness in her investigation of "Wreck of the Old '97" and other train wreck songs. She finds people who were at the wrecks and digs up news accounts of the wrecks--not all wrecks, just the ones with songs about them. Her comparisons of the myths in the songs and the history itself make a wonder read.$LABEL$1 +Don't wait, unless you love the sound of a door slamming!. This product works and it's very reasonably priced. After listening to my screen doors slam for years with a spring closer,I sent off for 4 of these door closers, WOW, what a difference. They are easy to install and work very well. You can adjustthem to close exactly as you like. Like me, you'll wonder why you waited so long!$LABEL$1 +Green Hornet. This is a movie which could not make up its mind, comedy or action. The result was ridiculously poor movie. I am glad I only paid a buck to see this movie. I usually like most movies and find something good, ok the gadget were good, but the story was poor.$LABEL$0 +I'm pleased.. I first heard the song "This Is Dungeon Music" and after a quick search, found and ordered this CD.Though none of the other songs turned out to be quite as catchy as "This Is Dungeon Music," I still fully enjoyed the whole CD. Anyone already a fan of punk, alternative, or emo rock should get a fair level of enjoyment from this CD.$LABEL$1 +Very good phone, but may be outdated.... I have had this phone for almost 2 years now. It's been a workhorse and I love using it. Having said that...the only real problem I have with it...is that I can ONLY have 2 headsets with this system. Because of this I will probably be changing my phones soon to the TRU8885 series which supports up to 10 handsets.I haven't yet tried them, but if you're in the market for a new phone system I would probably check out the TRU8xxx series phones instead (i.e. TRU8885-2 or similar - all of the TRU8xxx models are the same handsets, as each other NOT the TRU5885, but come in multiple configurations depending on whether you want an asnwering machine, the number of handsets sold in a pkg, etc...)$LABEL$1 +A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY. This is such a good movie. I definetly recommend it. Youll wanna watch it over and over again$LABEL$1 +Enjoyable. Easy read and stayed interesting. I look forward to reading more books from this author. Try it. I do not think you will be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Bad bad bad. I got this grinder as a present, so I didn't get to inspect it beforehand. The quality is awful - parts don't fit together well. I cut my finger on a sharp edge of a grid plate. The blade on the other had is completely dull. Meat gets stuck inside the machine and doesn't come out. And the blades and plates got immediately rusted after a single washing. This product is a disaster!$LABEL$0 +The Beast Must Die. For all of you out there that are "werewolf" buffs just wanted to pass along to you all that this will be coming available to DVD this July (I believe around the 25th 2006) and not at the prices listed. Hold on if you want to purchase a new copy at the fraction of the price. :)The plot description of the movie is just what it states. You have a mystery going on that will have you guessing which guest at the estate is the werewolf.If you enjoy a mystery flare to the horror genre I would highly recommend atleast a viewing of this movie.$LABEL$1 +em must have popped some x pills while doing this. bring back cRAZY AZZ SLIM SHADY come on man you're losing us here. booty songs are not em's style at least he could have it interesting drugs is killing his career.$LABEL$0 +A great recital disqualified by unacceptable sonics. The absurd price being asked for this CD on the used market will no doubt be enough to put buyers off, but in case the unwary are tempted, I must report that the sound is dismal, Richter's piano being reduced to a thumping, boomy blur that is frankly unlistenable. Too bad, because the recital in Helsinki from August, 1976 includes a potent account of two Richter favorites, Beethoven's Op. 10 no. 3 sonata, in which he found strong shades of the composer's middle period, and Schumann's "other" carnival piece besides Carnaval, Fashingsschwank aus Wien, given a rollicking, high-spirited reading. Luckily, because they are favorites we have rival performances that sound much better.$LABEL$0 +Amazingly good for the price. Before the holidays, I shopped around for an "inexpensive" digital. I hated to spend big money on something that will be obsolete in a year or two. (I already have an entire shelf in my basement with computer equipment we no longer use) Amazon listed this as one of the 10 best cameras, so for [the price], what did I have to lose. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the image. (I am a comercial artist) Print it out on a good ink jet printer, on photo quality paper, and you get great results. Plus, I can use it on my Mac and my husbands PC. Installation on both platforms was super simple. You don't need any kind of real computer experience to be able to download from camera to computer. I plan to buy another for my in-laws. It's no Nikon, but I'd definatly recommend it to anyone wanting to get an easy to use digital.$LABEL$1 +Great Flick!. Item is as advertised. However the customer service rep didn't really answer my question prior to my purchase. That is why I rated 4 stars instead of 5. Glad I took a chance on this merchant anyway.$LABEL$1 +The Great Lost Velvet Underground Album!. The cover, which shows a gauge tilting into the red toward "VU", suggests that this will be a loud, grinding affair like the group's first two albums, but the truth is that this nice, laid-back set of previously unreleased songs belongs to the general period of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, the group's third album. Most of the songs here probably would have gone onto a fourth album had the group not changed labels. Oddities include the rollicking "I Can't Stand It," the sensitive "Stephanie Says," the goofy "Temptation Inside Your Heart," and the country-influenced "One of These Days." This is definitely essential for any VU fan.$LABEL$1 +Cut beyond recognition. Originally saw this film by it's release title: "Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle" and the cuts and edits required to remove the lead characters name in addition to the cuts made to make this have a R rating render this a slim shadow of the originally funny (albeit tasteless)animated comedy. This pale version of the original is basically worthless and difficult (if not impossible) to follow.$LABEL$0 +Badly written, hard to follow.. This book just lists up most of the topics related to multimedia, and it's really hard to follow the authors' writing. The organization is bad, so I got frequently lost while reading the book. Too much errta, and wrong figures. The ugliest scientic and/or engineering book I've ever read!!!$LABEL$0 +Very narrow shoes, they seem solid though.. I guess my feet are a little wider than most, but I usually have no problems with boot type shoes. These are so tight I cannot even wear them. I wear Converse Chuck Taylors all the time and they are snug, but these just hurt the moment I put them on. So if you have big feet, try these on in a store before ordering. Other than that they look like decent shoes, especially for the price.$LABEL$0 +Dont Bother. Watched about first 3 minutes and saw the CGI monster and knew this was going to be bad. Story drug on for 20 minutes and finally just forwarded through the rest of the movie. Pretty much horrible.$LABEL$0 +Not just for acoustic lovers. I really enjoy listening to this great acoustic music. I agree with people about it being a little repetitive, but it is still great. You can play this cd from start to finish, and with each track you will feel the strange power coming out of this acoustic music. It reminds me of grunge, and it is heavy. But don't think of it as originally heavy songs with distorted guitars played in acoustic, like in MTV Unplugged series; these songs were written FOR acoustic guitars. So there is a different feeling to this music, it is very different from the regular grunge we usually listen to. And it works.$LABEL$1 +Heart Hand Punch. This punch is great. The handle is comfortable and the punch cuts through everything from paper to 1/8" thick plastic.$LABEL$1 +GREAT BOOK. I love these Schaum books, but I feel like they leave gaps in their explanation to problems. They also have a bunch of errors in there work.$LABEL$1 +A DVD documentary re-examining the war between Israel and Arab nations. Originally shown on public television, Six Days in June: The War that Redefined the Middle East is a DVD documentary re-examining the war between Israel and Arab nations that left a historical legacy lingering to the tragic Middle East conflict raging in the current day. Shot on location in Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Moscow, and Washington, Six Days in June incorporates recently declassified archives, home movie footage, personal photographs, and recreations to unfold a composite picture of the war from beginning to end. Highly recommended, especially for public library collections. 108 minutes, letterboxed, color.$LABEL$1 +Great!. I don't know how anyone can say this book is bad. This is the best Haddam I've read yet--and that's saying a lot.$LABEL$1 +Very difficult read.... Focuses more on the mill strikes than the central characters... had a tough time getting through it! Definitely not one of Anita's best!$LABEL$0 +GREAT BOOK FOR ELMO LOVERS. I sent this book to my 23 month old granddaughter and my daughter said she won't put it down. She wants to "read it" all the time. It's a great book for all little ones but especially if they love Elmo the way my little one does. I have bought several Elmo books from Amazon and they have all been great.$LABEL$1 +A waste of money. Too big and bulky to sit easily on top of the canopy. It may be my stroller (Maclaren quest) that it the issue, but I wish I never bought this product. My baby hates it too, because she can't see where we're walking to.$LABEL$0 +Ultra Vision, comes in clear, but Rightlight fails. The camera resolution would be good if the Rightlight 2 didn't make the image so dark, even with lights on. I called Logitech but was on hold forever. When they gave me the option to leave a call back number, they never called back. I returned this product and got the Logitech Communicate CTX instead. Lower resolution, but it uses Rightlight 1 which actually seems to work. One would think if Rightlight 2 didn't work, they would not push that for any of their camcorders.But I would recommend avoiding any logitech cams that use Rightlight 2 until some one actually says they fixed the bug. Sometimes more expensive is not better.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. Since George Harrison is a great musical spirit, who brought and still brings so much joy to us now, this documentary movie was a severe disappointment. It was so bad, it was almost laughable. It appeared that the movie was made in someone's basement -- the quality, in addtion to the content, of the film -- was very poor.Curiously, there were no words or songs by Harrison in the movie, perhaps, because the producers could not get the copyrights or permissions from Harrison's estate. If this was the case, it was a good thing they did not get the permissions, as this was an awful rendition of what should have, and could have been done to honor this great music giant.There is still a movie to be made, so wait until someone else makes, it, cause you won't find it here.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Source Book. I have gone through this book being disabled myself. This book offers valuable insight into the difficult process of self-employment for the disabled, and deciding which way you might proceed.$LABEL$1 +Yawn. I love Stargate but both movies have been average at best,Continuum is just not very engaging the actors all seem like they would rather be someplace else, the core cast is woefully under used and the pacing as with The Ark Of Truth is completely off, worst of all the storyline has been done before and better in the series.$LABEL$0 +this definitely should get negative stars. how dare he 'borrow' the awesome art thats on the cover of a box of Lucky Charms box of cereal??$LABEL$0 +excellant!. i love dawn french and she is brilliant in this show. i got this collection for a friend, as i already bought each series individually - so if you want it all - this is your ticket! this is adult humor, but done tastefully and very funny! the beginning episodes are a bit more funny than the later ones - gets a bit raunchy towards the last episodes- but still hilarious!i love having this total set when pbs decides to cut the show in my area........$LABEL$1 +Too Little About Too Much. I borrowed this book from the local library and found it to be one of the most unwieldly books in existence! It weighs a freakin' ton and needs to be put on a table (instead of your lap) to look at. Totally impractical. Additionally, the photos for the most part aren't all that great. Information is minimal. What irritates me most is each country's skeletal map which doesn't show it's relationship to the rest of the world. Oh sure, you can go back to map of the world at the front of the book and read thru all the tiny names to find the country you are looking at, but you'll probably fracture your arm in the process. Individual maps could at least have shown the country within it's continent or region. A much better book for travelers is National Geographic's Journeys of a Lifetime 500 of the World's Greatest Trips. It may not include every country in the world, but it's much more informative, original and the photos are gorgeous!$LABEL$0 +Not a happy customer. My 5 year old nephew asked for Optimus Prime for Christmas and I found it on Amazon. The "new"Hasbro Transformers Cyber Stompin' Optimus Prime Action Figureproduct arrived in a timely manner but the item was dusty-not just a little, but a lot! We had to use a dry paint brush to get into all the little cracks. It also had little paint marks on it from another toy. I was VERY displeased and would have returned it for a full refund if I didn't have to ship it to my newphew so he would get it in time for Christmas.I will newver shop with Amazon again.$LABEL$0 +Bite Tongue. I wonder how does Mr. Horgan's tongue feel regarding some major advances of science right after the book's publication, such as discovering planets outside our solar system. And I am most curious as to how does Mr. Horgan reconcile the discovery of quasi crystals with his "End of Science" theories. I did enjoy though his portrayals of eminent scientists as old foggies...$LABEL$0 +This book was not what I expected.. The information given in an outline form made it easy to follow. Chapter summaries and lists of key terms made studying easier. Illustrations were clear and helpful. I also enjoyed the real world cases. Knowing how businesses are being affected by information systems was very interesting. I would, however, like to see an interactive CD with additional information like the history of the personal computer and internet with information about the future of information systems. I would recommond this book for use as a textbook for introduction to information systems.$LABEL$1 +Boy isn�t Rob Ryan a really smart guy.. I was ultimately disappointed by this book. It spent too much time emphasizing how incredibly smart a guy Rob Ryan is. It seemed very repetitious. Yes, it is written in a lighthearted style, but overall seemed like it only had enough content for a magazine article. He's been mentioned in Inc. magazine several times, which is what prompted me to buy it, but I didn't really learn that much from the book. One of the least useful of my many books on entrepreneurship. It does have a nice cover.$LABEL$0 +SERIOUS ENGINEERING FLAW. I bought two of these "2 Port USB Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter Dual Plug for iPod MP3 Players Charger - Color White" Both adapter tip's literally fell apart.$LABEL$0 +Wrong item at Amazon. I ordered this product from Amazon and received a totally different thing, so I returned and got back... another wrong item again! So I returned it again and got my money back. I finally bought it from a different company, and the thing is a beauty itself, it works right away with no trouble at all. However, be aware that Amazon might still have another item labeled instead.$LABEL$0 +Not soothing. These synthesizer versions of classical songs get really old, really fast. Worse yet, the songs are sometimes not soothing at all, especially the very first song. The song seems to get particularly loud and uptempo, which is precisely what you don't expect in a lullaby. Please listen to the sample of the first song at least before you buy.$LABEL$0 +FOOLSCREEN - Obscene Hack Job of a Double Feature. Yes, I have to agree with the reviewers above, FOOLSCREEN is better overall if YOU ARE RETARDED! They REALLY need to throw away their 10inch B&W; televisions and step into the present. Widescreen HDTV in Hi Def. We dont need to hack the art to make it fit the frame folks, you CAN buy a frame to match the size of the art :) Do yourselves a favor and go out and purchase both of these films seperately and watch them in glorious widescreen, as the Director's made them. When you watch FOOLSCREEN videos, you are missing the sides and top and bottom of the picture!Jeez, you'd think reviews on Amazon were from WalMart customers!$LABEL$0 +HP over TI. I really great calculator for what it is worth. The only downside is that most classes recognize the TI calculator and not the HP calculator. TI is much easier to use but under the circumstances This HP was able to out perform my roommate's TI. The price just made it that much easier for me to purchase it.$LABEL$1 +Great story line. I'd like to see more of this authors work. The story was well developed and the adventure was steady and exciting. There were certain parts like the SANDTIME BOX AND THE JOURNEY DOOR that really impressed me with such great imagination. All and all I liked the book and would like to see the sequel ASAP.$LABEL$1 +Save your money or invest in a Pump in Style. I got this pump because I only needed to pump for an occasional short separation from my daughter. This was the pump that Medela recommended for my needs, however, the pump is so weak that it was a total waste of money (I used it once and now it's in the closet gathering dust). I ended up getting a Pump in Style, which is great. It was a little more, but hey, I'm saving a lot by breastfeeding, and it really has been a godsend - I can pump and go out knowing that my little one doesn't have to settle for formula. If you want to pump, don't bother with this one - manual expression of milk would be just as fast!$LABEL$0 +Very informative. This book manages to pretty much cover all the bases about rituals and such when you are expecting. I realied heavily on it for my first child and with the twins, I was somewhat disappointed to see it didn't mention a thing about multiple births (especially since they are so common nowadays 1-in 100). But other than that - I was highly impressed with the content!$LABEL$1 +good show. This was such a good series. I learned much of the basics of poliece work from this. I did not miss all the unnecessary graphics to know what was going on. Great relationship between stars and the rest of the officers.Just enough of their personal lives to make them human but did not take away from the story of their work.$LABEL$1 +Gave it a try. Books can be a tremendous waste of time, or a doorway to another dimension. I do not read entire books to wait for them to get good. If a book stinks at fifty pages, I stop, as I did with the Known World. Look at all the bad reviews of this book; they all say the same thing. The author introduces very many characters that are just glossed over. There is no penetrating analysis of thought processes, there is only brief description of events, making for a jumbled, slow, boring, and confusing read. Life is simply too short to read entire books like this that are written excruciatingly badly. Not worthy of a Pulitzer. Not worthy of my time.$LABEL$0 +On fire!!! All about love. I love this cd I really think this is one of the best. Fred Hammond is my favorite artist he never lets you down, it's always on fire. Why does he always have to be in my head, man it seemed like he was ministering directly at me? I am trying to pick my favorite song, but I just can't they all on the bomb. So I leaning some where in between Not Just What you Say, Loved on Me (nice beat), I will Find A Way, and It Just Gets Sweeter, and every thing else is in a close 2nd maybe a 1/2 step be hind like 1.0005. This is what I am talking about worship, God is love and we need to get back to love one another with a AGAPA love.$LABEL$1 +Random cutoff's blast you with static!!. While listening to my iPod the unit will cut off, and I am blasted by static from the station that I am tuned to. I have only intermittently been able to reset the unit using the button; most often I have to unplug the power adapter from the car and plug it back in before it will reset.Caveta: This is my first transmitter purchase so I don't know if the behavior is normal to transmitters or if my area (Honolulu) is prone to this problem. But regardless, the fact is that this unit cuts off completely, blasts me with static (loudly) since the volume has to be turned up louder than a regular FM station would be.I would not recommend this product. The auto-scan feature is gimmicky and the sequence for setting the menu presets is non-intuitive (i.e. press a button, press another button, hold one down for 3 seconds, press another button). There's only 3 buttons and I couldn't remember the sequence, no matter how hard I have tried.$LABEL$0 +Propet Men's Pedwalker 25 walking shoe. I am always looking for a shoe that I can wear all day at work. I am on my feet all day walking, turning, twisting, etc. as an x-ray technologist. This shoe seemed like a good choice, as it has a thick sole, and looks supportive and well made. The shoe felt great at first, but the arch is high, and I have flat feet, so unable to wear all day. I feel the shoe would be great for people with a higher arch.$LABEL$1 +Just ok for me.. This movie was depressing but I gues more realistic then most movies that I typically watch.I prefer to watch movies that teach me something new (learn about a new place, profession, etc.), are very entertaining or are historical. This movie was just about lives of ordinary people that did not grow up in the best of situations. They did not rise above, they just pretty much existed and made poor mistakes with their lives. I could have done without watching this movie.$LABEL$0 +The performances are very nice -- HOWEVER.... ...FIRE THE SOUND ENGINEER!...the recording is poor...simply put, you can barely hear the violin...the violin sounds like a mosquito buzzing over the freight train of sound coming from the piano...I don't think it's Midori's fault -- she appears to be pushing the violin as far it can go...Heifetz used to lean on recording engineers to get the piano pushed further into the background and someone should have done that here.$LABEL$0 +krups is krap at toast. Save your fingers and your money and if you like evenly toasted breads find something else. A loser from the people who make great coffee makers.$LABEL$0 +Great tick repellent. For someone who has suffered through (if you ever really do) Lyme disease - this product has kept the ticks at bay!$LABEL$1 +Very Displeased. I got this drive for back-ups about a year and a half ago and now the drive is starting to fail. It creates weird duplicate folders, says things are copied over but are not there. I had issues mounting it on my Mac that I just repalced and at the time I blamed my eMac but now I think it was the drive itself.I just replaced it with a more reliable LaCie 2D extreme and crossing my fingers that the LaCie will be a more solidly reliable drive.$LABEL$0 +Fun with Voices. Mos Def ( I think his name is ) had the most annoying voice throughout the whole movie. I wish he would shut up about his stupid cake shop already. If people were trying to kill me I wouldn't keep blabbing about the most senseless things on and on and on. People are coming to kill me, why don't I talk really loud so they can find me. Was he mentally challenged or what? I was able to watch the whole movie as the two main characters were fun to make fun of ;) Enjoy talking like Eddie (Mos Def) for hours after you've seen it to amuse your friends.$LABEL$0 +Awful, boring, disastrous. This is one of the worst films I've ever seen. There is no fun at all. It's a complete no-sense story, with scenes endlessly boring. What a waste of time!$LABEL$0 +Informative reading. History of the traitors among us, whose families are the movers & shakers today. Still traitors and still trading with our enemies. They ARE the enemy!$LABEL$1 +First-rate writing, second-rate novel. I just finished my second Kate Atkinson novel, One Good Turn. Not as satisfying as Case Histories, the novel pushes Atkinson's penchant for free-association tangents to an extreme. The writing is consistently good/engaging, but the plot development gets distractingly self-indulgent in postponing the climaxes of events, one of the most egregious being when the author leaves an attack dog in mid-air as it leaps toward anti-hero Brodie.Most annoying, however, is a last-minute revelation about one of the characters, Gloria, in an effort to tie up loose ends. You can't get us inside a character's head to the degree that Atkinson does, revealing/analyzing Gloria's thoughts about the most trivial details of her life, and then expect us to buy that this woman did something both momentous and immoral and never bothered to ruminate about it. Cheap trick.Atkinson is a first-rate writer, but this one doesn't do justice to her talents.$LABEL$0 +my favorite mustard. I'm so pleased to find an online source for this mustard. It is not available in my area at all anymore. I have enjoyed this mustard (the hot) for years. It used to be "Durkee's Mister Mustard," then "Frank's Mister Mustard." I remember it being called a dijon-style hot mustard, probably referring to its coarser grind. Now is made by a small manufacturer in NJ who probably isn't doing enough to distribute it nationwide.BUT it a great mustard, unique, hot in a different way than many hot mustards, just the right burn, just the right texture.Can you tell I really like this mustard?$LABEL$1 +Motorola Battery. FALSE ADVERTISING. I should have known the price was too good to be true. The add stated this was a NEW oem replacement battery. It is an oem replacement, but this battery is NOT NEW. It last half as long as it should and you can see the wear marks on the battery.$LABEL$0 +SanDisk Memory Card. I bought the 4 GB Memory Card. I was a little disappointed because when I put the card into my camera,the camera gave me an error message that I need to format the card.I never had any problems with SanDisk Cards 2 GB or less. I suggest that you stick with the 2 GB card.$LABEL$0 +Kindle Swindle is true!. I'm extremely disappointed because I have been deceived by the Amazon Kindle product. According to the welcome letter, Kindle accounts are associated with the same account used to make purchases on Amazon.com. -"Your Kindle purchases are made using your existing default 1-Click payment method at Amazon.com." - but buyer beware if your Amazon.com Store Card is this payment method. I have been double duped. First I get a "Store Card" and purchase my Kindle, then I am told by the Kindle customer service department that this store card CANNOT be used to purchase my Kindle books!I have been ranting and raving about this product. Now I'm so disappointed I'm thinking of returning the Kindle because of this issue.I thought the people who commented about "The Kindle Swindle" were just whiners, but I'm beginning to feel they are right.a disappointed customer$LABEL$1 +don't try on XP. Although it says it will run on Windows XP, I had big problems. If you have Windows XP, skip this software at least in its 203d version.$LABEL$0 +Great comedy show - Poor DVD transfer. Its a real shame and disappointment that Ive waited this long for my favorite TV series on DVD to see how bad the video quality is. If the forthcoming season DVDs are treated like this I rather just keep watching my old Wings VHS tapes that Ive recorded from TV.$LABEL$1 +Crap. Davidson, Andersen, and Rouse were sounded so much better when they were Vendetta Red. Davidson's voice is still top notch though, and Andersen's guitar playing still blows me away. But the music they have made as Sirens Sister is crap.$LABEL$0 +The Crucible Meets Town Without Pity!. In an era of post-Columbine hysteria, an innocent joke is turned into a circus of wild, irrational accusations and convoluted media commentary. Big Mouth & Ugly Girl are the two main characters of Joyce Carol Oates' novel, and the story is told through their observations, conversations and correspondence. It's both amusing and infuriating to see the plot unfold. You know where it's all going, and secondary characters are trotted out to move it all along. The bigots, phonies, dumb jocks, cowardly administrators and more are almost cardboard cut-outs propped up to decorate a stage.There are no huge surprises in Big Mouth & Ugly girl, but it is a story well-told. It is certainly worth your time.$LABEL$1 +Too deadpan for us. We bought this CD after reading reviews at Amazon from professionals and customers. While we found the lyrics interesting and as full of sensory imagery as the title, Williams' voice is monotonous and her delivery has a deadpan quality that we found particularly grating. There is too much sameness of tone, pace and content.$LABEL$0 +Not even worth 13.99. This product is poorly designed. At least half of the kernels were unpopped, and most of them were strewn around the counter and floor. I tried using it 3 times, and it was just a big mess. I threw mine away.$LABEL$0 +Good quality. The trike costs more (a lot more) than others but will outloast anything in the market. german quality at its best. The marketing from kettler could be better as its hard to differentiate between the different trike variants.$LABEL$1 +Not so colorful Mother Goose. My memories of Mother Goose Rhymes are colorful. If yours are the same you might not like this book, as only every other double page is colored. The pages that are colored are beautiful. Perhaps you would enjoy coloring it yourself, as I have considered. If you have a child or grandchild who would like to share time with you coloring the pages as you read/discuss the rhymes, this is the book for you, otherwise there are many colorful alternatives available. Wish I had heeded the reviews.ccccccccc$LABEL$0 +Doctor. This item was purchased for my aunt to replace her smaller very worn out manual. She thought this was an updated version; however, it was the same edition in a larger form & print. While it is a bit large for her to handle, she usually weighs below 100 ans is bed ridden, since she is equipped with her Merck, she is the doctor. She is in a nursing home, and actually challenges them on information contained in her Merck Manual. So not only did she receive a great buy from Amazon, she also received to Medical Degree.$LABEL$1 +Let the buyer beware!. This product is listed as compatible with my camera, an Olympus D-340R, in several locations on the Amazon website. However, after purchasing the card and attempting, unsuccessfully, to format it in my camera, I found by searching further (the Viking site) that the 32MB card requires some type of Olympus upgrade to be usable. The message is: Let the buyer beware!$LABEL$0 +Wretched version. Take a look at the free sample and you'll see it's a mess--no attempt to mend the scanner's howling errors. And they're charging money for this? Keep yours in your pocket.$LABEL$0 +Iron started leaking after 2 years. Received the iron as a gift in July 2005. It worked wonderfully - retractable cord, removeable water tank, good steam, etc. In early August 2007, the water tank started leaking - just like a Rowenta. I guess it is time for another iron...$LABEL$0 +Fantasy Driven Man Flick. Man flicks where a fantasy chick falls for the most unlikely of possibilities is pure formula for all the guys still living in their fantasy wishful thinking world. That's a sizable market!Rates two stars because yes, she's hot and there were a couple of uniquely funny quips.The rest of the movie is just formula:(a.) Lead male hangs with nerdy man crew; has offbeat family; competes with stud male competitor; has a loser job and a bland personality; has no skills or accomplishments.(b.) Lead female, well, still hot; also is a wealthy ex-lawyer. Main role in movie is to smile a lot but who cares.Although the demographic of 5 star reviewers is, as expected, male there might be an audience for the female fantasy world here too.$LABEL$0 +Feel good hit of the summer?. In iRobot, Will Smith reprises his role as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air; only this time, the Fresh Prince is in the future! The movie starts out with the government hiring Will to teach the increasingly disgruntled unemployed worker robots how to rap and breakdance. It works and Will soon enrolls his electronic proteges in a rap and breakdance competition where they have to face off against Boogaloo Shrimp and his evil robot pal 23465477. Will's robots win and they sign a deal with Arista. The end. This movie sucks.$LABEL$0 +HP LaserJet Printer Cartridge HP 74A. It's becoming increasingly hard to find this cartridge for my very old, but trusty and dependable HP 4P LaserJet Printer. (After all, how many printers can print on a 3 x 5 card?) I was pleased to not only find this product at a lesser price than I had paid previously, but it arrived on time and in good condition. Can't complain about that!$LABEL$1 +Broken when I got it.. When I received this the black cover that goes over the exposed tape was in 3 pieces, maybe just need to find out a different was to ship more safely.$LABEL$0 +Perfect paring knife!. Victorinox is by far our favorite paring knife maker! The handle size fits perfect and the length of the blade makes working with items very easy and clean. The knife stays nice looking fairly long due to the simplistic and minimalist design. Especially for the price you cannot go wrong here!$LABEL$1 +George 'Win'ston. This cd is one of George Winston's best works, and if you aren't especially familiar with this artist, this would be a great starter. One thing I like about it is that it has many styles. For example, some of the scores are peaceful and soothing which can calm your nerves. There are also peices which are up-beat and fast moving which can get you going for the day(works for me!). But, if you don't especially like piano music, I suggest you don't buy it. There was this one guy who hated piano music, but he bought the cd, and what do ya know: he hated it! Big surprise huh? Anyway, you be the judge. If you are piano-lover and you want to dive into Gearge Winston's works, this cd would be one of the best to do so. Happy Listening!Ü$LABEL$1 +Total trash. I was looking forward to this after enjoying the first one. I was very excited about it having X-Box Live but found out that was a huge lie. Gotham Games needs to sit down with Tom Clancy to get going in the right direction for military style games. This thing still does not let you customize your weapon load out so your stuck with what they give you. Like Cpl. Jones blowing off all his ammo very quickly with that sorry MP-5. Pay attention no one goes into combat in a desert environment with a close quarters weapon. With the occasional building to enter is what your pistol or M-4 is designed for. Camera angles in many spots are very bad and your soldier often blocks your view. The game was also very short it was over too quickly with a very poor ending. I think I will stay away from Gotham Games for a while.$LABEL$0 +Consumer Beware. If you like Elton John's music, do NOT buy this dvd. Even though the title states Classic Albums, this is not a music disc, but a documentery about Elton John...$LABEL$0 +It's a funny horror movie. My kids seen this movie when they were little and 15 years later, they still remember this movie. They really like this movie alot.$LABEL$1 +Did not like the taste. I only didn't give this one star because the nutrition facts were in line for what the product promised, but I did not like the taste at all. I followed the instructions and the consistency was disgusting. I felt like I was eating sludge. I tried it several times to see if I would get used to the taste, but that never happened. After a few times of trying this I ended up throwing more than half the product away.$LABEL$0 +A great book for real estate novices!. I have seen many books out on the internet and bookstores about the 'get rich', 'big money' to be made in real estate investing, this book however is not one of them. The author real puts it in barebones, simple terminology and real world examples. The analogoy of real estate investing as a business is great example too.Would have like more about personal finances and how to really get started, as it relates to credit, pre-approvals and the difference between primary residence and secondary mortgage.Would strongly recommend adding this book to your library and book of knowledge for learning about REIT.$LABEL$1 +Not the full movies!. Where does it describe that these movies have been altered and are not the full versions? I would have NOT bought this version had I known!! Is this what you mean by "full screen version"?? Completely disappointed in my purchase! What a rip off!$LABEL$0 +Please enter a title for your review. I watched the first 15 minutes, watched the next 30 minutes on fast forward, then turned it off. I couldn't see what relevence one scene had to the next or even what relevence one characters' line had to the other character's line he was responding to. The guy playing Jesus acted the role with the childlike innocence of an 18 year old and the score sounds like it was recorded on some overused analog tape in a really cheap studio, reminiscent of the b-grade horror films of the time. I guess it's the kind of movie you keep screaming at to convey something coherent but if you manage to make it to the end the few pieces that fit together will seem all the more important for the way in which they were presented. Defintely not a film for someone with a short attention span or anyone who has a need to understand what they're watching as if unfolds. Or maybe you just need to have read the bible to be able to follow it.$LABEL$0 +Shrinks in the wash and doesn't fit!. Don't bother with this cover because once you wash it, it will not fit the changing pad. Quite a dissapointment because I like the idea of it and the pink color for my baby girl. My advice is to find another brand or don't wash it, which is impossible.$LABEL$0 +LOVE IT!. This product is a must have for breastfeeding moms! The first few days are hard on your nipples, but this creme makes them feel so much better!!!$LABEL$1 +Poor quality. This costume looks so good in the advertised picture, but it doesn't live up to the photo. It is of very poor quality and the hat is really not at all like the photo. In the photo, the hat looks like the brim would be stiff and the red stitches actually look like stitches. The actual hat that you get is floppy and not at all stiff and the red stitches do not even look like stitches. I ordered a size larger than my daughter normally wears and it is still almost too small. The material feels like it would rip quite easily. Overall, I would not recommend this costume. Sorry that I bought it.$LABEL$0 +Missing them!!!. H-Town had everyone singin about knocking boots in 93' hell I was barely ten and I was singin it! I truly loved this group. Dino, the lead singer had an amazing voice. Unfortunately, he and his fiance died in an automobile accident either late last year or early this year. Its really sad that a talented young man had to lose his life... H-Town was suppose to release another album this year, hopefully we can hear some more material from this talented group.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I ordered these 'heel seats' because my sister, my daughter and my nephew all swore by them. I was mildly disappointed. Unless my issue was so severe that it's going to take a long time, I haven't seen too much improvement. I'm not saying there hasn't been ANY, because I do feel some relief, but it's been about a month, and I was told that it would be almost immediate. THAT sure wasn't the case.I will keep wearing them because they do help some, and I want to see if, in time, I see complete relief.$LABEL$0 +This Teakettle is not acceptable. The major problem is after boiling water the metal sides are so hot and you can easily burn yourself if you touch them. This is dangerous. In addition, the top does not open wide enough to pour the water straight in from a faucet, the water level viewer is not on the side where it can be seen easily, but in back of the handle and it is not clear plastic ( hard to see level). The quantity level is in liters, not cups, even though it is called a 1-3/4-Quart teakettle. The numbers are hard to read behind the handle. Minor point: the model I ordered showed chrome color with black trim. I was sent one with gray trim and a silver top.$LABEL$0 +Disrespectful. In my opinion, the film disrespects the REAL man and women involved. USA love to change history to please its own people even its its to change heros and make them American. Ok alot of British have complained about the facts but concider this: if a worldwide release of a historical movie was made making George Washington an evil man or having japanese play the roles of the men that landed on the moon giving pride to be japanese or events at pearl harbour being british and not american. Do you think you would like it? enough said!I am American and love History but find it upsetting when hollywood makes films but dosent give the credit to anyone other that the Americans. Americans helped alot in WWII but actually it was the joint efforts of most nations hench it was called world war?!? the unsung heros are actually the russians, they fought the nazi hard,if they didnt fight the nazis we'd be screwed, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.$LABEL$0 +forgettable. Quoted in a review as the movie you will be sorry you watched in the morning. They weren't kidding. Very boring and forgettable.$LABEL$0 +Wrong Purchase. I had seen the movie of "Why I Wore Lipstick: To My Mastectomy" and wanted the book. You see, I had just had a mastectomy that year. I ordered the right item but was sent the wrong book because they said they no longer had the item that I wanted. No, I did not send it back because it would have cost more to send back than what I paid. I didn't complain because I thought why? So, no I was not happy with what I got but it was because I did not get this book.$LABEL$0 +Be patient and wait. Another negative review for trying to take advantage of the fans by not giving them what we want.$LABEL$0 +A bit complex but useful. We used this text in an advanced organic class. Having not had organic chemistry in a few years before taking this class, I had some catching up to do. This book is very dense, but can be very useful. Being a physical chemist I really liked the physical chemistry aspect of it. There is a lot of material in this book, and it's not always completely straightforward, but it's not impossible to understand. This is a good book for an advanced class or someone who wants a deeper understanding of organic chemistry.This is also definitely the largest textbook I've purchased in the last 4 years.$LABEL$1 +Just get it already.... Come on. It's Ty. Just buy the damn thing. If not for the sheer sake that the guy's brilliant at every aspect of making music. Is it as good as Safety? Hmmm... Probably not. I mean, touching the depth of Safety would be tough. Anyway, you know what? I'm gonna shut up, and you just buy it. K? Oh, and grab the new King's X as well. Not quite as good as Ogre Tunes, but...$LABEL$1 +It's Just A Cash Scam. You seriously think this band should get a best of CD this early? Or even get a best of CD? Personally, I can only tolerate their pre-Curse stuff, when the band used less polished production and didn't resort to lame pop-punk. But anyways, even if you are an Atreyu fan or not, don't buy this. It's just the Victory records discography minus a few tracks, and a real fan would obviously have all of their works.Also, they forgot the "Fractures" and "Visions" EP tracks as well (I know they weren't released on Victory...). If you want to make something worthy, at least re-release your older EP's on a CD so that the fans can get a taste of the band's early days.Avoid this, Atreyu fan or not. This is just another way for Victory Records to rake in the cash.$LABEL$0 +An Okay Game. I wanted to get this game because it was 5 stars and sounded good. But when I started to play the controls were hard and everywhere you went there were enemies. I couldn't get past the 1st level. You had to find something that was impossible to find. But the graphics were a 10 and the weapons were good too. That's why I gave it 2 stars. It's a good game for those who like a 1-level game and those who just like to roam around. It's not worth buying.$LABEL$0 +Isadora Rolls in Her Grave. How Sad! The magic of the Dance is missing. (Like painting by numbers.) Where is the movement of the Soul? Modern Dance later removed the soul from the body and left us with bodies moved by brains, there is no place in Duncan for this! Have these dancers found their "Motors?" Do they listen to music with their souls? No wonder Duncan Dance is not taken seriously by most Dancers these days, they have never seen the real thing! Irma Duncan$LABEL$0 +disappointed. very flimsy. very flimsy. disappointed with Mizerak. they are ruining their own reputation. they could have charged another $5-10 and made it little sturdy. i will avoid buying Mizerak products again.the one i got must have been returned by someone.. they stain had chipped off from several places - eventhough it was supposely brand new.$LABEL$0 +Unimpressed. Bought this hoping it would work well in my Miata. First problem is this thing is huge compared to competing products out there. It is so big it blocked part of my view when mounted on the sun visor. I tried it for one day and decided it was unacceptable.The size might be acceptable if it had excellent sound. In a word, it doesn't. The sound is pitifully weak considering the size of this thing. I strained to hear it when the car was in motion. Even trying it as a desktop speaker phone I had to lean forward to comfortably hear it.All in all, very unimpressed.$LABEL$0 +Worst Disposable Razor I've Used. This razor was horrible. It sliced my legs up like crazy and caused major razor bumps, even when labeled for sensitive skin. I didn't think it was just me... The Schick Quattro/Extreme 3 or Venus or Gilette razors never cause the same problems. Even the cheap, no brand name disposables are gentler on the legs than these. Maybe I got a bad batch, but I won't hesitate to say: When it comes to buying Bic, stick to ball point pens, becuase their razors are worthless. Want a good razor? Use the Schick Quattro or Extreme 3.$LABEL$0 +Fare at best. Bought this to frost our bathroom door. I followed the directions to the letter and it still came out streeky. It also scratches very easaly. Don't know if I would do it again.$LABEL$0 +Okay album. the only song i kinda liked on this album was "the getaway" but i thought some of the lyrics didn't match with the beat.But really i'd rank it as 1 1/2$LABEL$0 +I must have missed the part about the blood.. I know there was a lot of literature with this product, I did not get through the literature before I found the product hazardous. (Two days.)I am only slightly overweight, but I have found pregnancy weight difficult to get rid of, so gave alli a try. Now I am quite unhappy, and mildly fearful, for having tried it.I can handle a little bit of gross farting and loose stools, but the spots of blood made me very nervous.I threw my pills away. Good luck everyone else.$LABEL$0 +Terrific bottle. We started out with the regular Playtex drop in bottles but our baby would always seem to end up with to much air in her belly. My husband came home with this bottle one day and I shrugged it off for about a month. I am also breastfeeding and was skeptical if it would work as well. I wish I would have used it earlier! Immediatly I saw results and had a wonderful, gas free baby. Now she keeps down pretty much everything and is able to let off her own effortless tiny burps. The special nipple is a wonderful invention that dosen't let any outside air in. We even have the 8 ounch ones which are just as good. I ghighly recommend these bottles! A+ in my book.$LABEL$1 +real old junk. The software is called "World's Great Cities, Parks and Wildlife" The world's greatest ripoff is more like it. This software is so old it dates back to Windows 95! I couldn't even get it to run on Windows XP although it says it can run on NT. It was written for Windows 3x or 95 or the old NT. After hacking around for 20 minutes, I did get to some nice pictures but you have to go after them the hard way. Unless you still run Windows 95, don't buy this.$LABEL$0 +The Ultimate Compilation. This is surely the best Clannad's collection. It offers us a precise cross-section of their already 30 years old work, including tracks from those first, pure folk albums, over very rare live recordings, eighties-pop, to nineties, in which they managed to keep their place at the throne of Irish folk, but ambiental and new age music as well. This compilation should stand at the end of every Clannad-fan's collection.$LABEL$1 +Awesome. The other guys must be on a piece of crap computer,im on a 1.8ghz AMD sempron with 512 of ram,this game never hesitates.The game is great,VERY graphic,never seen a game or movie this graphic. I love it,you also get to bang hookers. Xd$LABEL$1 +Lost Interest at the End. I did enjoy the book however I did find I lost interest at the end and skipped ahead. At the 11th hour there is a new theory put forth and that was a little frustrating - especially because it is just thrown out there without a lot of back-up - particularly from the accused.$LABEL$1 +Installation Nightmare for Nothing New. It wouldn't install on my Dell. Maybe Broderbond doesn't think Dells are catching on as a home computer. I was able to get it going on my HP at work and found it to be about the same as the version I already have (version 12). The box says it now does PDFs. I can get that free on the web. I was hoping it would do more cards and things I actually do.Skip it if you already have version 12.$LABEL$0 +just terrible. this remake of a 1956 movie classic is awful. the original movie, produced in 1956, starring Jan Sterling and Michael Redgrave was much more superior. It really told the story of Oceania and Eurasia, with much more depth than this remade DVD fiasco. Richard Burton's performance was outstanding, however placing John Hurt was a poor choice of judgment. The eurythmics soundtrack is deplorable, distracting the overall view of the feel of the movie. The producer was right in removing them from the soundtrack. All we need then is Giorgio Moroder and you could dance in Victory Square! If you are able to obtain a copy of the original version (sometimes on ebay, but the George Orwell society disapproves because of copyright) compare the two, and the original is much better. The original was scored with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the 2 minute hate scene is far superior. But, until its released so that everyone can enjoy it, this DVD version you are stuck with.$LABEL$0 +Good for me. Works fine, the price is very good for the capacity. It's a real plug & play. I didn't detect any noise, the unit is very quiet.$LABEL$1 +Neat little bag. I love this bag - it's absolutely perfect for my needs, nice size and sturdy with a nifty little pocket attached. I would have given it 5 stars if not for the lack of a supporting insert on the bottom, as another reviewer mentioned. I solved that problem by inserting the supporting piece from the bag I was replacing, and it fits fine. Other than that, no complaints at all. I would definitely buy this bag again.$LABEL$1 +Not so great. I had this bag, and liked it because there's lots of room inside, but the lining tore after only a couple of months use, and the separate compartments became a thing of the past. I would not recomend this bag to anyone.$LABEL$0 +One of my two favorite bay area hiking books!. I hike in the bay area every weekend and I have used this book extensively. There are a lot of 6-10 mile hikes with elevation gain, which is exactly what I'm looking for. The directions are always great and the trail descriptions are always right on. The only thing that I don't really like about this book is the extensive description of trees and plants for every hike - more than half the description focuses on the plant life that you will see during the hike. I love hiking with my botanist friends because they can point out interesting plants and trees to me while we are hiking. But without pictures of all of these interesting things, I'm not going to try to identify them on my own and so I just skip all of this in the text. But that's really a minor quibble. The book is well-written, extensively researched and gives many other interesting details beyond plants. I highly recommend this book.$LABEL$1 +Great shoe.. These were a great buy for the money! The perfect shoe to wear for any occasion. I could not find what I needed at home. I was happy to find them at Amazon.com.$LABEL$1 +Good sheets. These are thick and soft, but still breathable. I don't sweat overnight in these the way in do in some other sateen sheets, and they're deep enough that I don't have to fight to fit them over the corners of our mattress. A good bargain overall.$LABEL$1 +Worst Pitching Video I Have Even Seen. I have purchased somewhere between 10 to 15 different baseball video's and this one is really not worth the time or the money.I guess if you knew nothing about pitching this video would give you some drills to work on, but you can get the same information for free on You Tube.The kids they utilize for their drills have really bad form, which is not helpful to watch. My 10 year old came in and started watching the video with me and asked if it was a joke.There are some good video's out there, but this one is not it.$LABEL$0 +received damaged. i received this in a padded vanilla envelope and the box shown in the picture was flattened and the first time i went to use the product twords the bottom of the tube where it had been fold blew out and sprayed steel all over$LABEL$0 +Fatal Frame2. It is a awesome game.It is definitely not for children. It can be very scary. Perfect for people who like survival horror video games.$LABEL$1 +Did Jonathan Kellerman really write this book ??. I was so disappointed in this book. I found it very hard to believe that Jonathan Kellerman actually wrote this book. I found it downright corny the way Alex Delaware was playing ace detective and kept just happening to be at the right place at the right time. The book seemed to have no "story" to it, as his always do. I got very bored reading one and a half pages of descriptions of what people were wearing, how their hair looked and on and on. I always enjoyed Kellerman's breif descriptions of people and places, but once again, this became downright corny.I'm glad this was not my first Kellerman book, as I probably wouldn't try another one. I'm a dedicated reader of his and hope that this was just a fluke. Everyone's entitled to one bad book. Hope that was his first and last.$LABEL$0 +waste of time and money. to keep it brief...as other reviewers have said, there is basically NO CHANGE in this package.HOWEVER, the cosmetic changes have SEVERELY SLOWED down the speed at which this program runs.here is what i noticed upon upgrading from 2002:* boot up time: takes an extra 10 seconds startup after i login* load time: takes almost 12 seconds for the integrator to load up after double clicking on the tray icon. (up from around 6 seconds)ALSO: disk doctor still doesnt work under windows 2000( "cant obtain lock" error... u end up having to use window's built in scan disk)DONT GET THIS PROGRAM!!!see if u can find system works 2002 at a discount price! =p$LABEL$0 +Wish I had read these reviews.... I'm on my way back to Lowes right now - I wouldn't even dream of trying to sleep with this thing on. I will never buy another Frigidaire product. This is frankly an insult - I can't imagine how any reasonable person working at Frigidaire would listen to this thing for a minute and decide that it was good for the home Market. It makes my bedroom sound like a meat storage facility. I'm going to splurge and buy a Sharp. Live and learn.$LABEL$0 +As Distant Experience from the Book as Possible. "The Phantom Tollbooth" is one of my favorite books. I like the text. Very unusually for a children's book, I genuinely like the illustrations -- to the extent that I'd consider hanging a few on my wall. It's a distinctive book, and it has hugely valuable object lessons for children. So I had high expectations, paying to see it in a theater. They were completely dashed. The animation is weak standard fare -- a cold shock, compared to the excellence of the book illustrations. The book in some way cleverly holds the narrative together, the movie is a bunch of disjointed, cheezy, cheap cartoon shots. Director Chuck Jones did the same thing to Walt Kelly's "Pogo" -- enraging Kelly to such an extent that Kelly took control of the next Pogo film. Jones is a myopic Hollywood talent, seeing only his vision. What is deep in the book is superficial in this movie. The movie is disappointing and bland commercialism.$LABEL$0 +Cheap, but motivational. This door is pretty cheap in cost and function. It looks pretty bad (fake) when it is set up. The magnet latch it pretty week especially since my 6lb cat is still able to make her way through it. I got it as a test though so I can't complain too much. If you are just trying to create a strictly visual barrier between rooms then it works well.$LABEL$0 +Adequate Not Stellar. I am a certified instructor who studied with Bob Liekens and Romana Kryzanowska during the 1990s. With out a doubt I am fortunate to haved trained with both of these famous Pilates instructors.When I first heard that Romana was going to be on video, I thought, WOW, this is great! Unfortunately, this video does not live up to the excellent teachings of Romana. It seems like the producer and director didn't have a focued purpose: did they want to create a documentary, or, did they want to creat a mass market Pilates video? It's a little of both, and somehow, this video is neither a documentary nor a mass market video. Watching this video, I wondered if Romana had control.As I watched the performer demonstrate Pilates, she seemed self-conscious and a little nervous about which exercises were coming next sometimes.I was hoping to get a first rate documentary, and a good instructional video. Instead, I bought a lackluster mixture.$LABEL$0 +Interesting but not enough. Psycobiograghies are new in genre, but they may be enlightening, provided the subject that is being studied is analysed deeply.So, to write a similar kind of work regarding so complex a man as was Richard Nixon requires a good amount of knowledge about his life, his personal and political choices and particularly the latter for the very reason that are the most delicate : how can this be accomplished with a book a mere 149 pages ? Inevitably the informations here given verge on the general and the analysis done seems to be a little bit amateurish. Although the book is good to read, it certainly does not say the last word on Nixon'personality - not in the least !In the end, I appreciate the choice of having chosen former president Nixon as a subject, but that would have required a very bigger work, at least three times as big as the size of the present book.$LABEL$0 +Get in on the Secret. With a new mystery to solve you, Nancy Drew, must explore a museum and learn about the ancient Mayan legends. Definately a great game for sleuths of all ages. That is, if you're up to it!The various clues and puzzles are challenging and the personalities of the suspicious characters will keep you on the edge of your seat. Her Interactive has done it yet again; Secret of the Scarlet Hand is another chance to let your investigational skills shine, meet new people, explore new areas, and enjoy superb graphics.$LABEL$1 +Poor quality- broke after a week use.. Purchased for a collective playroom. The toy arrived is great condition: fun design and great colors. Adults and kids loved it! But It stopped spinning only after a week. The frog just wouldn't go down, as if something was blocked inside. There was nothing to be done, and the toy was useless as it was. I had to throw it away, which was very disappointing for a Chicco toy.$LABEL$0 +Just Be. This is really a just be yourself album is definitely not a dance record but instead one great effort as an artist record for Tiesto i think some of the songs specially love comes again is one who save this record and make it a good one definitely you can listen to the touch of BT one of trance Geniuses.$LABEL$1 +Seen it and read it!. I was at Northwestern College, Orange City, IA back in the early 1990s when Jeff Barker wrote and performed this play. I saw it many times in churches throughout Iowa. It played well in many different situations. I bought a script from Jeff several years later as I couldn't get it out of my mind and wanted to direct it.It plays well because the staging is very simple with really very little set requirements and simple costumes. It concerns the story of the thieves telling us who Jesus is and what happened during that particular Easter week. It is a story told with much humor and heart. If your church is looking for an Easter show, this two man play or I had a friend who did it with a much larger cast with all the characters being fleshed out by individual actors, it is a powerful story that makes an impact.$LABEL$1 +I second the "good-idea-poor-execution" sentiment. ...completely. The flow of ideas, the depth of observations, and the style of prose kept me feeling EXACTLY the same as if I was watching a single-episode TLC special on the entire history of Egypt.$LABEL$0 +Headphones. cheaply made, fell apart after a week and a half, but not expensive at all, so if you are looking for cheap headphones that won't last long, get these.$LABEL$0 +Made of thin paper - easily damaged - got wet - worthless. I was disappointed with these - you can't tell how light and thin they are from the photos. They are made out of light paper. I would have gotten something more durable and not wasted money on these if I had known. When they are in the camera bag they get crumpled and damaged easily, and if they get wet (I should have known!) they turn into a soggy mess. For a paper card printed with black, grey and white paint, these are too expensive.$LABEL$0 +Cannot run an Xbox in a car.... I purchased this unit as I have a DC 9 inch tv, and I wanted to play DVD's on it using my Xbox for the kids. The only thing I plugged into the Inverter was the Xbox, and the TV was plugged into another lighter spot, but was not turned on. Almost every time I turned on the Xbox the Inverter would shut down with the LCD saying "low". And that was even with the car running. When it did stay on the LCD screen said that the Xbox was pulling only 55 watts which is way below the rated capacity. The unit would not run at all with the car off, and was hit or miss with car on....Save your money!!$LABEL$0 +Top notch keyboard from Logitech. I hate to sound like a Logitech fan boy (again), but most of their products are in the upper levels of quality. And this simple, inexpensive usb keyboardis no exception. It does exactly what it needs to do, and does it well. Plus a few simple extras (Volume/Mute controls, plus another 4 customizable buttons).I got myself two, one for home and the office. Solid piece of equipment, for such a minor price.$LABEL$1 +OK, But Didn't Live Up to Expectations. This book is OK, but certainly wasn't as amazing as most reviewers seemed to think it was. Really too simplistic for anyone over 2 years old. My grandkids were not too entralled. Would not buy in this series again.$LABEL$0 +The Cart was put before the horse. Rene Descartes can go to a circle in hades for his mathmatics but his discourse on religion was flawed he had to first prove to himself he existed before he could prove God existed, there is the rub. He is justly regarded as the Father of Modern Philosophy because of the questions and problems he created. He helped to distinquish philosophy from science, which is a saving grace. This is a great addition to any library, since it serves to illustrate the evolution of philosophy in our civilization. I would also recommend Deism In American Thought by Woodbridge Riley and of course the Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.$LABEL$1 +Single cup maker. Very fast, convenient way to make a single cup of good, brewed coffee. Pretty case. Quality Black & Decker machine. I recommend this product.$LABEL$1 +Crazy Funny. When this movie started playing, I groaned to myself. I didn't think I would be able to watch it. I don't tend to go for stupid comedy, but it soon won me over. If you liked Walk the Line (the Johnny Cash story featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon which was excellent), this will have you howling with laughter. It takes that basic story line and completely obliterates it with lunacy. It's so stupid that you just have to laugh. It starts to lag when Dewey meets the Beatles. That part wasn't in Walk the Line and I didn't think it added to the story. When it wraps, you feel good both from having laughed so hard and also because the ending is sweet. Reilly is excellent as is the rest of the cast.$LABEL$1 +Nostradamus 2.0. During the 2003 march against the Iraq war, many marches yelled "We Are All Hamas Now"! In the Camp of Saints, many marches yell "We Are All from the Ganges Now"! Now that is spooky. How did the author, Jean Raspail, know what people would be saying 30 years in to the future? There are many premonitions in The Camp of Saint. This is amazing and I can only think of two other books that can do this. This is why I rate this book with Orwell's and Huxley's. These guys predicted the future, not because of some weird magic powers or a membership in the illuminate, but if you have the gift of psychology, like Orwell and Huxley and the daddy of them all, Friedrich Nietzsche, did, then you too can see through the rubbish regurgitating out of the udders of the system, and see how things really are.$LABEL$1 +Really cute and well-made!. The price is an absolute steal! They're well put-together and don't scuff easily. The only con is that they run maybe just a teeny bit small. If you're in doubt, order the next size up.$LABEL$1 +UFC SEASON ONE. The first season for UFC's the Ultimate Fighter. If you have watched later versions of the Ultimate Fighter, you'll be surprised to see what ideas they had at the very beginning of it all. Things like team challenges, and a hot blonde hostess. This season is jam packed with a variety of drama (Chris Leben), sweet fights (GREATEST FINALE EVER), and twist (you'll have to watch and see).As for all the things that you'll notice has changed thoughout the seasons, you'll notice that a lot is the same which means UFC did this show right the first go at it.If the point of me writing this review is to convince you to buy it, know this;If you love UFC, do what I did and buy every season. If you're so so on the UFC, this season will teach you about how the UFC runs and introduce you to the UFC which will make you just end up loving it. This first season got my girlfriend into UFC, which brought us closer together. haha$LABEL$1 +Terrible excuse for a movie. There once was a story, a classic to all, that captured the hearts of those short and tall.It was a story of a cat in a hat. The story was great, perfect in fact.And then came universal, they tore it to bits, until it was naught but a pile of inappropriate jokes that don't make sense, making up 90% of the story. None of it made sense. Inappropriate jokes, unneeded parents (Or, step-parents), a dog that wasn't in the book, no colors except purple and green, randomly exploding cupcakes, going into a portapotty that leads to an underground dance club... the list goes on.Seriously, this is not a kids' movie. And it's not for anyone who loves Dr. Seuss. Basically, it's for stoned 20-year-olds.$LABEL$0 +Good. I use almost everything in here except the sticky thermometer it doesnt work very well. also the regular thermometer is in Celsius and i cant figure out how to put it in Fahrenheit.$LABEL$1 +not good. no matter how much you take don last and the crash stay for longer i wish to return so is too expensive also$LABEL$0 +LOL. I see the Freepers are going absolutely nuts.. Most of the one-star reviews are from fans of a certain far-right-wingnut website; members of this site are notoriously known as Freepers. How do I know that? I lurk their site often and their members were directed to Amazon to give Al's book one star. They're goose-steppin' Republicans who love their party more than they love their country; they woud've made great Germans during WWII. Pay no attention to them, they're absolutely crazy.This book is great, just like Al's radio show. Thank you, Al, for a great book, full of proven facts mixed with biting humor. Loved this book!$LABEL$1 +no help here. Took two a day for a few weeks...no noticeable positive effect. I am rating it a two stars though just because upon a cold turkey discontinuing of use, I have had some breakouts, acne. So clearly it does something...just not what I hoped.I have learned lately that I have Hashimoto's. There has been so much written about the need for ioding for thyroid function, BUT, If you have Hashimoto's watch out for ANY form of iodine. Iodine will trigger the immune system into destroying the thyroid.$LABEL$0 +DISAPPOINTING.... I have read all of Cabot's works and I was anxiously anticipating this book after I read her last book -An Improper Proposal. Sadly to say that I was highly disappointed with the book. I did not like the characters - Burke and Kate. There did not seem to be much chemistry with the two characters. Developing a romantic relationship was also a bit difficult with Burke's daughter - Isabelle in the story. Cabot's other books had characters with more spunk and heart. The story line was boring. I say take a pass on book.$LABEL$0 +Deadwood - DVD Set. I am a Supernatural/Justified fan. I heard about Deadwood and wanted to see Timothy Olyphant's and Jim Beaver's other acting work. I was just amazed at the beautiful packaging of this set when I opened it! It opens like a book, the pictures are gorgeous, love how the discs have what the episodes are right on the left. I have to say this is the most beautiful set that I own and I have a lot of DVDs and DVD sets. The episodes are marvelously crisp as you would expect from Blu-ray. I highly recommend this set to everyone; not to mention that this series is just so totally unique from anything else you've ever seen on television.$LABEL$1 +RCA ANT121 Indoor. This product works very well. It takes awhile to set all of the channels and to get it situated in the right position, but the price was only $12.99, and I feel it's probably the best antenna you can get for that price. I would recommend it for a low end indoor antenna.$LABEL$1 +Brilliant. At first I didn't know what to expect just because it was an oscar winner didn't necessary mean it would be good or appeal to my tastes - well it was excellent and what an ending, this has it all the love interest, backstabbing, murder, lies, everybody playing everybody - I don't think there has been a crime film this good since HEAT, can't wait for the sequel.$LABEL$1 +KX-FLB801 All-in-One Fits the Bill. We needed a copier/printer/fax solution for an office on a mobile offshore drilling rig with limited space and one that would work with our VSAT communications system. The 4 KX-FLB801's purchased over the last 12 months resolved both the space and compatibility issues on our offshore rig units.$LABEL$1 +An Ethereal Enchantment. Sigur Ros without a doubt are true pioneers in the musical frontier. Lay aside their bizarre performances and unorthodox use of instruments and what you will hear is an ensemble of euphoric "noises."The voice, guitar, ambience and music in whole all blend in to form a phonic masterpiece. The creativity and beauty of this unique band can only be matched by Radiohead and a very few other off-the-wall musicians such as Bjork.After listening to () over and over again in a dimly lit room with a coffee mug in my hand, Sigur Ros have become one of my favourite bands ever.$LABEL$1 +Great kitchen scale. This is a fantastic little kitchen scale. It works great for weighing the flour when I'm baking and it's very simple to use. Has a nice high weight limit.$LABEL$1 +What Kind of Argument Is This???!. I gave this book 1 star because that is the lowest offered. This book does not present a case for anything, at least not in the traditional sense of the term. Hunt asserts, emotionally manipulates, misrepresents, and does anything except actually deal with issues and wrestle with Scripture....$LABEL$0 +Solid Modern Rock With Great Vocals. I have never been a huge fan of Godsmack (I wonder if they have to pay royalties to Alice In Chains for that....), but I have always liked the singer Scully's voice, and seem to always wish I had some of their discs around....the guitarist also plays some pretty cool riffs, and has a great, thick tone that I like. Having owned no previous Godsmack albums, I picked up their latest and liked it even more than I thought I would.A good modern rock/metal album with a nice flow and some variety all the way through, with especially standout vocals and some interesting experimental textures and guitar...I also like the sequel to their breakout hit from '98 "Voodoo Too". Pretty cool stuff, really. I listen to way too much prog metal, and sometimes this sort of thing is just what I want to hear. Cool stuff, check it out.$LABEL$1 +Southern Darkness. Brandon does well with the vivid details. The late great LA Banks would have appreciated this version on The Vampires.There should be a part II.$LABEL$1 +A Must have. Liked my copy so much, bought it for my mother-in-law for her birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!$LABEL$1 +Too many references. Author refers to himself a lot, with references to this volume and to a previous volume. If you enjoy searching for section 5.4.3.2 (formula 7) to understand what he's saying in the current context, then this book is for you. Background acquired elsewehere? No problem. If you don't have his Volume I, be sure to buy that too because without it you won't make all the connections. By analogy, this is written like a web application that has many hyperlink references, some of them to pages that are not accessible. Unlike a web app, you are the search engine.$LABEL$0 +HateBreed Perseverance. A relentless heavy album.Lots of hardcore metal with some melodic stylings mixed in. The songs are just pure aggression,an unstoppable force. It gets your blood pumping and makes you want to break s*** I love how they don't do drugs because music is their drug and is also mine. Their F***ING awesome!$LABEL$1 +Come along for the ride. Original, jazzy, klezmer-based belly dance opera gypsy music from the coolest and most twisted exiled circus ever to run guns into Spain. Like Kurt Weill buying 3 Mustaphas 3 a glass of absinthe in a bar on Sesame Street. Fun, fresh, wacky, kitschy, catchy, and unpredictable. The lyrics are imaginative (well, the ones in English are), the playing solid, the vocalists are cool, and the whole thing great.$LABEL$1 +WARNING!. Take note, kiddies: mine *broke*. Luckily, it did not break completely mid-climb, but had cracked most of the way through under about 180 pounds of weight--enough that afterward it fell apart very easily. Although above it says "rated for 800 pounds," another seller says "not for climbing."If you really want to be an urban ninja, get a real grappling hook from a mountain climbing supply store.$LABEL$0 +Great Lens!. This lens is wonderful! I have really captured some great photos with it - both portrait and action!$LABEL$1 +Disappointment. I was very disappointed when I received this book. At $9.99 I expected more. The questions presented in the book are things I already talk about with with my children, I was really hoping for some new insights. I don't think this book is worth more than $3.00.$LABEL$0 +Build Your Library!. Anything by Charles Marowitz should be included in personal library of a theatre professional. Why his writings are not mandatory as texts in courses is beyond me. I review, at least once a year, each of his books just to keep me on track to doing the best work I can. In every paragraph in every book, there is something of great value to think about, ponder if you will. The man has an amazing mind that never ceases to challeng and illumine. Gordon Goede (gordongoede@aol.com) And you can quote me!$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your time or money!. This book is drivel and propaganda most likely written by a left-wing ghostwriter? Heavy on emotion and light on fact. Al Gore should be ashamed of himself. Anyone buying into this leftist garbage should be required to attend remedial high school science.$LABEL$0 +One of Ours - great book horribly printed/edited. I can't believe how much I paid for this poorly typeset edition (One of Ours by Willa Cather). If you need someone to retype great classics in the future, please call me. The typos were rampant and made it hard to read.$LABEL$0 +Worth Watching for Joni Fans. The DVD looks and sounds wonderful on my system. Joni and her band give a great performance. Any JM fan will enjoy watching. Only downside for me was that Joni plays a highly electronic sounding guitar instead of her old acoustic Martins, but this is probably so she can deal with the multitude of tunings she uses. Overall, a winner!$LABEL$1 +Disappointed in outdated version. I read The Declining Significance of Race when it was first published in the 1980s. There was no indication in the advertisement that this "update" also was from the late 1980s. Since then, Professor Wilson has changed his mind and while recognizing desparate economic conditions of the inner city, acknowledges that race plays a major role in African Americans suffering most.The ad was disingenuous and I felt ripped off in my purchase.$LABEL$0 +There are better books out there.. If you're a beginner it might be useful, but you can get the same info written in a way that makes you really 'get' it, in a lot of other books. And you won't have to listen to someone telling you the plots of books you might like to read someday, and music he thinks you should hear - instead of this, try Jack Bickham's work, or Dwight V. Swain.$LABEL$0 +Tipping Point is no little thing. Gladwell has a unique writing style that keeps you reading from start to finish. Erudite is the word that comes to mind. No one ever writes about the things that intrigue him, yet once you begin reading you become intrigued also. He's a master of trivia that is never trevial. I've read several of his books and look forward to more. If you read Tipping Point it will be a tipping point for you also.$LABEL$1 +Two bookmarks up!! One of my favorites ever!. This is a fantastic story! I really liked the characters, especially the main character, Holly. The beautiful illustrations add to the magical feel of the story. I really like the author's style. I liked how you couldn't tell who the "bad guy" (Herrikhan) would appear as in New York at first. The author has a great way of describing everything, especialy the land of Forever. This is a great book to share and read aloud. It is one of my top two favorite books ever. Most people who really like high fantasy will really enjoy this book.$LABEL$1 +Sad story, sad book. I too have read most of Stephen Kings's books and they just keep getting worse and worse. (I only read them if I receive them as gifts now.) This is a long story that could have been told in half the time. It is boring and predictable. Don't waste your time there are too many good books out there.$LABEL$0 +Stylish; Slow Paced, By-the-Numbers Script. Remember being impressed with this film when it debuted, however its 79 release put it (just barely)in an earlier era of mainly straightforward, by-the-numbers scripts with no surprises. The bonus feature interviews of Langella and director Badham are very interesting. One of them has the opinion that George Hamilton's "Love at First Bite" Dracula spoof, which came out earlier in the summer of 79, hurt thisfilm.This movie does a good job of projecting the proper atmosphere, it just doesn't seem as good as it did in 79.$LABEL$1 +still missing parts. Unit received in 6 separate boxes. I still have not received all of the parts. Therefore I cannot even assemble it. The vendor has not been very responsive.$LABEL$0 +Best Airpots. I have to give a Zojirushi airpot five stars. Zojirushi is known for their airpots. They are the best. Period. My mom had one, not the premier model, just the regular one, for almost fifteen years. I just bought this one with the special pump. I have to say that I expected it to look cheaper than the one my mom had, but I was wrong. I've noticed that after over fifteen years, they still make their products the way they used to. What surprised me the most is that they are still made in Japan. Zojirushi airpots are pricey but they are worth every penny you spend. They last longer than other airpots and keep the water hot for more hours.Update: I forgot to say that it's better to fill it all the way up or at least half of it because if you pour inside only a cup of water or coffee, it will be warm the next day, not hot.$LABEL$1 +A must buy.... I would like to quote professional wrestler Lance Storm, who is opening up a wrestling school this fall.***Quote***Stormwrestling.comBret, as you should know by now, has come to terms with WWE to collaborate on a Bret Hart career DVD set. I am ecstatic about this as this will be a DVD I pick up for sure. Bret had an amazing career and I may make this DVD mandatory viewing for all Storm Wrestling Academytm students. I hope this venture leads to a Hall of Fame appearance and perhaps a series of "Peep Show"/ "Highlight Reel" live event, Bret Hart Tribute appearances. I think both Bret and the fans deserve it. That being said I'm going to list a few matches (off the top of my head) that I would like to see on the DVD.***End Quote***Bret is a class act in the wrestling business, and one of the top 3 technical wrestlers of all time along with Dynamite Kid and Chris Benoit.This set will no doubt be worth every penny and more.$LABEL$1 +A Bit Too Twee For Me. Cold Comfort Farm spoofs the gloomy British novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, by dropping a modern-minded young London lady with her efficient ideas about how to tidy up life (Kate Beckinsale) into the middle of her "Wuthering Heights"-like country cousins. This movie requires some knowledge of those "it was a dark & stormy night" novels (Thomas Hardy, the Bronte sisters) to get the humor of the premise, and is probably best appreciated by people who know that genre very well. Otherwise, it comes off as a well-acted little story about a clever girl from the 1920s straightening out her weird, ignorant relatives down on the farm.$LABEL$0 +Fun and Educational. I bought this for my 4 year old son as he HATED math with worksheets and flashcards. He wanted to play this game 10 times a day. He LOVES it! Before we bought this game, he was SLOWLY and reluctantly finger-counting addition. He can now add and subtract 2 numbers (1-6) by memory. He also now understands even and odd. We've owned this game for 6 months, and he still loves to play it. My only problem is the durability. The box has been crushed flat, and the ink on the die rubbed off before the first month. I occasionally use a Sharpie to re-write the numbers and plus and minus. I still think it's a great game and have purchased them as gifts.$LABEL$1 +disaapointed that its not that Fran Lebowitz. No insult intended to the author but I was very disappointed to order this book and find that it was not by the same author of the social satires "Metropolitan Life" and "Social Studies" but since there were no reviews I had no way to know.So wanted to post so others might not by it for the wrong reason as I did and be very disappointed. This is another writer named Fran Lebowitz.$LABEL$0 +A model of how BluRay audio and video should be done. This concert and this recording are a real gems. The concert itself has many great talents and the songs are well-chosen and performed. The audio is truly superb with perfect mixing of voice and instruments, and there is very satisfying surround channel content. I just bought it, but it is already one of my favorite BluRays. The disc would be a great choice to demonstrate any home theatre. Even the menu system on the disc is well-designed. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.$LABEL$1 +Myth has Fallen to the wolves. I was so looking forward to Myth 3. Then it arrived. I never have been so let down. The quality of theis game has collapsed into a sad poor shadow of it's previous two versions. Myths previous versions are still on my best tactical games ever but this version is going into the biggest waste of money. Everything you loved about myth is gone and replaced with tiny doom figues and lame reality engine.Avoid this one or suffer through the biggest let down in game history.$LABEL$0 +Denise Austin - Pilates. I heard from a friend (who is in her 70's) that this is the best DVD to use when starting yoga, however I did not have a good experience getting the DVD so I can only rate the order experience which was not good. I will probably try reordering but from a different seller. Thank you.$LABEL$0 +Great Little Lights. We have bollard lights in front of our house. It was easy to run wiring and hook-ups there. The back of the house was more difficult. These solar lights were the perfect answer and the style matches what is in front...great! I followed others' recommendations to invest in more powerful batteries and to line the cylinder with aluminum foil. Super ideas. I was astonished that, after one day of sunshine, they lit up and have done so every night since.$LABEL$1 +Lacking in suspense, thick with cliche. This is the worst film in the long running "Halloween" series. By trying the desperate attempts of bring in a new story line about a bizzare paganistic cult is more funny than frightening, the use of gore in this film is shocking, belting it out to hideous and camp levels with no style or originality.The only elements that are worth credit are the revamped score and the fact the mask in this movie is closer to that of Carpenter's orginal.$LABEL$0 +gives 'hip moms' a bad name. I seriously cannot believe that anyone not related to Ms. Eckler would give this piece of crap more than one star. As a new mother, reading her newspaper column regarding pregnancy made me so incredulous that someone could actually be so unrealistic and lacking in any maternal fibre that I cancelled my subscription. This woman cannot write. She is incredibly vain, shallow and selfish to the point that she requires therapy (and not the retail kind). A total waste of time and money. Yuck.$LABEL$0 +BookWorm. Ahhh, painful!I engulfed Brown's "The Lost Symbol". I expected this one to be just as good. However, three chapters into it, I wanted to jump into the book and slap the characters around because they were so annoying. Everything about this book is annoying. The coincidences are just too many; the characters are predictable. I knew exactly how it will end three chapters into the book! The fact that the professor goes through all those coincidental circumstances is just ridiculous. Also, Brown keeps re-writing the same thing over and over again....I don't know how many times he described TRANSLTR to the reader...at one point, I literally said out loud: "ok, I get it, move the hell on!".Maybe this book sucked because it was one of his firsts...not sure. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, because the reader will be disappointed. I liked his "The Lost Symbol", "Angels and Demons", and the "Da Vinci Code". This one literally p****d me off.$LABEL$0 +Kathy goes to Haiti.. Kathy goes to Haiti. Every man wants her to be his wife. A man takes her home. She is his wife. She cries. Little kids laugh at her. She goes somewhere else. Different men want Kathy as their wife. She doesn't let the first one take her home. Kathy is learning.$LABEL$1 +Indiana Jones's "Kid Brother" meets the evil Set. If your looking for a serious horror movie here, you are looking in the wrong place! There is nothing scary in this except how much they borrowed from other movie themes. Can't anyone think of something original?? This guy is a archaeologist...and wants to throw the other team off the track of the find...so he plants a artifact in loose sand, and expects the other team to fall for it....Idiot! They also find King Tut's tomb under like 5 inches of sand...WOW...that was hard! This movie is very well written...for a High School kid...actually, I take that back, as my daughter (16) and I were laughing through the whole thing. Very silly movie. If you take it seriously, as a horror movie, you will be dissapointed. If you are looking for a movie to tear apart (in Mystery Theater 3000 style) than your in store for a good one!$LABEL$0 +Great, but..... We love the VentAir system on the whole. With my daughter, the slow flow nipples worked great but with our newborn, they seem Too slow. At the hospital, he was started on the Simulac ready to eat bottles and they are a much faster flow than these so we have problems using these. It takes 20 min for him to eat 1oz. I May have to switch to the fast flow to see how that works for him because the nipples from the ready to eat bottles put a lot of air from the bottom, defeating the purpose of the bottles design$LABEL$1 +People Shouldn't Be Ashamed!. This story is about a young deaf girl who is about 5 years old and who has an older sister who is around 12 years old. They both have long silky straight black hair. The best part of the book is that it had a lot of movement in the pictures. However, the pictures were black and white and some were shaded in. They had nice big backgrounds in the story too. I recommend this story for little kids between 6 and 8 years old. If you read this book you will find a lot of things you will like. This book reminds me of my great grandfather who is losing his hearing and it looks a lot like my house in the inside.$LABEL$1 +Pathetically poor design.. (1) Lid will not stay on.(2) Handle fills with water and then slowly leaks.(3) Date thumb wheels hard to move.I was compelled to write this review on first use. I'm sorry that I didn't read all the other bad reviews on Amazon before I bought or opened the package. I couldn't have imagined that someone could screw up something so simple so badly. Dumb assumption on my part. The limited warranty only replaces broken parts, there is no money back guarantee.But will work if you treat it like your Grandmother's china tea pot.$LABEL$0 +It's Yellowed Ivory.... I received this switch and it is yellowed from sun exposure or whatever.... I was going to use it with a bank of switches, but I will not use it due to the yellowing of the switch. Why would they mail this out to customers when there's obviously a problem? Even the packaging was discolored. I will be returning it.$LABEL$0 +used cd just like new. i bought this cd for my dad for fathers day and he loved it.he is a big fan of hers.the best part is that i bought it used for like $2 and it plays like new.Hes happy, i am happy. thanks to you amazon.com$LABEL$1 +Great Lens. I picked up a 5D in March with a 28-135. Worked with that for 3 months and felt something was missing. I went and bit the bullet, got the 24-105 and what an amazing difference it made. Color=vivid, clarity=sharp, good walk-around lens. After 4 months, I have not one bad thing to say about this lens. My suggestion, if you are looking for a lens, would be this one.$LABEL$1 +Not for starting .net. This book tricked me into believing that all the code was going to be in c# and vb.net. The first two chapters had examples in both languages. Then, as soon as you hit Chapter 3, it drops the dual language examples. As a Java developer having to do a .net project quickly, I would NOT recommend this book. I guess I'll try again.$LABEL$0 +love it. This has been working very well for me.Look at the price though, I was not careful enough and think I overpayed...$LABEL$1 +Authentic Creole Recipes. I grew up in New Orleans and have seen one cookbook after another that claims to be 'the real deal'. They generally disappoint. This little gem has recipes that I can relate to - they taste like the cooking I remember - MawMaw Kat's, Miss Agnes', Miss Virgie's, and Ms Sis Talley!$LABEL$1 +Not for beginners. I did not find this book to be a good choice for the novice. I would recommend this to someone in the sales area of public relations but not the education area. Also, I think the checklists were quite long--too long for someone who is looking more for tips. Other books that exist that are more educational and beneficial to the novice.$LABEL$0 +Mis-Lead. Front of Package:"Free Lead in Water Test Kit - See Details Inside the Package" (look at the image)Ok, opened the package, not seeing this Lead test kit.Whats this? A business reply card - no postage necessary.This was a card to mail in to receive a free lead test kit mailed to you within 2 weeks.Wait 2 weeks for the test, then mail in the sample.To get the results you must pay $30!I received a letter from the city stating that a small percentage of homes built in my area, in the time frame my home was built, may have higher than acceptable levels of lead. So I go to the store to buy a kit specifically for lead, and the clerk points to this one - "cool," I thought, "I get the lead test for free, and can go ahead and test for the other stuff too." Totally mislead. Costs a month of time and $30 to get your lead test results. Don't fall for their clever ruse.If you need a lead kit, don't buy this.$LABEL$0 +Ground Clear's if you weed it yourself. I thought this stuff would be perfect for the areas of our yard that are xeroscaped (rock garden) that had weeds popping up through the weed block guard underneath. We sprayed it two weeks ago and it barely made a dent in our weed problem. I only spent $20 on it at our local hardware store - but it definitely wasn't money well spent.$LABEL$0 +Below Standard. After seeing "I'm Starvin'" "Still Hungry" is a big let down. There are a few humorous moments, but none of the side splitting laughter generated be "I'm Starvin'". I really like John Pinette, but he could have done better.$LABEL$0 +Worst movie ever?. This movie is horrific. It can't even be considered a "B" movie. That would insult all the actors who are just bad......not horrible.$LABEL$0 +Very Misleading For Families Needing Help. My daughter-in-law has Asperger's Syndrome. She has destroyed every branch of our family. She is now in the process of pushing her yound children to suicide. I read this book with hopes of finding answers and help. It was a joke. The author, who has Asperger's Syndrome wrote the story of her life like it was a wonderful fairy tale. If you go to my daughter-in-law's facebook page it reads the same way. If you want real information about Asperger's Syndrome google on-line support groups. There you will see the pain and destruction these people cause. I don't know if Asperger sufferers live in denial and think if they tell everybody everything is O.K. everybody will believe it or if they are so mentally ill they really don't know the pain and suffering they cause. I regret wasting a penny on this ridiculous book.$LABEL$0 +See It For What It Is. I finished the book last night and loved it. Rebecca's writing style is inspiring and beautiful. The story was engaging enough for me to finish in two sittings. Every life is worth a novel and we should all be so lucky as to write ours down for others to read. Many of these reviewers are judging Rebecca's choices or her parents emotional distance or accusing the book of being published only because she is Alice Walker's daughter. But there are thousands of books published each year by not so famous children. Rebecca could have rested on her duff and done nothing, but instead she used her talent as a writer to heal something inside of herself by telling her story. Read the book for what it is - an interesting account of one woman's coming of age, one woman's account of being biracial in America, one woman's story in a sea of millions. I applaud her.$LABEL$1 +Take a Peek.... Babies and toddlers love the peek-a-boo game. This ten page board book features peek-a-boos on every other page. Clues are given with die cut holes that allow babies and toddlers to anticipate the animal behind the peek-a-boo! The mirror at the end is a great expected treat for the child too. As a few other reviewers have noted--thankfully the book is short as many of us have a child who wants to read the book over and over and over!$LABEL$1 +Adam 12 Season One. When I first read the review on the first season, I turned around to ignore it! But to my displeasure I learned to agree 100% with the first review that Universal made a huge disappointing mistake by not correcting the error of freezing on a good scene.I believe that Universal and Amazon withdraw the sale of the first season of Adam 12 until the problem is corrected. This move would be a good business courtesy to the consumers.$LABEL$0 +Another good Palmer book!. Stubborn male leads, vulnerable yet strong women. I do how the men always get what's coming to them in the end. What more could you ask for.$LABEL$1 +HIGHLY ENJOYABLE DEEP HOUSE. For all the househeads, this one will take you back to the 90s. Keep On Groovin by DJ Sneak is a particular highlight.$LABEL$1 +Cute!. I was very happy with these thank-yous. They are made of great quality paper and are adorable. The envelopes are lined and the inside of the cards are blank, giving you plenty of space for your personal message. I would definitely order these again (or something similar from this company).$LABEL$1 +Light and melodic:. Australia's Neuropa have put together a synth-popper's dream in Beyond Here and Now. It's well paced and flows evenly throughout. All the songs are uplifting, filled with smooth harmonies, and tight synths. The vocals are delightful as the lyrics are personal, heartfelt. I was a bit concerned that the cover of Erasure's "True Love Wars" would be weak, quite the contrary, it's every bit as good as the original>>hats off fellas. Other stand out tracks are:"Beyond Here and Now," which is a great opener, "Bound," "Lifeline," and "New Day," all just perfect examples of high grade velveeta elektro pop, which is a good thing! "In Need" is the closest track to a ballad, also strong material. "True Believer" is worth a mention. Again, no poor songs and only one instrumental...$LABEL$1 +This is a very easy to understand book. This book doesn't contain any logic gate level designs but covers general computer organisation issues thoroughly. It is only 670 pages approximately and covers instruction set design, CPU structure (ALU + control unit), I/O (such as SCSI, FireWire and RAID), Bus systems (PCI, Futurebus+) and operating systems etc. There are numerous comparisons made between Intel Pentium and PowerPC. It is a good book to start with a very good bibliography for more detailed books on each chapter's subject.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful book, inexcusable formatting. Gertrude Stein is Gertrude Stein. What inspired me to write this review was the ABDOMINABLE publishing job done by [...]. The price is right, sure, but this book exemplifies what is wrong with the amazon mindset of cheaply produced books. Gertrude Stein is a challenge to get through on a good day, but with .25" margins and tiny type, digireads makes the process pretty unbearable. I do not understand why they sacrificed just about everything that makes book-reading pleasurable in order to save what probably amounts to a few pennies. I take total responsibility for opting for the cheapest book, however, I will never do this again. If you want to enjoy Tender Buttons, just splurge for some used Penguin Classic and boycott this pathetic pirating of the classics with expired copyright.$LABEL$0 +great peaceful music. This two disc CD contains much great peaceful music some of which you may had heard before. It is well worth adding to anyones classical music collection. Play this at the end of a hectic day and appreciate how music really can help calm you down.$LABEL$1 +My dumb dog can get out of it.. Poorly made. My dog, who isn't even bright, has figured out how to get out of it (and destroy the house). Waste of money.$LABEL$0 +FIELD OF SCREAMS. This third entry in the DARK HARVEST series is absolutely one of the worst movies to come around since PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE. This one's not even campy though. The scarecrow changes its hood numerous times throughout the movie, and the threadbare plot has so many holes, it's like swiss cheese. A total waste of time...don't bother.$LABEL$0 +Repeat of First book. Going Home without going Crazy is just a repeat of her first book on Conflict. Not much new.$LABEL$0 +I love Ina!. I am a total Ina junkie and this is by far her best cookbook, not just for the excellent recipes, but for the gorgeous pictures and travel suggestions she has at the end of the book.$LABEL$1 +Church Of Misery - 'Early Works Compilation' (Disk Union) 2-CD. Rarely have I seen SUCH an accurate CD title. Nicely assembled 2-CD, 16 track of this Japanese stoner/doom metal band's work. This is only my second listen to the band's repertoire, as my first was their 4-track 'Taste The Pain' EP (see my review). Tunes here I was digging the most were "Spahn Ranch", "War Is Our Destiny", their so-so cover of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidda", the nine-minute full-throttled rocker "Son Of A Gun" and "Chains Of Death". Personnel: Yoshiakki Negishi-vocals, Tomohiro Nishimura-guitar, Tatsu Mikami-bass and Hideki Shimizu-drums. Should appeal to fans of Sheavy, Masters Of Reality, Obsessed and Atomic Bitchwax.$LABEL$1 +Excellent photos of Tibet, including Lhasa, Gyantse, Mount Kailash and the Guge Kingdom. An excellent coffee-table-type photographic account of Tibet. The cover is Tsaparang. There is a 22-page section on Mount Kailash, and a 24-page section on the Guge Kingdom and Tsaparang and Tholing. There is an introduction by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, another introduction by Robert Thurman, and brief overviews of each photographic area of Tibet in the book. There are some photos of Gyantse, Tingri, and Lhasa, among the other parts of Tibet.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. This is an extremely poor product. Do not purchase if you care at all about the information you're storing on the drive. Our company purchased 7 last year to help back up other drives and free up space on our server. Now 2 sound like they're on their last leg. These drives were not being used as a primary storage system thankfully. While used infrequently, they still manage to sound as if we just asked them to run a marathon. They wheeze, whine, and are exceptionally slow. I don't trust it and have stopped using the drive.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic. The Temptations are Incredible.there hasn't been another Vocal Group Like them since.this two disc set is a must for any collection.this Group not only defined a Sound but also a Era.These Voices are Wordly Treasures.these songs Represent Not Only Great Song-Writting but also classic Music.this is History.$LABEL$1 +Pop the way it should be made. Gee, what a fantastic album! I've had this gem for something like two years now and I never get tired of it.The Sounds may have a strong Blondie influence, but there's also some Depeche Mode around (the keyboards on songs like Rock n' Roll and Mine for Life) and some Ramones and pretty obvious punk stuff.This is a very uplifting record, and I don't mean it's just happy and danceable, but the lyrics are uplifting too in a very misfit way.If you love your pop to have some strength to it and a very heavy 80s influence, then think no more and buy this record just because you will be happy to do so.I've seen them live at the Hard Rock Cafe in Mexico City and they blew me away. Awesome band! And their new material kicks major butt too.$LABEL$1 +thoughts on this fine fine unit. I've had this little guy for just about a year now. Works great, takes a beating. The battery could last a little longer, and 512 ram isn't enough to do much when the video takes 128 of it. I've recently upgraded the memory & now there's nothing it can't do well.I heartily recommend this wonderful device. Take it on vacation, take it to work, take it to Gramma's.Get one!$LABEL$1 +Late. I ordered this book on September 15, 2008. Today is October 18th, and I have yet to see this book. I contacted the owner but he/she did not return the communication.$LABEL$0 +great learning tool. awesome learning tool for our daughter - she can't get enough! our 3-1/2 year old finds it easy to manipulate ... she also owns the Leap Frog electronic books and this Fisher Price InteracTV is so much easier than that!pros: 1. its wireless 2. it works with 3 separate dvd playerscon: occasionally my daughter has issues with the dvd freezing or not recognizing her button choice ... but is that a problem of the toy or an overzealous daughter?$LABEL$1 +good for cutting down the load. this was just what I wanted and needed. I recieved a new phone and was affraid of damaging it but with this case the fear is gone. I also was looking for a wallet but with this case it cuts down on the load because the case is a wallet. I am truly satisfied with my product$LABEL$1 +Loyal Jance fan but greatly disappointed in this book. I want to start by saying that I am a diehard Jance fan. I love the JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady novels but I found this one so disturbing that I gave it up after 100 pages and just flipped to the end.Why? It was very gory, graphic and disturbing. I, personally, felt no reason to have included such graphic, detailed child rape and murder scenes. The bottle scene and others were just too much for me.When I read, I want to be entertained with a good story, perhaps some humor... and I don't want nightmares. This one definitely could give a sensitive soul nightmares for days.I'm not giving up on Jance but, I disagree with another review, I don't see this character being her most memorable. It's just not a comfortable read.$LABEL$0 +Mildly Perplexed. Wasn't "A Guide For The Perplexed" authored by the 12th Century Jewish philosopher Maimonides? Couldn't Mr. Schumacher at least have found an original title for his book?$LABEL$0 +An egregiously over-produced piece of pap.. Ms. Friedman has a lovely voice and some of the songs aren't bad, but the producer ought to be flogged. Every cliche in the book is here: strings, cheesy synthesizers, angel choir, saxophone solos. It's a real shame.I'm sorry I spent my money on it.$LABEL$0 +A great submarine film, comrades. Life on a submarine is cramped, dull, and tough. In a film, submarines can either make for a dull film or a great film. This is one of the great ones.The characters are fairly well developed. There are numerous stars in here: Sean Connery (of course), who plays the best role in the film, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Sam Niel (my favourite!), Tim Curry, and some others.But the best part of the film is in its storyline. It is a basic story but with a suspenseful and interesting plot.I guess that's really all I can say about this film. There's no specific thing that I like about this film; it's just good.$LABEL$1 +Bill Murray is excellent.. This movie is excellent. It's one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen (after Animla House). I also liked it because Harold Ramis co-wrote it. Het tried and succeeded with the Animal House of golf which he named Caddyshack.$LABEL$1 +Fools, foul. My first Altman was Nashville (1975), until today a five star, like some of his later hits - The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993) and Prt-à-porter (1994). Fool for Love is like a poor country version of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Brooks, 1958), only that the main characters are not played by Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives. Kim Basinger tries hard to get some logic into her part, but literally collapses against an incoherent, rather empty script. Lots of unmotivated violence. Nothing to write home about!$LABEL$0 +not recommend. DVD player is not good. couple of my friends had samsung dvd player everybody has same problem.$LABEL$0 +Ripoff. This is prime example of why you should not buy online. This sewer water does not come close to the original English Leather! Don't Buy It!$LABEL$0 +Buy the subtitled version instead; it does the anime justice. Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Shoujo Kakumei Utena in the Japanese, is a brilliant and complex anime, which contains the best writing and art I have ever seen. It's really unfortunate that the dub job is so terrible. The English-language acting makes even the more profound moments of the series melodramatic and trite, and lines of dialogue have been changed from the actual translation (which can be found in the subtitled version) in such a way as to be offensive in more than one instance. The subtitled version is phenomenal; I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching a brilliant work of art, with amazing acting in the Japanese language. Words such as "travesty" are appropriate in this case, I think, to describe the butchering that took place in the dubbing of this series. The only reason I give this two stars instead of one is because the anime itself is so great even the dub job cannot ruin it completely.$LABEL$0 +Required Reading for First Time Inflatable Boat Buyer. The book will help the reader with complex questions about matching the technical advantages of materials, hull types, and floor systems with one's needs and mission with a boat of this type. It does a good job of explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each choice. I settled on a Achilles with a role up aluminum floor because lightweight portability was a primary need for me to load on small aircraft. My boat would not be optimal as a tender. The part of the book dealing with history and development is also very interesting.$LABEL$1 +Good cd. this is a good cd the only problem with it is it is a half hour long If you want a goo halfbreed cd get one that is longer$LABEL$1 +Does not play 60% of my commercially purchased CDs. JUNK, JUNK, JUNK! Will not play any budget priced CD. Other CDs will work sometimes. I've tried brand new CDs, previously played CDs, new & used library quality CDs, etc.This player will consistently display, "NO DISC" then a few days later, I'll try same disc & it plays fine. Most annoying to me is if it does play disc, it frequently will stop in middle of track & turn off. Sometimes I can restart disc & it plays ok but often the player will continue to stop at random places (not at the same place on disc)and I give up.I've had this player since xmas 2010 & have tried every possibility I know of in attempt to make it work. I test cds when they fail to play by trying them in my portable CD player & a boombox. They work fine.$LABEL$0 +So bad I had to get back in the review game!. This is an atrocity, an insult to taste and intelligence. There is NOTHING good about this movie-laughable script, miscasting, choppy plot, Schumacher loading the thing with all these turgid sex scenes like he's Brian De Palma or something...this movie did for numerology what "White Noise" did for EVP-that is to say, quash anyone's interest in the subject.There are many people here lauding this movie with high praise. It frightens me to know that they walk among us, and often without special helmets or close medical supervision. But I think I know what you're up to; you simpletons are positively shocked that more than half of us thought this movie was rubbish, and you feel the need to review it to try and defend your bad taste. Ain't workin'. I wrote mine out of anger at being ripped off and am warning as many people as I can out of love for my fellow man :)$LABEL$0 +DENISE AUSTIN. i have not got to use this one yet, but i have in the past had other Denise Austin excercise tapes.$LABEL$1 +Desert Island book.... If I had to choose 10 books that I would bring with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.$LABEL$1 +Can't reprogram. This calculator does not allow me to program it for 1 YR as it comes pre-programmed for 12 YR. I tried resetting the calculator, however, I am so frustrated with it. I bought this for a corporate finance course and it has been useless. I would not recommend this to anyone!$LABEL$0 +What a Waste of Money!. I was delighted when I saw this book in the bookstore. Fortunately, I thumbed through it and thus avoided the mistake of buying it. I thought I must not be reading the measurements correctly because surely anyone could see that this method of measurement would render the information almost useless. I think somebody is in too much of a hurry to make money and is not thinking about the readers. Whoever is responsible for this book should be ashamed. At least they didn't get MY money.$LABEL$0 +This is absolutely the worst toy. I purchased two of these and two cartridges for my children for christmas and they have been nothing but a hastle. They worked fine the first day but not since. I have gone through a ton of batteries as well and have actually had a few explode in the unit. Bottom line is that I would have rather spent my money on the pixter or a leapster than this piece of garbage. I cant believe that Disney would want their name associated with this "toy".$LABEL$0 +Wonderful. This book clearly takes place in NYC, something my NYC nieces and I really enjoy - seeing Max's dad being a conductor on a train makes them laugh. Seeing the WTC in the background makes me smile and think. And of course the kids up and down the block where we live spend their life sitting on the stoop, just like Max does!The book makes great connections - each time somebody asks Max what he's doing, he plays the sound of something going on, and in the next panel he's using their bucket, or their hatbox, or their garbage cans to play his next rhythm.I strongly recommend this book to anyone, particularly anybody who is musically inclined.One note - the larger edition of this book is better. I got this edition because it was cheaper and in the bookstore, but the pictures end up a little scrunched.$LABEL$1 +No Eyeliner Needed. This CD came out at a time when heavy metal was suffering a woeful testosterone deficiency. Rooster-haired poseurs like Poison, Warrant, and Firehouse were getting all the attention, and bands who were true to blues and rock were being largely ignored.Enter a handful of bands who nixed the image gimmickery and just offered in-your-face rock/blues/metal. One of those outfits, Dangerous Toys, brought to the table a nice mix of punk, blues, Southern rock, and straight-forward metal. Ferocious vocals from Jason McMaster punctuated the no-nonsense attack, and the end result was a fine first effort from the Texas group.This is one of the handful of albums from the late 80s that I still listen to today. If you like your music BS-free, I highly recommend Dangerous Toys.$LABEL$1 +CHARLES, CHARLES, CHARLES. Mr Bronson truly shines in this role. But Al Lettieri ? LOOK OUT ! What a performance ! Between this movie, & THE GETAWAY, THE DON IS DEAD, THE GODFATHER, A MAN CALLED HORSE ? WHEW ! I've never seen a better gangster than him in any movie. He just EXUDES menace . What a tragedy that he died so young (though given Mr Lettieri's persona, it's very difficult to imagine him as young.) Imagine him in movies if he still was alive .Paul Koslas is hysterical (& characteristic),Watch the scene when Bronson is in jail, & asks Mr Lettieri if he is going to finish the sausage on his tray. STRAIGHT UP HILARITY !$LABEL$1 +If less than one star were possible.... This toy is an absolute waste of money and eventually time. The missiles will not fire at all. I even requested the "black projectiles" from Tyco/Mattel and guess what they did not work either. Now you ask, "What will Mattel do about it?" Not much thus far (maybe if they had someone that actually wanted to help you on the phone). Do yourself a favor, spend your money on something else unless you are really moved by throwing away money.$LABEL$0 +worth the buy.. This headband is exactly what any Naruto fan needs. The metal on it is very durable and not that flexible plastic you find on other headbands. Only flaw is I wish the cloth was longer but other than that its perfect. This is THE headband to buy.$LABEL$1 +Too Much Night. Given Jackson's reputation as a great songwriter and musician, and my strong liking of "Real Men" (despite its preachy overbearing lyrics), I decided to try Night & Day. I was very disappointed. The music is experimental, but not cohesive. Besides "Real Men", the only songs with a hint of soul are "Breaking Us In Two" and "A Slow Song". Go pull out an Elvis Costello record instead.$LABEL$0 +NOT long lasting!. I was so excited to find these mini lights that fit our kitchen recessed fixtures. I ordered them in May, and less than 3 months later, every single one has burned out. WAY too short a life, and WAY too expensive. A good idea if only they'd be longer lasting.$LABEL$0 +Big Band Zappa at its finest. This album, in my opinion, is the highlight of Zappa's greatest period of work. The horn - dominated numbers fit perfectly with Frank's unique wah - wah style and George Duke's impressive keyboard work to produce an album that has lasted through time. From the long title cut to the ultra-funky keyboard riff of "Eat that Question" to the impressive, jazzy, and spacey sounds of "Blessed Relief," this album is definitely worth buying if you are into FZ's jazz-fusion instrumental works. Other albums that I would characterize with this album are: Hot Rats, Waka-Jawaka, Studio Tan, and Sleep Dirt. Get this CD and groove to FZ at his finest.$LABEL$1 +Must have for any Christian.. This book was referred to in another book that I was reading. I was enjoying that book so I checked Amazon for Brother Lawrence's book and ordered a copy. It has proven to be one of the BEST investments I have ever made. This tiny book is just amazing in the Truth that it delivers. Brother Lawrence seems to have been an exceptional human being blessed with tremendous Grace from God. It was so because he sought after it. I have recently traveled through losing a job and beginning a new one quite different from what I was used to. After 25 years of being a manager I am now punching a time clock and emptying my own trash. When I begin experiencing pride issues I can pick this book up and immediately be put in my place. Praise God! This book may be small in size but is LARGE in content. Personally, I highly recommend.$LABEL$1 +Decide before write. I found this book unstructured and out of flow. How about author first decide before write. Putting things here and there don't make a book. Book has more unrelated topics than real database programming. I found how book discusses basic DB concepts and targets advanced readers. Look at ADO.NET Essentials.$LABEL$0 +Beyond what limits?. Only a Discovery reality series could take climbing the highest mountain on earth and make it seem as melodramatic as The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Some of the characters (that's what they are after all) are truly inspiring, but when you get down to it, commercial summit expeditions aren't really very interesting. The dramatic focus of the last few episodes of Season 1 is basically a bunch of guys standing around waiting for a bunch of other guys to climb up a ladder (yes, a ladder like you get from the hardware store). Doesn't sound very exciting, does it?$LABEL$0 +Wonderful Bible Study. I have to say this is one of my favorite First Place Bible Studies.Healthy Boundries is another.Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Nice Sound, built like garbage, company doesn't care.. This unit has great sound and quite a punch. 22 Watt RMS, twin possition BBE processing for nice mids. But the biggest drawback is the quality of the unit itself. First off, the magic flap idea is unique. But the first problem I had is that it wouldn't always flip open for use, but continue to play. Next, All of a sudden all it would do is play the disc, and never even eject. I was stuck listening to the same disc for a couple of days. Then it just quit working all together. When I contacted Aiwa, They informed me that I was just days past the end of my warranty. It would therfore cost me 99.00 to get it fixed. End of story.This unit is either going in the trash, or I am going to send back to the manufacturer so they can shove it where they may. I will never buy another product from this company. And I would advise anyone I know to do the same. If you ask me, they don't deserve anyone's money.$LABEL$0 +Dead on arrival. Orcon LB-C1500 Live Ladybugs, 1,500 Countall doa except for 3. Should be no stars unless you're looking for bird food.$LABEL$0 +Stylish, Affordable, Portable THUMP!. My wife told me she would get me a boombox for my birthday (so I could jam to tunes at work). DANG, but she wasn't kidding about the BOOM! I was expecting something a little smaller and wimpier, but no dice ... this thing gets LOUD. And with the adjustable bass (three settings: no bass, some bass, lots-o-bass) it sounds really full and not "tinny" or distorted when you crank it up. I only turned it up to 6 and it seemed like I was disturbing my neighbor's peace!Plus, the radio tuner is digital, so you know if it sounds crackly that it ain't YOUR fault. I always have to pay a lil' bit for the good sound when it comes to boomboxes, but it pays off, because I'm hard on them -- 3 or 4 years, tops. We'll see if this one can beat it.Overall, I think this is a pretty good box, especially for the price. And who'da thunk, because most Sony personal CD players I ever bought broke after 4 months or so.$LABEL$1 +AT FIRST I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE.......... At first I thought this was going to be a cheesy video but in a matter of minutes I was laughing out loud. It's hilarious! The ad libs, the audience participation, wonderful old time television. The picture quality is not A-1 but that can't be expected from the old kinescope recordings but it is still very good. There really is not much "unknown" stuff here but the video itself is great. Wonderful to see Sinatra, Ethel Barrymore, Liberace, Donald O'Connor and more. Also nice to see Mrs. Durante and Jimmy's adopted daughter CeCe speaking about their husband and father. My personal opinion of this DVD is five stars in spite of whatever flaws it has. Sorry that they have discontinued producing it.$LABEL$1 +Great watch. I work in the veterinary field, and needed something comfortable that can take some abuse. I've had this watch for a few years now, and it still works great. The tab which holds the excess watch band down did actually just break, which is not a big deal to me. I would still buy it again!$LABEL$1 +Nicer in person!. These earrings are nicer than I expected. They are a nice size but not too big for everyday use. The stones are of small to medium size which makes the earring nicer. The lock is a quality lock.$LABEL$1 +Biggie Small's Final Chapter?. The only good song on this album is "1970 something" feat. Faith and The Game. Download this and stick to "Ready to Die", "Conspiracy" and "Life After Death".RIP Biggie$LABEL$0 +Not so good. I understand this people were trying to do something interesting and yes they should get some credit for at least being bothered but I would not consider it a documentary for it is of very low quality and it seems more like a highschool student's project than something that can actually come out for the puclic. If they were trying to do something for The Strokes, after buying this (everyone makes mistakes) I think the best thing to do for your favourite artist is to buy their album and go see them play, after all music is what it's all about.$LABEL$0 +Historical romance with the realities of life..... So many times historical romance books have problems come up that don't speak to our time. The complexities of the relationships are often times very base and minimal. This book has the fierce complexities of human relationships reminiscent of Wuthering Heights but with a better ending. This books centers around a classic tale of the musician and his muse but told in a more colorful way. I very much appreciated the authors characters, the diversity of the characters lives and the vivid imagery. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five was that from about 75% through to about 85% thought there was a huge lag in the story with a bunch of filler.$LABEL$1 +it's graph paper. I like the high density squares, this allows to make the graphs smaller for math class. We can fit more on each page with the 10 squares per inch pattern.$LABEL$1 +Just plain aggravating. Spent too much time researching cordless phones ended up going with this one given that it appeared to have the most positive reviews. Have owned it for about 5 months along with an extra headset. Bottom line this phone is poorly conceived and engineered and just plain aggravating at times. There is almost a constant buzzing sound in the background (I am not running a WIFI network), the controls on the handset are very complicated (way more so than even the most "advanced" cell phone) and I consider myself a technofile. I just wanted a high quality cordless phone that had a good signal, battery life, looked good and was free of defects what I got was a phone with questionable sound quality and a need for a PHD to figure out how it works. For those of you with a temper save yourself from eventually chucking this phone at the wall and look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Kindle book. Very good with lots of interesting facts about life-the hardships and day by day living in that era. Wonderful love story with down to earth people$LABEL$1 +okay, but not THAT good. it's alright, but a little hokey and dated, and i don't know what book most of the other reviewers on this page read. two young men find a manuscript in the ruins of a castle about a guy shooting white pigs out his window. wow. talk about "cosmic dread" and "icy terror". there was nothing spectacular or even slightly memorable about this book, except the beginning. the reason everyone gives such verbose praise to this thoroughly forgettable, antiquated novel is that lovecraft said a few good words about it. but let's remember our friendly neighborhood sheep, he was a man of his times, and i seriously doubt that if he was alive he would have such lavish praise for this novel now. lovecraft's material dated well (except for the racism), so did blackwood's (aside from the pantheism), so did lefanu and bierce's:hodgson's most certainly did not. skip it and read something by arthur machen or thomas ligotti.$LABEL$0 +Not drip proof??. Thought to buy the better one of the options and what a mistake. The bottom of the dispenser was dripping everywhere. I will go ahead now and purchase a cheaper one from another company.$LABEL$0 +Sennheiser review. I have had these head phones for a month or two now. They work very well. I would highly recommend these head phones.$LABEL$1 +Wow.. Isaac Brock is a pure genius. On this album, there is a wide variety of music. From the 10 minute-long "Truckers Atlas" to "Cowboy Dan" to the fiddle in "Jesus Christ Was An Only Child". I must say, I cannot be more impressed by this album than I already am. It is one of the few CD's that I can listen to all the way through and not get tired of it. The guitars are fantastic on all the songs, and the lyrics are incredible. If you've never heard of Modest Mouse, then I suggest that you give this CD a try and get into some great indie-rock music.$LABEL$1 +Amazing. THIS is what Paul McCartney was born to do. This COMPLETELY blows away anything he's ever done. This is one of his greatest solo albums, right up there with Band on the Run. Paul can rock, and he rocks his heart out. Rock in it's purest form.$LABEL$1 +"Animal Crackers In My Soup"---INDEED!. The Boys' Crusade: The American Infantry in Northwestern Europe, 1944-1945 (Modern Library Chronicles)As one of the"boys" (ASTP at UMaine to maneuvers in Tennessee with the Yankee Division to first landing at Cherbourg after "D" Day to Metz to the Bulge) I read the book entirely, with disgust. The turn-off began with the initial characterization that we "boys" were stereotypes who thrived on Shirley Temple's "Animal Crackers In My Soup"He's got it wrong; he's upset by his own unfortunate experience and he joins a horde of writers whose bitterness shows in their petty accounts of WWII. He's a respected writer who now is remembered for a "dud"$LABEL$0 +Dr.Benjamin Hobhouse. This is a book which simplifies QFT in a way not suitable for learning the real principles and theoretical foundations of QFT. It uses the synthetic path integral approach only, whilst the canonical approach is more appropiate to understand the foundations of QFT. For this, it is not enough to know how to write down the path integral and calculate scattering amplitudes only. It is good for an experimentalist, who wants to apply the theory of QFT to his measurments and vice versa. Who wants only to have a glance at QFT (including recent developemants) without being too superficial, the book of Michele Maggiore or the book of Thomas Banks are more useful, exactly because they present both approaches. For a major in QFT the book of George Sterman can be recommended.$LABEL$0 +Good story nearly wrecked by bad acting. The actors in this are for the most part so bad that they ruin much of what might have been a more effective story of a haunted house with deadly entities wreaking havoc at night.$LABEL$0 +Wow!. This product was recommended by Real Simple Magazine for individuals looking for a volumizing shampoo. I decided to order it, but figured it would be comparable to the dozens of other "volumizing" shampoos that I've tried in the past. I have to say I am very pleasantly surprised at the results I'm getting with this shampoo. This is the first shampoo I've ever used that makes my hair feel really clean and not weighed down, without causing it to feel dried out. In fact, my hair feels healthy and incredibly soft (even without using conditioner), and it is very managable! I very highly recommend this shampoo for people with fine hair.$LABEL$1 +Bad.. This is really bad album. My friend said it was really good so I downloaded it. What a disappointment Im glad I got it on filesharing wasnt even worth putting on a cd-r thats worth a few pennies. Him sucks. Bam Margera sucks Ville Velo off. (btw in french ville = town, velo = bike) so ville velo's name is Town bike from now on. and his cheek bones look like herman munsters.$LABEL$0 +Tiresome. This album is so bland and uninspired. People act like the Foo Fighters went in some new no nonsense hard rock direction on this album. Well let me tell you they didn't. This is just the same as thier other albums, POP! Bad tiresome pop at that. Dave is a good drummer but his band sucks.$LABEL$0 +A plague years romance. The Decameron of Giovanni Boccacciohas tales ofrandy priests and nuns during the plague years in Italy. The adventures in this movie are like that. The two stars are both good and beautiful.The villain is played very well too as he spoils a well.Short of Shakespeare this is a fun movie!A happy ending and rose petals ... all's well that ends well.$LABEL$1 +So Poorly Written neither of us could plow through it. Did the author get paid by finding and using the most obscure words to describe his thoughts? If so, he was a success. Run on sentence after run on sentence; so many obscure words that my iPod's dictionary was screaming "Leave me alone"! The most boring book I've read in a very long time to the point after dragging myself through about 30 pages HAD to give up. The subject matter is very interesting - the author's descriptions and writing style unreadable.$LABEL$0 +impossible to read. This could be a great reference, but theprint is so poor - not just tiny - butas if photocopied too many times &scrunched down to fit on the page.I would have welcomed this reference in a larger, more readablepage-format. As it is, I feel it was a complete waste of money.$LABEL$0 +well made and every conceivable spray pattern. This seems well made and has every conceivable spray pattern for people who do not sit around trying to conceive of spray patterns.$LABEL$1 +Classic TV. All episodes in color, but the quality is about a 7 on a scale of 10; the real problem is my equipment can not track/playback with out stops and starts. I have tried differnet disks and they all playback with jerks and moments of still picture and no sound. I am disappointed with this set. Other products from this distributor have not had this problem.$LABEL$0 +Negative 10,000 stars. Trying to sit through a "movie" like SOUL PLANE is like trying to swallow a mouthfull of rusty nails-it might kill ya. SOUL PLANE has no plot, performances that would create the worst acting ever category in the oscars, And proves that the only uncle tom is Tom ArnoldAvoid this piece of trash like the plague!!!And Monique sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1$LABEL$0 +Lousy Pedometer. You have to be a rocket scientist to use this pedometer. It is hard to set, and doesn't work properly. I couldn't even get it to record steps, which is my main purpose for having a pedometer. Maybe if you want to use it for marathons, it's OK, but it's no good for just tracking steps on a daily basis. I'm shipping it back tomorrow. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +WHAT is going on with Amazon.com lately?. This is the second defective DVD that I have recently purchased from Amazon.com. The first one, Pedro Almodóvar's HIGH HEELS, was clearly a bootleg copy with grainy playback that paused and skipped throughout. It was impossible to watch. This film, BARFLY, should be a color film, but plays in black and white. Where is Amazon getting their merchandise from these days? What's up with the low quality garbage?$LABEL$0 +Great vaccuum. I got this on super super sale and would have paid more for it. It is lightweight, really quiet and versatile for all different floor types from shag carpet to bare floor. My one and six year olds actually fight me and each other so they can use it, too!$LABEL$1 +The best just got better!. I have had a couple of pairs of iGrado's for the past 3 years or so. The cable they came with are very thin and do not handle wear. I've been looking for cable replacements (yes, the iGrado's are worth salvaging) but decided it was cheaper and easier to just buy new ones. Well to my surprise, the new ones are better. The cable is much thicker with a thick jacket. The Y split in the cable is much more rugged and the plug is a nice L shape now. I also noticed the headband is wider and a little more comfy. Best of all, they sound the same--GREAT.Do not be fooled by other reviews of behind-the-head headphones that get 4 and 5 stars--they sound nowhere near as good as the iGrado's. If you want good bass and a great sound from top to bottom in the behind-the-ear form factor, the iGRADO's are THE BEST. Don't spend half to ultimately be unsatisfied.$LABEL$1 +Hello Kitty sing-a-long CD, Karaoke system,. Got this for our 5 year old Granddaughter. She can listen & sings a long all day with One Direction. She also loves to have us sing together. Thank you the price was great and made our Granddaughter very happy, Again, Thank you. We did have to return the first one the CD player did not work.Which was very easy to do.$LABEL$1 +This album is awesome. Every song on this CD is great!!! Mr. Samuels brings you on a warped trip, through the sick mind of a suicidal teacher. Mood Organ makes me want to wake up and dial a smile. Adult Swim, Chemagrin and Unwelcome Pineapple are pure and simple great rock songs. Miss Velocity is ready the charts. Fountains is one of the best sounding songs I have ever heard recorded.The great thing about Another Engine is, not only are they great studio musicians, they are incredible live performers too. Check these guys out. You won't be sorry.$LABEL$0 +Classic synth sounds!. Touch is another synthpop masterpiece by Eurythmics that has stood the test of time very well. Not quite on the level of Sweet Dreams, it nevertheless contains brilliant songs like the atmospheric Here Comes The Rain Again with its evocative lyric, the compelling Right By Your Side with its riveting reggae beat and the soulful Who's That Girl. The arrangements are innovative throughout and lend merit even to the lesser songs like Regrets with its frisky trumpets. Another favorite of mine is Paint A Rumour with its skittering beat and subtle synth flourishes - it really grows on you. On Touch, Eurythmics consolidated the sound they introduced on Sweet Dreams, before they veered off into new directions with 1985's Be Yourself Tonight and the following year's Revenge. It remains a synth-pop classic.$LABEL$1 +An attention getter!. We bought this for my 2 1/2 year old son for Christmas. He loved it and still does. He really does not care about the story too much. He mostly likes the music, counting, and pointing to pictures and it tells what the picture is. Its very durable. The only problem is the cartriages are small, but we try to keep the books and cartriages in a back pack. We bought all the books but he loves Ernie's Neighborhood and Blue's Clues the most. It was definately worth it!$LABEL$1 +Terrible. Terrible movie. Bad animation, horrible character design, even worse story that couldn't decide if it was a teen angst comedy or military sci-fi. A real waste of a license with potential. Original mecha designs from the MOSPEADA series are good, but there is nothing worth while to see here. Robotech, despite its hacked pedigree, is ripe for some good story telling of what other people went through during the various alien invasions - but this movie is a feature length sophomoric fan fiction product. I cannot imagine ever wanting to watch it again. A shame, as being a mecha fan I would really like to see a serious effort homegrown in America.$LABEL$0 +Try to see it my way. After seeing Paul McCartney's Tours for Flowers in the Dirt and Off the Ground, I'll say his voice for this tour was the best I've ever heard. Listen to "Get Back" & "Paul is Live" then listen to this. The songs, stage show,overall effects, the band and his voice haven't been this good since the Wings "RockShow" video. Every minute was full of an energy and enthusiasm I thought was lost long ago. If you have a home theater system set it for stadium or arena and crank it!!!$LABEL$1 +Thumbs down on this one.... I just finished reading this book and all I can say is that it's like reading one of those "for entertainment purposes only" astrology books. The things the author has to say about my AB blood type just do not fit with reality as I know it. He has my physiology wrong and my personality wrong- and wrong in some very fundamental ways. Foods he says I shouldn't eat are foods that I do well on and foods that he recommends as highly beneficial give me heart burn. He says people with my blood type don't lose weight using lo-carb, high fat and protein diets i.e. (Dr.Atkins). In actuality- the Atkins diet is the only way I have ever been able to lose weight. For anyone sincerely interested in improving their health, I would recommend reading "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty, "NeanderThin" by Ray Audette and "Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution" by Dr. Atkins. These are good solid books that have seriously helped me. Not pseudo science like "Eat Right for Your Type".$LABEL$0 +Review #71. I've browsed the other 70 reviews and have been overwhelemd by the stars. I have to tell you, however, that Angel Dust is the worst album ever created. My first college roommate played it every day (along with Empire from Queensryche) and it never grew on me. This is an educated review. Why? - I've heard this stinking album over and over and I hate it. I'm glad FNM is dead and buried.$LABEL$0 +Ivy = Fun! Laugh out loud! Escape!. If laughter is the best medicine; then I am surely cured of the winter doldrums! Quinn skewers the worst of corporate America's covert antics, the sometimes over-the-top entitlements taken by the privilaged few and the foibles of the nearing-middle-aged woman trying to reinvent her life after being dealt the double whammy of losing job and marriage simultaneouly. Not since Bridget Jones have I laughed out loud this much! Thank you Karen Quinn-keep writing! Hope to see it as a movie and read your next book.$LABEL$1 +Welcome Back Bob. In the era of bubblegum pop crammed down our throats by the diluge of boy bands, teen-pop princesses, and tasteless record executives, Dylan's newest, "Love and Theft" is the stuff dreams are made of... perfect songwriting, lyrical prowess, and one of the tightest bands ever assembled. Dylan's latest masterpiece is the long-awaited follow up to the 1997 multi-Grammy award winning "Time Out of Mind" and is more than worth the wait. If you love top-notch songwriting and the incredible group dynamic possessed by Dylan's latest band (his road band for the last several years), you need to do yourself a favor and pick up this album!Sadly, this album was released on the same date as the horrible terrorist attacks in NYC and Washington. However, leave it to Bob Dylan and his impeccable songwriting talents to add some joy and pleasure into a dark and dismal day in American history. A true masterpiece.$LABEL$1 +shimmering hints of electronica. Chilled, smooth music to suit your every mood that you can occasionally sing along to with divine, understated vocals by Donna Rawlins, shimmering hints of electronica (especially in Shadows Fall) and moments of sheer Pop classicism (Daeya). Check out Rawlins in her three (!) other bands, Country-Bluegrass group Rosemont Crossing, the Goddess-Rock, all-girl Drawing Down the Moon, and Folk-Pop band Imaginary Friends.$LABEL$1 +It should be illegal to make such a bad movie. Unlike the first leagally blonde which I loved this one was terrible! I wouldn't even bother renting it! It has a dumb plot and you should stay away! I lost my attention in the first 30 minutes!$LABEL$0 +No single player campaign... I'm giving Red Orchestra a bad review as it is just plainly false advertising. I don't have high speed internet and bought the game in a local store thinking by looking at the case it had a actual single player mode... it doesn't. It did say a internet connection was required to activate the game, it does not say if you have 56K you will be downloading for 4+ days just to get a glimpse of the game.I usually buy games for the single player mode as I don't have a choice of getting broadband where we live, I guess I'll be more careful when it comes to these kinds of products.The game, once I got to it, was pretty cool but gets boring fast in the practice mode, there is no campaigns etc for a single player. I'd give the gameplay a nice score say 4 stars, if you got broadband this would definately be a good game to purchase. But they need to describe the game and the hoops you need to jump through to play it more thoroughly on the packaging...$LABEL$0 +No temperature reading.. Even after several hours, this thermometer remains black (see my customer image). The tank's heater is set for 82F for my betta and I wanted to make sure the heater was accurate. I like the small design, but this thermometer is useless.$LABEL$0 +no stars: defective. appears to be either expired (no labels on plain clear container) or just strips of construction paper. terrible , awful , worthless (completely) !$LABEL$0 +Fantastic Romance/Drama. This is the first book that I have read from this author and I am greatly impressed. After reading the opening chapter, I felt as if I was home again. Everyone who reads this will be able to relate to the characters. Whether it be to Randi & Kay personally, to their families or to their workplaces. I really enjoyed how you never knew from one moment to the next what their ex's were up to. All of the characters are richly drawn and real to life. Unlike many books written these days you really do not know how it will end. Will they admit their feelings for each other? And if they do, will they still in the end to back to their ex's out of guilt or fear? This book is a roller coaster ride that I highly recommend. Kudos.$LABEL$1 +Another Good album!!!. The cd is okay(and I am a big MOS fan)...............I was kinda expecting more but overall the songs are nice but the album is sooo short.$LABEL$1 +has many flaws! not her best by far. Just not sure why martina would record a cd of remakes this early in her career! I did not care for any of these songs. Martina should have left this cd out and recorded something like her "wild angels" cd. I dont even like her voice on any of these songs. I would not encourage any one to buy this cd, buy her last one "martina" to hear her in her full glory!$LABEL$0 +Overall, Great Product!. If you have an iPod video and love to go running or jogging, this armband is prefect! It easily just goes around your arm and your off to run with your music playing!$LABEL$1 +Wonderful book for ALL teen age girls!!. This is a wonderful book that all teen age girls should read. It is full of wonderful ideas on how to be the best that you can be. The importance of being proud of who you are is stressed over and over again. Goal setting and attitude are discussed. The book gives many practical suggestions on how to look your best using color and style, and how to establish your own identy. A great handbook for all teen age girls and their mothers.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy this item. The finish will burn off after 2 uses!. Don't buy this item. The finish will burn off after 2 uses! and when you contact char-griller they will tell you that your warranty will not cover their shoddy product! in the day and age i would think they would be more concerned with keeping customers.$LABEL$0 +Kitchen soap dispenser. The item looks very nice, but the soap dispenser does not work well at all. Continuous pumping results in a minimal amount of soap (and I'm not using thick soap). Very disappointing purchase.$LABEL$0 +Lennon Acoustic. This is a piece of Lennon history. It travels from some intimate moments with John, to some stellar live performances. The album moves at a nice pace, it doesn't drag at all. The three live recordings are very good. Real Love sounds great here. What caught me by surprise was Look At Me. Though it has a great message, the sound of the original always turned me off a bit. This version helped me to embrace John's lyrics.For some reason, Amazon lists an extra track, "I'm A Man". This is not a track on the album. Check the back cover, shown as a customer image, to see for yourself.$LABEL$1 +I should have listened to other rating!. Had 1 week, and other than very difficult to read front panel, that I can live with, but as already destroyed one of my favorite cassettes, the Ways of a Ship, I was heartbroken, well very sad, it just stopped and I ejected with a few feet tape behind and completely cut off. The whole reason I bought was to have a cassette player. I afraid to use it again, if I were you look somewhere's else.$LABEL$0 +My Review of Tripfall. I bought this movie because Rachel Hunter is in it. I will still buy anything that she stars in. OK, so the plot line is a little silly, but Eric Roberts was still convincing as a villian and again, you have Rachel in it.Mike Serovey$LABEL$1 +To be read with caution. This book amasses a lot of information from different sources, apparently more interested in capturing the reader's attention at any cost rather than in giving accurate information. Some statements are a challenge to the basic facts of Portuguese history and a challenge to the basic notions of history periods in general. There is no such thing as a "pre-historic Lusitania" as this book says. In level of mediocrity this book is comparable to Ian Robertson's A Traveller's History of Portugal, two books to be read (if at all) with a good deal of caution.$LABEL$0 +The PILL. No what I expected, very slow and not interesting. absolutely no point. unreal and at some point stupid.Boring and expensive for this type of movie.....$LABEL$0 +pretentious and contrived. Being a huge fan of the science fiction genre, I was delighted to learn of a sci fi movie whose theatrical release I somehow missed. And Bruce Willis playing the hero being means it must be a sure fire hit, right ?Wrong ! This was truly the most contrived and unimaginitive piece of drivel I have seen in a long time. And no, I'm not "slow" or unsophisticated. I just didn't see any ideas here which had not been done, significantly better, by Star Trek, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The only character I found modestly intriguing was the opera singer alien. And she got wasted rather quickly, leaving only the highly stereotypical characters. The above average visuals were not enough to redeem the tired plot.My advice is rent it if you are really curious. It was certainly not worthy of being added to my fine sci fi DVD collection.$LABEL$0 +A book that says nothing. I rarely write reviews on Amazon, but I can't help but try to save someone else from the frustration of wasting time on this book. While I typically enjoy almost any business book, this one was painful. Lots of mumbo-jumbo with no real substance, this book continually uses it's own title as though it were a buzzword that had some sort of real meaning. Since it was only vaguely (at best) defined the whole book is very foggy and unclear.You know how you often times have to wade through the first chapter or two of a book to get to the meat? You feel like it hasn't really said anything but is just about to get going? You'll still feel like that when you get to the end of this one.$LABEL$0 +Weak Sloppy Art and Poor Writing Insult the Series. The orginal 8 episode Bubblegum Crisis is a masterpiece of great futuristic anime and one of my all time favorites. The art in this new version 2040 is a total insult to the franchise and looks worse than the Flintstones or Scooby-Doo. I mean you have these monsters that look like a paper cut out with a couple of holes and bolt, and none of the great writing that came with the original. I almost never bash anime but in this case the art is so bad it deserves it. It is like someone just picked up the title to make a quick yen and spent no time, money, or thought on it because they were counting on the fame of the original to sell it. I am sure they made their money because of that but this is truly the worst quality anime I have ever seen, yes, the worst. Don't reward these makers of junk who insult the awesome original Bubblegum Crisis.$LABEL$0 +not so much. Insulted for mj and not laughing. To be fair tho, did not watch all the way through. Love the actress tho.$LABEL$0 +Boring, boring, boring. Grisham has definitely lost his edge! Where is the suspense? Where are the page turners we so eagerly awaited since "The King of Torts"? We're sick of reading about racism in the South in the 1970's, we want a book that's a gripping read like his earlier books. Quite a disappointment.$LABEL$0 +Springbok is still capturing my audience. Beautiful sturdy Springbok puzzles are at the very top of my list as always.The puzzles frame perfectly!! By the way, I do not consider this a toy!$LABEL$1 +Horrid. Zero stars.. This was the most poorly written and executed book I have read in decades. Deadly booring. Run from this overhyped title. One of the few books I have ever thrown away in disgust.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy! Terrible product.. I bought two of these about 2 months ago. I put them in my Uniden phones and charged them as recommended. One battery melted the inside of one of my phones. The other only holds a charge for 20-25 minutes before going dead. I am annoyed because Amazon says it is too late to return them but they are really poorly made, defective products. Now I have to buy a new handset too!$LABEL$0 +Solid book on introductory QM. This book is a good place to start your introductory study of QM. The historical material at the start provides a good motivaion and perspective on further developments in QM. All the important and pivotal aspects of Nonrelativistic QM are worked out in considerable details and this is a boon for a newcomer. Studying books like Merzbacker or Schiff becomes easy after this. The only shortcoming is the lack of problems, most are exercises.$LABEL$1 +Great, with one mistake. Like the other reviewer said, this is a great 1 disc distillation of The 2 CD "Cup of Loneliness" compilation that also adds "She Thinks I Still Care" from the United Artists period. If you want more than this get "Cup of Loneliness" and The Razor and Tie "She Thinks I still Care". For some reason, both this and the other Mercury compilation substitute a rerecording of "Why Baby Why". I don't know why since they use the orginals of a couple other Starday recordings. Anyway, if you want the original version, which I think is better, you'll find it on Columbia's Spirit of Country, and probably a 100 other compilations.$LABEL$1 +Didn't Dig Digging. I found this book rather boring. Every time I thought something interesting was going to happen, nothing did.$LABEL$0 +A Shred Sensation. Perfect, i have never heard anything as beautiful as this. When I found this at a neighborhood yardsale i almost defecated my pants. Jeff Martin sings like an angel. 30 seconds into Paul Gilberts electric guitar solo and i was speechless. So Racers, if you're feeling dangerous, pop this cd in and let good times roll!$LABEL$1 +I should make these. It serves the purpose of securing your bike rack to your hitch but Thule is clearly bending us over without the courtesy of a reach around. Way over priced!!!!!! Next time I need a product that Thule is the market competing I will not even consider purchasing a Thule product.$LABEL$0 +Great little picture.. Classic Corman Z-grade film about flower shop owner who is forced to feed humans to a plant named Audrey Jr. Hammy performances make this a winner!$LABEL$1 +Justin Rocks!!!. A great version from FutureSex/LoveSounds!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! CD with 3 New Re-mixes bonus including duet with Beyonce, Missy Elliot and 50 cent! And 60 minute Bonus DVD featuring tv performances, all of his hit music videos, making of and much more!! Just perfect!!$LABEL$1 +Better than Kiss The Girls. I think Morgan Freeman was superb, as always. I was pleasantly surprised with the acting of Monica Potter though. I think that the suspense was great, with plenty of twists through the movie. It was much better than Kiss The Girls in fact, a movie I could figure the "bad-guy" out before it was half over. The only bad thing I can say about the movie, is the car crash in the beginning. It looked terrible, and was too obvious it had been done on computers. If you enjoy drama/suspense films, you'll surely enjoy this one.$LABEL$1 +Terrible Battery. The price is low but so is the ability to hold a charge. In my Kyocera camera I am not able to take more than 12 shots before it dies. The battery is only 6 months old$LABEL$0 +Great book with great ideas simplified. This book is as good as a thick textbook on copywriting. Mr. Kennedy doesnt waste words and gets to the point in every sentence in this book. Also of great interest are copies of sales letters he wrote for his clients.What I liked about this book was chapter/step 6: Getting your sales letter read. There are generous examples of attention-getting headlines and fill in the blank headlines. A lot of these caught my attention and I'm very picky about which emails to open because I've looked at thousands of them, but the samples in this book are still good to use.I like this book because it is like AWAI's copywriting course condensed into one book.Read this book today and start writing better copy.$LABEL$1 +Nice Collection. Even though Hanson are viewed as that lil boy group that sang that "Mmm Bop" song, one might be surprised to know that they did more after that and even still have a small, but very devoted fanbase. This set represents their work from 1997-2000. It has the singles that made them famous from their first album including their only two top 10 hits "Mmm Bop" and "I Will Come To You." They also had minor hits with "Where's the Love", "This Time Around", "Weird", and "If Only." This even includes a track from their Christmas album.$LABEL$1 +Don't Get These. I ordered the three because I was looking for these games that would be able to work on a mac computer and it said that they did, well they don't! SO if anyone looks at these hoping they do, don't bother because I can't even install them$LABEL$0 +toe tapping music. Jim Gill sure knows how to get the children to participate. His songs are so enticing! Everytime I put this CD on the kids start singing and start doing the motions.$LABEL$1 +Good Quality Flash Drive. A very good price for the Flash drive. Very easy to use... and the best part is the U3 that runs automatically when i plug in the flash drive..... giving many easy to use options (including game). I am very happy with my purchase.$LABEL$1 +Good, but.... I wanted a few books for reference, to share with working musician friends. This book does seem to be complete, but, with its total lack of diagrams and illustrations, really makes for very boring reading.I would recommend instead this book: "Live Sound Reinforcement: A Comprehensive Guide to P.A. and Music Reinforcement Systems and Technology", ISBN 0918371074.Another excellent sound reference is the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, from Hal Leonard (# HL 00500964). A littl e more detailed than the above recommended book, but still good for both beginners and experts.$LABEL$0 +Don't Bother. I'm sure there are ten year olds who could come up with a better novel then this. The lead character is so immature and over dramatic he is enough to keep all closeted gay men with their wives.I don't even know how this thing got published.$LABEL$0 +Reasonable sound, but need a bit of power in your reciever.. I purchased these for my cabin in MT for outdoor listening by our camp fire...about 25 yards away from location. Reviews were quite high so I decided to go for it. I think the sound is fairly accurate with good mid range and lows for inexpensive speakers, but these do require a bit of power to drive...I had Polk audio speakers earlier, and they only required half the volume. Overall, I am pleased, but maybe need a more powerful reciever than my old Yamaha...$LABEL$1 +Unknown. The transaction and movie were excellent. However, it was not what I expected. It was a different twist. I would recommend the film to a friend.$LABEL$1 +Sending it back. I don't like this game because there are brackets around all the numbers and letters of the cards and it makes it very difficult to see what there are.....You also have to hold it at an odd angle to see it at all.....................$LABEL$0 +awsome. this cd is great, all the beats are catchy and the lyrics are great, theres not one bad or ok song on here, its a perfect score$LABEL$1 +good for the most part, but could be better.. i love built to spill, always have. the problem is, i've never liked live albums. it always seems like a "had to be there" affair. this album doesn't feel that way because the production is so good. really. i'm sure you've heard the songs, as most people who buy this will know who built to spill are, so i won't talk about what songs are good. the only complaint is that it could use more early material. oh well...$LABEL$1 +There Is A Difference In Prducts. Beware. The tag on the product I received listed it as Fine Texture. There was no mention of that on the Amazon order screen. These cloths were flimsy and didn't hold up. My fingers pushed through the weave while using it. I love the product in the blue box by Flower Valley, which is what I thought I was ordering.$LABEL$0 +yummie. Was suggested to get suckers to grab in my attempt to quit smoking, but I was getting an upset stomach from TOO MUCH SUGAR.. these sugar free ones are GREAT!!! & they have a better flavor to them! example; the orange one taste more orange than the sugar ones! just got them today & instead of a cigg I had the orane one,,,, I liked it! , , , now maybe I can kick the habbit??? either way these are very tasty!!! can't wait to try all the other flavors when I get the urge to have a smoke..$LABEL$1 +Loving Someone Gay. This book was absolutely super. It helped me and my gay partner take our sex life to a new level. I thought he was good before! He gave me lovin' like I never thought would be possible. If you are gay like me, and want to rock your gay partners' world, you need to read this book.$LABEL$1 +One word: BORING. Superstar is one of the worst songs I have ever heard!! It is beyond boring..it is not Rubens fault..the version is too slow and there is too much time with just instrumentals. Flying Without Wings is a good song but Rubens version is nothing special. Don't waste your money on it.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. This book was a great disappointment to me. I love books that have a real setting and yet there is a touch of magic thrown in. Christopher Moore is a master at this type of narrative. He makes you feel as though YOU could stumble onto something mythical in your day to day life. "The Tooth Fairy" did not deliver this. This was a sexually twisted piece of writing. The book might have been more enjoyable if it had just given in to its erotic fixation fully and quit trying to be a creepy coming of age story. At the end of the book I had nothing invested in the story or the characters. The only reason I finished it was a misguided hope that the ending would reveal SOMETHING.$LABEL$0 +Non stop laughs. Non stop laughs through the entirety of this show. Every season is great and the characters are well developed. As the show continues, it only gets better and better.$LABEL$1 +A big dissapointment. .......Cool boarders 3 is a lot better than 4.Here are mycomplaints 1. the boards go to ... slow, witch always puts me in 4th place in a race. 2.theres hardly any jumps to do any tricks. 3.coolboarders 3 starts you off with about 3 courses, and like maybe 6 or 7 players I think,just untill you do the tournement and unlock them all.And like a couple boards to choose from.cool boarders 4 only starts you off with 2 courses, and 2 players, and probably like 3 boards,............ I found it getting aggravating and boring fast.Lucky I got to take the game back and trade it in with the store I bought it at,After that I bought cool boarders 3, the better one.Where the boards go faster,u start off with more than two coarses,players,and boards.And you get big jumps to.So don't waste your money on this buy the 3rd one instead.$LABEL$0 +Warm and cozy. Its a bit overrated and overpriced, but uggs classic boots are super warm and cozy to wear. I do like the tall boots because of the fold down looks that you can get out of one boot. Problem is that the sole support is not that great. For the amount of money, I expect to be able to walk in these boots as if they were sneakers. I am a size 7.5, but a 7 fit me perfectly.$LABEL$1 +I love this CD!!. After watching the movie, "Armegeddon", I was afraid that the soundtrack would not live up to the movie. Well, I definitely was wrong for this is one of the best soundtracks I own. I loved the movie and I loved the soundtrack equally. Aerosmith did a great job with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "What Kind of Love Are You On". I also enjoyed Shawn Colvin's "When the Rainbow Comes", Jon Bon Jovi's "Mister Big Time", Patty Smyth's "Wish I Were You", and especially "Animal Crackers". Last but not least, Chantal Kreviazuk's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" brought tears to my eyes. All in all, this is a wonderful CD and I would recommend it to anyone.$LABEL$1 +We'll Miss Her. I thought this was a lovely book and looked forward to more from Amanda Davis. Just read that she was killed in a plane crash with her parents on February 18th 2003.$LABEL$1 +if you have to throw away $150.... If you actually buy this book you're paying for the illustrations. Don't waste your time actually reading it, the presentation of the material is ponderous and completely unimaginative. The chapter on immunology is one of the worst I've seen anywhere.The COVER of the book speaks volumes for its content. I'd be afraid to be seen in public with it.$LABEL$0 +WWF Survivor Series 2001. 1st Match: Christain VS Al Snow *WINNER: Christain2nd Match: Tajiri VS William Regal ****WINNER: William Regal3rd Match: Edge VS Test ***WINNER: Edge4th Match: Hardy Boyz VS Dudley Boyz ***WINNER: Dudley Boyz5th Match: Immunity Battle Royal ****WINNER: Test6th Match: Lita VS Trish VS Jackie VS Molly VS Jazz VS Ivory ***WINNER: Trish StratusMain Event: Team WWF VS Team Alliance *****WINNER: Team WWF$LABEL$0 +Fairly Good Book. This book is representative of Ruth White's former books upon chakras and spirit guides. This book gives a basic review of the chakras systems and goes in depth about contacting your own spirit guides. White provides useful exercises for meeting your spirit guide, such as vision techniques, meditation techniques, and the proper questions to ask your guide.If you enjoyed White's previous books, this one should not disappoint.$LABEL$1 +La Verne. Still taking the lozenges daily and only one and I have no problems so far, I really feel they are helping my system. Will keep taking them, my husband is also taking them and works for him too.$LABEL$1 +Here it is Folks!!!. It is AVAILABLE for pre-order. YES YES YES. Order it now, then we'll see season 3 in no time. Also fans of Falcon Crest order this title and improve the chances of seeing a FC season 1 release not too long after.$LABEL$1 +New Benchmark. If you like superb video and audio and appreciate classical music genius, this is the ultimate disc for you. If you own 1080p video and at least moderately good multichannel audio equipment, you are in for a treat. The performance is flawless and the vediophile and audiophile experience is without peer. Even the camerawork and the shots of the hall are breathtaking. This disc sets the bar at a new high level for those of us who are looking not only for the best performances from the best of the best but stunning video and audio technology This disc is a must have. My only regret is that it makes the rest of my library a little disappointing. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!$LABEL$1 +ERROR PRONE and no source files. Upfront, in defense of the authors, I will admit that buying the book in 2003 does put it at a disadvantage. That said... The book was obviously "thrown together" with more mistakes than I have ever run into.. especially in the source code. Example: The book references both "the CD included" and a web site to download the files - NEITHER OF WHICH EXIST. The source code listed in the book is full of errors. On the positive side, I've found it to be useful as an introduction to animated graphics; however, if you are a newbie to java, forget it!$LABEL$0 +If you don't know about Stomp.... If you haven't been exposed to the experience that is Stomp, here is your chance. It is a short DVD but quite a lot is introduced in the performance. I highly recommend this DVD if you can't make it to the live show. But if you can get out, go see the show live. I think it's better than the DVD! So, either way, enjoy!$LABEL$1 +meybg. I swear on this i have been using AUQA GLYCOLIC for 20 years. I'm 61 and i have a lot less wrinkels than my friends my age. Buy and use it you wont be sorry in the long run.$LABEL$1 +mouse not worth the time or money. this mouse is a flop- trying to get it to read your fingerprints is an exercise in futility- does not save time or secure anything$LABEL$0 +The story behind this book, well known in English History: hanky-panky.. John Dee, the man who invented the phrase 'The British Empire' had a pretty wife who was much younger than he.A much younger man, whose name I forget, helped him to write these books, then told him that the spirits-whom he had consulted- were suggesting that it would be a good idea if he slept with Dee's wife.Dee was taken in, and the man had his evil way with her.You should not take Dee's books unduly seriously.They are a con on many levels.Dee, after all, aimed to gain money and influence through them, as much as his helper planned to sleep with his wife.)$LABEL$0 +"Bad Love" can make you laugh after all!. I love this CD! My two favorite songs are Shame and Better Off Dead. I love a songwriter that can make me laugh, and Randy's sense of humor is just my style! I have been listening to this exclusively for a week now, because it has it all...great music and great lyrics too.$LABEL$1 +Comfort Zone. The music on this CD helps one relax. Today's world carries a lot of stress over many different things. We need to get unwound today so we can think clearly. I recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Not even close to Saving Private Ryan!. I am a WWII vet, 1st all-filipino infantry regiment, U.S Army, trained at Fort Ord, Monterey Ca. 1942. Although I was not in the European Theater, I fought in the Pacific, Thin Red Line does not come close to Saving Private Ryan in any aspect of war. Losing many friends on the field and dealing with war itself is something I cannot describe. Watching Private Ryan is as close as you can get to REAL combat. The thin red line is a good movie that takes war in a different perspective, but please do not compare it to a great movie like Saving Private Ryan.$LABEL$0 +More answers to the questions that make you go "Hmmm...". Dave Feldman does it again... If you are or WERE the kid in the back row in math class staring into space wondering just why steam rises out of New York City sewers or how M&M's are made without seams (and how do they get the "M" stamped on there without cracking the shell?) then these books are for you! Look for this title as well as Dave Feldman's other books, such as "Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise", "How Does Aspirin Find a Headache" and the ever-popular "Just What are Hyenas Laughing at Anyway?" at your local bookstore, or save yourself the hassle at the mall and just order it from Amazon.Com!$LABEL$1 +It was ok..... Would you try another book from C.E. Murphy and/or Gabra Zackman?I think I'll pass on both of them.Would you ever listen to anything by C.E. Murphy again?C.E. Murphy wrote a romance book and that is what it is. I wouldn't think C.E. Murphy would want to change anything. It fit the book that C.E. Murphy was trying for.What didn't you like about Gabra Zackman's performance?It was a very flat performance. Very dry.Any additional comments?It was to more romance and not enough Urban Fantasy for me.$LABEL$0 +dope. assbookyoi loveitim new to wiccaandit really helpsit has more than big texts books even have in shorter amount of wordsbut it says so muchits really dope and the title speaks for itself so yeah$LABEL$1 +insanity. This Movie makes us think that we can change ourselves and this is a very dangerous philosophy. If we believe we can change ourselves then we believe we can change others. thus putting us in grave danger of becoming tyrants and self serving, ego maniacs. The only thing that can truly change anyone is, the savior Jesus Christ. We must wash our minds with scripture and let God transform our lives, only then can we receive what our hearts truly desire.$LABEL$0 +Boring and predictable. There is nothing new nor interesting in this book. Liberace was gay. Really? Gosh, I didn't know that. Sinatra could be mean. Who'd a thunk? People had parties at their houses where lord only knows what went on because the parties were on private property. Oh, heaven forbid. At least some of the photos were nice.$LABEL$0 +Propaganda. From the muddled musings of Rowan Scarborough one would close this book "safe in the knowledge" that Mr Rumsfeld is a noble and intelligent man and not the oil sipping lunatic that he really is.$LABEL$0 +One of the coolest ps1 games. This game rocks. A must have.The monsters are cool.The graphics and scene's are even cooler. I recommend it.Gave it 5 stars.I played it for hours and hours on end.Good luck finding it though$LABEL$1 +What's up with all the 5 stars???. There are only 2 humorous things about this book: The book title and the chapter titles. I read through the book thinking "ok, was that supposed to be funny?". I kept reading though, cause I never give up on a book until I finish it. But this one has no redemption. It's a waste of your money and time even if you're reading it while taking a potty.$LABEL$0 +WASTE OF TIME!. For being one of the most popular movies of its kind, it really was a big waste of time. I never new a Steve McQueen movie could be so overrated until I saw this. I had never seen the movie until last week, and boy was I dissapointed. All these years of hearing and reading all the hype, for nothing. I admit I was convinced it was good even before I saw it, again, I was wrong. It is not that thrilling or suspensfull. I know it was based on the true story, and I admire the real POWs for everything they endured, but this movie does them a disservice by trying to make it funny at times. Not admirable. Don't waste your money, just rent it if you want to see it. Forgetable after its over and done with.$LABEL$0 +Sound advice from a true sleep specialist!. My son didn't start sleeping through the night until he was 19 months old. That was when we started seeing Dr. Mindell. She and her book were wonderful for our family. She is compassionate and offers no-nonsense advice for helping your entire family get to sleep!$LABEL$1 +Agony. There is little to do with the Enemy in this movie... It doesn't tell us to hate the American, or to pity the noble Japanese. The enemy was greed, war, disease, and apathy... so many children suffered in this long, terrible war, we can't ever atone for it. This movie is not some sword-wielding, prophecy-fulfilling anime, it is of agony, love, trust, family, and sorrow so deep that one cannot express it.I don't know about you, but this film crushed me, I couldn't stop crying for hours.... It let me never want to see war again.$LABEL$1 +Oops.... Just rec'd the wgt624. Heard that there was a firmware fix from other posts here. Went to check it out. asked for my serial number and I got the following response:Your router has been identified to have a compatibility issue with the current available firmware upgrades. It is an issue that is related to the internal flash memory of the router and additional firmware upgrades may cause it to lose its basic functionality. Therefore, Netgear recommends that you take no additional actions with the router for the time being.Although this affects only a small batch of units, there is currently no firmware or software fix for this issue. As part of the Netgear commitment to our customers, Netgear is offering to swap your router with a replacement that does not have this issue.To proceed with a replacement request, click hereLove that quality control... we'll see if I keep the product, and how amazon handles return policy on this one... I may change my rating later depending...$LABEL$0 +Certainly not clockwork or an amazing process, but very effective apparently.. My daughter is older (11), but very petite. Bedwetting has been a very tough lingering issue for us, as she has a very small bladder and is a very deep sleeper. She wore it 3 times. The first time it did not work for some reason. The next couple, it kind of did. Although it certainly wasn't the picture perfect buzzer goes off, so she goes to the bathroom scenario. Honestly at the time I didn't think it worked, and that I had bought a lemon of a product. But, the couple of times it buzzed her awake seems to have done the trick.All in all I bought it so that she would stop bedwetting on the advice of her pediatrician. She has completely stopped now for a couple of months. So I have to rate this product a 5 star for coming through on it's claims. Certainly not clockwork or an amazing process, but very effective apparently.$LABEL$1 +Not good. I'm a Boston fan from way back. It seems as though with each album they've made, it gets worse as time goes by. I'm at a loss for why, too. Scholz wrote most of the music back in the "old days" and Fran Cosmo sounds creepily like Brad Delp (for the most part). But this outing is far below par. Far below. The best song on here is Cryin'. It really sounds like they should sound. Cryin' is really a good song. The rest, to me, is filler.Also, all the feel-good environmental, save-the-animals stuff plastered all over the booklet is a big turn off. It comes off as some left-wing baloney to me. I'm all for protecting the environment and unnecessary slaughter of animals, but they go too far in the cd booklet.Of course, those that read this and disagree will have all kinds of nasty things to say. But that's the hallmark of the left today. Disagree with them and they WILL attack.I'm Libertarian, btw, for all the kooks' knowledge.$LABEL$0 +For the birds!!!!. The only reason for buying this book is if you own a bird because it will be usefull for lining the bottom of the cage. The author should be embarassed to have his name associated with this book because it is a complete failure. This book will NOT help you pass the IIS 4 exam. A definite DO NOT BUY!!!!$LABEL$0 +Bad Bad One indeed!. Meredith can't sing and her music is so trite it's pathetic. I can't believe any majob label wants her on their roster. The only half decent thing she put out was that lame Alanis Morissette [...]$LABEL$0 +waste of money. I bought this item used and regretted it. Whatever you try to grate gets stuck at the blade. It is also slow - I can do it by hand way faster. No point to this gadget at all.$LABEL$0 +Christmas gift. The problem I have with this purchase does not involve the product, but rather the company that I purchased them from. I had these shoes sent to my son as a gift. Unfortunately, they were shipped with the ink-filled security button still in place, so he was unable to wear them, and since they were an online order item, it has been an extreme inconvenience to make a return. The company sent another pair of shoe with the instructions that they would also send a pre-paid mailing label, so my son could return the original pair. When I spoke to my son last week, he had not yet received the return label. I am waiting now to see if my credit card has been billed twice for this item. I am very unhappy with this purchase.$LABEL$0 +Too perverted for me. I bought this after reading one review. I wish I had read more as this was a horrible book that I didn't read after the beginning. I don't get how people can read this ugly stuff$LABEL$0 +Ageless. I am 60 years old, but because of good genes I look quite a bit younger than my age. When I wear Bare Minerals foundation I find people staring at me - their reason is "You look amazing. Your skin in absolutely flawless." My answer to them is "good genes and Bare Minerals foundation!"$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected!. This HD radio is not what I expected at all. The reception is terrible even with the antennas that were included. I've had a chance to hear other HD radios and this one is very below standards. After 6 months use, my remote has buttons that no longer work. I'd return it but it's not worth the trouble. Live and learn. I give it a rare, "DON'T BUY THIS ITEM"!$LABEL$0 +Worked very well for me. I was somewhat surprised to see this trap rated so poorly because I had very good luck with it. It was the third kind I tried and I the first my mice weren't able to outsmart. Caught the whole family living in my garage over the course of a couple of months (one at a time of course). I agree with the reviewer who said you do need a hard, level, flat surface (like my concrete garage floor) for them to work properly. Also, Re: the person who said that they don't always lock shut, a tiny squirt of WD-40 on the yellow plastic tab completely eliminated that problem. They get a 4/5 only because they are a pain to clean out after each use (bait + frightened mouse = lots of pooping & peeing). Also need to get that mouse out quickly because they will overheat in such a small space and die, missing the point of a humane trap.$LABEL$1 +A Great Read. This is my first book by this author and I found it well written and its story interesting, exciting and occasionally humorous. Unnecessarily vulgar, it's true, but once you've accepted that, most entertaining. I will now look at some of her other books. If you don't mind a lot of X-rated language, I would certainly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Brings in the waist, but that's about all.. This bra is fantastic for wearing under vintage clothing, when you're going for that bullet bra look. It brings in the waist and provides that lovely rib-cage shaping so vital for 50s "new look" dresses. However, it offers very little in the way of cup support and nothing in the way of the kind of cup molding that is common with modern brassieres. This means that the wear one can get from this undergarment is very limited, particularly for small-busted ladies.$LABEL$1 +Nice typeface. I like the typeface that the publisher uses here, but beyond that, there is little good I can say about this book. It's boring. The author does little to intergrate her discussions of different aspects of the geography of Mexico. It's just like, Here are the Pyramids...Bam! Here are some folk dancers.And then there's this little piece of propaganda..."...the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement made it easier and less expensive for Mexico to trade goods with its North American neighbors."No discussion beyond that. then bam! on to Fiestas, Music, and Arts!$LABEL$0 +A box full of rocks.. New and out of the shrink wrap my DVDs won't play. I wonder how many people are getting rooked. For the price they charged you'd think they could at least put working DVDs in those pretty cases!!PS: I have multiple DVD players in perfect condition. I play hundreds of DVDs (and keep all of them scratch free), when I say they are defective it is because they are.$LABEL$0 +Affordable, straightforward. Bought and installed the two-bike version. For an inexpensive item, I have no complaints. Certainly, it's only as sturdy as your wall-mount point (since the spine is assembled from several shorter square pipe segments, it would not hold vertical by itself, even if bike weight were well balanced). If I had my druthers, it would not hang the bikes quite as far out from the wall (a road bike or kids bike only needs 10-inch arm for hook, and this is longer), but it's a one-size-fits-all solution, and will handle even fairly wide mountain bars easily.$LABEL$1 +Love it!. They were the perfect size for valentine suckers. Easy to use and the chocolate popped right out of the mold after hardening.$LABEL$1 +Judo Kudos. This has to be one of the finest books published on Judo and is definitely a must in both the beginner's and advanced student library.$LABEL$1 +Had know idea what it was about.. I watched this movie because someone else recommended it and said it was "profound". What was profound about it for me is how eastern, mystical, religious thought packaged for western society via a movie can come across as it so often does. Touching, yet missing the mark when it comes to truth. Nevertheless, the acting was good and there were some touching scenes trying to proselytize the audience with its message.$LABEL$0 +A big no-no. OK, there are times you want to relax by watching something easy and entertaining, so you go for a movie with a bit of this'n'that: action, violence, humor, romance. This was my premise when choosing this movie. I was hoping for very uncomplicated fun, with some mystery, action, intrigue, romance, etc. Let's face it, we might love gourmet cuisine, but every once in a while a hotdog sounds really good. Well, this hotdog was a real dog. Sure, this is a straightforward movie, with an easy to follow plot, and with many of the ingredients listed above, but the end result was bad. Wesley Snipes is such a talented actor, and somehow he gets these roles where he is a thuggy good guy, decent but not very bright, getting in trouble (as usual). Alan Alda was disappointing as the National Security Advisor. The only refreshing character was Dennis Miller almost playing himself. But in summary, this movie was way too lame and predictable, better left on the shelves.$LABEL$0 +If Sleepy was SMART, he's re-release... This CD is phenomenal. I find it HARD to go a day without listening to it. Why this wasn't re-relased, I have NO idea. If you like Outkast, but prefer something more laid back, plese pick this up. You will NOT be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Dangerously In Love More Like Dangerous In Skills. Beyonce Giselle Knowles, showcased her writing skills, her vocals, parts that she has not shown the world. This CD is worth 10 stars. It is on the same level as Aaliyah's Aaliyah CD. Her collaborations are perfect. Missy Elliot did a good song, Signs. And the Luther duet, Closer I Get To You, was sung much better by these two than Donnie And Roberta. Her ballads, and her uptempo songs balance out with giving u enough of both. Speechless, to me that is the best song on the album, its sexy and it is just the .... All in All, this is a CD for 03 & 04. U did ur thang Beyonce. Im so happy 4 u. U representin Texas. Bee~$LABEL$1 +Good idea, bad product. I bought this clock for my 9-year old. The sound quality is so poor that it's difficult to understand both my son's self-recorded wake up message, and the clocks pre-recorded time announcement. The volume is so loud we put the clock in a drawer when our baby is napping (in another room). Additionally, the clock is supposed to announce the time if you clap. However, it announces the time in response to all sorts of noises, such as "THREE EIGHTEEN AM" when my son rolls over in bed. High points for durability because I've "accidently" knocked it off the dresser, top bunk etc. several times and it keeps ticking. Skip it.$LABEL$0 +Don't trust this company.. Placed an order plenty of time before Christmas. Was never told the order would not arrive in time. In fact, the order NEVER DID ARRIVE. It was cancelled automatically by Amazon a month after being ordered due to "lack of inventory". Which raises the question: if there is no inventory, why is the item posted at all? Baffling. Good to see I am not the only person who has had trouble with this company.$LABEL$0 +This book was very emotional. I enjoyed this book very much. I laughed, I cried It was very good. It was very life like!$LABEL$1 +Toothbrush Cleaner!. I can't see what it is killing, but I know the effect of UV rays on killing germs. I love this thing!$LABEL$1 +Too Little Info About Too Many Indicators. It's a DECENT quick reference. There are far too many indicators presented for any particular one to be meaningfully covered. I suppose that it's an alright book to have to have on the shelf...just don't expect too much. You can probably find most of the info for free from various online sources.$LABEL$0 +I love Damien Rice's style. I'm just as happy with this CD as I am with his first one. I play bothof them all of the time. It's very easy and enjoyable to sing along with it.$LABEL$1 +B-side myself. I can't believe that the Beatles had the nerve to release such a load of garbage. As a Beatles fan, it hurts me. I felt nauseaous the first time I listened to this album all the way through. There are 30 songs on the White Album. Maybe three of them are of the usual, high Beatles quality. I'm so sick and tired of bands releasing albums that aren't worthy of themselves. And the Beatles started it all with this travesty. Songs like "Good Night" and "Long, Long, Long" have no business being on anything except a b-sides album. It's shocking that they ever released this whole thing. Beatles fans shouldn't even bother to defend this album. We should stand as far back from it as possible. Oh, well. Obladi, Oblada, life goes on. But if you want a real double album, check out the Smashing Pumpkins' "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness."$LABEL$0 +Downton Abbey is one of the best shows on any network!. Beautifully cast and filmed! Don't miss it! I'm trying to find season three now as I've missed the first 3 getting caught up.$LABEL$1 +Reversal on previous review. Got the lamp a few weeks ago and was amazed at the "new" picture...it was bright and crisp. Also commented on how easy it was to install. The only problem is, the picture has already faded. So, I'm thinking this was the equivalent of getting your aluminum foil at the dollar store. Oh well live and learn.$LABEL$0 +Better than Vanilla Ice. I'll be nice.Relative to a pool of vomit, this album is pretty solid. I'd rather have this album thrown at me at high speeds than a chainsaw. If I was stranded on a desert island, I'd rather have this album than a tumor. If I had to lick something, I'd rather it be this album than, say, a ferret's balls. At my next birthday party, I'd much rather you sing than a man that could make Earth explode with his voice. If I needed a drinking buddy, I'd rather it be you than someone with an uncontrollable bladder that also happens to be a recovering alcoholic whose wife is only giving him one last chance before she kicks him out of the house and takes his kids, that being the final straw before he flips out and murder's my grandfather.$LABEL$0 +Misrepresented this product. In the description, this product was represented as factory-new but when I received it, it was actually refurbished and reloaded. I will not buy from this supplier again.$LABEL$0 +Gr8 product!!!!. We bought this slide for our 3 year old daughter and kept it inside from day 1 so that she deosnt wanna go out all the time....i think its a gr8 slide ..... its safe and the color is nice too..... the ideal time to buy it for ur kid is wen he s around 2 then he can enjoy it longer ....its really light and nothing much to assemble.....overall its a gr8 product....must get it for ur lit'l angels.......$LABEL$1 +small and tarnished. I've had this product for less than a year, it is not the best quality and has tarnished. The chain is microscopic and not worth $35. I would not recommend it.$LABEL$0 +SEA TURTLES. SUPER book, will be studying and collecting research data on sea turtles in Costa Rica. As informational as beautiful!mary$LABEL$1 +easy read. Ok, this book has its plusses and minusses. The plusses:great info, preseted in a easy to read and comprehensive fashion. It covers quite a bit in regards to the effect of insulin and simple sugars on body fat. The author also does a nice job explaining how exactly to follow a low carb diet as well as how to follow a high carb, very low fat diet.The minus: He's a little hedgy here in that he never really gives his opinions regarding what fat loss plan is best or ideal. He leaves that up to the reader to make his own decision. While I can appreciate he may have wanted to cover several topics and to leave the choice open to the reader, I think, with his knowledge in the field, he has done the reader an injustice by not being exactly clear which diet is best.Overall, enjoyed the book, was pleased and impressed and am putting a "strong buy" recommendation on it.$LABEL$1 +Absolutly the best bang for your buck!!!. This is the best product of it's kind on the market at any price, it's so easy to operate that the village idiot can use it. I would recommend it for everyone.$LABEL$1 +Great educational fun. This book is great for all ages. It's a visual and non-complicated way to understand native American pictographs. I use it for my seed bead work, and also to decipher writings on rugs, pottery, paintings, etc. Great purchase for fun or the serious learner.$LABEL$1 +A Must Have!!!. This CD has so many great hits that you will never stop listening to it. I have a lot of CD's and barely listen to them, but this is CD I always keep in my CD changer because it is so great. You have got to buy this one.$LABEL$1 +Happy. All around WOW! Don't have the cash for the HK soundsticks? You will definitely love these. Great Sound. Get them.$LABEL$1 +Pokemon Mew. I bought this for my grandson for Christmas, when showing his dad who also collects Pokemon cards as their together hobby he said he will love it and my son wants one also. The card arrived in great shape and shipping was fast. This might be a card but teaches childeren numbers, sharing, how to interact with others and helps them read.$LABEL$1 +One of the best books I have read in many years.. I knew Don from when he was a young man. He is a deep and thoughtful person, and this is reflected in his writing. The book makes you think carefully about your own life and relatives. His superb character development is one of the books best features. I look forward to it being a movie.$LABEL$1 +Another hit. Again... I love this set of books! The art is so amazing, the story so beautiful to read.Mother Earth is trying to get her daughts (The spring months) to get started... but they keep bickering... finally MOther Earth lets them all know she loves them all very much, and that they are all special. :)Heather mama of 5$LABEL$1 +Scratched. The disk for this movie was so scratched that it messed up the playback of the movie and skipped over parts. It's not too bad that it's completely discouraging though, so I still watch it. I'm very glad I bought this movie because it's very well done and a good adaptation from the book.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the price. I have a Labrador who loves taking daily swims in our ponds, so keeping her dry is constantly an issue. I have found that my fluffy cotton towels (1/2 the price of this one) do a comparable job. The red color also seems to bleed profusely when washing.$LABEL$0 +Great Value. I really like the classic look of this double-boiler. I had been looking for some time as I wanted to learn to make the German sweet rice my grandmother made. My aunt had shared the process, but I needed the right equipment. This was exactly what I needed. It looks good and does what I need it to. It has a good "heft" to it. That's all I would ask.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the $!. I bought this hoping to add to my cd's for labor, but this was a big disappoinment. I listened to it one time and couldn't even finish it. It was much more yoga then spiritual for me. I can't reccomend this cd.$LABEL$0 +Dangerous diet. Quick results but will cost you your health. This diet is dangerous. It works because you are BURNING out your ADRENALS. You will fry your hormones with this diet.For you low carbers- haven't you noticed that whenever you low carb diet, you get headaches and insomnia???? This is called a CLUE.Do NOT do this diet, or you will pay the piper with your HEALTH.Exercise and having a PROPER diet with proper REST is the ONLY way to diet.After having completed this expensive diet, you WILL gain the weight back, and then some.Buyer Beware!$LABEL$0 +Swim Fan!. I was worried that the band would be to small when I ordered it, but I had no problems with the size. i love that I can use it to time laps when I am swimming. My only complaint is that it doesn't change time easily - or like my other timex watch. Wish me luck, I lost the directions and am off to google it.$LABEL$1 +Karnataka - Strange Behaviour. This is the most amazing cd I have ever bought.The only other Karnataka cd I have is The Gathering Light which I enjoyed so I thought I would check out the back catalogue and where better to start than a double live album. I'm not into technical reviews and talking about mixes and production and stuff but this is truly an amazing cd. It is long enough that it can stay in the car for a week at a time and will not become one of those that you thrash for a few days and then never play again. As they say 'all thrill, no fill'. Each track has it's star performer. To truly enjoy it a good pair of headphones and a couple of hours kicking back is recommended. Can't wait to get the studio albums these tracks came from.$LABEL$1 +Windows XP Pro is better.. I do a lot of upgrades, and build my own PC's. XP Pro is one of the best and stable OS's I have ever used.$LABEL$0 +FUN FUN FUN. My father has always wanted a copy of Bumblebee Boogie. I finally found this CD for him. It is wonderful. I am not a big Freddy Martin fan, but the songs on this album are very enjoyable. If you like Freddy Martin, you will LOVE this album.$LABEL$1 +Not a good buy. When I first tried the mic would pick up everything except my voice. Eventually it finally started working all right.There's a huge static problem with them. When the mic cable is plugged in so much static comes through the earphones. And then turning the mic switch on makes it so much worse. Probably the worst headset I have ever used.$LABEL$0 +not a good single. The title track speaks for itself... awesome.Jerry garcias finger is the backing sound from alive in the superunknown, pointless release really. Cd 2 gives you actual songs, tracks as follows for that release1. Pretty Noose2. Applebite3. An UnkindInterview with Eleven's Alain and Natasha$LABEL$0 +Superb Sequel. The first book was one of a kind...until the second came along and finished the story. Dinotopia: The World Beneath is a must have for anyone who has read the first book. There are new adventures, amazing new discoveries, plenty of exciting action and a satisfying conclusion to everything. The illustrations are just as spectacular as they were the first time and the story does not dilute itself one bit. I urge you to find yourself a copy of this book, and also a copy of the original if you have not read that either; both are amazing books meant for all ages.$LABEL$1 +a Brit-pop masterpiece!. As a huge sleeper fan,I anxiously awaited the follow up to their brilliant album "The It Girl."When I read that the new album was a flop and was not even being released in the U.S.,I was determined to buy the record (as Import) and decide for myself.After all ,most rock critics are total losers and love to slag this band for whatever reason.When the record arrived I put it on and within about 5 seconds of the opening track "Please,Please,Please"I knew my faith in the band was well placed.I feel this is the best Sleeper record to date.Fans of bands like Blur and Elastica would probably like this.Standout tracks "Traffic Accident","Rollercoaster"and "Firecracker" are Sleeper at their absolute best.$LABEL$1 +Solid Gaming Mouse Choice. While there isn't anything above and beyond with this mouse, it does work really well. I'm very happy with my decision to buy it.I have no idea why people have described it at "slippery". "Slippery" is not a word I would use to describe a mouse. There is some smooth plastic on it, but this isn't a wet bar of soap we are talking about here. I don't know how most people hold on to a mouse, but usually the weight of my hand keeps it in place. I'm not constantly struggling to keep a grip on it.As for the actual performance, the scroll wheel is smooth and the buttons near the thumb are nice. The control with the mouse is nice and precise and the ability to change the sensitivity on the fly with the provided buttons is pretty great as well.$LABEL$1 +Really really boring - yuk!. Ray Liotta has been in some bad movies, but this one ranks right up there among the very worst. Some reviewers enjoyed the love story, but these two would-be star-crossed lovers were incredibly unappealing to me and dull. This film didn't work for me on either level - boring love story or boring revenge story. I usually enjoy even the bad Ray Liotta movies because he can be so delightfully crazy, but he isn't quite crazy enough in this one even though he's the bad guy (he does make an attempt toward the end to come through, but it's too late by then - anybody who has stuck with the movie this far, doesn't really care by now.). If you really want a star-crossed lover's tale, surely you can dig up something more exciting than this one; and there are definitely better revenge plots out there than this one. I wanted to smack Alan and Ella by the end of the movie for being such sappy idiots. They deserve each other.$LABEL$0 +Maybe two stars is too many. I found this book, or these two books to be very poorly written. There is no depth to these stories. At one point the heroine stumbles into a cabin in the middle of the woods and eats for two days straight. Where did the food come from?The characters in this book seem completely unphased by the totally unbelievable things that happen to them. Character development is below average and each event seems like a bridge from one lifleless coincindence to the next.Oh, and the endings are boring... . For good fantasy of the female genre try JV Jones.$LABEL$0 +Webkinz toys. My preteen granddaughter is the "user" of this product, and loves it. She is a budding collector, and is taking good care of the product. When it comes to plush toys, I'm pretty sure that the educational value is more in the affective area, so I find it hard to rate--thus the 3 stars. Wish there were a "not applicable" choice!$LABEL$1 +Excited, then disappointed. Thought I had gotten a deal, but upon using the nailer, it jammed right away and continued to do so. I did like how the safety was behind the nailer, but the plastic rack must not have had the tolerances for the nails. Last jam, the nail went behind the movable rack and was impossible to get out. Eventually, trying take the rack of ended up breaking a plastic piece, rendering the gun inoperable. Too bad.$LABEL$0 +Rethink this one. Although it's based on an interesting concept--that of short-term memory loss--I have difficulty understanding why anyone likes this film. It's very violent, plus the nature of the story requires the same scenes to be played over and over. Enough already! We got the point! The same point could be made in a much more interesting fashion. The production was fine, but overall I found this film to be a real downer.$LABEL$0 +good deal. Both lights are insanely bright. I'm almost afraid to use them. The headlight does an okay job lighting the path ahead, could be better but is adequate. The taillight does an almost better job of lighting the path behind you. Bright!Would (and have) suggest to a friend.$LABEL$1 +Where's The Plot?. This Boring movie goes nowhere; it has no plot and I could barely sit through it. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidmans worst role ever! Maybe this movie hit a little to close to home for the both of them. Too bad Stanley Kubrick couldnt have made a better movie before he died. The whole movie is about fantasy and desire and sex with other partners and them thinking about cheating on eachother. This movie was degrading and a waste of my time!$LABEL$0 +Definitely one of my all time favorite books. Even after many years, The Ginger Tree remains one of my all time favorite books. I enjoyed everything about it--the fact that it was written in diary form, the fact that it takes place in a Japan long gone, the fact that it is a very poignant love story. I recommend this book most highly.$LABEL$1 +Excellent contribution to the 1990s rock-blues!. This band is hot. If you like SRV and the stylings of other Texas guitarists, then this CD is for you. Though Indigenous draws definite influence from these bands (as well as greats like Jimi Hendrix), they are unique. Mato Nanji has to rank as one of the best guitarists in the country, and his unique voice adds a new flavor to blues-rock. The band has a lot of promise, and, just so you know, this CD is only a hint of their talent. You should see them live!! Wow, what a performance. . . .$LABEL$1 +hardball selling. It was a complete waste of money. A lousy book. If I could have seen it in a store I would not have bought it. Sidney Checketts$LABEL$0 +Yoyo. I hate this yoyo because it only comes back up no tricks if you try to do a trick it will brake that's a fact$LABEL$0 +NOT THIS ONE.. The first volume is very good but not this one. Basically it's the original versions of all the songs that METALLICA cover on GARAGE INC.The first volume makes one solid collection, and though this one has some killer tunes its a disoriented mix. Songs like TUESDAYS GONE, which I love, Lynyrd Skynyrd rocks, but it doesn't fit here.The first disc is the stuff that was underground when METALLICA was coming up the ranks. Its the stuff you'd expect to hear. The stuff that mom hates and it makes your ears bleed.The second has LOVERMAN by Nick Cave and the Seeds.WHile it isn't bad, it just seems to me like a way to make more money. I'm not sure I like the whole concept of this thing anyway. I mean, its not like these bands aren't awesome on their own. Do we really need to stamp Metallica's now pretty bogus name on a collection of songs that really has nothing to do with them? I don't really understand.Buy a MOTORHEAD CD, and you'll feel a lot better about yourself.$LABEL$0 +A pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.... If you liked Steve Martin's movie, A Simple Twist of Fate, (he adapted the screenplay) then you will probably like this book. It was a fast easy read. I blew through it in a couple of hours on a plane. An interesting story about being alone in a world full of beautiful people, when you don't feel so beautiful yourself. The emotional rollercoaster of day to day life, when you wonder if the anti-depressants are still working and a coming of age story for all three of the main characters. It's a different side of Steve Martin, his intellegence and wit shines. It's a curl up on the sofa and waste a rainy afternoon kind of book.$LABEL$1 +Surrealistic and Whimsical. Yoshimoto's style isn't for everyone -- her writing is simple and straightforward, and these qualities too often aren't given the credit they deserve. Somehow she manages to use this method to tell stories from the unusual to the bizarre to the magical -- and in so doing brings elements of metaphysics or science fiction into the everyday. The second story in this book is a fairy tale, but one that uses the trappings of ordinary life to illustrate a near-universal experience; I think it's one of the most moving short stories I've ever read.$LABEL$1 +An excellent microwave oven,with a jet black retro look.. This microwave oven performs very well...My previous microwave was also a panasonic,but lost power after 5 years. I guess thats pretty good for todays disposible products...Some people may not like this unit in black,a similar model..Panasonic.. nn665wf is available on amazon for 20 bucks more.in white.."Again please check if this unit matches your decor",i want you to be happy if you purchase this oven...As of 11/17/05 Amazon was offering free shipping .I own this microwave .and I highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +My balls are damaged.... I ordered a pair of the medium iron baoding balls several weeks ago as a gift for my boyfriend. Although they shipped and arrived quite promptly, the box was of poor quality and the baoding balls themselves were damaged. They appeared to be used, with scratches and even nicks in the balls. As each ball was wrapped individually and nestled into the fitted box, these damages could not have resulted from shipping.I am disappointed and am now back to searching for another gift I can get to replace these.$LABEL$0 +Epson 3200 and Software Review. I found the Epson 3200 to be an excellent upgrade from my Epson 1640. The Epson twain and the Smart Panel software worked without any problems and the scans are great. What would improve their software is to provide a PDF file for the User Guide instead of the HTM file. What I was disappointing in was the SilverFast software. After changing a few settings the software stopped working altogether. LaserSoft, the company that makes SilverFast, does not provide any non-chargeable phone support for installation problems. Many companies offer a 30-day free installation support but not LaserSoft. Fortunately, I found a software upgrade on the Internet but it does make one wonder about quality control. Also, I found their manuals difficult to read. It appears that they were written by engineers and embellished by product management. A good technical writer and editor could certainly improve the documentation.$LABEL$1 +Inaccurate - useless.. Great concept, but it's not accurate. My daughter clearly has a fever. She is burning up, flushed cheeks, clammy. The thermometer first said 94.6. Then it said 100.3. Then it said 95.2. Then it said 97.3. And then it said 96.5. That's a huge range of temps. I cannot rely on this thermometer and would urge you to find another brand. This is useless and has since been returned.$LABEL$0 +Revolting stuff. Anyone interested in the revolting history of Christian anti-Semitism can find one of the founding documents here. I am amazed that two people posted reviews of this book and didn't even mention the truly disgusting language and images employed by this so-called "Saint." In fact, the latest edition of the works of the "Fathers of the Church" simply omits these homilies because they are so repellent.$LABEL$0 +nothing like the cover. As a fan of lowbrow art as well as mark ryden's work, this book is nothing of either.The cover is awesome and i expected something along that line of art in the book an was let down. I wouldnt reccomend wasteing your money on this book. Most of the book is black and white comic strips....$LABEL$0 +MY GRADE: C minus to C.. One of Bob Hope's not so funny flicks. Typically I liked his humor but not this time around. I struggled through it for about 40 minutes. Humor is dated. Fail. WHEN WATCHED: end of November 2012; OVERALL GRADE: C minus to C.$LABEL$0 +Great Movie. Love this movie. Great artistry. The actors are wonderful. The characters are endearing. One to watch over and over again.$LABEL$1 +Ultra Mouse MISSING THE "ULTRA". Before Gyration Inc. can compete in the Mouse & Keyboard arena, they must learn to design products that are COMPLETELY in sync with Windows! I even took extra steps in downloading all drivers needed from the Gyration Website, but this slick and very design driven package still couldn't give an "Ultra Performance". The Keyboard would sometimes read and sometimes not...and the mouse would force Windows to crash! It's too bad, I wanted it to work. I guess I should stick to the "Old School Products" with more experience.$LABEL$0 +traditional music made special. I heard this CD on NPR. I prefer the more obscure Christmas songs because I kinda get tired of traditional songs by the end of Christmas.These are traditional songs made fresh by the instruments and arrangements. Love the mandolin and in this CD it does not sound...plinky (?) This CD sounds folksy or Appalachian-thats ok with me too. If you like really unusual songs- folk singing. Try Winter's Grace.Winter's GraceI think it goes well with this CD.$LABEL$1 +Hollow Tree Nights and Days. Nothing like the original. Should have been told that it was just a script copy!!! No pictures and writing in play form.VERY disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Long-distance hike through knee-deep mud. I couldn't wait to get this book after reading the reviews. I'm a lover of serious literature. I was disappointed to find the characters loathsome and tedious. I need at least one person in a story whom I like and am rooting for. I didn't even feel compassion for these people. They are so infuriatingly self-destructive, irresponsible, selfish, and emotionally lazy.The story itself was long, slow and unengaging. I dragged myself through it in hopes of a pay-off in the end, but the "corrections" were skimpy, simplistic, and left me frustrated and irritable. The writing itself was pretentious and tiresome. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.Franzen seems skilled and smart, but defeated by his own self-consciousness. I hope to see better from him.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS SOFTWARE!. This is probably the worst tax software I have every purchased. I've been using TurboTax and TaxCut for years and this year I have had nothing but problems from the state program and the Federal.For one, there are "fixes" that won't download. Everytime I do, the program crashes during installation.I am hoping that I get a refund from Amazon for the $89 I spent on the TaxCut Complete for Home & Business (same problem by the way) and the 24.50 I spent on the state program.I'm always going to purchase TurboTax from now on because the technical support at for this product blows. All they did was tell me the same stupid thing over and over again (in other words, they had no idea what to do!) ($9.95 for calls to get tech support, isn't that nice?)$LABEL$0 +pathetic. wat in the hell is this crap use ur illusion 1/2 were good appetite for destruction waz amazing but the spagetti incedint? wat kinda name is that$LABEL$0 +DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!. The movie on the second disc is billed as the original theatrical release. This is only partly true. It was shown in 1977, but this was after it was cut to a commercial length. I am not a die hard purist, so don't get this wrong. However, the movie I loved was the one that existed prior to the commercial cut late in 1977. The moments with the character "Biggs" is an important part of the story, now lost. It supports Lukes longing to leave, but it also shows his longing for someone to look up to. Without these scenes this simply isn't the movie I loved-the initial release of Star Wars before it was cut to commercial length. I guess George Lucas just doesn't care about those of us who cherished the first release, which sadly now no longer exists for those who desire to see it. Shame on you Mr. Lucas!!Moral: Don't waste your money!$LABEL$0 +Does Not Work With Me. I figured this would be a good tool to practice vaginal exercises with. The balls are very difficult to get in. In fact, I was only able to get one in...with lube... and the other always hung out. No matter what I did, these things were NOT interested.I retired them quickly... jade eggs and kegelcisors ladies!!$LABEL$0 +My new light radio. The ordering experience was perfect. The product is awesome. I get a lot of compliments on it. It is a very cool item!Chris Swanson$LABEL$1 +Highly recommend this stapler for heavy duty use.. We are a blueprint shop and have 4 offices. We do a lot of stapling of blueprints and this is the only stapler that holds the test of time and takes the abuse we put it through. If you have a lot of heavy duty stapling to do then this is your stapler. We have gone through a lot of them over the years but it's more how we use the stapler than the quality of it.We aren't crazy about the Bostitch staples though and usually purchase the heavy duty swingling staples as the bostitch tend to break easily.$LABEL$1 +disappointed. Rather disappointed in the quality of the item. I have purchased other windshirts and found this one to be a very low quality$LABEL$0 +Good stuff. I've been using this for a year now and just love it, I have had no problems no matter what amount I use, but it can be a bit strong tasting if you use more then a light to med sprinkle on foods. I spinkle it on deviled eggs instead of paprika, soooo good! And sprinkle it on tofu, baked potatos, hot rice, Japanese noodles, I've added it to soups, stir frys and will find more ways to use it, I'm sure.If you don't like seaweed don't get it, because thats what it is, so that is what it tastes like!$LABEL$1 +comic masterwork.. I've read a few of Barth's books and this one standsout for sheer entertainment value and laughs. I thinkBarth has an original satirical mind but you mightnot agree.The book is long - and I'm a little averse to long novels.I dislike getting into a book and discovering thatI'm far from finishing and not enjoying it much - yetstill feeling somehow committed. I did not have thisproblem with The Sot-Weed Factor.Even right now I am reading an 800 page novel by one ofour great American writers... I'm halfway through itand wondering if anything interesting is going to happen,contemplating shelving the book and the writer can keephis secrets!You might find this book pompous and self-indulgent. Ididn't think on that too much. I just found it funny.I've read a lot of less-entertaining and less thought-provoking books. Chances are if you have a permissive,indulgent sense of humor you'll get a kick out of thisone.$LABEL$1 +Bring on the Ice Cream!. It works. You need it if you're going to make your own ice cream cones with a pizelle maker. It's made of wood, rather than plastic (and metal would heat up). Not much else to say.$LABEL$1 +Don't bother reading this book unless you have a lot of time. This book was very boring unless you're into composers and very familiar with movements, symphonies, etc. Also, I found that I had to read almost half the book to really understand and define the characters. The premise at the end that the two would actually be clever enough for each to give the other poison and kill each other was absolutely absurd. This is the first McEwan work I've read and I'm not sure I'll read another.$LABEL$0 +Not Streaks. Spray works well on HDTV as well as computer screens. There were no streaks or smudges on my 48" TV when I finished cleaning it, and the brush, which actually pulls down into it's sleeve, helps get rid of dust before using the product. My only complaint is the cleaning cloth, which is fairly rough.$LABEL$1 +weak. I bought this sharpener for very cheap and soon learned why. The pencil got sharp, but the motor almost quit trying to do it. It looks nice, sleek, kinda like a mouse. Great desk decoration, or something to make it look like you do alot of work, but do not buy if you are really wanting to sharpen many pencils.$LABEL$0 +What's the Point?. I honestly thought that this book by Steinbeck is pointless. It is so short, it really has not plot at all! Yes, it does show the value of friendship, and offers plenty of bookgroup discussion, but I was not thrilled. It really was much too short to go anywhere.$LABEL$0 +Buen album. Este nuevo álbum, es el undécimo de su ya larga carrera. Si A toda esa gente cerraba un ciclo del grupo, Tánger hace que comience uno nuevo.Grabado a caballo entre Madrid y la propia ciudad magrebí, este nuevo trabajo es fruto de la investigación y estudio de las diferentes culturas musicales que, desde sus comienzos, ha centrado la base de la trayectoria musical de Medina Azahara. Son las raíces árabes, andaluzas y magrebíes las que, en mezcla perfecta con la vanguardia del rock, conforman la base de la música de fusión que siempre ha caracterizado al grupo. Estos son los temas del álbum:Danza al Viento, Como un sueño, Un instante junto a ti, Solo un camino, Regalarte una estrella, El lento atardecer, Confusión y realidad, Cuando se pierde el amor, Loco por ti, Deja de llorar, Tiempo de Abril, Solamente mía y Miénteme.El álbum ha sido disco de oro.$LABEL$1 +Thrift Store Buy.... I am somewhat disappointed with this purchase. When I received the book there was a $2 sticker on the front of the book... There was also all of the quizzes and multiple things underlined with a Blue Color Crayon. I was a little put out for the fact that I paid $6 something vs. $2.$LABEL$0 +Excellent book!!!. This is an outstanding book! Unique - appealing to a younger crowd, as well as older. I gave my copy to my 25 y/o niece as a going away present, so now I have to buy myself another copy. I have an extensive gardening book library and this is one of my very favorites! Easily rates & deserves five stars!$LABEL$1 +Very well written, researched.. I found this book to be superb. Buffett did not like it being written.However, it is very well written and full of interesting facts.Did you know that Hugh Taylor and Alex Taylor and not just James Taylor contributed to the "Volcano" album?Did you know that Bob Mercer, the President of the now defunct Margaritaville Records is married to Margie, Jimmy Buffett's ex-wife?A very interesting and informative book. Don't listen to these sheep who reject it only because Mr. Buffett did not like Steve Eng writing it.$LABEL$1 +READ BELOW! ! !. After all the bad review's here I finally bought this CD cause I got all the others. And I have to say it's a very good album which deserves better.$LABEL$1 +Slice and Dice Editing. The Amazon reviewer called the editing on this DVD "slice and dice editing", I would call it "very bad editing". I really liked the show and would have liked to have watched it but the rapid fire editing made it maddening. In most of the concert footage the scene changes were as quick as every one second and rarely did a shot last longer than two seconds. So your jerking around so much you can't watch the show. It is very distracting!$LABEL$0 +Tracey Ullman. Umm...yeah...not what I was expecting. I usually hit pause when I go to the restroom...not this time! Just let it play! Wasn't much to miss. I've seen her do so much better. Sorry Tracey.$LABEL$0 +Crossroads of BORING!. I am extremely disappointed with this book. Robert Jordan has merely produced 700 pages of filler without furthering the story. It was not exciting. In fact, it was dull. The wheel of time did not turn at all with this installment. How much more nothing can I take? Jordan is just producing words to cash in on the readers that fell in love with the beginning of the series. "There are neither beginnings, nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time." How true...$LABEL$0 +Great purchase. The ER6i earphones are excellent. They have good sound qualities for the extremely small size. The noise reduction is excellent as well allowing me to have music playing at a reduced level when outside noise is high (such as running a lawn mower)and still enjoy the music. I would highly recommend these earphones to everyone.$LABEL$1 +title doesn't do the book justice. The title makes it sound like a clone of Atkins, but it's not. I think this is unfortunate, because the book gets lost in a sea of diet books. As a diet book, this isn't the best, but this is much more than just a diet book. There is some overlap in information, but Dr. Ullis puts much more emphasis on exercise with even a section of illustrated strength training exercises. Atkins and other low carb diets are about keeping insulin levels down to burn fat. Ullis talks about that, but also about balancing all your hormones for improved health, longer life, and to reverse the affects of aging. Unfortunately, he doesn't go into the technical details as much as I would like (which accounts for the deduction of one star), but there are definitely some good things to learn about this book. Ullis emphasizes not only what to eat and how to exercise, but also timing. So, I think this is a worthwhile read.$LABEL$1 +Pleased. Received the book in a timely manner, and it is in like new condition. Will recommend this seller to others.$LABEL$1 +Terrible, got it in Chinese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTH?. I have the DVD (yep, still have it), was so disappointed I received one in Japanese with sub-titles no less, never reordered.$LABEL$0 +I wish I read these reviews before buying this Piece of.... My brother purchased 2 of these DVD Players. One for himeself, and one which he gave to me as a christmas gift in December of 2001. Today Less than 1 year later both units are DEAD.Both units exhibited the same symptoms. The first thing we noticed was that the display was dead, other than that it seemed to be reading the DVD fine. Well after the copyright warnings, and production logos we quickly realized that there was no sound either.Several email correspondence with Toshiba tech support have been fruitless. I will get NOTHING AND LIKE IT!If this is how they stand behind their products I will never be buying another product bearing the Toshiba name.It is unfortunate that all of the satisfied users who have not had their DVD Players long enough to experience this problem have already left 5 star feedback. It makes for an artifically high overall review.$LABEL$0 +Has held up well. This flag was given to me as a gift from my wife for fathers day 2010, it is now June of 2011 and the flag is still flying well in front of our home. It has not faded or tattered in any way. Excellent purchase!$LABEL$1 +Not a good value at $999. Although Amazon offers this CBT at almost $300 less than buying direct, PC Age does not justify $1000 for this CBT that is low on features like printing, keyboard functions, etc. I have also purchased SYBEX and MS Press study kits, a much better investment. Difficult to navigate through this training and the only thing that you can print is your test score. The tests lack clarity and accuracy. Many sources out there for less money. This CBT is the equivalent of a PowerPoint presentation with NO print functions.$LABEL$0 +I didn't get to enjoy it. I was very sad that the item that I was so looking forward to decorating my kitchen with arrived in many pieces. It would be nice if the shipper put more packing material around it. Remember that some items have to travel a long way with the infamous US Post Office.$LABEL$0 +Thank You. This was a gift for someone who was very pleased with it. I was pleased with the quick shipment! Thank you.$LABEL$1 +Terrible. Unfortunately this book was my introduction to LeGuin and I don't think I will ever be able to read anything else she's done because of it. I'll keep the review simple; The Telling was pretentious, plotless and without character development. I also got the impression that LeGuin was feeling pretty clever when she wrote it. It comes across as a mere outline for a novel; unfinished and exceptionally boring to the point that I could not bring myself to finish it. Please don't start here as I'm sure her other works MUST be better than this based on her reputation.$LABEL$0 +Smells horrible!. It reminds me of really cheap hotel soap. It dries out your skin. The smell is completely overwhelming and sort of makes you feel allergic. Does not smell like eucalyptus. Surprised Thymes would have made and approved this scent for mass release. GROSS!!!$LABEL$0 +Only a 1/2 page for $1.50?????. The description of this item leads the buyer to assume that you are getting everything in the description. It is VERY misleading. If I had understood the description better I would not have paid for 1/2 of a page of writing.$LABEL$0 +Kill Uncle. Kill Uncle being Morrissey's 1991 release and his second studio album is very different and unconventional compared to his earlier releases. The lyrics are quite introspective and songs that stand out are "Our Frank", "Sing your life" and "There Is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends". The book-let is quite spars but very nice with a nice clear photo of Morrissey and the lyrics are included with an easy to read font. It even has information of whom plays what on the album. 4/5.$LABEL$1 +Light. Fantastic light. Easy to put together. A bit of a wobble but good enough for its purpose. Looks good and is as advertised!$LABEL$1 +Supertool 2". I'm not real happy with my new purchase, I have used hot tools for years and the quality on this one doesn't seem to compare to the others I've owned. It's not made as good as the others I've owned, Maybe it's an after market who knows. I love Hot tools curling irons they usually last me while but just do not love this one !$LABEL$0 +The Return of The King. "The Lord of the Ring" The Return of the King is one of the best book I've ever read. It had me jumping of my seat, and I wondered if the movie can match up to the book. I recommend this book to the fans of "The Lord of the Ring", and to all the people that are not, after reading any of the three books, you will be.$LABEL$1 +Hoover Widepath vacuum - disappointing. I purchased this vacuum via Amazon because it was recommended by a well-known consumer rating magazine, and was affordable. It does have good suction and is very lightweight. However, the belt breaks very easily because there is no way to turn off the suction quickly if something large is accidently sucked into the machine. I have had the vacuum for four months, and have had to replace two belts. It also seems almost as if I was sent a used vacuum instead of a new one because the accessory hose was bent, and the first belt and some of the accessories looked worn.$LABEL$0 +Returned It. I ordered this kit because I needed the T5 to fix a cell phone. When it arrived the only piece that was defective was the T5! Ugh! Luckily Amazon makes returns easy but unfortunately I'll have to buy from a different vendor.It was as if the bit never got molded and was a solid blank piece and was bigger than the T7. I'll order a different set that's on Amazon and I should be good.I gave it an extra star since it was actually a decent looking kit if I had use for the others.$LABEL$0 +A cat lover's delight.. These old stories seem out of time and yet they bring us back to times that were more gentle yet more unforgiving. I really like a sad story by Ugo Ojetti. It is called Mozaffar and Shirbudun. Also I loved The Boy Who Drew Cats by Lafcadio Hearn. It's a little different from what we are used to. It makes it very interesting.$LABEL$1 +can I please?.... I just watched this movie via walmart.com dvd rentals. Is there a way to get my time back? I'd be willing to pay upwards of $1,000,000. Your time is more valuable than any sort of gratification this movie could ever possibly provide.$LABEL$0 +Be prepared to lose a bunch of rice. Like basically everyone else, I bought this rice cooker to replace an old one, whose non-stick coating was starting to flake. The idea of a stainless steel bowl really appealed to me, but the reality of it is that you're going to lose a lot of rice when cooking a batch.There are a few recommendations for reducing the effect of this, the most helpful being to coat the bowl with oil (I haven't tried a cooking spray yet) prior to adding rice and water, but it won't completely solve the problem and it also affects the taste of the rice.Soaking the bowl overnight does allow for easy cleaning, but it's still a bummer to have a substantial layer of rice go down the sink (or, if you don't have garbage disposal, to be fished out of the strainer and into the trash).This might just be the trade off, for being able to avoid aluminum or non-stick coating, but be prepared for it.$LABEL$0 +Good product. Durable.. Good, durable handle. Replaced broken door handle on sliding glass door.Works great and easy install. I would recommend this for anyone looking to fix theirs.$LABEL$1 +Not for air just for looks. I bought this fan based on previous reviews saying moves lot of air but its not true its just a show peace.In high speed it self don't feel that much air.$LABEL$0 +Just awful , a record for dope freaks and hippys only.. Don't get me wrong, I was once a bit of a gong freak. Steve Hillage was for a few brief years a hero of mine and live he could certainly play his guitar. However Green is terrible and marked my parting of the way with all things gongy and silly.The lyrics are embarrassing, I'm taking utter toss. This albumb was so bad I swapped my limited addition green vinyl version for a couple of joints worth of cheap moroccan ( a much better deal)There is nothing close to the great sound produced during Fish Rising, it just carries on like a Valium induced depression until the final side were we are insulted by the magical ohm riff. After this LP I straighten out a lot and now I cannot tolerate anything vaguely gongy with the exception of camembert electric and fish rising. Do yourself a favour and don't buy this one unless you really are a hopeless bong fiend with no life to go back to.$LABEL$0 +not so good.... well, the first THE HULK from some years before is real bad....the story is uninspired, and the film is confuse and silly....well, it's hard to make a movie with a green giant monster that destroy everything and can't speak rational words....this one, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a little better than THE HULK, but still is not so good...These HULK movies got amazing visual effects, but got uninspired dialogues, characters and story....$LABEL$0 +ouch. It worked well for a year, and I loved it. BUT, it just broke, the pneumatic cylinder rod shot out of the bottom and poked a hole in my kitchen floor, the thing tipped over, and I landed on the floor hard. Would not recommend. I'm ordering a different brand.$LABEL$0 +A great cd. The enhanced version of Escape is great, has a few more songs, like La Raza Del Sol, by the way, a great song. If you are a hard core Journey fan like myself, I suggest getting this disk. You will really enjoy everything.$LABEL$1 +The middle of an amazing trio!. Every song is equally as amazing. I love this single/EP. 3 of B&S's very best songs are on this single/EP. Along with Legal Man and I'm Waking Up to Us, their best music is all there in increments. I'd recomend buying this along with both the Legal Man and I'm Waking Up to Us singles/EPs. 9 of the finest damn Belle & Sebastian songs to be released.$LABEL$1 +Shop for this book!. ... If you have ever written a check that bounced, tried to charge something on a card that was over the limit or worried about bills you pretended didn't exist but persist on coming to your doorstep each month, this book will make you giggle in delight. It stars the penniless but charming Rebecca Bloomwood. She's a financial advice guru who is in debt up to her eyeballs but can't pass a store without going in and buying something. I have to say this book had me laughing so hard, I had tears in my eyes and was glad that Rebecca was still struggling with her incessant need to shop after the fairy-tale happy ending of the first novel. (I was worried she'd turn into a nonshopper!!!) Thankfully she's back with more wacky antics. Buy this book or pick it up at the library, it's too funny to miss!$LABEL$1 +Ryobi Cultivator. this is a nice machine until the wheels stick in the mud. the wheel assembly is way to small and flimsy for this type of machine. a bad design in My eyes.$LABEL$0 +BOTTOM OF THE BARREL JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I had a friend(who is no longer on my christmas card list) who told me that this was just great and very funny. WRONG!!!!!!!!!! This is the pits and very sad to see many old time actors (Lon Chaney Jr, and J.Carol Nash, both in their last roles) trash themselves in this trash that isn't even as good or as funny as "Billy The Kid Vs Dracula"!!!!!! The worst and not worth getting if it were free.$LABEL$0 +Good movie, not scary. Great movie it keeps you going. The only thing was it wasn't scary, (i don't get scared very easly and i'm only 11) thats why I only give it 4 stars, but otherwise It was great. One other thing it's eather I missed something, or when Nancy friend the one who died first her boyfriend was scratching on the window pretending to be Freddy, he didn't know about him yet? huh!$LABEL$1 +Nothing really new, but enjoyable. I have to say, some people seem to expect a little too much from their entertainment. Considering that 95% of all anime is based on a ludicrous premise and then pretending it is normal, parent swapping hardly seems that far fetched when compared to giant robots and/or psychic powers. After all, excepting something that isn't normal as an operating truth is kind of the point. I think this series trys to show how easy it is to get confused by emotions. Also, this series made me laugh out loud quite a bit. Although I must admit that I just didn't care about the characters as much as the ones in series like "His and Her Circumstances", "Maison Ikkoku", "Boys Over Flowers", or "Fruit Basket". I would definitely recommend any of these if you have seen one of them and liked it.$LABEL$1 +I love it! The look, the price, everything about it!. I just got my comforter set and the first thing I noticed was the softness. It's lucious. As I dressed the bed, it started taking shape and looking better and better. The color moss is a gorgeous darkish green. As another reviewer commented, the comforter is a bit "slim", but that's what I wanted. Something light for the summer when the air is on and you just need a little bit of cover. My other comforters are heavy and bulky, so this is just right for this time of year.Mostly I am pleased with the price. At $39.99, I just couldn't pass it up. I will recommend this deal to my friends.$LABEL$1 +THAT'LL SHOW'EM!. He demonstates his love for her by changing her grades for the better using computers. He hides out in a Top Secret Nuclear storage facility (Dah!). They escape to Falcons Island and are returned to the storage facility to undue the damage they've done. Costly misadventure in truancy nearly results in annihialation of mankind!$LABEL$1 +Excellent. Very comprehensive and an ideal companion to your Russian studies. It appears to have all I need in terms of vocabulary at a beginners/intermediate level, although it could contain more contemporary slang (important I feel when learning a language you will be exposed to on a daily basis)It is though the heaviest book I carry around daily and sometimes I could wish for a lighter dictionary!$LABEL$1 +Fascinating insights into the Black Forest region of Germany. Acknowledged as among the most reliable and useful guides for sightseers. With maps and full color photos throughout, this Visitor's Guide is highly detailed, giving you the information you need to get the most from your trip. It serves as a useful reference tool before you leave home, and is the perfect travel companion while on the road. Area-by-area tours highlight in-town sights and attractions, including art galleries, museums, historic buildings and churches. They also lead you out into the countryside, with recommended stops en route. Chapters reveal tidbits of the area's local culture, interesting sidelights on how the landscape has been shaped and other details sorely lacking in other guidebooks.$LABEL$1 +Entrepreneur Of The Year Says, "This is a Must-Read!". Our company used to be great at developing plans - we had grand plans, plans we'd worked on for months, and plans for our plans. We were planning experts. But we couldn't implement. Our plans sat in fancy binders and we pulled them out to look at them periodically, felt better because we had them, and couldn't figure out why things weren't happening like we'd planned.Then we read Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. And we found we could actually implement the plans that we learned how to develop from the methods and techniques defined in the book. We now have plans that work. And our company has matured tremendously as an organization from following the book. I strongly recommend that any company, from young start-up to those more mature, read and implement the strategies in this book. It will change your world.$LABEL$1 +I wouldn't know how it works.. The capsules are made of gelatin, which was not listed in the product description. If you are kosher or veg*an this product is not for you.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. I liked the E-myth Revisited. I think every business owner should read it. After you read it, don't assume that his other stuff is good, because it isn't. After reading this book, and skimming some of his other ones, I will never buy any of his other products, and certainly will not be travelling for one of his $5,000.00 seminars about daydreaming.$LABEL$0 +This album clears up the past!. After just a few listenings of this CD, it becomes abundantly clear that Scott Stapp's contribution to Creed was much less than he would have had us believe. This album is shallow, OBVIOUS, and contrived. His "lyrics" are very simple and predictable, and the overall tone of the album is really a poorly executed clone of earlier Creed. What this album lacks is originality and imagination....well......that and a SONGWRITER.Oddly enough, I read an interview today with Scott Stapp saying that he WAS basically the whole Creed sound. I couldn't disagree more.......although the throaty voice that bores you to tears is here in this new effort, the songwiriting here is just very immature.. He said in the interview that similar to when Sting left the Police......HIS new sound would remain what Creed was.......Stapp should NEVER put himself in the same league with Sting......nor should he presume he has a clue as to how to write a hit song.$LABEL$0 +Terrible Product!. Full of cracks up and down the pole with one very large, structurally damaging crack at the bottom!!! You get what you pay for, I guess :-($LABEL$0 +An expensive mistake.... Great product, but tho I wear size 9 shoes, the large size was too large. (I suspect the 'small' size would be too small, though I haven't tried them.) I hoped they'd shrink when washed and dried, but no luck. At $6 / pair, these were an expensive mistake.$LABEL$0 +Nothing Like the Earlier Lindsays. Having the earlier Lindsay Quartet set of the Late Quartets, I was curious about their new, more recent, digital cycle. Unfortunately, their interpretation of the opp. 130 and 133 has become much sharper and more agressive. All of the dynmaics seem exaggerated and the whole performance seems so mannered that the players call attention to themselves rather than to the music. For a digital recording, the Takacs Quartet is superb. For good analogue, the earlier Lindsays and the Talich too. If you don't mind mono, the Hollywood and Busch Quartets are still hard to beat.$LABEL$0 +Nice quality item. Cute for winter.. My daughter has this cute doll and the coat set makes a nice addition to the play gear.$LABEL$1 +One of the best books I have ever read. I loved it!. If you haven't read this book yet, by all means, buy it! I could'nt put it down and didn't want it to end.$LABEL$1 +I found the book to be a dissappointment.. It is quite clear that the author knows what she is talking about, but trying to use the book is another matter. The examples are all without context. The CD rom is a joke; what I need is a working database with all the bells and whistles and a book that explains how it works and how to convert the facets of the database to my particular situation. Prauge & Irwin's Access for Windows 95 Bible does this. I have not read the 97 version.$LABEL$0 +Read it first in German. Am buying it in English for the sake of my almost 4 year old grandchildren. It is a wonderful "Why" book and a better "Why Not?" book equipped with the most restrictive of adult perspectives. The Stone Age tale is interspersed with modern references which are numbered. At the bottom of the page the references are identified as "anachronisms". I am hoping they use the same word in the English original. I find myself wishing that the same device was used with movies like Lion King. Our little boy twin is very interested in death. It would be helpful for him to know that having the father lion speak after death to his son was artistic license and does not really occur - at least not exactly like that. The book is droll. Sleeping under a stone blanket may deserve the warning: "This is pretend, don't let a heavy slab of rock fall on you just because you're tired!"$LABEL$1 +received broken. We received this with a broken blue handle and wheel. Our grandson was visiting from Chicago and when he opened it the wooden wheel fell off the blue handle. Since he was anxious to play with the playdoh etc. we just ignored the broken part. Since you ask now it reminded me. So I wouldn't rate it good because of the flimsy design on the wheel and holder.$LABEL$0 +what a disappointment. Rented this b/c of all the hype. What a disappointment. I was almost uncomfortable watching it all. It seems like the best filming was during the stripping/dancing, and then the rest was low budget, fairly poor acting. I like C.T., I think he has skill...in this movie, he is just the meat. Matthew McCaughnehey was over-acting the entire film. Storyline was extremely predictable, and the ending was...well, what ending really? It's almost as if the writers just threw in a "love story" plot without taking the time to develop it, then the end comes and all of a sudden two people end up together? I could've skipped the flick. I've never reviewed a movie until now...just wanted to forewarn people. Wait till it's free for Prime Members!$LABEL$0 +Beautiful. Rayvon's hauntingly beautiful voice just makes this song. Shaggy is alright too. It is just a great song.$LABEL$1 +Clarks Cumin Slide. I love the cotton color, just the right shade for most beige and some white slacks.The show style it the most unconfortable of any Clark shoe I have have. There is something strange about the left shoe, it give me a blister everytime I wear it.$LABEL$0 +This player sucks. The customer service sucks and the player sucks. It skips all the time, even on sturdy surfaces, and picks up weird radio stations I cant even find on my car radio. except for that its great! Did i mention that it skips all the time?$LABEL$0 +Great and A must to have. This fire starter is a great device to have. It's light weight and easy to carry and operate. Definately something you would want to have if ever hiking, camping, hunting,or lost in the mountains.$LABEL$1 +Very Nice and Accurate Scale. This scale has all the features I need. Is accurate and easy to use. I like the range or weights it will handle from grams up to 35 pounds.$LABEL$1 +Rambling in style the content does not deliver on what is a subject of great interest. This book is not going to be a landmark contribution to effective organisation design. The author only gets 50% of the way to presenting a convincing case, that would be of practical value to the reader.Stan Felstead - Interchange Resources UK.$LABEL$0 +While consuming "aggressors" ' deeds.... Really nice doco required a personal bravery and some financial gambling to produce while an artist traveled terrorist-infested zones of Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and frontier Israel.What I like in this movie personally is depicting the surrounding as visualized and seen by a stranger to localities. What does not grasp my appreciation much is openly aired producer's own interpretation of historical facts, which prepared a viewer to particular conclusions in advance explicitly.Nice music undisputedly as a nice idea of keeping peace worldwide was, to a reviewer's feeling, much spoiled with dilettante simplicity of complex affairs by a critic himself consuming the "aggressors" ` deeds either directly or indirectly.$LABEL$1 +Excellent. This was an excellent book. For beginners and experienced teddy bear makers. There are many helpful tips and tricks. Lots of great suggestions for locating supplies. It is an imagination jump-starter. A great reference tool, and a must have. I highly recommend this book.$LABEL$1 +Well worth the read!!. A compelling storyline..Addictive at times to the point of not being able to put the book down because you'll want to continue to read further to see what happens next. Well developed characters. Wish Zedd had more play in the book. Goodkind spent to much time on the Denna(Mord-Sith) and Richard's inter-action. Michael's role should have been a bit more developed. Other than those few minute setbacks, this book was fantastic and very entertaining. I highly reccommend fantasy readers indulge in this book. You definitely wont be disappointed. I give it two thumbs up!!$LABEL$1 +Not a very good phone. I bought this phone with high hopes, but after a couple weeks it really has proven to be a disappointment.First off, there is an echo that comes and goes. It doesn't sound so bad on my end, but I keep having other people (including clients) complain about it. So that right there is a deal breaker.Second, the battery life is dismal on this thing. My last cordless would go through the day fine, even make it through an hour or so the next day if I forgot to charge it. This thing goes out after about 3 hours of talk time. I'm on the phone a lot, so I need something that lasts a little longer.Third, after just a couple weeks, I can already feel the flimsy nature of the phone. It's become clear that this will not go six months without breaking.Overall this is a very disappointing product from RCA. The concept of this phone is great, it's just clear that not a lot of concern was put into putting out a quality product.$LABEL$0 +Better than the first. I loved Soceress, it read so quick and easy. In Witch Child i found myself getting bored and waiting for something exciting to happen. In sorceress I was never bored and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. This sequel is a great way to finish Mary's story.$LABEL$1 +Another Chinese Made Time Bomb. Given the lack of quality and the dangers associated with goods made in China, these pots should be returned. Calphalon has taken a great product and has put it's consumers at risk to save a buck in manufacturing.$LABEL$0 +"You can leave right now if you're feeling doubt...". The best of Berlin 1979-1988 is such a perfect and rockin' album. I bought it for Christmas last year and I love it to pieces. Every song is amazing especially The Metro, Sex, No More Words, Blowin' Sky High, Masquerade, and Matter of Time. Frontwoman Terri Nunn has a beautiful and powerful voice, she's got some pipes!The song, Take my Breath Away ultimately caused a riff between the band and their creative process became threatened due to the popularity of that song. Even so this short-lived band made some incredible, heartfelt, weighty songs and all that matters. Berlin was a gift from God, great band, coy songs, and awesome frontwoman, eat your heart out Gwen Stefani, Terri was the real deal!$LABEL$1 +IDENTICAL TO THE HERBAL DOG CARE BOOK. I bought both the Herbal Cat Book as well as the Herbal Dog Book and they are almost page-for-page identical! The only change is one says dog and the other says cat. Not happy with this at all.$LABEL$0 +Super book. You need to read all the books by this author. Great adventures and lots of intrique and fighting, I've read all his books. and highly recommend them.$LABEL$1 +Burns bright, burns easily, burns your hand. I've been using this bulb as an exact replacement for my desk lamp for years. It shines bright and has that traditional incandescent/tungsten color. But this bulb will also triple burn you. First, it gets super hot. I can't even touch the lamp if its been on for awhile without scolding my hand, let alone the bulb itself. Second, it burns easily. The filament is ultra hot/bright and doesn't seem to be the more durable 130volt version. As a result, any spikes in your power grid will burn out the filament. Third, the price is cheaper in places like Walmart. Way cheaper. Ouch.$LABEL$0 +Leto's ultimate sacrefice. 3000 years after Children of Dune, Letto Atreides II is the emperor after his fater Paul Mua' dib Atreides and he has made the ultimate sacrefice to ensure the future of human kind, even though Leto is not quit human anymore, will he succeed in the Golden Path and ensuring us a future, it all will rest with Siona, better keep going to see how Dune will go forward.$LABEL$1 +Magnificent!. The "Pied Piper Fantasy" is one of the finest works of modern American art music. It is a beautiful piece that balances the virtuoso needs of a concerto with the dramatic needs of a tone poem. "Voyage" for Flute and Strings is a lush, romatic miniature that rounds out the album nicely.$LABEL$1 +Works great. I really like this product. It is a little short for the portable crib, but it doesn't cause a problem. It is much better than the hard bottom the crib came with and my baby seems comfortable playing in it. I don't feel bad when she tumbles over while sitting because I know it pads her fall.$LABEL$1 +Fond portrait.... Though this reads at times like a college textbook, it is thorough and intelligent, brings light to personality and the choices made throughout her reign. Not only does Weir introduce the internal workings of the throne, but also the society without, its culture and changes. When you are done reading this, not only will you know everything about the Golden Age of England and its Queen, but you will love them both.$LABEL$1 +Card game genre hit the gamecube. This is the best game that no one knows about. It is a card game based (like Magic: The Gathering) RPG. This makes the game very interesting and fun. The graphics are superb (considering 2001 release), sound is okay, and the controls are very intuitive. The game is relatively easy for an RPG, with occasional places of difficulty. The gameplay downside is that levels beaten can not be reentered until after beating the game. This is a great game for both card game and RPG fans and I look foward to Lost Kingdoms II.$LABEL$1 +Jack Flynn wins again...and it's even more fun.... McGrory continues the winning saga of Jack Flynn. The book is longer than the first in the series and perhaps a bit better. The plot avoids some of the aburdist elements of the first. The book is paced well and Flynn remains a charmer. It was nice to see how he has grown in life. I was surprised to see that the FBI love interest from the first book was not even mentioned here. What happened to her? Elizabeth Riggs is far better character, but still...I was glad my favorite fictional golden retriever Baker was back. It was great to meet Hank Sweeney too. McGrory's work is at times light and funny--Flynn is a great alter ego. The bigger mystery is still a bit nutty and unrealistic, but fascinating all the rest. I'll be back for my third Flynn book soon.$LABEL$1 +Kindle Edition is worthless. I have read this book many a times. Even if you doubt the facts and conversations citied, it is written exquisitely.HOWEVER, IT IS OUTRAGEOUS THAT AMAZON IS CHARGING ANY KIND OF MONEY FOR THE KINDLE VERSION! Not only that, THE KINDLE VERSION PRESENTLY AVAILABLE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE OFFERED FOR FREE!Had I know that it will completely ruin the reading experience, I would have never bought the Kindle version, especially since I already have the hard copy.Shameful and disappointing on the part of Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. All 3 heads up championships have been excellent. watch them closly and again and again, improve your heads up game.$LABEL$1 +Easy and quick Energy. I bring along Sharkies sports chews on my longer weekend runs. I prefer to run before breakfast for optimum performance but realize the need for energy along the way. Sharkies provide that for me. These are great tasting and are easy to eat while running.$LABEL$1 +Buyer Beware!. Save Your Money. Donna Summer is NOT featured on any of these tracks!This is a bad attempt to cash in on the legendary Donna Summer.When looking for her music please google "search" for a Donna Summner Discography.The ones linted are ones you want to purchase.Amazon needs to pull these releases.$LABEL$0 +Good but... I had this thing for a month or two and playing it with my siblings was a blast. It is made pretty cheap though, but plays the games just right. My nephew accidentally tripped over it and it did break the cables in it, so I just bought a new one. So just be careful not to trip over it or have little kids fall on it, but for $20 I really couldn't be happier with this product.$LABEL$1 +Ho. HUM.. I HAVE all of these!! Why the heck do they keep making these "Collectors Editions" with the same darn episodes!! I want to see season 4 and UP episodes. I agree with other comments about that. WHY NOT MAKE SEASONS!! Other shows are done that way. STUPID shows have seasons, why can't an entertaining Icon like THIS one have seasons?!!!!$LABEL$0 +Wonderful CD!. When everybody thought that neo-soul was dead, Angie Stone comes along with "Mahogany Soul" and proves the world wrong! She shines especially on the track "Brotha". I haven't heard her much on the radio, but she more than deserves that recognition because of her talent. This album proves that she will be around for a long time to come!This album will make you wish this was the year 1973.$LABEL$1 +Great ink kit, plus it's CHEAP. I bought this never using a refill kit before and this was easy. It came with all the required accessories. Great deal.$LABEL$1 +Only the last 5% of this book worth reading. I am quite accustomed to reading "the classics"...Tolstoy, Dumas, Rinehart etc but this book bored me to tears...about the only time I found myself interested in it was near the very end, when it all comes together, and talks about the main characters philosphies...it was agony reading it through to the very end, but I forced myself thinking all along, surely this drivel has got to change at some time...and in the last 5% of it it did...I would not recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Unfortunately there is not a zero rating. This is the biggest piece of junk I have bought in many years. This is basically a prehistoric waterbed for dogs. It is merely a cheap plastic envelope thatis supposed to have a mystery gel inside to keep the bed cool. It takes forever to fill and then try to get the air bubbles out. The end result the bed is no cooler than the room you put it in. Sure it is cooler than the average dog temeprature of 102 degreees but so is my carpet.DO NOT BUY - a total waste of money and time!$LABEL$0 +Can't believe how bad this game is. Weak sauce in a can.. What's wrong with Spore? Terrible game for many reasons mentioned below.1) evolution is pretty much pointless, like comments from other user. It doesn't matter what path you take - its just cutesy graphics. This game is Pokemon with less strategy.2) Blown release. This was due to ship... years ago. When there are "production delays" like this, run away with your money intact. You work too hard for it, don't you?3) EA = absolutely terrible company - fires its employees on games not destined to sell anyway (its not the QA's fault they put him on Lee Carvalho's Golf Challenge), its employees had to sue EA because it was such a sweatshop... YES, 80+ hour workweeks endlessly is sweatshop when you're on a finite salary....now this. Wasn't the EA/MAXIS SPORE team calling the Nintendo Wii junk that wouldn't sell a couple years ago?My Nintendo stock gave EA the critical beatdown.EA is a really bad company. Oh, and Spore comes with DRM.BOYCOTT EA$LABEL$0 +Miniature Phones. The phones are really small, almost cell phone sized. This makes a conversation of any length impossible.Everytime we have a power outage, the remote phones have to be re-linked to the base unit. This is really bad if the power went out while you were away and now you are trying to answer a phone that doesn't work.I shelved these, and bought something better.$LABEL$0 +Novel about Pro-lifers that cross the line misses the mark. This novel is about a group of pro-Life advocates that decide that non-violent means of protest that they have used in the past are ineffective. But after bombing a new facility for harvesting aborted babies, they learn that violence is not the answer either.This somewhat depressing novel didn't hold my interest and the plot doesn't seem to hold together. The audio quality was poor which made the listening even harder. I can't recommend it$LABEL$0 +Good Product, Easy to Use and You Can See the Results. For an at home kit, this one is pretty good. Easy to use with simple to follow instructions and you really can see the results. I've used this product twice and each time it has worked wonderfully-I wait for it to come on as a lightning deal so I get a great price too. Just a fast way to get a noticeably whiter smile.$LABEL$1 +I have altered the films, pray I don't alter them anymore.. I was just about able to deal with the previous special editions. I got used to those changes and thought that's what we were getting on these discs. But after seeing the confirmation of Vader pointlessly screaming and countless other changes that were unnecessary and in some cases ruin the scene, I can't in good conscience give this man any more of my money.Here's hoping poor sales will prompt the guy to release the theatricals in high-def.$LABEL$0 +love it. this watch was easy to use, and I love being able to see my progress and if i need to push harder. Great Great Product, for less than expensive...i looked at many others.$LABEL$1 +Original beauty lost in this adaption.. Bunyan's masterpiece is perfect as-is. Why someone would destroy a beautiful piece of literature is beyond me. Geraldine McCaughrean seems to be simply another example of a wannabe author leeching off the skill and hard work of real authors like Mr. Bunyan. I advise reading the true work of John Bunyan and avoiding the fake recreations like this one. JFM.$LABEL$0 +One of the best films ever!. This is by far one of the best films I've ever seen, let alone foreign film. The acting is exceptional and the chemistry between Isabelle Andjani and Vincent Perez is very believeable. If you love historical pieces and are not turned off by reading subtitles, this film is a must-see. It is spectacular. Sadly I was not able to buy it from Amazon but found it in London (that's the beauty of having a multi-system VCR!) and immediately purchased it! Any time I've lent out my copy for friends to watch, they have all inevitably purchased it. It is that good of a movie. Honestly speaking, I enjoy all kinds of movies but this movie especially is so worth seeing.$LABEL$1 +great family movie. This movie is a favorite at our house could not find it anywhere sooo happy to have found this older movie$LABEL$1 +Don Abusivo - Abusin the competition. This is a complete album from begining to end. My friends sister was bumping it in her ride and I tripped out when I heard it. It is totally diffeent from all this rap/banda stuff that is coming out. It is original in every way. Abusivo has a way of attacking his words that makes you feel what he is saying and lyrically he is killing the competition. I like alot Akwid but this guy is on another level (i have to admit). It is now my favorite cd to bump in my ride.....Check it out gente.$LABEL$1 +Actually Criticizes Plato. To my surprise, the author expresses strongly negative opinions towards some of Plato's conclusions, while maintaining that Plato "asked the right questions."The author presents Plato as a proto-fascist. Plato's theories of the forms are muddled, and Aristotle was wise to clarify or dispense with them. Laws was a horrid work which formed an unfortunate ending to Plato's writings.I find the author's opinions to be eminently reasonable. His views represent a common-sense approach to Plato. The author, too, asks the right questions.$LABEL$1 +Good thin mat. This mat is pretty thin, almost too much so to use alone but it is soft and good quality for what it is.It acts as a great base in the small carrier in the car and then we put another towel or something to cushion it a bit more so our chihuahua/toy poodle will like to lay down.This 18-by-13-inch size covers the whole carrier floor which is good; we had problems with mis-sized mats in the past. You can't beat the price from amazon, $5.95 w/ free shipping, which was about half what local and mart pet stores I researched were charging for this size and quality.$LABEL$1 +Great for Small Dogs. These steps are perfect for anyone that has small dogs. My dogs are now able to get up on our tall furniture without hurting themselves. These steps are very durable and are still in wonderful shape despite the fact that my dogs are constantly running up and down them. They are also very lightweight and easy to move when I need to clean around them. I would definitely recommend these to anyone with small dogs.$LABEL$1 +Small Camera - Big problems. This camera is amazing, great pictures, convenient size. However, the lens cover has a tendency to get jammed and the lens will not come out leaving the camera inoperable. I have three friends who have this camera and have run into the exact same problem.$LABEL$0 +shop vac filter bag. Works fine but a very tight fit on a craftsman filter. Had to inch it up the sides around the filter. It won't slip or move though. I would purchase again.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful!. Inspiration abounds in this book~I love how it features the same rooms, accessorized differently for the seasons. That is my favorite way to decorate~Also, if you love old homes and restoration, this book provides inspiration for that as well. Wonderful! And the chandeliers, oohlala!$LABEL$1 +Not Satisified. I have been sleeping with this foam memory pad but it does not go back to original shape. There is an indentation where I sleep on it which does not come back to shape. I was told to return it which would be very difficult since it is now expanded from vacuum package and size would be an issue on sending it back and to get a replacement would cost me to much since it is out of the return policy.$LABEL$0 +It just keeps getting worse. I picked up this book as a nice distraction from holiday mahem at my house. Plus, it's been a while since I read a mindless romance novel. The first story provided MILD entertainment value, but I have to say that the second and third story get so bad I actually felt sorry for the authors. The story lines are weak and in some areas almost non-existent. The plots are predictable, and too much like other recent books I've read (the third story is just like Bridget Jones' Diary). It was so bad, I didn't even finish it and it's been YEARS since I didn't finish a book. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one...$LABEL$0 +AWESOME BOOK. I would recommend this book to any Lord of the rings fans Bilbo will make this book worth your while!$LABEL$1 +An awful shame. This movie is (usually) a great way to spend a lighthearted evening. However, the production quality of this disc is so abysmally bad that it is difficult to enjoy the movie. I certainly wouldn't spend the money on it again. I would rather watch it on AMC, bowflex and dietary supplement commercials, notwithstanding.$LABEL$0 +Good gameplay, terrible story. The graphics were great. The battle system was different than most RPGs, but it was ok. The gameplay was pretty good (like camera angles, manuverability, ect.) But there were a lot of things I didn't like. The story line started out ok but got really boring and was kinda stupid as it progressed. And the end was terrible. The 30 mins or so it took to watch it could have been much better spent doing ANYTHING else. I also didn't like the method for upgrading weapons. You had to recruit people to make stuff, make certain items and then add it your weapon. But they never made anything all that great for me (and I spent many hours trying). I think this game was a flop.$LABEL$0 +Love it. I enjoyed studying out of this book with a whole bunch of women from my church. It is a really enjoyment$LABEL$1 +the journey and not the destination. I found this book to be wholly and completely engaging. While it's true that Murakami does leave many, in fact, dozens of questions unanswered, I believe the beauty of his book is in the journey and not the destination of the story. Toru is clearly overwhelmed by the ambiguity of both his situation and the people he meets. He searches for something "concrete" that he can wrap his head around. But he learns, as do we, that one can't always understand what's happening, or why it is. Sometimes you just have to go along, and hope for the best. It becomes a matter of faith.$LABEL$1 +poor craftmanship. I loved this vacuum until it started to fall apart. It began with the very short cord getting stuck and then frayed. That was wrapped with electrical tape. Then the hose tore at the point of entry to the canister. Again we used electrical tape to hold it together. Finally, the hose tore at the other end and out comes the electrical tape again. Instead of a 2 year vacuum, it looks like a 10 year vacuum. It also flips over easily and the attachments fall out and we lost one. Soo, I guess the moral of the story is don't get a Bosch vacuum!! Also, it was overpriced for the quality and forget about the service!$LABEL$0 +Heart felt. I read these books. I have loaned these books. I have bought and given these books to others. What more could I say. I have read book 1, 2, 3 and "What God Wants". Book 1 was my favorite. They are all Great. Enjoy the message.$LABEL$1 +Good at first.... I have has this TV for approximately 5 years. I really liked it when I first for it other than it is kind of loud, hard to get use to at first.After just a year I had to replace the lamp which is between 100-200 dollars, not in when it just goes out and you have to scramble around to find it and have to order online, when you only have 1 TV it's a bummer.Now for the worse part... A few months ago I noticed a little white dot on the screen for someone with a little case of OCD it drives you nuts, BUT... Now a couple months later there is 23 white dots and about 30 black dots so it can bug me whether I am watching a light screens or a dark one! Yippee! Needless to say I HATE this TV I think it's garbage and wouldn't recommend it to anyone!$LABEL$0 +Don't Buy it. I bought Ghost after my disk drive in my Dell computer began to fail. I followed Symantec's instructions 3 times to image a bootable new drive with no avail. Files were copied, but the drive would not boot. Finally, I got a free software download from the manufacturer of the new drive (Western Digital)and it worked fine. After booting up with the new drive, all programs worked except, you guessed it, all of Norton's stuff, the antivirus, internet security, etc... The kicker is that their suggestion was now to uninstall their software and re-install it again. But the software would not uninstall (including Ghost). The funny part is that their site recommends uninstalling all their software before doing a migration, including Gohst! In other words, you are supposed to uninstall Ghost before you use it to create the new disk. Duh...$LABEL$0 +Good Basic Book for Homeschoolers. Montessori at Home is a good book for the home schooler who wants to set up a Montessori atmosphere at home. It really gives complete curriculum information for the parent of a pre school aged child. The instructions are easy to follow and the lesson plans are very easy to understand.$LABEL$1 +Very ordinary. I've just finished The Regulators and just starting Desperation. If it weren't for the great reviews of Desperation I would have got something else - but I thought the story was reasonable, just badly constructed.The idea that the whole thing (430 pages) takes place in a few houses in the one street in one afternoon/night reminds me of Geralds Game, and that was fairly poor also.The main story (people hiding from maniacs in vans) is very boring. However it is the 'underlying' story of a force that has become part of and taken over a young autistic child that kept me going - even this was boring at times.If you want horror read Salems Lot or The Shining, if you want a brilliant story read It or The Stand or The Green Mile.I just hope Desperation is better.$LABEL$0 +Not USB. I had searched for a cheap USB headset and this one showed up in the results. The product description does NOT include the connector type (should have been my first clue). I just got this yesterday and it is a standard 3.5 mm jack. I needed a USB.Quality wise it's OK for a cheap product but be aware that it is not USB in case that is what you are looking for.$LABEL$0 +Excellent!!!. I enjoyed the funny antics, the mystery, the adventures,and the racing in the desert of Saudi Arabia. It made you feel like a noble nomad of the desert. The actors were awesome!! It was definitely worth having, especially for the 80's. Old and very interesting to watch over and over, again.$LABEL$1 +Soccer for coaching and improving. Never sure what the rules or what to do to help a young player get better?This book will help both of you.$LABEL$1 +Too many "selfs" to follow. This book started off making sense but then it kept talking about Self A and Self B.... It went around topics. It kind of made it hard to keep up with reading. It never really helped my game at all and so I looked for other books. There are other books out there that can help your mental tennis game.$LABEL$0 +Gibberish..Nefarious...Irrational... The author and the reviewer Dr.Marshall successfuly joins the ranks of the German and British conspirators who concocted many theories and misinterpretations of the Vedic Religion. NoThe title is misleading..while the author tries to mislead the readers..while the reviewer Dr.Marshall..deceives himself with the false review.My sympathies with the author,reviewer(Dr.Marshall) and the readers.There isn't a provision for ZERO stars or else it deserved it.$LABEL$0 +DA -- Voyage on Great Titianic. This book was boring at times and the diary entries are way too long.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't look like a "woman's" watch. I ordered this through the seller "Just Brands" on Amazon, and in person the watch is actually much more chunky and masculine than the picture. I attempted to return it and Just Brands was the worst company I've ever had to deal with. They were impossible to get a hold of in order to get an authorization number to return the watch. Then once I returned it they denied receiving it even though I had a delivery confirmation from the post office. Luckily Amazon refunded my money. I really liked the look of the watch on Amazon, but when I saw it in person, it was just too big.$LABEL$0 +Great Movie--Disapponting DVD. This is perhaps one of the greatest music-themed movies ever made. You will find yourself spellbound at the talent and energy these first-time actors bring to this film. Lead singer Andrew Strong was only sixteen years old when this film was made, yet he has a voice which sounds like its seen a world of pain. Twentieth Century Fox has taken a diamond and smashed it to bits by not offering this DVD in a widescreen format (with DTS stereo). It could be a reference DVD if done properly. Maybe the Criterion folks will do it. Until then, don't bother with the full-screen version.$LABEL$0 +Takes me happily back.. This one had been in my Wish List for a while. I was happy to hear it was available. I brought back good memories of my youth. The songs were well constructed, glammy but not too much. "Deep Cuts the Knife" Really moves me.$LABEL$1 +A TRUE LOSS OF FAITH.. Faith Hathaway had just graduated High School and was one week away from going into the army. She was full of hope and life. Robert Willie( the man this movie was based on), along with his accomplice raped and murdered her. She was raped, stabbed 17 times, and raped after she died. The director of this movie denied requests made by Faith's mother, and gave all the attention to the only person who deserved to die. Where was the mercy for Faith? Where was the compassion for Faith? Where were the people protesting for Faith's life? Finally where was the story about the mercy which was denied to Faith? What about her suffering and that of her family? Barely a foot note in this movie. Ohh and Sister Prejean has been discovered to lie when it suits her case.$LABEL$0 +zero stars. this game isn't even worth one star.how do you fight???even if your enemy's power bar is down you have to be in tip top shape when time runs out.$LABEL$0 +well rounded reference...... As time is of the essence while travelling, I wanted to make the most of my time on the islands. This book allowed me to explore and choose a hike that was perfect for the length of my stay. I felt comfortable with the route laid out on paper. I was dissatisfied with THE BUS route and scheduling on Oahu as compared to the simple statement under how to get there. I had to explore a different route and connection but felt that THE BUS system was to blame. Otherwise, I felt that the book did sufficiently lead to the perfect hike for me at the time. The trail was beautiful and I look forward to using the book again down the road.$LABEL$1 +Great sandal!. This is my third pair! I recommend buying a size larger though to have a little space behind the heel. Otherwise, the back of the sandal lines up right to the heel. I wear them daily in the summer, walking around the city all day long, and they last a half-year. Very comfortable, although I wish it had more arch support. Amazon shipped it to my door in less than 24 hrs!$LABEL$1 +great. We have one of these that's 12 - 15 years old and have always been happy with it, so we gave one to our son and his wife and they are very happy with it$LABEL$1 +The Very Best of Mady Mesple. Absolutely superb sound tracks. The only drawback is the booklet, which has green and red type on a black background and is therefore hard to read. However, this has nothing to do with the sound tracks, which are absolutely superb!$LABEL$1 +London's Mean Streets. If this book were a movie, it would be film noir. Sarah Tolerance shares a kinship with Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade. Brava!$LABEL$1 +I'm a Marine in the United states. (This show is awesome). Not many shows (let alone cartoons) have the quality that avatar has brought. I'm never let down when a new episode. Some are not as epic as others but altogether it is a show that never disappoints. Values are instilled, humor is involved, and an adventure is brought that would give any child a more active imagination. I leave the show each episode somehow more relaxed and at peace. This show is a DEFINATE. Just give it a shot first through the first 4 episodes (the time for one movie) and just see if you aren't curious to see "just one more episode".Lcpl Koda, Gary V.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I bought this book partially based on all the positive reviews. However, I was extremely disappointed. The author never mentions that poor grades could be due to a learning disability or adhd. I understand this book is not about learning disabilities or adhd, but it should be mentioned as a possibility for those parent's who have not considered it as a possibility. I suppose the book would be helpful for some parents, but my copy is sitting around gathering dust.$LABEL$0 +KitchenAid 560 blender. I don't work for Amazon nor KitchenAid. I have no conflicts of interest.I researched this blender extensively in YouTube, Consumer Reports, etc, prior to buying. My purpose is exclusively to make vegetable smoothies of Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Pumpkin, Wild Blueberries and Wakame with mushrooms for my health. I eat a plant-based diet only. I bought it 'Refurbished' at $65 including S&H.; It came like new packed beautifully with its handbook. I use it every other day. It grinds everything I need perfectly. It has no leaks and has worked flawlessly. I would heartily recommend it to everyone. At the price I bought it is a huge bargain.$LABEL$1 +My #1 cookbook. This is my fav cookbook. Actually this is the second one I've had. I used the first one so much it had stains everywhere (from my "learning" cooking days) and it started to fall apart. This makes a wonderful wedding shower gift in a basket with a few cake/pie pans or other baking necessities.$LABEL$1 +Amazing. This product is spectacular a must buy. I have super curly hair and this make my hair pin straight i recomend it highly!$LABEL$1 +Not good. Jeff's previous DVDs set the bar fairly high and Controlled Chaos was not in the same league. He seems to have lost his creative edge and was just reusing bits from the past. I wish I had just watched it on Comedy Central and saved my $9.99.$LABEL$0 +Jan Karon hits the mark.. All of Ms. Karon's books are inspirational, but this one is especially so. Lots of insight and wisdom for those times in life when walking through a valley, together with intrigue, a little suspense and plenty of light humor we can all relate to.Truly a delightful read.$LABEL$1 +It was boring to me. The moves were not challenging, and the whole time you're repeating movements with Dolphina keeps on saying "beautiful!!" a million times ... I bought this VHS because I wanted to try a new workout, however, I don't find it effective ...$LABEL$0 +Adjustment Not So Bad. Although the previous review is correct in that there is a 'gap' between the last bead and the handle, I would not have noticed it without having it pointed out to me.On the other hand the rope is quite easy to adjust because of that 'feature'. In reading reviews of other jump ropes on Amazon it seems to me that this one is probably better than most when it comes to adjustment.As far as functionality it works fine, I wish I could jump rope better, but that's my problem (!)If color is important I will note that I thought it would be yellow and black as the illustration on the website, but it turned out to be gray and black. A pretty dull color combo.Looks like you can get a choice of color if you pick the ones that come direct from the mfgr but then you have to pay shipping, mine came thru Amazon Prime.Who would have thought there would be so much to say about a jump rope?P.S. It's nice to buy something that doesn't come with a 'power brick', SD card or USB cable...$LABEL$1 +One mistake in the book cause me to doubt the entire book.. Horror! Page 8 has a mistake so bad it makes me doubt the entire book, "The first semi-conductor...was discovered ...in 1965... It took seven more years before the first commercial application appeared..." I beg to differ. I was working in Fairchild Semiconductor, Inc. in Mountain View, California designing integrated circuits in 1964. I must be dreaming then or the the author in talking about some other technology. It makes me wonder about the rest of the book.$LABEL$0 +WOWW. Ok so here's the deal...I'm usually not the one in the relationship who gets off first, and tonight I was in desperate need of a condom and as any 20 yr old I don't want a baby!!!! Well my best friend swears up and down on this condom and gives me this extended pleasure. Well I think nothing of it, just a condom........NOT I ended up going for an hour and a half and abs hurting and well after she got off the first time had to go to hand joob.....still didn't work.....I go to the bathroom and try my self......FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I can't get myself,,,,,,needless to say it numbs it WAY too much!!!!!Works if you need that BUT....... DO NOT USE UNLESS U HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Good price for a small card.. Required a small 1Gb card for my navigator. Did not want to pay a lot for a card that is now considered "small". This card worked well with no problems whats-so-ever.$LABEL$1 +Still Wondering. I found Hornest's Nest hard to get into. The story and plot slow and I was always wondering when Dr. Scarpetta was going to get involved. Then I couldn't put it down. I thought it was great that West and Brazil got together could be interesting for a future series? I thought the ending was very disappointing and I felt like the book wrapped up too fast and as a reader you were left hanging. Would be interested to see if Ms. Cornwell will continue with these characters.$LABEL$0 +It's pretty awful.. Stephen Baldwin is a horror writer who discovers he has an identical, murderous clone. This silly Dean Koontz adaptation is based off of his equally silly novel, so it's no surprise the script has all the typical Koontz plot elements: Government conspiracy, heroes going on the run, and a final fight in the middle of nowhere. The only difference is that the mystery is revealed at the beginning! Overlong miniseries (Which actually features nudity in the video version)features countless leapholes in logic, unconvincing special effects, and a hilariously wooden Stephen Baldwin as the writer and killer. You can count the number of good Koontz novels and movies on one hand (Phantoms, anyone?), and this sure as hell isn't one of them.$LABEL$0 +Does duel levels with ease.. Cute and enjoyable book for kids of ALL ages. A somewhat cautionary tale of careful-what-you-wish-for-you-just-might-get-it. Deserves the praise it's been getting.$LABEL$1 +Possibly Shallower than its Subject.. This is a very poor book. It has almost nothing to do with Las Vegas at all. It centers on porn stars and the porn industry, and the people profiled are most vapid and boring along with being incapable of reflection. The narrator's inability to make note of their deficient qualities and provide any sort of insight is its real flaw; however, as Sheehan appears incapable of judging anything or anybody which is indicative of many an academic nowadays. These types concentrate on being "tolerant" and "non-judgmental" which results in their having nothing to say. Porn is a means to an end for most guys. It isn't intriguing or meaningful. It's something in lieu of something else. If you enjoy reading about Las Vegas, I'd advise you to look at other titles.$LABEL$0 +remixes came too late to save the song. First of all, like my title says, these remixes came to late for the club crowd. But, if you like Willa you'll be intrested anyway:1. Mike Rizzo Club Mix (6.39): Love this mix it speeds up the chorus vocals but keeps the verse vocals at almost regular speed. Really cool beat. Best mix in my opinion.2. Sal Parm {of Plasmic Honey}Club Mix (9.14): Sal doesn't do a very good job. The track is cool but the vocals are way too slow for the bpm (beats per minute). Same goes for his radio edit.3. Mike Rizzo Hyper Vocal Mix (6.09): Hyper vocal indeed. If I didn't know the words to this song by memory I wouldn't be able to understand the verses in this mix. They just go by too fast.4. Sal Parm Dub (7.14): Very, very disappointing. Usually, even when the mix is bad, remix artists have a chance to redeem themselves on their dub but not Sal Parm. I really expected better mixes form him.5. Sal Parm Radio Edit (3.59): See Track 2I'd give 3 stars but the mixes were too late.$LABEL$0 +Harry Potter books. Ordered and recieved 1 then a couple of days later 2 and then 3 and had to send them off for my Grandaughter without the last 2 books for Christmas. WAS NOT HAPPY about that. also some of the books did not have the covers on them. Not happy at all. Really upset she didn't get her Christmas present all together for that special day since I can't be there with them.$LABEL$0 +I Can't live without my GameShark. This is definitely one of the best accessaries for the Playstation especially if you ever rent games. GameShark also has a helpful website ... This site has all the codes for PSX available and GameShark masters to help find them.$LABEL$1 +Great book. I'm obsessed with Shaker furnitue and architecture. I'll get around to reviewing all of my books in time. I think I have every Shaker book printed!This one isn't "Complete" but there's an aweful lot in here. I look at "complete" more or less as meaning "most" variety of furniture. I didn't take it literally.This is one book that gives a lot of weight to Shaker built-ins as well. Of which I'm trying to re-create so I've been referencing this book a lot lately.I do have other books, some of which focus more on details and drawings with potential variety in drawer configurations for example, others more on color and simple photos etc.So far it 's been one of my favorites in terms of the wide variety of material it contains. An overall wonderful photo and text reference to existing furniture.$LABEL$1 +I Agree - This one is JUNK. This is the third Norelco shaver I have owned and the second rechargeable. My first rechargeable was wonderful. This one is junk. It barely turns fast enough to use when plugged in or immediately after a recharge. The charge only lasts one-two days where my old one would hold a charge for two weeks with daily use until it died of old age after about 12 years of use!Pass this one by no matter how cheap someone offers to sell it!$LABEL$0 +"White Ladder" Nothing Remarkable. Wow. It's rare to see an album rated a clean 5 stars across the board, and for that reason alone I was willing to give this record a listen. Add to that the facts that I love the song "Babylon" and that Dave Matthews, whom I respect, claims to have listened to this record almost exclusivly for months. Armed with that information, I was prepared for a record that would sit at the top of my collection for a good, long time.Ho-hum. I can't tell you how disappointed I am. Perhaps it's just the hyperbolic whiplash inherent in overexpectation. Perhaps it's that David Gray writes lyrically mediocre songs then records them with undistinguished musical backing. Perhaps it's his grating voice, which works well on a single song, but annoys on an entire CD.I won't dispute the hundreds of other reviewers here and elsewhere who loved this album unquestionably. I'll just assume that I'm missing something and move on.$LABEL$0 +They are pretty weak. They dont work for me, I hardy see a difference when I take them, the Extreme work better for me.$LABEL$0 +FINALLY! SLEEP!. This book is a lifesaver! The ideal of Parent Directed Feedings reads like common sense. I don't know why there is so much controversy over this issue. This book teaches how to start a flexible schedule, while still responding to the cues of your baby. My daughter is now eight months old and has been sleeping contentedly through the night since she was nine weeks old. This book saved my life.$LABEL$1 +Not sure about this one.... I am new to java but not to programming, so maybe this wasn't the book for me. While the style is new and innovative, I eventually got worn down by the constant humor, margin notes, and bizarre analogies. I also found that trying to use this book as a reference was nearly impossible. When the book did have a clear answer to what I was looking for, it was buried in the same quagmire I mentioned above.I suppose that if you are completely new to writing any form of code, this may be the right book for you. I would tend to think, however, that you will quickly grow out of it, and then its use as a reference later will hardly justify the space on your shelf. As an alternative, I would suggest "Learning Java" 2nd Edition (also published by O'Reilly).$LABEL$0 +Gets worse with each passing minute.. Charlize Theron is a concerned wife who believes her astronaut husband (Johnny Depp) isn't quite himself after a mysterious accident in outer space. Paranoid, Roman Polanski-style thriller moves at an incredibly slow pace, rambles on predictably, and concludes with an obvious, Outer Limits-type ending. This is most notable for featuring Clea Duvall, which makes it three films the actress has been in where people are possessed by extraterrestrials (the other two being The Faculty and Ghosts of Mars).* 1/2 out of *****$LABEL$0 +Liked From Your Grave better.... Good solid cd... I was really anticipating this one.. but it kind of let me down... I liked from your grave more... But it's still worth buying if you liked the last one... pick it up!$LABEL$1 +This wallet is rugged and classy!. I have been carrying eel skin wallets since the mid 1980's. I think those of us that carry eel skin wallets are loyal--once we carry them they are the only type that will ever do. I am always careful to buy Conger eel skin, which is what this wallet is. It is very rugged and takes a lot of abuse and always looks great. It also has a very classy look. Lots of room for credit cards. It takes a little time to break it in--as with any new wallet, but it is worth the effort. Eel skin wallets make great gifts!$LABEL$1 +U SUCK. Dont buy nothing from this vender its been a month and some days and I still havent recieved anything!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Returned Item. Good responce from company to problem with item. Would purchase something else from them again. Modem didn't work properly.$LABEL$0 +Lack of proper description. I got the product, and it did NOT come with any screws it's a tool mount, but it didnt come with mounting supplies??? the actual product is effective but i had to go out and get screws when i could have just went out and bought the product. the descriptino did not impply that it came without the screws, it did however immply that it was "complete"$LABEL$0 +a+ seller!!!!. Ordered, shipped, and delivered flawlessly. Item came quickly and accurately fit product description. Great seller!$LABEL$1 +I Want My Money Back. The sound is TOTALLY INADEQUATE. Amazon should not be in this business if it is not up to the overwhelming technical challenge of PRODUCING SOUND YOU CAN HEAR.I am mostly very satisfied with things I buy from Amazon. But this was a great disappointment. It is no fun watching a video YOU CAN'T HEAR!I WANT MY MONEY BACK!$LABEL$0 +Very disappointed. I was very excited to purchase and read this book, however, once I did I was very disappointed. The book is very confusing constantly jumping from one character to another. I found myself wondering who was speaking - father or daughter. Also, I think this book of 600 and some pages could have been completed in say 350 pages. Very, very wordy. I do not think I would read another of this author's works.$LABEL$0 +Saint Etienne - The Bad Photographer. Saint Etienne's remixers for THE BAD PHOTOGRAPHER don't touch the title track, but instead take on phantom tracks that don't appear elsewhere. Kid Loco takes "4:35 in the Morning" further into deliciously mellow downtempo territory, even as horns come in the background, while the Bronx Dogs go thick and dark on "Foto Stat." Add N to (X) remake the cheekily titled "Uri Geller Bent My Boyfriend" into an abstract digital wonderland, with a sudden crash of rhythm towards the middle.$LABEL$1 +I NEED INFORMATION FROM ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAMAGOTCHI'S. Hi i am 11 and i need some information on tamagotchi i dont have one yet but i am saving up my money for one. and i need help,first of all i want to know how to operate it and i also want to know what you do with it. please e-mail me at flower_princess11@hotmail.com please e-mail me.thank you$LABEL$1 +Never worked. We opened up this product, put in brand new batteries and nothing worked. Even tried different batteries with the same result. The light didn't even turn on, just a complete waste of time, the same thing happened with their coffee machine, not happy!!!$LABEL$0 +Love it. I thought this mounting bracket was very easy to install, and I'm a girl. TV sits back against the wall far enough to make me happy, and it's very easy to pull the tv out if I ever need to check cord connections.$LABEL$1 +too Much NOISE? Not in the End.. What a funny, silly picture book! I've read this to K-2 classes and they get the point: We complain until we see life could be worse. And that is the lesson the "wise man" of the village teaches "old man" Peter. But HOW he "trickily" teaches this is the fun of the story.I am amazed at the cummulative memory the youngest have in accompanying me in the repetitious words and sounds. They have fun. What a way to build a vocabulary! And the illustrations are super![...]$LABEL$1 +Gratuitous obcenity and (very) soft porn. A confusing silly mishmash of soft porn and filthy language topped off with a raving Dennis Hopper, who during a long period in his career appeared in a number of stinkers, apparently to pay the rent.There is nothing of any artistic merit in this travesty of moviemaking - the editing, direction, story, music, photography and acting are all ludicrous and repellent, without exception. Matthew Modine, in his excessive kissing scenes seems to be wanting to prove something...if you make it past the early scene, I suppose you can survive the rest of the movie.Well maybe there is one exception - Claudia Schiffer IS a sweetie and she deserved a better vehicle in her first major film role; she's tolerably competent and nice to look at. Unfortunately, her character is brutalized and abused for caring, and somehow she always comes back for more; maybe she's a masochist.$LABEL$0 +Utterly boring. I really looked forward to what the great Herbie Hancock would do with such cream-of-the-crop vocalists and musicians.The answer - absolutely nothing. No doubt you'll find such a declaration hard to believe, but go ahead and waste your time listening to this total flop, right across the board. There's just nothing here, nothing new, nothing interesting.Take the Santana track for example. Sounds completely and uniquely Sanatana, just like you've heard a hundred times before.Sting warps his voice at the start of his song, then settles back into the usual Sting sound - but it's all been heard before, so why would anyone want this?I was most looking forward to what Christina would do with her song, and I found out - taking it in every direction except one that makes sense.This is a product put out by people who think the public is stupid, and will eat up anything.Better off getting the best albums by the individual artists (eg. John Mayers' "Any Given Thursday").$LABEL$0 +I've been pondering, what's so great about Coldplay?. It may be nothing really, just a british band that ripped off Radiohead, yet Radiohead still has better talent, better songs and a better singer. Yet female fans eat this crap up like they were the Beatles. Maybe its me but I cant find the talent even with CIA or CIS or FBI gear. Just listen to Ok Computer and listen to this album and tell me which one is better.PS. The singer of Radiohead said that they are nothing more than pop and no skill.$LABEL$0 +Something Smells. I was happy to receive my book so quickly. Unfortunately the cover was not in as good a shape as I had hoped it had some mold on it and the book smelled very musty. Went on line to get some tips to get rid of the smell. None of them have worked. Can not put with the rest of my book for fear they will pick up the smell. I would like to return but can not find my paper work.$LABEL$0 +Increase in price not fair. Multi Voice Changer by Toysmith: Change your voice with 10 different voice modifiers - Kids Toy (Colors May Vary) I went to purchase this item for a few of my grandchilden, but found that the item that had been priced for 6.99 is now being listed at 15.25. That is more than a 100% increase. Sad when a company increases their prices that much just because of the holidays. I wont be purchasing this now from this company,$LABEL$0 +Another Canceled Pre-order due to DRM. See the numerous reviews citing DRM issues. I upgrade my machines and am pretty lousy at keeping track of physical disks. I have no interest in being pointlessly forced to call EA support in the event that I have to reinstall my game a few times.$LABEL$0 +Elegant design and functional, when it worked.. I recently purchased this palm for my mother who was interested in getting a new PDA. While the device itself worked perfectly, there was one major problem we seemed to have with it. The device itself seemed to stop turning on after a while. We had purchased the store's extended warranty so we just took it back and they replaced it. Second one, the same thing happened again. So we tried fiddling around with the battery, apparently the battery easily loses it's connection so the unit itself will not power on unless you fiddle with the battery. Two PDA's in a row with the same exact problem, and another reviewer encountered something similar, I think it's fair to say the initial release batch of this PDA has definitely had some issues. We ended up exchanging it for a Palm TX.My mother said she loved it while it worked, and is very disappointed such a trivial problem can cause so much annoyance.$LABEL$0 +Wasn't worth the time. I love this movie but amazon only offered a seven min clip of this great movie so I was disappointed$LABEL$0 +Mad Dog and Glory. If this movie did not have Robert DeNiro and Bill Murray in it, you probably wouldn't finish watching it. It's hard to understand how someone would have read the script or seen the rough cut and said "people are going to come see this." The plot is standard-issue "man falls in love with hooker with heart of gold and has to save her from the mafia" stuff. DeNiro's character is not really likeable and Murray's is overplayed a little, though still fun to watch. If you don't love either of these two actors, skip it.$LABEL$0 +The Alchemist Fails to Make The Gold. Sweet parables - wise sayings in the desert - easy read - not very filling.$LABEL$0 +New production kind of lacking. I know that this toy has been around for several generations and in theory is a great toy. However, when I got the one I just recently ordered, I was sad to discover that the product design has slightly changed and almost makes the toy unusable. There used to be a rubber ring that sat in the holes to keep the pegs firmly stable so you can "pound the pegs" but they new design has a very loose ring and the pegs barely stay in the main wood frame. They fall out so easily, there's really no pounding of the pegs that gets to be done as the pegs basically just fall through the holes.$LABEL$0 +Awesome Digital Camera Bag. I like this product because it's not much bigger than the camera. It has both velcro and clasp closings to ensure the camera stays in the bag. It also carries my extra SD card and battery pack.$LABEL$1 +A Scam. It should be rated "zero stars." Like the rest of the people here who hate this product, my son's LeapPad worked just long enough for the warranty to expire and for me to stock up on books. My son was very careful with the toy. Even a new "pen" could not save it. Customer "service" (HA!) was rude, and implied that my son broke it. The people at Leap Frog products ought to be ashamed of themselves!There is only one guarantee with a Leap Pad -9 out of 10 people who wrote its positive reviews will change their minds in a year or two, when their Leap Pad dies and Leap Frog blames them.$LABEL$0 +kids don't understand it!. I brought 4 10-year olds to see this in the theater. None of them understod it and I didn't like it. It just was not a god movie.$LABEL$0 +A hard book to put down. This book by Bodie Thoene is a great story of WWII and life in Europe then. It's a great book to read again and again. I really learned alot about WWII. There's lots of suspense, action, and romance. I highly recommend this series.$LABEL$1 +For those who love Heroes III. Actually 3.5 *. Armageddons Blade doesn't include that much new things, but the Elemental town is funny, though it is shame that the concept of all 7th level creatures growing at 1 per week (basic) i abandoned - phoenix grows at 2 per week (4 with castle), which is too great an advantage, even though it is somewhat weaker than the other 7th level creatures. The new neutral dragons are terribly (too?) expensive, even though they are awfully strong. I wonder, if they ever will be of that much use. Anyway, if you liked Heroes III, this is an excellent way of trying new scenarios and campaigns. I miss some new spells, artifacts (there are two new relic artifacts, though) and some modified secondary skills (too many of them stinks!), though.$LABEL$1 +A Rhino Dissapointment-Very Incomplete. What I have come to expect of Rhino is thoroughness, and this CD certainly is not thorough, although what is here is of course done very well. Where are the hits Half the Way,Why have you left the one you left me for, etc? I think this could have been a great collection if made longer, or possibly even a two CD set, although maybe they figured nobody would spring for that......too bad, it remains a "couldve been great"......$LABEL$0 +So strange, so good. What I enjoyed most about his book was how the story flowed, and how the author turned a true story into a very enjoyable novel.What's truly remarkable about this book, aside from the strange and chilling story, is the characters, and how the author manages to weave them in and out of the narrative. It works to perfection, leaving the reader with strong emotions towards the major figures in this case. The authors ability to get behind the scenes, including his use of the actual police files from 1982, gives us delicious new details about Durst and the case, and leads us up to the murders of Susan Berman in 2000 and Morris Black in 2001. Add in the political machinations, particulary the questionable-at-best actions of the Westchester, NY district attorney, and you have one heck of a story. The Durst trial for the Black murder is next spring, and anyone even remotely interested in this case must read this thoroughly engrossing book.$LABEL$1 +Forgettable.... Not the best revival, and certainly not the best overall. I don't remember much except that Tyne Daly, despite clear devotion to the role, has a voice that, to my ears, sounds weak, forced and occasionally off-key. Supporting cast members are so-so. This must be a very difficult role to sing, as even Roberta Peters falls flat (despite some exceptionally interesting interpretation). In my opinion, Patty Lupone's rendition is the best of the recent revivals, but Ethel Merman is still "The Mama" (after all these years)...$LABEL$0 +OH It's Spy Kids 3 and it's 3D!. Isn't it sad that the Spy Kids is still on? Robert Rodriguez, the creator, has no imagination. All this is is the same thing as Spy Kids 1 & 2, with a bad attempt at making it 3D. And now they'll make Shark Boy and Lava Girl!LOCAL CRAZY MONKEY$LABEL$0 +Overrated. There are several issues I have with this book:--This book should come with a large, bold, underlined disclaimer that it is not for victims of abuse. Only too late in the book does the author make this point. Being abused is not your fault; you are not "asking" for it.--This book did not encourage me to improve myself. Instead, I felt like it was almost hopeless to try to improve, because it was so complicated!--Also, this book claims to not fall in the trap of all the "self-..." books, however, it is obsessed with "self-deception". If it truly was not a "self-..." book it would have placed a larger emphasis on losing yourself in service for others, instead of being consumed with reflections on your faults.If you wish to improve yourself without the complication, Gordon B. Hinckley's "Standing for Something" actually encourages realistic improvements and makes you feel that you have potential to be a great person.$LABEL$0 +Terrible attempt of a story. This is a terrible book that my English teacher forced the class to read. While reading it, it almost seemed as though someone told Joyce McDonald to write a sad depressing story about how evil guns are!!! It is a terrible book, the writing is decent, but the story is horrid. Don't read it!!!!! Save yourself from a bore!$LABEL$0 +BAD BAD BAD. see above. Seriously...I have had a run of bad luck. I am a huge reader who averages between 4-10 books a week. I am constantly keeping my eye out for good books. This was a HUGE dissapointment. I picked it up because it was highly recommended and won some misleading award. I did not relate to the main characters and found the relationships to be far too weird to be interesting. Just a bad book all around.$LABEL$0 +Good read. The author once again kept the intensity up. bosch is the typical good cop you always want to root for .$LABEL$1 +Mystery of the Lettuce Keeper Lid. Beware unsuspecting consumers! Look elsewhere for a lettuce keeper or you too will fall victim of the "Mystery of the Lettuce Keeper Lid!"That's right! You store your lettuce, secure the lid and WHILE YOU SLEEP! Ahhh! The lid curls up in the and creeps it's way off the top of the keeper!Okay, so the lid is shallow, cheap, thin, flimsy and hard to put on securely. I was willing to work with that! BUT... One night in the Fridge AND..... It's a nightmare! Apparently, this product comes with little gremlins who pry open the lid while you have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head. Ee-hee-hee-hee!Head my warning! If you buy this product, don't sleep at night or gremlins will take over your fridge.$LABEL$0 +This album is horrible. I consider this album an insult to Metallica, you just can't take something like "For Whom The Bell Tolls" or any other Metallica song, and do a remake of it without any guitars.$LABEL$0 +great hammer. Been using this hammer for about 4 months now and it's great. This hammer completely changed my mind about titanium hammers. The only thing I would like to see different on this hammer is a slightly smaller face.$LABEL$1 +WORLD OF WARCRAFT PLEASE COME OUT I BEG YOU. This game will be destroyed once it comes out. Ive played this game and am not impressed. The graphics are so so and its hard for you to move around. The ability to fly is the reason it gets 1 star. If your smart youll kick back and watch some anime or even play old school eq. City of heroes just does'nt do it for me.$LABEL$1 +Buy this title if you are a collector!. I'm a Madonna fan from Turkey.I try to buy every Madonna CD.Don't buy this so called remix ep.There is nothing special about it and it's too expensive.Luke slater and Fabian remixes are extremely boring.I advice you to buy the single version of this title.Dallas Austin's low end mix is pretty good and you can find this mix in single version.$LABEL$0 +How to learn any language of Mr. Faber. because I in this book the author writes to much about himself and donot fullfil my expectation no one magic formulathe only thought is study an swet blood,swet,and tears as Mr Wiston said,and profit from the waiting moments,that is all.I am sorry if I cannot expreses clearly but english is no my mother language.I will be waiting better books. bye and sorryFdo- Jorge Merino$LABEL$0 +Christmas gone Crazy. I must admit, although this book is very desturbing and some of the characters rather creepy, I liked the plot. On a "ick" factor, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. But Hey, for a novel, that's a good thing in my book. At least the characters are believable, if not Icky. The series will get you hooked.Reviewed by Rosanna Filippello Author of the Angelo Mysteries Series published by JustMyBest inc. Book One--Angel of Death, Book Two--Angelo of Justice(Angel of Truth to be released Fall of 2005)www.detective-angelo-mysteries.com$LABEL$1 +Royce Da 5'9 - M.I.C. This is the second album that I picked up from Royce. This isn't really a solo album by him, his M.I.C group is also on a lot of the songs. Don't let that keep you from getting this though.Lyrically, Royce and the M.I.C is real on this album. Its the same old Royce you know from any other songs/albums hes been on.Production wise, this album is very good, some of the beats were decent/medicore, but most were bangers. The songs I listed in my top 5 have very dope beats.If you like Royce, then this album is for you plain and simple. Nothing weak abou it!Peace.My Top 5 Songs1.On The Road2.Dope3.Gone In 30 Seconds4.Basic5.No Talent Rappers$LABEL$1 +Monster Bass Lines by Shandrleria Praematurus. Squire wrote a fist of progressive songs of the highest level, at the finest moment of the progressive-atlantic-LP era: the early seventies. The five tracks are just genius. "Silently Falling" and "Lucky Seven" show the best moment of Bill Brufford at the drums. If this would be a Yes Album, it would be between the classics, like "Relayer" and "Close To The Edge"; but Chris wanted it to be done alone, with a little help from Mel, Patrick, Bill and Andrew. Five Stars, no more.$LABEL$1 +Very confusing. Some might say that movies with little dialogue are interesting and artistic but I disagree. I was confused almost right from the get-go. I had no idea what was going on and I couldn't even figure out who the main characters were. The movie is kind of slow moving and a lot goes on but very little is explained. I wouldn't really suggest this movie unless you are one of those people who have laser-focused attention. I do not, especially when I'm at home. I do have to give props though, as the story is a very good idea.$LABEL$0 +wow. there is nothing good about this movie. we have heard the plot before. the acting is some of the worst i have ever seen. the outfits are wrong and it is filmed so badly that i do not care what happens to the rest of the human race. i think a lot of my problems with the movie was casting. theron was a horrible pick for the role. very dissapointed.$LABEL$0 +Where did all the money go?. Where to begin? How about...not fun. Bad graphics+bad gameplay+bad sound+no replay value=bad game. The saddest part is that Eidos put so much money into this game that good studios (i.e. Looking Glass) ended up shutting down. Quake II is still more fun than this! They should have pulled the plug on Ion Storm a long time ago.$LABEL$0 +Perfect fit. Worked awesome with my Coby 50" LED. Included magnetic level came in handy, being I hung it on the wall by myself. Excellent product$LABEL$1 +Pass On This. Packaging looks nice but after opening, the "laptop" part gets set aside and never looked at again, you are better off opting to buy markers, paper, etc separately - much better value. Don't waste your money on this one.$LABEL$0 +A musthave for every Omega collector/fanatic. This book tells the long history of Omega and describes all watchlines (Constellation, Deville, Seamaster, Speedmaster etc) very well. There is not much depth, but the book do give you a lot of information about the used movements, great photos and information on all watchlines by Omega. For indepth stories about how watches work, buy Chronograph Wristwatches : To Stop Time; Reinhard Meis, Gerd R. Lang or Wristwatch Chronometers : Mechanical Precision Watches and Their Testing; Fritz Von Osterhausen.$LABEL$1 +La Guzman en su mejor momento. Alejandra Guzmán está en su mejor momento en esta grabación grabada en vivo en Cancún, Méjico. LA Guzmán tine una gran fuerza interpretativa y su voz y proyección está mejor que nunca. Su set acústico donde canta tres de sus mejores éxitos es una de las mejores canciones. Esta reina de corazones seguirá reinando por mucho tiempo.$LABEL$1 +Excellent design.... After reviewing this book I must say that I'm really want to see what is going on in that design office at this very moment... ... I can't wait until someone puts together a sequel to this book... ... A superb book...$LABEL$1 +Outstanding!. Ms. Bagely is truly a gifted poet. One of her mesmerizing poems, The House That was Alive, was written for and is featured in my novel, "Even Angels Fall". After reading some of Bagley's poetry I asked her to write a poem reflecting my novel and she did so beautifully! Poetry fans will not be disappointed by her touching, heartfelt poems.$LABEL$1 +Serves it's purpose!. I've already purchased one of these before and needed a second one. The first one was for my daughter and it worked fine. The second was for my son and the training is different...but he sometimes makes a mess. It does leak through the front, but it depends on how he's sitting and how much he has to pee. You'll have to do some cleaning, but I think it's better than my son in a diaper.$LABEL$1 +Mouse & Twink - 'Out Of The Pink Into The Blues' (HTD Records). More or less, a cheesy compilation that my guess is that this CD was NOT released with Twink's approval. Too many lame-sounding covers. Jimi Hendrix's "Red House", J.J.Cale's "Youngblood", Santana's "Oye Come Va", Big Joe Turner's "Kansas City", the Stone's "Midnight Rambler" among others. Really nice cover, though. Unless you're like a total Twink / Pink Fairies / Pretty Things completist, you just might want to avoid this disc altogether.$LABEL$0 +Did you know?. Sidekick is breakable, so be careful when you carry it. Average 3 to 5 break per user.The sync by connect USB to computer, T-Mobile will charge you $30 for one-time unlock that allow you sync to MS Outlook. No Mac available.The built-in camera is great, but you will pay 25 each time you send the higher resolution picture via e-mail.Bright side, it's $30 per month for unlimited DATA plan. That's all I can said.$LABEL$0 +Tofurkey rules!. TOFURKEY RULES!I love tofurkey. I look forward to it every thanksgiving. True, some vegans and vegetarians don't even like it. I Love it!$LABEL$0 +not universal enough. Pros: sturdy, illuminated buttonsCons: those nice, sturdy, illuminated buttons don't do what I want. the pre-programmed codes were sufficient to get basic functions working on several devices (TV, VCR, receiver, DVD player), but when I tried to get this remote control to learn some other functions on my Denon AVR-3000 receiver and Sony XDR-F1HD tuner, it refused. I followed all of the tips in the owner's manual: I put new batteries in both remotes, I turned off the fluorescent lights, I moved the remotes closer and farther, I tapped the button instead of holding it, I stood on my head (just kidding). I tried dozens of times with no success. So I went to Radio Shack and bought the cheapest learning remote in the store (Radio Shack 7-in-1 Universal HD Remote Control); it learned those functions on the first try. I wish it had sturdy, illuminated buttons (it doesn't), but at least it works.$LABEL$0 +The real problem is.... Firstly, this movie does some things well. The introductions of most of the cast were reasonably good and the general plot began to develop quickly. As for the comic relief parts, some of the one-liners in this movies are better than the one-liners I've heard in most movies.The main problem this movie has is, once the main premise, ants attacking humans in an office building, is underway... the threat level never increases. As you'd expect, the body count rises, but in this movie, that is usually the result of the victim's actions.I think the writers should have spent more time trying to decide what actually happens when ants start attacking people. Aside from that, the only problem is that a central character debuts far too close to the end of the movie.It does have its good points, but ultimately, the main elements of the plot could have been handled better.$LABEL$0 +Too much. This was a compilation of all the plots experienced mystery writers have developed more fully in individualbooks. Brutal childhood psychological trauma, child abduction, dirty sex and prostitution, police departmentdynamics, even money laundering! I started out liking the book but it became all too familiar. It lacked thefinesse of Reginald Hill or Ruth Rendell or Charles Todd or Ian Rankin.$LABEL$0 +free copy for sale. Althought the book is great and I love it I found that the book is actually a free copy NOT FOR SALE THAT MEANS this copies are actually given to people and this persona had the guts to put it on sale but the book say all over in every single pages BOOK NOT FOR SALE$LABEL$0 +A Key Part of Virginia History. The VA Teachers Association was the Black teachers' organization in Virginia in the first half of the 20th century. It was central to the civil rights struggle in Virginia. This is an official history, but a lively and exciting one. If you want to understand what Black communities faced in the Jim Crow years, and the ingenuity and dignity with which they struggled, this is an excellent book to read. This organization no longer exists, having been integrated into the VA Education Association, so this book tells its entire history, from the early stages, taken at great risk, through the process of integration.$LABEL$1 +Motor burned out. From the day we got this, it was excessively loud, and occasionally had that "something is burning" smell... at first I attributed the odor to the break-in of a new heavy duty motor, but from time to time it would come back.Well, 14 months later the motor burned out making an ordinary batch of cookies, and customer service merely suggested I take it to a center for repair.I am very disappointed with this product, I think it was defective from the start.$LABEL$0 +Listening to it on and on and on and on.... This album, as has already been pointed out, is excellent. It's the kind of music you listen too when you're depressed, and then you feel really good again. It's music you can easily absorb. It flows into your brain and makes everything seem better. It's the kind of music you simply have to hum whaen feeling good. It's like non-chemical prozac.Hmm, maybe i have exxagerated my daily dose...I'm getting all excited...Maybe a bit of Aurora will calm me down.$LABEL$1 +I think that my review is good.. I recently saw Amanda and the Alien for the second time now, and I think that it is a very good movie. I'ts nice to see Michael Dorn, from Star Trek TNG in another role besides Worf. Anyway, I was hoping if someone could help me out. In the movie, the girl that the alien absorbed in the beginning, with the black hair and gorgeous figure. I was wondering if anyone knows her name, thanks.$LABEL$1 +not for me. the head does NOT travel and the fence is poor , i wanted to like this saw and had low expectations but it is just too poorly thought out for me . didnt even plug it in$LABEL$0 +cute story, but be forewarned.... cute story, but be forewarned. if you don't mind hearing the F word about 30+ times in a movie - than this movie is for you. it's a great story and i love the actors in it - but...a bit much - serious - it was a LOT. i wish someone would have warned me...so - there you go!$LABEL$0 +Very predictable movie. This movie was a real flop. It was predictable from the get go. No creativity or imagination can be found in this movie. It is not worth the 3 or 4 dollars it would cost to rent it. I very much enjoyed Legaly Blonde and was expecting a similar level of enjoyment. What a let down. Also it would seem that Ms. Witherspoon has shed enough pounds to lower herself from a very attractive woman to a gaunt stick...very sad.$LABEL$0 +Item didn't come as how picture shows. I bought my beanie buddy from the website below and was expecting to receive the toy as it showed on the website:http://www.amazon.com/TY-Beanie-Buddy-HOPE-Praying/dp/B00002SWVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid;=1243375694&sr;=1-2but somehow the toy I received was this one:http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Beanie-Buddy-Hope-Praying/dp/B001ISD42O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid;=1243375694&sr;=1-3It looks totally different and the fur falls when I touch it. I think the seller posted to a wrong place, so I am disappointed and doesn't know what to do with this toy now. Amazon should be careful on whether the item was posted properly and whether it fits to the description. It wasn't a good and reliable experience for me on Amazon. Toy didn't come as how it looks like on the picture.$LABEL$0 +Returned it after a month. For a 2.4 GHz phone, the range was horrible. I got much better reception with my old 900 MHz. Also, it would be nice if the channels automatically changed when needed, since the reception was so bad (you had to change often). The caller ID was also weird in that if you picked up the phone and missed the call, that number wouldn't be in the caller ID. Overall, we were surprisingly very unhappy with the phone, and just returned it.$LABEL$0 +DOES NOT WORK ON WIN XP!. You can't give it zero star so I am stuck with giving it one... Oh well, the box is kinda nice. But Windows XP users, beware: this game will NOT work on your machine despite what it claims on the box. At best, you MIGHT be able to play for a short while before the fatal crash. I went as far as playing it for 10 seconds. My verdict, useless piece of crap! This company gets on my black list for lying about its product$LABEL$0 +FSX ACCELERATION Expansion Pack - THUMBS DOWN. Last year I had a terrible time loading FSX into my computer but was finally successful after several days.Now, for Christmas 2007, I received the Acceleration Expansion Pack for FSX and am having a terrible time with it. I drop in the DVD and it locks up my computer (DELL). I have tried everything I know to install this program but have had zero success. I do not recommend FSX or the new Acceleration Expansion Pack.How hard is it to create a DVD that will self-start and do an install? I guess too hard for Microsoft.Microsoft - are you incompetent or what?????$LABEL$0 +Pop music at it's best .... Buy it and you will be bobbing your head to catchy tunes that are a sliver of a breath of fresh air ... in these very trying times of spears and other cronies alike.This is the best Pop music ever!! Yeah!!$LABEL$0 +hard to watch. I haven't watched all of them yet, but of the ones I have watched, the quality of the videos takes away from the enjoyrment of watching them. They have poor sound and visual quality. No wonder they're cheap.$LABEL$0 +My trusty old friend. I have been using this keyboard for about 4 years now and just love it. Leave off all of the special keys, media buttons and scroll wheel and this would still be my favorite keyboard. The keys are perfectly spaced, just the right height and not the least bit mushy. I've tried several keyboards since, but never found one that matches. In fact I try to buy a couple extra whenever I see them in case one of the 5 I have in use now goes out.$LABEL$1 +A major dissapointment. I am a huge science fiction fan and heard from many people that this is one of the ultimate Sci-fi classics. So, I decided to read it. I was very dissapointed. Though some concepts were fairly interesting they were not developed, so book had no point. I cannot understand why this novel is as famous as it is. Do not waste your time reading Fahrenheit 451.$LABEL$0 +30lb puppy destroyed it in 15 minutes. After tearing through every stuffed toy we bought our 5 month old Goldendoodle we were drawn in by the Hard Core aspect of the fire hose. Within 15 minutes she had already ripped open the top and the stuffing was coming out.Absolute rip off, save your money and buy a Kong instead.$LABEL$0 +incredible well written book. i got this book and just zoomed through it because the time period of the 1700's and this book has a great story line and with a Caribbean story line and dealing with Race, Class and everything else in between. this Book goes into both main characters lives and brings them together as one. Valerie Belgrave does a fantastic job and leaves you wanting more. the book is the kind of book that you won't put down until you are finished and even then you will go back to re read a passage and make sure you read everything the way it was intended. a must have book and read.$LABEL$1 +Sony SLV-D380P DVD/VCR Tunerless Progerssive Combo Player. This was the worse choice I ever made. Let me warn you, You do not want to purchase the Sony SLV-D380P Tunerless Progressive Scan DVD/VHS Combo Player.$LABEL$0 +wrong dvd. I ordered a dvd that I was wanting but instead they sent one that I had no interest in. I wish that I had the one that I had originally ordered!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +great book. I met the captain on a charter cruise in Baltimore Harbor. A delightful man who loves to share is experience and knowledge.$LABEL$1 +simple yet enjoyable stories of revenge.... Cornell Woolrich is one of those 1940s writers who pumped out loads of pulp fiction that have by now largely gone out of print. He was a very good storyteller but only an average writer - that is, his prose and characterizations are not particularly good. 'The Bride Wore Black' fits this rule completely.In 'The Bride Wore Black' we have essentially five different murder stories with one seemingly common element: the same murderess. In the end we understand a bit more about her motive and why these victims were chosen. Woolrich also delivers a delicious surprise ending. Don't expect any subplots or side romances. This is pure, simple reading enjoyment that doesn't tax the brain but keeps your eyes glued to the pages.Bottom line: certainly among Woolrich's better books. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Making It Work for My Golf Cart. Got this at a great price from Amazon. Shipping fast. I bought 6 of them so that myself and my neighbors could secure our golf carts. Had planned to run it from the pedal to the steering wheel, as the photos seemed to indicate. Discovered that it wouldn't go around either the gas or the break pedals. So, instead I ran it from my steering wheel, over the seat, to the roof pole behind the seat. Stops a thief from sitting in the drivers seat, steering the cart, or lifting the seat to get at my batteries. So, in the end, I'm happy.$LABEL$1 +this stinks bg time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. this stinks because it will not open to my voice. the first day I got it I decided to put my money inside so nobody could steal it. but when i went to get my money i could not get it .so i end up smashing it open.and if decide to buy it your wasting your money . i recommend you not buy this stuipid toy.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!thank you$LABEL$0 +Cool home-ware. Easy installation.Am always looking forward to breakfast as its easy and fast to use rather than having to tie/untie the cereal pack.Value for money.The design and colour fits most kitchen theme.$LABEL$1 +Just as Described. I was happy to know that as promised the book was brand new in the plastic. My fiance' and I will be reading this book together as we prepare to enter our marriage life. Thank you I am very pleased with this purchase!$LABEL$1 +wish I had my 2+ hours back. This is the worst movie I have seen all year. It reminded me of Solaris, another Clooney movie that left me confused and wishing I hadn't wasted the time to watch the entire flix.$LABEL$0 +Very Good Book. I liked the book, it shares important information about what we eat and even if you don't want follow a raw diet, there is information in the book that can help you change and better your eating habits.$LABEL$1 +To those who like it, you should be ashamed of yourselves.. There are so many flaws that I can't rank on them all. Buy the original SECRET OF NIMH because it's everything this film isn't, besides being well written, animated, and most important of all, entertaining!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Awesome Camera - Awful Batteries!. I was ecstatic when I purchased this camera a couple of months ago. But was quickly dissapointed when my battery went dead before I took 8 pictures?!!! I waited to install the software because I was unsure if I wanted to keep a camera that would eat batteries everytime I wanted to use it. But I finally did, and what GREAT QUALITY PICTURES! Now the tricky part is to find a battery / chargable system thats compatible and actually works. So when I go on vacation to Disneyland with my kids, I am not worried about the life of my batteries.Instead I can have the time of my life and get great photos!$LABEL$1 +Terrible.. It amazes me that for all of his pomp and "patriotism," Mr. Hannity cannot see that by eliminating liberalism (which he classifies as part of the "evil" we must be delivered from) he is advocating a Republic form of government. Unlike Sean, I believe it's ok for people to have different opinions -- one of them crazy "liberal" ideas -- but for someone who claims his love for America with such fervency, it's ironic that he so clearly resents the most integral aspect of democracy: more than one voice. He equates 50% of the American population as on par with terrorists at worst, as opposition at best...I would argue that someone who loves and understands this country knows that the left and right are part of a system of checks and balances created in order to avoid one party having absolute power -- not enemies with clearly defined agendas of good and evil.$LABEL$0 +NO KINDLE SECURITY and this is called AMAZON?. If Someone steals your Kindle.They can one-click every book in the library of congress.Plus they can change your Kindle into their Kindle.Amazon offers no Security for your Kindle.If you do not believe me TRY To TURN OFF "ONE CLICK" !!!And they call this internet buying service, Amazon Kindle????$LABEL$1 +stepmom. I took my girls to see this movie when it was in the theater and we loved it. So I wanted to buy it to bring back those special feelings and it did. thx$LABEL$1 +Bad Buy. Purchased 11/02 - after warranty ran out, unit began eating commercial VHS tapes. After prying tape out of unit, DVD worked, but now that is bad as well - unit continues to shut down automatically. Funai/Sylvania is no help an no service local to my area in Columbus, OH?? Repair probably higher than $135 cost - junk. Ignored the advice not to purchase combos - never again.$LABEL$0 +Setup is a pain!. The instructions aren't quite clear in a few places--poor image views and very limited text that doesn't really tell you what or where. This lead me to install the front panel incorrectly, which is attached by VERY cheap plastic pins that cannot be removed without breaking them.Also, the ignition electrode has a wide flat connector which is supposed to attach to a round small wire connector. Guess what? flat pieces don't fit in round sockets! In trying to force the wire onto the connector, I broke the electrode. Cost to replace? US$12.94. The warranty does not cover parts damaged during setup.Keep in mind, I'm usually pretty good at these kind of projects. I've had no trouble building furniture, installing lights and ceiling fans, etc., so it's not like I'm incapable of following directions. Next time, I'll get a a different brand, if this is any indication of the "support" I can expect from do-it-yourself Char-Broil grills!$LABEL$0 +WARNING!. I hate everything about this CD, and I hate everything about Lene Lovitch. She is annoying and has no talent. I just want to voice my opinion and prevent people who are searching for decent cds from making a HUGE mistake.$LABEL$0 +50 cent? puh-leeze. Just a couple things, what is going on here, why is this man making any money. Hes just going out there thinking he knows how to rap when all he is doing is ssda. All these people who think they are so great, im sick of these nellies, these shagies, and now these 50 cents. Last point, I wouldnt even spend 50 cents on this album.$LABEL$0 +This thing is AMAZING!. I just got this to try and fix two brand new games I inadvertently scratched by moving my XBox 360. I was very skeptical and did not actual think this would work but the 2 games were over $50 a piece so I thought I would try. Well shock of all shocks, IT WORKED! Both of my games now play perfectly! YAY!$LABEL$1 +This is not Helmet. I love Helmet but this is not Helmet. I was looking so foward to the day that Helmet would finally put another album out and this was such a huge disappointment. Page tries to sing, much like James Hetfield of the now much watered down Metallica, and fails miserably like Hetfield. Since the rest of the original members aren't back I am not even sure why Page is calling the band Helmet. The anger and aggression of their previous efforts are soarly missed like the rest of the band.$LABEL$0 +High capacity, Looks Good, Kind of Pricey for a Black of Wood. I needed a larger wooden block for my Henckels collection since I expanded my knife set. It was amazing how expensive a large capacity slot knife block could get. I looked everywhere and saw that Amazon had the most reasonable price for $50 with free shipping and no tax. I'm happy since it compliments my knife set nicely. I'd recommend it to anyone interested who own a Henckels knife set; however, beware that your overpaying for something that probably costs $5 or less to make.$LABEL$1 +It's cheap, and it breaks. In spite of the poor reviews, I went out and bought one of these. It worked WONDERFULLY for the first month. And then one day, it just died. Sure, I'm the idiot that threw out the box and the receipt. I may open it and try to fix it. But it broke with zero abuse.Worse, the degree of amplification seemed uncorrelated with antenna performance. As long as it was on, it was working well enough. Except for the times (before it broke) when the cable seemed "loose" and the signal was fuzzy.Don't buy it. Even at the low cost, it's not worth it. Other antennae work just as well (I'm using rabbit ears right now and I'm getting 95% of what I got with this) and don't break.$LABEL$0 +Rabbit gets sticky after four years. The device works well mechanically. You should know that there is a coating on it that gives it a nice matte black finish & rubbery texture that feels good to hold for about 3 years. Then at about four to five years of age it turns sticky and will leave a black gunk on your hands; not good.I think a $40 corkscrew should last longer than four years. Buy a Screwpull or an all-metal corkscrew.$LABEL$0 +Easy to backup; hard to restore. Maybe impossible to restore. I bought this product and did a backup to my CD drive. Tried to restore several times, but the program cannot read the data it wrote. It does the backup quick and easy, but could not restore one single file.$LABEL$0 +Finally!. I have to say that while this book doesn't have the charm of the first, the eeriness of the second, the fear of the third, the adventure of the fourth, or the impending doom of the fifth (whew!) this book manages to push us further down the final path.Easily misread, I had to go over it a few times to finally see many of the clues JKR is leaving us.Great book, definitly not something you can just pick up and walk away with.$LABEL$1 +smore review. They are adorable. I gave them as gifts and everyone just loved them.Thank you for the great condition and expediant delivery.$LABEL$1 +Poor Quality Control. The buyer has to assemble this. Close to impossible unless you have tools to fix it. Screw holes weren't completely drilled. Pieces were not the same length so it did not fit together. Go with another one.$LABEL$0 +Good product. Nicely designed. Easy to install.. I bought this tach for my sons 97 civic DX (it didn't come with a tacho). Started looking out on ebay and these little babies were selling for about 35 bucks - so Amazon was a steal at 25 bucks with free shipping.Shipping: It arrived about 4 days later (kudo's to Amazon for super fast free shipping). Package was good - nothing damaged.First look: Opened the package and took it out. Came with the tach, instruction manual, and vehicle reference. Nothing complicated.Installation: This was a breeze. Went online to civic forums and they said the blue wire that my car already came with was the tach wire. Installation was so easy, took about 20 mins, I thought I did somethign wrong. I started the car up and the tach came to life. Have it mounted on the pillar to the left of the driver.Longevity: Been installed for at least a month now and no problems. Works great.$LABEL$1 +Ballsy Rock N Roll. This is a great CD. This was my first AC DC purchase a long time ago.. and I really must tell you that it rocks loud, but also it has a song on their that is just excellent.. RIDE ON.I love PROBLEM CHILD and all the other really great songs on the CD, but RIDE ON really puts the finishing touches on a really great CD, and makes it all the better.The CD yells, it cranks, it rocks and it chills out without losing any of its face value or integrity. This is really a great CD track for track, taking you all over the rock and roll map.One of my top 3 AD DC releases!!!BUY IT!!$LABEL$1 +very poor quality. this bed lasted one week. the quality was unacceptable. very flimsy and thin. my dog pawed at it and it is now in the garbage (with a huge hole in it). i was not expecting this to last forever but at least more than a week. i want my money back.$LABEL$0 +Where Has All the Talent Gone?. Forget "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone". Where has Paula Cole's talent gone? Except for the opening track, it's not on display on this disappointing, forgetable cd. It's nowhere near as good as THIS FIRE.Sorry Paula, but this stinks.$LABEL$0 +Doesn't work at ALL and isn't as shown!. First, the clock doesn't have the nice black face with lit up digits, it has a BIG blue screen blasting right in your face, with black digits. Second, mine didn't work at all, completely DOA! It shows all the digits, turns to garble then goes completely blank. Its then my responsibility to not only send the POS to the manufacturer, but I have to include a check for return postage! Cheap construction. Can't tell what the crescendo alarm is, as it doesn't work!$LABEL$0 +Fantastic. I thought this film was great and very well done and Julie Christie certainly deserves the Best Actress Oscar, I would reccommend this film to anyone.$LABEL$1 +Wow, this sucks.. Well I got this because it was my first guitar. I have to tell you straight up that this sucks. First of all the strings were way to crappy. Like made out of plastic, and they were way to hard to tune. If you tune this it comes out of tune in no time. The case rips very easy and the strap breaks easy as well. The pick's are very bad, they are way to big. The extra strings are no better then the ones of there. I have bought another guitar from Guitar Center and it was amazing. Worked perfectly and it was cheap too. If you want my advice, save up and buy a good one from Guitar Center, because this is crap.$LABEL$0 +Did Not Last. This modem only lasted about 3 months. I did buy it used so I can't complain too much. But I was hoping to get a little more life out of it. If you are a Comcast customer I recommend purchasing a newer model. At least that is what Comcast tech support recommended.$LABEL$0 +"Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!!!". Rhino has finally come through with a proper DVD release of one of the greatest cartoons of all time, The Transformers. Here you have the first 16 episodes on three discs, plus a forth disc of extras. The discs come packaged in a terrific looking silver case. Unfortunately, getting the discs OUT of said case is quite a challenge...to say the least. But once you do, you will be blown away by the excellent picture and sound quality of these digitally-restored episodes. The colors are rich and vibrant; the dialogue and background music crystal clear; the many laser shots and explosions ROCK! The extras are exceptional as well - especially the clips from the Japanese version of the show. This set is definitely a MUST BUY for any animation fan. ...So, Rhino, when will Season 2 be available? ...And how about G.I. Joe? ...He-Man?? ...ThunderCats???...$LABEL$1 +One of the most helpful self-help books I've ever read. Two different people recommended this book to me last fall, saying that it had really helped with their physical problems when nothing else had. I bought the book and was amazed at how easy the exercises are and how quickly I began to carry my body differently and feel better. I've bought several copies to give to friends and all who have read and been doing the exercises have been helped, no matter where they were hurting.$LABEL$1 +Nice Moisturizer. I used to use all the standard big brands we are told by ads are good for us and something we need. After being tested I found I was high in some of the chemicals other brands include so I wanted to find something that still works but doesn't add to my toxic load.$LABEL$1 +Reliable and Simple. Been using this for the past week while cycling my tank. Has been giving accurate readings so far (I compared them to the readings my local fish store gave me). This is the first tank I've ever owned and I was nervous this test would be difficult, but it's actually very easy. I would highly recommend to anyone. Ammonia is one of the most toxic chemicals that is produced from fish waste, so the ability to monitor it is a great asset in maintaining a healthy aquarium.$LABEL$1 +Great for nails and cuticles. This Trind nail balsam is a wonderful healthy treat for your nails. I have been using it for about a year. I have seen a difference in my nails and cuticles. It just soaks right into my nails and cuticles giving them the moisture they need. Highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Very Overrated. Why does everybody rave about how great this game is? I really don't think it is so wonderful. It gets boring after you play it for ten minutes. This was a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +small small. You have very little room in this case, just enough for the camera without the adapter, no room the sun shade. difficult to close and the zipper not sturdy$LABEL$0 +Hole Saw. The item (Milwaukee hole saw) was a very good item to add to my tool box. I have used it several times. Performed very well.$LABEL$1 +Product expired two years ago!!!!. I ordered Phos-Flur about two months ago and I was quite satisfied with the product. Since I moved to an area where water is not fluoridated, everyone at my family started having cavities, some of them for the firts time in their lifes.Sadly, I placed the next order from John Alexander Upperman through Amazon, and this order came in a different bottle, tasted different, and more importantly IT IS FROM A LOT THAT EXPIRED IN 2010!!!Being this a health product intended to be put in one's mouth, selling a product that's expired years ago is dangerously irresponsible. I used it a couple times before noticing the expiration date, I hope it doesn't have any adverse effects in my health. At the very least, it is likely not to be too effective given how quickly the active ingredients react.$LABEL$0 +Expensive and didnt' work for me.... I tried Heather's Tummy Fiber. It made my IBS worse. I had more pain, cramping, gas, etc. and I gradually increased the amount. Also I found it expensive. I am now taking Fibersure. It has 5 grams of soluble fiber to a heaping teaspoon and its alot cheaper than Heathers. (And with Fibersure, there is a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied). I dumped what was left of Heather's tummy fiber down the drain.$LABEL$0 +Kensington Stereo Dock for IPod. I did not head the warnings from previous reviews. The IPod Stereo Dock does not work with the 5th generation IPods (IPods with Video). It freezes the Ipod or resets the Ipod, as well as scrambling the album covers.If you have an older Ipod, it works fine. But do not buy for the current generation 30/60GB Ipods. Kensington sent me 2 replacements with the same problem. They have no fix for the problem.$LABEL$0 +Pretty good. Pretty representative of Walter's career. He directed this himself, so it is exactly what he wanted the public to see$LABEL$1 +Great Gift Book. "Up To No Good" is a perfect book to give to your own sons! My two teens laughed as I read some of the stories to them. Of course they tried to act like tuff guys....but, looking at the pix just rolled those laughs right out of them. Especially the pig!And as a mom, I feel a huge sigh of releif. Maybe my guys too will be "good men" & can look back on some of their pranks that I take too seriously.Good clean fun with the interesting photos to prove it.Thanks for your interest & comments--CDS$LABEL$1 +Great loafer. I LOVE this shoe and hope that Franco Sarto keep making this classic style. My only complaint is that the sole rubber is soft and can pick up little rocks from time to time. I wear this shoe every day and they typically last 8 months to a year. Not bad for a $60-70 shoe.$LABEL$1 +Junk Electronic Speed Control. Hi,When it is working, this appliance is great, but in the last 3 years, I had to replace the electronic speed control three times. The funny thing is that KitchenAid, doesn't even carry it as a spare part, (I guess they would rather sell you a new mixer all over again :) )The first time, I really did scramble to find one from a third party and it cost me U$ 67.00 with shipping.Speed control #2 did last a little less than a year and I just had to replace it again.This last year, my wife used the mixer maybe 5 times. This time, I got speed control #3through Amazon.com for U$ 38.00.The electronic on this mixer is made from the cheapest components money can buy; it seems to degrade slowly by itself even if it isn't being used.....It is a far cry from the rugged unit KitchenAid is marketing. Good news; 2 years after installing unit #3 our mixer is still going...$LABEL$0 +Too expensive and unnecesary since your flowtron does the work. Despite the fact this octenol attracts somehow the mosquito, its unnecesary, and too expensive. Dont buy it, the bulb light does the work$LABEL$0 +kerasilk. I have used Kerasilf for years. It is pricey but your hair is so healthy when you use Kerasilk products.$LABEL$1 +What a disappointment. What I thought was a book on the history, food, and culture was infact a book on the intricate details on the mafia... This book is a diservice to the already narrow-minded people who think only of mafia when they think of Sicily. I want to learn what makes Sicily what it is. I was even more disappointed that the mafia wasn't left out of the art scene. The author has done his research on the history on the mafia, but if I wanted a book on the mafia I would have gotten one. Perhaps he should rename his book, 'The Sicilian Mafia And Everything It Permiates'.$LABEL$0 +Fiona Joyce, Lifting the Veil. One of the most consistent high quality Celtic singers. This is almost as enjoyable as "This Eden".$LABEL$1 +Blah.... Blah... Very boring!! Blah is the best way to discribe this awful movie!!! Have your time and money, do not purchase the lame movie!!!!$LABEL$0 +Disappointing!. I love Lea's voice, but this CD is cheesy. She can't sing pop. Her voice is for Broadway only.The songs that are like (not love) are:It's Just GoodbyeThe JourneyWe Could Be in LoveI Honestly Love YouThe rest I just skip.Don't buy it. It's cheesy.$LABEL$0 +Pretty good card for the price. Do yourself a favor and download watchHDTV and use it instead of the ATI software. Only drawback to this card is the terrible software that comes with it.$LABEL$1 +Lukewarm. The performances were good but the plot of the movie seemed to be bogged down. I am not sure I see this as worthy of Oscar nominations except for the performances.$LABEL$0 +Not sure.... I'm about 100 pages in and I can't decide whether to keep reading or not. I was really expecting to be totally enthralled with this book as a result of the description and the reviews but so far, I can't get connected to the story or the characters. I find the concept of the book fascinating but ultimately, I don't find the characters engaging and in some ways it all seems superficial or contrived to me. At the same time, I keep believing that if I stick it out a little longer, I will find it more compelling and that I might miss out on a good book if I give up. My philosophy has always been that I would rather walk away from a book I'm not enjoying or gaining anything from in favor of others that I would find more satisfying. With this one, I'm very torn. I think I may ultimately move on to something else. That being said, if the description interests you, I would recommend giving it a chance; maybe it will speak to you more than it has to me.$LABEL$0 +My 2 don't like this one.. Neither of my toddlers like this toy other than to stand on top of it and jump off. I must admit it has held up well under this abuse. Although it has several catchy tunes and blinking lights, they care nothing about spinning around on it.$LABEL$0 +Awful. We used this once and we are ready to throw it away. It was an awful mess and the waffles stuck to the waffle iron... It wasn't worth it at all. I threw away 3/4ths of my batter because I didn't even want to finish.$LABEL$0 +Happy Camper. Set up was as easy as promised. And it does what I want it to do which is to store mostly graphic files as well as Photoshop Elements. The only problem I've had is setting up a filing system that makes sense to me. When it's installed, it's completely blank, so if you don't set up a filing system, you'll find that you're spending a lot of time looking for files. Even though I've complained for years about how MS Windows has set up the file system on my hard drive, at least it was a system. Other than that, it's been great to have and moving large files over to it has made my C Drive work more quickly. I'm still learning, so I'm sure that I'd have more things to say as I work with it some more$LABEL$1 +Woodburning. Good item. Used it the first day and it heats well and has good tips for different types of burning.$LABEL$1 +A poor piece of writing. I'm sorry. This book has nothing going for it. None of the characters are believable. The story line is simplistic. It is writing by the numbers. Again, I was fortunate to have been given this book to read by a friend, but he did me no favors and so I am using this space to deliver that message to those who want to know whether they should shell out good hard cash to buy this book. Don't. The message is just that simple.$LABEL$0 +Kittymom. This was hard to find and getting a VHS in great shape was a challenge. However the seller was wonderful, provided a tape in excellent shape and sent it quickly. Couldn't ask for better than that. Thanks.$LABEL$1 +A Must For Digital Cameras. If you have one of the Kodak Digital cameras that this AC adaptor is compatible with, then get it. It is well worth the money. It saves you a lot of hassle recharging the batteries on the camera, when you could be using this cable.I like to use it when I am viewing the pictures on my tv, using the slide-show format. Isn't that a great feature? It's a great new way to share your photos with a big group of people. Anyway, if you have one of these cameras, then spend the extra money and purchase this, you will be happy you did.$LABEL$1 +Too small. Read the dimensions of the glass prior to ordering and what I received was significantly smaller. Now I have to return.$LABEL$0 +Not Just For New Workers. Work 101 helped me to see how I could network more effectively and how I could use the opportunities I now have at work. For example, I never thought about how to use meetings to my advantage. I suppose I always assumed that just being good at my job is enough--but not how to let my supervisor know that. Work 101 has lots of useful suggestions for someone who's been in the workforce a while as well as for someone just getting started in a career. The writing style is engaging and entertaining.$LABEL$1 +flatulent. Flatulent.a movie chock full of fortune-cookie spirituality. An overly rich, self-absorbed, self-indulgent American woman goes off to the "mystical east" to "find herself", leaving a trail of destruction in her wake, good life and a good husband.what dreck! This is what passes for spiritual discipline?I watched 80% of this trash before turning it off.I am sure that after Julia Roberts ate that pizza, she forced herself to throw up off camera.$LABEL$0 +Very Nice product for such a good price. Its convenient to use, no risk of cuts as in razors and hair growth after use is very soft as compared to razors. Cleaning and handling is also very easy, i have found this product to be very confortable to use compared to other methods. Would definitely recommend this to my friends.$LABEL$1 +I gave it away... I just didnt find it all that appealing when i got it. My mistake for ordering it. You would be better off buying a small cooler and the board game.$LABEL$0 +Complete waste of money. Planets do not move. Faulty motor that makes a horrible screeching sound but does not move the planets. Got this for for my girlfriends 6 year old child who has cerebral palsy and who loves space. Can't tell you what a disappointment it was. Do not buy this product.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic Photography of World Class Custom Knives.. I love every picture in this book series! If you can only purchase one book on custom knives this would be it. Beautifully photographed by master cutlery photographer Jim Weyer. Each page brings out the knife artistry with wonderful color, detailed settings and perfect lighting. This is a excellent book to have in your personal 'Knife Library' or as a table book to show friends the beauty of custom knives. Stunning!$LABEL$1 +Awesome!!! Preview Disc. First of congrats to Nintendo, The preview disc is the best disc that Nintendo has come out with. It has great demos and movies of the years best upcoming games. To anyone who does not have a gamecube yet, I recommend that u purchase one and u get the preview disc for free, its a great deal and its worth itPlus it has a bonus demo of the most hottest game coming out this year SOUL CALIBUR II!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +This book lacks substance. This book needs a new revision. The content and format are OK but I don't think they did a good job of matching up with the exam requirements. This book will not be your only resource if you are to pass this exam the first time. Also remember that the quetions in the bok are not representative of the exam. The probem is that there are not a lot of great resources for this exam but you should consider a different one because this one will leave a lot of unanswered questions.$LABEL$0 +LAWRENCE JONES - LAY THE LEAD TO THEM. Independent Cyber-Punk/Industrial Rock act THE S1ND1CATE named a song after the miner who lost his life in Harlan County. The track is from their newest release RELOADED, and is called "LAWRENCE JONES."You can check it out on their page here:Reloaded$LABEL$1 +The First Christmas Morning. I am a huge fan of Dan Fogelberg! Unfortunately, I had no idea he had come out with a Christmas album until I heard a cut on the radio which was well into the season. I was as usual "blown away" by his talent and immediately had to purchase the CD that same day. You will have no regrets if you add this to your holiday collection -- it is truly a beautiful work of art.$LABEL$1 +RIght on Time. The Timex Travel Alarm Clock works great. It's pretty small and compact but not too tiny where you can't see anything. The ringer is loud enough and the time is fairly easy to read. The only downside is it does not have an LED back light to light up the time. Instead when you push the light button it shoots a tiny light onto the screen. Kind of a trippy set up but it works fine. I recommend it if you just need a basic alarm clock to wake you up.$LABEL$1 +Great Guide. This book (and series) is among the best travel guides I have ever purchased. Well written and detailed recomendations by folks who have obviously spent a lot of time in the Hawaiian Islands. You will see people all over the islands with this book in tow!$LABEL$1 +Waste of Time.... This is the first Dunwich book I've ever read, and I'm not sure I'll be picking up another one. My main problem with this book is the bibliography. She cites her own works and very few others. Where does she get her info? I have no idea. The spells were silly and a lot of her writing was very fluffy and not that original. Save your money on this one, if you have to spend more than a buck, it's too much!$LABEL$0 +Schumacher - Fooeymacher!. This guy could ruin Casablanca. He is horrible. Only he could make Cage look like he had just read the script fifteen minutes before the shoot. Schumacher supposedly made a couple of Batman film too. Batman? Ha ha ha. Tim Burton did the only true Batman movies. This guy is just another cheesy Zemeckis clone with an MTV soundtrack and a couple of marquee names. On the plus side, James Gandolfini puts in a really solid performance as usual. There is about four minutes of film worth watching here. Bite me Schumacher. Divide up the bloated budget between three dozen film school grads and let something worth watching be put to film.$LABEL$0 +Disappointment Compared to the First Two. I totally agree with "Barry" a previous reviewer who nailed this on the head. The original Carol and Mike Brady actors from the first two film saves this from sinking like a lead pipe. The girl who plays Marcia is good, Jan ok, but the other children are completely mis-cast. The actor who plays Greg acts and looks more like Peter. Peter and Bobby simply share no resemblance to the true characters and have few cameos because of it. I thought the first part of the movie was confused and strained. Better plots are available. Some of the original series plots are brought forth, but never really captitalized on, except for the "slumber party" which was well done. This attempts to be as funny and comedic as the first two films, but fall short in depth and cleverness. Fans will want to see it...but take my advice and rent.$LABEL$0 +A Gem!. Truly a marvel of movie making...it's so nice to be reminded of the possibilities of what a film can do. This movie is always a delight to watch for it captures the viewer in some kind of magic as it fully absorbs and entertains one with the stuggles and comedies of human existence...E.M.$LABEL$1 +A Cute Little Inspirational Movie. I do totally agree that its about time somebody made a movie about marching band. All these cheesy teen movies about high school football stars drive me insane. There was some good stuff in it.... while I didn't feel it was all completely realistic, that didn't necessarily take anything away from the movie. although I must say, if you found this movie to be the least bit interesting or entertaining, you should definitely check out Drum Corps International (DCI). If your not into paying 98 bucks for the finals dvd, PBS is broadcasting a show about finals in most states right now, and it should be in the rest by thanksgiving. That is some incredible stuff that anyone can enjoy if you take the time to find it.$LABEL$1 +Works great as expected.. The wire with all the casing was a bit thick, so the holes I needed to drill to install surround speakers were a bit bigger than I wanted. Perhaps I just thought it would be thinner.Great Speaker Wire.$LABEL$1 +didn't last. I have many Kitchenaid products. I've loved every one of them and had no problems. So when we went to buy a new coffee maker i insisted on this one to match my kitchen, even though my husband thought it was too expensive. I talked him in to it by saying kitchenaid lasts forever and we won't need to buy another one of these for many years to come. He finally agreed. this worked great for about 2 years and then i got an error3 message on the computer screen of the pot. I turned it off and on like the manual said to do. then i got a new error message, error2. according to the manual that meant the computer was shot in the coffee pot. I couldn't believe it. I was very disappointed. and my husband is now doing the "i told you so"! :($LABEL$0 +best i have used. I have had all the various juicers and this one is a work horse performed so well I have given away all the other juicers I usedIt is the only single gear juicer that the auger is offset to accomodate carrots and other vegetables the other single gears cannot accomodate because the auger is directly under the feed tubeA+++++++++++++++$LABEL$1 +Sound and fury signifying nothing. Really a waste of time. Full of pumped up editing and music, but, ultimately highly predictable, right from the plane crash. There are far to many layers of plot, and needless complications. And the ending is an absolute cop out!$LABEL$0 +Worth every penny !!!!. If you buy the Mantis, buy the weed reducers as well. You will never be sorry for either. I had netting from sod planted a few years back. What a nasty mess but the weed reducers worked. I wouldn't use my Mantis without them.$LABEL$1 +Ronnie Baker Brooks - Great Debut Album. Ronnie is the son of Chicago blues legend Lonnie Brooks and "Golddigger" was his debut album. If you like fiery blues guitar with more than a hint of Hendrix this album should appeal to you. Brooks' father and Chicago mainstay Jellybean Johnson both make guest appearances here as well. Brooks mixes traditional blues with a little funk, some soul and a good dose of rock to make a modern blues album in the Chicago tradition. Brooks is a fantastic guitarist and a solid vocalist and with songs like "She's A Golddigger" and "Stuck On Stupid" it is clear that his songwriting chops are top notch as well. For a debut disc, this one is very good and should appeal to anyone who enjoys modern guitar based blues.$LABEL$1 +left a green ring around my finger. I thought this was a absolutely cute ring when I took it out of the package, I was later disappointed when I took it off and noticed the green ring left on my skin, I can't wear anything but sterling silver so I question if this ring is real or not..still a cute ring but I can't wear it$LABEL$0 +Wonderfully Evocative. In this book you are immersed in Paris during the occupation, you feel, see, taste, and experience life in this wonderful evocative portrayal of war time Europe.Alen Furst is a master of the gritty espionage thriller of period world war two. The story of movie maker Jean Casson, hedonist Parisian playboy, and his struggles to live and survive while his world collapses is intriguing and whole engaging, the only lapse is the story doesn't have a strong plot, it wanders and then ends... c'est la vie.$LABEL$1 +great product. against advice the FIRST battery tender I purchased was from a local place and the reviews were not so great but being impatient I bought it and paid the price of not buying the best. 2 months later the product stopped working and another dead battery. Even when it did work, the car sounded like it wasn't getting fully juiced on start. So i finally ordered the Del-Tran Plus, hooked up to a dead car to see what the hype was about. The next day the car fired right up and sounded like a brand new car, not a 10 year old garage kept ride. I have been nothing but impressed and would highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Does the job!. I purchased this cheese slicer a couple of months ago and love it. My daughter-in-law raved about it so I purchased this one for her.$LABEL$1 +Come Again?. I'm a real Bond fan. Seen every one ever made and have all of them in my collection. I like Brosnan and the Bond Babes. But, yes but. This movie just seemed lame. The bad guys were really bad but not very believable. The special effects were special but not that special. An ice hotel? Dueling super cars? Trans-morphic DNA cloning? Bond getting caught? Give me a break. Never happen. The producers and director seem to be losing the magic formula and trying to make up for it with flash and glitz. I hate to say it but you can skip this one unless you are really bored.$LABEL$0 +total Dream Theater ripoffs. It is not unfair to compare this album to Dream Theater, because it is entirely and completely a ripoff of the "Images and Words" sound. If all those tired generic progmetal tricks still turn you on, maybe this album will be OK for you. But in my view there is much more important stuff on this planet: Arcturus, Opeth, Nevermore, Mekong Delta, Therion,... Dream Theater themselves for that matter.$LABEL$0 +The Boys arew Back in town!. The SAMCRO members arrested at the end of Season 3 are out. Jax has a new haircut and attitude, and Clay is getting downright MEAN! Get the whole season, since each episode will have you wanting to watch more!$LABEL$1 +I can hear it now. I had 3 alarm clocks that I couldn't hear without my hearing aids. This one screams louder than Jamie Curtis :-) and I get up when I need to. Not late to work anymore. By the way, It arrived quickly and I am pleased with the good service.$LABEL$1 +Love it!!. We bought this gate a few weeks ago because I am 9 months pregnant and have a large chocolate lab that I do not want going into the baby room. However, I did not want the door to be shut all the time either. So we got this gate because I wanted something I could easily get in and out of without the hassle. This gate is great!! It was really easy to install and it looks great as well because of the clear sidings, it doesn't take away from the room at all. I also have a 2 1/2 year old stepdaughter who has not managed to get in or out of the gate, even with a little push. So I am fully confident that this gate will do the trick. I highly recommend.I only gave four stars because we haven't had the baby yet, but I do not anticipate it getting worse...only better!$LABEL$1 +Rent (1996 Original Broadway Cast). All of the exhilarating music written by Jonathan Larson for this amazing musical is captured on these two CDs, which come with a complete lyric book. The performances are simply astounding. This CD set is a must-have for any fan of RENT!$LABEL$1 +HARRRY POTTER IS THE BOMB!!!. I loved the movie, but that was in part to the books. If you haven't read the books, don't see the movie because you can't really get as in deapth with the characters in the movie like you can in the book. I noticed that in the movie they NEVER said hedwig's name! It really got me going......(i'm a harry potter fanatic!!!) I can't wait for the fifth book to come out, but i can wait for the DVD cuz of all the extra stuff!!!...$LABEL$1 +Great documentary. Never Sleep Again is a great documentary for fans of the Elm Street series. Lots of cast and crew interviews. Just very cool. If you love Freddy I highly recommend this documentary.$LABEL$1 +Epic.. This is the most recent DVD release of this film. The picture has been restored to a spectacular crispness so, you don't need to worry about missing anything. The film itself is on the first 2 discs, while the third one has some cool bonus stuff. There is also a booklet, which has a short chronicle of the filming process and the last documented interview with Toshiro Mifune. There is no English dubbing, just subtitles but, that's how it should be. I am glad this film is in such good condition because, as Kurosawa said "It is wonderful to create".$LABEL$1 +He went out on a high note.. I enjoy these two discs for much of the same reasons that I prefer Billie Holiday's later music. Sure, both of their voices had lost what range they had once possessed. Yes, their voices cracked and were off key much of the time; victims of the addictions which eventually claimed both of their lives. But like Billie, Chet Baker's voice developed an emotional level which often bordered on the scary. Just listen to him on the two versions of "My Funny Valentine" presented here, and see if you don't find yourself wiping away a few tears. Mr. Baker's trumpet playing, however, never seemed to fall victim to his addictions. If anything, its beauty only continued to bloom. The concert presented here was recorded only 2 weeks before the artists death and features the wonderful NDR Big Band and Radio Orchestra Hanover. For the pure emotional impact of the music, I highly recommend these discs.$LABEL$1 +Underwhelming. This toolkit devotes most of its space to stuff you'll rarely if ever use. Most of the tools are unnecessarily awkward to take out and put back in. The picture is also not an accurate representation of what's included.$LABEL$0 +Do Not Buy This Version of Metropolis. This is a great movie that Hollywood Classics has done the dis-service of putting out in their collection of DVD's. Sadly, this was my first time seeing the film from beginning to end, and I couldn't do it. The transfer is from a tape (a poor one, at that), the sound is garbled, and is too painful to watch with the lousy video quality. Hopefully, Criterion will do it right. Until then, do NOT purchase this version for anything but a drink coaster.$LABEL$0 +Junk. Will not work on 2008 tundra, keeps slipping even cut off the 67mm so the 65 fits all they way still slipped, put a hose clamp around it to keep it from expanding, still slipped, don't buy,,,,$LABEL$0 +There are many Sabatier brands. Henckels is Henckels and Wusthof is Wusthof, but there are many different Sabatier brands. Lion Sabatier is not Elephant Sabatier is not Cuisine de France. The mark goes way back and has been broadly licensed to a number of cutlery manufacturers.$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware!. These are NOT San Marzano tomatoes - they are grown in the USA. They are not only expensive, but OVERPRICED. This is nothing more than deceptive and false advertising. The company should be ashamed of themselves. If you want real San Marzano tomatoes you need read the label carefully.$LABEL$0 +Lucy: Very Funny Episodes. These episodes are sooooo funny. You will fully enjoy these.The first Lucy is really funny. In "Lucy is Envious," Lucy's wealthy school mate, Cynthia Hardcourt, is working in town. Lucy lies about that she gives a lot to charity and gets herself in a jam. She has to get 500 dollars! She is paid to work as martians from outer space. They get get 500 dollars, but Ricky and Fred pose as martians as well to scare Lucy and Ethel. The second episode, "Lucy Tells the Truth," is when Ricky makes a bet that Lucy cannot tell the absolute truth for 24 hours. Lucy is forced to not fib and makes it, barely, after Ricky gives in.Get these episodes. They are worthy of five stars.$LABEL$1 +Problematic, Offensive Film. Stylistically this film was interesting. HOWEVER. This film is seriously problematic in its portrayal of a trans woman. I didn't even buy that Veronica was trans. Her identity seemed based around clothing and surgery as opposed to an actual gender identity. One reviewer talks about this being an accurate portrayal of a trans woman or representative of the trans experience? As someone who is trans and has many trans* friends, I have to strongly disagree. This film manages to hit every unrealistic stereotype about trans women. I wonder if anyone involved in the making of this film was even queer.$LABEL$0 +I've never had luck with Sony products.... There's little I can tell about the 818LP because my set...broke down after roughly 2 months of use.Other than that, I think that in terms of sound, they're worth the price but for a price just a bit higher you can get the Koss Spark Plug earbuds which outperform the Sony 818LP in ALL ASPECTS. The foam covers are not only difficult to put on, they fall off in an instant, mine lasted one week and one has gone missing, making the other one useless as there is no spare set included.Generally, I'm very disappointed with these earbuds, I expected more from Sony...MUCH MORE, but - just because of their sound - I give them 2 stars...$LABEL$0 +Works great.. I bought this Wii Wireless Sensor Bar because my cat chewed through the wire on the sensor bar that came with the Wii. This one runs on batteries, but at least there isn't a wire for the cat to chew. There is a timer you can set so the bar doesn't stay on and using up the batteries when you're not using it. One night my husband played the Wii before bed and after we'd turned out the lights and gone to sleep the alarm on the sensor bar went off - it was loud enough to wake us up and the Wii is in a different floor of the house than our bedroom. So turn that off when you're done if you don't want the alarm going off.$LABEL$1 +Reinforced tab makes them a bit more sturdy. These are a good choice for file folders which might get handled a lot. The reinforced tabs make them tougher than the usual plain folders. The only downside is that they are not great for turning inside-out for re-use if that is something you often do.$LABEL$1 +Elvis fights masked cowboys in a western ghost town. In this movie Elvis fights masked cowboys in a western ghost town. I liked the mud wrestling scene of the cowboy in the black hat$LABEL$1 +What a mistake. I purchased this toaster and I hate it. It takes forever to toast anything and never comes out the way it should. Like many items, it looks good, but doesn't work well. It is far too expensive for something that doesn't work.$LABEL$0 +Tinkerbell Seat Cover. Excellent product. Fits well and easy to clean (we have a six year old boy). Very happy!$LABEL$1 +Another warning - avoid this purchase - wasted money.. Well, I thought I'd purchase this CD collection in hopes of learning much more about contracting... Problem is, most of the data on these CD's are way outdated (2003), so more than likely when you click on a link in the pdf files you'll come up with a dead link. quite frustrating. Another issue that bothered me was that the data DOES (as the previous reviewer mentioned) is simply provide screen shots to government websites. Um, WHY the hell would you want to pay for outdated info when you can visit the sites directly and get correct info...Anyhow, my advice matches the previous reviewers...AVOID this purchase. Do the research yourself.$LABEL$0 +Great book if you like touching stories, needs a larger sign dictionary. I started out with this book when my daughter was about 6 months. She has some language delay but started picking up some signs by 13 months and by 15 months she was picking up new ones daily (she couldn't speak any words). unfortunately, this book doesn't have a very exhaustive list of useful signs so you will have to get a different one eventually.$LABEL$1 +A Captivating Book!. This book is 294 pages of captivation! Your interest stays with you throughout the book. I found myself unable to lay the book down! Lynn Chandler-Willis does a great job in telling this unfortuante story. Her chapters are descriptive enough so that it's easy to invision what you read. For anyone looking for a true crime story to read, I highly recommend this book! Also included are 8 pages of black and white photos. It was such a good book that I hated to see it come to an end.$LABEL$1 +Excellent. I had forgotten just how good Pat Benatar was, and this album reminded me. I never bought a Pat Benatar album before, but had enjoyed many of her songs growing up and when i saw this compilation, I got it, and have listened to it several times since.You can see and listen to the play list up at the top, so I won't talk about that, suffice to say that all of her top 40 singles are on the album. There is also a brief history of her life which I found interesting to read, including her first husband (which is how she got the name Benetar), and the fact her monther was an opera singer.The other thing I took away from this album is a much greater appreciation for her talent. The woman really could sing, in stark contrast to a lot of the acts of the '80s that were all image. This performer had talent and I am glad I am finally able to recognize it.$LABEL$1 +MY PHOTOS LOOK TERRIBLE!!!. We have had our hp Photosmart 7760 for just 7 months and already my photos look TERRIBLE!!! The blues are turning green, the flesh tones are fading to white and the entire photo takes on a sickening yellow tone.I AM BITTERLY DISPPOINTED!!! The pictures are SO BAD that it is NOT WORTH spending the money for the ink and the photo paper.HP's solution was to use PhotoShop to add a Sepia Tone to the pictures -- YEAH, RIGHT -- then I'll have YELLOWISH-BROWN PICTURES!!!$LABEL$0 +Disappointing.. After buying this book based on the reader's reviews here, this reader was left disappointed.I found that this book was not so much a statement on the times we live in as an excuse for flashy look-at-me-I-went-to-writing-school excesses.The heaps of gratuitousness in this book did not impress me. Nor did the thin plot.I would have much rather spent the time re-reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray".$LABEL$0 +Jeannie Going Strong. I bought all five seasons of "I Dream of Jeannie" and found them extremely enjoyable. Delightful viewing. I only wish there where more!$LABEL$1 +Stunning. I had a pear shaped .41 ct Diamond placed in this setting over a year ago. I wanted a ring that stood out from the rest and had a little color to it. I get compliments all the time and I could not be more happy with my beautiful ring. When I am bored, waiting for appointments and such, I sit and watch the light play off the Sapphires and Diamond. The deep blue Sapphires seem to make the Diamond literally GLOW bright white. All I can say is that it is a truly beautiful setting for people who want a little personality to their engagement ring without being tacky.$LABEL$1 +great pulley. heavy duty, and very smooth. I bought a pair of these to hang from my celing in the garage to hang weights from for doing lat pulldowns, triceps, etc. my only complaint is that it is hard to get the pin back into its hole after removing the wheel from the housing to put your rope or cable through. i ended up putting it in a vice to hold it together while i got the pin through, but that is the last time i will have to do that, so not really a problem for me.$LABEL$1 +Mindnumbingly Boring!. I too picked up this book partially because of the King quote and what sounded like an interesting plot. Boy, was I dissapointed. 4 vacationing Americans make friends with a group of foreigners and on a whim decide to help find one of the group's missing brother who left on a supposed dig on "ruins" in the middle of the jungle, but has yet to return. What follows is page after page of whining and stupidity. I actually hated all the American characters, who barely have enough brain power between them all to walk up-right. The Greeks they meet are actually creepy. The only person I liked was Mathias. Midway through the book I was praying for someone/something to just kill them all already so I didn't have to hear any more complaining or stupid ideas. Horrible plot, way too slow, characters no one should like and the most intense part for me was trying to finish the book so I could move on to something worth my time and the paper it's printed on. SKIP IT.$LABEL$0 +Piece of junk. This item does not zap anything. I wish I had my money back. Amazon should be testing products like this before selling them.$LABEL$0 +Cute. I have a friend who shows Newfies. This book explains lots and lots of the ring process. It does not explain the constant goobies and hair all over the place... Who did the editing? Periods should be used at the end of sentences. Your is not you're and should never be used as such. Would have had is correct, would of had is incorrect.The best thing about this book was the beautiful picture on the front cover.$LABEL$0 +The beginning of the greatest band that will never die. For the most part this album this album is one of the greatest pieces of music ever, with little exception. The End may be the ballad of all rock songs and blows away anything that the Beatles ever did to shock the audience, simply because unlike Lennon and the rest of the Brits, Morrison was always that messed up and it was always real to him.$LABEL$1 +my son loves these guys!. My son is 5 and he is a sonic fanatic! I only allow Game Cube on the weekends as he would sit in front of it all day if I let him!!! He now gets his fix through the week playing out the game with these figures! He even brings them in the tub.$LABEL$1 +Best Lord of the Rings game. Everyone who played the Two Towers yearned for 2 player longer levels and more characters, and EA happily responded. First the graphics are pretty darn good, except the in-game characters' mouths don't move, but that's my only nitpick with the graphics. The sound is spectacular, exactly from the movies, which is pretty cool, and the voice acting is great with the actors from the trilogy lending their voices(watch "Hobbits on gaming." It's downright hilarious!). Controls are precisely lifted from The Two Towers, not that it's a bad thing. My only complaint with this is that even with 15 levels, it's a tad too short, enemies can stop your combos way too easily, game can get intense and hard, even on the easy difficulty. But they're only minor complaints. If you're a fan of the movies or books, you owe it to yourself to pick up The Return of the King. You won't be dissapointed.$LABEL$1 +Perfect Pot. This pot is exactly what I was looking for...great for pasta and veggies. It's bottom is heavy and distributes the heat evenly. The size fits easily in my pan drawer so I don't have to store it in an inconvient place.$LABEL$1 +Hamilton Beach Mixer. This is so much easier to use and clean than a blender. The stainless steel cup rinses quickly and cleanly along with the mixer rod. I used it everyday for 3 years before it failed. My complaint would be that such a simple devise should have a longer life."B"$LABEL$1 +Wow--Comfort Food at its Best. This is probably the best vegetarian cookbook I've ever had. The recipes are simple, Jackson's tone is conversational, and every time I pick up the book, I see something new. I've tried about a half-dozen recipes in this book, and they've all been fantastic. So far: overnight cinnamon rolls, dump cobbler, country ham tofu, fried chicken tofu, and the requisite gravies. There are so many more recipes that I want to try. Do note, though, that not all of these are "healthy"--many of them require good amounts of sesame oil and or margarine. But I don't care--what a great book. I've gotten it for family and friends, and my dad (yes, my dad!) even had second helpings of the country ham tofu. A keeper.$LABEL$1 +I love it.. I just returned from Argentina; I also read Imagining Argentina. This one is the best. It creates a world of magical realism in which you are drawn into each & every character. Not to be missed.$LABEL$1 +Shoddy. I bought this coffee maker for Christmas...less than three weeks later the (glass) bottom of the coffee pot detached from the rest of the pot while I was pouring water in. How does that happen?Even more frustrating than shoddy construction and materials, is Cuisinart's refusal to respond to my request for replacement. This is a company that has absolutely no regard for its customers. Spend your money somewhere else...$LABEL$0 +Simply Amazing. Different style with more electronic music elements compared to their previous albums.....but it's all great nonetheless.And one more thing about this album: "DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM IN YOUR CAR ON A HIGHWAY, BECAUSE YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF SPEEDING AND AGGRESSIVELY DRIVING".....$LABEL$1 +Total opposite of first Fighting Force! Goldeneye for SEGA. It plays just like Goldeneye 007! It sports amazing graphics and runs smooth at 60 fps with no popup even with all the action. It is very unlike the 1st side scrolling Fighting Force, it plays a lot like Metal Gear Solid because sometimes you have to sneak instead of straight on kill everybody in sight. It has multiplayer but I have not played it. Bottom Line: amazing game, good graphics, lots of action, cool weapons (awesome sniper), amazing frame rate, and multiplayer! Fans of Goldeneye and Metal Gear check it out!$LABEL$1 +Great resource. As a writer, I'm always looking for resources that will give me those extraordinary gems of information that I can't find elsewhere - and this resource is one of them. Be looking for tidbits from Pecos in my new novella!$LABEL$1 +The Waiting Father. This is a very rich book. Thielicke has a gift of being able to communicate and relate the parables of Jesus Christ in way that we can identify ourselves in them. This makes easier to apply the Lord's teaching. The Prodigal Son is my favorite in the book, a blessing to anyone who reads it.$LABEL$1 +Thrilling non-stop read. The non-stop thriller is a must read. Especially at the bargain of .99 cents via e-book on Kindle. I enjoy long format books, that you can get caught up in the story. This particular suspense novel borders on a horror. It is easy to imagine what would happen to yourself while reading this page-turning, edge of the seat suspense novel. I enjoy the writer's pace and depth of character. I would compare his style to James Patterson. You won't be sorry you read it, and you will likely get up to check and see if the doors are locked while reading!$LABEL$1 +Me gusta. herramientas escenciales y utilies para el auto me gustaron bastante y son especiales para salir a carretera y en un paquete compacto$LABEL$1 +Isn't it NOT a pity ....... !!. Wow!! A tribute album to a band almost lost on the average listeners ears. 'Fragile' and 'Nukleopatra' were stunning DOA albums ... and it's been WAY TOO LONG since we've had something new to listen to. What 'JACK & JILL PARTY' lacked, 'Rocket' more than makes up for. Thumping beats, excellent choice of songs and many different production styles. Yes, some are high-fi (Astromill & Empire State Human) and others low fi (Audiodoll & Giallo) .. but this adds to the charm of the release. Well done to Section 44 ... I think i'll check out their FIXX TRIBUTE next. Fair play for including 'Black Leather' (twiceOh yea - I want to mention that it was indeed a very brave decision to release this album, I'm sure many labels would have thought it commercial suicide but it's looking like a success from this angel.$LABEL$1 +Attractive animation. I've watched it on the internet before I decide to buy it. I like this one because the price is good for a bd box.Another advantage is that the box includes the dvd version for those who don't have a bd drive$LABEL$1 +Lemony Turns Sour. I don't know about anyone else, but this book was the one that made me completely lose interest in this whole series. This is the most boring one of them all in my opinion, and, well, how many times can the same story be told? Bad guy wears horribly obvious costume to try to get children, children figure it out, but all the grown ups in the world are too horribly idiotic to see anything, even when it's pointed out to them. 6,000 times.$LABEL$0 +Solid, tight, well-machined, what you expect from Leupold. Not much to say, it's Leupold. USA-Made quality in a country and world that is made in China anymore. Solid, fit perfectly, nice finish, no worries of quality when you buy Leupold.$LABEL$1 +Did he go off the deep end?. First off, let me say that musically this CD has a few nice things to offer, which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. But in addition to some of the hackneyed synth lines (which I won't go into since other reviewers have covered this well), he writes lines like: "Bullets for the brains of the atheists".So let me get this straight, Roland: Atheists should be KILLED???Is this some weird kind of Christian tough-love or has he simply gone insane? And there's no getting around this hateful line either: no one can claim this is somehow metaphorical because he precedes the line with "Hey now read my lips" and he then repeats it.Anyone who wants to spew hatred can do it without my financial support. I'm not even an atheist and this offends me deeply.$LABEL$0 +Low weight limit. In case anyone else was wondering about the weight limit for this bench. From the Body Champ company...Please do not exceed the following weight limits:- Weight Bench Uprights: Maximum 110 lbs.- Leg Developer: Maximum 60 lbs.- Lat Tower: Maximum 50 lbs.- Maximum weight capacity including the user weight and any of the above is 250 lbs.$LABEL$0 +A Great Classic Punk Album. This is one of my favorite Adicts albums. If you've seen them live, you know that they sound just like they record and this album is a great example of their sound. It's loud and fun and silly and takes me right back to 1985 and seeing them at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (twice that summer!). The best are the obvious - How Sad, Chinese Takeaway - but the whole album is great.$LABEL$1 +Extremely excellent. I have enjoyed every moment of it especially how Don presents his artworks. Will always follow his works. Buetifully presented.$LABEL$1 +Best of Abbott & Costello Vol. 2. This is my family's second purchase of a volume in the series. We have been especially pleased with both of them. This one is wonderfully charming for us, because it contains several movies by Abbott and Costello that we had never seen before. And of course, since it contains the Naughty Nineties, You get the wonderful routine about who's on first. One of the things that we enjoy so much about these movies is that they are accessible to my nine-year-old daughter. She absolutely enjoys them and watches them over and over again. When you consider some of the things she could be watching on TV, the thought of her watching Abbott and Costello instead is absolutely thrilling. I recommend this volume and volume 3 to anyone who loves good wonderful slapstick comedy that is absolutely perfect for any age group in the family.$LABEL$1 +Bad experience with this one. When I first got the drive it worked fine and it was very quiet compared to the optorite DVD burner I have also. But 6 months later when trying to burn DVD's I got all sort of strange errors. It first stoppped burning and now it do not read any of my CD/DVD. The most frustratingg part was dealing with Memorex so called customer support which is like no support at all. I Suggest you forget this drive and get something else.$LABEL$0 +Interesting begining.... but halfway through the book I found myself incredibly bored. As soon as her 'romance' began I just lost interest. The farther I got, the less I connected with the protagonist. All of my favorite characters disappeared. I'm probably not going to finish this, especially since many of the reviewers had a similar reaction.The beginning was very good, and very interesting! The story just made less and less sense as it progressed, as far as I could tell. I was disappointed, because the beginning was really engaging!I would give this author another chance, if they came out with another book in the future. I might wait for a few critical reviews though!$LABEL$0 +YAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWN Don't believe the hype.. I can't believe I was reading the same books as those giving this droning tome 4-5 stars. This read like a dry text book from my high school years. There was no "transport to another time," or insight into Adams. I never forgot that I was reading a history book.$LABEL$0 +Worked great.. They fit just fine on my 20 year old Schwinn Moab. The V-Brakes that came with the bike were wearing out after 20,000 plus miles. The inset shaft is shorter on these than my originals, so they do not sit quite flush with the frame (hard to describe really), but it is just an asthetic's issue. Funtionally, they work perfectly. It seemed faster and easier (and not much more expensive) to replace the entire brake system that it has been to just replace the pads. It came with one big sheet of paper with instructions in about 10 languages, but there is not much to it really.I should have done this years ago.$LABEL$1 +Just the one cut.. I heard Blue Monk on the radio, and wanted to find out more. So I just downloaded that one cut. Larry Campbell's guitar stuff is killer. So what if she's a little over the hill? This still gets me where I want to got.So I worked out the guitar stuff in A, am learning the lyrics, and may give it a shot the next time I do an open mike night somewhere.I guess I should listen to the rest of the album.Larry the MCambridge$LABEL$1 +this is an excellent book to start learning HTML. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start designing webpages. It starts from the basics & explains everything in understandable terms. I now feel I have a pretty good understanding of how to put up a working webpage. As a matter of fact, I have created three. All from reading "Creating Cool Webpages"$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I bought this software because I needed a Lease Agreement for an apartment I was leasing. I was very disappointed to see that the form was not as customizable as I needed it to be. There were some items listed in the form that I did not need, but had no choice but to leave them in. I needed something more flexible. This just wasn't the form for me. I actually found one on the internet that did everything I needed for a whole lot less!!$LABEL$0 +Pure Slumdog Stuff. The writer is re-telling Harry Potter a.k.a Lord Rama - that too very badly. I can't believe how this piece of pure trash got published. From what I glean from this pure garbage; the writer seems to have been inspired by Harry Potter ( Lord Rama), Barbara Cartland ( check out the love scene between King Dasaratha and his long-forgotten first wife for a good laugh) and Rapunzel ( Sita ) and not by any measure, the great Indian Epic Ramayana. The Book is a monumental mouse.BTW, the person the writer calls Demon King, that is Lord Ravana, is revered as a God in some parts of India till date. I sorta like this this chap ( Ravana, not the writer) myself! Ramayana is slightly more complex than a straight-forward fight between good and bad, it is layered and most importantly, a great leveler.Hi Amazon,Can I give this book a Zero?Cheers to Everyone ( except the writer, of course)$LABEL$0 +what crap!. the only "secret" is that there is no secret. this book is a marketing ploy-plain and simple. do not contribute to the author's bank account, save your money, and, work hard and honestly for what you need- that's "THE SECRET". the book, the author, and her supporters say nothing new, nothing with originality, and, nothing that is truly proven. it is however, very nice kindling for my fire.$LABEL$0 +Floats. These pellets float around on top until they get caught up in enough current from a powerhead to get pushed under. Specifically wanted a sinking pellet, I would not buy again. My fish seem to like it, some just don't get much to eat because they are too skitish or its against thier nature, to eat from the surface.$LABEL$0 +Good Plot Amateurishly Written. Roby has an interesting plot line, although it leans toward the predictable and sometimes turns preachy. Still, it's a good story with a logical plot and a significant message. Mrs. Roby has the potential to be a terrific writer, but she needs to develop her craft to reach beyond the amateur technique, sentence construction, and punctuation errors that plague her novel and distract from her story. Her natural ability provides a good outline, but her lack of knowledge in the art of telling a good story well proves to be a crippling flaw. In an interview with Mrs. Roby, she proudly said she had never attended a writing course or worked with a writing group. Investing herself in such opportunities for critique would polish her natural ability and challenge her to strive for excellence and craftsmanship. With the odds she's beaten already, what is there to fear from an opportunity to sharpen her skills?$LABEL$0 +Wasn't comfortable. This just did not do the trick for me. I'm 5'2", so I thought the mini snoogle would be better for me. I really didn't like anything about it. The top part is uncomfortable to use as a pillow, which is one way it is shown for usage. I have tried bending it all sorts of different ways, and just none are comfortable. It doesn't contour to my body well at all. I wound up getting a regular body pillow and am happier with that.$LABEL$0 +Worst of the films to die for. The worst of the set 'GraveDancers' there was not one likable character in this one I didn't care about any of them, I wanted all of them to die, and it contained overblown special effects that were stupid at the end. Big ghost head chasing in graveyard, wow that is dumb.$LABEL$0 +Good sound, poor build quality. I've been a Fender fan but recently purchased a Les Paul Studio Deluxe and love it. I like the shorter scale and wanted a less expensive guitar to haul around. I thought this was a great deal - an American made Gibson for $500. But the build quality is so poor I'm considering a return. The fret edges are sharp, and the pickups aren't even installed properly. They're wrapped in shoddy electrical tape and just kind of stuck in there. They move around a lot. It sounds OK, but the pickup selector seems very cheap too, and I'm worried it won't last. I don't mind the cosmetics much - stripped down to bare bones. But it looks like it's just thrown together with absolutely no concern for quality. It's the poorest assembly I've seen on any guitar at any price - except maybe those $100 kits you see in music stores. Not recommended. Try an Epiphone maybe.$LABEL$0 +What a great book!. I've never read a book like this before. Not only is it so funny you laugh out loud, but the scenes with the serial killer are so scary that I had to stop reading to make sure the doors were locked!This is a fast-paced and funny book, and I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. Jack Daniels is a great character.$LABEL$1 +Terrible. This is one of the worst CDs I have ever bought. There is nothing here to distinguish it from other R&B albums. It's cookie-cutter hip hop at its absolute worst. If you want to hear the song "Angel", then download the song and don't waste your money on this CD.$LABEL$0 +Great Car Seat, but very hard to tighten!!. I am really happy with this car seat and my 2 year old loves it as well!! I bought this car seat in store. I went in with another car seat in mind, but after talking to the sales man, who is a car seat inspector, he recommended this car seat to me. He said that this car seat is the only car seat that he recommends buying (at least the ones in store) that were a car seat/booster combo. This one was the only one that had the EPS (the stuff found in bike helmets). He said that it could be life saving in a side inpact accident.The only problem that I have with this car seat is that it is very hard to tighten. I pull the strap with all of my might and it feels like it is not going anywhere. It takes a while for me to tighten the straps everytime he gets in the car seat.If the straps were easier to tighten, then I would give it 5 stars!$LABEL$1 +CD is great, PBS show was great, look forward to DVD. As a friend of the Marsalis family for 24 years and the President of Basin Street Records (where drummer and youngest son Jason Marsalis has recorded two wonderful CDs, Music in Motion, and Year of the Drummer) I have seen members of the family in all sorts of configurations.Those of you in the dozen cities or so where the family will be performing this month and next should make sure you go out and check them out. Individually they are all great musicians...together they push each other to the top and have a lot of fun doing it.The CD is great, the PBS special last night was fun to watch and I am looking forward to the DVD.$LABEL$1 +A true reason why they were on sale. Bought these the day after Thanksgiving sale on Amazon for a great price of 30 dollars in comparison to the original price of over 130 dollars. Got headphones and was not impressed with the sound quality of these headphones. Very low bass and as it is noise cancelling, it also acts as a mini-speaker since it protects so loudly when off the ears. Also within 7 days, the right phone stopped working and I had to send off to Sony Service Center to get fixed. The good thing is that that was a very fast turnaround. Final thought, dont purchase if you are a true audiophile as you will be disappointed, even at the discounted price of 30 dollars. I have had 10 headphones I was happier with.$LABEL$0 +51025 weak point. When trying to replace xenon bulb, the metal contact on the back of the black electronics board (the actual place where the light bulb plugs into) broke off and now the light is a throwaway. I have looked for a replacement part and have been unable to find one.$LABEL$0 +Great reference book.. This is a great english dictionary. The paid $48 edition includes appendixes. The free one on kindle for pc only includes the dictionary A to Z. I like the encyclopedic information under some entries. On my Kindle 2 there seems to be a formatting error at locations 801955-801964. At the start of appendix 1 countries of the world, some of the data looks messed up. Data for some of the countries is missing while other country data is repeated twice. But it looks correct on my kindle for pc. There are no formatting problems with this on kindle for pc.$LABEL$1 +Does the job with no issues. The design of the surge protector is useful. most people will be able to fit everything they need on it. Its as simple as that!$LABEL$1 +It NEVER works....rip off. Basically, its a piece of crap. The server never connects. When it does connect, the songs break up and don't sound right. The Media Server software always locks up. Its just an awful program. What a waste of $ this was.How could Netgear release something that was so horrid? Beats me.$LABEL$0 +An exciting experience. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading. Michael Tenaglia is one funny writer. The warning on the cover was not true I was not offened by the sex or th violence.The bigest thing I came away with was a desire/fantasy to meet the writer for a late night drink. I mean one minute you're in the middle of a fistfight on a Manhattan street, the next minute your hearing a political rant that would make Dennis Miller jealous, and the next minute he says something so poetic you're stopped in your tracks. Somehow he makes you laugh through it all. Bravo!$LABEL$1 +Fairly Good, But Includes Factual Errors. I am only doing the pediatric section so far, but have discovered factual errors. For example, question 155 in the pediatric section: An infectious process that could cause meningitis would have which sign? You have to choose between headache and stiff neck, but either one of these could indicate meningitis. Consider question 205, which suggests that lymphocytic thyroiditis is temporary. No, only the subacute form is temporary, but they left out the word "subacute" -- otherwise it would be chronic, Hashimoto's disease.Another problem with the book is that the pages come out easily, with only slight pressure.But most of these NCLEX books do contain a lot of factual errors. I feel like they should hire me as an editor; the so-called editors for most of these books must be whiskey drinkers.It's a decent book, compared to the others. Not the best, but in the mid-range. I would buy it again, but double-check the answers to make sure they're correct.$LABEL$0 +No where near as good as the real shows. The real shows of this were far better. This is a butchered, sanitised, half-baked version despite the DVD claiming to be 20 minutes longer. Many of the performances are no where as powerful as prior efforts and some content is cut down to small portions of the prior pieces heard on DEMOCRACY NOW and found on YOUTUBE. Kilcher's reading of Chief Joseph is murdered on this DVD for a better version see the link on my website [...] links to a youtube from Sundance 2009.There are huge topics watered down or omitted by this presentation. Where is Haymarket ? Where is Alexander Berkman? Why is Ellsberg included ? So many other thoughts ran through my head watching this. Go to youtube watch Sandra Oh's performance of Emma Goldman on Patriotism so much more powerful than what seems like a rehearsal take on this DVD.$LABEL$0 +Exceptional!. This is one of the holly gifts God sent us. It's a "must have" for all Seinfeld fans. You can never stop watching those four friends. Boguht it one day it was in the Gold Box because I didn't know it existed. Would've bought it at it's full price also.PLUS: Bring a "Coffe Table Book". Hahahahaha$LABEL$1 +Plain, Simple, Boring. This book is filled with information. Information that is mainly useless. I usually read 60 pages a day reading about wine, but I always dreaded having to read 10 pages a day from this book. Everything is repeated over and over again. There is no pronunciation guide, so if you see an unusual word that you do not know how to say, you'll feel like your losing ground by not saying it right. The the main maps of Australia and New Zealand are somewhat decent, but the maps that they give for each region, for each chapter or section, are so detailed that there is no way you can reference where about they are in that specific region. Meaning they zoomed into roads, not cities (unlike French and Italian Wines for Dummies). To cut to the chase, the only positive thing I could come up with about this book, is that it is a rather large book and it would look good in your wine book shelf to impress friends. :)$LABEL$0 +Pretty good. When I started reading this book I thought it was going to be another epic story but it turned out to be pretty good. I like the way that Flewelling draws her world and the history behind it. Some of the characters such as Nysander and Alec are a bit predictable but I have hopes that the characters will develop through the trilogy.Flewelling keeps dropping hits about Seregil's past and we just want to learn more about it, doesn't always work for me, but it did this time.All in all a good and fun read.$LABEL$1 +Pop Confection Perfection. Of all the Beatle sound-alike artists I have ever heard, these guys take the cake. I could swear that's John Lennon on lead vocals and the melodies to "Vegetable Row", "Homefront Cameo" and "My Before And After" would make McCartney proud. This album plays like the missing link between Rubber Soul and Revolver. The band never really transcends their Beatle influence/obsession which is o.k with me. That's what we have Oasis for.$LABEL$1 +Librarian Loves This!. I gave this book to all of my friends and school volunteers who love books. The book pocket in the back adds nostalgia for "The good old days" and is a perfect place to put a gift card for a bookstore.$LABEL$1 +The legendary Slowhand. Although I prefer Clapton's earlier guitar driven works like "Stepping Out", "Hideaway", "Have You Heard" from the legendary "Beano" album and "Crossroads" from Cream, this album was what would become a stepping stone to his more laid-back experimental works like the classic "Slowhand" album. My favourite tracks included Big Bill Bronzy's "Key to th Highway" and Jimmie Cox's "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out". A supreme transformation, true to Clapton's innovative improvisation. I was a bit dissapointed that "Blues Power" was not in the album but it won't do justice to the album if it did since this is a love album. This is an album for circa 70s Clapton's fan. An ultra-supreme album, well-deserved to be a classic of its genre and era.$LABEL$1 +Odious, odious, odious!. I had such high expectations for this book, I am so disappointed. I really didn't like anything about it. I read some really glowing reviews and was so excited to find a book that seemed like it was something I would love.I didn't care for the writing, the mystery, the characters, or the so-called love interest or romance portion of the story. In fact I thought the whole story was ridiculous. And the repetition of the word odious was very annoying.I so wished this had been something like Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel Mysteries which I loved. Sadly it was not at all like that and I wasn't able to find anything to love about this one.$LABEL$0 +Arnold in Bestform. I'm a very big fan from Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have most of his films. It's a fantastic career he has made. And Pumping Iron is a fantastic review of his Bodybuilding carrer to see him in his bestform.I can recommend everybody to buy this film who like Arnold Schwarzenegger.Daniel Mrohs$LABEL$1 +Great Product. I recently purchased this because I upgraded to Windows Vista and there is no driver for my onboard sound as of yet. So I hesitantly purchased this, and am very glad I did. Not only do I actually have sound again but it sounds alot better than my onboard did. Im sure the X-Fi and other high end cards sound better, but for the price, I highly reccomend this.$LABEL$1 +see da player. this is my favorite portable cd player i have ever owned. long battery life and very easy to use and plays great!$LABEL$1 +Never worked!. I bought cube world for my daughter this holiday season, and the stick figures will NOT interact no matter what we do. We tried changing the batteries, cleaning the connections, restarting the cubes...nothing!!!! They are really boring without the interaction, and I can't get any info from the company on troubleshooting.$LABEL$0 +Entertaining, a wee bit far-fetched. Retired Secret Service Agent Swamp Morgan is sent to handle a potential 'firefly' case involving the murder of several doctors and nurses at a plastic surgery clinic. Apparently the doctors are in the habit of taping their patients while they are recovering from surgery and blackmailing them with the details at a later date. During one of the recovered transcripts a suspicious transcript surfaces about a bomb plot. Could it just be the ramblings of an unconcious man, or something more sinsiter?This story starts off a bit slow with the killer targeting the doctors and nurses. But the character, Swamp is likeable and methodical in his detective work. The middle section involves Connie, a nurse who was off-duty the night of the murder and her struggle with being bait for the killer.I'm giving this 4 stars just because the ending was really goofy. I can't give it away, but... Well... It was a gotcha type ending you are either going to like or loathe.$LABEL$1 +Continuing his downhill slide. Looks like the Bard from Akron has peaked too early. Has he matched Vacancy or Come to where I'm from? No. He came close on Our Shadows will remain, but no. I saw him live last yeAR--my sixth time seeing him--and it was embarassingly bad.Is this what happens when you move to Los Angeles? Or when you are more interested in self-reinvention than quality songwriting?$LABEL$0 +Exactly that - NO!. This CD is not for kids. The songs are "too" off the wall (a bit too weird for my tastes) and I am afraid my kids were running to hit the eject button on the CD player. I hope this is not the way children's music is going.$LABEL$0 +GREAT WORKOUT!. This workout is awesome, but only for people who are already pretty in shape. I would say this is for those people who don't have problems with their backs, knees or really anthing else and that just have a few stubborn pounds to lose and want to tone up. It is really hard, I'm on my 4th week and it's still hard but it's getting a little easier and I love it. Haven't lost any weight on the scale yet, but clothes are definately fitting better.$LABEL$1 +Box Very Damaged, Didn't Open. The top I received looked as though it had been through a war. They either need to change shippers or package this product so it can be shipped more than a couple of blocks.I had this product shipped twice!! The first was returned, the second I didn't even bother taking it off the truck.When I contacted Grizzly they suggested I buy it from a local source. In other words take your business elsewhere. I find it incredible that a company that ships products all over the world can't seem to package it properly so that it will arrive in reasonable condition. The "Shop Fox" supports I bought with this were in TERRIBLE shape! A local merchant says Shop FOX is owned by Grizzly and they sluff off their damaged or unsaleable products through Grizzly. I have ordered the supports through a local merchant. We will see if they arrive directly from Shop Fox in good condition.Shop Fox H2612 Super Heavy-Duty Workbench Leg System$LABEL$0 +Wasted potential. I finished this trilogy and thought to myself what could have been. I think the mythology which this trilogy was based on is fascinating. Unfortunately the author tried to make it futuristic. That would have been fine except there was no character development and there was no overall storyline. Perhaps the author would have been better served by writing a series of short stories instead of three novels.$LABEL$0 +Shin Noodles. I had ordered this for my spring break for when my boyfriend came into town, just because I thought it would be a nice little treat for him. Turns out they used to sell Shin everywhere in WA. I had never known because they don't in MI. So when he saw me pull this out of the bag, he started flipping out in excitement. "SHIN!!!!!"I let him cook it the way he likes it, and I must say, this soup is better than Maruchan's. Hands down. I would order this again in the future. I highly recommend it, especially if you like spicy things.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money!. My husband bought me the Magic Bullet for Christmas. He paid $60 for it at a department store. At first I was so impressed by it. We used it almost every day. When we had our first baby I used it to make homemade baby food to save money. I will honestly say that it does work very well....AT FIRST. You'll love it, then be disappointed when it breaks. Before 1 year was up the motor died and it stopped working. This also happened to three of my friends who bought the magic bullet. The customer service stinks and they won't replace it. In my opinion, $60 for 1 year of use is not worth it. You'd be better off spending less on a generic brand blender that does the same thing. I bought a less expensive brand on sale for $15 and so far it works just as well as the Magic Bullet for a fraction of the price!$LABEL$0 +Short of Learning Latin, Greek, etc.. Dear Potential Reader:I have nothing but praise for Dr. Danner's _Discover It_. He has taken one of the best methods for self-help learning, the graduated inductive method, and combined it with accurate information about the origins of English words. The reader is led, step by step, into developing an ever larger and more enriched English vocabulary. I would say that anyone who works through the entire book will acquire a level of etymological knowledge and a facility with English vocabulary that normally could only be produced by a course in etymology taught at the college level. My own preference would be for students to learn the relevant languages; _semper nobis linguae addiscendae sunt_. But short of learning Latin, Greek, French, and German, you can do nothing better for building your English vocabulary than to buy and use Danner's _Discover It!_. I highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Skip it.. This was long, drawn out, and uninteresting. The characters aren't involving, the action sequences are sadly lacking, and the setting is dull. I'm amazed so many on amazon rate this highly; there is so much other good fantasy out there, skip this one and go read something else.$LABEL$0 +The Graceland Interviews. Paul Simon is the musical genius of my generation. This is not a presentation of his music or Graceland. It is a series of interviews. Interesting but not entertaining. Why haven't they put The Concert in Central Park on DVD ?$LABEL$0 +wwwoooowww!!!!!!!!!!!!!. This is definetly THE BEST CD I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE!!!!!!All the songs have great lyrics, and alih's voice is better than 99.9% of all the other singers out there.My favorite song is "I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU", It has a great groove, and I can totally relate to the lyrics. The The sound of the overall CD is great! Keep up the AWESOME work!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I was looking forward to a some good new recipes and have to admit that I was disappointed with this book. First of all when I opened the box I saw that this book was a really small paperback book that was poorly made. I was further disappointed when I read the recipes and saw that one of the recipes for the "Best" dips calls for canned bean dip. The book doesn't cost that much but it's still not worth it in my opinion.$LABEL$0 +Downright horride!. I have no idea what 989 Studios has been doing lately, the last decent Gameday was Gameday '99 for crying out loud. I'm sorry, but this is horrible. Everything happens so slow and sloppy, they make a big deal about the graphics, but they aren't that good, the sidelines have nothing going on in them, the stands have paper cut-out people. Trust me, ignore this game, don't even waste $6 to rent it, go get Madden 2002 or the surprisingly excellent NFL 2K2, just stay away from this. I feel so dirty!I want a new football game for my PS2, so I've compaired Madden, NFL 2K2 and now Gameday. I have totally eliminated this game from consideration, it has NO good points that Madden or 2K2 doesn't have that's 500 times better. I'm really just stuck on Madden or 2K2, I have no idea which is better of those two.$LABEL$0 +Moderately fun and educational. Scrabble with cards! You have to use all your letter cards to make words, beware if someone else completes this task first, as the cards you can't put into a word are subtracted from your score. Luck is as much a friend as strategy, so can be frustrating when someone picks up 10 cards which can be put into words in the first round... and you have a hand full of consonants... I still prefer Scrabble, but Quiddler is different enough that we'll still play it.$LABEL$1 +High Fructose Corn Syrup..... I bought one pack from the grocery store for my baby to try.When I look at the ingredients, I can't believe it contains High Fructose Corn Syrup.....I will never buy Gerber snacks again!$LABEL$0 +Amazing album. Agnus Dei alone makes this worth buying.. Ever since I heard Agnus Dei on the radio several years ago I have been looking for the vocal version of Adagio for Strings but wasn't able to find I got this CD. To me this CD is priceless. All of the tracks are exceedingly beautiful but to best one is the Agnus Dei. That one brings me to tears every time. I don't know whether it is the most sad song or the most heavenly I have ever heard. It cracks my heart open and ache with it's piercing sweetness. If you are like me and beautiful music can bring you to tears don't listen to that song without a box of tissues handy especially if you are at your pc while listening or you will risk shorting out your keyboard!$LABEL$1 +Hightly praised, but highly disappointing. After reading all the glowing reviews of this book, I had to give it a shot...This was quite honestly the worst book I have ever read; at no point did I even find this book even slightly interesting. I somehow managed to finish the book, but with each page I turned, I grew more and more resigned to the fact that the book was simply drivel, and disappointment was inevitable.$LABEL$0 +A good album. In this album there are some very very good tracks like (Superbest - Dragula - living Dead girl - Spookshow Baby) and the rest are average or even bad songs. If you like industrial music i recommend buying this cd since the songs i have mentioned are amazing.$LABEL$1 +why not set the book in America?. This book should be titled 'Dire' or 'Dreadful'. What is the point of setting a book in London if the dialogue and description are pure American. I love American romantic fiction, I think Jayne Anne Krentz is without equal, so why didn't this Author set her book in America. It is irritating and distracting to have so-called English characters using American English. A little research would cure the problem, witness Amanda Quick, and make the reading far more enjoyable. I gave this book one star because there isn't a no star option.$LABEL$0 +A disappointment right out of the box!. Great price but it doesn't work! After mounting this alternator I wondered why the battery continually discharged overnight. I finally discovered, after disconnecting the battery ground one evening and checking battery status next mornng, and checking wiring and connections, that the new alternator is the problem! I'm trying now to get a replacement and waiting to hear from Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Only A Celebrity Could Get This Book Published. Had this manuscript arrived in a publisher's office and been submitted by a writer who did not enjoy national fame, this book would never have been printed. I am glad the book came to me as a gift, because otherwise I would be seeking a refund. Russert might be a decent guy who appreciates his heritage, but that doesn't automatically result in a compelling story. Devoting the last chapter to the Buffalo Bills football team reflects the author's misjudgment--evident throughout the book--about what readers want from a national political commentator.$LABEL$0 +poorly designed lock. poorly designed lock and only two screws close to each other so this lock can not be fixed tightly to the door$LABEL$0 +Don't Waste Your Money. Don't waste your money. I gave this knife one star because I had to give it something to write the review.... it deserves 0 stars. I brought the knife home and I tried to slice roast beef for a sandwich. The blades barely made it through the roast beef, shredding the meat as it went along. The meat shreds also found their way in between the blades, making a mess of everything. The blades are too thin and very flexible.Black and Decker Home Slice Right Electric Knife EK700I put the knife back in the box, returned it and bought a Hamilton Beach.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Book. This was a delightful and intriguing book. The plot and characters were well developed. Once I began reading it, putting it down was difficult. It was a treat to read such an enjoyable book. I will continue to read the other books in this series.$LABEL$1 +wonderful!. this was a WONDERFUL book!I finished it in a day. I reccemend this to boys and girls ages 8-15 This is one of my favorite books and it is awesome!$LABEL$1 +This is NOT a new APC battery!!!. The accompanying graphic indicates that this is an APC battery, but this is not true. The text says that it is an American Battery Company batter and this is correct.This is a not a new battery but a refurnished one as indicated by the many, many scratches on the bottom of the case. There is no indication that you will be getting a refurbished battery so I feel that I've been cheated.If you want a refurbished battery, there are places on the net where you can get them for a lot less $$$.$LABEL$0 +Ranch Style trying to pull a fast one. I've been eating Ranch Style Beans all my life and love them. They were made in Fort Worth, Texas for nearly a hundred years. This year, they were bought by ConAgra, the plant was closed and production was moved to Ohio. That's not all that was changed. The cans used to be brimming with beans with just enough sauce. Now fully a third of each can is sauce...they're selling us WATER. They taste the same and for that I'm grateful, but the can says "Beans" and I expect beans...not water. Some slick suit has decided to maximize profit by compromising the brand. Won't work here and I've bought my last can until I can shake the can and it sounds like it has more beans than water. And why would anyone pay almost $50 for a case? I can buy them at Sam's Wholesale Club for $12.00 a case.$LABEL$0 +Too bulky. I bought a GBA and accessory kit for a friend I was visiting in France and the 10-hour rechargable power pack fit the game perfectly. When I got home from my vacation, my game and kit had already arrived from pre-ordering it before I left. This battery pack has a 20 hour promise, but it's just too bulky to enjoy. Now I'll have to ...purchase another pack that will fit in the carrying case. I'm not impressed.$LABEL$0 +Covers important aspects but lacks depth. I teach AI at the graduate level in a major US research University, and I specialize in the area. The book does cover many different areas of Machine Learning. Unfortunately, the treatment is quite superficial. A student would find it extremely difficult to grasp imortant concepts without referring to other material. It may be a good reference, but I would definitely not recommend it as the main textbook. Unfortunately, there seem to be very few books in this area adequate for a senior or graduate level course.$LABEL$0 +boring............ This movie gives a good look at what its like in the modern-day ghetto, but honestly, it lacked the common-threads of a good picture. Half way through, I wasn't even sure what the plot was. It shifted gears way too much and I couldn't follow whether it was this guy or that guy who knocked which girl up.$LABEL$0 +excellent, one of the years best. the first 75 minutes was a tour de force, excellent film-making! the end got a little predictable and sentimental, but still good.yes, it's a homage to earlier spielberg movies, especially ET, and a little close encounters. still, the script is outstanding, funny, and heartfelt. the kids are excellent and clever in a realistic way. born in the 70s myself, a little nostalgia is always welcome (i can remember when i painted action/fantasy figures too/model trains... the days before video games and internet!!!!)thumbs up !!$LABEL$1 +Exceeded my expectations. Pros1. They are well made2. They sound great3. They look great4. They are good value for the dollarCons1. The orange power on light is annoying2. The volume and tone buttons are slipperyOn a scale of 10. minus the orange power on light (it really is distracting. I cover it up), I give the speakers a 9.$LABEL$1 +Waste of $$. I've had these storage bags for over a year. Storage bags don't stay vacuum sealed, the vacuum sucked the seal right off one of the bags rendering it useless. Every other week or so have to drag the vacuum into the closet where these bags are stored and vacuum out the air again and again and again (you get the idea). Usually try to give products the benefit of the doubt but this product doesn't deserve it.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful book!. I am reading this book for the second time and enjoying it even more than the first time around. A wonderful book full of great characters, making you feel like you are living the story. It has a permanent place in my library.$LABEL$1 +Roots of Blink 182. Those of you familiar with Cheshire Cat will already know a few tracks on this album, their 1994 effort. Buddha was made during the first year that the band were together, and it shows their tendency toward whimsical, sometimes silly lyrics. It perhaps more accurately portrays their punk roots than the newer albums, where they define a genre of their own. The songs are short, fast and frenetic. The vocals are more shouted than sung.I recommend it, even if your only exposure to Blink is Enema or Mark & Tom Show. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but you'll have a greater appreciation for the band, and you'll enjoy it.$LABEL$1 +Chirps after two months of Use. I bought this from Amazon to use on my calphalon wok. After daily use for about 1 month, we realise that the tip chirps. The scoop design is useful but the material used does not withstand the heat.$LABEL$0 +drama in the chillout. Zen...2 has a different vibe from 1. More European more pop. Inverno followed with Sketches of Egypt followed with Deniz is very dramatic. The downtempo of Vol 1 is replaced by a nod to 80's pop. A touch over the top/camp. Even the laswell/wobble selection is pretty upbeat! Nothing Hartlepool. A theatrical sidestep from Vol 1. Nice but don't expect it to take you where the first vol went. This is Zen as in not. Probably why there hasn't been a Vol 3.$LABEL$1 +3D Pro takes you to infinity and beyond.. I had this Joystick back in the 90's when I played X-Wing Alliance. The only thing that could improve it is suction cups. It's good and heavy. It has just the right amount of resistance for flight. Pleanty of buttons. 6 buttons on the stick. I love it. It's too bad Logitech went out of the flight stick business.My favorite is the button in the right handed "TURBO" position like the original Airwolf.Remember players, this stick is not manufacturer insured anymore.$LABEL$1 +Wrong Item. I ordered a Platinum Gamecube Controller . I received a Wireless Wavebird. Now they say it's out of stock or discontinued. Thay should tell you this before they charge you card and send you the wrong thing.$LABEL$0 +Much lower budget this season. I watch episodes here and there from different season. This season has a much lower budget and you can tell. Story is ok but the quality and effects are much worse.$LABEL$0 +Don't know what color you're going to get.. The straws themselves are great and exactly what I wanted. However, each package of 45-50 straws are the same color. If you order multiple packages, they will put packages of different colors in, but there's no way of knowing what you'll get.$LABEL$1 +Trajic in San Frasico. The plot of this story is a earthquake.When Jacob and his family are asleep the dog his Uncle Avi gave him woke them.Jacobs dad told him to give it back.When Jacob was returning the the dog the quake struck.Afterthe quake there was buildings fallen down and building blocks on the sidewalk.Fires where every where,water pipes wheredown and people where trapped under buildings.With no no water the army had to blow blow up buildings tostop the fire ,after the fire stoped ,the next day it rained.$LABEL$1 +Neverwinter nights ---> absolute top game. This game is a real drug for the RPG fans around the world.$LABEL$1 +So long Scorpions .....welcome Rammstein !!!. I ran into Rammstein by chance as they opened for Kiss in 1999 tour. I was just amazed by these guys. They don't sound like those silly alternative bands from the U.S. This is what Rock should be today!These album delivers. You don't understand a word but the language ( German ) itself take you to a new musical dimension. The best track is for sure Links 2 3 4 with troops marching out as a background and powerful vocals that you will start thinking this guy is some Kaiser wanna be.If Scorpions hadn't go Pop they would sound like Rammstein today.$LABEL$1 +Great movie, poor DVD. This is one of those classic SciFi movies that scared the 'bgeezus out of every kid who saw it in the 50's/60's. After viewing the spectacular anniversary edition DVD of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," I expected a comparable treatment of "Invaders from Mars" (especially for the price). But no ... the image quality of this Image Entertainment DVD is ....: scratches, blips, and poor color rendition abound. An undergrad film major could have done a better post-production job. Maybe that's who Image Entertainment employs? I see the company's Director recently resigned -- hopefully in shame after seeing their effort (or lack thereof) on this project. Great movie, but buy it on tape and pocket ten bucks...$LABEL$0 +OK, not the greatest. Pretty decent safety glasses, work well in bright sunlight, not so great in poorly lit interiors (which is what you often find in new construction temporary lighting).Pros: Comfortable, lightweightCons: Scratch easily, fog very easily in humid weatherRecommend, but not highly.$LABEL$1 +Casio GW500A-1V G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch. The shipping and delivery of this watch were excellent. The watch has performed very well, I love the Solar charge for it, hopefully I can avoid changing batteries where you usually lose your water-proofness. Keeps excellent time! Love Atomic watches in my price range!$LABEL$1 +lacking detail. Some interesting accounts but all too often frustratingly lacking in specific details. Far too anecdotal and vague to be taken seriously as a convincing read. Really just a collection of stories rather than an attempt to present a well researched investigation into the phenomena of ghosts backed by solid facts, empirical data, and/or seemingly compelling evidence. Ultimately disappointing from someone who is touted on the cover as "the world's leading paranormal investigator".$LABEL$0 +Great Movie. Great chemistry between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Entertaining, funny and a great watch for another generation that missed it the first time around.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. After reading the 3 positive reviews, I gave this product a try to unclog my drain. The product says it unclogs up to 8 drains (one per pump), but after 3 pumps it stopped working and my drain was still clogged. If you have a clogged drain, don't waste your money on this product.$LABEL$0 +No funciona y es nuevo. Buenos diasEl reloj recien me llega y no funciona, esta prendido pero ninguna tecla funciona, creo que deberia revisar si funciona antes de salir....Y ahora que hago... Anteriormente tambien he comprado relojes y no he tenido problemas...que pasooo!!!!sldosIng. Cavanna$LABEL$0 +Poorly Written, Great Subject. I was really surpised to see how poorly written this book actually was when I read it. I had seen the History Channel special and could not wait to go and buy it. Sadly, it really turned me off on the subject because of the way it was written. I felt like I was reading more opinion than fact. I would not recommend. The story is not in sequence and is jumbled.$LABEL$0 +Mission Impossible-second tv season. Again...if you remember this when you were a child then this is perfect for you! Wonderful can't wait to get the 2nd season. Just what I remember as a child. My kids are interested as well...they are teenager's and I didn't think they would like it but they can't wait to see the 2nd season either!$LABEL$1 +Not so good. The nature sounds on this item were not very good. There was no was to adjust the volume on these sounds and the bird sound would wake the dead and scare them back to life.$LABEL$0 +Does not work. Put brand new batteries in it. As a test, I set it to change dishes after six hours (overnight). It did not do it. So I tried another brand new battery and set it for another six-hour interval at 5:11 a.m. this morning. At 12:20 p.m., when I returned home from an errand, it still had not changed dishes. It does not work. I'm willing to give it another trial run this evening but based on what I've seen thus far, I just blew $36 on an item that is worthless. (As an aside, I went to my local Petsmart with the idea of buying either one of two different automated feeders, retailing for $55 and $59. The store manager told me to save my money and instead urged me to buy a $12 non-electronic autofeeder, the kind that looks like the self-filling water dishes. THAT spoke volumes to me.)$LABEL$0 +The 80's are gone the music should be too!. Why is everybody so woozy and wishing for 80's music. Pastel clothes, cartoon haircuts, and cocaine are passe. At least that's what my Dad tells me when I visit him in prison. You folks should get over your bad selves and move on with your lives. Listen to something that's new and fresh not old and done too many times before. Heck I like the theme song to Fairly Odd Parents better than this stuff.$LABEL$0 +Returned immediately. Did not fit my teaching needs that inspired the purchase. Very little about effects of stress on physical and mental health in humans, ways to cope better with stress. Great service from Amazon.com on return/quick refund, thanks!$LABEL$0 +The only wedding task that really matters - read this book!. I was married recently at age 31 and while I was planning the wedding I was disappointed that so much planning time goes into the dress, and resgistry, and flowers, and, and, and... I enjoyed it but felt something was "missing". Luckily 3 weeks before our big day my girlfriend gave me this wonderful book. It refocused me on what matters. I read it practically cover to cover in one sitting. It describes all the EMOTIONAL adjustments you make -- and aren't really given an outlet for in the frenzy of wedding planning. I feel like I appreciated my wedding day so much more because I read this book.A great engagement (or post-wedding) gift to yourself and your fiance, or to a friend who is getting married. My now-husband found it very interesting too in order to better understand what was going on in my head.$LABEL$1 +boring, self absorbed.... She really has a cushy life - how many people could take a year off to 'find themselves', especially in their middle thirties? She eats her way through Italy and gains weight - but hey, she NEEDED to gain as her terrible ex-husband had made a real stink about the property division, and she had lost weight worrying about this. No one else has ever had divorce problems. Well, not like hers as she is so special. She then goes to India to live in an ashram - a Special ashram where only a few people are allowed, by appointment - to 'find God', who is actually revealed to her... (did I mention she is special?) I think she was going on to the gorgeous island of Bali, where she was to find True Love, but I got so bored at this point I took it back to the library. She complains and complains about how bad her life has been. Well, everything is relative but to most people, her life is cushy.$LABEL$0 +Barley Listenable. I have tried to listen to this CD a few times since I got it and not once have I heard a song that has caught my attention i find it to be more unnoticable background music anything else. Not worth the time to "really listen" more than once if you can handle it.$LABEL$0 +Small, but does the job. Yes, it's tiny. Not very comfy for long sits, but great for emergencies, or during potty training while out and about. My 5 yr old has even been known to use it in an emergency (fear of auto-flush toilets). It will easily fit in a diaper bag, although we mainly just keep it under the seat in the minivan for traveling.$LABEL$1 +Life changing. This book is amazing. I borrowed a copy and found what it said to be refreshing and on the money. It changed my life. I became a Vegan (diet wise only) and bought 2 books, one to keep and another to give to some friends. They are now also becoming Vegan (diet wise).$LABEL$1 +Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2 (2012 Edition). AWESOME STORY!!!I always thought of that about No Man's Land. Is simply one of the best Batman sagas ever.This particular collection, same as the first volume, have a plethora of issues that weren't collected on the old editions. This makes me happy.Something else that makes me happy is the quality of paper they used to print this. Semi-glossy strong good quality paper that gives new life to this tale. Tood good to be true.Last but not least is the cover gallery at the end. Not sure all of it is there, but there's a good amount of covers I haven't seen before.Top notch big book!!!$LABEL$1 +GREAT!!. My Dad was an English and Speech Teacher and so I had a lot of "required reading" outside of school. I didn't truly appreciate that until I got to college and the years since. I recall reading this book as a part of his "required reading" and truly enjoyed the movie! Thank You for providing great movies and for always providing Great Service$LABEL$1 +Dissapointing. Nowhere near as good as I had hoped, wouldn't recommend, a bit too long and parts of the story went nowhere, was also hoping for a better ending.$LABEL$0 +Here we go again.... The idea of satan's return to earth around new year 99/00 is very predictible. But the film actually got one high point, Gabriel Byrne's interpretention of Satan himself.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I was very excited about this litter box based on the glowing reviews. Unfortunately, all the negative comments about this litter box are correct. Even with rolling slowly and tapping the side, all of the clumps would not make it over. There were clumps that got stuck behind and on the sides of the pullout shelf causing bad odors over time. Clean litter also went into the shelf causing a big mess when emptying it. The latches on the litter box are cheap and non sturdy. It defeats the whole purpose if I have to spend 5 minutes banging on the sides or scooping out the extra clumps that did not roll over. After about 3 weeks (I wanted it to work so badly) I gave up, removed the sifter and just use it as a regular litter box. The product was a great idea, just not executed well.$LABEL$0 +TERRIBLE writing on a fascinating topic. I'm sure Richard Ellis is a fine fellow. But I just can't understand how _anyone_ gave this book a positive review, and I'm 2/3 through it. The redundancies are ridiculous; it's like he never reread or edited. So on page 108 he gives you a long quote from what he tells you is an article from Roper and Boss -- and in _the very next paragraph_ he gives you _the same quote_ again and attributes it! Amazing! And this kind of thing happens continually. How many times does he tell me how big, say, squid axons are versus human axons? I mean, really: this book went totally unedited. Beyond that the comments of other reviewers that he kind of struggles to fill a book about the squid, are true. Of course some of the amazing footage of the past couple years could've been used to pad it out another chapter, but, there's just not enough there there, or at least Ellis isn't able to make it seem so.$LABEL$0 +Sort of like Toy Story on Qualudes. I can put up with the ages old wisdom of scaring the crap out of kids about the big scary world and the nasty people who live in it, and so what if the falcon is the bad guy and the rodent is the good guy so long as there are no BB guns under the tree, but lets have some fun! This is a kids movie. Stuart is sort of likeable and Snowball the cat has some good lines, but I only watch this sort of thing because I am sure I will feel good at the end and I ended up thinking this movie would make kids not want to go outside. Happy I watched it first.Stuart little is a poor stepchild in a genre filled with excellent heartwarming films.(Aladdin, Lion King, Toy Story, Finding Nemo).$LABEL$0 +Classic hike book. This is not so great; there were important trails missing, such as Black canyon trail, high desert trail, badger spring trail, all missing.Isaac$LABEL$0 +Great Family Movie. While it is based on a true story you can go to the wikipedia page and see that several liberties were taken. But it is what it is and what it is a fun, emotionally moving movie that is funny at times. It is a little predictable in ways and the teenage boy does get a little annoying after a while but its a good movie in the end. I recomend it for any age.$LABEL$1 +great sprayer. I have used this sprayer several times since I bought it and it works great on all types of liquid fertilizer. Very easy to use$LABEL$1 +serious incompatibilities. If you own a Toshiba notebook, DO NOT buy this product. It will crash every time you try to use it. I phoned the C-PEN support line and there is an incompatibility with the Toshiba drivers and C-PEN seems to be in no hurry to solve the problem.$LABEL$0 +Graphic SF Reader. Very funny parody tales of a young Hellboy. Various different styles and artists throughout. There are bits and pieces from Hellboy Junior getting a car to much more surreal and underground styled pieces, so perhaps something for everybody. More Hellboy, in general, is a very good thing.$LABEL$1 +Oregon Rain Gauge Model RGR126. Got in 2006---Outdoor temp no longer worked in 2010-Rain Gauge just died in Sept. 2011-so not bad for the money$LABEL$1 +Complete waste of money. We bought this product after reading some of the favorable reviews as we wanted to have a seat to take while travelling with our 2 toddler daughters.This potty seat turns out to be a complete waste of money. It is made of very flimsy plastic and the design does not fit ANY toilet seat securely. We tried it backward and forward and each time it does not stay on securely and slips around, rendering it completely useless. Worse yet, my daughters, who each weigh less than 30 lbs seemed to be too heavy as placing them on the seat caused the center to droop.This is one of the worst designed child product I have encountered.$LABEL$0 +Can get it for less @ Crystal Classics. Nice glasses but too expensive (especially with how easy they break)! I went with Crystal Classics and got the exact Waterford set and paid $49 (free shipping).$LABEL$0 +Caution: Migranes Ahead. This is my second Samsung. I bought it based on positive experience with my first 26" Samsung. Anyway, shortly after setup, a high-pitched squeeling noise developed. It wasn't noticable all the time, but it kept returning under various conditions. It seemed to come from the lower left hand side from rear of the unit. Besides squealing, the stand leaned to the left and no adjustments available. Overall, nice picture, beautiful design, easy to use, but the screeching will give you a migrane. Returned it and bought a 32" Sony Bravia XBR (KDL32XBR4) for a few $$ more. Be sure to look for the XBR4 model because it has Motionflow 120Hz speed and 10-bit processing. HD is absolutely amazing on the XBR4. The KDL32XBR4 is by far the best 32" set on the market. Check it out and compare the Sony side-by-side before you purchase this 32" Samsung.$LABEL$0 +Junk. This is a very poor quality percolator. I have had two of them shipped to me with broken perc tops, which incidentally, are... plastic, NOT the 'glass' mentioned in the paid review. Not worth the aggrevation.$LABEL$0 +Fabulous, unforgettables 1993 Dire Straits. I just finished watching this DVD performance of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits musicians on their tour in 1993. No, I didn't purchase the DVD for $116 plus change as I am not a millionaire. I watched it on Netflix. I hope to be able to purchase this DVD as it is a priceless reminder of superb musical skill, and yes it is true there were a few favorites left out such as Sultans of Swing, but the intensity of the perfomances were remarkable.If you can afford it buy it. It's a classic.$LABEL$1 +great album - intelligent rap. good to hear a rap album not focused on how much of a gangsta the artist, but mor focused on providing a creative bunch of songs with some thought put into the lyrics and music. phrasing is awesome from del the funky homosapien and excellent beats from dan the automator, which match perfectly with the underlying theme/story throughout the album$LABEL$1 +Printer not worth the time or money!. I received this printer as a gift. I thought it was a great idea to be able to take the printer to family functions, take a picture, and give it to the family right away! I only had the printer two years, with little use and many problems. The paper that is supplied with the ink kit began to jam. This became an expensive ordeal, considering I could simply take the digital images to a local store and have them printed for as low as 17 cents a copy. It does take up space in the suitcase, with carrying the printer/powercord/USB cable/ink paper and tray. I used it very little and it recently started to print on only one-half of the photo paper! I contacted Canon, after some basic cleaning and trouble shooting. Canon could not offer any further advice, except that I would need to send it in for repair. Since it was out of warranty, and not worth the time or money, it is now in the trash...$LABEL$0 +Riedel O Cabernet Wine Tumblers. We enjoy using these glasses every day for Cabernet/Merlot wines. They aren't as tippy as stemware, or quit as breakable. But they do break. That is why I was buying replacements. They are dishwasher safe.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing production. I'm not a hard core Collective Soul fan, but I admire them enough to own several CDs. I also own the "Music in High Places" dvd, which I was very impressed with. I decided to buy this dvd based on the excellent customer reviews. However, in my opinion, the large concert hall format is distracting from the real talent of the band. The orchestra, instead of adding to the live experience, left me with a feeling of chaos and dilution. Collective Soul is a talented group of men, but their talent is not evident in this production. The "Music in High Places" dvd showcases their excellent musicianship and vocal abilities that this production manages to completely cover up. For a more casual fan, I would not recommend this dvd for an introduction to the band. You just might be fooled into thinking Collective Soul has no talent.$LABEL$0 +The power of finding out for yourself. Whether we agree that what is written in this book is the truth or not, we all have the ability to find out for ourselves what is the truth and what is embellishment. Controversary always stirs curiosity, and brings about questions. We have read one man's opinions based on a few statments from others. There are thousands of journals, books, and records that tell the story of the early mormon church. Find out the whole story, not just portions. What really happened? Will you believe the statement of one or of many? Use your power to find out the truth and ask questions! Then the true power of writing will come to pass.$LABEL$0 +honeywell hz2006tgt similar model to hz2000. got a honeywell model hz2006tgt mini tower surround heater. After several usage, it melted the thermostat control knob and melted the surface of the unit as well. I called the warranty service and it turned out that I had to pay for 16 dollars to ship it back in order to get a replacement. They quoted me the warranty agreement and would not cover my shipping cost. I had enough and told them I will not mail it back. However, if you are planning to buy it, please be advised, this product is fire hazard to your house or property and consumers have to spend money shipping it back before they will issue the recall.$LABEL$0 +650 Holster. This Holster doesn't seem to fit the Treo 650 phone very well. The bottom corners of the phone are rounded and the bottom corners of the holster are square. The side supports don't fully hug the phone and make me concerned about the phone coming out of the holster too easily. The top support clips the phone right at the slot for the memory card and doesn't seem sturdy enough to keep the phone in the holster. With an expensive phone like a Treo 650, I just don't get a secure feeling from this holster that it will keep my phone safe and on my belt. I refused to take that chance and will not use this holster. In fact, I already purchased the leather TREO holster manufactured by PALM for about $20.00$LABEL$0 +Listing not correct. Ordered 3 sets of 9 per set. Rec'd only 3. Sent in request for reorder or 21 more. Rec'd 3 (only) again. Not going to reorder.$LABEL$0 +Sure Block. The product was what I expected and the service from Amazon was great. It arrived much sooner than I anticipated. Thank you.$LABEL$1 +The book I want my daughter to have. I remember this book being my 2nd Easy Reader. My first was "What's the Matter with that Dog", my 3rd being "Benjamin of the Woods". I still have "What's the matter...", but boy do I wish I still had "Mr. Pine's Purple House". Sometimes we all need to know what makes us different in this homogeneous world. It took Mr. Pine some time, but he finally figured it out.$LABEL$1 +Good music and features Babatunde Olatunji. This is the same CD as "All The Best From Africa" but at a lower price. Why? Don't know. I would have given it a five star but a lot of the songs fade out long before they are done. It has a good selection of different kinds of music, vocal, percussion, string, etc. The main reason I like it so much is that it features Babatunde Olatunji on tracks 2,3, and 14-20. This is rarely heard Baba music especially to those only familier with his "Drums Of Passion" recordings. Some of the sound quality is not that great but I've heard much worse on other recordings. The CD also has squat for liner notes, but all in all, for the price, it's definately worth it.$LABEL$1 +Broke within 1 minute. I bought this after seeing all of the good reviews. Went to tighten the boom knob and the knob and fitting disintegrated into a dozen pieces. My crummy product may have been a fluke. Seller replaced right away, but the recording session had to be rescheduled and that cost time and money that cannot be recovered.$LABEL$0 +great album. I wanna float a quote from Martin Luther King: i am not afraid - i am not afraid - i am not afraid ............ to say that this is the greatest album of 2004 and one of REM's very best. Pure brilliance from start to finish. Much better than Reveal.Also, please give a listen to the album "Lotus" by Elisa. It's very similar to Around The Sun: lyrically brilliant, mid tempo and sublime. She is one of the most talented singers i'll ever hear.$LABEL$1 +This is the worst dvd/vcr product that you could buy!. I first bought this last week, and when I played DVD's it made a loud humming/buzzing sound. It was so loud that you could barely hear the audio. I returned it, and decided to try another one just in case I had gotten a defective one previously. Well, when I set up the next one it did the same exact thing. I don't recommend anyone buy this product! It is by far a terrible machine, so avoid it if you can!!$LABEL$0 +Word processing baloney. Introduction to Word Processing Word 2000 (Software Guides)Just another computer guide to waste money on. I have tried numerous books over the years, and have found most of them very good, but did not like this one.$LABEL$0 +Missing everything but the introduction. Unfortunately I thought I was getting a deal at $0.99. All you get is a few pages of intro, nothing else. The description makes no indication that is all you get.$LABEL$0 +A holiday tradition!. First VHS, then laserdisc, now DVD. I have 'em all, because it is just that good. (Cher, by the way, was not credited when the show originally aired, but does appear.)From the opening sequence, when one of those military boys gooses Pee-Wee, to the final moment, where Dinah Shore sings to the Pee-Wee mannequin, this show is hilarious and touching through and through. kd lang and Grace Jones are delightful. But I think Charo's performance of "Feliz Navidad" is the stand-out. Brings a tear every year. All that, and a holiday message that resonates for kids and adults.Truly a classic.$LABEL$1 +I would rather receive an F. I was forced into this book by my english teacher in college.I must have been the worse book I started to read. I never finishedit and would rather get an F than read this horrific novel. Two thumbs down. I'm sorry that I don't have more thumbs.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. Quirky, but generally the same old annoying miscommunication in romance plot with plenty of characters to get in the way of a meaningful connection.$LABEL$0 +Cute film. I would consider this another guilty pleasure rom-com.Only reason I initially was curious about it was because of #AL but J'lo does a good job,considering some of her works(Gigli ha!)Who knew?! I recommend.$LABEL$1 +Flimsy Build. Well, I guess you get what you pay for. Threads are constantly coming out of this. It's falling apart fairly quickly. I can't complain too much because it was so cheap.With that said it does seem to be padded enough to protect the camera.$LABEL$0 +Horrible. I put this cd on and my dog started howling. As if there was a full moon. This CD is horrible. American Idol is stupid. If any of these clowns had an iota of talent, they would have signed to a label already ( See Kelly and Justin movie- that movie made about half a million at the box office!). I looked at the notes on the CD. He didnt write one song? So basically someone picked all of these songs for him. This CD makes me wretch. Also, dude is kinda ugly for a teen idol. In fact all of the winners and runner up are horrible looking. WTF?$LABEL$0 +Not Happy might be got wrong batch. As a first time Mom i expect that Pampers will be the best for my little one however i was wrong with this pack of Pampers Swaddlers. The inside diaper pad that supposed to be super absorbent it was not. These diapers are not that good ! Found some of the Diapers leaked, The diaper leaked liquid everywhere. Some Diapers had their flaps broken and I had to use tape to put the diapers on my baby. Very, very disappointedI'm not sure if we got a bad batch or if this size is just made cheaper; but I wouldn't recommend them at all.With my son it cause red irritation$LABEL$0 +The Rooster Crows. This book is a collection of American Rhymes and Jingles from all the ages. It was written 1966, but many of the ryhmes in it are still around today. Some examples are How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck, Mary had a Little Lamb, This Little Pig, and Star Light Star Bright. This book is very well illustrated, compared to other books of this time period.$LABEL$0 +nice to browse. I needed the book for a class and would not have bought it otherwise but, there are some good skills in here.$LABEL$1 +Un buen consejo? No lo compres! (A good advice?, Don't buy it!). Que fiasgo!. Este producto debe ser retirado y si acaso, emitir una versión ultra mejorada pero con otro nombre para evitar desacreditar el nombre Lynksys y Cisco. Recomiendo a los fabricantes que revisen el manual de configuración porque simplemente NO SIRVE. El fabricante debe además tener un manual para configuración manual. Tuve que arreglármelas para configurarlo, porque nadie sin algunos conocimientos de redes va a salir a camino con ese inútil manual. Y después de instalarlo, una lentitud horrible y un alcance pésimo. No amigo, no lo compre, busque otra salida, dese a respetar. Yo que casi siempre me llevo de las estrellas, no compro nada que no tenga de 4 estrellas para arriba. Esta vez no hice caso porque confío en Linksys y fracasé. He pasado una verguenza grandísima por estar sugiriendo este equipo. Ojalá este mensaje llegue a los fabricantes.$LABEL$0 +NOT WORTH TWO CENTS. I am a casual fan of the duo. I started looking for a compilation of their greatest hits and came upon "The Very Best Of Daryl Hall & John Oates". I thought great. Then I started looking at the tracks for my all time favorite "She's Gone". It was no where to be found on this compiliation. What? Are you kidding me; no "She's Gone" on "The Very Best of Daryl and John Oates". That song is arguably their greatest hit. Omitting it from the collection is a major infraction. As such this compiliation is not worth two cents to me.$LABEL$0 +What a terrible book.. On my age (almost 70 years) and after reading hundreds articles and an awfull lot books about Discus, I finally decided to buy this book. I've read a lot of postings made by Mr. Quarles in several forums and this man gave me the chills. Probably this man is very frustrated and now he has started to offend people very very much. The book is in one word worthless. That's probably the reason of the joker price now asked for this "book". It's nothing worth. Perhaps it won't even light my fireplace. My advice for people who want to start discus start buying books from good authors like Bernd Degen or Jack Wattley.$LABEL$0 +Brice Taylor Exposes the Mind Control Underworld!. Brice Taylor's brutally honest memoir is fascinating, heartbreaking, and at times humorous. As a former CIA operative, I can verify that she is indeed telling the truth; all of her anecdotes are right on the money!I am familiar with her case and am suprised she has left out Janet Reno and Nancy Regan's involvement because she has irrefutable proof of it. Janet Reno stained a blue dress of hers with her own DNA and Nancy Regan is shown on video directing Brice's gang bang by the members of OPEC in 1980.Even with these glaring omissions, Ms. Taylor has written a compelling book! A must read! Her experiences in Roswell will blow your mind!$LABEL$1 +Korn before they were Korn. Believe it or not this was the band "KoRn" before KoRn exsisted. It is evident in the powerful riffs played by James "munky" shaffer that he influence a lot in Korn's first and later albums. The high energy almost-disco-like drums brought to all of us by David Silveria (now the drummer to korn) are so much influeced buy grove music you can't help but dance. And of course the low clicky bass sound buy Regginald "fieldy" arvizu just leaves us in awe at the end of every song. So if you like korn and want to hear the earlier stuff (w/out Jon Davis's awesome, pain influenced vocals, sad to say) then get L.A.P.D. Some if it will make you giggle but you cannot help but appreciate their talent.$LABEL$1 +My favorite vegetarian "meat" product. I grew up on this stuff. It's so quick and easy to use. I love that it's never greasy or funky smelling like real ground beef and there's never a danger of e-coli from not cooking it enough. It's also cruelty free. No animals had to die in the process! Yay!I use it for chili, taco filling, and it's easy to make vegeburger patties just by adding bread crumbs, eggs and seasonings. It can even be formed into meatloaf or meatballs. I've made Hamburger Helper with it before which was pretty good. Its uses are endless. I'd love to try this in shepherd's pie. Loma Linda makes the best vegetarian "meat" products.$LABEL$1 +Classy and satisfying for every Elton fan.... As an Elton John fan of many years, I looked forward to this Blu-ray rendition of the Garden concert. It doesn't disappoint although the audio mix is a bit off with balance favoring the accompaniment. Nevertheless, it's a great way to enjoy an evening. One criticism --- where is GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD? Well, I guess you can't have it all.$LABEL$1 +Read & Grow rich with Wade's strategies. I made $5,000 in four days using the options on stock splits strategy on just one stock play! I am excited! Thanks WADE!$LABEL$1 +What a find!!. I watched this movie only because Vincent D'onofrio was in it. And am I glad that I did. I had heard of Robert E. Howard and knew he was a writer, but I didn't know anything else about him. This film shows the depth and loneliness of a man who didn't fit in with the rest of the world; and then he meets a woman who begins to understand and to love him, but ultimately cannot be with him.Vincent D'onofrio gives a wonderful impassioned performance as Howard and Renee Zellweger matches him as Novalyne Price, the woman who befriends him. This film is well worth seeing and I recommend it to everyone. It also contains the most passionate kissing scene I have every seen in a movie. I had to rewind and watch it more than once. (Actually, it was quite a number of times!!).If you're thinking of watching or buying this movie: Go for It! But beware, you will need kleenexs at the end -- I did, and I never cry at movies.$LABEL$1 +Not Recommended. While browsing on Amazon for free books, I found this one. I enjoyed it until the ending. THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! Nor horse lovers that like happy endings. It's a good thing it was free, and also that I can't write a note of disapproval to the author.Soldier Boy is Buffalo Bill's horse, and the book is told partly through his viewpoint, partly in letters from humans and partly with Soldier Boy talking to other animals.An interesting tale of the old west, with a young girl named Cathy who arrives from Spain and bonds with her beloved Soldier Boy.I wonder if Twain planned the ending from the get go, or if he just wanted to finish it quickly...and finish off the main characters, too. I'd love to know why he ended the story in such a gruesome way (a bullfight in Spain).Despite my love of reading about anything equine, I don't recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +So romantic!. This CD is great for slow dancing! Being a Latin American woman, I loved the duet with Luis Miguel! But the other duets are wonderful as well. And Sinatra... great as always!$LABEL$1 +not worth it.... this is just a documentury that you hear no full songs by korn and no members of korn are even in this talking or anything... if you're a korn fan and know thier "basic" past and rise to fame than their is no need buying this dvd... ...STEVE-O...$LABEL$0 +Survivor is unique. This album is unique but it's still very good. Just give it a chance because this is pratically a whole new group. So buy it please :)$LABEL$1 +I USED TO LIKE IT , BUT NOW I DON'T. I bought this album at once, back in 1986. AS most Purple fans, I was anxious to have this album featuring their best line-up. I listened to it and I loved it. But after a while, thinking with my head and not my heart, I realised this is not a good album at all, except for "KNOCKING AT YOUR BACK DOOR" (a classic in rock forever), "PERFECT STRANGERS", "UNDER THE GUN" and "GYPSY'S KISS". The rest are fillers, pure fillers.$LABEL$0 +Junk. After a few months the "" Key and "" key don't work. You can't tell what are the two keys are in this reiew because I am currently using this keyboard to write the reiew. But if you look at the word "reiew" I think you can figure out one of the keys. Off to buy a new one right now but wanted eeryone reading this to know what a piece of junk this is.$LABEL$0 +Shuts off when listening to quiets parts in classical music or jazz. This thing is ruined by one seemingly small problem: the transmitter shuts off when it decides the input volume is too low. I guess the designers thought this would be a useful feature. Unfortunately, it makes the thing completely unusable for music that has quiet sections -- especially classical music. Its really annoying -- you're right in the middle of a piece and all of a sudden you hear a loud "blap!" and it shuts off. I'm going to try to return this.$LABEL$0 +Bad Recording. This CD is a big disappointment. Although the Cleveland Orchestra plays the right notes, the feel of the music is all wrong, especially as far as tempo is concerned. Dohnanyi probably deserves most of the blame here, as he is the one who dictated the crazy tempi and weird phrasing. The second movement is a good example. Dohnanyi seems to be in a race, trying to beat somebody to the finish line. He flies through the thing and slows down just enough every once in a while to make sure the orchestra is still with him. Also, the recording quality itself is pretty clear, but the sound is too bright and thin. Poor.$LABEL$0 +I Can't Wait for It. I have watched the first DVD many, many times and still laugh at it. The Color Honeymooners are just as good as the ones made in the 1950s, and they're in lovely color complete with cheery musical numbers with professional dancers and good musical arrangements. It has been a long wait and I'm going to be the first to buy the next DVD, or next 9 episodes. Wish MPI would put them out a bit faster, though. They are light-hearted, fun and very funny, all shot on a stage in Miami Beach. Classic, true entertainment, bar none. I will keep these always and watch them over and over again, that's how good I think they are.$LABEL$1 +Terrible Movie. This is a terrible movie. Very slow, bad plot and just overall depressing. It is not the actors fault, just a bad plot to begin with and the acting does not improve. Such a waste of good actors, their time and the producers money. Don't waste your money. If I could give this a "-0", I would.$LABEL$0 +Cute beads, but difficult to use. My daughter received this bead set for her 3rd birthday. The hand painted beads are bright and attractive, and she was eager to start beading. However, the rough texture of the wood on the inside of the beads makes it a frustrating experience- she isn't able to bead without assistance. We ended up exchanging the beads for a set with a smoother interior surface. My sister also purchased these beads for her nearly three year old, and she had the same experience; her daughter was unable to string the beads- the laces snag on the rough interior surface, making it difficult to bead.$LABEL$0 +AWESOME. This cd is mad different from their first two releases... But it misses alot. But I love AFI. This cd is pretty awesome ... Fast and loud. Beautiful lyrics... Art Of Drowning is their best work though$LABEL$1 +Not Exactly What I Was Expecting, But Still Great!. Hillman Curtis is just the right amount of self-deprecating so that you can learn from his own mistakes. Video for the web has changed a lot from when he wrote the book, but he can give someone new to film making enough insight into settings, lightings, sound, mics, etc, that you probably won't pick up elsewhere.$LABEL$1 +an exercise in masturbatory, pointless BS. "lipstick traces" is nothingbut an incomprehensible mess written by an author driven not by the spirit of dada or punk, but buy the spirit of the dollar signs, a very prevalent one in our culture. the ultimate purpose of this book is precisely nothing, except the opposite of what everything discussed in it respected--money. and jesus, if you actually got into this book, get out of the house every once in awhile.$LABEL$0 +Failed much too early!!!. Like many others, my tank developed a leak that became worse over time. InSinkErator customer service was horrible and said that their warranty was only a year. Never again! We installed the hot water dispenser from Waste King (bought at Costco) that is available here in Amazon at our vacation home. After 2 years, it performs flawlessly. Besides being reliable, the Waste King is also much less expensive than the InSinkErator. I posted this review on the InsinkErator faucdet as well.$LABEL$0 +Poor imitation of a romantic comedy. The people who wrote, directed and produced this movie would do well to take a crash course in Cukor, Capra, Hawks etc. Lazy, unimaginative writing and directing yield a script full of cliches and characters whose motivations abruptly shift directions with no justification whatsoever. Not at all believable.$LABEL$0 +Does what its supposed to do. It's a fine product, but it comes with no written instructions. I know it seems self-explanatory, but really, something would have helped. Also -- the back piece doesn't connect, it's just held in place.$LABEL$1 +Amazing camcorder at an affordable price. When its time for me to replace my old Mini-DV camcorder I made an extensive research whether to buy another old technology camcorder (mini-dv or DVD based) or buy a new technology camcorder (HD or hard drive based). I finally compromised on buying this, since this is a compromise between old and new. It uses 3CCD technology which is cool because the same tech. is used in professional cameras.Am I satisfied with my purchase? A big Yes. Especially the capability to record still images on a SD card at an amazing clarity eliminated the need for me to carry both camcorder and digital camera.I would recommend to buy this to anyone who is looking for a budget camcorder but do not want to compromise on quality.$LABEL$1 +nice little vacuum. I bought this based on the reviews on Amazon and I'm impressed with the suction power. I use it mainly on my kitchen floor and it does a great job on cat hair (I have two) and their leftover food particles. It is easy to navigate under the table and counters and also does a good job on the carpeting. My only complaints are that it is heavier than I had hoped and cleaning the filter is messy. All in all I think it is a good value for the price.$LABEL$1 +Hilarious!!. Seinfeld has been the classic comedy of the ninenties, for three very good reasons: it's funny, it's hysterical, and it's side-splittingly hilarious. These shows are all fantastic, with the possible exception of the pilot, but, that show is nonetheless interesting to watch. Hours of informative bonus features top off the mix.$LABEL$1 +Spell Binding. I love this CD. In fact it was in my CD player for so long, I didn't even realize that Kelly Clarkson had a new single out. Great crunching guitars offset by Amy's beautiful vocals.$LABEL$1 +happy w purchase. Great choice of music to use in my massage business. Very pretty music. Very relaxing. Customers have enjoyed it for their holiday massages.$LABEL$1 +See-saw. I finished this book only by sheer force of will. It was so full of gibberish that I couldn't make heads or tails of the logic in it. It see-sawed between being reverent of Sarah, and then hating her. I don't see how you can have it both ways. That's why I don't recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Love This!. Very durable dolls. Don't have to worry about finding arms and legs and heads to put back on them all the time. They are very durable and fun to play with. I would recommend this to anyone with little children who love to play with dolls. You won't have to look for pieces to the dolls anymore!$LABEL$1 +Digital Logic. I had to purchase this book for a Digital Logic class i am taking. I am not very happy with the book since it does not cover concepts in detail (with examples in the text) instead it has questions at the end of the chapter but they do not offer the solutions in the book or online so it makes it difficult to know if you are understanding and getting the questions correct. It also jumps around in the chapters, no chapter is stand alone for a specific area.$LABEL$0 +Product image totally misleading.. the product picture shows rabbits comfortably in it with sufficient space and all. In reality, nope. i doubt any will ever fit. its so small, its almost a scam. Totally misleading.$LABEL$0 +The Holy Spirit, God and the bible. I have been captured by God in this book. What profound words of knowledge and eye opening of the scriptures this has been. Helping to embrace a closer walk with God. It is a must read for anyone walking with the Lord.$LABEL$1 +EASY INSTALLATION. I bought this so I could open/close my garage door from someplace besides the door going into my house. No more do I have to hit the button, run across my garage door, hop over the sensor eyes, all while ducking the door as it closes. I lose the feel of Indiana Jones, but make life easier in return.$LABEL$1 +Not user friendly, Adobe won't offer support. We purchased Adobe photoshop elements 6 and premiere elements 4 as a package in late 2007. It was not user friendly software at all, but after much painful reasearch we were able to perform basic tasks. (The main purpose of the software was to create slideshows and burn them to DVDs, and even that wasn't easy to figure out.) Last year it worked well on our old computer, but when we got a new computer with Windows Vista it wouldn't work. I can create slidewhows, but I get an error message every time I hit the button to burn them do a DVD. I called adobe for some help, AND THEY DON'T OFFER SUPPORT FOR PREMIERE ELEMENTS 4.0 ANYMORE. It's only two years old. I guess if you don't fork out the cash to upgrade every year, adobe isn't interested in helping you.Terrible product. Terrible support. It has raised my blood pressure substantially in the past few weeks, and I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYBODY.$LABEL$0 +um... Mr Bezos?. Okay, I was browsing on Amazon, and I noticed that this book was the first item on Jeff Bezos' "Wish List".Jeff, Forbes magazine estimates your liquid net worth at $3.3 Billion dollars. A book that costs $11.95 is NOT someting that you need to 'Wish' for, particularly since you founded the company that is the primary distribution channel for all print media for the forseeable future. See that button on the website that says: "Add to Cart"? Just click that. No need to add it to your "Wish List". Incidentally, your actual "Wish List" at this point should look something like this:1. Telekinesis2. Governorship of California3. Threesome with the Hilton Sisters4. Mastery of all Time and Space5. HairOkay, I'm done ranting.ps this book sucks and will teach you nothing about how to make money in securities markets. You might as well consult the magic 8-ball for all the good it does you.$LABEL$0 +Hard Rockin' Versatility. This album is IT!!!. I've been thinkin about gettin this album for a while now, since I saw a reference to them on the reviews of several other pages (i.e. Limp Bizkit, Korn). Heeding the warning of the man's review below mine, I listened to this album before I bought it; and man, I was BLOWN away. I ain't no christian, but this album is heavy! P.O.D. don't preach, they tell it like it is. Their lyrics are real, not superficial. And man, the U2 cover of "Bullet" was DOPE! Pick this one up! It won't let you down. Listen with an open mind. Korn who?$LABEL$1 +Live in Branson. I love all of Faron Young's work. I was especially happy with this CD because it had 3 of my very favorite songs on it. It's hard sometimes to get all the songs you want on one CD. He's one of the truly great country singers & he's missed very much!$LABEL$1 +Cannon Battery. I received the batteries (2) very quickly and have charged and used them. They are working as expected. I can't give the batteries a 5-star rating as yet because they must hold up over time and that will be months down the road. I have purchased these batteries thru Amazon before and they lasted a long time but this is not the same supplier so I can't say as yet whether they will hold up.$LABEL$1 +Napalm at It's BEST!. This album truly blew me away in all of my expectations! (Especially since 'Enemy of the Music Business' was not very good, considering how Napalm got better as their career went on.) All I can say is that this album was what they needed to get themselves back at the top of extreme metal. This is their heaviest album to date, so I can't wait to see what there next 1 early this year will bring! Without a doubt, 'Order of the Leech' will be tough for them to surpass!$LABEL$1 +No.. I believe that in this day and age, the term "genius" is being used far too loosely. Since when did this apply to a would-be-McDonalds worker, whose greatest artistic acheivement is breaking the record for the thickest makeup ever worn, and the baggiest clothing? I am appauled. I haven't even touched on the "music" yet.The "music"? Well, if you believe that many painful minutes of jangly acoustic guitars, combined with simple rhyme patterns, combined with bitter lyrics about how "I've been mistreated by boys" is genius, well than maybe YOU need to take a look in the mirror, and ask yourself...WHY? Is it because I"M even dumber than my idol?"Rock on!" "DDDUUUUHHHH!"$LABEL$0 +WIll brighten your day. This is my favorite animated movie since the Lion King. Hopefully they will start making increasingly more movies with originality and great writing like this.$LABEL$1 +Flashy, but problematic. I've had the watch since 07 and it's not working anymore. It will keep the time for awhile, then the display will fade away and stop working. When you tap the side, it comes back to life and starts where it left off, only it doesn't keep the time in the meantime and you have to reset it almost daily. NOw I don't bother wearing it.$LABEL$0 +Ion Ceramic Steam Flat Iron. I chose this rating because the product could not steam flat a paper bag. I have been looking for a steam iron for awhile like an old one I used to have and thought I found it but not in this.$LABEL$0 +Great Songs. It is not that often I come accross such well written music. I have not removed this CD from my CD player in my car since I bought it.$LABEL$1 +Kim. Kim is a good. though dated. novel. but badly transcribed. In some places very badly transcribed.$LABEL$0 +usmle step 2: by rose S. Fife, et al. This book is written so simple and I think the writer had no idea about the type of questions appear on USMLE step 2. questions are strait forward, explanations are so brief. I compare this book to NMS review Q and ACE the board step 3 and A&L Goldberg multiple Q for the step 2.$LABEL$0 +Horrible!. I had this vacuum for exactly two days when I asked for a refund. It did not pick up anything! At first I was unhappy that it did not have a swivel head, and that it was very heavy, even though it was a canister. Then it became apparent that it was truly useless as a vacuum cleaner. I must say, however, I was VERY impressed with Amazon's return policy. I entered a request for a refund on Sunday night. On Monday, the UPS man came with a sticker and took it away. On Tuesday, I had my refund!$LABEL$0 +Average. Bombay is my hometown and it is also one of the world's great cities inspiring writers from Salman Rushdie to Vikram Chandra and Suketu Mehta. Maximum City is an average work that deserves some attention but not much - it covers the usual suspects - gangsters, movies and the night life - but it doesn't touch on countless other subjects - which is understandable, Bombay has tens of millions of people and each of them has their own unique story. This is not a bad book, but it is not great either$LABEL$0 +Help!!. Please! I tried using it and not get either in paper or plastic, much less in leather. Anyone know of a video showing the use. Thank you very much.$LABEL$0 +Pleased with Propet. I have owned Propet Walkers before. There is nothing like them for comfort and durability. I highly recomend these shows.$LABEL$1 +Immature protagonist. Mother always did like you better; for that matter, so did Dad. This is the theme upon which Harris's new novel is based. The critics are saying it's about returning but it's really about self-pity as well as self-aggrandizement. Every time a problem arises, Mado races to the rescue (probably in an effort to prove to Dad that he should have loved her best)And if that's the point, then Harris failed to show me that the issue was with Mado and not with Harris herself. This felt like a first book. You know the ones--thinly veiled autobiography where the author airs a tired old grievance. And because of her past success, her editor and the critics let her get away with it. She also got away with my money and now I have a grievance to air.$LABEL$0 +Total Nonsense.. Don't read this garbage. Robert Prechter has done a great deal of disservice to America, by spreading nonsense material which has no real foundation on modern economic and financial theory. People will get hurt by following this nonsense. It is sad that in this enlightened new millenium, some people will still listen to people like him. Everyone lost money in the stock moarket in the last two years, including myself, but in retrospect the public was blind not to see the coming tech wreck in 1999. But the equity market will recover sooner or later. Prechter is overdoing now, with no theoretical foundation. He will hurt a lot of unsophisticated readers, and undermine our society.$LABEL$0 +It sucked. first of all-When I walked into the theater there was NO ONE only me, my mom, and my sister so that gave me second thoughts on how good the movie was. When the movie started I thought it was going to be a good movie because Linsday Lohan was in it- I was wrong the movie totally sucked. It had no plot and it wasn't that funny at all. Sorry, I know i'm the first to write a bad review but I think Freaky Friday was much, much better.$LABEL$0 +Another mainstream disappointment. yet again, it has happened. a promising rapper has become victim to the industry. its not really jada's fault, cuz all the money's controlled by only a couple suits at the top, but this album represents everything that is wrong with hip hop today. gimme a break, this isn't music, this is a lame ploy to make money. too bad it had to be jadakiss that had to sell out though.$LABEL$0 +WASTE OF MONEY. I worked two hours to purchase this book.I wasted an afternoon of my life reading it.This book could have been about 10 pages long.136 pieces of paper were wasted on this book.This muck barely deserves space on a webpage, letalone an entire book.Read something else, don't waste your time friend.$LABEL$0 +ALREADY PLATNIUM?. As far as I'm concern, this poor excuse for an album and a rapper shouldn't even be in the Gold Rush. He's just another tatooed low life who talk like he dropped out of grade school. Bling Bling hip hop is the same as pop metal was in the 1980's and disco music was in the late 70's. it's contrived, formulaic, and shallow music that's overdone without substance. Slimm Thug may be street smart but he doesn't have any book smarts which makes him a slim scrub.Pass on this album and buy some real music$LABEL$0 +A waste of money. I bought it for my sister's 40th birthday. Luckily, I read it when it arrived instead of wrapping it and giving it to her.She won't be receiving it, but the trash will be. The book isn't even remotely humorous and many of the poems, whichI felt were badly written, left me scratching my head.$LABEL$0 +Doesn't fit 17: HP Pavilion. I tried to /make/ it fit, but this sleeve was just too tight for my laptop --and the trying left me with several zipper scratches on the top of my poor baby.$LABEL$0 +Donnie Darko - Best Film Ever. I loved this film. It made me cry, the attidues of the characters were completely realistic, the music fitted and the storyline was very original. It is my favourite film.$LABEL$1 +Amazing monitor... especially at this price!!!. We've had this monitor for close to two years. In that time we've never had issues with static or anything else. You could hear a pin drop in my daughter's room. It has a great range for an inexpensive monitor. We've used it while working outside on many occasions and it was as clear as always. I love the night light feature and the display lights come in very handy at times. I highly recommend this monitor. :-)$LABEL$1 +Great Read, Great Sense of Place. In a former life (as an architectural historian, of all things), I spent a lot of time on the same mean streets of Southern New England as Joe Gunther (albeit with a clipboard and a camera instead of a badge and a gun). Mayor's books are really notable for their sense of place -- I can call up clear pictures of his over-grown millyards and sagging tenements every time I read one of his books.Mayor gets the people right too. Even though his is a cop's-eye view, the villians are not simply generic "bad guys." They are individuals, with individual strengths, weakenesses and even talents.Mayor's books are procedurals with lots of procedure (he's a real-life Vermont constable) and now and then I lose track of a pawn or two in the bureaucratic chess game just because there are so many of them. But overall, an incredibly solid and admirable series.$LABEL$1 +Not as good as it sounds. Instead of buying this book, I went to the library to check it out and after reading the other reviews, I was very disappointed. This book has little to do with "sanity saving" it's mostly just letters of unique situations written to the author of this book. He replies with common sense advice and even sometimes advice that "beats around the bush" (indirect advice). For the average healthy bride I recommend reading the book by the Knot (don't remember what it is called but it has "The Knot" in the title). I also got that at the library and it has absolutely everything! No need to get another book. It offers real "sanity saving" advice and some real life stories for all situations. But if I have to say something positive about the other book, it does have a cute cover... but thats about it.$LABEL$0 +Not for American Designers. this particular book seems well written, but is only usefull to a designer in the UK. I was hoping for a book that works with LRFD & ASD design aproaches. If you work in America, do not waste your money!$LABEL$0 +Revealing what?. The concept of the book is to reveal the errors of Islam, and the author manages to this to a certain degree. Unfortunately he also reveals his own flat-tyre Protestant theology! Comparing words in the two religion's main Scriptures is indeed important and interesting, but the author falls into the "Bible-bashing-mode" so typical of many protestants. He does not know and does not quote any of the Church Fathers' interpretation of crucial passages, and therefore he fails to make his case agains Islam and its literal understanding of spiritual life. It is a pity, because the author is well-intentioned and enthusiastic. But he talks too much about himself and his friends being "spirit-filled", and he never manages to get beneath the surface of the Christian Theological arguments against Islam. 2 stars for trying to do it anyway. Read instead St. John of Damascus' "Writings" in the CUA series.$LABEL$0 +OVERPRICED SHIPPING!. c'mon! really? s-e-v-e-n dollar shipping for an item that weighs less than a few ounces?$LABEL$0 +Decorative Fishing Creel. When I purchased the River's Edge Fishing Creel, I knew by the price, that it would not be durable enough to actually use in fishing. I purchased the creel for my wife as a decorative creel that she could either plant flowers in it, or use with artificial flowers. While the main body of the creel seems durable enough, the straps that are attached are not, also the way that the lid of the creel is attached to the main basket is to flimsy. "You get what you pay for." I am happy with the creel for the decorative purpose for which it was purchased, and my wife is using it for that purpose.$LABEL$0 +Great fluffy ball. Love it fits on my shure mic perfectly I have another blue windscreen to tell apart two of my mics without having to really looks at them haha c:$LABEL$1 +Dont buy from them. Their customer service stinks.. Buy from Husky or somewhere else. Their "exact fit" is far from the truth and the customer service has been horrible. I told them I was having issues and instead of offering help they just said "you can return them" which i finally did. Four weeks later I am still waiting for my refund after numerous email requests. This company has no integrity so buy from someone else. I even copied the CEO of the company on my email regarding the frustration and got no response from anyone.$LABEL$0 +The only essential study tool for the GRE. After purchasing both the Barron's and Princeton Review GRE books, I found that this book is the only one that is essential for studying for the GRE. While other books contain some useful tips (particularly vocab lists) this official book from the GRE is necessary because it contains real past GRE exams. Other books write model exams similar to the GRE, but because the questions have not been thoroughly tested, the questions on these model exams are oftentimes confusing and sometimes just flat out wrong. My scores on the exams in the Barron's and Princeton Review books were not indicative of the score I actually received on the GRE, only "Practicing to take the GRE General Test" gave me a good idea of where I stood in my preparation for the test.$LABEL$1 +One of the best. When I first heard of this movie during the Academy Awards, I was skeptical of the plot because well, how could a person shield such horror from one's child, especially at a time such as the Holocaust? Yet, somehow, this man did. And the reason I feel that it was like that is because it was a relatively short stay. I don't think he could have pulled it off if it were longer. What I love about this movie is that I was touched by it. And each time I see it, I am more touched, and I fall in love with a certain aspect of the film. Despite the fact that I am African American, I can identify with this film, and I give it two thumbs way up!! (Personally, it needs more than five, more like ten)$LABEL$1 +Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is a fun game where you're racing the clock as well as horses and dogs in the local festivals and events.This game teaches some what responsibility in raising animals,crops,and even a family on your grandfather's old and run-down farm. In this game you make friends and enemies and you can even have a wife and child of your own. There are many different sences such as the mountains where you can fish and gather plants, to the beach where you can fish and swim, to the town square were you can buy seeds and animals. I hope you have fun playing Harvest Moon!$LABEL$1 +Being Part of the Mayhem. I had read all about the earthquake, seen all the photos, gone to exhibits. Still, nothing took me inside the mayhem the dual forces of nature and politics caused as the earth shook like reading 1906. 1906 gave me a great mental picture of the times, and although ficticious, skillfully allowed me to suffer the effects of the earthquake along with the characters. Dalessandro's plot is fascinating, but what I value most after having read this novel is that when I'm in San Francisco I now find myself seeing certain street names and places in a whole new light.$LABEL$1 +A Boost for the Praying Woman. The Yada Yada Prayer Group series has been a tremendous boost for my own prayer life. To those of us who sometimes feel our prayers are same old, same old, reading about this group of women who actively participate in a fervent, Spirit led prayer life has changed mine. In Book 3, The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real, these women have grown closer to each other, and the true-to-life situations, though sometimes seeming to be hopeless, get prayed over bigtime, and with the thanksgivings typical of the group. The women don't forget the practical gifts of love either, such as spending time with Adele's mother who is suffering from dementia.God's answers to their prayers are delivered in His perfect time and way, often bringing surprises as He does for us all.The books are great, and improve with re-reads.$LABEL$1 +Why?. After a listen you'll be hounded by the same nagging question of Why.Why does this guy still get to put out records? Why do people still listen? Why did I bother listening? Why does Buffett suck so badly? Why am I so nausious? Why can't I make the pain in my head go away?Do you get what I'm saying?$LABEL$0 +Just a clarification. BMI should not be confused with body fat percentage--there is no formula for body fat percentage and using a device like this one can be an accurate method of determining body fat percentage.$LABEL$0 +ZERO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. This is DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!An AWFUL singer (or singers??) trying to make money singing Josh Groban's songs! I wanted to give this ZERO stars, but that was not an option.DO NOT buy this CD---it is a TOTAL RIP-OFF, and sounds TERRIBLE. Go buy the REAL Josh Groban CD's!!$LABEL$0 +DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Do not waste your money on this book unless you do not have clue about women. The book has 12 chapters, only one of which actually addresses the subject matter. I enjoy eating at the "Y" and love pleasing women while doing so. I was expecting a "how to" book written from a woman's perspective but what I got was mostly useless feminist babble.$LABEL$0 +Stankonia Will Be Ownin' Ya.. Never have I heard such a superbly produced album. Each track on OutKast's new Stankonia has something new to offer. The entire album be flowin' , and it's tight like hallways from beginning to end. I have awaited Stankonia's arrival for quite some time now, and it was definately worth the wait. BUY THIS ALBUM A.S.A.P.! PEACE.$LABEL$1 +Not worth your time. The narrator of the book is too much the stereotypical girl. I would suggest this book to girls 9 and under but not any older. She tried to make the book funny but it didn't work. I don't suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a worthwhile book with good humor. Don't read this book.$LABEL$0 +This book is a perfect blend of drama, history, and emotions. This book is an amazing piece of literature which has made millions of people both think about and discuss this book, as you can see on this webpage. All those who gave this book under a four-star rating do not truly understand good literature and should stick to "The Baby-Sitter's Club" series.$LABEL$1 +Complete Disaster. Three hours with foreign tech support (including half an hour on hold the first time). Swapping cables, resetting this and that, downloading nonfunctional software. Worst experience I've ever had with the computer. Never Again Anything Linksys!!!$LABEL$0 +Howard at her worst.. Linda Howard has the ability to draw you into her characters and understand their feelings about things. But she failed with this book. It was weak. Dione is a physical therpist who has been given the assignment to help Blake Walk again. The doctors said Blake would be able to walk but he doesn't believe it. He just gave up. A powerful man just giving up yea right... Dione is no better. She is probably the weakest character Linda has ever had....I kept thinking through out this book that these characters need some back bone. I was so angry with this story, I thought both characters should be alone to wallow in their own self pity.....$LABEL$0 +The "improved" design is a step back. I've always preferred Tampax because they're just plain tampons with no skirts and they don't expand and they're not scented and the cardboard applicator is simple and flushable, but the redesigned ones are everything I don't want. They're also smaller but cost the same. This is the kick in the pants I needed to switch to the Diva Cup.$LABEL$0 +Not impressed.... I must say I am not very happy with these boots at all. I am surprised considering all the good reviews. The boots are way too big in the heel and very wide around my ankle. When I walk in these the extra material in front pushes inward and pokes my ankle. I could only wear for moments...these will be returned A.S.A.P.$LABEL$0 +c grade movie. - a C grade movie - the man has made better movies! - I wouldn't rent it even - poor plot - even poorer acting - not that we expect much from him - but he has improved over the years - handsome devil none the less!$LABEL$0 +not worth the money. If you have Rx glasses, do not buy this stuff. It will alter the thickness of your glasses and you will not be able to see. The stuff goes on with a q-tip type applicator and it is nearly impossible to get it to go on evenly, which also ruins your ability to see clearly. The only useful part of it is the lense cleaner but the price is not worth it.$LABEL$0 +NOT for beginners. Despite the fact that it says it's for beginners, it's not. Many of the poses are very difficult for someone with little yoga experience.$LABEL$0 +Not the best Area 51 Video!. Out of all of the Area 51 videos I have viewed, this one is probably the worst. It does not touch on any of the key points of the mystery surrounding area 51. It also does not touch on the more "hands-on" information that viewers might find usefull when visiting the Groom Lake area. Nothing about the security force, the borders and no GOOD footage or photographs. I highly reccomend Amazon customers try another video in stead of this one. The only reaons I gave it 2 stars is because of the cool box cover and graphics sequences.$LABEL$0 +Bernier gives a true look at France's most famous king.. The book, "Louis XIV: A Royal Life," by Olivier Bernier, is a true historical guide to the life, reign, and love affairs of Louis XIV, the Sun King of France. The book actually begins telling of the night Louis was conceived at a hunting lodge. Bernier gives a true look at France's most famous king from his early childhood to his death in 1715 by gangrene in his leg. The Fronde, the wars against England, and the War for Spanish Succession are covered in depth by Bernier. This is the book for anyone interested in Louis XIV of French history$LABEL$1 +wow. thanks...great service...great product to start this healthy alternative for my family----- and yours as well. the breville is what is said it would be....a fantastic juicer.$LABEL$1 +Informative, beware binding. I bought this book to use for a horse class at a local college. My first warning is the binding! It doesn't take long, or too many times of opening the book before the glue comes undone and sections of the book fall out. I tried my best to be delicate to avoid this from happening but, it still came apart.Some of the information is written in a confusing manner and some things are not entirely up to date. The non-updated information is not abundant and one can still learn plenty of information by reading this book.The book does cover everything from the possible cost to the mechanics of a horse, and many other things. It is a good book to have if you're new to horses. But, I would only buy it if you can find a cheap price on it. Simply because of the binding falling apart.$LABEL$1 +Poor quality, breaks easily. I got these as a wedding gift in July 2010, via Bed Bath and Beyond. These just sit on my counter and don't get moved or pushed around much, so they are under minimal use. In Febrary 2011 (7 months later), the largest jar got a huge crack in it, which has continued to grow and has now rendered the canister unusable.The plastic threads on the second to largest size became unglued from the stainless steel lid. Upon examination, I discovered that they had only glued it in two places, with only a small amount of glue.Also something to take note of is that the openings aren't wide; they are about 3.75 inch diameter from inside rim to inside rim. The advertised 4.25 inch diameter mush be from outside rim to outside rim. My 1 cup measuring cup will not fit in the canisters, which is extremely inconvenient.$LABEL$0 +This guy can sing!. Jeff Scott Soto, owner of one of the most powerful pair of pipes of heavy music EVER, released his best solo effort with this album. Assembling a fanastic line up (including Journey guitarist Neal Schon, this ialbum is just amazing. THere is a general eighties "feel" to it, but it does not soung dated at all. The songs are well crafted, the guitar solos will leave you breathless. There is the obligaory power ballad ("If This Is The End") but that's not a total waste, because is has weight int it.This album is one of those albums that you will enjoy from the first listen.$LABEL$1 +Will appeal to many parents-to-be. One of the best birth books available, with options ranging from hospital birth to waterbirth. There is also a DVD/video by the same name available by Barbara Harper for those with spouses and/or families to educate, too!I read this book (and watched the video with my hubby) in preparation for our planned home birth after an "Unnecessarean". I highly recommend it for anyone planning a gentle and natural birth, but also for those who are not sure what they think about epidurals, induction, interventions, et cetera. You may be amazed at how leaving this book lying around the house can turn even a first-time father into a birth advocate, too! ;>)Suzanne Arms' photography is just breathtaking. This book is worth the price for the pictures alone! It's one you can put on the coffee table.Thank you, Barbara Harper and Suzanne Arms!!$LABEL$1 +A good follow-up book. This book picks up seconds after book one. By the end of the book I was left thinking that this was a perfect ending to the story. Here again we see Geordi dealing with his love interest Leah Brahams. She has been busy moving up the chain of command and now has a crew of her own. The crew of the Enterprise start succuming to the aliens that set off the Genesis Wave in order to save their dying civilization. Billions are dead and the Klingons are in the unconventional roll of acting as transport ships of the injured and refugees left in the wake of a massive evacuation that has decimated much of the alpha quadrant.Makes a nice tie-in to the Star Trek S.C.E. series.$LABEL$1 +Fascinating Art Gem. Informative reading and interesting to look at, The small format restrict some of the details of Bruegel's intricate artwork. But for the price and the amount of photos ( and some excellent details ) it's a treasure of a handi-referednce book. Highly recommend$LABEL$1 +Send a message: We are not fools!. DO NOT BUY THIS RELEASE!! Send a message to the industry that we are not stupid enough to fall for their marketing ploy of selling us a regular version and then selling us the extended version we really want (and which is already available on standard DVD.Those of you who fall for this scam...I'll bet you also fell for Apple's scam and bought an iPad already!$LABEL$0 +Stick to movies. You don't need a ""sixth sense" to see that this cd is dead on arrivial. this is a terrible record.$LABEL$0 +Data-mining Project. I gained little from reading this book. The data mining exercise that Jim Collins put his team through yielded few surprising results, and whatever useful lessons that can be drawn from the exercise can be summarised in 10 pages. But Collins had to write a book about it!$LABEL$0 +not a well-made set. I bought this for my son who likes to create art. I figured the handy case would be easier for travel as it would contain everything he needed. Well, it stinks. The inside liner of the case falls out, the paint rounds dont stay in their plastic container at all. So you have to constantly put them back in everytime you open or close the case. This case is not worth it! My son just took all the stuff out and put it in other containers because he was tired of dealing with it.$LABEL$0 +I dont like it. I dont like it because,1 The Buttons are way too small2 It Goes Wacko when you try to select something3 It Is HUGE!!I Just dont like this controller$LABEL$0 +Horrible diapers. My daughter loves her doll but, the diapers are horrible. I used a coupon and bought a package of pampers size N. They fit perfect and they don't leak$LABEL$0 +Amazing Classroom Tool. I am an instructional asst. in a Special Ed. class for emotionally disturbed kids aged 8-11. Most of our kids are on meds for their severe behavior problems. I listened to SOOTHING MOMENTS and loved it so I decided to try it out in my classroom. I was amazed and grateful when I turned on the CD and the entire class calmed down. Now, it is a part of our classroom schedule. We listen to it twice a day on a regular basis. The students even request it now on their own for their quiet time. SOOTHING MOMENTS has become one of our most effective tools in our classroom. Amazing!!!$LABEL$1 +Doesn't play on my ps3. I have tried and tried and tried, but this blu-ray will just not play on my ps3. I have never had his happen with a disc before, but no matter what I do the system will not recognize it. Very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +A BIG WASTE OF MONEY. I get it....use it three times, and then the earpiece falls right out of the socket.....the sound quality was decent.....but three uses ?? I am returning it and going to try the Nokia Brand.....what was I thinking ? Body Glove makes wetsuits!!$LABEL$0 +Go to the movie-theatre instead. This is really no good... The whole book (and all the others in the series) coul be directly used as manuscripts for bad Hollywood movies... Nothing special, really... This CAN'T be compared with classics as "Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan or "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien...$LABEL$0 +The American Way. I selected Moyers on America because I felt the need to better understand the true condition of current America political economy. I found his book presents a balanced specific evidence of of our direction in the world economy.This book was down loaded to my Kindel Fire that I purchased online from Amazon.$LABEL$1 +Come on, what a disappointment. Why do the authors in the fantasy have this new 'cool trend' of writing huge 'epic' series filled basically with subplots and only a nebulous main theme?All the so-called 'fantasy kings'- Jordan, Terry Goodkind and now GRR Martin have disappointed me greatly. The 'epic' style is very unsatisfactory, more like a soap opera than an epic. Tolkien wrote epic and grand stories, but were they neverending, rambling creations? I had more hopes for this particular series but the author appears to be squandering it away with another Jordan-like fiasco. If you want tightly woven, well-written fantasy, don't expect to be satisfied here. Look at Pullman's provocative and beautiful His Dark Materials, or Ursula K Leguin's thoughtful trilogy. Or go back to the major figure in the genre, Tolkien, and see why these authors are worth reading. These books are more like Swords-and-sorcery Grisham then fantasy. The genre really is going downhill.$LABEL$0 +Excellent field guide great pictures & information!. This field guide on snakes is excellent. The pictures of each snake are clear and you can identify them easily when you see them in the wild (or in you're house). The organization of this book splits up into two sections venomous and nonvenomous which allows a very quick way to tell if you should be anywhere near the snake. The infromation on each type is plentiful and everything you need to know is included. There are maps of where to find each type and whether they are endangered or protected in the state of Texas. A system is given in the beginning of the book for how to easily determine a snake and also what to do if you happen to be bit by a venomous type. The only thing I would like to see in the next revision is the striking distance of each snake which isn't given in this book.$LABEL$1 +Bad. This guy cant rap for his life! I can rap better, and i am a girl! Its surprising that he wins all those awards FOR NOTHING!$LABEL$0 +dope moisturizing lotion. recommended by a dermatologist for dry spots. works great as a moisturizer as well. not fragrant nor greasy. use this at home and refill the sample bottles for travel.$LABEL$1 +Easy dovetails at a great price!. This is a very simple to use dovetail template and you can't beat price. I like it better than my other dovetailing fixture. Go to the MLCS site and watch the video. You get 2 templates, 2 router bits and a 1 3/16" brass bushing. I would buy this in a heart beat and MLCS is a great place to shop!$LABEL$1 +The theory sounds good but it's too hard to follow. This diet sounds good. The theory seems sound. The idea is simple. But putting the theory into practice was just too hard for me. I'm a mom and wife, and trying to get my family to adjust to something this extreme was simply not reasonable. As it was, I found it almost impossible to get through the day without some form of carbos, and I'm not talking needing big dishes of ice cream, even a simple bowl of rice would have been welcome! As well, I found the lack of fiber in this diet to be a real drawback, and the suggestion to use things like Metamucil and take large quantities of vitamins to be unrealistic. The key to real weight loss seems simple, eat less, exercise more. This diet just didn't cut it for me.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT TOUCH!!!!. I happen to be a fan of Fred Olen Ray's movies, but you must fight all urges to buy this one, folks. First of all, the picture quality wasn't that great. I've seen worse, but it is poor quality and very grainy (which suprises me given the good quality of other Retro Media titles). Next, the acting is atrocious. I can usually deal with bad actors and actresses (as I said earlier, I'm a fan of Fred Olen Ray's movies) if the plot is decent enough or if the story is at least entertaining enough. But this is absolutely the worst movie I have ever seen! There are no, I repeat, no redeeming qualities in this movie. So, why did I give it two stars you ask? The extra materials, that's why. There are some pretty neat things on the rest of the DVD (such as Nite Owl Theater bloopers, outtakes of the movie, and, of course, a new episode of Nite Owl Theater). But believe me, it is not worth the price of the DVD. STAY AWAY!!!!$LABEL$0 +Compares to P.G. Wodehouse. The highest compliment I can pay this book is that it is the only American work that truly bears comparison to the great P.G. Wodehouse. Dobie, though far from a confirmed bachelor, captures some of the inspired daftness of Bertie Wooster's narration of his own impossible adventures.I loved this book when I was a teenager forty years ago, and loved it just as much when I reread it last year. Don't make the mistake of confusing these brilliant stories with that dopey sitcom. You won't go wrong with this one.$LABEL$1 +Woolley gives J.C.B. his due at last. Robert Woolley presents a fine rendition of these Op. 17 sonatas on a fortepiano built at around the time of J.C. Bach's death. He endows them with feeling and humanity without a lot of overindulgence in rubatos or other mannerisms. The "prestissimo" movements of sonatas 2 and 6 are especially good, played with breathtaking virtuosity. And as Woolley demonstrates, there is an excellent case to be made for J.C. Bach as a worthy composer in his own right, and not just "another son of J.S. Bach" or "a precursor of Mozart." Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Paste is better!. Product arrived considerably later than other items I had ordered. I applied it to my wet hair afer showering and disliked it immediately! It's heavy and barely scented. The scent itself lasts only minutes. The paste is much lighter on my hair and its scent lasts for hours! Wet your palm before adding the paste (tiny dab) and then rub in. Holds well and smells fresh and healthy.$LABEL$0 +Two hours!. It took two hours for Ralph Fiennes whose blindness isn't even noticeable to ask Natasha Richardson who is nothing like a Russian to "date" him. OMG. This movie is ridiculous. I can't believe this was a Merchant and Ivory movie because the cinematography was so clumsy. Most of the shots were small screen quality but less interesting and creative than Jerry Bruckheimer produced small screen fare. I'm sure people who are interested in wartime era Shanghai/expat culture will give this movie a scan but for the rest of us, OMG. Ralph Fiennes rarely has chemistry with anyone. I have no idea why he found Natasha Richardson compelling. The costumes were not flattering. This movie was more boring than the not that interesting Naomi Watts in wartime Shanghai movie, The Painted Veil. OMG.$LABEL$0 +bobble buck review. product was broken upon arrival, more of a hassle to return than worth the time or money$LABEL$0 +Great game for all ages. I bought this game gently used for my 6 year old son for christmas. It arrived quickly and played like new in his DS. He absolutely LOVES this game and I've played it a couple of times and enjoyed it too.$LABEL$1 +FUN FUN and FUN!!. Don't listen to that one guy about it being a terrible record. Apparently that guy has never had a drunken dance party. This cd gets everyone going and yes it's cheesed out 80's electronic music, but I guess I just miss those days of big hair and neck shade hats. Plus Chromeo is not a mainstream band and is pretty unique.$LABEL$1 +70+ cancellation e-mails!. I'm a total loyal Philosophy costumer- I have everything from their purity facewash to hope in the jar and have heard nothing but good things about the company, until now. My order just like everyone else's was cancelled and they then proceeded to send me cancellations one after the other! I got about 30 yesterday and over 40 today!Not good customer service at all!$LABEL$0 +DOING MORE TO THE GAME!. I REALLY THINK THAT MIDWAY SHOULD HAVE MADE RED CARD MORE BETTER IN GRAPHIC WAYS. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRES IN THE STANDS MADE BY THE FANS, ALSO THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE THE FANS SEEABLE. IF MIDWAY WOULD HAVE TAKEN SOME TIME TO SEE A REAL SOCCER GAME ON TELEVISION, THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND OUT SOME REALISTIC PROBLEMS THAT THEY DID NOT ADD INTO THE GAME. I HOPE IN THE FUTURE, THEY ADD THE MISSING PIECES THEY FORGOT INTO THE NEXT SOCCER GAME THEY COME OUT WITH.SINCERELY,JOSE MUNOZ$LABEL$1 +A bike great for kids. this bike is amazing, we have a dirt driveway, and it has no problems. the handle is very strong and easy to push around the bike. the lock out features are also great. It was worth the money.$LABEL$1 +Steven Seagal stilk kicks ass!. Steven Seagal has some movies released to dvd it seems, BUT they're great none the less. Love to watch his movies, never boring and always full of action. Usually great stories as well. Love his new show on A&E.$LABEL$1 +Excellent!. The old way of treating employees doesn't cut it in today's world. Every employee is different, and so you can't treat them all equally. But you can treat them all FAIRLY. Once I got over this basic dilemma (the "golden rule" was a cornerstone of my management philosophy), I became hooked. You can't argue with statistics, which is the basis of the authors' argument. This is one book I will always have handy on my desk!$LABEL$1 +Worth reading. For those of you that enjoy a novel Christmas story, this book has several! Piano Man's Christmas is one of the best stories in this collection.$LABEL$1 +The Velveteen Rabbit. This is one of my favorite stories. I bought it as a gift because I love sharing it. I will probably continue to give it as a gift. It is a beautiful story.$LABEL$0 +Do "U" really need a review for these lads?. There was little reason for anyone to suspect that from a "thread-bare-tired-post WWII region" four lads would create a musical legacy that would captivate and change the entire world.$LABEL$1 +Tainted research. Connell is usally an excellent writer but her reportingon Medjugorje is compromised and shallow.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy this game!!!!!!. This is one of the worst wrestling game I have ever played! Pro Wrestling for the Original Nintendo was better then this game. The commentary (was bad) big time! 90% percent of the stuff they say has nothing to do with what's in the ring. The wrestler takes a pounding for 10 mins before you can even get a 2 count! Save your money or buy a different game. I only wish I could get rid of mine.$LABEL$0 +The Moonlight Man. I rate Moonlight Man a one because I don't think there was enough action in it.Also,I didn't like the setting."I mean a house?Whats up with that"?The characters were ok. I didn't like April. She was very bossy. The rest of the characters were ok. This is why I rated the book 1 star.BY:AJC$LABEL$0 +A real disappointment. I like Linda Howard and have read all her books but Open Season is bad. The book cover reads `Seamlessly blending heart-pounding romance and breathless intrigue'. Seamlessly blending it was not. It took Ms. Howard twelve chapters to remember there was suppose to be some intrigue in this book. And calling it intrigue is really stretching it. The ending was also a disappointment. It's as though Linda Howard knew how bad the book was and just wanted to get is over with. There is no comparison between Mr. Perfect and Open Season. Mr. Perfect I recommend, Open Season - forget it.$LABEL$0 +SHORT BUT CUTE. My son, who is 3 yrs old, loves the "Max & Ruby" tv show. He doesn't ask for "Max's Toys" as much as the others. It's pretty cute (book is prob better for a younger child). His favorite books are:"Dragon Shirt""Bunny Cakes""Bunny Party""Max Cleans Up"$LABEL$1 +Disappointed in Durability. On the advice of another reviewer here, I bought this item for mydaughter for the Holidays. Within a month or so, it started actingup, and eventually the CD player stopped working. I know that theprice is low, but if this is what you get... save your money and buyan alarm clock at Wal-Mart.$LABEL$0 +Classic Television Drama @ its finest!!!!!. I used to enjoy this show. Ienjoyed the actors as well they did a good job. I definitely liked the drama and the suspense it was done very well. Dallas was a popular Television show and a lot of people watched it. The show had great production and actors. I liked Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing) who was married to Bobby Ewing and had a son named Christopher. But the most infamous one of the main characters J.R. Ewing (Larry Hgaman) the son of Mary Martin (Peter Pan). J.R. kept the drama going he and Sue Ellen duked it out so much . I really did enjoy this show and therefore I would recommend anyone who likes Classic Soap Operas or Dramas to purchase this item it is very enjoyable.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. I am a new hamster owner and this cage was my first mistake. I have a Teddy Bear hamster and she is still a baby, just a couple of months old. This cage is way too small for her. The pieces are very brittle and break easily. The ball doesn't turn very smoothly or easily and of course is a little noisy. I wish I could put a regular wheel in here, but can't because of the pyramid shape of the cage. All of the accessory pieces you can buy for this are total junk too. The tubes don't stay together and fall apart once my hamster crawls inside. Not a good buy. I just bought the Jack 72 Hamster Resort and hope it works out better!$LABEL$0 +Tastes like plastic. I love the convenience of a bottle but the content tastes like plastic. It might do more harm than good if the bottle has BPA in it.$LABEL$0 +the only shoes I buy. Shoes are not an easy item for me to purchase. I'd rather go to the dentist. I'm pigeon toed with wide feet. Most people don't notice because the 'insert' in my shoe corrects my walk. Keens are the first shoes I was able to wear without an orthodic. *now I'm a woman who's crazy about shoes. My Newports were a hit as wedding shoes and I was able to use them daily after the 'big' day...just wish they were a little more affordable and available. Can't purchase online..have to make sure they fit just right.$LABEL$1 +Not the brilliant Brightman I expected. Not music for me.. Listened to "Time to Say Goodbye" and "Dive" and had to have more. I am sorry to say that this cd is not to my taste at all. It was like listening to someone other than Brightman. I will continue to search for similar works as the above mentioned because she still has a golden voice that touches the soul.$LABEL$0 +how to play?. I can't find any 'play' button on the web site or instructions on how one play these items????$LABEL$0 +Really good for the money. It's a nice little unit, lacking some of the bells and whistles, but for 198 dollars in March of 2007 it's a pretty good deal. Screen isn't too small to see, really, and you can put it in your pocket. The suction cup mount is great! Little quirky entering addresses. Great for the money!$LABEL$1 +Unreliable Product. I bought this product with a life-and-death importance. My rescue Great Dane is aggressive toward cats. I tried the collar on myself and turned the shock rating up to 5 before I got a little jolt. Then I tried it on my dog and calibrated according to the instructions. I presented the cat and got limited reaction even on the highest 10 setting. I tried the collar on myself on bare skin. I felt a shock about one in four times -- on my bare skin.This product is unreliable.$LABEL$0 +BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!. this game is tight. There is hand-to-hand battle, and ship battles.THe graphics are awesome.special attacks are the best looking technique.The game is pretty hard but hard games are better.If i were you get this GAME! I've played this game before.$LABEL$1 +Another customer ripped off.... Tiger Direct does a switch-a-roo on you... - You pay for a premium product and they send you another brand.$LABEL$0 +The worst piece of equiptment...... I purchased this recorder and it never even worked coming out of the box. It won't read the media and now Sharp wants me to mail it into them. Should've purchased from a local retailer so I don't have to deal with additional shipping. This is horrible.$LABEL$0 +beautiful, haunting. I recently purchased this cd and loved it from the first listen. It sucks you right in and even though it's a long cd, I never feel ready for it to end when it does. I've probably listened to it every day since receiving it. Sarah's music makes you want to close your eyes, turn it up and float away...$LABEL$1 +Rubbs off.. The pen does cover well and matches the matt black finish on 'tactical' weapons. It does, however, rub off easily which makes the product all but useless.$LABEL$0 +AGONY AND ECSTASY. IN 1967 THE MOTTO WAS NO PAIN NO GAIN. GIVE IT YOUR ALL, GIVE IT ALL YOUVE GOT AND YOULL GET ALL IN RETURN. ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WERE PUTTING THEMSELVES INTO THEIR MUSIC AND WORK 110% . THE FURIOUS FIVE HAD A STROKE OF MAGIC THAT WAS TOO HOT TO THE HUMAN TOUCH. THEIR BAND DIRECTOR, CORNELIUS GRANT HAD 3 CUTS ON THIS ONE. HE WAS PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE METAL AND STRETCHING THEM OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE. CORNELIUS GRANT WROTE 3/SONGS- "I KNOW IM LOSING YOU / AINT NO SUN SINCE YOU BEEN GONE/AND YOURE MY EVERYTHING. HIS MUSICAL ABILITY HELPED THEM TO SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS AND DRIVE THEM INTO NEW #1 HITS. THE GIFTS/TALENTS WERE FLOWING ABUNDANTLY. YOU HAD TO BE THERE TO EXPERIENCE IT.$LABEL$1 +The only semi C- (passing) sequel. Although there are some real fallbacks that jock part 1 way too much this tends to be a pretty good sequel to the 1980 classic slasher dasher. The big chasing is ridiculous and the end is boring but there are some great moments, the beginning was great. Too much like part 1, but still acceptable.$LABEL$0 +Misery Bay and Other Stories from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. "Lauri Anderson's latest collection of poignant stories is a wonderfully rewarding read. These stories are not only dedicated to the Copper Country, but truly celebrate the Finnish character that has played such an important part in creating a Copper Country heritage. Here are our heroes, survivors against all the odds, in this remote land, true to themselves acting with an unconscious humility. These often bittersweet stories are set in historic contexts that make them utterly convincing. There are many literary allusions, and even characters such as Vainamoinen and Hemingway play a part. The clean rhythm of the language mimics the Finnish language and underlines the basic humanity and individuality of these Copper Country Finns."$LABEL$1 +I've never wanted to punch an author before.... If you buy this book to witness a truly amateurish bash at prose, you'll not be disappointed. I nearly cried. Not because I found it moving or convincing, but because I'd just wasted precious time and money.If you want to learn about business, you'll need to wade through a mountain of unusable, irritating, self-indulgent, sentimental waffle and self-congratulatory passages plugging his other products/services.Gerber doesn't care about your time. He has feelings, dammit, and he's going to express them. Aaaarrrgh!I PROMISE I will NEVER buy another book/product related to this guy EVER again.$LABEL$0 +Meerkat Manor Season 1. Being a South African I have a huge interest in the Meerkat as they are my favourite animal. Some of the farming community come across little one's in the veld left behind on their own and the farmers raise them by hand and keep them as pets. They are not kept in cages and they are loved and taken care of very well. We suspect the Meerkat are left behind homeless possibly due to their parents being killed by other animals or what we experience mostly is road kill. However, I found the DVD's extremely interesting. Wonderful footage and beautiful photography. It's almost like watching a "soapie"! I laughed and cried at the same time especially when my favourite character, Shakespeare was bitten by a snake. Although Shakespeare recovered, he later dissapeared from the scene and it was not mentioned what happened to him? Overall I am very impressed.$LABEL$1 +Wheres the suction?????. Ok, seriously. If you use this vacuum your not doing much but pushing dust and debris around. Very low suction. What's with manufactures these days? build something that works good!$LABEL$0 +Great compressor. I use this compressor to fill up my tires after I'm finished 4x4ing. For the price it cant be beat. It fills up my 35" tires from 10psi to 24psi in about 20mins. I would have given this compressor a 5, but I had to redo some of the wiring since the inline fuse melted the connections.$LABEL$1 +Barely informative, terribly written. I thought this book must have been a rush job, written to capitalize on Martin's death-- it reads like it was thrown together in a week.The writing is awful-- sentences that are almost incomprehensible, non-sequitors abounding, a smarmy tone in an attempt to sound jaunty, many facts questionable if not downright wrong (The Lewis/Martin reunion was on the MD telethon not the "Frank Sinatra Show"-- whatever that was) . Save your time and money-- read "Martini Man" for a good bio.$LABEL$0 +Great Kids Book. This is a really good story that you can read to your kids over & over and still enjoy the book yourself. "Storm Is Coming" by the same author & illustrator is also excellent and if you like these you'll probably enjoy the "Hairy Maclary" books by Lynley Dodd.$LABEL$1 +Christopher Decker's Biased view. True, the book is an good compilation of the various Fitzgerald translations of the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, yet the editor, Christopher Decker, gives an extremely rude, biased veiw of the Islamic belief. Decker unneccesarily gives his enraging opinions, for example, he calls Prophet Mohammed (SAW) a "false prophet" of the Muslims. He openly attacks Muslim customs and beliefs, calling the Muslim calendar "clumsy". The editing is very unprofessional. Also, he attacks the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Fitzgerald is to be given positive credit for this book.$LABEL$0 +What an excellent revival!!!!. I loved this game back in the olden NES days. When this game came to the GBA I was very impressed with what has been done with it, there is no downfalls, only improvments!! The game is just the way I remember it with a few add ons here and there... a very excellent game revivalof the super woggio brothers 3!Tho the name is confusing, it's Mario Advance 4. Yet it's Super Mario Bros. 3Another cool thing about this version, as well as a few other things, if you have a gameshark, there is a code where you can use the flying cape from Mario world (4)!!!$LABEL$1 +sturdy & useful. (original review 12/23/03) Typical KitchenAid quality: sturdy plastic, dishwasher-safe, easy to read labelsConvenient leveler / storage gadget (though I do not see how it is a scraper?!)Overall, this is a very useful, worthwhile purchase, despite being a bit overpriced for the number of measuring cups you get with this set.(Update 4/18/07) - 3 1/2 years later and I still use these almost everyday! I just wanted to add two things:1.) I never use the leveler2.) If you use particularly scratchy sponges to scrub your dishes, you might find that the labels eventually get worn down on these. They do go in the dishwasher, by the way... but *I* don't have the time to do that, because I use mine way too often!$LABEL$1 +Failure to deliver on the goods. I love my Ipod model of this product. It suprizes me that Belkin wont get its delivery date right. When you tell someone a date better make sure it it at least close. I have been trying to get this product since November. Then I found it on Amazon. Then as Belkin did last week. The week before shipment they changed the date by 2 months. Unacceptable for me and should be to Amazon also. I only hold Belkin to blame for this. I have bought many things from Amazon. They only tell you what is relayed to them. I wonder how many of these will sell by March this time. Or will it be delayed again. An upset Zune owner.$LABEL$0 +This is an ordinary card, nothing special. The VIA chipset is strictly for low level work = 2 video streams max throughput. Better to find a card with the Agere' or Lucient chipset which can pass as many as 8 video streams at once. The price is OK, but you can do better for the same elsewhere. Easy install? All modern FireWire 1394a and 1394b cards are plug and play = no driver required, so this is no advantage here. Reliability? you would be better off finding a card with internal power connector as the FireWire 1394 power drain can be quite a strain on cheap PC motherboards, especially with external drivers and burners.$LABEL$0 +Another awful printer from Suxmark. I'll keep it short and sweet: you buy cheap, you get cheap. I only purchased the 1100 Jetprinter as my Epson Stylus Color IIs died on me and I needed something immediately to print a report for school. What a waste of hard-earned money: don't even waste your time comparing this product to other printers, go with an HP or Canon instead. With the 1100, I experienced frequent paper jams, especially with size 10 envelopes, and it went through ink faster than my Epson Stylus Color IIs or my Lexmark z23. Drop this bugger and run for the hills!$LABEL$0 +Wafer-thin layer of fleece. I bought one of these pads a couple of months ago and it was nice enough before being washed. The fleece was not as thick as a Mattes pad, but seemed to be on par with Fleeceworks. And then I washed it. After just the first washing, the fleece got very thin and clumpy. I expect to be replacing mine with a Mattes pad in the near future.$LABEL$0 +I will never buy anything form this seller again. I bought this refursbished but looks really used a lot scratches ,,a lot, both of them looks the same..(I got two for my two daugthers)$LABEL$0 +Make sure you buy the 2nd Edition. Most of the reviews here seem to relate to the first edition (which was admittedly kind of short). The book has been updated, and the second edition covers new stuff like XSD Schemas, Diffgrams, SOAP Virtual Names, and all the other SQLXML 3.0 features. I found the book really useful, and easy to read. The examples are great and the concepts are all well explained. Definitely worth buying if you're planning to use SQL Server's XML functionality.$LABEL$1 +Poor Quality. This is the second HeartRate monitor I've owned. My first was a Polar model, which I unfortunately lost during a move.I bought this Omron HR-100C model primarily due to its price, and also seeing that it was a best-seller on Amazon. Unfortunately I've found the quality lacking. Particularly when trying to switch between HeartRate and other modes, the watch will beep when the button is pressed, but won't always change modes. (It takes repeated presses of the button to change.) This is especially frustrating when you're riding and trying to fiddle with the fool thing.If all you need is a basic HR monitor, this will work. But if you also want to see the time, or use the stopwatch, I would look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +A great book for beginners. This was my fist book about scripture I have ever read. It was very enjoyable. It help me with the basics. It was very helpful to learn about the different covenants.$LABEL$1 +Great Book. For anyone that are not familiar with markeing concepts, this is the book. It takes you in a markeitng journey to explain how to make your church grow.It is good teory, there are great advices and will help to stablish a "good" marketing culture in your church. A must have for those with poor markeitng knowledge.As a portuguese speaking country, I am using it to teach those concepts to our church council, because not everybody will be able to read it.$LABEL$1 +The BEST Album By Madonna. Erotica has got to be Madonna's best album!! This album explores every aspect of sex while giving you great rhythm and awesome dance songs... Deeper and Deeper is a reflection of the club scene in the 70's with a twist of the 90's and a great beat... Madonna is one of the most influential artists and this is one of her most influential albums because it showed that women can be sexually provocative...$LABEL$1 +Worthless Drivel. Despite the endless high brow rhetoric and circular reasoning of Darwinists, the simple fact is Dawkins and his diciples of the church of naturalism can't explain the absolute origin of anything, even a hydrogen atom, let alone the universe. True, empircal evolution (i.e. adaptation, speciation, selection, and genetic drift) is all well and good - and irrefutable - but it has zip to do with origins, and will remain a delusional fantasy for those who reject the Biblical record of sudden creation and the subsequent global water catastrophe. Life is short, truth will be revealed to all - some only get it after death.$LABEL$0 +New Found Stardom. This has to be one of my favorite albums of all time. Basically, it's five Florida natives taking half an hour to share their interpretation of punk music at its best...and they succeed. You've got Jordan belting out lovesick anthems like "Eyesore" and "All About Her", then switching to funnier moments with "Boy Crazy" and "Sucker for a Kiss". "Ballad for the Lost Romantics" pretty much ends a great album. If I sat here any longer, I'd name all the tracks and give you reasons why they rock, so buy the CD and wear it out. I guarantee that if they don't become one of your favorite bands, they'll give you thirty minutes of damn good fun.$LABEL$1 +quick delivery by seller. I love the comments in the bible. Gives you a little more to think about. Really need to large print these days!$LABEL$1 +Don't buy this. This thing is garbage. It's flimsy, it takes two hands to release they very small buttons. The buttons do not release or lock well. The assembly instructions are lame. I am throwing this in the trash, it's not even good enough to donate to Goodwill.$LABEL$0 +Planet Bike Protege 9.0. So far I love the Planet Bike Protege 9.0. When I installed it and tried to take it off (very hard to get off), I thought I broke it ,I didn't. The other night I got my bike ready to take with me to work the next day so I could ride it at the park and completely forgot to protect it from the dew. When I got off of work, I checked it and was working great! I had bike tire issues (note to self, don't air up the tires to the maximum p.s.i that is on the tire) so I haven't really gotten to test it out much. One tip is you push it from the bottom to the top to reset it. I was trying to push down and then up at first and couldn't figure out why it wasn't changing. To reset it, just keep pushing until completely 0's out. I don't think it was very hard to install on my mountain bike. It took me about 20 minutes to install and adjust it.$LABEL$1 +unspectacular. I'd written a review for this game when I was in the middle of playing it. When I finished, I wished I hadn't spent the time. Here's the deal... I hated almost every character in the game. They were annoying! How are you really expected to enjoy a gaming experience when you hate all the characters you play as?What I liked in the game was the deep story, and I loved the combat system. Combat was actually a lot of fun. The graphics were nice too.What I hated involved all the characters and the way they reacted to things. In fairness, there were a couple of characters I liked, like Bebedora (sp?). It may be an unfair comparison, but in games like Final Fantasy, you can go back to various areas, and there's all sorts of side quests and weapons you can get. It gave the Final Fantasy series a lot more depth.Ultimately, this could have been worse, but if they'd just made the characters interesting, it would have been a lot better.$LABEL$1 +Good keyboard but over time letters wear off. My husband is a "hunt and peck" typer. One of our computer desks is in our bedroom. My husband always had to have a light on when I was trying to sleep when he was on the computer working, so he could see what he was typing. I bought him this Saitek keyboard for Christmas last year (2007). Our entire family, including children love this keyboard and it is used several hours a day. The only issue I have is, after ten months the paint is wearing off of the frequently used keys. It's not a problem for me, but the "hunt and peck" typers I live with will eventually have a problem. It's still a good keyboard and I may try to put permanent marker letters on the keys eventually and see how that works. Overall a good product. Even if I have to purchase another one eventually, the light is off when my hubby is typing. I'm happy!$LABEL$1 +As in all of Crichton's books, you learn something while being entertained.. Michael Crichton excells at teaching you while you are reading (or in my case, listening - I heard it as an audiobook read by Blair Brown).In this case, Crichton tells us about the world of airplane design and construction. However, the more compelling story is that of the news media getting the story wrong due to lazy work - the same theme as is developed in "The State of Fear." Seeing stories that are produced on the local level in my city about items that I have personal knowledge of, I cannot say that I disagree.Entertaining, informative read.Final grade: B+$LABEL$1 +This is the same track list as the Best Buy version! Don't blow your money!. Yes indeed, the bonus track on the Japanese version, selling here for 45 bux, is the same Snoop Dogg collaboration that is on the exclusive Best Buy version of this CD that you could get for like 9.99 on sale when it first came out. If you haven't already splurged on this edition, just save yourself 30-35 dollars and head over to your nearest Best Buy....$LABEL$0 +Just Another Musical. I found this film to be average. I find most musicals (especially MGM productions) to be tedious, so that probably contributes to my lack of enthusiasm for it. The only redeeming aspect of this movie is Gershwin's great music. For fun with friends, or by yourself, wait for the "An American in Paris" ballet at the end of the film. When the section comes on, where Gene Kelly is dressed in an off-white outfit, and wearing a Ty Cobb style baseball hat, watch with the sound off.$LABEL$0 +No good product. Used to be a loyal sony customer as all me previous products were close to invincible. So I went out of my way to purchase a sony for my first camcorder. Took it home and turned it on... then it died on me. Yep right there and then, no abuse nothing, just died on me. The customer service apologized but didn't do much. To me I cannot fathom how sony is staying in business (i wish I read these reviews here first before I made my decision, as obviously they are going on a downhill trend as far as quality is concerned) with kind of quality. I will never buy another sony product again and will make sure no friends of mine make that mistake.DON'T BUY!!$LABEL$0 +silly, save your time and money. I don't understand the 5 stars this book earned, which was the reason I purchased this book. I found the humor sophomoric, dog flatulence is not funny to me. The heroine was silly, she reminded me of Lucy in the "I Love Lucy" series. No suspense, the villain was obvious. I did read the entire book and just did not see the humor or substance the other reviewers rave about.$LABEL$0 +awful product. Came without the battery cover so sent it back... these guys have a cheap product, don't bother. Overall product quality was very subpar. The plastic felt cheap and not watertight at all. On top of that the packaging looked like someone had opened it before me. Likely returned it as well?$LABEL$0 +Another Great Book by Lnysay. I received this book on my kindle but have not had a chance to read it yet, but knowing the other books by Lynsay, I know this one will be just as good.$LABEL$1 +no information. I would have bought this item the first time I saw it, if not for the lack of information. Other pages have a list of items included in the package whereas this one has none. Who's to know what you're getting? I suggest that this seller at least place an overview of the items the recipient will be getting when ordered.$LABEL$0 +An unessential release. With every release, these kings of emo get more mundane and self absorbed. Typical fugazi songs that go nowhere new, which isn't necessarily a bad thing except that all their sheep-like fans always claim that fugazi is so cutting edge. Same old discordant clanging guitars, sort of funky bass work, and preachin'. Ugghh. How can a band be so self righteous and PC when their front man was fined for dumping oil from the fugazi van into a stream in Northwest DC?$LABEL$0 +Yes, and you can too!. Jez Alborough is among my favorite authors of children's books. In this book he has imagined a tale so eloquent and so memorable that it will quickly become a family favorite. The illustrations are beautifully painted, made especially vibrant because of Alborough's heavy use of greens and blues. The author has perfectly imagined the characters expressions, from curious glances and despondent faces to joyous looks of wonder and satisfaction. This book has to be read aloud! Having presented this title dozens of times to numerous audiences, I can tell you that this is among the best books I have read to children and their parents. My audiences always applaud my telling of this book, largely I think, because of the passion I put into reading it, which is made easy by the rhythmic text and the dialogue that begs to be voiced. The surprise ending is always a hit with my listeners and brings relevance to the title. This is a must-have title for your child's library!$LABEL$1 +LEXOL 1015 LEATHER CONDITIONER SPRAY - BEST EVER!!. I used this product on my 2002 Camaro Z28. My seats look like new now!! I'm very impressed. I prefer this overMeguires.$LABEL$1 +Great Christmas Tunes. This Christmas CD is a welcome addition to my Christmas collection. Dolly has a great voice and style all her own. I just wish it had more than 10 tracks.$LABEL$1 +McCulloch Steam Cleaner - product defective. McCulloch MC1275 Steam Cleaner. I received this product almost immediately - shipping was very fast. The product was packed very well - every part was individually wrapped and secured within the box. Unfortunately I never got a chance to use it. You have to assemble the handle on top - which holds the hand piece and is the only means for lifting the cleaner to move it around. However, the handle could not be affixed according to the instructions. The holes for the screws and the screws were out of alignment and there was no way to force them into place without causing more damage. I returned the product the next day.$LABEL$0 +Not the item in the picture when ordered.. If I'm not mistaken the item in the picture is solid black. The glasses I received have a clear tint at the bottom which I was not happy with. Will be returning this item. They did fit nicely, but as I mentioned I wanted solid black all around not just on 3/4 of the shades.$LABEL$0 +Same old, same old. Yet another "authoritative" tome on behavior modification. The title of the book made it sound interesting, but upon closer scrutiny its tired, teacher-in-control theme reared its ugly head. It's amazing that years after more effective models of classroom management have been devised, implemented, tested and their effectiveness confirmed (both by teacher/administrator evaluations...AND independent research studies), the Skinnerian behavior modification model still reigns supreme. If you must buy this book, do yourself a favor and also check out Beyond Discipline by Alfie Kohn and/or Teacher Effectiveness Training by Dr. Thomas Gordon -- then make up your own mind.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful Utensil Set!. This utensil set is gorgeous! Each piece is well balanced and fits well in the hand. I received this set free with the purchase of the 10 piece Cuisinart Chef's Classic cookware set, which I also love!$LABEL$1 +Waste of time. Did not like this movie at all. I didnot finish watching it because it did not have the usual characters that we had grown accustomed to. The movie was boring and did not have any merit whatsoever. This was a total waste of movie time.$LABEL$0 +The Red Shoes. For a movie that was done in 1950 it is wonderful. The story line seems a little trite. But the dancing is superb.$LABEL$1 +Don't be fooled.. While it may be new, the device is junk. The frequency, amplitude and phase adjustments are not in "real time", that is, when you turn the knob, the digits do NOT follow you as you turn it. There is a significant time lag which makes it particularly difficult to zero in on a particular value. More over, the device is very light and cheaply made. I don't think that you could give it away to others once they see how it functions. That said, if you don't care about what value of frequency, amplitude or phase, or are only interested in very ball park values, this may work for you. The output signal does not seem to be bad as measured on an oscilloscope. It's the usability that is of concern.$LABEL$0 +This Game REEKS. I borrowed this game to try it out. I had never played a Zelda game before and had heard that they were really good. But after I played it awhile, I found myself incredibly bored. I got extremely tired of sitting there waiting for the characters to stop talking already! And although Link (the main character) has a sword, he rarely uses it. Then he looses it later in the game and has to run around cluelessly trying to find it again. Talk about barely any action. After that he gets a talking boat and a goofy wand that, apparently, lets him controll the wind. What's with that? I don't call this a "puzzle" game. I call it a BORING game. I suggest you buy a Mario game, which cleverly combines puzzle with action.$LABEL$0 +FANTASTIC TALES OF CHILDHOOD!!!@. WE LOVED THIS ONE! EVERYONE HAD, OR SHOULD HAVE HAD, A TEACHER LIKE MISS DAISY AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFE. THIS BOOK REMINDED ME OF A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIAL TEACHERS FROM MY OWN PAST. DONALD DAVIS'S BOOKS REALLY TAKE YOU BACK. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!$LABEL$1 +Great machine for the price!!!. I am a General Contractor and we do our own insulating, drywall and trim. I purchased the 50-760 more as a combination air cleaner(1micron bag)and dust colector that we could run continuously while we are working around it. It is a reletively quiet machine, dead silent compared to our large shopvac. It has plenty of power and with the castors it is a dream to move around the houses we work on. I purchased the 50 hose as well so that we could clean the air in smaller rooms without working around the machine and having to keep moving it. It has great suction and the two nozzles move a great deal of air. The only downside is the plastic collection bags are a little difficult to install the first time but it is very nice knowing how much is in them.$LABEL$1 +Unacceptable. This was the 2nd most depressing movie I've seen, of late. I am unable to recommend it to ayone$LABEL$0 +Good TV....if it doesn't break.. I purchased this television in May, 2006, and it's performance was great while it lasted. After about 3 monhts, the tv began to malfunction. The colors would fade in and out, and then the picture would be rendered in about 4 colors, making everything on the screen a psychedelic blur. Eventually the screen would go out altogether, leaving me with a wonderful 32 inch flat-screen "radio". Westinghouse says they will take it back in for servicing, but it will cost me a fortune to ship it to them since I'm at an overseas military base. The bottom line is that this is a good tv, but it should have had a life span greater than three months.$LABEL$0 +If only I were Spider-Man.... Wow! This movie is amazing! The special effects will blow your mind! Spider-Man blends utterly thrilling action with some light comedy, drama, and even a bit of romance! It's the ultimate movie-lover's movie. I really enjoyed it a lot, and what made it even more amazing was having Kirsten Dunst play the role of Mary-Jane, the object of Peter Parker's affection. A beautiful face, and excellent talent. Tobey Maguire is also a great young actor, full of spunk and after this movie, I'm sure he's going to be a "breakthrough" actor, totally mainstream. I can't wait for the next few installments in the Spider-Man series with Tobey and Kirsten. This is a great movie, take the family and some friends along and enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Buy It !. Wow!! I read the reviews and people said it worked with the iPhone 4 - I was skeptical... Just bought a set at a store for $30 and came across this one on Amazon. Figured it was too good to be true... But for the price, I thought I couldn't go wrong. It WORKS!! I have an iPod Classic, Touch 3rd Generation, and the new 4th Generation iPod Touch and it works with all of them!!!!!!! What an amazing deal!! They are made cheap, but who cares - they work and look at the price!! Needless to say, the set I bought for $30 went back to the store!! I will be buying more of these for sure!$LABEL$1 +Junk. Purchased, received, unpacked, turned on. That's where things started to go downhill. I slid the little light changing tab across and it snapped off, flew out of my hand and onto the floor where one of my cats thought it was the best little toy I had ever bought her. After wrestling the small piece of plastic away from the cat, I reattached it to the little metal piece that "held it" (obviously, I use that term loosely). The lights were stuck on part pink (daytime??) and part green (martian time?) and wouldn't budge. Packed it back up and shipped it back. Good times.$LABEL$0 +Snitchin!. I hate to run my big mouth , but I have to tell you about Ex$pendable! This movie takes you right into the streets of Philly. And not to mention the violence and crime feels real. There's a good combination of action and drama. Gary Sturgis and the cast took to their roles very well. I don't wanna give up all the goods,so be sure to check it out for yourself.$LABEL$1 +Excellent A Cappella Singing for the Holidays. Primarily A Cappella is a label devoted - no surprise - to a cappella choral singing: vocal jazz, barbershop, national contest winners and local quartets alike. This CD is the label's first sampler designed to display the range of their offerings in holiday arrangements (their second, "A Voices Only Christmas," is very nearly as good as this one). The result is an eclectic, energetic, entertaining collection. There are excellent tracks from such vocal jazz dependables as the Swingle Singers, the Blenders (a smoooooth "First Noel), the Real Group, the Persuasions, the Nylons, and Rockapella (the bittersweet "Hold Out for Christmas"). Other standouts include the Haven Quartet's syncopated, ecstatic "Joy to the World," La Bande Magnetik's hilarious "Casse Noissettes," and especially the House Jack's thrilling "Saturnalia Smile," but the whole CD is a delight.$LABEL$1 +Why do supervisors ecommend this book. I have heard Guyton described as a "fine work of English prose". I must say I disagree. I have found that it is difficult to use, that it fails to go into enough depth as a reference yet goes into too much depth as a revision work. The diagrams are poor, the pages flimsy (and in my edition in the wrong order!), and it is just far too heavy to carry around. The physiology focuses more on obscure subjects and hardly at all on the essentials. I have hardly used this in my first year as a medical student and am unlikely to start soon.$LABEL$0 +A Great Beginning. I have always enjoyed the Star Wars universe, and The Phantom Menace is no exception. Awesome graphics! Familiar characters! And new ones to boot! The pod racing could inspire whole new videogames.I eagerly await the rest of the sequel, but I had to give this movie 4 stars because I want it on DVD, one of the best formats in existence today. I would love to see all of the Star Wars films on this medium. George Lucas, please show us DVD owners some support.$LABEL$1 +Waste of Time and Money. This bottle warmer does not heat more than a 4 ounce bottle. I tried a 6 and an 8 ounce and it did not heat them at all-especially since we pre-make bottles for the day and store them in the refrigerator.The best way I've found is to use a glass measuring cup almost full of water in the microwave then place the bottle in it when it's done.Please don't waste your time or money on this...the baby need not wait for this thing not to work. You will both be very frustrated!$LABEL$0 +conservatives:stop whining. If you're like me, and are sick of hearing conservatives blame everything that doesn't go their way on the "liberal media" than you should enjoy this book.Franken takes Rush and basically kicks his ass$LABEL$1 +Makes the ps2 look great!. The reason this didn't get 5 stars is because it doesnt change the quality for all of the games. I wish it had.$LABEL$1 +yeah yeah yeah.. hmmmm.. the name of the band says it all. should you listen to this band sometime? yeah. sometime NEVER. singer chris reynold's vocals are mediocre at best and the lyrics so ridden with cliches that one wonders why this band would want to make a permanent record of their work. seeing them open for low was one of those moments where you watch someone embarrass his/her self and you cringe because it's painful. do you stay for support? or do you you just walk away? most people did the latter. save your money. support your local band that opens for low because this one isnt' worth the bucks. there is no time for idle dreaming in my life and there certainly is no time for this generic blah blah blah disc.$LABEL$0 +Cynical, sly and revisionist. This guy is really "stuck in the '60's", or rather what he thought the sixties were like when he was a naive youth. Many people tend to idealize their younger days, but to pass their fantasies off as history is a disgraceful act. It is also blatantly false and misleading. This author sounds and smells (at least intellectually if not actually) like some of the guys with grey, greasy ponytails that caused me to leave The Jersey Boys early in disgust last year. I lived through the sixties too, and it's time we all got over it.$LABEL$0 +Wonderwoman. Excellent....My daughter loves this costume.....be prepared to have to adjust the leg boots they are a little long...use leggings under them it works great.$LABEL$1 +Great Game...... ....but the only real flaw is the camera. Already in stage 1 i was doing a double jump & the camera for some reason has a life of its own & decides to do a 360 camera turn so if i had moved the directional pad in anyway, id be at the bottom of the mountain & dead. I give this game a 4.5, nothing is ever perfect. But the developers did a good job of taking a legendary series & creating something everyone can enjoy as oppose to Spyro & Crash who unfortunately did nothing but failed since their oweners left. I brought this game along with Daxter & there both great original titles. But to be honest i enjoyed Ratchet more then i did Daxter. This game has alot of things 2 do for such a little machine. Its truly great. Enjoy =)$LABEL$1 +Still Great!. I am 25 and learned to read using this book when I was 5. I purchased this to use for my 5 year old. It is a great book that teaches reading using phonics and sounding out the words rather that just learning to read by memorization, which is more important.$LABEL$1 +NOT THE ONE!!!. No not this time,I can`t hear any progression sinceConflict and Dreams. MAGNA CARTA has much better artisttry UNDER THE SUN OR LEONNARDO the absolute man. Sure Cairo have that YES like spiritual edge, but thats what gave prog its BAD name in the first place.I am pleased to own this CD as Itin some ways is not bad, good musicianship.$LABEL$1 +Great Collection. Great collection spawning from Springsteen's early rock (Born to Run, Thunder Road, Badlands) to his cheesy pop hits (Dancing in the Dark, Hungry Heart), his story ballads (The River, Atlantic City), rock anthems (Born in the U.S.A., Glory Days), and his newer rock hits (Human Touch, Better Days). At the end he throws in soundtrack hit "Streets of Philadephia" and some new tracks.Overall the collection is excellent; it shines from the "Born to Run" album through "Born in the U.S.A" album and then the song quality drops a little for the rest of the album. But every songwriter has a "golden period" and sooner or later will decline. Still, even on later tracks such as "Murder Incorporated" and "This Hard Land," his ferocious singing and deep lyrics are impressive. My one qualm is not including the haunting ballad "I'm on Fire."$LABEL$1 +Stop trying to impress with your mystery knowledge. If the author would stick to writing mysteries, her books could be among the best in the genre. However she spends way too much time describing people's actions and motives by comparing them to another author's characters. Noone thinks or does anything on Broward's Rock without Annie commenting to herself that the thought or action was just like this or that fictional mystery character. While I enjoy the bit with the contest that has the characters guessing their fictional origin, this constant "showing off" of the author's mystery fiction knowledge detracts from the story. Any true mystery buff probably knows as much but hopefully doesn't spend their time sizing up their friends and family by this criteria.Stick to the mystery writing and leave the mystery trivia to game players.$LABEL$0 +Product Not What Was Advertised. The product description said the case was to have had: "a removable flip cover, which safeguards the iPod click wheel when closed but offers full access to the controls and ports when open" and a "reinforced money-clip-style belt clip". The product description also states that it "Features a scratch and dust resistant screen for maximum protection."--the case had none of these features. The case, itself, is okay, yet way overpriced for what you don't get. Quite a disappointment!$LABEL$0 +RIP OFF. The ring is fake. I haven't even had this for half a year, and the "gold" has faded on the sides. Oh, and it doesn't even look real.$LABEL$0 +Worth the money. I bought the Williams Sonoma brand with the aluminum insert as a Christmas present for myself. I already own 3 slow cookers, one 4qt, one 5qt, and one 6qt, all of them different brands. I never noticed that all 3 of them on low setting is not a true low setting until I used my new All Clad. I now know what everyone else was talking about. I made lentil soup and turkey stock both on low setting for 6-8 hours and my turkey stock came out clearer because it was on a true low setting. And my lentils were not mush, they held their shape. I prefer the 7qt size because I can freeze half of what is made. Even after we eat the other half, there is still enough for lunch the next day. I will be making my meat sauce for pasta tomorrow and knowing the low setting works correctly, I am sure it will turn out delicious. I also like that the lid is stainless steel, because if I drop it, it will not break. Also, I can put the lid and insert in the dishwasher and it comes out beautiful.$LABEL$1 +It's O.K. But I Miss Power PC. It's a good purchase, good construction, good look, but is not as stable as the Power PC ones, I think It might be something about the Intel thing... I don't know but the batery is very suceptible... I think all the thing is a good computer but is not like Apple in the past...I Miss Power PC!$LABEL$1 +Excellent book. This book is well written. It is clear and descibes each subject in a way that doesnt leave you confused. I found it hard to put down the book.$LABEL$1 +An excellent paperweight. I am a graduate student in mathematics so I've been through my share of textbooks. To this day, I have not found one quite as inconsistent as this one. Some sections are flawless; the author is elegant in his explanation, the examples are clear and relevant, and the problems serve their purpose. However, the poorly written sections (and trust me, there are plenty of them) far outweigh what little beauty lies in this textbook. Anyone who wishes to meticulously plow through this book will know what I'm talking about. The most depressing thing about it all is that I can't seem to find a book (on DE's) that's any better! So to you mathematicians out there: write a decent book on Differential Equations; you might become a millionaire. However, as mentioned earlier, this book will weigh down anything, even in the strong winds of Lubbock.$LABEL$0 +Not 18/10. I wasn't paying attention when I ordered this pot. My bad for not paying attention. It is not 18/10 stainless steel. No where on the box does it say 18/10. This would explain why others are having a problem with rust and other problems. I too encountered staining on the bottom the first time I used it.$LABEL$0 +Better Than Tap Water. We had quite a "fancy" water purifier for many years and since we couldn't decide what to purchase to replace it, we ordered a Brita for the transition. It's been a good purchase since it makes the water taste good, but it seems the filter goes out way before the two month suggested change. It begins to taste "off" after about 5-6 weeks. There's two of us using it, me and my husband, and we do like to drink water ... but I would think it should last longer.It's easy to clean and easy to fill. Nice design for its purpose.$LABEL$1 +Good Idea....Poor Product.. I bought this after I read the first review below (the one who gave this 5 stars). It just doesn't work very well...I do a better job pumicing on my own (it just takes more effort). The motor does get extremely hot, and the batteries die very quickly. The box says it can run for 45 minutes on two AA's, but after about 5 minutes...you can feel it slow down.Definitely not worth it. I'm calling today to return it.$LABEL$0 +Nice book to have on the shelf. I enjoyed the read of this book. It gave me a few new ideas. I often think I am an outcast at AA meetings when I have also have another mental diagnosis. But now I do not feel the same way.$LABEL$1 +Super easy to assemble. I bought this cabinet to use as food storage because I live in an efficiency apt with no cabinets in the kitchenette. Although it was a little heavy to move upstairs to my apartment on my own, I was able to do it by tilting it on its side and sliding it up the stairs by pushing it from behind, so it can be done without help if necessary. And, as the other reviews stated it is very easy to assemble; The directions are simple, I had no problems doing it alone, and it took no time at all (less than an hour(?) - could easily be done in 30 minutes the next time, I think, especially with help). It really does fit together just like giant legos - no tools required! I really wish it was offered in black; the putty color really doesn't fit in well with the rest of the things in my apartment, but I can live with it for now. I've been thinking about buying some large removable peel-and-stick stickers to spruce it up a bit.$LABEL$1 +Time piece. This was an enduring adventure that over the years it covers brings the veiwer an up close and personal experience of that period, I loved the acting and cinema-scape. Of couse being up graded to Blu-ray brings added sound quality and some what better image, the HD quality will never be what recently filmed movies produce. All the same I'm glad to of made the purchase.$LABEL$1 +Feels like thin felt, soft but thin enough to see thru. I ordered these sheets for our guest room, having family over for Christmas and it's cold outside. I was expecting "Fleece" which is the exact word used to describe these sheets in the seller's description - however, these sheets are more like thin, see thru felt used for art projects. The back side of the top sheet has a nylon back, so it's not even the same material on both sides the top is a felt like material and the back side is stretchy nylon material. Hopefully they will be okay for the 5 days we have guests, but definitely NOT for long time wear.$LABEL$0 +fact of fiction?. I realize Mr. Marion says this book is a mixture of fact and fiction, but the amalgamation of both coupled with this writing style, essentially render the whole effort fiction and comic-book fantasy reading. As such, if you read it for entertainment purposes only, it has engaging sections. Yet many sections completely bore you or make you feel Mr. Marin is simply boasting about his supposed prowess and intellectual escapades (not to mention his sexual escapades). In short, after the roller-coaster ride through Tokyo's Chuo-Ku, it leaves you somewhat cheapened, like a one night stand by the author and Wall-Street's biggest. I suppose that was the intent based on the title, but you never realize how bad that can be till the "morning after."$LABEL$0 +Miles Davis quietly guides listeners through "Forrester". Gus Van Sant, the filmmaker responsible for "Finding Forrester," chose Jazz pioneer Miles Davis to guide us through this complex drama. Van Sant, who used Elliot Smith's lonesome ballads to pull heart strings in "Good Will Hunting," uses some of Miles Davis' most solitary and contemplative music to accopmany his film on writting. In fact the last track on the album "In A Silent Way" musically parallels the act of writting and thinking. The song is complex but gentle and features Miles at his creative, post-fusion best. "In A Silent Way," and all the tracks on this album (some by Bill Frissel) are like well behaved children, evoking all the complexities and beauty of life yet demanding no atttention or energy. perfect music to accompany the solitary act of writting or just a quiet day.$LABEL$1 +The Great Napoleon. I hail Napoleon Bonaparte as having been a truly recgonized conqueror of modern times. A&E'e Biographly did help to clear- up some points, that I had failed to fully understand during my reading about him. I was hoping to learn more about his General's i.e was it true about their betrayal of him? All in all, I think it was a well produce portrait, of one of the three greatest men in all the history of this world.bevil$LABEL$1 +Another Sopranos ripoff. Charles Stella writes like another goombah wannabe. His storyline was amatuerish and the prose was child like. The only thing positive about this book is it reaffirms the theory that if a hundred monkeys banged on a typewriter for 10 years that they would eventually recreate a Shakesperean play. Now that I think about it Stella actually disproves that theory.$LABEL$0 +Very Poorly Organized. This is one of the most poorly laid out language books I have studied from. First of all, I would like to state that languages are not my forte and I am not a natural at linguistics. Vietnamese is the fifth language I have studied and this book has made it most frustrating. The vocabulary is scattered all over each chapter rather than concisely at the beginning or end like better organized books. The glossary often does not have words the reader is looking for when they have forgotten them chapters later. There are also a few typographical errors in the answer key which further confuse the student.Also, table of contents only lists the titles of the chapters and does not list subtopics or chapter objectives. So if the student wants to reference a certain language point, he/she has to remember which chapter it was from then comb the chapter to find it.$LABEL$0 +Great Sound for not so much money. I've own them for 5 years now, they still sound excellent, very good for listening music at home, but not very recomendable for going out with them (must handle with care). They will improve A LOT the sound out of your mp3 player, cd player and you can enjoy the full potential of a nice home stereo system.My ears do tend to hurt a bit after 2 hours with them, but that's enought time for me. Bass is incredible for the size they have, mid's are perfectly clear and hi tones are crispy, well defined and not ear piercing. Give them a try, you wont regret it. By the way, please excuse my english, I'm not a native speaker.$LABEL$1 +Glenn Beck - Unelectable. I usually love Glenn Beck but was disappointed with this dvd. The best part was at the end when he read all the products, etc that were invented in the USA. THAT was impressive!$LABEL$0 +Weak on flavor. We love thier Granola and thought thier cookies would be as good - not so much. Other than the chocolate chunks, there is not much flavor.$LABEL$0 +Nothing new here.. I had great hopes for this graphic novel. Generally each film or book brings something new to the genre even if they aren't of the highest quality. This dull piece of work actually managed to bring yawns to the table. The so so artwork is only topped by the ho hum story. My advice is avoid, go online and read some of the many amateur zombie works that far out class this stinker.$LABEL$0 +Dungeons and Dragons 2. I also saw the Screener today and thought it was far superior in everyway than the first, well apart from the special effects but they were still believeable. This is how the first movie should have been, The script, the acting and the atmosphere, in fact everything about this film is better than the first. Great interaction between the Rogue and Barbarian. Damidar is actually believeable in this film, Great references to actually DnD and we get to see alot of magic not just the magic dust from the first movie. Very big improvement on the first and alot more serious (no more snails, GREAT) i definately reccommend it. Rumours of a third movie already and all i can say is hope its like the 2nd not the 1st.$LABEL$1 +stated 5 yr warranty is a hoax. The packaging states that the product is covered by a 5 year warranty and that, if the product fails due to a defect in material or workmanship, the product can be returned to Swing-A-Way for repair or replacement.After 5 months of use, a large piece of the plastic teeth inside the crusher broke off. I called the manufacturer (Focus Foodservice, LLC, who purchased Swing-A-Way) and was told that they now only deal with distributors and that I would have to return the product to the original seller (i.e., Amazon.com) to obtain a refund or replacement.$LABEL$0 +Workouts were just okay, but style is a dud. This is one of the worst put together exercise videos that I have ever seen. For starters, everyone else failed to mention that the camera moves while Michelle is moving. This makes you really dizzy just watching.Second, there is hardly any explanation given. Even if you're like me and watch it once beforehand to see what the workout is like, it's really hard to follow.Third, everything felt too rushed. In the pilates segment, for a brief moment you can see one of the cameramen holding up fingers to show Michelle how many repetitions were left. I guess we all know what she's interested in: hurrying up to go somewhere else.A much better 10 minute mix-and-match workout series is the QuickFix series.$LABEL$0 +Not bad for the price. Looks neat , works fine.Sometimes it is off a little bit if used in quick succession but on the whole a satisfactory purchase.$LABEL$1 +Wouldn't suggest it. Works good but leaks constantly. Followed the directions on how to stop the leak from the sprayer, didn't do any good, still leaked. The motion detector works great and the spray goes a long way, it's just the constant leak that is the problem. Can't use it because the leak causes a HUGE puddle and our water bill jumped up very noticeably. Nope, wouldn't recommend this product.$LABEL$0 +GREAT QUALITY!!. PROS: GREAT SIZE! LOOKS LIKE THE ACTUAL SIZE OF A REAL BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, ETC. ALSO MADE OF AMAZING QUALITY. BALLS ARE STILL IN IT'S MESS BAG AND EVERYTHING IS STILL HOLDING UP PERFECTLY FINE (PURCHASED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO). JUST GETTING AROUND TO DOING A REVIEW LOLCONS: NOT SAYING THAT THESE ARE BAD THINGS, BUT IT'S JUST NOT WHAT I EXPECTED WITH I PURCHASED THEM. IT'S ADVERTISED AS PLUSH, WHICH I'M ASSUMING TO BE SOFT AND PLUSH LIKE A PILLOW. THAT'S MY REASON OF PURCHASING TO USE AS A PILLOW/BED BUDDY FOR MY SON. BUT THEY WERE EXTREMELY HARD!! THE OUTSIDE IS VERY SOFT, BUT WITH SO MUCH STUFFING IT MAKES THE BALLS VERY HARD/HEAVY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO CARRY OR EVEN THROW AND DEFINITELY NOT SLEEP ON. A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED, BUT I SHOULD HAVE ASKED QUESTIONS BEFORE PURCHASING.$LABEL$1 +A readers choice. I read Gangsta, and i figured this book would be much better. I'm just glad I didn't have to buy Road Dawgz... thanks to my sister.$LABEL$0 +There is always 2 sides to a story. I adored this book! I couldn't put it down. I chose it because I heard the musical was up for a Tony or two and I was looking for a new book to read. Since this book was referring to The Wizard of Oz and someone made a musical out of it I was expecting a light-hearted story with humor scattered about like peanut shells at a steak house. But it is not. I was pleasantly surprised by it's deep story...love, betrayal, jealously, friendship, racism, politics and sex...oh-la-la! It could be a soap opera. I loved it! I couldn't help but imagine the characters as they look in Fleming's movie, especially towards the ill fated end. It is a strange feeling changing your allegiance from one team to another...i.e. Glinda is now bad to me, Dorothy a pawn and don't get me started on the Wizard! :) I just bought Son of a Witch yesterday and can't wait to see what happens in the land of Oz!$LABEL$1 +Hard book to read. I had to read this to help my son and this was one of the worst and hardest books to read. I didn't see the educational value in assigning this book when it was a very hard book to retain. I would not recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +This machine is a hazard. I bought this item from Lowe's. Once I began using it extremely hot water was dripping all over the place including on myself. I don't recommend this junk product to anyone. Don't waste your money; buy something better.$LABEL$0 +It was better than expected!!!. The book was fantastic. It has inspired me to search for more like this one.I found nothing that I did not like about the book-quite motivational. And I would recommend it to those who are looking for a what people of African decent can do to improve in the area of upward mobility and understand the who and what Marcus Garvey was and where the Africans world wide would be had his movement continued!!!$LABEL$1 +omg & wtf!. i bought this dvd set at a huge discount. i remember the series was out years ago and never followed it. and i got to say, what a mess. although based on a graphic novel, or comic, it seems like oliver stone's answer to Twin Peaks that finished up earlier. stone was clearly trying to imitate Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet and bombed in so doing. i'm amazed at how many positive reviews this has. none of the actors were strong, the music was over dramatic, using everything from Bethoven's 7th to the Animals and Rolling Stones. angie dickinson as a thug? come on! it was embarrassing to watch her: gouge someone's eyes out, bitch slap and gut punch another. cattrell was equally miscaste and her dramatic cry of "it's my baby!" was laughable. in trying to be bizarre, it failed miserably. there isn't any level that i would recommend this series. buy it used if you must waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy this book. 1) This book is outdated. 310-25 is an old exam. You are better off passing the new one - 310-035.2) The book contains some serious errors. For example, here is an excerpt from the page 146:"Polymorphism ... in object oriented programming, refers to the capability of objects to have many methods of the same name, but different types of arguments. The print() and println() methods of the PrintStream class are excellent examples of polymorphism".This definition of polymorphism is just plain WRONG.3) I cannot say anything about the second part related to the 310-027 exam.4) A good book to buy to prepare for the 310-035 exam:Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exams 310-035 & 310-027) by Kathy Sierra (she is a co-developer of the SCJP 1.4 exam 310-035) and Bert Bates.$LABEL$0 +My son LOVES this movie. My son (and me and my husband) thought this movie was so funny! Especially if you have cats and understand them. It really plays on the way cats act compared to dogs. Its really hilarious in parts. A good clean fun movie for the whole family.$LABEL$1 +Junk. I used these for about a month and ended up never pulling them out of the drawer again. Stickyest non-stick item I have ever used. Even when sprayed with Pam the eggs stick. If the eggs are well scrambled they leak out from under the ring. The one thing correct in the description is that they are easy to take apart. So easy that if you try to use the handle to pick up all four at once it falls apart and drops them all.$LABEL$0 +Still hilarious after all these years. The DVD of Mr. Hulot's Holiday will have you chortling, snickering and flat-out laughing all by yourself. Although it is in French, with English subtitles, no knowledge of French is necessary because humor transcends language. Mr. Hulot is quite oblivious to the quirky situations he creates at the seaside resort hotel where he is spending his holiday, always maintaining his cheery spirit in the face of the catastrophes of others.It's a must-have for anyone who appreciates the art of sight gags and old-time silent movie humor.$LABEL$1 +Very Poor Directions. Although there is a good variety of trails in this book, I got lost every time I used it. The directions were not unclear- they were completely wrong. The book was written in 1995 so maybe some of the roads have changed, but there has to be a more reliable book out there. I would not recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +The End of Patience: Binary Fallout. I enjoyed The End of Patience very much. I had to laugh at how many of David Shenk's insights I could relate to, although I had never slowed down enough to consider them. I highly recommend this book. If you've never considered the effect of the constant barrage of digital information The End of Patience will be an eye opener.$LABEL$1 +Batteries wont charge with Panasonic Charger. I received both Lenmar DLP006 Batteries for use with my Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Camera and neither would charge with my camera's charger..beware$LABEL$0 +Great book. This book brings me back to a great part of my child hood and a great time to be a Bat-Fan!$LABEL$1 +Great book if you can get the tape to work. I highly recommend this book. It's both interesting and thought provoking. But whatever you do, please don't buy the cassette version. The cassettes come tangled and warped and the second one from the end flat out broke. Save your money for the hardback or CD version.$LABEL$0 +Very good value. Our dogs like it. They feel secure in, in the car. The only thing is, it's a little bit less easy to set it each time for a long trip but we have three crates.$LABEL$1 +Very weak!. I was disappointed in this product - it does not taste maple, smell maple or impart a maple taste in the recipe I used which calls for maple extract. I have to say a bottle of maple flavoring off my grocer's shelf worked far better.$LABEL$0 +Poor quality DVD. The DVD skips so often with loud noise between the cuts. You can't see all the steps and moves.$LABEL$0 +An insult to Morrison and his fans. Stephen Davis seems to have done his research in gossipy internet chat rooms and other places where old rumors are kicked around for years, the more scandalous the better. Davis has simply taken a lot of really old stories from previously published sources, thrown in a couple of interviews with people no one's ever heard of before, and is presenting it as new revelation. It's not. This is just the same old silly stories packaged up between fancy new covers. Fans won't learn anything about the real Morrison or what really happened to him. All they'll get is a lot of reheated gossip that wasn't worth the paper it was written on the first time it was published -- or the second, or the third, or the... Fans who really want to know Morrison should read his poetry, or read Frank Lisciandro's "Feast of Friends" or Patricia Butler's "Angels Dance and Angels Die" for a look at the real Jim Morrison.$LABEL$0 +Where are the Sheik's?. Guests of the Sheik : An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village by Elizabeth Fernea is a very old book, published first in 1965 and then 1969. A lot of major things have taken place in Iraq since then including the Gulf War and in its aftermath the strangling sanctions, so I find that the book although it has a catchy title does little to reflect what life in an Iraqi village is like or has been in the last decade. Although in Islam Polygamy is permitted with certain restrictions to label the whole of Iraq or even a whole village as a "polygamous society" is a stretch of the imagination. The books print is poor which doesn't help it's readability.$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected. They were not at all what I was looking for. They're very plain and boring looking to give to a friend.$LABEL$0 +Maybe I Was Grumpy That Day. ...but it seemed to me that this is a book that someone *made* Pratchett write. It's missing his usual joie d'ecrire and can most charitably be described as 'dutifully composed'. There are, thank God, many superb Discworld books, but if this had been the first of them I'm not sure there would have been a second.$LABEL$0 +Journey - 'Trial By Fire' (Sony). Apparently,their last work with frontman Steve Perry and quite the let down.'Trial...' was the band's '96 comeback attempt,but if I remember correctly this CD was a stiff from the get-go.I tried SO hard to get into this fifteen track disc,but even with a duration of 68 minutes,I just couldn't.The songs don't completely suck,they just don't appear to have much life.Fantastic cover,don't you agree?If you're an old school Journey fan,I encourage you to check out their new 2005 release,'Generations' with vocalist Steve Augeri,who's been with the band for awhile now.That CD is surprisingly good,as I'd give it 3 1/2,maybe 4 stars.Keep in mind that guitarist Neal Schon is their 'key' player.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Book About a Serious Topic. This book should be read by every American in order to understand the political scene and its hidden agendas currently operating.$LABEL$1 +half great. I was never a fan of the New Kids but I love Jordan's voice and half-love his neo-soul CD. The Jimmy Jam-Terry Lewis cuts really outshine the other stuff, although Finally Finding Out and the Thom Bellish When You're Lonely are very good. Next time, Jordan, hire Jam and Lewis to steer the entire enterprise. You make a great team. They get many more interesting shades out of your already interesting voice. P.S. Best single of the year so far: Give It To Me. Broken by You and Close My Eyes are outstanding ballads, despite what the main Amazon.com review says. Close My Eyes should be your next video.$LABEL$1 +This novel gets a Raspberry from me. Disappointing, disappointing, and what do you know, disappointing! That just about sums up my feelings towards this book after doggedly ploughing through the entire thing. Obviously, literary talent isn't hereditary in the Rice family. I havn't read crime thrillers since many moons ago, so when I decided to pick one up again and decided on Snow Garden, I thought I was in for a night of exciting action. I was proven wrong. By the time I had gotten through a quarter of the book, I knew it was a lost cause. Granted, one shouldn't be expecting beautiful lyrical prose in thrillers and in-depth character delineation, but surely one shouldn't be served with truckloads of surfacial details (e.g. about art), attempts at creating multitudious oh-so-quirky homosexual relationships and a plot that sinks to abysmal depths!! Seriously, if Chris Rice has any writing ability at all, I hope he shows it soon. This novel is a very disappointing showcase of his talent (if any).$LABEL$0 +Caught on fire !!. Bought this Coffeemaker last year from a local store. It worked fine until yesterday and then it caught on fire !!! I know it wasn't the electrical socket and it wasn't a power surge - It must have been something in the coffeemaker electric system. Fortunately I was able to put out the fire before it set the cabinets on fire. I can live with an occasional water spill as other reviews have mentioned but not with a fire !! I will never buy a Mr. Coffee product again. Oh and of course the warranty is 2 months over the 1 year mfg. warranty ( not that I would want a replacement).$LABEL$0 +UNFORGETTABLE, LIFE-CHANGING FILM!. This movie should be seen by everyone. I had never even heard of it and just happened to stumble upon it at BLOCKBUSTERS because a friend had given me a free movie card and I had some time to kill.The young actor who played the lead should have WON an Academy Award. The film should be, in my books, equally as respected, lauded and appreciated as SCHINDLER'S LIST, SOPHIE'S CHOICE, or ANY other film about the horrors of the German concentration camps of World War II.I believe so strongly in this film thay I'm buying it for my home DVD library and will encourage everyone I know to see it. It's one of those movies that make you mindful of the complex spectrum of the human heart. It can be cold and evil and yet, it can also be triumphantly transcendent.Please see FATELESS. Please let it restore your faith in the powerful potential of films.$LABEL$1 +The hits just keep on coming. Once again I am amazed and awe inspired by Robert Jordan's fantastic novels. While the books themselves are long (nearly 1000 pages) I just can't get enough. I have read all of the books that are currently out and cannot wait for the next one. The world spun by Jordan is rich and realistic. And there are strong female roles as well as the typical male roles. Truely a must read series.Tricia Shaffe$LABEL$1 +Bad Reception. All I can say is don't buy these phones. The reception is not good at all. We have the base unit set up in the bedroom. If I go more than 40 feet away I start to get noise, static, or whatever you want to call it when talking to someone. We've had a 900 MHz cordless phone with the base unit set up in the same place and the reception was always good. Also if your talking on one of the phones, someone else cannot pickup the other phone and join in on the conversation. I returned these phones 1 day after I bought them.$LABEL$0 +Horrible for more than one-time use.... I purchased a four pack of these razors because I prefer a razor with a wider handle and multiple blades. Despite the wide handle, the razors slipped from my hand easily. The multiple blades also didn't help- they did not shave the hair that closely, but close enough to cut the skin and give razor burn. On the first use, they were decent, but throughout shaving, I had to constantly tap the razor head on the side of the shower to remove the hair that was stuck in there. Even then, there was still quite a bit of hair stuck in there as well as shaving cream, so any subsequent use of the razor would be pointless. Also, the head of the razor does not turn very well to follow the skin. Save your money and buy a different brand.$LABEL$0 +Rotten product. First off, it seems that someone is spamming the reviews. Each of these glowing reviewers has never reviewed anything else on Amazon. And when a bad review is posted you'll see several days worth of great reviews to push off the bad ones. [edit: Note the new "Amazon verified purchase" label! Beware of the glowing review from people who have not purchased this item.]Let me say, this is the biggest pile of junk you'll ever waste you're money on. Even with high quality clumping litter it did not work. The rake would get clogged. The receptacle wouldn't close. Litter stuck all over the place and in the tracks even though we were well below the "fill line." We spent more time cleaning this piece of junk than a regular litter box. In less than a month we threw it out in the garbage.Do not waste your time and money on this product. Stick with the regular litter, you'll be glad you did.$LABEL$0 +Boring and very dull. Despite what other people said about this book I am very disappointed. You don't have to travel anywhere to find peace within yourself. Lock up yourself in your room, meditate and you will be able to listen to your heart and find peace. I found this book very dull, boring and shallow. Will not recommend this book to avid reader.Good thing, I did not buy this book, my friend lent it to me , otherwise I will have a hard time to hide this book. Don't waste your time. Read something else.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. Baby Newton is nothing like the original series (i.e., Baby Bach, Baby Mozart, etc.) ... My 21-month absolutely loves the Baby Einstein series. We bought her the Baby Newton, and she could care less. She doesn't giggle, she doesn't dance and she doesn't sing to this one. In fact, she'll pop it out of the VHS and grab a different tape! I'm very disappointed with this one.$LABEL$0 +My College Thesis. This is very slow read. And why? Because interspersed into the verbiage are so many references to other works it just slows the reader down. It is also very redundant. Retool this book and have a bibliography at the end for at least half of the references crammed into the text. Also keep in mind that a lot of the information is data not past (around) the year 2000. A lot has changed in the last decade and this book should be updated (and cleaned up as I mentioned above). All of which is too bad, because the relevant material, when you can parse it out of all of the academic babble, is interesting.$LABEL$0 +2 broken!. We ordered one, it arrived in pieces. Ordered a replacement, and it broke down the middle after one use. Don't waste your money on this product.$LABEL$0 +Music Redefined. After hearing the debut album from Dom Dorman and the Icemen, it seems that there is something new and fresh on the horizon. I'm not sure I have heard something like this in quite a long time. I am fan of Dave Matthews and Blues Traveler and I truly believe that this album will attract the same fans. The sound is unique, in an interesting way blending jazz and classic rock. Dom Dorman is also quite versatile - playing both the quick and riveting Last November as well as the ballad-esque Southern Spain. I truly believe that this band has a future and I would recommend the album to anyone.$LABEL$1 +The Missing Link. "Other Side of Love" was never released on either of Yazoo's albums. It was released as a single between the two albums. After years of searching I finally found it on CD!!"Other Side" is a happy upbeat tune that has a bit that sounds like "Just Can't Get Enough" which after all Vince wrote for Depeche Mode.If you have both albums get this single and complete your Yazoo songlist!$LABEL$1 +too small,can not hold much coin. not very convinent!very small,can not hold much coin ,not fit for me !i dont like it !maybe i need buy a better one though more expencive than it!$LABEL$0 +HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT !. How this Mustard ever Won two "Best Mustard" Titles is a Wonder. It is advertized under Two different Name Titles,so do not be Fooled by the Titles, they are Both the exact same Mustard. After trying this Mustard I can see why people mix it with other Ingredients, i.e., Mayo, Honey, Sour Cream, etc. Used Straight, it starts off Good, but Then a Slightly BITTER Taste Kicks in which totaly ruins the Mustard Taste. In my Opinion it is a Huge Disappointment !.$LABEL$0 +Simply quaint. Luckily, nothing momentous happened when the year 2000 came to be, and we can now crawl out from under rocks and out of bomb shelters and openly laugh at our now silly-seeming fears. Or maybe it's just James Garner. Aside from a few interesting gags and factoids, the humour of this Y2K spoof is muddled and repetitive. The chapters cover literally everything from divination to prophecy to Y2K preparations (not to mention the significance of the year MM to McDonalds Corporation), but I couldn't bring myself to anything bigger than a quaint smile.This book is not for the devout believers. Do notice than in Garner's dictionary, the words "eschatological" and "scathological" are separated only by a single syllable.$LABEL$0 +unreliable and hard to use - thumb down. Do not buy. It crashed several times on a plain Dell 8600. Very hard to use, like for example to set up rooms, because (1) there are no anchor points; should be able to anchor a corner and then drag a corner; (2) we cannot lock a room in place; while editing a room, another room resized; (3) there is no alignment among rooms; rooms should align sometimes, because they may share a common wall; (4) while working with a room, we cannot specify the type of wall; and so on. It has some sexy colors and menus, but after trying to use it for several times and coming out with no results, the next step is 'uninstall'.$LABEL$0 +Not my favorite. Good story, but it is sporadic, and repetitive. It's hard to follow, and gets old after hearing the same thing five different ways.$LABEL$0 +What one would expect of Princeton Review. Oversimplified once again, and with some serious errors, especially on one question on comparative advantage where they've reversed the numerator and denominator of a fraction. My friends who were unfortunate enough to buy this as their review for AP Econ found themselves completely confused and having wasted so much time on mistakes in the book. The review wasn't particularly comprehensive or in-depth, there were blatant errors (mentioned in other reivews), and the tests again were easy compared to the AP exam...never a good thing for test prep books.$LABEL$0 +a story from home. this book touched me in a way that it will not touch others. i went to andover with courtney, in fact she was my brothers date for prom. so as i read this book pictures of courtney ran through my mind. so nights after reading this book i could not fall asleep because of what i had read, and others i did not want to because i wanted to read more. what a great book i hope that more people will read it and find out just how fragile life really is.$LABEL$1 +HAHAHA. And I'm still laughing. This movie is really horrible. Is it supposed to be horror or soft core porn? I'm not sure which but either way it has the plot for both. I bought this movie years ago and decided to watch it tonight because I really have no life. The only thing good about this movie is Buckethead's music and that is the only reason I bought it in the 1st place.If you like cheesy horror with nakie girls and awesome music then you might like this.$LABEL$0 +Unsatisfied. The product took almost a month to arrive. It was suppose to be a gift but took too long to arrive so I had to get another gift. It also was nothing like it was described. Extremely disappointed.$LABEL$0 +My favorite skillet. I use this more than any other pan in my cabinet. It's easy to clean, it stays in good condition, and it's big enough for most everything I need to cook. I cook eggs, sear meat, cook burgers, etc., in this. My sister bought this as a gift for me a few years ago. She got it at Macy's and I think she paid $60 or more for it. I love this pan, but I think it is more reasonably priced here on amazon for around $30+. Macy's overpriced it. But I'm getting good use out of this skillet. I am thinking of buying another one. If I do, it'll be from Amazon, as long as they're still selling it. I highly recommend this for your everyday use. I also like the side handles as opposed to the regular one handle.$LABEL$1 +Breaks right out of the box. Opened it up and tried it. The plastic rod connected to the brush broke in less than 60 seconds trying to use it to clean the dryer vent. The rod does not have a metal core....just plastic, so when it is bending in the dryer vent....it broke, leaving the brush head inside the vent. Had to remove the entire vent and fish the head out. Would not recomend this product at all.$LABEL$0 +Too much jumping around in this manual. I bought this book to do the cv shafts on my wifes Accord and had to look at about four different chapters to see exactly what I needed to do. I am experienced in working on my vehicles and consider myself to be mechanically inclined. I didnt like having to look through the book and I have used better manuals. I agree that the pics could be way better$LABEL$0 +Wasn't happy with purchase. Wasn't happy with this purchase . Company was made aware and I received a full refund . Thanks . This company really tries to make sure that their customers are pleased .$LABEL$0 +This CD is awesome!!!. This is the best CD I own right now. Phil Collins does a marvelous job of writing and singing these songs. I just wish there were more spoilers in the songs. But there are enough if you think about it. I can't wait to see the movie, and these songs , the whole CD is truely inspiring! A must for all Disney fans, or aspiring teens, kids, and the whole family!$LABEL$1 +Perfect guidebook for a memorable culinary journal. Joan Peterson, the culinary mistress of the EAT SMART series, returns to feed our continuing love affair with foreign foods and flavors in her latest book, Eat Smart in Morocco. As much a travel guide as it is a cookbook, Peterson shares her knowledge of the history and cultural significance of native dishes as well as the traditions and secrets of Moroccan cooks. Her culinary tribute to the land and its people should be part of an official welcome packet given to every foreign visitor when they first step on Moroccan soil. As she writes, "What better way to know a culture than through its cuisine." Particularly helpful to travelers are her bilingual menu, and food and flavor guides. Whether you're a novice or experienced traveler, Eat Smart in Morocco is the perfect reference for a memorable culinary journey. --Kimberly Ouhirra, President, Exotica Oils, Inc.$LABEL$1 +Love, love, love Zipfizz!. I am not a huge fan of flavored waters or other water enhancers. To me they never have enough flavor. Zipfizz is totally different! It has great flavor and I for get I am just drinking water. Citrus is my favorite right now. I also love orange, grape, and pink lemonade. Great flavor and it is full of vitamins! So much better for you than soda and tastes great too! Love, love, love Zipfizz!$LABEL$1 +Not a fan. The bell is extremely noisy on this scope. Any movement on the bell seems to overpower anything else you are listening for. I sent this back and ordered the Classic II SE scope.$LABEL$0 +Disk was flawed. The last part of the disk was flawed and would not play. There was more text context and less animation that I expected.$LABEL$0 +Troublesome Monitor. This may be the worst electronic gadget we've ever owned. The biggest problem is with the sound quality of the monitor itself. On one channel we get major static, on the other channel we get a high-pitched background whine with occasional tapping sounds which come through loud and clear. It sounds like someone clapping and it's very disconcerting to hear that coming from the baby's room in the middle of the night. We can't hear the baby unless we're so close we don't need the monitor. We're also having the same trouble other reviewers have had with the "light show" coming on spontaneously. On the whole, we're not happy with this product.$LABEL$0 +Not bad!!!. I've been playing the Madden NFL series for a long time and the 2002 version is significantly better than the 2001 version. The improved graphics and gameplay (A.I is smarter now) makes it fun and challenging. The scoreboards in the stadium now reflect actually time left in quarter, the actual score and other stats of the down.What was disappointing was the fact that they used very much the same sound bites from the 2001 version so the color commentary is boring to someone who has played previous versions. Sometimes the color commentary makes no sense whatsover.Overall, a good upgrade but beware of the system requirements. You need RAM and a good graphics card loaded with RAM as well.$LABEL$1 +holy mother of god!!. This is the biggest crock of crap i have ever heard. Everyone should acknowledge. what michael moore does. yes he is a radical liberal, a man from the left. But everyone who wrote a review is not going after michael moore they are going after the left. When will we work past the differences and stop pointing fingers. To boot, one of the critics on this book also rated on an ironing press. see there you go im playing your stupid f**cked game of slander now, where instead of working to make things better or god forbid say something positive about anything, besides conservatives loveing america, instead blaming our problems on moores weight. It baffles me to this day just how ignorant people are. your presented with the facts with no rebutle from the bush organization, and you say "thats not true". excuse me i have to go throw up$LABEL$0 +Nice fit.. My son needs shoe cushions as he is between a size 15 & 16 and half sizes are not common in sizes over 13. Thye hold up really great and do not make his feet smell. I need to order a couple more pairs for him as he has to swap them in and out of different shoes and he doesn't have time to fit them into different shoes every morning on the way to school.$LABEL$1 +Weak product. I bought this because my wife has R.A. and she has problems with hand strength. This unit is under powered and it does not work on can goods manufactured in other countries.Overall, I'm disappointed with this product, but I can't find a good replacement. So we will use this until the bolts fall out.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money!. I should have known better to buy any product with only 5 reviews, but I decided to buy this anyway. It sounded like a great book from the description and reviews. I was a littled concerned that I couldn't preview the book at all but I figured it was because it was a cookbook. This book was awful! Be prepared to eat white rice 1-2 times a week! I have already returned the book but if i remember correctly, one of the recipes was chicken baked with Catalina dressing on it. I was seriously dissapointed. Every week you ate white rice and some kind of chicken "burger". The book talks to like you have no intelligence at all and like you have never made a grocery list in your life. This book is a waste of money and if I could give it 0 stars, I would. This is a book for somebody who has never cooked a day in their life. Don't buy!$LABEL$0 +Extremely disappointing. I found this story to be too confused and busy. It meanders between characters until it brings them all together later on in the book, but it just seems like the brief moments of actual "action" are just huge build-ups of anticipation with an anti-climatic little *pop* of dénouement. In short, nothing's happening to keep me interested! The characters are fantastic, the author's descriptive powers are beyond compare, but there's just no story there.I tend to like a good vampire fic to keep me shivering for a night or two. This one has kept me groaning night after night trying to finish it for almost three weeks (an exhaustively long time for me to finish a book). Ghost, Steve, Nothing, Christian, and Brite's version of the Stygian triplets are all rich, wonderful characters. Now if only she'd done something with them....Disappointing, especially after all the good I'd heard about this author.$LABEL$0 +Mom's Best Friend. I received this steamer for Christmas last year. My son was 6 months old at the time. I started steaming food for him that I could make into baby food. Now I use the steamer 2-3 times per week for the whole family. It is so easy to throw vegetables in one side and potatoes in the other and start the timer. I don't have to wait for water to boil or over cook things while I chase my toddler. I only saw one other steamer that cooks two items side by side and it did not compare to this steamer.I have never used another steamer and this one is pricey, but the corn on the cob, broccoli, and lobster made in this steamer is the best I have ever tasted!$LABEL$1 +A CLASSIC SERIES WITH A MODERN LOOK!. The remastered version of the original Star Trek is so cool!it has everything people liked about thte original series with a modern look to it.$LABEL$1 +Downy Soft and Odorless. I was one happy person when Downy finally came out with an unscented version. Some people like their clothes to smell like aromatherapy, but it's too much for my nose to handle. This product gives my laundry Downy softness, but it smells clean, not floral. Nice to have it delivered right to my door and the price was great thanks to a special offer on P&G products.$LABEL$1 +A real page-turning thriller. Once you start reading it... you will go everywhere with it. Exciting, well written, suspense, intelligent...Go for it.$LABEL$1 +Pamper Yourself. So, I have a "real blender" already, but my very bachelor-y brother doesn't. I got him this and, let me tell you, I wish I had it myself. Even though I don't, it's good for me to have a little portable blender I can use when I'm at his place. Very nice blender with excellent quality. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Get's the Job Done. Good product. Works as its' advertised. My cube wall is 1.5" wide and this hanger worked w/o any problems. I'm considering buying another one for my backpack!$LABEL$1 +Completely Disappointed!. Being a fan of the "Old" 569 Straight leg Loose jeans I took a shot at ordering this new style. I had read some of the negative reviews but took a chance on them anyhow. Now after receiving them I wish I hand't wasted my time with these and I'm still left wondering what the hell Levi's is thinking. Thin material, shallow pockets, tight fitting, and just all around uncomfortable. I hope to find another style that fits like the Old 569's.$LABEL$0 +A Dance Classic. American Sharon Redd was the diva of choice for serious UK clubbers in the early 80s. Redd, at one time a member of Bette Midler's "Harlettes", managed to obtain British chart success long before Midler did. This album, one of three she recorded for the Prelude label, contains the majority of her UK hit singles. The production on this album is stunning as is Redd's deep, rich voice. The biggest hit, "Never Give You Up" is a dancefloor monster, a once heard/never forgotten experience. Redd was equally adept at ballads, as "Takin' A Chance On Love" will demonstrate. Sadly, Redd died in 1992, and yet again, a great voice was silenced. This CD is a must for those into great dance music, and great voices.$LABEL$1 +Useful information with research-based foundation. This is the first book that I have read that provides me with the information to confront the problems associated with instilling intrinsic motivation in those that I manage. It is often the problem that people show little concern for their work. The rule seems to be something like this- Do just enough to get by while exerting the least energy as possible. I like this book because the information is not a story of what a good manager has as an opinion as to what works best but it is a scholarly book in the sense that it provides information based on research that is proven. This is to date the best book that I have to reference when dealing with teams that act out of extrinsic motivation or no motivation at all. I applaud the author for this work.$LABEL$1 +SWEET!!!. Heat up a coffee cup with about 3 oz of milk and if you have a sweet tooth put some sugar with it then go to town with this thing. Just put it in the heated milk and turn it on, make sure you give it a little time to thicken up the milk before you start pulling it up. Make sure to read the review about making froth animals. Best review ever! Take a look at all the pictures, this really does what it claims.$LABEL$1 +Not bad at all. The phone is actually pretty good for the price. (At first I was a little skeptical.) Everyone knows that there are pros and cons for just about anything. Some of the cons for the phone would be the static (which is minor if the phone is charged), and the fact that it is incompatible with Caller ID. (but who needs the extra expense anyway?). The pros would be the different ringers, the fun color, the fact that you can use headphones, the any-key answer, the pre-set speed dials, and the pager. (I really like the pager because it beeps until you find it-or at least for a couple of minutes- when most phones usually stop after a few beeps). I have even taken this phone into the backyard without extra static. So, if you are looking for a decent phone for a good price then this one's for you (works especially good for a teenage or college student)$LABEL$1 +Outstanding!!!!!!!. This was an AMAZING book! I literally could not put it down. By far the best book I have ever read, including the others in the series. Surprises around every corner! I would read it again in a heartbeat, which I plan to do. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially Amelia fans! Anyone who doesn't read it should be punished! lol$LABEL$1 +Outdated and of Little Use, (Comment from a concerned Sgt). This 1994 question book is of little value. The book that it is suppose to be modeled after, "Supervision of Police Personnel" has changed significantly since 1994. This study guide of the past consists of confusing questions with no explanations. It is not a study guide and certainly cannot replace the text book, unless you don't mind doing poorly on a promotional exam. Since the page numbers and the chapters have changed in the actual text book, I found this book to be very frustrating. Save your mental energy.$LABEL$0 +Love it!!!!. I definitely Love Dexter. This was a Great Season, and definitely Great Episode. Well worth the price for it. !!$LABEL$1 +ya get what ya pay for..... This isn't B&D;, Skil, Craftsman, Ryobi, etc. quality. If you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed. If I knew what I know after buying this, I'd spend the extra $10-$15 and buy one of those. ;-))I bought one and it works for what I want it to; occasional hole making.I wish it was variable speed and was expecting it to be as 'everything' is nowadays. Nope. Two speeds; on and off. ;-)$LABEL$0 +What a feeling....not!. I tried numerous times to like this '80s classic but I can't. Flashdance has a weak plot, bad and I mean BAD acting from Jennifer Beals, the only thing that saves this train wreck is the dancing. I give two stars for the hot as fire dancing and the soundtrack, otherwise than that, Flashdance is just too flashy for me.$LABEL$0 +excellant replacement buckle. this is a review for the 2 inch side release buckle-black. this is a replacemnet for the waist buckle on my army heavy transport MOLLE back pack. the previous buckle had been stepped on so i definatly needed a new one and a replacement. the other reviewer said that "They cheaped out and put the webbing grip only on 1 side of the buckle" BUT he is wrong they didnt cheap out its intended that way for a reason. you only need the male end of the buckle to grip the webbing so that in a case where u need to get your pack on or off quick you dont have to deal with adjusting the female end tighter or looser just slide and clip. this buckle is very good and while i cant say it will stand up to a 250 pound guy stepping on it it will keep your pack NICE AND TIGHT$LABEL$1 +Looks good, but not practical for long-term use. I purchased this product and wrote a review about it in another review page for the same item. In a nutshell: the bolts are round, but the bolt openings in the riser are wide and oval -- and after day-to-day usage this poor attachment design makes the riser shift out of place. Unlike a toilet seat, you will never be able to tighten this toilet seat riser enough to prevent it from moving.$LABEL$0 +Yet another shiny piece of junk toaster. What's funny is other reviewers either love this thing or hate it. Nothing in between. I'm going to guess the lovers like light toast and the haters like dark toast. I'm very particular about my toast, and I'm a hater...This thing looks shiny and cool, but toasts bread unevenly--it burns one tip of the bread and leaves the opposite unheated!!!! I think it has too much empty space and not enough elements for even toasting. The early release lever takes a struggle to operate. Then it flings the toast onto the counter, which is great for cartoons but not for reality. And the oven part has no timer so it's burned everything I've ever put in it.If you want toast, the best thing to do nowadays is buy the cheapest and smallest toaster you can find--once a year. They're all made in China, they're all junk, and few of them last more than a year. I bet Chinese don't even eat toast!$LABEL$0 +All Time Favorite Book. I have returned to this book time and time again over the last decade. It is my all time favorite book. Not only is it easy to read, but it's a quick read with a great story.$LABEL$1 +Horrible Decisions. Whoever decided to choose a graphics engine that will not run on sub-$200 graphics cards should be fired.$LABEL$0 +Reviewing the BOOK not the SELLER here. This book reads like the instruction manual for a rocket ship. I don't think I learned a single thing from it because I gave up trying to understand it after the introductory chapter. So many quotations from the original theorist with no explanation or examples. It was impossible to read. Ugh, waste of a semester.$LABEL$0 +History of Newton County, Mississippi 1834-1894. An excellent study of pertinent facts relating to the early history of Newton County, Mississippi. A. J. Brown uses many sources to inform his reader, including verbal interviews of residents of Newton County, court records, federal census records, state records and newspaper accounts. This book is of interest to those who wish to learn more about early settlers of Newton County, and what life was like for citizens after the Civil War. It does not touch upon every family. The primary focus is on those the writer believes are the leading citizens, therefore, those seeking a comprehensive study of this area may be disappointed. However, this history does provide a general feel for the time and place with some detailed discussion.Charlotte GressettGenealogy researcher$LABEL$1 +mornings?. Mornings With Fulton Sheen. What can I say,but,WoW. I loved this book. It is amazing how this book seemed relevant. Every time I read these pages the words written are applicable. I enjoyed this book tremendously. This book does what every good book should do; it denies the reader the right to misunderstand. Great work!$LABEL$1 +A Grotesque Caricature. Tom Wolfe clearly has not been to college in the last 50 years, because his portrait of college life is so vastly overblown and beleaguered with every stereotype assigned to today's world of higher education that the story itself is completely lost. There is little that is original or even interesting is his truly one-dimensional novel about a girl who can only be characterized as the single most nave college student on the planet, complemented by every jock and frat boy stereotype that exists in nature. I happen to be familiar with the university this novel is based on and I can say that he appears not to have really delved fully into his research in regard to what college life is like there. I feel a more realistic and not so oversexed and oversimplified novel could have been a successful book. But this just reeks of an old man outside his generation grasping at what he thinks people want to read about college life.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointed..Buy the book. I'd wanted to see the movie for some time now and was given the book as a gift. The book itself was pretty good but was so descriptive it ruined the movie for me. I finished the book on Sunday and decided to rent instead of buying the movie on Wednesday. I was excited to see the movie but was instantly disappoint. It deviated from the book a little which was fine but the story seemed to go so fast; trying to fit as much into an hour and a half as possible. I'm a fan of all of the actresses d absolutely loved the acting of Sophie Okonedo, who played the part of sister May. All in all the movie was both over and under-acted.I don't know if I would have liked the movie had I not read the book. There were heartwarming moments and I shed a tear or two but all in all I'm glad I didn't purchase the movie. I actually could have waited until it aired o cable.$LABEL$0 +AWESOME GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!. pitching is awesome i like to c how hard randy johnson can throw his fastball. I also like to watch how dirty Tim Wakefields knuckleball is.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful. I read this book twice and then gave it to my husband, who gave it to his best friend. So far it's gone around our whole social circle... I can't really explain why I love it so much, but it's really the best thing I've read this year.$LABEL$1 +Wrong Book. I received the wrong book. NO ONE ON AMAZON HAS THIS VERSION! When I purchased the book, there were 2 sellers. One selling for $50-ish and the other at $200 (not the book, but some program?). I ordered the $50-ish priced book. When I received it, it was the CS3 version. I called the seller who told me it was the same book with a "few new details". He also said it was Amazon's fault for listing it incorrectly. He told me I should keep it and use it for a while. I opened it that day and it was NOT the same book with a few new details! Some of the menu items were not even available. I called the seller again and he said I could send it back, but I had to pay the shipping. Nice. THEY send me the wrong book and I have to pay to return it.$LABEL$0 +ya get what ya pay for. if I could give this, "so called" microscope minus stars, I would ,,this should only be sold at "toys or us" ..not even worth the hassle of returning it,.. very cheap carnival toy .,don't let the picture fool you$LABEL$0 +Coldplay one of the BEST BANDS EVER.... I loved this album! I love Chris Martin's voice I find it very soothing like a warm bath. Also, I loved the insturments! And I hate all of you who give Coldplay less than three stars because this is one of the most AMAZING BANDS EVER!$LABEL$1 +Should be required reading!. This book was incredible -- and unlike any other book on church life and growth I have read. It should be required reading for any member of a church. Mr. Scazzero addresses one of the most over-looked or denied problems in churches - emotional immaturity. Too many Christians have voluminous knowledge of Scripture, but no idea how this should apply to them as an emotional being. This book shows how to have real, authentic fellowship in a body of believers, and how to be strive for the emotional maturity that is modelled in Christ.$LABEL$1 +Very good book. Very good book with good instructions and illustrations. I has helped me to do a better job in my sewing.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Resource. Great menu ideas, good recipes.This cookbook is a gem! A lot of quantity-cooking cookbooks have recipes for things like slop and canned-cream-of-whatever-soup special. This book has simple, classy recipes along with strategies for serving a crowd of people.All of the recipes I have tried from this book have been great. Once you see her proportions and suggested quantities, it is also easy to scale other favorite recipes to serve a larger group of people.This contains recipes and menus for different-sized crowds and for different occasions (from elegent dinners to picnics).Excellent resource. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Found it as a bore. I read the first 4 chapters, i told myself this book will be good, but i just could not finish it, it never picked up. Im glad i got the book for free. There is too much hype about this book, I would rent it from a library or borrow it from a friend first. Again I need to say, this book is a bore and does not pick up.$LABEL$0 +This book might blow you away.... ...with it's ability to explain this twist of nature at a level young children can understand. I was most impressed with the fact that not only does it describe the scientific aspects of tornado formation in simple terms, it also discusses tornado safety by giving kids several examples of where they might be when a tornado hits and the best place to take cover for each situation. While the publisher lists ages 4-8 as the targeted reading level, I found with our library groups at school that our 9-11 year olds were very interested in it as well. If you have younger children and live in an area where tornadoes are a real threat, I highly recommend using this book to introduce tornado safety.$LABEL$1 +front pocket wallet with concealed money clip. I like this front pocket wallet with concealed money clip and room for credit cards versus the wallet I had that exposed everything.My ID is inside and my money and credit cards too. The money has a tentancy to slide out of the clip, but other than that, it is great.$LABEL$1 +This book is embarrasing. This book is not what you want for reveiwing for the SAT II Physics test. It attempts to make the subject material seem easy and ends up over simplifying most of it. Many of the practice test's questions are flawed and have conflicting answers in the answer keys. The second practice test has almost nothing to do with the material discussed in the book. I got a 760 on the first test and a 610 on the second. Do not buy this book.$LABEL$0 +Broke on First Use. Rather than push out the pin in the chain link, the tool's pushpin sheared in half.I suspect that part may have been defective, though, and this review isn't a blanket condemnation of the Super tool or Topeak.The reason why is, I was able to complete the chain repair using the chain tool included in my Topeak Alien II multitool. No problem with that one. So Topeak can make a chain tool that works. I might have just gotten a bum pushpin in my Super.I bought the Super in the first place because I figured the chain tool in the Alien II would be flimsy. The Alien II chain tool was to be a backup, and it performed well.I'll probably replace this with the more expensive Park CT-3, though.$LABEL$0 +excellent music. great artist getting better as he gets olde. i loved every song in this collection. he is like fine wine, gets better with age.$LABEL$1 +Olympus lens small size, light weight, but most important sharp images.. I purchased this lens to use on my E-520 and I was surpised at the compactness of this lens. I took photos at a circus and a wedding so far and I am impressed with the sharpness of the images. It could easily be carried as a prime lens for travel, especially if you are outdoors. It does hesitate some on focusing in very low light situations. Overall what a deal for great Olympus optics at $100 from Amazon. It is well worth the price.$LABEL$1 +The best heads money can buy!. These are the bottom heads for your drums, be sure to use them as that. Great referb sound, rich, clear, and powerful. These heads are a must for any kit! Just reoutfitted an old set, and make them sound like new!$LABEL$1 +First class folk singer/song writer as evidenced here!. Leigh Hilger has grown int a first class singer/songwirter. On this album Leigh has done some amazing compositions in the Americana/Folk music arena. Casting Shadows trancends the folk genre and takes you an area of music few others do. I compare her music to other great women such as Bonnie Rait, Nancy Griffith, Marcia Ball, Christine Kane etc. You will love this album regardless of your music preference. It has it all!$LABEL$0 +A Good Place to start. The medical profession in general see's co-dependency as a disease that is permanent, progressive and incurable. So you can imagine my delight when I opened this book and read, that this is not so. I am co-dependant and have stumbled through my life not really knowing why I attracted time after time negative and distructive situations within my relationships. This book has given me a glimmer of hope in that I can turn this around. One of the biggest challenges I face is understanding what happened in my life for me to be in the position I am now. This book has given me the answers to my questions and more....it has provided me with a starting point to recovery and to acquire the life skills that will enable me to have the kind of relationships with others that is my divine right.$LABEL$1 +Wrong product. Image shows an LED based bulb, what was delivered was a dual filament incandescent bulb that does not fit a standard indicator socket.I plan to return these for credit.$LABEL$0 +Should have been better. Room 33 is about a troubled young couple and a roller derby team who get stranded in an abandoned mental hospital where a crazy girl is running around and people are turning up dead sans eyeballs. Good luck figuring out much of anything beyond that. I guess the actual killer is supposed to be the crazy chick's dead father who is living on as one of her multiple personalities and was the head doctor at this place. Why is he dead? Got me. Why is he killing people? No idea. Too bad the script is such a mess, because they had the makings of a decent b-horror flick for the first half. The girls were cute and you start to care about some of them. The acting is poor but not offensive, it was filmed pretty well, but the script and plot holes are what really hurt it. Still, for budget horror you could do a whole lot worse (Secrets of the Clown, dear God).$LABEL$0 +Good Book. This is a good book for mature audiences. I would not allow my younger children to read it, as some of the analogies are disturbing, such as "God is like a lover, not a rapist."$LABEL$1 +Most fun I've had in years. I love this game. Keeps me entertained on long trips. Most fun I have had with a handheld game EVER!!!$LABEL$1 +PCH=Perfection. This is to me the most complete album he or any new age artist has ever manufactured. There are all kinds of moods to experience on this magical disc. This album is the real stuff. "Black Garden View" is the most relaxing and elegant song ever created...PERIOD!$LABEL$1 +Great but hard to crank. This toy is great, no batteries, but the crank you use is really hard, my 3 year old can not do it.I suggest getting the Thrill Hoop toy as well, the crank is easier and my little girl can play all by herself now!$LABEL$1 +Slick Little Camera. The value of this camera is its size and convenience. It does not take great photos, but for the most part, outdoor pix are not too bad. I compared exact shots from my olympus 2 and 3 megapixel, and the colors from the casio were a little washed out- not true to color. Indoor shots with low light are bad, as the flash is so small it does not produce very good photos. These are the drawbacks. I got this camera to have when I don't want to carry my larger camera and to take places that I would not otherwise have taken the other. It is cool and will draw a crowd. You will need to get an additional SD card if you want to take any number of pix, but they are cheap now. Final note, the usb/charging cradle that came with it is very nice and works well- I did not install any of their software as Win XP immediatley picked up and installed the driver.$LABEL$1 +Utilitarian Headphones. Darn good head phones if you have that remarkable ability to break everything you own. The ear pieces are quite sturdy, made of aluminum. At first are awkward to put on, but once you get them "set" they don't even feel there. Comes with a nice case, too big for a pants pocket but good for a jacket pocket or purse. Sound quality is decent, these aren't DJ quality headphones, mainly due to the lack of bass; overall sound quality is crisp and clear. And lastly, the ear pieces are not heavy enough to use as a bolo, so home defense is out of the question for this item. However, if you are an assassin, the wire seams strong enough to work as a garote.$LABEL$1 +I Think this is the best Cd I have bought to date awsome. I can't start to tell you how great this band is. They are very good. In a couple years they will be really big. I hope you take the time to listen to the whole Cd. Maxx Collins has mad skills. I listen to the whole Cd everyday$LABEL$1 +So nice to have pancakes again. After weeks on the limited choices in Atkins, trying this mix was nice alternative to eggs every morning! The consistency was a little chewy and the taste quite egg-y, but with sugar-free maple syrup I was still in heaven with every bite. I also sprinkled on some cinnamon for flavor. However, next time I'll try reducing to one egg instead of two, and see if this helps cut down the egg-iness. Not bad overall!$LABEL$1 +Detailed Method For Buckskins. The author took the complex task of making buckskins and makes it even harder by explaining the most minute details of the process. I was looking for more step by step detail on hide tanning. This book will be great for you if you really want every detail explained. I would have given this book 5 stars if it simply had an an appendix at the end of the book with step by step instructions of the process, but with much of the verbage removed.$LABEL$0 +Don't Buy AT&T phones, AT&T doesn't Back Their Product. I purchased this phone through ANTOnline. (AT&T; E5917).The answering system is OK but the cordless handset was defective. I contacted AT&T; and we both determined (AT&T; and I) that they phone was defective and they told me I had to contact ANTOnline. I contacted ANTOnline and they told me to contact AT&T; directly, so I tried emailing AT&T.; After giving AT&T; information back and forth in the email they told me to contact them through the phone. And around and around it goes. I cannot waste anymore of my time for a $10 handset. I am very disappointed in AT&T; and find that their customer service is not what it used to be. So let the buyer beware -- cannot return defective items!!!!$LABEL$0 +This has got to be a joke!. Thought I'd check out what 'death metal' is about, so listened to the track samples for this album - unbelievable! I'm astonished that anyone in their right mind could find pleasure in listening to this horrendous noise - 'music' is hardly an appropriate descriptive term here. So, if this band is at all representative of the genre, my advice to the uninitiated is: steer well clear if you like your ears! For a real 'Brainstorm' check out the track of this name on Hawkwind's 'Doremi Fasol Latido' album.$LABEL$0 +Non-compatibilitiy. This product is for use with Windows XP only. I attempted to install it on myWindows 7 laptop and was unsuccessful. The screen displayed the message that it isfor use with Windows XP only.$LABEL$0 +Sad. I dont like to see a subject like this in animation. I rented it for my grandkids but this is not a kids movie! Too heavy!$LABEL$0 +She Loves (LOVES) this thing!. I sincerely believe I could have dumped Baby Jaguar, his cast, the tapir, the feeding dish, XRay and the stethescope and just given my daughter the Rescue Pack without batteries and she would have fallen in love with it. The other toys have largely been ignored in favor of the RP. Unfortunately, the thing came with pre installed batteries and all we've heard for the last couple of days is that thing talking.As a note, we got one of these for our son about 2 years ago. He also loved it. I have no idea what happened to it, but I rated this as highly durable because I know it lasted a long time before it vanished. His Baby Jaguar is still around...$LABEL$1 +Great book! Where is it?. Great guide to parents in raising responsible loving children in today's world.$LABEL$1 +Totally wrong ending. Have you ever read a book that was absolutly perfect untill the end? The end of this book destroys the whole point of the fairy tale. I was so disapointed. It seemed that McKinley just threw everything together to create an ending. I was so excited, this book was so good untill the last two or three chapters. Then it just disgusted me. I would write a whole new ending for this book and then it would be perfect. But unless you want to write your own ending, don't waste time or money on this book. I must say though, that the sisters were great and I loved the way she wrote them. That was actually worth my time. I gave a star to each of them.$LABEL$0 +Great idea, until it broke.. I purchased this exactly a year ago and have used it on a few trips. I was on a cross-country trip last week and used the unit for about the tenth time. It broke. As I pushed the plunger down I heard a crack. I now have coffee in between the inner and outer shells of the mug. Sadly, I will throw this away and purchase a better-quality unit for my travels. Nothing is better than having a good cuppa while on the road, and nothing was worse than that crack I heard, making this unit useless.I have two Bodum glass presses at home that I use several times a day; they continue to perform yeoman service.$LABEL$0 +Protect a bub twin sunshade. I would NOT recommend this product - it's a piece of fabric with short ties which you attach to the stroller - just flops down over the kids faces - useless!$LABEL$0 +way overrated. this band was truly overrated.aside from songs like L.A woman&Light my fire what was so special about this group? the lead singer with personna but that's all.Jim Morrison was the 60's version of 2Pac a talented poet but not a great artist.but alot of personna that helped create the Myth&the Man.the music was lacking any real feeling and bottom line was just bad.a very overrated group if ever there was one.$LABEL$0 +Very Unrealistic. I bought this book because other customer reviews raved about how wonderful it was. Well, I was very disappointed. It was so awful, I couldn't even read the book all the way through. The book is almost entirely made up of sample conversations that show you how you should be talking with your children. Unfortunately, the children in these conversations are unlike any child I know. In the book, the three-year-olds talk more like ten-year-olds. It is very unrealistic. I would give it zero stars if I could. I sent the book back.$LABEL$0 +a good change of hero and heroine. It was a good read. It kept me interested in the beginning, but started to become predictable towards the end. You were still able to connect with and understand what the charcters were going through. It just kinda lost its fizz after awhile like soda when you leave it out. I wish the outcome was different in the end. It left me wondering WHAT? No way! After all that... it ends like this?This book had potential to be better, I wish it were.$LABEL$0 +Junk Player. I will never by this brand. I ordered this player month back. After waiting for 20 days, I received the player.When I tried to play a DVD movie, only first ten minutes it played the movie in color, then color changed to pink and finally it displayed only Black and White.I called Cyberhome support, I did all kind of troubleshooting as per cyberhome supports instruction. No luck. Then I called Amazon, they said they will replace the unit.Last week I receive the my replacement unit. I think this unit is comparatively better. The reason is, it displayed the DVD movies in color for 20 to 30 minutes. And it goes to pink and finally Black and White.Today I am returning this unit also.It you check Cyberhome's web site support page, they say it you see pink are Black and White picture adjust the DVD setup. That is not true. It didn't work for the player I got it.This player is not even worth for single star.$LABEL$0 +Disapointing. I loved the New Mickey Mouse Club from season 1, even as new episodes were showing while I was still in high school. I was very excited to see that Disney was releasing this, even if it were only a few episodes based around three of the many talented kids on the show. The fond memories I have that revolve around this show...However, the four episodes on this DVD did not highlight the talent of Christina, Britney and Justin or the rest of the cast for that matter. All the musical numbers (except one) were prerecorded from the MMC concert. The skits were not some of the best, but Keri Russel fans will probably get a kick out of seeing her in many of the episodes. I hope people who buy this DVD don't judge the entire show on these four episodes.$LABEL$0 +Fabulous, cherish each story!. Miracles happen every day. Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal are angels themselves, bringing these fantastic stories to millions of people. Buy and read every single one of their books. Not only are they hard to put down, you won't be able to look at your life with the same eyes ever again!$LABEL$1 +Absolute worst customer service. We had major problems with our after-market radio. The installers tried a new radio that Sirius sent and a new antenna that they sent. Neither helped. My wife then called customer service and that was a huge mistake. She spent 2 hours being bounced around and hung up on. It was as if they didn't care about our business in any shape or form. Then they would say things like "I don't see any orders on your account so I can't help you." What does that even mean? They wanted to send another of the same model but we had already been through all that.In the end it was easier to cancel the service and eat all the money we'd put into it so far than to deal with them. Customer service/retention/tech support would not do anything for us. The radio service is great if it works, but if it doesn't, may the gods help you because Sirius won't.$LABEL$0 +Ransom. This is the worst Lois Duncan Book I have ever read! The plot was well, and the characters were secure, but the way she kept the story going as if it didn't even have an end, made me want to stop reading it. I seriously FORCED myself to read this.Lois Duncan is my favorite author, and I have read fantastic books by her such as: Locked In Time, Stranger With My Face, and Down A Dark Hall. If you love reading suspense and thrillers, read these. But if you enjoy being bored and hate having to finish a book because you started it, read this.$LABEL$0 +Second pair and counting.... I bought my first pair and loved them, now on second pair and still love them. Sturdy, forgiving but still rugged. Break in is fairly quick and I only have a little discomfort initially with the upper ankle area. This is due to the stiff rubber/plastic that wraps the ankle. I do not mind the break in period as this same piece offers good ankle support also. Only drawback is the price, ouch. I have never paid $200.00 which is the price at the time of this review as they are usually around 129.00 to 169.00.Overall a good boot and I also prefer them to the Acadia.$LABEL$1 +The Light in The Darkness. My brother came from England yesterday, he brought me a couple of cds i needed but he also brought me this jewel.The Darkness is seriously the best rock band i been heard in at least ten years, i just love it. i'm gonna listen the whole album ten thousand times and then i'm gonna know if it's really THAT great band.$LABEL$1 +Fats Domino - Greatest Hits. It had great songs. There was just one other hit I had hoped it would have, but didn't.Sound quality was good.$LABEL$1 +PQ review!!. Look i know the films are old and they weren't preserved that well but i feel funimation could of done allot more to clean the films picture up there's way to much grain.$LABEL$0 +Best Posion the Well album. For those of you who rate Hopesfall: The Satellite Years, I'd recommend you get this album, Yes it's that good! Try listening to the song 'The Realist' and you'll know what I mean.$LABEL$1 +Not for climbers !. Loved this gate until my son .. 17 months.. learned to climb ! He puts his toes in the gate and just climbs up and over it !It is attached to the kitchen counter, so he climbs up the gate on the counter and, well.. you can imagine the rest !So if you have a climber I would recommend one that has the long slats vs one that has "holes" in it for their toes ..$LABEL$0 +Rosetta Stone. We are very unhappy with this purchase because we cannot down load it on to our computer due to the fact the product is too old. And the seller will not communicate with us! We are trying to return this and get a refund and are not have ing any luck! Can you help us?$LABEL$0 +Well worth the $. I would highly recommend this video for those looking to tone and slim but who don't want to spend too much time working out. Each workout is only 25 minutes and it is broken down into three circuits, plus a warm up and cool down. In each circuit 3 minutes are dedicated to strength training, 2 minutes to cardio, and 1 minute to abdominal work. This format makes it easy for quitters like me to push through a hard work-out since I know whatever I'm having trouble with will be over soon. The three different workouts keep things interesting and pack a punch. The only improvement would be an extended cool down period -- I often need to stretch more afterwards.$LABEL$1 +Great sight, great price!. Easy five stars. I used this sight to replace the stock front sight on my Glock 23. I've never been a fan of Glock OEM sights. I blacked out the rear white "goal post" on the stock rear sight with a black marker and mounted the HiViz on the front with a little blue Loctite. Standard 3/16 nut driver ground down to fit in the slide works perfect to tighten the screw. Love this setup. It will be my go to set for all my pistols.$LABEL$1 +A book that will appeal to the envy of America. 200 years ago, European nations dominated the world in absolutely every aspect-culturally, economically, militarily, etc. Now, in the 21st Century, the tables have dramatically changed across the Atlantic. The U.S. is now the strongest superpower the world has ever seen. For the first time in history, there is a nation out there with the might and influence greater than Europe COMBINED. If one doesn't believe me, just look the stats up and compare them. One example would be that the US spends more on its military and on technology than the rest of the world COMBINED, let alone old Europe. And people wonder why the most high-tech nation on Earth...$LABEL$0 +Not THAT bad.... ok, ninja gaiden is hard, it will kick the crap outta u, blah blah blah... but the camera is not the real problem (i only died once from it) and yeah the save points are a bitch, but the real problem is... the end of the level.i'm not saying it's hard, i'm saying it's ridiculuos. you reach an aztec maze (but i thought we were in japan) filled with only one enemy, those spooky fish, who can't be blocked or attacked by any weapon but the dragon sword or ninpo. you'll find urself racing jamming on Y and B until u reach the next level: a tower were the halls are filled with spooky fish and the rooms are the typical kill till the door unlocks puzzles.other than that it's an ecsellently crafted game with awsome fighting and an awsome story.$LABEL$1 +Trading the Forex Market. The book was worth the money as well as the time to read and study it. I have traded futures but am newly introduced to the Forex. I learned a lot of basics and insights relative to the unique aspects of Forex and swing trading and momentum trading. Raghee gives a lot of practical advice.$LABEL$1 +Great booster seat. I like this seat because it's really compact, lightweight, truly portable, and most important, there aren't a million crevices and holes for food pieces to fall into, never to be recovered!$LABEL$1 +3 yrs old and still looks as new. I had it for 3 years and still works and looks like the first day. Color has not fade. It is not very heavy, just normal.$LABEL$1 +Does not do well in the wind. My family bought a set (4-5) of these tents in the late 80's. Good looking. Easy to use.... Then the storm hit. The wind mangled these things into pretzels. The poles were never the same after that. Domed tents, even bottom of the line Colemans, do so much better in the wind. Domed tents are cheaper, roomier, sturdier.$LABEL$0 +Now I have to read all his work!. The interest this book garnered due its nomination for Thw Whitbread Award was well deserved. My only disappointment was that it didn't win.Set during the 80's it charts the rise of Solidarity. Begging the question 'Remind me, so who are the good guys again?'This is a very emtional, personal journey. I laughed all the way through but it has moments of such poignancy I was very mved too. Not in that fake kind of maudlin may, but the real kind of feeling; real people,live,traumas and laughter.Put down everything else and read this now.$LABEL$1 +Finzi wrote the best clarinet concerto ever !. As a collector of clarinet concerto's, this is my favourite concerto. This Naxos cd is extreme value for money ! We hand them out as business gifts and everybody likes the cd very much,$LABEL$1 +thin but good for the woodstove enthusiast or emergency cooking. bought as a present, the gift receiver really liked it...especially when her electricity went out in an ice storm and she had to rely on her wood stove for heat and cooking.$LABEL$1 +Value. This was a good buy --- great value for the money. It was very useful to me and my cooking needs.$LABEL$1 +Does not work for MX500 Mice. I bought this pad originally for my Intellimouse explorer mouse.Using the Intellimouse with this pad is a joy for a short while. A week later and my Mx500 arrived..this is where the problem started. I noticed the pointer moves in random directions when you move the mouse slowly. I thought that this was because the mouse had some tiny scratches on it. So i cleaned it and used it again..no luck.Today i went to staples to have it exchanged for a similar mousepad. To my dismay, the pointer still goes awry if you move the mouse slowly if used with a Mx500 mouse. So if you have a logitech mx controller.. proceed with caution.$LABEL$0 +Broken Fan Blades in 3 Days. I have owned this product 4 days and already twice a blade from the fan has come dislodged and stopped the fan.I am not abusing this product. I leave it on the bed, (no desk) and when I have come home from work two nights in a row, it has been broken. I am taking it back, you get what you pay for but this is ridiculous. Will be returning it to Walmart tomorrow.$LABEL$0 +not what I hoped for. I loved...LOVED shake off the dust and live @ stubbs. I saw matis twice live and he was more incredible than words can explain. Of course I respect his right as an artist to grow, evolve, and expand. But for me, this album seemed to get away from what made Matty matter to me. i'll keep listening but, have been playing the old album since. It seems he went for a poppier sound, trying to cross over genres and reach more people. his original sound put him in the spolight and now he's gonna switch it up... fine. it's just not there for me.$LABEL$0 +Very good start up kit. For beginners you got what you need to start making your own wine.Try it. I'm enjoying my wine every weekend.$LABEL$1 +Gotta love YellowBox!. YellowBox shoes can be a little pricey but are worth it and these are no exception, great purchase and worth the price!$LABEL$1 +Makes me ashamed for the author.... Good grief, why did that little line at the start... "without editorial input' not warn me?Sure the top writers around the world need editors, but this work is so perfect it doesn't?The grammar and spelling mistakes littered through the book are atrocious. Even some of the worst fanfiction writers manage to run spell-check.Then a character arrived with 'violet eyes', a fanfiction favourite that should have sent me running to the hills.I like the idea of bringing fantasy into the grittier parts of Britain, but everything else here has been done to death. Villains laugh hysterically; heroes stand dramatically shouting 'NO!' to the horizon; everyone is extraspeciallysuper beautiful and handsome.$LABEL$0 +Lots of Old Fashioned Fun!. Extremely imaginative and brimming with first rate special effects, The Adventures of Captain Marvel is lots of old-fashioned fun from start to finish. Certainly one of the best serials of the 1940s.$LABEL$1 +Elsie's story continues. This is the fifth book in a series, though this and the fourth book didn't have too much to do with the first three books. The first three - 'Fourth Grade Wizards', 'Nothing's Fair in the Fifth Grade', and 'Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You', were set in elementary school, but the last two books focused on Elsie Edwards.Elsie made her first appearance in 'Nothing's Fair in the Fifth Grade' and was in the next book, though with a considerably smaller role. Here, she's seventeen and no longer fat after losing weight in the fifth grade. But she still has plenty of insecurities (as shown in the fourth book) and this book is geared for older readers, but still rather good if you read the rest of this series.$LABEL$1 +Awesome!. Nothing like the shine of chrome on a 1970 Buick GSX....it may only be 1:18 but it looks like it's 18:18. :)$LABEL$1 +Good speakers, poor quality user manual. I bought a pair of these to replace the blown woofers in my 30 year old Advent loudspeakers. I needed to enlarge the hole in the speaker boxes slightly to make them fit. (No problem here, Pyle makes no claim they will fit the Advent boxes.) The speakers sound great. The only reason this review is not 5 stars is the user manual, which is full of typos and obviously translated into very fractured English. But this is not a big deal.$LABEL$1 +Only use if you are an octopus!. I was so excited to get this wrap. My baby constantly wanted to be held and I thought this would make us both happy. I was very wrong. It arrived and when I opened it I knew we were going to have issues. It came with a very thick instruction manual and the option to watch a video online. Still, I gave it a try. Many tries. The thing is very very long. First you have to fold it in half lengthwise, then you have to drape it this way and that way, pick up and position the baby, then wrap and tie it. Perhaps if I had eight arms or someone to help me, this would have worked. However, after using it a few times, I returned it. I opted for a more traditional type carrier that I could get the baby in and out of myself...with my own TWO arms :)$LABEL$0 +Pass the Cheese. Ok yes this is a cheesy love or hate movie, but the one thing that I will mention that I hadnt seen in another review was of the audio commentay track by the director. Listenting to him discuss many of the choices both from a plot standpoint as well as an editorial standpoint was very entertaining. Without it i would say just rent the video to get it out of your system but he commentary actually makes this worth owning and watching more than once.$LABEL$1 +The Best Point-n-shoot I have ever used. I love its portability, ease-of-use and picture quality. It has enough options to control exposure, timings, color temp etc for a amateur photographer. (The 5-star ratings are keeping in mind what I expect from a point-n-shoot camera. Obviously the picture quality is not as good as a SLR.) I have used it extensively and loved every bit of it. Except recently, when it died due to lens error. I guess some particles (sands?) got stuck in the lens system. Now it fails to start. The repairing cost is not justified. I would highly recommend this camera unless you are a serious photographer and need something more than point-n-shoot.$LABEL$1 +Sonic Earz Personal Sound Amplifier. I bought this unit for litening to TV. Even sitting right in front of tv all I can hear is back ground noise. It didn't work at all for me.$LABEL$0 +DVD purchase. This title does not rage. The story takes on a dream-like quality to portray the strength of the lust and confusion within the young character. It never realized what it was attempting and could have become.$LABEL$0 +If you loved skinny puppy.... If you loved skinny puppy for more than just the image don't waist your money. Welt was horrible too. I myself love skinny puppy, but considering how harsh and seemingly musicaly unskilled they are find it hard to believe many other people feel the same way about them. If you like that dank locked in an old celler feel that skinny puppy has this won't be your cup of tea. It sounds way to digital. Where's the love? Where's the analog?$LABEL$0 +If I could give it a ZERO, I would!!. This is the worst phone I have ever owned...and I've had many. Sure, it's cute and light, but the phone is constantly dropping calls, gets TERRIBLE reception, decides not to ring when it feels like it and the battery life is about 36 hours with no talking and about 24 hours if you talk for about 1-2 hours (in battery save mode). I certainly would NOT recommend this phone to anyone. I had a Motorola before this which was absolutely wonderful, even after I dropped it in my dog's water dish! I thought this phone would be equally as great, but I'm very disappointed!! With my old phone I had perfect reception everywhere in my apartment, now I have to stand by the window and most times this phone won't ring in the apartment at all.The things that I do like over my old phone is the option to have true tones and it takes better pictures. Not worth it though! Think twice before buying this phone!$LABEL$0 +Have you heard of tunnel vision?. This book is very disappointing. I was even appalled at the nerve of the author to re-release this book and identify the man he THINKS is the Zodiac killer after the man's death. The author actually demonstrates how an investigation can get botched with tunnel vision. A prime suspect is the sole focus and evidence is distorted any way it can be to "prove" this suspect is the Zodiac killer. There were other possible leads and suspects that were discounted by the author.By the time you reach the middle of the book, you'll see it is already obvious who the author THINKS is the Zodiac killer. The rest of the book discounts other leads and suspects and focuses on "evidence" that "proves" the author has identified the Zodiac Killer. Very disheartening.It should be noted the author is not an investigator and the identity of the Zodiac killer remains a mystery to this day. The author has NOT proven his "identification" of the Zodiac killer. This book is a shame.$LABEL$0 +The only book I have ever thrown away. This book was fraught with inaccuracies (who has ever heard of a Shaker family? they're celibate!) and gruesome scenes, starting in the first chapter. I usually donate children's books to the library after I have read them, but this one I tossed in the trash.$LABEL$0 +BORING. Why buy a (boring, preaching on being green and saving money) book when you can save the money?$LABEL$0 +A Must for Browns Fans. Great book for a unique insight into the history of the franchise and the experience of being a Cleveland Brown with unique one-of-a-kind illustrations and great stories as told by players. Browns fans will love it!$LABEL$1 +Uplifting. I love this book! So joyous! Read it and BLIEVE!!!We are Children of our Heavenly Father who LOVES US!!$LABEL$1 +EXCELLENT PRODUCT!!!. Great stuff,just add to gas and it stays fresh!!This is a must for people who dont use up their gas very quick.$LABEL$1 +WHY DOES THE PRICE KEEP GOING UP AND UP AND UP???. Is amazon, getting sooo greedy??? This product was sold at $125 just a short time ago and now it has increased by $25 in that short time...What's going on with Amazon...The more they sell the greedier they get???$LABEL$1 +BSA -BS30 Boresighter. Not very happy with the product did not fit like it was suppose to would not stay in place I returned the product.$LABEL$0 +Easy read, informative, positive and interesting. I have a 16 year old daughter who suffers from panic disorder. I read this book first and then passed it on to her. It is a simple read that took a few hours to get through.It explains subject matter in an easy to understand format. It is also a very positive read and should give the reader hope and some understanding.$LABEL$1 +Love all the pockets. The bag is durable and comfortable to carry. I love all the pockets. My only complaint would be the width. The main compartment is just wide enough to carry documents, but because the bag does not have reinforcement, the documents bend. I put two pieces of cardboard inside to give some support to the main compartment--problem solved.$LABEL$1 +skip it. I'm a huge smap fan and this is possibly one of their worst. I cannot imagine what made them think this song was a good idea. It's a sort of parody/sampling of a lot of their other songs cobbled together into a discordant mish-mash.$LABEL$0 +To large when I received them. I have already a pair of the Havaianas but unfortunately had to return the ones I ordered as they were to big.I had ordered the size I have already but the ones I received were huge ............. however had no problems with Amazon returning them - first class all the time.$LABEL$0 +A Waste of Good Talent. "Music for Elevators" this is not! I bought this based on the singing ability of Anthony Stewart Head and the title. I was expecting soft music/ballads...something relaxing. This CD is nothing but Techno-Pop or more appropriatly Techno-Garbage. Half the time you can't even hear his voice over the music. It is a waste of a fine voice and talent.$LABEL$0 +Is this really for solaris 10?. Solaris 10 has new features like dtrace,svcadm,zones but none of this is covered in the book?? This looks like a reprint of solaris 8 with some end notes tacked on.Avoid this book;$LABEL$0 +Nice Product. Like the product. Great idea. The only problem is trying to find a telephone number for Amazon once you do order it and have a problem with your on-line account that can not be solved via email. I had to use "Google" to find the number. It was on a web site called "Amazon.com: The Death Of Customer Service". Might want to find a phone number before you order.$LABEL$1 +Didn't work - old school. Don't waste you money on this software. Several of the games didn't work properly and my son lost interest after an hour.$LABEL$0 +Please tell me that box design is a joke. Seriously!. Seriously, no kidding, if that is the box design that is released in the final version -- then someone better be shot. You *cannot* release 5 seasons in a standard format, then come out with a garbage box design like that. What part of the word 'collectors' do you people not understand? Adding this insult to the ridiculous wait time for the Simpsons coming out on DVD, and I am starting not to care about the series anymore. Fox and Company, *GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!*$LABEL$0 +Leather Case Very Disappointing. WARNING!!! Can not use button features to operate Zen player because leather case is way too tight! You can hardly get the player into the case so no amount of time or breaking in period is going to fix the problem. Sadly, it's like having a pair of shoes that are so tight you have to remove them so you can walk. [...]$LABEL$0 +Epson R2400 Print Results. I purchased the R2400 from B&H, NYC. After a brief installation set up, I was ready to print. The images came out streaking from upper right to bottom left. After speaking to Epson tech support I was instructed by them to return the unit because"it should not be streaking diagonally, ecspecially right out of the box". I exchanged the unit with another one and experienced the same problem. Whether I printed from photshop or iphoto the streaks continued on 99% of my prints (with Epson paper). After trading emails w/ Epson tech. support, I ended up returning the 2nd unit as well. Maybe I hit a bad batch but the R2400 was for me, an exercise in frustration.$LABEL$0 +THIS IRON IS NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!. I purchased this flat iron from Amazon EXACTLY 60 days ago and this morning, when I plugged it in the red light turned on.....when I came back to straighten my hair a little while later, the light was off and the iron was cool. After going to work with frizzy hair I returned home to try it again...no luck. I should have listened to the other negative reviews on this site. The iron is not covered by the warranty because it was purchased from Amazon, not an authorized hair salon! I took my chances when ordering the iron because the price was right....Buyer BEWARE, spend a few more dollars and buy it from a hair salon. Ulta Beauty has the iron for a similar price when it's on sale! Like some other reviewers I think this is a cheaper version of the ones that sell in salons. My daughter has the Paul Brown flat iron and it's been great for over a year!$LABEL$0 +America will rot because of its unwillingness to evolve. YOU PEOPLE THAT LOVE THIS CRAP OF A MOVIE ARE THE SAME AH THAT WILL B & MOAN ABOUT RAP MUSIC AND CLAIM IT SHOULD BE BANNED ........ONLY IN AMERICA ARE PEOPLE SO STUPID ......... One if the worst movie to ever exist. More time should of been spent thinking about what was being made here for all of eternity, the director later discribed this movie as his biggest mistake, Which he tried to make ammends with in his next film . there's more important movies out there that should be remastered not this.This movie will always be a symbol of intolerance in America, and the reason this country will die a slow death.YOUR ONLY AS STRONG AS YOUR WEAKEST PART"S (the 1 percent of the countrys wealth prove that).......THE SAYIN GOES WHEN YOU CANT WIN AN ARGUMENT CORRECT THEIR GRAMMER INSTEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1$LABEL$0 +PLEASE! Say it ain't so.... Is this the same Shaw that has a law firm on Long Island known as Shaw, Licitra, Esernio, Bohner & Schwartz? The one that receives so much praise, patronage and rewards from the heirarchy of people in power? If you need a lawyer or firm with influence and crooked political connections, this one is among the top ten.$LABEL$0 +Kids Enjoy the Content. This was purchased for two little ones, ages 2 and 1. The content features Pim, an animated panda, intermixed with footage of children and parents in everyday situations. Basic objects and actions are introduced then repeated several times before being used in simple phrases and sentences. There is a menu option to see English subtitles. It would be great (for adults) if there was also an option to see the Chinese vocabulary spelled out phonetically in English. However, the kids are obviously the target audience and they seem to really enjoy the videos.$LABEL$1 +Good Bracelet. i thought that it might be more flexible.the "gold" accents are on an interesting design.i have had a number of complimentary comments on the bracelet.the clasp takes a little getting accustomed to.$LABEL$1 +Double must. Must 1: Get to know Jamey Aebersold because he is an excellent music teacher. And I follow those I believe are the best teachers in their fields. Must 2: If you are struggling with jazz improvisation,chords, two hand voicing and the like, you will improve your knowledge a lot with this DVD.$LABEL$1 +does not drip. faucet works as intended so far, the seal at the container is pretty straight forward, and seals without issues. The faucet itself has not sprung any kind of leak.$LABEL$1 +The mob-busters' point of view. Written by two of the FBI agents who in 1981 bugged the home of mob boss Paul Castellano, head of New York's Gambino famiy, Boss of Bosses is a nail-biter that keeps you on the edge of your seat. We follow them as they place their surveillance equipment and then monitor Castellano's day-to-day activities. Along the way they pick up juicy information about the boss's personal life, particularly his love for the family maid and the lengths he will go to please her. Some readers have complained that the book is more soap opera than true crime, but I think that's a big part of its strength. The authors show the godfather as a real man not just a power on a Mafia throne. The book is also good background on the conditions within the family that led to Castellano's assassination and the ascent of John Gotti.$LABEL$1 +The Best Book on the Subject of Spot Metering!. Too many photo "how to" books slide right over the importance of metering, especially spot metering. You wonder why your photos lack the detail and color that your remembered when you shot that picture. This book is wonderful. It is the only book that I have come across that explains in great detail how the camera works and how to determine the exposure you desire using the spot meter. You will be amazed at how much better your photos will be if you turn off that automatic stuff and let your brain decide what your exposure should be. After you have read those books about aperture, shutter speed and depth of field (they all seem to read the same), read this book to learn how to expose/meter correctly. I am so glad that I did!$LABEL$1 +Excellent watch.. I bought two of these for my twin daughters. They are proud and wear these regularly. One asked me when she should get the battery replaced. Surprise! these never need a battery because they are powerd by the most common energy source.... Light. I have my own Eco-Drive watch and love the fact that I only have to expose to room light to keep it going for years. I chose this design because it was identical to a watch they gave me for father's day years ago. Now we are all twins.$LABEL$1 +Netbook to TV Connection. I now am able to watch downloaded movies from my Netbook to our big screen TV with a simple connection. Great product and supplier delivered on time.$LABEL$1 +Pumpkins In Ruins. Hey Billy- Now that you've ruined HOLE, AND your own band what are you going to do next??? Sing a duet with BRITTANY SPEARS???$LABEL$0 +Repititive. This book is very repititive. If you like books in which things are repeated, this is the book for you because things are repeated in it. This book says the same thing in different ways. Similar ideas are stated in different ways many times in the book. Although stated differently, many times, a sentence states the same idea that was stated previously. This happens many times. Many many ideas are repeated many many times. It gets redundant.$LABEL$0 +What the ????. This CD is filled with poor choices from the beginning, but I'm wondering if anyone experienced what I have? My tracklisting is totally off! The CD cover warns one to refer to the booklet inside for correct track listing (which moves song #15 (I Need You) to song #3, thus placing "Lost" in 4th position. So..when you play the CD the song titles do not match the song that's playing. After song #3 you're always going to be off by one song. SO Annoying. You have to go in and manually change the title off each song in your IPOD. Just another dent in an already poor release.$LABEL$0 +Too expensive. Like printer ink these little bits of plastic and magnets are total rip-offs. Look that them. $12 each? Give me a break. And then they "recommend" throwing it away after three months. I used my last one for two years. When the handle goes, I will NOT be buying another one of these.$LABEL$0 +works poorly. The shuffler flips cards over several times during one shuffle so that we have several cards rightside up when we draw. This is disconcerting when playing. It also jams often and we have to stop and unjam it before we can finish shuffling. The only good things I can say about this shuffler is that it does handle four decks with ease and its easier to deal with these problems than to shuffle four decks by hand.$LABEL$0 +You need to work with this for accuracy. I guess this makes sense if you want to look and have a number. Easy to read dial. It is "lightweight" so it is shaky to secured and the bimetal spring is not protected .I have had to move it from the place for where I wanted it to a place that was my 3rd star choice for accuracy. I have to say it is a fluff piece if you work off the temp. I have had it out there for 6 months in New England weather and it has survived it's first winter. So I added a star.$LABEL$0 +A great film, but not a masterpiece. The film noir is an interesting genre. Most are crafted in a brilliant manner but the conclusion of the film seems to fall apart, not to mention some of the explanations make no sense. Chinatown has been considered to have one of the greatest endings ever filmed. While it was good, the denouement of Chinatown was definitely rushed and that hindered the film. L.A. Confidential is another noir film, and while it bears similarities to Chinatown, I feel Confidential is the better film. There are many engaging characters with more humor and action. The plot twists are as intriguing as the ones in Chinatown. The performances, especially Russel Crowe, are outstanding. It would be hard to explain this film in a couple of sentences, so I think you should just watch this movie for yourself. Overall, it is a great film, but a rather hard to believe conclusion hurts it.$LABEL$1 +Better stuff out there for $300. with regards to sound, this is a very good headsetThe noise cancelling features are very good ---- unfortunately, the 'phones suffer from discomfort and priceI compared these headphones, head to head, on an airplane, against the Sony MDR NC20, and there was no difference in sound - both performed excellently, and equally, within the airplane environment ---- however, the Sony ones were more comfortable and MUCH cheaperDon't even waster your time with the Bose Quite Comfort ---- grab a pair of the Sony's and you'll fall in love!$LABEL$0 +Not as bad as everyone says, still not worthy. Still only gets 1 star from me, no matter how good everyone says it is. I am just saying my honest opinion, that it doesn't deserve anything better than 1 star.$LABEL$0 +Give In and Send Money. The premise of this book seems to be: Your child is a legal adult, so don't tell him/her what to do, just send money. Yes, that's right, I felt that the book seemed to advise doing exactly as the son or daughter would prefer. I had hoped for a guide to ensuring that certain standards are met, in order to justify the flow of money. You know, like decent grades, reasonable plans for finishing on time, no wasting money on luxury purchases while Mom and Dad are sacrificing to pay tuition, etc. Instead, what I found was a guide to feeling OK about giving up those expectations. Not so useful.$LABEL$0 +Good reference if you know what you're doing. After having read the first thousand or so pages, I'm finally getting the hang of it. I've read all the good reviews on this one and I'm almost afraid to slam it, but it took me a long time to appreciate this book. It was recommended as the best reference on JavaScript, and now that I know what I'm doing, I would have to say it's a pretty good reference. I guess I was expecting javascript to be as easy to pick up as HTML. Wrong! I didn't realize how much closer javascript is to actual programming.$LABEL$1 +Best next to DMX. If you liked the first you'll like this one, similar beats and still got the lyrics that flow.The only CD that really kicks this ones A## is DMX, you just cant beat it. But Meth still got it goin on, just not as hard as i thought he would.Definately get it if you like DMX, Jay-z, Lox$LABEL$1 +Cute and comfortable. Glad I bought them. I own LOTS of shoes so unless there is a great price or a shoe in a color or pattern I don't have then I'm forced to pass. But I found these in a brown alligator print for $20.99 on Amazon. I decided to order them at 8.5 which I can wear in this brand if they are not too narrow.They fit great. A half size larger wouldn't hurt but these fit fine and they are super cute. Add another pair of awesome Bandalinos to my collection.$LABEL$1 +Tecno Joe!. That's right- Joe Satriani has gone techno! With that being said though, this CD is chock full of BLISTERING LEAD WORK. If you are looking for the crunchy metal hooks ala "Surfing With the Alien" or "Crystal Planet", you WILL NOT find them here. The old, worn out metal themes have been replaced with dense textured synths, electronic drums, and synth guitars. This is absolutely the most original guitar recording to come out in a LONG time. The lead work is phenomenal (as usual), but this time it takes on an exotic, improvised jazzy feel. Standout tunes include "Devil Slide" with it's machine gun synth guitar rhythms and dueling solos, the atmospheric Rush styled "Flavor Crystals", and "Borg Sex" which digitally builds to an AWESOME solo climax. Joe certainly had his creative engines running full throttle and if you will listen with an OPEN mind, you will see that he has trailblazed a new path for instrumental guitar.$LABEL$1 +Not the worst I've read -- but it comes close.... Having met Robert Wise, I had high hopes for this novel when I started it. Unfortunately, after less than one chapter I realized that those hopes were ill-founded. "The Dead Detective" lacks all of the things that make novels readable -- interesting characters, snappy dialogue, believable plotlines. Instead, we are given one-dimensional characters, cliche-driven dialogue and a plot which simply never makes sense.I will quantify all of this by saying that, if you have loved every novel in the "Left Behind" series, you might really like Mr. Wise's novels. If, however, you are looking Christian literature on the level of Frank Peretti, Randy Alcorn or Ted Dekker, you should look elsewhere. In the world of Christian fiction, there are many great choices. This simply isn't one of them.$LABEL$0 +Good song selection, great Riddim. I'll start by saying that this cd is loaded with todays top dancehall stars. With stars like Elephant man, Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killer, and Zumjay plus many more. My cd however I think is defective because I can hear little skips but they are hardly noticed. This is a great dancehall riddim that has been used by many stars for good reason it's Great!! From the same guy who made the ever popular Diwali riddim probably the most popular riddim ever made!! So this would be a great choice for someone who likes dancehall. I would also recommend The Diwali riddim cd from Greensleeves, it has many great artists like, Spragga Benz, Elephant Man, T.O.K., Danny English and Egg Nog, Bling Dawg and many more!!!$LABEL$1 +long battery life!. Bought this with my new Cannon SX1 IS because I didn't want to be buying double A batteries all the time. After the first charge, I took over 300 pictures and about 10 video over three weeks before needing to change the batteries.$LABEL$1 +pseudo-analytic nonsense. This book is completely useless for a serious web designer. Completely misguided from an aestetics point of view, this book doesn't go further than a pseudo-analysis of design style. Even the "techniques" section is really a couple of "how to copy this" advice, nothing deeper or broader.The novice won't find anything to grasp the essentials or fundamentals of what design really is (or a particular "style" for that matter), the pro will find this useless. Don't even think about usability of cource.There is much more to design than this book suggests and certainly freshness doesn't come from copying a style bound to be trivial in a couple of months but from analysing and deepening in what design for web is.If you come from a design background you are already well equiped so, look for something on usability rather.If you are a novice avoid this copycat approach to design and look for something on the fundamentals.$LABEL$0 +Krupps egg cooker. Love it, use it daily. Great for hard boiled eggs. Cooks quickly and efficiently. Breakfast much easier and quicker in my household.$LABEL$1 +Horrible and pervasive chemical odor. It is pretty hard to criticize a fitness ball. I have seen this brand at several gyms and the quality seems durable enough. Unfortunately, the ball has such a pervasive and intense odor that it is impossible to keep in your home. I truly can't emphasize this enough. After putting it in the closet, the smell transferred to all of my clothes. Finally, I put it in the hallway of my building (a small 3 story Victorian). Even after a week, the *entire* building smells like this weird chemical odor. And the halls are wide and airy (with no heat). I cringe at the thought of actually bumping into one of my neighbors. I have held off returning this in the hopes that the ball would air out. But no such luck. Returning these items is always a drag, and it is hard not to be just a little resentful at the lack of quality control.$LABEL$0 +Epson Stylus Photo R800 Inkjet Printer. Broke down out of warranty, cost another $105 to find out that it could not be fixed. Junked it.$LABEL$0 +The story line is slow very slow. The main character is a manic depressive woman who is very annoyed with life because it is unfair, and she ended up in the wrong side of the table. So she resents everyone that happened to be lucky enough to avoid life traps and despises those who fell on them. Eventhough the book is beautifully written, the dark mood that the author impress on its main character, permeates to the reader and you become up caught in an atmosphere whereby reading is an effort, so each page develops slow, very slow.$LABEL$1 +Worst headset purchase in 2010. This headset has been the worst purchase to use with audio and mic functions on my PC. When I had conversations with other people, the mic cut out. The headset could not be used at the same time the mic was being used.For the best quality headset, purchase the Skype Everyman. It works beautifully with Skype and other audio sound / speak functions.$LABEL$0 +the worst waste of time ever (well and jaws 3). "agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"i screamed not at the scaryness of the film at the stupidness of it. the shark looks like a dead salmon on a pole and is sometimes balencing on the boat.the beggining just askes for troulble as the blown up,electricuted,frazzled comes back and chews up the kid whats his name.ellen broady has flashbacks of things she diddnt see.the film is awfull.i wish i was eaten by a shark then see this."this time its personal"said the catchphrase.more like "this time its stupid"$LABEL$0 +Warner, LISTEN!. I just wrote to Warner Bros., saying that if they're going to release a Friends Blu-ray Disc boxset, they are going to have to put the extended versions that were first made for DVD release onto the Blu-ray Discs in 1080p24p/60i and Dolby Digital Plus 48KHz/24-bit 7.1 form, and they're going to have to add additional footage that originated from the broadcast prints to these new Blu-ray prints that may have been removed for some unclear reasons.Yeah, this word should be spread to them.$LABEL$0 +Dreamweaver UltraDev 4. ***** "For anyone interested in developing/enhancing their skills in Web Design and particularly database driven web design, Dreamweaver Ultra Dev 4 offers a library of the most current, "cutting edge" information available. It is a straight forward, clearly written presentation that includes valuable advice on the importance of planning,"forward thinking", understanding client needs, avoiding pitfalls through the process to implementation. The tutorials included on the CD are excellent for the neophite to database driven web development and prepare you for the thorough and comprehensive treatments in the text itself. This book is a "Tower of Technical information" for anyone wanting to grasp database driven web development using the UltraDev development platform. If you buy one book for UltraDev this one should be the one!$LABEL$1 +Not worth the time or money. This book repeats a few of the strategies presented in "The E-Myth Revisted", trying to point them at the contractor. Unfortunately, except for a couple of good ideas from that book, there is nothing here but fluff and pep talk. At one point, I think you can actually tell where material was cut-and-pasted from the sister book about medical practices, where they accidentally forgot to change "practice" to "contracting business".If you found some chapters of the "The E-Myth Revisted" to be a bit fluffy for you, you can count on an entire (although short) book of it here. Very dissapointing and not particularly useful.$LABEL$0 +Unusual. Brand New is a band that I just do not understand. Lately, I have found myself listening to Deja Entendu frequently on someones itunes playlist on my local network, and I am puzzled. This cd has absolutly no flow at all. Some of the tracks do not even sound like the same band, especially "Play Crack The Sky," which sounds exactly like a Counting Crows song. The good thing about this album is that they aren't doing the exact same thing as every other band in this oversaturated genre. However, much of this seems forced, and that they are trying to hard to be different. I cannot stand the track titles either.$LABEL$0 +Great film noir. I'm watching this film for about the 10th time as I write this. It is an interesting study of vengeance by the father of a murdered girl who comes to America to find and kill her murderers. There is an interesting subplot in which an older and unreleased film by Terence Stamp is used to show the backstory when he was a young man and his daughter was a child. This subplot finally explains what has happened in the modern story. It is similar and far superior to a recent film called "Taken." In both cases, the father, who has near superhuman skills, takes off after a man who has kidnapped or ( in the Limey's case) murdered his daughter. This is a better film but both are enjoyable. I can watch this one over and over. I'm not sure about the newer film.$LABEL$1 +Not Nearly What I Thought It Would Be!!!!!. The use of the word ZEN in the title confuses the issue. We are looking for a book with tips about applying Zen principles to our tennis game. THE IS NOT THE BOOK! It is cute, gives some encouraging advice but certainly not helpful with suggestions and lessons that teach relaxation. Nothing personal - just not worth the purchase.Willie$LABEL$0 +A GOOD COMPILATION FROM HIS ARISTA YEARS. I happen not to agree with the other only review on this album.This CD is a solid example of Iggy's amazing and hilarious extravaganza during the years 1979, 1980, 1981.Sure it would be better to buy the albums "New Values", "Soldier" and "Party", but if you're unsure of how Iggy sounded in the early 80's, then "Pop Music" is a good place to start.$LABEL$1 +Perfect..... CRT has really done the impossible....they have brought the complete table of contents of the book to life, and maintained faithfulness to the stories (it's not really a novel) and to Bradbury's poetic prose, and that is no mean feat. It's spread over 6 discs and runs nearly six hours. Jerry Robbins and the CRT have numerous productions under their belt and are the most prolific of production companies in the genre of "theater of the ear". Give them a try, you won't be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Mahjongg video too short for price. The video is sweet -- but BRIEF!! It's only 15-20 minutes long. That's a pretty short video for $25. I felt ripped off. I certainly didn't learn Mahjongg in that short time frame. If you are a beginner, you'd be better off with a Mahjongg book.$LABEL$0 +Great chair for an Elmo fan. It is sure easy to make Elmo giggle and wiggle, which makes my grandson giggle. He loves his new chair which he received for his 2nd birthday. He is a big Elmo fan. It is nice to have a fuzzy chair just his size.$LABEL$1 +Abysmal failure. This product was slow and just about useless. Glad I got rid of it. If I knew it was just a pocket organizer I would not have wasted my money/time.$LABEL$0 +Best book ever, a must read for all!. Dark Horses and Black Beauties was a greatly moving book. It can teach not only horse enthusiasts but also people who don't know much about the equine. It was very strong and moving and the author didn't beat around the bush with what she was trying to get across. She adressed many of the major issues that are being dealt with in the equine world. She also went out and persued a personal insite in the horse world and didn't base her book off of strict facts. A GREAT book! Couldn't keep my nose out of it. I definitely recomend for anyone!$LABEL$1 +Good basic guide book. Its not up to date (2010), but gives you an idea of what you're getting yourself into. I like it, just to ckeck up basic stuff like, things to do, vaccinations, travel guidlines etc.$LABEL$1 +Excellent introduction leaving one wanting more. This slim volume explores the way that music implements the liturgical intent and, to some extent particularly with the antiphons, the way changes in liturgy are reflected by changes in music. Especially interesting is the segment on the relationship between homilectics and music.The music explored ranges from chant to 20th century - the latter more by reference than by analysis. It includes instrumental music and cantatas as well as the classic music of the Mass.One need not be a musician nor a liturgical historian to understand this book. But reading the book will help a liturgist understand the liturgical musician and the historical development of their role.Highly recommended for anyone involved in liturgical planning.$LABEL$1 +better than the 1st. I liked this much better than the 1st but I liked the 4th much better than the 2nd. I like this one the 2nd most because I like the part when he kills the teacher. I had to watch it over and over again so i decided to buy it. Its got the best music that would keep you watching it over and over. I think this movie should be watched by all since its a great seqeul to Chucky fans.$LABEL$1 +Works as well as stated. As a person whose philosphy is to buy the best once, I have done so with this machine. The suction is phenomenal.$LABEL$1 +Making the spiritual journey..... ...and that's not a bad thing!! Kristine W has always managed to stay atop the dance charts by making albums that capture the current musical landscape. This album is no exception. I did notice that Kristine seems to be taking a more "spiritual" attitude in her lyrics. As I was listening, I couldn't help but feel like she was having a real moment as she was singing...like every song sung was a small burden lifted from her shoulders. It is really great when an artist can convey such emotion like that, while treating us to an excellent landscape of danceable musical textures. The additional disc, mixed by Chris Cox, is really well done also. Everything is listenable...and enjoyable. It's highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +gazebo ho wood236 was not wood it was metal. was decieved on size i was told it was ho scale it was not it was more like n scale$LABEL$0 +the truth. i think this cd is not too bad but i would buy this cd just for that song words powers and sound by mecchak i would like to buy some mecchak music how can i link him.$LABEL$0 +my phone. |I love my new phone. The price was the lowest I found for this phone. The service was great and the delivery was very fast. It was great doing business with Amazon. Thanks$LABEL$0 +It's OK. Battery works just just fine, I have to think that throwing money at old technology is not such a wise choice though.$LABEL$1 +Great book. I served with Task Force Iron two decades ago in this conflict. This might be the best book on the 1st Gulf War. It discusses the conflict in great detail. I have many books on the subject and this is one of the best two. The other one being Road to Safwan. If you want details on the 1st Gulf War. It does not get any better than this particular book.$LABEL$1 +It's all been said. I bought this game from Amazon. It hasn't arrived yet, but when it does I'm not sure if I'll even install it because of the DRM issue, specifically the 3 installs limit. I am one of those people who are always upgrading their PCs and I don't really want to have to go begging EA to allow me to install software I have paid for.EA should be ashamed of themselves. I regret having to give this software 1 star, but if that's what it takes, then I'm doing it.$LABEL$0 +Imposter?. FTCOHE is so far removed from his usual excellence that I'm not entirely convinced Koontz wrote it.After *classics* like lightning, dragon tears, strangers...something sure smells fishy. We can only hope dean recovers from this bad patch quickly.Too long, too boring. Missing too many Koontz trademarks (ie: witty character dialogue). Cain is an interesting character, but at 600 + pages even he becomes stagnant. Pass.$LABEL$0 +Going through the motions. I'm a big Joseph Finder fan and I have to say that I was very disappointed in his latest novel. I took this book with me on vacation and I have to say it was a chore to get though. The story could have been written in about 200 pages, not this 500 + behemoth. It appears that Mr. Finder was just going through the motions to satisfy his booking agent. The story was so cookie cutter written. It was like some one gave him a formula to follow. The twists and "surprise" ending was so predictable that you had it figured out 50 pages before it happened. Luckily, I had other books with me on the trip to remind me of the magic of reading. Let's hope that Mr. Finder spends a little more time on his next book or he will soon be on his way to the bargain bin.$LABEL$0 +Don't know what I did before I had it. Absolutely the best. It took some getting used to but it is amazing especially for things like egg whites. Consider an extra bowl if you will be baking a lot so you do not need to stop and wash a bowl before you finish.$LABEL$1 +A must read. This book encourages human survival instintcs, i loved it for its real - magical blend. I highly recommend it for everybody trying to get a better look of life.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected. The bridge was unfinished, as in not having grooves for strings. The strings are off center from the fingerboard. I am thinking I will send this back. Very unhappy.I also did not realize this was considered a "Toy"$LABEL$0 +It moves air. My PS3 gets pretty warm in my entertainment center, so I decided to get this to help circulate some air. It does what I intended it to do. I like the fact that it's a USB device. Since I have it plugged into my PS3, it's only on when I have the PS3 turned (I originally plugged it into the powered USB hub that I have hooked up to my PS3, and it stayed on, as there's no power switch.) There is a control knob to adjust the fan speed, which is a nice touch. I noticed several reviews commenting about how quiet this fan is. I suppose it is if you have the power down to 50% or less... When it's cranked up, it makes way more noise than my PS3's fan (which is fairly loud itself!)Over all, it's a nice solid build, and if you're in the market for a USB powered fan, I see no reason why you shouldn't look at this one!$LABEL$1 +The Legend Is Born: Ip Man. This movie tells about the life of the Ip Man, how he mixed two great martial arts technique's. And becomes one of the great's Martial arts Master of his time to this day. In the story Ip Man is betrayed by his 1/2 brother. The Chinese and Japanese where at war at the time Ip Man was growing up (Ip Man was Chinese) he had to fight the against Japanese and help out the Martial art school he was attending.$LABEL$1 +Delivery No Especial. Delivery time left a bit ot be desired, also the differenced between this product and the first movie product are dissappointing, HGowever notmuch can be done from your end... sorry about the spelling... i'm drunk$LABEL$1 +Review of Jewel. This was a good book to read. It keeps you on the edge wondering what will happen next. The ending is kind of a dud though, I thought. Other than that, very good mystery book- highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Best price around.. A quart of nitro fuel for less than eight dollars. In these bad economical times, it's the best one to buy.$LABEL$1 +Ordered as a Holiday Gift. I ordered this four pack as a holiday gift for my sons who love the first I Spy CD they received last year for Christmas. Since they've yet to open them, I can't say specifically how they compare to the original. I can also not comment on whether or not they actually run, as again they haven't been opened! I can say however, that my order was received quickly.$LABEL$1 +Outward Bound Pet Gear Bag. This product could have been quite functional except that it had a very strong ruber-tire smell which I think would have permeated anything in it or near it. I just couldn't tolerate the smell. Thus, I didn't use it. However, the shipping to return it would have been expensive enough that it wasn't worthwhile to do so, so I was stuck with it (Plus I had already had a bad experience returning something to Amazon.) I was very disappointed. It might be okay for someone less sensitive to chemical smells.$LABEL$0 +Belize (Country Guide). This product was as described, 'in very good condition'. I am pleased to be able to buy used books in good condition.$LABEL$1 +THIS MOVIE SUCKED!!!!. OKAY, IF I COULD I'D GIVE THIS MOVIE 0 STARS! THIS MOVIE SUCKED, AND I HATED IT! The storyline was stupid, and the actors sucked. The movie was BORING with a capital B. Nothing made sense, and it was stupid.$LABEL$0 +Be Realistic. After hearing a few of his songs, i realize his tune may be nice to hear. But still first of all this is nothing like indian music, except for the instruments and language. Also how many people who listen to this speak panjabi(not many) becuase those who do are usually older. HOw many people know what mundian to bach ke means without reading beware of the boys? And the music is almost pure panjabi. Not too many right. NOw it is nice to listen to and does have a nice beat, so it is a good buy.$LABEL$1 +The Go-To Shoe. I have purchased 3 pairs of these same flip flops and I have no intention of ever switching to another sandal. They are durable (last over 2 years), comfortable (I have taken them hiking), and look great (they don't fray or discolor). Buy a pair and become a convert to this flip flop.$LABEL$1 +Brought my family tree to life. I've recently started researching my family's genealogy and discovered that I'm a direct descendant of Thomas Hill Dougan. A google search of his name turned up this book so I ordered it. It was fascinating to learn more about the lives of my ancestors and the courage they displayed leaving all they knew behind to start a new life in a foreign, unsettled country. My line branched off fairly early from the one the book covers but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.$LABEL$1 +Save your money. I have always wanted to go to Thailand and I bought this DVD in the hope of convincing my husband but I honestly think it had the opposite affect! If you are just planning to go to Bangkok than this DVD may be useful for you as about 2/3rds of the DVD is based on Bangkok. It also shows Chaing Mai but only really covers Thai cooking and massage classes and doesn't really show what there is to do there.I got my hopes up when the DVD moves to the South of Thailand and the islands (the area I am most interested in seeing) but it actually only spent about 7 or 8 minutes on this!I was considering putting my copy back on to sell but I don't think it is very fair to make anyone else suffer through it!I have found the Insight Guides (discovery channel) Thailand book much more interesting and useful and worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Well written, but forgot about Clark. Ambrose shows his literary expertise as he chronicles the most famous exploring duo in American history. Using journals and other first person witness accounts, the reader is treated to a detailed description of Lewis and Clark's expedition to the pacific. While the research was extensive, Ambrose does relegate Clark to a minor role as he concentrates more on Lewis and Jefferson which would undoubtedly upset Lewis who consistently emphasized the equality of the two captains. The reader should not be surprised, as the title emphasizes this point about the thesis. Despite this pro-Lewis bias, Undaunted Courage is a great resource for information on the Corps of Discovery.$LABEL$1 +received broken - returned. Overall, a very nice ring except for the broken piece of gold underneath the diamonds. Hard to explain but there are little bars that run underneath the diamonds and one was broken. Funny thing was there was a pen or ink mark on each side of the defect, as if somebody had seen it before. Very disappointed that amazon would send something like this out. Obviously we returned it.$LABEL$0 +Positive Discipline: The First Three Years, Jane Nelsen. Great advice and examples for parents who don't want to use corporal punishment!$LABEL$1 +I Like It. I love this book. I had to force myself to but it down so I don't read though it all at once. I find that the characters are very real, and other than the initial event (the Rapture) all of the following events sound realistically possible (in a novel). I have read many negative reviews from Christians denouncing that it doesn't exactly follow the Bible. And from others saying that it's nothing but religious evangelicalism. To all of those I say "It's a novel". It's fiction. It doesn't have to follow other sources and the writers can say what they want.To me it is a perfect mix, not too far out there and not too much preaching.I would recommend it to anyone interested. If you don't like the first book then don't read the rest.$LABEL$1 +Was so pleased to find these!. Be sure to order at least one more than you think you need, cause the shipping is not free. I re-modeled my kitchen and thought I would have to purchase all new hardware till I found these...they are a perfect match to the ones that were on my cabinets that is at least 20 years old! I just did not order enough, then had to pay separate shipping for ONE handle.$LABEL$1 +chewman not really chewable. THIS WAS THE WORST PRODUCT I HAVE EVER PURCHASED FOR MY DOGGIE. HE CHEWED THE ENTIRE THING UP INTO RAGS AND FILLER ALL OVER MY LIVING ROOM FLOOR WITHIN MINUTES AND THAT LEFT HIM WITH THE OUTER FLEECE COVER WHICH WAS THEN GOOD ONLY FOR WARMTH IN HIS LITTLE BED. I BOUGHT TWO OF THESE ITEMS AND EVEN CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE MFG AND THEY COULDN'T CARE LESS AND WOULDN'T LET ME RETURN IT. WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER THING THERE. THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL VERMONT CHEWMAN. THOSE LAST FOREVER AND ARE DURABLE AND DOGGIE CAN REALLY CHEW ON IT - THIS THING IS A FAKE. DONT BUY ONE.$LABEL$0 +excellent book. i read this book with my boyfriend and we loved it i dont usually like reading but just the first page got my attention!$LABEL$0 +Go with the Shure headphones, you'll be sure glad you did!. These headphones do an excellent job of cancelling out background noise and its nice that they come with a box full of optional earplugs. The headphones came out in 2004, which i'm sure at that time were amazing headphones. But it is 2009 and I believe that Etymotic should redesign their headphones. These headphones are no match for the Shure SE420's. When you wear these headphones you will feel like Frankenstein because they stick out from your ears so awkwardly. I sent mine back and am now using the Shures.$LABEL$0 +Not as good as the original, but still kickin' lotsa butt!. Blade is back, and he's more ticked than ever...seeing that he has to team up WITH vampires to fight off a mutant breed that's drinking the blood of both human's AND vampires. Double up the action and the weapons, but take away the level of gore the first one had and you pretty much have Blade II figured out. The DVD once again is sprawling and will eat up whatever time you give to it. A must have if you already own the first one. Those who aren't familiar might want to check out Blade first, and go from there.$LABEL$1 +Great Value!. If you hate reading like I do, buy this book. It has killer colorful pages. If you are a beginner and would like to get your feet wet, look no further! If you are advanced user, you might want to think it over. Look at the index first before deciding on buying it.$LABEL$1 +I got burned. As a frequent Amazon Shopper, I tend to trust reviews. This time, I went against better judgement and took a chance on these Memorex Dual Layer discs. 0 for 15. Try another brand....I got burned!$LABEL$0 +My favorite perfume!. I love this scent, and many department stores have stopped carrying this.. Sephore was $30 more, I am so happy Amazon is selling at such a great price- Also the scent lasts a long time! A couple sprays an it last all day- Can't beat that! :)$LABEL$1 +don't know. all thangs act difrent on every one, all thos i was getting more energy with this product i was acting grouchy to my lady so i had to stop taking it...$LABEL$0 +Not what is used to be?. I just saw a new one. I have a 30-year-old General No. 36. It was made in the USA, had two round knobs to hold the pivoting arms to the base, and came with two threaded ground-to-a-point pins that went through the base to help hold it in place on rough stock, or which could be reversed to screw into the base from the underside to center the bit on narrow stock. There is absolutely NO runout on the spindle, which fits into precision bushings. I had upgraded the chuck to an LFA to match a professional chuck on the AC-powered drill I usually use with this tool.It sounds like the current production is yet another made-in-China cheapened and downgraded version of what was once a useful tool. [sigh]$LABEL$0 +Love it. Very good album! Chris Cornell is somewhat a musical genius and this cd displays his talents. Can't wait for his next one!$LABEL$1 +Easy read. As a cat owner, ok the cat owns me, but who would have it any other way. It was enjoyable, make that fun, to read about a pair of cats who can talk. Who's to say they can not, that is part of what makes cats so interesting in your life. this is an easy and fun read, i recommend it to all cat lovers.$LABEL$1 +Better Homes and Garden Bridal cook book edition. They make wonderful bridal shower gifts. They have simple and easy recipes for the new Bride or Groom. It has recipes for larger groups. Also cuts of meat and how long to cook them . I think this cook book is needed by every new couple.$LABEL$1 +THIS CURLING IRON DOES NOT GET HOT ENOUGH. THIS HELEN OF TROY CURLING IRON DOES NOT GET HOT ENOUGH. I WISH I NEVER WOULD HAVE PURCHASED. I WILL CHECK INTO RETURNING BUT IF I CANNOT I AM STUCK WITH IT AND IT WILL GO IN THE BACK OF MY BATHROOM CLOSET. THIS IS WHY I DO NOT LIKE PURCHASING ON-LINE. IT IS SUCH A HASSLE TO RETURN. NOW I HAVE TO PURCHASE THE CONAIR AND PAY AGAIN FOR SHIPPING. I WISH I COULD FIND THE CURLING BRUSH IN THE 1 1/4 INCH SIZE IN STORES. BUT I CANNOT.$LABEL$0 +Full of ideas, short on plot, loads of fun!. This book jumps around among multiple characters and multiple times, focusing on crytography during WW2 and the late 1990s. Even so, it is easy to follow. The characters are engaging, the history is interesting, and the book is often hilarious. There is lots of math and computer geekiana, but this doesn't serve as an impediment, even to a reader, like me, with only superficial knowledge of and interest in these things. It's a physically huge book, even in its smallest, mass-market version, but it's still a quick read. At the end, I had trouble summing up the plot, then decided I didn't care. It was a wild ride, and one with a much more satisfying ending than Stephenson's previous novels Snow Crash and The Diamond Age.$LABEL$1 +Don't actually have this CD, but i have a reccomendation.... I haven't bought this CD yet, but i'm planning to, he's got a john mayor vibe, and something else...but i wanted to say that if you like Josh Kelly, and a little bit of Dave Mathews, you'd probably like my brother's cd...he's just an ordinary guy, but he's trying to make it in the music world, and he's got a lot of talent and deserves it. If you'd like to know more about my brother, or maybe even get his CD...go to www.alexsmithmusic.comAgain, my brother works really hard, and i even like his music..and that's saying something, considering i'm his baby sister!$LABEL$1 +MY CAT LOVES IT. I was surprised to find out that my cat will not get off of it! He's really picky but the material inside it definitely attracts the cat and uses his/her body heat to keep itself warm. I recommend it along with an Armakat house. YOUR CAT WILL GO CRAZY OVER BOTH OF THESE MUST-HAVES!$LABEL$1 +Laurie Andersons statement. On this beautifull live recording Mrs Anderson shows her brilliant understanding of storytelling and musical basics in her own invented mix of sci-fi, absurdism, folk, modern technology nightmares, andsoforth. You have to hear it, to understand it.$LABEL$1 +Nonsense. Someday, I'm going to get a pet polar bear and name it after the author of this book. Then, I'm going to have the polar bear eat this book. Thus, the circle becomes complete.$LABEL$0 +Yamaha NS-6490 3-way speakers. I anticipated better performance from these three way bookshelf speakers made by Yamaha. My Carver Sunfire center channel speaker over powers these speakers with ease. The response is quit slow and lacks the crisp highs and bottom end bass that I was seeking when I purchased these speakers.$LABEL$0 +The best. Miracle Rash Repair cream is one of the best products out there, and a lot less expensive than similar products, such as Corium 21. Both have aloe which heals, but Miracle Rash repair also hassalicylic acid, dead sea salt, mineral oil and other ingredients that make it work faster. It may sting a little when applied on a rash, but it really works!$LABEL$1 +False Advertising. I'm satisfied with the product, but the customer service or lack thereof is terrible. I believe the overall quality of a product to a certain degree is determined by the conduct of the company. Therefore, however unfortunate this is because the product by itself is excellent, I am rating this item with one star. Neither I nor my family or friends will ever do business with ProSavings. The issue was "free shipping" advertisement which I was drawn to, and gladly ordered two suits. I was confused when the billing came back with a $43.00 shipping cost. After numberous requests for an explanantion, ProSavings simply ignored my emails.$LABEL$0 +Miserable.. I am not entirely sure that the individuals who rated this movie with more than one star saw the same movie I just watched. This was honestly the single worst movie I have ever seen in my entire existence. This movie had absolutely no plot whatsoever and it is a shame I will never get that $4 back.$LABEL$0 +Marty. I bought these for my husband and were the perfect fit. He uses them for work. They replace an old pair of Nunn Bush.$LABEL$1 +Thoroughly enjoyable book. Great writing, storytelling, and a unique story... overall a very engaging book.$LABEL$1 +Very pretty. This was a surprise gift and my wife loved it. It stood out very nicely and the chain was just the right size. Plus it was very easy for her to put on by herself even though the clasp was small.$LABEL$1 +Josh Groban in a bad evening. First of all, I'm a huge fan of Josh Groban's. Having listened to all his albums and watched all his DVDs, I got disappointed about Live At The Greek. Unlike many reviewers, the flashes, lights and the rock n'roll atmosphere didn't bother me, at all. The main problem, in my opinion, was his strained and nasal voice, which messed up with a lot of beautiful songs. "Mi Mancherai", "Caruso" and "Alla Luce del Sole" were just unrecognizable. It seems that he was congested and couldn't sing that day, but wasn't able to postpone the performance. Luckily, I've borrowed the DVD and haven't bought it. However, I must acknowledge that he sang beautifully in some parts of the concert. "Oceano", "Remember When It Rained", "My December" and "Never Let Go" were great. The setlist was simply the best of all his concerts. Sorry he wasn't able to make it work that evening.$LABEL$0 +Don't bother. The reviews I read for this book described it as funny and quirky. It was neither. The book is very short and is made up of essays that average 3 pages long--it doesn't have much meat to it. And I found the essays dense, hard to get through, and most of all, not funny. If you want to read a book of humorous essays, read David Sedaris. If you've already read David Sedaris, read him again. This book is a good one to miss.$LABEL$0 +Could be Eastwood's best work to date.... This is not a war film that will be accessible to every viewer, especially those who are only used to soaking up the typical American propaganda war films of the past half century. Of course there are going to be those right winged/ 'wannabe pushovers' who will automatically be persuaded to call out this film as: "rewriting history," when, in reality, they have NO clue/ concept of what actually occurred during this part of history from the POV of the Japanese soldiers, (and still consider any "enemy" to the US as nothing more than "savages.") The fact of the matter is, the film is a true masterpiece of artistic cinema. Many people seem to forget the notion that film = art. "Letters" is NOT a documentary film; it is a filmic portrait of a generally unknown/misunderstood piece of modern history. I would say this subtle masterpiece is Eastwood's best work to date. Though I am sure there are those who would disagree.$LABEL$1 +This is a book not to buy!. The author really has no clue what he is talking about! I Challange him to read the Book of Morman, pray about it, and attend the morman church. Then lets see what you have to write.$LABEL$0 +Pur Water Filter. In only six weeks filter housing cracked from middle of indicator half way down, squirting water all over. Waste of money, cheap product$LABEL$0 +fruit knife works great. I bought this for my mom who likes to juice veggies and fruits. She uses it to cut and peel and tells me that it's a good knife. a little expensive but If it continues to hold its edge, I will consider it a good buy.$LABEL$1 +My money could have went a longer ways for me. I have seen parts of every Hellraiser movie, enough to know that Pinhead is a great horror character. I bought this for a few dollars at my local shopette, hoping for good entertainment. Let me just say that I would have been better off watching "Killer Clowns From Outer Space" and using the money to buy some popcorn. Really a true let down to any horror film lover. Reducing a horror icon to another sorry teen slasher film character. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +blue light special. I had this gift on my wedding registry and we received it shortly after our wedding months after it was purchased in it's original box, etc. With the batteries all in correctly, the item doesn't work at all. It blinks but does not allow you to do anything- play it, put the time on it, etc. The only thing that works is the blue light around the mirror. Will write an update on our dealings with the manufacturer.$LABEL$0 +Even Robin Hood misses his target once in a while. I'm sad to say that I thought Michael Moore's first stab at fictionalized satire is a far cry from the brilliance of everything else he has produced to date. Perhaps someone who doesn't already share Moore's passion for social and economic justice might find the humor in "Canadian Bacon" less obvious than I, but I saw most of the jokes coming from miles away (or kilometers, in the case of the Canadian segments). If you're looking for political satire that is both dangerous AND funny as hell, check out anything else Moore has done, as well as "Bullworth," "Bob Roberts," and the Citizen Kane of all political satires, "Network."$LABEL$0 +Great path back tothe church.. A great guide for those of us on the path back. This is a very honest book that should help any Christian find theirway back.$LABEL$1 +doesn't stream to Apple TV via ipad. Hopefully the content is great, but I may never know since playing the video from Amazon thru my iPad to my Apple TV results in "audio only" playback. This is apparently due to some licensing snafu with Amazon. I guess it's iTunes video for me from here on in (not a fan of watching movies on a handheld device at home).$LABEL$0 +Overkill. I initially thought this book would be an engaging and spiritual description of the Camino experience. Rupp's complaints and negativity quickly took their toll on this reader and left me disenchanted with her whole experience. However, every pilgrim finds individual purpose in his or her own journey and I respectively leave that manifestation without ridicule if this is what moved her spiritually.$LABEL$0 +ouch. this movie is so mid 1990's it hurts. looking back at this, I can see how the cultural fallout of 1997 came about.$LABEL$0 +Earthbox, 2 plants, 2 tomatoes. I bought one of these. Got advice buying plants from a reputable nursery, followed directions, cared for plants diligently. I planted two tomato plants. Like the other person who scored this a 1, my plants were slow to take off, but grew rather larger. I had two different varieties of tomato. My yield was 1 tomato for each plant and the tomatoes were not very good. Unlike the other 1 rating, I did not have fruit flies. However, I live in a high rise on the 18th floor and box was on the balcony. Box is now in my locker in basement. I had high hopes because the picture on the pamphlet showed many tomatoes and there is nothing like a fresh home-grown tomato.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work for long.. I bought a set of these for myself and my husband. Mine lasted about six months before they stopped working. Fumbling with the cord where it plugs in makes the sound come on and off. My husband's only worked 3 times before the same thing happened. The sound quality was good, but I they should be more durable.$LABEL$0 +Born for Love is a keeper. This book will be a treasure of mine in years to come! I bought it used, it had a almost new appearance. I like the fact that it contains short essays with different titles, which gives the reader an easy choosing what to read at a certain moment in life.$LABEL$1 +This is an amazing group with a great new jazz/classical sound. If you are looking for post be-bop and post Bird jazz listen to this group. I heard them live with Lee Konitz a few years ago at the Kennedy Center and they knocked me out - along with the rest of the audience. They have somehow managed to inject classical into jazz in a way that no one else has - maintaining the soulfulness and intimacy of jazz but bringing into jazz some of the beauty of classical structure. You can't dance to their music but you can revel in its originality and beauty. It registers pretty far forward on the frontal lobes. All the musicians in this group are accomplished but listen especially to the minimalist playing style of Florian Weber on piano. I'd like to hear more of this group.$LABEL$1 +The ending is an insult to humanity and good taste. FOR SHAME!!!!!!!. Music is great-my favourite modern cycle. Now what in gods name does the end mean. And more than that-it distracts from one of the most glorious musical segments in history with an absurd and meaningless concept that really has no bearing on the rest of the opera(s). It really breaks all rules of good taste and shamefully disctracts the listener and viewer from what they should be feeling as Wagner concludes this epic. I am flabbergasted and appalled that such a crock of sh****T was allowed to ruin this otherwise wonderful production. I recommend the Die Walkure as the best part of this set.The End--a group of people wheel out televisions and sip martinis while a blond boy and girl decide to hold hands.(In this ring--all walsungs have red hair so dont go there) It is even worse than what I have described because I am too upset to go on. FOR SHAME!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Buyer beware. FALSE INFORMATION. Did not receive 3M Filtrete HEPA Bags as shown in picture or as mention.$LABEL$0 +Similar to Trunks Model. My lil bro has trunks, and it is the exact same thing as this toy. He hates that rotten thing! The toy was just down right mean to him when he bought it. The stupid thingy that you can put them in is just retarded and tears and wears(hahah, liked that ryhme did ya?) easily, and it is really stupid. He had trouble doing the kicking and punching actions with this one, benefiting me from not hearing all his noises he makes while playing, but bad for him with the disappointment of such a cruel and posture bad action figure from the 19th century.(or is it the 20th, if you know, i don't aight.)Dragonball Z is kinda stupid anyways.....$LABEL$0 +Yep, it's worth waiting for a box set. I really like this show, the animation, the kickass theme song, and it's not as weird as Teen Titans was. But I'm not paying for 4 episodes, how lame is that?Worth waiting for the box set.$LABEL$0 +My Fantastic Field Trip to the Planets. This was a Christmas gift to my great grandson and he has really enjoyed it. Even brought the DVD over to my house so that I could see it also.$LABEL$1 +great value. I have tried different kinds of diapers for my baby and these regular Huggies diapers have been the best value for the money of all the diapers out there especially in the bulk cartons. They arrive quickly and shipping is free and it's nice not having to worry about running out of diapers for a while. Other brands do not have the amount of elastic to make them fit snug around baby's bum. The Supreme's do fit much better, but are not as cost effective. The Pampers do keep baby drier, but do not have the elastic to fit snug and therefore leak more than these. These diapers are used day in and day out here and baby rarely has diaper rash. So, overall best value.$LABEL$1 +Classic. Phonte? You want more...Nicolay is on the boards and this is the first time I heard him and it was incredible. The beats are so smooth and emotional. It's some real stuff. Phonte always rapping about stuff I can relate to cuz its hard for me to relate to pop rappers with all their "hos" and "drivebys". Yeah, this is real hip hop. Hes got the voice man. Just like Guru said "its the voice"... Big Pooh sounds like a new MC on this one. But man, Phonte and Nicolay, I cant wait for the next one called:Leave It All Behind$LABEL$1 +Don't Buy. People who are looking for back pain relief have already been to a doctor, or searched the internet for exercises for relief. So, why buy a book that repeats this??!!$LABEL$0 +Good message, bad instruction. The author has a good message but he doesn't instruct the reader sufficiently to apply his advice. He describes the ideal man but doesn't give enough details on how to become that man.I think the book is decent, but it will be disappointing if you expect instructions on how to be a better man. Instead of instructions on how to be a better man, the author gives you a description of a better man.$LABEL$0 +this is the worst printer and most difficult to setup and change settings...i HATE it.... this is the worst printer and most difficult to setup and change settings...i HATE it...my recommendation is dont buy HP printer products...$LABEL$0 +Pure Guitar Pop Gem. CONTEXT: In the middle of the early '90s grunge era, Sweet created 2 of the best pop rock albums of the decade. The production is a bit too squeaky-clean, but the songs are undeniable: they hook you in, and then keep getting better with repeated listens.MUSIC: A surprisingly diverse collection of blues riffs, jangle-pop, psychedelica, and even country sounds. The vocal harmonies are a throwback to the 1960s, but the music never sounds dated or derivative.LYRICS: Beneath the soothing facade are lyrics that express betrayal, heartbreak, and desperation. It's done so subtly that it sometimes gets overlooked.HIGHLIGHTS: I've Been Waiting, Girlfriend, Winona$LABEL$1 +An engaging memoir. Elva Trevino Hart has managed an impressive feat with this book. She recounts the depravations of her childhood without making you pity her. She also recounts the small joys she had growing up without giving the impression that these somehow made up for her poverty.It is rare to read a memoir where the author seems like such a real person. Hart's description of her family and history manages to be simultaneously matter-of-fact and deeply personal and emotional. While a northern gringo like me will probably never be able to relate to the experience of a Mexican immigrant family, this book greatly increased my understanding of Mexican-American culture and experience.$LABEL$1 +More Lies for ignorant People. Another piece of propaganda disguised as "pro-American." This trash has nothing to do with American values or freedom. It's about silencing and censoring. It's against anyone who questions "Republicans", not people who bash America. This is a book for people who put party before country: Republican first, American second (or third, fourth, etc.)$LABEL$0 +Should be called Baby Wet!. I do not recommend buying these. My son is 15 months and can only wear these about 2-3 hours before the diaper leaks and/or explodes open. The diapers have ripped open multiple times (even when the diaper is not even full) and all the absoprbent gel particles make a huge mess on our carpet. They do not work at night either. My son wakes up every morning drenched. Stay away from these... However, Pampers Cruisers are great!$LABEL$0 +He is so much better than this. This is a stand alone novel from Connelly as opposed to his Harry Bosch series.The scenario involves Henry Pierce a computer genius moving into a new apartment and receiving numerous calls from clients of a call girl who previously had this number.From here Henry is dragged into the Los Angeles world of escort services and Internet web sites.The story has some merit but the plotting is ridiculous, which is a shame because Connelly is usually so much better than this. He puts out a lot of books so I am presuming this was a bad day, however his editor needs a kick in the backside for letting it go out as is.$LABEL$0 +THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR IS THE BEST WRESTLER OF ALL TIME. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR VERSUS HULK HOGAN.THE BEST MATCH EVER!THE WARRIOR (IC CHAMP)VERSUS HOGAN(WWF CHAMP).ANDRE'S FINAL MATCH.THIS IS THE BEST WRESTLEMANIA EVER.YOU BETTER GET IT!!!BY THE WAY THE GREATEST EVER WINS (WARRIOR)$LABEL$1 +not able to unlock. don't waste your money on this one...not reliable. not able to unlock it which is not ideal when you are away from home after biking few hours...$LABEL$0 +Typical twilight zone. This is an anti-western. It starts off like its a real western, then a car drives onto the set, since its actually a movie about making westerns. Its not the greatest twilight zone, but its still good.$LABEL$1 +I thought that the movie was really boring.. I know that everyone says its great, I just didn't enjoy it. If some people liked it, they can go ahead and buy it. But make sure you see it before you buy it, you may not like it. If you like romance, go ahead and get it but I wouldn't recommmend it. END$LABEL$0 +Doubtful. I really don't think this does anything to help pain. It does not smell though so that's truthful. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Great radio. A great product keeps me ahead of my travels about 2 or 3 miles. The service from Amazone was good and timely$LABEL$1 +best for Parrafin wax users. The book contains lots of tips, instructions and trouble shooting for parrafin wax candles. However, I use soy and palm wax so much of the information was not relevant to me.$LABEL$0 +diappointed. Disappointing movie so I don't know why it won many accolades at the Golden Globes. Russell Crowe is a brilliant actor and his portrayal of a real schizophrenic mathematic genius was good. But Crowe's own seemingly charismatic, virile, and magnetic personality take away some believability. Jennifer Connelley gives a fine performance. Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer play minor characters but nevertheless are pleasure to watch. The guy who plays Nash's roommate "Charles" is entertaining as he did in the "Knights Tale". So I wonder why did this movie fell short of entertaining me? Maybe it took too long to tell a good story.$LABEL$0 +Two stars for effort. Sanders seemed to have had good intentions when he wrote this book, but halfway through his effort he seems to have had the sudden idea to instead begin regurgitating Bugliosi's book, thus rendering the entire work useless for those interested in learning more about the case.$LABEL$0 +A warm pulse for background listening. Neither dubby nor dance-oriented, this release by Dale Lawrence rests comfortably in-between, making for engaging home stereo techno. Theorem knows his production technique, too- this album has clean, rich, and fully developed sounds, a pleasant break from the rougher bedroom programming often heard on solo works.There's the swirling echo of "Debris," the soothing, elongated synth notes of "Embed," countered by a bubbling bassline and popping drums, and the traffic noise with airy beat of "Shift," all enjoyable. "Cinder" and "Fallout" are solid, "Igneous" goes as close to dance sensibility as this album dares, with actual high tones, even. Only "Emerge," the sound of warped bubbles rising to the surface, is a let down.A warm pulse for background listening, an engaging release that doesn't require headphones or a PhD in techno history to appreciate. One of the better techno releases for 1999. B+$LABEL$1 +Not what expected. A huge amount of paper! But I needed information on applets and java animation, isn't that web programming? The book has less about that than many 24 hour idiot 21 days books. Very poor. Don't waste money here.$LABEL$0 +This product stinks! (literally). I decided to try this product because it has a higher DHA & EPA than the other prenatal vitamin I was taking. My doctor said that Omega 3's are the most important since we get so many of the other Omegas in our daily diets. This vitamin seemed like a good choice! Although, I did read some of the other reviews before purchasing and there were others that complained about the same issue.These fish oils reek! I have been taking fish oils for years and have tried many different brands, but these absolutely stink!To my knowledge fish oil supplements should not smell. You think that such an expensive brand as Nordic Naturals would have addressed this problem by now, especially since there have been other complaints!Would NOT recommend!$LABEL$0 +More Tedium From Peter Hopkirk. "Reads like a novel" ??? Come on, folks! The yellow pages of any phone book are far more exciting. This text takes a subject of great potential, & reduces it to the dried up dust of a Central Asian desert. I am disgusted with Mr. Hopkirk, because I truely love real History. This author is only one of the sorry crowd who destroy interest in even the most eager seeker. Our schools are full of them. This text belongs to the times when books were sold by the pound, rather than the content. As a former teacher - & lifelong seeker after the amazing truths of history - I consign Mr. Hopkirk to the dust bin.$LABEL$0 +Couldn't put the book down... Despite what some people might have said, I really liked this book. I was captured and could not put it down. The only complaint that I had was it got a bit tedious with Maggie's hangups...you wanted to scream--just get over it!I think I'll go check out a boxcar now! :)$LABEL$1 +Miss Marple Movies. A delightful romp with Margaret Rutherford and Agatha Christie through murder and mayhem. Classic mysteries wonderfully acted by a classic Miss Marple (Ms. Rutherford) in a light, breezy and bustling manner. I can watch them again and again.$LABEL$1 +Exactly what i wanted. I needed to replace a Coach key fob and this one is exactly what i was looking for.Excellent quality and a little bigger than i anticipated.Prompt delivery by the seller...no complaints,love it!$LABEL$1 +How did this book manage to get in print!. If I could rate this below one star I would. This book covered every stereotype possible: the boozy, trashy, red-headed Irish twins; the big, homely, muscular, Swede; the racist, phony, southern belle; the filthy, rotted-tooth little Frenchman, etc. Of course, the heroine is "chosen" by the most well-respected and good looking brave. The author made sure there was a mate for every one of his characters, there even "happened" to be one Black brave to be paired with the regal, non-conformist, former slave woman.The premise to this novel is original but everything else was so cliche' it was embarrassing.The only part of the book the author seemed to put any effort into were the elaborate, porn-like, sex encounters. I'm no prude but these scenes were thrown in helter-skelter and added nothing to the story line what-so-ever.Don't waste your money or your time on this book.$LABEL$0 +Karma ~ Delerium. With this recording the transformation of Delerium was complete. Gone was the heavy sound that was prevelent on recordings such as Stone Tower and in was the easier listening sound of Poem, Chimera and the like. Karma also had the international smash hit silence and I think that it is natural progresion on the part of Delerium. There are so many good tracks on this album and Leeb and Fulber have recorded and produced a true master piece. The book-let is very nice with an amazing cover that fits the mood and style of the album and the vocalists picked to sing the songs are all very accomplished with Sarah McLachlan leading the way with their break through hit Silence.$LABEL$1 +Manufactured wrong.. I purhased the StrongArm 4221L and 4221R for my 1997 Subaru Legacy Wagon. The Right fit perfectly, however the Left was identical to the Right (but stamped L) but could not be used on the left side. The 4221L StrongArm DID NOT fit the Left side of the vehicle. Ironically it will fit the right side perfectly like the 4221R...$LABEL$0 +A bit of old, and a bit of new. But regardless, Bond is back. This book is a good read. Any fan of James Bond will enjoy Raymond Benson's classic take on 007. He merges the best of Ian Fleming's style, with a bit of John Gardner's plotting, and adding his own take, he creates a good read which is much better both plot-wise and character wise than compared to the last few clunkers from Garnder. Plotting is fairly good, with a few twists and turns along the way. All in all a very good first effort from Benson$LABEL$1 +Great Gloves.. Great gloves. Fit very snug in hand. I am little disappointed on the pading.I guess for the price its good.$LABEL$1 +Wrong pictures.. I coulnd't care less for all that totally irrelevant scenery. What I would like to see is the orchestra and the conductor, like in the wonderful recording of Tchaikovsky's Fifth with Tshernuschenko and the St. Petersburg Orchestra.$LABEL$0 +the other stories was better. This one is ok, but I do like Ms.Moning's books so I tried this one also. I don't like this cover.But of course I didn't judge it by it's cover only.. I've read it and I don't know but I think I like the timetraveling themes more and it was fun to read a little and find out more about Adrienne and Hawk.If you like timetraveling try "Kiss of the highlander", but "beyond the highland mist" was also good.Among the four books this one is the third best I think...$LABEL$0 +Avoid this book beginner. As an experienced C programmer, I was very disappointed in the lack of attention to detail that the programming examples display. The amount of errors are abundant (out of bounds indexes, case sensitivity, spelling, etc) and MANY of the examples will not compile as written in the book. This book was used in an introductory C# class and I've spent more time debugging the books errors then I could have produced as a complete programming novice. I would pursue an alternative guide to programming in C# if your thinking of purchasing this book, it was definitely rushed for publication with little to no proofreading or editing in my opinion. Details matter in an absolute beginner book.$LABEL$0 +Junk, best avoided. The Linksys Wireless-G network looks like a good deal. It isn't. The only value of the thing is to connect you to a wireless network. It doens't do a good job of that. So as far as I'm concerned its a useless piece of junk that's cost me countless wasted hours of irritation.The drivers do not install cleanly, the included linksys management software conflicts with XP. It loses connections constantly, inexplicably. I've tried this with TWO different cards and had the same experience.Junk, best avoided.$LABEL$0 +Great. I am very happy with my 12 inch Cuisinart nonstick skillet. The helper handle is great when the pan is full. I use it for stir fry meals, frozen pasta skillet meals. It is just the right size so you can stir and not have everything fly out! Clean up is quick and easy. I don't use it all the time only for large quantity. Would buy again.$LABEL$1 +Another fine Chuck Norris classic!. If you like deep character development, Oscar-winning performances and gripping drama, then look elsewhere.Good Guys Wear Black is an early Chuck Norris as an ex-Special Forces commando left stranded with his unit in Vietnam. About six years later, he's resurfaced in the U.S., but all his comrades are being killed off. It's up to Norris to find out why, before he's next.A little slow for a Norris film, but still a great ton of fun.$LABEL$1 +Yuck. This stuff does very little good... and now my dog smells like honeysuckle skunk, which is really sickening. I have some 'Odormute' on order to try to get rid of the Nature's Miracle smell.$LABEL$0 +awesome. I read this book in two days. TWO DAYS! Two. Days. I'm a mother of two kids under 4 and babysit an additional baby during the day, and still I stayed up until 2 a.m. the first night reading half the book, and then read the rest between diaper changes, juice boxes, Sesame Street and Harold and the Purple Crayon. It's an awesome book. Wil can write about watching paint dry, and make it sound facinating, but the truth is, the book's plot is impressive on its own. Buy this book, read this book, and for heaven's sake, visit WWdN, where we can all collectively encourage Wil to write book #3.$LABEL$1 +A little slow, but then..... The movie takes off and does not let up. I highly recommend this movie to people who enjoy Chinese/martial arts movies. The cinematography is really good and the fight scenes are superb.$LABEL$1 +Fun. Just as described and reviewed by other purchasers. I'll have to wait to see how much I really like it once I see how much my granddaughter likes it. Her enjoyment doubles mine!$LABEL$1 +Loved it!. It is a really good book. I love reading Christmas books any way but this one is one that you don't really want to put down. I kept wanting to see what was going to happen next.$LABEL$1 +Junk. My kids recieved these for the "family" christmas. Great idea, they had a blast with it, for the day it worked. The things just up and die for no reason. I was there watching my 7yo play with it. No abuse, just quit working. I wouldn't mind paying a few dollars more if the thing just worked longer then a few hours.$LABEL$0 +Did not deliver on it's promise. A collection of thoughts about mentoring in the workplace. Mostly common sense, a few "a ha" moments. All in all I wish they backed up the information with more factual data about WHY. They start the book describing how they will distill all of the existing studies and work into this book. While they might have done this they did not get into the WHY or stats as to why this is the right way.An OK skim from the library...not a purchase.$LABEL$0 +Great Book!. In a nut shell, this book had everything! It was very detailed, and it was a real page turner. I felt well in tune with the characters, I just couldn't put the book down for one second! I deeply recommend this book to anyone just wanting to get away from everything and enjoy a truly genuine book.$LABEL$1 +Don't do it! It's still in beta.... Don't let the sleek look of the emarker fool you, it's got bugs a-plenty and some serious design flaws. Here's what the other reviews (written by Sony employees?) and the literature don't say:* E-marker doesn't seem to work with AOL; you have to not only use another browser, but also set that browser as the default.* When you plug the emarker into your computer, it "automatically" loads your marks into the site...or at least that's what it's supposed to do. On 3 browsers and 2 different computers, I haven't quite gotten this to happen.* Sony seems to be more concerned about being cool than functional - to top off all the emarkers' inadequacies, they (over)designed a Flash interface to get your songs that doesn't quite work either. Simple HTML would have been fine, guys....Spare yourself the agony and wait for version 2.0....this is the first time I've been irate enough about something to write a review and I assure you everything above is true...$LABEL$0 +this game is good BUT THE SIMS 2 IS WAY BETTER. THE GRAPHICS ARE BETTER, YOU MAY PLAY VIDEO GAMES, MORE ITEMS,AND MORE BUILDING TOOLS.THE SIMS 2 IS BETTER.........$LABEL$0 +Tasted strange. The only difference between this Mr. Coffee coffeemaker and the one I bought and returned was mine said 5 cups. It worked perfectly, didn't drip or spill or spit, made 3 1/2 cups of coffee with 5 tbl spoons of coffee to 4 cups water. But it tasted like plastic. I tried 5 times to make coffee that tasted like coffee and never did. Other people had problems with the machine itself, I just couldn't drink the weird tasting stuff that came out of it.$LABEL$0 +Highly Recommend It To Anybody. I am now 31, I first had this book read to me in 4th grade, and every several years I re-read it, my copy is so dog-earred. Even though I know it inside and out it still brings me joy, and there are still parts where I cry. I'm planning to buy it for my 9-year-old nephew.$LABEL$1 +cute story. We read this as a read aloud in our homeschool. The book kept my son's attention fairly well. This was the first Polk street school book that we have read. We might look into reading more of the series.$LABEL$1 +Need help!. Hi, I am trying to find out who is the LEAD SINGER in "THE SWEETEST VICTORY" of TOUCH. I can't find anything on the internet about it. I am searching for more song of this singer,please help me. Thanx!$LABEL$1 +love the adjustability. I really like that this is adjustable so it can fit my 1 year old for a long time! also really like the designs, a nice change from barbie, dora or butterflies like all of them I saw in stores$LABEL$1 +Hooked on Phonics. This product had nothing to do with phonics whatsoever. It was not an aide to helping my granddaughter learn how to read. It was a big disappointment.$LABEL$0 +This book grabs you and DOESN'T LET GO!!!. Once again, another great mystery novel from Mr. Meadows. An engrossing story, with characters that you feel like you know personally. Meadows makes the city of Detroit come alive - I feel like I live there! I can't wait for the next one - may the Keller clan continue their exploits for many more years to come.$LABEL$1 +wrong book. The picture on Amazon of THe Moon and Sixpence is not the book that was delivered!!! The picture is DECEIVING...Moon and Sixpence was deliveredbut it was not the one with the cover jacket presented on the website!!!I'm very unhappy about this. I know the book. I used to own it.$LABEL$0 +love it!. I love all the recipes in this magazine. I will continue to get this magazine for a long time to come.$LABEL$1 +Nice basic lawn spreader.. This small spreader is perfect for my .27 acre lot. I filled it up once and I was good to go. As with any drop spreader make sure you overlap if anything or you will end up with unfertilized lines in your yard. The large wheels make for an easy push. If you need to fertilize a small yard then get this accurate drop spreader. Make it a point to go organic too, it will prevent a lot of problems with your lawn.$LABEL$1 +Movie was a disappointment. I bought an old 2004 used copy of the movie because I love Sophia Myles acting. Based on the director comments comparing it to The Others and Sixth Sense, I was expecting a ghostie or two, but there wasn't even one. I guess the caretaker standing in the yard saying he didn't go to THE WOODS relates to the gardener in The Others, also the little girl saying her stepmother was MAD. Couldn't find anything that reminded me of The Sixth Sense. Too slow moving, too contrived, a lot of the plot didn't really make sense (she had so many opportunities to leave and didn't), none of the acting rang true like you expect in a movie, and of course the ending stinks. I'll donate it to the local library instead of saving it to watch again.$LABEL$0 +Bad bad bad .... Wooden acting ... even for Star Trek, CG that would have looked impressive five years ago, awful physics, a miserable targeting system (you're flying fighters btw, not capital ships), and having to do the same "gnat against an armada" mission over and over again without appreciable support from any of the AI ships on your side makes this frustrating at best. Barely even worth renting. I can see why this didn't come out until after christmas. There would have been an awful lot of geeks disappointed at this in their stockings.$LABEL$0 +Andrew's Review. I gave the book one star because the book was really boring. It almost put me to sleep. The book takes place in Southern Illinois and it's about a boy named Jethro who wants to go to war during the Civil War. The Jethro's family got tired of hearing about the war and people on horses threatened them. There was very little bloodshed about the war and it got really boring as you got farther into the book. I think it was the worst book I have ever read. There was nothing I liked or great about the book. There was no point and that's why I gave it one star.$LABEL$0 +This movie absolutaly sucked. crude and disgusting. It has no redeeming qualities what so ever. If I could give it a negative 5 stars, I would.$LABEL$0 +A MUSICAL LADDER TO PEACE AND TRANQUILITY. A wonderful gift of peace and tranquility. I purchased at the time my husband was very ill as I worried he may have a time to linger before leaving for HOME. He enjoyed the music so much however, he didn't "linger" but went straight to the arms of God!$LABEL$1 +Great Coffee. I like this coffee maker a lot! I spent a great deal of time searching the reviews and a variety of machines. While I have only used this one machine, I can say I made the right choice! The trick to using a thermal carafe is to pre heat it! Fill it with hot water while you load the coffee grounds basket and pour in the water. Just a minute or two of pre-heating makes a big difference. I find the carafe keeps the coffee warm a good hour or longer. Enjoy!!$LABEL$1 +Reflon skiblights face illuminator loose powder. The product is probably good. I just couldn't get the right shade. Didn't seem to match up with that same shade I purchased at another time.$LABEL$0 +About 1 minute of humor. As hinted in the description and some other reviews, this book is really just about 100 jokes: 1 line questions followed by 1 line answers. To be sold as a book, I had really expected it to have some additional explanation or insight to expand the thought, although the jokes are really easy enough to figure that out on our own. The time to read it is about as fast as you can turn the pages.Granted, some of the jokes are amusing. This book is best used as a gag gift for someone retiring. I like another reviewer's suggestion to use it as a sign-in book. Having purchased as a Kindle book, I can't even use it for that.$LABEL$0 +Why did I buy this book?. Weiss is a gloom-and-doom prophet, constantly hissing about why the world and its money is coming to an end. I finally got out of his newsletter -- after losing money hand over fist while the rest of the world was making all of their money back -- and decided I don't need his book on my shelf anymore.$LABEL$0 +rediculous. i am skipping whole paragraphs just to finish it, hoping it will make sense...i have every cornwell book except Scarpettas' winter table.southern cross is a bomb of a book.if cornwell puts more energy into these characters than kay,marino, and that goofy lucy...then i am done with cornwell.i love cornwell books, but i hated Hornets Nest and Southern Cross.BUBBA-SUMDGE-SMOKE-WEED-MUSCRAT???oh please, give me a break. i lived in the south for 5 years and she is really type casting a bunch of fools.so long, cornwell,it's been nice.p.s.--in future scarpetta books, put lucy in a mental hospitol, for if she represents our lawenforcement mentality---then i'm moving to another part of the world...$LABEL$0 +A wicked slasher flick!. You have got to see this film. It is a whodunnit slasher type film where all the kill scenes are based on urban legends.I swear you will not guess the killer's identity. And when you do discover who the killer is, you will be surprised and kick yourself for not getting it sooner.Good character development and great deaths make Urban Legend a must-see film!$LABEL$1 +It just works, but don't use with Panasonic HDAVI. Cable works just fine without the "Monstrous" price tag. I think 6ft. is about as short as you want to go to be able to reach the video source.I found out the hard way that this cable will not work with the ez-sync feature (HDAVI) on the new Panasonic TV's and DVD recorders. I thought all cables followed the same spec, but apparently Panasonic does something different to their cables. You have to go with the RP-CDHG30 or RP-CDHG50 cable in this case.$LABEL$1 +sharp edges. I bought this product because the ad said it was made to be super comfortable...NOT. The so called padded closure has sharp edges on the top and the bottom that scratches. Very UNcomfortable.$LABEL$0 +Ehn. As another person stated this is a romance novel disguised as a suspense thriller. For that kind of book it's ok, a quick read. I've read much worse of this type. At least I finished it. I just wished they would stop making books like this seem one thing when they are another. But I did really like Pete and Susie, the dolphins. Two stars for the actual two stars.$LABEL$0 +Grossed out. God! Do you really expect anyone to purchase this product with the visuals you offer? They look like the "before" pictures from a hospital burn unit.....$LABEL$0 +O Brother, Where Art Thou!. I can not believe you ranked this a 4 or so. Not only did it lack focus, It was not even that funny or creative. Too stupid to be good. Sorry but I don't agree this was a good movie!$LABEL$0 +Flaws in the script. I really do like Jeremy Renner and wanted to see his early work. However, the story left me asking a lot of questions. Especially concerning Gabrielle Union's character. I won't go into detail because I do not want to give away the plot.All in all it was a good low budget movie.$LABEL$1 +No cigar.... The premise was OK, but still it was a downer. It would have been more interesting as a regular science fiction movie. Anyway, you may fall asleep watching this thing.$LABEL$0 +outrageous?.. yes..vulgar?.. yes..Absurd?..yes..Entertaining?.. yes... Borat will surely divide its viewers.. it is not intended to be a pc film exploring cultural differences.. it is rather a complete violation of everything pc and brings out the worst in our international relations.. But it is endearing, very funny, and its explorations of the american psyche are spot on.. I found myself more often than not laughing at the American's who confront something different than themselves and bring out the worst stereotypes of Americana.. Borat is one of the most outrageous and totally relevant portrayals of international relations in the history of cinema.. Sacha baron cohen is hilarious in his absurd yet sympathetic portrayal of Borat.. a man completely out of place who always says the wrong things according to the other culture.. I found myself thinking as much as i was laughing..$LABEL$1 +National Geographic should be ashamed.. This slap dash compilation of short descriptions was probably put together as a quick way to make a few bucks. The authors are indeed esteemed but I bet each one wrote their part from memory on a Sunday afternoon. The battle descriptions are dry and confusing--most of the maps are useless in determining the sequence of events. Geography seems to be sort of thrown in as a catchy way to snare amateur buffs like myself. I usually read reviews before I buy a book and this time I just "assumed" good quality due to the National Geographic Society imprimatur. Stay away!$LABEL$0 +very well. This worked for me perfectly was easy to install and is made of a good materal am very pleased with the performance of this$LABEL$1 +Money thrown down the drain!!!. I received the camera for Christmas and used it twice. After I changed the batteries in it, the camera stopped working. I called Kodak and they said I would have to send it in for repair. After wating for a while without a reply, I called Kodak again to find out what was going on with my camera. They told me that water or some liquid got into it and corroded it and because of that, it would not be covered by the warantee. The camera was never near any water as I only had the opportunity to use it twice. Their customer service is awful and they want $130 to fix the camera. I would rather buy a new one than give them anymore of my money. Stay away from this camera!$LABEL$0 +Very Good!. This is one helluva novel. The prologue is the best I think I've ever read anywhere, as far as getting the reader ready for the ride. Everybody loves haunted house stories. This one is a very good one. I liked The Haunting-I know a lot of people like it as well. This is The Haunting with teeth. In this novel, the reader is shown the terrors. Perhaps the bogies might rival Lovecraft. One thing for sure, this writer has not shortchanged anyone in creating this book. I won't be surprised to see a movie made from The Infinite. As for that, I think I'll be surprised if a movie isn't made. What can I say?$LABEL$1 +very Plain. This is a plain story in a plain book. The lack of quote("") marks makes reading the dialogue a bit more of a challenge.$LABEL$0 +El libro del millón de dólares. Decir que este es el libro del "millón de dólares" puede sonar un poco exagerado, pero es la verdad. Por supuesto que no me refiero al costo del mismo y tampoco a su alto contenido y excelencia literaria, sino a la campaña publicitaria que fue montada al momento de su lanzamiento... La editorial ofreció la cifra de seis ceros a quien sea capaz de demostrar un problema de mas de 250 años: "La Conjetura de Goldbach".El Libro nos embarca junto al "Tío Petros" (un matemático brillante), en la búsqueda desesperada, obstinada y hasta psicótica de la solución del histórico problema.No puedo decir que vayamos a encontrar grandes sorpresas y reveses en la trama, pero es recomendable para el que gusta de las matemáticas, su historia y el enredo psicológico en que se puede caer al enfrentarse a desafíos inalcanzables.$LABEL$1 +Some great techniques helped me labor drug-free.... I'm grateful to this book for giving me a couple of excellent relaxation techniques we were able to use during my labor, and for the positive outlook it lends to our increasingly tech-dependent birth system. It's not quite as helpful, thorough or organized as the hypnobabies.com home-study course, but as an introduction to self-hypnosis in birthing, it's valuable. I should stress that your support in the birthing room is the most important thing... everyone attending needs to be in agreement w/ your decision to go natural because a little negativity or doubt can really affect a birthing mother and stall labor.$LABEL$1 +DO NOT GET THIS!!. I got my car last night.It always goes to a side and doesnt go strait.I went to toys R us and they even said a lot of people are returning them.Dont get this toy.$LABEL$0 +Must reading to understand whats going on in the world. Pleasently surprised and this is a great book, with some great ideas for our future. This guy tells it like it is and stood his ground for his principles. He outlines what happened heading in to Iraq and beyond and what we can do about it.$LABEL$1 +Love this!!!!. I have been using this product for about 3 years. As a skin cancer survivor I want the highest SPF I can find. Plus I like the coverage - looks good and feels light.$LABEL$1 +The Best Bit was the END. All of the participants in this nonsense are capable of making me split my sides, but none of them did in this movie. By far the best bit was the ending. Unless your brain has been pierced with a tongue stud, you will get much more satisfaction by giving your $$ to a worthy charity, than by spending it on this!By the way although I live in Singapore, I originated from elsewhere, so don't blame Singaporeans for lacking a sense of humour if you disagree with my comments.$LABEL$0 +Good Information but lots of out of date "science". I thought some of the information in this book was useful but when I hit page 42 "Clearing Up the Cholesterol Confusion" I was really disappointed. The author is about 20 years out of date as far as research goes and sticks to the AMA party line like glue. There are several completely unsubstantiated claims, such as page 51 "Combined with exercise, calorie intake that matches energy nees and not smoking the G.I. will help you live a long and healthy life". Really? How much longer? The actual GI chart contains a symbol meant to represent food that is "bad" for the heart. I was in agreement through the cakes and cookies but when it appeared in the meat and dairy I knew the author had either not done her homework or did it with a completely closed mind.$LABEL$0 +Discontinued. This AT440ML cartridge has been discontinued and is no longer available. The replacement is AT440MLa. If you order this item you will be getting he 440MLa which has a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz, and not the 5Hz-32KHz advertised. The seller (Electronics Expo) does not tell you this or respond when they are emailed. Be Aware.$LABEL$0 +ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS!!!. Nothing but disappointment...1. You can't take stem with blades off - you have to clean it right on the mixer.2. Blades are flat - I can't imagine flat blade to be able to aerate something.2. Very unpowerful - it was fighting soft ice cream and blueberries for 10 min. and still I had pieces in my cocktail.3. After all my cocktail looked like milk with floating blueberries in it, not frothy whatsoever.My KitchenAid food processor did a much better job on these cocktails. I will probably get just a blender for this purpose.$LABEL$0 +I'm not buying this FOUR times. Three times is enough.. So like many i already bought BOTH versions of LOTR because the studio did this with DVD. I won't let them do it to me again, and neither should you. Please write your own one-star review as well.$LABEL$0 +Only the Grinch would not love this movie!!. The best Christmas tale ever - evident by Ted Turner running it for 24 hours straight the last two Christmases.But don't let that stop you. To see the real story of the Christmas story you need to see this on DVD and all its Red Rider Beebee gun glory.The cast is superb, the tale one all babyboomers will feel is a lot like their childhood. It is fond remembrances, without the overly cutsie pie touches. The kids are real, the emotions are real and funny and the late Jean Sheppard's wit ( and narration) shine in this perfect tale of a boy and his desire for a Red Rider Beebee gun and the lengths he will go to to 'help' Santa remember.I love books, and often when one is made into a movie, I prefer the book. To Kill a Mockingbird is one that I loved in both book form and movie form, and this is the other. Based on several of Sheppard's books, this is a true gem.Every family should have this.$LABEL$1 +completly useless!. i'm sorry to say that neither of my two cats have given this product more than a cursory once over since we got it around 10 days ago, nevemind use it for its intended purpose. they are both horizontal scratchers. basically, if its on the floor, its fair game. but not this thing! i tried placing it in their favorate scratching places, rubbed it with regular catnip + even tried Catit Liquid Catnip (see my review for that!) once, my older cat laid down on it + fell asleep like it was a floor level window sill but no action whatsoever since that thrilling performance. what a waste of money!$LABEL$0 +Needs Work is an Understatement. I wish I had thoroughly read the reviews before purchasing this book. I have never submitted a review before but this book was so poorly written and edited that I hope I can prevent others from wasting their money.$LABEL$0 +L&O - I just can't wait. Donate your gently used L&O DVD sets to your public library and get a receipt. This turns into a tax deduction (see IRS pubs 526 and 561) if you itemize or a great feeling if you don't.$LABEL$1 +The Greatest Live Album Ever!!. This is the loudest, rawest, most savage kick a$$ rock and roll record ever recorded! It never gets the respect it deserves. The only other live album that comes even close is Live at Leeds or maybe No Sleep Till Hammersmith. Before morphing into a radio friendly pop band (The Locomotion), Funk were the heaviest thing going. Nobody could touch them...Zep, Purple, nope. What's really cool is Mel's bass is high in the mix ala Entwistle and it really drives the band. And Mark has a guitar sound like no other mainly due to the Messenger axe going into the West amps. This generation needs to hear this album if they think Green Day is heavy!! Absolutely Essential. My favorite album of all time.$LABEL$1 +Darkwatch: Amazing looking, Pathetic performance!. Length:: 3:49 MinsHey, this is my first review, couldn't sleep, was window shopping, literally in this case. so please enjoy, I'll be reviewing other games soon, thanks for watching! :)$LABEL$0 +Clarity is a blessing!. This is very useful for explaining RC doctrine and interpretation as well as translation of the original Biblical texts.$LABEL$1 +Pretty tiny, not waterproof. This pouch is just big enough for some credit cards and cash - not big enough for a passport. The instructions clearly say "do not submerge" so "dry bag" it isn't.$LABEL$0 +i waste my money. because I thought it would be much better. It was disappointing, really. I don't understand the good reviews here. 5 o 6 tracks are good enough, including La bamba y Come on Let's go, plus some traditional Mexican tunes, as Carabina 30 30 and Volver, but all the rest is far from been interesting, they bore and ask for skip. My impression is that they could be much more than they really achieve. They've got something (that something that made me buy the album) but they fail and never get to a great thing. I guess the fans will enjoy this collection, but casual listeners: be aware. Prometen más de lo que cumplen$LABEL$0 +Great if you don't want to pay for Bose. I've had these for over 5 years and have never had a problem with them. I use them on a daily basis at work to drown out loud co-workers, and also when flying. They don't drown out 100% of background noise, but I can't complain considering the price. Only issue is that the little rubber ear bud covers tend to come off easily and if you happen to lose one and don't have an extra with you, then there's really no fix.$LABEL$1 +This information is very dated.. Except for the cryptography section, this book was of no use to me. At school, this is the required class text but our professor told us to forget about it and go buy Hacking Exposed. I suggest you do the same if you want a more Hands-On practical approach.$LABEL$0 +Not going to buy audiovox products again. Unfortunately, this was a rare case when electronic equipment broke 4 month after the installation.But AUDIOVOX warranties their fine electronics for 3 month only.Which means, that I have to through that piece of garbage for $200 out...Thank you, audiovox for the nice new years gift$LABEL$0 +Everything seems to be missing.. I purchased this power pack for my HP Camera. The first thing I noticed was the lack of instructions in the box. There was NO paperwork included with the product. It also contained to adapter fittings, niether of which listed my camera on thier description - althoug, according to the ... Page, and the Unity Digital page, this is the exact model to use with my camera. (I did try it out after assumiing the battery would need to be charged for 12 hours like most, and tried the fitting that fit the camera. It worked right the first time, and since then it has not been able to take a picture - reads dead battery on the camera.... perhaps if I had instructions on how long to charge it.....) Overall, neat idea. I WILL try another one, but frankly, I was sadly disappointed with what I got.$LABEL$0 +EXCELLENT ARRANGEMENTS AND SONGS- good singing!. Superb songs. Linda's singing is good and very emotional enough but it is obvious that she is new to this material. She does not have the interpretive skills of Streisand, Fitzgerald or Holliday.Nelson sounds as good as ever and there is no question that even Frank's ghost is evident in these recordings.$LABEL$1 +Not Accurate. I was very disappointed in the movie and stopped watching it midway. This is not an accurate account of St. Rita's life, I would recommend reading on her.At one point in the movie, I thought it was going to get trashy because on her wedding night, there was lots of kissing, sensuality, and then finally they walk off in the other part of the bedroom. This could have been left out of the movie, it did not need to show this, or all the times Paolo has to take his shirt off, and they could have left out the word [...]. This is suppose to be a movie on a saints life.It's already hard finding good family and catholic movies to watch but I'm not going to let me child watch False information that proclaims to be TRUTH. This includes other religious movies.$LABEL$0 +This book was pure crap!. The publisher didn't have much sense since he published thiscrap! I can't believe this was a bestseller. Please don't read this book, you'll go into a deep depression, that is if you're awake enough to read it!!! :($LABEL$0 +This is a Great book!. I feel this is one of the best books on the subject of edible wild plants. It is very informative and gives a lot more information than other plant books. I would recomend this book to anyone interested in the wilderness.$LABEL$1 +must donwload new driver form it;s website. In both winXP or Win2K, you must download the new driver for robstics.com for this card. otherwise, it not work on wireless access point.$LABEL$1 +What a piece of crap. Not only does my drive not work (after one big whopping use), but their tech support is worthless. I have NEVER felt so rushed off the phone. I plan on staying away from this company from now on.$LABEL$0 +Good stuff to have on hand. This material will protect and preserve your documents and photos well. Also available in sheet size for general use, this roll is more versatile. Maps and other large items need this size. Care must be taken in application for it has to be done right the first time or very undesirable wrinkles will be permanent. Make sure you have a good work surface and plenty of hands.$LABEL$1 +Awful Service.. Seller never neither sent the book nor replied to my email. I usually buy books from Amazon and I never had any problem with any of the sellers; however, this time the seller Stephanie did not fulfilled the contract.$LABEL$0 +Buyer beware. Pictures don't tell a thousand words!....As others have stated. The picture is totally misleading. You only get one valve...How can they get away with this..$LABEL$0 +Classic Sailor Suit. "Boutique" quality sailor suit. I liked it so much I even bought the coordinating dress for my daughter. You will not be disappointed with this find!$LABEL$1 +Two Weeks Notice. I found the humor rather dry but it was worth watching. There isn't alot of depth to it but If you want something to watch while you kick back and relax for an eventhing this would work great.$LABEL$1 +This one deserves a minus rating.. I have read all of Kellerman's Peter Decker books and have enjoyed most of them enormously. When I saw this one at the library I immediately checked it out. After plowing through half of it, trying to keep the characters straight and finding them so unpleasant I decided to come and read the reviews and wish I had done so earlier. Thank you to those reviewers who recommend utilizing my reading time on something that would be more enjoyable. I shall not be finishing this book. It will be back in the book drop this P.M. And yes, I agree that Amazon should have a zero stars rating, this one deserves it.$LABEL$0 +This was a great book!. I loved this book. Anybody who has read the rest of the HeartLandsires should read this book.PS.Whens the next book coming out?$LABEL$1 +Great Kitchen Tool. Great for small jobs like buttering tops of rolls and icing cookies! So great that it is dishwasher safe and easy to store!$LABEL$1 +defective heating element. Some of the reviews on this product are several years old, which may explain why there is so much difference in the ratings of buyers. We have had various waffle makers for 40 years, the last a toastmaster, for about 20 years. Since toastmaster was bought by B&D we thought the quality of a new B&D might be a good choice. Wrong. It has very light plates and the bottom element did not heat evenly. The back half of the bottom waffle was raw dough on three attempts we made to make waffles. I am returning the product and would not purchase another B&D item.$LABEL$0 +Da Beat Keeps Knockin Down my Rearview Mirror, literally !!!. This cd is tight, just another tight , off da hinges, cd from da dirty yay area. Vallejo should in da record books, compton has talent, but not as much as da v-town. i love this CD, my fav. 5 are The Slap, Roll On, LIfestyles, They don't F**k Wit Us, and It's All Gravity. HE features a lot of peeps: b-legit, suga free, afroman, petey pablo, fabolous, just 2 name a few.$LABEL$1 +Pricey, but if you are looking to learn calculus, this is A+. After taking differential calculus, integral calculus, and elementary differential equations, I took a year off of college. Then when I came back, I had forgotten alot of things concerning those courses. Well, I bought this book because it had the most pages and seemed to cover the most information. Well, it was a good buy! It covered ALL of the material that I had covered in those 3 previous courses. It was a great book for refreshing my memory. This would also be a great book for learning calc for the first time also.$LABEL$1 +A must see!. Harry Chapin's finest work was writing the songs for this rollicking musical introduction to the modern day gospel of Luke, telling of the birth of Jesus in the great state of Georgia.Tom Key changes from one delightful character to another with ease. The quartet of musicians supporting him were brilliant on their instruments as well as fine actors, often comedic. "Spitball Me, Lord, Over the Home Plate of Life" is one funny song!)You will laugh, cry, and gasp as you see the Gospel through new eyes. Enjoy! Share it with everyone who will sit and listen.$LABEL$1 +Not bad at all.... I was not really sure how this movie was going to play, but it is a thriller and it did keep me on the edge of my seat --- I would probably even watch it a second time --- that's saying a lot for me.BUT, do yourself a favor and buy it used on amazon marketplace or rent it...$LABEL$1 +This CD is one of the worst.. In buying this CD I thought it would be a wise investment. But it really was a bad choice. This group can not sing, it is a sad try to make it big.$LABEL$0 +Truely Insane. The author of this book has no understanding of basic economic theory. If he did, he would understand that the scenario he paints is nearly impossible to pull off. If he does understand the basics of macroeconomics, then he is simply a fearmonger and a liar.0 Stars.$LABEL$0 +horrible waste of time. no plot,movie really drags onwhat were they thinking?was hoping for something like the Full Monty.I was very disapointed and regret spending the money.$LABEL$0 +A Nearly Perfect Album From A Nearly Perfect Songwriter. Neil Finn comes closer to perfection in his craft then nearly anyone writing music today. When he is on, he is DEAD ON. Penning lovely melodies with lyrical content to match. This, his first solo effort, is a collection of his latest gems and with it he reminds us of why his fans love him. It also, however, nudges some to wonder what he does with all the rocking stuff he writes, as this album only comes close to moving your feet once (My Loose Tongue). As far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough as this is close enough to perfection for me. Keep 'em coming Neil.$LABEL$1 +High pitched whine, defective design. Don't buy one of these until they fix what must be a design flaw. As others have noted, there is a high pitched whine audible whenever the box is switched on. It's there regardless of whether any music is playing or not. This is almost certainly a design flaw. It could be aliasing noise, a leaky carrier tone, etc.XM is an interesting concept, but this boombox is poorly implemented.$LABEL$0 +The Wolf Master. Well being that I'm from a rather rough part of Wisconsin. My gang resides in the grimiest trailer park eva. Before heaven sent us the amazing tshirt. My gang was the 11th most rowdy gang in the trailer park. Since then we jumped straight up to number 2. Being that the number one gang actually has real wolfs named Kito and Keloy that they raised since baby wolfs. Tshirts is second best.Be aware of knock offs. To ensure authenticity the shirt should fade to grey in just 1 wash! I don't know why they just didn't make the shirt in grey like wolfs colors. To get maximum dudage I recommend cutting off the sleeves, don't worry the value of the shirt will not go down by doing this, but is will increase your Poon level. [...] I even had this one 11 year olds father give me and his daughter tickets to a Miley Sirus concert in trade to wear my 3 wolfs t shirt for the night. [...] Oh well, I got to see Miley!$LABEL$1 +The worst book I have ever read. Having a Minor in Lit, I have read lots of books. Having purchased many, many books, I have never felt the desire to write a scathing review of a book. I HATED this book.If you HATE animals or get some weird enjoyment over the gross abuse of animals this is the book for you. Once that part of the book began to develop, I really could care less about why this woman killed herself. I could go on and on but this book is not worth the effort.$LABEL$0 +OLD KINGDOM PROVINCIAL EGYPT ANALYSED. If you are lucky to find this title and you are not a beginner in Egyptologial matters, this is a very attractive essay on the provincial administration and possible causes for the fall of the Old Kingdom. Very thought-provking issues are put forward all along the book, and it must be regarded as an important contribution to the understanding of the historical period it covers.$LABEL$1 +Jim Morrison ....buried again...by Bruce Botnick. I am wondering who let John Densmore mix these tracks? Morrison's vocals are almost left off...they are so reduced in this new mix...just horrible..and the drums are now the lead instrument...just awful. A wonderful selection of tracks...reMASTERING would be great but reMixed? WHY? and if so..why didn't anybody mention that Jim's voice was the defining instrument of the band...when he died...so did the band. Don't get me wrong I admire Robby and Ray...but without Jim they didn't go anywhere and why he is diminished in these new mixes is just a crime.$LABEL$0 +A bit unrealistic but good. Very quick reading, I was 3/4 of the way through and felt I had just started reading it. Tim LaHaye always does a great job of developing characters and situations. This story was based on actual heart breaking events that take place today. I mention unrealistic because of how it all works out but realize that God is able to do all things. I loved the twist at the end of the book. Overall, good Christian fictional reading.$LABEL$1 +Request for my sister. Good shoes, excellent price-quality relation. Excellent prices, even with the cost of shipment. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +cute but poorly made. Aesthetically, this umbrella is just fine, and still looks good after 3 months of use so far. My problems with it: 1) The picture makes it look like a base comes with it. Nope- you have to purchase one separately, and there's no guidance on which type to get. Don't get the Verdi Gras cast iron stand, this umbrella is too thin to fit properly into it. So it leans a bit to the left. Not a huge deal.2) Whenever I crank it closed, it somehow manages to pinch and cut my hand, even if I'm trying to be careful3) If you're dumb enough, like me, to leave it open on a windy day, it blows over, taking your table and umbrella stand with it.$LABEL$0 +If you love being bored to death.... ...then this book is for you. I can't believe I wasted hours of my life on a book where nothing happens. A friend gave me this book as a christmas present and I felt obligated to read it; mistake on my part. This book is so long and full of so much nothingness. Bottom line is this book is crap.$LABEL$0 +Does not work on DVD player!. I bought this DVD & was really looking forward to it. However it does not work. It seems as though it's a pirated copy. Our DVD player does not pick it up or read the DVD. Very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Who believes this stuff? The ones who want to.... What I find more frightening than someone who says what she says is that how much publicity is made from it.I mean, sure people can believe what she says but she goes ahead and condemns the First Amendment? Uhm...isn't that kinda going against the right for her to say what she...uhm..thinks?And going up against the 911 widows? Poor taste. But it sells.Basically she is the Maryln Manson of the Conservative nutjobs. Saying just enough to cause a frenzy to get her book bought and for her to become rich without changing a damned thing.Any Carney would be proud$LABEL$0 +Spot on Promise. Everett does an outstanding job in providing both sound biblical and financial truths. In today's (literally this very day - 10/24/08) chaotic financial arena, it's great to have a perspective of God's unchanging financial principles. For those whose risk aversion is increasing with the financial news in these uncertain times, here is a look at a genuinely "sure thing!"$LABEL$1 +violent but story line that keeps your attention. abalard and heloise of the east. this is a very violent film ,it is also a film that will hold your attention.i did not think the present government approved of this kind of film ,sex and violence,well the maybe the violent part.it would add quite nicely with curse of the yellow flower.$LABEL$1 +Wrong Impression. When the uncut version was shown on television a few months ago,they advertised the video would be the same as the uncut version shown on television. I played the first video and it is the same as the original movie without the uncut scenes. This is truly one of my favorite movies and when I saw it on television with the never before scenes, I couldnt wait to get that version on video. If I had known this, I wouldnt have bought the Anniversary Edition.$LABEL$0 +Best Rush Album Yet. This is my second review. My first one was over 8 months ago. I just want to say that Vapor Trails has become my favorite Rush album (which by default makes it my favorite album). It would have been inconceivable to me that Rush could do better than Moving Pictures, Hemispheres or Fairwell to Kings. Hold Your Fire was the the last really great Rush album for me (although I do like all the ones that followed except maybe Presto). Vapor Trails has turned it all around again. I just hope they keep releasing albums. Anyone that can't hear the genius in this album just hasn't given it a chance. Play the full album 10 times and then decide.$LABEL$1 +Poor quality and cut by about 7 minutes. This release is most likely mastered from VHS, it looks washed out and is not very sharp. Also the film runs 86:26 NTSC. The british DVD, issued under the title "Dragon Warrior" by Pegasus runs 93.42 PAL. The picture quality on the british release is also not perfect though.$LABEL$0 +this is a great book. I am buying this book after lending out my original copy to new dog owners so many times that I finally lost it. This is a very clear, concise dog training book. It's one of the best you can get, especially if you don't have the patience to read an entire long book. I love Carol Lea Benjamin's other training books also (How to Survive Your Dog's Adolescence is amazing), but this one is great, too, and a little more of a quick read.$LABEL$1 +Worth the Read, for Beginners Too. Although Joan won an Olympic medal and I've only run two 5k races, I found this book to be very useful and informative. Some of the training drills are new to me, most actually, and I plan on using them. She also has a training schedule for everything from your first 10k to your first marathon. The book even touches on 5k races and the mile. I don't know that I'll ever want to train for a marathon, but the book was interesting and inspiring, with Joan's personal experiences mixed in with experts's advice on everything from stretching to buying the right bra.$LABEL$1 +Not worth it. I originally bought this because I have an older ipod which had poor battery life, however this player was not worth the money. I bought it because it was one of the few smaller players that was compatible with mac, but many times when I transfer the songs from my computer to the player they do not transfer. This can be very frustrating, and takes up a lot of unnecessary time.$LABEL$0 +Arthur. Price was very good even with paying extra for the express delivery. Package got here very fast with no hassles. I am very pleased with this transaction.$LABEL$1 +PHENOMENAL!. The Who, my personal favorite band, in one of their greatest albums. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are currently touring this album (as of Jan. 2013) and I highly suggest seeing it! But there's nothing like listening to the talents of Moon and Entwistle, who are unfortunately no longer with us. This album is a perfect example of why everyone should listen to The Who!"Is it me, for a moment?"$LABEL$1 +ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!. As a fan of the original series, I never once planned to see this film. Not for the poor casting (the only one who resembled anyone from the original was the General Lee), the rehashed plot, or the fact that Hollywood has taken a once good and decent show and added alot of sex and profanity to it, but for the simple fact that Jessica Simpson should never be allowed in front of a movie camera. Joe Simpson, if you're reading this review, please stop bombarding your idiot daughter upon our society!!!$LABEL$0 +Bought 2, both are broken within a week. My dog's barking seemed to decrease within a few uses of this product, that's why after the first one broke after only a week I ordered a replacement. The first one sprayed the Citronella as soon as it was refilled, even when on the off button, and the second one we used for one day, I went to refill it, and nothing happened when I blew on it to test it. I exchanged the battery just in case, used a different refill bottle, and nothing! One week for the first, 1 day for the second!!!!! Our dog is a 2.5 lb Maltese kept inside, so it's not excessive wear or water damage. Poor quality! Great potential!$LABEL$0 +DVD/CD Shredder. Works great. Run it through the shredder & toss. No need to worry- can't retrieve any data off the disk$LABEL$1 +Good for your mind. This and most every other FAX USA release Ive come across has appealed greatly to me.$LABEL$1 +Great for this Breastfeeding Mother. I love this sterilizer. I am a breastfeeding mother and use the Avent Isis to pump milk from time to time. This sterilizer fits the Isis perfectly along with a few bottles, nipples and sealing discs. I wash my bottles out after I use them and put them away. When I'm ready to pump, I load this up and 7 minutes later I'm good to go. You don't need to dry the bottles or pump before using, if you use them right away. When I'm done, I wash my pump and store it back in here to dry. It stays there until I'm ready to use it again. I've never tried sterilizing any other bottles but the instructions specify how to place others in here so they fit well. It is very time saving, rinses easily, and works very well. I'm glad I've never had to resort to the boiled water on the stove.$LABEL$1 +Carol is that great singer, we have been looking for. Carol Sloane really knows how to sing JAZZ. She seems to be a natural at this venue. Her voice is really smooth and nice to listen to.For this project Carol used Bill Charlap as pianist and arranger. I must say Bill did a good job wearing both hats. Also Carol has a lot of fine sidemen that contributed to this cd. I think we need to give the musicians for this project a hand of applause.The down side to this cd was that some of the arrangements I didn't like and feel that they worked very well. All and all I would say this was a worth while cd.Recommendation: I would like to recommend this cd.$LABEL$0 +I've been guzzling this stuff for years, excellent tasting shakes with good blend of essentials. Does it taste like a great milkshake? No, but it is very good. I usually mix it with 8oz milk, about 3oz water and 3oz ice. It makes a more liquidy shake that is much easier to drink. I think the recommended mixture makes it a bit too thick. Taste is a good vanilla flavor and there is very little aftertaste other than the sweetener used. Its definitely filling and works well post workout.$LABEL$1 +Be careful of hardware conflict. I have bought this product 6 months back. But I found it really difficult to install it on my PC. Picture freezes after 5 minutes. That's it! I talked to customer support many times. They asked me to talk to my PC company to resolve the hardware conflict. I need to change some card or something which I don't want to do. Picture quality is really great!.$LABEL$0 +The Last Fairy Tale of Fantasy from the Vietnam War. This well written, but poorly researched fantasy piece should have been labeled as a novel in my opinion. Ten POWS died of starvation, mistreatment, and torture in Garwood's camp; none of them crossed over to the enemy. To know the real Bobby Garwood, read Frank Anton's "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" or Zalin Grant's "Survivors," plus several more POW narratives that are out of print but still may be found at major libraries. If you are still inclined to believe the best in Garwood, look up his name or "Garwood Papers" on the POW/MIA Database on the Library of Congress's website, and you'll discover a ton of material that will change your mind$LABEL$0 +Spyros bad. I dont recommend this game at all, the graphics are nice at first but get boring, the game flat out sucks, the only reason i even gave it two stars is because i know how long it takes to make a game, and i of 14 couldnt even figure the damnb this out, its confusing as hell, and i didnt even want to play it because nothing drew me to it.$LABEL$0 +Scratch and Sniff. One of the only enlighting things I found out about this Manga was it has a 'scratch and sniff' cover, which smells like Strawberry Shortcake (which smells so yummy!) but the overall story and art is it's downfall. I read about 20 pages and got bored, so I'm selling it online. There is no depth to the characters and no real engaging plot. There is only some Slash and Shonen Ai parts for fans, but it won't satisfy a Yaoi Fan. I suggest looking out for Cafe Kichijouji.$LABEL$0 +Refreshingly different.. I'm not a big romance reader. But this book caught my eye and something told me to give it a chance.I'm glad I did. It truly was a memorable story. The most striking part of it all to me was the starkly poignant way the author tackled the issue of human-reliance. She showed how dangerous it is to rely on a mere person for your happiness. People always fail people. We were made to love each other, not to hang on each other. No one is strong enough to carry both their issues and your issues on their shoulders, no matter how sure they may be of the otherwise.Yup... a pretty neat story... and a potentially life-saving lesson.$LABEL$1 +A Mystery Buffs Dream Weekend. This is a tribute to Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, all rolled into one neat murder mystery. Bernie and Carolyn spend the weekend in a New England guesthouse, which attempts to replicate an authentic old English manor. When guests begin showing up murdered, it's Bernie who plays the part of Hercule Poirot or, if you like, Philip Marlowe, as he gathers the clues, which will hopefully lead him to the murderer before too many more guests are knocked off. Being a guesthouse, there are suspects aplenty delivering us ample opportunity to figure out the mystery ourselves. If mystery fans will be delighted by this book, then fans of the British crime story will be even more so. Combining the wit and humour of Lawrence Block with the traditional murder mystery creates a deadly weekend, though presented in a light and breezy manner.$LABEL$1 +YET ANOTHER GREAT METAL BAND GONE SOFT. Ok don't get me wrong i love SEVENDUST and there is nothing wrong with mellow metal BUT!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait until a group will come out and not change their music style. i'm so sick of these bands drawing fans in with one type of music then going soft hmm hmm(creed,staind) just to name a couple others. I guess not all bands can be like OVERKILL who will never change their style for anything. I call it going from great to mediocre but then again the world is ruled by mediocracy uh? But anyway if you are a big SEVENDUST fan pick it up. If your a "rock" fan pick it up. If your a true to life metal fan (OVERKILL, TESTAMENT, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST) stay clear!!!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Superficial attempt at wit. Excited to read a book from an under-represented member of the "Beat Generation", I plowed into The Dud Avacado with relish.... and was sorely disappointed. Unlike contemporary Kerouac's On the Road, The Dud Avocado sadly lacks spiritual, moral, or intellectual development. The primary character starts out as superficial, vain, and unbelievably gullible. Unfortunately, though she miraculously scrapes through disasters of her own creation, she never grows as a person.I too was twenty once and I too did many stupid things. But, I'm really not interested in reading about somebody else's ignorance. Stupid is as stupid does.$LABEL$0 +Couldn't finish it. I read every day, so does my 8 year old, and we often read to each other. 10 pages into me reading this one, and we looked each other in the eye and made faces. I can't remember the last time we didn't finish a book. Too many long streams of colors matched with birds we hadn't heard of (and we have almost memorized David Attenborough's Life of Birds, and my son does a couple dozen bird calls from those videos). The illustrations were nice drawings, but honestly, the rain forest is best taught with a visual component. Or perhaps with much better writing.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! WASTE OF MONEY!. This book was the biggest waste of money! It was all about poor Gerry Starrett and her poor psycho son, who kidnapped and raped several girls, even murdering one. And oh how horrible his life in prison was. Not one word about the victims and their families. This book is very one-sided. I can't believe a family would even have the gall to write a book in defense of a murderous son.$LABEL$0 +Non Stick scratched. Enjoyed this sauce pan. The build quality is high, the glass lid is nice to be able to check boiling levels without opening the lid. I wish this was just hard anodized without the non stick interior. Very careful with my cookware, but the inside has been scratched.$LABEL$0 +Bad, very very bad. This book is terrible. Don't waste you money. Never having seen such a poorly written, self promoting text, I took it upon myself to look further into the matter.Basically, the book is a pitch for the authors so called patented FQPSK. Upon further investigation, I discovered that an entity called "digcom" licenses fqpsk. The web site, ..., list a cartel of sorts that leads one to believe that many major companies are embracing fqpsk as a standard. I contacted a couple of the companies listed and talked to the VP's of engineering. They all had nothing good to say, and were suprised that digcom still listed them as part of the fqpsk consortium. Basically, they had given up on fqpsk and pulled out of the consortium.$LABEL$0 +Great stand, strong enough for our windy days. This is a very heavy, durable umbrella stand. However, reading the reviews, I was prepared that it wouldn't exactly fit our smaller umbrella. It did not. We had to "fatten" our umbrella handle up a bit to make a tight fit, and after we did, it's great. We have very windy days here and the porch it is on is in direct line of the high winds. So far, it's really holding up. We've had it all summer. I'm pleased with the fact that when we move it, there is no rust spot under it. I recommend this base especially if you use a larger umbrella. V$LABEL$1 +There will never be another like him. I'm not sure if this is my favorite Leonard book... each one is delicious.I find myself re-reading. The patter of the chatter reminds me of Richard Gere's lawyer tapdance scene in CHICAGO.Pure perfection.$LABEL$1 +Thomas & Friends woodent trains. Another great Thomas Train. My grandson loves this one because he loves any kind of construction toy. Durable and other one for the collection.$LABEL$1 +Worth more if you use the CD as a coaster. I completely agree with Cheryl H. Long -- this is a gross insult to Josh Groban. NO ONE can come close to Josh Groban's talent. It's so bad that it would be a monumental improvement if Sanjaya sang this record!$LABEL$0 +A Gimmick. This book is completely devoid of any substance. I expected to learn about the FX market, through laymens terms and easy-to-follow examples.It turns out that this book is simply an advertisement for the author's software product; it even turns into a manual in Chapter 13!I have never written a review before, but I was too annoyed to be reticent. Hopefully this will prevent others from wasting their time and money. If you must see it for yourself, please make sure you don't lose the receipt.$LABEL$0 +Worst movie ever. This was absolutely terrible on all accounts, It was a waste of time, thank God i didn't buy it or i would have been even more heart-broken.PLEEEASEE don't waste you time, honestly it's unwatchable!$LABEL$0 +AVOID AT ALL COSTS!. Like most of you I'm an avid movie fan. This is not a movie so much as it's a 2 hour nap put on film. For the love of God watch anything, and I do mean anything, other that this garbage. Primate looses girl to evil other primative, primate rescues girl. CAN YOU JUST FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!Forget the fact that this film has all the historical accuracy of the Flintstones, (or Kansas public schools), the movie leaves you asking the question, "I spent 2 hours doing what?!"Honestly, save your time and your money. Just take a nap, same effect but you save some money and your dreams will almost certainly be FAR more entertaining.$LABEL$0 +wasted potential. The beginning of the book was quite engrossing, but the plot kept wandering all over the place. When the story suddenly, and unexpectedly, started talking about some super-intelligent squid, I quit. Any interest I had in continuing the book was gone.$LABEL$0 +Good story overcomes perceived flaws. For sheer escapist adventure of the romantic variety, this book is a winner. There's quite a bit of anachronism in dialogue and character behavior, and those who are familiar with Spanish may be put off by abysmal usage of that language (misspellings like "buenas dias" and "bandeleros" stand out -- repeatedly). Horsey terms, too, take an occasional hit ("gruello"?). Some of the plot points require extreme suspension of disbelief. The story is so delightfully told, though, that I was more than willing to suspend my internal editor and just read for the fun of it.$LABEL$1 +CD from a Great Voice. Definately a great new voice for Opera/Crossover. Sings with depth and passion and clarity. Wonderful.$LABEL$1 +Nothing new here!. This album is very repetitive, that sums it all up. Every other type of music has changed at least a bit, it has been 60 years since swing came around. Guess what? It sounds exactly the same on this album as it always has. BORING!$LABEL$0 +Sound Advice. What's in your workplace?Efficiency or flexibility?Tom does a fine job reminding us of the difference.$LABEL$1 +Just a greatest hits cd nothing new. It would be cool if were actually a new album instead of just a greatest hits cd.They trick new listeners into buying this cd thinking its a new album.$LABEL$0 +Now a whole genre of games. A great game for engineers like me, you have to combine ingenuity, understanding and timing to break the puzzle of the enemies defenses unnoticed. Very attention-garnering and often very difficult. A great game.$LABEL$1 +So great. It's the best book I've read yet I'm trying to get into books like this but still best book ever$LABEL$1 +Preaching to the Choir: Anti-Mormonism for Evangelicals. I downloaded this because it was free. From the title, I knew it was an expose of Mormonism. It is, but only as contrasted to the author's original Christian faith. As a secularist, I found nothing shocking about the mainstream Mormon church--just some weird Masonic-like stuff and self-important old men. The author seems to have joined for the social aspects and then quit when it turned out to be hard. I slogged through the first half. The second half, which describes the author's ministry, I skimmed. This book obviously appeals to those who share Ms. Robertson's beliefs, but just seemed like propaganda to me.$LABEL$0 +Complete scam. Zero stars. Out of the box I set this on a six foot range and walked around with the collar in hand. Nothing. Walked closer. Nothing. I had to literally sit the collar down next to the unit to get it to beep. Whether I had it set on 2 feet or 12, same results. I even made sure it was not sitting next to any large metal objects. Shame on you Amazon for selling something that is a complete ripoff.$LABEL$0 +In soccer You don't score 8-0. No matter what level of difficulty I put it on the game is way to easy. All you have to do is take a shot from the slightest angle and then the goalie will fly way left or right of the ball. It automatically goes in. NO FUN.$LABEL$0 +The Afrin No-Drip Nasal Spray did a great .... The Afrin No-Drip Nasal Spray did a great job of clearing up any congestion in my sinuses for at least 10 hours at a time. It was quick to use and lasted the whole day. I didn't have the watery running that you usually get with other nasal sprays, but did feel some wetness within my nose, so ""no drip"" is accurate. Would recommend this product to friends and family.$LABEL$1 +Rad. This CD is seriously kickin'. All songs are really awesome, except this one which is really annoying but whatever you take what you get. The songs are deeper than usual blink songs, you know excluding a few here or there. All my friends are like, obsessed with this CD and its totally rad.$LABEL$1 +Kidz Bop ALWAYS [0 stars]. not worth any price, if you want to buy this cause you like the music, then BUY it from the person who actaully sang the song in the first place, and that would probably sound SO much better than some nine year old kids singing it instead. i don't wanna hear kids singing it? do you? it's so annoying. dont buy this, please just don't buy it, anything else is BETTER than this. it really is just a big kick in the face to the music world. appreciate the people who did it in the first place, instead of some young kids, who have no idea what any of lyrics mean.$LABEL$0 +good, affordable alternative to plastic bottles. These bottles are great, and I had a hard time finding them in stores around me. They do not seem to give her any problems with gas. I like that they are glass (BPA free), easy to clean and very affordable.$LABEL$1 +Dearly Depotted. I enjoyed this light hearted mystery. If you love Sue Grafton you will enjoy this. The characters are not as richly developed, but it is a clean fun romp with just enough mystery to keep you wanting to turn the page for more.$LABEL$1 +i'm in the minority here.... I remember jeff dunham from 15 years ago, that was funny. "on a stick" was my favorite joke for a long time. But this new stuff is overhyped in my opinion. I guess I like a little more intellect or just real everyday jokes than what he delivers. watch him on comedy central before buying the dvd.$LABEL$0 +i want to tell you my feelings about this book.... This book is really good reading! I think almost everyone can relate to the feeling of wanting to express your emotions and feeling like the person you are speaking to either doesn't understnad or doesn't care. Really this book reminds us how important it is to set aside our agenda to talk all the time and occasionally create time to LISTEN to others.$LABEL$1 +Buyers beware!. Concept is good, but quality is poor, and customer service has been poor so far as well. Straps began to fall apart almost immediately. Contacted customer service over a month ago, and they said they would send a replacement. Have not recieved a replacement, or a response to my subsequent email. I would advise anyone considering this product to steer clear.UPDATE: Eight months have gone by since my initial review. They still have not provided either a replacement or a refund. I strongly recommend that you don't buy this or any other Gofit product - odds are you'll only regret it.$LABEL$0 +Great for destressing students. I am a guidance counselor in a middle school and have a number of "toys" to distract the children when they come to my office and help them unwind a bit. Some enjoy this puzzle by just building their own creations and others enjoy the challenge of completing one of the puzzles on the cards. This is easily one of their favorites and has stayed on my table the longest as there are so many possibilities and it lends itself well to their creativity as each of the pieces is completely different from the rest. The students really enjoy it and it makes their visits more enjoyable.$LABEL$1 +My daughter loves them.. My 3 year old daughter loves these. I use them to teach her how to spell words and make new words by changing one letter. We use them on her magnatic board and they are great. Having upper and lowercase letters are great. We also use the numbers to start on adding and subtracting.$LABEL$1 +VIDEO EROTICA. Why don't we just admit it? TA videos and songs are the equivalent to the hottest of EROTIC FICTION.The only women who will not like this are the ones who are uncomfortable with their own sexuality.The men (boys) that don't like this are threatened by the "romance". They could just sit back and enjoy the benefits of the arousal (i.e. no work on their part) of their woman.$LABEL$1 +workout. My husband and I used this for the first time tonight. We had a huge venison roast and put it through the grinder very easily. Although, I could definitely see how a motor would simplify matters, we still went through it in less than an hour (which includes cleaning it up post-grinding, and taking care of our cranky children). I would recommend this to others. This one hasn't been as impressive as some motored ones I have been around, but it did the job efficiently, was easy to clean, and didn't get my kitchen messy with "goo" everywhere. You will want a workbench or something similar to bolt it down on.- One complaint, the packaging we received the grinder in was horrible. I am almost surprised we even got it because of the box being in such bad shape. Also, no manual included and the handle didn't survive the transit, so my husband had to make one. These aren't devastating factors, but are annoying.$LABEL$1 +Could be a good book... just don't try to do the practice problems.. Why the $%&* would you list a homework problem under section 4.4 when you wouldn't know how to do it without reading section 4.5? This has thrown off my whole study strategy that has served me extremely well in every science class (physics, math, chemistry) I've taken up to this point, college or high school. Basically, you read a section, and then do the practice problems for that section BEFORE moving onto the next. I just wasted 2 hours of valuable finals study time reading sections 1.1 through 4.4 looking for the solution, only to turn 2 pages ahead after giving up to find the necessary information right there... words cannot express how enraged I was after discovering this and I hope this review will save some others from lighting their book on fire and throwing it out the window like I almost just did.$LABEL$0 +Great Conversation Piece. This book is a great way to pass the time and a must for any aviation nut. Obviously it can't go into great depth on every power flying vehicle ever produced, but it does an outstanding job of hitting all the high points.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't work well at all. There's no "off" button - this is a piece of garbage. Don't even waste your time or money on this.$LABEL$0 +Bad battery. After about a year of limited use and not a lot of charging the battery totally stopped taking a charge. FAIL!$LABEL$0 +call of the wild. I had always heard of this book since I was only a kid, but never read it until last month, and to be totally honest, the only reason I read it was because it was a free book. But I gotta say within the first few pages I really got into it, and absolutely loved it. It was a very good book to read as I went to bed each night.The Call of the Wild$LABEL$1 +Not OK. For the price; not worth it. The product is great accept that I can't find replacement bulbs for it so it makes it a one time use and thats not worth it.$LABEL$0 +In flight confusion. This is by far the worst language-related product I have ever purchased. This CD assumes that you can learn a language by memorizing long, complicated phrases by rote with no foundation whatsoever in vocabulary or grammar. It is just not possible to remember long setences relating to travel without first learning anything about the basic grammar of a language. The phrases aren't even repeated or broken down. This CD might be useful if you have already taken some modern Greek and want to brush up on travel phrases. Otherwise save your money -- most Greeks who work in airports and hotels speak English and this CD won't help you have much of a conversation with anyone who doesn't.$LABEL$0 +enjoy ... while they last. I can't argue with the sound quality (although you definitely hear contact with the wire -- probably unavoidable with a light-weight wire).More troubling is that they simply don't survive normal use. The wire is too light-weight & didn't last even a year before one ear starting cutting out. I nearly always placed the headphones back in their carrying case after use. They're simply too delicate to be this expensive.$LABEL$0 +Need solution. Why are you holding solution manual? I'm a college graduate with degree in ME. Stop torturing us. Share the information, please.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointed in KS. I am halfway through this book and not enjoying it as I have all of her others I have read. I decided to look on Amazon to see what any other comments were about this book. I looked, and have decided to give up on this one and continue on to another one of hers. I just found this one very hard to follow and I don't like having to work that hard trying to keep up with a story line. My sister-in-law, who is also an avid reader, once told me that if you're not "into" a book by page 100, it may not be worth the effort to continue.$LABEL$0 +Foam roller is amazing!. Bought this for my dad for christmas! He has back issues and loves to use this to work out. It also works well for yoga and Pilates. It is very durable, I would recommend this product to anyone.$LABEL$1 +A knife is of no use if...... I will just echo much of what "The Shepard" said about the knife. It's almost impossible to remove it from the sheath without playing tug of war with yourself. And to make a strange situation even more strange, the belt/boot clip that is an integral part of the sheath is so weak that it is useless for holding the knife in any location.....which is why I no longer own this knife. Rideing my motorcycle today, the knife fell away somewhere on I40. I don't miss it....Lynn Stubblefield$LABEL$0 +Cyber Acoustics... Stereo Headphones. It is good one, but I confused with the one that may have a bit louder sound than this one. Anyway, for moderate use its OK...$LABEL$1 +Great Product - Great Service. This item is as described by the seller. Like new and a fraction of the new price. This arrived promptly without any worries. Great experience!!!$LABEL$1 +This season is the worst one so far.. I have watched this show since the beginning and this is by far the worst one so far. If they wanted to kill Jim off they should have just killed him and let him cross over. I have not watched anymore of this season since he took over that guys body.$LABEL$0 +No mention of Wicca in product description - why?. Why doesn't Amazon mention that this video talks about Wicca in their reviewor in their product description? I also looked at the video in a store, and there was no mention of Wicca on the case. That's important information to leave out. If it were there, consumers could decide for themselves whether or not it was an appropriate video to show their children.$LABEL$0 +Great!. This item did just what I wanted it to, very simple and easy to use, I am glad I got it, and the price was right too!$LABEL$1 +EXCEPTIONAL SCENT!!!!!. OH MY GOD THIS STUFF IS AWSOME!!!!! IT SMELLS LIKE COCO. WHEN I LOOK ON THE REVIEWS, I LOOK FOR WHAT SOMEONE SAYS IT SMELLS LIKE BECAUSE ALOT OF THE TIME I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM BUYING. IM SUCH A PERFUME JUNKIE THAT I BUY TONS OF IT A YEAR. SO THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO TAKE THE TIME TO TELL ME WHAT SOMETHING SMELLS LIKE! I JUST RECIEVED MY SCENT TODAY AND ALREADY HAVE RECIEVED A COMPLIMENT ON THE SCENT. THIS STUFF IS WONDERFUL!!! EVERY WOMAN WILL LOVE THIS AND ITS CHEAP TOO. HAPPY SCENT TRAIL TO YOU ALL.$LABEL$1 +A resource to be treasured. If we're lucky enough not to have a chronic disease with difficult symptoms, P.S. Julia is an interesting, moving, humorous read, and a resource to share with those who are struggling with such a condition. If one has been challenged by such a condition, the book is way beyond an interesting intellectual read, as it has the power to produce or strengthen commitment, hope, belief in taking a more positive and ultimately healing way of addressing what has happened to ones body.$LABEL$1 +**Yawn**. Rented this on CD as a part of a long road trip. While giving SOME new insight, this is more like a summary of boxscores turned into a book. I was expecting MUCH more from this...instead, I got hours dedicated to 2 games and minutes dedicated to the other 98 years mentioned in the title.$LABEL$0 +I didn't want an apple taco.... I generally love these Sunbelt products. They are tasty and healthy and that is a wonderful combination. Sadly, these bars have a distinct taste that is off-putting and really makes them less than wonderful in my eyes. The outer shell smells and tastes like a wheat tortilla. I'm not joking. The center is wonderfully apple like and the cinnamon flavor is apparent, but the initial taste one has when placing this in their mouth is not pleasant.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointed!!! ;(. I'm very disappointed because I NEVER got my movie that I bought like 5 months ago, so what is up with that? Paid for it, but....oh well!!!$LABEL$0 +Errors, Errors, Errors.... This book has too many errors. There is nothing more frustrating than to follow the steps outlined and find out it does not work because they did not Q&A; the examples.ie. They ask you to select a field from the table, but the field does not exist. The stored procedure does not include it.You would have to know how to write SQL to correct this.$LABEL$0 +stopped working. Had this thing for a month and noticed it started turning my appliance on and off at different times after three weeks. I attempted to reset it but the display is missing elements in and i cannot see the days of the week i want to set. I have contacted the company for a return because no return info came with the unit.$LABEL$0 +It sounded so good on the back cover.... I first read this book over three years ago and didn't like it. But then, a few weeks ago, I decided to see how much my taste in books had matured and gave it another chance. Big mistake! I hate this book! They took a wonderful concept and blew it to smithereens by ruining Giles and Xander. I would have felt better if they'd somehow discovered that the real Giles and Xander had been locked in a warehouse for the duration of this novel and had been replaced by cyborgs because only that could explain why the heck they were saying such stupid stuff!Not only were they horrible, but the supposed climax of the novel - the zombie diner fight scene - was over waaay too fast and easily. It completely and irreparably damaged my spirit. The books only saving grace was some fun quips from the Buffster and a sweet (albeit, paranormal) kiss between Willow and Xander at the very end. I would recommend Coyote Moon and Halloween Rain in a heartbeat over this book.$LABEL$0 +Lives up to all the hype.. This DVD is the not only the best JM dvd it's the best exercise dvd I have over all, and I have them all. Insanity, p90x etc. Jillian's is just as challenging, less repetitive, more explanatory, offers the meal plan as well. For $12 you can't beat the value. It's all been said in previous reviews, but this workout is amazing. If you purchase it you won't be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Buy, Capitalist!. With most bands, you only get one version of a specific song. Occasionally, extended mixes, remixes, live or demos show up. The reason I mention this, as is readily apparent if you've read anything on this...is that these are re-recorded studio versions. Excellent...and now we have two studio versions of these tunes. Considering the price, well worth it!$LABEL$1 +This is Manson's best album yet!. This is Manson's best album yet. Unlike Antichrist Superstar he sings about things that affect all of us. He constantly is reminding us that drugs do run our society. "The Dope Show" is the best song on the album. But the others are not far behind. In his past albums Manson constantly screamed his lyrics. This happens only a few times in "Mechanical Animals". I particulary like the song that has a 70's sound and backup singers. If you are looking for variety from one artist, Marilyn Manson is your man? woman? mannequin? Who knows and who cares!$LABEL$1 +Very Poor Quality. When we took the rails, etc., out of the box, the rails were split from top to bottom; not structurally sound at all. When I called the manufacturer about this, he told me that it was "the nature of the wood" to crack and split. Give me a break. Save yourself some time and trouble and look elsewhere for a swing.$LABEL$0 +too vague. This book lead to more questions than answers, and the author comes across as very "superior". There is a much better book out "The Donkey Companion" by Sue Weaver that also includes information about miniatures. If you can only afford one book, get the Donkey Companion. This is so vague and leaves you guessing or assumes you know equine basics, barely touches on husbandry, care, training or temperment, and then there are the capitalized words "yelling" as if you were a fourth grader. Wasted my time. and money.$LABEL$0 +A decent anime series...but the real gem is the soundtrack. Brain Powered is an okay animated series with some strange turns of plot (it seems a matter of course that mecha appear in the series - though it doesn't make too much sense :P). It certianly isn't a Marcoss or Gundam ripoff, but it isn't entirly successful in shaking off the giant robots wars so common in anime.The soundtrack is really good, its been done none other than the famed, Yoko Kanno. Kanno really hits another one out of the park with this one.$LABEL$1 +rating update. Ordered them on July 19th they were in stock and on sale.I was supposed to recieve them in mid August.Then on August 29th I got an email saying the shipping was delayed and I had to confirm that I still wanted them.I did and the new shipping date is November 9th.Seems like a long time to ship an in stock item.REVIEW UPDATE:Item still shows in stock .They cancelled my order saying it is unavailable from their source.I believe it has something to do with the sale price I ordered it at has now tripled and they didn't want to honor the old price.I,ve bought a lot of things from amazon with good luck but this has left a very sour taste in my mouth about doing further buisiness wiyh them.$LABEL$0 +A wall of sound to knock you to your knees. Cop Shoot Cop's second release on Big Cat records yields more of the same style as Consumer Revolt. Rythmic and driving arrangements that swell into blistering choruses. The songs on this album are even arranged in such a dramatic way that it is hard to stop the album once you start it. Each song becomes a prelude to the next in a fashion that almost plots out a twisted and spiraling story of loss, contempt and despairity with a smart and cynically sharp hatred toward just about everything. Imagine Tom Waits crossed with Einsturzende Neubauten.It will leave you unsatisfied, you just can't get enough.$LABEL$1 +Super Sexy. Let's be honest here. You buy this product for one reason only; to see your baby in it for 5 minutes before you strip it from her and have some fun.This product worked, it looks fabulous on her body, it really frames her buns perfectly and her DDs look fantastic in it as well. She managed to keep it on her body for 30 minutes...I was tied up!You will love this body stocking.$LABEL$1 +A dazzling debut. The short stories in this impressive debut collection are populated with characters who will stay with you long after you've finished reading. From the comic book artist obsessed with a lost love in "Have You Seen Her" to the title character in "Mr. Lillicrop's Shining Moment" -- the most dignified drunk you'll ever meet -- the people of Kulpa's fiction find hope while dancing on the edge of hopelessness. My favorite story in the collection, "The Night Copernicus Died," is a surreal, lyrical meditation on redemption.$LABEL$1 +Lugubrious..... A very unsatisfying book with a very interesting setting. The portrait of the immediate aftermath of WW2 in Berlin is excellent but the story is drawn out much longer than necessary. The writing is OK but the characters are unappealing, especially the main character, whose joylessness is monotonic in the extreme. You don't expect a story set in war-devastated Berlin to be a boffo laff riot but you can expect some spirit, some elan and energy.$LABEL$0 +A dull primer on nonduality. If you've seen "What the [bleep]" and found it revelatory, you might find this book moderately useful/interesting.Otherwise, particularly if you've ever read any book about Eastern philosophy/spirituality, you're liable to find this a painfully dull, repetitive, dry, and uninformative read.I can sum it up as follows: "Aristotle - bad! Nagarjuna - good! Non-duality, token reference to Buddha/Jesus/Eastern mystic, unintentionally reductionistic reference to quantum physics or psychic research, blah blah blah, endnote."The authors are presumably quite nice people and I hope my viewpoint doesn't cause them any unnecessary suffering...but they should really stick to academia rather than mainstream publication.$LABEL$0 +profound and powerful--don't miss it!. A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT TIME is a gem of a book. Jay Griffiths combines the wisdom and humility of Ivan Illich, the anger at social injustice and word magic of Eduardo Galeano, the senstivity and compassion of Terry Tempest Williams and the sense of wonder of John Muir into a text that challenges the time and productivity obsessed world of consumer society. Take time to read this book; its depth, and Griffiths' erudition, sharp wit and incisive social critism can't be fully appreciated by skimming it. As the book makes clear, the road to (social and ecological) hell is paved with "time-saving" devices and the worldview that "time is money." Perhaps this book will eventually be seen as a manifesto for the growing "slow life movement" now taking root around the world. Even when I disagreed with Griffiths, which wasn't often, the power of her prose and her arguments forced me to think hard about my own views. You can't ask for more from a book.$LABEL$1 +awesome!!!!. What a hit on Christmas morning.y Grandsons loved it! They are BIG Thomas fans. It will fit with all of their tracks. What'seven better ...it was $10 cheaper than at Toys R Us!!!!$LABEL$1 +Comprehensive View. As in her book on Instinctual Subtypes, Ms. Chernick-Fauvre, has provided the reader with the added visceral dimension of learning beyond a dry portrait of each subtype. The use of colored pictorials, matrix charts and anecdotal evidence provide the reader the opportunity to get a real sense of how each sub-type represents him or herself in the world both visually and verbally; not just what they will do but how they do it.$LABEL$1 +Great read!. I loved the book. I loved the easy access to purchase the item and had the ability to read it from both my ipad and iphone anywhere I was without having to carry a bulky book. Can't wait to purchase other books :)$LABEL$1 +An experienced look. I tried not to be overly objective and I also attempted to be open to the contents of this book, I still found some things very hard to swallow. I have not yet fully completed my reading, but I will tell you this...Satanism is not a mental disease. The mental disease area belongs to those who think as this book reads. I have been a Satanist my entire adult life. But to tell me that I have a mental disease not a relgion is just the same as saying that all Christians and Catholics are diseased. If you do read this book, just remember...those who write about what they do not know spead a sead of misinformation and seads of the brain if used unwisley can be very distructive. I will give you a full editorial when I am finished from cove to cover.$LABEL$0 +Legend of the Monk and the Merchant. This book was an easy read with 12 principles discussed in a storytelling manner. I received this book from BookSneeze and finished the book within 2 days. I would recommend this book to teens or those in their early 20's, who are just starting out in the real world. Financial gain seems to be the biggest goal of our youth, and this is a great reminder that hard work pays off in more ways than material posession.$LABEL$1 +worked for about 2 hours. Like others here, my speakers worked for about 2 hours then died. As I was past Amazon's return policy I contacted AR, which was purchased by Thompson Electronics. As told to me by the rep, they bought these speakers from some bankrupt electronics company and they've been having all kinds of problems with them. Beware.$LABEL$0 +Gerber 22-47162. The gerber is a very nice knife, but it is not a Kershaw! The spring assist is weaker and the knife in the same size as the Kershaw is has a lighter weight blade.$LABEL$1 +A charming cookbook. This is a softcover Slavic cookbook that I bought used, the last one available at the time in the summer of 2012. I looked for the cookbook after Lydia Kalaida passed away recently. I studied with her at the University of Wisconsin. I have made one recipe from the book so far, the egg white cake, and it was very nice. The contributors to this cookbook all write knowledgeably. I was glad to find this book.$LABEL$1 +Works with reservation. This pump is a step backwards from the previous two battery version (this one has three batteries). The additional battery make it too heavy on the top so it doesn't sit well in the pot. It has a tendency to tip over, or at least shift from the position you set it at.I would agree with some of the other reviews that it seems to loose power after the first use. The thicker the oil, the harder a time it has. If you heat the oil before filtering, it works much better. Note that you don't want to get the oil too hot - perhaps nothing hotter than 100 degrees. I cracked the clear tube in my old two-battery one by running boiling water through it (requiring the purchase of this model).If you can find the older version, I highly recommend it, but the three battery version is definately a step backwards.$LABEL$0 +...???. I ordered my book over a month ago and still have not received my book. I habe written two emails to the seller and have not received a response. I will never order from this seller again.$LABEL$0 +super deal and excellent toy. My daughter loves this set. I love it too because it is very easy to assembly. I did it in 10 minute without my husband's help. I think it is a super deal: doll, stroller, high chair, swing for just $30.$LABEL$1 +This is a great violin for both beginners and advanced players. I took a chance on this violin, and I am really glad I did. The sound quality of this violin is truly excellent. The finishing job is good, but not super. The strength of this violin is its beatiful sound quality. My opinion is that the finishing quality is pretty much worth what you are paying for, but the sound quality is at least worth 3 to 4 times the price of this unit.$LABEL$1 +3.5 stars out of 4. The Bottom Line:12 Angry Men is a fascinating film, hurt only by the fact that it is pretty obvious where things are heading; nonetheless, it's a well-made and thoroughly interesting journey before it gets to its destination.$LABEL$1 +Jeff Dunham & Walter & Peanuts. This DVD is worth every cent you paid. Life is hard but alot of laughs will lighten your day. We laughed till we cried. It was so funny. Walter is a kick and Peanuts is a 1000 laughs. Go Santa Ana. Watch it and you'll get the joke. Buy this and you will never regret it.$LABEL$1 +Nothing Original. I own every domestic Esbjorn Svensson Trio album and this is the first one to disappoint me. With each of their other albums there are songs that are truly unique in composition, sounds and performance. However, this album is missing that innovation. To me, this album sounds like it was made by taking a handful of older, mediocre EST songs, dropping them in a blender and mastering what comes out. It sounds rehashed. The songs also aren't differentiated from each other, so it's not very noticeable when one song ends and another begins.$LABEL$0 +Bad signal. I've installed several radios and this adapter just has a awful signal. Radio stations only come in some of the time.$LABEL$0 +Cute. My sons favorite book now. A fun book with great illustrations and a fun story. He's 5 and enjoys reading this over & over. We even bought the DVD! Would definitely recommend.$LABEL$1 +Have to do previous exercises. Is the same version as the hardcover even though it is a different picture. The book is always referring back to exercises in previous chapters for explaining topics in later chapters, but if you didn't do the exercise or don't know how to do the exercise then you are stuck!$LABEL$0 +Extremely BAD Product. Turtle Wax advertises that this is safe for all wheels. This produced a white milky haze all over my wheels that was incredibly hard to remove. After extensive labor and scrubbing with a cleaner/polish some (not all) of the staining has been removed. I called Turtle Wax customer support who offered no solutions or compensation. What a nightmare.$LABEL$0 +Lovely magnetic quotes. This is a lovely set of magnets with pictures of all things country. Also the quotes are full of good thoughts and ideas. I have mine on our stainless steel fridge along the top of the door where fingerprints used to accumulate. Now each time I go into the fridge I am reminded of just how blessed I am to be a country girl!$LABEL$1 +Great Game. The game is a great improvement over the first. I havent encountered any bugs. At least now you can change the difficulty unlike the first CSI game. A Great Game Overall!$LABEL$1 +Great comfort to start my second trimester. I love this pillow. It's huge so my husband doesn't love it so much :) Lucky we have a king size bed as it would take up any queen size easily. Really helps me get a good night's sleep though and I would definitely recommend to any woman pregnant or not!$LABEL$1 +Fascinating book. Easily one of my favorite books, has to be read to be appreciated. Below my review, reviewer Zack brings some interesting points to the table, some of which I agree with. But overall I find this book has great depth and provides a broad yet detailed description of the culture in which Sayuri develops. I know I will read this book again. Just like Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevski. You always find something that you missed on the first read of a great book! And it always moves you, no matter how many times you read it.$LABEL$1 +The Best 90s Metal Album, period.. That's right, kiddies, you read correctly. This album, Devy's second endeavour unattached to Vai's apron strings into the big bad world of extreme metal, is a masterpiece on every level. Nine tracks of sheer neck-breaking metal. I still have not heard another album as heavy - and when I say heavy, I don't mean I haven't heard much metal. I HAVE heard Origin. I HAVE heard the Berzerker. They are heavy - VERY heavy: City is heavier, and I'll tell you why.This album has dynamics without ever losing the pace, intensity or insane yet calculated aura that most metal cannot replicate. This album sounds crazy when it's not and has a sound that not even black metal, death metal or a thousand blastbeats can imitate. A song like All Hail the New Flesh only comes along once in a metal half-life (something like 15 years, maybe). You don't have to concur. Listen for yourself. Redefine metal. City did.$LABEL$1 +Best Pearl Jam album yet!!. This album is fantastic, by far the best Pearl Jam album yet, thank goodness its not another TEN! - everyone!!Thats the last thing Pearl Jam want to make.$LABEL$1 +Bargincell is not a bargin. Bought this product from Bargincell. Was very disappointed. This was our 1st purchase from Amazon when so many people have been telling us to order from Amazon for various products. Was very cautious and now I see why. The ethernet cable we ordered was sub standard. We had to play with it, jiggle it several times to eventually get it to work. It is smaller than a regular sized ethernet. If someone is selling a product please sell legitimately so people will feel comfortable using you again. Their credibilty is shot b/c I know they knew what and why they were selling that irregular cable. We agreeed it was not worth the hassle to return the cable.$LABEL$0 +Full of affirmations for women. Simple Abundance is full of sound advice, affirmation, and encouragement for women everywhere. My meditation book, Soul Satisfaction, is a wonderful companion to it. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Fairly lame..... Love Nicolas Cage, but this movie only makes me more suspicious of sequels. The original was quite watchable, overall; but this one never got me "into it". At least I've got a Cage in my collection, now. It just wasn't very interesting, let alone exciting...sorry to say.$LABEL$0 +Completely satisfied. I received the book I ordered in a timely manner, and it arrived in the condition it was described. I'm very happy with my order.$LABEL$1 +Falsely advertised.. This book was not in very good condition pages were ripped and taped. A library card thing was taped to the front. It can't be given to my flower girl I need to now purchase another gift.$LABEL$0 +Old Ideas in Expensive New Hardcover. I put off saving for my future way too long so this book sounded like it would really help me get my act together. Sorry but it's just a lot of disjointed ideas that I've read in many other books and magazines. If you want sound advice, stick with the classic, "Making the Most of Your Money" written by Jane Bryant Quinn. You'll get a lot more for your money.$LABEL$0 +Wow Wow Everybody. My son is 4, and he really likes this movie. I even think it's entertaining! If your child likes the t.v. show, he will definitely like the movie. It's pretty funny. Worth the money.$LABEL$1 +I have yet to encounter antyhign that works as well.... This thing works great and is durable. The only strike against it is that it is bulky.$LABEL$1 +Not a good fit for ES330. ACDelco A2933C Air Filter was impossible to install on Lexus ES330. Had to spend a lot of time before succeeded. Tried an old OEM filter - installs like a charm. Evidently some ACDelco filter's features have a slightly different size which made an installation a very tough task. Not a good fit for ES330$LABEL$0 +Absolute genius!. Without a doubt this is a "must have" to anyone who collects moviesor who enjoys Shakespeare. Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of this classic work is brillant. He is true to the original. The acting is outstanding. He makes it come alive. And if for no other reason, buy this movie just to have the Saint Crispin's day speech (Act 4, Scene 3).$LABEL$1 +A Must Read !. This book is experiencing a rebirth among readers these days. I think that our growing concerns about America's current political and economic course are motivating many of us to learn more about our country's roots. And George is a great place to start.The last I heard much about George Washington was in elementary school. I remember the cherry tree story, but my knowledge of this gentleman was pretty sketchy beyond that. I had the impression that he was a good and honorable man, but again, I had few specifics.This book took care of that. This amazing man makes all of our contemporary Presidents pale in comparison. His interests were in strengthening our country and helping it to grow, PERIOD. He lead our country honorably and with little self-interest, or so it seems.This book should be required reading for every US Presidential candidate.$LABEL$1 +Who still uses VHS?. The description didn't specify this was a VHS. I don't think that will fit into my DVD player. I've returned it.$LABEL$0 +Daily Language Review Grade 1. I love these books. Repetition is key with young ones, and these seem to cover everything they need to know. I have been very pleased with the content. I would recommend these to anyone.$LABEL$1 +Extremely disappointing, not fulfilling. Flat. No character or plot development. Just chase scene after chase scene - and very predictable. Main character needs something to survive, they get it while being chased, technology wizardry, couple happily together in the middle of nowhere.$LABEL$0 +Get her off the Nitrous Oxide!!!. Being a teenager in the Eighties I had enough of "Hey Micky" it was bad then and it's bad now. Avril was nothing but throw away pop on her first record, but her second record was like an entire other person and it was very good. This, This, This??This is terrible. Not just a let down, but a bad, bad record. The lyrics are strung-together cliches that required no effort, the music sounds programed and the style is pure, unadulterated, pop garbage. She stepped right in to fill the void left by Britany Spears, that's what she did. Also, it appears she is suffering from Fergie worship.Please, please, someone get her some Tori Amos, Alanis, Sarah McLachlan! Anything to stop her from recording this bland, boring tripe! Why waste the talent shown on the second record, why waste my time and money on this disk. I won't, I downloaded, I deleted. Bad, bad record by any standards.My teeth where rotting from listening to it, it's that sugary.$LABEL$0 +Granddaughter's Favorite Santa Gift. Our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter loves this toy. She is still playing with it on December 29th. Plays every day with it. It is a very cute and very durable toy. A great find and a great buy!$LABEL$1 +This book is cool. I rated this book four stars because I think that they should have made a second one or they should have made this one longer. It is a very adventurous book. So if you like adventurous books read this one.$LABEL$1 +This company has serious adventure potential. In one of the best tributes to old-school fantasy adventure games in many years, Wicked studios has made a labour of love in the articulate rendering of their gigantic magical school. The constraints of the budget do end up getting in the way, but I hope that enough heads were turned to get Wicked studios the attention and future finances that they, and adventure games, deserve..$LABEL$1 +Get the Bravado instead. I don't write a lot of reviews, but just have to say it: It DOES itch in the back. I'm keeping it as a backup; the rest of the bra is comfortable enough. If you are sensitive with textures or fabrics, skip it, though. I bought the Bravado seamless nursing bra and it is super comfortable and itch free.$LABEL$0 +Same old same old.... I've been a fan of BLACK 47 from their first release. And I'm just obsessive-compulsive enough to have all of their CDs. After listening to "New York Town", I must say that I've heard it all before. Does Mr. Kirwin EVER change his singing style? I found his voice modulation and practice of forcing way-too-many words into just about every song irritating. Before the first song was over this thought went through my mind: Could I be playing ANY of the other BLACK 47 CDs?I've given considerable thought to this review. I've regarded the progression of other musical artists through their careers and how the evolutionary process either added to or detracted from their quality and attraction. In brief: change is good. BLACK 47 (aka Larry Kirwin) cannot or will not change. Therefore, my collection of BLACK 47 music must now, as of this latest offering, be considered complete.$LABEL$0 +Changed my mind about HP products. After 2 months of use the printhead unit failed. Very very frustrating. After reading all the reviews on this product, I guess, there is no need to reiterate that it's a lousy printer and a total waste of money. DO NOT BUY IT! I am now on the market to buy a new color laser printer but I will definitely shy away from HP products from now on, even if the reviews are good.$LABEL$0 +Fun and Learn. With my eight year old son and infant daughter, I reviewed "Mandarin Chinese Beginning Level 1" presented by Language Tree. What amazes me the most is they make the language learning process entertaining, rather than the traditional way of "pain".Several songs throughout the video make the whole process fun! Literally, you can dance with the songs while you and your children are learning - that's what I did with my kids. The short sentences are easy to follow, and for every scene you get a quick review on what you just learned. The multiple story sessions are situations you bump into daily. It is amazing that all of the above is packed in just 30 minutes! I am waiting for Language Tree's next video to be produced.Martin LiuActivity Director (School Years 2003 - 2005)Board of San Diego Chinese AcademyLa Jolla, California$LABEL$1 +My thoughts on this package. I was given this book/cd as a Christmas present from an ex-lover. While I generally agree with all of the reviews that are posted here, I will tell you that the song makes me really sad and I've stopped playing it. Please don't let that discourage you from purchasing this item, because it is nicely done.$LABEL$1 +An Unusal Story for Preschoolers and Aspiring Scientists. In 1992, a crate of 29,000 rubber bathtub toys washed overboard off a ship bound from Hong Kong to Washington, USA. Hundreds of toys have since been found in coastlands around the world, shedding light on our understanding of how currents, winds and tides interact. This book traces the story of one bathtub toy from the time its crate boards the ship until it is found by a boy in Alaska. The story draws young readers in by personifying the toy as if it is experiencing its journey as a sentient creature. Caldecott Medal Winner David Wisniewski illustrates the story in cut-paper collage, skillfully rendering the dramatic power of the ocean without being too frightening. This is an unusual story that may not appeal to every reader, but for those who prefer "real" stories or who are interested in science, it's a sure winner. It's best suited for preschoolers and early elementary readers.$LABEL$1 +great scanner, highly portable. Great device for cutting down on paper clutter. Main uses for me are receipts (I create a PDF of all receipts from a single trip and zip it with the expense report), for business cards which I sync with Outlook and for general notes -- I never have to worry about having the right paper folder along on a trip.Outlook sync for business cards is great but could map more fields or allow user to adjust the maping. For example, would like to map attachments and back of card (particularly Chinese cards) into Outlook.$LABEL$1 +No help.. Again, same as with the Inold Sinus Spray with Capsacin, it didn't do anything but burn and make my eyes water like crazy. This is kind of one of those things where you take one pain to get you to forget about the other, but it is only momentarily.$LABEL$0 +Don't step in the Bleep, strictly for culties. What the Bleep Do We Know is like shoveling copious amounts of kitty litter down your throat, you may temporarily alleviate hunger, but at what cost? Can you possibly consume enough of that stuff to mask the giant turd, that was once your brain?For some people, keeping an open mind involves closing your eyes and following any appeal to your ego. The Universe does not, with baited breath, wait to see if you will rubberstamp it's continued existence, nor does it deal in polls to see where mankind's intention as a whole lay and adjust itself accordingly.This DVD will make jabbering chimpanzees out of many otherwise well intentioned individuals. Taking seriously the musings of Dr. Michel Ledwith, ( Pedarest ) and a she-male god(dess?) named Ramtha, in conjunction with discourse about quantum mechanics from a " Life Coach, " the good, " Dr " Joe Dispenza, will leave you staggering out the other end of the rabbit hole deaf, dumb, and blind.$LABEL$0 +Baldwin Marine Corps Ornament. This is a beautiful ornament! Very Classy! It does not look cheap at all. Colors are vibrant. My Marine loves it.$LABEL$1 +Great tool...but beware if you are a traveling engineer. I purchased the Cybertool because I am a traveling engineer and find that I need to open computer and networking equipment a lot when I'm on the road. The tool is great and very handy. I have only one complaint about the Cybertool...since I travel every week, I will not check bags (playing the odds by checking bags every week will definitely result in lost luggage many times a year) and the Cybertool will not pass through TSA security checkpoints. This makes the Cybertool useless for me. It would be nice if the Cybertool and all other Swiss Army knife models were listed in a matrix that showed which ones can be checked according to TSA security rules. This seems like it would be an easy task...perhaps that is a project I can work on sometime unless it already exists out there.$LABEL$1 +A variety of good & bad. If you can overlook some of the lamer episodes and just focus on the more plot-hole oriented episodes, you should find it interesting.Yes, one of the episodes is 'darker' in nature. Ponies are captured by dragons and turned into dragons by a centaur who keeps a throbbing 'dark' rainbow in a bag around his neck. Seeing the ponies in chains is sad, but not scary. My nieces & nephew (4, 6, & 8) LOVED this episode most of all and even began singing along with the seaponies halfway through the song!The rest of the episodes are all about friendship, helping one another, and saving the day. Sure, Crunch the Rockdog turned bushwoolies into stone, but they came back to life after he was cured of his stone-headedness. :D$LABEL$1 +Nice music - POOR SOUND !!!. There is not much I can say about Mike Rowland music. Simple melodic piano tunes with synthesizer strings. I like it and it's the reason I bought it.I originally had bought the "Fairy Ring" on tape, and quite recently I decided to buy it on CD too, to enjoy it on my just bought, multi $$$ thousand stereo system. The man who remastered the recording however (if anyone did at all), must have been deaf. The CD sounds as bad as(if not worse than) my worn-out tape cassete. I was thinking of buying "Titania" too on CD, but I probably won't after that. That's too bad for the music cause I honestly think it's worth it. I hope the "Fairy Ring Suite" sounds better.$LABEL$0 +DON'T BUY!. I should have read the reviews before buying. What a waste of time and money! I ordered the quees size, but doubt if they would even fit a twin size bed! They are so thin too. DON'T BUY!$LABEL$0 +This is horrible. I cannot keep this in my room with spoiled diapers in it because it stinks. This product is completely a waste and I don't know how they designed it. The use of a diaper pail is that it should control the smell of spoiled diapers.$LABEL$0 +Patterson simply stinks these days. I don't know why I bought this book; I've been less and less happy with Patterson's work. It's getting repetitive, the 8-million-chapters thing is just laziness for actually developing a story and/or characters, and his skills appear to have deteriorated beyond hope.But I bought it anyway, read the whole thing, and then did something I almost NEVER do. I chucked it straight into the trash.Do yourself a favor and don't buy this book. If you've liked his stuff in the past, you will almost certainly be disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Great book!. Star Light, Star Bright is a mix of intrigue and mystery with some passionate romance intermixed. Connor Phillips is beautiful, highly intelligent and challenges Franklin Hayes at every step during their encounters-be it business or desire. Connor wants to prove to Franklin that she only wants his trust and his love. Franklin believes that Connor is trying to sabotage his company. That is, until she is kidnapped and he sees his world coming to an end. For deep in his heart, he knows that Connor only wants the best for him and his company. After all, she wished for it upon a star.$LABEL$1 +Garmin GPS Nuvi 350. I've owned this product for only a short time and thus far has proved to live up to its reputation both in features and function.$LABEL$1 +Terrible mixes by Hex Hector and Norty Cotto.... I'm really disappointed by this release. Third CDS by Alyson and the worst. But that's are Hex Hector last mixes from what i know.... where is he gone? Norty Cotto failed with this song in my opinion. The vocals just don't fit. Only 2 stars i'm sorry.$LABEL$0 +Needs Adjustment to fit MOLLE. This product is good but not great. The item is a hard plastic sheath and works well with the KaBar. The attachment to the MOLLE gear is difficult and requires some modification and extra equipment. If you go to an Army Surplus store they can help you with what you need to attach the sheath to your kit.$LABEL$1 +For the love of goodness, READ THIS BOOK!. This book offers extremely helpful tips and guidelines that could make ANY relationship work. It has a multitude of essential information that will finally allow you to step back out of that hole in your marriage, or back out into the dating world.You will never be confused or at a loss with your partner again! (unless he's bonkers)Every word of this book will take you to a higher underatanding of men, and your impact on them, as you follow three other women who discuss their problems and solutions with you. If you've ever been in a relationship, you will be able to identify with one or more of these women, and finally, FINALLY know what it was that split you and your lover(s) apart.Once you buy this, you may as well not waste your money on another book like it. I also bought Make Every Man Want You, and 101 Ways to Get and Keep His Attention, both of which were dwarfed by this astounding book.Happy reading!$LABEL$1 +I am dissapointed with the design. This device concept is excellent. However, the designers could have made it easier to clean when mold began to grow! Yes, mold grew even though we used bottled/purified water! Along with the mold issues we encountered, the system never really made good cubes. They were always soft, and melted qiuckly.$LABEL$0 +great workout. Love this workout...easy to follow and you feel like youve done something by the end. I alternate this with 10 minute Prenatal Pilates...im 5 months and have gained 4 pds. So its worked for me and keeps me feeling good about myself$LABEL$1 +a great present for Father's Day. My husband made a comment about this watch while he was looking for another watch, and I just saved it in the cart until I was able to purchase it. He wears it when we go out together. It's not an everyday watch. It looks very expensive, and it stands out for people to see you own nice things. If he was to buy a watch he would have spent more money, but he was very pleased when I gave him this watch as a gift. Plus he didn't know that I got it at a great price.$LABEL$1 +Does anyone know of an older lexicon than this?. For the simple reason that I sincerely distrust a lexicon from this era and this country given the circumstances at that time.Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy!. I bought this camera four months ago. This company is not making this product and will not give you any help.The quality is poor and if you upgrade to windows 2000 or XP forget using it at all.What another poor buy.$LABEL$0 +Interresting. Like I'm 51 and not much into gothic/death metal. I recently met Christopher and because of that I bought the CD. These guys can play music! The female vocalist is very nice and the ballad, "Harlot" is very good. Chris does a nice job on the keyboards. My only complaint is the 'demon' voice that pops up in every song. I do think they could do an interresting cover of "Eleanor Rigby" though. I mentioned this to him and he said, "Wow! We have a list and that is one of the songs on it." So, maybe the next album will feature that famous Beatle tune. So, give this one a try. Curl up in front of the fire, but don't get scared when the demon sings.$LABEL$1 +Kindle edition is simply unusable. The ebook has no formatting at all. There are so many chapters packed with potentially good information and no way to get to them easily. A table of contents is included but doesn't include any links to jump to the relevant chapters. You just have to guess the location repeatedly to try and get to the point you want. There are no page numbers either which isn't unusual for an ebook but would help since the TOC is not linked.The book has too much potential information in it and it's simply not accessable in an ebook format unless you just love location guessing or endlessly flipping pages forward/backward. I don't know how good the content of the whole book is but the book is impossible to navigate. If the TOC became linked it would probably be great as an ebook but sadly it's not the case. Whoever put this out clearly just dumped a text file into the Amazon system without any thoughts to making it a reader friendly experience. I returned it for a refund.$LABEL$0 +Not his best. I don't understand how the same author can write really good books (likeThe Shawshanke Redemption and The Green Mile) and then some really awful ones like Dreamcatchers and Kingdom Hospital, to name a couple. This book isn't one of the absolute worst he has written but it is a far cry from being good. I was able to listen to the unabridged CD version which I got at the library. I hadn't read a good book in a long time, so it was passable to listen to this one. If I had just read a good book, I am sure I would not have been able to get past disc one. My advice is to get this at the library if you think you want to read it. it isn't worth buying.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Product. I purchased this product for my grandmother, as she is in recovery after surgery for a perforated ulcer. Her physician prescribed a program of some low impact exercise and recommended a staionary pedal device. I came onto Amazon's site so that I could research these products and choose the best one. After reading the posted reviews and taking all that was written into consideration, this is the pedal exercise which I chose.The product is sturdy, yet light weight. My grandmother has been able to use it without any problem and she enjoys it. Highly recommended!!!$LABEL$1 +Gag me with a PITCHFORK!. I had spent 15 minutes writing, then deleted it. Let's go with this: "Arhg! Whopprhpth! Gagg,,, achrgh!!" Spit. Wipe and gag again.$LABEL$0 +More like Prince of Sadness.... Ok, the first 2 CD's are good. Demos, live songs, etc... What else can you ask for? then you start listening to CD #3. Ummm, duets with rappers??? what the $#$@% was that??? come on, is true Ozzy is not out to please loyal fans but to make new ones. I agree with most reviewers, the price of the boxset is a bargain, but if I want to pay money to listen to Ozzy stuff, it BETTER be Ozzy stuff, not collaboration with others that is just crap. What's next? Maiden doing duets with Gwen Stefani? Oh please no...I'm a huge METAL fan...lets keep it that way...Bottom line, buy at your own risk. If you are an loyal Ozzy fan, you may not like it. If you are a newbie that listens to today's mainstream music, maybe you'll find this pleasent to your ears.$LABEL$0 +A good start. This book is great for anyone looking for a starting point for historical and geographical information on the railroads of northern New England. Maps of each railroad (as well as certain regions) featured in this book make it easy to locate where a railroad was located, what cities it connected, among other things. I highly recommend this book for model railroaders and railfans, as well as anybody just interested in general history of the New England region.$LABEL$1 +Great workout!. I was looking for a toning workout to use along with my regular cardio routine. I really like this workout because it is broken up into 4 targeted sections, abs, arms, legs, and buns. I can work all of the areas or pick just one depending on my area of focus and time available. I also like that I can change up the order of the workout so I don't get bored by doing the same workout every time. This DVD was a great find. It was just what I was looking for in a toning workout.$LABEL$1 +Onslow on camera - chitchat mostly. Onslow comments on life - mostly about prior experiences with characters in KUA. So-so.$LABEL$0 +Good so far!. I bought this product for work. I work as a customer service representative, so I use my computer all day. It really is helping my wrist so far, and I enjoy using it! I definitely like this product.$LABEL$1 +Effects, effects, effects. Jimi Hendrix! The guitar god! What a sham. Yes,Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest guitarest that ever lived, but he wasn't a guitar revolutionary he was an effects revolutionary. He made the guitar sound weird with a wah-wah and fuzz, what's the big deal. To me this whole album is a jam using new "techniques" to ad an edge and that's it an edge. I'll admit many numbers get me going, but this album is no different from any other Moby Grape or Stepenwolf (not to say these bands are bad). By far though, the worst thing on this album are the lyrics, they're senseless readings of psychelic words and discriptions of drug trips. In fact I think the most revolutionary thing about this album is Mitch Mitchel's druming. I'm not saying the album is bad it's actually very good it's just one of the most over-rated albums ever.$LABEL$0 +Where Your Road Leads. I don't know what the problem is with the CD. I can not get this CD to play either. I have tried it in my vehicle, my CD player and the DVD player hooked to the tv. Why will they not play like regular CD's? Have not been able to listen to it.$LABEL$0 +Worthless piece of trash. Length:: 3:10 MinsThis is my first ever video review of a product on Amazon. I was inspired to do a video review because this product is so appallingly awful. I'm stunned by the positive reviews - they're either reviewing some other product, or their shills, or, well, I don't really know what would cause someone to give this product a positive review. Hopefully this video demonstrating how flimsy and downright tiny this so-called splatter guard is will save others the trouble and cost of buying one.$LABEL$0 +yea, electrical info it's in there.... tell you what if you wanna learn about electricity not just automotive but electricity in general this is your book. It helps to lay a great foundation. I already knew this stuff but it was a great refresher, as well as a excellent info source for automotive applications. I truely feel this was money well spent.$LABEL$1 +I hated this game!. I have always enjoyed the other games, but this one suck. In the other games you visited other worlds, and had really great challenges. But this was only in one little world, and hardly any levels or challenges. I would suggest you not get this game. It was really bad. The only thing that was good was the change in the quality of the graphics compared to the other games, and the extra special powers that Spyro gets. But to be honost, it's not worth having. I mean I beat this game in half a day and I like games that are challenging and take some time to accomplish. Not something that you can beat in half a day. Don't waist your time or money on this game. It isn't worth it.$LABEL$0 +Waste of Time and Money. This book is little more than a long list of things to take with you to the bunker when the end is nigh. To call it a novel or a story or a thriller or anything positive, would be fraudulent. Characters are laughable. The degree of paranoia expressed here is breath-taking. Even if you're a world class survivalist, you'll probably find this book over the top.$LABEL$0 +Great classic movies. If you like classic movies, you will really enjoy this collection. My favorite is The Bishops Wife, but I am a huge Cary Grant fan.$LABEL$1 +limp bizkit results may vary. limp bizkit is the worst band in the history of music. i would give this record zero stars if i could and i never even heard it. i cant believe this is what kids listen to these days god help us.$LABEL$0 +A Good Fit for My Purpose. One of the frustrating things with a study bible is the lack of margin space. This bible was specifically referred to me by a friend because they knew my frustration. You see, I "mark" my study bibles such that when I refer to my index that I place in the front of the bible listing subjects, and linking an initial text, the wide margins make it very easy to mark the next text to which I should refer on the same subject. With the additional space I can still make notes in the margin. This enables me to use my study bible for giving bible studies even when I don't have a "lesson" with me.$LABEL$1 +Crysis. Bought this game After finishing cysis Warhead but after playingfound the game stops working half way and have to star game all over again,$LABEL$0 +a gift for my inner nerd.. This was definiately an Impulse buy. I could have got the movies seperately for cheaper, but i have always wanted a puzzle box in one form or another and then I seen this.It came well protected in its retail packaging, but the box leaves something to be desired. Made of a cheap lightweight plastic it is noticably lighter than it looks. It gives off the impression that you can rotate the halves of the boxes and in essence "play" with the box, but that is not the case, as the halves only fit together in one way. When put together, the fingers of the box halves have nothing to be supported against at the tip and will flex inward.The movie quality is as others described it, and makes for an enjoyable experience.In all i'm still happy with the purchase, although I'll probably put the discs into a binder and add some weights to the box and glue it shut, to use as a paperweight of sorts.$LABEL$1 +Light but strong. Another simple solution. Great option for using other filters. good quality and finish for the price.$LABEL$1 +Twist the facts and you can prove anything. This book proves nothing other than that human ingenuity for 'proving' what they already know to be true knows no bounds. If you think this book shows you the scientific 'truth' I've got a few bridges you might like to buy.$LABEL$0 +Much louder than the Cadet Register Plus. Just too loud. Don't put in bedroom or tv room. Cadet Register Plus much quieter.Cadet Register Plus Heater - 120 Volts, 500/1000/1500 Watts, Model# RMC151W$LABEL$0 +More exceptional work from Rob Zombie. Start to finish, this CD was amazing. If nothing else, the way that the songs differ. Some have hard, driving, banger-music written all over it, while others are just as great a song but is presented in a completely different way. I was also struck by how unsimilar this was to La Sexorcisto, not to put it down but i enjoyed this just as much if not more than La Sexorcisto. Overall this is just quality music that will bring hours upon hours of listening pleasure.$LABEL$1 +No sturdier than your average break-away cat collar. I bought this for my cat who needs to wear a tag to activate our cat door. We had already lost 2 collars that I bought at PetCo and I had hoped that these would be better- still "break-away" but maybe not as easily? Not the case, it's 2 months later and my cat has lost both of these collars as well. They are cute, but expensive and no more durable than the $2 version at your local pet store.$LABEL$0 +awesome product. tow rope worked awesome, easy to spot in the water too !!! worked like we wanted it to. would recommend to everyone !!!$LABEL$1 +un-insightful. This book is a waste of time and money. I purchased it to get an alternative perspective from my own "conservative" world view. This book comes off as a far-left, baseless slash at the right, which was intended to exploit the political hype of the day and show up on Google searches because of the term "lies" in the title..Unfortunately, it was a waste of my money and the time I took to begin reading it. Despite my desire to find an insightful look into the other world view by purchasing this book, I've decided to go ahead and invest my time in that other book I previously refused to purchase because the same terms in the title imply that it's irrational and un-objective, ... a fair and balanced look at the right...$LABEL$0 +Jessica Biel -- ANNOYING. My previous review of this horrible film failed to address the Jessica Biel factor -- a factor which so many of you have pointed out.I nominate this Jessica Biel character for most annoying actor of the year, along with Lisa Kudrow in WONDERLAND.The only reason I kept watching this film was to see Leatherface hang Biel from a meat hook. My bad judgement! Jessica Biel is the one responsible for all the problems. Smoke some weed? She can't! Leave a rotting corpse behind? She can't! Put the guy hanging from a meat hook out of his misery? She can't! Act?? SHE CAN'T!!Suffice to say that in the middle of a Texas chainsaw massakree Biel goes on an anti-marijuana crusade.$LABEL$0 +Entertaining, but completely shallow. Hot chicks with bio-mod razor nails? Shallow characters, shallow world. None of the humor, quirkiness, and philosophical insights as authors like Philip K. Dick, Lem, or Alfred Bester. Mostly style, very little substance. If Cyberpunk were a type of Rock & Roll it'd be 80's glam, lipstick & hair bands. Oodles of D&D; Nerd 'Cool Factor'with hardly the philosophical intrigue of the highly derivative Matrix trilogy. While I'm sure this is blasphemy to the cyberpunk fans everywhere, the chip on my shoulder left by books like Neuromancer and Snow Crash is taking Geek Chic at face value, and realizing there's nothing behind the curtain--nothing beneath the sunken eyes of drug addicts and biotech junkies.More deserving of a comic book than a novel! Then again, I can see why this would have had more impact in the 1980s when it was originally published.$LABEL$0 +Great Compilation!. This album gathers some of the best oldskool reggae ballads; The Controller is guaranteed to get anyone that didn't appreciate reggae before into reggae. The songs Johnny Picked are amazing jams from Trojan Records artist tastefully put together in this collection of classics. It is the best album I have purchase all year and it really is hard to argue with Johnny Greenwood's taste. I love it!$LABEL$1 +Space Seed - Original Star Trek Episode. Along with "The City on the Edge of Forever", this is one of the better original Star Trek episodes. Ricardo Montalban was excellent as Khan. Desilu Studios did a superb job with this episode. It has a little sex, loyality, drama, and shows the Enterprise crew. All in all, an enjoyable episode.Michael N. Washington$LABEL$1 +These Component Cables provide a high quality picture. These cables look and feel high quality and give a high quality picture. You will need to adjust your contrast/brightness settings once you use these cables to get the best picture.For some reason when I hook up the Ps3 to my tv via HDMI I get terrible color banding.So I was forced to buy these for a fix. I was expecting a big picture downgrade, but you dont lose much. HDMI however is better, crisper and sharper picture. I've seen some tvs hooked up with cheap component cables where the color looks washed out and theres picture problems. Thats not the case with these cables, you get the feeling that these component cables deliver the absolute best component picture possible.$LABEL$1 +This book can bite my a**.. If there's a book that can truly screw up your transition from 3dsR4 to 3dsmax, this would be the one. Dont make the same mistake I did.$LABEL$0 +Shiba Owner. This book is a ton of value for your money. A book like this was needed because of the growing popularity of this breed. It gives a good description of the breed as a pet, what to expect and what would be expected of you - the prospective owner. I've read through other Shiba books and most of them are geared more for those who are interested in competition/dog-show/breed history. This book will save you 'surfing' on the net. I'm sure all those Shiba puppies will be grateful to this author for prepping their new owners!$LABEL$1 +Ok, but.... I spent some time with Dan Rios (aka Alom Ahau Tze'ec Ba'lam) and he is a sly and wily teacher of the "Mayan secrets." Over all the CD is ok. Dik Darnell is a talented musician and like any other CD there are tracks that are much better than others.$LABEL$0 +Don't buy the CD. First of all, Britney doesn't even have a nice voice. It's very sing songy and I suppose in some cases that would be nice, but here it just sounds bad. Soda Pop is the worst song in the world.$LABEL$0 +Ghost Story. This film is in my opinion, one of the best horror films I have seen. It is an old film based on the early 1900's, about some men who grow up suffering from guilt, over the death of a young girl. The story is entirely believable. I think that Alice Krige looks very beautiful, & the makeup is great also.$LABEL$1 +good insight into the cert. process. Perry uses extensive interviews with former clerks and Justices to gather his data on the cert. process in the United States Supreme Court. He presents the information in a very readable format that provides brings to light why some cases get heard and others don't. Ultimately he presents a decision making model that takes into consideration both the individual justices, the factors influencing cert., and the purpose of the Court. This book gives the reader a good look at the cert. process from the inside and from a non-legal perspective. It is a must read for any attorney thinking of writing a cert. petition. This book would be interesting for anyone interested in how the Supreme Court functions in our system of government.$LABEL$1 +Great value!. Bought 2 @ the price of 1 retail. You can't go wrong at this price. I'm a but of an audiophile with my in house system so I was bit hesitant. Now they are installed they sound great for what they are. They are not high end but they are more than adequate and fit for purpose.$LABEL$1 +Exceptional. Even though I am an long-time Kirk Whalum fan, in this CD, he has out done even himself. This is undoubtly one of the best CDs out today, and one of his best. The smooth style of the way he handles Babyface's music makes you want to listen to it over and over. We all know how rare it is that every cut on a CD is good, well, this is one of those rare ones. I liked it so much, that I went back and bought three of his old ones.$LABEL$1 +comentario biblico conciso. NO, no, no!!! muy mal producto!!!, lo unico bueno que tiene son las parted de la Biblia de alla en fuera solo la paraphrase it. Sus comentarios son fuera de realidad y no tienen funda,mento teologico, igual afirma cosas que sit u lees la Biblia la contradicen, todo!, y lo que Dios dijo.No, no, no, no!!! bad product!!!, the only good thing it has are part of the Bible other than that all it does it's to paraphrase it, the comments it gives are way far from reality and have no theological foundation and affirms things that if you read the Bible will see that the comments contradict the Bible, all of it and what God said.$LABEL$0 +The Bible of Baseball Cards. If you collect baseball cards you absolutely must have this book. It catalogs virtually every baseball card ever made, including variations and errors.Why only four stars and not five? Subtle reasons, mostly. The main reason is that this book, despite being released recently, does not do a very good job of covering the professionally graded baseball card market. This is even more surprising as Beckett does have a grading service of their own. As such, the sections covering the history of baseball cards and how to grade cards is lacking and is pretty much a reprint of what's been appearing in Beckett books like this one for over fifteen years. They really could have done a better job of modernizing those sections.However, as a reference book to help identity cards and give approximate values, this book cannot be beat. Buy it now!$LABEL$1 +Good value for the price. I bought this tassel when some of my sword tassels started fray and to fall apart from age. It would be nice if more colors than just yellow were offered.This tassel is long enough and well enough made. It's far from the worst I've seen, but not as good as the best (Kung Fu Instruments). On the other hand, it's very convenient to get without having to do wire transfers to China.The only complaint I have, a minor one, is that the tassel is slightly on the heavy side. That means that it is less likely to wrap around your wrist if your hand gets too busy. That may be good for form competitions, but form competition isn't the reason I study.One piece of advice, the shipping cost for single pieces is outrageous. It just about doubles the price. The solution is to get together with your Jian class or practice partners and do a group buy. My study group just bought 15.$LABEL$1 +A useful book for the historian (military or pilot).. This book is more than just a manual in that it starts with a brief history of the P-61, then goes to the actual manual which emcompasses an introduction to aircraft systems, then basic operations from walk around check to flight characteristics to release of external stores. In this age of poorly written manuals I was surprised at how clear this manual is. It will add a dimension to your understanding of the P-61 unavailable in (but complimentary to) other sources. It will be appreciated by military historians and pilots (who could compare aircraft operations with their modern "twins"). Very "large scale" modelers might also find the detailed cockpit photos useful. If you are very interested in the Black Widow you should own this book.$LABEL$1 +Nice hardware...lack luster software. The CD writer is solid and easy to install. The software package that comes with it is very poor at best. It's not intuitive and was shipped with no instructions. Read me files simply say "Manual up to date".$LABEL$0 +Goofy advice. I bought this book when I was brand new to sales. It has mostly goofy advice in my opinion. Save your money and be yourself.$LABEL$0 +Great Gift for Graduates!. This wonderful Dr. Seuss book is our favorite gift for graduates from High School. It is simple in its language, but very thoughtful in its message. It discusses successes as well as bumps in the road, which is a true picture of life. It is encouraging, and fun, the artwork is delightful. Read it from cover to cover, enjoy it, and think.$LABEL$1 +An Incredible Duet. No Crusaders CD can be rated less than 4 stars, but this album has an incredible duet entitled No Matter how high I Get with Bill Withers and Randy Crawford. It's one of the best songs I've ever heard and worth the CD price on it's own. The rest of the CD is typical Crusaders.$LABEL$1 +PATHETIC. I never knew it was possible to despise a kitchen appliance as much as I do this toaster. Take for example the frozen waffles I just pulled out of this thing and am now eating ~ one is nearly black on one side, nice and golden brown on the other. The second waffle is crisp but not brown at all on one side, and the other side is soggy...it's no longer frozen, just wet.Now maybe if this were a trend in how this thing "toasts", and if I really thought it was worth it, I could rotate the items being toasted when the cycle was half way done. BUT, it's never the same from day-to-day...except that this thing consistently fails at the one simple task it is designed to do: toast. Give me a break.This toaster in combination with the problems I've had with my matching blender (bought at the same time) leads me to one simple conclusion: "KitchenAid" simply does not mean what it used to. 0 stars.$LABEL$0 +wrong age group. I think this video is aimed more for 3 - 4 year olds. My youngest is a little over 2 1/2 and loves Elmo. He's showing signs for potty learning (and has used his little potty a few times) so I thought this video and a bright new RED potty would be fun this Christmas, but we didn't even get through this video. It *talks* about using the potty but doesn't really show anything... unless it's all near the end (don't know cuz we put on Curious George).I guess we'll try it again in a few days or weeks but it's pretty lame for Elmo. Nothing like how informative Elmo's World episodes are. Just a lot of talking and some silly songs. I recommend making this video like Elmo's World. It would be a lot more entertaining and helpful for younger "potty-ing" children. A lot more FUN.$LABEL$0 +Good book for a beginner. Books that I would recommend over this one: "I Am That", "Pointers From Nisargadatta", "Be As You Are", Talks with Ramana Maharshi, The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi, The Bhagavad Gita, The Ashtavakra Gita, Advaita Bodha Deepika, No Mind - I Am the Self , and The Yoga Vasishta.$LABEL$0 +Great for Connecting a Video Game Console to the Net. I play my Xbox 360 online all the time. I personally didn't want to connect it to a wireless network. I bought this ethernet cable instead and it works perfectly. I can hook up my Xbox to any televsion in my apartment and still have cable to spare. Definitely a great deal!$LABEL$1 +Good Primer For Anyone Looking At Oil & Gas Opportunities. Mr. Orban has penned a very useful guide to the oil business. He covers all the important aspects of the industry and packages it especially for the investor. After reading this book, you'll know most everything you'll need to know in order to enter an intelligent, informed discussion with most anyone on the subject of oil & gas. The book is particularly helpful in directing you to ask the right questions of the right people to evaluate any deal or project. If you're new to oil & gas investing, this book is a must.$LABEL$1 +Magical.... What a cool book! I can't wait to see the movie now. This book is full of tall tales and such wonderful imagination, I'm really looking forward to seeing how it's played out on the big screen. I definitely recommend this book if you haven't already seen the movie...or even if you have.$LABEL$1 +Read The Book Little Man Instead. This film is well cast but this movie fails in doing what it was supposed to do which was be the life story of Meyer Lansky. A better title would be the Summary of the Life of Meyer Lansky. The outstanding book " Little Man " by Robert Lacey tells the true story of Lansky's life. This film is a waste.$LABEL$0 +I love this phone!. Ahhhhh I love this phone! I'm super organized and this phone allowed me to be that organized with all my contacts, schedules, text messageing, etc. I accidentally dropped mine in the toilet though and it stopped working, because it has massive water damage. But I wish that Verizon still offered this phone because I would totally buy another one! I miss it, I don't know what I'm gonna do without it!$LABEL$1 +Never thought a washcloth could be so great!. I have pregnancy spots from my three pregnancies and was even considering getting expensive facials. I heard about using these and decided to give it a try, all I can say is I am so glad I tried these! What a huge difference! My complexion is more even tone and my face is much softer. I use on my body as well and I could tell a HUGE difference just after the first use. I continue to see my skin feeling better with each use. I will never use anything else again!$LABEL$1 +Hand held solitaire. I don't care for this game it's too small and confusing to use. I have other solitaire games that easier to use.It's not user friendly! I would not recomend it to anyone!$LABEL$0 +Written with humor and encouragement. Written with humor and encouragement, The Girls' Guide To AD/HD is a compendium of explanatory facts and practical advice on how to life a full and successful life while dealing with peers, teachers, friends and family despite AD/HD. Three girls (Maddy, Helen, and Bo) each have unique personalities and combinations of AD/HD traits enabling the reader to learn all about what AD/HD is like for girls; how the AD/HD brain functions; how adolescence impacts AD/HD symptoms; how counseling, coaching, and medications can help; how to deal with emotions that range from anxiety and anger, to forgetfulness and depression; the advantages that having AD/HD can have; how to cope with school and homework; and how to get along with others. To put it simply, The Girls' Guide To AD/HD is "must" reading for girls having to cope with this increasingly widespread condition and should be available in every school and community library.$LABEL$1 +Latoya 1. This album is one of the Hottest underground albums that I've heard in a long time. The production was "Off The Hook" and the lyrics were without a doubt the best that I've heard from a Memphis Record label. The two Female Emcees will hit the industry by storm if heard by the right person.......$LABEL$1 +Child Rock Star Headset. DO NOT buy this product. It is too small, even for my two year old's head (it was intended for my five year old's b-day party favors). The headset doesn't bend or stretch to fit on a head. The company I bought it from is giving me a hard time returning it (says it will take a 15% restocking fee). I will NEVER purchase from Totally Costumes again. Save your money!$LABEL$0 +The Classic Detective. Anyone not familiar with all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is truly missing out. I first read The Complete Sherlock Holmes when I was 8 (not difficult reading and very enjoyable) and have been an afficionado ever since. Holmes is, without a doubt, THE detective (see Irene Adler in "A Scandal in Bohemia"). This is the work that gave detectives a place in literature. All other mystery fiction stems from this. A must-read.$LABEL$1 +What a waste of time and money. Like just about everyone else on planet earth, I loved the first three Indiana Jones movies. So, like just about everyone else on the planet, I was seriously jazzed for the new one. MY LORD, IT SUCKED. Ford is walking through his scenes, there's no thrill, no adrenaline, lame CG, unbelievable nuclear blast scenes, unbelievable scenes where multiple Russians are spraying full auto fire at our heroes and no one's ever hit, etc etc. It's just not exciting--period. Unforgiveable...Spielberg, you signed off on this? People, be warned--it's BAD. And it's a damn shame.$LABEL$0 +OUR SON WAS ALMOST KILLED!!!. Please beware of this product!! We have two other swings and thought that this would be GREAT to take in the van with us.. Was I wrong!! Although our son loved the lights, I ran after our 1 1/5 year old, was out of the room LESS than 5 minutes.. our 4 month old was strapped in correctly (you should be able to leave a 4 month old in a swing..this is our 3rd in 3 years) when we returned, he was PURPLE, hanging by his neck, his head was jammed between the seat and the bar.. this is EXTREMELY unsafe.. I agree with several of the other parents.. nice idea but the seat just pops up. A 4 month old cannot even sit up by themselves (which is when you are supposed to take them out so they don't flip forward)$LABEL$0 +Hockeypuck. Seller I bought from was GREAT. But this tape is an absolute complete was of money. Horrible, Horrible, horrible. DO NOT WASTE a CENT on this!!!! It is a few minutes of poor quality, minor league fights, in fact the same fights are shown, over and over again. Music is bad...IT IS RUBBISH!!!$LABEL$0 +The Long Walk review. Really good read! If it was a work of fiction, you would think it was not believable. Since it was a true story, you have to marvel at all these men went through.$LABEL$1 +What kind of Mother will I be?. I received this book from my Grandmother when I found out I was pregnant with my son. Reading through the pages was such a comfort for me; for you see, I am married to a sailor, and the birth of our son was very close to my husband going to sea and being gone 6 months. I had all the questions, concerning "can I do it alone?" and "do I really want a baby right now?" This book and a whole lot of prayer got us through. My son is now 20 years old. I am so glad the book is still in print, for I am now going to pass on the wisdom to a new generations of "Moms".$LABEL$1 +Well...Well....Well....... This album reminded me of the Muddy Waters album. If you like that. then you will love this one.$LABEL$1 +Reiterates dilemmas, but doesn't provide insightful answers. Very disappointing, no substance, mostly full of quotes from individuals who are not very illuminating either. If you just want to know that you are in good company with your indecision, this book if fine. If you would like it to provide you with answers (as the title suggests) or assist you with your decision, it's not worth your time or money.$LABEL$0 +Good movie... not great, but still good.. I liked the movie. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a huge Star Wars fan... I seriously liked the movie. The only reason why so many people didn't like it was because everyone was expecting such a great movie and the movie just turned out to be good.Oh, and another thing. Everyone is complaining about George Lucas not releasing it on DVD... Well he said in an interview that he was planning something special for DVD. So, wait a while and see what he has planned.$LABEL$1 +This is a great Thermometer! A must have for the meart smoker!. I purchased this thermometer October 8, 2007 at the sale price of $40.35, shipped. After receiving the thermometer the first thing I did was test its accuracy by doing the boiling water test. The second the water went into a boil it hit 212 (water boils at 212). My smoker is just outside the back door and I carry the remote thermometer everywhere I go--even in the front yard. I have used it repeatedly and have never had a problem. I am waiting for it to go back on sale to order another for the multiple smoke. This is certainly a must have for the beginner or avid meat smoker. Please hurry up and go back on sale!$LABEL$1 +Not so great. I recently bought this, despite reading many negative reviews. I tried it on a round cake and had no luck. I kept the frosting thick (that was suggested in a view reviews) and it still scraped off all the frosting, no matter how lightly I dragged it across.$LABEL$0 +This audio book is NOT unabridged. Not only is this audio book abridged, it's an ADAPTATION. It opens with dialogue between Gollum and his torturer in Mordor (did I miss a chapter?), where it sounds to me like they are torturing him with a stapler. Ian Holm and the rest of the cast give good performances but if you've read the books, even they won't be able to save this "adaptation" for you. I read and loved The Lord of the Rings and was looking for a nice audio version to keep me company on my long commute - well this ISN'T it.$LABEL$0 +Outstanding Episodes!!!. SailFish Media did a great job to send an excellent set of the old series, "Adventures In Paradise"! This series was thought lost for so many years and to see it on Digital Television is far better than that of reception received by television sets from T.V. stations back in the fifties and sixties. Thank you SailFish Media for providing DVD sets for this series!$LABEL$1 +Highly recomend. Overall a great book. Some of the legislative facts are a bit off. IE NH does allow private sales of firearms. Open carry in a vehicle is legal. Mostly great information. Get the book and train with the right items.$LABEL$1 +14-month old loves this book. My son loves this book! Unfortunately, it's a bit short, so he keeps asking us to read it over and over and over again. As with all the other 'Olie' books, Joyce's illustrations are excellent. A great book to read to an infant/toddler.$LABEL$1 +Tale of Terror. This was one of several books in my pile of 'books to read.' I grabbed it just before I went on a two-week cruise to Hawaii mainly because of what has been in the news for the past several months and the picture of the aircraft carrier on the cover. I couldn't put it down and it all-but-predicted the terrorist attacks in September. I gave it only four stars because it was pretty long (500+ pages) but I was riveted for the ride. This one has it all!$LABEL$1 +Comfortable even in the longest runs. I bought these shoes for running a full marathon (my other shoes were getting old), and they are very comfortable even after 25 miles.$LABEL$1 +Ordered wrong item. I wanted to order the latest Mac version of iLife. Upon receiving your Email solicitation, I automaticaqlly selected the first iLife item that appeared on Amazon's page. Unfortunately, it was for iLife '05, rather than iLife '06. Since I already had iLife'05, I had to send it back and reorder iLife '06. To Amazon, I recommend you feature the latest version of the product and list the discounted older version thereafter. To us Buyers, i've learned to be more aware and detailed in my ordering. It saves everyone a lot of pain and suffering.$LABEL$0 +A mouse for a Superman. The mouse works well. A mere click turns it on, without a complex and confusing setup process. In that respect I cannot complain. You start working with it and get excited that it works so well, without any problems, that you cannot believe. But you quickly notice that it is heavy, and in less than five minutes your hand drops dead. Oh boy! It feels like you are moving a ton of bricks. I went back to my corded mouse, a cheap Ativa, which, even if it is not as good, I can move with ease. I gave the Philips mouse two stars because it works very well, but you need superpowers to move it after a while.$LABEL$0 +Product Condition. I enjoyed the dvd overall. However, I was not at all pleased to see the outer cover bent from having it slipped into a shipping cover box. It defeats the whole purpose in trying to keep it as a collector's item due to the poor handling of my dvd case.$LABEL$0 +For shame... all a marketing ploy. I still have a visceral negative feeling about this manipulative piece of tripe. I'm sure I'm not the only person who went into the theater under the impression that this was real footage of a real event; shame on me for falling for the marketing of this complete sham! Not only that, within three minutes of sitting there watching it, I began to get motion sickness because of the completely unnecessary jiggling of the camera. They couldn't even hold the camera still when they were interviewing the supposed "townfolk" on the streets of Burkittsville. And then there's the language. I don't know if they thought it would be "cool" to say the "F" word in every sentence, but I just found it thoroughly disgusting; I started to hope for the characters to meet their end. Congratulations must go to the folks who pulled in millions by tricking their audience. Worthy of zero stars.$LABEL$0 +dissapointing!!. Andrew Greeley has lost his sense of identity as a priest, otherwise he would not have published something so close to romance (code word for print-a-porn). As an alledged catholic, he is a heretic (at least in that novel). As for the rest of the book, it is a lot of sentimentalistic Irish-American superstition and drivel; taking place in an Ireland which the real Irish cannot recognize. terribly dissapointing!$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware. Is a copier expected to last more than a year or two? Purchased in spring 06 - In Oct 06 I had problems with thick black lines in my scans & copies. The fix was to remove ink cartridges, disconnect machine from surge protector, powercycle three or four times, wipe copper connects, put them back in, reconnect to computer, start it all again. It worked. Problem recurred now 5/07 only this time 2 big black lines. Got out my copy of troubleshoot, tried it again to no avail, Warranty is expired and I'm told it is a hardware problem. I feel ripped off. Stay away from this HP product.$LABEL$0 +A Trucker's Wife - Wonder Woman Would've Been Served Well By Such a Mentor. Very engaging memoir of the challenges of being an OTR trucker's wife. The emotions, conflicts, and rewards (though the rewards seem quite limited),as well as her means of dealing with these challenges are well expressed through the real-life experiences of the author. The issues relevant to the relationship described here, I've no doubt, would be empathetic to any relationship where significant separation time is a factor. A good read!$LABEL$1 +Exterior pockets lack security. You have to be careful with the exterior pockets because i used the side pocket to store my cel phone (i beleive its the designed cell phone pocket) and i was at a crowded event and my cel phone was stolen from this pocket which was secured only by a magnet and i didnt notice until i needed the phone which was minutes after the robbery. I recomend to use the inside pockets to store valuables, dont risk exterior pockets for anything that is not for your babys needs. I have a new baby and i hoped this bag would fit both my baby's and my 3 year old needs and it's not feasable. I just purchased a DadGear Backpack Diaper Bag and we'll see how that works out.$LABEL$0 +expensive. This was designed to fit the nail head but often slips and damages the floor. I ended up using my finishing nail setting tool instead and surprisingly that worked better. The finishing nail setting tool has tiny round tip with groove instead of this flat screw driver looking tip. That groove helped to prevent slipping when I apply with a hammer. I initially thought the round tip could ruin the nail head or puncture or leave round impression on the hardwood material but this wasn't the case. I paid three dollars for the set of finishing nail setting tools (3 total in different size) at local store.$LABEL$0 +Not the greatest program. I am a native German, but don't speak a lot of it at with my kids. I was looking for something that is a fun and easy way for my son to learn German, so I liked the concept of this "fun" DVD. He was 7 at the time. This DVD was very boring to him. The dialogue leaves a bit to be desired and is not very realistic - I don't know many young kids that would be excited to receive a pair of pants as their(apparently only) birthday present from his parents as the boy in the video. It's been a while since we watched this, but I seem to remember that most of the people on the DVD did not sound like native Germans. At least one of them was clearly an American with a strong American accent, and another one (I think the grandfather) sounded like he was from Switzerland and hard to understand. I am just glad I only borrowed this from our library, rather than wasting money on it.$LABEL$0 +Passionate and insightful work. Rennie's work is technical and hard-going in places, but he is passionate and insightful not just on bringing out the ideas of Prof. Eliade, but also on describing the character and role of religion in the modern world. The book deserves careful and thoughtful reading and study. His defense of Eliade's early political involvements seems reasonable and fair. His defense and explanation of an inclusive definition of religion are compelling and helpful. We still have much to learn from Eliade.$LABEL$1 +We love this book!. A beautifully written book that captures my children's attention, yet doesn't underestimate their capacity to grasp new words like "weathervane" or "clutch (of eggs)." I read this to my daughter at 18 months and she wanted me to read it again and again. Within a month she was reciting it. After reading it so much I memorized it and started using the story to lull my newborn son to sleep. He is now nearly a year old, my daughter is 2-1/2 and they both still love the book. I have yet to tire of it. This is my favorite Margaret Wise Brown book, including Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Another MWB book that's a big hit for our family is My World.$LABEL$1 +This is a poor quality album Do Not Buy!. I don't know why in the hell everybody thinks this album is so great. As you know X raided is locked up in prison for murder so there is no way he can get to a studio to make a record right? So he raps his songs over the prison telephone and records them and yep you guessed it folks this whole album was recorded over the telephone and you get poor telephone sounding quality music for the whole album. Don't waste your money on this one folks! But don't get me wrong I think X-raided is the the only true real life original gangster rapper out there and he does deserve much respect and he does have a excellent album called Psyco Active (wich is NOT recorded on the phone either). So if you love sick perverse violent rap artits as much as I do you should get Psyco Active by X Raided but not Xorcist.$LABEL$0 +Good but not great...... Good but not great........Zia Natural Skincare Ultimate Body Firming Treatment, 7 fl oz.....It's not heavy scented which I like...not to greasy either!~$LABEL$1 +Inferior copy on recordable DVD. No cover art, recordable DVD. Image quality very poor, perhaps transfer was made from a poor quality print or VHS.$LABEL$0 +worked for 2 weeks. it's a great interactive mobile, however the music stopped playing after 2 weeks. apparently it's a common problem with these motorized mobiles.$LABEL$0 +Catholicism DVD set. Great Christmas gift for my daughter's large family. Informative, easy to understand and very timely especially for Catholics who don't know alot about their church and for anyone interesting in understanding it.$LABEL$1 +Not Everyone Needs This Book...But Then Again. I am the wife of a lower enlisted soldier and thought I would never need this book after reading the first few chapters while my hubby was in AIT...BUT then I became a FRG Leader at his first duty station and it became my bible. There is a lot of good information in this book, and you don't have to be an Officer's wife to need to know the proper way to address a Christmas Card. You only need respect for the protocols and traditions of our beloved Army !!$LABEL$1 +Good deal just for the price... way too artificial scent. I purchased this set with Pearlessence Spa Mist Air Therapy Fountain Mister.I thought it's too good to be true if I got 6 oils for that price.Actually, it was fair enough for the price.Though I love the concept, and I really like how the humidifier works.the oil pack didn't work for me.Each oil smells too artificial. It almost smells like car freshener dangling from back mirror ...If you are expecting aromatherapy, I recommend to pay little bit morefor pure botanical essential oils.$LABEL$0 +Fun, but small and easily scraped (And now broken). I saw all these reviews about how this isn't for kids that are young. My son is 6 and rides this thing with no problem, its actually a little small for him. His legs are all cramped up. Makes me wonder if the other people here have very small children, or possibly I'm raising a giant. The brake is getting scraped up and bent all the time since it sits close to the ground, its a pain to bend back and fix. The entire bottom of the cart is scraped up, but it doesn't seem to affect the drivability.The battery life on this thing is amazing. My son drove this almost two miles on a single charge. Lots of fun, adults don't fit well on it though.So, here's an edit: Its now broken and refuses to move. Kinda sucks, I guess we'll see how the warranty works.$LABEL$0 +I wouldn't trust my life with it. Pros* Excellent Design* Fumble free use* Small and compact* No leather pouches to openCons* Made from cheap plastic* Awful customer service* Fell apart when I tried to use itI unfortunately had to use the spitfire, and I pulled it off the keychain (a feature of this device), and the thing fell apart in my hands. Luckily the threat was averted and it was not needed, but this is not what you want to worry about when your life is on the line.I would not purchase this item. Hopefully they read this review and make it with a strong ABS plastic and stronger fastening, because they sure didn't respond to my emails.Shame really, I truly wanted to believe in this product. Unfortunately, it failed me.$LABEL$0 +Mara Rocks!. I absolutely love this book. I love Egypt and the ancient culture is especially intruiging. The story of slave girl Mara who has to play double spy captured me in the delicate web of this story line. This brave girl who falls in love with one of her masters is wonderful and excellently written. I got it just because it had Egypt on it, but I instantly and unexpectedly fell in love with the characters and the tangled web of a story Mara gets herself caught in. This is a book I believe everyoneshould read. An excellent book!$LABEL$1 +yawn.... when this type of mindless ultra-violence is repeated over and over and over again it just gets boring. Oh boy, he punched a guy in the head, I wonder if his head will explode like the other thirteen opponents... guess so. Imagine this, over and over again and you have "Fist of the North Star" in a nutshell. The plot is nothing special. The animation is not top-notch. Still, some of the characters were half-way interesting... until they died brutally with lots of arterial spray.$LABEL$0 +shuffleboard dust. It doesn't work on our shuffleboard table the puck stops in about the middle of the table so I am sending it back for a refund.$LABEL$0 +Livin' It Up! With the Bratz. This is not a movie as much as it is an inter-active Dvd. It was fun for my 8 year old, but a little more difficult for the younger ones. If your girls a Bratz fans they will love it.$LABEL$0 +Think twice about buying this DVD. Nothing wrong with the film, it's the UltraViolet Digital copy you need to avoid. This is a format that does absolutely nothing for the consumer, is unplayable on both PC and Apple products without additional software, and has a limited streaming life of 3 years then you have nothing. I will never buy another Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy that has the Ultraviolet method.$LABEL$0 +ouch!. This book hurt. I usually can tolerate some silliness in pulp horror, but this book was awful. Moore makes Bentley Little look like James Joyce. A series of drawn out fight scenes makes up the plot. The main character took so many beatings and stayed alive that I thought we were heading towards an Unbreakable finale where he ends up being a superhero. Oh, and they also hit the lottery. This is not early Stephen King, this is more like early Don King.Skip this one.$LABEL$0 +Terk Satellite Radio 50' Indoor/Outdoor Antenna Ext Cable. Received the item promptly. It was as advertised. All connections were easily done. And it has worked flawlessly since it received it. I would recommend it to anyone who needs an extended lenth to receive xm signals.$LABEL$1 +Buy Beware. Just as some other reviewers have stated, this RAM did not work with my macbook. Currently have a white macbook with 2.4 and 2gbs, all that happened when I installed the RAM was a solid black screen.Hopefully others who use this will not experience my dilemma.$LABEL$0 +belly of the dragon. I was disappointed in the story myself. I found the storyline to kind of jumped all over the place and it was a tad on the dry side. I can see non-fiction as possibly being dry, but this is supposedly fiction.$LABEL$0 +Pregnancy, Childbirth. Book was in good condition and it arrived within the allotted time frame. However, it just made it and this is by far the longest it's taken me to receive and item ordered on amazon. I am not sure if it was a glitch in the mail.$LABEL$1 +Tablets were broken. Many tablets inside the bottle were broken, so when you try to get one out of the bottle, you just get peices and dust, very frustrating and messy.$LABEL$0 +My SONY Camcorder quit for no reason. I had the same thing happen with my SONY DCR-TRV19 after exactly one year. So I called the Sony support number. After holding for 45 minutes they told me my warrenty was 12 months parts, 90 days labor. They were nice enought to wave the parts seeing it is a few days past a year but they want $219 for labor!!!!!If you search the web this is a common problem with the SONY DCR-TVR19 / DCR-TRV22 / DCR-TRV33.I realy wish I'd bought a JVC. They are rated beter and less expensive. I do know that's the last Sony product I'm going to buy. 90 day warrenty for $500 dollar product is terrible.Mine doesn't have a single scratch and has NEVER been dropped.This years models are:DCR-HC20 / DCR-HC30 GARBAGE DCR-HC65 / DCR-HC85 CHEAPJUNKIt appears the first to use the same 680k CCD. A likely culprit for this problem.Check your warrenties.JUNK JUNK JUNKMike Grimm, IL.$LABEL$0 +Barely worth $3. I only wish I had purchased this used at $3 price range. It's filled with babble, not clearly explained with a metric ton of filler text. Avoid at all costs.$LABEL$0 +Very good techniques, but not the flavor I expected. The book is very well written and it teaches very good techniques for cooking wich gives more flavor to the food. I have tried several of the recipes following the instructions as exactly as I could, but I am a bit dissapointed because they did not seem to me very tasty. I expected to obtain results similar or equal to the dishes you have at Italian restaurants, but there are only, perhaps,a few of them. However, the flavor is not bad either, and I love the techniques given, is just that I expected more.$LABEL$1 +List of reasons I love this book: Fun,Creative,Analytical.... This is a book which you fill in pages that have a title for each page/list. The Titles are for things you list. Example: List all of the people who love you for who you really are. Another example: List the things you would change if you could change history. Or: List the things you hide when friends come to visit.Some of the List headings are serious and some are silly, some delve into the past, others look to the future. They explore home, family, work , the world , your inner thoughts and so much more.This is a delightful book for anyone who loves to make lists, who loves psychology, or who wants to understand themselves a little better. It is a whole lot of FUN!$LABEL$1 +Very Poor, and Confusing. Even though this book gives decent information about French pronunciation, which is a very useful way to not only learn how to speak the language, but have a grasp on how to say new vocabulary as well, it starts getting confusing once it just randomly jumps into passages, expecting the reader to all of a sudden know how to comprehend the written language without grasping grammar first. Maybe it would have been useful with the aid of an audio CD, but unfortunately it doesnt have it. And another problem with this book is the way it randomly presents new vocab when it has nothing to do with the context of the passages. Possibly a beginner can get through this book, but it would unfortunately be a long and tedious chore that will eventually bore one out of their mind! There are so many great french learning books out there, and this is NOT one of them!$LABEL$0 +Gifted MC. Jeru definetly has microphone skills and he proves it on this imressive debut. The beats are also really unique and different, maybe a little to unique is the only problem. Best tracks: Come Clean, Mental Stamina$LABEL$1 +Main theme : Economics?. My wife and I first saw the series online, the title images we had seen (not this one) made this look a bit... risque to say the least.We were pleasantly surprised to find no real focus on nudity beyond 'doll-esque' levels.Really the main focus is the economies of medieval times, how travelling merchants made money etc. Its fascinating in a weird way; interspersed with supernatural mythos like harvest gods and the like. Its very interesting. Hopefully a third season is on the way somewhere...As for this particular box set, the bluray titlescreen seemed a bit off, but the video itself was great. Nothing to complain about really and it played perfectly on the PS3 as well.$LABEL$1 +Manfrotto Monopod. Product was shipped promptly and the quality, as well as the usability is super. It is lightweight, study and easy to use. As described in the specs, it only collapses to about a two feet length so portability is not perfect. Overall, I'm well satisfied with the product and the purchase. This is a really welcomed addition to my new 7D camera outfitting.$LABEL$1 +Processor Blade. This was a new purchase, was in top notch condition and has been used frequently with excellent results.$LABEL$1 +GREAT...So far so good!. I purchased this shampoo for my husband and it has been magical! He doesn't mind the smell and uses regularly. I recommend!$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I received this for Christmas from my mother and it worked only once. The motor burned out and the company would not honor the warranty. Both the company and the fountain were a HUGE diappointment. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!$LABEL$0 +Cobraaaa!. As a G.I. Joe fan and collector since 1986 I even enjoy watching the original series today. As a native German I liked both Joe and Cobras alike. Both factions owned a number of great characters! Some good guys some bad guys but all of them were unique!Though I generally like Manga-Style movies and especilly the female characters look cuter than ever, I don't consider G.I. Joe Sigma 6 a worthy heir to the classic series. Sure, it contains action from the start to the end, but the character of the figures was all but neglected...Afterall I don't think Sigma 6 has much in common with the originals since only the names and the history... so it could well be name in a completly different way and is just an other Anime among others!$LABEL$0 +Very fragile. Dissapointed with this product! Our daughter can not even play with it without it falling apart! Small pieces that disconnect from swing not a good idea for childrens toys!$LABEL$0 +Shocking and Disturbing. Until this book I was a fan of romace novels and Connie Mason in particular. The blatant abuse and racism in this book was shocking! Our "Hero" rapes two wives, beats his slaves, and still ends up with the girl at the end. Our "Heroine" sleeps with anybody who befriends her or for whom she has pity. I wanted to see them both dead at the end. Unless you want to be disillusioned forever, DON'T read this book!$LABEL$0 +Very timely. My product came just as they said it would. The shipped the product the next day. Definetely a good buy!$LABEL$1 +Rubbish. I attempted to read this book several years ago and found it to be utter rubbish!! This book is worthy of the "National Enquirer" as opposed to a serious biography of Heinrich Himmler. Himmler is a subject worthy of a biography for his infamous career but Padfield's work is so full of inaccuracies on so many levels I tossed the book in the trash after the first few chapters it was so bad.A better but not nearly as lengthy biography can be found in Heinz Hoehne's "The Order of the Deaths Head." This book however is nonsense.$LABEL$0 +GREAT SOUND. Johnny Smith was first known for his gorgeous guitar sound when he made one of his first albums called "Moonlight in Vermont" which I heard on mono Lp 50 years ago. His gorgeous technique was the envy of all jazz guitarists. We studied his books, but couldn't make head or tail of them.There are 20 tunes on this CD, & you'll probably recognize most of them. He is a jazz guitarist, but one who is very easy to listen to....I loved his ballad style as well as the tunes he does at breakneck speed.I particularly liked his rendition of the Duke Ellington compositions, namely "I got it bad;" "Prelude to a kiss;" & Monk's "Round Midnight."Get this album, & you won't regret it. If you're new to jazz, this is a great place to start.$LABEL$1 +Is there any page without an error?????. The book is good, but like I said before is there any page without an error????? There is no published errata for the book too!!!$LABEL$0 +Mike and Mister Ray Know~!. If you are here, you are looking to buy. Do it. I wish Icould give you a copy of this album and countless other songs by thisband, but I also wish you would support a band that ranks above thousands in my musical retinue. Buy, buy, buy- what is $15 for joy?$LABEL$1 +Returned it. The quality of this product was very poor. The pictures shown on the various websites show a nice sandy beach and nice true color, however, this was not the case. The product does not have near the same quality of the LCD Televisions out on the market. As long as you stand about 6 feet back, you may not notice the pixels of your favorite picture.$LABEL$0 +Great reading. I read this book three years ago, and someone who borrowed it never returned it. I had to buy it again, and read it to make sure I don't miss anything. Deep, but explained in a way that makes it very easy to understand.$LABEL$1 +ANDREA BOCELLI (THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR HIM THE MAN IS A GOD). His words and his voice melt right through you everytime you listen to him. I'm going to actually dance to one of his songs at my wedding in about 3 months. Amazing cd.$LABEL$1 +Worthless. This book's title is analogous to having scantily clad women on book covers to lure adolescent boys into buying. There is no hacking of Windows. No information that you would not already know if you were an experienced user or can obtain for free using a web search. Do not waste even a penny on this book. It is truly junk.$LABEL$0 +Scratchy and Irritating. I don't understand the positive reviews on this silly wrist strap. It is VERY uncomfortable and scratchy. Even if I did were it longer than 5 minutes, it is impossible to figure out if you have it on the right spot to be effective.$LABEL$0 +Hearty Soup. Wolfgang's Organic Classic Minestrone Soup is very good, filling, and tastes especially great when you add some grated cheese. This soup also has the added benefit of high fiber due to the different beans. Try it, you will like it!$LABEL$1 +Good first book in a series. I must say I have bee a fan of the Breed Series for years. But that was the only stories I had read. This book was very different than that, but I really liked it, the ending was pretty obvious, but again a good story with a lot of steam!$LABEL$1 +Mozart Violin Sonatas by Mutter. A beautiful rendition of the Mozart violin sonatas by two excellent performers! It is a total shame and extremely disturbing to view the poor choice of camera angles with rapid shift of images. It's a total waste of money. I could enjoy the same performance on CD and do away with the dizziness.$LABEL$0 +Not for everyday people. This book is incredible in ways that are not going to be understood by the average joe. I do not know how anyone who is not a practicing Kriya Yogi could ever begin to make any sense out of this book. To the average person on the street this book is going to be complete and indecipherable non-sense.This book speaks directly to those of us who are practicing Kriya Yoga and corroborates the inner experiences one has while practicing. This book is for the sincere Kriya Yoga practitioner it offers insight into what you are experiencing.Several times while reading this book I found myself saying ah yes of course so that is what that was or is.This is a book for all Kriya yogis that trace their lineage to Lahiri Mahsaya. Now for those who are not initiated and are practicing what various writers and schools call kriya Yoga do not be surprised if you do not get it.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't work. So far usuless, didn't work on any eletronic I have. Tested on dvds, blu-rays, receivers, tv, nothing... maybe I got a defective item.$LABEL$0 +Sickenlingly awesome! Horrorshow good fun!. Amazingly I've seen these for sale on the shelves of Borders in the past. Thought "Special Interest" literature wasn't available unless you knew what you were ordering in advance somehow.Still this is a good and dark and disturbing collection of bizarre fringe opinions. Beware this book. It's totally work safe and family friendly, if the workplace is undergoing a post office style job complaint and the family is like that famous "Fifth Beatle" who ruined the song "Helter Skelter".$LABEL$1 +Ambient Dub at its Finest. Damn this is a good CD! This is one of the first and best of the "ambient dub" sub-genre of electronic music -- a beautiful, bass-heavy, laid-back set of electronic soundscapes that sound great when you're chilling at home or too stoned to move.Ambient dub is an offshoot of electronic music that never really dominated the charts anywhere as far as I can tell, but it's a tasty, organic-sounding, and highly agreeable approach to digital music nonetheless. Higher Intelligence Agency piles colourful bloops and bleeps on top of mesmerizing basslines and relaxed beats to excellent effect. This CD is tough to track down, but well worth the effort.$LABEL$1 +Very poor quality pumpkin seeds. Prior to purchasing this brand of seeds, I had always used the NOW Foods brand (which has generally been a very consistently good quality seed from my own exprience). This being my first try at using a different brand turned out to be a very big mistake. I usually purchase seeds in bulk, so I purchased 4 bags of these seeds. To my surprise, every one of the bags contained small, brown or discolored seeds, all of which are not the healthful green full flavored seeds that I was used to with the NOW Foods brand. Hey, I'm not a spokesperson for one brand or another which is why I wanted to try a different brand to compare. However, in this case, I blame myself for thinking the proverbial grass was greener on the other side....I couldn't have been more wrong in this case!.... I will never buy this brand again!$LABEL$0 +Not based on fact. I stopped watching this as soon as they claimed the chicken we buy are genetically modified. This is absolutely untrue, as they are "created" by cross-breeding two varieties of chicken. If they are blatantly stating misinformation as fact in this case, I have to assume they do elsewhere in the video as well. I am tired of "foodies" labeling everything they disagree with as a GMO.$LABEL$0 +Bought the Pixter instead of a Game Boy, but really no fun. I kept resisting getting my 6 year old son a Game Boy, because kids get so addicted to them and I have not been able to find educational software. So I bought this instead. This is boring and hard to use. I wish someone would just start making Reader Rabbit for the Game Boy.$LABEL$0 +Even Better Than Hybrid Theory. Yes, it is no lie. Meteora is even better than Linkin Park's debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was simply incredible. I'm so happy that Linkin Park didn't sell out and make all of their songs sound like "In the End" since they had such a success with that song. Instead, Meteora is much heavier than their first effort, Hybrid Theory. The music is better, the lyrics are more mature, and the vocals by both Chester Benington and Mike Shinoda have improved greatly. I definently recommend this album. It's what every rock fan has been waiting for.$LABEL$1 +Fun with Totally Gross. We've enjoyed this game. It's great for laughs! Our only complaint is that the goo which came with the game didn't really stretch.$LABEL$1 +ugh. Well folks, I grew up on comics and still love them, although I am not a frequent reader any more. I was excited to hear about this book and eagerly read it, but ....ugh. If you want some quick reading trashy sci-fi type junk, then go ahead and read it. If you are looking for an intelligent treatment of some comic-like themes, then you'd better keep waiting. This is the first novel I have read that has inspired me to pan it here, that's how bad it was.$LABEL$0 +Be aware of the delay on delivery. Same experience as the last reviewer...I ordered on June 20th and haven't received the item yet. I kept receiving the emails from Amazon which asked for approval the updated shipping date.On the product URL site, Amazon still claims that this item is in stock and can be shipped in 24 hours. It is all BS. I called the customer service number many times and got told their fullfillment center has difficulty to ship the item out.This is a good product...however 1 star review for Amazon.$LABEL$0 +This thing SUCKS. Pulls on hair, and makes it impossible to trim anything. You wanna scream in pain and agony. I noticed blades are all crooked after 5 times using it! The rotating head snaps off as soon as you put slight pressure on it.Horrible product basically and I hate it!DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!$LABEL$0 +The Whistleblower. I thought the subject matter was very intense and dramatic, but well done. I would recommend this movie to adult audiences, but definitely not a family film.$LABEL$1 +Encyclopidia for heath. this is an excelent book for type 2 Diabetes patiend or anybody who want to maintain enjoy a healthy life stile.$LABEL$1 +not worth the money. I bought the cream hoping to get rid of, or at least lighten stretch marks from pregnancy. I have used it three times a day for 3 months and have seen no results. It smells horrible and having to apply 3 times a day is really a pain in the hind parts. I was very optimistic after reading some of the other reviews. I'm now very disappointed. If something sounds too good to be true, it is.$LABEL$0 +good book. helped me realize how stupid things were that we were getting angry about in the relationship, also helps you look at the BIG PICTURE.$LABEL$1 +A great peek inside "the bubble". I have worked on political campaigns professionally for many years and always wondered what it would be like to work for the President. This book opened my eyes beyond the glamour of the West Wing and let me ride along motorcades, helicopters and of course Air Force One. If you are interested in what goes into moving the President and his staff this is the book for you. A great read for any political junkie.$LABEL$1 +Addicting!. I figured I would try this after seeing the infomercial a million times. I thought Chalene would be annoying but I was very wrong. The music is great and she is very motivating. I like how the backround people are the same in each video.You have to do the Learn and Burn and get the moves down in order to get the full effect. There are other tapes on the website in addition to these. I plan on getting those as well.Great workout overall. Very fun and never boring!$LABEL$1 +2 thumbs up (& not there). This CD kicks butt. Lately I've been getting into rock bands doing covers i.e. Rick Springfield "Day After Yesterday", Styx "Big Bang Theory", etc.This does justice to the bands covered and is a definite good addition to your CD collection. Tommy Shaw & Jack Blades prove they have the chops to do these tunes justice.$LABEL$1 +MP3 IS NOT BLOODLINE!!!. Album was not available so I decided to download MP3. The Mp3 download offered is not Bonamassa's Bloodline. Not even close!$LABEL$0 +DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. Don't miss this book. I loved every page of this beautifully written story about wartime in colonial america. Talk about braving the wilderness! I had no idea how tough it was for settlers in upstate New York. Great story$LABEL$1 +His Best Salsa Album. Great songs, great voice. I don't think I'll will ever hear Marc make a full salsa album, without any of the pop or ballads. The style of music that in his albums are ideally not danceable, basically because the louder and more aggressive arrangements will take away from his voice. That is one major difference between him and other salseros like Victor Manuelle, Tito Rojas, etc.; they don't necessarily have the same range as Marc, but the orchestra doesn't become as a distant background. His records are to be listened to relax.$LABEL$1 +Great Book! Interesting, Informative, Thanks Frank!. This was a very informative book for a beginner like me, and I'm sure pro's would find valuable inf. too. I had been using the Martingale System for a while and didn't realize it. Only I use a twist to it, letting me win every spin, except for the '0','00'. No Joke! I haven't lost yet at a wheel! This book also opened my eyes to other option that are available. Some things I really wondered about, and wouldn't ask. Read this book is a must if you like winning!$LABEL$1 +Ouch, my fingers!. This is a great toy in theory, however not only have I slammed my fingers in the turning wheel, but so has my son, daughter, husband, and brother. It hurts too! I really think this toy should be recalled. It's not fun to see your babies cry when they get hurt from a senseless design on a child's toy.$LABEL$0 +I'd laugh, but it's not worth the effort.. You should note the reviews on this site that praise this despicable waste of money are all from the US. It hasn't actually been released in the US.That should be your clue.(HINT : Don't waste your money.)$LABEL$0 +Clancy's lost it. Underwhelming. That's really the only word to describe this book. I can't say that I'm tingling with excitement to delve into the world of John Patrick Ryan, Jr, especially when the story seems to have been thrown together in a few days. Three out of the last four Clancy books have been clunkers...hopefully the trend will reverse, but I won't be holding my breath.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. Been reading Bucklands books for a while. Very disappointed when I got to this one. I had pegged this writer as someone of authority in the issues of Paganism. Instead I find Christian rituals. Didn't they do enough damage when our ancestors were drowned, burned and tortured? I disliked references to providing them with anything in the same book as the supposed Pagan spells. By the way. Anyone can make up spells and Pagans do so by way of rituals and beliefs but most of us do NOT sell them for money.$LABEL$0 +Love. I buy this on amazon when I can't find it in the store. I love that it's more natural than other conditioners, it provides great slip for detangling and a nice hit of protein for your hair. The bottle lasts me a while too.$LABEL$1 +Very poor reading.. All I can say is I'm glad I borrowed the book and didn't buy it to keep. I felt Jaffe's characters lacked believability and couldn't make myself like them or want them to get together. They were very one dimensional throughout the book and they never seemed to learn anything about themselves or each other as the book progressed right up to the last chapter practically when everything resolved itself. This was totally unbelievable. I could barely make myself finish the book. As for the setting, I have no desire to read any other books placed in that time/location based on this book.$LABEL$0 +Guidelines that work!. I bought Robert Hastings wonderful book in 1979 when I was launching my (what has proved to be very successful) writing career. Hastings' practical guidelines are just what every beginning writer needs; a great many "experienced" writers could use them as well. A real classic!$LABEL$1 +Fell in love @ first sight!. WHEN I FIRST READ THIS BOOK, THIS WAS MY FIRST READ OF A BI-RACIAL FAMILY. I SEE MYSELF WITH A FAMILY SUCH AS THIS ONE SOMEDAY, AND I LOVED THE POETIC VERSES SO MUCH THAT I KEPT IT ON MY COFFEE TABLE FOR A LONG TIME. I ALSO HAVE A HAND DRAWN PIC OF WHEN THE FAMILY WAS OUT WALKING IN THE WOODS ON A FALL DAY. IT IS HANGING IN MY KITCHEN. I DREW IT ON A PAPER PLATE, SPUR OF THE MOMENT THING. I WAS ALSO SURPRISE TO KNOW THAT THE HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM THAT MADE THIS BOOK POSSIBLE,(i think they are a couple, i could be wrong)PUBLISHED IT THE SAME YR I WAS BORN. SO THEIR KIDS ARE ADULTS NOW, HOW WONDERFUL IT MUST BE TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO READ TO THEIR GRANDKIDS.KUDOS, MUCH LOVE TO THE AUTHORS!$LABEL$1 +Kidde Carbon Monoxide Alarm. My old one went past its life of 5 years and I wanted to replace it with the same model which I could not find anywhere else. It is a very efficient product and I did not have to make a new place for it to fit on my wall.$LABEL$1 +An Easy Read. I recently bought and read this book and thought the book was alright. It was easy to read and did not require any deep thought. I found that it WAS quite predictable. You were able to guess exactly what was going to happen and you KNEW that there was going to be a happy ending no matter what.I think that a little more conflict or more to the plot would have made this book a bit more of a challenge and a little bit more entertaining. I enjoy books where the main characters have more spunk. However, it was a fairly decent book that managed to keep my attention.$LABEL$0 +Thanks CBS. We love to laugh and we like variety.. I enjoyed this reunion special as I enjoyed the other a few years ago. Thanks to CBS for allowing the most daring and adult outtakes and bloopers to be shown. It was so much fun to see Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman back together again and able to laugh at themselves as we laughed with them at home. Check out the blooper where Carol flashes the boobs she is wearing in front of Tim Conway. Buy the VHS video or DVD today.$LABEL$1 +Were Are They All????????????????????. Why is everything I want (this prouduct included)at Amazon.com out of stock. You would think that a site that sells so much would not be able to sell so much without keeping the items in stock(could sell much more and make much more if they did; hint hint) My rating of the game is not accurated because I don't have it because it is out of stock!!! HINT HINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +What a gifted & lyrical writer!!!!. Dave Kindred ranks among America's finest sportswriters. He and the late Shirley Povich were the best sports columnists The Washington Post ever had (present sports columnists included). The stories in Kindred's book are a joy to read. He's got a Ring Lardner touch. At his best, no one is funnier than Kindred. A few of his tales feel like a Frank Capra movie, sentimental and heart-warming. Baseball captures the essence of America with love of family, country and seventh inning rallies. Kindred makes it come all come alive. His stories on Mark McGwire and Jackie Robinson must be savored. You'll finish this book and feel like playing catch with your kid.$LABEL$1 +WOO HOO!! ;)- HUBBY IN A TUX.... This was such a fun purchase because my husband and I learned how to tie a bow-tie! Okay...I lied, HE learned how on youtube while I watched, This really looked sharp with his 007 style tuxedo he wore on our cruise. It fit his large neck -with no room left to spare (4XLT at the time). It was inexpensive and the bit of texture added a nice touch.$LABEL$1 +Broken upon arrival. I ordered this dartboard thinking wow, looks like some great technology. Only I never got to experience the joy of throwing, because it was broken when I opened the package. There was a dent in the wooden cabinet, a seem on the cabinet was splitting apart, and the dartboard itself had a broken plastic piece. Overall not pleased, but can't speak for the play of the dartboard itself. When bought from Amazon, the package comes in its original box, thus not protecting the item whatsoever while being shipped.$LABEL$0 +Keep it clean. I do alot of the string changes and maintenence for my band. We all use this poduct every time after we play. When our string eventually go dead and it is time to change them out they still feel like brand new. The strings continue to sound new much longer and never have the feel of a gritty coroded surface when this product is used regulary. The bottle seems to last forever even though I use it all of the time. I just bought a second bottle even though I am only about half way through the first because I dont want to run out. Rub a little on with the aplicator tip, let it set for a few momments, wipe clean with a lint free rag. Dont play dirty. BUY and USE this prodoct.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Product. Excellent product within affordable price. I had used before various types of rice cooker such as Sanyo, Krups and Moulinex but I have find Zojirushi is the best because of light weight and super non-stick cooking pot. I am using it almost three times a day but found no dusturbance while I am new user but in my experience and Asian ethnicity I think it is one of the best product available in the USA market.$LABEL$1 +A major let down. This game is a serious let down for all Rainbow Six fans, it's main highlights include poor storylines and plots, edgy cinematics and re-inforced by terrible graphics. This is a major dissapointment, and really I wreckon this game should never have been dreamt up, let alone released, it's terrible and should never see the light of day.$LABEL$0 +drawing table. The table has a nice large surface which is nice. However one side of it was damaged in shipping. I used it for the bottom. The folding aspect of the table is great and really easy to use. It adjusted perfectly to fit our daughter. Overall really nice product.$LABEL$1 +Iron Man Combo Pack rules!. My son could not decide between the Iron Man 2 Movie on Blue Ray or DVD. I came across the combo pack at Amazon and was so excited. It also comes with a Digital copy. All this for only 24.99 It is a great deal! Good movie and now he has three forms of it. We are very pleased with this purchase.$LABEL$0 +Defective BRAND NEW. Bought from Lowe's for $329. Followed all the start-up procedures, ran it for 5 minutes and the tank pressure gauge would not go beyond zero. Tried it 3 times, and checking thoroughly both the drain and safety valves, but the resultsare still the same. I'll be returning this tomorrow and request replacement otherwise I go for another brand.$LABEL$0 +Predictable, popular, pleasant. This scent is becoming more and more popular. Almost ever guy I know has owned this once before which takes away the prestige.it's almost immediately noticeable. Overall the ladies still love it even though someone else will most likely have it on everywhere you go. lol$LABEL$1 +A great book about maya art and culture. This book is well worth the price and a must for anyone interested in maya art and culture. Aside from the full color photographs of maya figurines from museums in both Mexico and the US, I also like the layout of the text which is divided into 10 chapters categorizing the figurines pictured and describing each one with extra explanations when needed. Definetely one of of the best books on the subject, highly recommendable.$LABEL$1 +It was so bad, it's sad that it will be taking up space in landfill. Got it and immediately checked it out using the regular plug. No problems in the 5 minute trial. Got in the car and it did not work with the plug for the lighter. We bought a new plug. It took 4-5 tries loading a disk before it would stop telling us that there was "no disk". This included two brand new, out of the box DVD's. The "ok" button didn't work on the unit so we had to use the remote. The cables weren't really tight, so sometimes they would unplug. Not a huge deal, but the unit had to be turned on again every time and our kids aren't old enough to do this themselves.At this point, we were almost ready to try to trade it. An hour later my son kept saying his screen was turning off. Then, it turned off completely and it never went back on.Not a good deal for all the aggravation. If you've got kids, you have better ways to spend your time.$LABEL$0 +great guitar player. I 've seen Romero live few times,I am a huge fan of Romero's guitar skills and compositions. Live at Trinity Church is one of the best recordings I 've heard.$LABEL$1 +Didn't get what I wanted.. I searched for a yogurt starter on Amazon and this product came up as an option.When I received it there was a sticker "not to be used as starter".Amazon did agree to take back the unopened bag. I don't know what to do with the remainderof the open one.$LABEL$0 +Illegal Drugs Save The Earth!.... One of the better SCREAM offshoots, THE FACULTY succeeds at being an excellent 90s high school version of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS w/ enough paranoia, terror, and humour to keep things interesting. The cast is unbelievable, including Clea Duvall (HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER, THE KILLING ROOM), Josh Hartnett (HALLOWEEN H2O, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT), Framke Janssen (LORD OF ILLUSION), Elijah Wood (THE ICE STORM, LOTR, SIN CITY), Robert Patrick (TERMINATOR 2, EYE SEE YOU), Piper Laurie (RUBY, CARRIE), and Salma Hayek (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN) as the school nurse! This movie proves what we've always suspected, that our teachers are human hosts for alien parasites! This explains a lot! We also learn that illegal drugs are the salvation of mankind. The alien invaders just can't handle them! Whew! THE FACULTY is fun-tastic! Cheers...$LABEL$1 +Call it what it is - their big breakthrough.. If "selling out" and "abandoning the grassroots" is how highly talented, immensely listenable bands like Vertical Horzion hit the big time, well, I just wish it'd happen more often. This is, quite simply, beautiful music. There's been so much baggage hung on the whole alternative music, it's refreshing to see a return to the basics of harmonious composition and great singing. There isn't a bad moment anywhere, not one bit of sappiness, annoyance, boredom, insufferability, or any other of the failings that have doomed countless promising albums. In a nutshell, if you love music, this album quite literally has everything you want.$LABEL$1 +The Clash of Cultures. This is an extraordinary account of the Mhong culture with its beliefs and mores. Being uprooted and immigrating to the USA at the end of the Vietnam conflict truly changes these gentle agrarian people. Without the courtesy of interpreters the life of one Mhong child is direly affected when the beliefs of the Mhong conflict with Western medicine. A true tragedy in peaceful times!$LABEL$1 +Not a fan of Oates. I have tried to read the work of this amazing writer and more often than not find myself closing the book completely uninterested in the characters and/or the story. Technically, I can appreciate and even admit to the awe she inspires. But for some reason her writing leaves me cold.This was only the second of her books which I managed to finish and I genuinely enjoyed this novel very much. The narrator is flawed and vulnerable, tough and offensive, and I wanted to know what would happen to her and to her gang.I like this book. I will continue to try to read Oates whenever the impulse presents itself. But I will also forgive myself if I am unwilling to finish what I start.$LABEL$1 +I ordered the hardcopy and I received a useless audio disk which is waste of my money. I order only hard copies of books and with my order I received 3 books and instead of this book I received an audio disk.Its a waste of my money for shipment, VAT tax 20% which I pay for import, etc. I would never pay for an audio disk of a book!!! I will never shop from Amazon.com again!Maybe this book is good, but I will never know.$LABEL$0 +The Last Hurah. These episodes are original, thought provoking, and well told. They both would have made exelent live-action shows, though Koo-Koo-Khan would have been quite expensive to produce. It is truly a shame that NBC decided to cancel the series after these two episodes aired. Since it was shown early on Saturday mornings, young children were the prominant viewer, and they just didn't "get" the show. If they had simply moved the show to prime-time, it may have thrived and lasted for five more seasons. Of course, if that had happened, Star Trek history would have been changed forever.$LABEL$1 +Real life situations.. This book is worth reading for anyone wanting to get an inside view of what really goes on in this business.$LABEL$1 +Stories. This is not a book on haunted locations in California. Instead it is a collection of stories that occurred to people in California. You won't find the Queen Mary in here or Alcatraz or the Hotel Del Coronado or any other location that you can physically visit. Instead you will find stories that happened to real Californians in their homes, businesses, etc.If you're looking for interesting real ghost stories, this is a book for you. It is an interesting read, and the stories are entertaining. If you're looking for detailed information on specific visitable concrete locations within California this is not the book for you.$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware. I've bought three copies of this set,2 new and 1 VG. All three have the same defect on the B disk. It appears to be a manufacturing defect with visible damage to the metal layer rendering the disk unplayable.$LABEL$0 +I miss my old fit n fresh. I had the old fit n fresh for years and loved it every single time that I used it. After wear and tear, I decided it was time for a new one. Bad decision. The salad dressing compartment leaks defeating the purpose of even having a special compartment!! I'm so disappointed. I will definitely be looking into returning this. I know it's only $10, but it's the principle of buying something that doesn't work that irks me.$LABEL$0 +Must-have for silent era fans. This collection is an absolute must-have for fans. I have another collection, the Slapstick Encyclopedia, but this collection is much better. The features are high-speed and show the best snippets from silent reels instead of the whole thing, and the background music, sound effects, and narration are superb. Two thumbs up!$LABEL$1 +It was everything I remembered it to be. Real Classic Love Songs!. This is a must have for a collection of love songs from days gone by. It was everything I remembered it to be.$LABEL$1 +A fun introduction for kids. This set rocks! The child (over 6 years old), with parent's guidance, can immediately follow a starter project to do a simple hookup and get immediate results (lighting, sound, etc). I can see the big smiles from my kids, and that brings a great deal of satisfaction as a parent.My kids would try more than 15 projects in the next few days, before their interests move on to something else. The AM radio is the absolute favorite. The tuner, however, can't really get few stations.But it's a great introduction to basic electronic components nonetheless. They learned the wiring, flow of current, switches, resisters, capacitors, speakers, etc.$LABEL$1 +I thought this book was O.K. but nothing special.... To be honest this book really didn't do much for me. It was a bit boring. Nothing was really going on in the book & the couple didn't even start a relationship until the last 10 pages of the book & then all of a sudden they were wed. Rachel came to Springwater to be the first teacher & upon her arrival she meets Trey & soon finds out that he is part-owner of the Saloon across the street from her school. She despises the Saloon but they soon find that they care for one another. Not much more then that. The book was just lacking something. It needed some adventure or something. I sure hope the rest of this series gets better. This is book #2 in the Springwater series.$LABEL$0 +Amazing. This is not your typical John Grisham book. When I started reading it, I didn't know anything about it. By the end, I was crying because it so moved me. I truly enjoyed this book. It's written from the perspective of a young boy who doesn't completely understand everything that's going on around him. I really enjoyed that aspect of the story because it's so different from so many other books out there, expecially other John Grisham books. If you just read Grisham for the lawyers and courtroom antics, you won't want to read this book, but if you want to read an excellent book, I truly recommend this one.$LABEL$1 +Ok...but clogged!. I own this product and it was working great, a little greasy if you sprayed too much, but after a month of having it, it has clogged and nothing comes out. I tried pulling off the top and rinsing it out and cleaning the tube but nothing worked. What a waste.$LABEL$0 +Awful. This is just an awful edition, full of errors. There are clef signs missing, misplaced accidentals galore. Some of the errors I can correct, because there are two choices and one doesn't sound right. But this is extremely complex music -- all of Iberia is -- and in some cases, it's difficult to know what Albeniz actually wrote. I bought this because I was frustrated by the difficulty these days of obtaining piano scores (Patelson's in New York and Yesterday Service in Cambridge, MA, two of my favorites, are now closed). A mistake. Now I will try a little harder and get myself a real edition. It makes no sense to devote the time and effort to learning music as difficult as this from a (very) substandard edition.$LABEL$0 +Kindle version is missing text that is central to the story. This Kindle version is missing huge portions of text.For example, the entire manuscript read in Chapter 2 is missing.Amazon: please fix it or remove this defective version.$LABEL$0 +Where is San Francisco? Here's the track list.. This refers to Curb Records CD number D2-77447.Track list:1. My Love2. O' Sole Mio3. The Good Things in Life4. Cute5. Mimi6. London by Night7. On the Sunny Side of the Street8. Let's Do It9. Living Together, Growing Together10. Give Me Love$LABEL$0 +why do they all have to go "commercial". Unfortunately with this album Beenie Man shows us that his work is evolving in the wrong direction. Whereas his earliest albums still have the wicked Kingston, Jamaica sound and rhytm, this album has moved to the ranks of a computer generated song, with all of the beats that seem so out of place in this song. This might attract a bigger audience (and thus more sales), he'd be wise to stick to his roots$LABEL$0 +Will giving a review of a non-existent item help it exist?. I hope so! I loved this show, and I would buy this DVD set in a heartbeat, and I have never purchased a tv series on DVD. DVD's are so cheap to make, why wouldn't they take a shot, and make some money off this show?$LABEL$1 +An Important First Step. This is an important study of the responses of Assyrian immigrants and their children to their newfound land of freedom and its lure for assimilation. The vibrant Assyrian community of Chicago has maintained its strong cultural identity, as the author asserts through a superb pictorial essay, by slowly shedding the social distinctions brought from homeland.While the author ignores the tumulus years following the great exodus of 1980's due to the Iran-Iraq War & the Islamic Revolution in Iran, his study of the cultural activities between 1930's and 1960's would be interesting to most readers - particularly those with ties to Chicago.Since the politics of the "Chicagoland" continue to affect Assyrian-American politics in general, Mr. Shoumanov's book is an important first step in the contextualization of the Assyrian experience in America.$LABEL$1 +Smaller than you think. These are smaller than those recommended by jugglers. These are golf ball sized. The juggler group I went to recommended balls that are tennis ball sized. I am disappointed.$LABEL$0 +The book is out of date. It has to be rewritten. No software support, the contents are not comply with the technology. I couldn't get anything out of it. I found myself reading sample chapters from here and there.$LABEL$0 +An eye openning account about the war on drugs.. Let me say that this book was read before I had a chance to see a video titled the Clinton chronicles. After seeing this video and reading this remarkable book it's easy to see why the present White House Administration is bogged down with scandal after scandal. I recommend this book, and I recommend getting your hands on the video. You'll be amazed.$LABEL$1 +A look into first-time motherhood through int'l adoption. This book is one single woman's story of international adoption and her journey from singledom to motherhood. The author is honest and open about her feelings, even with things are less than perfect. This book gives insite into the process of adopting from Russia and gives some helpful hints along the way. I found this to be an interesting, easy read.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't quite cut it. "Coyote" was an impulse buy, and the "steal a starship" set-up was so contrived and preposterous that I almost gave up on the book - Amazon reviewers suggested I hold on for the Coyote part, which WAS a lot better, and I finally enjoyed the book enough to try this sequel.Although these stories are well crafted and generally connected to the rebellion plot in a "life on the hard frontier" context, they often felt more like writing exercises to me, especially the one about a bio-engineered bat/man vampire dude who arrives on Coyote leading his religious cult (as if someone said "I challenge you to write a Coyote story involving a vampire" - this is hard SF?!?). This book seems more like a Wild West story set on another planet, with rugged freedom-loving rebels fighting the oppressive, power-hungry socialist overlords. But there are weird animals and plants, and some strangely selective advanced technology thrown in for good measure. And a vampire. Oy.$LABEL$0 +NOTHING LIKE THIS BOOK OUT THERE. A brilliant collection of prose and poetry on the mystery of art and art-making, this book is not only moving but also powerful and engaging. The selections are beautifully varied from what were originally reviews in art magazines to poetic musings by acclaimed poets, diary-like entrees and studio interviews with artists wrestling with pictorial problems. Sitting down with this book is like an aesthetic journey, and rising up again one feels strangely refreshed and revitalized. It is a wonderful book and a treasure trove of insights and revelations on art and creative living. William J. Havlicelk PhD$LABEL$1 +Great printer. Great buy.. Did a lot of research before I bought this printer. Even called Canon for a definition of some of the features I didn't understand and received quick, friendly help. Then I searched the Internet for best price. This was it. Printer arrived in 3 days. Easy to install. Weighs about half what my old one did. Works like a champ. If most of your printing/copying/faxing is black and white, get this printer with a cheap color printer for the occasional item you need in color. Much cheaper way to operate.$LABEL$1 +Hypnotic. I began reading with WWI and continued to the end, and now I look forward to starting again with the Greeks. The most astonishing conjunction is the torture of Eric Lomax and his mates, followed immediately by Bill Laurence's account of the Nagasaki bombing. Whatever pity you might otherwise have felt for the Japanese on the ground has been utterly extinguished by the cruelty of the Japanese army in action. A superlative collection. The dustjacket photo alone speaks eloquently of vulnerability of men at war.$LABEL$1 +Awesome phone!. This phone works great even in our basement with computers and other electronic items that used to cause all sorts of reception interference. The phone comes with many other useful features such as intercom between the handsets. The transfer of calls between handsets is also easy.$LABEL$1 +Good for spot treatments. This stuff is really good for reducing the size of huge acne. I have had very fast results.I do get some minor visible peeling. In addition, this stuff can be very painful.I probably would buy it again.$LABEL$1 +Ditto. Sadly, I must support the opinions of the reviewer who preceded me here. If you want to get into this material, you need to go with the recordings by the original ensemble prior to their break-up in the mid-30s. There are two or three tracks of interest here, but unfortunately the disc overall is a pale, limp imitation of past glory. I'm still looking around for a desirable first choice, but while I can't offer a positive recommendation at this point I can definitely second the notion that this is one to avoid.$LABEL$0 +I know how to Cook Non-allergenic food like Speghetti & Grits - Nothing amazing at all about the recipes. This book is simply a recipe book which replaces eggs & nuts in recipes with name brand egg-substitutes and such. There are tons of references to specific brands of ingredients.And the remainder of the recipes are simple every day recipes.. that dont have eggs in them in the first place.Yes.. I know how to cook oatmeal, grits, or speghetti without using eggs and nuts.There are much better books out there.$LABEL$0 +Dated, not very interesting, not very helpful. Prehaps this was more intersting to audiences at the time of its publication. It sounds naive today, as though it was written for an audience with no exposure to flaky new-Age ideas.$LABEL$0 +great stuff. album arrived in a very timely manner and was in great condition, just as the seller said it would be.$LABEL$1 +Absolute Sh..!. Do not buy this game it becomes so aggrivating watching while you play with the unskippable in between frame videos and the play is even worse it gets so unspeakably annoying when your ball goes to the complete opposite side of the lane as you told it to so folks dont buy this trash and save your money.$LABEL$0 +Just a pretty face. I bought this stroller because I couldn't afford a Bugaboo and because it looks really cool. The fabrics are really hip and the overall look is stylish. But it was not worth it! I have been disappointed by this stroller again and again. It is bulky, not travel-friendly. I was excited about the flipping handle, but it doesn't push well at all in that position because the wheels rub against the basket. It's really cumbersome to lift over curbs and is rather difficult to maneuver in general.Even with those drawbacks I figured I would keep it and just get a cheap umbrella stroller for travel, but today i was out with it and a bolt fell out of the frame, making it impossible to push up over curbs! I had to carry my 17 pounder 8 blocks home dragging the worthless thing behind me. I'm getting a Graco and hope I am never taken in by looks again!$LABEL$0 +.a. A kid with a rock upside his head is probably where he got the name kid rock.. id like to through a rock against his head this guy just sucks period.$LABEL$0 +flexible flyer sled 48 inches. My grandson asjed for a sled for Cgristmas. I ordered it from Amazon. It was at my door exactly on time and in perfect condition and he loved it!!!!$LABEL$1 +Period piece from a bad period. This film was silly and dumb the day it came out, and it remains so today, even given the nostalgic smirk that it will conjure up from most of its viewers. The eighties was a time of teen dance movies, and this one cashes in as best it can. A reviewer below is right to point out that the premise of a town that outlaws dancing is utterly ridiculous. (Perhaps had the film been set in the late 1600s it would have been believable, but then they wouldn't have been able to sell the cheesy pop soundtrack.) Along comes the inevitable good-looking rebel to shake things up with his slinky moves. As a period piece, this formulaic eighties film might be good for a few warm guffaws. Otherwise it's pretty insipid, and holds up even less well than many Elvis movies from the sixties.$LABEL$0 +should have listened to the other reviews :-(. by far the worst purchase I have ever made! now you CAN make it eat some putty, the problem is it will also eat the wood. it is meant to act as a "bearing bit" that follows along the wood. BUT the surface you are bearing against is the putty it self. Therefore you have to "free hand" into the putty to create a bearing surface on the wood, of course you will most likely nic or even destroy the side of the wood in so doing. and once you do get to the wood the ... oh never mind I hope you get the point by now.$LABEL$0 +Wow.. This is one incredible album. The progress silverchair has made in 4 years is astonishing. It's hard to believe these guys are only 19. It's so obvious how much these songs mean to them, especially Daniel- you can hear the emotion in his voice and in the very personal lyrics. There is an incredible amount of diversity here, something which is getting harder to find. And all the songs are just as powerful live. If an album this good can come from silverchair at 19, imagine what's coming in the future.$LABEL$1 +Really?. Wow.What a 2 1/2 hr. waste of time. What a waste of good acting.Good thing I was sick that day anyway.$LABEL$0 +Suspenseful Action Novel. With this novel, the author has created one of mystery ficton's most compelling hero: gutsy New Orleans detective Cal Panterra. The author's gift for combining gritty realism and grab you be the throat drama makes this who done it a truly satisfing read. I couldn't put it down ! Whatever your favorite adjective is, you'll use it about this book. Looking forward to the next one.$LABEL$1 +Nothing's Perfect, but this is close.... I am a fan of all types of music...I saw the Video of "Daddy Won't Sell The Farm" on TV and knew I had to have the CD...Their clear, true voices can bring you to tears (Tattoos & Scars) and their harmonies and band are superb...You can pump it up on all of the tracks or turn it soft to get a different feeling on all the songs...most "hard-core" Country fans probably think it is "too rock"...just the combination I like...Favorites are "Tattoos & Scars" (thoughtful); "Hillbilly Shoes" and "Daddy Won't Sell The Farm" (good pump up the sound and stomp yer shoes)!$LABEL$1 +Great Video. My son is only 9 months old and he is already addicted to Blue and Steve. Thanks Blue's Clue's!$LABEL$1 +WASTE OF MONEY. The Godzilla album is a complete waste of time, people who actualy collect film score are going to be very dissapointed when they find out that David Arnold's brillient score to this film is not avalible.So don't waste your money on the album, their bound to release the score sooner or later, trust me, it'll be worth the wait!$LABEL$0 +A wonderful documentary:. If you are a fan of Hunter S. Thompson you will love this movie.The archival footage is extraordinary,and the interviews are great. Johnny Depp does top notch narration as Hunter.By the end of this movie, you really get a feel for the man that was Hunter S. Thompson. This was a very deep and moving experience.Even the soundtrack is flawless!(CCR, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, etc...)The special features are also superb, with commentary, a music video,audio excerpts,extended interviews,deleted scenes, all the "gonzo" art,and even a photo gallery, plus more.If you like Hunter, then this is a no-brainer purchase.I plan to also buy the soundtrack,audio tapes,and books.Happy "Gonzo" watching.$LABEL$1 +Not Worthy. This deserves DVD treatment? First of all, I object to the term "pimp" being used as a verb. It's just not right. Some of what they do with the cars is amazing...but I wonder why they don't just get better cars to work with. If you rebuild an old piece of junk, you could get problems down the road. For all it must cost to redo the cars, they may as well just buy new ones (I suspect they do anyway, as some of the "improvements" are too hard to believe).I miss the days when MTV played music videos.$LABEL$0 +Michael Phelps inside story. This is an amazing video. If you watched just one of his races, you must see this DVD. His story is great AND they show every race he did. My family and I spent every night during the Olympics watching swimming and it is great to be able to have all the races to watch over and over again in this DVD.$LABEL$1 +Beautifully disturbing. This album is a bit of a contrast on Mer de Noms, but it is a very good thing. The musics' complexity and depth makes this a great album without Maynard. However, with Maynard it is simply amazing. His voice is entrancing and the lyrics are very thought provoking. If you enjoyed Mer de Noms, get this album, you will not regret it.$LABEL$1 +Will not charge anymore in my Nikon charger!. I purchased one of these batteries so that I could have an extra for my Nikon Coolpix 4300. I charged it successfully a few times and it seemed to be working fine at first. Now when I try to charge it with my Nikon charger, the light blinks rapidly. The Nikon instruction manual suggests that when this happens, it indicates there's a problem (as in - the battery may be unable to charge). My original Nikon battery still charges normally with no problems and everything works as it should. I don't know if I just got a bad battery or whether this is a very common problem. Just be aware that this could happen to you!$LABEL$0 +Works Great. Very pleased with this one. I was a bit apprehensive over using a hard metal cuticle pusher, but the Tweezerman pusher worked great. It even gets the tough cuticle underneath. The only con (if it even matters) is that the black lettering on it comes off easily, but it's not like that affects the performance though.$LABEL$1 +A great CD...I would recommend it to anyone:)!. I really liked this CD. It has a very good variety of songs...Upbeat and slow all at the same time. Get it and enjoy it.$LABEL$1 +Here - Adrian Belew. Good CD. This must be the disk that got him the reputation comparing him to the Beatles. This guy is talented$LABEL$1 +Striptease (1996). Waited a long time for this movie to come out in dvd keepcase. Amazon say its widescreen lol.. its full screen.. don't waste your money.. Amazon!!! I want a refund for false advertised product both on your product page and on the dvd cover... Why do you not send all dvds back to the vendor when they lie one the covers?$LABEL$0 +Big Disappointment. I have been a HUGE fan of Godsmack since the very beginning. They are a truly talented band, and one of my top 5 favorite bands. However, I sure am glad that I only paid the special Amazon price of $8.96, instead of a normal CD price. 'IV' is a classic example of a popular band that has a magical musical formula for success, and that formula has worked for them on all of their past CD's, and then they decide, "Hey, let's experiment and try something different since we are famous and everyone will buy it, even if they don't care for it, we'll still make millions." Of course, Sully's voice is awesome as always, and the musicianship is top notch. 'Speak' is classic killer Godsmack, and 'Temptation' runs a close second. However, they need 9 new tracks to complete the CD. I'll save 'Speak' and 'Temptation' to my computer and MP3 player, but the CD will get buried in some cabinet, and I will anxiously await their next release, which hopefully will revert back to the magic formula!$LABEL$0 +Profiling and Finding a Wife. The author in this second book of the Millionaire series offers up some new interesting insights about wealthy people and thier ways. Unfortunately he maintains his bias against working folks read "economic dropouts" and this time there is a lamentable self-congratulatory tone. I would like to see a book that looks at wealthy people from every segment of society and every economic background. This book is written for middle to upper middle class white college educated people who perhaps have money problems. I strongly suspect the author has little use for any other kind of people hence the pejorative "economic dropout". If the potential reader fits the above described profile and wants to get married then this book might be a good read. This time I was smart and checked it out from the library.$LABEL$0 +Ridiculous. Ok people.. there are actually two bolts that hold your rack together. Why would this lock make your rack secure? Any idiot could just unscrew the other bolt and get anything you had on your rack plus most of the rack itself. This product is completely ridiculous. The design of this bike rack is very lacking. They should design the rack with security in mind and not charge extra for it. Seriously.. isnt that part of their job? Who would want to buy a rack that is easy to steal? If you bought this rack then you are much better off just using a chain and a decent lock to chain it all together and chain it down to your hitch.$LABEL$0 +Great First Safety Razor. Compared to my old Mach 3, this is easily a five star product.Cons:- However, compared to other safety razors, it lacks an adjustable angle. This wasn't a problem for me just starting out, but I'm now considering branching out into more adaptable razors.Pros:- It delivers on the longer handle, though it turns out I grip it pretty close to the blade anyway.- I've had mine for 2 years without the breaks described in other reviews. *fingers crossed*All in all, it's been a transformative shaving experience. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to switch to safety razors that has large hands.$LABEL$1 +Cliche's Made Palatable for Middle America. I have an idea. Let's take as many gay cliche's as we can possibly put together in 3 amazingly short segments. Oh wait, we don't have to, it's all here in "Common Ground". In the 3rd, 30 minute sement alone we have veterens protesting a gay wedding ceremony, the military dad who doesn't approve, one of the groom-to-be about to run away cause he's unsure, two lesbian caterers, the straight supportive female friend, the gay florist, a third lesbian who is getting sperm from the other groom-to-be to inseminate her on his wedding day and a priest who is rethinking the church's stance on homosexuality. I haven't met all of these citizens of the gay world in my 26 years as an out gay male much less in 30 minutes.I'm all for gay representation in any form, but this is not a flick for the gay community. It is clearly intended for middle american to gain an (unrealistic) glimpse into "those crazy gays and their antics".$LABEL$0 +The Epic Poem of the English Language. John Milton's "Paradise Lost" is one of the all-time classics of English literature. The epic poem begins with Satan just having been expelled from Heaven. Adam and Eve are tempted in the Garden of Eden, and fall. Before the two are expelled from Eden, Adam has revealed to him some of the major events of the Old and New Testaments, culminating in the Second Coming of Christ. The epic has enthralled readers for well over three centuries.One thing that must be borne in mind when reading this work is that Milton's theology was not orthodox Christian theology, but Arianism, as he denied the Trinity and believed that Christ was not eternal, but created by God the Father. Also, the seventeenth century English is difficult to plow through. However, by forcing the reader to reflect on the origin of evil and to consider what they believe about the concept of original sin, "Paradise Lost" proves to be worth the effort one must make in reading it.$LABEL$1 +Horrible!!. I was really looking foward to receiving this item and have never been so disappointed. It is slow, very slow, confusing to use and the "people" look so phony!! I have Monopoly Casino and it gets 5 stars compared to this!!$LABEL$0 +I think it's one of the best LP of last year, like Placebo. Well... The day before yesterday, I saw them in Brussels. Since then, I think their LP is greater and greater. Those guys are cool, they're playing great music, and should be known by you. Thank you Nada Surf for being here showing your feelings that could be ours.$LABEL$1 +I Solved the Rattle ... well, not really .... Turning the unit upside-down and precariously balancing it against a bookshelfmiraculously stopped the Geiger-counter rattling noise.Not sure my wife is going to go for the aesthetics, though.Seriously, Lasko, either manufacture this thing a little better or don't make itat all, please.$LABEL$0 +juh. After hearing kurt cobain cover where did you sleep last night on the unplugged album I thought it only right that I go and check out the original. I am glad I did - this record has the intense emotion I liked in nirvana, the same kind of difficult subject matter mixed with a knowing pop tune. I reject all other rock bands - william burroughs said something about rock'n'roll was rubbish - if you want to hear real soul listen to leadbelly.. I can see why kurt loved this guy, shame none of my friends can..$LABEL$1 +Hulkalooser. Bad acting, Bad dialogue, bad effects bad everything.In this film nothing made me happy, it was the worst film ever.It was on a sunny sunday when i was watching BBC1, all i could see was a fantastic movie which turned out to be a no point watching film, Hogan couldnt bearly act and Grace jones was the worst in it, you could tell her age was going on....$LABEL$0 +Title is the only thing interesting about this book. Regionalism across the North South Divide is not for the novice reader. This book is a compilation of case studies from several authors and is very difficult to read. This book is nothing but fact after fact on several different countries. The writers present an entire idea in one sentence and move to the next idea, without allowing the reader to digest the information already presented. It is a shame this book is so poor because I am interested in the subject but don't feel I gained anything from this book. I would have given it one star but made it two because it does contain a lot of facts in relation to globalization in lesser-developed countries. The editors condensed way too much information into this book and lost the free-flow of thoughts and ease of comprehension. I would not recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Kensington Presentation Device. I have used this device for at least six presentations and it works flawlessly. For the money it is an excellent product. I like the fact that the USB connector can be stored in the device.$LABEL$1 +This devotional book is the best thus far!. Hey teens who are sports fanatics out there! I am a 17 year old who loves sports of all kinds, and more importanly, I love my Jesus with my whole heart. I have grown so much closer to Him by reading Devotions From the World of Sports. John and Kathy are incredible writers which God has given the gift of writing to them. They make it so clear in this book how to live for God. Plus, you get to know some sports history on the side. I've had the pleasure of talking to John online, and he is an example to us all! Pick up his and his wife's book today, and I can gurrantee you will walk closer with your Savior! It is the highlight of my day. God bless you all out there. I love you all as a sister in our Lord God Almighty!$LABEL$1 +Home For a Bunny is a Classic!. Home for a Bunny should be a part of every child's library. This was the first book I learned to read and 25 years later I am buying it for my new baby girl. The colorful pictures, rhythmic text, and the loveable ending are unforgettable. Home for a Bunny is a classic!$LABEL$1 +Good book. Great book, used it for my management class book report. Very basic but useful information. Helped a lot with my classes.$LABEL$1 +Not for the layman. I guess I expected more information about the cultural groups and their actual diets. This book is really for other scientists not the layman looking for information that could be applied to their everyday diets.$LABEL$0 +Not Funny. Some of the other movies Will Ferrell made were funny. This movie was not funny, but really silly. The plot was OK, and the acting was good. Will Ferrell invents a tachyon gadget and ends up in the parallel universe with dinosours and other creatures (looked like they were humans wearing cheap green costumes). A few of the one liners were funny, but not enough to save this movie.I give it a thumbs down.$LABEL$0 +medeocre. massive jamming problem. this gun is extremely durable. not that powerful. reloading is a pain, the shells pop out all over the place, and when i try to fire, it gets jammed half the time.i wouldn't reccomend it.pros: very durable, portable, ammo container in backcons: not particularily powerful, reloading is a pain, sluggish shot, jamming happens often, sometimes doesn't shoot altogetherbottom line: my night finder is about as cheap as this, and more powerful. no to mention easy to mod. buy that instead.$LABEL$0 +No pictures of dishes. My husband LOVES to cook and try different recipes. I bought him this book but he didn't care for it because it has no pictures and he likes to see what the dish is supposed to look like or even to decide whether he wants to try it or not by seeing the picture.This books gives a lot of Greek culture, he says, but he wasn't interested in that.$LABEL$0 +A Heart Warming and Delightful Tale. Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel are sent "to the sticks" each summer for a week.Their parents say that they are old enough to spend time with their grandmother; Mary Alice suspects they want to have time to themselves. Each chapter in this book features a different week spanning a time period from the late 1920's to the early 1930's. Grandma is gruff and no-nonsense; and she also has a heart of gold. This delightful unabridged spoken word title is a book that the entire family will enjoy.$LABEL$1 +The Clip Will Break.. I really wish I had read the reviews before I bought this case. The clip will eventually break, probably within just a few weeks of regular use. I actually bought two of them with the same result. I was fooled twice. It's very cheaply made.$LABEL$0 +Great idea, well execucted!. This thing rocks! Great for grilling. Simple, well made, works as it should! Makes a great gift! Love this thing, get one (or two!)$LABEL$1 +bad, bad, bad... It is a very bad book, very bad.The author uses filthy vocabulary thru ought the entire book. This book is only about sex, drugs and filthy words.It is one of the worse backpacking books I have ever read. I stopped reading it half way through. I can't believe how much garbage can be published.$LABEL$0 +Typhoon Steamer - 8 inch. This steamer fits neatly over a two quart stove pan and which provides plenty of clearence from the steamer. The steamer works well and thoroughly steams and cooks the Chinese food that I put in it. A wonderful purchase that was easily accesible through Amazon.$LABEL$1 +Impressive. Well, I'll try not to make this a biased comment, only because I'm a huge HIM fan, and their music is probably the most down to earth stuff my ears get to catch.The acoustic version of "The Funeral of Hearts" is incredible, along with "Buried Alive by Love." You can really hear Vallo giving his all to both of those, and not to mention the Apocalyptica hauntings in "Gone With the Sin." Definitely worth buying, and a must-have for anyone who liked even one song of His Infernal Majesty.$LABEL$1 +sorry to disagree. I'm sorry to disagree with all the positive reviews, but even though I usually like wild juxtapositions like this, I don't find this pairing at all successful. The whole CD reeks of the editing room, with the music of Bach being performed throughout in a stiff, stilted manner in order to synchronize with the African rhythms. All I could think about was the singers with headphones on in a recording studio trying to cram Bach's fluid phrases into the rhythmic straitjacket of the drum tracks. The 3-part invention is played on (or rather programmed into) an electronic keyboard with an ugly fake organ sound - why not have a real organist play it on a real organ? And the clapping overlaid on Bach's sublime "Ruht wohl" is just lame! I can't speak to the authenticity of the African element of this CD, but as a classical musician I can tell you that the classical element is severely compromised - even rendered lifeless - by the pairing.$LABEL$0 +WOW, Everyone Needs To Read This Book!. This book has it all! It was entertaining, thought provoking & enlightening. Make sure that you have some time to read when you pick this book up. You won't want to put it down once you get started!$LABEL$1 +Love her books!. I love her books but since I have Nook and not the Kindle i have to use them on my computer. this one will not convert over to a working Nook book for some reason. Some of them are copyrighted and you can't do that anyway but this one particularly stops at 47% and won't go any further. Sure wish I could read it on my Nook instead of the computer.$LABEL$1 +Great book to record all your memories!!!. I love this book! You can record all the stages of your relationship from courtship, engagement to your wedding. The book has beautiful pictures and plenty of space to record your memories and add your own pictures. Definitely a book you'll want to show off!$LABEL$1 +GREAT READ. This book is a must read. I picked up this book and couldn't set it down. When I put the book down it was as if the world was a different hue. Great ideas and the words flow like a song.$LABEL$1 +Great Double Duty Product. My nail technician trains others in OPI products and uses them exclusively on my nails. I normally get a french manicure (gel) on my nails with OPI products once every 4 or 5 weeks. Just recently I started painting my own nails in between my manicures and have been getting amazing results with the Start-to-Finish.Using it as a base coat assures that the color doesn't bleed into the edges of my manicure (for when I want to go back to just the white tips) and also helps the color adhere well. My technician did tell me that this base coat does adhere better to gel nails than bare ones, if that helps. She also highly recommended that I do just three swipes (center, and each edge) with each coat. Over-painting with each coat can cause some of the problems people have with chipping.Once I have my nails painted, top coated, and completely dry, I can get at least a week without chipping. I even went on a camping/backpacking adventure and did not end up with a single chip.$LABEL$1 +Pretty good ice trays. I got these ice trays to use when the ice maker went out of my refriderater. The trays worked very well but I had a hard time gtting the cubes to fall out. Still a very good product though.$LABEL$1 +This is a "have to read" story!!. I just finished this and all that I can say is... WOW!! I am completely blown away by this story. It grabbed me right away and I never had trouble getting into the story or following it. This author is an amazing talent!! The love of Henry and Clare is so heartwrenching and so touching. Many times, thoughout the book, I would stop and just think to myself - what if something like this were to really happen - can you imagine?! Beginning, middle and end - the entire novel was just unbelievable. I will be recommending this to everyone!! Definitely a permenant bookshelf book! For those unsure of the idea of reading a time traveling book - do not hesitate on this one! I was unsure if I would enjoy this book, before I read it, just because I am not one to really get into the whole genre/idea of time travel. However, the way this is written - so beautifully and engrossing - I am so glad that I took the chance on it!!! I can't wait to read more by this author!$LABEL$1 +twice the movie that new jack city is!. This is the movie that type-cast the careers of christopher walkin,,larry fishburne and david caruso.All these actors would go onto careers that would see them essentially reprise their roles so capably deliniated in this seminal flick.If you want a good action flick that's a favorite with every body who's ever seen it,this is one that people memorise.$LABEL$1 +IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. It makes me cry, and laugh, and think, and notice that my thinking start to change. I feel much more at peace and happy. I am so thankful that Mr. Walsh decided to write this book. Many times, I have sincerely prayed to Buddha to show me the way to truth. And my prayers have been answered. I stumbled on this book when I was in the book store to buy another book. And I almost didn't go to the bookstore. The truth and God do not belong to any one particular religion. This book speaks of that truth. The self-rightious and close-minded will not agree with it. But be patient, they will find their ways eventually. May be not this life time, but they will.$LABEL$1 +Escape Light Not Functioning On Arrival.. Amazon is sending a replacement due to the escape light not functioning upon arrival. Will see if the replacement experiences the same issue.Update:Second unit has the same issue. Horrible build quality.$LABEL$0 +A Little Gem I Have Gone Too Long Without. I read first read this book in its orignal edition nearly eight years ago following a workshop by E. Timothy Burns. While the writing itself is average, the content and the weaving of human aspect that creates resilient children is elegantly and simply presented. Having loaned (many times) and finally lost my original copy, I am getting myself another! This is both an inspirational and referential text. It is a little gem I have gone too long without. Any family with children, anyone working with children or adult-children, or those called upon to opine about growing up in an often harsh world should read, keep, reread, and reference this book. It is, as I have said, a little gem.$LABEL$1 +Good for people who don't have internet access. This is a good strategy book for someone with no internet access. Oh wait, Dark Age of Camelot can only be played by people that have net access! D'oh!There are numerous web sites with more accurate, up-to-date information. Particularly in a game such as this which is being patched and changed constantly, a paper guide has limited value. Especially when the paper guide contains factual errors and bad character development advice.In my experience, the only truely useful part of this book is the bestiary. It's handy to have and seems to be pretty accurate and comprehensive.If you're too lazy to go online and find the information go ahead and buy this book but be advised of its limitations.$LABEL$0 +Working well after I fixed existing wiring. I bought this PE120 to replace an older one of the same model that had been declared bad and disposed of before I moved in (thus before I could look at it). When I first installed the new one, the alarm sounded continuously - I then discovered a wire had dislodged from the connector originally installed in the ceiling.After repairing the connector the alarm tests fine and we've had no problems, no false alarms. My anecdote of course doesn't prove anything, but does make me wonder what other variables may have been involved in others' experiences with this model.$LABEL$1 +Use your brain - change your life. This book is insightful, very readable and inspirational. Understand the working of your brain and live life to the fullest.$LABEL$1 +Heart pumping. I stumbled accross this movie on Netflix the other day and was blown away by it! My only complaints are that it wasn't longer and there wasn't a series (with Casper? and or others in the business) made. I don't want to spoil it with details but Check it out!$LABEL$1 +Super Strong Shipping Tape. Recycling used boxes to ship items 1800 miles requires strong tape. This is the best stuff I have ever used, super fast delivery, perfect execution of the order in every way$LABEL$1 +Great product but not at this price. I purchased this product directly from Amazon at a cost of under six dollars, and have reviewed it on Amazon. It works very well, and I gave it five stars.The reason for this one star review is to prevent an unsuspecting consumer from purchasing this product from a seller who is currently charging five times as much as Amazon for the exact same thing.$LABEL$0 +To large. I got this product and when I opened it I realized this was going to be to big and bulky for me. I have short, curly and thick hair. I sent it back right away and I never did recieve my refund. However, I did complain this to Amazon and they took care of the problem right away, I should be refuned in 10 days or so. Thanks Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Effective of Methioform for managing UTI in cats. My cat since when she was very young has had a recurring tendency to develop Urinary Tract Infection. On our Vet's recommendation, I put her on half a tab of methioform daily to change the PH of her urine. This has been very effective in keeping the UTI at bay. Methioform also has the advantage of being very palatable for cats; my cat, who is very bad with medication usually just happily munches it up with her dry biscuits. I would recommend this as a good way of preventing a nasty and troublesome problem. I am writing from outside of the US; I had trouble purchasing methioform from a few websites, particularly Animal Meds sites because they require prescriptions. I was able to buy it at Amazon with no hassles.$LABEL$1 +Funny. Worth a good laughs, but why must they make films showing the bRITISH AS SNOBBY? Isn't that racisim?$LABEL$1 +Loving oil these days for soft skin. This oil is very lightly scented and does a great job at softening skin. I have bought a few oils lately and this one has the advantage of a bit larger container. I like the value of getting more for my money. Thanks amazon!$LABEL$1 +BUGS IN and BUGS GETTING OUT. Not only did I have many of the same problems as already described, but had problems UNINSTALLING this junk. Manual(a joke) says "insert nero6 CD into drive" then click on "next to continue uninstalling"After putting disk in drive to uninstall, it would only install.Had to use XP's "Add or remove Programs". Even that left alot of nero6 in system. Had to do search "nero", and drag to recycle bin. Last search nero6 is gone from my system?Besides many problems, much of advertised stuff is not there. Looking at positive and negative reviews here, there must be two different packages. You will be lucky to get the right one. Big waste of money.$LABEL$0 +get ShOoTyZ GrOoVe not this. face it blink-182 soldout this cd sucks there is a band out there better than this band they are called shootyz groove and they rock. There the jive of this world not this one year old band.$LABEL$0 +Boring. This is one of the most boring books I've ever read. The attempt to mix the author's life (her mother's dementia) with one of her interests (Art at The Hermitage) is a debacle. Sometimes, two totally different things compliment each other: vinegar and oil. In this case, they do not. This was contrived and unnecessary . The endless effort to seem intellectual, and the author's decision to bring the outcome in the middle of the book are two of the many things that spelled disaster. I do not recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +Dull. Looked great out of the box but lost its luster after two weeks! A big disappointment, looks like something out of a Cracker Jack box now$LABEL$0 +Survival. This is a must have for anyone that wants to survive. It doesn't matter wether it is a natural disastor or manmade this book will help you get through it. I suggest buying this larger version of the book and also the pocket size for your vehicle or bugout bag.$LABEL$1 +Fast and beautifully done.. I loved this movie, from beginning to end.First there was Bruce Lee, now we have Ip Man or Donnie Yen. The action thriller not only tells the peril of the Japanese occupation in China but also the brutality of fighting and warring, which China has experienced for quite a long time.It is fun, touching, and a wonderful story about the art of Wing Chun.$LABEL$1 +Rolli is Best. This is the best cat box we have ever had for our family of cats. They love the priacy and we love the ease of cleaning the box each week.$LABEL$1 +This is really great. We've used two of these for about a year and a half. It takes about 20 seconds to clean each one. Our cats are fussy and demand that we clean the boxes frequently, so these are perfect for us. The type of litter does matter, some clumping better than others. We use the Arm & Hammer clumping litter (multi-cat), and little to no clean letter gets stuck in the waste drawer. It's quick, litter efficient, and doesn't make a mess. It is hard to imagine it wearing out very easily since it is such a simple construction. We love it (if you can love a litter box).$LABEL$1 +WHAT HAPPENED TO METALLICA???????????????????????????. No Joke, this is one of the worst albums EVER!!!!!!!!! I just cannot believe my ears. This is the same band that put out "whiplash" "Battery" "Master of Puppets" and "One" ? just to name a few. I am so disgusted. I wish I didn't even have to give this one star. You guys are killing me. Horrible.....$LABEL$0 +great for kids and seniors. I bought these for myself because I have arthritis and it makes card playing much easier and more enjoyable. My elderly father also uses them. They're sturdy and stand by themselves.$LABEL$1 +Hurts like the dickens. I got these to exercise with and found the sound to be good. Not as good as my in-ear Shures, but good.The problem is that the fit is horrible. The sit in your ear at an angle that makes the front of my ear start to hurt within 5 minutes and the pressure inward from the headand is significant making the center of your ear hurt within 15 minutes.My head is not that large, but the at-rest width of these headphones is like 5 inches. They don't work for me. Thankfully, they were cheap.$LABEL$0 +I've continually had problems with deodorants that are .... I've continually had problems with deodorants that are too harsh for my sensitive skin. Those that weren't too harsh offered little wetness and odor protection...until now. Tom's Deodorant Stick is wonderful. Great protection and no irritated, dry, burning skin. The scent is okay, but I'd choose another if available.$LABEL$1 +A book staler than10 year old bread. This book is elevated to the status of a two because of the constant and erotic sex.Otherwise it's a one star book with dialogue which will nullify any sense of fun you may have with this book,Characters who will be forgotten in a second ,and a purposeless that's as bad as the nile is long.$LABEL$0 +Good product. I can now watch my little guy without turning around. I used the visor mount and it is very secure. We tried other mirrors that attach to the rear view mirror but they didn't fit.$LABEL$1 +This was a surprise. This was a surprise as I frequently buy free or inexpensive books on the kindle. I had read Teresa Medeiros before and quite enjoyed her.$LABEL$1 +:( not like the book. i wish i can give this movie negative stars because its nothing like the book. i wish we never purchased this. I hope Mrs.jackson knows that i love i mean really love her books but they did not do right by her at all one very disappointed fan$LABEL$0 +Just another win in the Zelda line.... I am a huge fan of the Zelda games and this one definitely didn't let me down. The graphics are great and being able to use the wii controllers to play really steps it up a notch. Swinging the sword to hit enemies is an awesome touch. The special moves that are learned throughout the game are pretty cool as well. If you are a fan of any of the Zelda games, or even if you have never played one but like adventure, I would definitely recommend this. It is not a let down in the least.$LABEL$1 +It didn't top the original, but that's a hard act to follow.. Still a great movie and for $2.99 it is a steal. I watched all 4 movies with the family at $2.99 Amazon streaming and then went to the theater and watched the new one. Time well spent.$LABEL$1 +These shirts are so comfortable.. These are some of the most comfortable shirts around. I have several of them. I wear them as often as I can.$LABEL$1 +Rabbit Proof Fence.. True story from Australia. I followed their journey on an Atlas. Followed up with Under the Wintamarra Tree. Loved it.$LABEL$1 +gooooooooooood. Good design. Good color. Nice autumn shoes matching well with any pants. Also the price was very reasonable. I am perfectly satisfied:)$LABEL$1 +Not what I thought it would be.. Book did not go over the margin call requirements of selling short. I had to figure that one out on my own from several discount broker's websites. Also, this is primarily about technical trading (chart reading) which does not interest me.$LABEL$0 +Too scratchy to wear for even a short time!. I really should have believed other reviews, but I frequently wear wool and can deal with it just fine. NOT so with these. They are so scratchy I doubt I wore them for even one minute before they started to bother me. I can't recommend them. i should have returned them, but I assume the return shipping fee would make that hardly worth the time.$LABEL$0 +This guy makes Deion Sanders look like a chump!. This is truly a player for all ages, and why football "back then" is soooo much better than football today. He did it all. Play the run, play the pass, hit . .you name it. Jack Tatum let his actions on the field speak for itself. And he didnt get caught up in "marketing himself" on the field after a good play either (ala "Deion"). Knowing how brutal the old Raiders clubs were in the 60's & 70's, and to a man, having all of them agree that Jack Tatum was the toughest of all of them (Ken Stabler in "Snake" and John Madden's books for just a couple of examples), this tells you just how good of a football player this guy was. The fact that he loved and respected Woody Hayes at Ohio State for just being always "honest and upfront with him," when all other college recruiters were trying to buy him out of high school, showed me just what kind of character this guy was made of. A good read.$LABEL$1 +hype. Bought new ear piece for new ipod. Had Koss plugs. Panasonics are awful. Tried all the sizes. Guess I don't have the right ears for these.Koss plugs are great. Reverted back to them and have no desire to upgrade after hearing Panasonics. Are the Sony look alikes any better???$LABEL$0 +Yer Mom. This book sucks. I read this book in class and it made me fall asleep because nobody cared about this cancer girl. It is very confusing because it kept repeating details about the character, Bluish. It didn't stay on topic. It's so corny. Virginia Hamilton--her books are boring. I couldn't connect to this book mentally. This book shouldn't even get one star.$LABEL$0 +Brilliant and Provocative. This is a beautifully written, mesmerizing story about people I came to care about (to the point of aching) by the time I reached its emotional, powerful ending. It is riveting. It is not like any book I have read before--and I have read a few! The plot is unique and intriguing. The characters come together in an incredible situation, all at odds, but by the dramatic ending, they are dancing together in a fine and beautiful waltz. But the ball must end, and when it does, I was left stunned. It is not overly graphic in its sexuality or violence, and yet it manages to evoke strong emotions from the reader. It is romantic, riveting, personal, and spellbinding. Something here for everyone.$LABEL$1 +Great for a basic intro or advanced practicioners. If you don't know who Kelly Worden is then it's about time you find out. I just attended his 2009 Water & Steel seminar near Tacoma, Washington. It changed my life. This video is quite old now and Mr. Worden has progressed a great deal since the time it was made. However, it lays out his methods well. Training in his garage converted dojo, he shows you how to completely dismantle your opponent. He employs a no-nonsense, down and dirty, in your face approach. His material is geared for real-life situations wherever they may occur, in the street, bar, your home, anywhere. I highly recommend this video to everyone. Look him up on the net for many more excellent videos.$LABEL$1 +Amazing album. I really enjoyed Infest, and Lovehatetragedy, but this album surpasses them both by miles, well written lyrics, full of hard rocking energy, improved vocals, and all the members got better at playing their instruments. Best songs on the album would be Scars, Sometimes, Do or Die, Getting Away With Murder, Be Free, Take Me, Done With You, Blood, and Tyranny of Normality. They're all great songs, most of them I consider best songs, be sure to get this album, don't miss out!$LABEL$1 +Nice iPod Speakers - Makes a small "hum". I've enjoyed the iPod speakers. It came with different adapters to plug in various iPod types and it fit the ones we had. It also came with a cord to plug into the headphone jack of other mp3 players that aren't compatible with the iPod dock.The sound is great and the volume is loud enough.The only problem is that when the music is not playing and the device is left on, we can hear a little "hum" that is annoying enough to catch our attention and go over and unplug the speakers from the power source.Other than that, it's been a great product.$LABEL$1 +curious. i really wanted to buy this one but the problem is i am curious on where this camera is made. it is not written in the product specs & in the 'see it in action' part, it cannot be tilted downward so that i can see whether its made in u.s. or japan etc. i dont want to end up buying something that is made in china.$LABEL$0 +It's Defective. My mandolin looked fine when I got it, but the strings started breaking when I tried to tune it. I took it to a music store and they said the neck is warped. I had already thrown away all the paperwork, so now I have to figure out how to send it back. Keep your paperwork and packing materials until you're sure it's okay.$LABEL$0 +No complaints about the content…. I've got no quarrel with the content. But the format of this single volume edition is difficult to use. The pages are onion-skin so there is some bleed through of the opposite page. Worse, the book doesn't lay flat and the contents curve towards the spine where it is very difficult to read. This is a case where a larger page width would have helped by allowing a more generous inner margin.If you struggle with this and twist and bend the book, you'll find excellent introductions and explanatory material. I'd like to see these plays released in individual titles with a better margin and thicker paper.$LABEL$1 +Algebra 2 Work Sheet Companion. Has to be purchased and used with Mathtutor Alg. 2 dvd which is very good. The Algebra 2 Worksheet Companion is perfect for summer preview or review. The number of problems per section does not exceed 14-15 so don't be daunted. And the problems are easy, focusing on basic principles not gotcha questions.I've used Mathtutor dvd's on my son for Algebra, Precalc & Trig, Chemistry and Physics. They calm him down and reassure him that his class is doable. Maybe your son or daughter doesn't have a five star lecturer for a teacher like Jason Gibson, in that case these dvd's are really golden.My son scored well using the Mathtutor dvd's and, by doing every single problem he could get his hands on from whatever source.$LABEL$1 +Marrs Must Be From Mars. This is the same Jim Marrs that has been writing about the JFK conspiracy for 40 years. Well, looks like he found another topic to fatten his wallet. Don't waste your time with this boring nonsense.$LABEL$0 +I used to liked this song, and man..... It's understandable, how the CD, Radio, and T.V. changed my mind. IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE!! He has a pretty lame flow, but the beat was nice, but now I'm sick of it in all places possible. Everytime I hear it I get away from it as soon as possible. My friends hated 50 cent from day 1. Well, I used to say screw them, but now I'm like screw 50. I just can't stand him anymore, and now I don't even listen to his CD anymore. Overplaying of this CD, just made me felt like I wasted money on it, but at least I enjoyed it, until the raido played his hits out.$LABEL$0 +Very Helpful. This has all the information I could possibly need it was VERY helpful and shipment was fast, even to Europe!$LABEL$1 +Great stuff!. I inherited this book from my mother, and always kept it for the wonderful, slightly loopy b&w photos (complete with starry highlights). Imagine my surprise one day when I idly tried some of the exercises and they WORKED. I'm not as good as I should be about keeping up with the exercises, but now at 45 I know exactly how to get rid of the aging bits of my face that have been annoying me in the mirror...you can buy the book at http://www.faceliftingbyexercise.com/ from Senta Maria's daughter.$LABEL$1 +Pretty much all you could ask. This is really an excellent book for a woodworker seeking guidance with the particular challenges of chairbuilding.Most chapters cover some particular chair of the author's creation. Don't worry about whether Miller's designs will appeal or not. Plans are included, but copying them really isn't the point. They're presented here as case studies in conceptualization and construction, with lessons that are widely applicable. For example, how to accurately lay out and cut angled tenons, how to obtain a flat surface on an otherwise curved leg, how to fashion a slip seat, etc. And throughout, Miller details a bunch of clever jigs and methods of work.A caution: familiarity with the ABCs of furnituremaking and access to some modicum of shop stuff is assumed here. This isn't a beginning woodworking text, which only makes sense, given the subject.$LABEL$1 +Project Manager. The book is a reprint of a much older book. Since the original book was written there have been a number of significant advances in computing power and software and this book is very much dated.$LABEL$0 +Doug Supernaw at his finest. This album runs the gamut of styles, from the heart wrenching tune "Wilting Rose" to the Cajun flavor of "Drove me to Drinkin'" this album is Doug at his finest. "Wilting Rose" and "Fadin Renegade" brings to mind the great country singers like George Jones while songs like "Nothing sure looked good on you" show Doug can make a play on words that is second to none. After listening to this disc for the second time, I was singing along like I had had this disc for years.$LABEL$1 +Great way to increase your fruits and vegetables. I have been using this product for about three weeks now in my smoothies. I don't use it often enough to have noticed any substantial change in my health as other people have stated, but it is definitely a quick and easy way to increase my daily intake of "fruits and vegetables." I put it in all of my smoothies, from banana to berry and everything in between, and can't even taste it. It does affect the color of the smoothie, as it is green, but as long as that doesn't bother you (and I don't know why it would) it's a great nutritional addition.$LABEL$1 +Save your money. I recently purchased this book and it did not take long to realize I had wasted my money. This book is so outdated that much of the information does not apply. If you have never picked up an AR15 this book may be of some use to you but your money could be better spent on many of the more current books on this subject.$LABEL$0 +Weakest battery I have ever seen. Not a bad razor as far as the shaving goes, but the battery is just awful. It takes 12 hours to charge and the charge dies very quickly (with no warning or charge indicator). If the shaver is left in a cold place, the battery essentially dies. This is a surprisingly bad battery for a reputable company like Philips.$LABEL$0 +good switch, but really that necessary?. My place is pretty small and I just needed a switch to get my computer and laptop doing at the same time. This one works and works fine, but just feel like it is too much for a switch. I guess if you are a pro and get real fast internet, this might be good, but didn't notice a difference for me...$LABEL$1 +Meets my needs completely. It's been quite a while since my old belt sander gave up the ghost and I've been trying to make due with a DeWalt palm sander. I finally broke down, however, and after having read the reviews here on Amazon.com, decided to buy the Bosch belt sander. The package was shipped promptly and arrived in good order and I have to say that I was impressed the first time I used it to fashion a new threshhold. The belt tracked well and the dust bag actually did what it was supposed to do. I would recommend this item to anyone.$LABEL$1 +a treasure!. i love this book... it is so rhythmical and sensual. i got it for my husband on our wedding day. it was perfect.$LABEL$1 +hatred, not history. How, in these PC days, did this book ever get published? The constant bashing of Christians isn't just offensive, it's factually incorrect in so many ways. The author belittles the great of accomplishes of many who were motivated by faith, and in general is utterly scornful of her subjects.It's one thing to present the negative truths of history, slavery really did happen, but quite another to present it in its most brutal and ugly forms IN A CHILDREN'S BOOK.The writer clearly has personal problems dealing with those of the Christian faith, be they living or dead, and treats her reads with a patronizing scorn as well as her subjects. I'm glad I read this before my son saw it - I try to teach him to look at BOTH sides of a story, something the author fails to do in her rush to condemn the great explorers of history. I call them great not for their treatment of human beings, but for the way they pushed human knowledge far beyond its previous boundaries.$LABEL$0 +A Wonderful Book -- highly recommend!!!. I think this is a wonderful book. While it might be a cliche, I "felt like I was there" much of the time while I was reading. It is obvious that a lot of research went into this book, and the book is written in a very engaging style. The author is a fantastic story teller, and that is definitely part of the book's charm. I felt like I actually got to know the men in theregiment as I read about what happened to them during the four year struggle. To make a long story short, I love reading about the Civil War and I loved reading this book.$LABEL$1 +Good Price...so-so movie.. For five bucks, I shouldn't complain. However if you are expecting it to be like the STARS channel...forget it. Guess that's why it is marked down from $19.95.$LABEL$0 +The most AMAZING soap for sensitive skin. Length:: 3:04 MinsThis is my video review about Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, which I absolutely love!-It is great for my sensitive skin(I bought a whole SLEW of products from Sephora especially for sensitive skin (DermaDoctor, I think and others), but none of them worked for me.)-I can use this on my face and my body with glowing results-I always have to wear make up, but when I started using this, I went without make up for a while bc my skin looked so good!-It is tingly and it feels SO refreshing-You can take a "quick" shower with this by putting water in a bowl, adding a little Dr. B's soap, dipping in a washcloth and wiping yourself off - save water, save time :-) - then wipe the soap off with the wash cloth and some water ;]- I believe they support efforts to INFORM consumers and encourage honest labeling on food, based on my research -- another reason to buy and support Dr. Bronner's!$LABEL$1 +pretty good product. The shade IS Definitely flimsy, but so far it hasn't needed to be replaced. I like that it can be used as a night light or a regular lamp. (it saves me from occupying another outlet for a nightlight.)$LABEL$1 +Great Read. This book really is helpful for the person who tends to depend on others for decision making and for anyone who need to learn to be independent and set boundaries for the people with whom they interact as well as setting boundaries for oneself.$LABEL$1 +They have done many better CD's. I have been a fan of Carlos Santana since the Abraxas days and while this offering seemed exciting it did not live up to previous examples. I felt he was trying to emulate BB King's "Twins" album and fell way short. Santana is capable of more and will have to do better to get my attention and dollars!$LABEL$0 +Consistently Good. Fringe has been consistently good throughout it's run and the 5th season is not different. It does suffer a bit from aimlessness as wanders towards it's final conclusion. A lot of very interesting storylines are only touched on briefly and then left by the wayside in favor of plot advancement.$LABEL$1 +Another 'cut-and-paste' book. The title is misleading. It should have been "You are not responsible! A guide for all you poor victimized women who wants to set that bastard husband strait (and lets face it, it's ALL his fault anyway). And lets not forget those horrible parents either, AND your siblings, AND everyone else.."I guess that title would not have fit on the cover :-) At least it would have been more telling...Codependency IS a real issue, and it deserves better coverage that this. It really is just a collage of texts taken from other, and better, books.$LABEL$0 +Keep coming back to this Tosca. This was the first Tosca I every bought (about 15 years ago), probably because I could afford any of the other lavishly-packaged recordings. Since then, I have collected many of the others, including the Caballe set, which is wonderful, Freni's two recordings, Gheorghiu, Vaness, Price and even a rare recording by Anna Moffo. However, I keep coming back to this Nelly Miricioiu Tosca on Naxos. Miricioiu gives us a solid performance with her glorious vocal tone, and the rest of the cast is of a really good standard. It's such a pity that Miricioiu didn't record more in her career. Don't let the fact that it's a Naxos recording put you off buying this set. They have produced some of the most outstanding operas (Tancredi, Zauberflote, Sonnambula are all worth it).$LABEL$1 +Awesome knife. Watch out....it is super sharp!. I just completed my Henckel set with this knife and wish I had not waited so long. The blade is awesome. I highly recommend this knife to anyone needing something of size.$LABEL$1 +R.I. P. Roger. Man Zapp and Roger was bad back in the day discovered by legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins and blessed to give up the funk by George Clinton himself all his best stuff is on here even some stuff in the 70's when his group was called the human body. Roger like Clinton, bootsy, and James brown was sampled to death over the years. And plus Roger worked with a lot of popular artists such as Eazy E, 2pac, Dr. Dre, H town, Shirley Murdock, Johnny Gill, Ahmad, The Click, Snoop Dogg, Rappin 4tay, Spice1, e40, and many others. This is bad if you love zapp and roger and miss him like his true fans do buy it. We still bouncin Roger.$LABEL$1 +Good Read. I like King, and this is one of his better ones. Not quite as good as The Stand or Hearts in Atlantis, but close. When it boils right down to it, it's a love story, and one that has a smidge of Nicholas Sparks. There was only one part I had some trouble with and that was believing the whole world of Boo ya Moon, an imaginary world that author Scott Landon often visits. If you can buy into this supernatural world, the story is perfect. Once I forced myself to care about it, I enjoyed it. Even if you don't, the story of Scott and Lisey's marriage makes it all worth it. By the time you finish with the book, you'll feel as if you know these two people, and you'll care very much about them.$LABEL$1 +Awwsome.. when i read this book, i was so captured in the moment i didn't want to stop reading it. the author does an amazing job on bringing you into the scenes. I enjoyed this book so fondly, that i'm giving a presentation on it. I am usually a hard person to get to read, but this book was outstanding!$LABEL$1 +NOT ARENA NFL!. When I played Kurt Warner Arena Football for the first time I was dissapointed because at first I thought It was going to be like a real arena football game like madden or gameday but to my suprise it was like blitz and nfl extreme so if you want to buy a real football game buy madden 2001!$LABEL$0 +Misleading title - good sounding recipes.. I thought this cookbook would include recipes that only required one pan to make, ie "one dish meals". Unfortunately, this is not the case. Some of these recipes require a fry pan, two bowls and a pot to make. There are some good sounding recipes in here, but most require 10-15 ingredients (some exotic) and so require some planning (going to the store) and preparation. I think I am probably their target audience - I enjoy cooking but I don't have a lot of time - but I think they missed their target with this book.$LABEL$0 +Love it!. I bought this CD on a whim and I could not have been happier with the result. I listen to it on a daily basis almost and even my 13 year old requests it, so is must not be untolerable. I hope Ms.Driver will be able to grace us with another release in the future.$LABEL$1 +such a classic!. So fun to share with the new generation, especially with the recent Alvin and the Chipmunks movies that are so popular.$LABEL$1 +Horrible Quality, Misleading Picture on Box. This toy was a huge disapointment. My father bought it for my daughter, who loves Strawberry Shortcake. We took it out of the box and set it up, but it kept falling apart. It comes in tons of tiny little pieces that you have to snap together, but the pieces fall apart at the slightest amount of pressure. My daughter ended up screaming with frustration. And it didn't come with all of the furniture shown on the box. Only the fireplace, armoire, and piano. We ended up superglueing the pieces together, and it now works enough to play with it, but for $40 I shouldn't have to doctor a toy to get it to work!$LABEL$0 +Interesting book of celebrity death. I found myself hardly able to put this huge book down once I started it. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers, some of the facts of the book are wrong, but overall I found it to be an interesting read. If you are into the true crime genre and are interested in celebrities, then this is the book for you! It proves also that just because you are rich and famous that doesn't exclude you from having something tragic and unexpected happen to you. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +WHACK... WHACK... WHACK... WHACK... if you like lots and lots of. spankings then this is the book for you. I didn't realize so much of the entire book was dedicated to the blow by blow descriptions of so many spankings. I will give it high marks for at least having an entertaining plot but it lacked depth, realism and true character development. But then again do any of these books really ever do that. No wonder Ann Rice is so appreciated.$LABEL$0 +omron sprague rappaport stethoscope. A good product, but a bit bulky It is difficult to check my own blood pressure, because of the added features, but I manage with my nursing background.I prefer an all in one unit but was unable to get one with accuracy.$LABEL$1 +NOT Belkin, cheap knockoff made wrong!. This is not a genuine Belkin item, or at least it wasn't from the seller I purchased from.Here's what it does: it takes a stereo signal, dumps the right channel, replaces it with a copy of the left channel. AND ITS LIKE THAT ON BOTH OUTPUT JACKS!There's nothing weird about the shape or size, and it all plugs in completely, but totally screws up the audio channels.The NSI splitter I ordered from a different seller was very similar to this one, because it switched left/right channels. It was an obvious fake item too, not like their standard stuff.I'm getting real tired of all these bootleg, knockoff, cheap imitation, counterfeit cables! They're all being assembled in the dark!$LABEL$0 +Good condition, arrived promptly.. This product seems to be in good condition, of good quality, and although I have not used it yet I rate it 4 stars.$LABEL$1 +This was a gift for my son.. These comics came in plenty of time. I'm sure I'll be buying the entire series since he can not put them down.$LABEL$1 +conspiracy of 9/11. This album was made july 2001 and was named I am the world trade center and the 11th song is called "September " and in there music video of "metro" it shows a weird thing in the sky then above buildings it makes it look like an explosion coincidence really I dont think so something is very strange here$LABEL$0 +Biased book. The book is unfortunately highly biased and riddled with inaccuracies. Messori's book, on the other hand, provides a balanced and accurate representation of Opus Dei.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY-TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I bought this for my daughters birthday and when she tried it out it worked once and then quit. When I requested help from Kidco I got the response, sorry it's been over thirty days. I am a very unhappy customer and will NOT order from them again!!!$LABEL$0 +Gerardo is back!. If you told me two weeks ago, I would never have thought that Gerardo would make a come back, but now it is obvious that this new album is going to be fantastic. Sigo Siende Rico has everything that made Gerardo a success ten years ago, but it is updated with the times and extremely innovantive. I could listen to this song over and over again. This cd is a must for dance and latin fans everywhere.$LABEL$1 +Bob and Elton John. I just love this Bob the Builder Christmas special. It features guest star Elton John as part of the rock group Lenny and the Lasers and Bob's twin brother Tom. A fun movie!$LABEL$1 +Great translation. This is one of the books I should have read ages ago but have never picked up. I first started to read a different translation, but the language and sentence structure gave it no narrative flow. The Buss translation is terrific. The adventure tale of wrongful imprisonment and revenge keeps you reading for long periods of time. A little history lesson about Napolean and the Borgias is painless and welcome. When we read older books we are reminded how little human emotions have changed over 200 years.This translation is highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +cheapppp. i wanted a shower cd player so i bought this one. i would not recommend you buying it at all. it says its a shower cd player, but when it got wet the water got into the cd player, chorroding the batteries. then the batteries wouldnt work, so they leaked battery fluid, which leaked into the cd player and broke it. i only go to use it once, because once it got wet it broke. DO NOT BUY THIS. true its by far the cheapest one at $30, but its not even worth that.$LABEL$0 +Does the job!. Bought the 6 liter for backpacking. Easy to fill and handle. Fabric seems extremely tough. It packs tight if you get any air compressed out of it. The various openings were useful though I don't think I have usd the 1/2-inch for much of anything. Perhaps my only objection is you must grab the base of the opening through the fabric with one hand while tightening the lid with the other. It is not a huge inconvenience, though, since I can still close it up with no spillage. I was worried about leaks on my first extended outing into the desert with it but I had no problems. Glad I have it!$LABEL$1 +Sally Wright, please . . .. Sally Wright, you don't have to hit us over the head with a character's accent. I was so put off by "nevuh," "eithuh," etc. that I couldn't finish this book. All you have to do is say that one of your characters speaks with a soft Southern drawl and let your readers do the rest. In the previous Ben Reese mysteries, which I enjoyed for the most part, I got very tired of "a-tall," but I didn't quit reading. Not so with Out of the Ruins.$LABEL$0 +save your money. It lasted less than a month & the cats hated it. Water got slimy after a week & eventually water fountain stopped flowing$LABEL$0 +A Well Done, Exciting, Middle Section To The Story. I am slowly but surely getting into the story, and yes, I'll eventually get through the trilogy.Just as in the first one, there are excellent visual effects and great acting.I do see many spiritual applications to this story.I'm looking forward to watching "Return of The King."One last comment: I loved the opening of this episode. Also, the ending has more suspense than the ending of "Fellowship Of The Ring".$LABEL$1 +Love this episode!. This show is a good one for toddlers to watch, my 3 year old son loves it and I do not regret purchasing this video.Good for visits to the doctor or car rides.$LABEL$1 +A Big Bag with Big Portions. I'll confirm this stuff tastes great (chocolate flavor). The bag is 12 pounds; however, you will run through this stuff very fast. The serving size is about 2 cups of powder. So be prepared to put a little water in a shaker at a time. I'd recommend using a blender for this stuff. When looking at this product I was hoping it would last a long time (because it was 12 pounds), even using half a serving size you'll go through it quick. However, it's great for bulking up!$LABEL$1 +Great Design Poor Quality. I like this product features and design. It is filled with great features like dual alarm, graduated alarm, the ability to wake up with it playing a CD, dual brightness settings for the time. When I first got it, I rated it 5 stars. The problem is that if get this product don't expect it to be fully functional for very long. The first thing that will break will be the CD player and then you will gradually lose all functionality. If you want an alarm clock that will last for several years, do not by this product.$LABEL$0 +Oh the Pain....But it was Worth it.. Please, don't judge this series by it's painfully dull first episodes. I read the reviews and was prepared for it. So as I sat patiently waiting for it to get better I knew there was hope in the form of seasons 2-5. So bear with the bad acting (does not apply to all actors)horrendous and often laughable music and dear lord the tedious plots. Because I promise every single one of those things improves tenfold. The music must have been complained about because it is completely different. Some actors were replaced and others became more comfortable with their roles. And the plot actually produced audible gasps from me at more than one point. Quite a challenge and I never saw it coming. So bear with it and you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +WOW!!!. This is my first "L" Series lens and I have to tell you that I'm very impressed. The focus is quiet and the images are sharp and crisp. The zoom is good enough to capture any shot. I think that I'm in very big trouble in the pocket book, because I don't think I'll be buying anything else but an "L" series!!$LABEL$1 +For Internet Newbies. I bought this book thinking it was a pretty good book after only skimming it. However, despite its thickness, it didn't have much substantial information. It explains that viruses are bad, but not much on why/how they're bad. It's great for complete computer/internet beginners, but for me it was a waste of money...$LABEL$0 +It did not work AT ALL!!!! DO NOT BUY!. I have a 2000 Ford Escort and I wanted to listen to the music on my Iphone while I drove. This adapter looked like the best one but I was wrong. As soon as I put it in my car ejected it. I tried it on other cars too and it did the same thing. I would not recommend this product to anybody. COMPLETE FAIL!$LABEL$0 +Old version. I have found newest edition of the book but it was not. I could not find any information about the book but ISBN it did not allow me to tell it$LABEL$0 +Bob Skates Toddler Skates. I purchased these skates for my 2 1/2 year old grandson. They were a wonderful gift! He took off the first time he put them on, and LOVES skating (like Calliou!) There was no problem with the screw underneath the skate, and the skates stayed on just fine (this was a problem in some of the reviews). Everyone asked where the skates were purchased...so my daughter told them I got them on Amazon and now they are out of stock! These skates are the same as the ones I purchased for my children years ago, but are impossible to find in a store.$LABEL$1 +worked for 3 weeks. Timex watch simply stopped working after wearing it three weeks. Not subject to rough use either. Not what I expected from a Timex.$LABEL$0 +Great value. Whatever your reason is for taking a long, hard look at the cheapest of range hoods, buy this with confidence. This was a perfect, and attractive replacement for a 20 year old range hood. My local Home Depot didn't even carry 36" wide, much less offer a range of options. You will need to buy and wire in a plug, and provide some duct tape to seal to your existing duct, but this thing was a slam dunk. Having read the other reviews about how light weight the sheet metal is, I got a good chuckle out of a message on the box, warning me not to pull it out of the box by grabbing the middle of the front edge. Treat it gently at install, and you'll be rewarded with a dirt-cheap but perfectly functional stainless steel hood.$LABEL$1 +That was a disturbing 2 hours. Europeans can do creepy even better than the asians.This is more distorted than your average western horror, and my girlfriend only lasted until the first bowel movement before departing the scene. Some people would consider the imagery sexual, I found the movie very darkly comedic in sections.Worth a gander, only drawback again is human stupidity which is a staple ingredient in this kind of flick.$LABEL$0 +Yawn. Watch 1 or 2, don't waste your time. No backstories to speak of on new character, or what happened to some missing. Doubt it's the final.$LABEL$0 +Awesome debut.. Even though "Bloodletting" is often considered to be their best album, sometimes I think this is my favorite. Some of it's almost punk, but the rest is the melodic alt-rock that they're known for. "True" is an excellent song, and great opener, and "Beware Of Darkness" and "Still In Hollywood" are sweet also. But my two favorites by far are "Make Me Cry" and "Song For Kim (she said)". Both are really moving, to me anyway. I suppose to the newcomer I'd recommend a collection, but for the older fans, "Concrete Blonde" is a must. I'll never get rid of my vinyl copy.$LABEL$1 +Relationships. I liked this book for the believability of the protagonists, and how they came together for a satisfying ending. In doing so, they say a lot for how you make choices in your lives, and how integrity plays a large part in those relationships.$LABEL$1 +Waste of an afternoon. I recently found this book on my bookshelf and reminisced about reading it for grad school ten years ago. The feeling I get when I look at the cover of this book prompted me to put down my feather duster and walk downstairs. I then took the time to log onto Amazon and spend the last 5 minutes of my life to add my two cents. Lamest... book.... ever. Into the trash it goes.... where it belongs. I won't even bother trying to nickle and dime a hippie out of their money by selling it.$LABEL$0 +Not even TRYING. Spears is not even trying to be a singer in "My Prerogative." She does do a good job of cleaning a car by slithering over it while complaining and moaning about her life. It's all so fake but what's new when it comes to Spears everything's fake. As far as whether she sings, come on! She does everything but sing.$LABEL$0 +Very happy. Coat rack was inexpensive so I wasn't expecting much. Was very pleased, much better than expected. Sturdy and totally was what I was hoping for.$LABEL$1 +Excellent book !!. Though the book it is sometimes abstract, it really helps you to get control of your mind and time and bring internal peace through being conscious about your emotions/ thoughts and enjoy the current moment you are living that will not happen again.$LABEL$1 +A waste of time. Obtuse and without meaning in the real world. Appaduarai needs to set foot on real soil and realize the world is not created, nor can it be defined behind ivy walls.Use your time to read something of importance and let Appadurai die on the vine, he may impress other sycophantic scholars with his labeling and vocabulary but you don't need him.$LABEL$0 +Fit for the campfire. The pictures show a beautiful piece of wood. What I got was a piece of wood that was gouged, had rocks embedded in it and it looked like it was dragged behind a pickup truck. Customer service is nonexistent after they get your money. I will be taking my business elsewhere from now on.$LABEL$0 +This Nothing Is Everything. The Hole in the Universe is everything promised by those raves from Oliver Sacks and Brian Greene and Dava Sobel -- and much more! It is a deep look at an elusive, yet centrally important subject, presented with eloquence, originality and charm. It amazes me that Cole has been able to take us to the frontiers of physics, exploring questions that physicists sstill puzzle over, and yet still make it entirely accessible (and, yes, even fun) to a complete novice like myself. I have read about ideas like string theory and the strange "repulsive force" that seems to be expanding the universe, but never before were these ideas so clear and appealing to me. Her writing is so fresh and lovely, it takes your breath away. And I love the connections between the notion of "nothing" in perception -- the holes in our heads, as Cole calls them -- and the nothings of mathematics and physics. Buy this book and give it to all your friends. They will thank you.$LABEL$1 +Don't Bother. This might be a good game if I could ever play through it. After playing it for about 5 minutes, the computer freezes up and I have to restart.$LABEL$0 +Totally predictable and corny!. Her more recent books are better, but she' still reads like a soap opera. For when you have nothing better to do!$LABEL$0 +Jeepers, this movie is the pits. Every once in a while a movie comes along that, despite the fact that it has kept me at the edge of my seat throughout, is totally ruined by the ending. I'm sorry, but I hate endings where the villain wins. This movie was terrifying . . . sure. But the thrill, at least to me, is to see how the heroes will finally overcome the villain. And that doesn't happen in this movie. If it had a better ending, it might have gotten four stars. One is as far as I'd go now, and this is only because I can't give it zero.$LABEL$0 +a good, bright, sturdy light.. It's a bright light allowing you to be seen in the darkest of nights. THe light is sturdy enough to stay on your bicycle. There is also a clip allowing it to be clipped to your backpack or clothing.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. This "book" with large type and few pages can be read in one sitting and does not live up to its billing as a look behind the scenes of an NBA season. All this book actually amounts to is a short synopsis of an NBA season with little interaction between the players the author is supposed to be introducing us to and himself. At points it comes across as ego stroking on Palmer's part dropping names of all the people who know him and how he gets into all the parties at All-Star weekend. The premise of this book has potential, unfortunately Palmer does not deliver what it is billed as.$LABEL$0 +find a better trimmer.... Ergonomically, the trimmer is OK. It's kinda heavy, but that's to be expected with a 4-cycle engine. The severe vibration limits my trimming sessions to only 5-10 min tops. The biggest problem, however, has only revealed itself after a season (maybe 10 hours) of use: the engine is smoking and stalling out after a few minutes running. After ensuring it had oil and fresh gas (4-cycle, so no gas/oil mix) and the problem still occurred, I went online to find a service center. None within 50 miles of my zip code. The company (called MTD, but still uses the Troy-Bilt name) was no help at all. I've looked into other repair facilities, but I can't identify who actually manufactures the engine, so nobody will take it apart. I'm either left to fiddle with it myself, or to get another trimmer.$LABEL$0 +not a good 3D experience. I bought this dvd thinking it would be great to watch because Miley Cyrus is a great singer and performer, but when I opened it to watch the 3D version there was nothing 3D about it. It came with four red and blue 3D glasses . It made me feel nauseated (well, not really) but I could not watch anymore of the 3D version. You can even watch it without the glasses because it looks like the 2D version except with a little blur. It is horrible like watching VHS version. It was a disappointment. I might return it if i can. I wonder if other 3D glasses will work. For me, I don't like concert versions of songs.$LABEL$0 +Not practical or academic enough. The finance market is flooded with paper, but much is redundant and some isn't even very useful. This book manages to be both. "Market Models" by Carol Alexander is a fabulous resource. There are a lot of books and articles on quantitative finance and if you want only that, look through the literature and choose, but this book won't give enough comprehensive coverage to make it a buy.$LABEL$0 +Sexism is taught by Mothers. Christina Hoff Sommers is in denial. Boys certainly are not suffering in American society based on the studies in the books Hoff Sommers tries to tear apart. Making boys aware of sexist behavior and teaching them to be respectful of others does not make them into girls, it makes them into ultimately cool males.$LABEL$0 +In TIme. Good concept but poorly executed. Even the best efforts of Seyfried and Timberlake could not breath life into this tired script.$LABEL$0 +Fun vegetables. I purchased this set of fruits and vegetables for my son and nephew to use at their grandparent's house. I think they are really neat, though my set did not have a pineapple. Both kids are a little bit on the young side to use these (1.5 and almost 2) but they both enjoy them. They like to take them apart, but haven't quite gotten around to putting them back together.They seem like they'll be pretty durable. I like toys that will be used for a long time, so that's a huge plus for me.$LABEL$1 +Looks Nice, but Doesn't Last!. I bought this ring in November and in February the stone fell out. I contacted the seller and ask if this was the norm for their products or if I perhaps I received a "dud"; sometimes it happens. I would have liked a replacement right but instead I was told the below."Most of the jewelries that are in this price range are most likely to last for a few months or a year or two and they are called fashion jewelry.That's why they are not expensive.Right now we offer free shipping if you want to purchase another one.We are really sorry for this."I have a lot of different jewelry and this has never happened to me. Looks nice but doesn't last.$LABEL$0 +Tedious and stultifying. There is nothing in here that you can't also do with a good, basic course in Shamanism. Learn to talk to the nature spirits and Devas yourself! Goodness. I know she's trying to do a Good Thing here, but jeez - the lists and lists of step-by-step, you-must-do-it-this-way-and-buy-my-expensive-essences stuff gets old. Seriously. Learn shamanism. Talk to the plants and nature spirits and Pan yourself.$LABEL$0 +Rom Finally Has The Lobes. Don't be fooled. Although this is a stand-alone episode about Bashir (and Rom), it's a great one. I think it's rather important to the series, and should not be skipped. I liked it, and have fond memories of it. But if you're looking for action, there isn't any this time. 4.5/5 Stars. ~Keep On Trekkin'$LABEL$1 +Beware. I was enjoying the game, but halfway through, it would "windows error" and not proceed to the next level. After much time with GT tech support, the best they could recommend was reloading the game and starting from scratch. Buyer beware.$LABEL$0 +Pretty, but no substance. The Zen Mind has some beautiful footage of mostly Rinzai temples. Soto's Soji Temple is also included. However, comments on practice and what makes these temples alive is notably lacking and incomplete. Go to YouTube for equal, or more, footage of the temples and better teachings from teachers, especially Gudo Nishijima.$LABEL$0 +Obscure film deserves much wider recognition.. "When Time Expires" is a masterful sci-fi/fantasy which is not only well-acted but also has an interesting story line. It stars Richard Grieco, Mark Hammill & Cynthia Geary. Without giving away any of the main plot, the action takes place in a remote town where an intergalctic federation has sent agents to address a "problem" involving time relating to future events. If you enjoyed "The Man Who Fell to Earth" or "Fantastic Planet," then you will love this film.$LABEL$1 +True to the book. I really liked this movie as it stays true to the book. Loved Diane Lane in Lonesome Dove but in this movie she plays just the opposite character. It was made in Alberta Canada my home province and I recognized some of the Canadian actors and stunt men that helped make the movie.$LABEL$1 +Coulda been even better as a two-disc set. As a single-disc collection goes, this one can't get much better. One can argue that the failed "Congo" should've been left off (and possibly even "In Your Wardrobe") in favor of still more heavily-played tracks from the Phil Collins era, but as it stands this is an adequate career retrospective. I personally would love to see a second compilation, which would have to include: "Illegal Alien", "Home By The Sea", "Taking It All Too Hard", "No Reply At All", "Man On The Corner", "Paperlate", "Just A Job To Do", "Duchess", "Keep It Dark", "Never A Time" and "Driving The Last Spike".$LABEL$1 +Below average Nimzo book. I have read "I play against pieces" by Gligoric and thought that his Nimzo book would be at the same gold standard. It is not. The startegic ideas are not very detailed, and in return you get "variations".Definetely not happy!$LABEL$0 +just reading the intro was annoying. I do not think I can buy this book because I just read the beginnings gets and he jumps around all over the placewith these stories and little cute jokes , etc. Quite annoying!All I want to do is to start learning from the ground up, it is like he wants to tell historic stories and be groovy at the same time on static electricity and took 2 pages of painful reading.I don't think so.$LABEL$0 +Choose another reel. I have two Mitchell 300x & one 300xe reels and love them. Great reels with 100% solid preformance. On the other hand I bought a 310ex expecting the same. Well, I spend more time waisting line 4lbs Mono, Floro, & Fireline. The line type I used did not make a differance on this reels proformance. I would get birds nest constantly. It will simply drive you nuts and take the pleasure out of your day on the water. I found it did not matter if I closed the bail with my hand or by turning the handle. (very stiff bail by the way) This is the worst Mitchell I ever owned. I purchased it for my new Ultra Lite last summer. I will never use this reel again. I exchanged it for a Shimano Sedona 1000. I am not about to go into a new fishing season with the Mitchell 310ex. Absolutly the worst reel I ever owned.$LABEL$0 +Kids Love 'Em!!. The kids love 'em and what could be better than that? I bought one box at the local grocery and glad to see they are available here. We tried the strawberry, frosted, and like other reviewers I agree: not too sweet, right amount of frosting. Can't wait to try the next flavor.$LABEL$1 +Reflective, not sombre. The lyrics on this CD may be reflective, but they are not sombre or sad. As another reviewer noted, this is a thinking person's CD. Keep up the great work, Dido. The world needs your music.$LABEL$1 +Honestly the Best!. I completely loved this story. The characters came alive and jumped off of each page, I could not put it down, like a woman obsessed! When I finished it, I started it again. Like a favorite movie you can watch over and over, I keep it near by and just pick it up. I wish I could find other's of hers like this I like as well. RiversEnd was equally excellent.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected. The chandelier was actually shipped with some parts for the three-light and other parts for the 5 light so it was hard to tell how it might have looked had we had the correct parts. In any case, the metal part was nice but the plastic inserts below the globes looked cheap and the globes themselves were rather large. I thought it was over priced and we returned it due to not have the correct parts to begin with.$LABEL$0 +Fingernails on a blackboard.......... If you like the sound of someone dragging their fingernails across a blackboard you'll love the sound of Alanis Morrisette's voice. Bad does not adequately describe this disaster of an album. I recommend playing this loudly and contiuously to death row inmates and then releasing the inmates...........they've suffered enought.$LABEL$0 +Ok to watch when there's nothing good on tv.... The acting wasn't believable, and you can predict the whole movie within the first few minutes. It's like a low budget Tyler Perry film. Definitely don't buy it. If you want to see it, rent it at the red box for $1.On one of those nights where you can't seem to find anything good on tv, then that would be a good time to pop this dvd in.$LABEL$0 +Uninspired attempt to match bandmates' solo fame. This was one more unsuccessful attempt by Tony Banks to match the solo success that Genesis bandmates Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford were achieving. This time around, Banks added a couple of singers and tried to call it a band. One of the singers is Jayney Klimek, formerly of the Other Ones (not the Grateful Dead Other Ones, the OTHER Other Ones, the ones who did "We Are What We Are" and "Holiday"). The songs are drab middle-of-the-road efforts. Even the best songs, such as "Big Man", would be outtakes on any Genesis album.$LABEL$0 +Book hits home!. Helpful, useful information. Easy read. I think it might need to be required reading for all married people and/or those getting married.Hope she's at work on her sequel....wanted this one to be longer.$LABEL$1 +incredible anime. A great anime similar to Dragon ball execept the fights arent as drug out and LONG they fight instsead of talking half the time. Since their is no series or manga here yet it is kind of hard to understand but once I looked it up I understood it perfectly.$LABEL$1 +Not that interested. My baby was just not interested in this book, which was strange because he loves pictures of food. I think maybe he just wasn't interested in the caterpillar since it doesn't really have a facial expression or a face. He loves many other books just not this one, and for the price I was very dissapointed.$LABEL$0 +Not Compatible With PS3. When it works, this game looks wonderful. However, it simply does not work on a PS3. I don't know what the performance is like on other blu-ray devices, but if you have a PS3, do not buy this product.$LABEL$0 +Brian Wilson is now a joke.. Brian Wilson once the man behind the Beach Boys has come up with a CD that is a big waste of money that I cannot understand a talent that is deep in the 60 and surf music is now dead Brian Wilson please RIP. Your cousin Mike is right you don't have it anymore. This CD tell it all!! Thanks Brian for wasting my hard earn cash$LABEL$0 +Excellent. I bought this CD after only hearing I'm Doun, but was pleasantly surprised to find that other tracks carry a lot of punch too. My favorites: Storm, Bach Street Prelude, (I) Can Can (you)?, Leyenda, I'm Doun and I feel love. A must buy!$LABEL$1 +I Miss REAL Rock Music!. Fun music, great lyrics...you can't go wrong. I'm sick of the depressing, boring rock scene of today...give me BON JOVI anyday over these wuss bands. "Wanted Dead or Alive" "Livin On a Prayer" "Never Say Goodbye"...these songs actually mean something to people...you can identify with Bon Jovi...if you can identify with someone like Marilyn Manson...seek professional help.$LABEL$1 +Fabulous and Flowing. Beleza Tropical presents 18 lush Brazilian songs. I stumbled across this CD when I was 10 years old and completely fell in love with it. The Portugeuse language is beautiful and the songs only get better as you listen to them more and more. I highly recommend this title.$LABEL$1 +Would not recommend. I tried making biscuits twice and ended up throwing out both batches. It has a strange taste to it and the consistency was not good. I would recommend gluten free bisquick over this.$LABEL$0 +Terk good as advertised. I purchased this so my wife could have a hdtv in the kitchen. I didn't want to run wires to the kitchen and I figured the picture may not be so great but she would be able to watch it. I was shocked at the great video and audio quality so much that I just got another one. (I just needed a receiver but I found the price was the same to just buy the whole kit again).I have side by side sets in my home office and I can use her DVR (when she is not watching) to play HD quality picture to my second TV so I can watch a movie and a game or two different games at the same time. It has an antenna that allows me to use her remote controll from the different room. The red,white,yellow av jacks are the only hook-up option.$LABEL$1 +Fine Ambient Pop - also try William Orbit. This is as advertised, a "pocket symphony" - more instrumental and ambient than than the more upbeat pop of Talkie Walky which is wonderful -- though that last does get some eye-rolls from friends on "Surfing on a Rocket"... this breezes by.If you like this, you will LOVE William Orbit "Hello Waveforms", which is my favourite album of the 2000s so far...$LABEL$1 +Will be ordering the anniversary dvd soon. I loved this movie, made way before my time. It makes me so very emotional when I watch. Que Saudade!$LABEL$1 +Hair on fire. I managed to get through 45% of this book before I realized I would rather set my hair on fire (if I had any) than go back and read any more.So far, at 45%, there was no story. There were characters by the dozens, each with a contrived space type name like:Yelena Bugolubovo,Nierbog,Veblen, etc etc.Some of them were described with square heads, and some were huge, from other planets all settling on this space city.I was so frustrated by ill-defined characters, and the number of them without giving me a picture for my mind to grasp, that I had had enough/Maybe there's a story line, you know; good guys vs bad guys somewhere later on, but a book, a play, a movie, should entertain.This book missed the mark for me.You can obtain it at no cost, but that's about what it's worth in my humble opinion.Sorry to be so strong about it, but honesty is better than false diplomacy.Fred Auerbach$LABEL$0 +Bad Bad Bad. Ordered this for my one year old. I play all instruments by ear. I am highly sentitive to the sounds that even toy instruments produce, and this one does not even come close. I have seen and own toy xylaphones that sound WAY better than this one. Not one single bell is in tune, and if I try to play a song on it, it does not even sound like the song I am trying to play. If you want your child to actually play music instead of making noise, do not order this!!!! Gave it to the Goodwill.$LABEL$0 +Two Weeks. Best movie ever. Sallie Feild gave an Oscar perfomance. People should have a copy so they can learn what to except when their loved one is dying.$LABEL$1 +Don't purchase unless you like to listen to yourself talk.... A few other reviewers have mentioned the "echo" when talking on these phones, and I completely agree. There was a very loud and noticable echo of your own voice when speaking. After only one day of talking on these phones, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I returned them. Don't waste your time with these.$LABEL$0 +not a gadget you can play with. I installed couple 3rd party applications I purchased from [...]. After installation, I rebooted the device and it never came back again. The device failed to launch the OS and the screen switching between black and hourglass for two days till now.I tried to contact rim to get help but they I cannot find their support number on their web site!This is a really bad experience for me. I have been playing with Microsoft Smarphones from Motorola and different Palm devices, and I never had such problem before.I would say the Blackberry OS needs a lot more work to make it stable.$LABEL$0 +perfect adapter choice. With a new exercise bike and no interest in wasting batteries, I needed an adapter. The branded one came in a four times the cost of this one so I figured, "Why not?" Five minutes after receiving the package, I had the adapter plugged in and working. Great choice!$LABEL$1 +ELECTRA?? COME ON YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!?. First off the fact that this movie got made before an Iron-Man, Thor,Captain American and The Avengers, and the list goes on movies is ridiculous!I thought Daredevil was good, it could have been better,but I was fairly happy with the end result. I bought the director's cut ,but have not gotten around to watching it yet.I have heard it is much better than the original. OK now back to Electra. This movie is boring, stupid, poorly acted and.....do I need to continue? They should have worked on Daredevil 2 instead of this piece of garbage! Unless your a completest Marvel movie nut,avoid this one at all cost!$LABEL$0 +Too much NOISE!. We have two of these mattress, but I cannot recommend them to anyone who wants to actually sleep! For some reason they make all kinds of noise - it doesn't matter if its on hard wood flooring or carpet with heavy padding, each time your child moves it will make so much noise everyone in the room will hear it.We've used all kinds of air mattresses - even larger AeroBeds and have never experienced this before - but for some reason these make so much noise I just can't recommend them! I mentioned this to a friend who has one also and she concurred so I don't think I received a bad batch - just a bad design!$LABEL$0 +Constantly in my CD player. Great songs, wonderful pop song production, beautiful harmonies. I just bought this CD, and at 52 years old, I'm embarassed to say that I didn't know just how good The Hollies were. Certainly very near the equal of the Beatles, before they got all "important". This collection has all the classic "first Hollies" songs, before G. Nash left and they went all MOR in the very late sixties/early seventies - which is exactly what I wanted. That means no "Long Cool Woman" or "He Ain't Heavy". If you favor those songs, you need another collection. My one regret is that "King Midas in Reverse" is not on this CD. Can I subtract a quarter star for that? Now I have to buy the King Midas reissue as well - which I'm sure I won't regret.$LABEL$1 +Did the author actually check facts?. How much of ESPN's history can Freeman botch and still publish a book? Quite a bit, it seems. An author who writes about a sports network should at least know the difference between various leagues, especially the difference between major and minor leagues and which teams are in which.$LABEL$0 +Reminds me of Carl Hiassen!. Funny, the Random House blurb says the short stories read like Richard Ford's writing, but I think the novel reads like Tourist Season by Carl Hiassen. It moves very easily from South Beach to rural Vermont to Harvard Square to backwoods Arkansas to an internet chat room, but each place is very real and so are the characters. When is the rest of the novel coming out? Has Bill Gates read this?$LABEL$1 +Seems to work fine. I recently got this 256 MB module for my Kodak 6340 camera, and it seems to work fine. No formatting was necessary. Its write speed is not that great, but seems to be about the same speed as the internal memory in the camera. I was told by Sandisk support that the burst write speed for the module is 10MB and the sustained write speed is under 1 MB. The module worked well in the Sandisk 6-1 USB 2 reader and was identified without any setup in Windows XP pro. It would be better if the sustained write speed was quicker.$LABEL$1 +Good but a bit harsh. The book has excellent info on baby's sleep needs and cycles. However, I think the author's recommendation that kids should be left for hours is unnecessary and too harsh on the PARENTS! Ferber's book (Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems) suggests you can go in every so often to reassure the kid. I think this also works fine, since your child will realize s/he must go to sleep either way. When traveling, a gentle pat on the back also helps.$LABEL$1 +Not their best work. I'm a huge Blood Brothers fan. HOWEVER-- Crimes is a terribly commercialistic release lacking creativity and the Blood Brothers usual spark. I'll admit Burn Piano Island, Burn was also a rather commercialistic, mainstream (as mainstream as someone like the Blood Brothers can get) release, however, It did have at least 3 songs I liked a lot-- Though it also contained the WORST song to ever be produced: Denver Max. Aside from these two releases the Blood Brothers have always been an amazing trio-- with excellent works such as This Adultry is Ripe and my personal favorite release of theirs-- March On Electric Children. My advice: If you're getting into the Blood Brothers, buy their previous releases.$LABEL$0 +Still Singin'. Who am I to presume to review one of the all time greats? I'm giving it just four stars solely on the basis of its being a little dated. It's been twenty years since I last saw this marvel. Three things struck me that I'd not noticed earlier. (1) How really small Debbie Reynolds's role is (2) Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" is actually a brilliant introduction to break dancing; and (3) Gene Kelly's amazing knee flexibility. Watch him in one of his Kelly-O'Connor duets. He has a singular attribute there seen nowhere else.$LABEL$1 +Akbarali Thobhani's books deserve a zero ratint!!!!!!. He has no knowledge of Ismaili religion. To clearly understand this great religion you must have Marifate level of knowledge or higher. This guy is writing is based on spit and all his books are fiction. Buyer be aware!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Useless. In college I had a chin-up bar that you twisted to tighten into a doorframe and I thought that's what this was as well. Turns out you need a drill (which I don't have) and you have to drill into your doorframe, which I can't do since I live in an apartment. What an absolute waste of money. If you live in a home and you own a drill, buy it, for the rest of us it's completely useless.$LABEL$0 +Not a good book. This book has several typos and does not explain things clearly. It goes back and forth between terms that mean the same thing and gives you numbers in examples without explaining where they came from. It is a poorly put together book and is a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +If your blood runs red and black, this book is for you!. This book is entirely entertaining as well as informative.I am truly fortunate because my brother was nice enough to stand in line to get me an autographed copy of this book!! The stories within, some you've heard and some you've not, will make you laugh and cry. "Damn Good Dog", I guess that sums it up!Go Dawgs!!UGA Alumni, relocated North of the Mason-Dixon$LABEL$1 +Not worth the money. I had purchased Jumpstart 1,2, and 3 for my older child as she was growing and we loved all of these so I purchased preschool for my 3 year old. It is cute but not what you would expect for $30. I don't think the games are quite challanging enough. The art studio is a joke. It seems that they would have alot more games for the money..$LABEL$0 +Excellent book from MSPress. The 70-294 Self-Paced Training Kit does an outstanding job in teaching the objectives of the exam. Especially useful are the practice activities at the end of each lesson/chapter. Getting hands-on experience with Active Directory is a must to pass this exam, and this books makes getting that hands-on experience a breeze.Of all the MSPress books I have bought, this one is the best.$LABEL$1 +Not for Cats. I was planning on using this for my cat. The one I received was huge, only suitable for a medium sized to large dog. I'm pretty sure I ordered one that said it was for cats so I don't know why I got the dog sized one.$LABEL$0 +Wasn't this product discontinued by Microsoft?. I seem to have made the mistake of purchasing this product just before the product was discontinued by microsoft. Isn't this the case? and if so, why is the product still being sold by Amazon?$LABEL$0 +Great Graphics, Cool Weapsons, TOO HARD!. It's almost impossible to beat. Five minutes into the game, I die. Total frustration$LABEL$0 +TUNE YOUR PIANO. This is the second one of these I've seen listed. How can you do vocal instruction with a piano that is grossly out of tune?$LABEL$0 +Wasted tape, wasted money. I bought this product without first checking Amazon reviews and I regret it. If I had known that this machines was designed to waste 1-2 inches of tape each time you print a label, I would not have bought it. The real cost to the label-maker is in the cost of the tape and if you are literally wasting 1-2 inches for each use, then a roll of tape will not last very long. I called their "customer service" line in the hopes that I had not set the margins properly but was told that although they receive complaints EVERY day about this problem, it's not a design problem, it's my problem. Not very helpful and extremely frustrating since I asked if there was a way I could provide customer feedback for the next version of this model. I would not recommend this label-maker and I definitely would not recommend calling them for help either.$LABEL$0 +Great! If you already know the material.... According to an instructor of mine (not the one teaching the course), this book was written by mathematicians for mathematicians. If you are not already well-versed in proofs and logic, this book is excruciatingly difficult to follow. The instructor teaching the course was a Ph.D. from MIT. Obviously he understands it, but both he and the book utterly failed to explain the concepts in terms that a normal computer engineer/scientist undergraduate could understand. If this is required reading for you Discrete Structures (or equivalent course) I highly recommend getting a second book that explains the terms in plain English (as opposed to in the language of Math, which I am not fluent in). Unfortunately I was not smart enough to do this myself early on, so I cannot provide a recommendation. Suffice it to say I learned my lesson and I hope my experience benefits you.$LABEL$0 +The BEST. I've been playing since 1963. These are the best strings I've had.I am using them on a Washburn electric standard guitar and believe it or not a classical guitar that I bought in 1970 for $17.00. These strings tuned easily and hold tune for long periods of time.Love em.Ps. In the past I have used Martin strings but never the Martin 130's.$LABEL$1 +Iris Floor Protection Tray-Medium. This is a super great idea, and it really works good. Pads fit inside, and the puppy can't chew them to shreds like paper. They hold the pads tightly, easy to change, and it stays put.$LABEL$1 +Poor fit and uncomfortable. I admit to writing this without having tried any other mouthguards, but I'm not impressed with this one at all. The groove for you to rest your teeth in seems too shallow so it is very easy for it to come out of place. I also find it very uncomfortable, even after I cut off back ends (as suggested by the instructions to provide a proper fit). Unless you are 8 or 9 feet tall and have a gigantic mouth, I highly doubt it will fit without cutting off the back ends. So you're stuck cutting off the back ends to try and get a proper fit, but of course even if you're not satisfied after that, you can't really return it in that state. Also the case it comes with doesn't stay shut.$LABEL$0 +It's been worth the wait!. It is about time that NSYNC got their CD out. But trust me, it is well worth the wait! This CD is packed with excellent songs. I also like the way that NSYNC is trying songs and styles of singing that other boy bands haven't yet. They are definatly talented. If you had any doubts about this then go out and buy the CD. It is definatly worth the money, and I promise you that you will be happy with this CD! Happy listening!$LABEL$1 +Cannot recommend this at all. WARNING: I received this thru the USPS today. It is much smaller than stated on site. It is very light, crystal is typically heavier than glass and this is glass. Also every edge is razor blade sharp and is way too dangerous to have around small children. More of a weapon than an ornament. I contacted seller immediately and have heard nothing from them. Very disappointed. I feel like they should have paid me to take it off their hands. You will regret it if you buy it.$LABEL$0 +A great True crime book. I really enjoyed reading this book it was very interesting and thought that the authors did an amazing job interviewing the key people. It did get a little slow at times but it was just because of all the details. It did have a little too much detail as to what was done to the children and the effects that occurred but it helps us understand and realize what the parents and medical staff had to see these helpless children go through. I do recommend this book to all who like to read true crime. Enjoy! :o)$LABEL$1 +good while it lasts, but doesn't last long. As others have reported, quality is disappointing. Thought it was a good router at a decent price, until it started breaking down, regularly (shows red diagnostic light).Linksys website indicates that company knows about the problem, and will replace (only) if within warranty period. Technically within their rights, but seems unethical to me -- they sold a defective product and aren't taking the responsibility for it.Recommend you avoid this, and be careful about other Linksys products.$LABEL$0 +Woah!!. This book sums up the trilogy perfectly. Captivating from the beginning to the end, I have to blame this book for 2 - 3 late projects, but at the same time thank it for one of the most captivating reads i have had yet. The story was well paced and delivered with immaculate style. The constant swapping between caricatures was a stroke of genius, I was never left waiting and wondering what was happening with the many other caricatures.11/10, one of the best reads i have had for a long time$LABEL$1 +Great CD.. If you're looking for a great album with REAL music, this CD is for you. Sugarcult's music is very enjoyable & the lyrics are honest. All the songs are awesome, and you can listen to the album over and over. Includes the lyrics as well. Highlights are "Stuck In America", "Saying Goodbye", "Pretty Girl (The Way)", & "How Does It Feel". Pick this up today. Great music. Great price.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing read, wonderful appendices. I found this book difficult to get through. The first part (of what was to be a 5-part book) is choppy with superficial character treatments. What makes the work remarkable is the harrowing circumstances in which the author was writing. It's deeply tragic that this wonderful writer suffered and was murdered during WWII. The writing and storyline vastly improve in the 2nd book, and I believe if Nemirovsky had been able to revise and complete the novel, it would have been wonderful. As it stands, the book is rough and hard to digest. I do recommend this edition, however, because of the moving letters in the appendices written by Nemirovsky and her comtemporaries during the period leading up to and following her deportation. Those (not the fiction!) brought me to tears.$LABEL$0 +Rediscover Good Bread. I've been an amateur breadmaker for years, but tend to bake irregularly because of the effort involved. No more! Mark Miller's recipes for bread both plain and exotic, healthful and richly delicious, have rekindled my enthusiasm for bread. I'm baking almost all my own bread now and making breakfast and lunch special occasions. From genuine sourdough, comforting cornbreads, spicy cheesey flatbreads and foccacia, to tempting quickbreads and breakfast treats (try Cream Cheese and Blueberry Bread, or Scottish Scones with honey, cream and Drambuie) No tedious copying of recipes from a library book this time: there are so many delicious recipes (and I've tried a lot of them) that I need to buy this book!$LABEL$1 +I join the consensus. What's the point? This has been asked many times: Why was Psycho redone, scene by scene? I guess someone who did not see the original would find it intriguing and fascinating. And there are some more explicit skin scenes, a la post 1965, which do make it look more real. So it's not a total loss and maybe worth seeing, but probably not owning.$LABEL$0 +I thought this book was boring.. It was about a boy and his family. The last chapter was good but you have to read the whole story to get to the last chapter. It's not worth it. I do not recomend it.$LABEL$0 +Works great BUT..... This works great. The size was such that I was able to cover my blueberry bushes and miniature apple trees completely. I used lawn staples to secure the netting around the perimeter of beds where they are planted. BUT, the squirrels still try to get underneath. My wife found one caught up in the netting that was bunched up. She managed to free him and he run like the bat from you all know where....:) The birds do find the odd spot where the staples have loosened, but we finally got blueberries for the first time in 3 yrs. I highly recommend this product.$LABEL$1 +The reason for my discontent. I think I ordered the wrong part. I thought I was ordering pt.# XL 2100 U. The part I recieved pt.# XL 210060 fits, but the TV is delayed from coming on, sometimes as much as 30 secs. The oridinal did not function thi way.$LABEL$0 +Cat O'Nine Tails. This movie is bizarre! It is well-cast and beautifully filmed, but the storyline is absoltely insane. Karl Malden is terrific.$LABEL$1 +Anything for a buck. Don't expect your version of Quicken to last long. Unlike almost all other software developers, the folks at Quicken seem to look for ways to make their product out of date so they have to be repurchased. And then they don't even offer upgrades, you have to buy the whole thing over again. Avoid getting into this system. If you do, plan on renewing it ever couple years at a high cost.$LABEL$0 +"Arms" embraces the human heart. Upon finishing Ms. Boss's recent book of poems, I found myself identifying with the lengths to which a woman will go to please the men in her life. Instead of bemoaning this situation, she seems to infuse her words with an an ironic twist which brings a smile rather than a frown to one's face. It is hope instead of despair that survives; Laughter instead of tears; reason rather than insanity. It is perspective, which is comforting in these most uncomfortable of times between men and women. There are no villains in her stories, only flawed human beings who don't always make the right decisions at the right time. They try and that's what counts. Her poetry will make you think and feel and find solace in how far we've come and yet, how much farther we need to go in the area of man/woman relationships. It is a challenge any reader will be prepared to do after reading her work.$LABEL$1 +Only you can save yourself from this piece of ..... 2 Stars if i hate it this much?Well the reason being that "Perfect is a good song.But the rest is very deluded and dull.Angst is better left to people who can actually sing like Avril.I'm sick of these punk-prodigys to Green Day.Blink is alright but the rest are hopelessly s...Don't fall for this useless garbage.$LABEL$0 +Warning! APC XS900 may not accept the RBC32. When I looked up the replacement battery for the XS900 UPS by APC, the RBC32 was the designated model. It does not resemble the battery in my unit. Apparently, mine take a RBC5. I could not install the unit so I don't have a working UPS presently. Because I have limited time to fool with this, I'm debating my options.This has nothing to do with the company selling the battery pack. They got the unit to me in the time stated in good condition. Amazon processed the order correctly. Just don't trust the APC web site to tell you what battery replacement is suitable for their product.$LABEL$0 +Dangerous. Adaptor can not be set to vary output voltage. It ran one laptop for a while, but failed to charge a friend's, and only quasi-works with my thinkpad, but makes it very hot. I feel this product could destroy a computer.$LABEL$0 +It was great...until it broke. Overall this is a great value mask, considering it is easy to adjust, has a tight seal and does not fog readily. But there's one problem...you can't use the mask when the straps break. After about 3 hours of use one of the straps broke. It still works, but the seal is not as tight, and is not quite as comfortable. It is probably only a matter of time before the other strap breaks too. So overall1. great mask2. crappy strapsif you buy this1. buy yourself some strong straps$LABEL$0 +All time favorite. Did you actually pay attention to how the father in this film prepare the food? This is enough to warrant a five star rating of this film. Not to mention the characters, the story line, and all the delightful moments you will get to experience.$LABEL$1 +Most Helpful Book on the Subject. I have read many books on the power of creating your own reality, but I like this one the best. I do the meditations every day, and they make such a tangible difference in my life. I had lesions on my legs that wouldn't heal for months. I'd meditate every morning on healing them, and at night they would be noticably improved until they were healed. I have used the meditation to heal myself emotionally of extreme sadness and other strong emotions, I have used it to bring more financial opportunities into my life. After meditating, everything seems right, my problems seem to resolve themselves. This book is pleasing to read, as is all Dr. Dyer's material. I think of him as the father I never had.$LABEL$1 +Lame, Artsy Excuse for a Book.... The title does indeed say it all: Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. The book stinks and the tales are stupid. I honestly feel like I have wasted my time for having read it. The only reason that I gave it two stars is that some of the art has creative redeeming value with the picture of the table of contents crashed, having some pages that are blank, and blanks spots where reluctant characters have run away. The art work and the text layout are worth studying. The text reads like a series of poorly executed campfire stories with the ugly duckng simply growing up to be an ugly duck and instead of having the sky not fall... the table of contents falls and crushes all of the characters in Chicken Licken...Crazy James$LABEL$0 +Poor function - Good looks!. I bought this bellow online because I liked the flowing shape and reasonable price. Within 3 weeks of using it the leather cracked in several places around the tip and sides. It now leaks so much that it focuses very little air out of the tip and into the wood stove.$LABEL$0 +A good follow up buy to Batman Animated. If you're a fan of the art from the series, pick this up- but only after getting the book Batman Animated.Either way, this has some nice exclusive artwork, plus some full color art at the back of the book.$LABEL$1 +Durable and reasonably comfortable. so far this product is very durable and reasonably comfortable. It's a nice looking classy shoe without being too upscale$LABEL$1 +very interesting, insights both good and bad on polygamy. Annie Clark Tanner was an admirable person. When I completed reading this book I had a strong desire to call one of her children, if any are still alive. I appreciated the support and understanding she received from her children as they became adults. They had a wonderful mother. I am amazed at all she went through for her husband, without bitterness. However, she was open about her feelings, which let me know that she was "real". Thank you Annie, for writing about your life and sharing your experiences.$LABEL$1 +No longer made in the USA. I was going to buy a pair of these shoes because I thought they were made here in the USA. I called Sebago Customer Service to see if that was still the case and they told me that no Sebago shoes whatsoever are made in the US any more.Way to go Wolverine! I would have gladly paid MORE for a pair of shoes that were still made in Maine!$LABEL$0 +Christmas. Love the colorado christmas song great gift for the holidays, thanks so much and happy new year!!! Why oh Why$LABEL$1 +low price, the razor logo can not be peeled off. Low price. Save some $5 compared to picking up same helmet from major department store. Downsides: looks a bit bulky. Maybe check fitment in local store before ordering online. Annoyance: I usually peel off silly tape logos for a cleaner look, but the razor stickers are painted over with the glossy layer and can not be removed. Had to cover silly logos with reflective tape instead. ** Consider also: Brain saver 8 helmet -- seems to be popular at the skateboard park, especially in matte grey finish.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy this if you live in the 21st century... This book has patterns/guides for clothing styles that are completely outdated. I am a fashionable early twenty-something, and I was repulsed by the crude illustrations for these awful pieces of clothing. There, I said it! Everyone gave great reviews for this book.. don't buy it for someone who is young and up on the current fashion trends.$LABEL$0 +Works great. I bought this because we have similar one at work and find it handy. It performs well and there was included tape to get you started.$LABEL$1 +The Writing Process as a Fundamental Method of Learning. Although Zinsser's book may not have been exactly what I had expected, I found the concept of "writing across the curriculum" to be a fascinating and practical concept. I was reminded again of the importance of organizing, writing and rewriting if I want to produce good, clear writing.Advantages to the "W" concept include:* Motivation* Learning how to read to extract meaning out of the text* Learning to write using a personal writing style* Learning to use the process of asking questionsZinsser tells of his own journey as he explored the principles detailed in the writing of this book. I enjoyed his illustrations, analysis, and conclusions. Zinsser credits the many that provided information and inspiration into the writing formation of "Writing to Learn." This has been a true learning experience.$LABEL$1 +Watch for fit problems. If your vehicle's mirrors are a stationary fairing or housing with a pivoting mirror inside, you need to make sure that the mirror is well recessed in the housing on both top and bottom. The clips in the arms of this mirror need to extend into the housing about 1/4 inch, and they are fairly thick.When attached to the mirror on my 2008 Pathfinder it restricts the adjustment of the Pathfinder's mirror, forcing it to point down as the mirror is nearly flush with the housing on the bottom edge. I also found vibration to be a problem, perhaps partially due to the problems with the fit.On the plus side, it appears to be well constructed with plenty of adjustment in the straps, and my fit issues may affect other brands as well.$LABEL$0 +Dont work. very flimsy, won't work because of the flimsyness of the product. Just paid like a dollar but not even worth the dollar. I just threw them in the trash$LABEL$0 +Does not hold up. I used this pump once and it worked OK. On the second use it quit working and cannot be revived.$LABEL$0 +Dont waste your money or time!!!!. This product is very very cheaply made and very awkward to use and handle.The reception is terrible I seriously doubt it would last a week without breaking if you actually carried it around.$LABEL$0 +Just died one day.... This item was fine till it stopped working...just like that. Battery had been charged. I used it for a month and then one day, it died. I had some new data in it that needed to be backed up...all lost!!!$LABEL$0 +bad job staying connected. I bought this product 9 months ago and used it to go online with my ps2. It connected but it kept on losing the connection everytime i play games like socom 2,socom 3, killzone, and other ps2 online games. I bought the logitech network extender and used that to get online. This product was similar to the nyko product. It worked well and it was free from losing connections. If your planing on playing online with easy hook ups then I would recommend the logitech network extender intstead of this product.$LABEL$0 +What the hell is this!. Why isn't "Duty Now For The Future" available statewide but this "stuff" is? What were the spudheads thinking? I can understand looking for a creative outlet but please, don't ruin great songs in this fashion. But hey, what do I know. These guys are still great and everybody makes mistakes.$LABEL$0 +By far the worst film I have ever seen...... While Lynch fans (who are these people???) will lap this film up, I was alternately bored, humiliated, riled, and depressed. Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes sense and before some pretentious wiseguy tries to tell me about postmodern nihilism or anti-narrative otherness, let me say that while film can be an instructive tool, it must also be entertaining and I can't imagine who would want to curl up with this waste of time at any point in their day. I would describe plot elements, but they would be irrelevant. Proceed at your own risk.$LABEL$0 +SVGA male to male 3ft.. This item was very good for connecting a VGA switch box to my computer. It was well made and performed well when switching between computer monitors and TV.$LABEL$1 +Snow White Rocks!!!. This version of the Grimms Brothers Fairy Tale is excellent. The digital transfer to DVD is so good that I felt like I could have walked right into my television set. Once again Signourey Weaver nails her performance as the wicked step-mom Claudia. All starts out fine but then things quickly pick up as step-mom and step-daughter battle it out to the final blow. This version is top knotch all the way, I was very pleased with everyone's performance, the movie's photography and storyline. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good suspenseful movie while reliving a childhood story at the same time. Also the chills are more from the suspense side and little to no emphasis on blood and gore. My only recommendation is that younger kids don't need to see this version unless you want them sleeping with you for a week. I give it my thumbs up rating as well.$LABEL$1 +I love this watch, but.... I really love this watch, but I hate the fact this baby retails for $4.450 and can be had for $4.075. A preowned one may cost you around $3.000. Some jewelers tell you that if you invest in this watch, you may get your money back withing 10 years. That never happened to me. If you think about it, it's like buying bonds from corporations and not receiving interest in return, just your money back! Are watch aficionados subsidizing Rolex? Is the cost of wearing a brand, tradition, and history on your wrist really worth that much? I can get an Omega Seamaster 300M GMT with automatic movement Cal. 1128 and COSC Chronometer Certification for $1.630. I would be buying into prestige, tradition, and history for 1/3 of the price. Is the Explorer II water resistant to 300M? I think not. So what's all the fuss? Yes, the Explorer II is a beater and a dressy watch at the same time with an outstanding craftsmanship. I would give it a 5-star rating if ever sold for $1.000.$LABEL$0 +Cuisinat DCC-1200 Brew only lasted a year.. I bought this coffee maker a year and two months ago. It was fine until last week when it suddenly stopped working. Tried everything I could think of, but it just won't brew. After paying that much for a supposed brand name appliance, I think I will just use a French press. No electronic parts to go haywire! Very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Arrrrgggghhhhhh!. All sorts of people were having fun on this train across Canada... all sorts of people fell asleep in my living room while watching this movie. What happened to the interviews after the first 30 minutes? I think the subjects fell asleep as well.$LABEL$0 +More of the same. This book is more of the same. If you've read all the other raw books on the market and you know how to feed whole bones then don't bother buying this book. Here's the book in a nutshell: feed the biggest bones you can and try to mimic prey animals. That's all it says. What a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +Remarkably bad. I bought this for my son. He could not finish the movie it is so banal. Terrible acting, bad script and badly directed. Do not waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Better than the Path of Boredom. While far short of his excellent work in the first five books, Winter's Heart is certainly better than the miserable 8th book of the series. It is much like Lord of Chaos and Crown of Swords; tedious in some parts and spectacular in others. Its worth the read, but won't keep you awake waiting for book 10.$LABEL$1 +Great. I got this for my niece for Christmas. she Loves Monkeys so this made a perfect gift. She Loves them.$LABEL$1 +Love this!. My 7-year old, who is a Kratt Brothers fanatic, loves this. It is an awesome next step from Wild Kratts!$LABEL$1 +this headset. This headset is cheap and easy to use at 1 major cost: comfort. Fully extended this headset doesnt quite cover my ears (i have a regular sized head, most mics i actually have to make them as small as possible) and it also feels like its trying to squeeze my ears together as a result. i dont recommend this mic unless u have a very very small head lol$LABEL$0 +????. The openness of he drug trade of the time is the more interesting part to me. the crown doctor and his madness is tne aspect most other films in the past never looked into because of the Crown.$LABEL$0 +BEST GAME EVER MADE.. This game would never get old playing it back in the day they should really bring this franchise back to console or a new pc game. Tribes 2 required skill something you don't really need in most games today. CTF was the best mode I think you could play 32 vs 32 was awesome you could choose from light, middle and heavy I think customize what you use. This game was just unbelievable it was so good the gameplay and wide variety of maps made tribes 2. The game is very complex I won't go into it but it was the best of game I have ever played, including halo, gears, all call of duty, cs its just so different and unique compared to all others. It is a shame the company isn't around anymore. Many people have tried to make sequels but failed in my opinion. The most popular one played with a web browser it isn't the same.$LABEL$1 +Very Helpful After Losing A Loved One. I found this book very helpful after losing a loved one. I particularly liked the format of this book. The authors give excellent ideas and suggestions as well as inspiring meditations. I highly recommend "The Empty Chair" to anyone who has experienced a death of someone close to them.$LABEL$1 +This ebook is short.. The PDF is 56 pages long. The text starts on p. 7. There are 5 pages of ads at the end.$LABEL$0 +excellent Belgian prog. As a Canterbury-style prog fanatic I had to check this band out and they did not disappoint.They have great rhythm section with jazzy keyboard and tasteful/soulful guitar playing.The vocals by Pascal Son(female) are staccato and high-pitched and act as an addtional instrument.The melodies are very catchy and melodious in the Canterbury style.In addition there are four bonus tracks by the previous incarnation called Classroom.On one of the tunes Son sings in French as fast as she can,kind of like doing vocal scales,but it works. Classroom were much less prog and more jazz.All the tracks on the Cd are from 1973 and 1974.Their second CD called "Viva Boma" is worth checking out also.It's more subdued and has a Matching Mole sound$LABEL$1 +A very long read that leads to an unintelligible ending.. This is a very long, static and redundant tale that comes to an abrupt conclusion that could cause mental whiplash. I am curious that the other reader/reviewers who have made entires here find the story and its sudden, odd and unlikely ending so fascinating. I re-read the last four pages several times with the hope that the meaning would dawn on me. I get the facts of the finale, just not the context in which they fit into this story. I consider myself an avid reader (and one who grasps the plots and nuances of writing) but this one makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. (I welcome comments from any reader who can clear up the matter in a private e-mail; I have written to Mr. Cook to ask for an explanation.). Definitely not worth the effort for me; move on to the next book on your list.$LABEL$0 +Fooled again. I bought this thinking it was the same as the original 'Joseph' LP I used to listen to endlessly back in the early 70's, as a preadolescent. It appeared in the States to capitalize on the success of Superstar -- down to using hte same typography on the cover. But even though the vintage (1973) of this version is about right -- this *isn't* the same recording. In fact, though my memory may be gilding the original a bit -- this one's very much inferior. Has the original US release ever been transferred to CD?$LABEL$0 +Missed that it would not play in america. I did not like the fact that it is an "international" version, but sold here in America where it will not work, unless you have a newer model dvd player that plays dvd from both home and abroad$LABEL$0 +Nine Ab Exercises. I didn't find this DVD very useful. The routines are boring, and the instructor is annoying. He sits in front and does one or two of each exercise while counting by drawing out each number "onnneeee, twwwoooo...," and then he gets up and watches the girls for the rest of the set. Each routine is just three sets of three exercises. The warm-up is pointless; it's just running in place. Once you learn the exercises, there is no need for the DVD, which does little more than count for you.$LABEL$0 +Hateful and self-deluded. This is a hateful and ridiculous book whose only serious audience can be bigots.$LABEL$0 +Very Informative. Very good read. Lots of information and nice charts to help you understand what you are looking at. Would recommend to others who are interested.$LABEL$1 +Perfect. This is perfect for my new Olympus E-PL1. I bought this to protect my lens and, for that, it's perfect.Personally, I don't see any difference in my pictures but I'm very amateur and haven't done any tests.Note: I received mine with a very small crack at one point at the rim of the glass. It's like someone twisted the metal band a little and caused a small pressure crack. It doesn't show up in any of my photos so I didn't return it.personally:Perfect lens protection for the price (compared to olympus' 40.5mm for $30).I would recommend it to anyone$LABEL$1 +Wideacre. Immensely dislike the story line, and the characters.. I read the 2nd of the trilogy, also .. but will not read the 3rd .. Left me very depressed, and disgusted at times.. Phillipa let me down on these$LABEL$0 +Dr Anne Andersen. This was rather a disappointing book, given the "hype" that surrounds it.There were one or two interesting chapters, but it written for "newbies" and I'm afraid most of the information was out-of-date.Anybody could get this information, and more up-to-date "stuff", reading Phack and trawling the Web.Nothing about the virus Chernobyl, and its offspring, Colossus, used by the UK and US military, to blast unwanted intruders.On a more basic level where is the info on Back-Orifice?. In the Psychology Dept at Glasgow University, we have protection , via firewalls and Norton's anti-virus software.Meinel doesn't address the issue as to how these packages work,with "all" her writings and self indulgence, she doesn't say that these systems are virtually hacker-proof.How do they work?.Next time she writes a book on this subject, lets hope she goes up-market, instead of pandering to spotty faced youths, hiding away in bedrooms.She is capable of better things, if she wasn't on an ego trip! .$LABEL$0 +What a dog!. The working title for this film (shot in Nebraska in dead of winter) was, listen to this: Born to Loose! I know, I was there. The director (Eleanor Gaver) paid a producer (Jonathan Krane) to direct the film she had written--her first and last film. Michelle Johnson, hot off the "Blame it on Rio" movie was paid a lot to be in it, but she was a whining "bitch" who didn't care to be on this production. Can't blame her, no one did. But she probably never worked again. One good performance was that of the motorcycle gang leader (Neill Barry) who continued to work in Hollywood, mostly television series episodes. --First A.C.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed, useless in the field.. No photos, sparse black and white drawings (most plants don't even get a drawing). This book could be used as a cross-reference at best for a true field guide.$LABEL$0 +GREAT PRODUCT -- BETTER THAN IPOD. MORE FEATURES THAN THE IPOD, LOVE THE DESIGN...DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND TAKE HOME THIS MP3 PLAYER!! I DID!$LABEL$1 +No thanks. This product was not refrigerated upon arrival. It has a little sticker that states to refrigerate at once. OK. So you mean to tell me while it's in the mail for 5 days its not being cooled. That's nasty.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I have purchased this product twice, and both times the spray nozzle has broken after a few uses. The two purchases were a year apart, so the company obviously hasn't gotten its quality issue worked out.$LABEL$0 +AMAZING no other like it out there.. This books is amazing, it shares so much from the males point of view,finally their is a book out there that knows what we go through and that we do want to make our wives happy and loved. i caught my self laughing a few times because i can relate to so many stories. This book has really taught me how to talk and give the attention my wife really desires and in return i get the respect that i need. The information in this book blew my mind, by far the best book i purchased.$LABEL$1 +Interesting. This book was a little harder to read and was a conglomeration of pilot's stories of one of more iconic aircraft of the RAF during the war. I was particularly looking forward to reading stories of 486 (NZ) Squadron, but there were precious few. Nontheless, this book gave me insight into a great aircraft and the dedicated pilots that flew it.Well worth the purchase price for fans of the Typhoon.For fans I would recommend the books by Jim Sheddan (who is still alive and living in North West Auckland, New Zealand).$LABEL$1 +Does a good job softening new leather. But be careful if you are using it on newly dyed leather. I used it on a fresh dyed, but completely dry, piece of veg-tanned leather with contrasting stitching, and it caused the dye to bleed out and discolor the stitching a little. Next time I will use the oil to soften the leather before I do the stitch work.Overall, it's a good product. Veg-tanned leather can get stiff when you dye it and this product does a good job of softening it up.$LABEL$1 +Perfection. WOW, what a nice product. Within the first hour of it's arrival, I had to see if I could screw it up somehow as I would either under cook or over cook my rice. The very first use of this cooker boasted a very nice texture of rice. I cannot wait to continue making rice in the future. For those of you that are as inept as I was at cooking rice, I would highly recommend this cooker if you enjoy rice as much as I do.FYI, the rice I am using is Mahatma Jasmine$LABEL$1 +Great Business Lessons. Sacchi's book worked for me. I've been in my own business for 20years and never done a business plan,mainly because no one has make the case of why I really need one. Sacchi, not only makes a compelling case but makes it easy to develope. His real world examples and experience also lend to the simple yet important formula for building and redesigning a business in a purposeful way. My business will be more successful because of this book.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed - Again. The phone was very annoying. Everytime I tried to call on the phone, it would not connect. I would have to either change the channel or just not call. I was only able to connect to the number I was calling once in the 30+ times I attempted to call. I returned the phone and went and purchase a different manufactured phone. Consumers Report was very wrong in their rating of this phone. The phone was terrible !!$LABEL$0 +Poor Product. This product is awful. It broke on the second use. I went out of my way not to over tighten anything. There is a long partiality threaded rod (piece with the hook on it) that ends in a plastic spreader. As you tighten down rod the friction applied to the spreader causes it break lose internally and push the rod all the way through the spreader. Causing a failure. (very poor design). Something like a BB on the end of the rod would have worked. The BB would have kept the drill through effect of the rod from happening (The end of the rod is so ragged I cut my finger just trying to get the spreader back on)$LABEL$0 +PUR Water Filter = Spend your money elsewhere. PUR Water Filters DEVELOP CRACKs and leak easily.I bought the first 3 months ago and it started to develop hairline cracks after 2 months.So, I got a second one thinking it was a fluke....this one developed cracks and leaks too.Built so cheaply that it simply cracks and leaks.Very Disappointed.PUR Water Filter = Money waster!$LABEL$0 +Fooled by the cover. I was greatly fooled by the cover of this book. I expected the photographs to be similar. White country cottage it is not. If you are looking for white country cottage or shabby chic, this is not the book for you.$LABEL$0 +Great but not as great as it could be. If this game was not hyped as much as it was it would be wonderful. It is kind of like combining Morrowind and The Sims, but it's not as in-depth as either one. My major beef with this game is its legnth. If it was on the PC it would definitely have an expansion pack coming out in a few months. The other beef that everyone has is that it doesn't live up to its hype, what videogame ever does?$LABEL$1 +Wow. I received this album from a fellow jazz musician now playing in Shanghai, & while my expectations were not that great, boy was I in for a surprise! Francesco Cafiso, now 23, was, in my opinion, another Paul Desmond. I'm not impressed by the fact that he was an accomplished alto man at an early age. Most great jazz musicians usually are.I'm going to keep this short, & just tell you that what impressed me most was the maturity he showed in his handling of a ballad. In the business of jazz we say that "anyone can learn to play fast, but it's the ballads that separate the men from the boys." I was most taken by his work on "Polka Dots and Moonbeams." His handling of "My Old Flame" was absolutely gorgeous as well.If you are a sax lover, you'll find that there is MUCH on this album to love. I recommend it very highly.$LABEL$1 +this is a good solid can opener. this is a no muss no fuss can opener that has a lock and works flawlessly. i am very happy with it...$LABEL$1 +This is a great game if you know how to understand read words to you and know how to use the mouse you would be able to play.. This is a game where you are Erika and you have to complete many deeds in order to become the queen in three days. So, you have to complete all these tasks which requires you to go all over the town.You get to bake cakes, take care of a kitten, grow flowers, and much,much more.This is probably a great game for a kid ( probably a girl) who is at the age where she knows how to basicaly can understand words ( read to her) and knows how to use a mouse.This is a really fun game but, as you get older you might still like it at the age of nine you don't have to like the Princess and the Pauper to play this game.[...]$LABEL$1 +mccartney is poorly represented!. Please buy this if you are likely to enjoy a completely sycophantic deluded lesson on the greatness of john lennon as a solo artist then this is the dvd for you.any mention of mccartney's work is not only severly biased but far too slightly covered.the truth is lennon missed mccartney as much as the other way around,indeed possibly much more.john lennons early 1970s work is totally overated here whilst paul mccartney's is totally underated.this is not a balanced view and a a pretty miserable beatles docu.i do believe the next in the series covering their work from 1973-1980 is actually being released this week [nov2011].it will be interesting to see the 'lennon spin' his hero worshipers put on his miserable output during this period whilst mccartney went on to become the biggest selling artist in the world all over again.!$LABEL$0 +Zondervan handbook for the Bible. I wasn't happy with this book because it was shown on Amazon as a 2005 edition and when I received it the ISBN # was different than was shown on Amazon and the edition was 1999. I had to return it.$LABEL$0 +brought back a lot of great memories. growing up in the 60's, i use to look forward to saturday mornings just to sit & watch cartoons as a little kid . what i completely forgot was fearless fly cartoon which was also on the milton the monster . milton the monster was great to watch now as it was back then . the quality of the product is A+. all i can say is in this day & age of computers & DVD;S i sure am glad that at times, yes you can go back .$LABEL$1 +WARNING: Not creme-de-la-creme Paris chillout.. I first became addicted to chillout music when I heard Cafe del Mar 8 playing at a record store in NYC. Since then, I've become an avid collector and somewhat of an afficianado.I bought "Paris Lounge" based on its very positive reviews. But compared to Cafe del Mar, Hotel Costes, and the magnificent Buddha Bar series, this collection does not make the grade. There are some good samplings here, but all in all, it is uneven, badly mixed, and often way too weird to be even listenable, let alone enjoyable.$LABEL$0 +Great book for all ages. this is a book which can be read by anyone and each read makes it more interesting. had read some stories long back and loved reading it again.$LABEL$1 +Have not received it as yet.. As yet, have not received this. It's been nearly a month and no product. Perhaps I should cancel this sale or what?$LABEL$0 +Renegade DVD. This movie keeps you involved & interested to the end. It has good acting & good scenery & a good story line.$LABEL$1 +It remembers so you don't have to. I bought this when my daughter was 2 weeks old and it is simple to use and extremely helpful for sleep deprived mothers. With the touch of one button, I can keep track of how long it has been since I fed my baby. I don't use the sleep or diaper timers but this is worth it for the feeding timer alone. The first unit I was sent was defective and I received terrific customer service when I contacted the company. I am rating with 4 stars instead of 5 only because I'd like to be able to keep track of the daily total feedings as well. Maybe a future model.$LABEL$1 +A lifelong favorite.. This is one of two books which I read until they literally fell apart. High praise indeed. James Ramsey Ullman, through Rudi Matt taught me what guts, dedication and loyalty were all about.$LABEL$1 +one of the best SEs!. This is a classy collection of a particularly good time (1987) when Playboy photographers and models worked together to produce wonderful photos. Some of the favourites are here: models such as Veronica Gamba, Ruth Guerri, and Lourdes Estores, and photographers such as Arny Freytag. The copy I received was as described, and suffers only from a lack of page numbers (none of this issue have page numbers, nor a table of contents).$LABEL$1 +Don't let the title fool you.... This book is superb, and covers so much more than the two style trends mentioned in the title. Many people relegate Biedermeier style to the 19th century, yet this book covers design trends from the Renaissance onward, as it evolved in Germanic lands. The breadth of interiors covered, the quality of the photos, the writing, this book has it all. I see that it went through two different permutations of the dust jacket, possibly in an effort to attract buyers. I think it is the title that throws potential buyers off. This book is essential for those wishing to know more about German interiors as they evolved over time, as well as a great sourcebook of ideas to be adapted to modern-day interiors. Buy this book, you will not be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy!. I bought this griddle for the obvious benefits of requiring less storage and the ability to run two temperatures at the same time. The drawback to the griddle is that any time it is used the grease does not make it to the grease catching cup, intead it leaks right out onto the counter surface. This is a huge mess! The same probelm is encountered when trying to make an omelete, the egg runs right out through the middle crack. I was very disappointed. I'll be buying another soon.$LABEL$0 +WOW, well done graphics Hoever EURO style. This was some incredible design job and the graphics are truly incredible as are the sounds and sights. Its like a virtual reality day at the Races.The only slight drawback to this game is that even when you select a race in the USA, all the races arr in Euro distances and measurements, making it tough for many of us to be sure of the distance.However that said, this game is complete in every other way and a must buy for the Horse Racing fan.I would tell the programmers of this one to go back to the start phase and make a USA Version of the game and use American Tracks, and this one will sell like hotcakes ! If it is not doing so already.Best Regards to All, MC - TheStickRules.Com$LABEL$1 +sounds of nature & the great outdoors. Do not like at all!!!!! Poor investment!!!wood never buy again. not very good to rest too...wanted ocean sound only but could not find.$LABEL$0 +Train Wreck. TO BE HONEST, I NEVER MUCH CARED FOR THIS BAND UNTIL I HEARD AWAKE. AWAKE IS A GREAT ALBUM AND I LIKED PARTS OF ALL THE REST OF THEIR ALBUMS. BUT THEIR ANNOYING CHARACTERISTICS HAVE CAUGHT UP TO THEM: "HEY LET'S SEE HOW FAST WE CAN PLAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON" "HEY LET'S PLAY LONG ENDLESS SOLO JAM WANKARAMA RAMALAMDINGDONG" "HEY LET'S MAKE THE KEYBOARD SOUND LIKE A GUITAR AND JAM ALONG WITH THE GUITAR AND SEE HOW MANY NOTES WE CAN FILL A MEASURE WITH" please a little restraint guysThis album is forgettable and annoying. You are smarter to check out symphony x or awake$LABEL$0 +Worst battreis EVER. I bought these batteries think that being made by Duracell that they would be a good quality battery. How WRONG I was. These things can not hold a charge for more then a few days, and that is when they aren't even being used. I did a complete discharge and refresh on them hoping that this would help their charge hold time... it did not.Do not buy these things if you want to have a good functioning and usable battery. I gave them 1 star because Amazon forced me too, I would have preferred 0 stars.$LABEL$0 +Not What I Expected. I bought this CD after being seeing them on TV (60 minutes), and being a bluegrass / trad. country fan I bought it. However, they sound very little like they were made out to be in both online reviews and on TV (i.e. bluegrass or old school country). While great musisians, most of the songs sound very similar and "popish" - you can't hear any of their great banjo or Dobro in all but one or two of the songs on the CD. I think they could be great, but were trying too hard for the mainstream MTV / CMT crowd on this one.$LABEL$0 +Boooooooring !. Like you, no doubt, I was lured in by the stellar cast, but the script is nothing more than a copycat of cat-burglar flicks from yesteryear. Nothing new here. Lost me in the first hour. Avoid.$LABEL$0 +DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. I waxed nostalgic and bought this game only to find that it is nowhere near as durable as the old one. Not only is it smaller, but it is flimsy and constantly falling apart. My two year old could easily pull the robots from the base. In fact, only the two year old enjoys it-constanly pulling off the robots and throwing them at everyone. Unless you have money to waste, don't bother buting this game.$LABEL$0 +Last A Long Time. These are not cheap. Especially when compared with the lifetime cost of rechargeable batteries. But these last much much longer. Good when the temperature is low too.$LABEL$1 +Could not put down my kindle. I loved Alison Weir's "Henry VIII and his six wives" and "Lady in the tower" so I decided to read "Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey" next. I was not disappointed. Her writing makes you feel all the emotions that Lady Jane Grey felt at her final moments. I can't wait to read "Lady Elizabeth" next.$LABEL$1 +Very Overrated. This wasn't very good. It wasn't very interesting. There was no real merit or redeeming quality to any of the characters. It wasn't an awful movie, but it leaves you wondering why anybody would ever bother making it. Nothing really stands out as singular or intriguing.$LABEL$0 +No Respect in Those Days. Very well known film shown a zillion times in the nuclear navy. This is a good example of the scientific lack of respect for the power and diversity of the types of problems that could occur during the testing and experimentation of reactor plants. It always stuck in my mind during the 70's and 80's when I operated and managed commercial nuclear plants. When someone writes a book on SL-1 I figure they have some ax to grind and are trying to relate past history to operations today. To me that is a hollow argument just check the statistics.$LABEL$0 +What a Disappointment!. I recently picked up a VHS copy of this at a local thrift store for almost nothing. Having never seen it, I was looking forward to an exciting 3-hour musical. What a disappointment! Virtually the entire film lacked consistency and cohesiveness. Though some of the musical numbers were quite good, the acting on the part of Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave was unimpressive. Overall, the film was very labored and there was little to connect one scene to another. If you want a truly excellent rendition of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, get a copy of the 1997 film, First Knight starring Sean Connery, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond. The acting is first rate and the film is filled with action and does not drag along like Camelot does. Overall, I was not at all impressed by this film, especially when comparing it to the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein or My Fair Lady.$LABEL$0 +Boyz II Men for the future? I hope not!. Overly-produced, utterly mainstream schlock that all the young impressionable hip-pop fans will just love. Sure, get street cred, lose artistic ability just to please the masses. This is what is wrong with the music industry. Music is art, not just entertainment. This is schlock.$LABEL$0 +The plates are worth the price of the book. The primary reason I buy the Osprey books are for the color plates. More often than not, the author, Rene Chartrande goes into obscure detail that adds little to the text. Like many of his other works, Chartrande does not reveal enough useful sources. Photographs of exhisting uniforms and equipment are helpful, but if these were in color v.s. black and white, it would enhance these books. Chartrande cranks out numerous books for Osprey, but it's looking more like he's going for quantity over quality. Chartrande should go back to the style and depth of his older works.$LABEL$0 +The worst book about the adult experience I've ever read!. I began this book with much anticipation. After the first chapter, I was offended and disappointed. But I kept reading hoping it would get better. It didn't. The author interviews only 45 women and bases his theories on loosely held evidence. I don't know how I am going to finish this book, but I have to becausee it's a required text for a college course. As a woman and student, I am thoroughly offended and don't regard any of Levinson's ideas as "ground breaking". His methods are unscientific and he is a rather outdated fool.$LABEL$0 +a sober view of life. Thom Jones doesn't mess around. He gives it to you straight: life is hard. And just because it is hard, it doens't mean that it isn't funny. With his fantastic writing, Thom Jones delievers us a masterpiece.$LABEL$1 +Guster.... emo style. I LOVE THIS CD! i bought it one day totally out of the blue, because i had some extra cash. I totally love it! I bought Guster out of the blue also, and not only do i love guster, but i can listen to it with my parents and they don't yell at me to turn it off. If guster decided to go emo(a brand of punk thats not quite all the way punk), then they would be SR 71.... i don't quite get why people are describing SR- 71 as like Blink 182.... so they both have numbers in the name, but that doesn't mean that they sound alike. they both have destict styles.$LABEL$1 +Looks Great!. I recently purchased this book as a gift for my friend's daughter.My kids and I were so intrigued by it that I may end up getting another one for us!It looks great for technique and has a good selection of projects catagorised from beginner to advanced.I may get her another that has a more extensive project selection to go with it.$LABEL$1 +Inaffective. These suplements do not work i took 1 at first and it didn't work the next a took 3 and it still didn't work$LABEL$0 +Enjoyed!. I can see where this book could/can be very controversial. I, on the other hand liked it. Never have I bought in to the HUMAN requirements of Christianity & Church. This won't set well with the Church goers that think the "institution of church" is what you have to follow & believe to be living in God's Love. For those that have been disillusioned or hurt by that way of living, this is a vindicating read. God's LOVE is unconditional. Church love is not!$LABEL$1 +A contemporary story that teaches children values!. Finally, a story about teaching our children values, manners and self respect. I have been looking for a entertaining story to read to my toddlers that instill some of the values that my husband and I want our children to grow up with. Magical Chango was given to me by my mother, who knew that in today's society values were not being taught to children. We are so involved with our fast-paced lives that we tend to forget to stop and teach our children the very basics of civility. (P) Magical Chango is my gift to our children. Through a wonderful magical tale, my children are able to envision our teachings to them. The great part is, they just think its fun. Chango gives my children, through their imagination, the enpowerment to respect themselves and eventually as they grow older all others around them. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to instill values, insight, and manners into our precious gift, the children.$LABEL$1 +Horse Heaven. This was the most boring audio book I have ever hear. The story was not interesting and the voices were either too loud or too soft half of the time. If this had been my first audio book, I never would have purchased another one.$LABEL$0 +A Classic. Before the DVD, I watched this movie a long time ago. I enjoyed it more this time. To label this a horror movie may not be correct. Frankenstein is not like today's blood and guts horror movies. I think I read a review that said it is not scary and it was therefore given two stars, if I recall correctly. Being a black and white movie helps give a eerie feeling. In close-ups of the monster's face, Boris Karloff's eyes looked creepy and inhuman. And, the scene with the little girl is terrific.$LABEL$1 +JUNK. I installed this on a brand new Dell computer and when I restarted the computer it would not restart Windows. I spent 30 minutes with Dell support to get my computer back up. I did a system restore and then bought McAfee and it works fine. You get what you pay for.$LABEL$0 +Strange but ok. The design to fit inside your ears can be annoying.. but it does seem to block out some more noise.. and it's comfortable. Puts out better sound (certainly) than ipod headphones.. but also better than some of my more expensive ones.$LABEL$1 +Piece of junk. When it works, it works great. But the gears that turn the broadcaster jam easily. At least the thin tires that go flat when you roll over briars can be fixed; the poorly engineered gears can't. Don't expect more than a few hours of use from this spreader.$LABEL$0 +She is NOT that kind!. She's not... this blond & amazing woman is the hottest thing in the music industry these days. If you expected another good looking blond woman who can't sing- you are SO wrong. Anastacia is different. Not only she is pretty; she has an amazing voice & amazing vocal qualities. This mix-up of good looks instead talent reminds Christina Aguilera- beautiful & vocal talented. Like Christina, Anastacia has a great R&B album, & she even wrote some of the songs. Her voice is so strong & unique & that is something you just can't ignore. The pearl of this album is definitely the beautiful & so-very-special balled, Who's Gonna Stop The Rain. Not only that the music & Anastacia's voice are both amazing, the words are very deep, special & makes you think of this world. Other great tracks are Black Roses, I'm Outta Love, Not That Kind & lots more. Conclusion, buy this album. I guaranty that it will be one of the best buys you'd make.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful, soothing book. It is a wonderful book, that is going to give you comfort after losing your cat.Very good not only for kids!$LABEL$1 +Excessively Mundane and Bizzare. This was a most disappointing book. It had an extreme amount of quotes from P&P and I tired of reading what P&P fans already knew. I expected a new story, not re-runs. I was also disappointed because we had so little time with Jane and Bingley. The author's plots were bizarre and unlikely. All of the quicky relationships and weddings were uninteresting and unrealistic. Caroline Bingley staying with the Darcys? Mary at Rosings? Kitty as Godmother? I was hoping to read about Elizabeth as mistress of Pemberly but our time was wrapped up in another "traumatic" (mundane is more like it) episode with the Wickams. Couldn't the author come up with her own ideas? Don't waste your time on this weak attempt. I recommend Pamela Aiden and hopes she writes a sequel when she completes her Gentleman trilogy.$LABEL$0 +Sturdy, easy to assemble, great quality. Bought this as a 2nd changing table to have on the main floor of our house. It is sturdy, was easy to put together, has never needed tightening (after daily use for over 5 months), and looks great with our furniture.I was skeptical about the pad when I first received it, because it seems very thin, but have found it to provide more than enough cushion. The shelves hold a ton of baby supplies.$LABEL$1 +Entertaining. A bit over top in some parts making it hard to believe, but ultimately I was very entertained with the story$LABEL$1 +Wonderfully Ingenious. A must see movie. The movie is both innovative and sexy. Shabana and Nandita (the actresses) are sensational. Shabana Azmi is a feminist, a great actress and a member of the Indian parliament. The struggle depicted in the movie is not just something Indian or south asian women face, women all around the world face opression - only the details are different. While this is an excellent movie you should be aware that India is a diverse culture and you cannot represent the people in that culture with some of the generic statements that other reviewers have made here. There are several flavors of middle class India. Many Indian middle class women have excellent careers both in and outside the home and find partners (men and women) who believe in the equality of sexes. There are excellent women scientists, homemakers, engineers, doctors, teachers, members of parliament, etc. who have a great sense of self respect - self respect is not unique to western women :-)$LABEL$1 +router reboots and will get the boot soon. My first WBR-2310 kept rebooting until it just stopped working. Dlink connected me to India, I sat on hold for 20 minutes until my call was dropped as it was answered by them. I went through that 3 times and came extremely close to smashing the router. I decided it would be better just to exchange it for a new one. Now I am on my second router and having similar issues (not quite as bad but still rebooting quite often). I would never buy a dlink router again. The equipment doesn't work and the support is the worst I have ever dealt with because they can't even figure out how to answer their own phones.$LABEL$0 +Sentimental romantic gay fiction. I first read the Loon series when they came out and I was impressed by 1) the correct English, 2) the sympathy for gay characters, 3) portrayal of Indian gay love, and 4) the erotic fiction. There are classical references which I find laughable but I guess someone else might find them romantic. The poetry is not very good, but I appreciate Richard Amory's attempts. Throughout the books the theme is how a young white man learns to accept his gay orientation through meeting and having sex with Indians and older white males. His 2 other books are also good. The movie was pretty bad.$LABEL$1 +The Way Of Harmony. Dr. Dreaver's book, "The Way Of Harmony", is appropriately named. It provides useful guidance for living a balanced life in language that is simple, direct and accessible. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient teaching traditions, this book provides practical guidance for meditation and other tools which are needed for living well while maintaining our relationship to spirit.I highly recommend this book both for the novice and experienced seekers alike. For the novice it offers new insights into old problems which have not responded well to traditional western approaches. For those who already have some experience with meditation and the search for balance, this book offers an excellent review and reminder of things already learned.$LABEL$1 +GPS Cable. I needed a cable because one did not come with my Garmin 1350T. It came within a couple of days and worked fine with my GPS. Of course the price was great!!!$LABEL$1 +Wild open and big. This thing is big and looks bad but I had to return it due to some problems right out of the box. After I charged the batteries and took it outside for a test the truck ran wide open. I changed the bands numerous times because they have 4 that you can choose from on the remote and the truck. It still ran out of control and wide open only ten feet from me. It was picking up waves from somewhere so we could not use this toy. The truck slammed into the curb at full speed and was just dangerous. Don't think that you are going to get any support from the New Bright Customer Service either.$LABEL$0 +Great Quality Student Flute. Bought this for my 11 year old daughter; she is really pleased with it. It has a nice tone and she fond it to be easy to play. The quality of the flute was obvious. My daughter's music teacher had recommended the Gemeinhardt for it's quality and value; it definitely was what the music teacher said it was and at half the price of a Yamaha student flute.$LABEL$1 +Precious Daughters!. I bought this book for my daughter's seventh birthday. We have used it over and over again! She absolutely loves it and feel very special when we read it out loud. The stories relate to where she is right now and has helped create warm memories. It even compliments her reading level and has encouraged her to learn about God. The heart shaped necklace is a bonus to this darling book.$LABEL$1 +How did this get published?. I can't even finish this book, I feel like I wasted my money! I can not relate to any of the characters in this book. I feel like Shane is a jerk (to put it nicely), and I can't even sypathize with Mara because she is too pathetic. Lisa Jackson should have given Mara's character some backbone, (like when Shane takes over her office she should have kicked him out for invading her personal space, Instead she just lets him take over.) Anyway, I just wanted to vent because I really do feel like this book is a waste of time and money.$LABEL$0 +This helps normalize the complex feelings of the young widow.. It was very cathartic to read this well written book. The author successfully puts words to the crazy roller coaster of emotions I have felt since the death of my longtime partner. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my emotions even though I have felt isolated in them by friends and family who cannot possibly understand what I have been through. Reading this book was like having a best friend to cry with who has had a similar life experience. I would definitely recommend this book.$LABEL$1 +Good Product. This is the third one I have had in during 38 years in the construction business. It is quality made and last a long time.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your time. This book is one of the worst texts I have read on the subject of Quantum Mechanics. Griffiths presents the subject in a glib manner presenting the easiest of material in the chapter and leaving the student to drown in problems without a clue of how to proceed. If you ever need to teach yourself Quantum Mechanics, Use the Feynman Lectures.$LABEL$0 +A Disappointment. When I bought this cd, I was pretty excited. The movie had been great and I really enjoyed the music. This soundtrack, however, was a disappointment. Most of the songs are cheesy and boring, with ultra pop-styled lyrics. There are a few songs that are good, but only because they're the same as they were in the movie. Most of the others were redone and poorly so. I also bought the second soundtrack, and its inclusion of the more obscure but higher quality tracks from the movie, as well as just simply including the origninal tracks from the movie, make it a more enjoyable buy.$LABEL$0 +This phone is horrible!. The speaker phone is very hard to understand and the battery gets very hot, very fast so your cheek feels like its on fire! The side buttons are also quite an inconvenience. Pictures randomly get taken and the phone puts itself in driving mode when these buttons are accidentally pushed.I DO NOT reccomend this phone$LABEL$0 +not happy with my fan. I bought this fan as everybody else did thinking this would be a nice fan that would last me for a long time I bought it last year and it didnt ever last me two seasons. I turn it on and it runs fine for a while then it gets hot and shuts down. So needless to say it is no god to me now I dont dare leave it on all night for fear it will short out or something like that. I only use it in my bed room at night and that is it so it is not used 24 7 so it has not been beat on. I bought a new one of a diffrent brand and have not had a problem with it . I know two diffrent people who bought the same kind of fan and theirs did the same thing. In my opinion it was not a good value for the money I paid for it it really dissapointed me.$LABEL$0 +Nice concept, but poor performance. I have owned my Delta Sander for several months- bought due to the favorable review in one of my woodworking magazines.Problems:Mechanism to elevate table is flawed. Cog belt constantly slips- I have spent whole days just trying to get table parallel. Table is diffuclt to raise and lower. Called customer service a few times but they were of limited help= suggested I take to service center. At nearly 200 lbs this is somewhat impractical.Motor must be removed to replace cog belt- not a one person job- motor is very heavy.No way to avoid snip.Tool might be good for small jobs- like crafts- but working with even small panel doors leads to disappointing results.I have many delta tools in my shop- love them all except this one.$LABEL$0 +Like Reading for Fun!. Learning cultural anthropology through this book is a joy ride. When I was reading, it actually felt like I was reading a New York Times Bestseller! This book captures you attention and it is never boring. I had to read this book for my intro to anthropology class and you can only imagine how fun studying for this class was. I've learned so much from it and I would read it again when I have the time!$LABEL$1 +Strong and Stylish. I used this to mount my 52" Samsung LCD and it isplenty strong enough. Takes a bit of planning to install, but if you are careful it is no big problem. I use ti to swing the TV at it far extent to view from the Kitchen and it works great and seems to have no problems. Looks good too with the arms extended due to the finish.$LABEL$1 +Good ideas...but that's it. I gave this one 2/5 because it does have some original ideas, otherwise I would have given it lower. The movie has a great idea going...it's just not implemented well...or should I say, in a horror fashion. I know a lot of people in reviews like to say "the ideas weren't implemented well" but that's really the only thing I could think. Bulbous, protruding phallus members belonging to homicidal maniacs? Bring it on, I said. Unfortunately, this one has the vulgarity and nudity typical to most of my favorite horror movies, but not enough gore and too many alterations to make the reader try to feel the effects of whatever drugs these kids were on. So, while the film didn't "bring it on," per se, it'll definitely be one I'll be thinking about in the near future...so I'll know what to avoid.$LABEL$0 +Best Biography I've ever Read. I knew nothing about Peter the Great going into this book but feel as if I lived alongside him in the Russian Empire. Great book.$LABEL$1 +Very dissapointed. I bought this title in hopes that the Synergy version of this movie would have fixed the missing sound effects track which was missing on the WB version. Well it wasn't there. So do yourself a favor and don't buy this version of the DVD if you want to get the missing sound effects track.Will somebody ever fix this!!!???$LABEL$0 +Great score, silly show.. This is a classic example of a bad show with a great score. The rather silly plotline and the quiet intimacy of the show guaranteed its quick demise on Broadway (although it was a success in London), but this CD documents what I would consider one of Webber's finest scores. It is intimate, subtle, almost a chamber musical in a way. Not at all what one would expect from this composer. Michael Ball is stunning in the lead role, and the remaining cast members perform beautifully. Several stand-out songs and an overall feeling of grace and old-world style should assure this score's survival, despite its less-than-stellar Broadway stage history.$LABEL$1 +Pride and Prejudice. I have the video of one of the older versions of the movie and I also have the cd of the most recent movie. I love both of them so much that I had to get the book since it gives you more of an indebt of the thoughts etc. of the characters.I love the book$LABEL$1 +Dead Lingo. Received - 3/8/06Died - 3/10/06In between. - I was using it for German. The vocabulary isis small despite the ad claims. It only has theroot words.It would be much better to have it do one languagewell than 16 poorly. Obviously, it would havebetter if it worked more than 2 days too.$LABEL$0 +Junk being shipped as the better item. This is the item being shipped out instead of the better, higher quality item you see when searching for this costume. This has no black cloth under the arms (on the sides) and has no badge or pips. It is just junk. The problem is, you can't tell what you're getting because someone at Amazon seems to not know the difference.$LABEL$0 +Been wanting to read this for awhile. A fun piece! Gone before her time..what a wonderful writer and refreshingly honest woman whose works in film and print will always be some of my favorites.$LABEL$1 +esther williams in love with esther williams. good grief it must have been hard to make these movies with out co stars.she told directors how to direct,swimmers how to swim,designed costumes filled and cleaned the pool and still had time to slander a man who loved her. and on top of all this she gave up her 3 children for a guy who had a greatpenis. how lucky we are to have her.$LABEL$0 +drumming circle. I bought these inexpensive blocks to take to the drumming circle. The blocks are a great addition, many have remarked that they are pleased we have them. Great way to participate without hauling "BIG" stuff. The blocks maybe for kids, but they are great for adults also. We Enjoy Them.$LABEL$1 +Great Cheap Shoes. I mean cheap as in inexpensive. These shoes are comfortable and grippy. These shoes are good for freerunning or normal everyday use. Definitely worth buying again.$LABEL$1 +Big Disappointment. I was excited to buy this for my daughter. However, we ended up only playing it once or twice. There is no point to the game...no strategy. Whether you guess right or wrong you still get to move.We ended up making up our own rules$LABEL$0 +strangely idiomatic faust from Russia. If you're not put off by Faust in Russian, this isn't a bad performance.It might help explain why Faust was so popular a hundred years ago and nowstrikes us as a bit of a bore. Kozlovksy is one of the best Fausts on discbut he is not as subtle as in some of his other performances. Shumskaya is alsonot as good as on her Traviata -- she seemed to develop something of a slavicspinto after 1947 so she is edgier here and has no trill. Reizen is a goodmephistopheles but overacts. Still, it is a lively performance, well conductedby Nelboussine and even includes some of the ballet music.$LABEL$1 +God book. Im teach my son about drawing.......easy reading ....better than 1st edition great book so show all aspects of drawing. Buy one now$LABEL$1 +This film is a bunch of horse you-know-what. A 10 year old could have done a better job directing. It's *sort* of about a horse, it's *sort* about an owner, it's *sort* about the comeback of trainer, but only skims all of them while indulging us in none. You can't blame the cast - these people are good, yet completely disengaged while on screen. Malkovich is hurrying through it as if he's got something better to do (he probably did!) and Ozzy Ozborn would have been more convincing as the owner than Diane Lane. A complete disservice dealt to the greatest racehorse that ever lived. Watch Seabiscuit instead. That was excellent and everything this should have been.$LABEL$0 +Do your research. I was not very happy with this product nor was my 5 month daughter. It reminded me of something you can buy at a swap meet for five dollars. I was also very disappointed that it only plays tunes for five minutes. I have never heard of a baby who falls asleep in five minutes. It's cute but not what I was looking for. My fault, I should have done my research.$LABEL$0 +Reliability Problems. Setup easy, performance fine, but died in a few months. Same problem with BEFSR41 Router. This seems more than just coincidence; previously used Linksys and they were good products. Now they are substandard from reliability standpoint. Am replacing all network products with Netgear; will not buy any further Linksys products.$LABEL$0 +childish, but OK. If you are serious about learning about face painting and making effects, this book IS NOT FOR YOU. I found it to be childish . There isn't as many ideas either. The pictures in the book looked to be slopply done. But I do like the paints. Goes on easy and cleans up easy.$LABEL$0 +beautiful floor lamp. Beautiful lamps but somewhat shorter than I had anticipated. Still. . . really liked the design and finish.$LABEL$1 +A first rate overview of the first decade. This two-disc package is a great buy. It contains a smorgasbord of great goals and game highlights, with informative and interesting insights from many of the coaches and key players involved in the games. I've watched it and rewatched it several times, with undiminished pleasure. (I have only one quibble. To my mind, Bergkamp's superbly acrobatic goal--ranked as the second best of the first decade--is far more impressive than Beckham's long-range--and rather lucky--effort, which is ranked as the best of the decade.)$LABEL$1 +Good size and worked well.. Only owned one day but tested out and worked well. In a room around 72F after a little over two hours it was at 30F empty using the optional power adapter. Placing 3 glass bottles of soda brought it up to 40F after a short time. It took about 3 hours to chill them and bring the temp back down to 32F. Switching to heat mode it took less then 1 hour to bring the empty cooler to well over 75F again. Fridge thermometer was buried so I don't know exactly.Overall I think that it performed as advertised and will work out fine. The P95 is a perfect size for personal use and trips to grocery stores not close to home. It's not huge but it's not small either, good mid-sized choice.$LABEL$1 +Good quality but poor performance. The quality of the unit is done well, but the performance was much worse than I anticipated. The monitor operates on the 900 MHZ band, which is used by many devices. The camera was on the second story of our house, and the video monitor was in our bedroom on the first floor about 45 feet away. We also have wireless LAN and wireless phones (2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz). Regardless of how much I adjusted antennas and channel settings, the picture and sound quality was very poor. The sound always had a large amount of interference even at very low volume levels. I would not recommend using this product unless the camera and monitor were very close together and other wireless interference was limited. There are higher frequency monitors, so I may try one of those next.The infrared picture worked well - you could see fairly well even though the room had almost no light.$LABEL$0 +The six wives of Henry vii. Item was described as one tape- 540 minutes. E-mail confirming item was shipped said only one episode. Now I'll have to return item. Placed order of new one that says full series in top title. Hope for better results. Haven't had a discepency like this with outside vendor before and I've ordered movies before. Have to keep eye out with vendors now.$LABEL$0 +A good book for the newcomer to art.... but nothing new for the artist. That said, the book is nevertheless well written. The style is reminiscent of the creative flow experience itself. This book does a good job helping the newbie to understand what flow feels like and how to obtain that state. The exercises are very practical and tend to balance the "flow-like" text. I loved the illustrations. I keep going back to the book just to look at the art work.$LABEL$1 +Buy this often hard to find release. Better than their next release, Boheme, this debut album is definately worth the price of admission. The recording is technically flawless. Etheral and trancy.$LABEL$1 +Perfect "first Bible" for children!. This is the perfect "first Bible" for children. The pictures are bright and colorful, the handle is easy to hold and the hard back holds up to many drops!$LABEL$1 +Very thoughtful, many ideas shared by a great author. Actually I bought this book for strictly "scholar" reasons. It was the right one to buy, brought me a few thoughts, also, revealed many of the issues related to Tony Kushner and his works. What I find amazing in this book, however, is it's charm, wit, sometimes irony. And, therefore, in addition to "scholar" reasons I got also a great book full of real great, funny, moving and grand... talking... :-))) I'd really like to recomend it not only to people doing research in gay/queer/theater and performance in general topics, but also to those, who're seeking confessions of a lively and exploring mind.$LABEL$1 +My kids love it!. Santa gave my 5 year old daughter this for christmas and she hasn't stopped playing with it. Her brother who is 11 years old rides on it too, and it's pink! His friends came over for a sleepover and they all loved it! They are fighting about who can ride it all the time! I think it is time to buy a second one!$LABEL$1 +Oil gasket replace. Gasket arrived on time and was not damaged. New gasket has been on vehicle 2 weeks with no leaks.Much satisfied.$LABEL$1 +What Is Rother Doing??. I can't believe how much of a steaming pile of turd this album is. Rother's tracks a la Hacker & Destroy Him My Robots blew me to pieces. Why has he jumped onto the electroclash bandwagon? The vocals are embarrassing, the music worse (boring, in fact). This is lazy - I think he's run out of ideas. I wonder if he actually listened to what he was recording. Cmon, Anthony - we know what you're capable of!!$LABEL$0 +This was my first time using Summer's Eve, .... This was my first time using Summer's Eve, and I didn't think that I would like it. I was wrong. It left me feeling really clean and fresh. I would recommend this product to my friends.$LABEL$1 +The Prodigal. I loved it, it was riviting.I felt I was part of the family and living every moment, and I could not put it down.$LABEL$1 +just cheap screen house. pro : cheap, easy assembly, looks like waterproofcons : cheap material, some pole doesn't fit, big meshBefore this screen house, I got 14 by 12 screen house at Sams club by swissgear which was very good, well made and good price. I felt it was to big for us and returned it. The second one was by greatland at nearby target store. The quality was much poor than the swissgear's. Finally,I looked at the reviewes here and bought this one. I was happy about the cheap price. The pole looks likes steel which is easily get rust and some of them I cannot plug it in. I tried to bent them and manage to fit in. The screen mesh is lage compared to ordinary mesh of any tent. The roof material is same thing as a tarp and look like water proof which is good thing. The carring bag is big and nice. In my point of view, this is just a cheap screen house not better worthy than the money. You cannot expect quality of coleman or Eureka for sure.$LABEL$0 +Meh, it's not very good.... I played this game 2 years ago and found it to be quite disappointing. I was a massive fan of the first "Army Men" game that came out and that was definitely a very cool game. "Army Men: Air Attack" has arguably worse graphics than the first game and the gameplay is often problematic.It was cool to play a game with helicopters and army men, but the game is so short that you'll be done in less than a day if you play it non-stop. Look, the bottom line is that this game is just too short, too easy and is clearly based for younger kiddies, so I guess for a 16 or 18 year old this game is just a piece of piss.So get it for your kids if you like, but there are many newer, longer and more stimulating games out there, even for young ones. I guess that if I were a kid I'd give the game 7/10, but since I'm older I give it 3 stars. Just look elsewhere if you're above the age of 10, trust me...$LABEL$0 +PHENOMINAL. This book is a must-read, inspirational, and spirit-filled, guide for individuals that will or have experienced human struggle. This navigation manual is written with boldness and sensitivity, and trancends generations, gender, economic status, and cultural differences.This book shows human beings how to live life to the fullest no matter what life has dealt them.$LABEL$1 +the real highlight is the SOundtrack. this is film overall has nothing on the orginal.a few things about it are alright but the Music is the Real Diamond.Donny Hathaway&Quincy Jones on the Soundtrack is a must.THe Main Actors are cool but this Film doesn't really go anywhere.the First one is a Classic.$LABEL$0 +Stalin:A Time for Judgement. An introductory work; good for a high school class. I donated my copy to the local high school. I hope the students get a fresh perspective on what communism was like under a satanic dictator.$LABEL$0 +unable to view. I tried to download the movie but it would not download. I could not play it directly either. Did not like.$LABEL$0 +Stainless & PLASTIC Strainer. The main complaint is the product is more plastic than stainless. Looks nice in my new sink but light weight plastic concerns me over the long haul. For the price product should be more substantial.$LABEL$0 +so pretentious ---- such a waste of time. This book won an award?!!!??? Why would anybody read it past page 20 (I needlessly suffered to the end of the book.) Boring characters, muddled writing, confused ideas, grand pomposity-- this book is a massive celebration of pretentiousness. Big disappointment. Thanks Mr. Frenzen.$LABEL$0 +Halloween Classics. I'm glad these 2 films have come out on video. They're something anyone would enjoy. You become interested in the Cromwell Family from the first video, and the story becomes more interesting as the films progress. Fpr instance, Marnie's mom doesn't like Halloween; the film tells you why.$LABEL$1 +The Songs That Got Away. I was terribly dissapointed in the quality of the sound production on this CD. The mixers could have done a much better job with this ladies voice$LABEL$0 +Not Yet Completely Tired of Waiting. I purchased this DVD on the strength of the positive reviews and I may have been drinking , also. For the hardcore Kinks' fan this may satisfy, for me not so much. It's really just a bunch of videos, none earth shattering. I have a bootleg DVD of the Kinks, Jan. 72, BBC broadcast from the Rainbow Theater in London. That is the type of stuff I'm longing for. There must be that & more that could be released. As with all these groups from the 60's, they need to get the product out as their fan base with disposable income is dying or losing interest. So it's bootlegs or youtube, check out Ray Davies singing Waterloo Sunset at the Roundhouse..... that's what I'm talking about.$LABEL$0 +Too Many BUGS!!!. This sim. has too many buggs to work well. I had to load thee new drivers for my graphics card befor it would run at all and it runs like pooh! I have all the problems that other reviewers had. I also don't get the campaigns, i have flown on all three forces and it is much easyer to win the warif you fly for Germany. Iam very dissaponted in this game CFS1&CFS2 are much better . Don't buy this game!$LABEL$0 +Impractical for residential use. The woodpecker pro is a good device if you live in a rural area where screeching bird recordings won't bother the neighbors. If you use this in the city, be prepared to receive a noise citation from your local police department. And no, you can't turn it down low so it won't bother the neighbors and still have it be effective. City dwellers might as well put that same $200 towards hiring an exterminator or pest control pro. The majority of times it's a single woodpecker causing the damage, so it's not like you're going to need follow up visits by the pro. This is definitely a case of where being a DIY'er has no real benefit.$LABEL$0 +Slows down computer, 1/4th of the pages won't even load.. Another internet security let down. The first problem I encountered was it trying to block Internet Explorer; my options were "Allow once" or "Deny Once", I'd click "Allow Once" since there was no "Always allow" option, and up comes the prompt a second later >_< On top of that, half of the pages I go to won't load, downloads freeze, and it made my broadband connection twice as slow. I gave it 2 stars because it does seem to be protecting against attacks but ruining my connection and ability but I've come to expect this from internet security programs.$LABEL$0 +No SACD?. That's because Rhino is now owned by the WEA group and they don't support SACD. They could have used DVD-Audio instead, considering all the trouble they went to creating surround versions. The DTS 96/24 tracks are decent IF you have a newer 96/24 DTS decoder, otherwise you'll get 48/24 output. This same problem will plague the upcoming Genesis reissues as well, you'll only get the SACD layer if you buy the import and that means the videos will be PAL format.$LABEL$1 +Great for Kids. A great introduction to Longfellow and the roots of this great Country. The artwork is beautiful. A good book for young children learning to read.$LABEL$1 +THESE ARE PLASTIC NOT ALUMINUM!!!!. this is a really deceiving advertisement.I ordered the PINK FENDERS. . . they are 100% plastic. . NO ALUMINUM here. .they are costly $$$$$And a pain to now return!!!!How can you put this description up of your product that is NOT TRUE?$LABEL$0 +Not much substance. I bought this book hoping to get informed guidelines on handling emergencies involving children, while waiting for the ambulance - or even what to do or not in cases that might not merit a call to 911. However, the entire book could be summed up in one sentence: "Call 911 and sit tight." The author goes into all kinds of details, but I could not extract much in the way of emergency response, other than to sit by the child, reassure him/her and wait for the ambulance.$LABEL$0 +Hey, it's a freakin' toner cartridge, what can I say?. Well, the cartridge fit the laser printer, and it contains toner, and it works. I can't say how much longer the "high capacity" cartridge lasts compared to the regular ("low capacity?") one does, as I'm not that anal about measuring stuff like that. But if you have an NEC laser printer that uses this cartridge and it seems you're buying a lot of cartridges, maybe you should try this high capacity version.$LABEL$1 +Handy. Like all the other Bucket Boss items, this is thoughtfully designed and well made. Material is durable and there are lots of pockets, inside and out to store tools. I keep my tools in a utility closet and then load this up based on what I need. Saves lots of running back and forth to get tools and I don't have to lug around a huge bucket of tools. The shoulder strap is handy as it frees up both hands to carry other stuff to the project.$LABEL$1 +Baby Alive must have. This is a great addition to Baby Alive mainly because of the pacifier. The pacifier is what makes her go to sleep. So I guess for some parents this is a must have for their childs Baby Alive .$LABEL$1 +Insane Stories. This is an odd collection of stories. Most of the stories are of insane people. If it was otherwise, I guess that they would not be 'gothic'. I was rather impressed with the Steven King story,and "The Glass Cat". Some were a bit beyond me. E. B. White's "The Door" was a weird story that while making some sense, in the end was confusing.$LABEL$1 +Harryporrtcrazy. I love it! It was at my door in just a couple days and it is exactly what I was,looking for.$LABEL$1 +Almost good. This slicer quickly cut my home made corn beef into perfect deli thin slices...and then just as quickly turned a loaf of my home-baked bread into a pile of useless crumbs. The slices would not feed all the way through and broke up. I could have used a third hand, by I only have two hands. I will use it for meat, but never again on bread.$LABEL$0 +Chamberlain Driveway Alerts. I purchased a Reporter RWA300R 4 years ago worked great, finally failed so I upgraded to a Chamberlain CWA2000 with 1/2 mile range. The CWA 2000 never worked so I ordered another RWA300R (now made by Chamberlain) it's range is about 50' not the advertised 1200'. I think Chamberlain screwed up a good product line, I would advise anyone looking for a drive alarm to keep looking!$LABEL$0 +Why is this album getting so much attention.. It's sad to see this album getting so much attention because truly it wasn't that good.$LABEL$0 +Not much use for someone who studied music. Looking for a book that might possibly give me a better insight into the aesthetic value of music, I bought this with high hopes. Having previously studied music, I was also hoping for a unique perspective and a broader education in classical music, but found this book to be nothing more than a college level textbook. It is arranged nicely and has great appendix on creating a music library. But the author is often long winded, using musical terms that aren't clearly defined and over descriptive and opinionated explanations of composers and their works. This might be nice for someone who has a beginning interest in classical music, but not for someone who has a working knowledge of the field.$LABEL$0 +Better than nothing. I ordered this light from another website. As a flashlight that you're pretty much guaranteed to have with you, it's better than nothing, but the LED is much dimmer than other lights I've owned. It's good for close up, like at your door, but almost useless for lighting your way across a dark yard.$LABEL$0 +It took us a while to realize it wasn't really sucking anything up. Doesn't suck well and gets easily clogged. Within a year ours had stopped working completely and we had to get a new vacuum.$LABEL$0 +Thorough and well-done. I'm no Gershwin scholar, but the musicological and performance notes are informative and engraving is well-organized and clear.$LABEL$1 +Don't make this your only reference. I had this book and the Transcender exam for Exchange 5.5. It's a good thing I had the Transcender stuff. I've been working with Exchange for over a year in single-site configurations, but needed something to get wise to multi-site configurations, etc. This book wasn't enough. Maybe it was just the fact that I kept falling asleep over it, but there seemed to be major sections that the Transcender exam covered well that this didn't touch at all. All in all, a disappointment.$LABEL$0 +Courting Trouble is a Stepping Stone. Let me be polite here. This book is for somebody graduating from romance novels but will never read Lawrence Block, Michael Connelly or Patricia Cornwell. Courting Trouble's plot isn't geared for any logical thinking human being. Do yourself a favor and try another of Scotoline's books. This one really insults the intelligence of a fifth grader.$LABEL$0 +kreg trak and stops kit. just what I was looking for precision and easy installation. Works well with my miter saw where repeatability is needed.$LABEL$1 +Alarm doesn't work. Slick watch alarm doesn't work. Seller very helpful, offers to resend item. But no thanks$LABEL$0 +Months later, still going strong!!!. When my corgi Sophie first got this toy, she went wild with it... months later it's still her favorite. She's tried to destuff a lot of her toys, but this one has baffled her, HAHAHAHA!!! Extremely well made. I love the way the squeakers go into separate plush and velcro-closed pouches. Sophie loves the three different textures -- plush, sheepy, and whatever the tail is. And of course the squeakers. Sophie loves faux sheepskin, squeakers, and she loves to shake and worry her toys. If your dog likes any one of these things, it'll like the toy a lot. If it likes two, this toy will be a huge hit. If, like Sophie, it's nuts for all three -- you'll have one very, very, very happy doggy.$LABEL$1 +Great Xbox Live replacement!. I was looking for something to replace the default Xbox Live headset. I did some research, and found these. They are the same thing but better. It is a more solid build. It has a leather ear cushion, and the boom mic is much clearer (So my friends say). I'm very happy with this. It's less expensive than the default Xbox mic, and its better quality. I love it. I've already shown 3 friends, and they have ordered it already. Its perfect for Xbox Live.$LABEL$1 +Not worth your money. We got this for our son when he was 6 and it never worked very well. The tee always came apart and the bases are totally cheap! I wouldn't recommend spending your money on something so flimsy. The price wasn't expensive, so I guess you get what you pay for...$LABEL$0 +Absolutely Wonderful!. If you enjoyed "Rebirth" then you will enjoy this new release from Kirk Franklin! This is a cd that I can put in my cd player and just let play from beginning to end! I am in love with "Hero"! Waiting for this cd was NOT in vain!$LABEL$1 +Black light acoustic jams. Remember the sections of Black Sabbath's "Vol. 4" where the band would take a break from rocking and wander off on acoustic guitar tangents? Imagine a whole album of that, and you pretty much have Citay's debut. The album even has bongos, for chrissakes. But it's extremely well-done. Ezra Feinberg (formerly of Piano Magic) and Tim Green (of The F***ing Champs, and formerly of The Nation of Ulysses) combine on acoustic guitars, mandolin, and analog synths for some lava lamp-lit psychedelic folk. The only trace of Green's rocking resume is the occasional twin guitar harmony. Otherwise, this disc is full of pleasant vocals and gentle jams that your hippie uncle can get with.$LABEL$1 +Great book about investing in commercial real estate!. This is a very good read and introduction to investing in commercial real estate!Lex Levinrad - Author of Wholesaling Bank Owned Properties$LABEL$1 +Fast Order. I ordered this item and given a specific date for arrival. The day before this item arrived$LABEL$1 +Kangaroo Krap. I saw this on a bus from Shaoxing to Hangzhou. Dubbed in Chinese with Chinese subtitles, and I was listening to THE LIVE ALBUM by The Charlie Daniels Band. I didn't need the sound to know this movie is horrible. Lemme quit editing my books and write a new one about kangaroos wearing sunglasses, and Mafia money, and funny Hollywood fat guys being funny Hollywood fat guys, and farts. Lots of farts. Shakespeare, Lu Xun, Dickens, James Joyce, Dr Seuss -- didn't they all insist on at least seven fart jokes per page?$LABEL$0 +George Carlin Collection. A very good show that always hit home for some, as it is racy in parts, good adult entertainment.$LABEL$1 +an excellent read. a realistic description of what it was like to like in england during the bombing raids of 40's 41's and it well worth reading!$LABEL$1 +Wasted my time with this. I received this item a month ago as a wedding present and was grateful that a gift receipt was included. For all of the noise this machine made it had almost no suction and I had to soak up the stains and water with a super absorbant sponge. The brushes also failed to remove anything below the surface, so the stains are less obvious but not gone. I've had better results scrubbing by hand and after two weeks I exchanged this product for a Bissell that actually works. The Spot Scrubber simply did not live up to its name and I would never reccomend it to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Misleading. Ad led me to believe I was buying 4 disposable Digital cameras. What I received was 4 disposable film cameras and the film expired 14 months before I received them! How about a refund?$LABEL$0 +Forbidden Planet. Region details not available. Does not play on Australian DVD player. Waste of money in the end. :($LABEL$0 +Book was gift. I got this book as a gift and it's been well-liked so far. Shipped quickly and was in great condition when it arrived, but I don't know details enough to review content or anything like that.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy except if you have an old tablet model. It won't work with Intuous 4 or the last models of Cintiq. Because this reason you will buy a piece of plastic as another review says except if you have not renewed your tablet since several years ago. I don't think that this product makes any sense with this misleading limitation that is not clearly stated in anywhere.$LABEL$0 +Very thorough, but easy to read. Grudem does a great job of taking the doctrines of the Bible, even the difficult ones, and explaining them in a way that is understandable to the layperson. He provides Biblical support for the doctrines and addresses many of the ways that various doctrines are misunderstood or misinterpreted and shows where they strayed from what the Bible actually teaches.$LABEL$1 +a waste of money. this is by far the worst rpg game in the history of rpg...flat graphics..no walking or talking to npc's..confusing storyline at best. How could Square make such a game and call it a rpg is beyond me!$LABEL$0 +I picked this song for the Oscar :->. This is a great soundtrack (better than the movie to me), and I was hoping that It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp would get the Oscar it was nominated for and it did. I'm glad for Three 6 Mafia that it did - it's a fantastic, tight song. The rest of the cd is good too, but there is no other standout song like that. I do like Whoop That Trick. Even though this music is a little heavier than I usually listen to, I still find it great and powerful and a fantastic cd to blast in the car.$LABEL$1 +Great Times Great Music. I received this CD for less then $7.00 It is packed with some of the best music of soul and motown . I tried to order this from PCH time life music there price was $19.95 for the same CD it took 8 weeks to get to me. When I ordered it from Amazon it only took 3 days to get to me. Thats service.Quess what one I sent back...........$LABEL$1 +Truth or Fiction. I'm about half way through the book and I had to read some of the reviews to see if other former Marines were thinking what I was thinking, which was "this doesn't resemble the Marine Corps I served in!"I was and enlisted Marine from 76-82 and while some of Swoffords descriptions of the antics of his fellow Marines bring back memories by and large I do not recognize the Marines he described. The people I served with were more disciplined and just plain better people. I hope that people who read this book and do not know better do not accept the things that Swofford describes as standard for US Marines. They are not.$LABEL$0 +Fabulous performance rendered mediocre by poor recording. This is a wonderful performance of Un Ballo, but, I tend not to watch it because the recording techniques were so poor. By that I mean that the lighting was always just a bit too low (making it difficult, at times, to appreciate the wonderful colonial costuming used for this American setting of the opera) and the sound recording levels are far lower than on another DVD of this opera I own (making it difficult, at times, to hear subtle passages). From an audio perspective, this DVD gives you no sense of presence. Everything's just a bit too murky.Though I prefer the look of the production of this Un Ballo to the Swedish setting and costuming in another Un Ballo DVD I own, I tend to watch the Swedish one just because it's so much easier to see and hear.Shame on the technicians. This might have been the best Un Ballo otherwise.$LABEL$1 +Waste of Money. Needs an update.. Zero stars.Won't work with Mac OS X OS 10.4.3, Print commad crashes the program every time.There is no update available online.$LABEL$0 +Disappointment to Real MMC Fans. Four epsidoes from JUST season 6? I agree with most of these reviews in that Disney is just trying to jump on the Britney, Justin and Christina bandwagon. This is such a disappointment to those who watched, worked on, and truly loved the show. The real highlights of MMC were the other talented cast members, who were not featured. Dedicated fans know that Britney, Justin and Christina were never the most popular 'teers--why create a DVD just around them?On the plus side, this DVD features two of the better Season 6 skits--Generation Gap Shoppping and Everybody's a Winner (none of which include Brit, Justin or Christina). And, it has some good shots of 'teer siblings and friends like Trace, Jamie Lynn, Laura Lynn and Rachael (if this is interesting to anyone).This DVD will flop, and it deserves to. Disney needs to get their act together and create something that would embrace what the show really was--or not do anything at all.$LABEL$0 +New Fan!. I have passed this wonderful novel on to several friends and co-workers who were equally enthralled with both Barbara's writing style, the subject matter and the character's life-altering trip back to Scotland! I anxiously await the sequel, along with all of those I have brought into Annie's world!$LABEL$1 +Total Crap and that is Generous. I am sure this movie will appeal to spoiled brats who resent their parents and the establishment in this twisted immorality play. The film was playing when I was in college, and although I thought the poster looked neat, I never saw it. I realize now that it was garbage just like all those "Billy Jack" movies and the "One Tin Soldier" theme song. I saw the movie on Showtime recently and could not finish watching it. It was the kind of crap that only a liberal intellectual could love. I do own 2001 on Blue-Ray and appreciate that movie.$LABEL$0 +best towel in the house!. it goes to show how spoiled our dog is when his towel is the best in the house! it's big, it's really absorbent, and washes just fine. didn't have the problems with dye that others have mentioned. but anytime it's raining we keep this by the door and it works great!$LABEL$1 +Blah... This may seem really stupid, but this CD definitely isn't within my decent genre range. Once in a while, there is a "pop-punk" song that makes everyone dance. I'm just writing this review because I'm searching for one of the songs from the trailer. I haven't even watched this movie, which could actually help me out, but I figured I could share my lack of musical knowledge with you nice folks. I'm wondering which song is played at the end of the preview where someone runs into a football pole, the goofy kid says "i thought it tasted funny", and what's his name is on stage playing the guitar. Some of the words are either "I'm contagious, you're contagious" or "I'm ok and you're ok". I'm guessing it's the second, though the first would be quite funny.$LABEL$0 +Sking?. After there first ska albums this one tends to remind me of the W's, a very good swing band, FIF;s music is a mix between these two styles$LABEL$1 +Beautiful Covered Unlined Notebook. Laurel Burch's beautiful art work on the cover of this unlined notebook enhances everything you put inside. The unusual shape of the cover adds to its specialness. It makes a wonderful gift for anyone, even yourself.$LABEL$1 +Yuk my teeth hurt. I would have given this zero stars, but Amazon's system doesn't work that way.I suppose there are people who are happy to make Kinkade rich off their hard earned money, because he certainly isn't working very hard for his. It's like the book was written with a Thesaurus -- let's look up different ways to say exactly the same thing over and over and over.I'm glad I didn't pay for this, but sorry that someone else did.$LABEL$0 +Here's what you need to know about Mary Mapes, so-called "Journalist". Reporter Brian Ross: "Do you still think that story was true?"Ex-CBS producer Mary Mapes: "The story? Absolutely."Ross: "This seems remarkable to me that you would sit here now and say you still find that story to be up to your standards."Mapes: "I'm perfectly willing to believe those documents are forgeries if there's proof that I haven't seen."Ross: "But isn't it the other way around? Don't you have to prove they're authentic?"Mapes: "Well, I think that's what critics of the story would say. I know more now than I did then and I think, I think they have not been proved to be false, yet."Ross: "Have they proved to be authentic though? Isn't that really what journalists do?"Mapes: "No, I don't think that's the standard."$LABEL$0 +Acorn slippers - Great gift for my wife. My wife loves these slippers.For the last 10 years she's been purchasing or receiving LL Bean fleece slippers for Christmas and loved those. But she's turned into slip-in slipper person and was just resting her heal on the back of the slippers. She saw these so we gave them a try.1. They're warm and toasty2. Slip on w/o having to cover her heel.3. bottom is very durable, she can take the dogs outside for their biz and not worry about wet, leaves or poo ruining her slippers4. sale price was very nice.She recommends these slippers very highly$LABEL$1 +You get what you pay for. This seems like a great deal. For $10 bucks more than the apple dock (standalone) you get a dock with ac adapter, a 3.5 mm to 3 RCA cable, an S video cable, a travel charger for the ipod (separate from the dock power supply), a remote, and a dock connector to 3 RCA cable (not dock connector to 2 RCA audio as advertised). Buying these components separately from quality manufacturers would cost over $100. The problem is that Cables to Go is not a quality manufacturer. The dock produced an audible hiss and reversed the audio signal, so that that the left speaker played what the right speaker was supposed to play and vice versa. Further, the remote was extremely shoddy, requiring multiple button presses and extremely accurate aiming even at a distance of 12 feet. I did not use any of the cables, but if they are anything like the dock I'd avoid them.$LABEL$0 +Low fat doesn't mean precarious...... I remember that these bad boys saved my life at a job I use to have. I would throw a couple of these Pop Tarts in the toaster and enjoy with a cup of coffee. I must say that they held me over very well until lunch time.Or under the assumption I didn't have time for lunch because my former job was known for not letting an easy going guy like myself have the ability to go to lunch, despite my high production and charismatic personality. I guess that is why I don't work there anymore.I digress, these Pop Tarts are really good and they don't taste low fat at all. The bold flavor of brown sugar and cinnamon burst from these Pop Tarts like a banshee's guffaws after Halloween is over. This treat is an exquisite pastry the can be served like beignets in The French Quarter.I will stop with the metaphors this really is a great product.$LABEL$1 +Go outside and mow the lawn instead. You'll find more invigorating excitement mowing the lawn. Hollywood has lost touch, I just can't get into the same old story rehashed over and over and over and over.$LABEL$0 +Type of DVD. Please note that the HD DVD is also Blue Ray and does not play on a standard DVD machine. No clue but wasted an overnight delivery and planned double feature.$LABEL$0 +Utterly Useless. There is no English whatsoever in this package, not on the cassette tape, not in the book. It's all Japanese! (verbal words and writing) So how on earth could you teach yourSELF Japanese, let alone children? I paid $18.00 for this more than 10 years ago; what a waste!$LABEL$0 +disappointing to professionals. There is too much rambling, not enough specific help and examples, and the index is terrible. Please read the review of this in "The Library Quarterly" vol 67, Oct 1997, #4, pp406-408$LABEL$0 +What a waste of time. Yuck. I am an avid reader of fantasy series and truly cannot understand why this series ever became popular. Don't waste your time.$LABEL$0 +Not Loud!. When the first thing in your ad is "loud" I think it's reasonable to expect it to be loud. Wrong. I'm hard of hearing so I'm trying to buy a loud timer. If you're like me, don't buy this.$LABEL$0 +What a weak ending. It's kind of like Dilbert as a narrative--but not as good. The book has an interesting premise, is quite amusing in bits, and the author had absolutely no idea how to end the story. Bethke also has some serious grammatical problems with his writing. If spelling and grammar mean anything to you as a reader, you should give this one a miss.$LABEL$0 +Moving Story. Lucy's story is a compelling one. Being faced with cancer at a young age is difficult. Being subjected to the treatments is difficult. Adding to that having your face changed in that manner and being able to work through it was a remarkable feat and took strength.It is a book that helps put many things in our life in perspective in both what we think are events and circumstances that are "too much" to handle when on reflection they are well within being nothing more than a minor annoyance and how we relate to and judge others. It also shows how strong people can be.The descriptions of what she went through and had to endure are detailed and disturbing and at times extremely unsettling. It still winds up as ultimately being a postive book, albeit sad.$LABEL$1 +really bad political correctness.... This looks puked on. even I voted for bush, unlike those losers who made this sh**ty movie! So tell me again, why did somebody make this. Ir is way too politically correct. It is "Man is Evil" like, it is environmentalist, it has the "Great Spirits from above, and it has music which no one in the right mind will like, especially not love. Now anyone who likes this should have their Butts dropped off, and so should the makers.$LABEL$0 +Works fine. The pad could be longer for me. I'm a big boy and could use about 4 more inches on thepad. But it works fine. It's a sling, it holds the rifle or shotgun on your shoulder.And it's comfortable. What else do you want out of it.$LABEL$1 +Kudos for Toshiba. It was a rare moment when my Toshiba 32HL95 arrived complete with all necessary cables and, when plugged in, displayed a picture of clarity and high definition that I had never seen before. We love our Toshiba.$LABEL$1 +MY BAD, I GAVE THIS BOOK TOO MANY STARS...... Can you say STUPID...DUMB...WASTE OF PAPER? Well that's exactly what this book is. If this chick can get published then anyone can. Matter fact, I think I'll write me a book. I'm sure whoever published this mess will be privliged if I gave them mine! Question: was the main character Kira stupid or just dumb? Check A or B. I really don't see what all the hype is about. The reason I'm reviewing this book in the first place is because I feel compelled to as a vivid reader of urban lit, not to mention mad of these reviews look SUSPECT. What's up with that? Every single person who reviewed it on May 14th loved it???????? *Eyebrows raised* Well I hope you have better luck next time, and if you don't please, no more books, you should try rapping or something. Your english is broken enough.$LABEL$0 +what a waste. i have a copy of toon world and you need to pay 1000 life points to activate it. whats up with that!!!! plus all those weak monsters just add up to your graveyard. and why toons????$LABEL$0 +this product burned my skin. This product gave me blisters whenever I used it my skin ended up with water bumps and I still have spots on my legs and tummy to show, Dont waste any money on this unless you want your skin to be burned$LABEL$0 +Otis Sounds Like A Guest On His Own CD. I have almost all Otis Spann's CDs and this is my least favorite so far. When I buy an Otis Spann CD, I buy it because I want to hear amazing piano playing. Unfortunately, on this CD the piano is burried deep in the mix and covered by loud guitars, drums, etc. It's almost like Otis is a guest or backup on his own CD! In fact on many songs, other people are doing the vocals! I would say skip this CD. If you want Otis at his best, I would recommend Walkin' The Blues (the sound quality is excellent and has a few piano solo numbers), Bottom Of The Blues, and Best Of Vangaurd Years.$LABEL$0 +history, magic, journalism you cant get elsewhere. i would reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys travel narrative and is interested in magic and fortune tellers in asia. Although i can't agree with the author on all his opinions, as he seems to be against the modernization of Asia, i do agree that with the modernization there is a great loss of knowledge of nature. The author seems to have a love/hate thing going with china, doesn't seem to keen on thailand, and seems sad at the loss of how burma used to be. The book is well written and gives some great anecdotal history of asia, as well as illustrates, in part, the difference in the asian mindset when it comes to fortune tellers and magic.$LABEL$1 +Not so good. DVD player was deffective right out of the box. On certain DVD's, it would make this awful sound (sounded like it was going to blow up) and the DVD would freeze up. After a couple seconds, it would start up again. Immediatley took it back and switched brands. I realized after reading reviews that I wasn't the only one who had trouble.$LABEL$0 +Warning "You will lose all your Data" Corrupted everything. I transfered all my data and it lasted about two months before I noticed a performance issue (slow response). Then files started to become corrupted. Attempted to transfer to a know good drive, but already lost a large portion of my data.$LABEL$0 +A Disaster. The video tape was a garbled mess. The return address does not exist and there is no telephone at the address. A big time GYP!$LABEL$0 +Worst Camera Ever. In the beginning I was very excited to have a camera with 10 optical zoom. This was the reason I switched from the very reliable Cannon digital camera to the Panasonic. I have had this camera for 4 months. It takes fine pictures but other then the increased optical zoom I don't like it better then the 3 Cannons I have owned before. I bought this camera for a trip to Egypt. The camera worked the day before my trip and the first day of my tour it stopped working. It would turn on and off, on and off and then say turn off and then back on. All it would do is repeat this over and over. Needless to say I was not able to purchase another camera or have it fixed on my tour. I had to rely on disposible cameras and other people's photos. I will NEVER purchase another Panasonic camera again.$LABEL$0 +Unlikable Characters. The End of the Affair was chosen for my book group and although I seriously tried very hard to like it, I just couldn't.The main problem is the characters, there isn't one that I can say that I liked at all and I felt their actions were too unbelievable. The story itself could not hold my attention, but I was able to finish the book.I have heard that the movie is better than the book so I will give it a try if I have the opportunity to rent it but I would not recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Ending was an Ensemblescent Letdown. Most of this movie was a joy, as others have noted, because of the sets and costumes, and self-aware dialogue, and I had such high hopes for the ending. I'd echo the others who have said that everything after and including the monologue was atrocious and contrived. Perhaps I was the only one who was surprised that they get together in the end. Really, I thought maybe this one would end differently!$LABEL$0 +This is a joke!. I bought this disc on the day it released. I watched episode 1 and 2; and part of episode 3 on the weekend. Today, when I tried to play the rest episode 3, a red screen poped up, telling me to update my blu ray player! My blu ray player is very updated! My question is: WHY ON EARTH, this disc can be played a week before, but can not be player later on?$LABEL$0 +Shocked!!!. This isn't Megadeth!!! This album is the worse supposed-to-be-metal album!!! Dave, stop going Metallica's way!! Be yourself! This album doesn't deserve the 1 star. It deserves a big 0.$LABEL$0 +Great on Snare Sticks. This is our drum line's preferred tape for snare sticks and even bass mallets. Good quality tape that holds up well.$LABEL$1 +Before following this clown's advise. See Mark Hirschey in action. He is always wrong on the Yahoo and Motely Fool message boards. Look under mhirschey.$LABEL$0 +Stink Bomb. This is easily the worst of the three albums these guys have. Pick up the other ones if you want to hear some quality western harmony rockabilly.$LABEL$0 +Avoid Delonghi Dehumidifier. I've owned this product for about 2 years. It has stopped working. The pump stopped working after about 6 months. It rattled a few weeks after purchase. It did a great job dehumidifying our basement for as long as it lasted. I wouldn't recommend.$LABEL$0 +BORING! BORING! BORING!. This is without a doubt one of the worst books I have ever read. Every character is so one dimensional and the plot is so predictable. The heroine acts like a simple minded five year old and the hero acts like a stereotypical alpha male millionaire railroad bum. I don't understand how this book got such high reviews. To each his own, I guess. I'm very sorry I wasted my time with this one.$LABEL$0 +Just Google Sylvia Browne CNN and You Will Find That She is a Fake. Do not believe what the book tells you about only the "White" entities being saved. Or anything in this book for that matter. Just do a Google on Sylvia Browne CNN and you will find that she is in fact a fake, a sham and a con artist. She takes advantage of those who are vulnerable. Beware of this book or any of her books for that matter.$LABEL$0 +Replay in my mind. The soundtrack to Broken Bridges enabled me to replay the movie in my mind! Awesome performances by all!$LABEL$1 +The Ice Man: Confessions of a Contract Killer. This man was so very twisted. I've read a lot of true crime books, but this one topped them all. He was very cold when it came to killing, which he did much of, but he also had limits as to who he would do. The book had me reading up into the night. Very good choice for those who like true crime reads.$LABEL$1 +Flawed. Just an example of how the author doesn't know what (s)he's talking about:"Probably the best-known technologies used by processors are Intel's Hyper-Threading and AMD's HyperTransport. Both allow each logical processor within the processor package to handle an individual thread in parallel with other threads being handled by other processors within the package."This is an elementary error, that even amateur hardware enthusiasts know is wrong. Hyper-Threading and HyperTransport are two very different things. The former is what the author describes, the latter is a bus. It suggests that the author doesn't know much about hardware, and probably created the book by googling and using sources that may, or may not be correct.$LABEL$0 +Burn Notice. Really love, love, love this show! Never a boring minute. Great acting, direction, has stayed true to it's original premise.$LABEL$1 +A good buy. After going through countless electric can openers that would break I finally decided to go back to a manual. This Oxo opener is a winner. Easy to use, as quick as an electric, and comfortable in the hand.$LABEL$1 +Not as Good as the 2nd Edition. If you liked the 2nd Editon of the Standard Catalog of Cadillac, you'll undoubtedly be disappointed in this edition. This edition trades LaSalle information and price guide for a few more color photos of Cadillacs. While the LaSalle price guide is gone completely, the Cadillac price guide is unbelievably incomplete, leaving out pricing for 1921 through 1925, 1927-28, 1931 through 1935,38, 1940,46, 47,1950,51,52,1954 through 1958,1960through 1962 - and more. This edition leaves a lot to be desired for the true Cadillac/LaSalle aficionado.$LABEL$0 +Over Priced. Why do I need another cork screw. Doesn't everyone in the world have at least one? What I need is something to preserve the unused portion of wine that I want to save for another day. The Vacu Vin Wine Saver Gift Pack is just the thing for that. It's easy to use and very very effective. I give it 5 stars. Spend your money wisely.$LABEL$0 +Fun Entertainment. This film is a fun bit of entertainment. The acting and writing of course are not Oscar worthy but they do the job to tell a fun story. Cannot wait to see the trilogy finished.$LABEL$1 +Flimsy and not intuitive to refill.. We have one of these at our shop, and nobody ever refills it. Why? It requires a fairly complex set of steps compared to everytihng else on the market. You must first unlatch the locking mechanism, fold the arm out of the way (not intuitive at all). Tried to find instructions for this online, so I could print them out to clear it up, but I can't find anything. Terrible holder, I'd rather have a homemade piece of wood.$LABEL$0 +Blair at Richview Middle School. Possibly the worst thing I've ever set my eyes on. This is a story about a boy on an expedition to give his father a parcel of some sort. The main characters in this book are Adam the main character in this story,Amy Adams girlfriend,Adams Father,and Adams mother.Adams expedition begins when he delivers a gift.His Father is ill in the hospital . Oh yeah the plot of the story he rides a bycycle.He finnaly reaches his destination and finds that his faters is dead.Wow what a great book . I dont see why people praise over this book.$LABEL$0 +Great stuff, but get it locally.. I know how Mallowmars taste. They are the truly splendid fall treat I have looked forward to around thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. So what I really was checking via this order was how well they ship.The answer is, terrible. The over long, Two weeks of delivery time turned the cookie part to crumbs on almost every one. The chocolate was melted to the plastic tray on half of them (only half?). Overall a fail, and certainly not something you would want to open up in front of guests.Get them locally or find a replacement. Splurge on faster shipping perhaps? I can not vouch for that option having not tried it though. As is, the standard shipping makes for sad mallomars pandas.The second star is for the two in the box that had part of a cookie left and were somewhat edible.$LABEL$0 +Six-year-old fascinated by "The Universe". My six-year-old grandson has already watched "The Universe" four times. It's not intended for kids but is so well done that a bright child can follow it with no trouble.$LABEL$1 +Did not keep my valuables safe!. I organized all of my jewelry, placed it in this safe which we had bolted down in the floor of a closet. Our home was burglarized with an active alarm turned on. The robbers forced the door off the safe and stole everything inside in a matter of minutes. I wish I had never bought this and trusted it.$LABEL$0 +Seira went past its limits (It was awsome). All I can say is its a difficult game with a few surprises. Ya sure they dont let you jump, but you never realy need to. Just buy the game and try it out... trust me you will certanly like it!$LABEL$0 +Two different albums, two different inspirations. To me it seems So Much For the City was all about being in love, not only with the brilliance of the California Coast but with a woman as well. The music, harmonies and general vibe of the album reflect this. The follow up album seems to dig more into the underbelly of the band and quite possibly the heartbreak of losing the woman. This is just a thought, I really have no knowledge of the singers relationships but I see clues throughout Lets Bottle Bohemia which suggest heartbreak, while the first album seems to emobdy the fire on new love. I also think the second has more of an East Coast, North East in particular vibe. It's not as sunny as the first but still very unique and packs a fist full of soul. I hope to catch them live someday.$LABEL$1 +An incredible tome that must be read. In this, the latest Tom Clancy thriller, Jack Ryan takes on the greatest task ever asked of him by becoming President. Though the book seems to lose focus a few times, the last 200 pages were reminiscent of Patriot Games. They just seem to fly by! The ending is not a real shocker either, but for an almost 900 page book, it does not have to be. Every aspect of Mr. Ryan's character is explored, so this is a must-read for true Tom Clancy fans$LABEL$1 +return to form. After a few uneven albums, the Manics have finally returned to the standard of "The Holy Bible" and "Everything Must Go". This is by far their most consistent record since those two-virtually all of their musical eras are represented here, from the political punk of "Imperial Bodybags" to the power-ballad "Autumnsong". This is the first time in a while that the band seems sure of themselves, and it's great to hear. This is well worth buying for anyone who's followed them over the years.$LABEL$1 +Student view. This book relies too heavily on the syntax of Scheme in the early stages. I find myself learning another language, and not new concepts. The title should be "Essentials of Scheme."$LABEL$0 +These guys are great!. This product does everything it says. Even for someone like me who is sometimes technically challenged, it's easy to create ringtones. You find the song you want, select the part of the song you want to be a ringtone and then send it to your phone. So simple, a manager could do it.Also, when I had a customer service issue (my fault, not theirs), they were right on top of it. They should give lessons on customer service. I would recommend this software and this company to anyone.$LABEL$1 +Burn in hell. No matter how talented he was the fact is that he murdered his wife and seven year old son. This man is human scum and hopefully is burning in hell. R.I.P. to his wife and son I hope your in a better place. One star because this dvd is gonna go up in price once the gory details are more widley know. Also thanks to the WWE for pulling him off their website I bet they wish they would have waited on that tribute to what a great family guy he was. As for the dvd review sorry fanboys it doesn't matter cause in the real world he was/is a scumbag and a baby killer.$LABEL$0 +Excellent service. I sent this to a friend in Australia and was surprised at how quickly it arrived. She was delighted to receive it and I could not be happier with the service.$LABEL$1 +Another person longing for the original!. I was overwhelmed by the no. of people who have longed for the original movie, just like me and feel that any other production pales in comparison. My parents played the music as I grew up and I never did get to see the movie (I am 48). I have had the Samuel Goldwyn Meyer Co. write to me yrs ago that the movie is tied up in his estate, and a movie channel wrote me that the film's condition has caused the delay. Hard to know what to believe, but if anyone hears of a release/copies available I would be grateful to know. Vicki at:[e-mail]com$LABEL$0 +Crummy design, poorly made. Disappointed.. Antennae piece snapped off in my hand first time I tried to extend it so I really have to question the workmanship. Cord runs through bottom of stand and makes the whole thing tip over VERY easily (which it did repeatedly even though we kept pushing the cord into the channel). Cord to plug it in is way too short in my opinion. Our tv is mounted above our fireplace and everything else we have reaches the outlet, this didn't. Reception was so-so. Channels we got were very clear but there are other channels received by other tv's in the house that this didn't pick up. I was pretty disappointed given the reviews, I definitely expected better.$LABEL$0 +Not well written. The diagrams were not very clear and the steps were too convoluted and not well explained.$LABEL$0 +the best grill ever. This grill is the best ever...needing to replace the old fashioned style propane grill, i took a chance and am glad i did...i will never go back...anything cooked on this grill is fantastic...george foreman is the best....$LABEL$1 +Amazing...Highly recommended read.. Well worth the time it takes to read 900+ pages. I didn't want it to end. So beautifully thought out, gracefully articulated, the story is unbelievable real and life-changing. Rich, lucid, lovely, heart-breaking and heart-opening. A view of life not many live. Do read it.$LABEL$1 +A True Art. I viewed this title wondering how it would be done. The subject was done in a very tasteful art form, the woman performed perfectly balanced and very attractive. Well done$LABEL$1 +Sailing through the eyes of a dingbat. This book was a total let down. I was hoping to gain some insight and information about what it is like to sail. I married into a sailing family and was hoping to be inspired by this book. Instead, the woman was a miserable sailor who couldn't even grasp the difference between port and starboard. She did not inspire woman to tackle such an adventure. Instead admits that she couldn't pull her weight and relied on her huband to do most tasks, even cooking breakfast on the boat.The book talks more about what leads up to them sailng like selling their house and quitting their jobs. And as the owner of two cats, I did not appreciate that the author "dumped" her cats because it was not convenient to cruise with them. Even though plenty of other people do this.So if you are loooking to get tips and advice on what it is like to cruise, don't buy this book.$LABEL$0 +Fav for riding unlined. If you promise not to tell anybody, I wear lined jeans from eddie bauer or llbean when it gets cooler. I wear these when it gets warmer. True to size, don't shrink too much.$LABEL$1 +No good for leather seats. As others have mentioned, this does not work well for leather seats. There is nothing anchoring the bottom center and the cover slips around as soon as the dog steps on it.$LABEL$0 +Nice scale and a great value. NO more jockeying the scale based on the floor or your position. A solid scale and we love the measuring rod to watch our kids grow (better than marking the wall), although the rod sticks some and could operate more smoothly.$LABEL$1 +decent diuretic. This did not work for me. After trying it for several weeks, all it did was have me running to pee... frequently... and breaking out in cold sweats. I may have lost a pound or two, which I gained back after retiring the product. It was most likely water weight. On the up side, it may have some beneficial ingredients, and it did not make me sick (as some diet pills have.)$LABEL$0 +memory foam. I had chronic insomnia and been taking medicine and had football injuries so I tried this out and I sleep better with no pain from back neck, couldn't believe it. Wish I knew about these toppers earlier, but I'm not sure if its just a recent product. Definitely worth trying for better sleep in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +So far it's awful. How can I keep reading into the centuries Ruiz, by default, knows more about when the opening pages contain so many howlers? Ruiz is a U.S.-born author who has swallowed the Black Legend of those atrocious Spaniards whole. "Alienation also included the Spanish assault on family kinship ties..." (p. 16) Then why does Mexico have the lowest divorce rate in the world? Whence its wealth of thirty million unassimilated Indians? (CIA Country Facts website.) How can he write of the two proud civilizations Mexicans embody when, in the same sentence, one was destroyed by the other?I'm a bleeding-heart CA liberal from Concord, MA, and I like facts. Regrettably, to teach in the UC system, one must stoke the soothing flames of ethnic rage even if it means making things up.$LABEL$0 +fascinating nightmares. I read this book many years ago when it was first published in paperback. I lost access to that copy and I am pleased that Nightmares has been reprinted. This is one of the most fascinating books that I have ever read. It is both thought-provoking and highly entertaining. The characterizations and settings are vivid. There are several long dreams, including one about competing cults that promise that either molybdenum or the magnetic pole will cure all ailments, and another about a resurgent Inca civilization dominating the earth. The nightmares are attributed to eminent persons of the 1950s' i.e., Dean Acheson's Nightmare, etc. You won't be able to put this one down.$LABEL$1 +Perfect Puree Indeed!. Not only did my puree arrive in a timely fashion, still thoroughly frozen, but it is delicious! I have been enjoying it in many dishes since its arrival, and I adore its pure passion-fruity flavor. If you can't find actual passion fruit, buy this.$LABEL$1 +Ronnie Rocks. a very good friend of mine turned me on to this album for which i am eternally grateful for, because this is without a doubt the best album of ronnie wood's spectacular solo career. with such standout tracks like "I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN" and "BREATHE ON ME" ronnie wood shows us how talented he actually is. but then with the the tracks "BIG BAYOU" and "SWEET BABY MINE" he turns a great album into a piece of rock n' roll heaven. you may have heard ronnie wood but "NOW LOOK".$LABEL$1 +poor product design. Not worth the money! The handles get too hot to touch. The pans are really thin and do not heat well.$LABEL$0 +This clock is terrible. This clock is terrible. I purchased for my husband for Christmas it stopped working today July 20. We got almost 7months out of it.$LABEL$0 +Great gift idea!. I purchased this pitcher as a Christmas gift for my daughter who lives in the country and doesn't like her well water. She loves this pitcher! Says it makes her water taste like bottled water. :)$LABEL$1 +Going strong after more than a year. I was frustrated with buying scales as I could NEVER get them to read accurately. I have had this scale for more than a year now and even after husband and daughter leave heavy piles of clothes for wash day on top I have NEVER had it read inaccurately or had the batteries die. I have not had any of the problems that have been previously mentioned. I weigh on the Dr.'s balance scale and come right home and it is right one the money. I love this scale and use it every day or every other day. I would buy another one in a heartbeat and have recommended it to friends.$LABEL$1 +Easy operation: Crummy sound. This unit carries the best price and longest recording capability on he market. Features and operation are excellent, BUT, the sound quality is not acceptable. Tried HQ and SQ - no joy.I do stand-up and need to record both bits and performances.There was nothing funny about this unit and it went back to [the store]. Depending on your needs, this still might be the best deal out there, but it wasn't for me.$LABEL$0 +Kind of dissapointed over all the hype. I was excited about getting this product after reading all the reviews and even my hair dresser said she loved it and would buy nothing else for herself.After the first few uses it was great but the longer I used it the dirtier my hair looked and felt.My hair did not feel clean and I know its not supposed to suds up so not sure if my mind was playing tricks on me or what but I did not care for it at all. I ended up giving it to my mother to try and see if maybe it was just me and havent heard if she likes or dislikes it.I think it would have been better for me if I would have alternated every other wash with this and maybe some actual shampoo. Alot people love it and thats great but I will not be buying anymore$LABEL$0 +Cheapest product ever. Holmes CEO to staff; "Hey gang, lets see just how cheap and horrible we can make a fan...." And the winner is ....Holmes! and the loser is us, the consumers....This fan feels cheap just holding it. One of the rotors wobbles, hitting the grate. My 3 year old has plastic toys that are made 10x better than this. I would be embarrassed and ashamed to have a product like this at my company.$LABEL$0 +In the name of Justice. Aukai Collins has written a brilliant novel which will teach the common lay reader or any reader ignorant of little (physical) Jihad, or Islam in general, just what this kind of fighting entails, and why it is waged. Collins exposes the disunity that can ruin any military expedition. He very clearly explains the motivation behind his decision to fight the Russians and others. His reasons for turning to the U.S. embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, after having fought in Chechnya, are intriguing. As a fellow Muslim, I believe that Aukai is a true Mujahid; and you would do well to listen to him.$LABEL$1 +Kids love it and I love it because it doesn't make a mess. I use this in speech therapy session with little ones. I like it because I don't have to stick my hands inside to get the wand. The kids love it but you have to "teach" them not try reach for the wand, as that is their first instinct, and also not to push the bear's belly too hard or the bubble juice spills out. Also, if the bubble juice is not topped off you have to turn the bear upside down, with his hat on of course, to get liquid onto the wand. I still love this product and give it as birthday gifts to my clients.$LABEL$1 +Poor camera work.. Watching the concert video will give you a headache. The cameras are constantly switching back and forth between band members.$LABEL$0 +IF REPETION IS THE LAW OF ABIDING IMPRESSIONS, THEN..... I love Louis L'amour westerns and I had great hopes that this non-western "WALKING DRUM" would equal the excellence of his westerns--and it did for several chapters. After awhile, however, the book became so repetitive that you could anticipate what would happen next. I gave the book 2 stars only because it did keep my interest for a few chapters.$LABEL$0 +Not a Game for the Small Investor. This book talks about the various factors affecting multi-million-dollar developments. The misleading pictures of Monopoly houses on the cover suggest small-scale residential investing, but the properties under discussion are the size of an entire Boardwalk. Frankly, the whole "game" analogy may sound like fun, but is nothing more than representing economic forces, e.g. the cost to borrow money, as "cards" one draws. Ho hum. If you don't have millionaire investors as friends or a job doing due dilligence for huge developments like shopping centers, warehouses, etc., this scale of this book is much too grand. We're talking buying entire city blocks in Manhatten! Disclaimer: Unlike other reviewers here, I'm not a former student of the Harvard Business School professor. This text may be quite relevant to their careers.$LABEL$0 +Great so far. I bought this item just over a month ago, but so far it seems to be working just fine. My 15 month old son is a picky eater and he'll consume more types of food if I blend them into a smoothie. In other words, we use it about 3 times a day and typically I add frozen fruit to the mixture. It processes the fruit into a smooth drink quickly and easily. I'm sure we'll continue using it every day so that I'll eventually have a review of the long-term performance.$LABEL$1 +Beware! Journalistic hack at work. This book is nothing more than a cut -and-paste job based on the familiar accounts of duels with a few sneering comments thrown in to demonstrate the author's cleverness.The discerning reader with quickly recognize that the author is ignorant of the most basic techincal knowledge concerning the weapons she discusses. Clearly the author has not bothered to seriously research her subject--the certain mark of a journalist hack job.$LABEL$0 +Sheer pleasure?. It was sheer pleasure to close the cover of this book. Trouble is we only got through a few pages before doing so. It is not anything new nor is it refreshing in any sense of the word. This is just different words for the same things people have been writing for years. Writers are becoming a dime a dozen in the field of the occult. Unfortunately this writing is for those who may need psychiatry to deal with realism as opposed to imagination and fiction.$LABEL$0 +good story-filled with spelling and grammar errors. I liked the story , but it was filled with so many grammar and spelling errors that it was hard to keep track of the story. Words were missing especially the small words that complete a sentence. It was like having to read between the lines to understand the story. I used to do this when I was younger when I wrote letters to my grandmother. She always told me that my mind was working faster than my writing. She had to fill in the blanks to know what I was writing. A letter is short compared to a book. This should have been proofed more closely.$LABEL$0 +say no "what" you fool!. The whole movie and book were a wondiful discription to what itwas in real life but whoever says that this was a bad and wastful book is very disturbed in the mind and sould get my and "Miss Cleos" profestional help! also if you even thought this was a great book but have troubl with family friends or mates please call me!$LABEL$1 +Huh?. This sounds like it came right out of a Rush for easy piano book. All I can really say is what the hell? The left hand is playing chords and the right is playing the melody...could it be any more boring?When I first saw the title, I thought hmmm...I'd love to see what someone like Keith Jarret would do with Rush but this has all the imaginative quality of a karaoke accompaniment tape. For a really good piano tribute album, check out David Lahm "Jazz Takes on Joni Mitchell"$LABEL$0 +Finally, a book which addresses the root cause of my headaches and helps me to find ways to manage my own health!. I eagely read Heal Your Headache, as it had helped a friend deal with her migraine headaches.I was exasperated with doctors simply prescribing drugs and not addressing the root causes of my migraine headaches. I have been following Dr. Buchholz approach for a couple weeks and am filled with hope. The headaches are not completely gone yet, but the severity is greatly diminished and my affliated symptoms are dramatically improved.I love the way the book describes the symptoms and what is causing them, in very logical and understandable language. I have already recommended the book to several friends who suffer from headaches.$LABEL$1 +Good Movie. No complaints about the movie itself but it took about an hour to download it. It got stuck at 9% and I had to actually shut my DVR down and restart it to get the movie to download completely.$LABEL$1 +Best Clasic Novel. One of the best works of 19th century English romanticism. Jane Austin's works have an indefinite plane that has the quality to put the work in any historical period and presents in turn situations of our present time.$LABEL$1 +Dont Bother. I memorized this book and failed the exam. It's practically worthless... buy the MSPress book instead.$LABEL$0 +Nasty, Hurtful, and Unsocial. I listened to this tape and tried to keep an open mind, hoping it would get better, even though I felt like turning it off a few times. Ms Martinet seems to have a lot of deep, nasty, resentful feelings towards people. Has she been treated badly by a crowd of strangers at one too many cocktail parties? Her advice in dealing with others is to make your self feel superior by putting down everyone else. I work at a school, and we dedicate time to teaching our kids how NOT to act like Ms. Martinet suggests. The snide tone of her voice on this tape emphasises her unkind, unsocial advice. Please, don't follow it.$LABEL$0 +Works very well. Like most kids, my children love stickers. I selected this product to create custom stickers, hoping that the stickers could also be removed easily. I am happy to report that this paper appears to work as described. I had no problems printing to this paper and then sticking and un-sticking the creations.Avery has some suggested crafts on its website, but nothing appealing to my children. But there are many ideas on the web. Another possibility is to let them design something on the computer or on paper and then scan it and print it out. I can imagine many other uses for this sticker paper. If they were less expensive, I would use them with my Amazon seller account and just print, stick, and ship. They would also make excellent labels for homebrewing.It would be nice to have a choice of colors, glossy and luster finishes, and finer scoring on the back for smaller stickers. I just wish there were more sheets in the pack!$LABEL$1 +A Shroomers Bible. Contains lots of cosmopolitan species. So the book is great for European readers. The ONLY minus is a lack of color photos, but the B&W pictures are good. The book has lots of humour so its very entertaining. A must for your mushroom library.$LABEL$1 +A beautiful and important book. Ariel Dorfman is one of the most important writers of our time, and Desert Memories, Journeys Through the Chilean North serves as a testament (and a coda) to the terrible years that began with the military overthrow of President Allende's democratically-elected government in 1973, the repression and horror that followed, the exile of so many who barely survived, such as Dorfman. His car trip through the Chilean North with his wife, Angelica, so many years later, is at once a reflection on those events as he visits concentration camps, clandestine graves, the family of a good friend who was "disappeared" by Pinochet's army, along with an evocation of the beauty of the desert landscape and its earlier, hidden history.$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Fabulous. This is probably the best historical novel (or series, as there are seven of them) ever written. Entrancing, vicious, beuatiful, innocent, short-sighted people get caught in this story of fate and destruction. Great, thumbs up!$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. I received this complete series with much anticipation as I had never seen the entire series before. Upon opening the package and seeing the dvd discs my anticipation turned to horror as most of the discs are scratched and when played they constantly freeze to the point you can't watch them. I get no enjoyment watching what episodes I can because I wonder what I am going to miss next.$LABEL$0 +Great Read. It has been awhile since I have read a book that captured me as much as this one did. Once I read Furies of Calderon, I had to continue immediately on to Academ's Fury, and plan on reading Cursor's Fury next. The plot is very easy for me to get involved in, but then has twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. I like all the characters in the book, and am intrigued to find out what some of their next steps are. My only problem is that they are too captivating, leaving me thinking about them at work, driving, cooking, everywhere!$LABEL$1 +Not So Great. After reading everyone's great reviews, I decided to register for this pump. I am sad to say that I could not get a drip out. The suction is very poor and I would have to imagine that it would take a good hour to get any amount of breastmilk to come out if it did work! I am very disappointed in a wasted gift. The only pump that does work is the Medela Pump In Style electric pump, which unfortunately is over $300.00.I would not recommend this pump.$LABEL$0 +Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I bought this revised version for my daughter who grew up eating things I made from my 1970's ring binder copy. The content of this cookbook is great and has some handy information but we both still love my 70's version better.$LABEL$0 +Best Trophy Deer Book!. David Morris again has put out yet another fantastic trophy deer book and resource that you'll keep and refer to often! If you are serious about trophy class bucks, then you must have this book! I have read many books on the subject, and this book is definately in its own category.$LABEL$1 +Underimpressed. After reading all of the "rave" reviews from other readers, I must say I couldn't wait to read this book. I read it in one sitting, and I waited for the "laugh outloud" moments, I was ready to giggle. I was only slightly amused. I am from the South and love stories about growing up in the South. We all have our wonderfully eccentric family members that we love to talk about, but I was totally unimpressed with this writer's ability to engage me in the story. It was NOT even close to entertaining.$LABEL$0 +Worth waiting for!. Wow! The latest Potter book is the best one yet. Much darker and more mature than the first four, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix really delivers. If you liked the first four, you'll LOVE this one!$LABEL$1 +Tepid Attempt to Replicate U.S. Blockbusters. Decent film with laughably bad moments where somebody clear said "make me an American blockbuster". Gratuitous attempts to tap into a sense of national pride are tempered by timid nods to cultural relativism.$LABEL$0 +A Sea of White Impatiens was better. I wanted to like this book because I really enjoyed A Sea of White Impatiens. Having grown up in the same town as the Gallaghers, I enjoyed all the references to the people from "Roweneck". The main character (or the author's voice) came across as ignorant sometimes and I was getting tired of the arrogant tone. It had an interesting beginning and an intriging middle, but the ending fell flat. The wrap-up was a bit outlandish and conveniently neat, like a Hollywood movie. Perhaps, that is the author's intent.$LABEL$0 +Just plain wonderful. Great actors. Great stories. Great writing. Great sets. Great Costumes. And the most stunning colors and textures I've ever seen on screen. Wonderful to watch and enjoy!$LABEL$1 +What's all the fuss about?. Whiney, wimpy, nerdy, pop songs. Big deal. We hear this every day. Matchbox 21 or whatever their name is sounds like this, and they suck! Like the one guy wrote, it's Bryan Adams limey style. A few good songs, but no big deal. Have you people never listened to Miles Davis and Gil Evans? Mozart? Johnny Cash? Richard Thompson? Van Morrison? Joni Mitchell? Nina Simone? This word "genius" sure comes easy these days. It used to take Joyce, Melville, Nobel, C.V. Raman. Now we have Adam Sandler and Paddy Mcaloon. They don't have to rock out, but this record just has no balls. Geez!$LABEL$0 +Nice deal for a nice price.. Good power and spotting capability for a price quite a bit less than the better known names. I was a little leary at first but that is no longer true.$LABEL$1 +Corny and over-rated B movie!. I really like classic movies from the 30's 40's etc but I personally found this movie to be incredibly bad with overacting and corny dialogue! The most over-rated B Movie ever!$LABEL$0 +Great for Under Ones!. My son loves this book, and has since he was six months old. It has bright pictures. A couple of words each page and they also tell a story (this seems to be a rare combo). The little frog is so expressive and there is heaps that a parent/reader could talk about to a little one on each page. I'm sure it will continue to be a favourite for some time.$LABEL$1 +Intriguing read. This is an easy read written by a brave man with an amazing story and great perspective on war and life.$LABEL$1 +Bart's Review of "One Eyed Cat". Ned Wallis is a 11 year old boy that lives in New York city. One night he secretly takes a rifle that he is not allowed to touch and goes outside to shot it one time. He sees a dark shawdow and shots at it. On his way home he sees a face looking down at him from his attic window. One day, while helping a neighbor he sees a wild cat with one eye missing. He thinks back to when he took that one shot at that dark shawdow and wonders if it was him who shot that cat? The book didn't have much action and the characters were not that interesting.$LABEL$0 +Just didn't see it.... Okay, first off...I give credit for the cover and title, nice job, but the book itself, I just didn't see the hype about it...the plot was mediocre, if not dull and preditable. Yarni was supposed to be a hustler's wife, but I felt that she kept getting played throughout the book, and the book was poorly edited...fo' real. I give Nikki her props for trying and pushing it out there, but there were some scenes that were not believable and maybe just too over the top and c'mon...I just don't see the moms black mailing all these big time officials just to get Yarn's man out of jail...dude was doing like life or sumthin...and that whole happy ending thing for a drug dealer, finally being let free and reuniting with his girl...c'mon...the moms would have been dead and so on...but once again, I just don't see the hype in this book...$LABEL$0 +Best puzzles ever. These Ravensberger puzzles are the best that I have ever seen. This was a gift for a 5 year old girl. She loves this puzzle. It is very well-made of thick Cardboard paper and is of high quality. The colors are vivid and the picture quality is beautiful. These puzzles are made to last. I also found the designs to be very unique and highly artistic. My little ones have several of the large floor puzzles, which are amazing.$LABEL$1 +Great Book.A favorite. This is one of my Favorite classics.Any one who reads this will be in suspense and awe.The movie is Great to.Gaston Leroux did an excellent jb with this book.The Phantom and Raoul are both in love with the opera singer Christian Daea.It becomes a desperate struggle for both lovers.Great book for young and old.Loved it!!!$LABEL$1 +HIGHEST PRAISE GOSPEL. I AM ALWAYS THRILLED WITH REV. HOWARD "SLIM" HUNT AND THE SUPREME ANGELS UPLIFTING AND REJOICEFUL PRAISE IN THEIR MUSIC. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO SEE AND HEAR THEM IN CONCERT SEVERAL TIMES. THEY ARE MY #1 FAVORITE GOSPEL QUARTET. THIS GROUP OF MEN HAS BEEN ANOINTED TO DELIVER THE WORD OF GOD THROUGH MUSIC. MIKE IS MY FAVORITE BASSIST, OH, YEA!$LABEL$1 +It's a love/hate thing.... I just purchased my second fan of this style. I have had one for over five years and love it. It's insanely noisy on oscillating, but not bad stationary. However, the new one sounds like it has a piece of plastic hanging off of something inside. When I turn it on, it's so loud I think it's going to blow up. Going to take it back and get something different. I'd recommend based on the first one I owned (if you can live without oscillating), but no recommendation from the new one.$LABEL$0 +5 stars does not even begin to cover it..... Thats it.....THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I thought that it couldnt get any better than "Outlander"..my God was I wrong! "The Bronze Horseman" is absolutely the most consuming, overwhelming, brilliant story I have EVER gotten my hands on..I am telling you I could not put this book down..yet at the same time, I would force myself to stop reading so that I could make it last longer!!! I have just one thing to say about this book..BUY IT!!!!!!!!!! Girls..a little warning....please..buy "Tatiana and Alexander" asap..it is the follow up book to "The Bronze Horseman"..it is available on amazon U.K. The ending to TBH will make you insane..believe me..you'll want the follow up story!! ENJOY!$LABEL$1 +"Intelligent Design" propaganda. This documentary is produced by the fundamentalist christian movement whose agenda it is to get Darwin's theory of evolution banned from schools and have it replaced by "Intelligent Design", which really just means creation, as put forth in the bible. As can be expected from a documentary with an agenda to convince the viewer of a certain point, rather than being open minded, it does not really go anywhere. It keeps repeating the point that "scientists agree" that life could not have developed anywhere else in the universe.The other reviewers here must be people associated with "the cause," this really is not a five star production simply because instead of sincerely investigating the subject with an open mind you get science, contorted to fit religion.$LABEL$0 +absolutely the best. this book is the best thing for home owners and chef alike. it shows a wide range of sushi as well as step by step formats for even beginers to understand. trust me it is a great book to purchase and all of your sushi friends will want one$LABEL$1 +Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter At All - Instead Buy PAULA'S Product!!. The first thing that flew out of the book when I took it out of the Amazon box was Paula's advertisement for her own product! I was completely shocked and felt like a dummy! I understand that she may feel, with all her research, she is an expert on the field, and even understand how she could possibly come up with an ideal product....but for goodness sake be SUBTLE!She should at least let the reader discover Paula's product (alphabetically listed)slowly. I can even get past ALL the smiley faces her own product gets, but I definitely don't want an insert to fly out of the book when I first open it. This is completely in poor taste, and I don't feel she can be objective!Having said all this, she may have valid points, she may have done great research, she may have the best product, but I really don't care, as I feel like an ABSLOUTE sucker for spending $20 for buying her advertising gimmick.$LABEL$0 +Uniden TRU 3466. bgt the TRU346 after good reviews, memory dim but phone broke within a year, could not hear caller (they could hear me)often could not get dial tone, don't remember what tech support (email) suggested (chg battery, reprogram unit etc), didn't work anyway. Uniden brand name and the reviews on TRU3466 with speakerphone, gave them another chance. # sign on handset died after a few months (try using voicemail systems without the pound #)had to use speakerphone constantly for # sign key. Earpiece is necessity, move around my office a lot, works on and off now, lot of static or no reception at all. I also need earpiece to keep hands free (major reason for speaker phone as well).Bought two phones, less than two years, $180. Big disappointment.Will never buy UNIDEN phone again.$LABEL$0 +An Observation.... Hannity Says: "Liberals are more Tolerant of Saddam than of President Bush..."Mr. Hannity, only someone that is ignorant would believe your accusation above. Hannity, please go back to school and at least get your GED before you write another book...$LABEL$0 +The Devil in a BORING story. I find the Salem witch trials to be very interesting and I love learning about them. After reading this book however, I am starting to become turned off by them. I am a woman and personally find woman writers to usually be enjoyable. This woman should go back to college or maybe even grade school and find out how to write. She uses complicated sentences that make no sense (you'll need a dictionary or another person to help you out with the meanings of some of her 20-word sentences). Do yourself a favor, pick a different book.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. I purchased this book as a beach book and was not disappointed. This is the first work I have read by this author and immediately after finishing Four Seasons began to search for more books by her. This was a wonderfully woven tale of family tragedy and triumph as well as individual growth within the protagonists as women and as sisters.$LABEL$1 +Very pleased. I bought this pan not knowing what to expect. The pan has good weight to it and as long as you give the cups a little swirl of butter or olive oil, the eggs come right out without leaving a mess. Takes a few times to get the eggs just right but now that I have it down pat.......I am 100% happy.$LABEL$1 +Farting, drinking, getting punched and getting laid. Although well-written enough to want you to turn the page for potential adventure, it never comes. Jaime talks about guy bonding via farting, drinking and getting laid while in town. The book never gets exciting to the point of combat, and that's the purpose of the French Foreign Legion. Why didn't Jaime just enlist in the US army for a tour or two or three to Iraq or Afghanistan? I'm sure he could have come back with excitement, gore and extreme physical and mental challenges to last a life time. I got the impression Jaime just joined the Legion to see if he could pass basic training, and then to write about it later. I read the first 150 pages but got bored and quit...just like Jaime.$LABEL$0 +Junk. Stripped the bit on my first try. Most of the bits have off centered holes. Don't buy this at all!!!$LABEL$0 +An action thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat!. I first saw "A Theif in the Night," when I was about 9 or 10 years old, and I cannot forget the impact it had on me at that time...it motivated me to witness the love of Jesus to all of my friends. I have seen this movie several times since, and while a product of it's times (early 70's) with bell bottoms, wide sideburns, and mini-skirts, its message is just as pertinent and pressing as when it was made, and impact just as effective; time is short, the harvest plentiful and workers few.$LABEL$1 +Disintegrated after 6 months. This cover worked great for a few months. We live in Southern California, where it rained about 3-5 times in the past 6 months. When i went to lift up the cover it ripped. I tried another place it ripped there too. Pretty much any place on the cover I touch it just tears. The material has totally disintegrated from the sun.$LABEL$0 +It's all about the Holy Spirit!. This book is the amazing story of what the Holy Spirit can do if you surrender your life to Him. Just read and be encouraged. Your life will never be the same.$LABEL$1 +Unapologetically Sexual Nightmare. Make no mistake, this book is unabashed terror porn, with rife, vividly cruel sexuality. It's explicit in terms of both sex and scenes of unimaginable violence, sort of like what "My Life at Rose Red" would be like if it were reimagined by Larry Flynt and Marilyn Manson. Edward Lee's work has appeared in famous horror anthologies including the "Hot Blood" series.If you realise, however, what you are getting into, this book is well-written and a capitvating read. It is not for everyone, and don't read it on an empty stomach, but if you're into terror with a streak of bizarre smut, this is the book for you.$LABEL$1 +Simple to use.. I bought this hard drive to store music, movies, etc. I've had it almost two weeks, and here are my impressions so far:Pros: Easy to hook up, plug and play for XP, the stand that comes with it is very sturdy, the hard drive itself feels solid, simple design.Cons: Blue LED on the front is to bright, usable space on the drive only reads as 150 GB, the power brick that comes with the drive is fairly large.Overall, this is a good hard drive for the money. Besides a few design quirks it has, I'd recomend this drive to anyone looking for a inexpensive external HD.$LABEL$1 +rating of 14x26 sand bags. i use these to dispose of used kitty litter. they are ideal for this purpose. i'm sure, in time, i will find other uses for these bags. i plan to order more in the near future, while they are still available. good product, good price!$LABEL$1 +Great Album, But Flat Production Sound. Like others who have reviewed this album, I agree that it is the best (maybe second best to Rainbow Rising) work that Rainbow ever did. However, since the late 70s, when I initially purchased it, I have always been bothered by the "flat" production sound. The bass and drum sound have no punch. Amazingly, it was produced by Martin Birch, who would later go on to doing great things with Iron Maiden. That's my only complaint. With a better production, this album would be unbelievably good$LABEL$1 +Not for young jwomen. I've read reviews and thought that Mariue Claire would be better than Cosmo (it's all about sex in Cosmo) but I'm dissapointed. Marie claire is like in style the whole magazine is just a photos of models and advertisments. There are maybe 2 or 3 articles but they are not so interesting. All in all if you are in your twenties you should choose cosmo or glamour.$LABEL$0 +You'll need to either get lucky or keep on returning copies. It's really great to have these films together in what is (visually, anyhow) a very handsome package. On the other hand, as others have complained before me, the reality of the packaging is that the disks break from their cheap clear plastic holding tabs, get scratched, and become unplayable. I've had to return two copies of the FRANKENSTEIN and three of DRACULA before I found acceptable copies.The films themselves are fine and look great, but when the disk freezes or simply refuses to play a film, we're talking significant problems.I also cringe at the advertising aspect of these films (does the director of Van Helsing have anything to tell us about FRANKENSTEIN? Does he even belong on the same disk as horror film historian, David Skal. Nope on both counts.To my mind, these films should be repackaged and customers offered a free upgrade. This is inexcusable hack packaging from a major studio's whose past work has been stellar.$LABEL$0 +feeder falls apart...be warned!. I didn't buy our mesh feeder from here, but did want to write a review somewhere to warn other parents. The pin in the hinge falls out after a few months of use, at least. I kept trying to jam it back in and it kept falling apart as our child used it. I turned around 2 days ago and he had the pin and both pieces of the feeder in his hands. The pin is a plastic long piece that could cause a choking hazard. Be warned to not buy this particular feeder. I am trying to find the company's website to write to them about the issues. Our son loved using the feeder so I am going to find another brand that is safer.$LABEL$0 +poor quality. poor quality or poor packaging. Every piece was broken on arrival. I never had the opportunity to try the actual product.$LABEL$0 +Not good enough. They might sound bad to me because I am used to Audiophile headphones. But they don't sound terrible. Nice clean highs, but the bass is a little muddy. Maybe it will clear up in time as they burn in, but for the price... I especially like the volume control and headphone input. It works excellent and matches my system. But these speakers are great for the price. If I spent 100 on them I would be mad with the sound quality, but for less than 30, they are excellent. I just picked up a new pair of speakers which sound way better than these and they were cheaper too. Check out my other reviews on which speakers I got. These will be sitting in my closet for a backup pair, not worth sending them back.$LABEL$0 +not worth getting. the seller shipped it fast but it isn't worth your money because the hair falls everywhere and creates a mess. I suggest getting the new one as seen on t.v. where it has a holder that holds the hair so it doesn't get everywhere around the house. Don't waste your money on this!!!!!$LABEL$0 +AMAZING!!!!!!!. The devil makes three don't know how to write a bad song! Every album is as good as the last, and this is where it all started! Do yourself a favor and buy this album........then buy all the rest! This is one of the best bands in existence, please support them by buying their music and not pirating it :-P$LABEL$1 +a disappointment. This book seems to be poorly constructed. Halfway through a one semester community college course, my copy is falling apart. About the content, I find it difficult to follow and suggest supplementing this text with Stallings, Operating Systems, 3rd ed.$LABEL$0 +Needs Extras. I can finally give up my collection of VHS tapes of this show. I was disappointed that there were no extras at all for this show - not even a behind the scenes doc or interviews.$LABEL$1 +Always something happenning. I found Darkfall to be very enjoyable. If this had been the first Dean Koontz (DK) book that I had read then I would definitely have given it a 5 star rating but having read most of DK's books, I gave it 4 stars. I reduced the rating knowing that he has written better work but it is still a very good read. The story is non stop action so gets you in quickly. It may be unrealistic but it is never boring. He has the most amazing imagination and style of writing. When I read his books, I can picture all he writes and feel the emotion and tension. It's like having a movie playing in my head. Darkfall didn't let me down at all. I loved the suspense in the chase and the bit of romance.The authors note was also interesting.Don't hesitate. Buy the book. You wont be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. Do not be fooled by the description of this book. It is very much a book only about African American history. If you were looking for something more middle of the road that shows the flaws that our kids learn in history class these days, this book is not for you. It doesn't exactly "set the record straight". It merely amplifies what we are forced to hear about everyday. Overall a disappointing read for me.$LABEL$0 +GeoTrax Track Layout Manual. The GeoTrax Train System is a great addition to your kids toy collection! It provides hours of fun and enjoyment for both you and your child.I found some "Track Layout Manuals" for the GeoTrax Rail System on eBay. If you've become frustrated with the track assembly process, then this is the answer. Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are available on eBay.Search for "Geotrax layout" and you will find all three volumes. These layout designs were designed on a computer using CAD software and are of very high quality. It is well worth checking it out.$LABEL$1 +Does not live up to its purpose. Although this book is for beginners, it is very problematic. I think the publishing company farmed this project out to a developer without telling this person that the book was for beginners. The book starts out with a good primer of object oriented principles but then jumps into advanced stuff such as creating listeners. It does not lay out the lesson plans well the little cartoon graphics are supremely annoying. Other books in this series have been pretty helpful but this one is a bit of a disaster. If anyone finds a good introductory text for Java programming, please let me know.$LABEL$0 +A good introduction. This text gives pleanty of pictures and the cases studies help reinforce what the reader is learning in lecture and lab. I did not have to use the CD-Rom, but the lab book that goes with this text was a lot of fun.$LABEL$1 +DID NOT WORK ON SILICONE. Applied heavy amount to a strip of clear silicon caulk at the bottom of a window let stand 24 hours,silicone hard as a rock, applied second very heavy coat let stand another 24 hours silicone still hard as a rock...$LABEL$0 +My first "Martini" and maybe my last one.. The book was for most of the aspect fantascentific. I belived somethings more amazing,maybe better if shorter.$LABEL$0 +If u don't like bsb then shut up!!. I love the Backstreet Boys!!!!!!!!!Every song they've sung should've been on this album!unfortunately some people don't think so.is it because aj's problem or because nick just got arrested.ppl they are gr8!so plz appreciate them!$LABEL$1 +What a delight!. The Encores production of "Face the Music" last March was one of the highlights of the New York theater season. Here is a wonderful relic of the days when the theater existed so that people could have silly fun. The score is first class Irving Berlin, and the recording is a wonderful souvenir with a winning cast and terrific conducting by Rob Fisher. If you love classic musical theater, you will want this recording.$LABEL$1 +A Must Own for All Shooter Fans. This game is one of the best games available on the Xbox 360 and is worth every penny. I've owned this game for about a year now and still play it every once in awhile. I have beaten the game on all 3 difficulties (Casual, Hardcore and Insane) and they are all very fun and challenging. The graphics are great, sound is even better and the controls are easy to use and very fluid. Don't spend your money on other games if you don't own this one first!$LABEL$1 +Not so hot, badly worded questions. This book tries to be an "exam cram" but ends up being a badly abridged version of the massive Training Guide (ISBN 0789728222). There are page-consuming examples that don't add much, and yet key facts are missing. These facts do surface in the Exam Prep Questions, which at least informs the reader that they need to go research that topic, but those points should appear in the text. Questions are often badly worded; their intent is only explained by reading the answers.The authors should consider a re-write. Cut useless examples. Include code snippets with the minimum required context instead of the full "Create a new solution, add a page named blah, add these 5 controls..." Tighten up the prose; make it clear and concise for easy review. Cut the fluff, not the facts.$LABEL$0 +Simply Hypnotic. The guitarist in my old band once shared the best suggestion with me. To listen to American Fooball. I am forever in his debt- for this alone. This album by American Football is one of the most remarkable things that I have ever heard. These songs are completely emotional, and stunningly heartbreaking. When I first heard it, I instantly grew to love it. I wanted to hear it constantly. I began playing it over and over and it never left my CD player for months on end. The beautiful guitar work, the extremely talented drumming, the soft spoken lyrics, and the pure comfort of this recording made me an instant fan. I was horrified to hear that they had dismembered, even before the record was put out. But I strongly urge everyone to listen and purchase this album. Unfortunately, this music is too impresive for words. You seriously must experience it first hand- and you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Great Pop Album ... 3 Cheers For Baby!. Emma, (the 3rd current spice to release a solo) has done an excellent job with this album. she has used her soft, beautiful voice to make sweet sweet music. What took her so long?for all you Emma fans, listen ... on February 6th, 2004, Emma is releasing her 2nd solo album called "Free Me". I am ordering it off of the HMV.CO.UK website. It sounds awesome. when it comes here, i defintily recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Path of Daggers was an amazing novel in an amazing series.. Path of Daggers, the 8th book of the Wheel of Time series, lived up to the previos masterpeices in the series and made me crave for more. Although Mat was not really talked about in the book, the return of Logain made me want to laugh with joy. Robert Jordan rules!!$LABEL$1 +ummm...ok, let me just say it...i agree with TRAINWRECK!!!. dht was horrible. i dont have the cd but my friend does and ive listened to it and the only song good enough to mention is listen to your heart. but, you shouldnt buy a cd if there is only one good song on it. good thing i didnt buy it and my friend got stuck with it. i would not recommend this to you.$LABEL$0 +KAWASAKI W650 OWNER. Fast delivery - Mod is as advertised and worth every penny.. Preload cut spacer 3 times ended up at 1 1/2", Flush with top of fork. Used 10w Bel Ray fork oil 140mm of air space measured with Motion Pro Fluid Tool.$LABEL$1 +Excellent!. I watched the movie on Christmas Day, and I wanted to read the book, excellent addition to my collection....it's a keeper!$LABEL$1 +potential: untapped.. this film had the potential to be funny... a weird enough plot, a talented enough cast... but it relied on vulgarness and poor dialogue to simply carry it through what could have been funny situations.it wasn't funny, it was sad.if this really happened it would not have made anyone's life better or worse- they just would have continued spinning out of control on this rock...i think it was the direction & the editing that really was below par on this film, through- because even with not-bad performances the timing was just off with the jokes & situations...$LABEL$0 +Saccharine Sickly Sweet. If you have a taste for hyper-earnest sentiment and treacle, this is the CD for you.If the very notion of some "spiritual" composer navel-gazing and pondering life as "The Artist at 40" makes you gag, run in the other direction!!!$LABEL$0 +I don't understand how anyone can like this. This movie is not scary and sloppy efforts were made by everyone! I didn't even laugh at how bad it was, I was just angered. But I guess that's my fault for renting it and not listening to the reviews and just wanting to see gore.$LABEL$0 +Abridged CD is empty..... CD/abridged/Romantic Suspense: A friend loaned me the paperback a few years back and it was okay. This abridged version was not at good as the paperback. It was very empty and I disliked the townspeople more in this version. There were so many plot holes and red herrings. The police procedure stuff was completely unrealistic. The narrator did a great job.$LABEL$0 +Very Bad Writing. I bought this book because I was intrigued about telling a story that took place after the show had ended. All I can say is, the writing is horrible and resembles nothing of the Buffy characters and world. Much of the dialogue is corny and no character would be caught dead saying it, and being as the smart dialogue of the characters is one of the things that attracted me to the show, I must warn people to be wary before purchasing this book.$LABEL$0 +TRIVET. TRIVET GOOD, BUT NO BETTER THAN THE ONES I GOT AT THE DOLLAR STORE! I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND PURPLE. NOT WORTH THE MONEY.$LABEL$0 +The best. I borrowed this book from a local public library but I just needed my own copy. It's heavier than most travel guides, but it really is awesome. I hope to return to Italy in a couple of years. Until then, this book will do. Going through the whole book can really be exhausting! It's not just a great travel guide. It's a fantastic photo album as well as a great source of history, information, etc. etc.$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Terrible. After only about three months of use this has already broken down on me. It won't hold a charge anymore. I hope Homedics is aware of all these bad reviews of their product. This product is simply not made to withstand a typical bathroom environment. The housing is made such that water and toothpast will seep in no matter how you use it. The brushhead will stop working in about a months worth of use as the combined water and grime will stop it from working. Did they even test this thing themselves? What were they thinking......... A bathroom product that is not waterproof and is intended to be used near water is just mind boggling. Brushing with it was okay, but the quality and design of the product leave MUCH to be desired. STAY AWAY from this product.$LABEL$0 +Love, Love, Love - You need this.. This product is so fantastic I have bought three of them, one for each room my daughter may fall asleep in. We have the pink ladybug, the red ladybug and the twilight turtle. The stars are so sweet to look at and provide a nice nightlight for the little ones. it's really cool that the stars actually show constellations and the story book that comes with the package is fun.The auto turn off feature is great and seems to be the perfect amount of time for my daughter to fall asleep. It's small enough to be portable (we schlep it to grandma's house regularly) but a good size for kids to cuddle with too. Some of our friends came over with their kids, who are a couple years older than ours, and flipped when they found the ladybug. This is great for infants all the way to pre-teens. Heck, even my husband and I will put one in our room some nights because it's so fun to look at.I highly recommend this. You need it.$LABEL$1 +Like a Rock. Does what it's supposed to and the Linksys support was good. BUT, you need to CAREFULLY and COMPLETELY follow the instructions and/or prompts for successful installation. Take your time - unless you've done this a hundred times before! Amazon standard service was much faster than I expected.$LABEL$1 +Is NOT leak proof. I too bought one of these lunch bowls at Target and I can confirm that it indeed is not leak proof. My son started school and wanted soup. When I picked him up the teacher informed me that his soup leaked all over his lunch bag and book bag, making his folder and books all wet! There is a small hole in the slot where the take along spoon is (I assume for ventilation) and when I ran water on the underside of the lid I confirmed that it leaked through this hole. It also only does a marginal job of keeping food hot. When we sent spaghetti or pierogies they were only room temp come lunch time. Again I assume this is because of the small hole in the lid.$LABEL$0 +CS3--worth the upgrade. CS 3 does not disappoint! With the special new features in all programs, the products have become even more seamless.$LABEL$1 +Simon says...". Simon says, the book of mormon was a figment of Joseph Smith's imagination. I couldn't agree more....$LABEL$1 +Mouth boogers made me stop.. After using Listerine Whitening Pre-Brush Rinse, I would awaken the next morning with some stringy, ropey goo in the bottom of my mouth and alongside the lower margins of my teeth. Was it the dreaded stains coming off my teeth?? NOPE.I contacted customer service at Listerine (Pfizer) and got a smarmy runaround. "We are not your doctor or dentist if you want to know what it is, you need to contact them"......I contacted my dentist who advised that this was sloughing cells from the lining of my mouth, and that this was a common allergic/ sensitivity reaction to chemicals in mouth care products.He suggested that stopping using Listerine Whitening Pre-Brush Rinse would be the right thing to do.One star to the product, and ZERO stars to Listerine/Pfizer for not having the guts to tell me that this was not normal and was cells sloughing off the inside of my mouth.$LABEL$0 +Good noise level. I was traveling to family for vacation and they have paper thin walls and this there be a lot of KIDS playing throughout the house and I would not be able to keep them quote. We decided on this model because of the reviews. I was surprised that the price for a good noisemaker would cost so much but that's what it is.I have to say that for using this in a house with very thin walls and having a lot family and kids around in other rooms even playing in another room close to were my 11 months old baby was sleeping. Still with all the noise he didn't wake up from everyone else in the house and he was able to have naps during the day with no disturbance.Pros: Good noise levelsCons: Price is a little high just for a noisemakerAll in all; I WOULD recommend this as THE noisemaker to get, going by experience and others that I know that use this too!$LABEL$1 +careful -- these are not the original versions!. Note that the track listing on the product page lists only song titles, not artists -- if you order this sight unseen, you may be disappointed to find that these are re-recordings, not the original versions of the songs! For example, Joachim Witt's "Tri Tra Trullala" turns out to be performed by "Archim Britt." Improbably, I found the CDs to be mostly listenable anyhow.$LABEL$0 +Don't hate 'em, but feel better when they're not around.. That's it. I'm broke. Can't buy another drink. No money, no job, no rent. Hey, I'm back to normal. $20.00 for that kind of head is outrageous, says who? You guessed it, Frank Stallone. $2.99 to rent the flick is a steal.$LABEL$1 +Expensive Non Standard memory. Do yourself a favor and limit your camera search to those that use the industry standard memory format, COMPACT FLASH.$LABEL$0 +Does not work with Windows XP. Contrary to what Linksys state and say on their packaging this product does not work with Windows XP.I am currently pursuing legal action against Linksys as they will not refund the purchase but only replace it with the same product. This has already been done and it's the same problem.Do not purchase any Linksys wireless products as even though you may be lucky enough to get some working, there technical support is useless and they continuously lie to you.$LABEL$0 +Fabulously informative. This book was in new great condition and arrived in a very timely matter. The book is very informative for our travel plans.$LABEL$1 +GPSlim 240 on a BlackBerry 8100. This device is great for what I purchased it for. It paired without any trouble to my blackberry pearl. The pictures don't do it justice on how tiny it is. It did not work properly with my laptop connected via USB. This appears to because of the driver provided doesn't work properly. It does not create the virtual com port that is needed to interface with most GPS software.$LABEL$1 +best wrestlmaia ever. this event was pretty good. the billy gunn/holly/snow match was a great opener. the tag match was boring. the brawl for all was really short good thing too. show/mankind was entertaining. roaddogg/shamrock/venis/goldust was excellent. the kane/hhh match was average. the sable/torri was boring. xpac/shane was average. the hell in a cell was horrible. and the rock/austin was the best. here is wrestlmaia in the order of how good they were.15 16 14 4 6 10 5 12 7 8 9 1 2 11 13.$LABEL$1 +One great sauce pan!. This is a durable, well-designed sauce pan. It distributes heat evenly and is easy to clean. The handle stays cool, even during long cooking times and/or boiling. It has the look and feel of quality cookware and is reasonably priced.$LABEL$1 +Oral-B Flosser. It is very user friendly and fits comfortably in your hand while flossing. It takes a messy job and makes it very easy to do.$LABEL$1 +Polenta. I will definitely buy this product again. It is excellent, fast to prepare and the flavor and consistency are perfect.$LABEL$1 +Good. Rosie is adopted by a family with different coloring than her own hair. This book expresses some of the anxiety that adopted children may feel such as anger and sadness at their birth parents and adoption parents. Being an adoptive mother, I felt that a little more positive spin could have been placed on the story. There are only one or two pages of happiness for the adoptive family. I recommend reading with the time to share and explore all elements of this story with your child.$LABEL$1 +Poor reliability. After some time researching printers, I decided on this one. I received my printer as a christmas present in Dec 2004. As of today, July 2005, I am now on to my second printer, the motherboard having failed on the original. Today, I suspect that the same thing has happened again, as with the first one I could no longer turn it on. I'm beginning to think that I will simply ask for a refund and get a different printer by another manufacturer.$LABEL$0 +Dumbest movie in years.. Is this supposed to be art? Because it has no other value, other than perhaps for the purpose of studying the effects of boredom on the human psyche. I kept expecting the main character to be a hero, instead he's just a loser. I can appreciate a movie without a hero (i.e. Being John Malkovich) but can't they at least make the loser character someone who does something...anything...interesting?Also, the other characters are really weak. The best potential characters, the grandma for example, are barely ever on screen.I thought this movie would be like Rushmore, and I couldn't have been more wrong.I will say one thing positive about it, though, there is a scene where Napolean goes to jump his bike on a ramp and instead just plows through it - a really funny gag, I have to admit...most of us have done something like that.In summary, might be worth it if you can rent it cheap and get a backup movie, but I wouldn't recommend buying it.$LABEL$0 +A Major Disappointment. Neil Finn is without doubt one of the best songwriters of this era. With Crowded House his tunes were mixed with ever more innovativness reaching a pinnacle with Together Alone, among the best albums of the last decade. Try Whistling This sadly shows that he needs a tight unit to breathe life and energy into his songs. There are exactly two outstanding tracks on this release, the catchy summer tune She Will Have Her Way and the spooky Sinner. Most of the rest lacks the spark that Crowded House seemed to produce in their sleep. A few tracks are even hardly b-side material. Neil obviously needs a group of musicians around him, not session players, to highlight his own talents.$LABEL$0 +Good tips, though somewhat out of date.. This book has great training tips for puppies and dogs, lots of critical exercises to practice with you're dog. I would say though that some of the author's explanations of wild dogs/wolves is based on out-of-date information, and one can find many newer books & articles on wolf & dog hierarchy. I think some of the tips given also can easily be done wrong or poorly, so anyone who picks up this book should be sure to read through the whole thing and not just attempt to pick certain exercises to attempt without understanding Kilcommon's overall philosophy.$LABEL$1 +Very chill.. As a yoga instructor, this was spot on. It's one of my go-to cds, which makes things easy for me.$LABEL$1 +You'll never go back to white rice. A huge difference in flavor and texture versus the plain supermarket brands. Yes, it costs a little more but still less than pre-prepared rice mixes. Try this "mexican" recipe.2 Cups rice, 1 tbs Olive Oil, brown rice in skillet2 Cups water, 1 Tomato, 1/2 Onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbs Chicken bullion, tps salt, chop up in blender to rough texture.Add blender mix plus additional 2 1/2 cups water, 1/4 red wine to browned rice.Cover simmer until water absorbed.$LABEL$1 +Gentle Facial Cleanser. Excellent product. Has kept any blemishes to a minimum. Not overly drying. Moisturizers, which I use for my naturally dry skin go on without feeling tacky. Super-CTM Cleanser Gentle Facial Wash - 6 oz. - Liquid$LABEL$1 +junk?. Made sure i chose right product and manufacturer for proper fitment but product failed 24 days after installation.Very frustrating.Would not recommend.$LABEL$0 +APA Manual - The discourse of the discipline.. APA Manual - The discourse of the disciplinary regime.Simply stated, this book is poorly organized and makes the reader wade through many pages in an attempt to find the `correct answer.' The object? - because I are studying under a disciplinary regime and must conform to what the knowledge experts tell us is real.$LABEL$0 +amazing. this book really did change my adolescence - it made me see that choosing to not grow up was a metaphysical choice and a viable on at that - oskar pays the price but i won't - we learn from his mistakes (ps see "Cat and Mouse" by the same author to find out more.)$LABEL$0 +Music ruins the show. The background/foreground music totally distracts from the awesome sounds of the F104 engines.Excellent old footage does not overcome the MUSIC.$LABEL$0 +must be for older kids. Bumble bee kids makes a series of 5 dvd's that are done very well, and geared for the 6month-2 year old. My 6 month old has watched some of them every day and never gets tired of them. I bought this aphabet video by bumble bee kids for him when he was 19 months, and the kids in the video do not speak clearly, and sometimes whisper the words. My son asked me to turn it off by the time we were at the letter "H". They should use the little girl who does the singing in their body parts video. She has personality, and can speak clearly, and babies love her. This video is going to the goodwill I am afraid. The kids speak with lisps in this video.$LABEL$0 +Good-story wanna-be. Eliza Blake is a beautiful news anchorwoman who enters your home, and the homes of thousands just like you, every day. For some, this isn't enough. Eliza has multiple "stalkers" sending her sick messages in the mail and on her phone. She and her five year old daughter are being threatened and it must end, before someone ELSE dies.This had the makings of a really great story. In my opinion, it just didn't say all it should have. The main character, Eliza, should have done everything in her power to protect herself and her daughter. She really didn't do squat. She simply stood back, making observations. The writing was very predictable and matter-of-fact; I felt no suspense or any other emotions, for that matter. The dialog was very dull and rigid, like the words were simply pulled from a dictionary. I yelled at the book a couple times. You'll need a little patience with this one.$LABEL$0 +RIP OFF ARTISTS!!!. For this album, My Chemical Romance just copies the melodies and song structures on bands such as the Styx and Queen. Go and compare "Come Sail Away" by the Styx with "Welcome to the Black Parade". They are ironically similar. Even the singing tone is almost an exact replica of the lead singer of Styx. For several months, I even thought it was the Styx!!!Being a musician myself, I can appreciate well written music from an original band but when their is nothing original about it, there is not much I can say but SAVE YOUR MONEY!$LABEL$0 +Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. My first attempt at barbecued Thanksgiving turkey was a huge success with the help of these smoke wood chips. They arrived quickly and provided the perfect smoke flavoring for my barbecued turkey. I can't wait to barbecue my next turkey...probably for Christmas.$LABEL$1 +Why isn't this labeled as a short story?. It is really annoying to start reading a book only to find out that it is a short story. This could have been an interesting book, but it only took about half an hour to read. I don't understand why it is not mandatory to label short stories so that people know what they are buying.$LABEL$0 +A great read. This book is exciting and captivating. It captures the challenges of Military life starting in boot camp and progressing on through the war in Viet Nam. I've read the book twice, once a long time ago and then again recently. I feel like I know the author personally. He bares his heart and soul in this book. It's written in present tense as if the scenes had been accurately recorded. I don't know how the author could do that so well, he must have a detailed journal or a photographic memory (or maybe both). I highly recommend this book however, be aware that it is filled with foul language, but only because that was the language of the military at the time.$LABEL$1 +Don't judge this book by its title!. OK, now I know to read reviews! A better title for this book would have been, Life Coaching Educational Options. This book appears to have been "cut & pasted" from the Internet. I bought it as a less expensive option than coaching school, not to read a list of schools!The "book" is a great list of schools that have easy-to-find websites. The list compiler probably spent a full day or two on www.google.com to find, block, cut and paste this "book."The title is very deceptive!On the flip side though, $12.95 + S&H is not a bad price for a reminder that the world is filled with unscrupulous folks! From this perspective the book was well worth every penny!Perhaps the author could next compile a list of porn sites, call it a book and title it "How to Have a Loving Relationship."$LABEL$0 +a nice departure from Radiohead. I will start off by saying that this solo album from radiohead frontman Thom Yorke will not have mass appeal . This album is almost entirely electronic , and minimalistic in it's approach . Sufficed to say , it is destined to alienate the casual listener . However , if you enjoy lush , ambient electro-soundscapes with emotive vocals ( and you are not a card carrying member of the A.D.D. generation ) then you may like this very intimate and personal album . Essentially , this is a stripped-down Radiohead . Thom Yorke seems to have a re-newed sense of purpose , he isn't just going through the motions like on previous -RH- albums . This is his most inspired work in years .$LABEL$1 +great third album. I don't really need to tell anyone who has heard BHC to check this album out because they are probably listening to it right now just as I am......if you haven't heard boy hits car they can be (roughly) compared to bands like system of a down, tool, rage, nonpoint, pulse ultra ... this is a great album, favorite song right now is All the Love We Hold InsideGET THIS ALBUM!$LABEL$1 +Not even close. I wear a size 13 or 14 depending on the manufacturer. This shoe stretcher wouldn't even touch the sides on my size 13 Rockports. They were a little tight, so I wanted to loosen them up.It was ridiculous how far from "stretching" they were. I would guess there was at least a half inch of space in the shoes when the "stretchers" AND the little knobs were fully extended. Without the knobs it probably would have been an inch. I mean they say up to size 14, but I would be shocked if they could stretch my wife's shoes. I'm returning them because they wouldn't even be useful for her.$LABEL$0 +Inaccurate/unreliable product. I recently bought this item but found it to be unreliable and consistently shows a rating of 10 to 12 points above the actual BP numbers. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful. My class was recently assigned this book to read to go along with our unit on Africa. Cry, The Beloved Country was filled with extrodinary passages that made me feel the pain and suffering of a country under a time of great turmoil. At times the book was a little boring, but it never seemed to disappoint me in any way, with wonderful descriptions of this beautiful country and the struggle of its oppressed people. This truely is a wonderful book.$LABEL$1 +typical biology book. Has all the basic Biology information on it. Bought this edition for $10 (instead of the newer one) and bought the online code for $30 for all my class work, worked great.$LABEL$1 +SHE'S A GREAT SINGER AND A VERY FRIENDLY PERSON.. This album is the best, I bought this cd and my 1 year old loves to dance to these songs.$LABEL$1 +The Best Series Out There. This series is unique in one way. Watch the first episode and your hooked. Mad Men is good but this is something else. Don't believe me - try it! You wont regret it.$LABEL$1 +Very happy! They look great!. I am very happy with these!! Such a great buy, they look great in the closet and are really nice sizes.$LABEL$1 +It's rare for a teen title to be so well crafted and the dialogue so adult and inviting.. This was really interesting and intelligent book, aside from the many misnomers about my home state of Washington, and some issues that were not fully developed like Bella's attraction of danger and near death experiences hopefully the next two installments will explore these issues. I loved this book despite of those flaws and I am anxious to engage in one of the sequels. It's rare for a teen title to be so well crafted and the dialogue so adult and inviting. I think the size and subject matter will put off some teens but those that pick it up will not be able to put it down, nor will they be able to stop wondering what will be come of Bella in the next book.$LABEL$1 +Short but ever so worth it. Even though the season is only 13 episodes long due to Emily Deschanel's pregancy all 13 are some of the best body of work bones has ever done. Funny ,sweet ,thought provicking and with the same great gross bodies it provides an inside look at the charecters we have not had before I cant wait to get season 8 and see how they continue it.$LABEL$1 +Hose Reel Replacement. I bought the Suncast SWA 100 to replace an older unit that was leaking. The Suncast was simple to assemble, easy to mount and does really hold 100' of hose. This unit is easier than the old one to use and the best feature is the reel is detachable so I can take it in during the winter months without having to remove the hose.$LABEL$0 +huh?. Portia is an orphaned 16 year old girl sent to live with her half-brother and his wife. They aren't very nice to Portia. She "falls in love" with a friend of her brother's wife. He rejects her. It turns out the wife has been reading Portia's diary. Portia throws herself at another friend of the family. He toorejects her. Everyone realizes they've been buzzardly.Whoopty flippin' doo...This is supposed to be a poignant portrait of a young girl coming of age; read To Kill a Mockingbird instead.$LABEL$0 +Good book for our times.. This book could be seen by some as an allegory of modern conservative-Republicanism run amok. A CEO traffics in human cargo and destroys indigenous tribal cultures to provide cheap labor for his company and protect against corporate espionage. The haves (Salts, Teavees, Gloops, etc.) all grow wealthier, fatter and more demanding at the expense of the hardworking have-nots (the Buckets.) Overweight children, kids with ADHD and post-feminist loud-mouths are skewered, while the child who keeps his mouth shut and plays by the rules of corporate culture is the ultimate winner.$LABEL$1 +Hoped it was better. My husband heard one song of this album on the radio and ordered the CD. He was disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Hold the Mayo please, but bring me the butter. A very nice discovery. Their sound thunders with wild frentic guitars, swanky and screamy vocals, a tight drum section... and you get The Detatchment Kit. A well put together album, they posess a certain energy that I havnt heard for awhile. so yes pick up this album and eat some s'mores, cuddle with your girl/guy, drink some wine, and draw pictures.$LABEL$1 +Great product with a great catch.. I just bought this product. Looks nice and slick. However, the box says it is wireless ready but they don't include the adapter. Even worse, you can't use another adapter than a Samsung. On top of that, the damn adapter costs $80, where you can get a regular adapter for $15!That's not an honest strategy from Samsung. And even though I can afford the adapter, I will return the product.$LABEL$0 +Doctor is quack. Dr. Grossan is a quack this book is a guise to self promote his products for monetary gain and he should be investigated by the AMA - Shame on him$LABEL$0 +S&B Hot Mustard Powder. Received this item promptly and was very pleased to get it. The mustard is good and hot. Directions say to use cold water to mix, but I used warm water from a tea kettle that had cooled and the results were very good with no lumping. It isn't mustard if it's not hot! The only thing I was concerned about was that there was no ingredient label and as I have diet limitations I wasn't really sure what it contained other than ground mustard seed.$LABEL$1 +Pre-folded??. Not crazy about this product. The filters are not really pre folded. One side must be pulled open, which makes for an unbalanced and thicker filter on the other side. A true cone-shaped filter with equal thickness would be preferred.$LABEL$0 +The Untamed. I first read this book when I was a young boy and was much impressed. I never forgot it. I recently read it again (I'm now 75) and thought that the story was still entertaining but not like it had been when I was younger. I would recommend it to young readers$LABEL$1 +Get ready to yawn.. This is a mediocre movie pumped to 5 stars by blatant sock-puppetry. I rarely see an Amazon DVD with 5 stars and over 100 reviews. On that basis alone I purchased _A Dog's Breakfast_. Mistake.At first I thought what I was seeing here were a contingent of vocal Stargate fans, too besotted with their favorite actors appearing in a non-genre venue to see its limitations.After further reflection, it's pretty clear to me that most of the reviews were written by one or two people. Read a dozen of the 5 star reviews and you'll begin to hear the same screechy voice coming out of the mouths of nearly one hundred sock puppets.This is not a good movie.Don't get me wrong--it isn't a terrible movie either. But the capable acting doesn't save this tepid comedy from a poorly structured plot and lackadaisical pacing. I snickered a few times but was otherwise bored throughout.$LABEL$0 +Sadness. this game is amazing.I just wish they told me in the description that it will not work on a windows 7 machine.$LABEL$0 +Rip Off. This DVD is garbage. It is totally unviewable. And all I can hear is something about the Muhamed Ali and Frazier fight in Ziare. I was looking forward to seeing the movie after having read the book. But I guess I can't. At least not from this vendor.$LABEL$0 +THE IDEAL ALBUM. well what can i say, only that this album is a perfect album! if you know deus then you know that every song of them is played with so much instruments and it's just like being in an orcestra of rock.the song 'instent street' is an amazing piece of art,also highlights - 'magdalena','the magic hour' and if to be honest all the 10 tracks are highlights .i recommend this album to people who like to try something new,something pure,something that can change you.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Book. This book is written by a real expert. It is the definitive tuning guide for DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Widnows. The chapters on tuning bufferpools and sorts are the first of their kind. I use this book and Snow's to support my databases on a daily basis.$LABEL$1 +This guy can really sing!. Most of the songs on this cd are great! There are pretty ballads like "She's All I Ever Had" to great dancing beats like "Spanish Eyes." There's even some in-between stuff like "Private Emotion." He seriously can sing too. His voice is really really good and not to mention he included the words so you can actually know what he's singing. I hate it when artists don't put the words in!$LABEL$1 +Stupid. I like Mary Roberts Rinehart, but this is one of her worst books. It is about a 16-17 year old who wants to be like her 20 month older sister. "Bab" gets into too many stupid problems. I found nothing funny about this book. I kept reading it thinking it would get better. It never did.$LABEL$0 +Give this a try. This is the first time I have used this product.I read about it in magazines so thought I would see how it works with my skin. I certainly am pleased with the results, you actually feel your skin "freeze" just after you apply it - it gives you a feeling your skin is becoming firmer. None of my friends have commented on the difference but I see it myself and if I feel good, then to me I must look good (and not the other way round). I would give it a try.$LABEL$1 +Great Case. I received the case in less than 3 days and it fits and looks great Love the price and product!!!!$LABEL$1 +Impossible Read. I bought this book thinking it would be along the lines of Freakonomics/Blink/Tipping Point etc., based on Amazon's recommendation. Unfortunately it was drastically different: difficult to follow and not at all entertaining. Big disappointment.$LABEL$0 +meh. The first movie was funny, maybe a little corny... but good. This one is a pathetic, extremely corny sequel... but the filming of this one is totally different than the first so not even sure it's a real sequel. The camera angles & such were different - like it was a reality show as opposed to a 'horror movie.' Really didn't like it. (Luckily, I had no problems with the seller I bought from)$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware: SERIOUS Quality Control Issues!!. We hated, hated, HATED this thing...'cause despite purchasing THREE of them, we never really got to play with one! Even though it IS cute, plays fun music, and appears to have the potential to be a lot of fun, we actually purchased THREE seperate Twirlin' Whirlin' Gardens three seperate times, and EVERY SINGLE time we got one home and took it out of the box, it was broken!! One time we had one of the little belts inside break (this is similar to a vaccuum cleaner), another time the little plastic gears inside were broken, etc. Makes me wonder if there's any quality control at Fisher-Price at ALL, since many other people seem to have had a lot of fun and success with this thing. We had no such luck! So, my caution to the world is this: be careful buying this thing. I find it hard to believe that we would have gotten THREE bad eggs just by chance.$LABEL$0 +Marketing is the devil. As a child I loved these books. They were exciting but in a safe way and they really told a great story of a young girl finding a place where she is loved. However, that place was not in a pile of hay with farmer Jed. Let's stop the stupidity and actually make covers that work. It isn't like people haven't heard of the books before. I know you have to market to the weakest link, but I really don't think that someone who had never heard of the books would be happy with the story based on the cover. As someone who did like the books, I would be embarrassed to be seen reading this version in public. If you want to be lazy, just take a picture of a farm house or a field and put that on the cover. Don't hire some 30 year old actress to tart it up country style.$LABEL$0 +Very difficult to program, poor performance. The beeping part comes with a plastic stick and an array of buttons to program. You have to be a genius/scientist to get it all figured out. You will have to open the unit and use the stick to change the music.We lost the stick, so now we are having difficulty with the product. Anyway, the product is not working even after 3 weeks. We have broken the easy clip and had to pay for replacements which in my opinion are not worth it.I was waking up 3 times a night and cleaning the sensor with a toothbrush as recommended. In one week, it's all rusty and potentially dangerous. Nope, this isn't going to work for us.$LABEL$0 +Not bad!. I enjoy this CD a lot. For a moment I thought these songs would sound horrible but I found them to be really cool! If you are a fan of children's CD's, this CD is certainly for you.$LABEL$1 +pointless. This book is completely pointless. There are no chapter breaks so it feels like a long run-on sentence. The characters are never fully described and seem two-dimensional at best. I honestly do not understand the glowing reviews this book has received.$LABEL$0 +This is a joke.. Those 3 to 5 minutes routines are jokes. There is no way we can get "fit" in that time. There is no such a miracle. Definitely, this DVD does not worth the money. It might work for someone that has never worked out in their life. Maybe it is good just to start. The 20 minutes aerobics is not that bad if you don't have anything else to warm up with.$LABEL$0 +Absolutely Useless. I was very excited, but i should have listened to the other reviews on this product. It sharpened about half of the first pencil and then stalled. I tried cleaning out the shavings tray, different pencils, different amounts of pressure on the pencils and nothing worked. The motor completely stopped working after that first half of a pencil. I am returning it and will not be buying anything from X-acto ever again!!!$LABEL$0 +Prin Trio Photo Printer. This is quite possibly the worst printer I have ever owned!!! The Cannon I had was awesome and then I made the mistake of buying "refilled ink" as I am sure a lot of people have done and totally botched their printers like I did! This Lexmark printer is not worth $25.00 much less the $95.00 my husband paid for it at WalMart! It is lame and these people are right in saying it is slow and doesn't print photo's well at all even with the photo cartridge! Cartridges are very expensive as well--black more than $28.00 and color more than $35.00! Hope you find this helpful! By the way--notice it's not on the market anymore.$LABEL$0 +Thoroughly enjoyable read. I enjoyed every minute of this book. This story of a woman's path to fulfillment, blended with just the right amount of history, kept me wondering what was factual and what was fiction. The perfect book to take on a long car ride or plane trip.$LABEL$1 +One of the best books ever!. This book was a wonderful, humorous story that should be read and enjoyed by everyone! Toilet Paper Tigers kept my family and I in peels of laughter. I am still giggling to myself as I remember. This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great, really funny book.$LABEL$1 +Duh, which way did he go, George? Which way, which way???. As far as I'm concerned, everything after "Contra La Corriente" has been a disappointment. That CD had it all: erotic as well as sublime love lyrics. His self titled album left me stunned with how pedestrian and stupefyingly bland it was. I expected something much more sophisticated, I mean - this is Marc Anthony. I love Marc's voice and talent, and I understand he wants to try different styles but it's confusing to fans and eventually dilutes his fan base. He should stick to what he does well while learning to write music. Learning an instrument (guitar? piano? a la Alejandro Sanz) wouldn't hurt either.$LABEL$0 +Trash. How in the world did this book get published? I don't think the author did very much research before writing it! Some of his opinions, interspersed with fact just makes it worse. Some of his historical references are seriously lacking and blatantly wrong! This was a huge waste of money.$LABEL$0 +Not for 2 yr old. If the child doesn't know what is going on, this floater is useless. My son is year and a half. I couldn't trust on this equipment to keep his head above water. It kept on toppling him sideways. For kids from age 2 is misleading, should have stated that the kid should know what swimming is.Anyway, I will keep it, should be useful (as per other reviews) after the age 3.$LABEL$0 +I love the popcorn, too bad I can't get it through Amazon. Twice they sent me cartons of the wrong variety. Once it was "Movie Theater Butter," forgot what they sent the other time.I was credited back for my purchase, because they are unable to receive returned food products. They never were able to successfully fill the order, and we gave up.I love this particular product, it contains 0% transfats, low salt, yet it is delicious and tastes as sweet as candy to me.Unfortunately, I will have to rely on my local supermarket, which is often out of the product$LABEL$0 +Water proof is the only good thing -. The Olympus 720SW is great for in water shots and movies - surfing, snorkeling and boating. However, the good things end there. The camera (7.1MP) takes poor images for your average (out of water) shot. The shots are blurry and it is hard to find the proper settings in each condition. The Xd card is super slow, takes several seconds before the camera is ready to shoot again. My suggestion buy the canon elf and just take the extra time to put it in a waterproof housing. My 4MP canon elf takes a much better quality image. I will not buy another Olympus product, my next camera will be the 7.1MP canon elf.$LABEL$0 +Unmatchable. I first heard this CD while shopping in a music store, and instantly became a Fruvous fan. Their style of music is so different, yet so amazing. I strongly urge you to try try it out. You won't be dissapointed$LABEL$1 +Different from the movie. Most of these aren't even in the actual movie.And to answer another person's question about that song that goes, "Boom...here comes the...boom" - I didn't check it on the DVD, but as I remember from the movie, it's POD's song "Boom" from their CD called "Satellite."$LABEL$0 +Taking it back.. This seat was tough to put together, and didn't fit my mountain bike. I am taking it back.$LABEL$0 +My son puts down his truck to read this book. When he wants to read, my thirteen month old pulls this book out of a bag of about 2 dozen books. He rocks back and forth to the rhythm of the words and gets excited when it is time for him to lift the flap to see the baby dancing with an animal. We originally checked out this book from the library, but are adding it to our home library now.$LABEL$1 +Vortex Broadheads. Would have been a great buy! have used them before and love them. but I order Vortex Broadheads as listed, but recieved replacement blades. seller didn't offer to replace with correct items. but did I get a refund. so if you do get what you ordered, I'm sure you will like them, but need a 70# draw or greater to get best results from these broadheads.$LABEL$0 +What Happened to FrontPage?. I have been using FrontPage since 1997. I am webmaster for three websites and have alway really thought this was a great program! BUT! I have only upgraded to FrontPage 2000 and find that with my XP computer, Win XP does not support FrontPage. Now, if I want to continue with my family Genealogy Site and a community Genealogical Society site, I will need to purchase and learn ANOTHER program. At age 70, I really don't feel like doing that!Does anyone know if FP 2003 will work on Win XP? OR How can I get my FP 2000 to work on my WIN XP computer?$LABEL$0 +Pre-teen fiction!. Silly book, reminding me of my childhood favorite, Nancy Drew. As an adult reader, however, this book is childish, predictable driverish! A waste of time to read, unless you are 11 years old!$LABEL$0 +weak. did not like this at all. It did not spread around me and i was cold.. i felt like this was saving water ... and it was not comfortable. Ended up buying the Delta 75152 and it was MUCH better! save your time and let me tell you which one to get. I bought two of the Deltas in the end$LABEL$0 +Poor Oral-B Electric Toothbrush Design. I purchased this Oral-B Precision Clean 4 pack replacement head. I bought this particular model because of its lower price, expecting to receive the best bang for my buck. After few weeks of use, the brush head became loose and wobbling. The worst part is the toothbrush pinched my lips and tongue. I tried to use the other three and they wound up the same way. Oral-B, what has happened to your quality control? I am sure you must know about the flaw in this product by now. If you cannot it fixed, I suggest you take your name off of it.$LABEL$0 +Classic Sarah. Dispite bad critic reviews, I truly enjoied this album. It's a more mature, introspective Sarah, and very refreshing considering the current trend in popular music. If you like her previous albums...this is a sure bet.$LABEL$1 +Not worth your money. Badly written. Characters feel indistinct and are uninteresting. There doesn't seem to be a purpose to the story, and the whole novel lacks a purpose. I quit a little more than half way through.$LABEL$0 +Beginning of the Alphabet Soup.... I've been hearing about Sue Grafton's alphabet series forever and decided to give it a try. I did read N is for Noose a couple of years ago and liked it. Now, I've bought the first three volumes of the omnibus forms of the book and am starting from the beginning. A is for Alibi is a lighter mystery than I'm used to reading, with hints of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. All in all, a nice, entertaining read.$LABEL$1 +Love this album. This is a great album. Mike Muir and friends lay down some great tracks. All you cycos out there will love it.$LABEL$1 +awesome. I got this for my 2 yr old son and he absolutely loves it. I love the way it looks and so far it seems really sturdy and made well.$LABEL$1 +Horrible. Horrible may just be to mild a description of what I thought of this book and I am not normally this harsh. I desperately tried to get through chapter 3 but couldn't torture myself any further. It was bad enough forcing myself through the first two chapters. It just ran on and on, hard to follow, just seemed to be a lot of rambling on to me.$LABEL$0 +prompt shipping and delivery. Very good cd... received in very good condition. It's a new one.The cd here is cheaper then on iTunes, so it is highly recommended to buy it from Amazon.It contains the best songs from Herman Brood & the Wild Romance.$LABEL$1 +remington shaver MS2-390. Excellent. I heard shavers weren't as good anymore as in the past, but this one is the best I've ever had. I especially like the automatic shift to 220 in foreign countries, and the touch-up head that comes up parallel to the regular heads.$LABEL$1 +Old information, precedes Sarbanes Oxley. Not only is this an infomercial for CCBN, the investor relations website vendor, but the information is now very out of date. The book was written at a time when CCBN's advice was that a corporate governance section on your IR website consisted of a list of your directors with little or no biographic detail, and a list of company managers with perhaps a short bio on each. We have come a long way since then, and so has CCBN, but this book, like many to do with the fast changing Internet, is now stale. You would do better to read www.irwebreport.com or www.irbp.org, or even visit the sites of CCBN and Shareholder.com.$LABEL$0 +100% Recommend - Great Little Grinder. Everybody knows freshly ground beans make better coffee. This litle grinder is fast, efficient, durable and makes just the perfect grind for the morning ritual. If you like coffee, want to grind your own beans, buy this Krups. It'd be a bargain at twice the price.$LABEL$1 +Exactly what was needed. Now that the original score is available, this version will be less needed. It is a great score, very well done. Works very well.$LABEL$1 +Great vitamins but poor shipping. My first order was for both New Chapter Every Woman and Every Man. When the package arrived there was almost nothing in the box to protect the content. One of the bottles was broken, I mean it was salted it wasn't just cracked. I returned it and I had to pay the shipping back. I ordered it again and when it arrived it was poorly packed like the first one. It was just luck that it wasn't broken. So I don't know if that's how they always pack those and we have to cross our fingers that the package will arrive intact with 50/50 chance or they just knowingly sent me a broken one the first time. And what's with the return shipping fee..?For all those troubles I'll give 2 stars only. The vitamins themselves are great.$LABEL$0 +really works!. This is such a great product, it really helped my brother stop biting his nails which was a great accomplishment! I recommend this product.$LABEL$1 +Somebody should have like, hipped an editor, Lord and Lady.. Like so many bios today, there's a good book in here somewhere. But as wrought, Dig Infinity is an absurdly long, poorly edited work. Oliver gets all kinds of facts wrong and is egregious when it comes to people's names (Preston STURGIS? CINDY Miller for Donald O'Connor's sidekick instead of SIDNEY Miller? And that's just two). What a shame that such a great subject and such obviously hard work have actually done the impossible...made Lord Buckley boring. The best way to read this book is to skip much of Trager's endless and repetitive analysis of his Lordship's work and just peruse the oral histories.$LABEL$0 +From Zero to Unfortunately, Duality. When I first heard Ra's "From Zero" I was in awe. A band that used cool effects, Egyptian scales, and was moderately heavy--the perfect mix for me. Then, Duality came out.Duality demonstrates a lack of creativity that was once there in Ra. I wouldn't say they evolved, I'd say they devoled. They still use effects, but rarely and they don't have as big of an impact. On top of that they hardly sound Egyption on the album. As for this album, Ra sounds more like other bands, but they are still distinct. I just wish they went in a different direction.I do want to say that their are some really awesome songs like Fallen Angels, Undertaken, and Taken. The other tracks are bad either, it's just that I expected a whole lot more.$LABEL$0 +Best Pears Best Price. If you like dried pears, these are worth the money. They're excellent - tender, moist, whole halves.$LABEL$1 +Very mediocore bag.. I have this bag which is now a few years old. I bought it for a entry level bag bag to use for backpacking etc., The big problem is that the 20f rating is pretty far off even when using a good thermarest. From my experience, even though 20f is a survival rating, using this bag in anything below high 40f's you will be in for a very cold night(this is coming from someone who likes to sleep slightly cold).Also the zipper only goes halfway down which can make it difficult to get in and out, and makes the bag feel really small.$LABEL$0 +not worth the money. This top coat is not worth the money. Go to your discount store and buy their top coat. You will have the same results. My polish chipped within 24 hours of applying the top coat. Armor? huh?$LABEL$0 +Attractive. Looks great with my stainless appliances. I have it hanging under and from my cabinet. I am very pleased with this item.$LABEL$1 +Just as PROMISED. It is a delight to purchase books and know that the quality specified about the condition is true to a T! Book arrived in time promised and was just what I needed for a fraction of the cost!$LABEL$1 +Magnificent. Ok, it's not the four hour A&E version but you will be amazed at how much they packed into this version while still staying true to the book. Keira Knightley is completely engaging and infectious as Elizabeth. I found Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy a little to "mushy" at times, but over all delightful. Keira's Elizabeth is witty and sharp. An enjoyable way to spend the evening.$LABEL$1 +Extra thick, high density neoprene.. My wife bought two of these for me and they are my favorite Koozie. The neoprene is thicker than any of my others and is very soft and flexible. The bottom is just as thick so no cold gets out down below. I have had them for about 2 years now, and they still look great and work wonderful. They are top notch.$LABEL$1 +if you want to teach your child how. Dividing the nation so deeply into two black and white parties is confusing for a young kid. Blaming a group for the troubles of a nation is not nationalism: it divides a country.The problem I have with this book is not that it is indoctrinating - as suggested - but that it ingrains in children an unhealthy sense of political antagonism.A conservative viewpoint should be taught in a more moderate way, explaining the reasons and the benefits. Otherwise, the opinion seems to radical and in early adolescence, the child may rebel entirely in the opposite direction.$LABEL$0 +Dickensian. Dalrymple's argument is essentially that the poor have made many stupid choices, and that the rest of us therefore owe them nothing.Of course some people make bad choices; this is obvious. But Dalrymple's diagnosis of the problems of the lower class are based on his experiences with convicted criminals and with psychiatric patients. What kind of book would he have produced if he had worked with white-collar criminals and patients at a celebrity rehab center?Dalrymple's brand of concern was parodied well by Charles Dickens in Hard Times: a wish that the poor would simply stop being poor. Does it all come down to the individual? Well-written, but as cruel as any other social darwinist tract.$LABEL$0 +Great realistic looking plants. The title pretty much says it all, much better looking than the plastic plants, the only problem i've had with a few of these is the stems coming unglued from their base. Some aquarium silicon and they're fixed.$LABEL$1 +Diaper Champ is much better. The Diaper Genie is as oderless as you are going to get, but who wants to buy all those refills? I have the Diaper Champ and this Safety 1st pail and I prefer THE CHAMP! It is easier to get the garbage bag in correctly and hold many more diapers. The CHAMP is the way to go!$LABEL$0 +Bad Bad Bad. Not only a bad movie, but horrible. I rented it with the hopes that MOrgan Freeman wouldnt be in such a bomb. Terrible acting, terrible script, terrible filmography. Two thumbs down.$LABEL$0 +Batman Begins. By Far the Best Batman to come out since the original with Michael Keaton, Christian Bale plays the role of Bruce Wayne perfectly. Excellent Movie$LABEL$1 +terrible experience. I have had my Sharp 1214 for 2 years and in that 2 years, I have had the magnetron and diode replaced twice and now the display no longer works. I am done with Sharp appliances. Do not buy their crap!$LABEL$0 +Another Barbie movie for the brain-dead clinic. Quick summary: "Pretty prep girls in a long yappy trudged-on movie about idiots". I wasn't expecting much from the lost bet forcing me to view this drivel that I would rather electrocute myself until my eyes burst than have the displeasure of viewing this monstrosity again! NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 100 MALE OR FEMALE! GIVE ME NOVACANE IN THE BRAIN, ANYTHING ELSE!!$LABEL$0 +Victorinoz Swiss Army Knife. I purchase this Swiss Army knife to replace the one I had for many years. When I seen this on sale at Amazon for only $19.95 I had to buy it.I gave my old Swiss Army knife to my grandson and I'm sure he will get many years of use from it.Carl$LABEL$1 +Not Good. I am an avid reader of both historical and contemporary romance stories and this book just could not grab me. I didn't make it past the 6th chapter.$LABEL$0 +CIA Internal Wars. This book is primarily about the war of words inside the government concerning how things should be done. Because of this, it was different than I had expected.$LABEL$1 +Clever, overrated, but you need to read it!. The Dark Knight Returns is a Batman story, to be sure: dark, edgy, full of gadgets, villains, and of course, Robin.There are interesting storytelling techniques, most mentionable is the use of a television newscast to tell much of the story. Clever, I thought.But.. this comic is overrated. Not that it's not a good story, and well presented in all the visuals, but it's not to par with all the critic's talk. The story being written in the eighties must be taken into account, so the plot twists and other references don't really hit today's audience.This is, however, a must-have addition to any serious graphic novel enthusiast, Batman fan, or aspiring artist. The reference value alone makes it worth the read, if not the buy.-The GlowWormP.S. A good animated version of some of the events is in the new Batman animated series in an episode called "Legends of the Dark Knight," I believe. Check it out.$LABEL$1 +Check it out!. This book is such an accurate read on your personality, it is a must have! Miss Meghan perfectly describes every woman based on the types of shoes they wear. This is such a great book, you should also check out Miss Meghan's HOT website. She tells all in her blog about new shoe trends and she has a "Shoe of the Week" section which is really interesting too!$LABEL$1 +Takes you back to old times. This CD has the right combination of songs and quality of recording. If you are a Sunny fan, you will enjoy this one.$LABEL$1 +Serious problems with WinMe. I've done everything I can think of short of paying the long distance charge to call tech support to get this card to work. I've decided to sell the card to a friend and get another one that will work with WinMe.$LABEL$0 +Very nice!. My first webcam...have learned that not all programs are webcam equal, e.g. AIM is worthless, Skype is great. That said this is a really capable product. You have lots of control over lighting, selective framing and capture, etc. It's really neat.$LABEL$1 +Martin Luther. First saw it in a local theatre here in NYC. Being a Lutheran, not an active church goer, I was impressed with the content of this movie. I bought the DVD, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Lutheran church.$LABEL$1 +clothes Hanger. It fell apart while driving. If did not stay on the holders and then, it broke. Total waste of time and money.$LABEL$0 +HELL'S ANGEL MC. WHEN I RECEIVED THE PRODUCT I UNWRAPPED AND THE FRONT COVER FELL OFF!THE BOOK WAS ABOUT THE MC IN EUROPE !!NOTHING ABOUT THE U.S. BASE HA'S.HAD SOME GOOD PICTURES ABOUT ENGLAND AND THE NETHERLANDS,OTHER CLUB HOUSES IN EUROPE$LABEL$0 +It seems like all these stipper stories are always the same.. This book is too expensive for the contents. The book covers why women strip in clubs, then it goes on through many chapters of explanations, but in the end it tells us that it's because they make good money and fast. The book goes on to explain a strippers percetion of her job, then it goes on to tell us that strippers go through greatlengths to justify what they do and how they blame society, x-relationships, family and others, but never themselves. The book goes through many interviews, all of which are very much common and related. A good girl strips to finance her education, to support her children after her man leaves her or to support a drug habit. Or the most common, but not admitted, just for the money. This good is well written, but the story about all these stippers are all the same in this book and on every television review or movie. I wish this book would have covered something new, useful or insightful.$LABEL$0 +Ingersoll-Rand website doesn't match documentation. After much research, and reading everyone's reviews, I purchased the IR 2130. I opted for the 2130 over the 2132 because based on information on Amazon and Ingersoll-Rand corporate website, it appeared the specs for two were very closely matched, and I couldn't justify spending the extra money. However, to my surprise, when I received the 2130 today and actually read the owner's manual, it states the recommended FWD torque range is 25 to 350 ft.lbs. However, the corporate website shows the FWD torque range is 50 to 500 ft.lbs. So what's the real value? And why such a huge difference between the website information, and the actual owner's manual? I expected a little better consistency from IR's communication.$LABEL$0 +Pleasingly modern. Fairly modern sort of rockish take on trad Irish songs. I like it quite a bit, esp. "Whiskey in the Jar".$LABEL$1 +Question About Character in Book III. For those of you who had the patience to watch through Book III, can anyone indentify the character of the teacher as Ali Macgraw?$LABEL$0 +This is NOT the same original Peanut Chew. I loved the "real" originals when I was a kid. These are barely similar to the ones I ate as a kid 25 years ago. These are soft and chewy, the ones I ate as a kid were hard as bricks and took their time melting the delicious flavors slowly into your mouth and the bits of peanuts showing up once in a while. I have no idea how they could call this "original"... not even close.$LABEL$0 +very cheap build. The product is the second picture shown above. The build quality is the worst I've ever seen in any charger. I'm almost reluctant to use it since it feels so flimsy. It is cheap, but it works, for today anyway. Spend a little more and get something to last more than a week.$LABEL$0 +Super cute!. This is the second lobster that I've purchased. It brings delight to the children who have received them. It works well in the water and they have lasted many years. The children have really enjoyed it while playing in the bathtub. A good quality toy.$LABEL$1 +WTF?. Are you kidding me? This went from a pretty good storyline about moral values to some kind of bad X-Files science fiction movie; one that made no sense and left everything openended. Who are these people? How deep is the involvement of our government with them? This movie isn't even worth the money to rent it. Stay away.$LABEL$0 +I Challenge Yes To Put Out A New Album As Great As This. I am so sick and tired of people criticizing Steve Howe's vocals!Sure, when this album first came out in 1975, it took me a little while to get used to the vocals. Steve Howe does have an unusual voice. And I was only sixteen at the time.But I have long since come to appreciate this album and Steve Howe's vocals on it. In fact, I think his voice is haunting. And the song writing on this album is brilliant.I would much rather hear Steve Howe sing the sophisticated music that appears on this album than hear Jon Anderson sing the primitive music that appears on recent Yes albums such as "Magnification".$LABEL$1 +you get what you pay for. the headline says it all. the cd feature on my bose wave is broken, and i wanted to listen to some books on tape as i recovered from surgery.so.......i took the cheap way out. the thing ceased to function the second day. flimsy, plastic, chinese junk (not to be confused with the boat).if you want a portable cd player, go ahead and spend the extra money for something that will work.$LABEL$0 +Looks nice, doesn't work. I like the stylish yet classic look of this watch. The face is easy to read, and the matte gold color is modern and attractive. However, the watch doesn't work very well. I don't know how, but the pin for setting the time comes out, and the watch stops keeping time. Since I really need the watch to keep good time at work, this is annoying.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful Smell. I got a sample of this and loved it. I looked it up on Amazon and was surprised and a little suspicious of how cheap it was. Usually every perfume I like is expensive. I placed the order, and received the package very fast. The perfume was perfectly packaged new and sealed and I am so happy to report that it is exactly how the sample smelled. I'm so happy with it!! If you haven't smelled it you need to. I have around 30 perfumes and I guess I'm an addict, but it takes a very special perfume to make it into my few favorites. This is a new favorite.$LABEL$1 +Great Replica Toy. This is a Replica of the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper.The replica is not made for heavy play by children. But makes a great desk orshelf model. The Viper comes with its own display stand and removable landing treads.The Viper body is detail painted to give it an authentic worn look around the engines andwings.If you are a toy collector or know someone who is. This detailed replica would make a great addition to anyone's collection.$LABEL$1 +this cd is awesome buy it now. this cd is so good i listen to it all the time. all 11 songs are great not like most cd with one or two good song they care about there fans$LABEL$1 +Not really that funny or entertaining.... I really expected this to be gutbustingly funny, but it's not. Given that "travel lessons learned too late," is included in the title, it is reasonable to assume that this is just misadventures, and it certainly is that. But the fact is, rather than coming across as something humourous, I just feel like Ayun Halliday is whining incessantly. This is partly due to the fact that she seems to get herself into trouble where just an ounce of common sense would have made things better...then again, that would have inevitably made this book nonexistent.That's not saying that there is nothing interesting or funny in this book. The monkey breaking into their residence in India was pretty funny, as was their misery in Romania. But other than that, I expected a lot more out of this. It just drags on, and on, with any bit of humour being sprinkled about like tiny grains of salt.$LABEL$0 +good support. Bought this for my elderly dad, and it's quite supportive and soft on his bones. He usually can't sit on a regular wood chair without it hurting him, and this cushion solves all the problems, plus it makes the seat taller and therefore easier for him to get up$LABEL$1 +Problems with network. Although SUSE 9.2 appears to be a well designed product with many useful features, I'm unable to get it to function as a DHCP client on my network, so I can't get onto the Internet or access any local network resources. There is perhaps some subtle tweak here that might get it to work but after spending an hour on the telephone with one of SUSE's support staff neither he nor I was able to find it.After reviewing some of the posts on various Linux forums, networking problems appear to be common with this release. Similar problems were not experienced by posters with 9.1. This is a pretty serious failing and I strongly recommend that you stay away from this product until these issues are resolved.$LABEL$0 +NOT like 50 shades of Grey. I would not recommend this book. Not like 50 Shades of, Grey. Nothing appealing about constant crying and rape. Can't even give the books away because I don't know of anyone who would want to read such a book. Not at all what I expected. I can stomach a lot but this was too much! I forced my way halfway through the second book and gave up$LABEL$0 +Very good read. I read this book over the holidays and really enjoyed it. It was a page turner and had a really good, meaningful message. I would definitly recommend!$LABEL$1 +too short. This movie had a lot of potential, manga movies always have gr8 art, good storylines/plots, action..everything, however even though this movie was 83 mins long, it did not explain much and it leaves u with an unfullfilled desire 2 watch more. it is a gr8 movie, however it should have more 2 it (2 explain the character saya, and the other demons in the movie, and her involvement with the military). There could have been so much more put in2 this movie, but it was just a let down.$LABEL$0 +A Yawn and a Shaking of the Head. This is one of the most bland and boring blues/rock CDs I have ever heard. There's nothing here that hasn't been done better by a hundred other bands. Power trio? You've got to be kidding! There are way too many holes in the music. I was playing music by Cream, Hendrix, and Mountain back in 1970. I know what a power trio is. I just don't understand the fascination with this CD or this band. Pass this one by.$LABEL$0 +Such Pretense. Cinema doesn't deserve to be treated this amateurishly. I realize this is personal statement, but his disconnected use of film images and his utterly pointless narrative don't conjure any subconscious subtext or personal insights. What's the point of sitting through four hours of this? At least Italian cinema received slightly good treatment.$LABEL$0 +Castle!!!! Nathan Fillion Rocks!!. I have been a fan of Nathan Fillion since Two Guys and a Girl and I must say, this is one of his best roles! The dynamic between Castle, his mother and his daughter...just fantastic. Love the banter between Castle and Beckett! The other detectives and the Coroner are perfect too. Really, all great characters, great writing, WAY funny, Bravo!! I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for some humor and suspense all rolled into one. If you are a Fillion fan, you will not be disappointed!!$LABEL$1 +Points, good price, work great, one problem.. the points, condensor, flywheel key, and spark plug are great! Gapped to .020 and it fired right up. I paid $15 for these parts separately at O'Reilly's. There are supposed to be two springs in this set, one sits on the condensor, and holds the wire running to the magneto in place (small black one). The other one, the silver one with a loop on each end pulls the point down when the crankshaft rotates to the correct position. I received 2 of the small black ones, and did not get a silver one. This isnt a big deal unless the points you are replacing have corroded springs.$LABEL$1 +Awesome!. I think that Nick Carter has a great voice in the Backstreet Boys. But now he has brought his own flavor and talent to the music industry and i think it is awesome. I love all the songs on there and i love the rock flavor.I can't wait for him to do a tour because i will surely go and see him on tour.$LABEL$1 +Pretty good. This movie is a great one. I saw it because my friends said they liked it. I thought it was funny. I recommend anyone who likes to have a good time with a movie to see this one.$LABEL$1 +An excellent read. I am writing this review one week after completing the Barcelona marathon-thanks to The Non-Runner's marathon trainer. Before reading this book, the most I had ever run was 10 miles-I was not a regular runner.The training programme outlined in the book is credible and realistic, the authors also focus on the mental preparation-which I found to be just as important (if not more) as the physical training. I cannot recommend this book enough, if you want to run a marathon and don't know where to start-then this book is what you're looking for! After finishing my first marathon (I plan to do more now) I feel I can do almost anything, the experience was second to none!$LABEL$1 +Extremely satisfied. Astounded at the value of this product. Top notch product and retailer! Received mine in Alabama in 5 days. Nothing cheap about it! Very pleased.$LABEL$1 +It's like reading spam mail. Literally, 95% of magazine is advertisement for dietary supplements (most of it is with Muscle Tech).Pages and pages of spam... sometimes of the same product from the same company will place these advertisements in the first couple of pages, then in the middle, and then at the end of the magazine.If you are looking for pictures of bodybuilders screaming like they are having a roid rage episode, this is prefect magazine for you.If you are looking for new weight lifting techniques to freshen up your workout routines, definitely look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Good Handbook for Counselors and Pre-Engineers. This book is the cheering section for hish school physics teachers to encourage students to go into engineering. It uses the amusement park as a model to showcase the different disciplines within engineering. There is a good list of good reading, manufacturers, trade magazines, and the like.$LABEL$0 +I am a fan. I first bought this product on My Habit. I experienced an extreme outbreak on my face. My usual face cleansing regimen did not work. I was concerned because this does not lather. I apply the product with cotton swabs and rinse. Not only did it control the breakout, but it prevents them.$LABEL$1 +Funny. If you like Adam Sandler movies, and I do, then this is on par with other movies like "Billy Madison" and "Mr. Deeds."$LABEL$1 +Ah yes, The Blue Max. Who has'nt seen the classic movie starring George Peppard(a fellow Michigan boy)? So you've got to read the book too! However, it is much different than the movie. In the book Bruno Shtachel is an alcholic for one thing, and most of his problems stem from that. I had to look long and hard to find a copy of this book and when I did I was suprised to find how different it was from the movie. Actually I would say that the movie is better but I would still highly recommend the book. It was finally reprinted again in 1996 in limited quantities so is more easily available. All WW1 aviation fans must and probably do have this book. Thats why its so hard to find.$LABEL$1 +hooked my projector up. Ran in my basement for my home theatre. I was very pleased with the picture and the sound. Great cord and the price makes it better.$LABEL$1 +You Know Who You Are!!!. Church of Jack Lord. Laser bras. Cat swimming. Sid Vicious not singing "My Way". Root Boy Slim singing to a lounge full of blow-up sex dolls. This wasn't ready for late night commercial television in 1979. Not quite so sure they are ready for it in 2013. This piece stands as the epitaph for the macabre mind that was Michael O'Donoghue. May God have mercy on your soul, Michael!$LABEL$1 +Amazing. 1.Bullets(A-)-Its deep, dark, and a song that lets it all out2.Freedom Fighter(B)-It's short and a typical rock song, goes along with Bullets though3.Who's Got My Back?(A+)-Easily the best song they've ever done, it's so deep in meaning.4.Signs(A-)-A lot like Bullets in how I like it, an overall solid song.5.One Last Breath(B)-I'll probably like this song a lot more later on. Like freedom fighter, its a typical rock song.6.My Sacrifice(A)7.Stand Here with Me(A-)-This song jumps right into it, it's catchy and a cool rock song.8.Weathered(A)-I love the song for some reason, the chorus is really good, and its a grade above the other typical rock songs.9.Hide(A+)-This song is fantastically done, from start to finish it's a unique rock song10.Don't Stop Dancing(A+)-Probably right below Who's Got My Back, but same type of song. Really solid beat and amazing melodyOh yea, Lullaby is a song correct? It's him and his guitar, puts his kid Jagger to sleep I guess. I don't count it as a song though.$LABEL$1 +disappointment. The book is not even written in Arabic. To use it I would have to spend hours understanding a new tranliteration system It is useless as a link from classical arabic to spoken arabic. Don't waste your money$LABEL$0 +At least they spelled "God" correctly. This finale also kept me turning the pages right to the very end. The book ties up most of the threads of the story at the end in a deft convergence of a bunch of story lines. In fact, approaching the last pages, you begin to wonder how any of these can be resolved by the end. Most of them are, but, as pointed out by others, a couple of the story lines are left hanging. Although I've enjoyed the series greatly, one thing kept jarring me all the way through: Why does every human in the known universe speak in British idioms like "bloody"? This definitely makes this an "alternate universe" story; it's not "bloody likely" in our universe! The other quibble is that I have never seen a published volume with such a multitude of typographical errors. The proofreaders must have been on holiday during the production. English and grammar purists, prepare for many, jarring speed bumps as you race through this final installment.$LABEL$1 +Are you the one for me?. Excellent book for people who have a shown an inclination to make bad choices for a mate. I highly recommend this for any seeking a new relationship.$LABEL$1 +it reads like vanity fair.. this is by far the WORST kurt cobain book i have ever read. the entire thing reads like a tabloid, and anyone who didnt pick up on that fact obviously knows absolutely nothing about nirvana. dave thompson never met kurt cobain, so he didnt have any firsthand experience with the band. he portrays kurt as a total hero, and courtney love as a horrible talent-draining heroin addict. ive also noticed that the only people who seem to have enjoyed this book are the ones who have watched kurt and courtney, believed hank harrison, and proclaimed themselves nirvana experts. if you want a read nirvana book, get come as you are by michael azzerad.$LABEL$0 +Not for Macs. I tried this drive on Macs at home and at work. It wouldn't read floppy disks on any of them.$LABEL$0 +Best Computer Acessory. A year and a half ago, I purchased everything I needed for my first computer. I did a lot of research and went way wrong with highly recommended Dell computer. But, based on what I could see at the store (the clerks at CompUSA are not too eager to help) I bought this printer. It has been the best purchase of my computing experience. Photos are flawless, as is everything else I print with this printer. It seeems to do what it is supposed to and musch more incredibly well.$LABEL$1 +Creative Zen Vision W. This is totally better than an iPod for viewing videos. Easy to use, great sound and awesome picture. I have loaded 3,000 songs and at least 10 rock concert videos with all the extras and still have over 8 Gb left.$LABEL$1 +Excellent. I don't know why I love this collection. I don't care much for easy listening in general. However these albums struck me as containing gems. "Seasons in the Sun," "if You Go Away" (Terry Jacks), and "Love's Been Good to me" (Mark Lindsday) I knew from other artists. Rod's version do them justice, though the words may differ. Overall a great deal and a great collection! I only wish some of his Horizon material such as "Another Country" and "So Long Stay Well," and the "Good Times is all Done Now," were out. I only know of them through a Barry Mcguire import CD.$LABEL$1 +I AGREE. I totally agree. I would love to know what in the world this thing is. I might possibly buy it! Amazon could get a whole 10 bucks from it. A word of advice for amazon; if you tell people what the hell something is the might BUY IT!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Not a good resource. I have used quite a few "Intro to" books to learn various applications, and this one is at the bottom of the list. Granted, some of this may be due to the fact that I'm not overly enamored with QuarkXPress itself, but this book does it no favors. Information is not organized well,and the index isn't helpful.In short, the book doesn't do a good job of teaching Quark as a whole, AND if you are looking for help on a particular topic, its almost impossible to find. Now, to be fair I haven't read some of the other Quark books, so they may all have this problem, but I found this book to be below the standards of other training books I've used in the past.$LABEL$0 +Look for somethign else!. It looks great and the price is good but if you cannot hear the call then what is the point?$LABEL$0 +I thought this was a very good episode.. I enjoy watching all of the Waltons. This episode shows how war effects the children. The Waltons of course are always ready to help if possible. Ben got his two way radio to contact Germany. The orphans got to talk to their mom and they learned that their father was killed. It was very touching.$LABEL$1 +Misleading label... really only 10mg of Lutein. This product has only 10 mg of ordinary lutein per pill. The 20 mg of "lutein esters" is not equivalent to the 20 mg pills you can get at Walmart or other places.However, the pills came on time and were good for vision, even at a lower dose than I expected.$LABEL$0 +No zzzzzzzs in this Z. This movie, which is based on a true story, is a political thriller set in Greece. The chief of an opposition (left wing) political group is killed by hired thugs - with the police doing the hiring and controlling the massive cover up. A newspaper photographer begins unravelling the corruption and putting the pieces together. In reality, the scandal was so bad it brought Pampidou to power. It's a very fast-paced and taut drama. But the movie seems caught between presenting the factual record faithfully and creating a film mystery: we know what's going on while the movie keeps trying to keep us in the dark. Worth a watch, though.$LABEL$1 +Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Dr Northrup has given all women a gift of knowledge. This book is something EVERY young woman should read. It explains our bodies, our cycles, our wisdom in a way that will change your life. It is a MUST HAVE ON YOUR SHELF kind of book for attaining knowledge and referring back to time and time again.$LABEL$1 +Echo Men's Wool Cap. This hat keeps you very warm, but their is no liner inside to protect you from the itchiness of the lambswool. Also there is no elasticity around the cap to keep it from flapping up and letting wind in when it blows. I no longer wear the hat.$LABEL$0 +What more needs to be said?. 700 people, well 699 minus the troll, is loud enough. This series is great tv, and great sci fi. Unless you work at FOX where if its not reality, its not fit to broadcast. Imagine if one of the craptastic reality shows was given this same poor treatment of being shown out of order.Didnt notice if it was FOX that officially released this set, but if they did, and this show wasnt worth every penny, I would wish not a single copy would sell just to give FOX the finger. But what can you do? Its the best show you have never seen. So buy it.$LABEL$1 +Excellent-Highly Recommend. An excellent book-Just what I was looking for. I'm a home educator seeking to understand how to train leaders-not followers. It challenged my thinking, inspired me for change, and pushed me "out of the nest" so to speak. (Or should I say, "off the conveyor belt!") This book is well written, easy to understand & direct in it's presentation.$LABEL$1 +Essential Guide is good for its time. The Essential Guide is a very good guide to the characters of the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, this book was written before the release of the new Star Wars prequels, so you won't find any info on those movies in this book. If you're an avid fan though, I highly recommend you buy this book anyway, since it has in-depth descriptions of key players in Episodes 4-6. Good buy!$LABEL$1 +Needed accessory. If you have a extra battery as I do for my camcorder this is something you need to have in your bag. I can't believe Sony don't include it with the camcorders when you purchase it. Works great and saves time when you don't have time to stop recording to use your camcorder to charge a run down battery. Sony makes a great product but can't figure out how it they thought it would be a good idea to use the camcorder to charge your battery. Anyway worth the money and it don't take up a lot of room in your bag.$LABEL$1 +Are you kidding!!!!????!!!!!??????. I bought this book because I expected to read some legitimate criticism of Darwinian theory. I find it absolutely hilarious that anyone thinks this challenges anything except for the notion that you can trust the reviews of books on this subject. "David Stove took no intellectual prisoners". Right. Just try to read the chapter on "Genetic Calvinism, or Demons and Dawkins" . "Stove's blistering attack on Richard Dawkins' 'selfish genes'and 'memes' is unparallelled and unrelenting." Oops - they forgot puerile and comical. Don't waste your money! I'm sorry I did.$LABEL$0 +Chauncey Gardiner Reincarnated. They made a movie of this guy Tolle back in 1979 titled "Being There" with Peter Sellers. Tolle has done a miraculous "reincarnation" of the character, Chauncey Gardiner.$LABEL$0 +How can anyone like these guys?. Sorry, but it is impossible to comprehend why anyone would like this music. Even the Amazon editor calls it "bile". The lead singer? Well... he doesn't sing. Period. That's the main problem with this band, the other being that the songwriting is horrible. There's good punk rock, like The Clash and The Ramones, but then there's this. On top of that, we can thank this cruddy band for inspiring hundreds of musically untalented snubs to try their hand at punk rock, ultimately killing rock n' roll and good rock in general. And these guys got inducted into the Hall of Fame? Pathetic! When the Sex Pistols never gave authority respect, why should authority give any to them?$LABEL$0 +One of my favourite!. Aren't we all secretly hoping that there really is a match made in heaven out there somewhere just waiting for us? And that there are forces at work trying to get us together with the right person? Well, that's exactly what I believe, and I'm so glad Nora Ephron makes films that help our faith along, just like the books by Johanna Spyri ("Heidi") or Lucy M. Montgomery ("Anne of Green Gables"). Why don't we finally begin listening to the voices in our hearts instead of smothering them in all the turbulence the world offers us today?This film is refreshing, heart-warming and wonderful. I can recommend it to anyone that needs rejuvenation. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are both wonderful actors, and I have immensely enjoyed the films I have seen with them. This one is no exception. Applause also for Ross Malinger and Gaby Hoffmann for their roles as Jonah and Jessica. If you enjoy romantic comedies, this one shouldn't be missing from your collection.$LABEL$1 +Propaganda and lies from the daughter of a traitor.. The first thing to look for when you want to read a book is the credibility of the author. And unfortunatly in this case the author has no credibility. Malika Oufkir had without a doubt been traumatised by her experience to a great extent. She portrays herself as a victim and tries to get the sympathy of the reader. I was born and raised in Morocco and familiar with the story of this family. The author omits to mention in her book who her father really was. General Oufkir tried to overthrow the head of the moroccan government but his attempt failed. ....$LABEL$0 +Take the time to read it slowly. I loved this book; I found that Lysa could relate to the modern woman's life. She is one of us; struggling with the same daily challenges. Read it slowly - don't breeze through like we tend to breeze through everything else in our day.$LABEL$1 +Horrible. These are some of the most disgusting tasting protien bars I've ever had. I was not even able to finish the first bite. They are bitter and leave a horrible taste in you mouth. No one in my family would eat them, except for the dogs. Maybe they taste like dog biscuits. I won't be buying them again.$LABEL$0 +The First Days of School. A must have for every teacher whether new or experienced. This is the one book that I take home every summer to reread. Buy it for yourself or for your student teacher!$LABEL$1 +The version I received would not play.. This version was manufactured for the USA and Canada region. If I`d known this, I wouldn`t have bought it. I got good versions of other films before.That`s really all I have to say. filbin@eircom.net$LABEL$0 +Kathy Smith. This is a great DVD for beginners like me. I'm enjoying it a lot and trying to keep using it 2-3 times week.$LABEL$1 +No Gas!. Bought this on the advice of an expert. However, only about 2-3 seconds of gas - hardly the 120 uses. Maybe a pattern is emerging?$LABEL$0 +Pain in the neck. It's about 1 cm too short. You can just barely zip a U.S. passport inside, by stretching the fabric and bending the passport. Also, perspiration condensed inside the plastic window. After 17 days in Europe, my passport got so bent up that it took about a dozen swipes of the scanner before Customs could read it.$LABEL$0 +vulcan snoring. these writers have done so much better than this. granted this was a book that had to tie together two spots in vulcan/romulan history, but it was so dull, it was hard to keep reading until the end.$LABEL$0 +Disposable. The only reason why any Gorillaz fan would buy this CD is for the throwaway Hip Albatross and the harsh, violent version of Clint Eastwood rapped by Phi Life Cypher. The rest of the tracks were already available on various CD singles. They should have included the full version of ALL the b-sides including Film Music, 911, and Tomorrow Dub instead of the generic 19-2000 remix done by The Wiseguys.[DW]$LABEL$0 +Great Product. We had our twins 12/20/04 and brought them home on a very cold day. Fortunately, I had received this product (times two!) at my baby shower. It keeps the babies warm, and the pouch can be folded in so their heads don't get chilly. Plus, we've received so many compliments on these covers! People always ask where we got them.$LABEL$1 +5 star album; 3 star remaster. I was delighted when, finally, Nilsson Schmilsson was finally getting the "deluxe" release treatment. I'd paid big bucks for the import in the late 90s, and that was such a disappointment, sonically.Well, despite reviews to the contrary, the sonics on this release are not much better, and do not hold a candle to the original LP. My old LP may have a few pops, but it blows this CD release away, sonically. I don't know how that can be, but believe me, it's trueThis, along with Son Of Schmilsson, is a truly classic pop/rock album. Maybe someday they'll do it right. After all this time, I'll done holding my breath.$LABEL$1 +" Includes Everything You Need" - what a crock!!. It clearly says right on the box "Includes Everything You Need". That would indicate to me (and most people) that besides the cake and possibly icing - everything you need is included in the box. This is incorrect. You are expected to purchase dowels and do drilling! in order for this cake to stand up. Very disapppointing! Wilton should be ashamed of itself. Maybe this is good for a professional cake decorator who already has these types of materials and has possibly done something like this, but for the rest of us - not good. The only thing this box includes are a bunch of crappy plastic castle pieces and some TERRIBLE instructions. Save your money and sanity and shell out the money and buy one at the food store.$LABEL$0 +Very bad CD.. the music was amateurish, especially coming from name singers. I would think this CD is made up of studio throw away's.$LABEL$0 +A pleasure!. As a dancer,I think this film may appeal mainly to those who are dancers/performers themselves, or those who have already seen Zumanity. Lots of backstage intrigue and enough scenes of the show itself to be titillating and encourage you to hop a plane to Vegas. Touching and often very funny as well- not an artistic triumph, but it more than held my interest. Wish they had more footage of Wassa and a little less of Miss Jonel's whip! The performers are absolutely spectacular and deserve full marks for their courage in doing what they do in Zumanity: present a vision of sexuality that is more...well,.. HUMAN, than the other banal, cliched and cartoonlike erotic shows in Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter. Spymonkey rules!!!$LABEL$1 +Great value. I was surprised at what a high quality bit this is at such a good price, cut an exceptionally good, accurate plug at a bargain price.$LABEL$1 +A terrible company. I would at all costs stay away from any product made by Phillips. I bought a dvd/vcr combo, it broke, I shipped it to them for repair, they charged me shipping and then sent back another broken unit. They then refused to take it back at their expense, even though they had shipped a broken unit (The first time the dvd didn't work, the unit they shipped to me had a defective vcr). Their customer service people have no authority to help you, and neither does their management. Repeated attempts to move up the ladder were ignored (i.e. being constantly told they weren't available, they never returned phone calls even after telling me they would, etc.). Beware of any Phillips product.$LABEL$0 +parapper the rapper is afun game. kick punch its all in the mind if you want to test this game im sure you'll find that the things it teaches ya will sure greet ya ,never the less you get a lesson of teaching!this game will blow your mind with grooves see the tight music of this action adventure!$LABEL$1 +The worst ever. This is the worst toilet paper I've ever bought. Packed loosely so it's soft, but so few tissues on the roll it uses up fast. It doesn't tear neatly, so there are bits left behind. And, it tears while wiping, nasty. Buy Seventh Generation instead.$LABEL$0 +The Title Fits Them Perfectly!. Ice Cube went solo & had a successful career. Even though some of his songs were pretty harsh language wise, Cube always told a story, painted a picture of a young misinformed Blackman from the ghetto. Cube gave you the negative but balanced it with the positive. Cube's counterparts NWA completely fell into the bottomless pit of ignorance & couldn't recover. NWA's so called "street knowledge" in reality was "street nonsense." Without Cube writing the lyrics, NWA relies on ignorant word play & the most worst display of misogyny I have ever heard. There is nothing landmark about this cd, NOTHING! If I could have given this trash a zero I would. N4L fits these lames because only "N" would degrade their people as well as themselves this way.$LABEL$0 +If you really like 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies' chances are this disc will be a disappointment. Listen to sound samples before buying! Compared to 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies' this CD was a big let down. Gone are the collages of movie audio samples placed over dark soundscapes (although a few short 'filler' tracks reflect this style). 'Hope & Sorrow' focuses more on guest vocalist and rappers and most of the tracks fail to impress. This seems to be an attempt at more of a commercial 'dance' release than the well crafted Turntablism record that I was expecting. I 'hoped' this disc would be an excellent follow up to 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies' but all I felt was 'sorrow' upon my first listen. A disappointment.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT GET THIS PRODUCT!. I bought this cooling pad and after 7 months it started making noise intermittently and then quit all together. When I contacted customer service, they said they would send a replacement. I paid to have mine shipped back and their replacement lasted a week. It wasn't worth the money and aggrevation of shipping it back.$LABEL$0 +Integral to Comprehending the why's of US-Cuban Relations!. As a student at the University of Connecticut I had the honor of being advised by Dr. Paterson and read this book as part of his History of American Foreign Relations course. This book ranks amongst the finest historical narratives that I have ever read. The absolute must-read book to understand the turbulent relationship between the United States and Castro.$LABEL$1 +Not suprised. I usually always want to get the latest portable gaming system that comes out, but when the micro came out i wanted to laugh! this is just a super tiny gameboy advance. Don't get me wrong i don't have a problem with Nintendo. I own a Ds and love it and a psp wich i love even more, those i recommend purchasing.Sorry Nintendo, but in my opinion when you made the micro, it was obvious you where trying to make money.$LABEL$0 +No longer supports Pocket PC's. If you want to upgrade and continue to use Money on your Pocket PC, don't bother. This new version does not support Pocket PC's. Would be useful information for MS to include on their product description since that's a rather important change! Can't figure out why they've cut this off since they also write the software for Windows Mobile.$LABEL$0 +Vocals Are Cheap. Richards writes pretty hooky rock music and uses the same sort of clichéd lyrics that brought the Stones greatness, but Mick Jagger, he ain't. To put it another way, he can't sing. Indeed, his vocals are so tentative and mixed so badly back that it's possible to believe there is no singer (maybe this was the engineer's intention). It seems clear that without Mick there would be no Keith, on the other hand, if one listens to Jagger's solo efforts one could equally convinced that the opposite is true. Doubtless they were wise to stick together; the sum is greater than the parts.$LABEL$0 +You must have Zonked!. Pretty good Dee Dee Ramone CD. Been looking for it for a while, and now that I have it, I'm glad! A must have for any Ramones collector!It has some hard to find tunes.$LABEL$1 +Good, but.......... If you have small area rugs (i.e., by the kitchen sink), this sweeper will suck them right up! I have several of these rugs, so I would have to pick them up and shake them outside to clean. A nuisance when you need to vac every day. Also, it did not clean crumbs, etc., out of the grout grooves of my tile floors. It sweeps flats surfaces just fine.$LABEL$0 +Its O.K.. I bought this book when I saw Ms Vanzant on Anderson Cooper Live. It's basically another self help book an not all that orginal.$LABEL$0 +saitek x52. The joystick sticks like it needs oil and also has tooooo much freeplay & is verry hard to control the airplanes . I have sent 3 messages referencing these problems with no answer to what can be done with this Saitek X 52.$LABEL$0 +wonderful autobiography. I'm a big fan of football, so of course i wanted to read, this book about Grambling's great coach. i'm a big fan of grambling except of course when they play Jackson state, or Alcorn. After reading the book, i found Eddie Robinson, to be a wonderful person who cared so much for his team, and his coaches. I felt bad for robinson when i read that a divison 1 school never even contacted him about a job, but what I liked best of all about this book, was he and his wife's Doris love for one another.$LABEL$1 +Wrong color buckle !. The buckle is silver in the picture but arrived in gold. Quality was fine otherwise. One star was only for color.$LABEL$0 +poor quality. The very first time I used the lingerie bag for my delicates in the wash, the zipper broke. When I looked closer, I saw that the metal fastener on the right side of the bag was ripped and it caught one of my delicate items. My remaining my delicate items were wrapped around the agitator of the washing machine. I am very disappointed that the lingerie bag did not protect my delicates and that it broke on its very first use.$LABEL$0 +Great Performance and DVD!!!. Unlike the previous comments I thought the DVD was pretty close to perfect. I am not a musician nor am I an expert filmaker. I am however a music lover and a newcomer to the classical music world. Anyone interested in seeing a great performance Lang Lang's performance was exceptional including the uniqeness of gestures and facial expression and the DVD camera work.Can't wait for his next performance!$LABEL$1 +A decent Superman read. A very good and well written story, not spectacular or something hasn't been done before, but well worth the read.I'm not a great fan of the drawing style though, especially not the way Superman was drawn - he looks really fat, not muscly at all, and as a teenager, he looks way too old in comparison to Lana and Pete. I really liked the way Metropolis was drawn though - very much like Metropolis in Superman Animated Series.$LABEL$1 +I Would Have Given It ZERO Stars.... This book is trash... the storyline is horrible, and the writing and the grammar are elementary. This book was a waste of my time and money (luckily it was cheap)!$LABEL$0 +Abismal. Not the best album ive ever heard. After what the media was saying i though this would be great, i was wrong, all of the songs sound just like each other and after youve listened to the album once it becomes very very boring. I apalled.$LABEL$0 +poor quality tires. Poor quality tire. I inflated the tire to the maximum pressure specified on the tire, and I made it about 5 miles before the wire separated from the tire which allowed the tube to bubble thru the ripped tire, and then of course the tube exploded.I immediately removed the second tire and replaced them with WTB tires.These tires look like the typical junk that is manufactured to the bare minimum standards.$LABEL$0 +It has many features but the GPS is worthless. If you want a GPS do not buy it. It takes a long time from the cold start to get signal. Several times it took about 30 minutes. The GPS is not precise, when I drove on the highway it was jumping around other streets. Two times it was off over a mile. You cannot see anything on the screen in a sun. I held two GPSs in the sun and I could see the Magellan's screen well, while I could not see anything on Plenio. I will return it for sure.$LABEL$0 +My baby refuses it!. I don't really know if this thing works or not because my 8 mo old refuses to have anything to do with it. Keep in mind that she puts anything & everything in her mouth, will eat any food I try to feed her & is currently teething. It seems like a great idea for that short transition period between mush & solids. This particular one appealed to me because it's not dyed & it's made in the USA. As to whether or not it works? I will never know!$LABEL$0 +Biblia en DVD. Es un exelente recurso especialmente para personas con problemas visuales. Para mi ha sido una gran bendicion y para mi esposa.$LABEL$1 +glad I got another one. I had this style years ago and it wore out. I finally bought another one and love the support and comfort it gives me. It is flattering as well, good bye saggy girls. ;)$LABEL$1 +A Very Funny and quite crude comedian!. I was first introduced to Lea Delaria ot Milwaukee's PrideFest '97, where she performed. My boyfriend bought "Box Lunch", and we simply rolled with laughter. This is a great comedy CD with great laughs. Sometimes, us gay and lesbian folks need to lighten up a bit-- and DeLaria proves it. You won't be dissappointed.$LABEL$1 +Read and live - this will save your life.. If you have illness and incurable diseases, physical, spiritual or psycholocical and you want to get well and live a healthy life then read this book. It will set you on the right path. Reading and APPLYING the principles in this book transformed my life in every way. I no longer have PMS, I can love and receive love from my husband, I have been healed of herpes simplex, I no longer have chronic pain in my hip, right gluteous and leg, I no longer allergic to foods I thought I was and this is just the beginning. It is a must read.$LABEL$1 +I don't regret buying this album. I have had Clay's album for 2 1/2 months (since it first came out), and I have to say I don't get tired of listening to it. Some say this album doesn't have anything special on it, and that it doesn't show off the range of Clay's voice. I have to disagree with those who find fault with the album. Clay has a phenomenal voice, and I am sure that we will be hearing much more from him in the years to come.$LABEL$1 +HOLLYWOOD PROPAGANDA, NOT FOR KIDS!!!!. Simply DO NOT buy this movie for your kid. There is swearing and so many adult themes I couldn't mention them all. Also, Hollywood has decided that THEY are going to raise your kids. They will say when and what your kids know about swearing, violence and sexuality. They force their values down your throat and you won't even know it until you have bought the movie. Don't buy this movie, avoid it at all costs.$LABEL$0 +An enthusiastically recommended, thought-provoking cross-examination of modern society.. The Way of Ignorance and Other Essays is an anthology of writings by cultural critic Wendell Berry - one of Smithsonian magazine's 35 People Who Made a Difference - about topics ranging from what freedom is really being discussed when one speaks of "free market" or "free enterprise", to the costs of so-called rugged individualism in a democratic commonwealth, to sharp-laced observations on the Kerry campaign, and much more. Written in plain terms, The Way of Ignorance takes a cold, hard look at the doubletalk and doublethink that saturates modern American airwaves, stripping them down to bare conundrums, all with a heavy dose of the author's practical evaluation. An enthusiastically recommended, thought-provoking cross-examination of modern society.$LABEL$1 +This book stinks!!!. I didn't care for it at all. I had to read it for high school and I couldn't even begin telling someone what it was about. I didn't understand the point of the story and now I will probably have to write a paper on a book that I don't know the meaning of.$LABEL$0 +ALFA USB Wireless adapter. I use this wireless adapter with the Alfa 2.4HGz 7dBi Booster SMA Panel High-Gain Screw-On Swivel Antenna. I love it!. The only problem I encounter is that the Alfa Antenna is too heavy for the base, so it tilts the base If I leg go of it. I have to "pin down" the connector cable to prevent it from flipping over.$LABEL$1 +THESE ARE MY BOYS!!!. I have to be honest and say that Men Of Standards worst album (which was not that bad) was their first one, which was on a different label. I love these guys, because they can really sing, every last one of them can sing lead and that's pretty rare these days. They have had different producers, but they still produce a quality product. The only problem I had with this album is it's too dawg gone short. I recommend this album and all of the ones before it, even the first (so you can appreciate the evolution of these guys).$LABEL$1 +Delivers What it Promises. Some may quibble over the left-brain, right-brain theory, but this is still that rarest of things-a book that actually delivers everything it promises. Experienced artists probably don't need it, but anyone who yearns to draw and thinks they can't will be amazed.I was 40 years old when my husband bought me this book and some drawing materials as a birthday gift. All those years, I'd been convinced I couldn't draw a thing. Using the instructions in this book and a beginner's class, I was thrilled to find myself producing some excellent drawings, including very realistic 3-dimensional portraits. Thank you, Betty Edwards, for one of the few books that really did change my life.$LABEL$1 +I like this book more than others about this topic. One of the best things i like in this book is the soft and sweet way Katrina describe. For all the lovers of crystals and their beauty I think this must be the first book to read. But there is so much information to know about crystals, but is very difficult to find it, maybe is an experience work.$LABEL$1 +BLISS. This transcendent recording lets me experience the divine far more than any Book. Sheer bliss.$LABEL$1 +Linkin Park-Metera. I bought this for the song "Somewhere I Belong" and that was about it. I was disapointed by the bands first cd and didn't expect to be really moved by this one. But this cd is a step in the right direction with harder hitting beats and lyrics that I can relate to more. I was supprised by this outting. Other songs that cought my attention are "Lying From You", "Hit the floor", "Faint", "Breaking The Habit", " Nobody's Listening", and "Sessionn.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Polo!. I absolutely love 5.11's clothing! These polo's are awesome! They're very comfortable, made out of quality material, and constructed perfectly. I have several of them and will buy more when I wear them out. Highly recommended!!!$LABEL$1 +The book of quotes. Imagine writing a book by simply stringing quotes and references together with your literary contribution limited to connecting verbs and you have this book in a nutshell!Maybe I would have liked it if the author had titled it, Frontsoldaten: The book of quotes.$LABEL$0 +Good Part but how about some instructions?. If it wasn't for the helpful instructions left by some of the reviewers here on Amazon, it would have taken me a long time to figure out the installation on this. Thanks everyone.$LABEL$1 +works great!. Taken on 2 trips so far, works great! It stays put and is easy to stow. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +The grandaddy of all bloodline books. Hard to believe this book was first published over 25 years ago--it is still the granddaddy of all books in the Jesus bloodline genre. I referred back to it many times when researching my own novel on Templars in America,Cabal of The Westford Knight: Templars at the Newport Tower, and found it to be an invaluable resource. This should be the first read for anyone looking to delve into the bloodline question.$LABEL$1 +Terrible. I purchased 36x30 jeans. I have worn Levi's for 50 years. The pair I received said 36x30 - But the actual size must have been 25x30, I could not get them on. Very Dissatisfied!$LABEL$0 +nostalgia. I bought it because I remember enjoying it as a child. As an adult I enjoyed it just as much. This is another credit to the excellent work from Ray Harryhausen who's work I really like. I'm intrigued by the ingenuity these early film makers had to created films like this.$LABEL$1 +Not his best......but a good read anyway!. Comparing this to Grisham's earlier work, The Brethren fails to stack up. Written a bit too simple, and lacking the punch & suspense I've come to appreciate from him, this is not his best work. But, I will continue to buy any new Grisham novel and give him the benefit of the doubt.$LABEL$0 +The Little Trash can that could. Really works well each and every time. Batteries seem to holding up well. Nicely matches the rest of the appliances. Good buy$LABEL$1 +Insightful view of Hitler's most fanatical troops. This book provides the reader insight into the men, organization and equipment of Hitler's fanatical SS who were undoubtedly not as fanatical as advertized.Plenty of pictures. Informative reading.$LABEL$1 +Ryan's Return. I just finished reading Ryan's Return and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was interesting all of the way through and not totally predictable like so many books of this genre. I enjoyed the quirky characters and rooted for Kara and Ryan all through the story! Very good book.$LABEL$1 +Raw talent gone stale!!. Where did Jonny's great talent go?? Where's it hiding?? Come back. The songs on this are boring love ballads and not what i was expecting. I am only 14, and if you can imagine a 14 year old hating this cd, how do you think older people feel about it?After listening to half the cd, I almost cried. I was so upset and disappointed that my favorite singer had let me down. Don't waist valuble bucks on this cd, wait for the next one. I'm sure after Jonny sees all the bad reviews, he'll learn his lesson and go back to the blues.WE'RE WAITING JONNY!! CAN'T WAIT!$LABEL$0 +If you want modern-day Holmes, settle only for "Sherlock". I don't why we in the US do not want to watch the original shows! The BBC' "Sherlock", though only having 3 90-minute episodes per season is fantastically well written, and a true pleasure. After watching both seasons of it, I tried to feed my Sherlock need and moved on to "Elementary." I will not waste any more of my time.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed by a long shot. I was quite unhappy to know that this wasn't a "Collection" of shows, but more of a "The making of" series. There were only a few episodes on it, and the rest of it was a disappointment by a long shot! If you are looking for watching actual Three Stooges, DON'T BUY THIS!$LABEL$0 +Eagerly Awaiting the Sequel. This was the first book I have read by either Eric Flint or K.D. Wentworth and I must say that I was hooked from the beginning. The concept seemed fresh to be, man meets alien conquerors and fails to defeat them. This does not conform to the normal style of military sci-fi that I read. There isn't a whole lot of action, there is some and it is well written. The real catch of the book though is the characters. The Jao are an extremely well thought out race of aliens. They are different enough to not be human but similar enough that they are can be reasoned with to a degree. The aliens have their own culture/society that dosn't always mesh well with human culture/society. Aille, the storys main character, grows and learns from his time on Earth and the people that he associates with. I highly recommend this book to any sci-fi fan and I can't wait till the sequel is released.One more thing, the space battle in the sun's photosphere is super cool.$LABEL$1 +Be careful. Be careful. This product will not work with Windows 7 and Cosmi support is so convoluted as to be of no use.$LABEL$0 +I See A Deal....and Shame on Me.... I couldn't wait to get these shoes. I work with children and have to be able to run all over. I ordered two pairs, one in 6.5 (my true size) and one in a 7 (size I can wear in most athletic shoes). They charged me for 2 pair and canceled the size 7. I've been fighting with them and waiting forever for the pair they did have. Now, the shoes came and are made for a concubine who binds her feet and I'm out the cost of the other pair plus shipping. REDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!! I will never do business with them again. I thought I could trust them because they were selling through Amazon...THINK AGAIN!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Pure fantasy. Most Indians in Yosemite are Paiutes, Monos or Yokuts. I have seen the census rolls from the earliest point to now.$LABEL$0 +Poorly made. Probably the third time I used this, the shafts started to slip in the nylon gears. Will not function at all now. Expensive, shiney junk!$LABEL$0 +Average at Best. I ordered this radio based on the favorable reviews. Unfortunately, I am not very satisfied with the unit. AM reception as noted, is terrible, but even when you CAN get a station well, the sound is fuzzy and muffled. On FM, the stations are clear, but the sound is....OK. Not really the deal I was looking for, but the cabinet and radio are attractive.$LABEL$0 +Not that good. I thought this phone would be better then my LG, I had. I love that it has a camera and video, but that is really the only good things about it. My phones freezes, drops calls, changes the audio on it's own, and now, it won't hang up when it's closed so my battery dies if I don't turn it off, so I have to turn it off when I am not using it, which means I miss calls. I am definitely looking into another phone right now.$LABEL$0 +A must read!. Like most books of a commentary nature, Richard Manning spends most of these pages describing how agriculture changed the world, and not with the all too common culture hype. Did we live longer, enjoy life more and have free time as member of a hunting and gathering community? It seems so. Manning's thesis is that agriculture is and historically has been the recipe for most of the evils we now look elsewhere for the demons. The dinosaurs of the Industrial Age are everywhere, but firmly in control of agriculture, through massive government subsides. Processed "foods" made from corn, wheat, rice and sugar made from corn compose most of our American diets and make us FAT!There is however a deeper metaphysic in the book that should put it on everyone's reading list, and that is what really makes us human. "Against the Grain," gives us an insight into that history, not available elsewhere.$LABEL$1 +Funny. We enjoyed this movie. Would watch it again would not let 16 or younger watch. Funny good for a date night$LABEL$1 +Kid Rock-A disgrace to everything that's good about Rock. Please don't buy this cd! Spend your money on something that this garbage has ripped off. Rap and Rock are 2 genres that should never be mixed as much of today's music(Limp Bizkit, Korn, etc) proves. Spend your hard-earned dollars on something that will last and not just on some new fad$LABEL$0 +Great Price, Poor Quality. I bought the Envision because of the price and what you get as far as specs.The first one I brought home would not power on. So I took it back and got a different one.The quality of the product is not that great. The plastic casing of the flat panel is just cheap. The cover on the back where you tuck in the cables has really small tabs that break off very easily, so be careful.I wish I would have spent a little extra and bought a Sony or Viewsonic$LABEL$0 +I am using this as a picture book.. I showed this to my 1 and half year old daughter six months ago, and she still hasn't tired of it. The pictures are great and spark a lot of questions. I would recommend this to anyone who has a love of travel and other cultures.$LABEL$1 +useful. We all need a good story. We need to people our exposition with the concrete. The listeners are o/k/ with saying, there was this man that... or I am told that ..., knowing that the preacher is using a storehouse of wisdom. Preaching is not about one's own special story, but about clearly and in an entertaining manner telling our shared experience and needs. This type of book is a must for all who preach or speak.$LABEL$1 +Huge Disappointment. We planned an entire camping trip around the recommendations in this book and were sorely disappointed. "Yellowbottom" campground WAS paved, was cramped and there was no privacy whatsoever. We ended up in a Forest Service campground fifty miles away that was better by far. I don't know what the author considers spacious and private...but this campground was crowded, paved and lacked any of the reasons my wife and I go camping. We burned the book in our campfire.$LABEL$0 +Not For Me.... This book just wasn't for me. I didn't like the wording nor did I care for the dialogue. The plot was just so so.$LABEL$0 +What the @*?!. It's a "true" story...ok It's sad...ok The only person I have pity for in this book is her son{poor baby}Anyhow DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS BOOK!!! If you feel like you just gotta check it out borrow this book from a friend trust me!$LABEL$0 +Awesome, quality is 100 times better. All right. Finally, after 17 years, we have a copy of KIMB that is listenable. Graet sound quality, the drums are tight, the guitars kill the ear drums, and the bass is fantastic. Good way to enter 2002 along with the new live album. Go Mustaine.$LABEL$1 +Painful. The best thing about this book is the great cover art. The content...annoying, repetitive fluff. If you wanted to give your grandmother a nice book about a white supremacist who makes good; in a sugary way, sweet enough to rot her teeth out, this is the book for you. This is a very feminine book with the most masculine cover I've ever seen.$LABEL$0 +A MUST for dryer owners. I'm not sure why dryers are engineered to be so difficult to remove lint build-up. However, with the help of this kit, I know I'm able to make sure my dryer is operating safely. I'm always amazed at how much lint is removed after just one month. I think this kit should come with all dryer purchases. It's definitely a necessity.$LABEL$1 +Bad Acting. Ridiculously badly acted, especially by the lead actress playing the role of the mother. The movie amounts to nothing more than incompetent actors screaming and ranting. The story may be true, but this cartoon of a movie fails at getting even an ounce of sympathy for the people in this family.$LABEL$0 +Much better than HP!. This is my first Canon printer. Previously I owned several HP InkJet printers and one HP PhotoSmart printer. The Canon is leaps and bounds above HP. The main reason is that I have not had one single issue with it. It's smooth, quiet, prints beautifully. I like the separate ink tanks. I'm on here to buy a black replacement, which the printer kindly let me know was low. With HP, I always had issues with my PC not recognizing the printer and having to unconnect it, reconnect it, etc. I've owned this printer for about 6 months and am very pleased so far. It was a great deal at the $219.99 I paid. The copier and scanner work fantastically, too. The quality of the color copies is amazing -- especially considering how fast it copies and prints. It's so easy to be able to make a quick color copy of something rather than having to scan it in, then print it out. This printer is a great addition to any home office.$LABEL$1 +Another cookbook. This is an OK type of cookbook but it is one among hundreds most of which contradict each other. Thus, the poor consumer has a difficult time making any sense of it all. There should be many fewer but much better cookbooks/diet plans/nutritional schemes, etc.$LABEL$0 +Outstanding. I got the movie quickly with no scratches and in wrapping. It was like buying it from a store. Not sure that there is a better way to get this movie, but I'm very satisfied with my purchase.$LABEL$1 +Could be taller. I bought these because I have the two-step version and was hoping these would give some more height. They do but by inches. The washable cover is nice and I haven't had any issue with my dog mistaking them for a toy. My cat uses them the most, she's getting older and can't jump up on the bed as easily as she used to. Overall it's a great product but they could be taller. I currently have them set on top of a big shoe box to give it more lift.$LABEL$1 +P90x2. Bad the disc are scratch and are the same price than geting it at beach body and to long to recived$LABEL$0 +Worst game ever - not just among pirate games. This is literally the worst game that I have ever played of ANY genre. Comparing it to the original Pirates! by Sid Meier is very nearly an insult to that classic game. Simply put, this game has a terrible user interface, gameplay is difficult and BORING (gameplay refers to ship-to-ship combat, navigating through towns and swordfighting) and is incredibly BUGGY (as in constant crashing). Honestly, this is an insult for Bethesda to release to the gaming public in light of their other games (as in the Elder Scrolls series). Unfortunately, if a pirate game is what you are looking for, then this is about the only game out right now. I'd recommend, however, that you save your money and wait to get a game worth playing. Or at least a game thats FUN to play.$LABEL$0 +A LITTLE TOO SPOOKIE. WE EAGERLY WAITED FOR THIS NEW OLIE, WHILE IT IS AWFULLY SHORT, IT IS RATHER INTENSE FOR KIDS 4 OR LESS...SPOOKIE OOKIE IS JUST THAT...REALLY SPOOKIE-LOOKING(FOR MY 2 AND A HALF YEAR OLD)...AT LEAST ZOWIE ISN'T AFRAID. WE HOPE THE NEW CHRISTMAS OLIE IS LONGER...THIS IS A GREAT SHOW AND WONDERFUL ANIMATION FOR KIDS PRE-PREPARED FOR SPOOKIE OOKIE.$LABEL$1 +If you pay for this nonsense you are funding the sickness behind it. I don't care if the book is amazing... it is being sold as the biography of a young boy. Not a fiction novel. The idea that this sick and perverted woman would create such an elaborate and twisted lie to play on the emotions and mentality of a nation is just pathetic and sick. I hope this woman does check the responses on Amazon, I hope she cringes every time she reads someone's response to her joke of a book. I haven't read it, won't read it, and would never put a penny into it. There is absolutely no excuse for this book ever being printed in the first place, and under the title non-fiction biography at that. Children suffer such horrors all over the world, and to make a mockery of that sickens me.$LABEL$0 +Product Support is Essential!. I recently purchased Rosetta Stone Spanish from Amazon.com. I was initially delighted by the product and its approach to learning a new language. I then started having problems. I realized that an essential part to writing Spanish is the inverted question mark at the beginning of every question. I could not determine a way to make this symbol and I contacted Rosetta Stone Support via the internet and via telephone. I was amazed to learn that the normal level of support could not solve my problem and was told I would have to talk to a supervisory level. I was finally contacted by supervision 4 days later. In the meantime, I decided that this was not going to work and returned the product to Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Pointless. Tribute albums are like movie versions of great novels -- the genius is in the style of the artist, not the words and notes on a page. Why would anyone want to hear this rather than replay "Nebraska" itself? I don't get it at all.$LABEL$0 +Poor quality. Cable did not work from HP laptop to NEC monitor. I tried another cable I had with me and that one worked. The cable that I ordered, and does not work, connects intermittently and shows a few static lines across the screen.$LABEL$0 +Thrilling!. When this book came out last year, it was acknowledged as one of the most awaited novels of the summer. I read an excerpt online and couldn't wait for it to come out.With such high expectations, the question to ask is..did it measure up?? I would say it did...for the most part. At times, I found the author was perhaps trying to create too eerie an atmosphere, to the point of being unnecessary.Otherwise, the story is amazing. The history behind Vlad the Impaler and the surrounding folklore and myths is absolutely captivating. The geographic locations Kostova takes the reader to are exotic and mystical;Romania ,Hungary and its political ties. These aspects of the book were expertly interwoven into the plotline, which was fast-paced and gripping. The characters got more interesting and provided more depth to the story as the book went on. A great read!$LABEL$1 +Probably the Best and Most Current Book in the Field!. For my money, the best and certainly the most current book on the history of Chemical Warfare. Provides a lot of extraordinary detail on both the U.S. and Soviet Union's offensive Chemical Warfare programs. Easily readable with good, clear prose. Contains more detail than a casual reader might prefer, but for those with an interest, this book definitely satisfies. Deserves a place on the shelf of anyone that is engaged in this profession or with an active interest.$LABEL$1 +"Oh god, mother, blood! blood!". The best sequel of all time. It's 23 years later and Norman is coming home. After 23 years in a mental institution Norman Bates is deemed rehabilitated. He goes home and begins working and leading a normal life. But his past continues to haunt him. Once he's in the house, familiar voices begin to be heard again. The sister of the 1st movie's shower victim wants to put Norman back into custody. So Lila, with the help of her daughter, begin to torment Norman. Murders begin to happen once more but are the murders the work of Norman? This movie contains all the shocks and turns that made the first so great. Alfred Hitchcock's gothic horror masterpiece was not shamed by this sequel at all. It made us realize what a good movie it really was.$LABEL$1 +Most wonderful version of the life of Christ. This is the one movie version of the life, death and resurrection of Christ that I have truly loved watching. I would recommend watching Jesus of Nazareth by anyone who truly wishes to learn more of the story of His birth, life, and interaction with His disciples--and how He was so cruelly crucified, ultimately for all of mankind's sake--then, who wish to thrill at how death could not overpower and contain Him, because they believe Him to actually be Who He claimed to be--the Son of the Living God.$LABEL$1 +Red DVD. Pretty entertaining movie. Nice to see that Bruce Willis has still got some talent, but Helen Miren makes the show worthwhile, as does Morgan Freeman. Enjoyed watching this movie, and of course, Amazon rocks when it comes to price and shipping costs.$LABEL$1 +All their hits. Having grown up just after Queen's heyday, I know the better known songs. This delivers all their hits. It may not appeal the the Queen fanatic, but for the casual Queen fan it delivers.$LABEL$1 +Scrumptiously Illustrated Fantasy For All!. Having always been fascinated by those giants who roamed the planet eons ago, I had to have this one upon its initial publication. "Dinotopia's" tale of a land jointly inhabited by man and dinosaur is a truly captivating adventure.As fanciful as the premise is, the author logically develops the dinosaur characters based on the uniqueness of each respective species. Most are "good" and commune well with their fellow humans; but the T-Rex is still his usual grouchy self, much to the appreciation of us who were raised with the knowledge that the animal was one mean carnivore!By placing the setting in the 1800's, the book could have been written by Wells or Verne, which gives it the feel of a classic.And a classic, it is.$LABEL$1 +Broke too easily. These sounded fine and were reasonably comfortable. But the connector to my computer broke after only a few months of use and was not fixable so it was money thrown out.$LABEL$0 +Bad Idea. I can't believe that anyone would actually buy this. The average price for these DVD's is still around $12.00 each. It's not a deal at all. If they bring it down to $5.00 each ($150.00 total) maybe I'd consider buying it. Even if I wanted to buy it and the price was right, I already have some of these. Why would I want more than one copy of a movie?$LABEL$0 +Very Good Introduction with great pictures. There are many books out there on the same topic, but Soldat features the best reconstruction photos going, plus provides a very good price into the bargain. Comprehensive, well laid out, with good colour photos in a separate section, SOLDAT is good for veteran and newcomer collectors alike. Highly recommended for collectors, re-enactors, costumers and historians.$LABEL$1 +Machine did not work/Service was Terrible. I bought this machine, and it did not work. I called their customer service department. They were less than helpful in trying to resolve the problem. I would never recommend the product. I think their service department was the worst I have dealt with.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful Writing! Well Shot! A Joy Of A Film!. Scarlett Johansson And Helen Hunt are not only beautiful in this movie, but they also prove that they have some powerful acting chops!But the best part of the movie is the writing! There are wonderful lines in that movie you will love to use in your everyday vocabulary.$LABEL$1 +heavy wording. i like the idea of the book but it doesnt deliver what it says. it seems to be pretty liberal so far, and although it has high claims which sound nice, i am not impressed by the content of the book itself. at page 70 now. i find it difficult to read because the person uses difficult language and think it will not be easy for the majority of Muslim women to read, as delightful as the philosophy of self-knowledge and identity are within Islam, this book is a bust (so far). Very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Neat Stuff !!. Built-In Furniture is a great book for everyone who's ever dreamed of having a secret door to a hidden room or just wants to utilize seamingly wasted space. This book of ideas has been a great launching pad for my own new home design. It's NOT a project book with plans and instructions but if you're in the "looking for ideas" phase this is a good picture book.$LABEL$1 +Transporter Wheelchair. It was shipped and received in excellent condition. Great quality for our needs - transporting to and from doctor appointments, or when traveling long distances. Easy to add attachments and stores nicely in trunk. It was well worth the price and handles great.$LABEL$1 +Not the paddle pictured. The paddle I received did not have the hooks as displayed in the picture and called out in the item description.Returned the first paddle expecting the correct paddle to come in the second time, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.Taking the good with the bad, lower price but automated process that doesn't allow for correction in some cases. Amazon gets it right most of the time, but not with this product.If you're looking at this product, go ahead purchase the one that's almost like it, but is $4 cheaper because that's the one that will be shipped.$LABEL$0 +XM Radio. Way better than my old radio flipping through random stations trying to find a good song with xm no more. I can choose what sounds appealing and listen to all my music with no interruptions. very nice product better price.$LABEL$1 +total crap. i agree with the other review that this is a hunk of crap. dont buy it. i made the same mistake n bought it ... wow it sucks$LABEL$0 +Disgraceful. The reproduction of these rolls is clattery, spasmodic -- altogether a disservice to Paderewski's memory. Stick with the flat disc recordings (acoustical and electrical) or go to the Pianola Institute website for good recordings of the later Duo-Art rolls.$LABEL$0 +Best WWF PPV of 99. Venis vs. Mankind and HHH vs. Austin were OK, the ladder match was good, and everything else sucked. I don't see how this show got an average rating of ****1/2. This was the best WWF PPV of 99 that I saw (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Over The Edge, Fully Loaded, this show, and Armageddon) but it was still terrible.$LABEL$0 +not what it says it is. I bought this because I needed a new charger for my nintendo DS. What I got was a box that said ninetud DS and it doesnt fit in my nintendo DS. Complete rip off.$LABEL$0 +Not a Qur'an. Although this volume comes up in a Kindle search for the Qur'an, it is an 1862 book of Latin verse by the brilliant Charles Stuart Calverley.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. It was good while it worked (for about a year). It stopped working after I heard a sizzling sound and smelled something burning.$LABEL$0 +great cut. We have had this product about a month and made two or three cuts. It seems to work great and be a product worth getting to save money on haircuts in these tough economic times$LABEL$1 +EXCELENTE. Para quienes usamos el ipod con frecuencia, esto es super util, lo recomiendo. Cuando menos lo esperas te quedas sin baterias, en un aeropuerto, en la oficina etc.$LABEL$1 +Dramatically lower your blood pressure & cholesterol!. I eagerly read this book, since my partner has had lupus for over 20 years. As we adopted the vegan diet suggested in the book, my blood pressure has dropped from 140/80 while on 2 medications, down to 110/70 while on NO MEDICATIONS. I have also dropped 24 pounds since April (07). I thought that giving up coffee and sugar (especially chocolate) would be nearly impossible, but now I find that it has virtually no appeal for me. I'd much rather be feeling good!Ms. Harrington's recipes are quick & painless. She also suggests a wonderful, affordable health center in CA that gave us a "jump-start" on the vegan lifestyle. Thank God for this book. It has literally changed my life for the better!Donna PlaskiMilwaukee, WI$LABEL$1 +campy. I'm not a big fan of John Waters or the genre, so I wasn't expecting much. I realize that everything about this was very tongue and cheek. Fans of Divine may enjoy it, but I felt the jokes were stale.$LABEL$0 +Nice idea... poorly executed. Expensive with low quality.. I got this for my son for Christmas a few years back. At first, this seemed like a really cool toy. Its one of the few planetariums that actually project white stars instead of the inverse. Unfortunately, it was plagued by defects related to low quality. At first, a wire became disconnected from the planet projector light bulb. I soldered it back on and it worked. But ultimately what did it in was the failure of a position sensor on the main projector mechanism. The projector would keep turning and turning even after hitting the mechanical stop. I gave up and ended up throwing out this very expensive toy after only a month. My son was very disappointed. Save your money and look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Hathaway Fan. I like this CD. I'm a big Donny Hathaway fan so I feel it was necessary for me to have this CD in my own collection. It's different from what we know of his work but I still would recommend it to those that our huge fans of this brilliant talent. Gone too soon! RIP Donny!$LABEL$1 +If the description doesn't sound like it's your cup of tea.. it's not.. This is a movie set in a fantasy world. You will see a group of young women in stylized fights scenes with Nazis, dragons and monsters set to cover versions of classic rock songs. If this sounds exciting, you will like this movie. If you're "not sure" when don't watch it. This movie has a very specific audience and many will "not get it." However those that "don't get it" shouldn't have bought it in the first place.This is a very twisted version of Alice in Wonderland, and if you want to go down this rabbit hole, you'll love the ride.$LABEL$1 +Same as everything else these guys sell. From the number of historical inaccuracies in this amateur attempt at a karate documentary, it is obvious that the presenter knows absolutely nothing about the subject, and has made no attempt at serious research. He even makes errors with information he has "borrowed" from legitimate sources such as "The History of Karate - Goju Ryu" by Morio Higaonna and Classical Fighting Arts magazine because his knowledge of Goju Ryu in particular, and karate in general, is virtually non-existent.The "many little known facts" alluded to in the product description are "little known" because they are not "facts" but fiction. All in all, exactly what we have come to expect from this source.$LABEL$0 +Book. Barbara Metzger is the best. Good story line, humor, no trash and lovely to read electronically. reasonable price, will buy again.$LABEL$1 +A perfect reason why people need to just shut up.. Berit Kjos is trying to push her personal beliefs and authority in this book. She fails to see that the true purpose of education is not to tell people what to think, but HOW to think. Berit Kjos is going the close-minded route and saying that we should tell our kids what to believe in instead of HOW to believe. It's very important for our kids to know HOW to think because that truly holds substance. Telling them WHAT to think , like how Berit Kjos outlines, means nothing. It's a terrible example of the closed-mindedness in our culture today.It's also poorly written as well. It's nothing more than an bunch of personal inferences. I would be inclinded to like this book more, were it not that its all based on one persons opinion. A really bad opinion at that.$LABEL$0 +At last a Bible without guile. To often I have picked up a quote "modern translation" and been disappointed, often the translation is with bias. I picked up the life application edition on a whim and have not left it get lonely since. It is a user friendly.$LABEL$1 +Much about Nothing. This is not a very good book. It goes around in circles and it is not an easy read. Half of the book is a waste. The author could have gotten the information across in a third the amount of pages, and leave out information that is of no value. It took forever for the author to make her point.$LABEL$0 +What a waste of a great plot. I felt this movie wasted the amazing plot line it had. It was a big dismantlement and the ending was terrible. I was really looking forward to watching this and now realize there is about two hours of my life I am never getting back.$LABEL$0 +not for my machine.. I bought these because they are made to look like old 45's. I figuered because of this, they were audio cd's. I put one in my Philips 770 cd rrecorder and it scrolled"WRONG DISC"USE AUDIO DISC". I don't know if it's my recorder or not. If I use a disc that plainly says For Music or For Audio Use, I have no problem. Buyer beware.$LABEL$0 +Saves $$$. I always get one of these when I give a BrewStation as a gift... save money without the paper filter.$LABEL$1 +Jonas Brothers STINK!!!. I don't know why people like the Jonas Brothers so much. Their voices are terrible. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than listen to them sing. Their songs are always repetitive. I mean--HELLO--When You Look Me in the Eyes repeats the title at least ELEVEN stinkin' times. I don't understand why they're so famous. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus is SO much better.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your time or money. Don't bother wasting your time or money on this movie. I don't care about the quality of the cinematography, the quality of the story is what is lacking. From the elmination of Jack, one of the Robinson children, to the blatant disregard for absolutely any speck of information from the book, this film will make you cringe in horror. Rather, go get the original book, and curl up with your family and read. It's a better use of your time than watching this garbage. It doesn't deserve the one star I was forced to give it.$LABEL$0 +Good Read. The book was highly recommended by two people whose "book opinions" I respect. Enjoyed the read. Really felt the "sisterhood". Brought back memories of my younger years.$LABEL$1 +No Power. The book of Acts is a book of power! Sadly, this is what is lacking in the DVD presentation. The minute I began watching I knew it was going to be a weak (acting) rendition of the story. Thankfully, it is word for word from the Bible, which is why I gave it two stars. Reading through the book of Acts one can almost feel the electricity of the Holy Spirit working in and through the lives of the Apostles and believers. All of that is lost in the DVD presentation.I would not recommend this DVD. Stick to the Book instead.$LABEL$0 +Ooo....I just can't get enough of his stuff! 1980 ME!. I totally dig this track, but it gets pretty tired if you listen to it all the time. I'm not crazy about the two remixes in this import (probably cuz I'm so fond of the original album versions). However, his DUET with Elisa Fiorillo in "Right Dead Back On It" rocks! We all felt that he should have included this in his album "Spin". Catchy lyrics and fun to dance to! And finally, the acoustic version of "Insatiable" almost brought me to tears. His voice is so compelling and I admire the influence of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" sung towards the beginning and end.I received this CD through an Aussie mate and I was excited to hear that he released "Crush" in Australia. I actually choreographed a dance number to "Crush (1980 Me)" and when the single came, I had my dancers sign it! If you ever experienced Pop culture in the 80's, you'll dig this song as well.$LABEL$1 +Hmmmm. just to say I have a JPN PS2 + hard drive and you cant copy music or anything to it like an xbox can (i am fluent in Japanese so i know from the instructions). It may be different for this HDD but i don't think so. It dosent do much for other games though (you install FFX to it and it decreases the loading time by about 1 second, and you still need the DVD to play it). All in all, unless you are planning to play FFXI or other games with HDD support its not really worth it.$LABEL$1 +Was good for about two weeks, then.... Top comments you see here are all correct - they let light in around the nose for sure, and the velcro strap is super uncomfortable behind your head. Also, if you leave some of the velcro strap exposed at either end it sticks to your pillow so you basically have to wear it at one length and completely loose the usefulness of the strap.Last bad thing: SEE THE SECOND PICTURE AT THE TOP WHERE THE BACK LINING CAME OFF. THAT HAPPENED TO MINE TOO, AFTER ONLY A FEW WEEKS. So dissapointing.Those bad things being said they are very light and nice otherwise. I never think they are that bad while I wear them as I fall asleep but my body hates them so much that I literally wake up every morning and I have tossed them on the ground next to the bed in my sleep.$LABEL$0 +unsafe?. Well the bottle is polycarbonate, contains BPA, and carries a number 7. Who knows if this will prove dangerous, but why risk it. I have thrown mine away.$LABEL$0 +Great while it lasted. As with a previous user, the connection became loose very quickly (within 2 weeks) and does not provide a good connection between the power pack and cord to the computer. I am purchasing a different product... too bad, I loved the idea and design of this one. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +Saw II. Saw 2 was a very good movie. If you enjoyed Saw then you will enjoy Saw 2. I thought that Saw 2 was better then the first one but the first one was still very good. I went to Saw 2 with a couple of friends one day and we all enjoyed it. Seeing it in theaters was awesome. It was a little bit loud. There is a heavy bass sound going on almost through the whole movie. I didn't get any sleep the night before going to Saw 2 from spending the night at a friends house and staying up all night. I thought I was going to end up falling asleep but I didn't because it was so good. I can't wait till this comes out on DVD I will definatly buy it the day it comes out! Very good movie. i recommend$LABEL$1 +interesting but pretentious. There's interesting information here, about the role offshore tax havens play in our global economy; much of it is quite revealing, as we learn about the Cayman islands, and what corporations do in order to avoid paying taxes. The author gets pretentious, though (and nearly unreadable) when trying to put a philosophical spin on things... there is a long chapter on that which is simply indigestible, and the interpretations are so forced as to be laughable. If you can overlook that, though (just skip those parts) you'll get some interesting tidbits of information about the way corporations operate.$LABEL$0 +Yeah, this isn't much good.. Conor Oberst's lyrics and songwriting just get worse and worse: while at least in the past he was able to write somewhat-interesting lyrics and come up with creative arrangements (such as the "Every Day and Every Night" EP), here he patronizes the remains of country music in a series of lachrymose, overwritten ballads that constantly strive after universal relevance, but just come off as self-righteous. The album's best moment is probably the single "Lua", but even that one's pretty lame. "We might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain"? Deep, man.Self-pity and self-absorption have rarely made for interesting art, and no musings about "What history gave modern man / A telephone to talk to strangers / Machine guns and a camera lens" will change that.$LABEL$0 +Returned to store. I carefully followed the directions and couldn't get it to work with or without string. Was a hassle to fool with. Tried Dynabee at the PT clinic and didn't have a problem.$LABEL$0 +The Jason and Tara show. I find myself fast forwarding through all the jason and tara parts so I can see the sookie and bill parts. Don't waste your money. The books are so much better.$LABEL$0 +"Tribute" Not One. I cannot in good conscience recommend this disk. I wasn't sure what to expect and am still at a loss after listening to it. It put me in mind of a bad lounge act in the Catskills ala "Saturday Night Live" and Bill Murray. (Is this what 'the Boys' have to look forward to?) If I could've given it less than one star I would have.$LABEL$0 +Glitzy, but frustrating for younger kids. The program requires a lot of fine motor skills. It's too frustrating for my 3 yr old. For example, there is a coloring page ("color all the squares blue"). There are so many of the squares, and they're so tiny, that even I get a little frustrated trying to maneuver the mouse onto each one. In addition, the product is set up around a theme of "save the stars". Kids at the younger end of the age range, such as my daughter, would probably benefit more from a program that lets them "wander at will" a little more. (Try Disney Preschool.) Or, at least, a theme that's a little more laid back. (For example, Pooh Preschool, where the goal is to help everyone finish their work so they can make it to a party.) I also highly recommend JumpStart Preschool.My daughter is at the young end of the recommended age group, so maybe she will grow into it more. For 3 yr olds, I recommend staying away from this one.$LABEL$0 +Is this a male fragrance, being sold as female?. Ordered this product based on reviews. Wow, I was definitely wrong to do that! The order and shipping was on point, however, the the product leaves a lot to be desired. It smells like irish spring soap. I could have gone to the local family dollar to get this smell. Never again.$LABEL$0 +Respectable. Here's a book that read much longer than it really was. By the time I got to page 150, I felt like I had been reading it forever. But make no mistake, this author knows exactly how to pen a novel that I anticipate what the next page will read. With his picture perfect dialogue, Erick S Gray has obvious street credibility and is a master at displaying it in this twisted tale of drugs, prison, sex, violence, deception, murder, and mayhem along with the consequences brought on by the desire of money, power, and respect in the ruthless streets where there is often no escape. You can't help but want the best for Ricky and hope that the angel on his shoulders, Mr. Jenkins can save him from not only Kinko but himself.$LABEL$1 +The Facinating Fusion of Kharma Zhu. Five stars for four amazing musicians! It's fitting how the first song on the album is entitled, "Music In My World." The worldly sound of Kharma Zhu incorporates rock and roll with flamenco, funk and blues. The music is upbeat, sensual, and even playful at times. "And Again" is another great song, using carefully crafted syncopation and Danny Marcus's falsetto to create a surprisingly sophisticated level of listening enjoyment. "Slave" takes the audience by storm with it's funky bass line and sing-a-long potential. This album brings you up and takes you down and makes you want to dance... A must have!$LABEL$1 +Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Telephoto Lens. Good value for the price. Have not used it much so I have yet to see how it holds up.$LABEL$1 +Good book on American dolls. This is a very nice book for collectors of American composition dolls. Most books cover this area in less detail.$LABEL$1 +Tempramental. We got this item from Walmart and I was not jazzed about it AT ALL. When we hooked it up to record, we could not get it to record one channel while we watched another. Then the tray stopped working after one week. I sent it to Samsung and they fixed it but it still didn't work right. When it was downstairs, I had to trick the tray to open and then trick it to close (HA! I could only do it... my husband could not). Then we moved it to the bedroom and miraculously, the tray started working.I've never been excited about Samsung products and this type of thing is why. We only kept this thing (for viewing not recording) because we already spent money on it and figured it would do until we were ready to switch over to blueray.$LABEL$0 +Mystery solved. Next!. A sullen girl is imprisoned in France. A young nun in Brazil is tormented by mysterious abdominal pain. Father Joachim (Gerard Depardieu), the priest-surgeon assigned to the nun's case, is mystified by her ailment and fascinated when its cause cannot be determined. Perhaps he sees in the young woman's secretiveness a reflection of his own violent past? What is the connection between these cases and the mysterious words "screel deen" that the nun screams in her agonies?The filmmaker strings us along for the better part of an hour, as we tease out the mysterious connections. We are treated to mysterious voodoo rituals on the beach, a nosy journalist wannabe, an improbably love story and a mother with secrets of her own. There is so much deliberate confusion and unclear switched identities that by the end, I wasn't sure what happened and I cared even less.BTW: This film is rated R only for 1 shot of a nun binding her breasts during the opening credits.$LABEL$0 +You need to read the manga.... The manga is alot better than the anime, and from these reviews on here people don't quite understand the story. This is basically an anime adaptation OF the manga...if you want the full story read the manga. Anime is never the full telling of the story.$LABEL$1 +Not Jane. Jane is supposed to be strong and we are meant to like her. The actors fail to bring the characters to life and fail to get us to even like them. I'm a huge fan for the BBC 4 hours adaptation but this one sucks.$LABEL$0 +Saved My Dog's Life. I have a small 12 yr old death row pound rescue that started to fail so quickly that I was making plans for euthasia and cremation. I took the dog to the vet thinking she had diabetes but blood tests showed a borderline liver problem (elevated enzymes.) My vet was gone on Friday when I found out about this drug from my mother, whose dog was saved by this drug, but I couldn't get in touch with the vet.The vet wanted to wait another 6 weeks then retake her blood. I thought, she won't live that long at this rate.Since it is non RX I just went ahead and ordered it on a Friday night.By Monday it was here and I started her on it immediately. That was March 17. As of the 26th, she's 100% better, eating like a wolf, lots of energy AND buying from Amazon is half the price or less than the vet would charge. It costs about $21.47 a month.Thank you Amazon!!!$LABEL$1 +ive seen military reports more interesting. i got this being interested in the combat history of the phantom and its abilities against soviet fighters,also in wishing to read about how it faired against them when they did not have crippling ROE working against them like in vietnam.I was very very board reading it as its hole text just one sleep inducing jumble of numbers.The decsriptions of the air fights is very brief and usually is SUCH AND SUCH GOT THEIR 3RD MIG KILL ETC ETC.The pictures are good and the plates are acceptable but thats not good enough if the bulk of the text is boring,hence the one star.$LABEL$0 +MadKatz Bluetooth for PS3. Very cheap earpeice (the folding part). It does not hold the headset to your ear firmly. I'd highly advise against this product.$LABEL$0 +My Favorite New CD!. First of all, I loved the movie. So, as I often do, I ran out to buy the soundtrack. The songs by Leanne Rimes are my favorites, but all the other songs are lots of fun to listen to. My only regrets are that they didn't include "I Will Survive" and "One Way or Another". Overall, I totally reccommend this CD.$LABEL$1 +Go for cotton.... The fit of the boxers is great, as Calvin Klein usually does with all their underwear, but the fabric is terrible. When you use them for any sport activity you sweat twice as you would do with any other pair. Make yourself (and your skin) a favour and buy some CK Fine Rib Cotton ones. You'll thank for that.$LABEL$0 +Not so great. As a mom of twins i thought this would be the perfect solution for the beginning. And i used this thing for way too long. It is IMPOSSIBLE to steer and you will find yourself straining and backing up a million times just to make a turn. Id say its pretty handy for 2 months max. But you might as well spend $50 more and buy a Graco Duoglider which accepts two carseats as well, steers great, and will last you because its also a real stroller!This double stroller frame is too expensive for what it is (or isnt).$LABEL$0 +Excellent Mouse - Great Battery Life. I use this every day and have replaced the battery once in the last four months. It was simple to setup and I haven't had any sync issues. No complaints.$LABEL$1 +Terrible - save your time and money. Grisham's worst book by far (and I've enjoyed most of his stuff to date). A mediocre apology for the self-inflicted losers in society (drug abusers and prostitutes fare better than guy working 90 hours a week). Apparently, Grisham, having made plenty of money to date (which he earned), now feels sufficiently guilty about it that he wants the rest of us to help bring social "justice" about, so long as he gets to define the term. I could have lived through the social whining if there had been a story there, btu there wasn't much of one. An embarassment for Grisham and a complete waste of time.$LABEL$0 +Not as good as it looks. This chair looks great. A friend of mine has one that is the same type of design but made from tubular aluminium and canvas that is so confortable that we fight over who gets to sit on it. I thought this chair would be a classy version with the same comfort so I bought 2. Boy was I wrong.The chair looks great but it is not comfortable at all. The end of the seat is too short or too long and your legs rest on the wood bar which is not at all comfortable. I'm not sure how it can be fixed (I think that the seating surface needs to be longer so that your weight rests on the seat and not the end bar) but it really is a design flaw.It also creaks very loudly when you sit on it.Definitely not worth the money as chairs but they do look nice on my deck! I now consider them purely ornamental.$LABEL$0 +By Thier Blood Christian Martyrs of the 20th Century.. This book was also for my husband. He is 81 years of age and preached for many years and still does when he has an opportunity. He likes to bring lessons on the authenticity of the Bible especially for young people.$LABEL$1 +Super collection. Very pleased to have all of these wonderful Dr. Seuss cartoons on one DVD! Great collection of some old favorites! The kids and I will enjoy this one for years to come.$LABEL$1 +Not great for my daughter's hair type...or my nose type. My little girl is two. She has fine, but pretty wavy hair and it appears that it'll grown in very curly when she gets older (like her father). Though it hasn't grown in fully yet, I decided to hunt for a good detangler now to prevent nightmarish experiences with brushing hair later.Suave For Kids Awesome Apple Detangler does seem to make my daughter's hair easier to brush, but that's about it. Even the tiniest amount makes her normally shiny hair look dull and flat. The smell seems okay at first (like green apple flavored gum), but then has an after-scent of cheap hairspray that makes me feel a little sick if I smell it too long (can't imagine how gross it could be for her if she has my nose :) ). It may not impact everyone that way, but if you have a kid with fine hair and/or you or your child have a sensitive nose, keep looking.$LABEL$0 +more features adds a frustration factor. I thoroughly researched cordless phones before buying Uniden and was surprised and happy that the replacement had many more features at a price substantially less than our five-year old Uniden: corded base as well as remote cordless handset; digital screens on base and remote for caller ID and speed dial/redial features and a plug for optional headset use, something that helps me a great deal. The negative: speed dial programming. The old Uniden model programming was intuitive, something that took about fifteen seconds. The new speed dial allows for entering a name with the speed dial number and a process that has my owner's manuel dog-eared from use. Press a wrong button and it's start over time. Yowch!$LABEL$1 +Quit working after only 15 months. Do not buy this iron. It was fine for the first 15 months but today, it just quit working. No lights, no heat, no nothing! Of course, the warranty expired three months ago. Seems that this is a problem with this iron that others have also had. Irons I've had in the past worked at least five years before dying.$LABEL$0 +Excellent replacement for the overpriced originals. This set of ink works great on my Brother printer with no issues.No streaks, no leaks - just perfect. Even printed some color photos on photo paper and it came out very well!$LABEL$1 +The Runaway Jury. Out of all the John Grisham books I have read, The Runaway Jury was my favorite. It had an element of suspense that the others didn't, and I loved the plot. I thought it was very interesting to read about the "behind-the-scenes" of being on a jury, since all you usually hear is a verdict. The most interesting thing to me however, was reading about jury selections. I had no idea how much they research the candidates in high profile selections. Overall I thought it was a very entertaining book.$LABEL$1 +literary criticism. This is literary criticism and analysis, not biography - though there is some good biography in the first two chapters. For me, I was mistaken in thinking it was Baker's biography of H.$LABEL$0 +Amazing speakers for an amazing price. Very loud, amazing bass.. a must-have, especially for only $20.$LABEL$1 +Needs a DVD. The trainer works great. Gives my 12 year old grandson a lot of cuts that he was not getting before. I think it needs a DVD although to correct swing issues. Jeter could do a 15 minute training on how to swing, how to pick up the ball faster, etc. I think that would be a great addition to this tool.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful!. Every year we have a Mother's Day Tea, for our local, West Dennis Library, we used this for the music, and everyone loved it!$LABEL$1 +waste of money. I don't know what sheets the other reviewers here are sleeping on, but these sheets are awful. After the second night, we started seeing red fluff everywhere, and at first couldn't figure out what it was. Then we realized it was coming off the sheets! It is all over everything, including my new comforter. I couldn't throw them in the garbage any faster!$LABEL$0 +Great Read From LLMiller. I loved this book combo from Linda Lael Miller. Lots of interesting backstory and very well developed characters. I had never enjoyed old westerns but Linda brings the old west and the people to life. Great author and another great book$LABEL$1 +Stink, Stank, Stunk!. The author has been watching too much of the Blues Brothers movie where they go to Louisiana to compete in a band competition and meet the "Voodoo Queen". The conversations between the characters are choppy and unreadable. The story line in the hospital in ridiculous, with the hospital administrator being a drunk, the nurses being loony and the ONE police figure being unstrung. The ending is so comical, Blues Brother funny and unbelievable that you aren't surprised when she just ....STOPS the book with no plausible ending, leaving all characters, including the dog - just hanging. Please lady --- come back to the real world. If this is what the creole culture in New Orleans is really about it's a good thing they are rebuilding. Look elsewhere to spend $15.00.$LABEL$0 +Great for electrical work. As an electrician, I have to cut out many rectangular holes for switches and receptacles. This tool is much easier and cleaner than the RotoZip I was using before. It is by far the greatest for use on plaster and lath. I cut the plaster with the grit blade and then cut the lath with the saw blade. Worth every penny.$LABEL$1 +A disappointment. More vinettes than ideas for groups.. Confusing and boring reading. Only a small portion is dedicated to group ideas. A real disappointment.$LABEL$0 +Firewire option does not work. Any video recorded via the DVD-Direct firewire connection in Standalone mode does not work for me. I get unstable video when I playback the same on my DVD Player, laptop and PS2. Camcorders used were SONY DCR-TRV530 and Panasonic AG-DVC30P. Video fed thru DVD-Direct ( standalone ) S-video and composite inputs works fine on the same DVD+RW discs. Also works fine with the included NERO software. But the major advantage this model was supposed to have over others was the standalone firewire input. And that has failed for me.$LABEL$0 +Cheb Mami Rocks!!!!!. I first heard him with Sting on Dessert Rose, then with Zucchero& Co. That made me want to buy an ablum of just him and it was well worth it. I don't understand the languages he sings in but it isn't necessary. The spirit comes through!!!$LABEL$1 +TEACHER'S CHOCOLATE MOLD. Very nice mold, good quality and lots of detail in the individual components. Lot of fun and my teacher friends loved it.$LABEL$1 +Hop in your RIG, and drive like a maniac!. This game is awesome! I have played it in the arcade many times. Very good!$LABEL$1 +WHY? GOD, WHY?. First of all, Avril Lavigne is a corporate shill. She's a no talent poseur who doesn't write her own "songs," nay, she writes her own "lyrics." That's painfully obvious. There IS a difference. Why anyone would do a "Tribute" to Avril is beyond me. I could think of many more appropriate titles for this CD: "Avril Lite," "Avril Lavigne Karaoke," "We REALLY don't have any talent," "Now that's what I call really, really, really bad music."$LABEL$0 +It works, but not everytime. Average instructions, easy to install, but it only works about 75% of the time. And this is with the transmitter and the receiver only about 12 feet apart, with no obstructions or walls separating them. And this is using the power from the original door bell, so the issue cannot be batteries.Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +Not as great in person. I returned this watch because when I received it, I didn't think the quality was that great. It just felt cheap. Also, it's much smaller than I thought it would be. I have very small wrists, and the watch just didn't look right. The face and band should be much wider - it looks weird when wearing it. The watch looks great online, but it was disappointing when I actually received it.$LABEL$0 +A great inprovement on the genre!. If you liked C &C you got to buy this. I played the beta and it has great graphics, sound, and replayability.$LABEL$1 +Love.. This book captivated me from cover to cover. It's so unique from the names of the characters to the situations and lives they each lead. It's a wonderful and I'd read it again.$LABEL$1 +Has no tuner!. I really wish I'd read the user reviews of this product before purchasing, because nowhere in the the product description is it mentioned that there's no tuner. This means that it will only record what the TV or cable box is tuned to. Not good. I had to return the item shortly after hooking it up.$LABEL$0 +Dr. Goodpet Scratch Free Review. Dr. Goodpet's Scratch Free was a good product to relieve my cat's allergy symptoms. I used this product in conjunction to changing my cat's diet. He showed improvement within two to three days. This was a good alternative for my cat who is sensitive to medication.$LABEL$1 +Value for Money. I needed this IEEE 1394 cable to download videos from my Canon MiniDV Camcorder to my laptop. I looked for the same cable in stores and the branded cables were priced as $35+.. didn't want to spend so much on just a cable.. so odered it with Amazon seller "lusopc".. it just costed $7.20 with shipping... works perfectly fine.. basically it does what its supposed to do...$LABEL$1 +Not Bad For The Price.. This is a pretty good air mattress, I use it as an everyday bed on top of my horrible mattress. I sleep pretty good on it. The only complaint is that I have to put more air in it every day or two, but thats not that big of a deal considering the pump that came with it. The last air mattress I had to blow it all up by mouth. That was just rediculous. I thank so much that it came with a pump. If your looking for a decent air mattress, don't hesitate to purchase this one.$LABEL$1 +LITTLE TOO YOUNG. THE GIRL OF BLAQUE ARE WAY TOO YOUNG TO BE IN A R&B WORLD.THE GIRLS ARE ONLY 17 ! AND LOOK AT 702 OR TLC..THEY ARE LIKE 24-30!THE GIRLS DON'T HAVE GREAT VOICES AND THE SONGS ARE DUMB EXCEPT FOR "BRING IT ALL TO ME"(WITH NSYNC) AND "808".$LABEL$0 +101 Common sense steps better suited to people just starting out. The 101 "tips" aren't really secrets, but more of common sense packaged in one place.As a professional speaker and consultant running my own business and personal development business TheInspirationalEdge.com being just one of them, I refer to it once in a while for inspiration and confirmation that I'm doing fine.I think it'll be particularly good for you if you're just starting out in public/professional speaking.Hope this helps and remember to keep having fun - whatever you do.$LABEL$1 +This person is not credible.. If I wanted mental health advice, Christopher Shelley is the LAST person I would approach. He may be well-dressed and articulate but he's got some pretty serious issues.$LABEL$0 +Been looking for this one for awhile!!. Sound is great. I play this one in the car a lot. Reminds me of days gone by. A must buy for Lettermen fans!!$LABEL$1 +Zero star. It's not worth watching at all.. The acting is a bad joke but the special effect is good in some scenes.I think the movie depicts dark humor not horror but it's not funny at all. For example, in one scene, two ofthe best students of a professor killed his bride by cutting her into pieces. It's because they thoughtshe was just a robot created by him. While doing this, they kept telling each other how her body parts looked so real!I did not find that funny.There are much better horror movies which made me shudder. They are: Black Sheep, Slither, Cabin Fever, 28 days laterPet Semetery and the Grudge.$LABEL$0 +A Christian apologist's view of Bible history. Neil Lightfoot has written this slim, and I'm afraid rathershallow book to help Christians bolster their faith ratherthan shed light on the objective and all too obscurefacts surrounding the origins of the most popular bookever written.All in all, it's fine for a sunday school class that isn'tall that serious about the subject, but it doesn't do muchfor someone really wanting to know *all* the facts, positiveand negative, about the history of the Bible.$LABEL$0 +Amazing! What a Wonderful Show!. If you can't see the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall, then you must watch this video. The choreography, songs, and of course, Rockettes are splendid. I had never seen their show before and was completely enthralled as I watched the full production. It made me want to head to New York for a Christmas trip and see them live!$LABEL$1 +The real deal on Pudd N' Head Wilson. I enjoyed reading Pudd N' Head Wilson. It was a little slow at times, but it made up for it, with all the mystery going on, within the novel. If you like educating yourself about slavery, and don't mind seeing the"real", I felt for the slave mother Roxy in the novel, I'm sad that she had to make that type of life changing decison for her, and her son. As well as Tom, and if it had been me,then I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. I look foward to reading other books, but the infamous Mark Twain.$LABEL$1 +The Academy got it right this time!. I loved this movie: saw it four times. But the screenplay is even more incredible, and it is blatantly obvious how talented these two writers and actors are. Seeing the movie enhances the screenplay, as ad-libbing is major and the hilarious stories are even funnier. Even without the movie, this is a fine piece of work and it deserves to be enjoyed by all who would hold it with as high esteem as it deserves. Enjoy and good luck Matt and Ben!$LABEL$1 +Ehhhh. When I first saw this I was like "SWEET THATS GONNA ROCK".....Well I was wrong. it was....well pretty stupid. See I thought it was gonna really make smoke (call me stupid lol)BUT really it just makes this flaky stuff fly all over the place and it smells like nasty old matches. its really sticky and its not good for a magic trick. dont waist your money on this.$LABEL$0 +What a disappointment. Well I am a fan of the book and I was really excited to see this so I went ahead and bought it. It got good reviews on rotten tomatoes and the cover just made it look good. Well, I was really disappointed. I tried so hard not to be critical, but it was BORING. They left all of the magic out of the movie. I could accept it not being very true to the book if only they had enhanced some of the scenes, but everything was just so bland. I should have rented it, and also the BBC version b/c that seems to be getting good ratings. The ending was in no way a good thing and I didn't feel any kind of true climax.$LABEL$0 +Great Wire. This is the perfect size speaker wire to hook up your surround sound system. It's beefy enough to carry a great signal and still small enough to tuck between your carpet and baseboard. The price is right here on Amazon. Why pay more anywhere else? It took a little more than this 100 foot roll to do my 5 speakers so order plenty.$LABEL$1 +YOU CAN REALLY REALATE TO THIS MOVIE!!!. I REALLY REALATED TO THIS MOVIE CAUSE I AM "JOHN BENDER" I AM THE TYP WHO TOOK SHOP COASTED THRU HIGH SCHOOL AND GENERLLY DIDENT CARE WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT ME OR WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THEM . IWAS AN OUT CAST AND DIDENT CARE....$LABEL$1 +Only reading it because I am past my delivery due date. Boooo-rinnnngg. Can you say Dean Koontz with an even bigger ego and smaller imagination? This was recommended to me highly. I wonder why. I am only reading it because I am waiting for labor to begin and have time on my hands. This is a path-of-least-resistance, lowest-common-denominator book with a mildly interesting premise. Flat characters, some are even charicatures, and the violence is so pervasive that one becomes immune to it very quickly. Like a Stallone film. High cheese factor, too. Maybe I'll pick up Pride and Prejudice again. Or read the side of a cereal box.$LABEL$0 +If it is being moisturized that you seek.... If it is being moisturized that you seek...This stuff is great. To be honest, I didn't like the smell of this item at first. It had a strange odor. I thought this strange considering it was fragrance free... but either way I am over it now. No moisturizer compares to how well it works. The smell has either gone away or I got used to it. Even if it was still there, I'd use it.$LABEL$1 +Very pleased. Tom Selleck is like FINE WINE the older the better.So funny his line "I'm happy you had your Fun." When the ADA "dumped him"What woman would dump him?$LABEL$1 +Nice Necklace. I bought this for my 5 year old grandaughter in memory of her dad who was killed in Iraq. She loved it. The locket is perfect for a young girl, however,the chain that came with it is very fine and difficult to fasten. I bought a sturdier chain to go with this locket. I am very pleased with this purchase.$LABEL$1 +Absolute Garbage. Whoever cut the holes with an exacto knife must have had problems seeing themselves Poor workmanship and waving lines. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY! Make your own.$LABEL$0 +Terrific Worship!!!. I recieved the order within a few days! Very prompt!! Wonderful condition! I was very impressed! Thanks so very much! God Bless!$LABEL$1 +Trekking to Everest Base Camp. As someone who has guided trekking and climbing expeditions in the Himalayas for 20 years, I would recommend the Khumbu Valley Blues DVD to anyone considering a visit to this region of Nepal.The DVD gives an excellent overview of trekking in the Khumbu, Gokyo, and Imja Valleys, and the animated 3-D maps illustrate the geography of the trekking routes quite effectively.Khumbu Valley Blues is not a high financed, professionally produced film, yet it's an entertaining program that provides a good feel for the Himalayan trekking experience.Mick BromleyB.C. Canada$LABEL$1 +my ears did bleed!. what went wrong? is this a cover band? regretfully it seems that belle and sebastian have drained the well dry... if you want only fond memories of this band, don't buy this album.$LABEL$0 +If you want to burn DVDs with your video, avoid this.. I have bought a lot of Sony products over the years so when I was in the market for a camcorder I foolishly just picked this up without researching it. After recording four tapes of my one year old I tried making a DVD and after 20-30 hours and using 3 programs, including Sony's Movieshaker (constant crashes) I have still been unsuccessful. I have just ordered a well reviewed Panasonic camera in DV. MicroMV is a terrible product with zero support from Sony. I won't be buying Sony again.$LABEL$0 +Bad directions, hard-to-find yarn. I agree with many of the other reviews written. I thought some of the patterns were cute and quick, but now that I've knit up 4 of the patterns, I'd have to say that they are just plain wrong! The baby's cardigan sweater and hat was a disaster. The kids rollneck sweater with fuzzy heart in the middle was not true to size at all. And others were just as bad. I checked my gauge beforehand and followed the instructions to the letter; the directions are simply incorrect. Sloppy work, Suss!$LABEL$0 +Truly Dreadful Movie - Get the Original Instead. This remake of the 1939 film, The Women, is truly a terrible movie. If you must see it to compare, at least the fashions are fun. However, while the orginal is a great old movie, this remake has taken the plot and made is inexcusibly silly. Hated this movie. Watch the 1939 version called The Women instead. It's a well-done classic.$LABEL$0 +All the wrong reasons. What a terrible Christmas book! Everyone is motivated by all the wrong reasons and no one changes. Everyone is hateful to the Kranks and they are hateful in return. They skip Christmas to save money. They then have Christmas to help their daughter catch a husband. People on their street decorate grimly--not out of a sense of celebration but rather one of duty. When Krank breaks step they don't throw off the shackles, but urge him to get back in step. One of his neighbors calls the cops on him. Charitable people doing good works are seen as con men. The Boy Scout leader gouges him when he has to buy a tree at the last minute. He and his wife seem to be engaged in a war. I feel like I've been ripped off. Thanks John! What a "nice" Christmas message!$LABEL$0 +Works really good. I've had this headset for about almost a year and it works flawlessly. It is quite comfortable to wear with right size ear bud. Only complaint I have is it's bit too large.$LABEL$1 +NOT Evyan. This is not White Shoulders and the name EVYAN is not on the box or container anywhere...not even the small print. This is by a imitation manufacturer and a deception!$LABEL$0 +Not So Impressed. Our 4 year old daughter received this for Christmas and it was quickly returned. While the concept is great - kids love seeing themselved on TV - the execution on this product is less than impressive. After putting about $10 worth of batteries into the thing, the microphone didn't amplify very well. Our picture quality was about what you would expect for this price range. Overall, a good idea, but if you are looking for a good microphone, skip this one.$LABEL$0 +thank god I checked it out of the library. It amazes me how being related to someone gives you full-fledged access to do things that normal folks would take years of living to acquire. I thought that I would get a really good book but boy was I wrong. My big question is "Where in the hell was Alice when her daughter needed her?" I guess she was writing those other whacked out books after Color Purple. This girl has issues that most of my biracial friends never had to deal with..ex: like a mother who was never there. I'm still trying to figure out how she can wax on for endless pages about "Color War" at a camp but we have a two paragraph mention that she is now in a relationship with a female. When did this occur?$LABEL$0 +about EF! ?. Unfortunately this book is not really about EF! I was looking forward to learning about the operations and organization of EF! but instead was confronted by the authors own autobiography, largley about his work as a private detective. I wish the book had dealt only with EF! and extremists environmentalists instead of the author himself. I feel like the author missed an opportunity to provide an interesting account of his dealings with EF! Aside from obvious content flaws, the book was also written poorly making it a confusing and monotonous read. At the same time, I am glad I read this book because it seems to be the only one of its kind.$LABEL$0 +Vapid Fragments and Horrid Rhymes. Morcheeba's latest is miserable at best. The lyrics are incipid and the sounds are tacky. Morcheeba has regressed from edgy triphop to bubbly pop inspired nonsense. This album reminds me of accidently leaving that terrible Vitamin C song on the radio too long. Don't waste your money,stick with Who Can You Trust.$LABEL$0 +Husband loves it!. I bought the SkyScout for my husband for Chistmas with more than a little trepidation since customer ratings and comments seemed to be all over the place. I was concerned that he would not have the patience to go through what many of the previous reviewers had in order to get the thing up and running properly. It turns out there was no need for worry. After doing the online update, the Celestron has worked like a charm. Getting a GPS fix takes a few minutes, but after that it works amazingly well. He's been able to identify countless stars in the past two weeks and so far, he's totally thrilled with all that it can do. The SkyScout has been wonderful for finding a particular constellation and them identifying the individual stars within it. The informative audio information is not only educational, but surprisingly enjoyable since the recorded female voice isn't too robotic. I agree it's a somewhat costly item, but from my perspective, the WOW factor has been worth it.$LABEL$1 +Great for little guys who like big sticks. My little boy is 2, and he loves to carry things around that are as big as he is. So naturally, he loves the golf clubs and he also likes playing with the ball dispenser. It's a cute kit and I think he'll have even more fun when he learns to putt.$LABEL$1 +Defying any genre rules you think they fit in.. Breaking the preconcieved notions of how music is made in "the buisness" and just producing what comes from inside.$LABEL$1 +I refuse to buy any more Cd's of his. he has been a popular band up in this area, and the last few times he has been here his partying has been more important then the fans that sit and wait for him to get upon stage(I have been at two shows where he has shown up 1 1/2 hours late,some of his band members didn't even know what to think,and here we all find out he was out partying)So until he straightens up his act and quit acting like he's a superstar,this is one ex-fan who he won't be seeing a dime from and I have talked to others who feel the same way,and we all used to be die hard fans.:($LABEL$0 +I liked this book. "FAthering the Nation" is dazzling in its range of subjects--Melville, Cooper, Douglass, Lincoln, political culture, architecture, political oratory--and the way it combines them. It offers sharp analytic tools for interpreting literature and culture in the antebellum period.$LABEL$1 +Crusade: The Complete Series (DVD). I have had the VHS version since it first came out. But I no longer have a functioning VHS player. I would have preferred a BluRay version with 5.1 sound, but it looks like DVD with stereo is it for this now classic Sci-Fi spin off from Babylon 5.$LABEL$1 +A New Johansen Reader. This was the second Johansen book that I read. I picked up Firestorm on CD to listen to during a long drive and instantly, I was hooked. The characters were memorable and the dynamic between them was incredible. I admit that this a little bit of a "chick" book (the fairy-tale ending is a perfect example of this) but I was holding my breath towards the end. Since then, I've read some of her others, but this is one of the best ones she's written. Bernadette Dunn did a great reading of it, which only helped me get really involved with the story. I hope that she writes another one with Kerry and Brad!$LABEL$1 +Very Funny Book. I bought my mom this book for Christmas, and we both could not stop laughing at it. Definately get this book if you are a cat-lover.$LABEL$1 +Another Excellent Book.... The author does a great job with this book, however, the characters don't tie in quite as closely as the other 6 books in her series do. I wish I had read "The Christy Miller Series: The College Years" first before reading this book because it includes a short portion about Seth Edwards. It would have helped in understanding a little more about him and his past. Overall it was a pretty good book once you get into it. The recipes are wonderful in the back of the book! Highly recommended if you love her books!$LABEL$1 +Well.... Patient:Doctor,I feel enclosed in many levels.The first was okay with the free swinging action,but then,there was no room to fight,NO ROOM TO FIGHT!!!(sob)Peter would say things over and over again!I couldn't take it anymore!He wouldn't shutup!That is why I did it.That's right I broke the disk and I'm PROUD,PROUD, PROUD,PROUD.I WOULD DO IT AGAIN TOO! AND AGAIN,AGAIN!HAH,HAH,HAH HA!Police office:Whats wrong with him?Shrink:It seems he has 2 of 5 syndrome$LABEL$0 +the worst reprint possible. the colors are way off and quite ugly, they blur and the lines are quite thick, and lacking of detail. this is basically a reprint of a reprint of a reprint, the book that comes with is fine though. when compared to a friend's deck who got me into tarot, these just dont work at all and i dont get the same intuition as i do from his deck that he let me barrow, and his are over 13 years old, these look brand new but are as said before absent of the same vibrant color and detail. and that is important. just a bad experience for a first time buyer of tarot cards. i did want rider waite deck though, thats about the only thing they got right. could any one recommend the original to me with the same vivid colors and detail that i am seeking?$LABEL$0 +One of my favorite Bruce Willis Movies. I love this movie. I don't know why. It tries very hard to be a serious, black noir ganster movie and it ends up taking itself too seriously. But I can't help it. The whole movie just entertains me. Excellent supporting characters are as one dimensional as cardboard, but they fit the bill. So what can I say, I recognize this isn't the best movie, but I love it.$LABEL$1 +Weak Binding!. While the intellectual content of this book seems to be up to par, the book itself is very poorly made. Within a few occurrences of rather light use, the binding has already started to come apart!$LABEL$0 +Beautiful Journey. This is a great example of what a good DJ is capable of. Takes you on a wonderful journey. Neil Lewis is a skilled artist and sensual master of the mix. Those of us who are lucky to catch him on the club scene know what I mean. Get this CD you won't be dissapointed.$LABEL$1 +Fallout Boy- uhhhh another trendy crappy band. I have heard the entire cd and I couldn't even bare to listen to it again, its just that bad. It's one of those bands with a radio packaged emo punk wannabe sound. The song that they play on the radio "Sugar we're going down swinging" is one of the most terrible songs in the entire world and if I have to hear it one more time, it will be one time too many. If you are trying to listen to something of any value in the Punk/emo genre, please check out Through Being Cool or Stay What You Are by Saves The Day, which are great albums, although not for the people who enjoy garbage like Fallout boy. This album is a waste of your time and money...enough saidJS$LABEL$0 +Over Priced. I totally agree with the reviewer who implied Acorn Media is short-changing the public, who consistently wait for the new Poirot DVDs episodes. This set is minus two episodes, already available in Britain.If you want all four episodes, "Mrs. McGinty's Dead", "Cat Among the Pigeons", "Third Girl" and "Appointment With Death" you can order it as "Agatha Christie's Poirot - Collection 7 [DVD] [2008]" from the Amazon.uk website. It is produced with a Region 2 DVD format; so you will need a DVD all-region player or one that has been adapted to play both Region-coded DVD's. You can probably get this cheaper too from overseas than Acorn Media, which has consistently been over-priced and always behind in putting out the episodes of this Poirot series and other mystery series.$LABEL$0 +sent me the wrong one. They sent me a white one that looked completely different than the one pictured, but it works well nonetheless, but I do wish they would not advertise a different product than pictured. 2 stars because it worked well$LABEL$0 +Best Filter on Earth. As you know the best Air Filter on Earth is K&N. Thats the reason why I trust them for their new product line ( Oil Filter ). I found a good deal on Amazon. Thanks$LABEL$1 +Fatal problems. The good: easy setup, lightweight, sound quality.The horrible: the ear lock flips vertically (dog ear friendly), keeps on calling people by itself which is very embarrassing.Bottom line: get the hs820 instead.$LABEL$0 +Great Idea But Does Not Work :(. The idea of a signal booster is a great idea, but you are lucky if it works. I read the reviews before buying and thought, hey maybe my phone would be different, maybe my service are would be different, but I am lucky if I get an extra bar and if you are in a building, home or basement, I do not get anything different than what I used to. It was cheap and at least I did not waste a lot of money, but still it would have been nice for it to work. Also installing it was a little fumbling jsut because of the way that it has to be stuck on. I would suggest to anyone buying this product to not, it just does not work.$LABEL$0 +I loved it!. This was definatly worth the money, it has 3 great hits in Hard Knock Life, Can I get A....., and Money Ain't a Thing. You aren't going to get better songs on any other CD.$LABEL$1 +Don't judge this book by its cover. . .. I am not new to spellcrafting, but I was feeling the need to give my practice a little boost. I headed to the bookstore and waited for a book to come to me. This one sort of dropped into my hands and didn't want to leave. I was sort of mortified by the Harry Potter references and put off by the cheesy cover art. But since I had "asked" for the right book to come to me, I took it home even though I would not have chosen it myself. Surprise! This is a great little handbook. It is simplified, but as someone already familiar with many magical techniques, I found the brevity refreshing. The techniques and perspective are solid and sound, but the BEST thing about this little book is that the spells can mostly be done using handy, everyday materials. Its a great little reference tool, compact but covering a wide range of magical subjects. Im glad I didn't judge this book by its cover.$LABEL$1 +A mishandled "Voice". Yes, Mr Watson has the raw material for an attractive operatic tenor, but by the evidence of this CD the vocal material is still quite raw indeed. If he pushes, strains, and bullies his music in the manner heard in this album much longer "the voice" will be a mere shadow of itself in no time. Compounding the problem are the ill-considered re-arrangements of original material. The distending of Giordano's miniature marvel "Amor ti vieta" - to point out just one example from so many - shows how much the singer and his music manager misunderstand the music! Pass on this problematic CD and rush out and buy Naxos' superior Bjoerling album for a taste of a "real" voice.$LABEL$0 +A must see Classic!. Imprisoned on infamous Devil's Island, Papillon ( Steve McQueen) is obessed with the idea of freedom. Together with his freind Dega (Dustin Hoffman), Papillon ceaselessly works on means of escape, his spirit refusing to be broken by savage and humiliating treatment from their captors. One of the few epic films which more than lives up to the promise of the great best seller on which it is based - aided by memorable performances of Hoffman and McQueen.$LABEL$1 +Educational but dated. This publication has much information on the subject, but sadly much of it is very dated. Had I realised just how out of date the subject matter was, would not have purchased.$LABEL$0 +How My Family Lives In America. This is a great multi-cultural book! I t deals with three children and their families. They are Sanu from Senegal,West Africa; Eric from Puerto Rico; and April or Chin Lan from Taiwan. It has good information and is done in pictoral fashion. A good resourse for teachers$LABEL$1 +Yep, Ground to a HALT!. Well, This grinder lasted for 4mo. and 5 days. I have to say that while it worked, it worked pretty well. It clogs up pretty quickly though. I kept it fairly clean but after the last clog it just quit working altogether. I gave it two stars. For durability I'd have given it one. It did work well originally though.$LABEL$0 +Spend a little more and get quality instead. Purchased this to replace an old Panasonic Auto stop. Loved it initially, but with two kids sharpening pencils for school--not unreasonable, it lasted less than 6 months. The old Panasonic lasted 10 years. For the cost, I wish I has spent more and purchased something of better lasting quality.We sharpen 24 pencils each at the beginning of the year and colored pencils--sets of 12, then it's just as needed. This will last if rarely used.$LABEL$0 +Batman, guys.. I mean, it's the Dark Knight Trilogy. On blu-ray. No complaints here! The special features are also great to have!$LABEL$1 +Didn't work. I purchased several cycles worth of this product after having read many of the glowing reviews about it, and also at the recommendation of a fellow TTC lady. I noticed no real changes. My CM was no better than it ever had been. I took the supplement as directed, so I don't see that there was any user error. It simply didn't work! I discontinued use of the product, since it's rather expensive, and I wanted to put that money towards some other form of TTC aid. I wouldn't recommend this product.$LABEL$0 +Interesting espionage thriller. One of McQuinn's earlier works, tells a believable spy story with a suitably twisting plot, and excellent character development. Recommended.$LABEL$1 +Great knife.Excellent value. My wife bought this knife,and also asked me to try it.We have an 8"Santoku,we've used for years.The new knife was a very nice suprise.Good balance and easy in the hand.We liked it so much,we bought 4 more as presents!!$LABEL$1 +Ringo Starr Drum Sticks Pro Mark. The best drummer of all time, these drumsticks are nice and solid with red lettering and Ringo's signature on them. Made of solid hickory.$LABEL$1 +LÉO THE LION. No,this is not DAVID BOWIE,who recorded a song of that title,but LÉO FERRÉ,one of FRANCE's enfant terrible de la chanson ,who had several faces over the years.This collection gives you a sample of his work.Four songs can be considered classics of his repertoire:PARIS CANAILLE,MONSIEUR WILLIAM,LE PONT MIRABEAU and PAUVRE RUTEBEUF.If there were a perfect song for him,it was MONSIEUR WILLIAM,the story of a middle age man who suddently is caught in a tragic love affair;LE PONT MIRABEAU is a famous poem by APOLLINAIRE set to music;PARIS CANAILLE makes good use of a sort of FRENCH slang(argot)and PAUVRE RUTEBEUF is a four hundred years old writing(i am not kidding).A good buy to get acquinted with LÉO FERRÉ.You can go deeper after that.$LABEL$1 +Spidey rules!!!. This movie totally rocks!! I have waited 30 years for this movie to come out. Can't wait until the sequel!!$LABEL$1 +What I Thought.... If you've never seen the broadway production, you very well may like this movie. I, however, have. I was highly disappointed with this movie. The vocals were not even remotely comparable and most of acting was just plain bad. This movie, in no way, did justice to the REAL thing.$LABEL$0 +Shag, The Movie. I knew it, I knew it!! When I bought the VHS format of Shag, I was disappointed because I was sure the music was different than the rental version I had seen. It wasn't nearly as good with the "new" music. I told the video retailer and they said I was wrong, that only one version was made. I read the reviews and I WAS RIGHT! One of the reviews says the DVD version restores the original music, so I am going to buy it. Can't wait to see the original version. This movie is one of the best feel good movies I've ever seen. Great for teens, adults...good memories. Like Pudge really needed that Metrical! It's the most fun!$LABEL$1 +Dull. I have read many, many books about vampires, so perhaps I am jaded. This book was slow and dull. There is little plot excitement, little character depth and little originality. Parts of the book read well, but other sections read like the worst pulp fiction. It was a short book, so I was able to force myself through the whole thing, but I don't think I would have bothered if it were any longer. If you absolutely love this genre and have run out of everything else to read, you may find it just ok. If you are new to this type of book that start with almost anything else. I'm hard pressed to think of another vampire as hero/with romance book published in the last ten years that is worse.$LABEL$0 +Small but effective. I bought this for my husband. He loves it. It attaches securely to the mic stand with no problem. It's pretty small but that can actually have it's advantages. I'd say it's a little smaller than a dvd case.$LABEL$1 +the virgin suicides. This short novel is a sad and believable story about a family of teenage girls and the distance between who they are and how they are perceived.$LABEL$1 +She doesn't like it. Our female cat had a favorite squeaky mouse toy covered with real fur. We were trying to find something with real fur, thinking that this was part of the attraction. It's more complicated than just being covered with fur. These Fur mice are hard--not compressible. I think that the cat likes something that her teeth will actually sink into, and that is not what this Fur Mouse is. This mouse looks fine to me, but for our cat it just isn't appealing.$LABEL$0 +So underateddddddddddd. the gameboy advance is so cool my sister broke hers the best games for it are super mario land and bart simpsons ecd buy it for this lowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww price$LABEL$1 +The Best Book of the Series. The Black Stallion is one of those books that have you glued to your chair 'til you finish it. It's about Alec Ramsay's avdventure on a ship with this black stallion. The ship sinks, and Alec and the horse are the only survivors. Stranded on an island Alec tries to get the stallion to trust him. When they get off the island Alec decides to keep the horse. To find out more abouut their adventure read The Black Stallion by, Walter Farley.$LABEL$1 +So Funny!!. Loved this movie. Bette and Dennis are amazing together acting this out. I purchased the HD streaming video from amazon and is the best quality from the orignal DVD. You'll love this movie and want to see over and over:)$LABEL$1 +Review of book. This book was excellent. The stories about the impact that Mary has had on people are very awakening. I know if you read this book and hear it's message you will be awakened too.$LABEL$1 +Wall Charger & Car Charger stopped working after 4 months of use. USB cable works fineCar charger gave out after 4 months or so.Wall charger quit working after 6 months.These were used with caution and the failures were due to poor assembly or parts, not excessive usage.$LABEL$0 +Review. I really have enjoyed this cd. "Strange Magic" was the first song I ever sang, so ELO has some sentimental value for me, but I think this is a good collection of some of their best and most popular songs.$LABEL$1 +Played way too fast. The live recording of the Diabelli Variations by Grigory Sokolov is amazing. It took me a long time to track down a recording of this work that I'm entirely satisfied with. I feel that Richter plays the Diabelli Variations far too quickly. Just listen to the last variation to see what I mean. The less said about Anderszewski the better.$LABEL$0 +Warm Hands It Is. I bought this for my dad who works outside. In the winter it can get really cold where we live. He usually would put handwarmers in his pockets and have to fight with them all day. This muff was the perfect thing for him. He loves the fit and the strap that goes around the wasted. He also really likes the color cause he can wear it hunting as well.$LABEL$1 +Wrong Description. This review ONLY addresses the DESCRIPTION. The blades might be great. I have not used them yet. The product description states 7" & 7 1/4". However, the package only contains 7 1/4" blades.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Show!. I got seasons 1 & 2 on DVD on the basis that literally everyone I know loves Downton. I hadn't seen any of it yet. Started watching the first two episodes after work one night, and spent my entire day off watching as much as I could - so now I'm almost done already. COULDN'T STOP. Anyway this DVD set is alright, it looks nice and works well. However it seems that the first season is not HD while the second is. Also, not sure if this was due to the sound mixer on the original show or how the DVD version was set up, but the music gets really loud when there is no dialogue, haha. But I can't wait to see the rest : )$LABEL$1 +Good books. Tolkien's best! I read the kindle version and it was a decent price and a great book. This is definitely a must read.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful Colors!. I bought this scarf for myself and I love it! The colors are so beautiful and it goes well with many different outfits. The material is good quality and as a previous reviewer said it is 80% cashmere and 20% silk. In the picture it looks like there is orange in it, but in person it looks more like a rusty cranberry red. I guess it says that the colors may vary so this must be why. Anyway it's a beautiful scarf/shawl.$LABEL$1 +perfect fit. Fit and worked just like original. Only had to take the spark plug boot off the old one and slip it on the new one.Thanks!$LABEL$1 +Close, but no banana. (Miskatonic UCLA!). It has more Lovecraftian overtones than actual basis in one of HPL's stories and, in truth, these overtones, along with a pretty cool demon at the end, work best in the movie.It is kind of a hoot to see the University of California Los Angeles' own sunny quad pass for the miasmic, claustrophobic campus of Lovecraft's Miskataonic University, but even so this is pretty standard kids-trapped-in-haunted-house-fare.The sequel (with Maria Ford and Julie Strain as the demon) is considerably better.$LABEL$0 +Only the first cd is any good.. What is this stuff for anyway? Sound torture?The first cd is ambient "space music" although it ends on a light industral note. CD 2 pick up on the industrial part but degenerates into torturous noises and screaming. CD 3, forget it. I had to listen to these in order to test them for skipping since the discs looked like they may skip.I felt like smashing my player getting through disc 3. Since my cd player is a 3 disc player, it was nearly heavenly when Clay Aiken's cd just happened to come on after that 3rd cd was over!!!!!!!!! Folks, if Megadeth came on it would have been a relief!It is also good that I did not listen to all three discs at once!!!!!Now for the price of a used copy, disc one is worth it for the ambient music. Maybe use the other two for Halloween parties or to torment someone for pi--ing you off.Speaking of torment, opening the packing is a torment.$LABEL$0 +Awesome !. This book was a really great read, and a great find. Raccoon Tune had all my siblings laughing until tears came to their eyes. They memorized every word, and can recite it if asked! Really great for kids of all ages!$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY the cd. Okay, this is getting out of hand. My girlfriend's daughter started lessons, and the teacher said to go buy this book. So I pick it up WITH THE CD. Oh no giant mistake. Each track on the cd (gee, only 150 tracks) has no "count." Useless. Guess when the track starts. Now? How about now? Oops, you missed it. What a hunk of junk. A waste of $20. "Corporate" America at its finest.$LABEL$0 +A Neil Diamond lover's dream!. I bought this for my sister-in-law for Christmas and she just loved it! She said she sat and watched and cried and sang and danced. She's been a Neil Diamond fan forever and she said this was as close to being at one of his concerts. I can highly recommend this to anyone who loves Neil!$LABEL$1 +awfull. I ordered think thin bars from this seller, arrived today, but product is extremely old, went to trash, will never order from this seller.$LABEL$0 +Sigh. this would have been a much, much, much better movie without the twist ending. A mother and father want to punish the serial killer who tortured and killed their son. Honestly, who wouldn't sympathize with that? So Mom and Dad kidnap the killer while he is being transported to a prison and lock him up in a empty cabin's basement and torture him.This is not easy for them, as they are not evil like the serial killer is, the mother especially has a hard time sometimes. Makes sense. Realistically done. Super.However, the twist ending blew everything out of the water. Now, there is not necessarily anything wrong with twist endings, as long as they are delivered and executed well and enhance the plot. In this case, it did NOT happen. It only ruined the movie and completely cheapened the story.$LABEL$0 +What an expensive bust.. What an expensive bust. My twin boys are 12 months and they just rip them right off and they don't fit behind their highchair tray.$LABEL$0 +Givin' It To Ya Straight. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The contributor really allowed Mason to express himself. This book was written the way I would imagine a conversation with him. I could almost hear him speaking as I read. Many people have their doubts about why he has given his life to God and I believe that this book addresses that well. I am glad that I read this book, I always knew that there was something special about him. I see his love and dedication to God in his words.$LABEL$1 +Serenity. This film is a great wrap up to the series "Firefly". Action, adventure, romance, sci-fi, cowboys...what more could you ask for?$LABEL$1 +No selling out for Charlie.. You read reviews saying Charlie sold out with this release; I beg to differ. Mainstream radio wouldn't play this if their life depended on it! While he explores a couple of different avenues on two songs, this is far from selling out. You rarely hear the kind of rough and rumble, kick-ass style of country twang displayed here anymore. Some folks keep comparing this to his previous disc, and that's too bad for them, cause I can't see what the problem is here. Fickleness keeps some people from enjoying damn fine music. In this case, it's fine Texas music.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money. Used the product 4 times, and on the fourth try the motor stopped working. Furthermore I wouldhave to run the grindings thru to get more juice. Makes more mess and is not worth the cost. Thestrainer is very difficult to clean although a wire brush helps. I bought for myselfas well as to give as a gift, and would be embarrassed to give as a gift it is so bad. The partwhere the juice goes in has to be held or it will slide away.DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY, NOT WORTH IT AT ANY PRICE.$LABEL$0 +Warning - this book will give you a headache. This is, without question the best investment text I have ever read. The headache comes from realizing that the solutions for investing are not difficult and the book makes you want to kick yourself for not following the logic sooner.Malkiel is a veritable genius and his comments are like an unending rainbow of gold.This is a must read for all of us. Read it, follow it, and your opportunity for financial success OVER TIME are, in my opinion, unrivaled. WOW.$LABEL$1 +Music to mellow out to. I'm still a high school student, so I have loads of homework to do each night. The thing is, I really like to listen to music while I work, but most music really distracts me. That's why I love U2's ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND. I can listen to it and just mellow out and concentrate on what I need to. The melodies are soothing and relaxing, but they also have some nice, mesmorizing melodies. My favorite tracks are BEAUTIFUL DAY, STUCK IN A MOMENT YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF, ELEVATION, and WALK ON. I would recommend this CD to everybody. Just a note though, U2 isn't the kind of band that you really sing along to or anything, their songs are to be listened to and enjoyed, not vocalized by the listeners :-) Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +The worst kids' video I've ever seen. This is the worst kids' video I've ever seen. Whatever you pay for it isn't worth it. The 30-minute video began with about 10 minutes of sales pitches (previews) of other videos made by Kid Vision (all equally excrable). When the "feature" started, an incredibly loud, phoney woman came on as host. She made my toes curl. When the primates finally showed up, one was wearing diapers, which gives you a clue to the educational value of this "Real Animals" video. In other places, the primates cavorted with the kiddies. How it ended, I don't know. I couldn't bear to watch the whole thing. I bought the video for my 5-year-old grandson, but I have too much respect for his intelligence to give it to him.$LABEL$0 +It's a "companion" Not a Bible. I've had this book in my life for well over 10 years. When I first began studying Buddhism and the idea of Zen I was introduced to the Little Zen Companion. This book is a stepping stone. An introduction to bigger things. It's not a bible and it's not a guide to living. It's simply a tool to help beginners grasp certain concepts while at the same time reminding Masters that sometimes the mountain really is just a mountain.$LABEL$1 +Blurry/Soft photos. No matter how I set up the camera, the pictures are just not very crisp. They are very "soft" and blurry. My Dad's 2 year old, 4MP Kodak takes WAY better pictures. I have a feeling that I may have gotten a bad camera and will try to return it for another one just to give it one more chance. Most people seem to love this camera, but there area few of us that are not getting very good clarity it he pictures.Other than that, I love the camera's size, features, feel, & ease of use.$LABEL$0 +HOSTEL part 3(hopefully the end of the series). if there was ever a law in hollywood that should be enforced is labeling movies with a previous title. HOSTEL and HOSTEL part 2 are instant dark cult classics that brings the meaning of fear and asks oneself can this really happen?HOSTEL part 3(i have to call it that...) starts off like a ripoff of the hangover throws a BHC symbol and there you go!! The movie doesnt develop. The characters are weak, and the ending was so-so but it doesnt hit the point,If you a have a buck to spend at redbox and liked the other two. go ahead and rent it. its worth a buckIf Eli Roth doesnt do anything with the series, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!$LABEL$0 +Adrenaline Rush Action. Blade was a treat to watch. I took my girlfrind, who though we were going to "Ever After", and she loved it too. The begining 10 minutes and the last 15 are the best. After the movie I left the theatre ready to fight a few vampires myself.$LABEL$1 +Ultimately Just Dull. This sounds like it could be really cool, in a David Lynch sort of way..., but strangely, after a couple of listens it becomes very irritating. The sound quality is pretty awful. Sometimes it comes across as exploitative (at least that's what I thought). This is one of those CD's you pull out when company comes over, but since it's nearly impossible to listen to an entire song you might want to save your money.$LABEL$0 +Set your goals? Now all you need to do is achieve them....... If you've set all your goals, and need to figure out how to achieve them, this is the book for you. Full of sensible, practical advice and procedures for drafting (and sticking to) plans, it surpasses every other book on goal acheivement that I've read. It's not too hyper, if you like a book with a quiet 'tone of voice', but it's never-the-less inspirational with it. Buy it, read it, apply it.$LABEL$1 +Wouldn't recommend for trimming the nether regions.... I didn't buy this for my beard, I bought this for shaving below the waist. True story.What I don't like about this is that it is a trimmer but is sized like a pair of clippers. Normally, trimmer blades are about half the size of clipper blades. The blades on this are way too wide to do intricate trimming, beard or otherwise.This just doesn't fit comfortably in my hands, it is just way too thick and I can't comfortably trim with it.They need to market this as actual hair clippers instead of a trimmer. It's just too thick and bulky to be a trimmer.$LABEL$0 +Yet Another, Season 5 Disc 2 Victim - Disc Unreadable. I'm another victim of the poorly pressed disc #2. Anyone who buys this should check disc 2 to make sure it reads. They should do this a quickly as possible to make sure they can return their set, if they end up a victim. I highly recommend not buying this as a gift for anyone. No one is going to like getting a bad dvd set. Definitely not for Christmas!!!$LABEL$0 +Ornish has the answer to better health. Like Dr. John Mcdougall, Dean Ornish proves that the diet, we as humans have eaten for millions of years in the key to good health. We have only eaten a high fat, high protien diet for the last 100 years. These food were limited to the wealthy and they paid the price with things like, breast, postate, colon cancers. These diseases are unknown in those cultures that follow all low fat, low protien, dairy free diet. He proves that most all cronic illnesses are related to the rich American Diet. A great book and a life savor for many.$LABEL$1 +Horse Lover. Love Horses. Great family show. I hope it continues. The show can be a little cheesy at times, however, I really appreciate the wholesome nature of the show.$LABEL$1 +See "Saw". Sociopath movies usually aren't my bag but this film came recommended to me by a few unlikely sources so I checked it out. When the film started out it was suspenseful but the inevitable comparisons to "Seven" started to float through my mind. About the midway point the film kicked into second gear and delivered some twists that are superior to "Seven". Outside of an above average script for this genre type there is superb direction by James Wan. Wan really has a sense for establishing mood and paces his film well. About the only really qualm I have with the film is that the characters aren't really fully developed. For those who are a little squeamish, the film does contain some intense and grisly scenes but on the whole it doesn't go over the top.$LABEL$1 +toothsome but enjoyable.... I agree with another reviewer. Miss Quick's newer romances are a bit longer wordwise. But the longer length is not needed and I hope she goes back to her older writing style. That said-With This Ring's was still filled with Quick's signature humor, quirkiness, intelligent characters and sensuality. It was also refreshing to have a 40 yr old hero and 30 yr old heroine. This book seems written more of a adventure than and "I adore you" romance but is still quite enjoyable. The love scenes are well written, especially the first love scene-against the wall, woohoo-is smoking!All in all-even a mediocre Quick book is better than most other romances out there:)4 stars-recommended:)$LABEL$1 +Sucked - do not buy this book. Rating the author is senseless because the book (especially car books) never have enough pictures and detailed descriptions of the unique features of the selected car... however this book is a waste of a read. The author is way off base, his conclusions are nonsensical and he is ranting about something nobody cares about. I ordered it by accident, gave it to a friend as a present and he returned it... just my 2 cents$LABEL$0 +wonderful product. My son loves chinese food but I am not great with chop sticks. so this way he can have his chop sticks and when I visit, I can use the other side. They are great$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointment. This is suck and very very disappoint in Final Destination series. If you want to buy I really recommand to rent first.$LABEL$0 +Probably a waste of money.. Not so sure this is great stuff. I gave it to my 9 year old arthritic Leonberger, and it made her sleepy and VERY grouchy. She didn't even want to take it and I gave it to her anyway. Normally I give her a potato bread sandwich with Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, Vitamin C, Turmeric and blackstrap molasses, which she loves and which quite obviously helps her feel lots better and quite perky. I only gave her this because I was running late and didn't have time to make her sandwich. I'll put it in the First Aid Kit, but we won't be using it every day.$LABEL$0 +Not bad for the price. I installed this on my Rhino. It fit fairly well, however I can not zip the doors closed all the way. I also found the windshield hard to see through, so I roll it back up over the top (I installed snaps to hold it in place) It stays in place while towing.$LABEL$1 +Good for the $$$. Hey, they're 50 bucks. What do you expect for that price? For this price, they provide decent sound, play loud enough for most environments, have good bass response, and decent highs. It's hard to criticize for the price. If you think you're an audiophile, you shouldn't be buying $50 speakers anyway. Break out some serious greenbacks and buy something that is designed for your "discriminating ear".$LABEL$1 +a Little bit small. Delivering was ok but my only issue with it is that its little but small... I saw one at a friend house it was bigger then what I received so I had to give it to my nephew...$LABEL$0 +Quaran...zzzzzzzzz. I rented this movie because i'm a huge horror fan...plus, i like Jennifer Carpenter...but to be honest, the movie just (literally) put me to sleep. That's all I have to say. I wouldn't write it off though...watch it for yourself, to each his own.$LABEL$0 +epilator. Before buying this product I read all the reviews on Amazon and the theme was basically the same. It hurts like hell the first time you try it but it is worth every penny. The first time I used the epilator it took me about half an hour a leg. I almost gave up, however the second time was less painful and the third time was like normal. It's a similar thing with waxing, but in the end it really is worth the initial pain$LABEL$1 +a fun crime caper set in south Florida - Miami Blues, part 2. Charles Willeford has definitely improved with age. His earlier works were a mixed bag. Competent, but no humour. However since the 1980s Willeford has developed a sense of humour which matches his ability to crank out good crime stories, complete with memorable characters. 'Sideswipe' carries on in this tradition.In 'Sideswipe' with have a violent ex-con, a disfigured ex-stripper, a retiree who just lost his wife, and a talentless artist caught up in some shenanigans. Solving the caper is Hoke Moseley, our quirky cop from the novel 'Miami Blues'. Actually most of 'Sideswipe' concentrates on Hoke and his odd family whereas the crime story itself is a relatively minor element to the book. But overall it works well. The overall effect is funny without being stupid.Bottom line: competent and fun.$LABEL$1 +If you like bike stunts you'll love this!. I liked the fact that this isn't a studio production and totally homemade on a camcorder. It' all real and nothing is faked including a couple of crashes. I would definitely recommend it.$LABEL$1 +IN STINK. n sync is just another baby band. They are such poseurs. One of the babies said he was going to pay Russia to go into space on one of their Soyuz rockets. Of course, it was just a publicity stunt. He was too scared and the Russian space agency is still waiting for him to say yes to the stupid stunt, which he won't, because he is a poseur like the other members of NSYNC.They do not play instruments, they do not write their own songs, the babies probably cannot even dress or feed themselves. They were spawned by the mega corporation "Disney", and they are one of the many contributing factors to the decline of this once great civilization.Baby Bands will fade in popularity like the leisure suit and the pet rock methinks.$LABEL$0 +Love it. Instructions a bit lacking in detail when trying to assemble but with a little patience and perservearance :) once all put toghether it is GREAT. We love it.$LABEL$1 +And people call this music. For all the people who are things like this is my new favorite song about "Everybody's Free," you need to check up on your definition of a song and also check p on your definition of music while you're at it. Even if you like the speech, uuhh excuse me song, how many times can you possibly listen to it? It's like listening to President Clinton's State of the Union adress with some really bad music in the background. This song and this album are a disgrace to the world of music. The only enjoyment I have gotten out of this song is when my local radio station took took the music and wrote a new, enjoyable speech that makes fun of everything Baz says.$LABEL$0 +Entirely too hard to do, but definitely not the "no pain no gain" concept. Using this wheel is EXTREMELY HARD, especially if your are severely over weight.Its difficult to work your abs out with this product because it strains the hell out of your back!. The wheel is also very small, and it gives little to no support of your upper body weight, and its very hard to maneuver.I bought it, rolled it once, and threw it in the closet so it could just collect dust.Its just entirely too difficult and the only "gain" in this workout is some sore knees and some back pain. There are other products out there much more effective and easier to use.$LABEL$0 +Mostly good, but breaks easily if dropped. I'm on my third one of these and will not being buying it again.The problem is with the design, specifically, that it breaks easily if dropped.The small loop attached to the main plastic bone is very fragile at the attachment point (which is very small) and, since it's part of the mold, cannot move. (it's like an "O" that attaches at the bottom, rather than an upside down "U" shape, as other brands have).It's also made of a more brittle hard plastic, rather than a more forgiving soft plastic, meaning that it tends to break rather than give under pressure.If you accidentally accidentally drop your leash with this thing attached (even a short distance from your hand to the ground), you'll probably cause the ring to snap off, rendering it useless.This happened to me twice already.Otherwise, it's not a bad product and works well, but until they address the issue with attachment ring design, I can't give it a full endorsement.$LABEL$0 +packaging. Packaging is a disgrace. Discs are hard to remove and are scratched. How i regret the purchase of this box set.$LABEL$0 +Yuckola. This is one of the worst books I've ever read, which is a drag, given that I really enjoyed "Like Water for Chocolate"$LABEL$0 +The DVD does not play in my computer. I got a DVD of "The Importance of Being Earnest" for Christmas, but the DVD was defective and I could not watch the last part of the movie, so I exchanged it, hoping that the problem was with that particular DVD. The second one didn't even play at all in my computer. While this version of "The Importance of Being Earnest" is highly entertaining, I'm really frustrated with the poor quality of the medium.$LABEL$0 +Not Worth It. This was the first clip art package I purchased, and I wish that I'd made a different choice. First of all, the images are not terribly high quality. The vector image can't be used in other program. The browser application is non-instinctive, and does not allow you to view thumbnails of images without actually changing disks every time you want to search a different category. There are a few images, photographs, mostly that are usable, but the majority of them look dated and ill-concieved.My recommendation is to check out Big Box of Art. A much better product at pretty much the same price.$LABEL$0 +vegetarian treasure. This is one of my all time favorite vegetarian cookbooks. Lots of yummy and easy to prepare food. Every time I get in a rut I find something new and wonderful to try in here.$LABEL$1 +A huge improvement from Burnout Revenge. It takes a few tries to get used to the map and the Compass and all but it is so worth the time. This is one of those games that the more i play the more i want to play untill i cant see anymore! Dont be afraid of the change its like an album you have to listen to a few times to get it but then it lasts for a long time instead of getting it right away and getting sick of it a week later. This game is awesome to play online as well. I cant get enough.$LABEL$1 +If you don't like it.....watch it again.. This movie grows on you. I thought it was just ok the first time, but upon further review I thought it was hilarious. Watch out for the gas station scene and the walk-off among others. Ben Stiller's facial expressions are classic and I find that Owen Wilson is always an excellent sidekick.$LABEL$1 +Pre-order is canceled (Make a statement with your wallet). I was very excited about the release of Star Wars on blu-ray until George Lucas decided to get involved with the damn process. Once again he thinks making changes to the movies are for the better when in fact all he is doing is pissing off his fan base. You would think he would have learned the last time he made changes, but "NOOOOOOOOO". Pre-order canceled and I want nothing to do with this now. The once brilliant man has completely lost it. For anyone else who is upset about this, make a statement with your wallet. DON"T BUY.$LABEL$0 +Andrea Yates Heads to the Country. This psychological drama has a paper thin plot, one dimensional script, and has been falsely advertised as a horror movie. The excellent cinematography and strong performance from the young lead actor cannot save this snooze fest.$LABEL$0 +Resentment? More like revulsion. The title may see it all--Gary Indiana seems to resent everyone, especially if they're attractive or intelligent (like Dominick Dunne). He has no insight into the people he so recklessly attempts to portray (even minor characters that are easily identifiable), and he seems to think that he can aim poison at them without regard. The whole thing backfires--including his weird views about Southern California--and the reader ends up laughing at this silly concoction, not at the characters involved in a real tragic event.$LABEL$0 +Missing pages. My dictionary arrived in good shape. I didn't use it until last night and found that there are 80 pages missing in the English section. I wouldn't be concerned, but I use this dictionary to tutor students for French projects and oral proficiency exams. I would like it replaced if possible.$LABEL$0 +This model sucks. Don't buy.. My wife and I purchased two of these units for our daughters' families last year at Christmas (2003). Just as everyone else explained, they lasted about 6 months and the DVD player quit working.I don't know why the guy that posted a 5-star rating on this unit, and says to not complain about Philips or Magnavox, can make such a claim considering what all of us other "non-experienced electronics users" have to say about this unit (I'm a both a computer services program manager and video/dvd producer, and have never considered myself so unknowledgeable about electronics).Perhaps he bought from a different lot. It would be interesting to find out. Mine says "Manufactured:D August 2003". Maybe if others are from the same lot, we can contact our Attorney General and file something to cause a recall.$LABEL$0 +A magazine article writ large. Unless you have more than one body type, this book will give you a mere three pages of advice for how to dress. I was pretty disappointed. My fashion advice: don't pay for a whole book when you get a magazine article amount of information.$LABEL$0 +Strictly for newbies. There is very little information in this book that I found helpful even if I were a beginner. Lots of common sense. I found the format annoying ("dialog-based"). My recommendation - use the web for information. I returned the book. PS: There is no "easy" way to make money on Adsense... it takes a lot of work.$LABEL$0 +Great book. More people should read this! I worry about what we are doing to ourselves, our environment, and our kids. It is shocking.$LABEL$1 +Every parent in the U.S. needs to read this book!. I was anxious to receive this book since my own son has been diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease twice. Ms. Collins story about her grandson is a touching one. She does a nice job describing the impact this devestating disease can have on an entire family. She is obviously a very devoted and caring grandmother, and the story she paints of her grandson's life is moving and inspirational. She is the first of thousands of families in the United States to express the horrifying impact of this disease and I applaud her for her efforts. The information about the disease and the consequences of not receiving treatment contained in this book is something that should be readily available to every parent in the United States. Sadly enough, however, there are still millions who have never even heard of Kawasaki Disease.$LABEL$1 +Never Even Got to Play it. I am a Sid Meier geek. I love Civ and all previous versions of it. I also play Pirates. I was so excited, as were previous reviewers, when I received this game, I ripped it open in anticipation. It installed fine, no glitches there. but I was never able to play it. I own a nice computer that exceeded the system requirements. I called "technical support", what a joke that was. After being disconnected 4 times, I finally got a human who told me to try a fix that had nothing to do with my problem. After 5 hours of applying that fix, the game still would not work. I am returning my copy and it breaks my heart.$LABEL$0 +Not my cup of tea/coffee/water. This thing is so full of drama you need a no-doze capsule to stay up thru it. The story of a miserable wife, seeks fling on the side with man who is emotionally unavailable.$LABEL$0 +Do yourself a favor, Check it out first. I would strongly urge anyone to check this product out before buying it.... This is one of the first we bought. It is very slow. Our bright enough baby was unable to establish any relationship between mouse movement and what happens on screen. The characters talk to the baby and tell her or him what to do. Babies do not get it. Our baby is now a toddler and this softwere is still useless. I suggest Reader Rabbit Baby, Reader Rabbit Toddler, or Sesame Street Baby and ME. Stay away from Sasame Street Toddler. It is very old, probably a Windows 3.1 progrem that needs a lot of updating.$LABEL$0 +Incredible Performance by G. Larry Butler. Great movie but a damn shame G. Larry Butler's performance was so short...one of his first movies too...a great reaction shot of him as a deputy sheriff help make this movie memorable$LABEL$1 +dragged me in. I can't say enough about this book...and its successor The Glorious Cause. This book is what dragged in me to try to join DAR and learn all I could about the birth of our nation.Jeff tells this all in a voice that is not condescending but informs while entertaining. I feel these books are a must for any American History class or history buff. As a matter of fact I think all Americans, or those wanting to be should read these and understand the odds, the struggles, the remote chance that any rag-tag army could defeat the most formidable army on earth at the time!Exceedingly well written; I could not put it down and had to wait for The Glorious Cause!$LABEL$1 +Not Recommended for the Serious Backpacker. I wouldn't recommend this book for the experienced backpacker or experienced dog owner. The author of the book writes regularly for Dog Fancy... fine publication I am sure, but neither myself nor my dog are particularly fancy. The information is overly broad (though I don't know what I expected for the price) and is not really applicable for anything other than the casual weekend trip or car-camp.If you are anything resembling a regular backcountry traveler who enjoys the companionship and security of your mongrel and are looking practical tips on how to keep your dog healthy, safe and happy on the trail, look at other publications.If you have a monthly subscription to Dog Fancy and a collection of brand new backpacking gear, this might just be the book for you.$LABEL$0 +Superb!. 'Hitler: the Last Ten Days" is a very realistic portrayal of Adolf Hitler's days in the Berlin bunker. Alec Guinness plays history's most famous evil goofball very convincingly. The film presents verified events in a very engaging manner. It's an expensive movie, but if you have any interest in Adolf Hitler you will find it well worth the price. A film like this makes one appreciate how incredible it is that a weirdo like Hitler could have risen so high and done so much damage to humanity. To sum it up in three words-buy this movie!$LABEL$1 +fantastic. The only fault I find in this series (Outlander)is the length of time between books. The last one came out in 2009, the next book in the series won't be out for another year. Four years is pretty awful. The series itself, (that means every book in it) is one of the best series I have ever read. Each book is almost impossible to put down. Having said that I wish I hadn't bought the first one till the whole series was published.$LABEL$1 +Have I Heard This Song Before?. I like Alicia Keys, but I can always tell what artist she was listening to before she wrote/recorded this song. Even though I am young, I listen to music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. This song sounds a remake of an Aretha song with some Donny in it. In other words, this song is NOT original at all!! I do love the message of this song, but this sounds like a song I already heard before.$LABEL$0 +Still An Enriching Experience. They may have cut the overture and intermission, etc., but what was restored in the directors cut lengthens the original. And I don't really feel the previously edited songs enhance the experience. Just like my dislike of "Apocalypse Now Redux." A poor addition of far inferior scenes in my opinion. Fortunately, "1776" still remains a patriotic and historical delight. Almost like watching a stage production, another example of how film adaptations done right, can add to the limitations of stage scenery. Should be required viewing for school children of all ages.$LABEL$1 +Hello Garmin Customer Service?. I would NOT recommend this product. I bought a garmin nuvi 200, and it was great for the 1st year. It is now conveniently out of warranty, has a firmware error, and Garmin's customer service is the most inconvenient and unfriendly that I have seen of any company. Their contact us page should read in bold "we do not care about your problems".$LABEL$0 +along time coming. this is one of those 80s movies that could of been better but was good enough to have a cult following.this is just a fun movie with over the top acting and almost good special effects.$LABEL$1 +Don't buy with the remote control included. This unit should come with a corded remote control attached. However many resellers don't have the remote and sell it without.You'll have a tough time controlling the unit without it. The buttons, especially the fast forward and reverse, are tough to handle and even worse the editing buttons are on the underside of the unit!I have one of these, without the remote, and learned the hard way that you really need it. NOw I'm scouring the net looking for a remplacement.$LABEL$1 +Pretty but Not Sturdy. I bought this a year ago and have had it continually fall apart. It's very stylish and looks great, but the way the rack itself attaches to the wall mount is by one tiny little surface screw. The mount is secure in the wall, but the weight of the double towel rack bends the tiny screw its leaning on where it attaches to the wall-mount and falls down. I've even purchased larger surface screws that won't bend and that held it up for the past 6 months, but those are failing now too.Bottom line is that if you get a double rack (which is a worthy convenience) make sure to investigate how the rack attaches to the wall mount and that it is more than what you would use to attach a TP holder.Don't recommend this product, and subsequently the manufacturer.$LABEL$0 +Sharp and effective, but the release is in a bad place. The release to retract the blade for safe storage is a great idea. But it it's right where your thumb grips the tool so you'll be cutting and CLICK - blade retracted. Other than that design flaw the concept is great and the tool works perfectly. I've saved so much time cutting material over scissors.$LABEL$1 +Real Men Read Iron John. This book had been recommended to me for years. Finally, at the suggestion of my samuri sword teacher, I picked it up and read it in long sittings. What I like first and foremost about Iron John is that it combines memoir, translation, poetry, mythology and journalism all in one book and then delivers powerful messages about men's individuation from mother and journey into manhood. It not only provides a new vision of psychology and archetyping, but does so by dissecting the old, cross-culturally familiar "Wild Man." It helped me to better understand men's psychology and their initiation and rituals into manhood. It also provided me with thematic ideas to explore in my own fiction.$LABEL$1 +Webkinz Chihuahua, my kids loves this guy. I have bought several of these for my 5 yr old autistic son. He loves to collect things that interest him. He has approx 7 of these chihuahuas...that should last him a while..lol$LABEL$1 +M.A.S.H. Season 8. Anyone who has enjoyed watching M.A.S.H should find Season 8 just as funny and heart warming as they found the previous released Season episodes.$LABEL$1 +A desaster Battery. The Battery never works and finally was impossible to return to the dealer, because is very expensive for me (I am at the end of South America)$LABEL$0 +Stopped working after 7 months. I bought this toaster 7 months ago. Recently one side no longer heats up.$LABEL$0 +Great game for kids!. I purchased this game to use in my son's third grade class Christmas party. The kids had fun. One note - it does not have place holders as shown in the picture, so bring some buttons or candies or beans for the kids to mark their places.$LABEL$1 +No talent.... Unlike Jennifer Lopez's Rebirth. True RnB, since when cutie pie Mariah Carey has street cred? Please, most fake artist ever...(and overrated too)$LABEL$0 +An Early DWJ Title. From the previous review I think this was the book published in the UK as Wilkins Tooth. It's a fun story about two children who run a 'Revenge Service' to make some pocket money. As you would expect in a childrens book the scheme backfires. It reminds me of 'Ogre Downstairs' as it's set in an apparently normal town where extra ordinary events occur. I'm not sure why it's been out of print for so long; many of the issues surrounding some bullies in the story could be helpful to schools today.$LABEL$1 +Dark Knight collapses. Terrible all around. Not engaging, not much of a spectacle, no messages or peculiar questions per se, the plot is beyond trivial. Compared to Dark Night I'd give it minus two stars. Compared to an ordinary comic-based movie it's 2 stars.$LABEL$0 +Nothing special. I really don't understand all the hype about this movie. I am a personal fan of musicals, so its not the genre that bothered me. It is an entertainig and well executed movie, but not much beyond that. It sort of tricks you into thinking that its a good movie when really its quite flat. It has no message or theme, and you can't really come to care about the characters. 20 minutes after I had left the theater I had forgotten all about the movie, definitely a sign of a bad movie.$LABEL$0 +WARNING! Not a Good Experience.. I purchased 5 thermocouples listed as "Honeywell #cq100a-1021 18" Thermocouple" and received 3 24" and 3 30" ALL of which had been previously opened, damaged, were missing parts, and poorly taped up. A couple even showed signs of use.....maybe the broken thermocouple returned to the store after a new one installed??? Either way I order 5 18" and didn't receive a SINGLE 18" and since the listing said NOTHING about used, damaged, opened, or parts missing products I rightfully assumed I was buying new product.The good news is they promptly refunded my money without any problems. Obviously they had had this problem before and were not surprised by my complaint. They did comment that they thought that is what I wanted..........NO, if I wanted 24" or 30" thermocouples that is what I would have ordered!! Overall a complete waste of my time and energy dealing with an incompetent and/or unethical seller. One star because ZERO is not an option.$LABEL$0 +A really good and supriseingly hard science fiction novel. A great start to Michael Stackpole's Battletech novels, this one serves as an introduction to the whole Clan invasion, and is great for any fan of Battetech.Battletech itself seems odd, as few people would guess that giant robots blasting each other would be a good example of hard science fiction yet the novels are a a vocabulary building exercise in hard science fiction with just faster then light travel and the prime conceit that giant robots are the kings of the battlefield as places where it strays from very hard science fiction. Read it, it's good. It will teach you what magnetohydrodynamic means.$LABEL$1 +Terrific utility stool. I don't have to be called from another room to get something from the top shelf of the cupboard. The stool does everything as advertised. It moves across the floor easily and offers two different heights. So step up and purchase one for yourself, you'll be glad you did.$LABEL$1 +Does Not Work. The instructions were poorly written and it took a half hour even to get the watch set up with my specifications.Once I finally figured that out, I put the chest strap on and it did not read my heart rate. I tried this several times with no luck.I returned the watch and will try a Polar brand since the reviews seem to be better.What a waste of time and money - I was very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Delicious.. I wonder why I hesitated so long? I heard them first on a best of grass records sampler my aunt the DJ gave me in 98. I finally found where to get it almost a decade later. It's shimmery and rich. The vocals are clear and airy allowing you to drift away into a noisy, ringing dream. I especialy liked "Sunny", "Blown Away" and "Liquid Star".$LABEL$1 +Earlier Versions Definitely Better. While this is still a decent product, they have removed a number of the utilities that were offered in earlier versions. When I asked Norton about this, their response was "You can uninstall the new version and reinstall the old one," which is like saying, "Oh, well, guess you wasted your money when you upgraded!" Norton claims to have taken away some utilities because they weren't being used. Hey, I used them, and I bet a lot of others did, too. All in all, I was very disappointed in the "upgrade" I bought.$LABEL$0 +Any one episode of JL is better. Here was an opportunity to put a little more time and effort into an animated feature as compared to the half hour episodes of Justice League (basically handled by the same team). It was an opportunity missed. The only "added value" you get from this direct to video movie is some mild cussing. I guess throwing in some foul language makes it more "interesting" or "edgey"? Anyway, to get to the point, any half hour episode of J.L. is better than this movie. And if you watch the ads you'll see a season set on sale for $19.99 at various retail stores. Pick up a season set of J.L. instead of this missed opportunity.$LABEL$0 +This one's a WASTE- Is this even from Baby Einstein?. First let me say--my son LOVES the baby einstein videos--all of them--but this one. This doesn't come close--different format, weird animation and songs? it is totally random and doesn't have a good flow. It def. does not keep his attention (or mine). Save your money or buy Baby Neptune, MacDonald, Shakespear or any other one.$LABEL$0 +What is so funny?. Please look the back of the DVD cover and see if they have subtitles or CC (Closed Captions). I am deaf and want to read what they are saying.I appreicated it and thank you.$LABEL$0 +DISAPPOINTING. I should have rented before I bought. Interesting but just not what I thought it could be. A boy and his horse. HO HUM.$LABEL$0 +Overall best pocket pc.. This is the smalllest, sleakest, fastest, pocket pc on the market the only downside to this product is the lack of third party software. Hopefully more software will be available soon.$LABEL$1 +Excellent CD. Fly is an excellent CD! Goodbye Earl may take a few listens to have it grow on you, but the other songs stick right away. Sin Wagon and Hole in My Head are two songs that get skipped, but the other songs are blared! Fly and Without You are the highlights! Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +Total paradox!. This book is very interesting, it tells the voyage of Varka, while he searches for his dead love, 'following' the tarot's major arcana cards. It's very simple and at the same time very complicated, in a manner that shows Louise Cooper's talent and originality. The word paradox will follow you throughout the book.$LABEL$1 +Have muscles?. I bought this stroller so I could go for walks in the park and the stroller I purchased also had the feature "music on the move" which is the built in CD player. That feature was nice, but the stroller itself weighed a ton and putting it in my trunk was a task. This stroller is definitely for individuals with an SUV. Plus, the air pump they give you for the tires doesn't work at all. I was stuck going to my locate gas station to air up my tires. Honestly, I started off with the Graco Metrolite and I should have stuck with it. Anyone want to buy a HEAVY awkward stroller?(smile)$LABEL$0 +Britney Bares Her...Soul. Poor Britney. No matter what she does, she's not going to get any respect from the critics. But In The Zone is as good as contemporary pop gets - it's fun, sexy, danceable and mature. Her voice is not a great instrument, but neither is Madonna's. What she is is expressive, sensual and energetic - she makes you feel what she wants you to feel. She had some great producers on this album, and it shows. It's probably a four star album, but I give Britney the extra star because I know she's going to take so many unfair shots from the haters. Which is too bad, because she's adorable and talented.$LABEL$1 +Crap, don't buy it.. Got the pen and first thing I did is open it and this is what I have found... rust everywhere, and it smelled like crap. See picture above.$LABEL$0 +programming reader. The book is terrific!!! The tutorials help me to learn the programming syntax, and users can try the case problems to apply what they learned. The case problems downloaded from the book website already contain basic code segment, so users don't have to type everything. Also, excellent references of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript at end of book. As the title implied, the book is primary for learning HTML and DHTML. Reader that would like to learn JavaScript need to get another book, also recommed Beginning JavaScript from Wrox.$LABEL$1 +Disappointment. If this is a "documentary", then every amateur U-tube video should also be called a "documentary". It is about that quality. All this amounts to is a few (very few) shots of some guys going down trails, almost no dialogue or explanation, and some heavy rock music - for 9 (nine) minutes!! The whole DVD is 9 minutes in length !! Almost no substance. So you spent over a dollar a minute, plus shipping, watching something of a quality you could have filmed yourself on almost any bike trail around.$LABEL$0 +Powerful. It is a compelling story about a fire and it's quest to remain lit while in its home, a fire place.$LABEL$1 +Great movie!. I had never heard of this movie, but the description was interesting, so I brought it and I'm glad I did. This is a great movie and definitely one to add to the collection. I've watched it several times and it never gets old.$LABEL$1 +Big piece of junk!!. I received this in the mail...........it was bent in half to fit in the packaging..............kind of takes away from the usefulness of the sword when it is broken in half to begin with. Not even able to use it as a prop for Halloween. Does not say much for the quality control of the shipperI will never buy anything this cheap again.I am sorry that I spent the money on this one.I would like to warn anyone thinking of purchasing this item as a prop for Hallwoeen or any custume................PLEASE FORGET IT!!!!There are numerous other prop supply companies out there............do not buy from this one.$LABEL$0 +Christmas. as usual Mannheim Steamroller is innovative in their presentation. It is not usual Christmas carols so the music sounds new and fresh/$LABEL$1 +Big Long Book(that's a plus). Well, as any person would first notice about this book, it's HUGE! Or, at least it looked that way. I found the random use of French words irritating and i think that if a book is going to be translated they should at least translate it all of the way. I understand that the French is supposed to make an impression on me, but i like to know what i'm reading about. I love the plot. I love being able to constantly have to remember people who have not been mentioned in around 400 pages and have to test my brain to keep the plot straight. The other great thing is to be able to realize what's happening befor eit has been pointed out. READ THIS! pace yourself, and, if you don't like remembering too much at once, make a flow chart!$LABEL$1 +Mine got ruined quickly. At first I was very excited about these headphones, mostly because of the comfortable fit and the retractable cord. I really couldn't tell the difference when I had the noise cancelling on, but then I thought, hey, this has a retractable cord, it's worth it. Well, I only have had these headphones for a couple of months, and now the cord is damaged and the sound is terrible, even though I have consciously took good care of these headphones. I think the cord got damaged through, oddly, the retraction system. Well, now I have to throw these away and get a new pair. I'm disappointed, for sure.$LABEL$0 +Where's my magazine?. So I ordered this magazine along with Cosmo and Sport's Illustrated on November 29th. It is now Jan 28th and still not one issue. I would love to give this 5 stars since I think it will be a fantastic magazine, but I can't because I don't have it :-/$LABEL$0 +Disappointing!. The watch was not working when it arrived. The battery was dead and there was leakage. The face was all frosted. This was supposed to be new but it was not. Please do not purchase anything from this vendor as it was a frustrating experience.$LABEL$0 +Sound The Alarm for a Great New Musical Force. Sound the Alarm is a powerfully strong EP. The band formerly known as Sleepwell has put together a melodic blend of cool vocals and strong harmonies that mix tempos punctuated by heavy explosive guitars. Most of the songs start out slower and build to intensity with a crescendo of great guitar breaks blended with smooth powerful vocals.All the tracks on this disc are great. The production is clean and crisp.Although most people hate comparisons, I would say their sound is somewhat similar to bands like: Name Taken, Just Surrender, Race the Sun, Acceptance and at times reminds me of As Tall as Lions. Fans of those bands should definitely check this out. All killer and no filler on this promising debut under their new moniker.$LABEL$1 +a great novel.. An orphaned boy goes to live with his relatives, and he slowly finds a new home. I enjoyed this book. The paperback with the cover of the porch scene is wonderful.I think the other reviewers were too harsh on this novel. I really liked it.Also, even if you've seen the movie, read "The Milagro Beanfield War," by Nichols. A super story!The Milagro Beanfield War: A Novel$LABEL$1 +Divine Surrender. If you never buy another book, you need to be sure that this is one that you own, read, reread. Very well written, brings new thoughts and perspective to an ancient topic.$LABEL$1 +Great Winter Workout. I do not race but I like to ride to keep in shape. The video is dated (circa mid 90's) and the music leaves plenty to be desired but the overall reason I bought this was to vary my workout. It delivered a great workout and I use this video on a regular basis.Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Revaluation of Values. I just have to ask: why is it that when a women has a torrid week of elicit aldulterous sex with another man she has found "the one true love of a lifetime," but if a man has a similar escapade, he is a shallow letcherous pig? The premise of this book is simply this: love is a blissful paradise which is at every turn impeded by such vile ecumbrances as committment, honesty, integrity and self-sacrifice. This book is the centerpeice of the vile "Oprah Syndrome" booklist. Intellectual depth is now merely a melange of "getting in touch with one's spirit," new-age psycho-babble and dizzy romantic love. To believe that such a book offers any intellectual substance is to assert with fervent honesty that one can survive a week's trek in the Sahara with only a glass of salt water and a stick of cotton candy.$LABEL$0 +EVERYTHING is in this book!. 'A Bride's Book' is very complete and contains a page for just about anything a bride might want to remember about her wedding. There are pages for the wedding party, the guest list, the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, the reception, the cake baker, the DJ, the photographer, and that's not half of it! The book itself is a spiral bound hardcover, and it is very beautifully put together. My sisters and I gave one to our engaged sister for her bridal shower. If your bride likes to journal and scrapbook, this is the book to go with!$LABEL$1 +I'm Eikichi Onizuka, 22 years old!. Before I bought GTO, I wasn't expecting it to be so good... Onizuka proves to be a pretty nice guy that likes to help students, and it's fun watching all the trouble he gets into on the way. His journey to be a great teacher is loaded with obstacles, such as trouble classes, teachers, etc. How will he ever become a great teacher if he can't even hold his job with peace of mind?$LABEL$1 +SDRE continues to grow and amaze.... SDRE has managed to craft another masterful yet different album. This album is a logical extension of "How It Feels to Be Something On" but unique in its character and composition. The song-writing is top-notch. I have to say on my first listen I wasn't really that impressed - but I decided to give it another chance or two. Then it happened, a hook there, a beautiful melody over there and the spell was cast. The subtleties are just amazing! Combined with the craftmenship of the music - it's really a grand album.$LABEL$1 +Very pleased. Usually like to purchase items like the iron at the big box stores.I was pleasantly surprised that the iron works as well as advertised.No problems and fast service from amazon.$LABEL$1 +Hitler buffs might own it; the curious should visit library. This book is disorganized and the various topics, although related, are not cemented together with anything resembling a well-thought out, well-written structure. In what direct way, for instance, are Hitler's water colors related to the circumstances of his death? This book's most important information (who found Hitler's body, how Hitler died, where Hitler was buried, something I found of particular interest) should have been summarized in a two-page weekly news magazine article somewhere. Obviously, however, the authors felt that to read their exclusive but well-padded research should cost at least $20 or so, therefore, here it is, in book form. History buffs may want this book for the inserts and for what few pages actually contain fresh, well-presented information, but the curious who just want to know more about Hitler's last days should visit their library or borrow a copy from a friend-- who, I'm sure, won't mind lending it out.$LABEL$0 +Great Product. Great product, excellent price. Couldn't believe how large the net was, along with a chipping net and mat all in one handy bag. Nice combination at an excellent price!!!$LABEL$1 +a shame.... good looking, but not what i expected. Very weak, the second hand broke off at the first fall. The Velcro closure fray very quickly! very disappointed!$LABEL$0 +BIIG PIMPIN. OOOK, ive been waiting for this game to come out for a long time, thinkin yeah, secret of mana was awesome, so legend of mana is gonna be twice as good. WRONG. For one the game has no story line what so ever, and u really don't get involved in even your own character. Its just a bunch of pointless five minute adventures that lead to no where. You also have noo freedom of movement in the field world at all, its from one place to the next, no fighting. I'm sure all of your remember when your weapons get upgraded...well nope not in this game, which was one of my favorite options. Really i guess its the story line im disappointed in, i guess the first just won't be beat. I did have to give it two stars though because it gets kinda cool near the end when you get to do cool things with your "town". Overall id say that you'd be more satisfied with Superman64 or going to see Battlefield Earth.$LABEL$0 +Good Investment. I am very happy with this baby sling. It's a little intimidating at first because of all the straps, and I had to have my husband help me adjust it to fit. But all the straps make for a very secure fit.My newborn is very comfortable in this sling. She gets to lay close to me. We tested this out by going to the mall. The whole time baby slept comfortably and not once did my back start hurting. I was very comfortable the entire time and both baby and I felt secure.For me the sling is less trouble than a stroller at this point and has been a nice option.I would recommend this sling. Just be sure to have someone help the first time adjusting it to your body.$LABEL$1 +I'm NOT a fan of TW. But I loved this one. Perhaps its the tortured, rare relationship at the heart of it. (And the historical setting.)$LABEL$1 +Shoulda paid more for something else.. I'm somewhat happy with this pressure cooker set. It takes a while to seal, and won't seal if it's not on high heat, so it's hard to make food you can burn, like rice. I think this is because it has safety features not found on old pressure cookers, but perhaps more expensive brands/models don't have this flaw. It's also hard to figure out how to use. The pressure valve label is confusing to some - the correct positioning is 180 opposite from what it appears. Only cooks at 8 psi and 12 psi, not 15 psi (250F), so it requires about 20% more cooking time (at 12 psi) than a 15 psi cooker. Didn't realize this when I bought it. For the $ I paid, it is OK. I wish I'd bought a better cooker; I'm pleased with the results.This is a copy of my review of theManttra Smart 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker. It seems the products are the same but for color, and I bought the silver one.$LABEL$0 +This is a really bad movie; no refunds given at the door.. Curtis Hanson has made some very good movies(Bad Influence, LA Confidential, even Losin' It was cool), but this movie suffers from some kind of false scholastic irony and deadpan baby boomer humor that thinks can substitute for an entertaining story.Michael Douglas plays a loser. Tobey Maguire doesn't convince me that he is a genius underneath a loser exterior. And the absurd plot and weak relationships give the audience 120 minutes with no where to go.It is all a shame. This movie bombed for good reason.$LABEL$0 +MDR-NC60 Doesn't Cancel Noise well. I had a pair of Maxell MAX190400 noise canceling headphones that broke. Instead of replacing them I thought I would try other noise canceling headphones. I bought (and returned) the following: Shure SE210, Sony MDR-NC60, and the Phillips headphones from Best Buy.The noise canceling on the Sony headphones is terrible. I work in an office that plays music that I don't like. I didn't expect total silence when wearing the Sony's, but the sound should be significantly decreased. However, I heard everything even though the NC feature was turned on. I just bought Maxell's HP/NCIV and they work much better and block out almost all noise. Don't waste your money and time with the Sony. If you really want noise cancellation get the Maxell.$LABEL$0 +This book makes me feel stupid. I was so disspointed with this book considering i read and enoyied Dubliners and Portrait of a Artist as a Young Man and it is on alot of best books of all time list. The reason i liked Joyce's previous work is that both are not too long, he was a good writer and i am against the catholic church so any book that critizes it is okay with me. With his other books you really did not mind the parts when nothing really happens and his heavy prose style. But trying to read Ulysses is such a chore you end up scratching your head and having to read passages over and over again untill you get it. I gave up after after 300 pages and just went to [...] to read the study guide instead.$LABEL$0 +World's shortest DVD. I expected this to be a 45 minute production or at least a 30 minute show. Instead it is like 5 minutes long. Can you call 5 minutes of flat video, shot locked down on sticks, a "documentary?" No awards pending here!I've never felt ripped off before because a DVD as to short! I certainly did when I played this - the world's shortest DVD production. The shots are fine for the duration of the 5 minutes, but there's nothing new here you couldn't find on the internet for free. Burn me once, shame on me! Perhaps it's time for someone to do a serious show on Cymatics. It is -- apparently -- an open market (no competition from this product).Cymatics is an incredibly important subject as it verifies the existence of the aether in a simple mechanical manner. This is topic in need of a serious documentary show. This is not it.$LABEL$0 +A must have for any video collection. This is one of the best concert videos I have ever seen. The concert footage is fantastic and it also contains stories about the band and their travels. The guys from Matchbox 20 tell the stories themselves and they are a very humorous bunch of guys. It brought back memories of the concert I went to, including the feelings of excitment and exhiliration that I felt on the night. It truly made me feel like I was back there again. An un-forgetable experience. I have this video in my collection and I suggest you should have it in yours.$LABEL$1 +Ehhh..... This is a well written and clever book, and the author is very talented. The thing is, I'm a little irritated and bored by the story of a 20-something, commitment phobic, seemingly adolescent kind of guy who is such an emotional midget that he can't even say "I love you." The protagonist reminds me of the quintessential young (immature) single guy whose self destructiveness is matched only by his narcissism...the kind of guy women (girls?) really go for until they get a little older and grow a backbone. Harry's a horrible jerk until she draws a line in the sand...then he realizes how much he cares and wants her back...have all of us not lived or heard this scenario in some way a zillion times since we began dating? Are we not tired of it yet? Maybe I'm getting old...it's just not very cute or alluring anymore...it was hard for me to sympathize and consequently hard for me to stop rolling my eyes.$LABEL$0 +Magnets damaged my Treo. Quite happy with the case, which I use in my pocket (I have the case without the belt clip), so the weak magnets are not a problem.The magnets did damage my Treo (scratches). Sena responded to my email: maybe it happened because I take my Treo regularly out of the case?I thought this answer was not very useful, and their offer to replace the case neither, because my use of the product would not change, and the scratches were there already.Two stars because of quick reply to email and because I love the color (I have the brown case) - also cases do not come slimmer than this one.One more thing: I dropped my phone and since the top corners are not protected guess where the impact hit ...$LABEL$0 +Awful. Being a big fan of prog-metal, and some prog-rock, I must say this was the stupidest excuse for music I have ever heard. If you like bands such as DT or even Spock's Beard, you'll be dissapointed. I have heard good things about this band, but they were obviously bias views. The entire album is eerie sound effects, that don't even come close to giving you that feeling of pure enjoyment. Music to me consists of a band utilizing their skills in song writing and playing their instruments, not making random creepy symphonic sounds with some lyrics. Only if you're interested in the traits in which I listed, DON'T BUY THIS ALBUM!$LABEL$0 +Top this. Solid design, cleans easy- but only fit 1 out of my 4 ten-inch pots, and the handle gets HOT.$LABEL$1 +Heartwarming. I definitely connected with the characters. Their highs and lows were intriguing and I followed it up with the purchase of the DVD. A solid believable story line. Not once did my mind wander away from the plot which covers encompasses many contemporary issues.$LABEL$1 +answers answers. From what we have seen, this is a straightforward vocab rote approach. This approach has both positive and negative aspects and works with some children and not with others. MY BEEF with this book is that it does not have an answer key and finding one has been more than difficult (still haven't at this point).$LABEL$0 +Fiction That Hits Close tot he Heart and Home. I was amazed at how easily this book traveled into the world of the homeless with reality that bites hard into your soul. The characters are very realistic. The emotions are real. Some parts are not suitable for young readers but this was approved for outside reading for one of my high schoolers. Very educational and very uplifting.Pete Love, Author of "On The Scene" & "Hummer: Flight to Freedom"$LABEL$1 +why so much???????????. My wife and I love this dvd. We have taken classes in the past and this dvd is a nice alternative to leaving the house when kids won't let us. We had previously borrowed it from my mother in law and decided to purchase our own. However in searching amazon, we found the dvd listed at well over $40. ???????? When looking at other websites this dvd is priced at $10-$12. I was just wondering if the case was made of gold or if it came with a real life yoga instructor? Waiting for price to be altered or will be purchasing from somewhere else as well as my future business.$LABEL$0 +homicide for good old fashioned viewing. this is a down to earth tv series that holds you to the end of each episode; most enjoyabl e viewing cant wait to watch the next episode$LABEL$1 +Works like a charm. Our fish kept dying because of constant algae blooms. At is turns out, we have high nitrates in our tap water. This stuff removed the nitrates and we have had healthy fish for more than a year now. It really works.$LABEL$1 +Cherokee Proud - Tony Mack MCCLURE, Ph.D. Book Review. I just rec'd the this book and after only flipping through just a few pages on my great grandmother's MCCLURE lines, I'm impressed! Not only am I looking forward to reading this book but I plan on using it for future reference, as I see a few made at the end of one of the chapters and I haven't even read thru it yet - and can not wait! Thank you Dr. Tony MCCLURE. You did your homework because you know your homework. Buy this book! You will not be disappointed!$LABEL$1 +Dr. Wilds' magic.. Chuck Wilds music is the flux that will put you in touch with your inner self. I have an amazing connection with his compositions. In the late 70's when I lived in Orange County my wife and I used to drive down the coast on Highway 1 (PCH). We had friends in Laguna so we would always stop and visit or have lunch. One of those friends was Wyland. Invariably at some point in the day we would end up on the beach, usually late in the day at dusk. We would sit and play guitars for a while and then just lay on the beach and meditate as the sun went down. I now live on the other side of the country but every time I want to recapture that feeling I put on Chucks "Laguna Indigo" and in an instant Im back there. Thanks Chuck. God bless you for your kind soul and the sharing of your wonderful music. Namaste. NklSk@t (SadhuDhaya) Nashville, Tn.$LABEL$1 +Looks cool w/ iSight but is a huge disappointment. What you're paying for is the same thing as a cheap 40-watt desk lamp that can hardly light up a face in a dark room! Not only does the light hardly work, but the light casts you in a weird blue complexion, even in a well lit room. The ambient light sensor sounds like a good idea but doesn't really work that well (the light comes on even while in relatively well-lit rooms). Despite all of these shortcomings, the SightLight is very easy to install. Bottom line....Use an exsiting lamp or buy a cheap one on ebay.$LABEL$0 +Most Excellent. This story is magnificant. I have read the book numerous times and this movie truly brings the characters and story to life. I first saw the mini-series as a child and I have always wanted it for my home collection. This movie is a must for all James Clavell fans and adventure / drama fans alike.$LABEL$1 +Great for carpet, not as great on hard surfaces or detail work. We've had our Sebo for 5-6 years and bought it for a fully carpeted house with very limited hardwood/tile. It was amazing, it is really an excellent vacuum with exceptional parts and performance on carpet. It does adjust to go on hardwood, but it doesn't really do a great job there, also, the standard attachements aren't designed to help you vacuum on any hard surface, just for occasional detail work (short reach, no hard floor attachment). Now that I'm living in a house with primarily hardwoods, I'm looking for a different player as it's not designed to be efficient in this environment.$LABEL$1 +Same as Master the LSAT (with Software and Online Course). I bought this title expecting to see something different, but I got the same thing as Master the LSAT (with Software and Online Course). Waste of my money, and badly labeled for someone wanting to buy the best study books for the first time.$LABEL$0 +Oh Puhleeeze. This book is the worst. The main character is so vapid and boring it's not even funny. This is a novel that is clearly 378 pages too long. The characters are poorly developed; the subplots are dull and this transformation the Duke takes on is hardly original. The Duke is a self absorbed child. At one point the Duke was run over by a carriage....I was hoping the book would over and down with but then I realized that I had over 300 pages yet to read. Dont' waste your money or time.$LABEL$0 +Not durable. These grippers work well but unfortunately the rubber cords around which the wire coils are wrapped are not durable. After wearing these about a dozen times the rubber cord broke making the grippers useless. Too bad because they fit well and worked well while they lasted.$LABEL$0 +incomplete. This book does not address "racehorse" the game most of us play with double sixes. So useless to many.$LABEL$0 +Robbed. Basically, 26 min run time for $14.95 +S/H you robbed me.I did not look close enough. Fool me once shame on you.Fool me twice, shame on me.$LABEL$0 +This book made me wet my pants - with laughter!. Are you looking for one of the craziest, out of whack books on any religious topic? Then you found the right book. Written by a former member trying to make his former faith look good, this author goes so far overboard one would have to be clinically insane to believe it - or to believe the religion found in it. I found my self crying at points I was laughing so hard at the insane ideas portrayed by this book. One has to admit, the author did a great job of creating a new religion. However, the one talked about in this book is more like Scientology (in that it is unbelievably insane) than "Mormonism."$LABEL$0 +Best peak oil book out there!. I have read all the peak oil books out there and can say that this is the best of the bunch. It covers the likely consequences of peak oil like no other book out there. James Howard Kunstler writes in an authorative manner and comes across as a realist who comprehends the huge changes that are almost upon us. One of the best books I have read! Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +Shouldn't this title be discontinued?. I purchased both this book as well as the newer title, "The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program" only to discover that much of the advice in this earlier book is considered outdated and erroneous by the authors! It is disingenuous to continue to sell this book without a disclaimer, and I hope the authors/publisher will make that correction soon. Meantime, I'm returning this book for a refund.$LABEL$0 +NEVER READ ANYTHING LIKE IT!. When I bought this book it was about six months before it became very popular. Acutually my dad bought it for me because he saw something about it on TV. Before I read the book I didn't think I was going to like it because it looked kind of thick. When I started reading it my mind changed immedeatly! I couldn't put it down! I loved how the author used big words I couldn't understand that led to big adventures that would get you so absorbed that you thought you were actually in thet book. I liked it so much that every time a sequal comes out I buy it immediatly. I highly recommend this book to anyone......even adults.$LABEL$1 +IT'S FICTION! KIDS ARE NOT STUPID!. I am a huge harry potter fan and I'm very insultedthat Wholberg thinks that kids are too stupid to understandthat THIS IS FICTION! NO ONE I know who loves these books areturning to Wiccan faith. In the books I would like to point out that Harry and his friends celebrate CHRISTMAS, aCHRISTIANholiday.The arguments are shaky at best and downright stupid at worst.Children want to do magic not to defy Christ but to dothings they cannot ordinarily do, such as flying unrestrainedand playing with unicorns.Personally, I would rather do that than read this fire fuel.HARRY POTTER IS FUN FICTION!$LABEL$0 +Get the DVD instead. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE AND POINTLESS CD.This is an expensive single disc CD. One side is music and the other side is enhanced so you can play the video on your computer. It is only 52 minutes long.This CD consists of the short songs from the complete concert that is featured on the DVD of the same name. This CD contains the lesser work from the concert. The only thing of interest on most of the songs, is that there is Randall Bramlett on saxophone.This show came just after guitartist Mike Howser died. George McConnell has just joined the band, but is so new, he is listed as a guest musician. He sounds out of place on most of the songs on this CD. He fits much better on the songs that were not included on the CD.Get the DVD instead. It has many great moments. The only real good song included on the CD is Rock.$LABEL$0 +Too many items missing. I just spent 1.5 hrs entering 80 items. Only half of my donated items were included in the ItsDeductible database. I had to manually enter the other half and estimate the value on my own.Even with items such as clothes, I had to just pick an item from the database. It was rare that my donated item actually matched something in the database.This software is not the cure-all that Intuit says it is. I should've saved my money and entered all of my donations in a spreadsheet like I did in previous years.$LABEL$0 +It is my favorite. I love Celine, but this one is the best. I love lullaby music. I am the grandma, but I'm still not old enough to go to sleep without beautiful music. This one is a must for babies of all ages.$LABEL$1 +One of their best. One of the group's best ever. Andy Fraser is doing his usual highly creative job on bass. Every song is listenable and memorable. Not quite as bluesy as "Tons of Sobs," nor as mainstream as "Fire and Water," but just right.$LABEL$1 +I also received the wrong item. Ordered the 150w and got the 135w that does not work with the new Xbox Connect...read some of the most recent comments from others. Drats!$LABEL$0 +Great alternative to anti-static cloths. Use it all the time. Works as advertised and I don't have to contaminate my clothing with chemicals to do it$LABEL$1 +Not as expected. This book is not at all as I expected. It am definitely returning it. The overall quality of the images and even the paper the the book is printed on are very disappointing. I also find the poses not very practical, taking a lot of space and a good bit of experience from both partners to be feasible.$LABEL$0 +When you are old and gray and full of sleep. . .. I know, Yeats--but listening once more to the Barry Lyndon soundtrack some 24 years after a first awestruck hearing has cast me back to my long-lamented lovestruck girlhood: what lost Celtic lass can listen to the Chieftan's version of WOMEN OF IRELAND without recalling Marissa Berensen reclining in her bath, and one's own shattered pilgrim soul. What a time it was to be caught up in Kubrick and Bach while my highschool mates played (what?) Mott the Hoople! I've hummed the song to my wee one every night for two years; finally I can play the lovely mix of passionate, rousing, and in turn melancholy tunes to him complete! The flute alone can break your heart. And oh the remembered passion of the line "But I cannot find the ribbon. . . ." What a movie! what an album! Listen to it and remember "how love fled, and hid his face amid a crowd of stars."$LABEL$1 +Jumped the shark. Completely unbelievable.. Some of the "hacking" things that were done can, in fact, be done.However, not the way that was stated, and the reactions of people who do know computers (e.g. Angela) are horribly wrong.Also, almost everyone is acting out of character.Angela can't believe Pelant was able to edit a video to change the timestamp. She didn't say that it was edited too cleanly, but "how was it done?"The timestamp was inside of a black rectangle. That would be extremely easy for anyone with video editing software to change.I think I've given up on this show.Too lazy to continue this review.$LABEL$0 +How about the solo albums on CD. With the Peter, Paul and Mary CD's selling between fourteen and nineteen dollars on Amazon, there is obviously a demand for their music. How about releasing the solo albums on CD?? If Warner's doesn't think there is a demand, make them two fers. Two albums on one CD. I would just love to have the "Mary" album on CD.$LABEL$1 +Thoroughly unwatchable. I decided to give this movie a shot. After 15 minutes of terrible graphics and laughable acting, I just couldn't take it anymore. This is a must *NOT* see film.$LABEL$0 +NASB Black Leather Bible. I think this is a wonderful Bible and am enjoying it greatly. I was however, surprised to find that it is not a red-letter edition. I was not even aware that there is an edition without Christ's words in red. Other than that, this is the best Bible I have ever had. Thank you,$LABEL$1 +cheap looking. this is really not a sorting hat....it's just a black felt hat...and is very cheap. Don't buy!$LABEL$0 +it's not for mac!. it's not for mac and I can't open any file on the disc= =! I feel really disappointed of this product$LABEL$0 +Maps and information missing. The Book includes a lot of hikes and nice spots on Maui but it was not a big help anyway. Some parts are written nicely, but this applies mostly to the car parts.The different hikes are not rated by difficulty and also no estimated time is given. Even worse is that maps of the hikes are missing so you lack orientation when you are on your way - I personally would even appreciate topographical maps - but not even knowing which trails I would cross or whether there were any alternative routs was very annoying. Furthermore description of the trail heads is unclear. Different hikes that are not alternative routes are described in the same chapter which makes reading confusing. All together I can not recommend this book, especially not as a full travel guide to Maui or as your only hiking guide there.$LABEL$0 +Terrible pronunciation. The story drags along slowly no excitement.I normally love having audiobooks on my ipod to listen to while I am swimming / housework etc but this was dreadful.The reading was stilted many words were mispronounced I will never listen to another book read by this reader.$LABEL$0 +won't leave home without it. Just returned from a fab trip to Rome, and it was all the better for having Suzy's book with me. She was accurate about many of the stores (Francesco Rogani did lock the door while I was there), and having the addresses handy was helpful, as I don't speak Italian and sometimes have trouble reading the handwriting. From now on all I need to travel is one of Suzy's books, and a MapEasy's Guidemap!$LABEL$1 +Packaging is Incredible. I bought this for my grandson. I had seen people on here slamming the packaging, but when he actually confronted it, it still surprised me. It seems to have been conceived ala PIL's "Metal Box"; deliberately designed to scratch discs or tear cardboard. I've never seen anything like it.$LABEL$0 +Poor Results - Cannot Recommend. Sorry, but this product not only did not work, but it also killed the surrounding centipede grass and while the crabgrass is returning, the surrounding centipede is not. I used two bottles per the instructions and while the results showed within 2-3 days and it rained on the 3rd day, everything was killed. I was very disappointed in the results.There is no way that I can recommend such an expensive product that just doesn't work as advertised. Too bad, because there is a good market for this product.$LABEL$0 +Look for something more sturdy.. This is one of those "you get what you pay for" items. (And I think I still overpaid). I would expect to find an item like this in the dollar store for about $1...in fact, if you look, there is probably one there. More than that, I don't think I would waste my money. It is very cheap plastic...like what plastic hangers are made of. This will not hold a lot of heavy belts...I'm sure it would not withstand any amount of weight. I was hoping it would hold more belts, but is not working for what I intended. I will keep looking for a much sturdier item as this one definitely will not fit the bill.$LABEL$0 +Perfect Camera Bag. This bag is perfect. We were abe to securily get our professional camera,all of the lenses and accessories, our video camera and all of it's accessories and a Kodak Easyshare in this backpack. We love it!$LABEL$1 +Straw does not fit NUK. I bought 4 of these thinking that they would fit my wide neck NUK bottles like the manufacturer says they do. Would not fit into bottle at all. Not even close.$LABEL$0 +Its over... finally!!. A greatest hits album from pearl jam , probably means the end of grunge for good! Thank god! This music is good for acne-clad teenagers with severe inferiority complexes....$LABEL$0 +Intrator's book captures the teacher'r heart. Sam Intrator has collected a diverse sampling of stories from teachers of all types. They inspire and inform and are enjoyable to read. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who teaches, from preschool to graduate school.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic writing. I got this book after I won a contest. I initally thought after reading the title blurb that it would be a boring yarn about an autistic boy and did not read this for about 2 months. Later as I ran out of good books to read , I started reading it & I couldnt put it down. Personally I prefer thrillers and whodunits but this book really hooked me in. The character development is fantastic. The way the book goes on through the perspective of the boy is great. I also read the Rule Of Four which tries to kill time by writing loads of rubbish about the characters. The authors of "Rule Of Four" should read this book to understand what character development is.This book would make a fantastic movie too. Not a Hallmark channel one but an actual feature film.$LABEL$1 +love the series. I still pull these out to watch. Always a great story line. Don't mind watch it over and over.$LABEL$1 +doesn't hold dinner plates well. I really like this dish rack for its attractiveness, and I like the way it is set up to hold cups all down the long side. The only problem with that is that the placement of the crossbar under the cup holders doesn't leave quite enough room for a large dinner plate. It's doable, but a bit precarious. Unfortunately, that makes it not very useable.$LABEL$0 +All nonsense + No suspense + No horror = No good.. There is no suspense and no horror. Yet, there are a lot of nonsense.The acting is boring.$LABEL$0 +The dullest yet.. When I read the last Jury book I promised myself I'd never buy another "hard cover" however in a weak moment I bought "The Old Wine Shades." This is, by far, the worse of the series. After this I doubt I'd even spend the money for a paperback. If I wanted to read about physics I'd go to an expert. Also, Jury and his friends are getting rather "long in the tooth"; older but not wiser. Another reviewer mentioned the ending - I never got that far.$LABEL$0 +All the comedy was given in the previews. Previews made it appear to be a comedy mixed with drama. All the comedy was given to us in the previews. It was a drawn out movie that I was just waiting to end!$LABEL$0 +Well..... I guess I gave this the one star for disappointed expectations. I at least hoped he MIGHT try to actually play music. Oh well.$LABEL$0 +Very poor edition. I enjoyed the book due to the fine writing of McMurtry. The paper back edition vas very poor ie type small printing had defects and the format was too small for a 900 + page book. Don't by this edition$LABEL$0 +Seems like a good idea, but don't trust the pre-taped rolls.. I've used window shrink wrap products many times before, and when I saw the pre-taped roll, I thought it might save me some time. It doesn't.1) The tape on top doesn't stick as well as it should, and the double-sided tape for the rest of the window doesn't stick well either.2) The roll itself bunches in on itself, meaning that you have to cut the film much wider than you'd think to prevent creating little zig-zag cut-outs in the space you want to cover.3) The film doesn't seem to shrink as wrinkle-free as other products I've used.4) This one is a little but my fault, but I trusted the height a little too much. The pre-taped top is actually part of the height, which meant that the bottom came out too short on the first window I did. Re-doing the whole thing made me a bit grumpy.I wouldn't buy anything that comes in a roll again. I'll stick to the premeasured films that come in folded rectangles and do the taping myself.$LABEL$0 +Great Techniques. I agree with the previous reviewer that the cardigan in the DVD is not to my taste but the DVD focuses very little on the design and knitting of the sweater. Instead, this DVD centers primarily around the techniques of cardigans including steeking, finishing edges, neck and front button bands, etc. If you have never steeked before or would like to see some expert tips demonstrated, this is an excellent reference!$LABEL$1 +Big gloppy gloopy icky sticky mess. I read at a few different places that this would be good for papercraft, but it is definitely not. The glue brush/handle is just drenched in the goop and it's impossible to apply it with any precision. Definitely not for smaller type crafts. The applicator is just messy, no way to do it with any accuracy. Possibly only good for larger projects but I don't know.$LABEL$0 +The only thing we have to fear.... I enjoyed this book immensely; both the story and the scientific lessons it attempts to inculcate. Unfortunately, the tale is all too believable. The day after I finished, a headline on CNN.com proclaimed "Global Warming is Real, Human Activity to Blame: Scientist Claim" Indeed!$LABEL$1 +How to apply for and obtain an Employer Sponsored Green. Most of the informations contained in this kit are also available in many immigration web sites. The only information which was in this book but not available on line was how to apply for RIR(Reduction of Recruitment) at the labor certification procedure. Some of the information (especially about immigration petition as a priority worker) are not accurate and misleading.$LABEL$0 +Confused by Utterly Confused. I concur with Mr. K. Galligan's review above, I too spotted some of the same mistakes, moreover, on page 12 the author introduces the subject of Linking Verbs by using the term "predicate", although this is an introduction chapter and she has not yet defined what a predicate is, so for those who are unenlightened, or just learning grammar, they need to go to the index where they will find that the definition is on page 52, in chapter 4. I thought the approach illogical. One does not teach the basics by beginning with terms that have not yet been defined.The author begins the selection on verb tenses by explaining that there are six tenses in English, although another grammar book I consulted explains that there are in actuality twelve tenses altogether. The section on the distinction between "who" and "whom" was not particularly well explained either. For a grammar book that was supposed to help those who are utterly confused I found this book confusing.$LABEL$0 +Not Worth the Money. Our while family found this toy incredibly annoying, and it doesn't move around much. My daughter was bored with it after the first day. Also, if you have small animals, be prepared for them to freak out!$LABEL$0 +Very poor wireless range. The first unit I bought did not work. I returned it for another one. The second unit worked, but the range for wireless was less than 10FT. Again, I returned the second unit for another one. The third unit had the same wireless range (under 10FT). I would not recommend this at all.$LABEL$0 +samurai drama. Starts out as an average samurai drama but devolves into a pathetic Computer-generated imagery (CGI) battle fest that is too long and idiotic. 170 swordsmen can't beat 13 skimpy swordsmen. Okay, so if you have the brain of an 8 year old drooling mongoloid you'll love this, but if you love classic Japanese samurai films of the 60's, avoid this.$LABEL$0 +Better out there. We have the wooden Melissa and Doug set. They are much better than these and cheaper. For example, look at the carrot. You can only cut it one time. In our wooden set the carrot is four or five pieces. Also, several of the peels and "throw away" parts of the vegetables are held on by tiny pieces of flimsy velcro. The husk of the corn and the leafy part of the cauliflower barely stay on after a few months of play. We originally thought that some of the peels and things might make this a neat set, but now it seems like those are the things that we don't like. This feels like a cheap plastic set.We own this set and the betterMelissa and Doug 31 Piece Cutting Food Box. If I were you I would go with the more durable and more fun to cut wood set.$LABEL$0 +Just for your kids. It was incredible to see my 2 year-old son jumping and singing with the music of this television band. He remembers the moves and part of the lyrics so every time I play this CD I can see a great smile in his face.I really recommend this CD for your kids. You won't regret it.$LABEL$1 +Couldn't put this book down!- & I never liked reading before. All through my life, I never saw the use in reading. The only Literature I ever cared to see was strictly for school purposes. This book gripped me from the beginning, took me through Dolores' tumultuous years and at the end, I was sad to leave her.$LABEL$1 +Weird Al's Style at the abnormal level. This was a interesting cd with tracks like Living with a Hernia(which is appropriate for kids). Overall it is a great get for your Weird Al Collection.$LABEL$1 +Trust Amazon. You can trust Amazon in particular when you purchase a new book. The book was received on time.Thanks,$LABEL$1 +Not what we expected. before we ordered the Oster 6058 toaster oven, it sounded like it had everything we wanted. Wrong. When standing at normal height and loking down to a counter top it is imposible to read what each button does. There isn't ever a light behind the buttons nor is the printing easy enough to see. In the window at the top there are red bars with something printer above them which I still have not been able to read because the printing is about 1/16 of an inch and not even clear. They don't tell you these things when you read about it. We like Oster products and always found them reliable. This one works fine, but it helps if you are 4 feet tall.Mel Bronston$LABEL$0 +Dissapointing. After all the rave reviews was expecting a bit more than this.I would rather go with any sphongle, OTT, Blutech etc than this.$LABEL$0 +Stay far away. These are excellent if you like the texture and flavor of chewy bark dust. I would rather go hungry next time...$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money, I did.. Can you spell limberger.... I wish amazon had less than a 1 star rating.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Product, slow delivery. My grandson loved the product. I was rather nervous that it wouldn't get there by Christmas.$LABEL$1 +4 1/2 Stars-The People's Champ. Very good CD. I was very impressed by Paul Wall from the moment I heard him. I've never been a huge mark for the Houston music but Mike Jones I liked, Slim Thug's album i thought was garbage, and this Paul Wall I love. The beats are great, his lyrics are slick, and the overall presentation is very good, if you never saw this guy you wouldn't guess he was white. Paul is a big standout from the Houston crowd and now that he's on the mainstream I think he'll really break out because he's definitely something special. You wont be dissapointed picking this one up.$LABEL$1 +For dog lovers everywhere it's a tug at the heart.. My daughter read this book first and passed it on to me, knowing that I would love it. And I did. Lou Dean writes in such a way that I felt that I was seeing the world in a way that was new yet familiar. Any one who has ever loved a dog will relate to her tale of growing up with a best friend whose tail always wags when you enter the room. A friend who loves you for yourself and for no other reason. I cried and hugged my own two dogs during the last chapter. Cuddle up in your favorite chair with your best canine friend and lose yourself for an afternoon. This is a short, well-written coming of age story that I recommend unconditionally.$LABEL$1 +I love this guy!. I have several of Kendell Hogans workouts and I enjoy every one of them. I can even get my husband to do Kendell's workouts. Kendell is fun, the routines are easy to follow, his crew is good, and the music adds to the workout. You might also check him out on All Star Workout on FitTv.$LABEL$1 +Great collection. I love Eartha Kitt, but can't afford to accumulate all her work. This was a good sampling for me--it had a lot of my favorites, and now I have some new favorites, as well.$LABEL$1 +Thar She Blows! And what a beauty she is!. I love whales and dolphins. They are good looking and hilarious animals. This book told me lots about them and showed me terrific pictures too. Anyway, you've seen my review. Now buy the book.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Shades. If you work outside, these are the shades for you. They are extremely light weight and comfortable to wear. The wrap-around shape provides good protection from flying debris. Tenting effectively removes glare, but does not make the image too dark. Anti-fogging feature seems to work too.$LABEL$1 +Look elsewhere. This book was not good. It was conversationally written and thus easy to read, but if you are really paying attention and trying to learn something, you will notice inconsistencies and places where the chronology of events is not clear.For example: the Due Obedience Law is passed (exempting low-ranking soldiers from prosecution for dirty war crimes, as they were following orders). Next paragraph: "Despite government actions favorable to their interests, the officer corps remained unrepentant." Next paragraph - a group of soldiers protest. Next paragraph: "The Due Obedience Law followed." Huh?And that is just one example... one chapter was so jumbled I couldn't even follow it. If I could do it all over again, I'd choose one of the other histories of Argentina.$LABEL$0 +Wordy, too little finance. Someone recommended this as a taut financial thriller. Well at over 500 pages it's NOT taut! I realize people reading financial thrillers envy their protagonists (the "wannabe" effect), but the portrayal of the protagonist here is annoyingly silly and shallow: keeps gloating about his Ivy education, berating everyone else, travelling the world etc etc etc.As a result the FEW chunks of financial and political plot (the dynamics of distressed debt default in syndicated loans, elasticity of oil with other markets, the details of algorithmic trading by what is known today as VWAP, TWAP etc.) are watered down with too much annoying, long winded, completely inconsequential tripe pertaining to the "high culture" of the protagonist. You get the idea. Bleah. The tripe to plot ratio in this book is over 60%. This book could be a "good" 200 page read. Instead we are treated to the author's diarrhea.$LABEL$0 +Life saver. Really practical peace of software, it comes really handy on trips and when you are new in the area, really accurate maps and directions.$LABEL$1 +The guy who gave this CD a 1-star rating was wrong. This CD sounds great, offering different versions of some of the songs we've come to know from previous albums. Townes remains alive and kickin', thanks to the loving production of Jeanene VZ. Thanks to her for her hard work and devotion, and to the sensitivity of the musicians she selected to work on the album. I think this version of "For The Sake of the Song" is the best yet. It made me really feel sad, all over again, that Townes has left us so soon.$LABEL$1 +Ash Wednesday. As an Elijah Wood fan, I stupidly spent the money to buy the DVD "Ash Wednesday" thinking that if Elijah was in it, it would be worth spending the bucks to see more hours of 'that face' on my television screen. Boy, was I wrong! What an awful movie! And frankly Elijah didn't do well in it because he didn't fit in! Surrounded by dirty, bitter, foul-mouthed losers, he could not quite find his niche. Further more, the storyline is ridiculous. At times it seemed that dialogue was being invented...which actually would be an easy undertaking by depositing a particular four-lettered verb between each and every syllable. If you like Elijah as I do, skip this movie. Buy the much more superior "All I Want".$LABEL$0 +1080i instead of 1080p. this film on blu ray was mastered in 1080i resolution instead of 1080p resolution INTENTIONALLY. it was done to compensate for the framerate of this film and had it been mastered in 1080p it wouldn't have been compatible with north american television's frame-rate capabilities! amazon, PLEASE BRING THIS ITEM BACK! the one star review is just to get this review noticed so more people speak up, and it in no way reflects my opinion of the title itself***EDIT 10/21/11***hey! someone listened! amazon brought the item back!$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for. I wanted this watch because I wanted a slim, all black watch that would bit a small wrist. It is that, but the battery died in about two weeks...given that batteries cost as much as this watch - it's a wash.$LABEL$0 +This is a "Short Stories" review since there isn't one. After all that's been said above about this heroic album, "Olias," it would be silly to go on. Since I haven't found the first Jon & Vangelis album, "Short Stories," on Amazon, I thought I'd give it a go. At the time, knowing that Yes had disbanded yet again but in a way that signalled a true breakdown of the 70's musical vision, I was a desperate man. "Short Stories" should be made available by Amazon because it is the LAST Yes-vision album to be written. Vangelis rises to the occasion orchestrally and rythmically while Jon delivers the cleverest melodies. I only wrote this to tell you it's one of the last jems from the Yes-related folks at their best. That's all.$LABEL$1 +Fun book for kids. We liked this book and my 23 month old (well she was 19 or 20 months old when we go the book)liked the colors and the interactive parts in the book. The only problem is that she liked to rip out the pop-pout parts of the book, so it was a struggle to read the book w/ her. I'd recommend this book for children over 2 years of age.$LABEL$1 +Oh Puleezzzeee!!!. Look, this is another badly researched conspiracy books. The links are not diffinitively diffinitive. It comes down to this, there were no links to Islamic terrorists beyond the intangible. It is just another attempt to make us feel safe that we cannot have domestic terrorists in this country. That is the same kind of ostrich reaction that gave us 9/11.$LABEL$0 +BlackBerry 8100 8100c Pearl Leather Pocket Case. Awesome! Fits 8100 perfectly. Keeps phone scratch-free and looking new. Great quality case that has held up better than I expected. I truly recommend this if you don't like belt-clips.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the price. I bought two of these to stack and wish I had saved the receipt and box to return them. The space between the racks is very small. I can barely fit the shoes in them. The depth is also limited and does not fit adult sized shoes very well. The edges are sharp - my husband scratched his leg going around the corner. An almost useless product and way over priced!$LABEL$0 +Mostly sleazy with a few good moments. There are a few good laughs but mostly it is exploitive and sleazy. This is especially so of the grandfather who is advising his teenage grandchildren to have all the sex they can.As is typical of much of Hollywood, it is well produced and acted, but he content is quick and shallow.$LABEL$0 +Blenders Christmas Album. This is the second Blenders album we've purchased. Their sound is contemporary, but doesn't lose the spirit of Christmas in their singing. I guess this group is gospel, but their sound is wonderful, cheerful, uplifitng and makes one happy that it's Christmas.$LABEL$1 +Garbage. ComPlete bland soulless tripe. Especially unfaithful, that has the worst beat possibly ever its simPly annoying. Corporate turd polishing at it's best.$LABEL$0 +This is not a classic!. The Philadelphia Story is pure garbage. People and critics have always raved about this movie so I decided to watch it and see for myself, to my utter disbelief this film is nonsense. The plot is childish and goes nowhere and the non-stop talking drove me insane 30 minutes in. Jeez Katharine Hepburn never shuts her big fat mouth, talk, talk, talk! James Stewart is pretty good but he didn't deserve the Oscar. This film is for whiny, spoiled upper-middle class nutcases! I hate it sorry but I can't pretend this is cinema art.$LABEL$0 +WONDERFUL FOR CHILDREN!. I bought this for my 3yr old granddaughter. She has watched it again & again. It's her favorite movie. She puts on her Tinker Bell Fairy Costume and has so much fun!$LABEL$1 +Load of Crap. One of the worst books I've ever read. He wrote it hoping to get a movie -- just plot and action--NO character development. He's supposed to be a novelist. Let me tell you, I've read much, much better non-fiction crime writers; books that aren't novels but read like novels. I'm so glad I paid only 1 cent for the book. We should demand more from our writers.$LABEL$0 +poor quality, but "I got what I paid for". Knives in picure are not what was sent-very similar though. Pay a cheap price, get a cheap product. Locking mechanisms on knives are poor. I took the best/sturdiest knife sailing for 3days, despite the fact that the blade says "STAINLESS" the blade was rusty from the humidity alone. If in fact it is stainless, it has to be the lowest quality stainless in the world. No stainless knife should show rust from humidity over 3days. I would not buy again. I would have been better off spending the $$ on one higher quality knife.$LABEL$0 +Nearly a waste of time!. This story is a very typical "makeover and get the guy" romance. The characters I could have really cared less about and the author spends more time talking about shopping sprees and interior decorating than she does on who these people really are. I was expecting more from Howard, but didn't get it. I recommend this book if you have nothing else left on your bookshelf.$LABEL$0 +There is no place like home and friends. All writing needs a beginning, middle, and an end. The adventures of four unlikely critters longing for excitement stretches the imagination to believe they are real people in real life situations. The story would appeal to children. I read it as part of my bucket list to visit books l DID not read as a child. It was enchanting and had political undertones.$LABEL$0 +Dis Thang iz gon' bee blazin' hot !. Although I only know the 1st single ALL I KNOW I think the album of the GODFATHER OF NOIZE will be the bomb! Keep the HIP-HOP Sh*t real in 99! Peace!J$LABEL$1 +Too Cute!. This cell phone holder is adorable. The only problem is that it doesn't allow you to attach it to anything; you have to have something to attach it TO. I use a gold "caribeener" to hook it onto my purse straps. What's nice about this holder besides its appearance is that there is a small pocket inside that will hold a Bluetooth earpiece. I love it and have received a lot of compliments on it.$LABEL$1 +i love them, but they're not durable for excersize. Well, I love these headphones, about 3 or 4 years ago I started buying them, because they don't allow any interference to enter your ear. I love the bass sound, and the overall loud sound they provide. The only complaint I have is that the cord is very frail, and because of this, these headphones cannot be used for running, or any other physical activities. I've purchased other similar koss headphones to see if they can be used for this, but they all seem to have the same issue.$LABEL$1 +not well made. The suit is poorly made and the helmet is lame. It is a flimsy plastic, comes in two pieces that then velcro together. The velcro doesn't stay on the plastic very well, and the helment is hard to get on and off for a child by himself.$LABEL$0 +I'd like that shower now, please.... There's an amazing quote on the back cover of this book, something along the lines of, "Without obscenity, our cities are dreary places and life is bleak." And wholeheartedly agreeing - the Disneyfication of NYC 42nd Street to my mind rips the heart out of the city - I plunge in. What do I find? Nothing much that's terribly obscene, merely sorta sad and tawdry. The only thing that seperates it from a technically accomplished photodocumentation of a fratboy bachelor party is the mild millennial frisson the [gaijin] reader gets from the Tokyo floating-world setting. The Kenneth Starrs of the world (and there are lots, wouldn't you know) will find plenty to gasp at - "Look! She's got his penis in her mouth! Shocking!". But for the rest of us, Araki-san and his many imitators will have to do better if they truly want to save us from our sterilized, sanitized, thoroughly G-rated future.$LABEL$0 +Works perfectly!. I get a few video dropouts from importing video to my laptop from my MiniDV camcorder. But since this is the only time that I've ever had to deal with firewire, I rated it 5 stars because the video looks amazing! So I don't know if the dropouts are due to my hardware/software or this cord. Either way, the dropouts are negligible for personal video production so I highly recommend this.$LABEL$1 +works as it should. This was easy to install only took a few minutes after removing the old tank. This tank is working fine after a month of use.$LABEL$1 +Cold Creek Manor DVD. I never was able to watch this movie. It was made for some other "region" so would not play on any USA device. When I contacted the company the return policy was so complicated I just said "forget it". Very disappointed. They should have stated in the description that this would not play in USA.$LABEL$0 +Great introduction to Queen, this tape changed my life.. After hearing Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio some time ago, I stormed into my parents cd collection and pulled out Classic Queen to listen to that marvelous Freddie Mercury hit. Soon I began to listen to the other tracks on the album and instantly fell in love with the band's unique sound. Right then I knew I had to see this band in action. When I popped in the tape right from its fabulous plastic wrapped box I sat for 80 minutes straight in awe. This provoked me to start a band, even though I only played the didgerido. Soon enough I had joined a real band, bought a cheap Johnson bass, and practiced incessantly. Now I sit back and jam with my band on my Fender fretless sunburst jazz bass pondering where I would be without that splendid video.$LABEL$1 +Hollywood Hogwash. The thrilling action sequences do not make up for the complete lack of historical accuracy, and anti-British tirade. Will American audiences swallow anything? The portrayal of a peace loving, patriotic, slave-freeing Hollywood hero is enough to make Ghandi vomit. Not that Mel Gibson is a bad actor, or the directing is poor, it's just that the message is absolute garbage.I'm a student from England, and am particularly interested in the British Empire and the colonies in the Americas. But this portrayal of valiant and innocent rebels standing up to evil, Nazi-like redcoats is laughable. British soldiers burning people alive in a church? On what grounds do they base that? The American rebels were early terrorists, not freedom fighters. Half of Americans liked British rule and King George, bless them!See the film if you must, it's quite enjoyable, but dig out your history books later and learn a few home truths about the American revolution. Long live the British!$LABEL$0 +Lots of fuss over very little. I really just don't get the fuss. So far this year this is the most mediocre book I've bothered finishing. And the only reason I finished is because a friend recommended it. I ended up skimming huge chunks just to get through it.The plotting was transparent. With perhaps two exceptions I could pretty much tell what was going to happen. Boring.The characterization was nonexistent. The heroine had no personality, the hero was perfect and had no personality, the secondary characters were archetypes. Boring.The world building was thrown at you in undigestible chunks at the beginning. A good author weaves the world seamlessly into the plot, IMO.And how hokey - she gets a normal face and doesn't know if she's ugly or pretty . And worst of all, this book ends in the middle of nowhere. It. Just. Ends. ARGH!!If I hadn't gotten this book from the library and had actually paid full cover price for it I would be frothing at the mouth.$LABEL$0 +great while it lasted.... This coffee grinder made great coffee...for a while. After two years, it started acting up and now does not work at all. Quite a shock the day I went to make my coffee and couldn't! Ended up using my food processor for my beans that day...yech.$LABEL$0 +Love it!. My grandsons love Bibleman. I have bought 5 of the videos so far (and the costumes, at their request). This is my all time favorite so far. The villain, Shadow of Doubt, is a scream. He plays it just right and his dance number with the two dark sisters is hilarious and inspired. Everything just works in this video, a real treat to watch and has some good lessons.$LABEL$1 +A must for children of all ages. This was excellent!!! Tina Arena was very beautiful. Glenn Close was wonderful too. Micheal Ball has always been my favorite broadway singer. He was wonderful in Les Miserables, and he can do no wrong! Sarah Brightman was terrific, and Micheal Crawford was missed. Lottie Mayor is so wonderul,she is my new favorite. Everyone should leave Antonio Banderas alone. He was wonderful. He did a terrific job, and he would make a great Phantom. Andrew Lloyd Weber is wonderful, eventhough he stole most of his stuff from the early Italian composers.$LABEL$1 +It's just plain WRONG!!!!. How could anyone make Barbie Arwen and Aragorn dolls, that is wrong on so many levels!Tolkien did not write the Lord of the Rings to have dolls made out of his characters to be played with by 2 year olds who can not even start to grasp what the Lord of the Rings is about and the fact that Tolkien was a genius!People should not by this it is just offending! I mean honstly Barbie itself is just lame, but they don't have to bring in a brilliant film and book into their stupid toys made to amuse stupid 2 year olds!!!! Come on now honestly, I just can't believe they did that!!! Grrrrrr...$LABEL$0 +A Gem. My sister turned me on to this cd years ago, when it first came out. I didn't even know who Christinia was. She stole my heart. And till this day, I still pull this cd out and listen to it. What great talent, a treasure.$LABEL$1 +excellent and souful music. I thoroughly enjoyed the first cd although it was kind of pop sounding. But this cd is very well written and performed. Joey's voice has really matured. The lyrics have a great deal of meaning and depth. I normally listen to OZZY, MARILYN MANSON, and NIN, but this CD is a definite change of pace. If you can get it, do so because it has a beat and it is a cd that anyone will like. When I told my niece about this "new" discovery, she asked if I had been living under a rock. This cd is probably one of the better ones I have, so do get it, you won't disappointed. I am looking forward to his next cd. :)$LABEL$1 +Love It!. It is so refreshing to receive a product and it's just as it was described. I love this grill and and it works just as they said it would. I recommend watching the care and cleaning video offered on the web sight as it will make a difference to your grilling experience with this product.$LABEL$1 +GABO, AT HIS BEST, REJOICING IN MAGIC REALISM. A tropicalized Abelarde-et-Heloise-like story, in which a rabies epidemic is confused with diabolic possession. A beauty of Spanish + African ancestry, already incubating rabies, is pursued by a monk who was in his way to become a saint. Both the young woman and the monk fall for each other with a passion that challenges State and Church, the latter intent in destroying them through its instrument of terror, the Inquisition. They cannot win, of course, but they shake both structures. Her hair does not stop growing even after death. The estate of the decrepit Marquis and his love/hate relationship with his un-titled spouse of mixed origin are only surpassed by GABO himself in his Autumn of the Patriarch.$LABEL$1 +Ripped me off... Bait and Switch PRO's!. I ordered this item and it was a complete bait and switch... I was charged 51.00 US and was shipped the ONE piece (hand masker ONLY) and was NOT given my change back nor DID AMAZON do anything about it once I complained to them of these guys pulling the bait and switch. This said I STOPPED spending my hard earned money here altogether, as they need us/our money much more than we need them. Until they either give me the product that I actually PAID for I am not spending another dime within Amazon which is unfortunate because most vendors here do indeed have great products and morals as to NOT pull the old bait and switch. The major problem I have here is that Amazon did NOTHING after I placed a complaint in their system... You think they have your back until you actually get ripped off to find they actually don't care.Bu-buy Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Camp Counselor Needed Equipment!. When I was a camper, my counselor would read Tajar tales to me at night. I loved to hear about the misadventures of Tajar and when I was very young and had a very huge imagination, I swear I really did see Tajar right before I left camp! Now that I am a Girl Scout counselor (at the same camp I went to as a child) I continue the tradition and read Tajar Tales to my campers every night!$LABEL$1 +Petsafe Battery Review. The Petsafe Battery does not live up to the specs that indicate that it will be approximately 3 months life. One of the recent batteries I purchased was completely dead in 2 weeks. Typical is 2 months.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic!!!. Since purchasing this original for my son, it has gone through three children, all of whom can't get enough of this book. Even my eldest whom does not enjoy reading, will gladly read this to his younger sister. I recommend this book for any age. The pics are simple and colorful. The language is relateable to all.Great enjoyment!$LABEL$1 +NOT VERY HAPPY. I BOUGHT THE DYSON VACUUM AFTER HEARING SO MANY GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT AND READING ALL OF THE REVIEWS. I MUST SAY THAT WHILE IT DOES PICK UP A LOT OF DOG HAIR AND DIRT IN YOUR CARPET IT DOES NOT GET IT ALL. I HAVE A HOOVER WIND TUNNEL, AND I WENT BACK OVER WHAT I JUST VACUUMED WITH THE DYSON, AND IT PICKED UP A WHOLE CANISTER FULL OF DIRT AND DOG HAIR. SO WHAT CAN I THINK BUT I JUST WASTED A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY ON A VACUUM THAT I SHOULD HAVE NEVER BOUGHT, AND JUST STUCK TO MY HOOVER. THE CANISTER IS A LOT EASIER TO EMPTY ON THE DYSON VACUUM. BUT IN THE END I AM A LOT MORE CONCERNED WITH GETTING ALL OF THE DIRT AND HAIR OUT OF MY CARPET AND THIS DYSON MODEL DOES NOT DO IT.$LABEL$0 +Good and funny!. Anyone who's ever planned even one wedding knows how out of hand things can get. This poor woman is a bridesmaid in three separate weddings in one summer, so she's tearing her hair out even before the murders start! If you're planning a wedding, and about to kill the caterer or your future in-laws, read this instead.$LABEL$1 +Good book good insight. Very insightful. Looking forward to reading his other book on war. Hate how you have to have a word count to leave a review.$LABEL$1 +Respect and admiration for a brave bibliophile. Wow...this lady can READ! If she's read half of those she's recommended in two volumes, RE-read many of them, AND found the time to write these books-listing-books atop that, well...I'm truly impressed. That's a life well-lived in the world of reading.It's all a matter of opinion, but a few of her suggestions were outright bombs where I labored to get to page 10 (Amazon probably will strike me down for saying so, but thank God the library's free). Then again, there were a few which more than made up for them-and which I'd never have tried otherwise. I was delighted to find a few of my own favorites among her lists, and some that I'd found to be blatantly missing.The important thing is to keep reading once you find an author or a style you love. If it's not on Nancy Pearl's list, it could-and should-be on your own.$LABEL$1 +awful. worst microphone I've ever used. lots of noise, loss of signal within feet of the receiver. had to order new microphones same day. yes it's cheap so I don't expect nearly as much... but cheap trash is still trash.update:ended up buying this: Nady DKW Duo VHF Handheld Wireless Microphone System and it was worlds better and still very affordable.$LABEL$0 +Finally got a copy.... After hearing this on XM radio for well over a year, I finally got a copy in the Amazon market place. This is some great, jangly guitar pop. I hope they're still around, and make another album.$LABEL$1 +Well, I had some reservations, but not anymore.... It's not Soundgarden, and it's not Rage: it's just Audioslave. The name may be cheesy, but the music speaks for itself. It's a blend of thundering guitar riffs in "Set It Off" and "Show Me How To Live" that only be from Tom Morello and soul-pounding songs like "I Am the Highway" and "The Last Remaining Light" that have established Cornell as the most versatile singer of the past two decades. There are a few slow moments in the album with "Like A Stone," but make no mistake, rock has finally returned to the ariways. I really didn't care for the CD upon the first listen, but after the second, I was on board.$LABEL$1 +Great VALUE!!!!. I purchased this frame as a Valentine's gift after doing a lot of research online. I am very satisfied with the overall quality and appearance. The internal memory is great and easy to fill using the suplied USB cable. Also the ability to use the SD card right from our camera was a plus.The only con I have on the frame is the instructions included. I was a little disappointed in the depth of the included instruction sheet, but the ease of use overcame the lacking instructions.I would buy this product again without a second thought.$LABEL$1 +The Eyes of Gray Wolf. I emailed the sender to explain that I needed this item quickly. It was shipped right away and exactly as promised!$LABEL$1 +Classic. Nice, was all the classic cartoons i remember as a child + some extras like Chilly Willy, Andy Panda, & such!$LABEL$1 +Wonderful to give to a new mom!. My mother gave this book to me right after my son was born. She liked the general mothering idea it proposed - sort of a "whatever you do, so long as you do your best, all will be OK." It was wonderful to read Maria's thoughts on motherhood (and all of it's ups and downs) while I was still adjusting myself. I read most of it while breastfeeding (the early months can be marathon feedings)!$LABEL$1 +Sylvania 6615LE - Excellent choice for small crisp picture.. Unpacked the item, and immediately plugged it into my HDTV Set top box using the component output. Voila! a beautiful 1080i picture as stated in the technical specs!.. I then hooked it up to a 2.4Ghz audio/video sender connected to my satellite dish and voom! now have crisp satellite images from the living room TV in our Kitchen, with a very nice, compact 15" self supporting GREAT television set!!. Did I mention it is now a WIRELESS TV?.. Tons of great things you can do with this TV/HD Monitor that many stores that sell the item don't even know about. Fry's electronics said that this set couldn't be capable of displaying HD at that price! Ha I say!$LABEL$1 +Fine for killing time on a 5-hr flight, but mostly boring.... Grisham's "The Street Lawyer" won't keep you turning the pages with excitement like his earlier novels ("The Firm", "The Pelican Brief"). There's not a whole lot of suspense, fear, or emotion in this novel -- the main character has an epiphany that leads him to leave his high-paying, power law firm for a street clinic, helping out the homeless with their legal problems -- not the stuff of a thriller. To be sure, there's some contrived tension arising from some shady characters threatening physical violence and the hope that you're still reading The Firm. But the story mostly just unfolds and then gets resolved. At least the main character doesn't end up living in Aruba at the end of this story :-)For true Grisham fans (and I'm one of them), it's a quick and easy read that you might as well add to your collection, but it won't leave you talking about it the next day like many of his other novels...$LABEL$0 +tassimo cleaning disc. my original disc disappered.... i bought this one and it works as well as the original one. the color of the disc is yellow, which makes no difference$LABEL$1 +too much M$, too primitive. This book is horrible, too much IE5 loving. Has no or very little XSL references, but has a couple of chapters exclusively por IE5. Otherwise, it's too primitive a book, and doesn't allow to extend knowledges. Has interesting appendixes, however$LABEL$0 +the secret of her success. Gail Evans sets down the rules, both spoken and unspoken, that it takes to get ahead and be successful in business. Because they were created by men, following them as a woman presents a different set of challenges.Luckily, Evans lays out these rules in a practical, sympathetic manner. I guarantee that even if you're already a successful business-woman, you'll find at least a few things here that are helpful and surprising.Sexist-sounding or not, men do see the world differently than women, at least when it comes to business. Women, Evans argues, are socialized differently and because of this need to be aware of how men have set up the game, otherwise they will continue to be overlooked. That's why a book like this is such a help.$LABEL$1 +Great for cooling down your steering wheel!. This is an elastic, fuzzy cover for your steering wheel. Nothing fancy, but it does what I wanted it to do, which is keep my steering wheel from getting to searing temperatures during the summer in Houston. It slides around a very little bit on the wheel, but it doesn't bother me at all. My last one (same thing) lasted about 3-4 years before the elastic broke. It didn't fade or degrade during that time either. It was one of the few options that didn't have dragons, or butterflies, or flames on it too. So if your looking for a nice plain cover to keep the wheel cool, this is the winner :)$LABEL$1 +Surprising disappointment. I gave up on King when he stopped writing horror a few years ago, but had to pick this one up. The Talisman was one of the best King (/Straub) books, so it seems that a sequel would be a sure hit. Unfortunately, this is not really a sequel to the Talisman. Its more of a horror/mystery story with some talisman references tacked on to the end. It was a good story, but the whole time I kept thinking how much better it could have been (Imagine Jack, Henry and Beezer on a journey through the territories).The first 500 pages could have been a lot shorter, leaving more room for what we really want - Jack in the territories again.I think the high point was the tie-in to the gunslinger series though, wonder how he talked Straub into that?$LABEL$0 +Not sure of star rating since not opened yet, so. can anyone tell me if this cd is in english?I know that might sound like a dumb question,but I'm not sure and it's a stocking stuffer.Thanks, Arleen$LABEL$0 +About as funny as cancer!!!!!. She sucks and so does this video. I thought that I would give her another chance...well I remembered why I didn't like her.$LABEL$0 +Great book, should be required reading in all public schools.. If it isn't true, why wasn't he sued?This book shows how low the American people have become that they have no clue what is going on. This book proves that America has seen its best days.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. Having purchased nearly every ballpark book in existence, I have to say that this one falls short of the mark. The author, evidently a Dodger fan, (pages and pages on Dodger Stadium and Ebbets field) gives scant information on many of the parks with some really poor pictures, when pictures are provided at all. For example, the author never shows an interior picture of the new Miller Park. There are much better books dealing with ballparks - skip this one, its not worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Point and Pray. Poor latch on battery compartment will eventually admit water, ruining the camera. Lack of a viewfinder forces you to rely on the LCD screen which washes out completely in sunlight.$LABEL$0 +OPEN YOUR F#@#!$G EARS!. I think that reviewer s. woodson is a dumbass and wouldn't know good music if it kicked him in his ass. These guys are as good as it gets in my book and they deserve the respect that they have earned.$LABEL$0 +i have no complains. i have rated it 5 stars i have no complains or problemsthe item came i the time as they say it woud, and in god shape$LABEL$1 +Great first part story. Much like his earlier work "Disinherited / Legacy / Debt of Ages" in scope and feel but with a deepening sense that the main characters will not "live happily ever after". This book seems to be the historical background of a multi-part epic and I await the next installment with anticipation.$LABEL$1 +Unintelligible. The sound for this toy is so bad as to renderit useless I. Regrettably, I had to return itand eat the postage. Nice concept for a toy, butunintelligible audio is not acceptable in a teachingtoy!$LABEL$0 +Small but cute!. Nice attention to detail, as with all Schleich products. I have this cute little guy on my desk at work.$LABEL$1 +Excellent product. I am the clumsy sort who spills red wine on carpets, furniture, etc. on a regular basis. I have been using Wine Away for over a year now and am amazed at how effective it is - and not just on wine but on a variety of other stains as well.$LABEL$1 +Britney is terrible. This is more proof that Britney is a joke, she'll be out of a career in maybe...a year or two. Once the little boys and girls who love her grow up and realize that there is real music out there, they'll desert her. I thought the DVD prooves that she is terrible. Anyone thinking of buying this DVD, DON'T. All the 5 star reviews are from little kids who would give Britney 5 stars if it was great or bad, and bad in this case. Don't buy this DVD.$LABEL$0 +Bifocal shades. Excellent product, performs as advertised. I use them for cruising and everyday use while riding my motorcycle.My only issue is the ear pieces seemed a little tight in the back, but a hot water soak and a little bending relaxed them and fixed the problem.$LABEL$1 +So very odd.... I bought this book because of the good review I read in 'Preview' and was really kind of confused when I actually sat down and read it. I have never read anything like it, the whole set up and style was foriegn to me. I found the story itself pretty depressing. At least the parts of it I understood. I can see how some people would consider it deep and moving, but when I finished it I just felt like I had been tricked out of fourteen bucks. Read the first few pages of the preview on this site, it gives you a pretty good idea of the tone of the book. Wish that I had done that.$LABEL$0 +Gotcha journalism. For documentary, this movie is far from objective. It's almost as bad as watching a Michael Moore film: a bunch of cleverly edited gotcha questions and responses$LABEL$0 +This game rots!. Decent Graphics. The worst gameplay I've ever seen. This game looks like the engine comes from a starwars game. The car glides above the pavement. There is no tire contact feel at all. Mine will be on E-bay very soon.$LABEL$0 +Unbelievable Talent. I could listen to this talented musician all day! Wish some of her talent would rub off on me.$LABEL$1 +Great little knife. I have two other Ken Onion knives that I truly like but wanted a smaller knife. this knife is perfect for what I use it for.$LABEL$1 +A Big Disapiontment. I was really looking forward to reading this book, but half way through I was still waiting for it to kick off. Unfourtunatly it didn't, the book is very slow, and the ending was quite poor. I don't think i'll be reading any of her other books, not impressed at all.$LABEL$0 +Typical China Junk. Most of the good reviews are on older models. The new ones are made in China. Typical Chinese quality control. The "0" ring on the lid will leak after awhile, if you use the lid to drink from, the coffee tastes like plastic. Who knows what chemicals China uses in the plastic liner of the cup.Also, it says it holds 34 ounces. Maybe, all of the way full.......but not with the stopper screwed in.I had one that lasted 2 years. Thermos would not give me a replacement. I am looking for a new thermos, but I will never buy another Thermos branded item.$LABEL$0 +Poor performer. I have a smaller spt sh-1507 model heater and I've been happy with it, so I bought this thinking its big brother must be better. This heater feels and looks like cheap plastic similar to what you get with those cheap toys you win playing skee-ball. The unit ran for hours and never heated up the small room 10x12 room it was in, even though the smaller sh-1507 could heat it up just fine. The digital controls also appeared to be flaky. As the unit oscillated, I could see it change the temp 4 times in a single oscillation. We used this for about 2 days before we boxed it up and returned it.$LABEL$0 +NIce. I love these poems! The people that come up with the poems, do a wonderful job. I bought so many of these for family. Everytime it brings a tear to there eyes!$LABEL$1 +GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT,DON'T BOTHER WASTING YOUR MONEY. was expecting this to be uncut and instead was disappointed by it as it is the same as the television broadcast,considering on sueing adult swim,seth green and company for false advertising of this product.so, if you want to hear everything being bleeped out or if your as mad as i am about this then don't waste your time and money on this product as it is the same on your tv as it is here.$LABEL$0 +A nice change. Actually, I'm not a very big fan of the Stars. But when I picked up this album I loved it. It's refreshing, different, a little twangy but not overly-so. It's definitely a departure from the Stars...but isn't that the point of going solo? I say bravo...and frankly I think she has done just as well as Emily Haines.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money and time. Junk - Professional junk, Don't waste your money and time buying this garbage, it's really noise, slow, it doens't do thin slices at all and you only can work 10 minutes, after that you have to live 1 hour to cool it off. What kind of proffesional equipment is this?? Shame on Amazon, selling this kind stuff. Please be more carefull on what you sell. If is possible try it out before selling. I'm really, really desappointed.$LABEL$0 +No diamonds at all. I have bought this watch as a mothers day gift, especially for the diamonds that were described. It is a chic watch but there is no diamonds at all! (You can estimate how big my dissapointment is) I don't think it's real price worths more than 30 USD.If you want to have a watch with diamonds DON'T BUY THIS WATCH.$LABEL$0 +one of the best role playing game ever !. i have a ds and i wish this was on it but to bad! i got it as a suprise for my gamecube and its a blast. you get to be any bratz girl. you can even text message to other bratz! its so fun because in there is cloe, yasmine, sasha, and jade! those are the girls you can be but here are the others. roxxie, maygen, phobe, cameron, dylan, coby and a new girl! its amazing because you can go to 15 diffrent stores for fashion! you can talk to others and to diffrent tasks! you can collect special money to go to the movies or get your hair done or get makeup! you get an office so you can finish your magazine and the fashions are so cool. there is hats glasses and you can take photos and so much more! its a role play but you also have to do some jobs too. its a great bratz game that will be hot in christmas.$LABEL$1 +Playing with Chessmen. Not too heavy, not to light.Some are black, some are white.The pieces, I mean, and the board I guess too.I would buy this one again, if I were you.$LABEL$1 +I REALLY REALLY WISH I COULD HATE THIS GAME. Being one of my most wanted items on the top of my Christmas wish list last year I was really happy when my Survivor game arrived courtesy of Santa himself and I couldn't wait to play it. The day after Christmas the trouble began as the game froze while trying to load an immunity challenge and I ended up starting the game again and the day after that the game froze AGAIN at the very same part and starting the game over again was very tiring for me. Finally tired of messing with the game i took Survivor out and popped in the Sims and I was really happy. Mark Burnett should be really ashamed of what Infogames has really done to the computer games of his creation. And people and diehard Survivor fans will be disappointed with this game. Let The buyer beware,P.S. Mark Burnett could you ask Infogames to create a game starring my crush Rocco Dispirito plese?$LABEL$0 +A Pretentious Mess. This book about the shallow, pretentious, loathsome super rich in Manhattan is, in itself, equally shallow and pretentious. A bitter chore to read and impossible to finish.$LABEL$0 +HORRIBLE BOOK - WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. I am a network engineer with almost 10 years experience. I have typically shied away from certification tests because I have always found them to be of the "right answer, wrong answer and TEST ANSWER" category. Security+ is absolutely no different but my job required that I take this certification. I signed up for a class at the local college and this was the textbook for that class.I read the book cover to cover twice, skimmed it twice more, answered the end-of-chapter questions, took the practice exam included on the cd over 20 times and passed everytime with scores 85% and higher. I failed the security+ exam. The difference between the questions on the test and the topics in this book was amazing. DO NOT RELY ON THIS HORRIBLE BOOK TO GET YOU THRU THE TEST. IT IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.If I could have given it negative stars, I would.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. After reading the claims that this book would turn the world on it's ear, I was expecting a whole bunch more. There's been more than 50 years of scientific research into fossil fuels, I find it difficult to believe that all of a sudden everything we know about oil is wrong. A few quoted technicians versus 1000's of teams of geologists and research specialists doesn't seem like a fair match.This book didn't prove it to me, oil is fairly obviously becoming harder and harder to drill for, and more expensive to bring up. The Canadian Shale takes almost as much energy in natural gas to produce the oil as it's worth, and they can only generate a million barrels a day. Hardly enough to make a difference in a world that uses 89 million barrels of oil per day.For another book in this category I highly recommend Michael Ruppert's "Crossing the Rubicon". THAT book makes sense, and scares me as a see the effects of our diminishing cheap oil supply.$LABEL$0 +Great Naval Aviation Sim. So you want to fly a Navy Jet but you don't have the time... no problem just buy this gameIn this game you fly the F/A 18 E/F superhornet which is s navy jet take off the carrier shoot a few bandits turn back call the ball and land. Sound exiting well if it is from Jane's it's got to be.Sure its not as good as USAF but that was a once in a lifetime game.$LABEL$1 +works. i believe it does work .but i take a bunch of stuff to increase milk so i am not sure which one does the trick.$LABEL$1 +Forward thinking. I believe we are all given a brief time to share the gospel with others. And in the process, we should always be looking for others to "take our place"...so to speak. The Leadership Baton gives a practical view on how to do just that. These are people (the authors) who have obviously "practiced what they preached" and are genuinely serving God, remembering we are all here for a brief time. And we all should be asking the Lord how we can help others become servant leaders. I recommend it to anyone in leadership roles in the church, be it as a profession or a layman.$LABEL$1 +True Appalachia. If you have an interest in Appalachian cultre, history, literature, or women this is a must. I discovered this book while doing research on female Appalachian writers (a genre largely ignore by the literary communiy). These writers will touch your heart, bring a tear to your eye, bring a smile and make you laugh out loud. The best collection of Appalachian writing I have had the good fortune to come across. A wonderful way to experience Appalahia if you are a stranger to the culture, an even better way to remember it if you've left the area, and finally a wonderful stroll down memory lane if you are living it.$LABEL$1 +Not what I had hoped. I was hoping this would take care of my ball of foot pain but it hasnt done the trick. I guess I will need to find a full length insert as this one isnt cutting it.$LABEL$0 +Ho-Hum, the humor is kind of mean. I watched this once and wasn't too impressed. I did not see the original so didn't know the back stories, but I still felt like I knew what was going on. Nothing jumped out as being good, however, as a mom, I don't think I want my son watching this.Hood goes into training with a group of women known as "Sisters of the Hood." There's women there of all ages but there is one old lady who seems to be the comic relief. As in, a rolling pin hits her and that's supposed to be funny. I'm not sure why, but it's supposed to be. Then later on she falls (not sure why, maybe something else hits her) but then the head lady steps on her. Hard. In fact she walks all over her. It's like she did it purposely! Why is being mean to an old lady funny? Is there a back story in which this old lady did something that I am unaware of? I didn't like my son seeing this kind of behavior. Which actually worked out well because even though we saw it once, he never asked to see it again.$LABEL$0 +Works as advertised. Ignore the product photo. This is a more basic model, teal green with rotary dial controls, not pushbuttons.Still, it does what it claims and comes in handy for timed watering needs. Reasonably priced for what it does.$LABEL$1 +challenging theme, bad writing. For those who feel the dramatic difference between the 1950-1960 generation, and that of 1970-1980,and are troubled by it, this book is the answer. It compiles all the possible reasons - psychological and sociological, explaining why the young are what they are and behave these days. The facts and figures cited are interesting and convincing.However, the writing is dry and technical, semi-scientific, could be much more lively and artistic if case-reports, personal stories or interviews were added.$LABEL$1 +Battery Life is horrid. I was given this drill/screwdriver as a gift. Right off the bat, it would not hold a charge for more than 24 hrs. And to top it off, the battery is not user replaceable. This is the worst kind of NiCad device; when the batteries go bad (memory effect?) and the device is useless. I will not ever get anything with NiCad's unless the batteries are replaceable.$LABEL$0 +Good.. This product was in the exact condition that the seller described it as. this was a very pleasant interaction and deal.$LABEL$1 +Learning to Read with Reader Rabbit. I ordered this software for my almost 4 year old who loved the Reader Rabbit Toddler software, but had outgrown it. To get the most out of it, your child should have the ability to hold and click a mouse, and should already have basic recognition of capital and lower-case letters. The lowest level is perfect for my child but would have been too difficult at ages 3 - 3 1/2. The software teaches both letter and word recognition as well as phonics. The games are cute and when your child gets tired of learning to read there are fun songs and graphics to listen to with "reading propaganda" lyrics about how fun and important it is to learn to read.$LABEL$1 +Very Nice Watch. Excellent Serivce. This was my first Amazon purchase and it turned out to be very pleasant. The watch is excellent for the price. Also the service was as promised. Thanks Amazon!$LABEL$1 +Riki-Oh I just wasted 25 bucks!. I had high hopes for this film--based on the reviews I read here. I'm a big fan of kung-fu and silly horror films like Evil Dead. I thought this movie would be the best of both worlds. WRONG! This is not a kung-fu movie, it's just a gore film. The "fight" scenes don't even last 30 seconds. Riki simply makes one attack and punches through the bad guys' chest or head. Buy this only if you're a fan of Dead Alive, not if you're into kung-fu.$LABEL$0 +A confusing, poorly written book. A very poorly written book. Many grammatical errors. Tries to justify the Jews as the cause of all problems. No coherent theme. Does not make the difficult Middle East situation any clearer. I'm glad I didn't spend the money to buy the book.$LABEL$0 +More than I expected. I have had this watch now for about a month and it has definitely exceeded my expectations. I was not expecting the quality to be as high as it is - the band alone is probably worth $25.00.I was very surprised that the dials stay readable(not bright)all night long. I have had more expensive watches that wouldn't do that. Also the date magnifier is really nice.I am very pleased!$LABEL$1 +Nice. This is a good piece of workout equipment, especially because it is so slim and portable. My mom uses it and then folds it up and leaves it in the garage. Very handy and looks durable too.$LABEL$1 +A Good Read. The book is told in first person, storied format, which made it really enjoyable to read. I could care less about whether or not it's non-fiction (which the author claims), it's a good, suspenseful espionage type story, that teaches you a little something.I didn't read it looking for political knowledge for debate, I read it to have something to read, and it was good, plain and simple.$LABEL$1 +Its Not As Good As Everyone States. After reading the reviews, I immediately went and purchased the CD. The CD has a few (maybe 3) good tracks, however, it is not the greatest CD that I have heard. I purchase alot of R&B and I would rate this CD on the lower end of those purchased. Maybe he'll improve over time.$LABEL$0 +Big Rock Candy Mountain!. I remember watching these videos when I was a child, and I hope my children will enjoy them just as much as I did. Especially Big Rock Candy Mountain and Wee Sing In Sillyville. I never knew what these movies were called when I was younger so being able to find it today and remember what they were just by looking at it..brought back tons of wonderful memories.Especially since I go around and ask people if they remember "little bunny foo foo." Now I finally know what movie I was reffering too. :]$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Amazing. I absolutely love this stuff- I don't suffer from dry skin but I use this as an all over body moisturizer including my face- I take a tiny bit in my hand and add a splash of water to it and am able to moisturize my whole body- a little goes a long way. Really great product$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Atrocious. The self-aggrandizement is downright nauseating. Randal can easily put you to sleep with his "knowledge" and "insight". The title is a little misleading since you dont even hear a thing about Bin Laden till the sixtieth page practically. All you get from this is how the Bush administration is comparable to the Nazi propaganda machine with it's "Big Lies" and that Israel is the Great Oppresor. His constant chastizing of the Bush administration as simpletons toward their policy on Terror is quite comical since his grand idea is appeasement/containment. Wow , do you think he thought that one up all by himself. Bold thinking I'll tell ya. His blather is extremely numbing anchored by his favorite word, comeuppance. I would give it a negative star if I could$LABEL$0 +Hard to read. Not very interestingThis is not the type of book I enjoy and would not recommend it to anyone to read$LABEL$0 +Excellent music!. This Kate Wolf anthology has many of her best songs. There are some from each album.It has the words and chords. You can make up your own strumming or finger picking.$LABEL$1 +Not too naughty. Not very exciting stories, and barely "naughty". Not as good as lots of other erotic books.$LABEL$0 +The Book of Fate. This was the first time that I read this author. I was intrigued with the Masonic reference and was extremely disappointed in the scarity of masonic references. I also felt the book started slowly and gradually gained speed, but by that time, I just wanted to finish. In fact, I almost put it down mid-way.$LABEL$0 +I must have missed the part about the blood.. I know there was a lot of literature with this product, I did not get through the literature before I found the product hazardous. (Two days.)I am only slightly overweight, but I have found pregnancy weight difficult to get rid of, so gave alli a try. Now I am quite unhappy, and mildly fearful, for having tried it.I can handle a little bit of gross farting and loose stools, but the spots of blood made me very nervous.I threw my pills away. Good luck everyone else.$LABEL$0 +A quick reference to those forgotten legends. First thing you will notice is that this is definitely a picture book. I has pictures of great works of art that depict different interpretations of great legends (and I believe them all) from around the word and throughout time.This book is a keeper. As time passes and your interests move form one location to another this book will get you off the ground with the basics. I checked out Persephone as I have a copy of Dante Gabriele Rossetti's Persoperine in the library. I found references and related art peppered through the book. However, I seem to remember her eating six pomegranate seeds, not one.The book has a clear well organized table of contents (also with pictures), an extensive cross-referenced index and easy to read layout.$LABEL$1 +A "MUST-READ" for parents with extremely difficult children!. My husband and I both shed lots of tears during the reading of this book. Finally! Someone who really understood what we were going through! And to read actual case histories of children just like ours.... I can't tell you the extent of the relief we felt just READING this book. We knew, before we even tried it, that it was going to help our family. Dr. Greene writes in a crisp, easy-to-read format, interjected with humour here and there. This book will be your bible in helping you to manage your chronically inflexible, explosive, difficult child.$LABEL$1 +Didn't like the material. Its press board I wish i had paid more attention before i purchase. The product has gr8 reviews but i am regretting after buying this item.$LABEL$0 +Not quite what I expected!. One might think that since this book is a "tribute" edition it could be a colorful and ambitious item. Don't be fooled fellows! Close to 95% of the pictures are black and white and of very poor quality. I`ve been trying to get my hands on this book for many years and now that I have, can't help but feeling let down. Probably because my expectations were set on the pictures. However if you`re only looking for a retrospective essay this might actually help.$LABEL$0 +Delicious and salty. It's very delicious and I love salty foods .. But I wish that contains olive oil instead of safflower oil :($LABEL$1 +Bad Advertising. I ordered this product before christmas and i put down Gamecube for the system and i got a PC disc my son can not play the PC disc because he does not have that, I would advise you to ask the seller questions before buying. I am not happy with this product until the seller sends me the disc i bought which is for Gamecube.$LABEL$0 +Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was set during the Great Depression in CA. In this book there are two characters called Lennie and George. They are the two migrant workers, who had travel together and they want to save some money and buy a ranch of their own. George is a small person, ¡quick and dark of face¡. He always takes care of Lennie and he act like a father to Lennie. Lennie is a huge man and has a mind of a child. He always gets into trouble. Every time when Lennie gets into trouble, George always gets him out of the trouble. Lennie acts like a son to George. Will George and Lennie make their dream come true or will Lennie¡s weak mind and strong body destroy their dream?The book Of Mice and Men is a good book. I will rate it as four stars. In this book, it has a lot of conflicts and events. Also it tells us how important friendship is event if it is a very hard time. Friendship will help you get through anything.$LABEL$1 +waste of money. I bought a product from Calphalon Commerical Non-stick product line and it was great, so I thought the new Calphalon One should have better quality as they are promoted. It turned out to be a big mistake. I used the product once and it was discolored, besides the cleanup is not as easy as the non-stick edition. I decided to return it right away.$LABEL$0 +Great deal for universal charger. Very good price for a USB wall charger that actually works. I use this for our iPods and phones. For some reason it doesn't seem to charge my iPad which is strange because it's basically a USB charger and should charge all USB devices. Not sure if this is a defect or my case is an anomaly, but all in all very satisfied with this product.$LABEL$1 +not worth buying online. these tattoos look fine, but only have a very few in a pack. definitely not worth buying online bc they get sent in this ridiculous, wasteful packaging. just go to your local museum or little toy shop to pick up a pack.$LABEL$0 +Poorly written...not the usual witty humor. I bought this thinking my 5yo son would love it, as he loves all things Scooby Doo. Well, Scooby and Shaggy are in it, but not very much. Also the Arabian characters all sounded American, and the khalif was a whiny little white boy with glasses...who thought that was appropriate??? And after watching 20 minutes and seeing none of the rest of the gang, no mysteries or puzzles to solve, my 5yo asked to turn it off. That was a first. And I had to agree with him...this movie is just plain boring, and certainly not respectful of the culture.$LABEL$0 +Defective merchandise. The base of the feeder was cracked and the water poured out. Had to be repaired before use.$LABEL$0 +Makes a good cup of coffee, BUT.... I was disappointed after spending $90.00 for this coffee machine. Cons: It is cheaply made, no insulation, very loud, and no water filter. Now the thing that makes me most crazy is the screw down cap on the carafe, it is extremely hard to open after you brew the coffee because the heat from the coffee distorts the cap,, making it next to impossible to unscrew to get your first cup of coffee. The cap has a thin edge with small bumps to grip, very bad design. It slowly gets easier as the coffee looses it heat. Pros: The water comes out at 200 degrees which is a good thing for making a great cup of coffee. The coffee stays hot for a long time like 5hrs. If you don't mind all the negatives than this is the coffee machine for you.$LABEL$0 +Dirty when received.. I was very disappointed when i received this item. I received one that had a stain looks like a blood stain. I cleaned it and it did not go away I was disgusted by it. I was very upset and return the item.$LABEL$0 +Tootsie does not suck :). I have to admit, I was never really a fan of 80's movies. Very few movies filmed in the 80's have ever appealed to me. So after watching Tootsie, I was glad that I had found one comedy made in the 80's that does not suck. In fact, it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, an unemployed actor who pretends to be a woman in order to get a job on a soap opera, and raise enough money to produce his roomate's new play. Bill Murray plays his roomate, and is very funny in this role, one of the funniest I've seen him in actually. Dabney Coleman plays Ron Carlilie, a character you can't help but hate, because of the way he treats Julie. Jessica Lange as$LABEL$1 +A Little Quirky. The book is a little quirky. If you like quirky and a beginner HTML person, this is the book for you.$LABEL$1 +thoughtful, in-depth daily study. thoughtful, solid, in-depth daily study organized to cover passage/topic over the course of several days/weeks - application questions and prayer suggestions are well crafted.Superior to many daily devotional books in its depth because of the multi-day attention to a single challenging passage; MacArthur is always solid Biblically!$LABEL$1 +Easy, effective.. Loved it so much for my one foot's Plantar's Fasciitis, that I got another one to keep my other foot healthy as well. Better than the "against the wall" stretch - a deeper better stretch. This along with getting inserts helped my symptoms go away. (Took 2-3 weeks of just consistent 5 mins 2 x/day, but keep doing it - don't give up!) Also, ice before/after exercise & I did Epsom Salt footbaths as well before I would go to sleep.$LABEL$1 +Terrific product. I wish I would have had this years ago!!! I've tried every method of hair removal available, this is far and away the best!Far less painful than waxing, more practical than shaving.Within an hour of first getting this I had done my legs, arms and face. It is very fast and works right into my regular routine.I noticed that it worked best on 1-2 day stubble after shaving.Tip: Use a loofah sponge to reduce ingrown hairs.$LABEL$1 +Let down. I have read just about all of this collection. I actually was happy when I forgot it on the plane. I did not have to complete it.$LABEL$0 +The Way I Feel. I have become an instant fan. WOW!!! This is the best albumI have heard in a long,long time. Remy Shand is a twenty three year old muisical genius. Every single track is awesome, I can't even say I have a favorite,they are all my favorite. I have already purchased 2 CDs and plan to purchase more to give as gifts. Remy is a wonderful fresh mixture of the old school,Marvin Gaye,Al Green,just to name a few. This guy is here to stay! WOW,WOW,WOW!!$LABEL$1 +Great quality. Really good quality. Shipping was fine. I was surprised that the actual L.A. Woman desing is bigger than what it looks on the picture. Alot bigger. It's a good thing though.$LABEL$1 +Simply inspired. I bought this item as a gift for a woodworker friend and he said that some of the material was very helpful and the rest was "simply inspired." I guess that means that there are helpful tips that are explained in a very user friendly fashion.$LABEL$1 +My Baby kitty really liked the beef flavor.. I have not yet tried the Tuna flavor yet but I will keep you updated on her reaction to these "Greenies".$LABEL$1 +Good but needs some more explanation. I have been reading this book for a couple of weeks and have found it very helpful in my journey towards understanding Java Development. There are lots of examples and the book is generally very readable.I do have a critiscism though. The book in some area's could have done with a little bit more detail in its description of some of the tasks provided by ANT. For example in it's covering of the task the use of the , and tasks within the context of the task was only 2 sentences. Although the authors had covered in a previous chapter they could have discussed them a little bit more in the context of thier use within the task. I had to sit down and work out how to use them rather than relying on a clear explanation by the book.All in all though I have found this book helpful and I now feel as if I understand ANT quite well.$LABEL$1 +Revelation in fiction - awesome. I read the entire series and loved it! It is a great introduction to the book of Revelation and what the End time may look like, on a personal level. If you have seen the movie, don't write the books off yet!The characters have depth, the situations are believable and line up with scripture. It is easy to see this happening in the near future. This is a great book for evangelism as well!$LABEL$1 +you have to read this book. Amazing. Try to remember what it was like to live in your heart. Your future depends on it. A must read$LABEL$1 +Miserable, boring book. I picked this book up with the hope of finding a strong, moving story of a child fighting death. And, for a while, it was pretty good. But the problem is it's basic plot: child fights death. For 100-something pages. The book basically begins with "Johnny is going to die. Lemme tell you all about it. Every day of it." And so on. The plot is alright, but there needed to be more added to it to keep things interesting. It tells you of his slow struggle with death by nearly each excruciating day. Most of the time, it's nothing interesting at all! It's like: Johnny went in for testing. Now I'm going to tell you all about his cancer, all over again. And the testing that happened, and what witty things he said to the nurse, and so on. It's awful. I skipped twenty pages, and I found I was able to pick up exactly where I had left off twenty pages ago. I had missed nothing. That's how much it drags. It's a miserable excuse for literature.$LABEL$0 +Eerily Refreshing!. I watched the movie on TV & am now going to add the DVD to my collection! You're constantly pulled into the plot but never quite know until the end, just exactly what's going on. It's one of those that keeps you on the edge of your seat, all the way to the end, of which the outcome was also a different surprise! It keeps you constantly guessing who's good & who's evil!$LABEL$1 +long time favorite. i bought this for my nephew who hadn't read the story as it was a favorite of my family. he loves it too!$LABEL$1 +fantastic book on the Galapagos wildlife. Thorough, easy to read; technical but easier to read than other books; a great amount of helpful information and some of the information we haven't found anywhere else.$LABEL$1 +Polemic Leavened with Invective. Islamic terror and its roots are an important and fascinating topic worthy of someone who actually speaks Arabic and is a scholar of the region's history. This gadfly book is composed mostly of invective and polemics. I recommend to anyone who seriously wants to consider this subject the work of Professor Bernard Lewis.$LABEL$0 +A ridiculous, hateful and missinformed piece of garbage.. Anyone who is not a complete idiot or blinded by their own religious allegiances knows that the reasons Arabs despise the United States are our ridiculous foreign policies and unabashed imperialism.To suggest that Islam is concerned with the destruction of Christianity and Judaism is complete nonsese. One quick look at the historical record should prove to even the most ardent Lindsey supporter that he is utterly wrong.$LABEL$0 +Substandard product. The cable is skinny and no mark to indicate the wire gauge or any standard body approval. However mark on the male head indicate 250V 6A, which obviously mismatch with the cable capacity. Furthermore, the male metal prongs thickness is so much less than the standard US plugs and cannot stay in the wall socket. It falls off from wall socket very easily.$LABEL$0 +USA Today the Complete 4 Sport Stadium Guide (2nd Ed). An useful book in 1998, getting bit useless in year 2000. A lot of that has to due to old stadiums long gone and new ones coming on line. A book like this needs to be updated every other year or something. 1996 is simply too outdated to be useful to current travelers. I also wish there were more information on nearby lodging instead of one or two entries and a map on how to get there. For a guide book, its rather limited in scope and information. Still, its the only book of its kind right now so we are stuck with it.$LABEL$0 +Petsafe Battery Review. The Petsafe Battery does not live up to the specs that indicate that it will be approximately 3 months life. One of the recent batteries I purchased was completely dead in 2 weeks. Typical is 2 months.$LABEL$0 +Not for babies with sensitive skin. These wipes are very rough. We bought these when our daughter was first born and I ended up not using them on her because she would scream everytime I used them. If your baby has sensitive skin I would recommend the Huggies Newborn or the Huggies supreme wipes. Wipe your face with one and you will see how scratchy they are. Imagine how your baby's bottom feels afterward.$LABEL$0 +Not What I expected.... I ordered this for my husband. It is not good. This Tea has a funky smell and tastes the same. I thought it might just be us so I gave a box to a friend.(I've got alot of it) She came to me the next day and asked if I had tried it? I lied and said "No, Why?" She told me "It's kinda funky tasting and it stinks" She gave it to her Mother-In-Law who is Vietnamese but I haven't heard how that went. I'm hoping the MIL likes it so I can unload the other 5 boxes.Very Disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Too much cheese!. I was disappointed in this production. While it had all of the elments needed for a good video, even some humor, it lacked in performance. It was over-acted and cheesy!!! I was hoping for something fun, uplifting, and decently performed. Veggie Tales beats this by a long shot! Turn down the cheese factor and put more solid acting and you might have a decent film.$LABEL$0 +incredible!!!!. This is by far and away the most impressive album to date. Not just for the music, this album succesfully hits the mark for real feelings in relationships, love, hate, greed, and lust. Nothing compares in the music industry with this man's music.$LABEL$1 +Really.... I'm a Nora Roberts avid reader but this one left me very disappointed. Really think if was my first read of Ms. Roberts it would also have been my last. Thankfully, have read some of her great works and am just counting this as an oops on her part!$LABEL$0 +WHY WHY WHY. Okay, I was willing to overlook the music changes this time around, because I really enjoyed this show, and I grew up with this school. For better or for worse, Dawson's Creek will always remain in the back of my brain. Season 3 has alwasy been my favorite, but when i heard that they music changes where so drastic that the theme song is being replaced, I had to put my foot down!!!Columbia why would you do this, or better yet, how could you? Don't you know that fans would rather have a MSRP of $80 or so for an additional disc (to lower compression) and to make ***MOST*** of the song???I can't in good conscience recamend a DVD with the WRONG THEME SONG... Two stars is because I could never give DAwson a 1.$LABEL$0 +Boy(band) was I disappointed.... I guess I got completely swept up in my new love affair with Robbie Williams. I really was excited to order this retrospective of music of the band that help shape and mold the funk/pop/sex-god/in-yer-face Robbie Williams into the master of Escapology. Nothing on this CD remotely reminds me of Robbie. All I can say is thank God he was able to escape with his talent! Not only is the music here sappy (and, believe me, I expected that to a degree) but the recording is weak. I have to turn the levels up on my system so high that when I play any other CD the volume scares the hell out of me. Weak songs, weak voices, weak harmonies and a weak recording make for an investment I regret. I do enjoy owning, if not listening to, the peppy remakes of "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Could It Be Magic" so I guess it's worth the two stars.$LABEL$0 +Doesn't live up to the hype. The first time I read this book I thought it was great, then when I re-read it I realized that just too many wierd things happened to the Piper family. If you want to read it, read it for it's depictions of New Waterford and Sydney, N.S., which are dead on.$LABEL$0 +Tres Jolie. Beautiful as always. I love Daniels voice no matter what he's singing. He is an amazing artist with incredible versatility. I prefer this and Comedies Humaines(my fav cd in general) to some of his early work, which can sometimes feel a bit dated. You can tell they were done in the early 90's. It's funny, I don't speak french but for a couple words and I prefer his french albums to the English, they seem more poignant. This ablum is a bit lighter than comedies, more upbeat. For a good preview visit his page on myspace, and as always, I have to say: If you haven't listened to Notre Dame yet, forshame, and if you like his voice at all then you must listen to Le Petit Prince.$LABEL$1 +This CD rates. I first heard this concert in the late 70's on the radio- it was also my introduction to the Strawbs. I thought the playing was very powerful especially the keyboards and I particularly liked their rendition of No Return and Simple Visions. I still have a soft spot for it (I was thrilled when it was finally re-released on CD) and would strongly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Good, even if defective. I bought the double sun/insect mesh even though I only have one child in anticipation of the future. It works fine even with only one seat. It goes on pretty easily and my 2 month old can see out of it just fine.My mesh came with a missing snap in the back, but there seems to be no issues, we generally only snap the top snaps to keep it in place. And I do wish it had a flap to get to the baby easier. Overall it is a great product and I don't have to worry about my baby getting sunburned or bit by bugs while I am running.$LABEL$1 +NOT made in USA, even though description says so!. While this rack set is nice, it is made in Taiwan, Not "Proudly made in the USA by Nordic Ware" as the description states on Amazon's website."Made in USA" is THE reason I chose to purchase this specific product. Shame on Amazon and shame on NordicWare for the false advertising!$LABEL$0 +Classic document. You don't know about boogie, about Canned Heat and about this period if you don't know this album. The 40 minutes Refried Boogie is the ultimate jam session I know of. Parthenogenesis shows that Canned Heat can also do something else than this nonstop boogie, Going up the country will stay as a classic tune, other tunes are good standard Canned Heat. I enjoy the booklet with a good complete presentation written in 2003, saying that this album is a "extreme double LP": I agree. Now it's time to boogie !$LABEL$1 +My dog loves them.. My dog is very very picky but loves these cookies. Very good for training too as they're a good size to take a few along on walks and give to the pup without making her obese.$LABEL$1 +Outrageously-priced shipping. Don't pay the RIDICULOUS amount for shipping for this item. You can get the exact same product at a better price at www.mybrandsinc.com. Just look under "O" for Otter Pops. For the same amount of Otter Pops at this site, it was roughly $12 cheaper than what this guy wants. (For this guy's product, my total was $32 with shipping. At www.mybrandsinc.com my total was $20 with shipping.) This product is a rip-off! If I could, I would give it zero stars.$LABEL$0 +Legendary.. Are you kidding? What else can be said about the best series of RPGs ever. My love of the post-apocalyptic realm started with Wasteland on C-64 and culminated with these classics. With only the excellent Stalker:SOC to tide me over until Fallout 3, its been a long wait. If you've never played them and turn-based is not your cup of tea then I would recommend Fallout:Tactics, faster paced and real-time.BTW not being able to get the game to run on your system is not a reason to give a game a bad review..patches are easily found by competent users.$LABEL$1 +Clifford family fun pack. I ordered this product more than a month ago and paid for it as well. I have not heard from the vendor, and heard from Amazon last week that I would get a refund if the product was not shipped within 30 days. Of the 4 products ordered the day I placed my order, I did not receive 3 of them! I have never had this happen! Poor service and lack of communication by vendor. Amazon at least followed up. I am in an awkward place, I need the item and have paid for it, and don't know if I should reorder from another vendor. Awkward place to be in. Be warry of this vendor.$LABEL$0 +A husbands Journey to save his marriage. I was so pleased with this novel. I was very anxious to read it, after I had read the Notebook. I absolutely adored the character Wilson. He was so determined to convey his ardent love for his wife in the most exquisite way I have ever read on paper. The story revolves around Jane and Wilson's daughter, who Jane thinks is rushing into a marriage with a boy that she has been living with. Throughout the novel Wilson endeavors to become a better husband by cooking elaborate dinners and attempting to lose weight. The novel also includes Janes affable father, Noah, who aches the loss of late wife, Allie.This novel will not dissapoint Spark fans...it delivers a strong message that marriage is sacred and should never be taken for granted.$LABEL$1 +Clone Wars makes up for what was lacking in the prequel trilogy.. Season One of the Clone Wars is simply put, outstanding.Voice work is great, CGI is beautiful to look at, and the music (even though it's quite a departure from William's standards) is also perfectly done.Even though the epsiodes are each less than a half hour, they all have a huge scope and nice character development.While it is animated and broken down into the short episode format, the Clone Wars has greater story strength and is even more "adult" than the prequel triology ever was.For Star Wars fans new and old, and even those left with a bitter taste from the prequel era films, you owe it to yourself to check out Season One of the Clone Wars.$LABEL$1 +Decent ear-buds, especially for it's price range. These have decent sound quality - while it doesn't sound like a 200$ or even a 50$ earbud; it's still a significant improvement over stock earbuds.Especially with bass - I didn't expect bass like this from a 20$ earbud, let alone a 10$ earbud.The design is simple and rugged: the case even resisted my purposeful attempts to crack it.Now as for the downsides: The case's cover pops off easily after a while, and the cord is really, really short - I sometimes have to tilt my head when it's plugged into my computer.Secondly, the sound is very sensitive to positioning if you don't have the cover - it gets muted if I tilt my head in the wrong direction, and it feels awkward. And it's still an open-ear earbud, so don't count on this when you're mowing the lawn or something else noisy.Still a good choice if you aren't willing to pony up an additional 10$ for better earbuds.$LABEL$1 +great product. Great product, shipped very quickly, not too slippery straight out of the box, so good to use right away. The 1/4" thickness is nice on the joints. Nothing special, but no carrying strap, which would have been nice to have.$LABEL$1 +Pain. The book is to simple. does not offer specifics in areas like MRI sections or EMG. Is not a good review for the people studing for the boards$LABEL$0 +Genuine Transformative Art. Transfigurations is a beautiful book that does an excellent job presenting the work of Alex Grey, one of the most important artists of our times. There is no artist quite like Alex Grey. For many years, I have used this book and an earlier Grey book, Sacred Mirrors, as a transformative tool both in my own life and helping others.$LABEL$1 +Not really a new album!!!. If you already own most of the Gipsy Kings CD's this one is a waste of money. Other than a single (unremarkable) cut, nothing on this CD is either new or obviously remastered. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Simply Outstanding! You will not be able to put it down!. I settled into the large Volume 1 on a transAtlantic flight and was thoroughly immersed in this story 9 hours later. The plot is excellent, the characters well-developed and likeable, and most noteably, the characters exhibit common-sense and do not do things which leave you commenting, "That's ridiculous!"...$LABEL$1 +1 Star is 1 Star too many.. Even though this arrived in perfectly undamaged packaging, the table top had an ENORMOUS gouge across it that looked like someone'd lost control of their Dremel grinder. And since the packaging was fine (even that thin, gauzy plastic covering the piece) that means it left the factory in that condition. I thought I'd assemble it anyway. Just for kicks. The screws aren't quite long enough to use the washers and still be able to catch the wood. The cabinets doors aren't wide enough to cover the cabinet opening - there's about a half ince gap there - and one door is warped or something so it doesn't stay closed anyway. This worthless contraption could never have sold for the $350+ stated original price. Save yourself the trouble.$LABEL$0 +yellowcard does it again. with power-pop beats and true punk sound, the boys that are yc have cemented their status as great artists. with songs like believe realting to 9/11 to other tunes like view from heaven, this cd concludes the prospect of taking deep lyrics and light sound and creating a dazzling mix in the end.-cali_surfer009$LABEL$1 +more info please. I won't buy any supplement w/out first seeing a complete list of ingredients and hopefully a more developed Product Description, of which this product offers neither. If the product description holds some weight, substantiating the merits of the product, then i next look to see the products' list of ingredients, preferably by being able to view the back of the bottle. Reading the reviews is not enough; at least not in this case, though the comments about the expired dates were certainly disturbing.$LABEL$0 +a 'Bend it Like Beckham' fight movie. I really enjoyed this movie.I found it to be a 'Bend It Like Beckham' figher movie.The ending was good too.$LABEL$1 +I have waited years for this. Finally it's here!!. The show is great, probably in the top 5 of all time best cop shows. The quality of the picture is great. The only problem I have is that it's not the full season. For the price we paid, it should have been the full season or a couple of bucks more. This entire series, if bought on DVD, will cost more than any other out there. I know many are waiting for the distress sale from Amazon when the price will be cut in half and that's a real shame. It's great to see this quality TV show.$LABEL$0 +Best CD of the Year. This is by FAR the best CD I have purchased in the past year. No Mermaid was the first song I heard on the CD when it was first released, and I instantly fell in love with Sinead's mellow, wistful music. And the CD is very complete. There are some catchy, faster moving tracks like No Mermaid, Whatever it Takes..., and Diving to Be Deeper. Then there are slower, more penetrative tracks like Don't I Know, Hot on Your Trail, and Loose Ends. The song What Can Never Be actually made me cry. I love EVERY song on this CD; and there are few CDs I can say that about.$LABEL$1 +Great book!. Great book and for a great price. I recommend the Cat's Cradle on Kindle version. I never read Kurt Vonnegut book before and this is a good start for anyone who wants to delve into this venerated satirist.$LABEL$1 +TaxCut Next Year. I've used TurboTax since 1986 and this is the last year. I would rate this product a 5 except for Intuit's activation scheme so I'll rate it a 1.While I had no problem activating TT using the internet, I now find that I'm going to have to reformat my hard drive in the immediate future. This will require that I reactivate the product to continue to use it. The same will be true if I change out the HD or buy a new computer. Also, each time I use the program, my registry is modified on the next boot which is a direct result of Intuit's activation scheme.I haven't let others use my copy of TT but I feel like I'm being punished anyway.$LABEL$0 +It's not a story about a Lost Eden. It is about a Restoration Plan. I thought it was really something about Africa's Lost Eden, like they were able to capture on film the last "Eden" Animals in Africa, without humans. I don't want to see humans in "Africa" or "Eden"-themed films. I waited for about an hour for the real story to begin but as soon as the bull elephant died, the story was over even before I knew it. What a total waste of money! And there's only one story in it. Oh wait, I couldn't have waited for an hour because it was just 50 minutes. The only redeeming part of this film is that you get to help National Geographic when you buy their films. When I think about that, I do not really regret buying it.$LABEL$0 +Only for a long flight to San Jose, CA. Somewhat interesting, but I should have known that there was trouble brewing when I spotted a typographical error in the second paragraph of the dust jacket of the book. The main character's name was mis-spelled. The book reads like a dream...disjointed, rambling, and out of focus...probably best forgotten the next day. Good for a flight across country, but only if you have already read the day-old Tribune that you found at the airport. This book seemed to have been created from the cuttings of the editing floor of another book and stitched together with a very fine piece of twine. Two stars if you have little else to read on your journey.$LABEL$0 +A Great Guide to the Mysterious World of Trent Reznor. This book has an in depth way of showing you around the world of Nine Inch Nails and it's mysterious creator, Trent Reznor. The book is filled with pictures,interesting facts you can't find anywhere else, plus it has a complete history on the band and its ever-changing members. This is the number one Nine Inch Nails book and portfolio. Great Job Martin Huxley!$LABEL$1 +Combat Flight Simulator. ITs to old the graphics are horrible and there are way less controls than modern sims$LABEL$0 +Not a great movie. My friend and his hot air balloon were in this movie which is why I bought it, but I wouldn't consider it to be all that good of a movie.$LABEL$0 +Wow. What a P.O.C.!. I'm not an audiophile, so the sound is fine with me. My problem with this is the design of the cabling. I'm not a fan of the assymetrical cord lengths. Besides the assymetrical cord, the worst part of airbuds is the rubberized cord. This material allows for the cable to easily tangle. If you are tempted to put your earbuds in your pocket, please be ready to spend a few mintues untangling them. Very frustrating.$LABEL$0 +Good AP book. This book was just a little disappointing in that it didn't have alot of concrete advice, just kind of general ideas that I already had in mind for parenting. I still would recommend it though because I really like Dr. Sears and think that what is in the book is pretty good, it just wasn't exactly what I was looking for. If you are new to the idea of AP parenting then this is a good one for you, or just struggling with what to do, it might be a good reminder.$LABEL$1 +Eternal. "Not as well known as Moorcock's other books - e.g., the Elric and Corum series, but this is just as good."-- Glenn G. Thater, Author of 'Harbinger of Doom'$LABEL$1 +Vinyl Version - Bad Sound Quality - Sounds like a CD. I like the songs. This review is about the vinyl album. It sounds like it was cut from a normal 44khz CD. It sounds dull and lifeless like CD's do. Might as well buy the CD instead of vinyl.$LABEL$0 +worse HP ever. Over the years I have always purchased HP Laser printers for my business. This is the third generation, and one would think that they would improve, but not in this case. I have never had so many problems with a printer in my life. I have 2 of these running (and i use that term loosely) on a Mac and Vista. They both constantly hang up and I have to power them off and then on. HP support said I needed more memory, but my previous HPs with less memory never had 10% of the problems that these do. It is because of this printer that I have had to install "Baseball bat free zone" stickers around my computer. Otherwise they would have been trashed. This is my first review ever, but with the frustrations I have had with this printer - I couldn't not rate it. If there was a zero choice, I would have picked it and even that would have been generous.$LABEL$0 +HomeBelly Groove {LIVE}. The Spin Doctors HomeBelly Groove {LIVE} is their second best album. I love the into when they play What Time Is It this CD is great if you love the spin doctors im sure you will love this one. This also includes some other hits they did expesically Little Miss Cant Be Wrong. The sound on this CD is the best quality ever so take my advice and buy this on amazon for the best price believe me you will love this CD.$LABEL$1 +Terrible product. I wish I would have read reviews.. This memory card literally failed the second time I used it in my camera. I was on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and lost over 400 meticulously created photos. I/O error appears to be unrecoverable even after trying several data recovery programs. I am absolutely furious. I haven't yet talked to customer service, but from the sounds of it, that will likely be fruitless.DO NOT BUY THIS CARD!$LABEL$0 +Not good!. I don't get what all this hyps is about this cd. It's not even that good. Very overrated. i have to admitt that "Yeah" and "Burn" were good tracks but his third single "Confession(pt2) has to be one of the worst tracks i have ever heard in my entire life. It has no point and it lacks substance. The beat is just awful. And the other ok songs are "Caught up" and "Bad girl" and thats it. This cd will be in the rash can soon. All usher talks about on this cd is relationships. Man give us something we haven't heard yet. Dont' buy this cd. trust me. You will be disappointed. U mind as well just buy the singles "Yeah" and "burn", but dont buy this cd. Its not recommended and even my best freinds heard it and they don't even like it.$LABEL$0 +No problems great video. Installed on my second generation HD rear projection TV without the DVI input. I had to connect through the old HD Composite connections but the video it projected was several times better than the last DVD player I was using. I would recommend this version or the latest one unit to anybody that has a HD television.$LABEL$1 +I kept waiting for something to happen then it was over.. I purchased this movie on pay per view for 7 dollars.The previews looked great but the movie was just stupid.Loud thumps someone standing in the hall one second and gone the next,very cliche.The ending was not very suprising and really didnt explain the rest of the movie.The acting wasnt all that bad but not enough to make this movie good.If you want to see all the best parts just watch the preview for free.$LABEL$0 +STAY AWAY. This game is constantly changing for the worst. As son as you get confortable playing your profession BANG! They take away your good skills and make your other skills useless.$LABEL$0 +Go figure.. If you are looking for a book that will explain point and figure charting, keep searching. This book is sketchier on the actual construction of p&f charts than a full service broker.$LABEL$0 +Insightful Indie Film: Pattern Behavior inspiring new Patterned Behavior!. "Lift" is a great film addressing organized urban crime. The more significant message, however, is the depiction of inter-generational patterned behavior. Kerry Washington and Lonette Mckee shine as mother and daughter each acting out of their own individual emotional turmoil.The interaction is remarkably true to life. Director Demane Davis brings inter-generational issues to the surface and forces viewers to face behaviors most people would rather hide in their closets. Watch it!$LABEL$1 +Downton Abbey. Watch it every week now that I've caught up in the first two seasons.Excellent program. There should be more programs like this.$LABEL$1 +can u love a candy cup?. just fine cups, i like the earthy color, cause it makes my white candies look good :)) recommended product nice$LABEL$1 +Another Rip-off. No matter how many Punisher movies they make or comices they sell, two things do not change.1. The Punisher continues to be a clear rip-off/imitation of the Executioner, Mack Bolan, series. All the way from the character's background and motivation to the uniform and weapons he uses to even a war van which was another Executioner series original. Except the Executioner has a sense of right and wrong, emulates the true meaning of justice, yet does it with heart.2. For approximately every 5-30 "bad guys" the Punisher kills, he ends the life of one innocent person.If you believe the end justifies the means and do not mind a few innocent people getting in the way, then you're the type to enjoy this immitation of the largest selling book series in history.$LABEL$0 +Wow - that's really fresh goth!!!. That is really excellent stuff, I liked the older Darkwell releases, but this one really kicks ass...It is a completely new approach to the genre...It is a bit like Evanesence but still more innovative and "metal". On the other hand there is classic Goth Rock?!?Don't know what to say more, I'm just impressed...Check this out!!!$LABEL$1 +HORRID FAILURE RATE!!!. I have 160+ DVD that won't read anymore. I have try to read/write them with TEAC, NEC, SONY, LiteON internal DVD-RW as well as TOSHIBA DVD-RW deck and a SONY DVD player. Same lousy results.Some of them played once...barely! The vast majority were giving a defective disc or no disc message.Stay away from Ritek/Arita and whatever other off-name they use.I now use Taiyo Yuden and I have never had one single problem with their media. They cost a little more but, it's worth a thousand times over!$LABEL$0 +Terrible Company. First it took forever for my package to arrive. Then, once it arrived it was the wrong thing. I got the quote i wanted but on a ugly white background. Clearly the advertised product is purple. The liars then refused to refund my shipping.$LABEL$0 +An awesome review of the life of Jesus. A truly remarkable writer. I especially appreciated the thorough research into biblical facts as well as Jewish and Roman history. He went to great lengths to explain things even using non-biblical accounts. Very interesting.$LABEL$1 +I truly believed she didn't have a bad book in her!!!!. Like all of the other reviewers, I have been a Barbara Michaels, Elizabeth Peters, Barbara Mertz fan since the terrifying days of Ammie Come Home and the truly hilarious Devil May Care. I wait with baited breath for the next Michaels/Peters offering and have met the author several times. I even have my 12 year old daughter hooked on Amelia! What happened? After reading a brief synposis of the plot, thank goodness I didn't buy this but patiently waited the two months to get it from the library. Summed up? Don't bother.$LABEL$0 +Such a warm, sexy sweet scent.. Rich, sweet scent that smells like caramel and warm vanilla. This is not one of those cheap teen perfumes that fades away quickly. This fragrance lasts and a little goes a long way. I can't wear the strong floral, heavy musky perfumes simply because they give me headaches, so Pink Sugar saved me from that. So glad I've finally found my signature scent. Thank you Aquolina!$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money. I've had the same problems as everyone else, trouble tracking satellites, trouble maintating a signal. The main reason I'm returning it though is power consumption. I can't feed my visor 8 triple A batteries every day just to play with gps, and even then the sporadic functionality is very frustrating. The fact that no car adaptor is available for this product is ridiculous. Wait for a better company to release a springboard gps.$LABEL$0 +Had no idea he was this good!. I just recently bought this CD, and My Flame melts my heart every time I hear it. I'd never heard it until about a month ago--no joke. It took 21 years to get it, but now I have it and I SO love this man's music. All of it.$LABEL$1 +We'd buy another one.. Cute watch. Wish the plastic was a little more thicker like Lego bricks. I like that you're able to change out the watch bands.$LABEL$1 +The Best!. I used one of these at the Marriot, and I loved it so much that I had to have one! Love the power that it has and the folding handle.$LABEL$1 +Steam Trains: An American Portrait. The title is somewhat misleading. These are American trains in foreign lands. Many have been modified for use in the third world and have only some resemblance to what left the foundry.$LABEL$0 +Best Movies!. One of the best movies of all time! A look back into the 80's, this time with a good movie!$LABEL$1 +Last Junior Year. I read this book for the first time when still in grade school. I loved this book because I could relate with the horse subject that it contains. So many times the "horsey" books are written by authors who are not really familliar with how life really is in this strange horse show world that some of us live in. This book, although was in places very fictional, also had many realistic aspects to is as well as many true to life locations of horse shows as well as people. I hope to find a copy of this book for my daughter, because I am sure she will love it as much as I did.$LABEL$1 +Does Not Work. I ordered this according to my husband's phone which is in the list above and it does not work at all...$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. As other reviewers have noted, this is a very disappointing version of Sudoku. In addition to their complaints, I would state that I get the same board offered multiple times (both Sudoku and Kakuro). I don't know if this is because I haven't met some minimum time? Speed is inhibited by the navigation of the game (at least it does let you wrap around from the top of the screen to the bottom, etc.).One thing I do like about the game is that, being new to Kakuro and not very quick with math, the game tells you when your math does not add up. When I get more proficient with Kakuro, this may become a "leave me alone, darnit" feature, as it is currently on the Sudoku side of the game.Brain Age's version is soooo much better - can't those folks just put out an independent Sudoku?$LABEL$0 +Doesn't harden very quickly. This product seems to be durable, but doesn't harden very quickly (to the point that you could sand it). The hardening process takes a few days, maybe because it was cool here at the time of the repair (around 55-60 F)...$LABEL$1 +Low water mark. There weren't many occasions when America's greatest film actor, James Stewart, was flat-out terrible in a movie but this is one of them. For reasons no film historian has been able to explain, Stewart's remarkable skills as an actor deserted him in the early Sixties, and he was never the same. It's an atrocious performance in a Civil War film that is full of them. Only James Best as a Rebel veteran manages to bring some life to the proceedings. The script is sickeningly sanctimonious and made all the worse by the incompetent direction of one of Hollywood's all-time hacks, Andrew V. McLaglen, who also blighted the later years in John Wayne's career.$LABEL$0 +HDMI does not split. As far as I know this product may work as advertised. However, I don't think a HDMI signal can be divided by a simple splitter such as this. At least it did not work for me in trying to split HDMI out from a cable box.$LABEL$0 +mine died as well. I loved how quiet this compressor was... note was... until the motor smoked.. karen- did you already throw yours away.. I am in need of a motor... my unit was barely used.. one day I went to do a light amount of air tool work and started to smell burning wires. thankfully the house breaker blew.$LABEL$0 +No longer a good product due to cheapening of design. This used to be a great baster - the best. I am sorry to say that the manufacurer decided to make the walls of the bulb out of thinner silicon than they did just a short time ago. This change has made it nearly useless as a baster as it now lacks "sucking-power". It is truly unfortunate that an excellent product has been rendered useless by a short-sighted decision to save some money. Shame on the pin-head(s) responsible.... shame. I have little experience with other ISI products but this baster says a lot about what you can expect from ISI.$LABEL$0 +For Retro Fans Only. With their screeched falsetto singing and synth based disco beats, it's obvious where the Communards roots lay. They are eighties dance pop mavins from the gay pick up scene (think Pet Shop Boys or Bronski Beat), not surprisingly, there music has not aged well. Those nostalgic for the time may enjoy them, but their dated boogie will win no converts, at least not until 80's retro really comes into it's own.$LABEL$0 +2 failures in less than a year. We bought this unit to use in our daughters room. We use it specifically for the CD player to "sing" her to sleep at night. The first one we had died after about 4 months of use. Putting any CD in it resulted in it saying no disc. Philips replaced it at the cost of shipping which wasn't too bad, but now our second one has met with the same fate after another 4 months.I have no idea what the cause is other than poor quality components. My wife has a philips CD clock radio (earlier model) that is more than 6 years old. She uses it every night before bed and it is humming along just fine.I wouldn't recommend this model. Until you see a change in model number I would assume that the same poor QC has gone into all of them.$LABEL$0 +Great Gift for Rock Lovers!. Definitivamente provoca agradables sensaciones al oido y al gusto musical, todas las piezas son ?nicas coincidiendo con el comentario de Sergio J Castro es indiscutible el sonido de Caifanes, lo cual para los rockeros de los 80's, 90's nos hace revivir cierta nostalgia en cada nota...La voz de la chica es tan ?nica al igual que los arreglos, ojala podamos tener un alb?m con 10 temas, aunque Nocturnal es la mejor de todas... si a?n lo no tienes! deberias! : )$LABEL$1 +Horrible Product. The light-bulb is very low voltage, the "lava" is very poor quality, and the water is cloudy. Don't make the same mistake I did, I thought that there was no way Amazon would actually allow the selling of such a defective product, but I was wrong. These lava lamps are horrid in every way, as evident from their horribler and cheap manufacture from China. These are not worth $14. These are trash.$LABEL$0 +This book helped me. I couldn't figure out why I was having such problems with my mother. She was always difficult to deal with, and was very mean to my sisters when I was growing up. I finally figured out that my mother is a borderline, and so am I! What a revelation that was. Now I have to figure out how to move out of my mother's home, and cut the apron strings!Steve$LABEL$1 +It took my dog 5 minutes to bust through the zipper.. The zipper is something you would find on a backpack - very flimsy. My ski jacket has a heavier duty zipper. It took my dog 5 minutes to dislodge it. Seriously, 5 minutes.$LABEL$0 +Very flexible. This device will turn your computer into a TV/Tivo anywhere. A must have for anyone that travels. Local sports, local news and weather at your fingertips. And not monthly cost. nice$LABEL$1 +Rockin' Gospel Blues of the Best Kind. Ruthie Foster is a dynamite gospel/blues vocalist. She cuts to the heart with every song. She sings with huge emotion and incredible energy. This recording will give you a lift every time you listen to it!$LABEL$1 +Beautiful lamps. Love the look of these lamps! I was worried about how bright they would be but they are perfect and really make the room look elegant! Very happy with this purchase$LABEL$1 +A Guide On How To Be An Irresponsible Owner!. Even after 14 years in animal control, I still am sometimes surprised at how well people can rationalize their irresponsible behavior where pets are concerned. And this lady made money off of it! A woman who has no regard for either the dogs nor her neighbors, I also find it hard to believe that her behavioral insights can be respected when even her own dogs ignore her "leadership" by the end of the book. A very regrettable book that glorifies dangerous, unthoughtful and uncaring treatment of dogs.$LABEL$0 +Too Much. I use to be a big fan of Britney, but now shes all about being sexy. I really don't know much about this CD, some of the songs may be actually good. But, since I no longer like her, especially for her appearal, I don't take the time to listen to her music anymore.$LABEL$0 +What happened???. I can't believe that I actually spent money on this before listening to it. If I had, I'd be $8 richer and believe me, I wouldn't mind, money's so tight right now! This is by far, one of the worst cds I've bought this year-its' actually painful to my ears. The lyrics suck and the music, well, I wish I could say something positive. I guess the only thing going for this cd is the first 2 tracks, but you can find "Friends & Executioners" on Wired Injections (Cleopatra Records) and that cd is a much better investment than this, dare I say, album. Save your money kids.$LABEL$0 +Voice like Velvet. Sarah Vaughan is my favorite jazz vocalist. I like Ella Fitzgerald, but I like her best when she is singing slow, moody tunes. I can listen to Sarah any time and any place. She brings the goods!This cd is from her later years and she doesn't use vocal acrobatics all of the time, like most young vocalist do, she knows her instrument and takes the tricks out of her bag when the feeling hits. You've got to hear her do the "Trolley "song. I don't want to compare her and Judy Garland, because I like them both, but you've got to hear it. Also, her version of "The man I love", mmmmm! you haven't heard anything so fantastic if you love this kind of music.$LABEL$1 +great!. this is one of the best teen movies EVER! among the greatest teen movies these are the best teen movies,shes the man,benchwarmers,just my luck,josie and the pussycats, and the greatest teen movie ever is bring it on! bring it on is the best!$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY MUI. Be forewarned This unit works fine at first. It is the probe which is very poor, needs replacement frequently (expensive)$LABEL$0 +good for a stick nailer. This gun has been used and abused and I have never had a problem with it. The only downfall I have is that the capacity is not even close to a coil nailer. If I had my choice I would have one of each, due to the fact that both have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall though, after using it on actual job sites, I would recomend this nail gun especially if you are only going to purchase 1 framing nailer.$LABEL$1 +A waste of money. I bought the WinTV tuner to use primarily as a video capture card. Frankly, I believe using a computer as a TV monitor is a waste of a good computer. I intended to use the WinTv-PVR 350 to convert video tapes into digital format but when attempting conversions the computer freezes up. I have lots of RAM and plenty of room on my hard drive. The longest capture I have managed so far is 15 minutes, but most range in size from one minute to six minutes. After spending a day splicing together the fragments of a VHS tape I converted with the 350 and which I then burned to DVD, I discovered the quality of the image far below DVD quality. It is far below video tape quality.I am willing to spend some real money on a good video capture card but it isn't the WinTV 350. It's not useful as a capture card and it's too small to be a doorstop.$LABEL$0 +Great show!. This is one of the best shows that I have seen by far. I recommend it to everyone and I hope they keep making it!$LABEL$1 +Not as good as..... This product used to work great, I am very disapointed! I used to be able to use it once or twice to get the color I want, and now I have to use it all the time, and I still can't get my hair light enough, it seems to just stop lightening after it gets a certain color!$LABEL$0 +A waste of plastic and metal..... This is without a doubt the most brainless movie ever made. Created for the "Frat Boy" demographic, Coyote Ugly is packed with scantilly clad hoochies dancing around on bar tops and acting very badly. The hoochies are impressive but that is the only halfway worthwhile aspect of this dreadful film. The plot is a stupid retread of the "small town girl goes to the big city" story ,the producers did'nt even try very hard to make a decent film around all the "T" & "A".Why would anyone want watch Coyote Ugly at a theatre or buy it on DVD when movies like this can be seen on late night cable seven days a week? At least the "acting" is better on those cable shows.$LABEL$0 +Not just for kids anymore!. I enjoyed the series as the adult that I am. Anyone who likes a good novel would love this one!$LABEL$1 +Loved it until.... I loved this product, and didn't have the issues other reviewers seem to have with leaking or mold. We used this cup happily and without incident for 6 months until my 1 yo hid it in a cabinet overnight. When I found it the milk inside had curdled, now I can't get the smell out of the cup even after several attempts to sanitize it. I am afraid the cup is a lost cause and we can't use it for anything anymore, my son refuses to drink out of it because it smells.$LABEL$1 +Call it what it is.. Clearly this was a termination. Most of us would be honest and call it an abortion. For those who claim that since the baby was born alive it was not an abortion, not true. Many abortuses are born with a heart rate. For people who are so "right to life" I think they have walked a fine semantic line by not confronting the truth about this baby's death. An to use your personal tragedy for political gain is reprehensible!!!!!$LABEL$0 +NO INCREASE IN MY LIBIDO!. Being over 50, I had high hopes for this product. I so wanted to recapture that excitement with my husband. I tried it for 2 months, taking as directed. I noticed no change whatever. I'm still in love with my husband and he with me regardless.$LABEL$0 +Forgettable. I didn't like this book. I found it really boring. I had to force myself to finish it. The heroine was too perfect, and I didn't feel that she and the hero had a lot of chemistry. I prefer passionate love stories. They were so dull together. I don't think I'll be buying another book by this author.$LABEL$0 +Interesting Title but Little More. Coming on the heels of "Icebreaker" this ranks as a major disappointment from John Gardner. The plot and prose is a collection of disjointed and very uninspiring ideas for our hero James Bond. However, several of these ideas did seem to make it to the screen shortly after in some of Roger Moore's later Bond films and Timothy Dalton's first outing. "Role of Honor" ultimately has a rambling plot that leaves the reader totally disinterested. I was very disappointed with this novel.$LABEL$0 +History forgot this one because IT SUCKS.. If you look at the majority of the reviews on the other DVD page, they all complain about this being too campy and too cheesy. Well let those reviews warn you- Bond and space do not match.I'm not going to mention the plot here since it's just plain ridiculous. But this is indeed the third worst Bond movie ever. When Cubby came up with the idea for this abortion, he said something like "It's not science fiction, it's science fact." Well if we're supposed to believe that Space in real life is Star Warsish, than this is indeed "Science fact"- a Turd of one, that is.It's just a complete and utter disaster. A completely inane and stupid plot, a bored looking and sweaty Moore, a cheesy-as-all-hell final fight, this all equals an incredibly cheap and cheesy Bond that's disgusting and just plain awful. And what was with the "Bondola"?In short, just avoid this one. Time abandoned this movie because IT SUCKS.$LABEL$0 +Really, really exciting.. In #18, Ax and the Animorphs find out from Erek that a certain top guy in the President's Secret Service was knocked down by a car. So? The big thing is the car belonged to Chapman and his family and his boss don't even know he's in hospital. When Ax and the Animorphs check him out, they totally erase the morphing technology history of morph mass replacement when they try to acquire our man H.A Third and land up in Z-space. Luckily they were rescued by Andalites. But now Ax is back with his own people. And he doesn't know if he wants to go home...$LABEL$1 +Not impressed. My experience was not good with this product. I think I temporarily ruined about 3 different knife edges with this. I would attempt multiple times on each blade, but the knife would just not end up sharp enough to cut paper. I followed the instructions perfectly, but I think the one size fits all design just doesn't work well enough on a variety of knives. Go with diamond and Arkansas stones and you will be much happier.$LABEL$0 +Nikon D80 from Adorama - beware. Ordered this camera body as new, what was received was a rebuild. Beware of Adorama!$LABEL$0 +fast moving story. Nora Roberts has proved that she can tell a story. The details make you feel for the characters. You will find yourself rooting for some of the characters to pull through. You will find you will relate to these characters as though you have know them, or maybe wish you had. (I did enjoy the ghost visits, as I feel our love ones are near, whether we choose to notice or not.) The only objection I have is I do not feel it necessary to go into details with steamy love scenes! It is not that I am a prude, but I don't find this to be necessary to tell a good story. I can't wait to read the next book of hers.$LABEL$1 +Sub-par guitar rock drone - their other records are better. "Magnified" is a very average record. Failure's 1st record "Comfort" and their 3rd "Fantastic Planet" (their last record before they broke up in 1997) are much more worth your hard earned cash. Still, if you like your guitars thick and loud, you may dig this one too. Coincidentally, there is a band named Magnified who have had their name before Failure used it. They are in New York City and are starting a huge buzz with their energetic, unforgettable guitar-based songs. Their independent CD is much more worth checking out!$LABEL$0 +didn't realise it was particle board. I have to say I move allot so I hate particle board. I purchased this for dvd's which it didn't hold close to all of my dvd's. I also forgot to put the little wood stumps in so I broke it during assembly. If don't ever plan on moving this would probably be a good item for you especially if your good and reading directions but for me it's crap.$LABEL$0 +Should be a standard reference. Dave Perkins and Evan McGinnis have put together what has to be one of the most useful books I've ever shelled out my own money for. I've been writing MIBs since 1993 and find this is the reference that I use the most. It covers the basics and also advanced topics. The authors include notes of caution and don't mind giving their opinion - which is actually labelled as such.$LABEL$1 +Product is ok but. I used my marinator twice a month. After a year of use, the lid cracked and container would not hold its seal. Lid cracked along top, near rubber vac. hole. Clearly it broke from the suction action of pumping, not misuse. Loved the thing but it definately did not marinate well in 5 minutes (or even 30 minutes) but worked very well when I'd prepare foods in the AM before work and stuck in fridge. At least it made me THINK I was doing a better job.After it cracked, I threw it out and bought bag/jar sealer...much more versatile.$LABEL$0 +You can't hear the caller!. It's a really good looking phone in a good size.Major con:- You won't be able to hear the caller unless you use the speaker or hands-free!- There is a major error in the user manual that took me hours to find "Settings" of the phone.- The only availible holster is in leather - not very attractive.$LABEL$0 +"Operation Rogosh" on video--finally!. The great "Operation Rogosh" episode of "Mission: Impossible" featured the series' first time-displacement scam, with an environment completely recreated from scratch and a mission that, to be successful, had to be completed within a strict time-frame. To one extent or another, this first-year installment set the tone for the rest of the series, and after 37 years, "Rogosh" is still fresh, and still a model of staging and editing.Director Leonard Horn was a veteran of the sci-fi classic "The Outer Limits" ("The Man Who Was Never Born," etc.), as was writer Jerome Ross ("The Man with the Power"). Other "Limits" tie-ins include directors Lee H. Katzin and Paul Stanley, as well as co-producer Alan Balter.The second episode on the video, "The Train," is more gimmick-reliant but quite entertaining, with one especially nerve-wracking moment. To quote an early reviewer of "Mission: Impossible," fine stuff!$LABEL$1 +Simple and excellent. What you need from a VCR is this modern age is simple: stereo, excellent picture quality, s-video output and an easy to use interface. It also appears to have MACROVISION handling for backing up forgotten video favorites that are no longer sold in stores or available in DVD format. Anything more extensive in a VCR (like PAL or SECAM features) involves a bunch of other issues to be considered and might clutter its simplicity. For what it is, it is a terrific (and reasonably priced) piece of equipment.$LABEL$1 +Poor Quality. I received the bracelet and took it out of its packaging to place on my wrist. Upon placing it around my hand it immediately snapped in half. The bracelet was not too small but of poor quality. Also, it took the seller two weeks to respond to my refund request and then they demanded I send the broken bracelet back to them (two weeks after it had broken and had been thrown away). Poor product. Poor customer service.$LABEL$0 +Il Divo Divine. This music is amazing and just think - we have Simon Cowell to thank! The blending of the four voices in harmony and melody is wonderfully soothing to my old ears and the guys are pretty easy on the eyes. I would heartly recommend this CD!$LABEL$1 +It's ok. Look just buy Meteora and Hybrid Theory from Linkin Park. Now if you only listen to rap then you'll probably just buy to this album. The point is that this is pretty much the same thing as the normal songs except in the middle they'll cut and put in part of a Jay Z song or vice versa. It's better if just listen to Linkin Park album cuz it sounds better without Jay Z.Best: Numb/EncoreWorst: Big Pimpin'/Papercut - LP's best song totally ruined.$LABEL$0 +Ruben "The next big Star". Ruben exemplifies grace & talent. As he sings he brings about a smile & shiver. As I've watched him, he's grown more powerful & still maintained his grace. He is a wonderful talented singer with a warm & gracious disposition. There couldn't have been a better pick as the American IDOL than Mr. Ruben Studdard. May God continue to be a blessing upon him.$LABEL$1 +They leak all over the place!!. I used Avent with my first child iin 2006 and I was very happy and had no problem. BUT the new BPA free bottles that I am using now with my second child leak all over the place. It's very frustrating. DO NOT buy them until Avent fix the problem.$LABEL$0 +didn't work for me. I bought this thinking it would give the neck support I need. I'm VERY picky about pillows. I tried to use this and ended up getting a cramp in my neck. Now it's over in the pillow grave yard in my closet.$LABEL$0 +Remarkable! Sure to be a classic!. This is Martin McDonagh's masterpiece---actually, I take that back. I hope he has more and greater works in him for years to come. We need them. This is a superbly theatrical tale that examines the nature and purpose of storytelling. Why do we humans feel it necessary to invent fictious worlds and examine our life not through direct observation of the real but of the invented? And in a land where personal freedoms are virtually nonexistant, how long can the storyteller survive, before he is done away with by the forces of control and order? The blackest black comedy you'll probably ever read, The Pillowman will remain with you forever. Don't just read it, see a production of it when it comes to your town, for surely it will.$LABEL$1 +if you found this, please read on. I don't know how anyone will find this, but if you do and like soul music, don't miss this disc. There are songs here that are impossible to find anywhere else, and the mastering is the best I've ever heard, and that's the truth. I have a few of these cuts other places, and the sound there doesn't hold a candle to the sound here. I give 5 stars rarely and grudgingly, but I would give this collection 6 stars if I could. Worth it for the original version of Some Kind of Wonderful (boy, is it! ) alone. Snap this up before it's gone!$LABEL$1 +you get what you pay for. i guess the cheap price on this should have clued me in. i ordered this for my wife. looks great on the model in the picture most likely because the use different sizes, meaning you get it and the bottoms are huge and the top is small....not anything like the proportions in the picture.$LABEL$0 +very disappointed. I really wanted to like this book. I love series and especially series involving the supernatural. It was mentioned in reviews of Charlaine Harris's books (which I love) and I wrongly assumed (you know what they say about assuming...) that the Anita Blake books would be similar. Hamilton introduced an interesting universe but it went down hill from there. I didn't particularly like the heroine and the book was just so inconsistent. A group of vampires hire Blake to do a job for them and instead of actually letting her do the job, they keep trying to kill her. Doesn't quite make sense huh? Honestly this book just annoyed me to no end. When I was finished with it, I threw it away rather than inflict it on unsuspecting people at the library.$LABEL$0 +Good product, good price. Arrived quickly, decent condition, works great. Just plug it in and go, didn't even have to install anything or set anything up. Finally, I can use my cd drive again! :)$LABEL$1 +I love this CD!. I love this CD. I had originally heard Charlotte Church on the TV movie Joan of Arc (I love that movie!). I fell in love with Panis Angelicus. I asked my mom to get me Voice of an Angel (so I could pay her back, of course), but she purchased Charlotte Church instead. I fell in love with it. My friends may think that I am crazy and listen to 'wierd' music, being I am only 15. I laugh at that. I hate pop music! They are the ones who don't listen to good music. I at least gave their kind of music a chance. This CD is perfect. So it is played switching places with my Edwin McCain and Motzart CDs. What a combonation of music! Charlotte Church has a beautiful voice, especially for one so young. I can only imagine how her voice will improve as she as well as I grow up! --Carol aka "Lyra S."$LABEL$1 +high school teacher. The content of this video is wonderful. My students just finished reading Night, by Elie Wiesel. I was hoping that this could help enhance their understanding of the themes involved with with Wiesel's experience. My students had a hard time understanding Wiesel, and being 15 year olds in their 1st period on a Friday, they weren't willing to try to understand it. Next year I will show it again, but have some questions for them to answer so they actually try to understand. I will check out the PBS supplemental items as well.$LABEL$1 +i was not getting it. this is the first time i have seen anamated movie with keanu reevesand i was just not getting it it dedent work for me at all there had tobe somthing more to the movie but there wasent$LABEL$0 +Love it. Love it cant wait to show it off. Very easy transaction they made it very easy. It arrived early and packaged perfectly. Thanks.$LABEL$1 +bad electrical plug and very noisy. I had the item for 2 weeks and used it three times. The plug went bad and I had to replace it. Also the washer is very noisy almost too loud to speak when using it.$LABEL$0 +Unlike the ghost and the darkness, this book will bore you. When I read this book, I was horribley disappointed. I thought it was exciting like the movie. But it wasn't. Don't waste your mone$LABEL$0 +Find a proper history instead. Perhaps it's a case of, "It's the sort of thing you'll like, if you like that sort of thing", but I can't say that I liked this one. The author presents a very-nearly-interesting concept, that Custer survived the Little Bighorn fight, only to be court-martialed for his failures. However, he presents it in third-person, present tense; an unusual choice in modern literature. Also, the narrator offers the inner thoughts of a different character each chapter. The result is a style that I found tedious and forced. As to plot elements outside the realm of what one might read in a history, they appear to have been left out. Although one of the characters refers to the case as "having more intrigues than the Arabian navy", I suspect that I've known houseplants with more interesting lives. Finally, lacking any notes from the author, I'm left not knowing what was fiction and what was not. In the end, I wish that I'd read a proper history of the incident instead.$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected. This game is absolutely for the younger gamer. I have never owned a Sonic game, but the box looks like some of the more exciting games out there. I feel cheated.$LABEL$0 +I love Mafalda!. A wonderful movie I was waiting to watch for years! Eventhough Quino is from Argentina and that's just at the other side of the mountains I was never able to find good deals for books, or the video it self here. Just lovely!$LABEL$1 +Love the series. This item was shipped quickly and I was very satisfied with the DVD series. The menu fonts are quite small but it's not that big of a deal for me.$LABEL$1 +Works fine. Doesn't need additional tamper.. The machine works fine. I just wanted to comment that the included tamper also works fine and the comments I'd read about needing a "good" steel tamper are unwarranted. The plastic tamper mounted on the side of the machine is hard and sturdy and more than sufficiently rigid to tamp coffee plus its the right size. Comment about "needing" a steel tamper are just pretentious dribble. If you like the looks of separate steel tamper that's fine, but it won't improve the flavor of the coffee.$LABEL$1 +terrible. It is not that often I feel my IQ level goes down after watching a movie, but I think we are talking at least 3 points here. This movie is utter crap.$LABEL$0 +Good for the job.. I bought recently this product and I have to say that it is working fine. I tried it with pork, beef, bread, onion and pepper and it is doing fine. It is heavy solid made product from stainless steel. However the knife and the grinder itself are catching rust, so probably they are not a stainless steel parts. For this reason I dry these parts after I wash the machine. As the product is cutting well everything I put inside I guess I shouldn't complain. I didn't try it for sausages yet, so I can't comment if it is doing a good job there. In genereal I consider the product as a good buy.$LABEL$1 +Con Job. This is another example of a low-quality item passed off using a high-quality brand name as cover. This mattress is of a lower quality than most of the "store brands" I've used, and is certainly of a lower quality than the Coleman brand widely sold for less than half the cost of this Eddie Bauer version. Watch out - in this case, you're going to get less than half of what you pay for!$LABEL$0 +Not Worth the Money. The case itself is sturdy and the pockets are quality but if you intend on filling up this case, don't bother zipping it up because the zipper will break and become useless.$LABEL$0 +Product works great!. I bought this product based upon reviews on Amazon and have been very happy. I'm not a car freak but can appreciate a good wax. I used this after using the car clay kit I bought at the same time. The combination of the two really left my paint looking deeper and richer than ever before. I have a 2008 Altima with standard Nissan dark gray paint but it looks better than new now! Very impressed...$LABEL$1 +I can understand the methodology..... I see what the insert is trying to accomplish by decreasing the pronation; However, my flat feet are so severe that this product only causes pain when worn for a long period of time or when working out. I've worn the inserts for about 3 weeks but will continue to wear them in hopes that the pain will lessen.$LABEL$0 +Tedious, poorly organized, etc.. This book contains excerpts from several of Hubbard's other books, and in a couple cases from lectures. For a book the Church of Scientology pushes heavily, it's pretty awful. Almost all the 'sections' are preachy, most of the insights are unoriginal, and there are a few things which are patently offensive. For example, in one passage, "The Vocabularies of Science", Hubbard calls Japanese a "baby talk language" and proceeds to espouse his almost complete ignorance of the language. I find it difficult to believe the CofS includes that in their translations for prospective Japanese scientologists. On the other hand, if you think Japanese is a baby talk language, and also believe some of the other bizarre assertions in this book, maybe scientology is for you... In sum, I cannot fathom why any thinking person would join the CofS as a result of reading this book. Lousy, preachy, ignorant, and boring. To put it bluntly, a complete waste of money.$LABEL$0 +cute...but!. I was given a set of these cards by a friend who knows how much I appreciate the Sacred Circle Tarot by Anna Franklin. Unfortunately, the Fairy Ring oracle cards are not even as half as good as the Sacred Circle Tarot who is not only beautiful but also gives extraordinary messages when used in combination with the book it comes with!The 'art work' of these cards is cute, but the messages of the cards are...not useful at all! And this is being kind! This deck is a cute past-time for those who like to play with the Fairies, and to be honest I believe the author and creator of the deck has just done that - gone off with the fairies!Satisfaction guarantee...good for a laugh but not to be taken serious!$LABEL$0 +almost perfect. This is the third gravy separator I've owned. The first two were made out of plastic and I doubt that I got to use them more than 10 times before they cracked. I gave up on replacing them, since they were made out of plastic that could not stand the thermal shock, until I found this one. This one is made out of laboratory glass and has survived over a year of frequent use in my kitchen.The only gripe I have is that the spout is not profiled very well, and it's more or less impossible to pour out of it without spilling some of the liquid.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money. I bought one of these to replace my old WearEver Popcorn Pumper (RIP). Boy what I would give to resurrect the old pumper!! The first problem is that this popper is built with the airflow straight up so it blows unpopped kernels out into the bowl. The second problem is that it has such low airflow (necessary due to the direction) that it doesn't get the popped kernels out into the bowl so they build up and scorch. Add to that the fact that, again due to the airflow direction, it pushes a large number of unpopped kernels out with the popped corn. Then add that the butter melting container is also the corn measuring cup, so you need to stop and wash it between every batch. The butter melting cup is plastic, instead of aluminum like the WearEver, so it doesn't have good heat conduction and won't melt butter that isn't already half melted.Overall, don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Euro Music at it's best!. Quoted by Oasis as the band who will save rock music, Coldplay is the new age Beatles, mixed in with a bit of Oasis and American influence. Definately one of the greatest pieces of musical art today!$LABEL$1 +My sister loved it!!. My sister had been looking everywhere for this movie. An she couldn't find it anywhere. So when I found here I was so happy. Got of for her birthday an she loved it!!$LABEL$1 +Pretty dull. This game is of little interest to my six-year old, who has other Disney software that he loves. While there is some animation in the tiles themselves, there's not much else going on. The backgrounds are basically blank, and after you've played for twenty minutes or so, you've pretty much seen all it has to offer.$LABEL$0 +Killer Album Of Blues Covers. Where Me and Mr Johnson focused on acoustic blues ( great job btw ) , this album is quite different . It's plugged - Very plugged . If you want to know why Eric Clapton is held in such high esteem , buy this album .It's an album of covers by blues greats like Eddie Boyd , Lowell Fulson , Freddie King , Albert King and Muddy Waters among others .Clapton's guitar is at the forefront on this album .He does an incredible job with these songs and if you don't agree with people who put Clapton at the top or near the top of the greatest guitar player list ...this album will have you jumping on the bandwagon .If you like blues ..just buy this . you'll love it.$LABEL$1 +Easy to use. Looks and feels good. I am not a fan of the arm bp monitors so decided to spend a little more & get this one. I really love it. I'm able to connect it to my PC to where it keeps track of my readings so I can actually get a clear view of my BP trends. It has helped me with maintaining a healthy bp level because I know when during the month I may experience a slight increase so I'll do a bit more exercise and a few more Resperate sessions during that time of the month. Also, it's Omron. You're dealing with a great company as well.$LABEL$1 +Opened my Eyes to Facebook,and great story and actors ... I went to go see this movie in theatres with avg expectations at best, but let me tell you this movie delivered and then some. I had no clue the actualy story of how Facebook got started and was unaware that the guy who started Napster was even remotely involved. I am not sure how accurate this movie is to the true story but none the less, it was a well written story, and this movie wss CASTED perfectly having Jesse Eisenberg (who I feel doesnt get the acting credit he deserves, being compared to Michael Cera WAY @ MUCH), and Justin Timberlake did a incredible job portraying the guy who started Napster.I have a Blockbuster online membership,but this is the kind of movie you want to own imo, and they have a great deal for their 2 disc special edition DVD,but since I have a Blu Ray im getting it on Blu Ray which I hope includes the same material.Check out this movie.$LABEL$1 +Battery needs work. I purchased this item this summer and at first it was great, picked up everything, until the battery life went south. It would work for a few minutes on full-power and then it was going dead but would run for 20 minutes. Thought I might have over charged the batter and ruined it so I purchased another one and this one I made sure that I didn't over charge the battery and the same thing happened again. Maybe I got two batterys that were lemons but what are my chances. It was great while it lasted. $20.00 a battery is not worth it if it only works for a few months....$LABEL$0 +Died after a year.... Great little gizmo...but it died after only a little more than a year. Not what I expected for the investment.$LABEL$0 +works until it melts and the cooking plates fall off. Got this thing about a year ago, and the removable plates, timer, and adjustable temp are big improvements over earlier versions. But after a few uses, the plastic cover on ours melted a bit and is now a bit deformed and ugly. AND the top cooking plate tends to disconnect when opening the thing. Today it fell off clanged onto the floor just missing my foot, spattering grease all over the place.Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart make similar products, and they are probably better engineered. Even though this one is no long under warranty, it's getting boxed up and shipped back to the manufacturer.$LABEL$0 +Great premise, but disappointing overall. Four very different individuals accidentally meet on the roof where they had all planned to commit suicide.The writing was abysmal and the characters were all very flat and unlikable. There were a few insights I found interesting, but they were presented in a somewhat forced and cliche manner. This is the first book I've read by Hornby and even though it was terrible, I still might give him a second chance with one of his more popular books, such as High Fidelity.$LABEL$0 +Surpasses even the sparkling brilliance of "Black Woman".. Not to take anything away from Judy's "Black Woman" album (which is an absolute classic) but songs such as "Ethiopia Salaam", "Mother Africa", "Lovemaking" and the stunning title track surpass the above-mentioned classic album's splendor and brilliance. Judy has never made a bad album and I highly recommend all of her works.$LABEL$1 +30 years later, and still nothing like it.. Very few people have ever been able to write in such a way that can render nothing of the imagination or fantasy more compelling than the realities of what actually is. Incredibly, 30 years later, very few things in this book are truly outdated, and there is still no book out there which can so accessibly and comprehensively serve as a "You Are Here" starting guide to all that is. It remains an essential and irresistible read for anyone with a natural intellectual curiosity and desire to understand.$LABEL$1 +Poor resolution and sound:(. Great Movie, But surprised at the quality of the Blu-Ray! One star is even too much. Also where is the sound on the movie itself? The special features and new Clash of the Titans 2010 preview has sound, but not the movie. They need to re-release this and take time doing it so we can really see Hi-Def in all it's glory. This is VHS quality, if that.$LABEL$0 +eh. ... ..not awful by any means and there are very pretty moments, but the overall album just lacks in emotion and depth compared to the original. many times the arrangements are very thin and have to leave out important harmonies and sometimes entire lines. it's still enjoyable, mind you. there's just no thom yorke. the absence of his voice really leaves you wondering what to think. if the makers of this cd read these things, can i offer a suggestion that you get a whole string choir with lots of members to beef up some sections and bring back a few things that had to be left out because of your numbers if you ever want to do more radiohead. and get the real man for the melodies.$LABEL$0 +Read this to be paranoid throughout your pregnancy. Although this book is written from the standpoint of presenting the facts, it does so in a warped and paranoid way. The "facts" presented in this book are not the facts but the author's extreme ideas presented from extreme reported examples that are perfect to make any mother-to-be paranoid about her pregnancy. This book will make you believe that having sex WILL cause you to have a miscarriage (which is extremely rare!) In addition, the author speculates that having one x-ray at any time in your life will cause all of your future offspring to be deformed... which could not be more FALSE. This book sells lies instead of the helpful information a mother-to-be will need. In my profession I have already had to council the fears of a young mother who read this book and received all of the wrong information.$LABEL$0 +Oh god.... How the hell can they even make a movie this bad,didnt they read the script first! This is like one of the worst movies ever.Only "Turbulence" was worse movie than this one.This has absolutely nothing,bad huomour,bad effects,bad acting etc. dammit this was a really bad send off for a good actor like Raul Julia,he would have deserved much more... Only some of the Vietnam refrences were pretty good...$LABEL$0 +This is well worth the money. Tickled pink with this particular manual.This one's paid for itself many times over.Very descriptive and helpful,and I have not found many things lacking.Being an ex-mechanic who hates to pay 55$/hr at the shop unless needed,this is a good one for even the novice.$LABEL$1 +Biased Ivy League reviews. This is a decent guide for the most part. The trouble is that the authors' biases are clear when they review Yale's "rival" schools. Is anyone surprised that this book makes Yale out to be the flawless shining star of the Ivy League and Harvard, Princeton, et al. to be overrated, filled with unhappy students, etc.? The not-so-subtle advertising compromises the book's integrity where the Ivy League is concerned. If those are the schools that interest you, Fiske and Princeton Review are better bets.$LABEL$0 +I think it works. It works to shrink existing zits and I think it softens the scars as well. I haven't used it long enough to know for sure. But for the price, it's definitely worth the try. Go easy on the first few applications.$LABEL$1 +Use it to clamp my Contour Roam. Great for mounting my Contour Roam camera while sailing. It articulates nicely in all sorts of directions and I can clamp it to lots of different things on the boat.$LABEL$1 +Excellent, strong bags w NO Failures. I have been using Bags on Board for at least 8 years. I walk our dogs (2 Shar-pei's - 45 and 55 lbs) every day and have actually NEVER had a failure of a bag. These bags are large enough to be able to pick up 4 poops with a large hand inside as I have done many times - (usually 2 per day). I heartily recommend these bags for durability, reliability and size - What more is there? I trust them and will continue to use them.$LABEL$1 +Kept freezing on me. Couldn't even install. After hearing about how easy and intuitive an ipod is, I eagerly opened the package and after charging popped the installation CD into my computer. When the PC asked for the Ipod, I connected it. At first it was just the software crashing, then the ipod froze and I couldn't reset it following the instructions in the manual. It was a long frustrating experience. I will be returning this and will buy my player from Sony.$LABEL$0 +Feed Your Chickens Too. I wanted something to feed my chickens with that didn't require me entering their cage. Having rabbits as a kid, this fit the bill. (Chicken pellets are exactly the same dimension as rabbit pellets.) My only grivance is that the wire mesh on the bottom used to filter out the pellet dust is too fine, and more of the pellet dust stays inside the feeder. Otherwise it works great.$LABEL$1 +Who Needs a Family Like This?. I usually love Ms. Krentz' books but this one was a turkey. Why? I found the hero completely unlikeable and couldn't imagine why the heroine wanted him. Self-centered, cold men and women without much pride don't do it for me.$LABEL$0 +The best children's book ever. I just read the other reviews of this book and feel compelled to add that it had a similarly profound effect on my life. It is only published every 20 years--1947, 1967, 1987 and hopefully again in 2007. It is the best children's book ever--an unrivalled compilation of timeless--and non-commercial--poems and rhymes. Only Shel Silverstein has come close to achieving the same greatness. I learned the whole book by heart as a child and my grown up sisters and I still recite the rounds together when we are feeling silly. Everyone should have this book in their permanent collection.$LABEL$1 +Product Great but Seller is Shady. The phone that I purchase is great. It met all of the expectations of the razor phone. BUT, the product description was misleading. It said that it was "Unlocked for use with your existing GSM 850 MHz, GSM 1800 MHz, GSM 900 MHz or GSM 1900 MHz service provider" To the untrained purchaser(me) I "assumed" (you know what happens when you assume!) that it was good for ANY service provider. My son tried to use it with his Verizon account and was unable to get it hooked up. At the very least, I think that the seller should have had a link (Like the one he sent me when I tried to return it!) to explain which providers it was good for. The seller was very shady in his presentation of the product. But if you have one of the GSM providers the phone is wonderful!$LABEL$0 +Star Trek Movie Set. DVD Set was very entertaining.DVD Set arrived in a very timely fashion.DVD Set arrived in excellent condition.$LABEL$1 +Funny, Fast paced. Dacinda(Daisy) Ann Minor, a character who can only exist in a little southern town, is the archetypal small town spinster librarian. But this particular old fashioned, next thing to a virgin, wants to get married and have babies. On her thirty fourth birthday, she decides to do something about it, and that's where the fun starts. She gets a makeover, moves out of her mother's house, witnesses a murder (unintentionally), buys a puppy, and starts something up with the town's hunky sheriff, who is far from a "good" ole boy. Now the romance in this book is more of the slam-bam-thanks and lets get married-ma'am variety than a Grand Romance, and the action is very secondary. What drives this story forward is Daisy, and then eventually Jack, and how Daisy's evolution changes them both. This is a very fast paced book- everything takes place in less than a month, but it's definitely worth reading if you enjoy a character-driven plot and laughing.$LABEL$1 +REALLY REALLY LOUD. I have just called today to get a second replacement for the refurbished kitchen aid I purchased a month ago. The first was really loud and growly, but the second one is really loud and ear-piercingly annoying. It is hard to even be in the same room with it on. The Kitchen Aid person I spoke will said they are all noisy due to metal gears. Let's just hope the next replacement is tolerable or I spent an awful lot on a lemon.$LABEL$0 +woodcarving book1 basic tecniques. nice book for beginners and advanced alike who wish to learn another technique. very well explained$LABEL$1 +Pre-K teacher. I teach pre-k and the children love this toy! I found out about this toy from another teacher who said that the children really enjoy it. It was a bit expensive but a few parents chipped in for it and when they saw how much the children enjoyed it, they decided to buy it for their homes as well. It is a fun and safe toy. Many magnet toys are not safe for young children but these are big toys (not swallow-able) and the children can build beautiful structures with them! If there are more than three children, I would recommend getting the pack of 100 since children enjoy using many tiles to build structures!$LABEL$1 +Bad design - it will crack at no time. I bought two of them. While installing them into my license plate frame, the thing did not fit over license plate. You actually have to cut your license plate edges about 1/8" at the sides to fit it into the cover.It didn't help and the cover cracked at one place near the license plate screw. Honestly, I didn't over tight the screw.I put it over my front license plate (I live in Illinois) only to protect myself against Laser radar. I think everybody who installed this cover over the license plate take a chance to be ticketed for obstruction the plate as it can be seen clearly only when you look at it absolutely straight. If you have a cop looking at your plate at the slight angle, at least couple digits would be distorted or hidden from being seen them at all. Plus I am not sure that Laser beam will be reflected from the license plate solely and not from the rest of the car.I would NOT buy this cover - waste of money!Michael.$LABEL$0 +Great read. This is a very inspiritational story of one mans quest to make it right for so many other people. A great little story of determination, will, and the pursuit of the ultimate dream....Freedom.$LABEL$1 +Britney Fan. A more mature Britney. The title track "Oops!.. I did it again" is my favorite song. I like this CD better than her first album ..."baby one more time".$LABEL$1 +No complaints. I received my HDMI cable quickly and I have had no problems with it. Very satisfied. I recommend ordering from this company.$LABEL$1 +I tried to like her, but she has no vocal range. remember when Joe Piscipo imitated Sinatra & everything sounded the same ?he could do the same with her. She's attractive, great at the piano, should hire a vocalist. I've never heard her cover an octave. To be fair I did give up listening to her.$LABEL$0 +The running man DVD. i have been wanting to get hold of the this copy of the DVD starring Arnold Schwarzenegger since i was a young boy.However, where I am staying I cant find this dvd at all and I have been searching for this movie for years.Finally,i came across this website and I found what I was looking for.I purchased it immediately.I eventually arrived at my doorstep.The only issue was the dvd case had cracks on it,must be due to the ship handling but the 2 disc edition dvds were perfectly fine.I watched the movie and I was amazed at it special features,extras.So i decided to purchase for 2 other movies from amazon.I am now waiting for them to arrive and I am a happy customer wanting to buy more from amazon again.The one stop place for the huge database of movies.The Running Man (Special Edition)$LABEL$1 +Wow. I think Teri Woods is an excellent writer. Although i think DutchI was better. Dutch II had excellent power as well. Angel is one crazy girl . Can't wait for the final dutch.$LABEL$1 +Same as The Language of Emotions. I purchased The Language of Emotions and was so intrigued by the book, I searched for additional books by the same author - I was absolutely thrilled when I came across this book! Imagine my surprise - and disappointment - when I reviewed the Table of Contents to discover the book is almost IDENTICAL to her newest book, The Language of Emotions. If I had known that, I would not have bothered to purchase Emotional Genius.$LABEL$0 +sounds like too much medical advice. I would rather go see my doctor because I think just doing things as said in this book could be dangerous and goes against what my doctor says to do, so I think you should always see your doctor before changing what you do.$LABEL$0 +A "must" for all Remedios Varo fans and art students.. A recommended pick, Janet Kaplan's Remedios Varo examines the paintings of Varo, a Spanish avant-garde painter. Black and white and a few color shots accompany a very detailed survey of the artist's life and times.$LABEL$1 +beautiful bratz doll. she is one of the best bratz i own, she is beautiful and i love her so much!!!! if youve got her dont lose her! this is best in the collection, the yasmin, then phoebe!!! this collection is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!$LABEL$1 +An outstanding book THAT DOESN'T cover up the Masonic Connection to JFK's murder. The most important line in the book is the oneabout how the FBI used the Masonic Lodge tomeet in 1960...laying the groundwork for JFK'seventual removal by the 'Shadow Government...Ask yourselves, Mr. and Mrs. America, is itjust a coinsidence that LBJ, Hoover, Major ofDallas Cabell, the former Gen. Cabell, et, alwere Masons? I think not. Then they brought inthe Zionists, et, al and finished the job!$LABEL$1 +USB A Female to MiniDin6 (PS/2) Male, Adaptor (Purple). Doesn't Work on my wired keyboard... I used one before that worked fine but I lost. should be simple enough...$LABEL$0 +Love it. I bought this for my baby boy 4 years ago and the blanket/fitted sheet still look like new, even after all the washings. I loved the colors and patterns, it's what attracted me to this bedding set. It's so adorable..I'm expecting a little girl now and if they had this in pink I would so get it for my baby girl, but sadly they don't! Very good quality even after 4 years! =)$LABEL$1 +Best money spent on a pet item ever!. My cat sheds like crazy. He is a short haired cat and the only animal in the house but everything I own has cat hair somewhere. It even makes it way out to the car. While searching around for recommended pet brushes, I ran into the Furminator.....I, of course, balked at the price -- that is a lot of money to me for a brush BUT I bit the bullet and ordered anyway.I received the brush today and I LOVE it! The amount of fur it removes is simply amazing. I was careful not to brush too roughly but I would think anyone with a brain would get that it is a hard metal brush and not to brush too hard. The cat loved it and I love the fact that I get to greatly reduce the hair in my house. Definitely recommend this to anyone with an animal that sheds at all.$LABEL$1 +The Corrs are awesome!. The Corrs are a young and talented band. Their music has a great uplifting spirit which will brighten your day. I just wish that they stick to their Celtic sound and don't head to where other 1990's artists end up: forgotten and in the bargain bin. If they stick to their unique sound, they will stick around.$LABEL$1 +Head is still attached!. My three year old hasn't managed to rip her limb from limb. That's got to count for something.$LABEL$1 +Rear Window is great Hitchcock. Hitchcock at his best. Builds the suspense and it never gets old. I've watched this movie many times over the years and it's still a great movie.$LABEL$1 +annoying. The content of this book is probably ok. I was really disapointed with it as I have been to Nanchang and was really looking forward to someone elses experience of the city and of course their adoption process. The problem I have with it is that it is very badly written. I realise that being a writer is not this guys job but how it was printed like this is beyond me. I can get over grammatical mistakes and bad punctuation to a point. This book is written so badly that at times it is very difficult to get the meaning of sentances. The author changes tenses mid paragraph while talking about the same moment of time. Two stars for effort and putting the story down on paper.$LABEL$0 +Hmmm.... Now THIS is weird. REALLY weird. In fact, I'd go so far and call it the "The Velvet Underground and Nico" of our generation. Okay. Tricky, onetime Massive Attack rapper, teams up with gravelly-voiced singer Martine, and makes one of the weirdest albums you'll ever hear. I'm sitting here staring at the keyboard trying to explain what it sounds like and I'm unsuccessful. Some call it "trip-hop" but I say this sounds NOTHING like "Dummy" or "Mezzanine"! Ever heard the song "Downs" from Big Star's "Third Sister Lovers"? That's what a lot of this album sounds like. Unique percussion and static melodies. And lyrics along the lines of "I drink till I'm drunk and I smoke till I'm senseless" and "I f--- you in the a--." with song titles like "Ponderosa" and "Suffocated Love". Pot hallucination experiences put on record, I guess. It's all very VERY surreal.It's also very VERY unlistenable. But hey, so was "The Velvet Underground And Nico"!$LABEL$0 +Tommy Chong Died Too Early. This was not a great movie. It's usually a 50/50 chance that a National Lampoon movie will be good or horrible. The best thing this movie had going for it was casting Tommy Chong as the bus driver "Red". No surprises here.... he did a lot of drugs and looked like a roadie for the Dead, but he still makes me laugh. The problem was the character died off too soon as with any chance of the movie breaking even at average.$LABEL$0 +good to a see an old friend. It's good to see Lolita Files back in the writng game. I have missed her books and her stories. This book gives great in- sight to where the characters have been and where they are headed next. This book screams for a sequel!! I like that she managed to bring readers up to date while showing a glimpse of the past throughout the book. I read this book in two days it was sooo good. I ony gave it four stars because the ending does leave you hanging for answers. Otherwise, great read!!$LABEL$1 +More Christmas Magic. Hats off to John Corbett, Stacy Edwards, Michael O'Keefe, Jack Palance and the Producers of Prancer returns. We've enjoyed Prancer for so many years and were so excited to see "Prancer Returns" come out. Again, the movie has taken "every day" people, has placed them in "every day" life situations and has created a masterpiece filled with Christmas magic. A wonderful movie for everyone in the family. A must see!$LABEL$1 +good for all ages. Great extras on this DVD. You gotta love the Squirrel in this movie. Check out the time traveling extra. Classic!$LABEL$1 +Delighted to see how many love this book.................. I love THE MIRROR and believe it is the best book ever published with my home town Boulder, Colorado as its setting. Those who are not big time travel fans (I confess I am not usually) can enjoy the book for its page turning plot and the historical detail Millhiser uses to make Boulder in the year 1900 come to life. I was under the impression this was a fairly obscure book but what a pleasant surprise to see it is still in print and loved by many. Great reading choice for Boulder lovers whether residents or visitors.$LABEL$1 +Great Product. Received my Ponds Eye Makeup remover exactly as asked for and in a very timely fashion.Thank you$LABEL$1 +Great book. I bought this book for a contemporary philosophy course at college, and found it very fascinating. Wilson uses science to explain a wide variety of human phenomenon. I read this book not only for class, but I found it so interesting that I read it for fun!It can be hard to get through if you don't have a strong science background. I study science for fun, so I had no difficulty. However, the less scientifically-inclined in the class had a tough time reading it.$LABEL$1 +Pet specific only. This may be okay for people interested in rabbits as pets but for meatkeepers it's worthless.$LABEL$0 +Not worth the money. This book is a waste of time. It does not contain exercises to help you apply the principals to your specific issues with customer or employees. It was very general and did not teach me anything that I did not already know. The book was way too expesive, as well.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointing. This film is very disappointing. Everything is weak. Tchaikovsky fans will be perplexed by this terrible film. The story is confusing and hard to follow and the music is placed without any context. A wasted opportunity.$LABEL$0 +Brushes okay, but.... This toothbrush does an okay job with teeth and gum brushing but it is DIRTY! I take the top off after my twice a day use and rinse it out in hot water. I replace the two parts in their proper places each time. Weekly, I separate the parts of the brush head to clean it and inside is the slimiest black stuff...stuff I have seen inside a sink drain. I had to use another toothbrush and a q-tip to clean it. I would never recommend this brush nor would I buy it again. I am going to try to spray the insides with a weak bleach solution to see if it cuts down on the black slime. ICK!$LABEL$0 +Platinum leather case for i530. Good product. Came in new condition & works great to protect our phone.$LABEL$1 +Bad Seiko Watch. Purchased this watch 12/7/2009 and gave it to my wife for Christmas present and on 2/1/2010 it died..........I took the watch to a mall and had a new battery installed just in case but it still will not work so I'll send it back to Seiko and hopefully it will be repaired..........this was an exact replacement of a watch I gave my wife 25 years ago that worked like a charm up until a couple of months before Christmas so I'm hoping I purchased a legitmate Seiko and not a cheap knockoff!!! I'm sending back to Seiko and will update this if it's repaired timely with no problems!They repaired the watch no problems and it's still working great.........as of 11/11/11$LABEL$0 +This Game Is The Worst Ever. It has some Legendary wrestlers on it, but the gameplay is the worst Ive ever played. I am more used to the gameplay of games like wrestlemania 2000 and wwf no mercy. Do yourself a favor and rent this game before you buy it.$LABEL$0 +This toy is a keeper!. My son is 3 years old and is beg. to like thomas the train- I purchased this toy as a starter to see if he would take the time to play with a train set. It is very cute - however, it is on the noisy side. The legs do come off very easy and cannot be glued (they come undone) He plays with it all the time and I would recommend it to others. The cars are very small so if you have other young children in the house you may want to think about that. It was definately worth the [money] we paid for it.$LABEL$1 +Not worth they money. Very cute and bright pictures but this is really not worth the price. It's very slim - as the other reviewer stated. As soon as I got it I sent it right back...it's about the thickness of a preschooler's book. I'd only buy it again if it were under $7 - and I'm not especially cheap! Lots of other great dog/pug books out there that are worth the money.$LABEL$0 +So far this is AMAZING!!!!!. I got the for my son after reading Dr. Bock's book on the 4-A disorders. My son is a sickly child and the winter is usually a horrible time for the entire family. He has had croup more times than I can count and basically gets it every time he gets a cold. He has asthma and many food intolerance's on top of a weak immune system. Every winter of his life he has gotten the croup at least once a month if not more. Since taking the transfer factor he has not been sick even once!! It has been two months since his last episode. I hope I am not jumping the gun, but this is a first for us! I am very pleased with this product and it is the best supplement we have tried (and we have spent tons on supplements and food already). This is worth every penny!$LABEL$1 +Lasted less than 6 months. We've had a very bad experience with this blender. After not even six months of mild use, the body and the bottom part do not lock together anymore so we had to throw it out as there is no way to open it and try to fix it. Our feeling is that it has been designed with short life expectancy. Buy, use, and... buy again. We'll wait and buy a good brand whilst travelling abroad.$LABEL$0 +Expected better quality. I bought this item after a bit of research over the net. I have an HP computer, and since the bag is also from HP , I expected it to be well designed for HP computers and of course durable. It is well designed but it bit too heavier than I thought it would be. On the durability side, I am surprised to find that handles are coming lose. The threads are unraveling and as of now, the bag is not usable, because handles might break off. This has happened only after a normal usage and normal loads. The load included only a laptop, few documents, power adapter and a book of about half a pound!!Quite disappointed with the quality of this product. But there are chances that this might be defective piece. I am going to send it back to Amazon/HP and see what happens.$LABEL$0 +Best Music Ever. If you like Jarre music, this is the album for you. Made of one of the best of his scores ever. From the beggining to the end. Just put the CD on, sit down, relax, close yor eyes, and let the music do the job. If you're a newbie, you've probobly heard his music before. You're just not aware of what's behind. Hear it, experience it, belive it, learn it.$LABEL$1 +A very good,durable toy.Really gets your brain working!. Mindtrap is a game that consists of really challenging puzzles.I would recommend it for over 12's.It is good fun trying to get the answers & finding out what it is after you puzzling over it for a long time.Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Hamlet. Though dozens of versions of Shakespeare's best-known play have been filmed, none rival this moody 1948 adaptation by master dramatist Olivier, who produced, directed, and acted. Streamlining the text to achieve a leaner, tighter feel, Olivier wrings tremendous feeling out of his indecisive, ever-brooding Hamlet, while the radiant Jean Simmons makes an exceptional Ophelia, the dour prince's doomed lover. Distinguished by its inventive camerawork and lush black-and-white photography, Olivier's "Hamlet" won four Oscars, including Best Actor (Olivier) and Picture.$LABEL$1 +A Very Superficial Book. I returned this book after reading half of it and skimming the other half. I can't find a single original observation to point to, and many of the observations about "Chinese etiquette" are really just observations about etiquette in general - such as the universal practice of starting a conversation with small talk.One particularly annoying part of this book is the author's practice of compling long lists of Chinese vocabularly, phrases, place names, and historical references, and then failing to provide the character or "tone" marks. As anyone with an even cursory knowledge of China knows, Chinese is a tonal language and, hence, without tone marks a vocabulary item is completely useless to a foreigner. Moreover, the author misspells many of the pinyin transliterations, and often provides phonetic transliterations that are non-standard or inacurrate.$LABEL$0 +Poor product. I purchased one of these computers only six weeks ago. On the second time out I detected black spots on the screen, where there should have been pixels. Pressing the screen brought some of them back, but as the day progressed the marks became cracks in the LCD screen itself. I reported the matter to HP the next day and they agreed to collect the unit for warranty repair. Some 10 days later they called me up demanding $650 to replace the screen, saying they were not prepared to honor the warranty for a crack.The lid is totally too flimsy to take the stress of holding the closed unit and lifting it from a carry bag. There is a connector right where you grasp the case, and this can dig in and crack the screen. For a portable laptop the design is not fit for purpose.NB the electronics work great but without a screen are of little value!$LABEL$0 +WARNING: Do Not Buy!. A much needed warning on this item: if you are searching for a way to cool down your computer because it overheats when using intense programs, this product will not stop it from overheating! This item MAY slow down the process of overheating but it will STILL happen. These "cooling pads" don't have enough power to keep your computer cooled. If your computer is suffering from too much heat and programs requiring high CPU stutter and stop, this item will not help! Beware!$LABEL$0 +billw2. fast shipping-great product-aaa+ takes the sand right out of my eyes and is useful for the bathroom duties too horay$LABEL$1 +I almost feel embarrassed, but ..... I'm sure that this is a good book and that it is so famous for good reasons. And I do like reading classic authors and long-winded novels. But this one was soooo boooring! I tried and tried and tried, but eventually, after 200 pages or so, I gave up. Maybe too much testosterone ...$LABEL$0 +Book is ok but kindle edition is pretty bad.. The file is almost unreadable on my kindle because it will not aallow me to enlarge the font. Reading it on a computer is ok but a pain in the butt.$LABEL$0 +worked flawlessly for me. Just finished doing my taxes with it. It imported my last year's data with no problems, and continued to work without a hitch. (MacOS 9.2.2, lots of memory). (haven't tried the state version, or printing to an HP printer.) If I had a nit to pick, it would be that the point in Taxcut's interview where you enter your state tax refund begins by saying "Did you or your spousereceive a form 1099-G for2001?" It eventually goes on to mention that this is the place to enter your state tax refund even if you didn't get a 1099-G, but I missed that the first time through.On my wishlist for Taxcut would be the ability to "print" a PDF of the finished tax return. This is not so pressing, however, as there are various commercial/shareware/freeware ways of getting this functionality, and MacOS X has it built in.$LABEL$1 +Double burner reversible grill/griddle. I decided on this product after reviewing many both in stores and online.I chose this griddle as it is made in the U.S., is the "just right" size we were looking for, and is reversible which is a bonus.I also like the fact that is an easy to clean surface but is also durable and sturdy. That is very important to us as it will be used on our outdoor grill most of the time. We also have other family members that will use it and it will get some rougher use that way.$LABEL$1 +Undersized 2Gig card. I bought for 2-gigabyte EXTREME-III cards, because my application requied at least that much space. It turned out that the cards were undersized - only about 1.88 GB was available. I had to divert them to another application that only needed 1 GB and buy some 4 GB cards for the original application.$LABEL$0 +Not what I was expecting. I ordered the book pictured, but received something totally different. The book pictured was a book my sister and I had and loved as kids, so I was really excited to recapture a piece of my childhood. I was really disappointed when the book I received was a completely different version of "A Christmas Carol." I will be returning the book for a full refund.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful!. This isn't the kind of book that I can read quickly. It has a lot of new information (to me anyway) and it needs to be digested slowly.There are such important truths in this book about intimacy with Christ. You don't want to miss this one!$LABEL$1 +Scatter the Shot!. Well, Scattershot is amazing, but he has a weird Japanese name: Backpack. But the painting looks good! Whoever painted him gets a BILLION dollars!!! I love him! He is pretty cool.$LABEL$1 +A good magazine article, stretched way too far. There is a good story here, but it is padded with ancillary information, and the story has so much filler that it became a chore to finish. This should have been a good magazine article, not a book.$LABEL$0 +Piece of crap..... What a pain in the A$$! Does not work with MCE properly and even using its own software you are very likely to get "failed to initialize hardware" messages from improper driver installations. There are also audio problems that require the card go through a hard reset and have jumpers moved. Way to much effort!$LABEL$0 +Very interesting reading. Mr. Weist's proven "scale trading" method is a very interesting but unconventional trading approach that I personally could never attempt. However, I think it's important to get different perspectives and this is a well written book, with clear examples and many of the author's own personal experiences as a professional money manager.$LABEL$1 +A Clint Eastwood-charachter Version of Enlightenment. A very male-told tale. A tall tale at that. In this version of enlightenment complete out-of-body/out-of-life detachment seems to define the experience. The women do the work though they have, of course, not attained the same level claimed to pass for enlightenment. As more than one person has said, if you think you're enlightened, you're probably not.$LABEL$0 +Great if you're really into food shavings. I had the same experience as many of the reviewers here. This "slicer" is totally useless. If you put ANY kind of pressure down on the item to be sliced it will not cut through; otherwise you just get shavings. I have tried an onion, a green pepper, and a sweet potato; none of them were cut. The video from the company demonstrating this product (up on a certain popular tube site) is a gross misrepresentation, this thing just got tossed into the trash.$LABEL$0 +Not a big fan. I liked the YES products, their first two albums were really good. This product was mixed very badly, and the songs are very weak. But I'm a big E.L.P. fan, but I'm also a recording engineer too. This product should have been thought out alittle bit better. That's just my opinion. I was never a big Rick Wakeman fan, and I've listened to some of his other works. I can't really recommend this product to others, it just doesn't cut the mustard.I've worked with other musicians who just throw some crap together and kick it out the door. Sorry guys, you should have taken some time to put together a better production. This product doesn't show a good investment of your time.But nither did some of the E.L.P. products, every dog has his day. Alot of times this happens due to label presure to put out a product on a deadline.Sorry mates, maybe next time.$LABEL$0 +Ca_ y_u he_r m_ n_w?. If u can understand my title, then thats what to expect from this headset. When paired to my i860, it doesn't work no farther than 2 feet. About 5 feet on my Treo. The rubber earpiece doesn't really stay in the ear. constantly playing with it to hear. Hands Free? not so, it may free your hands from holding fone, but they will be needed to constantly adjust or hold this POS in ur ear.$LABEL$0 +this cd rocks. i had this cd for 6 years and i still jam it on my way to school and at home dr. feelgood is one of motley crues best cds ever.$LABEL$1 +Excellent CD. I've been waiting a long while for EBTG to release the follow up to Walking Wounded. I wasn't let down. Come to think of it, I have realized that almost every gourmet coffee bar in NYC now plays this cd!$LABEL$1 +Just like Pogo under the sea!. C'mon! Don't be shy! Meet Sherman, the world's most lovable shark with a big, fat belly to snuggle up against! He thinks he's a big, bloodthirsty terror of the seven seas, but actually, he's just an arrogant old glutton with brains to match! And come, come meet his buddies, Fillmore the bookish sea turtle and Hawthorne, the stuck-up old hermit crab who just loves to pinch human toes! Oh, and say hi to his lovely wife, the mean-spirited Megan who's got her poor, gullible mate by his nose! So go ahead and enjoy all those zany adventures as visualized by the handsome young Jim P.Toomey, who happens to be a seafaring hero himself, too!$LABEL$1 +It's a first effort.. I actually found this book on a plane, someone had left behind-probably purposely. For a first effort it's ok. Hey it looks like it's a self published book to me. I did not find the poems very special. The poems seemed very "elementary." This probably explains why it's self published- what big publishing house would ant to put it's name on it. I do commend Aiken for the effort, although a lackluster one.$LABEL$0 +Up Up Down is the funiest story i've ever read.. . I liked the book Up, Up, Down because it reminds me of my friend. My friend Valeria went to her house and was hyper and she went up the refrigerator and fell off. She started to scream at her mom that it was her fault. I would recommend this book to smaller kids.$LABEL$1 +Highly Effective Tool!. I just finished reading The 25 Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople by Stephan Schiffman, and I found it not only to be a helpful and informative book, but also highly entertaining. I was afraid that this would be a dry, technical book that I would have to "choke down" in order to get the information that I needed, kind of like a kid eating spinach for the vitamins! But boy, was I wrong! I really enjoyed Mr. Schiffman's style, and I learned a lot from the information he included; a lot of it is common sense if you think about it, but he triggered the thought process. This is a handy and enjoyable reference book that I plan to keep handy, and have with me on so I can refer to it as I make my sales visits. I especially liked his summary of the 25 habits at the end -- a great "quick reference" to give you a last minute "pep talk"!$LABEL$1 +Sadly disappointed in this product. After reading the reviews, I was syked to receive my order of Ibarra chocolate. I love hot chocolate, and look forward to trying new flavors and brands. I've never had "Mexican Chocolate", so maybe this is what it is supposed to be like, but I didn't like it at all. It was hard as a rock, tasteless, and messy. I followed the instructions of boiling some milk, chopping the chocolate in my blender, and mixing it together. It came out foamy, like one reviewer described, but I was surprised to find it tasteless and flat!! I ended up adding 4 T. of my standard coco mix just so I could finish the drink. This was not at all what I expected, so if any of those three reviewers are looking for an open package, you can purchase mine! In one word: YUCK!!!$LABEL$0 +Not for children. The cover of this game is dangerously close to the innocent family game. We bought it at a "breakfast with santa" event, never considering there was a adult-only version. Pretty surprising for the grown ups and eye-opening for the kids! The only hint on the box (after we looked closer) was it said it was for "4 or more adults". Shame on the manufacturers - there should be a better "heads-up" warning. From the other reviews, it looks like we weren't the only ones caught off guard.$LABEL$0 +Opeth - the other side. Purchased this based on the bands association with Steve Wilson of the band Porcupine Tree. I heard the instrumental passages and the mellow vocals of Mikael in some of the longer Opeth songs. It was the death metal "singing" style that turned me off. BUT all of the other stuff was great. This Damnation album is a tad too mellow for their core fans but it's a great standalone listen for anyone who loves good music. I wish the band would abandon the cookie monster vocals and just go straight forward singing - his voice is so great to begin with. Anyway - LOVE THIS ALBUM ! BUT IT !!$LABEL$1 +Poor quality on these swings from Penn Plax. Although ZPets delivered these as promised, the quality is poor.The swings separate from the hooks that hang them. Ordered 24 of these and 12 of them are not usable. I will contact ZPets about this fault.Canaries love this swing and ufortunatley it is dangerous to them when they come apart and they go crashing down unexpectedly.$LABEL$0 +Interesting Book with Depth and Style. Ivy Cole and the Moon by Gina Farago is not the usual type of book I would pick up on my own. On the surface it seems to be of the horror genre, not one of my favorites. But this 'werewolf' book is far more than it seems on the surface. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the structure as the writer weaved her tale with flashbacks and revelations about the characters. The setting, familar to me as my own backyard, only added to my interest in the story and the names of the characters were right for the area and for the story. The fascinating theme of the story lifts the book far beyond genre fiction.If you're looking for an interesting read with some chills but also with some depth and style, think about Ivy Cole and the Moon.$LABEL$1 +just my opinion.... At first glance I thought McTeague was going to be a relatively boring read. However, as I progressed through the novel I found myself enjoying it and I discarded my initial thoughts about the book.McTeague is actually a brilliant, little, fiction story about the innate savagery of mankind. In the novel, McTeague is large, and seemingly harmless, man. McTeague's docile qualities are slowly shed throughout the novel and his underlying, predominant atavistic qualities and behaviors take hold.One of the great things about this fiction novel is that it was derived from a non-fiction event. In the back of the novel there is an in-depth depiction of the events in which the ideas from McTeague were taken from. For those who seek to delve deeper into the novel, there is also a section of criticisms and lots of other useful and interesting discussions in the back of the book.All in all, I enjoyed reading this novel and I would recommend it to anyone.$LABEL$1 +Poor Photography Ruins Book. Very disappointing book. Comes across more as a gimmick to make some fast cash by self publishing a book that includes the authors photos combined with Christian "inspirational wisdom" scattered across the pages from Lewis, Mullins and others.The best thing this book has going for it is the cover design. It's downhill after that. The photography is poor at best. Several images are blurry, while many suffer from poor exposure, lifeless composition, and a printing that renders the photographs dull.If you are looking for a gift book or coffee table photo book with eye popping photographs with "inspirational wisdom", this book does not deliver. Do not buy this book based upon it's cover.Highly disappointed. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +a solid tale from an up and comer!!. RED RIGHT HAND is a story that tells the goings-on of a Bonnie and Clyde-type duo and their ending in a California town. It's a very exciting ride and the ending is a true killer. The characters are original, the dialogue funny and scary at the same time and the action and drama are intense. Recommended.$LABEL$1 +Well marketed but lacks substance. This book really lacks the substance needed to pass the Test. Its poorly organized and not recommended. The best way to do well is to go to web-sites and read stuff and buy Sun's publications.$LABEL$0 +Disgusting, didn't even bother to finish it. This author certainly left nothing to the imagination, and I really wish he had. It was disgusting pretty much from page one. I didn't even bother to finish it, and haven't watched a Bogart movie since. Thought about donating to the library, but would feel bad if someone actually read it. This one is worthy of the trash can and not much else.Bogart may have been that much of a degenerate, but this book is really too much information. And I'm really disappointed that the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) web site even suggested it.$LABEL$0 +for all fans great and small. very good series, it is great to have the whole set including the two specials they made. the first 4 seasons are the best the last three have a different actress playing the role as Helen which doesn't quite work for me and there are a lot of episodes without Tristin in them and you really notice his absence. they try to make up for this by adding the character Callum but he does not fill the void, really only makes me wish to have the original Helen and Tristin back. but all in all very charming series.$LABEL$1 +Careful. I couldn't believe dark craz's comments on track 4, hot bars, and track 9, All I can do. I'm writing this review simply to defends S&M, and two of the best (among others) songs on this EP. To say that hot bars doesn't flow it ludicrous at best. Bump this track in the summer time with your windows down and life won't get much better. Both of their flows are unparalleled. Granted, there isn't a deep message here; it is such a feel good song though. This track reminds me that everything is all good. Not to mention, when grouch is on the beat, there is rarely--if ever a disappointment. But that is just opinion I suppose. Maybe. Track nine, all I can do, is another S&M classic, with a solid message flowed eloquently over another dope Grouch beat. S&M, especially Murs can flow to fit any mood, they can always make you reflect, and feel good about most any situation. Basically, please be careful when writing CD reviews, there are reputations on the line.$LABEL$1 +Handsome Blender, But..... Purchased this blender because it was sold as a display at 40% off. Knew nothing about it, but did some research online after purchasing. Seemed to work fine for me at first, but this morning, only it's second use, I noticed it was leaking just as many reviewers had complained. Also, the "smoothie" function produced more of a "chunky" than a "smoothie" which was very disappointing. Other reviewers have noted that the blade assembly tends to freeze up, and emits dark residue over time, as well as the motor failing after only 1 or 2 years. With only a 1 year warranty I don't feel too confident about this product. If only this $100+ blender worked as nicely as it looks I might keep it, but it's going back ASAP.Update: Finally decided to go for it and ordered a Vitamix 5200. Yes, it's expensive, but so far worth every penny. It outperforms every other blender I've tried.$LABEL$0 +Da Cube:by a kid who likes Cheesemonkeys. I got GameCube, and it rocks! I got it at 7:30 p.m. and played till 11:00 non-stop! Exept for a bathroom break of course. I think PlayStation2 and Xbox are junk. Xbox should be called Crud-box! And TrashStation2! Now, back to the Cube. The Controller rocks, the games rock, what could be better? So, dont play your PlayStation2 or/and Xbox so much! Play your Cube! I bring it with me on all my trips! You should too! If you dont have one, get into your car and speed off to the nearest video game retailer! Remember, PS2 and Xbox [stink]!$LABEL$1 +A GREAT READ. A great "story" based on obviously a thoroughly researched topic. I knew little about the subject at first, which is why it got my attention. My wife was also a little incredulous at first, but then we realised it was all factually based. I will be looking out for this author's next book.I also wonder if this book will turn up as a swashbuckling movie down the road. I plan on sending copies as presents to friends who love history based books. It makes one want to go to the Carolinas to check out the scene - perhaps we have our next vacation destination determined.$LABEL$1 +To Arms! Wake up, Christendom!. Thank God for people like Janet Folger, David Kupelian (Author of "The Marketing of Evil") and others, who use their pens as clarion calls to those of us who love God, our country and our right to religious freedom...FOR NOW!We must either wake up and take action, or accept the fact that, by remaining silent, we assist those who pave the way straight to Hell using stones of Political Correctness.$LABEL$1 +The author could be more specific.... I don't know you, but I don't have time to lose.The author of this book could be more "specific"...direct to the point, instead of defining defenitions.$LABEL$0 +Not a good product .. The cups of this coffee maker has a very strong plastic smell. After less than 5 use, it stop working.$LABEL$0 +broke after 5 minutes!!. We were so excited to get this going- THEN it just would not turn on anymore AFTER 5 MINUTES!! Changed to new batteries and everything--- so disappointing! I'm bringing it back.$LABEL$0 +Dog Lover Having Second Thoughts. I am a huge dog lover, but this movie had me looking at canines in a different light for quite some time while I was little. For some reason, I always relate this movie to "Sandlot," but this dog really was ridiculously mean. The scene in the junkyard made my eyes widen a couple times, and I'd give this movie four stars for being entertaining. Scary? Not at all. The book was even more grotesque, and I enjoyed every minute of it. All I kept thinking through the book and the movie was "What is taking so long for someone to shoot this dog?!"$LABEL$1 +My 6 & 3 years old love this movie. My two girls 6 & 3 years old love this movie. The sang the main song for hours. Kept them entertaned during our road trip to disney.$LABEL$1 +Good but Expensive!. The Walden Farms products are very good tasting but they are way too expensive on Amazon. Go to the Walden Farms website and get their stuff MUCH cheaper!!$LABEL$1 +Right Wing Propaganda. I just canceled the subscription I had. The tools are OK, but the right wing constant rhetorical diatribes are just nauseating to say the least. If I wanted these views I would listen to Rush Limbaugh Or Sean Hannity who sometimes seem moderate to the obvious biases.$LABEL$0 +Will never buy another Epson!. I have the Epson CX5200 and loved it at first. But everyone is right...it starts to clog and then you have serious problems. I can print black and blue but no yellow or magenta, which means you can't print anything in color. I have tried everything...new cartridges, cleaning the print heads, aligning the heads, etc...nothing works. It seems like several other people have had the same issues with this series. Epson needs to correct this issue before putting other printers on the market! I am now looking for a new printer but you can bet it won't be an Epson!$LABEL$0 +I liked Old Spice classic. It worked great .... I liked Old Spice classic. It worked great and lasted all day. It had a nice scent to it -- not too strong. Even though it was white when you put it on, it doesn't rub off on your shirt. Great for when you're wearing dark clothes. I'd buy this and recommend it to others.$LABEL$1 +Stardust. Maroon Killashandra on Doona, have her meet an even more empathic and supportive Sean Shongili, extract all suspense and danger, and you'll have _Nimisha's Ship_. Unlike memorable McCaffrey heroines of yore, Nimisha has no need to grow and change, as she's brilliant, beautiful, poised, and powerful from the early pages. Even being marooned on a planet with defeated exploratory teams barely ruffles her hair or mars her manicure. It's a good thing the early settlers of Pern did not have Nimisha's ship-design skills, as they would have developed a high technological civilization in approximately 25 minutes, and we would have been denied some of McCaffrey's best books.$LABEL$0 +Powerful & Profound!. I taught a class on this book--it was life changing! These essential questions serve as a compass for creating the life you want!$LABEL$1 +Exceed my expectations. I had searched local nurseries for a great bonsai tree for my office with no luck. I ordered this tree and was totally amazed at the health and beauty of the tree. It arrived promptly and in perfect condition, even the soil was in place. For anyone looking for a beautiful bonsai to bring a little peace to their home or office, I completely recommend this tree and company!$LABEL$1 +Useless book for the serious collector. Save your money and buy a current book with current pricing. This historial document shows how rapidly prices and information changes, and provides a sobering look at the need for collectors to keep up to date. ...$LABEL$0 +Downton Abbey Season 3 preview. I rated this 5 stars baised on the first two seasons. I am looking forward to season 3, and expect that it will not disapoint. I do not see any weaknesses in this production, writing, cast, everyone associated with it.$LABEL$1 +I bought it for one song. Bill Cosby's "Little Ole Man." My mother had a 45 of this song. This is the only place you can get it on CD.$LABEL$1 +Self-Indulgent Garbage. Having been a Junior Brown fan since 1991, I looked forward to his new release. Junior is a national treasure, and is arguably the greatest country musician alive today, maybe the best ever. However, I can promise you that this album will never be put in my CD player again. It is an insult to country music fans, and a waste of his talent. I don't object to Junior testing the limits with rock, rock and roll, and rockabilly, it's one of the things he does best. However, this effort belongs in the trash can. This album should have been titled "We Got Really Drunk One Night, Played Some Stupid Songs, And Somebody Left The Tape Recorder On". Don't waste your money on this one. Ernest Tubb wouldn't have.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful!. I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed this performance because the pictures on the front put me off a bit. But this is a manic, thorough romp through Shakespeare as I have never envisioned it. Definitely a keeper.$LABEL$1 +Smartdigital USB Repeater not 2.0. I just bought two of these. They do work but the throughput is slow. USB 2.0 is supposed to allow for up to 480 Mbs, while USB 1.1 allows for between 1.5 Mbs to 12 Mbs. These cables clearly state on the back of the package that they support 1.5 Mbs to 12 Mbs max. Thus they don't perform as 2.0. What this means is whatever you have hitched through this thing will be slowed down; example, I tried to put my webcamera on it (which does 24 Mbs) and my movements are slowed down noticeably.If you look at the cable connector box, they have stuck on a little sticker that says "USB 2.0" in red. The sticker tries to make it look like that was printed on the connector along with the rest of the labeling. Basically, everything points to this being mislabeled, previous generation product. If you want USB 2.0, and you should at this point in time, you should buy another cable, not this one.$LABEL$0 +Video card not supported? Seriously?. I tried to install this game on a Samsung laptop made in 2011. I have the newest Medal of Honor game installed, made in 2010, as well as Battlefield Vietnam, made in 2004. So I figured installing this game, which is 5 years old, wouldn't be a problem. However, after finally getting the game installed, I received an error message saying that my video card was not supported. If my 2011 graphics card is too outdated for this game, I would like to know how the heck anyone played it in 2007. It makes no sense. I can run an EA game from 2004 and another from 2010 on my video card, so why can't I play one from 2007? Don't buy this unless you are absolutely certain that it will run on your system. Despite being an old game, it is EXTREMELY picky about what systems it will run on.$LABEL$0 +Not for DMC-ZC3 camera. This battery cannot be used on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 camera. The spec is similar but it won't fit. Be aware.The package comes with a casing for battery and detailed instruction. If this fits your camera, the battery would be good.$LABEL$0 +The best Billy Jack Movie. and I believe the first. Poor script, poor acting, poor camera work but God, what a great movie this is. Buy it. Nothing special about the DVD but the quality is okay. I was disappointed that there was no widescreen version.$LABEL$1 +Right up there with Commando. Had hopes given the cast. Sadly, Arnold only had a cameo. Wow is Dolf awful or what. The movie did set a record for cheesy looking blood splatters. We started playing a version of "Bob' ....$LABEL$0 +Indispensable. I am an acupuncturist and massage therapist and use this product on my patients everyday. It is a traditional Chinese formulation that works very wells for joint, tendon and ligament issues that result in pain (arthritis, healing sprains/strains etc.) I recommend the spray bottle version as it is easier to apply multiple times a day as is needed for optimal results. Just be sure to wash hands thoroughly before touching one's face, eyes and private regions to avoid a "rude" awakening!$LABEL$1 +as described. Came on time and works. Grey part is rubber so it grips!The quick release is slim so you can just leave it on your cam$LABEL$1 +Extremely slow... Utterly horrible movie. I honestly can't believe that Robert Patrick wasted his time on this piece of [junk] movie. Ugh! One of the worst movies I've seen in quite a while.$LABEL$0 +Is your mom boring? What if she was a sword fighter?!. Two kids living very normal lives -- who would have thought mom was actually a sword fighter under a powerful spell? What every kid dreaming of adventure longs to happen! Certainly Wrede's best work -- the characters stick with you forever, and the magic of the environment is entrancing$LABEL$1 +Great book for fundraisers. This is an excellent book for those in ministry who are not natural "fundraisers". Highly recommended$LABEL$1 +Good Show, Better than Current TV (But not perfect). I have three seasons of this. It is not perfect, but better than most of the garbage that is on current TV.$LABEL$1 +Knock off. I don't believe this is the real product. My hair is beginning to fall out after use. It is not the same product, the real cleanser 3 is pearly, this is clear. Also, the label on the front is pasted on. Manufacturer on the back says Wella Corporation and made in Mexico. That is not on my 'real' bottle. Not happy with this purchase.$LABEL$0 +Good value. Bought this adapter to power my Koolatron fridge when travelling. It works well and is much lighter than my original one (due to the fact that it is solid state based). The only drawback is that the outlet plug is a car lighter socket and the Koolatron has a 2-pronged DC plug so I had to get an extension cord to make it work. Luckily I had a spare. Koolatron should at least provide the correct plug with the unit.$LABEL$1 +Will he finally make it here?. He's a mega star all over the globe, 5 years strong; but in our little world he's Robbie who? Will he make it here this time? Chances are NO! I bought the Euro version months ago and love it. Even thou his US label changed the org. tracks (for the better I think) the Radio Gods (programmers) still wont give him a chance. Keep up the hip hop,rap and the same tired rock. I for one know better. If your a fan of RW obtain both versions.$LABEL$1 +Not Bad. Product came quickly and works great. Works as described. Gets most blemishes and marks out. Note Product is Not for scratches.$LABEL$1 +Eye-opening story. As an American who has never traveled to Australia, I thought the author painted a very detailed picture of the scenery. I felt that the story could have taken place on any continent invaded by an outside population, and it certainly demonstrated the ethnocentric, close-minded mentality of my forefathers. The story was slow to develop, but once the conflicts began, it was gripping to the end.$LABEL$1 +AP (Alternative Press Magazine). I purchased a subscription to the AP Magazine as part of my son's Christmas present on 12/11/10. It's mid March and he hasn't received an issue. I called the magazine and their explanation is that because I didn't subscribe directly with them but with a third party (Amazon.com),those orders go to an agency and they only received mine in January. Unacceptable explanation but my son will have to keep waiting for an issue.$LABEL$0 +Good deal. Got this case for my Mossberg 500. Was looking for something affordable that came with a locking mechanism. Case has four locks. Only issue I originally had was the first case I received would not close properly. Product was defective and the two pieces didn't align properly. Had to use your entire body weight to close and lock it. Reported the problem to Amazon and they sent out a new case that I received promptly. New case has had no issues.$LABEL$1 +Over Rated. Other than Layla, there isn't much of interest here, just more British white boy blues, I'd stick to the comps.$LABEL$0 +Terrific Entertainment!. We've had this on VHS for so much time and viewed it so often, we wore it out! The movie is intelligent, humorous and thought-provoking (re: social mores). Can you wear out a DVD?$LABEL$1 +Good, quick, fun.. While this story is a near carbon-copy of others in the genre, it remains an embarrassingly delicious aperitif to Cook's later, more original, works.$LABEL$1 +Return To Form. After releasing some mediocre records in the early to mid 90's Sonic Youth returned to Sonic brilliance with this 1998 release. Not quite as good as "Sister" or "Daydream..." but damn close and the amzing thing is that SY have the ability to release a great record 18-20years after their inception a feat that none of their peers have managed to pull off......get it now....$LABEL$1 +Plenty fo stuff to like, a few misses. How Men Are was, coming on the heels of the Luxury Gap and their massive UK hit "Temptation" something of a challenge. The production had moved from funky to more orchestral in nature, the songs less hook driven and more introspective. Still, I remember this being one of my favorite albums in the late 80s, I constantly played it and grew to love it. The Skin I'm In and Shame Is On the Rocks are classic Heaven 17 songs, full of bright pop sounds and yeah, funky I guess. The album has one of my all time fave Heaven 17 songs "Reputation," a shamefully over looked -should have been a hit single. ...And That's No Lie is a massive, almost Brian Wilson-type epic that has promise but seems half finished.If anything, compared to the first two albums this one is more mature and less hit driven. Some tracks seem like filler, portents of things to come in hindsight. Not a bad album, certainly nothing embarrassing. But just wait...$LABEL$1 +Ignore the Title. This book is not what the title sugests. It does not contain how to's on learning faster and remembering more. It is a summary of other's scholarship on how the brain works. That's it.$LABEL$0 +Quit with the psychobable. If I wanted to read a book about the psychological reasons for fantasy and an anaylsis of how women are changing through time, I would have read one by a psychologist. Reading a small sample of fantasies mailed to you does not make you an expert. Stop analysing and just report like you did with the first two books!$LABEL$0 +Uh....simply awful. While I appreciate the effort that goes into making a feature film, it's hard to say much good about this film.....silly story, trite characters and an actress who looked way older than her character's stated age.....the jokes were generally lame, and overall it had an Afterschool Special kind of feeling.....sorry, I applaud the effort, but thumbs down on the film.....$LABEL$0 +Bought the cut down the forest version. The book is well written. It presents the various topics in a way that you can examine the code and determine for yourself what it means$LABEL$0 +Horrid! Just like the town!. West New York is horrible ( i should know i lived there for 29 yrs, & recently got the hec out!) just like this low-budget movie! How in the hell can you have Frank Vincent & Vincent Pastore in a lemon like this? FUGGEDABOUDIT! PURE 100% bad acting! The trading in bonds for loot plot was CHEESEY! Most of all,,,i felt like throwing a shoe at the screen when you see how Colleti (F. Vincent)gets shot.....I am glad i only paid a dollar for this...The funny thing is,,,the garbage bag i am putting this DVD in,,,costs more,,,,,go figure..........$LABEL$0 +Las Canciones mas famosas. I ordered this product twice and both times it was refunded without an explanation, I really want this book!$LABEL$0 +NOT a fabric floral applique, alot ribbon embellishments. I had thought the book would contain much more on appliqued fabrics for flowers, birds etc. What was given was many forms of appliqued hearts, and a few other background applique projects to show off ribbon applique/embroidery. In that, I was very disapointed, by ordered online.But if you want the book for those ideas and projects, it is excellent.My seller was TOPS! Couldn't ask for beter.$LABEL$0 +don't waste your money on Cheap meters!. I have been in the RV repair industry for a long time and one thing is for sure, I cannot do my job without a top quality meter. I have in the past bought Snap-On, Mac, Matco,ect, but have never been as pleased with a meter as I have with this one. Beyond the normal functions of a meter, I love this one for its temp probe, no more are the days of carrying a therometer to take readings inside fride, a/c/ unit, all I do is plug it into the meter put the probe inside and shut the door within 30 seconds I have a very accurate reading. But probably the most important thing about this merter is the "true RMS" readings I get, this is very important when working with power converters and inverters..This meter is very well protected also with fuses (fuses are pricey though) have not blown one yet but I would recommend purchasing a set to keep on hand.$LABEL$1 +Elizabeth Lowell is GREAT. I loved the characters in Amber Beach. The way they interacted with each other added to the story. I also liked the fact that romance was not the only theme in the book.$LABEL$1 +Small book - big price. I was a little disappointed that this book is so small. It fits in your shirt pocket. For the price, it should be a regular size book$LABEL$0 +Better than expected.. We purchased this Coleman Fireplace and are very pleased with our purchase. It is well built, easy to set up and use, convenient size, uses the small propane tanks and is also very attractive. Amazon shipped the item quickly and I would gladly buy from them again. I would recommend this item to anyone looking for an affordable firetable and if space is a concern, this may be the one for you.$LABEL$1 +Definitely a DYNASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Michael, Scottie, Phil. Do these names sound familiar? Soemtimes one name says it all. From 1991-1993 and 1996-1998, the BULLS won the championship. This dvd set not only takes you through their arduous journeys during their championship years, but it also includes some of the NBA's Greatest Games (i.e.-Game 5 of 1997 Finals; Game 6 of 1998 Finals). This is definitely a must have for any basketball fan. Are they alongside the storied Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics? That can be left to opinion, but you have to show the Chicago Bulls credit. They are one the best teams in sports history in terms of players and titles.$LABEL$1 +Pretty corny. Well, why not? Growing up with the superman TV series I just decided I wanted to see for myself how it was. I have to admit it was pretty corny. Oh well. The acting was terrible and the plots were so obvious. What is it that they say you can never go back home. After purchasing and watching this series again I would have to agree with that statement. Fun anyway to see how it really was.$LABEL$1 +Essential Stravinsky. No student or lover of Stravinsky's music should be without this book. It is a rare opportunity to see into his thought processes, and it makes one realise just how much music meant to him- that he sought to serve it by understanding it as deeply as he could.In communicating this understanding, Stravinsky makes for an engaging, if somewhat challenging, read. The book is a transcript of six lectures given by the composer to French students, and the translators have seen fit to cast his words into a large quantity of "verbal Victoriana." If at times it seems boring, it is all due to that style of language. Apart from that, it is an excellent account on the part of a man who (for all his known self-contradictions) clearly used his heart as well as his hands and his head.For students of Stravinsky, this book is essential. As a record of his personality and thought processes, it takes some beating.$LABEL$1 +Buyer beware, deceptive invoicing tactics. Hearst Publications sent my mom nasty bills and letters saying she agreed to a renewal which she did not, and which she specifically wrote to them to say she did not want (something she should not even have to do).I would NEVER buy this magazine now that I am aware of their unethical practices.I fear for people without the skills to be able to assert their rights and suspect many go along with the renewal they never wanted and capitulate in the face of the nasty reminder / billing letters.Sad. My mom wonders how someone like Oprah can even be associated with such practices.You can contact Oprah subscriptions at 800-846-4020 apparently but they don't even put the phone number on the invoices and it took me much searching to find it online, no thanks to them. It's not even shown on the website they direct you to for payment.$LABEL$0 +Not good for LCD monitors. I bought this for my kids. They have a 21" lcd monitor which normally uses a 1600x1200 resolution. Within seconds of starting the software there was huge disappointment to see a tiny little window half the size of the screen which was the drawing area. Ok, I thought you should be able to resize it like most modern windows programs. It turns out you can't which I find amazing. 800x600 was the standard nearly 10 years ago. Things have moved on since. Ok, you can change the monitor resolution but this is a pain for my kids to do and frankly it looks terrible - the text is almost unreadable. They should really point out that the resolution can not be changed. I would not have bought this if I had known this before hand. Very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +FAB!!. A relatively new knitter, I have been afraid to try a sweater on my own....but this book gave me the confidence to actually figure it out. My niece has a gorgeous set-in sleeve sweater that she is thrilled about, as am I.This is a MUST OWN!$LABEL$1 +Would not work. Would not work well with any of our computers. Made a loud humming noise and slowed down computer. We do not use it. Did like the graphics though, dissapointed.$LABEL$0 +Great!. Probably one of the best surf documentary I ever saw, gripping and engaging! Very fun,there are a lot of big waves and big surfer..and overall a great soundtrack !$LABEL$1 +Bellow expectations. This is like a bedroom phone, with radio, clock and alarm.No problems related to the radio, but the clock does not have the light up during all time.. its difficult to see.. you need to touch any bottom to have lights on.The alarms have options to set 1, 5 or 7 days a week, but they are confuse to set.The CID is very nice, and when you are out the lights flash to let you know whne somebody really called you.If your goal is a CID phone go ahead but if its to have a bedroom phone, I would suggest the GE models.$LABEL$0 +New England all the way. Stick with it, it begins a bit slow. Like Russo's other novels, though, Empire Falls is quite entertaining. Not as good as Straight Man, though consistently good.$LABEL$1 +A Real Treasure of a Classic!. The wonderful story of a unique real-life 1920's family with 12 children. Myrna Loy the mother of this close knit family, will steal your heart with her dry, deadpan humor. In one scene she sits patiently in her living room listening to an unsuspecting birth-control advocate spew over-population nonsense in an attempt to get her to join their nefarious group! The father is an efficiency expert and runs his household accordingly, but not without a lot of unavoidable laughs and surprises. Very entertaining film you and your family will love. Takes you back to the wonderful time of 1910's and 1920's pre~Depression era America. The way a family ought to be. You'll simply love this classic treasure.$LABEL$1 +CFLs appear to be total scam. GE seems to be the only brand I see in stores. I have had terrible experiences with my GE CFLs. They DO NOT last as long as they claim. The ones that claim to be instant-on may start quickly --but the illumination level takes MINUTES to be remotely useful. Others take more than a second to actually turn on. I hope LEDs are better and the price comes down quickly. GE is setting themselves up for a major backlash if someone can deliver a better product.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money on this battery. Don't waste your money on this battery. The battery that comes with the unit lasts about 30% longer then this one does even though it has a lower MA rating. The battery that comes with the phone is a Lithium Polymer battery. This one is only Lithium Ion which has less capacity for same size.The 1000 MA rating must be incorrect because field use proves otherwise. If you are looking for an inexpensive backup battery and not looking for longer run time, then this is a good choice.$LABEL$0 +Amazing. I got this 5 days early and it was.... I love it! Crazy with a bit of sweet definally worth watching. PASTA!$LABEL$1 +Boudica. Well researched. Well written. Provides a wealth of background information to explain the period and the circumstances leading to the rebellion.$LABEL$1 +Never really got going. I didn't enjoy this book. The story line never really got going and I could always tell what was going to happen next.In a nutshell, it's about a single 30-something career girl that needs a date for her upcoming school reunion. Predictably, she bumbles through a series of almost relationships in search for the perfect man to have by her side. There is also a somewhat random side-plot involving her not-so-happily married best friend that I don't think adds much to the story except padding.I have also read Marisa Mackle's "The Mile High Guy" which I preferred.$LABEL$0 +3 1/2 * good romance. MOON WITCH FELICIA ANDREWSSHE FOUND PASSION - AND A PLAN OF VENGEANCE - UNDER THE DARK SPELL OF THE MOON...Amanda Munroe. She was known as "the witch" riverboat captain, gambler's wife - but most of all, as the independant beauty whose sharpshooting exploits set the frontier aflame...Now widowed and wealthy, her heart turns further West, to the wild San Francisco of the 80's, and the charm of Trevor Eagleton, the taunting wheeler-dealer she must possess.But desire has it's price, and soon her affair with Trevor drives her deeper into a dangerous labrynth of deceit where an old, deadly enemy lies waiting for revenge, and to a rendezvous where destiny shimmers beneath the moonlit Wyoming sky....$LABEL$1 +Great Little Cookbook!. This little book is a nice addition to my collection and the recipes are easy to follow....the only thing I was disappointed in was the fact that it didnt have that many pictures of the finished product...However, I am an experienced baker and cant wait to try some of these recipes...Thanks Amazon!..another great deal from your warehouse deals!$LABEL$1 +Misrepresentation. Sorry, but anyone who claims that standard Arabic '''''' is actually used in conversation by friends and families in relaxed settings is misrepresenting the language completely (which is a nice way of saying he's a complete liar).You can't start to learn a language based on lies. You can I suppose start with some simplifications. Also not distinguishing between hamza and 'ayn? Really? Give me a break. Go spend your money elsewhere. I don't care how good the CD is.$LABEL$0 +the best show on tv.. reno 911! is the best show on tv. network, cable, pay cable, you name it, this show is the only comedy show that keeps me laughing throughout an entire episode. many may say it sounds too gimmicky, having the lieutenant wear short shorts, having a short-haired woman that is the butt of all the jokes, an ex-stripper, a trailerpark living redneck, and other odd characters that join into the mix. but the funny this is - it works. the show is all improv, or at most they all follow a loose script. i have to admit that i had never seen any of the first season episodes, but began watching when the second season rolled around and couldn't believe the kind of show i had been missing. i picked this dvd up the first day it went on sale and could not have been happier with my purchase. the show is an absolute riot. you will not be disappointed!$LABEL$1 +junk. broken. will only move about 5% points in any direction...tried a few different ways to calibrate. not even worth shipping back to amazon for a refund...just count it as a loss.$LABEL$0 +Not for long term occasional use. We bought a version of this a few years ago to use for guests and after just having used it last night the guests had to actually crawl onto the sofa half way through the night. We've noticed for a while it wasn't holding air well but it wasn't even sleepable after a few hours. We're disappointed because this was rarely used but much needed when it was and now we have to purchase another one. Otherwise we really liked it but something about it just makes it not hold air which defeats the purpose!$LABEL$0 +Dissapointed. I purchased this unit to replace an old SU2 unit that I really liked. Here are the things with which I was disappointed:The clock is very difficult to read unless you are looking at it straight and level. Angle viewing while lying in bed is impossible.Radio antenna dangling out the backThe unit is bigger than I expected (I should have checked the size)Sounds with same name are different than the old unitContrast adjustment is crude and not very usefulEven on dim the backlight is fairly bright. On bright you certainly won't need a nightlight in the room.$LABEL$0 +Very Nice Product. Great quality and great looking product. Had a little trouble installing on Windows Vista, I couldn't get the Mic to work. I downloaded the software/driver from Logitech website, followed the instructions and wa-la, mission accomplished with no hassel. Love the Right Light technology and the video effects except for the Avatar video effect which tends to lose the face tracking sometimes but that's not the reason I got this webcam anyway. I'm completely satisfied with this Webcam and I only gave it 4 stars because of the size (not suitable for Laptops), it could have been a little more compact but it's OK for a 19" LCD.$LABEL$1 +Great introduction to the author and his characters. A ripping yarn, I was immediately moved to buy more of the Reykjavik Mysteries, great characters, and lots of interesting insights into Icelandic society, of which I previously knew nought. Recommend it for lovers of Scandi Noire.$LABEL$1 +Glorifies adultery.... Very romantic, but glorifies adultery. I just can't like a movie that does that.$LABEL$0 +Don't Bother. Inferior performances, bad sound. I can't imagine these wonderful artists approving this release. Even at $6.97 it's not worth the price. Absolutely dreadful.$LABEL$0 +GREAT!... Almost as good as Voyager. I LOVED this season! It's probably the best one of TNG. My personal preference is Voyager (Female Cpatains ALL THE WAY!... and not to meantion great plots, and a fantastic theme song!!!), but this is definetly sencond best. TOS is dull, TNG's great, DS9 is pretty slow, Enterprise is NOT good, but Voyager is great! If this is your first time watching Star Trek, go for either this or Voyager.$LABEL$1 +just what i needed. we have an older model humidifier, about 5 years old, can't find this size filter in stores, thanks for having them$LABEL$1 +Long Live Dark Shadows. I loved Angelique. She was played as I always thought she should be. Dark, mysterious, and intriguing. I too was upset when they killed the series. I vote we petition NBC anc CBS to recast the series. At least so we can record it for postarity.$LABEL$1 +This is a catalog!. My husband made fun of me for spending $10 on a catalog for expensive toys. I'm a sucker, should have read the reviews. I have to say though, given the opportunity, my one year old loves to pretend sweep and helps unload the dishwasher. She likes to "help".$LABEL$0 +Not a Sophomore Disappointment. I've just listened to this album for the first time, and I'm writing this while listening to it again. This is a well-played, well-sung, well-produced album; a worthy addition to Five Star Laundry. The backing strings are a nice complement to their rockin' sound. My only disappointment is that I don't seem to have one of the limited edition CD's with the multimedia. But that's ok. The music stands on its own. Now I have two Motor Ace albums to listen to on my hellish commute, which is a good thing.These guys deserve to make it big in America, if that's what they want.$LABEL$1 +Fun Movie. Great fun with Charles Laughton and story line that is well built. Marlene Detrich is a bit stiff but all in all we enjoyed the movie.$LABEL$1 +Toilet-riffic! (And I mean that in a good way!). My family and I just moved to the states from Japan and we brought some Japanese toilet sets with us. The Panasonic model I picked out has a max draw of 460W, and is designed for Japanese power. While the toilet seat worked just fine hooked up to the US power outlet (which is controlled by a light switch, which wasn't on for extended periods), I didn't want to risk using the heated seat or heated water options. Once I got this product, I plugged it in, and have continued to use the toilet seat without issues. (I am still not using the heated seat due to the weather, but the heated water works without problem.)Honestly, I just have to assume it works, since my toilet seat also worked plugged into the wall...but it's supporting the <500W device I plugged into it, so until it breaks, the seat breaks or some other issue arises, I'll give this high marks for doing everything I expected it to do.$LABEL$1 +Aromatic Ignorance. Ms. Austin obviously has no knowledge of the safe usage of essential oil therapy! Many aromatherapist's use this book as an example illustrating disreputable practice when teaching classes on aromatherapy. I would strongly urge potential readers to steer clear of her potentially dangerous recommendations contained within this book.$LABEL$0 +Leaks Like A sieve - Buy something else!!!. I don't often get as angry at an inanimate object as I did at this P.O.C. Only the second time I used the machine, and when I attempted to mount the clean water tank/soap dipanser the clean water just rushed out the bottom of the tank and sturated my carpet in several areas. I've read other reviews on this product which state that the clean water tank cracks and causes the leak.So tonight I'll inspect the clear water tank to see if it is cracked because I suspect it is another problem. If I find out exactly what is the problem I will post the answer on this review board.$LABEL$0 +a book for the best web comic. Sinfest is the best web-only comic I've read. I've been reading Sinfest since 2002 and I'm surprised that it's still not syndicated.This book contains comics from 2000 and 2001. Tatsuya Ishida's art has improved since then, but even his older material is good. The Sinfest comics are all online, so you can check it out and decide for yourself if you like it before you buy.$LABEL$1 +Just plain bad. This product is not capable of making double flares for brake lines. I've tried to make at least 25 flares using 3/16" brake line with this thing and all of them were uneven and lopsided. I had a friend try and he had the same result. The brake line was properly prepared before each flaring attempt. Very disappointed, but you get what you pay for.$LABEL$0 +A Death in the Family. The ending was not very good, seemed that too many things were left unanswered for me. Would not recommend this book.$LABEL$0 +F-ing Fantastic. I love this CD and anyone who is a fan of the cult classic Repo Man you'll love it too.$LABEL$1 +great product. Worked perfect for combining signals using RG6 coax cable from two different antennas pointed in different directions and sending those signals to one amplifier. Received over the air stations up to 80 miles away. Had tried a signal splitter from a local radio shack, but it would not allow all stations to come in. Was easy to install.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful. My husband as rheumotid arthritis and his neck & shoulders really gives him a problem. This wrap is wonderful. Once heated in the microwave the heat lasts about an hour.$LABEL$1 +I did not like this book at all!. I thought that this book was not so interesting. The author went off into to many different directions, and never stayed with the same situation. Also, the book didn't really get interesting until the end. The end of the book was really messed up, it didn't really make sense. Also, I thought that the story didn't seam to have a lot of thought put into it, thats why it was so boring!$LABEL$0 +Blink 182 is the Backstreet Boys of Punk. Note: This is a review of the band as well as the album.That's right. You heard me. I compared your favorite "punk" band to a bunch of no-talent prettyboys whose songs all sound the same. Now why would I go and do a thing like that? Probably because Blink 182 is a bunch of no-talent prettyboys whose songs all sound the same. I can't begin to comprehend why so many people like them. They're just a bunch of stupid frat-boys who sing about their exes and humping dogs. Even songs that show the slightest bit of potential are ravaged by De Longes grating vocals. The fact that they've recieved so much attention from sell-out programs like MTV and TRL should prove the point I'm trying to make and quell any arguments immediately. So please wake up and buy a real punk album like "London Calling" or "Give 'Em Enough Rope."$LABEL$0 +NON-DURABLE, REFURBISHED SAYS IT ALL.....!. There are more refurbished Gigasets by Siemens's esp 2400 & 2420 on the market... Does that tell you something....(Duh) Both handsets stopped functioning properly after only a month....repeated registering to base failed..handsets are easily damaged...Do yourself a favor get a DIFFERENT brand. Wish I had read more reviews, before I got mine...they'll work, but not for long.$LABEL$0 +This Pump Rocks!. Wayne Pumps Rock. This is a durable and sturdy little pump. so far it has worked like a champ.$LABEL$1 +?. I did not receive the item that I ordered. PC Universe knformed me that they did not stock subject UDB hub. They sent me a substitute unit that was satisfactory. I sent several e-mails to Amazon which went unanswered. Eventually got a refund after several phone calls to PC Universe. Could not get in contact with Amazon at all. The whole thing has been a nightmare. Probably will not order again from Amazon, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, etc, etc....ESJ$LABEL$0 +they STUNK!!. These were HORRIBLE!!! My daughter was SO DISAPPOINTED!!!The Ad said they were suppose to come from Shindigz. Instead they came from Oriental Trading, whose quality is nothing but horrible lately!! So of course out of 24 cups only 6 went together and STAYED together!!!! We couldn't use them and know I am getting ready to get my money back!!!!! It is a shame that Amazon stated they would come from one company and used the cheaper one. I still got a Great Price, but they couldn't be used. Do NOT order these from Oriental Trading!!! You can get them together, but as soon as you fill them a quarter way and hold them the top comes off, which isn't good since the top is half way down on the cup$LABEL$0 +OBVIOUSLY TO THE RIGHT. I clearly do not have to read this book to realize it is totally to the RIGHT. Obviously garbage and a ploy to degenerate the other HALF of America. Hmmm...did Goldberg list himself for the fact of writing garbage that degenerates this country?$LABEL$0 +A Star That Shines On. Sarah Brightman has a profoundly beautiful voice, along with wonderful presentation. "Symphony" "Live In Vienna" is breathtaking all the way through. She has a way of enchanting most audiences all over the world I believe. Sarah's accomplishments are far to numerous to mention. This particular DVD is going to be a Happy Birthday Gift to my husband as Sarah Brightman has been our favorite for many years.$LABEL$1 +presto no hardly sharp. i have to give this one lower scores the knife i have so far have not gotten any sharper with the presto eversharp and 2 of my very good knifes its mest the edge up on the knife ,, so im done using this junk$LABEL$0 +W810. I love this phone, it is everything as advertised and more, at a fair price. Great picture and music abilities, only 2.0 megapixels but I still use it as a replacement for my digital camera AND ipod nano!$LABEL$1 +Great groomer. This is a great groomer to get really close cut---I use it everywhere it so good and there's no pain. The pivoting head helps and it really is great!! I want to get a second one!!$LABEL$1 +The Godfather. I loved this book. I read because a friend said it was a good book. I also read it because, I didn't understand the movie. This book has a lot of detail in it. This a great book, for anyone. But I would have little children read this book, because there is sex and violence. It is about the Corleone flamily. They are a New York Mafia family. It is mostly about the head of this family, Don Vito Corleone. He is dies and his son, Micheal becomes the godfather. The reason they are called 'Godfather' is because they are godfather to different people in there family. The movie were based on this book.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful. This cd is simply wonderful. The arias are well-choosen and they are very representative of Maria Callas' habilities and ways of singing. It's a pleasure listen to her.$LABEL$1 +What a pretentious drag. Or -- a pretentious drag that's just not to my tastes. Will probably be forgotten in another 5 years, an obsolescence in contrast to the unusual amount of attention it received upon release. Nice cover, though.$LABEL$0 +Funny and sexy with a great paranormal twist!. CALDER'S ROSE is a wonderful and funny contemporary romance with a neat paranormal element. When western writer Shane McNamara is teamed up with romance/western author Devin James, the sparks fly. They have completely different writing styles, and opposing viewpoints on how the two main characters should behave. Shane and Devin are also opposites in real life: Shane is a hunky, `live-it-up' type of a guy who wears T-shirts with wild slogans, and Devin is button-down-shirt conservative, and wears her hair in a tight braid. While Shane rises to the challenge of loosening up his writing partner, the characters of their book, Rose and Calder, realize they're going to have to take matters in hand to get the book written, and they come to life in a unique paranormal twist and a book-within-a-book story. Warm, witty, and sexy, CALDER'S ROSE is a definite keeper.$LABEL$1 +Whoever wrote this should be shot. I can't believe FASA would dare to tarnish the BattleTech franchise with this drivel. Ridiculous plot, paper-thin characters. The much-hyped Solaris planet, which could have been such a great plot device is reduced to one remarkably un-astounding battle. Overall, a walking 300-page nightmare.$LABEL$0 +James. I bought this item to remove some links from a Tag Heurer watch. While it did work, it did not work well. The pin removers are cast and one broke on the second link i took out. While I was able to resize the watch for me, I doubt I will be able to size another watch without breaking the already bent pin remover. I would not buy this product again. I will be looking for a better quality resizing kit.$LABEL$0 +THIS IS A BOOTLEG, DO NOT BUY!!. This is a bootleg!! Do not buy from this person. They are selling illegal recordings. If you want to buy this item the only way to buy it legitimately is from the artist himself. Go to PeterKaukonen.com and purchase this item from his web site. If you do not buy it this way it is a bootleg and therefore illegal to sell and the artist receives no money and criminals like this seller get richer.$LABEL$0 +Great buy for the price. I have tried other brands that were designed so they did not match with my ear -- hearing was a challenge at best. Not with the 320. Its unique design assures that it will fit and the speaker placed where you get the best quality sound. Great bargain.$LABEL$1 +A place for you. Amongst other things this novel is a love letter to Gloucester, MA, its people, its architecture, its world old and new. It's also about the layering of lives and stories that make up history, the accretions of time and of the imagination. Frank brings a unsettled life with him when he comes to the Gloucester of the 1970s, memories of a dead friend and a failed relationship, and builds something more solid amid the many colourful characters who frequent the restaurants and bars along the waterfront. New friends and loved ones are found and old friends and loves are reassessed. All is not how it seems at first. This is a rich novel and an enjoyable one. Buy it!$LABEL$1 +Essential utility. I use this on a Jornada 525, and I must say you really need that if you want to avoid scrapes on you handheld.But it is not so easy to assemble without making fngerprints on the display (I started using gloves for that). Also the instruction are not so clear. There would be some words helpful.And they are a little to expensive for my taste.$LABEL$1 +Strewth!. Well I am sorry to do this to you, but let's face it, this is an absolute load of tosh! The woman who's voice could break crystal has finally sold out to the big buck once and for all! This is easily one of the worst albums I have ever heard and a complete waste of my hard earned cash! I only gave it 1 star because there's no option to give it none. I have a lot of Streisand CD's in my collection and a number of vinyl albums from the good old days, but I think this wil be the last...I'll concentrate on the old stuff and singers who are still capable of keeping up with the times, like Diana Ross etc. Sorry Babs...not good enough!$LABEL$0 +The Doors go unquestioned. A lot of songs on this album you will love immediately if you are a Doors fan like "Waiting for the Sun" and "Roadhouse Blues" "Queen of the Highway" and "Maggie McGill" with it's satisfying crescendo chorus. "Peace Frog" is another undeniable rock n roll song underlined with Morrison's dark poetry. If I happened to be a desert loner and I had an old car with an 8 track player I would bring this album with me as I drove across the country. That sounds odd but I think you will understand if you listen to this album.$LABEL$1 +Ancient Roman history at it's very best! Fascinating!!!!. What a majestic find after 1900 years. It was predicted to Claudius that something of value that he wrote would be hidden and then found 1900 years later. What has been found is the fascinating history of a family who's end was to rule the Roman Empire. Robert Graves has done a wonderful job of putting this manuscript together. He does it in a way that has the reader re-living history "up close and personal." I can't get enough of it.$LABEL$1 +heres what to do. 1. buy BATMAN BEGINS Power Tek Figures (Style=H1335:ElectroStrike Batman)2. take off all the weird gear3. take a sharpie and color on EVERY little bit of him then he will look cool$LABEL$1 +Comes in handy all the time!. I bought two of these quite awhile ago... one for my sister and one for myself. I bought it as more of a novelty item than a real tool, but I must say, I use it all the time! My son always wants the tags / strings taken off of shoes, clothes, toys, etc. the moment we pay at the counter... out come the scissors! I look in the rear view mirror and realize I've missed a hair when plucking my eyebrows... out come the tweezers. The fingernail file goes without saying. And, no lie, I was just at the zoo with my son and the zookeeper was putting a bale of hay out for the goats and forgot his knife, so I handed mine through the fence! I'd be lost without this kit!$LABEL$1 +Too silly to finish. Although the thought of time traveling to another century to find a the man of your dreams seems appealing, the story was so utterly unbelievable, it spoiled a perfectly good plot! I couldn't finish this book and I always finish what I start. Try reading Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series for a really believable but unbelievably intoxicating experience!$LABEL$0 +WONDERFULLY CUDDLY. The sheet sets I recieved are wonderful they are very warm, which we need in our 20 degree weather. The fabric is soft and durable and have held up wash after wash. They still look and feel brand new. What a deal I recieved for the price and product.$LABEL$1 +Lomo Super Sampler. This 4 imageLomo camera is a lot of fun. Four images lined up together on one negative make an interesting format. The 'look' of the camera made many people think I was pointing a squirt gun at them! The speed choices are nice but I found myself using only the longer speed. Of course, it is frustrating not to have a real view finderbut simply aiming the camera made for some intersting shots. Personally, I wish the images were divided along the horizontal plane (panoramic) rather than the vertical plane. ....The film advance system and the exposure of each individual lens is inconsistent. In my camera the first image is underexposed by about a 1/2 of a stop and I believe that the film advance gears have already broken contributing to the advance problem. (I have only had the camera for one month.) Overall I would say this is a very expensive plastic toy that does not work well. I like the images but wish the camera worked consistently.$LABEL$0 +Great Game. The closest game Nintendo Wii lovers will get to a Grand Theft Auto style game. I was surprised, in a good way, how close it resembled GTA. I never thought the family friendly Nintendo would put out a game like this. Let's see more!$LABEL$1 +Back Off Brake Light Signal. I began riding a motorcycle again after an absence of 30 years. As I aged, I became far more cautious and safety minded. The flashing signal monitor works as described, and provides a far better visual alert than a steady brake light. No complaints; very easy to install.$LABEL$1 +Love, love, love!. This was a great buy. The product trays are STURDY, which is hard to tell from the photos. I have not used the juice part of it yet, but I could see the nozzle getting clogged. Comes with great instructions, shredded paper and coconut shreds to help you get started, and has handy reminders of worm care on the lid. I have it in my kitchen and the only time there are odors are when I open the lid to add food. I got my worms from Uncle Jim's, and after a month in this tray, with food, they look as happy and healthy as can be. Looking forward to my first compost harvest!$LABEL$1 +So Kawaii!. Wow! This has to be the best of Kawai's books thus far. I can't stop reading it! It's amusing how Hamtaro is so hopelessly in love with his owner throughout the book. It's not based on the Hamtaro we know from the TV show, but this book is so much better than any one episode from that series. I'm not sure you can say this book is just for kids either. And if you got either of the previous two hamtaro books, and found them to be somewhat of a bore, you'll find this book to be much more enthralling, especially if you're an older reader like me. ^_^$LABEL$1 +BIG MISTAKE. All i can say is that if i could have given this movie zero stars i would have. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! Any fans of the tv series should feel the same. I pray that they don't decide to do books 2 and 3. jeez, it hurts just to think about how suckish this movie was.$LABEL$0 +my jone. i saw benji brown in touch with reality on bootleg copy. My auntie had it from the bootleg man, anyway i thought it was so good and so funny i knew i had to get me an original copy. It took me like 2years to get it but i found it on amazon and Im very satisfied with my selection. Also the coolest thing about it is that i ordered it while in korea and sent it home to my wife. she recieved it in less then 4days... thats wussup.$LABEL$1 +Work as advertised and provide a very nice seat cushion as well. My wife and I were surprised the first time we used these. We took them to a nearby beach which can be cold with the wind coming in off the ocean. Not only did the Lava Buns keep us warmer the gel actually provided a more comfortable seat which was an unexpected bonus.They are not difficult to use, removing the gel pack and placing it into a microwave for heating and then putting it back into the cloth pouches. I use a dish towel and it is enough to deal with the heat when pulling them out of the microwave oven.Good quality construction so they can be expected to be used for many years.$LABEL$1 +Download is corrupted. I downloaded this book in March 2009. Unfortunately, the Kindle version is corrupted - paragraphs are out of sequence. Wait until the publisher fixes this before you buy. Amazon did refund my money immediately when I made them aware of the problem.$LABEL$0 +Magical Christmas Story. This film magically captures the essence of Christmas. Set in Finland's stunning Lapland, the scenery adds to the power of the story. I watched this with my kids and they loved it, then I watched it with my parents, and they loved it too! The dubbing can be a bit off-putting at times but otherwise it's a fantastic Christmas film for everyone.$LABEL$1 +lovely book!. I love to browse the children's section and I found this book. I do not have children yet, but want this book to keep for them. It is filled with imagination and creativity and beautiful illustrations. The world is a better place because of this book.$LABEL$1 +Not convinced.... The Author negates most of his premise by starting off saying that Danes are the happiest people on earth. Denmark is very socialist, has incredibly high taxes, and is also very secular. Only 5% of Danes regularly attend Church compared to 43% of Americans.The author's conclusion based on his statistical analysis is that religion and conservatism are the means to a happier nation.It seems like he cherry picks his data to support his conclusion. His analysis is often speculative and surprise surprise, his speculation always supports conservatism and religiosity.It's an interesting read non the less, which is why I gave it two stars. If you are conservative, you'll love how he backs up your beliefs. If you're liberal, you'll leave unconvinced and questioning his methodology.$LABEL$0 +Short on time AND flavor. I couldn't believe that the other reviews for this book were so positive. Minutemeals is a good book for those who are only looking to top frozen meals and canned soup, not for people who truly enjoy cooking. I tried the manicotti and the chicken chasseur. They were unpleasant and REALLY tasted like they took 20 minutes to make. I pretty much gave up on the book after that. Why not spend a little more time and cook something with some real depth and flavor?This is also a very bad choice for anyone on a budget. 20 minutes comes at a cost: the recipes call for all sorts of pre-made items ("dessert included" often translates into "buy a pre-made cake")Not exactly a celebration of good, fresh food. And I'm a college student with a budding interest in cooking, no Julia Childs. Invest in quality of life, not this book. I wish I had.$LABEL$0 +Translating The Name Is A Must. There is no question that Saosin is the best thing to happen to Hardcore Emo in a very long time. They actually can get the song to go with the lead vocals and properly fit it in with the screaming vocals (which sound much better than the other bands that attempt to do this but fail miserably). Saosin is how Hardcode Emo is supposed to sound.$LABEL$1 +Don't Go Under The Bed. Electrolux EL5020A Intensity Upright Vacuum CleanerYeah, that's right, this vacuum may have good suction, but if you were thinking it'd fit under a bed to gather up those dustbunnies, just because the handle will flatten down to the floor, YOU WERE WRONG. The unit's main vacuumhead sits too tall to allow it passage under anything but the tallest of beds. I mean, the carry handle's nice and all, but it also raises its profile too much to be of much use universally. Got it for a good price though, woo-hoo! Dumb.$LABEL$0 +Change your shoes, change your life!. Absolutely hilarious. I'm obsessed with Anne Taintor material and this book did not dissapoint. In fact I cut out a few and put them on my wall and even used one as a lining for a coffee thermos.Had she punished him enough? How could she be sure?$LABEL$1 +A must read for all men!. My doctor counseled me to buy this book. Easy to understand. Wise. Insightful. Helped me determine a course of treatment. Great service from seller. Super price.$LABEL$1 +Aesthetically pleasing, but no good for iPad. I was looking for something that would bundle up all of my USB needs, but also have enough power for my iPad.If it weren't for my need for iPad power, I would definitely give this guy 5 stars.But, I plugged this in via power support + USB, and still not enough power.The spec indicates USB 1.1 or 2.0, but does not specify the power (Amp, Watt, Volt)Honestly, at this point, I have no use for this thing any more... nonetheless, it is a great product for those that know what they want and aren't in need of something for the iPad or a power-sucking tablet of the like.I won't be returning it since there's nothing wrong with it and I'm sure I'll be able to find some use for it in the future...$LABEL$1 +Quality and value. The Condoms are of good quality and a great value for how many you get in the varied pack. Unfortunately i found out i only like one type out of the four, but that has nothing to do with who theyre sold by.$LABEL$1 +Classic Dubstep. This is classic true dubstep at its finest and one of my favorite dubstep records by far. Really not a weak track here in my opinion, but several (Rutten, Kut-Off, Summer Dreams, Blue Eyes, Check-It) are absolute essentials!$LABEL$1 +OLIVE OILS - OLE'. This is a great way to sample the oils from different regions in Italy - see how discriminating your taste is!Each of the oils is very fine - more than suitable for dipping bread, salads or cooking.I would say almost as good as a visit to that wonderful country, but that's not quite true.$LABEL$1 +Not for a true beginner. If you are familiar with a GUI report builder then maybe thiswill work for you. If you are a true beginner with no GUI expereience then forget this book.$LABEL$0 +Good. It can be a little repetitive, but otherwise I really liked it. I read it in less than two weeks. I bought it as a Christmas present for my dad and my sister. I bought Praying the names of Jesus for my mom. I haven't read it yet but I will soon.Worth the money. A good read.$LABEL$1 +So good that it's GREAT!. My predecessors in this review-line have said it all quite well. Suffice it for me to add that I was expecting "so bad that it's good," a la Shatner's "Rocket Man," "Mr. Tambourine Man," & "Lucy in the Sky"...but found this new record to be beautifully conceived, written, performed, and produced. It's moving; it's funny; it's insightful -- & it makes me feel as if I know Bill, & as if he's more "Real" than most NON-celebs I know. Dare I say it? Yes, I do: masterpiece.$LABEL$1 +Good game, even on older PC. I won't comment much on how much fun the game is (lots), but I wanted to note that this is one of the few games that will install and run on a machine with less video memory than "required". My 8MB laptop machine came up with a note that it was defaulting to software emulation and reducing video settings. The picture isn't high resolution, but it plays fast and smooth. The picture is still clear enough to play. Thank you EA for allowing those of us with lower end systems to still play games!$LABEL$1 +I don't think so. Well I checked this out on several sources before thinking about buying it. I went to a friends home and saw that she had it so I took a hands on tour. This is the biggest waste of money I've seen so far by Maxis. I personally download alot of content off fansites that are 100% better than the offerings in this "edition". I've even dabbled in making my own objects,recolors, etc for the game. I think this should have been included with one of the other packs instead of a stand alone, or at least offered fro free at the official site. I've been playing sims since the very first pc game came out and this is a disappointment for us long time gamers.$LABEL$0 +The Best Of. Kinda silly and slapstick. I guess I kinda expected the other side of British humor from Cook & Moore, more like Beyound The Fringe$LABEL$0 +No, just no. I was expecting to see a horror movie, and what I got was a movie about ballet pretending to be a horror movie. Sorry but it just doesnt workf or me$LABEL$0 +Better than the rest. Listen,go get a six pack and listen to this cd! Great energy great hooks,you wont be disapointed!$LABEL$1 +Silk?????. not a great feel, was a gift and i am not happy, so i will keep it and prolly no wear it but use it as a dresser scarf, now to shop for my friend. don't let the pic fool you.$LABEL$0 +A Must Read for Network Marketers. The principals are simple. You can read this book in a day. Makes network marketing simple, makes you look knowledgeable, and sets the ignorant FREE. The truth about MLM's, Network Marketing and Direct Selling are plainly written out so there eliminates the fear or misconceptions that you face or that you will face from others when you present or even just discuss your business(s). Enjoy the read and be set free from the false stigma of being in a Network Marketing business. Here's to your success!$LABEL$1 +Stroies telling book, lacks specific. You can do better with a military manual, thats what the military does and those books are to the point!$LABEL$0 +Book lacks detail. The book informs you of various sql commands, but fails to give you the general syntax. If what you are trying to do has not been explicitely done in the book, it is unlikely to find what you are looking for in the book. The book is truly a workbook, and nothing else, and should not be purchased as an oracle sql refrence book.$LABEL$0 +Real rock and roll is not dead. I have a CD collection of over 2,000 discs, and if the house caught fire and I had to grab ten and run...this would be one of them. I'm really sorry I missed seeing them live because they must rip as a live band. Great songs with clever and original arrangements, snappy hooks and musical twists, a super-tight band, and a style that steals from everyone and turns it into something new and yet familiar.True originals, but think early REM, Zevon, Led Zep...with a touch of Nirvana, George Thorogood...sounds crazy but....Take and chance and listen.$LABEL$1 +A Pianist with a Passion. The talent and skill of John Rusnak is what every piano student should strive to attain. John Rusnak is a musician with technical skills, a great depth of musicality, and a passion for the classical. He is genius; he is true to the composed work, all the while losing himself within it. It is a blessing to hear him. This is a great album within a really great album cover! :) A perfect gift for anyone who has a love for piano performance, classical music, Chopin, perfection, or passion...!$LABEL$1 +Excellent Lunch Box!. I purchased this for my husband who works in very warm conditions, construction related. I've been packing the lower portion of the bag with his lunch items (roomy enough for 2 large containers of most any meal size, several of the moderate sized ones). I place a 12 oz gatorade bottle of frozen water in the bottom, which if not drank, still comes home at the end of 12 hours with ice in. Dual purposer here, to keep cold items cold and provide a cool drink later in the day. In the upper half I put in two 32 oz bottles of gatorade (chilled) he claims they stay fairly cool all day, along with a napkin and utensils. The lunch box is very attractive and looks more like a portable tool kit rather than a lunch bag. By far the best lunch box he has ever had! I highly recommend this item!$LABEL$1 +Boring compilation. Most arrangements are oversimlified and repetitive. Stellar songs are reduced to bland, uninviting arrangements. Its a pretty disheartening collection. Its well worth the trouble of trying to arrange them yourself.This compilation is boring and dull. Not worth the money!$LABEL$0 +Don't spend extra!. One star isn't for the soundtrack itself, it's for the quality of the packaging. I was hoping that by buying a re-mastered import I'd get a little something in the liner notes. There ARE no liner notes, no lyrics, just a single sheet of flimsy paper with the song titles on it. Buy the domestic; even if it's the same stuff it's nearly 10 bucks cheaper.$LABEL$0 +A great read from an original "Cyberpunk". Even if you're not a big fan of David "Cyber" Galbraith, it's still a fascinating rare glimpse of this virtual pioneer's ideas in the formative phase. Sure to be quite collectable in the years to come.$LABEL$1 +Nice sound, as expected. The I-Pod sounds a lot better when connected to the receiver than my laptop computer did. Construction and cables are also good quality.Only one minor item merits some attention from the manufacturer: This device would be a lot more practical if the remote control could operate it just like it does a regular CD player, I did not find it very practical to navigate the large collection I have with the available commands. It owrks, but could be a lot better. All the buttons are there, only a few lines of programming would be required. This would chang my rating to 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +Like the band!. I have Mari's initial pilates DVD,and have not used a band with pilates before and felt that it was a good challenge you definitely feel your muscles working. If you are new to pilates I definitely recommend this, however if you are advanced you probably will not get too much of a challenge from this DVD.$LABEL$1 +awesome. finnaly the great songs of the best death metal band in the world. I listen to this cd over and over$LABEL$0 +Chieko rules, but the movie doesn't. Dangerous Game is the poorest of the Zero Woman series, ironic as the gorgeous Chieko Shiratori is probably the best actress to portray the Japanese hit woman. Almost literally nothing happens in this movie, as it's also the most chatty of the series. Still, Chieko takes off her clothes and that's always worth the price of admission.$LABEL$0 +Not worth the $ - Auto Car Ventilator. I have been very disappointed with the performance of the Auto car ventilator. The Auto Car Ventilator just stops working for no reason but if you roll down your window a little it will start back up. It hasn't seemed to have made a difference in the temperature in the car and was a waste of money.$LABEL$0 +Nice TShirt!. My son is a huge Peyton Manning fan and he was so pleased to receive this shirt. I had to send it back to get a different size and the supplier was terrific. They sent me the right size quickly and without a hassle. Good product and supplier.$LABEL$1 +Novice. Fast service, good quality. Now if I can only learn to keep time. Much easier than fiddling with a pair of spoons.$LABEL$1 +Phenomenal bumper!!. Absolutely perfect fit for my 1994 Chevy Silverado. Every nut, bolt, screw, bracket, light, etc. included! A VERY pleasant surprise!$LABEL$1 +Hardest Working Band in Austin, Texas. I have seen the Hudsons on a number of occassions in Austin. They are entertaining, have a great sense of humor and are very talented. The are high energy, yet accoustic. The songs they have composed are both witty and tender. Phoebe, the violinist, adds an eclectic element to the band. I am dissappointed that she was absent from the last performance I attended. I had a greater appreciation for the CD after I saw them perform. Great show, very entertaining.$LABEL$1 +Severely disappointed. I'm both a collector and a bibliophile, and this is the first time I've ever thought it necessary to this say about any collector's book: In my opinion, this book stinks. A shame, as it's clear that the author has in-depth knowledge to impart. Unfortunately, it's clouded by the author's apparent dislike of dealers, fellow collectors, and the Homer Laughlin China Company itself.The book designer's work is exuberant and cheerful, much as is Fiestaware; however, the author's text is mean spirited. I don't think I've ever seen an odder combination. I hope for better things from the obviously knowledgeable author in the future.$LABEL$0 +The mooninites are taking over my PSP!. Aqua Teen on the Go can only mean one thing. Having the person next to you think you're crazy for watching a cartoon about happy meal items. Nothing cooler than freaking out the squares! It's worth the extra cash for the supberb quality and to scare the normals.$LABEL$1 +These leave the baby way sticky. While being put forward as more environmentally friendly, we found these wipes to be not up to par. they always seem to leave the baby sticky and not really clean feeling. Will not be buying these again.$LABEL$0 +Beware! Older edition of the book!!!. I bought this for my daughter for a class because Amazon had it linked to the hardcover of the same name. Small problem, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME BOOK. Only the first few chapters are the same. CHECK THE EDITION NUMBER AND PUBLICATION DATE your professor wants before you buy this older edition of the book.$LABEL$0 +rats go in for dinner-eat bait-NO ZAP!. I followed the instructions to "A Tee". The bait kept disappearing but no dead mice. I tried another set of new batteries with no luck. The only this that this thing zapped was 45 bucks out of my wallet. I ask my local terminex guy about these and he said that even if they worked. Once you get the smell of dead rodent, rats won't dare enter again. Better off using a classic rat trap/bait stations etc. I would not recommend this product to anyone. I might recommend it to a rat because it appears to be pretty safe for them.$LABEL$0 +Ten Minutes Tops. After spinal surgery I started wearing sturdy shoes. Since I have wide toes and a narrow arch and heel, I thought these gel mats might help with heel comfort. However, after just a few minutes one of the heel mats slid sideways and was very uncomfortable. This "one-size-fits-all" did not fit in my shoes.$LABEL$0 +Grant-Writing book recommendation. This book is very well-organized, presenting the information in a step-by-step manner that makes it manageable for neophyte would-be grant-writers. I have no doubt that it will serve me well as a continuing resource even as I gain skills and experience.$LABEL$1 +So So, not all that exciting!. It may have 4,000 fonts but alot of them are basically different versions of the same font. A little skinnier, a little fatter, bold, italics etc etc. Some fonts literally have dozens of different styles, yet it's still the same font. It doesn't take long to add up to 4,000 when you do that. If your looking for fun, funky, cool fonts, don't get this, they aren't on here. OK, that's a lie, there aren't very many. It all depends on your tastes. There are alot of good fonts on here, and it's well worth the price to have them all in one place. Sure beats downloading them all individually, but don't think that you're going to get 4,000 DIFFERENT fonts, not here.$LABEL$0 +Wow. lIKED THE product. Had seen this for around 30 bucks online without shipping in the T-mobile site..but here all i had to spend was around 8 bucks...and the battery looks geniune and works fine.Thanks$LABEL$1 +The Bears provide the solution again. When my daughter was young, she froze when she had to recite lines in pre-school or at church. I bought The Berenstain Bears Get Stage Fright to read to her. It proved to be just what she needed. She went on to give talks in church, reports in school, and even excelled in a drama group for several years.$LABEL$1 +Harowing tale. This is a compelling story about real people doing what most wouldn't think of doing. It's infuriating that the captain of the freighter was so thoughtless. If he had been anything but a complete waste of time, Can Do would still be here. Read this book carefully and learn what is happening out there. The media ignores fishing and the ocean unless something bad happens. Your life is affected by the ocean and you should know how.$LABEL$1 +MIU deep,fryer. The perfect deep fry utensil. Minimal spatter and excellent heat control (on a gas stove).I have sent my electric deep fryer to Goodwill.$LABEL$1 +Reads like a mental health textbook. Why is romance and entertainment built on such a sad topic as alcoholism? LUCY IS GETTING MARRIED is the kind of book that begs for an answer to this quetion.It's no secret that a deep hopelessness and despair is what every alcoholic suffers. The drunk state gives some degree of relief from the pain of facing reality and other emotional conflicts. It's a kind of sedative. Lucy needs a sedative at times, thus gets drunk herself. Probably too often. Lucy at age 17 had clinical depression. Is this really the stuff that romantic comedy is made of?This book is interesting to read but not as comedy - it's too sad for that.$LABEL$1 +"I e-mail like a Baroness?". The disc was mediocre up to this line, then the bottom fell out. I am fan of Queen, that's the only reason this get's more than one star. The music is awkwardly shoe-horned into the story, with some lyrics re-written to fit better (ie "Radio Ga-Ga" and the already mentioned butchering of the classic "Killer Queen"). The vocal talents are good but sound... off with this material. While any Queen is better than no Queen sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone.$LABEL$0 +Great knife at a great price. I purchased this knife due to a rating in one of my cookbooks. I received the knife, and to my surprise, it was remarkably sharp. It holds its edge well, and once it does dull up, sharpens easily. I have not had any issues with rusting, but I hand wash it and don't let if sit in the sink for days at a time. I'm very happy with this knife and now wish I would have purchased the whole set right away.$LABEL$1 +Good quality but ink dries fast. As I said. Excellent quality, good variety of colors. Good to write on CDs and everywhere else. What I thought is a problem is that I have them for less than a couple of years, with little use, and most of them are drying out.$LABEL$1 +almost silly. As a long time Taiji student/teacher I can vouch for the solid principles and concepts presented.However, the author's constant attempt to construct his prose in a magical, mystical package was almost too silly to read.he seemed kind of full of himself, as if he was the focus with his esoteric poetic sentence structure.It's worth getting just to enjoy his attemot to be deep, dark and authoritative.$LABEL$0 +Amount Was Not as Described. When I placed the order, the description said it came as 20 plates per package. I placed an order of 3, but I only received 3 plates when I expected 60. I didn't realize that until I went back to review the original product description.$LABEL$0 +Great sound; Wrong Indexing. I give it 4 stars because it isn't too mixed up with the indexing and the most important part is the excellent sound...all for the low price! There are even 3 bonus birds at the end (but, no names!) I don't understand the person who says the indexing is not wrong. If you select a track and it isn't the bird then the indexing is wrong. Simple. Don't get it if you must have the indexing correct. And I think it is a great buy. No regrets! I'm getting more as gifts. I'll get the list straight. It will definitely help me learn the names!$LABEL$1 +Pleased with selection. The ordering processing was excellent and I received it without any problems. The DVD that was ordered was in great condition and had no problems. Will definitely order again.$LABEL$1 +Do not buy !. JUNK! My mic doesn't work at all. The other reviewer is the only person that i've heard of that it actually works. I've read alot about other gamers casque mics not working either. Do not buy! Save your money. It also doesn't tell you, you need the psp remote that comes with the more expensive psp box. So i wasted 40 bucks on nothing!$LABEL$0 +CORDLESS BUT ALSO LIGHTLESS. NICE PHONES, BUT IF YOU ARE IN A DARK ROOM GOOD LUCK WITH TH BUTTONS. NO LIGHTS BACK LIGHTING THEM.$LABEL$1 +Good Item. Own a skating rink and have used this cd player before. Keep and use 2 at all times. Have used another brand and replaced it twice in the time I've used this one once. Getting another one of these so I have 2. Love the ease of use of the round knob to select songs instead of a button, much quicker and easier. Would purchase this one again if I have to.$LABEL$1 +Don't Believe the Back Cover. I like some others thought this book would be different from the discription on the back cover. This book was very disturbing. I am afraid to say that I did not finish it. My time is so precious and there are so many other books to read. If you choose to read be aware that it is very violent. I would not only not recommend it but warn you against it.$LABEL$0 +Very basic. This book has a couple of novel ideas for things that could be made with PVC but they are so basic that anyone who is the least bit handy around the house/shop could make them without the book. The only plus is that, if you did want to build one of these projects, the book gives a materials list and the measurement so you dont have to figure that stuff out yourself.Had it been from a local store I would have returned it, but it isnt worth the shipping to send it back to Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Keeps on Ticking. This is a replacement for a Timex purchased several years ago. My husband loves this watch and was very happy to have another. The style is simple, casual or dress and he prefers it to his Cartier...love the Indiglo feature.$LABEL$1 +I Had To Give Up On This Book And Made It Part Of All My Yesterdays!. I usually like Parker's books,and particularly when he deviates from his Spenser books. So, I really was expecting to enjoy All Our Yesterdays, probably Parker's most significant departure from his 'norm" However, much to my disappointment, I found this book to be have erratic pacing, slow to develop, and not very believable or interesting characters. As such, I wound up skimming through large passages and then, ultimately, giving up on it. There are just too many books and not enough time to waste time reading All Our Yesterdays.$LABEL$0 +So Far So Good. OK, I completed the IGNITE portion of this series with Emily and boy do I break a sweat. The 3rd Cardio & Sculpt DVD is basically part of the IGNITE CALORIE BURN DVD, so when I get to the ACCELERATE with Rebekah, I'll know what to expect.$LABEL$1 +Coming back to buy more!!. My Boxer is so finicky buy she LOVES her Zuke's!!! I've taught her so many tricks with these treats, Thanx!$LABEL$1 +The river two? yes please!. This Carcassonne expansion is a must have for Carcassonne lovers. The river adds alot of esthetic value to the game and has a few special perks like a pig farm tile and a volcano and the city segments are sweet. I definately reccommend it!$LABEL$1 +Harvesting the Heart speaks to my heart!. Harvesting the Heart is the third book I have read by Jodi Piquolt. Each time, I am amazed by her sense of reality. She often addreses the simple truths which so many people are afraid to speak. Harvesting the Heart is no exception. The main character, Paige, has a little peice of all of us in her. With amazing clarity, we watch and relate as Paige faces the difficulties and triumphs in her life. This book is not to be missed! I am so sad I finished it....When is the next book due out by Jodi Piqoult??$LABEL$1 +Very Functional. This book has great insight into what it takes to be a creative author. My only complaint is the content of some of the sample stories. I realize they are very well written and serve the intended purpose. However, when limited pieces of suspense and crime stories are included it leaves the readers (who are simply trying to to get an education) with a terrible feeling in the pit of their stomach.$LABEL$1 +Not as Shown on the Box. I got this and am really not too thrilled. Let's look at my list of gripes:1. What you actually GET is NOT what is shown in this illustration or even on the box. This tool does NOT come with the pictured tool holder that provides additional stabilization and support. Even though the holder is CLEARLY shown and there is an insert about it in the box, it ain't there.Without the holder, your Dremel is ponly attached to the "table" with a a collar at the top of the tool that is secured with e hex nut. This leaves the body of the tool unsupported and that much linear mass makes for easy deflection when working harder woods.2. Once you have mounted the "table" to a support surface correctly mounting the tool into the holder is a real challenge (I guess I have big fingers)3. The precision of the fence and depth adjustments is really hit or miss as most of the assenbly is plastic.Overall I give it a 2 -- mostly for false inducement.$LABEL$0 +Decent quality. The product itself is decent quality as expected from Suncoast. However, there is no way to lock the top so the wind won't blow it open on the dock. This is a major flaw by the manufacturer.$LABEL$0 +This is a great book!. THIS IS THE GREATEST BOOK I HAVE EVER BOUGHT ONLINE! I LOVE THE GREAT COOKIE RECIPES. BUY THIS BOOK NOW FOR YOUR MOM OR SISTER OR ANYONE WHO LIKES TO COOK, EVEN YOU!$LABEL$1 +What a boring sounding record!. Every song sounds EXACTLY the same-Steely Dan sure has gone downhill over the years. Don't touch this new release with a 10 foot pole!$LABEL$0 +Julie and Julia 365 days 524 recipes.....NOT so Great!. Can I give this a Zero star? I thought it was going to be a light hearted book about cooking and blogging. It was dark and I think some things were meant to be witty but fell short. NOW there is a Movie about this book and I can honestly say that I hope that the movie is better than this book. It had lots of mistakes and then it seemed to me that the author was all over the place. Sometimes you just sort of want to throw the book at the wall or then you just sit there and think WOW she actually got a book deal and a movie deal out this. ONLY in AMERICA! Thumbs down and a zero star. Why did I really buy this book? I got it on clearance for 1.99 and the cover looked great and the back of the book really lead me to beleive that this was going to be a very intresting read. AGAIN NOT the case!$LABEL$0 +Doesn't do the job. I was disappointed with this product. It did nothing to make eye shadow last longer - there are other products out there that do a better job. Previously I used Vital Radiance but it has been discontinued - that was the best primer I have ever used at a reasonable price.$LABEL$0 +Not as good as I expected. The individual trays are too small to use for any significant amount of food. The frame is cheap and flimsy. It does heat well though.$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money. This product never worked. I mean NEVER worked. I have a Pentium 3 450 Dell system, and I follwed all the directions given, but the product was never able to be opened. I tried to contact the manufacturer and not only was no one able to help me, I was not able to return the product because it is software and you could, potentially, copy it once it is opened. Perhaps this product would work on your system, but why chance it? Save your money and buy a product from a more reputable company with good customer service.$LABEL$0 +Wilco emperor clothes. Am i missing something here? All i'm hearing is a bunch of bland country pop songs with a peppering of ambient electronica over the top. The only song that's remotely interesting is the first one "I'm trying to break your heart". The rest of it is very light and muddled. I could just imagine how unbeleivably dull Wilco would be live.$LABEL$0 +Barefoot Bride. i am enjoyed reading this book and will get more from joan johnson as the financies allow me to buy more$LABEL$1 +I thought I was lost until I found this book.... For years now I've been beating myself up because I never seemed happy. The more money I made and the worse I felt and I didn't know why. UNTIL, I read this book... I can't put enough words down to tell you how much this book has done for me. I hope it puts you on the right road just like it has for me. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +I am so glad I got this book at the library! SKIP IT. This book had a good premise that soon went bad .it is bloated and gets to over 500 pages with boring filler.I found Wes to be whiny and frankly his character drove me nuts. His self pity and lack of action got very tedious.It can get back to the library fast enough.$LABEL$0 +quite happy with it. I've owned a lot of insulated bottles. This is my favorite, for sure. It has a very solid feel. The rubberized grip is a nice touch. I loaded it with green tea, and five hours later the temperature seemed just the same as when I put it in.The slightly larger size is a plus. It allows you to put in two full cups without worrying about spilling, and your drink is not in contact with the plastic stopper for hours.Definitely better than my previous system of using an old juice bottle and reheating in a microwave.It seems like a bit of money for something like this, but the cost will soon be forgotten while the quality will be enjoyed for a long time to come.$LABEL$1 +Don't bother if you don't have a GeForce4 or better.. I played the demo before the game released and the framerate .... on my GeForce2. Then I finally picked it up because of all the hype and it still ..... UT2003, RTCW and Enemy Territory run super smooth on my system with the res to 1024x768. And from what I've seen they're more fun. And how can you have a WWII FPS with no blood? I don't know how this POS got game of the year. It's not all that. Pick up Wolfenstein or download enemy territory for the best WWII sim experience.$LABEL$0 +From Salvador Agron to making us groan. I'm another of those who has enjoyed Paul Simon's work for a long time, so I was anxious to hear this latest CD. After making myself listen to it several times, all I can say is "Huh?". These songs range from OK (That's where I belong, Senorita, Old) to bad (Lorraine, Pigs Sheep & Wolves) to incomprehensible (the Teacher) to unlistenable (Quiet). The only positive thing I can find here is some of the instumental work is nice. But, those lyrics! I'd much rather hear about the Girl from New York City who calls herself a human trampoline than the frog in South America whose venom is an antidote for pain. (Hey, did I just make a rhyme there?) I hope this isn't Paul Simon's last album, as it would be a poor coda to an otherwise great body of work. I give this CD one star because of the music, with the second awarded as a sentimental one because it's by Paul Simon.$LABEL$0 +My 12 year old niece Loves these books!. My 12yr old niece loves these books and her 10 year old sister seems to like them too. Beautiful pictures.$LABEL$1 +Mostly disappointing. I guess it had to end this way. The original radio version of "Hitchhiker" was the high-water mark. The television version wasn't as good. The books have gotten worse and worse. There really weren't many jokes here and the miserable ending was so totally lacking in imagination that I was really angry at myself for having read this book. It's as if Mr. Adams was tired of the story and characters but not the revenue stream.$LABEL$0 +Six months later, and it's dead. I've always loved the taste of a fresh-brewed cup of coffee from a Farberware percolator. Over the past few years, I've felt they died prematurely, but nothing like this! I ordered one from Amazon in March. Went to make coffee this morning, everything sounded as it should, went to pour a cup - HOT WATER. Rusty-looking hot water.I had come to accept that these pots don't live long, but six months???? Ridiculous.$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected. I have only ever seen this book with 10.8 x 9.6 x 0.4 inch dimensions. That is what I expected when I ordered the book. I never saw the dimensions listed, but the book delivered to me had dimension of 4.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches --half the size. It may have been my fault, but I do not remember seeing those dimensions when I ordered the book. Just something to be aware of.$LABEL$0 +Not what I thought. This book is ok because it has a few tasty sounding recipes, but I thought it would be more in depth on specific sprouts and sprouting techniques. I read the entire book in a couple of hours and I am not a fast reader. I wish I would have just checked it out at the library. The book is mostly about the authors dietary beliefs in which I do not follow. Pretty much a useless book for me. Maybe if you are a raw foodist and are looking to eat sprouts for most or all of your calories this would be a good book for you. I wanted more info than this book provided.$LABEL$0 +Does not work with Powerbook Wallstreet G3. Despite the specifications listed by Amazon, this card will not work with Mac Powerbook G3 before lombar and pismo and computers running less than Panther Mac OSX 10.3. This includes much of the Powerbook G3 line. I contacted Sonnet and they confirmed that the Amazon information is incorrect. I have used other Sonnet products with good results and I think that this is a misunderstanding on Amazon's part. The Sonnet tech people said that they would contact Amazon to correct this issue.$LABEL$0 +good for one use. if you think you can use this and put it away for a week your dead wrong.. after a couple days it will not spray again (clogged up)therefore not being able to get anything out even taking of the tip..$LABEL$0 +Not what it's supposed to be!!!. This is supposed to be a corkscrew made by Screwpull. It says so in the heading: "by Screwpull".I purchased this as a wedding gift for $27.99 instead of the lower-priced Le Creuset-branded corkscrews because my 15 year-old Screwpull is still functioning perfectly and I wanted to give the bride and groom a corkscrew that would last.The package just arrived and, instead of saying SCREWPULL, as is shown in the item description, it is branded LE CREUSET.It is decidedly shoddier in construction and has an AWFUL, serrated foil-cutting knife that doesn't even open fully as the one on the Screwpull does.To make matters worse, in the week that has elapsed since I ordered it, the price has dropped five dollars. NOT RECOMMENDED!!!I'm sending it back.$LABEL$0 +damaged. I bought three copies to give as presents. Therefore, it did matter that two of the copies had small damages that disqualified them. I have to find something else on short "notice". So, while the book is full of humor and much fun, I wish they knew what people who buy a NEW book expect.$LABEL$1 +corrina,corrina: THE BEST, THE BEST !. Am now working on my 4th viewing of this superbly written and acted version of life as it truely was in the 1950's. SO many issues brought to the viewer in a smart, funny, thought-provoking package that pulls at your heart strings again and again. Just another chance to see Percy and "Lois" may make me view it a 5th time! The cast and director have produced a classic.$LABEL$1 +Great Entertainment!. This is one of the best series that has ever been on television. It is not only historically correct, it looks authentic. The sets, costumes, hairstyles and makeup give you the feeling that you are back in the 1940s. The extras on the CDs are an informative addition.$LABEL$1 +Gory horror. It's really my fault that I haven't done more research before deciding to read this book right after the Book of Lost Things. They are very different. The Book of Lost Things is a gentle, dark yet hopeful and touching retelling of old fairytales interposed onto a boy's life. Nocturnes is a series of gory, gutty, gritty horror tales. It may be your thing but it definitely isn't mine. I confess I didn't finish the book but the first three stories turned me off completely. The Cancer Cowboy Rides seemed an attempt at copying works by H.G. Wells and Stephen King. Cancer is a horrible thing and I don't need a story to horrify me about it even further without a positive redemption.$LABEL$0 +Faithful To The End. Faith Evan's new album 'Faithfully', is truly as work of art. Tracks like 'Burning Up' and 'Where we Stand' are beautiful. This album is Faith's best project to this point.Most of the sounds are catchy and the lyrics are extremely meaningful. If that wasn't all u could ask for, the interludes are the bomb. 'Faithful' interlude and 'Everything' interlude best the best of them.Faith is a very talented singer, one who has kept up her standards up unlike so many of the singers of today.$LABEL$1 +Great Experience. This was the first movie that I watched that focused on a same sex lifestyle. I really enjoyed it.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Pocket Size Traveler. I also was in the region as a earlier poster puts it. With this Croatian or Hrvatski dictionary if you please. Firstly this Croatian dictionary is not favored to Serbian, this is blatantly untrue. As well as the fact that the official script/text for Serbian is Cyrillic. The earlier given example of bread as sensitive, which I checked in this Croatian dictionary, clearly shows the word "Kruh" ,which is the correct Croatian word for bread. In regards to lacking several words and explanation of others, I also suspect this to be untrue, because the earlier poster would be able to provide specific examples and clearly failed to provide evidence of this. I found this Croatian dictionary extremely thorough for its handy pocket size with over 30,000 entries.$LABEL$1 +Excellent CD..... I'm a huge Guster fan, and I have to agree with one of the earlier reviews, "Parachute" isn't Guster's best effort at an album. The last song, "Parachute" is the best on the CD, with the most depth and passion, which is why I love Guster so much. I have all of the Guster CDs and would say that "Goldfly" is by far the best. But get them all, and I promise you that you will love them!!$LABEL$1 +Junk!!. Beck Children's Wooden High Back Rocking ChairThe assembly is simple but the chair and screws are of poor quality. The first screw I tried broke off in the spindle. I had to put it in a vise to remove the broken piece and replace the screw. The second spindle split when the screw tighten. It only cost $30 but was worth about $5. Not worth the effort to return it but I am sure it won't last long enough for my two year old to out grow it.$LABEL$0 +Cutest thing!!. These were the cutest. They were a huge hit at the baby shower with everyone giving stories about events they wished they'd had them for years ago!! Adorable design (the little airplanes) and soft as could be. I would definitely recommend them to others.$LABEL$1 +Birds couldn't figure it out.... I bought this feeder offline. For some reason the birds at my place couldn't even figure out how to eat out of this feeder. They would stare at the seeds longingly, sit on the window sill, and peck at the plastic. But I think I only saw one bird sucessfully eat seeds out of it. I had the same handfull of seeds in there for weeks until I just gave up and took it down.I don't think it's that my birds were too big to land on the edge. They were mostly just sparrows. Maybe it was that they couldn't really notice the clear plastic.$LABEL$0 +Do the Math. I used this CD to learn new concepts in my math classes. It is one of the few products which covers math concepts for 5th -8th grade. The kids loved it. Even though they like to act older, they are still children and they are motivated through music.$LABEL$1 +great photos, semi-beginner to advanced. This book came out before the huge glut, and I still like thumbing through it. The examples are marvelous. While it walks you very well through some projects, others are sort of "on your own." Good for an intermediate or advanced beader who wants to do more improvising, but might be frustrating for a new beader. I recommend learning the basic stitches elsewhere, but get this book, if only for the wonderful photos of work by very talented bead artists. It also has a useful section on balancing color and bead size, more useful information if you're ready to start personalizing your projects. It covers different stringing options well, and provides a good start for wire working. They could have left out the section on polymer clay, though.$LABEL$1 +Horrible!. The acting was so off! All the characters we're shallow and lacked development. I feel like they made the movie way too romantic.Right now I'm trying to rewind this movie out of my brain.$LABEL$0 +Some Timeless, Some Outdated. Many of the articles (columnist for New York Times) in this book are outdated -- many of the wines are no longer good, the prices have tripled, many of the restaurants are no longer around, etc. However, many of the articles are timeless. They give the same advice that the current experts are giving, but in a more easily read presentation. For that, I would give it five stars, but the outdated articles pull it down to four stars. Worth checking out, especially for avid readers of wine material.$LABEL$1 +Dont't Buy this Book. Don't buy this book. Half (160 of 320 pages) is devoted to material on behavior and general characteristics, that is too simplified for a biologist (or veteran birder) and too detailed for some one seeking identification of new species. The identification sections show 7 birds per page, without size or habitat perspective. The illustrations are accurate to the extent of my observations, and range maps are shown on the ID pages. The print is about 6 point, and I simply could not read it in the field. The authors are obviously expert and anxious to please, but this book will not please anyone.$LABEL$0 +A Rip-Off. Readers should be aware that this edition of "The World As I See It" is, in fact, an abridged version of the original publication. Without bothering to mention this on the title page, it has dropped the entire fifth section on "Scientific Questions," including such classic popular expositions of Einstein's basic philosophy as "Geometry and Experience" and "Principles of Research." Editing a book of Einstein's writings which deliberately excludes all mention of science is like publishing a biography of Mozart - without any reference to music.It is, I think, significant of the dumbing down of American publishing that the German edition of the same book ("Mein Weltbild," published by Ullman) has continuously added new material on politics, fascism, Judaism, peace and science over the years! Readers who want to know what Einstein was really like should obtain a used copy of the original full version.$LABEL$0 +junk. i bought 2 of these from a local store and both stopped working within days. so i went online and bought a third only to experience the same results. the concept is fantastic. they can drop it and fall on it and nothing gets hurt. but the radio inside is, i think, too fragile. i will not try again.$LABEL$0 +the more I see it,the better it gets.... The first time I saw this movie I thought that it lacked alot of luster.But after watching it a few times I can honestly say that this is a very good movie with alot of fast action.Rent it first to see how you like it,then buy it.$LABEL$1 +Great chairs!. As a Director of an assisted living community, I purchsed 6 of these for our front porch with the Franklin seat cushions. They have been appreciated by everyone - residents, families, and guests alike. They are very good quality that I expect will last for many years. They assembled easily and we will be using them for a third summer this year. The matching side tables are great as well. I am purchasing for my own home. I would liken them to Smith & Hawken quality and I would recommend these to anyone.$LABEL$1 +sad. The speakers look nice but that's about it. You can't turn your sound up to loud or the speakers start to make a fuzz sound. If you are trying to get a decent system go pay for a better brand.$LABEL$0 +The beat that carries you. To fully enjoy this CD you need a car, as you noticed in the video. The basic rhythm floating through the song is fabulous. It comes, it goes away again, then comes back in the company of a superb vocal. If you're not really into Leftfield, you probably shouldn't buy his 'Rhythm and Stealth' album, but this single really is a must.$LABEL$1 +Bourne delivers. I am not much of a movie buff, but my husband and boys really wanted to see the Bourne series, so we watched them all. From the first to the last, all three delivered action, drama, and excitement. I was a little confused (i think that was the point) when the Ultimatum started, but it quickly came together and did not disapoint. There is action/violence in each one so my younger girls who are prone to being scared and night terrors did not watch with us (a good choice).$LABEL$1 +autthors you can trust. Cassandra Clair recommends these books. My granddaughters are fans of hers and they are now ready the books for the second time within one week of receiving them and will I am sure read them as many times as the Harry Potter books and that's some record$LABEL$1 +Explorer Pro Comp Steering Stabilizer. I own a 1998 Dodge Ram 4x4 1500.The Pro Comp model number I used (224000)was suppost to be a direct replacement ,it wasn't! The hardware package that came with the stabilizer was not even close to working.It was an easy fix though.I burned the metal bushings out of the old stabilizer ,sanded them down (they were a little too big around to fit in the new rubber bushings) and used them in the new stabilizer-so I could reuse the old bolts.The Pro Comp S.S. fix my steering problems ,it works great.$LABEL$1 +Amazing 1st album for up and coming group; amazing guitarist. Led Zeppelin has finally found a worthy successor. While Crumb needs some polish, its potential is obvious to any rock and roll listener. Lead guitarist and song writer, Mark Weinberg will be an influence for years to come. This CD is a must buy.$LABEL$1 +Duplicate Movie. Once again I found this great deal and gift to give to someone special for Christmas. The problem was that one of the movies was duplicated. This is not the first time this has happend to me. It was a real dissapointment to find this discrepancy. The company putting these sets together needs to come up with a better packaging system. It's really upsetting to see this happen so often.$LABEL$1 +Only giving this 2 stars for ease of use. This paste gave BOTH my dogs diarrhea each time I used it. It's also got disgusting fillers. The price is WAY too high for how little use you get out of each can. Just buy a large peanut butter or cream cheese or throw left over chicken in the Kong and freeze it. Why pay this if you can get 20x the use out of a jar of peanut butter? I only caved because I had been curious for months AND it went on sale.$LABEL$0 +another failure in gothic metal. Don't get me wrong -- I loved all the Sirenia albums. I loved Morten in Tristania (another band that went the same direction as Sirenia on their last release)... but this is POP. It is not metal, it is not even gothic, it's POP. No violins, no Morten doing any vocals at all (and he has a great singing voice, not just his growls). This is reminding me an awful lot of another band that went down this road -- a band called Theatre of Tragedy.If you like the old albums, don't bother buying this one. You can listen to 30 seconds of one song on this album and understand why. That's really all you need, because every song sounds exactly the same.That's all we needed, another failure in gothic metal.$LABEL$0 +Sex Is HOLY,Its More About ONENESS Than About ORGASM. Sex IS HOLY. Its for MARRIED persons ONLY. A form of worship to God. He is present when you express your love to your mate. It's about your oneness with God and your love for God. You are loving God like God loves you unconditionally when you obey Him. Sex between a husband and wife is expressing that love. Outside of marriage sex is a sin that seperates you from God. Sin is DEATH. When you love God, you love what God loves and HATES what God Hates. God Hates SIN of any kind. Fornication and adultery is sex outside of the marriage covenant. Both are sins that says I choose to seperate myself from God and DIE.$LABEL$1 +You're better off with Sayers alone. Speaking as a person who began reading Sayers' Wimsey books at the age of nine, I found the contributions of Ms. Walsh to be crudely apparent. It does not seem that she understands the characters very well. Regarded on its own, this is a moderately successful book, hence the two stars, but if you are seeking Lord (and Lady) Peter, it is much more rewarding to read any of Sayers' unaided works.$LABEL$0 +delightful romp in merry ole England!. Great deal on a fun DVD. We loved the first season and this one is just as good. I hope the price will drop on season 3!$LABEL$1 +Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico. My 6 year old daughter loved it like she does all the Scooby-Doo movies! she wasn't feeling well one day and this brightened here resting couch time. . .$LABEL$1 +Braun Activator Replacement Parts. I am glad that Amazon offers convenient access to replacement parts for the Braun 8000-series electric razors. This razor is truly amazing and really does give an amazingly close shave, but once in awhile it is necessary to replace the cutterblock and cleaning solution, and it is great to know that I can order them on Amazon.$LABEL$1 +not horrid, yet not awsome. This is adiscrace to Indiana Jones. One of the problems is if you hit someone with a chair they die in one hit yet it takes 8-10 hits to kill someone with a machete. and to add insult to injury it takes 2-4 shot to kill someone with a gun even if you shoot them in the head. LucasArts need to get their prioratys straight, a gun and a machete are more lethal than a chair.$LABEL$0 +BIG BAD BOB SPEAKS. This album stinks worse than a diaper full of digested Gurbers strained carrots. I say babies should hear the Beatles at full strength! A little "Helter Skelter" at ear-splitting volume is a crucial learning experience for the young or old! Imagine legions of pre-schoolers chanting "NUMBER NINE,NUMBER NINE, NUMBER NINE.....$LABEL$0 +DVD. An excellent video on the ministry of Christ! I would highly recommend this movie to everyone. A good annual tradition at Christmas and Easter.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful music, voice, lyrics.... I saw Rachael Yamagata during the 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival. I had no idea who she was nor did I have any idea about her music. I remember standing in front of her for about 45 minutes enjoying her music.I recently thought back to that day at ACL and looked online for her CDs. I purchased Happenstance and have fallen in love with her music and her voice. I enjoy sitting in my car and listening to this CD. Her voice is so amazing...it's strong and yet it doesn't overpower the music. Her songs cover all the different moods...sad, happy, nonchalant, angry....it's such real music.I recommend this CD to anyone who's sick of mass-produced music and wants something to remind them of how music is supposed to make you feel.I truly enjoyed this CD and am sure that if you're anything like me, you would too. Thank you Rachael for coming up with some great music :)$LABEL$1 +CARDBOARD BLOCKS FUN. The blocks were easy to assemble and the child who received them loved stacking and knocking them over. He'll have many fun times with them!$LABEL$1 +Lots of fun High energy. If you like hard rockin rock and roll like AC/DC and you like Bluegrass-What are you waiting for? Great disc.$LABEL$1 +Hmm.... This was a great game I must say. I did find it a little too short for my tastes, but it set out on what it was supposed to do. There is a good bit of variety in this shooter that you won't find in most other first person shooting games. On that note, I have to say that it wasn't worth the 60 dollar price tag. You can easily beat this game in less than a week and after you do, your pretty much done. Not much replay value here. It definitely is a great rental though.$LABEL$1 +Great tool. It was an awesome help in setting my budget and getting little details out of the way early that I never would have thought about. In general, my wedding planning is going much smoother with this guide to follow. I also found additional information on theknot.com to help me with things the book only went into little detail with.$LABEL$1 +Decent spreaders. not like they used to be, heavy and long lasting, but these spreaders are good enough. needs a heavy wash line. slips off the skinny kind of line.$LABEL$1 +To Mac Or Not To Mac. Those of you who are pouting that this is an overprized Mac accessory aren't clearly not Mac people --- and for that reason, you probably don't own an Ipod, either (and another brand's comprable MP3 player).You're either a Mac person or you're not --- Mac people tend to want good performance, good appearance... and they don't care what it costs.From a technical standpoint, this thing works great. I also use it to plug in my USB mini-drives and it's flawless. If you want it and you care about the Mac-image, then don't 2nd guess and buy a knockoff or USB extension cord. There's no such thing as buyer's remorse for Mac addicts...$LABEL$1 +Baby likes this chair. We bought this for our baby when she was 2 months. She hated the vibration at first and now tolerates it. Now at 3 months we use it mostly like a play gym. We have 3 large dogs so having an elevated play gym helps. The rattle toy that comes with it is OK. We hang our own toys off the bar using links. She likes the song it plays. We get a lot of use out of it already and I'm glad we will be ablr to continue using it when she is a toddler.$LABEL$1 +Hard to digest !!!. It is clearly not a self-study material and one needs to refer to other books, for better understanding. On certain crucial topics, you are left in the dark, to solve the remainder of the problem as an exercise. It might be a great book in a class where the professor will provide you with the required examples and solutions, but I don't think one should take it up as a self-study book.$LABEL$0 +Children Sewing Machine do not purchase. My daughter wanted a Sewing Machine for her 8th Birthday. I thought it would be a good introduction to sewing instead of using my adult machine, but it was a mistake because the Singer Lockstitch Sewing Machine only worked once, when we first tried and this was it. I tried to work on it but it is so cheaply made that no wonder it doesn't work more than once. Unfortunatelly by the time we realize, I could not return it, because the box was in the garbagge.It is just a big waste of money. Don't buy it.$LABEL$0 +Traditional film in a day of transitory digital images. An excellent medium/high speed B&W film for those who still appreciate traditional photography at a time that so many have become accustomed to the instant gratification of the sub-standard images offered up by the menagerie of digital cameras. Hopefully Ilford and their cohorts will be around for a long time to come producing film for those of us who have not been corrupted by megapixels and raw images saved in cyberspace.$LABEL$1 +Astro Boy - The Complete Series. "Astro Boy - The Complete Series" is the best Japanese color anime treatment of Astro Boy, based on the work of the legendary manga and anime artist, Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka's work in manga and anime is unparalleld and stands alone in style and substance in this graphic Japanese genre. He is without peer in the entire ouvre of his work, especially with "Astro Boy - The Complete Series." He is in a class of his own. This is why he richly deserves the subriquette "The Walt Disney of Japan." I would heartily recommend "Astro Boy - The Complete Series" and all other works of Tezuka's which he produced over his illustrious lifetime.$LABEL$1 +Explanations are weak!. This book is written from the following point of view: You have alredy been exposed to PDEs in the past, used a different and better book, and are now refreshing your knowledge. Strauss "concisely" and quickly moves through topics and simply highlights the obvious stuff you should have learned. Strauss is a good reference book for quick review, but not especially good for those adverse to equation reading rather than words.$LABEL$0 +DU is a bridge to understanding ACIM. I have been studying A Course in Miracles for about 30 years and never fully understood it. One reading of DU opened my understanding. Hearing the stories of two ascended masters who realized awareness of oneness through practice of ACIM helped me understand how to apply the teachings to daily life.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed fan. i'm a big fan of augusten burroughs but i can hardly get through this book. it's just not really all that funny - certainly not as clever as his fans would expect. the stories seem really random and forced - almost as if he was ordered by his publisher to crank out another winner but he just didn't really feel like it. he lost his edge on this one. hope he gets it back. he's no sedaris on this one.$LABEL$0 +Fun and stylish. I don't understand the complaints about the software. It's not very good, but it works. I have an XP machine and can transfer songs fine without any problems. This is a cute MP3 player and it works fine.$LABEL$1 +childish music. go buy something else (just make sure that its from century media records). this trash is not representative of the label. just look at the logo! it looks like some football thing!$LABEL$0 +Driver fans will love DRIV3R !. ....that is, IF you are able to understand that different games are DIFFERENT GAMES. Ive been a long time fan of the driver series and the gta series & love both, but all of these reviews comparing it to gta are misleading. I went against the reviews & bought it & was glad i did ! If you like the previous driver games, you will not be dissapointed with the 3rd ! The missions arent as simple as some may say, & theyre interesting as well as the story line. The handling of the cars is just like the previous driver games, great weapons, so Ive been very happy with this one. I was almost instantly addicted. My one & only very very minor complaint is that your character could run a little faster than he does, but it doesnt cause any game play issues, id just like to run faster. So yes, Driver fans buy this game & overlook any review that complains that its not grand theft auto!.....because it is not grand theft auto, its DRIV3R & its well worth the money.$LABEL$1 +Great Book. I have used this book for self study as I wasn't a great math student in high school. The only thing that would make this book perfect would be a companion student solution book.$LABEL$1 +Not worth it. The camera angles in this DVD set were terrible. The video is out of focus which makes it annoying and hard to watch while you are working out.For the price of this set, go for something more professionally made such as Cathe Friedrich or BeachBody instead. You will get more value for your money.$LABEL$0 +Silly and unrealistic. Luckily this book came from the library. Don't waste your money on such a sorry attempt. No police psychologist could ever be so stupid and self-centered and still have a job. Clues ignored all over the place except when Darcy wanders into the mix.$LABEL$0 +Hot stuff. Well built, large capacity thermos bottle. Keeps our coffee hot until finished. Only complaint is I liked our old flip-uptop for dispensing better than the two turns required on this top.$LABEL$1 +Please forget about the pointing device !!!. I am using this product with XP Media Center Edition. Has quick keys to manage playback of media, infrared reception is OK, battery duration is reasonable, it feels confortable as a keyboard, but please FORGET ABOUT THE POINTING DEVICE, IT IS USELESS.I finally ended up purchasing a high range optical wireless mouse. Much, Much better.$LABEL$1 +Go strider!. love this book and I am a big fan of striderIs the 2 best character of the book.I Lauren love this book.$LABEL$1 +Surprised by quality. I love 'em. Thought at the price they would look "cheap," but not so. Very pleased.$LABEL$1 +Planet of the Dead Kept the Doctor Moving!. Even though David Tennant was busy with "Hamlet", and the Doctor did not have an official companion, "Planet of the Dead" is classic Doctor Who with another great performance from David Tennant. He puts so much into his roles, and, in fact, he barely had to act as the Doctor, that it is difficult for him to not do a good job!$LABEL$1 +A book not to buy. The book has a lot of data that is mostly correct. The examples codes are another matter. In the examples I have tried to run, the results have ranged from working ok to total failure of the code to execute. In the more complex examples where the code does not completely reflect how the forms are created in Visual Studio, the text does not show you all you need to do.$LABEL$0 +Might As Well Be a Placebo. Didn't do a damned thing. Didn't improve or regulate my sleep, mitigate any depression or my appetite. Not a damned thing. I wasn't expecting a miracle or for it to do everything the bottle says it *might* do, but I figure out of three, it would at least help one thing (sleep, mood, appetite)but nope. Nada. I was really looking for a natural, gentle, non-prescription aid (not necessarily a solution, just something to help)and thought I had found it. No such luck. Oh well.Bear in mind, different things work for different people so don't necessarily take my review as the gospel--it's just my honest experience.$LABEL$0 +Won't use anything else!. I love this foundation! It's not greasy, and the pump with the brush is fantastic - I don't have to get anything on my hands! I use one pump on each cheek and then will spread any residue left on my forehead and chin. The color blends so well with my skin. I use Clinique Superpowder on top and I'm good to go for the day with nice even skin! Love it!My only complaint at this point is that I can't find it anywhere but online, and I don't understand why. I found it through an in-store demo at Sephora, and bought it there a few times. In the last year or so, every time I go in there and ask for it, they have no clue what I'm talking about. Same thing with Ulta, or any other makeup store that stocks Too Faced. It makes me a little nervous that they are going to discontinue it, but it is usually on TooFaced's best seller list and it has rave reviews on their website. Who knows. As long as I can get it online, I'm happy.$LABEL$1 +Poetry!. This album is a must-have for any bossa nova fan, or any admirer of chill-out type of music for that matter. It's music, poetry, meditation and relaxation all at once. Put it on while your reading a book, drinkin a cup of coffe or spending time with your beloved one, it's universal! I would give it 10 stars if there was such an option.Sam / NY, USA$LABEL$1 +An entertaining Western book!. I enjoyed reading Jim Ugly.This exciting book is about 12 year old, his dog, and their search for Jake's father,who everybody else thinks is dead. As they search, they make new friends, and find new enemies. With all of the dangers they face as they travel alone, will they find Jake's Father? Is Jake's father even alive? You can find out as you read this excellent book!$LABEL$1 +Bitter disappointment. This could have been a great book if the characters were better developed. I felt almost cheated the further I read on ... realizing that the mystery and vagueness of Harley and his sisters' personalities were leading nowhere. The book left me feeling empty and disappointed.I find it interesting that that there is even a Reading Group Guide with 'Topics for Discussion'. Does she really believe this to be great writing? Don't flatter yourself Tawni, you're only an amateur.$LABEL$0 +Time Machine: The Journey Back starring Rod Taylor & Alan Young. a must watch for the classic sci fi fan, it is the behind the scenes look of the making of the actors feelings and thoughts and the brilliance of the creators of this movie$LABEL$1 +this is good stuff!. i had heard about the LoEG movie coming out, and i heard later that it was based on a comic book. being a new comic fan, i went out and got this, and i was impressed! the art is great, the premise is fantastic, the plot development is superb and these guys do a marvelous job of giving it that 19th century feel (the language, etc). if you have never read LoEG and want to start, start with this book. it is the first few issues where everyone is introduced, and it is just fabulous!this has been Apollyon$LABEL$1 +I Don't Get It. How did the watcher know Rainie's secrets? Didn't anybody ever wonder what happened to the guy who killed her mother--he had a wife and child. Was he a local man? What did Rainie do with his body when she moved it? How did a man as young as Richard Mann supposedly know so much about what Rainie did? It seemed as if he knew what "really happened", then somebody says that he thought she killed her mother and was disappointed that she didn't. This book didn't make a whole lot of sense. Halfway through it I remembered I had read The Other Daughter, and I didn't like that one either.$LABEL$0 +Broke after just a few months. I purchased an entire set of Sensa-Trac shocks for my F-150 in March 2012. One of the rear shocks is now leaking and will have to be replaced just 10 months later. The heaviest item that I have hauled in my pick-up is a sofa bed. I never overload my truck and I am rather puzzled as to why the shock is now leaking. I realize that in any mass manufacturing process errors occur, but Monroe shocks I have installed in the past have lasted far longer than I had ever thought possible. I realize that Monroe has a warranty on material failure, but it is an hassle to go through the warranty process for a simple shock. I am rather disappointed to say the least.$LABEL$0 +Good product.. We got these for a trip to Lake Tahoe this winter. Haven't used the ones like these with multiple cams but will work well I'm sure.There are better chains made but these will do all we need.$LABEL$1 +Avoid this downrigger. up switch is latched up. cannon knows it. cannon has no fix. you will burn out the switch or the board or foul the cable to raise in incremental amounts. avoid this downrigger at any price.$LABEL$0 +YThai. It worked! This SATA power adapter cable has it's quality and my expectation. The pricing is good and the quality is super...$LABEL$1 +It's a cover. It's a cover. Covers as expected, hasn't blown off in Chicago suburb winds yet.. . . . . .$LABEL$1 +This is not his natural style. 1st of all let me say I think Ian is a real talent. Unfortunately, he diverted too far from his natural style here. I suppose he was trying to get air play and feed his pocketbock. I don't blame him, although his real talent does not come through here. He probably agrees as well. I bought this because I like most of his stuff. Glad this wasn't my 1st Ian Matthews purchase because I wouldn't have bought his other great material. Ian, stay where your roots are because that's where your love of music come through best and where you really shine. thx, for the effort. LOL, Skip$LABEL$0 +Just one of a number of "ranking " books.... on the market at the same time. Ultimately subjective, but the top 10 & bottom 10 won't vary much book to book. The authors & their 700 plus historians are 20th century men & women. Many of them have their own agendas & are judging 18th & 19th century men. The times a president is elected to has everything to do with his rating. Does he rise (or fall) to the challenge? Lincoln is always #1. One reason. The Civil War. By far it is the most important event in American history. He suceeded. Nobody can predict where he would rank if the Civil War had been averted. It would not be #1. This book has good pictures so that student can get a good look at their presidents. It is useful as a reference book on the high school level.$LABEL$0 +No action, no mystery, boring characters. This book is certainly dark, which is usually a good thing, but it did nothing for this book at all. There's a boy named Nothing that has sex with any and all of his friends and does drugs. Also, an abuser character that beats up his woman, a psychic boring character named Ghost, and 3 vampires that aren't very interesting. People do drugs, kill each other, kill their best friends, sleep with their fathers, some people get pregnant, some run away from home...yawn. If this book is supposed to be interesting because it's dark and shocking, I say that isn't enough, there still has to be an entertaining plot. I didn't care who killed who in this book, the characters were all so unlikable and one dimensional. I couldn't finish it. I like dark fantasy and horror, but only if there is a plot. I'm not interested in reading about people's screwed up lives, even if their are vampires involved.$LABEL$0 +Not very good. It's hard to be honest - as I really wanted to like, even love, this album just as much as their other ones - but I must be truthful, and therefore I must say this album is the worst ever. It is hard to see great artists sell out and commercialize their music, but Orbital has done so and their new album is nothing more than a watered down, phony imitation of their previous work. They didn't need to change, and in effect ruin their music, but they have on this album. Check out their previous albums, they are all very good - contrary to this new one. I hate to say it, but giving it two stars is really being nice.$LABEL$0 +Didn't want it to end!. Even though I lived through the 60's & saw from the news some of what was going on in the south, I had never seen it as portrayed in this book. Thought provoking, poignant, amusing, sad, wonderful story. This is the first book by Ann Tatlock I have read, but it won't be the last.$LABEL$1 +Best Price Anywhere for the only blender you need.. Unless you use your blender everyday for more than 2 hours, you don't need the Vita Mix or other products. Easy to clean, nice deep color.$LABEL$1 +An Absolute Must Read. First, let me tell you that before you even start to read this book you need to go purchase the follow-up Loose Ends. Why, because once you put this one down, it doesn't matter what time of day it is, you will want more so why torture yourself by having to wait until the store opens?Know that the 3 primary characters of this book are so detailed that you will see a movie in your head as you read. I wrote Electa Rome Parks several years ago after reading this book to tell her that she needs to work out the movie rights NOW. Main characters would be Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut, and Boris Kodjoe. Need I say more? You will not put this book down. To hell with cooking dinner, give the kids a McDonald's gift card and send them on their way so you will not be disturbed!$LABEL$1 +Great Smooth Performance. I had the priveledge to see Elliot at Disney World. He was SO smooth and cool. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. He came over to me and my date was just great. The CD shows some of his smoothness$LABEL$1 +Finally, a charger that works with my Zen Microphoto!. My wife and I both have Zen Microphotos. She plugs hers into a stereo at work and listens to stuff all day. She's a pharmacist and works 12 hour shifts, so she needs some variety. The problem was her battery wouldn't hold up all day. We tried some cheap universal adapters that didn't work very well. I hated the thought of spending $30, but it made a huge difference. Now she can plug into the stereo and the wall and listen all day without a problem. The product works great, just wish I didn't have to spend so much$LABEL$1 +Works well, but hard to match color. We used the tub/shower repair kit this weekend. We had a short but wide crack in the top of the shower that had been there since we initially installed the shower . . . hit the corner against a 2x4. Anyway, we are preparing to sell the house and wanted to fix the crack. This product worked very well to fill the crack. It smoothed out well. The only problem, is that we could not get the color to match our beige shower, no matter how hard we tried. The color mixture always ended up looking too peachy. So we went ahead and filled the crack with the peachy mixture, then covered the peachy patch with beige fiberglass shower touch-up paint. You would never know there was a crack there before!$LABEL$1 +An over-priced wet/dry vac. We recently bought a home with a lot of ceramic floor tile, so I bought this item last January, paying around $250 for it. I am disappointed with both the quality and performance of this machine.The Hoover cleaner that it supposedly requires is expensive and not readily available. Save your money and use either Armstrong Floor Cleaner or NON sudsy ammonia. The detergent container locks securely about 30% of the time; requires multiple tries (read:spills) to make it stay on. The wand cracked after 1 use. The hose connection, like the detergent cup, does not latch securely, rendering the small tools ineffective, since the cleaner cannot be dispensed or removed. Neither the floor nor grout brush (mounted on the upright unit) is effective in cleaning the grout in between tiles.If your floor is very lightly soiled, it may work just fine. The best thing I can say about this machine is that at least you aren't using dirty buckets of water to clean your floors!$LABEL$0 +City Of The Dead. IT IS A GOOD BOOK I RENTED IT FROM MY SCHOOL LIBRARY FOR ACR . I DID NOT REALLY WANT TO READ IT . BUT IM GLAD I DID. IT IS A GOOD BOOK$LABEL$1 +Don't just walk away- RUN!!!. Awful, just awful. Idiotic scripts. Incredibly bad acting.Where can I go to get my money back? And the time wasted?$LABEL$0 +Jack London book.. I read about a third of the book and have been disappointed. Not as good as "Call of theWild" or "White Fang". The book arrived on time and was in excellent condition.$LABEL$1 +Didn't work. This product didn't get the scratch out. Maybe it would have gotten a really superficial scratch out. It wasn't worth buying.$LABEL$0 +worst cd i have ever heard. This is the absolutely the worst cd i have ever heard. He goes from gansta rap gets scared and then leaves for aftermath which is a joke.$LABEL$0 +Overrated. This movie has many inaccuracies (see: movie-mistakes.com) and a weak plot, definately no epic or contender for older 'sword and sandal' films. This one has it's moments, some good dialogue, the battle scenes are very engaging, but do not show what is actually happening in them, though I'm sure people who worked on the film know. I can't believe so many people like this movie. It is too long and boring. Watch TLC and A&E instead.$LABEL$0 +Faith. Faith is everywhere even when you don't know you have it. Love of your mother is endless and strong and protective. Very Awesome story a must read to test your Faith.$LABEL$1 +Works well, no errors. Purchased in Summer '08. I've used it on laptops, my home server, and several desktops. Works fine for everything I've tried, including firmware updating and transferring old files from floppy archives. Very quiet and seems a bit faster than the internal drives I've used in the past. It's even been able to read a few 'problem' disks that I didn't think I'd be able to pull data from. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +not a very good movie.. I just finished watching Dogville. The concept and story are awesome. The acting and script are decent at best - I think von Trier did everything in one take and didn't care how wooden or emotionless the acting was as long as he had the shot. The use of the narrator is such a lazy thing to do - a director should show the audience what the characters are thinking and feeling, not tell them. I don't have a qualm with narrations if used only a few brief times in a film. Dogville uses narration very frequently and for no real reason other than Lars von Trier didn't feel like showing (or couldn't figure out how to show) the audience what is happening. The editing is dreadful. There are random jump cuts that exist for no reason (unlike, say, Traffic or Memento where the jump cuts make sense or at least look awesome). The film annoyed me more than it entertained me or made me think. I rate the film a 2/5, mostly for the concept and story. Dogville had so much potential.$LABEL$0 +Camera battery. The battery was not as advertised and did not fit my camera. However, the company was very good and getting a refund was super simple. 5 stars for the company$LABEL$0 +Practical, down-to-earth, and extremely helpful. What a welcome relief from the many real estate gurus out there. Buying real estate and maintaining rental properties involves time, money, people skills and management know-how. Jorgensen doesn't offer you a get-rich scheme. On the contrary, he gives great tips on how to become familiar with real estate prices in your area via a journal so that when a good deal comes along, you'll know it. He also gives valuable advice for analyzing properties and for keeping property maintenance bills down.$LABEL$1 +Most touching children's book. Let me echo the sentiment that children learn what we teach them; no matter how foreign it may be to us, they can grasp any idea we throw their way. Cultural issues aside, I find this the most touching young children's book I have encountered for its completely unaffected demonstration of motherly affection. And truly, the illustrations enrich the beauty of the text. For the first time in my life I purchased a book for the sole purpose of dismantling it because I wanted a framed image over my daughters' bed daily pronouncing, "I will love you forever and for always because you are my dear one." Always the best gift for new mothers!$LABEL$1 +Not for the eTrex series. Please be aware of an important issue with this cable, even though it is recommended for the eTrex GPS series it will not fit their flat 4 pin connector.I had to return mine and bought one at the local REI$LABEL$0 +Good photography but little factual detail. A well presented book with a wide variety of photographs making it a good source of ideas for interior designers. Beyond that there is little to commend it. Most of the pictures are not referenced, even those of grand or unique designs of fireplace. The commentary is lacking in technical and historical detail and the organisation into historical periods is only loosely adhered to. Not a bad coffee table book but not much good if you want information on designing, building or choosing a fireplace.$LABEL$0 +awful-it is not maroon but purple!!!. I recently purchased this same tie from the WB harry poter store . I actually got the chenille scarf and tie set which is about 43.00, anyways it is this same tie and it was dark purple NOT Maroon at all. I suggest you buy your tie from Wild Ties their tie is exactly the right color, less expensive and also better quality.$LABEL$0 +program is buggy. I have version 9.0.00.20. It is basically unusable. Customer service by Valusoft is about the worst I have run into. Recommend avoiding the program until they get it fixed.$LABEL$0 +Shake and Take is a great buy!. For anyone who enjoys smoothies, or wants a quick meal this is a great purchase. Add some yogurt, fruit, protein powder with fat free milk or orange juice & mix it up and it is a terrific breakfast or lunch! It fits perfectly in the drink holder in your car as you head out for your destination.$LABEL$1 +didn't work. I was using this to connect an Apple Cinema Display (DVI) to a laptop with only a VGA output. It never worked. I even tried a different DVI LCD monitor and other laptops and PCs and couldn't get this to work. I could tell power was passing through, but no video.I ended up returning this item.$LABEL$0 +Very Enjoyable. I loved this book from the first chapter. Before I knew it I was finished. I would highly recommend this book. All the town's people are interesting and entertaining. An Sookie is a very fun character to follow.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected.. Did not like this at all. It was totally not what I wanted. Kept only becauseit would cost more to send it back.$LABEL$0 +Buy the newer PTs. While I enjoy ll materials LSAT, this test is simply not in line with the current LSAT and not worth the purchase. For example, it has a pattern game in the LG and 2 question prompts in the LR. While it is possible that these forms will make a comeback, given their lack of use for 10+ years, the odds are against that. Spend you hard earned money on more relevant material like a recent PT OR buy on of the $20 books with 10 tests.$LABEL$0 +Not What I Expected. After being told to read this "great feminist novel" I picked it up, planning to read it on a trip. While it wasn't what I expected, I can relate to Sasha's wanting to be beautiful, but what I found annoying is her need for every man to find her desirable. Does she really need to know if her therapist finds her attractive? She expected a perfect life, because of her looks, but her life wasn't any different then a realistic one.$LABEL$0 +Whiny. Annoying. Can't watch. Not funny.. Her antics is not very entertaining and very annoying to watch. I borrowed this dvd from the library and glad I didn't invest money but unfortunately my time. The only time i can tolerate the video is when she was actually serious and informative about childbirth.$LABEL$0 +There is better (pre/post) Holocaust fiction out there. This is my first Oates book to read. She is a talented writer -- clever, metophorical, and she does know how to develop characters. However, there are better books out there that are not sterotypical "Holocaust" fiction -- even if it is post-Holocaust fiction. For a good,accurate, distrubing,and thought provoking read try Blood From the Sky, Mendelssohn is on the Roof, The Painted Bird, or even Ida Fink's The Journey. If you are going to read Holocaust Fiction (even if it set in modern times) read something worthwhile.$LABEL$0 +panasonic phones. this is the second set of cordless panasonic phones i've purchased in a year. The handset ringers in all handsets stopped working within two weeks.Other than that the phones are great. These are used in a shop enviroment and it was suggested to me that perhaps the speakers panasonic uses are sensative to dust or magnetic fields (there are welders present).Whatever the case the older panasonic phones didn't have this problem, I had a set I bought in 1999 that had no failures other than a battery in four years.$LABEL$0 +Great story. If one does not have access to a good lawyer: This is what happens. I still can not understand how Mr.Carter found the strength to keep his fight ?!$LABEL$1 +Worst piece of trash I have read.. Most of the book is based on hearsay. I wanted to know more about his relationship with Linda Allen, his 2 bouts with money problems, more about what he is doing now. She portrays him as a very bitter and angry person. This is not the Barry that we all know and love.$LABEL$0 +Terrible Value for Tahoe/Suburban Owners. This manual is a terrible value. The paper quality is just barely above newspaper. Pictures are dim, outdated, and do not fit my 99 Suburban which is listed on the cover. They tried to cram too many GM truck versions into one book. The proper value should be $5-$10. I bought it to help me replace my fuel pump. I found better instructions and advice on the internet in about 20 minutes that were my exact year and model.$LABEL$0 +How will they do the movie??. I read the book and loved it. I agree, there were some really slow parts. But I loved this book. I began to feel very close to the characters. I cannot wait for the movie. I am curious to how they are going to do all of those flash backs. I will be there on Feb.12th waiting in line. What a perfect weekend to release it. (Valentine's Weekend.) It is sure to be a success.$LABEL$1 +magneet fell off first day. The glue they use is not good at all. Plastic sign came off the magnet withing 24 hours of receiving my order. I thought this may have been a sheet magnet but it's not, it's a black ceramic style magnet glued to the plastic sign. Need to buy some decent glue to make it whole again, assuming the wife hasn't already thrown it away.$LABEL$0 +He ministers through music. I have been a long time fan of hammond. This compilation is awesome. Some of the songs on the first CD in set minister to my heart. He brings your soul through the phases and sings it happy.I highly reccomend it for the rhythm and message.$LABEL$1 +Where is my stuff. I've emailed to the seller about I haven't received my book. That has been over a month from the date I purchased the book. But no one answer me yet. How can I happy about their service. I paid money for nothing. Nobody take charge of that.I think so one should take care of about that.$LABEL$0 +Too loud, doesn't do much. I got this thing when I first bought my 360 because of all the crap I heard about the 360 overheating. My first complaint is that the fan noise is even louder than the xbox dvd drive noise (which is pretty loud). Unless you have whatever you're playing/watching turned up pretty loud, this thing will noticably drown some of it out. I ended up taking it off because of this.As for the cooling aspect, I have played many hours both with and without this fan and have noticed no difference whatsoever. I have noticed that the air coming out of the 360 feels cooler, but the system never crashed regardless of whether I had this thing on or not.The only reason I am giving this thing 2 stars is because I would imaging if you WERE having a problem with cooling (like if you lived in a hot climate or had a lemon), then this would probably keep your xbox cooler.$LABEL$0 +Very nice to stand on. I love the mat. It is extremely comfortable to stand on. The only issue at all is that I sometimes catch my foot on the edge of the mat, but I think I'd do that with any mat. It's just something you need to get used to. The mat does lay totally flat.$LABEL$1 +I concur - DRM invalidates this purchase. ...my wife pre-ordered this for me because she knew how excited I was about the game. Just now heard about the SecuROM DRM infection though - which invalidates this as a legitimate purchase.DRM does not stop piracy. Doesn't slow them down. It does however destroy the rights of honest consumers, like me, who now no longer wants a game that was salivated over for years because the DRM infection will make the game disk worthless to me probably in a matter of months.Because of this, piracy is the better option for all. If you want to stop the DRM infection, but don't want to be a pirate, refuse to purchase this game and let it be known that the DRM is why you aren't buying it.$LABEL$0 +Glad I didn't buy it. I'm glad i checked it out on Netflix before buying it for my action movie collection. I'm not sure what the 3 stars and up are talking about. But unless you are a five year old; this movie ...... ...... is not worth buying.Actually it's probably not a movie a five year old should watch as it has some inappropriate scenes.$LABEL$0 +First to review but not last.. Great Album. Just bought it.50 cents is the next big thing thanks to Em and Dre. Track 4 is the best one.$LABEL$1 +The best new country artist in a long time. This CD has it all to the up beat Put Your Heart Into It, to the sad but strong One Solitary Tear. I would tell every one who likes country music, and even those who don't to get this CD, it'll suprise you.$LABEL$1 +Love it. I ordered the 1L in black. This new taller and more slender design fits better in my cup holder than my old 1L Camelbak Eddy which I lost. This thing makes me drink WAYYY more water than any other type of bottle. Something about Camelbak--I'm sucking on that thing and the next thing I know I've drank 500 ml of water! So easy. The black color is really cool also$LABEL$1 +Not as nice as the photos. I ordered this set for our everyday and formal use. I was very dissapointed when I received them, as they really looked nothing like the photo. The flatware had some sharp-ish edges, and the hollow spots were dirty. The weight wasnt very substantial and they felt cheap. They are nothing like the stunning Wallace Grand Baroque in Sterling. They should try again. This stainless set is not worth it. AND, it didnt include the box!!$LABEL$0 +Excellent for study. This study Bible is excellent for study, but since I wanted the large print edition, it is really too heavy to easily carry around on a regular basis. There are lots of interesting, thought provoking notes and lots of references to look up for further study. I highly recommend it. As I mentioned the only drawback is the weight, but there is no way to change that and still include all the useful notes.I, therefore, highly recommend it for study, but would suggest something different if you want something to carry with you.PEM$LABEL$1 +Movie with a great message. The 17 Miracles is excellent and shows Mormon pioneers and what they suffered to come to Utah. It is moving and I could see it over and over.$LABEL$1 +This game is horrible!. After getting demos of both Amplitude and Frequency I thought that this game is horrible. It deserves one star because of the great soundtrack. Other than, this game is horrible. I am more of an action, adventure, extreme sport gamer. This game has the WORST PLOT EVER! DDR is way better even though it isn't that great at least you get a workout. If you are going to spend your well-earned $40 dollars on this game it is the same thing as flushing $40 down the toilet. Why not just learn how to play an instrument, it is much funner. (Electric guitar and ALL of percussion is the best.) Any way, this game is the worst ever. Either that or Dark Summit but that's another review.$LABEL$0 +Works. Good company that makes good probiotics. I take them on and off as need. keeps the tummy happy. However I feel that if you are able to eat the natural yogurt nothing can beat it.$LABEL$1 +Ann is the Best. If you believe that a soldier who lost 3 limbs in Vietnam "sacrficed nothing for his country"; that the widows of 9/11 "were the happiest widows ever" and that a decorated Marine combat veteran who disagrees with Ms. Coulter "is why soldiers invented fragging" then she is the best.If you love your country more than your ideology, she is as one conservative columnist put it this week "simply disgusting."$LABEL$0 +Snore!!!. I purchased Hannible the same time I picked up The Silence of The Lambs Special Edition, because of the "Save ... when you purchase both movies" coupon on the covers. Having not seen Hannibal previous to my purchase, I thought,"What the hell...I'll save a couple bucks." I could have saved the entire purchase price and rented this piece of junk. Though, it picks up where "Silence", left off, Jodi Foster isn't in it, and the plot seems dorky. Way too ... for such a dull movie. If you enjoyed "Silence", get it...but don't waste your time or money on this one. Rent it first, then decide whether you really want to add this ... to your collection. Anyone wanna buy a copy?$LABEL$0 +The only thinkg like it. This is a replacement. My wife has gone through a couple of these--they last about 2 years then start making loud noises. This is the only one with both heat and vibration to help a sore back or hip.$LABEL$1 +What a Keeper. This album is noisy and it makes me want to dance. Is funky the right word? It is guitar driven, funny and the vocals are a unique ball of fuzz. I am hooked and it was only recently that I learned about the band itself. I recommended this band especially the album to anyone who also likes Kasabian, Flannelmouth, Boy or Franz Ferdinand for their energy, massive sound and arena enthusiasm. My favourite tracks are "Go home get Down", "Blood on our Hands" and "Cold War". Perhaps you will like them too.$LABEL$1 +regression. The Cranberries were once a band that had a mission to purge their souls of pain. Now the band is at the lofty heights of fame and success. As always at such altitude comes the unrelenting stressors of maniacial producers and record label executives who make unreal demands on the creative process. For many artists this can kill one's creativity. This has happened to Dolores.On top of that Dolores is now married. She seems to be happier. Happiness has a flip side for disturbed artists: it also kills their creativity!Hence, you have "Bury The Hatchet", a watered down album that is lacking in originality, added is a feeble attempt to cover up this lack of originality with the song "Copy Cat", which actually sums up the compilation of songs on this release.$LABEL$0 +Desert Island Recording. I have been playing harmonica most of my life. One might say I have dedicated my life to the pursuit.This is the best blues harmonica album that has ever been recorded (Junior Wells Hoo Doo Man Blues being a close second).Not only is Walter's playing what harmonica players should be measured against, the wonderful material, production andcomsumate support from the musicians for the songs and the artist are beyond reproach.At the end, it is the master work of a amazingly talented harmonica player, with a lifetime of gigs behind of him,delivering a work for the ages. Bravo Big Walter. This recording continues to enrich my musical life. Tim Gartland$LABEL$1 +Sony's Best Package Deal!. Awesome deal for the money. It even has an "optical" audio input for ultimate direct digital sound from: sat.tv, dvd and Sony Playstation 2. Also, subwoofer has nice adjustment levels.$LABEL$1 +too fragile. Wonderful size and shape, with a wide mouth so you can easily get cloves in and out. Very fragile. Mine chipped withing hours of having received it. I can't recommend it because of this.$LABEL$0 +Very helpful. Covers all the bases.. This book is very informative if your child has a brain or spinal cord tumor. It is broken into easy to read sections. The quotes from people who already lived through this were priceless. I helps put things in perspective for you. It gives you tips on how to deal with unusual circumstances. It has lots of resources for contacting other organizations on the web as well. Very helpful for me and my family.$LABEL$1 +Good Info. If your looking for new ways to workout and would like to make sure your exercises are preformed well with the intent on certain muscle group... this is the book.$LABEL$1 +Beautiful. Somehow, I always have a fondness for beautiful picture books. I always feel that a children's picture book should be something of beauty that is timeless...something that we can all treasure but something that is especially written in the straightforward language that a child understands. This is certainly not one of those mediocre, trashily illustrated, dime-a-dozen children's book. It is the uplifting story of Jessie, a girl who comes to America to begin a new life. The language is simple but beautiful, and Jessie is someone who we can all love. And the illustrations...oh!!! They are so gorgeously realistic; especially the cover with its beautifully done painting of immigrants watching the Statue of Liberty as they arrive in America. Beautiful story, beautiful pictures...what more could you want? "When Jessie Came Accross the Sea" is the kind of book that every child should have.$LABEL$1 +Where's the ending?. As I was dwindling down to the last few pages, I wondered howthe author would wrap up this story. When I finished the book,I checked to see if some pages were torn out at the end. Howcould any author end a novel in this manner is beyond me.Does anyone know if a sequel was published?$LABEL$0 +Small stepladers. I chose this three step ladder because the the one i had got damaged. I missed the handiness of it so much that when i found Amazon handled them i had to replace the damaged one, i missed the old one so much.$LABEL$1 +Fan Duster. Glad I didn't have to pay for this had a gift card, go to Dollar store and get it for 5 bucks$LABEL$0 +The Lady Can Sing A Song. This is old time jazz at its FINEST and BEST. Cleo is one CLASSY LADY who can sing that HOT JAZZ and the COOL BLUES.$LABEL$1 +the bingo game moves too fast hard to keep up with the numbers called. product is ok, would not encourage the purchase of the game, however the senders of the game was prompt and correct on time of deliver$LABEL$0 +A "MUST HAVE" text for teachers!. I have had this text checked out from my university library the entire semester, renewing it several times! I just didn't want to let it go. So, I am now finally purchasing one for myself. Pamela Farris has done an outstanding job with this text in both the amount and quality of information she furnished. The student resource guide section alone is worth the price of the text and the content is priceless! This is of course my personal opinion and in no way do I imply it to be the position of Amazon.$LABEL$1 +Slow and Ineffecient. I hate this phone. I bought it for its looks but frequently want to throw it accross the room. It is slow - frequently does not take all the numbers you enter unless you press them slowly. I would say that out of every 5 numbers I dial, i have to dial one again. The date resets if it looses power for one second - no backup battery or capacitance to hold a charge. Phonebook sucks. Speakerphone sucks. I hate this phone.$LABEL$0 +Another great CD by this group.. I purchased this as a stocking stuffer for my husband. He already had "Underneath The Kudzu" which is also great. They sing a different type of song which is catchy and clever. Who could go wrong with a group that sings "If Bubba Can Dance, I Can Too".$LABEL$1 +Worst monitor I've ever had. I received this monitor as a shower gift and I cannot get it to work. I've called customer service 4 times with no resolution. They sent me a replacement base and replacement rechargable batter pack, but it did not fix the problem. I believe there is a short in the on/off switch in the parent unit. This is far to much hassle for me at 9 mos pregnant preparing for baby's arrival. Be prepared, customer service consists of ONE person. I've waited on hold for over 20 mins at least twice. I'm returning this poor product for something different.$LABEL$0 +Strap breaks on first use. Extremely disappointed in this bag. It wasn't even heavily loaded, just some folders with papers, keys, phone, make up, wallet. On the very first use the strap broke before I even got home. Also, the stitching is coming loose. Also the strap is not leather. A big waste of money.$LABEL$0 +Don't forget your towel!. I have completed reading the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (like for the 20th time this year..) and I still say it's an incredible book. You will understand the importance of the number 42 and why you should have a towel with you at all times...This book should be read by everyone!$LABEL$1 +one tree hill forever <3. This show is amazing, great actors and story lines. The 9th season was very suspensful, ive been watching oth since day one. It will always be my fave show.. there is only One Tree Hill <3$LABEL$1 +this is too dated. I needed a dance exercise tape. I thought this would fill the bill, but not only is it too dated, she really does not each you the steps.$LABEL$0 +RH 2. A nice addition to the original Rush Hour game set. Keeps the challenge fresh and further enhances problem solving and frustration tolerance in older children.$LABEL$1 +What the---?. More than a bit of a let down, DER BLAU ENGEL pads out 3 worthwhile tunes with an awful lot of gibberish that should never have seen the light of day.$LABEL$0 +My Favorite SC Book!. I have read many, many SC books and this one is my favorite! Unlike in many of the others, Gift Horse's ending is not very predictable and Stevie actually faces a serious problem with not only another individual but with herself. Too often SC characters are happy-go-lucky, perfect girls without any problems, but in this book Stevie goes through a genuinely painful and realistic time. If you're gonna read a SC book, read this one. Will Stevie have to give up her beloved first horse to No-Name's rightful owner? Read the book to find out!$LABEL$1 +Who wrote this anyway???. I have thoroughly enjoyed James Patterson's other Detective Cross novels - but who wrote this one??? The prose was choppy, disjointed, and jumped from one thought to another with no thread in between. My ten-year-old writes with more continuity and interest. The whole vampire thing seemed more for the gore than any plausible criminal plot. Oh well, I'm hoping he gets his pen back on future novels.$LABEL$0 +Doomed romance. Something was off-putting in the tone of this book. Perhaps it comes from lines like "I love when working-class people say smart things." Besides that, Allen struggles to understand a tragic romance, but she seems selective about what she reveals of herself.$LABEL$0 +Makes such a huge difference in drying time!. This towel is great. I received it as a gift, and love it. It really does dry my hair quicker than a traditional towel, and as a result, means much less blow drying time. Not only do I get ready faster, but my hair is starting to look healthier due to less blow-drying. My only complaint would be that it doesn't hold in a turban very well. But it is definitely worth the purchase, regardless!$LABEL$1 +The other side of Madredeus. Rodrigo Leo, amongst other adventures, has played with Madredeus for a long time. Somewhere along the way, he and accordeonist Gabriel Gomes left and, for me, the group lost a great deal of its magic ( although Gabriel is now back, on the group's latest album ). Although this is much more a classical music album than a pop one, if you get to buy it, you certainly will try to get the more recent ones. In Portugal, just a few weeks ago another one was published ( Alma Mater ) where, if you love the " old times " Madredeus, will find a soothing a reason to smile again.$LABEL$1 +New Design. As another reviewer has mentioned, Pampers has changed the design. We also hate the new design, but Amazon has the old design in stock. There's unfortunately no difference at all in the box or product labeling, so I suppose what you get is open to chance.$LABEL$0 +One of the best !!!!. A very disturbing movie that we all should take our time to watch.Outstanding acting and a story that we all should stop in front off and appreciate how luck we are that we leave in countries there we can take the "bad guys" to justices. There is so many countries where women are not protected in the society and this movie only shows as one country.Very strong movie that should touch us all at heart, man and woman.$LABEL$1 +Carson Is King, But Show Us Something New!. This is the second time (at least) that this company has put previously released material in a new wrapper. 30 years of Carson and we keep getting a rehash (and rehash of rehash!) of previous titles. If the company and Mr. Carson's estate are too inept or lazy to dig a little deeper into the tens of thousands of hours of available Carson-era "Tonight Show" material, then just release DVDs of the old syndicated cut-up series "Carson's Comedy Classics", or even the old prime-time anniversary specials. We'd finally get to see some new material with minimal effort on the company's end.$LABEL$0 +excellent. Premium was one of the best films I saw last year.In a climate of formulaic plots and predictable storylines, I found Chatmon's writing to be authentic and CREATIVE, two elements often missing in today's cinema. I enjoyed the perfomances of the actors, especially Zoe Saldana. I don't think I have ever been moved by any of her performances until seeing Premium. I really liked her and belived her and I attribute that to direction, once again, Chatmon bringing something fresh to the screen. Dorian Missick was textured and Hil Harper, tangible.I love seeing people of color on screen with purpose and presence. This film delivers that for me and I will buy it to have it alongside the other credible films in my library.$LABEL$1 +I love Melissa & Doug products. These crayons were a great find. I like that there are no paper lables for the children to peel off. I also like that they are triangular shaped so they do not roll off of the desk. I highly recommend this seller and this product.$LABEL$1 +Extreme Hastle. The 32MB capacity of this card is a great value compared to the standard PS2 memory cards. However, this is completely outweighed by the inconvenience of having to load a cd to initialize the card every time you wish to use it. I now only use it to store game data that I don't use regularly and have reverted to a standard card for day-to-day use. (Rating would be a 5/5 if initialization wasn't necessary).$LABEL$0 +Good enough. Good for YES fans. A quick fun read. Nice for those of us who bought three version (LP, cas,CD)of "Close to the edge". I would buy this book again. I will read it again. Note: It says in the book that a man tried to strangle Anderson at a Pittburge show. Well he just hugged the man. I seen it up close...............Peace$LABEL$1 +Fantastic British Comedy!!Great Props!!. The late great Peter Sellers portrays a humble scottsman determined to become Britians poet laureate.His dual role of the oversexed Queen Victoria adds to this very funny, off the wall film which makes british comedy so unique.Monty Python fans will love this little known gem!!$LABEL$1 +A kiss is always good.... Many fans don't like this album, but a kiss is always good, it doesn't matter how it is given. Although people say it's too disco, I don't think so, it's different, but so good!$LABEL$1 +Wonderfully Honest. What a wonderfully honest look from a groupies eyes...It is too bad that Pamela did not end up with one of the greats, like she should have. I could not get enough of this book. I have ordered the sequal.$LABEL$1 +Zoom gone mad!. I bought the grdx97 camera new, back in march 2005. This past month or so, the camera has begun malfunctioning. When turned on, within a few seconds of recording, the zoom automatically starts, resulting in a blur. I tried changing the zoom feature to limit the max zoom at 12x, but still, it zooms to the max of 12x, thus limiting my ability to film anything at home.The warranty is labor 3monts, parts 1 year. There is no customer service I can talk to at the toll free JVC number. Therefore, I have to drive to the nearest service center which is apparently an independent business. All of the service centers are > 30 minutes away.I never thought I would be having problems 5 months after purchase!$LABEL$0 +Not the best, but close. This isn't the best Bad Religion album, but it's pretty close. All the songs are good, but some just aren't that memorable and sound a little repetitive to me after a while. There's a lot of good songs here though; my favorites are "Recipe for Hate", "Kerosene", "American Jesus", "Watch it Die", and "Don't Pray on me."This is a good album if you are a Bad Religion fan, and a pretty decent introduction to the band. However, I recommend Generator, Stranger than Fiction, and 80-85 over this. Still pretty darn good though.$LABEL$1 +An Exceptional Film. Set in the state of Georgia, James Garner renders a powerful and very sensitive performance of a Judge who following the death of his wife, retires from the bench. He tries to with-draw from life esconced in his own grief and bitterness. The mys-tery surrounding an old friend's refusal to accept the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the personal crises in the lives of those closest to him, compel him to step back into the mainstream of society . As he reaches beyond his own pain and into lives of others, he not only becomes an anchor for them, but finds a renewed reason for living, himself.The supporting cast is superb, esp. Bill Cobbs and Ruby Dee.This is an exceptional film, providing wholesome entertainment.$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. this was the worst tasting dried mangos i have ever ate. they were so dry that it hurts my teeth trying to bite through them. it seems like they packaged the worst part of the mango pieces (like the skin or pieces near the core/seed). in each pack, only 10% of the mango pieces were actually good, all the rest i had to throw away because i just couldn't eat them. now i still have about a full case with no one wanting to eat them.$LABEL$0 +Lovely but for the static electricity.. I've been using my burr grinder for about a year now. The good news is that it grinds the beans perfectly every time. The bad news is that it's a mess to clean (necessary every couple weeks) and worst of all, the grinding creates so much static electricity that when you remove the reservoir from the machine, there is a small burst of grounds that explodes from it and ends up on the machine and the counter. If you live in an area with high humidity, this might not be such a problem. But, if you live in a dry area (here in California, it's dry from May to October), then static will be a headache.Capresso could probably correct this by making the little bin out of metal instead of plastic so the static would discharge through the machine.Otherwise, it's a wonderful device and I recommend it if you're fussy about your coffee.$LABEL$1 +Sabrina Rocks!. I love all the Sabrina eposodes.I now have 5 seasons of the program.Melissia is a great actress.$LABEL$1 +Stone Fox. The name of this book is Stone Fox. The author is John Reynolds Gardniner. My favorite character's Search Light. The story takes place on a farm in Indiana. I didn't find a moral to this story because I did not like it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone! That is just me though. Stone Fox's ending didn't surprise me. It bored me and it did not have excitement. It was just a little fantasy to me. I didn't like this book at all!$LABEL$0 +A wonderful version of a classic tale. Polacco's book is a time honored theme, this retelling from the Ukraine. When Luba saves the Wren's life her parents insist she return to ask for a favor. The parents never seem to be satisfied and send Luba back time and time again. In the end the parents are returned to the happy couple they were when they started. This book can be successfully compared with any of the many available versions of the Fisherman and His Wife but also contains elements from The Stonecutter -- another tale available in several versions. Sometimes those with seemingly little power/wealth think other situations would make them a different person or happier. And when they do obtain power their humility is lost. Satisfaction seldom comes when one has not earned that power or wealth. Polacco's wonderously beautiful watercolors brings this theme into the full vision of readers. A delightfully new twist on a classic tale.$LABEL$1 +For the Tintin fan who has all the books. My family collected Tintin and Asterix books when I was growing up. My parents have a complete set as do several of my sisters. "Tintin: The Complete Companion" was the perfect gift for them."The Complete Companion" discusses the political, scientific, and sociological climate present when Herge wrote the Tintin books. It is very satisfactory to read about the state of space travel and to know where Herge was citing research and where he was leaping ahead.This is not a story book but inquisitive minds from 8-88 will enjoy it.$LABEL$1 +Smashing read. If you have any interest in Africa, its' exploration, peoples and/or geography this book is for you. I have long heard the story of Stanley and Livingstone but never the details. This book fills in all of the voids. I found it a very enjoyable read. I recommend it.$LABEL$1 +The Wall. This is a movie that will force you to think deeper than you may ever think again. Try it. It is a mind-opener and a mind-bender. Enjoy$LABEL$1 +Poor Movie Format. Movie is formated such that it's less than TV resolution. This is the second movie I've rented on Amazon like this. Amazon needs to step up and tell us what the format is. I'm going to be very reluctant about renting another video from Amazon if they can't be forcoming on the format.$LABEL$0 +Standells - 'Hot Ones' (Sundazed) 2 1/2 stars. Originally released in 1966,it was their follow-up to the 'Dirty Water' album(see my review).While I admit it is NO where near as good as 'Dirty...','Hot Ones' is a so-so CD reissue full of mostly the Standells performing covers,from you guessed it,1966.Tracks that I thought were 'okay' include Donovan's "Sunshine Superman",Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City",the Beatle's "Eleanor Rigby" and the Trogg's "Wild Thing".Very little originality here,but hey...plenty of records are like that.You know?For big-time Standells fans,like myself.$LABEL$0 +Love this Movie still!. Bound is one of my favorites. Thank you so much! The price was very affodable, it arrived quickly and in excellent condition! I would absolutely buy from you again. :)$LABEL$1 +I love this CD. I can listen to this CD all day and never get sick of it. It is just wonderful. I love her voice.$LABEL$1 +Cheap quality. The retractable works but doesn't extend as much as I would like. It also looks cheap but it saves all the frustration from untangling that long earphone.$LABEL$0 +ONE OF THE BEST EVER!. I am a former elemetary teacher, therefore, I have read hundreds of children's books! This book (The Last Safe House) is one of the very best books I have ever seen or read. The story AND the illustrations are wonderful. I read this book to an elderly group and they, too, were totally captivated. Children-YES; adults-YES. ps One of the elderly asked me to order for her grandson. I have placed my order with Amazon and, for sure, I will order again!TRUST ME, (if you are interested in this subject), this book will bring it all together in most enjoyable and informative ways!$LABEL$1 +This product is NOT for beginners like it said!. I was told by a Beachbody coach that this program was great for beginners, boy was I in for a shock! LOL I could not keep up with her, even using the learn it portion. I recommend starting out with something else, something a little slower paced and with less coordination/dance/kick boxing moves for people who are looking for a place to start in there new healthy lifestyle.$LABEL$0 +great for projects or home crafters. this self healing mat works great!as a graphic design major in college i do alot of cutting with razor blades. to this point i have been doing it on a piece of plastic which would break the tips off my blades after a few use's and dull the blade which is bad when you are cutting paper alot for projects... seeing it could cause the paper to rip instead of cut.the mat is a very large 18x24 in size with measurements on the sides and a nice grid for keeping cuts straight.this mat will be with me untill it needs to be replaced... but after using it for a year now i think it will be many more years till that has to happen.$LABEL$1 +What the....?. yes i realize it is hard to put so much material into a single movie. this must be why so many great characters were ... deleted? but how can m. night NOT include certain material from the episode called "the deserter" fans know whihch one i mean. seriously katar learning how to heal while waterbending is a very key element. how exactly would m. night explain katara healing aang - that ANG not ONG - at the end of book two? no wonder this movie "won" worst movie of the year. even the expendables was better, and that was crap... so what does that mean this movie is?$LABEL$0 +Stream of consciousness is funny for 30 seconds.. I suppose if you're really really stoned, this is funny. On the other hand, if you're really really stoned, Firing Line is funny.You can dig a few comedy nuggets out of this, but they're buried inside a ton of nothing.$LABEL$0 +Boring. Tetris is awesome. I could play that time waster all day - but something is amiss with this game and it manages to make me not want to play.It could be the loud thumping synth and techno music that plays in the background on infinte loop, or it could be the fact that they attempted to add a story to Tetris by adding strange "creatures" that speak a more annoying version of Animal Crossing's babelese, it could be that the colors look like they have been washed out and are difficult to tell apart, or it could be that there are barely any modes to play except marathon tetris games.I think the real reason is that they just botched it. Its Tetris in some ways but there's just something off about it.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I hope the drill operates better than it looks. The drill looks well used. Not what I expected.After 3 uses the torque setting no longer works. I can't even drive a sheetrock screw in with this drill with out the clutch slipping. What a waste of money and time. I'm buying Dewalt and Porter Cable from now on...and I won't be buying them online.$LABEL$0 +Easy to use, holds a bunch!. After years of trying to use empty condiment squeeze bottles or standard dispensers, this is the answer.- Holds a good amount of glue - less refilling.- Dispenses easily.- The glue level is always near the tip so it ready to dispense immediately. (No more upside down shaking to get the glue out of the bottom.)I bought the extra tips so I could cut one back to squeeze out a bunch for large panels, or put on a more finely trimmed one for smaller edge glue ups.Good tool purchase!$LABEL$1 +should be cheaper. This 3 movies should be at least $30 cheaper than buying the 3 complete combos, for an extra $20 you get DVD Blu Ray 3DBLu Ray Digital copy and extra features, this item is just not worth it[...]I was just in time to buy this combo packs before their prices went up, got the 3 combo packs for $88 instead of lowering the first 3Dpack which i'm making the review of, amazon preffered to increase the prices in the separate packs$LABEL$0 +Doesn't work for everyone!. My two year old daughter has been sucking the middle two fingers of her left hand since just hours after her birth. To avoid future embarassment for her and high orthodontia bills for me, I bought Mavala Stop to coat her fingers. The first night, my daughter DID keep the treated fingers out of her mouth. The next night, I found her sucking those fingers. The third night, after my daughter's bath, I coated her fingers again. Before the Mavala had even dried, she was licking her fingers like they were popsicles! So, it may be a great product for successful results with other customers, but Mavala Stop is not for us.$LABEL$0 +Meh. I guess I was just expecting more from this gift, and it is partially my fault for not reading the full description better but i basically expected them to be bigger, both from the picture and just in general due to the level of detail required to reproduce the characters. I will be keeeping them and giving them as a gift as intended, and see how well they go over, but my not hoping for a lot, definitely had higher expectations for the product than what was delivered.$LABEL$0 +Interesting & Well Written. Checked this book out for a water crisis research paper I was writing. This book is interesting and well written. It is full of great statistics and facts. This book covers numerous topics including water supply, sanitation, agriculture, nature conservation, and the many ways we use water. It talks about potential solutions to the problems we are causing and the importance of protecting the water cycle. Great book if you're interested in water issues!$LABEL$1 +Garbage. You have heard this stuff already if you listen to radio friendly garbage over the last 10 years. Don't touch this trash with a ten foot pole.....you have been warned.$LABEL$0 +If you got this far, you can't stop now....... The final chapter in the Ring Cycle, as done by the Metropolitan Opera conducted by James Levine. This is a fine offering. Of particular highlight is Hildegard Behrens portrayal as the spurned Brunehilde. A surprise was Christa Ludwig's fine performance, not as Fricka, but as a Valkyrie (a role I enjoyed very much). The story itself ties up a lot of loose ends....Also great performance of Siegfried's death march. Definitely worth watching if you've gotten this far.$LABEL$1 +DISAPPOINTING. I WAITED ANXIOUSLY FOR THIS BOOK AND AM TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED. I AM HALFWAY THROUGH IT AND DON'T LIKE IT. IT IS FAIRLY BORING AND REDUNDANT. THE CHARACTERS AREN'T PARTICULARLY LIKEABLE. IT CERTAINLY ISN'T WORTH FINISHING.$LABEL$0 +Insane. This cd from the start is non stop metal. The guitar riffs are insane and it makes you want to bang your head to hell. I'ts nuts to think the vocalist is a girl, but it's true and she kicks a$$. Oh, and there is a review here by someone named 'Fred Durst's Numba 1 Fan' or something stupid like that, read his review, it's hilarious and an insult at the same time. Buy this cd and you will not regret it, I know I didn't. When you do get this cd, the last track has this ridiculously fast guitar riff. Good solid musicianship right here. Worth the money.$LABEL$1 +Can't recommend linksys any longer.. I will never buy another linksys router. This is the third router that has crapped out in 2 years. When you go on their website for chat support they say that if the router is out of warranty (12 mos) they can't provide "chat" support. Nice company. It probably costs them $[...] dollars to make a router and they're selling it for $[...] and not only supporting it for a year hoping that when it fails you'll have to buy another one. I'm not sure what company has the best routers, but it's certainly not Linksys (and its parent company, cisco, is quickly becoming the crap that is Linksys).$LABEL$0 +Very good!. An excellent book about how to deal with emotional pain. The author is quite the intellectual so it's kind of deep, but very good and helpful.$LABEL$1 +Buyer Beware!. I am surprised to read some fairly high praise for this less than mediocre attempt from Mom and daughter. Perhaps the reviewers are like me and usually find Mary Higgins Clark a good read and do not want to hurt her feelings but come on, this particular book is a dude with a capital "D". I am so sorry I purchased not one but two copies. What a waste of time, and money, not to mention the embarrassment of giving an audio version for a gift. So much for listening to certain "book reviewers" that was a mistake.$LABEL$0 +uses word dumb. was excited about this book for my daughter, Nora; but it uses the word "dumb" multiple times.$LABEL$0 +Does not work for MX500 Mice. I bought this pad originally for my Intellimouse explorer mouse.Using the Intellimouse with this pad is a joy for a short while. A week later and my Mx500 arrived..this is where the problem started. I noticed the pointer moves in random directions when you move the mouse slowly. I thought that this was because the mouse had some tiny scratches on it. So i cleaned it and used it again..no luck.Today i went to staples to have it exchanged for a similar mousepad. To my dismay, the pointer still goes awry if you move the mouse slowly if used with a Mx500 mouse. So if you have a logitech mx controller.. proceed with caution.$LABEL$0 +A Fine Example. This book is a fine example of good things coming in small packages. I have other books by this author, and find them equally useful, but this slender volume is my favorite of his work. Like Ray Hunt and a few others, Brannaman belongs in every horseman's library.$LABEL$1 +Don't get it, even if it's 1 cent. For free? Not even. Just takes up precious space where other garbage could go. WHAT A BAD GAME! The graphics don't usually get to me ever, but wow, these are terrible. Just an all-around joke of a game. I got it for 2 bucks at Electronics Boutiqe along with about 7 other good cheap games, so I wasn't too angry, but you will be if you spend any more than that and find out how horrible "Cyclemania" is.$LABEL$0 +Fun pet toy. This laser toy is great for pets as it is bright so they can see it clearly and has several fun shapes to display.$LABEL$1 +This Is More Like It. I am not a fan of electronic music so Joe's last studio effort was my least favorite of them all.This is more of what I like out of Joe.There are people playing instruments along with him and that is a plus.There are some really cool effects to go along with a strong collection of songs.I have only listened to it twice and I already know that this one is a keeper and is right up there with his other really good cd's.This guy is the Michael Jordan of rock guitar players.Chops with feeling.Both traits combined are rarely seen at this level.This group of songs are fresh yet represent everything great about Joe's music.It's alright,go ahead and get this one.You'll like it if you like Joe.$LABEL$1 +Yummy ^^. It came in a pack of 4, and it is really yummy! Good buy :) But what's not mentioned on the description is that it is slightly sweetened.$LABEL$1 +Hit or Miss. I think the root problem here is that not all X-Boxes are built equally. They apparently can have a variety of different DVD drives installed in them at the factory and it's a roll of the dice as to if you got a good one or not.I had a mediocre one. Played games no problem but had skipping, stuttering or outright failure to play some DVD movies that ran just fine on my computer or new DVD player. Some people report you can play DVD-R and CD-RW, some say not.So I dunno -- this makes a nice, cheap DVD player for the kids but shouldn't be looked at as a fully reliable system.$LABEL$1 +LOVE IT. I am starting to think this ring is going to become my new family crest. So far I have one, and this one was for my brother. We both get a lot of compliments$LABEL$1 +GREAT VALUE. SHOPPED FOR THIS LADDER IN MAJOR STORES AND COMPARED PRICEING- THIS WAS OVER $60.00 CHEAPER HERE AND IS A GREAT VALUE$LABEL$1 +E W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. i haTE this crap! unless you want to waste your money, don't buy it, this is really 0 stars, but you can't put that$LABEL$0 +Great starter dot-to-dot for children. This is a good starter dot-to-dot for children. There are easier ones and more difficult ones. I'd say age 4 is a great starter age for this book$LABEL$1 +No more missed pills. I have found that I have not missed any of my medications anymore since I got this. I like how easy it is to set and change times for medications. I sleep later on weekends and it is very easy to change the alarm for a later morning pill on Saturday.I do not like the small display. I thought a missed pill would be more obvious. But it has a small text indicator.The alarm is loud enough to hear across my house, so I would think anyone who can hear a doorbell will hear this.$LABEL$1 +WE HATED IT. Not only was this seat extremely difficult to figure out, the belts were cumbersome and our son - who is generally very easy going - acted as though he were being tortured every time we started the 5 minute process of strapping him in. And the memory feature on the seat belts is absurd. If there is someone with a baby that weighs the same amount and wears the same amount of clothing each and every day - perhaps they will find it more useful than we did. Go with the Britax - more money but much less frustration.$LABEL$0 +Cute Cute. Gotta say, this is a bit corny, but was pretty good. Many laughs here and there, and old and young jokes too! Great movie for the season is here for Easter.$LABEL$1 +Haunting Vocals. Discovered Flyleaf by pausing on an episode of "Beavis and Butt-head". I must say I was suprised considering the normal music they showcase. Lead singer Lacey Mosely's vocals can either shatter your eardrums or break your heart.$LABEL$1 +how can you listen to this. how can you people listen to this sh--. I wish i could give it less than one star, but this review thing wouldnt let me. alternative rock stations that play this stuff are wrecking all good music. take slipknot for an example: they play the slowest song on the cd; then as people start to like that song, slipknot thinks that people like the slow music. So then the next cd that they put out will be slow. DONT YOU PEOPLE GET IT! YOU ARE WRECKING GOOD MUSIC BY LISTENING TO THIS SH--.$LABEL$0 +Disappointment. Sounded great, however it was hard to operate, difficult to see, stylus was too narrow for hours of use(hand would cramp). We returned it. Not for anyone over the age of 40.$LABEL$0 +I did not enjoy this book because it was confusing.. I did not enjoy this book because it was confusing and if you missed a single part of the book, then you were basically lost for the rest of the book. There were also too many characters with wierd life stories that weren't important until the very end. It was very complicated and hard to read.$LABEL$0 +Avril LaVagne. I REALLY LIKE HER MUSIC BECAUSE ITS REAL AND SHE JUST TELLS IT LIKE IT IS!SHES NOT LIKE BARBIE!ALL THE OTHER FEMALE SINGERS ARE ALL PRISSY AND GIRLY AND SHES NOT THATS WHY I LIKE HER!$LABEL$1 +Jumpstart Games are Great for Little Scholars!. This title is third in the Jumpstart series of learning games (it starts with Toddlers) and is typical of the high quality, fun learning games produced by Knowledge Adventure. The characters are engaging for the designated age group, and the activities are both fun and encourage learning. The game increases the levels depending on your child's skill (not by a preset formula) making them more or less challenging depending on the individual, and the progress report helps you see exactly what areas your child needs help in. This software is a great compliment to the Jumpstart series of workbooks. Highly recommended!!$LABEL$1 +is this really what teenage life is about?. I think that after reading this book and many other so called teenage life books, i relized that this is not really what life is for me. yes there are a few incidents when i want a boy friend, or i kiss a guy, but it is not always the most interesting thing to read over and over again in every "teen" book. Prep is kind of like that. Highschools are not all perfect, they have their flaws to them. Like crime or racists. Every teen book so far has been about the better off people, how about writing one about some people on the streets or the hood. They have stories too. they aren't just people reading stories, they probably want to read one that relates to them. Again if you want another pathetic teen book, read prep!$LABEL$0 +What happened to this group?. This album was terrible compared to their first album. They need to decide what genre of music they are going to fall into. I also saw them in concert and they were terrible. They were the feature act at the Butler County Fair in Hamilton, Ohio and they only played for about 45 minutes and sounded awful. I later saw Tracy Byrd at the same location and he was great!$LABEL$0 +Nice lady.. Her pleasant life doesn't make for exciting reading. Makes me happy someone out smarted the Evil Old Henry.To have a complete history of him though I guess i will even buy Jane Seymours story. But I won't find it exciting either.$LABEL$1 +flashlight. I think that this flashlight was a very good price. I already had one, but a second on is great to have in the house.$LABEL$1 +Was this Mansfield Park?. I love this story, and I don't necessarily expect film adaptations to be faithful to a novel in every detail. However, this film is so strangely cobbled together that I think if I didn't know the novel so well I would have had no idea what was going on. Motivation, character, and relationships need to be developed even if they diverge from the original, but the characters here were mostly two dimensional, and inconsistent. The sets, costumes and cinematography were only so-so - these are elements that can make up for a lot if the viewer is looking for pleasant entertainment. Sadly, even that was lacking.I'm not sure what this was supposed to be, but Mansfield Park it was not!$LABEL$0 +Just ok.. This book was just ok. No real details and story was a bit bland. Needed more suspense and thrilling details. Took me for ever to read couldn't stay interested.$LABEL$0 +Pump leaks!. We got this same pump with our Aqua Leisure 13'x39" simple set pool. It works okay, but we can't get it to stop LEAKING!! No matter how tight you screw on the lid, water STILL comes out the top. It makes the ground all wet and mushy around it, not to mention it lowers the water level of the pool requiring us to top it off every couple of days. [...]$LABEL$0 +Don't waste your money. First off, product you receive is not labeled Insten like the one in the picture, which leads me to believe it is not the same product as pictured. These speakers are worse than horrible. I thought with the cheap price it would be worth trying since the reviews are either good or bad. But don't waste your time or money.$LABEL$0 +CALPHALON NON STICK PANS. These non-stick pans are not what one expects in performance. The pan can not be used with high heat or the teflon coating peels off. If you wish to sear food on high heat it is a big problem. I do not feel the company totally prepares or informs the user adequately to this major malfunction. I informed the company of my displeasure and was told to send the pan to them, at my cost, for evaluation, Meanwhile; I am out a daily used frypan. I would not buy an overly costly Calphalon non stick product again. All my pots and pans are starting to show signs of deteriation. Not what I expected for my $500.00 investment.$LABEL$0 +4 1/2 stars. if you're looking to add some vibes to your jazz collection, this is a fine fine album, and would make a good choice. mr hutcherson is a fantastic vibes player, and is joined here by herbie hancock on piano, bob cranshaw on bass, and joe chambers on drums. the entire album is special, but the tune that i really want to give a shout out about is "bouquet," a stunningly gorgeous slow-tempo piece that has soul-stirring interplay between the bass and vibes. one of my favorite slow jazz numbers of all-time. if you are considering picking up a copy of this album, i say "do it!"$LABEL$1 +Loved It!. I too remember this book as a child in the 70s. My brother and I LOVED it. I didn't realize it was part of a series until I worked in a bookstore in London 3 years ago.$LABEL$1 +GREAT Beginner Pilates DVD. I hurt my feet and couldn't do the usual workouts so I turned to pilates. I am very much a beginner and this DVD was FANTASTIC!!! She explains everything well but doesn't over do it. The full workout takes about 31min. and there is a bonus workout but I haven't tried it yet because it looked like there was going to be some standing moves and I have to stay off my feet :-( I'm used to sweating and panting during my workouts and this doesn't do that (I glisten a bit). I've been doing this 2-3 times a week for about a month now and I still enjoy doing it. If you are a beginner to pilates this is a great place to start.$LABEL$1 +Most 50's Blackwood Bros. albums in one place. This is a great set of 5 cd's and a very nicely made book of pictures and history of the Blackwood Brothers. Boxed in a really nice collector quality enclosure. The quality of the recordings is just perfect. I hope the producers will make more of the Blackwood Bros. and the Statesmen Qt. in this format.$LABEL$1 +No good. This tape is too sticky. The dispenser is nice (but of course can't be refilled). The tape is overly stretchy and does NOT come off easily.$LABEL$0 +Works great. I purchased two of these and they work great. Just set your fan to full speed and leave the light on, then control it with this.Someone else installed but, so I can't comment on that.$LABEL$1 +A Common Life. Great book. I have all the Mitford books and they were very good. Most ofthem I ordered from Amazon and was pleased how fast I received them andthe good condition they were in. I would not hesitate to order books again$LABEL$1 +Wait till they lower the price or hire a proofreader...... I was genuinely distracted from the content as I found myself reading every page "looking for more typos, inaccurate facts, etc". Many are noted in previous reviews....Butch Harmon is referred to as Bruce....David Duval is later called Davis....etc. I do not know the publishing process but I would think an author should have a vested interested in proofing his product....as well as many others. It is obviously an effort to cash in (the book itself had interesting facts, if you can trust themmmmm)......but also seemed disjointed and like it was slapped together without connection between chapters....bottom line - an inferior quality product given it is a 24 dollar hardcopy new book......wait for the next revision......$LABEL$0 +Buy the separate Widescreen releases instead!. It puzzles me why Fox only chose to offer a PAN-AND-SCAN box of the first two Star Wars prequels.If you're a fan of these films, it's much better to buy the separate widescreen releases of each. You won't get the pretty slipcase, but at least you're getting the whole movie and not a butchered pan-and-scan version.It is rumored that when Episode III comes out on DVD this November, Fox will release a box set of all three prequels in their proper Widescreen Anamorphic format. Hopefully that rumor is true. (Though, since I already own the WS versions of Episodes I and II, I'll forgo the box and pick up the regular release of III.)$LABEL$0 +Truly terrifying.. I do not believe in stuff like this. So many credible witnesses just makes this incredibly unsettling. I am not sure I will ever feel safe again.$LABEL$1 +Buen disco de deftones. Este disco es excelente, como todos los de deftones, a mí me gusta 7 words y bored, son buenisimas.$LABEL$1 +Watch it, but you will hate it. I saw this movie in theaters and i wanted to die. Watch it if you like, but it sucks.The acting was dreadful, and the plot was dumb.Thanks for listening$LABEL$0 +Auto Water Bowel. Great product, I bought a more expensive one after my first wata bowl, the Bergan one outlasted the stainless steel one by far, I now have 2 plasitc bowls. Fast shipping and good quality.$LABEL$1 +poor sizing, feels like it will fall off.. These were poorly sized. They fit fairly tight until the middle of your palm but flare out from there instead of at the wrist like your typical slip on glove. They also have no elastic to hold them on your wrist. The gloves feel like they will fall off, and easily fill up with leaves/debris/etc. They do not give a sure fit and feel. These also have no elastic to them so that adds to the poor fitment.I decided I will return the product I disliked them so much. It's too bad - the fleece lining was nice.$LABEL$0 +Not Effective. This mousse is not effective. It does NOT hold, it does NOT work well against frizz and it does NOT enhance your curls. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Not So Hot. I bought this CD because the samples of the music that I heard sounded pretty good. After listening to it a few times, however, I find the selections to be repetitive and unremarkable. Most likely, I will listen to it once or twice more, but I'll probably end up donating this CD to a charity thrift store.$LABEL$0 +very helpful - now you can play gameboy all the time.... the good news is that you can play gameboy all the time. this little gadget plugs neatly into a side socket and provides a nice light to make the screen usable. there is definitely a reflection that is a bit annoying, but careful positioning of the light source seems to help. it pops out easily and is quite portable, so you don't mind carrying it around. and, from what i can see, it doesn't seem to drain batteries noticeably faster. although you will play more and longer, so expect to be using up more of those puppies...the bad news is that you can (and in my case - will) play more often. plus, it's easy to hold on to, so the kids can sneak into easily under the covers when they're supposed to be going to sleep. however, in the grand scheme of things, these are the prices we pay for an ever-evolving society.for the price, it's a handy addition. if you haven't already, go ahead and splurge.$LABEL$1 +not worth it. Its a shame. Pretty, but horrible antenna, you can't add a better one, no forward or reverse on the cassette player, feels like it'll fall apart at any moment. Back to Target it goes.$LABEL$0 +Simplistic, but it has a message. This is a very small and not overly challenging book with a simplistic message. Underneath the fable of the mice and the men, Johnson is dealing with change: how change can come with little warning, how different people react differently to change, how people prefer to be snug and safe and therefore fear change. The cheese here is an allegory for whatever you may value, be it money, relationships, even just cheese! What happens when your cheese suddenly vanishes and you cannot seem to get it? Do you sit and wait in the hope it will return? Do you try to find out what happened and thereby get hold of some more cheese? The book has a message so do not get put off by the fable format. What seems to be obvious and common sense is not always so in real life and sometimes a silly fable helps like a poke in the ribs. Worth a read but I find the bestseller rankings hard to believe!$LABEL$0 +One Great Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I got this book a bit back but ever since then I have been rereading it. It is simply one of Misty's great books. Kero (or Kerowyn) is a strong female who can take care of herself. Thank you for that. She always stands up for what she believes in and doesn't let mn push her around or take advantage of her just because she is a woman. And even though she isn't exactly feminine, she still wants love. Or at least with Eldan. This book was a great one. I would recomend that you read it when you get a chance.$LABEL$1 +Worx Customer Service. Battery died on my worx trimmer after 4 months. Trying to contact customer service...they dont answer the phone or reply to emails. Stay away from this thing.$LABEL$0 +Highly grateful for this product.. When our 12 year old dog began limping periodically we discovered he had arthritis. 300mg of enteric aspirin was suggested. We were also told that the human variety was acceptable. It worked great for the arthritis, but it upset his stomach and he stopped eating about 2/3 of his normal amount. I found this product here at Amazon and decided to give it a try. Since the aspirin is chewable, we decided to start with 1/2 a tablet to see how it worked. He's doing great now, eating better than ever, is much more active and far less "grumpy". I would recommend this to anyone with a dog in need of pain relief because it is chewable (therefore you can reduce the dose) and doesn't upset their stomachs as the human type so often does.$LABEL$1 +Good Concert. As always, good concert by Rick James and I will be looking for more DVDs of Rick James. The man was an exciting performer.$LABEL$1 +excelent reference manual. This is the best reference on the STL that I have ever found. It covers everything in detail and tends to identify the places where you are likely to encounter difficulties.$LABEL$1 +I love the book. This has been one of the best books I have ever read!! I love the author's writing style!! Definitely recommend this book for those who belong to a book club!!!$LABEL$1 +fix the typos. I love this series of books. I have learnt more about the history of England than I ever did at school. However, my enjoyment is marred by the number of typing errors in these kindle books. It is getting worse with each new book and it is truly annoying to stop the flow of my reading to try and work out which word was intended.$LABEL$1 +Cuisinart electric pressure cooker. I have used a traditional pressure cooker for years. This Cuisinart electric pressure cooker is great. Easy to use, fast and versatile.I am having fun trying even more recipes with this!$LABEL$1 +The color is one of a kind!. This color is one of my favorite OPI colors! I have never seen one like it. The color is a mauve/rose shade with very fine golden metallic sparkle that looks like stardust. I bought mine at least three years and every time I wear it, I get at least one compliment on the color.Claudia$LABEL$1 +Not what expected. I ordered this for my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT1 and was SPECIFIC about that in my order. What I received was a cargo liner for a 2005 - 2009 Chevy Equinox!!!! The box it came in had seen better days and obviously been returned before AND the instructional booklet enclosed was for the 2011 Equinox!I did receive a prompt refund which was the only good part of this purchasing experience.Need I say more?$LABEL$0 +1 of Canada's finest. This is an awesome CD by an awesome group. Although they are often overshadowed by Our Lady Peace, you can't deny what I Mother Earth did for the Canadian music scene in the mid 90's. Unfortunately, there will never be another CD like this, now that Edwin is pursuing a solo career. I Mother Earth will never be the same without Edwin, but we'll always have Scenery & Fish, one of the best albums of the 90's.$LABEL$1 +Kindle Formatting Error. The formatting error for kindle ipad rendered the self assessments unreadable and useless. I wish I could get a refund.$LABEL$0 +does not swing. This swing should only have 1 setting "barely swings at all" I switched to the acuarium swing by fisherprice. It takes batteries but atleast it works.$LABEL$0 +So Glad for the "Official" Bonanza dvds!!. I am the happy purchaser of Official Season 1 volumes 1 & 2 and also the Official Season 2 volumes 1 & now 2.I had purchased the german dvds as the original music was on them, unlike all the other dvds of Bonanza circulating round the USA and found in dollar bins etc.But these "Official" ones are well worth the price. Firstly, for me, they have captioning, which is a boon for those with hearing losses and they naturally have the original music scores and are uncut.But they also come with great extras! There are still b&w; pix from behind the scene shootings, there are publicity clips (a video of a Rose Bowl Parade appearance in the most recent), comments from the producer, Mr Dortort, voice overs from guest stars and stuntsmen etc with tidbits about the shows, the actors and the production.For the Bonanza fan, this is MUST HAVE item. And I can only hope that more dvds for other seasons will be produced and in the same manner.$LABEL$1 +Help for opening safe. This toy is a piece of junk. IF you can ever get back into it. Hints for those totally frustrated - jimmy the lock with a thin credit card. Wiggle the end of the credit card in the door space right below the area of the lock - it'll pop open then. We figured this out after trying to get the thing to open to rescue my friend's daughter's Christmas money out so we can return this!!!! Don't buy it!!$LABEL$0 +The keypad failed first time out. I'm sure Garrett makes a good product all in all, but the one I purchased, a Garrett GTI 1500, failed on the first time out. In order to pinpoint and look a the size of your target, you have to press and hold the "treasure imaging" button on the keypad. Well, this particular keypad and button was poor quality and the button got stuck in the activate mode. I had to send the detector back. I recently paid more money for a different and better quality detector, and the extra money has been worth every penny. I'm not saying this is a bad detector and the one I purchased may have just been a lemon, but you get what you pay for.The refunding experience was OK. I had to send several emails and make several phone calls, but in the end, I was refunded. Garrett complained because I used a different box to return the detector, but the original box was so beat up when I received the package that I couldn't re-use it.$LABEL$0 +I want a game that works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have purchased and returned THREE of these games and they all do the same thing!!!!!!! After my son picks his teams, it says that its loading and then it says that the disk is dirty or damaged. I am disgusted and would love a game that works.$LABEL$0 +I had fun......... this game is a very good game even if you dont like Military. Although it wasnt has good as the PC game (if you have a choice between the PC version and this one get the PC version). The different weapons and levels are good. But there is little re-play value (except to maybe boost your stats) and there we was some gliches i.g. Bad guys dont shoot at you when your 3 feet away. Not saying the AI is bad but..... its not the best. Overall this is a good game and worth the money. hope this help!$LABEL$1 +Marketing Phrase Book (Professional Edition). On receipt of this book I was reminded of the Spanish proverb "cheat me on price...never on product"The content of this publication provides a useful shortcut to the dictionary. However, having paid ... for this product, I must stress my disappointment with the physical quality. It is poorly reproduced. Unless you can live with the imperfection of the reproduction, consider buying the non-professional addition of this book and save yourself a lot of dollars in the process.$LABEL$0 +Found something better. Tried the Ultimate crib sheet, but had difficulty getting to the back of the crib (no wheels), and felt it was a pain to snap / unsnap that many places. After a little research, found the quick zip crib sheet by clouds and stars. Have had for 3 months now and love them!!! So easy to change - only advice is to put a flat waterproof pad underneath so you can just lift both off to launder.$LABEL$0 +not what I was looking for-. I have always like EA games in the pass but this is one I should of skipped over. My main issue is this game is too much trouble to play with a mouse and just setting it up was a waste of time. I read trhe reviews before I purchased it and this is not the 1st time I bought something that had postives reviews but turn out to be a waste of both my time and money. If I though I could return it and use my money onsomething more to my liking them I would- an example of a great game is Dragon Age.$LABEL$0 +Great but not right size. This is exactly what I was in need of. I constantly forget things such as "where are my glasses" and need an alarm system.Perfect in all respects except that I can not set it or read it without my glasses. I wanted big digital numbers and buttons. I went by the size shown on the specs which is incorrect (6.80 inches x 4.50 inches x 1.10 inches). Amazon may what to correct that information to the actual size which is about half the size indicated.$LABEL$0 +OXO rocks with stainless series!. Sleek look and comfortable design. Comes out clean from dishwasher with ease. We love this line.$LABEL$1 +B.Franklin very good. Fascinating. Learned many things I didn't know. Fast read. I didn't realize he traveled so much, along with helping protect the out laying villages. Must read for history buffs!$LABEL$1 +An Absolute Joy to Play!. I purchased Civ IV for my nephew at Christmas and we had so much fun playing together and separate, when I can get him off of it, that I decided to go for the expansion. We still enjoy playing the hot seat together as well as separately conquering the game.This new installment adds some more features and characters to it. Which equates to more fun. New leaders add another bit of that fun spice to the game. Graphics are awesome. We use an iMac and love the way the whole thing looks. We have watched all of the "wonders" videos and still find that we like to re-watch them every time we play.For people who enjoy strategy games this is a must as far as expansion packs go. If you don't have Civ IV yet get it and enjoy it.I gave this game 4 stars for the fact that there is always room to expand.$LABEL$1 +Football. This might make it as TV movie but I would not pay for it. I thought is was true life story but it turns out to be a "what if" from the life of one of the actors if she had made some different life decisions. Young girls might like this movie for inspiration but in general not a movie I would pay for.$LABEL$0 +Know your history.. We are using the dvds as an intro for for further learning about these heros. Consider your child's age before viewing as some of the stories are a harsh truth.$LABEL$1 +Excellent buy.. I haven't seen this show since I was 14. Now that I am much older and more experienced (presumably) I can review each episode with more insight thanks to the rewind button on my DVD PLAYER. This beats the days of me rewatching the shows on a horribly old tape player that only recorded fifty percent of the sound.This IS A BARGAIN for any fan of the show. DVD quality epsiodes of the entire seasaon for roughly $30. Amazon shipped it perfectly in tact. There were no loose discs, even though they issued a warning about it-I checked every one. I was hoping there was more audio commentary on some of the episodes but it's forgivable since this predates all this DVD extravaganza stuff.$LABEL$1 +Dead Polaroid. I'm like the rest of you.Had the TV for about 14 months and it died. That's about $65.00 a month to watch TV. Now I have to pay to have it fixed, " don't know what that will cost." Plus what I pay extra for HD programing on my dish. I think I will go buy a plasma, whats another $1600$LABEL$0 +What a disappointment. I expected a light read, and got even less than that. Kwitney writes briskly and uses language well; I'll give her that. But the plot was so painfully predictable, the twists so superficial, and the characters so flat that I had a hard time keeping enough interest to finish the book. The sex scenes were absurd, really worthy of the cheesy series romances. In all, I could have spent my time and money in much better ways.$LABEL$0 +Useless Cookbook. A very worthless cookbook on Sushi. With this book, the author insults those of us that are sushi lover. Pay me to read this book, NO WAY! If there is a ZERO rating, this book desrves it!$LABEL$0 +Gamecube sucks don't buy!. Nintendo is turning crap, the only good consoles of all time would be the NES and the SNES. Don't buy.$LABEL$0 +COLOR IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHITE. THE DESCRIPTION SAID THE COLOR WAS WHITE AND WHEN IT ARRIVED ON THE OUTSIDE WAS ALSO MARKED "WHITE" .... AS I HAVE WHITE CABINETS. THE COLOR THAT IT REALLY IS A TRUE OFF WHITE /ECRU .. VERY YELLOW COLOR .. IT IS NOT JUST A NICE OFF WHITE .. IT IS BIEGE /YELLOW / OFF WHITE .. I OPENED BEFORE I REALIZED AS I THOUGHT IT WAS TAN WRAPPING PAPER AROUND WHITE ROLL .. IF COLOR DOESNT MATTER ..THEN OK .. IF IT DOES AND YOU WANT WHITE.. THIS ISN'T IT .. I DON'T LIKE WHEN I ORDER EXPECTING ONE THING AND GET ANOTHER .. ANNOYED .. THX$LABEL$0 +Uncomfortable, not padded. Hardly any give in the elastic, so much so that I'm not sure it's really elastic. It's something that resembles elastic but doesn't give and take. It just stays put like regular fabric. It feels stiff and seems to run small. There is a very, very small amount of padding at the bottom of the cup. The rest of the cup is thin silky fabric. If you're looking for nipple coverage, don't buy this.$LABEL$0 +Chauvenistic!. This book was so blatantly chauvenistic! It's obviously a children's book that was written before political correctness or women's lib occurred... It stereotypes what boys "do" (be Dr.'s, fix things) and what girls "do" (help Dr.'s, break things). Read it for a great laugh!$LABEL$0 +Great series of stories. I have been reading this series every 3 or 4 years since they were first published. I am so happy they are being published again. My original copies are coming apart.$LABEL$1 +Easy read, but not all that interesting. This book is exactly as advertised - Greta's opinions on a variety of issues. While I may agree with her on a lot of issues, I'm not sure why I should care.I learned a little about tort reform, was creeped out by her section on the death penalty and found the CNN slams a little annoying by the end.Overall, this was an easy read but not all that interesting.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. This machine is amazing. It makes baking, etc... a breeze. No more hand mixing. It's a bit loud, but otherwise a good buy.$LABEL$1 +Welcome to fantasy island... This book may as well be a science fiction novel. None of the information in this book is based on Sacred Scripture. Where he gets his interpretations of the Book of Revelation, we don't want to know. All of the information on the Catholic faith is completely wrong and he has done no research to substantiate his claims against the Church. The only thing I would recommend this book for is to start your next winter fire with.$LABEL$0 +1/2 Good. So maybe I'd give it 2-1/2 stars if it was possible.The good: The visual. Very stark. Very arresting.The bad: You HAVE to convince yourself to leave believability at the door. From beginning to end.Yeah, yeah, I know this is comic book stuff. But to sit through two hours of getting beaten over the head with over the top violence gets pretty damned dull for the viewer. In my case it took me only 30 minutes to pull the plug on my DVD. Why? Because Rourke's superhuman character gets pulverized by a speeding car THREE times and walks away virtually unscathed, save for a bloodied face. But then, a few scenes later, get's knocked UNCONSCIOUS by a sledgehammer to the noggin.Huh? Direct impact by a speeding automobile inflicts almost zero bodily harm, but a hand held piece of hardware k.o.'s him?!?Safe to say I won't finish this movie anytime soon. If ever. Zzzzzzz.$LABEL$0 +Ethernet protection is rubbish. The good: design is excellent, plugs are evenly spaced, no problems connecting a lot of computer equipmentThe bad: I specifically bought a couple of these because it includes Ethernet protection. Unfortunately, when I connect my Ethernet cables through this surge protector, the signal is attenuated so badly that up to 70% of packets are dropped. I've tried it with multiple different routers, switches and pieces of computer equipment with more or less the same results. Maybe I got a bad manufacturing batch, but if you are looking to use the Ethernet protection I'd advise getting something else.$LABEL$0 +MUST READ. This is the missing link!!!! must read...great insight into Abraham and many other things that are not so clear in the scriptures alone.$LABEL$1 +I love this carrier. I knew I needed a carrier that would work on both the front and back. I found this at K-mart and we love it. We had a simple one-piece cloth carrier that my son hated and it didn't fit my husband. It was complicated to get on as well. With the snugli, we didn't have any of those problems. My son loves to be facing out so we used that one most often, but the backpack is the way to go while cooking or doing other things that make having a baby in front difficult. My husband is 6'4" and 280 lbs and it fits him just fine!Buy it and you wont regret it.!$LABEL$1 +efficient, loud, broken. I have owned different brands, Krups, Braun, Cappresso, Cuisinart, and Mr Coffee burr grinders. The Cuisinart did a good job of grinding, and was no more or less messy/hard to clean than others. But, it was the loudest and then broke at about 6 months. It's back to the Braun KMM 30 for us.$LABEL$0 +Works well for what it is.. Only minimum use so far, but I like it. Screen is hard to read when choosing options and menu takes a little getting used to, but it prints well and that's what you're buying it for. Wastes some tape when printing, but not more than any other label maker. When doing multiple labels I took to writing them all out on the same label but spaced out and then it's more efficient. Typing is simple with qwerty keyboard and extra tape is easy to find.$LABEL$1 +Delightful, fun, and sexy.... I have just returned from a sneak preview of this film. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as evidently did the rest of the sold-out audience. This version is simply 'different' than the Japanese original. Not better, not worse. I laughed, I cried, I was swept away by the dancing, and all the characters were memorably charming. Richard Gere can still send me swooning, and his dance moves aren't bad either! I recommend this film, but only if you want to have a super good time...$LABEL$1 +Belt clip broke off 1 week after purchase. Cheap case with weak magnets on front flap. Belt clip appears sewn to case, but in fact it is glued on - and the glue gave way within 1 week of purchase. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +Driver 2 drives me crazy!. I got this game from a friend because he hated it also. The storyline is alright. I found the music quite annoying. The graphics give you a head ache thats its not even funny. Its hard to control. I am glad I did not buy it myself. There are much better games out there for you to get so don't waste your time or money on it.$LABEL$0 +Didn't Work. I took a chance with this video, since it got so-so reviews, and I was disappointed...when I put the DVD in, it came up with a simple menu, no images, just a simple content list. Then, I wasn't able to click onto the content and play it. Totally didn't work! I'm going to try to return it...$LABEL$0 +Not the best HP but it kept me reading furiously. This is a great Harry potter book. My only problem was with the ending. Yes, I am sad about the major death, but that is not my issue with it. i was upset that it ended so abruptly after the death. At the end of most of the books, everything gets explained and you are left with a feeling that most things will go back to normal for him. This book makes it clear that things will be different in the next book, which makes it suck that we will have to wait another ~2 years to find out what happens. Bottom line- too much of a "cliffhanger", though its not a true cliffhanger$LABEL$1 +Gershwin's Works. Though I do like Gershwins' work, this production of it is not good. I had the recording on a very old LP that I have listened to for years, and the difference in performance is very obvious. I would have thought the Chicago Symphony Orchestra would have done a good job with this, but it lacks the verve and power I have always associated with Gershwin's work.$LABEL$0 +horrible. bad movie dont buy it, you'll never finish it it's really boring and has bad sound and picture with a devastatingly terrible plot$LABEL$0 +Fun, fun, fun, (again, again and again!). Like all of the books in the "Puzzle" series this book on its first reading kept my children (6 and 4 years) occupied for an age. However what sets these books apart from other "look and find" puzzle books is their ability to be re-read again and again. Even though both my children know all the answers and where the "hidden" objects are, these books are read at several times a week at least!What is especially nice about this book is that the main characters of the story are two females, a young girl and a mermaid. It is not suprising that this is my daughter's favourite book of the series.$LABEL$1 +Cookware Much Too Small. I bought this cookware for my 3-year-old grandaughter, who was completely disinterested in the toy. For a start, the pots and pans are too small to actually "pretend cook" with. I also bought another item from Small World Living Toys; plastic veggies, that I assumed were shown with the cooking set. In the photo, it shows several vegetables in one pot. In reality, you could hardly fit one vegetable into the pot. The pots are extremely small. I would have returned it, but it was a gift for her birthday. Maybe her one-yr-old brother will play with it.$LABEL$0 +Very good, practical information. There are not many books available about garden photography and this one will be a welcome addition. It is filled with outstanding photos and practical advice. The author explains the usual dilemmas with film, cameras, composition, etc. but also includes very good information about labeling, storing and organizing your work (a link is included for a software program that I was not aware of - thank you!).I bought this book mainly, however, for learning more about taking nature photos with a digital camera. While the author raves about the digital format and even confesses that he uses digital for most of his work now, there are only 2 photos in the entire book (out of hundreds) taken with a digital camera. This is a little disappointing and kind of puzzling. I would have liked to know more about the specifics for using digital photos for publication.$LABEL$1 +An even dozen isn't better. Ocean's 12 lacks the fun of its predecessor, Ocean's 11, mostly because there really AREN'T 12 master thieves running amok....most of the cast spends their time sitting in a cell, an extremely poor decision on the director's part. Where's the humor of Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac and the Mormon Twins? Locked up for half the movie!The story theme is great: Benedict knows who ripped him off, and the insurance payment isn't enough to soothe his wounded ego; he wants it back from the thieves. Another master thief issues a challenge to the team: steal a Faberge egg before I do, and I'll pay your debt for you. The director and screenwriters lose it from there, though, by separating everyone.Still, the movie has its moments, with Julia Roberts playing Tess playing Julia Roberts, and a witty cameo by Bruce Willis. The ending leaves an opening for Ocean's 13, and let's hope they get a bit better script next time around.$LABEL$0 +The Best Series EVER !!!!. This series is so damn good !!!!DONT MISS THIS ONE , if you do you really missed out .$LABEL$1 +Love it! A must have for any woman. This is a great book with great illustrations done by the author. I really enjoyed reading it, it gives a woman a lot of different advice with out being too preachy. I have always really enjoyed Anna Johnson's writing. It is not serious, nor is it uppity or snobby. The book offers realistic, doable advice for women of all ages. It covers topics such as fashion, food, entertaining, and beauty. She has some great advice especially when it comes to dressing chicly, decorating your home on a budget. It also has some nice sections on being spiritual and giving back to your community, which I think is rare in books like this. It also encourages women to be modern women. It's not a book that expects you know know to to cook, or even to look good all of the time, just to have fun and take life with a grain of salt.$LABEL$1 +They're even better live.... Just adding my .02 to all the rest of you great SW fans who've been here before me. I heard SW on the radio back in the early 90's..."What do I have to do?" from W,B,B+P and I just loved it. Bought the CD and loved the whole thing esp. "So Wrong". Then, 4 long years later comes "Darkest Days" and it blows W,B,B+P away! And I have the chance to see them up close and personal in a small local club. And let me tell you if you don't know: they rock live! The energy, the sound, the light-show! What a blast! And their sound was awesome-- so often bands just tyr to be so loud, but they were perfect. you could understand almost every word Chris Hall uttered and hear every spooky effect from the keyboards and programming. If they're coming to you town (check Stabbing Westward www.stabbingwestward.com if that html don't work) go and SEE THEM you will not be disappointed. Save Yourself!$LABEL$1 +Ronnie's Record Review. This man's album is off the hook. His beats, his lyrics, and style is so crunk man.$LABEL$1 +Read the back carefully. In a rush I read the great reviews on the back of the book and thus decided to start reading this book but I soon realized the great reviews are not justified by this book. I took another look at the back and saw that the reviews are ment for the author's "The Bookseller of Kabul". If I had not been misled she might have gotten another star from me.$LABEL$0 +"Great Book to Read". A great book to read. Over the years of reading so many selv development books to improve my way of life, at long last comes "Think and grow Rich"Its one book any person willing to pursue any works of life, no matter how big or smallThe Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons by Napoleon Hill (Complete, Unabridged)Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievementshould read this wonderful work of Alexander Hill. Its a superb book. I highly recommend it to anyone who will want a hand on any selv improvement book to read this one first.$LABEL$1 +Don't ever bye. It's burnout my power converter chip , I reper it for 100$ .Don't bye it's really waist of mounny and it's warthless .$LABEL$0 +dated. These songs don't pass the test of time. Basic and forgettable. Guess he needs the money. Always was overrated to begin with.$LABEL$0 +Should work very well on wood but not grout. I returned this item. But I can't give it a bad review just because it doesn't work on grout. I didn't open it, it was my neighbor who suggested that *maybe* it won't work on grout. So instead of opening it up and not working and then unable to return it, I just returned it.I'm sure it will work great on wood, terracotta, etc. But I doubt it will work on unsmooth surfaces such as grout. Our brick steps are filled with grout in between so we didn't even want to take the chance and use these in case it rains and washes it all away anyway.I must say, the price is half than what my local hardware store sells it for.$LABEL$1 +early example of outer space end of the century Sherwood dub. The usual Sherwood suspects (Prince Far I, Bim Sherman et. al)in some early examples of his dub style. They were all released on ten inch singles originally. Some of the synth stuff sounds dated (ie casio-ish) now, but the soul is still there and I'd recommend this to anyone who likes Lee Perry, King Tubby, Laswell etc.$LABEL$1 +good for keyboard. It is good to carry a 76 key keyboard. Looks durable only I think it will be better if it has a separate bag for the book holder.shipping in a big box, which is good to keep the shape of the bag.$LABEL$1 +Not Recommended for Educators. I am a gang and youth violence expert working with the San Diego County Office of Education, Safe Schools Unit. I have alerted many of our schools about the series of books by Stanley "Tookie" Williams. I do not recommend the purchase of this book. The content of the books are not appropriate for young people. The images of gangs are not accurate (Too much negative sterotyping). The book is written in a simplistic style that will quickly bore young students. Youth need to critically examine information not be talked down to. You may email me for alternate suggestions for gang prevention books for youth.$LABEL$0 +Skinny fit. My son wrote: I am 16 and 6 ft 5in. These are a perfect length (36 in )and fit great! They wash well, I do not put them in the dryer. I have a 32 in waist and have a hard time finding my size. I like the color of the stitching on these jeans, it's not loud and the crinkled part of the jeans on the thigh part is cool.$LABEL$1 +Whole family love it!. We have found few shows that appeal to our family of five. Not to scary for our little kids, but enough story line for the adults.$LABEL$1 +Not that cool. I found a lot of the stuff in this book lame and not fun to read. Plus its all in black and white and not layed out well at all. The postcard book is much better to read and look at. This book just didnt have it, the letters are random and not entertaining and theres not much to look at...$LABEL$0 +Great pens. Love these pens, very stylish and not too big. Good quality set and at a reasonable price. Had for awhile and still writes great.$LABEL$1 +The ending ruined this movie. This movie was pretty good until the end. With no actual footage shown of the fight with the wolf, it sucks.$LABEL$0 +Great insight into the process of discovery, non-technical. I always wondered about how some of these major discoveries were made, and this was a great narrative. It also explained the event itself in colorful, non-technical prose. If you have an interest in geology, I recommend this one.$LABEL$1 +I have noticed that Pixar still hasn't made one bad movie yet!. I have noticed that Pixar still hasn't made one bad movie yet!I've liked all the Pixar movies, and this is IMO the best one.The message that I think was behind this movie was really good as well. A robot left behind and forgotten about cleaning up the Earth for 700 years and the only friend he has is a cockroach. Well I guess that he doesn't have very much else to do anyway. The animation was amazing. Some parts of the movie looked almost real.Once again, good work Pixar.$LABEL$1 +Shallow. I have liked all the Janette Oke books I have read except for this one. It was shallow and disappointing. For one thing, I thought it was unrealistic that a woman would have a freight run in the "olden days". Also, the ending wasn't complete enough, like the other reviewers said. It also seemed inconsistant that a supposedly Godly man like Seth would fall for a snobby city-slicker like Rebecca (before she had her change of heart). And was Sarah ever going to marry Boyde? I thought that this book was uncharacteristically shallow and had a lack of spiritual depth unlike Janette Oke's other books. I really enjoyed her Seasons of the Heart series and A Bride for Donnigan.$LABEL$0 +Heaven is Real by Choo Thomas. "I just recently read Mrs. Thomas book "Heaven is Real" and would like to ask anyone who reads it to always remember that only God's written Word is infallible." Christian's must always use Discernment when anyone prophesy's about an future events, whether it's personal or for others." It's better to pray and be on guard than to believe blindly and be spiritually infected."$LABEL$0 +Bad movie, nothing to do with the seller.. It's over 3 hours long, black and white. I loved the nudity in it, but found myself falling asleep. It's extremely boring.$LABEL$0 +What a let down!. Not at all impressed with this slow mediocre release. Maybe it's to appeal to the young MTV masses that have just recently discovered "punk". A few songs are tolerable, but when you have 19 tracks that isn't something to brag about. After seeing them play a good set at Warped I had some anticipation for the cd to come out - huge disappointment. Avoid! Save your $ and buy one of their better releases like And Out Come the Wolves or Let's Go.$LABEL$0 +liberal spin gone wild... this is pure propaganda. as a previous reviewer said, the author has spun the facts to his liking. the cherry tree has been known to be a myth for many years. so what?he wrote the rules for civility. he voluntarily gave up power when they wanted to give him even more. he 'led from the front'.the history channel and natgeo have sold out to liberalism. liberalism is both immoral and uneconomic. liberals hate men like washington, jefferson and madison and will do anything they can to denigrate them.notice how often the narrator says 'the man' instead of 'washington'. this denotes the lack of respect he has for washington.the author is an ugly man and i'm getting real tired of these liberal distortions.thanks to all the fine people that took the time to speak out against this garbage. you guys are patriots. we can only thank our lucky stars we had a founder like george washington.$LABEL$0 +BAD WRITING, BAD STORY, = ONE HECKAVA BAD MOVIE. I saw CLUELESS and after seeing it I actually thought that the director and writers of this film were CLUELESS about making any kind of a decent film. I mean ALICIA SILVERSTONE has got to give one of the worst acting performances ever in a movie as does the rest of the lame-brained cast. So my advice is skip CLUELESS I know I wished I had!!!$LABEL$0 +Bork has written a mediocre book.... Bork is, of course, extraordinarily conservative (nearlyreactionary) and some of his proposals might be a frightto the more liberally inclined. A return of censorship andabolishing the constitutional review of the Supreme Courtare two suggestions; others are just as serious and justas deeply conservative. Bork clearly has deeply feltconvictions. He is passionate rather than objective. Someof his psycho-analyses of what secretly motivates liberalismare rather silly...$LABEL$0 +Good Product. This product did everything it was supposed to do very well, I would recommend it. The projector I was trying to mount had its mounting locations in the strangest places and this mount was able to be adjusted to where it needed to be.$LABEL$1 +I will never buy this. How can EA legally get away with putting spyware on your computer.I will never buy another EA product for my PC. Be warned that this software can crash your system.$LABEL$0 +Good for the price. It is very easy to hook up and mount on walls, good quality, good sound for a small home theater system and it is really cheap. I really recommend it.Do not forget a sub.$LABEL$1 +Excellent!. By far Nirvana's best work. I'd have to go with Lithium as being my favorite song at least on this CD. It's a combination of their sad sounding and loud rock n' roll styles. Otherwise the songs in this CD are pretty much divided into 2 categories which is how i usually classfiy Nirvana: Loud fast rock, or Slow quiet. If you've never heard much Nirvana and would like to see how you like it I guarantee you'll like at least something on this CD. If you're a fan of Nirvana already and don't already have it, you're insane.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't Work. Sad to say, this pump just would not fill my bike tires. It's a great size and weight and actually kind of cute, lol, but it won't attach to the Schrader valves on my bike tires. Very disappointing, I was really looking forward to having this on my bike rides. I have a small no name brand inexpensive portable pump that is many years old but works like a champ I keep with my Dutch bike. I will try the Lezine Pressure Drive Hand Pump sold on Amazon for my Hybrid. I would definitely not recommend this pump although some reviewers sure seem happy with it.$LABEL$0 +Great service!. This item was shipped to my home is less than 24 hours! I was extremely impressed with the shipping speed and the price was great also! Having a second base is going to be very helpful for my 2-car family! I recommend this product to anyone with an infant!$LABEL$1 +amazing book! used for my university's nutrition class. amazing book! used for my university's nutrition class. It's the best answer to the never ending question of how to loose weight$LABEL$1 +Good but.... I love the episodes on this disc, but the audio quality leaves much to be desired. Ticks and pops mar each program, not what one expects from DVD. A second copy of the disc displayed the same malady, in identical spots. Popping noises plague the first half of Volume 2 as well. As Cartman might say, "Man, this s***s!"$LABEL$1 +Drama at Eyam. Having visited Eyam, the Plague Village, Brooks described Anna's town and the spread of disease in the village with right amount of creepiness I felt at the real village. The simple prose has been admonished by some reviewers as poor description and character building, asking for more flowery language. First of all, this book is about the plague and from the perspective of a simple woman--not a noble woman with delicate sensibilities. I appreciated the down to earth style of writing, as the character, Anna, appears to be a `down to earth' kind of woman. She is an incredibly strong character, even though she demonstrates some poor judgement with her choice of lover--but haven't we all made poor life decisions? True, the ending of the book is rather farfetched for the time period , but the book is still an entertaining read.$LABEL$1 +Junk. Don't buy.. This product has a "smart" knob that's supposed to control tuning and volume. It didn't work well when I first unpacked it, then it stopped working completely. Now we have one station and the volume turned way up and no way to change it. I'm online buying a new one now. THIS IS JUNK. Don't buy this product.$LABEL$0 +Extremely LOUD!. I have had a smaller KitchenAid mixer for many years and love it. I couldn't wait to get a larger one in order to make larger batches of bread. However, the motor has a very high pitch and screams like a banshee! You need to wear hearing protection with this loud machine. I am sending it back and looking for other alternatives to make bread.$LABEL$0 +bumping. this disc was banging.the great talents of James Mtume who i have followed since his days with Miles Davis thru now and Reggie Lucas who has worked with Madonna.this duo has writting alot of great material together.this disc captures the early 80's music scene really well.$LABEL$1 +WAY over-the-top. sir, may i have another explosion please!. thank god i got this as an xmas gift from my nephew. i would of been pissed if i spent even a penny on this one. my brother stormed out of the room 30 minutes into the movie on xmas day. well, at least my nephew (his son) liked it! i hung in there for the entire show out of courtesy to my nephew. otherwise, i was right behind my brother. yeah i know...it's an action movie. what did you expect? i guess i am just getting too old for films that have these endless smash, bang, boom, pow, crash scenes. i won't even bother listing any details except to say................save your money.$LABEL$0 +Awful. I'm normally very cautious when purchasing new hardware and I always shop around for the best deals. In this case, though, I rushed in like a fool and bought this for $50 at Office Depot b/c I really needed Internet access at my new place.This adapter is horrible. It's supposed to get a very strong signal from where I am, but its signal strength is always low when plugged directly into my motherboard. When plugged into a USB 2.0 extension cable, I get very good or excellent signal strength, but it will often lose the signal when under heavy load. This is incredibly frustrating when I want to watch a streaming video, access multiple websites at once, or game. It also runs VERY hot with nothing in the way of keeping it cool. Horrible.$LABEL$0 +You have GOT to be kidding.... ....The Rudolph special being sold here is definitely ... a "hipper, cooler" yet woefully inadequate sequel. To be fair, I haven't seen this 'movie' yet. However, based on the past dreck that GoodTimes Entertainment has slopped on the table (the feature-length Rudolph they produced was enough to make even the most clueless animation fan gag), I can't imagine that this offering could be any better. I suppose that their earlier Rudolph taught them a lesson which is why the appearance of the classic characters can be seen here. But computer animation? And a pink hippo? Haven't these execs learned anything?!? You want us to buy this garbage? Fine. Spend some time to craft a STORY that stands on its own and hire a good team of stop-motion animators to do some solid work. There's a reason that the 60's style specials are still so popular today, guys, and it's not because of whiz-bang special effects. Think about it. Sheesh.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Bike. I purchased this bike for my little boy who is almost 4 years old, and he absolutely loves it. Even his sister (who is 6.5) rides it (I just raise the seat up for her).$LABEL$1 +So much unrealized potential.... Left Behind was one of the most amazing books I have ever read. What was so amazing about it was that it was Christian and yet it was still QUALITY. I cannot say the same for the film. The film tries HARD but misses the mark. Kirk Cameron puts in a decent performance as Buck Williams and Chloe is also played well.... but Rayford Steele? Who is this guy? It is one of the WORST performances I have ever seen in my life. I laughed out loud as he delivered some of his lines. For someone who was supposed to have just met the Creator of heaven and earth, he was surprisingly stoic...I could go on... but why? The filmmakers tried. It wasn't a complete waste, but if you haven't read the book, prepare to be LOST. They crammed 400 pages into 95 minutes... I gave them two stars for trying. Just because something is Christian doesn't mean it's quality.$LABEL$0 +What Else Can You Say??. Beautiful, inspirational, spiritual, amazing, and every other platitude you can imagine. No jazz or Coltrane collection is complete without this one! Lie back, listen, and be changed for good. In a word, superb. An album supreme.$LABEL$1 +Not Real Is Sometimes Good. Yes, it's true, in real life no story would unfold this way. And yes, our guy does stupid things...that you and I never would. But what an entertaining story and well written too. It's incredibly violent, yet lots of fun. You should read Caught Stealing first.$LABEL$1 +The Red King. To the reader,The Red King is not entirely interesting, in fact its not interesting at all. This book is based around a girl who can do everything (well almost everything) nothing stops her. A greedy thief takes her forcefully under his wing, she is a slave. She is offered freedom (for a price). The once pleasant Red King is causing harm to those who don't obey him.Classic fantasy. Good guy joins with relatively good guy, they cross lands together so as to thwart the evil "baddy" who is not as evil as they thought. People die, people get hurt, people are happy etc.I would have thought Victor (with the reputation he has) could surely do better than this. I expect that he didn't take too long to do this book. If he did he has wasted his time.Sorry to spoil it, but the ending is hopeless.$LABEL$0 +Good Movie. While somewhat predictable, it had some surprising moments. McGregor was excellent as usual. Not Academy Award winning, but worth the viewing.$LABEL$1 +Singing fo Satan. Miss Roca has an OK voice but chica just made news for getting 666 tattoed on her in support for her cult leader who proclaims he is the anti-christ she also boast she gives up to 40% of her to her leader,just so you know where your money is going.Some angel!$LABEL$0 +What is all the fuss about?. This is a quote from the book:"So how do liberals and conservatives compare in their charity? When it comes to giving or not giving, conservatives and liberals look a lot alike. Conservative people are a percentage point or two more likely to give money each year than liberal people, but a percentage point or so less likely to volunteer."So what is all the fuss about?$LABEL$0 +Great album. I like so many other devoted incubus fans thought this was one of their worst cds the first time I listened to it. I puit it away for a while and just listened to Morning View and Make Yourself, two of my personal favs. About two months later i rediscovered ACLOTM, and slowly began to realize just how amazing it really is. All of the songs are awesome, especially Smile Lines, Here in My Room, Beware Criminal and Sick Sad Little World. To all of those fans who think this album is garbage or even mediocre, I offer one piece of advice...Listen again, it only gets better, and by the sixth or seventh time, you'll love it.$LABEL$1 +short lifespan. I work at a school, and we ordered about 20 of these for classroom use. Not long after the warranty ran out, they started dropping like flies. Currently 10 of them quit playing DVD's, and we're just waiting for the others to go that route too.$LABEL$0 +Emmanuelle. This movie was probably the worst movie that I have ever seen and a complete waste of money. Poorly written and directed, lousy acting, rambling story line and not even sensual. Save your money and skip this junk.$LABEL$0 +it's SNUFF, what more do you need to know?. if you like SNUFF, you won't be disappointed with this. Pink Purple is one of my absolute favorite SNUFF songs ever.$LABEL$1 +Great!. This product works perfect for a great price!!I will definitely be ordering from this company again in the future thanks!$LABEL$1 +A great butt kicker. This is the cardio sister of no more trouble zones. This workout runs a little over 50 minutes. This video requires no weights and is largely targeted at cardio conditioning and body toning. I have used this video for months and it continues to be one of my favorites because it is a fabulous workout for those of us in pretty decent physical shape. The workout is based on 6 minute circuits that each center on different sections of the body. This one will make you sweat and feel fantastic at the end. There are modifications for beginners through advanced.Its hard to find workouts that are not too easy and boring. If you are looking for a more challenging video, this is a great choice.$LABEL$1 +Great watch for the price. This is a great watch considering what you pay for it. It's a little small for my taste, but you can read the hour easily. The specs says it's 43mm, but mine is 39mm. It runs a little fast, like a couple of minutes a week. The bright hands lasts at least two hours in the dark (they last more, but with much less bright).The packaging is awesome.The transparent back is great.The self winding system works great.Finally, I'm happy with this watch.$LABEL$1 +Nah not worth the money. This movie could not keep my attentionIt was OK at times but did not contain a great story line$LABEL$0 +Sgt. Pepper. Far, far, far from the best album ever made. People say it captures the feel of 1967 psychedelia, but not as well as Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" or Cream's "Disraeli Gears". People say it is the world's greatest concept album, but it's not even in the same league as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon".The fact is that there are some good songs here (A Day in the Life, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) and some poor songs as well (Within You Without You, When I'm 64, With A Little Help From My Friends, Fixing A Hole). Average them all out and you get a slightly below average album. 2-stars$LABEL$0 +neat. I just got it today in the mail and tried it out and I must say it's pretty nifty. It's a little hassle setting it up though; clamping it to a table and adjusting the peeler blade for the peeling depth. Also the size of it, especially for an apple peeler is kind of rediculous and storing it with your other kitchen utensils might be a little inconvenient but overall it's worth it's price.$LABEL$1 +Ford code reader. I am so so so dissapointed! I bought this for my hubby & once received it wasn't for our car year! I wish amazon would have it said in description!! So now I have to send it back and I am very annoyed.$LABEL$0 +good idea, poorly executed. The Wrap worked great for me for the first couple years of use, though the plastic that houses the key and remote is of poor quality and started to fall apart after several months. No big deal, the key still worked. Until... last week, the lock somehow jammed, and I was unable to unlock the Wrap from my steering wheel. I struggled with it for quite some time and even called the 1-800 number on the key. Of course, no one answered. I left a message in a panic, and, of course, no one returned my call. The only way to remove the Wrap was to cut it open and dismantle the lock. The bf brought out his drill and chipped away at the metal and plastic. About an hour later, with a mess of metal and plastic shavings blanketing the car's interior, we removed the Wrap. Overall, a horrible experience. I would never recommend the Wrap to anyone and am searching for a new security device. Suggestions?$LABEL$0 +Very easy to use. We bought this map/gazetteer in preparation for our trip to Maryland. I am satisfied with the quality of the atlas, it's easy to read and well organized.$LABEL$1 +A Must Read Book Before Getting Married. Don't let the title fool you. This book is great for anyone who is in a relationship.$LABEL$1 +bar far the best read yet. since i just recently received my kindle as a gift, this is one of the first books i purchased for it. by far the best book i have read in a LONG time. hard to put down so i read it pretty quickly! a must read for anyone who like crime stories :)$LABEL$1 +Classic stuff. Positive vibrations. all good songs if not classics, with great lyrics. the only song I don't appreciate as much is Night Shift. This cd contains the only version of Roots, Rock, Reggae that I know. The first song topping the American charts. If your looking for your first Bob Marley cd get Live! or Babylon By Bus.$LABEL$1 +Exciting. I had a little trouble getting started but am so glad I kept with it. Sad that you never know who you can trust.$LABEL$1 +Works great!. Gone are the days of hand cutting french fries. This does it quickly and efficiently! Two sizes of cuts. Quality.$LABEL$1 +Good Book Poor Service. The book is as expected, a professional discussion of medical conditions written for average family members. The condition of the book was ruined by extremely poor shipping and handling though. I recommend the book but not the source I got it from.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Condition. This book arrived in excellent condition as described. I couldn't have asked for a better deal. Thanks!$LABEL$1 +Waste of time and money. I have to wonder if the reviewers that gave this DVD a good rating saw the same one I did. The animation is cheesy, the comedy is beyond lame, and the characters are downright annoying. The basic idea is great and it's a shame it was handled so poorly. The shows look like half the scenes were chopped out and what remained was cut to the bare bone. I'd have given it one star except that I reserve that rating for truly horrendous examples of defective wares foisted on an unsuspecting public. My advice? Spend your money elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Great effort from programmers, but no fun!. This game should be a part of the basic training to submarine new members. It has so much details that had spoilt the fun of the game. To shoot a single target, you will have to navigate through three or four windows and make estimations and press dozens of buttons to get an idea wbout where is your target and what is its exact type. So boring that I couldn't play it more than 1 hour, only listening to lectures about sonar systems!$LABEL$0 +UGH!. Apparently, I was not reading the same book as the other reviewers.I hated this book. Although the premise was supposed to be funny, it felt forced and cruel to me.I usually like chick lit mixed in with weight issues. I am a fan, however, this book just made me gag.It felt cruel and mean-spirited and it took all I had just to get through it.Do not recommend at all.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Execution of Celtic New Age Masterpiece. An excellent offering which merges a modern celtic sound with rich audio imagery of mythical fantasy world. Dunning's vibrant flute and Johnson's ability to merge eclectic instrumentation into a seemless whole make each track come to life, and tell a story of high-adventure.I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed with a single track. This was one of those recordings I picked up on a whim, and has resided in my cd player ever since. Can't wait for another collaboration.$LABEL$1 +Best little Hoodoo Herb book on Amazon. Use this with Judika Illes' 5000 Spell book and you've got a winning combination. This edition is a great little encyclopedia of magical herbs with a few spells thrown in for good measure. A good reference tool.$LABEL$1 +The Educator's Guide to Texas School Law: Sixth Edition. A must read book, if you're a teacher in Texas or hold an administrator position in Texas. Because, what you don't know can hurt you and your career.$LABEL$1 +MOVE ALONG!. I have been a total dedicated (spelled addicted fanatic) player of this game for some time now. I have 5 active accounts *(...) and I am the Mayor of my own Player City. I also am the Leader of my Own Guild. The Combat Upgrade has been "live" for 2 days now and I HATE this game. It is no longer possible to gain enough experience to progress through this game effectively. In the immortal words of the Stormie to Ben and Luke..."MOVE ALONG" - I hear STAR TREK ONLINE will be out soon! Perhaps it is time for me to BOLDLY go to a NEW game.$LABEL$0 +Not good for pet hair!!. The dirt devil is fine for sweeping up dirt/sand/crumbs, but it is terrible for pet hair. Any hairball keeps the rubber diaphragm flap thing open or clogs the opening or tube to the dirt holder area. I have to keep emptying the chamber (at least a dozen times)to try to complete sweeping a 1400 sq ft area. I've given up & will give this away to someone who doesn't have pets.$LABEL$0 +Loud and Ineffective. I should have known better, because portable air conditioners have such a bad reputation... but I needed to use one thanks to an odd (and unchangable) window configuration. So I trusted that Sears (which sells this model for $499) wouldn't steer me wrong. Shame on me. I should have paid attention to the Consumer Reports reviews -- and now you should pay attention to mind: The unit is entirely inadequate for cooling a 12 by 18 foot room... and it is LOUD. The sales information touts it as "quiet," but you won't be able to sleep in a room with it. The internal "evaporator" recycles water over the cooling coils, and the pump that does that makes an annoying whirring sound that'll drive a sane person batty. Yikes. I made a mistake buying this clunker. Time to soak up the 15% restocking fee and get this thing back to Sears.$LABEL$0 +Mildly Entertaining. A wildly improbable basic plot--rescuing an American colonel who knows the location and timing of the D-Day landings--on which is constructed an even more improbable one: An impersonator of Rommel who's actually Jewish. Oy, gevalt. There are some good things here--you will probably care about some of the characters, even if they are gauzy-thin. A book for a plane ride or a weekend in some place where there's not much to do.$LABEL$0 +Very slanted toward Christianity. I was surprised that a book with the name "guide" was based so heavily on this author's personal religious convictions and idealogies. Couldn't get through it.$LABEL$0 +zzz....boring. Okay, this flick was good for a playboy movie...however it was boring. Plus, there was nothing "dangerous" about the sex. Plus the sex was terrible and considering that these people were supposed to be "couples" the sex looked fake. Don't waste your time or money on this one. Also, i use the word sex sparingly, because there was more kissing than anything else.$LABEL$0 +Stay away!. Buy one of their products once and they will hound with special offer E-mails twice a day for the rest of your life! Unsubscribing from their mailing list does no good, the SPAM just keeps coming!$LABEL$0 +Unlike the rest of you....I DON'T!. This book was just flat-out boring! It's too much like "The Wedding Planner". The whole thing was so predictable, I found myself knowing what the author would say next -- the exact words!!!! The book just drags on this way. I don't recommend it at all. Sorry!$LABEL$0 +Popstar?. I thought the whole idea of American Idol was to find a Popstar? I feel like the people that voted for Ruben like myself were misled. I bought this CD thinking it was the Ruben from American Idol but it's not. If you like R&B then you might like this album, if you are expecting Ruben from the show you will be disappointed. Listen before you buy this one.$LABEL$0 +Best Flat Iron I Have Ever Used. I just received this flat iron and I must say that it is worth every penny. I have very thick hair and it straightened it perfectly with very little effort on my part.While I was torn between this iron and the CHI Turbo, I can honestly say that after trying both, I like this one better.$LABEL$1 +Should Have Put This One Away For A Few Years. Unfortunately, there is nothing unique about this book. Characters are poorly drawn, action is predictable, language is overdone-ie what you would expect from an inexperienced author. Mr. Paolini should have put this one away on a shelf for a few years, then reexamined it. I'm sure he will agree in five or ten years that this was a good first effort, but not publishable material.$LABEL$0 +Not for me. I tried this Chai to see if it beats my all time favorite (Celest. Seas. Honey Vanilla White Chai Tea) since it got good reviews.I am only glad I can rest knowing that I've tried all the main supermarket available brands and they don't satisfy.Like all of Bigelow's vanilla flavored teas-there is this taste and scent that is released in your mouth when you sip it. It's weird and strong.It almost seems as if they use too much vanilla or they have some weird substitute flavoring in those teas.I really like their Earl Grey tea-if you're into that. But Stash makes that tea better.I hope this helps.$LABEL$0 +The Master Sniper. Stephen Hunter does it again! The pages start to fly long before the first shot is fired. The character of And Repp is simply mesmorizing. Hunter is able to mesh together the lives of so many different characters for a breathtaking final climax that will chill you to the bone. Hunter as done far more than reclaim his title as the master of "testosterone" suspense. I think you'll agree!$LABEL$1 +NO POWER ADAPTER. How ridiculous is it to get a brand new camera for 220 dollars, open it, taken nice photos with it and then when the battery runs out have no way to charge it. NO power adapter nor battery charger is included! How ridiculous is that? Not to mention the 32megabytes of included memory. Seriously is Kodak high?$LABEL$0 +The Charge doesn't last as long as advertised.. Waste of money, the charge does not hold in the battery pack at all. I suggest all to avoid and to cough up more money for the more expensive plug and play model.$LABEL$0 +Far from beautiful violin music. This is not pretty violin music, and I love violin music but this is no exeption.$LABEL$0 +Sandisk Review. I never received the item. Still waiting and dont really know why it hasnt arrived. It was ordered about a month ago and never came. Can someone help in this matter please.Sincerely yours,Kevin J. Covington$LABEL$0 +Just hogwash. She clearly is self promoting and trying to make herself look good. She is a snake in the grass and every bit as dangerous and low as FARC scum who kidnapped her.$LABEL$0 +Far fetched at best. I too bought this book because of its link to Michael Jackson's life. I was rather surprised at the trauma and life experiences in this woman's life. It is hard to believe that this book is an actual account of the events of one woman's life. It is mainly about her strange abusive obession with a man who stayed present in her life for many years. The book was tagged as though it had a Michael Jackson connection, but her relationship to him was only mentioned in passing. The whole story seemed a bit far fetched.$LABEL$0 +Downes solo album?. Sorry, but this is NOT Asia. It's more of a Geoff Downes solo album. Very disappointing. The best thing about it is the cover art. All the albums have fantastic paintings. That is the only kind comment I can make about this one. Fortunately, the original line up should be releasing something new in the near future! Keep your fingers crossed!$LABEL$0 +Aesop's Fables. This is perhaps the Best of all children's (and grown up) collection.. orignials by Michael Mish, promoting kindness, positive behaviors, love, and awareness. It should be in every home and every pre and elementary school! Teaching how and why to make good choices through song. Tunes that will be remembered for a lifetime!$LABEL$1 +This is the absolute worste movie I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!. My God this movie is horrible. Please people DONT buy or even rent this movie. And if you don't believe me just look at all the other reviews. There is no plot what so ever, the acting is really bad( actors not too attractive either), you can't even make out the murder scenes, the film quality is extremely bad, digital quality is extremely bad( and i don't mean that as a matter of option, i mean its bad for anybodies standards), the music is not timed right, and just an overall disaster. Hey, I know that alot of B-Movies were bad, but I didn't think I'd ever see one this bad. So please if your looking for a good slasher flick pick something else.$LABEL$0 +silly. This book was just plain silly. The plot was about a woman who thought that she could pretend to be her twin sister that she NEVER met. When people were suspicious of her she believed that it was because they had something to do with her sisters disappearance. It never once occured to her that people were suspicious because she did a crappy job of trying to be her sister. Turns out just about everyone who was close to the sister knew all along. Why they all pretended not to know comes out later. Most of it in invovles her being manipulated by her new found father who she forgives immediately for keeping her sister but putting her up for adoption. Ms Summers also does a very boring job writing in first person.$LABEL$0 +what could be better!. This is the book i have waited for; it has authoritative essays on the critical conditions of Shakespeare's art. His artistry is recognized but not mystified, and the intellectual and social circumstances in which his works were written and received are here brilliantly made visible. Terrific!!$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. Having read all the glowing reviews about this series I shelled out quite a bit to buy the videos and get them shipped to me in Australia. I shouldn't have bothered. The programmes are so disjointed and badly put together. (Eg, we hear about one colour, jump to two separate topics, come back to another colour five minutes later, jump to a completely separate topic, etc) The constant talking is SO grating, too. My toddler refuses to watch them and I too find them confusing and annoying. There's a bit of everything but not enough of anything, it's so poorly structured that I can't see how it could teach a child anything (I am an elementary school teacher) and in fact the jumping between topics could be counter-productive instead. A muddled mess.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT PURCHASE!!!. I bought this product for my boyfriend who has been shaving his head for eight years. He likes the buzz-cut look, so he shaves using no attachments. This product wouldn't even cut his hair the first time he tried to use it where as his old Conair one was still going strong. To make matters worse, it cost me almost ten dollars to ship it back to Amazon because it's so heavy. A Christmas gift disappointment and overall pain in the...$LABEL$0 +sharp but WEAK. The 10 degree angle to the handle and the incredibly sharp blade make for great slicing. However, within a week of use, the blade got a chip in it and started to rust around the damage. We never dropped it but did put it in the sink with other dishes to hand wash. So be warned this knife is incredibly fragile. If you treat your knives like delicate artwork, this knife is for you. If you expect your knife to be a tool that holds up to mild use, stay away.$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected. I have never seen a real owl with pink feathers. However, this owl has them. The motion sensors are not effective. Seldom do they work. Most of the time, the sensors do not detect near-by motion. I would not recommend this product simply because it does not function effectively.$LABEL$0 +All over the road on acid. I had a problem with this film. The film is based on short stories by Denis Johnson. The movie should have been more shorts with different characters. The flow of it makes you lose characters you grow accustomed to, the drugged out hospital orderly, the AA woman etc, even the Amish women he is involved with in his own way doesn't really evolve the way it should. There are many classic and memorable scenes to enjoy. The ER scene where the two characters get wacked on hospital drugs then have to deal with an emergency is extremely well done. The rest is a mixed bag, shaken not stirred of drug abuse, death and perhaps redumption. I'm sure the book of the same name is a much more valuable purchase.$LABEL$0 +Too much emphasis on theory, not enough hands on. The beginning of the ninth chapter is over 200 pages into the book and it begins like this. "Many people who read reference manuals such as this one often want to start "doing" right away, rather than read through the explanations until a complete understanding is in place beforetaking any action." Anyone who reads through the first 8 chapters will have become more than just a little impatient at the repetitive and long winded theoretical concepts that could have been scaled down to 2 chapters. Building on a theoritcal foundation is essential. However, way too much time and energy is focused in this area IMO.$LABEL$0 +Hybrid does it again!. Once again, Hybrid drops another spectacular album. Teaming w/the washington orchestra the two boys from wales drop one of their best albums yet. (i would have to say wide angle is still the best) however, since i started spinning back in 97, hybrid has been at the top of my list for their innovative sound. Hyrbid steps away from the mainstream breaks movement to deliver a solid, techy, progressive break album with incredible vocals and synths!!! A must have for any break junkie or electronic music lover!$LABEL$1 +Reset, Reset, Reset. I use to own a Linksys router but I found myself having to reset it more than actual use. I have three computers and a VoIP phone system and it was very unreliable. I also work for a major cable company in customer care and Linksys routers generate a lot of calls for us because customers think it's their internet service and it's not. I replaced mine with a Belkin and haven't had to reset it once in 6 months. I just think you get what you pay for. Yes, another brand may be more expensive but the consistant connection is far more important than price. Not to mention that Linksys customer service department is in another country (good luck getting comprehensive help.)$LABEL$0 +better than calipers. This is a great tool for measuring body fat! Better than using a scale or calipers because you can actually see your numbers going down even though the scale does not.$LABEL$1 +Dissapointing!. I own an outstanding '50 Mystery Classics' where almost every movies was watchable. By contrast, '50 Hollywood Legends' contains was below average collection of movies that I would not want to waste my time on. With the exception of 'The Joyless Street' with Garbo and 'Blood and Sand' with Valentino, I coonsider this a waste regardless of the attractive price. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +explains key ideas. In a relatively compact book, Diwekar manages to give detailed explanations of key methods in modern optimisation. These include simulated annealing and genetic algorithms. The former are inspired by ideas in statistical mechanics, and the latter by evolution.Monte Carlo sampling is another important idea well described here. It uses a pseudo-random number generator that approximates a uniform distribution over [0,1] to do probabilistic analysis in the common case when analytic answers are unavailable.The narrative gives the reader an appreciation of what problems these methods can be used against, and also of the computational complexity of each method.$LABEL$1 +Good, but not as good as the previous books in the series. I just reread this after rereading the other two books in the series. This was still very good, but I didn't like it quite as much as the first two books. I thought it dragged in places despite being a short book, and I wasn't terribly satisfied with the ending.However, it's still very good, and obviously a must read if you already read the previous books.$LABEL$1 +At Last Available. Finally this masterpiece is available. It wasn't ever on VHS. LADIES IN RETIREMENT has one memorable line. "Once you sell your soul to the devil, it's so much easier the second time. The way that it's delivered by Ms. Ida Lupino you'll never forget it. She was probably the most under rated actress in Hollywood history. She was just brilliant in this. Ida conveyed many varied emotions quite well. How she was not nominated for an OSCAR, I'll never know? The plot to me is quite believable but still entertaining. With today's movies, the plot goes over the top too often. Lupino is forced. to to do something horrible and then regrets it. The way the story unravels it's logical and satisfying. TCM does show this but its worth owning. They should put it in their essentials show. Maybe Ida Lupino was not a better actress than either of the Hepburns or Bette Davis, but they weren't any better than she was.$LABEL$1 +Love this toy!. I really like these products and so does my daughter. She is a horse nut and loves this toy!$LABEL$1 +very pleased with this purchase. i am very happy with this purchase. it was quick and easy and i found a used book that was cheaper.$LABEL$1 +Hard to follow. The author is very long winded and hard to follow. I would suggest a different book if you do not want to have to wade through all the idle chatter.$LABEL$0 +This is not what I expected. I barely read into the book when I realized that the author is still a true believer of the Darwin fairy tale. It was painful for me to do, but I threw the book in the trash today. Next time I'll be more careful.$LABEL$0 +Excellent, Excellent, Excellent. Rudolfo Anaya weaves a mysterious and fascinating tale from the culture and history of the Southwest.The adventures Antonio experiences make good movie material.Hope to see it on the screen someday.$LABEL$1 +If it was the truth, it would not have been published.. As the title of this review states, if this was whole truth behind the Roswell incident, the powers that be would not have let this book be published.I believe this book may contain kernels of truth scattered here & there but the potential to spread misinformation through a book such as this is enormous. I'm sure those truly in the know (no, I am not a mad conspiracy theorist!) are always glad when books such as this one are published as they help to further muddy the water and keep us ignorant of what's really happening in this world.An OK book but not the "truth", I think.$LABEL$0 +It leaked and caused floor damage. My Watts "Floodsafe" washing machine hose leaked within a few months. It put out a fine spray during the fill cycle that was sufficient to moisten the dry wall and leak into the sub-floor but not sufficient to leave a puddle on the floor where I could see it. Within four months of installing this hose, I had over $6000 of damage to my walls and floors!$LABEL$0 +War Shooter At Its Best. Another great game in the Call of Duty series. I couldn't get enough of this game! The storyline is very realistic and historically accurate. The graphics, combined with the amazing audio of the game put you directly in the war. Multiplayer is also very addictive. I highly recommend this game to any fan of FPS's.$LABEL$1 +Wilco emperor clothes. Am i missing something here? All i'm hearing is a bunch of bland country pop songs with a peppering of ambient electronica over the top. The only song that's remotely interesting is the first one "I'm trying to break your heart". The rest of it is very light and muddled. I could just imagine how unbeleivably dull Wilco would be live.$LABEL$0 +THE BEST SCOOBY-DOO GAME EVER!!. This is the best Gamecube game so far. It is very fun and challenging. I love it!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Unbelievable plot and cover. Too much coincidence in this book to make a believable plot- one character just happening to get a postcard after decades, no one recognizing a character when she returns to her hometown and attends her own memorial service, etc.I read the hard cover and realized the cover designer never read the book or would have depicted the blue bottle in the title differently and would never have included a beach photo as the girls never went to the beach together.$LABEL$0 +Tells you about corp america...stinkola. This album was released in 2002 and from the first track down to the last...stunk.This piece of junk should be used as target practice{even that would be wasting a bullet}This heap of junk sounds like it was mixed in a crawlspace somewhere in the pit of New York.I had a good time was painfull as hell.YUCK! I love Boston I wish they would make another one like Third Stages..At least that was traditional Boston.You guys are great...but Corp America.....ass wipe!$LABEL$0 +Not really intermediate. Could have been better. Now that i am definitely in need of advanced, leave alone intermediate, it was a disappointment. It gave only a couple of very basic inverted poses and that is all. I wish for a more advanced program with advanced versions of all poses and inverted poses.$LABEL$0 +This isn't Jane Austen!. extremely bad production of probably one of Austen's best written, if not most likeable books. The names and a few of the basic plot points are the same, but other than that, there's no similarities. They made Sir Thomas, who was basically a good man, although somewhat reserved and unbending, into a borderline lecher, they tried to mix Fanny Price and Jane Austen, and I don't think there was much of Fanny in Jane Austen. Also, what was with Mary Crawford practically trying to seduce Fanny? Completely unnecessary. The one redeeming point was the portrayal of Fanny and Edmund's relationship.$LABEL$0 +knock-off. Redken Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner Liter 2pkIf it's a true Redken product you will see a very small outline of a box imprinted on the top of the dispenser.If it's not there, it's being resold as Redken but it's not.Check it out.$LABEL$0 +Sales are not indicative of how great this album is!. This album may not have sold particularly well, but it is his best collection of songs in his career thus far. It's a real shame that Decca folded. This album has a ton of great songs on it. I like the songs "Better Than It Used To Be", "Happy As We Wanna Be", and "She's Got Everything Money Can't Buy". The best songs on the album, however, are "More Than Everything", "What Livin's All About" (and yes, Lovin's what livin IS all about), and the killer finale, "The Rest Of Forever", a beautiful song about two broken hearts who have to learn how to trust in love again, which is never easy to do. With the exception of "I'll Be Right Here Lovin' You", which is extremely corny, this is a great album from start to finish. Get another record deal, Rhett. Your fans want to hear more from you!$LABEL$1 +sturdy chair. I really like this chair. It is comfortable and fairly durable. I only have two complaints. The bolts holding the chair together tend to fall off if not tightened every once in a while. Also, I am 6'4'' and the chair is a little bit too short for me. Otherwise, this is the perfect chair for it's price.Update: after a couple of months of use, another bolt fell off and the mesh is ripping. I am not sure how much longer it will hold up. Maybe I am too heavy for the chair (250 lbs.).$LABEL$1 +The one and only essential for the perfect Italian vacation. I am a seasoned travellor and have relied on research and travel books to enhance my travels and guide me through foreign cities. Discovering this exceptional book has changed the travel experience. Why? The guide gives you a quick overview of all of the essentials, history and sites. The difference is the following: this guide provides the travellor with the 3-D picture of every important neighborhood, with many suggested walking tours, with each site numbered for additional detailed information on subsequent pages. The travellor misses nothing because full colored pictures assist in the discovery. No other information is needed including maps and museum pamphlets. This guide allows the travellor to be self sufficient including trying use every day things such as phones, ATMs, public transportation, tipping suggesting...IT'S ALL YOU NEED!$LABEL$1 +NELLY IS POSSIBLY THE WORST RAPPER EVER. i cannot believe this rubbish has gone platinum, what is this?, nelly has to be possibly the worst rapper ever to pick up a mic, in fact, calling him a rapper is an insult to rap, hes a pop artist, he has no flow, no good lyrics, he does not rap about anything meaningful or deep,he is ruining rap and making it seem like a joke, which is quickly what its becoming, nelly, along with ja rule, chingy, 50 cent, the game and all the other terrible rappers, should be banned from rapping, i cant believe nelly had the nerve to diss KRS-one, who killed him on a diss, and if krs-one was more famous, and more people heard the diss, it would have ended nellys career, like mf doom said"Viktor the director flip a script like Rob Reiner, the way a lot of dudes rhyme their name should be knob-shiner"peace$LABEL$0 +WATCH OUT - MAKES DIRECTV SIGNAL WORSE!. Followed all instructions to connect where signal comes into house before multiswitch. Made DirecTV signal even grainier!!! Have eight TVs and figured it couldn't hurt to boost DirecTV signal to see if picture would improve. Have not tried from multiswitch to TV. Maybe will work there but then I would need eight of them! Now I have to unplug it and use it for something else. Maybe a paperweight. What a letdown. If you have a near high-end system, forget about it.$LABEL$0 +very clear. this is great. the sound is very clear. We can even hear our baby breathing. Having 2 monitors is great. You can leave one in the bedroom and one in the living room.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. One of the reasons that I got a Kindle was as a convenient reading device when carrying a laptop isn't practical. I have a weekend print subscription to the NY Times, and I thought that would extend to cover the Kindle version. However, unlike what I thought I read on the NY Times "Digital Subscription" web page, it turns out I have to pay for a second subscription if I want the "e-reader" version in addition to the print version.I thought about switching entirely from my print subscription to the "e-reader" subscription, but that would be a significant downgrade since the "e-reader" edition (a) is missing a LOT of articles that I enjoy (e.g. Science, Technology, David Pogue ....), and (b) is only updated daily. I've decided that I'm better served by keeping the print subscription, reading the NY Times website when I can, and canceling the Times subscription for my Kindle.In summary, the Kindle version of the NY Times is a complete failure for me.$LABEL$0 +Cop Hater. Excellent read. First book I have read by McBain. Most certainly won't be the last. Enjoyed it very much indeed.$LABEL$1 +Lovely. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is that this book was so short. I actually made myself stop reading the first night I got it because I did not want it to end so fast.I think that the author could have written much more with the plot... a girl talking to an angel about heaven, an angel asking a girl about life on earth...there is a lot of room for discussion. The ending was very abrupt. Even so, Mr. Gaarder shares some lovely ideas through the words of Cecilia (the main character). This book had a few moments that reminded me of Sophie's World, something totally bizarre that made me literally stop, and think. I love Mr. Gaarder's style, it is almost magical.My only regret is that I read this book in just 2 nights, but I am certain I will read it again. I highly recommend it!!$LABEL$1 +Full of detail but not of vision, breadth and personality.. Mr. Pitch lets us know he did too much research. He moves too specifically through the daily grind of the events without overall vision, perspective and review. More maps, drawings and military sketches would energize a slow read.$LABEL$0 +a rushed work to say the least.... The Mulching of America is almost a lot of things- almost a great allegory for blind allegiance (religious, political or otherwise), almost a brilliant satire on corporate America and almost an engrossing page turner... but because it is only almost all of those things it falls far short of being anything great- especially for Harry Crews. Initially the strong premise and requisite eccentric characters draw you in but the plot of the novel never comes into complete fruition and the reader is left unfulfilled and sorely disappointed to the point of frustration.Worth the read? Yes (I give it 2.5 stars actually), just prepare yourself for abject disappointment in the end.$LABEL$0 +Tragically disappointing. I can see I'm not the only one. What the heck happened here? The visual quality of one my favorite childhood movies is pathetic. The picture is so dark that most of the movie is unwatchable. I found myself not even looking at the screen, but merely listening to the dialog and shaking my head in sorrow at the ruined treasure.More, when the action gets busy, like when fire is swirling around, the picture is pixelated.Third, I counted at least four times where the content skipped or repeated. There are no scratches on the disk, and these instances did not occur during the "commercial break" parts. Gandalf's line about Mirkwood was cut off midway through his sentence, the content mysterious gone, and Bard's welcoming the dwarves to Laketown repeated twice. It's like an incompetent rip-job off YouTube.This is the lousiest conversion to DVD I have ever encountered, and it makes me so upset that anyone would put out something of this quality and expect money for it.$LABEL$0 +Slow, boring, with a lot of questions left in my head!. Like the title says...this movie is very slow moving and the plot is very boring. Then when the end comes along you expect something great, but no, just a bland ending to a bland movie. Perhaps if you like to look at movies on a "deeper" level than simple entertainment you might possibly find this movie interesting. The only plus side of this was the fine acting of the character Truman Capote. He kept the annoying voice consistant throughout the film and the consistancy of lacking almost any emotion was done quite well.$LABEL$0 +hot pads, hot pan holders. These are typical of these silicone pads. I have several different sizes and shapes, now. They are stiff at first, but become somewhat more pliable. The color is very nice. A nice, muted yellow, more like the fading yellow of autumn fields. They work very well for my needs - hoisting big pans full of meat or roasting vegetables. They also make nice hot pads on the cabinet top for smaller hot dishes. I really like these silicone cooking utensils for their ease of cleaning. They never have to sit around stained and crusty like my old cloth pan holders did. Just rinse, use a little soapy water when needed and dry.$LABEL$1 +this kid plain sucks. Bizarre is without a doubt 1 of the worst rappers on the earth.I burned this album off my friend and dont get me wrong I wasn't offended but this guy is just sick in his lyrics.I say Bizarre is the most overrated member of D12 and he just cant rap to save his life.I'll admit the production was good but in rap I look for how good the lyrics and flow of the rapper(s) is and production is also a key factor but the rapper has to be good to make me listen and except 4 the production Bizarre has neither of these.If u want a rapper with these qualitys look at 2Pac or Method Man and get Proofs solo album Searching For Jerry Garcia instead,Proof has decent flow and lyrical content unlike Bizarre so get Proof instead$LABEL$0 +this isnt a Bond movie!. First let me say i really like the new bond,I've always liked Craig,he does nothing to hurt this movie,but man what happend there has never been a bond movie I didnt like untill now,theres a good chase seen near the begining but after that its off to a poker tournament for 45min. or more..I dont understand the lack of action and the lack of any gadgets.Ok some might defend this and say well this is a new type of bond movie...I say B.S.When we watch a bond movie we like action,some hot bond girls,some gadgets and a save the world theme..With this movie you get none of that,zero.I dont understand all the great reviews,in a nutshell its really boring!$LABEL$0 +A Great debut!!!. I have to say I was very undecided about buying this cd even though I liked Complicated well enough but I have to say it was so over-played on the radio. However I was definitely surprised what a great talent. I really enjoy this cd along with Complicated other great songs are: Anything but Ordinary (probably my most favorite song), Mobile, My World, Unwanted and I'm with you. She's not your run of the mill teen singer she's got talent and can write her own stuff!!!$LABEL$1 +A Christmas album is supposed to be ALL holiday songs. Not more than half, not nearly all, but all. These are decent renditions of material from The Roller's first two Christmas releases, they stand as proof that Chip & Co can do their stuff live, but the finale "Going To Another Place" isn't a holiday number, it's the finale from the "Fresh Aire II" release. Granted, it makes a good, bouncy sendoff from a live show after their pensive arrangement of "Silent Night", but its very existence proves that these guys could have come up with an upbeat prog lite instrumental that isn't a remake of a traditional Christmas song (e.g. "Deck the Halls"). If they were too late to get it on the third "Christmas In the Aire", they could have made it exclusive to this release.$LABEL$1 +From Dawn to Dusk: Autobiography of Judith Hubback. This is an autobiography of an early and prominent analytical psychologist in the U.K. Her life spanned much of the 20th century, and she emerged through the various changes that women went through during that century to become a well known analytical psychologist, poet,wife, mother, grandmother, and writer.The autobiography is very well written, and will interest those interested in analytical psychology and the emergence of the feminist movement in England.$LABEL$1 +One of my top 5 albums. I've been listening to SR-71 for 5 years now, and their first album is still (by far) my favorite. It is the perfect mix of pop and punk - something no other band seems to have gotten right. I never get tired of this album, my favorite songs being the entertaining 'Politically Correct' and 'Alive' - a ballad of strength in the face of physical abuse. I can't say enough good things about this CD, the only disappointment is that SR-71's following albums couldn't match its calibur.$LABEL$1 +Humane master of the sardonic. Jake Thackray's lyrics are literate and his music is melodic and stylish. These are not fashionable qualities but if wit and style have any meaning, this is where you come to hear them. Thackray has the audacity to suggest that women are garrulous, sex is fun and people enjoy themselves quietly in eccentric and humane ways without reference to the Social Services. I have been trying to work out why this is not folk music and all I can say is that he does not take his work seriously and he treats us like adult human beings. That is art but not the lah di dah sort..$LABEL$1 +Great photos!. This book has a lot of great photos, mostly in color. The information is pretty good, but there are some areas that seem to have gaps in the narrative. I also would have liked more in-depth information relating to Hasbro instead of mostly the kind of information that you can get from a list. The book tells you when everything was released, what year, who did what, etc. But it lacks any human warmth, and there are really no warm stories of the original creators sitting together and working on GI Joe. Sadly, most of the GI Joe books totally ignore the human factor, aside from giving credit to the names of the people who designed, invented, patented, painted, funded, etc. The book is great for photos, and lots of interesting information. Sadly, it is not a warm, fuzzy book about a children's toy!$LABEL$0 +really good!. very satisfiedwith the product and the shpping. I finished the first tube and I am ordering the second one today exactly as I did before.$LABEL$1 +I've tried THREE of them. Same problem every time.. After a few days of use, the unit cuts out every time. Whether the problem is with the transmitter or the receiver, I don't know, but I do know it's better to just double the money and get a better piece of equipment.$LABEL$0 +A New Fan. I'm not a huge tv watcher but this entire series captivated me. I watched all 3 seasons over a 3 day weekend.Sad actually but the series is very entertaining.$LABEL$1 +Great start!. Books gives an excellent beggining point for one who would like to begin writing for the newpaper. If one reads this book and reads news articles with it, one should be able to understan newspaper format.I recomend this book for all who are interested in either writing in the future or in understanding the news article format. After taking a class with a college proffesor using this book I was able to get an article published in the college paper.$LABEL$1 +Mystery, yes. Sci Fi, no.. I expected a science fiction story, therefore I was disappointed that it read more like a mystery novel, or maybe just fiction. Alan Dean Foster is an excellent writer, however, and so I enjoyed the book from that standpoint. I would have enjoyed it more if the characters and the extraordinary events they faced didn't sound like the usual melodrama that I read in the newspapers every day. Sometimes I just like to get a break from the turmoil this world is in and I am afraid this book kept me right here on planet Earth.$LABEL$1 +Awww..... maaaannnnn. Honestly, my son and I really enjoyed this flick.However, the movie foreshadowed itself from the beginning (for me) but left my teen aged son wondering if I was clairvoyant. Too many times I voiced the next line in the movie to the point my boy asked me "are you sure you haven't seen this before?!?"No, just that "been there, seen that" atmosphere that pervades this film, even if it's told from a different point of view. It did have some different elements missing from stories of this type, just enough to make it enjoyable for both of us.Good, silly fun. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +pointer moves too fast. The pointer moves a way too fast. I could slow it down with the XP Control Panel but then this affects the touchpad pointer. Whatever I do, either the mouse is too fast, or the touchpad pointer is too slow. I installed the Logitch softare, and that did not help.Because of this, this mouse is useless on a laptop. I did not have any problems with older mice.$LABEL$0 +Final Fantasy this ain't. Well, where do I begin? I've played many RPG's in my gaming life, but i have never come across one so unimpressive and disappointing as Grandia II. Yes, I understand that this is a port from an older version, but that's no excuse for the mundane audio and visual aspects of what could have been a decent game. This game clearly does not utilize the full potential of what the PS2 can accomplish. The voice-acting where horribly done, and the graphics appear like the lowly N64 could've pulled it off. The story wasn't that great either, and this is a key aspect in creating a good rpg. The battle system however, worked fairly well. It provides a nice change from the average "stand still, attack, move back to position, wash, rinse, repeat." It did, however, move a bit too slow for me. All in all, you're better of with the Final Fantasy series. This one's a rental.$LABEL$0 +Quality is Missing. I love Martex Velllux Blankets. You could say I am addicted to them -- I have them in more than a handful of colors. But this recent purchase was way below par. The thickness of the pile is 1/2 that of my other vellux blankets, it has a weird feel -- almost sticky feel. This is not the same quality that I am used to from Martex Vellux blankets. Very disappointed -- but too much of a hassle to return it :(.$LABEL$0 +This book is fun!. My kids really like the interactive nature of the book. They are still a little young to help with the recipes.$LABEL$1 +Professional, predictable, and pedantic.. Starswarm was written by someone who has fabricated several pounds of novels and read even more. The plot has been used in dozens of novels and hundreds of video games and thousands of movies. Viz: Plucky youth with secret identity sneaks thru villains to find the holy grail, claim his birthright, and win the girl.In this case the hero Kip is a "prince of the blood" gone into hiding with a faithful retainer, and a "magic" helper. An ursurper is on his tail. At no time is there any suspense. At no time is any character other than a cardboard cut-out. At no time is the history and society of Kip's world other than briefly sketched in.Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.$LABEL$0 +It Bites. The best part of the movie, was when it ended.....I've probably seen a more pitiful movie, but thank goodness, i can't remember$LABEL$0 +My Destiny Still ISnt Good. UNfortunatly even with studio help My destiny still sounds like shes not singing it right like shes afraid to sing it. She is singing it too low sorry. SOTR is great as usual though.....$LABEL$0 +A wonderful starpoint for urban studies!. Here we have a very interesting investigation about the stories of the american cities and specially its downtowns, how they have growned, its shinning past and its following falldown. We can learn about very brilliant redevelopment projects that are intending to rebuild and to regain once again progress and live to some parts of the modern cities that have been in a great depression since long decades of desinvestments. It is very important to take in accounts the stories very well written by the authors about how the joining between public and privates forces is the only way to rebulit american ( and everywhere) abandoned downtowns!$LABEL$1 +Colorful portrayal of life as a poor Irish Catholic. McCourt was funny, witty and descriptive in every regard throughout this book. His first person account of being raised in a poor Irish Catholic community makes you glad to be raised in modern times in America. Read the book for an interesting insight into Europe over fifty years ago.$LABEL$1 +Anyone can sing, but should they?. Tom Wopat has always been a very likeable guy and to tell you the truth, I wae really looking forward to this CD considering the choice of selections. Starting with the packaging I was very impressed with the presentation. I had seen him perform on the Tonys and thought he was having a ball, if not quiet on pitch with his fellow performers. I had heard he was performing in several Broadway productions and cabarets recently and assumed he had gotten much more comfortable with singing. Unfortunatly, unlike fine wine, he has not improved with age. I would probably go see him in a play but as far as musicals go, I don't see how he could be a selling point. His voice quality has none and the delivery seems tenative and frail. The arrangements seem to be meant for a strong singer that would enhance them. The man should stick to talk shows and acting because he has now proved that anyone can sing---but should they?$LABEL$0 +Quit Bashing Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas. Although this book is predictable, it is still a touching love story which is very well-written. This book reduced me to tears and reduced my mother to tears on two occasions. Just because it's predictable doesn't mean it won't suck you in and make you feel the character's emotions. If you like James Patterson, if you like stories about love, or if you just enjoy a good book, I recommend Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas.$LABEL$1 +Temptations(African American Achievers). Very interesting reading but it did not give me the indepth insight that I was looking for. I read most of this book over the internet. But still interesting.$LABEL$1 +Range Kleen WKT4162 66-Battery Organizer with Removable Tester. Was excited to get battery tester and storage unit. Needs more space for AA & AAA batteries and less space for larger batteries C & D. Tested all my old batteries to find the majority still registered in the tester good. When I use those battries they did not work even in a tooth brush was does not demand that much juice. So testing the batteries is deceptive - show juice but in reality not!Don't waste your money if your looking for a tester or even for storage unless you've got lots of bigger batteries$LABEL$0 +Almost the Best Game. The reason why i say "almost" the best game is because there are a few bugs in this game which needs to be solved. This game requires a VERY fast Internet Connection. If you have DSL/dialup you will see in-game lag.However the overall fun of this game makes up for some lag. The retail guns make this game even further FUN.All in all wonderful online game!$LABEL$1 +OK - but not great. OK. Frankly, I'm dissappointed. These people are supposed to be classically trained? Shame on their teachers. The amount of slurping that goes on is just plain bad! Don't they know how to hit a note on the note?? And, why are they out of tune? Every once in a while there's a sour note. They also don't blend well. And, I can't understand the Italian at all.Now, if you're a newcomer to Opera, do yourself a big favor and pass over the glitz of "rock-and-roll" opera and buy yourself a CD by Rene Fleming.$LABEL$0 +A thoroughly unscientific self-serving piece of garbage. In the days of the slave trade, slave owners believed that black people were happier living as slaves in the US, than as "savages" in Africa. Budiansky has taken this idea and used it to justify the abuse of animals in factory farms.The idea that pigs or battery hens are happier living in tiny cages, so small that they cannot move, than they would be living in natural surroundings is obscene. The author has simply twisted reality to suit his own selfish needs as an unsuccessful small-scale farmer.This is a book that disgraces its publisher, let alone its author. Don't even read it for a laugh - it isn't funny.$LABEL$0 +Save Your Money. After reading "Red Sun Rising" I had high expectations. This book was a big disappointment. It appears his many facts and details were presented only as a poor attempt to impress the reader with his research.$LABEL$0 +need to clear something up.... I've seen several people criticizing the cover art of this book, and I think this needs clarifiction.If you read Beatrix Potter books as a child, as I did, you would have recognized immediately that the cover is a direct homage to the classic white covers of the little books. The plain white background, centered watercolor illustration, and even the title font is a faithful echo of every tale she ever published. Go check out one and see if you don't revise your opinion. I was, in fact, drawn to the book immediately BECAUSE I recognized it as a Beatrix Potter concept.Oh, and the story is a very good one, and timely. :)$LABEL$1 +Understated desperation. The lengths to which people would go for survival is examined in this well acted, grim thriller. An absolutely fine example of a film made with actors, who will be stars tomorrow.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic Book but the CD is a complete waste of Money. I was so impressed with the fourth Edition of the Valuation text (if you don't own it, buy it now) that I went and ordered the accompanying CD-rom thinking that it would have all the basic financial templates outlined in the book. I specifically wanted a valuation model for Banks.Whilst the model on the CD is fine for valuing non-financial companies, I HAD ALREADY DOWNLOADED IT FROM THE NET FOR FREE. Furthermore the CD didn't include a model for valuing banks - I'm going to have to build a new one from scratch.In other words, I've paid a fortune for something I had already got for free. Ironic then, that the model comes from a leading consulting company (McKinsey)...what's the saying about consultants charging a fortune to tell you things you already know (or in my case sell me things I already OWN).$LABEL$0 +Fight Club, Book of the Century?. Not only is this book well written, but it makes you think and i also saw the movie 5 times. It's constructed and put together very brilliantly and Chuck Palahniuk is a talented writer. I seriously think that everybody should a least rent the movie and watch it about 3 times. Some things they say are unforgettable and it's a great script all together. I would be lying if I said it didn't deserve 5 stars. It's just flat out great.$LABEL$1 +Perks of reading a crappy book. O.K., I bought this book because of all the stellar reviews on this website; (...) This MTV offering is Dawson's Creek in book form ... cliched and exaggerated to the Nth degree. Chbosky goes down the list of cliched characters like it's his life's mission - we have the gay boy who isn't sure he's gay, the lesbian, the jock, the confused but supposedly "innocent" boy and so on. There's nothing here an average high school student in America can *TRULY* relate to, I'm sorry. (...) There are MUCH better lesser-known books out there that run circles around this slush ...(...) Sorry, Charlie, but I can't recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower.$LABEL$0 +Not Bad, with Time Will Come Improvement. Rubens effort on his first single isn't too bad. I would still stick with more established artists like barry white or luthor vandross when it comes to sultry soul music. If Ruben is allowed to develop his own style and move out of the shadows of the caliber of the artists previously mentioned artists he'll do much better.$LABEL$0 +One of the worst series I have read. There are better fanfiction out there. I love sequels to pride and prejudice and own many of them. I purchased this book along with five others when she was first self publishing them.To me I felt like I had entered a history book with our beloved characters added and was sorry that I had purchased them. If you do read them my advice is to make a family tree for you to follow as there is such a lot of intermarrying and you can get lost. (cousins marrying cousins etc)The first book in the series is quite good at first but the rest are terrible and a waste of money in my opinion.She pretends to be Charlotte Collins eldest daughter giving a fly on the wall story for all to read. I cannot recommend any of the books except the first.$LABEL$0 +This kit was made for beginners to understand the basics. I found the two books to be lacking in subject depth. Many times there would be a statement of fact which I knew meant nothing, but instead of following the statement of inference with the underlying facts the author would just go merrily on his way with the next subject. This collection of two books and a CD was worth about $19.95 instead of the $160 required to find out it's uslessness. If I could get my money back I would and if someone other than the authors immediate family had written in a review I would have never bought this kit. I think Microsoft Press should either rewrite this kit or take it off the market.$LABEL$0 +Very nice electronic return. Well, after many years waiting for new music of EVBG, the alone return of Tracy Thorn to the electronic music is a very nice sorprise. Good lyrics and a fresh and modern music are a good CD to play again and again. Enjoy it!$LABEL$1 +Oh dear. As a active Mormon, I am extreemly embarressed. What were they thinking? You cannot make a decent movie from the Book of Mormon with out quite a large buget, and if you don't have one, please don't try. You'll just end up looking like idiots, like the cast and crew of this flim have proved.If you wan't to watch a movie made by mormons about mormons, go rent "The Best Two Years".Much much much worse than the cheesy 50's bible films. MUCH worse.$LABEL$0 +That Was Then This Is Now. i haven't seen it yet because my English class is just now starting it, but the book is so far pretty good i think. i'm glad that ponyboy's back in it. he was one of my fave characters. one of my classmates (corey) thinks it's stupid but i like it.$LABEL$0 +Love to wait?. Have you ever gotten home and wanted to play that one game that you just got a new code for, don't do that with this game. Unless that code makes the game load faster this game is annoying. If this was the first game I played on the PS2 I would have returned the PS2, and gotten a Game Cube or X Box. The graphics are not that great, and I hate the controls. When controlling Crash you feel like you are in a BMW M5 convertible that can only go a top speed of 30mph because of an engine problem. Everything about this game is slow. I wonder if the people who made this game were slow in the head. Other than that the game is fun. It is another Crash game, nothing special. But the loading kills the fun.$LABEL$0 +Simple Clear - but info is avaible in other places ?. This book does a great job describing the mechanical part of homebrewing. It's well written and well illustrated, but is it useful? Most of this information is avaible somewhere online - in home brew forums - drawings and all - For Free. It's a good book - but it was origninally written in 1961 !! My reprint is from 1996 - `96 is the begining of the internet - when you still had to buy books to get most info.? Simple research on the internet will save you some money.$LABEL$0 +Dissapointed. Put this on my skeed loader it bearly warmed athe oil pan. Still had to use a heater and starting fluid to start it. Not worth the money$LABEL$0 +Don't spend the money. I couldn't get past the first few pages and wish I had taken the time to read the reviews of this mean spirited, pompous, derogatory spew from this writer before spending my money. With the daily partisan hatred being flung from the halls of Congress, I didn't need to read it when I was trying to "unwind" with what was falsely marketed as a "hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America." Hilarious?? Rediscovery of America?? Nothing funny about it. Go back to England, Mr. Bryson!$LABEL$0 +Horrible!. I can't believe I bought this, Ja still sounds like the cookie monster. He is just honestly a horrible rapper. He can't do anything right. I hope this is his last album EVER.$LABEL$0 +Absolutely disapointing!!!!!!. I was hopeing this would be a well written book on the leadership and style of Jack Welch. It turned out to be a pep rally on what great things Jack did. Somehow it would have been better if I went to the local high school rally than sit through this book. I didn't even finish the first couple of chapters before I put it on the shelf. Should have returned it. I wouldn't recomend this bood to anyone who enjoys reading books on leadership.$LABEL$0 +It won't work under VISTA. I couldn't use the device as it DOES NOT operate under VISTA, and Kensington does not have a driver available for download. DO NOT ORDER THIS ITEM UNLESS YOU HAVE XP OR LESS.$LABEL$0 +Book - Practical Wireless Telegraphy E. E. Bucher (1917). In the era this book was written there were NO transistors, tubes were just starting to be used and the only known bands were above the 200 meter band. Most transmissions were in the 600 meter band. "Welding Machines" were transmitters that is a spark with some interesting methods of generating one and tuning circuits were used to more or less (by todays standards mostly less) control the output frequency. The crystal set was king, few if any had the latest and greatest regenerative sets (patent 1914). For the crystal set enthusiast this is a goldmine of ideas and understanding of very early radio.I would reccomend this book to the crystal set enthusiast or anyone with an interest in early radio. The transmitter circuits are Extremely Dangerous as well as illegal.$LABEL$1 +Orb Toilet Paper Holder. This item is a bit flimsier than I was expecting and it narrows down at the bottom so the new bigger Costco toilet paper rolls don't quite fit all the way to the bottom without jamming it in fairly hard. It needs to be another 1/4" bigger in diameter and then it'd work fine.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. I am late in joining the fans of this band but I am happy to be part of the Flyleaf club. This band brings a rock solid hard sound with good lyrics. I love their sound and am looking forward to what's next for this band.$LABEL$1 +Waste of money.... This movie [is weak]! I have no problem with the twisted and grusome violence in this movie, but the movie REALLY REALLY [was weak]! First of all, the plot: There isent any, this movie is about some stupid kids running out of gas, and guess what happends! Second, the violence: No as gory or bloody as the rumor wants it, but the killer-scenes are twisted and grusome. I can imagne people walked out of the preview of this movie in the state of shock, "My God! Is it really possible to make [a weaker] movie than this?" ... DO-NOT-BUY-THIS-MOVIE!$LABEL$0 +Great Binoculars. Great for viewing stars. Can really see moons around Jupiter and Orion Nebulae. Easy to use and good value. Great purchase$LABEL$1 +best books ever!!!!. ok, I know some of you think that these books are pointless and innapropriate. Now, I usually love reading hard-hitting novel and autobiographies! Stories that retell major events in history used t be all I read. But after a while, its fun to just sit back and enjoy nice light reading. These book are sooooooo perfect for that. they are so funny and this latest one is just halarious! I couldn't put it down, and read all 8 books, plus the amzing spin-off book, "the it girl" (starring jenny) in 3 days! you absolutley have to read these books! they are a must for vacationing, long car rides, or just sitting around at home! I would give 10 stars if I could!$LABEL$1 +Look at another computer. I was excited about this computer for the price. When I received it everything seemed great. It was a bit more complicated than I wanted to tackle so I took it to a local bike shop to install for me. When they got it installed it would not read the sensor. I changed both batteries out and it still would not read the sensor. I ended up buying another more expensive model that works just fine. This is larger than most bike computers and doesn't feel as well made as any of the others I have seen, very light weight plastic. This item was returned within a couple of days from purchasing it.$LABEL$0 +Too much sugar. I was excited to find a yogurt product for my cats since they love dairy products so much. And one of my cats really really liked the drops, but after I read the ingredients and discovered the first ingredient is sugar, I stopped giving them to the cats. Sugar is not something I think cats should have, especially since they don't brush their teeth!$LABEL$0 +Nuts & Bolts Advice for the Divorcing. Divorce ranks as one of the most stressful events you can go through in a lifetime, even when it's fairly amicable, and many aren't. Even though your emotions are in turmoil, you have to be as objective as possible when going through a divorce to ensure that you (and your kids, if you have any) get a fair deal.Brette McWhorter Sember's book not only goes over every aspect involved in divorce, but provides practical, useful worksheets to help you stay organized. She provides tips on gathering, organizing and analyzing financial, household and personal documents and walks you through the divorce process. The book lays out the different options for working with lawyers, mediators and what happens in court.Anyone involved in a divorce would do well to order this book as soon as the decision is made to divorce.$LABEL$1 +Must read after the loss of a child. My 25 year old son was killed in a motorcycle accident almost three years ago. There's no way to understand the shock and pain a parent feels with this type of loss, unless you've experienced it. Our daughter bought "Beyond Tears" for me, I could only read one or two pages at a time because these dear women were describing my pain - I was reading what I was feeling. It helped me to understand and know that I wasn't losing my mind or going crazy. I continued reading books (22 at the last count) but, Beyond Tears was by far the most helpful. I've recommended it to those who sadly have found themselves dealing with the death of a teen or adult child.$LABEL$1 +Informative Reading.. I found this book to be rather informative and useful reading, for anyone who's a Mini owner/driver. A must have for the do it yourself Mini lover's out there.A proud owner myself.$LABEL$1 +It works well. I did have a little trouble with the button that is supposed to raise the brushes, but after writing to the company they explained how to do it. And it worked! It does clean hard wood floors well. I do haul this vacuum up steps, and if you are of normal strenghth, it is not that hard to do. The hose attachment could definitely be longer- but it does the job! All in all, I am pleased with my purchase.$LABEL$1 +Poor attempt at a sports worthy mp3 player.. I bought one at Costco, and ended up returning it (thanks to their excellent return policy). Here are my thoughts:1) It's pricey, and for the money the included headphones do not fit well, and fall off in sports activities.2) The battery life is very short.3) The clock/date resets when you change batteries!4) The controls are very easy to accidentally hit in sports activity.5) No crossfading of songs6) The FM radio is difficult to use, and has poor reception.And finally,7) It may look rugged, but despite the fact that it is even in a padded belt clip, falling just 3 feet onto a carpeted floor made it break. Not very good for sports, eh?In short, I cannot recommend this unit for it's intended purpose of a sports mp3 player.A$LABEL$0 +Fits my Timex Ironman. The product description is a little off. The band is mostly black; only the stretch-strap under the watch is dark blue. Not a Timex product, but is almost identical; it just doesn't have the Timex logos on it. Also came with a pair of replacement spring bars.$LABEL$1 +Klaus Nomi was a brilliant singer. This retro of Klaus, the operatic sonic wonder from Germany elicits high drama as well as self humor. His germanic tenor radiates and casts it's spell. I knew Klaus in the east village in the early 80's. I found him visually amazing, and had the fortune of being serenaded in his apt. He sang the great Dietrich song, "Falling in LOve", and his anthem "Total Eclipse". He was an original, silenced too early...a brilliant non-comformist!!Thanks to Hrry Young for the notes on his interesting life in NY.$LABEL$1 +Did not receive what was advertised. The book was advertised as a hardcover which is why I purchased it. But I received a softcover version. I've henced notified the company and hopefully they have fixed their description of this product.$LABEL$0 +Frustrated. My son saved his money up to purchase this trumpet. He currently plays 6 different instruments, he wants to learn as many as he can. He purchased this with the knowledge that it was a "student" type trumpet, not like what we get from a professional store. The trumpet comes, everything looks great, even sounds good when he plays it but the valves are sticking, which is something that happens, hence the need for valve oil. He keeps oiling it and it will continue to stick, bad. Took it to our local music store for advice and they said this was made in China, the parts are not "stock" and we will not work on it and it will be hard to find anyone who will. My son is extremely frustrated because the instrument looks great and sounds great, but he can not play with out stopping to wait for the valve to pop back up! My advice, get one that is not made in china so you can have it fixed if something doesn't work! If we could find someone to fix it, there would be no problems!$LABEL$0 +Not for Beginners. I bought this DVD, having done Pilates before. I found that it moves very fast and is not for those who don't already know pilates moves. Her counting on the voice-over doesn't always match up with the demonstrations. There aren't any variations for movements if they are too difficult (especially for moms that have virtually no ab muscles after giving birth). There is nothing that makes this video specifically for the post-natal period. You may just as well get a Windsor video, which does more explaining with the moves.$LABEL$0 +For the Ultimate fan!!! But where's Patrick Swayze???. This is a great edition of the classic Dirty Dancing. It has a TON of special features including music videos of the 3 most popular songs and a full length Dirty Dancing concert. And of course the regular interviews and retrospectives. I am a little disapointed however. Patrick Swayze is not interviewed AT ALL and the only actor they talk to is Jennifer Grey. I would have liked to see interview with other characters and the writer talk more about how she wrote the movie. The other disk is of course the great movie! No complaints about that. Even with some missing features, still the best edition around.$LABEL$1 +Piece of junk. I bought RCA's model before this, which died before the warranty expired. I was sent this model to replace it, and it died within 5 months. RCA only recognizes a 90 day warranty on the refurbished junk it sends you after the original junk dies (or 1 year from original purchase date), so now I'm out of warranty and out of luck. RCA Customer service doesn't seem to care that they sent me two lemons, and is sticking by their policies.$LABEL$0 +too bad. i bought this for my girlfriend...it was beatiful until we broke up. now i look at it in pain. but beside my heartbreak this is a great gift$LABEL$1 +Pathetic Examples and multiple mistakes make this a loser!. What I'd hoped would be an excellent book to introduce me to COM and DCOM has turned out to be an exercise in futility.I've been used to the quality tutorials from WROX press and Microsoft Press where they lead you step by step through an exercise. The author's first example in Chapter 2 I did not even realize was an example until they expected me to run it in chapter 3! There were no instructions on how to create the COM client, just several lines of code. This set the tone of the book.When I tried to run the author's code examples they failed.There were also multitudinous spelling errors and discrepencies between the Figures and the instructions.Though the authors clearly know their subject, I will have to find another book if I wish to learn COM and DCOM. This book is basically worthless as far as the examples go.$LABEL$0 +Skips like Crazy.. The second half of this cd skipped like crazy and I wasn't informed about it before I purchased it.$LABEL$0 +Best of the Breed. I have purchased several cycling DVD's in the past to use for my indoor cycling class and Epic Vermont is definitely the best in my collection. The production quality, scenery, and the overall, true road ride feel you get from it makes it stand out among the rest.$LABEL$1 +Maybe it just wasn't for me.. I totally loved Desert Rose and in response to one of the other reviewers this song was out long before 9/11 bombings, relax. I loved the middle eastern flair that he used in Desert Rose, and I think it opened up a lot of areas of music that have not and should have been explored previously. Now as for the rest of the album, well, it just wasn't for me. It's not bad but to have one song evoke so many sentiments and not have more to go along with it just leads to dissapointment. A thousand years wasn't that bad but I still wish it was more powerful and provocative. I would recommend it to someone who is a Sting fan true and through but if your intrest just got peaked by Desert Rose like mine did than just stick to the Single.$LABEL$0 +My child loves it but it's really small. It's looks to me to be about 5 to 6" in length and height his body is about 2" at most is my guess. Very small... not sure I would have bought if I had it my hand to examine due to size, appears to be a quality product.$LABEL$1 +Delta Replacement parts. Excellent. Did the trick, just be careful not to buy unnecessary extra parts. Amazon.com is a great place to shop!$LABEL$1 +The main theme is LIVING!. This book deals with day to day life problems, with the main point being LIVING! Rather than just another "disease of the week" tragedia, Judy Lynn and her "froup" tell it like it is.If you're looking for high drama, you won't find it here. What you WILL find is a book about how ordinary people, living ordinary lives, make their lives "do-able" in sometimes EXTRAordinary ways.I wish there had been something like this book around when I was seeking answers to my questions back when I was newly diagnosed. It would have saved me a lot of the fear that came from reading some of the misinformation that is still, unfortunately, out there.It's not "gloom and doom", it's not "sweetness and light", it's factual, funny, sad, and presents life with MS in the matter of fact way that this "froup" deals with it all.Thank you Judy-Lynn and online sisters! More, please?$LABEL$1 +Non-working Bark Free. Lentek Bark Free Dog Training Device does not work. My neighbor's barking dog ignores it as if it's not there.$LABEL$0 +Not Worth Your Time. Looking for a way to exercise indoors during the winter months I purchased Sweatin to the Oldies.It was a multiple disc set. The 1st disc was just Richard talking and interviews. The 2nd was moreRichard talking and interviews. By the time we got to a workout I was already not happy. I paid to sweat not listen to testimonials.Richard assumes you know the meaning of the steps he yells out. I didn't. He's got a large group of folks sweatin with him.The camera pans them so often and badly I might add that you can't follow the routine. Not all of them are doing thesame thing and when the camera does go to Richard it's his face/body and nothing of his feet.Very, very poorly instructed and filmed. Don't waste your time or money. I sent mine back. Amazon gladly refunded my money.I found a great way to exercise at home with Leslie Sansone. You get a great cardio/aerobic workout and you can find her online at Exercise TV. Not only do you get a great work out, she's free.$LABEL$0 +I am satisfied. I first saw the video for "Show me how to live" on MTV about a year ago.I thought the song was excellent but hesitated about getting the cd, eventhough I love RATM. I concidered this album a poor mtv record with only one hit single and didnt want to get swindled in buying it. So, i didn't, I downloaded it. And I must say I'm not sorry. Definetly not sorry. I really think its an excellently played, sung and produced record which has enough trippy, psychedelic guitar sounds by Tom Morello and copyrigted screams by the exSoundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. And they are well put together. I am satisfied.$LABEL$1 +A treasure found. I read this book when I was in elementary school and have been looking for it ever since. For a child who loved books more than anything else, this book was a gift. This book, The Secret Garden and A Little Princess rank as my three favorite books of all time. Now, I will finally be able to share this book with my daughters.$LABEL$1 +BOYCOT this product!!. Kinda harsh heading, I know. But I am on my 2nd mouse of this particular design. Great idea! HORRIBLE design! And I think they designed it this way knowing what would happen so as to increase sales.So what happened?? The USB dongle broke both times....it's all in the design. The dongle is essentially 2 peices, and the outer peice pivots (maybe for better communication with the mouse?...nah!!). The problem with the pivoting part is that it goes so far, and then breaks. The wires BREAK internally if you go beyond that point. Did Miscrosoft implement some kind of safety stop on the housing? Of course not!!BOYCOT!!They do make another one that is one peice...I will probably exchange my broken one for this (if I can - it's been a few months).$LABEL$0 +Pathetic Attempt to Cash In!. I have read both Fit For Life and Living Health, as well as Fitonics. After reaping such benefits from Fit for Life and Living Health I was anxious to learn more from Marilyn. However, I found this book to be devoid of any real diet plan or sound information. It seemed that the authors' should have written a book about meditation instead of healthy eating. I for one am unsure that I can trust a person who waffles between vegetarianism and meat eating all in the same day! I also found it very convenient that the cover of the book proudly declares Marilyn as the Co-Author of the Fit for Life books while inside the book she tears down the very principles she is displaying on her cover, talk about cashing in on the reputation Harvey built! If you are really look for a informative health book try Fit for Life, try ANYTHING else but this!$LABEL$0 +P Davis. Great Product. The first time you use an epilator it is painful. That is any epilator. After the first few times there is no pain. This is a great product. Once you have used an epilator you will never use any other method for hair removal. It beats waxing and is more convenient and saves you lots of money in hair removal.

$LABEL$1 +nostalgic and wholesome. This DVD brought me back to the days when things were a lot simpler. It's a wonderful tool to teach young children values and manners which are so missing in our society today. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in wholesome and clean entertainment.$LABEL$1 +shudder to think. Need I say more? The Dismemberment Plan owe their soul to these guys... and to read reviews about how The Dismemberment Plan have "created their own sound". I gave them two stars just because I liked the CD cover.$LABEL$0 +alfred is awesome. I have Alfreds piano method with I enjoyed so I decided to pick up his guitar method too. I have no complaints about this book. After I played a segment of the danube waltz I knew this is my personal favorite guitar method, and I have a lot of them. There are a lot of different styles presented and explanations on basic skills I see lacking in other books like the Mel Bay series like the different muting techniques. I can't help but go back and play some of the pieces because there's something magical about bach on the electrical guitar. This book is great for beginners and will not suddenly ramp up in difficulty like A Modern Method for Guitar. Highly recommended guitar method.$LABEL$1 +An insult to all bibliophiles. If you love books and Leroux's novel in paticular do not buy this book. Although the cover art promises great things, alas the illustrations remind one of a Barbie coloring book, only not as sophisticated. The less said of the butchering this line of books commonly does to great novels, the better. A much better read would be the version illustrated by Hilderbrant as the novel in itself shouldn't be beyond most young readers. For the very young try the Bullseye or Step Up chillers. Both are excellent reads.$LABEL$0 +hard to wind. I bought this for my Mother to replace her old baby ben. She could not wind it and gave it to me. I rarely use it because it is a "pain" to wind.$LABEL$0 +Great book so far. I am just starting to read this book but so far, I love it. I love reading the mother's and therapist's notes. I think they give you such good ideas that come from experience. The activities are clear and resources are always offered.$LABEL$1 +Open Theism' Roots. I bought this hoping for some good information. Only the first chapter or so is worth reading. His position that God really does not know everything and that if God cannot learn anything would make His life one of stagnation are seriously flawed. I realize that he is quoting others, but they were not worth the space.This book will not help an extreme Calvinist reexamine his position, it will only drive him further into his system. The seeds of open theism are seen in the appendices. Quite frankly I was shocked when I read the book.I hold to an unlimited atonement so I am not giving this book a bad review because of its position, but on how the case is made. I would not waste my money on this one again.$LABEL$0 +Way Ahead of The Curve. Just finished Angeles Crest and i'm totally dazzled by the author's raging life-force, and depth of experience on so many levels. Mr. Modzelewski is an inspiration to us all, never satisfied with surface appearances, he is constantly taking us to exquisite depths of the human experience, especially in the realm of the spirit, reached via extreme physical tests. This book is way ahead of the curve. Not everyone will "get it" for Mr. Modzelewski goes far beyond normal experience and perceptions that have been dulled & dumbed-down in our superficial culture. The book's magic all comes from his unbounded feelings for Nature, which he expresses like a passionate lover! This is a writer and man of tremendous courage. Bravo and tres bon!$LABEL$1 +Cute, but still not worth the low price. It IS extremely small, and does actually take pictures, but the quality is much worse than you would hope for, even at 640x480. Lots of image degradation for compression (I guess), and most images come out blury, even when you try to hold the camera steady. I returned mine. Maybe in another year or two this size and price will be a better reality.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful couch throw but. This is a beautiful sofa throw but what I didn't like about it was that it only stops at the top of sofa. It's not long enough. It's great with width from arm to arm but not from feet to back. Picture yourself sitting on sofa. The throw starts at your feet, up to the seat where you sit, and goes up behind you, and then stops at the top. Sitting down alot will make that throw fall down behind you. If it was long enough to go over the back and down almost to the floor in the back of couch, I would have kept the sofa throw. They should add another 60 inches.$LABEL$0 +This was an excellent movie.. Of all the movies I saw in 1998 this was the best. I would recommend everyone see this movie. I feel Drew Barrymore the the perfect person to play this part.$LABEL$1 +Una voz que destaca. Beatriz Montes es una cantante que destaca;tiene una voz que,aparte de ser muy linda,canta las palabras de las canciones de este CD con gran maestría y por eso volveré a escuchar las muy lindas canciones de "Amorcito Lindo" en muchas ocasiones.Las canciones de este CD me han traído mucha felicidad,y espero que quien las oiga tenga el mismo placer.$LABEL$1 +Stress relief???. I ordered these because I had been reading how ingesting Kava root could produce stress relieving results. The directions say to take one capsule. If you take one capsule, you will probably not notice a damn thing. If you take four to eight of them, you feel something, but I would not call it a "stress relieving feeling." It is more of an irritating feeling if anything; it produces a kind of light-headed/headache-y feeling. In my experience with this product, I would say that it does not produce the intended results. But the same can be said for many herbs. Hell, sometimes even a strong cup of coffee won't wake you up in the morning. Point being, results are going to vary from individual to individual, but if you are really interested in this stuff, I would do a Google search for the website for the company that is based in Hawaii that also makes this stuff. They claim to produce Kava with a much higher percentage of Kavalactones.$LABEL$0 +DRM, Windows only == FAIL. Given the game's draconian DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) that prevents you from legitimately installing it more than a few times, and that it does not run on anything by Windows, I cannot recommend this game at all.$LABEL$0 +Perfect match. This soundtrack is perfect if u liked the movie like i did. If you listen to the songs and close your eyes you can use your imagination and watch the movie over and over agian!! The music is very relaxing and fun to listen to. Oh and if you haven't seen the movie yet....go now!!!$LABEL$1 +Anti Mormon Propaganda. This is not the book to read if interested in finding out truths about Mormonism.It is full of lies, distortions and comments taken out of context.$LABEL$0 +What I think of All About Love. All About Love was one of the best books in the series. It's mainly about Jessica and Will and how their relationship faltered. Liz and Connor were also a big part of the book, as this was the first book in the series when they were truly together. Melissa and Tia weren't really that much involved, although Melissa did try some techniques to get Will back.$LABEL$1 +Holy God is a better buy. If you want an album you will want to hear over and over again...Buy Holy God by Brain Doerksen.$LABEL$0 +A great addition to my household. I have an entire family of avid soccer fans and players! I started playing at 29, have 3 children, who played from age 6. Now, have four grandchildren, who play or are trying[A 18mo. old, he's got a great foot} Ilove this soccer ball, and so do all the kids!!! Linda$LABEL$1 +Do not buy this book.. Do not waste your money. Buy a book written by Kenneth Cohen, Honoring the Medicine, instead.Altho' I do agree that the drug industry is corrupt I do feel that this book is a sneaky way of trying to get more money out of a consumer. The author refers EVERYTHING back to his web site which requires you to spend even more money for the info that I thought was within the book!I give this book a minus 10 points. Mr. Trudeau - I want my money back.$LABEL$0 +Now, this is dark beauty. I rarely hand out 5 stars, but this and "But What Ends..." so readily deserve such an honor. Just try to play this and not "fall apart."$LABEL$1 +A great movie. I have watched this on several times and still love it. I will be watching it again I am sure$LABEL$1 +Needs Pinyin. If you want your child to learn a few things in Mandarin, this is a fun little video. However, I was hoping to use this as a teaching tool to help me and my daughter learn Mandarin together. But I was very disappointed to find there is absolutely no Pinyin whatsoever and nothing included with the DVD to supplement the lessons.The sound is not so great so you may need a Chinese/English dictionary to make your best guess as to exactly what is being said and which tone is used. The English subtitles are nice to have but simply not enough - plus there is no "word for word" translation anyway.I DO like the content and the way it's presented, but to me it needs more for clarity - especially for such a beautiful and complex language and for those of us who want to get it right.$LABEL$0 +Having a gay ole time. I have been looking for this for quite some time. I was hoping to find it at the local second hand book store, but this was too much of a good deal to pass up. Thanks for this great opportunity.$LABEL$1 +Yesterday Once More. A great collection of The Carpenters songs. Was made two years after Karen Carpenter passed away. Karen Carpenter sang and did some of the drums and Richard Carpenter played the keyboards. The brother and sister sounded great on this recording. The albums from which the songs are from is: Close To You, Carpenters [signature album], Song For You, Now And Then, Horizon, Passage, Made In America, Voice Of the Heart [sorry if I'm missing one] I would recomend buying this!!!!! Alex Hutchins$LABEL$1 +Failed the MPRE!. This book covered a lot of what was not on the MPRE, and very little of what was. After studying the book, I aced the practice MPRE that was provided. I went into the MPRE confident that I was going to do just as well. However, the actual MPRE bore little semblance to anything I had been prepared for. Bottom line: I'll be taking the MPRE again. Thank you and goodbye Supreme Review, hello BarBri.$LABEL$0 +probador de bobinas basico. Este probador de bobinas de fabricacion poco ortodoxa, que mas bien parece fabricacion casera,(bueno el producto mismo dice "PATENTE PENDIENTE"). es bueno, incluso para un tecnico profesional debido a que en el mercado de las herramientas electronicas no existe producto que sea capaz de exitar las bobinas para saber si estan buenas. Y los equipos que existen son muy costosos y solo los tienen los grandes talleres. En cuanto al chispometro que viene con el probador, que es de la marca LISLE, prefiero el THEXTON 404 que trae un tubo transparente que sirve de acustico para escuchar la chispa. Es exelente para las bobinas de los vehiculos asiaticos que van dentro del distribuidor. LO RECOMIENDO !$LABEL$0 +The Rip-off (an HBO Miniseries). I really, really liked Band Of Brothers so I bought this set with out hesitation and watched the whole thing in a weekend. Well, I should of checked out the reviews first. In my opinion it is pretty lame, nothing like B.O.B and for what I paid for it, it is a flat out rip-off. Learn from my mistake and rent this one first!!! You can always buy it later or buy mine for cheap!$LABEL$0 +Degrassi is fantastic. I started watching Degrassi on The-N when it first came out and I was really impressed with the way they handled issues concerning teens. It's especially interesting now with the story concerning Rick. Although the acting was a bit dramatic in some cases, I was really intrigued by the storylines. I would often tell my friends (who didn't have access to the awesomeness that is The-N) about it and I got them interested too. So now I'm glad that the first season is out on DVD so I can actually show it to them. Can't wait for the other seasons to come out!$LABEL$1 +The Best.. Have everything. But it would have been exelente if they also could give us the distrubiter. This is so that we can send them letters and ask for old movies to come back to the shelvs... Jrn Bakken Norway$LABEL$1 +Works great for us. My husband got this as a present from his daughter who is in the military, it was easy to get it set up and what a joy to be able to see her at the same time we talk! I don't have any complaints.$LABEL$1 +Worst experience ever.. I never arrived, Even worst, one of the posters arrived and the quality is so poor that you can see the pixels. Never again art poster.$LABEL$0 +no good. this thing broke a lot aI sent it back three times, eventually amazon told me to keep the junk and they just gave me a refund. My kids lost interest in it by them anyway. It sucks!!!!$LABEL$0 +Boring. One of the worst written books I have read in 2 years. The story: for hundreds of years there were a lot of people catching and eating cod, but then they were overfished and there are no longer giant stocks of cod. Now you have no reason to get this book, as the author does not add much to that sentence - but drags it out. A bunch of relatively unrelated fish facts and boring details of random fish stories - but no storytelling ability is present. Dull and repetitive.$LABEL$0 +Apple Keyboard. My original apple keyboard went out and I replaced it with another brand which wasn't as nice as the apple. After 2 weeks I really needed to go back to the apple keyboard so I purchased this one. The keys are more comfortable to use and it has volume control buttons on the keyboard.$LABEL$1 +The kids love it so much they are fighting over who can use it and who it belongs to.. Both the 3.75 yr old and one year old love, love, love this wagon. They are continually wrangling over it's use and possession as they learn to share and cooperate. Good quality and very sturdy. Low to the ground and won't tip over.Step2 Walker Wagon with Blocks$LABEL$1 +Good inexpensive bag/liner. I bought these for a group of students to use in a warm climate where the air conditioning is decent at best. They were very happy with the warmth. I would have loved to be able to choose colors on the purchase, but for the price, I could not beat this.$LABEL$1 +Chinese sizing?. Very disappointed in this product! (Amazon, you're still great). The sizing is ridiculous. They run at least one full size small and who makes clothing anymore that when you toss the brand new shirt into the dryer on fluff to knock the wrinkles out it comes out with the sleeves a full three inches shorter than they went in? If you have very short arms and buy a size larger than you really wear you will love this product. Nuff said.$LABEL$0 +Bought this pocket for my Honda DX 2000 4 Door. This holder fits in my spare space, but it's a bit too small, leaving a noticeable gap between the holder and the stereo above it. And the holder's storage area is quite narrow and it does not use up all the space that is available for it. Moreover, the material finish doesn't match the rest of the area of my car. Not quite happy with it.$LABEL$0 +6pk microcassette recording tape. have not used them yet but they are what I needed, blah, blah , blah blah blah, blah, blah, blah$LABEL$1 +pure hip-hop brilliance!. Eminem is kool and there isn't a single bad track on this onetrippy beats and whimsical rhymes!$LABEL$1 +so f***ing boring!!!!. trying WAY too hard to be like reno 911.. this show isn't funny AT ALL..no issues with playno issues with purchaseno issues at all!$LABEL$0 +Died after a couple of uses. I have owned this machine for about a year now. I might have used it less than 6 times and the panini maker does not start up now. I hope Hamilton beach is able to service it for free.$LABEL$0 +Canon BCI-3eBK Cartridge. This is my first time owning a computer that I was responsible for everything about it. I find that this cartridge is easy to install, but the cost is quite expensive unless you do a lot of shopping around. This item is not available at many of the discount places. I would like to know why I need to install a color cartridge to be able to use only black. I find that each cartridge (4) that the printer Canon BJC-3010 uses does not run out at the same time and gives you a warning when either color runs out and unless you install the one that's ran out the printer does not work. I did have a problem trying to usea refill kit with this item, so far I have been unable to refill it with the refill kits that is available.$LABEL$1 +Supernatural Godzilla?. At first I was leery about a supernatural take on Godzilla, but then I realize--since when has Godzilla been about the plot? Not since Godzilla 1954 has a plot been relevant in a Godzilla movie, which is why this movie shines where it counts: the monster fights!GMK has some of the best daikaiju fights in the Godzilla Millennium series. It is nowhere near as good as the Gamera Heisei trilogy (Gamera:GotU, Gamera: Advent of Legion, and Gamera: Revenge of Irys) but it has Godzilla returning to his truly antagonistic roots and the return of Baragon.I only recommend this if you are a fan of Godzilla movies. If you aren't then it is only worth a rent or foryour kids.$LABEL$1 +You just can't go wrong with these knifes.. A great solid knife and comes razor sharp from the factory. I'm sold on the Wusthof Classic line. This was an addition to my other Wusthof Classic knifes and accessories.$LABEL$1 +Excellent Sequel !. Wow, I was amazed when viewing Part 6. This is probably the first of the series with more thrills, humor, and of course... the return of Tommy Jarvis. Part 6: Jason Lives, should have definately been the 5th movie in the series. The movie starts off with Tommy explaining what happened to him when he was a kid (Part 4) and why he is hunting Jason. This is one of the Friday the 13th films in which you actually care about a few of the characters such as the Jarvis family in Part 4. Two other things I liked about Part 6 was Alice Cooper's "Man Behind the Mask" theme song and the fact that Part 6 doesn't refer to Part 5 which is a definate plus. I consider Part 6 a direct sequel to Part 4.$LABEL$1 +DANGEROUS FILTER - Green Algae like buildup every 10 days. This BRITA model is potentially DANGEROUS TO HEALTH. Green Algae like substance builds up every 10 days or so despite thorough cleaning.$LABEL$0 +The 411 on cowboys!. Find out the pertinent details of cowboys. How they live, talk, dress, and eat. Find out about stampedes, the dangers on the trail and how to catch a rustler. This is a humorously written and illustrated book all about cowboys. The details and colors in the pictures are delightful! This is great for boys and girls. I have girls and they've both loved this fun book. It's one of my favorites along with "Do Pirates Take Baths".This is one of those books my youngest daughter will pull out and ask for when she knows I'm tired and trying to get outta reading. She begs, I relent, then she says: Oh-kkaaay, how about 'Do Cowboys ride Bikes?' -and I say okay, but just this one!$LABEL$1 +Not an interesting read. Author assumes she knows all about the reader's attitudes. Only one point of view is given in the book - assumes 100% Dom 100% of the time. Bad language is used in the book - the points could have been put across without using bad language. However, the best part of the book was the chapter on tools used in the trade.If this was my first book on Dom, it would have been my last since this book would have removed any / all interest. I will not keep this book in my library.$LABEL$0 +Good for the experienced guitarist. This book is not for the beginner without the supervision of a qualified teacher. It moves very quickly. I use it more as a reference book. Mickey was one of the pioneers of Jazz Guitar Pedagogy and I recommend it for the serious player as a valuable resource$LABEL$1 +Foul Ferrell. Once upon a time Saturday Night Live was funny. Now they have the occassional amusing skit and the rare standout castmember. Will Ferrell is one of those standouts. Unfortunately, this DVD doesn't do him justice. Rather than a greatest hits collection, we're provided with a random sampling of Ferrell's skits and characters. This DVD would be more aptly titled Will Ferrell's Most Mediocre Moments.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Value. At first, I purchased a couple complete sets of these towels. After they arrived, I was impressed with their quality and I reordered 4 more complete sets. What more can I say; my girlfriend likes using them...$LABEL$1 +wasabi powder. excellent wasabi base. we use to mix with mayonaise. yummmmmmonly con = much smaller quantity than imagined. tin won't last very long, for OUR consumption habits.$LABEL$1 +An Amazing RPG. I have played a lot of RPG's but this one has to be one of the best. Even though there's not much to character customization, besides changing clothes and armor, and a couple of different hairstyles and facial hair styles to choose between, the quests are fun, and the gameplay itself is very fun, gets a little challenging at times, but whats a video game without challenge. Although it's not necessary to play this one to understand the second, there are some refrences and its overall a very good game. I also liked the level up system, not what I'm used to in other RPG's but very new and refreshing. A definite must buy for any gamers who like RPG's.$LABEL$1 +Don't.. This Book is a disappointing presentation of Miss Post's guide to Doing the Right Thing. It's not formatted, as it's been scanned by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and printed without illustrations. It's just not pretty. As the book is still in print and this is not a rarity (the benefit of buying OCR books scanned from old musty gems) you should just go ahead and buy the newest edition. It'll be a much lovelier read.$LABEL$0 +Beware and read between the lines. This woman will have our children taken straight from the womb to government subsidized day care facilities. It does not take a village, it takes parents to raise a child.How about giving those who choose to stay home and raise their own children a tax credit instead of legislating more incentives to put children into care facilities?$LABEL$0 +Great, but wish it were sharper. A great tool as are all OXO tools I've tried. I understand they cannot make it too sharp for safety reasons, but if it were just a little sharper it would be 5 stars. Being dull, it's safe, but requires too much pressure to push through an apple. Ironically, applying the extra pressure actually makes it less safe because it's not as stable when one has to push so hard.$LABEL$1 +The Miracle form Nature. I can't live without aloe vera. I put it on every part of my body. Jason Cosmetics is a brand I know and trust. This body lotion is mainly from aloe vera plant and some other good stuff for that added moisture. Great product and value...can't go wrong.$LABEL$1 +Flying Cow. This toy looks very cheap & not very durable. Bought it for more of a gag gift. With shipping added, I would not waste the money on it.$LABEL$0 +102 Minutes. A well written account in which these left-leaning authors actually blame AMERICANS, from New York, for as many as 1,500 of the 2,749 9/11 deaths. Save your money for another book.$LABEL$0 +So much fun!!!. This book is so much fun to read with children. Have them act out the different animals and be as loud as possible. Kids love being the animals and working together to keep the other animals awake! Preschoolers love it and early elementary age children will too! (I love reading it to them!)$LABEL$1 +SHUT UP JAMES!. Someone burned this disk for me along with Rush's VAPOR TRAILS, and I thought VAPOR TRAILS was descent but this album is a piece of genuine CRAP! Jame LaBrie is a horrid singer that just screams his damn head off, and all the songs are quite lengthly and (yawn) boring. The only thing that gets this album even 1 star is Mike Portnoy's awsome drumming (I'm a drummer, you see)! If you want good drumming AND good music, here are the groups I'd recommend:Rush (Neil Peart)The Mars Volta (Jon Theodore)AND OF COURSE...Led Zepplin (John Bonham)$LABEL$0 +A huge disappointment. This book might have appeal for people who haven't read any other books by Richie Tankersley Cusick, but as someone who has been a big fan ever since Fatal Secrets back in 1992, I was very disappointed by this book. It definitely wasn't up to her usual standards; the entire element of suspense was simply not there. I'm also disappointed by the fact that this author seems to have dropped off the face of the planet so far as her books are concerned, devoting time to writing up screenplays from Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead of writing her own original books. What ever happened to the book which was supposed to come out after Starstruck?$LABEL$0 +Awful. This is one of my most hated textbooks. The authors assume that you will read the book cover to cover when it should be set up more as a reference text for students. I hate having to search through an entire textbook to determine what a variable stands for when it should be explained with the equation.$LABEL$0 +Loved this series!. I thoroughly enjoyed all three in this series. This particular one was especially good because it wraps up the story lines of many of the characters. I particularly like that I get all the suspense and action I want in a book void of foul language. Real life still happens, just without the unneccesary garbage!$LABEL$1 +Excellent New CD from Charmand Grimloch. This Black Metal CD has excellent and outlandish keyboards of horror and mystery, blasting drums, strang lyrics.. what else could you want? yes i am silly.$LABEL$1 +Just what I needed.... Well, Dr. Briles has done it again. Her insight cuts through the usual psycho-babble and gets right to what matters most to us as human beings. This book gives us the boost we need to go out there and do what matters most to us. No more trying to meet the expectations of others first. She has really made me think and evaluate my life.$LABEL$1 +Disappointment. The story sounded interesting but because this was a poem or play that was a interpretation the book was hard reading and difficult to follow. Would have been better if the author didn't have such a literal interpretation.$LABEL$0 +Excellent Product. I have found the reviews of this product very helpful to determine how good this is and it is infact right. I am extremely happy with this one. The laser is very great and also the setpoint software that comes with it.$LABEL$1 +is it Coal in here, or is it just me?. CC's follow up to their '99 release is amazing. It grabs you by the neck from that first chord, and doesn't let go until the last note on "Beckoned" (the last track). Try it, just tell your parents the marks on your neck are from your girlfreind.$LABEL$1 +Good book for runners of all types. I am still reading this book but what I have read so far has been good. In addition to running, I enjoy biking, swimming and working out so some of the aspects of this book as far as weekly milage and the number of running workouts just can't be fit in with the other sports I enjoy. However, I feel this book will help me to be a better and faster runner even if I do have to modify the amount of time and runs recommended.For those who only run; whether a 5k runner or a marathon runner, I think this book has relevant and easy to understand information that will benefit anyone who reads it.$LABEL$1 +For Olive Skin, Not Brown. I bought this based on a rec from a youtube user ad after consulting the Joe Blasco website in an effort to cover dark circles. This is too light. This may work on olive tones at best but not on skin darker than that. You may also want an emollient with it, it's pretty dry on its own though others have given it good reviews on MUA.$LABEL$0 +the ball is back again. ive been waiting along time for this movie to be available on dvd in the us.even though this movie didnt have any special features it was nice to get it on dvd and in widescreen format,all i had was the old vhs copy and ive almost worn it out.this is my favorite phantasm movie,its more scarrier than the first one.plus i like the characters more .i could not find this in any store but amazon had it of course and i got it at a good price too.$LABEL$1 +Classic Shreds, some issues with this album. I'm shocked to find these on Amazon - it was hard enough to find the Lorries in the 80's in an alt-friendly southern California - did not expect to see MP3s of the older tracks here!Highlights are Monkeys on Juice, Hold Yourself Down, Cut Down.Like another reviewer suggested, these aren't always the best recording quality. The version of "Beating My Head" is absolutely horrible, which is a shame, because the original track had some mad drums/bass syncopation going on. And a note to quality control - the MP3 of "Hold Yourself Down" is another version of "Spinning Round" - and "Regenerate" is actually "Hold Yourself Down". It's actually the same on iTunes, so maybe the publisher messed up.$LABEL$1 +obama 2016. A must watch for any Idiot (Democrat) that voted for this clown. God help us all in four years...A must watch for any Idiot (Democrat) that voted for this clown. God help us all in four years...$LABEL$1 +WATCH OUT Circular Saw didn't work. So much for the birthday gift to hubby. He waited a couple of weeks to put the tools to work and the circular didn't work on the job. So now it is all just a hazzle.$LABEL$0 +Virus machine!. Pleas DO NOT buy this thing.I reapeat DOO NOT buy this thing.It gave my Harry potter andf the prisoner of azkaban game a virus that makes it black out on random times!This thing absolutly and i meen absolutly stinks!DO NOT BUY IT FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR GAMES!(get an action replay instead)$LABEL$0 +Great Video Service. WE purchased this video for as Christmas gift. Shipment was quick. The DVD was exactly as advertised. Everything was done quickly & professionally. We will buy from this vendor again.$LABEL$1 +Avoid - terrible controls. Purchased for my 4yo son.I didn't realize before buying it that it does not have traditional "forward back" + "left right" control sticks. My fault probably, but I missed that.- One stick controls the left side two wheels and the other stick controls the right side two wheels - kind of like a tank.- The sticks are actually on/off only - no variable speed control.- The radio control implementation has some serious reception problems as well, very patchy in whether it works or not, cuts in and out.The combination of the above three characteristics makes it extremely hard to drive for me, never mind my son. Basically a waste of money, he never touches it.It does appear fairly durable, and might be fun outside, but given the control difficulty we didn't even bother.$LABEL$0 +Low cost, works excellent. With one C sized battery this will munch up you small little fuzz knobs off of all of your clothing without damaging the item, and with no effort. The price is right and this item is available nationwide at most retailers. Very competative here at amazon. buy it you will like it.$LABEL$1 +Super soft hair!. This product works wonders for tangled, fine, processed hair. It feels silky smooth right out of the shower and stays that way all day. Love it!$LABEL$1 +Not a Good Investment. The purchase of this film was a complete waste of my money. The plot was trite, disappointing, stale and sophomoric, and the acting was no better. Otherwise....$LABEL$0 +Very quick read but a bit too basic. This book is a very fast read and gives and overview to some nice concepts. Managing people is a bit more complicated than the book explains, so I consider this book and intro to see if you enjoy reading management books. If you like this book, then there are many more solid books out there to graduate to.$LABEL$1 +Calming peaceful instrumentals. I found this CD by searching the sample song included on my PC. It is SO relaxing. Perfect for a stress-reliever. Recommend playing the samples before you buy. This one is a real winner!$LABEL$1 +weak album. like most soundtracks this one is not good as well. (i always regret buying sountracks.) on this album, the beatz are too tacky, and high profile, mainstream rappers put out an weak performance(dmx, luniz, daz, tray d, mo thugs/lazy bone). a disappointment. a few underground acts tried to rip the tracks, but the tunes and beats just couldn't take it there. And vocal/rap arrangements were stupidly produced.(eg: corny choruses, hooks and intros etc.) the saving grace of the album is "Survive" by Snoop dogg and Da Products. probably the only solid cut on this soundtrack. and the highlights of this album was The Lox and Eve with the song"Shotgun Style", and the other "aiight/ok"joints are "Better way" and "Playa Style". out of 19 tracks, not even half the album is listenable. Overrall, to sum it up, a dissapointment and a very lacking album.$LABEL$0 +A lot of fun. Took a chance on this series and I was pleasantly surprised. In fact watched the whole first season in 2 days.$LABEL$1 +A Terrible Idea, Executed Flawlessly. Some music does not translate well. For instance, the triumphant marches of John Phillip Souza do not sound good when played on the harp. And the songs from the soundtrack of Barbra Streisand's Yentl lose a certain something when performed by second-graders equipped with nothing but bones and soup.Yet this sort of infallible logic has been lost on the dunderheads who decided to play the driving rock of U2 on classical string instruments.For the same reason you don't want to hear La Boheme performed by Yngwie Malmsteen and a heard of famished yaks, believe me, you don't want to hear this album.$LABEL$0 +Kodak Picture Frame. This product filled all my requirements and desires for a picture frame. It is very easy to set up and use and has great picture quality.$LABEL$1 +TOTAL FRAUD! Save your money!. I just paid $6.00 for information on patent information, on a device which is probably a total fraud!The description says it is six pages, and it is only about fourteen sentences.Totally misleading and total misrepresentation.I feel so cheated by Amazon.com.$LABEL$0 +Contents of The Runaway Shadows and Other Stories. This pamphlet bound and sold by the International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc, contains the following original stories and articles:"Strange Tale of Nursery Folk" by L. Frank Baum, author of "The Wizard of Oz""The Bad Man" by L. Frank Baum"The King Who Changed his Mind" by L. Frank Baum"The Runaway Shadows" by L. Frank Baum"A Kidnapped Santa Claus" by L. Frank Baum"Nelebel's Fairyland" by L. Frank Baum$LABEL$1 +What a fun book!. All my kids (4,7, & 9 yrs) loved this book! We especially enjoyed the rhyming text. Even so the text was extensive enough to tell a full story. In general, most pages have many lines of text. We read it as a Five in a Row book, but I am sure it will be a requested book for years to come. We were able to talk about many side issues including cakes, yeast, consequences, calories, catapults, castles, alliteration, complementary colors. The duchess decides to make a "lovely, light, luscious, delectable" cake but doesn't accept any advice or follow any instructions. As a result, she puts everything in it and way too much yeast! She sits on it and rises high in the sky unable to get down. It sounds rather silly but it is very well written and was a worthwhile purchase.$LABEL$1 +A Little Heavy on the Spearmint. I bought this tea because I love Celestial Seasonings Green Tea, Decaf Candy Cane tea, which is only available at the holidays and I thought it would be a close match. It is close, but it has more spearmint and less peppermint than I would have preferred.$LABEL$1 +Great Sound/Great Value. These speakers are a great buy. I mounted them using the provided mounting brackets in the ceiling of a screened in porch. Installation of two speakers was about twenty minutes. I was concerned about the bass response, but was pleasantly surprised. These speakers compete well with models costing four or five times as much.$LABEL$1 +It's a stupid movie!. Nothing great about this sequel. At least the girl he falls for is hot. I like that girl Gina but this movie is so ridiculous. I don't know what's up with the good reviews. Tim Burton didn't direct this one. At least Pee-wee Herman writes the script which is good but Pee-wee's Big Adventure is way better than Big Top Pee-wee. I mean come on Big Top Pee-wee fails. Stick with Pee-wee's Big Adventure.$LABEL$0 +In Love with the Whisker!. This is such a great and quality product. Even though the wires on the upper end are not crossing over each other but its sturdy enough not to bend. The handle is very smooth and comfy. I love using it more often now. Washes easily by hand or in dishwasher as well. Highly recommend it if you want a quality product!$LABEL$1 +Hahahahahah Yes!. Oh man, not only did they come a day SOONER than estimated but they have exceeded my expectations. Very rich sound and I feel that the openness lets the sound waves breathe a little, which is a good thing. And noise cancelers can sound a little sterile anyway. Very attractive design. And cool languages on packaging. Worth like [...] bucks easy but so much cheaper. I will certainly buy Sennheiser again.$LABEL$1 +Winter's Heart. I think that this is a great book, which has a perfect amount of plot twists and mini-plots to keep the story interesting. I can't wait until the next book comes out?$LABEL$1 +he was the best one besides ricthie blackmore. yes he replaced Blackmore on deep purple in 75, by recording the come taste the band album. The result was brain melting he could replace Ritchie in deep Purple. This one was his unreleased solo materials, and this guy was a young wonder! he could play guitar!$LABEL$1 +GOOD BUT.... NO LENGTH WAS SPECIFIED. BIKE IS A SMALL TRACK BIKE (49 CM). ADAPTER WAS TOO LONG. AFTER GRINDING OFF NEARLY AN INCH IT FIT NICELY AND WORKED WELL.SELLER WAS MORE INTERESTED IN FEEDBACK THAN SATISFACTION.$LABEL$0 +Early Avengers with Cathy Gale. This is a six episode set of the British classic. It starts with "The White Elepahnt", an animal we do not get to see and ends with Steed inheriting a race horse in "The Trojan Horse". In between are episodes of double agents and diabolical organizations which are a staple of the Emma Peel years. Still a good taste of Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale. She is finally starting to stand up to the upstart Steed, trying to be a full parter in the dou that is finally given to Ms. Peel.Biggest down side of the DVD is the lack of features. Only production stills which are on all the A & E Avenger videos.$LABEL$1 +Cheaply made. This booklight was inexpensive -- and is cheaply made. The clip came apart after only a few days.I would not recommend.$LABEL$0 +Summer of Darkness. This CD is incredible. One second the lead singer is growling and screaming to no end, the next he changes it up to very good sounding singing. The guitars and drums are very interesting and catchy, and while not outwardly christian, the lyrics are thought provoking and very well written. I think the band has become alot better since their s/t album, and I think they are even better on the songs I've heard off of The Triptych. An all around well put together CD. Well worth the money.$LABEL$1 +pathetic-needs head examined. I've read every word in this book and there is nothing of any use here, very shallow & absolutely clueless.$LABEL$0 +A great album. The White Stripes have got to be one of the best bands I've heard in a long time. I really like "Hotel Yorba" but all the songs on this CD are good. Hotel Yorba is why I bought this CD, but I found all the songs were good, and I would recommend it highly. (For what thats worth, LOL)$LABEL$1 +Bellamy Brothers "At their best". The song Redneck Girls is my favorite song out of ever song ever made I feel that when they sing this song they are talking about me! I Love it! When I am down or sad I always know I can listen to this song and it will make me feel a whole lot better!$LABEL$1 +Beautiful and Sweet. What a beautiful book! The illustrations are really lovely and the pages (we have the hardback) even feeeeel good. My 21 month son LOVES this book. He enjoys the different animals and points them out by naming them and making the different sounds they make. He also looks for the baby and the daddy. My 5 year old also enjoys the book and is now playing Jut Ay with her baby brother.I'm just so delighted with this book and right after I finish this review, I'll be buying Hush! A Thai Lullabye.$LABEL$1 +Big Book?. My son loves this book. I was hoping for it to be a bit bigger. Can't make everyone happy I guess. :)$LABEL$1 +jewelry organizer. The Whitney Design 80-Pocket Cotton Canvas Organizer helped me organize my jewelry. Now instead of having it in many drawstring bags and small boxes, it is all in one place where I can easily see what's there and find what I want to wear. It hangs in the closet and takes very little space. It is nice quality canvas...much better quality than others I have seen in stores.$LABEL$1 +not this time. I'm normally very forgiving of escapist, fun, breezy romances, but this book is seriously, even unforgivably, flawed. The cliched backgrounds of the characters (has anyone ever gone through childhood unmolested??) paired against a contrived storyline and then followed by an ending that grew progressively more ridiculous made me want to toss the book into the junk pile. Not recommended.$LABEL$0 +As soundtracks go, this is a good one.. James Horner is perhaps better known for his "Aliens" and "Star Trek II/III" soundtracks. All those sound similar in theme, and Horner has managed something completely different with the "Rocketeer" soundtrack. It manages to be heroic and sort of down home at the same time, and is very pleasurable to listen to.$LABEL$1 +Durable, safe, quality SD card.. I have never had any problems with SanDisk and their solid state drives, namely their SD cards. However, I must say comparing it to the SD HC cards these cards are slow!! But, I don't think it is a fault of SanDisk rather a problem with all SD cards. It is unfortunate that there are still products out their that are not compatible with SD HC cards because having to be burdened by speed, rather lack of speed, of these SD cards can make one go crazy. Regardless, this card is definitely reliable and you won't lose your data which is a definite plus and they are easy to use as they are plug and play.$LABEL$1 +REAL Comfort Food. I was in Santa Monica for a month and dicovered RFD. Being vegetarian led me to the restaurant and the incedible food there, led me to purchasing the cookbook. I felt so lucky to be able to take home the secrets behind this wonderful food. One taste of any of the dishes will have you wanting more! I don't know how to explain it, but the food this book helps you to create will make you want to share it with everyone. This is a cookbook filled with recipes not only vegetarians, but for people who who just love good wholesome comfort food.$LABEL$1 +A Dangerous and Misleading Pipedream. This is a sad and dangerous book. The facts based upon research and experience are overwhelming. The only successful treatment for a true alcoholic is total abstinence from alcohol. Barrett offers his readers a false hope that further experimentation at "controlled drinking" will bring different results than in the past. The worst part of offering such false hopes to those in the throes of addiction is that in their desperate state the wishful thinking contained in this tome prolongs their agony and makes a potentially perilous outcome of their situation even more possible. Time and again it has been proven by experience that "rational" recovery is a pipe dream. Carl Jung's theory of the need of a `psychic change' or `spiritual awakening' to break the cycle of addiction still stands and is proven by thousands each year.$LABEL$0 +Favorite movie of all time. My favorite movie of all time!!!!! this movie is actually one of the 100 most inspiring mvies of all time. I love this movie and everything in it....a true classic and worth watching. Very dear to my heart.$LABEL$1 +NOT THE BEST "HORROR" FILM. THIS WAS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST "HORROR" FILM EVER MADE. IT SURE HAS SUSPENSE AND THRILLER BUT HORROR? NO IT DOES NOT. WHEN WE WENT TO SEE THIS MOVIE TO THE THEATRE I WAS REALLY DISSAPOINTED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING. TO ME IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME, I WOULD NOT EVEN BUY THIS MOVIE WHEN IT COMES OUT. IT IS DEFINETILY NOT WORTH IT.V/R$LABEL$0 +great movie. The movie follows the book. It is a great movie. I have looked at itmany times, so I could get the full meaning. It is a must see if you area writer.$LABEL$1 +helpful is an understatement. This ambulation belt is awesome. I use it to help both my 90 year old mother and 93 year old aunt (both are wheelchair bound). Transferring them with the help of this belt has been so much easier than before. I wish I had found this a year ago. The belt is comfortably padded, the buckle is absolutely secure, and the many grip options make any position or movement easy to assist with. I absolutely recommend this product!$LABEL$1 +great book. Preston Blair does it again - another fine instructional guide on animation.I wish his books never went out of print -- It was challenging to find the predecessor to this book (Animation I).$LABEL$1 +nice small knife. With the price (50% off), I think it is a very good deal. the knife is also sturdy and nice looking. Looks great on a girls's key chain.$LABEL$1 +At Their Most Beautiful. This album is amazing. I have not taken it out of my CD player since the day that I bought it. The songs are just so good! And the music is absolutely beautiful. It's a mezmorizing album, and definitely one of REM's best...if the THE BEST!$LABEL$1 +A terrible book, strangely unhelpful and oddly organized.. As long time computer user with extensive experience with dBase, I was chagrined and frustrated with my attempts to learn Act!4 quickly with the help of this book. The author seemed to persistently overstate and elaborate on the obvious, while offering minimum assistance in the more opaque areas. Invariably, what I most wanted to know as a new user was either unavailble or relegated to a chapter nearer the book's index than its beginning. The author, annoyingly, saw fit to repeatedly suggest securing professional help in various areas...and even (and I suspect, self-servingly) cited names of pros who the reader could hire. As a teaching tool, this book is a total bust..unless I'm just not enough of a "dummy" to appreciate it. It's my first and certainly last book of the Dummy series.$LABEL$0 +Hands on Christmas Story. I bought one of these for my two children a few years ago. They played with it a lot which kept their hands off my nicer nativity and also gave us an opportunity to talk about the characters in the nativity, making the Christmas story relevant to them.I work for a church and recently purchased this toy for the toddler nursery. It was a way to engage the toddlers in the story of Christmas. The toy is a quality product- much like the other Little People Products and was safe and age appropriate for the toddlers playing with the pieces. I've been very happy with the toy.$LABEL$1 +Enormously clever and quite moving tale of the 20th century and what it means. A photo - literally, of three farmers on their way to a dance, taken by August Sander in 1914 - shows us the last moments before the calamitous 20th century hit western civilization full force, with atrocities and dislocation and the good and evil of the modern world. Richard Powers takes this indelible image and weaves a brilliant three-part tale: of two men looking for answers to what the picture signified, many years later, and then (as a counterpoint) the "real" story of those farmers from long ago. The less you know the better, but anyone interested in the ways the fiction can uncover the truth behind history, or restore humanity to cold facts of the past, should read this remarkable book. This was Powers' first book, years before he achieved fame and (well deserved) accolades, but he was clearly a fully formed genius from the start.$LABEL$1 +what's a disappointment for the name. for me, a bread bible should at least briefly cover the essential elements and the basic technicial aspect of bread making. this book have just tons of simple recipes recipes recipes - these i can get freely from the internet within 10 seconds.$LABEL$0 +My first encounter with Singer's writting. - This refers to the spanish edition Orbis Premios NobelAt 17 I had the pleasure of reading this novel and it was my first encounter with Singer and a life long admiration ever after.He is universal and existentialist in his writting. In my opinion, he bridges all spiritual differences and we can all be a same community under his guidance.There is asuperb movie adaptation of the book which I suggest you see too.$LABEL$1 +FF7 One of the greats!. Final Fantasy 7 was great!The gameplay was the best I've seen in a long time.The bosses where amazing.I also enjoyed the plot line,there was no trick ending or somthing like that where you have to beat it on a harder difficulty level.The cut sences were very rich and smooth.I recommend this game to anyone.But,by now you sould have a copy!$LABEL$1 +Good value for a cone wrench. Park tools does it again for me. Well made and durable. If i don't lose it I amsure it will last a lifetime.$LABEL$1 +Good Enough for Suspended Ceiling. I needed a one time relatively inexpensive 360 degree laser level. I happened to find this lonesome level with tripod at the local home improvement store. I didn't need it to survey oron the job contracting. Just enough to get the ceiling done.Well my ceiling is level. Perhaps within 1/8 of an inch. Had a couple blind spots but I didn't need a continuous line to locate my brackets. Only other issue is initial wobble. It needs a little time to self level. I would recommend it for the do it yourself guy who doesn't want to spend a lot of money but wants to get the job done nonetheless.$LABEL$1 +boring & whiny. I didn't see a plot or a point to this book. It's incessant whining about rich people's 'lives' as the Social Elite of Manhattan. Plus, it has lines in it like 'She burgled his breath right out of his lungs.' The authors try way too hard for catty and end up sounding jealous. It was a total waste of time to read.$LABEL$0 +Refused to ship despite exorbitant shipping cost. I order a lobster bake for my parent's anniversary every year. The vendor I normally use closed in the bad economy, so I tried Lobsters Online through Amazon. What a poor experience! I placed my order, putting up with the $44 shipping cost to Hawaii. Days later, I received an email telling me that they couldn't ship to the specified location. Since I do this every year, I know it's not a problem to ship lobsters to Hawaii, and for $44, they can't be taking a loss on the shipping. Nowhere on their page does it say they don't ship to Hawaii - yet they refuse to do so with no explanation. This has caused me to have to scramble to get a new, comparable gift for my parent's 40th anniversary on very short notice. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS VENDOR.$LABEL$0 +Boring. Too many feet of film left uncut. Too many details, establishing place, and what not. Get to the action. I was looking forward to seeing the film, esp with the 4.5 stars!I like Wyatt. I also like San Francisco and live in the neighborhood Wyatt's character lives in.But, this just wasn't that compelling.$LABEL$0 +Please enter a title for your review. I've heard some retarded avant-garde sparse experimental non-music in my time, but this recording reaches a new level of incomprehensible stupidity. It sounds like someone slowly tuning a banjo, and that is not an exaggeration, it could easily be a recording of exactly that.$LABEL$0 +A Smart Film for Discerning Viewers. This film is not for the squeemish or those with short attention spans and trouble reading English subtitles. This is not a conventional war movie nor does it pretend to be. This is well written, brilliantly acted, WWII revenge fantasy. Those expecting a standard morality play with white-hatted good guys or a non-stop shoot-em-up action romp will be sorely disappointed. Those who appreciate a clever story, snappy dialogue (and lots of it), and some very brief scenes of fairly graphic war violence will be thrilled.$LABEL$1 +High School Musical. As I go through my holiday gifts now, I realize I didn't receive this video in the mail. What can I do?$LABEL$0 +Dissapointing. This book only gives a brief overview to the actual nuts and bolts of starting a hedge fund. Instead it spends time explaining various hedge fund strategies, risk-management approaches, and basic entity structures (what is a c-corp? what is an s-corp? what is an llc?).As someone who has started a fund in the past and is looking to start another, this book was a disappointment. If you are learning the info in this book for the first time, you probably shouldn't be starting a fund in the first place.$LABEL$0 +One Of The Greatest :). Just saw this movie again - after maybe 18 years and it still holds a great story that people of all ages will definitely want to see time and again. thanks for such an awesome film:)$LABEL$1 +Letters from Iwo Jima. This product was not what I expected, I expected the english version not the Japanese version. I do want a refund for the product....$LABEL$0 +Loving it so far. This cam works perfectly for what I need a laptop cam for. It's small, has a carrying case and is great for travel. The CCD sensor is awesome - VERY clear picture. My work area is dark and the low-lite adjustment did a great job. There are a few things I don't like this cam. The mic is ok, but not sensitive enough. The stand is ridiculous. I use this cam in meetings and I have to rotate my laptop to focus on people - wish they had a better setup. Otherwise, I love this cam so far.$LABEL$1 +How typical. Can this author take another English course? First of all, the title is so... unoriginal. Second, the title is so...unoriginal. Third... the plot was the typical arthur/Guinevere story. Four... why did I even bother to finish this book?$LABEL$0 +Over-rated. This is a pure melee game. It's unco-ordinated, plotless and the movements/controls are out of date compared to other FPS's. If you're looking for all out shooting, without much teamplay or strategy then try Unreal Tournament.For those looking for a Battlefield 1942/Vietnam type game set in the Star Wars Universe, get set to be dissapointed.Just not very playable or much fun at all once you've seen all the maps and the characters.Get it used!$LABEL$0 +Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- A Great Book. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a very good book. It is one of the few books that I will allow myself to read. I started reading it when my mom told me about it, and I'm grateful she suggested it! This book has drama, humor, suspense, and mystery. It is fun to learn about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. If you are looking for a good book and just can't find one, you should read this one- you'll love it!$LABEL$1 +wake up America!. The dilemma of the colonized in search for an identity which is neither static and backward-facing, nor imposed by the worldview of the colonizer is the subject of Erdrich's Love Medicine. Her winding, free-flowing storyline mirrors her endorsement of the fluidity of family connections, one of the most significant difference between Euro-American and Ojibwa cultures. Defying the strictures of the novel, the anthology, or any other established writing style, Erdrich refuses to abide by the rules of Western traditions of fiction. A slap in the face to any notions of the superiority of such traditions, Erdrich's tales demand attention by being undeniably honest, and evoking empathy for even those characters who represent everything which is in opposition to Western culture, and zeroing in on the painful truths of America's imperialist history without subjecting the reader to a history lesson. One of the most important books on the Native American experience I've ever encountered.$LABEL$1 +If you're looking for real "low carb" this isn't it. The book contains a reasonable number of recipes and lots of 'hints' that if you've done ANY reading about low carbohydrate eating, will be superfluous.The recipes run the gamut of carb counts, though I thought that the bulk of them were much higher carb than is helpful. Following the suggestions in this book and the recipes, it wouldn't be all that hard to hit 80-100++ grams of carb per day... which is simply TOO HIGH for many people who are following low carb lifestyles.Many recipes call for sugar, white flour, semi-sweet chocolate and cornstarch. Come ON... those are NOT "low carb" ingredients.This is more or less a repackaged low fat/lower cal cookbook with "low carb" thrown on the cover to try to generate some market share. My copy is being donated to a charity, it isn't worth the space on the shelf for someone interested in real "low carb" cooking.$LABEL$0 +Fine if you are over level 180. First on the new graphics... I have not seen them yet as they have not been released.For all new items you must be over at least level 130 to get to the new island, except a few dungeons camped by people macroing.All patchs that have come out since release are aimed toward extream high levels. Or melee. Case in point GW quest last month. No low level could kill a pumpkin lord. The buffer was camped by a level 210 to get the goodies. This month content is all mage resistant if you are under level 150. The one new orb intrduced into the game is buged. The so called event you had to be over level 100 to attend.I have been waiting since release for a answer from their tech support on migrating problems with 2 of my accounts. They offer no support unless you want to make a long distance call.So unless you are a high level melee or very high level mage do not waste your time and money on this. It is not like the old days where they added something for everyone.$LABEL$0 +Essential. This is essential reading for anyone who owns a dog that guards resources. It could prevent a child from being bitten. It could save your dog's life. The procedures in the book are based on sound theory, and they work. I do not know of any other book on the subject, so it's a good thing that this one gets it right.I adopted two strays that were aggressive resource-guarders. I worked the plan in this book, and now I think they would give up anything. I caught one of my dogs swallowing a "mystery lump" in the living room. I casually opened his jaws and removed it from the back of his throat. No complaints. It turned out to be only a cheese cube that I had dropped when making myself a sandwich. So I gave the dog a third of a weenie, and then I gave him back the cheese. I swear he looked at me like I was crazy, but he was happy with the exchange.It is a very thin book, but all the info you need is there. Buy it.$LABEL$1 +Enjoyed reading it. Nice reading, several good ideas.Mr. Torvalds deserves what he got.I just hope to use some day Fredix or Diannix OS.Jag gör det!$LABEL$1 +Great Coat. This coat is perfect for my use. I work construction and out in the elements everyday - this coat keeps out the cold, wind and rain. If it is very cold out, I will layer a sweat shirt along with my long underwear and t-shirt. The coat being longer than the jacket, the coat keeps my lower back warm. The material was a bit stiff when first new but nothing time and wear doesn't cure. On average my Carhartt coat will last several years so well worth the money.$LABEL$1 +Whose grandpa shot these things?. I agree with R. Pearson. I realize that real RR fans will probably love to see the equipment and the routes and so on. And I guess they like this set. But I'm just a guy who likes travel documentaries with a certain level of production values. And these DVDs DO NOT have production values. It looks to me like the chamber of commerce got a staffer's grandpa who volunteered to shoot these things on his old gear. They mostly look as bad as VHS tapes. The video is low-rez and jaggy-ridden. The scenery mostly looks dreary, because of the dreadful videography. A lot of stuff is shot through dirty train windows. And so on. The narration is clunky in its scripting, and the voice talent again sounds like a chamber of commerce volunteer. The canned music, ick. Even though I paid just $3 for this thing, I feel like wasted my money. Just an awful, awful set.$LABEL$0 +Melvins surprise. Most people who have had encounters with the music of Melvins propably pin them down as a sort of a grungy heavy metal sludge. Therefore this album is a true surprise since this is hardly even rock. King Buzzon and co. truely display their melodic abilities here, creating some of the most moodful tunes in the last few years. Especially the first half of the album is excellent, almost haunting. Not for diehard metallers or grungefans, but for anyone willing to hear great, atmospheric music. You small type reading pinhead...$LABEL$1 +disappointing. predictable and tedious... good enough to finish reading is the best I can say of it. After reading other Follett, not up to par.$LABEL$0 +Good!. The reader works just as you would expect it to work. The caps feel just a tad loose, though they are not really. Other than that I have no probs with it.$LABEL$1 +A little Dated. The book was very soiled and looked nasty. The content was dated. Not really worth the time and trouble and cost.$LABEL$0 +Simply cannot relate to her views. I've read the first two chapters. Personally this book doesn't cut it for me. The way she sees the chakra is completely different from what I'm used to (ie: 7 levels) and she attributes different colors to them. That in itself isn't the biggest deal, but her exercises seem to require extremely specific hand positions and such things which personally (from experience) doesn't require such complex coreography.I have no doubt that what she wrote works for her and will work for someone else our there, but to me, this book isn't what I would see as a "good book to learn from". It's more of "this is my way to do it" with a laundry list of what I can do and you can do the same thing.$LABEL$0 +Dinosaur Paper Chains/A Complete Kit Including 12 Stencils. This book is great for all ages. I bought the book to use with scrapbooking pages, but will also use this as an activity with kids as young as 5 years old. The stencils are large enough that a small kid can use, yet detailed enough to embellish the work that I do. The stencils are easy to cut for a youngster. The paper that is included is elegant for scrapbook pages or for a kid's project. I highly recommend this book for anyone who works with kids and likes to keep them busy. The possibilities are endless. I have seen other 'paper chain' books and they were too complicated for me let alone a kid.$LABEL$1 +about Yvonne Ridley's work. I have met Yvonne Ridley in person, listened to her, talked with her. I agree with Sherif completely. Yvonne Ridley stands for justice; she has never expressed any negative views aginst USA. Please, learn all the facts before forming an opinion about anything. She and many others like her hurts for those innocent who are hurt, killed, raped. She is a great voice and a wonderful example for all. Read, learn and open your heart. If you wish to learn more.Sincerely,Margaret P.$LABEL$1 +Too small..... The customer befor me said that these shoes ran a little big, but i normally wear an 8 1/2 so i got just an 8 and they were too small. So now i have to return them for a 8 1/2. they are really nice shoes though. very comfortable.$LABEL$1 +HORRIBLE TASTE. I am totally unable to drink this stuff, literally impossible. And this is coming from a guy that goes to Japan 2x's a year and eats raw horse meat by the pound and cow intestines by the plate (Korean BBQ). I love almost all foods and can stomach pretty much anything. Actually, I think this is the first thing I have been unable to consume because it does taste that bad (Grape Blast)!I have used the SizeON pill form previously with wonderful results and will go back to the pill form.$LABEL$0 +Not his best but possibly his worst. It appears John grew tired and wrote an ending just to stop the pain of continuning a story line that was weak.$LABEL$0 +COMPLETE, AND UTTER WASTE OF MONEY.!!!! DONT B FOOLED!. If I could give this toy a ZERO MINUS on durability, I would. I have a 2 year old daughter for whom I bought this toy. My daughter watched it all of 20 min before she sat it on the living room table and permanent lines began to come across the screen. We took the batteries out and put them back in...same thing. Are they kidding me when they say this toy is durable for preschoolers!!! Blow your breath on the damn thing and it will skip...(see other reviews). The sound quality sucks, and really the picture isn't the best either (but both are suitable for a toddler). Apparently these toys are defective seeing how the problem appears to be across the board. No wonder this thing is no longer being sold in stores. Buy one you'll see for yourself.$LABEL$0 +Great place to put your feet!. The stool makes nursing much more comfortable for mom -- especially those middle of the night feedings! I strongly recommend that the company consider making a darker stain and perhaps white. Of course you can always paint or stain your own to match your decor.$LABEL$1 +Very Good!!!. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was waiting for this book to arrive. When I got it, I was pleasantly surprised. The color pictures are pictured to show the beautiful finished patterns. There's a nice how-to section in the beginning of the book. It also has a page of supplies you need to start. This makes it much easier to understand the whole process.$LABEL$1 +I Read it in 2 days. The day I received the book I began reading it and couldn't put it down. Every free moment, I would read it and had to force myself to put it down. It was so great to read about what heaven will be like and being greeted by all the love ones that have passed before us. I cried at the pain and angusish that Don had to endure. The limited pictures were helpful in identifing with his situation. I do wish he would have included a picture of his wonderful wife who went through this journey by his side. Thank you Don for sharing such a personal and difficult experience. Your honesty was humbling.$LABEL$1 +Works great. I've been using this fairly consistently for the few weeks since I bought it. Everything works great. It seems to save the quality of the wine well. It does feel the tiniest bit a little cheap on the construction. Nothing has happened, but when I pump the air out of the bottles, the plastic feels a little brittle. But like I said, so far, no problems, does the job, works great, I'm happy.$LABEL$1 +Did not work. My dog weighs 44 lbs. This did not work at all. I still have brown spots all over my yard. The spots are a different shade of brown. He is at the top end of the weight but I think it should still work.$LABEL$0 +Very disappointing. I bought this game for my 5 year old son. I ended up playing for him. The movement of the heroes is very sporadic. I even had a hard time getting the men to slow down so I could get to the hotspots to click on them. They were very jumpy and he was getting very upset because he couldn't click on anything. The game itself was ok. It only took us about 2 hours to finish it. I probably won't buy any more Rescue Heroes on CD Rom.$LABEL$0 +Over-priced eBook, missing images from DTB, poor quality map and figure images.. Over-priced eBook, missing images from DTB, poor quality map and figure images.(Same thing with the iBookStore version.)Simon & Schuster needs to commit more energy towards making quality eBooks (with great formatting, indexing, chapter navigation, and graphics) and less energy towards raising eBook pricing.$LABEL$0 +gandalf is pretty cool. This figure rocks.That's all that there is to it.Even though he fights the balrog in the fellowship he fights him in ttt too.The only bad thing about this fig is that his hair is plastered to fall right in front of the sides of his face.This is not cahange able.Oh well all in all this is a great figure.$LABEL$1 +Fell off hard man..... Sorry fellas, but I heard INS on Protect Ya Neck and said he was the dopest in the clan. The guy that comes with lyrics like "I crystalize the rhyme so you can sniff it" was supposed to hit harder than anyone else out there, but for whatever reason this album fell off hard. 17 tracks on the LP and maybe you can peep 3 or 4 fresh beats. The rest of the album sounds like it was put together by some hollywood studio, not the true dungeon sounds that Wu is known for. Had they followed the formula for earlier success, and had RZA realized that his beats with Deck's words is like peanut butter with the jelly, this album would have gone down in history. Instead, it goes down as one of the biggest dissapointments in a long time. It just hurts, man. When you got easily the number one lyricist in the group, he needs to be heard over the coldest beats they got. That shoulda been RZA.$LABEL$0 +Great cowbell. This is a great cowbell. It is pretty easy to control how much it rings with proper technique, and it's loud when you hit it hard. It is a little lower tonally than I expected (more of a toonk than a tok, if that means anything), but I can't complain.$LABEL$1 +A great supplimental teaching tool. This book teaches how to add your personality and other interactive techniques to your teaching. It teaches that it is a good idea to constantly up-date methods of presenting curriculum.$LABEL$1 +Irreverent loser makes good with great fun. Up tight people get theirs with humor, but not much differently from the theatrical release$LABEL$1 +great camera, but there are betters out there. I've got one these. THe best thing about this is the zoom. the picture quality is pretty good, very bright. there are a lot of features, including a pretty easy tv out. the AA battery makes this very convenient for power supply. however, unless you've got a fast SD card, taking pictures lags a little. also, you can't zoom in video...$LABEL$1 +Money.. Moran is a well known CIA agent. To know Moran through her work is diametrically opposite to know her through hervideo interviews on the internet, the most important one already being taken down right now. I might as well writea summary of what that interview said: "you can break your mental and physical limits". This is CIA performancepsychology, and according to rumour, Lindsay Moran is a master of it.Now back to the book review. Lindsay Moran has used every trick of the nonfiction writer: composite characters,fictional characters, outright fabrication, excetera, to create a suspenseful work. The most important point shemakes is that the CIA is no place for women, and that is why she left.This is not the case. Lindsay Moran never left the CIA. No one with this many years of seniority has trouble goingon extended paid leave with benefits (to write a book).In conclusion, the best part of the book is Lindsay potraying herself as a dirty girl when in fact she is a dourGerman Protestant.$LABEL$1 +STUPID, SILLY BORING. This book had the possibity to be good. But I got turned off immediately when the ANTI-HUNTING lingo started. Then it just got worse and sillier. I think I will move on to other authors.$LABEL$0 +And you thought Nick was bad.... Aaron's jammin' and Nick's pretty good for a prepubescent boy. How about singin' sistah Leslie? Let's just say that the singing gene doesn't run through the females of the Carter family. The title "Like Wow" doesn't plead to be taken seriously. It's just another sugared-up pop song desperate to go mainstream. Her voice sounds much like her brother, Aaron- only whinier. She sings surprisingly worse than Britney Spears and it is obvious that she is just as digitally manipulated as the Pop Princess. "It's True" was better than "Like Wow," but if you're trying to find meaning in those songs, you won't find it. You won't even come close to understanding them; it might be Leslie's low moans or the lyrics themselves. "It's True" was well produced. The music was addicting. It's just too bad that you could hear Leslie.$LABEL$0 +Works Flawlessly.....Until. I bought this adapter for my car, it works flawlessly!! However, there is this a warning that says not to leave the adapter in the cassette player while the car is off...I did it just once overnight and it was ruined, luckily, these can be picked up economically. I highly recommend this adapter...and I highly recommend not leaving in the cassette player.$LABEL$1 +FAIL. BUYER BEWARE!!!Padding insufficient--my new MacBook 17 was dented within weeks of use of this bag!Furthermore, after less than a year of use the stitching started falling apart!$LABEL$0 +Nice product. Bought it based on other ratings and haven't been disappointed. Takes some time to find a station that doesn't cause static but once I did, the item works as advertised. Charging the Nano while it plays is also a great bonus.$LABEL$1 +Overrated and dumb. Everyone I've talked to said Linkin Park was incredible and awesome. I am a huge fan of rap/metal but this is nothing like Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, and Papa Roach. It was terrible. Their way of blending rap and rock was stupid. Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit combine them so well you almost can't tell when they've converted their singing. BUt Linkin Park starts singing rock then coverts so quickly it's annoying (especcially in the song IN THE END) I hated it and if I could have given it 0 stars I would. If you are in to other rap/metal bands and you're hoping to find the same musical genius in these guys then you're out of luck. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! THIS IS THE ... ALBUM EVER$LABEL$0 +Whats wrong with me. I fantasize about women with whips all the time, but I found this film boring. I dont know what to do?$LABEL$0 +Shabby graphics, despicable gameplay. If you enjoy beating up old ladies, if you aspire to be a criminal, if you want to be a jerk or a criminal defense attorney, maybe this game is for you. Sure it's fantasy, but I hated the character, and wanted to play as someone else, namely a cop, so I could give the main character the beat down he deserves. Basically, I wanted to lose. Plus, the graphics are horrible, and stink of the game's PS2 heritage. The guy's legs look like sausages, and the other citizens look like circus freaks. Some textures on buildings are so blurry and low res it looks like an N64 game. The only good thing I have to say is the soundtrack is great.$LABEL$0 +Look at other books. I went to Melbourne and Sydney and the book turned out to be pretty skimpy. I flipped through the Fodor's book when I got home and wished I had bought that one instead. I found the Frommer's book to be very light on things to do and good places to eat for the 2 cities I visited. There isn't even a mention of Olympic Park in Sydney and only a handful of restaurants are mentioned. If you are only buying one book I would recommend checking out the Fodor's instead. It contains more thorough information and has good maps throughout for each city.$LABEL$0 +HP Color Laser Presentation Paper. I totally love this paper. It's thinner than the "HP Color Laser Presentation Paper, soft gloss", but for what I use the paper I think it's better. It's glossy as it says.$LABEL$1 +Cordless Phone System. We needed to replace a telephone and answering system, due to age of the old system. The Uniden system has proven to be a very suitable replacement. The instructions are very complete and understandable. The ringer is distinctive and quite loud. Sound quality is quite good. The only drawback is the delay between pressing a number key and the tone associated with it. Overall, we are very pleased with the phone system.$LABEL$1 +Only 1 good song on the CD. Like many others I bought this CD after hearing "Crawling in the Dark". It is the first song on the CD, and the quality definitely goes downhill quickly after that single song. "Crawling in the Dark" is the only really good song on the CD. There are 2 more decent songs and the rest are just crap. If you really like "Crawling" I recommend that you buy the CD single and hold off on paying full price for this CD unless you get to listen to it entirely somewhere. I know I am disappointed that I paid full price for what amounts to a 1-song CD.$LABEL$0 +Humorous children's novel about with science. This book was written in 1962 and shows it age. Otherwise it's a good book. It deals with a boy working on a science project, but things never work out just right. I read it as a child and liked it and just read it again to encourage my 3rd grader to read it. It is funny and explains the scientific method as well as a children's novel can. For 6th graders or older I would recommend the Mad Scientists Club books--much better but for older kids becasue they have more advanced science.$LABEL$1 +1 star for one hit wonders. "Jump" is their only good song. The rest of this album is horrible. Little kids rapping really isn't fresh at all. In fact, it's downright annoying. If this is in the bargain bin for $2.00, then pick it up, otherwise, forget about it.$LABEL$0 +Appalling.. Excuse me, but wasnt anyone who has read this book as appalled as I was by the fact that the empath-heroine walks herself through the scene of a brutal rape/murder, basically experiencing everything the victim did, and then immediately goes home and has sex with her perfect love interest? Yuck! Until I reached that point, I was genuinely compelled by the book, the choppy writing and the inconsistencies notwithstanding. But that scene was utterly arrogant on Roberts' part. I'm willing to suspend disbelief and lose myself in a romantic fantasy, but it should at least ring A LITTLE BIT true. Am I as a reader supposed to immediately dismiss this perfectly nice girl (who could just as well have been the heroine of another romance) who's been brutally murdered and instead identify with a heroine so callous? Don't insult me.$LABEL$0 +As good as the middle volume gets.. The first game introduced us to the cast of the G.U. series and gave us fans of the original games a lot of enjoyable and awesome tweaks to the mundane battle system that was of the first 4 games of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed how this game plays and with the second volume, it adds several new battle mechanics, plus a few mini games for those continuing the series. This game continues the awesome story line that G.U. vol. 1 Rebirth left off on, and basically brings the player closer to solving the mysteries that the game set out for the gamers and Haseo, the main character, to figure out. The difficulty in this game was cranked up a lot from the previous version, so I've been seeing myself get game overs more often and such and it is exactly what I'm looking for. This game is a must get and everyone who loves RPG's should give the .hack series a try.$LABEL$1 +Into the woods. Liked it. Familiar with story/music/etc, but enjoyed re-viewing it. Unable to see a local live performance, but this was almost as good.$LABEL$1 +Good battery for the price. Much longer life than the standard battery on my PV-GS250. Build quality isn't as good as the Panasonic brand, but it works and that is the most important part.$LABEL$1 +Belkin extension. It was avery good price for the extension and works well. I have two of them and no trouble with either of them,$LABEL$1 +Decent product. I have an old '95 s10 pickup with over 200,000 miles that I drive to work. I wanted to make cold morning starting of my pick up more gentle. I use it with a timer and start it a few hours before I leave in the morning. The starting temperature doesn't give me instant heat. The old motor does however appreciate not being starting at 20 degrees. I'd estimate the temperature at start is probably 90 or 100 degrees. I have warm air within a mile of driving. Before installing the heater, I'd just barely be getting warm air by the time I got to work. For the price, it does well enough that I'm satisfied.$LABEL$1 +Paid for this item a month ago still have not received it customer service is a joke!. I ordered this back around August 14th and its not September 7th and still have not got it, i wrote a review on this before, i tried getting hold of the company many times with no success and once i left a poor review someone finally called me and assured me with a 75 dollar credit back on my credit card that it be here no later then the 7th. To sum it up its still not im leaving this review to warn that if you order this item or any from this seller and have any issues you will be next to no choice able to get ahold of anyone to solve the problem would rate ZERO stars if had the option.$LABEL$0 +Starting Out? Yeahhh Right...... With all do respect to the author, this book is not well written. I got this book to actually learn the Grunfeld. Well It turns out I waisted my money. When I explored the Grunfeld a little more, i found out that it is a worthless opening. I now play the Modern Benoni. The Modern Benoni is excellent for agressive players and if you want to learn the opening I recommend Starting Out: The Modern Benoni. Ive had great success with this opening. Now back to the Grunfeld. The Grunfeld is bad because it lets white get a strong central advantage for no reason at all. Ive also found a few errors in this book. The variations are not well explained so your pretty much on your own the figure them out. So, Please save your money.$LABEL$0 +What a trip!. What a great read! Written as a series of short tales, it reminded me of sitting with my buddies swapping stories on any given night. The stories are a great mix of the ribald, the hilarious, and also serious. This is a book that can be read again and again.$LABEL$1 +Bad Radio; Expensive Charger. Radio station seek mode using arrow did not work in one direction; station dial was erratic; label was put on cockeyed (sloppy quality control); not so hot reception with battery. Charger worked good. Exchanged radio for dual charger and pocketed the difference.$LABEL$0 +happy with my cajun accordion. I couldn't find a new cajun accordion for this price anywhere. I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. It's got a nice clean sound, Tight bellows, good keyboard action. The strap that ships with it is a little shoddy, and mounting brackets for the strap could be better, but all in all, I would recommend this product.$LABEL$1 +One of Two Recommended Apologetics books. Craig covers the topic of Apologetics in such a way that is both scholarly, but still accessable to the average person. His book is fairly technical, but not so much that a person can't grasp the overall message of the book.He writes 1 1/2 pages on Alvin Plantinga's view of epistemology. This was extremely helpful in responding to attacks against Christianity. Although, a difficult passage to read, I'd recommend everyone grasp the concepts presented in that section.$LABEL$1 +Too little. I recently bought this book and am quite disappointed. If you have never used an art program before, then this book may help. If you have even a little background in PhotoShop, this book will not help in any way. I also never saw how they got the 2160 page count, it can't be more than 100.$LABEL$0 +thanks!, by Alyssa Turner "baby doll lover". this stroller is so cute! im 12 and i was afraid that its too short but i want to say thanks to the 2 girls that said that they were over 4'11 and could push it with no problem! im 5'2 and the girl below me wrote that she is not much taller than the girl who is 4'11 so we must be about the same height. it looks so real and i cant wait to buy it. Thanks again!$LABEL$1 +Great Book. This book is so typical of Southern Families with a strong matriarchal leader. I laughed out loud while reading because Ms Smith uses comical pharses I have grown up hearing. This is an awesome book.$LABEL$1 +Cheap plastic threads wear out easily. I bought one, the cheap plastic threads connecting to the faucet wore out. So I bought another. And the cheap plastic threads connecting it to the faucet wore out -- even quicker. I frequently go to get a drink and find that it's spraying water into my face. Brita should be using metal threads which probably would cost them about $0.01 more. After two fast failures, I'm staying away from Brita filters. I don't know what to do with the bunch of extra filters I have.After months using a new Culligan filter, I strongly recommend the Culligan instead: $10 cheaper, AND more durable. Brita, your competition has clearly surpassed you:Culligan FM-15A Level 3 Faucet Filter$LABEL$0 +This game is a technical disaster. I've got a brand new Nvidia 5200 128 MB graphics card, and just got back into computer gaming, so I was eager to try this game because it's a genre I love. Plus, my PC played COD and Battlefield 1942 so there shouldn't have been technical problems to play it. Boy was I wrong to think that.This game is a technical disaster. I ran it on a P4 with 256 MB RAM and it still crashed on me three times, something that never happened even once with other games at all.After it crashed for the third time BEFORE I even got to start the first mission, I gave up.The developers really dropped the ball on this game. From its looks and screen shots I've seen, it looks like a great game. But if it's too unstable to play, nobody's going to notice it.This game is an absolute disaster from a technical standpoint and the developers should be ashamed of themselves.$LABEL$0 +A Positive look at MS. This is a book that gave me hope shortly after being diagnosed. It is a book I bought a number of copies of to loan to family and friends. It does a good job of telling about MS without being quite so scary as most. It really could use some updating, a lot of advances have been made since it was published.$LABEL$1 +Close but not perfect. The strap is too short (i am 5'7" and it hangs around 8 inches from my armpit going across my chest.maybe it is a pros though as it prevents too mush swaying of the bag while walkingNo shoulder pads to lessen the weight on the shoulderMain zipper pouch.the tablet slot is too narrow so i end up putting the tablet on the other sideFlap area.the mesh pouch (other side no zipper) is flimsy and uselessMain zipper is flimsy,please do not use rubber tabs.use hard plasticPlease have a longer shoulder strapUse removable shoulder strap with snap on linkWider tablet slotPlease add a rain cover that can be tucked in the bottom (tethered).i want to keep all my gadgets inside from rainFor the flap area,make it a bit wider so more items can fit insideAdd hard foam at the back of bag to prevent tablet breakage$LABEL$0 +good. If you enjoy the show, you'll enjoy the dvds. This is the complete 5th season, just as they were on tv. case and disc of good quality.$LABEL$1 +7-month old loves it. I ordered a couple of books and this one is her favorite!!! It is the only one she really pay attesntion to and she doesn't try and eat it!! 5 stars!!$LABEL$1 +Easy, fun read. This book is so easy to relate to if you are in your 20's, single, and working at an unchallenging job... and most of your time is spent going out with friends and on dates or at least thinking about those things. It is set in New York, and she is very descriptive about the city - I felt like I was right there.$LABEL$1 +a true blessing. one might think such a small item might be a trival request. These little beauties allow me to walk again. I am very active and love hiking & walking. my feet one the other hand are falling apart. This small metarsil arch support keeps the small bones in alinment so that I can continue exploring this life the way I love.$LABEL$1 +Did not work. This product did not live up to expectations. I was disappointed with the product and with the reviews online which were the reason why I selected Braza.$LABEL$0 +A pleasant new series!. This is a fascinating novel about a part of American history that I don't know very well. Shaker society was never really covered in class, and so I read this with fascination. Besides the well done parts about Shaker society, the mystery itself is also fun to read about. Sister Callahan seems to be the only sane person sometimes there as the other Shakers are portrayed as religious fanatics to the point of being violently fanatical. I'm hoping that the people we meet in the next book will be a tad calmer. Besides that one problem I was still enchanted by this book and look forward to the next one.$LABEL$1 +WHY?????????. This book should not have been published yet. First of all we chose the wrong person for the job and secnd it is too soon. The world is not ready for its ontents. Nobody told me we were doing this!Italian G95$LABEL$0 +Haven't I heard this before?. Crap! Everything about this new effort is crap. Perhaps the chemistry they had on the first album was just a fluke. The musical compositions sound nearly the same as the first album. The beginning riff on "Your time has come" sounds very close to cochise. The lyrics are trite, self absorbed and meandering(kinda like soundgardens last effort). Morello took us down the same ole same ole noise road with his guitar solos. The most annoying quality of this album is the sound, it's flat and lifeless, the mixes are blase, muddy and totally lacking in edge.I don't see anything redeeming about this album. Perhaps they should've stayed in exile awhile longer.$LABEL$0 +On a mission. I was disappointed with myself that I didn't notice I had purchased the 12th edition (used 1992)but more importantly that this book was initiated as a catalogue for Christian missionaries. After the entry for GREEK, it states "NT 1638-1989". I thought the NT, New Testament, was originally written in Greek.I will keep it as a handy catalogue of languages, but I will look elsewhere for information on the languages of the world.$LABEL$0 +Disapointed. Well I did get it ontime so I give that five stars but other than that the candy bars tasted old so I tried looking at the date and it was scrashed off, so I'm dissapointed.$LABEL$0 +dupli color paint sucks. doesnt stick to car seat fabric well and in the end it came out looking like musturd yellow with patches of black. It took me another hour to get 90% of it off. What a waste of money!!!! I also have a video on youtube.$LABEL$0 +IT IS ALL HAPPENING AS WE ON THE PLANET PLAN IT. I have just recently discovered the KRYON books though they have been with us for the past ten years. ALL IN ITS RIGHT TIME means it was just right for me to read KRYON now. And I feel so blessed and grateful that the books have fallen off a shelf into my hand in the usual synchronistic manner of how I discover books. I want to SHOUT to everyone I know to read these books and see where we have brought ourselves. Unfortunately, most everyone I know is still waiting for the books to fall off the shelves. But for all of you out there and I know there are at least 144000, run don't walk to your nearest book store for BOOK I and I promise you will immediately get the next six or seven and hope that before KRYON is through there are at least a couple more waiting for us! IT'S YOUR CHOICE OF COURSE. p.s. All that KRYON talks about is stuff we are manifesting including this review.$LABEL$1 +Awesome travel router!. I am actually writing this review using the DWL-G730AP access point. It's super tiny and works flawlessly.I've used it a a hotel conference where the conference room had 1 lan port and using this router I managed to securely share that connection with over 20 attendees. Performance was more than acceptable and signal strength, despite it's dimunitive size, is impressive.Overall a well balanced product. My only beef is that I wish they had made the power adapter even smaller, and oh yeah, the thing looks ugly. I wish they made it more stylish looking.But those 2 caveats do not affect the performance of the router in any way, they are just my comments.Go ahead and buy it! You'll be satisfied!$LABEL$1 +Never received from Amazon. I wouldn't know how this book is. I ordered it December 11 2005 and never received it. Amazon cancelled my order in March because they said they did not receive confirmation from me that there would be a delay. Not only could I show proof I had given the confirmation, I also had an email with an apology saying they would send it to me for free. But because they cancelled my order, we had to start it again. Expected delivery time is the middle of May. 6 months to get a book from Amazon - the book people. What a joke!!$LABEL$0 +not bad..... it's what you would expect. i laughed, i scoffed, but overall, a cheaply made horror movie that didn't suck. i would be interested to see this film fleshed out into a longer, feature length movie$LABEL$1 +Pretty Darn Good. I've taught beginners using several "method" books (Mel Bay, Bay and Christianson, Leavitt's Berklee series), and I've currently settled on this one. While I'd prefer not using tablature as a crutch, many students refuse to learn standard notation. Vecchio's book has both, so the motivated student can learn standard notation. Additionally, students respond better to modern material than "Wildwood Flower" or the dreaded "Fourth String Study". The combination of flatpick and fingerstyle is also a nice touch.$LABEL$1 +The best and the easiest to read English translation.. Dr. Khalifa's translation of the Arabic Quran certainly appears as a translation inspired by God and as claimed by the translator himself. This translation also inspires the reader and clarifies many things right at the first reading. The translation is also claimed to be most accurate and is most definately an easy read. It comes with many facts regarding the miraculaous mathematical coding of the Quran as contained in one of the appendices to this translation. Highly recommended. If you want to know what Quran is all about, then this is the translation to read. Any other translations thus far are no match to this one.$LABEL$1 +a BEAUTIFUL movie!. Oh, wow. This movie is just so magical. Everything about it is absolutely captivating. I love the the time it's set in, because this allows for a lot of beautiful, old-fashioned backgrounds that accent the perfectly poignant acting! The little girl is so adorable, and there are some scenes in this movie that seem to belong in a painting, they are so visually-appealing and colorful. This movie is one of those movies you can watch and totally immerse yourself in and forget you're watching a movie, actually believing you're IN it. I wish I could give it more than five stars, because it truly deserves it. It really gives you that deep-down, warm feeling that only the best movies can make you feel. It's rare to find such a deeply-moving movie that can be enjoyed by anyone!$LABEL$1 +Cheap construction. Cute design, but drop it once and it's done. It is awkward to turn the top to mix, and the printed recipes on the container fade.$LABEL$0 +Aweful. just a trailer, nothing more,so it really sucked, you can watch that even on you tube, no need to be a member here$LABEL$0 +Works fine in Israel. I live in Israel. I ordered the unit from Amazon with some fear that it may not work properly here. However the unit is great and it works excellent. You can set up the unit to view your position in Israeli coordinates -new or old. Just look on the internet for the Israel Datum, and enter the data in the Datum screens. The car power-cable is a must, and so is the dispenser. It does not work in house, but I get a good reception in the car (without an antenna). Although this is my first GPS I can tell it is a very good one with many options. When you on the move (for example you drive from one town to another)it draws a line in the map screen, showing your trails. Then when you drive back, it draws parallel lines keeping a clearance between the lanes and showing points of intersections. The unit does not come with any map for Israel. I do not recommend to buy the MapSource as it is not accurate. I give it 4 stars just because I never rate anything as 100%...$LABEL$1 +sophmore slump. This CD was awful. Most of the Coal Chamber fans will love this CD, but as far as this CD being better-it isn't. The lyrics are still dumb, the Ozzy remake was a disaster, the guitar riffs were dull, and the composition was horrible.The expectations were not fulfilled. This CD bites! Don't waste your money, and Coal Chamber quit your day job.$LABEL$0 +My puppy has never been so comfy!. This is the best product for anyone with a little dog who likes to ride in the car! My puppy just loves being able to see out the window, while being secure in the seat next to me. It is also great for long car trips, because it is comfortable enough for them to also nap in! I would absolutely reccommend this product to anyone!$LABEL$1 +Incredible video, not to be missed!. I own a copy of this video and sent one this Christmas to my best friend back home. Oddly enough, we both had Rick Larson as a professor in college, and I distinctly remember him as a favorite then as well. He did a phenomenal job making this video, which is well-researched and awe-inspiring to watch. I can't wait until my kids are old enough to watch and fully understand the content that the "Star of Bethlehem" covers; just a few years to go! Since it is a documentary, you must be prepared for the presentation (no Hollywood antics here!), but I assure you, watching this video is time well-spent. I'd highly recommend it as a Christmas gift to anyone and everyone, but don't wait until then to buy one for yourself!$LABEL$1 +ONE OF MARGOLIN'S BEST!. I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel, even though I paid a little more money. I just couldn't wait till it was released. Phillip Margolin is one of my favorite courtroom thriller authors. "The Associate" was very interesting. It dealt with Daniel Ames, a lawyer working for a firm in Oregon. He is defending a pharmaceutical company aganist allegations that one of their drugs is the cause to many disfunctions and problems with newborn children. The case picks up steam when a scientist who works for the company gets burned to death. The novel gets more complex from then on, going deeper into the studies of the company and more research. The conclusion is shocking and exciting. This is a must read for courtroom and Margolin fans. Margolin is ten times better than Grisham & Turow!Brad Stonecipher$LABEL$1 +Can you see me Now???. I just love this game...It is so different than most video games and the lighting and curtain effects are amazing. I have about a dozen or so Xbox games and this one is by far my favorite. The is just something about the steath nature of the game that just pulls you in. You sometimes think, there is no way out of this situation and them you somehow find a way to get through..You can not run through this game and shot them up. You will find yourself lurking in the shadows and seeing just how quiet and un-noticed you can be, and if that doesn't work, well...a bullet to the head will do the trick...sometimes, the bad guy just has to go down.If you like strategy and thinking, you will love this game, and you will be running through the curtains and shades just for fun...lol..enjoy$LABEL$1 +y can't they make FULL seasons?!!??. i love big time rush, well actually i luv every nick show ever aird... nick is awesome. but the 1 thing i hate about them, is they take forever to make complete seasons!!!!!!!!!!!see, what they do is make volumes and volumes... and if your like me you hate to buy all those dvds, it costs more, and it takes up too much room. come on lets be realistic, help me talk nick into releasing FULL SEASONS 1st, instead of doing it way after there off the air.$LABEL$1 +Low Price and It WORKS!!!. I couldnt find a remote for less than $50 online, most higher than that. So when I saw a used one for $13 I figured it was worh a try. I couldnt tell it was used, great condition. I took it to a dealership that programmed it for me for $25. In total I spent less than what most charge for a new remote alone. Great product, shipped fast.$LABEL$1 +If Citizen Kane is a great film, what would a bad film be like?. To enjoy Citizen Kane, you have to be able to answer the question above. I just hate almost everything about this film. I think it's easy to create a hype how such a terrible film look great and deep. Many people will fall for it. But it's very hard to make a truly GREAT FILM!$LABEL$0 +Best Guide to Gaining Mass. I have been lifting for years now, but I have never seen the results I have gained with this book before. This book is perfect for getting yourself out of that plateau or training rut. The only problem I have with the book is the diet suggestions are extremely repetitive. I have found myself looking elsewhere for meal suggestions.$LABEL$1 +Amazon made me wait a month, then canceled my order. Amazon made me wait a month, then canceled my order. It seems to be a 5-star product, just wish I'd have gotten one :-($LABEL$1 +The Indestructible Beat Of Mali. 30 years on, and legends in West Africa, blind couple Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia have their commercial comeuppance in the other-than-world-music sphere, and I am not egotistical or hip enough to admit that you can count me in that group of neo-fans. What I did discover upon the solid recommendation of a sage-in-the-woods is an extraordinary juxtaposition of rhythm and glorious melody and gargantuan beats and a conviction that only 30 years of love could muster. The great Manu Chao produces with a pristine knowledge and his variegated patterns illuminate the vocal while the whole thing effervesces into an explosion of infectious tunes. Believe the hype. My grade: A$LABEL$1 +Looks and sounds like the series was made today instead of decades ago.. Very impressive. Long time fan of the series. Have not seen it since it was originally on TV. So many series that I enjoyed when I was a kid have been disappointing as an adult. The Prisoner was just a good and intelligent as I remember. In many ways, it is better now that I understand nuances I did not back then.$LABEL$1 +Ughhhhhh!. This cd is crap! The music is dated, and it just came out. The only highlight is that guy Steve Smith who sing bground vocals. He's tight!$LABEL$0 +Horrible Customer Support. Wow, not only did the whole unit not work, but the customer support is the worst I've ever seen of any group. They actually lied twice during my support ticket and then later went back and said "we couldn't reveal that information earlier", except that is was 180 degree conflicting to what they now said. Then they started threatening legal action if I said anything on user groups. All I wanted was for the unit to be used on Windows Vista, which, like another reviewer here, it should as the packaging says "PC or Mac", not "Windows XP SP1 and Mac OS 9".Unbelievably horrible product and customer support. Run far away from this company.$LABEL$0 +Nice Read. This is the first book I read from Robert Crais and I was quit satisfied. This book kept me on edge and I had trouble putting it down. Pike is a bad mother, shut your mouth! Nice story line with a interesting twist.I will probably read more of his books. Two thumbs up!$LABEL$1 +This is the smallest toy ever! Not worth 19.99! Fit's in my the palm of my hand!. Very disappointed in this toy. There was no indication that this toy was small. Once I got it ... well... it's as big as the palm of my hand. I hope it doesnt' get lost under the tree!$LABEL$0 +Solid instructional book. John Jacobs provides a solid instructional book. Many instructors fall into either an arm driven or (more popular) body driven swing. While body driven instructors put Jacobs in the arm driven swing category, I believe he's really exactly in the middle. He believes that both are required in the appropriate measure.A big bonus is his sections on troubleshooting on the course (including how lie, slope and club will affect shot direction and shape) and the fixs/faults section. The fixs/faults section is an abbreviated version of his Golf Doctor book, but just as good and a little more simplified (for the better). Technical swing mechanists will find fault with some of the physics of his explanations, but his fixes are based on years of experience and have worked for me.$LABEL$1 +A compilation of uptempo Disco and R&B tracks that should not be a part of the "Smooth Grooves" series.. Rhino's "Smooth Grooves" series most definitely took a turn for the worse on this volume. Just what this compilation's producers were thinking of when they decided to include the songs by Dynasty, Kraftwerk, Marvin Gaye, Ashford & Simpson, Kano, The People's Choice and the others that managed to make it onto this CD is beyond me as they are all uptempo Disco hits that got plenty of exposure in the clubs but that most certainly don't belong on a romantic music series. If you are looking for a compilation of late-1970s or early-'80s Disco and Urban R&B you'll probably like this compilation but it should never have been included as part of the "Smooth Grooves" line.$LABEL$0 +Amazon Customer Service SUCKS!. I ordered 6 bags of this candy in plenty of time for Halloween since my children cannot have anything artificial. When my order came, I only had one bag! There was NO phone number for customer service and when I submitted this problem online I got an automatic message back. This was 2 months ago and NO ONE from Amazon has contacted me. They leave no way for you to report real issues. I was excited to see their organic selection but I will never purchase anything from the lame Amazon grocery store again and I would encourage everyone else not to since there is no way to reach an acutal CS person.$LABEL$0 +One of the best r&b albums in my collection!!. This Album is incredible. I have this CD for years and I still play it today, this man put all his feeling and emotion in his songs. I am still asking the same question who is this guy Jesse Campbell and where did he came from? I truly hope he makes another album.his music helped me to a lot of things.If you read this and do not have the album yet GET IT!!!If you like gospel/r&b;/soul GET IT.Thanks Jesse. Greetzz from The Netherlands, Maurice$LABEL$1 +Worked great...for about a year.. I really did appreciate this while it lasted. It was in my bedroom and served as a fan/white noise maker/air purifier all in one. I'd only turn it on while sleeping, but it lasted barely over a year before it started making a horrible sound. It sounds like there is a flap or rudder stuck in a fan blade or something. So, I'll be paying shipping to the manufacturer in TN, plus their $10 reshipping fee. Not what I expected from this price point and the frequency in which it was used.$LABEL$0 +Buy the 1994 version instead. I bought this version after I saw the 1994 version and was disappointed this one. I found out much later that his version didn't always stick to the script as the 1994 version does. Go with the newer 1994 version instead.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY. This should not be sold as a book. It is totally unreadable because the font size is so small. Was it a mistake at the printing factory? They should be ashamed to sell it!$LABEL$0 +what the hell is this garbage?. This is utterly awful....riffs so thin and pathetic they make Bush look like Overkill, this album wallows in uncreative swill. The guitarist sounds like he just picked up his instrument a week before, and the fact of the matter is, any band having to hire a guy to guest to play guitar solos (Dimebag Darell) is utterly pathetic. The songwriting is nonexistent, if at best poor...only about 1 song is impressive, Catharsis...the others should be pissed on!!!$LABEL$0 +Limo Song. The song missing from the soundtrack that plays twice, once the first time they kiss and again when they are having sex in the limo, is called "This Years Love" by David Grey. It's an awesome song! Most of other songs they put on the soundtrack are just instrumental background music you hardly even notice, rather than the good songs...$LABEL$1 +insight. natalie zea is great actress. catch her on cable series "justified" the dvd has good suspenseful thrills and action that keeps you on the edge-of-your seat i reccommend this little unknown movie$LABEL$1 +Anne-Victim of Henry's Lust. I was not familiar with this movie (it was released before I was born), but wanted to see it after reading THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory. Gregory portrays Anne as the scheming seducer, but in this movie Anne and her sister Mary are both portrayed as the victims of Henry's lust and the rules of the society in which they live. I am not familiar with Bujold's work, but was impressed with such a young woman meeting Richard Burton on even ground, and even stealing the scene. As for Burton, I found it rather hard to believe him as Henry VIII, especially since the film-makers did not attempt to give him Henry's famous red-gold Tudor hair. It was hard to see him as anything other than "The" Richard Burton. All in all, a good re-telling of the story of Anne and Henry, not just your average costume drama.$LABEL$1 +This a great lost album--Poco writting at its best!. This album is one of the best they have ever made--great songs,very emotionally sung and written, about love and loneliness during the Civil War-it also works for the current era-the songs are written beautifully and with romantic feelings-and the singing is perfect-great harmonies-if you are the kind of person that gets emotional with songs-this is the one to get-listen to it with your girlfriend or wife-she is sure to love these songs. Rusty Young, Paul Cotton and Gerorge Gratham are great songwriters and singers. I don't understand why this album is so hard to fine--it should be re-released on CD or released on SACD--Listen to this album-you will not be disappointed if you are a true POCO fan!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Good stuff. Finally, a way I can get my heart rate monitor working before I ride away from the house. I grew tired of licking my monitor belt before my bike rides, and this does the trick. As soon as I turn on my monitor, I can see my heart rate. Thanks for a great product.$LABEL$1 +A Real Chuckler. This is a great concept. It may have been done before, as some folks have said, but I don't care. What humor *is* original? Everyone borrows from everyone. The point is to make people laugh. And reading about lost Prussian swords and giant shrimp suits just cracks me up. Hahaha! I laugh out loud. It's that funny.$LABEL$1 +Temporary and standard light. I prepped the surface with rubbing alcohol only to find them laying on the floor within the first five days of installation. The darkening effect is no better than the vertical blinds currently installed on the other windows.I won't be purchasing these again.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. I felt this movie was terribly disappointing. My issues are:1. She seemed to get freaked out/scared WAY to easily. I was wondering why she would react so terrified to such simple stuff. She knew her dad and uncle were there, so hearing sounds isn't really abnormal.2. They advertised this as in real-time style, but by the end of the movie, you realize that was entirely pointless (SPOILER: there is a twist that makes the real-time aspect completely bogus since what we've been watching isn't what was going on. So what we saw wasn't even the correct unfolding of events).I feel the movie was very cliche with an ending that's been beaten to death. Some may find this scary, but I was just scratching my head wondering why she was so freaked out so quickly. And wondering when I would finally get a good scare. Never happened.$LABEL$0 +Unimpressive. I listened to this CD with the hope that it would be better than their previous work. I was wrong. The entire album was rewritten material with the what sounded like a band mailing in the music. If you like Queensrhyche, listen to Empire and Operaton Mindcrime. Those are very well written albums and worth your money. This is not. Steer clear.$LABEL$0 +Needs bonus tracks. I became an Elton John fan during the superstar's 1976-82 career lull, A SINGLE MAN (released in '78) among the first of his albums I obtained. The weak lyrics accompany routine music and only three songs stand out: "Big Dipper" and the minor hit singles, "Part-time Love" and "Song For Guy." Both those 45s had great flip-sides, "I Cry At Night" and "Lovesick," respectively, and it is too bad the CD release of A SINGLE MAN did not include them as bonus tracks. The rest of A SINGLE MAN has hints of what made Elton great. It was just a matter of time until he got back in top form with JUMP UP, TOO LOW FOR ZERO and BREAKING HEARTS, to name three of Elton John's worthwhile 1980s albums.$LABEL$0 +I am usingit righow. thisreview is being tyedonthiskeyboard.Iam hitting all therightbuttonsto make a complete/orrect sentence. Bt youwil notice that it is failing smetimes.the maority of thetime,the buttnsdon't or thefirst time aroud and youmust bacspce an rehit them again. oten enough,thebackspace buttondoesn't wor eithrand it becomes dificult to type whoutfixingalmost al f your words. i m astrng typer, i click the keyboard fairl hard and am accurate, oweer on this,I am a disgrace. it rolls u nicely but doesn't tpe good t all.IF OU ARE HAVNG ADIFFICULT TIME READING THI, THAT ISTHEPOINT! THISKEYBOARD WILL NOT WORK FOR YOU AND IS VERYDIFFICULT TO YPE SUCCESSFULLYON.BOOM~~MINKYBINKS~~BOOM$LABEL$0 +Same story... different setting. A lot of books are about man's struggle, etc. Frankly, it gets a bit boring and "ho-hum" after awhile. The only difference with this novel is the location: Newfoundland.As a Canadian, I have been to Newfoundland and I think the author's depiction is really off base. I believe it gives readers a false impression of what this maritime province is really like.Some characters are annoying and I'm not a huge fan of her narrative voice. I also dislike the excessive use of sentence fragments. This is, of course, personal preference. My opinion of the book is that the use of descriptive detail and imagery and other literary devices conceals the fact that the plot is fairly bland.$LABEL$0 +A Great Feminist Sci-Fi Novel. I came across the name Octavia Butler when searching for science fiction books written by a black woman with a black woman as the protagonist and I found thos gem! If you are into the concept of humanity destroying itself and having to give up part of itself to survive, this book is for you. This book uses metaphors to discuss complex subjects including the role of women, the role of science and genetic enginering, the contradiction that is humanity and learning how to start over when there is little trace of the past. Dawn is an easy read and will definitely cause you to read Adulthood Rites and Imago. A great book!$LABEL$1 +Nav300 works okay, but don't buy it. I've been using this GPS for almost two years. It works well enough, but it appears that bankrupt Delphi will not be supplying map updates. I am a road warrior, and I am already running into problems where the maps are not accurate, or roads are missing. Also, it won't save a destination unless you are on a road, so if you are in a parking lot, down a long driveway, etc, you have to go back to the road to save the location. We purchased a Magellan 1410 for my wife to use, and it has better search features. And it's more compact!Conclusion: skip this GPS, and buy one from a solid company like Garmin or Magellan.$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for!. I purchased this radio to listen to FM stations while I am out locally on foot, and while traveling abroad. I tested it in my back yard. It will not tune in the three strongest FM signals from the closest transmitters. They tune in clearly on the wimpy little radio card that plugs into my old Palm Zire PDA. (That PDA has been superseded by a more powerful one with no over-the-air receiver capabilities.) Instead, the Coby attempts to tune in weaker signals from more distant transmitters that are barely audible even at high volume.Unfortunately, it comes in plastic clamshell packaging that has to be cut open. Because it has been opened, it cannot be returned for a refund. Strictly speaking, it is not defective, so it cannot be returned on those grounds, either. Fortunately, it is so inexpensive that I do not feel too terrible about putting it in my stash of items for the next electronics recycling collection day.$LABEL$0 +Always Buy First-Party Memory Cards...Here's Why.... Unfortunately, Sony hasn't been able to keep up with memory card demand lately, so us poor saps without one have no choice but to get an alternative, third-party memory card. Borrow a card from a friend instead of buying this one, because this is just awful. If I could give this card a zero rating, I would, since the one I bought was faulty. Get an easier-to-operate Sony card, because with this, you have to load a special disc everytime you play. Resist the temptation if you can't find a Sony card, because this is a waste of your $[money].$LABEL$0 +Product was great, but the packaging is a mess. Box was crushed on one corner such that one of the cannisters was broken open and there was fine powder everywhere.$LABEL$0 +To you who loved Metal in school and thought you'd outgrown. Holy Cow!I'm an avid music collector, over 1000 discs now, and the first time I listened to this I said "oh yes, this is what I have been waiting for..." I graduated high school in the 80s and loved all the heavy metal that was popular back then. Of course as I've grown into my 30s my musical horizons have been expanded beyond belief, into jazz, ambient, alternative, space music, you name it. The other day I got my hands on this and it's just the ticket. All the technical mastery you could want, but in a band that delights in playing AS A BAND and not just shredding into oblivion like Yngwie. Crossed up with some funk and enough other influences to really keep you captivated. It's great stuff!$LABEL$1 +A misleading title. If you want a book on philosophy, this is for you. If you are looking for a complete guide to daytrading, you will find this book to be mostly padding. Detail useful to a daytrader forms a surprisingly tiny percentage.Its title is the most misleading I have purchased in some years. I want my money back.$LABEL$0 +Great Book ... A must have !!. I am new to making my own products and this book is SO helpful in getting started. It is laid out very well and easy to follow. It gives you great recipes and explains how to make them..I bought one for my friend .. I really love this book !!$LABEL$1 +Mellow Yellow.... I don't care if the yellow 'glow' is supposed to be arty farty...it gives you a headache. Florida has it's own beautiful light, take the yellow filter off, it makes everyone look jaundiced.Script...?? There isn't one, just some filler, in-between some average stripping. Channing's bum wobbles like jello, Matt Bomer looks great, but even that doesn't redeem this movie for me. Plus is it just me or is there something not right about Matthew McConaughey ?Anyway, if you want to see Male Strippers go to Chippendale's or a gay strip joint...maybe even rent 'The Full Monty', any of those options would be a lot more fun than this !$LABEL$0 +one sided flag making it attractive from one direction and faded out looking from the other.. I was really lookin forward to replacing the orange caution flag on my power chair with my new American Flag with the gold trim. Unfortunately. I guess I must not have read the sellers description of the flag after my having seen a few others very similar if not the same as this one save for they were described as having the same appearance on both sides unlike my new one thats bright an cheer e on one side and has the appearance of having faded out on the other. My bad, I guess. Oh well. Win some. Lose some.$LABEL$0 +Simply the Best ONE. I have known this version of Messiah since my early childhood in the 'sixty's. You need to remeberthis is Scripture set to music. In making this both Handel and those you hear on the recording have affirmed my belief in both beautiful music and Our Lord Jesus Christ. You experience both the spiritual and sublime here.Mr Ormandy with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir have brought the highest Praise and Glory ever known on Earth to God in this presentation. I am not am expert in the music of this, I am a consumer who is now 51 and blessed by it every time I hear it.$LABEL$1 +I have a new favorite author after reading this book!. I first encountered this story in the pages of Cosmo--it hooked me and I went out immediately to buy and finish it. Anne Rivers Siddons writes the kind of books that you don't want to end. She creates another world--really paints a unique vision with her words. This story rings so true, it really has that feel of authenticity--almost autobiographical even. I have read most of her other books as well, but this one which I read a few years ago remains my favorite...As an aspiring writer, her writing both inspires and intimidates me it is so good!$LABEL$1 +Cheap - breaks very easily. It cooled okay when it worked but the wires were seperating from the plug and it only worked for a few days. I sent it back and Amazon who replaced it and this one only worked for two weeks. I gave my Rocketfish cooling fan when I got this one. While I went through two of these quickly, my old Rocketfish is still working like new. I would not recommend this product. It's not worth the time or expense of returning it again.$LABEL$0 +Simply the best BTAS!!. I've read through many reviews where people state that the early Batman: The Animated Series episodes were the best, and that may be true where story is concerned, but if you're an animation and story fan (not just great story or great animation, one always seemingly sacrificed), this later set of episodes were the best. Personally I always felt the animation in the early BTAS episodes were weak and "iffy" at best, even if the stories themselves glued you to your seat. However, with these later episodes nothing is sacrificed, as both the story and animation function in great synergistic fashion!I feel that vol.4 will be the best seller of the 4 available. I'm currently being proven correct in that assumption it seems, as I have found this vol.4 at only a smattering of stores, as most are sold out. In other words, get this vol.4 set now and enjoy some of the best episodes this wonderful show had to offer!$LABEL$1 +HOME ALONE 1&2 ON DVD IN ONE. TO BE HONEST, IT'S IN POOR CONDITION. IT WAS BRAND NEW AND WHEN I GOT IT I HEARD THE DISCS ROLLING AROUND IN THE DVD CASE. IT WAS A PRESENT FOR MY GRANDMA. I OPENED IT UP TO SEE IF IT WILL WORK ON MY DVD PLAYER AND BLUERAY PLAYER. IT DID NOT WORK!! SO I TRIED THE REST OF THE DVD PLAYERS IN MY HOUSE KEPT SAYING DISC READ ERROR I HAVE 3 DIFFERENT DVD PLAYERS THAT IT SAID DISC READ ERROR. I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THIS ITEM TO BE SOLD TO ANYONE. I WASTED MONEY ON THIS ITEM WHEN I COULD HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKED!!!!$LABEL$0 +Just What I Wanted!. A beautiful collection with instrumental, melodious choral, and sweet solos on traditional hymns. Most verses are included in the vocals, but not every verse in every song. organ and orchestra; not overbearing; a great accompaniment to daily activities or devotional times. I'll probably also buy Volume 1 or the collection of "Passionate Worship."$LABEL$1 +Errors, errors, and more errors!. This book at one time was good I am told, but the 8th edition (2002) is now outdated with many errors. The CD on heart sounds which is included is insulting to medical students. The book has terrible photographs which make the patients look jaundiced or cyanotic. I am sorry I bought it. There is no question that Swartz's book on physical diagnosis is the best. Swartz has a great free CD on the complete physical exam which is included with the book.$LABEL$0 +A MUST HAVE!!!. This is my first Blu-Ray purchase and I couldn't be more pleased. This is one of my favorite films, even though I only had it on Laser Disc before this. Will watch this many more times!$LABEL$1 +Not very good! Judge a book by it's cover!. When I first picked up the CD, I felt the artwork looked slapped together in haste and thoughtlessness...I should have know that what was on the inside, was equally thoughtless!I personally think "Farewell" is their true masterpiece!I'm super surprised at the steep drop creativity between these two records."Breaking point" is full of the same tired electronic sounds and music patterns that we've heard for the past 15 years now.While the lyrics are even more obvious, and at times embarrassing!!!On a nit picky note, the production sounds crummy too. My bet is almost all instruments were soft (computer based) synths.D-sides at best!!TRY HARDER!!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Absolutely the Best Bread Machine recipe book. This book is GREAT! I actually have the 2002 Hermes House version but have bought this version as gifts. I have another book plus manufacturer's books (I'm on my second breadmaker) and this book tops them every time. The proportions are different than the other books and work great! I've made breads (sun dried tomato is my favorite although I add basil, oregano, and garlic powder), rolls, pizza dough (the best ever), the small pizza's (sfincione), the focaccia, pitas - all are great and my kids request them over and over.$LABEL$1 +HP 735. The photos were extremely blurry and only took good pictures of closeups the digital zoom is useless for photos.Battery don't last more that about 10 pictures.Kodak DC210 1 mega pixell takes much better photos.Taking mine back after one day of poor pictures.$LABEL$0 +Awful, awful, awful...... What were the producers thinking? They abandoned all of the things that made the first Blair Witch a true classic. This abysmal piece of horse defecation features the misadventures of a group of adolescent losers, who stumble through the film cursing, fighting and giving off horrible attitudes. There is no suspense, no fright, and no reason to watch this one. If Mystery Science Theater 3000 were still on, this would surely have been spoofed by now.$LABEL$0 +Time in one small package. Ok maybe it was in the fine print or something but this alarm clock is TINY! I didn't realize it would be so small. It can pretty much fit in te palm of my hand.$LABEL$0 +Excellent value and very durable. My daughter is around 10 months old and this toy has really become one of her favorites. It is easily assembled, solidly constructed and very tough. A single catch converts it from a ride on to a step behind walker, and the spinning rattles and other accesories are fun as well as not easily removed. If you want a great aid to help unassisted walking this is it, and at a fraction of the cost of some other more complicated versions. I highly recommend (and so does my daughter!).$LABEL$1 +Stack-On's are Great... Wonderful product (Not Premium Security but does the Job) etc.. I like this product because it conveniently provides storage for all necessary valuables and hardly requires a manuals to guide to set.Though not an exceptional product to protect essential valuables it does the job and significantly easy to disguise and hid. under a surface or behind elusive spots. Over-all, I'd recommend this product to anyone looking for a simple way to storage minor valuables or possessions from family. That is, if you are trying to keep a secret. I find it still has some flaws and is susceptible to lock picking with the correct tools.$LABEL$1 +Marvelous Throughout. It's a rare album that is such a pleasure to listen to from start to finish like this one. Anyone who likes americana music in the vein of Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash, Allison Krause, Shelby Lynne, or Shawn Colvin should seek this album and performer out - yet she is not exactly like any one of these more well known artists. Less gritty than Lucinda, but the album does feature some tastefully dirty electric guitar. Not as folk-pop as Colvin. Sally's songs convey their Appalachian roots, but she isn't as bluegrass as Allison Krause. More Asheville than Nashville. In short, she's a singular creative voice playing with consistent quality and authenticity. Check her out!$LABEL$1 +Extreme waste of money. I'm a mom of 11 month old twin girls. My mother bought these for us to save space in our kitchen. I wish I would have read the reviews before she bought it. The reviews are 100% true. It is the most disgusting food trap I have ever owned. You cannot get the food out and they are too heavy to shake out all the time. The toys on the side are a waste too. They are not in a location that the girls even notice them and are too hard to push to get them to work. I have tossed them out. What a WASTE!$LABEL$0 +Sales tool. I found this book to be more of a sales/marketing tool for bio-identical hormones more than anything else. It contains some good information, but don't use it as your only reference. Read something from the other perspective as well.$LABEL$0 +Tarantino has lost it. I know Tarantino's sthick is to re-invent the drive-in and spaghetti western genre. Here, he misses the mark with bizarre scenes and a garbled mess. It was almost unwatchable. I guess you either love it or hate it.$LABEL$0 +Pathetic - Don't bother - Horrible - Horrible - Horrible.. This movie was a complete waste of time, totally disjointed and unorganized. the writing was lame, I don't think there was a script at all... Shrek 1 & 2 were fantasic funny movies... I rented this movie expecting a similar enjoyable experience.. 25 minutes into this DVD I had not cracked a smile, there were no jokes and the story just made no sense at all.Don't waste your time or money on this one... go get Shrek 1 or 2 over this disaster$LABEL$0 +syrian whirling dervishes. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ALBUM STARTING OFF WITH A BEAUTIFUL CALL TO PRAYER.THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THE MUSIC OF THE WHIRLING DERVISHES OF TURKEY WILL FIND THIS VERY DIFFERENT,THE MUSIC IS IN THE STYLE OF ARAB MAQAM RATHER THAN TURKISH,THE ARAB NEY FLUTE HAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOUND TO THAT OF TURKEY & ON THIS ALBUM KETTLE DRUMS ARE REPLACED BY HAND HELD TAMBOURINES.THE VOCALS ARE SUBLIME ESPECIALLY DURING THE DHIKR & ALTOGETHER THE OVERALL SOUND IS VERY RICH & EXOTIC.IT IS NICE TO HEAR THE QANUN(ZITHER) EMPHASIZED,ESPECIALLY THE SOLO INSTRUMENTALS.SHEIKH HAMZA SHAKKUR HAS A BEAUTIFUL MOVING VOICE.THIS CD SHOULD INTEREST ANYONE WHO IS SERIOUS ABOUT SUFI MUSIC.$LABEL$1 +Excellent for young children. We have a three year old son we wanted a train table for, but were concerned that our 16 month old twins would continuously destroy the track. This table was the perfect solution. Our son can enjoy it without his sisters destroying it. I do think its a draw back that you can not change the track into different patterns like with traditional tables, but if you have a situation like us I defienately recomend it.$LABEL$1 +This is a filler and does not remove swirl marks.. I had my car for less than a year and my mother backed into it with her car when backing out of her garage. I got it fixed and the body shop left swirl marks in the clearcoat. I've already taken it back twice and they even repainted it because of a paint mismatch and they still left swirl marks. It's getting exhausting dealing with them so I thought I would try this. I used as directed and even followed with the wax that was recommended in the directions and it seemed to work and I was so pleased. Then the next time I washed it the swirl marks were visible once again. I'm so irratated about it I'm considering trading it in already.$LABEL$0 +Hate Crime. This work is not a serious study of the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism.The Church is held up to ridicule by the simple method of suppressing the Church's statements of condemnation of anti-Semitism and then quoting apparently anti-Semitic statements out of context. A professional historian can only wince at the vicious caricature of Pius XII, a man who heroically saved thousands of Jewish lives but who in this book emerges as a combination of Elmer Fudd and Adolf Eichman.This book is about the rage of an excommunicated priest who, despite his cloying claims to love the Church, has decided to don a white hood and burn his own anti-Catholic crosses.$LABEL$0 +Kids. Good movie bought it for my kids they seemed to like it. Got their attention and honestly not a bad movie.$LABEL$1 +Poorly researched... seek information elsewhere.. I am always interested in theories regarding who exactly ordered the massacre (as my Grandfather John D. Lee was the only man ever held accountable.) I am not completely convinced that the order did not come from Brigham Young or someone very close to him in the foodchain. But this book is so poorly researched and written that it was hardly worth my time and certainly not worth my money. She gets even the most basic biographical information wrong - information that is readily availible in scores of other books and websites. I honestly don't know why she even bothered...$LABEL$0 +Definantly Different. This book started out ok but into the fifth chapter it got a little bit ridiculous, that's when I stopped reading it. I have read a numerous amount of her books and this one is the worst yet. It was so predictable. I did read the last chapter, just to see what happened, and I would have to say that I knew the ending before I even finished reading it.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy this product. This piece of software doesn't function properly at all.It doesn't work with Apple Logic, contrary to what is advertised.It was written by an amateur programmer, and crashes very often - about 1 out of 2 kits that you open will quit unexpectedly.For a software drum machine to contain mostly live and acoustic drum samples doesn't make much sense since software is mostly used for electronic music. No trance, or electronic samples at all.All that for over 50 dollars makes idrum way overpriced.Also the graphics were stolen from Garageband.A program like that should be freeware, or at the very most shareware.$LABEL$0 +I feel the fragrance of the Brut cologne .... I feel the fragrance of the Brut cologne was very nice. It wasn't too strong. It had just enough to put off a nice smell. Also, I feel it has a big advantage over men's colognes because of its great price. I would recommend this to my friends, as well as using it again myself.$LABEL$1 +visually amazing, lacking everywhere else. i too waited a couple of years to see this film arrive in the USA, and wanted to love this film so very much. i've always loved Dave and Niel's work in the past, and i expected this to be no less wonderful. sadly, i left feeling empty. while the efforts and the visuals were worth a rental, the storyline took Mirrormask to the edge of what could have been a hugely successful masterpiece and dumbed it down. it is too scary and dark for young kids, too wierd for tweens, too childish for adults. with more defined dialog and a coherant plot, the film could have been a classic for all ages. this just seems like a spoiled rotten little kid dressed up for the fancy ball with no one to take them there. i for one, am greatly disapointed.$LABEL$0 +NOT a tradiional fairy tale.... The Conjurer Princess is a modern sort of fairy tale-- dark, quirky and bittersweet. All the usual cliches are avoided successfully. Lylene is not a sweet and beautiful princess; closer to a determined and basically honorable person on a quest that is not what she thinks it is. Those who appear to be enemies are not what they seem...nor those who seem to be allies.The ending, like those in all of Vivian Vande Velde's books, is not quite a happily-ever-after conclusion. Left wide open to speculation about the future...If you're looking for a realistic and biting fantasy in which nothing is ever quite as it appears, give this one a try.$LABEL$1 +I LOVED IT! GIRL POWER 4 EVER!!!!!!!!!. I LOVED THE ALBUM!IT RULED!!!I HOPE GINGER SPICE COMES BACK SOON!MY BESTFRIENDS'(AND ME)GROUP AND SPICE NAMES ARE:THE OTHER SPICEGIRLS,CRAZY SPICE ,SASSY SPICE,SWEETY SPICE.FUNKY SPICE,AND,FREAKY SPICE!!!WE MAKE MUSIC VIDEOS AND SEND THEM TO THE SPICE GIRLS!!!I GOTTA GO! BYE! C\C\YA Later! GIRL POWER!4-ETERNITY!!!!$LABEL$1 +Amazon get your act together ! ! ! !. Here is a discription of what I boughgt :Danner 02720 Pond Mag 9.5 950-Gallon-Per-Hour Pump with Foam PrefilterInstead of giving me a FOAM PREFILTER they gave me a cheap plastic cage in the shape of a cone to protect ther filter. Any small debris could pass throught the openings in this cheap plastic cage. I called Amazon and told them how I was cheated they did make it right and are overnighting me the proper foam filter that was advertized with the pump. On one hand I was so mad on the other hand I was happy that Amazon made it right with me. It almost seems that Amazon is slipping a bit in customer satisfaction from 2 years ago. Even the picture of the pump on the product page is misleading. The picture shows a smaller model than what you actually recieve. I am seriously concidering not shopping with amazon because of their mistakes. PS: the factory box was damaged but the packing box was in good shape, no contents were damaged.Aaron$LABEL$0 +Have they ever read Jane Austen. This movie was a complete disappointment. it left me wondering one thing, have the creator's of this film ever read or watched Persuasion. What was the point of hitting the shuffle button on one of the most beautiful plots ever written. They completely took any meaning away from Wentworth's letter and mixed up the plot so much the to create drama they had Anne Elliot running all through bath. The ending seemed forced.$LABEL$0 +Bummer. It doesn't work well since it leaks! Great idea but the spring doesn't have enough pressure to close the valve.$LABEL$0 +Great fun - Joe Pickett is a real character. Solid writing style, really great characters who you empathize with, well drawn plot. C.J. Box has a unique series going here and I hope he can maintain the quality over time.$LABEL$1 +Review - Muldoon by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Totally alsome!!! I HIGHLY recomend(an I don't hardly ever recomend anything,much less HIGHLY) this book for the youngsters. It's Hilarious!!! Easy for children to read and they will love the illustrations. I know my wee ones enjoyed this story. Muldoon had us laughing throughout the entire story,had us wondering what to expect next. That's one silly pooch. Loved It!!!!!Muldoon is a very busy little pooch,I don't see how he does it. Ever since the West family chose him over other applicants, Muldoon has provided quite well of his duties. It's a tough job taking care of the whole entire household on your own. All the work he does I think the West's should give Muldoon a raise.$LABEL$1 +What was I smoking when I bought this. I can't believe that this group even came out with an album. I know that it is spanish but at least some stuff that is spanish is managable to listen to. If your looking for good music, don't look here.$LABEL$0 +Works, but poor quality.. These dog tag silencers do perform their function, but they are very cheap looking and poor quality. They fit incredibly tightly and it seems like they will probably rip soon. My dog tags aren't oversized or anything like that. If you want something that does silence the dog tags, these will work, but I can't say how long they'll work for.$LABEL$0 +Useless. Interesting design and intention but it is the weakest and dullest of the trimmers I have used.It is truly useless.$LABEL$0 +Just to even it out.. Mead paper is pretty but generally good enough. I haven't actually bought this paper from amazon but after reading the other review of the guy not getting 16 pounds of paper, I though I would give five stars to even things out. This paper doesn't actually deserve five stars, maybe 3 stars.$LABEL$1 +A "popcorn movie" from Mexico!. Los Cuatro Juanes(1966) is an action packed adventure film starring Luis Aguilar, Antonio Aguilar, Javier Solis, and Narciso Busquets as "The Four Juanes". All four outlaws are being chased by government troops. When bandits kill the father of a lovely, innocent woman(Alma Delia Fuentes), the Cuatro Juanes "adopt" her into their gang. Keep in mind this DVD was mastered off a 2nd or 3rd generation VHS tape and the video and audio quality is not first class. At least this Laguna DVD was cheap.By Mexican standards of the 1960's, this was an all-star movie. There's a scene where Los Cuatro Juanes blow up a bridge with TNT so troops cannot chase them. This may have been referenced in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch(1969). Los Cuatro Juanes is pure entertainment.$LABEL$1 +This movie was horrible for Romero to be involved in. I didnt think this film would be so terrible considering Romero was involved in it. I f he would have directed it I know it would have been in the tradition of Creepshow and been decent.$LABEL$0 +Don't buy if you have a dog!. This vacuum would be fine if we didn't have a dog. Every time we use it, the dog fur clogs the intake hose. You have to clear it each time you want to use it!$LABEL$0 +good, but dull tip.. W\It seems well made, and comes with spare gaskets. However, the tip is rounded, not sharp, and you'll have to use a skewer or something else sharp to make your holes in tougher cuts. When I tried to sharpen the tip, I found out it's pressed in and I had ground its crimp right off. That was the end of this one.$LABEL$0 +A great book for young adults !!. Its a great book for young adults, telling the world what we (kuwaitis) went through during the gulf war. The author has a great way or describing the incidents. I truelly recommend this book!$LABEL$1 +Fantastic Read. I received this book for Christmas and I haven't stopped laughing since. It is one of the most hilarious books I've ever read and apart from being funny, you actually have to be quite intelligent and knowledgeable about history and current events to truely enjoy this book. Every line is loaded with a bit of history mixed with irony and humor that is truely smart, innovative and hilarious.Anyone who loves humor, history or just smart writing will love this book!$LABEL$1 +OK, but.... A fine - refined - version. I don't think CvD quite gets into this music like many others, though. The playing is faultless and the recording wide-ranging BUT it is not as clear and detailed as it could have been. It was like listening to music through a fog, with the high frequencies typically veiled in the usual Telarc manner. Musically, I'm not too fond of the way he does the famous first movement melody. The 5/4 and March-like Scherzo movements come of the best here. The Scherzo's tempo is grand and bold rather than lightening fast like many others, which is OK. One can wallow in the bass drum parts. The finale is missing the necessary neuroses.The filler, the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, is a peculiar, if not inappropriate, choice. One of Tchaikovsky's heavier overtures would have been better suit - or nothing at all.$LABEL$1 +Kindle format a shame. This review is not aimed at the content of the book; rather at the utter lack of care for formatting the Kindle edition.Not only do I find hyphenated words in the middle of the page, chapters are not page dependent and may occur anywhere on the page, and now line spacing has gone to heck in a handbasket as well.That's what prompted me to write the review. I literally have a g and a d that are overlapping!That said, it's readable; but I tell you when the formatting is so bad that it effects the flow of the writing - it need re-done.Hopefully an anomaly.$LABEL$0 +bed in a bag. Can't give you a review on the product because you sent me the wrong "freeking" product. I had to give it away to someone who could use it. I ordered a queen size and you guys sent me a damn full size. So, I don't have any good things to say. Have a nice day.$LABEL$0 +It wasn't good enough.. This is the worst book I've ever read! I mean Damon's all nice and stuff but sometimes the author makes a boring plot. And I thought that the book made it boring because all it talked about Damon about Mrs. Serson, Jessica thinking Damon has a crush on her, Lacey flirting in almost every part of her part of the story. Also, what does Lacey have to do with the Damon-Jessica-Mrs.Serson thing?$LABEL$0 +Stinks. I bought this product for the conveninece of not having to open my desktop and for the mobility- being able to transfer it from desktop to laptop. Worked great for about 2 months and then it started causing my computer to reboot byself. At first this happened with my desktop- i was convinced my computer was broken- i spent $100 on repairs (I know I got ripped off here). Until I started using it with 2 laptops and the same thing started happening. I took it to another techy who told me that this is a frequent problemt with these usb deviced and that I would have to do something to my "bio" - i said screw it- and bought a built in card. I know other people who have the same problem and it could be very costly- when you are in the middle of working on a file and it reboots. Neygear CS sucks too- they outsources and I ended up speking to some girl in India who did not understand my question and just kept reading the same script over and over again- DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!$LABEL$0 +Glad I did not read this one first!. I actually listened it to, and did not like the reader at all - she did not do the accents very well, and when the character "bellowed" she croaked... anyway, if I had the hard copy I likely would not have finished it. Both characters got on my nerves, especially Gen. I have read most of the other McLeod and De Piaget novels, and found them to be most enjoyable. My favorites are "A Garden in the Rain" and "With Every Breath". All in all I do not think this is a good introduction to Lynn Kurland. Read other titles first - they are far more enjoyable, and chances are you will even reread them!$LABEL$0 +Completely complete!. Anyone who enjoys camping MUST have this "bible"! It lists campsites from all over the USA, as well as rates them. It tells you how many sites are available, as well as electric, sewage, and water hookups!A definite must-have for any camper!$LABEL$1 +the best anime ever. fullmetal alchemist is in my opinion a great anime andthis dvd episodes are really good so buy it today or you willregret it.$LABEL$1 +very solid. I needed a new unit. last one was dropped a dozen or more times and paint dripped on.this unit is very well made . only problem it is just a bit heavy for drawing board workhowever in building site it works great.$LABEL$1 +Does what it says on the cover. I'm moving up from VB6/ASP and this book gave me a firm grounding in the main subjects without getting bogged down with too much HTML or elaborate samples. I took an asp.net practice exam a few days after reading it and book had covered most areas that came up.$LABEL$1 +Fraudulent.. These drops are simply overpriced water. Homeopathy is bullsh*te. I'm amazed its legal to lie and sell this crap. Science disproved homeopathy before the first car was invented.$LABEL$0 +Not the item pictured. I ordered this to accompany a matching wood rack I bought last year (identical to the one in the picture). The item that was sent is also a 2x4 log rack system, and probably a fine one, but you expect to get what you see, no?I highly recommend you take down the picture and update it with the Rutland product you are shipping.$LABEL$0 +good after a little work done to it.. I gave this product 4 stars because When we got this the black part was painted farther up onto the chrome than the picture shows. When we put it on my car the black stuck out like a sore thumb. Luckily my husband paints cars so he was able to take some lacquer thinner and some tools to remove the black paint. After that it looked awesome! So far its a good product, it fits well and looks great on my car. Plus it was super fast shipping!!!$LABEL$1 +poor quality. This was almost impossible to watch due to poor quality of tape. The ad claimed it was good quality...it was not.$LABEL$0 +Messy, Messy, Messy!. Well, it grinds ok, I agree with other posters about the fine grounds, but I'm not the coffee fan in the family here, so ignore my opinion on that. However, I am the one that makes the coffee each day, and oh my is this thing MESSY! The static provides a mini-coffee explosion upon opening the canister, the grounds get stuck in the duct that leads to the canister and they have to be dug out with a knife/spoon something to that effect. I really wouldn't recommend it just on the basis that it is SO incredibly messy.$LABEL$0 +Wow....this is crap!. Wow...this was total crap. So much bias, anti-Catholic, and much of it isn't true at all. I can't believe this guy's a priest. I can't believe this guy didn't leave the Catholic Church yet. God have mercy on this priet's soul.$LABEL$0 +basic pedometer. This is a fairly cheap pedometer that is made out of kinda cheap looking plastic. But so far I have had no problems with it. It has steps, miles, km, and calories (which are estimated I'm sure). You can clear settings with the "clear" button. I appreciate it's battery-saving method of shutting off after not being touched for awhile, but that's easy to get the screen back on again.$LABEL$1 +Started Out Funny but Got Pretty Dull. I thought that the premise of this movie sounded interesting so I gave it a try. I was watching it with a friend and we both were enjoying it at the beginning. It was funny and thought provoking. However, towards the end it got very boring a drawn out. I was kind of disappointed with this movie.$LABEL$0 +fantastic book. I love Sarah Dessen's books but this is my favorite so far. I was able to relate with the main character Macy so much and it was so true to life. Many of the things that Macy has to go through in this book were happening to me at the same time as I was reading the book. I loved being able to connect with the book and being able to get so much meaning from this book. This book has so many great meanings and deals with great topics and I highly recommend this book to everyone. I just couldn't put it down it was so good.I also recommend That Summer and Someone Like You. They too are wonderful works by Sarah Dessen and one can receive alot from them.$LABEL$1 +This is the downrod you've been looking for.. It's a downrod. It does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's white. It's 12 inches. It's designed for Hunter fans. If you've got a Hunter fan and need a 12 inch white downrod, this is the product for you.$LABEL$1 +Shoe broke after one wear. I loved the shoes and the price so much I bought two. After wearing the shoes one day I noticed that the wood at the front of the shoe had cracked all the way through to the sole. The nail that attached the rubber sole had created a crack and during the day the crack got so big that the shoes were not safe to continue wearing.Wear the shoes with caution; they can become deadly to your health and safety.$LABEL$0 +Usually Works. I have to take 2 in order to fall asleep. And, it's not a sure thing. About 85% of the time I catch the elusive zzzzzzzz's. That's pretty good for a natural product.$LABEL$1 +Hated To See Book End. What can I say? Except I LOVED this book. It was funny, sad, interesting and much more. I had a hard time putting it down for any reason. Meredith and Matt were one of the most sexy, exciting couples I've had the pleasure to read about. Buy it, read it...you won't be sorry. It's a keeper!$LABEL$1 +Sour Grapes for Sony. Toshiba was a major player is the development of DVD. Sony wanted it all and lost out, having to work it out with Toshiba and join their DVD parade.Now, years later, Sony wants it all again. They want control over the next generation high def DVD format, so we now have a format war.Toshiba's first HD-DVD player is great! It's up-conversion of standard DVD is the best I've seen and the actual HD-DVD image is fantastic. The best HD picture quality I've ever seen.I'm sure Blu-Ray will be great as well. It's just too bad that this format war is on. But I'll tell'ya, at half the price of the cheapest Blu-Ray player, buying HD-DVD is a no brainer.Would you want to spend $1000.00 on the Sony or Samsung Blu-ray player and get no movies, or the Toshiba HD-DVD player and get 25 HD-DVD movies for the same price?Blu-ray might have Sony's Columbia Pictures locked up but HD-DVD has Universal Picture's and Dreamworks saying they are going HD-DVD only.Yes, it's a war.$LABEL$1 +Useless!!. This is the worst product of all time. The sound quality is execrable even when there is no fm station anywhere near the frequency you've chosen. Avoid, avoid, avoid.$LABEL$0 +Battelsghip. A truly fun movie. Especially for former sailors. My wife and I watch the movie together and she thought it was lots of "FUN" also. 5 stars if you haven't seen the move check it out. The acting is good, the plot is a little unbelivable even for this type of flick but that's part of the fun. Make a night of it move and popcorn time.$LABEL$1 +What idiots. To the person who wrote " Some extra documentation for newbies". Thank you so much for your help. You were very kind to post the instruction for those who would be completely amazed by the sheer stupidity of these people. Who ever did the package materials is a cretin who easily qualifies to run the next American industry into the ground. The product itself seems to work fine and easily get the job done.$LABEL$1 +Good Book!. I really liked this book. The book focuses on how to stay focused. It's a good book on goal setting.However to achieve your goals you need to find meaning as well. You need to uncover your WHY. That's the greatest motivator known to man. Therefore I only give this book 4 stars.Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated &Founder of www.CoachingWithResults.com$LABEL$1 +Troy-Bilt TB25BP Gas Blower. The blower worked one time. We replaced the spark plug, had new gas/oil and gas can. Called the company and was told it might be the coil? The next nightmare was finding a place to have it fixed since only one of the five places they suggested would in fact take it. It remains in the repair shop and of course if it is 'carburator' related it will not be covered under warranty, per the repair shop. I will never buy another Troy Bilt product or anything mechanical on line again. Probably will never blow leaves by the looks of the repair time!$LABEL$0 +smooth and easy to listen to. a great treat to the unitiated what a surprise to hear how the mouth harp makes music wow.$LABEL$1 +Not surprising.... It's not a big surprise to find this effort by Chris Cacavas so satisfying. Having listened to much of Cacavas' music over a period of several years, this first-rate collection of songs is an expected pleasure. Strong, complex, inventive, clever lyrics performed in a style that is often deceptively mild and gentle - they'll put you off your guard - then hammer you with their real intent.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful series!. I love the series and I am hoping that it is complete because I would really hate to miss any of the shows.$LABEL$1 +Terrible.. I stuck with this book for 120 pages. By then our heroine had lost her brothers (gettysburg), her father (mauraders), her mother and her fiance (buried alive), been gang raped, and was hit several times by men, even her 'love interest'. This book smacks not only of violence (which civil war or any war books have to some degree) but particular violence against women. And the writer doesn't understand the womans view. After being gang raped , she falls into bed without qualms with someone else a few days later. It is so disturbing that I found myself searching for info on the author. 'Felicia Andrews' may be a man since the copywright info is in the name of charles grant. That made me feel better because at least a woman did not write so callously about another woman. Scratched this writer, whether it is a man or woman, off my buy list.$LABEL$0 +Deceiving Photo. The picture is deceiving. The face looks blue in the picture, but it is really purple. I found the watch to feel cheaply made. The bracelet felt substandard to what I am used to with Invicta. I currently own two Invicta watches. I sent this watch back for three reasons. I didn't like the color of the face. I found the watch to be smaller than I prefer. The bracelet seemed cheaply made, and the black etching on the links was not evenly applied.$LABEL$0 +Can't reccomend it. I bought this CD eagerly anticipating some great new music. I should have read the reviews with a more cynical eye. Perhaps some are legitimate fans, but I have my doubts. I found this CD to be droll and tedious to listen too and I can't imagine anyone finding something to rave about. Not that every song is a complete loss, but as a whole the CD is not worth owning.$LABEL$0 +Excellent portrayal of a young woman who becomes a queen. This motion picture is first-rate at every level. It gives one a glimpse of what Elizabeth's early live must have been like with a half-sister who wants to behead her through a lover who betrays her. This movie lost by a photo finish to Shakespeare in Love for the Academy Award as Best Picture of the Year. It will not disappoint history buffs and works as a drama that makes history live. This film is one of the best portrayals of Elizabeth put on film. I recommend it without qualification.$LABEL$1 +SHORT STORIES FROM MARGARET MARON. I AM NOT A FAN OF SHORT STORIES, BUT THIS VOLUME FROM MARGARET MARON IS OUTSTANDING. SHE CAPTURES CHARACTERS, ENVIRONMENT, AND LITTLE CHILLS UP ONE'S SPINE WITH JUST A "SWIPE OF HER BRUSH." THESE TALES ARE NOT FOR READING WHILE WAITING--THEY MUST BE SAVORED: COMFORTABLE COUCH, WITH PLENTY OF ROOM FOR CATS; BEVERAGE OF CHOICE AT HAND; AND NO INTERRUPTIONS, PLEASE.$LABEL$1 +Caveat Emptor. If you're considering this CD for "Spellbound" be aware that the theremin part is played by one of the woodwinds (sounds like an oboe to me). Needless to say this was quite a disappointment and is the principal reason for my poor (two-star) recommendation. The performance of the Rozsa Concerto is adequate but not by any means outstanding.$LABEL$0 +life saver. Wonderful product. Able to eat dairy again. Without this product I used to get terribly sick. Now I can eat milk products (ice cream, cheese, etc) as long as I take this product right before. You do not need water. Very convenient. Great taste. Not all lactose products are created equal. By far this seems to work the best.$LABEL$1 +Paper route as a kid.... This was the first thing I read after I delivered all my papers on my paper route as a teenager. This is by far the best ever instructional book. No fuss. No excess thoughts. This is what got me to shoot par before high school.$LABEL$1 +Broken in a million pieces. I bought this item as a gift for a gentleman who plays Santa Claus every year. He always mentions this candy. It arrived in a halfway crushed box and the candy was all broken into pieces. This is terrible as I have no choice but to give it as his gift with the time left until Christmas. Very disappointed in the seller of this product. if you sell candy that is to be shipped, then PACK IT to be shipped as ordered.$LABEL$0 +Dissapointment. When I received this cord it was not goldplated as I thought it would be. And it WAS NOT 6ft, more like 3 1/2ft cord. >:($LABEL$0 +a healthy cooking MUST have!. The Scanpan is just amazing. There, I said it.I typically go through a new (10-12") non-stick frying pan in less than a year. I bought this one to test it out...I heard the Scanpan line was awesome and needed a smaller pan to cook my own personal diet foods (while the rest of my family hogged down on spaghetti bolognese and pasta dishes).It is perfect to cook a few eggs, a piece of fish, your own personal little stir fry, and whathaveyou. And here's the kicker: you don't need hardly ANY oil. I use an olive oil spray and that's good enough! And here's the OTHER kicker: the clean up ROCKS. You don't HAVE to clean up because 99.99% of your cooked food will wind up on your PLATE instead of stuck around the sides of the pan. Imagine that?!!Once my 10" and 12" pans die (I might accidentally drive over them) I'm going to invest in the next sizes up in the Scanpan Professional.$LABEL$1 +This book was a bit too redundant.. I think Jean Auel is an awesome writer. However, I think this book focused way too much on "how amazing" Ayla was in the eyes of all the other characters. I adored Ayla in "Clan of the Cave Bear," and "Valley of Horses." (I have read those two books over and over again.) In this book, Ayla seems too subdued, or not really shining through, as in her previous books. I agreed with one reviewer which stated that Ayla spent too much time explaining and retelling what all of Auel's readers had already read in her previous books. I probably will never re-read this book. I still love Jean Auel and Ayla!$LABEL$0 +Enlightening!. This book is sure to answer all the question you've ever thought of and haven't thought of!Compiled over 150 years ago by Kardec, The Spirits Book is a must have for anyone interested in SERIOUSLY studying the spiritual truths and seeking answers that console and strenghten our faith.Instead of denying Science (like most religions do nowadays, out of fear), Kardec validates it as a precious tool for our spiritual growth!Indispensable reading material.$LABEL$1 +The Worst RPG Ever!. This game is the worst role-playing game I've ever played.Don't Belive that it's the same asElder Scrolls IV Oblivion. It's not. Oblivion is Much better. Two Worlds Doesn't Deserve to be compared to Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion.$LABEL$0 +Youth Group supplement. I teach a small youth group at our small church, various ages 5-10 and this movie was a great way to show them that it is never too young to share the word of God, nor is it always easy to answer his call. The kids all loved it. It is still relevant even after all of these years. George Burns was the best.$LABEL$1 +Disk one defective. I have had two copies of this DVD. In both copies Disk 1 would not play. The other disks are OK.I am trying a third time. Hopefully I will have better results on my Sony DVD player.$LABEL$0 +not well printed.. Though this dictionary includes 45,000 words, check out letter "e'm and russian I(reverse n)". It's too hard to figure out.$LABEL$0 +Johnny Mnemonic. Great movie-very Cyberpunkish if you're into that type of thing especially. Keano Reeves played a kind-of unfeeling character (as I would assume many people will be in the future, even moreso than now), who later realizes there is more at stake than his own self, and begins to think about the rest of the world. Good cyber stuff.$LABEL$1 +DMB or Aerosmith?. One collosal blunder! When the decision to change producers was made, the DMB as we knew it.... ended. Sad but true. The melodic, witty sounds of previous DMB songs does not exist on this CD. The music "blends" into itself. The creative, jam session-like tunes that made Dave and the gang stand out among the mainsteam is forgotten. The drummer keeps time, thats it. The violinist is wayyyyy back there somewhere, Dave is having his favorite accoustic guitar tuned or waxed or something saving room in the studio for electric. Oh wait... was that a sax!! naaaaaaah... I think the "new" producer burped! Oh, but I did hear Aerosmith did a few cameos... NOPE.. that's DMB sounding just like Brittany and Aerosmith. Go ahead listen.. hear em? What a shame... Shame on you DMB for not recognizing your gift and hanging on as long as you could.... who said change is good anyway? I hope DMB reads these reviews and takes care of business!$LABEL$0 +Look at the second and fourth review. The second review and the fourth review were obviously written by the same person. They both are written by "a music fan" one saying from moscow, the other from michigan. They also both use the word rhythm in the praising the music. On the form to write a review, they ask where you are from, giving moscow as an example. That is the clear reason why he said he was from moscow. He must have been offended that someone wrote a bad review after his good one, so he decided to write another good one. Don't trust it!$LABEL$0 +Good Information about the Truth. I read this book in high school before I joined the Army. I did not understand a lot of his points or rather did not want to understand his accusations about Jews because I come from a strong Christian family. I spent 4 years in the service and because of that I had plenty of down time to research about everything going on with America and why we are in this war still! So now I find this book on Amazon 5 years later and have always reflected certain information toward this book. I find it very informative and balanced.In my final opinion I think every one should read this and take most if not all of this book into consideration.$LABEL$1 +Going back to my 35mm camera. I bought my DX4900 less than a year ago. I was happy with it when I first bought it but the last several months I've noticed about half the pictures I take come out blurry and very, VERY grainy. I am not doing anything different from when I first bought it, so I suspect the quality just does not last or stand the test of time. Also, from the beginning, the rechargeable battery life has been pathetic. I can take about 17 pictures and then it shuts down because of low battery power~ however, if I set it in the dock it reads that the battery power level is good! I spent $400 on this camera (incl. the dock, as a package deal) and I expected it to last longer than a year. I can't count on my pictures coming out and have lost too many precious moments by using this piece of crap.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, in large part because of its sense of moral ambiguity. There were no "good guys" and "bad guys", just people, most of them flawed, trying to live their lives.Then I started reading the rest of the series, and it's a hackneyed series of battles between Good and Evil, interspersed with gratuitous sex scenes. What happened?One thing that happened is that Amazon saw my five-star rating on that first book and keeps trying to get me to buy the rest of the series. Hopefully entering some lower ratings will dissuade it.$LABEL$0 +Rachels' best essays; about Professor Rachels. This is a great collection of some of Rachels' best essays. They are clearly written and show someone engaged in moral philosophy at its best. I highly recommend them.Professor Rachels recently passed away from cancer (Sept. 6, 2003). Information about his life and work, and the eulogies given at his funeral, are avaiable here:http://www.bradpriddy.com/rachels/jimbo.htmProfessor Rachels was a great man; all who read his books and learned from him would surely agree. He is, and will be, missed.$LABEL$1 +TOTAL RIP OFF. THEY SHOULD PAY US AT LEAST $10000 TO WATCH THIS! I WISH I COULD RATE THIS 0 STARS! IT IS TORTURE!$LABEL$0 +Ok, but nothing like what I expected.. Overall, I'm totally disapointed.I'd like to kick myself for not checking the reviews on here before buying this product at the store for FULL price.The "handle" is useless, so I just push the food through the slicer with my hands, which sooner or later will probably end in a hospital visit.I have sliced some basic veggies without too much trouble, but not like I expect an $80 slicer to. I haven't even bothered to do anything but straight slicing b/c its obvious to me it's just going to irritate me.The "dial" that adjusts slicing size doesn't stay - I start slicing something thin, and wind up with half inch cuts by the time I'm done.I wouldn't buy this product again, and I wouldn't recommend it for the price.$LABEL$0 +Fun for the kids. I ordered this jumper online. When I received it there was no jumper inside the box only the motor. I emailed Amazon's customer service and explained what happened. They arranged for UPS to come back and pickup it up the next day. They also refunded me the shipping charges. So thought was great. I went to Toys R Us and bought the jumper. This is a great toy even though my son did not seem to interested in it. He is two years old. But his cousins who are four and five years old had a blast.I'm sure he will have to get adjusted to it. The jumper is pretty big and it really sets up quickly with no hassle. Also when you buy the toy at the store you can purchase a 1 year warranty for $24.00.$LABEL$1 +do horses really use this. I was very disappointed. Do people really use this on their horses. I put it on clean nails and within a day, it was peeling off like celophane! I wash my hands, do dishes, and take a shower - just like any human, and probably less than any horse - but the stuff did not last. Sad product. I did get a refund though.$LABEL$0 +Good Price Bad Glasses. While the price is definitively right, and it's hard to complain when they come this cheap. I'm actually concerned that these glasses may injure my eyes. They are very dark and seem to offer no UV protection at all. When I drive on a sunny day, the light blinds me as if I'm not wearing anything at all.So yeah, if you want something cheap then go for it. But if you want glasses that actually protect your eyes from the sun I'd look elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +garbage. this book was some of the most heavy handed, trite garbage I have ever read. I love coming of age books, books about friendship, about interesting and wonderous cultures. This book sadly lacked the depth and originality and thoughtfulness that I hoped for. To this reader, it had all the makings of network, not even cable, made for TV movie of the week or sitcom.$LABEL$0 +This movie is sequel, can you tell!- Jimmy D.. this movie was worse than the other 2 but better than the revenge the directors didn't do that great of a job with jaws 2 they didn't have a very appealing plot and I thought tht JAWS 2 Was pointless!The actors look bored, you'll be bored. I give it 2 Stars END$LABEL$0 +Great for aquatic workout!. I bought the medium resistance cuffs (blue). These padded cuffs are great for adding resistance while doing cardio and leg workouts in the pool.$LABEL$1 +A good book that shows how stupid McCarthyism actually was.. The Crucible is an interesting book about the Salem Witch Trials. It is very obvious from the readers point of view, what is happening and how everything could be stopped.Unfortunately, because the characters only want to save themselves, the truth becomes lies and lies become truth. Everyone has a choice of saving themselves and condemning others or standing up for the truth, condemning themselves, and stopping the cycle. Strangely, the "perfect" people of the town all lie. Arthur Miller wrote the play during The McCarthy Trials. In his book it is quite obvious how stupid the whole thing really is and the book has almost a direct parallel to the Mc Carthy trials, yet no one thought their was any problem with the trials. The book was a very interesting way to show the people what was really happening.$LABEL$1 +Rope too big. I originally had the small size because my dogs are 25 lbs. each, but their mouths could not go around and pick up the plastic jug from the bottom (which they are supposed to do so they can shake the kibble out). I returned the small one, and order the extra small, and even though the opening for kibble was smaller, the rope was not. Even when I broke up the kibble it can not get around the rope. I was going to return it, but was in the middle of a move, so now I'm stuck with it, and it never gets used. I suppose if I can somehow untie the rope, unbraid it, remove a section, rebraid it, and retie it, it may work...but as you can see that sounds like an awful lot of work, for something that should have been designed better from the start.$LABEL$0 +Look great, poor quality, rust spots. Moved into a new home and wanted new quality flatware. Bought 2 sets at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have washed them carefully in a brand new dishwasher, with non-lemon powder. Over a couple of months noticed most of the forks had rust spots between the tines. I have tried to remove the rust with no success. I am going to try to return these sets to B,B&B. My last style of Oneida I had for over 15 years, perfect, just wanted a new sleek style. Very disappointed!$LABEL$0 +Kind of sketchy. Just received my Medela membranes in the mail. Was a little nervous bc of the mixed reviews. The membranes I received did come in Medela packaging. However, the package is opened at the corner, so it looks like the product was tampered with OR non-Medela product was placed into Medela packaging. Sold by Linen Manor LLC. Comparing the product to my previously store-purchased Medela membranes, they look identical but not sure if that means anything. Still debating whether to send it back.$LABEL$0 +Piece of junk. This camera was inexpencive and I noticed when I bought it that it was just a fixed-focus, no flash, CMOS censor that only supports CIF resolution so I was not expecting to get good pictures out of it. Having that said, the picture quality of this thing is still a big disapointment. On the other hand I had no problem at all loading the software / driver in Windows XP like others have said. This camera was cheap, but I still feel like I got ripped off because something that takes pictures this horrible should cost under $10. I used to own another small CMOS censor no-flash fixed focus camera and the pictures it took were 10x better.$LABEL$0 +Just NOT okay.. Looking for something better. Would not buy again because it doesn't hold pages down; which is key feature I wanted.$LABEL$0 +Dead On Arrival. To be fair, I don't know how the unit works because the one I received from AllStarsOnline did not work at all. It was being sold "as is". It never powered up out of the box. I guess I should have known by the inexpensive price and the unwillingness of the seller to test the unit.Nevertheless, the seller did send all cables, accessories and manuals for the unit. They even included a couple extra print cartridges. I just wish I hadn't spent the extra $20 dollars to expedite the shipping.$LABEL$0 +Brotherly Love. Baby Louis is quite a crier. Nothing her mom, dad, and grandparents do helps. Then Daniel comes home from school and whispers the magic words into her ear. She immediately stops crying and begins to smile. Everyone is relieved, until Daniel goes out to play and the crying starts again. Find out what Daniel does this time to stop his little sister from crying.$LABEL$1 +Sports Science Projects: The Physics of Balls in Motion. Lots and lots of experiments in this science book. It contains black and white illustrations. I especially liked the ideas for projects and further investigations at the end of some of the experiments. Recommeded for the 4th grade through the 10th grade class. Teachers should read this one, also.$LABEL$1 +Vice City vs. San Andreas. To people with neither Vice City nor San Andreas: Be sure to buy VC before SA. Vice City is far more enjoyable than San Andrea due to the great characters across the whole game, the missions and the overall feel of the game. Also VC as a city is far more entertaining than the drab and boring Los Santos. I have not yet got to the other 2 cities but the fake Miami is a hundred times better than the fake LA.The characters in VC are funnier, the missions are more interesting, and the overall experience gives the game a better feel whereas the characters in SA, across the board, are boring and lame and the missions are extremely tedious and often times boring.While San Andreas allows you to do more than Vice City, I guarantee you that you will have a far better time doing less in Vice City than you will doing endless missions and Sim City rip-offs in San Andreas.Definitely choose Vice City over San Andreas if you're looking for a fun game.$LABEL$1 +Had to send it back. Unfortunately, this item didn't do what it was supposed to. After the first time, the button that is supposed to go down to show that the air has been vacuumed out stopped working. I called the company and they said this happens with grounds and that I should put the grounds in a bag....huh? Thought that was the point of this was that I could put the grounds directly in the canister. They sent me a whole list of things to do for it to work correctly. Bottom line is I think this would work great for beans....not so much for grounds.$LABEL$0 +Looks awesome. Wish it would work. Received the item quickly from amazon. Unpacked and assembled juicer per instructions. When trying to operate juicer it would not power on. Disassembled, reassembled. Nothing. Tried another outlet nothing. DOANo biggie. Call customer service. After 25 mins on phone item not in stock.Pretty upset spending the money on a better juicer and product doesn't work. Even more upset I would have to wait a month to get a replacement.The Juicer felt and looked great. Easy to assemble. To bad made in china and passed thru quality standards buy being DOA.Now I know why I see the same juicer on newegg for $75 refurbished.$LABEL$0 +Quick, easy, great coffee. Except for the time it takes to heat water in the microwave, this product is quick and easy to use. It makes the best cup of coffee I've ever had at home, and we have a built-in Meile! Put the water in the micro before you start assembling the coffee maker parts (filter and coffee.) This product is excellent for people who want really good coffee, one cup at a time.$LABEL$1 +My Review Of 2 Girls In Love. The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love is a funny and touching love story about a rebellious lesbian tomboy who meets a nice and friendly teen girl at a auto fix-it shop and soon create a friendship. As the days passes, the two girls experience their friendship blossoming to a forbidden lesbian romance. The audio commentary by the director tells the word-for-word history of the film. The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love is a hearfelt comedy-drama that will leave no eye dry.$LABEL$1 +Played for 5 minutes, then deleted. I'm not sure why I bought this game: I knew it would be bad. I guess I thought Harvey Smith made some great games, so maybe this was a rough gem. Nope! Just a boring, vanilla, limited-in-every-way-possible wack-a-mole shooter. The worst part is that the weapons have literally no kick or feedback, you might as well be using a laser pointer. Note to FPS designers: before you do ANYTHING ELSE be sure that it is fun and rewarding to aim and click the mouse button; if you fail at that, nothing else matters.This game fails at that most basic task, and thus it's not even worth discussing--too bad!$LABEL$0 +Great deal for all the functions and pretty stylish as well... I have been wearing metal band watches for a long time, but now that I work in a hospital, I wanted something lighter and digital. So I purchased this watch with absolutely no expectation, since it was so cheap. After wearing it for about a week, I have realize that this watch is great! It is very simple to read and it has the seconds "pie" counter right in the middle. (which beats staring at a ticking seconds hand in my opinion) It is both analog and digital and it is pretty stylish for a 20 some odd dollar watch. I have been wearing it everyday since I got it.To sum it up:-Great deal considering all the functions-Light and stylish-Easy to read-Analog and digital$LABEL$1 +Love this Headset, but It's Easily Breakable. Length:: 1:38 MinsI'm a fan of the Jabra 5020 headset -- it fits very well and comfortably around my ear and I've enjoyed good reception when connected to both my Treo 680 and iPhone. But I've gone through two models, and both have broken. The earpiece seems to be the weak link in this headset, as it's broken twice in my pocket (from not very rough treatment).$LABEL$0 +Quiet, smooth, wipe well. 1. They're quiet, not a peep out of them2. They move smoothly over the windshield3. Don't leave streaksI recommend using rainx windshield treatment for wipers that last long and stay quiet.$LABEL$1 +Love John Saul. My favorite author who never fails to satisfy. I have read all John Saul's books, and am currently waiting for delivery of his latest. I can't wait!!!$LABEL$1 +Mac OS 10 to Vista. I am a long time Mac user and have just moved to Windows. This book was a big help and I highly recommend it. The index is great if you don't want to read from cover to cover.$LABEL$1 +Creative Doesn't Tell All You'd Want to Know. I really enjoy this player but I could have loved it if only I'd known what it's limitations were. The Creative web site does not make that obvious.Why buy an MP3 player? My goals were to listen to music, have the ability to download new music and occassionally listen to some books.Although this player has great battery life and plays music well enough, it does not allow you to take advantage of online music or book services. Older Creative devices do, but this one is not compatible with Napster.com or Audible.com.Why would a company make a new device and omit older features likely to become more important in the future, as napster and audible become more popular?When I voiced concern to Creative they responded promptly but offered no solution and no hope of one anytime soon.If you want to sign up with online services, looks like this device won't allow you to take advantage of some of the popular opportunities out there.$LABEL$1 +Bound Dreck. Paranoid and partisan? You bet. Another book added to the long list of fruitcake conspiracy offerings.$LABEL$0 +Please save your $$ Buy K-9 Advantix II. I wouldn't normally write a bad review for a product, however, I really believe this is not worth the money. It essentially did little to nothing to kill or prevent fleas on our pets. I can safely say that most of the fleas on our pets did not die or even leave the animal. We tried this for a three month period and it was absolutely useless.In a comparison, we switched to K-9 Advantix II and the difference was night and day!Same animals, location, weather, etc...The Frontline Plus honestly did not work. I may have well administered tap water instead of Frontline Plus.The K-9 Advantix II worked almost immediately.PLEASESave your money! DO NOT WASTE IT on this product. I can't imagine how two products (FRONTLINE - ADVANTIX)claiming to do essentially the same thing, can be so vastly different with results. If I had to rely on Frontline, I would simply not use anything.$LABEL$0 +Gets better after first two listens. I had previously said that this was derivative. Now I've gotten to the point that I'm actually used to it.Kid A was one of the best albums of all-time. This, while not as good, can still be enjoyable.It starts out with "Pact....", which is a more techno song from the album, as it isn't the best, but good first song. "Pulk/Pull Revolving Door" is great, despite the fact that the same chords are being used throughout the song. "Life In A Glass house" happens to be my favorite track, a dancy tune that has decent vocals. If you're not already interested, get The Bends, OK Computer, or Kid A. This isn't their best, but I like it.$LABEL$1 +Living the So Called "Good Life" isn't so Good, after all... This story has a lot to teach all of us about what we assume wealth buys. It goes beyond what we have always been taught... "Money doesn't buy happiness" even though many of us have secretly believed..."if only I had that much money, I KNOW I could live happily ever after".....I suggest you read this funny and surprisingly insightful memoir and have your mind changed, just like mine was. I wish this former nanny all the best and would like to thank her for taking the risk to write this book. I will never look at Hollywood the same again.$LABEL$1 +a great look into US-Indian policy and relations. i first came upon this book through my brother who studies archaeology at university of arizona. his american indian studies professor used this book as the textbook for the class. i read it cover to cover and found it very intruiging and fascinating (as well as horrifying). a great start for anyone whos interested in how the land your living on went from belonging to an indian tribe to becoming yours, and what happened to the people who owned it.$LABEL$1 +Sounds like one long song.... I love Tabla drumming, but to be honest, this CD is too repetitive. It all sounds like one long, never ending track. Maybe it would be good as background when you're not really paying attention. Nope, no it wouldn't, because you'd be noticing how one track blends into the other into the other into the other. It's just too repetitive. Like this review.$LABEL$0 +Be Aware!. From what I heard of the cd I thought it was going to be great but it really isn't that good. I was very disappointed. Alot of good artists are on it but the songs are not that great.$LABEL$0 +BRING IT BACK!. One of the best books to have on James Bond.Just what makes him tick? Read and find out!$LABEL$1 +Extremely disappointed.. I purchased this cleaner about 3 months ago, I have used it twice and not it doesn't work at all anymore, No one seems to know what is wrong with it and Now I can't get any time of reimbursment for it. I was happy with it at first, it did a great job but not being able to use it after one time isn't setting right with me.$LABEL$0 +Best Matbreaker for cats or small dogs!. I've got a long - thick haired cat that always gets terrible hair mats each spring when she sheds. I've tried plenty of detangler and dematting combs, but couldn't find one that was easy to use (cats don't always stand still) and works fast. If I could have designed one myself, this would be it. It's small and fits well in your hand. The curved combs prevent jabbing the animal while they quickly and easily grab underneath the matt. Then as you pull, the inside blades safely and quickly slice the mat right out of the fur. It's fast and makes this chore SO much easier. The cat no longer minds the process. PS I only paid $10.00 plus shipping from KV Pet Supplies (via Amazon).$LABEL$1 +Amazon should remove this product from their site.. I agree with all the bad reviews. The only positive thing I can say is that mine did not break the first time I used it. It broke the 4th time I used it. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.$LABEL$0 +Indispensable Guide. We purchased this book in preparation for a drive from Pennsylvania to Florida. Are we glad we got it! We used this book the entire trip to locate restaurants, gas stations, etc. Even the location of the local speed traps were correct! We discovered several great attractions which we otherwise would have missed out on if we had not purchased this great book. Very highly recommended for your next trip on I-95!$LABEL$1 +"Impossible. . .things are happening every day!". Wow, some productions become the entertainment church of the soul, and this one is no exeption.Who can resist the story of a young non-regal born lass, destined to become an inhouse maid by her horrible wicked ancestors from her kind father's desolved marriage from his death, to eventually become royal princess! It almost becomes a tear jerker from Leslie Ann Warren's very convincing cry in "her own little corner."Actually, here, the wicked ancestors are a bit more comical in order to appear more clumsy, and ill mannered. Celeste Holm almost magnifys the extreme kind essence brought once before in "The Wizard Of Oz" Glinda, as the wonderful fairy god mother. The prince is fortunitely portrayed here, as not only handsome and dashing, but kind, considerate, and "in love."The musical score almost speaks for itself in catchy memorable tunes, and lyrics. And it ends with those very words, in my review heading!$LABEL$1 +Black & White Sheltie water bottle. The picture is wonderful. It is very hard to fine just a black & white Sheltie picture. The water bottle is the right size.$LABEL$1 +I got Shafted!!!!. When this movie came on T.V. many years ago, I recorded it, edited out the commercials and everything. So when it finally was released on D.V.D. I jumped at the chance to have a better quality version.I even gave my V.H.S. copy to my mother. Man, was I ever disappointed, the movie is missing critical scenes. Too many to even describe in this review!! I thought because [...] that that was the problem, but after reading so many other reviews that basically are saying the same thing, I can see I wasn't the only one who got shafted.And to make things worse, my mother won't give me the V.H.S. version back!!!$LABEL$0 +Color by numbers. Genius would require more than transparent emulation and standard songwriting in my opinion.If you don't play music yourself or think that the ability to copy others or follow formulas has some value, then maybe this is for you.I am an advocate of judging how something sounds over where it fits in terms of creativity or obscurity. However, Mayer has crossed the line. Not only does he clearly seek to write songs just as he has heard and make his voice sound just as others, the voice he's chosen is that contrived dave matthewesque cacaphony.If you love coldplay and dave matthews and anything that sounds acoustic, then knock your socks off. But, if you've heard a couple Mayer songs and aren't into acoustic singer-songwriters enough to know a hack from a visionary, I would keep looking for an artist with at least the desire for creativity and unique personal expression.$LABEL$0 +Puzzles plus Quests!. I was sort of skeptical about this game. I love a good RPG and I enjoy Bejewelled, but how the heck can you tie them together in a way that makes sense and doesn't get boring? Well, it happened and the result is this game. At first, it seems just like bejewelled but as you progress you realize that your color gems that you match corolate to the manna you need to cast spells, heal, and inflict mad damage upon your opponent. Some battles are harder than others, and you can protect yourself by donning armor and having other items in your inventory to reflect, dissipate, or otherwise shield you. A really unusual game, but it never gets boring!$LABEL$1 +Where's the Physics?. I was hoping this video would excite my 14-year-old son about Physics. Unfortunately there's only the most token, and I mean token, mention of the physics of a roller coaster. This title is just plain deception. My son remarked that it seemed like an info-mercial for various roller coasters. I heartily agree. The Discovery Channel should be ashamed.$LABEL$0 +Love This Movie!. I LOVE this movie and I'm so glad it's available on video. I watched this when I was a kid, and I still love watching it. It's got a great moral for everyone to learn.$LABEL$1 +Weapons of Legacy book. Great! Thanks so much for your great price, great shipping, and integrity.I got this for my grandson who is pleased as ever!$LABEL$0 +A good listen provided you like the genre.. This is no intro to electronica. Nor is it a hardcore beeping frenzy without any human touches. The opening track has nice vocal touches, and the the slack-jawed commentary on "Pretty Deyenol" make for that rare track that will make you laugh while you dance. Yes, there is ample dance material here; trouble will arise in finding anyone who has heard it and would therefore be able to dance, however. In the end 'tis not a classic but rather an enjoyably small step down.$LABEL$1 +Very good headfone. I really recommend buy this headphone. Excellent sound output at this price. There are 2 reasons for me not giving this product a 5 star rating is..1) Little too bulky although collapsible.2) There is no microphone built with it. Other products like Planotronics have microphones along with the headphone at the same price.$LABEL$1 +Take a peek at Peek A Boo!. If you are a fan of this classic cartoon, then this shirt is a must have! Just a reminder, this shirt is fitted so take that into consideration when purchasing.$LABEL$1 +Amazing in its depth and relevance. What Paul Johnson does, that many are afraid to do, is take a serious look at the lives of people who have shaped Western culture, and acknowledge their many short-comings. People from Hemmingway to Tolstoy are revealed to be quite human and undeserving of universal unqualified praise$LABEL$1 +Pretty terrible. I've worked through a number of language tapes, both for German and other languages, and Breakthrough German is one of the worst I've ever encountered.For starters, the primary narrator of the tape struck me as arrogant and condescending. But worse than that is that the program does little to aid retention of what's presented. There are few opportunites to repeat what you've just heard and no follow-ups to confirm that you've said the new term correctly.Also, the program appears to have been produced in the UK so some of the translations are a bit funky (for example "tschus" is translated as "cheerio")On the positive side, some of the dialogues on the tape appear to be genuine, real-life conversations that have been (surreptitiously?) recorded.As alternatives, I'd check out Pimsleur (very expensive but excellent) or Living Language.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY!. This product left a horrible white film on everything...plastic bowls, porcelain plates, silverware, glass glasses, plastic glasses-u get the point. It was so bad that I actually thought the kids put some kind of glue or a dirty paint brush with white paint on it in the dish washer. So I took all the dishes out of the dishwasher, scrubbed everything (still thinking it was the glue/paint, & yes that's how horrible this stuff was) & put the dishes back in the dishwasher for another cleaning not realizing they'd just come out with the white goopy film again, so back to hand scrubbing. Then I thought something was wrong with the dishwasher. I mentioned this to my husband & he suggested maybe it was the detergent since that was the only thing that changed. So off to the store for my old detergent and amazing, no more white film. I will never buy this stuff again. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PRODUCT. & shame on P&G because I'm sure this product was tested before they put it on the shelves!$LABEL$0 +okay.... Bratz luvers need a serious reality check!. Okay.... I don't have this doll yet, but that is not why i am here. Who ever wrote that "she looks dead" or something like that, read the title of my review~ BRATZ MAJORELY SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You always complain that My Scene just SHOPS! They don't!!!!!!!! They take ski trips, vacations to miami, go to hollywood, go on dates(At 16?!?!), go to clubs (AT 16!?!), etc. But, can anyone tell me why they don't go to school? Oh, my scene, i luv ya but lower ur prices once and a while. AND REMEMBER... BRATZ SUCK!thx M@NDY$LABEL$1 +step by step tarot. this guide for use with the tarot, is a more in depth book when learning the art. it gives useful insights with the cards and a gaining of self knowledge as you follow through the pages and tasks.$LABEL$1 +Surprising Discovery (talks about the end). Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack were riveting. It's a talky movie with not a lot of action and no physical contact between the leads, but I couldn't turn away. It looked like the ending was going to be predictable, especially when it got down to the last 10 or 15 minutes. I thought the end would be Cochrane breaking the seal to hold his dying wife, choosing to die himself. Or maybe the last shot would be Cochrane on his side of the seal, alone. Nope, the movie turned it around. Cochrane was contaminated and sealed in by the military and gassed. Pretty amazing movie.$LABEL$1 +Works great with Windows7. Bought this camera in Germany, and windows7 automatically downloaded drives. works great for skype applications - which is why I bought it-, good picture and videos. I am buying a second one for my brothers' birthday present-$LABEL$1 +fails to please. Ming's show is always one of our favorites. The book, however, just doesn't excite us as much as the show. The photos are nice, the information and individual descriptions are helpful. But, the book just doesn't exude the same spark as Ming's tv personna.$LABEL$0 +Good Pictures; Very Little Said. I don't think you could really call this a book--it's more like a scrapbook or photo album. I learned perhaps 2 things about AJ that I hadn't heard before. It is definitely NOT the tell-all book it has been hyped to be--which is probably a good thing. The pictures are great--obviously mostly from her personal collection, as there are pics of Backstreet Boys sleeping, and at family celebrations. Very precious and priceless picture of Brian and Nick in younger years sound asleep on a couch. There is one picture of AJ in the bathtub--not too revealing--thank goodness. All in all, not a big price to pay for some really great pictures, but not much of anything else.$LABEL$0 +Ugh!. I love Def Leppard. I HATE this album. Guys, you've sold a gazillion albums and won respect--now please spare what's left of your dignity and retire? Please? I'm asking nicely.$LABEL$0 +Light Thickens Review. Book arrived on time, in good condition. I enjoyed it as I have all the Marsh books.$LABEL$1 +Back to the Basics. I've been a long-time fan and follower of Nancy Griffith - over 25 years - and it was great to find a more recent album by her that was "back to the basics" in style. (Some of her past efforts have been a bit heavy-handed in their messages.) The flow of songs is just right, and her voice and songwriting abilities are still as strong as ever. A wonderful choice for any Nancy Griffith fan - new or old.$LABEL$1 +Great Dialogue entertaining story. Well crafted entertaining novel thatkeeps you interested the entire tim$LABEL$1 +Disturbing. This is the most disturbing children's book I have ever read. It starts off sweet enough but can you imagine if your mother in law snuck into your bedroom every night to rock your grown husband to sleep? I'd get a restraining order. Definitely better books out there that teach about unconditional love and parent/child relationships. I would never let my daughter read this book.$LABEL$0 +Four Star Music,Two Star Plot!. Buy this for the music,and Doris Day.Then go out and the get the Soundtrack CD,which is out of print.Doris Day,and the trumpet of Harry James...........two of the best ever.$LABEL$0 +NOT GOOD AT ALL !. I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK AT ALL,ONLY THE LAST FIFTY PAGES WAS OKTHE BOOK IS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO HAS AROUGH CHILD HOOD AND NOW SHE IS HAVINGA HORRIBLE MARRIAGE. HER HUSBAND WILL NOTMAKE LOVE TO HER THE WAY SHE WANT HIM TOAND THE WAY HE USED TO, HE IS NOW A DECONAND HE KNOWS HIS WIFE IS SLEEPING WITH OTHER MENSHE ALSO CARRIES AROUND SOME KIND OF HATE FOR HERGRAND MOTHER FOR MAKING HER HAVE AN ABORTION WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER. THE TOPIC WAS GREAT BUT THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN AND BOUGHT OUT WAS NOT GREAT AT ALL. THE BOOK WAS BORING !$LABEL$0 +horribly written. i purchased this book prior to a trip to cozumel this summer, hoping for a quick, light read and some local color. if you don't mind redundancy, very simple sentences ("see jane run") and misspelled words, then this book should be great for you. i ultimately said hasta nunca to "the tourist" and my copy now resides at a pink beach house on the yucatan!$LABEL$0 +Ichabod Crane Revisited. SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999), starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, and Jeffrey Jones, combines horror, suspense, and comedy brilliantly. This is a loosely adapted version of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Depp plays a bumbling constable who relies upon the latest scientific methods to figure out who is responsible for a series of beheadings in New York's Hudson valley. Directed by Tim Burton, the film looks terrific with exquisite sets and evocative cinematography. If Burton takes liberties with the Irving classic, he succeeds in creating a superior black comedy with his distinctive trademark. And look for a surprise cameo in the role of the Headless Horseman.$LABEL$1 +shakira. I only know of this guy because he worked with Shakira so I decided to look him up. This album is as bad as Oral Fixation Two!$LABEL$0 +Good racquet. Compared to some of the other racquets I've used, the soft layer is thinner on this racquet, yet the blade is still plenty sticky. As a result, you don't get quite the spin with this as you do on other racquets. However, it will spin plenty. And what is lost in spin is made up for in speed. I've liked it and so have other players who have played a game or two with it.The only fault I find with it, is that I wonder of the durability. There are some cracks on the edge from hitting the table and I wish the manufacturer wouldn't make the thingermajigger (clear lucite) in the handle. It's cool and all, but I think durabilty would be better served to leave it off.$LABEL$1 +I love this CD!. I'm only 20 years old, but I've loved this movie pretty much since birth, and my mom had the soundtrack when I was younger, so I grew up listening to the pioneering new wave of the 80's. I've purchased my own copy and love it to this very day! I'm still looking to buy the 2nd soundtrack, but for some reason can't seem to find it anywhere. I know it was on Amazon a while back, but was very expensive (almost $40) and there were only about 4 available. There's some great songs on that one as well, in fact, I might like that one just a little bit more. But definitely check this CD out! It's like totally tubular, for sure!$LABEL$1 +My first heart rate monitor. As a runner I was happy to receive this as a gift. It's great to be able to monitor your heart rate as you exercise. This unit comes with several extras that are really nice -- such as the fitness quotient that calculates your fitness based on age, weight and activity level. It also has a bicycle mount, which is something most don't include. The watch is well-designed -- I get compliments and questions about it -- and the controls are logically arranged and very usable.$LABEL$0 +I enjoy the Mentalist. I was disappointed that I wasn't sent the review booklet with my DVD. I'm writing my own as I watch each show. I enjoy every character in the series. They all do a great job. I often don't like the Red John character to be a part of the show. When he is part of the story it is too dark and evil for my taste. I wish he would get killed and go away forever. Jo$LABEL$1 +NOT THE CATWOMAN WE KNOW. First off 1)Catwoman in the comics was white not black like others have written.2)In the Adam west Burt ward Batman series she was white Julie Newmar- black Eartha Kitt- and the 1966 movie white- Lee meriwether.3) Halle berry is half black half white. But that is not why I gave it 2 stars I would not care if she was all black or latin or ect.... I gave it 2 stars because you can not change a comic characters orgin this much and still think people will come and see it. Granted Catwoman has changed over the years but somethings have always stayed the same She is a catburgler with no super powers. That is what made Catwoman and Batman so cool the ability to do what they do WITH NO SUPER POWERS!. Will people go see this movie- yes because Halle berry is SUPER HOT but even she can not save this stinker of a movie.$LABEL$0 +not good. Very hard to get into its a book you can put down and pick it up days later and still caring on with it$LABEL$0 +needs Karaoke machine!. Nowhere in the product description does it say that you have to play this disc on a karaoke machine in order to get the on-screen lyrics -- but that's exactly the case. I purchased this and several others for my son to use in a DVD player with a plug-in microphone, and, while it plays the music on the DVD player, it does not have on-screen lyrics. I am extremely disappointed in the product description.$LABEL$0 +Love it!. I love it and my son loves it. It fits perfectly with his mouth, and is easy for him to hold. It's 100% silicone, so nothing can hurt his mouth. I also found that when he is having a bad teething day, if I rub a little bit of his teething gel on it, it really helps. He would chew on it all day if I let him:)$LABEL$1 +NOT Non-Stick. This pan is NOT Non-Stick. Both sides stick terribly. I've been attempting to use this pan for over a year now with the same issue each time. I've tried high, medium and low heat. Each time I want to flip it I have to open it and scrape the egg off the bottom, which defeats the purpose of the pan. It also leaks egg onto my stove every time I flip it.$LABEL$0 +Nissan Travel thermos. This travel thermos is the best. It keeps coffee hot for hours. It's easy to use while driving and doesn't leak. I wouldn't have any other brand.$LABEL$1 +More than Just another Great Nancy Drew Book. There is more here than just a good story for children when reading these books. I have an inquisitive 7-year old who has loved reading a few of the Nancy Drew books. (It was also an enjoyable walk down memory lane with one of my favorite childhood book series. It's a good mystery story and one of my favorites of the series). This book introduced the Amish people to my daughter and made for good discussions after we read a few chapters every night. The series also brings to light how things were "back then". Telephones with cords, big convertible cars, and a unique vocabulary. I love that we can download the book for immediate reading. My daughter and I pick out the books together and dive right in. The ebook is exactly how the real book is with the illustrations included. My daughter looked forward to the pictures and scrutinized how each one was drawn. More than sharing the reading time, I love the discussions that come from reading these books.$LABEL$1 +Take off eh!. Santa brought me this DVD for christmas 2003. I stuck it into my computer DVD player today, sat back, and immersed myself into the sounds of RUSH. And amazing sounds they where. Considering that this concert could have been halted because of previous rain or the equipment showing up half a day late, it was amazing how they pulled it off so smoothly. The band once again shows why they are the kings of progressive rock. Song after song are performed flawlessly. And to top it off the fans where amazing. A unsuspected bonus of owning this DVD is the documentary DVD that comes with it. It was not only educating, but hilarious. Those guys have quite the sense of humour, and if you don't like them, then Take off eh!$LABEL$1 +This is religion!. I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunatly the authors were unable to rise above the technology/process wars. The words "In Our Opinion" or simalar statements occur on every other page. If you happen to be in disagreement with the opinions reading this book is torture.I am afraid this will hurt WWISA, the goal of creating a viable Software Architecture Profession can only be achieved if we stay independent of the wars. This book, being visable evidence of the organiztions existance will give readers a false impression of the WWISA.$LABEL$0 +Another Satisfied Customer. I bought the Delorme Earthmate USB for my laptop because I couldn't afford a GPS system for my vehicle. So, I figured $130 ain't a bad price. So far, I have used it in my area. Knowing that GPS is not 100% accurate, I feel the Earthmate USB is accurate enough to figure out where you are and to find your way. Only downfall is the mapping software. The main roads are fairly accurate. The side roads have less to be desired. Because of that, this product only gets 4 out of 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +This is the best movie that I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The remake of Disney's The Parent Trap is the best movie that I have ever seen.Lindsay Lohan is very talented and beautiful and this actress has a future.$LABEL$1 +GGGGGGG-UNIT / THe GAMe YOu aint GOne MAke it. This man deserves no stars none at all for this album he wanna go out there wanna be grown wanna act like he can make good music well the tracks on his cd that were jus him was a test n he blew it he aint no gangsta he aint no G hes NO game all he talks about is his shoes all the time.Yuckmouth killed him on the mixtapes and all that as it is now he cant come back wit a good ryme. yo the first time this cd camei got it i was tired of it by the end of the day the only song i was really feeling of the album that wernt getting annoying were hate it or love it and dreams.GAme give it up THe game OVer you finished and when tony yayo come out wit the album and g-unit come out wit that mixtape u thru so man go back to compotob and go back to sleep your records played out lame!$LABEL$0 +Painful. Being a Styx fan for a number of years I was excited to see the remaining members of the group reunite for another studio album. However, after hearing this sub-par effort from the Styx makes me wish they would have forgone the effort and stuck to their day jobs.With pointless lyrics and musical arrangements that put you to sleep it is safe to say that the magic that this band once had has gone the way of the dodo.This is a perfect example that sometimes living in the past is not such a bad thing. If you feel the need to hear Styx wipe off your turntable and listen to some of the old classics."Brave New World" makes their single "Music Time" sound like Beethoven.$LABEL$0 +no longer effective. this product is not longer effective since they removed the cortisone. I did give it a try for a few months for psoriasis, but it was was basically just greasy stuff on my elbows and knees that did nothing. bought this other stuff, "MG 217" and it completely cleared it up in 4 weeks. amzing stuff!! maybe the freederm works for other conditions, but not for psoriasis.$LABEL$0 +Never outdated!. Chorale singing is just not around much anymore. Thank God for the technology that has kept this beautiful music alive for our enjoyment. Robert Shaw Chorale was the best. Also, some of the sacred songs are getting harder and harder to find, and here they are on this one CD.$LABEL$1 +This is pretty terrible.... This cd is a flaccid mess. You've already heard the only two decent songs ("Survivor" and "Independent Women Part I"), so there's no need to buy this. It's mostly just embarassing, cliche-riddled, off-tempo tripe, especially "Nasty Girl," "Bootylicious," "Apple Pie ala Mode," and "Brown Eyes." It appears as if all that earlier "writing on the wall" was done in vain; too bad when Destiny's Child cleaned house last year, they kicked out all the talented members.$LABEL$0 +Wasn't too impressed. I tried this headset with my LG mobile phone, and I constantly had a hard time hearing the person on the other line. I also didn't like the "switchboard operator" style headset -- too much of a hassle for use on the road, and too big to easily fit in the glove box. Might be ok for someone at an office desk. I switched to a Body Glove over-the-ear style system -- better sound, more compact and convenient.$LABEL$0 +Terrible movie. I had to see some mumblecore titles for a class. I thought this could be the worst movie ever made, until I saw Hannah Takes the Stairs. This is the 2nd worst movie ever made. No story, no plot, uninteresting characters. You'll honestly get more enjoyment listening to your dishwasher run for the length of this movie.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I desperately wanted my daughter to enjoy a yummy chocolate chip cookie. She is allergic to nuts and eggs, among other things. We eat pretty healthy and I kept an open mind, but these were just gross. My 22 month old wouldn't take more than 1 bite. My husband and I couldn't even eat more than one. :($LABEL$0 +Truly stunning ending. The end of this movie is so well done that, despite it being an animated action film, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. Mr. Freeze in the animated series is so wonderfully tragic, and voiced with an incredibly haunting performance by Michael Ansara.At the end, when Freeze has lost everything, but sees on the news that all that he did and sacrificed was not in vain, the music crescendos and you realize that he can rest in peace, even if he never sees his wife again. As someone who loves tragic love stories and happy endings, this movie ended perfectly for me, tragic and joyous at the same time.$LABEL$1 +A really good mouse. I purchased this as a gift for a friend. He had the exact same one but his dog decided to eat the cable. He liked it so much he asked for the exact same one even when I offered to buy him one that was more expensive. He has been using this model for a couple of years.$LABEL$1 +To Mel, with love.. I read this book in four days! I couldn't put it down!A tale of time forgotten, where LOVE ruled the clubs.In all my clubbing years, I've yet to experience those special nights where there is nothing but 'love in the air'. Mel lived this!This book helped ME live that.I'VE HAD FOUR LONG DAYS OF PARADISE!!!Thank you Mel, may you rest in peace.$LABEL$1 +South Africa - general overview. The geography of South Africa is the main focus of this title. Within this subject too many topics are touched on for a 32 page book that is nearly 50% pictures. Each topic, including weather, plants, animals, industry, people, etc., is given a very quick overview but none are given much depth. A glossary and index are incuded. A pronounciation guide for non-English words would have been helpful. For someone interested in general information about this part of the world this is an OK choice. For someone looking for research material - keep looking.$LABEL$0 +Wait until the end..... Yeah, normally, when you say that its followed with a "....you wont believe what happens" Not the case, what I liked about the end, was the excellent rock playing as the credits rolled, AND the fact that the movie was done. I absolutely hated this movie. I felt like it had a cast filled with supporting actors, no heavy hitters anchoring it down. Now, this movie is compared with ID4, Alien, War of the Worlds, whatever...NO WAY... ID4 has real heart, characters you care about, they have an affect on the outcome. Alien is cinematic classic, this doesnt even come close to touching Alien...so forget that comparison! Lastly, War of the Worlds, brilliant, beautiful, scary and like nothing I'd seen, this movie doesnt touch IT either. Skyline largely follows in the footsteps are larger more successful sci fi movies, and gives you nothing new. Do yourself a favor, dont substitute the originals. You'll be happier watching the ones that came first.$LABEL$0 +great acting, great story. This is an autobiographical story about James M. Barrie andhow he came to write the play and novel "Peter Pan".It is also about death and orphans: the English, as Oliver Twist by Dickens points out, had trouble dealing with orphans.Barrie had a warm open heart and found a fantasy world for childrenthat appears to be timeless and universal.There is always a place in the heart of children for pirates, Indians and fairies.There is a real contrast in the emotional approach to death taken here and that in another recent movie:The Bucket ListI think that both have good acting by great actors,but one seems to be about the "me first" approach to lifeand this one is about living with death for both the livingands the survivors. I think that both are "sentimental",but this approach seems better.$LABEL$1 +Plenty of Ice But No Zebra. Maclean lost his battle with alcoholism later in life, and it adversely affected his output. His novels became shorter and their characterization flatter, and in Athabasca, he presents one character's alcoholism in virtually a positive light. The plot of this story is forgettable too and there's only about ten pages near the end where 'master of suspense' can be applied to the writing. A sad decline for someone who was the Tom Clancy of his day and is virtually forgotten barely fifteen years after his death. As for this book, read Ice Station Zebra if you want to play in the snow!$LABEL$0 +The Best Bond movie in the universe. Out of all Bond movie's, this one is my favorite. Except for the fact that Kissy, the bond girl is only in the movie for about 20 minutes. It is so dumb why they cut the other one off. Well anyways, a space capsule was captured and hijacked. The Americans think the Soviets did it. Next, another capsule is captured and believe that the Americans did this to retaliate. The tension between the two could create another war. James Bond is sent to Japan to investigate. There, he finds the evil leader of SPECTRE has done this so when the 2 most military countrys destroy eachother. When that has happened, Blofeld will take opporitunity to seize the world. There was a lot of action in this movie. Like.1. The Space capsule hijack2. The building fight.3. The car chase and helicopter4. Little Nelie chase/fight5. The dock gunfight6. The final finale, the crater battle.$LABEL$1 +sweet deal. If you want a reliable player to jog with, runs on regular batteries, has no hard drive, uses musicmatch to make play lists and is easy to use, then look no more. I've used this one about 5x/week for over a year and it works great. I get about 15 hours per AAA battery and have had no problems with this one. If you like the idea of not having to worry about hard drive failure and battery issues with the iPod, this is a sweet deal. One suggestion, pick up some better earphones to maximize the sound quality of the player.$LABEL$1 +Not so much. This worked on my dachshund about 3 times and then she decided the noise wasn't quite annoying enough to stop her from barking. Another problem was that if I tossed my keys on the table it was sitting on or my children squealed while playing, it set it off too. So we had to be quiet around the thing. I continued to change the batteries in hope that it would eventually work on her and, in about a month, I had gone through 3 battery changes. If I had continued to use it, I would have been buying batteries out the wazoo. All in all, it was a good idea but didn't work at all for my dog.$LABEL$0 +Mario's Back. (but i got the castle song stuck in my head.). It's Really Fun, But It Only Took Me 4 days to beat (6 days including the two bonus worlds, W4 & W7). but once You Beat The Game It Gets Sort Of Boring.Sound: 8.0Gameplay: 9.9Graphics: 9.0Overall: 8.7$LABEL$1 +A Jewel Among the Rocks. My wife and I are voracious readers and often settle for books that are OK, but not noteworthy. Every so often a jewel pops out of nowhere and The Wild Trees is just such a book.We were early readers of The Life of Pi, and feel this book is just such a read. Editorially, they are miles apart, but both books surprise you by just being wonderful and refrshing.Within 30 pages of the start, you will be breathless, and then the character development begins. There is the poor son of a billionaire, a wonderful love story and of course the trees. The wonderful magnificent trees. And, it's all true.I just bought 12 copies to send to my reading friends and just felt it would be a good thing to let others know.Enjoy.$LABEL$1 +The Nay Sayers are WRONG!. Setzer has ROCKED since the Stray Cats and the new BSO album is no different. Brian and crew update the rockabilly and swing sound and it's great! Those who say the Setzer Orchestra is worthless have no appreciation of adaptation of musical styles into a VERY enjoyable SWWWWIIIIINNNGGGGIN' Setzer style. The originals are no less great, but the remakes are fun, and the originals are great! If only more CD's were as much fun!$LABEL$1 +Marginal. This collection of sentences and catch phrases is VERY weak on technical details and VERY heavy on the diatribe. In several instances, it is down right incorrect when referencing history. This book may fit the needs of a poli. sci. type, but it is less than a dust collector when it comes to those working in the fields of IT/IW/IA. As a 2 decade professional in the field, take my recommendation and avoid this book if you are looking for anything beyond recycled political phrases related to IW.$LABEL$0 +Will only be helpful for a few.. The book was NOT what I was expecting based on prior reviews. This is NOT a guide to life organizing and prioritizing but rather the author's idea of handling office incoming mail, a filing reminder system for phone calls to be made and work to be done, keeping things one needs to share with another individual in a central location, and scheduling and consolidating that sharing. For those who don't need a computer to do their job, have a memory like a sieve, or are super disorganized and don't know where to begin to start, this might be helpful, otherwise, save your money. His ideas are only practical in a low volume paperwork environment and with those who have non-technical professions. Some kind of portable, daily planner or calendar or a computer syncing PDA is much more practical.$LABEL$0 +Rocks........As all Metallica does. when I first found out that Metallica was going to perform with an orchestra I was a little hesitant. Who would have thought Metallica would ever enter the same building as an orchestra, much less perform with one! When I first played it I was blown away with how much the other instruments accually "filled" Metallica's sound giving a new edge and fullness. Where some of the Metallica songs started to get bland or the same, the orchestra just creates such a particular sound that it sounds sooooo much better. It has all of the greats from some of the older stuff as well as some new songs. The only drawback I did notice was on the back of the cd. It lists the songs with only part of their name, this was a little misleading when purchasing from a store. Other than that, this cd is a must-have for anyone that has ever heard any Metallica. Even if you havent, this cd is for anyone with a need for metal.$LABEL$1 +Men in Knits. I have bought many knitting patterns for men but this book is consistently the best for all sizes and shapes. Well written and easy to follow.$LABEL$1 +Good general guide on entering the industry. I've been working in the field of game audio on the content side for about 5 years. I got this book as I was starting out and I found it a quick, easy read that offered alot of helpful insight and pretty much everything Marks said has held true in my experience. There are people complaining here that this book doesn't offer deep technical information or insight on how to provide content or help with audio programming and that's true. Maybe the title could have been clearer - it's more an idea of what game audio is about and what it's like to work in that field. But if that's what you're looking for, it's a quite worth reading and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know how to break into the industry on the audio side.$LABEL$1 +This a must for every preacher to read.. This book captivates you. Spureon stood out as a preacher and pastor far above most who ever pastored. Dr.Dummand has given a vivid description of the many faceted sides of the great preacher. When I finished the book I felt like it should be studied rather than just read. You will love the many tidbits of fascinating information about the man and his ministry. Mr. Spurgeon was involved in controversary quite often. The author tells how and why. Spurgeon took a strong stand on the fundamentals of the faith when many others were not as open. There are many paralells to prominent pastors of today. It will especially encourage and strengethen younger pastors. As I read the book two thing struck me. How I wish I had read this 50 years ago. Then how we need more his tribe today. Every Christian would be blessed and profited by this book.$LABEL$1 +Bad. This product is horrible. I tried is for my green anoles, ant it totally burned one, and killed the other.$LABEL$0 +Stories are too short, not worth the money. I just bought the single DVD version and was psyched to see a dark Batman animated DVD coming out. Being a big fan, I had to get it. Bottomline, its not worth the money. Rent it first. The first story is horrible. The animation is off; Batman looks different in every story as does Bruce Wayne. Each story is only 12 minutes long so there's not enough to satisfy you. They'd be better off having fewer stories and making them longer. They probably just released this for marketing since the movie comes out next week. Too bad they didn't give us anything quality and just fluff to "satisfy" until the movie comes out. Avoid this if you can.$LABEL$0 +Get *Undertow.*. Unnecessary repeat of the Aenima and Undertow sound, but without the hooks. Very mediocre effort.*Undertow* is a great cd.$LABEL$0 +Amazing speed. This little device is amazing. Very fast and lots of options. Good software, and lots of free stuff comes with it. My only gripe is that it takes a while to warm up, and while that's happening, it'll take three or more sheets at a time. Once you've had it on for a while, though, it works like a champ.$LABEL$1 +terry does it again. Another amusing Terry Pratchett book. Not much more to say. The hidden puns are zingers worthy of a good read. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +high on shock but don't expect to take anything away.... the book is definitely a page turner, but don't look for anything to really touch you with the characters that surrounded his life, or in his complete lack of any reflection on the events and people that shaped his childhood. unlike say, a Sedaris story - there doesn't seem to be much humanity in this memoir. I don't know - maybe that's not exactly the point of this book (or it IS!) but by the time I read the exerpt from his book Dry - I was convinced that he's only in it for the satisfaction of grossing his reader's out....$LABEL$0 +A work of historic importance.. Der Graf von Gleichen will never be remembered as an opera "gem", however the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music's beautifully sung recording of this work is a must for any opera lover's library. The opera was composed during the last days of Schubert's short life and was not finished before his death. Therfore, Der Graf had never been staged let alone recorded by any arts organization of significance. Enter CCM. The singers and orchestra bring to life a work that history has set aside. Schubert's compositional strengths are evident in his hundreds of song treatments, and the arias in this opera reflect those strengths. For instance, the role of Suleika, gorgeously sung by the warm yet innocent soprano of Gwendolyn Coleman, is highlighted by arias resembling the Schubertlieder for which she is named. Ms. Coleman, by the way, is just one of numerous talented singers on this recording who are gracing the concert halls of the world. To hear them, buy this CD!$LABEL$1 +I really wanted to love this album. After the lackluster 14 Shades of Grey, I really hoped that Staind's new album could blow me away like they did the first time I heard them in my local music store. Unfortuantly, I realize that the band I love doesn't exist anymore. At least I still have Tormented, Dysfunction and the memories of the times I've seen them live. Now, this isn't an awful album but there's nothing that can separate them from the rest of the sludge you hear on the radio. If you want to hear music that really rocks, do yourself a favor and pick up a Local H album.$LABEL$0 +Best of the best!. This is the ONLY pregnancy book you will need. Before I got pregnant and during my pregnancy, I got at least 10 pregnancy books. The only other one that I also found helpful was "What to Expect," but this book is WAY better. Don't waste your money on other books. I regret getting all the "natural birth" and "natural" methods books, they were not scientifically proven (in fact, sometimes outright dangerous!). Go with the Mayo Clinic. You, your husband, and your baby will be glad. : )$LABEL$1 +An unfortunate misstep.. A show that was to define an entire new genre in its first season goes out on in the exact fashion it sought to lampoon, punctuated by an ending that invalidates the premise that was at the very heart of the show. This transparent attempt to generate revenue from an extended treatment of it's "shocking" ending is neither surprising nor warranted. Best to turn the spigot off here and redirect those hard earned funds toward something that kept its integrity and stayed true to its heart, such as Shout Factory's "My So Called Life" or the pre-Star Trek J.J. Abrams signature, "Felicity".$LABEL$0 +Didn't work out of box; rude customer service. After a week the receiver still hasn't picked up a signal. I've tried it both in the car (w/ the auto adapter unit) and in the boombox but have yet to get a signal. XACT customer service is unfriendly and fairly difficult to work with...they don't seem to believe me that I can't "acquire a signal". After a few emails and a phone call I get to return the unit at my expense and wait an unspecified amount of time for a replacement. Meanwhile, I get to pay for a service (SIRIUS) I can't use. Try JVC, those who are using JVC receivers around here don't seem to have any problems.$LABEL$0 +Ordering process screwed up. When ordering this item, I was informed that it could not be shipped to a post office box so I gave my physical address. Item was then shipped via US Post Office to my physical address. Problem is that I don't receive mail at my physical address only UPS shipments. When item was very late (didn't ever arrive) I contacted seller only to find out they could not understand a rationale English sentence. I was also very frustrated that I could find no way to complain to Amazon about this mess. I have ordered a ton of stuff from Amazon but am now going to shop elsewhere until they resolve this issue to my satisfaction.$LABEL$0 +Delicious!. I've been buying these since they appeared in my area, and they are delicious. The portion size is acceptable, considering these are only 100 calories. The cookies are nice and minty and have a chocolate coating on the bottom of each cookie.Unlike say, the Oreo 100 calorie packs, these actually taste like grasshoppers, only smaller. Unlike regular grasshoppers though, the 100 calorie pack version is trans fat free.Overall, these are a great example of what a 100 calorie pack should be.$LABEL$1 +Three Cheers for My Chemical Romance. Arguably the best disc to come out in years, I haven't listened to anything for one month. Since the day this disc came out, I haven't played anything else in my CD player. The best cD in ages dawg$LABEL$1 +Excellent. A wonderful story! When I first heard about the subject matter I was a little nervous. (How much fun can a leper colony be?) However,I was totally blown away! Rachel is one of the best written characters that I have ever read. Although her journey from child to women takes place under trying circumstances, her story speaks to us all! I highly recommend this book!$LABEL$1 +Planet of the Apes (Blu-Ray). Great collection of movies with the first one the best one. Because the budget on the succeeding movies was cut, to some degree the quality suffered; however this was balanced by the creativity.The collection looks great in blu-ray.$LABEL$1 +This is the worst video i have ever seen.. Curtis Mitchel speaks better that he can play. He shows only a few licks from the vast collection of Floyd songs and the licks that he shows are also not played like the original. They are played with the worst variation that Curt could probably think of. I am a beginer player with 5 years of playing strictly by ear and without technique or music theory and even i can copy Floyd songs better than what Curt plays in the video.$LABEL$0 +i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. i love this bed set. it is soooooooooo cute. the only downfall to it is that the comforter doesnt fit the crib, it is too small in length, and too wide in width. the fitted sheet for it fits great though. when i went to buy it at the store located in vernon hills, il., they me that they were going to discontinue this set, and wouldnt sell me thier floor model, so i had to go to the schaumburg, il store which was totally out of my way and a pain in the behind to get to. so if youre looking to buy it, call the store beforehand to see if it is in stock or if theyll sell their floor model to you.$LABEL$1 +Mono operation with Secret Service Throat Mic.. I assumed that the term Mobile meant radio and not cellular technology. I was able to confirm the loopback presented when the ring and tip3(of 3) are shorted, a poor design indeed.In any case the pins for io/out on this and likely other devices meant to work with radios, like Visar Series and TalkAbout, are reversed... perhaps to avoid this problem?Some comments above indicate this is mono, I can't confirm or deny that.Here are some links I found helpfull:[...]This /may/ match the expected input of this adapter:[...]These are the same and NOT like this adapter:[...][...][...]$LABEL$0 +GAMECUBE ONLINE !!!!!. I bought this adapter and it is easy too instal and is the greatest game accesory ever. some of these reviews are old but now there are many online games available for gamecube like 1080 avalanche, mariocart double dash, mario golf, Phantasy star 1,2,and 3, lord of the rings, need for speed under ground,final fantasy crystal chronicles ect...$LABEL$1 +The least exciting of the four solo albums!. Gene Simmons seem to believe his solo album was the best, as well as the most liked. I would say that Simmons recorded the least exciting album of the four Kiss members. The opening "Radioactive" is the album's highlight. The Beatles sounding "See you tonight" and the quite rocking "Burning up with fever" are better than the average, but when it comes to the closing "When you wish upon a star", I certainly wish that Simmons would shut up - it's plain awful. The overall impression is that it's rather lame and the material is in fact quite weak more than occasionally. Simmons sure have a talent for business, but he surely think too much of his musical skills.$LABEL$0 +Runner. Once worked through the directions (set up display , etc) this has become totally addictive for my training runs! A bit bulky, but otherwise very satisfied.$LABEL$1 +Charming Story. I bought this book for my grandson and we both enjoy it. I actually get chills when I read this sweet, loving story with a lesson everyone can benefit from. The art work is darling with bright colors and smiling faces.$LABEL$1 +All aboard the crazy train. good DVD that looks into the behind the scenes of big wave riding and photography.It also looks into the circus that follows.I bought the DVD because I am interested in big wave surfing and bodyboarding and i think the crew that laird surfs with have covered all bases.There isn't much more big wave stuff than other similar titles, but they have shown new angles and ideas.Helicopter tow surfing, etc. etc.I recommend this DVD to anyone keen on Big wave tow surfing, big wave riding in general, people who like and are mature enough to ride different equipment depending on the day.I also recommend this DVD if you are a fan of Laird Hamilton and his approach to wave riding.$LABEL$1 +Great for the money. I had one hair dryer for 20 years and since then I have been going through one a year. This is the best yet. Leaves hair with nice shine and soft. Last 2 I bought left hair fried and dull after first few uses. Daily use now for 4 months or so and still works great. Unfortunately can't expect to get that 20 years out of anything anymore. 1-2 years would be great on a 20 dollar hair dryer I think.$LABEL$1 +love the product-IF they will EVER SHIP it to me!!. The vitamin shoppe is not responding to my notices - As of today, we are 10 days past our latest shipment arrival date, yet we have never received our product, and have send two appeals for them to PLEASE RESEARCH And RESPOND to us. I have never had problems with an Amazon vendor like this before. Needless to say I am NOT happy!!! This is a great product, it really keeps lungs clear and helps alot with springtime allergies and congestion.Looks like I will be ordering it thru someone OTHER THAN the Vitamin Shoppe if I want to breathe this spring.$LABEL$0 +A Big Disappointment. I had a lot of hopes for this book from the title and the customer reviews.It started well enough with an account of the accident that led to his epic run.However,the book for the most part reads like a travelogue of the Grand Canyon and a history of the land,explorers,settlers and Indians that went through there decades and centuries before. I don't really care about all the historical detail. Frankly, it got to be very boring. Boring to the point I couldn't finish it. As a lifelong runner I'm always on the search for great running books,this definitely is one to avoid.$LABEL$0 +Something for Everyone!. I usually am hesitant to buy these types of books - because I live in a colder climate (zone 3-4) there are usually not many combinations, styles, etc. to choose from out of an "all inclusive" book. Not the case here! There were plenty of plans and ideas for all zones and everything was very comprehensive in drawings and text. Just within the first few minutes of looking at it I had several ideas for my yard. What's also nice is that it covers everything from small spaces that need just a few plants to fill in to large areas that need coverage. I will definately be referring to this book AND sharing this book for a long time to come!$LABEL$1 +Research?. I downloaded this book to read on holiday in Greece. After several chapters I became rather disenchanted and indeed rather cross. The author chose Ashburton, England as her 'remote' village. I lived there in 1969 and have been back there recently so was pleased to discover the story using the village as a setting. However it lost its credibility when she describes a busload of 50 Japanese tourists stepping out. That will never happen in sleepy Ashburton, we don't have sidewalks, and the streets are not arranged in 'blocks'. Police have not been referred to as 'bobbies' since the 1950's and the final straw came when Douglass ordered scones and describes slathering the scone in clotted cream with no mention of jam - sacrilege! It may seem petty but it would be like me choosing a remote town in America and describing pavements instead of sidewalks etc. Write about what you know or do the research. It may have been a good story but I will never know.$LABEL$0 +disappointing. Had heard good things about Louis CK. But what a disappointment. I forget which aspect of his crudeness turned me off. Was it animal cruelty? Hard to remember, but I know I don't want any more Louis CK.$LABEL$0 +Infinity Blech. Briefly, I could not get through 30% of this book; the characters were pasteboard, the settings were bland (terraformed worlds tend to be like that), and the pace dragged (as far as I read)....I peeked ahead and was dismayed that the main character was still stumbling over the same plots devices and still mumbling the same drek about longing for her long-disappeared sister. Jeez, that got old quick!How could a former Navy officer write a science-fiction chick-flick-book? Must have been really boring checking customs IDs in North Dakota.So I thought I would advise anyone potentially considering..but my hands are getting heavy..must warn readers..can't keep typing..eyelids lowering..head..sinking..ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz$LABEL$0 +Dorky? or not By Lea. This is a book you read if you are totally NOT against dorks or even if you hate them this book is for you. A boy who was known as dork at his last school now wants to change his image, will taking off his glasses help.... NO hes still squinting! Find out how Jerry Flack copes in his new school.$LABEL$1 +Not great. The machine didn't work well when we tried to grind cooked meat and spinach into ravioli filling. Threw it out.$LABEL$0 +A brilliant idea. So many of reviewers are saying this toy is inappopriate and exposing girls to things they shouldn't know yet. What?! This isn't "Kama Sutra Barbie" we're dealing with. If you're afraid a pregnant doll will scar your kids psychologically, what happens if a a friend's mother expects a baby or they see pregnant animals? One reviewer said these issues are too mature for 6 - 11 year olds. I was between those ages when I started my period, I knew what pregancy was (my mum devilvered my little sdister when I wasn't even two) - too mature, I think not.I had a similar pregnant doll when I was a small girl (I'm 15 now), but unfortunately I cannot remember the manufacturer or the name of the doll. What I do remember is that it was my absoloute favourite doll. When I was very young I had trouble imagining the concept of a baby in my mother's belly and it helped enormously. I had a wonderful time with that doll. You know what? It hasn't made me get knocked up!$LABEL$1 +Does not work on our 14" and 18" bicycles. This kickstand did not install on either of my kids' bicycles - one is 18" and the other 14". It was too long on the shortest setting, and the design of how to install it does not fit with the frame shape of either bicycle. Very disappointed! It is also very stiff. WD40 helped some, but I doubt my 5.5 year old would be able to use the kickstand on her own even after the WD40.$LABEL$0 +Dont Buy. As with others, they work great when you first get them, but then one earphone goes dead to broken wire.Although I like them, they are or wee 80 dollars of junk. I seen 5 dollar headsets preform better$LABEL$0 +One of the Translations of the New Testament. This is NOT the original Aramaic text of the New Testament. It was translated one. If you need the original Aramaic text, do not buy this one.$LABEL$0 +Great Ansel Adams Book!. If you're looking for a great bio on Ansel Adams, this is the book for you. It is a great, fact-filled book.$LABEL$1 +Nice, but odd pockets. Jacket fits well, and keeps me warm. Pay attention to the size. I got a Medium and it's almost too big. The only thing I've noticed is the pockets zip UP to open. I've never had that before so it will take some getting used to, Unless it was actually made wrong...$LABEL$1 +Cute Movie. Purchased this DVD for my grandson - he has all the otherbuddies movies. This is a cute christmas one.$LABEL$1 +One of my favorites. This was my first Jaci Velazquez CD and I really like it. There is one song that is very worshipful (Adore), there are several that make me feel grateful for all God has done (Imagine me without you, He's my Saviour). I love the "latin sound" in several songs. Overall, it is a declaration that God is there, (You don't miss a thing I do), and that He loves us.$LABEL$1 +Not a classic. I got this and I'm sorry Biggie fans but Ready to Die drops a big stinking load on this CD. I skip most tracks on here because he went crazy with the club songs but his storytelling is above par.$LABEL$1 +leaks. I purchased this pan for elderly mom, she informed me, that when she made an upside down pineapple cake, that when baked, it leaked in her oven. Where she than had a mess to clean in her oven, She said she didn't use a cookie sheet, but she should of. No cookies sheets shouldn't be required when baking cakes.$LABEL$0 +excellent book. two years ago I bought this book, and at first I didn't know what to do with it. I just put it away, because I didn't understand what it was all about.Since a while I am learning the Divination with the Opele and now the book enfold his secrets to me. I was amazed, but I must say I am glad I bought it.$LABEL$1 +No aerobics, and QUIET PLEASE!!. I bought this tape thinking that I would get an intense abdominal toning session, and instead, there is long stretch of aerobics at the beginning. I am not a big fan of aerobics in the first place, due to the chirping and ranting of most instructors and the idiotic and pointless flailing that it usually entails. Okay, fine. I don't do aerobics, and limit my cardio workout to sensible things like walking or commuting by bike or swimming. This leads me to the second complaint I have about the video, and that is the leader's incessant chatter throughout. Why can't they just COUNT! I find myself actually yelling at them to SHUT UP!! Which, actually works my abs a little harder, so there might be a reason for this annoying banter after all. At one point, the third instructor actually changes the exercise in mid-execution. I thought this was very sloppy. But, I must say, the workout itself is satisfying and produces results, if you can stand it.$LABEL$0 +fine for a small camera. this would be great for entry level slr with shorter lenses - doesnt fit my canon 40d with any of the zoom lenses - must return it.$LABEL$0 +More Mush From the Wimp(s). This is typical liberal crap from the blame America first crowd that today makes up the democrat party. FDR and Harry Truman must be rolling in their graves.Read this to see for yourself and then read "Unfit for Command" to see the truth about John Kerry and his campaign.$LABEL$0 +Loved It![.]. I read this book AFTER visiting Celebration, Florida. I was interested in more background info and details. We walked down the Main St of town and thought "this is nice" but not very practical. Practical is shopping in [local store] and buying groceries in[local store]. The days of the corner grocer and little hardware store on Main St are long gone so I was curious about the opinions of the author and his neighbors. This is a great story - it seems to be unbiased and does provide good background info on the town without making it boring. The author nicely weaves little stories about the town or tales of the neighbors into this "documentary" to keep the story moving. I know this book is not for everybody but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It's also a great commentary on planned communities in general although I'm not sure that was what the authors intended.$LABEL$1 +Unwatchable. Mainly notable for remarkably poor, but very loud, acting, this version is the worst adaptation of this play I've seen. I only watched about 10 minutes of it before giving up.$LABEL$0 +Very good, basic mouse.. I have had this mouse for about a year now (scince I got my gateway laptop) and works fine. Now, I dont travel much, laptop mainly stays in my room so I dont know how it travels. I personaly like it because its very responsive. I dont have to move my hand all the way across my desk to have to click on search msn which is nice.-Pros-Very ResponsiveBattery lasts of a long timeSmall enough to fit practicly anywareUSB 2.0 Plugin fits convinently at bottem of mouseUSB is realitively smallBattery takes single A++-Cons-Gets slightly dirty easily.I highly suggest anyone get it for Sony Vaio Laptop or Dell XPS 400, works great for everything.$LABEL$1 +A Formative Look at Hemingway. Biographers have tough assignments when writing books about their subjects: how to fill a reasonable number of pages with the entire life of an individual? Even someone who's not famous or historically significant would likely have enough material about their life to fill a book. Michael Reynolds as a biographer gives in, and instead concentrates on only a sliver of Hemingway's life. This decision made for good reading and one should end up understanding that it was Hemingway's earlier years, as is the case for most of us, which ended up shaping his life and death. The book also provides an interesting look at prewar American society, in particular, the growing and changing middle class. This supporting content often serves as a break from the sometimes cumbersome biographical text.$LABEL$0 +Read either Zahn or Kevin Anderson instead!!!. The whole story about Callista is just stupid and this book is just flat out slow. Zahn and Anderson are much more exciting writers and you can't put there books down while all I wanted to do was put this one in the trash.$LABEL$0 +My first Calphalon Commercial cookware. This is my very first piece of Calphalon cookware. I have been cooking for well over 50 years, and it is far superior to any other item of cookware I have ever used. You can use very low heat, food does not stick to the bottom of the pot, and it requires very little stirring or watching. My single complaint is that it is quite heavy, and lifting it from the stove while it is filled requires a bit of strength. Having a second "helper" handle on the opposite side of the pan would be a good thing for older persons, like me, so we could use both hands.I really wish I had cookware like this at least 20 years ago!$LABEL$1 +Overpriced and a bit quirky. Found this wristband pin extractor/installer to function with a few quirks It seems to jam when used to pull pins and the installation of pins is a bit tricky, but functions. The spring loaded height adjustment was useless and only made the job more intricate and complicated. Construction is adequite and it comes with extra pin die extraction bits. Too bad it doesn't include other sizes or a hold-down machanism for the wristband during use. Over priced.$LABEL$0 +A wonderful debut.. This is truly a terrific first effort by this brilliant band. All of their eclectic glory is revealed from the start. Where their sound would mature over subsequent albums all of the ingredients that made them such a unique band are present. Brilliant musicianship, dynamic compositions, stellar vocals and harmonies and strong production are all evident. Classical, jazz, English folk, blues and rock all inform their sound. One of the finest bands in British progressive music. Highly recommended...Simon$LABEL$1 +needed more work. The writer is obviously a serious poker player, but the book is not well-organized. The result isn't very reader-friendly. I'd be very eager to see a reworked second edition, though.$LABEL$0 +Annoying.... This book started out annoying and ended annoying. I understand their whole image that they're trying to portray (or at least I think I do), and that's fine, but there is just way too much cussing in this book. I really couldn't stand it.That being said, I knew most of the information in this book already, but some of it was informative for me. I liked that. I like being informed without all the derogatory language though.As you can tell, the language really bothered me. Blah...The other thing that bothered me, and I'm not sure if it was a joke or not, is they go on and on about how bad it is to drink soda, how bad it is to eat junk food, artificial sweeteners are horrible, blah, blah, blah. Everyone knows that already. Duh. But then somewhere toward the end, they say something like, "Don't blame us if you see us doing beer bongs. We're only human. It's all about balance." Huh? Okay...I could go on and on, but bottom line, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful science memoir. This book details the author's childhood love of chemistry, from spectacular reactions to his study of the periodic table.He tells the stories of some early chemists who discovered elements. For Sacks, each element seems like a complicated and fascinating, automaton toy.His family history, treated almost as an afterthought, is intriguing as well.$LABEL$1 +YAY DRAGON MOVIE!!. All I have to say is this is my fave movie of all time ^_^ I've read a bunch of reviews dissing this movie and none of them hold true in my opinion. I'm a dragonluver through and through and anyone who says this movies has no plot doesn't know a good movies when they see one. The ppl of america are too used to movies with nothing but action and thats it. Lets get in our cars and drive around killing ppl, oh yes great movie... :P$LABEL$1 +Great. This is a great movie from beginning to end with a sursprise ending, but don't ask me what it is go out and buy it.$LABEL$1 +Slow to start hard to put down.. That's right this book starts slowwwwwwww.But I found myselfnot putting it down after I got into it. So, stick with ityou'll enjoy yourself.$LABEL$1 +a revolution business can manage. yeah, revolutionary language and a new look for a trusted strategy guru. Hamel captures the revolutionary vibe in a better-looking-than-most business book, but stops one step short of being truly revolutionary. This is just enough revolution to keep the current leaders in business, but for the same dare-to-be-different vibe made genuinely radical and personal check out books like Funky Business (another great looking book) and Cluetrain Manifesto. Closer to the imagination generation.$LABEL$1 +Love this movie.. This dvd came to me with no scratches which is great. The movie is great, and comes in an old fashion case, but thats ok cause its an old movie.$LABEL$1 +Mexico Extravaganza. I love DK guides and have used them for years when I travel. This one is as visually exciting and informative as any I have purchased in the past.$LABEL$1 +Not great art, but great nonetheless. I enjoy all kinds of art. Highbrow this ain't but the extreme ludicrous-ness of the circumstances that befall these characters is so over-the-top, and the characters so likable and engaging with all their flaws, and the sheer joy of the ensemble playing, led masterfully by the smooth and daring Bradley Cooper, made this a must-have for my collection. I laughed out loud watching it alone in my room and plan to watch it over again and again over time when I need a lift or a two-hour vacation. Zack G. Practically steals the show with the character's off-the-wall thought processes but everyone shines, except for poor Justin Bartha who doesn't have much to do, a function of the plot. As memorable a film as any that were paraded on the red carpet at the glitzy awards ceremonies for the year 2009.$LABEL$1 +Dancing by the greats!. This movie is a compilation of some of the greatest dancers and dances ever filmed! From the early days of Ziegfeld Follies and Busby Berkeley to modern ballet and break-dancing, you can see the different styles and forms of dance. Some of the stars are Ruby Keeler, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, a wonderful solo by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, Eleanor Powell, Ray Bolger, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Leslie Caron, Nureyev/Fonteyn. Wonderful choreography from "West Side Story" and "Flashdance" and other memorable dance movies.$LABEL$1 +They don't come in indigo for my size. Annoying.. I have a short body size for an adult. But for my measurements they only sell dark blue. I have always liked indigo. Why not that light indigo in shorter, smaller sizes? Annoying.$LABEL$0 +A wonderful "NEW" classic!. Michael has wrote a wonderful classic story for Kids from age 8 to 80! This Book gives you the Christmas spirit you need, to get through the holidays. Olive would make a great little gift for all your friends!$LABEL$1 +Good Story!. This book was great, while my son still doesn't sleep through the night every night in his own bed, things are better.$LABEL$1 +Oops, she sounds bad again. Move over Hoku! The next manufactured blonde bimbette has come along and she goes by the name of Britney Spears. We all know her by her "catchy" songs "Oops...I did it again" and "...Baby One More Time". "This is a story about a girl named Lucky... A girl who got silicone breast implants" Britney, we all know it wasn't the silicone that screwed you up, your mom dropped you on your head as a baby. Poor Britney. Let's all go cry over her while she pilfers millions masquerading as talent. She probably lays her producers just to get somewhere!I would have rated this negative all the stars in the sky but they just wouldn't let me. Oh well. I'm going to go work on the pgsweetpg: unholyangel.net$LABEL$0 +Poorly researched. While entertaining at times, this book is obviously not done by a serious historian. Most of her material is taken from secondary sources. In one chapter, the material is actual a book report, because the author only uses 1-2 sources, and constantly quotes from one. I finally sold it to a used book store, because as a history buff, I was ashamed to have it in my collection. More People Magazine than history I'm afraid.$LABEL$0 +Amazon has the wrong item photo. Crossed my fingers that this was the product I needed, as the image Amazon is using is incorrect.Works great, installed it on my 2000 GMC Jimmy. Beaware, if you find you need to replace this air pump, replace the three check valves as well. I replaced FOUR pumps before I realized there were additional parts to replace.ACDelco 214-638 Air Injection Check Valve (two of these, located between the engine and strut towers, each side)ACDelco 214-1938 Valve Assembly (one mounted with the air pump)$LABEL$1 +Boring. How does an exciting musician that has brought so much to the music industry become such a settled boring clone? The only answer can be that money has changed the man. And on a much louder note, how do his two sidkicks of Police become so unrecognized? The answer is they are not, and with a little leap of faith, you will pick up OYSTERHEAD instead of this weak album.$LABEL$0 +A Brilliant Piece of Work. Okay, as a non spiritual person, rather i am just a total movie nut, i must say that this film was beautifully done. Regardless of your faith, or how you choose to express it, the movie blends impressive scenery with heart-wrenchingly superb acting. Jeremy Sisto as Jesus after his his former roles, was quite a thrill to experience. I found myself watching him throughout the movie and saying to myself "that would be the face of Jesus." The simple kindness and joy in his expressions, the truth so eloquently expressed. The additional cast leading a truly enjoyable landscape upon which this film was carried, left me wanting so much more, i ran out and bought the remaining bible movies made by TriMark. So, whether you are a religous person looking for a new face to add to your ideas of the bible, or just a movie-holic like myself, i truly believe this movie is worth watching.$LABEL$1 +Essential 80s fare. In the age of "Porky's", "Revenge Of The Nerds", "Police Academy" (what were we thinking???), and "Airplane" came this underrated comedy gem.You don't have to like Goldie Hawn, but the supporting cast makes it work--Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Nipsey Russell, and James Keach--and the jokes still work a couple decades later. Dig LL Cool J's theme song (pre-dating his work on yet another football film--"Any Given Sunday), and let your memory work overtime.$LABEL$1 +These ear buds suck. Worse than skull candy from target. I hate how these last such a short time. My Skull Candy usually last longer than this, this ear buds lasted like for a month. No wonder they are so cheap. If you are financially broke, don't go for this. Instead just save up, and get better pairs that won't break, because if this continues to break it will add up.$LABEL$0 +A very dated album. This CD did not age very well. There's some good songs (well, 2 - Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive), but in all, this album sounds extremely out of date and quite unlistenable.$LABEL$0 +Exceptional Lyrics + Great Music = An Awesome CD. Take one listen to the Crown Jewels' sophomore album and you'll be hooked.The brothers Conte, singer/guitarist Steve and bassist John, know how to deliver a great album. Early '90s rock fans may remember the Conte boys from the New York City-based Company of Wolves - originally signed to Mercury Records.After the group split, the Contes formed Crown Jewels and released the debut album, "Spitshine," a few years back (check it out). However, their new Linoleum CD is well worth the wait!The standout track is "Last Confession," with a rockin' sound and catchy hooks. You'll dig the slow grooves of "Strawberryvelvetfiftycentshoes." And you might relate to loving the "Toughest Girl in the Neighborhood."If you think the songs sound awesome on CD, they sound even better played live. Pick up a copy of Linoleum and see the Jewels perform when they come to your town!$LABEL$1 +Really. I can't believe you are raising the subscription price 50%. I'm canceling today. Hopefully everyone else cancels so you guys wake up.$LABEL$0 +critical distance. I've read most of the reviews here. They are little over done. But, this is a fine album. Lisa's band is tight and competent. The production and mixing of the CD are excellent. Lisa's voice, of course, is the highlight. Her voice is sublime and can send chills down my spine; vigorous, yet vulnerable. I was stuck on this album for quite a while and still enjoy listening to it from time to time. Her lyrics are one of the weaker points, though. It's not that they're bad, just not what they might be, sometimes confusing and, worst of all, sometimes trite and simplistic. Her sentiments are heartfelt, but her ability to capture them with words can still use some work. In any case, this album is well worth it. I was quite disappointed with her second album. She is a cutie, though, and that doesn't hurt.$LABEL$1 +Missy is dinkie die true blue. This CD is just awesome..her lyrics are fantastic and her singing voice has a sarcastic edge to it that makes it so Aussie I can't even explain it.I can't believe all this babble about her accent being fake. She is from Melbourne, a city founded primarily by free Settlers, as opposed to Irish Convicts in Sydney and Hobart. The free settlers were often of Scottish (as well as a Irish and a few Scouses) decent which makes the Melbourne accent slightly different to Sydney, its more nasal, like a Kiwi accent is.. So for all you babbling on about how a freakin Aussies sounds (I doubt many of you seppos (Americans) know the word is pronounced Ozzie not Ussie, like Ozzie Osbourne and or how to actually pronounce Melbourne) all the Aussies are saying she is dinkie die true blue mate (and yeah thats means really Australian)..so why not listen to us.$LABEL$1 +i. In Which Nursing Home Do You Live?Angel Perfume reeks of chocolate-scented bathroom air freshener & some kind of orthopedic shoe powder with a Godforsaken undercurrent of nursing home pastries. Have some self respect, my friend; whatever your age, you are too young for this aroma...$LABEL$0 +a crucial Obsessed album that should be in your collection. this is a very nice compilation of tracks that span the entire career of The Obsessed, starting from the original line-up from back in '83 (the long sought after "Sodden Jackal" e.p.), all the way up to the final '94 era of the band. it mainly consists of demo recordings, alternate takes, live tracks, out of print 7"'s, and unreleased songs. it was recently re-issued with a bunch of bonus tracks and the MTV video for Streetside as a CD-Rom track.$LABEL$1 +This Is An Excellent Movie. This Movie Is Indeed A Classic.This Is One Of Those Movies That I Can Watch Time And Time Again.I Enjoy Watching This Movie every Single Time That I Watch It.$LABEL$1 +Singer's best novel. Singer establishes a tragic situation, then has the nerve to make a comedy. Nobody else could achieve this delicate balance. If you're interested in exploring Singer, start here. Then read his posthumously published novels: The Certificate, then Shadows on the Hudson. If you don't like them, I'll give you your money back.$LABEL$1 +Absolutely love these sheets!. We love flannel sheets and use them exclusively all year round. These are now our favorites. They are soft and velvety and wash beautifully with no pilling. We have put in an advance order for two more sets to arrive in October.$LABEL$1 +dude, where's the comedy. I saw this had 4 1/2 stars and i just had to bring it down a peg. This movie blows more than a prostitute. Don't waste your time or money. Beleive me!$LABEL$0 +An Actual Sprint Tech Support Agent. Well being a Sprint Tech Support Rep, I have become with all the familiar phones that Sprint has to offer. I am not going to be biased, just straight forward.PROS1. It can hold a 2GB micro SD card.2. You can get telenav services, for ten bucks a month, its GPS thats reliable and re-routes you if you miss your turn.3. Powervision capable. Speeds of max of 2 MEGS, but average of 400-700 KBPS.4. Its sexy, attention getter, and stylishCONS1. The slot for the memory card is in a horrible position. When I transfer music files, I like it stick the memory card in the adapter b/c the tranfer rate is fater than through USB.2. The music controls on the front are kind of sluggish.Other then that, its a good solid phone. It can basically do the same things as the RAZR, phone as a modem and you can watch live tv, but its just smaller.$LABEL$1 +For the $$ this toy is not that fun. Our 8 yearold wanted this toy so badly for Christmas. He was willing to give up getting anything else just to have this toy. Our son has maybe played with this toy a total of 3 times since he got it. Even on our hardwood floors the robot does not move quickly or very well for that matter. It does a few tricks and can roam on its own. Our son read the entire manual, did all the tricks, and the poor roboraptor is in the closet collecting dust. I would not reccoment this toy to anyone b/c of the price and lack of entertainment value.$LABEL$0 +Not Their Best. Don't get me wrong. I believe that dashboard confessional is one of the best bands out there. chris carrabba's music is the heart-wrenching, cry-yourself-to-sleep kind. but when I first got this cd, I was rather disappointed. The lyrics are still as emotional as always, but they don't have the same impact as there is on their other cds. chris' voice is mellow without the kick it usually has, and they have diluted their sound to mere pop. judging from past work, this cd isn't as "full" as it could be. they are capable of much more.$LABEL$1 +PrintShop Deluxe 22. I am very disappointed in the product. Since purchasing it yesterday, I have had my computer crash several times with "Serious System Error" whenever I need to switch discs to view graphics online. I am also extremly disappointed to find that there are practically NO PEOPLE OF COLOR in their photo graphics (there were 1233 Christmas Photos and I could count on one hand the number of ethnic themes). If you are looking for a diverse blend to make your projects for church, holidays, etc., don't waste your tiime on this product -- GOOGLE your graphics and save your money.$LABEL$0 +An Excellent Read. This book proved to be an informative read.I enjoyed how it went into great detail regarding the important events and themes that constituted the makeup and formation of Modern Europe.Goes into detail about the important formative phenomenons of revolution, militarism, and nationalism...all worth understanding.In a word, very engaging and worth a look. I recommend buying Barricades and Borders any day.$LABEL$1 +you can disable U3 feature. I agree that there should be an optional U3 uninstaller program coming with the product. I guess there were too many people complaining about U3 launchpad since they put an uninstaller for U3 at [...]. It works and completely removes U3 feature as well as its launchpad.$LABEL$0 +Awful. Unlistenable. Emaciated, pale and emotionless.. I've also been a fan of Stan Rogers for at least 20 years. I had high hopes for a fresh interpretation of some of his best works. This isn't it.All the vocalists combined can't match Stan's own range. The opening bar of the Mary Ellen Carter (1st song) gave me high hopes for the rest of the CD, but I was BITTERLY disappointed.The idea of a mediocre tenor singing Northwest Passage would be laughable. But that's what they did here. They absolutely butchered his music.This entire album completely lacked the emotion and passion that Stan brought to his music. It was a cheap, hollow imitation that wouldn't have stood on it's own merits in the absence of Stan, but knowing (and loving) his music made it even worse.It was the equivalent of expecting the finest Filet Mignon and getting a cold, uncooked hot dog instead. Yecch.$LABEL$0 +Not a good selection.. Of all the English textbooks I've read, this has to be the worst. I had an assignment to pick any short story I wanted out of it to write an essay over and realized just what a terrible selection there was! All the authors chosen are very obscure and when I went to read their works, they were extremely mundane and I understood why I had never heard of them before.$LABEL$0 +Maybe a fluke?. I received this pen, smashed in it's packaging. I think instead of ordering something small like this online I should have just went to my neighborhood camera store. I hang out there too much as it is though.$LABEL$0 +Treats its subject matter with psychoanalytical expertise and in-depth examination. Divine Subjection: The Rhetoric Of Sacramental Devotion In Early Modern England by Gary Kuchar (Assistant Professor of English, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a blend of theoretical analysis and close readings in historical context in order to better understand the connection between devotional literature and early modern English culture. Chapters discuss the "gendering" of god in the poetry of Richard Crashaw, representation and embodiment in John Donne's "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions", representation of the recusant soul in the works of Robert Southwell, and concepts of body, word, and self as written by Thomas Traherne. A meticulous and scholarly text for intermediate to advanced history, theology, and philosophy students, Divine Subjection treats its subject matter with psychoanalytical expertise and in-depth examination.$LABEL$1 +Very Heavy. I bought this unit hoping for a lightweight vacuum to do spur of the moment cleaning, but it is as heavy or heavier than a standard upright.I was very disappointed. It also does not perform very well. Only positive thing is that it has a fairly long cord for a portable vac.$LABEL$0 +Couldn't finish this one.. I just couldn't stay with this story. I started another book and came back to it with the same problem. Just a story about a woman who married multiply men and took everything she could. I think the story tried to cover to many marriages and jumped from one to another with no getting to know the charactors story. When I buy a book I at least want to finish it so I get my money's worth, this was a first for me. I don't even care to read the last pages.$LABEL$0 +burned out after 3 years of light use. I've bought Bon-Aire products in the past, and generally satisfied with their performance. Initially I was very happy about the Bon-Aire BA121 because it inflates tires much faster than the old Bon-Aire AC150 I previously owned(and it still runs). The problem with the BA121 is that it failed after 3 years of relatively light use. I inflate 2 sets of 4 tires 4 times a year. That comes out to 32 inflations a year. So in 3 years that would be 96 inflations. And then it died a premature death.$LABEL$0 +folks are being a little harsh...... I read the Secret Life of Bees back when everyone else did, and based on the bad press for The Mermaid Chair, I bought it, but let it sit on my shelf for many years. I finally took it down and read it, and while I will agree that is was no Secret Life of Bees, I thought that it was pretty good. It is not an uncommon tale, although I am not that far from the main characters age, and I would not have conducted my life as she did, I know some women who would and who would handle the situation as she did. A quick and light read. Not so sure as to the reason for all the outrage. It's just fiction, people.$LABEL$1 +Easy Read. I like the cases; they touch upon all the high yield concepts. Also, it is an easy read and will not take very long to finish.$LABEL$1 +just awful. do not like this productit is very hard to get rail under bedpops out of rails track and it is sooo hard to get back in track$LABEL$0 +A very scholarly history that is also a very good read. I bought this book in the bookstore at Versailles. After my tours of the palace and the gardens looking for ghosts and wondering what life was like and what was in the heads of the people at courts of Louis XIV, XV and XVI. I was hoping that this history would help me with that and it did. This is a well footnoted scholarly history but it is also a very good read, a very unusually good read.$LABEL$1 +Keep looking....... This book was a slap in the face to all VB programmers. They preach "their" coding techniques to you, then they don't follow it themselves. By the way, they other reviews about this book being full of bugs, is correct!$LABEL$0 +You, guys, need to chill!. Why is everyone attacking Bill? Well... Because he writes a book, about his view on USA as it is and as he sees it today. I've never heard Bill calling people, F****** As****** on TV. Of course, my oppinion may be bias, since I agree with 95% of his comments. And haven't even completed the book, but so far its logical and if you have some common sence, even if you don't agree with Bill, you can see where he is coming from and if you have an open mind you can certainly learn a thing or two. Mr. O'Reilly is a true independent, and that what drives everyone nuts.$LABEL$1 +Love This Book!. I love picking up this book, just to look at all the stitches. This book is full of them, and each one has a description underneath, showing you how to do them. You also get sections on knitting and crocheting. The sections have illustrated pictures, descriptions on how to do both, and other various information to help you get started on both. Overall, I really love how detailed this book is, love having so many stitches that range in difficulty, and love that this book is all inclusive. Great book to have for anyone.$LABEL$1 +Wonderful pieces not just for the horn enthusiast. I owned this on LP and was bowled over by the playing. Now to have it on CD is fabulous-I think I wore out the record. Everything here is a pleasure: the music, playing, and recording. NOT background music but great beauty and virtuosic playing by Tuckwell that keeps your attention riveted.$LABEL$1 +Plates Melted. The first time I used the plates was for bacon which I put between paper towels as has been recommended by many on this site.After three minutes the plate melted.Enough said.$LABEL$0 +HORRIBLE!!. The only thing that this movie and the book have in common is the name Jason Bourne. It does not follow the chronological order of the book. The name Carlos the Jackal is NOT even mentioned. They do not mention that Marie is a PHD, and she willingly joins him. He tells her everything from the get go. In the book he kidnaps her and does not come clean until near the end. The closing scene in the book at the safe house is not even in the movie. Based on this movie they have no intention of doing the next two books. It is almost impossible. This movie is as far away from the book as it can get.$LABEL$0 +The most amazing combat strategy game out. This game has everything any spy or army wanna be would need in a gam$LABEL$1 +glissjr. I just love the purchased of the cast iron to cook cornbread. It is especially great with the two handles. You will not regret making this purchase. I am 100% satisified.$LABEL$1 +Log Holder. I gave this as a Christmas gift to our daughter. She liked it very much. I chose it as she could fold it up and store it during the months she doesn't use her fireplace.$LABEL$1 +Offensive Spanish swear words in track titles. Maybe some kind of factory fluke on my CD, a practical joke by a disgruntled employee, but the 13 track titles on my CD did not correspond to the printed labels on the cherubic paper cover. Instead they were unprintable vulgarities in Spanish. Moreover, the unidentified guitarist plays out of tune.$LABEL$0 +Wish I had not bought this. I bought the DI-624 and a DWL-G520. Bad, bad, bad, very bad.The problem is the g520. I cannot get any decent signal strength. I even added a 6db microstrip antenna and it made no difference at all. More money wasted. All I can get under any circumstance is very low signal strength. It works somewhat until it drops the signal entirely. How useless it that!!??This card is junk!! But at least it doesn't freeze my computer.$LABEL$0 +An engaging, literate, accurately detailed novel.. Tariq Ali's rich and complex historical novel is set against the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. An ancient stone sculpted shaped in the form of a woman overlooks the palace where generations of Pasha family members and servants have abided for generations. The Stone Woman is an engaging, literate, accurately detailed, highly recommended novel of personalities and events as the family becomes scattered across Europe, in a time of political unrest and the clash of major power politics under the likes of Bismarck, Disraeli, and the Russian Tsar. Also highly recommended reading are the Tariq Ali's first two novels in his planned "Islamic Quartet", Shadows Of The Pomegranate and The Book Of Saladin.$LABEL$1 +Love Montalbano - so happy I stumbled upon this series.... Great series set in Italy - great characters. Highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the entire series$LABEL$1 +Awesome CD !!!!!!. This is one one my best cds. I first heard them on mtv , then heard them on the radio. I love Better Days, Long Way Home, & Billhilly. Very Creative Lehrics !!!!!!$LABEL$1 +One of the best films of the '70s--no kidding.. I can't tell you what an original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, nothing else like it in the world and completely successful in its dogged pursuit of capturing something intensely disturbing (and yet completely satisfying and jubilant--go figure). The deeply weird all-male family is quintessential Americana dementia--the goony birthmarked hitchhiker, bulky Leatherface in his black tie, the frustrated father ("Look what your brother did to the door!"), and of course, the blood-hungry nearly dead Grandpa. Will you think I'm mentally balanced if I say that they evoke pity and sympathy as well as horror? They do! There is something undeniably bittersweet about them. The thwarted Leatherface swinging his chainsaw impotently through the air at sunrise on the highway at the end of the movie is one of the classic images of cinema. You must brave this movie. Any reluctance on your part will be redeemed.$LABEL$1 +Terrific action movie from the first 10 min. I saw the opening premiere in New Delhi when on a tour of India and was glad to get a copy to show everybody back home, a real thriller.$LABEL$1 +Love Love Love these knives. I've had these knives for over a year and I still love them. They are easy to use and are very sharp and effective. I would reccomend them to anyone and am planning on giving them as a gift this holiday season. Great quality and are definitely comparable with more expensive knife sets.$LABEL$1 +Good design/value -- abit tight and thin. I like the velcro side latches and full length zippers. However, this leather appears thinner than most and the lower legs are tighter. That said, it's still a very good value and I would recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Prom Kings Rock. The Prom KingsThis is one of the best CD's I have ever purchased. It is so good that when I want to listen to it I have to take it away from either my wife or my daughter first.$LABEL$1 +Retro Kitchenware. I received my order of Retro kitchenware glasses in less than a week. They are just like the version years ago. They really keep your beverage cold longer.I am happy with this product.$LABEL$1 +Snail pace delivery. It took forever to receive this bible and I still have orders that have not come in. It's been over a month! I am starting to dislike Amazon and am considering using another site.$LABEL$0 +Save your money and your time. Avoid this movie.. This movie is absolutely aweful. If you want a more detailed review of why, there are plenty of good ones out there. And I support those reviews.$LABEL$0 +cracked and moldy. Arrived cracked and moldy. Will burn it in thefireplace.Lokks like it might have been nice if it had been in better condition.Very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +This album is not worth the money.. The problem with this CD is that it wreaks of ego, and yet no substance.The voice is the same as any other I've ever heard, but has been produced by a fellow Canadian, and a label that needs to make it's money back by placing it on soundtracks, desperate to get their investment back.The songs of boring, boring, boring.$LABEL$0 +A fun romp of a book.... This is one of those books you gulp down fast, like a cold beer after cutting the grass! A lite beer, frothy and not too filling, but definitely hits the spot on a hot afternoon. I'm a sucker for first person narrative, and the heroine is spunky and fresh. The last half of the book gallops by a little too fast after the great buildup, but I had a good time reading it and will be looking for more by this author.$LABEL$1 +A wonderful story. Another wonderful book by Lynn Kurland. This book is even more wonderful if you have read "This is all I ask". You get to know Kenderick before the events that make "Stardust of Yesterday". But is still great all by itself.$LABEL$1 +Misleading and Not Helpful. I recommend against buying this book. I read only about a third of it and found two errors on fundamental points. On p. 67, there is a glaring misstatement about the use of Wizards that suggests that the authors never even tried the feature they are "explaining." And on page 98 there is a section on "Nudging" shapes where in half a page of text the authors do not reveal the one thing that one must do in order to "nudge" a shape -- namely, hold down the Shift key while using the up and down arrow keys. It appears that nobody bothered to proofread this book after it was written.$LABEL$0 +Wicked. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Harper Fiction)I did not like the book at all. I made myself read it.$LABEL$0 +Human Disorder - Ugly Modern Aggression. Human Disorder should stand high in anyone's rankings of underground metal bands. This was one of the first "Hardcore" or "Hard Rock" CD's I ever bought because I was so impressed with the bands live performance, and their lyrical content. I continue to listen to this CD four or five years after I bought it, and I enjoy it each time.When I first met the band and saw them perform, they quickly sold out of the CD's they had in stock, and it took awhile to track down a store that would order it for me. Now, thanks to internet stores like Amazon, everyone can enjoy some of the best underground music without the hassle of tracking down a retailer.If you're into "hardcore," "metal," or "hard rock," check this out, you won't be dissappointed.$LABEL$1 +i miss this show. I was determined to own the entire series of this show from the minute I started watching it. I only started being a loyal viewer in the 5th season, and got hooked. As soon as I have the entire set, (which is soon) I plan on having myself a marathon and seeing the George Clooney beginning to the end of what I thought was one of the best shows on TV.$LABEL$1 +great spray nozzle. this nozzle works very well, i have used several different paints through it and it spray them all just great. has a nice consistency, and works as advertised. the wide angle sprays evenly, and gets the job done allot faster.$LABEL$1 +should have paid more attention to size. Hardly larger than a shot glass, I have used it to re-heat leftovers a few times. melt some butter in the microwave, that sort of thing, but way too small to for doing any real cooking. I have found similar ceramic baking dishes for as little as $4.00 locally.$LABEL$0 +Thanks for Ruining The "Batman" Series! I Appreciate it!. What can I say. This movie is HORRIBLE. It completley loses the darkness, the danger, and the creepiness that were found in the first two movies. Val Kilmer just wasn't a good enough Batman. Gotham is now a disco inferno other than a dark and pest-infested city where true evil lurks. This failed attempt to build on to the series is a joke. Plain and simple.However, I DID like Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones. They were great, but that still didn't help the movie any.Thought this series couldn't get any worse after this one was made, until...............$LABEL$0 +Too easy to claim a "Black Belt" title. I was looking for a challenging book and the booked looked promising as the book cover rated the "super tough" and the back says it will test even the best, most proficient experts" NOT!!!I would give the puzzles a "moderate" rating and the difficulty does not increase toward the end of the book which was disappointing. I did improve my solving speed and honed my pattern recognition skills but did not encounter or require any of the more advanced solving techniques.$LABEL$0 +Great picks. This nylon pick has great play feel. It is stiff enough to pick individual strings and still feels comfortable stumming chords.$LABEL$1 +A Cook Book For Real People with Real Lives. I love this cookbook! I don't have a lot of time to spend baking. This book helps me make quick, good-looking, better-tasting cakes. It is full of good ideas that you can mix and match.$LABEL$1 +WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER !. My complaint isn't with the show itself. It's with Warner Home Video. I purchased this DVD from Amazon. It arrived shortly thereafter. However, when I opened it, it had two disc ones, and NO disc two. I called the customer service number on the box and explained the situation. They were very polite and said they were a "fulfillment" company but would forward the problem to Warner Home Video.To make a long story short, I have called a total of five times since early December, and been totally ignored. ALL I WANT IS THE RIGHT DISC. Perhaps Warner Home Video is so big it can ignore customers with impunity, but as a lifelong Superman geek, I'm terribly disappointed.WARNER HOME VIDEO, DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS?$LABEL$0 +Another bold ripoff of TECH Method. Without a single acknowledgement of TECH Method Tomczyk boldly goes where others have gone before.What should you write about a book basically plagiarizing other's works? The sections on superheat, subcooling, are obviously lifted from TECH Method. Subcooling and superheat at the compressor was never discussed in this industry until Lloyd wrote TECH Method and the people who don't give him credit are reprehensible.The other parts of the book aren't noteworthy as the information is available elsewhere. The five part Copeland manuals come to mind flipping through this book.Not a troubleshooting book as much as an instruction book. Troubleshooting is is all ways better in TECH Method where it's broken down by system. And gives specifics as to settings for each system.While this is better than no book. I suggest something other than this book.TECH Method:[...]$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!. I have never written a review before, but I just could not let such a defective product go unnoticed. I have been a loyal Palm customer for years now and decided to buy this one for my wife due to it's size and it having all the features she needs. After receiving not one, but two that were defective straight out of the box, I will be ordering a Tungsten E for her.DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! Palm has obviously not spent any money on quality control and does not care if they destroy their reputation by putting a shoddy product on the market. Even with the attractive price, this product is simply not worth the problems - it is not a value if it doesn't work!$LABEL$0 +Brassy hair. It did not do any "magic" trick to my hair. I was expecting a good product indeed, but I was not impressed or satisfied therefore I wont purchase it again.$LABEL$0 +Three to one. I have purchased this brand of sandpaper before and I thought it was just fine sandpaper, that is before I received a free sample of 3M sandpaper,I was shocked to discover that it took three Mirkasandpaper disk to do the same area that a single 3M sandpaper disk was able to accomplish the same area. while I do not believe you get what you pay for his true in all cases it is the case when it comes to cheap sandpaper and 3M sandpaper.$LABEL$0 +She wrote a terrible story then tried to put music to it. LABEL ON CD SHOULD SAY WARNING : THIS CD IS A WASTE OF GOOD MONEY PUT IT DOWN NOW. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING THIS CD WHY NOT RATHER GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THE HOMELESS OR SOMETHING CAUSE THAT IS WHAT ALANIS IS GOING TO BE AFTER THIS ALBUM.$LABEL$0 +Good TV. The TV is great and it was easy to install. I just wish that the base swiveled. It's pretty light so it's not a big deal. I'd recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Makes you wanna move!! (dance). Aicha' was the first song I heard from a station in Boston from this group, after that I was hooked!!! Thank you Amazon .com, It seems that you were the only ones who had it!! So easy just a click away! Every song on this CD I enjoy, especially the first one, "Am Saxxul", Don't ask me what it means but I love it!! Hey Who says learning another language isn't fun!!!!$LABEL$1 +Very readable and reasonable. This books is fabulous. I listened to the audio version, and it was very thought-provoking. It's unapologetic and non-political. Recommend highly.$LABEL$1 +Great. Putting the sermons on a CD will make things easier. It is hard to find older gospel sermons. The sermon is a good sermon for those who like the older teachings. It also arrived in a timely manner.$LABEL$1 +Family Tree Maker. It seems to be working just fine. It took me awhile to figure it out, but now I seem to be doing okay.$LABEL$1 +Nonthing Last Forever. This is another great book from Sidney Sheldon. It keeps your interest going. The last part of the book wraps up the whole story. Really enjoyed it.$LABEL$1 +meet the spartans. a waste of money... retarded movie... wait for free cable or better yet bypass then also$LABEL$0 +Great Fox gloves. I've used the gloves on 15 rides now and they don't show any signs of wear. I ride hard, usually 25-35 miles a ride, rain or shine. Medium fits me like they are my own skin; not too much fabric over the wrist. The Velcro strap allows me to cinch up the wrist as tight or as loose as I want. Fast drying and I definitely like the softer fabric on the thumb for wiping my face.And a bargain price.$LABEL$1 +Quite pleasant. HAAND KE PAAR CHALO is one of those routine films that has nothing new to say. Everything is so predictable. It looks like a film straight out of the 1980s.Music [Vishnu Narayan] is quite pleasant.$LABEL$0 +Funny. Hilarious social commentary on the mundane in all of us. Follow 10 stereotypical people trapped in a mall trying to elude a killer. I read it while watching Monday night football so it is not a difficult read but overall it was highly enjoyable!$LABEL$1 +The Brutality and Horror of War. This book offers us a glimpse of the brutality of the Air War over Europe from the American perspective. Numerous photos of doomed aircraft with wings sheared off, gas tanks exploding, gaping holes caused by flak that are both spectacular and horrific. One cannot help but to wonder what these men were thinking in their last moments. Overall this is a good book; I think, though, that there aren't enough pictures (some I've seen quite often) to justify the cost, and the text was somewhat sparse and did not offer much in the way of background information.$LABEL$1 +RUDE & AGGRESSIVE. The number of times "Shut Up" appears in these stories is shocking!! We have never seen the series but we have a cute Scholastic Thomas book and when our son received a Thomas Train Set I picked up a couple more books from the library. My husband and I were VERY disapointed with the language and the aggressive nature of all the characters (trains & people). Trains hitting each other and saying "there's more coming should you misbehave." Threatening to send trains away for being "clumsy." Of course our son loves the books because he loves trains but we don't want him learning anything these books have to teach.$LABEL$0 +Laughter for young and old. My dad introduced me to Pogo, and at first I found it hard to read. The phonetics and gramatical "modifications" that Kelly used to get across the Southern accents of the characters were strange to a five year old yankee. Later I realized Kelly isn't lampooning Southern accents, he's actually paying homage to them in a humorous way.This recording has two levels also. You can listen to it as a collection of nonsensical lyrics set to some nicely composed musical backdrops, or you can appreciate all the archaic words and double meanings in the songs. The more familiar you are with old literature, the more likely you are to know words like "quoits" and "swain" and "twixt".Young listeners will love this recording for the happy driving melodies with the funny words. Older ones will appreciate the double meanings and clever use of archaic language on top of the inherently ridiculous lyrics.$LABEL$1 +Cute story. After living a very sheltered life Lesley Caldwell could not believe when the fine gentlemen Quincy stops and talks to her. She could not control her blushes and giggles. Her only source of relationships with men are from her romance novels.Quincy could have any woman that he wants and knows that there are many who want him also. What he can't believe is that he is so attracted to Lesley because she is not like some of the women he has dated in the past.There relationship grows but not without some drama. There fellow co-worker Cheryl is a trip. Some of the things she does and says are just unbelievable.This is an easy one day read. I was shocked that Cheryl wrote such a short book compared to her previous releases. You will love this book there is laughter, sadness and the most important issue suspense.$LABEL$1 +tough tough read. I didn't make it to the end of this book - I really didn't see the point. I suppose if you believe the United States miitary is the center of evil in the world and they are resposnible for defiling the environment this might be your kind of book.Like most people, I thought the book's premise reasoble, but the author never really pulls it off. There are all sorts of things that are being set up and go absolutely no where.Finally, I did not understand the motivations for a number of the second tier characters.$LABEL$0 +Great Book. As all the other reviews, note this book is not much of a departure from Parker's Spenser series. That said, it is a fun read. Sunny is a fun new character. It is clear Sunny could easily be a Helen Hunt.The story is much like earlier Spenser books we have all loved-whether that is a good or bad thing. Parker has included the good and the bad from his earlier efforts. We see the effortless way he puts characters together with only a few words. And the way the characters interact-much like Spenser with Hawk and Susan. Sunny has her sidekick friends Spike and the lover with who she has the issues involved in all long running relationships. Nothing new here. Parker also uses his broad brush of few words with the usual character stereotypes the reader will recognize from the Spenser books.All these things aside, we are glad to get a new Robert B. Parker book. He still has what it takes.$LABEL$1 +Only One Lesson learned.... Never buy a movie without seeing it first. I bought this movie after seing the trailers and constant requests from my daughter. I finally gave up. Silly me... I wasted my money. The movie introduces you into this wonderful world, raising your expectations, and then they drop this stupid plot, with absolutely no purpose. I had to spend more than an hour after we saw it, trying to calm down my very upset daughter, who was crying almost hysterically, yelling: "why Mom, why????" But, lesson learned.$LABEL$0 +Looks Great, But Where's the Audio Out?!. I thought this was superior to the Archos 20Gb, with better interface and FM tuner, only to be shocked to observe that the only output is via USB? Who the heck uses these things on a computer once music is loaded? Where's the output to enable an RCA jack to a stereo system so you can do away with the CD changer? I returned mine same day and bought the Archos.$LABEL$0 +Love this product! ( & so far all others that they make). All of the Japanese bath salts are very nice. Very soothing and refreshing, The salts go a long way and I think that they are quite econimical if you like baths. I also like the orange and mint for summer. Great bath salts!!Fast delivery!$LABEL$1 +wrong c/d in the case! very disappointed...never got what i ordered!. was so excited to get this c/d and when i opened the case...the wrong c/d was in it! i was so very disappointed!never got my c/d...but i paid for a c/d i didnt order$LABEL$0 +Horrible piece of junk. This instrument is just about unplayable. My daughter's band director has never heard of this model. I played the clarinet for 6 years and found it hard to produce a sound, let alone a rich, full in tune sound. A complete waste of money.$LABEL$0 +Lousy.. I was not satisfied with this movie. I did not expect it to be similar to the first version of The Butterfly Effect. However, what I did expect was that the film would at least do a decent job of telling the story in an effective manner similar to the first. It failed, however. The acting was lousy. The script was poor. The movie was an embarrassment and should have had substantial revisions. Unfortunate.$LABEL$0 +Customer Service is terrible at Panasonic and the product is unreliable!!!. Had to change the drum about after 2 years of moderate use. I changed the drum (almost $100) in October 2006 due to streaking. Late February 2007, only after 4 months of use, it started streaking again! Contacted the CS at Panasonic and it was a complete waste of time; left message with the supervisor, never returned my calls. The Panasonic customer service policy is frustrate you and hope you will go away! Well, I won't go away. The freaking defective drum costs more than half of the machine!I will write to someone higher up and let the person know just exactly how I was treated by their CS. I own lots of audio, video equipment and do you think I would consider Panasonic product in the future, not a chance! Do you think I would buy any Panasonic product in the future, not a chance! This is very short-sighted approach from Panasonic in a very competive environment.$LABEL$0 +The most unnecessary game ever. This game is exactly like the rock paper scissors that you play with your hands, except that you have to pay for it. It's a worthless product.$LABEL$0 +A Wonderul Meessage!. This Bible includes the Old and New Testament. My thirteen year old is using it in his studies and understands what this wonderful story is all about. The print is very small so I'm giving it four stars.$LABEL$1 +Love It!. Fantastic cutting board. Stable, doesn't slide around on the counter and if using for meat just throw in the dishwasher when you are done.$LABEL$1 +It kept me turning the pages, but...... Let me say first that I like Sandra Brown. But I sure wish her characters could be a little deeper and not so dense. They do the dumbest things! It's kind of like in the horror films when no right-minded young female would enter a dark menacing building at midnight...but they still do, you know? Everyone in the theater wants to yell, "DON'T GO IN THERE!!!" But the idiot on screen still does and all kinds of bad things happen. Overall, The Alibi was a pretty good plot with enough twists to keep my interest. The outcome of Sandra Brown's books is always a given: good wins out. Buy, hey, that's why I read them! I LIKE it when good wins! You won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't fit RoadTrip Pro SS. I'm sure this is a great cover, however the description says the case fits ALL Coleman RoadTrip grills. This is not true...it DOES NOT fit the RoadTrip Pro SS grill model number 9928.$LABEL$0 +A must read. To all undergraduate students in physics, and first-year graduates this is the book you must have. It is clear, highly interesting and set you up perfectly to continue into this most fascinating of all subjects in physics. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +It made me cry!. I tuned to the classical radio when I ran errands the other day and heard music like none I've heard before. Perfect bagpipes, yet I verified that it was indeed German Rennaisance music. I nearly had to pull over with the tears that came to my eyes!$LABEL$1 +Harmony 880. I Love this product. I replaces about 5 different remotes that I had lying all over the house. Definite addition$LABEL$1 +When the wayans, J.LO, Kelly Koffied left then so did all the talent. When shows do final seasons usually they go out with a bang. But saddly this shows last bullets in this shows gun was a bunch of blanks. Now dont get me wrong, it was funny, I'll give it that, that's the only reason it got 2 stars, but season 1-4 raised the comedy standeard so high and were so funny but this season was a huge failure IN LIVING COLOR wise. So I'd recomend this for the series collectors like me. meaning I have season 1-4 and although I didnt like season 5, I'd feel uncomplete without it.$LABEL$0 +Classicly lovely and great for baby's vision. Not only is this a simple, timeless, unisex looking mobile, but it is also great for the development of a baby's vision. Whereas some mobiles function moreso to match decor, other mobiles are educational attachments to the crib. Keep in mind that pastel colors are not appreciated by infants for months. The panda bear was the first animal seen by my infant b/c of the black and white. The primary colors of Blue Jean Teddy then become noticed. The green gingham pattern on the dog and the softer hued duck were spotted after further development. My baby is now a sitter and she still likes to look at the panda the most. The only con of this mobile is the wind-up music box. I would have preferred a battery-operated one so that it can play as long as I and my baby wanted. But the reasonable price of this mobile AS WELL as the cute look of it made it a great buy. Educational baby products don't have to look weird!$LABEL$1 +Some problems but great grinding action. Great grinding action, quiet, and fast. Downfalls are hard to clean, and we have had a problem with the switch. We had trouble with the switch not turning machine on when pressed. We tried un-plugging the unit and then plugging it in again and the switch works. Nothing in the literature says to do this, but it is the only way ours will work. Would not buy another.$LABEL$0 +they just don't last. Batteries seem smart, but they don't last long when new (except in the flashlight) and they gradually just die off completely (and are not cheap to replace). Be forewarned.$LABEL$0 +False Advertising. I couldn't find a case that was meant for my camera, so I looked around and found this one. According to the measurements on Amazon it's "8.3 x 5.5 x 3.3 inches". That would have been plenty of room for my camera and a few accessories as well, so I bought it and it arrived today. At first I thought they must have sent me the wrong one. Nope, it's the correct case. The problem is that it only measures 5 1/4 x 4 3/4 x 3 inches and my camera won't fit into it.$LABEL$0 +No Right Channel. I have the exact same problem as the other reviewer who tagged this item as "poor" - and with so many good reviews I wonder if there is a problem with this manufacturing run. Lots of hiss on all FM frequencies, right channel is not there, and the input pot can't seem to adjust a standard line-in signal level to prevent distortion. Too bad because I had high hopes for this product, but now it's got to be returned.$LABEL$0 +This was informative but . . .. not what I was looking for. I was wanting a book about juicing recipes, this was secondary to the book content. I wound up giving this to a friend and co-worker is an avid health guru so I am sure it will see lots of use.If you are looking for some ideas on juicing go for Jay Kordich's "The Juiceman's Power of Juicing."$LABEL$0 +Unfortunately based on incorrect information. This book, as well as the many tales of the ENIAC, are factually incorrect. This was even proven by a federal judge in the state of Minnesota.On October 19, 1973, US Federal Judge Earl R. Larson signed his decision following a lengthy court trial which declared the ENIAC patent of Mauchly and Eckert invalid and named Atanasoff the inventor of the electronic digital computer -- the Atanasoff-Berry Computer or the ABC.Mr. McCartney does a great job of ignoring the facts that were proven in the case,and instead believes the hearsay, and tarnished depositions that were later recanted.$LABEL$0 +Innova DX Disc Golf Set (3-Disc). I bought 2 sets of 3 golf disc for my son to replace about 40 discs he had in a car that burned. He loves them.$LABEL$1 +nice book. I bought this book as a joke for my husband who actually loves Spam. I was surprised to find some good recipes in it as well and he likes the book.$LABEL$1 +They missed the point. In the true Fifties Hollywood spirit, this film seems to miss the point of the original book entirely. The strongest theme throughout the book was how lust for power can corrupt anyone - even the closest of your friends.However, the Hollywood dream weavers wanted to play it easy for the audience, and turned it into an inane sanctimonial hallelujah - and poorly even as that. The acting is stiff, the dialogue just plain corny, and the storytelling bland.The bookwriter Mika Waltari's popularly acknowledged masterpiece deserves a much better film than this.$LABEL$0 +As expected. Korn did it again. Same riff's, same sound, same lyrics, same style! Please Korn renew!! The first 2 albums were great, then it was time for a renewel because many bands stole the 'Korn Sound'. Korn didn't renew themself which means that they are musically dead. A pitty.$LABEL$0 +Story line missed the mark. Not good. I and II were very good and married into to each other very well. This was a B rated movie at best and they are trying to bring in low cost actors to continue to the run. Do not watch. And please do not let there be a IV.$LABEL$0 +Junk. I have had the same experience as many of the other reviewers on this forum, pixelation and freeze-up. I have had mine for less than one year and it has now failed for the third time. Panasonic is absolutely no help and will not recognize that they have a faulty product. I will never purchase any of their products based on the service I have received$LABEL$0 +hard to describe because it's so good. This books prompts one to trot out superlatives such as marvellous, sweeping, epic, but at the same time, the focus on each character's lives is highly personal. They are so many story lines, each a book until itself, yet Ms. Davis has managed to weave them into a tapestry that is hypnotic.It's a book at is working on so many levels. A great book that deserves recognition.$LABEL$1 +Great Right Angle Drill. Great Tool! Lightweight, compact, totally functional. The only improvement needed would be a compact Keyless Chuck.$LABEL$1 +really good. really good, not so fast but it takes pounding and cold weather, we used it to measure frozen goods and it takes his sweet time but it gets there$LABEL$1 +Not for Breast Milk or Glass Bottles. So we thought the features like the cooling and heating would be great, nowhere did it say it would not work with glass bottles until we opened it. Then for Breast Milk you basically have to heat it twice so the 5 min turns into 20 min (5 plus 10 for cool down plus another 5) This was a great disappointment and I am happily packing it up for return.$LABEL$0 +Not the best Step Workout. This instructor goes right into the steps without much instruction. I can see how this workout could be fun once you know the steps but trying to learn them without guidance is very frustrating. The other frustrating part is the camera work. There are too many close up views of the instructors face. You are not able to see what steps they are doing when the camera is in on a close up. I would not buy this DVD again or recommend it to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Not worth the trouble.. I bought this hearing it was bad. Being a DBZ fan and having seen all the movies up to this one I thought hey how bad could it be. Well it made me regret the money I spent on it. If you must see it rent it or borrow it from someone they might just give it to you. Anyway the only reason I think someone should buy this is if they want to own all the DBZ movies or if you bought Triple Threat with all 3. The first 2 are a Godsend compared to this.$LABEL$0 +a good workout. this door exerciser provides a good workout, i can feel it in my legs and stomach. i love it, and you can't beat the price!$LABEL$1 +"In Time" is absolutely the worst movie I've ever seen!. "In Time" is absolutely the worst movie I've ever seen! Save yourself the t-he "TIME" and never watch this terribly written story!Oh and if for whatever reason you decide not to heed my warning, and a 1/4 of the way through the movie when you realize it's the stupidest and most ridiculous POS ever, but you wanna keep watching because maybe they'll start to possibly explain the movie or perhaps give you some background on this pathetic time technology... DON'T!!! This movie explains nothing. These people walk around with literally, their life savings on their arms! Which!! anyone can just grab and take at will. AHHHHH!!!!! are you kidding! The writer couldn't even come up with a sensible way to end the movie, just a 2 man army, about to rob the worlds biggest bank. What the....! I want my "TIME" back!!!$LABEL$0 +GET ANY OTHER CONTROLLER. I JUST READ SOMEONE WHO'S JOYSTICK BROKE IN ABOUT 2 MONTHS, WELL I HAD THE EXACT SAME THING. IT DOESN'T SEND THE MESSAGE TO THE DREAMCAST TO GO UP OR DOWN JUST SIDE TO SIDE. IF YOU WANT TO PAY $20 FOR A TWO-MONTH CONTROLLER, GO RIGHT AHEAD. ALSO NOBODY WILL REPLACE IT BECAUSE IT IS OVER A MONTH OLD. IT'S A SCAM. FOR THE TWO MONTHS I HAD IT, I DID LIKE THE AUTO-FIRE$LABEL$0 +Great deal. I had been looking for these books for awhile and buy new to high for me. So this was a great deal$LABEL$1 +Great book for expanding your financial knowledge.. I am on my second read of your book and have been so glad that I came across it through an Amazon search. Based on your ability to put this subject in terms that a layman can understand and the comments from your other readers, I felt comfortable enough that I have made my first trades using your system. I bought stocks in May that met the criteria and then sold the options for them. By doing the math, I can see that making 25% - 36% per year will be no problem. I feel the excitement that Jake felt in the book and I can't wait till June for my first option to be up so I can make my next trade. Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing your book.$LABEL$1 +The Psychology of Action. I have found this book to be a great reference for goal theory. Having been published in 1996, it provides another source for following the evolution of goal theory, after such books as Maehr and Braskamp's, "The Motivation Factor", and Locke and Latham's, "A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance". The contributing authors read like a who's who of contemporary goal setting and achievement research. It has been very helpful in my research, it collects into one book current information that I spent considerable time finding one article at a time from several journals. I'm in Sport Psychology and I have concluded it is a must have.$LABEL$1 +Table of Contents Would be Nice. I haven't read the book, so this is actually a review of the info on the book. Why is there no TOC listed? How am I to decide on this book if I don't know what plays it contains. Very bad marketing.$LABEL$0 +Great!!. They are soft and warm.. Just be carful with size, they come smaller than your size and being slippers you want to have room.$LABEL$1 +dancefloor missy. the basement jaxx treatment of this "missy e... so addictive" track is excellent. missys flow on this song and the jaxx urgent and fluent beats are made for each other. check out the basement jaxx's own stuff ( Rooty and Remedy) and see why missy, whos always been on the experimental tip, got remixed by them.$LABEL$1 +Amazing..... OK..Fashionable nudes of Duchess Fergie, Rachel Hunter, Roseanna Arquette and the one I love the most, Mimi Rogers.This is a very nice book and proceeds going to a good cause.$LABEL$1 +Rodney Respectfully Croons Some Tunes. Rodney Dangerfield has sung songs in some of his movies, most notably the animated "Rover Dangerfield" and "The 4th Tenor." Except for the last bonus track, all of the songs on this album were recorded from 2000 to 2004, when Rodney was old and in failing health. His version of "Strangers In The Night" does not compare favorably to Frank Sinatra's version, while the remix version of that tune is even worse. Rodney's song selection is somewhat strange, covering the religious hymns "I Believe" and "He." He's more enjoyable to listen to when he's singing the upbeat "I Spent My Birthday In Las Vegas" and "Rappin' Rodney," the title song taken from his 1983 comedy album. Rodney's even more enjoyable to listen to when he's telling jokes!$LABEL$0 +Review. Very nice book, but it took a little while to get into it. Peltz' style of writting could flow a little better but when one reads books written by anthorpologists you know what you are getting into.$LABEL$0 +Awesome movie but not exactly as I remember it.. When I first saw this movie I interpreted it to be a straight up action/adventure movie. Not seeing the movie in over 20 years this interpretation is how I remembered it. I watched the movie recently and it was completely different from my memory. Not a bad film but I completely forgot about the comedy aspect of it and how it wasn't really a serious action/adventure piece in the style of the Die Hard series.$LABEL$1 +why skull cany why????. i have bin using these headphones for like over a year now and everyone has the same problem with them like after the 3rd month one of the speakers on the headphone start to act up if skull candy does not fix this issue soon then they might lose alot of sales due to the bad reports that people will eventually put up online about these products....im now thinking about buying the studio edition of the skull candy headphones but if i see 1 thing talking about 1 of the speakers going bad im not buying it and if i should count ive bin through 6 of the regular ones so far$LABEL$0 +Too Political for Kids. This video was a disappointment. Besides being poorly done, it's overtly political. Do not recommend it at all.$LABEL$0 +Truly a moving movie experience. I've never been a big Metallica fan... heavy metal just isn't on the top of my music list, so I was marginally interested in seeing this movie. But, I often find documentaries fascinating, so I watched it.I have to confess... I was extremely moved and captivated by what I saw. Actually, I couldnt's stop watching it. It was genuinely inspiring to see these hard-core metal icons being courageous enough to face their demons and show up real, exposing their humanity to the world ~ rather than being content to hide behind their fame.Oddly enough, this movie gave me a sense of hope ~ hey, if these spoiled, ego-centric "rock stars" can evolve and learn from their own human experience how to make peace with each other... maybe there's hope for us as a nation? My personal thanks to Metallica for having what it takes to tell the truth.$LABEL$1 +Poor Content. The information provided in this DVD series is very limited and in some cases wrong! What is provided is very basic. Anyone who has taken astronemy classes or watched another similar TV series (such as Carl Sagan's) will learn nothing new. Very broad and inacurate assumptions are made without sufficient effort to gratify them (for example a black hole may devourer our solar system). Little factual information is presented to provide a clear picture.I did not find the series entertaining, even with the decent CGI effects. I do not recommend this for anyone with a fair knowledge of astronemy.$LABEL$0 +Five Little Monkeys..............Disappointed!. Don't even buy this unless it is for a impaired child. I did not read the reviews first, and now I think I am stuck with it, as I can't find anywhere the instructions on returns!$LABEL$0 +MGM hits a new low in Tastelessness. Whoever thought up this abomination must have been out of his mind.Technically,they did a good job,sets,props,camera work,etc.A fine set of supporting actors provide characterizations that are cliches,at best.The plot doesn't even qualify as stereotypic;the dialogue is inane;and the leads don't even provide roles that manage to be one-dimensional.There is a continuous emphasis on brutal cruel,and grossly inhumane situations,terrifying horrors of the ancient world,monstrous disregard for life,and appalling barbarisms.3/5 of the way through the picture is the most atrocious sequence;a ritual human sacrifice which will outrage anyone with the moral fastidiousnessof a gila monster. .... This piece of tripe deserves any bad remarks a critic can find.$LABEL$0 +Great CD, AMAZING comic & human!!!. I can't recommend this CD enough!!! Bill Hicks left us FAR too soon!! Bill, you are very much loved and missed!!!$LABEL$1 +Overpriced, overdesigned. I love tools and that together with the look and feel of these and the fact that I spent so much should have guaranteed a positive review. Unfortunately, in actual use these are a pain. They are difficult to use one-handed. When adjusting you need to release with one hand while holding square to slide the other. When pumping them closed they don't really get that tight so you'll end out switching to the screw adjustment. I might forgive that but you also have to be careful to leave sufficient thread to release since unscrewing is the only release mechanism.So, save your $$ and get the Bessey tradesman clamps. Just slip it into position while putting it on, and twist it tight. You can get several Tradesmen for the price of one Powergrip.$LABEL$0 +this game is so old school and it rocks. if you like old arcade games like i do then you gotta get this game. it will entertain you for hours. it gives you a veriety of games to choose from so you dont get bored easly.ther is only on bad thing about this game on ms pacman. if you choose the full screeen its to little to even see and if you choose the larger screen it srolls when you go up and you cant always know if there will be a ghost when you go up but dont get me wrong this game rocks! you also get to choose how many lives you get for ms pacman. there is also alot of other options to choose from in the other games as well. its old school and it rocks! (so pimp)!!!***$LABEL$1 +Horrible. Horrible plot, inaccurate, horrible actors...It doesn't even have good special effects. The movie is by far the stupidest, most irrational movie i have ever seen.$LABEL$0 +Only brought it because it was required. This book was required for school. Shipper was great and I received it in a timely manner.$LABEL$0 +Excellent first read from Cheryl Kaye Tardif. I picked this book up on a whim, and could not put it down.Ms. Kaye-Tardif has a wonderfully unique writing style that I enjoyed very much, and I am looking forward to reading more novels by her.Whale Song is the story of Sarah Richardson, who at age 11, moves to Canada from Wyoming in the summer of 1977. She is befriended by a Native American girl and her Grandmother, and they take Sarah into their family and treat her as their own.Sarah's father, Jack, worked for a company studying marine biology and Sarah often went out on the Ocean with him listening to the sounds of Killer Whales, and seeing whales close up.I love this book so much, but know that I can't say much else about it without giving away main events in the novel. If you're looking for an easy, thought provoking read, I suggest you pick up Whale Song.$LABEL$1 +Worst "concert" video ever!!!. This supposed concert video is nothing but a collection of nonsense pre-concert, backstage, and audience garbage video. It shows 2 second clips of actual "live" band footage intermixxed with camera shots bouncing all over the place. A real concert video is just that, a live video of a band on stage playing their songs. Thank GOD I bought a cheap VHS version. I never even watched the whole thing. If you want to see a real show check out Iron Maiden's Rock In Rio or Primal Fear's The History Of Fear. This crap wouldn't be worth watching if it was sent to you for free!!!! I can't imagine Ozzy ever saw this and approved its release.$LABEL$0 +I love most of the songs on this cd. I had this cd lying around for a while and started listening to it a couple of weeks ago and now I can't stop. There are some real gems on this cd.$LABEL$1 +Problems with modern mice. I have this device and a 2-port Linksys. Frequently with this one, I get a delay in or totally lose my mouse control when switching between computers. I'm using a MS optical mouse that is natively USB, with a USB-to-PS2 converter attached that could be a problem. Just a warning to those with similar configurations that they may get similar results. The Linksys KVM has no problems with my setup.$LABEL$0 +Read the book instead. I just finished reading the book for the second time last week, and I just got done watching the dvd tonight. I've read everything by Stephen King and I think this book may be the best. The movie is not bad; Anthony Hopkins is well cast and does fine here, but the movie is like a reader's digest condensed version of a masterpiece that should not be touched. I know - you say that the book is always better than the movie. But this time the heart of the novel was removed. The characters were so much more developed, the story more supernatural. The book is a masterpiece that captures the spirit of the 60's, the magic of childhood, and the inevitable loss of everything. Skip the movie and spend an enjoyable week reading.$LABEL$0 +Comparison of new vs old release. The sole purpose of this review is to compare "The Invisible Man" in this collection to the older DVD release.EXCELLENT. Dramatic improvement - much better contrast and detail. It appears that a different source print was used, and it's much better than that which was used for the older DVD. This is unquestionably worth the upgrade, regardless of all the added benefits.You can view screen capture comparisons on my website.$LABEL$1 +Love this movie!. When I saw this The Avengers on Amazon I noticed the Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo set was the same price as the Blu-ray/DVD combo set, so I of course bought the four-disc combo set even though I don't have a blu-ray 3D player. The blu-ray is great quality and the extra features are top quality.$LABEL$1 +Hard on the ears. The first half of this CD is hard to listen to. Although music is a matter of personal taste, I find this music to be extremely irritating and grinding on the ears. It is played in a high scale on piano (electric or synthesized?) and I find myself passing over 1st half of CD missing the subliminal opportunity. Second half is fine. Subsequently, effectiveness can't be fairly assessed.$LABEL$0 +full catastrophe living. Although I have not yet finished the book, I can tell already that this is the best self-help book I have read. There is no difficult jargon, but still you feel taken seriously. The pace is quiet, everything is very well explained, and I really think this therapy works. That is, if you yourself are prepared to invest, because the author certainly demands a commitment. Although the term `mindfulness' is often misused by so-called therapists, this is the real thing. Do you feel stuck in a rut of negative thought, or are lived day-in, day-out by your pain, try this book. I am convinced it will help you too.$LABEL$1 +Enjoyable & informative. I found this book not only very informative & funny. The only reason I didn't give the 5th star is that it was written before the exam was released & the practice questions, while helpful to reinforce fundamentals, did not match what the exam authors came up with. In the real world, I'd trust Gary & Bob far more than the exam authors with security of a network. For sitting in a little room facing tough questions, add a good practice exam to run the score up. This book helped me pass on the first try.$LABEL$1 +Won't Load. I have all the requirements, but it still won't load onto my PC or laptop. I haven't had a chance to see how bad it is. I should have read the reviews before I put it on my Christmas wish list.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. A friend of mine loaned this book to me, raving about the story. The packaging on the book is well done and makes it appear as if it's much bigger than it truly is. Upon reading though, I found the book to lack the depth that I presumed was there. The characters are very flat, the writing is juvenile at times, but the plot kept me going.There is so much potential in the story here, but I don't feel the writers have taken the time with their work to polish it and add depth to their work. It looks as if they're kicking two of these books out per year, which leads me to believe they're more interested in churning them out rather than creating a quality piece of fiction.Still, I keep reading them. The plot is just enough to keep me moving forward. I do see the agenda in these books, and as a Catholic, I feel somewhat offended by this. I feel like they've done a lot of stereotyping in the series.$LABEL$0 +Good, but no Rusted Angel. Expanding senses is overall a well-rounded album and deserves recognition for being so but... doesn't quite live up to it's other albums.Here it shows Darkane changing more towards melodic death than its thrashier roots.Also they got rid of Lawrence Mackrory, his replacement (Andreas Sydow) is good,but not up to par.Thankfully Peter Wildoer(ex-Arch Enemy) is still pounding the skins like usual, maybe not as good in rusted angel but hey, he's an awesome drummer anyways.Definetely worth the money, but if you're new to Darkane, check out Rusted Angel before getting Expanding Senses.$LABEL$1 +failed device. The CD player failed just after the warranty expired. Radio reception is poor. This one's going to the Salvation Army.$LABEL$0 +Another Hit From Strunz and Farah!. This is another great Strunz and Farah album, but it is hard to beat their previous works Americas and Heat of the Sun. However any way you slice it it is still world class Flamenco and Latin guitar music. If you are new to Strunz and Farah get Americas and/or Heat of the Sun. They are awesome! If you already own those titles and are looking for more excellent Spanish guitar music then pick up this title, Zona Torrida, Wild Muse, and Stringweave. That will give you a strong and amazing collection of music from this genre. Enjoy!$LABEL$1 +Good Holster, Great Price. BLACKHAWK! is a well known brand used by security companies, police, and military forces around the world for a reason. These holsters are good, made of a lightweight polymer, and function like they say they do. The company isn't known for putting out poor products.Mine is for a left hander on a Springfield 1911 A1 Loaded model. So I was skeptical when it said fits 1911 Government Model and Clones, considering variations can screw things up. This holster lives up to what it promised, and I love it. The best feature is that the release for your weapon relies on the finger, and by design, will place your finger on the frame and out of the trigger guard, ensuring you won't shoot yourself or discharge when you aren't ready. It helps to remove error, teaches the shooter the proper draw, and works extremely well at doing it's job: carrying your firearm. I highly recommend this holster to anyone who plans to carry their weapon.$LABEL$1 +Read Concrete Blonde first. Unlike most authors with continuing characters, Connelly has not published the Bosch stories in chronological order. Black Echo is an entertaining novel but it reveals key plot elements of The Dollmaker case, described in the Concrete Blonde. I didn't find the plot as compelling in The Black Echo as in his later books, but perhaps that's because of my lack of interest in war experiences. The writing is unusually descriptive -- I was starting to cough with all Bosch's smoking. (Surprising he wasn't the character needing a heart transplant, described in my favorite of Connelly's books (so far), Blood Work).$LABEL$1 +SPT Su 4010 Ultrasonic Dual Mist Humidifier. Received the above humidifier and used it the first night. It worked fine. The very next day the heater setting for warm mist would not work. This is a record for a usage for a new product. It lasted only one day.I am returning it to Amazon for a full refund. When packing up this return I saw a packing list on the box. It had already been returned to the company and they reshipped a defective product to me as brand new. Bad practice!!Forget buying from SPT$LABEL$0 +THE WORST!!. The worst fitting boot I have ever bought. I thought with the North Face name I wouldn't be disappointed. I usually do not make comments but I do not wish these on anyone!! I even took the sole out and bought a comfy sole, still horrible. I bought these for a trip to Canada and was absolutely miserable. I ended up throwing them away! BIG WASTE!$LABEL$0 +Better strap it on first.... I keep slipping off this pillow. It's hard, makes me sweat, and it really serves no purpose when I wake up in the night and find my head down on the lower part of it.I cannot imagine one of the cheaper pillows being any less comfortable. This is a lot of money to pay for something that cannot be returned if you're not satisfied.$LABEL$0 +Thanks for getting my son's hopes up!. My kindergartner was so excited when we saw this backpack online and we couldn't wait for it's arrival. Visually, it's stunning - I was contemplating using it myself if he decided not to keep it! However, on DAY 1 when I picked him up from school, BOTH of the zippers had broken (the clasp thingy had fallen off) rendering it useless and now I have to return it. My son was really upset, as was I...and I also wish I had the reviews on here before I bought it since apparently this has happened more than once before! Beware this backpack, fellow superman fans - it brings heartbreak!$LABEL$0 +Awful! No more please. Please no more tween/teenage actress releasing CD. Lindsay's becoming the next Britney Spears, and that's even insulting to Brit! WTF, her CD debuted at No.4 on Billboard's Album chart? Has the music world gone mad? Her career will fade away in 3 years at best. If you want a real artists, I'd recommend Michelle Branch, Mandy Moore or Leanne Rimes. Go away, Lindsay Please!$LABEL$0 +worst book i have ever read. this is by far one of the worst books i have ever encountered. Cisneros is a horrible author who knows nothing about writing a well organized book that actually makes sense. I wouldn't reccommend it to my worst enemy$LABEL$0 +ambient humidity is KEY. works in dry low humidity places like the west coast.DOES NOT work in high humidity places like the east coast or South East Asia.$LABEL$0 +love it. this is definitely the best pencil I've ever used... writes smooth, feels good in the hand. Full time student and use it for note taking etc..$LABEL$1 +Enjoyable. The humor was a little cheesy, but it is a "family" movie, so it's fitting. Kids will really enjoy it. I'd recommend a watch for adults if they don't mind the slightly kiddy atmosphere of it.$LABEL$1 +Cordless circular saw great value. Product came quickly and was a very good value for the money. Milwaukee makes a good tool.$LABEL$1 +Great Lens Pouch. I buy and use Op/Tech's lens pouches and camera cases. The materials and workmanship are high quality. I have contacted the company several times and they offer excellent customer service. I take my camera equipment on hikes and backpacking trips and Op/Tech's cases and pouches provide good, light weight protection.$LABEL$1 +NEVER AGAIN!. These diapers are awful and we'll never get them again. They seemed thinner than the Huggies we normally buy, so I guess the only plus is that you can fit more in the diaper bag/in the basket on the changing table, but the positives end there. They leak like crazy - esp. when they get pretty full during naps/bedtime - we have to wake up our son to change him in the middle of the night so he doesn't wake up in wet pajamas and a puddle in the morning. Also when they fill, they sag so terribly. Our toddler quickly learned he could easily reach in when they were saggy and mess with his poop if he had any. He also easily took them off, unlike the Huggies - probably because they were sagging and uncomfortable. Unfortunately we have 222 to get through... ugh...$LABEL$0 +Notable Tribute. This CD is a very good tribute to Ella. All the artists added thier own style without losing the essence of the performer they all admired.$LABEL$1 +Gorgeous art work, sturdy book!. Bought this for my boyfriend who loves Luis Royo, it's a sturdy book and has nice printed images of Luis Royo's art work, can't wait to purchase another book like it for our Luis Royo collection. :)$LABEL$1 +this camera is not good. awsome when you take pictures that is not woving...because of the delay(about 2seconds)you cant take pictures the way you want.$LABEL$0 +Terrible Tome. There are novels that are so bad they don't require a long review. This is such a thing. It received a star from me because there is no way I could give it a black hole. Do not waste your money. I have already pissed-away my time on this terrible exercise.$LABEL$0 +Ummm.. Don't know what to say. I don't like this book so far. I haven't read all of it, and if my opinion changes, i intend to post another review. But after reading Flowers in the Attic, I find it hard to fall in love with Olivia like I did Cathy or any other heroines. She just seemed so harsh in FITA, that it's difficult to believe that this is the same grandmother$LABEL$0 +Sounds like the tip issue is common. I've been using mine (included with my Garmin - I know I wouldn't have paid $200 for it) for a little over a year. Recently I went to plug it in and noticed the tip missing. My concern was whether it was lodged in the cigarette lighter. Fortunately, it wasn't. I was about to throw the whole thing out, but went looking for a replacement fuse setup just in case. For a replacement cost of $200 for the unit, I'll keep looking for the part. Didn't even miss the traffic updates though - where I drive, it never did much.$LABEL$0 +Benefit of Whibal smallest size. I found this item of little use for my needs. The problem really is that it takes one photo with the whibal before anything else. This adds one unit for any other number of photos. It's OK if you take quite a number of pictures in the same environment,but it's a waste if you're going to take only a few. What you get is one photo with whibal for three or so taken. However, I find that with my Canon EOS 30D, I would gain a lot more with the larger size (3.5 x 6) which would allow me to use the custon white balance. This is why I ordered a second card, this time, the right size. Unfortunately, I had to pay much more to grt what I needed.$LABEL$0 +One of his best - backup band is incredible. John Hiatt with the North Mississippi Allstars as the backup....yup, it's as good as it sounds. Great album, very "Hiatt". Similar to Walk On, with a bit more of a 'produced' feel to it. That's what makes this great though, it's definitive Hiatt with just a twist of newness to make it a fresh album.I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the storytelling isn't as good as in previous albums. They are more abstract than what I'm used to hearing, but that allows me fit in my own interperetation of the songs, which I love. Best album I've bought in '05...$LABEL$1 +worst technical service encountered. I'm no computer expert but I can get by most stuff on my own. With Linksys, I had problem setting it up and I thought I can call them for advice. The technical support was a sham. The guy didn't want to stay on the phone for more than 5 minutes because he had to manage his resources for other users! My call to him was placed at 7 AM eastern standard time and he even admitted that no one was in the queue..but he just didn't want to stay on the phone. Even with any changes he suggested I had to reboot the computer at least once to accept the changes, which takes around 5 minutes and he refused to wait to see if my router was working for my computer. Perhaps Linksys is a good product, but I will never know because I am going to return it to voice my displeasure with their technical support.$LABEL$0 +Saturday Morning Nostalgia. Despite the overt overacting (especially from Marshall and Will), which is sometimes necessary to engage a child audience, this classic Saturday morning series is engaging for young and old - most notably for some of the classic science fiction writing. A special treat was finding out one of the episodes (The Stranger) is penned by Star Trek alum Walter Koenig.The transfer to DVD is passable, but there are some areas where the series definately shows its age and could use some restoration.The interview with Sid and Marty Krofft is very relaxed and low key and extremely interresting, too short for all these guys have done together.The Holly - Cha Ka interview is definately for the adult crowd. A good retrospective of the series, and "Holly" is definately not the innocent young blonde girl anymore!I was happy that my son, who is dinosaur crazy, found this as engaging as the modern, special effect laiden dinosaur tales.Overall a good series, worthy of more DVD's.$LABEL$1 +Poor quality. Am so disappointed. This clock is poor quality. The pendulum is plastic and really looks quite pathetic. I am returning today as I feel embarrassed to display on my wall. I agree with a previous review, you certainly can pay much more for a clock, but for this quality, I expect to pay much much less.$LABEL$0 +Not for me.. For my taste these are way to hard. If your a Pro with finger tips made of steel these may be very good for you cuz they do produce a very nice sound. But if your a newbie like me or only pick up a guitar every now and then these are very difficult to play with.I wish I knew what were the strings that came originally came with my guitar cuz those were much easier to play with.$LABEL$0 +Amethystium. I was so dissappointed in the cd. This music is so familiar.This guy actually takes sounds from Delerium, Tangerine Dream, Enigma, Deep Forest and others that I recognize (David Arkenstone) and combines them as his own. I even recognize the flute solos from other cd's. This is absolutely not creative.I was tired of listening to it before it was finished. Don't waste your money on this one. Just buy the other artists he is compared to for a more creative and unique experience. And by the way, this sounds nothing like Mythos.$LABEL$0 +Not very informative.. This book is appropriately titled. If you have ANY common sense you will not learn anything. There are lots of lists with no elaboration; for instance "25 common mistakes of first time supervisors". There are no comments on actions one should take to avoid them, just a list. The bulleted and list based layout causes most of the pages to be half blank. This book has only about 30 full pages of text. It takes about 25-30 minutes to read cover to cover.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. As I was reading this, I kept shaking my head. This book didn't really give me a lot of help. There really isn't much in here that I couldn't find in a lot of other, much better, books. I found the advice to be plain wrong in some cases, ill-advised in others. And the author's attitude bothered me. It was off-putting.It wasn't a really horrible book, which is why it got two stars, but I've read books that gave me a lot more help. If you're insistent on buying this book, though, my copy will be up for sale. :)$LABEL$0 +Great value. This product fills the gap between high priced name brands and greymarket junk. As I'm not a professional photog, it fills the bill without breaking the bank. Nice move on recommending it with camera purchase.$LABEL$1 +Complete Bourne series in Hi-def. I already have two of the three in regular DVD. When I heard that Amazon was going to bundle up all three in HD-DVD, I decided to have it reserved. The price of Ultimatum by itself is more than half of the price Amazon was asking for all three. So why not??Watching all three on 1080p was well worth the price of admission. Bonus Features of HD-DVD discs are good extras not found on the regular discs.I wish the discs came in an official sleeve that binds all three together, but they came as separate discs. A good buy!!$LABEL$1 +Borrow it, don't buy it. Other reviewers have listed the flaws (basically an Ode to Metallica, ignores important bands, dismisses punk entirely, etc) but I also have a juvenile negative reaction to anyone listing "living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn" in their bio. That one sentence speaks volumes about what is inside. No judgement, I live in Williamsburg, too, but...The book is interesting, but not worth the cover price.$LABEL$0 +Didn't work for me. I installed this item in place of the factory-supplied belt on my Powermatic 64A table saw (excellent saw, by the way). The saw was already running quiet and mostly smooth, but I was enticed by the thought of it being even smoother. Installation: The belt kept riding up on the pulleys, though I hadn't changed the alignment, and I had to mess with the motor mount, and mess, and mess, for about an hour till it spanned well. When it was mounted, the belt seemed no smoother but a LOT louder -- a high-frequency whine the saw never had before. I held off buying this item for a long time, because of the cost, and I should have left well enough alone.$LABEL$0 +The BEST wedgie slides ever. I bought a pair of these last summer and I absolutely love them. They are so cushy I wear them to the office, out dancing and shopping. I just found them here in white so I'm ordering a pair in white as I already have the black! They are the perfect little slide.$LABEL$1 +A little bit of today. We truly enjoyed the movie, "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" especially since today's job market is much the same. Jack Lemmon & Anne Bancroft work wonders. After all it is a Neil Simon play and with talent like that it's no wonder folks keep inviting themselves over for a movie night. I wish more of these movies would be made.Truly enjoy.....The Prisoner of Second Avenue$LABEL$1 +Undelivered. I ordered this on Halloween for my daughter's birthday in middle of November. Am still waiting - it's now Dec 3rd! Amazon assures me it's coming (so's Christmas) and which do you think will get here first? Am about to cancel my order. What shabby service. 6 year old missed out on her birthday present is telling me never to order anything from Amazon again. A very disappointed and let down customer. I am hoping this review will shame Amazon into doing something, since it invited me to create a review - without having delivered my order!!!$LABEL$0 +No Slippers get's an A plus. A wonderful story, my two year old loves it. We read it every day. The illustrations are absolutly beautiful, very well done and very creative. Looking forward to more books from this author as long as Holly does the illustrations too!$LABEL$1 +Great Product. Quality product, it was exactly what I wanted. When the item arrived I went to the shop to try it out. It worked without a flaw. I think the picture of the item helped me with the decission to buy. No regrets.$LABEL$1 +Poor presentation. When I orginally got this movie I thought it was going to be a horror movie. Maybe a B horror film at it's worst. This movie would have been ok if I was watching it on an "Afternoon Special" and I was 13 years old again at it's best. I also didn't think that this movie would have had Christian undercurrents as well. It would have been ok if it would have said that on the back of the DVD and I would not have watched it. I was very disappointed in this movie.$LABEL$0 +Interesting and fun. Go around your house and plug everything into it. See where the energy hogs are. After you've done that, you can put in on a shelf or sell it on eBay.$LABEL$1 +horrible waste of money-poor design-worst I lap table I have owned. I hate this tablefalls over very very easily, poorly made, wheels to high does not roll under couch or chairsI wish I had returned itpoor quality woodabsolute waste of moneyfell over damaged my computerI have had this 3 months and hav to break down and buy another one$LABEL$0 +Where are birds, deer, walking in the woods. I now longer can go for walks in the woods or around town.Where is the village square with the New England white chruch?Was there a sunrise or sunset over the mountains or lake?I stopped watching after 30 minutes.maybe it is at the end?The Christmas Carols are fine.Linda22$LABEL$0 +Funny but love between characters not there.... Yes, this book was hilarious; is there another author this funny? I can't imagine it. Anyway, I wished there would have been more romance. they don't have to be Madeline Hunter type love scenes (although they are great)but give us SOMETHING! Their love simply didn't click because they rarely even embraced.$LABEL$1 +Dusty, noisy, cumbersome. It seems like I've had to do maintenance on this vacuum prior to each use, as if housecleaning isn't work enough! Cleaning filters, unclogging the hose, reattaching the hose, etc... It's dusty and messy and has been since about the 3rd use. The only thing that's been consistent is the dust coming back out. It's too loud and messy and I'm kicking it to the curb next trash pickup. Wish me luck on my next attempt! Dirt Devils and Bissells are out for me.$LABEL$0 +Good niche history book. This book is well written and researched. It is devided into a number of cases in which the author describes the actions and accomplishments of various Quaker educators durring the Civil War era. Noteworthy was their fustrations with Southerners who distrusted any "teachers" from the North, especially ones who sought to educate former slaves. For someone unaware but interested in the history of Quakerism in the mid 19th century, or interested in 19th century women's history, I recomend this book.$LABEL$1 +Great Book Scott O'Dell. The Island of the Blue Dolphins is a great book because it's about a girl who is all alone in the island and the girl had to fight so she could live before the Aleuts come to the island. I like the book because it's a true story about a girl who made friends with wild animals that could kill her.I also like it because I like animals a lot and the book is about how Karena make wild friends. I recommend this book because I know you will love it and will want to read it and read it. I give 5 stars to The Island of the Blue Dolphins.$LABEL$1 +Buyer beware!!. Can you believe Amazon is still selling this CD with virus-like copy protection scheme! Do not buy this CD!$LABEL$0 +Approval Addiction. Perfect for those who experience what the title describes. Clearly Ms. Meyer loves the Lord as she weaves scripture throughout. Definitely biblically based.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Period Production. This production is extremely entertaining. The costuming is awesome and the character development is believable. I would highly recommend this.$LABEL$1 +The Joy of Meditation!. I was thrilled to discover this book and think that it has to get into the hands of more women who may be struggling with forms of meditation that do not serve all of us well. Itoffers liberation from practices that do not respect andlove the human body, especially the woman body, the sensesand sensory pleasures. The authors echoed many of my ownconcerns, experiences, and approaches as a teacher ofWestern-oriented meditation. The book is beautifully written,too--just a joy to read!$LABEL$1 +And these people have a problem with Harry?. I happened upon this book quite by accident. I was looking for a bad example of "Christian" authorship and theology (Frank Peretti specifically) and found this.I thought I'd read it all after reading Neil Anderson books, but this is absolutely dreadful. I'm shocked and dismayed that this book even exists, much less that it can be found promoted on the bookshelves of Christian bookstores.My recommendation is burn this book and read your bible. Specifically Job where it is shown that Satan has NO power over us and can do NOTHING to harm us unless God grants him permission.$LABEL$0 +A must read for women, parents and men who give a ..... Finally, someone has validated and verified what I've always known...and depended on. Read this first and then get Protecting the Gift and give it to everyone you know with children. It's just too important! Do not fall for the failing social assumptions...You will always know when you are in danger and be able to really protect your family. My intuition has saved me countless times when all around me told me I was nuts to be so paranoid...Heck, I was a bartender...I always knew who was really dangerous! Thanks Gavin, everyone thought I was ?...then later, they changed their attitude...why do you have to fight so hard for sensible safety? Go figure...$LABEL$1 +If the books is called "The Moscow Option".... ...then why do we spend the majority of the book everywhere but the Eastern Front?I won't deny or disparage the actions in the Pacific and the role of the British, but if a book is supposed to be about the German war in Russia, perhaps it would do well to spend some time in that setting.Instead, we get exceptional detail regarding British actions in North Africa, followed by hour-by-hour reworkings of American actions in the Pacific - and then we get sweeping generalities regarding the German actions in Russia.The premise and title of the book are largely sidelined, as if they are of secondary importance. Why?In this case, don't judge a book neither by its cover, nor by the synopsis printed thereupon.$LABEL$0 +cheap. I have seen the movie many times, and it was as good as I remember it being.However, when I received the DVD the casing and the disk itself was made really cheap. I first thought that I had ordered someone's illegal copy that they had hand made. There were a couple language options, one of which was the original Japanese, as a native speaker, I appreciated this option. However, when the movie plays in Japanese there is no option of not having English subtitles, which was really irritating.I recommend this movie to everyone, but spend the little extra and buy a better copy of it.$LABEL$0 +Useless Gimmicks. This cookbook holder is too shallow to hold a book. At best, one can insert several sheets of paper. I was very disappointed as I expected (note the name "cookbook holder") it to hold an actual book. I made the mistake of ordering four and gave all to charitable re-sale shop. Perhaps some craft person can conjure a practical use for these. They definitely will not hold an actual book!$LABEL$0 +Great replay value! I like the game.. I had Superpower 1 and couldn't wait for this one to come out. When I first attempted to play Superpower2, the game had trouble starting do to having so many bugs. The bugs were taken care of with a number of patches over the years. I played this game for many hours trying different things with different countries. Most seem to talk bad about this game, but I enjoyed playing it! I would recommend getting the game and see if it's for you. Yes you could go on for days about what the game doesn't do, (like neighboring countries not getting angry for your massive build up of military units). The game is a starting point for other greats to follow.$LABEL$1 +Prong Fasteners. I bought these for work. They came in a HUGE box, but otherwise, no complaints. Great product and arrived a day early!$LABEL$1 +Really poor quality. We have owned this printer for a little over a year. The initial setup was easy and it seemed to work fine, for a while. Print quality for the price is good.First problem, 6 months in, was it would only print the last page of multi page documents. Pain in the ---, but I just printed one page at a time. Now, it has stopped scanning from any machine. I checked online and it seems that others are having this problem as well. It says, "unabale to download applications list". I tried all of the 'solutions' offered both by users and Lexmark. Updated the drivers then uninstalled and reinstalled all of the software- twice. Lexmark owes me 4 hours of my life back. Bottom line, this printer is not good at wireless connectivity, and really not good at anything but printing. Buy something else.$LABEL$0 +Very Disappointing Book From An Otherwise Great Author. I was so completely disappointed with this terrible book. I loved Generation X, Life After God, Microserfs and Shampoo Planet and count them among my all-time favourite books, but this book is garbage. Truly. I could barely finish it, and I sold it to a used book store as soon as I plowed my way through it. The plot is stupid and absurd and I almost felt embarrassed for Coupland upon finishing it. I agree with many other reviews that Coupland's work has really gone downhill after Microserfs (ie. Girlfriend in a Coma, Miss Wyoming, and this piece of trash) but I sincerely hope readers will not judge all of his work based on this one stinker. I read that Quentin Tarantino has optioned the book, but I seriously doubt even he could make this story good.$LABEL$0 +dissapointed. i remember when they first showed a prview of this moive in theatres long time ago in 1999. it was only playing in selected theatres and i wanted to see it pretty badly. few years later i could not find a dvd anywhere i went. finally it comes out and i buy it on amazon and man, was i dissapointed. sure martial arts in movies is great if you like it, but it was not so good in this film. also the special effects which they were praising about in this film looked like a kid in his parents garage made it. in all, this film is lucky to recieve 1 star.$LABEL$0 +I'm now empowered with the knowledge to meet my son's needs.. Thank God I was told about this book! Odd how the SI dysfunction diagnosis is about sensations that are not "pulled together" to get the clear picture. This book PULLED TOGETHER seemingly disconnected behaviors that my son exhibited, and gave me a CLEAR PICTURE of his diagnosis, his needs. What a relief! My son is 5 years old, born in Russia, and came to America at the age of 3. While he seems to be exceptionally smart (academically he is spelling a multitude of 3 letter words), he has been extremely hyperactive, fidgety, thumb (and now clothes) sucking, speech delayed, & sound sensitive. I am grateful for the depth and organization of the material presented in this book. It empowers me as a parent to step forward to access the services my son needs.$LABEL$1 +Simply amazing..... I went ahead and bought these even after reading several bad reviews about the cords falling apart. That was a little over a year ago and mine are still like brand new - and I wrap the cord around my mp3 player constantly. The sound is amazing...but make sure the earpieces are pushed in properly. They sit farther inside the ear than expected. That makes them block outside noise as well. Also, after finding the right earpiece size, they're very comfortable. These are excellent for the price! If mine decide to die, I'm definitely going to buy another pair.$LABEL$1 +Not for impatient beginners. I could not learn to speak any danish from this book.Buy Pimsleur's and Berlitz's instead!$LABEL$0 +Exciting. This was my first real exposure to Percy Sledge, and now I gotta taste for more! The tracks have an impressive range and unique style that impressed me very much. Thanks for the music Percy!!$LABEL$1 +Very disappointed. I am a teacher, and I bought two these staplers for everyday classroom use after reading all the positive reviews. As it turns out, these are terrible staplers! The first stapler didn't even make it a week--a student accidentally knocked it off the table, and because it is plastic instead of metal, it immediately broke. The other one made it three weeks, during which it jammed all the time and required lots of pressure in order to staple anything at all. It wouldn't open all the way, so I couldn't use it to staple papers to a bulletin board either. Finally, the second one broke durnig regular use, when I was simply stapling two pieces of notebook paper together. It jammed and was impossible to unjam without popping the spring. I'm not sure why this has so many positive reviews, but I wish I could go back and spend a bit more for some metal staplers.$LABEL$0 +It's a fairy tale?. I found this book to be a fairy tale for ocean lovers, sunset lovers and boring escapades of the well-to-do.After one hundred pages I had to force myself to continue reading this book. I didn't want to waste the eight bucks. After 183 pages I finally gave it up. Not for me.Another reviewer mentioned Salty is a book for males. Maybe she's right. It sure didn't have any redeeming qualities for me.I would like to share my sorrow for the death of Ed Bradley with Mr. Buffett. There are many of us who loved him.M$LABEL$0 +TouchPoint Bible. I was very well pleased with the purchase of TouchPoint Bible. It was stated as "used" but in good condition. When I received the Bible it was in perfect condition. I was so pleased because my husband and I wanted to give it to a friend who is trying to learn more about the Lord. We each have this Bible and really enjoy the information given before each chapter. Thought it would be insightful to him. He is thoroughly enjoying reading this Bible. So thankful Amazon has this site.$LABEL$1 +Unusable. This is a collection of very rough outlines from Youth Specialties celebrities. However, it seems like it means to give them one more book with their names on it rather than to produce worthwhile curriculum for youth. I didn't find this helpful at all.$LABEL$0 +BEWARE, PLANTS NOT INCLUDED. BEWARE!!!! None of these products contain the plants. It doesn't state that on the boxes, or in the ads. All you are getting is the tarp-like quality, plastic tube, a cable thing to hang it with and a foam rubber 'collar' to put around the plant that you have to supply. I can't get live plants where I live (an island in Alaska) so both the tomato and the strawberry planters were a waste of money for me. BTW, the strawberry planter takes 15 live plants!!! (Just in case you're shopping) I also located these same things in a store, and the boxes DO NOT STATE THAT THE PLANT IS NOT INCLUDED. So don't think you're geting a ready made garden - you're not! And none of their ads - on TV, or otherwise, state this fact. PLANTS NOT INCLUDED!!!!$LABEL$0 +Just Because Modest Mouse Is Popular Now, Does Not Mean The Album Completely Sucks. Sure, it's not their best. All the polish erases some of the charm of Isaac's strained vocals and seemingly improvised guitar work. But it's still Modest Mouse, and it's pretty damn good. I think this is a natural progression from the Moon and Antarctica, with stronger lyrics that often deal with death and the afterlife, and a more "mature" sound (Excluding Dance Hall, which is the closest this record gets to sounding like older MM). I didn't want to like this album, what with all the radio play that Float On and Ocean Breathes Salty received, but listen with an open mind and you'll find that it's actually a good album, my favorite tracks being "Dance Hall", "Bukowski", "Satin In A Coffin", and "Ocean Breathes Salty".All indie fans should give this "sell out" record a chance.$LABEL$1 +Joy. The Joy of Signing I found when I ordered it, it was in top mint condition it was very well taken care of for it being a used book I was very impress with the condtion of the book I was very very much happy to have ordered it. I will for sure again order because I know I will get what I will pay for. Thank You I am very pleased with my book. Keep up the great work.$LABEL$1 +worst fairy tale book I've seen. The book is super-barbie-girly, both in terms of illustrations and the texts. Every single story reads silly, simplistic, dry and boring. The stories are basically the same familiar old good fairy tales, but somehow the details are altered to make them "morally correct," and, as sideeffects, become very silly girlish.$LABEL$0 +WEAK. Put your money towards something more powerfull and hotter! I can put my hand in front of this thing. It's crap!$LABEL$0 +Update. Thanks for the very fast service. It was quick and the product works great.SuperMediaStore is great for at least my first order with them.Well that was my original post. I ended up getting a little excited. Dont buy this keep looking.$LABEL$0 +Informational. Good advice; good information. Science and numbers provided are great guidelines. Common sense tells the rest of the story for most.$LABEL$0 +Enjoyed. My nephew loves the dvd! He will play it over and over again! I am so glad that we purchased this for him!$LABEL$1 +Not bad. The sound is good. But it is not perfect for everybody. It is good for my husband to wear on his ear, but not good for me. I guess because my ear is smaller? ... Except this, it is good.$LABEL$1 +Worked well. Import from financial institutions is great.. Worked without a hitch. Cost of e-file puts a damper on this being a great deal.Simple stocks an bonds are easy. The import from financial institutions worked great. All items were easy to verify and had more detail than the forms I received in the mail.Years past, I had a few more complex items and you have to figure out the tax code is talking about (if you can). The TurboTax and its help didn't automatically fix the complex tax code we have. Too bad they didn't have a (better) tax encyclopedia to help you out -- yet, I don't know how they would ensure the accuracy year after year. This year, I didn't have any such stuff to worry about.$LABEL$1 +It's Not the Product. I tried to rate this order earlier, but I think it got lost in cyber-space. I have used this product before with good results, so it is not the product per se, but the condition in which it arrived. The item was in its original packaging and appeared to be unopened. However when I opened the box the lid was off the cream bleach, and it had hardened to the point that when I mixed it with the activator it was too dry to stay on my face rendering the product useless. I see no reason to return the package as it would cost about as much as the item itself. I would consider returning it if I am sent a self addressed return package with postage prepaid and a replacement package.$LABEL$0 +Braun 6000FC. The replacement foils only last a few weeks of normal service. When they go bad, you know it because of the gouges it takes out of your skin. It is cheaper to buy a Norelco in the long run because of the cleaning solution as well as the need to replace foils often.$LABEL$0 +A worthwhile oddity. Here's a tricky question: who is this CD for? It isn't just music, there are some sound effects, and some of the music is very brief 'stings' and 'stabs' (as they are called).Interestingly, the answer may be someone like me. I had the CD on in the background, and some of the pieces are extremely evocative - at least for people who have seen the stories they come from. There are a number of other wonderful pieces - the TARDIS takeoff from the first story is great.But, of course, the best item is the always wonderful Doctor Who theme - 4 versions, including one closing credits, which are all fabulous. I especially like the comparison between the 1967 revision and the original 1963 version, but can't say which I prefer.$LABEL$1 +cats hate it. I couldn't get my cats to eat this if it were Kentucky Fried. Maybe it's just my cats but couldn't recommend it.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful MG. When completed this guy will look just amazing! So much detail! It will take a long time to panel line, but isn't that part of the fun? My first MG, and I will treasure the building experience for many years to come. Love it!$LABEL$1 +Not the usual. I really liked Acropolis and "Best of Yanni", so when I heard the vocals in this CD, I was *very* disappointed...Yanni fans may like it, but I don't care for it, over all. I bought if for my husband as a gift, and he didn't care for the vocals, either. It distracts from the beautiful compositions that are Yanni's signature sound, in my opinion. Buy one of his older works.$LABEL$0 +Great Tool set !. Love ALL the tools. The rotating Ceramic tub is great in tight corners, and they are made very sturdy.$LABEL$1 +Kingsters Unlimited. Not your typical teenager for sure. A very interesting book. I don't think Shawana is ever going to be a soccer mom. A teenager with a very steely reserve. I admire she used what resources she could. Being thrown out of the house at such a young age and making a go to better herself is admirable. I wonder though, if seeing such a seedy side of men will skew her for life. I wish her the best of luck.This book certainly was incredible and very funny in many spots. As she said, she never did anything to these men they didn't want. One thing for sure, there are certainly many more kinksters out there than just me. I've never understood the whole Dom thing but to each there own. I'm glad she had limits and didn't cross the line into prostitution. Would it be fun to spend an evening with her just to listen to her stories. Incedible!!!$LABEL$1 +An Excellent Rendition!. I'm an avid fan of The Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan's skill at description really makes the books come alive, but to see actual artists' renditions of his world, as carefully dictated by him, was fantastic. These pictures are exactly as he wanted them to be. You really get to see the characters you have seen only in your mind's eye. To Jordan's credit, these pictures were very close to the images his descriptions helped me imagine.Absolutely worth the money and time to read!$LABEL$1 +A Terrific Product!. I bought this for my son several weeks ago because he wanted hot lunches but didn't like the selection at school. Honestly, I bought it mostly based on all the positive reviews. I was eager to see if it worked as well as most people said it did.Well, my son has mostly taken soups to school in it, and he says that the soup is always as hot as if it just came off the stove. Just today he took pasta in it, and he said it was just as hot.In the morning, I leave the boiling water in for just 5 minutes, and the latest my son has lunch at school is 12:15. I prepare the thermos at 6:30 a.m.! It's also the perfect size for a couple of servings and fits nicely in the side pocket of his backpack.I would HIGHLY recommend this product!!$LABEL$1 +I Was Ripped Off. I ordered this book as a holistic reference, for which purpose it was a complete failure. I even bought the second book, "More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease." Not only was the book written poorly, it contains less real information than a supermarket rag. As if I were not defrauded enough, the book refers it's readers to a website (NaturalCures.com) where you can get the "Real, real" information not available in the book due to some kind of government regulations. So now I've paid $36 and change for two books which supposedly contain information on holistic cures, and do not, but they want to further defraud me to the tune of $9.95 a month to join the website in order to get the information which was supposed to be in the first two books in the first place. In my opinion this guy and his publishers should be in the San Quintin book of the month club for bilking sick people out of their money who are disparately seeking a cure.$LABEL$0 +Vincent Bugliosi has brain made of junks. This book is a waste of woods. The Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Chose Our President? I think Vincent Bugliosi loves to choose presidents through false ballots. He loves to play the guessing game. Oops, I just poked a hole here and here and here, but who did the voter choose? I shall psionically communicate with voters to determine their intention! Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No response, what shall I do? Mini-mani-no... Never mind, count it as gore's.$LABEL$0 +Great book for first time parents of newborns, to help you get through the first few months. I'm an expectant first time mom and have read a number of baby books. Many of them, such as "Baby 411" and "What to Expect- the First Year" are great reference books. However, they can be a bit overwhelming, as they tell you all the possible senarios that can go wrong, and also pack information about the baby's first year(s) into one book. This book, on the other hand, is a practical read to prepare for your first few months as a parent. The authors keep it simple, and only expand on common health concerns (such as collic). Instead of scaring you with all the other worst-case health scenarios, they just tell you what symptoms warrant a doctors call. They also break things down into a lot of detail- how to swaddle, how to bathe, how to change a diaper while giving you tons of useful tips that I haven't seen in any other book.$LABEL$1 +Amazing. I was amazed at how quickly this product helped me. I have recommended it to 3 friends with similar problems and 2 said they had ordered it also.$LABEL$1 +Just the good stuff. I am not a huge country western fan, but there are certain artists I really like. I like when an artist comes out with a greatest hits CD that really is filled with greastest hits. If you are a Faith Hill fan, but want to buy just one CD, then buy this one.$LABEL$1 +100 Words Every Word Lover Knows. Word lovers know or should know almost every word in this book. It's really a book for people who don't love words but think they want to. The format is good and the price is right. Maybe it's a good stocking stuffer for a young person who likes to read and write.$LABEL$0 +This book shouldn't be called a cookbook. What a waste of a cookbook. If you want a great cookbook look at Lilian Jackson Braun's coookbook. I got Sneaky Pie's cookbook from the library and I am thankful I didn't waste the money on it. Most of the recipes were for food for pets. I guess Rita Mae Brown was trying to compete with Lilian Jackson Braun. If you are going to buy one cookbook from a mystery write buy Miss Braun's.Sneaky Pie needs to take this book and bury it in the litterbox$LABEL$0 +The Miner's Gold Should Stay Buried.... The Miner's Gold should stay buried, and so should this DVD! From beginning to end, this DVD was a disapointment. I chose to give it 2 stars, although it is more deserving of a 1.5. The idea itself put me in mind of a mummy film- disturb the treasure, and awaken an evil curse. First, the film seemed to "bright" to fit the horror genre. Second, the film score was not at all ominous enough to invoke any type of fearful anticipation (Except for the end of the movie!) Third, the actors looked more like teen-show actors than actors of a horror film. The only good spot in the film was a 20 second strip dance given by a well-built red head. My recommendation...this one should go back to the dust.$LABEL$0 +Soy candles. The packaging was very nice. The aroma wasn't as I had expected. Could hardly tell there was an aroma. The candle burns nicely, no smoke, but you can't beat the small of a glade candle.$LABEL$0 +Liquid doesn't stay in. My kids love it, but forget bubbles... we went through the entire solution in one hour because they kept lifting the mower, and the solution was just pouring out... horrible design.$LABEL$0 +Horrible CD. What the heck was she thinking? Dangerously in Love is a Classic, but this BDAY is a step back. Sorry Beyonce. Telling women to get a Frekum dress when he does wrong is why HIV is steadily rising in black america.$LABEL$0 +Extraordinary!. This is one of the best documentaries I have seen so far. My husband and I were amazed by the lives of humans around the globe. We have been urging our friends and family to see it. One can learn so much about the survival and adaptability of the human race. This documentary takes the viewer through so many emotions and, honestly, can change the views we have about the humans that inhabit this wonderful world of ours. It may sound like a cliche, but seeing Human Planet can be a life changing experience. I urge the readers of this review to buy it or borrow it. You will not be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Tremendously Entertaining and Educational. I bought this book primarily as a dig at the Fox news network (at 40% off, why not?) thinking that Franken probably wouldn't be much of an author -- then read the whole book in two days. It is tremendously entertaining, well written and a real eye opener. Franken does get a little annoying and petty at a couple of points, but overall the book is very informative and funny. The chapter (in cartoon form) "Supply Side Jesus" contrasting a Jesus who believes in Supply Side Economics with the real Jesus of Nazareth was my favorite part, and should be required reading for every person who beleive that being a Christian means supporting Bush-style economics.$LABEL$1 +Boring storyline. Okay language.. i found the plot of this book moved along to slowly to really captivate my interest. i also had trouble identifying with any of the characters. however, the author's use of language may be a saving grace of some readers.$LABEL$0 +Well constructed, easy to assemble deck box. Deck box came in excellent time. It was super simple to assemble and seems big enough and strong enough for me to use on our Dock to keep a generator, gasoline, a water pump, and a hose and other marine related items.$LABEL$1 +Best Video but could have made it even better. Hello,I'm one of the phenom's loyal fans. I like this video. There is no doubt that this video is a good one. It contains many wrestlers like Edge, Kane e.t.c superstars and most of the top ring announcers like J.R, King and e.t.c opinions on the Undertaker and his character, but if felt something missing liek they could have asked Mic foley's opinion. And what about some of the best in the WWF, Austin, Rock, Show and e.t.c. Anyway it is good one for an Undertaker fan.$LABEL$1 +Would be a great item but hose got holes right away. Sure wish Black and Decker would get their act together. The bag that came with the leaf vacuum lasted 1 season then the stitching on the zipper started to unwind. 2nd season of use and zipper ripped and came off track renderng the bag useless. I decided to try this instead. Worked pretty good, a slight challenge getting the cover to stay on the waste bin. Then notice holes in the hose. I have not contacted company for a replacement yet but can't expect a replacement will hold up any better.$LABEL$0 +Great Experience !. Ordered this product for my son for Christmas. It arrieved with in a few days to my disbelief... It was a fantastic buy, saved me the hassel of fighting the crowds and to boot all shipped for FREE !!! Now how can you beat that... I did the majority of my Christmas shopping thru Amazon this year and plan to make it a tradition... Thanks Amazon !!!!$LABEL$1 +Don't buy this machine!. I purchased this machine a year and a half ago to use for about three months out of the year on weekends only. This machine met my ice needs well. The problem is that the ice sensor has now gone out and there is no customer support for my problem. Neither I nor an appliance repair service can find anywhere to purchase a replacement ice sensor. Without this part, the machine is useless. Paying over $200.00 for a machine that only lasted for four months of weekend use is not my idea of a good investment. There is no customer support after purchase. So my recommendation is to stay away from spending your money on this machine. I have to throw mine in the garbage.$LABEL$0 +Appearances Can be Deceiving. I have to admit that I'll give Take2 Interactive software credit for thinking of such a great idea for a game, but they really could have put some work into it. The cover of the game looked really interesting and I couldn't wait to recieve this game, but when I tried the game, I wasn't as excited as I was in the store. The graphics are lousy, the sound is crackly, and the whole game is just bad. You run out of money when you first start the game, you can't move around as easily as you can in other simulated games like Sim City 4 or related games, and things don't appear for a really loooong time. It's a waste--do NOT buy this game--you will seriously regret it.$LABEL$0 +This book has the best scene in the whole series.... In Novemeber 1997 in Orinda CA, on a book tour for her latest Niccolo book, I had the pleasure to hear Dorothy Dunnett read aloud the "Revels" scene (essentially the last part of Part Three, Chapter 9 from The Ringed Castle) which is my favorite scene in the entire series. She is truly a remarkable woman, still hearty at 75, with a wit and intelligence rarely scene in real life. She told us she reads numerous (sometimes hundreds!) of history books before writing each novel to make sure that nothing in the novels contradicts anything from known history. She has created in the Lymond Chronicles the best historical fiction I have ever read, and the most compelling fiction of any genre I have ever read. When she does her book tour for the final Niccolo book in 2000, be sure to go see her--it may be your last chance to see one of the most remarkable women authors of the twentieth century.$LABEL$1 +Absolutely Wonderful and funky.. I absolutely love their music especially "Rock this funky joint". It just puts me in another plane and is one of those songs that you just don't want to sit out. From the original release years ago until now, it still makes me wanna pull the car over and get down.$LABEL$1 +overnight success!. Frownies are a part of my age fighting arsenal! I have a tendency to frown in my sleep and wake up with a slight furrow between my brows; Frownies remedies this. Highly recommend!!!$LABEL$1 +Truth of fats. I enjoyed reading this book. It has changed my life. It does work and has made eating fun again. I have more energy than I have in 10 years. My skin is glorious and I'm 62 yrs old. My metabolism has kicked in again and I'm doing more. For anyone who suspects the food processing companies and government sanctioning of same, this book really opens your eyes.$LABEL$1 +Fantastic book!. I read a lot of parenting books and this ranks at the top. I highly recommend this book for parents who want to learn how to shepherd their children in everyday life. We are using it with the parents of our church and so far everyone loves it!$LABEL$1 +Perfect for me. I have been using this daily for a little over two weeks. It has worked perfectly for me. It amazes me how much better coffee tastes when making it this way, compared to a drip coffee maker. I'll never go back.$LABEL$1 +Love this compact camera.. This is my second Fujifilm camera, its great, we motorcycle ride and its great for me to take pictures from the back of the bike. The pictures are clear, wonderful, and easy to take. I have taken over 20,000 pictures with it, and hours of movies...and they are great. Hubby loves it because he gets to remember all the great places we have been. Glad Santa gave it to me.$LABEL$1 +TALES FROM the OVAL OFFICE or IF WALL COULD WRITE. If walls could write stories, this would have been a more interestingly written tome. MONICA'S STORYs' dispassionate tone suggest that the author was trying to protect Monica by cleverly presenting the tale as if nothing sexually exciting took place between her and the president; or the author is merely a gallant gentleman who came forward to give hope and support to a suffering young woman who had made several silly mistakes that had caught up with her and was giving her a public chastisement she and the world will long remember.Regardless what the author's intent, he managed to produce a profoundly BORING BOOK. I highly recommend it to insomniacs who have counted every sheep in the galaxy. It works better than Nembutal, guaranteed! Hopefully, this experience has taught this young lady that she can't have everything she wants and that she better stop wanting other women's husbands.$LABEL$0 +iffy service and quality. when i first ordered this product, i was sent an entirely different product (finger cymbals, for what it's worth). upon contacting customer service, which was very polite, i was, soon, sent the ocarina. unfortunately, the ocarina was out of tune (and one can't really re-tune an ocarina). upon again contacting customer service (significantly less polite, on this occasion), i was told that i'd have to ship back the ocarina, at my expense, which, considering the mistakes already made, i thought unreasonable. two stars for the original round of friendliness, but i shan't do business with this vendor again.$LABEL$0 +Great light !!!. I really like this light. I found the lighting to be even and with no glare when positioned the right way. I thought that it might be in the way of the buttons but it wasn't at all. I used this light in complete darkness and in low light and it worked just as great in both situations. The only thing I didn't like is it requires a separate set of batteries and the batteries were not included in the packaging. I can't compare to the worm light or the shark light because I have not used either, but I did buy and return the lightboy. I was not able to see the screen very well at all!! It basically put a glare over the entire screen! The traplight was the replacement for the lightboy and after using the traplight I don't feel that I could find a better light in any of the other choices. Buy the traplight! You will definately glad you did!!!$LABEL$1 +Another What-If Book. Since Elaine Pagels' Gnostic Gospels there has been a steady stream of books written on the subject of lost options in Christianity. This is a particularly bad example of that genre because it misrepresents the substance and nature of almost every heresy and threat it proposes to assess. Especially weak is Ehrman's treatment of Marcionism which he fundamentally misunderstands and seems to know only from the dated studies of Knox and Harnack. His idea that Marcion's view of God was too "new" for the church to accept is based on a howling anachronism in the dating of Marcion's heresy. In fact there is plenty to suggest that Marcion's solitary gospel and limited collection of Paul's letters corresponded to (and resonated with) the most ancient inclinations of Christian theology. In short, not only yet another case of popularization but a bad job of reading the evidence as well.$LABEL$0 +The Little Prince. Along with the classic, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, this book is a must have for all book collectors. I lost mine and thanks to Amazon I now have it once again.$LABEL$1 +A good starting point. I am currently taking the FREC Salesperson I course and this is the book, as you know, we must use. If you are not taking the State Exam, there is no real reason to buy this book unless you just want to educate yourself. Reason being -- the book's goal, like most of it's kind, is for the student/reader to pass the state exam in the end. Hence, there are probably other books out there that convey similar information that aren't booged down with useless details that only exam takers need to know.$LABEL$1 +Moby wrap. I love the Moby wrap, it's comfortable and there's so many ways to wear it. The only problem I've found is it's very warm, so make sure you and baby are dressed lightly.$LABEL$1 +This book offers insights and HOPE!. I found this book to be very helpful. The author writes from a vivid and heartwarming testimony of his own struggles with insomnia. It gives hope, humor, and clear instructions to overcome insomnia. Great book.$LABEL$1 +diving masks. These masks have a very small nose space and in both my boys (18yrs and 22yrs) the mask was very uncomfortable to wear.$LABEL$0 +Wrong part in the box. When I went to install these rotors after I had the first one installed and went to do the other side I found that, though the part number on both boxes were the same, the second box did not contain the same rotor. Both boxes appeared to have the factory seal so this appeared to be the fault of quality control. Because of this I returned all of the parts I ordered for this job and went with Genuine OEM parts. It cost more but the fit was of course perfect and the quality of the parts appeared to be far superior.As a side not I ordered these from Amazon and they refunded my money and sent a return label promptly. I am very happy with Amazon's service.HTH,Robert Loose$LABEL$0 +Laptop Battery. This battery must have been old. Fully charges it would last maybe an hour and a half. Acually this was no better than the one I was trying to replace.$LABEL$0 +just what I expected. After reading the reviews before purchasing these shakers I had mixed ideas about the product. The people who commented on the lids not working were half right. Each lid only stays put on the shaker it came on. If you try it on the other one it will pop right off. Once I got that straightened out they work fine.$LABEL$1 +Good album. Read All About It is a good album. It sounds different from the Newsboys we know today as they were still finding their sound. If you're a fan of the Newsboys already you can feel comfortable buying this album. The sound of the album is very 80's rock but still stands up to the test of time.$LABEL$1 +Why do I still own this?. I've had this herb mill for 10 years after receiving it off my wedding registry, and frankly I'm surprised they are still selling it. I thought it would make the tedious task of chopping fresh herbs much easier. Well, it doesn't. Basically, anything even remotely leafy gets macerated and caught on the tines and doesn't come loose. Then, you have to disassemble it to try to scrape off the crushed little bits, which stick together & to your fingers and are hard to distribute into whatever you are cooking. I end up getting out scissors and just using those instead. Don't bother with this...at least for fresh herbs. I guess it might work to chop dry herbs into smaller bits, but I can usually do that with my hands.$LABEL$0 +seat cover. seat cover fit was excellent. Only problem was that two of the loops that help hold the cover in place were torn.$LABEL$0 +waste of time. you can get the basics of the story in the other posts.i was really looking forward to this after reading all the glowing reviews.after all the build up to the final meeting with the shrike,the book ends as they walk into the valley!no final anything,it just ends.it is just a collection of crappy short stories.this guy was too lazy to write an ending? one of the worst books i have EVER read in my 40+ yrs of reading. YUCK...weeks later i have been informed the story is continued in second book.i didn't realise this.maybe "to be continued" should have been added to the end??$LABEL$0 +Best Dressed. I think all of the Lizzie McGuire books are great and I would think that other people should also read them$LABEL$1 +Most Beautiful Voice!. AL Martino has the most beautiful voice and this is his most beautiful cd! I have most of his cd's, but I mostly listen to this one. It contains his best songs. If you love standards, this is the cd to own!$LABEL$1 +Exactly what I wanted. This was the album my husband had been looking for, he was very excited to get it for Valentines Day$LABEL$1 +A treasure. I am really into martial arts, and last year suffered a serious muscle tear. I certainly believe Western medicine has its place, but Western doctors were worse than useless to me in this case. The exercises in this book have been instrumental in getting me back on the mat again, and in putting my body back in balance so I don't risk such an injury again. It's also a great resource to have in the dojo for first aid--over the years I have seen bits and pieces of the stuff in this book used by various teachers (e.g. cupping, moxibustion, plasters), and having it all together in one handy volume is priceless. I'm so grateful to Tom Bisio for creating this book--and for helping me put myself back together.$LABEL$1 +This product stinks like a dirty diaper. We registered for this product after hearing raves from other people. We could not be more disappointed. Among other things, we were never able to figure out how to get this thing to work. My husband and I have four masters degrees between us, and my father is an engineer. And yet we still could not figure out how to get this thing to work. Out of depseration, we took the genie to the local baby store and after 45 minutes even the staff could not figure this product out. How much genius does it take to make a diaper pail this complicated. We are much happier with the diaper champ.$LABEL$0 +This is a GREAT printer!!!. I would recomend this printer to anyone who appreciates quality color photos. It is incredibly fast and suprisingly quiet. The black and white quality is nearly identical to that of a lazer printer. The amazon.com price is also the cheapest that I have seen it for. I believe it is a must have for any small business and definetly worth the purchase price!$LABEL$1 +Ehhh..... Just save your money and get a macro lens. I'm not saying that these don't work, just that they won't be great. Save that $20 and start working towards a dedicated lens for macro work.$LABEL$0 +KILL PHIL. KILL PHIL IS THE BEST BOOK ON A POKER STRATEGY THAT I HAVE EVER READ..IT IS CLEAR,CONCISE,AND VERY EFFECTIVE AND GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS HOW TO BE A WINNER IN TOURNAMENT PLAY.SIGNEDDOUBLE00$LABEL$1 +Beautiful Bodum Thermo Glasses!. These glasses look beautiful, classy and elegant on my table. I love that they are hand-blown and the thermal feature keeps them from making rings on my tables. They feel good in the hand and are very delicate and light. Love, love, love these glasses.$LABEL$1 +If poetry were fiction.... This is the best collection of short stories I've read in years. Fresh and inventive and downright honest.Read it.$LABEL$1 +RACIAL TENSION SOLVED BY THE GOVERNMENT??. i read this book, and must say that it really got my mind thinking in a new direction regarding racial tension. For a new writer, this book is awesome, and a bit frightening at the same time. Could definetely see this as a movie. The characters are very well developed and whole concept is quite intriguing. Would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a "good read".$LABEL$1 +This book is titled incorrectly. The guts of the book are just plain stuff for beginners. The illustrations are of an architectural nature, yes, but the book says almost nothing about creating anything like those illustrations. For instance, all of the illustrations use a hand lettered font that does not ship with AutoCAD, and nowhere is it explained how fonts are copywrited or even available outside the boxed version. Plus, much of the presentation is misleading - it seems that the book is edited for newer version by pasting more stuff onto the end of a chapter. Some key points are just plain wrong. Architects! pass this one up. Worthless to you.$LABEL$0 +Funny comedian.. If you are Indian, you have to watch this comic. His observations are dead on and he will hit home...The Chinese and the Indian bit is the most funny but the entire show is funny and watchable.$LABEL$1 +False Advertising. The item is listed as:"3M Marine Adhesive/Sealant Fast Cure 5200, 05220, White, 3 oz. (Case of 6)." However, when I placed my order, I only received one, not a "case of six." Not the deal I expected. Probably could find it cheaper somewhere else.$LABEL$0 +Not particularly useful. I am looking for a book that would be able to flesh out proper business processes utilizing well defined modeling language/framework. Although UML is extremely useful for software development, the author's work did make its case stand with me on UML's usefulness as business process modeling tool.The examples are too simplistic and the suggested modeling diagrams are far too cluterred for a business personel to understand.(Cluttered diagrams on a simple example) The book would be better if it had a growing case study and used real world examples and diagrams.$LABEL$0 +Not what is pictured!. The image for this game is NOT what you get in the box, you're getting Haba's My first Orchard game NOT Orchard (which is different game and which is pictured above). The My First Orchard game is for 2 year old's and is very simple and different than the other Orchard game for older children by Haba itself. I was very disappointed in the wrong image being pictured and buying something that I didn't realize was going to be something else. So please be sure to check out a proper pictured item for My First Orchard, because that is what this seller is selling. Now I have to return it and find the original game Orchard that I thought I was buying before from someone else, hope you don't make the same mistake as I did. I didn't know there were two different Orchard games...now I do. :)Cheers.$LABEL$0 +yeah right.... yeah right...we have an writer claiming that a nation that worshipedgreek(hellenic)gods...people that beared greek(hellenic)names...(Alexander,Cleopatra,Philipos,Pausanias...)people who spoke hellenic(did Philip or Alexander needany translators?)People that participated in Olympic games...and last but not least gave a name to a great period inhistory(gee...I think the name is hellenistic)were not hellenes but another nation (slavic maybe...)Woh! I was enlighted reading this book!good job...$LABEL$0 +don't like the finish. These are not what I thought I was getting. I expected the "black satin" finish to be that low gloss black wood grain type finish commonly seen on bookshelf type speakers. Instead, it's a rough black powder coat finish directly on MDF particle board. It looks like countertop formica instead of wood. As a woodworker, I have always understood a "satin" finish to mean a smooth finished surface with a subtle luster (as opposed to a glossy polyurethane finish). It seems pretty misleading to advertise these as "black satin wood" speaker stands. There is nothing "woodlike" about them.$LABEL$0 +Not What I Had In Mind.. I knew the movie would be stupid,but I decided to see it because of these three reasons:1.I had nothing else to do that day.2.I thought it would have some funny moments.3.Last,but not least,Denise Richards!These three reasons dragged me to the movie theater.Before you know it,I was watching it.After the movie was over,I was thrilled to death because the movie was finally over.This movie is just plain horrible.It is stupid and is a waste of time.The only memorable part is the cat fight between Denise Richards and the other woman.Stay away from this movie.Peace Out.$LABEL$0 +love disney. My little girl loves Disney and I knew this was a good one she didnt have and we were unable to find in stores Amazon gives you the oppertunity to get Disney that are retired and I love it I still have a list to purchase. The timelyness in delivery and the price for this product was very impressive$LABEL$1 +Real cool. I must say, this is not my favorite Junie b. book, but its pretty good. I was suprised when Junie b.'s secret admierer turned out to be,meanie Jim!READ THIS BOOK PEOPLE!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Intermediate Accounting. This book is poorly written. Many concepts are presented unclear and more complicated than necessary. There are not enough worked out problems to check yourself on. There is an unacceptable amount of errors throughout the textbook and the online website only works if your teacher sets it up for the class. Individual students cannot access the website.$LABEL$0 +Intriguing yet unsatisfying. This is one of those books that held my attention to the end and yet, when finished, left me thinking that the author really didn't know how to wind up the loose ends properly. Frankly, I'm sorry I wasted my time on it.$LABEL$0 +Moon Over Miami is a Technicolor Musical Delight!. Moon Over Miami ranks at the top of the list of Betty Grable musicals. This beautiful Technicolor, musical remake of Three Blind Mice stars Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Don Ameche, Robert Cummings, Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Haley. This is the story of three women who pool their resources and head to Florida to find a millionaire husband for one of them. It would be remade again as Three Little Girls In Blue (in Atlantic City) and once again as How To Marry A Millionaire (in New York). Betty Grable's dance with Hermes Pan is amazing and one of the best moments in her long career.$LABEL$1 +Good buy for beginners. Yes, there are a few downsides to this system. It can take up a bit of floorspace, and it is a bit pricey. But... I had this system a few years ago and loved it. I had to sell it when I moved into a tiny apartment and needed all the space I could get. I recently repurchased the item again and don't regret it at all. There are so many exercises you can perform with this unit, and after two and a half weeks I'm already seeing results. This is a great product for beginners or for those who want an inexpensive home gym.$LABEL$1 +excellent value. Order the NTSC MinDV Camcorder as I have own MinDV tapes that need to be converted to iMovie. I was very surprised that the box came complete with all the accessories. The battery was still working as it was such an old bottle.I will recommend both the seller and the product. Condition Excellent. I used it for 1 day, and now I can sell it for almost what I paid for it.$LABEL$1 +Not for Serious Photographers!. I was greatly disappointed by the book and immediately returned it. This book contains ONLY so-called "drive-by shootings" - it's obvious this author made little efforts to capture the best lights or composition. These "snapshots" were mostly taken in the mid-day sun, when almost all advanced photographers avoid taking pictures. This book is probably intended for tourists on a bus-tour, but not for serious photographers.If you have money to waste on this book, buy two copies of "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite" by Michael Frye. The latter book is truly a work of art and I was deeply inspired by every image in it. It's hard to believe these two books - on the other extremes - are priced about the same.$LABEL$0 +A must read for the strategist. It covers the 3 basic risks that can derail any strategy: demand risk (no one will want your product or demand is higher than expected), competitive risk: other companies capturing the market and taking away customers and capability risk:that a firm is not able to deliver the value propositions that customers will pay for or the capabilities cost so much that it is unable to make a satisfactory profit. It also covers differentiation and low cost strategies. A rather insightful book w/ numerous business cases. I am taking notes on this book for future reference.$LABEL$1 +Baby has fun in it, but chord is too long.. Our little girl enjoys herself while in this jumper, but the chord is too long. There are no instructions on how to shorten it, and as far as we can tell, it's already as short as it can go. Her legs are already bent while just sitting in it, so when gravity pulls her further down when she's jumping in it, I get nervous that she'll bang her knee(s) on the floor.$LABEL$0 +This book is outdated and was published in 2000. I highly recommend purchasing any DNA and genealogy books written in 2003 and later as we come into 2004. This book is already outdated as it was published in 2000 and science has advanced with new cutting edge technology in DNA and genealogy testing and new interpretations.$LABEL$0 +H and Claire have done it!. This album blew me away. What a change from the former Steps members.1. All out of love 10/10----great song2. DJ 9/10 Good dance song3. Half a heart 8/10---pretty good4. Another you, Another me 10/10----Awesome song5. Beauty and the beast 8/10---Good remake6. All I want is you 9/10---Nice and disco-ish7. Centre of my heart 9/10---pretty song, sounds Christian8. You're a love song 9/10---very pretty9. Two hearts beat as one 8/10---Ok ballad10. No turning back 7/10---kinda lacks, but good11. Nothing at all 8/10---Great song, but chorus lacks12. There you were 9/10---Way better than J.Simpson and M.Anthony13. Invincible 10/10---I love this song14. Too close to tears 10/10---Best song on CD15. Let me carry you 0/10---Worst song, they couldve done way better, i dont know what possessed them to sing this!Over all I'd say this album rocked! H and Claire have a place in my heart and my CD collection forever.Also reccomend their song: don't give up, (don't let go)$LABEL$1 +well design product. Nice flesh light funtion at the tip. Easy to use for auto but hard to reach for motorcycles.$LABEL$1 +BrainTeaser. I like this product and think it's good for problem solving. I do wish, however, that the manufacturer would have put puzzles on BOTH sides of the cards and not just one.$LABEL$1 +Tire Storage Garage. It is utilitarian and does the job I wanted it for neatly. I hope for seveal years of use so I will not know until later whether to add the fifth star$LABEL$1 +gets gummy. I like the texture of these Eggercizers, but after manipulating them for a while they get gummy. Baby powder or cornstarch helped, but that gets tacky, too, after a short time.$LABEL$0 +Moving film, intriguing soundtrack. Um, Kelly Bone...what do you mean "Basquiat himself was a selector of the music"? He's dead and has been since the mid-1980s. His friend and contemporary Julian Schnabel made the film, but unless some sort of channeling is involved, I think Basquiat remains dead.$LABEL$1 +absolute butter. The "Boz" is too smooth. His music is timeless. His voice is as good as ever. His guitar work is superb. His band is one of the finest you will ever hear. Don't miss out on this. Buy it! You will not be sorry.$LABEL$1 +THIS DIET IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH !. This book is "junk science". Please, research it for yourself. It is unfortunate that so many Americans are misled by this kind of supposed dietary miracle. High protein/low carbohydrate diets are inherently unhealthy. These diets are imbalanced, they promote water (not fat) loss, they cause ketosis (which, contrary to what the book says, is a VERY unhealthy state), they are often low in fiber and high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Furthermore excessive protein may leach calcium from the bones. DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. See if the Surgeon General, the American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association, American Cancer Society, and the American College of Sports Medicine agree with this diet "revolution". These organizations may not always be right, but they're right about this one.$LABEL$0 +Great Resource for Basics. I am using this as a resource for my church small group.It has been a great conversation starter each week and has provided good strating points for understanding fundamental differences between many of the worlds major religions and biblical Christianity.It is easy to read and well organized.$LABEL$1 +The Best of the Mantovani Orchestra (vol 1 & 2). The Madacy Label has betrayed Mantovani's genious, and substituted poor recordings in these 2 CD's. I have immediatelycancelled all Madacy Label orders with everyone, and will investigate all future items with a Canadian origin prior to purchase.Joseph C. Jernigan$LABEL$0 +I got the lemon. Not only is the music performed on a keyboard, but my copy had two "The Two Towers" discs. Even though the first disc read "The Fellowship of the Ring" it had duplicate tracks from "The Two Towers". Luckily I only paid $.99 for it at a music and am now selling it back for $2.95. Howard Shore's scores are magnificent but this rendition of it is pretty bad. If I could I'd give it 0 stars.$LABEL$0 +American Psycho equates to American Trash. The review title says it all. This book blows. The only thing worse than this book is it's movie adaptation. Save your money and buy something worth while like ear wax, a pocket lint collection, or maybe even navel fuzz.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic product!. This is the BEST cleanser I have found. Not only does it keep breakouts at bay, but it makes your skin soft and complexion even. I definitely notice a difference in my skin since using it. One of my favorite things about using it is that it doesn't make your skin feel itchy and tight like most cleaners for acne prone skin.$LABEL$1 +Sorry to see it go!. I have been drinking and loving Good Earth Tea for years. I make it cold in the summer and hot in the winter... everyday! I ordered a case from Amazon last week and upon opening the first bag, I knew something was wrong from the smell but tried it anyway. It was horrible. I called Amazon and as always, they were wonderful about refunding my money. Then I called Good Earth and found out they changed the ingredients and some boxes are the old flavor and some are not. They said they now have 3 blends. Well, I can't begin to figure out which one I am getting so I am onto trying other types of tea! So it's been lovely but no more Good Earth tea for me!!$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I was under the impression that this book could be used to teach a 5th grader organizational skills. It really is not what I wanted.$LABEL$0 +it does the job. i really liked this product it preforms flawlessly. As far as cables go, it does the job fine.$LABEL$1 +excellent investment for the home gardener. Finally--a gardening book aranged the way home gardeners think! Includes every step from soil to sprouting to tending and harevsting (and recipe ideas too!) for various types of veggies. All the author needs to do is add a chapter on saving harvested seeds, and it'll become the absolute home gardener's "Bible."$LABEL$1 +Horrible film. Terrible film. no emotions. no narrative. the main female lead is disturbing and twisted. the film doesn't cumulate into a cohesive story.$LABEL$0 +I Love it. This is a wonderful show, I bought the disc because I had not seen the show, Now that I have seen this I watch the show every week$LABEL$1 +Excellent. Look, there is not much I can say except this is excellent and if you strive to achieve anything, especially physical-oriented, this is the book to get for mental aspects.I am sure there are other more fancy-pants ones out there, newer, more technical whatever - but this is no-nonsense guts of it and will inspire anyone involved in pursuit of physical excellence.Check it out.$LABEL$1 +The Jerk. This movie will not play in any of my 3 Blueray players or my old style dvd player. This movie was to cheap to send back. the postage would not be worth sending back.TOO BAD i was looking forword to watching this movie.$LABEL$0 +Frontline Plus. I have used frontline for years first the spray, which I can't get shipped anymore. So I use this on my dogs.....It does the trick...$LABEL$1 +A Must Have For All the Psychos!. The Psycho Realms Is One Of Hip-Hop's BestBig Duke & Sick Jacken Kill It On The Tracks.What Really Sets them Apart From the Rest Is That They Have Some Dark & Gritty Beats & Lyrics.Never Rapping About Money Or Ho's, Which Is Great Cause That's All Rappers These Days Talk About.Their Lyrics Have Meaning And Basically Tell A Story.Big Duke Has Got A Unique And Deep Voice Which Adds to The Overall Feel And VibeSick Jacken Has His Own Style which Also Adds To The Appeal, Together These Two Brothers Kill It.One Of The Best Hip-Hop Albums Ever.Sick Side World Wide!$LABEL$1 +Very Happy. I am very happy with this antenna. Wanted to get rid of our expensive satellite bill and this works just great for the local channels. We get over 74 local channels in the Los Angeles area with this, even the ones listed as violet on antennaweb. I love that it is so low profile verses the larger antennas. Was a snap to set up- just unplugged to feeds to the tvs in our house from the satellite dish and plugged them into a splitter. Took maybe 2 hours tops to set up and get going.$LABEL$1 +Just read and see!. This is the best Bible translation I have ever had the opportunity to read. I read in four different languages and so far this is the best, translated and interpreted Bible I have had in any language. I investigated a lot before I started meeting with the church in my city. Every accusation I encountered was either flat out a lie or a result of blindness. It troubles me that God's children are deprived from such reaches that are in the ministry of Witness Lee. We all have been gifted with a mind. If a seeking person utilizes his or her mind with an open spirit he will see what I saw in the Bible when it is opened the way it is in the Recovery version. Just read it with an open being!Most of what is said about brother Lee or the Recovery version is not the stand of the church.$LABEL$1 +Disappointment. Such a waste of time. No basis to the book. Completely distorts bible verses out of context. Would not recommend this to anyone.$LABEL$0 +Brand name and price isn't always a good indicator of the product. Taylor is well known for quality oven thermometers. I purchased this one based on their name and it was their higher priced unit. The "Connoisseur" in the brand name also swayed me to make the purchase.Although the bracket/stand the thermometer is supposed to be attached with provides for various ways of putting it in the oven... none of them work well at all. If it is clipped to a rack it can't be read. Hang it sideways... can't read it. Hang it facing the door... you can't read it. Lay it on the bottom rack (which I ended up doing) and it's readable but very difficult to read. And, it just gets worse over time as the lens tends to get coated and turns brown.I just ordered the Cuisinart brand of oven thermometer to try instead. It looks like it has an easier to read dial with better color coding.$LABEL$0 +Starrett 13A Double Square Review. Excellent Measuring tool! Nice to have the confidence of an accurate square. Coupled with low price and Amazon's quick fulfillment, it's a no-brainer.Thank you,Loyal Amazon CustomerNC, USA$LABEL$1 +Fantastic!. Easy to install. My Swiffer mop, broom, as well as my small handled brush fit on it. Great product and I highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +have not received. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED THIS YET!!!!!! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELIVERED BY 12/30/2010!!!!I HAVE SENT TWO E-MAILS AND STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN A REPLY AND HERE IT IS 1/08/2011$LABEL$0 +Careful! Read all the details.. I am only giving the product a one star rating. Why? I ordered Nature's Way Thisilyn based on the description displayed prominently at the top of the page. It states: Nature's Way - Thisilyn, 175 mg, 100 veggie caps.NO, NO, NO! Look more carefully, you only are getting 60 and at premium price at that. Further down it states: Package Quantity: 60This is absolutely a rip off.Nature's Way Thisilyn is an excellent product, however, read all the details or pay the price. You can find the 100 capsules from other sources and the price will be reasonable.SHAME on these rip off artists!$LABEL$0 +Did nothing for me. This was another disappointment as far as energy and alertness. I felt nothing different even after doubling up on the dose. I think I still have half a bottle or more left. I wasted money. I have since went to cheaper and more effective green tea that you can get at the grocery store.$LABEL$0 +Outdated by three years. I wondered why the tablets looked funny. The supplements I received had expired three years earlier! I will never order from this company again.$LABEL$0 +Stek Trek Collection. I bought this for my husand's birthday. I would have giving it a 5 star rating except I am not enjoying watching one Trek episode after another. Before purchasing remember this is almost 2400 minutes of Star Trek.The shipping was on time and the product was as advertised. I would say if you like Star Trek or know someone who is this is a great purchase.$LABEL$1 +Useless. Natural products are so much better than this stuff. Quite literally useless product. Diet and exercise cannot be replaced and this stuff does not supplement it.$LABEL$0 +Bought for my 8 year old son. Talk about being upset!!!!! My son thought he was getting a camera like Mom's but this camera did not work right out of the box. We thought we had set it up wrong, or the batteries were dead...couldn't get it to work even after reading the little booklet and changing the batteries. When we tried to download his pictures and mine, the computer kept saying that there were no pictures to download! A complete waste of money it's going back for a REAL camera!!$LABEL$0 +A Good Way to Start Easing your Worries.... Easy to setup. Got its first unfinished basement reading in about 2-1/2 days, and held within .2 or .3 of that reading for several days. I then moved the unit, and got a stable but .7 different reading in a little used corner of the family room. Seems to do exactly what it claims.Only way to know would be to get a couple of units, and exchange their locations over time. If you get a high reading, you would maybe want to get a licensed inspector/contractor to come over. If the reading is not high, this may be a lesser cost way to ease your mind...Customer support is excellent - nice people. I would recommend before paying for a contractor, and even after , before letting someone proceed with thousands of dollars of remediation.$LABEL$1 +broke in 6 months. this fridge was great for my son and then it stopped working in 6 months what a dissapoitment!!$LABEL$0 +Essential reading. John Bamberger's translation of the Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer by Evagrius Ponticus should be required reading for anyone interested in the ascetic theology of ancient Christianity. Not only does he render the challenging, often elliptical, Greek of Evagrius into approachable English, but he prefaces the two works with an invaluable introduction. This century has been one of enormous progress in the study of Evagrius, and any reader of the Chapters on Prayer and the Praktikos will appreciate why such effort has been expended. Evagrius still has much to teach us.$LABEL$1 +As other noted, it is junk. I only charged and used it 3 or 4 times. It just went completely dead after a few months. Stay away.$LABEL$0 +A DISAPPOINTMENT. This is the third grill I have owned, and the first George Foreman. They have all been plagued by uneven heating. You still have to flip hamburgers and chops and move them around. What good are top and bottom heating elements if you have to do this?$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. 32 000 photos to choose from, and this is what he comes up with?? Many of the pictures are black and white, out of focus and grainy. The panorama shots are very poorly composited from smaller pictures. I’ve seen much better seamless versions of the same photo series in other books. Numerous pages are simply empty. Just black. There are many great photos in this book, but they are too few to make it a good buy. A few google searches will turn up many more great photos than you will find in this book.$LABEL$0 +Great review of how rivers work with a sense of humor. This is a subperb review of how rivers systems work and how man-made changes effect these systems. Perfect for the interested layperson interested in earth science. The second half of this book covers the major watersheds of California.$LABEL$1 +Starts the healing process. Im a runner, currently training for the disney marathon. I started with the awful plantar fascitis issues 2 months ago, just bought my first pair of the heel seats and they do give a lot of support to the exact arch area where i have the source of my pain. Result ... i can get back to my training, on top of that i recommend taping the foot for those that are trying to do some sport & suffering from plantar fascitis.All in all this is an awesome complement, im about to order my second pair for my daily shoes.Thanks$LABEL$1 +It's always good to hear another side of the story. I'm glad to have finally read this, I knew it wouldn't be as exciting, having already read Into Thin Air, but I'm certainly glad I picked it up. The Good: that we get an account of what happened from Boukreev, an explanation of his rationale and additional accounts of Fischer's expediton. We can only imagine/speculate how worse if would have gone had Boukreev not been there. The Bad: the writing. It felt disorganized, poorly constructed, disjointed ... Boukreev could have used a better co-author.$LABEL$1 +#1 Steroids Book For 2003!. I read this Monster of all steroid books Steroids 101. Jeff Summers pulls no punches and leaves no question unanswered (even questions you would not think to ask). Steroids 101 is written in hardcore language that speaks directly to all levels of Bodybuilders! There's No Comparison! Steroids 101 is by far the #1 Steroids Book For 2003!$LABEL$1 +Does not fit Vans with Stow and Go Seating!!!. I am normally a cautious person and have worked for years on cars, trucks, and jeeps. I bought this item after checking the website and it indicating it would fit a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.However, that is not the case. After getting the box, and finally getting time to install it I find out it will not fit 2005 Dodge Grand Caravans with Stow and Go Seating/Storage.This was a waste of my time and money and the product should at least state caveats in the description when checking if it will fit or not.I will probably not be ordering parts from Amazon again. Pro-tip Call the manufacturer directly next time.$LABEL$0 +Disturbing, but for different reasons. An account of an American intellectual who submerges himself in the common rubble to learn their horrible violent, racist ways. Interestingly, each chapter is preceded by a small clippet from Victorian accounts that define and demonize the mob, i.e., the working people. Equally disturbing are author's metaphors that consistently compare people with animals. This book is exaggerated and indeed fabricated for the most part. Does violence occur during football matches--yes it does. But the author makes no attempt to explain this behaviour on a personal level; he views it as mob mentality. Furthermore, it downright insulting to the British public, which may or may not be a good thing. It is interesting, but the tone of the book is not objective--it's an elitist account, written in inflated diction, of an upper class professional "trying" to understand the vulgar culture of the masses--culture that is made of thugs, Nazis, and alcoholics, according to the writer.$LABEL$0 +Not what I expected. Well written. This is the introduction to a multi volume series of books. since I am not into vampires there is no resolution for me..$LABEL$1 +The best jazz album of all time. This album would have to rank as the perfect album to a perfect summer's day. It is hypnotically beautiful and takes you to places you've never been before. Tony Williams' hi-hats in the title track provides the mood for the album and all the musicians make an incredible contribution. Oh, and Miles is on fire.$LABEL$1 +Cuerpo Sin Alma. I have been looking for this song for many years. It is one of the best songs I have ever heard. If anybody can get this for me I will buy it immediatly!!!!$LABEL$1 +Turning point. The Killing Dance held a true appeal in its romance and relationship issues for Anita. The plot of Sabin, Dumane and Cassandra however was wasted in an attempt to throw Anita and Jean-Claude's relationship into a more mature level. I feel that the older triumvirate could have been more developed as characters, in order to give more groundwork to the Richard, Jean-Claude and Anita triangle. Hamilton tends to let the deeper plot overtake the relationships sometimes, but in The Killing Dance, she put way too much focus on Anita finally choosing between her two preternatural boyfriends. The powerful ending helped draw together the novel, and especially with the reconnection between the three main characters. All in all, the book was extremely entertaining, and Anita is now going to have to face a maturity which she has not had previously.$LABEL$1 +Entertaining. I thoroughtly enjoyed this movie. It is not rocket science but that's not what I chose this movie for. Bridget's character is not flawless. She is insecure but of good character, overall. Her chosen boyfriend is not terribly exciting but he's good to her/good for her. They genuinely care about each other. That is what is refreshing about this movie.I save 5 stars for Gone with the Wind or Polar Express, but this is close.$LABEL$1 +unclear information. I was disapointed and surprized when i recieved this product. Nowhere in the sescription did i see that the deck was mini. The cards have to be less than an inch in length. I would not have been so disapointed in the product if I had known this before buying it but i was expecting normal sized cards and these that i have bought will not work for the reason i bough them. You would think that someone would have the sence to mention that the cards ar mini!!!$LABEL$0 +What Happend To Sammy and Cindy????????. I read thise seires manily because it was about racing not jumping!!! I think that Joana Campbell should wright the books instead of Etes. The books have gotten a lot shorter since she has takin over the series. Also it is like Samantha and Cindy have fallin of the face of the Earth. If the books dont get better i am going to stop reading the series.$LABEL$0 +so repetitive !!. I dont understand why this book gets such good reviews.... the writing is mind numbingly repetitive and the point gets lost. David Deida was recommended to me but I find this book very disapointing.There are better books out there ... Charles Muir comes to mind, Margot Anand.... and a multitude of others.$LABEL$0 +Missing in Action. The book did not give you tips on the special missions or much on car setup. The only thing of use was the car and prize check off list, but there is no information on Peugeot's Cars anywhere in the book.$LABEL$0 +Silver Mat is a sheet of vinyl. I returned these mats - they were nothing but a sheet of plastic. It is well worth purchasing the "coin" mats. Yes they are double the price - but are great and no comparison to the cheaper ones - save yourself the return shipping fees!$LABEL$0 +Not worth the money. Not even usable.. Besides being hard to fill without spilling and kind of a pain to clean, my coffee maker started leaking shortly after I got it. There is no troubleshooting section in the manual. What a waste.$LABEL$0 +DO NOT BUY..... If you are looking for Geo Motor rebuild book, do not buy this one. The motor rebuild is a couple of general discussion paragraphs.$LABEL$0 +Clay's CD is wonderful. Buy it and listen to it once and you will never want to turn it off. The songs are wonderful, and the way he sings them will move you in many ways. I was brought to tears by "The Way", it is so beautiful. Finally an artist who will not compromise his beliefs and delivered a great, personal debut album.A must buy!$LABEL$1 +american wedding is crap. me and my wife rented american wedding a few days ago.this movie is garbage and a waste of time and money.im glad i did not buy it.american pie 1&2 will always be the best.the bachelor party was only like 10 minutes long and jim was not even there.most of the actors didnt even seem like they wanted to be in this sequel.another thing was chris klein was not even in this movie and a few of the other actors.i think they should have took more time in making this film.its a bore to the core.$LABEL$0 +hot wax feels fine.. I used this wax to soak my hands in heater hand tub. It gives pain relief from joint discomfort and allows mobility of my hands. I enjoy the heat and mobility that I feel from this heated wax. Works well and provides comfort.$LABEL$1 +Can't get my child out of her new wagon!. We gave my daughter this wagon for her first birthday. She loves it! She wants to ride every morning before work and again in the afternoons. She brings friends along (human and stuffed) and there is plenty of room for four small children. The high rails allow a good view but keep her safely inside giving Mom enough reaction time when she tries to stand in it (which she does frequently!)The big wheels make for a smooth comfortable ride for all.I HIGHLY recommend this affordable, safe, classic toy.$LABEL$1 +Unimpressive. I am a fairly experienced trombonist, and I purchased the cd looking for a recording of the Serocki, which I was performing at the time. I found Sauer's interpretation to be robotic, and I felt as if he didn't find dynamics to be important aspects of music at all. In my opinion, he is being a technician and not a musician on this cd. His playing is entirely unimpressive, and not worth listening to at all. I recommend purchasing a Joe Alessi or Christian Lindberg cd, myself.$LABEL$0 +CELTIC WOMEN. I FIRST SAW "CELTIC WOMAN" ON THE LIVE SHOW PRESENTED ON PBS BOSTON AND IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE. AT THE TIME I TRIED TO FIND THE CD AS THE "CELTIC WOMAN" VOCALIZED WAS TRULY WONDERFUL BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO.I DO ENJOY CELTIC MUSIC AND AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED "CELTIC WOMAN" IS ONE OF THE BEST.I FOUND THE CD ON YOUR WEBSITE PURELY BY CHANCE WHEN I OPENED A PROMOTIONAL EMAIL YOU SENT.I CANNOT RECOMMEND THE CD "CELTIC WOMAN" HIGHLY ENOUGH.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing. This is a nice looking unit, although the knobs are poorly styled compared to the rest of the exterior. The knobs are also not particularly good ergonomically. And those are the good parts. As many other reviewers have noted, the unit does go off at times for no reason and makes a continuous noise akin to a smoke alarm, only not as loud. In the middle of the night, this can be a little unsettling. The top is not properly insulated, so it gets very hot during operation. The toaster rack does not get pulled out when the door is opened. You need to reach in, which is not as safe as the alternative. The bottom tray is plain steel, not polished stainless, like others in this price range. It does not have a door in the bottom for emptying crumbs. My 10-yr old cheap Black & Decker is better overall. Until I find a toaster-oven that is nice looking AND functional, I will keep the old one. Verdict: if you want to try it, make sure to buy it from a place that will take it back for any reason.$LABEL$0 +This is a good debut solo album!. Beverly Crawford's debut solo is really good. It is well-produced with well-written songs. One of my favorite songs is the beautiful "Praise Jehovah." My other favorite is the rousing title song. Then my other favorite is the hip-hoppish "I'm Yours", a song which should have gotten more airplay and one out of which she should have made a concept video. She deserved a Stellar award and Dove and Grammy nominations for this album. But I'm glad she won the Vision and GMWA awards.$LABEL$1 +For DVD/Movie Lovers!. I was accustomed to watching movies on my laptop but being back in school prompted me to acquire the Toshiba Portable DVD player. I bought the product and had it shipped to my home in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. To my delight the connections worked in my vehicle, any electrical outlet available and even on my new 40" Sony Bravia TV, and don't forget that it's portable - once the battery has been charged you can watch up to two or more movies on battery power alone. My girlfriend and I are avid movie watchers and we watch movies after work. Previously accessing the movies on the laptop was a chore for her but since getting the portable player she doesn't wait for me anymore - she watches them sometime during work hours. My co-workers love it, my children love it and guess what, I love it so much I am planning to purchase another. I recommend you purchase this product. It's one of those great buys you won't regret.$LABEL$1 +Clay is a class act!!!. BOTW is amazing! Clay did a fantastic job and really blew the top off that song, although the choir background may be a bit too much at times. Still great though. My fave is This is The Night! It's a beautiful, powerful song, and with a voice like Clay behind it, well it is a real masterpiece!!! No wonder Clay has been #1 on Amazon presales for 3 solid weeks!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Its big... isnt that what it said?. Another solid Cold Steel knife. It is big that is exactly what it said. The blade is really 6 inches. Over all open it is 13 inches. If that is too big for you this is not the knife for you. I use mine every day. It is a work tool and I love it. It keeps its edge, opens right out of my pocket. It is a well balanced and tough knife. Worth the money if you are looking for a quality large knife.$LABEL$1 +Another one of 'those'. that doesn't resolve itself. Multiple stories going on at the same time - I don't mind guessing games, but I like films where the guessing ends when the film does. Perhaps this is 'intellectually challenging' for some in college art class,,but this old technique just seems to go on forever. I liked the acting - I liked the visuals. Felt like going down a ladder where the bottom 5 rungs are missing. Academy Award?? Are you kidding??$LABEL$0 +Yes buy, but...... Yes buy (it's Stephanie Lauren's), but the hero and heroine are unusually dim in the last third of the book. I mean California clueless...I mean frustratingly dense...I mean "hanging chad" stupid...oh you get what I mean. But hey, it's Stephanie Lauren's....$LABEL$1 +pretty good. I wasn't expecting much from the movie, but after watching it I have decided to read the books. Interesting satire.$LABEL$1 +A waste of money. Sure it looks really cool to have a color stylus, but you could spend that same money on an even better program or game. Besides that though, there is nothing wrong with these styluses it just isn't worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Cute Movie. Thought I'd write this review to counter all the negative reviews. I really enjoyed the movie. Didn't generally care for the Mark Ruffalo character, but liked all the other participants. I think it was better for the Jennifer Anniston character to be concerned before her marriage, than to get married and to realize that it was a mistake. Really liked Costner's character. And agree with all of the positive reviews about Shirley Mclaine. It probably helped that I loved "The Graduate". But "Rumor.." is a fun movie. Just relax, ignore the "other" reviews and enjoy the movie.$LABEL$1 +Must Have High Speed Package to Work !!. I ordered this phone cord because I noticed that businesses and public libraries using broadband phone cables for high speed connections, but apparently for home users you must have the total high speed materials installed for it to work. My internet connection is still the same as it was with my narrow phone line no different, except for not being disconnected as much. If you want high speed connection just chalk up the extra money to have some company hook it up for you, doing it yourself will not WORK !!$LABEL$0 +DON'T BUY THIS!. Don't buy from beautyink! They sent a cheaper iron than the one we ordered and then ignored us when we tried to return it. We are out $100.$LABEL$0 +Cursed!. PUSA are no longer, but teir records live on... Except this purely marvelous one is impossible to find abnywhere. Mind you I had a copy of it, lent it to a now ex-girlfriend and she had the bad taste of having all the cds in her flat stolen by a burglar, cursed I told you!$LABEL$1 +Great book for those beginning in game programming!. I've rented (am renting) this book from a library, however it has no CD-ROM. (It's missing!) Anyway, from glancing through, it's a great source for learning graphical programming. (I wished it spent a little more time on 2D programming and page flipping/scrolling though, mapwise, not scenery-wise), but it's still a great book) A must order! :-) (unless you don't haven't a credit-card like me, you probaly won't be able to order online...) :>$LABEL$1 +Great for the price! Few "VERY" minor flaws.. I bought this product for my mother and my mother-in-law. It has a picture that looks great from far, but is far from great. If you're 5 feet away or more, you will not notice the pixelation. As you get closer, however, you will start noticing every pixel on the picture. The transfer of images is simple and the speaker is a good addition. The speaker isn't the greatest, but how many picture frames do you know that have a speaker, it's not for music videos, it's for pictures.Overall: Great gift idea, and if you want perfection, go ahead and spend that $150-$200 on another 7" frame. This one is just right for my wallet.$LABEL$1 +Get out the bugspray!. I mistakenly purchased Rand McNally 2000 thinking it was the updated version of the software I have been using for years. I had so many problems in the first 2 days, I called customer service who walked through all my problems and came up with the same bugs on her end - she agreed with the problems, but had no idea how to fix them! One example is the measuring tool between 2 points - it doesn't work on the icon, only around it, which leaves up to a 1.5 mile variance in any given direction! After telling her how frustrated and dissapointed I was with this software, she gave me the address to return the product for full refund (90 day guarantee).Later, I realized it was Microsofts trip planner 98 and Streets 98 that I had been using. I am ordering the Microsoft 2000 version today (and returning the other product). According to other bad reviews for Rand McNally 2000 and the great reviews for Microsoft, I am not alone!$LABEL$0 +It does not work beyond 30 days as the 5 installs were used. This is our favorite version of Office. We were excited to get it for such a good price. However, when I attempted to register the product, it said this disk had already been used the allotted 5 installs. So the software is effectually a 30 day trial. I could have downloaded that for free. It would be best if the number of installs left were listed with the product.$LABEL$0 +Terrible. I bought this for hard cheese grating and it is horrible. I would not recommend this grater for hard cheeses.$LABEL$0 +not very good examples. This book cam with the color index and idea index when I purchesed it. The others were better than this one. The examples are pretty hideous and didn't offer the kind of inspiration I wanted. I rated the color book much better.$LABEL$0 +It was confusing.. I will have to give the book a three.I didn't like this book because it was to confusing.It would say something then something else. Some thing totaly different. It was to confusing.$LABEL$0 +Sony 2HD 3.5" Floppy Disks (25-Pack). So far one dud, had hopes that these would be better than the Imation that I buy locally, seems that quality floppies are a hit/miss item....$LABEL$0 +A Biblical Reconsideration of the Apparitions of Mary, 3rd ed.. Biblical Christianity is not `polytheistic' as some "christian" religions, in this case, one which not only prays to Mary to act as an intermediary between them and God/"co-redemptrix (Where is this found in the Bible?), but to various "saints" to help them in their lives instead of solely to the one, true God of the Bible, practice it. Great subject to clarify that Jesus Christ is the only one who redeems us from our sins; the only one through whom we can know we have eternal salvation (e.g., Acts 16:31)! Very simplistically written w TMI! Could have summed it up in a few pages, rather than proving and reproving his points.CAdvoc$LABEL$0 +JUST DOESN'T CUT IT!. WHEN DEALING WITH A MOVIE LIKE THIS, YOU HAVE TO BE REALISTIC. I MEAN, COME ON, YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT ROSE LOOKED SEVENTEEN? YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE JACK WAS THE HERO? YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE TWO PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASSES IN REAL LIFE COULD HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE JUST LIKE THAT? AND DO YOU HONESTLY THINK A SEVENTEEN (SUPPOSEDLY) YEAR OLD GIRL WOULD WANT TO COMMIT SUICIDE AFTER HAVING ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD? NO WAY! THIS FILM WAS JUST TOOOO UNREALISTIC. IT DIDN'T CUT IT! THIS IS A FILM WITH MANY, MANY FLAWS WHICH UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD BE EVEN CLOSELY CONSIDERED TO BE BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME! I MEAN, THE DISASTROUS SINKING OF A SHIP THAT KILLED OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE DOES NOT GO WELL WITH A CHEAP AND FAKE LOVE STORY.*AND DON'T THINK I DON'T BELIEVE IN LOVE, CAUSE I DO. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE IN A LOVE THAT NEVER WAS.=)$LABEL$0 +Very simplistic gameplay ruins the fun -- boring after one play through. I was expecting some level of strategy but virtually all aspects of the game are wholly simplified. A great disappointment once you realise the look of the creatures is the only amusing part of the game. I'm pretty sure a patch or add-ons would _not_ make the game better.On the issue of DRM, others say it better than I can. If the game was already cracked _before_ the game was released, DRM solely penalizes the folks who actually bought the game.$LABEL$0 +Suspenseful, clean and wholesome -- thanks MHC.. Another winner by my favorite suspense author. I've read all of Ms. Clark's books. I anxiously await the release of a new one and always buy them in hardback -- can't wait for paperback! When I finish, I pass them on to my 14 year old granddaughter who loves them as much as I. Especially great is that I don't have to worry about Ms. Clark's books being unfit for my granddaughter to read. They are very pristine when compared to today's standard fare! The way I calculate it, there should be another one released soon. I can hardly wait.$LABEL$1 +Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses a hit!. I bought this video for my nieces and a friend's daughter and it was a hit all around. The girls really loved it!$LABEL$1 +Hard pill to swallow. Let's see--you've got the unappealing main gay character, desperate to be straight...a jock addicted to anti-depressants...the alcoholic sex-addicted gay best friend...and the frumpy straight girl who drowns her sorrows in rocky road ice cream and phone sex lines. Add it all up and you have yet another painful addition to the growing list of gay movies with potential that just aren't executed well at all. At best this movie evokes laughter when it probably shouldn't, at worst you wonder if you're watching a bad school play where you're the only one in the audience wondering, why does this hurt so much to watch?$LABEL$0 +It was SO close to being a good game. I bought this game expecting to be amazed at how cool the graphics looked.... I was impressed!.... At the graphics. The gameplay, on the other hand, sucks. Driver on gbc was way more entertaining than this garbage.The good;*Graphics are way ahead of gameboy standers.The Bad;*The cops sit there and smile at you while you run over the civilions of miami.*You drive like you're drunk.*You can't shoot from your car or even at certain angles.The Ugly;*This game had potential to be a great game, but it was garbage because they didn't make it as smooth as it should of been.Don't buy this game. I find it so funny how people who don't even own the game come on here and say that it's such a great game. I bought this game along with Metal Slug Advanced and Wolfenstein 3-D. I can promise you that I will not be playing "DRIV3R" any time soon. Not to mention, I'm gonna buy Doom 1 & 2 soon, so this game is gonna be gathering dust for the next 10 years on my shelf. Don't buy it.$LABEL$0 +Works alright. The sound quality doesn't seem to be much better than with the italk alone, BUT, on the plus side, it cuts down any harddrive noise from your ipod that gets picked up by the italk sometimes. I use mine for lectures in a relatively large lecture hall and the professor doesn't use a mic. When they do, the sound is great. I only have to turn up my volume about 3/4 for the sound to be good, but when they don't, I have to sit near the front and turn the volume up all the way. My advice would be to buy the italk by itself (or any other voice recorder, it's the only one I've used and I like it) and try it out. If the noise of the harddrive bothers you, THEN get the mic.$LABEL$1 +Bible Basher. I really wish I had properly read the reviews, especially the negative ones, as I did not spot that this was a Christian based book. I am not anti-christian, I just want to be able to think positively, as the title might suggest it can bring. But this book will only help you if you have an open mind to that religion. Otherwise you will not gain much from it at all.$LABEL$0 +Little hands card holders. The grandkids love them and I don't have to hold thier cards for them anymore. They are great for those of us who have arthritic hands too.$LABEL$1 +Incorrect reviews. I notice something peculiar. Virtually every one of the reviews on this site pertain not to this edition of "Think and Grow Rich," but, instead, to the "Action Pack" edition, an entirely different book. This is very confusing and could be very misleading.$LABEL$0 +Daring American Theater by an underrated playwright. A courageous work that deserved the Pulitzer. It's American Theater of the Absurd at its best.The familes dysfunction is depicted in a disturbing climax. The title depicts the family's metaphorical "skeletons in the closet" in a quite literal way.Be prepared, this is not your usual drama. If you enjoy the absurd, you've come to the right place.$LABEL$1 +Is this price you are asking a joke??. You have this priced at over $500.00 - is this a mistake???Your Thyroid A Home ReferenceThis book sells for about $15.00 everywhere else???$LABEL$0 +this book makes me angry!. Dr. Larimore's book is a gross misrepesentation of my home.. Bryson City. Making the residents seem to be back woods olfs and idiots! It may be based on a true place but the book is a work of fiction and should therefore be presented as such.$LABEL$0 +This video was a real disappointment! Don't buy it!. This VERY SHORT video was bare minimum...barely better than a home movie. There were literally no tips on where to find fish, how to present lures or how to fight the fish. Only two flies were shown. Further, the promised a tour of the Mayan Ruin "Xunantunich" on the cover of the tape but no tour was on the tape. THIS VIDEO IS DEFINITELY NOT WORTH $20$LABEL$0 +Farenheit 451. I've never thought of myself as a book-burner, but after reading the beginning of this book i'm prepared to make an exception in this case. This is the most facile piece of intellectually insulting drivel I have ever read.Armed with a topic which offers a wealth of material for a skilled satirical writer, PJO totally missed the boat on this one.There is only one reason anyone should buy this book: as a self awareness test. If you enjoy this work you should get the message that you should give up reading entirely and concentrate on more intellectually enriching pursuits, like reality TV.To save someone else from having to experience this text, I am going to burn my copy; or perhaps grind it up for compost.$LABEL$0 +13, so what?. JoJo is 13 and isn't to "young" to expirience problems in life,and she is not to young to express her feelings in her songs. Not every 13 year olds life is picture perfect. I am 14 and i find JoJo to be and role model. She sings about things that actually do happen, like her boyfriend cheating on her. And yet she does not come across as a whore in her videos. I am proud of what JoJo now has and i hope to meet her someday. JoJo has inspired me in the world of music.$LABEL$1 +Worth the Read. This book is worth the read because: 1) It is a clear, accurate depiction of the accuracy and limitations of using mitochondrial DNA in tracing human migrations over tens of thousands of years; 2) It shows how mitochondrial DNA achieved this position, overcoming strong initial resistance from the scientific community; 3) It is a well-written account by one of the key researchers in the field; and 4) It shows DNA from the Y chromosome confirms the evidence of the mitochondria and offers similar possibilities for tracing paternal ancestors.The book finishes with imaginative biographies of each of the seven "daughters". Interesting enough, but if that's what you want, you might be happier with something in the Clan of the Cave Bear series.The only question left unanswered is where do I send some DNA to find out which of the seven daughters is my purely maternal ancestor?$LABEL$1 +No Minty Tingle. I'm not sure what's going on here or why there are such discrepancies between the reviews but recently I received this product from Beena Beauty Holding Inc. I was expecting to experience a minty tingle on my scalp as I have with the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree product I've used before. Unfortunately the shampoo went on just like any generic shampoo except with a very strong and synthetic lavender (and to me unpleasant) odor. This definitely doesn't jive with the majority of the reviews and I'm wondering if Amazon hasn't mixed all the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree product reviews together. The strong synthetic lavender scent lingers for a very long time. I won't be able to use this product due to the strong odor. I plan on looking into this to see if I can get to the bottom of it. Hopefully I can return these two bottles.$LABEL$0 +Sad. Did not do justice to the Stooges. It was hokey and cheap.I do not recommend this movie at all!!!$LABEL$0 +lovely comedy. Funny. Sometimes a little ackward. The leading actors are not "the" gorgeous type, but are charming and have good acting as well as the others. I think it worths owing it to see every now and then.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I was very disappointed with the Azalea Bonsai Tree. First of all the picture that was represented on this site was not what I actually received. For the money spent, I was truly disappointed with the size and everything else. I would not order this item again.$LABEL$0 +Slow, but brilliant. Many of the other reviewers have complained that this book moves too slowly. If you go into it expecting a rollicking adventure, then you'll be disappointed. This is not a novel of swords and sorcery. It's not something that you could pull from transcripts of your last D&D; campaign. And that is very much in its favor.Stevermer has painted a picture of the life of her main character. She is not your typical fantasy heroine, nor is she a wilting flower waiting to be saved by the big strong men. She's an individual, and the joy of the book is learning about Hail.The book expects more of you, too. Unless you're familiar with Renaissance Europe, and have a more than passing acquaintance with the Arthurian legends, you'll find many of the references obtuse. But for the rest of us, Caroline Stevermer has given us a rich world full of memorable characters, and my only disappointment is that the book was too short.$LABEL$1 +One of the best musical purchases I've made in a long time. Great music, profound lyrics, and a deep sense of sprituality - Fred Hammond delivers. Not a novice by a long shot Hammond's vocal style and delivery is truly a gift from God. Buy the CD - buy the DVD - you won't be sorry.$LABEL$1 +Well designed. To the point: Plain Jane grill. Super light weight. Heats fast and works well. Easy to clean. The only negative is there are sharp edges here and there. Cut myself on it.$LABEL$1 +Didn't work for me. They are cute and I like the idea that they are reuseable. But I ended up with muffins that were still raw on the inside. Will need to do more test batches to figure out how much longer they need to stay in the oven if I'm using these rather than paper cups or none at all$LABEL$0 +Little More Than I wanted To Spend, But Well Worth It. I'm 5'11, 230lbs, large build, on a budget.I searched 2 months all over Amazon and the net for a bench that was solid, not expensive, and would support me without the rattle or shakes that you would expect from cheap benches. I initially didn't want to spend no more than $150, but after reading some of the reviews on this and others, I told myself you get what you pay for and decided on the Bowflex 5.1.I've had it for a month now and I am glad I decided to pay a bit more for quality. It's solid, supports my head for flat bench presses, doesn't rattle at all (helps if you buy some floor matts), looks and functions like gym quality benches (If not better). Has more options in angles for incline than the cheaper benches. I would reccomend it for anyone looking for a quality bench but are afraid to pay $230.$LABEL$1 +Horrible Water Heater. This is the second Titan we have had in 3 years. They just stop working!! lights are on, but no hot water. Rather than go through the lengthy process of warranty and repair, we have decided to go back to the old fashioned electric tank type. I have had these for many years and never had as many problems as with these tankless ones.$LABEL$0 +My Favorite Conspiracy Theory!. I am absolutely enthralled by this theory. I heard about it on unsolved mysteries (where they mentioned this book), and, after reading it, I am so sure that this is what really happened. I mean, the evidence both in this book and from other sources just keeps piling up! I don't know how history leaders and teachers around the world can deny this compelling theory. Not only does the evidence convince me, it just makes more sense that it would happen this way, you know?$LABEL$1 +GOTENKS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!. THE FIGHT BETWEEN GOTENKS AND BUU WAS AS HILARIOUS AS IT WAS AWESOME!GOTENKS ALSO GOES SUPER SAIYAN 3. AND...WELL I WON"T SPOIL IT FOR YOU> BUY IT!!! A MUST HAVE FOR ANY DBZ FAN LATA #1 SON!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Go Gerry. As a former student of Dr Sterns (way back in the 70's) this book brings back many of my own memories. As Dr. Stern grew up in the coal fields of Pa, the references strike me very deeply as I remember the same things he is writing about. His humor continues to be jacketed in serious thoughts, but just as in class, his brillance shines thur.$LABEL$1 +Author is totally misinformed/wrong on the Bengal Breed. This author has clearly never been around a Bengal nor owned one! There are no truths to her claims that Bengals attack without provacation, urine smells so strong that other cats hate them, dmestic cats are stacked out to breed with wild! Indeed! This womam needs to get her facts straight before writing a "help" and "informational" book! Quite the contrary is true on the Bengal, intelligent, loving, playful, gets along with all other cats and dogs, IS NOT A HYBRID but a DOMESTIC CAT! I have 12 Bengals and 4 dogs and 4 Cats and they all get along GReat!$LABEL$0 +Roadpro. The Item I got doesnt look like the picture they show. But I was still satisfied with the design and operation of the lunchbox I recieved. plenty of cord....easy access fuse...easy clean-up and portable. The lunchbox worked as advertised...$LABEL$1 +HAPPY ISLAND. The colors couldn't be more vivid. It is layered with cut-outs, a sturdy well made board book. Kids will love the colors and pictures and parents will enjoy looking through it and reading to toddlers. It's a mini journey on boats with a scary monster to chase the fish and pirates and treasure at the end.$LABEL$1 +Huge webkinz fan. This one is for my 3 year old.The 4 stars in durability are because of the fly-away hairs it has for it's mane and tail, they could have choose something more durable. The pegasus seems stiffer not as "bean baggy" or floppy and playful as some of the other animals.Online it's safe, educational, and fun for the kids. They don't realize that they are learning which gives me peace of mind.If you have a girly princess-loving toddler, this IS the gift to give!$LABEL$1 +AMERICA'S CRITIC. I HATED THIS MOVIE TO THE FULLEST!!!!! ITS LIKE GROUNDHOG DAY ANOTHER I JUST CANT STAND!!!!,,, I WOULD NEVER RECCOMEND THIS MOVIE AS A MATTER OF FACT I DONT THINK ANY1 IS GOING TO REWATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!$LABEL$0 +Demo oven. I needed an oven so I could demonstrate my Pizza by Bjorn, Kit & Mix at stores.The oven needed features ordinary and more expensive so called "pizza ovens" didn't have. This one does the trick and that to a very reasonable price!Bjorn SjogrenArtist & PizzaMaker$LABEL$1 +A nice book. I think all of these books that are hacker/phreak based like bruce sterling's "the hacker crackdown" make us look like criminals that should be locked up in top security prisons which we are not of course the feds make it look that way I can beleive they would nab us for hacking a goverment site and they always get put back together so why do we get nabbed and put in the clink if everything gets back to normal you should read this book and many others and they will all say the same things that we are criminals you decide for yourself and read it$LABEL$0 +Like it a lot. Just got it for my 2010 Rav4. It covered the floor from door to door, and fit nicely. This is a nice feature, door to door covered$LABEL$1 +Watch this Video!. Since first watching this video I have found it very easy to understand why eating a whole plant based diet is the best way to avoid the problems associated with animal products especially dairy. Cheese was my weakness and now after eighteen months without, I have no desire or cheese cravings.$LABEL$1 +My copy of Rock Record by Terry Hounsome & Tim Chambre. My copy, worn torn and cherished of "Rock Record" by Terry Hounsome & Tim Chambre was published in the US in 1981. If the current editions are anything close it is a WEALTH of information for any Rock music collector or Rock History buff. Listing the Albums of more groups than you could think off, who played on it, what instruments they played, just a fantastic resource!$LABEL$1 +Twilight Zone DVD Complete set. This was purchsed as a gift and was very well received. The DVDs are being enjoyed by all generations of the family, ie those of us who remember the weekly episodes during the 50s and 60s, the young adults who have seen the rerun episodes on TV, and the young children (10-14 year olds) for whom the stories are not overly frightening. The listings make it easy to find a particular episode. It was a great gift!$LABEL$1 +THE R*TIST 4*MERLY KNOWN AS DANGEROUS TOYS CD !. ONE WORD FOR THIS ALBUM (SUCKS) ! THE FIRST THREE ALBUMS ARE AWESOME BUT THIS ALBUM SUCKS, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STAY AWAY !!!!$LABEL$0 +Too basic and repetitive.. I was very disappointed with the content of Ms. Collins book, which is an extremely quick read. After buying this book on impulse, I felt swindled by this amateur feng shui consultant.The book focuses on the practical elements of Feng Shui: don't place your bed or desk so you can't see the door, don't buy furniture with dangerously sharp corners, clear away clutter by throwing away what you don't need or love. These common-sense ideas are repeated ad nauseum for each room of the house. A good writer would have cut half of the text.If you like books such as "Who Moved My Cheese?," which I hated because it was overly simplistic and made a two-page paper into a book, you will not like this book.If you want a very quick read, simple ideas, and some horrifyingly bad pictures, be my guest.Maybe I'm a hypocrite; I did follow one bit of her advice. After reading the book, I threw it in the trash.$LABEL$0 +Serve with port, glowing embers and your dog nearby.... With the publication of Modern Pheasant Hunting, in 1982, outdoor writer Steve Grooms told us how he hunts pheasants. In Pheasant Hunter's Harvest, he tells us why. Too long in coming, it is a book that was well worth the wait, reflecting maturation in Grooms' prose and appreciation of his subject. Along with Datus C. Proper's Pheasants of the Mind, it is one of two volumes that goes to the heart of pheasant hunting with eloquence and understanding, and stands ahead of all others. Served at the hearth with a glass of port and a trusty pointer or retriever nearby, it is a book that can be consumed over and over again, reminding us that why we hunt is more important than how. Currently out of print, it is that rare work that deserves a place in every upland bird hunter's library, and if not in their library, in the glove compartment of their pick-up truck.$LABEL$1 +Best video series I have found. I have purchased several of the video series. Baby Genius and Bee Smart are pretty good. I also having the Signing Time videos. While I love Signing Time, my son is not quite into it yet. None of them keep my 7 month old fascinated like the Baby Einstein series. I have the language skills, bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Doolittle is a little disappointing. I have not purchased Newton yet, and may not, due to reading of the reviews. But, in comparison to the other series out there, Baby Einstein is the top. I still use the other videos, because they seem to provide more direct education. Yet, I have to work harder to keep my son's attention with the other videos. Just today, my son was getting fussy and would not soothe. I turned on baby Mozart and he has not made a peep. I may not get him to sleep anytime soon, though.$LABEL$1 +Works for me !. I bought this product about 2 weeks to ago and already I see and difference in my over skin appearance. I have suffered from acne since the age of 11 and have done all the usual to help clear up my skin condition with little result. However, after two or three peels using this product I see a difference. My skin is smoother. I have minimal underthe surface pimples. Unfortnately, I am a squeezer so i do have some acne scars especiall around my jaw line. However, I see these are lighter. I am so pleased. I also use the lactic peel.$LABEL$1 +Trash. I watched a few episodes of this show on the recommendation of a friend and I'm not sure what appeal this show holds. It's full of paparazzi jerks running around making life miserable for everybody around them. The characters are all really disagreeable - except perhaps the psychitzo photographer. Also, at least one scene per show borders on hardcore porn. I gave it 2 stars instead of one because it does have some innovative cinematography. Still, the show overall feels like reading a tabloid mag in the supermarket aisle.$LABEL$0 +Could have been better.......... I've been a fan of Eddie's for years. I felt that this package did not do him justice. I'm not disputing the choice of material on this CD, it's just that Eddie had such a cache of material during his Motown tenure that I was truly surprized that more wasn't included. What happened to "Son Of Sagittarius", "Eddie's Love", "The Thin Man", "One Tear" and all those other tunes that deserved to appear on a collection such as this? It's truly not fair. It's bad enough that Motown/Universal won't re-release his most popular albums. I gave it four stars because it included my favorite EJK song, "Girl You Need A Change of Mind" in its entirety and because to this day I still love the man. Motown, show Eddie's fans some respect and at least release some of his albums on CD, like PEOPLE...HOLD ON or EDDIE KENDRICKS!$LABEL$1 +Terrible. If you came to this book having paid any attention at all to healthy eating, etc. it will not tell you anything new, and as other reviewers have commented, there are several inaccuracies. I'm not on the vegan bandwagon, so this book was useless to me.$LABEL$0 +way over priced. if you buy one of those cheap guns you will for sure need something like this. but save yourself some money, go to Lowes or one of those stores and buy a 3/8 or 1/2" cold chisel and then just grind a flat edge on it, you can get one for under $5$LABEL$0 +great book. Really good book about typical Highschool life. In the begining I wasn't sure I'd like it but all in all I loved this book. It was one of those where I just couldn't put it down. I also could identify with the charactors.Vendor was quick to send it and I was able to dive right in.$LABEL$1 +Nice examples. If you learn about design from reading, this book isn't for you. It teaches by giving visual examples. The text does nothing more than analyze the design. It has the same feel as an award book. The work is outstanding and worldwide, but mostly from the UK. The writing is decent but mostly lacks depth. The examples, devine.$LABEL$1 +Detrimental to a child's music education!. First, the physical puzzle is fine. Just don't put the batteries in. Unless you want your child to learn to distinguish between bland, non-descript synth patches from a cheap Casio keyboard.How hard could it have been to use an actual recording of the instrument for each piece? This company could easily use a public domain wave file, or better yet, ask some musicians or music educators to contribute a short melody. You wouldn't need access to an expensive recording studio, either. Today a cheap $300 handheld record would do the trick.$LABEL$0 +Anti Christian clap-trap. For those who believe the Bible is 100% literal (it isn't) and who dwell on suffering self abuse, this book will help fit disperate and unrelated bits of shaky history into a predetermined and particularly ideological mold they may feel comfortable being poured into.But it is a history of a very STAID and stagnant Jesus--something he or what he taught was NOT. He was a radical liberal (even the New Testemant--written centuries after Christ's death admits to this), who challanged notions of church bound hierarchy's.It's a shame that organizational religion (like the Southern Baptist Convention) promotes disdain for what Jesus taught--individual personal relationship with Jesus and God. Not to mention disobeying Jesus' teachings by mixing their lusting wants for power (government) with their narrow minded brand of cultlike brainwashing.$LABEL$0 +Did not work. The extension unit did not work. The base unit green light came on when I hooked it to the phone line and it was working. However the extension unit would not light up in any of the outlets. Amazon took the product back so at least I got my money back.$LABEL$0 +This book is not an effective guide to teenagers.. This book not only will not help you with your teenager, it could very well make your life a living hell. It talks a lot about how to play mind games with them and talks nothing about the trust building and responsibility training that is necessary to work with any child. Example: If your child chooses not to take a shower or put on deoderant, this book suggests dousing them with the grossest smelling perfume that you can find. This not only shows complete disrespect for your child but it teaches the NOTHING except cruelty. If you need help a better book would be - "Uncommen Sense." It is an excellent book and gives you great advice.$LABEL$0 +Solid collection of early Martin work. This is a solid package of George R.R. Martin's early short stories. But the quality varies. "Song for Lya" itself is a moving, involving, vivid, haunting, 5-star CLASSIC, & is reason enuf 4 buying the book all by itself. Also very good R "With Morning Comes Mistfall," "Second Kind of Loneliness," & "Override." Some of the rest is disappointing: "The Hero" was Martin's 1st-published story, & it's ... not bad. "FTA" is a brief joke. "Slide Show" features a series of dazzling images, but it's not much of a STORY. "Exit to San Breta" is an OK haunted-car story on a freeway of the future. "Dark Were the Tunnels" has a WAY better (& longer) sequel in George's SANDKINGS collection. But the best stuff here shows what George could do 1nce he hit his stride, & is a good curtain-raiser 4 some of the great stuff U'll find in his other collections.$LABEL$1 +This ain't Country folks. While there are several songs that are OK cuts, beware! If you are looking for a new Country CD from Leann, this ain't it folks. This one is an attempt at being a rock/pop artist and while she sings and even writes some of these songs, this is not at all what I would have expected from her.$LABEL$0 +A good value!!!. Well made, easy to use and while the clarity is not that of a expensive pair it is good enough for my uses. Birds, Night Sky, Sporting Events. I am happy with my purchase.$LABEL$1 +Does not work with Windows XP!. Crayola did not mention anywhere on the outside of the box that this product ONLY works with Windows 95 or 98. Very Frustrating!!$LABEL$0 +the amazing trance. Quite a stunning bit of workmanship - the masterminds behind it have certainly produced an album worth buying. A very good all-around record; dance to it, play it in the background, sit down and listen to it intently. Nice long tracks with no commercial interruptions, beautiful spacy/ earthy/ underwater sound waves laid on top of a solid, moving bass & drum. Absolutely altogether a fantastic trip into elsewhere.$LABEL$1 +Different from their previous albums.. but still excellent!. Lonestar never ceases to amaze me! They are an excellent group with great songs and great talent. "Lonely Grill" is different from their two previous albums in the sense that I don't think it sounds as country. In fact, a few of the songs sound like pop rather than country. But I think we need to realize that country music is changing and this type of sound is what's popular right now. Best songs on the album are Amazed, Smile, What About Now, and the accoustic version of Everything's Changed. I didn't care for the first song on the album, Saturday Night, but the rest of the songs were good. I definitely recommend this album, especially if you are a Lonestar fan like me. You won't be disappointed!$LABEL$1 +One for the money. Love this movie, awesome characters, great story. I can hardly wait until another movie comes out. This is an action packed, funny movie.$LABEL$1 +Recommended for 6 years and UP?. Its pretty disgusting that they Should advertise these as a CHILD's toy. Maybe for high school PLAYS, but there should be no reason why it should be in a 6 year old's mouth! Even if it is pretend and fake. I am very unhappy to see this here. THIS should not be a TOY for children!$LABEL$0 +Carson MZ-517 Binocular. Thank you for the quick and easy transaction. The binoculars were a gift for my niece and she is very happy with them. I look forward to doing more business with you in the future.$LABEL$1 +cheap. The material is very cheap and it is smaller than I expected. I haven't used it so I don't know how well it will hold up over time.$LABEL$0 +Interesting read. Very well written. It was one of those books that when you start reading it it's hard to put down. A real page turner.$LABEL$1 +it's my album.... I remember making this albun it was the best time of my life...I just wonder why this distributor is selling for so much..the album is different and has different styles of jazzy r&b; and pop love it!!!! it's the kind of music you just want to sit back to with your honey..and the music is ageless still sounds fresh even though the album was done in 2003Jennifer Shae Morteo$LABEL$1 +Hidden copper affects many people!. This book brings light to a relatively unknown topic of health concern- high tissue copper. I learned what the dangers of copper toxicity are, as well as the symptoms. I also learned which foods are high in copper, and different ways to chelate copper out of your system. Everyone should know about the copper connection! Especially anyone with chronic fatigue syndrome or hormone imbalance!$LABEL$1 +Never Again. I've owned this specific design as well as another design from this brand. The first I bought and the second was a gift. But if I ever receive this brand as a gift again, I will do everything I can to return it. Both sets broke so easily. I had a bunch of plates break while in the dishwasher. Other plates broke while being eaten off of. One broke while my boyfriend was eating a waffle off of it! A waffle! So it's not like it takes excessive force to damage these things. They just break right down the center every time. Plus, the bowls and mugs get EXTREMELY HOT just after a couple of minutes in the microwave. If you scratch off the paint, you can see a shiny, metallic surface underneath. I've read the other reviews where people have had no problems at all. I guess luck is just involved. But I wouldn't recommend taking the chance on these plates unless you have the money to throw away.$LABEL$0 +Re-Packaged New Age Nonesense at the Expense of the Faithful. Editing review - I did not intend to give five stars but ONE star. Full disclosure, when I first read this book, I thought it was great. But that was when I didn't know any better. Today, I can tell you that this is one of the most inauthentic primers of our faith out today. It claims to promote and praise ony branch of faith (Traditional Yoruba), while mocking another (Santeria), but then offers what is basically thinly veiled Santeria. His explanations and descriptions are out of the New Age cliche catalog. If you are just starting your journey to Orisa, pick up Joseph Murphy , Wande Abimbola or just about anybody else. NOT THIS BOOK. santeria.blog.com$LABEL$1 +Only one issue. I really like the business card holder as I purchased the black leather one. The arrival time was very quick. It's quality and very nice. I ordered it because it suppose hold up to 120 business card with one extra slot and mine didn't seem to have those options. I can only fit 72 cards in there and that is doubling each insert and that's my only issue with it.$LABEL$1 +thow it out!. [ASIN:B001HA6JLQ Canon P1DHV 12-Digit Portable Printer,Display Calculator]OMG! unless you want to spend 90% of your time trying to get the paper in this unit DON'T BUY IT! OR if you already have one of them, save the whole world a lot of aggravation and THROW IT OUT! Believe me! for the sake of your peace of mind, stay as far away from this unit as you can! Or if you simply can't bring yourself to throw it out...don't give it to anyone you care about or want to be friends with!! the paper gets really loose, slips off and out of the unit and it can take days...weeks..endless tricks to get it in place....cheap yes...once the paper is in place works great...but over all....it is the most annoying little piece of equipment I have ever owned! Mine is going in the trash! [ASIN:B001HA6JLQ Canon P1DHV 12-Digit Portable Printer,Display Calculator]]$LABEL$0 +A Must-Avoid. The content of the book is different from what is written in the back of the cover. I bought this book in the bookstore and I was interested with the short synopsis in the back cover, but then I found out that the real story is not as mentioned and that it turned out real disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Don't tell anyone I said this.... Detailing not only poisonous plants and chemicals but also how to make poison bullets and other weapons, this is definitely the manual to go with if you want to murder someone. But you didn't hear that from me.$LABEL$1 +Very unhappy with results. I bought this product at a Lowes store in hopes to get more of a shine and less of a dull appearance. The product left my 5 year old floors dull I was very upset.$LABEL$0 +Dead Battery. Brita wants to increase landfill and waste by having you throw away your 5 year-old pitchers because that's how long the battery is supposed to last in the filter replacement timers on these and similar units. My battery ran out and now I have to guess when the filter needs to be replaced. They used to have a "sticker" system on the old pitchers which was sustainable and actually better. Companies like this should be held accountable for contributing to waste pollution.$LABEL$0 +Crashes constatly. Impossible to use under Windows XP, since it constantly crashes.Highly NOT recommended.$LABEL$0 +ant farms need ants.. It took 5 months for the ants to arrive, by that time the gel had dried significantly. Fortunately all the ants were dead, so no problem. Customer service was kind enough to send a new gel farm and more ants. 2/3 of the new ants arrived dead and they remaining 7 barely do anything. My son is embarrassed we gave one of these to a friend as a birthday present and is very disappointed with the toy.$LABEL$0 +flimsy. I have used these type of dressing aids for years without problems. Unfortunately, the manufacturer's decision to engineer flex into the shaft of this one makes it almost useless. The second you put any weight or resistance on it when using it for its intended purpose, it starts to bend and keeps bending until the article of clothing slips right off the s-hook. The thing is so flexible, it bends to 90 degrees, which is simply overkill. i would believe it made the dressing aid cheaper to produce, however....$LABEL$0 +still plays with it. I bought this a couple years ago for my niece/nephew & when I go to their house, they still have it out & use it. durable, cute and good learning tool$LABEL$1 +Fragile and TINY. Ok so bad me for not appreciating this book is only about 1.5 inches square... very small! Cute, but tough to handle. More importantly, my toddler ripped the cover off on day two - and she is generally gentle with books. Cute but very tiny and fragile. It's also hard to know what captions go with what, so challenging to associate the text with the appropriate animal.$LABEL$0 +Bought three, two have failed!!. I was introduced to Tivoli by my brother who had a early model PAL radio. Bought two SongBooks for myself and one as a gift for my father-in-law. Really not happy with these radios. The sound is mediocre at best and I would say better for listening to talk radio than music. The blue SongBook (I bought red and blue ones) has the worst sticky finish on it and its impossible to clean and feels disgusting to pick up. The REAL reason I have to give it such a low rating is failure rate. One of mine died completely and had to be shipped back to Tivoli. My father-in-laws did the same thing and they blamed it on a faulty power cord but would not ship him a new one until he shipped them the radio and cord for assessment (and the courier charge was not covered).Finally, don't let these radios sit in the sun as they overheat and shut down. We use them by our pool but have to put them in the shade under a chair or else they fail in about 30 minutes.I would not buy another.$LABEL$0 +Good expansion, but very short. Rainbow Six: Eagle Watch is really a good expansion set for the original Rainbow Six. It only has 5 mission though. Even though it only has 5 missions, they are pretty hard, and they take place in famous places, like Big Ben in London, the US Capitol Building, and the Taj Mahal in India. There are 3 new weapons, and they are the Heckler & Koch G36K, the Heckler & Koch G3A3 assault rifles. Also, it includes the IMI .50 caliber Desert Eagle, which can kill anyone in one hit (usually).Even though it is short, it is a really good expansion for the first Rainbow Six game.$LABEL$1 +missing pages. Exciting to get this book for my daughter who is ready to potty train and this book was missing some pages. UGH!$LABEL$0 +WOW!!!. First thing first, Nirvana was and still is maybe the best Grunge band ever!!!My favourite Nirvana in order(1-10)1. Rape Me2. Heart Shaped Box3. Come As You Are4. Lithium5. Dumb6. Serve The Serpants7. Smells Like Teen Spirit8. In Bloom9. Scentless Serpant10. Milk ItWell most of them songs are on this album.Enjoy =)$LABEL$1 +not a good deal. I bought 3 of these shirts for my husband and they are SMALL so order two sizes bigger for sure. I will not ever buy from this store again as I paid $31.99 for each shirt and they only refunded me $23.99 plus I had to pay $15 to ship them back - so basically its not worth it.$LABEL$0 +Bait and Switch. I attended a showing of this movie and was a little put off by the rabid intensity with which it was received. During an after show Q and A, any criticisms were booed, and people not completely embracing the film-makers' belief-system were branded close-minded and victims of a biased western educational world-view.I won't blindly follow anyone and did not appreciate this kind of mob rules mentality. Before closing people were encouraged to post on message, news-groups, and review-boards as often as possible.This movie was a jumbled mess. I think it's true purpose can be exposed by the many other products and services being offered under the What The Bleep Umbrella. . .Interestingly enough if one follows the money it leads to the door of a 35,000 year old spirit from Atlantis named Ramtha. This franchise has just taken it to the next level.$LABEL$0 +Freddy Invades the Real World!!!. After The Final Nightmare, Wes Craven is having nightmares again, so he decides to write a new script. Beacuse the Nightmare films have ended, the 'real' Freddy decides to come to our world. Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon are some of Freddy's targets he tries to kill. He tries to get Heather's son, Dylan too. The real Freddy is a lot scarier and more evil than Robert Englund could ever portray! Heather decides to play Nancy one last time and kill Freddy...for good! If you love the Nightmare series, and a movie within a movie, you might like WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE!!!$LABEL$1 +Velocity -- a fast-pased performance!. I have read and enjoyed most of Koontz's novels. I just about quit reading this one because it was a little more "graphic" than I like, but I did finish it and am glad I did. Koontz writes an intelligent and engulfing story. I look at his picture on the jacket and can't imagine that such a delightfully pleasant looking man can possibly carry such devious plots of murder and perversion in his head. He does have a mishevious twinkle in his eye, however. I always enjoy the perspective Koontz provides between good and evil, and, somehow, I am left with a peaceful feeling at the end, even though, at times the evil seems so encompassing.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. First to start out with, I'd like to say that Dee Henderson is an amazing writer w/ the special gift of writing. I would not recommend this book. The other books she has written (O'Malley Series, Danger in the Shadows) were very well written, w/ the feeling that your can't turn the pages fast enough because it's so good. Unlike the others, True Valor was slow read, and I found my self skimming and completely skipping whole pharagraghs. But even tho I don't recommend this book, the others books by Dee Henderson I HIGHLY recommend.$LABEL$0 +Another winner for Robert Crais. Always get the audio books to listen to while driving. This is another winner by Robert Crais.$LABEL$1 +Another Look. Bryson did a fantastic job of pumping fresh life into subjects and historical figures that have long gone cold in modern re-tellings. Newton, Einstein, Linnaeus, and a host of scientists crossing every discipline come to life as real people in the times, often bizarre times, they lived in. I could not have been more impressed with the ease with which he writes about complicated subjects and the sheer joy and astonishment captured in his prose.$LABEL$1 +Inexpensive and it works great!. This is a nice, inexpensive, easy-to-use appliance. I bought this for my 83 year old mom who doesn't do much cooking anymore and has a hard time stooping to use her oven. She loves it! It's easy for the elderly (and non-technical people) to use, it's compact and doesn't use much counter space. I highly recommend it for the price.$LABEL$1 +Thrice Staind. Staind's newest album 14 Shades of Gray, has that same special something about as Break the Cycle and Dysunction. Staind's music contains a little something something most other bands dream about, it's called truth. Aaron Lewis is a real person, who has the ability to take his thoughts and emotions and turn them into an astonishing sound. All of Staind's albums are the kind you can pop into your CD player and get that feeling in the middle of your chest that makes you say [WOW!]. 14 Shades of Gray is definately worth the [money], pick it up, and if you have more money pick up BTC and Dysfunction.$LABEL$1 +Filth, Porn, totally disgusting movie. This is possibly the most disgusting pornographic movie ever made, which tries to get people interested in ancient Roman history to buy it. It is nothing but graphic hedonistic porn from start to finish. It's a slick way for the porn industry to spread their filth where it otherwise would not be able to. If you are a Christian, stay very far from this movie. It will sicken you as it did me.I bought it only because Peter O'toole is in it. I cannot for the life of me imagine why Peter O'toole agreed to be in this filthy movie.I have marked on this movie case: smut, porn, filth; not worth watching.$LABEL$0 +Rabbit Proof Fence. RABBIT PROOF FENCEThe movie was GREAT!! It was suspenseful. You never knew what was going to happen next.The 3 aborigine girls were always being followed by the tracker. They were also helped alot by people that you never would of thought. For example a white farmlady gave them food and coats.A white man helped them navigate which made the movie more exciting.I like this movie. I think people should watch it. I also think it is bad taking kids from their families this is why they called the thousands of Aborigine children taken away "The Stolen Generation.BY: ParisBordeaux5/14/04$LABEL$1 +Razor burn!. I followed the directions to a T and this product made the sides of my face break out into a terrible, painful razor burn! It's like taking a serrated knife to your face! Awful product!$LABEL$0 +Exciting plot, great characterization ... a winner!. Kinsey does it again! She's the queen of the supersleuths ... "B is for Burglar" is B-eautiful$LABEL$1 +Buy the paperback, not the Kindle version. Unfortunately, the Kindle version has numerous misspellings and worst of all, the many charts that are crucial to an understanding of the book, cannot be magnified enough to read them. Buy the paperback for a few dollars more and get better quality.$LABEL$0 +Awesome. I purchased the wave and let me tell you, THE BEST THING TO RIDE! Whenever I go down the street everyone stares and ask what is it. They all say they want one too. The best thing of all is riding hills! I can even go up them but when you go down its like snowboarding. I recommend this 100%$LABEL$1 +Not the Lenmar 1120 mAh item. I received MaximalPower 800 mAh batteries instead of the Lenmar 1120 mAh batteries advertised. The seller was unable to replace them with the higher capacity product and so offered me a refund. I recommend calling the seller to verify product before ordering. They were very nice to talk with.$LABEL$0 +Comfortable - Will buy again. Hanes are not the most comfortable underwear but, they are good for the price. I would buy these again. The seller is excellent.$LABEL$1 +Good beginners book. I bought this book as a beginners guide to Celtic Shamanism. I found it an excellent starting guide (notice I said starting guide), and too this day am often referring back to it. As with all outside (of self) gathered information, it is a guide only, your own personal experiences are the definitive experience.$LABEL$1 +Disk was so scratched that we couldnt watch the movie. We love the movie Ratatouille. We were sad when we noticed that the DVD was missing from our collection of movies so we decided to look at Amazon to get a copy. We looked at the used copies because the new ones are still @ $20. So we looked at the used ones. We found on that said Condition: Used - Good for $6.86. We ordered it. It came in when expected and with much anticipation we opened it so we could watch it that night, only to see an incredible amount of scratches on the disk. I was shocked. I could accept a couple, but it looked like it was on the floor of a car in the back seat for 6 months. We tried to watch it any way and got through 30 minutes with only a few pixelated moments and a couple stutters. Then it happened. It started stalling for 3 seconds, then 5 seconds then it froze. As far as rating the movie itself, I give it a 5 star! but the quality... I have ordered a lot from Amazon, I am very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Beauty Comes From Within. I just bought this high priced fancy looking toaster. Are you kidding me? I figured it was just a fluke that this toaster toasted unevenly/ burned one side while leaving the other side untouched. Sad to read that everyone that has purchased this toaster has the same issue. The question is - Why would a company with a great reputation like Cuisinart sell a toaster that doesn't even work? Apparently they don't think it is necessary to test the product./If you are considering this due to the beauty of it - Forget it! Beauty comes from within.$LABEL$0 +EWWWWWWWW!!!. This toy was BOOOORRRINGGGG! I didn't like the slutty clothes selection. Who could fit into that doll's clothes. Please,praytell.2 weeks after I recieved it I returned the toy back to Toys R' Us. Do not buy it!!!! I'M WARNING YOU!!!!!$LABEL$0 +Self aggrandizing. If there is a Donald Trump in the nanny business Ms. Kline would surely be hosting the next Apprentice show except that she does not seem to have the same gravitaz that Mr. Trump demonstrates. Name-dropping and full bragging of how important she is to the "over achieving" parents who are basically folks trying to integrate work and family lifestyles does not make Ms. Kline a likeable decent person. (Whether you agree with how the parents are spending their time or not)Instead of being empathetic, Ms. Kline comes across as a self-ordained I-am-a-very-important person in Washington. She brags about the fact she can choose you as a client and gets more important clients than she really cares for.The book is a quick easy read, but there is no substance and a lot of snide remarks on Ms. Kline's clients make her a character that any parent should stay away from.$LABEL$0 +Use Your Illusion I. I own both "Use Your Illusion I and II" and UYI 1 is definately the better of the two. Illusion I shows just how hard GnR can rock, while Illusion II focuses more on suicide and the darker side of life. If youre a GnR fan this is a must own. If you like this then youll definately love their debut release "Appetite for Destruction."$LABEL$1 +BORING. Had to read this book for school... it took everything I had not to throw it in the fireplace and turn it to ash. What a ridiculous thing to write about - foreigners who can't read or write English & their child is hurt. Compassion for child? Yes. Compassion for parents? No.This is a boring read.. move on to something else if this is not a mandatory read.$LABEL$0 +Nice looking CRUMMY scanner. Every photo we tried had speckles/dust all over them. I had no problems with the setup or banding (as others here did) but am returning the scanner because of pure quality issues$LABEL$0 +Nice and cleans up great in washing machine, material a little too easy to rip. The bed is great, just wished that it had a little more durability. We have a puppy and she chews the ends. The material is a little too thin and rips a little too easily.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your $. I bought this player ($160 at my local Costco) for my husband for Father's Day. We spent many hours trying to get the software to work, and I never did get songs transfered to the player. Also I couldn't find a way to delete files from the player (it comes preloaded with some music--most of which was not our taste). The users manual is terrible, there are no support phone numbers, and the RCA website just refers you to the manual. I will be returning this player and buying another brand.$LABEL$0 +To Kill a Fruit Fly. 02/08/10Dear shoppers:My cats recently picked up fleas from their vet. For over twenty years of cat ownership we never had a problem with fleas, as we exercise a very strict protocol on contamination controlls.It was with an extended vet hospital stay that my cat brought home "unwanted guests" FLEAS!!!The vet recommended [...] and flea traps to augment their demise. Simply stated the VICTOR FLEA TRAPS do not work!!! The best they do is to trap harmless fruit flies and some gnats.I still have a flea problem as I was lulled into thinking that my home was flea free by the fact that I did not trap any fleas and my cat had only pickedup a few fleas (My vet stated).Well the traps are useless!!! Scientifically I do not know why I did not realize that, I panicked to be free of the problem.Save your money and just use a vet approved topical flea med on your pets.Sincerely:MOLARMAMA$LABEL$0 +MISREPRESENTED ITEM. I ordered what was billed as the "unedited version" and received a fully edited version. Never heard back from the seller.$LABEL$0 +Cheap watch of low quality. This product has the feel and quality of a very cheap watch (don't let the picture fool you). Although the Amazon price seemed great, the watch isn't worth half the price. Save your money or spend a little more and get a higher quality watch. We returned this to Amazon.$LABEL$0 +Surreal and exceptional. I wasn't sure what to expect before watching this, but by the end of the film I was stunned by how well it had been assembled and presented. The distinct lack of narration and guidance allow Andre and Calvin to lead the viewer through the communally warped and surreal psyche of a pair of ruthless and motivated teenage killers. Not since the original Blair Witch Project have I seen a film that has been successful in maintaining the illusion of being amateur film re-assembled by professionals, and this one being based on a tragic string of events that we're all aware of is particularly haunting and surreal. The two young actors do an exceptional job and are very believable. Scenes are wonderfully assembled in mounting tension and the film reaches a tremendous crescendo through which I could hardly blink. Highly recommended.$LABEL$1 +The Island of Dr Moreau soundtrack is truly a masterpiece.. The music focuses on the humanity of the beast people in the movie. Gary Chang is a genius. Through his work the emotions are more clear cut in the music than in the movie. Even people who don't watch The Island of Dr Moreau will appreciate this rare chance to feel the music in their bones. It unleashes primitive desires within you. That is something hard to find in the music world today.$LABEL$1 +MARGIE ALBRIGHT IS A PLEASANT LITTLE SURPRISE. ONE OF THE BETTER SIT-COMS, EVEN AFTER 47 YEARS, ITS STILL REFRESHING TO SEE AND STILL VERY FUNNY. THE CASTING IS EXCELLENT, GALE STORM AS MARGIE AND CHARLES FARRELL AS VERN ALBRIGHT. IF YOU LIKED TOPPER, THEN MY LITTLE MARGIE IS ON THE SAME LEVEL. I AM STILL WAITING FOR IT TO COME ON NICK-AT-NITE$LABEL$1 +Can not review the book. The book has not been received yet. I am still waiting for it. I am very disappointed about the order$LABEL$0 +1st MAC experience. This is the first time I have owned a MAC. Actually it is my wife's, I'm stuck with a windows laptop. I come up with every excuse to use the new MAC though. MACs are the best, no doubt about it. I will be getting a MAC desktop with my tax kickback this year...and I can't wait.$LABEL$1 +Henckles Knife Block rocks. Great purchase. Perfect price. Helps me organize the knives to find them fast. Keeps them from cutting anyone paging through a drawer. I had 2 blocks...messy look in the kitchen. This one holds all I usually use and looks so sleek. The block is deep and so it requires more countertop front to back than some blocks do, but the knives can easily be removed without tilting the block or pulling it forward to clear the top cupboards. The price is sooooo good. I hope you like yours too!$LABEL$1 +Exellent Doris Day Calamity Jane soundtrack.... Pay no attantion to the other reviews this is the best Doris day cd, it has all the songs from Doris Day's film Calamity Jane and The Pajama Game, two fine filsm with lot's of great singing from Doris Day. I'm 16 years old and can appreciate this, so I'm sure you will too...$LABEL$1 +StarTech.com TX3 FAN Power Splitter Cable - 6-inch (TX3SPLITTER). Excellent item, installed with two 120mm fans on aNZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower USB 3.0 Gaming Case - Blackmainly because of the fan speed controller of the case. No problems so far, cable works as it should. Great item.$LABEL$1 +obviously written by 2 people.... Two books in one! You're reading one story - and toward the end someone else takes over and writes an ending for something that makes no sense based on the original plot. Obviously James Patterson got to a point and couldn't finish - and left someone else to tie it all up. Unfortunately the way it was "tied up" was so lame I'll never waste my time on another of his books.I don't expect literary value from a read like this - I just thoroughly enjoy the escape. However - this one just pissed me off and prompted my first ever book review. Did the person that actually write the ending even read the novel? If so - they need a new job...$LABEL$0 +An absolute dud...I wasted my money, so save yours!. In my opinion, this thing is flimsy and worthless. I set it up in the doorway and it is so poorly designed that it just doesn't hold. Once you bring the bar crashing into your forehead on your first or second chin-up, you realize that you've already thrown away your money and now it's time to throw away this product. I ABSOLUTELY agree with the reviewer who cautions against making this product available to kids without close supervision.$LABEL$0 +What a Great Start!. This guy is honest, period! He tells it as it is. Nassar never makes claims that day trading is easy or that the course will deliver trading results, but instead teaches the mechanics of day trading. I got more from this course for $300 dollars than two solid years of trading. I only wish I had taken it sooner. I also saw this guy trade at the Ontario Trade show with live capital. He made $1700 right in front of 10 people in less than than 10 min. That was really cool watching a man walk his talk!Buy this course, it is undervalued and delivers so much.$LABEL$1 +Super Cute Toy. So glad they brought back this classic toy. My 4 year old daughter hasnt put it down. She was so excited to get 4 puppies!!$LABEL$1 +Amazing history!!. Very well written and pulled together. One of my all time favorite books! If you like history and seeing how things tie together to change the world you will love this book. No need to be a Christian for this book to be amazing, McGrath makes very little religious emphasis except to highlight the effects of its history on the world.$LABEL$1 +DONT WAIST YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. I HAVE OVER 15 POKER BOOKS, SOME OF THEM ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS.But this books suckkkkkkssss..This is the only poker book I will used when I run out of toilet paper, but just dont take my word for it. just use your hard earn money on this book and let me know if reading about 20+ hand is worth the price.Dang I dont know how Jim brier got sucked in to this wanna be book. Mr. Brier has put out Good literature on poker.... Sorry Jim..!!!!$LABEL$0 +Beautiful hero story..... This was SUCH a beautiful story and I am completely in love with it. John Carter is a man out of place and time (and planet) who doesn't want to be the hero. In the end he does and finally figures out where he belongs. The special effects and action are wonderful and I found myself cheering for John the entire time. There are some comical moments that tie in with the story. I truly enjoyed this movie and will definitely own it once it becomes available.$LABEL$1 +Very Good - if you want to SLEEP. This movie is absolutely boring. So, save the money and buy a better one$LABEL$0 +Did not like this one, it is a cheap copy of Duke Nukem 3d.. Did not like this one, it is a cheap copy of Duke Nukem 3d. I think it is a bad copy of it. If you want real fun buy by Duke Nukem instead of this one. I think that the comedy is in the game is crude and stupid.$LABEL$0 +Avoid. The spring stopped working after a few weeks. I've had other retractable cable products (earphones, USB cables, etc.) and the springs all stop working after awhile, however this was twice the cost of the other products that I've used and lasted only a fraction of the time.$LABEL$0 +wasnt the right size. when I ordered these I thought that they were bigger than what came. I got them to make miniature pies in, but they werent the right size..they are more for using to put pudding in or salsa. I kept them but had to buy some others at a local store.$LABEL$1 +Second use and the lines are all rubbing off!. I got this on 11/Jan and it is now 13/Feb. I used it once, was happy with it, and put it away. I went to use it again today and noticed my hand had a great deal of black on it after I got it down. I looked and all the text is rubbing off! I've used it once! The 30 day return period is of course up. I washed this by hand originally and one more hand washing will do the writing in I suspect, rendering this item useless. I would not recommend this product.$LABEL$0 +GREAT read. this book pulled me in from the begining and did not dissapoint me all the way tothe end. Full of suspense and action, the characters are endearing, the plotis easy to followall around a great book$LABEL$1 +over priced. It wasn't a bad video but for 40$ it could have had better production value, Video examples of strategies ect. I was kinda dissapointed it seemed like he gave a last second, free seminar and they video taped it and sold it. There are better videos out there and I'm a huge Syracuse and Jimmy B fan so it's hard for him to dissapoint me.$LABEL$0 +Burn this book. This book was not funny or interesting. It is sort of like those columns Larry King used to write..... I want a pastrami sandwich,.....isn't the Godfather a great movie,..........I remember when the Yankees won all the time.... This author must have a lot of friends in the writing business, because this waste of time shouldn't get good reviews. Thank you very very mush.$LABEL$0 +2nd review. I wrote a review before and it was not posted. This video for the money was vey disappointing. Some scenes kept being repeated, and for the price the quality was not good. It showed people smiling, close ups and bad views of Lake Chapala which was repeated. My video had blank secions in it when all I got was music. I like the mexican music but felt it was repeated over and over for the whole time. I never lost the audio, just the video. I would not recommend spending money for it, unless it were 10 bucks.$LABEL$0 +Good product just not for me. These bumper protectors are well made and installed easily but they just don't look good on my vehicle. They are a shiny glossy black not flat black like the picture and they appear to be out of place on a gray bumper.$LABEL$1 +Hamilton Beach Deluxe Brew Station. I received this coffee brew station on December 8, 2010...On January 13, 2011, the apparatus starting making an odd noise...upon investigation, the coffee pot keeps on boiling even after the coffee is done...evidently the heat sensing unit or thermal cut out has gone south...a shame...something this new, lasting barely a month...will not purchase another one...and I would not recommend this product to anyone...unless you want the hassle of returning the product.$LABEL$0 +Not good for boys!!!. This product also comes in blue which I bought for my son. The pee guard in the front does not even come CLOSE to the proper height for a boy! He would have peed all over the floor had I let him use it. Also comes apart very easily and doesn't fit back together well.$LABEL$0 +Great comedians but not a great story or script. I've seen these four in movies and TV shows that have made me laugh till it hurt. Shockingly I did not laugh once at this film. I can't blame the cast because if you see Tropic Thunder, 21 Jump street, The I.T. Crowd Wedding Crashers and then this film you will know what I'm talking about. "Spoiler" It is yet another story where aliens come to earth and they are evil monkeys. I wish they did it like 21 Jump Street and made the threat be distracted by the incompetent heroes and then busted. Also the aliens were ridiculous. I feel like someone or some people did not use the talent that was in this film for some odd reason. I thought there was great chemistry between Bed Stiller and Richard Ayoade and I hope they do another film again.$LABEL$0 +What are the games?. Please list a few games on the CD. I do not want to spend money on a CD that contains the games I already have. I am looking for gin rummy.$LABEL$0 +Skeptic proven wrong!. I bought this pump a few days ago. My son is now almost five weeks old and I will be returning to work soon. I used the Medela with my daughter. This pump is so comfortable to use. Much more so than the Medela. It actually feels like the baby is nursing. I was very sceptical about buying outside of Medela, but am I glad I took the chance. This pump is awesome.$LABEL$1 +One of a Kind. Although it is true that this movie is not blessed with great acting. However the plot is enjoyable although completely unbelievable. But then again isn't that why we watch movies in the first place. It is a shame that Beach Volleyball never reached the level of what was expected. All in all this movie was entertaining.$LABEL$1 +Finally A Band that Returns the Art of Songwriting to Music. This album speaks volumes to a master song writer. You'll quickly appreciate this band when you listen to the lyrics and how it will make you understand how the human soul is capable of the most beautiful art that binds us. Music that got me through my cancer....$LABEL$1 +Toddler's Sing Rock 'N' Roll. This CD for children is absolutely the best. Great songs sung by little tykes. My favorite is "Splish Splash". I highly recommend this, not only for kids, but mommies and daddies will love it, too.$LABEL$1 +I had to return it.. I have not returned anything for over 10 years.The text dicussses the FBI agent's feelings.On and on and on...Her feelings...From one mood and feeling, to another feeling...I understand that many will like this, so that is OK.But I could not listen to it...I was thinking: please don't tell me your feelings,on and on, just get on with it and catch the bad guy...Perhaps, this is just me, and, again: I am aware that many many people like this type of writing, and, it sells well.If so, for you, buy it.Be well.$LABEL$0 +Very Helpful!. I enjoyed reading this book! It had a lot of helpful information. It was easy to follow and understand. She gives some great spiritual advice on how to overcome trying to please everyone. If you feel like you are a pleaser, this book will really help you. You don't have to agree with everything she writes to learn something from the book. Very helpful!$LABEL$1 +Why was this film made?. Terrible acting, terrible plot, terrible movie. I do not know what the purpose of that move was. Perhaps to show minor nudity, or to sell it from the DVD cover. Move on. There are many other excellent movies to watch instead.$LABEL$0 +Give Us More!. I loved this little book. It is the perfect gift book for yourself or anyone else you know who has experienced the joy of sailing. The photos are great - very beautiful - they capture the many moods of sailing: from sheer excitement to calm reflection. The quotes are wonderfully chosen and are some of the most eloquent quotes about sailing by famous authors and others. ENJOY! I only give it 4 stars out of 5 because I wish it was longer!$LABEL$1 +Iggy Pop fan? - Then don't bother.... I am a dyed in the wool Iggy Fan, and love all of Iggy / Stooges material from 1969 throughout (Ave. B is so so though). Wake up suckers is very poorly recorded, and the quality and sound levels change from track to track. Iggy sounds really wasted on several tracks, and even forgets the lyrics to Gimme Danger ! You are way better off buying Iggys studio albums and Raw Power. Especially get FUNHOUSE! Unbeleivable stuff for 1970 ! Also New Values, and Soldier are supreme IGG-Monster.$LABEL$0 +Instructions Required for Children/Adults. Dear Sirs/Madam:I sent a review of this item/purchased for my nephew for Christmas 2011. I did not see him till early this year and the product sat on the shelf because no one not a physciian nor police officer colleage, student or myself could figure out how this works. This doesn't come with any instuctions ????? And to our dissppointment this our second correspondence. Amazon is my only link to assist me so I will contact them if I do not hear back from you as the vendor.Thank you again.Mrs., Mr. Reina(209)532-7756R.I. REINA, M.D.$LABEL$0 +Good Photos. I got this for my Grandmother for Christmas. She liked it and once I got a chance to see all the photos for each month I liked it too.If they could drop the price by about 50 to 75 cents it would make it great competition for the other calendars posted here.$LABEL$1 +Love it!. Great car seat big and comfortable. my son is 14 months old and he falls asleep in it everyday when we pick up his sister from school.It is well made and sturdy. It got great crash test ratings and seems to be very popular.The straps don't twist that is the best part. Very expensive but worth all $200 we paid for it. We bought an evenflo car seat for our 4 year old two years ago and we hate it. We are now going to throw out the evenflo and buy a Britax marathon for her. These car seats are priced high but well worth the investment in my opinion.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't fit on jeep sun visor. Bought to add light to my Jeep Wrangler...problem is, despite the picture, these do not open wide enough to clip onto the hard Jeep visor.Also the pivot point is far too loose and they wiggle too much and don't stay in place.Certainly not worth $10, even if they would clip on as advertised$LABEL$0 +Great until it died. I bought this from Amazon on June 24th and it is now dead, a little less than 6 month later. You put a disc in and it just spins and spins and never loads. This DVD player was used nightly for several hours. A sad replacement considering the old DVD player I had lasted 7 years. If you're looking for something to replace in months, this is it. Otherwise I would spend a little more money on a better quality product. The RCA player I have downstairs has lasted longer than this one. I guess you get what you pay for.$LABEL$0 +Way to Small. I thought this product was way to small. It was not what i expected at all. It says eight and up but is way to small for any child to have a tea party with and actually use. Looks more like a decoration then something you could play with.$LABEL$0 +I know this is free but it's no excuse for garbage.. I was quite excited to see some Ezra Pound on the kindle for free. But I was quite disappointed by what I downloaded. Everything looked like it was cut and pasted poorly. I should point out it was free so you get what you paid for. Hopefully some day there will be some decent Ezra Pound collections on the kindle.$LABEL$0 +This is better than you think.... I pre-ordered this item thinking that it was not too much money and lets see how it works. I live in a Condo and dont have to do the snow removal, but there are times you want to do it. This was so much fun, it works just like a regular snow blower and it takes the snow right down to the drive way, I would recomend this item to any one who has just walks or decks to do, it worked great on the drive way but does take time. But most of all it was FUN..............$LABEL$1 +One of the best wheel cleaners out there....PERIOD.. I used this product for the very first time this weekend (March 1, 08) and was VERY impressed with the results. I followed the bottle's directions, and I DID use a soft bristle brush to agitate the cleaner. The Hot Rims Wheel Cleaner dissolved ALL of the brake dust and road grime on my car's alloy wheels with EASE. Other products have left spots here and there, but this made short work of cleaning my wheels and left them with a sparkling shine. Try this product, you WILL like it.$LABEL$1 +so-so a pre-teens reveiw. i think this book just okay. i mean it was clever and funny, but one thing really pushed my buttons: the author could not decide if it was a fantasy or realistic fic. like, sometimes he portrayed her as a mystical, magical, majestic being from some sort of fifth dimension galaxy, but most of the time she was another unique teen struggling with high school issues like boy friends, popularity, and peer pressure.$LABEL$0 +Good Buy. This comforter set is very expensive looking and made of excellent qauality materials. For the price this is a steal. Highly reccomend$LABEL$1 +Great for storytelling!. When I was in high school I was in Forensics, which is a after school program in which one category that you could compete was storytelling. If I had this book then I would of surely done well. That aside, my 6 month old loves this book. She smiles really big every time I start to read it. I also love to read it everyday. I would highly recommend this book!$LABEL$1 +Broke after one night. Volume control stopped working the morning after we unpacked it. Now it works only on high, with lots of static. I wasn't expecting much sound quality at this price point, but this product is ridiculously shoddy.$LABEL$0 +Works Great. Bought this to use with a printer and printer switch--seems to works well--no problems yet.$LABEL$1 +Bad versions of good songs.... TSIA. This album contains some of Phish's finest songs in their career. Such wonderful tunes as "REBA" and "squirming coil" which are a delight to hear live are here rendered as lifeless, unfocused, energyless rot. Now I have a feeling that I may get some flack for this someday but can anyone who has heard any of these songs live truly say that the studio tracks come even close? PHISH's first two albums are dull, musaky, and low-energy, partially because they hadn't figred out how to use a studio yet, they just tried to recreate their live performance. If only they had learned what they learned by "billy breathes" and applied it to the songs on this album, the album woudl be outstanding, but the result here is almost unlistenable. Check out the bootlegs for the real stuff, kids.$LABEL$0 +It's a lawnmower blade. It fits. It cuts. It seeems well balanced. It's a lawnmower blade. I'm not very excited about this one if you can't tell.$LABEL$1 +"Do you want to live?" "I want to dance.". Never seen Moira in anything before, but I loved her in this. This film has it all: romance, tragedy, comedy...a bit bizarre at times but wonderful nonetheless.$LABEL$1 +Great stuff for your Xbox 360. A great TV for anyone looking to get a low cost HD image for Xbox 360 gaming.Pros:Solid image qualityGreat sound (Virtual Dolby)Easy setupPriceCons:Basic featuresDoesn't remember your settingsIn conclusion, for what it is and for the money this is a great buy.$LABEL$1 +Awesome Detox Product. Recommend this be used with the Ultra Clear Renew. It goes deep to clear the body overall of toxic materials.$LABEL$1 +Fun story, great jokes!. Like Alladin this Disney video captivates both young and old! The jokes are obviously geared at the adults, but the animation and story are clearly for the young at heart! My two year old loves it, and laughs at the antics of the lama!$LABEL$1 +Best of the best. Most of the really great harp players are dead and he was one of the very best. Harpers are still trying to figure out what he was doing with some of his licks!$LABEL$1 +TALES FOR A JEWISH INDIAN. One of the strangest nuances of this book is Ed Eagle, who everyone seems to think is a Native American, but as we learn later, he is really a Jew and was accepted as an Indian because of his basketball prowess. Okay, Mr. Woods, that's original. Too bad the rest of the novel isn't quite so fresh; but indeed SANTA FE RULES manages to weave an involving, if somewhat hard to believe tale.Anyone who's read a great deal of mystery novels will see the truth in this novel very early on. Woods does manage to throw in a neat twist at the end, but it only enhances what an astute reader will have already figured out.Woods writes like a screenwriter; much of his narrative would transfer well to the big screen. A little faster pacing would have enhanced the book as well. But if you're in the mood for a superflous but highly entertaining read, SANTA FE RULES delivers.$LABEL$1 +Yes Veronica, there is a good guitar record this year.. Dweezil Zappa's "Automatic" is stunning not only for its diversity and musicianship, but also for being able to surprise you again and again as you get more familiar with it. Many of the songs seem to open up after a few listens and there's some wonderful guitar playing here. Dweezil's brother Ahmet, who is underrated and a terribly good vocalist, sings on "You're a Mean One Mister Grinch", and Lisa Loeb makes an appearance as a secretary in "Dick Cinnamon's Office." Blues Saraceno, Mike Keneally and others play on the record also. Coming out on Steve Vai's record label Favored Nations, it's no surprise that it's a brilliant record from a guitar point of view, and you won't tire of it quickly. Highly recommended. This is Dweezil's best record yet, possibly typing with Z's "Shampoohorn"!$LABEL$1 +Lose 30 Pounds in 30 days; Weight loss secrets they don't want you to know about. I loved this CD. I listened to it twice and took notes. They make lots of sense and are things that conclude with other books I have read. I strongly agree with everything in here. I would recommend this to everyone. Not just people trying to lose weight but for general good health.$LABEL$1 +Intelligent and rewarding.. Intelligent due to the intriguing nature of the story which keeps you wondering. I won't spoil anything here but I thought it was brilliant.Rewarding because Christina Ricci is naked in it a lot and also resembles a dead person, enough said.$LABEL$1 +Rollicking analysis of an S&L's collapse. James Shea adopts a twangy vernacular to skewer the inflation and deflation of Don Dixon's Texas savings and loan. Dixon took advantage of deregulation and profited handsomely. Whether it was intentional fraud or opportunism is up to the reader to decide, but the book is written like a summer detective novel. It's better than so much of the hack work out there, and it's true! I recommend this in addition to "Funny Money" by Mark Singer.$LABEL$1 +May make you very itchy!. If you have sensitive skin, this detergent could make you very itchy. I normally use Free and Clear All. My wife brought this home a few days ago. The first load of my clothes I did in it lit my skin up - no visible rashes really, just made my skin burn a bit and feel like bugs crawling all over me, especially in my facial hair and scalp where I touch with my hands.Beware of this if you have or if others in your house have sensitive skin. Residue can stay behind in the washer/dryer and it will affect others if they have sensitive skin even if they use a different detergent.$LABEL$0 +Just Can't Cut It !. I was drawn to this book title because I have been collecting some wonderful fabrics that have large designs and I have seen some beautiful quilts displayed in my local quilt shop that made use of these large patterned fabrics. By buying this book, I get several patterns at a cost far less than buying the individual patterns from the quilt shop. I am especially interested in using Asian fabrics and there are 2 quilts pictured in the book that make use of these fabrics. I can't wait to get started on some masterpieces of my own$LABEL$1 +you better sit down. I didn't like it as much as XO at first. It seemed a bit too lo-fi, but after many listens, it revealed itself to me. His songs just open up. The storytelling is so vivid and the emotion so intense, you can't keep away. When you hum Elliott Smith songs, it's not just because of catchy melodies. I am in love with the songs on this album. "Ballad of Big Nothing" is the best song recorded this decade. GET THIS ALBUM.$LABEL$1 +One Star Is Too Much For This Awful Album. I am going to summerize my feelings about this album in ONE word: UGH! Trust me, this is terrible! Don't even bother. If someone tries to sell this to you RUN, don't look back, RUN fast! It's really bad rock/metal from a band that should've called themselves C.R.A.P. instead of T.S.O.L.$LABEL$0 +Spaghetti western collection. I'm sorry but I thought the image quality was much better. Instead it looks like the movie has been filmed by an old mobile phone in a cinema. I am disappointed.I have some of them in a single dvd issue (nothing to do with this new MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT version) and they are much much better.What's the point in producing something so cheap (in price and quality) if at the end you can't stand the vision of it?Sorry for being so strict but I really wish I could to return them all back to you.(Unfortunately I bought several collections of these ...uncooked spaghetti!)Thanks for asking.Max$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. I agree with the other disappointed review. The rainbow didn't curve, the dolphins didn't stand up, and the pool kept deflating (obviously a hole in it). Too much work for a nice sunny day when I just want to go out and play with my toddler, not work while my toddler plays. I'm going back to a standard plastic pool after this experience.$LABEL$0 +Not an accurate representation of the Leo Frank trial. There were some issues getting this DVD to work properly that I never experienced before with other DVDs. I have heard others say there were some possible defects with it missing portions of the miniseries and so forth. I was finally able to get it to work and what I saw was appalling. This miniseries makes a grotesque mockery of history and what really happened at the Leo Frank trial. Dozens of people did not stand up in the middle of the trial and start singing with the result of the trial coming to a screeching halt. This miniseries about the Leo Frank case is one of the most racist, prejudiced, dishonest, slanderous and defamatory treatments against Southerners ever produced.$LABEL$0 +Agenda science. Sociologists are normally very meticulous about how they design and conduct surveys and interviews. I found the questions the author posed to be unclear and subject to criticism, or to alternative interpretation. The individual quotations from adults who experienced divorce as a child have a complex underpinning that deserves further analysis: I suspect that many of these respondents are synthesizing an experience, sort of "making the best of a bad history." In any case, I don't think this book does more than try to substantiate further the theory of good divorce by interpreting grown children's responses to the best advantage of that theory. Not convincing.$LABEL$0 +Duhh.... Well,another album from Hatebreed,and what can I say?nice guitars,simple,but good,drums are poor,but neat...but what da F**K is wrong with th vocals? I mean,give me a break,please...listening to that guy gives me a big headache,he simply never changes is tone of voice!!!Anyway,there are much better stuff to listen to...spend your time listening good metal...old or Nu,doesent matter,there are great bands,but please,not HateBreed$LABEL$0 +A tiny, useless piece of junk for everything but toast. The oven part of this thing is so small that you can barely fit in anything worth heating up. If you don't use the tray and try to heat up a hot dog, say, be careful, because odds are the hotdog will roll of the back of the wire rack (which has nothing in its rear to stop things from falling off) and into the very bottom of the machine, where it will be an enormous pain to get out again.It toasts fine. That's about it.Go for something bigger, something better designed, something that doesn't make you want to throw it from the top of a very high building.$LABEL$0 +Way, way diluted -- not resemble photo. Take the citra-solv in the photo (the orange citra-solv we fell in love with), fill a bottle one-third with it, then add 2/3 water and voila -- the current citra-solve. WAY WAY more diluted. Not even orange as in the photo but a pale yellow. Shame on you, Citra-solve.$LABEL$0 +A great item. The ultimate item for grandchildren to watch. It provides countless hours of great entertainment and a reason to go see Grandma and Grandpa.$LABEL$1 +Snow Flower. although I do not own this disc, i have heard the song "Hana no Yuki" ( Snow flower) and it is lovely. buy it if you like nice music. Mika Nakashima has a sweet voice, most enchanting.$LABEL$1 +Microsoft Streets & Trips. Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008I have used this product for years, but I had to return it because it could'nt be activated by Microsoft. After installing I couln'tget the requied code because it wouln't load and show the code. I triedreinstalling to no avail. I'm still using the 2007 version. Does anyone know of a soloution? Microsoft site was of no help.$LABEL$0 +Good Buy for 13.99. I bought this movie set for 13.99 which is good buy for the price. Good quality for the price and enjoyed them.$LABEL$1 +interesting!. This book treats all aspects of owning a cat and is beautifully illustrated (with many, many photographs). Addresses many common and not so common issues and is an ideal jumping off point for looking into a specific point in depth.$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointed. I was very disappointed with this book. Much of the info I needed was missing. It was big let down. I felt warned off and talked down to. I want to race not be warned I could ruin my engine, I know that. I want to really make power not just bolt parts on.$LABEL$0 +NOT for SENTRIA. This product may fit other Kirby vacuums, but it most certainly does not fit the sentria model. I returned this item with ease, but am disappointing. Do not advertise a product as compatible if it is not. NOT FOR KIRBY SENTRIA!!!$LABEL$0 +review of "Atlantis, the Lost Continent". it was great. haven't seen it since i was a kid 40 years ago. great to be able to get this kind of stuff. wish it was available on dvd instead of just vhs.$LABEL$1 +DuWop Revolotion. it gets streaky. i didnt really like this product. i suggest buying the cosmedicine tinted moisturizer.$LABEL$0 +This book doesn't tell you too much. This was not a very informative book. I thought there were a lot of good ideas and a lot of different concepts brought out in it, however the author did not go into very much detail on any of the subjects. I thought it was also a little disorganized, the author seemed to delight in making the reader skip from section to section. I would keep looking for another book, this one is a definite one star.$LABEL$0 +new ms office. It is very different from 2003. If you don't like icons and ribbons, stick with the old. It just takes some getting used to and there are some nice features (compatibility mode is one of them).$LABEL$1 +stable and nice size. Theproduct was light and works well. The steps are deep enough for my dog to use them comfortably. Easy installation$LABEL$1 +this book is not for the average person. This book was assigned to me as a reading for a book review in my cultural anthropology class at Mississippi State University. I thought that this book was a difficult one to read because the layout was hard to follow. The names began to get jumbled by the fourth chapter. The story line could be good if it was brought to the audience in a more typical and easy to read format. Less rambling on and on would be great. I have never read a book that took half a page to describe a creek...it would have been ok if the book was about the stream but it wasn't it was about like 50 people and eachof their life stories...It stunk!!$LABEL$0 +A outstanding wireless controller. The Wavebird is, by far, the best wireless countroller out there. With 16(yes, 16) different channels, you can be sure that there won't be any outside interference. In addition, the Wavebird has a claimed 20 feet range, but mine can go well over 40. Dispite all this, the Wavebird still has an ample 100 hours of battery life. Being a casual gamer, My Wavebird has lasted me from September to mid-March and still going on strong. For those who complain about the lack of rumble, know this: vibrations require a motor which sucks up battery power like nobody's business. So unless you want it to have a 20 minute battery life, quit your yapping.Recommended at the highest level.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't work with all table tops.. We can't use this at our table!! Our table has a support that runs along close to the edges that drops the clearance by about 3 inches. This is not a problem when you are sitting on a chair but when you use the booster seat there is only an inch or two for our son's legs to fit through and it will not work. I guess this would be a problem with any booster seat but still - it would have been nice to know. So the booster seat we bought is sitting in the living room right now and getting no use whatsoever. We can use it at our outdoor table which has a tabletop that extends out past all the supports but at this point our 20 month old would rather sit on a regular chair even if his shoulders barely clear the table. I think I will just use a phonebook when he needs a boost.$LABEL$1 +Not much to "Touch and Feel". If you are looking for a book to offer your child textures to feel, this is probably not the best book for you. The book is actually more about animals than a garden and the textures are very small. The colorful pictures are nice.$LABEL$0 +Loved it!. Oy, did I love this video. Like you wouldn't believe. Buy it and watch it with your mother. Or HER mother. Or by yourself. You'll laugh. You'll jump for joy. You'll feel like a WINNER.$LABEL$1 +Customer Service. I have got a very good and prompt service and response from Amazon for the book ordered.$LABEL$1 +not useful for me. I found the diagrams in this book difficult to follow, and it didn't contain some words I wanted to learn, while it did contain some I would be unlikely ever to need. Also, the signs are NOT ASL but Signed English. However, I have seen other books in this series at the bookstore, and I might buy the ones on food or school. This book, however, I didn't keep.$LABEL$0 +good book. good book, Interesting read from a good author. Fast flowing and found interesting , would recommended it to all readers$LABEL$1 +iTalk = Handy VOICE Recorder. The iTalk recorder makes very adequate voice recordings on my 3G 40 Gig iPod. I've had no problems with freezing (or any performance issues). Before using iTalk, I read all of the reviews, and following the helpful suggestions from other users, I've had good recordings from the first.What's terrific about iTalk is that you can organize your recordings in iTunes. As another user mentioned, you can create playlists of related recordings that can later be burned to CD-Rom.Two drawbacks for me are the volume level of iTalk's speaker, which I find too low for adequate playback even at top volume on my iPod, and the lack of a carrying case to protect and identify the iTalk in my purse.Would I buy again? Absolutely. Would I recommend? Without reservation.$LABEL$1 +Yoanimal. These are great the way they are made with the holes punched this way. They fit fight over the screws and with a small piece of tape they are good to go. They should send some small plastic clips for this feature.$LABEL$1 +Another argentinian is doing great!. This seems to be the age of the great argentinian tenors! Apart from Cura, Marcelo Alvarez is gaining recognition for himself because he has a beautiful lyric tenor voice with shinning top notes and exquisite phrasing. I love this CD, the repertoire is chosen with great care, specially the Favorita, Duca d'Alba and Puritani arias, all sung beautifully. Highly reccomended. Maybe Marcelo will be considered to record I Puritani with Ruth Ann Swenson (wouldnt that be great?).$LABEL$1 +Uplifting. This is the book to read on monday mornings to get you in the right frame of mind for the week. Read a few pages and go out and face the world knowing you can win.Rich Fox$LABEL$1 +Compact Disc Player/Recorder. I've only had this item for about a week, but it has performed very satisfactorily during that time. My suggestion for improvement would be that the remote should be able to turn the player/recorder on and off. Also, I have other Sony products and this item is similar in that it's operation is far more complex than similar items made by other companies. I think that is because Sony consistently tries to include every concieveable function in their products. However, after reading the manual several times, I think I've learned the system. I'll review it again though before attempting to do any recording.$LABEL$1 +Good movie but not great. This wasn't one of Winnie the Pooh's best but it was still enjoyable. Price was right and delivilery was on time.$LABEL$1 +psp travel charger. fast service was going on a trip and it arrived the day before I left. Great service$LABEL$1 +The Corrections. ...P>At first, I laughed a lot and thought the book was funny, entertaining and well-written. However, after about 200 pages, I became a little confused and a lot bored. What is the greatness this book manifests, I wondered. The writing ceased to be entertaining. The characters began to seem extremely foolish and unbelievable to me. The peculiar juxtaposition of dates and time seemed arbitrary and unnecessary.I still don't understand why so many publications whose reviewers I usually respect think this is such a great piece of writing. In reality, I think a great hoax has just been perpetrated on us poor unsuspecting readers. I DID read to the end but I'm not recommending this book to any of my reader friends.$LABEL$0 +Only works with a Windows OS. FYI - this device only works with computers running Windows software. If you run Linux - well, move along...nothing to see here...I contacted D-Link about the drivers, and there are no plans to make Linux drivers for this equipment.Note: I own and use other D-Link hardware. This was disappointing because it is not made clear that Windows is a requirement.$LABEL$0 +Useless - 5 year olds can't push buttons. We bought this for our 5 year old twins for Christmas. I thought the rubber jelly coating would make them durable -- it does -- but it covers the push-to-talk buttons making it impossible for a child to press the buttons and tricky for adults too. Even when the buttons are pressed to talk, the reception is full of static. Very dissappointed.$LABEL$0 +Good for a religious book. "For Christmas and bows,"Winter coats and a sled,"To say, 'I love you,'"God made red."Each of the seven colors in this book (white, pink, yellow, blue, green, orange, red, in that order), a Thomas Kinkade painting with the color featured prominantly and a verse similar to the one above is presented. Each verse ends in, "God made..."If you are looking for a book with religious overtones to introduce colors, this one is charming.$LABEL$0 +Don't buy it. Ours broke apart after about 2 years. It's made of cheap plastic and just painted chrome, it's hard to get many average cans to align properly (this was an annoying problem the whole time), and I would not buy it again nor recommend it. Not worth the price and not well built. Try another brand.$LABEL$0 +Satisfied customer..... The product was just as represented. I am a satisfied customer. This product replaced one I was already taking. The comparison came up to expectations.$LABEL$1 +Video: Peanuts. The video was in excellent condition, and the adults as well as the kids loved watching it. The PRICE was great, too. Buy it - it's worth it!!$LABEL$0 +Misleading picture. Okay, the product itself is good. HOWEVER, the picture is completely misleading. The picture shows a plastic bag with the white pads that are almost as big as the bag... What I got was a big plastic bag with the pads maybe... a third of the size.... You can't even see the pads because they were on the bottom of the plastic bag. It is absolutely not worth the money and a complete waste of the plastic bag! So not eco-friendly. Why would they need to put such a small tiny product in a huge plastic bag?? If you want to get the exact same product, I recommend you get All Living Things Fluff N' Snuggle Cotton Nesting Material from Petsmart. It is MUCH cheaper and you actually get more product!! (I got this because I needed a few more dollars to get free shipping). Don't waste your money on this. I am very disappointed.$LABEL$0 +AWESOME. Bought three for use at church. After months of use all still work, no problems with them. Definitely worth the money. Finger loop comes in handy.$LABEL$1 +Bought 3, all 3 are bad. I bought these to use as printer cables. I plugged this cable into a brand new HP OfficeJet 6500A AiO printer. Prints ok, but refuses to scan. I try a different brand 6' cable. Everything works fine. I try the other 2 Cables To Go 13400's that I bought. Exactly the same failure.$LABEL$0 +What kind of reviews are these???. I wanted an axe that I could not only throw but could also chop trees and trim shooting lanes when I need to. I was to be using it at the deer lease mostly. I chose this one due to its good reviews but honestly the ppl who reviewed it have no idea what their talking about. The cheap metal blade comes sharp and the shipping is extremely fast but the blade bends and breaks with normal wear and tear. It's cheap metal. As far a throwing it is concerned... Don't even bother. I broke 2 of them in less than an hour. The handles are cheaply made and break easily. I've had plastic forks that were more durable. The best use is to mount it over the fire place and hope that all the weight from the dust doesn't break it.$LABEL$0 +False Overlord, Ture Hero. 1. Not a roam free style Action-RPG, just a eady liner action adventure.2. The single-player mode is a solid work , but multiplayer is very lag due to too many minions on the screen.3. the Minions are cute and fun, but its auto camera angle is not some smart when you need control Overload and Minions at the same time.4. the level riddle is easy.$LABEL$1 +Not Efective!!!. I spend hours trying to clean my lenses, no luck.Used the brush and then the carbon mat, just to realize that i have to brush again, and again, and again.Useless !!!!$LABEL$0 +Gone already. Already lost this unit. The technique to hold it on your belt need serious work because I already lost it walking. It seemed to work ok for the short time I had it but it's a poor design cause it is supposed to measure your walking steps, etc. and it fell off somewhere I was walking. Won't buy another of these. Needs a strap in addition to the clip (like a surfboard strap) to prevent the customer from loosing it right off.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful old movie.. Very pleased with this movie. Stars Academy Award winner Geraldine Page. The special feature is interesting too. Story about how a little old lady outwits her evil daughter-in-law to go home one last time. Very watchable.$LABEL$1 +Regenery! Oh what a surprise!. Oh my! Another insta-book from a radical conservative bobblehead that parrots all of the talking points from the insta-books of all the other radical conservative bobbleheads! (Really, without the pictures on the cover, could you tell if it was Laura Ingramn Ann Coulter, or Michelle Malkin who was the author?) Who could be the publisher? Why, Regenery! Wow! Well, they're still in business, so they either have a good sugar daddy or the same thousand people on the mailing list buy every book they publish. Bully for them. The rest of you, don't waste your money. If you really want to sample Malkin's Mania, go to her website. She says everything she does in the book, but you save your $$$.$LABEL$0 +lets go down now..into the darkness. i already had this ALL done and accidently closed out of it SO im not rewriting it again...Life On Standby: 3/5Dissolve And Decay: 3/5Niki FM: 5/5 TOP 5 FAVOURITEThe Transistion: 3/5Blue Burns Orange: 4.5/5 TOP 5 FAVOURITESilver Bullet: 4/5 TOP 5 FAVOURITEScreenwriting An Apology: 5/5 TOP 5 FAVOURITEOhio Is For Lovers: 5/5 FAVOURITE SONGSandpaper And Silk: 4/5Speeding Up The Octaves: 4/5yea, great CD, love it!$LABEL$1 +No interest.. Couldn't hold my interest. Just didn't want me to get any more. The mystery wasn't there. Just not my type of book.$LABEL$0 +Superb addition to your Rozz/Christian Death catalog.. The recording is from Rozz's tour of Europe in support of Daucus Karota, and features several recordings that unfortunately Rozz never took into the studio for a potential commercial release. Rozz is emotive and powerful throughout the performance, so it is definately a worthy addition for any fan. The music is more rock-oriented than dark and melancholy. The sound quality slightly pales in comparison to the Triple X Records release, "Iconologia", and the deletion of the Christian Death songs performed during this show is a disappointment. The aforementioned as of yet unreleased tracks more than make-up for the glaring omissions in the recording, so I definately recommend picking this one up!$LABEL$1 +Cary, Cary, Cary . . .. How does he do it? Well, he becomes a dad but not in the usual way! Good family story and teaches lessons on raising kids - whether they are yours or someone elses! lol$LABEL$1 +Not satisfied with labeling on product or results. I am not pleased with the results of having used this product. I have taken for nearly a month with no good results. Also the product listings on the container are not clear and not specifically listed as to just what the product contains. Would not purchase again and I am sorry I purchased 2 bottles of this product.$LABEL$0 +It's 1/4th the price of OEM sensor and worked like a charm!. My 2001 Lexus IS300 has four oxygen sensors and so far three of them have been replaced with this Denso sensor model over a period of two years and they are all working perfectly! A Toyota/Lexus performance shop (not a dealership) in Liberty, NC, installed each for the minimum one hour labor charge. So basically, I bought this aftermarket sensor from Amazon *and* had it installed by someone who knew what they were doing for less than what the Lexus dealership wanted for the OEM sensor alone.$LABEL$1 +Purchased books being deleted. I was interested in buying a Kindle, up until the news today that Amazon remotely deleted books from users Kindles.Quote from Amazon customer service: "The Kindle edition books Animal Farm by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) & Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase. When this occured, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available. Although a rarity, publishers can decide to pull their content from the Kindle store."I won't buy this device up until this policy is reversed and I'm assured that the books I buy are actually under my ownership and control without a third party remotely deleting them akin to someone breaking into my house and taking the books from my bookshelf.$LABEL$0 +Caution. I purchased it and used it just once to make a puree and just after 15 minutes tried using it again and it was dead. It was not working at all. I saw BLACK AND DECKER and purchased it.It is most unreliable.$LABEL$0 +So...So. It looks good, but has some draw backs like1. Music is irritating2. Can not decrease volume below certain level.3. Screen (actual display)is too short.4. Display back ground should be with fluorescent color.5. It should be provided with AC adoptor$LABEL$0 +For a hard-to-please man. As always, Nautica is a great reliable brand name. Although slightly different then in the picture, I would say that it was like a navy heather color as appose to a solid, but great quality, My son will were it!$LABEL$1 +NOT WORTH IT!. I took this back the day after i bought it! It was worthless. It was so hard to get the water in the babies mouth, and even the, the baby would not pee the water out. It just sat in the stomach. How gross is that? Can we say MOLD issues here! It also comes with a very small potty for the baby, and i have seen bigger "more sturdy" ones out there. I am going to buy another one that TALKS and says "mommy, pee-pee" and it is magnetic on the babies back and on the potty, so it only pee's when the baby touches the potty.Seriously, dont waste your 10.00. You will just take it back or upgrade anyways.$LABEL$0 +Nice Surprise. I really didn't know what to expect when I started to watch "Book of Lore" but I was pleasantly surprised. Director Chris LaMartina pulls out all of the stops with this intriguing tale of horror that unfolds just like a Stephen King novel. A cast of unknowns turn in credible performances and even though it is low budget, it takes a hold of you and doesn't let go. It was nearly two hours long but it deserved its length. Character and plot development was essential in making it work. If you're a horror buff, don't miss this. The twists and turns are top notch and the collage of music and sound effects are weaved in very nicely. 4 stars. I haven't watched the second feature (Grave Mistake) yet. I'll reveiew it separately.$LABEL$1 +Very Fast Shipping. Very fast shipping, 2 days. Stores don't carry this brand usually b/c it's an older model but my wife loves it so this is perfect.$LABEL$1 +Great book.. We've had this about a week and my boy (he's 5) takes it everywhere with him, to read in case there's a slow moment in whatever it is we are doing. I can't tell you what makes it appealing for him, but he understands and retains what he has read, and it carries him way beyond his customary attention span.$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY. I bought this Hard Drive to back up a older Hard Drive. All I have to say is that this is the biggest waist of money that I have ever spent money on. Fist off the accrual piece of equipment is not bad. It worked for about 30 days then the USB port broke!! I cant use it I even bought eSATA cords and adapter for my computer! second the customer service at Seagate is by far the worst that I have ever dealt with. they have no way of fixing this it is not covered in the warranty and if they were smart obviously they are not they would sell the little adapter that comes of separately so people can buy them. I have read other reviews about the same problem. it seems that this happens more then just once so be warned. Go with a WD or something else.$LABEL$0 +PC-Cillin 2007 will slow down your PC/Laptop to a crawl!. Absolutely kills my PC's and laptops (typically a 2.2Ghz CPU with 2GB of RAM) with a process named PcScnSrv.exe alone using over 85% of CPU continually, and 120 MB+ memory, just for this process. Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security 2007 is terrible. I've used PC-Cillin since version 2003, and until this version it has been a good product. Even 2006 was fine. 2007 is a bomb, so do not purchase it or upgrade it. Just delete your registry keys for Trend and reinstall your 2006 version, and you will be better off, until Trend Micro fixes this disastrous problem. I've been working with technical support every day (the "Customer Escalation Team") since 04/05/2007, with no end in sight so far, and it is now 06/04/2007!$LABEL$0 +Not for all day wear. I (like many others) use the radios when riding my snowboard.The sound quality can't be faulted, both sending and receiving are crystal clear (and now private). Wearing it all day you can now hear when people are paging you, not just when standing in line.Now the bad; the build quality should be questioned, the speaker inside the earbod rattles around in mine, and the "PTT" button is difficult to press when wearing gloves. The earbud's a little big for my ear, and isn't as comfortable as it could be (although it fits under my helmet fine).The other problem I've had with this is that it pops out of the headphone jack on the radio with annoying regularity. I've solved this with duct tape, which isn't pretty but it is functional....$LABEL$0 +Overrated. The entire book could have been distilled down to one or two useful pages. A typical example of the author's predilection to stating the obvious in expert-speak: "Generally children will send discernible non-verbal signals when they are ready to end a conversation with an adult. They often begin to stare off into space or become silly. It is time to end the exchange."And then there are the self-promoting anecdotes such as, "It is encouraging to meet alumni from the 90's who had been exposed to intense social skill instruction during their high school years. Their conversational entrees are far more appropriate and effective: 'How are Mrs. Lavoie, Christian, Danny and Meggi?' 'How long will you be in the area?' 'How are things on Cape Cod?'"If you can bring yourself to wade through the superfluous chit chat and you've never read anything on this subject before, it may be worth buying used.$LABEL$0 +A classic performance. I have owned and enjoyed the VHS format of this performance for several years. I gladly would have replaced it with the DVD, but I understand there are no subtitles. That is truly inexcusable since they are there in the VHS. Nevertheless, the performance is grand in every sense of the word. The death scene as done by Nesterenko is absolutely breathtaking. I actually prefer the Mussorgsky version (Kirov/Gergiev) for many reasons, but I am still very happy to own this one.$LABEL$1 +Typical Washington. The book starts out OK--and some of the concepts are impressive considering it was written in a pre 9/11 world. Then it seems like the author runs out of things to say and the tone of the book shifts. The second half reads more like a memoir and its purpose is to name drop. Yawn!$LABEL$0 +Should have read reviews first. I should have read the reviews first. This game came fast and quick but does not show up on my ps2. It shows up as error on my ps2. I just wish I read the reviews first before I bought this game.$LABEL$0 +Carter deminished. Carter's book brings to mind of how can you trust his judgement? During his presidency, he sent some brave men on a suicide mission to rescue the hostages. The equipment they were given was not designed to be used over a desert climate. Some of the men paid with their lives, but Carter lives on. If these men had reached Tehran, what were they going to do, knock on doors? I get the impression that his innocent smile is lethal.$LABEL$0 +Book for school. This is a book i got for my history class at san jose city college it is really good book.$LABEL$1 +Softer then expected, but still good.. Significant Other was good, but I expected it to be better. Three Dollar Bill (The first album), was a hard hitting album that rocked all the way through. This one still rocks, but it seems like it gets softer in the middle of the songs, especially during the chorus. However Significant Other is a much deeper and much better written album then the first. Excellent tracks on this CD are "Just Like This", "N 2 Gether Now", "Show Me What You Got", "No Sex", and of course the smash hit, "Nookie".$LABEL$1 +Terribly converted e-book format. I couldn't get past the first 5 chapters in this book due to the number of typos and poor translation. As soon as I'd begin to be immersed in the story a string of typos would trip me up and frustrate me. Often times I'd find myself re-reading a paragraph more than once to try and figure out what was being said because of the bad translation. This is certainly not a Wordsworth e-book conversion! You're better off just buying the book instead of this.$LABEL$0 +A Must Have For Your Property With Large Trees. I enjoy gardening and try to do everything myself. I have a Acre of land with alot of mature trees and was never able to prune the lower 15-20 feet. Every 2 years I had to hire someone at a cost of several hundred dollars. No more, the Pruning Stick does a beautiful job. Its very well built and it cuts like butter. I love it. Now I'm able to do it myself and prune all the trees the exact length I want.I must add I have not tried the saw included with the Pruning Stick since I also purchased American Gardeners Yardsaw, but have not used it yet.$LABEL$1 +Encore encore. I have listened to a lot of dead material. This collection is perhaps the livliest. Very good blend of tunes. Lot of music here for the money. All around great listening. Good for a new Dead fan to experience.$LABEL$1 +Good, but not good enough. Liner fits bathtub niceline and is easy to inflate. Colorful and does the job but can only be used if your baby is a "sitter" in the tub and doesn't try to pull up on the tub sides as the cushion doesn't go all the way to the top, much less over the top of the tub at all. Would be so much better if it extended up a little over the top of the tub wall.Also, suction cups are large but don't hold to the rounded corners of the tub at all, so comes off and floats up during every bath. Not using it anymore...$LABEL$0 +Dissapointed. I was excited to see this show until it would not load onto my computer. I know that I don't have the latest model, but its not that old.$LABEL$0 +Small wang. As I have a very small wang, I needed this cable to boost my mojo with the ladies and it worked.$LABEL$0 +Fun disco music. Music can be serious, but it doesn't have to be serious all the time. Baccara, with their European accents, their sexy voices and their lightweight songs, made disco music that was never meant to be taken seriously. Their music was pure fun, and never meant to be anything else. If anybody doubted that, listen to their cover of Yummy yummy yummy. It was a silly song when first recorded by the Ohio Express in the sixties and sounds every bit as silly by Baccara, but it suits them.Baccara topped the British charts in the late seventies with Yes sir I can boogie. The follow-up, Sorry I'm a lady, provided them with a top ten hit. These are the best tracks here, though The devil sent you to Laredo, Parles-vous Francais and their covers of La bamba and Can't help falling in love are also wonderful.Baccara did not make music that could be called essential, but they had a style all their own that provides a refreshing change from more serious music.$LABEL$1 +Save your money.... on this dance movie. It was a complete waste. I didn't like it. The movie had no flow. Buy the first one it's a million times better.$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I doubt if I will use this product very much. I ordered this money clip/credit card clip with the thought that it would eliminate the need to carry a wallet on certain occasions. I was very disappointed with this product.First of all, the clip is bulky and the corners of the watch are sharp. When I reach into my pocket to get the clip out, I stab my fingers with the corners of the watch. Also, you must carry a minimum of five credit cards or they will slide out of the holder that they fit in. I have had a couple of money clip watches in the past and have been very satisfied with them. I am very disappointed with this product.$LABEL$0 +Shotgun Bride. From the back cover:BACKWOODS BEAUTYHallie Benteen would never have guessed that the man who lay beside her was Ritter Sloane -- Wyoming's most notorioius gunslinger...HANDSOME HELLIONHe'd come to throw the Benteen family off their land, Instead, he saved Hallie's life...SHOTGUN BRIDECarrying her from an icy snowdrift to the warmth of her bed, he revived her the only practical way: body heat. And for that he awoke to the cold metal of a shotgun and an ultimatum by Hallie's three strapping brothers: marry her or else! Now a marriage hardly made in heaven took off in a blaze of clashing desires ... where the simple words "I do" sparked a tumultuous passion -- an untamed love as wild and hungry as their own tempestuous hearts!My Review:I loved this book. It was very fast paced and entertaining. The Benteen family was a hoot! I'm gonna have to look for the sequel Runaway Bride now.$LABEL$1 +Doesn't fit the Senseo Delux. Hard to load, messy, and most of all DOES NOT FIT properly when used with Senseo Delux.Don't waist your money.$LABEL$0 +Good ride. I just purchased a Revmaster to spin at home and looked at all the DVD's out there to use, and chose this one and another one. I am so glad I did. I love the options of intervals, hills, flat roads, and the option of picking and choosing which ride you want to put together, and the option of the intensity. Mindy is very precise in her explanation of what she is doing and offers you choices. Very knowledgeable instructor. One minor detail, and please forgive me for the negative comment, but she does talk a lot, sometimes good, sometimes not. Other than that, I love it and never get bored because it offers so many mix and match options.$LABEL$1 +Waste of $20 - get the Krups. My Braun died after a few years of good service. I went with Mr Coffee, but will get a Krups after just a couple of weeks. Not worth the effort to return it so I will eat the $20. This is why I dislike it: the green leds do not shutoff, you have to unplug it; after you grind the coffee and try to empty it, a lot is left stuck on the bottom; the 'grind' button sometimes sticks, and you think it is broken; it is taller than my old Braun and is somewhat unwieldy. Don't need any issues with a grinder, just want it to be quick and easy.$LABEL$0 +The worst movie I've ever seen. I think that it was obvious by the trailers alone that this was going to be a horrible movie anyway, and that's why I didn't bother going to the theaters to see it like most of my friends. I waited until it was on HBO, and I have to say that it was the most painful 80 minutes I've ever spent in front of a television screen. The entire cast is absolutely horrible, once again proving that as long as you have a pretty face you don't need to have a teaspoon's worth of talent to be in the movies. The movie follows the "She's All That" format pretty closely, and every time it tries to go into another movie it only confuses the viewer more. My advice? Go to the dentist and ask to have four of your teeth drilled at once. Even that is better than sitting through this pile of garbage.$LABEL$0 +smoke'em if ya got'em. the johnny hartman john coltrane band collabration from the first note creates an atmosphere of a smokey bar with ice clinking in glasses as patrons talk in hushed tones as hartman waxes smooth as glass on vocals and the band is restrained but wonderful......not trying to overshadow hartman but letting you know that they are special to..and special they are as a who's who with elvin jones on drums johhy griffith on bass and mccoy tyner on piano...$LABEL$1 +le cerveau. un film agreable plein d'humour avec jean paul Belmondo, bourville, ectun film pour toute la famille, et pour certain? des souvenirs?$LABEL$1 +PLEASE! Re-release this product using another producer. He Mr. producer: learn something from the real fans: NEVER interrupt songs in a video again. I can't enjoy it now. Without this it would be a 4 or 5 star DVD. Too bad...$LABEL$0 +Really?. A one-star review. Really? Have you never seen "Casper (the friendly ghost)?" That's a one-star movie. Maybe you sort of have to know a little bit more about music than what you can glean from your programmed-from-audience-response radio playlist. I can't rave about this movie enough. This is music & theatre mixed at its optimal proportions. Great script. Great acting. Great directing and editing. Thirty-five years hence it is still relevant. Please, take my word...$LABEL$1 +Brilliant. All the favorable reviews here below say it all, so I'll just comment on the language McCarthy uses. The author's apparent flouting of the normal rules of grammar in favor of stark, harrowing rhythm works beautifully. Also, he uses all those wonderfully precise words we somehow almost forgot - skifts and catamites, gimbals and gambrels, stoven faces and balefires .... A bleak, beautiful read.$LABEL$1 +They warp in the dishwasher. They warp from placement in the dishwasher, but they still work. Glad I got the 3 pack, because my dog chewed one up.$LABEL$1 +Great Bag for Even the Biggest Set of Jumper Cables!!!!!. After my other set of Jumper Cables went out. I bought the biggest set I could find, 20 Foot 2-Gauge Professional Jumper Cables and these aren't CHEAP!!! I started to look for a Bag to store these in, so I could keep them nice and like new. I found this one on Amazon and got it in. Just Roll the Cables up, good and tight and had no problem putting them in. Bag is sturdy enough to keep them like new for many years to come.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BAG!!!!!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +How to read this book. I would just like to respond to Flavio's review. As a physicist, I drew the same kinds of mathematical conclusions he did when he read the book. I do not, however, feel that this is the point. Whether 9 comes out in the decimal system or 7 comes out in the octal system is irrelevant. "No 9" remains a beautifully written piece of literature that expresses author's fascination with numbers and geometry. Sure, you can find rigourous mathematical proofs why '9' must come out. I have worked it out myself, and I don't disagree. However, there are many scientific phenomena (rainbows, fractals etc.) that are no less beautiful despite being taken apart, analysed, and understood.Number 9 is a captivating, well written and beautiful book that was a pleasure to read. The reader is drawn in by the author's fascination with the subject, and kept there by the author's storytelling skill.I recommend it.$LABEL$1 +ankle brace. This brace has inflated pads to make it more comfortable. Unfortunately, they are glued to the hard plastic sides with a flexible adhesive, so they shift after you apply them. This can result in an uncomfortable fit. After I taped the pads in place with adhesive tape, the braces worked better and were more comfortable. I had a hard time applying this brace by myself because I also had a fractured clavicle--think I would have had trouble with any brace. When my wife helped me apply it, it was tight enough and provided good support.$LABEL$0 +Great Price. Amazon.com is great enough as it is. But where else could you find BluRay movies for $9.99 especially when it just came out. Item came in fast. This is a must for Disney collectors. I am about to order Monsters Inc and UP for $30. Have fun and keep shopping.$LABEL$1 +not great, not terrible. ok jigger, great for a wet bar, hard to measure the 1oz mark, better to have a traditional jigger, but it makes it simpler if you don't want to have a whole drawer full of lush tools. 2 stars$LABEL$0 +Couldn't wait to see it.. I was definitely hooked with season one and was definitely not disappointed with season two. Definitely spell binding and cliff hangers. The best part is watching commercial free and at your own pace.$LABEL$1 +Worth the wait. Possibly the most comprehensive Phish album to date. While it lacks some of the improvisational flare of Lawn Boy and Junta, it ranks right up there in my book. The band's side projects prove to be influential, as jazz and funk undertones drive the album. Pick this one up for sure.$LABEL$1 +Car Seat Base Does NOT Work. The design of the car seat base is very defective. There is no possible way to get it tight enough. I could pull on the front of the base with one finger and flip it right out of the LATCH belt (that was pulled as tight as humanly possible). In addition, the car seat carrier was difficult to secure on the base and difficult to get off, losening the belt even further with each attempt. I returned it for the Graco Oakwood and could not believe how complicated and unsafe this Eddie Bauer Travel System is in comparison. Two thumbs way down!!!$LABEL$0 +One Caution. Works as advertised. Great for travel. However, you need to be careful that you do not remove it from the cup before you disconnect it. There is an internal fuze that turns the heater off if it gets too hot. Once that happens its shot.$LABEL$1 +My personal album of the year.. Scarling is the first band to come out in the past few years that I've had any interest in at all. Most (not all, but most) of the stuff I listen to is ten, fifteen years older or more. Yet they've put out two amazing albums in a relatively short period of time that left a lasting impression on me. So Long, Scarecrow is a particularly emotional piece of work, the first full length album I've heard this year that made me feel something more than ambivalence (needless to say, I've been disappointed by some of the recent works of some of my all-time favorite artists). This heralds a complete departure from Jessicka's Jack Off Jill roots, where remnants of them could still be heard and felt in Sweet Heart Dealer. I would definetly say that this album has bumped Scarling up to my new favorite band.$LABEL$1 +The tape doesn't follow the book. After reading through the book, then listening to the tape I found myself very confused. The tape starts out following the layout of the book, but quickly starts moving around to different sections (some even on other pages) and then returning without any warning. I had to have a native speaker assist me in figuring out where the tape was reading from, and make marks in the book. I also felt this went to fast, and didn't cover basics such as syntax. This book also jumps into full dialogue much too fast, and doesn't give proper instruction. This is my first attempt at learning Vietnamese, and if I didn't have a native speaker to help me I would probably give up after trying this book.$LABEL$0 +horrible album. everysong on this album is brutally bad.agnus young's guitar still sounds great but brian johnson's vocal's on this cd is horrific.is this really the same guy who sang vocals on back in black?the song stiff upper lip is the lamest song i ever heard ac/dc performed.if this is the best material they can produced,then maybe it's time they called it a career.$LABEL$0 +Pirated DVD. When I purchased this DVD i received a Pirated copy it had no label on the DVD no subtitles, and it didn't have the name of the company that produced it anywhere. TAKE MY ADVICE DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SELLER!$LABEL$0 +Not the best model. I don't like this Brother labeler model because it doesn't save the size format from use to use. Every time I turn it on I have to start over and re-size and change fonts for my labels. Every other model I have had saved your changes from use to use. Not exactly a time saving feature.$LABEL$0 +Babies love Toddler Tunes Too. My 3 month old son loves this CD! He prefers the upbeat songs to all of his lullaby CDs. I love that the CD contains all of the song lyrics, which is great for people like me who can remember only parts of songs from my childhood.$LABEL$1 +YUCK. God shoot those poor things!!! The director absolutely SCREWED THE TURTLES UP!!! They look so much like frogs!!!!!! The animatronics make me cry!!!! The voices kill me literally!!!! Splinter I want to SHOOT because he's so horrible in this movie! The only reason I didn't give this a 1 star is because of Yoshi (he's so adorable!) and Casey Jones and the four Japanese dudes. April was somebody I wanted to just slaughter with a mace. Has anyone noticed that she changes personality in all three?? Nope. Don't like NT 3. But the ninja/karate moves are pretty cool. Either than that....put this thing out of its misory.$LABEL$0 +We'll see if the second one is any better.... I bought this at Target, used it once and had the same problems with uneven heating as other reviewers. I wanted to return it but my efficient husband had already thrown away the receipt and box. I called the customer service number on the instructions and was able to send back the plug along with $7.50 to them and the sent me a new one. I just got it so as soon as I use it I will update this review with the results. I'm not super hopeful.$LABEL$0 +Works Great, Cheap Product.. The reason why this product deserves only 2/5 stars is that It was all plastic, even the "plastic chrome". I bought this as a gift for a family member because it was ranked 4/5 stars at the time, with very little complaints for a descent price too! But like the saying goes you get what you pay for. I just kept it for myself because it still works but it is not worthy of a "gift" item.Pros+Blue Lights Look Great+Connects With easeCons-Cheap, Super Cheaply Made.-Broken Arm Bars that hold Controller-Rattling Sound inside (If you reserve one with a broken arm bar)Wishes: It was made of more durable plastic, or even some type of thin pressed metal.$LABEL$0 +My thoughts on "A Twist of Fate". With the metric tons of garbage released under the guise of rock, it's a crime that John Arch doesn't release more brilliant material like this to counteract it. I guess we should just be thankful that we have this 2-song EP at all, but it leaves you wanting more of Arch's amazing vocals. The winner on this EP is Relentless, one of the best progressive rock songs these ears have heard in quite some time. Between Jim Matheos on guitar here and Ray Alder in Redemption'sSnowfall on Judgement Day, it's both a shame and a blessing that Fates Warning had to break up to give us great music elsewhere.$LABEL$1 +Stagnant water. I thought this would be a series of compositions that conjured up images of the Amazon. Instead, it's a series of trite, redundant, and very uninspiring notes that might was well be about a water well. Very disappointing CD. And, I like Glass and defend his work to friends. Not this time!$LABEL$0 +The Greatest Country-Rock Album Ever. The Gram Parsons-led Byrds was a much different outfit than the original group, which is still my favorite incarnation of the Byrds. However (with a boldfaced, 32-point capital "H"), this album is quite simply fantastic in its own right. It is quite simply the best country-rock album ever made, in my opinion, and that is saying a lot. From the opening strains of Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," you know you're in for a great treat. No ringing electric 12-string Rickenbackers, just timeless country harmonies sung with great vision and enthusiasm.$LABEL$1 +Bag clips. Again found this item earlier in a chain store & couldn't find it again. Looked to Amazon & yep they had the product. It works so well around the kitchen & packing lunches & etc.$LABEL$1 +Ayurveda Dumbed Down. I purchased this book on the strength of other consumer's reviews, but was disappointed by how simplistic it is. Ayurvedic medicine is a life-long study, not a "handbook" for looking up routine symptoms. It may be an introduction to this ancient form of healing, but the book really can't help anyone get an over-all picture of their state of health, or give good advice on how to treat yourself. This book is just an example of the Western approach: why see a real, trained practitioner when you can save money and fix yourself? Only you can't--at least not with this book. Save your money and go see an Ayurvedic Physician and be properly diagnosed and treated.$LABEL$0 +Great game. Got this game for Christmas and haven't stopped playing it. Nice game to play after a hard day at work. I found it to be fun and very entertaining and can't wait for the next one to come out. I love shooter games but this was a nice break for a while. I also agree that it is too short but I still feel it has good replay value.$LABEL$1 +A nice and brief social commentary. I'm a big fan of other Sicilian novels, especially Lampedusa's the Leopard and Riotta's Prince of the Clouds. The island's tragic history produces a rich backdrop for painting a nuanced set of characters and emotions.Sciascia's short novel is wholly Sicilian, centering around his anti-mafia frustrations. The characters are nicely sketched and the writing is brief and exciting. It's a short book that reads quickly and lively.I appreciated the story and its quick moving plot. It's a good book and the introduction is helpful for understanding it's context. At the end of the day, the work is more commentary on Sciascia's times than it is a complex wrought novel. I'm glad I read it, but I didn't find it as fulfilling as I thought I might. Look to the Leopard or the Prince of Clouds if you're looking for a full fledged novel. Otherwise, you'll be very pleased with this nice work.$LABEL$1 +I bought the radio because i want to give to my mommy as a gift. I travelled all the way to Brazil and didnt work at all!!!. Please i want my money back and if is possible send me another radio. I travelled all the way to Brazil to bring the radio to my mommy and the radio didnt work.$LABEL$0 +Zenon-Ze best. I have watched this movie everytime that it has been on television. Me and my friends make sure we watch it together, it sort of bonds us. This movie is tons of fun and is very appealing to young generations and it will become a classic. Kirsten Storms is a wonderful actress and we think she will become a huge actor. Her career will only grow and make her bigger. Beware people, there is no stopping her now$LABEL$1 +Beautiful Voice. I first heard Navega traveling in Africa. I was sitting in a friend's farm house after dinner. I loved her voice the moment it came on the speakers. Sounds like a blend of Bossa Nova and West African music.$LABEL$1 +Gomer Pile U.S.M.C Complete Series. I cant say enough good things about Gomer Pile, the entire family will enjoy this series, there should be more TV series like this one on television for everyone to enjoy, but they don't make-em like they used to , i enjoyed this series as a child, and i am enjoying it all over again now, i am just thrilled that they have it out on DVD, so that future generations, can discover it, and enjoy it as much as i do, in each episode Gomer Pile is teaching valuable lessons, like being kind to animals, and always telling the truth, and being kind to everyone, also it is filled with good clean humor, i laugh out loud in every episode, you will just have to get this series yourself to truly see how great it is, once you start watching you cant stop, my advice is that if you do not have this series , Buy it , you won't regret it!!!$LABEL$1 +Comfortable & sounds great. My husband & I game side by side on different TV's, but that means only one person can have the sound on at a time or it is too confusing. However, normal headphones don't allow me to hear hubbie or kids talking, so I've been searching for one like this that would let me hear my game AND hear my people. Works great! You can wear the headset on either ear. You'll need an adapter and a longer cord to reach your system, though.$LABEL$1 +young Immature male humor. I expected this film to have some raw moments after seeing the cast, but after 30min I knew that my entire experience was going to be redundant sexual humor that never seemed to take a break even long enough to develop any sense of a story. Though well acted and clever in some approaches, the screen play and directing lacked any maturity. Its fun to laugh at raw slapstick jokes, but not when the joke is re-told a dozen times!$LABEL$0 +Didn't work for me. I guess it wasn't powerful enough to remove paint from my deck. Also, the cord is REALLY short and the "stand" doesn't do anything - the gun falls over anyway. I returned mine.$LABEL$0 +bad used unit. received this model that was on display in the store. Did'nt work, had to send it back and lose $19.00 for S&H.$LABEL$0 +X2 Rocks!. The first X-Men set not only set the stage for more movies, it gave the genral public a nice glimpse of Stan Lee's Mutants.X2 pushes the limits when it comes to screenplay, special effects and storyline.Nightcrawler is a VERY welcome character. And they do a wonderful job of using him throughout the entire movie. The opening scene is perhaps one of the coolest in film of late.Can't wait till X3!!!$LABEL$1 +White on Rice. If you are looking for a different sound from whats played on the radio then this is it. If you are like me and listen to different styles from classical to rock (a wide range of music) this artist blends them together like white on rice. A great display of talent shown by a one man band. I recomend this his music to all-those people who like to kick back and chill. Layed back music with a good twist.$LABEL$1 +Saturday morning read the paper music.. Americana at it's best. I am not generally a soundtrack fan, but this one is fun and the music needs to be listened to more than once to be appreciated. Simply fun.$LABEL$1 +perfect. Simply the best stapler I've had.Note: It is my first flat-clinch stapler.Powerful, uses standart staples, flat clinch, cheap.$LABEL$1 +Cheapo Alarm Clock!. This alarm clock had all of the features that I needed: large LCD, auto-set, dual alarms. However, the build quality and instruction manual are terrible.First, to turn off the alarm, there is a small "Off" button the far right of the top. However, half of the time, the alarm treats this as a snooze, so 10 minutes later, the alarm goes off again. This is really annoying if you actually get up when the alarm goes off and aren't just hitting the snooze button.Second, the alarm has a nap function that will make the alarm go off in 15, 30, or etc. minutes. In order to turn off the nap function after you have set it (say you set it for 30 minutes, but you woke up after 20), the manual says to hold down the off or hold down the nap button. But this doesn't work.All in all, I won't ever buy an RCA clock again.$LABEL$0 +Not Much Help. The first time I saw VID 6 was at the customer's site. I huried to the bookstore and bought the only book written on VID 6. It was like throwing a drowning man an anchor! Between this book, the MSDN Library CD, and Microsoft's ever-so-helpful online documentation, I got most of my answers from trial and error. The book is repetative and does not touch on any technical issues. It is also a very poor reference book.$LABEL$0 +Five Stars so far.... I'm only through the first eight chapters (I've been reading it while traveling back and forth for the holidays), but so far I'm really pleased with this book. I like all the FAQ and review stuff at the end of each chapter, this really helps to remember the most important stuff in each section. IFthe last couple chapers let me down, I'll update my review, but based on what I've read I'd be surpriesed by that.$LABEL$1 +A Skip and a Dash in the Dark. I had such high hopes for a book that got to the heart of my favorite city and my favorite literature. However, first it dismayed, then depressed, then just made me plain angry that Ms. Quindlen could be so superficial, so full of cliches, have such shallow skills of description and so absolutely little insight into either London or literature. Surely someone soon will pick up the inky scratches and try again.$LABEL$0 +Resin & Incense. Far too technical for my needs. Unfortunately, one could not determine that fact from the amount of information given prior to the purchase.$LABEL$0 +DEFINITELY, NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. This CD is light years in distant (remote) listening quality and technique when compared to Joe's other CD. I could not believe this was the same guy playing on the CD "A Good Cup of Joe". Don't waste your money on this one.$LABEL$0 +Great sound, but be gentle with the wires!. I've used these for 3 years of daily train commuting, and they isolate the outside sound fairly well. My only major complaint is that, despite carefully winding them in the supplied case each day, the wires eventually frayed near the earbuds. I had the same issue with earlier Sony earbuds, and I thought the thicker gauge wires of the Shure would help.On the plus side, Shure honored the 2-year warranty and promptly sent me a brand-new replacement. But now, barely a year later, the cord is fraying again on both sides, the signal is dropping out, and I've finally decided to order a pair ofEtymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black), since I've had a lot of success with their musician's earplugs. Their wires look delicate too, so I think I'll pre-emptively wrap them with some electrical tape near the bud end, a precaution that might be advised with these Shure models as well.Bottom line, I loved the e2cs, but it's time to move on. YMMV...$LABEL$1 +Battery life. This battery seems to last forever. Other batteries I have had in the past never had the same life time. I was always in the middle of an important short and would have to change batteries. It also doesn't take as long as others to recharge this battery.$LABEL$1 +Comfortable, Affordable, and Easy to Use BT Headset. I use this headset with a V3 Razr and have been very pleased with the performance. I've worn the headset for an hour at times and it's not a problem having it on. The sound quality is very good although there is some ocassional static on my end. This is my first BT headset, so I think the static is probably a consequence of the BT connection rather than the headset itself. The people I have called tell me that the headset actually sounds better than talking into my old Motorola V265 phone. Overall, the headset fits well, is easy to set up and use, and provides very good sound quality. For the price, this headset is a good value that's going to be hard to beat. I would definitely recommend it.$LABEL$1 +Please read this if you're an Xbox 360 user. This drive is terribly unreliable. It failed the initial test to begin using it as Xbox 360 storage (which should have been my first clue) but eventually was accepted by the Xbox and I started six hours worth of Battlefield DLC downloading. Halfway through, the USB drive lost data and had to be reinitialized by the Xbox (which should have been my second clue) so I started the downloads again. Worked okay, then after the console shut down and started back up the USB drive had to be reinitialized by the Xbox. Now this drive is in the trash, where it belongs. Too bad, it's a nice looking USB drive and the price was great for the capacity -- but it's just no good.$LABEL$0 +The Laserdisc is so much better, since it has the whole show. My long time waiting for a DVD version of that old but great Laserdisc was wasted. It's absolutely depressing what they did here, by cutting some of the best parts of the original show.The Queen Medley by the great band Extreme was probably the best part of this show, not only because the way they played, but also because the playlist choice. A Medley of Bohemian Rhapsody, Bycicle Race, Another One Bites Dust, Keep Yourselves Alive, and others leading to one of the most beautiful moments of the show: the Radio Ga Ga ending, leading the audience to tears.Although the sound has been improved and a new and useless "extra materials" has been added, it doesn't worth the content they cut (opening act, Metallica, Def Leppard, GnR, Extreme and others).I would never exchange the old original laserdisc for this useles "extra materials" with a bunch of new footage.$LABEL$0 +A Study of Six Statesmen. I enjoyed this book immensely. Each of the six contributed differently. George Kennan, a foreign service officer and then scholar, was the most cerebral and prescient. Dean Acheson was the most arrogant. Robert Lovett had the best sense of humor which served him well in dealing with Congress and others endowed with super egos. Averell Harriman was the wealthiest and the most tenacious. John McCloy was the most accomplished. Charles (Chip) Bohlen was a foreign service officer with distinguished longevity.These individuals were great statesmen. Except for Kennan, at first they were all in favor of US involvement in the Vietnam War. Even very accomplished statesmen misgauged Vietnam.I highly recommend this book despite its length. It is one of my favorite books.$LABEL$1 +ho hum. This product should be as much fun as being backstage at Miss America but it turns out to be as boring as being in the audience. It is recorded as if we are interested in the selection of cheerleaders as opposed to the cheerleaders themselves.$LABEL$0 +great purchase. This has worked very well so far. Used the double sided tape but it didn't hold so I just used 2 screws to hold it in place. Great purchase and no problems with it so far.$LABEL$1 +Masterpiece. The Pink Floyd of metal? The Gods of complex, infectious musical compositions. Opeth is one the most original metal bands on the face of the earth. In the simplest terms, you need this c.d.! Pure art! Pure Masterpiece! Absolute metal! There is talent and skill here.$LABEL$1 +The wonderful world of gloomcookie. I absolutely love gloomcookie! From the moment I accidently discovered the first book in a cartoon shop I was captivated. And although the artwork in the second volume is not as smashing as in the first, the story is so wonderfully fascinating and addictive it does not really matter much. The complexity AND simplicity of it is incredible.Highly recommended!$LABEL$1 +Bad narration on CD version. It's hard to believe that Peter Riegert has never met a Filipino, or that he couldn't at least have done some research. His "Filipinos" talk like Chinamen from old Charlie Chan films and sometimes lapse into what Riegert calls "TAG-a-log." Is this the work of a professional?$LABEL$0 +My First and Last Elizabeth Berg Novel - Read Why. This novel confused me. (I would give it 1-1/2 stars if possible.) The subject matter is decidedly adult (divorce affairs, near affairs), but the writing seems more appropriate for someone in the age range of maybe an 11 to 14 year old girl. In fact, I even looked it up to see if I accidentally selected a book meant for young readers. Both the husband and the wife are so incredibly childish acting, the story seemed infantile and unrealistic. All the scenes with the husband playing a shopping mall Santa were unnecessary and, frankly, rather stupid. I love quirky characters, but these characters were just kind of foolish. The only person halfway plausible and interesting was the young daughter. After this taste of Berg's writing, I will not sample another.$LABEL$0 +Quick read. Love Langston Hughes' poetry, but this was a nice departure. I would recommend this book to any young person who has not read anything by Langston.$LABEL$1 +Negro League Baseball. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this movie. Good acting, historically sound. Very entertaining.$LABEL$1 +Junk. No good not new as the ad states , very old and card is long been NO Good with Dish network !Cost 13.00 $ to send it back and still NO refund .And i see he is still selling them.$LABEL$0 +Good Read. Being a Demonologist and working with "possessed" or claimed to be. I find this book well writen and investigating demonic cases are not an easy task to deal with. It is rare that a person will in fact become "possessed" by demons, but in my own work I have found that in a lot of cases it is in fact some form of mental illness with the person and not a demonic attack. In any case this book does make for a good read anyways.Katie BoydAuthor of Devils & Demonology In the 21st Century$LABEL$1 +Not for toddlers. Cute concept ... way too wordy and cumbersome to read to a small toddler. Story is also boring. Good pictures ... this is really a book for beginning readers who are practicing phonics NOT a fun book for toddlers. Also, the story is quite boring.$LABEL$0 +This is just sad.. Loved the books, loved the movies, LOVED the extended editions. What a waste this release is. Hopefully poor sales will send a message to the transparently greedy and arrogantly moronic executive who greenlit this release, or perhaps to his/her boss, so he/she can join the 10%+ of us unemployed who don't have money to waste on duplicate purchases.$LABEL$0 +Good for an old diamond!. King Diamond does a great job here, which remembers those days of "Them", "The Eye", "Abigail" and "Conspiracy". However, the aforementioned albums are better than this one. Are the King's resources exhausted? Not at all, but this album, while very good, shows how hard is to keep writing original music after many years of innovation. Simply, there is nothing new to say in spite of this marvelous horror tale, the powerful sound, the great production and the very professional musicianship of the band (particularly Andy LaRocque sounds great here, not mentioning Diamond's vocals and the superb rhythmic baseline). In few words, a very solid work from one of the few classic bands that still are sailing over there with honor. You won't be disappointed: a great and soulful return to the roots, without hiding how many years we already have on our backs. Great job, evil creature!$LABEL$1 +"Surprises" were too obvious, Character uninteresting. I downloaded this book for MS Reader without knowing anything about the author. Although the premise of the book seemed somewhat intriguing at first, I got tired of the author trying to "surprise" me with events that were so obvious that a kid would have seen them coming. With few exceptions, the characters were not given enough "character" to make them interesting in the least. I can't believe that this is supposed to be a best-selling author. I suppose on some levels this book could be interesting (such as the descriptions of Miami), but for me it was plain boredom.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful and functional. The red color is bright and doesn't fade with usage. Just fill the pot with sake and put in microwave for a minute max and you're good to go. The cups are right size and good-looking. Overall, very satisfied with the item, price, and shipping.$LABEL$1 +Get what you pay for. I would suggest spending a few more bucks for better quality earphones. First and foremost, these do not fit very comfortably in the ear and do not come with multiple ear buds. The sound quality is far inferior to $10 Skullcandy Earbuds I previously owned which also had a volume control switch on them. For the price I could not expect too much, but next time I will definitely pay a little extra money for a better quality product$LABEL$0 +Great info on national account management.. An excellent book on national account management that emphasizes 'customer delight' as a primary sales goal. I like how the author covers the foundations and then moves through planning to implementing the account plan. Lots of charts, tools, and minicases clearly illustrate the concepts. A must-read for the sales professional!$LABEL$1 +feels like he's writing for young adults. This is my second book by Paulo Coelho. I first read the Alchemist and I bought this book before I realized it was the same author. Based on reading these two books, I have to say that this guy writes as though his audience is young adults. The writing is flat and simplistic. If you like reading YA books, then you might like this. Otherwise, don't bother.$LABEL$0 +Glad my husband bugged me to read this book!. My husband kept telling me to read this book but I thought "No way, boring, no impact that concerns me." But, there it was and I read it and I'm very glad I did. This book was short, informative and far from boring! I'm now able to discuss this intelligently and make informed decisions.$LABEL$1 +pheromones. I purchased this product because I recently moved with my cat. I actually have no idea whether its making my cat feel more comfortable, but he did seem to handle the move pretty well, so just from that I will continue to use it.$LABEL$1 +The comedy does not mix with the drama. In "The Wood" "Get On The Bus" and "Soul Food" the filmmakers was able to balance the comedy with the drama but in "Kingdom Come" nuthin works...One second there is a dramatic reminiscing about the death of an unborn child and in the next Jada Pinkett starts screaming and tries to be funny (which she definitly is not)...I like Jada Pinket in "Set It Off" and in "Jason's Lyric" but u find yourself wanting to strangle her character in this movie...Not even LL COOL J, Vivica A Fox or Whoopie Goldberg can save this movie from being a disaster...When making this movie they should have chosen either to make a comedy or a drama.The movie is kind of like a 90 minute commercial for the church mixed with Drama and strangled comedy.$LABEL$0 +3D SAW. hi, i cannot play this dvd in my play station 3, i would like to have a replacement or instructions on how to make it work, regards.$LABEL$0 +DON'T BUY!!! FRIES BATTERIES!!!. I bought this to plug in USB cords for bioth my HTC EVO and a GPS unit. I have now ruined two very expensive batteries on each, which I'm sure the seller is not going to replace. Spend a few more dollars and buy something of better quality, it will be worth it compared to the price of new batteries!!$LABEL$0 +I wanna be sugar free. I learned a lot from this book. It emphasized eating no sugar products. It is hard to be completely sugar free. Even if you are buying organic products you still have to read every label. Sugar is sugar, organic or not. The kids react either way. I try to keep my kids off as much sugar as possible. I can tell when they have it because they are more hyper and ready to fight and argue.This book gave me some good ideas. I now have an easier time. And someday I want to be completely sugar free with my family.$LABEL$1 +Acoustic Mope Rock. This CD of Luka, his guitar, and some of the most depressing songs around is just too musically repetitive. One song sounds so like the next that it is tough to distinguish one from another, regardless of the topic. While lyrically challenging, the lack of variation in sound defeated me and this one will rarely get another spin.$LABEL$0 +OK design, poor materials. I like the design of this grater: it doesn't take up much space and is easy to clean because it comes apart. Unfortunately, the white plastic broke in several places after only a few months of use.$LABEL$0 +Good, until it breaks. Well, it worked very well while it lasted. I used it only at my work PC, so I barely retract it. Works well tho. After about 8 months, the connector can no longer keep a stable connection. One wiggle and it'll disconnect, and if you're unlucky, like me, it will corrupt your music/video and everything will disappear. To fix this, you'll need to SSH in and delete the iTunes_Control (which had all my unrecognizable music) and re-sync.$LABEL$0 +Very general video - Doesn't cover all the questions. I was disappointed in this video because it didn't cover a lot of the questions I have about soldering - how to keep my tip clean (use of sponge, use of a sal ammonic block), how to tin my tip, etc. Instead, Payne just covers the act of soldering. She also moves very quickly and doesn't always explain what she means, which makes it a little confusing. I was looking for a a video course in copper-foil soldering and this did not really explain to me how to correct the issues I'm having with my own soldering. While it was helfpul to see someone in the act of soldering, I didn't get $30 worth of advice from the video.$LABEL$0 +nice. My 18 month old loves the Signing Time series, she knows many signs thanks to these dvd's. Move and Groove shows kids how to sign walk, jump, dance, etc and puts it all together in a fun song. There is also a short segment on signing letters into words, as well as numbers at the end of episode.$LABEL$1 +My Mother could design a better game!. Real War is a really poor excuse for a RTS, its not realistic, yes it has weapons platforms right out of today's military. However the game play is sub-par, and boring. You are better off spending your money elsewhere.$LABEL$0 +Perfect. I bought the Mini Vert after having had the blue version. Love both! The magnetic clasp is wonderful and works perfectly.$LABEL$1 +Bad Girls of the Bible. Our Sunday School used this book for a quarter, and I could hardly wait until we were done. Liz's humor got to me -- one woman in our class said it is hard to read some of the rough, crude things. I love humor, BUT.............her writing turns me off completely. They had the video to go with the book yesterday and she is just too silly for a mature Christian!$LABEL$0 +Bodum Martini glasses. Love these glasses for our beach house. Shorter stems allow them to be placed in dishwasher. Martinis seem to taste better in the large sized glass.$LABEL$1 +don't buy this book. Season of the Machete- did Patterson really write this book? after a few pages I threw the book in the garbage; if there were less than one star it would have gotten it; surely he jests.$LABEL$0 +No support.. This will not support you plantar fascia. If you have plantar fasciitis don't buy this product. I am planning to return it.$LABEL$0 +Trainspotting. I loved this movie because it deals with a time in my life that I just cannot forget; The movie handles the issues of drug addiction, friendship from both serious and funny views well. It's also moving (that may be because I can relate to it well?) with lovable characters, no matter what they are!$LABEL$1 +already done. All I can think of to say is, instead of growing millions of humans and plugging them into a complex database to harness their energy, why didn't the machines just make batteries?Who greenlighted this?$LABEL$0 +Equestrian Vaulting. I was very pleased to finally find a book dedicated to the sport of vaulting. It is without a doubt the least recognized equestrian sport, and it's about time a book was published directed to this abnormal sport of gymnastics on horseback! Equestrian Vaulting is a very worthy purchase, with information, tips, and pictures of the six compulsaries...Information about the categories of competitions...tips on putting together Kurs...etc. A wonderful guide for any vaulter--beginner to expert.$LABEL$1 +Great beginning!. First LP by Edoardo Bennato after a few years singing somebody's else songs. Full of energy. A good start for a very brilliant career on the European rock scene.$LABEL$1 +The food comes out steamed!!. I am deeply disapointed from the smoer, the liquids from the meat are causing the food to be steamed insead of BBQ kind of smokey. The taste is good, so I will try to improve my cooking techniques for better results.$LABEL$0 +Outstandingly Flawed!!. Merlyn would have hated this book and the author who wrote it. Amazingly shallow with numerous, rediculous and gratutious sex narratives. The "thrashing" episode was a waste of ink and could easily have been written by any hormonal 17 year old high school male.$LABEL$0 +charming. This book is exactly what I expected. If you love pcitures of people you don't know, you'll love this book.$LABEL$1 +Too predictable. Well, I finished this book just bc I started it, you know how that goes... It was super predictable and way too melodramatic for me. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did- I thought it was pretty disappointing, can't imagine how bad the first edition was. Sorry.$LABEL$0 +Trouble in paradise for Toni & Alex. Their May/ July (not really December) affair is in trouble due to another woman putting the moves on Alex without him really reciprocating. Meanwhile, Col. Howard's son Tyrone meets a nice girl to help him get over vain beauty Bella. But can he really get over her? One humorous note, though. The new girl has this strange stopwatch. No batteries, no solar power. Would you believe it has a SPRING and you actually WIND it! Otherwise, VR whiz Jay Gridley is after this hacker and the guy sends him a mild stroke online. Which knocks him out of the box, and if too many people take this part of the story too seriously, it might start a Luddist phobia against VR that will more than counter the bunch who've made a secular religion out of gizmos. That would be a shame--what about those of us who aren't computer enthusiasts but find the gear...er um...useful?$LABEL$1 +Soft and Silky. I just rec'd and washed the white set ordered 5 sets b1g1 free deal burgundy,silver blue, white, heather (lilac) and green.When I rec'd them they were so light feeling and when I saw 60/40 cotton /polyester mix I thought oh no ! But after I washed and put them on the bed. I was impressed they feel so silky soft very deep pockets. While I am not crazy about polyester It will proably ad to the duribility of the sheets. I am glad I re-read the reviews here so I know to expect bleeding of the dark colors. My tip is to add about 1 cup of salt or vinegar to your wash water this will help set color and stop bleeding.$LABEL$1 +Mighty Ducks Rock!. Great movies. Would totally buy again! Brings back memories from our childhood. Having all 3 movies is perfect for a mini movie marathon!$LABEL$1 +Real movie about dysfunctional families. This a good couple film about what not to do.It applies to many people, thankfully not me.Rather than talk about issues, the characters submerge themselves in vices.pretty real ... good drama ... went quicklyPS Have you seen my panties? > LOLYou'll know the scene.$LABEL$1 +very good, but could be better. The message of this book is wonderful, challenging, even life-changing. However, I felt that instead of using so much dialog to teach and preach, that the book could have used more action. I think that in real life no one could listen to all that Li Quan had to say and still stick around to be his friend like Ben Fielding did. I'm thankful for this book and how it made me think about my priorities and how superficial we can be with our faith compared to Christians who are being persecuted.$LABEL$1 +A legendary disaster. The woefully miscast Lucille Ball drags down this elephantine musical, which does at least offer a healthy share of unintentional laughs.Unless you're a devotee of camp, stick to Rosalind Russell and the non-musical version (if you can find it letterboxed).$LABEL$0 +It's fine. Like the others, I wish the red LEDs would go off after charging, but eh... what can you do? Otherwise, it does what its supposed to.$LABEL$1 +very good reproduction. I missed the original broadcasts-- and bought the videos for someone else. From what I've seen, its an excellent series. The only downside is the dated production quality. Overall, its classic Michael Landon -- everything from a teenage werewolf to a little house.$LABEL$1 +Don't use with later zunes. The 2nd generation ZUNE's don't fit very well. Buy the V2 for use with zune 80 & 120.$LABEL$0 +WORTHWHILE. I FOUND PATRICIA CORNWELL'S BOOK " portrait of a killer" very enlighting. Ms Cornwell knows her forensics, and she brings us up to date by giving the "MO" of the era. She has done a lot of research on this book. I throughly enjoyed the history and back round given.$LABEL$1 +Both Dogs Love These!. Ok, best dog bed ever. Both of my dogs are obsessed with these. I've bought several other beds and my dogs never use these. My pups are a Golden (14 months) and an Aussie (9 months) and we've never had issues with chewing, popping, or anything. They DO get stained easily with nasty dog stains (dirt, drool, and the like all stain the bed), but these are tucked away in our bedroom just for bedtime, so we don't care how they look.$LABEL$1 +Phone gets VERY HOT !. I got this phone on July 2, 2004. I charged the battery and after two days of not using the phone, the battery was dead. I recharged the battery several times and the it keeps dying even though I don't use it.I went back to COSTCO and I was given a new battery. The phone gets EXTREMELY HOT! If I call my mom and am on the phone for 20 minutes, it is UNCONFORTABLY HOT and am unable to continue conversing.My guess is that this phone is good for emergency calls but not as your only phone. Furthermore, the guy at COSTCO told me that the phone is not designed for long periods of talk time. I asked what was the phone for?Anyway, am going back next week and have them exchange it for another one. If that one gets hot too, then I may just consider cancelling my contract and getting my money back. I have never had a cell phone that got so uncomfortably Hot.$LABEL$0 +Another great Ga'hoole book. My son and I have really enjoyed the whole Guardians of Ga'hoole series. This book is no exception. The story is well written and holds your attention quite well. We have read all of the series at bedtime and 3-4 chapters a night never seems like enough. We both always want more.This story explains a lot of things mentioned in the other books. It was nice to see the background behind those books. Now we are anxiously awaiting the next addition to this wonderful series.$LABEL$1 +I seriously don't get it.... I don't understand the praise this album is getting. I have no idea why "young folks" gets played so often on the radio. I can't stand that song. I got the album, not having heard even one bad thing about it, and I honestly do not hear anything redeeming with this group. People tell me that they get a nostalgic feeling while listening to this, but I don't see it. I've wanted to ask people "what do you see in these guys? why do you like this?!?" but I don't want to be rude. But seriously, why is this so popular?$LABEL$0 +this is the product to have for short trips. very easy to use and has a long range for communicaton. this is what you would want if you do not want to carry too much stuff.$LABEL$1 +Works well, I think. Replaced all of my smoke detectors with these, but seriously, how do you say they're working terrific until your house catches fire and then you can say, "These saved our lives!"?Installed easily, test easily and battery access is simple. What else can I say?$LABEL$1 +A Journey Back Home. Garrison Keillor delivers yet another home run with his trip down memory lane to fictional Lake Wobegon. Chock full of boyhood angst, baseball, religion, flatulence jokes and sexual fixation, Keillor elicits memories from his flock of loyal readers and creates a pseudo-memoir that stirs echoes of Bill Bryson's Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and David James Duncan's The Brothers K. High praise for this author and much deserved. If you're a man (especially one who grew up pecking away at his own Underwood) between the ages of 30 and 60, Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 is a 'must read'. I can't recommend it enough.Salmon Run$LABEL$1 +great story. really nice story to help children understand that divorce is not their fault, which is an almost-inevitable conclusion most kids under the age of 8 will draw. family in the story is obviously a middle class caucasian family having a pretty amicable divorce: families where there has been violence or more argument in front of the kids would want to add some sentences here and there. for example, "remember when mommy and daddy used to yell/hit/argue all the time? that was scary, wasn't it? we didn't want to scare you, so we decided we were better as friends than as husband and wife. i know it is hard to go from house to house, but now it is not scary and we both love you very much." that sort of thing.$LABEL$1 +Not For Me. Unfortunatley this belt did not work for me. When I tightened the belt, the nerve pain in my leg became greater. If I only had the sacroiliac problem, it probably would work.$LABEL$0 +gamer since 1988. Do not listen to other people who have review this item and gave it one star. They are probable little kids who are under 18 and don't know how to play a game with challenge. That is what good about this game it has old-school challenge and that is important and very hard for me to find in a game. The villians are cool the story is somewhat the same as the N64 version but a little different.$LABEL$1 +bad. i was very disappointed when i got this cd. how can you have a greatest hits cd and leave off 4 top ten hits? including his only number one song? he left off fire lake, tryin' to live my life without you, shame on the moon, and shakedown(#1). plus he left off ramblin, gamblin man. i thought maybe he left these songs off because he didn't have enough room. this isn't the case. he had enough room to put 3 or 4 more songs on it! he probably left these songs off so you would have to go out and buy the other albums. good move bob.$LABEL$0 +Consumer Ripped Off by Seagate. I bought this drive and within a week it began making seriously abnormal startup sounds (grating like the spindle was off balance or something). I contacted Seagate and they replaced this unit with a REFURBISHED unit - I BOUGHT a NEW units!!! About three months later this refurbished replacement started to do the very same thing. Now, my warranty is past and Seagate won't make good on their responsibility to replace a defective drive with a NON-defective drive. Just waiting for the inevitable crash and/or total startup failure and will NEVER buy from Seagate again. They should be sued.$LABEL$0 +sabarate. Haven't really used the manual yet (waiting for my new computer to be set up). However, perusing through it, it appears to be well-written, the instructions seem to be concise and easy to follow. I feel that this manual will be really helpful to me in navigating through the new system.$LABEL$1 +great mold. More like two bite size molds. I was expecting the cavities to be much smaller but it is a good mold.$LABEL$1 +poor copy. I have two reviews for this movie. the first is the film itself and the second is on the actually copy.This movie is a great Kung fu classic. The title I am more familiar with is "Return to the 36th chamber" aka "Return of the Master Killer"36 chambers usually refers to the first one. Aka "the master killer of Shaolin. or just "master killer"That being said I do really like this movie and feel that everyone should own it... just not this copy.Now for the copy being sold here...the image is so poor it is difficult to watch. it is very grainy the color is off and the cropping is horrible.My recomedation for anyone really into classic kung fu movies is to pick up a region free player and buy the Hong Kong remastered versions by Celestial released by Intercontinental Video Limitedor Deltamac$LABEL$0 +HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!. It's a shame that more people out there cannot be graced by the musical presence of Amel Larrieux just because she is not on the top ten lists nor make appearances on MTV. Nevertheless, she is a gem, soulfully bombarding her listener with a concordance of musical honesty. Her voice is airy in its delivery, she literally breathes into every song. Talent such as hers makes me upset that artists such as Britney Spears can be idolized, yet REAL voice talent such as Ms. Larrieux's can be ignored. This is one of the best albums of 2004. Highly recommended if you are a fan of the likes of India Arie., Jill Scott or Sade.$LABEL$1 +great homeschool resource. I got this book for our homeschool. It list lots of useful items that are free for the asking.So far we have received items such as coloring books games and teacher's kits!Very useful for teacher's or homeschool families.$LABEL$1 +A Collector's Find. I'm a serious collector of movies. Not only does this collection contain movies not available before on DVD, it also contains many cartoons and short subjects which were not previously available on DVD. I highly recommend this collection.$LABEL$1 +Not sure about the authenticty...... The seller sent the items very quickly. The only doubt I have is that all the blades I've bought have blue aloe above and below the blades. These have green above and blue below. I've heard there are copies of the blades going around. Could this be the case? They seem to work fine though and I don't want to impugn the seller's character since I'm really not sure!$LABEL$1 +It's like listening to a tv evangelist. I read this book BEFORE 'The Bible Code'and it made me want to read the original.This is the only book I ever threw in the garbage the second I read the last word. I don't need to be preached to at my age. This guy is just another big mouth preaching about God and the bible. All Stanton knows how to say is 'they left out the vowels'-give me a break. I will be reading The Bible Code soon. It may be another Chariot of the Gods but I bet it won't preach to me. Save your money.$LABEL$0 +Best tasting lo-cal cat treat!. We have a cat on steroids due to a medical condition. We have to count every calorie for her. Her diet is very limited, so treats are important to her. We've spent a fortune trying every lo-cal treat. Either cats don't like them, or they're not really lo-cal enough.A trim Treat is 0.8 calories ... break 4 of them in 1/2 & your cat gets 8 little treats for ~ 3 calories. (Roughly the same a 1 piece of other lo-cal treats.)We have 4 cats. 3 out of 4 love Trim Treats. Even those that are not on diets. (Except Jessicat ... she hates everything that is not filet mignon or shrimp. She's the "Mikey" of the cat world)Trim Treats are a great find. My cats highly recommend them!$LABEL$1 +Best Band Ever. With alot of my cd's there is only 2 maybe 3 songs I like but on this CD there are 17. This is the best cd ever. If you like punk, ska, rock, or reggae you will like this CD BUY IT!!!!!!!!$LABEL$1 +WHY TITS??? WHY??. I really like some albuns by TITS like Tudo ao mesmo tempo agora and TITANOMAQUIA...But what tits became in the late 90's makes me sad...They were a punk rock metal band and after the acoustic MTV they totally sell out their sound!!! Why, Tits??? WHY?$LABEL$0 +It's Only Missing God. God is almost completely absent from this film, which, you'll have to admit is pretty weird. There were also two or three really uncomfortable sex scenes. No nudity, but still painfully uncomfortable to watch with the family. One especially where her husband threw her on the bed then pushed her head aside and said "Don't look at me."The acting, writing, directing were Ok, but when you see a christian film, you hope to see something that focuses on God.Definately recommend you skip this one.$LABEL$0 +Read before ordering this CD. For others who love slots and video poker as much as I do, please note that this product ONLY has 3 games on it - 2 slot machines and 1 video poker machine. I was wondering why it only took about 30 seconds to install! I have purchased casino software that has cost as little as [price] and it STILL had much more of a gaming selection on it. This software has more film clips pushing travel to Vegas than it does the actual games themselves. Do yourself a favor - order something else.$LABEL$0 +What are the dimensions. I love Amish crafts. But, I gave one star because for most of these Amish items they don't give the size and weight. Please, give the size.$LABEL$0 +coin sorter. This coin sorter counts the amount of change and sorts them out into pre-former coin wrappers. It rarely jams. A little noisy, but works very well.$LABEL$1 +fun game multiplayer, but who plays multiplayer if its not online?. this game was an alright game back in the day, but only when your playing with other people. If you never played it your not missing much and this ain't one of those titles you will be replaying. 2 stars.$LABEL$0 +Low Reading Level. The reading level of Watership Down was unbelievingly low, so low that it could be described as shocking. For lovers of middle school fictions, bunnies may excite you. Though mature and readers searching for a more challenging read should find some other novel to try on.$LABEL$0 +oh no, what's happened to him?. When I started reading Allan Folsom's THE EXILE, I couldn't put it down...when I did (after reading it in two marathon sessions) I ran out and purchased (not at Amazon but at full retail price) THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and THE CONFESSION.I was amazed by his intricate plotting, the continued surprise twists, the breakneck pacing. Here was an author who was a clear master of the genre - imaginative, facile, talented.Sadly, The Machiavelli Covenant was disappointing. I kept waiting for it to take off, and it never did. I was 200 pages into it and I asked myself "When is this going to start" It was interesting, but didn't generate the excitment his other books did.I will definately read his next book when it comes out, I'm just not salivating for its pub date.$LABEL$0 +Nothing like Hair One or Wen. I bought this because the bottle said it was a "conditioning shampoo". This is nothing like Hair One or Wen. This lathers like a regular shampoo and I did not like the way it made my hair feel; like a dried mass when wet.I suppose if you had oily hair, this may work for you. I just want to caution people from spending their hard-earned money on something that is not what it appears to be. (Also, someone mentioned it's not really organic)$LABEL$0 +Too long, too little, nothing new. It is very disappointing to write a poor review on a Clancy novel. One of my favorite authors. The good is that you get to renew all the characters of the previous books that have not been killed off and you enjoy. The story line is disappointing in that it is almost a rehash of the last books with different villians. The most disappointing is even though the book is 1000 pages none of the characters has enough of a central theme to identify with unless they are old friends from previous readings. There were pages upon pages of preaching on all kinds of issues somewhat akind to Ann Rand (Atlas Shrugged). Hope he can find the forumula if there is a next book.$LABEL$0 +Not compatible with iPAQ 3835. I just received the product and found that the cable is not compatible with my iPAQ 3835. Amazon.com shows this product under accessories for the 3835 but it does not work.$LABEL$0 +Perhaps I expected too much.. I purchased this for my office chair. All in all, I am disappointed. It felt good at first, but didn't stay put--kept sliding down. I stopped using it.$LABEL$0 +4 stars for understanding Internet stuff; 2 for exam related. I wrote and past the i-Net+ (1K0-002) today (Mar-5-2004). This book contributed 40% of the content.The content of this book is excellent for understanding Internet-related information. However, from the standpoint of the i-Net+ exam the book missed the mark.The book helped with understanding some of the concepts. The practice questions were way way too easy.The exam was hard... damn hard. I passed with a 83% mark.$LABEL$0 +A Superior Work and Recording. If you enjoy baroque music, this is certainly a must. The clarity of this recording is wonderful. It has a kind of depth that I don't often find in CD recordings - almost as if I can reach out and take hold of the music. The fantastic Dresden Concerti are performed nearly flawlessly by Reinhard Goebel and his ensemble on period instruments, lending themselves to create a rich, classic CD recording.$LABEL$1 +Poor Merchandise. This item was not worthy to because not enough technical info was given when item was purchased. As a result I spent 3 days buying adapters that would possibly match this drive and nothing worked. Now I have to purchase another drive.$LABEL$0 +I look at things different now. I'll be very minimal in words to convey how I feel after reading this book. I can stand in a line that goes around the supermarket several times and I say to myself""How can I control this situation? , No more road rage for me, I don't make fun of other people anymore, In general I am a better person to my wife, kids, peers and everybody out there. Thanks.$LABEL$1 +didn't send/didn't return calls/still charged for it. I don't know why they didn't send me the Toddy (that I'd heard so much good about), but they didn't and they didn't return calls and they still charged me for it. When I would call the cust. serv, who never knew what the hell was going on, she'd say, "I see the order. I don't know why you didn't get it. I'll have someone call you about it." They never called.It was July of last year and I was a month away from getting married, so I didn't follow up like I usually would, but I figured eventually it would show up or they'd credit my card. Then I forgot about it, but going through my '07 bills, I stumbled on the cc charge and got agitated all over again.Maybe it's a good product, but if they aren't professional enough to fulfill their offers, you'll never know.$LABEL$0 +Opinion of a new teacher.. I am disappointed with this book. I am a new teacher and do not find the ideas in this book helpful at all. The ideas presented are not new, and even new teachers would be capable of thinking these thing up on their own. The book presents ideas such as; how to make finger puppets, how to have a puppet show, writing a story about a "building" (whoopee), how to put a timeline on a bulletin board, how to make a seating chart, etc, etc. Not new ideas at all!$LABEL$0 +Just not enough. This soundtrack is like a five course meal stuck at the third course. The music in this film is really what brought it together and was what for me personally put this movie into the good category as opposed to the ok one. There were much more songs that should, could have been on the cd but weren't. Underworld and Thievery Corporation to just name a few were left off the list, even though the songs were very important to the feel of the movie. If anyone knows the entire list of songs from the movie, i would be really glad to get a hold of it. thanks$LABEL$1 +I don't even like 'classic rock'. I don't know if that's what this is considered, but I do know that Floyd and Bowie are the only musicians I can stand from 1960-1988. So even you don't think this is your thing you should give it a listen.$LABEL$1 +1st time review. After reading all the negative reviews for this product I almost didn't buy it. Lots of complaints about pouring and taste. I have found that after reading reviews on many different products, a large percentage of the negative ones have to do with the user, not the product. When a reputable manufacturer has the same product on the market for an extended time you can be sure they will redesign it for legitimate complaints. I can't figure out why my pot had none of the problems many critics experienced. It performs perfectly has no pouring problems and the coffee is great. I recommend it highly and am glad I bought it. Surely this wasn't just luck.$LABEL$1 +Great French compilation. This compilation was released in France in 1991 by Polydor. It sold 250,000 copies and inspired the release a year later of the internationally known best-of "Gold". "Abba Story" features 25 tracks on 2 CDs. Tracklisting is based on ABBA songs that were popular in France. A great compilation without a doubt!CD 101. Waterloo02. Mamma Mia03. Fernando04. Dancing Queen05. Money Money Money06. Knowing Me Knowing You07. The Name Of The Game08. Take A Chance On Me09. Chiquitita10. Voulez Vous11. I Have A Dream12. The Winner Takes It All13. Thank You For The MusicCD201. Ring Ring02. Super Trouper03. I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do04. SOS05. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)06. Happy New Year07. Rock Me08. Summer Night City09. Eagle10. One Of Us11. One Man One Woman12. So Long$LABEL$1 +A wonderful suspense romance..a must read!. This was a great romance suspense novel! I really enjoyed the characters and it really kept me guessing til the very end! Anyone who is a romance suspense lover is sure to love this! Can not think of anything I did not like about this book!$LABEL$1 +Excellent variety of plan selection and skill levels .... As a freelance draftsperson this book is one of four by Sun Designs that I had thepleasure of assisting with. 'Classic Toys in Wood' was a truedelight as was the follow up book 'Making Timeless Toys in Wood'.Classic Toys in Wood contains 40 toy plans including; construction toys,a host of fun toys in the 'boat marina' theme, rocking horses, and more.The book itself contains 12 mini plans as well as an illustrated storyfor children.My niece was just a small child while I was working with theprotypes of these toys. She visited often and of course loved toplay test them. She especially liked the ferris wheel and allthe little people she could put on the ride.Unlike some mass made toys, these stood up to the rigors of play.Along with the mini-plans included in the book you will findexcellent step-by-step instructions and materials lists.Full size plans for all the toys shown in the book can be ordered directly from Sun Designs.$LABEL$1 +Love it. Great book.. suspense! I couldn't put it down. Dodge and Warren are two intriguing characters anyone can relate to. Gardner never disappoints.$LABEL$1 +Why no Region 'B' yet?. PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE, LET US, OVER THE POND, HAVE THIS SUPERB BLU-RAY DVD ON REGION 'B'. IT APPEARS ONLY TO BE AVAILABLE ON REGION 'A'. IF ANYONE WITH ANY KIND OF CLOUT HAS THE POWER TO REMEDY THIS THEN PLEASE DO SO.....YOU WILL MAKE A LOT OF FANS OVER HERE(UK)VERY VERY HAPPY.$LABEL$1 +the second one had less dents then the first!. Well we like the BBQ but the first one we got was so damanged! Dented, broken handles - had to send it back. The second BBQ only had a broken handle so we decided to keep this one - we were afraid to see what the next one would look like! It was almost a joke at this point. If you buy this I would make sure you pick it up in person.$LABEL$0 +Not worth it. Where do I start? Well all the speeches with exception of two are from his first term - his farewell address and the 2000 DNC speech. Many, including the later, are cut short! Why? It makes no sense! And I cannot see any reason for several of the speeches selected for this DVD to be on there. I was under the impression this was supposed to be a collection of his most important and/or greatest speeches to the nation. I was dead wrong! In addition to several others I was really hoping to see I couldn't believe they left out all the state of the union speechs and the 92' and 96' DNC speeches! For any true Bill CLinton fan this DVD is NOT WORTH IT!$LABEL$0 +Another tremendous album by Lucy. This one has it all--great, personal lyrics (Just You Tonight will have you running for the kleenex), well-written songs and playing. The title track is a real keeper, as is the cover of Steve Earle's Somewhere Out There.A great album, sure to be in my CD player for years.$LABEL$1 +Capcom should be Ashamed. This is the absolute worst Meage Man X game there is. The bosses stink. The armors are pathetic. The timer makes the game more annoying than interesting. DON"T BUY THIS GAME! SAVE YOUR MONEY! Hopefully X6 will be much better.$LABEL$0 +If you can get past the shoddy camera work..... you might have been able to watch the entire movie without getting motion sickness. This paparazzi type of film shooting works well occasionally, and gives it a documentary type of feeling. However, when it is as often as it is in this movie you become very aware of the camera and its movements, which detracts from the story and the movie itself. All you become aware of is the CAMERA and the cameraman, and why the hell isn't he using a tripod or something?!?!? Don't most people want to get into a movie and empathize with the characters? I couldn't see how this was possible when we are constantly reminded that they are only actors being filmed by a shakey cameraman.The story was fine. A feel good film, sappy and happy.$LABEL$0 +Foggy motions. 2 1/2Even with its slacked lo-fi grogginess intact, there is an undercurrent of persuasion keeping things alive at least.$LABEL$0 +Untruth in Advertising. The subtitle of this book is "Stories of Special Forces from Iraq to Afghanistan." Why then, is over half the book taken from the Vietnam conflict? And one of the stories is by that foul-mouthed self-promoting braggart, Richard Marcenko, a name that makes real navy seals wince in embarassment.There is not one original story in the entire book, and it's the only book I've ever purchased only to realize that I'd read it already. Each article is some re-hashed part of another book that most SF fans will have already read.Very disappointing.$LABEL$0 +Beautiful!. We chose this semi-flush mount for our newly remodeled kitchen to add a touch of elegance. It turned out to be very well made. The craftsmanship is very good and the detail is delicate. My only complaint is that the color was not quite the one we thought. It was described as "Etruscan Gold" and on the picture it had nice gold tone. The semi flush we received looked a lot darker, more like bronze color. In the afternoon light you can see the gold tone, but not at night. We decided to keep it anyway because it still matched the overall color scheme of the kitchen. It is a very good light fixture, we are happy with it, and it was easy enough for my husband to install.$LABEL$1 +Prince of Fire. This continues the excellent series with Gabriel Allon proving once again that he is a most human hero. I enjoy the way the author brings the action to a high level without losing the depth of feelings the hero and his team experience. A wonderful read.$LABEL$1 +Not Good. This physics book "helped" me through two horrendous semesters of Purdue University physics. There is absolutely no correlation between the text and the homework problems, which lead all of us engineers to wish bad things upon the Purdue physics department and the authors. If the chapters were a bit more clear, maybe I'd have gotten an A first semester and a B second, rather than B and C, respectively.$LABEL$0 +the first review. This dvd contains:the Batman 2-part season 1 finaleEpisodes included:The Rubberface of Comedy(part 1)The Clayface of Tragedy(part 2)In this season 1 two-parter finale, Joker turns Detective Ethan Bennett into Clayface!!!!!!!!!!NOTES:Clayface's "the batam" debut!!!(I Think)this dvd comes in a Walmart exclusive 2-pack(along with "Batman Begins"the movie)$LABEL$0 +Not as advertised and ordered from Amazon/'s Audible Books. The Audible download was described as a trilogy, but it is not. It is only the first two books in this harrowing, fascinating and brilliant series of novels. Apparently the third book is lost in Audible cloud, but I have the Patrick Melrose quartet in one volume, and my sense of loss and agrievement has been assuaged.I will miss Patrick, and his brilliantly written, terse story when I've read the last volume. I will put them away, and pull them out in a few years and return to his world, so richly and unsentimentally described. St. Aubyn's deft portraits hit close to the grain, and will be as fresh 20 years from now as they are today. Cultures may change. People don't.So, no stars for Audible/Amazon, but five for these fast paced, deeply felt and entertaining novels. And buy the books, you will not like being cut off in the middle.$LABEL$0 +St. Valentine's Massacre. This is an awful book. His favorite character, Father Blackie, intrudes here and there, but the book is basically about an anchorman, his love life, and a mystery. The writing is poor and repetitious. Greeley (or his amanuensis) was just looking for fillers. Certain phrases are repeated...and repeated...and repeated. And how many times do we want to witness the lovemaking of the middle-aged anchorman and his train-of-thought adoration of his love? I felt like several someones forced themselves to sit down and write 300 words a day, not caring what had been written previously and not being sure where the plot was going. The characters are cardboard cutouts.$LABEL$0 +As Beautiful as Poetry. This picture book for gardeners is a small volume of watercolor illustrations detailing every aspect of gardening. This is a book to look at and browse through. The pictures are charmingly rendered beautiful plants, garden plots and espaliers. It calms one down, like reading a good poem, and takes one back to when gardening was an art.$LABEL$1 +Nice little item!. I was looking for something light and small to keep my curls intact when blow-drying after a shampoo. I didn't want a large heavy diffuser, and the HotSock was the perfect solution. The price was right, and I'm very satisfied.$LABEL$1 +False description. Although inexpensive and usable, they are not for the DS system and do not fit into the stylus slot. The product description is misleading.$LABEL$0 +Humorous and Helpful. Although this book was written with a humorous tone, it contains some very helpful information. I use to be a nice girl, but I got tired of never getting what I deserved. I have found through trial and error that being a "bitch" has ultimately given me self respect and respect from men in general.$LABEL$1 +Just another myth. While it is possible to get some power gains by insulating your intake tube (that is, only if the tube is being subject to large amounts of heat), it is just impossible to get "100 HP" gain and "50 MPG" fuel consumption. Such remarks would just come from someone who works for the company and is trying to sell the product. If these gains were true, all the companies selling the high end performance mods would go out of business with people buying this product. A built as mentioned on the previous post would imply this person having an intake attached to a turbo, which will get hot regardless unless you have an intercooler for the air to get colder, denser and therefore, providing more power to your car.$LABEL$0 +Great Sabbath Tribute CD. This Sabbath Tribute CD is great. It's much better than Nativity in Black 2 and Masters of Misery. The music sounds great. But anyone who listens for the first time may not like some of the vocals. They have a black and death metal sound to them. So if your a black metal or a death metal fan you'll like this CD. The best songs on the CD are: Snowblind,Hand of Doom,Johny Blade,and Symptom of the Universe. I recommend it to any die hard Sabbath fan.$LABEL$1 +square d well swiitch. Great item with a great price, The same item sell in local stores if they canbe found for about twice as much. thanks mike$LABEL$1 +Great idea, but will break very easily and won't work well on toilets!. I purchased this product after reading all the reviews and watching Claire's review video, but although it might work well on the bath tub or the sink, it does not work well on toilets. I tried unclogging my toilet possibly 10+ different times, but no matter how accurately I did it, my toilet is still clogged. Also, after less than 20 attempts, the pump broke and won't air seal broke and won't hold more than 4 pumps. (supposed to hold up to 20-30)So as much as great of an idea this product is, it won't really work on toilets (although it does work OK on tubs/sinks) and might break easily (mine broke in two days).$LABEL$0 +Very disappointing. As much appreciation I have for the thorough research of the writer and his attention to details this book is a safe phone directory that does not leave space to the imagination of antiques lovers. Boring.$LABEL$0 +Mr. Krueger's Christmas. I love and adore Jimmy Stewart; I always have and always will. His movies are timeless and his humanity and humility, as an actor, are inspirational to people everywhere. However, it is clear to me that Mr. Krueger's Christmas is nothing less than Mormon propaganda produced for the specific purpose of advertising and exploiting a particular religious view as opposed to the universalism of the true Christmas story that surely embraces all humankind.$LABEL$0 +Not as announced. I bought this product believing it was an original RCA LNB as it is announced in the description and is shown in the picture. To my surprise I received a replacement item from another manufacturer. Fortunatly amazon refunded me the cost.This seller must annonce the item as it is (real manufacturer), and not using the original brand without saying it is a replacement part (not original).$LABEL$0 +I really hoped for better things . . .. I really hoped to enjoy this book more. I forced myself to keep reading several times, hoping for more substance. This book was terrible--too wordy, too predictable, just too much of whatever and not enough of good, crisp writing. However, I must say that I appreciate the Christian values of the book.$LABEL$0 +This movie was ok.... I gave this movie only 4 stars because it was not that belivable to me, and while a movie does not need to be.... this one i was expecting to be almost based off a true life story.Besides that though, this movie was relitivly a mild-paced movie, some parts were a little slow, and in the end there was a twist ending. This movie may not be the best movie to show to younger kids, because they may get afraid of the concpet of someone knowing their whole life and trying to kill people.Robin Williams did a good job, and all the characters in this movie were very well played! There was not much of a plot, but what they did have was pretty well planed.There was no "Thrilling" special/visual effects and no "Stand-Out" music, but that's ok because this type of movie does not require eaither.This might be a movie to rent though, as it is one of those that you can see twice and be done with.~Hope this helps$LABEL$1 +NOT for use in the SUMMER. If you are planning on making Ice cream in the Summertime...forget it...I spent almost a hundred bucks....(I know thats what happens when you get these big ideas on baking good) at the store....pre mixed everything...set the batter in the freezer...after freezing the bowl for 2 days...was practically exctatic that I was going to have fresh cold ice cream within 20 minutes!! I had all the toppings...all the goodies....well...20 minutes later I go back to the blender and the batter is still the same as when I poured it...I am not completely blaming the product...HOWEVER......Im just hoping that you read this...to warn you that this product is better to use maybe in the cooler months...then it may work fine. =]$LABEL$0 +WOW! So Surprised!. I've never been more pleased! This collection of church recipes is HUGE! The cookbook itself is larger than 8.5x11, and the recipes are the "tried and true" kind that are getting harder to locate in this day and age. If you're looking for great recipes look no further...this is the cookbook for you...and the best part is the price!$LABEL$1 +I like this 3 games in a board edition.. I bought this game because I love Risk board game, and Clue. Then I have great expectations with this game but Risk is just an random numeric game after a few matches I been bored, Clue is very predictable is boring. But if you don't have nothing to do and you want waste time Battleship is the answer, is the most funniest game between the other two piece of crap.$LABEL$0 +Great Read. This book was really good. Teens can relate to Anna. She has to go through boy trouble, social status, mean girls, and parenting problems. Cammie, Sam, and Dee think Anna is just an A-list wanna be. While Cammie's ex, and major hottie, Ben, and Anna are falling for each other. Plus there's the hot limo driver. Her dad doesn't have any time for her because of his job and his new girlfriend that is just like Anna's mom. This book will keep you hooked. I read it in 1 day. I'm sure you'll love the drama.$LABEL$1 +Blackberry 8700 rubber case review. Product didn't resemble picture shown. The keyboard area was covered -- not open as shown. This makes it very hard to type with the case on the device.$LABEL$0 +Cant Find It Anywhere. This cd in my opinion is one of the best if not the best in the underworld record label. As a matter of fact this is one of the best rap albums ever made. Not just in chicano rap bcuz in that category they are the best for sure but in any kind of rap they are the best. My favorite songs on the album are-#1- Ordinary Day#4- Coastin#5- Freakin#8- Very Next Day#9- Float On#10- LostBut what pi$$es me off is that I cannot find this cd in any local stores here I have looked at so many and I was looking for the cd while on my period and I was getting so emotional (bcuz during your period you feel like that, girls you can understand) and almost crying cuz of my dam* period and the fact that I couldnt get the cd. Well anywayz get this cd if your lucky enough and can find it YOU WONT REGRET IT.Oh yeah if anyone from here know where to find the cd tell me.And another question is the Mr Capone-e chicano or pakistani?$LABEL$1 +Not what I had expected. This book didn't teach me anything I didn't already know. I guess I should have read the title before I bought the book. I was expecting Computer security auditing 102 and got Hax0r1ng ExP0sed: your 800 page ub3r l33t guide to take you half way to script kiddie! I'm not saying that this book doesn't have any decent information, I am just saying that it's not for the guru. I could rewrite this entire book in fewer than 40 pages.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing. This a great book, so why the 2 stars? The book states on the cover that it is a revised edition complete with 1/96 scale fold-out plan. Well when they revised the book I guess they took the fold-out plan "OUT". I couldn't find it. I bough 4 books in this series and they all say the same thing but NO PLANS. If it wasn't that the other information in the book is great I would have returned all 4. Still a disappointment.$LABEL$0 +VERY HARD READ. This book is very hard to read. I have successfully made it 3/4 through the book, but it's because I have been forcing myself to continue reading. I do like some of the points the book makes, and think it has a wonderful message, just wish it was easier to read. Uses A LOT of big words that are not everyday words for the average person, which forces you to have to think longer on each sentence you read. Would find myself having to read the page 2-3 times in order to get the point. As said, it does have a great message, but I believe it could have been written as a better flow of words. I would only recommend this book to someone that is an avid Theological reader, not an average Christian looking to deapen their spiritual relationship with the Lord.$LABEL$0 +Amazon's Look Inside of 212 Degrees. I have to say that the "Look Inside" preview that Amazon has pout together for this book is totally useless. I use this function often and have purchased many books based upon the insight that it has given me. For 212 Degrees, it it essentially nothing but the cover and inside and outside flaps. That leads me to believe that the substance of this book is very weak and; therefore, I will not be making the purchase.$LABEL$0 +where did the old Dean Koontz go?. I have read all of Koontz's books and I anxiously awaited this book and after reading it, I knew the wait wasn't worth it. I had just read Odd Thomas and so hoped this new book would be better. Alas it wasn't. Where of where did our Dean Koontz of Dark Rivers of the Heart and Watchers and Dragon Tears, etc.go? He would so carfully craft a story and draw you into it so deep that you couldn't wait to finish it but you didn't want it to end. This book was so formulaic that you really didn't have to finish it to know what was going to happen. In his early books, every word he typed seemed important to the story. In this book, you have page after page of almost nothing but adjectives. I want my old Koontz back. This book was not worth the read.$LABEL$0 +Strength and perseverance. This is a good movie. Thora Birch is convincing. The story is incredible. Sometimes it is a little slow but it's worth the time one takes to see it. It's inspirational.$LABEL$1 +Rambling. Unlike the author, I'll be concise. The book was rambling, disorganized and lacked structure. There were several memorable anecdotes and one gets a good grasp for the life of a struggling professional golfer. However, Mr. Feinstein was obviously under time pressure to complete the book because it was difficult to follow.$LABEL$0 +Enemy at the gates. Awesome movie, graphic as it gets. MANY head shots :) Some of the actors suck though, little bit of cheesyness on their parts. Would buy it if I were you. Imagine Saving Private Ryan only with a lot more snipers.$LABEL$1 +Weak Fire Hose. It is an over rated toy. My year old labradoodle shreeded it within two days. Indestructible my a**. Chew proof, hardly.$LABEL$0 +rip off. if you are going to print a few large pictures every now and then and that is it, then maybe this printer is for you. but if you are a normal person who likes to print off several photos as well as e-mails, internet documents and other normal stuff, then this printer is a nightmare. it is constantly constantly constantly running out of one of its eight color cartridges and then it won't even let you print in black! it is expensive to keep all of that ink around! then half the time it prints your picture poorly, so you have to print it again and, well, there goes your ink. i am so angry i purchased this thing. it is huge and incompetent. i hate it. i recommend you get a normal small reliable printer and then send away for your prints.$LABEL$0 +Avons eyeliner gimmick!. I was introduced to Avon through a friend who sells it. I really wanted a superior product and there prices seems fair, checked out reviews and made purchase. I purchased Avon Glimmer stick in black and brown. I bought it from an avon store. I must say Im disapointed. I mean the stick breaks off easy (im gentle and dont even use it everyday), didnt even last 6 months. I had the SAME experience with the mascara, all of a sudden one day I went in to use it and it was broken.(how does mascara break) Not even 6 months of use.$LABEL$0 +Missing Holes, Not That Easy to Assemble. On the left side panel, 3 out of 8 holes for the back braces were missing. It took two people to assemble. The final product is decent. But for the price I paid, I expected higher quality in manufacturing.$LABEL$0 +The Secret (Audio CD Set) - Rhonda Byrne. If Ms Byrne only knew how her unprofessional voice and amateur reading style detracts from the powerful messages imparted in this set, she would have it re-recorded by a professional. Good material - poorly presented.$LABEL$0 +Very Nice - Especially for the Price. I got this about two weeks ago, and now I've put it to a fair test: During driving. I think the so called "Shock Protection" saved it most of the time, after all, these aren't the worst roads. But suffice to say, it never skipped. So, it works great! However the car kit that came with it only worked one time when I hit PLAY, and it only made output in the left ear. Good thing I brought batteries! The AC Adapter is included as well and is a nice touch. The headphones included are high quality. Finally, I haven't tried the cassette adapter, for I have no use for it when I could have CD quality =) Why four stars then, and not five? Well, perhaps for the poor car kit, but also for looks. Looks don't matter though, that's a silly thing to judge, right? Go and buy it! $50!$LABEL$1 +Right stock number wrong product. Ordered replacement part only to find out the stock number for part is wrong had to order part direct from mfg.$LABEL$0 +Fantastic Box Set To Own ...... There's not much things to say about such an epic of a movie. It's simply one of the best Blu ray to own. For the record, I don't see any problem on the green tint issues posted by some reviewers. On my Panny Plasma P50GT50 via the OPPO 93 player, not a problem. The picture is simply gorgeous and the accompanied audio was darn good too !!!$LABEL$1 +Brick Brick Brick. Do not buy this. I opened the box and hooked everything up. It was detected as an unknown device and none of the drivers would install. ADS Tech sent me a BRICK. Buy any other brand.$LABEL$0 +Cheap is not Better - Buyer Beware!!. Okay, it has been 48 hours since I purchased the first one from Best Buy and now I am preparing to return the 3rd one to Circuit City! First one had a broken dvd drive, would not recognize any disk, 2nd one windows would not work, third one has a bad modem. DO NOT BUY! I can't believe how much time and effort I have wasted, not to mention money because of having both stores do the set up and adware removal, only to go through this. In addition to all the faulty manufacturing, I found it to be REALLY slow, more so than my current 4 yr. old model and the graphics are very low quality and antiquated looking. Save yourself the trouble.$LABEL$0 +Shred & Tighten. From day one I felt like my body was tightening. I've been doing a weight class for several months but level one kicked my butt.I have tendonitis in my shoulder so I had some concerns but the workout seems to be working out the shoulder & it is feeling better.$LABEL$1 +Dont buy this. It worked for a few months, then started to say system unavalibe all the time, if you reset the system it works for about a day before saying this again, freezes up when checking voice mail or trying to call people randomly, no more updates on firmware so please do not buy this as a warning; THEY HAVE DROPED SUPPORT FOR THIS PRODUCT. I have an IT degree and have messed with this item for a while beliving that tweeking it would help, but sometimes things just do not work. Skype is a good service, dont screw it up buy purchasing this phone.$LABEL$0 +Convicts Candy, Was Just Tooooo Much For Words.. When I Saw The Cover Of This Book, I Knew I Had To Purchase It.Afer Reading The First 2 Chapters, I Couldnt Put The Book Down. Candy Was A "Transexual" Who Caught AIDS & Died. Doing Her Time While She Was In Prison , She Had Many Sexual Escapades, With Brothers The Were "On The Low" But Wanted No One To Know.. It Seem To Me That Some These Brothers Were Just Drawn To Her Because If Her Beauty... Candy Had It Going On.. Do Ya Thang Boo. This Book Was Really Good....$LABEL$1 +Rip Off!!!. It broke after 4 times using it, broken stalk and it wont fire!!! GARBAGE!!! To make matters worse my 30 day gaurntee is up and im out of my $100!!! I tried to find the return address and there was none...I will never buy this product again!!!$LABEL$0 +not his best. i would truly give this cd 1 1/2 stars but i can't. i can see where he was trying to go with this one musically, but it's just not happening. There are way better Capone cd's out there. don't waste your time on this one.Comes to a disappointment for me - cuz i own all his cd's, but not this one.$LABEL$0 +Dragging rubbing sound from tray. The Sherwood had a good sound, the only problems were (1)the remote unable to open and close tray and unable to move from disc to disc to remove from tray.(2)the tray was slow moving and had a dragging rubbing sound.$LABEL$0 +Totally Chuffed!!!. This is easily one of the top two or three metal albums of all time. This is the Reign In Blood of the Death Metal/Grind Core genre. Amazing lyrics, written with sheer honesty and brutality. As far as the music and songwriting goes, its furious and relentless. Pintado, Harris and Embury are songwriting gods. They combine speed, grind and crunch like no other. Support the mighty Naplam and buy this and then go see them live. If you get a chance to hang with them, I assure you, you won't be disappointed. The eternal Gods of Grind!!$LABEL$1 +Good book, stupid layout. This book has a lot of good info and photos. But the layout is the stupidest thing I've seen in a book. Most of the photos are spread across two pages and since this book is quite thick, the centers of the pictures are curved and it ruins the photos. The info and the photos in the book should get 5 stars but the layout has ruined everything. They have also missed IL 2 which I believe is the most produced aircraft in history if not in the second world war. They have included aircraft models that are much insignificant but missed IL 2. Some would argue that IL 2 was a ground attack aircraft but not a fighter but almost half of this book is dedicated to bombers and other non fighting aircraft. I give 2 stars because it makes me mad to see all the good photographs in this book spread across two pages which looks like the author is mocking me.$LABEL$0 +Boring Workout. This workout is not without challenge. So, even though it starts out easy, some of the sections get your heart rate up and and you will work up a sweat. However, the fact that each segment begins with its own warmup makes it too disruptive to do as one complete workout. Also, Keli Roberts is by herself, there are no background exercisers, and she is just no fun at all. I found this workout incredibly boring.I recommend Amy Bento, Cathe Friedrich or Chalene Johnson for fun and challenging kickboxing workouts, but don't waste your time and money on this one.$LABEL$0 +Ride the Rocket!. This book is like riding on the back of a rocket. It takes off and never lets up. A great read!$LABEL$1 +return. I received this book for a present and after suffering through a half hour hoping to find something original enough to engage my interest, I simply gave up and returned the book. Not remotely recommendable.$LABEL$0 +smells.... strong rubber odor. I would have loved this product if it wasn't for its smell. I really tried. I even washed it with soap and everything.. but the smell won't go away. I can't stand surrounded by stench of car tire smell. Does it really make that much difference in manufacturing cost to have it made with just a slightly above the quality than the ones they used? If it wasn't for the smell, I'd be buying them in bulk and place it everywhere I sit and also pass it along to friends as a gift!$LABEL$0 +Great Condition Majora's Mask Game Guide. This game guide came on time and is in near perfect condition. There was only a small tear on the binding of the book. My son was thrilled he had a guide to go with the game and the interior was in mint condition.$LABEL$1 +Not like the original one. I had really liked the original version of this book which is meant for slightly older children. So I got this for my 14 month old daughter. She is least interested in it although she loves books and has many favorites. I didnt like it much either. There is no rhythm and the text doesnt flow very well. In fact, the last few pages just contain a bunch of alphabets thrown in as if in a hurry to finish the book. There are better books out there!$LABEL$0 +Don't bother. This book is a sad reminder of what repugnicans once were. How can a party sink to multitudes of degrees of filth and worthlessness.$LABEL$0 +Recommended. I really enjoyed this but didn't absolutely love it. Nice animation. Interesting story. Mostly likable sprinkled with a few annoying characters. Recommended on blu-ray for sure. I can't say I will be watching it over and over. But it's definitely worth a go$LABEL$1 +Great tasting substantial snack bar. I was looking for healthy on the go gluten free snacks. This is my go to bar, love the taste and very filling.$LABEL$1 +carol at the lake. I love this product as when I am traveling I need to charge my ipod touch and this does the trick!!!$LABEL$1 +One of the best technical analysis. This is, in my opinion, one of the best technical analysis books out there.The approach of Richard Wyckoff was developed in the beginning of the century and it still applies. He shows you, in great details, how through price, volume and trend lines you can identify what a stock is doing and what it is about to do. And he did all of it by hand!!!The system is pure and, if combined with other indicators, moving averages, etc. can be powerful.The book is full of technical information. It is condensed, not an easy read but worth every penny and it is one of the least expensive books out there.I highly recommend it.$LABEL$1 +The stand broke in 48 hours. A cheap plastic part on the stand of this timer (so it can be placed on a table) broke off within 2 days of receipt.Cheap and to be avoided.$LABEL$0 +incomplete episodes. I am glad it had closed caption, but disappointed the dvd episodes were each missing about 3 minutes of episodes as network aired, and showed the syndication truncated versions.$LABEL$0 +Compatibility problem. I got this for Christmas for use with a Cassiopeia E125. The software loaded fine, but the receiver did not appear to get a signal. The Ambicom office was closed during Christmas break, so I put it aside. This week I e-mailed Ambicom. Their response is as follows:"Unfortunately, the software is not compatible with PDA OS. It's only for Pocket PC 2002 and 2003. Sorry for this incovenient caused."Amazon's product description and the (sparse) Ambicom documentation did not reveal this detail. Now I'm stuck with something I probably can't use.$LABEL$0 +Controversy mistaken for depth. The only thing that makes this book even appear to be worthwhile is it's "controversial topic" (which is advertised right on the cover). I was so irritated with how awful this book was it took me over an hour to chill my brain enough to start a new one. So often controversy is mistaken for depth. This book had none. I thought it was going to be great but the more I read the more I was proved wrong. The characters are absurdly one-dimensional while constantly try to claim otherwise through out the book but ultimately don't. This book is not even worth the paper it is printed on. Normally if I don't like a book I donate to the thrift store or give it BCID on bookcrossing. This one I tossed directly into the recycling.$LABEL$0 +Prepare to be blown away!!!!!. "Fireproof" byfar surpasses "Above". The music is harder and has more of an edge. It's amazing how Rob can be screaming one minute and then singing softly the next. To those Christian alternative fans, this is a must have. The song "Further" is this album's equivalent of "Father", and it is amazing. The whole album will keep you head bobbing throught. This album is as good as P.O.D.'s "Satellite". So, if you haven't gotten it, get it. You will not be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Unbelievable!!!. I'm not one to read books but when a guy friend of mine preseented me with this one i had to go ahead. This book sat on my shelf for 1 month before I finally picked it up. It was wonderful!!! I read the entire thing in one day. What a thing for someone who dislikes reading!! I can't wait to buy his other books!!$LABEL$1 +Book condition not rated correctly. When I received the book the glue on the binding is falling apart and the book is split in half when you open it because it is in such poor condition and was not rated that way. I have to repair the binding myself so it wont fall apart in the middle of my class.$LABEL$0 +Helpful Resource. This book is a great place to get new ideas when working with children. Its also been a great resource to reccomend to new therapists. I have used the "Sticky Dots" intervention on serveral occasions.$LABEL$1 +Hilarious!!. This is my favorite movie of all time and I have seen a lot of movies.I can watch this one over and over and over and it still makes me laugh everytime. I think this is Brandon Fraiser's best comedy role, he is soo good at every character he plays in this. He is hilarious! I love this movie!$LABEL$1 +Boring Book - Went Straight To The Recycle Bin. The stories are thin, the typo's are glaring, and I wouldn't even donate this book to the Good Will, etc. - because no one should have to read this piece of junk.$LABEL$0 +Re-release of Naomi's solar pumpkim, still good.. This CD features most of the same tracks from Naomi's Sloar Pumpkim, whcih Mr Tabor released himself. I prefer the NSP for the mix and selection of songs, although this CD is also very good.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your money!. The toaster looks nice, but burns my toast every time. Very uneven. I have to watch it every time I make toast. Cheap. Don't buy it!$LABEL$0 +Fits my MacBook Pro Perfectly!. This sleeve works great to protect my 15" MacBook Pro and looks great as well! My notebook goes in and zips up easily, even with the snug fit. The pocket on top would fit a small ipod or jump drive, but definitely not big enough to hold much more. I like the slim lines of this product because it makes it easy to fit into another bag or a backpack for transport.$LABEL$1 +Not adequate. Bought these for my two adult chins. The male is tiny, but he was somewhat cramped in it and only used this until I added a fleece house - now he only uses this for a platform. It's also not heavy or stable enough for them to use as a platform - on shavings it will tip slightly and startle them when they jump on it. Additionally, they jump on it with enough force that the top comes off daily, so eventually I had to nail it down so they wouldn't fall on it awkwardly.The female is much longer than the male, and she looked really uncomfortable in this whenever she had to turn around in it. She too abandoned it, and I didn't even give her an alternate nest box.I know the price is attractive, but now I have two houses that I'm going to pull out and replace with more substantial, large boxes. I definitely don't recommend this house type at all.$LABEL$0 +Goodness, such language. The little girl in this movie must have aged 20 years during its filming. Language is so gross, it is unintentionally funny at times. A real gore-fest.$LABEL$1 +Magnificent. This is simply one of my favorite musical works. Something like this could easily have drifted into very cheesy territory indeed, but this is first class. I actually prefer this version to the original Silk Road albums. This well-done orchestral interpretation brings something extra out of the music. It's a lovely, enjoyable piece of music.$LABEL$1 +In very poor taste. I agree with other reviewers that this well is dry and the family is no longer interesting. But that disappointment is mild compared to the disgust I felt that she used the Twin Towers tragedy to plump up her character's adventures. First time I'd seen our national tradedy experienced by fictional characters and it is in very poor taste and so lacking in sensitivity that I won't read her again.$LABEL$0 +BAD. I purchased this item and plugged it into my power point using a converter adapter for Australian Standards. A soon as I plugged It in It ""BLEW UP IN SMOKE IMMEDIALTLY"" IT NO LONGER WORKS "" I DIDNT GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT PLAY "" I DIDNT GET A CHANCE TO HERE IT PLAY ""WHY WOULD A COMPANY SELL ELECTRICAL ITEMS TO AUSTRALIA THAT ARE NOT COMPATABLE !!!!!!!WHY WOULDNT THE COMPANY TELL YOU THAT YOU CANNOT USE THIS IN AUSTRALIA !!!!I USED AN ADAPTER !!!WHY DID IT BLOW UP!!!!!!MY FRIEND BROUGHT ONE AS WELL, SHE LIVES IN AUSTRALIA TO AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENEDIT BLEW UP BOOM !!!!!!!WE BOTH LOST TOGETHER OVER $300.00WERE THE ITEMS FAULTY !!!!!!WERE THEY JUST NOT COMPATABLE FOR AUSTRALIAWHY WERE WE NOT ADVISED????THEY KNEW WERE THEY WERE SENDING THEM!!!!!!!I AM VERY SAD AND SO IS MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!Pyrus Electronics 4gb Mp3 / mp4 / mp5 Player with 2.8 Inch Touch Screen and All Stainless Steel Casing$LABEL$0 +too bad to even be funny. Sometimes rap music, like horror movies, are so incredibly bad they end up being funny. Not this. Maybe because he obviously takes himself so seriously or because he is such a scumbag, I have no sympathy for him and his ridiculous music. I've heard more intelligent rhymes from 5th graders.$LABEL$0 +wonderful layout, full of incredible inspirational media art. I just picked this book up in NY and I'm blown away. Every time I eye it on my shelf I have to stop what I'm doing and pull it out, sit on the floor, and pour over the pages... This is wonderful art for the generation X/Y age group. Not to cram too many buzzwords into this review, but this stuff really is on the edge... it's out there... I'll be a happy man is this is the direction the art world takes in the next few years...This book takes an empty approach to design... lots of white and black space with strange freeze frames of different video and web pieces. Unlike most of the digital art books today, this does not have a companion CD-rom. Thats what makes this book so interesting, is that you have digital moving art, frozen, taken out of context, and put to paper. There's not many books like this, too bad.$LABEL$1 +HUH?. The Stretching is waaay to long! Get to it Already! 2ndly The Dance moves are not properly gone over, so you're left LOST threw out the workout. By the time you take your pulse rate, mine was way below, since i was mostly wandering around my workout room in confusion. Eevenn Eric Niles can be seen confused and screwing up. 3rdly wheres the instructor from the first grind workout, and who's this crappy fitness instructor Wanna be with the bad hair that looks like she had soda cans in it all morning? STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE! Garbage$LABEL$0 +Most interesting characters from Indian Mythology.. Indian mythological literature is full of interesting and fascinating characters. This book is an entertaining collection of stories drawn from Indian myths and legends of yore. The colourfully illustrated book has stories about many less known characters from our legends as well as some of our favourites. The book is specially written for kids. The language is simple and sentences are short.Read this book if you like to know about Kumbhakaran, Ravana's brother whose daily diet consists of thousand plates of vegetable curry, two thousand bowls of chicken, three thousand platters of kheer, five hundred live goats, five hundred baskets of raw fish, two hundred whole banana trees, mountains of rice and a hundred barrels of wine.$LABEL$1 +cozy. Great, i get to be the 4th reviewer. I guess that about sums up how popular this band is. Well, rare gems are hard to find. This disk has a lot of variety but DMST definitely has a distinct sound. I have there previous 2 disks and think this one is the best. Has a more warm cozy, country feel to it. Some of it is very beautiful, some slightly annoying and noisy. If you are investigating them because of godspeed and the constellation stuff, they are not the same. Well, you do get some tremelo guitar (what's with that anyway), but the music is far more pleasant and palatible. enjoy$LABEL$1 +a disappointment. This book purports to based on high quality research. If so, the author has not made a good comunication job of setting it forth. I found the book superficial. It was also looked through by a true scientist resident here and panned it badly. It's a good idea not well done in my opinion$LABEL$0 +Item not has advertised. I was disapointed with this jacket. It was advertized as cashmere. When I received it the label stated it was recycle cashmere and it did not look or feel like cashmere. I was very disappointed and I returned the item.$LABEL$0 +The Stand to the Nth power. This novel is fantastic. It starts to drag in the middle, but the fast-paced action and in-depth characterizations are marvelous. Also wonderful is his putting forth of philosophical ideas and the power of God. A father risks his life for a daughter. What could be more heart-warming. Read it, please!$LABEL$1 +beware!. I double checked application chart several times,I checked the numbers when it arrived. All correct, I ordered the correct item and Amazon shipped that model.However, after several hours removing the existing air filter components I started building the new system. IT DOES NOT FIT THE THROTTLE BODY! Key cutouts are not there. Volant customer service is not open on Friday. So back it goes. Very disappointed. Will never buy a Volant product again.$LABEL$0 +rocky 5 soundtrack. I never got my cd I ordered I waited for good month, and nothing. And I email them twice for a answer. I got different answer and I wasn't happy at all. So I file a clim and they give me my money back.$LABEL$0 +The Best Anthro Fiction. Wilson's Crazy February is perhaps the best example of anthro fiction that I've read, and gives a much clearer idea of life in Chiapas than most anthro nonfiction. Crazy February gives the reader an acute sense of what it is really like to live there. I'd also recommend Peter Matthiessen's Far Tortuga as another wonderful example.$LABEL$1 +Beware: This is NOT a Microsoft headset. I ordered this headset, thinking it would be an original Microsoft headset, and was disappointed to see a cheap knockoff after opening the package. The microphone can only be used on the left side, which sucks because I usually have it on the right side. The pictures all show a Microsoft XBOX 360 headset and the manufacturer even says "Microsoft". Totally false advertising. I will never buy from this seller again.$LABEL$0 +Nuvi- inexpensive and satisfactory. I work as an Admissions counselor for a University and do a lot of traveling. Frustrated with the pages of directions from online map sites, I got advice from friends and tried the Nuvi. I've found it to be extremely helpful when finding high schools and colleges. It has also assited me in finding local food places. One great feature I've loved is the ability to search for hotels near my destination. The thing my boss loves is that he's saving money in printing and gas (yeah for not getting lost!)A couple of problems- I've found that the turning warning is about 50 feet off. (still need to call garmin help about that) Some businesses are slightly before or after the location that the Nuvi has recorded.I'm planning on buying at least one more for our admissions office, and am very happy with how the Nuvi has helped me to be on time to the various appointments that go along with my profession.$LABEL$1 +Pop-up top impossible to open and close. I was really excited to get a stainless steel water bottle with a pop top for exercising and a mouth large enough to put ice cubes in, at a decent price. Unfortunately I didn't heed the other comments about the pop-up top being hard to open and close. For me, it was next to impossible. The cap doesn't fit snug onto the pop-up top, so that when looped around your finger, it justs pops right off and the bottle falls to the floor or ground. Poor design. If you don't care about using the pop top (one of the main reasons I bought the bottle), this is a good bottle for the price.$LABEL$0 +Barbara has a great voice. Wow, Barbara Streisand has such a nice voice. In this musical, I love the songs "people", "I'd rather be blue over you" and "I'm the greatest star." Everyone says that Barbara Streisand is so ugly, but personally, I think she's actually kind of pretty. Yeah, her nose is big, but other than that she's not that bad. Anyway, it's just a really great movie. THe only problem with it is that the romantic scenes were a little too numerous and kind of boring.$LABEL$1 +Not that Great. Another toy that's just taking up space. I have been looking for the prefect bath toy for a while and still haven't found it! :( My kids are 2 1/2 and 1 so maybe they are just too young, but I wish I could go back in time because I would not have ordered this. I wasted money again!$LABEL$0 +What a disgusting, pointless piece of garbage. Not only is this a complete waste of money, it is also a waste of an hour and a half of your life. I felt like I was watching one of those pathetic, schlocky B-movies from the 1970's. Whoever is responsible for making this should be penalized and the people who promoted it as even remotely watchable should be ostracized.$LABEL$0 +PHOTO IS WRONG. This does not include the decorative ring pictured. It may work for a 1/2-inch stub, but it has a large and clearly visible (except in the photos...) hole in the bottom for a set screw to secure it. Who thought that was a good idea?Was hunting for a solid and more substantial spout than what is offered individually in the local stores. It feels solid and substantial (thus 2 stars), but is fatally flawed. Had to return it.$LABEL$0 +Great pacing and extremely enjoyable!. If you're a horror fan -- or more importantly a zombie fan -- than this is going to be on the top of your list of "must reads." The pacing is fast, the zombies are different enough and terrifying and the characters are fun to read about. There's also a good bit of tension thrown in. Smith does a great job of throwing monkey wrenches into his characters' lives... and it makes for a fun read. It starts out great, sets the mood and never really slows down.The writing style is accessible and concise and flows extremely well.This book deserves a spot right next to all your favorite horror novels.$LABEL$1 +Well worth the money. I suffered from Panic Disorder for more than 10 years. Every GP i saw told me i would never be cured and offered me medication to keep my anxiety under control. Thankfully I never accepted the drugs. When i was at the end of my tether feeling totally worthless and helpless, i found The Linden Method. I bought it, thinking i was maybe being conned as i was at my lowest ebb. I have to say i cried when i first started to read the manual. And the Panic Attack Eliminator was like an epiphany. The Linden Method is honest, safe and has a real understanding of how panic can control your life. The after sales support is also superb.I am not totally cured, but i know this is mostly down to me. The Method itself is sound, and if it doesn't completely cure you, I'm sure it will at the very least make your panic disorder much more manageable.Very strongly recommended.$LABEL$1 +Nightfox laser dance song. I read other reviews in search of the best song of the movie but not on the soundtrack and I did some searching and found the CD but it's not on Amazon anymore although the page is still up, the name of the CD is "Peines De Maures / Arc-En-Ciel Pour Daltoniens [IMPORT]"by La Caution. You can probably buy it on ebay or your local underground music store.$LABEL$0 +This review is for the 3D Version - HORRIBLE - Don't waste your time!.... I've proudly collected most all 3D Blurays available in the US since the beginning. I must say that I ROBOT is the worst 3D conversion I've ever experienced. I actually sold it on ebay for $9. It looked like a pop-out book - simply unsatisfactory. FOX/SONY has boasted about their new techniquest to convert 2D Classics to 3D classics. Note to Fox/Sony: PLEASE DON"T RUIN ANY FURTHER CLASSICS IN YOUR CATALOG WITH THIS QUALITY CONVERSION. I was so Dissappointed - a Great Movie in a horrible 3D presentation.Sony/Fox should take some pointers from Pixar or James Cameron for the future 2D- 3D conversion. You thought Last Airbender 3D was bad - experience I-ROBOT and it makes the Airbender look like a classic. Shame on you Fox/Sony - Give us better quality 3D Conversions and we'll buy them.$LABEL$0 +AWESOME STORY. The photo of President Kennedy with future President Clinton in the crowd is eerily ironic. For you people looking for some kind of embarassing kiss & tell story, try another book. If you want to see how one of the great minds of our times work, this is the book. President Clinton's accomplishments were many. He was and IS loved around the world. This book celebrates him, and we applaud him! I am honored to have been alive during his years as our leader.$LABEL$1 +Scions. a continuation of the Shannara series. Fast paced and with lots of bad 'guys, monsters, dragons, dwarfs, elfves, battles. In other words another action packed thriller. an easy read.$LABEL$1 +GOOD MOVIE!. If you're a fan of the first movie you will love this one, it's very intelligent, keeps you guessing, and a lot of humor!$LABEL$1 +Don't Waste Your Money. Painful to watch. Baldwin , as usual, has zero ability to project ANY emotion whatsoever. Whatever scene he is in, he has the same expression and is unable to communicate any feeling at all through his eyes. Poor script and silly idea for a movie. Pure garbage except for a few laughs where they aren't supposed to be. Cheap effects. Very low budget.$LABEL$0 +Bad Title. It's not a strategy book.. This is a book about openings. It's not your typical strategy book. Since it is an openings book, the material is very outdated. If you want to learn about the ideas behind the openings then I would recommend Discovering Chess Openings by Emms. If you are want a more detailed book on all the major openings then I would get Fundamental Chess Openings. FCO is a good reference book, but for the most part, it just lists moves and doesn't try to teach you about opening theory. If you are looking for a strategy book then I suggest Modern Chess Strategy by Pachman.$LABEL$0 +Norah's shining moment. Norah Jones may not have the keyboard proficiency of Dianna Krall nor the polished vocal range of Sade but she has what the others don't have - eight Grammys. Whether the Grammy was a one-hit-wonder glitch or a confirmation of her talents is a moot issue.What is obvious in this New Orleans performance is her artistry -- no embellishments, just simplicity and grace. Norah exudes femininity which is sometimes hard to convey in a jazz setting; her voice, oftentimes soulful and melancholic, comes across intimately in Lonestar, Bessie Smith, The Painter Song and the surprise encore Tennessee Waltz. Her now familiar "Don't Know Why" and "Come Away with Me", performed live, are enough reasons for having this DVD.In the musical world where artistic integrity are often compromised, it is nice to have for more than a 'brief shining moment' a lone star like Norah Jones.$LABEL$1 +A must-have for all 80's hard rock fans!. This is the second part of a 2 volume movie set highlighting the Moscow Music Peace Festival from August 12th and 13th, 1989. It has concert footage from Motley Crue, Gorky Park, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions and an awesome jam which went on at the end of the concert. It also has alot of backstage footage with the bands and fans. This is one movie you must have!$LABEL$1 +not like the movie. I like the book and found the subject of animals in captivity more interesting than I would have ever expected. I had read "Son of The Circus" and found the comparison of India and Canada very similar in "Life of Pi".$LABEL$1 +A disappointment. I purchased this CD a while back, like many others, expecting to find the awesome collection of 50s music heard in the movie. While John Carpenter may be a fine composer, it is truly a disservice to have released this album instead of the ACTUAL movie music...$LABEL$0 +recent purchase error..... be careful. recent purchase was not as pictured.... watch carefully when making a purchase. Item was a book picture was projector.... not the same....$LABEL$0 +Merci. Pour un Marseillais, quel plaisir de voir que notre rap s'exporte et est apprécié par les étrangers. Mme si on est pas né sous la mme étoile, merci du soutien.$LABEL$1 +A let down follow up cd.. I read in a magazine interview that Miss. Jones did not want to be seen as "Just A Jazz Singer" an on this cd she wanted to show her country music influence, which she got growing up in Dallas, Tx. On a side note she came out of the same perfoming and visual art school as fellow Dallas Texans, the great contempary jazz trumpter Roy Hargrove, and neo-soul singer Erykah Badu. Back to this cd, while I really like her voice, she is out of her league as some sort of neo-country female singer. Although the cd does have it's solid moments such as track 11 "The Prettiest Things." I give her credit for try to branch out into different sounds,but one must know what works and what does not. I hope that by her next new cd she knows the The quote of Miles Davis "Great Music, like great art is more define by what's left out, rather than what's put in."$LABEL$0 +mine doesn't work either. Like others said, those little pins don't stay down, and the item plugged in does not come on when it is supposed to. Mine doesn't come on at all. Unfortunately I bought it several months ago and only now am trying it, so I can't return it.Looked like a great design but is worthless if it doesn't work!$LABEL$0 +Great book for new Sunday School teachers. This book helped clarify why I wanted to be a Sunday School teacher.It help me with focus on weekly objectives.It maintains that we are making disciples.$LABEL$1 +A twisted mess of the heart. This is the first Jodi Picoult book I've read, and it helped me easily fall in love with her writing style. Easy to read, keeps you interested and captured. This is a love story like no other, with twists and turns that will make it difficult to put it down. Highly recommended, however, be warned that the material in this book is difficult to read.$LABEL$1 +Excellent. I installed this product in my 2000 Honda Civic. I did not use the ground wire supplied, because it says not to when a charger is used, which I use. The sound quality is excellent! It is as good as my cd player, and way better than an FM modulator! If you want to keep your factory stereo and would like a way to add cd quality sound from an iPod or other source, this is the way to go.$LABEL$1 +Care Bears movie fun. My girls loved this movie. It was a favorite that they had to watch over and over again. Catchy songs too!$LABEL$1 +Works well.. I was skeptical at first but after a few tries I caught on and was able to use it satisfactorily with a wet brush. I thought that it might be real handy for air travelers who face unreasonable limitations on what they can bring. I still think I would prefer my conventional Kiss My Face cream or a good mug soap because it provides ready lather for the second or third passes where with this stick you would have to rub the stick again and again. All in all you do get a close comfortable shave.$LABEL$1 +Good Salesman, Bad Advice. Dr. Grey, with a PhD from a university closed down by the State of California as a diploma mill, is a great salesman and story teller. Although his thesis in his new diet and exercise book is intriguing, Grey does not give any references whatsoever as to from where his theories about hormones and their role in nutrition come. Some facts in the books seem dubious, "..the brain uses 20 percent of the calories we consume."However, because the caloric intake of his nutrition system should be less than the reader would normally take, participants in the system should show a loss of weight over time. And because the theory is novel, a reader will also tend to believe everything Grey says, as believe they "feel" better.I would feel safer about his nutrition ideas if he had added an appendix of references to scientific or even to popular literature that could confirm his ideas as good science.$LABEL$0 +You are buying a bug not a antivirus software. By seeing the ad. in deals2buy.com, I purchased this software and it never worked, I installed thrice and end result is same. Tried to seek help from the customer care the only solution they provided was to reinstall and it didn't worked out and I ended up in sending it back. I made a mistake and wasted my time, Please learn from my mistake.$LABEL$0 +Sentimental Journey. I first read this in, I guess, third grade or so, and it was a trip back to those wonderful times of yore.$LABEL$1 +Not particularly moving. It's a nice, fast summer read, and I must admit to shedding a tear or two, but overall, I didn't like it.I don't think I'll be reading more James Patterson. For one thing, he is totally unconvincing as a 35-year-old female. I mean come on. There's this one line about an "upside-down ponytail" and it almost made me quit reading and throw the book against the wall in frustration. Funny how little things like that can throw off the whole experience. Generally for me, this was not dense enough to be a real romance. Badabing badaboom, they're in love. But why? No one knows.Anyway, if you're in the mood for a fluffy read, you might be ok with this one. Otherwise, skip it.$LABEL$0 +Waste of Money. This video is boring and does not even teach word problems as it states it does, just regular math problems. I was hoping to teach my students things like make a list, act it out, etc. Essentially, you watch a standardized test taken and videotaped -snoozer. "Rock" and Learn has no music either.$LABEL$0 +Good to throw.. It is easy to throw but my year old pup pulled the handle out of 2 of them in 1 day. Tha third one has lasted well.$LABEL$0 +Overpriced and incomplete. As per usual, my ratings given are for this release, and not for the content.Simply put, this is not a a true "Collector's Edition". It's priced as one, but it's not at all a complete edition, something on this scale and at this price should include all the original japanese language soundtrack with english subtitles.A real let down.Sadly even if you remember it in english as a child, you don't get that because the studio destroyed the original copies. So it's not so good for nostalgia, and not good for japanese animation buffs.$LABEL$0 +Not that great. First off, most of her songs are so repetitive that they get really annoying and irritating to listen to. The first 3 songs are somewhat more rock, but after that most of them just sound like mandy moore songs with a guitar. The lyrics aren't that great either, just the typical pop stuff going around now. One song - beautiful - even sounds like a brittany spears song. The only thing I can say about this album is that the songs, just like most songs on the radio now, get stuck in your head quite easily. Don't waste your money; go buy Brand New's album - Deja Entendu, or Michelle Branch's Hotel Paper.$LABEL$0 +Adults' Fairy Tale. It is a true fable where all is well that ends well. Mr. Reiner writes with ease about persons with distinguished achievements, wealth, and health. Even the ones who are sick are made to seem fit. There is a reason behind everything and each character possesses great human values such as compassion and understanding. Even the ogre of the tale has his good sides. Of course, the whole story is light and full of mirth. That is Mr. Reiner's style. He knows how to make people laugh. There is a minor story within the main story. Both are equally enjoyable. Nat, the main character, suffers from serious personality disorder that he succumbs to seeing a therapist. One thing leads to another and he is on the journey of searching the truth of his origin. He finds out a lot of information and a few close relations. It is first and foremost a love story between men and women and among family members. When told in Mr. Reiner's wild humor, it becomes more pleasing.$LABEL$1 +You're too dumb for this movie, and so was I. This film was long, tedious, overwrought with baseless emotion, etc, etc.I would have rather been doing laundry then wasting my life watching Melancholia. You've been warned.$LABEL$0 +A Gift Book for the Spiritual Journey. This small format, hard cover gift book is a treasure. In 99 pages, we read a variety of quotations from Mother Teresa. Recurring themes include nature, prayer, and love. We learn that the attention she got from the media was a burden to her, endured willingly because publicity for her work drew attention to the poor. She found speaking in public torture, saying it was easier for her to bathe a leper than to answer a journalist's questions.The content of these brief passages is complemented by Mother Teresa's gift for language, for example, "I am only God's pencil, one that he uses to sketch whatever he wants," and "love's garment has a hem that reaches into the dust, and brushes it away." Every page has a message with the power to inspire.$LABEL$1 +Not one of her better efforts. I get the impression that EP wrote this book(and set it in the past) because the Amelia Peabody series may be losing some of its appeal. After all, Amelia and Emerson are now getting old (hard to believe that Emerson can still be an ageless 'hunk' in those later books). So is EP trying to recall the 'glory days' of this series?I found the story and characters to be 'small' compared to her other books. This book was simply not up to the usual EP standard.On a more personal note. After ready all of the books in this series I am starting to grow weary of the pretentiousness, superiority and pomposity of the entire Emerson family.$LABEL$0 +Very True. This book hit me harder than any book I have read recently, not because of the writing, but because this was me. This was my college experience, ast least what I can remember of it :) and I can identify with many of the authors statements and feelings to be accurate. The scary part is that it is normal to use alchol like this in collage and early adulthood in america. Drinkomg untill you pass out is not abnormal but expected in many young adult settings and those that do not are not cool. This book is scary and true, and made me look at the way I drink.$LABEL$1 +DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE. After 5 weeks, the battery stopped holding a charge. The company tried to tell us the phone was three years old. It's not worth fussing with, but, man!, what service!$LABEL$0 +A wonderful mix. What a wonderful mix of in-depth information about both Jean Shepherd's body of work (which to me seems timeless) and revealing interviews that draw Shepherd's enigmatic life and humanity into sharper focus. Bergmann does a fine job of explaining why Shep's fans are so loyal; what were Shep's best contributions to radio, TV, film, literature, and stage; and does this while making us aware of Shep's enigmatic less-than-perfect personal life. This latter subject, however, does not detract from portraying the man as an overall likeable character or significant artist. A great read for anyone, whether familiar with Jean Shepherd's work or not. Thank you Eugene Bergmann!$LABEL$1 +Wow!. If you're looking to reform your classroom and reform your teaching, this simple book is for you. Shouldn't teachers be focusing on learning for understanding? This can be read over a weekend, just enough time to implement change on Monday.$LABEL$1 +Really good fans for the price.. These fans are really good for the price. I bought two for my house. One of them is a little loud, but I assume its from installation and not from the fan itself because the other fan is very quiet. These are perfect for smaller rooms or rooms with low ceilings.$LABEL$1 +Very effective. This product is very effective at starting fires indoors. It also heats well when used as directed (outdoors). Nice compact size.$LABEL$1 +You have got to be kidding me.. I just paid $6 to read a one paragraph question some guy had about laser etching and a two paragraph answer. These articles have got to be the biggest scam I have seen in awhile.$LABEL$0 +Flawed Discs. Let's see, we've got: bad color, dozens of poorly-added CG effects and equally poorly-added sound effects, missing documentaries and original movie versions from the 2006 DVDs, and none of the flaws from the '97 and '04 versions have been corrected. Pass.$LABEL$0 +Don't be seduced. This is mostly emotional claptrap. As my daughter put it, "I don't want Jesus to be my boyfriend!" Women--don't be seduced by this. Your relationship with God and with others, as scripture demonstrates, is much bolder than this.$LABEL$0 +Could be better,but OK. What I like...the attached storage cord that fits in the phone jackWhat I do not care for...for my hand, I wish the stylus was longer. Also, the tip of the stylus sometimes does not work well and you have to press extra hard on the screen or repeated times.For the cost, not a bad deal. If you want a premium stylus be prepared to invest more than a couple of dollars.$LABEL$0 +Great product and great seller. It was a very pleasant experience buying and receiving this product. We received the iron the same week we ordered it and the seller made sure the iron was well protected from our mail service. What more can you ask for?? Ironing is almost fun now but a robot could do a better job. Where can I purchase one of those?$LABEL$1 +Not the original trilogy. I can't believe this is being advertised as the original trilogy? What about the original films I grew up watching?$LABEL$0 +Died after 2 years. I bought this unit about 2 years ago. I had to return the initial unit because it did not work correctly (thanks to Cabellas customer service). The second unit worked well for a while (yes it was a long set-up), but we were happy with it. The rain guage stopped working pretty early on, as did the humidity/weather condition sensor. However, the 2 parts we used most, which were the temperature readings in and out and the anemometer, seemed to work very well until we hit the 2 year mark. Then the whole unit went out and no matter of new batteries, reset, or anything else will make the unit function. It might be inexpensive for a weather station, but $240 is not cheap by my standards to have the product only last for 2 years. Not sure that I can recommend it. Too bad, because I think Oregon Scientific usually puts out a good product.$LABEL$0 +Save yourselves. This book is a must have for anyone who has never had an independent thought in their life. I couldn't keep my eyes open trying to read this book. For anyone who thinks on their own from time to time, this book contains chapter after torturous chapter of common sense information, spelling out the most fundamental ideas over painful lengths of text. If you have never thought about anything, ever, and would like for the first time to try it out, then this book might be a useful guide for you. My apologies to the authors of glowing reviews on this book, but you should have recommended a toaster and a bathtub to go with it.$LABEL$0 +Start with a different book. I was fascinated by some video performances so I wanted to find out more about Mercury. Read some good reviews of this book about it not being sensationalistic & a hack job. Unfortunately for me it didn't give me the kind of info that I was looking for. Definitely a book for someone who has more of a background in Mercury's history.$LABEL$0 +Pitiful,Mtv,Hip Hop,Clubb'in SHITE. This is one of those thrown together soundtracks.All the cookie cutter,whoever is on the "popular music chart" crap music.There was only one cool song in the entire film and it's not even on the soundtrack.I hope the band sues.Don't waste your money on this garbage.There is nothing remotely interesting about anything on this soundtrack,but if you are a gullable sheep who doesn't mind being led to the slaughter,by all means buy the C.D,we need stupid consumers like you out there,you help the economy.$LABEL$0 +Exactly what I was looking for. Nice set for a reasonable price. Holds up to our 90 lb dog and 2 1/2 year old playing near it. I use it in our living room to hold blankets, and it holds two queen comforters and a small throw blanket comfortably. Really cleans up my living room and matches the rustic look in our log home.$LABEL$1 +Very cute adorable piano.. But my daughter lost interest !. Lots of pros and cons!!First off I have to say the sound was good when I received it but after a few months it sounds terrible! My daughter probably played with it ten times total, and not for very long! She wasn't too impressed! She's three so I think she got bored with it! I think if had bought it when she was one it would have been a hit!Great for younger kids! I'd say 1-3Very small and heavy ... Won't tip over !Extremely cute and painted very well!The Pink color really stands out and looks beautiful in my daughters room!Sound not so great ...Sound volume is average to low ! Not too noisy !Please let me know if my review has helped you in your inquiry or purchase! Thanks$LABEL$1 +No notification of cancellation. I pre-ordered this item, but now when i look at "My Account" the order is not listed. Apparently, Amazon has cancelled my order without even notifying me. I didn't even receive an e-mail.$LABEL$0 +Not the best!. I love Baby Einstein books but this one was not that good, I think there are better "bed time" books out there. Go to a nearest book store, read it first before you buy this.$LABEL$0 +Simple, acoustic-esque style with hints of Dido and jazz/blues overtones. Very satisfying purchase. "Colour the Small One" has a simple, near-acoustic rock style which, along with Sia's vocals, are reminiscent of Dido's "Life for Rent" and include many jazz and blues overtones. Guitar, brass instruments, synth organ, and even the xylophone are tastefully blended with both fast and slow percussion in amounts that are often quite complex, yet carefully avoid the "noise rock" effect. Unlike Dido, the lyrical content avoids any edgy or potentially offensive territory, making this album safe for any casual listening audience. Presently lingering near the top of my playlist rotation.$LABEL$1 +Awful. This DVD set is just plain awful. Whatever possessed anyone to release such a thing. Don't bother. Trust me on this.$LABEL$0 +Labeled 36, but it is a 34 waist - It is a SHAME! I found what exactly is the problem. Be aware!. The Jeans is labeled 36 x 36 but the product for sure is 34 x 36. I cant use it. It does not fit, like all other I have purchased before. Note: I has to change my RATE from Z E R O to O N E Star, otherwise will not show for future buyers....It is a shame, the PANTS don't match the Labeling. 36 waist must be a 36 waist! No respect for the client! Since they are acting this manner it is better to pay more and buy in a store! I dont recommend this product! The problem is that all LEVI'S 501 made in INDONESIA IS SHORT IN THE WAIST AND LEGS ! The MEXICAN MADE ARE OKAY - 100% CORRECT FIT!$LABEL$0 +Another hit Mecha-Anime has been created!. Brain Powered is the story of the battle for mankind. After 1/3 of the worlds population disappear, earthquakes happen every day. First you meet Hime, a young orphaned girl who sees a Brain Power revive. She then pilots the Brain Power against other robots. Yuu, a teenager who works for Orphan, leaves. But is followed by his sister and her Squadron. In Episode 2, Yuu is still running away, but is helped by Hime. Yuu leaves to search for his true cause. Contains episodes 1 and 2. A+ anime, B storyline, and B Characters.$LABEL$1 +Looks cheap and made like that. It is really flimsy! it is also curved to one side. button to turn it on is tiny and requires quite an effort to slide.Save your money!$LABEL$0 +disappointed. I had ordered the origanal 1st pal. I received the one with the diaper. It was not the one pictured by company. A customer posted the diaper picture. should have known. 1st time ordering and not happy. Baby however likes the toy. I wanted to give him the smaller one.$LABEL$0 +Another bulls-eye. Derber has hit the nail on the head again - in this case it's a bulls-eye, with Bush in the center. But much more important than Bush the individual is Derber's penetrating analysis of the corporate/political elites' control of our democratic processes. By exposing the underlying structure of this control, Derber gives us a meaningful vantage point to understand how the unabashed self-interest of a powerful minority negatigvely impacts the vast majority. I found Derber's upbeat style and witty presentation ultimately hopeful. It's a complicated topic, but this is a readable and important book. We need to wake up ourselves and our country to the reality of what's really happening under Bush (not to mention whoever wins in Nov) - let's demand our leaders and institutions do a much better job of implementing the fundamental ideals and human rights that our country was founded on and that we teach school children to believe in.$LABEL$1 +Nice Bowl...about the color. This is the first piece I've ordered in this color. I like to have at least a few pieces of each new color that Fiesta releases. This 'Ivory' is almost indistinguishable from the post-1986, not vintage, Yellow (the paler Yellow, not the more recent brighter Sunflower). In other words, it is more pale yellow than ivory in color.$LABEL$1 +Criminology (with CDROM and infotrac). I ordered this for one of my classes, said it included the CD ROM, the CD ROM is missing. Will be sending in for refund and exchange through different seller.$LABEL$0 +Where has he been all my life???. I was recently introduced to Martin Sexton's song Diner, and could not believe that it had taken 52 years for me to find him! He is simply fantastic. When I discovered he was appearing at a local venue (The Ark in Ann Arbor) I immediately hopped in the car to buy two tickets. His voice is sexy and soulful and genuine. I am counting the days till I can see & hear him up close and personal. If you don't have any of his music, don't wait as long as I did, pick this one up, it's great!$LABEL$1 +Amazon sent a filter that does not fit my 2010 Honda CRV. Amazon sent a filter that does not fit my 2010 Honda CRV.The K&N; filter that they sent me was much too large to fit in my Honda.I don't understand this because when I ordered this filter Amazon asked me my make. model, year, etc?I was very excited when this came in the post. I thought I could be responsible and have a re-useable filter when I ordered this K&N; filter and this was about 4 times more than the Honda OME filter I had to buy at the local Honda dealer because they sent me one that does not fit.Very disappointed.I hope Amazon will take this and the oil filter I got from them on return because they sent me both items that in no way is for my car.$LABEL$0 +don't waste your money. My road to Celtic spirituality was seriously blocked for many years by this book. It took me ages to unlearn what I had read after I realised how untrue the content was.$LABEL$0 +Generation kill. I was conflicted by the video. I think most Marines will understand the ways and means of this video but civilians won't understand anything but the action. For a former Marine It's hard to understand why there were so many screw ups but Rudy was there. I have a friend that personally knew most of the real guys in the video so he filled me in. Even though we rolled through Iraq so fast it wasn't pretty. I enjoy watching this a coup0le of times a year and instead of picking through some of the vid's I recorded now I have the series.$LABEL$1 +Extremely disappointing.. I don't understand the best seller lists... Incredibly boring characters, bland settings, repetitive language. The most mildly interesting character was the pilot, and he was dead...$LABEL$0 +EvilDooinz. Y'all know Brotha Lynch is the siccest ripgut cannibalistic rapper. He's still makin' the siccest traccs and he's bacc in the game in full force. Check out his website:www.evildooinz.comSupport the original ripgut rapper.$LABEL$1 +Disappointing.... I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Carr, since this book is such a departure from his historical fiction ("The Alienist," and "The Angel of Darkness"--"The Alienist" is a masterpiece!). I was disappointed in this book. I don't know what Carr was trying to achieve with this novel, but it's a combination of mystery and science fiction that doesn't quite come off, in my humble opinion.It takes place in 2023, and it's mainly about the assassination of the President in 2018. The investigation into it takes the main character, psychiatrist Dr. Gideon Wolfe, through many confusing twists and turns, and I was left confused and wondering what Carr was trying to prove here. It was not easy reading, and it seemed as if the book had been written in haste--there was not the character development nor the detailing one expects from Carr's fiction.$LABEL$0 +better off with a coffee grinder. I didn't like this product at all. It wasn't grinding according to the setting. We like French press coffee that requires coarse grind but this machine certainly did not do that. Even though it has a dial to select the type of ground it failed to do that. It only gave us a fine ground.$LABEL$0 +cool-scary, but cool.. the book is good. no really good. it was so good it really scared me. thats what i call a good book. one that is good enough to scar me. im really brave and fearless so something has to be really good to scare me and also i like it when a book scares me.$LABEL$1 +broken. It worked incredibly well for the first 12 months, has plenty of suction power and cleans better than any vacuum i've owned before, but the motor doesn't roll anymore and it's been over a year since i've owned it. It doesn't pick anything up anymore.$LABEL$0 +How do College's get away with this!?. This is a book written by a professor at Ohio University, and it is a required course for Media studies students. He is the only professor who teaches it and of course you are required to use this book. What's even worse is even in it's fifth edition the book is FULL of typos and grammar errors.From the 4th to the 5th edition alone, these typos still have not been corrected, and actually the figures don't add up with the chapters. The book sells for over $100 and is nearly impossible to find used. Shame on Ohio University for allowing this to go on for over 20 years. Absolutely horrible book. Save you're money. Borrow a friends copy of check one out from the library.Btw he doesn't even explain the concepts in a legible way. I've talked to plenty of people in the electronics industry who say McDanniel's definitions and explanations aren't even close to being right, let alone learn-able.$LABEL$0 +Good cinematics. Degenerate story.. This movie exhibited interesting cinematic creativity. This visual interest is as far as the movie's value extends unfortunately.There is no redeeming value to the storyline. This movie revels in perversion, sadism, and immorality. This is yet another movie in these troubled times that only adds to the fire and will further twist people's minds.Let's support good, wholesome, uplifting movies and art! When we focus on these things, then people's thoughts will be on these things. Inline attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors then result.Let's not wallow in this filth.$LABEL$0 +I feel like I'm caught in a web.... ...a web between 2 Mel Brooks movies that is:) This and 'The Producers'. This movie is one of thoes comedies when while you're watching it you are thinking: "this is so stupid!" but after the movie is over, you think about it a few days later, and start cracking up! My favorite part is probably the end when the camera busts through the wall, that is just too funny! Oh and by the way, if you're a Hitchcock fan, see this movie! If you don't know who Hitchcock is and have never seen his films- then this movie will not be funny to you at all. The only reason I give this movie 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the other Mel Brooks classic- 'The Producers'. I think that 'The Producers' is probably just about the funniest movie ever, and definatley Brooks' best film, with 'High Anxiety' trailing behind:)$LABEL$1 +Good reading, but don't expect a business plan in it.. While it can be argued that this book serves as a promotional piece both for Mr. Dell and his company (which isn't a bad and unnexpected thing after all), there's real knowledge to be gained from it. If only Dell Computers human resources is run like the way he describes in part II of the book, his company is light-years ahead from the competition just by using a really down to Earth strategy. Add the kind of efficiency and speed they achieved, and you've got a "Star Wars Episode I: TPM" company against "Battlestar Galactica" competition (sorry couldn't resist, I'm in a SW mood eheh). People who want to know about the company's history and Dell's life will be disappointed, because "Direct from Dell" is more like a book on the "Dell's way of doing business".$LABEL$1 +Excellent Movie. Just as good as I remember Trigun being. If you like Trigun the TV show you will Love Trigun the movie. It has all of the elements that we all loved from the original series.$LABEL$1 +Don't waste your time with this one!. Some people have said that this is an interesting and engrossing book, but I found it to be the very opposite! This book was VERY slow-moving; nearly the most sluggish book I've ever read. Details can enhance a book, or they can bring it down in readibility. This book is filled with the latter. Hal Borland has written some FANTASTIC books, but this is certainly NOT one of them. Fairly well-written and mildly interesting, this one is not worth your time or money.$LABEL$0 +Really Cool Concert, Great Croud. This is no doubt a great DVD. I sure missed Money Talks, but otherwise this concert is one of the finest I've ever seen compared only to Iron Maiden's Rock in Rio III. The croud is great and very enthusiastic. This is what a rock concert should be. I strongly recommend to buy this CD.$LABEL$1 +Excelente Obra. Es una muy recomendable compra, desafortunadamente no esta doblada al español, sin embargo trae subtitulos.$LABEL$1 +Not recommended. I purchased this wireless router hoping to replace my 3 years old LinkSys router. However, after playing with it for several hours, I decided to return it because of the following (using firmware 2.18):1. MAC filtering: Can't make it for wireless only. Once it is enable, it is for both wireless and wired network. This is the MOST annoying part. I mean, why do I want to enable MAC filtering for my wired network???2. Router configuration: Very primitive comparing to my old LinkSys.3. Enable/Disable Wireless: It didn't really disable the wireless network(physically). It shoulded be called "allow/deny all" access instead. Once the wireless is "disabled", it does still broadcast the SSID.4. No way of disabling SSID broadcast for security reasons.Finally, I have to give DLink credit for making upgrade firmware so easy (Web base), which is a big improvement comparing to my old linksys router.$LABEL$0 +love it, love it , love it, but where is it?. I have been looking for about two years for this movie. Nobody has it. This proves how good this movie was. I wish they would re-release it. My husband never saw it. You can't even rent it anymore. I loved the part about the pirates. I forgot how well it was written. This was a really great horror story. I just wish I could find it. Great classic!Thanx, Sherry$LABEL$1 +Overpriced. Love the hardback books but these kindle prices are outrageous! Very disappointed in this $24.99 price. I might as well buy it brand new in the store. This has got to be the authors. Are they greedy or what?$LABEL$0 +A fun product.. It is not the best game on the market, but it is a resonably fun product. There are lots of solid improvemnts over the original, making this game feel better than its precessedor. It looks better, but is just okay compared to other games.$LABEL$1 +If only I could give zero stars.... Yes, it's dumb, but no, it's not funny.And I love lowbrow humor. Like Dumb & Dumber...I laughed my hiney off and I'm no Carey fan. I rented this movie fully expecting something very stupid, and very funny.Well...it's very stupid, I gotta give it that... Only problem is that it never really got very funny. It looked funny from the commercials, but the problem is that those scenes were the ONLY funny parts of the movie. If you saw any commercials or reviews, don't bother renting or (heaven forbid!) buying the movie. You already saw the good parts.I just wanted to poke both of these idiots in the eye after about a half hour. I watched the whole dang movie waiting for it to "get funny"...and it never did. No matter how much I smoked, it just didn't ever get funny. And I usually like watching idiots blunder around!Just do yourself a favor and at least rent it before you buy...this isn't a good flick to buy on the assumption it's gonna be good.$LABEL$0 +My daughter loves it!. I bought this because my daughter loves eating watermelon but she has 2 teeth and always bites off chunks and i'm afraid she's going to choke on them. This is a great way for her to still eat it without her choking on it. I recommend it to anyone:)$LABEL$1 +Streamlight Stinger Battery. I purchased this battery on Amazon in November, 2009, from another supplier. Much like a couple of the reviews mentioned I received a battery "Made in China". I didn't think much of it at the time. It seemed to charge in the same amount of time and have about the same battery life as the OEM that lasted me numerous years.I have now noticed I get about 10 minutes on a full charge. My old "original" battery lasted me about 10 years and got me around 1 hour of use per charge. This is less than a year old and I have been using the flashlight the same as I always have.Moral of the story, in this case saving money will not be a benefit if you use your flashlight frequently. I will not buy a "Made in China" battery for my stinger ever again.I'm not bashing "Made in China" and I don't normally write reviews, but keep my review in mind when ordering.$LABEL$0 +Practical Research Planning review. The book was very informative and provided the level of information I needed for my research. There was a very simple explanation describing quantitative research that anyone could understand.$LABEL$1 +not his best work. this cd is one of his first originals ...the later cd's use bits and piece of this performance and enhance their character by using more "redneck" examples...but always a nice album to have in a collection...$LABEL$0 +Entertaining. Davy Bowman is growing up during WWII in Illinois and must deal with the changes going on around him. His brother, a pilot trainee joins up... his father, a WWI vet owns the local gas station and they are expected to ration food, rubber, gas, and other precious staples. He and his best friend travel around on their bikes savaging metal for the war effort.This was an entertaining (and educational) story of how a country pitched in to help each other during a time of crisis. I particularly enjoyed reading about the various characters that inhabited the town, and the cantankerous old teacher Miss Titus that put a mousetrap in her purse to thwart the class bully. My only complaint is that this book wasn't longer.Well worth a listen for adults and kids alike.$LABEL$1 +It came with something making noise inside. And was working fine. But after 1 week it broke and did not work anymore. The quality was very cheap, of course so was the price. But I learned not to buy such products anymore.$LABEL$0 +Leak. They are much easier to see through but they leak in heavy rain. Its not terrible because I don't have carpet in my jeep so I can open up a drain plug to let the water out but it is annoying.$LABEL$0 +Buyer Beware. Not recommended for persons who are: just become Christians; theological beginners.This compilation includes viewpoints supported by the founder of the HIGHLY DISCREDITED Jesus Seminar.Thus the "a priori " assumption is the contents will also be intellectually unfounded and dishonest and far afield from actual long-term studies and assessments.You read this at the risk of your own social, intellectual, and spiritual impairment.$LABEL$0 +Up or Down?. Really torn on the movie.I loved the beginning, but found myself wondering right away, "Just how is this a kid's movie?" The plot was just too grown-up. Then they started haphazardly throwing in this random stuff obviously meant to amuse young children. It was uncomfortable.Don't get me wrong. The introduction was engrossing. The animation was great. Most of the characters were genuinely lovable, especially the old man and Kevin. But in the end, it just felt like an ugly patchwork - bits and pieces were extraordinary, but ultimately, everything clashed.For the record, I have no problem with talking animals or nonsense in a children's movie - I even expect them. And I truly love Pixar. But this film just didn't sit right with me. The idea was very adult-minded, and it didn't seem like Disney quite worked out what message they wanted to send to kids. Very confusing.Although I really enjoyed some parts, Up left me feeling down..$LABEL$0 +fatbaby. good price for a quality boot from ariat. My wife has two pairs of fatbabies and they are great boots$LABEL$1 +Both kids LOVED this shoe. I actually bought this shoe as my son's first shoe, because another shoe was not available at the shoe store. My son loved it so much, I bought the same shoe when he grew out of it. Now my daughter loves it too as her first shoe!$LABEL$1 +horrible. IF you don't know what fps is its feet per second now i can dodge a 200 fps air soft gun with ease now this is a tenth of that know imagine how easily it will be to dodge this air soft gun and if you want to know the exact fps then maybe you should try walking along with the BB with with one o those devices that measure fps$LABEL$0 +A "must-have" for every weaver's personal library!!!. This book is destined to become one of the great classics for weavers! After 30 years of knowing 'how' to weave . . . I know understand more of the 'why' behind the drafts I have have been using. Wonderfully straight forward and well-organized. This book is a must-read for every weaver regardless of their experience.$LABEL$1 +Weak conglomeration of narratives without much Big Picture. More than anything, this is a collection of first-person interviews with former operatives in OSS during WW2, weakly cobbled together with some uncritical filler narrative. Although there are some brief sections that touch on the broader challenges and decisions of the American intelligence effort, most of it involves repetitive first-person accounts of people hiding in the woods from the Nazis. If that sounds interesting, it isn't. I came away from the book with a modest understanding of what the guys on the ground went through, but with almost no sense of the strategic challenges that sent them there. Having said that, it is an easy read, if only because it is largely devoid of interesting ideas.I would not recommend this to someone who wants to understand the broad sweep of the American intelligence effort in WW2. I would recommend this to someone who has some interest in first-hand accounts of the operatives on the ground.$LABEL$0 +cool Buk novelty item. Bring Me Your Love is a 1983 short story by Charles Bukowski. The story itself is above average for Buk and far superior to There's No Business, which is offered by Black Sparrow Press in this same format. The R. Crumb art is very compatible with the tale. It's the story of a man visiting his wife in a mental institution and the conversations that follow. Typical Bukowski subject matter...madhouses, women, sex, booze & not much hope at all. If your shelves are already filled with the real Buk books, I would definitely recommend adding this to your collection. Keep in mind, we are talking about a fifteen page book here! There's not much tohold, hence the great price.$LABEL$1 +Bad From the Start. I purchased this product shortly after buying a home with a non-working furnace. I also purchased 2 space heaters from another vendor. The other vendors products have worked as expected (thank god), but the Honeywell space heater was defective from the first. I probably should have dealt with it sooner, but with painting, plumbing, and refinishing floors and all of the chaos that comes with a fixer upper I let it go.It runs well for about 3-5 minutes and then shuts off. I susppect a defective heat turn-off. I called the service number on the bottom of the unit and was told to mail the unit for a replacement. The cost of shipping was to be paid by me. Since this was a cheap unit, and they were going to replace it with another cheap, possibly defective unit, I decided to save the shipping cost and just toss this thing in the trash.$LABEL$0 +Timeless magic!. Amazing concert. Being one of my all time favourite bands with or without some of the letters of the alphabet ... CSNY ,CSN or just C&N ! What is wonderful is how they rearrange the songs to suit the reality that they have been around for about 40 odd years now. The magic still remains!$LABEL$1 +a good game so far. well the setting up of a charecter takes a good chunk of time and the first few minutes drag on but the other charecters and the interaction is pretty well on par with other games in the genra i enjoyed the game and i like the weopons and the addaptability of the game you can do quests in any configuration and you dont need to finnish them right off the bat$LABEL$1 +Nice but not good for every day use. I bought this stroller because it looked nice and sturdy. I liked the stroller with air-filled wheels and other features such as brake and wheel-locks. However, this stroller is so cumbersome if you have a compact car. Even with my Acura, I still have to take apart the front wheel to fit the stroller in the trunk. Imagine you have your kid and have to assembly your stroller in a before your walk. It's inconvenient and takes up lots of space in your car's trunk. I was mislead by Amazon description of the stroller that it would fit in trunk of any car. Yes it would fit but you have to take apart the front wheel to make it fit in.$LABEL$0 +this cd is cooler than you.... 'Gallowsbird Bark' is amazing. I love every song on this cd. I suuurre wish they would have a concert in the U.S.A. I'll be waiting. Buy this cd. Its incredible.$LABEL$1 +smelly!. After washing and using this mug for only ice water, my water tasted like the product smelled.$LABEL$0 +Great book. This book is a treasure for anyone who loves to bake. Recipes are clear and concise, perfect for the beginner, I love this book.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the money. I was astounded when the book arrived. It fits in the palm of my hand and is thinner then some of the MP3 players on the market today. Although true to Seuss, the content was disappointing and I found the entries a far stretch at times to fit in to 'success' tips. If you want tips for success, purchase Seuss' "Oh the places you'll go" - That book is worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Strong Vacation Read. The two biggest complaints about the book are the existence of stock characters and less than believable plot twists.I found the characters strong. Perhaps they were not multifaceted or three dimensional, but it wasn't like the protagonists had no negative attributes or you had no sympathy for what the chief antagonist, Nicky, must have gone through in life.I am confused by what other reviewers found unbelievable in various plot twists. Biggest plot twists are premised on the fact that organizations, legal or illegal, seek to safeguard their assets in a variety of ways, legal and illegal. Good people make poor choices. None of these are shocking.I tried and failed to read this book traveling on Amtrak with my children, but that was more because of their behavior. I then read it thoroughly in about 4 days. Good read, interesting information, challenging focus. I strongly recommend you read this all at once as there are a lot of twists and turns.$LABEL$1 +At the top of my bookshelf. A dictionary of English phrases, fun to read and helps to grasp the essence of the English language.$LABEL$1 +John Denver Rocky Mountain Holiday. The Muppets and John Denver was a wonderful vhs.Full of fun for the kids and adults.My gradchilden loved it and so did I. The shipping was fast and in great shape$LABEL$1 +Great CD. Flourescent Adolescent was the song I'd heard that had turned me on to this band. The cd is great. Had heard mixed things about this band how they're all over the place. I love them. They make me happy. I keep it in the car for the commute.$LABEL$1 +Great Stress Reliever. Buy this game to relieve stress. There's nothing like blowing through the streets causing traffice mayhem to unwind. Graphics are decent in HD and the crashes are just plain fun. This one's worth every penny.$LABEL$1 +The BEST Relief from Bee/Wasp/Hornet Stings. We have used this product successfully for nearly two decades. It is easy to use (crush the glass vial inside the plastic dispenser; swab green fluid on sting site) and provides immediate relief from the pain of an insect stings for adults, children, and grandchildren. You may have difficulty finding it in stores. Wal-Mart allegedly carries it. I gave up and ordered 4 cards via amazon.com.IT WORKS ! ! !$LABEL$1 +Worst product I have ever used. They have changed the formula and this one comes off on everything. It has ruined a set of sheets and it washes off in the pool. The old product was the greatest I had ever used, but this is horrible$LABEL$0 +not great expectations. after reading this book i think dickens would benifit from very low expectations. and by that i mean a lot of people will be returning this book and giving bad reviews. all the classics always in my opinion, are very bad$LABEL$0 +Not Genuine. This doe not fit my M1 Carbine. Buy a different one. Plus it does not come with the oiler. Junk$LABEL$0 +unbreakable carafe, breakable components. I've had mine for about a month and the ring around the screen on the plunger has already come off and doesn't appear to want to go back on. In general, I think the screen/plunger piece does not fit well and lets a lot of air (and grounds!) pass through the ring, no matter how slowly or carefully you press down the plunger.This may be okay for camping trips since the carafe seems very durable, but I do not recommend this for daily home or office use. In fact, this weekend I'll be shopping for a larger and less cheaply built glass coffee press in a brick-and-mortar store.This unit is also very small. If I fill it to capacity I can almost make enough coffee to fill my standard-sized coffee mug.$LABEL$0 +Fowl Fans Should Love This One. The third book in the Artemis Fowl series seems a little darker than the first two, but still a fun read. Artemis is brilliant as ever, and pretty much five steps ahead of all the adults of any species he runs into. I liked particularly the development of Julia as a character--a young, take-charge kind woman who does her own thing. The ending is a cliffhanger, leaving you wanting the next book, and quickly, please.$LABEL$1 +Mistakes Mistakes and More Mistakes.. That's what this book should be called.Trust me , you don't wanna own this book, you'll just bewasting your money.I'm well beyond disappointed w/ this book.But hey, what do you expect when you're writing a bookabout a version of software that you're obviously not evenusing. How else could I be getting errors about obsolete files?If the files that come w/ the book are obsolete, then the software that made them was an earlier version of max.Thus the reason for the mistakes, max 4 is slightly different.What do all these mistakes mean to the person trying to learnmax 4 ? It means you'll be misguided most of the time and you'llend up pulling out all your hair.I highly recommend not even going near this book! You'll onlybe sorry , like I am. I should've bought the max bible.Shame on me. :($LABEL$0 +Powerful stories from another world. I first came across this book while reading Francine Prose's "Reading Like a Writer." She provided a short excerpt from "A Distant Episode" and I was intrigued.That particular story - the first in this collection selected by Bowles - was perhaps the most arresting, but they were all interesting. Each story quickly draws you into an exotic world with characters and settings that are palpable.Perhaps I was most taken in by how different each of the stories seemed to be. From a horrifying, violent descent into obscurity and insanity to a simple collection of letters by a single author. From compact, intense stories to a meandering walk through the life of an older, single woman in a foreign place.These images have stayed with me long after I put the book down.$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointed. As a single parent, I was quite excited to order this baby book....but I was horribly disappointed when I received it. Since it is hardbound, it's difficult to remove the pages that are not relevant to me. In addition, the paper was poor quality and the printing looked as if it was produced on a home ink-jet printer. The screen printing on the cover looked as if it was also done at home.I found one that was much higher quality, offered as much flexibility for 1/2 the price. The $40 price tag on this is just ridiculous.While I do think there need to be more baby memory books for alternative families, they do need to be high quality and offer the flexibility to remove irrelevant pages. My situation didn't speak to any of those covered in the book.Also, let's be realistic....do you really think you're going to fill this out until your child is in 12th grade?$LABEL$0 +A Watery Snoozefest. Following a trip to the top of Everest in "Into Thin Air," I immediately plunged right into "Perfect Storm," naively expecting the same kind of drama. How wrong I was. Like many other reviewers listed here, I found the author's annoying attention to technical detail to be very distracting from the story at hand. And many times, I forgot which boat I was on, who owned it and why we were being asked to care about it. All in all, a major disappointment. Better luck next time.$LABEL$0 +Basta cosi!! (Enough already!!). The book started off as a charming discourse on life in Tuscany, but I found myself by the first third of the book yelling, "per l'amor del cielo - for the love of god - quit going on and on re. the perfect tomato and eat the f**king thing already!!$LABEL$0 +Lame...Boring, Too much ... Circus Benny Hill Music. I have already watched the new 2009 version and really liked it. This original version is boring, i actually fell asleep 4 times. I had to stop it and come back to watch the rest the next day. This is supposed to be a horror/thriller movie, but then the benny hill type circus soundtrack is horrible. Some of the scenes are even humorous, like the police officers trying to hitchhike after they ran out of gas. The new modern version is much better. Oh ... and what's with their daughter refusing to wear a bra and showing her breasts in front of her father ... ? That was creepy.$LABEL$0 +didn't work. i have a creek right behind my 1 1/2 acres and we have always had bug issues. i got the stinger at bjs, worked great the first day and thats it! it wouldn't come on the second day, i just returned it and i'm getting a flowtron instead...i'll see if that lives up to the glowing reviews.$LABEL$0 +Excellent and Realistic Literature. This autobiography gives new meaning to the word realistic. It is funny, sad and gruesome at times. Obviously, this book does appeal to the wrestling ethusiasts, but I recommend all read it. It brings new light to the so-called "fake" sport of wrestling. I believe those who read it will gain a new respect for wrestlers, considering the time and effort they devote to the profession they love. Overall, the book is great. Surprisingly, all those shots to the head did not affect Mankind's literary talents. The generally summarizes the life of Mankind from the time he was eighteen to now. It reveals many secrets of the profession and discusses his long and hard rode to the top of the sport. I personally suggest all should give it a try and I promise all will be pleased.$LABEL$1 +meh. Its basically a girls anime. I bought it and i just thought it was too happy and light hearted. No action really. If your a guy you won't like it. Girls would enjoy this though. I sold it right back on amazon.$LABEL$0 +Homeport disappoints. The title is good. The book is not! Interesting careers in crime and art mesh in this very predictable read. However, the plot is miserable and the outcome expected from page two. The book is very detailed when it comes to the sexual experiences of the characters, embarrassingly so. Too much emphasis on the unnecessary. If you have nothing else to read... this will do. Otherwise select another book. Just because it looks good, doesn't make it so.$LABEL$0 +kids book. i purchased this book to help my daughter understand or ask questions ... she's starting to get to that age ... item was in great shape and fast shipping$LABEL$1 +No comparison to other great songwriters, ie Ryan Adams. I bought both of these albums after all of the hype surrounding them and I am thoroughly disappointed with both efforts. He continuously sounds off key, his song structure is an unpleasant listening experience and he is overly hyped as a new Dylan when in fact, he doesn't even compare to Ryan Adams or other great, young musicians in this category. Pick up any Ryan Adams cd (or Whiskeytown) and you'll know what I mean, just no comparison. Both of these cd's weren't worth my money or time.$LABEL$0 +Great fitting jeans for a hard to find size.. My son wears a 36 Waist x 36 lenght which is very hard to find. The Levi's Men's 517 are about the only jeans he likes and these fit him perfectly. They were shipped very quickly and the price was excellent. They were a birthday gift and he loves them.$LABEL$1 +Crushed our hopes!. I was having symptoms.........so I thought, so I took a test and it came out positive! I was so excited and I called my husband immediately. I also told 3 friends, and thank goodness I didn't tell the family as I wanted to confirm it w/ my doc. I will be cancelling my doctor's appt for this week as I took 2 more tests, 1 same brand and a diff. brand and they both came out negative. 3 days later.........I am so disappointed, at first I thought, a chemical pregnancy, but then I saw these reviews and am disgusted!$LABEL$0 +horrible. This is possibly the worst thing I have ever smelled or tastedtastes nothing like grapes, only feetI strongly advise against purchasing$LABEL$0 +Christmas gift my wife loves.. I got this for my wife for Christmas and she loves it.It's much prettier than the picture.The funny thing is after I made the purchase, I was reading the WSJ and there was an ad for Tiffany's and in the picture was the exact design of this pendant except it was jewel incrusted with various colored jewels. Still pretty but probably in the 5 figure price range.$LABEL$1 +Serving its intended purpose. Not a perfect match with original but close enough. Seems to be working well although it can be a little challenging to screw cap back on.$LABEL$1 +Glad I didn't pay too much. This is pretty much a waste and I am glad I got it for only $4. Buy Caro's book and maybe some other book on tells. Nothing insightful in this DVD.$LABEL$0 +Do not buy!. The first headset had so much static that it was unusable. Replacement sent at no charge, same problem. Gave up. The company was great to work with, but the product is a piece of junk!$LABEL$0 +Frank is Always Drunk!!!! Lol. You will love this show, every character is his own world, from crazy, spaced out kids, to troublesome teenagers, to drunk and sexually twisted adults. Highly recommended, can't wait for season 3!!! highly recommended!!$LABEL$1 +Horrible Book. I ordered this because it was compared to Mary Higgins Clark. There is no way this book or author could compare to MHC. Although the storyline sounded interesting, it not only drags on with an endless history lesson given by the characters, but one would get the impression that everyone in the 1500's was either gay or had no moral character whatsoever. The language and sexual content in this book is not something I want or should be needed in a successful novel. Mary Higgins Clark has been writing books for more years than I can count, and she has never needed to put smut or language in her books to have them pouring off the shelf. After reading about 1/2 of the book, and getting way too many sexually explicit pictures in my head, I had had enough, and decided to forget trying to finish it. Too bad you can't get a 'money-back-guarantee' on books.This author has alot of work to do to present a book with decent substance.$LABEL$0 +Never Recieved Want money back. This seller sucks and I want my money back now.The Hobbit (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)$LABEL$0 +Disappointed. I found the book confusing and the use of English expressions over done. I have no idea why some words were in a bold font.$LABEL$0 +Great canary sound!. Love this and so does my female canary....I play it for hours!I wish it didn't have the child's vocal remark at the end, that always startles me! And take out the cage noise...but still I love it!!!!!$LABEL$1 +Repairing Furniture. I really like the easy to follow text. The illustrations are very clear and easy to understand. I really feel comfortable tackling a few of my household projects I have put off for months. Chair joints are loose, reupholstery on some of my furniture, and other basic household repairs. Glad to have this book in my library.$LABEL$0 +Are You Kidding? This Album is Terrible. Not much to say on this one, so I'll make it quick. If you're a fan of Mother Goose rappers who can't come up with their own stuff, then Nelly is your man. If he's not stealing rhymes from the movie "Big" (Country Grammar chorus), then he's stealing Old McDonald Had a Farm (Old McDonald had a farm, E.I. E.I. Uh Ohhhh). If you want rap music you can listen to with your parents, then go buy "A Tribe Called Quest", at least they are originators. Personally, I don't think there should be any rap albums you can listen to with your parents, they're supposed to not like your music, just like my parents hate mine. Plain and simple, don't buy Country Grammar, it's trash.$LABEL$0 +ni un paso atras fidel. les recomiendo este cd como los anteriores de fidel nadal atodos los que les gusta la onda rasta .$LABEL$1 +A classic. This is a classic. Thought provoking and provides many tools that are essential to know when you work with students in high school. I would say that it is one of the best books on discipline and classroom management and worth every penny that you might spend. I would recommend buying this book and it should cover most of your needs for classroom management in high school.$LABEL$1 +What the heck DVD doesnt work on DVD player. When I bought this I was all excited and ready to roll. I popped it in the DVD player and it doesn't even work. I got busy doing something else and am too late to send it back, plus it was no Amazon but some contract via Amazon. I think you are better off if you try to stick strictly with Amazon and avoid the discounts. Oh well win some loose some.$LABEL$0 +Thoroughly Entertaining!!!!!. I recently came across Terror in the Aisles in my local video store and rented it thinking it was a different movie. What I got was an awesome compilation of some of the older, classic horror films.Terror in the Aisles is hosted by the Late Great Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen. They take us through over 70 horror flicks in just under 90 minutes. Some of these movies include, Halloween, Jaws, Friday the 13th, Psycho, Carrie, The Exorcist, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, just to name a few. Also, there is a brief appearance by, the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. There were also a few movies which I have not seen that look particulary interesting such as, When a Stranger Calls and Nighthawks.If your a fan of horror movies then you must see Terror in the Aisles it's well worth a look.$LABEL$1 +The worst film I ever saw. I'm an avid fan of campy zombie and slasher films, but this is the worst I have ever seen. Bad acting, poor videography, amateur special effects .... the list goes on. The only thing going for it is that it ends, and not too soon. I like Troma films (Cannibal: the Musical being one of my favorites), but something went wrong here. Don't waste your money.$LABEL$0 +Not as good as I thought it would be. I saw all the positive reviews and one review stating that it was better than the Leaf (basically the two I narrowed it down to) and I was disappointed after buying the TREK. I'm on the 4th floor (top) of my building in Miami, FL and I have the antenna pointing directly at the towers (about 25 miles away). I only get three channels. I don't get CBS, NBC or anything pertinent except FOX. Pretty much useless.UPDATE: 9/18/2012I bought the LEAF PLUS and it worked a bit better than the Trek. It is WAY more aesthetic though. The trek is too bulky. I used the LEAF at my fathers house as a test and was able to get over 20 channels. At my apartment I only get about ten so take that into consideration on my initial review.In the end, the LEAF PLUS is the winner.$LABEL$0 +Good electric kettle. I had used one in the past and was very pleased with it so I ordered this one. It's an excellent kettle with one flaw. The base of the kettle has changed and not for the good. The top of the base that I used before was flat. This one is rounded and the kettle has some little "feet" that are totally useless so the kettle doesn't really sit solidly on the base. Other than that I would have given it 5 stars.$LABEL$1 +"Religious Fanatics Can Make It Be All Gone...". Still as good today as it was 20 yrs ago. Frank has this uncanny ability to create music that lasts throughout the generations. From women in the military to deadheads looking for freedom from their parents, this album hits hard. Frank pokes and prods the religious right with heavenly bank account, the meek shall inherit nothing and the classic Dumb all Over(Maybe W should listen to this one!!!) Does humor belong in music? Absolutely, and no one does it better and with the worlds most amazing band than FZ!!!$LABEL$1 +Horrible. I bought this for the Rammstein scenes but theres not many. i do like the other bands but i expected more. If you want to see Rammstein live get (Live Aus Berlin) very good not a waste at all.$LABEL$0 +Great ^_^. I bought this CD when I was travelling in Asia. If you love the Sarah's previous album "Time to Say Goodbye", you will enjoy this one.....$LABEL$1 +The best book I read on preparing to have a new baby. The book focuses on the most important relationship to a baby--how the parent's relate to each other after the first child is born. The stability and love (or lack thereof) in the parental relationship creates the environment in which the child is raised. Men and women have different expectations and reactions to the birth of a child. This book is a long-term case study of what types of marriages grow stronger, stay the same or get weaker as a result of the birth of a child. The insights I gained helped me to modify and be aware of issues in my marriage that having children creates. I believe my marriage has grown stronger after children and part of the reason was the insight gained from this book.$LABEL$1 +Read War in 2020 instead. I thought this book was pretty bad. I suggest you read Peters's book The War in 2020 instead - it is fantastic. Flames of Heaven is also pretty good, as is Red Army.$LABEL$0 +An awful movie. This was a truly awful movie, which I plan to sell after my one viewing. Julia Roberts' on-again, off-again Irish accent is terrible. The rest of the movie is slow and disgusting.$LABEL$0 +A Classic!. When A Christmas Story first came out in the early 1980's I saw it three times because I kept dragging friends to view it. I bought a video copy when it came out on VHS; and I bought the DVD version when it came out a few years ago. This current DVD edition is the best yet. Compared to the orginal DVD, which I looked at for the sake of comparison, this 2003 edition has a much clearer image, better color, and a more balanced contrast. Although I have not been able to find any statement verifying my conclusion, I feel strongly the film has been digitally remastered for this special edition. As a result viewing this classic is more of a pleasure and delight than ever. I am very grateful for the fine technical job that Warner Brothers did on this release.$LABEL$1 +Great Game!. This is a great game! I played the RPG for years and found that this console game caught the essence of the game completely. You can read the descriptions of the game from the other people that posted here. I wish there was a current, more expanded version of this game, I would soooooo buy it.$LABEL$1 +Wrong Country!. product only available for non-UK markets. Was unable to use product as not cmpatible to UK DVD players therefore I was unable to use it.$LABEL$0 +A Tad Disappointed. While I am a big fan of Ms. Moore and have been since she arrived on the music scene, the addition of hubby and fellow crooner Kenny Lattimore could have been left off. To me, her voice has always been strong and overshadows Kenny's. The concept of for lovers (always a good theme) kinda left me hanging on this CD because except for the title track (the best on the CD) and Loveable (From Head to Toe), the CD is remakes. I would have thought that these 2 contemporaries would have come up with original material. I really hate to give the CD 2 stars because my love for Chante but I heard nothing other than what was mentioned earlier that made me go Wow. For those considering the purchase of this CD, be forewarned - if you don't like remakes, this is not the CD for you.$LABEL$0 +Claimed to have digital turner and did not! Retunred to sender. As noted in title says, it claimed to have a digital turner and did not. In addition radio sounded tinny and did not hold a station well$LABEL$0 +Good. A good read as always from Lajill Hunt. However I actually wsn't planning on reading it until one day I got real bored and I'm so thankful that I was bored.$LABEL$1 +Very good quality. Through my divorce I lost the rolling pin and finally am replacing it. Was pleasedwith how it is balanced and weighted.$LABEL$1 +Scratchy. Got these and when I opened I thought they were a bit rough. Washed and then washed again. I feel like I am back to my college days when I wasn't concerned about thread count and got the cute sheets. Swear these feel like a 200 thread count sheet. I like the color and hope they soften more with washings.$LABEL$0 +Mostly Worthless. Most of the examples and/or instructions do not work correctly when applied to an actual database.$LABEL$0 +Fabulous. This is a great movie if you enjoy Bollywood. It has subtitles throughout the movie. But I love Bollywood because of it's music and dancing and this movie does not disappoint! The product was in good condition when I received it.$LABEL$1 +Would buy againBought. Bought this for my nephew and he loves it. Great way to teach motorworks with hands on and how things work from a engineer's perspective.......$LABEL$1 +A Masterpiece. This dvd is so good that you should not waste time reading this review. Just get it. Yeah it's that awesome. The animation is far beyond most contemporary anime. The character are beautifully drawn with incredible detail and the colors are so vivid that the environments seem to come alive. Besides the technical aspects the story is complicated, but very enjoyable. The action is fantastic. Kenshin deals with his foes in a savage yet graceful manner that causes your draw to drop while the blood gushes. This dvd has something for everybody the only problem is that it may make most of the other stuff you've seen look like Garbaaggee.$LABEL$1 +Basic story-telling - not what I'd want. Seybold tells us a lot of stories and examples, but does not include concrete information on how or what should be done in order to really build an customer centric e-business.As a basic, first time introduction it maybe okay - but please don't use this as your guide to building a business. Many better books out there - look for customer care / customer service keywords.$LABEL$0 +good movie. Be detailed and specific. What would you have wanted to know before you purchased the product?Be detailed and specific. What would you have wanted to know before you purchased the product?$LABEL$1 +Maxell CD-392 Double Slim-Line Jewel Cases. These are great cases. If you keep an original and a copy of your most-used CDs/DVDs simply put each in this case, face outward and you will always know what is in the case. They really are slim, and two will take the place of one of the bulky cases in your racks.$LABEL$1 +too different from the earlier edition. I came across a very early edition of this book and thought it was great, but it was out of print. I thought that this book would be similar but there were major differences. While the earlier edition provided extensive word lists organized around the consonants, this book was organized around vowels. The only word lists that were based on consonants were much shorter in comparison. Although I sent the book back and can't reference it, I seem to remember that they were around 15 to 20 words long. Also, while the words in the earlier edition were useful for adults, the words in this later edition seemed to be geared toward children. For me, the book went back, although someone who is focused on vowels and working with children would probably find it useful.$LABEL$0 +Worst taste ever!. Frankly this product didn't even deserve a one star. Less than one star! The taste and smell was the absolute worst! I tried it in juice also in hopes of making it drinkable but to no avail. This product should honestly be taken off the shelves!$LABEL$0 +massively overrated. Rick Linklater brought this movie off on a shoestring budget: it follows, without a story, the various reflections of residents in the student ghetto area of UT Austin.I've always thought this movie was greatly overestimated: there are some good lines, but not really "dialogue." Pretty much all the characters talks the same: like Richard Linklater, presumably. It's really just a continuous, occasionally amusing monologue that simply drifts from one character to another.Linklater went on to do some legitimately good films, but this one, his third film, hardly deserves the massive study edition that this Criterion Collection edition is.$LABEL$0 +Usefull. I need this kind of laptop sleeve because sometimes I don't want to go out with the big case to transport my laptop. It is comfortable but a little big than my 14" laptop.This sleeve will takes my computer save and avoid any damage that can happens.$LABEL$1 +below average word list. I used this workbook level C for both my average in spelling 4th grader and above average in spelling 3rd grader. The children commented many times about how simple the words were. In fact they were much to simple! This would be a good workbook if you are looking to give your child "busy work". However, unless your child is really having a hard time with spelling you don't want this! The word list are below grade level! It was a waste of time and money. Even on the last lesson list words are much to simple. They are words like hear, your, to, our, great...etc$LABEL$0 +Best Green Day CD. This CD is just so cool. All of the songs just have so much substance. It's so fantastic. I love the lyrics and the tune of the songs. I love how they did different things on this album. The way that they put so many different instruments in is totally cool. I agree that each song could stand as its own album. It's just the best album that I have heard in a long time. I suggest you buy this immediately.$LABEL$1 +Not a good fit. Disappointed with this bra. The fit is not good and the underwire digs into my rib cage which I've neve experienced before. It could be that this bra is just not suitable for my body type.$LABEL$0 +Silly and stupid. Both my wife and I are into gaming, but not this type of dress-up/act out gaming.Unlike some other reviewers here, I didn't think the "players" gave it their all. They were ignoring "game decorum" every 10 seconds or so, so it really made everyone look half-hearted and silly. There were a few comedic moments here and there which were ok, but the drama was totally uninteresting. Maybe there is a good story here somewhere, but neither my wife nor I could get into this film.A big thumbs down for us!$LABEL$0 +this book is extremly borring exept of the last 5 chapters. this books keeps giving more and more unnececary information to a point where i was ready to give up the book. when the plot starts to roll it`s a good book! but to read 17 chapters -\+ for a good 5 it doesnt worth it . keep it to a really desperet times!!$LABEL$0 +Way Over-hyped. As a lifelong Beach Boys fan I had hoped SMILE would live up to the billing and hype of the reviewers...was I wrong!I recall listening to many of these silly songs while in college in the early 70's on the SMILEY SMILE ambum. Nothing profound here for sure. PET SOUNDS is the Beach Boys masterpiece that deserves all the adulation and hype one can bestow...it is truly a brilliant symphony of youthful hopes, dreams, and emotions. Recently I've gained a new appreciation for Dennis Wilson's songs before his demise, perhaps as heartfelt and deep as any Beach Boy explored. Forever.$LABEL$0 +You get what you pay for!. Inova produced products for HSN and they touted lifetime warranty etc. Just try for customer service----does not exist. They had a major recall on one of their lines of cookware. Pots were blowing up. This stuff is made in China and in no way is the quality of Le Cruset or Staub. This is bottom of the line for enameled cast iron!$LABEL$0 +My Guide To The Movie Guide. This guide was great I loved it. This Book has an Intruduction written by Viggo Mortenson. This Guide is filled with pictures of sences from the movie and parahagraphs to explian them. It gives some information that isn't clear in the second movie and is important information that will build up events in the third movie. This guide gives you backround information on some of the charactors in the movie. Such as gollum, Faramir, The ents, and many other charactors in the movie. It also tells you about places in Middle-earth such as The Dead Marshes, Ithilien, and ect.This guide also shows you how battle scences happen and how they are created. I give this guide a 5-star.$LABEL$1 +Left Behind. I couldn't put this book down. It read like a novel and captured my interest from the very beginning. Has wonderfully thought out characters while slowly unfolding the book of revelations. The book is so easy to read you almost forget that it is based on the bible. This book will captivate any reader and will excited them about the book of revelations and Christ's second coming. Don't be left behind!$LABEL$1 +Unable to get a replacement.. My Blu Ray case arrived broken down the side of case. Where the case be ds is was broken all the way down. You can't open my case without it dropping all of the discs out. I looked into getting a replacement, but I'd only get my money back and have to repurchase the product. It would have been about $10 more. I love the show and am just keeping it with the case broken. I just wish I could have exchanged my product is all.$LABEL$0 +Better on the radio. With songs like "Still of the Night," "Here I Go Again," and "Don't Turn Away" I figured this album would be one awesome album. Every song seems to be the same, all about love, but for some strange reason it only works on the above songs. The other 6 songs on the album are decent enough to listen to but they just don't rock.1 great song, 2 good songs, and 6 mediocre songs do not = a good album.$LABEL$0 +Fascinating!. Filled with lush description of Venice during Carnivale, its political and social structure, the inner workings of the opera company and Tito's relationships with his family, friends, colleagues and himself, this is a rich, wonderful book. I also found it a good mystery with a couple of twists and some good suspense. This is a series I shall definitely follow.$LABEL$1 +Durable Product. Purchased for my father. He likes the fact he can carry it anyway he wants and still have it work. He already got it wet, but dried it out and it still fully functions.$LABEL$1 +Essential and compelling. A brilliant indictment of Pol Pot and a highly readable account of the Killing Fields. The focus on ethnic cleansing provides a new way of understanding the horrors of the Khmer Rouge.$LABEL$1 +go listen b4 you buy!!!. Opposite of his previous work! Of course I wasn't as exited as Get Rich Or Trying Dying to buy the CD for I had a feeling it would be a bad one. Regardless I got the CD and OMG!!! I never knew it would be so bad. This is an album that will make you fall asleep (a rap album on top of it). I would recommend people to listen to the CD b4 buying it.$LABEL$0 +Nice Product. I've never owned one of these before, but it is high quality. Glass is thick and smooth with handy measurement markers. There are drink recipes also on the glass, but I have not used any of these. High quality stainless steel cup, does not leak if used correctly. Strainer is also stainless, high quality and works well.$LABEL$1 +Useable Recipes for Busy People. Opening this book, I found a layout of table arrangements, alluring food photographs, Paris cookware shops, and recipes so common that I just wasn't sure anyone would need another book on these classics. Yet, to my sweet surprise, after examining the book closer, and cooking some of the dishes; I found a lovely and very useful book. Ina Garten has put together a choice collection of French classics that fit the American palate. In an easy cooking format, she's modified recipes to fit busy schedules, but seriously the dishes hold their flavor and are well thought out. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to cook French food; especially time deprived cooks. Its recipes take you to the market for fresh produce; allowing you to feel how simple a dish can be, yet so gourmet at the same time. Barefoot In Paris shows what's really going on in home kitchens set out over the beautiful countryside of France, and that simply put; is great cooking!$LABEL$1 +The best!!!!!. These knives are the best steak knives that I have ever used. They cut through steak like butter. Treat these knives well and they will last you a life time. If you know Henkel's knives then you know that these are high quality. Yes, they are very expensive, but worth every dollar.$LABEL$1 +Wat is this book about?. I could not figure this book out. I love Anna Griffin papers but this book is just a haze of pretty pictures. It gave no real useful information on how to be a better scrapbooker or even how to scrapbook in the "Anna Griffin" style. Not my cup of tea.$LABEL$0 +convenient!. I got this as a Christmas gift and I just love it! I use a Roomba to vacuum most of the house in between major cleanings, but I had nothing for the steps! Now I do, and I couldn't be happier. Great little sweeper!$LABEL$1 +NOT The 1985 album. Do not order this disc if you are looking for Corey Hart's 1985 album. This is a compilation disc with a few of his hits from most of his albums. It is totally deceptive to title this disc Boy In The Box.$LABEL$0 +Awful. Possibly the worst casebook ever written. I think the authors chose the most antiquated cases to demonstrate a rule of law.........If you get stuck with this book, get the E and E, and then get the case brief. Don't bother even reading. Nearly all of my class did and didn't miss a beat.$LABEL$0 +Horrible implementation of great product. This product is Wonderful and Terrible. It's extremely frustrating that it isn't better implemented. As many are trying to increase their intake of fresh vegetables, this product makes it so much easier. The downsides are - It appears to be made with a polycarbonate plastic which contains BPA and I'm assuming it contains that. The other complaint is that the water reservoir leaks all over the counter. I'd be thrilled to pay $80.00 for this product or more if it were just made better. The timer and keep warm features are great. Vegetables have never tasted so good or been more convenient. Please fix this and increase the price.$LABEL$0 +Only good if you are incredibly out of shape!. After my first two years in college, I wanted to lose some of the weight I had gained. This DVD was cheap and I needed to tighten up my arms so I bought it. All I can say is I did this about twice and now it's collecting dust. Like another reviewer said, it is boring and the instructor talks way too much. I'm really not used to working out a lot, especially my arms but I found this too easy and way too boring. They definitely could have cut out some of the talking and made it quicker. It would be good to do if you only have a couple minutes but the lengthiness of it due to unnessecary talking makes that impossible. For 35 minutes, I expect to get a more worthwhile workout.$LABEL$0 +Boring...Boring...Boring!!. The 5 star review was obviously given by the author Mr Lauria as he is trying to pump the sales of this book just like he pumped and dumped stocks. Sal Lauria is nothing short of a weasel who ratted out his childhood friends and others just so he can keep his little tooshy out of jail.There is no reason to buy this book.......it is a horrible read and only helps out a rat.$LABEL$0 +I Don't See Why People Like This. I'm sorry, but I really don't! It's a style called Celtic Drama, which means it's a combination of stories w/o words and traditional Irish Dancing.I've never been a Michael Flatley person.Parts of this are traditional Irish dancing, but other's aren't anywhere near it! There are also long songs, sort of like a choir piece. I don't like those at all.If you want to see traditional Irish dancing, this is not your movie.$LABEL$0 +Fun read. This book was great. The writing made me feel like I was watching an actual episode. It takes place in the third season before "Bad Girls" so Faith is involved. I loved everything about the book except that Faith say "B" like every other sentence :) But I can live with that.$LABEL$1 +Yoga Mat Strap. I bought the yoga mat strap and found that the velcro isn't long enough to accomodate a tightly rolled mat. It slips right off the end and the strap is too long to carry so I end up holding the mat anyway. I stopped using it!$LABEL$0 +Disappointment. I am an avid Jodi Picoult reader. This is the first of her's that did not have me staying up late to read more. In fact, this is the first of her's that took me more than a few days to read. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book if I wasn't anticipating the fierce enjoyment I receive from every other Jodi Picoult novel. Basically I am just disappointed.$LABEL$0 +Worked as advertised. Just replaced the cartridge on my Samsung ML-3051N laser printer and found that it worked just as advertised in terms of output. Using the toner saver function (about 99% of the time) on the printer I printed approximately 20 pages per day over a 10 month period which comes out to about 6000 pages. Samsung estimates that you can get about 5600 pages with this cartridge with the toner saver function. Not too bad for a cartridge rated at 4000 pages at normal toner setting.The cartridge worked consistently right up to the end. No complaints.$LABEL$1 +syd's half life. this is the best book on syd that i've read.tim willis did a good job ofinterviewing the people close to syd,including his younger sister rose.it gives good insight on how syd lived in his younger days and what ledto his leaving the floyd.very interesting.$LABEL$1 +The Gallant Old Engine and Other Thomas Stories. It is a very good video. See what Stuart and Falcon do when Duke is sick, and Duncan learns that passengers are important. See Skarloey tell Peter Sam and Duncan about Rheneas pulling his passengers home in a big storm, and see what Henry does when an elephant is stuck in a tunnel. See what happens when Duck and Henry pull The Flying Kipper, and when Percy pushes some freight cars in to Bulstrode the Barge and what else happens.The story stops are; Henry and the Elephant; You Can't Win; Special Attraction; Passengers and Polish; The Gallant Old Engine; Fish; and the Music Video "Really Useful Engine".This is a good video. I know yuo'll like it.$LABEL$1 +Perfect Gift!. Coming from someone who knows nothing about golf. I bought this for my father in law for Christmas, who is an avid golfer. He absolutely loved this. It was the gift of the night. He wouldn't put it down. The pictures are great quality, and the little bit of it that I did read was very interesting. I personally think this is a must have for any golf lover. Makes a great coffee table book.$LABEL$1 +Jack Ryan??????. This book is not a Jack Ryan novel. Why is it advertised as such.I was very pleased with the novel but was fooled by the blurb on the page.Tsk tsk$LABEL$1 +uplifting harmonies. The first three tracks on this cd alone will make you happy you purchased it. Beatitudes starts with "blessed are.." and no matter how bad your case of the blues, you will raise your head by the end of the song. Run, Run, Mourner Run showcases not only the separate harmonies working together but a playful interaction with the live audience as well. Wade in the Water is a fluid, soulful rendition of this church song. All of the good reasons you might go to church are contained in these songs. The cd continues with adventurous harmony, political statements and rises to climactic endings as in Our Side Won. No one can beat their arrangements and voices working together - truly the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And in this case the parts are excellent as well.$LABEL$1 +Sony MiniDV Cleaning Cassette. They work! Got my camera functioning again. Shame that I'm abandoning my tape based cameras for SDHC cameras, but the cassettes did their job very well.$LABEL$1 +Soft HDMI cable is much more convenient to use. I had thick HDMI cables and I found them very inconvenient to use with very light video equipments. It's very difficult to position them flat on the table because the cable is too stiff.These soft cables are much easier to use. I am very happy!$LABEL$1 +biotone rocks!. I always only buy biotone for giving massages. I like this one for my pump I wear with the belt, but, I prefer the cream one more because its not as slippery. I like to give slower massages. I have to concentrate a little more with this, so I don't move so fast. otherwise...great product.$LABEL$1 +THE REASON IS WAS SO CHEAP!. frontline top spot does NOT kill larvae, or flea eggs. so when you apply yea you kill adult fleas, but in a few days the larvae grow to adulthood, and the eggs hatch to become even more larvae and VIOLA, more fleas! BUY FRONTLINE PLUS TO KILL ALL AGES OF FLEAS, EGGES EVERYTHING, but but but MAKE SURE IT IS A US PRODUCT, OTHERWISE IT CANNOT BE INSPECTED AND REGULATED BY THE EPA. you can get bogus stuff! be aware, do lots of research on seller. they use different names, write their own good reviews etc... YOU CAN FIND GOOD ONES. I HAD A SELLER SUSAN SOMETHING?? SHE WAS GREAT, BUT CANNOT FIND HER ANYMORE:($LABEL$0 +Fun and durable. My now 8 year old grand-daughter received this as a gift when she was two. She used it a bit but this toy has gone on to get much use from my now 5 yo and 3 year old grandsons. The bubbles never worked right but they have had hours of playtime with it. It's been outdoors for most of six years in New England and although a bit faded the boys are happy to play with it again this year. I would highly recommend it to anyone who may be interested. Grammy to-3 Tewksbury, MAFisher-Price Bubble Mower$LABEL$1 +so full of it. this product did nothing to lose weight, especially since it made me CONSTIPATED. i was reasonably regular (1 bm/day) before using colon-x.the only change to my weight is a gain, actually, while eating smaller amounts @ mealtime.four (4) lbs. after the 30-day capsules ran out!!people, be very cautious of the myriad of existing colon cleansers....friends of mine & i agree after using various companies' advertised cleansers which claim "100%" effectiveness or money back. they have YET to refund me (i am waiting now over 2 weeks, at least!)i'm still going to try other products but i definitely will be more scrutinizing and researching the good from the fakes. there are no perfect colon cleansers. each individual will lose (OR GAIN!!!) weight according to many factors. of course, these unspoken factors are draped over by a curtain of hazy claims.i will go on searching, tho'$LABEL$0 +Very good!. It was great to read a book that actually came from the person that lived it; White Bull. He should have been as well known as Sitting Bull and many other warriors, because of his fierce attributes. He was a very brave leader of his people.$LABEL$1 +Misleading information on amazon. The original book, although impossible to find is a stellar resource to have and I highly recommend it. However, the version on Amazon is a photocopy of the original and the histopathology slides and information is useluess when the copy is viewed due to loss of detail. Buyer beware.$LABEL$0 +Impossible to find refills for this dumb mop. The Quickie web site says that the HomePro mop (model 041) uses the 0472 & 0473 mop refills, which are "Type H." Amazon tells a different story? Who's right? I have definitely wasted more than 2 hours of my life getting the wrong refills at Safeway and my local hardware store.The best use for this mop, as far as I can tell, is to take this mop and smash my computer screen, because my only choice before contributing more waste to the landfill is to take a gamble and buy the refill that Amazon wants me to buy--the Type J--which is not the manufacturer recommended Type H refill. Even writing this review is a waste of my time. I feel this mop has aged me by at least 20 years. Cruel world. I just want to clean my floors.$LABEL$0 +Surprisingly lackluster. This album is definitely a new sound for Roena. Unfortunately I don't think this new sound went well for him since it really sounds generic and nothing really stands out in this album. The only track I found good was "Hablame Mi Amor", which was still does not have a remotely equal effect as "Tu Loco Loco" or "Avisale a Mi Contrario." This is one Roena album I would skip. Only good reason to buy would be to complete a collection.$LABEL$0 +Great guide for a timeless classic. Although most fans of Dragon Warrior have already beaten the NES versions of DW 1 and 2,and even though they are pretty much the same game but with new enhancements,the guide still is a great buy.(As well as the game itself!)Lots of info,pics and more!Recommended!$LABEL$1 +Loved It. Everyone that has commented seem to think the movie was awful.. Me on the other hand has never watched the Avartar Airbender cartoon.. So maybe I don't know what it should have or shouldn't have been .. But I really enjoyed the movie.. And i'm a strong movie buff of any Fantasy Movie as long as their is a story line.I actually hope their is a 2 on the horizon. And any way it was only for entertainment.. Not to build my life on.. So i give it a big thumbs up and to me the special effects was awesome.The actors did a good job on bringing to movie to life. I wasn't trying to pick the movie a part but to enjoy the movie. But then thats just my opinion. I would recommen you watching it and forming your own opinion.$LABEL$1 +I can't believe I ordered this .... For me this was the last straw for Amazon reviews. I'm so sick of being duped into buying stupid products because they've got good rating here on Amazon. This was just a stupid product. I didn't help me at all.$LABEL$0 +The first attempt at a modern biography of St. Francis. Now in a new edition edited and with an introduction and annotation Jon Sweeny, The Road To Assisi: The Essential Biography of St. Francis was first published in French in 1894, as the first attempt at a modern biography of St. Francis, one of the most beloved figures of Christian history. Author Paul Sabatier struggled to answer the question: who was Francis the man? Groundbreaking research reveals the a fully human portrayal of a man who was nonetheless gentle, passionate, joyful, and who desired to live as Jesus once taught his disciples. An extraordinary work that covers Francis' weaknesses as surely as his strengths, enhanced by the annotation and sidebars that place events of Francis' life in historical context. Highly recommended for individual reading as well as biography shelves, and a must-have for library collections.$LABEL$1 +just what I was looking for. This shoe was exactly what I had in mind for my dress, but it is just a little bit short. It's fine as long as I'm not on my feet for too long.$LABEL$1 +I want read and watch cartoons.... Camden Joy offers us a book that will make you laugh, or think he's insane! A well writen romp through a dysfunctional relationship, and a mysterious missing kid sister. This book will give you something to think about like "Why would Sting brag about his billard skills in a song?" This book is actually isn't "about" Liz Phair,although she may or not be in there somewhere...I often wonder..The pictures (art work) are too hilarious to miss, reminds me a little of Vonnegut's pictures in breakfast of championsI highly reccomend this book...$LABEL$1 +Informative & Saved Me Money. I found this to be the Best book on Diamonds! Once I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. I walked away with the Confidence and Knowledge I needed to purchase an engagement ring. I finally knew what the jeweler was taking about. Thanks to it, I saved thousands.$LABEL$1 +Thank God he has only written one book. People like Jim LeCuyer should not be allowed to influence minds - young or old. His perverse sense of human sexuality and indeed, all forms of human interaction, present a danger to anyone who reads his work. He has damaged many a young aspiring writer with his unsavory and inappropriate commentary on the world.$LABEL$0 +IT is a very amateur baseball game. No one would have fun playing because people would be selecting there player,and people wold fight for who gets Sammy Sosa. who would you rather be Sammy Sosa...Or "Scarlet"I wold not recomend this game$LABEL$0 +a child's garden of verses. the book is not what i expected, i had a old book by the same name but it had ,many, many more verses.$LABEL$0 +the Sound of Coolness. hearing Antonio Carlos Jobim's Music is truly a very Relaxing thing.the other Musicians Performing here truly are in Synch with Him&His Vibe.solid tight Production.timeless quality here.you shall enjoy.$LABEL$1 +Great Cd!!!. I don't think comparing this cd to it's past ones is fair. I think this cd is really great. I had to get it before I went on vacation. But still something is bugging me a bit, it isn't very ska. They pride themselves on being ska, and yet there cd doesn't sound very ska to me. Where is the trumpets? It is still a great cd. Probably my favorite in my cd collection right now. I think it deserves 4 stars, it is wonderful, but missing the ska feel and style. Over all it is a great cd!!!$LABEL$1 +Met all needs. I gave this transaction a perfect rating because the book arrived on time in the condition it was described. I needed it for a class and was happy with the purchase.$LABEL$1 +Great, but not what I ordered..... Great product, however it seems that I did not receive an adjustable NPA. Instead of the orange one in the product description I got a green one- which is not adjustable. I mean- an NPA is an NPA. Good product, just now what was described.$LABEL$1 +Table difficult to use. Because I am 77 years old and have arthritic hands, I am unable to work the spring mechanism necessary to determine--or adjust--the height of the table. Hence, it is impossible for me to use. I am still trying to return it, trying to disentangle the confusing steps between Amazon and Dazadi (sp?) Sorry. I should know better than to buy something like this sight unseen!$LABEL$0 +BEWARE - These maybe seconds or knock-offs!. I opened each of the 3 filter boxes and none of them have the sticker you peel off and place on the filter to remind you when to change the filter.I called Amana and they not only refused to send me 3 replacement stickers, they told me I have to go back to the compamy of purchase and complain to them! I found out the telephone number for the company that actually makes the filter for Amana and they sent me one lame looking sticker that probably came from Office Depot or Staples.WHAT A JOKE!!!$LABEL$0 +Quite Mediocre. I only purchased it because I was in downtown Phoenix for a conference and couldn't find a real book store within walking distance. I was stuck with the hotel's W.H. Smith and the NY Times bestseller list (blech.)This book is a fast, pleasant read. The early portions were quite promising, evoking a feeling of creeping doom. I also liked the sprinkles of social commentary, particularly the discrimination fathers face in custody proceeedings.However, the plot quickly became utterly -- and I mean utterly -- predictable. The only suspense left for me was seeing just how long it would take the main character to figure out what I had figured out, and details of the resolution. The last portions degenerate to a long "beat the unstoppable monster" sequence.Might make a good movie on the Sci-Fi channel.Save your money. Or, use it to buy Charles Pellegrino's "Dust".$LABEL$0 +Deceptive Marketing - NOT 3D. I was looking for 3D movies to give to a friend who had just bought a new 3D TV. I searched in "Movies & TV" entering the search text "3D". I was extremely happy when I saw AVATAR in the list. When it arrived and we started to watch it we found this is NOT 3D. Very disappointed in the deceptive marketing of Amazon.com but let's face it, the bottom line is the paramount issue.$LABEL$0 +Brilliant. Many might feel with this effort that Welsh is merely rehashing Trainspotting...in fact all of the major characters from that story make a brief appearance in Glue. Nevertheless, though Welsh's familiar themes of drug abuse, sex and delinquency abound, Glue is a story about people.The book details the life of four close friends growing up in Scotland from the 1970s into the new millenium...through troubles and joys. It is a fun read told with Welsh's unrestrained yet stylish flair. The human element is very strong here...we see the four friends in every light; what brings them together, what drives them apart and ultimately the tragedy that they must all overcome. It is a sad and beautiful story, yet more upbeat than some of Welsh's previous works. Personally, I think it is his finest. If you enjoyed Welsh's other efforts, definitely pick this one up today. It is worth every page.$LABEL$1 +noisey. Had to send it back. It had a disturbing crackling sound that didn't lull me to sleep...just the opposite. However, the return procedure went smoothly. UPS picked it up and we had our money back within days.$LABEL$0 +Dragged down by a boring story and poor writing. It seems that around the late 90s, Koontz was developing a rather wordy, pompous writing style. This book, along with False Memory, is bogged down by puzzling analogies, irritating metaphors, and questionable word usage. We all know Koontz is a great writer, but at this point he begins showing off too much, which is really off putting.Despite the above, a Koontz novel can be saved by a compelling plot. This book doesn't even have one, however. The mystery surrounding this tale is hardly intriguing, and it's a struggle to maintain interest throughout this book.Only read if you feel the need to round out Koontz's bibliography.$LABEL$0 +Boring. This movie is one hour and twenty-one minutes long and was released on January 1984. As for a plot there is none. A few breasts scenes and some sword action but that is it. The only thing that it has going for it is that it has stars Barbi Benton and Lana Clarkson. Rent it; don't buy it.$LABEL$0 +It will infect your very soul! (4.5 stars). Spiritualized make it 2 releases in a row to make it to my annual best of list.Let It Come Down, much like 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen..., has all the beauty and deep passion Mr. Pierce can muster. It floats through the air with rousing gospel choir choruses, thunderous horns and big guitars, all set against his familar dreamy backdrop of orchestration and melodies.The first single, Stop your crying, can almost trick you into thinking this is a far more simple release. But as with all of the Spiritualized catalog, good things come to those who wait... 4 or 5 minutes. Each track is as haunting as the one before, as gripping as a drugged man yearning for a companion.Achingly beautiful.$LABEL$1 +Scuba Smurf. I really like this goofy toy. There's about zero educational value to it, but as a diver, I like that this smurf wears a fairly accurate rendition of real scuba gear. It just seems pretty cool, especially with the release of the recent Smurf Movie.$LABEL$1 +A reply to Carlson. The book is an edited collection of essays protesting what its authors regard as the undue hegemony of liberal/progressive/PC ideology in clinical psychology. Many of the opinions expressed are reasonable, well supported by fact, and long overdue. Meanwhile, even those I find wrongheaded are largely to the left of Fox News, the WSJ editorial page, and Mussolini. The citations in Roger Carlson's review are caricatures of what is actually said; for this the only remedy is to read the book and draw your own conclusions. Like Carlson, I am a clinical psychologist (and yellow-dog Democrat), yet he strikes me as the sort of doctrinaire zealot who could easily end up in Hell sharing a room with Karl Rove.$LABEL$1 +No Protection. The clip provides no protection at all to scratches or accidental drop. I scratched my brand new Treo 300 surface badly the first day I put around my belt by accidently rubbing against furniture. It has already been dropped once from the holster, since the tiny plastic cip at the top is not secure. I am shopping for a new case now! Not recommended for people on the go.$LABEL$0 +The best Beethoven I ever heard. The Furtwängler's performance of Beethoven's Fifth is simply the best I ever heard. The interpretation is powerful, full of passion and intensity. The sound is quite good for a 1954 recording, and the Vienna Philharmonic plays as well as usually. If you really like Beethoven's Fifth, you must have this recording. The 7th interpretation is also very good, but the sound is not so good. But the allegretto sounds so beautifuly! A really good performance!$LABEL$1 +Nice piano jazz standards. I'm a fan of NPR's "Wha' Do Ya Know" and always enjoyed the show's piano jazz segments. This CD offers a very together but laid back trio playing excellent choices from the great American songbook.$LABEL$1 +The Late Great John Kalench. berna_derek@yahoo.comJohn Kalench's book is now the corner stone provided for all UK Nikken Independent Distributors. He himself saw how good being a Nikken Distributor was and this, in over 20yrs of training many MLM distributors was the only Company that attracted him. He joined in 1994.It is a great shame that he died in May 2000, however, with great books like this being available his memory will live on.I've read mine 3 times and keep it close to hand as an easy source of reference. Sort out your life - this book will show you how.Enjoy your order. Derek FordPerth, WA$LABEL$1 +I was very pleased.... I don't understand why this movie isn't more popular. It, honestly, is one of the best thrillers I've seen in a while. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and it definitely kept me captivated. Everything is really good: the acting, the directing, the cinematography, the music, everything. Kate Greenhouse plays her role perfectly and Paul Fox does a great job putting this film together. And the plot is simple yet it's really creative (the twists totally caught me off guard). All in all, if you're looking for a thriller, this is one of the better ones out there.$LABEL$1 +A soon to be cult classic.. J. Todd Anderson's second directorial debut is a raucous good time. This campy but funny movie is well worth the price of this DVD. There are zippy one-liners, homages to the Three Stooges, and some very memorable characters. If you just want to have a great movie watching experience get My Mummy.$LABEL$1 +Very enjoyable, recommended for people who love words. Poplollies and Bellibones-My friends and family collect and share words and this a book that's worth hours of discussion and joy. A mix of words, some of them with very precise meanings that don't have a modern equivalent in common use, others more that are more general. It also has a bit of the history of some of the words including the etymology and time period.The illustrations are very 70s style and the words are placed in a narrative context with notes about what each italicized word means.Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers by the same author has the origin of many phrases in use today, as well as more historical words. It's a fun mix of things relating to body parts in rich, descriptive and fun language.$LABEL$1 +Not as nice as it looks. This lamp is OK. I really liked the styling of it - was looking for a bit of glam "Old Hollywood" - but the construction is a bit flimsy. It's also not really good at illuminating the room, it's more of a spotlight.$LABEL$0 +LASTED FOR ABOUT 3WEEKS. IM NOT ONE TO LISTEN TO LOUD MUSIC OR MUSIC WITH ALOT OF BASS IN IT ANYMORE, THEY WHERE CHEAP SO I FIGURED Y NOT BC MY STOCK SPEAKERS WHERE SHOT, AFTER 3 WEEKS ONE SIDE TOOK A CRAP AND NOW HAVE TO HAVE THE BASS IN THE NEG. JUST SO I DONT HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE POPPIN AND CRACKLING NOISE, ILL BE BUYING A WAY BETTER SET WITH A BETTER CROSSOVER SO THIS WONT HAPPEN AGAIN$LABEL$0 +BEWARE!!!. Despite the picture showing a Yoda topper on the bubble bath, mine came with R2-D2 topper, not what I wanted!!!! Bubble bath works pretty much like any of them do, but smells kind of chemical. Not at all pleased.$LABEL$0 +Wonderful novel about life today!. The cover of "Autumn Leaves..." caught my attention and before I even knew what the book was about I knew I had to have it. I was by no means disappointed. This is a wonderful novel about love and friendship, life and death. There were many times in the course of reading that I was cheering, clapping, yelling and crying. The main characters were portrayed vividly from the sweetness of Legacy to the horrendous Simpson. I felt Marshall's grief and Jasmine's betrayal. This book touched on social issues that we all deal with today such as instant wealth from playing sports, unprotected sex and how AIDS impacts on so many people. This book is a must read. You won't be disappointed.$LABEL$1 +Polish my demo. I bought this CD on the strength of the two downloadable tracks here on amazon, and that other people bought it with purchases that I also have. It's pretty dissapointing: the synth choices are on the clunky side, the drum tracks are unimaginative, the male vocal is weak -- the staple and bane of synth bands, it seems -- but the female vocal is arranged so badly it is funny. Some nice melodies there, but nothing groundbreaking or energetic. Only the last three tracks of disc two made me sit up.What this thing seems to need most is a good producer who can take this material to the next level. Right now it just sounds like really accomplished home-made demos.$LABEL$0 +Rip-off. I had this product already in my cart when I noticed the low rating. Curiosity led me to the reviews and the price!I quess I tend to get complacent and just click "add to cart". That is going to change. As other reviewers commented this kind of pricing is robbery! Also, Amazon should do more to control the vendors they allow to use their site. Amazon's reputation is also affected by this sort of thing.It's a lot cheaper to use the gas to drive to the supermarket! Today that's saying something.Glad Small Garbage Bags, 4 Gallon 30 bags$LABEL$0 +My aching thumb!!!. I'm not sure just how accurate this pedometer is. I've been SITTING in front of my computer since I put it on and it reads 141 steps so far and I have it on the lowest sensitivity level.More importantly, the tip of my right thumb is killing me from wrestling with the lid to get it open. The release button doesn't push in and release anything. You auctually have to use your thumb to pry it open.I will try using it tomorrow without closing the lid, but this seems to be a bit ridiculous.Oh, It now reads 148 steps...$LABEL$0 +Like a long cold drink on a hot day. Because my Parents raved about Joe and this book I was leary of it's contents. I soon ate all my words. This book is slow the first few pages. Once I got into it, the story is fluid. I found my self lost in a world of drugs, lust, friendship and trauma. I highly recommend the book to anyone who either grew up different or in Minneapolis. Either way this will hit home... Being your self and being true to that is. Vivid characters and a wait and see outlook make a great combination. I can't explain it, just read it. Some naughty sex, but hell it was good.$LABEL$1 +A Christmas Memory. Received in a timely manner and in good condition. This is one of my favorite Christmas stories. I look forward to viewing the DVD next Christmas.$LABEL$1 +Cheezy rape fantasy.... I think the movie should've been titled either "Sorrow Man" or "Jealousy Woes". What in God's name were they thinking? Those effects took hours, days, weeks, months, FOREVER! And all for what? So we can learn that an invisible "genius" can get jealous and kill all his friends? Well, I can't say I expected anything more from the director of Showgirls and Basic Instinct. On second thought, maybe I did a little, because I enjoyed Total Recall and Starship Troopers. (And just between you and me, I liked both Showgirls and Basic Instinct. Shhh.)The score is better than the film. And, you know what? The special effects here are overrated. Stupid cartoon CGI. 'Hollow Man' is just another ret@rded mess puked out from the bowels of "Hollow"wood.$LABEL$0 +As Good As It Can Be..... This season was as good as it could have been with Steve's departure.I did enjoy all the twists and turns throughout.If this were a "pilot" season for the show and we knew that there never was a Michael Scott, this would have been a decent first season....But, after saying that, there is definitely something that is still missing from this season....Good but not great.$LABEL$1 +1 star is generous. I am a JL fan and I would like to say that I have read all of her books. Unfortunately, I could not even finish this one. When I saw that it was rated 5 stars I flipped out. This book was terrible. Maybe I am not a futuristic type of woman but please!!! Also, the sequels to this book are just as terrible if not worse. Couldn't finish those either. Sorry, I would have given this 0 stars if there was that option! 1 star is generous!$LABEL$0 +WHITE OLEANDER. White Oleander, is one of the most captivating novels I have had the pleasure to read. Astrid, a stranded, young girl is left in foster care when her haunting and poisonous mother is put in prison for murder. As Astrid travels from foster home to foster home without the one thing she has grown to know and be, her mother, she realizes how trapped she really was. Astrid learns what it is to be frree and who she really is. I truly think that this is one of the most heartwrenching novels I have ever read. I think this novel gives you a better idea of how lucky we all are to have what we have.$LABEL$1 +Closure?. Dated production quality, solid story (up to the end if you read between the lines), and a cast of characters with... well... character.Shinji (agreeing with others who have posted here) is pathetic... but arguably lovable...Closure on the story is not what ends this work. The close of the story is something like a statement of life...Life is... what you make of it...Plain and simple...For overall anime quality, I like it.For overall delivery, the message was clear to those looking for the message.For overall story, it has a definite apocalyptic/rainbow at the end of the tunnel feel (Though like a rainbow you only see it but can't touch it).I would buy it again if I lost my copy.$LABEL$1 +A is for Angel. "A is for Angel with shining white wings...."This is a wonderful book I remember so well from my childhood. With simple heartwarming rhymes it chronicles the birth of Jesus and shares other Christian values, as well. I wish it were still in print. I'd buy one for every child I know.$LABEL$1 +Harmful?. I just bought this home for my hamster of a year and yesterday, i found him dead in his cage. I just got two new gerbils...but i'm wondering if it was the cage....i also bought the run around and have NO idea how to connect it!$LABEL$0 +Unsuccessful Self-Imitation.. Volume one and 826+ - she did it big time and made me a huge fan of hers.. but it seems shes trying to recreate the past but..despite my effort to love this new album it really s*>cks.All you fans out there praise everything she does... but be honest with yourselves.. every song sounds the same, and like every other artist out there. I strongly recommend jill's fans to not approach this one so you can be left with the sweet taste of the past.hearing the love shmaltz over and over again makes you sick, and it seems as if her label know this album is lame so they put all the PR on "Golden" which is the only loveable-reminds-the-past track.Zack.$LABEL$0 +loose wire. This product works great, but only for a short time before shorting out. I usually get about a few months service out of it before it malfunctions and the ultrasonic feature does not work anymore. I've had two of these and both have broken down in a short period of time.$LABEL$0 +Poorly organized book. I read the book carefully and the it's a real shame that the authors did not spend more time on research! Many reviewers complained about lack of information of Bee Gees main asset, their music, I regret to say that it's true. Now, should we wait for a Bee Gees Anthology? Official, Authorized and Informative?$LABEL$0 +Barrington Levy...is for reggae connoisseurs.. Barrington Levy is at his pinnacle on these two albums reissued by Greensleeves and backed by the premier reggae session band Roots Radics. If you dig crucial reggae this is the cd for you. "Look Girl" & "Rock & Come In" are solid reggae songs that will satisfy your soul! Find this cd, buy this cd & jam this cd until you wear grooves in it! Praise Him, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.....Jah Rastafari!$LABEL$1 +Don't bother!. This is NOT for serious bakers! I had used my old fashioned one for years. (all metal screw type) works fine but takes some muscle. This looked like it might make the job easier. After 5 batches the PLASTIC cookie forms cracked. What I got was a batch of deformed christmas trees! VERY UGLY can't give away as gifts which is my tradition. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!$LABEL$0 +Here's the condensed version of this book:. Change is inevitable. You can choose to either embrace it and thrive, or resist it and suffer the consequences.There -- I just saved you ... and a half hour you would have wasted in reading this unbelievably simple-minded book that is unaccountably receiving rave reviews from many reviewers.$LABEL$0 +Tastes good and has digestive aids. This protein powder tastes good when mixed like milk--like a powdered chocolate drink. The digestive enzymes included in the powder are also attractive; I don't notice any GI anomalies when using this powder.$LABEL$1 +Thor - Another Gem in the Marvel Series. Thor is a movie that has to be looked at on a number of levels. The action and effects is outstanding. The movie scenes are rich in design and colors projecting an art deco version of Valhalla. The action scenes are loaded with drama and in some cases with elements of humour. What is unexpected is underlying theme of loss and redemption, a raw callous youth coming to understand responsibility is all about. Thor's banishment to Earth, his realization of loss, and his redemption through being to willing to sacrifice his life to preserve planet is a theme one does not expect in a live action comic book. Thor works on all levels. There may be a few problems with the script and some parts that should have gone on the cutting room floor but overall a very enjoyable flic.$LABEL$1 +A very good performance. Klemperer always works wonders with Bruckner, bringing out the warmth and musicality of the piece. This version is a little slow, but this symphony is supposed to take its time. If one plays it too rapidly, a lot of the inner melodies and colorations get lost. You won't go wrong with this recording.The only reason I give it 4 stars is because Klemperer's versions of the Bruckner Sixth and Fourth (the latter with the Bavarian Radio Symphony - not the studio recording) are just so outstanding that they are in another realm.$LABEL$1 +Lorre us what makes Moto. I really liked this box set. Not only are the films thrilling and fun to watch, but the Extras make it a must to have in ones collection. Particularly, if you are a fan of old time Detective Thrillers. Also, if you are a fan of the great Peter Lorre. He adds the extra exotic spice to these movies.$LABEL$1 +Love Crocs!. This is my 2nd pair of Crocs Cayman Sandals. I have arthritis and problems with my feet swelling, but Crocs are still confortable. I wear them around the house as slippers, as well. My only complaint with this pair as the color (Peacock) was brighter than the photo shows.$LABEL$1 +good performer - disappointing CD. I liked her live show and she's a good singer, but this is a bad-sounding record with bad songs and bad guitar licks. Hoping she will do better next time round$LABEL$0 +Belden Cat-5 cable. This is the kind of thing that makes me a confirmed Amazon customer. First quality, name brand, 25ft cable at less than one third the local price, delivered to my door the next day! Tell me again why I should schlepp to Staples and stand in line to find out they don't have what I need!$LABEL$1 +Kitchenaid Shredder/slicer. All parts fit and work perfectly. The item shipped quickly and arrived unharmed due to the great packing by the seller. We are pleased and have already processed another Amazon order. No problems whatsoever. Impressed.$LABEL$1 +Good Basic Book. I think that this book serves its purpose. It has been an excellent addition to lectures. It offers visual examples of basic photography lessons. This book is worth owning, even if you feel competent with photography.$LABEL$1 +REAL information with REAL facts. This is a great book and a MUST for every parent. This shows the truth that doctors don't want you to know, because then they wouldn't get those lovely bonuses from the makers of the vaccines. Of course this ISN'T a conspiracy theory book but actually scientific medical facts and references. This book is more double sided then any other vaccine book out there viewing information from both sides with points and counter-points on all that you've heard about. This book informs and educates, if you are a parent this is the book for you because it helps decipher all the information so you can weigh the pro's and con's. If you read any other book your still uneducated on the subject. Top of the line!$LABEL$1 +shallow, predictable, but strangely likeable. Reading this book is like watching a fluff movie. It is sappy and predictable, but you watch, and read it anyway. I don't think I'll eagerly await the next book, or seek out any more of Jane Green's books, but I finished this one. A light summer read.$LABEL$0 +Loved Robert Pattinson In This Movie. The movie was poignant, very well done. Had I not read the book first the element of surprise would have been there. I enjoyed the book so much better. I know they couldn't include everything in the book into a 2 hour movie. They stayed true to the book with no noticeable changes in the movie. I think Pattinson and Reese were good choices for the lead. I think the chemistry between Reese and Robert was good which made it believable. They made a beautiful couple. The guy playing the circus owner was excellent also. If you are looking for a love story with an element of drama, this is the movie for you.$LABEL$1 +medium quality. The inside cushion keeps shifting and this complicates putting the wrap over my knee. Other than that the cold works and keeps the pain down for 15-20 minutes. Cost-reward ratio is expensive.$LABEL$0 +Truly the BEST. Like many other reviews, I have never found a better FIRM workout! I originally started this workout back in the early 90's and loved it. I am now 57 and starting it again (I do modify certain moves)...nothing else works like this one! Janet Jones is awesome and very motivating. PLEASE TRY IT!$LABEL$1 +Again brilliant from Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoults ability to intertwine different worlds and different lives never ceases to amaze me... Thought provoking, conscious examining and on your toes throughout - another brilliant journey$LABEL$1 +Defective material. After reading the reviews I bought this for my daughter heading off to college. Got the first one home, unboxed filter with intent to clean and prep for her first use. I set the filter on the counter and heard a crack. Looked at the base and saw the left side cracked. Frustrated boxed up took back to the store and exchanged it. Brought the next one home, cleaned it and soaked filter. Boxed it up and took to daughters apartment. Started to fill with water when I noticed the blue inner resevoir had 2" crack around the lip.After a little more research I have read many complaints of the same filter cracking without reason. I exchagned for a Brita at Target. When asked the customer service rep told me they never see the Brita returned but has seen the Pur returned a number of times. I should have done more homework before buying and saved multiple trips to the store.$LABEL$0 +A dream come true!!!. One of the loveliest Cinderella-adaptions ever! Be enchanted by a dream come true!!!$LABEL$1 +Very Disappointed in the Second Edition. The first edition of this book had many inaccuracies which are too numerous to mention here. I was greatly looking forward to the second edition, and the correction of the many discrepancies that were written in the first edition of Beauty in the B. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The book continues to be innacurate in many ways. For example, there is a picture of Rhoda Scott playing a Hammond B-3000, with a caption saying that it was manufactured by Hammond Suzuki. This organ was never manufactured by Hammond Suzuki. It was made by the old Hammond Organ Company. This inaccurate information was also in the first edition of the book. This is but one of the examples. Mr.Vail would have been well-served to have Alan Young review the entire book before publishing it. The effort of compiling the information for the book is to be commended, but the inaccuracies are too many to overlook.$LABEL$0 +Not what I wanted.... I am moving to the UK in a few months, and wanted to get an overview of the various soccer leagues (FA, Premiership, etc.), the organization of the teams, etc. This book provided little to none of this. It appeared only to give a detailed (I mean detailed) history of all the teams. I still can't tell you how the various leagues are set up, how teams move to different leagues, etc.$LABEL$0 +Classic. This has always been one of my Favorite movies from yesteryears when movies were made right. Now that it is on BR it makes it even better.$LABEL$1 +Disappointed. I have used this product for quite some time and always purchased it at department stores. When I saw it on Amazon for half the usual price I quickly ordered it. However, when I used it for the first time it did not smell like the product I had been getting and the aroma was weak. I will not purchase it here again.$LABEL$0 +Ascended Master BOB?. Along with his fellow Great Cosmic Noble Ascended Master friends Rex, Billy Ray, Jethro, Big Bubba, and Jenny-Lee (who is clad throughout the book in a Great Cosmic Tee-Shirt with "I Wish THESE Were Brains!" printed on the bust), good old Bob churns out one heck of a Great Cosmic Discourse on such matters as Supply, Love, America, Rising Into the Sky, and Healing flesh wounds incurred from birdshot.This is a real page-turner. Bob relates his life and times on the ranch with Pearl and Ascended Master Bob Jr., describes how he was able to raise his body straight up into heaven by saying the word I AM one-trillion consecutive times, and reveals the Great Cosmic All-Time Secret Formula for subduing an angry rattlesnake ("rattlers," he calls them) with a single kiss of the lips.*Spoiler:At the end of this book, you learn that God's "True Name" is not I AM after all. Rather, it is "BIFF."$LABEL$0 +As a Gift.... I gave a copy of this book to my sister as a gift six months ago and she is STILL raving. Great gift for anyone looking to entertain someone.$LABEL$1 +Innovative and delicious romantic comedy!. I loved this book! I don't know how this author keeps coming up with such innovative plots, but this is definitely one that would make a great movie. I adored Dorsey, fell in love with Adam, and was amazed by the way the secondary characters like Carlotta and Lucas jumped right off the page into my heart. And as always, Ms. Beverly's writing sang with style and charm. So many books today seem sort of generic, but this writer's voice is so strong it keeps me coming back for more.$LABEL$1 +Skrape is awesome!. skrape isnt the most original band, but new killer america is one awesome cd, i suggest you buy this cd!$LABEL$1 +Drums of Autumn. Fascinating. I have read all 4 books and can't wait for the fifth one to be published. Excellent writing. Contrary to some other reviews,I've enjoyed the inclusion of Roger and Brianna and the slower pace in some parts of the book. It helped prolonge the suspense. Keep writing Diana.$LABEL$1 +Not what I expected. I was hoping for more of a behind the scenes look at the race world since his Dad covered the big Secretariat match... but it is more of a memoir, and has very little to do with the race scene... at least in the first 50 pages... I couldn't stick with it due to it not capturing my interest.$LABEL$0 +Tingler Therapeutic Head Scalp Massager. This was a Christmas gift to one person in a family of 6. It was such a hit I was sorry I did not buy 6. Prompt, excellent service.$LABEL$1 +Amazon Kindle. The Kindle makes reading such a pleasure. I have always enjoyed reading, but this makes it much better. I often read more than one book at a time, one profesional, a personal help, and some fiction. Now I can have them all in the Kindle and do not have to cart several books around. It also means being able to read without glasses. As the day goes on, sometimes my eyes get tired and I need to put on a pair of reading glasses. Not with the Kindle, I just increase the font.Oh, and it is so much easier to travel with a Kindle instead of books. The only drawbacks I have seen are not being able to use it during take-off and landing, and not being able to share books with friends. Otherwise, I can see it becoming a Kindle world.$LABEL$1 +Only worked for a few weeks. Worked great for a few weeks, until I started getting warning windows telling me there wasn't enough power to supply the USB devices it was connected to. Of course, then I started reading other reviews saying the same thing. Next time I'm buying a USB hub with its own power supply. Even though this wasn't expensive, it wasn't worth the money.$LABEL$0 +Very informative. This was a great book with a variety of families who homeschool. They were from all over the country and different family structures. I was amazed at how many parents are teaching their children at home. I'm glad that the book is available.$LABEL$1 +The Movie Exagerrated. An American Haunting is based on the Bell Witch, of the Bell Farm in Tenessee. The witch is said to haunt the place and "torture" the bell family, mostly John and Elizabeth, known as 'Bestsy', by slapping her, etc. In the movie, it is said that the 'ghost' was just Betsy's "innocence" that haunted the family after John Bell raped her. That is not true, the witch was there for a very long time, back when the indians/Native Americans roamed there. The movie had exagerrated way, way too much, but it was still ok.$LABEL$0 +Razor communication with your computer. I know you've heard it before, but this really is a great deal. My new Razor V3xxx is a terrific phone but is doesn't really reach it's potential until you connect it to your computer. The software and cable allow you to take control of your phone and use it the way you want. Why pay for ringtones and wallpapers when you can select your own. This saves you money right there. Installation of the software is easy but remember not to install the cable until it specifically instructs you to do so.The only criticism is why wasn't this included with the phone. We know the answer. If there is anyway for the big companies to make extra money with an accessory or aftermarket item it will happen.Overall, great buy!$LABEL$1 +very disappointed. i thought i was ordering someone copy of a book they wanted to sell. instead i received an old hospital copy with the hospital logo " St. Francis Hospital OF NEW CASTLE" stamped on the front, inside cover and the back page. i don't believe this book belong to the person who sold it.it even have the hospital library card in it.shame on you$LABEL$0 +Macbook Shell. Pretty slick for the price and the fact that it's not permanent.I was so sick of wiping fingerprints off the black macbook, this is just what the doctor ordered. Granted, it's not as sexy as the black, but the red over the black at least looks different. And fingerprints are much easier to tolerate on red plastic than the black matte material of the macbook.$LABEL$1 +Product sucks - does not hide wires. I have done many numerous house projects that are much more complicated than installing a shelving unit. This particular product in my opinion is terrible. The primary purpose is to put components and hide the wires that lead to your plasma for a clean contemporary look. There is not enough room for component cables plus hdmi. The product is an utter failure and I would recommend against buying it based on my experience.$LABEL$0 +Disappointing!. Also waited 3 months for this DVD to be delivered. Agree totally with prior low reviewers. Color is terrible, smudges evident, timing of narrative vs scene out of whack, and the worst narrator ever. Completely distracting to hear the narrator's mispronunciations. How about "ANENEMY" for sea anemone numerous times!!! Fish collecting in "SHOALS" for protection (thought the word was "school"). Surgeon fish having tails resembling a scapel ( was that supposed to be scalpel?)Don't buy this one - amateurish, insulting to anyone's intelligence. Simply not worth it!$LABEL$0 +Snow Falling Off a Cliff. I liked the great amount of detail Guterson went into with this novel. However, it was getting to the point where I wish he would have gotten on with the story. It was just way too long for the point he was trying to get across about this small bigoted town in Washington in the 1950's. I think that he should have gone into more detail regarding the conclusion than everything else in the novel. When I got to the end, I was like, "this is it?!" I read 400+ pages for this!!?$LABEL$0 +Save your money. Total ripoff. Less than an hour including extras, more shots of crowd members than players, and the boring voice-over frequently reminding us that this is the only tennis tournament that really matters doesn't help a whit. A truly pointless dvd with very little tennis. Summing up hundreds of matches in about 30 minutes of footage? You do the math.Might be worth buying only if you were there and hope to see yourself in the many audience shots. Otherwise, with barely any tennis on the disc, what's the point? Pure fluff.Go instead to the infinitely better Classic Matches at Wimbledon series; the Borg/Mac 1980 dvd has more quality in five minutes than this does in 55, and costs half as much.Passola.$LABEL$0 +doesn't last. I was happy with this for a few months, until I saw that it was falling apart. Even though it had always been protected under a sheet, it wore out so that loose wires were flapping around. Not a comforting thought. If you're willing to consider it a disposable product, it's not bad. Inspect it closely every time you change the sheets, and plan on buying a new one after 3 - 4 months if you want to feel safe AND warm.$LABEL$0 +TMNT Cartoons on GBA. Here it is, the origins of the TMNT from the FoxBox cartoon. Now you can watch the radical green dudes use their ninja skills on your GBA. The first two episodes of the TMNT are included on the high quality GBA Video cartridge. Cool! I'm getting it and so should you. Parents, get this for your kids ... they will love it.$LABEL$1 +The time has arrived!!. The time has come for the youngest BSB to break off and start on his own. Nick Carter's new album "Now or Never" hit stores today. With his new take on the world, Nick is taking the music to the next level. His songs about love are not the usual Backstreet tunes we are use to. It is safe to say, Nick Carter does a great job of telling the fans how much he loves and cares for each one of them. His songs are the kind when you hear the upbeat sounds, you want to dance all night. And when you hear the melodies, you feel he singing them right to you. This is the best new album out there and I can definetly say it is worth 5 stars, more if it is possible.$LABEL$1 +A PERFECT GIFT. I was delighted with the quality! They are delicate, not imposing looking. My daughter-in-law will LOVE them. Thanks for the prompt delivery too!$LABEL$1 +THE MUSIC IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I REALLY LIKE THIS GROUP. THEY ARE GOOD TEJANO SINGERS THAT DESERVE TO MOVE UP AND STAY UP ON THE CHARTS. ROGELIO CAMPOS AND RUBEN NUNEZ HAVE TERRIFIC VOICES THAT EXPLODE AND SOUND TERRIFIC WHEN THEY ARE HEARD SINGING. I HAVE TO SAY THAT I TRULLY LOVE THIS GROUP AND I WISH THEM THE BEST.$LABEL$1 +Excellent, but you better know sanskrit. This is an excellent dvd! It flows very nicely and it challenges you to a degree. However, I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't know sanskrit. If you are a beginner or just not familar with the traditional yoga posture language then you might get a little confused. I recommend also checking out Tamara's Yoga Fusion. She has a great voice, she does speak sanskrit, however, she also gives you the english name for the postures as well. Plus, you can pick and choose from chapters of postures that you want to work on if you don't feel like doing the entire dvd. TAMARA'S YOGA FUSION$LABEL$1 +Hall&Oates-Private Eyes. Have loved this album since Jr.High!! Am so glad to have it back in my collection!!(Had a house fire-lost everything-even my cats-It's taking me time,but I will eventually order all my favourites and once again have my music collection!!! This seller was very accurate in it's description,quick delivery,will use this seller again!!$LABEL$1 +The physics of aural nirvana. If you use these cables while simultaneously wearing the three wolves t-shirt (The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee) then a space/sound/time portal will open, and you can hear all the farts being released at all the Wal-Marts everywhere in the entire universe. The sound is quite deafening.$LABEL$1 +Chef Tools @ home. This is a quality Potatoe masher of solid stainless steel construction. The potatoe masher will allow you to use maximum pressure to mix potatoes, yams, or whatever else you could mash.$LABEL$1 +Looks better than it reads. This book purports to be about technologies for finding bombs, but actually is a vehicle to discuss the current state of the art in additives ( called 'taggants') to the zillion pounds of the various black and smokless powders manufactured yearly.It actually has some value as a reference guide, and does state correctly that taggants should not be implemented.$LABEL$0 +Good deal for price and purpose.. Didn't come with understandable directions so you have to do a little you-tube searching on how to setup. After educating and tweaking (and being sure to use the Rosin on the bow) it actually works! My daughter (who is only 3) is enjoying playing around with it which was it's purpose. It is something she can "play with" now while hopefully planting a seed for more interest in truly playing it later :)! The price was right and it will not be the end of the world if it is dropped and broken.$LABEL$1 +Not worth the $. I purchased both the surf spray and the thickener. The spray makes your hair tacky and the thickener too soft. Neither products were worth the $. I have Pantene products that are better.$LABEL$0 +Truth. This book was simply amazing. What I enjoyed most about this book was how the author was so transparent in how she described her life and the blessing that overtake you once you truly submit to the will of God. Many of us have our own personal struggles, but when you are called to Greatness you cannot be stopped.$LABEL$1 +Luciferianism!. A step by step guide in to how to become a devil worshiper!!You will probably become rich too. Is it worth it!!!!!The only book I have actually thrown in the bin!!$LABEL$0 +Less Funnier Than The First And Over-rated. Meet The Fockers is a seuqel that was disappointing to me. As I progressed through the first 20 minutes of the movie, I figured it will probably get funnier. To my suprise, it actually did. But then the movie progressed into a bland tasteless comedy after the second half of the movie. The movie tries to reach its goal of being hysterical but sinks into a bland comedy. Although, I did like the idea Of Hoffman and Stressiand being in this film. They were enjoyable to watch. Although Robert DeNiro is less funny in this film and quite boring. I couldn't stand watching him in this film. He just got on my nerves. He was funny in the first one, but now he is just the opposite for me in this sequel.$LABEL$0 +Good Book of the Black Perspective. I really enjoyed this book. Because I travel a great deal in third world countries with Black majorities, it gave me some good perspective to take with me. It also just emphasized my experience that despite its many shortcomings and how we got here America has a lot to recommend itself. I am choosing stable third world countries for the human experience and America for the economic and developed infrastructure experience. I'm splitting my time about equally in both.$LABEL$1 +You really don't want to read this. The marketing for this book is intriguing. Catchy. And not just for children. Using the negative to get one's attention works for adults as well. "Don't read this. This is bad. You're not going to enjoy it. Nothing good happens." Unfortunately, not only does nothing good happen, but all the one-star reviews I've read are accurate. This is a bad children's book. This is a destructive book, with dark themes that have no redeeming value, not even the author's inclusion of vocabulary words. It's a sign of our culture, which has become mesmerized by what's ugly and demoralizing, something much easier to strive for and achieve than that which is beautiful and inspiring.$LABEL$0 +This book was absolutely amazing.... This book is filled with numerous short stories, the themes of all speak to the struggle of Puerto Rican emmigrants to the US. Specifically in Harlem, New York. Although on the surface the stories may seem somewhat somber and simple, it is not until you read into the text that you come to understand the underlying statement that Soto is making. It makes one realize that the United States really does not uphold the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as it makes you think. It shows us that these rights are exclusively available to the group to which the government extends them. If you are not of white caucassien origin you simply have to fight for a chance, a chance to live, and a chance to feel the "privilege" of being successful. Read it one, two, or three times because each time you come to different realizations on what he is saying...$LABEL$1 +Worked fine -- until it didn't.. I had one of these for years, which worked fine until I was working on my handlebars, accidentally yanked the cord too much and it stopped working. The way this one works, there's a "base unit" that the computer slides into (a nice feature, so that you can have one base unit per bike, and switch the computer back and forth, allowing you to record "bike 1" and "bike 2" with one computer). So decided to just get a spare "base unit". Unfortunately, that never really worked. Bought another whole system, and that didn't work, either. So now I have two of them, both of which only function as a clock. Kind of disappointing, because I really did like the first one I had.$LABEL$0 +wrong product received. I received the wrong color and have left three messages with the manufacture to exchange for the color I ordered. I still have not received a call back.$LABEL$0 +The Worse Movie I have EVER Seen. I don't even know where to start; this movie is just bad. It made no sense from beginning to end. I think the director was going for the worse movie of the year award. Who thinks up such non-sense? I only watched it because it was free on Amazon with Prime membership. Amazon really does need to do better with the free movie choices. If this is what I have to watch as a Prime member I'd rather be regular.$LABEL$0 +It's great...when it works. I ordered and received this cute little number in January of this year. In March it started making a horrible, high-pitched grinding noise...like something had come loose inside of it. I have not yet contacted the manufacturer to see if it can be fixed. However, my son sleeps so much better when it is working and I hate the nights when the gosh darn thing refuses to work like it should. Based upon my experience thus far, I would not recommend this make/model to anyone else.$LABEL$0 +Absolute Classic. I first read this book when I was a teenager (many years ago). I have read it many times since, and it still makes me laugh everytime. This book is definatley a must-read.$LABEL$1 +The first 100 pages. made me realize that I should read the dust jacket before I start to read. I didn't realize that it was 'youth' fiction, and I agree with everybody else that the sexual content is inappropriate.$LABEL$0 +Are You Being Served? Vol 9. If you are into British Comedy this DVD is great. I have about 40 different one & I watch them over & over.$LABEL$1 +Grizzly Spit Rotisserie. I checked the batteries before inserting into the motor. The the gauge read full charge. The motor had a hard time rotating the 2 whole chickens on the spit. After 5 minutes the rotisserie stopped turning and I had to discontinue cooking the chickens. I can't tell if you need fresh batteries but it didn't work for me.$LABEL$0 +Help me out here, band people.. Good Lord. This movie has potentially done more damage to band people than the american pie quip. Anyone who is in marching band will tell you this is crap. Seriously, I marched snare in my drumline and this is the most pathetic and unrealistic representation you are ever likely to see. Most marching drummers would put it down just by looking at it. Why? On the front, Nick Cannon is carrying nylon tipped drum-set sticks. Look at what happens in the movie; a solo-stealing, lying, freshman who can't even read music makes a college snareline, even though he constantly argues with center snare. At training; the members run marathons around the stands with their instruments( Wow, aside from broken instruments, what on earth would that accomplish??) And yes, anyone who needs to hire a rapper for their marching show has the worst band ever created. It's unbelievable people actually took this seriously.$LABEL$0 +Over Hyped Junk. I Bought this pan in April 2012-yes only three months ago-already it is peeling!I have treated this pan with the utmost care and followed the directions very carefully.now i'm stuck with an over priced piece of junk...Thanks a lot "Cook's Illustrated" for your recommendation.$LABEL$0 +Poorly Organized; Little Practical Use. Thoroughly disappointed by this book, hard to believe McGraw-Hill's name is on it. What little practical information it contains is organized and prioritized poorly. The author wastes precious pages decribing atomic theory (doping, lattice, valence electrons) and obsolete mechanical control systems (cams). Then he glosses over integrated circuits in a single paragraph, saying they are to numerous to detail and how they could fill a book all by themselves.Precisely. THAT'S the book I wanted, not this one.$LABEL$0 +little board book. I had wanted to give this little board book as a gift but have chosen not to because it doesn't look new. The cover looks used, not exactly tattered but just not fresh. Wouldn't want a prospective mom to think I was giving used books as gifts! ( I use it at home for little visitors : )$LABEL$0 +HORRIBLE. As a former Bela Karolyi protegee I have to say this is the worst book that I have ever read!!!! Joan Ryan has NO right to write a book about elite gymnasts when she has never been one herself. When I was w/ Karolyi it was never ANYTHING like what she says. What ya'll don't know is that Bela's smile and encouragment continue when the camera's not on him. I think that Ryan has a very sorry way of making a living!! I was an elite and I guarantee u that I and Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Kim Zmeskal, Jaycie Phelps, Shannon Miller etc... are in it 4 the fun. Bela, Mary Lee Tracy, Steve Nunno, The Rybacki's and every other coach who has an elite gymnast cares very much about there gymnasts. If they didn't they wouldn't have any elite gymnasts. Some people don't like Bela's coachig method and I respect that, so does he. But if u don't like his coaching just don't train w/ him!!$LABEL$0 +It's not a large clock-dimensions are incorrect!. This clock was supposed to be 5 x 4 x 1 inch-it's about 2 1/2" by 1" by 3/4". I bought it for my car but it's not large enough!$LABEL$0 +I feel pretty stupid buying this book.. I would give this book one star but there are probably some guys out there that do not know the amazingly simplistic things these guys tell you. If you don't know to go to the dentist, not to wear sweatpants in public (see Seinfeld episode), and not let your hair grow down your neck, then buy this book. Other facts, such as good places to meet women, i.e., bookstores, coffee shops, are common knowledge. Some advice, such as first dates should be short and are best at coffee shops are intelligent but again should already be known. Bottom line, I don't have "game," and if you don't have that you aren't going to meet womeon. This book helps you in the conversation department. Other obvious directions are give up the cancer sticks and talk to all women. I guess that works. There is no magic pill guys, and this book won't help you.$LABEL$0 +epic fail. this game gets boring as you go, the story is rather bland, and whoever came up with the ending needs to be slapped. it sucked! you'll want to put your PS2 through a wall when this game is over. buy 'Star Ocean: til the end of time' instead. it is waaaaaaaaay better.but if you are still interested...the premise is the same as every other final fantasy game. there is a good guy. a bad guy. a guy that turns out to be the real baddest bad guy and a chick. add in a quest, random battles, optional megaultrasuper bosses, characters that join with bad attitudes and reaaaaaaaaaalllllllllly big weapons. don't get me wrong, square enix pumps out some good RPG's, but this one just sucked.$LABEL$0 +Excellent. I love 2 Unlimited. I had no knowledge of them during the 90s, they were not on Chicago radio. Chgo radio had good dance/trance/rave on B96 until 1993 or so, then for some reason, they stopped playing. Not until 1998, a college radio station featured hot dance music, which morphed into Energy radio in 2001...then they went off the air! Arrghh!!I found 2Unlimited through Amazon, featured on the Jock Jams collections. So many things in life, I wonder, why didn't I know about this sooner??...and I was not a hermit or living in a cave.I play 2 Unlimited all the time now. Hope they reunite so we can see them again.$LABEL$1 +Soft Porn. I was really looking forward to reading this book but it disappointed me. The plot and charaters at the begining are hard to follow. Then the book degenerates into basically the sexual exploits of the main charater and unprobable gun fights. This book is really adolescent and appears to be written by a teenager. I got about halfway through the book and it did not appear to be going anywhere getting any better so quit reading it. Maybe Amazon will buy it back slightly used.$LABEL$0 +Oster 6335. Nice design except for the slots which limit the size of the bread to be toasted. Too small, necessitating cutting slices in half most of the time.$LABEL$0 +Fireproof is definitely "Fire Proof". This is a wonderful movie - something every couple, whether married or not, should watch this film. There are some beautiful lessons here that we all can learn from. This is a "5+" film.$LABEL$1 +Very unappealing. In reading customer reviews after I bought this, I was intrigued with the review that referred to the book as showing "interior design as art." Aha! Now I know why I found this book so unappealing. The book doesn't seem to be about decorating real homes for real life and real comfort. The book comes off as one author's idea of how to impress other people. These "settings" (I can't honestly call them homes because they are so chilly and phony looking) may work as backdrops for a cocktail party, but I keep wondering as I look at these pictures where the people who have to live in them actually go when they want to relax after the party's over. A dreary and depressing book because the settings look like rooms from Yuppiedom of the 1980s. Ick.$LABEL$0 +Flimsy. Nice size but the stuffing was not secure. My niece was not impressed with the face details either.$LABEL$0 +Read the book. The subtitles were grossly inadequate in conveying the depth of thought in this story. Read the book for a thought provoking experience.$LABEL$0 +Would be 5 stars if it worked.. My Nomad II worked for a total of 1 hour, then the screen gave out and the interface with my PC died.However, that 1 hour was great, clear powerful sound...light as hell...easy to use. I'm sending it back for another in hopes this was a fluke, but right now i'm too mad to give it anything more than a shooting star.$LABEL$0 +The Duplicate. It was so stupid! The author could have made it a great book. Too much detail, the story was bland, people swore. If this book was a movie, it would be PG-13. Who in their right mind would make a clone of themselves. In the action department I would give it a 2, Suspense 1. Overall, a dumb book. I hope this review was helpful. I wouldn't waste my money....$LABEL$0 +LOVE IT!. I was surprised to read these reviews after I had already ordered and received my Pik Stik as I received mine very quickly. I am a big user of these items and actually have one of each length. I specifically ordered this size as its the one I use the most. I use the larger one for cleaning high places using a rag. I have severe arthritis, spinal stenosis and carpal tunnel,and use the shortest one as a dressing aid. If I can squeeze the handles, anyone can. I would highly recommend these to anyone and as I said previously, I received mine quickly and efficiently. I am new to Clares but hope to return. J. Nixon$LABEL$1 +Caused my 15 year old to hallucinate. My son is fifteen years old and was taking Mucinex DM Max Strength to help with bronchitis as he runs track and had a track meet coming up. He is 5'11" and weighs 160 lbs. So, the doctor gave him antibiotics and he was to take Mucinex DM as well as an inhaler for five days. By the third day my son's school called and informed me that he was hallucinating and weak. He also hadn't eaten anything that day and his blood pressure was 180/100. We immediately brought him to the emergency room to get him checked. He has not taken the Mucinex in over 48 hours now and is just starting to feel better (less high). I took him off Mucinex immediately but didn't realize that it could cause hallucinations. I never would have given it to him. So, I am glad that others reported this and I will never, ever buy that product again. I thank God because it could have turned out worse than it did.$LABEL$0 +It Should Have Been Better. Just watched the movie; was a big fan of Saints I. It pains me to say that while it's watchable, it's ultimately cartoonish and overdone. The brothers' relationship is taken for granted, and they are moved through obligatory gunplay like pieces on a board. The humor between them and their Mexican sidekick is phony and overdone, and his character is never clear. And Peter Fonda's accent sucks. He obviously didn't take much time preparing for his role, as limited as it was. Don't get me wrong -- the movie wasn't terrible, but it could -- and should -- have been so much better. I watch the original every so often. I don't think I'll watch this one again.$LABEL$0 +great cookie cutter. love this cookie cutter....the cookies are so cute, just have to roll the dough thinner than for usual cut-outs$LABEL$1 diff --git a/textattack/__init__.py b/textattack/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a169173ebf19efb3dd757b7e2d5741f4e03a9c3d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +"""Welcome to the API references for TextAttack! + +What is TextAttack? + +`TextAttack `__ is a Python framework for adversarial attacks, adversarial training, and data augmentation in NLP. + +TextAttack makes experimenting with the robustness of NLP models seamless, fast, and easy. It's also useful for NLP model training, adversarial training, and data augmentation. + +TextAttack provides components for common NLP tasks like sentence encoding, grammar-checking, and word replacement that can be used on their own. +""" +from .attack_args import AttackArgs, CommandLineAttackArgs +from .augment_args import AugmenterArgs +from .dataset_args import DatasetArgs +from .model_args import ModelArgs +from .training_args import TrainingArgs, CommandLineTrainingArgs +from .attack import Attack +from .attacker import Attacker +from .trainer import Trainer +from .metrics import Metric + +from . import ( + attack_recipes, + attack_results, + augmentation, + commands, + constraints, + datasets, + goal_function_results, + goal_functions, + loggers, + metrics, + models, + search_methods, + shared, + transformations, +) + + +name = "textattack" diff --git a/textattack/__main__.py b/textattack/__main__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b0e5b1fecead730367ea764a268d342cdc159c04 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/__main__.py @@ -0,0 +1,6 @@ +#!/usr/bin/env python + +if __name__ == "__main__": + import textattack + + textattack.commands.textattack_cli.main() diff --git a/textattack/attack.py b/textattack/attack.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..dcc4ef7be24e0ca985de00b7ca8bfc86a536bb25 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack.py @@ -0,0 +1,492 @@ +""" +Attack Class +============ +""" + +from collections import OrderedDict +from typing import List, Union + +import lru +import torch + +import textattack +from textattack.attack_results import ( + FailedAttackResult, + MaximizedAttackResult, + SkippedAttackResult, + SuccessfulAttackResult, +) +from textattack.constraints import Constraint, PreTransformationConstraint +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResultStatus +from textattack.goal_functions import GoalFunction +from textattack.models.wrappers import ModelWrapper +from textattack.search_methods import SearchMethod +from textattack.shared import AttackedText, utils +from textattack.transformations import CompositeTransformation, Transformation + + +class Attack: + """An attack generates adversarial examples on text. + + An attack is comprised of a goal function, constraints, transformation, and a search method. Use :meth:`attack` method to attack one sample at a time. + + Args: + goal_function (:class:`~textattack.goal_functions.GoalFunction`): + A function for determining how well a perturbation is doing at achieving the attack's goal. + constraints (list of :class:`~textattack.constraints.Constraint` or :class:`~textattack.constraints.PreTransformationConstraint`): + A list of constraints to add to the attack, defining which perturbations are valid. + transformation (:class:`~textattack.transformations.Transformation`): + The transformation applied at each step of the attack. + search_method (:class:`~textattack.search_methods.SearchMethod`): + The method for exploring the search space of possible perturbations + transformation_cache_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`2**15`): + The number of items to keep in the transformations cache + constraint_cache_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`2**15`): + The number of items to keep in the constraints cache + + Example:: + + >>> import textattack + >>> import transformers + + >>> # Load model, tokenizer, and model_wrapper + >>> model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained("textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb") + >>> tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb") + >>> model_wrapper = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + + >>> # Construct our four components for `Attack` + >>> from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import RepeatModification, StopwordModification + >>> from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance + + >>> goal_function = textattack.goal_functions.UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + >>> constraints = [ + ... RepeatModification(), + ... StopwordModification() + ... WordEmbeddingDistance(min_cos_sim=0.9) + ... ] + >>> transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=50) + >>> search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="delete") + + >>> # Construct the actual attack + >>> attack = Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) + + >>> input_text = "I really enjoyed the new movie that came out last month." + >>> label = 1 #Positive + >>> attack_result = attack.attack(input_text, label) + """ + + def __init__( + self, + goal_function: GoalFunction, + constraints: List[Union[Constraint, PreTransformationConstraint]], + transformation: Transformation, + search_method: SearchMethod, + transformation_cache_size=2**15, + constraint_cache_size=2**15, + ): + """Initialize an attack object. + + Attacks can be run multiple times. + """ + assert isinstance( + goal_function, GoalFunction + ), f"`goal_function` must be of type `textattack.goal_functions.GoalFunction`, but got type `{type(goal_function)}`." + assert isinstance( + constraints, list + ), "`constraints` must be a list of `textattack.constraints.Constraint` or `textattack.constraints.PreTransformationConstraint`." + for c in constraints: + assert isinstance( + c, (Constraint, PreTransformationConstraint) + ), "`constraints` must be a list of `textattack.constraints.Constraint` or `textattack.constraints.PreTransformationConstraint`." + assert isinstance( + transformation, Transformation + ), f"`transformation` must be of type `textattack.transformations.Transformation`, but got type `{type(transformation)}`." + assert isinstance( + search_method, SearchMethod + ), f"`search_method` must be of type `textattack.search_methods.SearchMethod`, but got type `{type(search_method)}`." + + self.goal_function = goal_function + self.search_method = search_method + self.transformation = transformation + self.is_black_box = ( + getattr(transformation, "is_black_box", True) and search_method.is_black_box + ) + + if not self.search_method.check_transformation_compatibility( + self.transformation + ): + raise ValueError( + f"SearchMethod {self.search_method} incompatible with transformation {self.transformation}" + ) + + self.constraints = [] + self.pre_transformation_constraints = [] + for constraint in constraints: + if isinstance( + constraint, + textattack.constraints.PreTransformationConstraint, + ): + self.pre_transformation_constraints.append(constraint) + else: + self.constraints.append(constraint) + + # Check if we can use transformation cache for our transformation. + if not self.transformation.deterministic: + self.use_transformation_cache = False + elif isinstance(self.transformation, CompositeTransformation): + self.use_transformation_cache = True + for t in self.transformation.transformations: + if not t.deterministic: + self.use_transformation_cache = False + break + else: + self.use_transformation_cache = True + self.transformation_cache_size = transformation_cache_size + self.transformation_cache = lru.LRU(transformation_cache_size) + + self.constraint_cache_size = constraint_cache_size + self.constraints_cache = lru.LRU(constraint_cache_size) + + # Give search method access to functions for getting transformations and evaluating them + self.search_method.get_transformations = self.get_transformations + # Give search method access to self.goal_function for model query count, etc. + self.search_method.goal_function = self.goal_function + # The search method only needs access to the first argument. The second is only used + # by the attack class when checking whether to skip the sample + self.search_method.get_goal_results = self.goal_function.get_results + + # Give search method access to get indices which need to be ordered / searched + self.search_method.get_indices_to_order = self.get_indices_to_order + + self.search_method.filter_transformations = self.filter_transformations + + def clear_cache(self, recursive=True): + self.constraints_cache.clear() + if self.use_transformation_cache: + self.transformation_cache.clear() + if recursive: + self.goal_function.clear_cache() + for constraint in self.constraints: + if hasattr(constraint, "clear_cache"): + constraint.clear_cache() + + def cpu_(self): + """Move any `torch.nn.Module` models that are part of Attack to CPU.""" + visited = set() + + def to_cpu(obj): + visited.add(id(obj)) + if isinstance(obj, torch.nn.Module): + obj.cpu() + elif isinstance( + obj, + ( + Attack, + GoalFunction, + Transformation, + SearchMethod, + Constraint, + PreTransformationConstraint, + ModelWrapper, + ), + ): + for key in obj.__dict__: + s_obj = obj.__dict__[key] + if id(s_obj) not in visited: + to_cpu(s_obj) + elif isinstance(obj, (list, tuple)): + for item in obj: + if id(item) not in visited and isinstance( + item, (Transformation, Constraint, PreTransformationConstraint) + ): + to_cpu(item) + + to_cpu(self) + + def cuda_(self): + """Move any `torch.nn.Module` models that are part of Attack to GPU.""" + visited = set() + + def to_cuda(obj): + visited.add(id(obj)) + if isinstance(obj, torch.nn.Module): + obj.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + elif isinstance( + obj, + ( + Attack, + GoalFunction, + Transformation, + SearchMethod, + Constraint, + PreTransformationConstraint, + ModelWrapper, + ), + ): + for key in obj.__dict__: + s_obj = obj.__dict__[key] + if id(s_obj) not in visited: + to_cuda(s_obj) + elif isinstance(obj, (list, tuple)): + for item in obj: + if id(item) not in visited and isinstance( + item, (Transformation, Constraint, PreTransformationConstraint) + ): + to_cuda(item) + + to_cuda(self) + + def get_indices_to_order(self, current_text, **kwargs): + """Applies ``pre_transformation_constraints`` to ``text`` to get all + the indices that can be used to search and order. + + Args: + current_text: The current ``AttackedText`` for which we need to find indices are eligible to be ordered. + Returns: + The length and the filtered list of indices which search methods can use to search/order. + """ + + indices_to_order = self.transformation( + current_text, + pre_transformation_constraints=self.pre_transformation_constraints, + return_indices=True, + **kwargs, + ) + + len_text = len(indices_to_order) + + # Convert indices_to_order to list for easier shuffling later + return len_text, list(indices_to_order) + + def _get_transformations_uncached(self, current_text, original_text=None, **kwargs): + """Applies ``self.transformation`` to ``text``, then filters the list + of possible transformations through the applicable constraints. + + Args: + current_text: The current ``AttackedText`` on which to perform the transformations. + original_text: The original ``AttackedText`` from which the attack started. + Returns: + A filtered list of transformations where each transformation matches the constraints + """ + transformed_texts = self.transformation( + current_text, + pre_transformation_constraints=self.pre_transformation_constraints, + **kwargs, + ) + + return transformed_texts + + def get_transformations(self, current_text, original_text=None, **kwargs): + """Applies ``self.transformation`` to ``text``, then filters the list + of possible transformations through the applicable constraints. + + Args: + current_text: The current ``AttackedText`` on which to perform the transformations. + original_text: The original ``AttackedText`` from which the attack started. + Returns: + A filtered list of transformations where each transformation matches the constraints + """ + if not self.transformation: + raise RuntimeError( + "Cannot call `get_transformations` without a transformation." + ) + + if self.use_transformation_cache: + cache_key = tuple([current_text] + sorted(kwargs.items())) + if utils.hashable(cache_key) and cache_key in self.transformation_cache: + # promote transformed_text to the top of the LRU cache + self.transformation_cache[cache_key] = self.transformation_cache[ + cache_key + ] + transformed_texts = list(self.transformation_cache[cache_key]) + else: + transformed_texts = self._get_transformations_uncached( + current_text, original_text, **kwargs + ) + if utils.hashable(cache_key): + self.transformation_cache[cache_key] = tuple(transformed_texts) + else: + transformed_texts = self._get_transformations_uncached( + current_text, original_text, **kwargs + ) + + return self.filter_transformations( + transformed_texts, current_text, original_text + ) + + def _filter_transformations_uncached( + self, transformed_texts, current_text, original_text=None + ): + """Filters a list of potential transformed texts based on + ``self.constraints`` + + Args: + transformed_texts: A list of candidate transformed ``AttackedText`` to filter. + current_text: The current ``AttackedText`` on which the transformation was applied. + original_text: The original ``AttackedText`` from which the attack started. + """ + filtered_texts = transformed_texts[:] + for C in self.constraints: + if len(filtered_texts) == 0: + break + if C.compare_against_original: + if not original_text: + raise ValueError( + f"Missing `original_text` argument when constraint {type(C)} is set to compare against `original_text`" + ) + + filtered_texts = C.call_many(filtered_texts, original_text) + else: + filtered_texts = C.call_many(filtered_texts, current_text) + # Default to false for all original transformations. + for original_transformed_text in transformed_texts: + self.constraints_cache[(current_text, original_transformed_text)] = False + # Set unfiltered transformations to True in the cache. + for filtered_text in filtered_texts: + self.constraints_cache[(current_text, filtered_text)] = True + return filtered_texts + + def filter_transformations( + self, transformed_texts, current_text, original_text=None + ): + """Filters a list of potential transformed texts based on + ``self.constraints`` Utilizes an LRU cache to attempt to avoid + recomputing common transformations. + + Args: + transformed_texts: A list of candidate transformed ``AttackedText`` to filter. + current_text: The current ``AttackedText`` on which the transformation was applied. + original_text: The original ``AttackedText`` from which the attack started. + """ + # Remove any occurences of current_text in transformed_texts + transformed_texts = [ + t for t in transformed_texts if t.text != current_text.text + ] + # Populate cache with transformed_texts + uncached_texts = [] + filtered_texts = [] + for transformed_text in transformed_texts: + if (current_text, transformed_text) not in self.constraints_cache: + uncached_texts.append(transformed_text) + else: + # promote transformed_text to the top of the LRU cache + self.constraints_cache[ + (current_text, transformed_text) + ] = self.constraints_cache[(current_text, transformed_text)] + if self.constraints_cache[(current_text, transformed_text)]: + filtered_texts.append(transformed_text) + filtered_texts += self._filter_transformations_uncached( + uncached_texts, current_text, original_text=original_text + ) + # Sort transformations to ensure order is preserved between runs + filtered_texts.sort(key=lambda t: t.text) + return filtered_texts + + def _attack(self, initial_result): + """Calls the ``SearchMethod`` to perturb the ``AttackedText`` stored in + ``initial_result``. + + Args: + initial_result: The initial ``GoalFunctionResult`` from which to perturb. + + Returns: + A ``SuccessfulAttackResult``, ``FailedAttackResult``, + or ``MaximizedAttackResult``. + """ + final_result = self.search_method(initial_result) + self.clear_cache() + if final_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED: + result = SuccessfulAttackResult( + initial_result, + final_result, + ) + elif final_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SEARCHING: + result = FailedAttackResult( + initial_result, + final_result, + ) + elif final_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.MAXIMIZING: + result = MaximizedAttackResult( + initial_result, + final_result, + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unrecognized goal status {final_result.goal_status}") + return result + + def attack(self, example, ground_truth_output): + """Attack a single example. + + Args: + example (:obj:`str`, :obj:`OrderedDict[str, str]` or :class:`~textattack.shared.AttackedText`): + Example to attack. It can be a single string or an `OrderedDict` where + keys represent the input fields (e.g. "premise", "hypothesis") and the values are the actual input textx. + Also accepts :class:`~textattack.shared.AttackedText` that wraps around the input. + ground_truth_output(:obj:`int`, :obj:`float` or :obj:`str`): + Ground truth output of `example`. + For classification tasks, it should be an integer representing the ground truth label. + For regression tasks (e.g. STS), it should be the target value. + For seq2seq tasks (e.g. translation), it should be the target string. + Returns: + :class:`~textattack.attack_results.AttackResult` that represents the result of the attack. + """ + assert isinstance( + example, (str, OrderedDict, AttackedText) + ), "`example` must either be `str`, `collections.OrderedDict`, `textattack.shared.AttackedText`." + if isinstance(example, (str, OrderedDict)): + example = AttackedText(example) + + assert isinstance( + ground_truth_output, (int, str) + ), "`ground_truth_output` must either be `str` or `int`." + goal_function_result, _ = self.goal_function.init_attack_example( + example, ground_truth_output + ) + if goal_function_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SKIPPED: + return SkippedAttackResult(goal_function_result) + else: + result = self._attack(goal_function_result) + return result + + def __repr__(self): + """Prints attack parameters in a human-readable string. + + Inspired by the readability of printing PyTorch nn.Modules: + https://github.com/pytorch/pytorch/blob/master/torch/nn/modules/module.py + """ + main_str = "Attack" + "(" + lines = [] + + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(search_method): {self.search_method}", 2)) + # self.goal_function + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(goal_function): {self.goal_function}", 2)) + # self.transformation + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(transformation): {self.transformation}", 2)) + # self.constraints + constraints_lines = [] + constraints = self.constraints + self.pre_transformation_constraints + if len(constraints): + for i, constraint in enumerate(constraints): + constraints_lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"({i}): {constraint}", 2)) + constraints_str = utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(constraints_lines), 2) + else: + constraints_str = "None" + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(constraints): {constraints_str}", 2)) + # self.is_black_box + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(is_black_box): {self.is_black_box}", 2)) + main_str += "\n " + "\n ".join(lines) + "\n" + main_str += ")" + return main_str + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["transformation_cache"] = None + state["constraints_cache"] = None + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + self.transformation_cache = lru.LRU(self.transformation_cache_size) + self.constraints_cache = lru.LRU(self.constraint_cache_size) + + __str__ = __repr__ diff --git a/textattack/attack_args.py b/textattack/attack_args.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c33cc26b296dda5d847ebe54c29362916ba08d8d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_args.py @@ -0,0 +1,763 @@ +""" +AttackArgs Class +================ +""" + +from dataclasses import dataclass, field +import json +import os +import sys +import time +from typing import Dict, Optional + +import textattack +from textattack.shared.utils import ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN, load_module_from_file + +from .attack import Attack +from .dataset_args import DatasetArgs +from .model_args import ModelArgs + +ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES = { + "alzantot": "textattack.attack_recipes.GeneticAlgorithmAlzantot2018", + "bae": "textattack.attack_recipes.BAEGarg2019", + "bert-attack": "textattack.attack_recipes.BERTAttackLi2020", + "faster-alzantot": "textattack.attack_recipes.FasterGeneticAlgorithmJia2019", + "deepwordbug": "textattack.attack_recipes.DeepWordBugGao2018", + "hotflip": "textattack.attack_recipes.HotFlipEbrahimi2017", + "input-reduction": "textattack.attack_recipes.InputReductionFeng2018", + "kuleshov": "textattack.attack_recipes.Kuleshov2017", + "morpheus": "textattack.attack_recipes.MorpheusTan2020", + "seq2sick": "textattack.attack_recipes.Seq2SickCheng2018BlackBox", + "textbugger": "textattack.attack_recipes.TextBuggerLi2018", + "textfooler": "textattack.attack_recipes.TextFoolerJin2019", + "pwws": "textattack.attack_recipes.PWWSRen2019", + "iga": "textattack.attack_recipes.IGAWang2019", + "pruthi": "textattack.attack_recipes.Pruthi2019", + "pso": "textattack.attack_recipes.PSOZang2020", + "checklist": "textattack.attack_recipes.CheckList2020", + "clare": "textattack.attack_recipes.CLARE2020", + "a2t": "textattack.attack_recipes.A2TYoo2021", +} + + +BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES = { + "random-synonym-insertion": "textattack.transformations.RandomSynonymInsertion", + "word-deletion": "textattack.transformations.WordDeletion", + "word-swap-embedding": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapEmbedding", + "word-swap-homoglyph": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapHomoglyphSwap", + "word-swap-inflections": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapInflections", + "word-swap-neighboring-char-swap": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap", + "word-swap-random-char-deletion": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion", + "word-swap-random-char-insertion": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion", + "word-swap-random-char-substitution": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution", + "word-swap-wordnet": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapWordNet", + "word-swap-masked-lm": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapMaskedLM", + "word-swap-hownet": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapHowNet", + "word-swap-qwerty": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapQWERTY", +} + + +WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES = { + "word-swap-gradient": "textattack.transformations.WordSwapGradientBased" +} + + +CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES = { + # + # Semantics constraints + # + "embedding": "textattack.constraints.semantics.WordEmbeddingDistance", + "bert": "textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders.BERT", + "infer-sent": "textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders.InferSent", + "thought-vector": "textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders.ThoughtVector", + "use": "textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders.UniversalSentenceEncoder", + "muse": "textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders.MultilingualUniversalSentenceEncoder", + "bert-score": "textattack.constraints.semantics.BERTScore", + # + # Grammaticality constraints + # + "lang-tool": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.LanguageTool", + "part-of-speech": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.PartOfSpeech", + "goog-lm": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models.GoogleLanguageModel", + "gpt2": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models.GPT2", + "learning-to-write": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models.LearningToWriteLanguageModel", + "cola": "textattack.constraints.grammaticality.COLA", + # + # Overlap constraints + # + "bleu": "textattack.constraints.overlap.BLEU", + "chrf": "textattack.constraints.overlap.chrF", + "edit-distance": "textattack.constraints.overlap.LevenshteinEditDistance", + "meteor": "textattack.constraints.overlap.METEOR", + "max-words-perturbed": "textattack.constraints.overlap.MaxWordsPerturbed", + # + # Pre-transformation constraints + # + "repeat": "textattack.constraints.pre_transformation.RepeatModification", + "stopword": "textattack.constraints.pre_transformation.StopwordModification", + "max-word-index": "textattack.constraints.pre_transformation.MaxWordIndexModification", +} + + +SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES = { + "beam-search": "textattack.search_methods.BeamSearch", + "greedy": "textattack.search_methods.GreedySearch", + "ga-word": "textattack.search_methods.GeneticAlgorithm", + "greedy-word-wir": "textattack.search_methods.GreedyWordSwapWIR", + "pso": "textattack.search_methods.ParticleSwarmOptimization", +} + + +GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES = { + # + # Classification goal functions + # + "targeted-classification": "textattack.goal_functions.classification.TargetedClassification", + "untargeted-classification": "textattack.goal_functions.classification.UntargetedClassification", + "input-reduction": "textattack.goal_functions.classification.InputReduction", + # + # Text goal functions + # + "minimize-bleu": "textattack.goal_functions.text.MinimizeBleu", + "non-overlapping-output": "textattack.goal_functions.text.NonOverlappingOutput", + "text-to-text": "textattack.goal_functions.text.TextToTextGoalFunction", +} + + +@dataclass +class AttackArgs: + """Attack arguments to be passed to :class:`~textattack.Attacker`. + + Args: + num_examples (:obj:`int`, 'optional`, defaults to :obj:`10`): + The number of examples to attack. :obj:`-1` for entire dataset. + num_successful_examples (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + The number of successful adversarial examples we want. This is different from :obj:`num_examples` + as :obj:`num_examples` only cares about attacking `N` samples while :obj:`num_successful_examples` aims to keep attacking + until we have `N` successful cases. + + .. note:: + If set, this argument overrides `num_examples` argument. + num_examples_offset (:obj: `int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`0`): + The offset index to start at in the dataset. + attack_n (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + Whether to run attack until total of `N` examples have been attacked (and not skipped). + shuffle (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, we randomly shuffle the dataset before attacking. However, this avoids actually shuffling + the dataset internally and opts for shuffling the list of indices of examples we want to attack. This means + :obj:`shuffle` can now be used with checkpoint saving. + query_budget (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + The maximum number of model queries allowed per example attacked. + If not set, we use the query budget set in the :class:`~textattack.goal_functions.GoalFunction` object (which by default is :obj:`float("inf")`). + + .. note:: + Setting this overwrites the query budget set in :class:`~textattack.goal_functions.GoalFunction` object. + checkpoint_interval (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, checkpoint will be saved after attacking every `N` examples. If :obj:`None` is passed, no checkpoints will be saved. + checkpoint_dir (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"checkpoints"`): + The directory to save checkpoint files. + random_seed (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`765`): + Random seed for reproducibility. + parallel (:obj:`False`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, run attack using multiple CPUs/GPUs. + num_workers_per_device (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1`): + Number of worker processes to run per device in parallel mode (i.e. :obj:`parallel=True`). For example, if you are using GPUs and :obj:`num_workers_per_device=2`, + then 2 processes will be running in each GPU. + log_to_txt (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, save attack logs as a `.txt` file to the directory specified by this argument. + If the last part of the provided path ends with `.txt` extension, it is assumed to the desired path of the log file. + log_to_csv (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, save attack logs as a CSV file to the directory specified by this argument. + If the last part of the provided path ends with `.csv` extension, it is assumed to the desired path of the log file. + csv_coloring_style (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"file"`): + Method for choosing how to mark perturbed parts of the text. Options are :obj:`"file"`, :obj:`"plain"`, and :obj:`"html"`. + :obj:`"file"` wraps perturbed parts with double brackets :obj:`[[ ]]` while :obj:`"plain"` does not mark the text in any way. + log_to_visdom (:obj:`dict`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, Visdom logger is used with the provided dictionary passed as a keyword arguments to :class:`~textattack.loggers.VisdomLogger`. + Pass in empty dictionary to use default arguments. For custom logger, the dictionary should have the following + three keys and their corresponding values: :obj:`"env", "port", "hostname"`. + log_to_wandb(:obj:`dict`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, WandB logger is used with the provided dictionary passed as a keyword arguments to :class:`~textattack.loggers.WeightsAndBiasesLogger`. + Pass in empty dictionary to use default arguments. For custom logger, the dictionary should have the following + key and its corresponding value: :obj:`"project"`. + disable_stdout (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + Disable displaying individual attack results to stdout. + silent (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + Disable all logging (except for errors). This is stronger than :obj:`disable_stdout`. + enable_advance_metrics (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + Enable calculation and display of optional advance post-hoc metrics like perplexity, grammar errors, etc. + """ + + num_examples: int = 10 + num_successful_examples: int = None + num_examples_offset: int = 0 + attack_n: bool = False + shuffle: bool = False + query_budget: int = None + checkpoint_interval: int = None + checkpoint_dir: str = "checkpoints" + random_seed: int = 765 # equivalent to sum((ord(c) for c in "TEXTATTACK")) + parallel: bool = False + num_workers_per_device: int = 1 + log_to_txt: str = None + log_to_csv: str = None + log_summary_to_json: str = None + csv_coloring_style: str = "file" + log_to_visdom: dict = None + log_to_wandb: dict = None + disable_stdout: bool = False + silent: bool = False + enable_advance_metrics: bool = False + metrics: Optional[Dict] = None + + def __post_init__(self): + if self.num_successful_examples: + self.num_examples = None + if self.num_examples: + assert ( + self.num_examples >= 0 or self.num_examples == -1 + ), "`num_examples` must be greater than or equal to 0 or equal to -1." + if self.num_successful_examples: + assert ( + self.num_successful_examples >= 0 + ), "`num_examples` must be greater than or equal to 0." + + if self.query_budget: + assert self.query_budget > 0, "`query_budget` must be greater than 0." + + if self.checkpoint_interval: + assert ( + self.checkpoint_interval > 0 + ), "`checkpoint_interval` must be greater than 0." + + assert ( + self.num_workers_per_device > 0 + ), "`num_workers_per_device` must be greater than 0." + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Add listed args to command line parser.""" + default_obj = cls() + num_ex_group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=False) + num_ex_group.add_argument( + "--num-examples", + "-n", + type=int, + default=default_obj.num_examples, + help="The number of examples to process, -1 for entire dataset.", + ) + num_ex_group.add_argument( + "--num-successful-examples", + type=int, + default=default_obj.num_successful_examples, + help="The number of successful adversarial examples we want.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-examples-offset", + "-o", + type=int, + required=False, + default=default_obj.num_examples_offset, + help="The offset to start at in the dataset.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--query-budget", + "-q", + type=int, + default=default_obj.query_budget, + help="The maximum number of model queries allowed per example attacked. Setting this overwrites the query budget set in `GoalFunction` object.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--shuffle", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.shuffle, + help="If `True`, shuffle the samples before we attack the dataset. Default is False.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--attack-n", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.attack_n, + help="Whether to run attack until `n` examples have been attacked (not skipped).", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-dir", + required=False, + type=str, + default=default_obj.checkpoint_dir, + help="The directory to save checkpoint files.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-interval", + required=False, + type=int, + default=default_obj.checkpoint_interval, + help="If set, checkpoint will be saved after attacking every N examples. If not set, no checkpoints will be saved.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--random-seed", + default=default_obj.random_seed, + type=int, + help="Random seed for reproducibility.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--parallel", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.parallel, + help="Run attack using multiple GPUs.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-workers-per-device", + default=default_obj.num_workers_per_device, + type=int, + help="Number of worker processes to run per device.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-txt", + nargs="?", + default=default_obj.log_to_txt, + const="", + type=str, + help="Path to which to save attack logs as a text file. Set this argument if you want to save text logs. " + "If the last part of the path ends with `.txt` extension, the path is assumed to path for output file.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-csv", + nargs="?", + default=default_obj.log_to_csv, + const="", + type=str, + help="Path to which to save attack logs as a CSV file. Set this argument if you want to save CSV logs. " + "If the last part of the path ends with `.csv` extension, the path is assumed to path for output file.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-summary-to-json", + nargs="?", + default=default_obj.log_summary_to_json, + const="", + type=str, + help="Path to which to save attack summary as a JSON file. Set this argument if you want to save attack results summary in a JSON. " + "If the last part of the path ends with `.json` extension, the path is assumed to path for output file.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--csv-coloring-style", + default=default_obj.csv_coloring_style, + type=str, + help='Method for choosing how to mark perturbed parts of the text in CSV logs. Options are "file" and "plain". ' + '"file" wraps text with double brackets `[[ ]]` while "plain" does not mark any text. Default is "file".', + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-visdom", + nargs="?", + default=None, + const='{"env": "main", "port": 8097, "hostname": "localhost"}', + type=json.loads, + help="Set this argument if you want to log attacks to Visdom. The dictionary should have the following " + 'three keys and their corresponding values: `"env", "port", "hostname"`. ' + 'Example for command line use: `--log-to-visdom {"env": "main", "port": 8097, "hostname": "localhost"}`.', + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-wandb", + nargs="?", + default=None, + const='{"project": "textattack"}', + type=json.loads, + help="Set this argument if you want to log attacks to WandB. The dictionary should have the following " + 'key and its corresponding value: `"project"`. ' + 'Example for command line use: `--log-to-wandb {"project": "textattack"}`.', + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--disable-stdout", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.disable_stdout, + help="Disable logging attack results to stdout", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--silent", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.silent, + help="Disable all logging", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--enable-advance-metrics", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.enable_advance_metrics, + help="Enable calculation and display of optional advance post-hoc metrics like perplexity, USE distance, etc.", + ) + + return parser + + @classmethod + def create_loggers_from_args(cls, args): + """Creates AttackLogManager from an AttackArgs object.""" + assert isinstance( + args, cls + ), f"Expect args to be of type `{type(cls)}`, but got type `{type(args)}`." + + # Create logger + attack_log_manager = textattack.loggers.AttackLogManager(args.metrics) + + # Get current time for file naming + timestamp = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M") + + # if '--log-to-txt' specified with arguments + if args.log_to_txt is not None: + if args.log_to_txt.lower().endswith(".txt"): + txt_file_path = args.log_to_txt + else: + txt_file_path = os.path.join(args.log_to_txt, f"{timestamp}-log.txt") + + dir_path = os.path.dirname(txt_file_path) + dir_path = dir_path if dir_path else "." + if not os.path.exists(dir_path): + os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(txt_file_path)) + + color_method = "file" + attack_log_manager.add_output_file(txt_file_path, color_method) + + # if '--log-to-csv' specified with arguments + if args.log_to_csv is not None: + if args.log_to_csv.lower().endswith(".csv"): + csv_file_path = args.log_to_csv + else: + csv_file_path = os.path.join(args.log_to_csv, f"{timestamp}-log.csv") + + dir_path = os.path.dirname(csv_file_path) + dir_path = dir_path if dir_path else "." + if not os.path.exists(dir_path): + os.makedirs(dir_path) + + color_method = ( + None if args.csv_coloring_style == "plain" else args.csv_coloring_style + ) + attack_log_manager.add_output_csv(csv_file_path, color_method) + + # if '--log-summary-to-json' specified with arguments + if args.log_summary_to_json is not None: + if args.log_summary_to_json.lower().endswith(".json"): + summary_json_file_path = args.log_summary_to_json + else: + summary_json_file_path = os.path.join( + args.log_summary_to_json, f"{timestamp}-attack_summary_log.json" + ) + + dir_path = os.path.dirname(summary_json_file_path) + dir_path = dir_path if dir_path else "." + if not os.path.exists(dir_path): + os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(summary_json_file_path)) + + attack_log_manager.add_output_summary_json(summary_json_file_path) + + # Visdom + if args.log_to_visdom is not None: + attack_log_manager.enable_visdom(**args.log_to_visdom) + + # Weights & Biases + if args.log_to_wandb is not None: + attack_log_manager.enable_wandb(**args.log_to_wandb) + + # Stdout + if not args.disable_stdout and not sys.stdout.isatty(): + attack_log_manager.disable_color() + elif not args.disable_stdout: + attack_log_manager.enable_stdout() + + return attack_log_manager + + +@dataclass +class _CommandLineAttackArgs: + """Attack args for command line execution. This requires more arguments to + create ``Attack`` object as specified. + + Args: + transformation (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"word-swap-embedding"`): + Name of transformation to use. + constraints (:obj:`list[str]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`["repeat", "stopword"]`): + List of names of constraints to use. + goal_function (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"untargeted-classification"`): + Name of goal function to use. + search_method (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defualts to :obj:`"greedy-word-wir"`): + Name of search method to use. + attack_recipe (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Name of attack recipe to use. + .. note:: + Setting this overrides any previous selection of transformation, constraints, goal function, and search method. + attack_from_file (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Path of `.py` file from which to load attack from. Use `^` to specifiy which variable to import from the file. + .. note:: + If this is set, it overrides any previous selection of transformation, constraints, goal function, and search method + interactive (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If `True`, carry attack in interactive mode. + parallel (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If `True`, attack in parallel. + model_batch_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`32`): + The batch size for making queries to the victim model. + model_cache_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`2**18`): + The maximum number of items to keep in the model results cache at once. + constraint-cache-size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`2**18`): + The maximum number of items to keep in the constraints cache at once. + """ + + transformation: str = "word-swap-embedding" + constraints: list = field(default_factory=lambda: ["repeat", "stopword"]) + goal_function: str = "untargeted-classification" + search_method: str = "greedy-word-wir" + attack_recipe: str = None + attack_from_file: str = None + interactive: bool = False + parallel: bool = False + model_batch_size: int = 32 + model_cache_size: int = 2**18 + constraint_cache_size: int = 2**18 + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Add listed args to command line parser.""" + default_obj = cls() + transformation_names = set(BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES.keys()) | set( + WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES.keys() + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--transformation", + type=str, + required=False, + default=default_obj.transformation, + help='The transformation to apply. Usage: "--transformation {transformation}:{arg_1}={value_1},{arg_3}={value_3}". Choices: ' + + str(transformation_names), + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--constraints", + type=str, + required=False, + nargs="*", + default=default_obj.constraints, + help='Constraints to add to the attack. Usage: "--constraints {constraint}:{arg_1}={value_1},{arg_3}={value_3}". Choices: ' + + str(CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES.keys()), + ) + goal_function_choices = ", ".join(GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES.keys()) + parser.add_argument( + "--goal-function", + "-g", + default=default_obj.goal_function, + help=f"The goal function to use. choices: {goal_function_choices}", + ) + attack_group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=False) + search_choices = ", ".join(SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES.keys()) + attack_group.add_argument( + "--search-method", + "--search", + "-s", + type=str, + required=False, + default=default_obj.search_method, + help=f"The search method to use. choices: {search_choices}", + ) + attack_group.add_argument( + "--attack-recipe", + "--recipe", + "-r", + type=str, + required=False, + default=default_obj.attack_recipe, + help="full attack recipe (overrides provided goal function, transformation & constraints)", + choices=ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES.keys(), + ) + attack_group.add_argument( + "--attack-from-file", + type=str, + required=False, + default=default_obj.attack_from_file, + help="Path of `.py` file from which to load attack from. Use `^` to specifiy which variable to import from the file.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--interactive", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.interactive, + help="Whether to run attacks interactively.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--model-batch-size", + type=int, + default=default_obj.model_batch_size, + help="The batch size for making calls to the model.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--model-cache-size", + type=int, + default=default_obj.model_cache_size, + help="The maximum number of items to keep in the model results cache at once.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--constraint-cache-size", + type=int, + default=default_obj.constraint_cache_size, + help="The maximum number of items to keep in the constraints cache at once.", + ) + + return parser + + @classmethod + def _create_transformation_from_args(cls, args, model_wrapper): + """Create `Transformation` based on provided `args` and + `model_wrapper`.""" + + transformation_name = args.transformation + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in transformation_name: + transformation_name, params = transformation_name.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + + if transformation_name in WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES: + transformation = eval( + f"{WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES[transformation_name]}(model_wrapper.model, {params})" + ) + elif transformation_name in BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES: + transformation = eval( + f"{BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES[transformation_name]}({params})" + ) + else: + raise ValueError( + f"Error: unsupported transformation {transformation_name}" + ) + else: + if transformation_name in WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES: + transformation = eval( + f"{WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES[transformation_name]}(model_wrapper.model)" + ) + elif transformation_name in BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES: + transformation = eval( + f"{BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES[transformation_name]}()" + ) + else: + raise ValueError( + f"Error: unsupported transformation {transformation_name}" + ) + return transformation + + @classmethod + def _create_goal_function_from_args(cls, args, model_wrapper): + """Create `GoalFunction` based on provided `args` and + `model_wrapper`.""" + + goal_function = args.goal_function + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in goal_function: + goal_function_name, params = goal_function.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + if goal_function_name not in GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES: + raise ValueError( + f"Error: unsupported goal_function {goal_function_name}" + ) + goal_function = eval( + f"{GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES[goal_function_name]}(model_wrapper, {params})" + ) + elif goal_function in GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES: + goal_function = eval( + f"{GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES[goal_function]}(model_wrapper)" + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported goal_function {goal_function}") + if args.query_budget: + goal_function.query_budget = args.query_budget + goal_function.model_cache_size = args.model_cache_size + goal_function.batch_size = args.model_batch_size + return goal_function + + @classmethod + def _create_constraints_from_args(cls, args): + """Create list of `Constraints` based on provided `args`.""" + + if not args.constraints: + return [] + + _constraints = [] + for constraint in args.constraints: + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in constraint: + constraint_name, params = constraint.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + if constraint_name not in CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported constraint {constraint_name}") + _constraints.append( + eval(f"{CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES[constraint_name]}({params})") + ) + elif constraint in CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES: + _constraints.append(eval(f"{CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES[constraint]}()")) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported constraint {constraint}") + + return _constraints + + @classmethod + def _create_attack_from_args(cls, args, model_wrapper): + """Given ``CommandLineArgs`` and ``ModelWrapper``, return specified + ``Attack`` object.""" + + assert isinstance( + args, cls + ), f"Expect args to be of type `{type(cls)}`, but got type `{type(args)}`." + + if args.attack_recipe: + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in args.attack_recipe: + recipe_name, params = args.attack_recipe.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + if recipe_name not in ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported recipe {recipe_name}") + recipe = eval( + f"{ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES[recipe_name]}.build(model_wrapper, {params})" + ) + elif args.attack_recipe in ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES: + recipe = eval( + f"{ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES[args.attack_recipe]}.build(model_wrapper)" + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Invalid recipe {args.attack_recipe}") + if args.query_budget: + recipe.goal_function.query_budget = args.query_budget + recipe.goal_function.model_cache_size = args.model_cache_size + recipe.constraint_cache_size = args.constraint_cache_size + return recipe + elif args.attack_from_file: + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in args.attack_from_file: + attack_file, attack_name = args.attack_from_file.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + else: + attack_file, attack_name = args.attack_from_file, "attack" + attack_module = load_module_from_file(attack_file) + if not hasattr(attack_module, attack_name): + raise ValueError( + f"Loaded `{attack_file}` but could not find `{attack_name}`." + ) + attack_func = getattr(attack_module, attack_name) + return attack_func(model_wrapper) + else: + goal_function = cls._create_goal_function_from_args(args, model_wrapper) + transformation = cls._create_transformation_from_args(args, model_wrapper) + constraints = cls._create_constraints_from_args(args) + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in args.search_method: + search_name, params = args.search_method.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + if search_name not in SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported search {search_name}") + search_method = eval( + f"{SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES[search_name]}({params})" + ) + elif args.search_method in SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES: + search_method = eval( + f"{SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES[args.search_method]}()" + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported attack {args.search_method}") + + return Attack( + goal_function, + constraints, + transformation, + search_method, + constraint_cache_size=args.constraint_cache_size, + ) + + +# This neat trick allows use to reorder the arguments to avoid TypeErrors commonly found when inheriting dataclass. +# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51575931/class-inheritance-in-python-3-7-dataclasses +@dataclass +class CommandLineAttackArgs(AttackArgs, _CommandLineAttackArgs, DatasetArgs, ModelArgs): + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Add listed args to command line parser.""" + parser = ModelArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser = DatasetArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser = _CommandLineAttackArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser = AttackArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + return parser diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/__init__.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1a903fee667d833ea3ddb762bc4665916153e91e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +""".. _attack_recipes: + +Attack Recipes Package: +======================== + +We provide a number of pre-built attack recipes, which correspond to attacks from the literature. To run an attack recipe from the command line, run:: + + textattack attack --recipe [recipe_name] + +To initialize an attack in Python script, use:: + + .build(model_wrapper) + +For example, ``attack = InputReductionFeng2018.build(model)`` creates `attack`, an object of type ``Attack`` with the goal function, transformation, constraints, and search method specified in that paper. This object can then be used just like any other attack; for example, by calling ``attack.attack_dataset``. + +TextAttack supports the following attack recipes (each recipe's documentation contains a link to the corresponding paper): + +.. contents:: :local: +""" + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + +from .a2t_yoo_2021 import A2TYoo2021 +from .bae_garg_2019 import BAEGarg2019 +from .bert_attack_li_2020 import BERTAttackLi2020 +from .genetic_algorithm_alzantot_2018 import GeneticAlgorithmAlzantot2018 +from .faster_genetic_algorithm_jia_2019 import FasterGeneticAlgorithmJia2019 +from .deepwordbug_gao_2018 import DeepWordBugGao2018 +from .hotflip_ebrahimi_2017 import HotFlipEbrahimi2017 +from .input_reduction_feng_2018 import InputReductionFeng2018 +from .kuleshov_2017 import Kuleshov2017 +from .morpheus_tan_2020 import MorpheusTan2020 +from .seq2sick_cheng_2018_blackbox import Seq2SickCheng2018BlackBox +from .textbugger_li_2018 import TextBuggerLi2018 +from .textfooler_jin_2019 import TextFoolerJin2019 +from .pwws_ren_2019 import PWWSRen2019 +from .iga_wang_2019 import IGAWang2019 +from .pruthi_2019 import Pruthi2019 +from .pso_zang_2020 import PSOZang2020 +from .checklist_ribeiro_2020 import CheckList2020 +from .clare_li_2020 import CLARE2020 +from .french_recipe import FrenchRecipe +from .spanish_recipe import SpanishRecipe diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/a2t_yoo_2021.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/a2t_yoo_2021.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2c0919e779b8474a702cd3ca5960baa11855a906 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/a2t_yoo_2021.py @@ -0,0 +1,74 @@ +""" +A2T (A2T: Attack for Adversarial Training Recipe) +================================================== + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality import PartOfSpeech +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + InputColumnModification, + MaxModificationRate, + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import BERT +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding, WordSwapMaskedLM + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class A2TYoo2021(AttackRecipe): + """Towards Improving Adversarial Training of NLP Models. + + (Yoo et al., 2021) + + https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.00544 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper, mlm=False): + """Build attack recipe. + + Args: + model_wrapper (:class:`~textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`): + Model wrapper containing both the model and the tokenizer. + mlm (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, load `A2T-MLM` attack. Otherwise, load regular `A2T` attack. + + Returns: + :class:`~textattack.Attack`: A2T attack. + """ + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + input_column_modification = InputColumnModification( + ["premise", "hypothesis"], {"premise"} + ) + constraints.append(input_column_modification) + constraints.append(PartOfSpeech(allow_verb_noun_swap=False)) + constraints.append(MaxModificationRate(max_rate=0.1, min_threshold=4)) + sent_encoder = BERT( + model_name="stsb-distilbert-base", threshold=0.9, metric="cosine" + ) + constraints.append(sent_encoder) + + if mlm: + transformation = transformation = WordSwapMaskedLM( + method="bae", max_candidates=20, min_confidence=0.0, batch_size=16 + ) + else: + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=20) + constraints.append(WordEmbeddingDistance(min_cos_sim=0.8)) + + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper, model_batch_size=32) + # + # Greedily swap words with "Word Importance Ranking". + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="gradient") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/attack_recipe.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/attack_recipe.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..89ae173d7e7c5a905897686de03822a707af5783 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/attack_recipe.py @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +""" +Attack Recipe Class +======================== + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack import Attack + + +class AttackRecipe(Attack, ABC): + """A recipe for building an NLP adversarial attack from the literature.""" + + @staticmethod + @abstractmethod + def build(model_wrapper, **kwargs): + """Creates pre-built :class:`~textattack.Attack` that correspond to + attacks from the literature. + + Args: + model_wrapper (:class:`~textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`): + :class:`~textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper` that contains the victim model and tokenizer. + This is passed to :class:`~textattack.goal_functions.GoalFunction` when constructing the attack. + kwargs: + Additional keyword arguments. + Returns: + :class:`~textattack.Attack` + """ + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/bae_garg_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/bae_garg_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..76ed108c674fa75aec35edffda25f887755d3332 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/bae_garg_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,123 @@ +""" +BAE (BAE: BERT-Based Adversarial Examples) +============================================ + +""" +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality import PartOfSpeech +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapMaskedLM + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class BAEGarg2019(AttackRecipe): + """Siddhant Garg and Goutham Ramakrishnan, 2019. + + BAE: BERT-based Adversarial Examples for Text Classification. + + https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.01970 + + This is "attack mode" 1 from the paper, BAE-R, word replacement. + + We present 4 attack modes for BAE based on the + R and I operations, where for each token t in S: + • BAE-R: Replace token t (See Algorithm 1) + • BAE-I: Insert a token to the left or right of t + • BAE-R/I: Either replace token t or insert a + token to the left or right of t + • BAE-R+I: First replace token t, then insert a + token to the left or right of t + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # "In this paper, we present a simple yet novel technique: BAE (BERT-based + # Adversarial Examples), which uses a language model (LM) for token + # replacement to best fit the overall context. We perturb an input sentence + # by either replacing a token or inserting a new token in the sentence, by + # means of masking a part of the input and using a LM to fill in the mask." + # + # We only consider the top K=50 synonyms from the MLM predictions. + # + # [from email correspondance with the author] + # "When choosing the top-K candidates from the BERT masked LM, we filter out + # the sub-words and only retain the whole words (by checking if they are + # present in the GloVE vocabulary)" + # + transformation = WordSwapMaskedLM( + method="bae", max_candidates=50, min_confidence=0.0 + ) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords. + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + # For the R operations we add an additional check for + # grammatical correctness of the generated adversarial example by filtering + # out predicted tokens that do not form the same part of speech (POS) as the + # original token t_i in the sentence. + constraints.append(PartOfSpeech(allow_verb_noun_swap=True)) + + # "To ensure semantic similarity on introducing perturbations in the input + # text, we filter the set of top-K masked tokens (K is a pre-defined + # constant) predicted by BERT-MLM using a Universal Sentence Encoder (USE) + # (Cer et al., 2018)-based sentence similarity scorer." + # + # "[We] set a threshold of 0.8 for the cosine similarity between USE-based + # embeddings of the adversarial and input text." + # + # [from email correspondence with the author] + # "For a fair comparison of the benefits of using a BERT-MLM in our paper, + # we retained the majority of TextFooler's specifications. Thus we: + # 1. Use the USE for comparison within a window of size 15 around the word + # being replaced/inserted. + # 2. Set the similarity score threshold to 0.1 for inputs shorter than the + # window size (this translates roughly to almost always accepting the new text). + # 3. Perform the USE similarity thresholding of 0.8 with respect to the text + # just before the replacement/insertion and not the original text (For + # example: at the 3rd R/I operation, we compute the USE score on a window + # of size 15 of the text obtained after the first 2 R/I operations and not + # the original text). + # ... + # To address point (3) from above, compare the USE with the original text + # at each iteration instead of the current one (While doing this change + # for the R-operation is trivial, doing it for the I-operation with the + # window based USE comparison might be more involved)." + # + # Finally, since the BAE code is based on the TextFooler code, we need to + # adjust the threshold to account for the missing / pi in the cosine + # similarity comparison. So the final threshold is 1 - (1 - 0.8) / pi + # = 1 - (0.2 / pi) = 0.936338023. + use_constraint = UniversalSentenceEncoder( + threshold=0.936338023, + metric="cosine", + compare_against_original=True, + window_size=15, + skip_text_shorter_than_window=True, + ) + constraints.append(use_constraint) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification. + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # "We estimate the token importance Ii of each token + # t_i ∈ S = [t1, . . . , tn], by deleting ti from S and computing the + # decrease in probability of predicting the correct label y, similar + # to (Jin et al., 2019). + # + # • "If there are multiple tokens can cause C to misclassify S when they + # replace the mask, we choose the token which makes Sadv most similar to + # the original S based on the USE score." + # • "If no token causes misclassification, we choose the perturbation that + # decreases the prediction probability P(C(Sadv)=y) the most." + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="delete") + + return BAEGarg2019(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/bert_attack_li_2020.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/bert_attack_li_2020.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1801a6dc62ffc5e05827fc2534a4011be7ba9e69 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/bert_attack_li_2020.py @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@ +""" +BERT-Attack: +============================================================ + +(BERT-Attack: Adversarial Attack Against BERT Using BERT) + +.. warning:: + This attack is super slow + (see https://github.com/QData/TextAttack/issues/586) + Consider using smaller values for "max_candidates". + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapMaskedLM + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class BERTAttackLi2020(AttackRecipe): + """Li, L.., Ma, R., Guo, Q., Xiangyang, X., Xipeng, Q. (2020). + + BERT-ATTACK: Adversarial Attack Against BERT Using BERT + + https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.09984 + + This is "attack mode" 1 from the paper, BAE-R, word replacement. + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # [from correspondence with the author] + # Candidate size K is set to 48 for all data-sets. + transformation = WordSwapMaskedLM(method="bert-attack", max_candidates=48) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords. + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + # "We only take ε percent of the most important words since we tend to keep + # perturbations minimum." + # + # [from correspondence with the author] + # "Word percentage allowed to change is set to 0.4 for most data-sets, this + # parameter is trivial since most attacks only need a few changes. This + # epsilon is only used to avoid too much queries on those very hard samples." + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_percent=0.4)) + + # "As used in TextFooler (Jin et al., 2019), we also use Universal Sentence + # Encoder (Cer et al., 2018) to measure the semantic consistency between the + # adversarial sample and the original sequence. To balance between semantic + # preservation and attack success rate, we set up a threshold of semantic + # similarity score to filter the less similar examples." + # + # [from correspondence with author] + # "Over the full texts, after generating all the adversarial samples, we filter + # out low USE score samples. Thus the success rate is lower but the USE score + # can be higher. (actually USE score is not a golden metric, so we simply + # measure the USE score over the final texts for a comparison with TextFooler). + # For datasets like IMDB, we set a higher threshold between 0.4-0.7; for + # datasets like MNLI, we set threshold between 0-0.2." + # + # Since the threshold in the real world can't be determined from the training + # data, the TextAttack implementation uses a fixed threshold - determined to + # be 0.2 to be most fair. + use_constraint = UniversalSentenceEncoder( + threshold=0.2, + metric="cosine", + compare_against_original=True, + window_size=None, + ) + constraints.append(use_constraint) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification. + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # "We first select the words in the sequence which have a high significance + # influence on the final output logit. Let S = [w0, ··· , wi ··· ] denote + # the input sentence, and oy(S) denote the logit output by the target model + # for correct label y, the importance score Iwi is defined as + # Iwi = oy(S) − oy(S\wi), where S\wi = [w0, ··· , wi−1, [MASK], wi+1, ···] + # is the sentence after replacing wi with [MASK]. Then we rank all the words + # according to the ranking score Iwi in descending order to create word list + # L." + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="unk") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/checklist_ribeiro_2020.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/checklist_ribeiro_2020.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3fb7a0e357072e0a4c098f3175b9fbc48eadd1a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/checklist_ribeiro_2020.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" +CheckList: +========================= + +(Beyond Accuracy: Behavioral Testing of NLP models with CheckList) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import RepeatModification +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedySearch +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapChangeLocation, + WordSwapChangeName, + WordSwapChangeNumber, + WordSwapContract, + WordSwapExtend, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class CheckList2020(AttackRecipe): + """An implementation of the attack used in "Beyond Accuracy: Behavioral + Testing of NLP models with CheckList", Ribeiro et al., 2020. + + This attack focuses on a number of attacks used in the Invariance Testing + Method: Contraction, Extension, Changing Names, Number, Location + + https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.04118 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapExtend(), + WordSwapContract(), + WordSwapChangeName(), + WordSwapChangeNumber(), + WordSwapChangeLocation(), + ] + ) + + # Need this constraint to prevent extend and contract modifying each others' changes and forming infinite loop + constraints = [RepeatModification()] + + # Untargeted attack & GreedySearch + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + search_method = GreedySearch() + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/clare_li_2020.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/clare_li_2020.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e183b20e0bde85fec40616b8e1239d7711f66c1d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/clare_li_2020.py @@ -0,0 +1,114 @@ +""" +CLARE Recipe +============= + +(Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack) + +""" + +import transformers + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedySearch +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordInsertionMaskedLM, + WordMergeMaskedLM, + WordSwapMaskedLM, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class CLARE2020(AttackRecipe): + """Li, Zhang, Peng, Chen, Brockett, Sun, Dolan. + + "Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack" (Li et al., 2020) + + https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07502 + + This method uses greedy search with replace, merge, and insertion transformations that leverage a + pretrained language model. It also uses USE similarity constraint. + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # "This paper presents CLARE, a ContextuaLized AdversaRial Example generation model + # that produces fluent and grammatical outputs through a mask-then-infill procedure. + # CLARE builds on a pre-trained masked language model and modifies the inputs in a context-aware manner. + # We propose three contex-tualized perturbations, Replace, Insert and Merge, allowing for generating outputs of + # varied lengths." + # + # "We experiment with a distilled version of RoBERTa (RoBERTa_{distill}; Sanh et al., 2019) + # as the masked language model for contextualized infilling." + # Because BAE and CLARE both use similar replacement papers, we use BAE's replacement method here. + + shared_masked_lm = transformers.AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained( + "distilroberta-base" + ) + shared_tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + "distilroberta-base" + ) + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapMaskedLM( + method="bae", + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-4, + ), + WordInsertionMaskedLM( + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=0.0, + ), + WordMergeMaskedLM( + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-3, + ), + ] + ) + + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords. + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + # "A common choice of sim(·,·) is to encode sentences using neural networks, + # and calculate their cosine similarity in the embedding space (Jin et al., 2020)." + # The original implementation uses similarity of 0.7. + use_constraint = UniversalSentenceEncoder( + threshold=0.7, + metric="cosine", + compare_against_original=True, + window_size=15, + skip_text_shorter_than_window=True, + ) + constraints.append(use_constraint) + + # Goal is untargeted classification. + # "The score is then the negative probability of predicting the gold label from f, using [x_{adv}] as the input" + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + + # "To achieve this, we iteratively apply the actions, + # and first select those minimizing the probability of outputting the gold label y from f." + # + # "Only one of the three actions can be applied at each position, and we select the one with the highest score." + # + # "Actions are iteratively applied to the input, until an adversarial example is found or a limit of actions T + # is reached. + # Each step selects the highest-scoring action from the remaining ones." + # + search_method = GreedySearch() + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/deepwordbug_gao_2018.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/deepwordbug_gao_2018.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ff44f090a34a97c98580d2c83ec2d14cdd98cf3a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/deepwordbug_gao_2018.py @@ -0,0 +1,79 @@ +""" + +DeepWordBug +======================================== +(Black-box Generation of Adversarial Text Sequences to Evade Deep Learning Classifiers) + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.overlap import LevenshteinEditDistance +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap, + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class DeepWordBugGao2018(AttackRecipe): + """Gao, Lanchantin, Soffa, Qi. + + Black-box Generation of Adversarial Text Sequences to Evade Deep Learning + Classifiers. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.04354 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper, use_all_transformations=True): + # + # Swap characters out from words. Choose the best of four potential transformations. + # + if use_all_transformations: + # We propose four similar methods: + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + # (1) Swap: Swap two adjacent letters in the word. + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap(), + # (2) Substitution: Substitute a letter in the word with a random letter. + WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution(), + # (3) Deletion: Delete a random letter from the word. + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion(), + # (4) Insertion: Insert a random letter in the word. + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion(), + ] + ) + else: + # We use the Combined Score and the Substitution Transformer to generate + # adversarial samples, with the maximum edit distance difference of 30 + # (ϵ = 30). + transformation = WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution() + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # In these experiments, we hold the maximum difference + # on edit distance (ϵ) to a constant 30 for each sample. + # + constraints.append(LevenshteinEditDistance(30)) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Greedily swap words with "Word Importance Ranking". + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR() + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/faster_genetic_algorithm_jia_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/faster_genetic_algorithm_jia_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f9ce549543fb92d036593237e21bb50534b524f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/faster_genetic_algorithm_jia_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,140 @@ +""" + +Faster Alzantot Genetic Algorithm +=================================== +(Certified Robustness to Adversarial Word Substitutions) + + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models import ( + LearningToWriteLanguageModel, +) +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class FasterGeneticAlgorithmJia2019(AttackRecipe): + """Certified Robustness to Adversarial Word Substitutions. + + Robin Jia, Aditi Raghunathan, Kerem Göksel, Percy Liang (2019). + + https://arxiv.org/pdf/1909.00986.pdf + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Section 5: Experiments + # + # We base our sets of allowed word substitutions S(x, i) on the + # substitutions allowed by Alzantot et al. (2018). They demonstrated that + # their substitutions lead to adversarial examples that are qualitatively + # similar to the original input and retain the original label, as judged + # by humans. Alzantot et al. (2018) define the neighbors N(w) of a word w + # as the n = 8 nearest neighbors of w in a “counter-fitted” word vector + # space where antonyms are far apart (Mrksiˇ c´ et al., 2016). The + # neighbors must also lie within some Euclidean distance threshold. They + # also use a language model constraint to avoid nonsensical perturbations: + # they allow substituting xi with x˜i ∈ N(xi) if and only if it does not + # decrease the log-likelihood of the text under a pre-trained language + # model by more than some threshold. + # + # We make three modifications to this approach: + # + # First, in Alzantot et al. (2018), the adversary + # applies substitutions one at a time, and the + # neighborhoods and language model scores are computed. + # Equation (4) must be applied before the model + # can combine information from multiple words, but it can + # be delayed until after processing each word independently. + # Note that the model itself classifies using a different + # set of pre-trained word vectors; the counter-fitted vectors + # are only used to define the set of allowed substitution words. + # relative to the current altered version of the input. + # This results in a hard-to-define attack surface, as + # changing one word can allow or disallow changes + # to other words. It also requires recomputing + # language model scores at each iteration of the genetic + # attack, which is inefficient. Moreover, the same + # word can be substituted multiple times, leading + # to semantic drift. We define allowed substitutions + # relative to the original sentence x, and disallow + # repeated substitutions. + # + # Second, we use a faster language model that allows us to query + # longer contexts; Alzantot et al. (2018) use a slower language + # model and could only query it with short contexts. + + # Finally, we use the language model constraint only + # at test time; the model is trained against all perturbations in N(w). This encourages the model to be + # robust to a larger space of perturbations, instead of + # specializing for the particular choice of language + # model. See Appendix A.3 for further details. [This is a model-specific + # adjustment, so does not affect the attack recipe.] + # + # Appendix A.3: + # + # In Alzantot et al. (2018), the adversary applies replacements one at a + # time, and the neighborhoods and language model scores are computed + # relative to the current altered version of the input. This results in a + # hard-to-define attack surface, as the same word can be replaced many + # times, leading to semantic drift. We instead pre-compute the allowed + # substitutions S(x, i) at index i based on the original x. We define + # S(x, i) as the set of x_i ∈ N(x_i) such that where probabilities are + # assigned by a pre-trained language model, and the window radius W and + # threshold δ are hyperparameters. We use W = 6 and δ = 5. + # + # + # Swap words with their embedding nearest-neighbors. + # + # Embedding: Counter-fitted Paragram Embeddings. + # + # "[We] fix the hyperparameter values to S = 60, N = 8, K = 4, and δ = 0.5" + # + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=8) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # Maximum words perturbed percentage of 20% + # + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_percent=0.2)) + # + # Maximum word embedding euclidean distance of 0.5. + # + constraints.append(WordEmbeddingDistance(max_mse_dist=0.5)) + # + # Language Model + # + # + # + constraints.append( + LearningToWriteLanguageModel( + window_size=6, max_log_prob_diff=5.0, compare_against_original=True + ) + ) + # constraints.append(LearningToWriteLanguageModel(window_size=5)) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Perform word substitution with a genetic algorithm. + # + search_method = AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm( + pop_size=60, max_iters=40, post_crossover_check=False + ) + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/french_recipe.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/french_recipe.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8f0b2b600abe793a7e0e1bd1e054400a022849ff --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/french_recipe.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapChangeLocation, + WordSwapChangeName, + WordSwapWordNet, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class FrenchRecipe(AttackRecipe): + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapWordNet(language="fra"), + WordSwapChangeLocation(language="fra"), + WordSwapChangeName(language="fra"), + ] + ) + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification("french")] + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR() + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/genetic_algorithm_alzantot_2018.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/genetic_algorithm_alzantot_2018.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2c42c6ebf007c786b6be3b7ef86843eef264e6a6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/genetic_algorithm_alzantot_2018.py @@ -0,0 +1,91 @@ +""" + +Alzantot Genetic Algorithm +======================================= +(Generating Natural Language Adversarial Examples) + +.. warning:: + This attack uses a very slow language model. Consider using the ``fast-alzantot`` + recipe instead. + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models import ( + Google1BillionWordsLanguageModel, +) +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + InputColumnModification, + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class GeneticAlgorithmAlzantot2018(AttackRecipe): + """Alzantot, M., Sharma, Y., Elgohary, A., Ho, B., Srivastava, M.B., & + Chang, K. (2018). + + Generating Natural Language Adversarial Examples. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.07998 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Swap words with their embedding nearest-neighbors. + # + # Embedding: Counter-fitted Paragram Embeddings. + # + # "[We] fix the hyperparameter values to S = 60, N = 8, K = 4, and δ = 0.5" + # + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=8) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # During entailment, we should only edit the hypothesis - keep the premise + # the same. + # + input_column_modification = InputColumnModification( + ["premise", "hypothesis"], {"premise"} + ) + constraints.append(input_column_modification) + # + # Maximum words perturbed percentage of 20% + # + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_percent=0.2)) + # + # Maximum word embedding euclidean distance of 0.5. + # + constraints.append( + WordEmbeddingDistance(max_mse_dist=0.5, compare_against_original=False) + ) + # + # Language Model + # + constraints.append( + Google1BillionWordsLanguageModel( + top_n_per_index=4, compare_against_original=False + ) + ) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Perform word substitution with a genetic algorithm. + # + search_method = AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm( + pop_size=60, max_iters=20, post_crossover_check=False + ) + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/hotflip_ebrahimi_2017.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/hotflip_ebrahimi_2017.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fa4ba9445d09cff685775597284fde4c992bb2e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/hotflip_ebrahimi_2017.py @@ -0,0 +1,70 @@ +""" + +HotFlip +=========== +(HotFlip: White-Box Adversarial Examples for Text Classification) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality import PartOfSpeech +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import BeamSearch +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapGradientBased + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class HotFlipEbrahimi2017(AttackRecipe): + """Ebrahimi, J. et al. (2017) + + HotFlip: White-Box Adversarial Examples for Text Classification + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.06751 + + This is a reproduction of the HotFlip word-level attack (section 5 of the + paper). + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # "HotFlip ... uses the gradient with respect to a one-hot input + # representation to efficiently estimate which individual change has the + # highest estimated loss." + transformation = WordSwapGradientBased(model_wrapper, top_n=1) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # 0. "We were able to create only 41 examples (2% of the correctly- + # classified instances of the SST test set) with one or two flips." + # + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_num_words=2)) + # + # 1. "The cosine similarity between the embedding of words is bigger than a + # threshold (0.8)." + # + constraints.append(WordEmbeddingDistance(min_cos_sim=0.8)) + # + # 2. "The two words have the same part-of-speech." + # + constraints.append(PartOfSpeech()) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # "HotFlip ... uses a beam search to find a set of manipulations that work + # well together to confuse a classifier ... The adversary uses a beam size + # of 10." + # + search_method = BeamSearch(beam_width=10) + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/iga_wang_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/iga_wang_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..cb7dce22d71ee05700830ac15ae09c5921e89dba --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/iga_wang_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,65 @@ +""" + +Improved Genetic Algorithm +============================= + +(Natural Language Adversarial Attacks and Defenses in Word Level) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import StopwordModification +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import ImprovedGeneticAlgorithm +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class IGAWang2019(AttackRecipe): + """Xiaosen Wang, Hao Jin, Kun He (2019). + + Natural Language Adversarial Attack and Defense in Word Level. + + http://arxiv.org/abs/1909.06723 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Swap words with their embedding nearest-neighbors. + # Embedding: Counter-fitted Paragram Embeddings. + # Fix the hyperparameter value to N = Unrestricted (50)." + # + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=50) + # + # Don't modify the stopwords + # + constraints = [StopwordModification()] + # + # Maximum words perturbed percentage of 20% + # + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_percent=0.2)) + # + # Maximum word embedding euclidean distance δ of 0.5. + # + constraints.append( + WordEmbeddingDistance(max_mse_dist=0.5, compare_against_original=False) + ) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Perform word substitution with an improved genetic algorithm. + # Fix the hyperparameter values to S = 60, M = 20, λ = 5." + # + search_method = ImprovedGeneticAlgorithm( + pop_size=60, + max_iters=20, + max_replace_times_per_index=5, + post_crossover_check=False, + ) + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/input_reduction_feng_2018.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/input_reduction_feng_2018.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..85be1c2ef924791f560c466248f1d3bacdfafc24 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/input_reduction_feng_2018.py @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +""" + +Input Reduction +==================== +(Pathologies of Neural Models Make Interpretations Difficult) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import InputReduction +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordDeletion + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class InputReductionFeng2018(AttackRecipe): + """Feng, Wallace, Grissom, Iyyer, Rodriguez, Boyd-Graber. (2018). + + Pathologies of Neural Models Make Interpretations Difficult. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.07781 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # At each step, we remove the word with the lowest importance value until + # the model changes its prediction. + transformation = WordDeletion() + + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = InputReduction(model_wrapper, maximizable=True) + # + # "For each word in an input sentence, we measure its importance by the + # change in the confidence of the original prediction when we remove + # that word from the sentence." + # + # "Instead of looking at the words with high importance values—what + # interpretation methods commonly do—we take a complementary approach + # and study how the model behaves when the supposedly unimportant words are + # removed." + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="delete") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/kuleshov_2017.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/kuleshov_2017.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8d2b7bf9390b63df13ff6b37f1bd8a4a0eb02ea1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/kuleshov_2017.py @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +""" +Kuleshov2017 +============== +(Adversarial Examples for Natural Language Classification Problems) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models import GPT2 +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import ThoughtVector +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedySearch +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class Kuleshov2017(AttackRecipe): + """Kuleshov, V. et al. + + Generating Natural Language Adversarial Examples. + + https://openreview.net/pdf?id=r1QZ3zbAZ. + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # "Specifically, in all experiments, we used a target of τ = 0.7, + # a neighborhood size of N = 15, and parameters λ_1 = 0.2 and δ = 0.5; we set + # the syntactic bound to λ_2 = 2 nats for sentiment analysis" + + # + # Word swap with top-15 counter-fitted embedding neighbors. + # + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=15) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # Maximum of 50% of words perturbed (δ in the paper). + # + constraints.append(MaxWordsPerturbed(max_percent=0.5)) + # + # Maximum thought vector Euclidean distance of λ_1 = 0.2. (eq. 4) + # + constraints.append(ThoughtVector(threshold=0.2, metric="max_euclidean")) + # + # + # Maximum language model log-probability difference of λ_2 = 2. (eq. 5) + # + constraints.append(GPT2(max_log_prob_diff=2.0)) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification: reduce original probability score + # to below τ = 0.7 (Algorithm 1). + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper, target_max_score=0.7) + # + # Perform word substitution with a genetic algorithm. + # + search_method = GreedySearch() + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/morpheus_tan_2020.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/morpheus_tan_2020.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b98360a531bc9093d4249044db977fbf70e86281 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/morpheus_tan_2020.py @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +""" +MORPHEUS2020 +=============== +(It’s Morphin’ Time! Combating Linguistic Discrimination with Inflectional Perturbations) + + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import MinimizeBleu +from textattack.search_methods import GreedySearch +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapInflections + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class MorpheusTan2020(AttackRecipe): + """Samson Tan, Shafiq Joty, Min-Yen Kan, Richard Socher. + + It’s Morphin’ Time! Combating Linguistic Discrimination with Inflectional Perturbations + + https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/2020.acl-main.263/ + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Goal is to minimize BLEU score between the model output given for the + # perturbed input sequence and the reference translation + # + goal_function = MinimizeBleu(model_wrapper) + + # Swap words with their inflections + transformation = WordSwapInflections() + + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + # + # Greedily swap words (see pseudocode, Algorithm 1 of the paper). + # + search_method = GreedySearch() + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/pruthi_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/pruthi_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fb3804a9e5dfa010a2b66f83967c85f30188448d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/pruthi_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +""" +Pruthi2019: Combating with Robust Word Recognition +================================================================= + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.overlap import MaxWordsPerturbed +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + MinWordLength, + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedySearch +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap, + WordSwapQWERTY, + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class Pruthi2019(AttackRecipe): + """An implementation of the attack used in "Combating Adversarial + Misspellings with Robust Word Recognition", Pruthi et al., 2019. + + This attack focuses on a small number of character-level changes that simulate common typos. It combines: + - Swapping neighboring characters + - Deleting characters + - Inserting characters + - Swapping characters for adjacent keys on a QWERTY keyboard. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.11268 + + :param model: Model to attack. + :param max_num_word_swaps: Maximum number of modifications to allow. + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper, max_num_word_swaps=1): + # a combination of 4 different character-based transforms + # ignore the first and last letter of each word, as in the paper + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap( + random_one=False, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion( + random_one=False, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion( + random_one=False, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + WordSwapQWERTY( + random_one=False, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + ] + ) + # only edit words of length >= 4, edit max_num_word_swaps words. + # note that we also are not editing the same word twice, so + # max_num_word_swaps is really the max number of character + # changes that can be made. The paper looks at 1 and 2 char attacks. + constraints = [ + MinWordLength(min_length=4), + StopwordModification(), + MaxWordsPerturbed(max_num_words=max_num_word_swaps), + RepeatModification(), + ] + # untargeted attack + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + search_method = GreedySearch() + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/pso_zang_2020.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/pso_zang_2020.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0812c892bc244c5f823f0f880351e6c6f47ed410 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/pso_zang_2020.py @@ -0,0 +1,69 @@ +""" + +Particle Swarm Optimization +================================== + +(Word-level Textual Adversarial Attacking as Combinatorial Optimization) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + InputColumnModification, + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import ParticleSwarmOptimization +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapHowNet + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class PSOZang2020(AttackRecipe): + """Zang, Y., Yang, C., Qi, F., Liu, Z., Zhang, M., Liu, Q., & Sun, M. + (2019). + + Word-level Textual Adversarial Attacking as Combinatorial Optimization. + + https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/2020.acl-main.540.pdf + + Methodology description quoted from the paper: + + "We propose a novel word substitution-based textual attack model, which reforms + both the aforementioned two steps. In the first step, we adopt a sememe-based word + substitution strategy, which can generate more candidate adversarial examples with + better semantic preservation. In the second step, we utilize particle swarm optimization + (Eberhart and Kennedy, 1995) as the adversarial example searching algorithm." + + And "Following the settings in Alzantot et al. (2018), we set the max iteration time G to 20." + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Swap words with their synonyms extracted based on the HowNet. + # + transformation = WordSwapHowNet() + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # + # During entailment, we should only edit the hypothesis - keep the premise + # the same. + # + input_column_modification = InputColumnModification( + ["premise", "hypothesis"], {"premise"} + ) + constraints.append(input_column_modification) + # + # Use untargeted classification for demo, can be switched to targeted one + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Perform word substitution with a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. + # + search_method = ParticleSwarmOptimization(pop_size=60, max_iters=20) + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/pwws_ren_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/pwws_ren_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b53fd0930d588998f1ef8fe24e30089d310b18f0 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/pwws_ren_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +""" + +PWWS +======= + +(Generating Natural Language Adversarial Examples through Probability Weighted Word Saliency) + +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapWordNet + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class PWWSRen2019(AttackRecipe): + """An implementation of Probability Weighted Word Saliency from "Generating + Natural Language Adversarial Examples through Probability Weighted Word + Saliency", Ren et al., 2019. + + Words are prioritized for a synonym-swap transformation based on + a combination of their saliency score and maximum word-swap effectiveness. + Note that this implementation does not include the Named + Entity adversarial swap from the original paper, because it requires + access to the full dataset and ground truth labels in advance. + + https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/P19-1103/ + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + transformation = WordSwapWordNet() + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # search over words based on a combination of their saliency score, and how efficient the WordSwap transform is + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR("weighted-saliency") + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/seq2sick_cheng_2018_blackbox.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/seq2sick_cheng_2018_blackbox.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..86b79aa2338e4e581ca38cba824341eabb23ff4f --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/seq2sick_cheng_2018_blackbox.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" + +Seq2Sick +================================================ +(Seq2Sick: Evaluating the Robustness of Sequence-to-Sequence Models with Adversarial Examples) +""" +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.overlap import LevenshteinEditDistance +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import NonOverlappingOutput +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class Seq2SickCheng2018BlackBox(AttackRecipe): + """Cheng, Minhao, et al. + + Seq2Sick: Evaluating the Robustness of Sequence-to-Sequence Models with + Adversarial Examples + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.01128 + + This is a greedy re-implementation of the seq2sick attack method. It does + not use gradient descent. + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper, goal_function="non_overlapping"): + # + # Goal is non-overlapping output. + # + goal_function = NonOverlappingOutput(model_wrapper) + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=50) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or stopwords + # + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # + # In these experiments, we hold the maximum difference + # on edit distance (ϵ) to a constant 30 for each sample. + # + constraints.append(LevenshteinEditDistance(30)) + # + # Greedily swap words with "Word Importance Ranking". + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="unk") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/spanish_recipe.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/spanish_recipe.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..bca39b30744d4c9d1014bf6d9c884deb63a0b04b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/spanish_recipe.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapChangeLocation, + WordSwapChangeName, + WordSwapWordNet, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class SpanishRecipe(AttackRecipe): + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapWordNet(language="esp"), + WordSwapChangeLocation(language="esp"), + WordSwapChangeName(language="esp"), + ] + ) + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification("spanish")] + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR() + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/textbugger_li_2018.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/textbugger_li_2018.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fbf2121319b0384fecf7b08f0d507010bacd4bb7 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/textbugger_li_2018.py @@ -0,0 +1,98 @@ +""" + +TextBugger +=============== + +(TextBugger: Generating Adversarial Text Against Real-world Applications) + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapEmbedding, + WordSwapHomoglyphSwap, + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap, + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion, +) + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class TextBuggerLi2018(AttackRecipe): + """Li, J., Ji, S., Du, T., Li, B., and Wang, T. (2018). + + TextBugger: Generating Adversarial Text Against Real-world Applications. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.05271 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # we propose five bug generation methods for TEXTBUGGER: + # + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + # (1) Insert: Insert a space into the word. + # Generally, words are segmented by spaces in English. Therefore, + # we can deceive classifiers by inserting spaces into words. + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion( + random_one=True, + letters_to_insert=" ", + skip_first_char=True, + skip_last_char=True, + ), + # (2) Delete: Delete a random character of the word except for the first + # and the last character. + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion( + random_one=True, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + # (3) Swap: Swap random two adjacent letters in the word but do not + # alter the first or last letter. This is a common occurrence when + # typing quickly and is easy to implement. + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap( + random_one=True, skip_first_char=True, skip_last_char=True + ), + # (4) Substitute-C (Sub-C): Replace characters with visually similar + # characters (e.g., replacing “o” with “0”, “l” with “1”, “a” with “@”) + # or adjacent characters in the keyboard (e.g., replacing “m” with “n”). + WordSwapHomoglyphSwap(), + # (5) Substitute-W + # (Sub-W): Replace a word with its topk nearest neighbors in a + # context-aware word vector space. Specifically, we use the pre-trained + # GloVe model [30] provided by Stanford for word embedding and set + # topk = 5 in the experiment. + WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=5), + ] + ) + + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + # In our experiment, we first use the Universal Sentence + # Encoder [7], a model trained on a number of natural language + # prediction tasks that require modeling the meaning of word + # sequences, to encode sentences into high dimensional vectors. + # Then, we use the cosine similarity to measure the semantic + # similarity between original texts and adversarial texts. + # ... "Furthermore, the semantic similarity threshold \eps is set + # as 0.8 to guarantee a good trade-off between quality and + # strength of the generated adversarial text." + constraints.append(UniversalSentenceEncoder(threshold=0.8)) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Greedily swap words with "Word Importance Ranking". + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="delete") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_recipes/textfooler_jin_2019.py b/textattack/attack_recipes/textfooler_jin_2019.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1181b3a4a7160b1351813e5a15ce474074732841 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_recipes/textfooler_jin_2019.py @@ -0,0 +1,91 @@ +""" + +TextFooler (Is BERT Really Robust?) +=================================================== +A Strong Baseline for Natural Language Attack on Text Classification and Entailment) + +""" + +from textattack import Attack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality import PartOfSpeech +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + InputColumnModification, + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.goal_functions import UntargetedClassification +from textattack.search_methods import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + +from .attack_recipe import AttackRecipe + + +class TextFoolerJin2019(AttackRecipe): + """Jin, D., Jin, Z., Zhou, J.T., & Szolovits, P. (2019). + + Is BERT Really Robust? Natural Language Attack on Text Classification and Entailment. + + https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.11932 + """ + + @staticmethod + def build(model_wrapper): + # + # Swap words with their 50 closest embedding nearest-neighbors. + # Embedding: Counter-fitted PARAGRAM-SL999 vectors. + # + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=50) + # + # Don't modify the same word twice or the stopwords defined + # in the TextFooler public implementation. + # + # fmt: off + stopwords = set( + ["a", "about", "above", "across", "after", "afterwards", "again", "against", "ain", "all", "almost", "alone", "along", "already", "also", "although", "am", "among", "amongst", "an", "and", "another", "any", "anyhow", "anyone", "anything", "anyway", "anywhere", "are", "aren", "aren't", "around", "as", "at", "back", "been", "before", "beforehand", "behind", "being", "below", "beside", "besides", "between", "beyond", "both", "but", "by", "can", "cannot", "could", "couldn", "couldn't", "d", "didn", "didn't", "doesn", "doesn't", "don", "don't", "down", "due", "during", "either", "else", "elsewhere", "empty", "enough", "even", "ever", "everyone", "everything", "everywhere", "except", "first", "for", "former", "formerly", "from", "hadn", "hadn't", "hasn", "hasn't", "haven", "haven't", "he", "hence", "her", "here", "hereafter", "hereby", "herein", "hereupon", "hers", "herself", "him", "himself", "his", "how", "however", "hundred", "i", "if", "in", "indeed", "into", "is", "isn", "isn't", "it", "it's", "its", "itself", "just", "latter", "latterly", "least", "ll", "may", "me", "meanwhile", "mightn", "mightn't", "mine", "more", "moreover", "most", "mostly", "must", "mustn", "mustn't", "my", "myself", "namely", "needn", "needn't", "neither", "never", "nevertheless", "next", "no", "nobody", "none", "noone", "nor", "not", "nothing", "now", "nowhere", "o", "of", "off", "on", "once", "one", "only", "onto", "or", "other", "others", "otherwise", "our", "ours", "ourselves", "out", "over", "per", "please", "s", "same", "shan", "shan't", "she", "she's", "should've", "shouldn", "shouldn't", "somehow", "something", "sometime", "somewhere", "such", "t", "than", "that", "that'll", "the", "their", "theirs", "them", "themselves", "then", "thence", "there", "thereafter", "thereby", "therefore", "therein", "thereupon", "these", "they", "this", "those", "through", "throughout", "thru", "thus", "to", "too", "toward", "towards", "under", "unless", "until", "up", "upon", "used", "ve", "was", "wasn", "wasn't", "we", "were", "weren", "weren't", "what", "whatever", "when", "whence", "whenever", "where", "whereafter", "whereas", "whereby", "wherein", "whereupon", "wherever", "whether", "which", "while", "whither", "who", "whoever", "whole", "whom", "whose", "why", "with", "within", "without", "won", "won't", "would", "wouldn", "wouldn't", "y", "yet", "you", "you'd", "you'll", "you're", "you've", "your", "yours", "yourself", "yourselves"] + ) + # fmt: on + constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification(stopwords=stopwords)] + # + # During entailment, we should only edit the hypothesis - keep the premise + # the same. + # + input_column_modification = InputColumnModification( + ["premise", "hypothesis"], {"premise"} + ) + constraints.append(input_column_modification) + # Minimum word embedding cosine similarity of 0.5. + # (The paper claims 0.7, but analysis of the released code and some empirical + # results show that it's 0.5.) + # + constraints.append(WordEmbeddingDistance(min_cos_sim=0.5)) + # + # Only replace words with the same part of speech (or nouns with verbs) + # + constraints.append(PartOfSpeech(allow_verb_noun_swap=True)) + # + # Universal Sentence Encoder with a minimum angular similarity of ε = 0.5. + # + # In the TextFooler code, they forget to divide the angle between the two + # embeddings by pi. So if the original threshold was that 1 - sim >= 0.5, the + # new threshold is 1 - (0.5) / pi = 0.840845057 + # + use_constraint = UniversalSentenceEncoder( + threshold=0.840845057, + metric="angular", + compare_against_original=False, + window_size=15, + skip_text_shorter_than_window=True, + ) + constraints.append(use_constraint) + # + # Goal is untargeted classification + # + goal_function = UntargetedClassification(model_wrapper) + # + # Greedily swap words with "Word Importance Ranking". + # + search_method = GreedyWordSwapWIR(wir_method="delete") + + return Attack(goal_function, constraints, transformation, search_method) diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/__init__.py b/textattack/attack_results/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9337d6b6219cf660daf1f2e1f787183336fcc7bb --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""" + +TextAttack attack_results Package +================================== + +""" + +from .attack_result import AttackResult +from .maximized_attack_result import MaximizedAttackResult +from .failed_attack_result import FailedAttackResult +from .skipped_attack_result import SkippedAttackResult +from .successful_attack_result import SuccessfulAttackResult diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/attack_result.py b/textattack/attack_results/attack_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f5fd740406f1a076e727b2db6c3edffb640a2788 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/attack_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +""" +AttackResult Class +====================== + +""" + +from abc import ABC + +from langdetect import detect + +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResult +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class AttackResult(ABC): + """Result of an Attack run on a single (output, text_input) pair. + + Args: + original_result (:class:`~textattack.goal_function_results.GoalFunctionResult`): + Result of the goal function applied to the original text + perturbed_result (:class:`~textattack.goal_function_results.GoalFunctionResult`): + Result of the goal function applied to the perturbed text. May or may not have been successful. + """ + + def __init__(self, original_result, perturbed_result): + if original_result is None: + raise ValueError("Attack original result cannot be None") + elif not isinstance(original_result, GoalFunctionResult): + raise TypeError(f"Invalid original goal function result: {original_result}") + if perturbed_result is None: + raise ValueError("Attack perturbed result cannot be None") + elif not isinstance(perturbed_result, GoalFunctionResult): + raise TypeError( + f"Invalid perturbed goal function result: {perturbed_result}" + ) + + self.original_result = original_result + self.perturbed_result = perturbed_result + self.num_queries = perturbed_result.num_queries + + # We don't want the AttackedText attributes sticking around clogging up + # space on our devices. Delete them here, if they're still present, + # because we won't need them anymore anyway. + self.original_result.attacked_text.free_memory() + self.perturbed_result.attacked_text.free_memory() + + def original_text(self, color_method=None): + """Returns the text portion of `self.original_result`. + + Helper method. + """ + return self.original_result.attacked_text.printable_text( + key_color=("bold", "underline"), key_color_method=color_method + ) + + def perturbed_text(self, color_method=None): + """Returns the text portion of `self.perturbed_result`. + + Helper method. + """ + return self.perturbed_result.attacked_text.printable_text( + key_color=("bold", "underline"), key_color_method=color_method + ) + + def str_lines(self, color_method=None): + """A list of the lines to be printed for this result's string + representation.""" + lines = [self.goal_function_result_str(color_method=color_method)] + lines.extend(self.diff_color(color_method)) + return lines + + def __str__(self, color_method=None): + return "\n\n".join(self.str_lines(color_method=color_method)) + + def goal_function_result_str(self, color_method=None): + """Returns a string illustrating the results of the goal function.""" + orig_colored = self.original_result.get_colored_output(color_method) + pert_colored = self.perturbed_result.get_colored_output(color_method) + return orig_colored + " --> " + pert_colored + + def diff_color(self, color_method=None): + """Highlights the difference between two texts using color. + + Has to account for deletions and insertions from original text to + perturbed. Relies on the index map stored in + ``self.original_result.attacked_text.attack_attrs["original_index_map"]``. + """ + t1 = self.original_result.attacked_text + t2 = self.perturbed_result.attacked_text + + if detect(t1.text) == "zh-cn" or detect(t1.text) == "ko": + return t1.printable_text(), t2.printable_text() + + if color_method is None: + return t1.printable_text(), t2.printable_text() + + color_1 = self.original_result.get_text_color_input() + color_2 = self.perturbed_result.get_text_color_perturbed() + + # iterate through and count equal/unequal words + words_1_idxs = [] + t2_equal_idxs = set() + original_index_map = t2.attack_attrs["original_index_map"] + for t1_idx, t2_idx in enumerate(original_index_map): + if t2_idx == -1: + # add words in t1 that are not in t2 + words_1_idxs.append(t1_idx) + else: + w1 = t1.words[t1_idx] + w2 = t2.words[t2_idx] + if w1 == w2: + t2_equal_idxs.add(t2_idx) + else: + words_1_idxs.append(t1_idx) + + # words to color in t2 are all the words that didn't have an equal, + # mapped word in t1 + words_2_idxs = list(sorted(set(range(t2.num_words)) - t2_equal_idxs)) + + # make lists of colored words + words_1 = [t1.words[i] for i in words_1_idxs] + words_1 = [utils.color_text(w, color_1, color_method) for w in words_1] + words_2 = [t2.words[i] for i in words_2_idxs] + words_2 = [utils.color_text(w, color_2, color_method) for w in words_2] + + t1 = self.original_result.attacked_text.replace_words_at_indices( + words_1_idxs, words_1 + ) + t2 = self.perturbed_result.attacked_text.replace_words_at_indices( + words_2_idxs, words_2 + ) + + key_color = ("bold", "underline") + return ( + t1.printable_text(key_color=key_color, key_color_method=color_method), + t2.printable_text(key_color=key_color, key_color_method=color_method), + ) diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/failed_attack_result.py b/textattack/attack_results/failed_attack_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e63c9fdea3be91b6a68e195c995a63d6fc779d5a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/failed_attack_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +""" +FailedAttackResult Class +=========================== + +""" + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .attack_result import AttackResult + + +class FailedAttackResult(AttackResult): + """The result of a failed attack.""" + + def __init__(self, original_result, perturbed_result=None): + perturbed_result = perturbed_result or original_result + super().__init__(original_result, perturbed_result) + + def str_lines(self, color_method=None): + lines = ( + self.goal_function_result_str(color_method), + self.original_text(color_method), + ) + return tuple(map(str, lines)) + + def goal_function_result_str(self, color_method=None): + failed_str = utils.color_text("[FAILED]", "red", color_method) + return ( + self.original_result.get_colored_output(color_method) + " --> " + failed_str + ) diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/maximized_attack_result.py b/textattack/attack_results/maximized_attack_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1d48fcebe62c1084770e00b7bea262607a8a3942 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/maximized_attack_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +""" +MaximizedAttackResult Class +============================ + +""" + +from .attack_result import AttackResult + + +class MaximizedAttackResult(AttackResult): + """The result of a successful attack.""" diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/skipped_attack_result.py b/textattack/attack_results/skipped_attack_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4f075f65492779b0b647c4d9d41d2526b4725832 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/skipped_attack_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +""" +SkippedAttackResult Class +============================ + +""" + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .attack_result import AttackResult + + +class SkippedAttackResult(AttackResult): + """The result of a skipped attack.""" + + def __init__(self, original_result): + super().__init__(original_result, original_result) + + def str_lines(self, color_method=None): + lines = ( + self.goal_function_result_str(color_method), + self.original_text(color_method), + ) + return tuple(map(str, lines)) + + def goal_function_result_str(self, color_method=None): + skipped_str = utils.color_text("[SKIPPED]", "gray", color_method) + return ( + self.original_result.get_colored_output(color_method) + + " --> " + + skipped_str + ) diff --git a/textattack/attack_results/successful_attack_result.py b/textattack/attack_results/successful_attack_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2d1e489ef6d4de01d6a103b32f4651fc859cf92d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attack_results/successful_attack_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""" +SuccessfulAttackResult Class +============================== + +""" + + +from .attack_result import AttackResult + + +class SuccessfulAttackResult(AttackResult): + """The result of a successful attack.""" diff --git a/textattack/attacker.py b/textattack/attacker.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..04edbe942a63807188d17cb557a624d0a885eb9e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/attacker.py @@ -0,0 +1,627 @@ +""" +Attacker Class +============== +""" + +import collections +import logging +import multiprocessing as mp +import os +import queue +import random +import traceback + +import torch +import tqdm + +import textattack +from textattack.attack_results import ( + FailedAttackResult, + MaximizedAttackResult, + SkippedAttackResult, + SuccessfulAttackResult, +) +from textattack.shared.utils import logger + +from .attack import Attack +from .attack_args import AttackArgs + + +class Attacker: + """Class for running attacks on a dataset with specified parameters. This + class uses the :class:`~textattack.Attack` to actually run the attacks, + while also providing useful features such as parallel processing, + saving/resuming from a checkpint, logging to files and stdout. + + Args: + attack (:class:`~textattack.Attack`): + :class:`~textattack.Attack` used to actually carry out the attack. + dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Dataset to attack. + attack_args (:class:`~textattack.AttackArgs`): + Arguments for attacking the dataset. For default settings, look at the `AttackArgs` class. + + Example:: + + >>> import textattack + >>> import transformers + + >>> model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained("textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb") + >>> tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb") + >>> model_wrapper = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + + >>> attack = textattack.attack_recipes.TextFoolerJin2019.build(model_wrapper) + >>> dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset("imdb", split="test") + + >>> # Attack 20 samples with CSV logging and checkpoint saved every 5 interval + >>> attack_args = textattack.AttackArgs( + ... num_examples=20, + ... log_to_csv="log.csv", + ... checkpoint_interval=5, + ... checkpoint_dir="checkpoints", + ... disable_stdout=True + ... ) + + >>> attacker = textattack.Attacker(attack, dataset, attack_args) + >>> attacker.attack_dataset() + """ + + def __init__(self, attack, dataset, attack_args=None): + assert isinstance( + attack, Attack + ), f"`attack` argument must be of type `textattack.Attack`, but got type of `{type(attack)}`." + assert isinstance( + dataset, textattack.datasets.Dataset + ), f"`dataset` must be of type `textattack.datasets.Dataset`, but got type `{type(dataset)}`." + + if attack_args: + assert isinstance( + attack_args, AttackArgs + ), f"`attack_args` must be of type `textattack.AttackArgs`, but got type `{type(attack_args)}`." + else: + attack_args = AttackArgs() + + self.attack = attack + self.dataset = dataset + self.attack_args = attack_args + self.attack_log_manager = None + + # This is to be set if loading from a checkpoint + self._checkpoint = None + + def _get_worklist(self, start, end, num_examples, shuffle): + if end - start < num_examples: + logger.warn( + f"Attempting to attack {num_examples} samples when only {end-start} are available." + ) + candidates = list(range(start, end)) + if shuffle: + random.shuffle(candidates) + worklist = collections.deque(candidates[:num_examples]) + candidates = collections.deque(candidates[num_examples:]) + assert (len(worklist) + len(candidates)) == (end - start) + return worklist, candidates + + def simple_attack(self, text, label): + """Internal method that carries out attack. + + No parallel processing is involved. + """ + if torch.cuda.is_available(): + self.attack.cuda_() + + example, ground_truth_output = text, label + try: + example = textattack.shared.AttackedText(example) + if self.dataset.label_names is not None: + example.attack_attrs["label_names"] = self.dataset.label_names + try: + result = self.attack.attack(example, ground_truth_output) + except Exception as e: + raise e + # return + if ( + isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult) and self.attack_args.attack_n + ) or ( + not isinstance(result, SuccessfulAttackResult) + and self.attack_args.num_successful_examples + ): + return + else: + return result + except KeyboardInterrupt as e: + raise e + + def _attack(self): + """Internal method that carries out attack. + + No parallel processing is involved. + """ + if torch.cuda.is_available(): + self.attack.cuda_() + + if self._checkpoint: + num_remaining_attacks = self._checkpoint.num_remaining_attacks + worklist = self._checkpoint.worklist + worklist_candidates = self._checkpoint.worklist_candidates + logger.info( + f"Recovered from checkpoint previously saved at {self._checkpoint.datetime}." + ) + else: + if self.attack_args.num_successful_examples: + num_remaining_attacks = self.attack_args.num_successful_examples + # We make `worklist` deque (linked-list) for easy pop and append. + # Candidates are other samples we can attack if we need more samples. + worklist, worklist_candidates = self._get_worklist( + self.attack_args.num_examples_offset, + len(self.dataset), + self.attack_args.num_successful_examples, + self.attack_args.shuffle, + ) + else: + num_remaining_attacks = self.attack_args.num_examples + # We make `worklist` deque (linked-list) for easy pop and append. + # Candidates are other samples we can attack if we need more samples. + worklist, worklist_candidates = self._get_worklist( + self.attack_args.num_examples_offset, + len(self.dataset), + self.attack_args.num_examples, + self.attack_args.shuffle, + ) + + if not self.attack_args.silent: + print(self.attack, "\n") + + pbar = tqdm.tqdm(total=num_remaining_attacks, smoothing=0, dynamic_ncols=True) + if self._checkpoint: + num_results = self._checkpoint.results_count + num_failures = self._checkpoint.num_failed_attacks + num_skipped = self._checkpoint.num_skipped_attacks + num_successes = self._checkpoint.num_successful_attacks + else: + num_results = 0 + num_failures = 0 + num_skipped = 0 + num_successes = 0 + + sample_exhaustion_warned = False + while worklist: + idx = worklist.popleft() + try: + example, ground_truth_output = self.dataset[idx] + except IndexError: + continue + example = textattack.shared.AttackedText(example) + if self.dataset.label_names is not None: + example.attack_attrs["label_names"] = self.dataset.label_names + try: + result = self.attack.attack(example, ground_truth_output) + except Exception as e: + raise e + if ( + isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult) and self.attack_args.attack_n + ) or ( + not isinstance(result, SuccessfulAttackResult) + and self.attack_args.num_successful_examples + ): + if worklist_candidates: + next_sample = worklist_candidates.popleft() + worklist.append(next_sample) + else: + if not sample_exhaustion_warned: + logger.warn("Ran out of samples to attack!") + sample_exhaustion_warned = True + else: + pbar.update(1) + + self.attack_log_manager.log_result(result) + if not self.attack_args.disable_stdout and not self.attack_args.silent: + print("\n") + num_results += 1 + + if isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult): + num_skipped += 1 + if isinstance(result, (SuccessfulAttackResult, MaximizedAttackResult)): + num_successes += 1 + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult): + num_failures += 1 + pbar.set_description( + f"[Succeeded / Failed / Skipped / Total] {num_successes} / {num_failures} / {num_skipped} / {num_results}" + ) + + if ( + self.attack_args.checkpoint_interval + and len(self.attack_log_manager.results) + % self.attack_args.checkpoint_interval + == 0 + ): + new_checkpoint = textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint( + self.attack_args, + self.attack_log_manager, + worklist, + worklist_candidates, + ) + new_checkpoint.save() + self.attack_log_manager.flush() + + pbar.close() + print() + # Enable summary stdout + if not self.attack_args.silent and self.attack_args.disable_stdout: + self.attack_log_manager.enable_stdout() + + if self.attack_args.enable_advance_metrics: + self.attack_log_manager.enable_advance_metrics = True + + self.attack_log_manager.log_summary() + self.attack_log_manager.flush() + print() + + def _attack_parallel(self): + pytorch_multiprocessing_workaround() + + if self._checkpoint: + num_remaining_attacks = self._checkpoint.num_remaining_attacks + worklist = self._checkpoint.worklist + worklist_candidates = self._checkpoint.worklist_candidates + logger.info( + f"Recovered from checkpoint previously saved at {self._checkpoint.datetime}." + ) + else: + if self.attack_args.num_successful_examples: + num_remaining_attacks = self.attack_args.num_successful_examples + # We make `worklist` deque (linked-list) for easy pop and append. + # Candidates are other samples we can attack if we need more samples. + worklist, worklist_candidates = self._get_worklist( + self.attack_args.num_examples_offset, + len(self.dataset), + self.attack_args.num_successful_examples, + self.attack_args.shuffle, + ) + else: + num_remaining_attacks = self.attack_args.num_examples + # We make `worklist` deque (linked-list) for easy pop and append. + # Candidates are other samples we can attack if we need more samples. + worklist, worklist_candidates = self._get_worklist( + self.attack_args.num_examples_offset, + len(self.dataset), + self.attack_args.num_examples, + self.attack_args.shuffle, + ) + + in_queue = torch.multiprocessing.Queue() + out_queue = torch.multiprocessing.Queue() + for i in worklist: + try: + example, ground_truth_output = self.dataset[i] + example = textattack.shared.AttackedText(example) + if self.dataset.label_names is not None: + example.attack_attrs["label_names"] = self.dataset.label_names + in_queue.put((i, example, ground_truth_output)) + except IndexError: + raise IndexError( + f"Tried to access element at {i} in dataset of size {len(self.dataset)}." + ) + + # We reserve the first GPU for coordinating workers. + num_gpus = torch.cuda.device_count() + num_workers = self.attack_args.num_workers_per_device * num_gpus + logger.info(f"Running {num_workers} worker(s) on {num_gpus} GPU(s).") + + # Lock for synchronization + lock = mp.Lock() + + # We move Attacker (and its components) to CPU b/c we don't want models using wrong GPU in worker processes. + self.attack.cpu_() + torch.cuda.empty_cache() + + # Start workers. + worker_pool = torch.multiprocessing.Pool( + num_workers, + attack_from_queue, + ( + self.attack, + self.attack_args, + num_gpus, + mp.Value("i", 1, lock=False), + lock, + in_queue, + out_queue, + ), + ) + + # Log results asynchronously and update progress bar. + if self._checkpoint: + num_results = self._checkpoint.results_count + num_failures = self._checkpoint.num_failed_attacks + num_skipped = self._checkpoint.num_skipped_attacks + num_successes = self._checkpoint.num_successful_attacks + else: + num_results = 0 + num_failures = 0 + num_skipped = 0 + num_successes = 0 + + logger.info(f"Worklist size: {len(worklist)}") + logger.info(f"Worklist candidate size: {len(worklist_candidates)}") + + sample_exhaustion_warned = False + pbar = tqdm.tqdm(total=num_remaining_attacks, smoothing=0, dynamic_ncols=True) + while worklist: + idx, result = out_queue.get(block=True) + worklist.remove(idx) + + if isinstance(result, tuple) and isinstance(result[0], Exception): + logger.error( + f'Exception encountered for input "{self.dataset[idx][0]}".' + ) + error_trace = result[1] + logger.error(error_trace) + in_queue.close() + in_queue.join_thread() + out_queue.close() + out_queue.join_thread() + worker_pool.terminate() + worker_pool.join() + return + elif ( + isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult) and self.attack_args.attack_n + ) or ( + not isinstance(result, SuccessfulAttackResult) + and self.attack_args.num_successful_examples + ): + if worklist_candidates: + next_sample = worklist_candidates.popleft() + example, ground_truth_output = self.dataset[next_sample] + example = textattack.shared.AttackedText(example) + if self.dataset.label_names is not None: + example.attack_attrs["label_names"] = self.dataset.label_names + worklist.append(next_sample) + in_queue.put((next_sample, example, ground_truth_output)) + else: + if not sample_exhaustion_warned: + logger.warn("Ran out of samples to attack!") + sample_exhaustion_warned = True + else: + pbar.update() + + self.attack_log_manager.log_result(result) + num_results += 1 + + if isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult): + num_skipped += 1 + if isinstance(result, (SuccessfulAttackResult, MaximizedAttackResult)): + num_successes += 1 + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult): + num_failures += 1 + pbar.set_description( + f"[Succeeded / Failed / Skipped / Total] {num_successes} / {num_failures} / {num_skipped} / {num_results}" + ) + + if ( + self.attack_args.checkpoint_interval + and len(self.attack_log_manager.results) + % self.attack_args.checkpoint_interval + == 0 + ): + new_checkpoint = textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint( + self.attack_args, + self.attack_log_manager, + worklist, + worklist_candidates, + ) + new_checkpoint.save() + self.attack_log_manager.flush() + + # Send sentinel values to worker processes + for _ in range(num_workers): + in_queue.put(("END", "END", "END")) + worker_pool.close() + worker_pool.join() + + pbar.close() + print() + # Enable summary stdout. + if not self.attack_args.silent and self.attack_args.disable_stdout: + self.attack_log_manager.enable_stdout() + + if self.attack_args.enable_advance_metrics: + self.attack_log_manager.enable_advance_metrics = True + + self.attack_log_manager.log_summary() + self.attack_log_manager.flush() + print() + + def attack_dataset(self): + """Attack the dataset. + + Returns: + :obj:`list[AttackResult]` - List of :class:`~textattack.attack_results.AttackResult` obtained after attacking the given dataset.. + """ + if self.attack_args.silent: + logger.setLevel(logging.ERROR) + + if self.attack_args.query_budget: + self.attack.goal_function.query_budget = self.attack_args.query_budget + + if not self.attack_log_manager: + self.attack_log_manager = AttackArgs.create_loggers_from_args( + self.attack_args + ) + + textattack.shared.utils.set_seed(self.attack_args.random_seed) + if self.dataset.shuffled and self.attack_args.checkpoint_interval: + # Not allowed b/c we cannot recover order of shuffled data + raise ValueError( + "Cannot use `--checkpoint-interval` with dataset that has been internally shuffled." + ) + + self.attack_args.num_examples = ( + len(self.dataset) + if self.attack_args.num_examples == -1 + else self.attack_args.num_examples + ) + if self.attack_args.parallel: + if torch.cuda.device_count() == 0: + raise Exception( + "Found no GPU on your system. To run attacks in parallel, GPU is required." + ) + self._attack_parallel() + else: + self._attack() + + if self.attack_args.silent: + logger.setLevel(logging.INFO) + + return self.attack_log_manager.results + + def update_attack_args(self, **kwargs): + """To update any attack args, pass the new argument as keyword argument + to this function. + + Examples:: + + >>> attacker = #some instance of Attacker + >>> # To switch to parallel mode and increase checkpoint interval from 100 to 500 + >>> attacker.update_attack_args(parallel=True, checkpoint_interval=500) + """ + for k in kwargs: + if hasattr(self.attack_args, k): + self.attack_args.k = kwargs[k] + else: + raise ValueError(f"`textattack.AttackArgs` does not have field {k}.") + + @classmethod + def from_checkpoint(cls, attack, dataset, checkpoint): + """Resume attacking from a saved checkpoint. Attacker and dataset must + be recovered by the user again, while attack args are loaded from the + saved checkpoint. + + Args: + attack (:class:`~textattack.Attack`): + Attack object for carrying out the attack. + dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Dataset to attack. + checkpoint (:obj:`Union[str, :class:`~textattack.shared.AttackChecpoint`]`): + Path of saved checkpoint or the actual saved checkpoint. + """ + assert isinstance( + checkpoint, (str, textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint) + ), f"`checkpoint` must be of type `str` or `textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint`, but got type `{type(checkpoint)}`." + + if isinstance(checkpoint, str): + checkpoint = textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint.load(checkpoint) + attacker = cls(attack, dataset, checkpoint.attack_args) + attacker.attack_log_manager = checkpoint.attack_log_manager + attacker._checkpoint = checkpoint + return attacker + + @staticmethod + def attack_interactive(attack): + print(attack, "\n") + + print("Running in interactive mode") + print("----------------------------") + + while True: + print('Enter a sentence to attack or "q" to quit:') + text = input() + + if text == "q": + break + + if not text: + continue + + print("Attacking...") + + example = textattack.shared.attacked_text.AttackedText(text) + output = attack.goal_function.get_output(example) + result = attack.attack(example, output) + print(result.__str__(color_method="ansi") + "\n") + + +# +# Helper Methods for multiprocess attacks +# +def pytorch_multiprocessing_workaround(): + # This is a fix for a known bug + try: + torch.multiprocessing.set_start_method("spawn", force=True) + torch.multiprocessing.set_sharing_strategy("file_system") + except RuntimeError: + pass + + +def set_env_variables(gpu_id): + # Disable tensorflow logs, except in the case of an error. + if "TF_CPP_MIN_LOG_LEVEL" not in os.environ: + os.environ["TF_CPP_MIN_LOG_LEVEL"] = "3" + + # Set sharing strategy to file_system to avoid file descriptor leaks + torch.multiprocessing.set_sharing_strategy("file_system") + + # Only use one GPU, if we have one. + # For Tensorflow + # TODO: Using USE with `--parallel` raises similar issue as https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues/38518# + os.environ["CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES"] = str(gpu_id) + # For PyTorch + torch.cuda.set_device(gpu_id) + + # Fix TensorFlow GPU memory growth + try: + import tensorflow as tf + + gpus = tf.config.experimental.list_physical_devices("GPU") + if gpus: + try: + # Currently, memory growth needs to be the same across GPUs + gpu = gpus[gpu_id] + tf.config.experimental.set_visible_devices(gpu, "GPU") + tf.config.experimental.set_memory_growth(gpu, True) + except RuntimeError as e: + print(e) + except ModuleNotFoundError: + pass + + +def attack_from_queue( + attack, attack_args, num_gpus, first_to_start, lock, in_queue, out_queue +): + assert isinstance( + attack, Attack + ), f"`attack` must be of type `Attack`, but got type `{type(attack)}`." + + gpu_id = (torch.multiprocessing.current_process()._identity[0] - 1) % num_gpus + set_env_variables(gpu_id) + textattack.shared.utils.set_seed(attack_args.random_seed) + if torch.multiprocessing.current_process()._identity[0] > 1: + logging.disable() + + attack.cuda_() + + # Simple non-synchronized check to see if it's the first process to reach this point. + # This let us avoid waiting for lock. + if bool(first_to_start.value): + # If it's first process to reach this step, we first try to acquire the lock to update the value. + with lock: + # Because another process could have changed `first_to_start=False` while we wait, we check again. + if bool(first_to_start.value): + first_to_start.value = 0 + if not attack_args.silent: + print(attack, "\n") + + while True: + try: + i, example, ground_truth_output = in_queue.get(timeout=5) + if i == "END" and example == "END" and ground_truth_output == "END": + # End process when sentinel value is received + break + else: + result = attack.attack(example, ground_truth_output) + out_queue.put((i, result)) + except Exception as e: + if isinstance(e, queue.Empty): + continue + else: + out_queue.put((i, (e, traceback.format_exc()))) diff --git a/textattack/augment_args.py b/textattack/augment_args.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..666ed2e3c1041fed501793069ae6ccd7db4133c0 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/augment_args.py @@ -0,0 +1,123 @@ +""" +AugmenterArgs Class +=================== +""" + + +from dataclasses import dataclass + +AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES = { + "wordnet": "textattack.augmentation.WordNetAugmenter", + "embedding": "textattack.augmentation.EmbeddingAugmenter", + "charswap": "textattack.augmentation.CharSwapAugmenter", + "eda": "textattack.augmentation.EasyDataAugmenter", + "checklist": "textattack.augmentation.CheckListAugmenter", + "clare": "textattack.augmentation.CLAREAugmenter", + "back_trans": "textattack.augmentation.BackTranslationAugmenter", +} + + +@dataclass +class AugmenterArgs: + """Arguments for performing data augmentation. + + Args: + input_csv (str): Path of input CSV file to augment. + output_csv (str): Path of CSV file to output augmented data. + """ + + input_csv: str + output_csv: str + input_column: str + recipe: str = "embedding" + pct_words_to_swap: float = 0.1 + transformations_per_example: int = 2 + random_seed: int = 42 + exclude_original: bool = False + overwrite: bool = False + interactive: bool = False + fast_augment: bool = False + high_yield: bool = False + enable_advanced_metrics: bool = False + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + parser.add_argument( + "--input-csv", + type=str, + help="Path of input CSV file to augment.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--output-csv", + type=str, + help="Path of CSV file to output augmented data.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--input-column", + "--i", + type=str, + help="CSV input column to be augmented", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--recipe", + "-r", + help="Name of augmentation recipe", + type=str, + default="embedding", + choices=AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES.keys(), + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--pct-words-to-swap", + "--p", + help="Percentage of words to modify when generating each augmented example.", + type=float, + default=0.1, + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--transformations-per-example", + "--t", + help="number of augmentations to return for each input", + type=int, + default=2, + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--random-seed", default=42, type=int, help="random seed to set" + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--exclude-original", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="exclude original example from augmented CSV", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--overwrite", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="overwrite output file, if it exists", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--interactive", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="Whether to run attacks interactively.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--high_yield", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="run attacks with high yield.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--fast_augment", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="faster augmentation but may use only a few transformations.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--enable_advanced_metrics", + default=False, + action="store_true", + help="return perplexity and USE score", + ) + + return parser diff --git a/textattack/augmentation/__init__.py b/textattack/augmentation/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c59a11410307b0d4428c36ee5ba5b9a657e37c53 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/augmentation/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,20 @@ +""".. _augmentation: + +TextAttack augmentation package: +================================= + +Transformations and constraints can be used outside of an attack for simple NLP data augmentation with the ``Augmenter`` class that returns all possible transformations for a given string. +""" + + +from .augmenter import Augmenter +from .recipes import ( + WordNetAugmenter, + EmbeddingAugmenter, + CharSwapAugmenter, + EasyDataAugmenter, + CheckListAugmenter, + DeletionAugmenter, + CLAREAugmenter, + BackTranslationAugmenter, +) diff --git a/textattack/augmentation/augmenter.py b/textattack/augmentation/augmenter.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1b8200e2d9f5c3a2e5d95ab8b05af856a9e60785 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/augmentation/augmenter.py @@ -0,0 +1,260 @@ +""" +Augmenter Class +=================== +""" +import random + +import tqdm + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint +from textattack.metrics.quality_metrics import Perplexity, USEMetric +from textattack.shared import AttackedText, utils + + +class Augmenter: + """A class for performing data augmentation using TextAttack. + + Returns all possible transformations for a given string. Currently only + supports transformations which are word swaps. + + Args: + transformation (textattack.Transformation): the transformation + that suggests new texts from an input. + constraints: (list(textattack.Constraint)): constraints + that each transformation must meet + pct_words_to_swap: (float): [0., 1.], percentage of words to swap per augmented example + transformations_per_example: (int): Maximum number of augmentations + per input + high_yield: Whether to return a set of augmented texts that will be relatively similar, or to return only a + single one. + fast_augment: Stops additional transformation runs when number of successful augmentations reaches + transformations_per_example + advanced_metrics: return perplexity and USE Score of augmentation + + Example:: + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion, WordSwapQWERTY, CompositeTransformation + >>> from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import RepeatModification, StopwordModification + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = CompositeTransformation([WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion(), WordSwapQWERTY()]) + >>> constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + >>> # initiate augmenter + >>> augmenter = Augmenter( + ... transformation=transformation, + ... constraints=constraints, + ... pct_words_to_swap=0.5, + ... transformations_per_example=3 + ... ) + + >>> # additional parameters can be modified if not during initiation + >>> augmenter.enable_advanced_metrics = True + >>> augmenter.fast_augment = True + >>> augmenter.high_yield = True + + >>> s = 'What I cannot create, I do not understand.' + >>> results = augmenter.augment(s) + + >>> augmentations = results[0] + >>> perplexity_score = results[1] + >>> use_score = results[2] + """ + + def __init__( + self, + transformation, + constraints=[], + pct_words_to_swap=0.1, + transformations_per_example=1, + high_yield=False, + fast_augment=False, + enable_advanced_metrics=False, + ): + assert ( + transformations_per_example > 0 + ), "transformations_per_example must be a positive integer" + assert 0.0 <= pct_words_to_swap <= 1.0, "pct_words_to_swap must be in [0., 1.]" + self.transformation = transformation + self.pct_words_to_swap = pct_words_to_swap + self.transformations_per_example = transformations_per_example + + self.constraints = [] + self.pre_transformation_constraints = [] + self.high_yield = high_yield + self.fast_augment = fast_augment + self.advanced_metrics = enable_advanced_metrics + for constraint in constraints: + if isinstance(constraint, PreTransformationConstraint): + self.pre_transformation_constraints.append(constraint) + else: + self.constraints.append(constraint) + + def _filter_transformations(self, transformed_texts, current_text, original_text): + """Filters a list of ``AttackedText`` objects to include only the ones + that pass ``self.constraints``.""" + for C in self.constraints: + if len(transformed_texts) == 0: + break + if C.compare_against_original: + if not original_text: + raise ValueError( + f"Missing `original_text` argument when constraint {type(C)} is set to compare against " + f"`original_text` " + ) + + transformed_texts = C.call_many(transformed_texts, original_text) + else: + transformed_texts = C.call_many(transformed_texts, current_text) + return transformed_texts + + def augment(self, text): + """Returns all possible augmentations of ``text`` according to + ``self.transformation``.""" + attacked_text = AttackedText(text) + original_text = attacked_text + all_transformed_texts = set() + num_words_to_swap = max( + int(self.pct_words_to_swap * len(attacked_text.words)), 1 + ) + augmentation_results = [] + for _ in range(self.transformations_per_example): + current_text = attacked_text + words_swapped = len(current_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"]) + + while words_swapped < num_words_to_swap: + transformed_texts = self.transformation( + current_text, self.pre_transformation_constraints + ) + + # Get rid of transformations we already have + transformed_texts = [ + t for t in transformed_texts if t not in all_transformed_texts + ] + + # Filter out transformations that don't match the constraints. + transformed_texts = self._filter_transformations( + transformed_texts, current_text, original_text + ) + + # if there's no more transformed texts after filter, terminate + if not len(transformed_texts): + break + + # look for all transformed_texts that has enough words swapped + if self.high_yield or self.fast_augment: + ready_texts = [ + text + for text in transformed_texts + if len(text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"]) + >= num_words_to_swap + ] + for text in ready_texts: + all_transformed_texts.add(text) + unfinished_texts = [ + text for text in transformed_texts if text not in ready_texts + ] + + if len(unfinished_texts): + current_text = random.choice(unfinished_texts) + else: + # no need for further augmentations if all of transformed_texts meet `num_words_to_swap` + break + else: + current_text = random.choice(transformed_texts) + + # update words_swapped based on modified indices + words_swapped = max( + len(current_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"]), + words_swapped + 1, + ) + + all_transformed_texts.add(current_text) + + # when with fast_augment, terminate early if there're enough successful augmentations + if ( + self.fast_augment + and len(all_transformed_texts) >= self.transformations_per_example + ): + if not self.high_yield: + all_transformed_texts = random.sample( + all_transformed_texts, self.transformations_per_example + ) + break + + perturbed_texts = sorted([at.printable_text() for at in all_transformed_texts]) + + if self.advanced_metrics: + for transformed_texts in all_transformed_texts: + augmentation_results.append( + AugmentationResult(original_text, transformed_texts) + ) + perplexity_stats = Perplexity().calculate(augmentation_results) + use_stats = USEMetric().calculate(augmentation_results) + return perturbed_texts, perplexity_stats, use_stats + + return perturbed_texts + + def augment_many(self, text_list, show_progress=False): + """Returns all possible augmentations of a list of strings according to + ``self.transformation``. + + Args: + text_list (list(string)): a list of strings for data augmentation + Returns a list(string) of augmented texts. + :param show_progress: show process during augmentation + """ + if show_progress: + text_list = tqdm.tqdm(text_list, desc="Augmenting data...") + return [self.augment(text) for text in text_list] + + def augment_text_with_ids(self, text_list, id_list, show_progress=True): + """Supplements a list of text with more text data. + + Returns the augmented text along with the corresponding IDs for + each augmented example. + """ + if len(text_list) != len(id_list): + raise ValueError("List of text must be same length as list of IDs") + if self.transformations_per_example == 0: + return text_list, id_list + all_text_list = [] + all_id_list = [] + if show_progress: + text_list = tqdm.tqdm(text_list, desc="Augmenting data...") + for text, _id in zip(text_list, id_list): + all_text_list.append(text) + all_id_list.append(_id) + augmented_texts = self.augment(text) + all_text_list.extend + all_text_list.extend([text] + augmented_texts) + all_id_list.extend([_id] * (1 + len(augmented_texts))) + return all_text_list, all_id_list + + def __repr__(self): + main_str = "Augmenter" + "(" + lines = [] + # self.transformation + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(transformation): {self.transformation}", 2)) + # self.constraints + constraints_lines = [] + constraints = self.constraints + self.pre_transformation_constraints + if len(constraints): + for i, constraint in enumerate(constraints): + constraints_lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"({i}): {constraint}", 2)) + constraints_str = utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(constraints_lines), 2) + else: + constraints_str = "None" + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(constraints): {constraints_str}", 2)) + main_str += "\n " + "\n ".join(lines) + "\n" + main_str += ")" + return main_str + + +class AugmentationResult: + def __init__(self, text1, text2): + self.original_result = self.tempResult(text1) + self.perturbed_result = self.tempResult(text2) + + class tempResult: + def __init__(self, text): + self.attacked_text = text diff --git a/textattack/augmentation/recipes.py b/textattack/augmentation/recipes.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e407fe7f204ec19e983abbfa3f2c60492f59f5fd --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/augmentation/recipes.py @@ -0,0 +1,264 @@ +""" +Augmenter Recipes: +=================== + +Transformations and constraints can be used for simple NLP data augmentations. Here is a list of recipes for NLP data augmentations + +""" +import random + +from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import ( + RepeatModification, + StopwordModification, +) +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder + +from . import Augmenter + +DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + + +class EasyDataAugmenter(Augmenter): + """An implementation of Easy Data Augmentation, which combines: + + - WordNet synonym replacement + - Randomly replace words with their synonyms. + - Word deletion + - Randomly remove words from the sentence. + - Word order swaps + - Randomly swap the position of words in the sentence. + - Random synonym insertion + - Insert a random synonym of a random word at a random location. + + in one augmentation method. + + "EDA: Easy Data Augmentation Techniques for Boosting Performance on Text Classification Tasks" (Wei and Zou, 2019) + https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.11196 + """ + + def __init__(self, pct_words_to_swap=0.1, transformations_per_example=4): + assert 0.0 <= pct_words_to_swap <= 1.0, "pct_words_to_swap must be in [0., 1.]" + assert ( + transformations_per_example > 0 + ), "transformations_per_example must be a positive integer" + self.pct_words_to_swap = pct_words_to_swap + self.transformations_per_example = transformations_per_example + n_aug_each = max(transformations_per_example // 4, 1) + + self.synonym_replacement = WordNetAugmenter( + pct_words_to_swap=pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=n_aug_each, + ) + self.random_deletion = DeletionAugmenter( + pct_words_to_swap=pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=n_aug_each, + ) + self.random_swap = SwapAugmenter( + pct_words_to_swap=pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=n_aug_each, + ) + self.random_insertion = SynonymInsertionAugmenter( + pct_words_to_swap=pct_words_to_swap, transformations_per_example=n_aug_each + ) + + def augment(self, text): + augmented_text = [] + augmented_text += self.synonym_replacement.augment(text) + augmented_text += self.random_deletion.augment(text) + augmented_text += self.random_swap.augment(text) + augmented_text += self.random_insertion.augment(text) + augmented_text = list(set(augmented_text)) + random.shuffle(augmented_text) + return augmented_text[: self.transformations_per_example] + + def __repr__(self): + return "EasyDataAugmenter" + + +class SwapAugmenter(Augmenter): + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import WordInnerSwapRandom + + transformation = WordInnerSwapRandom() + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS, **kwargs) + + +class SynonymInsertionAugmenter(Augmenter): + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import WordInsertionRandomSynonym + + transformation = WordInsertionRandomSynonym() + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS, **kwargs) + + +class WordNetAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Augments text by replacing with synonyms from the WordNet thesaurus.""" + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import WordSwapWordNet + + transformation = WordSwapWordNet() + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS, **kwargs) + + +class DeletionAugmenter(Augmenter): + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import WordDeletion + + transformation = WordDeletion() + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS, **kwargs) + + +class EmbeddingAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Augments text by transforming words with their embeddings.""" + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + + transformation = WordSwapEmbedding(max_candidates=50) + from textattack.constraints.semantics import WordEmbeddingDistance + + constraints = DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS + [WordEmbeddingDistance(min_cos_sim=0.8)] + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=constraints, **kwargs) + + +class CharSwapAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Augments words by swapping characters out for other characters.""" + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap, + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion, + WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution, + ) + + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + # (1) Swap: Swap two adjacent letters in the word. + WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap(), + # (2) Substitution: Substitute a letter in the word with a random letter. + WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution(), + # (3) Deletion: Delete a random letter from the word. + WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion(), + # (4) Insertion: Insert a random letter in the word. + WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion(), + ] + ) + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS, **kwargs) + + +class CheckListAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Augments words by using the transformation methods provided by CheckList + INV testing, which combines: + + - Name Replacement + - Location Replacement + - Number Alteration + - Contraction/Extension + + "Beyond Accuracy: Behavioral Testing of NLP models with CheckList" (Ribeiro et al., 2020) + https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.04118 + """ + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordSwapChangeLocation, + WordSwapChangeName, + WordSwapChangeNumber, + WordSwapContract, + WordSwapExtend, + ) + + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapChangeNumber(), + WordSwapChangeLocation(), + WordSwapChangeName(), + WordSwapExtend(), + WordSwapContract(), + ] + ) + + constraints = [DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS[0]] + + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=constraints, **kwargs) + + +class CLAREAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Li, Zhang, Peng, Chen, Brockett, Sun, Dolan. + + "Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack" (Li et al., 2020) + + https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07502 + + CLARE builds on a pre-trained masked language model and modifies the inputs in a contextaware manner. + We propose three contextualized perturbations, Replace, Insert and Merge, allowing for generating outputs + of varied lengths. + """ + + def __init__( + self, model="distilroberta-base", tokenizer="distilroberta-base", **kwargs + ): + import transformers + + from textattack.transformations import ( + CompositeTransformation, + WordInsertionMaskedLM, + WordMergeMaskedLM, + WordSwapMaskedLM, + ) + + shared_masked_lm = transformers.AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained(model) + shared_tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(tokenizer) + + transformation = CompositeTransformation( + [ + WordSwapMaskedLM( + method="bae", + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-4, + ), + WordInsertionMaskedLM( + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=0.0, + ), + WordMergeMaskedLM( + masked_language_model=shared_masked_lm, + tokenizer=shared_tokenizer, + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-3, + ), + ] + ) + + use_constraint = UniversalSentenceEncoder( + threshold=0.7, + metric="cosine", + compare_against_original=True, + window_size=15, + skip_text_shorter_than_window=True, + ) + + constraints = DEFAULT_CONSTRAINTS + [use_constraint] + + super().__init__(transformation, constraints=constraints, **kwargs) + + +class BackTranslationAugmenter(Augmenter): + """Sentence level augmentation that uses MarianMTModel to back-translate. + + https://huggingface.co/transformers/model_doc/marian.html + """ + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + from textattack.transformations.sentence_transformations import BackTranslation + + transformation = BackTranslation(chained_back_translation=5) + super().__init__(transformation, **kwargs) diff --git a/textattack/commands/__init__.py b/textattack/commands/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b4446d34441f734375fc2e77f77eb066f8c2d990 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +""" + +TextAttack commands Package +=========================== + +""" + + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod +from .textattack_command import TextAttackCommand +from . import textattack_cli diff --git a/textattack/commands/attack_command.py b/textattack/commands/attack_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d5890fcc30db803d0d8a4d42d47935f4a813d255 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/attack_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +""" + +AttackCommand class +=========================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser + +from textattack import Attacker, CommandLineAttackArgs, DatasetArgs, ModelArgs +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +class AttackCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack attack module: + + A command line parser to run an attack from user specifications. + """ + + def run(self, args): + attack_args = CommandLineAttackArgs(**vars(args)) + dataset = DatasetArgs._create_dataset_from_args(attack_args) + + if attack_args.interactive: + model_wrapper = ModelArgs._create_model_from_args(attack_args) + attack = CommandLineAttackArgs._create_attack_from_args( + attack_args, model_wrapper + ) + Attacker.attack_interactive(attack) + else: + model_wrapper = ModelArgs._create_model_from_args(attack_args) + attack = CommandLineAttackArgs._create_attack_from_args( + attack_args, model_wrapper + ) + attacker = Attacker(attack, dataset, attack_args) + attacker.attack_dataset() + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "attack", + help="run an attack on an NLP model", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser = CommandLineAttackArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser.set_defaults(func=AttackCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/attack_resume_command.py b/textattack/commands/attack_resume_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fc28bc6b1e1e4ab16e7157e1e1673ec3c1bcf8a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/attack_resume_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +""" + +AttackResumeCommand class +=========================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser +import os + +import textattack +from textattack import Attacker, CommandLineAttackArgs, DatasetArgs, ModelArgs +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +class AttackResumeCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack attack resume recipe module: + + A command line parser to resume a checkpointed attack from user + specifications. + """ + + def run(self, args): + checkpoint = self._parse_checkpoint_from_args(args) + assert isinstance(checkpoint.attack_args, CommandLineAttackArgs), ( + f"Expect `attack_args` to be of type `textattack.args.CommandLineAttackArgs`, but got type `{type(checkpoint.attack_args)}`. " + f"If saved `attack_args` is not of type `textattack.args.CommandLineAttackArgs`, cannot resume attack from command line." + ) + # merge/update arguments + checkpoint.attack_args.parallel = args.parallel + if args.checkpoint_dir: + checkpoint.attack_args.checkpoint_dir = args.checkpoint_dir + if args.checkpoint_interval: + checkpoint.attack_args.checkpoint_interval = args.checkpoint_interval + + model_wrapper = ModelArgs._create_model_from_args( + checkpoint.attack_args.attack_args + ) + attack = CommandLineAttackArgs._create_attack_from_args( + checkpoint.attack_args, model_wrapper + ) + dataset = DatasetArgs.parse_dataset_from_args(checkpoint.attack_args) + attacker = Attacker.from_checkpoint(attack, dataset, checkpoint) + attacker.attack_dataset() + + def _parse_checkpoint_from_args(self, args): + file_name = os.path.basename(args.checkpoint_file) + if file_name.lower() == "latest": + dir_path = os.path.dirname(args.checkpoint_file) + dir_path = dir_path if dir_path else "." + chkpt_file_names = [ + f for f in os.listdir(dir_path) if f.endswith(".ta.chkpt") + ] + assert chkpt_file_names, "AttackCheckpoint directory is empty" + timestamps = [int(f.replace(".ta.chkpt", "")) for f in chkpt_file_names] + latest_file = str(max(timestamps)) + ".ta.chkpt" + checkpoint_path = os.path.join(dir_path, latest_file) + else: + checkpoint_path = args.checkpoint_file + + checkpoint = textattack.shared.AttackCheckpoint.load(checkpoint_path) + + return checkpoint + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + resume_parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "attack-resume", + help="resume a checkpointed attack", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + + # Parser for parsing args for resume + resume_parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-file", + "-f", + type=str, + required=True, + help='Path of checkpoint file to resume attack from. If "latest" (or "{directory path}/latest") is entered,' + "recover latest checkpoint from either current path or specified directory.", + ) + + resume_parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-dir", + "-d", + required=False, + type=str, + default=None, + help="The directory to save checkpoint files. If not set, use directory from recovered arguments.", + ) + + resume_parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-interval", + "-i", + required=False, + type=int, + help="If set, checkpoint will be saved after attacking every N examples. If not set, no checkpoints will be saved.", + ) + + resume_parser.add_argument( + "--parallel", + action="store_true", + default=False, + help="Run attack using multiple GPUs.", + ) + + resume_parser.set_defaults(func=AttackResumeCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/augment_command.py b/textattack/commands/augment_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2883ded76da196b060175be73e7993896cb197b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/augment_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,230 @@ +""" + +AugmentCommand class +=========================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentError, ArgumentParser +import csv +import os +import time + +import tqdm + +import textattack +from textattack.augment_args import AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +class AugmentCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack attack module: + + A command line parser to run data augmentation from user + specifications. + """ + + def run(self, args): + """Reads in a CSV, performs augmentation, and outputs an augmented CSV. + + Preserves all columns except for the input (augmneted) column. + """ + + args = textattack.AugmenterArgs(**vars(args)) + if args.interactive: + print("\nRunning in interactive mode...\n") + augmenter = eval(AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES[args.recipe])( + pct_words_to_swap=args.pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=args.transformations_per_example, + high_yield=args.high_yield, + fast_augment=args.fast_augment, + enable_advanced_metrics=args.enable_advanced_metrics, + ) + print("--------------------------------------------------------") + + while True: + print( + '\nEnter a sentence to augment, "q" to quit, "c" to view/change arguments:\n' + ) + text = input() + + if text == "q": + break + + elif text == "c": + print( + f"\nCurrent Arguments:\n\n\t augmentation recipe: {args.recipe}, " + f"\n\t pct_words_to_swap: {args.pct_words_to_swap}, " + f"\n\t transformations_per_example: {args.transformations_per_example}\n" + ) + + change = input( + "Enter 'c' again to change arguments, any other keys to opt out\n" + ) + if change == "c": + print("\nChanging augmenter arguments...\n") + recipe = input( + "\tAugmentation recipe name ('r' to see available recipes): " + ) + if recipe == "r": + recipe_display = " ".join(AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES.keys()) + print(f"\n\t{recipe_display}\n") + args.recipe = input("\tAugmentation recipe name: ") + else: + args.recipe = recipe + + args.pct_words_to_swap = float( + input("\tPercentage of words to swap (0.0 ~ 1.0): ") + ) + args.transformations_per_example = int( + input("\tTransformations per input example: ") + ) + + print("\nGenerating new augmenter...\n") + augmenter = eval(AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES[args.recipe])( + pct_words_to_swap=args.pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=args.transformations_per_example, + ) + print( + "--------------------------------------------------------" + ) + + continue + + elif not text: + continue + + print("\nAugmenting...\n") + print("--------------------------------------------------------") + + if args.enable_advanced_metrics: + results = augmenter.augment(text) + print("Augmentations:\n") + for augmentation in results[0]: + print(augmentation, "\n") + print() + print( + f"Average Original Perplexity Score: {results[1]['avg_original_perplexity']}" + ) + print( + f"Average Augment Perplexity Score: {results[1]['avg_attack_perplexity']}" + ) + print( + f"Average Augment USE Score: {results[2]['avg_attack_use_score']}\n" + ) + + else: + for augmentation in augmenter.augment(text): + print(augmentation, "\n") + print("--------------------------------------------------------") + else: + textattack.shared.utils.set_seed(args.random_seed) + start_time = time.time() + if not (args.input_csv and args.input_column and args.output_csv): + raise ArgumentError( + "The following arguments are required: --csv, --input-column/--i" + ) + # Validate input/output paths. + if not os.path.exists(args.input_csv): + raise FileNotFoundError(f"Can't find CSV at location {args.input_csv}") + if os.path.exists(args.output_csv): + if args.overwrite: + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Preparing to overwrite {args.output_csv}." + ) + else: + raise OSError( + f"Outfile {args.output_csv} exists and --overwrite not set." + ) + # Read in CSV file as a list of dictionaries. Use the CSV sniffer to + # try and automatically infer the correct CSV format. + csv_file = open(args.input_csv, "r") + + # mark where commas and quotes occur within the text value + def markQuotes(lines): + for row in lines: + row = row.replace('"', '"/') + yield row + + dialect = csv.Sniffer().sniff(csv_file.readline(), delimiters=";,") + csv_file.seek(0) + rows = [ + row + for row in csv.DictReader( + markQuotes(csv_file), + dialect=dialect, + skipinitialspace=True, + ) + ] + + # replace markings with quotations and commas + for row in rows: + for item in row: + i = 0 + while i < len(row[item]): + if row[item][i] == "/": + if row[item][i - 1] == '"': + row[item] = row[item][:i] + row[item][i + 1 :] + else: + row[item] = row[item][:i] + '"' + row[item][i + 1 :] + i += 1 + + # Validate input column. + row_keys = set(rows[0].keys()) + if args.input_column not in row_keys: + raise ValueError( + f"Could not find input column {args.input_column} in CSV. Found keys: {row_keys}" + ) + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Read {len(rows)} rows from {args.input_csv}. Found columns {row_keys}." + ) + + augmenter = eval(AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES[args.recipe])( + pct_words_to_swap=args.pct_words_to_swap, + transformations_per_example=args.transformations_per_example, + high_yield=args.high_yield, + fast_augment=args.fast_augment, + ) + + output_rows = [] + for row in tqdm.tqdm(rows, desc="Augmenting rows"): + text_input = row[args.input_column] + if not args.exclude_original: + output_rows.append(row) + for augmentation in augmenter.augment(text_input): + augmented_row = row.copy() + augmented_row[args.input_column] = augmentation + output_rows.append(augmented_row) + + # Print to file. + with open(args.output_csv, "w") as outfile: + csv_writer = csv.writer( + outfile, delimiter=",", quotechar="/", quoting=csv.QUOTE_MINIMAL + ) + # Write header. + csv_writer.writerow(output_rows[0].keys()) + # Write rows. + for row in output_rows: + csv_writer.writerow(row.values()) + + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Wrote {len(output_rows)} augmentations to {args.output_csv} in {time.time() - start_time}s." + ) + + # Remove extra markings in output file + with open(args.output_csv, "r") as file: + data = file.readlines() + for i in range(len(data)): + data[i] = data[i].replace("/", "") + with open(args.output_csv, "w") as file: + file.writelines(data) + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "augment", + help="augment text data", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser = textattack.AugmenterArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser.set_defaults(func=AugmentCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/benchmark_recipe_command.py b/textattack/commands/benchmark_recipe_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fd00dce1c6caa7470769e86d701eb4c84dfcef6b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/benchmark_recipe_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +""" + +BenchmarkRecipeCommand class +============================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser + +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +class BenchmarkRecipeCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack benchmark recipe module: + + A command line parser to benchmark a recipe from user + specifications. + """ + + def run(self, args): + raise NotImplementedError("Cannot benchmark recipes yet - stay tuned!!") + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "benchmark-recipe", + help="benchmark a recipe", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser.set_defaults(func=BenchmarkRecipeCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/eval_model_command.py b/textattack/commands/eval_model_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7957fbfee67185c23b78622f3bd71eed48d1f759 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/eval_model_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,141 @@ +""" + +EvalModelCommand class +============================== + +""" + + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser +from dataclasses import dataclass + +import scipy +import torch + +import textattack +from textattack import DatasetArgs, ModelArgs +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand +from textattack.model_args import HUGGINGFACE_MODELS, TEXTATTACK_MODELS + +logger = textattack.shared.utils.logger + + +def _cb(s): + return textattack.shared.utils.color_text(str(s), color="blue", method="ansi") + + +@dataclass +class ModelEvalArgs(ModelArgs, DatasetArgs): + random_seed: int = 765 + batch_size: int = 32 + num_examples: int = 5 + num_examples_offset: int = 0 + + +class EvalModelCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack model benchmarking module: + + A command line parser to evaluatate a model from user + specifications. + """ + + def get_preds(self, model, inputs): + with torch.no_grad(): + preds = textattack.shared.utils.batch_model_predict(model, inputs) + return preds + + def test_model_on_dataset(self, args): + model = ModelArgs._create_model_from_args(args) + dataset = DatasetArgs._create_dataset_from_args(args) + if args.num_examples == -1: + args.num_examples = len(dataset) + + preds = [] + ground_truth_outputs = [] + i = 0 + while i < min(args.num_examples, len(dataset)): + dataset_batch = dataset[i : min(args.num_examples, i + args.batch_size)] + batch_inputs = [] + for text_input, ground_truth_output in dataset_batch: + attacked_text = textattack.shared.AttackedText(text_input) + batch_inputs.append(attacked_text.tokenizer_input) + ground_truth_outputs.append(ground_truth_output) + batch_preds = model(batch_inputs) + + if not isinstance(batch_preds, torch.Tensor): + batch_preds = torch.Tensor(batch_preds) + + preds.extend(batch_preds) + i += args.batch_size + + preds = torch.stack(preds).squeeze().cpu() + ground_truth_outputs = torch.tensor(ground_truth_outputs).cpu() + + logger.info(f"Got {len(preds)} predictions.") + + if preds.ndim == 1: + # if preds is just a list of numbers, assume regression for now + # TODO integrate with `textattack.metrics` package + pearson_correlation, _ = scipy.stats.pearsonr(ground_truth_outputs, preds) + spearman_correlation, _ = scipy.stats.spearmanr(ground_truth_outputs, preds) + + logger.info(f"Pearson correlation = {_cb(pearson_correlation)}") + logger.info(f"Spearman correlation = {_cb(spearman_correlation)}") + else: + guess_labels = preds.argmax(dim=1) + successes = (guess_labels == ground_truth_outputs).sum().item() + perc_accuracy = successes / len(preds) * 100.0 + perc_accuracy = "{:.2f}%".format(perc_accuracy) + logger.info(f"Correct {successes}/{len(preds)} ({_cb(perc_accuracy)})") + + def run(self, args): + args = ModelEvalArgs(**vars(args)) + textattack.shared.utils.set_seed(args.random_seed) + + # Default to 'all' if no model chosen. + if not (args.model or args.model_from_huggingface or args.model_from_file): + for model_name in list(HUGGINGFACE_MODELS.keys()) + list( + TEXTATTACK_MODELS.keys() + ): + args.model = model_name + self.test_model_on_dataset(args) + logger.info("-" * 50) + else: + self.test_model_on_dataset(args) + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "eval", + help="evaluate a model with TextAttack", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + + parser = ModelArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser = DatasetArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + + parser.add_argument("--random-seed", default=765, type=int) + parser.add_argument( + "--batch-size", + type=int, + default=32, + help="The batch size for evaluating the model.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-examples", + "-n", + type=int, + required=False, + default=5, + help="The number of examples to process, -1 for entire dataset", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-examples-offset", + "-o", + type=int, + required=False, + default=0, + help="The offset to start at in the dataset.", + ) + + parser.set_defaults(func=EvalModelCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/list_things_command.py b/textattack/commands/list_things_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2e819c098822183fd3b134c8996cdd3c783b3755 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/list_things_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +""" + +ListThingsCommand class +============================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser + +import textattack +from textattack.attack_args import ( + ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES, + BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES, + CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES, + GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES, + SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES, + WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES, +) +from textattack.augment_args import AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand +from textattack.model_args import HUGGINGFACE_MODELS, TEXTATTACK_MODELS + + +def _cb(s): + return textattack.shared.utils.color_text(str(s), color="blue", method="ansi") + + +class ListThingsCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The list module: + + List default things in textattack. + """ + + def _list(self, list_of_things, plain=False): + """Prints a list or dict of things.""" + if isinstance(list_of_things, list): + list_of_things = sorted(list_of_things) + for thing in list_of_things: + if plain: + print(thing) + else: + print(_cb(thing)) + elif isinstance(list_of_things, dict): + for thing in sorted(list_of_things.keys()): + thing_long_description = list_of_things[thing] + if plain: + thing_key = thing + else: + thing_key = _cb(thing) + print(f"{thing_key} ({thing_long_description})") + else: + raise TypeError(f"Cannot print list of type {type(list_of_things)}") + + @staticmethod + def things(): + list_dict = {} + list_dict["models"] = list(HUGGINGFACE_MODELS.keys()) + list( + TEXTATTACK_MODELS.keys() + ) + list_dict["search-methods"] = SEARCH_METHOD_CLASS_NAMES + list_dict["transformations"] = { + **BLACK_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES, + **WHITE_BOX_TRANSFORMATION_CLASS_NAMES, + } + list_dict["constraints"] = CONSTRAINT_CLASS_NAMES + list_dict["goal-functions"] = GOAL_FUNCTION_CLASS_NAMES + list_dict["attack-recipes"] = ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES + list_dict["augmentation-recipes"] = AUGMENTATION_RECIPE_NAMES + return list_dict + + def run(self, args): + try: + list_of_things = ListThingsCommand.things()[args.feature] + except KeyError: + raise ValueError(f"Unknown list key {args.thing}") + self._list(list_of_things, plain=args.plain) + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "list", + help="list features in TextAttack", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser.add_argument( + "feature", help="the feature to list", choices=ListThingsCommand.things() + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--plain", + help="print output without color", + default=False, + action="store_true", + ) + parser.set_defaults(func=ListThingsCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/peek_dataset_command.py b/textattack/commands/peek_dataset_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..099ee8d59b95789fd7a2b68e051c6b07cd13f0d5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/peek_dataset_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ +""" + +PeekDatasetCommand class +============================== + +""" + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser +import collections +import re + +import numpy as np + +import textattack +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +def _cb(s): + return textattack.shared.utils.color_text(str(s), color="blue", method="ansi") + + +logger = textattack.shared.logger + + +class PeekDatasetCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The peek dataset module: + + Takes a peek into a dataset in textattack. + """ + + def run(self, args): + UPPERCASE_LETTERS_REGEX = re.compile("[A-Z]") + + dataset_args = textattack.DatasetArgs(**vars(args)) + dataset = textattack.DatasetArgs._create_dataset_from_args(dataset_args) + + num_words = [] + attacked_texts = [] + data_all_lowercased = True + outputs = [] + for inputs, output in dataset: + at = textattack.shared.AttackedText(inputs) + if data_all_lowercased: + # Test if any of the letters in the string are lowercase. + if re.search(UPPERCASE_LETTERS_REGEX, at.text): + data_all_lowercased = False + attacked_texts.append(at) + num_words.append(len(at.words)) + outputs.append(output) + + logger.info(f"Number of samples: {_cb(len(attacked_texts))}") + logger.info("Number of words per input:") + num_words = np.array(num_words) + logger.info(f'\t{("total:").ljust(8)} {_cb(num_words.sum())}') + mean_words = f"{num_words.mean():.2f}" + logger.info(f'\t{("mean:").ljust(8)} {_cb(mean_words)}') + std_words = f"{num_words.std():.2f}" + logger.info(f'\t{("std:").ljust(8)} {_cb(std_words)}') + logger.info(f'\t{("min:").ljust(8)} {_cb(num_words.min())}') + logger.info(f'\t{("max:").ljust(8)} {_cb(num_words.max())}') + logger.info(f"Dataset lowercased: {_cb(data_all_lowercased)}") + + logger.info("First sample:") + print(attacked_texts[0].printable_text(), "\n") + logger.info("Last sample:") + print(attacked_texts[-1].printable_text(), "\n") + + logger.info(f"Found {len(set(outputs))} distinct outputs.") + if len(outputs) < 20: + print(sorted(set(outputs))) + + logger.info("Most common outputs:") + for i, (key, value) in enumerate(collections.Counter(outputs).most_common(20)): + print("\t", str(key)[:5].ljust(5), f" ({value})") + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "peek-dataset", + help="show main statistics about a dataset", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser = textattack.DatasetArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser.set_defaults(func=PeekDatasetCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/commands/textattack_cli.py b/textattack/commands/textattack_cli.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5e5073f7d991e65290a5dbcfaf55fc7c4aeb9880 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/textattack_cli.py @@ -0,0 +1,54 @@ +""" + +TextAttack CLI main class +============================== + +""" + + +# !/usr/bin/env python +import argparse + +from textattack.commands.attack_command import AttackCommand +from textattack.commands.attack_resume_command import AttackResumeCommand +from textattack.commands.augment_command import AugmentCommand +from textattack.commands.benchmark_recipe_command import BenchmarkRecipeCommand +from textattack.commands.eval_model_command import EvalModelCommand +from textattack.commands.list_things_command import ListThingsCommand +from textattack.commands.peek_dataset_command import PeekDatasetCommand +from textattack.commands.train_model_command import TrainModelCommand + + +def main(): + parser = argparse.ArgumentParser( + "TextAttack CLI", + usage="[python -m] texattack []", + formatter_class=argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(help="textattack command helpers") + + # Register commands + AttackCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + AttackResumeCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + AugmentCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + BenchmarkRecipeCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + EvalModelCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + ListThingsCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + TrainModelCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + PeekDatasetCommand.register_subcommand(subparsers) + + # Let's go + args = parser.parse_args() + + if not hasattr(args, "func"): + parser.print_help() + exit(1) + + # Run + func = args.func + del args.func + func.run(args) + + +if __name__ == "__main__": + main() diff --git a/textattack/commands/textattack_command.py b/textattack/commands/textattack_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..32da4f7e56013f6325105e74136523fd5b9895ed --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/textattack_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + + +class TextAttackCommand(ABC): + @staticmethod + @abstractmethod + def register_subcommand(parser): + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def run(self): + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/commands/train_model_command.py b/textattack/commands/train_model_command.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b069c94b22d28167ac45a0b00d2c4cf7cab7dba5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/commands/train_model_command.py @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +""" + +TrainModelCommand class +============================== + +""" + + +from argparse import ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, ArgumentParser + +from textattack import CommandLineTrainingArgs, Trainer +from textattack.commands import TextAttackCommand + + +class TrainModelCommand(TextAttackCommand): + """The TextAttack train module: + + A command line parser to train a model from user specifications. + """ + + def run(self, args): + training_args = CommandLineTrainingArgs(**vars(args)) + model_wrapper = CommandLineTrainingArgs._create_model_from_args(training_args) + train_dataset, eval_dataset = CommandLineTrainingArgs._create_dataset_from_args( + training_args + ) + attack = CommandLineTrainingArgs._create_attack_from_args( + training_args, model_wrapper + ) + trainer = Trainer( + model_wrapper, + training_args.task_type, + attack, + train_dataset, + eval_dataset, + training_args, + ) + trainer.train() + + @staticmethod + def register_subcommand(main_parser: ArgumentParser): + parser = main_parser.add_parser( + "train", + help="train a model for sequence classification", + formatter_class=ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter, + ) + parser = CommandLineTrainingArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser.set_defaults(func=TrainModelCommand()) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..96ee768872d847ee0408c3926db519750a92e696 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +""".. _constraint: + +Constraints +=================== + +Constraints determine whether a given transformation is valid. Since transformations do not perfectly preserve semantics semantics or grammaticality, constraints can increase the likelihood that the resulting transformation preserves these qualities. All constraints are subclasses of the ``Constraint`` abstract class, and must implement at least one of ``__call__`` or ``call_many``. + +We split constraints into three main categories. + + :ref:`Semantics `: Based on the meaning of the input and perturbation. + + :ref:`Grammaticality `: Based on syntactic properties like part-of-speech and grammar. + + :ref:`Overlap `: Based on character-based properties, like edit distance. + +A fourth type of constraint restricts the search method from exploring certain parts of the search space: + + :ref:`pre_transformation `: Based on the input and index of word replacement. +""" + +from .pre_transformation_constraint import PreTransformationConstraint +from .constraint import Constraint + +from . import grammaticality +from . import semantics +from . import overlap +from . import pre_transformation diff --git a/textattack/constraints/constraint.py b/textattack/constraints/constraint.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1cc1a5a9494c91c73697851d39e05abfecc2d086 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/constraint.py @@ -0,0 +1,125 @@ +""" + +TextAttack Constraint Class +===================================== +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +import textattack +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class Constraint(ReprMixin, ABC): + """An abstract class that represents constraints on adversial text + examples. Constraints evaluate whether transformations from a + ``AttackedText`` to another ``AttackedText`` meet certain conditions. + + Args: + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, the reference text should be the original text under attack. + If `False`, the reference text is the most recent text from which the transformed text was generated. + All constraints must have this attribute. + """ + + def __init__(self, compare_against_original): + self.compare_against_original = compare_against_original + + def call_many(self, transformed_texts, reference_text): + """Filters ``transformed_texts`` based on which transformations fulfill + the constraint. First checks compatibility with latest + ``Transformation``, then calls ``_check_constraint_many`` + + Args: + transformed_texts (list[AttackedText]): The candidate transformed ``AttackedText``'s. + reference_text (AttackedText): The ``AttackedText`` to compare against. + """ + incompatible_transformed_texts = [] + compatible_transformed_texts = [] + for transformed_text in transformed_texts: + try: + if self.check_compatibility( + transformed_text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] + ): + compatible_transformed_texts.append(transformed_text) + else: + incompatible_transformed_texts.append(transformed_text) + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "transformed_text must have `last_transformation` attack_attr to apply constraint" + ) + filtered_texts = self._check_constraint_many( + compatible_transformed_texts, reference_text + ) + return list(filtered_texts) + incompatible_transformed_texts + + def _check_constraint_many(self, transformed_texts, reference_text): + """Filters ``transformed_texts`` based on which transformations fulfill + the constraint. Calls ``check_constraint`` + + Args: + transformed_texts (list[AttackedText]): The candidate transformed ``AttackedText`` + reference_texts (AttackedText): The ``AttackedText`` to compare against. + """ + return [ + transformed_text + for transformed_text in transformed_texts + if self._check_constraint(transformed_text, reference_text) + ] + + def __call__(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + """Returns True if the constraint is fulfilled, False otherwise. First + checks compatibility with latest ``Transformation``, then calls + ``_check_constraint`` + + Args: + transformed_text (AttackedText): The candidate transformed ``AttackedText``. + reference_text (AttackedText): The ``AttackedText`` to compare against. + """ + if not isinstance(transformed_text, textattack.shared.AttackedText): + raise TypeError("transformed_text must be of type AttackedText") + if not isinstance(reference_text, textattack.shared.AttackedText): + raise TypeError("reference_text must be of type AttackedText") + + try: + if not self.check_compatibility( + transformed_text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] + ): + return True + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "`transformed_text` must have `last_transformation` attack_attr to apply constraint." + ) + return self._check_constraint(transformed_text, reference_text) + + @abstractmethod + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + """Returns True if the constraint is fulfilled, False otherwise. Must + be overridden by the specific constraint. + + Args: + transformed_text: The candidate transformed ``AttackedText``. + reference_text (AttackedText): The ``AttackedText`` to compare against. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + """Checks if this constraint is compatible with the given + transformation. For example, the ``WordEmbeddingDistance`` constraint + compares the embedding of the word inserted with that of the word + deleted. Therefore it can only be applied in the case of word swaps, + and not for transformations which involve only one of insertion or + deletion. + + Args: + transformation: The ``Transformation`` to check compatibility with. + """ + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + """Set the extra representation of the constraint using these keys. + + To print customized extra information, you should reimplement + this method in your own constraint. Both single-line and multi- + line strings are acceptable. + """ + return ["compare_against_original"] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c438e1e7565d0c06bb38d8656757b776ac56a045 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +""".. _grammaticality: + +Grammaticality: +-------------------------- + +Grammaticality constraints determine if a transformation is valid based on +syntactic properties of the perturbation. +""" + +from . import language_models + +from .language_tool import LanguageTool +from .part_of_speech import PartOfSpeech +from .cola import COLA diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/cola.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/cola.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..190bad25c071c799dd27809584bc1706978d095d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/cola.py @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +""" +CoLA for Grammaticality +-------------------------- + +""" +import lru +import nltk +from transformers import AutoModelForSequenceClassification, AutoTokenizer + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint +from textattack.models.wrappers import HuggingFaceModelWrapper + + +class COLA(Constraint): + """Constrains an attack to text that has a similar number of linguistically + accecptable sentences as the original text. Linguistic acceptability is + determined by a model pre-trained on the `CoLA dataset `_. By default a BERT model is used, see the `pre- + trained models README `_ for a full list of available models or provide your + own model from the huggingface model hub. + + Args: + max_diff (float or int): The absolute (if int or greater than or equal to 1) or percent (if float and less than 1) + maximum difference allowed between the number of valid sentences in the reference + text and the number of valid sentences in the attacked text. + model_name (str): The name of the pre-trained model to use for classification. The model must be in huggingface model hub. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare against the original text. + Otherwise, compare against the most recent text. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + max_diff, + model_name="textattack/bert-base-uncased-CoLA", + compare_against_original=True, + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(max_diff, float) and not isinstance(max_diff, int): + raise TypeError("max_diff must be a float or int") + if max_diff < 0.0: + raise ValueError("max_diff must be a value greater or equal to than 0.0") + + self.max_diff = max_diff + self.model_name = model_name + self._reference_score_cache = lru.LRU(2**10) + model = AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained(model_name) + tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(model_name) + self.model = HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + + def clear_cache(self): + self._reference_score_cache.clear() + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + if reference_text not in self._reference_score_cache: + # Split the text into sentences before predicting validity + reference_sentences = nltk.sent_tokenize(reference_text.text) + # A label of 1 indicates the sentence is valid + num_valid = self.model(reference_sentences).argmax(axis=1).sum() + self._reference_score_cache[reference_text] = num_valid + + sentences = nltk.sent_tokenize(transformed_text.text) + predictions = self.model(sentences) + num_valid = predictions.argmax(axis=1).sum() + reference_score = self._reference_score_cache[reference_text] + + if isinstance(self.max_diff, int) or self.max_diff >= 1: + threshold = reference_score - self.max_diff + else: + threshold = reference_score - (reference_score * self.max_diff) + + if num_valid < threshold: + return False + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [ + "max_diff", + "model_name", + ] + super().extra_repr_keys() + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["_reference_score_cache"] = self._reference_score_cache.get_size() + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + self._reference_score_cache = lru.LRU(state["_reference_score_cache"]) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ce726fc67cc94ba38268046725008bea463ed464 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""" +non-pre Language Models: +----------------------------- + +""" + + +from .language_model_constraint import LanguageModelConstraint + +from .google_language_model import Google1BillionWordsLanguageModel +from .gpt2 import GPT2 +from .learning_to_write import LearningToWriteLanguageModel diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..803d2125843e2fd51fd6100240db70fd764e8069 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@ +""" +Google Language Models: +----------------------------- + +""" + + +from .google_language_model import ( + GoogleLanguageModel as Google1BillionWordsLanguageModel, +) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/alzantot_goog_lm.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/alzantot_goog_lm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..005dda55ec622cbf93640de572853cde33db0b71 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/alzantot_goog_lm.py @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +""" + +Google Language Models from Alzantot +-------------------------------------- + + Author: Moustafa Alzantot (malzantot@ucla.edu) + All rights reserved. +""" + + +import os + +import lru +import numpy as np + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from . import lm_data_utils, lm_utils + +tf = utils.LazyLoader("tensorflow", globals(), "tensorflow") + + +# @TODO automatically choose between GPU and CPU. + + +class GoogLMHelper: + """An implementation of ``_ adapted from + ``_.""" + + CACHE_PATH = "constraints/semantics/language-models/alzantot-goog-lm" + + def __init__(self): + tf.get_logger().setLevel("INFO") + lm_folder = utils.download_from_s3(GoogLMHelper.CACHE_PATH) + self.PBTXT_PATH = os.path.join(lm_folder, "graph-2016-09-10-gpu.pbtxt") + self.CKPT_PATH = os.path.join(lm_folder, "ckpt-*") + self.VOCAB_PATH = os.path.join(lm_folder, "vocab-2016-09-10.txt") + + self.BATCH_SIZE = 1 + self.NUM_TIMESTEPS = 1 + self.MAX_WORD_LEN = 50 + + self.vocab = lm_data_utils.CharsVocabulary(self.VOCAB_PATH, self.MAX_WORD_LEN) + with tf.device("/gpu:1"): + self.graph = tf.Graph() + self.sess = tf.compat.v1.Session(graph=self.graph) + with self.graph.as_default(): + self.t = lm_utils.LoadModel( + self.sess, self.graph, self.PBTXT_PATH, self.CKPT_PATH + ) + + self.lm_cache = lru.LRU(2**18) + + def clear_cache(self): + self.lm_cache.clear() + + def get_words_probs_uncached(self, prefix_words, list_words): + targets = np.zeros([self.BATCH_SIZE, self.NUM_TIMESTEPS], np.int32) + weights = np.ones([self.BATCH_SIZE, self.NUM_TIMESTEPS], np.float32) + + if prefix_words.find("") != 0: + prefix_words = " " + prefix_words + prefix = [self.vocab.word_to_id(w) for w in prefix_words.split()] + prefix_char_ids = [self.vocab.word_to_char_ids(w) for w in prefix_words.split()] + + inputs = np.zeros([self.BATCH_SIZE, self.NUM_TIMESTEPS], np.int32) + char_ids_inputs = np.zeros( + [self.BATCH_SIZE, self.NUM_TIMESTEPS, self.vocab.max_word_length], np.int32 + ) + + samples = prefix[:] + char_ids_samples = prefix_char_ids[:] + inputs = [[samples[-1]]] + char_ids_inputs[0, 0, :] = char_ids_samples[-1] + softmax = self.sess.run( + self.t["softmax_out"], + feed_dict={ + self.t["char_inputs_in"]: char_ids_inputs, + self.t["inputs_in"]: inputs, + self.t["targets_in"]: targets, + self.t["target_weights_in"]: weights, + }, + ) + words_ids = [self.vocab.word_to_id(w) for w in list_words] + word_probs = [softmax[0][w_id] for w_id in words_ids] + return np.array(word_probs) + + def get_words_probs(self, prefix, list_words): + """Retrieves the probability of words. + + Args: + prefix_words + list_words + """ + uncached_words = [] + for word in list_words: + if (prefix, word) not in self.lm_cache: + if word not in uncached_words: + uncached_words.append(word) + probs = self.get_words_probs_uncached(prefix, uncached_words) + for word, prob in zip(uncached_words, probs): + self.lm_cache[prefix, word] = prob + return [self.lm_cache[prefix, word] for word in list_words] + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["lm_cache"] = self.lm_cache.get_size() + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + self.lm_cache = lru.LRU(state["lm_cache"]) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/google_language_model.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/google_language_model.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8e042ea5252ee9ce819435d22b8b504e9b236cf6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/google_language_model.py @@ -0,0 +1,104 @@ +""" +Google 1-Billion Words Language Model +-------------------------------------- + +""" +from collections import defaultdict + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint +from textattack.transformations import WordSwap + +from .alzantot_goog_lm import GoogLMHelper + + +class GoogleLanguageModel(Constraint): + """Constraint that uses the Google 1 Billion Words Language Model to + determine the difference in perplexity between x and x_adv. + + Args: + top_n (int): + top_n_per_index (int): + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, top_n=None, top_n_per_index=None, compare_against_original=True): + if not (top_n or top_n_per_index): + raise ValueError( + "Cannot instantiate GoogleLanguageModel without top_n or top_n_per_index" + ) + self.lm = GoogLMHelper() + self.top_n = top_n + self.top_n_per_index = top_n_per_index + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + return isinstance(transformation, WordSwap) + + def _check_constraint_many(self, transformed_texts, reference_text): + """Returns the `top_n` of transformed_texts, as evaluated by the + language model.""" + if not len(transformed_texts): + return [] + + def get_probs(reference_text, transformed_texts): + word_swap_index = reference_text.first_word_diff_index(transformed_texts[0]) + if word_swap_index is None: + return [] + + prefix = reference_text.words[word_swap_index - 1] + swapped_words = np.array( + [t.words[word_swap_index] for t in transformed_texts] + ) + probs = self.lm.get_words_probs(prefix, swapped_words) + return probs + + # This creates a dictionary where each new key is initialized to []. + word_swap_index_map = defaultdict(list) + + for idx, transformed_text in enumerate(transformed_texts): + word_swap_index = reference_text.first_word_diff_index(transformed_text) + word_swap_index_map[word_swap_index].append((idx, transformed_text)) + + probs = [] + for word_swap_index, item_list in word_swap_index_map.items(): + # zip(*some_list) is the inverse operator of zip! + item_indices, this_transformed_texts = zip(*item_list) + # t1 = time.time() + probs_of_swaps_at_index = list( + zip(item_indices, get_probs(reference_text, this_transformed_texts)) + ) + # Sort by probability in descending order and take the top n for this index. + probs_of_swaps_at_index.sort(key=lambda x: -x[1]) + if self.top_n_per_index: + probs_of_swaps_at_index = probs_of_swaps_at_index[ + : self.top_n_per_index + ] + probs.extend(probs_of_swaps_at_index) + # t2 = time.time() + + # Probs is a list of (index, prob) where index is the corresponding + # position in transformed_texts. + probs.sort(key=lambda x: x[0]) + + # Now that they're in order, reduce to just a list of probabilities. + probs = np.array(list(map(lambda x: x[1], probs))) + + # Get the indices of the maximum elements. + max_el_indices = np.argsort(-probs) + if self.top_n: + max_el_indices = max_el_indices[: self.top_n] + + # Put indices in order, now, so that the examples are returned in the + # same order they were passed in. + max_el_indices.sort() + + return [transformed_texts[i] for i in max_el_indices] + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + return self._check_constraint_many([transformed_text], reference_text) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["top_n", "top_n_per_index"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_data_utils.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_data_utils.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2f2f7199b7be66db200359c01349b54ffebb99be --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_data_utils.py @@ -0,0 +1,308 @@ +# Copyright 2016 The TensorFlow Authors. All Rights Reserved. +# +# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); +# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. +# You may obtain a copy of the License at +# +# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 +# +# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software +# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, +# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. +# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and +# limitations under the License. +# ============================================================================== + + +""" +A library for loading 1B word benchmark dataset. +------------------------------------------------ + +""" + + +import random + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader + +tf = LazyLoader("tensorflow", globals(), "tensorflow") + + +class Vocabulary(object): + """Class that holds a vocabulary for the dataset.""" + + def __init__(self, filename): + """Initialize vocabulary. + + Args: + filename (str): Vocabulary file name. + """ + + self._id_to_word = [] + self._word_to_id = {} + self._unk = -1 + self._bos = -1 + self._eos = -1 + + with tf.io.gfile.GFile(filename) as f: + idx = 0 + for line in f: + word_name = line.strip() + if word_name == "": + self._bos = idx + elif word_name == "": + self._eos = idx + elif word_name == "UNK": + self._unk = idx + if word_name == "!!!MAXTERMID": + continue + + self._id_to_word.append(word_name) + self._word_to_id[word_name] = idx + idx += 1 + + @property + def bos(self): + return self._bos + + @property + def eos(self): + return self._eos + + @property + def unk(self): + return self._unk + + @property + def size(self): + return len(self._id_to_word) + + def word_to_id(self, word): + if word in self._word_to_id: + return self._word_to_id[word] + return self.unk + + def id_to_word(self, cur_id): + """Converts an ID to the word it represents. + + Args: + cur_id: The ID + + Returns: + The word that :obj:`cur_id` represents. + """ + if cur_id < self.size: + return self._id_to_word[cur_id] + return "ERROR" + + def decode(self, cur_ids): + """Convert a list of ids to a sentence, with space inserted.""" + return " ".join([self.id_to_word(cur_id) for cur_id in cur_ids]) + + def encode(self, sentence): + """Convert a sentence to a list of ids, with special tokens added.""" + word_ids = [self.word_to_id(cur_word) for cur_word in sentence.split()] + return np.array([self.bos] + word_ids + [self.eos], dtype=np.int32) + + +class CharsVocabulary(Vocabulary): + """Vocabulary containing character-level information.""" + + def __init__(self, filename, max_word_length): + super(CharsVocabulary, self).__init__(filename) + self._max_word_length = max_word_length + chars_set = set() + + for word in self._id_to_word: + chars_set |= set(word) + + free_ids = [] + for i in range(256): + if chr(i) in chars_set: + continue + free_ids.append(chr(i)) + + if len(free_ids) < 5: + raise ValueError("Not enough free char ids: %d" % len(free_ids)) + + self.bos_char = free_ids[0] # + self.eos_char = free_ids[1] # + self.bow_char = free_ids[2] # + self.eow_char = free_ids[3] # + self.pad_char = free_ids[4] # + + chars_set |= { + self.bos_char, + self.eos_char, + self.bow_char, + self.eow_char, + self.pad_char, + } + + self._char_set = chars_set + num_words = len(self._id_to_word) + + self._word_char_ids = np.zeros([num_words, max_word_length], dtype=np.int32) + + self.bos_chars = self._convert_word_to_char_ids(self.bos_char) + self.eos_chars = self._convert_word_to_char_ids(self.eos_char) + + for i, word in enumerate(self._id_to_word): + self._word_char_ids[i] = self._convert_word_to_char_ids(word) + + @property + def word_char_ids(self): + return self._word_char_ids + + @property + def max_word_length(self): + return self._max_word_length + + def _convert_word_to_char_ids(self, word): + code = np.zeros([self.max_word_length], dtype=np.int32) + code[:] = ord(self.pad_char) + + if len(word) > self.max_word_length - 2: + word = word[: self.max_word_length - 2] + cur_word = self.bow_char + word + self.eow_char + for j in range(len(cur_word)): + code[j] = ord(cur_word[j]) + return code + + def word_to_char_ids(self, word): + if word in self._word_to_id: + return self._word_char_ids[self._word_to_id[word]] + else: + return self._convert_word_to_char_ids(word) + + def encode_chars(self, sentence): + chars_ids = [self.word_to_char_ids(cur_word) for cur_word in sentence.split()] + return np.vstack([self.bos_chars] + chars_ids + [self.eos_chars]) + + +def get_batch(generator, batch_size, num_steps, max_word_length, pad=False): + """Read batches of input.""" + cur_stream = [None] * batch_size + + inputs = np.zeros([batch_size, num_steps], np.int32) + char_inputs = np.zeros([batch_size, num_steps, max_word_length], np.int32) + global_word_ids = np.zeros([batch_size, num_steps], np.int32) + targets = np.zeros([batch_size, num_steps], np.int32) + weights = np.ones([batch_size, num_steps], np.float32) + + no_more_data = False + while True: + inputs[:] = 0 + char_inputs[:] = 0 + global_word_ids[:] = 0 + targets[:] = 0 + weights[:] = 0.0 + + for i in range(batch_size): + cur_pos = 0 + + while cur_pos < num_steps: + if cur_stream[i] is None or len(cur_stream[i][0]) <= 1: + try: + cur_stream[i] = list(generator.next()) + except StopIteration: + # No more data, exhaust current streams and quit + no_more_data = True + break + + how_many = min(len(cur_stream[i][0]) - 1, num_steps - cur_pos) + next_pos = cur_pos + how_many + + inputs[i, cur_pos:next_pos] = cur_stream[i][0][:how_many] + char_inputs[i, cur_pos:next_pos] = cur_stream[i][1][:how_many] + global_word_ids[i, cur_pos:next_pos] = cur_stream[i][2][:how_many] + targets[i, cur_pos:next_pos] = cur_stream[i][0][1 : how_many + 1] + weights[i, cur_pos:next_pos] = 1.0 + + cur_pos = next_pos + cur_stream[i][0] = cur_stream[i][0][how_many:] + cur_stream[i][1] = cur_stream[i][1][how_many:] + cur_stream[i][2] = cur_stream[i][2][how_many:] + + if pad: + break + + if no_more_data and np.sum(weights) == 0: + # There is no more data and this is an empty batch. Done! + break + yield inputs, char_inputs, global_word_ids, targets, weights + + +class LM1BDataset(object): + """Utility class for 1B word benchmark dataset. + + The current implementation reads the data from the tokenized text + files. + """ + + def __init__(self, filepattern, vocab): + """Initialize LM1BDataset reader. + + Args: + filepattern: Dataset file pattern. + vocab: Vocabulary. + """ + self._vocab = vocab + self._all_shards = tf.io.gfile.glob(filepattern) + tf.compat.v1.logging.info( + "Found %d shards at %s", len(self._all_shards), filepattern + ) + + def _load_random_shard(self): + """Randomly select a file and read it.""" + return self._load_shard(random.choice(self._all_shards)) + + def _load_shard(self, shard_name): + """Read one file and convert to ids. + + Args: + shard_name: file path. + + Returns: + list of (id, char_id, global_word_id) tuples. + """ + tf.compat.v1.logging.info("Loading data from: %s", shard_name) + with tf.io.gfile.GFile(shard_name) as f: + sentences = f.readlines() + chars_ids = [self.vocab.encode_chars(sentence) for sentence in sentences] + ids = [self.vocab.encode(sentence) for sentence in sentences] + + global_word_ids = [] + current_idx = 0 + for word_ids in ids: + current_size = len(word_ids) - 1 # without symbol + cur_ids = np.arange(current_idx, current_idx + current_size) + global_word_ids.append(cur_ids) + current_idx += current_size + + tf.compat.v1.logging.info("Loaded %d words.", current_idx) + tf.compat.v1.logging.info("Finished loading") + return zip(ids, chars_ids, global_word_ids) + + def _get_sentence(self, forever=True): + while True: + ids = self._load_random_shard() + for current_ids in ids: + yield current_ids + if not forever: + break + + def get_batch(self, batch_size, num_steps, pad=False, forever=True): + return get_batch( + self._get_sentence(forever), + batch_size, + num_steps, + self.vocab.max_word_length, + pad=pad, + ) + + @property + def vocab(self): + return self._vocab diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_utils.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_utils.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b4b15e0fad9770f82491f0c7d132749428a6fbe1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/google_language_model/lm_utils.py @@ -0,0 +1,77 @@ +""" +Utils for loading 1B word benchmark dataset. +------------------------------------------------ + + Author: Moustafa Alzantot (malzantot@ucla.edu) + All rights reserved. +""" +import sys + +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader + +tf = LazyLoader("tensorflow", globals(), "tensorflow") +protobuf = LazyLoader("google.protobuf", globals(), "google.protobuf") + + +def LoadModel(sess, graph, gd_file, ckpt_file): + """Load the model from GraphDef and AttackCheckpoint. + + Args: + gd_file: GraphDef proto text file. + ckpt_file: TensorFlow AttackCheckpoint file. + + Returns: + TensorFlow session and tensors dict. + """ + tf.get_logger().setLevel("INFO") + with graph.as_default(): + sys.stderr.write("Recovering graph.\n") + with tf.io.gfile.GFile(gd_file) as f: + s = f.read() + gd = tf.compat.v1.GraphDef() + protobuf.text_format.Merge(s, gd) + + tf.compat.v1.logging.info("Recovering Graph %s", gd_file) + t = {} + [ + t["states_init"], + t["lstm/lstm_0/control_dependency"], + t["lstm/lstm_1/control_dependency"], + t["softmax_out"], + t["class_ids_out"], + t["class_weights_out"], + t["log_perplexity_out"], + t["inputs_in"], + t["targets_in"], + t["target_weights_in"], + t["char_inputs_in"], + t["all_embs"], + t["softmax_weights"], + t["global_step"], + ] = tf.import_graph_def( + gd, + {}, + [ + "states_init", + "lstm/lstm_0/control_dependency:0", + "lstm/lstm_1/control_dependency:0", + "softmax_out:0", + "class_ids_out:0", + "class_weights_out:0", + "log_perplexity_out:0", + "inputs_in:0", + "targets_in:0", + "target_weights_in:0", + "char_inputs_in:0", + "all_embs_out:0", + "Reshape_3:0", + "global_step:0", + ], + name="", + ) + + sys.stderr.write("Recovering checkpoint %s\n" % ckpt_file) + sess.run("save/restore_all", {"save/Const:0": ckpt_file}) + sess.run(t["states_init"]) + + return t diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/gpt2.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/gpt2.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7a8e862bef8a1751f18afadff5da9b088d93592e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/gpt2.py @@ -0,0 +1,69 @@ +""" +GPT2 Language Models: +-------------------------- + +""" + + +import os + +import torch + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .language_model_constraint import LanguageModelConstraint + +# temporarily silence W&B to ignore log-in warning +os.environ["WANDB_SILENT"] = "1" + + +class GPT2(LanguageModelConstraint): + """A constraint based on the GPT-2 language model. + + from "Better Language Models and Their Implications" + (openai.com/blog/better-language-models/) + + Args: + model_name: id of GPT2 model + """ + + def __init__(self, model_name="gpt2", **kwargs): + import transformers + + # re-enable notifications + os.environ["WANDB_SILENT"] = "0" + self.model = transformers.GPT2LMHeadModel.from_pretrained(model_name) + self.model.to(utils.device) + self.tokenizer = transformers.GPT2Tokenizer.from_pretrained(model_name) + super().__init__(**kwargs) + + def get_log_probs_at_index(self, text_list, word_index): + """Gets the probability of the word at index `word_index` according to + GPT-2. + + Assumes that all items in `text_list` have the same prefix up + until `word_index`. + """ + prefix = text_list[0].text_until_word_index(word_index) + + if not utils.has_letter(prefix): + # This language model perplexity is not defined with respect to + # a word without a prefix. If the prefix is null, just return the + # log-probability 0.0. + return torch.zeros(len(text_list), dtype=torch.float) + + token_ids = self.tokenizer.encode(prefix) + tokens_tensor = torch.tensor([token_ids]) + tokens_tensor = tokens_tensor.to(utils.device) + + with torch.no_grad(): + outputs = self.model(tokens_tensor) + predictions = outputs[0] + + probs = [] + for attacked_text in text_list: + next_word_ids = self.tokenizer.encode(attacked_text.words[word_index]) + next_word_prob = predictions[0, -1, next_word_ids[0]] + probs.append(next_word_prob) + + return probs diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/language_model_constraint.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/language_model_constraint.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a08fca9f2bf332098ee56dfe9a5bb2691aac512c --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/language_model_constraint.py @@ -0,0 +1,56 @@ +""" +Language Models Constraint +--------------------------- + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class LanguageModelConstraint(Constraint, ABC): + """Determines if two sentences have a swapped word that has a similar + probability according to a language model. + + Args: + max_log_prob_diff (float): the maximum decrease in log-probability + in swapped words from `x` to `x_adv` + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_log_prob_diff=None, compare_against_original=True): + if max_log_prob_diff is None: + raise ValueError("Must set max_log_prob_diff") + self.max_log_prob_diff = max_log_prob_diff + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + + @abstractmethod + def get_log_probs_at_index(self, text_list, word_index): + """Gets the log-probability of items in `text_list` at index + `word_index` according to a language model.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + try: + indices = transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"] + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "Cannot apply language model constraint without `newly_modified_indices`" + ) + + for i in indices: + probs = self.get_log_probs_at_index((reference_text, transformed_text), i) + if len(probs) != 2: + raise ValueError( + f"Error: get_log_probs_at_index returned {len(probs)} values for 2 inputs" + ) + ref_prob, transformed_prob = probs + if transformed_prob <= ref_prob - self.max_log_prob_diff: + return False + + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_log_prob_diff"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..16aa770dc7d5e6402b0ebc25cb061ef9b566f2ec --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,6 @@ +""" +"Learning To Write" +-------------------------- + +""" +from .learning_to_write import LearningToWriteLanguageModel diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/adaptive_softmax.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/adaptive_softmax.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..610754f5912416ddc712fdff46013133f6d072ba --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/adaptive_softmax.py @@ -0,0 +1,109 @@ +""" +AdaptiveSoftmax +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + + +import torch +from torch import nn +from torch.autograd import Variable +from torch.nn.functional import log_softmax + +import textattack + + +class AdaptiveSoftmax(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, input_size, cutoffs, scale_down=4): + super().__init__() + self.input_size = input_size + self.cutoffs = cutoffs + self.output_size = cutoffs[0] + len(cutoffs) - 1 + self.head = nn.Linear(input_size, self.output_size) + self.tail = nn.ModuleList() + for i in range(len(cutoffs) - 1): + seq = nn.Sequential( + nn.Linear(input_size, input_size // scale_down, False), + nn.Linear(input_size // scale_down, cutoffs[i + 1] - cutoffs[i], False), + ) + self.tail.append(seq) + + def reset(self, init=0.1): + self.head.weight.data.uniform_(-init, init) + for tail in self.tail: + for layer in tail: + layer.weight.data.uniform_(-init, init) + + def set_target(self, target): + self.id = [] + for i in range(len(self.cutoffs) - 1): + mask = target.ge(self.cutoffs[i]).mul(target.lt(self.cutoffs[i + 1])) + if mask.sum() > 0: + self.id.append(Variable(mask.float().nonzero().squeeze(1))) + else: + self.id.append(None) + + def forward(self, inp): + assert len(inp.size()) == 2 + output = [self.head(inp)] + for i in range(len(self.id)): + if self.id[i] is not None: + output.append(self.tail[i](inp.index_select(0, self.id[i]))) + else: + output.append(None) + return output + + def log_prob(self, inp): + assert len(inp.size()) == 2 + head_out = self.head(inp) + n = inp.size(0) + prob = torch.zeros(n, self.cutoffs[-1]).to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + lsm_head = log_softmax(head_out, dim=head_out.dim() - 1) + prob.narrow(1, 0, self.output_size).add_( + lsm_head.narrow(1, 0, self.output_size).data + ) + for i in range(len(self.tail)): + pos = self.cutoffs[i] + i_size = self.cutoffs[i + 1] - pos + buff = lsm_head.narrow(1, self.cutoffs[0] + i, 1) + buff = buff.expand(n, i_size) + temp = self.tail[i](inp) + lsm_tail = log_softmax(temp, dim=temp.dim() - 1) + prob.narrow(1, pos, i_size).copy_(buff.data).add_(lsm_tail.data) + return prob + + +class AdaptiveLoss(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, cutoffs): + super().__init__() + self.cutoffs = cutoffs + self.criterions = nn.ModuleList() + for i in self.cutoffs: + self.criterions.append(nn.CrossEntropyLoss(size_average=False)) + + def reset(self): + for criterion in self.criterions: + criterion.zero_grad() + + def remap_target(self, target): + new_target = [target.clone()] + for i in range(len(self.cutoffs) - 1): + mask = target.ge(self.cutoffs[i]).mul(target.lt(self.cutoffs[i + 1])) + + if mask.sum() > 0: + new_target[0][mask] = self.cutoffs[0] + i + new_target.append(target[mask].add(-self.cutoffs[i])) + else: + new_target.append(None) + return new_target + + def forward(self, inp, target): + n = inp[0].size(0) + target = self.remap_target(target.data) + loss = 0 + for i in range(len(inp)): + if inp[i] is not None: + assert target[i].min() >= 0 and target[i].max() <= inp[i].size(1) + criterion = self.criterions[i] + loss += criterion(inp[i], Variable(target[i])) + loss /= n + return loss diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/language_model_helpers.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/language_model_helpers.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..06491b1c45937fdd9ebb6cf35b5909da88e356a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/language_model_helpers.py @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ +""" +Language model helpers +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + +import os + +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader + +from .rnn_model import RNNModel + +torchfile = LazyLoader("torchfile", globals(), "torchfile") + + +class QueryHandler: + def __init__(self, model, word_to_idx, mapto, device): + self.model = model + self.word_to_idx = word_to_idx + self.mapto = mapto + self.device = device + + def query(self, sentences, swapped_words, batch_size=32): + """Since we don't filter prefixes for OOV ahead of time, it's possible + that some of them will have different lengths. When this is the case, + we can't do RNN prediction in batch. + + This method _tries_ to do prediction in batch, and, when it + fails, just does prediction sequentially and concatenates all of + the results. + """ + try: + return self.try_query(sentences, swapped_words, batch_size=batch_size) + except Exception: + probs = [] + for s, w in zip(sentences, swapped_words): + try: + probs.append(self.try_query([s], [w], batch_size=1)[0]) + except RuntimeError: + print( + "WARNING: got runtime error trying languag emodel on language model w s/w", + s, + w, + ) + probs.append(float("-inf")) + return probs + + def try_query(self, sentences, swapped_words, batch_size=32): + # TODO use caching + sentence_length = len(sentences[0]) + if any(len(s) != sentence_length for s in sentences): + raise ValueError("Only same length batches are allowed") + + log_probs = [] + for start in range(0, len(sentences), batch_size): + swapped_words_batch = swapped_words[ + start : min(len(sentences), start + batch_size) + ] + batch = sentences[start : min(len(sentences), start + batch_size)] + raw_idx_list = [[] for i in range(sentence_length + 1)] + for i, s in enumerate(batch): + s = [word for word in s if word in self.word_to_idx] + words = [""] + s + word_idxs = [self.word_to_idx[w] for w in words] + for t in range(sentence_length + 1): + if t < len(word_idxs): + raw_idx_list[t].append(word_idxs[t]) + orig_num_idxs = len(raw_idx_list) + raw_idx_list = [x for x in raw_idx_list if len(x)] + num_idxs_dropped = orig_num_idxs - len(raw_idx_list) + all_raw_idxs = torch.tensor( + raw_idx_list, device=self.device, dtype=torch.long + ) + word_idxs = self.mapto[all_raw_idxs] + hidden = self.model.init_hidden(len(batch)) + source = word_idxs[:-1, :] + target = word_idxs[1:, :] + if (not len(source)) or not len(hidden): + return [float("-inf")] * len(batch) + decode, hidden = self.model(source, hidden) + decode = decode.view(sentence_length - num_idxs_dropped, len(batch), -1) + for i in range(len(batch)): + if swapped_words_batch[i] not in self.word_to_idx: + log_probs.append(float("-inf")) + else: + log_probs.append( + sum( + [ + decode[t, i, target[t, i]].item() + for t in range(sentence_length - num_idxs_dropped) + ] + ) + ) + return log_probs + + @staticmethod + def load_model(lm_folder_path, device): + word_map = torchfile.load(os.path.join(lm_folder_path, "word_map.th7")) + word_map = [w.decode("utf-8") for w in word_map] + word_to_idx = {w: i for i, w in enumerate(word_map)} + word_freq = torchfile.load( + os.path.join(os.path.join(lm_folder_path, "word_freq.th7")) + ) + mapto = torch.from_numpy(util_reverse(np.argsort(-word_freq))).long().to(device) + + model_file = open(os.path.join(lm_folder_path, "lm-state-dict.pt"), "rb") + + model = RNNModel( + "GRU", + 793471, + 256, + 2048, + 1, + [4200, 35000, 180000, 793471], + dropout=0.01, + proj=True, + lm1b=True, + ) + + model.load_state_dict(torch.load(model_file, map_location=device)) + model.full = True # Use real softmax--important! + model.to(device) + model.eval() + model_file.close() + return QueryHandler(model, word_to_idx, mapto, device) + + +def util_reverse(item): + new_item = np.zeros(len(item)) + for idx, val in enumerate(item): + new_item[val] = idx + return new_item diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/learning_to_write.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/learning_to_write.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5da6e59bad22c82e0be8b636be132129352bdd46 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/learning_to_write.py @@ -0,0 +1,61 @@ +""" +"Learning To Write" Language Model +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +""" + +import torch + +import textattack +from textattack.constraints.grammaticality.language_models import ( + LanguageModelConstraint, +) + +from .language_model_helpers import QueryHandler + + +class LearningToWriteLanguageModel(LanguageModelConstraint): + """A constraint based on the L2W language model. + + The RNN-based language model from "Learning to Write With Cooperative + Discriminators" (Holtzman et al, 2018). + + https://arxiv.org/pdf/1805.06087.pdf + + https://github.com/windweller/l2w + + + Reused by Jia et al., 2019, as a substitution for the Google 1-billion + words language model (in a revised version the attack of Alzantot et + al., 2018). + + https://worksheets.codalab.org/worksheets/0x79feda5f1998497db75422eca8fcd689 + """ + + CACHE_PATH = "constraints/grammaticality/language-models/learning-to-write" + + def __init__(self, window_size=5, **kwargs): + self.window_size = window_size + lm_folder_path = textattack.shared.utils.download_from_s3( + LearningToWriteLanguageModel.CACHE_PATH + ) + self.query_handler = QueryHandler.load_model( + lm_folder_path, textattack.shared.utils.device + ) + super().__init__(**kwargs) + + def get_log_probs_at_index(self, text_list, word_index): + """Gets the probability of the word at index `word_index` according to + the language model.""" + queries = [] + query_words = [] + for attacked_text in text_list: + word = attacked_text.words[word_index] + window_text = attacked_text.text_window_around_index( + word_index, self.window_size + ) + query = textattack.shared.utils.words_from_text(window_text) + queries.append(query) + query_words.append(word) + log_probs = self.query_handler.query(queries, query_words) + return torch.tensor(log_probs) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/rnn_model.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/rnn_model.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d43370eb55ffcbfe79552b149f08cf7a3ea343c2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_models/learning_to_write/rnn_model.py @@ -0,0 +1,111 @@ +""" +RNN Language Model +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +""" + + +from torch import nn as nn +from torch.autograd import Variable + +from .adaptive_softmax import AdaptiveSoftmax + + +class RNNModel(nn.Module): + """Container module with an encoder, a recurrent module, and a decoder. + + Based on official pytorch examples + """ + + def __init__( + self, + rnn_type, + ntoken, + ninp, + nhid, + nlayers, + cutoffs, + proj=False, + dropout=0.5, + tie_weights=False, + lm1b=False, + ): + super(RNNModel, self).__init__() + self.drop = nn.Dropout(dropout) + self.encoder = nn.Embedding(ntoken, ninp) + + self.lm1b = lm1b + + if rnn_type == "GRU": + self.rnn = getattr(nn, rnn_type)(ninp, nhid, nlayers, dropout=dropout) + else: + try: + nonlinearity = {"RNN_TANH": "tanh", "RNN_RELU": "relu"}[rnn_type] + except KeyError: + raise ValueError( + """An invalid option for `--model` was supplied, + options are ['GRU', 'RNN_TANH' or 'RNN_RELU']""" + ) + self.rnn = nn.RNN( + ninp, nhid, nlayers, nonlinearity=nonlinearity, dropout=dropout + ) + + self.proj = proj + + if ninp != nhid and proj: + self.proj_layer = nn.Linear(nhid, ninp) + + # if tie_weights: + # if nhid != ninp and not proj: + # raise ValueError('When using the tied flag, nhid must be equal to emsize') + # self.decoder = nn.Linear(ninp, ntoken) + # self.decoder.weight = self.encoder.weight + # else: + # if nhid != ninp and not proj: + # if not lm1b: + # self.decoder = nn.Linear(nhid, ntoken) + # else: + # self.decoder = adapt_loss + # else: + # self.decoder = nn.Linear(ninp, ntoken) + + self.init_weights() + + self.rnn_type = rnn_type + self.nhid = nhid + self.nlayers = nlayers + + if proj: + self.softmax = AdaptiveSoftmax(ninp, cutoffs) + else: + self.softmax = AdaptiveSoftmax(nhid, cutoffs) + + self.full = False + + def init_weights(self): + initrange = 0.1 + self.encoder.weight.data.uniform_(-initrange, initrange) + # self.decoder.bias.data.fill_(0) + # self.decoder.weight.data.uniform_(-initrange, initrange) + + def forward(self, input, hidden): + emb = self.drop(self.encoder(input)) + output, hidden = self.rnn(emb, hidden) + output = self.drop(output) + + if "proj" in vars(self): + if self.proj: + output = self.proj_layer(output) + + output = output.view(output.size(0) * output.size(1), output.size(2)) + + if self.full: + decode = self.softmax.log_prob(output) + else: + decode = self.softmax(output) + + return decode, hidden + + def init_hidden(self, bsz): + weight = next(self.parameters()).data + return Variable(weight.new(self.nlayers, bsz, self.nhid).zero_()) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_tool.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_tool.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0781b49fb5ce8826bd225b720db0d29f2c829492 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/language_tool.py @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +""" +LanguageTool Grammar Checker +------------------------------ +""" +import language_tool_python + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class LanguageTool(Constraint): + """Uses languagetool to determine if two sentences have the same number of + grammatical erors. (https://languagetool.org/) + + Args: + grammar_error_threshold (int): the number of additional errors permitted in `x_adv` + relative to `x` + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare against the original text. + Otherwise, compare against the most recent text. + language: language to use for languagetool (available choices: https://dev.languagetool.org/languages) + """ + + def __init__( + self, grammar_error_threshold=0, compare_against_original=True, language="en-US" + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + self.lang_tool = language_tool_python.LanguageTool(language) + self.grammar_error_threshold = grammar_error_threshold + self.grammar_error_cache = {} + + def get_errors(self, attacked_text, use_cache=False): + text = attacked_text.text + if use_cache: + if text not in self.grammar_error_cache: + self.grammar_error_cache[text] = len(self.lang_tool.check(text)) + return self.grammar_error_cache[text] + else: + return len(self.lang_tool.check(text)) + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + original_num_errors = self.get_errors(reference_text, use_cache=True) + errors_added = self.get_errors(transformed_text) - original_num_errors + return errors_added <= self.grammar_error_threshold + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["grammar_error_threshold"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/part_of_speech.py b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/part_of_speech.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f531f33c7c7667ac412ba737978bce2c7369eba3 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/grammaticality/part_of_speech.py @@ -0,0 +1,155 @@ +""" +Part of Speech Constraint +-------------------------- +""" +import flair +from flair.data import Sentence +from flair.models import SequenceTagger +import lru +import nltk + +import textattack +from textattack.constraints import Constraint +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader, device +from textattack.shared.validators import transformation_consists_of_word_swaps + +# Set global flair device to be TextAttack's current device +flair.device = device + +stanza = LazyLoader("stanza", globals(), "stanza") + + +class PartOfSpeech(Constraint): + """Constraints word swaps to only swap words with the same part of speech. + Uses the NLTK universal part-of-speech tagger by default. An implementation + of ``_ adapted from + ``_. + + POS taggers from Flair ``_ and + Stanza ``_ are also available + + Args: + tagger_type (str): Name of the tagger to use (available choices: "nltk", "flair", "stanza"). + tagset (str): tagset to use for POS tagging (e.g. "universal") + allow_verb_noun_swap (bool): If `True`, allow verbs to be swapped with nouns and vice versa. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare against the original text. + Otherwise, compare against the most recent text. + language_nltk: Language to be used for nltk POS-Tagger + (available choices: "eng", "rus") + language_stanza: Language to be used for stanza POS-Tagger + (available choices: https://stanfordnlp.github.io/stanza/available_models.html) + """ + + def __init__( + self, + tagger_type="nltk", + tagset="universal", + allow_verb_noun_swap=True, + compare_against_original=True, + language_nltk="eng", + language_stanza="en", + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + self.tagger_type = tagger_type + self.tagset = tagset + self.allow_verb_noun_swap = allow_verb_noun_swap + self.language_nltk = language_nltk + self.language_stanza = language_stanza + + self._pos_tag_cache = lru.LRU(2**14) + if tagger_type == "flair": + if tagset == "universal": + self._flair_pos_tagger = SequenceTagger.load("upos-fast") + else: + self._flair_pos_tagger = SequenceTagger.load("pos-fast") + + if tagger_type == "stanza": + self._stanza_pos_tagger = stanza.Pipeline( + lang=self.language_stanza, + processors="tokenize, pos", + tokenize_pretokenized=True, + ) + + def clear_cache(self): + self._pos_tag_cache.clear() + + def _can_replace_pos(self, pos_a, pos_b): + return (pos_a == pos_b) or ( + self.allow_verb_noun_swap and set([pos_a, pos_b]) <= set(["NOUN", "VERB"]) + ) + + def _get_pos(self, before_ctx, word, after_ctx): + context_words = before_ctx + [word] + after_ctx + context_key = " ".join(context_words) + if context_key in self._pos_tag_cache: + word_list, pos_list = self._pos_tag_cache[context_key] + else: + if self.tagger_type == "nltk": + word_list, pos_list = zip( + *nltk.pos_tag( + context_words, tagset=self.tagset, lang=self.language_nltk + ) + ) + + if self.tagger_type == "flair": + context_key_sentence = Sentence( + context_key, + use_tokenizer=textattack.shared.utils.TextAttackFlairTokenizer(), + ) + self._flair_pos_tagger.predict(context_key_sentence) + word_list, pos_list = textattack.shared.utils.zip_flair_result( + context_key_sentence + ) + + if self.tagger_type == "stanza": + word_list, pos_list = textattack.shared.utils.zip_stanza_result( + self._stanza_pos_tagger(context_key), tagset=self.tagset + ) + + self._pos_tag_cache[context_key] = (word_list, pos_list) + + # idx of `word` in `context_words` + assert word in word_list, "POS list not matched with original word list." + word_idx = word_list.index(word) + return pos_list[word_idx] + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + try: + indices = transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"] + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "Cannot apply part-of-speech constraint without `newly_modified_indices`" + ) + + for i in indices: + reference_word = reference_text.words[i] + transformed_word = transformed_text.words[i] + before_ctx = reference_text.words[max(i - 4, 0) : i] + after_ctx = reference_text.words[ + i + 1 : min(i + 4, len(reference_text.words)) + ] + ref_pos = self._get_pos(before_ctx, reference_word, after_ctx) + replace_pos = self._get_pos(before_ctx, transformed_word, after_ctx) + if not self._can_replace_pos(ref_pos, replace_pos): + return False + + return True + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [ + "tagger_type", + "tagset", + "allow_verb_noun_swap", + ] + super().extra_repr_keys() + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["_pos_tag_cache"] = self._pos_tag_cache.get_size() + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + self._pos_tag_cache = lru.LRU(state["_pos_tag_cache"]) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a543e2c39229b6eb86ea0e8cbb592009c008ad8e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,13 @@ +""".. _overlap: + +Overlap Constraints +-------------------------- + +Overlap constraints determine if a transformation is valid based on character-level analysis. +""" + +from .bleu_score import BLEU +from .chrf_score import chrF +from .levenshtein_edit_distance import LevenshteinEditDistance +from .meteor_score import METEOR +from .max_words_perturbed import MaxWordsPerturbed diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/bleu_score.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/bleu_score.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..51c8f1281388cdbbdb45b39e33bc7d1989ce0d9e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/bleu_score.py @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +""" + +BLEU Constraints +-------------------------- + + +""" + +import nltk + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class BLEU(Constraint): + """A constraint on BLEU score difference. + + Args: + max_bleu_score (int): Maximum BLEU score allowed. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_bleu_score, compare_against_original=True): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(max_bleu_score, int): + raise TypeError("max_bleu_score must be an int") + self.max_bleu_score = max_bleu_score + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + ref = reference_text.words + hyp = transformed_text.words + bleu_score = nltk.translate.bleu_score.sentence_bleu([ref], hyp) + return bleu_score <= self.max_bleu_score + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_bleu_score"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/chrf_score.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/chrf_score.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8db0c4dca9b9d338be28b283950768ee0ffdc021 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/chrf_score.py @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +""" + +chrF Constraints +-------------------------- + + +""" + +import nltk.translate.chrf_score + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class chrF(Constraint): + """A constraint on chrF (n-gram F-score) difference. + + Args: + max_chrf (int): Max n-gram F-score allowed. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_chrf, compare_against_original=True): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(max_chrf, int): + raise TypeError("max_chrf must be an int") + self.max_chrf = max_chrf + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + ref = reference_text.words + hyp = transformed_text.words + chrf = nltk.translate.chrf_score.sentence_chrf(ref, hyp) + return chrf <= self.max_chrf + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_chrf"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/levenshtein_edit_distance.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/levenshtein_edit_distance.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5a0ede847167ec3606075c74ce5491870da1cf46 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/levenshtein_edit_distance.py @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@ +""" + +Edit Distance Constraints +-------------------------- + + +""" + +import editdistance + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class LevenshteinEditDistance(Constraint): + """A constraint on edit distance (Levenshtein Distance). + + Args: + max_edit_distance (int): Maximum edit distance allowed. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_edit_distance, compare_against_original=True): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(max_edit_distance, int): + raise TypeError("max_edit_distance must be an int") + self.max_edit_distance = max_edit_distance + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + edit_distance = editdistance.eval(reference_text.text, transformed_text.text) + return edit_distance <= self.max_edit_distance + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_edit_distance"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/max_words_perturbed.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/max_words_perturbed.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8d09a4108b0cb765505fb1487ae6d2ffd039c3b9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/max_words_perturbed.py @@ -0,0 +1,61 @@ +""" + +Max Perturb Words Constraints +------------------------------- + + +""" + +import math + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class MaxWordsPerturbed(Constraint): + """A constraint representing a maximum allowed perturbed words. + + Args: + max_num_words (:obj:`int`, optional): Maximum number of perturbed words allowed. + max_percent (:obj: `float`, optional): Maximum percentage of words allowed to be perturbed. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__( + self, max_num_words=None, max_percent=None, compare_against_original=True + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not compare_against_original: + raise ValueError( + "Cannot apply constraint MaxWordsPerturbed with `compare_against_original=False`" + ) + + if (max_num_words is None) and (max_percent is None): + raise ValueError("must set either `max_percent` or `max_num_words`") + if max_percent and not (0 <= max_percent <= 1): + raise ValueError("max perc must be between 0 and 1") + self.max_num_words = max_num_words + self.max_percent = max_percent + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + num_words_diff = len(transformed_text.all_words_diff(reference_text)) + if self.max_percent: + min_num_words = min(len(transformed_text.words), len(reference_text.words)) + max_words_perturbed = math.ceil(min_num_words * (self.max_percent)) + max_percent_met = num_words_diff <= max_words_perturbed + else: + max_percent_met = True + if self.max_num_words: + max_num_words_met = num_words_diff <= self.max_num_words + else: + max_num_words_met = True + + return max_percent_met and max_num_words_met + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + metric = [] + if self.max_percent is not None: + metric.append("max_percent") + if self.max_num_words is not None: + metric.append("max_num_words") + return metric + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/overlap/meteor_score.py b/textattack/constraints/overlap/meteor_score.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7a4eb9f16240ec7fcc556f848f532a3cff975f5b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/overlap/meteor_score.py @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +""" + +METEOR Constraints +-------------------------- + + +""" + + +import nltk + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class METEOR(Constraint): + """A constraint on METEOR score difference. + + Args: + max_meteor (int): Max METEOR score allowed. + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_meteor, compare_against_original=True): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(max_meteor, int): + raise TypeError("max_meteor must be an int") + self.max_meteor = max_meteor + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + meteor = nltk.translate.meteor([reference_text], transformed_text) + return meteor <= self.max_meteor + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_meteor"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9cfdd8cff0f9163f0c5d206e15e48784bf99704e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +""".. _pre_transformation: + +Pre-Transformation: +--------------------- + +Pre-transformation constraints determine if a transformation is valid based on only the original input and the position of the replacement. These constraints are applied before the transformation is even called. For example, these constraints can prevent search methods from swapping words at the same index twice, or from replacing stopwords. +""" +from .stopword_modification import StopwordModification +from .repeat_modification import RepeatModification +from .input_column_modification import InputColumnModification +from .max_word_index_modification import MaxWordIndexModification +from .max_num_words_modified import MaxNumWordsModified +from .min_word_length import MinWordLength +from .max_modification_rate import MaxModificationRate diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/input_column_modification.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/input_column_modification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d576d579074e6b14062041bf471e61bb240cb8b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/input_column_modification.py @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +""" + +Input Column Modification +-------------------------- + +""" + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class InputColumnModification(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint disallowing the modification of words within a specific + input column. + + For example, can prevent modification of 'premise' during + entailment. + """ + + def __init__(self, matching_column_labels, columns_to_ignore): + self.matching_column_labels = matching_column_labels + self.columns_to_ignore = columns_to_ignore + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in current_text which are able to be + deleted. + + If ``current_text.column_labels`` doesn't match + ``self.matching_column_labels``, do nothing, and allow all words + to be modified. + + If it does match, only allow words to be modified if they are not + in columns from ``columns_to_ignore``. + """ + if current_text.column_labels != self.matching_column_labels: + return set(range(len(current_text.words))) + + idx = 0 + indices_to_modify = set() + for column, words in zip( + current_text.column_labels, current_text.words_per_input + ): + num_words = len(words) + if column not in self.columns_to_ignore: + indices_to_modify |= set(range(idx, idx + num_words)) + idx += num_words + return indices_to_modify + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["matching_column_labels", "columns_to_ignore"] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_modification_rate.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_modification_rate.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0eba7b501f74fe80911a4b931f97ee471e389895 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_modification_rate.py @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +""" + +Max Modification Rate +----------------------------- + +""" +import math + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class MaxModificationRate(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint that prevents modifying words beyond certain percentage of + total number of words. + + Args: + max_rate (:obj:`float`): + Percentage of words that can be modified. For example, given text of 20 words, `max_rate=0.1` will allow at most 2 words to be modified. + min_threshold (:obj:`int`, optional, defaults to :obj:`1`): + The minimum number of words that can be perturbed regardless of `max_rate`. For example, given text of 20 words and `max_rate=0.1`, + setting`min_threshold=4` will still allow 4 words to be modified even though `max_rate=0.1` only allows 2 words. This is useful since + text length can vary a lot between samples, and a `N%` modification limit might not make sense for very short text. + """ + + def __init__(self, max_rate, min_threshold=1): + assert isinstance(max_rate, float), "`max_rate` must be a float." + assert max_rate >= 0 and max_rate <= 1, "`max_rate` must between 0 and 1." + assert isinstance(min_threshold, int), "`min_threshold` must an int" + + self.max_rate = max_rate + self.min_threshold = min_threshold + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in current_text which are able to be + modified.""" + + threshold = max( + math.ceil(current_text.num_words * self.max_rate), self.min_threshold + ) + if len(current_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"]) >= threshold: + return set() + else: + return set(range(len(current_text.words))) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_rate", "min_threshold"] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_num_words_modified.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_num_words_modified.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3d8510503660a0509cac0d4849f3771e882ad0b1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_num_words_modified.py @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ +""" + +Max Modification Rate +----------------------------- + +""" + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class MaxNumWordsModified(PreTransformationConstraint): + def __init__(self, max_num_words: int): + self.max_num_words = max_num_words + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in current_text which are able to be + modified.""" + + if len(current_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"]) >= self.max_num_words: + return set() + else: + return set(range(len(current_text.words))) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_num_words"] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_word_index_modification.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_word_index_modification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b0c796fc2e3b9d08721ffac9853e64f747a6889c --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/max_word_index_modification.py @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +""" + +Max Word Index Modification +----------------------------- + +""" +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class MaxWordIndexModification(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint disallowing the modification of words which are past some + maximum sentence word-length limit.""" + + def __init__(self, max_length): + self.max_length = max_length + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in current_text which are able to be + deleted.""" + return set(range(min(self.max_length, len(current_text.words)))) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_length"] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/min_word_length.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/min_word_length.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..991a675397b136d9cb18d60e2588421f380f5899 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/min_word_length.py @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +""" + +Min Word Lenth +-------------------------- + +""" + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class MinWordLength(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint that prevents modifications to words less than a certain + word character-length. + + :param min_length: Minimum word character-length needed for changes to be made to a word. + """ + + def __init__(self, min_length): + self.min_length = min_length + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + idxs = [] + for i, word in enumerate(current_text.words): + if len(word) >= self.min_length: + idxs.append(i) + return set(idxs) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/repeat_modification.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/repeat_modification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..aa2f2ff3e8cd9aea685610e7a7846dbc30efcb93 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/repeat_modification.py @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ +""" +Repeat Modification +-------------------------- + +""" + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint + + +class RepeatModification(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint disallowing the modification of words which have already + been modified.""" + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in current_text which are able to be + deleted.""" + try: + return ( + set(range(len(current_text.words))) + - current_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] + ) + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "`modified_indices` in attack_attrs required for RepeatModification constraint." + ) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/stopword_modification.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/stopword_modification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..798f365c9ea129172232cdbe324975c0d176aee7 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation/stopword_modification.py @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +""" + +Stopword Modification +-------------------------- + +""" + +import nltk + +from textattack.constraints import PreTransformationConstraint +from textattack.shared.validators import transformation_consists_of_word_swaps + + +class StopwordModification(PreTransformationConstraint): + """A constraint disallowing the modification of stopwords.""" + + def __init__(self, stopwords=None, language="english"): + if stopwords is not None: + self.stopwords = set(stopwords) + else: + self.stopwords = set(nltk.corpus.stopwords.words(language)) + + def _get_modifiable_indices(self, current_text): + """Returns the word indices in ``current_text`` which are able to be + modified.""" + non_stopword_indices = set() + for i, word in enumerate(current_text.words): + if word not in self.stopwords: + non_stopword_indices.add(i) + return non_stopword_indices + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + """The stopword constraint only is concerned with word swaps since + paraphrasing phrases containing stopwords is OK. + + Args: + transformation: The ``Transformation`` to check compatibility with. + """ + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation_constraint.py b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation_constraint.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4fc1a65f3eab116e234447429bddf460753da0e6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/pre_transformation_constraint.py @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +""" +Pre-Transformation Constraint Class +===================================== +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class PreTransformationConstraint(ReprMixin, ABC): + """An abstract class that represents constraints which are applied before + the transformation. + + These restrict which words are allowed to be modified during the + transformation. For example, we might not allow stopwords to be + modified. + """ + + def __call__(self, current_text, transformation): + """Returns the word indices in ``current_text`` which are able to be + modified. First checks compatibility with ``transformation`` then calls + ``_get_modifiable_indices`` + + Args: + current_text: The ``AttackedText`` input to consider. + transformation: The ``Transformation`` which will be applied. + """ + if not self.check_compatibility(transformation): + return set(range(len(current_text.words))) + return self._get_modifiable_indices(current_text) + + @abstractmethod + def _get_modifiable_indices(current_text): + """Returns the word indices in ``current_text`` which are able to be + modified. Must be overridden by specific pre-transformation + constraints. + + Args: + current_text: The ``AttackedText`` input to consider. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + """Checks if this constraint is compatible with the given + transformation. For example, the ``WordEmbeddingDistance`` constraint + compares the embedding of the word inserted with that of the word + deleted. Therefore it can only be applied in the case of word swaps, + and not for transformations which involve only one of insertion or + deletion. + + Args: + transformation: The ``Transformation`` to check compatibility with. + """ + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + """Set the extra representation of the constraint using these keys. + + To print customized extra information, you should reimplement + this method in your own constraint. Both single-line and multi- + line strings are acceptable. + """ + return [] diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..716554eb423dfceea0b4e54102b09a16a6c0457b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@ +""".. _semantics: + +Semantic Constraints +--------------------- +Semantic constraints determine if a transformation is valid based on similarity of the semantics of the orignal input and the transformed input. +""" +from . import sentence_encoders + +from .word_embedding_distance import WordEmbeddingDistance +from .bert_score import BERTScore diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/bert_score.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/bert_score.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9f0c65e0c9588fe47468ebbfeec554fb17b05573 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/bert_score.py @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +""" +BERT Score +--------------------- +BERT Score is introduced in this paper (BERTScore: Evaluating Text Generation with BERT) `arxiv link`_. + +.. _arxiv link: https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.09675 + +BERT Score measures token similarity between two text using contextual embedding. + +To decide which two tokens to compare, it greedily chooses the most similar token from one text and matches it to a token in the second text. + +""" + +import bert_score + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class BERTScore(Constraint): + """A constraint on BERT-Score difference. + + Args: + min_bert_score (float), minimum threshold value for BERT-Score + model_name (str), name of model to use for scoring + num_layers (int), number of hidden layers in the model + score_type (str), Pick one of following three choices + + -(1) ``precision`` : match words from candidate text to reference text + -(2) ``recall`` : match words from reference text to candidate text + -(3) ``f1``: harmonic mean of precision and recall (recommended) + + compare_against_original (bool): + If ``True``, compare new ``x_adv`` against the original ``x``. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous ``x_adv``. + """ + + SCORE_TYPE2IDX = {"precision": 0, "recall": 1, "f1": 2} + + def __init__( + self, + min_bert_score, + model_name="bert-base-uncased", + num_layers=None, + score_type="f1", + compare_against_original=True, + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if not isinstance(min_bert_score, float): + raise TypeError("max_bert_score must be a float") + if min_bert_score < 0.0 or min_bert_score > 1.0: + raise ValueError("max_bert_score must be a value between 0.0 and 1.0") + + self.min_bert_score = min_bert_score + self.model = model_name + self.score_type = score_type + # Turn off idf-weighting scheme b/c reference sentence set is small + self._bert_scorer = bert_score.BERTScorer( + model_type=model_name, idf=False, device=utils.device, num_layers=num_layers + ) + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + """Return `True` if BERT Score between `transformed_text` and + `reference_text` is lower than minimum BERT Score.""" + cand = transformed_text.text + ref = reference_text.text + result = self._bert_scorer.score([cand], [ref]) + score = result[BERTScore.SCORE_TYPE2IDX[self.score_type]].item() + if score >= self.min_bert_score: + return True + else: + return False + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["min_bert_score", "model", "score_type"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6cf05efdd47db5be9285073b20341495ccf3035f --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +""" +Sentence Encoder +--------------------- +""" + + +from .sentence_encoder import SentenceEncoder + +from .bert import BERT +from .infer_sent import InferSent +from .thought_vector import ThoughtVector +from .universal_sentence_encoder import ( + UniversalSentenceEncoder, + MultilingualUniversalSentenceEncoder, +) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e0f312aa35f8de1181b2e0922f7172786f04acc5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,6 @@ +""" +BERT +^^^^^^^ +""" + +from .bert import BERT diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/bert.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/bert.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..cbbc8c426fe88dfcc0bf8ca95ddd4f11550abada --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/bert/bert.py @@ -0,0 +1,32 @@ +""" +BERT for Sentence Similarity +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import SentenceEncoder +from textattack.shared import utils + +sentence_transformers = utils.LazyLoader( + "sentence_transformers", globals(), "sentence_transformers" +) + + +class BERT(SentenceEncoder): + """Constraint using similarity between sentence encodings of x and x_adv + where the text embeddings are created using BERT, trained on NLI data, and + fine- tuned on the STS benchmark dataset. + Available models can be found here: https://huggingface.co/sentence-transformers""" + + def __init__( + self, + threshold=0.7, + metric="cosine", + model_name="bert-base-nli-stsb-mean-tokens", + **kwargs + ): + super().__init__(threshold=threshold, metric=metric, **kwargs) + self.model = sentence_transformers.SentenceTransformer(model_name) + self.model.to(utils.device) + + def encode(self, sentences): + return self.model.encode(sentences) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ecfaa05f8e04e3815959f3213bde7534672c66d4 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,7 @@ +""" +infer sent +^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + + +from .infer_sent import InferSent diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7da7de5335323baeb811c3e2ed5c7f52a64d16cd --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent.py @@ -0,0 +1,56 @@ +""" +infer sent for sentence similarity +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + +import os + +import torch + +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import SentenceEncoder +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .infer_sent_model import InferSentModel + + +class InferSent(SentenceEncoder): + """Constraint using similarity between sentence encodings of x and x_adv + where the text embeddings are created using InferSent.""" + + MODEL_PATH = "constraints/semantics/sentence-encoders/infersent-encoder" + WORD_EMBEDDING_PATH = "word_embeddings" + + def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs): + super().__init__(*args, **kwargs) + self.model = self.get_infersent_model() + self.model.to(utils.device) + + def get_infersent_model(self): + """Retrieves the InferSent model. + + Returns: + The pretrained InferSent model. + """ + infersent_version = 2 + model_folder_path = utils.download_from_s3(InferSent.MODEL_PATH) + model_path = os.path.join( + model_folder_path, f"infersent{infersent_version}.pkl" + ) + params_model = { + "bsize": 64, + "word_emb_dim": 300, + "enc_lstm_dim": 2048, + "pool_type": "max", + "dpout_model": 0.0, + "version": infersent_version, + } + infersent = InferSentModel(params_model) + infersent.load_state_dict(torch.load(model_path)) + word_embedding_path = utils.download_from_s3(InferSent.WORD_EMBEDDING_PATH) + w2v_path = os.path.join(word_embedding_path, "fastText", "crawl-300d-2M.vec") + infersent.set_w2v_path(w2v_path) + infersent.build_vocab_k_words(K=100000) + return infersent + + def encode(self, sentences): + return self.model.encode(sentences, tokenize=True) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent_model.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent_model.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..927d277d0d1619f8d32e77b75ece774072c075f7 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/infer_sent/infer_sent_model.py @@ -0,0 +1,279 @@ +""" +Infer sent model +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +This file contains the definition of encoders used in +https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.02364.pdf. + +""" + + +# Copyright (c) 2017-present, Facebook, Inc. +# All rights reserved. +# +# This source code is licensed under the license found in the +# LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. +# + +import time + +import numpy as np +import torch +from torch import nn as nn + +import textattack + + +class InferSentModel(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, config): + super().__init__() + self.bsize = config["bsize"] + self.word_emb_dim = config["word_emb_dim"] + self.enc_lstm_dim = config["enc_lstm_dim"] + self.pool_type = config["pool_type"] + self.dpout_model = config["dpout_model"] + self.version = 1 if "version" not in config else config["version"] + + self.enc_lstm = nn.LSTM( + self.word_emb_dim, + self.enc_lstm_dim, + 1, + bidirectional=True, + dropout=self.dpout_model, + ) + + assert self.version in [1, 2] + if self.version == 1: + self.bos = "" + self.eos = "" + self.max_pad = True + self.moses_tok = False + elif self.version == 2: + self.bos = "

" + self.eos = "

" + self.max_pad = False + self.moses_tok = True + + def is_cuda(self): + # either all weights are on cpu or they are on gpu + return self.enc_lstm.bias_hh_l0.data.is_cuda + + def forward(self, sent_tuple): + # sent_len: [max_len, ..., min_len] (bsize) + # sent: (seqlen x bsize x worddim) + sent, sent_len = sent_tuple + + # Sort by length (keep idx) + sent_len_sorted, idx_sort = np.sort(sent_len)[::-1], np.argsort(-sent_len) + sent_len_sorted = sent_len_sorted.copy() + idx_unsort = np.argsort(idx_sort) + + idx_sort = ( + torch.from_numpy(idx_sort).to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + if self.is_cuda() + else torch.from_numpy(idx_sort) + ) + sent = sent.index_select(1, idx_sort) + + # Handling padding in Recurrent Networks + sent_packed = nn.utils.rnn.pack_padded_sequence(sent, sent_len_sorted) + sent_output = self.enc_lstm(sent_packed)[0] # seqlen x batch x 2*nhid + sent_output = nn.utils.rnn.pad_packed_sequence(sent_output)[0] + + # Un-sort by length + idx_unsort = ( + torch.from_numpy(idx_unsort).to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + if self.is_cuda() + else torch.from_numpy(idx_unsort) + ) + sent_output = sent_output.index_select(1, idx_unsort) + + # Pooling + if self.pool_type == "mean": + sent_len = ( + torch.FloatTensor(sent_len.copy()) + .unsqueeze(1) + .to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + ) + emb = torch.sum(sent_output, 0).squeeze(0) + emb = emb / sent_len.expand_as(emb) + elif self.pool_type == "max": + if not self.max_pad: + sent_output[sent_output == 0] = -1e9 + emb = torch.max(sent_output, 0)[0] + if emb.ndimension() == 3: + emb = emb.squeeze(0) + assert emb.ndimension() == 2 + + return emb + + def set_w2v_path(self, w2v_path): + self.w2v_path = w2v_path + + def get_word_dict(self, sentences, tokenize=True): + # create vocab of words + word_dict = {} + sentences = [s.split() if not tokenize else self.tokenize(s) for s in sentences] + for sent in sentences: + for word in sent: + if word not in word_dict: + word_dict[word] = "" + word_dict[self.bos] = "" + word_dict[self.eos] = "" + return word_dict + + def get_w2v(self, word_dict): + assert hasattr(self, "w2v_path"), "w2v path not set" + # create word_vec with w2v vectors + word_vec = {} + with open(self.w2v_path, encoding="utf-8") as f: + for line in f: + word, vec = line.split(" ", 1) + if word in word_dict: + word_vec[word] = np.fromstring(vec, sep=" ") + print("Found %s(/%s) words with w2v vectors" % (len(word_vec), len(word_dict))) + return word_vec + + def get_w2v_k(self, K): + assert hasattr(self, "w2v_path"), "w2v path not set" + # create word_vec with k first w2v vectors + k = 0 + word_vec = {} + with open(self.w2v_path, encoding="utf-8") as f: + for line in f: + word, vec = line.split(" ", 1) + if k <= K: + word_vec[word] = np.fromstring(vec, sep=" ") + k += 1 + if k > K: + if word in [self.bos, self.eos]: + word_vec[word] = np.fromstring(vec, sep=" ") + + if k > K and all([w in word_vec for w in [self.bos, self.eos]]): + break + return word_vec + + def build_vocab(self, sentences, tokenize=True): + assert hasattr(self, "w2v_path"), "w2v path not set" + word_dict = self.get_word_dict(sentences, tokenize) + self.word_vec = self.get_w2v(word_dict) + # print('Vocab size : %s' % (len(self.word_vec))) + + # build w2v vocab with k most frequent words + def build_vocab_k_words(self, K): + assert hasattr(self, "w2v_path"), "w2v path not set" + self.word_vec = self.get_w2v_k(K) + # print('Vocab size : %s' % (K)) + + def update_vocab(self, sentences, tokenize=True): + assert hasattr(self, "w2v_path"), "warning : w2v path not set" + assert hasattr(self, "word_vec"), "build_vocab before updating it" + word_dict = self.get_word_dict(sentences, tokenize) + + # keep only new words + for word in self.word_vec: + if word in word_dict: + del word_dict[word] + + # udpate vocabulary + if word_dict: + new_word_vec = self.get_w2v(word_dict) + self.word_vec.update(new_word_vec) + else: + new_word_vec = [] + print( + "New vocab size : %s (added %s words)" + % (len(self.word_vec), len(new_word_vec)) + ) + + def get_batch(self, batch): + # sent in batch in decreasing order of lengths + # batch: (bsize, max_len, word_dim) + embed = np.zeros((len(batch[0]), len(batch), self.word_emb_dim)) + + for i in range(len(batch)): + for j in range(len(batch[i])): + embed[j, i, :] = self.word_vec[batch[i][j]] + + return torch.FloatTensor(embed) + + def tokenize(self, s): + from nltk.tokenize import word_tokenize + + if self.moses_tok: + s = " ".join(word_tokenize(s)) + s = s.replace(" n't ", "n 't ") # HACK to get ~MOSES tokenization + return s.split() + else: + return word_tokenize(s) + + def prepare_samples(self, sentences, bsize, tokenize, verbose): + sentences = [ + [self.bos] + s.split() + [self.eos] + if not tokenize + else [self.bos] + self.tokenize(s) + [self.eos] + for s in sentences + ] + n_w = np.sum([len(x) for x in sentences]) + + # filters words without w2v vectors + for i in range(len(sentences)): + s_f = [word for word in sentences[i] if word in self.word_vec] + if not s_f: + import warnings + + warnings.warn( + 'No words in "%s" (idx=%s) have w2v vectors. \ + Replacing by ""..' + % (sentences[i], i) + ) + s_f = [self.eos] + sentences[i] = s_f + + lengths = np.array([len(s) for s in sentences]) + n_wk = np.sum(lengths) + if verbose: + print( + "Nb words kept : %s/%s (%.1f%s)" % (n_wk, n_w, 100.0 * n_wk / n_w, "%") + ) + + # sort by decreasing length + lengths, idx_sort = np.sort(lengths)[::-1], np.argsort(-lengths) + sentences = np.array(sentences)[idx_sort] + + return sentences, lengths, idx_sort + + def encode(self, sentences, bsize=64, tokenize=True, verbose=False): + tic = time.time() + sentences, lengths, idx_sort = self.prepare_samples( + sentences, bsize, tokenize, verbose + ) + + embeddings = [] + for stidx in range(0, len(sentences), bsize): + batch = self.get_batch(sentences[stidx : stidx + bsize]) + if self.is_cuda(): + batch = batch.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + with torch.no_grad(): + batch = ( + self.forward((batch, lengths[stidx : stidx + bsize])) + .data.cpu() + .numpy() + ) + embeddings.append(batch) + embeddings = np.vstack(embeddings) + + # unsort + idx_unsort = np.argsort(idx_sort) + embeddings = embeddings[idx_unsort] + + if verbose: + print( + "Speed : %.1f sentences/s (%s mode, bsize=%s)" + % ( + len(embeddings) / (time.time() - tic), + "gpu" if self.is_cuda() else "cpu", + bsize, + ) + ) + return embeddings diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/sentence_encoder.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/sentence_encoder.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a1eee10c7aa42d872bf07f0c6608424f6fcc7394 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/sentence_encoder.py @@ -0,0 +1,224 @@ +""" +Sentence Encoder Class +------------------------ +""" + +from abc import ABC +import math + +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint + + +class SentenceEncoder(Constraint, ABC): + """Constraint using cosine similarity between sentence encodings of x and + x_adv. + + Args: + threshold (:obj:`float`, optional): The threshold for the constraint to be met. + Defaults to 0.8 + metric (:obj:`str`, optional): The similarity metric to use. Defaults to + cosine. Options: ['cosine, 'angular'] + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. + Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + window_size (int): The number of words to use in the similarity + comparison. `None` indicates no windowing (encoding is based on the + full input). + """ + + def __init__( + self, + threshold=0.8, + metric="cosine", + compare_against_original=True, + window_size=None, + skip_text_shorter_than_window=False, + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + self.metric = metric + self.threshold = threshold + self.window_size = window_size + self.skip_text_shorter_than_window = skip_text_shorter_than_window + + if not self.window_size: + self.window_size = float("inf") + + if metric == "cosine": + self.sim_metric = torch.nn.CosineSimilarity(dim=1) + elif metric == "angular": + self.sim_metric = get_angular_sim + elif metric == "max_euclidean": + # If the threshold requires embedding similarity measurement + # be less than or equal to a certain value, just negate it, + # so that we can still compare to the threshold using >=. + self.threshold = -threshold + self.sim_metric = get_neg_euclidean_dist + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unsupported metric {metric}.") + + def encode(self, sentences): + """Encodes a list of sentences. + + To be implemented by subclasses. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _sim_score(self, starting_text, transformed_text): + """Returns the metric similarity between the embedding of the starting + text and the transformed text. + + Args: + starting_text: The ``AttackedText``to use as a starting point. + transformed_text: A transformed ``AttackedText`` + + Returns: + The similarity between the starting and transformed text using the metric. + """ + try: + modified_index = next( + iter(transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]) + ) + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "Cannot apply sentence encoder constraint without `newly_modified_indices`" + ) + starting_text_window = starting_text.text_window_around_index( + modified_index, self.window_size + ) + + transformed_text_window = transformed_text.text_window_around_index( + modified_index, self.window_size + ) + + starting_embedding, transformed_embedding = self.model.encode( + [starting_text_window, transformed_text_window] + ) + + if not isinstance(starting_embedding, torch.Tensor): + starting_embedding = torch.tensor(starting_embedding) + + if not isinstance(transformed_embedding, torch.Tensor): + transformed_embedding = torch.tensor(transformed_embedding) + + starting_embedding = torch.unsqueeze(starting_embedding, dim=0) + transformed_embedding = torch.unsqueeze(transformed_embedding, dim=0) + + return self.sim_metric(starting_embedding, transformed_embedding) + + def _score_list(self, starting_text, transformed_texts): + """Returns the metric similarity between the embedding of the starting + text and a list of transformed texts. + + Args: + starting_text: The ``AttackedText``to use as a starting point. + transformed_texts: A list of transformed ``AttackedText`` + + Returns: + A list with the similarity between the ``starting_text`` and each of + ``transformed_texts``. If ``transformed_texts`` is empty, + an empty tensor is returned + """ + # Return an empty tensor if transformed_texts is empty. + # This prevents us from calling .repeat(x, 0), which throws an + # error on machines with multiple GPUs (pytorch 1.2). + if len(transformed_texts) == 0: + return torch.tensor([]) + + if self.window_size: + starting_text_windows = [] + transformed_text_windows = [] + for transformed_text in transformed_texts: + # @TODO make this work when multiple indices have been modified + try: + modified_index = next( + iter(transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]) + ) + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "Cannot apply sentence encoder constraint without `newly_modified_indices`" + ) + starting_text_windows.append( + starting_text.text_window_around_index( + modified_index, self.window_size + ) + ) + transformed_text_windows.append( + transformed_text.text_window_around_index( + modified_index, self.window_size + ) + ) + embeddings = self.encode(starting_text_windows + transformed_text_windows) + if not isinstance(embeddings, torch.Tensor): + embeddings = torch.tensor(embeddings) + starting_embeddings = embeddings[: len(transformed_texts)] + transformed_embeddings = embeddings[len(transformed_texts) :] + else: + starting_raw_text = starting_text.text + transformed_raw_texts = [t.text for t in transformed_texts] + embeddings = self.encode([starting_raw_text] + transformed_raw_texts) + if not isinstance(embeddings, torch.Tensor): + embeddings = torch.tensor(embeddings) + + starting_embedding = embeddings[0] + + transformed_embeddings = embeddings[1:] + + # Repeat original embedding to size of perturbed embedding. + starting_embeddings = starting_embedding.unsqueeze(dim=0).repeat( + len(transformed_embeddings), 1 + ) + + return self.sim_metric(starting_embeddings, transformed_embeddings) + + def _check_constraint_many(self, transformed_texts, reference_text): + """Filters the list ``transformed_texts`` so that the similarity + between the ``reference_text`` and the transformed text is greater than + the ``self.threshold``.""" + scores = self._score_list(reference_text, transformed_texts) + + for i, transformed_text in enumerate(transformed_texts): + # Optionally ignore similarity score for sentences shorter than the + # window size. + if ( + self.skip_text_shorter_than_window + and len(transformed_text.words) < self.window_size + ): + scores[i] = 1 + transformed_text.attack_attrs["similarity_score"] = scores[i].item() + mask = (scores >= self.threshold).cpu().numpy().nonzero() + return np.array(transformed_texts)[mask] + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + if ( + self.skip_text_shorter_than_window + and len(transformed_text.words) < self.window_size + ): + score = 1 + else: + score = self._sim_score(reference_text, transformed_text) + + transformed_text.attack_attrs["similarity_score"] = score + return score >= self.threshold + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [ + "metric", + "threshold", + "window_size", + "skip_text_shorter_than_window", + ] + super().extra_repr_keys() + + +def get_angular_sim(emb1, emb2): + """Returns the _angular_ similarity between a batch of vector and a batch + of vectors.""" + cos_sim = torch.nn.CosineSimilarity(dim=1)(emb1, emb2) + return 1 - (torch.acos(cos_sim) / math.pi) + + +def get_neg_euclidean_dist(emb1, emb2): + """Returns the Euclidean distance between a batch of vectors and a batch of + vectors.""" + return -torch.sum((emb1 - emb2) ** 2, dim=1) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/thought_vector.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/thought_vector.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4a7978b01ba4860017fb4298d344bc1decd1c2c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/thought_vector.py @@ -0,0 +1,52 @@ +""" +Thought Vector Class +--------------------- +""" + +import functools + +import torch + +from textattack.shared import AbstractWordEmbedding, WordEmbedding, utils + +from .sentence_encoder import SentenceEncoder + + +class ThoughtVector(SentenceEncoder): + """A constraint on the distance between two sentences' thought vectors. + + Args: + word_embedding (textattack.shared.AbstractWordEmbedding): The word embedding to use + """ + + def __init__(self, embedding=None, **kwargs): + if embedding is None: + embedding = WordEmbedding.counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding() + if not isinstance(embedding, AbstractWordEmbedding): + raise ValueError( + "`embedding` object must be of type `textattack.shared.AbstractWordEmbedding`." + ) + self.word_embedding = embedding + super().__init__(**kwargs) + + def clear_cache(self): + self._get_thought_vector.cache_clear() + + @functools.lru_cache(maxsize=2**10) + def _get_thought_vector(self, text): + """Sums the embeddings of all the words in ``text`` into a "thought + vector".""" + embeddings = [] + for word in utils.words_from_text(text): + embedding = self.word_embedding[word] + if embedding is not None: # out-of-vocab words do not have embeddings + embeddings.append(embedding) + embeddings = torch.tensor(embeddings) + return torch.mean(embeddings, dim=0) + + def encode(self, raw_text_list): + return torch.stack([self._get_thought_vector(text) for text in raw_text_list]) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + """Set the extra representation of the constraint using these keys.""" + return ["word_embedding"] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/__init__.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2e3b5f10bb2aed3193ed3403f1d222d067c85292 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@ +""" +Universal sentence encoder +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + + +from .universal_sentence_encoder import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from .multilingual_universal_sentence_encoder import ( + MultilingualUniversalSentenceEncoder, +) diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/multilingual_universal_sentence_encoder.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/multilingual_universal_sentence_encoder.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0e5f2312137dd398d7fc9bb8c563f8bd393e5853 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/multilingual_universal_sentence_encoder.py @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +""" +multilingual universal sentence encoder +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import SentenceEncoder +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader + +hub = LazyLoader("tensorflow_hub", globals(), "tensorflow_hub") +tensorflow_text = LazyLoader("tensorflow_text", globals(), "tensorflow_text") + + +class MultilingualUniversalSentenceEncoder(SentenceEncoder): + """Constraint using similarity between sentence encodings of x and x_adv + where the text embeddings are created using the Multilingual Universal + Sentence Encoder.""" + + def __init__(self, threshold=0.8, large=False, metric="angular", **kwargs): + super().__init__(threshold=threshold, metric=metric, **kwargs) + tensorflow_text._load() + if large: + tfhub_url = "https://tfhub.dev/google/universal-sentence-encoder-multilingual-large/3" + mirror_tfhub_url = "https://hub.tensorflow.google.cn/google/universal-sentence-encoder-multilingual-large/3" + else: + tfhub_url = "https://https://tfhub.dev/google/universal-sentence-encoder-multilingual/3" + mirror_tfhub_url = "https://hub.tensorflow.google.cn/google/universal-sentence-encoder-multilingual/3" + + # TODO add QA SET. Details at: https://hub.tensorflow.google.cn/google/universal-sentence-encoder-multilingual-qa/3 + self._tfhub_url = tfhub_url + self.mirror_tfhub_url = mirror_tfhub_url + try: + self.model = hub.load(self._tfhub_url) + except Exception as e: + print('Error loading model from tfhub, trying mirror url') + self.model = hub.load(self.mirror_tfhub_url) + + def encode(self, sentences): + return self.model(sentences).numpy() + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["model"] = None + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + try: + self.model = hub.load(self._tfhub_url) + except Exception as e: + print('Error loading model from tfhub, trying mirror url') + self.model = hub.load(self.mirror_tfhub_url) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/universal_sentence_encoder.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/universal_sentence_encoder.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..908139c47b87e718e5099cc78f6061b5d77fb819 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/sentence_encoders/universal_sentence_encoder/universal_sentence_encoder.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" +universal sentence encoder class +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +""" + +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import SentenceEncoder +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader + +hub = LazyLoader("tensorflow_hub", globals(), "tensorflow_hub") + + +class UniversalSentenceEncoder(SentenceEncoder): + """Constraint using similarity between sentence encodings of x and x_adv + where the text embeddings are created using the Universal Sentence + Encoder.""" + + def __init__(self, threshold=0.8, large=False, metric="angular", **kwargs): + super().__init__(threshold=threshold, metric=metric, **kwargs) + if large: + tfhub_url = "https://tfhub.dev/google/universal-sentence-encoder-large/5" + mirror_tfhub_url = "https://hub.tensorflow.google.cn/google/universal-sentence-encoder-large/5" + else: + tfhub_url = "https://tfhub.dev/google/universal-sentence-encoder/4" + mirror_tfhub_url = ( + "https://hub.tensorflow.google.cn/google/universal-sentence-encoder/4" + ) + + self._tfhub_url = tfhub_url + self.mirror_tfhub_url = mirror_tfhub_url + # Lazily load the model + self.model = None + + def encode(self, sentences): + if not self.model: + try: + self.model = hub.load(self._tfhub_url) + except Exception as e: + print('Error loading model from tfhub, trying mirror url') + self.model = hub.load(self.mirror_tfhub_url) + return self.model(sentences).numpy() + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + state["model"] = None + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + try: + self.model = hub.load(self._tfhub_url) + except Exception as e: + print('Error loading model from tfhub, trying mirror url') + self.model = hub.load(self.mirror_tfhub_url) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/textattack/constraints/semantics/word_embedding_distance.py b/textattack/constraints/semantics/word_embedding_distance.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..02a51f19c012e92624caf12a449d5bd10cb3995a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/constraints/semantics/word_embedding_distance.py @@ -0,0 +1,129 @@ +""" +Word Embedding Distance +-------------------------- +""" + +from textattack.constraints import Constraint +from textattack.shared import AbstractWordEmbedding, WordEmbedding +from textattack.shared.validators import transformation_consists_of_word_swaps + + +class WordEmbeddingDistance(Constraint): + """A constraint on word substitutions which places a maximum distance + between the embedding of the word being deleted and the word being + inserted. + + Args: + embedding (obj): Wrapper for word embedding. + include_unknown_words (bool): Whether or not the constraint is fulfilled if the embedding of x or x_adv is unknown. + min_cos_sim (:obj:`float`, optional): The minimum cosine similarity between word embeddings. + max_mse_dist (:obj:`float`, optional): The maximum euclidean distance between word embeddings. + cased (bool): Whether embedding supports uppercase & lowercase (defaults to False, or just lowercase). + compare_against_original (bool): If `True`, compare new `x_adv` against the original `x`. Otherwise, compare it against the previous `x_adv`. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + embedding=None, + include_unknown_words=True, + min_cos_sim=None, + max_mse_dist=None, + cased=False, + compare_against_original=True, + ): + super().__init__(compare_against_original) + if embedding is None: + embedding = WordEmbedding.counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding() + self.include_unknown_words = include_unknown_words + self.cased = cased + + if bool(min_cos_sim) == bool(max_mse_dist): + raise ValueError("You must choose either `min_cos_sim` or `max_mse_dist`.") + self.min_cos_sim = min_cos_sim + self.max_mse_dist = max_mse_dist + + if not isinstance(embedding, AbstractWordEmbedding): + raise ValueError( + "`embedding` object must be of type `textattack.shared.AbstractWordEmbedding`." + ) + self.embedding = embedding + + def get_cos_sim(self, a, b): + """Returns the cosine similarity of words with IDs a and b.""" + return self.embedding.get_cos_sim(a, b) + + def get_mse_dist(self, a, b): + """Returns the MSE distance of words with IDs a and b.""" + return self.embedding.get_mse_dist(a, b) + + def _check_constraint(self, transformed_text, reference_text): + """Returns true if (``transformed_text`` and ``reference_text``) are + closer than ``self.min_cos_sim`` or ``self.max_mse_dist``.""" + try: + indices = transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"] + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + "Cannot apply part-of-speech constraint without `newly_modified_indices`" + ) + + # FIXME The index i is sometimes larger than the number of tokens - 1 + if any( + i >= len(reference_text.words) or i >= len(transformed_text.words) + for i in indices + ): + return False + + for i in indices: + ref_word = reference_text.words[i] + transformed_word = transformed_text.words[i] + + if not self.cased: + # If embedding vocabulary is all lowercase, lowercase words. + ref_word = ref_word.lower() + transformed_word = transformed_word.lower() + + try: + ref_id = self.embedding.word2index(ref_word) + transformed_id = self.embedding.word2index(transformed_word) + except KeyError: + # This error is thrown if x or x_adv has no corresponding ID. + if self.include_unknown_words: + continue + return False + + # Check cosine distance. + if self.min_cos_sim: + cos_sim = self.get_cos_sim(ref_id, transformed_id) + if cos_sim < self.min_cos_sim: + return False + # Check MSE distance. + if self.max_mse_dist: + mse_dist = self.get_mse_dist(ref_id, transformed_id) + if mse_dist > self.max_mse_dist: + return False + + return True + + def check_compatibility(self, transformation): + """WordEmbeddingDistance requires a word being both deleted and + inserted at the same index in order to compare their embeddings, + therefore it's restricted to word swaps.""" + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + """Set the extra representation of the constraint using these keys. + + To print customized extra information, you should reimplement + this method in your own constraint. Both single-line and multi- + line strings are acceptable. + """ + if self.min_cos_sim is None: + metric = "max_mse_dist" + else: + metric = "min_cos_sim" + return [ + "embedding", + metric, + "cased", + "include_unknown_words", + ] + super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/dataset_args.py b/textattack/dataset_args.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f3d50abf786928afd3f67ac71ded0924f57c0a95 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/dataset_args.py @@ -0,0 +1,302 @@ +""" +DatasetArgs Class +================= +""" + +from dataclasses import dataclass + +import textattack +from textattack.shared.utils import ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN, load_module_from_file + +HUGGINGFACE_DATASET_BY_MODEL = { + # + # bert-base-uncased + # + "bert-base-uncased-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "bert-base-uncased-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "bert-base-uncased-mnli": ( + "glue", + "mnli", + "validation_matched", + None, + {0: 1, 1: 2, 2: 0}, + ), + "bert-base-uncased-mrpc": ("glue", "mrpc", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-qnli": ("glue", "qnli", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-qqp": ("glue", "qqp", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-rte": ("glue", "rte", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-stsb": ( + "glue", + "stsb", + "validation", + None, + None, + None, + 5.0, + ), + "bert-base-uncased-wnli": ("glue", "wnli", "validation"), + "bert-base-uncased-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "bert-base-uncased-snli": ("snli", None, "test", None, {0: 1, 1: 2, 2: 0}), + "bert-base-uncased-yelp": ("yelp_polarity", None, "test"), + # + # distilbert-base-cased + # + "distilbert-base-cased-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-cased-mrpc": ("glue", "mrpc", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-cased-qqp": ("glue", "qqp", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-cased-snli": ("snli", None, "test"), + "distilbert-base-cased-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-cased-stsb": ( + "glue", + "stsb", + "validation", + None, + None, + None, + 5.0, + ), + "distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-mnli": ( + "glue", + "mnli", + "validation_matched", + None, + {0: 1, 1: 2, 2: 0}, + ), + "distilbert-base-uncased-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-mrpc": ("glue", "mrpc", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-qnli": ("glue", "qnli", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-rte": ("glue", "rte", "validation"), + "distilbert-base-uncased-wnli": ("glue", "wnli", "validation"), + # + # roberta-base (RoBERTa is cased by default) + # + "roberta-base-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "roberta-base-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "roberta-base-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "roberta-base-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "roberta-base-mrpc": ("glue", "mrpc", "validation"), + "roberta-base-qnli": ("glue", "qnli", "validation"), + "roberta-base-rte": ("glue", "rte", "validation"), + "roberta-base-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "roberta-base-stsb": ("glue", "stsb", "validation", None, None, None, 5.0), + "roberta-base-wnli": ("glue", "wnli", "validation"), + # + # albert-base-v2 (ALBERT is cased by default) + # + "albert-base-v2-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "albert-base-v2-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "albert-base-v2-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "albert-base-v2-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "albert-base-v2-rte": ("glue", "rte", "validation"), + "albert-base-v2-qqp": ("glue", "qqp", "validation"), + "albert-base-v2-snli": ("snli", None, "test"), + "albert-base-v2-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "albert-base-v2-stsb": ("glue", "stsb", "validation", None, None, None, 5.0), + "albert-base-v2-wnli": ("glue", "wnli", "validation"), + "albert-base-v2-yelp": ("yelp_polarity", None, "test"), + # + # xlnet-base-cased + # + "xlnet-base-cased-cola": ("glue", "cola", "validation"), + "xlnet-base-cased-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "xlnet-base-cased-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "xlnet-base-cased-mrpc": ("glue", "mrpc", "validation"), + "xlnet-base-cased-rte": ("glue", "rte", "validation"), + "xlnet-base-cased-stsb": ( + "glue", + "stsb", + "validation", + None, + None, + None, + 5.0, + ), + "xlnet-base-cased-wnli": ("glue", "wnli", "validation"), +} + + +# +# Models hosted by textattack. +# +TEXTATTACK_DATASET_BY_MODEL = { + # + # LSTMs + # + "lstm-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "lstm-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "lstm-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "lstm-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "lstm-yelp": ("yelp_polarity", None, "test"), + # + # CNNs + # + "cnn-ag-news": ("ag_news", None, "test"), + "cnn-imdb": ("imdb", None, "test"), + "cnn-mr": ("rotten_tomatoes", None, "test"), + "cnn-sst2": ("glue", "sst2", "validation"), + "cnn-yelp": ("yelp_polarity", None, "test"), + # + # T5 for translation + # + "t5-en-de": ( + "textattack.datasets.helpers.TedMultiTranslationDataset", + "en", + "de", + ), + "t5-en-fr": ( + "textattack.datasets.helpers.TedMultiTranslationDataset", + "en", + "fr", + ), + "t5-en-ro": ( + "textattack.datasets.helpers.TedMultiTranslationDataset", + "en", + "de", + ), + # + # T5 for summarization + # + "t5-summarization": ("gigaword", None, "test"), +} + + +@dataclass +class DatasetArgs: + """Arguments for loading dataset from command line input.""" + + dataset_by_model: str = None + dataset_from_huggingface: str = None + dataset_from_file: str = None + dataset_split: str = None + filter_by_labels: list = None + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Adds dataset-related arguments to an argparser.""" + + dataset_group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group() + dataset_group.add_argument( + "--dataset-by-model", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Dataset to load depending on the name of the model", + ) + dataset_group.add_argument( + "--dataset-from-huggingface", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Dataset to load from `datasets` repository.", + ) + dataset_group.add_argument( + "--dataset-from-file", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Dataset to load from a file.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--dataset-split", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Split of dataset to use when specifying --dataset-by-model or --dataset-from-huggingface.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--filter-by-labels", + nargs="+", + type=int, + required=False, + default=None, + help="List of labels to keep in the dataset and discard all others.", + ) + return parser + + @classmethod + def _create_dataset_from_args(cls, args): + """Given ``DatasetArgs``, return specified + ``textattack.dataset.Dataset`` object.""" + + assert isinstance( + args, cls + ), f"Expect args to be of type `{type(cls)}`, but got type `{type(args)}`." + + # Automatically detect dataset for huggingface & textattack models. + # This allows us to use the --model shortcut without specifying a dataset. + if hasattr(args, "model"): + args.dataset_by_model = args.model + if args.dataset_by_model in HUGGINGFACE_DATASET_BY_MODEL: + args.dataset_from_huggingface = HUGGINGFACE_DATASET_BY_MODEL[ + args.dataset_by_model + ] + elif args.dataset_by_model in TEXTATTACK_DATASET_BY_MODEL: + dataset = TEXTATTACK_DATASET_BY_MODEL[args.dataset_by_model] + if dataset[0].startswith("textattack"): + # unsavory way to pass custom dataset classes + # ex: dataset = ('textattack.datasets.helpers.TedMultiTranslationDataset', 'en', 'de') + dataset = eval(f"{dataset[0]}")(*dataset[1:]) + return dataset + else: + args.dataset_from_huggingface = dataset + + # Get dataset from args. + if args.dataset_from_file: + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading model and tokenizer from file: {args.model_from_file}" + ) + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in args.dataset_from_file: + dataset_file, dataset_name = args.dataset_from_file.split( + ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN + ) + else: + dataset_file, dataset_name = args.dataset_from_file, "dataset" + try: + dataset_module = load_module_from_file(dataset_file) + except Exception: + raise ValueError(f"Failed to import file {args.dataset_from_file}") + try: + dataset = getattr(dataset_module, dataset_name) + except AttributeError: + raise AttributeError( + f"Variable ``dataset`` not found in module {args.dataset_from_file}" + ) + elif args.dataset_from_huggingface: + dataset_args = args.dataset_from_huggingface + if isinstance(dataset_args, str): + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in dataset_args: + dataset_args = dataset_args.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + else: + dataset_args = (dataset_args,) + if args.dataset_split: + if len(dataset_args) > 1: + dataset_args = ( + dataset_args[:2] + (args.dataset_split,) + dataset_args[3:] + ) + dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, shuffle=False + ) + else: + dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, split=args.dataset_split, shuffle=False + ) + else: + dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, shuffle=False + ) + else: + raise ValueError("Must supply pretrained model or dataset") + + assert isinstance( + dataset, textattack.datasets.Dataset + ), "Loaded `dataset` must be of type `textattack.datasets.Dataset`." + + if args.filter_by_labels: + dataset.filter_by_labels_(args.filter_by_labels) + + return dataset diff --git a/textattack/datasets/__init__.py b/textattack/datasets/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4f2c64edd9f558de206eeb6a5f6310869636461d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/datasets/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +""" + +datasets package: +====================== + +TextAttack allows users to provide their own dataset or load from HuggingFace. + + +""" + +from .dataset import Dataset +from .huggingface_dataset import HuggingFaceDataset + +from . import helpers diff --git a/textattack/datasets/dataset.py b/textattack/datasets/dataset.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c56931adc5af7270c6674869e8de5ef4054b4e15 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/datasets/dataset.py @@ -0,0 +1,141 @@ +""" + +Dataset Class +====================== + +TextAttack allows users to provide their own dataset or load from HuggingFace. + + +""" + +from collections import OrderedDict +import random + +import torch + + +class Dataset(torch.utils.data.Dataset): + """Basic class for dataset. It operates as a map-style dataset, fetching + data via :meth:`__getitem__` and :meth:`__len__` methods. + + .. note:: + This class subclasses :obj:`torch.utils.data.Dataset` and therefore can be treated as a regular PyTorch Dataset. + + Args: + dataset (:obj:`list[tuple]`): + A list of :obj:`(input, output)` pairs. + If :obj:`input` consists of multiple fields (e.g. "premise" and "hypothesis" for SNLI), + :obj:`input` must be of the form :obj:`(input_1, input_2, ...)` and :obj:`input_columns` parameter must be set. + :obj:`output` can either be an integer representing labels for classification or a string for seq2seq tasks. + input_columns (:obj:`list[str]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`["text"]`): + List of column names of inputs in order. + label_map (:obj:`dict[int, int]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Mapping if output labels of the dataset should be re-mapped. Useful if model was trained with a different label arrangement. + For example, if dataset's arrangement is 0 for `Negative` and 1 for `Positive`, but model's label + arrangement is 1 for `Negative` and 0 for `Positive`, passing :obj:`{0: 1, 1: 0}` will remap the dataset's label to match with model's arrangements. + Could also be used to remap literal labels to numerical labels (e.g. :obj:`{"positive": 1, "negative": 0}`). + label_names (:obj:`list[str]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + List of label names in corresponding order (e.g. :obj:`["World", "Sports", "Business", "Sci/Tech"]` for AG-News dataset). + If not set, labels will printed as is (e.g. "0", "1", ...). This should be set to :obj:`None` for non-classification datasets. + output_scale_factor (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Factor to divide ground-truth outputs by. Generally, TextAttack goal functions require model outputs between 0 and 1. + Some datasets are regression tasks, in which case this is necessary. + shuffle (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): Whether to shuffle the underlying dataset. + + .. note:: + Generally not recommended to shuffle the underlying dataset. Shuffling can be performed using DataLoader or by shuffling the order of indices we attack. + + Examples:: + + >>> import textattack + + >>> # Example of sentiment-classification dataset + >>> data = [("I enjoyed the movie a lot!", 1), ("Absolutely horrible film.", 0), ("Our family had a fun time!", 1)] + >>> dataset = textattack.datasets.Dataset(data) + >>> dataset[1:2] + + + >>> # Example for pair of sequence inputs (e.g. SNLI) + >>> data = [("A man inspects the uniform of a figure in some East Asian country.", "The man is sleeping"), 1)] + >>> dataset = textattack.datasets.Dataset(data, input_columns=("premise", "hypothesis")) + + >>> # Example for seq2seq + >>> data = [("J'aime le film.", "I love the movie.")] + >>> dataset = textattack.datasets.Dataset(data) + """ + + def __init__( + self, + dataset, + input_columns=["text"], + label_map=None, + label_names=None, + output_scale_factor=None, + shuffle=False, + ): + self._dataset = dataset + self.input_columns = input_columns + self.label_map = label_map + self.label_names = label_names + if label_map: + # If labels are remapped, the label names have to be remapped as well. + self.label_names = [ + self.label_names[self.label_map[i]] for i in self.label_map + ] + self.shuffled = shuffle + self.output_scale_factor = output_scale_factor + + if shuffle: + random.shuffle(self._dataset) + + def _format_as_dict(self, example): + output = example[1] + if self.label_map: + output = self.label_map[output] + if self.output_scale_factor: + output = output / self.output_scale_factor + + if isinstance(example[0], str): + if len(self.input_columns) != 1: + raise ValueError( + "Mismatch between the number of columns in `input_columns` and number of columns of actual input." + ) + input_dict = OrderedDict([(self.input_columns[0], example[0])]) + else: + if len(self.input_columns) != len(example[0]): + raise ValueError( + "Mismatch between the number of columns in `input_columns` and number of columns of actual input." + ) + input_dict = OrderedDict( + [(c, example[0][i]) for i, c in enumerate(self.input_columns)] + ) + return input_dict, output + + def shuffle(self): + random.shuffle(self._dataset) + self.shuffled = True + + def filter_by_labels_(self, labels_to_keep): + """Filter items by their labels for classification datasets. Performs + in-place filtering. + + Args: + labels_to_keep (:obj:`Union[Set, Tuple, List, Iterable]`): + Set, tuple, list, or iterable of integers representing labels. + """ + if not isinstance(labels_to_keep, set): + labels_to_keep = set(labels_to_keep) + self._dataset = filter(lambda x: x[1] in labels_to_keep, self._dataset) + + def __getitem__(self, i): + """Return i-th sample.""" + if isinstance(i, int): + return self._format_as_dict(self._dataset[i]) + else: + # `idx` could be a slice or an integer. if it's a slice, + # return the formatted version of the proper slice of the list + return [self._format_as_dict(ex) for ex in self._dataset[i]] + + def __len__(self): + """Returns the size of dataset.""" + return len(self._dataset) diff --git a/textattack/datasets/helpers/__init__.py b/textattack/datasets/helpers/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7be00141d855f490571518ef807d141aa1ed2c51 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/datasets/helpers/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,7 @@ +""" + +Dataset Helpers +--------------------------------------------------------------------- +""" + +from .ted_multi import TedMultiTranslationDataset diff --git a/textattack/datasets/helpers/ted_multi.py b/textattack/datasets/helpers/ted_multi.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f662d9524ba0e02603ee5f6d49dcc8a9839f5436 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/datasets/helpers/ted_multi.py @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +""" + +Ted Multi TranslationDataset Class +------------------------------------ +""" + + +import collections + +import datasets +import numpy as np + +from textattack.datasets import HuggingFaceDataset + + +class TedMultiTranslationDataset(HuggingFaceDataset): + """Loads examples from the Ted Talk translation dataset using the + `datasets` package. + + dataset source: http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~kevinduh/a/multitarget-tedtalks/ + """ + + def __init__(self, source_lang="en", target_lang="de", split="test"): + self._dataset = datasets.load_dataset("ted_multi")[split] + self.examples = self._dataset["translations"] + language_options = set(self.examples[0]["language"]) + if source_lang not in language_options: + raise ValueError( + f"Source language {source_lang} invalid. Choices: {sorted(language_options)}" + ) + if target_lang not in language_options: + raise ValueError( + f"Target language {target_lang} invalid. Choices: {sorted(language_options)}" + ) + self.source_lang = source_lang + self.target_lang = target_lang + + def _format_raw_example(self, raw_example): + translations = np.array(raw_example["translation"]) + languages = np.array(raw_example["language"]) + source = translations[languages == self.source_lang][0] + target = translations[languages == self.target_lang][0] + source_dict = collections.OrderedDict([("Source", source)]) + return (source_dict, target) diff --git a/textattack/datasets/huggingface_dataset.py b/textattack/datasets/huggingface_dataset.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..df506727f8bd0dd15b1e70a491f9ce7fb8074e46 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/datasets/huggingface_dataset.py @@ -0,0 +1,194 @@ +""" + +HuggingFaceDataset Class +========================= + +TextAttack allows users to provide their own dataset or load from HuggingFace. + + +""" + +import collections + +import datasets + +import textattack + +from .dataset import Dataset + + +def _cb(s): + """Colors some text blue for printing to the terminal.""" + return textattack.shared.utils.color_text(str(s), color="blue", method="ansi") + + +def get_datasets_dataset_columns(dataset): + """Common schemas for datasets found in dataset hub.""" + schema = set(dataset.column_names) + if {"premise", "hypothesis", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("premise", "hypothesis") + output_column = "label" + elif {"question", "sentence", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("question", "sentence") + output_column = "label" + elif {"sentence1", "sentence2", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("sentence1", "sentence2") + output_column = "label" + elif {"question1", "question2", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("question1", "question2") + output_column = "label" + elif {"question", "sentence", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("question", "sentence") + output_column = "label" + elif {"context", "question", "title", "answers"} <= schema: + # Common schema for SQUAD dataset + input_columns = ("title", "context", "question") + output_column = "answers" + elif {"text", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("text",) + output_column = "label" + elif {"sentence", "label"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("sentence",) + output_column = "label" + elif {"document", "summary"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("document",) + output_column = "summary" + elif {"content", "summary"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("content",) + output_column = "summary" + elif {"label", "review"} <= schema: + input_columns = ("review",) + output_column = "label" + else: + raise ValueError( + f"Unsupported dataset schema {schema}. Try passing your own `dataset_columns` argument." + ) + + return input_columns, output_column + + +class HuggingFaceDataset(Dataset): + """Loads a dataset from 🤗 Datasets and prepares it as a TextAttack dataset. + + Args: + name_or_dataset (:obj:`Union[str, datasets.Dataset]`): + The dataset name as :obj:`str` or actual :obj:`datasets.Dataset` object. + If it's your custom :obj:`datasets.Dataset` object, please pass the input and output columns via :obj:`dataset_columns` argument. + subset (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + The subset of the main dataset. Dataset will be loaded as :obj:`datasets.load_dataset(name, subset)`. + split (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"train"`): + The split of the dataset. + dataset_columns (:obj:`tuple(list[str], str))`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Pair of :obj:`list[str]` representing list of input column names (e.g. :obj:`["premise", "hypothesis"]`) + and :obj:`str` representing the output column name (e.g. :obj:`label`). If not set, we will try to automatically determine column names from known designs. + label_map (:obj:`dict[int, int]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Mapping if output labels of the dataset should be re-mapped. Useful if model was trained with a different label arrangement. + For example, if dataset's arrangement is 0 for `Negative` and 1 for `Positive`, but model's label + arrangement is 1 for `Negative` and 0 for `Positive`, passing :obj:`{0: 1, 1: 0}` will remap the dataset's label to match with model's arrangements. + Could also be used to remap literal labels to numerical labels (e.g. :obj:`{"positive": 1, "negative": 0}`). + label_names (:obj:`list[str]`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + List of label names in corresponding order (e.g. :obj:`["World", "Sports", "Business", "Sci/Tech"]` for AG-News dataset). + If not set, labels will printed as is (e.g. "0", "1", ...). This should be set to :obj:`None` for non-classification datasets. + output_scale_factor (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Factor to divide ground-truth outputs by. Generally, TextAttack goal functions require model outputs between 0 and 1. + Some datasets are regression tasks, in which case this is necessary. + shuffle (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): Whether to shuffle the underlying dataset. + + .. note:: + Generally not recommended to shuffle the underlying dataset. Shuffling can be performed using DataLoader or by shuffling the order of indices we attack. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + name_or_dataset, + subset=None, + split="train", + dataset_columns=None, + label_map=None, + label_names=None, + output_scale_factor=None, + shuffle=False, + ): + if isinstance(name_or_dataset, datasets.Dataset): + self._dataset = name_or_dataset + else: + self._name = name_or_dataset + self._subset = subset + self._dataset = datasets.load_dataset(self._name, subset)[split] + subset_print_str = f", subset {_cb(subset)}" if subset else "" + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading {_cb('datasets')} dataset {_cb(self._name)}{subset_print_str}, split {_cb(split)}." + ) + # Input/output column order, like (('premise', 'hypothesis'), 'label') + ( + self.input_columns, + self.output_column, + ) = dataset_columns or get_datasets_dataset_columns(self._dataset) + + if not isinstance(self.input_columns, (list, tuple)): + raise ValueError( + "First element of `dataset_columns` must be a list or a tuple." + ) + + self.label_map = label_map + self.output_scale_factor = output_scale_factor + if label_names: + self.label_names = label_names + else: + try: + self.label_names = self._dataset.features[self.output_column].names + except (KeyError, AttributeError): + # This happens when the dataset doesn't have 'features' or a 'label' column. + self.label_names = None + + # If labels are remapped, the label names have to be remapped as well. + if self.label_names and label_map: + self.label_names = [ + self.label_names[self.label_map[i]] for i in self.label_map + ] + + self.shuffled = shuffle + if shuffle: + self._dataset.shuffle() + + def _format_as_dict(self, example): + input_dict = collections.OrderedDict( + [(c, example[c]) for c in self.input_columns] + ) + + output = example[self.output_column] + if self.label_map: + output = self.label_map[output] + if self.output_scale_factor: + output = output / self.output_scale_factor + + return (input_dict, output) + + def filter_by_labels_(self, labels_to_keep): + """Filter items by their labels for classification datasets. Performs + in-place filtering. + + Args: + labels_to_keep (:obj:`Union[Set, Tuple, List, Iterable]`): + Set, tuple, list, or iterable of integers representing labels. + """ + if not isinstance(labels_to_keep, set): + labels_to_keep = set(labels_to_keep) + self._dataset = self._dataset.filter( + lambda x: x[self.output_column] in labels_to_keep + ) + + def __getitem__(self, i): + """Return i-th sample.""" + if isinstance(i, int): + return self._format_as_dict(self._dataset[i]) + else: + # `idx` could be a slice or an integer. if it's a slice, + # return the formatted version of the proper slice of the list + return [ + self._format_as_dict(self._dataset[j]) for j in range(i.start, i.stop) + ] + + def shuffle(self): + self._dataset.shuffle() + self.shuffled = True diff --git a/textattack/goal_function_results/__init__.py b/textattack/goal_function_results/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..31891ecd27c21add80430058f56b925cf34894da --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_function_results/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +""" +Goal Function Result package: +============================= + +Goal function results report the result of a goal function evaluation, indicating whether an attack succeeded for a given example. + +""" +from .goal_function_result import GoalFunctionResult, GoalFunctionResultStatus + +from .classification_goal_function_result import ClassificationGoalFunctionResult +from .text_to_text_goal_function_result import TextToTextGoalFunctionResult diff --git a/textattack/goal_function_results/classification_goal_function_result.py b/textattack/goal_function_results/classification_goal_function_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1b9aaf5320da2b94d4d7aa0c67af6907be61a392 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_function_results/classification_goal_function_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,79 @@ +""" + +ClassificationGoalFunctionResult Class +======================================== + +""" + +import torch + +import textattack +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .goal_function_result import GoalFunctionResult + + +class ClassificationGoalFunctionResult(GoalFunctionResult): + """Represents the result of a classification goal function.""" + + def __init__( + self, + attacked_text, + raw_output, + output, + goal_status, + score, + num_queries, + ground_truth_output, + ): + super().__init__( + attacked_text, + raw_output, + output, + goal_status, + score, + num_queries, + ground_truth_output, + goal_function_result_type="Classification", + ) + + @property + def _processed_output(self): + """Takes a model output (like `1`) and returns the class labeled output + (like `positive`), if possible. + + Also returns the associated color. + """ + output_label = self.raw_output.argmax() + if self.attacked_text.attack_attrs.get("label_names") is not None: + output = self.attacked_text.attack_attrs["label_names"][self.output] + output = textattack.shared.utils.process_label_name(output) + color = textattack.shared.utils.color_from_output(output, output_label) + return output, color + else: + color = textattack.shared.utils.color_from_label(output_label) + return output_label, color + + def get_text_color_input(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the original input.""" + _, color = self._processed_output + return color + + def get_text_color_perturbed(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the perturbed input.""" + _, color = self._processed_output + return color + + def get_colored_output(self, color_method=None): + """Returns a string representation of this result's output, colored + according to `color_method`.""" + output_label = self.raw_output.argmax() + confidence_score = self.raw_output[output_label] + if isinstance(confidence_score, torch.Tensor): + confidence_score = confidence_score.item() + output, color = self._processed_output + # concatenate with label and convert confidence score to percent, like '33%' + output_str = f"{output} ({confidence_score:.0%})" + return utils.color_text(output_str, color=color, method=color_method) diff --git a/textattack/goal_function_results/goal_function_result.py b/textattack/goal_function_results/goal_function_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c4fe6c2b3b2f06231c275e0c8c12cafc56edcf34 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_function_results/goal_function_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@ +""" + +GoalFunctionResult class +==================================== + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +import torch + +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class GoalFunctionResultStatus: + SUCCEEDED = 0 + SEARCHING = 1 # In process of searching for a success + MAXIMIZING = 2 + SKIPPED = 3 + + +class GoalFunctionResult(ABC): + """Represents the result of a goal function evaluating a AttackedText + object. + + Args: + attacked_text: The sequence that was evaluated. + output: The display-friendly output. + goal_status: The ``GoalFunctionResultStatus`` representing the status of the achievement of the goal. + score: A score representing how close the model is to achieving its goal. + num_queries: How many model queries have been used + ground_truth_output: The ground truth output + """ + + def __init__( + self, + attacked_text, + raw_output, + output, + goal_status, + score, + num_queries, + ground_truth_output, + goal_function_result_type="", + ): + self.attacked_text = attacked_text + self.raw_output = raw_output + self.output = output + self.score = score + self.goal_status = goal_status + self.num_queries = num_queries + self.ground_truth_output = ground_truth_output + self.goal_function_result_type = goal_function_result_type + + if isinstance(self.raw_output, torch.Tensor): + self.raw_output = self.raw_output.numpy() + + if isinstance(self.score, torch.Tensor): + self.score = self.score.item() + + def __repr__(self): + main_str = "GoalFunctionResult( " + lines = [] + lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(goal_function_result_type): {self.goal_function_result_type}", 2 + ) + ) + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(attacked_text): {self.attacked_text.text}", 2)) + lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f"(ground_truth_output): {self.ground_truth_output}", 2) + ) + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(model_output): {self.output}", 2)) + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(score): {self.score}", 2)) + main_str += "\n " + "\n ".join(lines) + "\n" + main_str += ")" + return main_str + + @abstractmethod + def get_text_color_input(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the original input.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def get_text_color_perturbed(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the perturbed input.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def get_colored_output(self, color_method=None): + """Returns a string representation of this result's output, colored + according to `color_method`.""" + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/goal_function_results/text_to_text_goal_function_result.py b/textattack/goal_function_results/text_to_text_goal_function_result.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c50e2c11f53d7b4502f365f5c7201a37eaf35fb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_function_results/text_to_text_goal_function_result.py @@ -0,0 +1,50 @@ +""" + +TextToTextGoalFunctionResult Class +==================================== + +text2text goal function Result + +""" + +from .goal_function_result import GoalFunctionResult + + +class TextToTextGoalFunctionResult(GoalFunctionResult): + """Represents the result of a text-to-text goal function.""" + + def __init__( + self, + attacked_text, + raw_output, + output, + goal_status, + score, + num_queries, + ground_truth_output, + ): + super().__init__( + attacked_text, + raw_output, + output, + goal_status, + score, + num_queries, + ground_truth_output, + goal_function_result_type="Text to Text", + ) + + def get_text_color_input(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the original input.""" + return "red" + + def get_text_color_perturbed(self): + """A string representing the color this result's changed portion should + be if it represents the perturbed input.""" + return "blue" + + def get_colored_output(self, color_method=None): + """Returns a string representation of this result's output, colored + according to `color_method`.""" + return str(self.output) diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/__init__.py b/textattack/goal_functions/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7eec785d83b3c690a18e615075412f04085c6305 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""".. _goal_functions: + +Goal Functions +================================================================== + +Goal Functions determine if an attack has been successful. +""" + +from .goal_function import GoalFunction + +from .classification import * +from .text import * diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/classification/__init__.py b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4d7165ee7acf29462cf017e0ddd04fe5f5217351 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +""" + +Goal fucntion for Classification +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +from .input_reduction import InputReduction +from .classification_goal_function import ClassificationGoalFunction +from .untargeted_classification import UntargetedClassification +from .targeted_classification import TargetedClassification diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/classification/classification_goal_function.py b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/classification_goal_function.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..77fb10b1129d47222c15b0263702b338419720c5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/classification_goal_function.py @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ +""" +Determine for if an attack has been successful in Classification +--------------------------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.goal_function_results import ClassificationGoalFunctionResult +from textattack.goal_functions import GoalFunction + + +class ClassificationGoalFunction(GoalFunction): + """A goal function defined on a model that outputs a probability for some + number of classes.""" + + def _process_model_outputs(self, inputs, scores): + """Processes and validates a list of model outputs. + + This is a task-dependent operation. For example, classification + outputs need to have a softmax applied. + """ + # Automatically cast a list or ndarray of predictions to a tensor. + if isinstance(scores, list) or isinstance(scores, np.ndarray): + scores = torch.tensor(scores) + + # Ensure the returned value is now a tensor. + if not isinstance(scores, torch.Tensor): + raise TypeError( + "Must have list, np.ndarray, or torch.Tensor of " + f"scores. Got type {type(scores)}" + ) + + # Validation check on model score dimensions + if scores.ndim == 1: + # Unsqueeze prediction, if it's been squeezed by the model. + if len(inputs) == 1: + scores = scores.unsqueeze(dim=0) + else: + raise ValueError( + f"Model return score of shape {scores.shape} for {len(inputs)} inputs." + ) + elif scores.ndim != 2: + # If model somehow returns too may dimensions, throw an error. + raise ValueError( + f"Model return score of shape {scores.shape} for {len(inputs)} inputs." + ) + elif scores.shape[0] != len(inputs): + # If model returns an incorrect number of scores, throw an error. + raise ValueError( + f"Model return score of shape {scores.shape} for {len(inputs)} inputs." + ) + elif not ((scores.sum(dim=1) - 1).abs() < 1e-6).all(): + # Values in each row should sum up to 1. The model should return a + # set of numbers corresponding to probabilities, which should add + # up to 1. Since they are `torch.float` values, allow a small + # error in the summation. + scores = torch.nn.functional.softmax(scores, dim=1) + if not ((scores.sum(dim=1) - 1).abs() < 1e-6).all(): + raise ValueError("Model scores do not add up to 1.") + return scores.cpu() + + def _goal_function_result_type(self): + """Returns the class of this goal function's results.""" + return ClassificationGoalFunctionResult + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [] + + def _get_displayed_output(self, raw_output): + return int(raw_output.argmax()) diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/classification/input_reduction.py b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/input_reduction.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f2a6da2dfada77961c40fe7a47a28238a757870a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/input_reduction.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" + +Determine if maintaining the same predicted label +--------------------------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +from .classification_goal_function import ClassificationGoalFunction + + +class InputReduction(ClassificationGoalFunction): + """Attempts to reduce the input down to as few words as possible while + maintaining the same predicted label. + + From Feng, Wallace, Grissom, Iyyer, Rodriguez, Boyd-Graber. (2018). + Pathologies of Neural Models Make Interpretations Difficult. + https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.07781 + """ + + def __init__(self, *args, target_num_words=1, **kwargs): + self.target_num_words = target_num_words + super().__init__(*args, **kwargs) + + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, attacked_text): + return ( + self.ground_truth_output == model_output.argmax() + and attacked_text.num_words <= self.target_num_words + ) + + def _should_skip(self, model_output, attacked_text): + return self.ground_truth_output != model_output.argmax() + + def _get_score(self, model_output, attacked_text): + # Give the lowest score possible to inputs which don't maintain the ground truth label. + if self.ground_truth_output != model_output.argmax(): + return 0 + + cur_num_words = attacked_text.num_words + initial_num_words = self.initial_attacked_text.num_words + + # The main goal is to reduce the number of words (num_words_score) + # Higher model score for the ground truth label is used as a tiebreaker (model_score) + num_words_score = max( + (initial_num_words - cur_num_words) / initial_num_words, 0 + ) + model_score = model_output[self.ground_truth_output] + return min(num_words_score + model_score / initial_num_words, 1) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + if self.maximizable: + return ["maximizable"] + else: + return ["maximizable", "target_num_words"] diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/classification/targeted_classification.py b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/targeted_classification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..25336521f380ceaafe45b7d1059808ceda4ffe5a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/targeted_classification.py @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +""" + +Determine if an attack has been successful in targeted Classification +----------------------------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +from .classification_goal_function import ClassificationGoalFunction + + +class TargetedClassification(ClassificationGoalFunction): + """A targeted attack on classification models which attempts to maximize + the score of the target label. + + Complete when the arget label is the predicted label. + """ + + def __init__(self, *args, target_class=0, **kwargs): + super().__init__(*args, **kwargs) + self.target_class = target_class + + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, _): + return ( + self.target_class == model_output.argmax() + ) or self.ground_truth_output == self.target_class + + def _get_score(self, model_output, _): + if self.target_class < 0 or self.target_class >= len(model_output): + raise ValueError( + f"target class set to {self.target_class} with {len(model_output)} classes." + ) + else: + return model_output[self.target_class] + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + if self.maximizable: + return ["maximizable", "target_class"] + else: + return ["target_class"] diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/classification/untargeted_classification.py b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/untargeted_classification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5540488d81d2fd57f05ad3d4643e63517cbbeace --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/classification/untargeted_classification.py @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +""" + +Determine successful in untargeted Classification +---------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +from .classification_goal_function import ClassificationGoalFunction + + +class UntargetedClassification(ClassificationGoalFunction): + """An untargeted attack on classification models which attempts to minimize + the score of the correct label until it is no longer the predicted label. + + Args: + target_max_score (float): If set, goal is to reduce model output to + below this score. Otherwise, goal is to change the overall predicted + class. + """ + + def __init__(self, *args, target_max_score=None, **kwargs): + self.target_max_score = target_max_score + super().__init__(*args, **kwargs) + + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, _): + if self.target_max_score: + return model_output[self.ground_truth_output] < self.target_max_score + elif (model_output.numel() == 1) and isinstance( + self.ground_truth_output, float + ): + return abs(self.ground_truth_output - model_output.item()) >= 0.5 + else: + return model_output.argmax() != self.ground_truth_output + + def _get_score(self, model_output, _): + # If the model outputs a single number and the ground truth output is + # a float, we assume that this is a regression task. + if (model_output.numel() == 1) and isinstance(self.ground_truth_output, float): + return abs(model_output.item() - self.ground_truth_output) + else: + return 1 - model_output[self.ground_truth_output] diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/goal_function.py b/textattack/goal_functions/goal_function.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..16f498301ec5ef16f68dbef8cb41ace316cddfe8 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/goal_function.py @@ -0,0 +1,239 @@ +""".. _goal_function: + +GoalFunction Class +=========================================================== +""" + + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +import lru +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.goal_function_results.goal_function_result import ( + GoalFunctionResultStatus, +) +from textattack.shared import validators +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class GoalFunction(ReprMixin, ABC): + """Evaluates how well a perturbed attacked_text object is achieving a + specified goal. + + Args: + model_wrapper (:class:`~textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`): + The victim model to attack. + maximizable(:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + Whether the goal function is maximizable, as opposed to a boolean result of success or failure. + query_budget (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`float("in")`): + The maximum number of model queries allowed. + model_cache_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`2**20`): + The maximum number of items to keep in the model results cache at once. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + model_wrapper, + maximizable=False, + use_cache=True, + query_budget=float("inf"), + model_batch_size=32, + model_cache_size=2**20, + ): + validators.validate_model_goal_function_compatibility( + self.__class__, model_wrapper.model.__class__ + ) + self.model = model_wrapper + self.maximizable = maximizable + self.use_cache = use_cache + self.query_budget = query_budget + self.batch_size = model_batch_size + if self.use_cache: + self._call_model_cache = lru.LRU(model_cache_size) + else: + self._call_model_cache = None + + def clear_cache(self): + if self.use_cache: + self._call_model_cache.clear() + + def init_attack_example(self, attacked_text, ground_truth_output): + """Called before attacking ``attacked_text`` to 'reset' the goal + function and set properties for this example.""" + self.initial_attacked_text = attacked_text + self.ground_truth_output = ground_truth_output + self.num_queries = 0 + result, _ = self.get_result(attacked_text, check_skip=True) + return result, _ + + def get_output(self, attacked_text): + """Returns output for display based on the result of calling the + model.""" + return self._get_displayed_output(self._call_model([attacked_text])[0]) + + def get_result(self, attacked_text, **kwargs): + """A helper method that queries ``self.get_results`` with a single + ``AttackedText`` object.""" + results, search_over = self.get_results([attacked_text], **kwargs) + result = results[0] if len(results) else None + return result, search_over + + def get_results(self, attacked_text_list, check_skip=False): + """For each attacked_text object in attacked_text_list, returns a + result consisting of whether or not the goal has been achieved, the + output for display purposes, and a score. + + Additionally returns whether the search is over due to the query + budget. + """ + results = [] + if self.query_budget < float("inf"): + queries_left = self.query_budget - self.num_queries + attacked_text_list = attacked_text_list[:queries_left] + self.num_queries += len(attacked_text_list) + model_outputs = self._call_model(attacked_text_list) + for attacked_text, raw_output in zip(attacked_text_list, model_outputs): + displayed_output = self._get_displayed_output(raw_output) + goal_status = self._get_goal_status( + raw_output, attacked_text, check_skip=check_skip + ) + goal_function_score = self._get_score(raw_output, attacked_text) + results.append( + self._goal_function_result_type()( + attacked_text, + raw_output, + displayed_output, + goal_status, + goal_function_score, + self.num_queries, + self.ground_truth_output, + ) + ) + return results, self.num_queries == self.query_budget + + def _get_goal_status(self, model_output, attacked_text, check_skip=False): + should_skip = check_skip and self._should_skip(model_output, attacked_text) + if should_skip: + return GoalFunctionResultStatus.SKIPPED + if self.maximizable: + return GoalFunctionResultStatus.MAXIMIZING + if self._is_goal_complete(model_output, attacked_text): + return GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED + return GoalFunctionResultStatus.SEARCHING + + @abstractmethod + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, attacked_text): + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _should_skip(self, model_output, attacked_text): + return self._is_goal_complete(model_output, attacked_text) + + @abstractmethod + def _get_score(self, model_output, attacked_text): + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _get_displayed_output(self, raw_output): + return raw_output + + @abstractmethod + def _goal_function_result_type(self): + """Returns the class of this goal function's results.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def _process_model_outputs(self, inputs, outputs): + """Processes and validates a list of model outputs. + + This is a task-dependent operation. For example, classification + outputs need to make sure they have a softmax applied. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _call_model_uncached(self, attacked_text_list): + """Queries model and returns outputs for a list of AttackedText + objects.""" + if not len(attacked_text_list): + return [] + + inputs = [at.tokenizer_input for at in attacked_text_list] + outputs = [] + i = 0 + while i < len(inputs): + batch = inputs[i : i + self.batch_size] + batch_preds = self.model(batch) + + # Some seq-to-seq models will return a single string as a prediction + # for a single-string list. Wrap these in a list. + if isinstance(batch_preds, str): + batch_preds = [batch_preds] + + # Get PyTorch tensors off of other devices. + if isinstance(batch_preds, torch.Tensor): + batch_preds = batch_preds.cpu() + + if isinstance(batch_preds, list): + outputs.extend(batch_preds) + elif isinstance(batch_preds, np.ndarray): + outputs.append(torch.tensor(batch_preds)) + else: + outputs.append(batch_preds) + i += self.batch_size + + if isinstance(outputs[0], torch.Tensor): + outputs = torch.cat(outputs, dim=0) + + assert len(inputs) == len( + outputs + ), f"Got {len(outputs)} outputs for {len(inputs)} inputs" + + return self._process_model_outputs(attacked_text_list, outputs) + + def _call_model(self, attacked_text_list): + """Gets predictions for a list of ``AttackedText`` objects. + + Gets prediction from cache if possible. If prediction is not in + the cache, queries model and stores prediction in cache. + """ + if not self.use_cache: + return self._call_model_uncached(attacked_text_list) + else: + uncached_list = [] + for text in attacked_text_list: + if text in self._call_model_cache: + # Re-write value in cache. This moves the key to the top of the + # LRU cache and prevents the unlikely event that the text + # is overwritten when we store the inputs from `uncached_list`. + self._call_model_cache[text] = self._call_model_cache[text] + else: + uncached_list.append(text) + uncached_list = [ + text + for text in attacked_text_list + if text not in self._call_model_cache + ] + outputs = self._call_model_uncached(uncached_list) + for text, output in zip(uncached_list, outputs): + self._call_model_cache[text] = output + all_outputs = [self._call_model_cache[text] for text in attacked_text_list] + return all_outputs + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + attrs = [] + if self.query_budget < float("inf"): + attrs.append("query_budget") + if self.maximizable: + attrs.append("maximizable") + return attrs + + def __getstate__(self): + state = self.__dict__.copy() + if self.use_cache: + state["_call_model_cache"] = self._call_model_cache.get_size() + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + if self.use_cache: + self._call_model_cache = lru.LRU(state["_call_model_cache"]) diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/text/__init__.py b/textattack/goal_functions/text/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5c247320f5210a0f4f13de0fd5dbb32d56b7283b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/text/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@ +""" + +Goal Function for Text to Text case +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +from .minimize_bleu import MinimizeBleu +from .non_overlapping_output import NonOverlappingOutput +from .text_to_text_goal_function import TextToTextGoalFunction diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/text/minimize_bleu.py b/textattack/goal_functions/text/minimize_bleu.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..92613be5a8515b7d3ceb5008da01d0c5e67409ca --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/text/minimize_bleu.py @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +""" +Goal Function for Attempts to minimize the BLEU score +------------------------------------------------------- + + +""" + +import functools + +import nltk + +import textattack + +from .text_to_text_goal_function import TextToTextGoalFunction + + +class MinimizeBleu(TextToTextGoalFunction): + """Attempts to minimize the BLEU score between the current output + translation and the reference translation. + + BLEU score was defined in (BLEU: a Method for Automatic Evaluation of Machine Translation). + + `ArxivURL`_ + + .. _ArxivURL: https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/P02-1040.pdf + + This goal function is defined in (It’s Morphin’ Time! Combating Linguistic Discrimination with Inflectional Perturbations). + + `ArxivURL2`_ + + .. _ArxivURL2: https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/2020.acl-main.263 + """ + + EPS = 1e-10 + + def __init__(self, *args, target_bleu=0.0, **kwargs): + self.target_bleu = target_bleu + super().__init__(*args, **kwargs) + + def clear_cache(self): + if self.use_cache: + self._call_model_cache.clear() + get_bleu.cache_clear() + + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, _): + bleu_score = 1.0 - self._get_score(model_output, _) + return bleu_score <= (self.target_bleu + MinimizeBleu.EPS) + + def _get_score(self, model_output, _): + model_output_at = textattack.shared.AttackedText(model_output) + ground_truth_at = textattack.shared.AttackedText(self.ground_truth_output) + bleu_score = get_bleu(model_output_at, ground_truth_at) + return 1.0 - bleu_score + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + if self.maximizable: + return ["maximizable"] + else: + return ["maximizable", "target_bleu"] + + +@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=2**12) +def get_bleu(a, b): + ref = a.words + hyp = b.words + bleu_score = nltk.translate.bleu_score.sentence_bleu([ref], hyp) + return bleu_score diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/text/non_overlapping_output.py b/textattack/goal_functions/text/non_overlapping_output.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e2cb498207d2b0bdff3b5c9bc09af42495e9dda6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/text/non_overlapping_output.py @@ -0,0 +1,57 @@ +""" + +Goal Function for seq2sick +------------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +import functools + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.shared.utils import words_from_text + +from .text_to_text_goal_function import TextToTextGoalFunction + + +class NonOverlappingOutput(TextToTextGoalFunction): + """Ensures that none of the words at a position are equal. + + Defined in seq2sick (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1803.01128.pdf), equation + (3). + """ + + def clear_cache(self): + if self.use_cache: + self._call_model_cache.clear() + get_words_cached.cache_clear() + word_difference_score.cache_clear() + + def _is_goal_complete(self, model_output, _): + return self._get_score(model_output, self.ground_truth_output) == 1.0 + + def _get_score(self, model_output, _): + num_words_diff = word_difference_score(model_output, self.ground_truth_output) + if num_words_diff == 0: + return 0.0 + else: + return num_words_diff / len(get_words_cached(self.ground_truth_output)) + + +@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=2**12) +def get_words_cached(s): + return np.array(words_from_text(s)) + + +@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=2**12) +def word_difference_score(s1, s2): + """Returns the number of words that are non-overlapping between s1 and + s2.""" + s1_words = get_words_cached(s1) + s2_words = get_words_cached(s2) + min_length = min(len(s1_words), len(s2_words)) + if min_length == 0: + return 0 + s1_words = s1_words[:min_length] + s2_words = s2_words[:min_length] + return (s1_words != s2_words).sum() diff --git a/textattack/goal_functions/text/text_to_text_goal_function.py b/textattack/goal_functions/text/text_to_text_goal_function.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9e4bac3be3581e5ff9a04a8e23bbf176060a2beb --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/goal_functions/text/text_to_text_goal_function.py @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +""" + +Goal Function for TextToText +------------------------------------------------------- +""" + + +from textattack.goal_function_results import TextToTextGoalFunctionResult +from textattack.goal_functions import GoalFunction + + +class TextToTextGoalFunction(GoalFunction): + """A goal function defined on a model that outputs text. + + model: The PyTorch or TensorFlow model used for evaluation. + original_output: the original output of the model + """ + + def _goal_function_result_type(self): + """Returns the class of this goal function's results.""" + return TextToTextGoalFunctionResult + + def _process_model_outputs(self, _, outputs): + """Processes and validates a list of model outputs.""" + return outputs.flatten() + + def _get_displayed_output(self, raw_output): + return raw_output diff --git a/textattack/loggers/__init__.py b/textattack/loggers/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..086e50e5aa5bc705365bd76176bd53c95cf6fbb5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +""".. _loggers: + +Misc Loggers: Loggers track, visualize, and export attack results. +=================================================================== +""" + +from .csv_logger import CSVLogger +from .file_logger import FileLogger +from .logger import Logger +from .visdom_logger import VisdomLogger +from .weights_and_biases_logger import WeightsAndBiasesLogger +from .json_summary_logger import JsonSummaryLogger + +# AttackLogManager must be imported last, since it imports the other loggers. +from .attack_log_manager import AttackLogManager diff --git a/textattack/loggers/attack_log_manager.py b/textattack/loggers/attack_log_manager.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..446ee25b2df4efaf743f58ba572765c05eb818d3 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/attack_log_manager.py @@ -0,0 +1,174 @@ +""" +Managing Attack Logs. +======================== +""" + +from typing import Dict, Optional + +from textattack.metrics.attack_metrics import ( + AttackQueries, + AttackSuccessRate, + WordsPerturbed, +) +from textattack.metrics.quality_metrics import Perplexity, USEMetric + +from . import ( + CSVLogger, + FileLogger, + JsonSummaryLogger, + VisdomLogger, + WeightsAndBiasesLogger, +) + + +class AttackLogManager: + """Logs the results of an attack to all attached loggers.""" + + # metrics maps strings (metric names) to textattack.metric.Metric objects + metrics: Dict + + def __init__(self, metrics: Optional[Dict]): + self.loggers = [] + self.results = [] + self.enable_advance_metrics = False + if metrics is None: + self.metrics = {} + else: + self.metrics = metrics + + def enable_stdout(self): + self.loggers.append(FileLogger(stdout=True)) + + def enable_visdom(self): + self.loggers.append(VisdomLogger()) + + def enable_wandb(self, **kwargs): + self.loggers.append(WeightsAndBiasesLogger(**kwargs)) + + def disable_color(self): + self.loggers.append(FileLogger(stdout=True, color_method="file")) + + def add_output_file(self, filename, color_method): + self.loggers.append(FileLogger(filename=filename, color_method=color_method)) + + def add_output_csv(self, filename, color_method): + self.loggers.append(CSVLogger(filename=filename, color_method=color_method)) + + def add_output_summary_json(self, filename): + self.loggers.append(JsonSummaryLogger(filename=filename)) + + def log_result(self, result): + """Logs an ``AttackResult`` on each of `self.loggers`.""" + self.results.append(result) + for logger in self.loggers: + logger.log_attack_result(result) + + def log_results(self, results): + """Logs an iterable of ``AttackResult`` objects on each of + `self.loggers`.""" + for result in results: + self.log_result(result) + self.log_summary() + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + for logger in self.loggers: + logger.log_summary_rows(rows, title, window_id) + + def log_sep(self): + for logger in self.loggers: + logger.log_sep() + + def flush(self): + for logger in self.loggers: + logger.flush() + + def log_attack_details(self, attack_name, model_name): + # @TODO log a more complete set of attack details + attack_detail_rows = [ + ["Attack algorithm:", attack_name], + ["Model:", model_name], + ] + self.log_summary_rows(attack_detail_rows, "Attack Details", "attack_details") + + def log_summary(self): + total_attacks = len(self.results) + if total_attacks == 0: + return + + # Default metrics - calculated on every attack + attack_success_stats = AttackSuccessRate().calculate(self.results) + words_perturbed_stats = WordsPerturbed().calculate(self.results) + attack_query_stats = AttackQueries().calculate(self.results) + + # @TODO generate this table based on user input - each column in specific class + # Example to demonstrate: + # summary_table_rows = attack_success_stats.display_row() + words_perturbed_stats.display_row() + ... + summary_table_rows = [ + [ + "Number of successful attacks:", + attack_success_stats["successful_attacks"], + ], + ["Number of failed attacks:", attack_success_stats["failed_attacks"]], + ["Number of skipped attacks:", attack_success_stats["skipped_attacks"]], + [ + "Original accuracy:", + str(attack_success_stats["original_accuracy"]) + "%", + ], + [ + "Accuracy under attack:", + str(attack_success_stats["attack_accuracy_perc"]) + "%", + ], + [ + "Attack success rate:", + str(attack_success_stats["attack_success_rate"]) + "%", + ], + [ + "Average perturbed word %:", + str(words_perturbed_stats["avg_word_perturbed_perc"]) + "%", + ], + [ + "Average num. words per input:", + words_perturbed_stats["avg_word_perturbed"], + ], + ] + + summary_table_rows.append( + ["Avg num queries:", attack_query_stats["avg_num_queries"]] + ) + + for metric_name, metric in self.metrics.items(): + summary_table_rows.append([metric_name, metric.calculate(self.results)]) + + if self.enable_advance_metrics: + perplexity_stats = Perplexity().calculate(self.results) + use_stats = USEMetric().calculate(self.results) + + summary_table_rows.append( + [ + "Average Original Perplexity:", + perplexity_stats["avg_original_perplexity"], + ] + ) + + summary_table_rows.append( + [ + "Average Attack Perplexity:", + perplexity_stats["avg_attack_perplexity"], + ] + ) + summary_table_rows.append( + ["Average Attack USE Score:", use_stats["avg_attack_use_score"]] + ) + + self.log_summary_rows( + summary_table_rows, "Attack Results", "attack_results_summary" + ) + # Show histogram of words changed. + numbins = max(words_perturbed_stats["max_words_changed"], 10) + for logger in self.loggers: + logger.log_hist( + words_perturbed_stats["num_words_changed_until_success"][:numbins], + numbins=numbins, + title="Num Words Perturbed", + window_id="num_words_perturbed", + ) diff --git a/textattack/loggers/csv_logger.py b/textattack/loggers/csv_logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c739d2c10000d6f3ea625037a6d0c0ec078aa9ee --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/csv_logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +""" +Attack Logs to CSV +======================== +""" + +import csv + +import pandas as pd + +from textattack.shared import AttackedText, logger + +from .logger import Logger + + +class CSVLogger(Logger): + """Logs attack results to a CSV.""" + + def __init__(self, filename="results.csv", color_method="file"): + logger.info(f"Logging to CSV at path {filename}") + self.filename = filename + self.color_method = color_method + self.row_list = [] + self._flushed = True + + def log_attack_result(self, result): + original_text, perturbed_text = result.diff_color(self.color_method) + original_text = original_text.replace("\n", AttackedText.SPLIT_TOKEN) + perturbed_text = perturbed_text.replace("\n", AttackedText.SPLIT_TOKEN) + result_type = result.__class__.__name__.replace("AttackResult", "") + row = { + "original_text": original_text, + "perturbed_text": perturbed_text, + "original_score": result.original_result.score, + "perturbed_score": result.perturbed_result.score, + "original_output": result.original_result.output, + "perturbed_output": result.perturbed_result.output, + "ground_truth_output": result.original_result.ground_truth_output, + "num_queries": result.num_queries, + "result_type": result_type, + } + self.row_list.append(row) + self._flushed = False + + def flush(self): + self.df = pd.DataFrame.from_records(self.row_list) + self.df.to_csv(self.filename, quoting=csv.QUOTE_NONNUMERIC, index=False) + self._flushed = True + + def close(self): + # self.fout.close() + super().close() + + def __del__(self): + if not self._flushed: + logger.warning("CSVLogger exiting without calling flush().") diff --git a/textattack/loggers/file_logger.py b/textattack/loggers/file_logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a0a82b48855f10284b75469b2f9eb817e1593a3b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/file_logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +""" +Attack Logs to file +======================== +""" + +import os +import sys + +import terminaltables + +from textattack.shared import logger + +from .logger import Logger + + +class FileLogger(Logger): + """Logs the results of an attack to a file, or `stdout`.""" + + def __init__(self, filename="", stdout=False, color_method="ansi"): + self.stdout = stdout + self.filename = filename + self.color_method = color_method + if stdout: + self.fout = sys.stdout + elif isinstance(filename, str): + directory = os.path.dirname(filename) + directory = directory if directory else "." + if not os.path.exists(directory): + os.makedirs(directory) + self.fout = open(filename, "w") + logger.info(f"Logging to text file at path {filename}") + else: + self.fout = filename + self.num_results = 0 + + def __getstate__(self): + # Temporarily save file handle b/c we can't copy it + state = {i: self.__dict__[i] for i in self.__dict__ if i != "fout"} + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + if self.stdout: + self.fout = sys.stdout + else: + self.fout = open(self.filename, "a") + + def log_attack_result(self, result): + self.num_results += 1 + # if self.stdout and sys.stdout.isatty(): + self.fout.write( + "-" * 45 + " Result " + str(self.num_results) + " " + "-" * 45 + "\n" + ) + self.fout.write(result.__str__(color_method=self.color_method)) + self.fout.write("\n") + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + if self.stdout: + table_rows = [[title, ""]] + rows + table = terminaltables.AsciiTable(table_rows) + self.fout.write(table.table) + else: + for row in rows: + self.fout.write(f"{row[0]} {row[1]}\n") + + def log_sep(self): + self.fout.write("-" * 90 + "\n") + + def flush(self): + self.fout.flush() + + def close(self): + self.fout.close() diff --git a/textattack/loggers/json_summary_logger.py b/textattack/loggers/json_summary_logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b1ac508dd3aefe1dd68f5ff2b102912722782f81 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/json_summary_logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +""" +Attack Summary Results Logs to Json +======================== +""" + +import json + +from textattack.shared import logger + +from .logger import Logger + + +class JsonSummaryLogger(Logger): + def __init__(self, filename="results_summary.json"): + logger.info(f"Logging Summary to JSON at path {filename}") + self.filename = filename + self.json_dictionary = {} + self._flushed = True + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + self.json_dictionary[title] = {} + for i in range(len(rows)): + row = rows[i] + if isinstance(row[1], str): + try: + row[1] = row[1].replace("%", "") + row[1] = float(row[1]) + except ValueError: + raise ValueError( + f'Unable to convert row value "{row[1]}" for Attack Result "{row[0]}" into float' + ) + + for metric, summary in rows: + self.json_dictionary[title][metric] = summary + + self._flushed = False + + def flush(self): + with open(self.filename, "w") as f: + json.dump(self.json_dictionary, f, indent=4) + + self._flushed = True + + def close(self): + super().close() diff --git a/textattack/loggers/logger.py b/textattack/loggers/logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7e979b2bfdbab445733be7de3c0e0cedbef697e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,32 @@ +""" +Attack Logger Wrapper +======================== +""" + + +from abc import ABC + + +class Logger(ABC): + """An abstract class for different methods of logging attack results.""" + + def __init__(self): + pass + + def log_attack_result(self, result, examples_completed=None): + pass + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + pass + + def log_hist(self, arr, numbins, title, window_id): + pass + + def log_sep(self): + pass + + def flush(self): + pass + + def close(self): + pass diff --git a/textattack/loggers/visdom_logger.py b/textattack/loggers/visdom_logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..80ab1b90a9e54c5204f57fa79fbc2e2fcd49ee0b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/visdom_logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,104 @@ +""" +Attack Logs to Visdom +======================== +""" + + +import socket + +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader, html_table_from_rows + +from .logger import Logger + +visdom = LazyLoader("visdom", globals(), "visdom") + + +def port_is_open(port_num, hostname="127.0.0.1"): + sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) + result = sock.connect_ex((hostname, port_num)) + sock.close() + if result == 0: + return True + return False + + +class VisdomLogger(Logger): + """Logs attack results to Visdom.""" + + def __init__(self, env="main", port=8097, hostname="localhost"): + if not port_is_open(port, hostname=hostname): + raise socket.error(f"Visdom not running on {hostname}:{port}") + self.vis = visdom.Visdom(port=port, server=hostname, env=env) + self.env = env + self.port = port + self.hostname = hostname + self.windows = {} + self.sample_rows = [] + + def __getstate__(self): + state = {i: self.__dict__[i] for i in self.__dict__ if i != "vis"} + return state + + def __setstate__(self, state): + self.__dict__ = state + self.vis = visdom.Visdom(port=self.port, server=self.hostname, env=self.env) + + def log_attack_result(self, result): + text_a, text_b = result.diff_color(color_method="html") + result_str = result.goal_function_result_str(color_method="html") + self.sample_rows.append([result_str, text_a, text_b]) + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + self.table(rows, title=title, window_id=window_id) + + def flush(self): + self.table( + self.sample_rows, + title="Sample-Level Results", + window_id="sample_level_results", + ) + + def log_hist(self, arr, numbins, title, window_id): + self.bar(arr, numbins=numbins, title=title, window_id=window_id) + + def text(self, text_data, title=None, window_id="default"): + if window_id and window_id in self.windows: + window = self.windows[window_id] + self.vis.text(text_data, win=window) + else: + new_window = self.vis.text(text_data, opts=dict(title=title)) + self.windows[window_id] = new_window + + def table(self, rows, window_id=None, title=None, header=None, style=None): + """Generates an HTML table.""" + + if not window_id: + window_id = title # Can provide either of these, + if not title: + title = window_id # or both. + table = html_table_from_rows(rows, title=title, header=header, style_dict=style) + self.text(table, title=title, window_id=window_id) + + def bar(self, X_data, numbins=10, title=None, window_id=None): + window = None + if window_id and window_id in self.windows: + window = self.windows[window_id] + self.vis.bar(X=X_data, win=window, opts=dict(title=title, numbins=numbins)) + else: + new_window = self.vis.bar(X=X_data, opts=dict(title=title, numbins=numbins)) + if window_id: + self.windows[window_id] = new_window + + def hist(self, X_data, numbins=10, title=None, window_id=None): + window = None + if window_id and window_id in self.windows: + window = self.windows[window_id] + self.vis.histogram( + X=X_data, win=window, opts=dict(title=title, numbins=numbins) + ) + else: + new_window = self.vis.histogram( + X=X_data, opts=dict(title=title, numbins=numbins) + ) + if window_id: + self.windows[window_id] = new_window diff --git a/textattack/loggers/weights_and_biases_logger.py b/textattack/loggers/weights_and_biases_logger.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7b99904216cd8bace98ec85be87d0506df08c7f7 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/loggers/weights_and_biases_logger.py @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ +""" +Attack Logs to WandB +======================== +""" + + +from textattack.shared.utils import LazyLoader, html_table_from_rows + +from .logger import Logger + + +class WeightsAndBiasesLogger(Logger): + """Logs attack results to Weights & Biases.""" + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + global wandb + wandb = LazyLoader("wandb", globals(), "wandb") + + wandb.init(**kwargs) + self.kwargs = kwargs + self.project_name = wandb.run.project_name() + self._result_table_rows = [] + + def __setstate__(self, state): + global wandb + wandb = LazyLoader("wandb", globals(), "wandb") + + self.__dict__ = state + wandb.init(resume=True, **self.kwargs) + + def log_summary_rows(self, rows, title, window_id): + table = wandb.Table(columns=["Attack Results", ""]) + for row in rows: + if isinstance(row[1], str): + try: + row[1] = row[1].replace("%", "") + row[1] = float(row[1]) + except ValueError: + raise ValueError( + f'Unable to convert row value "{row[1]}" for Attack Result "{row[0]}" into float' + ) + table.add_data(*row) + metric_name, metric_score = row + wandb.run.summary[metric_name] = metric_score + wandb.log({"attack_params": table}) + + def _log_result_table(self): + """Weights & Biases doesn't have a feature to automatically aggregate + results across timesteps and display the full table. + + Therefore, we have to do it manually. + """ + result_table = html_table_from_rows( + self._result_table_rows, header=["", "Original Input", "Perturbed Input"] + ) + wandb.log({"results": wandb.Html(result_table)}) + + def log_attack_result(self, result): + original_text_colored, perturbed_text_colored = result.diff_color( + color_method="html" + ) + result_num = len(self._result_table_rows) + self._result_table_rows.append( + [ + f"Result {result_num}", + original_text_colored, + perturbed_text_colored, + ] + ) + result_diff_table = html_table_from_rows( + [[original_text_colored, perturbed_text_colored]] + ) + result_diff_table = wandb.Html(result_diff_table) + wandb.log( + { + "result": result_diff_table, + "original_output": result.original_result.output, + "perturbed_output": result.perturbed_result.output, + } + ) + self._log_result_table() + + def log_sep(self): + self.fout.write("-" * 90 + "\n") diff --git a/textattack/metrics/__init__.py b/textattack/metrics/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e1df932b027778609ecdacb73382298e11950f98 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +""".. _metrics: + +metrics package: to calculate advanced metrics for evaluting attacks and augmented text +======================================================================================== +""" + +from .metric import Metric + +from .attack_metrics import AttackSuccessRate +from .attack_metrics import WordsPerturbed +from .attack_metrics import AttackQueries + +from .quality_metrics import Perplexity +from .quality_metrics import USEMetric diff --git a/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/__init__.py b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..94553888d69c9264fdada0c0363badbaf30c59ca --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""" + +attack_metrics package: +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +TextAttack provide users common metrics on attacks' quality. + +""" + +from .attack_queries import AttackQueries +from .attack_success_rate import AttackSuccessRate +from .words_perturbed import WordsPerturbed diff --git a/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_queries.py b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_queries.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..41cc89a25b3c441e16750b607dc71b34667b9011 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_queries.py @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +""" + +Metrics on AttackQueries +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.attack_results import SkippedAttackResult +from textattack.metrics import Metric + + +class AttackQueries(Metric): + def __init__(self): + self.all_metrics = {} + + def calculate(self, results): + """Calculates all metrics related to number of queries in an attack. + + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + """ + + self.results = results + self.num_queries = np.array( + [ + r.num_queries + for r in self.results + if not isinstance(r, SkippedAttackResult) + ] + ) + self.all_metrics["avg_num_queries"] = self.avg_num_queries() + + return self.all_metrics + + def avg_num_queries(self): + avg_num_queries = self.num_queries.mean() + avg_num_queries = round(avg_num_queries, 2) + return avg_num_queries diff --git a/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_success_rate.py b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_success_rate.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..021f63b50b93a6121bc8529a71e9278c6154f046 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/attack_success_rate.py @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +""" + +Metrics on AttackSuccessRate +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +from textattack.attack_results import FailedAttackResult, SkippedAttackResult +from textattack.metrics import Metric + + +class AttackSuccessRate(Metric): + def __init__(self): + self.failed_attacks = 0 + self.skipped_attacks = 0 + self.successful_attacks = 0 + + self.all_metrics = {} + + def calculate(self, results): + """Calculates all metrics related to number of succesful, failed and + skipped results in an attack. + + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + """ + self.results = results + self.total_attacks = len(self.results) + + for i, result in enumerate(self.results): + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult): + self.failed_attacks += 1 + continue + elif isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult): + self.skipped_attacks += 1 + continue + else: + self.successful_attacks += 1 + + # Calculated numbers + self.all_metrics["successful_attacks"] = self.successful_attacks + self.all_metrics["failed_attacks"] = self.failed_attacks + self.all_metrics["skipped_attacks"] = self.skipped_attacks + + # Percentages wrt the calculations + self.all_metrics["original_accuracy"] = self.original_accuracy_perc() + self.all_metrics["attack_accuracy_perc"] = self.attack_accuracy_perc() + self.all_metrics["attack_success_rate"] = self.attack_success_rate_perc() + + return self.all_metrics + + def original_accuracy_perc(self): + original_accuracy = ( + (self.total_attacks - self.skipped_attacks) * 100.0 / (self.total_attacks) + ) + original_accuracy = round(original_accuracy, 2) + return original_accuracy + + def attack_accuracy_perc(self): + accuracy_under_attack = (self.failed_attacks) * 100.0 / (self.total_attacks) + accuracy_under_attack = round(accuracy_under_attack, 2) + return accuracy_under_attack + + def attack_success_rate_perc(self): + if self.successful_attacks + self.failed_attacks == 0: + attack_success_rate = 0 + else: + attack_success_rate = ( + self.successful_attacks + * 100.0 + / (self.successful_attacks + self.failed_attacks) + ) + attack_success_rate = round(attack_success_rate, 2) + return attack_success_rate diff --git a/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/words_perturbed.py b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/words_perturbed.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6104de1b307ad2c29431e2c19fed5bceb8964965 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/attack_metrics/words_perturbed.py @@ -0,0 +1,85 @@ +""" + +Metrics on perturbed words +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.attack_results import FailedAttackResult, SkippedAttackResult +from textattack.metrics import Metric + + +class WordsPerturbed(Metric): + def __init__(self): + self.total_attacks = 0 + self.all_num_words = None + self.perturbed_word_percentages = None + self.num_words_changed_until_success = 0 + self.all_metrics = {} + + def calculate(self, results): + """Calculates all metrics related to perturbed words in an attack. + + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + """ + + self.results = results + self.total_attacks = len(self.results) + self.all_num_words = np.zeros(len(self.results)) + self.perturbed_word_percentages = np.zeros(len(self.results)) + self.num_words_changed_until_success = np.zeros(2**16) + self.max_words_changed = 0 + + for i, result in enumerate(self.results): + self.all_num_words[i] = len(result.original_result.attacked_text.words) + + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult) or isinstance( + result, SkippedAttackResult + ): + continue + + num_words_changed = len( + result.original_result.attacked_text.all_words_diff( + result.perturbed_result.attacked_text + ) + ) + self.num_words_changed_until_success[num_words_changed - 1] += 1 + self.max_words_changed = max( + self.max_words_changed or num_words_changed, num_words_changed + ) + if len(result.original_result.attacked_text.words) > 0: + perturbed_word_percentage = ( + num_words_changed + * 100.0 + / len(result.original_result.attacked_text.words) + ) + else: + perturbed_word_percentage = 0 + + self.perturbed_word_percentages[i] = perturbed_word_percentage + + self.all_metrics["avg_word_perturbed"] = self.avg_number_word_perturbed_num() + self.all_metrics["avg_word_perturbed_perc"] = self.avg_perturbation_perc() + self.all_metrics["max_words_changed"] = self.max_words_changed + self.all_metrics[ + "num_words_changed_until_success" + ] = self.num_words_changed_until_success + + return self.all_metrics + + def avg_number_word_perturbed_num(self): + average_num_words = self.all_num_words.mean() + average_num_words = round(average_num_words, 2) + return average_num_words + + def avg_perturbation_perc(self): + self.perturbed_word_percentages = self.perturbed_word_percentages[ + self.perturbed_word_percentages > 0 + ] + average_perc_words_perturbed = self.perturbed_word_percentages.mean() + average_perc_words_perturbed = round(average_perc_words_perturbed, 2) + return average_perc_words_perturbed diff --git a/textattack/metrics/metric.py b/textattack/metrics/metric.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..015046c62601279ef2293f202cda8c07803ab3a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/metric.py @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +""" +Metric Class +======================== + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + + +class Metric(ABC): + """A metric for evaluating Adversarial Attack candidates.""" + + @abstractmethod + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + """Creates pre-built :class:`~textattack.Metric` that correspond to + evaluation metrics for adversarial examples.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def calculate(self, results): + """Abstract function for computing any values which are to be calculated as a whole during initialization + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + """ + + raise NotImplementedError diff --git a/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/__init__.py b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6ba13465ee1df87569320861f38e7d243a8638b5 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +""" + +Metrics on Quality package +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +TextAttack provide users common metrics on text examples' quality. + + +""" + +from .perplexity import Perplexity +from .use import USEMetric diff --git a/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/perplexity.py b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/perplexity.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f1572591f120510c3e3f3fc67abe09e03dff8fda --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/perplexity.py @@ -0,0 +1,119 @@ +""" + +Perplexity Metric: +------------------------------------------------------- +Class for calculating perplexity from AttackResults + +""" + +import torch + +from textattack.attack_results import FailedAttackResult, SkippedAttackResult +from textattack.metrics import Metric +import textattack.shared.utils + + +class Perplexity(Metric): + def __init__(self, model_name="gpt2"): + self.all_metrics = {} + self.original_candidates = [] + self.successful_candidates = [] + + if model_name == "gpt2": + from transformers import GPT2LMHeadModel, GPT2Tokenizer + + self.ppl_model = GPT2LMHeadModel.from_pretrained("gpt2") + self.ppl_model.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + self.ppl_tokenizer = GPT2Tokenizer.from_pretrained("gpt2") + self.ppl_model.eval() + self.max_length = self.ppl_model.config.n_positions + else: + from transformers import AutoModelForMaskedLM, AutoTokenizer + + self.ppl_model = AutoModelForMaskedLM.from_pretrained(model_name) + self.ppl_tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(model_name) + self.ppl_model.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + self.ppl_model.eval() + self.max_length = self.ppl_model.config.max_position_embeddings + + self.stride = 512 + + def calculate(self, results): + """Calculates average Perplexity on all successfull attacks using a + pre-trained small GPT-2 model. + + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + + Example:: + + + >> import textattack + >> import transformers + >> model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained("distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english") + >> tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english") + >> model_wrapper = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + >> attack = textattack.attack_recipes.DeepWordBugGao2018.build(model_wrapper) + >> dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset("glue", "sst2", split="train") + >> attack_args = textattack.AttackArgs( + num_examples=1, + log_to_csv="log.csv", + checkpoint_interval=5, + checkpoint_dir="checkpoints", + disable_stdout=True + ) + >> attacker = textattack.Attacker(attack, dataset, attack_args) + >> results = attacker.attack_dataset() + >> ppl = textattack.metrics.quality_metrics.Perplexity().calculate(results) + """ + self.results = results + self.original_candidates_ppl = [] + self.successful_candidates_ppl = [] + + for i, result in enumerate(self.results): + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult): + continue + elif isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult): + continue + else: + self.original_candidates.append( + result.original_result.attacked_text.text.lower() + ) + self.successful_candidates.append( + result.perturbed_result.attacked_text.text.lower() + ) + + ppl_orig = self.calc_ppl(self.original_candidates) + ppl_attack = self.calc_ppl(self.successful_candidates) + + self.all_metrics["avg_original_perplexity"] = round(ppl_orig, 2) + + self.all_metrics["avg_attack_perplexity"] = round(ppl_attack, 2) + + return self.all_metrics + + def calc_ppl(self, texts): + with torch.no_grad(): + text = " ".join(texts) + eval_loss = [] + input_ids = torch.tensor( + self.ppl_tokenizer.encode(text, add_special_tokens=True) + ).unsqueeze(0) + # Strided perplexity calculation from huggingface.co/transformers/perplexity.html + for i in range(0, input_ids.size(1), self.stride): + begin_loc = max(i + self.stride - self.max_length, 0) + end_loc = min(i + self.stride, input_ids.size(1)) + trg_len = end_loc - i + input_ids_t = input_ids[:, begin_loc:end_loc].to( + textattack.shared.utils.device + ) + target_ids = input_ids_t.clone() + target_ids[:, :-trg_len] = -100 + + outputs = self.ppl_model(input_ids_t, labels=target_ids) + log_likelihood = outputs[0] * trg_len + + eval_loss.append(log_likelihood) + + return torch.exp(torch.stack(eval_loss).sum() / end_loc).item() diff --git a/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/use.py b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/use.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7d0177e494626c4901f9f1db10012f6bbaa7b488 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/metrics/quality_metrics/use.py @@ -0,0 +1,74 @@ +""" + +USEMetric class: +------------------------------------------------------- +Class for calculating USE similarity on AttackResults + +""" + +from textattack.attack_results import FailedAttackResult, SkippedAttackResult +from textattack.constraints.semantics.sentence_encoders import UniversalSentenceEncoder +from textattack.metrics import Metric + + +class USEMetric(Metric): + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + self.use_obj = UniversalSentenceEncoder() + self.use_obj.model = UniversalSentenceEncoder() + self.original_candidates = [] + self.successful_candidates = [] + self.all_metrics = {} + + def calculate(self, results): + """Calculates average USE similarity on all successfull attacks. + + Args: + results (``AttackResult`` objects): + Attack results for each instance in dataset + + Example:: + + + >> import textattack + >> import transformers + >> model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained("distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english") + >> tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english") + >> model_wrapper = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + >> attack = textattack.attack_recipes.DeepWordBugGao2018.build(model_wrapper) + >> dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset("glue", "sst2", split="train") + >> attack_args = textattack.AttackArgs( + num_examples=1, + log_to_csv="log.csv", + checkpoint_interval=5, + checkpoint_dir="checkpoints", + disable_stdout=True + ) + >> attacker = textattack.Attacker(attack, dataset, attack_args) + >> results = attacker.attack_dataset() + >> usem = textattack.metrics.quality_metrics.USEMetric().calculate(results) + """ + + self.results = results + + for i, result in enumerate(self.results): + if isinstance(result, FailedAttackResult): + continue + elif isinstance(result, SkippedAttackResult): + continue + else: + self.original_candidates.append(result.original_result.attacked_text) + self.successful_candidates.append(result.perturbed_result.attacked_text) + + use_scores = [] + for c in range(len(self.original_candidates)): + use_scores.append( + self.use_obj._sim_score( + self.original_candidates[c], self.successful_candidates[c] + ).item() + ) + + self.all_metrics["avg_attack_use_score"] = round( + sum(use_scores) / len(use_scores), 2 + ) + + return self.all_metrics diff --git a/textattack/model_args.py b/textattack/model_args.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..73c133cff77885af3bb24ef7e58c8502d0919d47 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/model_args.py @@ -0,0 +1,311 @@ +""" +ModelArgs Class +=============== +""" + + +from dataclasses import dataclass +import json +import os + +import transformers + +import textattack +from textattack.shared.utils import ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN, load_module_from_file + +HUGGINGFACE_MODELS = { + # + # bert-base-uncased + # + "bert-base-uncased": "bert-base-uncased", + "bert-base-uncased-ag-news": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-ag-news", + "bert-base-uncased-cola": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-CoLA", + "bert-base-uncased-imdb": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb", + "bert-base-uncased-mnli": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-MNLI", + "bert-base-uncased-mrpc": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-MRPC", + "bert-base-uncased-qnli": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-QNLI", + "bert-base-uncased-qqp": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-QQP", + "bert-base-uncased-rte": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-RTE", + "bert-base-uncased-sst2": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-SST-2", + "bert-base-uncased-stsb": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-STS-B", + "bert-base-uncased-wnli": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-WNLI", + "bert-base-uncased-mr": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes", + "bert-base-uncased-snli": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-snli", + "bert-base-uncased-yelp": "textattack/bert-base-uncased-yelp-polarity", + # + # distilbert-base-cased + # + "distilbert-base-uncased": "distilbert-base-uncased", + "distilbert-base-cased-cola": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-CoLA", + "distilbert-base-cased-mrpc": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-MRPC", + "distilbert-base-cased-qqp": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-QQP", + "distilbert-base-cased-snli": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-snli", + "distilbert-base-cased-sst2": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-SST-2", + "distilbert-base-cased-stsb": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-STS-B", + "distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news", + "distilbert-base-uncased-cola": "textattack/distilbert-base-cased-CoLA", + "distilbert-base-uncased-imdb": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-imdb", + "distilbert-base-uncased-mnli": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-MNLI", + "distilbert-base-uncased-mr": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes", + "distilbert-base-uncased-mrpc": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-MRPC", + "distilbert-base-uncased-qnli": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-QNLI", + "distilbert-base-uncased-rte": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-RTE", + "distilbert-base-uncased-wnli": "textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-WNLI", + # + # roberta-base (RoBERTa is cased by default) + # + "roberta-base": "roberta-base", + "roberta-base-ag-news": "textattack/roberta-base-ag-news", + "roberta-base-cola": "textattack/roberta-base-CoLA", + "roberta-base-imdb": "textattack/roberta-base-imdb", + "roberta-base-mr": "textattack/roberta-base-rotten-tomatoes", + "roberta-base-mrpc": "textattack/roberta-base-MRPC", + "roberta-base-qnli": "textattack/roberta-base-QNLI", + "roberta-base-rte": "textattack/roberta-base-RTE", + "roberta-base-sst2": "textattack/roberta-base-SST-2", + "roberta-base-stsb": "textattack/roberta-base-STS-B", + "roberta-base-wnli": "textattack/roberta-base-WNLI", + # + # albert-base-v2 (ALBERT is cased by default) + # + "albert-base-v2": "albert-base-v2", + "albert-base-v2-ag-news": "textattack/albert-base-v2-ag-news", + "albert-base-v2-cola": "textattack/albert-base-v2-CoLA", + "albert-base-v2-imdb": "textattack/albert-base-v2-imdb", + "albert-base-v2-mr": "textattack/albert-base-v2-rotten-tomatoes", + "albert-base-v2-rte": "textattack/albert-base-v2-RTE", + "albert-base-v2-qqp": "textattack/albert-base-v2-QQP", + "albert-base-v2-snli": "textattack/albert-base-v2-snli", + "albert-base-v2-sst2": "textattack/albert-base-v2-SST-2", + "albert-base-v2-stsb": "textattack/albert-base-v2-STS-B", + "albert-base-v2-wnli": "textattack/albert-base-v2-WNLI", + "albert-base-v2-yelp": "textattack/albert-base-v2-yelp-polarity", + # + # xlnet-base-cased + # + "xlnet-base-cased": "xlnet-base-cased", + "xlnet-base-cased-cola": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-CoLA", + "xlnet-base-cased-imdb": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-imdb", + "xlnet-base-cased-mr": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-rotten-tomatoes", + "xlnet-base-cased-mrpc": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-MRPC", + "xlnet-base-cased-rte": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-RTE", + "xlnet-base-cased-stsb": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-STS-B", + "xlnet-base-cased-wnli": "textattack/xlnet-base-cased-WNLI", +} + + +# +# Models hosted by textattack. +# `models` vs `models_v2`: `models_v2` is simply a new dir in S3 that contains models' `config.json`. +# Fixes issue https://github.com/QData/TextAttack/issues/485 +# Model parameters has not changed. +# +TEXTATTACK_MODELS = { + # + # LSTMs + # + "lstm-ag-news": "models_v2/classification/lstm/ag-news", + "lstm-imdb": "models_v2/classification/lstm/imdb", + "lstm-mr": "models_v2/classification/lstm/mr", + "lstm-sst2": "models_v2/classification/lstm/sst2", + "lstm-yelp": "models_v2/classification/lstm/yelp", + # + # CNNs + # + "cnn-ag-news": "models_v2/classification/cnn/ag-news", + "cnn-imdb": "models_v2/classification/cnn/imdb", + "cnn-mr": "models_v2/classification/cnn/rotten-tomatoes", + "cnn-sst2": "models_v2/classification/cnn/sst", + "cnn-yelp": "models_v2/classification/cnn/yelp", + # + # T5 for translation + # + "t5-en-de": "english_to_german", + "t5-en-fr": "english_to_french", + "t5-en-ro": "english_to_romanian", + # + # T5 for summarization + # + "t5-summarization": "summarization", +} + + +@dataclass +class ModelArgs: + """Arguments for loading base/pretrained or trained models.""" + + model: str = None + model_from_file: str = None + model_from_huggingface: str = None + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Adds model-related arguments to an argparser.""" + model_group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group() + + model_names = list(HUGGINGFACE_MODELS.keys()) + list(TEXTATTACK_MODELS.keys()) + model_group.add_argument( + "--model", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Name of or path to a pre-trained TextAttack model to load. Choices: " + + str(model_names), + ) + model_group.add_argument( + "--model-from-file", + type=str, + required=False, + help="File of model and tokenizer to import.", + ) + model_group.add_argument( + "--model-from-huggingface", + type=str, + required=False, + help="Name of or path of pre-trained HuggingFace model to load.", + ) + + return parser + + @classmethod + def _create_model_from_args(cls, args): + """Given ``ModelArgs``, return specified + ``textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`` object.""" + + assert isinstance( + args, cls + ), f"Expect args to be of type `{type(cls)}`, but got type `{type(args)}`." + + if args.model_from_file: + # Support loading the model from a .py file where a model wrapper + # is instantiated. + colored_model_name = textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + args.model_from_file, color="blue", method="ansi" + ) + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading model and tokenizer from file: {colored_model_name}" + ) + if ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN in args.model_from_file: + model_file, model_name = args.model_from_file.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + else: + _, model_name = args.model_from_file, "model" + try: + model_module = load_module_from_file(args.model_from_file) + except Exception: + raise ValueError(f"Failed to import file {args.model_from_file}.") + try: + model = getattr(model_module, model_name) + except AttributeError: + raise AttributeError( + f"Variable `{model_name}` not found in module {args.model_from_file}." + ) + + if not isinstance(model, textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper): + raise TypeError( + f"Variable `{model_name}` must be of type " + f"``textattack.models.ModelWrapper``, got type {type(model)}." + ) + elif (args.model in HUGGINGFACE_MODELS) or args.model_from_huggingface: + # Support loading models automatically from the HuggingFace model hub. + + model_name = ( + HUGGINGFACE_MODELS[args.model] + if (args.model in HUGGINGFACE_MODELS) + else args.model_from_huggingface + ) + colored_model_name = textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + model_name, color="blue", method="ansi" + ) + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading pre-trained model from HuggingFace model repository: {colored_model_name}" + ) + model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained( + model_name + ) + tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + model_name, use_fast=True + ) + model = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + elif args.model in TEXTATTACK_MODELS: + # Support loading TextAttack pre-trained models via just a keyword. + colored_model_name = textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + args.model, color="blue", method="ansi" + ) + if args.model.startswith("lstm"): + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading pre-trained TextAttack LSTM: {colored_model_name}" + ) + model = textattack.models.helpers.LSTMForClassification.from_pretrained( + args.model + ) + elif args.model.startswith("cnn"): + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading pre-trained TextAttack CNN: {colored_model_name}" + ) + model = ( + textattack.models.helpers.WordCNNForClassification.from_pretrained( + args.model + ) + ) + elif args.model.startswith("t5"): + model = textattack.models.helpers.T5ForTextToText.from_pretrained( + args.model + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unknown textattack model {args.model}") + + # Choose the approprate model wrapper (based on whether or not this is + # a HuggingFace model). + if isinstance(model, textattack.models.helpers.T5ForTextToText): + model = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper( + model, model.tokenizer + ) + else: + model = textattack.models.wrappers.PyTorchModelWrapper( + model, model.tokenizer + ) + elif args.model and os.path.exists(args.model): + # Support loading TextAttack-trained models via just their folder path. + # If `args.model` is a path/directory, let's assume it was a model + # trained with textattack, and try and load it. + if os.path.exists(os.path.join(args.model, "t5-wrapper-config.json")): + model = textattack.models.helpers.T5ForTextToText.from_pretrained( + args.model + ) + model = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper( + model, model.tokenizer + ) + elif os.path.exists(os.path.join(args.model, "config.json")): + with open(os.path.join(args.model, "config.json")) as f: + config = json.load(f) + model_class = config["architectures"] + if ( + model_class == "LSTMForClassification" + or model_class == "WordCNNForClassification" + ): + model = eval( + f"textattack.models.helpers.{model_class}.from_pretrained({args.model})" + ) + model = textattack.models.wrappers.PyTorchModelWrapper( + model, model.tokenizer + ) + else: + # assume the model is from HuggingFace. + model = ( + transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained( + args.model + ) + ) + tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + args.model, use_fast=True + ) + model = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper( + model, tokenizer + ) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Error: unsupported TextAttack model {args.model}") + + assert isinstance( + model, textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper + ), "`model` must be of type `textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`." + return model diff --git a/textattack/models/README.md b/textattack/models/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..87e667c0a722c04fc2266e2f13ffc5affeffe8d6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,440 @@ +# TextAttack Model Zoo + +## More details at [https://textattack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/3recipes/models.html](https://textattack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/3recipes/models.html) + +TextAttack includes pre-trained models for different common NLP tasks. This makes it easier for +users to get started with TextAttack. It also enables a more fair comparison of attacks from +the literature. + +All evaluation results were obtained using `textattack eval` to evaluate models on their default +test dataset (test set, if labels are available, otherwise, eval/validation set). You can use +this command to verify the accuracies for yourself: for example, `textattack eval --model roberta-base-mr`. + + +The LSTM and wordCNN models' code is available in `textattack.models.helpers`. All other models are transformers +imported from the [`transformers`](https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/) package. To list evaluate all +TextAttack pretrained models, invoke `textattack eval` without specifying a model: `textattack eval --num-examples 1000`. +All evaluations shown are on the full validation or test set up to 1000 examples. + +### `LSTM` + +
+ +- AG News (`lstm-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 914/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.4% +- IMDB (`lstm-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 883/1000 + - Accuracy: 88.30% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`lstm-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 807/1000 + - Accuracy: 80.70% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 781/1000 + - Accuracy: 78.10% +- SST-2 (`lstm-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 737/872 + - Accuracy: 84.52% +- Yelp Polarity (`lstm-yelp`) + - `datasets` dataset `yelp_polarity`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 922/1000 + - Accuracy: 92.20% + +
+ +### `wordCNN` + +
+ + +- AG News (`cnn-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 910/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.00% +- IMDB (`cnn-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 863/1000 + - Accuracy: 86.30% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`cnn-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 794/1000 + - Accuracy: 79.40% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 768/1000 + - Accuracy: 76.80% +- SST-2 (`cnn-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 721/872 + - Accuracy: 82.68% +- Yelp Polarity (`cnn-yelp`) + - `datasets` dataset `yelp_polarity`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 913/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.30% + +
+ + +### `albert-base-v2` + +
+ +- AG News (`albert-base-v2-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 943/1000 + - Accuracy: 94.30% +- CoLA (`albert-base-v2-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 829/1000 + - Accuracy: 82.90% +- IMDB (`albert-base-v2-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 913/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.30% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`albert-base-v2-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 882/1000 + - Accuracy: 88.20% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 851/1000 + - Accuracy: 85.10% +- Quora Question Pairs (`albert-base-v2-qqp`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qqp`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 914/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.40% +- Recognizing Textual Entailment (`albert-base-v2-rte`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `rte`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 211/277 + - Accuracy: 76.17% +- SNLI (`albert-base-v2-snli`) + - `datasets` dataset `snli`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 883/1000 + - Accuracy: 88.30% +- SST-2 (`albert-base-v2-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 807/872 + - Accuracy: 92.55%) +- STS-b (`albert-base-v2-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.9041359738552746 + - Spearman correlation: 0.8995912861209745 +- WNLI (`albert-base-v2-wnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `wnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 42/71 + - Accuracy: 59.15% +- Yelp Polarity (`albert-base-v2-yelp`) + - `datasets` dataset `yelp_polarity`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 963/1000 + - Accuracy: 96.30% + +
+ +### `bert-base-uncased` + +
+ +- AG News (`bert-base-uncased-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 942/1000 + - Accuracy: 94.20% +- CoLA (`bert-base-uncased-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 812/1000 + - Accuracy: 81.20% +- IMDB (`bert-base-uncased-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 919/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.90% +- MNLI matched (`bert-base-uncased-mnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mnli`, split `validation_matched` + - Correct/Whole: 840/1000 + - Accuracy: 84.00% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`bert-base-uncased-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 876/1000 + - Accuracy: 87.60% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 838/1000 + - Accuracy: 83.80% +- MRPC (`bert-base-uncased-mrpc`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mrpc`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 358/408 + - Accuracy: 87.75% +- QNLI (`bert-base-uncased-qnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 904/1000 + - Accuracy: 90.40% +- Quora Question Pairs (`bert-base-uncased-qqp`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qqp`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 924/1000 + - Accuracy: 92.40% +- Recognizing Textual Entailment (`bert-base-uncased-rte`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `rte`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 201/277 + - Accuracy: 72.56% +- SNLI (`bert-base-uncased-snli`) + - `datasets` dataset `snli`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 894/1000 + - Accuracy: 89.40% +- SST-2 (`bert-base-uncased-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 806/872 + - Accuracy: 92.43%) +- STS-b (`bert-base-uncased-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.8775458937815515 + - Spearman correlation: 0.8773251339980935 +- WNLI (`bert-base-uncased-wnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `wnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 40/71 + - Accuracy: 56.34% +- Yelp Polarity (`bert-base-uncased-yelp`) + - `datasets` dataset `yelp_polarity`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 963/1000 + - Accuracy: 96.30% + +
+ +### `distilbert-base-cased` + +
+ + +- CoLA (`distilbert-base-cased-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 786/1000 + - Accuracy: 78.60% +- MRPC (`distilbert-base-cased-mrpc`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mrpc`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 320/408 + - Accuracy: 78.43% +- Quora Question Pairs (`distilbert-base-cased-qqp`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qqp`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 908/1000 + - Accuracy: 90.80% +- SNLI (`distilbert-base-cased-snli`) + - `datasets` dataset `snli`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 861/1000 + - Accuracy: 86.10% +- SST-2 (`distilbert-base-cased-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 785/872 + - Accuracy: 90.02%) +- STS-b (`distilbert-base-cased-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.8421540899520146 + - Spearman correlation: 0.8407155030382939 + +
+ +### `distilbert-base-uncased` + +
+ +- AG News (`distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 944/1000 + - Accuracy: 94.40% +- CoLA (`distilbert-base-uncased-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 786/1000 + - Accuracy: 78.60% +- IMDB (`distilbert-base-uncased-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 903/1000 + - Accuracy: 90.30% +- MNLI matched (`distilbert-base-uncased-mnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mnli`, split `validation_matched` + - Correct/Whole: 817/1000 + - Accuracy: 81.70% +- MRPC (`distilbert-base-uncased-mrpc`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mrpc`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 350/408 + - Accuracy: 85.78% +- QNLI (`distilbert-base-uncased-qnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 860/1000 + - Accuracy: 86.00% +- Recognizing Textual Entailment (`distilbert-base-uncased-rte`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `rte`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 180/277 + - Accuracy: 64.98% +- STS-b (`distilbert-base-uncased-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.8421540899520146 + - Spearman correlation: 0.8407155030382939 +- WNLI (`distilbert-base-uncased-wnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `wnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 40/71 + - Accuracy: 56.34% + +
+ +### `roberta-base` + +
+ +- AG News (`roberta-base-ag-news`) + - `datasets` dataset `ag_news`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 947/1000 + - Accuracy: 94.70% +- CoLA (`roberta-base-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 857/1000 + - Accuracy: 85.70% +- IMDB (`roberta-base-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 941/1000 + - Accuracy: 94.10% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`roberta-base-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 899/1000 + - Accuracy: 89.90% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 883/1000 + - Accuracy: 88.30% +- MRPC (`roberta-base-mrpc`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mrpc`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 371/408 + - Accuracy: 91.18% +- QNLI (`roberta-base-qnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `qnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 917/1000 + - Accuracy: 91.70% +- Recognizing Textual Entailment (`roberta-base-rte`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `rte`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 217/277 + - Accuracy: 78.34% +- SST-2 (`roberta-base-sst2`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `sst2`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 820/872 + - Accuracy: 94.04%) +- STS-b (`roberta-base-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.906067852162708 + - Spearman correlation: 0.9025045272903051 +- WNLI (`roberta-base-wnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `wnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 40/71 + - Accuracy: 56.34% + +
+ +### `xlnet-base-cased` + +
+ +- CoLA (`xlnet-base-cased-cola`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `cola`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 800/1000 + - Accuracy: 80.00% +- IMDB (`xlnet-base-cased-imdb`) + - `datasets` dataset `imdb`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 957/1000 + - Accuracy: 95.70% +- Movie Reviews [Rotten Tomatoes] (`xlnet-base-cased-mr`) + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 908/1000 + - Accuracy: 90.80% + - `datasets` dataset `rotten_tomatoes`, split `test` + - Correct/Whole: 876/1000 + - Accuracy: 87.60% +- MRPC (`xlnet-base-cased-mrpc`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `mrpc`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 363/408 + - Accuracy: 88.97% +- Recognizing Textual Entailment (`xlnet-base-cased-rte`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `rte`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 196/277 + - Accuracy: 70.76% +- STS-b (`xlnet-base-cased-stsb`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `stsb`, split `validation` + - Pearson correlation: 0.883111673280641 + - Spearman correlation: 0.8773439961182335 +- WNLI (`xlnet-base-cased-wnli`) + - `datasets` dataset `glue`, subset `wnli`, split `validation` + - Correct/Whole: 41/71 + - Accuracy: 57.75% + +
+ + +# More details on TextAttack models (details on NLP task, output type, SOTA on paperswithcode; model card on huggingface): + +
+ + +Fine-tuned Model | NLP Task | Input type | Output Type | paperswithcode.com SOTA | huggingface.co Model Card +------------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------- +albert-base-v2-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/linguistic-acceptability-on-cola | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-CoLA +bert-base-uncased-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-CoLA +distilbert-base-cased-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/linguistic-acceptability-on-cola | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-CoLA +distilbert-base-uncased-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/linguistic-acceptability-on-cola | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-CoLA +roberta-base-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/linguistic-acceptability-on-cola | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-CoLA +xlnet-base-cased-CoLA | linguistic acceptability | single sentences | binary (1=acceptable/ 0=unacceptable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/linguistic-acceptability-on-cola | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-CoLA +albert-base-v2-RTE | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | binary(0=entailed/1=not entailed) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-rte | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-RTE +albert-base-v2-snli | natural language inference | sentence pairs | accuracy (0=entailment, 1=neutral,2=contradiction) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-snli +albert-base-v2-WNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs | binary | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-wnli | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-WNLI +bert-base-uncased-MNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | accuracy (0=entailment, 1=neutral,2=contradiction) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-MNLI +bert-base-uncased-QNLI | natural language inference | question/answer pairs | binary (1=unanswerable/ 0=answerable) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-QNLI +bert-base-uncased-RTE | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | binary(0=entailed/1=not entailed) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-RTE +bert-base-uncased-snli | natural language inference | sentence pairs | accuracy (0=entailment, 1=neutral,2=contradiction) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-snli +bert-base-uncased-WNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs | binary | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-WNLI +distilbert-base-cased-snli | natural language inference | sentence pairs | accuracy (0=entailment, 1=neutral,2=contradiction) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-snli +distilbert-base-uncased-MNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | accuracy (0=entailment,1=neutral, 2=contradiction) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-MNLI +distilbert-base-uncased-RTE | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | binary(0=entailed/1=not entailed) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-rte | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-RTE +distilbert-base-uncased-WNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs | binary | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-wnli | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-WNLI +roberta-base-QNLI | natural language inference | question/answer pairs | binary (1=unanswerable/ 0=answerable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-qnli | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-QNLI +roberta-base-RTE | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | binary(0=entailed/1=not entailed) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-rte | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-RTE +roberta-base-WNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs | binary | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-wnli | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-WNLI +xlnet-base-cased-RTE | natural language inference | sentence pairs (1 premise and 1 hypothesis) | binary(0=entailed/1=not entailed) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/ natural-language-inference-on-rte | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-RTE +xlnet-base-cased-WNLI | natural language inference | sentence pairs | binary | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-WNLI +albert-base-v2-QQP | paraphase similarity | question pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/question-answering-on-quora-question-pairs | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-QQP +bert-base-uncased-QQP | paraphase similarity | question pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/question-answering-on-quora-question-pairs | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-QQP +distilbert-base-uncased-QNLI | question answering/natural language inference | question/answer pairs | binary (1=unanswerable/ 0=answerable) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/natural-language-inference-on-qnli | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-QNLI +distilbert-base-cased-QQP | question answering/paraphase similarity | question pairs | binary (1=similar/ 0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/question-answering-on-quora-question-pairs | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-QQP +albert-base-v2-STS-B | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | similarity (0.0 to 5.0) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-sts-benchmark | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-STS-B +bert-base-uncased-MRPC | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-MRPC +bert-base-uncased-STS-B | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | similarity (0.0 to 5.0) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-STS-B +distilbert-base-cased-MRPC | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-mrpc | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-MRPC +distilbert-base-cased-STS-B | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | similarity (0.0 to 5.0) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-sts-benchmark | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-STS-B +distilbert-base-uncased-MRPC | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-mrpc | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-MRPC +roberta-base-MRPC | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-mrpc | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-MRPC +roberta-base-STS-B | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | similarity (0.0 to 5.0) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-sts-benchmark | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-STS-B +xlnet-base-cased-MRPC | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | binary (1=similar/0=not similar) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-mrpc | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-MRPC +xlnet-base-cased-STS-B | semantic textual similarity | sentence pairs | similarity (0.0 to 5.0) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/semantic-textual-similarity-on-sts-benchmark | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-STS-B +albert-base-v2-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-imdb +albert-base-v2-rotten-tomatoes | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-rotten-tomatoes +albert-base-v2-SST-2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-sst-2-binary | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-SST-2 +albert-base-v2-yelp-polarity | sentiment analysis | yelp reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-yelp-polarity +bert-base-uncased-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-imdb +bert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes +bert-base-uncased-SST-2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-sst-2-binary | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-SST-2 +bert-base-uncased-yelp-polarity | sentiment analysis | yelp reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-yelp-binary | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-yelp-polarity +cnn-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-imdb | none +cnn-mr | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | none +cnn-sst2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-sst-2-binary | none +cnn-yelp | sentiment analysis | yelp reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-yelp-binary | none +distilbert-base-cased-SST-2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-sst-2-binary | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-cased-SST-2 +distilbert-base-uncased-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-imdb | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-imdb +distilbert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-rotten-tomatoes +lstm-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-imdb | none +lstm-mr | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | none +lstm-sst2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | none yet | none +lstm-yelp | sentiment analysis | yelp reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | none +roberta-base-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-imdb +roberta-base-rotten-tomatoes | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-rotten-tomatoes +roberta-base-SST-2 | sentiment analysis | phrases | accuracy (0.0000 to 1.0000) | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/sentiment-analysis-on-sst-2-binary | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-SST-2 +xlnet-base-cased-imdb | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-imdb +xlnet-base-cased-rotten-tomatoes | sentiment analysis | movie reviews | binary (1=good/0=bad) | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/xlnet-base-cased-rotten-tomatoes +albert-base-v2-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/albert-base-v2-ag-news +bert-base-uncased-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/bert-base-uncased-ag-news +cnn-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/text-classification-on-ag-news | none +distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/distilbert-base-uncased-ag-news +lstm-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | https://paperswithcode.com/sota/text-classification-on-ag-news | none +roberta-base-ag-news | text classification | news articles | news category | none yet | https://huggingface.co/textattack/roberta-base-ag-news + +
diff --git a/textattack/models/__init__.py b/textattack/models/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c267e7b19b4293c4d64bc6475bbe2b1a1259c7cf --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +""".. _models: + +Models +========= + +TextAttack can attack any model that takes a list of strings as input and outputs a list of predictions. This is the idea behind *model wrappers*: to help your model conform to this API, we've provided the ``textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`` abstract class. + +We've also provided implementations of model wrappers for common patterns in some popular machine learning frameworks: + + +Models User-specified +-------------------------- + +TextAttack allows users to provide their own models for testing. Models can be loaded in three ways: + +1. ``--model`` for pre-trained models and models trained with TextAttack +2. ``--model-from-huggingface`` which will attempt to load any model from the ``HuggingFace model hub `` +3. ``--model-from-file`` which will dynamically load a Python file and look for the ``model`` variable + + + +Models Pre-trained +-------------------------- + +TextAttack also provides lots of pre-trained models for common tasks. Testing different attacks on the same model ensures attack comparisons are fair. + +Any of these models can be provided to ``textattack attack`` via ``--model``, for example, ``--model bert-base-uncased-mr``. For a full list of pre-trained models, see the `pre-trained models README `_. + + +Model Wrappers +-------------------------- +TextAttack can attack any model that takes a list of strings as input and outputs a list of predictions. This is the idea behind *model wrappers*: to help your model conform to this API, we've provided the ``textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`` abstract class. + + +We've also provided implementations of model wrappers for common patterns in some popular machine learning frameworks: including pytorch / sklearn / tensorflow. +""" + + +from . import helpers +from . import tokenizers +from . import wrappers diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/__init__.py b/textattack/models/helpers/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..74adc8b2d0f7f3c82e38e982e14e1798058b00c2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +""" +Moderl Helpers +------------------ +""" + + +# Helper stuff, like embeddings. +from . import utils +from .glove_embedding_layer import GloveEmbeddingLayer + +# Helper modules. +from .lstm_for_classification import LSTMForClassification +from .t5_for_text_to_text import T5ForTextToText +from .word_cnn_for_classification import WordCNNForClassification diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/glove_embedding_layer.py b/textattack/models/helpers/glove_embedding_layer.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2d1a5083b9ce393318a5244a680e025ebe12d3de --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/glove_embedding_layer.py @@ -0,0 +1,98 @@ +""" +Glove Embedding +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +import os + +import numpy as np +import torch +from torch import nn as nn + +from textattack.shared import logger, utils + + +class EmbeddingLayer(nn.Module): + """A layer of a model that replaces word IDs with their embeddings. + + This is a useful abstraction for any nn.module which wants to take word IDs + (a sequence of text) as input layer but actually manipulate words' + embeddings. + + Requires some pre-trained embedding with associated word IDs. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + n_d=100, + embedding_matrix=None, + word_list=None, + oov="", + pad="", + normalize=True, + ): + super(EmbeddingLayer, self).__init__() + word2id = {} + if embedding_matrix is not None: + for word in word_list: + assert word not in word2id, "Duplicate words in pre-trained embeddings" + word2id[word] = len(word2id) + + logger.debug(f"{len(word2id)} pre-trained word embeddings loaded.\n") + + n_d = len(embedding_matrix[0]) + + if oov not in word2id: + word2id[oov] = len(word2id) + + if pad not in word2id: + word2id[pad] = len(word2id) + + self.word2id = word2id + self.n_V, self.n_d = len(word2id), n_d + self.oovid = word2id[oov] + self.padid = word2id[pad] + self.embedding = nn.Embedding(self.n_V, n_d) + self.embedding.weight.data.uniform_(-0.25, 0.25) + + weight = self.embedding.weight + weight.data[: len(word_list)].copy_(torch.from_numpy(embedding_matrix)) + logger.debug(f"EmbeddingLayer shape: {weight.size()}") + + if normalize: + weight = self.embedding.weight + norms = weight.data.norm(2, 1) + if norms.dim() == 1: + norms = norms.unsqueeze(1) + weight.data.div_(norms.expand_as(weight.data)) + + def forward(self, input): + return self.embedding(input) + + +class GloveEmbeddingLayer(EmbeddingLayer): + """Pre-trained Global Vectors for Word Representation (GLOVE) vectors. Uses + embeddings of dimension 200. + + GloVe is an unsupervised learning algorithm for obtaining vector + representations for words. Training is performed on aggregated global + word-word co-occurrence statistics from a corpus, and the resulting + representations showcase interesting linear substructures of the word + vector space. + + + GloVe: Global Vectors for Word Representation. (Jeffrey Pennington, + Richard Socher, and Christopher D. Manning. 2014.) + """ + + EMBEDDING_PATH = "word_embeddings/glove200" + + def __init__(self, emb_layer_trainable=True): + glove_path = utils.download_from_s3(GloveEmbeddingLayer.EMBEDDING_PATH) + glove_word_list_path = os.path.join(glove_path, "glove.wordlist.npy") + word_list = np.load(glove_word_list_path) + glove_matrix_path = os.path.join(glove_path, "glove.6B.200d.mat.npy") + embedding_matrix = np.load(glove_matrix_path) + super().__init__(embedding_matrix=embedding_matrix, word_list=word_list) + self.embedding.weight.requires_grad = emb_layer_trainable diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/lstm_for_classification.py b/textattack/models/helpers/lstm_for_classification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8e2f32a0c7752d9e70b9bcda5840a65109d5fa48 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/lstm_for_classification.py @@ -0,0 +1,152 @@ +""" +LSTM 4 Classification +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" +import json +import os + +import torch +from torch import nn as nn + +import textattack +from textattack.model_args import TEXTATTACK_MODELS +from textattack.models.helpers import GloveEmbeddingLayer +from textattack.models.helpers.utils import load_cached_state_dict +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class LSTMForClassification(nn.Module): + """A long short-term memory neural network for text classification. + + We use different versions of this network to pretrain models for + text classification. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + hidden_size=150, + depth=1, + dropout=0.3, + num_labels=2, + max_seq_length=128, + model_path=None, + emb_layer_trainable=True, + ): + super().__init__() + self._config = { + "architectures": "LSTMForClassification", + "hidden_size": hidden_size, + "depth": depth, + "dropout": dropout, + "num_labels": num_labels, + "max_seq_length": max_seq_length, + "model_path": model_path, + "emb_layer_trainable": emb_layer_trainable, + } + if depth <= 1: + # Fix error where we ask for non-zero dropout with only 1 layer. + # nn.module.RNN won't add dropout for the last recurrent layer, + # so if that's all we have, this will display a warning. + dropout = 0 + self.drop = nn.Dropout(dropout) + self.emb_layer_trainable = emb_layer_trainable + self.emb_layer = GloveEmbeddingLayer(emb_layer_trainable=emb_layer_trainable) + self.word2id = self.emb_layer.word2id + self.encoder = nn.LSTM( + input_size=self.emb_layer.n_d, + hidden_size=hidden_size // 2, + num_layers=depth, + dropout=dropout, + bidirectional=True, + ) + d_out = hidden_size + self.out = nn.Linear(d_out, num_labels) + self.tokenizer = textattack.models.tokenizers.GloveTokenizer( + word_id_map=self.word2id, + unk_token_id=self.emb_layer.oovid, + pad_token_id=self.emb_layer.padid, + max_length=max_seq_length, + ) + + if model_path is not None: + self.load_from_disk(model_path) + self.eval() + + def load_from_disk(self, model_path): + # TODO: Consider removing this in the future as well as loading via `model_path` in `__init__`. + import warnings + + warnings.warn( + "`load_from_disk` method is deprecated. Please save and load using `save_pretrained` and `from_pretrained` methods.", + DeprecationWarning, + stacklevel=2, + ) + self.load_state_dict(load_cached_state_dict(model_path)) + self.eval() + + def save_pretrained(self, output_path): + if not os.path.exists(output_path): + os.makedirs(output_path) + state_dict = {k: v.cpu() for k, v in self.state_dict().items()} + torch.save( + state_dict, + os.path.join(output_path, "pytorch_model.bin"), + ) + with open(os.path.join(output_path, "config.json"), "w") as f: + json.dump(self._config, f) + + @classmethod + def from_pretrained(cls, name_or_path): + """Load trained LSTM model by name or from path. + + Args: + name_or_path (:obj:`str`): Name of the model (e.g. "lstm-imdb") or model saved via :meth:`save_pretrained`. + Returns: + :class:`~textattack.models.helpers.LSTMForClassification` model + """ + if name_or_path in TEXTATTACK_MODELS: + # path = utils.download_if_needed(TEXTATTACK_MODELS[name_or_path]) + path = utils.download_from_s3(TEXTATTACK_MODELS[name_or_path]) + else: + path = name_or_path + + config_path = os.path.join(path, "config.json") + + if os.path.exists(config_path): + with open(config_path, "r") as f: + config = json.load(f) + else: + # Default config + config = { + "architectures": "LSTMForClassification", + "hidden_size": 150, + "depth": 1, + "dropout": 0.3, + "num_labels": 2, + "max_seq_length": 128, + "model_path": None, + "emb_layer_trainable": True, + } + del config["architectures"] + model = cls(**config) + state_dict = load_cached_state_dict(path) + model.load_state_dict(state_dict) + return model + + def forward(self, _input): + # ensure RNN module weights are part of single contiguous chunk of memory + self.encoder.flatten_parameters() + + emb = self.emb_layer(_input.t()) + emb = self.drop(emb) + + output, hidden = self.encoder(emb) + output = torch.max(output, dim=0)[0] + + output = self.drop(output) + pred = self.out(output) + return pred + + def get_input_embeddings(self): + return self.emb_layer.embedding diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/t5_for_text_to_text.py b/textattack/models/helpers/t5_for_text_to_text.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e6df4df7963215467a71889cc75ea6fdd4d5917b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/t5_for_text_to_text.py @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +""" +T5 model trained to generate text from text +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" +import json +import os + +import torch +import transformers + +from textattack.model_args import TEXTATTACK_MODELS +from textattack.models.tokenizers import T5Tokenizer + + +class T5ForTextToText(torch.nn.Module): + """A T5 model trained to generate text from text. + + For more information, please see the T5 paper, "Exploring the Limits of + Transfer Learning with a Unified Text-to-Text Transformer". + Appendix D contains information about the various tasks supported + by T5. + + For usage information, see HuggingFace Transformers documentation section + on text-to-text with T5: + https://huggingface.co/transformers/usage.html. + + Args: + mode (string): Name of the T5 model to use. + output_max_length (int): The max length of the sequence to be generated. + Between 1 and infinity. + input_max_length (int): Max length of the input sequence. + num_beams (int): Number of beams for beam search. Must be between 1 and + infinity. 1 means no beam search. + early_stopping (bool): if set to `True` beam search is stopped when at + least `num_beams` sentences finished per batch. Defaults to `True`. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + mode="english_to_german", + output_max_length=20, + input_max_length=64, + num_beams=1, + early_stopping=True, + ): + super().__init__() + self.model = transformers.T5ForConditionalGeneration.from_pretrained("t5-base") + self.model.eval() + self.tokenizer = T5Tokenizer(mode, max_length=output_max_length) + self.mode = mode + self.output_max_length = output_max_length + self.input_max_length = input_max_length + self.num_beams = num_beams + self.early_stopping = early_stopping + + def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs): + # Generate IDs from the model. + output_ids_list = self.model.generate( + *args, + **kwargs, + max_length=self.output_max_length, + num_beams=self.num_beams, + early_stopping=self.early_stopping, + ) + # Convert ID tensor to string and return. + return [self.tokenizer.decode(ids) for ids in output_ids_list] + + def save_pretrained(self, output_dir): + if not os.path.exists(output_dir): + os.makedirs(output_dir) + config = { + "mode": self.mode, + "output_max_length": self.output_max_length, + "input_max_length": self.input_max_length, + "num_beams": self.num_beams, + "early_stoppping": self.early_stopping, + } + # We don't save it as `config.json` b/c that name conflicts with HuggingFace's `config.json`. + with open(os.path.join(output_dir, "t5-wrapper-config.json"), "w") as f: + json.dump(config, f) + self.model.save_pretrained(output_dir) + + @classmethod + def from_pretrained(cls, name_or_path): + """Load trained LSTM model by name or from path. + + Args: + name_or_path (str): Name of the model (e.g. "t5-en-de") or model saved via `save_pretrained`. + """ + if name_or_path in TEXTATTACK_MODELS: + t5 = cls(TEXTATTACK_MODELS[name_or_path]) + return t5 + else: + config_path = os.path.join(name_or_path, "t5-wrapper-config.json") + with open(config_path, "r") as f: + config = json.load(f) + t5 = cls.__new__(cls) + for key in config: + setattr(t5, key, config[key]) + t5.model = transformers.T5ForConditionalGeneration.from_pretrained( + name_or_path + ) + t5.tokenizer = T5Tokenizer(t5.mode, max_length=t5.output_max_length) + return t5 + + def get_input_embeddings(self): + return self.model.get_input_embeddings() diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/utils.py b/textattack/models/helpers/utils.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..445872a6683a869632019ac1dfd5844a83497acd --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/utils.py @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +""" +Util function for Model Wrapper +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + + +import glob +import os + +import torch + + +def load_cached_state_dict(model_folder_path): + # Take the first model matching the pattern *model.bin. + model_path_list = glob.glob(os.path.join(model_folder_path, "*model.bin")) + if not model_path_list: + raise FileNotFoundError( + f"model.bin not found in model folder {model_folder_path}." + ) + model_path = model_path_list[0] + state_dict = torch.load(model_path, map_location=torch.device("cpu")) + return state_dict diff --git a/textattack/models/helpers/word_cnn_for_classification.py b/textattack/models/helpers/word_cnn_for_classification.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d015f9dd791e7bf58c5b283c02e22adcba984fcb --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/helpers/word_cnn_for_classification.py @@ -0,0 +1,150 @@ +""" +Word CNN for Classification +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" +import json +import os + +import torch +from torch import nn as nn +from torch.nn import functional as F + +import textattack +from textattack.model_args import TEXTATTACK_MODELS +from textattack.models.helpers import GloveEmbeddingLayer +from textattack.models.helpers.utils import load_cached_state_dict +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class WordCNNForClassification(nn.Module): + """A convolutional neural network for text classification. + + We use different versions of this network to pretrain models for + text classification. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + hidden_size=150, + dropout=0.3, + num_labels=2, + max_seq_length=128, + model_path=None, + emb_layer_trainable=True, + ): + super().__init__() + self._config = { + "architectures": "WordCNNForClassification", + "hidden_size": hidden_size, + "dropout": dropout, + "num_labels": num_labels, + "max_seq_length": max_seq_length, + "model_path": model_path, + "emb_layer_trainable": emb_layer_trainable, + } + self.drop = nn.Dropout(dropout) + self.emb_layer = GloveEmbeddingLayer(emb_layer_trainable=emb_layer_trainable) + self.word2id = self.emb_layer.word2id + self.encoder = CNNTextLayer( + self.emb_layer.n_d, widths=[3, 4, 5], filters=hidden_size + ) + d_out = 3 * hidden_size + self.out = nn.Linear(d_out, num_labels) + self.tokenizer = textattack.models.tokenizers.GloveTokenizer( + word_id_map=self.word2id, + unk_token_id=self.emb_layer.oovid, + pad_token_id=self.emb_layer.padid, + max_length=max_seq_length, + ) + + if model_path is not None: + self.load_from_disk(model_path) + self.eval() + + def load_from_disk(self, model_path): + # TODO: Consider removing this in the future as well as loading via `model_path` in `__init__`. + import warnings + + warnings.warn( + "`load_from_disk` method is deprecated. Please save and load using `save_pretrained` and `from_pretrained` methods.", + DeprecationWarning, + stacklevel=2, + ) + self.load_state_dict(load_cached_state_dict(model_path)) + self.eval() + + def save_pretrained(self, output_path): + if not os.path.exists(output_path): + os.makedirs(output_path) + state_dict = {k: v.cpu() for k, v in self.state_dict().items()} + torch.save(state_dict, os.path.join(output_path, "pytorch_model.bin")) + with open(os.path.join(output_path, "config.json"), "w") as f: + json.dump(self._config, f) + + @classmethod + def from_pretrained(cls, name_or_path): + """Load trained Word CNN model by name or from path. + + Args: + name_or_path (:obj:`str`): Name of the model (e.g. "cnn-imdb") or model saved via :meth:`save_pretrained`. + Returns: + :class:`~textattack.models.helpers.WordCNNForClassification` model + """ + if name_or_path in TEXTATTACK_MODELS: + path = utils.download_from_s3(TEXTATTACK_MODELS[name_or_path]) + else: + path = name_or_path + + config_path = os.path.join(path, "config.json") + + if os.path.exists(config_path): + with open(config_path, "r") as f: + config = json.load(f) + else: + # Default config + config = { + "architectures": "WordCNNForClassification", + "hidden_size": 150, + "dropout": 0.3, + "num_labels": 2, + "max_seq_length": 128, + "model_path": None, + "emb_layer_trainable": True, + } + del config["architectures"] + model = cls(**config) + state_dict = load_cached_state_dict(path) + model.load_state_dict(state_dict) + return model + + def forward(self, _input): + emb = self.emb_layer(_input) + emb = self.drop(emb) + + output = self.encoder(emb) + + output = self.drop(output) + pred = self.out(output) + return pred + + def get_input_embeddings(self): + return self.emb_layer.embedding + + +class CNNTextLayer(nn.Module): + def __init__(self, n_in, widths=[3, 4, 5], filters=100): + super().__init__() + Ci = 1 + Co = filters + h = n_in + self.convs1 = nn.ModuleList([nn.Conv2d(Ci, Co, (w, h)) for w in widths]) + + def forward(self, x): + x = x.unsqueeze(1) # (batch, Ci, len, d) + x = [ + F.relu(conv(x)).squeeze(3) for conv in self.convs1 + ] # [(batch, Co, len), ...] + x = [F.max_pool1d(i, i.size(2)).squeeze(2) for i in x] # [(N,Co), ...] + x = torch.cat(x, 1) + return x diff --git a/textattack/models/tokenizers/__init__.py b/textattack/models/tokenizers/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5c5cba32943e5e87287413c5e99f35d588443f20 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/tokenizers/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,8 @@ +""" +Tokenizers for Model Wrapper +------------------------------- +""" + + +from .glove_tokenizer import GloveTokenizer +from .t5_tokenizer import T5Tokenizer diff --git a/textattack/models/tokenizers/glove_tokenizer.py b/textattack/models/tokenizers/glove_tokenizer.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6deb616fa4889ffdc8e36d8d6d2f901d5050ef87 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/tokenizers/glove_tokenizer.py @@ -0,0 +1,171 @@ +""" +Glove Tokenizer +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + + +import json +import tempfile + +import tokenizers as hf_tokenizers + + +class WordLevelTokenizer(hf_tokenizers.implementations.BaseTokenizer): + """WordLevelTokenizer. + + Represents a simple word level tokenization using the internals of BERT's + tokenizer. + + Based off the `tokenizers` BertWordPieceTokenizer (https://github.com/huggingface/tokenizers/blob/704cf3fdd2f607ead58a561b892b510b49c301db/bindings/python/tokenizers/implementations/bert_wordpiece.py). + """ + + def __init__( + self, + word_id_map={}, + pad_token_id=None, + unk_token_id=None, + unk_token="[UNK]", + sep_token="[SEP]", + cls_token="[CLS]", + pad_token="[PAD]", + lowercase: bool = False, + unicode_normalizer=None, + ): + if pad_token_id: + word_id_map[pad_token] = pad_token_id + if unk_token_id: + word_id_map[unk_token] = unk_token_id + max_id = max(word_id_map.values()) + for idx, token in enumerate((unk_token, sep_token, cls_token, pad_token)): + if token not in word_id_map: + word_id_map[token] = max_id + idx + # HuggingFace tokenizer expects a path to a `*.json` file to read the + # vocab from. I think this is kind of a silly constraint, but for now + # we write the vocab to a temporary file before initialization. + word_list_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile() + word_list_file.write(json.dumps(word_id_map).encode()) + + word_level = hf_tokenizers.models.WordLevel.from_file( + word_list_file.name, unk_token=str(unk_token) + ) + tokenizer = hf_tokenizers.Tokenizer(word_level) + + # Let the tokenizer know about special tokens if they are part of the vocab + if tokenizer.token_to_id(str(unk_token)) is not None: + tokenizer.add_special_tokens([str(unk_token)]) + if tokenizer.token_to_id(str(sep_token)) is not None: + tokenizer.add_special_tokens([str(sep_token)]) + if tokenizer.token_to_id(str(cls_token)) is not None: + tokenizer.add_special_tokens([str(cls_token)]) + if tokenizer.token_to_id(str(pad_token)) is not None: + tokenizer.add_special_tokens([str(pad_token)]) + + # Check for Unicode normalization first (before everything else) + normalizers = [] + + if unicode_normalizer: + normalizers += [ + hf_tokenizers.normalizers.unicode_normalizer_from_str( + unicode_normalizer + ) + ] + + if lowercase: + normalizers += [hf_tokenizers.normalizers.Lowercase()] + + # Create the normalizer structure + if len(normalizers) > 0: + if len(normalizers) > 1: + tokenizer.normalizer = hf_tokenizers.normalizers.Sequence(normalizers) + else: + tokenizer.normalizer = normalizers[0] + + tokenizer.pre_tokenizer = hf_tokenizers.pre_tokenizers.WhitespaceSplit() + + sep_token_id = tokenizer.token_to_id(str(sep_token)) + if sep_token_id is None: + raise TypeError("sep_token not found in the vocabulary") + cls_token_id = tokenizer.token_to_id(str(cls_token)) + if cls_token_id is None: + raise TypeError("cls_token not found in the vocabulary") + + tokenizer.post_processor = hf_tokenizers.processors.BertProcessing( + (str(sep_token), sep_token_id), (str(cls_token), cls_token_id) + ) + + parameters = { + "model": "WordLevel", + "unk_token": unk_token, + "sep_token": sep_token, + "cls_token": cls_token, + "pad_token": pad_token, + "lowercase": lowercase, + "unicode_normalizer": unicode_normalizer, + } + + self.unk_token = unk_token + self.pad_token = pad_token + + super().__init__(tokenizer, parameters) + + +class GloveTokenizer(WordLevelTokenizer): + """A word-level tokenizer with GloVe 200-dimensional vectors. + + Lowercased, since GloVe vectors are lowercased. + """ + + def __init__( + self, word_id_map={}, pad_token_id=None, unk_token_id=None, max_length=256 + ): + super().__init__( + word_id_map=word_id_map, + unk_token_id=unk_token_id, + pad_token_id=pad_token_id, + lowercase=True, + ) + self.pad_token_id = pad_token_id + self.oov_token_id = unk_token_id + self.convert_id_to_word = self.id_to_token + self.model_max_length = max_length + # Set defaults. + self.enable_padding(length=max_length, pad_id=pad_token_id) + self.enable_truncation(max_length=max_length) + + def _process_text(self, text_input): + """A text input may be a single-input tuple (text,) or multi-input + tuple (text, text, ...). + + In the single-input case, unroll the tuple. In the multi-input + case, raise an error. + """ + if isinstance(text_input, tuple): + if len(text_input) > 1: + raise ValueError( + "Cannot use `GloveTokenizer` to encode multiple inputs" + ) + text_input = text_input[0] + return text_input + + def encode(self, text): + text = self._process_text(text) + return super().encode(text, add_special_tokens=False).ids + + def batch_encode(self, input_text_list): + """The batch equivalent of ``encode``.""" + input_text_list = list(map(self._process_text, input_text_list)) + encodings = self.encode_batch( + input_text_list, + add_special_tokens=False, + ) + return [x.ids for x in encodings] + + def __call__(self, input_texts): + if isinstance(input_texts, list): + return self.batch_encode(input_texts) + else: + return self.encode(input_texts) + + def convert_ids_to_tokens(self, ids): + return [self.convert_id_to_word(_id) for _id in ids] diff --git a/textattack/models/tokenizers/t5_tokenizer.py b/textattack/models/tokenizers/t5_tokenizer.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a252e9134abe3c4f3400bea039d38848332a7fd9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/tokenizers/t5_tokenizer.py @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +""" +T5 Tokenizer +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +""" + +import transformers + + +class T5Tokenizer: + """Uses the T5 tokenizer to convert an input for processing. + + For more information, please see the T5 paper, "Exploring the Limits of + Transfer Learning with a Unified Text-to-Text Transformer". + Appendix D contains information about the various tasks supported + by T5. + + Supports the following modes: + + * summarization: summarize English text + * english_to_german: translate English to German + * english_to_french: translate English to French + * english_to_romanian: translate English to Romanian + """ + + def __init__(self, mode="english_to_german", max_length=64): + if mode == "english_to_german": + self.tokenization_prefix = "translate English to German: " + elif mode == "english_to_french": + self.tokenization_prefix = "translate English to French: " + elif mode == "english_to_romanian": + self.tokenization_prefix = "translate English to Romanian: " + elif mode == "summarization": + self.tokenization_prefix = "summarize: " + else: + raise ValueError(f"Invalid t5 tokenizer mode {mode}.") + + self.tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + "t5-base", use_fast=True + ) + self.max_length = max_length + + def __call__(self, text, *args, **kwargs): + """ + Args: + text (:obj:`str`, :obj:`List[str]`): + The sequence or batch of sequences to be encoded. Each sequence can be a string or a list of strings. + """ + assert isinstance(text, str) or ( + isinstance(text, (list, tuple)) + and (len(text) == 0 or isinstance(text[0], str)) + ), "`text` must be a string or a list of strings." + if isinstance(text, str): + text = self.tokenization_prefix + text + else: + for i in range(len(text)): + text[i] = self.tokenization_prefix + text[i] + return self.tokenizer(text, *args, max_length=self.max_length, **kwargs) + + def decode(self, ids): + """Converts IDs (typically generated by the model) back to a string.""" + return self.tokenizer.decode(ids) diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/__init__.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b1c96a861de5985dadb07369a569e09f11ec7d90 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +""" +Model Wrappers Package +-------------------------- +TextAttack can attack any model that takes a list of strings as input and outputs a list of predictions. This is the idea behind *model wrappers*: to help your model conform to this API, we've provided the ``textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`` abstract class. + + +We've also provided implementations of model wrappers for common patterns in some popular machine learning frameworks: + +""" + +from .model_wrapper import ModelWrapper + +from .huggingface_model_wrapper import HuggingFaceModelWrapper +from .pytorch_model_wrapper import PyTorchModelWrapper +from .sklearn_model_wrapper import SklearnModelWrapper +from .tensorflow_model_wrapper import TensorFlowModelWrapper diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/demo_model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/demo_model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..76093886f8fab2d1b4ba712c218067f4b7a148d0 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/demo_model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ +from textattack.models.wrappers import HuggingFaceModelWrapper + + +class TADModelWrapper(HuggingFaceModelWrapper): + """Transformers sentiment analysis pipeline returns a list of responses + like + + [{'label': 'POSITIVE', 'score': 0.7817379832267761}] + + We need to convert that to a format TextAttack understands, like + + [[0.218262017, 0.7817379832267761] + """ + + def __init__(self, model): + self.model = model # pipeline = pipeline + + def __call__(self, text_inputs, **kwargs): + outputs = [] + for text_input in text_inputs: + raw_outputs = self.model.infer(text_input, print_result=False, **kwargs) + outputs.append(raw_outputs["probs"]) + + return outputs diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/huggingface_model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/huggingface_model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1ab783268fada96b9ab85499e9519d43ece7ca9d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/huggingface_model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,146 @@ +""" +HuggingFace Model Wrapper +-------------------------- +""" + +import torch +import transformers + +import textattack +from textattack.models.helpers import T5ForTextToText +from textattack.models.tokenizers import T5Tokenizer + +from .pytorch_model_wrapper import PyTorchModelWrapper + +torch.cuda.empty_cache() + + +class HuggingFaceModelWrapper(PyTorchModelWrapper): + """Loads a HuggingFace ``transformers`` model and tokenizer.""" + + def __init__(self, model, tokenizer): + assert isinstance( + model, (transformers.PreTrainedModel, T5ForTextToText) + ), f"`model` must be of type `transformers.PreTrainedModel`, but got type {type(model)}." + assert isinstance( + tokenizer, + ( + transformers.PreTrainedTokenizer, + transformers.PreTrainedTokenizerFast, + T5Tokenizer, + ), + ), f"`tokenizer` must of type `transformers.PreTrainedTokenizer` or `transformers.PreTrainedTokenizerFast`, but got type {type(tokenizer)}." + + self.model = model + self.tokenizer = tokenizer + + def __call__(self, text_input_list): + """Passes inputs to HuggingFace models as keyword arguments. + + (Regular PyTorch ``nn.Module`` models typically take inputs as + positional arguments.) + """ + # Default max length is set to be int(1e30), so we force 512 to enable batching. + max_length = ( + 512 + if self.tokenizer.model_max_length == int(1e30) + else self.tokenizer.model_max_length + ) + inputs_dict = self.tokenizer( + text_input_list, + add_special_tokens=True, + padding="max_length", + max_length=max_length, + truncation=True, + return_tensors="pt", + ) + model_device = next(self.model.parameters()).device + inputs_dict.to(model_device) + + with torch.no_grad(): + outputs = self.model(**inputs_dict) + + if isinstance(outputs[0], str): + # HuggingFace sequence-to-sequence models return a list of + # string predictions as output. In this case, return the full + # list of outputs. + return outputs + else: + # HuggingFace classification models return a tuple as output + # where the first item in the tuple corresponds to the list of + # scores for each input. + return outputs.logits + + def get_grad(self, text_input): + """Get gradient of loss with respect to input tokens. + + Args: + text_input (str): input string + Returns: + Dict of ids, tokens, and gradient as numpy array. + """ + if isinstance(self.model, textattack.models.helpers.T5ForTextToText): + raise NotImplementedError( + "`get_grads` for T5FotTextToText has not been implemented yet." + ) + + self.model.train() + embedding_layer = self.model.get_input_embeddings() + original_state = embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad + embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad = True + + emb_grads = [] + + def grad_hook(module, grad_in, grad_out): + emb_grads.append(grad_out[0]) + + emb_hook = embedding_layer.register_backward_hook(grad_hook) + + self.model.zero_grad() + model_device = next(self.model.parameters()).device + input_dict = self.tokenizer( + [text_input], + add_special_tokens=True, + return_tensors="pt", + padding="max_length", + truncation=True, + ) + input_dict.to(model_device) + predictions = self.model(**input_dict).logits + + try: + labels = predictions.argmax(dim=1) + loss = self.model(**input_dict, labels=labels)[0] + except TypeError: + raise TypeError( + f"{type(self.model)} class does not take in `labels` to calculate loss. " + "One cause for this might be if you instantiatedyour model using `transformer.AutoModel` " + "(instead of `transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification`)." + ) + + loss.backward() + + # grad w.r.t to word embeddings + grad = emb_grads[0][0].cpu().numpy() + + embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad = original_state + emb_hook.remove() + self.model.eval() + + output = {"ids": input_dict["input_ids"], "gradient": grad} + + return output + + def _tokenize(self, inputs): + """Helper method that for `tokenize` + Args: + inputs (list[str]): list of input strings + Returns: + tokens (list[list[str]]): List of list of tokens as strings + """ + return [ + self.tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens( + self.tokenizer([x], truncation=True)["input_ids"][0] + ) + for x in inputs + ] diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c9441946332923203288a3a21424f9e62d161c3a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" +ModelWrapper class +-------------------------- + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + + +class ModelWrapper(ABC): + """A model wrapper queries a model with a list of text inputs. + + Classification-based models return a list of lists, where each sublist + represents the model's scores for a given input. + + Text-to-text models return a list of strings, where each string is the + output – like a translation or summarization – for a given input. + """ + + @abstractmethod + def __call__(self, text_input_list, **kwargs): + raise NotImplementedError() + + def get_grad(self, text_input): + """Get gradient of loss with respect to input tokens.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _tokenize(self, inputs): + """Helper method for `tokenize`""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + def tokenize(self, inputs, strip_prefix=False): + """Helper method that tokenizes input strings + Args: + inputs (list[str]): list of input strings + strip_prefix (bool): If `True`, we strip auxiliary characters added to tokens as prefixes (e.g. "##" for BERT, "Ġ" for RoBERTa) + Returns: + tokens (list[list[str]]): List of list of tokens as strings + """ + tokens = self._tokenize(inputs) + if strip_prefix: + # `aux_chars` are known auxiliary characters that are added to tokens + strip_chars = ["##", "Ġ", "__"] + # TODO: Find a better way to identify prefixes. These depend on the model, so cannot be resolved in ModelWrapper. + + def strip(s, chars): + for c in chars: + s = s.replace(c, "") + return s + + tokens = [[strip(t, strip_chars) for t in x] for x in tokens] + + return tokens diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/pytorch_model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/pytorch_model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..054f8e336b8d1747ce6d4e80f633533cc2577074 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/pytorch_model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,118 @@ +""" +PyTorch Model Wrapper +-------------------------- +""" + + +import torch +from torch.nn import CrossEntropyLoss + +import textattack + +from .model_wrapper import ModelWrapper + +torch.cuda.empty_cache() + + +class PyTorchModelWrapper(ModelWrapper): + """Loads a PyTorch model (`nn.Module`) and tokenizer. + + Args: + model (torch.nn.Module): PyTorch model + tokenizer: tokenizer whose output can be packed as a tensor and passed to the model. + No type requirement, but most have `tokenizer` method that accepts list of strings. + """ + + def __init__(self, model, tokenizer): + if not isinstance(model, torch.nn.Module): + raise TypeError( + f"PyTorch model must be torch.nn.Module, got type {type(model)}" + ) + + self.model = model + self.tokenizer = tokenizer + + def to(self, device): + self.model.to(device) + + def __call__(self, text_input_list, batch_size=32): + model_device = next(self.model.parameters()).device + ids = self.tokenizer(text_input_list) + ids = torch.tensor(ids).to(model_device) + + with torch.no_grad(): + outputs = textattack.shared.utils.batch_model_predict( + self.model, ids, batch_size=batch_size + ) + + return outputs + + def get_grad(self, text_input, loss_fn=CrossEntropyLoss()): + """Get gradient of loss with respect to input tokens. + + Args: + text_input (str): input string + loss_fn (torch.nn.Module): loss function. Default is `torch.nn.CrossEntropyLoss` + Returns: + Dict of ids, tokens, and gradient as numpy array. + """ + + if not hasattr(self.model, "get_input_embeddings"): + raise AttributeError( + f"{type(self.model)} must have method `get_input_embeddings` that returns `torch.nn.Embedding` object that represents input embedding layer" + ) + if not isinstance(loss_fn, torch.nn.Module): + raise ValueError("Loss function must be of type `torch.nn.Module`.") + + self.model.train() + + embedding_layer = self.model.get_input_embeddings() + original_state = embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad + embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad = True + + emb_grads = [] + + def grad_hook(module, grad_in, grad_out): + emb_grads.append(grad_out[0]) + + emb_hook = embedding_layer.register_backward_hook(grad_hook) + + self.model.zero_grad() + model_device = next(self.model.parameters()).device + ids = self.tokenizer([text_input]) + ids = torch.tensor(ids).to(model_device) + + predictions = self.model(ids) + + output = predictions.argmax(dim=1) + loss = loss_fn(predictions, output) + loss.backward() + + # grad w.r.t to word embeddings + + # Fix for Issue #601 + + # Check if gradient has shape [max_sequence,1,_] ( when model input in transpose of input sequence) + + if emb_grads[0].shape[1] == 1: + grad = torch.transpose(emb_grads[0], 0, 1)[0].cpu().numpy() + else: + # gradient has shape [1,max_sequence,_] + grad = emb_grads[0][0].cpu().numpy() + + embedding_layer.weight.requires_grad = original_state + emb_hook.remove() + self.model.eval() + + output = {"ids": ids[0].tolist(), "gradient": grad} + + return output + + def _tokenize(self, inputs): + """Helper method that for `tokenize` + Args: + inputs (list[str]): list of input strings + Returns: + tokens (list[list[str]]): List of list of tokens as strings + """ + return [self.tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(self.tokenizer(x)) for x in inputs] diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/sklearn_model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/sklearn_model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..728e02ac742fc9caa6432ea385176b438287395c --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/sklearn_model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,32 @@ +""" +scikit-learn Model Wrapper +-------------------------- +""" + + +import pandas as pd + +from .model_wrapper import ModelWrapper + + +class SklearnModelWrapper(ModelWrapper): + """Loads a scikit-learn model and tokenizer (tokenizer implements + `transform` and model implements `predict_proba`). + + May need to be extended and modified for different types of + tokenizers. + """ + + def __init__(self, model, tokenizer): + self.model = model + self.tokenizer = tokenizer + + def __call__(self, text_input_list, batch_size=None): + encoded_text_matrix = self.tokenizer.transform(text_input_list).toarray() + tokenized_text_df = pd.DataFrame( + encoded_text_matrix, columns=self.tokenizer.get_feature_names() + ) + return self.model.predict_proba(tokenized_text_df) + + def get_grad(self, text_input): + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/models/wrappers/tensorflow_model_wrapper.py b/textattack/models/wrappers/tensorflow_model_wrapper.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..25d0a2b57d5755c191d7c8a83b685706b9e3c641 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/models/wrappers/tensorflow_model_wrapper.py @@ -0,0 +1,32 @@ +""" +TensorFlow Model Wrapper +-------------------------- +""" + + +import numpy as np + +from .model_wrapper import ModelWrapper + + +class TensorFlowModelWrapper(ModelWrapper): + """Loads a TensorFlow model and tokenizer. + + TensorFlow models can use many different architectures and + tokenization strategies. This assumes that the model takes an + np.array of strings as input and returns a tf.Tensor of outputs, as + is typical with Keras modules. You may need to subclass this for + models that have dedicated tokenizers or otherwise take input + differently. + """ + + def __init__(self, model): + self.model = model + + def __call__(self, text_input_list, **kwargs): + text_array = np.array(text_input_list) + preds = self.model(text_array) + return preds.numpy() + + def get_grad(self, text_input): + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/reactive_defense/reactive_defender.py b/textattack/reactive_defense/reactive_defender.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6288b6014f150d19ac15a0db71aecbebbd649a37 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/reactive_defense/reactive_defender.py @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class ReactiveDefender(ReprMixin, ABC): + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + pass + + def reactive_defense(self, **kwargs): + pass diff --git a/textattack/reactive_defense/tad_reactive_defender.py b/textattack/reactive_defense/tad_reactive_defender.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..24bb742a98910c81d5d9beed769d78c6718456a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/reactive_defense/tad_reactive_defender.py @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +from anonymous_demo import TADCheckpointManager + +from textattack.model_args import DEMO_MODELS +from textattack.reactive_defense.reactive_defender import ReactiveDefender + + +class TADReactiveDefender(ReactiveDefender): + """Transformers sentiment analysis pipeline returns a list of responses + like + + [{'label': 'POSITIVE', 'score': 0.7817379832267761}] + + We need to convert that to a format TextAttack understands, like + + [[0.218262017, 0.7817379832267761] + """ + + def __init__(self, ckpt="tad-sst2", **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.tad_classifier = TADCheckpointManager.get_tad_text_classifier( + checkpoint=DEMO_MODELS[ckpt], auto_device=True + ) + + def reactive_defense(self, text, **kwargs): + res = self.tad_classifier.infer( + text, defense="pwws", print_result=False, **kwargs + ) + return res diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/__init__.py b/textattack/search_methods/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..660a1e1d13c439384cbd2c8a4588bd5516e64954 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +""".. _search_methods: + +Search Methods +======================== + +Search methods explore the transformation space in an attempt to find a successful attack as determined by a :ref:`Goal Functions ` and list of :ref:`Constraints ` +""" +from .search_method import SearchMethod +from .beam_search import BeamSearch +from .greedy_search import GreedySearch +from .greedy_word_swap_wir import GreedyWordSwapWIR +from .population_based_search import PopulationBasedSearch, PopulationMember +from .genetic_algorithm import GeneticAlgorithm +from .alzantot_genetic_algorithm import AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm +from .improved_genetic_algorithm import ImprovedGeneticAlgorithm +from .particle_swarm_optimization import ParticleSwarmOptimization diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/alzantot_genetic_algorithm.py b/textattack/search_methods/alzantot_genetic_algorithm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..706d8389cbe27d516f726045b28e199384ffd891 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/alzantot_genetic_algorithm.py @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +""" + +Reimplementation of search method from Generating Natural Language Adversarial Examples +========================================================================================= + +by Alzantot et. al ``_ from ``_ +""" + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.search_methods import GeneticAlgorithm, PopulationMember + + +class AlzantotGeneticAlgorithm(GeneticAlgorithm): + """Attacks a model with word substiutitions using a genetic algorithm. + + Args: + pop_size (int): The population size. Defaults to 60. + max_iters (int): The maximum number of iterations to use. Defaults to 20. + temp (float): Temperature for softmax function used to normalize probability dist when sampling parents. + Higher temperature increases the sensitivity to lower probability candidates. + give_up_if_no_improvement (bool): If True, stop the search early if no candidate that improves the score is found. + post_crossover_check (bool): If True, check if child produced from crossover step passes the constraints. + max_crossover_retries (int): Maximum number of crossover retries if resulting child fails to pass the constraints. + Applied only when `post_crossover_check` is set to `True`. + Setting it to 0 means we immediately take one of the parents at random as the child upon failure. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + pop_size=60, + max_iters=20, + temp=0.3, + give_up_if_no_improvement=False, + post_crossover_check=True, + max_crossover_retries=20, + ): + super().__init__( + pop_size=pop_size, + max_iters=max_iters, + temp=temp, + give_up_if_no_improvement=give_up_if_no_improvement, + post_crossover_check=post_crossover_check, + max_crossover_retries=max_crossover_retries, + ) + + def _modify_population_member(self, pop_member, new_text, new_result, word_idx): + """Modify `pop_member` by returning a new copy with `new_text`, + `new_result`, and `num_candidate_transformations` altered appropriately + for given `word_idx`""" + num_candidate_transformations = np.copy( + pop_member.attributes["num_candidate_transformations"] + ) + num_candidate_transformations[word_idx] = 0 + return PopulationMember( + new_text, + result=new_result, + attributes={"num_candidate_transformations": num_candidate_transformations}, + ) + + def _get_word_select_prob_weights(self, pop_member): + """Get the attribute of `pop_member` that is used for determining + probability of each word being selected for perturbation.""" + return pop_member.attributes["num_candidate_transformations"] + + def _crossover_operation(self, pop_member1, pop_member2): + """Actual operation that takes `pop_member1` text and `pop_member2` + text and mixes the two to generate crossover between `pop_member1` and + `pop_member2`. + + Args: + pop_member1 (PopulationMember): The first population member. + pop_member2 (PopulationMember): The second population member. + Returns: + Tuple of `AttackedText` and a dictionary of attributes. + """ + indices_to_replace = [] + words_to_replace = [] + num_candidate_transformations = np.copy( + pop_member1.attributes["num_candidate_transformations"] + ) + + for i in range(pop_member1.num_words): + if np.random.uniform() < 0.5: + indices_to_replace.append(i) + words_to_replace.append(pop_member2.words[i]) + num_candidate_transformations[i] = pop_member2.attributes[ + "num_candidate_transformations" + ][i] + + new_text = pop_member1.attacked_text.replace_words_at_indices( + indices_to_replace, words_to_replace + ) + return ( + new_text, + {"num_candidate_transformations": num_candidate_transformations}, + ) + + def _initialize_population(self, initial_result, pop_size): + """ + Initialize a population of size `pop_size` with `initial_result` + Args: + initial_result (GoalFunctionResult): Original text + pop_size (int): size of population + Returns: + population as `list[PopulationMember]` + """ + words = initial_result.attacked_text.words + num_candidate_transformations = np.zeros(len(words)) + transformed_texts = self.get_transformations( + initial_result.attacked_text, original_text=initial_result.attacked_text + ) + for transformed_text in transformed_texts: + diff_idx = next( + iter(transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]) + ) + num_candidate_transformations[diff_idx] += 1 + + # Just b/c there are no replacements now doesn't mean we never want to select the word for perturbation + # Therefore, we give small non-zero probability for words with no replacements + # Epsilon is some small number to approximately assign small probability + min_num_candidates = np.amin(num_candidate_transformations) + epsilon = max(1, int(min_num_candidates * 0.1)) + for i in range(len(num_candidate_transformations)): + num_candidate_transformations[i] = max( + num_candidate_transformations[i], epsilon + ) + + population = [] + for _ in range(pop_size): + pop_member = PopulationMember( + initial_result.attacked_text, + initial_result, + attributes={ + "num_candidate_transformations": np.copy( + num_candidate_transformations + ) + }, + ) + # Perturb `pop_member` in-place + pop_member = self._perturb(pop_member, initial_result) + population.append(pop_member) + + return population diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/beam_search.py b/textattack/search_methods/beam_search.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..49b9c8552f9366f120b64af69b8da7b47398dfb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/beam_search.py @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +""" +Beam Search +=============== + +""" +import numpy as np + +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResultStatus +from textattack.search_methods import SearchMethod + + +class BeamSearch(SearchMethod): + """An attack that maintains a beam of the `beam_width` highest scoring + AttackedTexts, greedily updating the beam with the highest scoring + transformations from the current beam. + + Args: + goal_function: A function for determining how well a perturbation is doing at achieving the attack's goal. + transformation: The type of transformation. + beam_width (int): the number of candidates to retain at each step + """ + + def __init__(self, beam_width=8): + self.beam_width = beam_width + + def perform_search(self, initial_result): + beam = [initial_result.attacked_text] + best_result = initial_result + while not best_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED: + potential_next_beam = [] + for text in beam: + transformations = self.get_transformations( + text, original_text=initial_result.attacked_text + ) + potential_next_beam += transformations + + if len(potential_next_beam) == 0: + # If we did not find any possible perturbations, give up. + return best_result + results, search_over = self.get_goal_results(potential_next_beam) + scores = np.array([r.score for r in results]) + best_result = results[scores.argmax()] + if search_over: + return best_result + + # Refill the beam. This works by sorting the scores + # in descending order and filling the beam from there. + best_indices = (-scores).argsort()[: self.beam_width] + beam = [potential_next_beam[i] for i in best_indices] + + return best_result + + @property + def is_black_box(self): + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["beam_width"] diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/genetic_algorithm.py b/textattack/search_methods/genetic_algorithm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b5d97cf1cf479262ff53a965261b9a7583e05fac --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/genetic_algorithm.py @@ -0,0 +1,301 @@ +""" +Genetic Algorithm Word Swap +==================================== +""" +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResultStatus +from textattack.search_methods import PopulationBasedSearch, PopulationMember +from textattack.shared.validators import transformation_consists_of_word_swaps + + +class GeneticAlgorithm(PopulationBasedSearch, ABC): + """Base class for attacking a model with word substiutitions using a + genetic algorithm. + + Args: + pop_size (int): The population size. Defaults to 20. + max_iters (int): The maximum number of iterations to use. Defaults to 50. + temp (float): Temperature for softmax function used to normalize probability dist when sampling parents. + Higher temperature increases the sensitivity to lower probability candidates. + give_up_if_no_improvement (bool): If True, stop the search early if no candidate that improves the score is found. + post_crossover_check (bool): If True, check if child produced from crossover step passes the constraints. + max_crossover_retries (int): Maximum number of crossover retries if resulting child fails to pass the constraints. + Applied only when `post_crossover_check` is set to `True`. + Setting it to 0 means we immediately take one of the parents at random as the child upon failure. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + pop_size=60, + max_iters=20, + temp=0.3, + give_up_if_no_improvement=False, + post_crossover_check=True, + max_crossover_retries=20, + ): + self.max_iters = max_iters + self.pop_size = pop_size + self.temp = temp + self.give_up_if_no_improvement = give_up_if_no_improvement + self.post_crossover_check = post_crossover_check + self.max_crossover_retries = max_crossover_retries + + # internal flag to indicate if search should end immediately + self._search_over = False + + @abstractmethod + def _modify_population_member(self, pop_member, new_text, new_result, word_idx): + """Modify `pop_member` by returning a new copy with `new_text`, + `new_result`, and, `attributes` altered appropriately for given + `word_idx`""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def _get_word_select_prob_weights(self, pop_member): + """Get the attribute of `pop_member` that is used for determining + probability of each word being selected for perturbation.""" + raise NotImplementedError + + def _perturb(self, pop_member, original_result, index=None): + """Perturb `pop_member` and return it. Replaces a word at a random + (unless `index` is specified) in `pop_member`. + + Args: + pop_member (PopulationMember): The population member being perturbed. + original_result (GoalFunctionResult): Result of original sample being attacked + index (int): Index of word to perturb. + Returns: + Perturbed `PopulationMember` + """ + num_words = pop_member.attacked_text.num_words + # `word_select_prob_weights` is a list of values used for sampling one word to transform + word_select_prob_weights = np.copy( + self._get_word_select_prob_weights(pop_member) + ) + non_zero_indices = np.count_nonzero(word_select_prob_weights) + if non_zero_indices == 0: + return pop_member + iterations = 0 + while iterations < non_zero_indices: + if index: + idx = index + else: + w_select_probs = word_select_prob_weights / np.sum( + word_select_prob_weights + ) + idx = np.random.choice(num_words, 1, p=w_select_probs)[0] + + transformed_texts = self.get_transformations( + pop_member.attacked_text, + original_text=original_result.attacked_text, + indices_to_modify=[idx], + ) + + if not len(transformed_texts): + iterations += 1 + continue + + new_results, self._search_over = self.get_goal_results(transformed_texts) + + diff_scores = ( + torch.Tensor([r.score for r in new_results]) - pop_member.result.score + ) + if len(diff_scores) and diff_scores.max() > 0: + idx_with_max_score = diff_scores.argmax() + pop_member = self._modify_population_member( + pop_member, + transformed_texts[idx_with_max_score], + new_results[idx_with_max_score], + idx, + ) + return pop_member + + word_select_prob_weights[idx] = 0 + iterations += 1 + + if self._search_over: + break + + return pop_member + + @abstractmethod + def _crossover_operation(self, pop_member1, pop_member2): + """Actual operation that takes `pop_member1` text and `pop_member2` + text and mixes the two to generate crossover between `pop_member1` and + `pop_member2`. + + Args: + pop_member1 (PopulationMember): The first population member. + pop_member2 (PopulationMember): The second population member. + Returns: + Tuple of `AttackedText` and a dictionary of attributes. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _post_crossover_check( + self, new_text, parent_text1, parent_text2, original_text + ): + """Check if `new_text` that has been produced by performing crossover + between `parent_text1` and `parent_text2` aligns with the constraints. + + Args: + new_text (AttackedText): Text produced by crossover operation + parent_text1 (AttackedText): Parent text of `new_text` + parent_text2 (AttackedText): Second parent text of `new_text` + original_text (AttackedText): Original text + Returns: + `True` if `new_text` meets the constraints. If otherwise, return `False`. + """ + if "last_transformation" in new_text.attack_attrs: + previous_text = ( + parent_text1 + if "last_transformation" in parent_text1.attack_attrs + else parent_text2 + ) + passed_constraints = self._check_constraints( + new_text, previous_text, original_text=original_text + ) + return passed_constraints + else: + # `new_text` has not been actually transformed, so return True + return True + + def _crossover(self, pop_member1, pop_member2, original_text): + """Generates a crossover between pop_member1 and pop_member2. + + If the child fails to satisfy the constraints, we re-try crossover for a fix number of times, + before taking one of the parents at random as the resulting child. + Args: + pop_member1 (PopulationMember): The first population member. + pop_member2 (PopulationMember): The second population member. + original_text (AttackedText): Original text + Returns: + A population member containing the crossover. + """ + x1_text = pop_member1.attacked_text + x2_text = pop_member2.attacked_text + + num_tries = 0 + passed_constraints = False + while num_tries < self.max_crossover_retries + 1: + new_text, attributes = self._crossover_operation(pop_member1, pop_member2) + + replaced_indices = new_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"] + new_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] = ( + x1_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] - replaced_indices + ) | (x2_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] & replaced_indices) + + if "last_transformation" in x1_text.attack_attrs: + new_text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] = x1_text.attack_attrs[ + "last_transformation" + ] + elif "last_transformation" in x2_text.attack_attrs: + new_text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] = x2_text.attack_attrs[ + "last_transformation" + ] + + if self.post_crossover_check: + passed_constraints = self._post_crossover_check( + new_text, x1_text, x2_text, original_text + ) + + if not self.post_crossover_check or passed_constraints: + break + + num_tries += 1 + + if self.post_crossover_check and not passed_constraints: + # If we cannot find a child that passes the constraints, + # we just randomly pick one of the parents to be the child for the next iteration. + pop_mem = pop_member1 if np.random.uniform() < 0.5 else pop_member2 + return pop_mem + else: + new_results, self._search_over = self.get_goal_results([new_text]) + return PopulationMember( + new_text, result=new_results[0], attributes=attributes + ) + + @abstractmethod + def _initialize_population(self, initial_result, pop_size): + """ + Initialize a population of size `pop_size` with `initial_result` + Args: + initial_result (GoalFunctionResult): Original text + pop_size (int): size of population + Returns: + population as `list[PopulationMember]` + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def perform_search(self, initial_result): + self._search_over = False + population = self._initialize_population(initial_result, self.pop_size) + pop_size = len(population) + current_score = initial_result.score + + for i in range(self.max_iters): + population = sorted(population, key=lambda x: x.result.score, reverse=True) + + if ( + self._search_over + or population[0].result.goal_status + == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED + ): + break + + if population[0].result.score > current_score: + current_score = population[0].result.score + elif self.give_up_if_no_improvement: + break + + pop_scores = torch.Tensor([pm.result.score for pm in population]) + logits = ((-pop_scores) / self.temp).exp() + select_probs = (logits / logits.sum()).cpu().numpy() + + parent1_idx = np.random.choice(pop_size, size=pop_size - 1, p=select_probs) + parent2_idx = np.random.choice(pop_size, size=pop_size - 1, p=select_probs) + + children = [] + for idx in range(pop_size - 1): + child = self._crossover( + population[parent1_idx[idx]], + population[parent2_idx[idx]], + initial_result.attacked_text, + ) + if self._search_over: + break + + child = self._perturb(child, initial_result) + children.append(child) + + # We need two `search_over` checks b/c value might change both in + # `crossover` method and `perturb` method. + if self._search_over: + break + + population = [population[0]] + children + + return population[0].result + + def check_transformation_compatibility(self, transformation): + """The genetic algorithm is specifically designed for word + substitutions.""" + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation) + + @property + def is_black_box(self): + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [ + "pop_size", + "max_iters", + "temp", + "give_up_if_no_improvement", + "post_crossover_check", + "max_crossover_retries", + ] diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/greedy_search.py b/textattack/search_methods/greedy_search.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f59570ed02b38cc3843951a1702ef149f9930897 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/greedy_search.py @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +""" +Greedy Search +================= +""" +from .beam_search import BeamSearch + + +class GreedySearch(BeamSearch): + """A search method that greedily chooses from a list of possible + perturbations. + + Implemented by calling ``BeamSearch`` with beam_width set to 1. + """ + + def __init__(self): + super().__init__(beam_width=1) + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [] diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/greedy_word_swap_wir.py b/textattack/search_methods/greedy_word_swap_wir.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5721ce6b63f2a748bac6bdd19d1a190b8fbc2c58 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/greedy_word_swap_wir.py @@ -0,0 +1,193 @@ +""" +Greedy Word Swap with Word Importance Ranking +=================================================== + + +When WIR method is set to ``unk``, this is a reimplementation of the search +method from the paper: Is BERT Really Robust? + +A Strong Baseline for Natural Language Attack on Text Classification and +Entailment by Jin et. al, 2019. See https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.11932 and +https://github.com/jind11/TextFooler. +""" + +import numpy as np +import torch +from torch.nn.functional import softmax + +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResultStatus +from textattack.search_methods import SearchMethod +from textattack.shared.validators import ( + transformation_consists_of_word_swaps_and_deletions, +) + + +class GreedyWordSwapWIR(SearchMethod): + """An attack that greedily chooses from a list of possible perturbations in + order of index, after ranking indices by importance. + + Args: + wir_method: method for ranking most important words + model_wrapper: model wrapper used for gradient-based ranking + """ + + def __init__(self, wir_method="unk", unk_token="[UNK]"): + self.wir_method = wir_method + self.unk_token = unk_token + + def _get_index_order(self, initial_text): + """Returns word indices of ``initial_text`` in descending order of + importance.""" + + len_text, indices_to_order = self.get_indices_to_order(initial_text) + + if self.wir_method == "unk": + leave_one_texts = [ + initial_text.replace_word_at_index(i, self.unk_token) + for i in indices_to_order + ] + leave_one_results, search_over = self.get_goal_results(leave_one_texts) + index_scores = np.array([result.score for result in leave_one_results]) + + elif self.wir_method == "weighted-saliency": + # first, compute word saliency + leave_one_texts = [ + initial_text.replace_word_at_index(i, self.unk_token) + for i in indices_to_order + ] + leave_one_results, search_over = self.get_goal_results(leave_one_texts) + saliency_scores = np.array([result.score for result in leave_one_results]) + + softmax_saliency_scores = softmax( + torch.Tensor(saliency_scores), dim=0 + ).numpy() + + # compute the largest change in score we can find by swapping each word + delta_ps = [] + for idx in indices_to_order: + # Exit Loop when search_over is True - but we need to make sure delta_ps + # is the same size as softmax_saliency_scores + if search_over: + delta_ps = delta_ps + [0.0] * ( + len(softmax_saliency_scores) - len(delta_ps) + ) + break + + transformed_text_candidates = self.get_transformations( + initial_text, + original_text=initial_text, + indices_to_modify=[idx], + ) + if not transformed_text_candidates: + # no valid synonym substitutions for this word + delta_ps.append(0.0) + continue + swap_results, search_over = self.get_goal_results( + transformed_text_candidates + ) + score_change = [result.score for result in swap_results] + if not score_change: + delta_ps.append(0.0) + continue + max_score_change = np.max(score_change) + delta_ps.append(max_score_change) + + index_scores = softmax_saliency_scores * np.array(delta_ps) + + elif self.wir_method == "delete": + leave_one_texts = [ + initial_text.delete_word_at_index(i) for i in indices_to_order + ] + leave_one_results, search_over = self.get_goal_results(leave_one_texts) + index_scores = np.array([result.score for result in leave_one_results]) + + elif self.wir_method == "gradient": + victim_model = self.get_victim_model() + index_scores = np.zeros(len_text) + grad_output = victim_model.get_grad(initial_text.tokenizer_input) + gradient = grad_output["gradient"] + word2token_mapping = initial_text.align_with_model_tokens(victim_model) + for i, index in enumerate(indices_to_order): + matched_tokens = word2token_mapping[index] + if not matched_tokens: + index_scores[i] = 0.0 + else: + agg_grad = np.mean(gradient[matched_tokens], axis=0) + index_scores[i] = np.linalg.norm(agg_grad, ord=1) + + search_over = False + + elif self.wir_method == "random": + index_order = indices_to_order + np.random.shuffle(index_order) + search_over = False + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unsupported WIR method {self.wir_method}") + + if self.wir_method != "random": + index_order = np.array(indices_to_order)[(-index_scores).argsort()] + + return index_order, search_over + + def perform_search(self, initial_result): + attacked_text = initial_result.attacked_text + + # Sort words by order of importance + index_order, search_over = self._get_index_order(attacked_text) + i = 0 + cur_result = initial_result + results = None + while i < len(index_order) and not search_over: + transformed_text_candidates = self.get_transformations( + cur_result.attacked_text, + original_text=initial_result.attacked_text, + indices_to_modify=[index_order[i]], + ) + i += 1 + if len(transformed_text_candidates) == 0: + continue + results, search_over = self.get_goal_results(transformed_text_candidates) + results = sorted(results, key=lambda x: -x.score) + # Skip swaps which don't improve the score + if results[0].score > cur_result.score: + cur_result = results[0] + else: + continue + # If we succeeded, return the index with best similarity. + if cur_result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED: + best_result = cur_result + # @TODO: Use vectorwise operations + max_similarity = -float("inf") + for result in results: + if result.goal_status != GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED: + break + candidate = result.attacked_text + try: + similarity_score = candidate.attack_attrs["similarity_score"] + except KeyError: + # If the attack was run without any similarity metrics, + # candidates won't have a similarity score. In this + # case, break and return the candidate that changed + # the original score the most. + break + if similarity_score > max_similarity: + max_similarity = similarity_score + best_result = result + return best_result + + return cur_result + + def check_transformation_compatibility(self, transformation): + """Since it ranks words by their importance, GreedyWordSwapWIR is + limited to word swap and deletion transformations.""" + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps_and_deletions(transformation) + + @property + def is_black_box(self): + if self.wir_method == "gradient": + return False + else: + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["wir_method"] diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/improved_genetic_algorithm.py b/textattack/search_methods/improved_genetic_algorithm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a1e033d9a6694bffa23ea5fb10542b5dc84d3ebb --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/improved_genetic_algorithm.py @@ -0,0 +1,130 @@ +""" + +Reimplementation of search method from Xiaosen Wang, Hao Jin, Kun He (2019). +========================================================================================= + + +Natural Language Adversarial Attack and Defense in Word Level. +http://arxiv.org/abs/1909.06723 +""" + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.search_methods import GeneticAlgorithm, PopulationMember + + +class ImprovedGeneticAlgorithm(GeneticAlgorithm): + """Attacks a model with word substiutitions using a genetic algorithm. + + Args: + pop_size (int): The population size. Defaults to 20. + max_iters (int): The maximum number of iterations to use. Defaults to 50. + temp (float): Temperature for softmax function used to normalize probability dist when sampling parents. + Higher temperature increases the sensitivity to lower probability candidates. + give_up_if_no_improvement (bool): If True, stop the search early if no candidate that improves the score is found. + post_crossover_check (bool): If True, check if child produced from crossover step passes the constraints. + max_crossover_retries (int): Maximum number of crossover retries if resulting child fails to pass the constraints. + Applied only when `post_crossover_check` is set to `True`. + Setting it to 0 means we immediately take one of the parents at random as the child upon failure. + max_replace_times_per_index (int): The maximum times words at the same index can be replaced in improved genetic algorithm. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + pop_size=60, + max_iters=20, + temp=0.3, + give_up_if_no_improvement=False, + post_crossover_check=True, + max_crossover_retries=20, + max_replace_times_per_index=5, + ): + super().__init__( + pop_size=pop_size, + max_iters=max_iters, + temp=temp, + give_up_if_no_improvement=give_up_if_no_improvement, + post_crossover_check=post_crossover_check, + max_crossover_retries=max_crossover_retries, + ) + + self.max_replace_times_per_index = max_replace_times_per_index + + def _modify_population_member(self, pop_member, new_text, new_result, word_idx): + """Modify `pop_member` by returning a new copy with `new_text`, + `new_result`, and `num_replacements_left` altered appropriately for + given `word_idx`""" + num_replacements_left = np.copy(pop_member.attributes["num_replacements_left"]) + num_replacements_left[word_idx] -= 1 + return PopulationMember( + new_text, + result=new_result, + attributes={"num_replacements_left": num_replacements_left}, + ) + + def _get_word_select_prob_weights(self, pop_member): + """Get the attribute of `pop_member` that is used for determining + probability of each word being selected for perturbation.""" + return pop_member.attributes["num_replacements_left"] + + def _crossover_operation(self, pop_member1, pop_member2): + """Actual operation that takes `pop_member1` text and `pop_member2` + text and mixes the two to generate crossover between `pop_member1` and + `pop_member2`. + + Args: + pop_member1 (PopulationMember): The first population member. + pop_member2 (PopulationMember): The second population member. + Returns: + Tuple of `AttackedText` and a dictionary of attributes. + """ + indices_to_replace = [] + words_to_replace = [] + num_replacements_left = np.copy(pop_member1.attributes["num_replacements_left"]) + + # To better simulate the reproduction and biological crossover, + # IGA randomly cut the text from two parents and concat two fragments into a new text + # rather than randomly choose a word of each position from the two parents. + crossover_point = np.random.randint(0, pop_member1.num_words) + for i in range(crossover_point, pop_member1.num_words): + indices_to_replace.append(i) + words_to_replace.append(pop_member2.words[i]) + num_replacements_left[i] = pop_member2.attributes["num_replacements_left"][ + i + ] + + new_text = pop_member1.attacked_text.replace_words_at_indices( + indices_to_replace, words_to_replace + ) + return new_text, {"num_replacements_left": num_replacements_left} + + def _initialize_population(self, initial_result, pop_size): + """ + Initialize a population of size `pop_size` with `initial_result` + Args: + initial_result (GoalFunctionResult): Original text + pop_size (int): size of population + Returns: + population as `list[PopulationMember]` + """ + words = initial_result.attacked_text.words + # For IGA, `num_replacements_left` represents the number of times the word at each index can be modified + num_replacements_left = np.array( + [self.max_replace_times_per_index] * len(words) + ) + population = [] + + # IGA initializes the first population by replacing each word by its optimal synonym + for idx in range(len(words)): + pop_member = PopulationMember( + initial_result.attacked_text, + initial_result, + attributes={"num_replacements_left": np.copy(num_replacements_left)}, + ) + pop_member = self._perturb(pop_member, initial_result, index=idx) + population.append(pop_member) + + return population[:pop_size] + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() + ["max_replace_times_per_index"] diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/particle_swarm_optimization.py b/textattack/search_methods/particle_swarm_optimization.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b731c9edb10e3114294f59f76efc96f00f0a6bab --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/particle_swarm_optimization.py @@ -0,0 +1,347 @@ +""" + +Particle Swarm Optimization +==================================== + +Reimplementation of search method from Word-level Textual Adversarial +Attacking as Combinatorial Optimization by Zang et. + +al +``_ +``_ +""" +import copy + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.goal_function_results import GoalFunctionResultStatus +from textattack.search_methods import PopulationBasedSearch, PopulationMember +from textattack.shared import utils +from textattack.shared.validators import transformation_consists_of_word_swaps + + +class ParticleSwarmOptimization(PopulationBasedSearch): + """Attacks a model with word substiutitions using a Particle Swarm + Optimization (PSO) algorithm. Some key hyper-parameters are setup according + to the original paper: + + "We adjust PSO on the validation set of SST and set ω_1 as 0.8 and ω_2 as 0.2. + We set the max velocity of the particles V_{max} to 3, which means the changing + probability of the particles ranges from 0.047 (sigmoid(-3)) to 0.953 (sigmoid(3))." + + Args: + pop_size (:obj:`int`, optional): The population size. Defaults to 60. + max_iters (:obj:`int`, optional): The maximum number of iterations to use. Defaults to 20. + post_turn_check (:obj:`bool`, optional): If `True`, check if new position reached by moving passes the constraints. Defaults to `True` + max_turn_retries (:obj:`bool`, optional): Maximum number of movement retries if new position after turning fails to pass the constraints. + Applied only when `post_movement_check` is set to `True`. + Setting it to 0 means we immediately take the old position as the new position upon failure. + """ + + def __init__( + self, pop_size=60, max_iters=20, post_turn_check=True, max_turn_retries=20 + ): + self.max_iters = max_iters + self.pop_size = pop_size + self.post_turn_check = post_turn_check + self.max_turn_retries = 20 + + self._search_over = False + self.omega_1 = 0.8 + self.omega_2 = 0.2 + self.c1_origin = 0.8 + self.c2_origin = 0.2 + self.v_max = 3.0 + + def _perturb(self, pop_member, original_result): + """Perturb `pop_member` in-place. + + Replaces a word at a random in `pop_member` with replacement word that maximizes increase in score. + Args: + pop_member (PopulationMember): The population member being perturbed. + original_result (GoalFunctionResult): Result of original sample being attacked + Returns: + `True` if perturbation occured. `False` if not. + """ + # TODO: Below is very slow and is the main cause behind memory build up + slowness + best_neighbors, prob_list = self._get_best_neighbors( + pop_member.result, original_result + ) + random_result = np.random.choice(best_neighbors, 1, p=prob_list)[0] + + if random_result == pop_member.result: + return False + else: + pop_member.attacked_text = random_result.attacked_text + pop_member.result = random_result + return True + + def _equal(self, a, b): + return -self.v_max if a == b else self.v_max + + def _turn(self, source_text, target_text, prob, original_text): + """ + Based on given probabilities, "move" to `target_text` from `source_text` + Args: + source_text (PopulationMember): Text we start from. + target_text (PopulationMember): Text we want to move to. + prob (np.array[float]): Turn probability for each word. + original_text (AttackedText): Original text for constraint check if `self.post_turn_check=True`. + Returns: + New `Position` that we moved to (or if we fail to move, same as `source_text`) + """ + assert len(source_text.words) == len( + target_text.words + ), "Word length mismatch for turn operation." + assert len(source_text.words) == len( + prob + ), "Length mismatch for words and probability list." + len_x = len(source_text.words) + + num_tries = 0 + passed_constraints = False + while num_tries < self.max_turn_retries + 1: + indices_to_replace = [] + words_to_replace = [] + for i in range(len_x): + if np.random.uniform() < prob[i]: + indices_to_replace.append(i) + words_to_replace.append(target_text.words[i]) + new_text = source_text.attacked_text.replace_words_at_indices( + indices_to_replace, words_to_replace + ) + indices_to_replace = set(indices_to_replace) + new_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] = ( + source_text.attacked_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] + - indices_to_replace + ) | ( + target_text.attacked_text.attack_attrs["modified_indices"] + & indices_to_replace + ) + if "last_transformation" in source_text.attacked_text.attack_attrs: + new_text.attack_attrs[ + "last_transformation" + ] = source_text.attacked_text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] + + if not self.post_turn_check or (new_text.words == source_text.words): + break + + if "last_transformation" in new_text.attack_attrs: + passed_constraints = self._check_constraints( + new_text, source_text.attacked_text, original_text=original_text + ) + else: + passed_constraints = True + + if passed_constraints: + break + + num_tries += 1 + + if self.post_turn_check and not passed_constraints: + # If we cannot find a turn that passes the constraints, we do not move. + return source_text + else: + return PopulationMember(new_text) + + def _get_best_neighbors(self, current_result, original_result): + """For given current text, find its neighboring texts that yields + maximum improvement (in goal function score) for each word. + + Args: + current_result (GoalFunctionResult): `GoalFunctionResult` of current text + original_result (GoalFunctionResult): `GoalFunctionResult` of original text. + Returns: + best_neighbors (list[GoalFunctionResult]): Best neighboring text for each word + prob_list (list[float]): discrete probablity distribution for sampling a neighbor from `best_neighbors` + """ + current_text = current_result.attacked_text + neighbors_list = [[] for _ in range(len(current_text.words))] + transformed_texts = self.get_transformations( + current_text, original_text=original_result.attacked_text + ) + for transformed_text in transformed_texts: + diff_idx = next( + iter(transformed_text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]) + ) + neighbors_list[diff_idx].append(transformed_text) + + best_neighbors = [] + score_list = [] + for i in range(len(neighbors_list)): + if not neighbors_list[i]: + best_neighbors.append(current_result) + score_list.append(0) + continue + + neighbor_results, self._search_over = self.get_goal_results( + neighbors_list[i] + ) + if not len(neighbor_results): + best_neighbors.append(current_result) + score_list.append(0) + else: + neighbor_scores = np.array([r.score for r in neighbor_results]) + score_diff = neighbor_scores - current_result.score + best_idx = np.argmax(neighbor_scores) + best_neighbors.append(neighbor_results[best_idx]) + score_list.append(score_diff[best_idx]) + + prob_list = normalize(score_list) + + return best_neighbors, prob_list + + def _initialize_population(self, initial_result, pop_size): + """ + Initialize a population of size `pop_size` with `initial_result` + Args: + initial_result (GoalFunctionResult): Original text + pop_size (int): size of population + Returns: + population as `list[PopulationMember]` + """ + best_neighbors, prob_list = self._get_best_neighbors( + initial_result, initial_result + ) + population = [] + for _ in range(pop_size): + # Mutation step + random_result = np.random.choice(best_neighbors, 1, p=prob_list)[0] + population.append( + PopulationMember(random_result.attacked_text, random_result) + ) + return population + + def perform_search(self, initial_result): + self._search_over = False + population = self._initialize_population(initial_result, self.pop_size) + # Initialize up velocities of each word for each population + v_init = np.random.uniform(-self.v_max, self.v_max, self.pop_size) + velocities = np.array( + [ + [v_init[t] for _ in range(initial_result.attacked_text.num_words)] + for t in range(self.pop_size) + ] + ) + + global_elite = max(population, key=lambda x: x.score) + if ( + self._search_over + or global_elite.result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED + ): + return global_elite.result + + local_elites = copy.copy(population) + + # start iterations + for i in range(self.max_iters): + omega = (self.omega_1 - self.omega_2) * ( + self.max_iters - i + ) / self.max_iters + self.omega_2 + C1 = self.c1_origin - i / self.max_iters * (self.c1_origin - self.c2_origin) + C2 = self.c2_origin + i / self.max_iters * (self.c1_origin - self.c2_origin) + P1 = C1 + P2 = C2 + + for k in range(len(population)): + # calculate the probability of turning each word + pop_mem_words = population[k].words + local_elite_words = local_elites[k].words + assert len(pop_mem_words) == len( + local_elite_words + ), "PSO word length mismatch!" + + for d in range(len(pop_mem_words)): + velocities[k][d] = omega * velocities[k][d] + (1 - omega) * ( + self._equal(pop_mem_words[d], local_elite_words[d]) + + self._equal(pop_mem_words[d], global_elite.words[d]) + ) + turn_prob = utils.sigmoid(velocities[k]) + + if np.random.uniform() < P1: + # Move towards local elite + population[k] = self._turn( + local_elites[k], + population[k], + turn_prob, + initial_result.attacked_text, + ) + + if np.random.uniform() < P2: + # Move towards global elite + population[k] = self._turn( + global_elite, + population[k], + turn_prob, + initial_result.attacked_text, + ) + + # Check if there is any successful attack in the current population + pop_results, self._search_over = self.get_goal_results( + [p.attacked_text for p in population] + ) + if self._search_over: + # if `get_goal_results` gets cut short by query budget, resize population + population = population[: len(pop_results)] + for k in range(len(pop_results)): + population[k].result = pop_results[k] + + top_member = max(population, key=lambda x: x.score) + if ( + self._search_over + or top_member.result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED + ): + return top_member.result + + # Mutation based on the current change rate + for k in range(len(population)): + change_ratio = initial_result.attacked_text.words_diff_ratio( + population[k].attacked_text + ) + # Referred from the original source code + p_change = 1 - 2 * change_ratio + if np.random.uniform() < p_change: + self._perturb(population[k], initial_result) + + if self._search_over: + break + + # Check if there is any successful attack in the current population + top_member = max(population, key=lambda x: x.score) + if ( + self._search_over + or top_member.result.goal_status == GoalFunctionResultStatus.SUCCEEDED + ): + return top_member.result + + # Update the elite if the score is increased + for k in range(len(population)): + if population[k].score > local_elites[k].score: + local_elites[k] = copy.copy(population[k]) + + if top_member.score > global_elite.score: + global_elite = copy.copy(top_member) + + return global_elite.result + + def check_transformation_compatibility(self, transformation): + """The genetic algorithm is specifically designed for word + substitutions.""" + return transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation) + + @property + def is_black_box(self): + return True + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["pop_size", "max_iters", "post_turn_check", "max_turn_retries"] + + +def normalize(n): + n = np.array(n) + n[n < 0] = 0 + s = np.sum(n) + if s == 0: + return np.ones(len(n)) / len(n) + else: + return n / s diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/population_based_search.py b/textattack/search_methods/population_based_search.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e3fe951c1a8167b3324a22c8e59765356127ceda --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/population_based_search.py @@ -0,0 +1,85 @@ +""" +Population based Search +========================== +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.search_methods import SearchMethod + + +class PopulationBasedSearch(SearchMethod, ABC): + """Abstract base class for population-based search methods. + + Examples include: genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization + """ + + def _check_constraints(self, transformed_text, current_text, original_text): + """Check if `transformted_text` still passes the constraints with + respect to `current_text` and `original_text`. + + This method is required because of a lot population-based methods does their own transformations apart from + the actual `transformation`. Examples include `crossover` from `GeneticAlgorithm` and `move` from `ParticleSwarmOptimization`. + Args: + transformed_text (AttackedText): Resulting text after transformation + current_text (AttackedText): Recent text from which `transformed_text` was produced from. + original_text (AttackedText): Original text + Returns + `True` if constraints satisfied and `False` if otherwise. + """ + filtered = self.filter_transformations( + [transformed_text], current_text, original_text=original_text + ) + return True if filtered else False + + @abstractmethod + def _perturb(self, pop_member, original_result, **kwargs): + """Perturb `pop_member` in-place. + + Must be overridden by specific population-based method + Args: + pop_member (PopulationMember): Population member to perturb\ + original_result (GoalFunctionResult): Result for original text. Often needed for constraint checking. + Returns + `True` if perturbation occured. `False` if not. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def _initialize_population(self, initial_result, pop_size): + """ + Initialize a population of size `pop_size` with `initial_result` + Args: + initial_result (GoalFunctionResult): Original text + pop_size (int): size of population + Returns: + population as `list[PopulationMember]` + """ + raise NotImplementedError + + +class PopulationMember: + """Represent a single member of population.""" + + def __init__(self, attacked_text, result=None, attributes={}, **kwargs): + self.attacked_text = attacked_text + self.result = result + self.attributes = attributes + for key, value in kwargs.items(): + setattr(self, key, value) + + @property + def score(self): + if not self.result: + raise ValueError( + "Result must be obtained for PopulationMember to get its score." + ) + return self.result.score + + @property + def words(self): + return self.attacked_text.words + + @property + def num_words(self): + return self.attacked_text.num_words diff --git a/textattack/search_methods/search_method.py b/textattack/search_methods/search_method.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..76b5981bc2bb896ebd437a4a106b6273771a1cf6 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/search_methods/search_method.py @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +""" +Search Method Abstract Class +=============================== +""" + + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class SearchMethod(ReprMixin, ABC): + """This is an abstract class that contains main helper functionality for + search methods. + + A search method is a strategy for applying transformations until the + goal is met or the search is exhausted. + """ + + def __call__(self, initial_result): + """Ensures access to necessary functions, then calls + ``perform_search``""" + if not hasattr(self, "get_transformations"): + raise AttributeError( + "Search Method must have access to get_transformations method" + ) + if not hasattr(self, "get_goal_results"): + raise AttributeError( + "Search Method must have access to get_goal_results method" + ) + if not hasattr(self, "filter_transformations"): + raise AttributeError( + "Search Method must have access to filter_transformations method" + ) + + result = self.perform_search(initial_result) + # ensure that the number of queries for this GoalFunctionResult is up-to-date + result.num_queries = self.goal_function.num_queries + return result + + @abstractmethod + def perform_search(self, initial_result): + """Perturbs `attacked_text` from ``initial_result`` until goal is + reached or search is exhausted. + + Must be overridden by specific search methods. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def check_transformation_compatibility(self, transformation): + """Determines whether this search method is compatible with + ``transformation``.""" + return True + + @property + def is_black_box(self): + """Returns `True` if search method does not require access to victim + model's internal states.""" + raise NotImplementedError() + + def get_victim_model(self): + if self.is_black_box: + raise NotImplementedError( + "Cannot access victim model if search method is a black-box method." + ) + else: + return self.goal_function.model diff --git a/textattack/shared/__init__.py b/textattack/shared/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2855c219b0b6ab826d5ca7bf43f2faa9220f1542 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +""" +Shared TextAttack Functions +============================= + +This package includes functions shared across packages. + +""" + + +from . import data +from . import utils +from .utils import logger +from . import validators + +from .attacked_text import AttackedText +from .word_embeddings import AbstractWordEmbedding, WordEmbedding, GensimWordEmbedding +from .checkpoint import AttackCheckpoint diff --git a/textattack/shared/attacked_text.py b/textattack/shared/attacked_text.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e9f8f258ef26e5ee1c73bcf89c34d0a59b0ecbeb --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/attacked_text.py @@ -0,0 +1,610 @@ +""".. _attacked_text: + +Attacked Text Class +===================== + +A helper class that represents a string that can be attacked. +""" + +from collections import OrderedDict +import math + +import flair +from flair.data import Sentence +import numpy as np +import torch + +import textattack + +from .utils import device, words_from_text + +flair.device = device + + +class AttackedText: + + """A helper class that represents a string that can be attacked. + + Models that take multiple sentences as input separate them by ``SPLIT_TOKEN``. + Attacks "see" the entire input, joined into one string, without the split token. + + ``AttackedText`` instances that were perturbed from other ``AttackedText`` + objects contain a pointer to the previous text + (``attack_attrs["previous_attacked_text"]``), so that the full chain of + perturbations might be reconstructed by using this key to form a linked + list. + + Args: + text (string): The string that this AttackedText represents + attack_attrs (dict): Dictionary of various attributes stored + during the course of an attack. + """ + + SPLIT_TOKEN = "" + + def __init__(self, text_input, attack_attrs=None): + # Read in ``text_input`` as a string or OrderedDict. + if isinstance(text_input, str): + self._text_input = OrderedDict([("text", text_input)]) + elif isinstance(text_input, OrderedDict): + self._text_input = text_input + else: + raise TypeError( + f"Invalid text_input type {type(text_input)} (required str or OrderedDict)" + ) + # Process input lazily. + self._words = None + self._words_per_input = None + self._pos_tags = None + self._ner_tags = None + # Format text inputs. + self._text_input = OrderedDict([(k, v) for k, v in self._text_input.items()]) + if attack_attrs is None: + self.attack_attrs = dict() + elif isinstance(attack_attrs, dict): + self.attack_attrs = attack_attrs + else: + raise TypeError(f"Invalid type for attack_attrs: {type(attack_attrs)}") + # Indices of words from the *original* text. Allows us to map + # indices between original text and this text, and vice-versa. + self.attack_attrs.setdefault("original_index_map", np.arange(self.num_words)) + # A list of all indices in *this* text that have been modified. + self.attack_attrs.setdefault("modified_indices", set()) + + def __eq__(self, other): + """Compares two text instances to make sure they have the same attack + attributes. + + Since some elements stored in ``self.attack_attrs`` may be numpy + arrays, we have to take special care when comparing them. + """ + if not (self.text == other.text): + return False + if len(self.attack_attrs) != len(other.attack_attrs): + return False + for key in self.attack_attrs: + if key not in other.attack_attrs: + return False + elif isinstance(self.attack_attrs[key], np.ndarray): + if not (self.attack_attrs[key].shape == other.attack_attrs[key].shape): + return False + elif not (self.attack_attrs[key] == other.attack_attrs[key]).all(): + return False + else: + if not self.attack_attrs[key] == other.attack_attrs[key]: + return False + return True + + def __hash__(self): + return hash(self.text) + + def free_memory(self): + """Delete items that take up memory. + + Can be called once the AttackedText is only needed to display. + """ + if "previous_attacked_text" in self.attack_attrs: + self.attack_attrs["previous_attacked_text"].free_memory() + self.attack_attrs.pop("previous_attacked_text", None) + + self.attack_attrs.pop("last_transformation", None) + + for key in self.attack_attrs: + if isinstance(self.attack_attrs[key], torch.Tensor): + self.attack_attrs.pop(key, None) + + def text_window_around_index(self, index, window_size): + """The text window of ``window_size`` words centered around + ``index``.""" + length = self.num_words + half_size = (window_size - 1) / 2.0 + if index - half_size < 0: + start = 0 + end = min(window_size - 1, length - 1) + elif index + half_size >= length: + start = max(0, length - window_size) + end = length - 1 + else: + start = index - math.ceil(half_size) + end = index + math.floor(half_size) + text_idx_start = self._text_index_of_word_index(start) + text_idx_end = self._text_index_of_word_index(end) + len(self.words[end]) + return self.text[text_idx_start:text_idx_end] + + def pos_of_word_index(self, desired_word_idx): + """Returns the part-of-speech of the word at index `word_idx`. + + Uses FLAIR part-of-speech tagger. + """ + if not self._pos_tags: + sentence = Sentence( + self.text, + use_tokenizer=textattack.shared.utils.TextAttackFlairTokenizer(), + ) + textattack.shared.utils.flair_tag(sentence) + self._pos_tags = sentence + flair_word_list, flair_pos_list = textattack.shared.utils.zip_flair_result( + self._pos_tags + ) + + for word_idx, word in enumerate(self.words): + assert ( + word in flair_word_list + ), "word absent in flair returned part-of-speech tags" + word_idx_in_flair_tags = flair_word_list.index(word) + if word_idx == desired_word_idx: + return flair_pos_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags] + else: + flair_word_list = flair_word_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags + 1 :] + flair_pos_list = flair_pos_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags + 1 :] + + raise ValueError( + f"Did not find word from index {desired_word_idx} in flair POS tag" + ) + + def ner_of_word_index(self, desired_word_idx, model_name="ner"): + """Returns the ner tag of the word at index `word_idx`. + + Uses FLAIR ner tagger. + """ + if not self._ner_tags: + sentence = Sentence( + self.text, + use_tokenizer=textattack.shared.utils.TextAttackFlairTokenizer(), + ) + textattack.shared.utils.flair_tag(sentence, model_name) + self._ner_tags = sentence + flair_word_list, flair_ner_list = textattack.shared.utils.zip_flair_result( + self._ner_tags, "ner" + ) + + for word_idx, word in enumerate(flair_word_list): + word_idx_in_flair_tags = flair_word_list.index(word) + if word_idx == desired_word_idx: + return flair_ner_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags] + else: + flair_word_list = flair_word_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags + 1 :] + flair_ner_list = flair_ner_list[word_idx_in_flair_tags + 1 :] + + raise ValueError( + f"Did not find word from index {desired_word_idx} in flair POS tag" + ) + + def _text_index_of_word_index(self, i): + """Returns the index of word ``i`` in self.text.""" + pre_words = self.words[: i + 1] + lower_text = self.text.lower() + # Find all words until `i` in string. + look_after_index = 0 + for word in pre_words: + look_after_index = lower_text.find(word.lower(), look_after_index) + len( + word + ) + look_after_index -= len(self.words[i]) + return look_after_index + + def text_until_word_index(self, i): + """Returns the text before the beginning of word at index ``i``.""" + look_after_index = self._text_index_of_word_index(i) + return self.text[:look_after_index] + + def text_after_word_index(self, i): + """Returns the text after the end of word at index ``i``.""" + # Get index of beginning of word then jump to end of word. + look_after_index = self._text_index_of_word_index(i) + len(self.words[i]) + return self.text[look_after_index:] + + def first_word_diff(self, other_attacked_text): + """Returns the first word in self.words that differs from + other_attacked_text. + + Useful for word swap strategies. + """ + w1 = self.words + w2 = other_attacked_text.words + for i in range(min(len(w1), len(w2))): + if w1[i] != w2[i]: + return w1[i] + return None + + def first_word_diff_index(self, other_attacked_text): + """Returns the index of the first word in self.words that differs from + other_attacked_text. + + Useful for word swap strategies. + """ + w1 = self.words + w2 = other_attacked_text.words + for i in range(min(len(w1), len(w2))): + if w1[i] != w2[i]: + return i + return None + + def all_words_diff(self, other_attacked_text): + """Returns the set of indices for which this and other_attacked_text + have different words.""" + indices = set() + w1 = self.words + w2 = other_attacked_text.words + for i in range(min(len(w1), len(w2))): + if w1[i] != w2[i]: + indices.add(i) + return indices + + def ith_word_diff(self, other_attacked_text, i): + """Returns whether the word at index i differs from + other_attacked_text.""" + w1 = self.words + w2 = other_attacked_text.words + if len(w1) - 1 < i or len(w2) - 1 < i: + return True + return w1[i] != w2[i] + + def words_diff_num(self, other_attacked_text): + # using edit distance to calculate words diff num + def generate_tokens(words): + result = {} + idx = 1 + for w in words: + if w not in result: + result[w] = idx + idx += 1 + return result + + def words_to_tokens(words, tokens): + result = [] + for w in words: + result.append(tokens[w]) + return result + + def edit_distance(w1_t, w2_t): + matrix = [ + [i + j for j in range(len(w2_t) + 1)] for i in range(len(w1_t) + 1) + ] + + for i in range(1, len(w1_t) + 1): + for j in range(1, len(w2_t) + 1): + if w1_t[i - 1] == w2_t[j - 1]: + d = 0 + else: + d = 1 + matrix[i][j] = min( + matrix[i - 1][j] + 1, + matrix[i][j - 1] + 1, + matrix[i - 1][j - 1] + d, + ) + + return matrix[len(w1_t)][len(w2_t)] + + def cal_dif(w1, w2): + tokens = generate_tokens(w1 + w2) + w1_t = words_to_tokens(w1, tokens) + w2_t = words_to_tokens(w2, tokens) + return edit_distance(w1_t, w2_t) + + w1 = self.words + w2 = other_attacked_text.words + return cal_dif(w1, w2) + + def convert_from_original_idxs(self, idxs): + """Takes indices of words from original string and converts them to + indices of the same words in the current string. + + Uses information from + ``self.attack_attrs['original_index_map']``, which maps word + indices from the original to perturbed text. + """ + if len(self.attack_attrs["original_index_map"]) == 0: + return idxs + elif isinstance(idxs, set): + idxs = list(idxs) + + elif not isinstance(idxs, [list, np.ndarray]): + raise TypeError( + f"convert_from_original_idxs got invalid idxs type {type(idxs)}" + ) + + return [self.attack_attrs["original_index_map"][i] for i in idxs] + + def replace_words_at_indices(self, indices, new_words): + """This code returns a new AttackedText object where the word at + ``index`` is replaced with a new word.""" + if len(indices) != len(new_words): + raise ValueError( + f"Cannot replace {len(new_words)} words at {len(indices)} indices." + ) + words = self.words[:] + for i, new_word in zip(indices, new_words): + if not isinstance(new_word, str): + raise TypeError( + f"replace_words_at_indices requires ``str`` words, got {type(new_word)}" + ) + if (i < 0) or (i > len(words)): + raise ValueError(f"Cannot assign word at index {i}") + words[i] = new_word + return self.generate_new_attacked_text(words) + + def replace_word_at_index(self, index, new_word): + """This code returns a new AttackedText object where the word at + ``index`` is replaced with a new word.""" + if not isinstance(new_word, str): + raise TypeError( + f"replace_word_at_index requires ``str`` new_word, got {type(new_word)}" + ) + return self.replace_words_at_indices([index], [new_word]) + + def delete_word_at_index(self, index): + """This code returns a new AttackedText object where the word at + ``index`` is removed.""" + return self.replace_word_at_index(index, "") + + def insert_text_after_word_index(self, index, text): + """Inserts a string before word at index ``index`` and attempts to add + appropriate spacing.""" + if not isinstance(text, str): + raise TypeError(f"text must be an str, got type {type(text)}") + word_at_index = self.words[index] + new_text = " ".join((word_at_index, text)) + return self.replace_word_at_index(index, new_text) + + def insert_text_before_word_index(self, index, text): + """Inserts a string before word at index ``index`` and attempts to add + appropriate spacing.""" + if not isinstance(text, str): + raise TypeError(f"text must be an str, got type {type(text)}") + word_at_index = self.words[index] + # TODO if ``word_at_index`` is at the beginning of a sentence, we should + # optionally capitalize ``text``. + new_text = " ".join((text, word_at_index)) + return self.replace_word_at_index(index, new_text) + + def get_deletion_indices(self): + return self.attack_attrs["original_index_map"][ + self.attack_attrs["original_index_map"] == -1 + ] + + def generate_new_attacked_text(self, new_words): + """Returns a new AttackedText object and replaces old list of words + with a new list of words, but preserves the punctuation and spacing of + the original message. + + ``self.words`` is a list of the words in the current text with + punctuation removed. However, each "word" in ``new_words`` could + be an empty string, representing a word deletion, or a string + with multiple space-separated words, representation an insertion + of one or more words. + """ + perturbed_text = "" + original_text = AttackedText.SPLIT_TOKEN.join(self._text_input.values()) + new_attack_attrs = dict() + if "label_names" in self.attack_attrs: + new_attack_attrs["label_names"] = self.attack_attrs["label_names"] + new_attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"] = set() + # Point to previously monitored text. + new_attack_attrs["previous_attacked_text"] = self + # Use `new_attack_attrs` to track indices with respect to the original + # text. + new_attack_attrs["modified_indices"] = self.attack_attrs[ + "modified_indices" + ].copy() + new_attack_attrs["original_index_map"] = self.attack_attrs[ + "original_index_map" + ].copy() + new_i = 0 + # Create the new attacked text by swapping out words from the original + # text with a sequence of 0+ words in the new text. + for i, (input_word, adv_word_seq) in enumerate(zip(self.words, new_words)): + word_start = original_text.index(input_word) + word_end = word_start + len(input_word) + perturbed_text += original_text[:word_start] + original_text = original_text[word_end:] + adv_words = words_from_text(adv_word_seq) + adv_num_words = len(adv_words) + num_words_diff = adv_num_words - len(words_from_text(input_word)) + # Track indices on insertions and deletions. + if num_words_diff != 0: + # Re-calculated modified indices. If words are inserted or deleted, + # they could change. + shifted_modified_indices = set() + for modified_idx in new_attack_attrs["modified_indices"]: + if modified_idx < i: + shifted_modified_indices.add(modified_idx) + elif modified_idx > i: + shifted_modified_indices.add(modified_idx + num_words_diff) + else: + pass + new_attack_attrs["modified_indices"] = shifted_modified_indices + # Track insertions and deletions wrt original text. + # original_modification_idx = i + new_idx_map = new_attack_attrs["original_index_map"].copy() + if num_words_diff == -1: + # Word deletion + new_idx_map[new_idx_map == i] = -1 + new_idx_map[new_idx_map > i] += num_words_diff + + if num_words_diff > 0 and input_word != adv_words[0]: + # If insertion happens before the `input_word` + new_idx_map[new_idx_map == i] += num_words_diff + + new_attack_attrs["original_index_map"] = new_idx_map + # Move pointer and save indices of new modified words. + for j in range(i, i + adv_num_words): + if input_word != adv_word_seq: + new_attack_attrs["modified_indices"].add(new_i) + new_attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"].add(new_i) + new_i += 1 + # Check spaces for deleted text. + if adv_num_words == 0 and len(original_text): + # Remove extra space (or else there would be two spaces for each + # deleted word). + # @TODO What to do with punctuation in this case? This behavior is undefined. + if i == 0: + # If the first word was deleted, take a subsequent space. + if original_text[0] == " ": + original_text = original_text[1:] + else: + # If a word other than the first was deleted, take a preceding space. + if perturbed_text[-1] == " ": + perturbed_text = perturbed_text[:-1] + # Add substitute word(s) to new sentence. + perturbed_text += adv_word_seq + perturbed_text += original_text # Add all of the ending punctuation. + + # Add pointer to self so chain of replacements can be reconstructed. + new_attack_attrs["prev_attacked_text"] = self + + # Reform perturbed_text into an OrderedDict. + perturbed_input_texts = perturbed_text.split(AttackedText.SPLIT_TOKEN) + perturbed_input = OrderedDict( + zip(self._text_input.keys(), perturbed_input_texts) + ) + return AttackedText(perturbed_input, attack_attrs=new_attack_attrs) + + def words_diff_ratio(self, x): + """Get the ratio of words difference between current text and `x`. + + Note that current text and `x` must have same number of words. + """ + assert self.num_words == x.num_words + return float(np.sum(self.words != x.words)) / self.num_words + + def align_with_model_tokens(self, model_wrapper): + """Align AttackedText's `words` with target model's tokenization scheme + (e.g. word, character, subword). Specifically, we map each word to list + of indices of tokens that compose the word (e.g. embedding --> ["em", + "##bed", "##ding"]) + + Args: + model_wrapper (textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper): ModelWrapper of the target model + + Returns: + word2token_mapping (dict[int, list[int]]): Dictionary that maps i-th word to list of indices. + """ + tokens = model_wrapper.tokenize([self.tokenizer_input], strip_prefix=True)[0] + word2token_mapping = {} + j = 0 + last_matched = 0 + + for i, word in enumerate(self.words): + matched_tokens = [] + while j < len(tokens) and len(word) > 0: + token = tokens[j].lower() + idx = word.lower().find(token) + if idx == 0: + word = word[idx + len(token) :] + matched_tokens.append(j) + last_matched = j + j += 1 + + if not matched_tokens: + word2token_mapping[i] = None + j = last_matched + else: + word2token_mapping[i] = matched_tokens + + return word2token_mapping + + @property + def tokenizer_input(self): + """The tuple of inputs to be passed to the tokenizer.""" + input_tuple = tuple(self._text_input.values()) + # Prefer to return a string instead of a tuple with a single value. + if len(input_tuple) == 1: + return input_tuple[0] + else: + return input_tuple + + @property + def column_labels(self): + """Returns the labels for this text's columns. + + For single-sequence inputs, this simply returns ['text']. + """ + return list(self._text_input.keys()) + + @property + def words_per_input(self): + """Returns a list of lists of words corresponding to each input.""" + if not self._words_per_input: + self._words_per_input = [ + words_from_text(_input) for _input in self._text_input.values() + ] + return self._words_per_input + + @property + def words(self): + if not self._words: + self._words = words_from_text(self.text) + return self._words + + @property + def text(self): + """Represents full text input. + + Multiply inputs are joined with a line break. + """ + return "\n".join(self._text_input.values()) + + @property + def num_words(self): + """Returns the number of words in the sequence.""" + return len(self.words) + + @property + def newly_swapped_words(self): + return [self.words[i] for i in self.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]] + + def printable_text(self, key_color="bold", key_color_method=None): + """Represents full text input. Adds field descriptions. + + For example, entailment inputs look like: + ``` + premise: ... + hypothesis: ... + ``` + """ + # For single-sequence inputs, don't show a prefix. + if len(self._text_input) == 1: + return next(iter(self._text_input.values())) + # For multiple-sequence inputs, show a prefix and a colon. Optionally, + # color the key. + else: + if key_color_method: + + def ck(k): + return textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + k, key_color, key_color_method + ) + + else: + + def ck(k): + return k + + return "\n".join( + f"{ck(key.capitalize())}: {value}" + for key, value in self._text_input.items() + ) + + def __repr__(self): + return f'' diff --git a/textattack/shared/checkpoint.py b/textattack/shared/checkpoint.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f0e91d9ff5f76c639b5d5a4bea28007936fc3436 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/checkpoint.py @@ -0,0 +1,241 @@ +""" +Misc Checkpoints +=================== + +The ``AttackCheckpoint`` class saves in-progress attacks and loads saved attacks from disk. +""" +import copy +import datetime +import os +import pickle +import time + +import textattack +from textattack.attack_results import ( + FailedAttackResult, + MaximizedAttackResult, + SkippedAttackResult, + SuccessfulAttackResult, +) +from textattack.shared import logger, utils + +# TODO: Consider still keeping the old `Checkpoint` class and allow older checkpoints to be loaded to new TextAttack + + +class AttackCheckpoint: + """An object that stores necessary information for saving and loading + checkpoints. + + Args: + attack_args (textattack.AttackArgs): Arguments of the original attack + attack_log_manager (textattack.loggers.AttackLogManager): Object for storing attack results + worklist (deque[int]): List of examples that will be attacked. Examples are represented by their indicies within the dataset. + worklist_candidates (int): List of other available examples we can attack. Used to get the next dataset element when `attack_n=True`. + chkpt_time (float): epoch time representing when checkpoint was made + """ + + def __init__( + self, + attack_args, + attack_log_manager, + worklist, + worklist_candidates, + chkpt_time=None, + ): + assert isinstance( + attack_args, textattack.AttackArgs + ), "`attack_args` must be of type `textattack.AttackArgs`." + assert isinstance( + attack_log_manager, textattack.loggers.AttackLogManager + ), "`attack_log_manager` must be of type `textattack.loggers.AttackLogManager`." + + self.attack_args = copy.deepcopy(attack_args) + self.attack_log_manager = attack_log_manager + self.worklist = worklist + self.worklist_candidates = worklist_candidates + if chkpt_time: + self.time = chkpt_time + else: + self.time = time.time() + + self._verify() + + def __repr__(self): + main_str = "AttackCheckpoint(" + lines = [] + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(Time): {self.datetime}", 2)) + + args_lines = [] + recipe_set = ( + True + if "recipe" in self.attack_args.__dict__ + and self.attack_args.__dict__["recipe"] + else False + ) + mutually_exclusive_args = ["search", "transformation", "constraints", "recipe"] + if recipe_set: + args_lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f'(recipe): {self.attack_args.__dict__["recipe"]}', 2) + ) + else: + args_lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f'(search): {self.attack_args.__dict__["search"]}', 2) + ) + args_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f'(transformation): {self.attack_args.__dict__["transformation"]}', + 2, + ) + ) + args_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f'(constraints): {self.attack_args.__dict__["constraints"]}', 2 + ) + ) + + for key in self.attack_args.__dict__: + if key not in mutually_exclusive_args: + args_lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f"({key}): {self.attack_args.__dict__[key]}", 2) + ) + + args_str = utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(args_lines), 2) + lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"(attack_args): {args_str}", 2)) + + attack_logger_lines = [] + attack_logger_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Total number of examples to attack): {self.attack_args.num_examples}", + 2, + ) + ) + attack_logger_lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f"(Number of attacks performed): {self.results_count}", 2) + ) + attack_logger_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Number of remaining attacks): {self.num_remaining_attacks}", 2 + ) + ) + breakdown_lines = [] + breakdown_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Number of successful attacks): {self.num_successful_attacks}", 2 + ) + ) + breakdown_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Number of failed attacks): {self.num_failed_attacks}", 2 + ) + ) + breakdown_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Number of maximized attacks): {self.num_maximized_attacks}", 2 + ) + ) + breakdown_lines.append( + utils.add_indent( + f"(Number of skipped attacks): {self.num_skipped_attacks}", 2 + ) + ) + breakdown_str = utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(breakdown_lines), 2) + attack_logger_lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f"(Latest result breakdown): {breakdown_str}", 2) + ) + attack_logger_str = utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(attack_logger_lines), 2) + lines.append( + utils.add_indent(f"(Previous attack summary): {attack_logger_str}", 2) + ) + + main_str += "\n " + "\n ".join(lines) + "\n" + main_str += ")" + return main_str + + __str__ = __repr__ + + @property + def results_count(self): + """Return number of attacks made so far.""" + return len(self.attack_log_manager.results) + + @property + def num_skipped_attacks(self): + return sum( + isinstance(r, SkippedAttackResult) for r in self.attack_log_manager.results + ) + + @property + def num_failed_attacks(self): + return sum( + isinstance(r, FailedAttackResult) for r in self.attack_log_manager.results + ) + + @property + def num_successful_attacks(self): + return sum( + isinstance(r, SuccessfulAttackResult) + for r in self.attack_log_manager.results + ) + + @property + def num_maximized_attacks(self): + return sum( + isinstance(r, MaximizedAttackResult) + for r in self.attack_log_manager.results + ) + + @property + def num_remaining_attacks(self): + if self.attack_args.attack_n: + non_skipped_attacks = self.num_successful_attacks + self.num_failed_attacks + count = self.attack_args.num_examples - non_skipped_attacks + else: + count = self.attack_args.num_examples - self.results_count + return count + + @property + def dataset_offset(self): + """Calculate offset into the dataset to start from.""" + # Original offset + # of results processed so far + return self.attack_args.num_examples_offset + self.results_count + + @property + def datetime(self): + return datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(self.time).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S") + + def save(self, quiet=False): + file_name = "{}.ta.chkpt".format(int(self.time * 1000)) + if not os.path.exists(self.attack_args.checkpoint_dir): + os.makedirs(self.attack_args.checkpoint_dir) + path = os.path.join(self.attack_args.checkpoint_dir, file_name) + if not quiet: + print("\n\n" + "=" * 125) + logger.info( + 'Saving checkpoint under "{}" at {} after {} attacks.'.format( + path, self.datetime, self.results_count + ) + ) + print("=" * 125 + "\n") + with open(path, "wb") as f: + pickle.dump(self, f, protocol=pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL) + + @classmethod + def load(cls, path): + with open(path, "rb") as f: + checkpoint = pickle.load(f) + assert isinstance(checkpoint, cls) + + return checkpoint + + def _verify(self): + """Check that the checkpoint has no duplicates and is consistent.""" + assert self.num_remaining_attacks == len( + self.worklist + ), "Recorded number of remaining attacks and size of worklist are different." + + results_set = { + result.original_text for result in self.attack_log_manager.results + } + assert ( + len(results_set) == self.results_count + ), "Duplicate `AttackResults` found." diff --git a/textattack/shared/chinese_homophone_char.txt b/textattack/shared/chinese_homophone_char.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..859e0289899a3c3250f8518133e382e46c8fe203 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/chinese_homophone_char.txt @@ -0,0 +1,401 @@ +de 的 地 得 德 嘚 徳 锝 脦 悳 淂 鍀 惪 恴 棏 +le 了 乐 叻 肋 樂 楽 仂 泐 簕 饹 竻 砳 玏 鳓 扐 艻 忇 氻 阞 韷 鰳 餎 +shi 是 时 使 事 式 市 师 诗 似 十 石 屎 史 室 试 失 饰 视 食 湿 识 实 氏 世 施 势 時 始 士 适 示 狮 拾 尸 誓 释 仕 實 侍 逝 驶 匙 拭 恃 噬 嗜 莳 矢 師 蚀 谥 柿 湜 弑 詩 襹 適 試 視 識 勢 昰 媞 虱 豕 轼 溡 亊 獅 鍦 舐 濕 釋 実 飾 豉 屍 螫 筮 寔 礻 駛 辻 兘 蓍 铈 丗 埘 奭 蝕 饣 諟 弒 蒔 溼 卋 煶 贳 浉 炻 鲥 鉽 忕 遈 溮 笶 徥 鲺 諡 鰤 栻 眎 謚 祏 湤 呞 飠 蝨 絁 烒 睗 旹 鰣 榯 葹 釈 澨 鉐 邿 恀 峕 崼 鼫 貰 釶 柹 簭 軾 鉂 眡 眂 蒒 瑡 枾 乭 叓 呩 戺 鉃 鉈 揓 餙 塒 竍 籂 銴 嵵 佦 姼 鳾 鸤 褷 嬕 鳲 餝 觢 舓 宩 鯴 鈰 鰘 乨 冟 鮖 鉇 篒 鼭 鶳 襫 榁 遾 +zai 在 再 载 仔 栽 宰 哉 崽 灾 載 甾 災 洅 菑 縡 酨 渽 儎 烖 傤 睵 賳 扗 溨 +he 和 喝 合 何 河 呵 盒 贺 核 鹤 荷 赫 禾 褐 嗬 阖 壑 颌 姀 曷 涸 诃 籺 菏 啝 郃 劾 盍 賀 焃 翮 鶴 盉 饸 蚵 阂 哬 龢 垎 鹖 抲 澕 欱 楁 龁 皬 翯 咊 鶡 佫 熇 鲄 峆 闔 訶 爀 萂 秴 碋 覈 惒 訸 袔 柇 鞨 頜 狢 蠚 盇 癋 嗃 渮 鉌 寉 靎 齕 靏 礉 輅 紇 敆 魺 毼 粭 熆 螛 鶮 麧 篕 煂 燺 鑉 詥 靍 穒 貈 鸖 謞 +wo 我 窝 握 卧 沃 倭 涡 渥 硪 蜗 斡 臥 窩 挝 涴 仴 龌 幄 莴 肟 擭 楃 偓 渦 蝸 枂 猧 捰 婐 瓁 雘 唩 踒 濣 萵 撾 涹 臒 齷 瞃 捾 媉 焥 腛 +you 有 又 由 油 友 右 游 呦 优 忧 邮 尤 犹 幽 悠 幼 佑 釉 攸 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仏 坲 梻 diff --git a/textattack/shared/data.py b/textattack/shared/data.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9675fa960b1ddf306158609fab75c8c93b5faccd --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/data.py @@ -0,0 +1,9335 @@ +""" +Shared data fields +===================== + +Lists of named entities: countries, nationalities, cities. + +Lists of person names, first and last. + +""" + + +# fmt: off +NAMED_ENTITIES = { + "country": [ + "China", "India", "United States", "Indonesia", "Pakistan", "Brazil", "Nigeria", "Bangladesh", "Russian Federation", "Japan", "Mexico", "Ethiopia", "Philippines", "Egypt", "Vietnam", "Germany", "Turkey", "Iran", "Thailand", "France", "United Kingdom", "Italy", "South Africa", "Tanzania", "Myanmar", "Kenya", "Colombia", "Spain", "Ukraine", "Argentina", "Uganda", "Algeria", "Sudan", "Iraq", "Poland", "Afghanistan", "Canada", "Morocco", "Saudi Arabia", "Uzbekistan", "Peru", "Malaysia", "Angola", "Ghana", "Mozambique", "Venezuela", "Yemen", "Nepal", "Madagascar", "Korea", "Cameroon", "Australia", "Niger", "Sri Lanka", "Burkina Faso", "Romania", "Mali", "Chile", "Kazakhstan", "Malawi", "Zambia", "Guatemala", "Netherlands", "Ecuador", "Syrian Arab Republic", "Cambodia", "Senegal", "Chad", "Somalia", "Zimbabwe", "Guinea", "Rwanda", "Tunisia", "Benin", "Belgium", "Bolivia", "Cuba", "Burundi", "Haiti", "South Sudan", "Greece", "Dominican Republic", "Czech Republic", "Portugal", "Sweden", "Jordan", "Azerbaijan", "Hungary", "United Arab Emirates", "Honduras", "Belarus", "Tajikistan", "Israel", "Austria", "Papua New Guinea", "Switzerland", "Togo", "Sierra Leone", "Hong Kong SAR", "Lao PDR", "Bulgaria", "Serbia", "Paraguay", "Lebanon", "Libya", "Nicaragua", "El Salvador", "Kyrgyz Republic", "Turkmenistan", "Denmark", "Singapore", "Finland", "Slovak Republic", "Norway", "Congo", "Costa Rica", "New Zealand", "Ireland", "Oman", "Liberia", "Central African Republic", "West Bank and Gaza", "Mauritania", "Panama", "Kuwait", "Croatia", "Georgia", "Moldova", "Uruguay", "Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Eritrea", "Puerto Rico", "Mongolia", "Armenia", "Jamaica", "Albania", "Lithuania", "Qatar", "Namibia", "Gambia", "Botswana", "Gabon", "Lesotho", "North Macedonia", "Slovenia", "Latvia", "Guinea-Bissau", "Kosovo", "Bahrain", "Trinidad and Tobago", "Estonia", "Equatorial Guinea", "Timor-Leste", "Mauritius", "Cyprus", "Eswatini", "Djibouti", "Fiji", "Comoros", "Guyana", "Bhutan", "Solomon Islands", "Macao SAR", "Montenegro", "Luxembourg", "Suriname", "Cabo Verde", "Maldives", "Malta", "Brunei Darussalam", "Bahamas", "Belize", "Iceland", "Vanuatu", "Barbados", "New Caledonia", "French Polynesia", "Samoa", "St. Lucia", "Channel Islands", "Guam", "Kiribati", "Micronesia", "Grenada", "St. Vincent and the Grenadines", "Virgin Islands (U.S.)", "Aruba", "Tonga", "Seychelles", "Antigua and Barbuda", "Isle of Man", "Andorra", "Dominica", "Cayman Islands", "Bermuda", "Marshall Islands", "Northern Mariana Islands", "Greenland", "American Samoa", "St. Kitts and Nevis", "Faroe Islands", "Sint Maarten (Dutch part)", "Monaco", "Liechtenstein", "Turks and Caicos Islands", "St. Martin (French part)", "San Marino", "Gibraltar", "British Virgin Islands", "Palau", "Nauru", "Tuvalu", "C\u00f4te d'Ivoire", "Cura\u00e7ao", "S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Principe", + ], + "country-spanish": [ + "Afganistan", + "Albania", + "Alemania", + "Andorra", + "Angola", + "Antigua y Barbuda", + "Arabia Saudita / Arabia Saudí", + "Argelia", + "Argentina", + "Armenia", + "Australia", + "Austria", + "Azerbaiyán", + "Bahamas", + "Bangladés", + "Barbados", + "Baréin", + "Bélgica", + "Belice", + "Bielorrusia", + "Benín", + "Birmania / Myanmar", + "Bolivia", + "Bosnia y Herzegovina / Bosnia-Herzegovina", + "Botsuana", + "Brasil", + "Brunei", + "Bulgaria", + "Burkina Faso", + "Burundi", + "Bután", + "Cabo Verde", + "Camboya", + "Camerún", + "Canadá", + "Catar", + "República Centroafricana", + "Chad", + "República Checa / Chequia", + "Chile", + "China", + "Chipre", + "Colombia", + "Comoras", + "República del Congo", + "República Democrática del Congo", + "Corea del Norte", + "Corea del Sur", + "Costa de Marfil", + "Costa Rica", + "Croacia", + "Cuba", + "Dinamarca", + "Dominica", + "República Dominicana", + "Ecuador", + "Egipto", + "El Salvador", + "Emiratos Árabes Unidos", + "Eritrea", + "Eslovaquia", + "Eslovenia", + "España", + "Estados Unidos", + "Estonia", + "Etiopía", + "Filipinas", + "Finlandia", + "Fiyi", + "Francia", + "Gabón", + "Gambia", + "Georgia", + "Ghana", + "Granada", + "Grecia", + "Guatemala", + "Guinea", + "Guinea-Bisáu", + "Guinea Ecuatorial", + "Guyana", + "Haití", + "Honduras", + "Hungría", + "India", + "Indonesia", + "Irak", + "Irán", + "Irlanda", + "Islandia", + "Israel", + "Italia", + "Jamaica", + "Japón", + "Jordania", + "Kazajistán", + "Kenia", + "Kirguistán", + "Kiribati", + "Kuwait", + "Laos", + "Lesoto", + "Letonia", + "Líbano", + "Liberia", + "Libia", + "Liechtenstein", + "Lituania", + "Luxemburgo", + "Macedonia del Norte", + "Madagascar", + "Malasia", + "Malaui", + "Maldivas", + "Mali / Malí", + "Malta", + "Marruecos", + "Islas Marshall", + "Mauricio", + "Mauritania", + "México", + "Micronesia", + "Moldavia", + "Mónaco", + "Mongolia", + "Montenegro", + "Mozambique", + "Namibia", + "Nauru", + "Nepal", + "Nicaragua", + "Níger", + "Nigeria", + "Noruega", + "Nueva Zelanda / Nueva Zelandia", + "Omán", + "Países Bajos", + "Pakistán", + "Palaos", + "Palestina", + "Panamá", + "Papúa Nueva Guinea", + "Paraguay", + "Perú", + "Polonia", + "Portugal", + "Reino Unido", + "Ruanda", + "Rumania / Rumanía", + "Rusia", + "Islas Salomón", + "Samoa", + "San Cristóbal y Nieves", + "San Marino", + "San Vicente y las Granadinas", + "Santa Lucía", + "Santo Tomé y Príncipe", + "Senegal", + "Serbia", + "Seychelles", + "Sierra Leona", + "Singapur", + "Siria", + "Somalia", + "Sri Lanka", + "Suazilandia / Esuatini", + "Sudáfrica", + "Sudán", + "Sudán del Sur", + "Suecia", + "Suiza", + "Surinam", + "Tailandia", + "Tanzania", + "Tayikistán", + "Timor Oriental", + "Togo", + "Tonga", + "Trinidad y Tobago", + "Túnez", + "Turkmenistán", + "Turquía", + "Tuvalu", + "Ucrania", + "Uganda", + "Uruguay", + "Uzbekistán", + "Vanuatu", + "Ciudad del Vaticano", + "Venezuela", + "Vietnam", + "Yemen", + "Yibuti", + "Zambia", + "Zimbabue", + ], + "country-french": [ + "Afghanistan", + "Afrique du Sud", + "Albanie", + "Algérie", + "Allemagne", + "Andorre", + "Angola", + "Anguilla", + "Antigua-et-Barbuda", + "Antilles Néerlandaises", + "Arabie Saoudite", + "Argentine", + "Arménie Aruba", + "Australie", + "Autriche", + "Azerbaïdjan", + "Bahamas", + "Bahreïn", + "Bangladesh", + "Barbade", + "Belgique", + "Belize", + "Bénin", + "Bermudes", + "Bhoutan", + "Biélorussie", + "Birmanie", + "Bolivie", + "Bosnie-Herzégovine", + "Botswana", + "Brésil", + "Brunei", + "Bulgarie", + "Burkina Faso", + "Burundi", + "Cambodge", + "Cameroun", + "Canada", + "Cap-vert", + "Chili", + "Chine", + "Chypre", + "Colombie", + "Comores", + "Corée du Nord", + "Corée du Sud", + "Costa Rica", + "Côte d'Ivoire", + "Croatie", + "Cuba", + "Danemark", + "Djibouti", + "Dominique", + "Égypte", + "Émirats", + "Arabes Unis", + "Équateur", + "Érythrée", + "Espagne", + "Estonie", + "États Fédérés de Micronésie", + "États-Unis", + "Éthiopie", + "Fidji", + "Finlande", + "France", + "Gabon", + "Gambie", + "Géorgie", + "Géorgie du Sud et les Îles Sandwich du Sud", + "Ghana", + "Gibraltar", + "Grèce", + "Grenade", + "Groenland", + "Guadeloupe", + "Guam", + "Guatemala", + "Guinée", + "Guinée-Bissau", + "Guinée Équatoriale", + "Guyana", + "Guyane", + "Française", + "Haïti", + "Honduras", + "Hongrie", + "Île Christmas", + "Île de Man", + "Île Norfolk", + "Îles Åland", + "Îles Caïmanes", + "Îles Cocos", + "Îles Cook", + "Îles Féroé", + "Îles Malouines", + "Îles Mariannes du Nord", + "Îles Marshall", + "Îles Pitcairn", + "Îles Salomon", + "Îles Turks et Caïques", + "Îles Vierges Britanniques", + "Îles Vierges des États-Unis", + "Inde", + "Indonésie", + "Iran", + "Iraq", + "Irlande", + "Islande", + "Israël", + "Italie", + "Jamaïque", + "Japon", + "Jordanie", + "Kazakhstan", + "Kenya", + "Kirghizistan", + "Kiribati", + "Koweït", + "Laos", + "Le Vatican", + "Lesotho", + "Lettonie", + "Liban", + "Libéria", + "Libye", + "Liechtenstein", + "Lituanie", + "Luxembourg", + "Macao", + "Madagascar", + "Malaisie", + "Malawi", + "Maldives", + "Mali", + "Malte", + "Maroc", + "Martinique", + "Maurice", + "Mauritanie", + "Mayotte", + "Mexique", + "Moldavie", + "Monaco", + "Mongolie", + "Monténégro", + "Montserrat", + "Mozambique", + "Namibie", + "Nauru", + "Népal", + "Nicaragua", + "Niger", + "Nigéria", + "Niué", + "Norvège", + "Nouvelle-Calédonie", + "Nouvelle-Zélande", + "Oman", + "Ouganda", + "Ouzbékistan", + "Pakistan", + "Palaos", + "Panama", + "Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée", + "Paraguay", + "Pays-Bas", + "Pérou", + "Philippines", + "Pologne", + "Polynésie Française", + "Porto Rico", + "Portugal", + "Qatar", + "République Centrafricaine", + "République de Macédoine", + "République Démocratique du Congo", + "République Dominicaine", + "République du Congo", + "République Tchèque", + "Réunion Roumanie", + "Royaume-Uni", + "Russie", + "Rwanda", + "Saint-Kitts-et-Nevis", + "Saint-Marin", + "Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon", + "Saint-Vincent-et-les Grenadines", + "Sainte-Hélène", + "Sainte-Lucie", + "Salvador", + "Samoa", + "Samoa Américaines", + "Sao Tomé-et-Principe", + "Sénégal", + "Serbie", + "Seychelles", + "Sierra Leone", + "Singapour", + "Slovaquie", + "Slovénie", + "Somalie", + "Soudan", + "Sri Lanka", + "Suède", + "Suisse", + "Suriname", + "Svalbard et Jan Mayen", + "Swaziland", + "Syrie", + "Tadjikistan", + "Tanzanie", + "Tchad", + "Terres Australes Françaises", + "Thaïlande", + "Timor Oriental", + "Togo", + "Tonga", + "Trinité-et-Tobago", + "Tunisie", + "Turkménistan", + "Turquie", + "Tuvalu", + "Ukraine", + "Uruguay", + "Vanuatu", + "Venezuela", + "Viet Nam", + "Wallis et Futuna", + "Yémen", + "Zambie", + "Zimbabwe", + ], + "nationality": [ + "Chinese", "Indian", "American", "Indonesian", "Pakistani", "Brazilian", "Nigerian", "Bangladeshi", "Russian", "Japanese", "Mexican", "Ethiopian", "Philippine", "Egyptian", "Vietnamese", "German", "Turkish", "Iranian", "Thai", "French", "British", "Italian", "South African", "Tanzanian", "Burmese", "Kenyan", "Colombian", "Spanish", "Ukrainian", "Argentine", "Ugandan", "Algerian", "Sudanese", "Iraqi", "Polish", "Afghan", "Canadian", "Moroccan", "Saudi", "Uzbekistani", "Peruvian", "Malaysian", "Angolan", "Ghanaian", "Mozambican", "Venezuelan", "Yemeni", "Nepali", "Malagasy", "South Korean", "Cameroonian", "Australian", "Nigerien", "Sri Lankan", "Burkinab\u00e9", "Romanian", "Malian", "Chilean", "Kazakhstani", "Malawian", "Zambian", "Guatemalan", "Dutch", "Ecuadorian", "Syrian", "Cambodian", "Senegalese", "Chadian", "Somali", "Zimbabwean", "Guinean", "Rwandan", "Tunisian", "Beninese", "Belgian", "Bolivian", "Cuban", "Burundian", "Haitian", "South Sudanese", "Greek", "Dominican", "Czech", "Portuguese", "Swedish", "Jordanian", "Azerbaijani", "Hungarian", "Emirati", "Honduran", "Belarusian", "Tajikistani", "Israeli", "Austrian", "Papua New Guinean", "Swiss", "Togolese", "Sierra Leonean", "Hong Kong", "Lao", "Bulgarian", "Serbian", "Paraguayan", "Lebanese", "Libyan", "Nicaraguan", "Salvadoran", "Kyrgyzstani", "Turkmen", "Danish", "Singaporean", "Finnish", "Slovak", "Norwegian", "Congolese", "Costa Rican", "New Zealand", "Irish", "Omani", "Liberian", "Central African", "Palestinian", "Mauritanian", "Panamanian", "Kuwaiti", "Croatian", "Georgian", "Moldovan", "Uruguayan", "Bosnian or Herzegovinian", "Eritrean", "Puerto Rican", "Mongolian", "Armenian", "Jamaican", "Albanian", "Lithuanian", "Qatari", "Namibian", "Gambian", "Motswana", "Gabonese", "Basotho", "Macedonian", "Slovenian", "Latvian", "Bissau-Guinean", "from Kosovo", "Bahraini", "Trinidadian or Tobagonian", "Estonian", "Equatorial Guinean", "Timorese", "Mauritian", "Cypriot", "Swazi", "Djiboutian", "Fijian", "Comoran", "Guyanese", "Bhutanese", "Solomon Island", "Macanese", "Montenegrin", "Luxembourg", "Surinamese", "Cabo Verdean", "Maldivian", "Maltese", "Bruneian", "Bahamian", "Belizean", "Icelandic", "Ni-Vanuatu", "Barbadian", "New Caledonian", "French Polynesian", "Samoan", "Saint Lucian", "from Channel Islands", "Guamanian", "I-Kiribati", "Micronesian", "Grenadian", "Saint Vincentian", "U.S. Virgin Island", "Aruban", "Tongan", "Seychellois", "Antiguan or Barbudan", "Manx", "Andorran", "Dominican", "Caymanian", "Bermudian", "Marshallese", "Northern Marianan", "Greenlandic", "American Samoan", "Kittitian or Nevisian", "Faroese", "Sint Maarten", "Mon\u00e9gasque", "Liechtenstein", "Turks and Caicos Island", "Saint-Martinoise", "Sammarinese", "Gibraltar", "British Virgin Island", "Palauan", "Nauruan", "Tuvaluan", "Ivorian", "Cura\u00e7aoan", "S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9an", + ], + "nationality-spanish": [ + "afgano", + "afgana", + "alemán", + "alemana", + "árabe", + "árabe", + "argentino", + "argentina", + "australiano", + "australiana", + "belga", + "belga", + "boliviano", + "boliviana", + "brasileño", + "brasileña", + "camboyano", + "camboyana", + "canadiense", + "canadiense", + "chileno", + "chilena", + "chino", + "china", + "colombiano", + "colombiana", + "coreano", + "coreana", + "costarricense", + "costarricense", + "cubano", + "cubana", + "danés", + "danesa", + "ecuatoriano", + "ecuatoriana", + "egipcio", + "egipcia", + "salvadoreño", + "salvadoreña", + "escocés", + "escocesa", + "español", + "española", + "estadounidense", + "estadounidense", + "estonio", + "estonia", + "etiope", + "etiope", + "filipino", + "filipina", + "finlandés", + "finlandesa", + "francés", + "francesa", + "galés", + "galesa", + "griego", + "griega", + "guatemalteco", + "guatemalteca", + "haitiano", + "haitiana", + "holandés", + "holandesa", + "hondureño", + "hondureña", + "indonés", + "indonesa", + "inglés", + "inglesa", + "iraquí", + "iraquí", + "iraní", + "iraní", + "irlandés", + "irlandesa", + "israelí", + "israelí", + "italiano", + "italiana", + "japonés", + "japonesa", + "jordano", + "jordana", + "laosiano", + "laosiana", + "letón", + "letona", + "letonés", + "letonesa", + "malayo", + "malaya", + "marroquí", + "marroquí", + "mexicano", + "mexicana", + "nicaragüense", + "nicaragüense", + "noruego", + "noruega", + "neozelandés", + "neozelandesa", + "panameño", + "panameña", + "paraguayo", + "paraguaya", + "peruano", + "peruana", + "polaco", + "polaca", + "portugués", + "portuguesa", + "puertorriqueño", + "puertorriqueño", + "dominicano", + "dominicana", + "rumano", + "rumana", + "ruso", + "rusa", + "sueco", + "sueca", + "suizo", + "suiza", + "tailandés", + "tailandesa", + "taiwanes", + "taiwanesa", + "turco", + "turca", + "ucraniano", + "ucraniana", + "uruguayo", + "uruguaya", + "venezolano", + "venezolana", + "vietnamita", + "vietnamita", + ], + "nationality-french": [ + "afghan", + "albanais", + "Algérien", + "Andorran", + "Angolais", + "Antiguan ou Barbudan", + "Argentin", + "arménien", + "Australien", + "Autrichien", + "Azerbaïdjanais, Azéri", + "Bahamien", + "Bahreïn", + "bengali", + "Barbadien", + "Biélorusse", + "Belge", + "Belize", + "Béninois", + "Bhoutanais", + "bolivien", + "Bosnie-Herzégovine", + "Motswana, Botswanan", + "Brésilien", + "Bruneian", + "Bulgare", + "Burkinabé", + "birman", + "Burundi", + "Cabo Verdean", + "Cambodgien", + "Camerounais", + "canadienne", + "Afrique centrale", + "Tchadien", + "Chilien", + "Chinois", + "colombien", + "Comorien", + "congolais", + "congolais", + "Costaricain", + "Ivoirien", + "croate", + "cubain", + "Chypriote", + "Tchèque", + "Danois", + "Djiboutien", + "dominicain", + "dominicain", + "Timorais", + "Équatorien", + "Égyptien", + "Salvadorien", + "Équato-guinéenne", + "Érythrée", + "estonien", + "Éthiopien", + "Fidjien", + "Finlandais", + "Français", + "gabonais", + "gambien", + "géorgien", + "Allemand", + "ghanéen", + "Gibraltar", + "hellénique", + "Grenadian", + "guatémaltèque", + "Guinéenne", + "Bissau-Guinéen", + "guyanais", + "Haïtien", + "Honduras", + "magyar", + "Islandais", + "Indien", + "Indonesian", + "Persan", + "irakien", + "irlandais", + "israélien", + "Italien", + "Ivoirien", + "jamaïquain", + "Japonais", + "jordanien", + "Kazakhstani, Kazakh", + "Kényen", + "I-Kiribati", + "Nord coréen", + "Corée du Sud", + "koweïtien", + "Kirghizistan", + "laotien", + "Letton", + "libanais", + "Basotho", + "Libérienne", + "Libye", + "Liechtenstein", + "lituanien", + "luxembourgeois", + "macédonien", + "malgache", + "Malawite", + "Malaisie", + "Maldives", + "Malien, malinais", + "maltais", + "Marshall", + "Martiniquais", + "Mauritanien", + "Mauricien", + "Mexicain", + "Micronésiens", + "Moldave", + "Monacan", + "mongol", + "monténégrin", + "Marocain", + "Mozambique", + "Namibie", + "nauruan", + "népalais", + "Néerlandais", + "Zelanian", + "nicaraguayen", + "Nigerien", + "Nigeria", + "Marianan du Nord", + "Norvégien", + "Oman", + "Pakistanais", + "Palauan", + "palestinien", + "panaméen", + "Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Papouasie", + "Paraguayen", + "péruvien", + "Philippin", + "Polonais", + "Portugais", + "portoricain", + "Qatari", + "roumain", + "Russe", + "Rwandais", + "Kittitien ou Nevisien", + "Saint Lucian", + "Saint Vincentien", + "samoan", + "Saint-Marin", + "São Toméan", + "Arabie saoudite", + "Sénégalais", + "serbe", + "Seychellois", + "Sierra Leone", + "Singapourien", + "Slovaque", + "Slovène", + "Îles Salomon", + "somali", + "Sud africain", + "Soudan du Sud", + "Espagnol", + "Sri lankais", + "soudanais", + "Surinamais", + "Swazi", + "Suédois", + "Suisse", + "syrien", + "Tadjikistan", + "tanzanien", + "Thai", + "Timorais", + "Togolais", + "Tokélaouan", + "Tongan", + "Trinite-et-Tobago", + "Tunisien", + "turc", + "Turkmène", + "Tuvaluan", + "Ougandais", + "ukrainien", + "Emirati", + "britannique", + "américain", + "uruguayen", + "Ouzbékistan", + "vanuatu", + "Vatican", + "vénézuélien", + "vietnamien", + "Yéménite", + "Zambien", + "zimbabwéen", + ], + "city": [ + "New York", "Los Angeles", "Chicago", "Houston", "Philadelphia", "Phoenix", "San Antonio", "San Diego", "Dallas", "San Jose", "Austin", "Indianapolis", "Jacksonville", "San Francisco", "Columbus", "Charlotte", "Fort Worth", "Detroit", "El Paso", "Memphis", "Seattle", "Denver", "Washington", "Boston", "Nashville-Davidson", "Baltimore", "Oklahoma City", "Louisville/Jefferson County", "Portland", "Las Vegas", "Milwaukee", "Albuquerque", "Tucson", "Fresno", "Sacramento", "Long Beach", "Kansas City", "Mesa", "Virginia Beach", "Atlanta", "Colorado Springs", "Omaha", "Raleigh", "Miami", "Oakland", "Minneapolis", "Tulsa", "Cleveland", "Wichita", "Arlington", "New Orleans", "Bakersfield", "Tampa", "Honolulu", "Aurora", "Anaheim", "Santa Ana", "St. Louis", "Riverside", "Corpus Christi", "Lexington-Fayette", "Pittsburgh", "Anchorage", "Stockton", "Cincinnati", "St. Paul", "Toledo", "Greensboro", "Newark", "Plano", "Henderson", "Lincoln", "Buffalo", "Jersey City", "Chula Vista", "Fort Wayne", "Orlando", "St. Petersburg", "Chandler", "Laredo", "Norfolk", "Durham", "Madison", "Lubbock", "Irvine", "Winston-Salem", "Glendale", "Garland", "Hialeah", "Reno", "Chesapeake", "Gilbert", "Baton Rouge", "Irving", "Scottsdale", "North Las Vegas", "Fremont", "Boise City", "Richmond", "San Bernardino", "Birmingham", "Spokane", "Rochester", "Des Moines", "Modesto", "Fayetteville", "Tacoma", "Oxnard", "Fontana", "Columbus", "Montgomery", "Moreno Valley", "Shreveport", "Aurora", "Yonkers", "Akron", "Huntington Beach", "Little Rock", "Augusta-Richmond County", "Amarillo", "Glendale", "Mobile", "Grand Rapids", "Salt Lake City", "Tallahassee", "Huntsville", "Grand Prairie", "Knoxville", "Worcester", "Newport News", "Brownsville", "Overland Park", "Santa Clarita", "Providence", "Garden Grove", "Chattanooga", "Oceanside", "Jackson", "Fort Lauderdale", "Santa Rosa", "Rancho Cucamonga", "Port St. Lucie", "Tempe", "Ontario", "Vancouver", "Cape Coral", "Sioux Falls", "Springfield", "Peoria", "Pembroke Pines", "Elk Grove", "Salem", "Lancaster", "Corona", "Eugene", "Palmdale", "Salinas", "Springfield", "Pasadena", "Fort Collins", "Hayward", "Pomona", "Cary", "Rockford", "Alexandria", "Escondido", "McKinney", "Kansas City", "Joliet", "Sunnyvale", "Torrance", "Bridgeport", "Lakewood", "Hollywood", "Paterson", "Naperville", "Syracuse", "Mesquite", "Dayton", "Savannah", "Clarksville", "Orange", "Pasadena", "Fullerton", "Killeen", "Frisco", "Hampton", "McAllen", "Warren", "Bellevue", "West Valley City", "Columbia", "Olathe", "Sterling Heights", "New Haven", "Miramar", "Waco", "Thousand Oaks", "Cedar Rapids", "Charleston", "Visalia", "Topeka", "Elizabeth", "Gainesville", "Thornton", "Roseville", "Carrollton", "Coral Springs", "Stamford", "Simi Valley", "Concord", "Hartford", "Kent", "Lafayette", "Midland", "Surprise", "Denton", "Victorville", "Evansville", "Santa Clara", "Abilene", "Athens-Clarke County", "Vallejo", "Allentown", "Norman", "Beaumont", "Independence", "Murfreesboro", "Ann Arbor", "Springfield", "Berkeley", "Peoria", "Provo", "El Monte", "Columbia", "Lansing", "Fargo", "Downey", "Costa Mesa", "Wilmington", "Arvada", "Inglewood", "Miami Gardens", "Carlsbad", "Westminster", "Rochester", "Odessa", "Manchester", "Elgin", "West Jordan", "Round Rock", "Clearwater", "Waterbury", "Gresham", "Fairfield", "Billings", "Lowell", "San Buenaventura (Ventura)", "Pueblo", "High Point", "West Covina", "Richmond", "Murrieta", "Cambridge", "Antioch", "Temecula", "Norwalk", "Centennial", "Everett", "Palm Bay", "Wichita Falls", "Green Bay", "Daly City", "Burbank", "Richardson", "Pompano Beach", "North Charleston", "Broken Arrow", "Boulder", "West Palm Beach", "Santa Maria", "El Cajon", "Davenport", "Rialto", "Las Cruces", "San Mateo", "Lewisville", "South Bend", "Lakeland", "Erie", "Tyler", "Pearland", "College Station", "Kenosha", "Sandy Springs", "Clovis", "Flint", "Roanoke", "Albany", "Jurupa Valley", "Compton", "San Angelo", "Hillsboro", "Lawton", "Renton", "Vista", "Davie", "Greeley", "Mission Viejo", "Portsmouth", "Dearborn", "South Gate", "Tuscaloosa", "Livonia", "New Bedford", "Vacaville", "Brockton", "Roswell", "Beaverton", "Quincy", "Sparks", "Yakima", "Lee's Summit", "Federal Way", "Carson", "Santa Monica", "Hesperia", "Allen", "Rio Rancho", "Yuma", "Westminster", "Orem", "Lynn", "Redding", "Spokane Valley", "Miami Beach", "League City", "Lawrence", "Santa Barbara", "Plantation", "Sandy", "Sunrise", "Macon", "Longmont", "Boca Raton", "San Marcos", "Greenville", "Waukegan", "Fall River", "Chico", "Newton", "San Leandro", "Reading", "Norwalk", "Fort Smith", "Newport Beach", "Asheville", "Nashua", "Edmond", "Whittier", "Nampa", "Bloomington", "Deltona", "Hawthorne", "Duluth", "Carmel", "Suffolk", "Clifton", "Citrus Heights", "Livermore", "Tracy", "Alhambra", "Kirkland", "Trenton", "Ogden", "Hoover", "Cicero", "Fishers", "Sugar Land", "Danbury", "Meridian", "Indio", "Concord", "Menifee", "Champaign", "Buena Park", "Troy", "O'Fallon", "Johns Creek", "Bellingham", "Westland", "Bloomington", "Sioux City", "Warwick", "Hemet", "Longview", "Farmington Hills", "Bend", "Lakewood", "Merced", "Mission", "Chino", "Redwood City", "Edinburg", "Cranston", "Parma", "New Rochelle", "Lake Forest", "Napa", "Hammond", "Fayetteville", "Bloomington", "Avondale", "Somerville", "Palm Coast", "Bryan", "Gary", "Largo", "Brooklyn Park", "Tustin", "Racine", "Deerfield Beach", "Lynchburg", "Mountain View", "Medford", "Lawrence", "Bellflower", "Melbourne", "St. Joseph", "Camden", "St. George", "Kennewick", "Baldwin Park", "Chino Hills", "Alameda", "Albany", "Arlington Heights", "Scranton", "Evanston", "Kalamazoo", "Baytown", "Upland", "Springdale", "Bethlehem", "Schaumburg", "Mount Pleasant", "Auburn", "Decatur", "San Ramon", "Pleasanton", "Wyoming", "Lake Charles", "Plymouth", "Bolingbrook", "Pharr", "Appleton", "Gastonia", "Folsom", "Southfield", "Rochester Hills", "New Britain", "Goodyear", "Canton", "Warner Robins", "Union City", "Perris", "Manteca", "Iowa City", "Jonesboro", "Wilmington", "Lynwood", "Loveland", "Pawtucket", "Boynton Beach", "Waukesha", "Gulfport", "Apple Valley", "Passaic", "Rapid City", "Layton", "Lafayette", "Turlock", "Muncie", "Temple", "Missouri City", "Redlands", "Santa Fe", "Lauderhill", "Milpitas", "Palatine", "Missoula", "Rock Hill", "Jacksonville", "Franklin", "Flagstaff", "Flower Mound", "Weston", "Waterloo", "Union City", "Mount Vernon", "Fort Myers", "Dothan", "Rancho Cordova", "Redondo Beach", "Jackson", "Pasco", "St. Charles", "Eau Claire", "North Richland Hills", "Bismarck", "Yorba Linda", "Kenner", "Walnut Creek", "Frederick", "Oshkosh", "Pittsburg", "Palo Alto", "Bossier City", "Portland", "St. Cloud", "Davis", "South San Francisco", "Camarillo", "North Little Rock", "Schenectady", "Gaithersburg", "Harlingen", "Woodbury", "Eagan", "Yuba City", "Maple Grove", "Youngstown", "Skokie", "Kissimmee", "Johnson City", "Victoria", "San Clemente", "Bayonne", "Laguna Niguel", "East Orange", "Shawnee", "Homestead", "Rockville", "Delray Beach", "Janesville", "Conway", "Pico Rivera", "Lorain", "Montebello", "Lodi", "New Braunfels", "Marysville", "Tamarac", "Madera", "Conroe", "Santa Cruz", "Eden Prairie", "Cheyenne", "Daytona Beach", "Alpharetta", "Hamilton", "Waltham", "Coon Rapids", "Haverhill", "Council Bluffs", "Taylor", "Utica", "Ames", "La Habra", "Encinitas", "Bowling Green", "Burnsville", "Greenville", "West Des Moines", "Cedar Park", "Tulare", "Monterey Park", "Vineland", "Terre Haute", "North Miami", "Mansfield", "West Allis", "Bristol", "Taylorsville", "Malden", "Meriden", "Blaine", "Wellington", "Cupertino", "Springfield", "Rogers", "St. Clair Shores", "Gardena", "Pontiac", "National City", "Grand Junction", "Rocklin", "Chapel Hill", "Casper", "Broomfield", "Petaluma", "South Jordan", "Springfield", "Great Falls", "Lancaster", "North Port", "Lakewood", "Marietta", "San Rafael", "Royal Oak", "Des Plaines", "Huntington Park", "La Mesa", "Orland Park", "Auburn", "Lakeville", "Owensboro", "Moore", "Jupiter", "Idaho Falls", "Dubuque", "Bartlett", "Rowlett", "Novi", "White Plains", "Arcadia", "Redmond", "Lake Elsinore", "Ocala", "Tinley Park", "Port Orange", "Medford", "Oak Lawn", "Rocky Mount", "Kokomo", "Coconut Creek", "Bowie", "Berwyn", "Midwest City", "Fountain Valley", "Buckeye", "Dearborn Heights", "Woodland", "Noblesville", "Valdosta", "Diamond Bar", "Manhattan", "Santee", "Taunton", "Sanford", "Kettering", "New Brunswick", "Decatur", "Chicopee", "Anderson", "Margate", "Weymouth Town", "Hempstead", "Corvallis", "Eastvale", "Porterville", "West Haven", "Brentwood", "Paramount", "Grand Forks", "Georgetown", "St. Peters", "Shoreline", "Mount Prospect", "Hanford", "Normal", "Rosemead", "Lehi", "Pocatello", "Highland", "Novato", "Port Arthur", "Carson City", "San Marcos", "Hendersonville", "Elyria", "Revere", "Pflugerville", "Greenwood", "Bellevue", "Wheaton", "Smyrna", "Sarasota", "Blue Springs", "Colton", "Euless", "Castle Rock", "Cathedral City", "Kingsport", "Lake Havasu City", "Pensacola", "Hoboken", "Yucaipa", "Watsonville", "Richland", "Delano", "Hoffman Estates", "Florissant", "Placentia", "West New York", "Dublin", "Oak Park", "Peabody", "Perth Amboy", "Battle Creek", "Bradenton", "Gilroy", "Milford", "Albany", "Ankeny", "La Crosse", "Burlington", "DeSoto", "Harrisonburg", "Minnetonka", "Elkhart", "Lakewood", "Glendora", "Southaven", "Charleston", "Joplin", "Enid", "Palm Beach Gardens", "Brookhaven", "Plainfield", "Grand Island", "Palm Desert", "Huntersville", "Tigard", "Lenexa", "Saginaw", "Kentwood", "Doral", "Apple Valley", "Grapevine", "Aliso Viejo", "Sammamish", "Casa Grande", "Pinellas Park", "Troy", "West Sacramento", "Burien", "Commerce City", "Monroe", "Cerritos", "Downers Grove", "Coral Gables", "Wilson", "Niagara Falls", "Poway", "Edina", "Cuyahoga Falls", "Rancho Santa Margarita", "Harrisburg", "Huntington", "La Mirada", "Cypress", "Caldwell", "Logan", "Galveston", "Sheboygan", "Middletown", "Murray", "Roswell", "Parker", "Bedford", "East Lansing", "Methuen", "Covina", "Alexandria", "Olympia", "Euclid", "Mishawaka", "Salina", "Azusa", "Newark", "Chesterfield", "Leesburg", "Dunwoody", "Hattiesburg", "Roseville", "Bonita Springs", "Portage", "St. Louis Park", "Collierville", "Middletown", "Stillwater", "East Providence", "Lawrence", "Wauwatosa", "Mentor", "Ceres", "Cedar Hill", "Mansfield", "Binghamton", "Coeur d'Alene", "San Luis Obispo", "Minot", "Palm Springs", "Pine Bluff", "Texas City", "Summerville", "Twin Falls", "Jeffersonville", "San Jacinto", "Madison", "Altoona", "Columbus", "Beavercreek", "Apopka", "Elmhurst", "Maricopa", "Farmington", "Glenview", "Cleveland Heights", "Draper", "Lincoln", "Sierra Vista", "Lacey", "Biloxi", "Strongsville", "Barnstable Town", "Wylie", "Sayreville", "Kannapolis", "Charlottesville", "Littleton", "Titusville", "Hackensack", "Newark", "Pittsfield", "York", "Lombard", "Attleboro", "DeKalb", "Blacksburg", "Dublin", "Haltom City", "Lompoc", "El Centro", "Danville", "Jefferson City", "Cutler Bay", "Oakland Park", "North Miami Beach", "Freeport", "Moline", "Coachella", "Fort Pierce", "Smyrna", "Bountiful", "Fond du Lac", "Everett", "Danville", "Keller", "Belleville", "Bell Gardens", "Cleveland", "North Lauderdale", "Fairfield", "Salem", "Rancho Palos Verdes", "San Bruno", "Concord", "Burlington", "Apex", "Midland", "Altamonte Springs", "Hutchinson", "Buffalo Grove", "Urbandale", "State College", "Urbana", "Plainfield", "Manassas", "Bartlett", "Kearny", "Oro Valley", "Findlay", "Rohnert Park", "Westfield", "Linden", "Sumter", "Wilkes-Barre", "Woonsocket", "Leominster", "Shelton", "Brea", "Covington", "Rockwall", "Meridian", "Riverton", "St. Cloud", "Quincy", "Morgan Hill", "Warren", "Edmonds", "Burleson", "Beverly", "Mankato", "Hagerstown", "Prescott", "Campbell", "Cedar Falls", "Beaumont", "La Puente", "Crystal Lake", "Fitchburg", "Carol Stream", "Hickory", "Streamwood", "Norwich", "Coppell", "San Gabriel", "Holyoke", "Bentonville", "Florence", "Peachtree Corners", "Brentwood", "Bozeman", "New Berlin", "Goose Creek", "Huntsville", "Prescott Valley", "Maplewood", "Romeoville", "Duncanville", "Atlantic City", "Clovis", "The Colony", "Culver City", "Marlborough", "Hilton Head Island", "Moorhead", "Calexico", "Bullhead City", "Germantown", "La Quinta", "Lancaster", "Wausau", "Sherman", "Ocoee", "Shakopee", "Woburn", "Bremerton", "Rock Island", "Muskogee", "Cape Girardeau", "Annapolis", "Greenacres", "Ormond Beach", "Hallandale Beach", "Stanton", "Puyallup", "Pacifica", "Hanover Park", "Hurst", "Lima", "Marana", "Carpentersville", "Oakley", "Huber Heights", "Lancaster", "Montclair", "Wheeling", "Brookfield", "Park Ridge", "Florence", "Roy", "Winter Garden", "Chelsea", "Valley Stream", "Spartanburg", "Lake Oswego", "Friendswood", "Westerville", "Northglenn", "Phenix City", "Grove City", "Texarkana", "Addison", "Dover", "Lincoln Park", "Calumet City", "Muskegon", "Aventura", "Martinez", "Greenfield", "Apache Junction", "Monrovia", "Weslaco", "Keizer", "Spanish Fork", "Beloit", "Panama City", + ], +} + +PERSON_NAMES = { + "first": [ + "Michael", "Christopher", "Matthew", "David", "James", "John", "Joshua", "Daniel", "Joseph", "William", "Robert", "Andrew", "Jason", "Ryan", "Anthony", "Jacob", "Nicholas", "Brian", "Justin", "Jonathan", "Brandon", "Kevin", "Thomas", "Eric", "Benjamin", "Alexander", "Tyler", "Steven", "Timothy", "Zachary", "Charles", "Richard", "Aaron", "Adam", "Jordan", "Nathan", "Samuel", "Kyle", "Mark", "Jeffrey", "Jose", "Jeremy", "Ethan", "Christian", "Austin", "Noah", "Dylan", "Scott", "Sean", "Patrick", "Logan", "Paul", "Stephen", "Gabriel", "Kenneth", "Angel", "Bryan", "Cameron", "Gregory", "Cody", "Caleb", "Jesse", "Elijah", "Mason", "Juan", "Travis", "Shawn", "Luke", "Evan", "Lucas", "Isaac", "Edward", "Jack", "Hunter", "Luis", "Jayden", "Carlos", "Jackson", "Adrian", "Alex", "Chad", "Bradley", "Ian", "Nathaniel", "Liam", "Connor", "Isaiah", "Aiden", "Derek", "Peter", "Dustin", "George", "Jared", "Marcus", "Antonio", "Henry", "Jesus", "Jeremiah", "Julian", "Donald", "Keith", "Corey", "Blake", "Ronald", "Casey", "Shane", "Gavin", "Joel", "Vincent", "Chase", "Victor", "Devin", "Owen", "Carter", "Raymond", "Landon", "Miguel", "Wyatt", "Trevor", "Seth", "Sebastian", "Dominic", "Douglas", "Gary", "Levi", "Erik", "Phillip", "Cole", "Wesley", "Todd", "Xavier", "Frank", "Alan", "Brett", "Alejandro", "Cory", "Troy", "Garrett", "Hayden", "Colton", "Craig", "Larry", "Oliver", "Dakota", "Brayden", "Jorge", "Tristan", "Parker", "Colin", "Dennis", "Derrick", "Aidan", "Bryce", "Ricardo", "Eli", "Oscar", "Carson", "Jerry", "Jake", "Mario", "Josiah", "Diego", "Philip", "Francisco", "Spencer", "Martin", "Jaime", "Micah", "Mitchell", "Randy", "Johnny", "Jeffery", "Terry", "Manuel", "Grant", "Ivan", "Andre", "Tanner", "Eduardo", "Curtis", "Tony", "Brent", "Omar", "Russell", "Max", "Johnathan", "Nolan", "Ashton", "Maxwell", "Javier", "Jaden", "Preston", "Devon", "Cooper", "Brendan", "Brady", "Damian", "Carl", "Calvin", "Nicolas", "Grayson", "Allen", "Clayton", "Danny", "Fernando", "Roberto", "Marc", "Hector", "Jaxon", "Theodore", "Edwin", "Rodney", "Kaleb", "Jimmy", "Andres", "Ayden", "Collin", "Dalton", "Billy", "Edgar", "Bobby", "Walter", "Louis", "Lawrence", "Emmanuel", "Jessie", "Drew", "Elias", "Sergio", "Albert", "Lee", "Arthur", "Roger", "Cesar", "Ricky", "Ruben", "Brody", "Lance", "Giovanni", "Miles", "Erick", "Abraham", "Jace", "Jon", "Micheal", "Joe", "Jay", "Darren", "Marco", "Jonah", "Leo", "Shaun", "Cristian", "Leonardo", "Rafael", "Bryson", "Dillon", "Skyler", "Mathew", "Pedro", "Kaden", "Caden", "Harrison", "Jonathon", "Willie", "Hudson", "Kristopher", "Gerald", "Randall", "Roman", "Andy", "Lincoln", "Gage", "Kayden", "Raul", "Charlie", "Damien", "Asher", "Roy", "Bruce", "Santiago", "Mateo", "Trenton", "Sawyer", "Dean", "Wayne", "Frederick", "Colby", "Conner", "Israel", "Armando", "Maurice", "Chris", "Damon", "Easton", "Donovan", "Dallas", "Julio", "Marvin", "Alec", "Eddie", "Josue", "Reginald", "Darius", "Ezra", "Chance", "Braxton", "Malachi", "Darrell", "Camden", "Gerardo", "Alberto", "Clinton", "Ronnie", "Tommy", "Lorenzo", "Ryder", "Jaxson", "Bentley", "Enrique", "Kai", "Tyrone", "Marcos", "Braden", "Abel", "Malik", "Weston", "Ramon", "Brad", "Trent", "Simon", "Terrance", "Zane", "Ezekiel", "Steve", "Tyson", "Jermaine", "Angelo", "Dale", "Dominick", "Jerome", "Francis", "Ty", "Tucker", "Dante", "Neil", "Chandler", "Axel", "Leonard", "Eugene", "Ernest", "Elliot", "Ross", "Melvin", "Marshall", "Arturo", "Griffin", "Everett", "Bryant", "Brock", "Kaiden", "Harold", "Alfredo", "Jalen", "Graham", "Keegan", "Noel", "Jaylen", "Leon", "Elliott", "Terrence", "Glenn", "Beau", "Silas", "Rene", "Trey", "Myles", "Joey", "Jude", "Dawson", "Kameron", "Jaiden", "Felix", "Fabian", "Ali", "Stanley", "Franklin", "Jameson", "Declan", "Dwayne", "Rowan", "Byron", "Greyson", "Warren", "Cayden", "Corbin", "Bennett", "Pablo", "Barry", "Zion", "Emanuel", "Lane", "Geoffrey", "Maddox", "Wade", "Justice", "Orlando", "Lukas", "Kurt", "Gustavo", "Brennan", "Quentin", "Rylan", "Amir", "Emilio", "Nickolas", "Drake", "Salvador", "Kelvin", "Demetrius", "Amari", "Harry", "Kyler", "Ralph", "Alvin", "Ernesto", "Desmond", "Jamal", "Jayson", "Nelson", "Karl", "Emmett", "Ray", "Julius", "Saul", "Ismael", "Jakob", "Jayce", "Darryl", "Zackary", "Luca", "Malcolm", "Cedric", "Zachery", "Clifford", "Terrell", "Howard", "Reid", "Alfred", "Deandre", "Esteban", "Toby", "Gilbert", "Kendrick", "Branden", "Xander", "Cade", "Kingston", "Zachariah", "Clarence", "Jasper", "River", "Earl", "Maximus", "Heath", "Daryl", "Dane", "August", "Lewis", "Ryker", "Rory", "Maverick", "Allan", "Kirk", "Moises", "Quinton", "Hugo", "Kristian", "Phoenix", "Brenden", "Quincy", "Joaquin", "Sam", "Gael", "Johnathon", "Adan", "Landen", "Tristen", "Roderick", "Jarrod", "Brooks", "Marlon", "Brantley", "Bernard", "Kenny", "Guillermo", "Conor", "Emiliano", "Antoine", "Marquis", "Holden", "Duane", "Clint", "Kody", "Norman", "Reed", "Frankie", "Waylon", "Mike", "Rodrigo", "Rudy", "Dorian", "Leroy", "Davis", "Rodolfo", "Loren", "Felipe", "Zander", "Lonnie", "Clay", "Dexter", "Judah", "Finn", "Jarrett", "Ben", "King", "Nikolas", "Alfonso", "Keaton", "Darian", "Darnell", "Glen", "Paxton", "Cruz", "Alonzo", "Anderson", "Lamar", "Jase", "Moses", "Jeff", "Walker", "Blaine", "Solomon", "Jonas", "Mauricio", "Clifton", "Grady", "Stuart", "Sterling", "Reece", "Fred", "Gordon", "Fredrick", "Aden", "Roland", "Rogelio", "Nathanael", "Karter", "Brendon", "Tobias", "Caiden", "Rhett", "Gilberto", "Zayden", "Remington", "Don", "Tomas", "Cash", "Vernon", "Jamison", "Darin", "Leland", "Dwight", "Perry", "Rolando", "Barrett", "Tate", "Issac", "Noe", "Titus", "Wilson", "Devan", "Leonel", "Khalil", "Forrest", "Armani", "Kent", "Greg", "Gunner", "Bret", "Colt", "Jaylin", "Ramiro", "Ari", "Johnnie", "Clark", "Ahmad", "Zackery", "Javon", "Kade", "Neal", "Isiah", "Ellis", "Derick", "Lloyd", "Stefan", "Kobe", "Matteo", "Milo", "Uriel", "Donnie", "Kellen", "Jax", "Lamont", "Herbert", "Nehemiah", "Deshawn", "Sheldon", "Damion", "Keenan", "Karson", "Braylon", "Beckett", "Cyrus", "Darrin", "Terence", "Romeo", "Kareem", "Salvatore", "Stephan", "Rashad", "Mohamed", "Orion", "Guy", "Rickey", "Tyrell", "Jamar", "Milton", "Rick", "Donte", "Maximiliano", "Aron", "Maximilian", "Carlton", "Jimmie", "Jett", "Jordon", "Will", "Vicente", "Brayan", "Raphael", "Rocco", "Camron", "Efrain", "Bradford", "Colten", "Cornelius", "Messiah", "Freddie", "Harvey", "Adriel", "Dion", "Abram", "Kory", "Ahmed", "Milan", "Gene", "Kurtis", "Pierce", "Mohammad", "Cohen", "Gideon", "Jarvis", "Kieran", "Gunnar", "Trevon", "Rocky", "Deon", "Muhammad", "Tyree", "Braeden", "Braydon", "Rex", "Nick", "Conrad", "Ezequiel", "Alvaro", "Kane", "Winston", "Isaias", "Asa", "Lester", "Iker", "Royce", "Cullen", "Jarred", "Duncan", "Mohammed", "Freddy", "Kolton", "Floyd", "Brenton", "Demarcus", "Davon", "Jefferson", "Osvaldo", "Brice", "Dewayne", "Moshe", "Dan", "Dusty", "Markus", "Prince", "Josh", "Layne", "Robbie", "Sammy", "Gerard", "Humberto", "Thaddeus", "Clyde", "Jamari", "Porter", "Nasir", "Ibrahim", "Gianni", "Aldo", "Lionel", "Tristin", "Quintin", "Reuben", "Reynaldo", "Enzo", "Antwan", "Nico", "Davion", "Sonny", "Jensen", "Korey", "Marcel", "Chadwick", "Nash", "Herman", "Kolby", "Ronan", "Jim", "Pierre", "Jarod", "Shayne", "Ignacio", "Arnold", "Dayton", "Knox", "Scotty", "Triston", "Deven", "Anton", "Ted", "Garret", "Izaiah", "Brycen", "Agustin", "Nigel", "Tevin", "Archer", "Deangelo", "Baby", "Hugh", "Talon", "Remy", "Kyrie", "Darien", "Devonte", "Cecil", "Trace", "Jan", "Adolfo", "Jamel", "Marty", "Vance", "Johan", "Bo", "Myron", "Jaron", "Santos", "Amos", "Matias", "Mekhi", "Kamari", "Elvis", "Alijah", "Landyn", "Cristopher", "Benny", "Coleman", "Yahir", "Ira", "Marquise", "Killian", "Jovan", "Otis", "Kason", "Julien", "Braylen", "Ulises", "Rusty", "Irvin", "Chester", "Jaquan", "Tom", "Rohan", "Davin", "Atticus", "Junior", "Jacoby", "Ace", "Jadon", "Rigoberto", "Kris", "Jairo", "Omari", "Randolph", "Chaz", "Lawson", "Cary", "Ryland", "Jaylon", "Brodie", "Lyle", "Vaughn", "Adonis", "Zechariah", "Alton", "Denzel", "Uriah", "Elmer", "Tory", "Wendell", "Luciano", "Nathanial", "Bill", "Hassan", "Kamden", "Alonso", "Jayceon", "Van", "Keagan", "Bryon", "Sullivan", "Kellan", "Kristofer", "Channing", "Augustus", "Theo", "Major", "Donnell", "Rhys", "Cortez", "Lennon", "Octavio", "Thiago", "Cason", "Stewart", "Dashawn", "Jorden", "Brennen", "Ron", "Jerrod", "Denver", "Dominik", "Oakley", "Mickey", "Jaydon", "Houston", "Tyrese", "Alden", "Kian", "Gregg", "Kirby", "Bronson", "Coby", "Arjun", "Carlo", "Darwin", "Austen", "German", "Adrien", "Chaim", "Tim", "Garry", "Mikel", "Edmund", "Rico", "Tylor", "Hank", "Jamaal", "Royal", "Finnegan", "Kole", "Landry", "Alessandro", "Kash", "Keon", "Santino", "Jabari", "Legend", "Wallace", "Misael", "Mack", "Samson", "Mathias", "Gino", "Matt", "Jess", "Sherman", "Randal", "Matthias", "Justus", "Teddy", "Austyn", "Morris", "Boston", "Devante", "Samir", "Sincere", "Marcelo", "Nestor", "Infant", "Niko", "Semaj", "Kylan", "Malakai", "Timmy", "Cale", "Jamey", "Beckham", "Tommie", "Marques", "Layton", "Antony", "Daxton", "Dangelo", "Bruno", "Hans", "Dax", "Cannon", "Deonte", "Erich", "Dario", "Heriberto", "Zayne", "Claude", "Lennox", "Daquan", "Stephon", "Pete", "Cordell", "Deacon", "Zaiden", "Ulysses", "Benson", "Korbin", "Dimitri", "Tristian", "Luka", "Estevan", "Giancarlo", "Valentin", "Mitchel", "Luther", "Yosef", "Benito", "Gonzalo", "Bradly", "Raheem", "Yusuf", "Bernardo", "Scottie", "Virgil", "Raiden", "Brant", "Nikolai", "Darrius", "Kasen", "Kale", "Rian", "Dandre", "Arlo", "Soren", "Broderick", "Ervin", "Hamza", "Xzavier", "Darion", "Jedidiah", "Donavan", "Braiden", "Abdullah", "Josef", "Carmelo", "Arron", "Hayes", "Jamil", "Kayson", "Vincenzo", "Dillan", "Augustine", "Memphis", "Earnest", "Garrison", "Aric", "Louie", "Eliseo", "Case", "Otto", "Irving", "Fletcher", "Sylvester", "Odin", "Dave", "Britton", "Jamarion", "Monte", "Rashawn", "Yael", "Rey", "Kamron", "Quinten", "Willis", "Kenyon", "Marlin", "Briar", "Lucian", "Draven", "Zaire", "Camren", "Blaise", "Bennie", "Ken", "Jaxton", "Blaze", "Fidel", "Seamus", "Bowen", "Aryan", "Zain", "Giovani", "Ryley", "Michel", "Franco", "Andreas", "Edison", "Darrel", "Darrick", "Ramsey", "Denis", "Rodrick", "Raymundo", "Reggie", "Eddy", "Alexzander", "Jerald", "Rayan", "Kenton", "Wilfredo", "Travon", "Branson", "Simeon", "Efren", "Khalid", "Leif", "Tyron", "Joesph", "Arian", "Keven", "Bodhi", "Elvin", "Jovani", "Valentino", "Archie", "Galen", "Daren", "Coty", "Eliezer", "Kyree", "Alexandro", "Giovanny", "Jagger", "Elian", "Jacques", "Judson", "Isai", "Demario", "Antwon", "Gregorio", "Princeton", "Cristobal", "Madden", "Coy", "Trever", "Shamar", "Jasiah", "Francesco", "Mariano", "Keshawn", "Destin", "Akeem", "Tariq", "Jessy", "Turner", "Leandro", "Dereck", "Rudolph", "Daron", "Hendrix", "Shaquille", "Javion", "Jamir", "Donny", "Roosevelt", "Jair", "Westley", "Jerod", "Emmitt", "Jaeden", "Chauncey", "Maxim", "Vince", "Demond", "Cain", "Enoch", "Jed", "Aydan", "Gannon", "Shelton", "Torrey", "Domenic", "Laurence", "Amare", "Anders", "Makai", "Domingo", "Unknown", "Ean", "Ronin", "Harlan", "Brandan", "Dontae", "Callen", "Tre", "Robby", "Deshaun", "Scot", "Yehuda", "Rowen", "Abdul", "Keyon", "Kendell", "Cedrick", "Mustafa", "Duke", "Theron", "Harris", "Menachem", "Nathen", "Davian", "Curt", "Koby", "Hezekiah", "Eliot", "Keanu", "Jordy", "Kelton", "Maximo", "Zakary", "Kalen", "Jovanni", "Jeffry", "Deion", "Maximillian", "Aarav", "Zavier", "Zack", "Benton", "Jamarcus", "Denny", "Johnpaul", "Isidro", "Anson", "Atlas", "Federico", "Marquez", "Kyson", "Hollis", "Baylor", "Sami", "Camdyn", "Aydin", "Konner", "Demarco", "Willard", "Kelby", "Edmond", "Dejuan", "Taj", "Stetson", "Jaylan", "Cassius", "Stone", "Truman", "Oswaldo", "Lazaro", "Nixon", "Miller", "Syed", "Chace", "Jaren", "Brandyn", "Hakeem", "Konnor", "Cornell", "Kadin", "Gavyn", "Tyshawn", "Kevon", "Jai", "Kalvin", "Forest", "Leonidas", "Nikhil", "Jerrell", "Zeke", "Brandt", "Karim", "Yisroel", "Elton", "Dakotah", "Haiden", "Dallin", "Yousef", "Ephraim", "Ayaan", "Raleigh", "Callan", "Britt", "Mordechai", "Langston", "Ronaldo", "Immanuel", "Trystan", "Wilbert", "Derik", "Ronny", "Aaden", "Rickie", "Camilo", "Callum", "Vladimir", "Aditya", "Genaro", "Edgardo", "Kingsley", "Ameer", "Sylas", "Jevon", "Alexandre", "Giuseppe", "Emil", "Marcellus", "Jeromy", "Jerimiah", "Westin", "Tye", "Bilal", "Kolten", "Palmer", "Storm", "Bradyn", "Garett", "Bridger", "Alphonso", "Marcello", "Zaid", "Rasheed", "Bart", "Mayson", "Abdiel", "Brogan", "Kaeden", "Laron", "Tripp", "Lenny", "Ishmael", "Mikael", "Canaan", "Lyndon", "Tremaine", "Jaxen", "Slade", "Jeramiah", "Garrick", "Jericho", "Jelani", "Lars", "Fisher", "Abner", "Raylan", "Brannon", "Avi", "Markell", "Jovanny", "Jeramy", "Antione", "Tai", "Damari", "Rayden", "Trevin", "Gauge", "Zayn", "Aidyn", "Dylon", "Hernan", "Ever", "Buddy", "Gaige", "Justyn", "Davonte", "Yaakov", "Jovany", "Shad", "Jasen", "Foster", "Gentry", "Murphy", "Casen", "Savion", "Percy", "Hubert", "Erwin", "Baron", "Ladarius", "Jaleel", "Horace", "Schuyler", "Carmine", "Vito", "Damarion", "Sammie", "Kamren", "Aries", "Kymani", "Crosby", "Shmuel", "Eloy", "Hasan", "Kadyn", "Hiram", "Marcelino", "Jeremie", "Codie", "Deron", "Tobin", "Markel", "Darrion", "Jules", "Shon", "Darrian", "Braulio", "Dirk", "Carsen", "Ridge", "Mauro", "Merrick", "Flynn", "Ryne", "Grey", "Kamdyn", "Eleazar", "Brecken", "Gus", "Lucca", "Amar", "Kiran", "Delbert", "Danial", "Finnley", "Kye", "Cleveland", "Karsen", "Dameon", "Dariel", "Johann", "Yair", "Jaydin", "Brennon", "Bishop", "Colter", "Shlomo", "Aurelio", "Monty", "Torin", "Armand", "Ajay", "Ernie", "Dilan", "Deric", "Nicky", "Nevin", "Latrell", "Boyd", "Mikah", "Alek", "Justen", "Dedrick", "Donavon", "Torey", "Fredy", "Tavon", "Lowell", "Kegan", "Darron", "Jaycob", "Everardo", "Rayshawn", "Rio", "Apollo", "Maison", "Rufus", "Braedon", "Gibson", "Edwardo", "Cayson", "Kyron", "Joseluis", "Shimon", "Rishi", "Blayne", "Tremayne", "Kristoffer", "Keyshawn", "Martez", "Khari", "Brain", "Deondre", "Jadiel", "Donta", "Tarik", "Isaak", "Jacobi", "Claudio", "Richie", "Yitzchok", "Desean", "Brighton", "Braylin", "Ely", "Cristofer", "Krish", "Wiley", "Pranav", "Jerad", "Talan", "Trae", "Marcell", "Gaven", "Eamon", "Arnulfo", "Malaki", "Tad", "Montrell", "Rodger", "Geovanni", "Lucio", "Dequan", "Jered", "Jaheim", "Kahlil", "Elan", "Bentlee", "Juancarlos", "Chevy", "Ethen", "Karon", "Krishna", "Lachlan", "Juwan", "Javonte", "Omarion", "Miguelangel", "Randell", "Dyllan", "Mac", "Treyvon", "Arman", "Ishaan", "Mykel", "Haden", "Micaiah", "Jakobe", "Crew", "Demetri", "Dakoda", "Dino", "Dewey", "Kwame", "Isa", "Chet", "Al", "Ford", "Paulo", "Lucien", "Graysen", "Maxx", "Wilmer", "Jullian", "Amarion", "Avraham", "Torrance", "Kylen", "Dillion", "Nikko", "Aedan", "Vihaan", "Izayah", "Titan", "Tyrus", "Tyquan", "Adalberto", "Benedict", "Ocean", "Mikhail", "Sebastien", "Johnson", "Kentrell", "Briggs", "Reyes", "Kannon", "Mikal", "Jayvon", "Christofer", "Bodie", "Yandel", "Gerry", "Magnus", "Norberto", "Kohen", "Jaydan", "Bob", "Garth", "Jeramie", "Oren", "Jarett", "Jeremey", "Kenan", "Jonatan", "Dajuan", "Deontae", "Marko", "Makhi", "Cael", "Samual", "Brentley", "Lavon", "Ollie", "Garland", "Delvin", "Keelan", "Bradlee", "Nate", "Kip", "Darrien", "Jamin", "Dayne", "Cal", "Gian", "Tyrel", "Judd", "Jarret", "Kyan", "Nicklaus", "Jory", "Leopoldo", "Spenser", "Evin", "Germaine", "Trinidad", "Sabastian", "Ammon", "Thad", "Joziah", "Lathan", "Kenji", "Maxton", "Arnav", "Kael", "Rahul", "Zyon", "Daylen", "Kraig", "Kalin", "Yoel", "Zev", "Urijah", "Aleksander", "Javen", "Angus", "Woodrow", "Thatcher", "Errol", "Corban", "Horacio", "Russel", "Rowdy", "Gerson", "Jacky", "Codey", "Jeremias", "Rashaad", "Zyaire", "Levon", "Derrell", "Aven", "Adrain", "Rashaun", "Kaysen", "Demarion", "Keller", "Nicholaus", "Kaidyn", "Carlin", "Mohamad", "Javan", "Luc", "Trenten", "Musa", "Danilo", "Ares", "Devlin", "Thor", "Jarrell", "Seneca", "Dhruv", "Trayvon", "Isreal", "Roel", "Deanthony", "Coen", "Damarcus", "Greggory", "Canyon", "Jesiah", "Emmet", "Hamilton", "Colson", "Jakari", "Lucius", "Alain", "Jermiah", "Marshal", "Karsten", "Gray", "Paolo", "Imran", "Nikola", "Sedrick", "Elbert", "Montgomery", "Ismail", "Koen", "Dionte", "Tahj", "Devonta", "Obed", "Boone", "Basil", "Wilfred", "Kase", "Octavius", "Arnoldo", "Auston", "Jordi", "Dezmond", "Constantine", "Amit", "Kaison", "Korbyn", "Juelz", "Rami", "Kain", "Sameer", "Bert", "Najee", "Rylen", "Trevion", "Aris", "Demetris", "Jedediah", "Wilbur", "Maddux", "Quinlan", "Gareth", "Doyle", "Kalel", "Bryton", "Meir", "Axton", "Anakin", "Patricio", "Bjorn", "Linden", "Vidal", "Donell", "Eldon", "Malcom", "Caesar", "Dru", "Jayvion", "Tavares", "Kimani", "Tylan", "Tzvi", "Treyton", "Brysen", "Anish", "Montez", "Masen", "Ayan", "Coleton", "Noble", "Chuck", "Jovon", "Jameel", "Osbaldo", "Fermin", "Homer", "Benjamen", "Wes", "Khristian", "Bode", "Kooper", "Brandin", "Rosendo", "Courtland", "Jaret", "Idris", "Lamarcus", "Youssef", "Cian", "Lemuel", "Abelardo", "Cliff", "Koda", "Wilder", "Tavion", "Chayse", "Tylar", "Joshuah", "Siddharth", "Keoni", "Christan", "Marquel", "Jarell", "Cy", "Adin", "Corbyn", "Osiris", "Zephaniah", "Gabe", "Daylon", "Keandre", "Terrill", "Amin", "Deegan", "Barron", "Jerel", "Jakub", "Hagen", "Dashaun", "Luiz", "Boden", "Konrad", "Norris", "Sahil", "Raymon", "Demetrice", "Hussein", "Caelan", "Kennith", "Mervin", "Corwin", "Brigham", "Avrohom", "Delano", "Alfonzo", "Daryn", "Anibal", "Kamal", "Ravi", "Ramses", "Neel", "Henri", "Devontae", "Zahir", "Cairo", "Darell", "Gianluca", "Charleston", "Blane", "Derrek", "Everette", "Damani", "Roscoe", "Domonic", "Eliyahu", "Jermey", "Jaziel", "Shalom", "Dontrell", "Yadiel", "Armaan", "Eder", "Zavion", "Eugenio", "Daylin", "Job", "Dustyn", "Terell", "Jalil", "Cormac", "Jamon", "Favian", "Edson", "Marek", "Rashard", "Frederic", "Yahya", "Deante", "Christoper", "Cristiano", "Kyran", "Carroll", "Iain", "Torrence", "Anwar", "Laquan", "Jaysen", "Wylie", "Shaquan", "Merlin", "Nazir", "Kc", "Deonta", "Emir", "Ashtin", "Isac", "Keion", "Denton", "Dannie", "Jad", "Yusef", "Geovanny", "Kavon", "Dejon", "Stefano", "Massimo", "Hyrum", "Lochlan", "Breon", "Zakaria", "Sharif", "Boris", "Luigi", "Reinaldo", "Kaine", "Quenton", "Viktor", "Kollin", "Beck", "Pierson", "Lazarus", "Henrik", "Doug", "Landin", "Aryeh", "Izaak", "Homero", "Kadeem", "Daveon", "Javian", "Burton", "Taron", "Axl", "Deshon", "Said", "Daylan", "Osman", "Graeme", "Harlem", "Hilario", "Jacobo", "Fox", "Armon", "Nikolaus", "Izaac", "Zayd", "Kiel", "Gatlin", "Domenico", "Linus", "Salomon", "Dov", "Cedar", "Varun", "Broc", "Manny", "Achilles", "Dash", "Jalon", "Tavaris", "Juston", "Taran", "Benicio", "Coltin", "Calen", "Braedyn", "Reymundo", "Kylar", "Ewan", "Andrei", "Jairus", "Oskar", "Martell", "Kyren", "Tramaine", "Creed", "Yakov", "Ceasar", "Arlen", "Ilan", "Chancellor", "Fabio", "Klayton", "Alistair", "Daven", "Marshawn", "Jajuan", "Kodie", "Jet", "Dev", "Finnian", "Jeshua", "Yash", "Neymar", "Eliel", "Demonte", "Adler", "Tayden", "Brayson", "Kylin", "Dovid", "Arion", "Zamir", "Rob", "Leyton", "Emile", "Timmothy", "Andrey", "Rayyan", "Chadd", "Dontay", "Lino", "Sanjay", "Mahmoud", "Olin", "Seven", "Mckay", "Chadrick", "Devaughn", "Terron", "Dimitrios", "Valentine", "Creighton", "Antwain", "Aston", "Mitch", "Gil", "Ambrose", "Jacque", "Rashid", "Leobardo", "Willem", "Arik", "Travion", "Lake", "Ashten", "Noam", "Adnan", "Jaymes", "Enrico", "Damen", "Lamonte", "Eben", "Taylen", "Merle", "Che", "Abdulrahman", "Kashton", "Rustin", "Keshaun", "Ammar", "Lian", "Avion", "Williams", "Dashiell", "Shemar", "Demetric", "Neftali", "Kamil", "Ahmir", "Nicklas", "Flavio", "Syncere", "Mychal", "Jefferey", "Kavin", "Aarush", "Leander", "Donavin", "Dakari", "Aman", "Ramone", "Jereme", "Javin", "Rueben", "Taurean", "Vincente", "Burke", "Christain", "Kevan", "Malek", "Zach", "Landan", "Brayton", "Kendric", "Erasmo", "Parrish", "Smith", "Minh", "Laith", "Jalin", "Augustin", "Omer", "Cyril", "Faris", "Ishan", "Rondell", "Raekwon", "Niles", "Yonatan", "Buck", "Bently", "Umar", "Osiel", "Quincey", "Ryen", "Onyx", "Orin", "Tito", "Yaseen", "Carnell", "Jeron", "Ansel", "Josias", "Lucky", "Barton", "Jashawn", "Renato", "Tenzin", "Akash", "Jacen", "Jadin", "Tyreek", "Kevyn", "Willy", "Michale", "Christos", "Amauri", "Mathieu", "Clarke", "Jaedon", "Demari", "Maksim", "Shan", "Amado", "Khristopher", "Corry", "Fausto", "Jamell", "Clement", "Denim", "Kayleb", "Aram", "Alaric", "Issa", "Aramis", "Canon", "Jarren", "Nile", "Leeland", "Mccoy", "Brien", "Demetrios", "Kiernan", "Azriel", "Rome", "Akiva", "Johnmichael", "Tyrek", "Jarad", "Saad", "Romel", "Aren", "Jahir", "Jaelin", "Yasir", "Kallen", "Franky", "Desi", "Tavis", "Jacorey", "Fransisco", "Tyce", "Orrin", "Adair", "Eriberto", "Khaled", "Kobi", "Kainoa", "Freeman", "Stanton", "Stevan", "Clemente", "Muhammed", "Salman", "Koa", "Jeb", "Arvin", "Jahmir", "Ike", "Babyboy", "Tyran", "Shepherd", "Shia", "Wolfgang", "Adriano", "Jaquez", "Naim", "Ronnell", "Odell", "Toney", "Bradon", "Hakim", "Murray", "Greysen", "Jansen", "Reno", "Jakai", "Markeith", "Geraldo", "Jae", "Breck", "Tru", "Steele", "Hal", "Terrel", "Jacari", "Kamran", "Tiago", "Antwone", "Franklyn", "Levar", "Alexavier", "Chayce", "Tarek", "Lamarr", "Haydn", "Anas", "Lavell", "Aamir", "Jahlil", "Phil", "Tyren", "Aharon", "Charlton", "Shaan", "Weldon", "Jermain", "Andrae", "Lex", "Jerrick", "Xavion", "Taurus", "Kedrick", "Roan", "Damond", "Geno", "Filip", "Von", "Isael", "Ransom", "Faustino", "Akil", "Rakeem", "Napoleon", "Vinson", "Reyansh", "Castiel", "Robinson", "Aj", "Warner", "Carver", "Elon", "Pasquale", "Brantlee", "Ashwin", "Caeden", "Armond", "Tadeo", "Blade", "Brando", "Parth", "Yasin", "Hampton", "Tyreese", "Boaz", "Rashon", "Payson", "Krystian", "Tavian", "Derrik", "Raj", "Ajani", "Cyle", "Zaden", "Dmitri", "Antone", "Osmar", "Carsten", "Kiefer", "Jihad", "Kayne", "Tyre", "Domenick", "Terran", "Demitri", "Zebulon", "Callahan", "Kabir", "Jonny", "Yancy", "Adiel", "Atreyu", "Khamari", "Khai", "Demarius", "Yovani", "Baker", "Karan", "Thurman", "Abe", "Jarrad", "Ayman", "Rohit", "Payden", "Tj", "Ryon", "Yehoshua", "Ned", "Terance", "Laramie", "Patric", "Romello", "Gabrial", "Camari", "Kolt", "Justis", "Brion", "Taha", "Lavar", "Tod", "Paden", "Long", "Azael", "Om", "Marius", "Jayse", "Esai", "Shaya", "Tyshaun", "Margarito", "Maddix", "Nolen", "Kaedyn", "Bryar", "Faisal", "Lenard", "Phineas", "Kamarion", "Demitrius", "Hadi", "Eian", "Geronimo", "Huxley", "Caron", "Eason", "Demetrio", "Johathan", "Gabino", "Artemio", "Chasen", "Lisandro", "Rubin", "Malique", "Philippe", "Mahdi", "Graydon", "Ayush", "Kaylon", "Kaelan", "Baltazar", "Xavi", "Quran", "Korben", "Vivaan", "Linwood", "Malakhi", "Anthoney", "Shayan", "Dontavious", "Jenson", "Abhinav", "Tamir", "Esau", "Eitan", "Talen", "Tyrique", "Hosea", "Jomar", "Devion", "Isacc", "Lavelle", "Antoni", "Elie", "Edmundo", "Merrill", "Tyrin", "Rafe", "Fritz", "Conley", "Nahum", "Marlow", "Kolin", "Abdirahman", "Nickolaus", "Tavin", "Evander", "Jiovanni", "Zuriel", "Saif", "Jariel", "Oziel", "Zacharias", "Marquan", "Dedric", "Rayvon", "Esequiel", "Maleek", "Jakobi", "Jethro", "Hoyt", "Grayden", "Thanh", "Blaize", "Vikram", "Quin", "Miquel", "Anay", "Bartholomew", "Konstantinos", "Markanthony", "Evans", "Cordero", "Amador", "Tobey", "Jessiah", "Maceo", "Juanpablo", "Ward", "Lonny", "Brixton", "Auden", "Rojelio", "Drayden", "Renaldo", "Jarius", "Adel", "Alston", "Conan", "Filiberto", "Jerrad", "Vishal", "Douglass", "Tashawn", "Watson", "Anand", "Jerrold", "Stanford", "Mahlon", "Derwin", "Jayven", "Uziel", "Hershel", "Vivek", "Mendel", "Elio", "Dajon", "Bryden", "True", "Delmar", "Kaiser", "Jamarius", "Naeem", "Athan", "Kobie", "Jaziah", "Shamus", "Deklan", "Dalen", "Chayton", "Roshan", "Casper", "Demian", "Alen", "Nikolaos", "Neo", "Nabil", "Ritchie", "Rony", "Karlos", "Akhil", "Kit", "Kairo", "Garren", "Elam", "Jashua", "Sampson", "Kaydin", "Roque", "Akshay", "Zacharia", "Yeshua", "Lucus", "Dwan", "Ansh", "Baxter", "Jerron", "Masyn", "Kalob", "Marquette", "Ciaran", "Fischer", "Jacquez", "Javaris", "Nery", "Waleed", "Kekoa", "Huy", "Izak", "Ren", "Davi", "Jaxxon", "Rod", "Kohl", "Jaxx", "Jareth", "Damir", "Stoney", "Bernie", "Diesel", "Griffen", "Thane", "Niklas", "Shiv", "Wynn", "Savon", "Nino", "Joao", "Lorne", "Simcha", "Jayquan", "Brodrick", "Renzo", "Dain", "Ledger", "Silvestre", "Rogan", "Trysten", "Dwain", "Calum", "Jaison", "Kelan", "Avian", "Dempsey", "Bryer", "Dustan", "Caine", "Torian", "Arsenio", "Jeremi", "Terrion", "Zacchaeus", "Giorgio", "Pascual", "Rigo", "Braxtyn", "Jaydyn", "Ubaldo", "Gamaliel", "Natanael", "Jerell", "Deniz", "Sherrod", "Emmit", "Kejuan", "Wilber", "Booker", "Decker", "Sammuel", "Salim", "Arley", "Zephyr", "Alpha", "Jayshawn", "Zen", "Calder", "Joeseph", "Jeanpaul", "Teodoro", "Telly", "Lev", "Dondre", "Saleem", "Eliott", "Saeed", "Cam", "Armin", "Sherwin", "Arlin", "Rahsaan", "Lavern", "Grover", "Rahim", "Mattias", "Obadiah", "Rivers", "Davey", "Zakariya", "Dashon", "Johannes", "Geovany", "Gorge", "Olivier", "Jerred", "Trevis", "Tyriq", "Amon", "Teague", "Jailen", "Raynard", "Jones", "Robb", "Ruger", "Sandro", "Elyjah", "Taven", "Aayan", "Arnaldo", "Aksel", "Hashim", "Shedrick", "Damonte", "Heber", "Abran", "Jeronimo", "Lon", "Treyson", "Kordell", "Sai", "Cashton", "Kamrin", "Wells", "Martel", "Dereon", "Jaidan", "Kyrin", "Takoda", "Cortland", "Jarek", "Mayer", "Slater", "Mychael", "Kemari", "Demetrious", "Irwin", "Rance", "Jamere", "Jacinto", "Kace", "Zaine", "Aayden", "Cord", "Kermit", "Mikeal", "Renard", "Porfirio", "Male", "Shepard", "Jaxsen", "Khalif", "Veer", "Jeriah", "Giovany", "Audie", "Cameren", "Randon", "Price", "Mick", "Nazareth", "Shamir", "Drayton", "Servando", "Daunte", "Dietrich", "Raylen", "Tyjuan", "Kilian", "Joell", "Pietro", "Prentice", "Danniel", "Halen", "Antonino", "Aaryan", "Octavious", "Jaelen", "Tahir", "Cavan", "Blas", "Broden", "Kirkland", "Keonte", "Ridley", "Sir", "Jadan", "Pat", "Daulton", "Jimi", "Alexandros", "Naftali", "Tysen", "Javien", "Durrell", "Johnie", "Kalib", "Jarron", "Marquell", "Marcoantonio", "Kruz", "Javeon", "Quadir", "Darious", "Nicolai", "Zeus", "Mikell", "Corben", "Jonpaul", "Rion", "Danthony", "Tiernan", "Pernell", "Jin", "Blain", "Yariel", "Sultan", "Perrin", "Anjel", "Yechiel", "Eliazar", "Torry", "Leandre", "Treshawn", "Jacolby", "Stefon", "Delonte", "Refugio", "Ozzy", "Jamall", "Celso", "Zakai", "Dixon", "Delton", "Hussain", "Ramel", "Tam", "Detrick", "Wilton", "Carmello", "Jonathen", "Asad", "Dalvin", "Elgin", "Benjiman", "Vinh", "Macario", "Hansel", "Artis", "Westyn", "Amaree", "Kareen", "Montel", "Sven", "Jahari", "Vernell", "Rasheen", "Zaylen", "Gerrit", "Nader", "Cris", "Javontae", "Gavriel", "Darvin", "West", "Truett", "Jhon", "Jonte", "Abdullahi", "Tal", "Dijon", "Rodriquez", "Mamadou", "Jamieson", "Dayvon", "Ethyn", "Mykal", "Devine", "Antwaun", "Skylor", "Barney", "Vijay", "Jahiem", "Ferdinand", "Wesson", "Yamil", "Jawan", "Dathan", "Niall", "Jathan", "Jameer", "Davontae", "Migel", "Jessee", "Garet", "Haris", "Bowie", "Micky", "Tuan", "Logen", "Kalan", "Farhan", "Richmond", "Derrion", "Jarid", "Ronell", "Kirt", "Cutter", "Iran", "Edan", "Braxten", "Leron", "Reginal", "Sanford", "Damarius", "Russ", "Kailen", "Zak", "Jonmichael", "Leopold", "Jabril", "Jaidon", "Landis", "Gaston", "Hilton", "Djuan", "Naveen", "Levy", "Ameen", "Jadarius", "Dyson", "Lydell", "Cartier", "Keondre", "Johny", "Kamar", "Saxon", "Xavian", "Benaiah", "Samer", "Florentino", "Caysen", "Jamichael", "Everest", "Loyd", "Fredric", "Shivam", "Schyler", "Chaise", "Baruch", "Nils", "Clive", "Derian", "Kolbe", "Maddex", "Adyn", "Linkin", "Valente", "Notnamed", "Britain", "Edrick", "Clancy", "Richardo", "Coltyn", "Bao", "Maximino", "Benji", "Cadyn", "Teo", "Kanye", "Syrus", "Dusten", "Thai", "Ezrah", "Aleksandr", "Jamario", "Herschel", "Jakoby", "Flint", "Aziz", "Jens", "Orville", "Cort", "Ed", "Tray", "Abbas", "Christ", "Bear", "Diondre", "Ander", "Dagoberto", "Ashby", "Anirudh", "Jerardo", "Tyreke", "Gaetano", "Zakari", "Zakery", "Ky", "Treveon", "Marcanthony", "Quan", "Gadiel", "Zayvion", "Lenin", "Diante", "Jamaine", "Hagan", "Nam", "Jamarr", "Young", "Raquan", "Norbert", "Tyrik", "Gionni", "Abdulaziz", "Tyshon", "Brendyn", "Wayland", "Donato", "Stan", "Damoni", "Johnathen", "Karthik", "Pavel", "Chancey", "Tayvon", "Bastian", "Lanny", "Christon", "Abdallah", "Jhonny", "Jasiel", "Cj", "Romero", "Zavian", "Dasean", "Marcial", "Andree", "Mehki", "Jermel", "Kanon", "Kipp", "Geovani", "Davy", "Ryden", "Meyer", "Ozzie", "Caspian", "Tryston", "Macklin", "Chazz", "Lafayette", "Thorin", "Marquese", "Kiyan", "Arun", "Duran", "Naquan", "Berry", "Naseem", "Saleh", "Regis", "Drue", "Mihir", "Armen", "Ahmari", "Jerold", "Lajuan", "Davante", "Feliciano", "Eron", "Glendon", "Eusebio", "Ash", "Keane", "Antuan", "Jazz", "Sachin", "Nathon", "Vasilios", "Isaih", "Dawayne", "Jospeh", "Kage", "Darryn", "Enos", "Ricco", "Breckin", "Issiah", "Collier", "Chistopher", "Beaux", "Cliffton", "Cardell", "Tylen", "Kofi", "Amer", "Kenzo", "Aldair", "Darek", "Derron", "Lynden", "Adil", "Sione", "Dayshawn", "Luisangel", "Rasheem", "Adryan", "Felton", "Zyan", "Zeb", "Race", "Micahel", "Bayron", "Etienne", "Yousif", "Christophe", "Matheus", "Bakari", "Lauro", "Roshawn", "Cecilio", "Amaury", "Bronx", "Sharod", "Zac", "Tou", "Asael", "Hogan", "Anselmo", "Tayshaun", "Dakarai", "Efraim", "Aleksandar", "Arrow", "Cache", "Dyllon", "Trentin", "Jc", "Steffen", "Krew", "Eliud", "Chas", "Mylan", "Ori", "Yonathan", "Denzell", "Amen", "Tywan", "Ilyas", "Cillian", "Eithan", "Giacomo", "Martavious", "Romell", "Kunal", "Gaspar", "Darris", "Rush", "Deshun", "Michaelangelo", "Tejas", "Shakur", "Ibraheem", "Eoin", "Tien", "Adarius", "Rashaud", "Calin", "Nima", "Rayce", "Hamzah", "Jarom", "Thompson", "Eliah", "Link", "Nehemias", "Elwood", "Eyan", "Fahad", "Juaquin", "Camrin", "Jun", "Daemon", "Curtiss", "Jacobe", "Sedric", "Florencio", "Mathis", "Kaydon", "Davonta", "Geremy", "Tayshawn", "Larson", "Dimas", "Damario", "Zamari", "Shaine", "Destry", "Jame", "Bram", "Durell", "Treston", "Natan", "Rommel", "Keshon", "Anfernee", "Desmon", "Cai", "Abiel", "Devonne", "Edric", "Aayush", "Taquan", "Ulisses", "Steffan", "Kelson", "Adolph", "Lavonte", "Ulices", "Kyden", "Marino", "Santo", "Shreyas", "Pascal", "Antron", "Gavino", "Jarrid", "Ioannis", "Farrell", "Xavior", "Derric", "Aarron", "Jerrett", "Jasson", "Carlito", "Rehan", "Jacory", "Khyree", "Maynard", "Imanol", "Jawad", "Jashaun", "Lebron", "Rashaan", "Jennings", "Kemper", "Christion", "Franz", "Derreck", "Zackariah", "Coley", "Asante", "Rakim", "Kalil", "Tino", "Lovell", "Yazan", "Toriano", "Loki", "Josemanuel", "Kanyon", "Edgard", "Davie", "Dalyn", "Kaleo", "Dorien", "Jahmal", "Jakeb", "Crawford", "Kerwin", "Jonnathan", "Eladio", "Giles", "Modesto", "Ciro", "Davien", "Domanic", "Bennet", "Surya", "Corbett", "Shamel", "Braylan", "Zade", "Demarkus", "Zakkary", "Payne", "Triton", "Usman", "Shain", "Keenen", "Rayquan", "Andru", "Daymon", "Haydon", "Shomari", "Jestin", "Exavier", "Han", "Ladarrius", "Eathan", "Keyan", "Sulaiman", "Heston", "Alphonse", "Ayub", "Alexei", "Decarlos", "Nyle", "Alexsander", "Delfino", "Knowledge", "Jayveon", "Kesean", "Zaki", "Coleson", "Ehren", "Arlie", "Iziah", "Caius", "Japheth", "Zeth", "Brently", "Baldemar", "Rapheal", "Abimael", "Panagiotis", "Eros", "Christpher", "Chesley", "Tait", "Leeroy", "Chason", "Jafet", "Tytus", "Demar", "Duston", "Yousuf", "Donaven", "Aleczander", "Barret", "Ryu", "Woody", "Kieth", "Zacary", "Eduard", "Torre", "Ezekial", "Fabrizio", "Taylon", "Baylen", "Eamonn", "Keifer", "Geoffery", "Jahaziel", "Jeancarlos", "Joseangel", "Holt", "Olen", "Newton", "Malikai", "Valen", "Esdras", "Lemar", "Nicolaus", "Dujuan", "Stryker", "Randel", "Cristo", "Dany", "Jessey", "Jr", "Cayman", "Nadir", "Fidencio", "Shakir", "Kavion", "Reco", "Banks", "Mateusz", "Aaren", "Brodey", "Celestino", "Raziel", "Chantz", "Kennon", "Delon", "Correy", "Iverson", "Elyas", "Adrean", "Kylon", "Alika", "Zacharie", "Shareef", "Kervin", "Golden", "Curran", "Keilan", "Braydan", "Errick", "Alessio", "Shayden", "Kashawn", "Elder", "Kawika", "Brylan", "Dudley", "Patton", "Delvon", "Pearson", "Lenox", "Eastyn", "Jerrel", "Radley", "Vinay", "Viet", "Westen", "Azrael", "Lawton", "Joshue", "Edin", "Kennard", "Sholom", "Bladimir", "Kush", "Paulino", "Cavin", "Humza", "Jaxyn", "Khiry", "Zyion", "Jionni", "Raja", "Damone", "Jamier", "Riyan", "Shaheed", "Tylon", "Brenner", "Markese", "Christop", "Tadd", "Mylo", "Yitzchak", "Nicolo", "Jarel", "Ravon", "Chanse", "Rahman", "Kayvon", "Byran", "Mikey", "Hardy", "Chip", "Johndavid", "Mattew", "Jamelle", "Deontay", "Cuauhtemoc", "Aundre", "Jaheem", "Jerson", "Giovonni", "Tayvion", "Marque", "Rider", "Eshan", "Athanasios", "Francois", "Octavian", "Yisrael", "Dionicio", "Erie", "Nevan", "Willian", "Cass", "Pharaoh", "Hanson", "Yohan", "Keontae", "Jerrid", "Adian", "Weslee", "Jahleel", "Brison", "Crispin", "Trystin", "Brevin", "Keshav", "Shaw", "Macon", "Shulem", "Dwaine", "Quade", "Montreal", "Bernabe", "Amadeus", "Ender", "Cristhian", "Dallen", "Anil", "Tiger", "Jasir", "Miko", "Eren", "Jibril", "Neville", "Caidyn", "Zyler", "Nasser", "Mavrick", "Juvenal", "Jancarlos", "Hazen", "Art", "Dagan", "Leviticus", "Kenrick", "Keiran", "Mazen", "Khang", "Lucious", "Elijiah", "Malachai", "Doran", "Damein", "Elroy", "Xaiver", "Augusto", "Loyal", "Treven", "Gustav", "Candido", "Dekota", "Oswald", "Conrado", "Marwan", "Jaykob", "Aeden", "Christoher", "Traveon", "Nabeel", "Leshawn", "Kyng", "Christien", "Damar", "Jarin", "Tennyson", "Shaurya", "Stockton", "Zyair", "Burt", "Suraj", "Theophilus", "Egan", "Cheyne", "Domonick", "Serafin", "Darick", "Garin", "Tevon", "Jd", "Armondo", "Jalani", "Jaydn", "Ferris", "Lamarion", "Kaidan", "Parish", "Faron", "Fabricio", "Corby", "Hung", "Len", "Thurston", "Sagar", "Elden", "Braydin", "Walton", "Selvin", "Ved", "Rolland", "Wayde", "Jaycen", "Taylan", "Keagen", "Prentiss", "Rich", "Antwoine", "Viraj", "Maxon", "Raghav", "Zaidyn", "Derion", "Kacper", "Wil", "Hadyn", "Carlisle", "Jontae", "Akram", "Stratton", "Winfred", "Harlen", "Jhonatan", "Khamani", "Kadarius", "Dylen", "Enmanuel", "Jorel", "Arham", "Jencarlos", "Andrez", "Hasani", "Patryk", "Dontavius", "Bijan", "Donivan", "Tayton", "Collyn", "Janson", "Vishnu", "Sixto", "Haroon", "Del", "Kennan", "Amere", "Asim", "Fynn", "Wesly", "Blayze", "Kasyn", "Kevion", "Gibran", "Jahmari", "Kishan", "Candelario", "Zayan", "Evaristo", "Uri", "Hendrick", "Fitzgerald", "Dartagnan", "Thien", "Andon", "Maliek", "Jozef", "Breyden", "Jabez", "Jeremih", "Rashan", "Juventino", "Xzavion", "Vann", "Kaelen", "Bud", "Lennie", "Andersen", "Eryk", "Phong", "Arien", "Dontez", "Alon", "Mickel", "Binyomin", "Gianfranco", "Abisai", "Jeanpierre", "Manolo", "Eliam", "Javari", "Jakeem", "Tavarus", "Michelangelo", "Erickson", "Riccardo", "Atharv", "Maxie", "Teron", "Rand", "Jayvian", "Chauncy", "Larenzo", "Tysean", "Gavan", "Abrahan", "Tanis", "Tymir", "Enoc", "Zebadiah", "Mose", "Arath", "Kendarius", "Dutch", "Loghan", "Kile", "Timmie", "Kaisen", "Frantz", "Tallon", "Adem", "Jorje", "Samarth", "Rayn", "Zachry", "Tyrice", "Teon", "Sabino", "Alekzander", "Truth", "Johnell", "Rayshaun", "Bretton", "Rosalio", "Rock", "Yancey", "Prescott", "Jobe", "Kendale", "Niklaus", "Levin", "Aakash", "Rajan", "Talmadge", "Mace", "Dresden", "Derin", "Oran", "Jalan", "Millard", "Bryston", "Keigan", "Tremain", "Jhett", "Romario", "Dolan", "Harmon", "Kion", "Montrel", "Hipolito", "Neko", "Barrington", "Maxime", "Trevan", "Pryce", "Shadow", "Evangelos", "Sekou", "Rockwell", "Eyad", "Rudra", "Avinash", "Silverio", "Braedan", "Terrin", "Marqus", "Izaya", "Keron", "Deaundre", "Matthieu", "Amadou", "Axle", "Alastair", "Jevin", "Kipton", "Cordarius", "Kong", "Isak", "Karlton", "Maliki", "Nels", "Rashod", "Klay", "Bertram", "Abhiram", "Pearce", "Gildardo", "Argenis", "Elija", "Hillel", "Chirstopher", "Alister", "Atlee", "Juanjose", "Collen", "Cipriano", "Cross", "Sylvan", "Davidson", "Tillman", "Soham", "Daryle", "Riaan", "Cayleb", "Saint", "Mikail", "Kainen", "Conway", "Mel", "Wally", "Ignatius", "Sanchez", "Moishe", "Talin", "Montavious", "Virgilio", "Sal", "Karam", "Rhyder", "Shadi", "Nashawn", "Joby", "Matheo", "Mykell", "Graig", "Nicco", "Haywood", "Kellin", "Boruch", "Otoniel", "Thaddaeus", "Orson", "Jacori", "Ahron", "Jonthan", "Finnigan", "Huey", "Aziel", "Morrison", "Zamarion", "Reza", "Oshea", "Justo", "Zarek", "Camdon", "Gennaro", "Sagan", "Dwane", "Oryan", "Martinez", "Finlay", "Daevon", "Narciso", "Farris", "Amrit", "Shyheim", "Serge", "Lyam", "Wolf", "Val", "Wilford", "Carlyle", "Kalon", "Raylon", "Layden", "Ikaika", "De", "Theodor", "Amadeo", "Eldridge", "Jeanluc", "Cage", "Anuj", "Georgios", "Yannick", "Adonai", "Shandon", "Bricen", "Mahir", "Pinchas", "Carleton", "Yves", "Maury", "Tylin", "Wali", "Maher", "Nicholai", "Kamauri", "Corinthian", "Khary", "Cornelio", "Aarin", "Tyus", "Markos", "Cosmo", "Raudel", "Garen", "Silvio", "Qasim", "Benigno", "Blue", "Henderson", "Prestyn", "Khaleel", "Nathaneal", "Jayvin", "Rogers", "Jaryn", "Sunil", "Sabian", "Jamauri", "Ahren", "Jashon", "Kenyan", "Daxon", "Ronak", "Avin", "Sandeep", "Yasser", "Keir", "Kenai", "Taiwan", "Ramy", "Ashish", "Deagan", "Jeancarlo", "Thayne", "Lukus", "Amaan", "Wardell", "Rodriguez", "Vedant", "Reily", "Osama", "Anthoni", "Duwayne", "Markis", "Ibn", "Rudi", "Jasean", "Rollin", "Kenney", "Kacen", "Yanni", "Jamarian", "Roderic", "Keylan", "Dameion", "Usher", "Kimball", "Aneesh", "Ladon", "Stavros", "Yassin", "Aadi", "Kendrell", "Jabriel", "Chavis", "Farid", "Ziad", "Odis", "Artie", "Sylus", "Elimelech", "Janiel", "Walid", "Serjio", "Reef", "Daegan", "Dmarcus", "Stevenson", "Marvell", "Koltyn", "Adams", "Chan", "Yuvraj", "Britten", "Dade", "Santonio", "Arash", "Reeve", "Kashif", "Javaughn", "Nicholes", "Colston", "Tiberius", "Dimitrius", "Rishabh", "Massiah", "Antwane", "Lamon", "Boe", "Ethaniel", "Eshaan", "Jacobie", "Wellington", "Mehdi", "Caedmon", "Benzion", "Matthews", "Karlo", "Lateef", "Ebenezer", "Trapper", "Tarell", "Waylen", "Kyzer", "Niam", "Donyell", "Fredi", "Jerid", "Ayomide", "Kamau", "Ibrahima", "Amr", "Lyman", "Bashir", "Glynn", "Soloman", "Kedric", "Arick", "Zymir", "Nicodemus", "Anastacio", "Hendrik", "Reynold", "Tywon", "Rayford", "Thayer", "Jeriel", "Jeremyah", "Keeton", "Murad", "Vittorio", "Shun", "Iram", "Yan", "Marshaun", "Dewitt", "Harland", "Diamante", "Rudolfo", "Trayton", "Rufino", "Sinclair", "Trevaughn", "Aaiden", "Jakhi", "Maxfield", "Judge", "Moussa", "Terrick", "Anastasios", "Ilya", "Hieu", "Mahki", "Donn", "Jere", "Jawaun", "Bernardino", "Brenten", "Dawan", "Xavien", "Javonta", "Amando", "Eligio", "Rees", "Ontario", "Randle", "Yoseph", "Torrin", "Lakendrick", "Lipa", "Casimir", "Kaimana", "Devontay", "Vashon", "Zacarias", "Jhonathan", "Branton", "Germain", "Jarrel", "Marvel", "Xaiden", "Devron", "Efrem", "Jerico", "Salah", "Antjuan", "Bladen", "Ram", "Sully", "Amilcar", "Latroy", "Jayton", "Markee", "Trequan", "Jaquarius", "Reis", "Brenan", "Vinny", "Riggs", "Advik", "Chavez", "Joah", "Talib", "Kiaan", "Demon", "Jamiel", "Cheston", "Jaceon", "Zachari", "Conlan", "Aristotle", "Garner", "Basilio", "Rafeal", "Duy", "Didier", "Koy", "Javis", "Tarun", "Raheim", "Edvin", "Camerin", "Quintavious", "Garon", "Dorsey", "Allister", "Yurem", "Kalem", "Derrius", "Ames", "Marquice", "Darnel", "Chrystian", "Tyrelle", "Ashraf", "Pacey", "Granger", "Arav", "Kam", "Travell", "Mikhael", "Oden", "Tanay", "Dezmon", "Romelo", "Davaughn", "Padraic", "Daris", "Brodi", "Christoph", "Kristofor", "Waylan", "Treshaun", "Wilhelm", "Hoang", "Buster", "Cainan", "Viaan", "Abdurrahman", "Tarrance", "Aviel", "Fenix", "Kysen", "Lizandro", "Javarius", "Marciano", "Kendon", "Sy", "Juanito", "Sumner", "Ankit", "Kavan", "Sander", "Noland", "Dawud", "Webster", "Izrael", "Sohan", "Jerard", "Stefen", "Traven", "Rupert", "Daeshawn", "Keishawn", "Benjamine", "Jayon", "Nakai", "Hamid", "Avan", "Sire", "Ryatt", "Niccolo", "Alvis", "Waymon", "Dyland", "Huck", "Chancelor", "Justino", "Rainer", "Daneil", "Shant", "Nahom", "Connell", "Brantly", "Daequan", "Tyvon", "Stafford", "Aran", "Zakariah", "Devone", "Ramey", "Kaseem", "Jaquavious", "Christiaan", "Tytan", "Kemarion", "Antwuan", "Khaleb", "Hayward", "Ronit", "Jaxin", "Reyli", "Masiah", "Obinna", "Maynor", "Jawon", "Keldrick", "Navin", "Zahid", "Shaka", "Vu", "Haziel", "Kelin", "Jamarious", "Raoul", "Barak", "Avante", "Mikkel", "Montell", "Shakeem", "Cutler", "Aslan", "Daryll", "Juliano", "Mordecai", "Domanick", "Deaven", "Colden", "Erron", "Tamer", "Ramond", "Deontre", "Shamon", "Rajiv", "Trevyn", "Amarii", "Eber", "Tarrell", "Navid", "Kenric", "Makaio", "Daiquan", "Rayaan", "Boyce", "Josua", "Marcellous", "Trung", "Rishaan", "Jahi", "Reuven", "Curry", "Copeland", "Geoff", "Arnell", "Abhishek", "Quaid", "Toren", "Roddrick", "Hisham", "Yu", "Diallo", "Tyrie", "Talha", "Neri", "Dung", "Jaryd", "Cosme", "Luqman", "Arius", "Adon", "Kwesi", "Antonios", "Vern", "Huntley", "Vaughan", "Zebulun", "Jaythan", "Vander", "Fares", "Tirrell", "Butch", "Bralyn", "Joseantonio", "Silvano", "Juanmanuel", "Jakson", "Rayshon", "Tayson", "Atom", "Sylar", "Jerick", "Kean", "Donovin", "Godfrey", "Manning", "Croix", "Kaito", "Fadi", "Lyndell", "Koi", "Nihal", "Anthonie", "Briant", "Demetruis", "Able", "Camaron", "Adham", "Dennie", "Ziyad", "Sylis", "Kelechi", "Alphonzo", "Jerimy", "Yerik", "Martavius", "Dylin", "Nicholus", "Riker", "Sebastion", "Binyamin", "Bransen", "Jamaree", "Tevita", "Derrian", "Arlan", "Kallan", "Tafari", "Alexandr", "Bane", "Emre", "Yobani", "Daryan", "Coltan", "Rajon", "Macen", "Keyton", "Benjaman", "Saquan", "Brockton", "Ramzi", "Aizen", "Oneil", "Herminio", "Jezreel", "Breyon", "Calan", "Dayson", "Azaan", "Pheonix", "Zachory", "Samad", "Padraig", "Giancarlos", "Stellan", "Maxson", "Dillen", "Rye", "Azaiah", "Traevon", "Steffon", "Nikos", "Brier", "Constantino", "Koltin", "Jaxsyn", "Karmelo", "Damarco", "Garron", "Dj", "Dell", "Johnthan", "Nicholis", "Addam", "Kylo", "Nickey", "Amiel", "Eriq", "Gianmarco", "Kou", "Kani", "Trajan", "Quang", "Jermane", "Tabor", "Calob", "Timoteo", "Lionell", "Kasper", "Shawne", "Trinton", "Daimon", "Lonnell", "Deleon", "Tyrece", "Demonta", "Piotr", "Ziyon", "Faheem", "Jonothan", "Rowland", "Jermal", "Jaxtyn", "Anmol", "Ulyses", "Jamonte", "Kaven", "Samy", "Les", "Jermy", "Giuliano", "Ranger", "Cobi", "Evann", "Donzell", "Hani", "Jehu", "Bradey", "Kaileb", "Habib", "Winslow", "Treavor", "Makel", "Tarrence", "Antonie", "Tyronne", "Amiri", "Delante", "Jabbar", "Lleyton", "Brendin", "Tomasz", "Jamahl", "Griffith", "Joab", "Izac", "Shlok", "Abrahm", "Christoffer", "Keithan", "Yoni", "Raynaldo", "Buford", "Valor", "Truitt", "Khanh", "Naythan", "Lior", "Ilias", "Roby", "Sid", "Fulton", "Marice", "Esteven", "Cleon", "Zavien", "Ronen", "Shyam", "Elijha", "Tedrick", "Jemel", "Wiliam", "Haydin", "Maeson", "Tashaun", "Jerone", "Shaheem", "Omid", "Nnamdi", "Gerrod", "Laurent", "Huston", "Tynan", "Termaine", "Coda", "Terren", "Jaquon", "Cornelious", "Obie", "Hershy", "Rito", "Abhay", "Joachim", "Gaurav", "Krystopher", "Gaylon", "Gunther", "Jaeger", "Deryk", "Kanaan", "Cru", "Khoa", "Dalon", "Jediah", "Zabdiel", "Kodey", "Isayah", "Abdoulaye", "Colyn", "Dayon", "Cisco", "Kasim", "Raffi", "Dayquan", "Jarryd", "Hari", "Edy", "Kao", "Raffaele", "Amil", "Archibald", "Otha", "Wendall", "Denzil", "Brexton", "Asaiah", "Makari", "Jowell", "Freddrick", "Thadeus", "Darsh", "Darshan", "Edilberto", "Ayoub", "Kaan", "Hawk", "Talmage", "Kaius", "Kentavious", "Alonza", "Rooney", "Gracin", "Halston", "Tyriek", "Daijon", "Artur", "Haider", "Walt", "Matan", "Garvin", "Makana", "Nassir", "Rayhan", "Kaeson", "Tajh", "Hanif", "Christiano", "Raynell", "Quashawn", "Maliq", "Taveon", "Tavarius", "Bj", "Horatio", "Mateus", "Kal", "Zeppelin", "Rasean", "Jantzen", "Boy", "Earle", "Kanoa", "Jamarie", "Kaydan", "Juel", "Kenta", "Kei", "Jaciel", "Klaus", "Cylas", "Christapher", "Makhai", "Brentlee", "Brittain", "Jawuan", "Dayvion", "Syler", "Johnatan", "Adrion", "Cezar", "Demetrick", "Arrington", "Andrik", "Kimo", "Jaleen", "Nicholos", "Prestin", "Menno", "Artem", "Penn", "Dacota", "Rj", "Beckam", "Eligh", "Islam", "Torren", "Sherwood", "Aiyden", "Ayrton", "Ennis", "Mehmet", "Sarkis", "Epifanio", "Peterson", "Kagan", "Victoriano", "Javar", "Chico", "Benuel", "Keston", "Terris", "Shiva", "Amire", "Kevonte", "Ankur", "Yonah", "Yechezkel", "Aloysius", "Pace", "Rhylan", "Tarren", "Shadrach", "Americo", "Darel", "Toryn", "Demarko", "Avram", "Manav", "Marquavious", "Keyshaun", "Alexandar", "Jaivon", "Aidin", "Aariz", "Waldo", "Garfield", "Kyrell", "Kamerin", "Lorenz", "Hansen", "Roddy", "Tyreece", "Neill", "Niels", "Dionisio", "Chirag", "Drevon", "Tajuan", "Derell", "Crue", "Dreshawn", "Josedejesus", "Kameren", "Holton", "Jedd", "Tyrome", "Kalub", "Uzziah", "Sang", "Kiptyn", "Aydenn", "Dre", "Waseem", "Deveon", "Nyles", "Jeremia", "Cheng", "Ezio", "Dacoda", "Jaelon", "Quenten", "Danyal", "Emad", "Juandiego", "Tri", "Willaim", "Durand", "Antonyo", "Rithvik", "Akili", "Jayln", "Mostafa", "Mynor", "Philipp", "Erek", "Kerby", "Nathanel", "Cadin", "Langdon", "Harun", "Eston", "Connar", "Jossue", "Rahmel", "Kwasi", "Abdias", "Nolyn", "Dallan", "Diontae", "Mickael", "Stevens", "Ramir", "Aurelius", "Kayde", "Nahshon", "Giovannie", "Alvino", "Klint", "Sanders", "Bee", "Timur", "Khaliq", "Ezell", "Sun", "Cincere", "Anden", "Jaice", "Gehrig", "Omri", "Georgio", "Cobe", "Demontae", "Martino", "Jemal", "Abubakar", "Cobey", "Daivon", "Cirilo", "Cuyler", "Donovon", "Shahid", "Kullen", "Kadon", "Kameran", "Aeron", "Coulter", "Aviv", "Gautam", "Eran", "Advaith", "Nadeem", "Renardo", "Brodee", "Cletus", "Maki", "Townes", "Demetre", "Gershon", "Chrisopher", "Kerrick", "Jalal", "Atharva", "Daivd", "Naji", "Yovany", "Delroy", "Oluwatobi", "Kajuan", "Nadav", "Patrik", "Alias", "Donal", "Rajesh", "Cleve", "Aleck", "Dupree", "Raymone", "Jeramey", "Andrian", "Davide", "Tyrrell", "Jahan", "Sahir", "Fabien", "Gardner", "Tavish", "Nichols", "Jostin", "Cylus", "Eri", "Kieron", "Zacheriah", "Lonzo", "Trevell", "Ryo", "Henrry", "Gustave", "Yahel", "Harsh", "Ericson", "Makoa", "Ventura", "Owyn", "Apolinar", "Alim", "Oneal", "Shayaan", "Thierry", "Min", "Isaiha", "Quintez", "Amonte", "Kortez", "Nosson", "Fareed", "Leevi", "Jahsiah", "Junius", "Tramell", "Jayvien", "Darold", "Sidharth", "Zian", "Bertrand", "Kolter", "Kiante", "Dewan", "Lamond", "Nitin", "Kanan", "Aydon", "Blayden", "Igor", "Taevon", "Talal", "Yehudah", "Mister", "Kyon", "Spence", "Wrigley", "Keita", "Demir", "Yadier", "Aarion", "Lakeith", "Shem", "Columbus", "Tayven", "Maguire", "Pieter", "Akim", "Shaheen", "Corvin", "Daman", "Laszlo", "Mercer", "Aahil", "Hersh", "Mahad", "Chukwuemeka", "Rainier", "Aundra", "Chayanne", "Rui", "Braidyn", "Eulalio", "Wyman", "Naveed", "Davyn", "Ziggy", "Jaycion", "Arif", "Kwabena", "Selim", "Toma", "Jaccob", "Dadrian", "Tresean", "Daniyal", "Graeson", "Lambert", "Chancy", "Sabin", "Grahm", "Nazario", "Kidus", "Jancarlo", "Vinnie", "Quantez", "Belal", "Piero", "Jamen", "Tor", "Denilson", "Robel", "Abdel", "Petros", "Ikenna", "Zaylin", "Dajour", "Geordan", "Tyon", "Kavi", "Ayven", "Witten", "Nickalas", "Nephi", "Yunus", "Lander", "Aedyn", "Keshun", "Caydon", "Demetrus", "Jebediah", "Dallon", "Son", "Romaine", "Amogh", "Leondre", "Froylan", "Severin", "Abbott", "Amias", "Ladell", "Dantrell", "Izik", "Ryver", "Deane", "Jahmel", "Shmiel", "Taggart", "Kota", "Roen", "Dshawn", "Daymond", "Allante", "Kainan", "Dayron", "Mazin", "Jerin", "Diangelo", "Terrelle", "Olajuwon", "Yuvan", "Treyvion", "Abrahim", "Rahiem", "Tayten", "Montae", "Jamaar", "Jaysean", "Kendrix", "Yeshaya", "Faizan", "Jeter", "Deklyn", "Pax", "Tamarion", "Faraz", "Munir", "Rhodes", "Chanler", "Andrue", "Mykael", "Little", "Isidoro", "Christipher", "Galvin", "Corde", "Erion", "Tyris", "Daveion", "Sebastiano", "Parsa", "Jayshaun", "Conall", "Edsel", "Albaro", "Gerome", "Riot", "Parks", "Antawn", "Dillian", "Amaru", "Catarino", "Ruston", "Unnamed", "Kail", "Rishab", "Josmar", "Bonifacio", "Denard", "Jermell", "Gerren", "Joaquim", "Jibreel", "Shrey", "Tan", "Lazar", "Seanmichael", "Garnett", "Hai", "Bren", "Hadrian", "Adolphus", "Locke", "Emrys", "Liem", "Llewellyn", "Mouhamed", "Layth", "Guido", "Jayro", "Lam", "Macarthur", "Sion", "Dillyn", "Winfield", "Nishant", "Uchenna", "Dannon", "Kaedon", "Bracken", "Abdelrahman", "Stevon", "Alexx", "Keyvon", "Elwin", "Olaf", "Amarri", "Javante", "Keanan", "Josemaria", "Moise", "Ramin", "Joselito", "Albin", "Chapman", "Kaeleb", "Jabin", "Cyler", "Jamarri", "Johnhenry", "Sadiq", "Sahib", "Mikai", "Tej", "Marvis", "Wylder", "Jayvyn", "Jeromie", "Alante", "Kaegan", "Jamarkus", "Ronal", "Decarlo", "Artez", "Jamez", "Thang", "Danzel", "Jakhari", "Espen", "Taye", "Lukasz", "Graden", "Phelan", "Karston", "Kenith", "Diandre", "Doron", "Harman", "Lawrance", "Ryken", "Yared", "Marshon", "Davone", "Shariff", "Khoi", "Draco", "Breydon", "Jubal", "Weylin", "Aaditya", "Librado", "Fenton", "Xaviar", "Neiko", "Rashun", "Radames", "Jafar", "Meng", "Tobiah", "Carston", "Jahmere", "Rexford", "Sabir", "Eiden", "Avant", "Kyre", "Aldin", "Dorion", "Manu", "Nguyen", "Theodis", "Jadrian", "Kaycen", "Quest", "Trevonte", "Keenon", "Tully", "Jayron", "Gryffin", "Ahsan", "Zenon", "Gerad", "Tidus", "Westly", "Cordale", "Taner", "Ovidio", "Tuff", "Alder", "Jerame", "Aldon", "Kodiak", "Daymian", "Mikko", "Jamerson", "Klinton", "Mcarthur", "Jahvon", "Koran", "Safwan", "Jaedan", "Yamir", "Maverik", "Kobey", "Jeric", "Arvind", "Nataniel", "Florian", "Stephone", "Trentyn", "Sherod", "Ameir", "Saulo", "Stryder", "Finnick", "Lamario", "Jamani", "Gabryel", "Kenard", "Telvin", "Keola", "Jaymeson", "Esgar", "Larsen", "Marck", "Gaberiel", "Kayin", "Antwann", "Braven", "Edwyn", "Dmarion", "Astin", "Chrishawn", "Presten", "Hawkins", "Chastin", "Zakee", "Rakan", "Mattox", "Wm", "Duron", "Frazier", "Majid", "Oumar", "Itzae", "Caison", "Damontae", "Mustapha", "Cuong", "Baldomero", "Albino", "Sharrod", "Constantinos", "Dason", "Nikoli", "Jaeson", "Arcadio", "Angad", "Steel", "Phillipe", "Keneth", "Athen", "Camarion", "Mirza", "Apolonio", "Favio", "Adarsh", "Nachman", "Colbey", "Brinton", "Kieren", "Lynwood", "Dayan", "Tyrion", "Jquan", "Tremell", "Slate", "Windell", "Akshaj", "Darryll", "Lawerence", "Michaelanthony", "Trustin", "Elson", "Adithya", "Dawon", "Hart", "Brit", "Kaidon", "Demani", "Maximillion", "Taji", "Dodge", "Ozias", "Kennth", "Deavion", "Jaquay", "Pinchus", "Agastya", "Phenix", "Ruvim", "Vladislav", "Kawan", "Tosh", "Brylen", "Cruze", "Darey", "Dasan", "Damin", "Derius", "Rhythm", "Devlyn", "Montrez", "Ahmet", "Kainalu", "Keone", "Filippo", "Keldon", "Aristeo", "Tamarcus", "Antonius", "Maurizio", "Irfan", "Teran", "Tyreik", "Dillin", "Donnovan", "Pavan", "Maurilio", "Vansh", "Jaedin", "Emon", "Yovanni", "Asif", "Melton", "Haneef", "Haydyn", "Xayden", "Viggo", "Davontay", "Thornton", "Shlome", "Tavoris", "Hasaan", "Alexandru", "Jedadiah", "Gregor", "Jotham", "Yuval", "Saverio", "Derrin", "Arnel", "Darryle", "Frederico", "Davonne", "Guthrie", "Saxton", "Delwin", "Philemon", "Shaul", "Terrace", "Whitman", "Yona", "Shaune", "Eh", "Musab", "Deepak", "Jiraiya", "Donyae", "Caelen", "Dalan", "Pratik", "Dieter", "Sriram", "Jamisen", "Champ", "Jiovani", "Hurley", "Aadyn", "Neftaly", "Kagen", "Satchel", "Antavious", "Jeyson", "Jefrey", "Isrrael", "Benyamin", "Laroy", "Naaman", "Jj", "Dennys", "Tayte", "Colm", "Stirling", "Devansh", "Maximos", "Delane", "Jamond", "Jaymin", "Dat", "Gryphon", "Nomar", "Rafi", "Lasean", "Mishael", "Daishawn", "Jerren", "Kwan", "Sandor", "Hero", "Tanish", "Jonel", "Justan", "Carrick", "Wilburn", "Laray", "Dwyane", "Lazer", "Luan", "Ridwan", "Olan", "Nasim", "Fransico", "Jager", "Tilden", "Rushil", "Yeng", "Torrian", "Malvin", "Gio", "Orian", "Mateen", "Keithen", "Hanley", "Skip", "Karel", "Ector", "Joss", "Eliab", "Riddick", "Arsh", "Nafis", "Muhamed", "Dantae", "Reymond", "Laird", "Torsten", "Granville", "Marchello", "Heith", "Rajah", "Homar", "Jatavious", "Keno", "Binh", "Dashel", "Vashawn", "Wendel", "Cayde", "Tayveon", "Subhan", "Lindell", "Phi", "Demont", "Teigen", "Delmer", "Algernon", "Iban", "Chaston", "Daric", "Yordi", "Vikas", "Mosiah", "Recardo", "Ashur", "Cordae", "Jaxston", "Cobie", "Bray", "Rudolf", "Vaibhav", "Georges", "Lyon", "Gerrick", "Kemar", "Curren", "Jamaul", "Severo", "Kailer", "Shadrick", "Kamel", "Hernando", "Jacksen", "Aki", "Chai", "Angello", "Johnmark", "Meshach", "Deen", "Sherard", "Keyonte", "Pharoah", "Cheskel", "Kyland", "Derry", "Manish", "Dilyn", "Vic", "Braelin", "Melchor", "Zeeshan", "Callaway", "Demontre", "Andruw", "Zebediah", "Nainoa", "Namir", "Jenner", "Ahad", "Olando", "Lanier", "Rondale", "Donavyn", "Washington", "Terez", "Neev", "Shaden", "Deyon", "Joshawa", "Amier", "Warrick", "Dondi", "Romulo", "Bauer", "Akai", "Arjan", "Raysean", "Bogdan", "Ezriel", "Haddon", "Parnell", "Tonny", "Maximilliano", "Briton", "Shraga", "Avelino", "Urban", "Teddie", "Sayed", "Petar", "Uzziel", "Deryck", "Regino", "Dmari", "Bartley", "Zaquan", "Calib", "Jahmar", "Maaz", "Tramel", "Aaric", "Martrell", "Rahil", "Rigel", "Alejo", "Holdyn", "Jrue", "Xzander", "Jerrin", "Selwyn", "Johnanthony", "Grabiel", "Taft", "Matix", "Dimitry", "Isadore", "Walden", "Jahsir", "Jaquel", "Tron", "Jennifer", "Jessica", "Ashley", "Sarah", "Emily", "Amanda", "Elizabeth", "Melissa", "Stephanie", "Nicole", "Samantha", "Michelle", "Kimberly", "Amy", "Heather", "Rachel", "Lauren", "Rebecca", "Angela", "Emma", "Megan", "Taylor", "Olivia", "Hannah", "Alexis", "Madison", "Christina", "Lisa", "Mary", "Amber", "Kelly", "Abigail", "Brittany", "Laura", "Danielle", "Victoria", "Katherine", "Kayla", "Tiffany", "Andrea", "Sophia", "Isabella", "Anna", "Natalie", "Alyssa", "Erin", "Jamie", "Maria", "Sara", "Shannon", "Crystal", "Allison", "Courtney", "Brianna", "Ava", "Jasmine", "Morgan", "Grace", "Julie", "Alexandra", "Mia", "Erica", "Julia", "Christine", "Vanessa", "Chloe", "Kristen", "April", "Riley", "Brooke", "Leah", "Melanie", "Karen", "Alicia", "Kathryn", "Katie", "Jacqueline", "Cynthia", "Avery", "Monica", "Catherine", "Sydney", "Savannah", "Leslie", "Patricia", "Kaitlyn", "Hailey", "Chelsea", "Lindsey", "Tara", "Haley", "Tracy", "Evelyn", "Ella", "Kelsey", "Kristin", "Destiny", "Diana", "Holly", "Caroline", "Charlotte", "Jenna", "Amelia", "Cassandra", "Susan", "Margaret", "Molly", "Shelby", "Dana", "Mackenzie", "Veronica", "Audrey", "Paige", "Lily", "Stacy", "Katelyn", "Addison", "Lillian", "Gabrielle", "Sofia", "Valerie", "Lindsay", "Kaylee", "Sandra", "Alexa", "Madeline", "Kathleen", "Tina", "Claire", "Autumn", "Dawn", "Zoe", "Wendy", "Tammy", "Sabrina", "Peyton", "Aubrey", "Kristina", "Carrie", "Marissa", "Bailey", "Erika", "Brenda", "Gabriella", "Caitlin", "Faith", "Stacey", "Kylie", "Miranda", "Lori", "Denise", "Mariah", "Brandy", "Brooklyn", "Makayla", "Teresa", "Nancy", "Brandi", "Ariana", "Pamela", "Jocelyn", "Heidi", "Sierra", "Alexandria", "Whitney", "Maya", "Robin", "Meghan", "Natasha", "Briana", "Linda", "Alison", "Bethany", "Lydia", "Kara", "Arianna", "Kendra", "Naomi", "Jade", "Aaliyah", "Layla", "Ana", "Angelina", "Ariel", "Jill", "Adriana", "Harper", "Angelica", "Gina", "Skylar", "Michele", "Zoey", "Tanya", "Katrina", "Renee", "Brittney", "Isabel", "Kendall", "Breanna", "Sharon", "Jillian", "Tonya", "Trinity", "Nevaeh", "Theresa", "Misty", "Madelyn", "Barbara", "Gabriela", "Deborah", "Eva", "Summer", "Joanna", "Kennedy", "Tamara", "Ruby", "Payton", "Cindy", "Anne", "Christy", "Rachael", "Krystal", "Desiree", "Bianca", "Sophie", "Daisy", "Lucy", "Dominique", "Donna", "Melinda", "Deanna", "Genesis", "Cheyenne", "Camila", "Carolyn", "Sadie", "Rebekah", "Isabelle", "Gianna", "Nora", "Bridget", "Monique", "Carmen", "Krista", "Felicia", "Scarlett", "Hope", "Jada", "Carly", "Natalia", "Ann", "Kate", "Jenny", "Nichole", "Meredith", "Quinn", "Elena", "Colleen", "Mckenzie", "Alice", "Regina", "Cheryl", "Ellie", "Daniela", "Cassidy", "Claudia", "Carla", "Kristy", "Melody", "Jordyn", "Reagan", "Karina", "Paula", "Serenity", "Stella", "Vivian", "Kaitlin", "Bella", "Valeria", "Rylee", "Karla", "Kelli", "Candice", "Marie", "Eleanor", "Liliana", "Janet", "Tabitha", "Nina", "Priscilla", "Mya", "Virginia", "Mallory", "Rose", "Alisha", "Abby", "Kristi", "Mikayla", "Candace", "Alana", "Guadalupe", "Ruth", "Caitlyn", "Juliana", "Aria", "Josephine", "Elise", "Joy", "Esther", "Lacey", "Maggie", "Martha", "Violet", "Alejandra", "Penelope", "Clara", "Gracie", "Rhonda", "Debra", "Beth", "Cecilia", "Kiara", "Michaela", "Suzanne", "Hayley", "Kylee", "Jodi", "Aimee", "Tessa", "Gloria", "Jaclyn", "Sherry", "Allyson", "Camille", "Rosa", "Yolanda", "Reese", "Cristina", "Kari", "Latoya", "Selena", "Miriam", "Ashlyn", "Kirsten", "Diane", "Tracey", "Sheila", "Piper", "Adrianna", "London", "Jasmin", "Aurora", "Helen", "Adrienne", "Marisa", "Kristine", "Kerry", "Annabelle", "Ashlee", "Cara", "Kasey", "Alexia", "Giselle", "Lilly", "Janelle", "Esmeralda", "Julianna", "Harley", "Ellen", "Toni", "Raven", "Carol", "Jazmin", "Meagan", "Callie", "Raquel", "Jody", "Makenzie", "Nadia", "Ivy", "Mila", "Aubree", "Jane", "Annie", "Alaina", "Jayla", "Sonia", "Eden", "Cora", "Sylvia", "Shelly", "Ebony", "Aliyah", "Khloe", "Hazel", "Yesenia", "Kyla", "Shawna", "Eliana", "Anastasia", "Kathy", "Alondra", "Bonnie", "Laurie", "Jacquelyn", "Delaney", "Mckenna", "Robyn", "Paisley", "Celeste", "Iris", "Emerson", "Angie", "Sasha", "Alissa", "Jazmine", "Cassie", "Anita", "Hanna", "Kellie", "Serena", "Mandy", "Sonya", "Frances", "Carolina", "Mariana", "Genevieve", "Laila", "Sidney", "Britney", "Tori", "Kira", "Delilah", "Diamond", "Valentina", "Paris", "Kyra", "Eliza", "Tasha", "Jackie", "Trisha", "Josie", "Ciara", "Nikki", "Lynn", "Brielle", "Tatiana", "Mercedes", "Yvonne", "Christie", "Traci", "Mindy", "Stefanie", "Georgia", "Jeanette", "Clarissa", "Annette", "Luna", "Terri", "Ashleigh", "Brooklynn", "Johanna", "Asia", "Mayra", "Noelle", "Kassandra", "Kelley", "Fatima", "Jean", "Chelsey", "Allie", "Stacie", "Kim", "Marisol", "Tricia", "Janice", "Lucia", "Elisabeth", "Alina", "Amaya", "Hadley", "Willow", "Kayleigh", "Marilyn", "Irene", "Athena", "Elaine", "Madeleine", "Savanna", "Yvette", "Tia", "Emilia", "Katelynn", "Justine", "Camryn", "Latasha", "Charity", "Leilani", "Connie", "Leticia", "Kristie", "Shayla", "Elisa", "Keira", "Dorothy", "Emery", "Lena", "Sage", "Makenna", "Marina", "Daniella", "Macy", "Charlene", "Haylee", "Marley", "Leila", "Lila", "Joyce", "Judith", "Kerri", "Adeline", "Alivia", "Brenna", "Alayna", "Keri", "Carissa", "Christa", "Cierra", "Lyla", "Fiona", "Sandy", "Shelley", "Hillary", "Talia", "Francesca", "Kinsley", "Tiana", "Shana", "Harmony", "Ximena", "Alyson", "Heaven", "Alma", "Teagan", "Rachelle", "Sienna", "Lorena", "Izabella", "Angelique", "Roxanne", "Gwendolyn", "Kenya", "Leigh", "Kailey", "Arielle", "Gretchen", "Lesley", "Ryleigh", "Kali", "Tatum", "Aniyah", "Shanna", "Presley", "Eileen", "Belinda", "Imani", "Taryn", "Beverly", "Kamryn", "Tania", "Kiana", "Sally", "Jana", "Chasity", "Darlene", "Rosemary", "Brynn", "Finley", "Rita", "Shirley", "Lana", "Julissa", "Marlene", "Juliet", "Sherri", "Ashlynn", "Lola", "Bobbie", "Lizbeth", "Juanita", "Tiara", "Lexi", "Alisa", "Phoebe", "Joanne", "Malia", "Norma", "Elisha", "Becky", "Paola", "Betty", "Rochelle", "Emilee", "Maureen", "Tamika", "Elaina", "Lara", "Shauna", "Daphne", "Randi", "Ericka", "Skye", "Nia", "Aisha", "Larissa", "Corinne", "Cadence", "Blair", "Simone", "Maribel", "Norah", "Viviana", "Billie", "Keisha", "Isla", "Alanna", "Katharine", "Sheena", "Antoinette", "Lea", "Kaylie", "Edith", "Juliette", "India", "Jenifer", "Brianne", "Staci", "Laurel", "Baylee", "Hallie", "Kiera", "Lauryn", "Sheri", "Judy", "Hilary", "Ayla", "Tracie", "Cortney", "Kiley", "Penny", "Lyric", "Julianne", "Ginger", "Cathy", "Maddison", "Adalyn", "Karissa", "Adalynn", "Maritza", "Yasmin", "Rylie", "Kassidy", "Tanisha", "Emely", "Lacy", "Luz", "Alessandra", "Jennie", "Jolene", "Perla", "Kelsie", "Jayda", "Bryanna", "Alexus", "Raegan", "Madalyn", "Kaylin", "Blanca", "Londyn", "Nayeli", "Kyleigh", "Trina", "Katlyn", "Mikaela", "Lia", "Latonya", "Aileen", "Shea", "Margarita", "Joann", "Wanda", "Leanna", "Jami", "Latisha", "Sarai", "Precious", "Amie", "Joan", "Maci", "Regan", "Bridgette", "Cali", "Debbie", "Dulce", "Nova", "Emilie", "Kenzie", "Antonia", "Audra", "Jodie", "Annika", "Kimberley", "June", "Madilyn", "Mollie", "Araceli", "Haven", "Helena", "Noemi", "Arabella", "Leanne", "Dina", "Tabatha", "Aspen", "Abbey", "Lilliana", "Chanel", "Everly", "Nyla", "Itzel", "Constance", "Celia", "Mara", "Raelynn", "Dianna", "Joselyn", "Miracle", "Macie", "Janae", "Ainsley", "Aniya", "Destinee", "Kinley", "Elyse", "Catalina", "Ada", "Kaitlynn", "Eve", "Carley", "Myra", "Kaydence", "Susana", "Anya", "Deja", "Loretta", "Evangeline", "Vicki", "Paulina", "Lorraine", "Melina", "Nathalie", "Arya", "Marion", "Kaleigh", "Ingrid", "Arlene", "Marsha", "Samara", "Anahi", "Shayna", "Bobbi", "Katy", "Brandie", "Adelyn", "Fernanda", "Rosalie", "Lucille", "Jayme", "Patrice", "Kierra", "Madisyn", "Elsa", "Hollie", "Beatrice", "Shania", "Peggy", "Addyson", "Hailee", "Marcia", "Lora", "Sonja", "Cristal", "Clare", "Jadyn", "Ayanna", "Danica", "Carina", "Cheyanne", "Melisa", "Journey", "Tierra", "Bria", "Danna", "Stevie", "Gillian", "Camilla", "Lynette", "Carey", "Dena", "Liana", "Anika", "Betsy", "Reyna", "Kaelyn", "Cecelia", "Nicolette", "Devyn", "Tiffani", "Elsie", "Lillie", "Bailee", "Lyndsey", "Kourtney", "Kiersten", "Chantel", "Lilian", "Madelynn", "Gia", "Darcy", "Rhiannon", "Amira", "Amara", "Jaqueline", "Jaelyn", "Lesly", "Meaghan", "Roberta", "Haleigh", "Selina", "Elle", "Janine", "Vera", "Terra", "Kaila", "Teri", "Chelsie", "Casandra", "Gemma", "Halle", "Silvia", "Abbie", "Carlie", "Aleah", "Leann", "Estrella", "Lilah", "Nataly", "Christi", "Tayler", "Tami", "Jazlyn", "Jeanne", "Janessa", "Elliana", "Adelaide", "Beatriz", "Bernadette", "Chandra", "Felicity", "Nadine", "Amiyah", "Maia", "Elissa", "Kaley", "Kori", "Kailyn", "Tonia", "Greta", "Aubrie", "Janie", "Eloise", "Krystle", "Lexie", "Shiloh", "Candy", "Stephany", "Tess", "Melany", "Rocio", "Annabella", "Lakeisha", "Deana", "Mckinley", "Tyra", "Jimena", "Madyson", "Tameka", "Marlee", "Mckayla", "Marcella", "Tianna", "Desirae", "Marla", "Maura", "Ashanti", "Chrystal", "Yasmine", "Amani", "Charlee", "Kacey", "Liberty", "Mariam", "Nikita", "Anaya", "Marjorie", "Yadira", "Amina", "Christen", "Karlee", "Brynlee", "Lakisha", "Ramona", "Vivienne", "Trista", "Celina", "Brook", "Maeve", "Kacie", "Alena", "Moriah", "Kendal", "Tamia", "Tammie", "Annalise", "Joelle", "Kailee", "Leighton", "Kennedi", "Dayana", "Jacklyn", "Chaya", "Micaela", "Princess", "Brittani", "Colette", "Sloane", "Cheri", "Scarlet", "Miley", "Angelia", "Marianne", "Abbigail", "Cherie", "Jewel", "Kamila", "Delia", "Aylin", "Janette", "Shaina", "Shari", "Skyla", "Myla", "Thalia", "Jena", "Liza", "Cori", "Jeannette", "Carlee", "Kaylyn", "Jeannie", "Octavia", "Christin", "Kadence", "Corina", "Ciera", "Keely", "Ashly", "Kaia", "Esperanza", "Olive", "Maliyah", "Janiyah", "Breana", "Rebeca", "Damaris", "Maranda", "Maryann", "America", "Sheryl", "Isis", "Maricela", "Charley", "Irma", "Dayna", "Ariella", "Doris", "Zara", "Darla", "Kristal", "Kaylynn", "Gail", "Farrah", "Magdalena", "Iliana", "Laney", "Gladys", "Giovanna", "Pearl", "Joni", "Sky", "Anissa", "Jolie", "Leia", "Montana", "Nakia", "Ayana", "Emory", "Cayla", "Graciela", "Macey", "Karin", "Mariela", "Kimberlee", "Karlie", "Vicky", "Ansley", "Chana", "Lizette", "Vickie", "Katina", "Olga", "Susanna", "Karli", "Marcy", "Shay", "Pauline", "Karly", "Gracelyn", "Alia", "Kallie", "Hana", "Janna", "Dahlia", "Breanne", "Dora", "Jaycee", "Glenda", "Jayleen", "Janiya", "Marian", "Sunny", "Angeline", "Tatyana", "Ember", "Mattie", "Raelyn", "Ryann", "Lorelei", "Marianna", "Martina", "Cherish", "Annabel", "Lacie", "Dalia", "Geneva", "Ashlie", "Annmarie", "Danika", "Shantel", "Adrianne", "Raina", "Dara", "Isabela", "Luciana", "Lucinda", "Haylie", "Rayna", "Santana", "Kelsi", "Yaretzi", "Winter", "Lina", "Mandi", "Giuliana", "Chastity", "Joslyn", "Averie", "Celine", "Gisselle", "Braelyn", "Jaimie", "Thea", "Reina", "Remi", "Brylee", "Ivory", "Zoie", "Fallon", "Blakely", "Shanice", "Jo", "Zariah", "Sade", "Leona", "Patience", "Louise", "Arely", "Alecia", "Campbell", "Amya", "Christiana", "Bridgett", "Essence", "Savanah", "Ally", "Kenna", "Cari", "Kaci", "Malinda", "Aleena", "Alysha", "Juana", "Natalee", "Laci", "Demi", "Roxana", "Alycia", "Reilly", "Justina", "Lourdes", "Marquita", "Racheal", "Edna", "Adelynn", "Leeann", "Ronda", "Maegan", "Kaya", "Janel", "Shyanne", "Lashawn", "Lilia", "Janell", "Lashonda", "Catrina", "Jaliyah", "Marisela", "Lainey", "Wendi", "Zaria", "Jaida", "Myah", "Jaylynn", "Katelin", "Darby", "Maryam", "Tera", "Marcie", "Jazmyn", "Aliya", "Demetria", "Brinley", "Alysia", "Kasandra", "Mina", "Evie", "Lynda", "Mira", "Millie", "Kaliyah", "Tiffanie", "Aracely", "Aliza", "Emersyn", "Paloma", "Caylee", "Luisa", "Marlena", "Jeanine", "Bree", "Jaylah", "Georgina", "Libby", "Selah", "Valarie", "Rosie", "Jaidyn", "Briella", "Addisyn", "Yazmin", "Saige", "Maxine", "Nylah", "Alexandrea", "Renata", "Carli", "Belen", "Aryanna", "Rosalinda", "Zuri", "Marci", "Latrice", "Eunice", "Katarina", "Mireya", "Fabiola", "Lizeth", "Kenia", "Sherrie", "Aiyana", "Rena", "Sarina", "Salma", "Evelynn", "Amalia", "Gwen", "Dixie", "Rosemarie", "Journee", "Kristyn", "Jaylene", "Tisha", "Deidre", "Kayley", "Anabel", "Shakira", "Giana", "Lakesha", "Dolores", "Anabelle", "Yareli", "Malaysia", "Madilynn", "Emmalee", "Kimora", "Ivette", "Geraldine", "Jaelynn", "Shelia", "Miah", "Mona", "Renae", "Griselda", "Sydnee", "Kirstin", "Alani", "Margot", "Aja", "Tegan", "Lisette", "Monika", "Jacey", "Brisa", "Asha", "Hattie", "Kianna", "Siena", "Mari", "Abril", "Xiomara", "Madalynn", "Rhea", "Christal", "Lilyana", "Ida", "Audrina", "Rosalyn", "Kami", "Matilda", "Rosario", "Kaycee", "Mae", "Adele", "Adelina", "Unique", "Sariah", "Margo", "Kimber", "Keyla", "Kaylen", "Azariah", "Rubi", "Destini", "Destiney", "Valencia", "Maren", "Karsyn", "Chantal", "Roxanna", "Jayde", "Bryn", "Susie", "Kalyn", "Emelia", "Amaris", "Maleah", "Jessi", "Iesha", "Francine", "Kinsey", "Misti", "Adaline", "Jamila", "Bristol", "Halie", "Kia", "Andria", "Akira", "Karley", "Ladonna", "Taliyah", "Davina", "Yessenia", "Mabel", "Amiya", "Astrid", "Lorie", "Yaritza", "Emmy", "Latanya", "Gracelynn", "Annamarie", "Annemarie", "Rosanna", "Alesha", "Kala", "Sloan", "Lidia", "Daleyza", "Dionne", "Leyla", "Kenyatta", "Willa", "Deirdre", "Hilda", "Dianne", "Tamera", "Kathrine", "Marta", "Dani", "Ariah", "Stormy", "Holli", "Anais", "Ashtyn", "Shyla", "Kenley", "Lois", "Roselyn", "Eryn", "Emerald", "Briley", "Marcela", "Karrie", "Lucero", "Rivka", "Charli", "Amelie", "Paulette", "Charmaine", "Monserrat", "Domonique", "Karyn", "Jaylee", "Joana", "Deidra", "Faye", "Elana", "Berenice", "Estella", "Addie", "Jaylyn", "Dania", "Sherlyn", "Amirah", "Ami", "Cathleen", "Louisa", "Aida", "Miya", "Bertha", "Livia", "Marlo", "Bernice", "Rikki", "Elyssa", "Kayli", "Meadow", "Paislee", "Alysa", "Shae", "Corrine", "Lyndsay", "Juniper", "Lexus", "Deena", "Nikole", "Nathaly", "Katerina", "Coral", "Lawanda", "Flor", "Freya", "Mildred", "Corrie", "Lilianna", "Ivanna", "Lissette", "Noor", "Allyssa", "Kaiya", "Shanda", "Frida", "Sue", "Evelin", "Starr", "Harlow", "Shaylee", "Arden", "Emmalyn", "Ashely", "Alyse", "Jordin", "Khadijah", "Tamra", "Samira", "Mika", "Elianna", "Eboni", "Kassie", "Krysta", "Keila", "Litzy", "Katheryn", "Florence", "Sutton", "Milagros", "Aryana", "Phyllis", "Jazlynn", "Rayne", "Sarahi", "Kalani", "Cristy", "Jeri", "Richelle", "Tosha", "Britany", "Natalya", "Galilea", "Laken", "Jalyn", "Estefania", "Ivana", "Latosha", "Saniya", "Noa", "Addilyn", "Jakayla", "Selene", "Denisse", "Shaniya", "Tammi", "Braelynn", "Stacia", "Danae", "Kisha", "Cecily", "Dominque", "Dayanara", "Kaela", "Johana", "Shameka", "Vanesa", "Chantelle", "Averi", "Gena", "Salina", "Shyann", "Kaylah", "Star", "Kay", "Johnna", "Alannah", "Kayleen", "Saniyah", "Leigha", "Whitley", "Kandice", "Caryn", "Stefani", "Harlee", "Yoselin", "Treasure", "Alayah", "Saylor", "Brittni", "Suzanna", "Jalisa", "Jocelynn", "Leandra", "Bryana", "Mariel", "Jackeline", "Shonda", "Nellie", "Julieta", "Sondra", "Shante", "Abigayle", "Jenelle", "Anabella", "Aurelia", "Jael", "Calista", "Jeanna", "Kerrie", "Jessika", "Mercy", "Sheree", "Nola", "Makena", "Aliana", "Amberly", "Sommer", "Therese", "Marin", "Hailie", "Rae", "Jasmyn", "Zahra", "Hadassah", "Cathryn", "Keeley", "Malissa", "Karis", "Suzette", "Breann", "Areli", "Noelia", "Monroe", "Priya", "Malaya", "Lindy", "Rihanna", "Josefina", "Isabell", "Kortney", "Maira", "Kensley", "Taya", "Kelsea", "Yuliana", "Siobhan", "Ashli", "Daria", "Kacy", "Della", "Charleigh", "Rhianna", "Abagail", "Violeta", "Aviana", "Azalea", "Lilith", "Mariyah", "Holland", "Janay", "Susannah", "Shanika", "Adela", "Brigitte", "Danelle", "Abigale", "Linnea", "Danyelle", "Wren", "Maryjane", "Magnolia", "Jeannine", "Chyna", "Kyndall", "Nathalia", "Adilene", "Tamar", "Lynne", "Katia", "Sheridan", "Valery", "Tenley", "Jessa", "Lorelai", "Alexi", "Tatianna", "Yajaira", "Ayesha", "Yasmeen", "Katlin", "Karmen", "Ireland", "Reanna", "Azaria", "Felisha", "Niki", "Nicola", "Carleigh", "Iman", "Lailah", "Sanaa", "Deandra", "Sharonda", "Susanne", "Shelbi", "Ursula", "Nicolle", "Eugenia", "Chanda", "Lela", "Consuelo", "Kodi", "Laylah", "Adina", "Marlen", "Brandee", "Shanon", "Tanesha", "Nya", "Karma", "Evangelina", "Michell", "Elia", "Brea", "Alaya", "Caleigh", "Wynter", "Alize", "Jamya", "Annelise", "Sydni", "Jessenia", "Portia", "Maisie", "Lillianna", "Anjali", "Zainab", "Flora", "Nelly", "Doreen", "Braylee", "Kristan", "Felecia", "Keshia", "Petra", "Savana", "Lynnette", "Aya", "Serina", "Heidy", "Venus", "Jazmyne", "Kandace", "Cailyn", "Andi", "Shelbie", "Kylah", "Francisca", "Dasia", "Hayleigh", "Annalee", "Farah", "Codi", "Cambria", "Kora", "Kalie", "Shaniqua", "Marguerite", "Ayleen", "Jayne", "Rosalind", "Ellison", "Jeana", "Emani", "Grecia", "Linsey", "Michal", "Eleni", "Shamika", "Milena", "Nyasia", "Breonna", "Jailyn", "Tayla", "Deanne", "Annalisa", "Kya", "Avianna", "Jammie", "Zaniyah", "Sunshine", "May", "Charlize", "Paityn", "Sydnie", "Kaylan", "Carmela", "Lylah", "Kesha", "Shanta", "Madisen", "Ariyah", "Chiquita", "Estelle", "Riya", "Avah", "Shira", "Starla", "Gwyneth", "Chanelle", "Adria", "Yahaira", "Shantell", "Taniya", "Jemma", "Lynsey", "Lianna", "Jacquelin", "Corinna", "Ivonne", "Candi", "Estefany", "Cinthia", "Jalynn", "Caitlynn", "Brionna", "Kalli", "Kamilah", "Kendyl", "Anisa", "Henley", "Dalila", "Amia", "Elvira", "Xochitl", "Isela", "Tawana", "Ilana", "Angelita", "Yamileth", "Melodie", "Jerri", "Brittanie", "Adriane", "Mai", "Tana", "Nyah", "Iyana", "Casie", "Alyssia", "Alyvia", "Soraya", "Krystina", "Lakeshia", "Roslyn", "Keara", "Cataleya", "Jesica", "Viola", "Malka", "Collins", "Anneliese", "Tarah", "Shellie", "Jesenia", "Darci", "Laquita", "Everleigh", "Myranda", "Moira", "Thelma", "Analia", "Makaila", "Desire", "Delores", "Mellissa", "Joi", "Alaysia", "Kailani", "Deasia", "Corrina", "Lenora", "Esme", "Margie", "Iyanna", "Audriana", "Ophelia", "Tyesha", "Kati", "Alora", "Daisha", "Emmaline", "Patty", "Antonella", "Shanell", "Carmella", "Lashanda", "Venessa", "Charissa", "Shannan", "Tanika", "Giavanna", "Carsyn", "Magaly", "Gayle", "Shoshana", "Kalia", "Antionette", "Chiara", "Alexys", "Kamille", "Montserrat", "Shalonda", "Kairi", "Kayle", "Shreya", "Jerrica", "Yuri", "Milana", "Jenni", "Stephenie", "Jaedyn", "Jayna", "Malika", "Audrianna", "Stephani", "Natali", "Zariyah", "Yamilet", "Aliah", "Kynlee", "Shanelle", "Racquel", "Jordynn", "Jaimee", "Salena", "Debora", "Brigid", "Kyndal", "Jeanie", "Cydney", "Hali", "Cami", "Katalina", "Agnes", "Estela", "Karleigh", "Britni", "Ester", "Cordelia", "Lani", "Priscila", "Anisha", "Aleigha", "Corie", "Nichelle", "Bayleigh", "Aundrea", "Jaci", "Delanie", "Alessia", "Sabina", "Andra", "Anjelica", "Denisha", "Kaelynn", "Alisson", "Julisa", "Promise", "Ellery", "Annaliese", "Estefani", "Neha", "Aubri", "Liv", "Leena", "Samiyah", "Calli", "Letitia", "Yara", "Ileana", "Scout", "Shavon", "Niya", "Salem", "Diya", "Naya", "Janiah", "Elora", "Melia", "Berkley", "Aislinn", "Lupita", "Laine", "Aubrianna", "Viridiana", "Celena", "Kasie", "Monet", "Sandi", "Franchesca", "Lorrie", "Arin", "Mallorie", "Catina", "Inez", "Lisbeth", "Lanie", "Shasta", "Belle", "Blaire", "Emmie", "Rosalia", "Jourdan", "Jamia", "Brigette", "Tiera", "Abrianna", "Symone", "Tristyn", "Tasia", "Naima", "Neveah", "Shani", "Maliah", "Chelsi", "Cassondra", "Lorna", "Elvia", "China", "Porsha", "Nalani", "Mitzi", "Cristin", "Lilyanna", "Mikala", "Jasmyne", "Karie", "Kailynn", "Lesli", "Jocelyne", "Nikia", "Kenisha", "Carole", "Adyson", "Latricia", "Mellisa", "Quiana", "Samatha", "Joselin", "Isha", "Maddie", "Krysten", "Alba", "Katlynn", "Izabelle", "Carrington", "Milani", "Misha", "Aiyanna", "Kirstie", "Analise", "Aminah", "Darcie", "Blythe", "Elayna", "Jacy", "Heavenly", "Anastacia", "Stefany", "Abrielle", "Jerica", "Maiya", "Arlette", "Pilar", "Shara", "Samaria", "Taniyah", "Veda", "Jacinda", "Sahara", "Opal", "Coraline", "Jaslyn", "Acacia", "Patsy", "Harlie", "Kalee", "Harleigh", "Polly", "Daniele", "Marleigh", "Chante", "Emmeline", "Meghann", "Shianne", "Nailah", "Andie", "Sana", "Cleo", "Janis", "Afton", "Yessica", "Keren", "Honesty", "Amiah", "Jacie", "Anitra", "Alix", "Elina", "Danette", "Halley", "Citlali", "Rhyan", "Elin", "Adison", "Romina", "Elysia", "Chrissy", "Arianne", "Khadija", "Juliann", "Keyana", "Jackelyn", "Kiya", "Althea", "Melani", "Sequoia", "Windy", "Tressa", "Yulissa", "Imelda", "Payten", "Kiarra", "Evalyn", "Vienna", "Mylee", "Zaira", "Jaquelin", "Dannielle", "Malorie", "Lyra", "Malina", "Janeth", "Winnie", "Scarlette", "Gracyn", "Rianna", "Sheyla", "Deann", "Marielle", "Elicia", "Crista", "Dalilah", "Kaylene", "Raylee", "Alea", "Karolina", "Latonia", "Bryleigh", "Cailey", "Kaylani", "Rana", "Minerva", "Giada", "Mindi", "Tyanna", "Cailin", "Brittny", "Liz", "Alli", "Sofie", "Karol", "Rileigh", "Tawnya", "Tabetha", "Reign", "Sariyah", "Tierney", "Emalee", "Alanah", "Ariya", "Joseline", "Benita", "Janaya", "Joleen", "Dasha", "Azul", "Alesia", "Josette", "Trudy", "Nala", "Analisa", "Mahogany", "Tomeka", "Kandi", "Sharlene", "Allegra", "Tiarra", "Kaelin", "Kalea", "Cherise", "Jaycie", "Marybeth", "Jaymie", "Dionna", "Holley", "Keily", "Keanna", "Tawny", "Angelic", "Tenisha", "Charis", "Charla", "Charisma", "Clarice", "Raya", "Melonie", "Marlie", "Keyonna", "Kalynn", "Josey", "Evette", "Zelda", "Kindra", "Echo", "Bethanie", "Fawn", "Sylvie", "Nicki", "Keli", "Abbygail", "Vivien", "Samiya", "Gisela", "Shanae", "Jeniffer", "Sherita", "Devorah", "Azucena", "Ricki", "Jessalyn", "Sol", "Harriet", "Terrie", "Merissa", "Egypt", "Caydence", "Vivianna", "Myesha", "Ariane", "Bonita", "Makala", "Elly", "Chassidy", "Marnie", "Ariadne", "Emmalynn", "Destany", "Lorin", "Collette", "Makenzi", "Malena", "Shanita", "Magen", "Stephaine", "Alianna", "Clementine", "Maryanne", "Jurnee", "Sapphire", "Charisse", "Vianey", "Ananya", "Erinn", "Ciarra", "Baylie", "Ailyn", "Keyanna", "Kera", "Ginny", "Mirna", "Lucie", "Manuela", "Jaya", "Arleth", "Lexis", "Sharla", "Denice", "Shaelyn", "Elva", "Merritt", "Brittaney", "Annabell", "Aubry", "Jalissa", "Harmoni", "Sanai", "Cameryn", "Jazzlyn", "Chantell", "Emerie", "Jersey", "Adley", "Tawanda", "Shawnee", "Jenesis", "Alisia", "Rilee", "Kaytlin", "Deonna", "Stormie", "Aubrielle", "Cloe", "Keziah", "Ria", "Rosalee", "Renita", "Kaidence", "Kalina", "Soleil", "Amayah", "Capri", "Mariella", "Izabel", "Poppy", "Autum", "Kelcie", "Brookelyn", "Danita", "Kierstin", "Gisele", "Malak", "Kiah", "Chelsy", "Georgette", "Kaleah", "Brieanna", "Yarely", "Shelli", "Maite", "Jaleesa", "Karah", "Keona", "Ellianna", "Mackenna", "Jenae", "Dee", "Odalys", "Aditi", "Jonna", "Leela", "Brookelynn", "Caren", "Candis", "Amethyst", "Jamiyah", "Mica", "Ashlea", "Kelsy", "Pricilla", "Lluvia", "Breeanna", "Karri", "Saanvi", "Kamya", "Patti", "Jacquelynn", "Leilah", "Jewell", "Myrna", "Dariana", "Danyel", "Arie", "Magali", "Rain", "Kamiyah", "Torrie", "Leeanna", "Magdalene", "Karena", "Jamiya", "Yanira", "Dayanna", "Carie", "Kyara", "Ila", "Oriana", "Latesha", "Dejah", "Sharron", "Jenessa", "Nechama", "Natosha", "Zakiya", "Leana", "Cielo", "Hadlee", "Krystin", "Maile", "Dinah", "Rachell", "Britta", "Danya", "Imari", "Dior", "Ayah", "Angeles", "Charly", "Laniyah", "Makiyah", "Ema", "Shaila", "Leighann", "Roni", "Tonja", "Janeen", "Ariyana", "Haily", "Aubriana", "Ruthie", "Kaylea", "Amal", "Aryn", "Jaleah", "Page", "Reba", "Ofelia", "Divine", "Toya", "Mayte", "Melony", "Meg", "Joslynn", "Tawanna", "Ryanne", "Saira", "Josselyn", "Carlene", "Millicent", "Kayce", "Makaylah", "Jordana", "Kloe", "Cherry", "Rashida", "Zaniya", "Miyah", "Jovanna", "Daija", "Etta", "Rebecka", "Yaneli", "Ines", "Maylee", "Rina", "Raeann", "Mercedez", "Blessing", "Adamaris", "Kinslee", "Veronika", "Samia", "Nakita", "Zoya", "Rochel", "Jailene", "Rosetta", "Coleen", "Torri", "Lillyana", "Jaslene", "Halee", "Fatimah", "Fannie", "Roseann", "Avalon", "Loni", "Royalty", "Keturah", "Teegan", "Lupe", "Torie", "Lucretia", "Sharee", "Larisa", "Brynna", "Rhoda", "Laniya", "Nanette", "Addilynn", "Meranda", "Vada", "Akilah", "Meggan", "Talisha", "Latia", "Keyona", "Kimberlyn", "Janee", "Temperance", "Alliyah", "Chyanne", "Queen", "Nallely", "Christianna", "Elinor", "Jolee", "Reva", "Carisa", "Lauri", "Gracen", "Aniah", "Emme", "Tiesha", "Aleisha", "Becca", "Nisha", "Zaylee", "Brittnee", "Shaniyah", "Shavonne", "Amora", "Ania", "Janai", "Destinie", "Jennah", "Meera", "Preslee", "Mirella", "Clarisa", "Parris", "Deisy", "Genna", "Makiya", "Wilma", "Elexis", "Calla", "Lillyanna", "Danyell", "Helene", "Amyah", "Brie", "Audrie", "Ariadna", "Margaux", "Ayva", "Ivey", "Noelani", "Lashay", "Deandrea", "Taliah", "Nichol", "Simran", "Rayven", "Ilene", "Kenyetta", "Alise", "Lakota", "Katya", "Sarita", "Roxann", "Karoline", "Vida", "Kady", "Emi", "Magan", "Tamela", "Kaili", "Sirena", "Kelcey", "Adia", "Chanell", "Laquisha", "Maricruz", "Tinsley", "Evelina", "Tyla", "Zaida", "Taisha", "Spring", "Tangela", "Pyper", "Karisa", "Mylah", "Cherokee", "Alanis", "Nariah", "Indigo", "Hadleigh", "Aleksandra", "Kellee", "Reem", "Lili", "Daniell", "Lilyann", "Lexy", "Amariah", "Jolynn", "Chevelle", "Latoria", "Shivani", "Shaneka", "Laina", "Aanya", "Ethel", "Elida", "Myka", "Isadora", "Rachele", "Tahlia", "Marlowe", "Shawanda", "Anamaria", "Tomika", "Tamya", "Aysha", "Missy", "Kamora", "Klarissa", "Milania", "Lolita", "Alethea", "Abygail", "Nydia", "Saundra", "Lakia", "Kameryn", "Ebonie", "Khalia", "Kaytlyn", "Madysen", "Gizelle", "Kristiana", "Jania", "Justyce", "Triniti", "Caprice", "Citlaly", "Jacquline", "Ani", "Selma", "Itzayana", "Makaela", "Marlyn", "Tinley", "Samya", "Alishia", "Bessie", "Christel", "Zulema", "Rosalina", "Marely", "Shaye", "Joycelyn", "Chava", "Ariela", "Cindi", "Keana", "Mimi", "Tyana", "Ashlin", "Nour", "Natashia", "Carin", "Minnie", "Antonette", "Neva", "Mykayla", "Kanisha", "Keesha", "Annamaria", "Bettina", "Lilli", "Odalis", "Kenzi", "Raine", "Faigy", "Suri", "Talya", "Korie", "Edie", "Alyce", "Jamee", "Theodora", "Qiana", "Juli", "Caley", "Jacelyn", "Shantelle", "Buffy", "Verna", "Odessa", "Gitty", "Eloisa", "Taylin", "Sailor", "Bambi", "Aleshia", "Cristen", "Gwenyth", "Allysa", "Nereida", "Araya", "Kadie", "Micayla", "Allana", "Anessa", "Gabriele", "Kaileigh", "Nayely", "Kyah", "Keilani", "Mavis", "Jocelin", "Jaquelyn", "Delana", "Maryellen", "Shilo", "Claudine", "Rania", "Kiesha", "Sallie", "Avalyn", "Khaleesi", "Apryl", "Avani", "Kamaria", "Jaeda", "Tionna", "Colbie", "Aviva", "Brissa", "Vania", "Talitha", "Samaya", "Avalynn", "Siera", "Zora", "Jamiah", "Kamiya", "Bronwyn", "Taraji", "Shawnna", "Miesha", "Catharine", "Rebeka", "Anniston", "Jacinta", "Yuridia", "Larkin", "Lacee", "Angella", "Honor", "Lesa", "Sabine", "Kelis", "Angelika", "Zena", "Iva", "Roseanna", "Shandra", "Taylar", "Tesla", "Davida", "Corin", "Shaunna", "Jenniffer", "Cianna", "Madelyne", "Katherin", "Jazelle", "Jaela", "Lizet", "Nickole", "Kymberly", "Love", "Salome", "Lizabeth", "Noreen", "Vannessa", "Audree", "Sharita", "Daysha", "Raylynn", "Leilany", "Nakisha", "Peighton", "Haydee", "Clair", "Ambar", "Goldie", "Divya", "Mechelle", "Leslee", "Madelin", "Armoni", "Ariyanna", "Allisson", "Gissel", "Nahla", "Malayah", "Alaia", "Rilynn", "Avril", "Caylin", "Yazmine", "Brynne", "Claudette", "Abriana", "Bayley", "Shai", "Kristel", "Valorie", "Glory", "Dacia", "Adelle", "Legacy", "Niyah", "Rosio", "Leora", "Mayah", "Emoni", "Angelena", "Makiah", "Giulia", "Jazzmine", "Jubilee", "Maycee", "Taina", "Joanie", "Shaquita", "Ailani", "Jianna", "Lilyan", "Tala", "Briseida", "Mirian", "Baila", "Crissy", "Kensington", "Shanel", "Cristine", "Mattison", "Amarie", "Ashia", "Phylicia", "Soledad", "Persephone", "Tea", "Mariya", "Haidyn", "Jaila", "Anayah", "Luella", "Jaclynn", "Freda", "Danisha", "Shakia", "Sybil", "Daja", "Kelci", "Kyndra", "Taelor", "Waverly", "Layna", "Linette", "Aubriella", "Carolynn", "Gracey", "Skylynn", "Tamiko", "Morgen", "Taleah", "Kimberli", "Clover", "Kizzy", "Laisha", "Kacee", "Chesney", "Tracee", "Beatrix", "Alexsandra", "Mikaila", "Markita", "Rosanne", "Aitana", "Kirra", "Dennise", "Sacha", "Marlana", "Zahara", "Yesica", "Korina", "Cady", "Candida", "Lakyn", "Lou", "Johannah", "Arica", "Shonna", "Nayla", "Dori", "Latavia", "Cienna", "Pepper", "Denae", "Evalynn", "Madelaine", "Brittnie", "Guinevere", "Mendy", "Anja", "Dafne", "Kierstyn", "Demetra", "Olyvia", "Honey", "Elli", "Kalena", "Simona", "Carlyn", "Shanaya", "Nadya", "Jamilah", "Alonna", "Maryn", "Shaquana", "Pia", "Lakendra", "Calliope", "Kirstyn", "Sabra", "Arissa", "Bianka", "Kaniya", "Ameera", "Aura", "Alona", "Jamesha", "Isamar", "Tobi", "Robbin", "Arionna", "Dedra", "Yaretzy", "Ina", "Randa", "Adalee", "Teanna", "Emmaleigh", "Greer", "Rosalba", "Katey", "Adilynn", "Maylin", "Jorja", "Karime", "Arika", "Makyla", "Alyna", "Jazzmin", "Kerrigan", "Delicia", "Lizzie", "Zia", "Rolanda", "Daijah", "Catelyn", "Chasidy", "Carmelita", "Janya", "Chynna", "Kaydee", "Kaily", "Kasi", "Mandie", "Aranza", "Carri", "Dolly", "Dream", "Citlalli", "Italia", "Tonisha", "Tanna", "Raylene", "Violette", "Ciana", "Catarina", "Myriam", "Marni", "Jonelle", "Tiffiny", "Tavia", "Nidia", "Cassi", "Viktoria", "Nickie", "Sarena", "Tiffaney", "Somer", "Passion", "Raechel", "Tashia", "Ravyn", "Emmerson", "Roxie", "Vianney", "Nautica", "Arwen", "Chassity", "Lanae", "Kimberlie", "Lashawnda", "Maisy", "Elodie", "Kaycie", "Josephina", "Karolyn", "Cicely", "Tennille", "Zhane", "Mecca", "Nada", "Myia", "Niesha", "Geri", "Julieann", "Lashunda", "Caelyn", "Brynley", "Kaira", "Serene", "Kathryne", "Tamisha", "Kandy", "Melania", "Marah", "Baileigh", "Caterina", "Twyla", "Kalista", "Symphony", "Gema", "Mamie", "Jiselle", "Malaika", "Amaia", "Gisel", "Kerstin", "Angely", "Trish", "Novalee", "Meridith", "Renea", "Teressa", "Zaina", "Augusta", "Shaylynn", "Abbigale", "Steffanie", "Trena", "Xenia", "Shawnda", "Skylah", "Irie", "Lenore", "Sahar", "Lindsy", "Rosalynn", "Nyomi", "Lakin", "Macayla", "Tarsha", "Tatiyana", "Jeni", "Rosita", "Kaeli", "Harmonie", "Naila", "Rylin", "Barbie", "Yanet", "Risa", "Dynasty", "Amaria", "Addalyn", "Leonor", "Alberta", "Courtnie", "Shamya", "Neriah", "Anai", "Marli", "Porsche", "Jamaya", "Mazie", "Xitlali", "Markayla", "Georgiana", "Sanjana", "Indira", "Sahana", "Tyasia", "Shanya", "Anh", "Dawna", "Aislynn", "Kandis", "Anaiah", "Amerie", "Anayeli", "Tamica", "Carys", "Nila", "Marti", "Kinlee", "Edwina", "Jannette", "Callista", "Malea", "Leeanne", "Tequila", "Lillyann", "Ronni", "Cristi", "Cammie", "Izzabella", "Latrina", "Tarra", "Nubia", "An", "Laticia", "Xena", "Seanna", "Riana", "Kyli", "Alessa", "Emberly", "Aniston", "Socorro", "Tallulah", "Takisha", "Anel", "Tova", "Seraphina", "Arleen", "Michaella", "Aysia", "Saray", "Taytum", "Dorothea", "Annaleigh", "Asma", "Allissa", "Stormi", "Winifred", "Aarya", "Tanaya", "Shena", "Ashlei", "Dione", "Calleigh", "Nanci", "Kyana", "Lillyan", "Klara", "Rylynn", "Taneisha", "Jailynn", "Skylee", "Jesslyn", "Yolonda", "Kassi", "Eman", "Shaylyn", "Emelyn", "Lorene", "Monae", "Samone", "Joie", "Jovie", "Zipporah", "Katrice", "Nika", "Micha", "Velma", "Zayla", "Fanny", "Roseanne", "Cornelia", "Maryah", "Aline", "Mistie", "Rayanna", "Kailah", "Cassaundra", "Corissa", "Ragan", "Rori", "Ambria", "Janelly", "Jaymee", "Kellyn", "Glenna", "Rebekka", "Anyssa", "Shaniece", "Kyrah", "Lachelle", "Dajah", "Shiann", "Jala", "Lissa", "Aretha", "Karyme", "Jenica", "Abbi", "Twila", "Breona", "Cayleigh", "Kateri", "Lanette", "Pooja", "Tanvi", "Emry", "Mackenzi", "Shalyn", "Sari", "Maliya", "Josalyn", "Shekinah", "Zandra", "Falon", "Joscelyn", "Mariajose", "Indiana", "Corrin", "Cosette", "Ara", "Tehya", "Annabeth", "Lula", "January", "Sammantha", "Kyrsten", "Kezia", "Shannen", "Aleyah", "Tatyanna", "Hanah", "Sherika", "Claira", "Danni", "Asya", "Syreeta", "Donya", "Takia", "Charlette", "Saoirse", "Marika", "Kaleena", "Krissy", "Journi", "Kalei", "Beyonce", "Faviola", "Jenise", "Everlee", "Idalia", "Sinai", "Lael", "Neely", "Cathrine", "Diandra", "Shala", "Kiyah", "Brooklin", "Krisha", "Mckenzi", "Nana", "Janey", "Melyssa", "Janea", "Myriah", "Josslyn", "Oaklee", "Dezirae", "Jovana", "Kaylei", "Treva", "Ameerah", "Adilyn", "Aila", "Sindy", "Nena", "Cameran", "Kamilla", "Latarsha", "Aerial", "Jaslynn", "Yana", "Analicia", "Delila", "Takiyah", "Dymond", "Barbra", "Brinlee", "Siri", "Tuesday", "Elisheva", "Bracha", "Addelyn", "Talisa", "Ernestine", "Kaniyah", "Contessa", "Larhonda", "Raizy", "Amilia", "Lakiesha", "Nevada", "Michela", "Kathie", "Roxy", "Milissa", "Yulisa", "Isobel", "Britny", "Shanti", "Shawnta", "Aleesha", "Asiah", "Berkeley", "Keosha", "Mykah", "Melynda", "Donielle", "Angelie", "Londynn", "Yocheved", "Jasleen", "Gayla", "Malani", "Tamira", "Fatoumata", "Kehlani", "Tamesha", "Aspyn", "Jennica", "Shanequa", "Lamya", "Cambree", "Amberlee", "Keena", "Marykate", "Karisma", "Reena", "Tamekia", "Kaliah", "Jori", "Deyanira", "Rayleigh", "Brylie", "Taja", "Zola", "Anjanette", "Devora", "Natisha", "Brianda", "Allyn", "Anaiya", "Cloey", "Fayth", "Prisha", "Stephania", "Maribeth", "Shaniah", "Desirea", "Zoee", "Henrietta", "Francheska", "Candie", "Jadelyn", "Laverne", "Adamari", "Shenika", "Safiya", "Karely", "Aaryn", "Nicol", "Lashaun", "Madaline", "Malky", "Stefania", "Brooklynne", "Tyisha", "Concepcion", "Jenell", "Serafina", "Sherie", "Marylou", "Keaira", "Adara", "Safa", "Taelyn", "Imogen", "Malisa", "Vianca", "Cassey", "Emiliana", "Halo", "Delisa", "Zarah", "Brynleigh", "Merry", "Kary", "Kennadi", "Cassy", "Jadah", "Hanan", "Liyah", "Miriah", "Liane", "Hayli", "Teena", "Kyanna", "Amity", "Leyna", "Babygirl", "Marilynn", "Melaine", "Mickayla", "Molli", "Shaylin", "Zenaida", "Carleen", "Fantasia", "Karey", "Lorenza", "Jodee", "Marbella", "Keonna", "Emili", "Agatha", "Janely", "Estephanie", "Alexie", "Muriel", "Jaina", "Loriann", "Zendaya", "Jannah", "Aminata", "Nyree", "Corine", "Lottie", "Rhylee", "Bellamy", "Kenlee", "Arlyn", "Analy", "Desarae", "Sunni", "Azure", "Aliyana", "Nohemi", "Jacqulyn", "Markie", "Keya", "Najah", "Jacklynn", "Shamari", "Cambrie", "Letisha", "Gisell", "Nicholle", "Ilse", "Janiece", "Lashawna", "Shaunte", "Rheanna", "Marivel", "Janina", "Tashina", "Manda", "Raniyah", "Vikki", "Desiray", "Daelyn", "Vivianne", "Eleanora", "Kanesha", "Anali", "Rowyn", "Lianne", "Maisha", "Baleigh", "Baily", "Cinthya", "Milla", "Jenee", "Nakayla", "Marwa", "Martine", "Haileigh", "Lashon", "Latashia", "Aide", "Kilee", "Magda", "Kattie", "Effie", "Jennyfer", "Mariama", "Jannet", "Emeline", "Keysha", "Anyla", "Loraine", "Chelsee", "Patrica", "Shandi", "Tamyra", "Kenleigh", "Katilyn", "Shaindy", "Sania", "Esha", "Macee", "Samanta", "Luci", "Shawana", "Andreana", "Aadhya", "Candyce", "Shaelynn", "Tamiya", "Shakayla", "Vanity", "Evonne", "Aly", "Chole", "Laiken", "Kelsee", "Abigael", "Dia", "Milly", "Analee", "Dusti", "Crysta", "Anette", "Rasheeda", "Alva", "Hellen", "Hafsa", "Zayda", "Breeana", "Hartley", "Latina", "Samar", "Teresita", "Kinleigh", "Deondra", "Annastasia", "Jonnie", "Nyssa", "Meilani", "Siya", "Emiley", "Nakiya", "Priyanka", "Britnee", "Skyy", "Shanique", "September", "Cinnamon", "Paisleigh", "Denali", "Steffany", "Kenadee", "Romy", "Alexzandria", "Sherrell", "Shona", "Briona", "Alizabeth", "Zakiyah", "Randee", "Aime", "Winona", "Tesha", "Milah", "Shyanna", "Maja", "Lanita", "Keyara", "Taylee", "Latrisha", "Gretta", "Maha", "Rosaura", "Aleyna", "Rani", "Destanie", "Andriana", "Lakenya", "Kamara", "Zenobia", "Erynn", "Tynisha", "Rainey", "Gabriell", "Timber", "Tomi", "Ebonee", "Cassia", "Avigail", "Freedom", "Chloee", "Shalanda", "Siara", "Roselynn", "Sanya", "Mylie", "Ananda", "Tirzah", "Samari", "Maryssa", "Silvana", "Cheyann", "Kennady", "Xitlaly", "Zakia", "Eternity", "Joella", "Mattea", "Chenoa", "Angelle", "Ieshia", "Ela", "Annah", "Lavonda", "Lexington", "Kenadie", "Ysabella", "Prudence", "Marcelina", "Linh", "Daina", "Alexius", "Mekayla", "Brienna", "Raeleigh", "Meryl", "Whittney", "Cate", "Shamara", "Sumaya", "Yehudis", "Carmel", "Kavya", "Yoselyn", "Kinzley", "Carlotta", "Jameka", "Erma", "Ashante", "Kyley", "Amor", "Courtnee", "Emari", "Calandra", "Yuna", "Margret", "Adelia", "Akia", "Berlin", "Iyonna", "Maryjo", "Brittnay", "Zaynab", "Talyn", "Maris", "Georgianna", "Kathlyn", "Ellyn", "Candance", "Adalia", "Loreal", "Elizabet", "Raeanna", "Markia", "Karmyn", "Noemy", "Hiba", "Cayce", "Olympia", "Kataleya", "Cherelle", "Halima", "Sedona", "Cameo", "Charleen", "Naomy", "Keasia", "Nerissa", "Lyrik", "Zella", "Batsheva", "Felica", "Shriya", "Kylene", "Kecia", "Nell", "Tylee", "Amiee", "Jalyssa", "Laronda", "Sparkle", "Shonta", "Lavonne", "Kiona", "Bailie", "Marietta", "Ziva", "Aleia", "Alida", "Lyndi", "Hawa", "Journie", "Jiya", "Makeda", "Lelia", "Lashae", "Briann", "Alaa", "Janett", "Terese", "Charise", "Shantae", "Angelyn", "Brayleigh", "Jayci", "Gale", "Mischa", "Shade", "Lyanna", "Elisia", "Amaiya", "Lorinda", "Candra", "Emelie", "Latoyia", "Nita", "Verenice", "Lakita", "Anushka", "Lovely", "Keiry", "Desteny", "Ambrosia", "Mariaelena", "Eris", "Shemeka", "Lisamarie", "Jerilyn", "Eisley", "Cailee", "Sanjuanita", "Camelia", "Khalilah", "Asiya", "Avis", "Ashlynne", "Alyana", "Shylah", "Devona", "Tamatha", "Aziza", "Liah", "Tyeisha", "Jia", "Alaysha", "Ruthann", "Vonda", "Rosamaria", "Illiana", "Samarah", "Bethann", "Blayke", "Michala", "Madelynne", "Arizona", "Amberlyn", "Myisha", "Myasia", "Joceline", "Karrington", "Aislyn", "Ora", "Adreanna", "Aleya", "Layan", "Geena", "Teryn", "Emmi", "Kloey", "Cally", "Eleanore", "Kasia", "Shantal", "Jacee", "Quanisha", "Christiane", "Tameika", "Fay", "Taren", "Avary", "Zinnia", "Amee", "Caylie", "Marcelle", "Makinley", "Melannie", "Saphira", "Samirah", "Analiese", "Laquanda", "Nyesha", "Solana", "Evyn", "Alexcia", "Majesty", "Neida", "Rivky", "Irina", "Taneka", "Inaya", "Leesa", "Gladis", "Maryelizabeth", "Sia", "Jamaica", "Mallori", "Lainie", "Arriana", "Suzan", "Luana", "Vayda", "Keiara", "Loryn", "Cecile", "Cheree", "Madonna", "Ceara", "Kylea", "Sumer", "Naimah", "Izabela", "Peri", "Adalie", "Tawni", "Marquetta", "Preslie", "Wilhelmina", "Oaklyn", "Zadie", "Catlin", "Briseyda", "Stephane", "Alasia", "Rebekkah", "Dominica", "Dalary", "Seana", "Meah", "Jesseca", "Lavinia", "Dayla", "Mea", "Emeri", "Kaydance", "Juliane", "Hayle", "Laureen", "Anyah", "Rosana", "Saba", "Janyla", "Sunnie", "Marilu", "Tresa", "Sera", "Leslye", "Dyana", "Alyanna", "Miabella", "Aoife", "Lamonica", "Jacquelyne", "Sima", "Lisandra", "Camellia", "Karlyn", "Adora", "Azalia", "Nisa", "Rashonda", "Julienne", "Fabiana", "Raeanne", "Claribel", "Emmarie", "Shatara", "Sianna", "Shamira", "Tena", "Dorcas", "Alaura", "Channel", "Mckinzie", "Joely", "Lyndsie", "Ripley", "Shanee", "Georgie", "Addalynn", "Marisha", "Annalyse", "Ernestina", "Huda", "Jacalyn", "Phaedra", "Eliyah", "Shawnte", "Sammi", "Kayci", "Adelaida", "Gerri", "Kynleigh", "Lizzette", "Inga", "Breauna", "Rosalva", "Dona", "Raychel", "Krystyna", "Kambria", "Larae", "Velvet", "Cyndi", "Liya", "Mahala", "Indya", "Navya", "Saniah", "Syeda", "Yanely", "Cheyanna", "Shalynn", "Kendel", "Shemika", "Alexsis", "Aleta", "Nikkia", "Chaney", "Carolann", "Mikki", "Porscha", "Suzannah", "Jahaira", "Jeanelle", "Shanise", "Britteny", "Tamala", "Maricella", "Hala", "Amarah", "Migdalia", "Presleigh", "Erykah", "Emalyn", "Issabella", "Abriella", "Marygrace", "Emmanuelle", "Grayce", "Anela", "Tessie", "Mariann", "Kasha", "Deloris", "Lorri", "Stevi", "Joellen", "Aarna", "Nissa", "Kinzie", "Yusra", "Odette", "Kamia", "Shamia", "Aneesa", "Latifah", "Tobie", "Sora", "Gigi", "Inara", "Khali", "Alysse", "Keirra", "Kena", "Sheyenne", "Sable", "Delainey", "Rona", "Teal", "Lisset", "Cherilyn", "Audrea", "Graci", "Sherilyn", "Deysi", "Audry", "Shanay", "Tenesha", "Katharina", "Kenadi", "Aletha", "Marrissa", "Zaniah", "Aleida", "Domenica", "Jaye", "Cristie", "Sena", "Reegan", "Donita", "Indie", "Lyn", "Jerika", "Keilah", "Kadijah", "Zariya", "Briannah", "Mikaylah", "Takara", "Vilma", "Kiyana", "Jina", "Kendyll", "Jalaya", "Stephine", "Sascha", "Kamaya", "Medina", "Keylee", "Marly", "Uma", "Julee", "Yoana", "Jazzlynn", "Arianny", "Destine", "Sanaya", "Amyra", "Jennette", "Tanja", "Micheala", "Shardae", "Jalia", "Gricelda", "Ronisha", "Sebrina", "Arrianna", "Calie", "Nakeisha", "Jireh", "Dezarae", "Caliyah", "Lilibeth", "Cree", "Niah", "Makenzy", "Sakura", "Sneha", "Temeka", "Zayra", "Trinitee", "Merideth", "Raelee", "Daniya", "Shaunda", "Lashaunda", "Analeigh", "Alvina", "Kellyann", "Terrica", "Aeris", "Johna", "Adi", "Oralia", "Camry", "Keelie", "Marysol", "Brienne", "Rowena", "Laynie", "Naia", "Denita", "Xochilt", "Ameena", "Marilee", "Synthia", "Makaylee", "Jeanetta", "Nariyah", "Keiana", "Julieanna", "Elisabet", "Laela", "Deziree", "Keandra", "Jaide", "Elma", "Kamiah", "Koren", "Naiya", "Jamika", "Kareena", "Sayra", "Suzie", "Marleen", "Kellye", "Laurin", "Michayla", "Samiah", "Tytiana", "Karalyn", "Shakera", "Jenine", "Jahzara", "Sharmaine", "Lailani", "Suzy", "Pamala", "Daniyah", "Nona", "Adrina", "Saydee", "Latara", "Nidhi", "Lakeesha", "Akeelah", "Britani", "Liesl", "Klaire", "Teigan", "Zaya", "Perri", "Karima", "Amna", "Darcey", "Sharice", "Consuela", "Kahlan", "Tammara", "Ajah", "Naisha", "Hindy", "Breeann", "Kenda", "Jelena", "Felice", "Zofia", "Akshara", "Chyenne", "Marya", "Ellena", "Jeslyn", "Rebbecca", "Cera", "Allena", "Dasani", "Makia", "Crimson", "Laya", "Izel", "Italy", "Julietta", "Thania", "Terah", "Daysi", "Avarie", "Kynslee", "Shiela", "Jackelin", "Breyanna", "Yaquelin", "Silver", "Zuleyka", "Janene", "Noella", "Rayann", "Alyza", "Kolbie", "Kambree", "Taegan", "Grisel", "Lilyanne", "Fern", "Naudia", "Gracee", "Raena", "Lux", "Kaeleigh", "Mycah", "Cher", "Mahalia", "Jona", "Pa", "Carman", "Neena", "Rebeccah", "Adella", "Keirsten", "Zayna", "Lillith", "Jazlene", "Nijah", "December", "Atiya", "Maelynn", "Lucianna", "Celestina", "Deserae", "Niamh", "Artemis", "Briauna", "Rosella", "Shawanna", "Jaydah", "Raylin", "Darleen", "Luann", "Katelynne", "Celene", "Leonora", "Paiton", "Lillia", "Roma", "La", "Kathia", "Wisdom", "Zina", "Machelle", "Teagen", "Kitty", "Coretta", "Bexley", "Alexzandra", "Aine", "Jennefer", "Teah", "Elda", "Raniya", "Reema", "Gissell", "Celestine", "Joya", "Anabell", "Danasia", "Pandora", "Natacha", "Vanna", "Tynesha", "Frieda", "Ahuva", "Rafaela", "Shifra", "Phuong", "Reya", "Marquisha", "Yuki", "Azia", "Solange", "Katana", "Abbigayle", "Tiona", "Miki", "Lucila", "Yadhira", "Jakiya", "Zada", "Taneshia", "Lita", "Adah", "Dailyn", "Lasonya", "Tommi", "Alyx", "Mileena", "Lakayla", "Lyssa", "Keelin", "Kaye", "Jacki", "Dyanna", "Meleah", "My", "Rebel", "Niccole", "Akayla", "Joslin", "Alyshia", "Female", "Sharhonda", "Markeisha", "Damya", "Pam", "Brittan", "Sharika", "Adriene", "Talaya", "Bonny", "Nataleigh", "Malory", "Mykala", "Alta", "Danesha", "Sabrena", "Aleeah", "Adalina", "Lanna", "Navy", "Jalayah", "Ivelisse", "Cherri", "Tausha", "Maycie", "Stacee", "Breasia", "Meena", "Amoni", "Raizel", "Loralei", "Kailie", "Jessyca", "Tyonna", "Shamiya", "Maelyn", "Nahomi", "Avia", "Raelene", "Amairani", "Deeanna", "Kaytlynn", "Donisha", "Riki", "Kitana", "Jesika", "Anijah", "Delaina", "Bethel", "Kyrstin", "Jannie", "Lavina", "Jakiyah", "Shenita", "Betzaida", "Ena", "Naomie", "Morghan", "Sherice", "Santina", "Kalisha", "Letty", "Yamile", "Aisling", "Sinead", "Victory", "Laylani", "Sariya", "Nadiya", "Billi", "Coco", "Kailin", "Emilyn", "Amiracle", "Jariah", "Elexus", "Lanaya", "Jovi", "Matilde", "Brina", "Maryanna", "Amberlynn", "Elba", "Emilly", "Aiesha", "Deedra", "Arabelle", "Elyana", "Khloee", "Violetta", "Julieanne", "Sunday", "Kennedie", "Anaiyah", "Emileigh", "Shannah", "Roxane", "Teara", "Zabrina", "Milagro", "Aleeyah", "Loran", "Kamani", "Melba", "Joselynn", "Freyja", "Ivon", "Lotus", "Alysson", "Khushi", "Ansleigh", "Caridad", "Ensley", "Jakira", "Marlaina", "Navaeh", "Krislyn", "Ivie", "Chloie", "Marita", "Irelynn", "Haddie", "Alayla", "Mei", "Naja", "Delani", "Lanisha", "Halli", "Monisha", "Diona", "Sharae", "Iona", "Lona", "Kandyce", "Sharell", "Sherron", "Laynee", "Shealyn", "Aaliya", "Lynlee", "Yecenia", "Hennessy", "Isaura", "Merari", "Sakina", "Enid", "Aaralyn", "Thao", "Aleyda", "Anahy", "Fallyn", "Antonina", "Thomasina", "Elysa", "Jaymi", "Laikyn", "Addy", "Amada", "Zana", "Auburn", "Candelaria", "Saraya", "Nedra", "Sahasra", "Annetta", "Towanda", "Lamia", "Rachal", "Janetta", "Lakeysha", "Story", "Yitty", "Rashelle", "Akasha", "Deedee", "Tayah", "Allisa", "Kimberely", "Mackayla", "Ryanna", "Venice", "Delta", "Braylynn", "Shannel", "Shalon", "Nicollette", "Tasneem", "Patrina", "Khaliyah", "Andreina", "Briza", "Nayelli", "Necole", "Kanika", "Kaysha", "Safia", "Irelyn", "Ainslee", "Melissia", "Marielena", "Jamaria", "Twana", "Rosy", "Emeli", "Karlene", "Tanasia", "Heba", "Lakeya", "Kally", "Zulma", "Laquinta", "Vannesa", "Lauran", "Janella", "Alfreda", "Angeli", "Cyan", "Kiarah", "Giulianna", "Shaunta", "Mairead", "Tiffini", "Neve", "Marleny", "Natividad", "Shakita", "Eleana", "Jameelah", "Shantay", "Aaniyah", "Zoraida", "Fiorella", "Aaleyah", "Lizbet", "Bliss", "Tesa", "Zenia", "Anamarie", "Asiyah", "Kelle", "Lorissa", "Gisella", "Yamilex", "Sonali", "Leeah", "Lexa", "Aryah", "Brailyn", "Ahsley", "Jayleigh", "Letha", "Carolyne", "Omega", "Dyamond", "Kortni", "Ravin", "Sicily", "Neda", "Concetta", "Lisha", "Bibiana", "Tarin", "Jenevieve", "Brilee", "Alexxis", "Regine", "Meagen", "Sadia", "Ebone", "Ayvah", "Maleigha", "Nivea", "Daphney", "Malayna", "Arieanna", "Hallee", "Pennie", "Malerie", "Lynnea", "Nori", "Camie", "Dyan", "Marceline", "Devina", "Lizett", "Devynn", "Jakia", "Nneka", "Vy", "Carletta", "Aubreigh", "Billiejo", "Telisha", "Kriston", "Ammie", "Kinsleigh", "Ilona", "Nettie", "Leya", "Yulianna", "Caila", "Meara", "Mena", "Teisha", "Nikayla", "Oona", "Roya", "Kaysie", "Lezlie", "Season", "Hayven", "Veronique", "Araseli", "Sarabeth", "Felisa", "Kimi", "Briahna", "Coralie", "Izabell", "Daisey", "Karizma", "Tiare", "Meira", "Gaia", "Linley", "Nikisha", "Eryka", "Sarrah", "Devonna", "Adena", "Aiza", "Morganne", "Blima", "Amairany", "Cayley", "Dyani", "Caressa", "Janise", "Maliha", "Tonie", "Johnetta", "Sherell", "Cassady", "Teaira", "Zakiyyah", "Joshlyn", "Leighanne", "Arial", "Destani", "Vittoria", "Teya", "Tashara", "Kionna", "Manal", "Cherrie", "Deseree", "Zoila", "Katheryne", "Anny", "Hosanna", "Arlet", "Aylah", "Aziyah", "Angelee", "Sevyn", "Khristina", "Lacresha", "Hensley", "Mackenzy", "Tahira", "Tali", "Tinisha", "Zarina", "Dottie", "Thais", "Jolyn", "Santa", "Delfina", "Evolet", "Laryssa", "Markisha", "Melodi", "Jentry", "Shakyra", "Alyah", "Alya", "Gilda", "Elsy", "Mesha", "Sierrah", "Rashell", "Chloey", "Addisen", "Eowyn", "Raisa", "Makya", "Shanea", "Oaklynn", "Sela", "Annalynn", "Aadya", "Sulema", "Nereyda", "Vashti", "Amparo", "Kamisha", "Iyla", "Abilene", "Janasia", "Rawan", "Keondra", "Courteney", "Keeli", "Kemberly", "Zeinab", "Kristianna", "Cesia", "Marylin", "Nakiyah", "Korin", "Kenyata", "Delina", "Stephannie", "Joselyne", "Kaitlan", "Anslee", "Ellia", "Journei", "Audri", "Leiah", "Kaelee", "Endia", "Henna", "Kerra", "Jovita", "Danell", "Tamiyah", "Zuleika", "Brinkley", "Ahtziri", "Sheron", "Mykenzie", "Ayonna", "Jazzmyn", "Aishah", "Aleeya", "Gaby", "Shera", "Sayuri", "Pricila", "Maizie", "Phebe", "Una", "Aziah", "Jozlyn", "Rashel", "Kathi", "Lynell", "Roshanda", "Caidence", "Teonna", "Daira", "Mckinlee", "Jamilla", "Tamie", "Tailor", "Shawntel", "Kamesha", "Leisa", "Novah", "Sanvi", "Mccall", "Dreama", "Evon", "Judi", "Emalie", "Tiyana", "Orianna", "Ramya", "Brande", "Briseis", "Breyana", "Mariko", "Melaina", "Kansas", "Philomena", "Essie", "Eriana", "Gittel", "Carma", "Toi", "Nicholette", "Ammy", "Leisha", "Allee", "Arcelia", "Leylani", "Courtenay", "Micki", "Rilyn", "Jamira", "Leighanna", "Delphine", "Thuy", "Khaliah", "Tyeshia", "Marinda", "Deangela", "Jenice", "Chelsa", "Melena", "Erianna", "Harleen", "Angle", "Anusha", "Aleeza", "Mali", "Chi", "Timia", "Payge", "Sheronda", "Mekenzie", "Shantia", "Myeisha", "Tempest", "Jemima", "Alejandrina", "Seema", "Katrena", "Leen", "Shenna", "Chaka", "Kiani", "Rosina", "Lynelle", "Bobbijo", "Jaylani", "Maricarmen", "Emrie", "Korinne", "Jelisa", "Valeri", "Aislin", "Jordann", "Keilyn", "Jorie", "Lasandra", "Lashondra", "Carrigan", "Yenifer", "Shereen", "Sina", "Kandra", "Yelena", "Ellee", "Jonae", "Jazmen", "Katara", "Rima", "Petrina", "Shaela", "Rya", "Kassidi", "Martika", "Shavonda", "Dallis", "Avni", "Leta", "Alicea", "Vianna", "Genessis", "Bryna", "Evita", "Tarrah", "Kimiko", "Herlinda", "Krystel", "Toshia", "Naveah", "Taelynn", "Harli", "Vita", "Bevin", "Shondra", "Cypress", "Detra", "Mykaela", "Charline", "Madisson", "Tamaya", "Dayra", "Adisyn", "Delylah", "Moesha", "Iqra", "Jailah", "Monserrath", "Crystle", "Tiffney", "Anylah", "Andreya", "Mataya", "Nawal", "Adaleigh", "Maeghan", "Annissa", "Emberlynn", "Tesia", "Casi", "Yasmina", "Camillia", "Shruti", "Shonte", "Lawren", "Destyni", "Shalee", "Dylann", "Addysen", "Loyalty", "Alethia", "Annalyn", "Keyli", "Jennafer", "Evelia", "Josilyn", "Jaimi", "Ashlan", "Haneen", "Yohana", "Dejanae", "Rhiana", "Caileigh", "San", "Melodee", "Alicen", "Nahomy", "Megha", "Nuvia", "Cerenity", "Neela", "Abriel", "Kylynn", "Ranae", "Nakesha", "Janyah", "Marrisa", "Sidra", "Kenzley", "Elliette", "Desaray", "Takeisha", "Mirabelle", "Caitlan", "Emmanuella", "Errin", "Amalie", "Kina", "Oliva", "Lenna", "Jazleen", "Kamri", "Keylin", "Christyn", "Lyndsi", "Lillianne", "Maelee", "Ellyana", "Ashlen", "Kendria", "Rubie", "Evalina", "Analeah", "Mckinsey", "Darya", "Heide", "Giavonna", "Goldy", "Paizley", "Anglea", "Mikyla", "Darlyn", "Mareli", "Damia", "Kylei", "Gennifer", "Maysen", "Mariza", "Nilda", "Yashica", "Leonna", "Lashana", "Latoshia", "Enya", "Golda", "Brandice", "Lulu", "Aeryn", "Harlyn", "Tytianna", "Bryanne", "Jadelynn", "Sharina", "Rozlyn", "Saida", "Tenika", "Havana", "Roshonda", "Lorianne", "Jabria", "Keelyn", "Maija", "Kathlene", "Lauralee", "Jazlin", "Vasiliki", "Hollyn", "Carlina", "Suzana", "Debby", "Muna", "Tillie", "Emaleigh", "Elani", "Anica", "Mayrin", "Madina", "Jayana", "Janita", "Eulalia", "Dorinda", "Ellington", "Tkeyah", "Takayla", "Minna", "Isra", "Christianne", "Bayli", "Kadee", "Toria", "Jayanna", "Tamarah", "Lariah", "Lateisha", "Jamillah", "Myracle", "Channon", "Takiya", "Brigit", "Divina", "Saya", "Lavender", "Lasha", "Berta", "Serinity", "Kaneisha", "Leasia", "Nicoletta", "Cailynn", "Caris", "Jamyah", "Mckenzy", "Nyjah", "Jasmina", "Maddisyn", "Leyah", "Kalissa", "Meisha", "Haya", "Gracy", "Mahi", "Faiga", "Keianna", "Carlye", "Rylea", "Enedina", "Angelene", "Verity", "Taira", "Kamie", "Jewels", "Tandra", "Haile", "Terica", "Breelyn", "Katherina", "Ahna", "Liset", "Tisa", "Jakyra", "Mickie", "Yocelin", "Bethani", "Gertrude", "Meliza", "Siani", "Markesha", "Jennelle", "Brailey", "Rhiley", "Shakeria", "Anakaren", "Elouise", "Rayanne", "Davia", "Andraya", "Nhi", "Delena", "Nirvana", "Rahma", "Zamya", "Kaylor", "Mariafernanda", "Malana", "Jenette", "Lan", "Marva", "Elizebeth", "Amaryllis", "Braylyn", "Kelcy", "Avonlea", "Rasheda", "Brynnlee", "Wednesday", "Kloie", "Mariely", "Delany", "Criselda", "Marquitta", "Radhika", "Amrita", "Randie", "Nacole", "Hermione", "Daiana", "Zyla", "Karry", "Brieana", "Alley", "Guillermina", "Kalaya", "Ladawn", "Timeka", "Paradise", "Camisha", "Azeneth", "Hadassa", "Denna", "Reaghan", "Kenesha", "Emy", "Darianna", "Emarie", "Renesmee", "Nykia", "Nadiyah", "Jalena", "Nava", "Tilly", "Diamonique", "Roshni", "Kayanna", "Neisha", "Ricci", "Tiffiney", "Nevaeha", "Irena", "Polina", "Tamarra", "Keva", "Andee", "Jetta", "Lakelyn", "Emiko", "Jamy", "Kaisha", "Fanta", "Rivkah", "Casondra", "Ziya", "Toccara", "Alixandra", "Sharde", "Karra", "Mayla", "Takesha", "Rylei", "Catie", "Tzipora", "Ailin", "Raygan", "Charita", "Mable", "Harmonee", "Lashundra", "Kenzlee", "Rayana", "Lyndee", "Africa", "Ronica", "Kymber", "Timika", "Zooey", "Falyn", "Linzy", "Dawsyn", "Maizy", "Mitzy", "Malikah", "Robbi", "Blakeley", "Allisyn", "Lindsie", "Coralee", "Nilah", "Leola", "Ilyana", "Taylynn", "Nelda", "Lonna", "Beronica", "Indy", "Karishma", "Saskia", "Denia", "Lynsie", "Bridgit", "Melaney", "Maddilyn", "Lettie", "Lynzie", "Lynae", "Melva", "Trang", "Jizelle", "Sakinah", "Inaaya", "Leonela", "Alyiah", "Kylia", "Kyia", "Shaylene", "Carrissa", "Britnie", "Samaira", "Jannelle", "Zahira", "Juno", "Everley", "Mikenna", "Cleopatra", "Jaliah", "Karianne", "Takira", "Klaudia", "Kayana", "Erikka", "Alizae", "Kahlia", "Toniann", "Nessa", "Tenille", "Lainee", "Aleasha", "Deona", "Cherice", "Becki", "Damara", "Lisbet", "Rochell", "Lashandra", "Keriann", "Shalena", "Nannette", "Marlina", "Dagny", "Graycen", "Katiana", "Kiandra", "Emonie", "Nayomi", "Danyale", "Isley", "Amore", "Diedra", "Avalee", "Cashmere", "Layken", "Liesel", "Kynnedi", "Mikenzie", "Savina", "Jalene", "Temple", "Freida", "Christena", "Lilliann", "Shamekia", "Laquesha", "Jaydee", "Myleigh", "Caraline", "Makaya", "Ysabel", "Evangelia", "Siana", "Sabella", "Haisley", "Avaya", "Ilianna", "Kerin", "Adleigh", "Christinia", "Carmina", "Kolbi", "Donelle", "Sabria", "Meghana", "Janisha", "Edyn", "Andrianna", "Tenaya", "Jenay", "Sonora", "Shila", "Jene", "Ianna", "Aixa", "Courtni", "Delisha", "Ronna", "Shameeka", "Alaiyah", "Jozie", "Jolena", "Yatziri", "Cyrstal", "Avrie", "Sharyn", "Teaghan", "Yelitza", "Janaye", "Parisa", "Marena", "Talina", "Tameeka", "Jenaya", "Adriann", "Jani", "Royale", "Jonell", "Emberlyn", "Yamila", "Avamarie", "Adreana", "Fatou", "Sanjuana", "Tifany", "Emaan", "Nycole", "Averee", "Brystol", "Kaitlynne", "Nadira", "Kinzlee", "Chayla", "Sama", "Layah", "Patrisha", "Melvina", "Mariska", "Tajah", "Jamara", "Shireen", "Meri", "Macyn", "Atara", "Alahna", "Denielle", "Daliyah", "Avry", "Pippa", "Breckyn", "Natasia", "Deeann", "Shianna", "Mykia", "Kyleen", "Makenzee", "Rasheedah", "Bobbiejo", "Empress", "Louella", "Azlynn", "Coreen", "Kassondra", "Kemani", "Clarisse", "Rayonna", "Betzy", "Niara", "Chyann", "Calley", "Aaliah", "Venita", "Lillee", "Karyssa", "Kadi", "Triana", "Airam", "Nailea", "Kerrington", "Sharie", "Romona", "Lekisha", "Jaileen", "Philippa", "Launa", "Khyla", "Joline", "Cydnee", "Anneke", "Ona", "Dashia", "Myeshia", "Oakleigh", "Ariona", "Devany", "Kirah", "Dezaray", "Vi", "Kimberlin", "Jerusha", "Kirsty", "Julyssa", "Oceana", "Denesha", "Ka", "Sharleen", "Charolette", "Cadance", "Keyaira", "Shaylah", "Franki", "Danah", "Alizah", "Ayda", "Rhian", "Dustie", "Catrice", "Kaisley", "Tahirah", "Alica", "Elif", "Montanna", "Jayline", "Aleen", "Blanche", "Blossom", "Alita", "Jamyra", "Dalena", "Paetyn", "Riva", "Lanesha", "Shariah", "Nelida", "Shanetta", "Skylyn", "Nastassia", "Tashawna", "Beatris", "Dandrea", "Sherelle", "Damiyah", "Zari", "Arelis", "Ryah", "Teia", "Evelyne", "Lark", "Jayonna", "Caylen", "Zamira", "Naliyah", "October", "Temika", "Shelbey", "Derricka", "Teona", "Shakara", "Coryn", "Shauntel", "Andromeda", "Kaija", "Alandra", "Mikalah", "Yaneth", "Josi", "Kathyrn", "Ayisha", "Sury", "Zamiyah", "Kadynce", "Lakeitha", "Alaiya", "Dayami", "Atley", "Avelina", "Nitya", "Shadae", "Taliya", "Jelissa", "Amory", "Falisha", "Gretel", "Zharia", "Mackensie", "Kensey", "Angele", "Reiley", "Emmily", "Aseel", "Quintina", "Celest", "Adrionna", "Santanna", "Lashea", "Samyra", "Hinda", "Jacquetta", "Jiana", "Kaori", "Kawana", "Kaely", "Maryrose", "Elayne", "Neomi", "Azra", "Adrielle", "Maiah", "Seirra", "Keyera", "Elyza", "Mabry", "Marchelle", "Daytona", "Breah", "Amera", "Erlinda", "Genie", "Cattleya", "Arayah", "Wendie", "Kiri", "Keela", "Ryane", "Zykeria", "Kendalyn", "Danitza", "Ranya", "Quianna", "Idaly", "Bryonna", "Magdalen", "Raylyn", "Chara", "Darielle", "Darah", "Analiyah", "Meriah", "Jamela", "Kassy", "Nadja", "Jaidah", "Jessalynn", "Twanna", "Rianne", "Katerin", "Mirabella", "Jannat", "Lillyanne", "Rida", "Mandee", "Kelia", "Helaina", "Maegen", "Lynna", "Niomi", "Kamry", "Ishani", "Emmah", "Shaquanna", "Taniah", "Lovina", "Shaundra", "Zahria", "Nicolina", "Hortencia", "Nadeen", "Kizzie", "Keiona", "Arlena", "Lura", "Gala", "Shawntae", "Taunya", "Cidney", "Memory", "Zahraa", "Bronte", "Darnisha", "Kirsti", "Mallie", "Cammy", "Kamea", "Emersen", "Kambrie", "Zaneta", "Reghan", "Allisha", "Porcha", "Annalia", "Liora", "Gwendalyn", "Yocelyn", "Chioma", "Cortnie", "Bernadine", "Kenedi", "Adelita", "Katty", "Saron", "Jameria", "Betsabe", "Varsha", "Malin", "Manisha", "Davonna", "Sachi", "Adama", "Nekia", "Charlena", "Selin", "Ekaterina", "Lania", "Sada", "Ayat", "Le", "Ariannah", "Aliviah", "Shyan", "Enjoli", "Tahnee", "Mikelle", "Krissa", "Natascha", "July", "Anasia", "Madigan", "Akari", "Azari", "Niasia", "Carah", "Acadia", "Eveline", "Hiedi", "Kimaya", "Christene", "Andreanna", "Rainy", "Christelle", "Aicha", "Karalee", "Kasondra", "Chany", "Kristle", "Korra", "Angelea", "Kensie", "Rayah", "Kenslee", "Makinzie", "Graciella", "Steffani", "Amena", "Tonika", "Darline", "Diann", "Alaynah", "Anvi", "Amyiah", "Katerine", "Sarahy", "Teyana", "Ameya", "Florencia", "Ambra", "Dea", "Breyonna", "Maritsa", "Maddyson", "Talena", "Emaline", "Tijuana", "Trinidy", "Annistyn", "Kersten", "Ginamarie", "Arwa", "Ruthanne", "Gabby", "Arianah", "Dannette", "Cherrelle", "Cintia", "Aliesha", "Annalie", "Jarely", "Keyra", "Morgyn", "Abbagail", "Tashana", "Aalayah", "Candise", "Cherisse", "Abria", "Kierston", "Maida", "Melea", "Nida", "Jaylie", "Jamelia", "Saria", "Caralyn", "Cassidi", "Anyia", "Cristiana", "Tifani", "Evy", "Shalisa", "Shontae", "Yakira", "Rayleen", "Raigan", "Gypsy", "Shatoya", "Leiana", "Lashelle", "Alexes", "Louann", "Marylynn", "Jariyah", "Lawanna", "Chelse", "Tasheena", "Carlita", "Lindley", "Estrellita", "Arantza", "Thu", "Lundyn", "Shameika", "Joli", "Pessy", "Ziyah", "Avari", "Destanee", "Katryna", "Nikkole", "Lory", "Gidget", "Nija", "Amyia", "Breena", "Erina", "Allanah", "Mackinzie", "Abra", "Alara", "Kaiyah", "Nohely", "Alesandra", "Melita", "Anistyn", "Timberly", "Lorien", "Somaya", "Eiza", "Beautiful", "Haili", "Yalonda", "Chimere", "Karine", "Miangel", "Praise", "Katja", "Anneka", "Kila", "Tamari", "Ramiyah", "Ola", "Kyna", "Nella", "Idalis", "Ariell", "Nadirah", "Matilyn", "Dorthy", "Jasmaine", "Shilah", "Kailan", "Rama", "Carmon", "Fonda", "Naydelin", "Elanor", "Carlena", "Ameenah", "Sheneka", "Melanee", "Tequilla", "Haylen", "Kadance", "Midori", "Kymberlee", "Calissa", "Lynnae", "Kiyomi", "Shandy", "Suhani", "Saphire", "Kalila", "Katrin", "Jaziyah", "Puja", "Cortni", "Karleen", "Genevie", "Melisha", "Tajuana", "Krystine", "Lilee", "Taija", "Jamecia", "Marlayna", "Despina", "Terria", "Lanya", "Lashun", "Lynzee", "Haylea", "Auriel", "Mayela", "Faiza", "Aylen", "Elizah", "Havyn", "Aveline", "Teana", "Karrah", "Kela", "Lindi", "Roslynn", "Carlisa", "Brandis", "Cloie", "Aracelis", "Karmin", "Leeza", "Karyna", "Jenika", "Auria", "Alizay", "Annaleah", "Kaliya", "Nandini", "Tiffiany", "Asmaa", "Fraidy", "Tiffeny", "Corrinne", "Tysha", "Dava", "Gracia", "Teddi", "Jakyla", "Agustina", "Kambri", "Aisley", "Aerin", "Shakirah", "Sharese", "Meegan", "Maraya", "Jordanna", "Avital", "Jenavieve", "Talea", "Jourdyn", "Abrar", "Sejal", "Jenilee", "Nakeya", "Jenea", "Carolee", "Yisel", "Rabecca", "Landri", "Laysha", "Vivica", "Kaeley", "Zaynah", "Ahlam", "Jilian", "Melanny", "Nikol", "Myiah", "Augustina", "Seren", "Estephany", "Jamica", "Tionne", "Kamyah", "Kallista", "Javonna", "Bayan", "Zuleyma", "Jennell", "Abella", "Kiely", "Shakiya", "Shamaya", "Michella", "Ieisha", "Jeanmarie", "Lanell", "Diedre", "Vernita", "Khayla", "Sian", "Brita", "Rosaline", "Novella", "Trudi", "Breeze", "Razan", "Bergen", "Britanny", "Queenie", "Trenity", "Mele", "Mahayla", "Erendira", "Sharday", "Dorene", "Suzann", "Branda", "Amisha", "Saleen", "Shareka", "Aralyn", "Catelynn", "Aiko", "Shavonna", "Jamilet", "Mellanie", "Khloie", "Brileigh", "Sona", "Camile", "Ixchel", "Sheba", "Manha", "Yarel", "Yoseline", "Briyana", "Marycatherine", "Megann", "Aleana", "Raegen", "Eila", "Giovana", "Anesha", "Lashell", "Khia", "Brilynn", "Eesha", "Lashanna", "Arly", "Robynn", "Malaina", "Sherese", "Mishelle", "Ailey", "Sabryna", "Kailea", "Kanani", "Tziporah", "Penina", "Charmayne", "Medha", "Kayliana", "Nikkita", "Nefertiti", "Herminia", "Shyra", "Jaelah", "Sherly", "Pasha", "Aarika", "Alexas", "Tiyanna", "Koral", "Skyelar", "Aleaha", "Aishwarya", "Asheley", "Abbygale", "Zeina", "Adalynne", "Avelyn", "Ajanae", "Camara", "Tira", "Alynna", "Lekeisha", "Lawana", "Katharyn", "Basya", "Keala", "Corinthia", "Kerianne", "Bari", "Brenley", "Kashmir", "Jama", "Miryam", "Morrigan", "Josefa", "Neema", "Bayla", "Ranee", "Nigeria", "Prisila", "Caira", "Kerrin", "Charlise", "Ivanka", "Kareema", "Jara", "Betsaida", "Letisia", "Kapri", "Joleigh", "Khylee", "Makynzie", "Destynee", "Mariaguadalupe", "Kalah", "Kiaya", "Ashland", "Jameela", "Shalini", "Jlynn", "Berlyn", "Mikela", "Troi", "Shailyn", "Desha", "Kalyssa", "Kenzy", "Vaishnavi", "Chrissie", "Ellah", "Alissia", "Madelene", "Kourtni", "Sonnie", "Lindsi", "Jamileth", "Shamyra", "Sueann", "Taniesha", "Brelynn", "Bess", "Damiya", "Katisha", "Ronesha", "Sadee", "Daelynn", "Telisa", "Teela", "Mckenzee", "Janika", "Landrie", "Omayra", "Calyn", "Athina", "Dezire", "Jamese", "Raquelle", "Lynnsey", "Radha", "Zowie", "Lucina", "Kyleah", "Shalene", "Maple", "Chanta", "Kaitlen", "Oksana", "Keera", "Abigal", "Josselin", "Bela", "Aniela", "Courtlyn", "Xandria", "Kortnie", "Carra", "Channa", "Farren", "Joannie", "Kieara", "Rabia", "Sahra", "Gwendolynn", "Adysen", "Merida", "Vonetta", "Keiko", "Cadie", "Aubre", "Lorina", "Mackenzee", "Nasya", "Zoei", "Carmyn", "Aili", "Lanee", "Elnora", "Genelle", "Shanette", "Berklee", "Paizlee", "Ezri", "Aolani", "Chelcie", "Bettie", "Laquana", "Marshay", "Shealynn", "Delayna", "Sherise", "Arina", "Aeriel", "Signe", "Kyesha", "Malarie", "Dayle", "Fatema", "Rayla", "Kavita", "Jacqualine", "Meya", "Jacelynn", "Jaleigh", "Twanda", "Kearra", "Tayana", "Kathya", "Korrie", "Tarryn", "Gionna", "Naiomi", "Noura", "Skylin", "Tya", "Tearra", "Lataya", "Mallary", "Lilla", "Risha", "Ayala", "Tamaria", "Tinesha", "Chenelle", "Terina", "Aribella", "Maysa", "Armonie", "Tora", "Kiki", "Zania", "Jeneen", "Acelynn", "Tandy", "Tenia", "Cesilia", "Arieana", "Bushra", "Emelin", "Irish", "Aquila", "Ayelet", "Shontel", "Sephora", "Anastazia", "Maleena", "Saja", "Heavyn", "Gardenia", "Aalyiah", "Lucile", "Sofiya", "Infinity", "Kimberlynn", "Margeaux", "Tyann", "Kana", "Emmery", "Aurielle", "Amariana", "Jolina", "Ziah", "Jadore", "Brihanna", "Marykatherine", "Narissa", "Haylei", "Kaleigha", "Alauna", "Jerrie", "Rhema", "Maven", "Merri", "Anisah", "Svetlana", "Morgann", "Shanese", "Porche", "Kirin", "Charon", "Talor", "Alexxa", "Jaritza", "Brittini", "Eboney", "Makyah", "Alyssandra", "Ramie", "Mckensie", "Tamiah", "Ishika", "Raeven", "Annsley", "Shaindel", "Charlyn", "Pebbles", "Maribelle", "Genoveva", "Emmylou", "Jennine", "Hadiya", "Jolisa", "Cristel", "Rosabella", "Adaya", "Cherita", "Laniah", "Cheyene", "Luiza", "Malori", "Maylene", "Genavieve", "Latifa", "Latrese", "Zyana", "Sydne", "Shatavia", "Shoshanna", "Zeynep", "Sandie", "Alexanderia", "Lexia", "Tanea", "Teairra", "Sheyanne", "Nandi", "Fatma", "Lysette", "Serra", "Adrienna", "Brocha", "Rosaria", "Renay", "Leonie", "Jonie", "Sereniti", "Greenlee", "Alaine", "Brittiany", "Caelin", "Akemi", "Divinity", "Koryn", "Renisha", "Kassia", "Dimitra", "Tawnie", "Annalicia", "Michaelle", "Janyia", "Shree", "Darrah", "Yalitza", "Keleigh", "Daphnie", "Mayleen", "Maleia", "Zoha", "Briyanna", "Ilyssa", "Saralyn", "Yanelly", "Allyse", "Denee", "Kristeen", "Laporsha", "Stasha", "Daeja", "Cassidee", "Janira", "Kariann", "Kennia", "Maram", "Sharay", "Whisper", "Kyria", "Massiel", "Eniyah", "Deneen", "Corynn", "Mahnoor", "Rut", "Lakshmi", "Shanan", "Adira", "Zailey", "Emmersyn", "Kelcee", "Shylee", "Angelise", "Audria", "Kearstin", "Shadia", "Jaynie", "Susy", "Brynlie", "Jameshia", "Alyxandra", "Shawntay", "Velia", "Seleste", "Mollee", "Avory", "Tinamarie", "Shunta", "Eliora", "Lejla", "Beulah", "Finlee", "Ahana", "Anasofia", "Geovanna", "Maggi", "Deliah", "Persia", "Terryn", "Bethanne", "Reginae", "Izzy", "Brailynn", "Sherlin", "Kaylia", "Domenique", "Chavon", "Daysia", "Faythe", "Kyasia", "Jadie", "Lashauna", "Tari", "Laurissa", "Taylyn", "Armida", "Calia", "Makhia", "Brieann", "Jessamyn", "Shakeya", "Atalie", "Kamrynn", "Ilia", "Amel", "Janean", "Mathilda", "Wynne", "Zoi", "Jadeyn", "Aarushi", "Siarra", "Kaile", "Stasia", "Natia", "Ellyse", "Bionca", "Lida", "Haniya", "Trinette", "Birdie", "Lacretia", "Cheyenna", "Kristyna", "Kimari", "Maryalice", "Nilsa", "Kyri", "Maisyn", "Saleena", "Jenai", "Yer", "Kelyn", "Azlyn", "Moana", "Daviana", "Jonni", "Lovie", "Lynley", "Tangie", "Laquetta", "Dayonna", "Kiyanna", "Liseth", "Brena", "Luzmaria", "Tawnee", "Aurea", "Shayleigh", "Elysha", "Emmalie", "Kenyada", "Sharelle", "Ruhi", "Emree", "Neysa", "Epiphany", "Danaya", "Electra", "Angelisa", "Estee", "Kathrin", "Yohanna", "Kamala", "Dawne", "Lilianne", "Kammie", "Sha", "Kimya", "Josalynn", "Leilanie", "Deseray", "Matea", "Sarahann", "Mazzy", "Nichola", "Chantay", "Genisis", "Shylo", "Taleen", "Shanteria", "Janese", "Kamira", "Sheniqua", "Zamora", "Lamiyah", "Leondra", "Calee", "Graceann", "Leidy", "Alaska", "Arisa", "Lady", "Krystyn", "Katarzyna", "Elysse", "Felicita", "Liyana", "Loree", "Morelia", "Chardae", "Tyiesha", "Ngoc", "Sherina", "Kynzlee", "Amaiyah", "Brooklyne", "Marymargaret", "Najma", "Callee", "Arlett", "Gabryella", "Tayna", "Evelynne", "Jamille", "Johnae", "Riann", "Jezebel", "Anniyah", "Embry", "Eureka", "Mikia", "Tressie", "Monalisa", "Genia", "Sameera", "Jaylinn", "Shelita", "Klynn", "Demya", "Tabbatha", "Rashanda", "Elke", "Teasia", "Briah", "Ellisa", "Jamisha", "Natassia", "Shauntae", "November", "Eshal", "Hadeel", "Railey", "Eliya", "Saisha", "Tambra", "Marriah", "Dinora", "Sumayyah", "Aneesah", "Emmarose", "Lyna", "Neila", "Adelyne", "Evey", "Tomekia", "Keasha", "Shaquanda", "Sharlyn", "Zaryah", "Maryan", "Aissatou", "Catheryn", "Kelani", "Khloey", "Tameca", "Kallee", "Leeana", "Vina", "Elektra", "Evamarie", "Constanza", "Jodeci", "Argelia", "Quanesha", "Taysha", "Tabbitha", "Karlin", "Dessa", "Sparrow", "Krysti", "Marilin", "Corryn", "Arisbeth", "Darlin", "Drea", "Dorie", "Samyah", "Lavette", "Luanne", "Libbie", "Asusena", "Alene", "Jalessa", "Mailyn", "Vincenza", "Sherrill", "Dajanae", "Denasia", "Liba", "Zamaria", "Henny", "Malynda", "Kymora", "Kendahl", "Ondrea", "Anise", "Deserie", "Halia", "Lanora", "Genny", "Tiani", "Madolyn", "Jalicia", "Zully", "Jera", "Tran", "Lateshia", "Lyriq", "Aleesa", "Aidee", "Disha", "Talayah", "Azariyah", "Shaley", "Nithya", "Shantavia", "Taylore", "Daneisha", "Jamyia", "Alayjah", "Kassey", "Rasha", "Kennadie", "Ayra", "Jakeria", "Soha", "Serah", "Yuritzi", "Gianella", "Anari", "Kaelie", "Danessa", "Kourtnie", "Karalynn", "Kynzie", "Daesha", "Ceanna", "Diondra", "Allura", "Roshelle", "Laycee", "Carlota", "Jennalee", "Emberlee", "Alicyn", "Payal", "Ailene", "Kahla", "Alainna", "Linsay", "Kamyra", "Makensie", "Nizhoni", "Avaleigh", "Kalley", "Megen", "Fara", "Lekesha", "Tanae", "Reagen", "Rebbeca", "Kloee", "Shaliyah", "Jensyn", "Yumi", "Blakelee", "Tedra", "Delma", "Maddyn", "Deandria", "Scotlyn", "Sigrid", "Shakina", "Nataya", "Brieanne", "Awa", "Mysti", "Khara", "Nikkie", "Kristena", "Yides", "Jasiyah", "Jamesia", "Kourtnee", "Xaria", "Zuleima", "Karaline", "Heavenlee", "Landree", "Rylyn", "Arline", "Carlisha", "Roisin", "Lakiya", "Carmin", "Amilya", "Brittanee", "Malasia", "Siomara", "Amberley", "Mireille", "Melana", "Harriett", "Alisyn", "Terrah", "Taria", "Venecia", "Gweneth", "Brandilyn", "Joelene", "Eriel", "Jaicee", "Jaquita", "Geralyn", "Snow", "Joyanna", "Oneida", "Nyra", "Arisha", "Mickenzie", "Kortnee", "Ellise", "Fionna", "Kileigh", "Nuri", "Navi", "Danille", "Kateland", "Kesley", "Adryanna", "Lamiya", "Cambry", "Tailynn", "Jaia", "Serita", "Mayci", "Shirin", "Myiesha", "Kerriann", "Pari", "Keniyah", "Neyda", "Nyia", "Tanzania", "Avionna", "Delaine", "Bellarose", "Adlee", "Makalah", "Aurianna", "Raelin", "Filomena", "Yailin", "Alyssah", "Tiya", "Salwa", "Cambri", "Leda", "Marelyn", "Diem", "Donnetta", "Derica", "Elspeth", "Dominga", "Donesha", "Keionna", "Daya", "Alexy", "Donia", "Leandrea", "Makennah", "Kiva", "Chrissa", "Kamyla", "Taiya", "Xaviera", "Allicia", "Sayde", "Mairin", "Aalyah", "Donica", "Casaundra", "Lelani", "Kalise", "Tyrah", "Briasia", "Sarra", "Taralyn", "Javonne", "Tarina", "Leighla", "Finleigh", "Albany", "Emylee", "Amarilis", "Faustina", "Annagrace", "Irasema", "Jaquetta", "Ambre", "Debrah", "Spirit", "Vanya", "Leylah", "Indra", "Akila", "Flavia", "Chaniya", "Tehila", "Romi", "Sherica", "Caia", "Marketta", "Vernice", "Lucienne", "Jalesa", "Crystel", "Dessie", "Zya", "Reanne", "Caeli", "Sujey", "Nara", "Earlene", "Berenise", "Priscella", "Manya", "Doretha", "Ariyan", "Teja", "Sylvana", "Ilsa", "Evanna", "Imaan", "Joye", "Adelynne", "Chardonnay", "Secret", "Irlanda", "Hollee", "Tempestt", "Tamieka", "Danay", "Ivett", "Hermelinda", "Crystalyn", "Jacqlyn", "Brystal", "Skarlett", "Buffie", "Deshawna", "Mesa", "Aashna", "Aleecia", "Takeya", "Cyra", "Leianna", "Deirdra", "Bostyn", "Rorie", "Anyiah", "Marily", "Kamber", "Zissy", "Shamiyah", "Ayiana", "Tykeria", "Rea", "Misa", "Jessilyn", "Stori", "Marylee", "Khole", "Malanie", "Aiva", "Shadonna", "Analyse", "Lisseth", "Katee", "Jaspreet", "Manar", "Laren", "Terika", "Jihan", "Breaunna", "Matti", "Shatia", "Aleina", "Queena", "Kalayah", "Kamarie", "Janney", "Nyasha", "Auriana", "Koree", "Adrea", "Nalah", "Maurissa", "Richa", "Diara", "Ayannah", "Alajah", "Shareen", "Marcey", "Jadalyn", "Daizy", "Kellianne", "Iveth", "Jalea", "Alonda", "Railyn", "Shelsea", "Adamary", "Jeneva", "Dollie", "Hien", "Khalani", "Janylah", "Komal", "Jakelin", "Sharia", "Andrina", "Teasha", "Daenerys", "Harlynn", "Davianna", "Jeralyn", "Desaree", "Alaijah", "Briel", "Kendrea", "Laiba", "Hong", "Grettel", "Ily", "Brithany", "Lessly", "Evana", "Sharona", "Peaches", "Rozalyn", "Shakeema", "Aralynn", "Timara", "Vallerie", "Brynnley", "Julieth", "Dulcemaria", "Sativa", "Shakima", "Minda", "Joetta", "Rei", "Aahana", "Harbor", "Honesti", "Prisilla", "Ajla", "Catherin", "Karee", "Cherese", "Pang", "Areanna", "Alexsa", "Jamilyn", "Tasnim", "Corri", "Emmanuela", "Arlinda", "Aesha", "Analiah", "Jolette", "Londen", "Tykia", "Joclyn", "Shantrell", "Lizzet", "Bradi", "Aryssa", "Natania", "Sadi", "Keniya", "Orly", "Terriana", "Halina", "Liani", "Jozlynn", "Alanie", "Sydnei", "Bianey", "Reana", "Marleni", "Annamae", "Kaliana", "Lyndsy", "Talesha", "Avrey", "Corena", "Johnette", "Najae", "Anecia", "Alayshia", "Lysandra", "Lenae", "Deni", "Onika", "Demaris", "Damita", "Milinda", "Meghna", "Nabila", "Kindall", "Ambrielle", "Charice", "Kalliope", "Verena", "Ayelen", "Jordanne", "Kassidee", "Carolanne", "Lamaya", "Mauri", "Michelina", "Kimmy", "Amellia", "Zionna", "Rogue", "Dacey", "Jennessa", "Mackinley", "Daliah", "Janayah", "Blakelyn", "Kalene", "Jazel", "Emalynn", "Cicily", "Atlanta", "Darbi", "Devi", "Jasmen", "Cortnee", "Raevyn", "Jamye", "Lateefah", "Lucrecia", "Alaynna", "Montoya", "Marigold", "Addelynn", "Laneisha", "Dariela", "Bethaney", "Crystina", "Shontell", "Chisom", "Analiz", "Chani", "Jadalynn", "Arihanna", "Ciani", "Telia", "Aryonna", "Rihana", "Darice", "Aundria", "Langley", "Kayra", "Maika", "Trishia", "Kashmere", "Stepanie", "Tyneisha", "Ashna", "Tariah", "Sharda", "Dory", "Maygan", "Fredricka", "Kandie", "Merci", "Odelia", "Christia", "Ajia", "Annisa", "Kaileen", "Shaylie", "Naeemah", "Maisey", "Darling", "Abbe", "Mignon", "Tailyn", "Sheana", "Oliviah", "Sidnee", "Allysia", "Ileen", "Lyza", "Nuria", "Eda", "Jerrika", "Shaunice", "Yoanna", "Meliah", "Alliana", "Sharayah", "Latrece", "Miliana", "Leni", "Sabreena", "Anndrea", "Joshlynn", "Porshia", "Aulani", "Emori", "Vaida", "Tyresha", "Sequoyah", "Abeer", "Xochil", "Hina", "Bay", "Whitnee", "Annica", "Farida", "Peyten", "Lyndie", "Natoya", "Renada", "Jasmeen", "Catlyn", "Eunique", "Toriana", "Tanasha", "Merlyn", "Rebeckah", "Cozette", "Jaslin", "Mana", "Ameria", "Tiphanie", "Shamica", "Latasia", "Kaylynne", "Asley", "Ninfa", "Taniqua", "Swara", "Lakecia", "Cyrena", "Yanitza", "Annessa", "Zahava", "Blimy", "Latishia", "Carrieann", "Natanya", "Ashanta", "Atalia", "Yarelis", "Lannie", "Maniyah", "Chidera", "Makeba", "Zaliyah", "Vickey", "Regena", "Kashia", "Sarafina", "Ilda", "Aleigh", "Jennipher", "Dian", "Juliett", "Zaylie", "Shequita", "Emina", "Shalimar", "Truly", "Jannell", "Kaytie", "Kennisha", "Betina", "Bradie", "Anjelina", "Lareina", "Nakya", "Talynn", "Noell", "Aniylah", "Syriah", "Jeanene", "Elexa", "Kennya", "Abree", "Marketa", "Elyanna", "Maddilynn", "Aashi", "Malisha", "Maddelyn", "Brittiny", "Damiana", "Sivan", "Aleksa", "Kodee", "Adaly", "Amori", "Donella", "Emmalin", "Kenedy", "Shada", "Yen", "Ama", "Anora", "Kensi", "Pattie", "Myrtle", "Camri", "Aissa", "Barrie", "Safiyyah", "Inayah", "Coraima", "Ginna", "Habiba", "Arushi", "Ailee", "Perel", "Xyla", "Gwenevere", "Iana", "Antwanette", "Rifka", "Melenie", "Kea", "Coralyn", "Kathrina", "Angelynn", "Imogene", "Lauretta", "Jeimy", "Shelbee", "Shyenne", "Madalyne", "Najla", "Dandra", "Gennesis", "Carlissa", "Dominika", "Akyra", "Meka", "Charmain", "Mitchelle", "Aarohi", "Chere", "Hudsyn", "Laketa", "Assata", "Abigaile", "Shermaine", "Eula", "Liliane", "Chevon", "Demia", "Anoushka", "Loralee", "Kyera", "Aneisha", "Ikea", "Jamirah", "Lyana", "Sapphira", "Garnet", "Armanda", "Isyss", "Iridian", "Leea", "Saran", "Tiffanee", "Janielle", "Aleece", "Kaiah", "Shawndra", "Nyema", "Lariyah", "Tonette", "Cherlyn", "Kania", "Noora", "Mi", "Ryli", "Abena", "Maribella", "Raygen", "Skylie", "Lean", "Railynn", "Mayar", "Zamiya", "Naidelyn", "Dharma", "Nakiah", "Shaylen", "Kanya", "Leina", "Denisa", "Miri", "Xia", "Tatanisha", "Aneesha", "Kalleigh", "Akela", "Keia", "Nataley", "Whitlee", "Jesi", "Quetzalli", "Zuzanna", "Zylah", "Kyliee", "Catriona", "Kasidy", "Nathali", "Ranisha", "Amayrani", "Kristalyn", "Lissett", "Sonal", "Draya", "Lynnlee", "Camiyah", "Lesia", "Beckie", "Shawnette", "Karinna", "Ala", "Lalita", "Kesia", "Mirabel", "Senna", "Tennessee", "Anam", "Kama", "Esmerelda", "Gemini", "Shamiah", "Kynsley", "Emorie", "Kenzington", "Zaara", "Treena", "Emilyann", "Nikiya", "Alania", "Ellora", "Katrine", "Breezy", "Camrynn", "Nataliya", "Roselin", "Averey", "Zarria", "Marisabel", "Kaja", "Irais", "Lunden", "Anthea", "Heily", "Kaleia", "Chrystina", "Emmagrace", "Laquitta", "Jakeline", "Josseline", "Prescilla", "Raneem", "Lavonna", "Alleigh", "Eleonora", "Lamesha", "Loreen", "Kaleen", "Angell", "Annalea", "Ciji", "Marshae", "Mariadejesus", "Ragen", "Corinn", "Huong", "Ashari", "Maddy", "Esabella", "Tawna", "Phoenyx", "Amariyah", "Topanga", "Mercades", "Maheen", "Jalah", "Tela", "Jocelynne", "Natavia", "Tereza", "Subrina", "Yeimi", "Jolanda", "Jermani", "Kenzleigh", "Avayah", "Anicia", "Falicia", "Marit", "Amery", "Korah", "Maylen", "Taylah", "Natalyn", "Siham", "Leatrice", "Deisi", "Tyneshia", "Bronwen", "Andreia", "Chinyere", "Marlisa", "Jadynn", "Brandalyn", "Tonda", "Chari", "Cammi", "Ceirra", "Belicia", "Roneisha", "Christabel", "Mayzie", "Angelyna", "Jamielynn", "Mayeli", "Shandell", "Aaradhya", "Camya", "Elexia", "Maddalena", "Penni", "Demitria", "Alixandria", "Chanie", "Hollyann", "Yamilette", "Larita", "Donetta", "Marica", "Paxtyn", "Yulanda", "Charletta", "Terrika", "Noely", "Kaisa", "Yanelis", "Amillia", "Hajar", "Jhoana", "Kemoni", "Brissia", "Zehra", "Jasey", "Kimberleigh", "Jaiya", "Rozlynn", "Vega", "Cheron", "Tashika", "Gianina", "Samanatha", "Kayleah", "Charde", "Any", "Linnette", "Tomica", "Madlyn", "Delmy", "Aleea", "Karilyn", "Raychelle", "Shalana", "Maude", "Bralynn", "Calina", "Vanita", "Gissele", "Allysen", "Frederica", "Ariele", "Davita", "Nieves", "Beverley", "Margery", "Eimy", "Aubrei", "Betsey", "Mariaisabel", "Samina", "Batya", "Micole", "Olivea", "Emmaly", "Heydi", "Saffron", "Karimah", "Hally", "Darina", "Izamar", "Nely", "Tashauna", "Chanice", "Laurynn", "Ligia", "Citlally", "Lise", "Tanishia", "Titiana", "Ceaira", "Linzie", "Syrena", "Madylin", "Shilpa", "Nur", "Treasa", "Ashanty", "Shontay", "Amelya", "Aliyanna", "Kelise", "Anum", "Mikaella", "Alyxandria", "Viviane", "Lesha", "Francia", "Takyra", "Gloriana", "Madalynne", "Skai", "Rheagan", "Krislynn", "Annaka", "Alesa", "Arminda", "Mckynzie", "Caliana", "Braylie", "Lajuana", "Lakesia", "Derrica", "Elona", "Nalleli", "Tiah", "Jessicca", "Korri", "Tovah", "Kaelani", "Alin", "Ericca", "Paytin", "Yashika", "Teneshia", "Hira", "Linzi", "Tiauna", "Shalaya", "Airiana", "Chiamaka", "Nura", "Jalina", "Rainee", "Kemya", "Giuseppina", "Luisana", "Hadlie", "Brette", "Kammi", "Deva", "Kyndell", "Chrysta", "Shaquilla", "Viana", "Adalyne", "Eviana", "Roshunda", "Chrislyn", "Mylene", "Kailei", "Kenza", "Ritika", "Shahd", "Zyra", "Zury", "Esmae", "Kensleigh", "Bernita", "Breannah", "Xavia", "Kaylinn", "Mirel", "Shyloh", "Renna", "Sharise", "Zyanna", "Raechelle", "Dannika", "Kristene", "Teyanna", "Breya", "Lynzi", "Mikiah", "Charlsie", "Magdalyn", "Zyasia", "Ahmya", "Tinika", "Yuliza", "Victorya", "Idania", "Brelyn", "Tomasa", "Jaliya", "Laurice", "Katera", "Cydni", "Gabryelle", "Lyllian", "Brailee", "Kree", "Brianca", "Cana", "Brinn", "Aryel", "Dannah", "Oumou", "Zanya", "Elliotte", "Katelyne", "Justyne", "Merisa", "Alaisha", "Mychelle", "Ailish", "Elyce", "Nuha", "Elishia", "Jesslynn", "Eugena", "Nalia", "Shaneika", "Alexiss", "Alliah", "Devika", "Abi", "Miroslava", "Nichele", "Sunita", "Charnell", "Marylyn", "Jamyla", "Lya", "Carrisa", "Bibi", "Safiyah", "Shalina", "Analucia", "Loralie", "Lizzeth", "Kaylana", "Dalaney", "Ashle", "Nabiha", "Margarette", "Sapna", "Tacara", "Sarenity", "Shirlene", "Laiyah", "Kisa", "Yulonda", "Lynetta", "Kawanna", "Doria", "Elesha", "Cherrish", "Cybil", "Coree", "Meika", "Anjela", "Evany", "Keitha", "Dayani", "Shenell", "Marysa", "Kalysta", "Afnan", "Harini", "Kendi", "Daena", "Kemora", "Gwyn", "Tanita", "Sadaf", "Logann", "Tylynn", "Carlynn", "Mehgan", "Myanna", "Dunia", "Marybel", "Tylia", "Rahaf", "Maniya", "Jupiter", "Swayze", "Keirstin", "Megumi", "Maire", "Colbi", "Chastidy", "Luanna", "Amyrah", "Jalisha", "Kaylena", "Mckaylee", "Odyssey", "Manpreet", "Rainie", "Zitlaly", "Cassandre", "Carmelina", "Tameshia", "Jailee", "Natale", "Lin", "Maddalyn", "Antonietta", "Saydie", "Sabreen", "Kelliann", "Shaena", "Jonica", "Hannia", "Avie", "Annarose", "Anjuli", "Khori", "Mikka", "Illyana", "Brinda", "Kindle", "Ashleen", "Naina", "Sophya", "Zanaya", "Turquoise", "Kaelah", "Shamaria", "Kenady", "Jazmynn", "Matty", "Zandria", "Nelia", "Atziri", "Skylan", "Ellisyn", "Juliza", "Kadija", "Jacklin", "Hera", "Talicia", "Starlet", "Atarah", "Caleah", "Tapanga", "Miasia", "Tashay", "Morgana", "Miana", "Audreanna", "Miraya", "Tarynn", "Shakila", "Eneida", "Falynn", "Sharnell", "Apollonia", "Alexyss", "Maddisen", "Mercede", "Alexah", "Elka", "Ivania", "Tatem", "Kimmie", "Brenae", "Riane", "Fredericka", "Ieasha", "Taia", "Biridiana", "Kymberli", "Dalana", "Jezabel", "Lezly", "Danella", "Awilda", "Kaedence", "Diamon", "Nyisha", "Milca", "Iriana", "Brianny", "Skyleigh", "Tariyah", "Era", "Sharisse", "Latorya", "Hoa", "Kaetlyn", "Faithe", "Brittainy", "Aariyah", "Makynlee", "Hilarie", "Kearsten", "Hania", "Shalia", "Evony", "Lanay", "Kenly", "Denyse", "Sakari", "Ameliah", "Jerzie", "Tunisia", "Mirka", "Demitra", "Adell", "Janica", "Leala", "Cieara", "Keneisha", "Marialuisa", "Airianna", "Feather", "Madai", "Monzerrat", "Ainslie", "Peace", "Carry", "Pheobe", "Sriya", "Ailany", "Cinda", "Chevonne", "Denika", "Darnesha", "Alura", "Miyana", "Adanna", "Kaysi", "Lizzy", "Rossana", "Aimie", "Mailee", "Elowyn", "Natallie", "Nayana", "Janaiya", "Atiana", "Getsemani", "Emsley", "Aniyla", "Dayja", "Annel", "Monay", "Hannan", "Kayln", "Layal", "Meighan", "Katiria", "Rafaella", "Taneesha", "Jacqui", "Zakiah", "Khylie", "Trixie", "Chaquita", "Myrka", "Amarachi", "Riddhi", "Terin", "Aletheia", "Brecklyn", "Haedyn", "Janique", "Syria", "Jayah", "Kimara", "Porchia", "Dua", "Flannery", "Kamrie", "Adryana", "Elara", "Susann", "Jadzia", "Kellsie", "Berit", "Gurleen", "Breahna", "Domanique", "Leaha", "Shela", "Sharifa", "Theia", "Ronika", "Latora", "Arista", "Danee", "Jaynee", "Camilia", "Maeleigh", "Janesha", "Ma", "Lakeia", "Andera", "Tyronda", "Coralynn", "Alanda", "Tameria", "Daley", "Madalena", "Delyla", "Romelia", "Verona", "Kathaleen", "Kenlie", "Ishita", "Delinda", "Brennah", "Champagne", "Tynia", "Maresa", "Myrah", "Romana", "Bina", "Clarity", "Genea", "Deaira", "Marilena", "Mahealani", "Lanise", "Najwa", "Lien", "Tashi", "Krystie", "Suraya", "Zita", "Sakeena", "Jahniya", "Allysha", "Camber", "Cherith", "Brucha", "Tzivia", "Pressley", "Sharena", "Advika", "Amaiah", "Banesa", "Jazzmyne", "Manon", "Valeska", "Alexiz", "Alie", "Meggie", "Shreeya", "Kimbra", "Michaele", "Sayler", "Josee", "Korrin", "Makailah", "Etty", "Mathilde", "Cerise", "Lyrica", "Scotland", "Estefanie", "Ankita", "Pascale", "Jinny", "Yakelin", "Unity", "Arnetta", "Rossi", "Deadra", "Keilly", "Judit", "Jasia", "Charlisa", "Duaa", "Starlyn", "Lenise", "Starlene", "Quanita", "Avyanna", "Envy", "Shatoria", "Chantae", "Deniece", "Mayleigh", "Daneen", "Paeton", "Sarika", "Samera", "Carisma", "Theadora", "Ellaina", "Lashanta", "Adalind", "Tyara", "Sareena", "Hadiyah", "Kayte", "Mattilyn", "Inessa", "Iyanah", "Shakeena", "Nikeya", "Darlena", "Anagha", "Sundus", "Angelin", "Meher", "Lanetta", "Mone", "Aisa", "Shannyn", "Aparna", "Abegail", "Lizandra", "Lanessa", "Amorette", "Syniah", "Kedra", "Celestial", "Taysia", "Jailin", "Analis", "Akua", "Arleigh", "Kenli", "Avigayil", "Lanea", "Anina", "Meleny", "Maayan", "Ariza", "Sherrita", "Yaire", "Analyssa", "Courtny", "Kendle", "Brighid", "Haidee", "Jesselyn", "Senaida", "Tylah", "Veena", "Svea", "Aalia", "Amila", "Sofi", "Ioanna", "Meloney", "Mckennah", "Alydia", "Rakia", "Israa", "Karman", "Lilie", "Pamella", "Asani", "Germany", "Kiaira", "Harpreet", "Laniece", "Arizbeth", "Sheria", "Tyleah", "Aliannah", "Teneka", "Taylour", "Sharissa", "Diva", "Hayat", "Natilee", "Sarayu", "Makylah", "Jaretzy", "Chelby", "Cyndy", "Rema", "Anjana", "Adali", "Shereka", + ], + "last": [ + "Smith", "Johnson", "Williams", "Brown", "Jones", "Miller", "Davis", "Garcia", "Rodriguez", "Wilson", "Martinez", "Anderson", "Taylor", "Thomas", "Hernandez", "Moore", "Martin", "Jackson", "Thompson", "White", "Lopez", "Lee", "Gonzalez", "Harris", "Clark", "Lewis", "Robinson", "Walker", "Perez", "Hall", "Young", "Allen", "Sanchez", "Wright", "King", "Scott", "Green", "Baker", "Adams", "Nelson", "Hill", "Ramirez", "Campbell", "Mitchell", "Roberts", "Carter", "Phillips", "Evans", "Turner", "Torres", "Parker", "Collins", "Edwards", "Stewart", "Flores", "Morris", "Nguyen", "Murphy", "Rivera", "Cook", "Rogers", "Morgan", "Peterson", "Cooper", "Reed", "Bailey", "Bell", "Gomez", "Kelly", "Howard", "Ward", "Cox", "Diaz", "Richardson", "Wood", "Watson", "Brooks", "Bennett", "Gray", "James", "Reyes", "Cruz", "Hughes", "Price", "Myers", "Long", "Foster", "Sanders", "Ross", "Morales", "Powell", "Sullivan", "Russell", "Ortiz", "Jenkins", "Gutierrez", "Perry", "Butler", "Barnes", "Fisher", "Henderson", "Coleman", "Simmons", "Patterson", "Jordan", "Reynolds", "Hamilton", "Graham", "Kim", "Gonzales", "Alexander", "Ramos", "Wallace", "Griffin", "West", "Cole", "Hayes", "Chavez", "Gibson", "Bryant", "Ellis", "Stevens", "Murray", "Ford", "Marshall", "Owens", "Mcdonald", "Harrison", "Ruiz", "Kennedy", "Wells", "Alvarez", "Woods", "Mendoza", "Castillo", "Olson", "Webb", "Washington", "Tucker", "Freeman", "Burns", "Henry", "Vasquez", "Snyder", "Simpson", "Crawford", "Jimenez", "Porter", "Mason", "Shaw", "Gordon", "Wagner", "Hunter", "Romero", "Hicks", "Dixon", "Hunt", "Palmer", "Robertson", "Black", "Holmes", "Stone", "Meyer", "Boyd", "Mills", "Warren", "Fox", "Rose", "Rice", "Moreno", "Schmidt", "Patel", "Ferguson", "Nichols", "Herrera", "Medina", "Ryan", "Fernandez", "Weaver", "Daniels", "Stephens", "Gardner", "Payne", "Kelley", "Dunn", "Pierce", "Arnold", "Tran", "Spencer", "Peters", "Hawkins", "Grant", "Hansen", "Castro", "Hoffman", "Hart", "Elliott", "Cunningham", "Knight", "Bradley", "Carroll", "Hudson", "Duncan", "Armstrong", "Berry", "Andrews", "Johnston", "Ray", "Lane", "Riley", "Carpenter", "Perkins", "Aguilar", "Silva", "Richards", "Willis", "Matthews", "Chapman", "Lawrence", "Garza", "Vargas", "Watkins", "Wheeler", "Larson", "Carlson", "Harper", "George", "Greene", "Burke", "Guzman", "Morrison", "Munoz", "Jacobs", "Obrien", "Lawson", "Franklin", "Lynch", "Bishop", "Carr", "Salazar", "Austin", "Mendez", "Gilbert", "Jensen", "Williamson", "Montgomery", "Harvey", "Oliver", "Howell", "Dean", "Hanson", "Weber", "Garrett", "Sims", "Burton", "Fuller", "Soto", "Mccoy", "Welch", "Chen", "Schultz", "Walters", "Reid", "Fields", "Walsh", "Little", "Fowler", "Bowman", "Davidson", "May", "Day", "Schneider", "Newman", "Brewer", "Lucas", "Holland", "Wong", "Banks", "Santos", "Curtis", "Pearson", "Delgado", "Valdez", "Pena", "Rios", "Douglas", "Sandoval", "Barrett", "Hopkins", "Keller", "Guerrero", "Stanley", "Bates", "Alvarado", "Beck", "Ortega", "Wade", "Estrada", "Contreras", "Barnett", "Caldwell", "Santiago", "Lambert", "Powers", "Chambers", "Nunez", "Craig", "Leonard", "Lowe", "Rhodes", "Byrd", "Gregory", "Shelton", "Frazier", "Becker", "Maldonado", "Fleming", "Vega", "Sutton", "Cohen", "Jennings", "Parks", "Mcdaniel", "Watts", "Barker", "Norris", "Vaughn", "Vazquez", "Holt", "Schwartz", "Steele", "Benson", "Neal", "Dominguez", "Horton", "Terry", "Wolfe", "Hale", "Lyons", "Graves", "Haynes", "Miles", "Park", "Warner", "Padilla", "Bush", "Thornton", "Mccarthy", "Mann", "Zimmerman", "Erickson", "Fletcher", "Mckinney", "Page", "Dawson", "Joseph", "Marquez", "Reeves", "Klein", "Espinoza", "Baldwin", "Moran", "Love", "Robbins", "Higgins", "Ball", "Cortez", "Le", "Griffith", "Bowen", "Sharp", "Cummings", "Ramsey", "Hardy", "Swanson", "Barber", "Acosta", "Luna", "Chandler", "Blair", "Daniel", "Cross", "Simon", "Dennis", "Oconnor", "Quinn", "Gross", "Navarro", "Moss", "Fitzgerald", "Doyle", "Mclaughlin", "Rojas", "Rodgers", "Stevenson", "Singh", "Yang", "Figueroa", "Harmon", "Newton", "Paul", "Manning", "Garner", "Mcgee", "Reese", "Francis", "Burgess", "Adkins", "Goodman", "Curry", "Brady", "Christensen", "Potter", "Walton", "Goodwin", "Mullins", "Molina", "Webster", "Fischer", "Campos", "Avila", "Sherman", "Todd", "Chang", "Blake", "Malone", "Wolf", "Hodges", "Juarez", "Gill", "Farmer", "Hines", "Gallagher", "Duran", "Hubbard", "Cannon", "Miranda", "Wang", "Saunders", "Tate", "Mack", "Hammond", "Carrillo", "Townsend", "Wise", "Ingram", "Barton", "Mejia", "Ayala", "Schroeder", "Hampton", "Rowe", "Parsons", "Frank", "Waters", "Strickland", "Osborne", "Maxwell", "Chan", "Deleon", "Norman", "Harrington", "Casey", "Patton", "Logan", "Bowers", "Mueller", "Glover", "Floyd", "Hartman", "Buchanan", "Cobb", "French", "Kramer", "Mccormick", "Clarke", "Tyler", "Gibbs", "Moody", "Conner", "Sparks", "Mcguire", "Leon", "Bauer", "Norton", "Pope", "Flynn", "Hogan", "Robles", "Salinas", "Yates", "Lindsey", "Lloyd", "Marsh", "Mcbride", "Owen", "Solis", "Pham", "Lang", "Pratt", "Lara", "Brock", "Ballard", "Trujillo", "Shaffer", "Drake", "Roman", "Aguirre", "Morton", "Stokes", "Lamb", "Pacheco", "Patrick", "Cochran", "Shepherd", "Cain", "Burnett", "Hess", "Li", "Cervantes", "Olsen", "Briggs", "Ochoa", "Cabrera", "Velasquez", "Montoya", "Roth", "Meyers", "Cardenas", "Fuentes", "Weiss", "Hoover", "Wilkins", "Nicholson", "Underwood", "Short", "Carson", "Morrow", "Colon", "Holloway", "Summers", "Bryan", "Petersen", "Mckenzie", "Serrano", "Wilcox", "Carey", "Clayton", "Poole", "Calderon", "Gallegos", "Greer", "Rivas", "Guerra", "Decker", "Collier", "Wall", "Whitaker", "Bass", "Flowers", "Davenport", "Conley", "Houston", "Huff", "Copeland", "Hood", "Monroe", "Massey", "Roberson", "Combs", "Franco", "Larsen", "Pittman", "Randall", "Skinner", "Wilkinson", "Kirby", "Cameron", "Bridges", "Anthony", "Richard", "Kirk", "Bruce", "Singleton", "Mathis", "Bradford", "Boone", "Abbott", "Charles", "Allison", "Sweeney", "Atkinson", "Horn", "Jefferson", "Rosales", "York", "Christian", "Phelps", "Farrell", "Castaneda", "Nash", "Dickerson", "Bond", "Wyatt", "Foley", "Chase", "Gates", "Vincent", "Mathews", "Hodge", "Garrison", "Trevino", "Villarreal", "Heath", "Dalton", "Valencia", "Callahan", "Hensley", "Atkins", "Huffman", "Roy", "Boyer", "Shields", "Lin", "Hancock", "Grimes", "Glenn", "Cline", "Delacruz", "Camacho", "Dillon", "Parrish", "Oneill", "Melton", "Booth", "Kane", "Berg", "Harrell", "Pitts", "Savage", "Wiggins", "Brennan", "Salas", "Marks", "Russo", "Sawyer", "Baxter", "Golden", "Hutchinson", "Liu", "Walter", "Mcdowell", "Wiley", "Rich", "Humphrey", "Johns", "Koch", "Suarez", "Hobbs", "Beard", "Gilmore", "Ibarra", "Keith", "Macias", "Khan", "Andrade", "Ware", "Stephenson", "Henson", "Wilkerson", "Dyer", "Mcclure", "Blackwell", "Mercado", "Tanner", "Eaton", "Clay", "Barron", "Beasley", "Oneal", "Preston", "Small", "Wu", "Zamora", "Macdonald", "Vance", "Snow", "Mcclain", "Stafford", "Orozco", "Barry", "English", "Shannon", "Kline", "Jacobson", "Woodard", "Huang", "Kemp", "Mosley", "Prince", "Merritt", "Hurst", "Villanueva", "Roach", "Nolan", "Lam", "Yoder", "Mccullough", "Lester", "Santana", "Valenzuela", "Winters", "Barrera", "Leach", "Orr", "Berger", "Mckee", "Strong", "Conway", "Stein", "Whitehead", "Bullock", "Escobar", "Knox", "Meadows", "Solomon", "Velez", "Odonnell", "Kerr", "Stout", "Blankenship", "Browning", "Kent", "Lozano", "Bartlett", "Pruitt", "Buck", "Barr", "Gaines", "Durham", "Gentry", "Mcintyre", "Sloan", "Rocha", "Melendez", "Herman", "Sexton", "Moon", "Hendricks", "Rangel", "Stark", "Lowery", "Hardin", "Hull", "Sellers", "Ellison", "Calhoun", "Gillespie", "Mora", "Knapp", "Mccall", "Morse", "Dorsey", "Weeks", "Nielsen", "Livingston", "Leblanc", "Mclean", "Bradshaw", "Glass", "Middleton", "Buckley", "Schaefer", "Frost", "Howe", "House", "Mcintosh", "Ho", "Pennington", "Reilly", "Hebert", "Mcfarland", "Hickman", "Noble", "Spears", "Conrad", "Arias", "Galvan", "Velazquez", "Huynh", "Frederick", "Randolph", "Cantu", "Fitzpatrick", "Mahoney", "Peck", "Villa", "Michael", "Donovan", "Mcconnell", "Walls", "Boyle", "Mayer", "Zuniga", "Giles", "Pineda", "Pace", "Hurley", "Mays", "Mcmillan", "Crosby", "Ayers", "Case", "Bentley", "Shepard", "Everett", "Pugh", "David", "Mcmahon", "Dunlap", "Bender", "Hahn", "Harding", "Acevedo", "Raymond", "Blackburn", "Duffy", "Landry", "Dougherty", "Bautista", "Shah", "Potts", "Arroyo", "Valentine", "Meza", "Gould", "Vaughan", "Fry", "Rush", "Avery", "Herring", "Dodson", "Clements", "Sampson", "Tapia", "Bean", "Lynn", "Crane", "Farley", "Cisneros", "Benton", "Ashley", "Mckay", "Finley", "Best", "Blevins", "Friedman", "Moses", "Sosa", "Blanchard", "Huber", "Frye", "Krueger", "Bernard", "Rosario", "Rubio", "Mullen", "Benjamin", "Haley", "Chung", "Moyer", "Choi", "Horne", "Yu", "Woodward", "Ali", "Nixon", "Hayden", "Rivers", "Estes", "Mccarty", "Richmond", "Stuart", "Maynard", "Brandt", "Oconnell", "Hanna", "Sanford", "Sheppard", "Church", "Burch", "Levy", "Rasmussen", "Coffey", "Ponce", "Faulkner", "Donaldson", "Schmitt", "Novak", "Costa", "Montes", "Booker", "Cordova", "Waller", "Arellano", "Maddox", "Mata", "Bonilla", "Stanton", "Compton", "Kaufman", "Dudley", "Mcpherson", "Beltran", "Dickson", "Mccann", "Villegas", "Proctor", "Hester", "Cantrell", "Daugherty", "Cherry", "Bray", "Davila", "Rowland", "Levine", "Madden", "Spence", "Good", "Irwin", "Werner", "Krause", "Petty", "Whitney", "Baird", "Hooper", "Pollard", "Zavala", "Jarvis", "Holden", "Haas", "Hendrix", "Mcgrath", "Bird", "Lucero", "Terrell", "Riggs", "Joyce", "Mercer", "Rollins", "Galloway", "Duke", "Odom", "Andersen", "Downs", "Hatfield", "Benitez", "Archer", "Huerta", "Travis", "Mcneil", "Hinton", "Zhang", "Hays", "Mayo", "Fritz", "Branch", "Mooney", "Ewing", "Ritter", "Esparza", "Frey", "Braun", "Gay", "Riddle", "Haney", "Kaiser", "Holder", "Chaney", "Mcknight", "Gamble", "Vang", "Cooley", "Carney", "Cowan", "Forbes", "Ferrell", "Davies", "Barajas", "Shea", "Osborn", "Bright", "Cuevas", "Bolton", "Murillo", "Lutz", "Duarte", "Kidd", "Key", "Cooke", "Goff", "Dejesus", "Marin", "Dotson", "Bonner", "Cotton", "Merrill", "Lindsay", "Lancaster", "Mcgowan", "Felix", "Salgado", "Slater", "Carver", "Guthrie", "Holman", "Fulton", "Snider", "Sears", "Witt", "Newell", "Byers", "Lehman", "Gorman", "Costello", "Donahue", "Delaney", "Albert", "Workman", "Rosas", "Springer", "Kinney", "Justice", "Odell", "Lake", "Donnelly", "Law", "Dailey", "Guevara", "Shoemaker", "Barlow", "Marino", "Winter", "Craft", "Katz", "Pickett", "Espinosa", "Maloney", "Daly", "Goldstein", "Crowley", "Vogel", "Kuhn", "Pearce", "Hartley", "Cleveland", "Palacios", "Mcfadden", "Britt", "Wooten", "Cortes", "Dillard", "Childers", "Alford", "Dodd", "Emerson", "Wilder", "Lange", "Goldberg", "Quintero", "Beach", "Enriquez", "Quintana", "Helms", "Mackey", "Finch", "Cramer", "Minor", "Flanagan", "Franks", "Corona", "Kendall", "Mccabe", "Hendrickson", "Moser", "Mcdermott", "Camp", "Mcleod", "Bernal", "Kaplan", "Medrano", "Lugo", "Tracy", "Bacon", "Crowe", "Richter", "Welsh", "Holley", "Ratliff", "Mayfield", "Talley", "Haines", "Dale", "Gibbons", "Hickey", "Byrne", "Kirkland", "Farris", "Correa", "Tillman", "Sweet", "Kessler", "England", "Hewitt", "Blanco", "Connolly", "Pate", "Elder", "Bruno", "Holcomb", "Hyde", "Mcallister", "Cash", "Christopher", "Whitfield", "Meeks", "Hatcher", "Fink", "Sutherland", "Noel", "Ritchie", "Rosa", "Leal", "Joyner", "Starr", "Morin", "Delarosa", "Connor", "Hilton", "Alston", "Gilliam", "Wynn", "Wills", "Jaramillo", "Oneil", "Nieves", "Britton", "Rankin", "Belcher", "Guy", "Chamberlain", "Tyson", "Puckett", "Downing", "Sharpe", "Boggs", "Truong", "Pierson", "Godfrey", "Mobley", "John", "Kern", "Dye", "Hollis", "Bravo", "Magana", "Rutherford", "Ng", "Tuttle", "Lim", "Romano", "Trejo", "Arthur", "Knowles", "Lyon", "Shirley", "Quinones", "Childs", "Dolan", "Head", "Reyna", "Saenz", "Hastings", "Kenney", "Cano", "Foreman", "Denton", "Villalobos", "Pryor", "Sargent", "Doherty", "Hopper", "Phan", "Womack", "Lockhart", "Ventura", "Dwyer", "Muller", "Galindo", "Grace", "Sorensen", "Courtney", "Parra", "Rodrigues", "Nicholas", "Ahmed", "Mcginnis", "Langley", "Madison", "Locke", "Jamison", "Nava", "Gustafson", "Sykes", "Dempsey", "Hamm", "Rodriquez", "Mcgill", "Xiong", "Esquivel", "Simms", "Kendrick", "Boyce", "Vigil", "Downey", "Mckenna", "Sierra", "Webber", "Kirkpatrick", "Dickinson", "Couch", "Burks", "Sheehan", "Slaughter", "Pike", "Whitley", "Magee", "Cheng", "Sinclair", "Cassidy", "Rutledge", "Burris", "Bowling", "Crabtree", "Mcnamara", "Avalos", "Vu", "Herron", "Broussard", "Abraham", "Garland", "Corbett", "Corbin", "Stinson", "Chin", "Burt", "Hutchins", "Woodruff", "Lau", "Brandon", "Singer", "Hatch", "Rossi", "Shafer", "Ott", "Goss", "Gregg", "Dewitt", "Tang", "Polk", "Worley", "Covington", "Saldana", "Heller", "Emery", "Swartz", "Cho", "Mccray", "Elmore", "Rosenberg", "Simons", "Clemons", "Beatty", "Harden", "Herbert", "Bland", "Rucker", "Manley", "Ziegler", "Grady", "Lott", "Rouse", "Gleason", "Mcclellan", "Abrams", "Vo", "Albright", "Meier", "Dunbar", "Ackerman", "Padgett", "Mayes", "Tipton", "Coffman", "Peralta", "Shapiro", "Roe", "Weston", "Plummer", "Helton", "Stern", "Fraser", "Stover", "Fish", "Schumacher", "Baca", "Curran", "Vinson", "Vera", "Clifton", "Ervin", "Eldridge", "Lowry", "Childress", "Becerra", "Gore", "Seymour", "Chu", "Field", "Akers", "Carrasco", "Bingham", "Sterling", "Greenwood", "Leslie", "Groves", "Manuel", "Swain", "Edmonds", "Muniz", "Thomson", "Crouch", "Walden", "Smart", "Tomlinson", "Alfaro", "Quick", "Goldman", "Mcelroy", "Yarbrough", "Funk", "Hong", "Portillo", "Lund", "Ngo", "Elkins", "Stroud", "Meredith", "Battle", "Mccauley", "Zapata", "Bloom", "Gee", "Givens", "Cardona", "Schafer", "Robison", "Gunter", "Griggs", "Tovar", "Teague", "Swift", "Bowden", "Schulz", "Blanton", "Buckner", "Whalen", "Pritchard", "Pierre", "Kang", "Metcalf", "Butts", "Kurtz", "Sanderson", "Tompkins", "Inman", "Crowder", "Dickey", "Hutchison", "Conklin", "Hoskins", "Holbrook", "Horner", "Neely", "Tatum", "Hollingsworth", "Draper", "Clement", "Lord", "Reece", "Feldman", "Kay", "Hagen", "Crews", "Bowles", "Post", "Jewell", "Daley", "Cordero", "Mckinley", "Velasco", "Masters", "Driscoll", "Burrell", "Valle", "Crow", "Devine", "Larkin", "Chappell", "Pollock", "Ly", "Kimball", "Schmitz", "Lu", "Rubin", "Self", "Barrios", "Pereira", "Phipps", "Mcmanus", "Nance", "Steiner", "Poe", "Crockett", "Jeffries", "Amos", "Nix", "Newsome", "Dooley", "Payton", "Rosen", "Swenson", "Connelly", "Tolbert", "Segura", "Esposito", "Coker", "Biggs", "Hinkle", "Thurman", "Drew", "Ivey", "Bullard", "Baez", "Neff", "Maher", "Stratton", "Egan", "Dubois", "Gallardo", "Blue", "Rainey", "Yeager", "Saucedo", "Ferreira", "Sprague", "Lacy", "Hurtado", "Heard", "Connell", "Stahl", "Aldridge", "Amaya", "Forrest", "Erwin", "Gunn", "Swan", "Butcher", "Rosado", "Godwin", "Hand", "Gabriel", "Otto", "Whaley", "Ludwig", "Clifford", "Grove", "Beaver", "Silver", "Dang", "Hammer", "Dick", "Boswell", "Mead", "Colvin", "Oleary", "Milligan", "Goins", "Ames", "Dodge", "Kaur", "Escobedo", "Arredondo", "Geiger", "Winkler", "Dunham", "Temple", "Babcock", "Billings", "Grimm", "Lilly", "Wesley", "Mcghee", "Siegel", "Painter", "Bower", "Purcell", "Block", "Aguilera", "Norwood", "Sheridan", "Cartwright", "Coates", "Davison", "Regan", "Ramey", "Koenig", "Kraft", "Bunch", "Engel", "Tan", "Winn", "Steward", "Link", "Vickers", "Bragg", "Piper", "Huggins", "Michel", "Healy", "Jacob", "Mcdonough", "Wolff", "Colbert", "Zepeda", "Hoang", "Dugan", "Meade", "Kilgore", "Guillen", "Do", "Hinojosa", "Goode", "Arrington", "Gary", "Snell", "Willard", "Renteria", "Chacon", "Gallo", "Hankins", "Montano", "Browne", "Peacock", "Ohara", "Cornell", "Sherwood", "Castellanos", "Thorpe", "Stiles", "Sadler", "Latham", "Redmond", "Greenberg", "Cote", "Waddell", "Dukes", "Diamond", "Bui", "Madrid", "Alonso", "Sheets", "Irvin", "Hurt", "Ferris", "Sewell", "Carlton", "Aragon", "Blackmon", "Hadley", "Hoyt", "Mcgraw", "Pagan", "Land", "Tidwell", "Lovell", "Miner", "Doss", "Dahl", "Delatorre", "Stanford", "Kauffman", "Vela", "Gagnon", "Winston", "Gomes", "Thacker", "Coronado", "Ash", "Jarrett", "Hager", "Samuels", "Metzger", "Raines", "Spivey", "Maurer", "Han", "Voss", "Henley", "Caballero", "Caruso", "Coulter", "North", "Finn", "Cahill", "Lanier", "Souza", "Mcwilliams", "Deal", "Urban", "Schaffer", "Houser", "Cummins", "Romo", "Crocker", "Bassett", "Kruse", "Bolden", "Ybarra", "Metz", "Root", "Mcmullen", "Hagan", "Crump", "Guidry", "Brantley", "Kearney", "Beal", "Toth", "Jorgensen", "Timmons", "Milton", "Tripp", "Hurd", "Sapp", "Whitman", "Messer", "Burgos", "Major", "Westbrook", "Castle", "Serna", "Carlisle", "Varela", "Cullen", "Wilhelm", "Bergeron", "Burger", "Posey", "Barnhart", "Hackett", "Madrigal", "Eubanks", "Sizemore", "Hilliard", "Hargrove", "Boucher", "Thomason", "Melvin", "Roper", "Barnard", "Fonseca", "Pedersen", "Quiroz", "Washburn", "Holliday", "Yee", "Rudolph", "Bermudez", "Coyle", "Gil", "Pina", "Goodrich", "Elias", "Lockwood", "Cabral", "Carranza", "Duvall", "Cornelius", "Mccollum", "Street", "Mcneal", "Connors", "Angel", "Paulson", "Hinson", "Keenan", "Sheldon", "Farr", "Eddy", "Samuel", "Ring", "Ledbetter", "Betts", "Fontenot", "Gifford", "Hannah", "Hanley", "Person", "Fountain", "Levin", "Stubbs", "Hightower", "Murdock", "Koehler", "Ma", "Engle", "Smiley", "Carmichael", "Sheffield", "Langston", "Mccracken", "Yost", "Trotter", "Story", "Starks", "Lujan", "Blount", "Cody", "Rushing", "Benoit", "Herndon", "Jacobsen", "Nieto", "Wiseman", "Layton", "Epps", "Shipley", "Leyva", "Reeder", "Brand", "Roland", "Fitch", "Rico", "Napier", "Cronin", "Mcqueen", "Paredes", "Trent", "Christiansen", "Spangler", "Pettit", "Langford", "Benavides", "Penn", "Paige", "Weir", "Dietz", "Prater", "Brewster", "Louis", "Diehl", "Pack", "Spaulding", "Ernst", "Aviles", "Nowak", "Olvera", "Rock", "Mansfield", "Aquino", "Ogden", "Stacy", "Rizzo", "Sylvester", "Gillis", "Sands", "Machado", "Lovett", "Duong", "Hyatt", "Landis", "Platt", "Bustamante", "Hedrick", "Pritchett", "Gaston", "Dobson", "Caudill", "Tackett", "Bateman", "Landers", "Carmona", "Gipson", "Uribe", "Mcneill", "Ledford", "Mims", "Abel", "Gold", "Smallwood", "Thorne", "Mchugh", "Dickens", "Leung", "Tobin", "Kowalski", "Medeiros", "Cope", "Quezada", "Kraus", "Overton", "Montalvo", "Staley", "Woody", "Hathaway", "Osorio", "Laird", "Dobbs", "Capps", "Putnam", "Lay", "Francisco", "Bernstein", "Adair", "Hutton", "Burkett", "Rhoades", "Yanez", "Richey", "Bledsoe", "Mccain", "Beyer", "Cates", "Roche", "Spicer", "Queen", "Doty", "Darling", "Darby", "Sumner", "Kincaid", "Hay", "Grossman", "Lacey", "Wilkes", "Humphries", "Paz", "Darnell", "Keys", "Kyle", "Lackey", "Vogt", "Locklear", "Kiser", "Presley", "Bryson", "Bergman", "Peoples", "Fair", "Mcclendon", "Corley", "Prado", "Christie", "Delong", "Skaggs", "Dill", "Shearer", "Judd", "Stapleton", "Flaherty", "Casillas", "Pinto", "Youngblood", "Haywood", "Toney", "Ricks", "Granados", "Crum", "Triplett", "Soriano", "Waite", "Hoff", "Anaya", "Crenshaw", "Jung", "Canales", "Cagle", "Denny", "Marcus", "Berman", "Munson", "Ocampo", "Bauman", "Corcoran", "Keen", "Zimmer", "Friend", "Ornelas", "Varner", "Pelletier", "Vernon", "Blum", "Albrecht", "Culver", "Schuster", "Cuellar", "Mccord", "Shultz", "Mcrae", "Moreland", "Calvert", "William", "Whittington", "Eckert", "Keene", "Mohr", "Hanks", "Kimble", "Cavanaugh", "Crowell", "Russ", "Feliciano", "Crain", "Busch", "Mccormack", "Drummond", "Omalley", "Aldrich", "Luke", "Greco", "Mott", "Oakes", "Mallory", "Mclain", "Burrows", "Otero", "Allred", "Eason", "Finney", "Weller", "Waldron", "Champion", "Jeffers", "Coon", "Rosenthal", "Huddleston", "Solano", "Hirsch", "Akins", "Olivares", "Song", "Sneed", "Benedict", "Bain", "Okeefe", "Hidalgo", "Matos", "Stallings", "Paris", "Gamez", "Kenny", "Quigley", "Marrero", "Fagan", "Dutton", "Pappas", "Atwood", "Mcgovern", "Bagley", "Read", "Lunsford", "Moseley", "Oakley", "Ashby", "Granger", "Shaver", "Hope", "Coe", "Burroughs", "Helm", "Neumann", "Ambrose", "Michaels", "Prescott", "Light", "Dumas", "Flood", "Stringer", "Currie", "Comer", "Fong", "Whitlock", "Lemus", "Hawley", "Ulrich", "Staples", "Boykin", "Knutson", "Grover", "Hobson", "Cormier", "Doran", "Thayer", "Woodson", "Whitt", "Hooker", "Kohler", "Vandyke", "Addison", "Schrader", "Haskins", "Whittaker", "Madsen", "Gauthier", "Burnette", "Keating", "Purvis", "Aleman", "Huston", "Pimentel", "Hamlin", "Gerber", "Hooks", "Schwab", "Honeycutt", "Schulte", "Alonzo", "Isaac", "Conroy", "Adler", "Eastman", "Cottrell", "Orourke", "Hawk", "Goldsmith", "Rader", "Crandall", "Reynoso", "Shook", "Abernathy", "Baer", "Olivas", "Grayson", "Bartley", "Henning", "Parr", "Duff", "Brunson", "Baum", "Ennis", "Laughlin", "Foote", "Valadez", "Adamson", "Begay", "Stovall", "Lincoln", "Cheung", "Malloy", "Rider", "Giordano", "Jansen", "Lopes", "Arnett", "Pendleton", "Gage", "Barragan", "Keyes", "Navarrete", "Amador", "Hoffmann", "Schilling", "Hawthorne", "Perdue", "Schreiber", "Arevalo", "Naylor", "Deluca", "Marcum", "Altman", "Mark", "Chadwick", "Doan", "Easley", "Ladd", "Woodall", "Betancourt", "Shin", "Maguire", "Bellamy", "Quintanilla", "Ham", "Sorenson", "Mattson", "Brenner", "Means", "Faust", "Calloway", "Ojeda", "Mcnally", "Dietrich", "Ransom", "Hare", "Felton", "Whiting", "Burkhart", "Clinton", "Schwarz", "Cleary", "Wetzel", "Reagan", "Stjohn", "Chow", "Hauser", "Dupree", "Brannon", "Lyles", "Prather", "Willoughby", "Sepulveda", "Nugent", "Pickens", "Mosher", "Joiner", "Stoner", "Dowling", "Trimble", "Valdes", "Cheek", "Scruggs", "Coy", "Tilley", "Barney", "Saylor", "Nagy", "Horvath", "Lai", "Corey", "Ruth", "Sauer", "Baron", "Thao", "Rowell", "Grubbs", "Schaeffer", "Hillman", "Sams", "Hogue", "Hutson", "Busby", "Nickerson", "Bruner", "Parham", "Rendon", "Anders", "Lombardo", "Iverson", "Kinsey", "Earl", "Borden", "Titus", "Jean", "Tellez", "Beavers", "Cornett", "Sotelo", "Kellogg", "Silverman", "Burnham", "Mcnair", "Jernigan", "Escamilla", "Barrow", "Coats", "London", "Redding", "Ruffin", "Yi", "Boudreaux", "Goodson", "Dowell", "Fenton", "Mock", "Dozier", "Bynum", "Gale", "Jolly", "Beckman", "Goddard", "Craven", "Whitmore", "Leary", "Mccloud", "Gamboa", "Kerns", "Brunner", "Negron", "Hough", "Cutler", "Ledesma", "Pyle", "Monahan", "Tabor", "Burk", "Leone", "Stauffer", "Hayward", "Driver", "Ruff", "Talbot", "Seals", "Boston", "Carbajal", "Fay", "Purdy", "Mcgregor", "Sun", "Orellana", "Gentile", "Mahan", "Brower", "Patino", "Thurston", "Shipman", "Torrez", "Aaron", "Weiner", "Call", "Wilburn", "Oliva", "Hairston", "Coley", "Hummel", "Arreola", "Watt", "Sharma", "Lentz", "Arce", "Power", "Longoria", "Wagoner", "Burr", "Hsu", "Tinsley", "Beebe", "Wray", "Nunn", "Prieto", "German", "Rowley", "Grubb", "Brito", "Royal", "Valentin", "Bartholomew", "Schuler", "Aranda", "Flint", "Hearn", "Venegas", "Unger", "Mattingly", "Boles", "Casas", "Barger", "Julian", "Dow", "Dobbins", "Vann", "Chester", "Strange", "Lemon", "Kahn", "Mckinnon", "Gannon", "Waggoner", "Conn", "Meek", "Cavazos", "Skelton", "Lo", "Kumar", "Toledo", "Lorenz", "Vallejo", "Starkey", "Kitchen", "Reaves", "Demarco", "Farrar", "Stearns", "Michaud", "Higginbotham", "Fernandes", "Isaacs", "Marion", "Guillory", "Priest", "Meehan", "Oliveira", "Palma", "Oswald", "Loomis", "Galvez", "Lind", "Mena", "Stclair", "Hinds", "Reardon", "Alley", "Barth", "Crook", "Bliss", "Nagel", "Banuelos", "Parish", "Harman", "Douglass", "Kearns", "Newcomb", "Mulligan", "Coughlin", "Way", "Fournier", "Lawler", "Kaminski", "Barbour", "Sousa", "Stump", "Alaniz", "Ireland", "Rudd", "Carnes", "Lundy", "Godinez", "Pulido", "Dennison", "Burdick", "Baumann", "Dove", "Stoddard", "Liang", "Dent", "Roark", "Mcmahan", "Bowser", "Parnell", "Mayberry", "Wakefield", "Arndt", "Ogle", "Worthington", "Durbin", "Escalante", "Pederson", "Weldon", "Vick", "Knott", "Ryder", "Zarate", "Irving", "Clemens", "Shelley", "Salter", "Jack", "Cloud", "Dasilva", "Muhammad", "Squires", "Rapp", "Dawkins", "Polanco", "Chatman", "Maier", "Yazzie", "Gruber", "Staton", "Blackman", "Mcdonnell", "Dykes", "Laws", "Whitten", "Pfeiffer", "Vidal", "Early", "Kelsey", "Baughman", "Dias", "Starnes", "Crespo", "Lombardi", "Kilpatrick", "Deaton", "Satterfield", "Wiles", "Weinstein", "Rowan", "Delossantos", "Hamby", "Estep", "Daigle", "Elam", "Creech", "Heck", "Chavis", "Echols", "Foss", "Trahan", "Strauss", "Vanhorn", "Winslow", "Rea", "Heaton", "Fairchild", "Minton", "Hitchcock", "Linton", "Handy", "Crouse", "Coles", "Upton", "Foy", "Herrington", "Mcclelland", "Hwang", "Rector", "Luther", "Kruger", "Salcedo", "Chance", "Gunderson", "Tharp", "Griffiths", "Graf", "Branham", "Humphreys", "Renner", "Lima", "Rooney", "Moya", "Almeida", "Gavin", "Coburn", "Ouellette", "Goetz", "Seay", "Parrott", "Harms", "Robb", "Storey", "Barbosa", "Barraza", "Loyd", "Merchant", "Donohue", "Carrier", "Diggs", "Chastain", "Sherrill", "Whipple", "Braswell", "Weathers", "Linder", "Chapa", "Bock", "Oh", "Lovelace", "Saavedra", "Ferrara", "Callaway", "Salmon", "Templeton", "Christy", "Harp", "Dowd", "Forrester", "Lawton", "Epstein", "Gant", "Tierney", "Seaman", "Corral", "Dowdy", "Zaragoza", "Morrissey", "Eller", "Chau", "Breen", "High", "Newberry", "Beam", "Yancey", "Jarrell", "Cerda", "Ellsworth", "Lofton", "Thibodeaux", "Pool", "Rinehart", "Arteaga", "Marlow", "Hacker", "Will", "Mackenzie", "Hook", "Gilliland", "Emmons", "Pickering", "Medley", "Willey", "Andrew", "Shell", "Randle", "Brinkley", "Pruett", "Tobias", "Edmondson", "Grier", "Saldivar", "Batista", "Askew", "Moeller", "Chavarria", "Augustine", "Troyer", "Layne", "Mcnulty", "Shank", "Desai", "Herrmann", "Hemphill", "Bearden", "Spear", "Keener", "Holguin", "Culp", "Braden", "Briscoe", "Bales", "Garvin", "Stockton", "Abreu", "Suggs", "Mccartney", "Ferrer", "Rhoads", "Ha", "Nevarez", "Singletary", "Chong", "Alcala", "Cheney", "Westfall", "Damico", "Snodgrass", "Devries", "Looney", "Hein", "Lyle", "Lockett", "Jacques", "Barkley", "Wahl", "Aponte", "Myrick", "Bolin", "Holm", "Slack", "Scherer", "Martino", "Bachman", "Ely", "Nesbitt", "Marroquin", "Bouchard", "Mast", "Jameson", "Hills", "Mireles", "Bueno", "Pease", "Vitale", "Alarcon", "Linares", "Schell", "Lipscomb", "Arriaga", "Bourgeois", "Markham", "Bonds", "Wisniewski", "Ivy", "Oldham", "Wendt", "Fallon", "Joy", "Stamper", "Babb", "Steinberg", "Asher", "Fuchs", "Blank", "Willett", "Heredia", "Croft", "Lytle", "Lance", "Lassiter", "Barrientos", "Condon", "Barfield", "Darden", "Araujo", "Noonan", "Guinn", "Burleson", "Belanger", "Main", "Traylor", "Messina", "Zeigler", "Danielson", "Millard", "Kenyon", "Radford", "Graff", "Beaty", "Baggett", "Salisbury", "Crisp", "Trout", "Lorenzo", "Parson", "Gann", "Garber", "Adcock", "Covarrubias", "Scales", "Acuna", "Thrasher", "Card", "Van", "Mabry", "Mohamed", "Montanez", "Stock", "Redd", "Willingham", "Redman", "Zambrano", "Gaffney", "Herr", "Schubert", "Devlin", "Pringle", "Houck", "Casper", "Rees", "Wing", "Ebert", "Jeter", "Cornejo", "Gillette", "Shockley", "Amato", "Girard", "Leggett", "Cheatham", "Bustos", "Epperson", "Dubose", "Seitz", "Frias", "East", "Schofield", "Steen", "Orlando", "Myles", "Caron", "Grey", "Denney", "Ontiveros", "Burden", "Jaeger", "Reich", "Witherspoon", "Najera", "Frantz", "Hammonds", "Xu", "Leavitt", "Gilchrist", "Adam", "Barone", "Forman", "Ceja", "Ragsdale", "Sisk", "Tubbs", "Elizondo", "Pressley", "Bollinger", "Linn", "Huntley", "Dewey", "Geary", "Carlos", "Ragland", "Mixon", "Mcarthur", "Baugh", "Tam", "Nobles", "Clevenger", "Lusk", "Foust", "Cooney", "Tamayo", "Robert", "Longo", "Overstreet", "Oglesby", "Mace", "Churchill", "Matson", "Hamrick", "Rockwell", "Trammell", "Wheatley", "Carrington", "Ferraro", "Ralston", "Clancy", "Mondragon", "Carl", "Hu", "Hopson", "Breaux", "Mccurdy", "Mares", "Mai", "Chisholm", "Matlock", "Aiken", "Cary", "Lemons", "Anguiano", "Herrick", "Crawley", "Montero", "Hassan", "Archuleta", "Farias", "Cotter", "Parris", "Felder", "Luu", "Pence", "Gilman", "Killian", "Naranjo", "Duggan", "Scarborough", "Swann", "Easter", "Ricketts", "France", "Bello", "Nadeau", "Still", "Rincon", "Cornwell", "Slade", "Fierro", "Mize", "Christianson", "Greenfield", "Mcafee", "Landrum", "Adame", "Dinh", "Lankford", "Lewandowski", "Rust", "Bundy", "Waterman", "Milner", "Mccrary", "Hite", "Curley", "Donald", "Duckworth", "Cecil", "Carrera", "Speer", "Birch", "Denson", "Beckwith", "Stack", "Durant", "Lantz", "Dorman", "Christman", "Spann", "Masterson", "Hostetler", "Kolb", "Brink", "Scanlon", "Nye", "Wylie", "Beverly", "Woo", "Spurlock", "Sommer", "Shelby", "Reinhardt", "Robledo", "Bertrand", "Ashton", "Cyr", "Edgar", "Doe", "Harkins", "Brubaker", "Stoll", "Dangelo", "Zhou", "Moulton", "Hannon", "Falk", "Rains", "Broughton", "Applegate", "Hudgins", "Slone", "Yoon", "Farnsworth", "Perales", "Reedy", "Milam", "Franz", "Ponder", "Ricci", "Fontaine", "Irizarry", "Puente", "New", "Selby", "Cazares", "Doughty", "Moffett", "Balderas", "Fine", "Smalley", "Carlin", "Trinh", "Dyson", "Galvin", "Valdivia", "Benner", "Low", "Turpin", "Lyman", "Billingsley", "Mcadams", "Cardwell", "Fraley", "Patten", "Holton", "Shanks", "Mcalister", "Canfield", "Sample", "Harley", "Cason", "Tomlin", "Ahmad", "Coyne", "Forte", "Riggins", "Littlejohn", "Forsythe", "Brinson", "Halverson", "Bach", "Stuckey", "Falcon", "Wenzel", "Talbert", "Champagne", "Mchenry", "Vest", "Shackelford", "Ordonez", "Collazo", "Boland", "Sisson", "Bigelow", "Wharton", "Hyman", "Brumfield", "Oates", "Mesa", "Morrell", "Beckett", "Reis", "Alves", "Chiu", "Larue", "Streeter", "Grogan", "Blakely", "Brothers", "Hatton", "Kimbrough", "Lauer", "Wallis", "Jett", "Pepper", "Hildebrand", "Rawls", "Mello", "Neville", "Bull", "Steffen", "Braxton", "Cowart", "Simpkins", "Mcneely", "Blalock", "Spain", "Shipp", "Lindquist", "Oreilly", "Butterfield", "Perrin", "Qualls", "Edge", "Havens", "Luong", "Switzer", "Troutman", "Fortner", "Tolliver", "Monk", "Poindexter", "Rupp", "Ferry", "Negrete", "Muse", "Gresham", "Beauchamp", "Schmid", "Barclay", "Chun", "Brice", "Faulk", "Watters", "Briones", "Guajardo", "Harwood", "Grissom", "Harlow", "Whelan", "Burdette", "Palumbo", "Paulsen", "Corrigan", "Garvey", "Levesque", "Dockery", "Delgadillo", "Gooch", "Cao", "Mullin", "Ridley", "Stanfield", "Noriega", "Dial", "Ceballos", "Nunes", "Newby", "Baumgartner", "Hussain", "Wyman", "Causey", "Gossett", "Ness", "Waugh", "Choate", "Carman", "Daily", "Kong", "Devore", "Irby", "Breeden", "Whatley", "Ellington", "Lamar", "Fultz", "Bair", "Zielinski", "Colby", "Houghton", "Grigsby", "Fortune", "Paxton", "Mcmillian", "Hammons", "Bronson", "Keck", "Wellman", "Ayres", "Whiteside", "Menard", "Roush", "Warden", "Espino", "Strand", "Haggerty", "Banda", "Krebs", "Fabian", "Bowie", "Branson", "Lenz", "Benavidez", "Keeler", "Newsom", "Ezell", "Jeffrey", "Pulliam", "Clary", "Byrnes", "Kopp", "Beers", "Smalls", "Sommers", "Gardiner", "Fennell", "Mancini", "Osullivan", "Sebastian", "Bruns", "Giron", "Parent", "Boyles", "Keefe", "Muir", "Wheat", "Vergara", "Shuler", "Pemberton", "South", "Brownlee", "Brockman", "Royer", "Fanning", "Herzog", "Morley", "Bethea", "Tong", "Needham", "Roque", "Mojica", "Bunn", "Francois", "Noe", "Kuntz", "Snowden", "Withers", "Harlan", "Seibert", "Limon", "Kiefer", "Bone", "Sell", "Allan", "Skidmore", "Wren", "Dunaway", "Finnegan", "Moe", "Wolford", "Seeley", "Kroll", "Lively", "Janssen", "Montague", "Rahman", "Boehm", "Nettles", "Dees", "Krieger", "Peek", "Hershberger", "Sage", "Custer", "Zheng", "Otoole", "Jaimes", "Elrod", "Somers", "Lira", "Nagle", "Grooms", "Soria", "Drury", "Keane", "Bostic", "Hartmann", "Pauley", "Murrell", "Manzo", "Morey", "Agee", "Hamel", "Tavares", "Dunning", "Mccloskey", "Plunkett", "Maples", "March", "Armenta", "Waldrop", "Espinal", "Fajardo", "Christenson", "Robins", "Bagwell", "Massie", "Leahy", "Urbina", "Medlin", "Zhu", "Pantoja", "Barbee", "Clawson", "Reiter", "Ko", "Crider", "Maxey", "Worrell", "Brackett", "Mclemore", "Younger", "Her", "Hardesty", "Danner", "Ragan", "Almanza", "Nielson", "Graber", "Mcintire", "Tirado", "Griswold", "Seifert", "Valles", "Laney", "Gupta", "Malik", "Libby", "Marvin", "Koontz", "Marr", "Kozlowski", "Lemke", "Brant", "Phelan", "Kemper", "Gooden", "Beaulieu", "Cardoza", "Healey", "Zhao", "Hardwick", "Kitchens", "Box", "Stepp", "Comstock", "Poston", "Sager", "Conti", "Borges", "Farrow", "Acker", "Glaser", "Antonio", "Lennon", "Gaither", "Freitas", "Alicea", "Mcmillen", "Chapin", "Ratcliff", "Lerma", "Severson", "Wilde", "Mortensen", "Winchester", "Flannery", "Villasenor", "Centeno", "Burkholder", "Horan", "Meador", "Ingle", "Roldan", "Estrella", "Pullen", "Newkirk", "Gaytan", "Lindberg", "Windham", "Gatlin", "Stoltzfus", "Behrens", "Cintron", "Broderick", "Solorzano", "Jaime", "Venable", "Culbertson", "Garay", "Caputo", "Grantham", "Hanlon", "Parry", "Crist", "Cosby", "Shore", "Everhart", "Dorn", "Turley", "Eng", "Valerio", "Rand", "Hiatt", "Mota", "Judge", "Kinder", "Colwell", "Ashworth", "Tejeda", "Sikes", "Oshea", "Westmoreland", "Faber", "Culpepper", "Logsdon", "Fugate", "Apodaca", "Lindley", "Samson", "Liles", "Mcclanahan", "Burge", "Vail", "Etheridge", "Boudreau", "Andres", "Noll", "Higgs", "Snead", "Layman", "Turk", "Nolen", "Wayne", "Betz", "Victor", "Lafferty", "Carbone", "Skipper", "Zeller", "Kasper", "Desantis", "Fogle", "Gandy", "Mendenhall", "Seward", "Schweitzer", "Gulley", "Stine", "Sowers", "Duenas", "Monson", "Brinkman", "Hubert", "Motley", "Pfeifer", "Weinberg", "Eggleston", "Isom", "Quinlan", "Gilley", "Jasso", "Loya", "Mull", "Reichert", "Wirth", "Reddy", "Hodgson", "Stowe", "Mccallum", "Ahrens", "Huey", "Mattox", "Dupont", "Aguayo", "Pak", "Tice", "Alba", "Colburn", "Currier", "Gaskins", "Harder", "Cohn", "Yoo", "Garnett", "Harter", "Wenger", "Charlton", "Littleton", "Minter", "Henriquez", "Cone", "Vines", "Kimmel", "Crooks", "Caraballo", "Searcy", "Peyton", "Renfro", "Groff", "Thorn", "Moua", "Jay", "Leigh", "Sanborn", "Wicker", "Martens", "Broome", "Abney", "Fisk", "Argueta", "Upchurch", "Alderman", "Tisdale", "Castellano", "Legg", "Wilbur", "Bills", "Dix", "Mauldin", "Isbell", "Mears", "Latimer", "Ashcraft", "Earley", "Tejada", "Partridge", "Anglin", "Caswell", "Easton", "Kirchner", "Mehta", "Lanham", "Blaylock", "Binder", "Catalano", "Handley", "Storm", "Albertson", "Free", "Tuck", "Keegan", "Moriarty", "Dexter", "Mancuso", "Allard", "Pino", "Chamberlin", "Moffitt", "Haag", "Schott", "Agnew", "Malcolm", "Hallman", "Heckman", "Karr", "Soares", "Alfonso", "Tom", "Wadsworth", "Schindler", "Garibay", "Kuykendall", "Penny", "Littlefield", "Mcnabb", "Sam", "Lea", "Berrios", "Murry", "Regalado", "Dehart", "Mohammed", "Counts", "Solorio", "Preciado", "Armendariz", "Martell", "Barksdale", "Frick", "Haller", "Broyles", "Doll", "Cable", "Delvalle", "Weems", "Kelleher", "Gagne", "Albers", "Kunz", "Hoy", "Hawes", "Guenther", "Johansen", "Chaffin", "Whitworth", "Wynne", "Mcmurray", "Luce", "Fiore", "Straub", "Majors", "Mcduffie", "Bohannon", "Rawlings", "Freed", "Sutter", "Lindstrom", "Buss", "Loera", "Hoyle", "Witte", "Tyree", "Luttrell", "Andrus", "Steed", "Thiel", "Cranford", "Fulmer", "Gable", "Porras", "Weis", "Maas", "Packard", "Noyes", "Kwon", "Knoll", "Marx", "Feeney", "Israel", "Bohn", "Cockrell", "Glick", "Cosgrove", "Keefer", "Mundy", "Batchelor", "Loveless", "Horowitz", "Haskell", "Kunkel", "Colson", "Hedges", "Staggs", "Swisher", "Lomeli", "Padron", "Cota", "Homan", "Musser", "Curtin", "Salerno", "Segovia", "Keeton", "Brandenburg", "Starling", "Tsai", "Mahon", "Klinger", "Paquette", "Haddad", "Mccune", "Mathew", "Shull", "Higdon", "Guest", "Shay", "Swafford", "Angulo", "Hackney", "Evers", "Sibley", "Woodworth", "Ostrander", "Mangum", "Smyth", "Quarles", "Mccarter", "Close", "Truitt", "Stpierre", "Mackay", "Bayer", "Timm", "Thatcher", "Bess", "Trinidad", "Jacoby", "Proffitt", "Concepcion", "Parkinson", "Carreon", "Ramon", "Monroy", "Leger", "Jauregui", "Glynn", "Taggart", "Neil", "Reddick", "Wiese", "Dover", "Wicks", "Hennessy", "Bittner", "Mcclung", "Mcwhorter", "Derrick", "Strom", "Beckham", "Kee", "Coombs", "Schrock", "Holtz", "Maki", "Willson", "Hulsey", "Whitson", "Haugen", "Lumpkin", "Scholl", "Gall", "Carvalho", "Kovach", "Vieira", "Millan", "Irvine", "Held", "Jolley", "Jasper", "Cadena", "Runyon", "Lomax", "Fahey", "Hoppe", "Bivens", "Ruggiero", "Hussey", "Ainsworth", "Hardman", "Ulloa", "Dugger", "Fitzsimmons", "Scroggins", "Sowell", "Toler", "Barba", "Biddle", "Rafferty", "Trapp", "Byler", "Brill", "Delagarza", "Thigpen", "Hiller", "Martins", "Jankowski", "Findley", "Hollins", "Stull", "Pollack", "Poirier", "Reno", "Bratton", "Jeffery", "Menendez", "Mcnutt", "Kohl", "Forster", "Clough", "Deloach", "Bader", "Hanes", "Sturm", "Tafoya", "Beall", "Coble", "Demers", "Kohn", "Santamaria", "Vaught", "Correia", "Mcgrew", "Sarmiento", "Roby", "Reinhart", "Rosenbaum", "Bernier", "Schiller", "Furman", "Grabowski", "Perryman", "Kidwell", "Sabo", "Saxton", "Noland", "Seaton", "Packer", "Seal", "Ruby", "Smoot", "Lavoie", "Putman", "Fairbanks", "Neill", "Florence", "Beattie", "Tarver", "Stephen", "Bolen", "Mccombs", "Freedman", "Barnhill", "Gaddis", "Goad", "Worden", "Canada", "Vickery", "Calvin", "Mcclintock", "Slocum", "Clausen", "Mccutcheon", "Ripley", "Razo", "Southard", "Bourne", "Aiello", "Knudsen", "Angeles", "Keeney", "Stacey", "Neeley", "Holly", "Gallant", "Eads", "Lafleur", "Fredrickson", "Popp", "Bobo", "Pardo", "Artis", "Lawless", "Shen", "Headley", "Pedraza", "Pickard", "Salvador", "Hofmann", "Davey", "Szymanski", "Dallas", "Erb", "Perea", "Alcantar", "Ashford", "Harry", "Crutchfield", "Goebel", "Ridgeway", "Mcvey", "Cordell", "Kovacs", "Florez", "Calkins", "Redden", "Ricker", "Salcido", "Farrington", "Reimer", "Mullis", "Mayhew", "Register", "Kaye", "Blocker", "Buford", "Munguia", "Cady", "Burley", "Sander", "Robinette", "Stubblefield", "Shuman", "Santillan", "Loy", "Deutsch", "Sales", "Langdon", "Mazur", "Clapp", "Teal", "Buffington", "Elliot", "Halstead", "Sturgeon", "Colley", "Koehn", "Bergstrom", "Dunne", "Pond", "Gantt", "Cousins", "Viera", "Wilks", "Haase", "Sweat", "Simonson", "Breedlove", "Munn", "Pitt", "Faircloth", "Peter", "Wheaton", "Howland", "Merriman", "Fusco", "Burney", "Bedford", "Baltazar", "Persaud", "Gerard", "Bourque", "Chao", "Slagle", "Kirsch", "Volk", "Heim", "Glasgow", "Borders", "Rauch", "Goforth", "Batson", "Basham", "Mount", "Peace", "Lazo", "Samples", "Amaro", "Slattery", "Ibrahim", "Weatherford", "Taft", "Santoro", "Aparicio", "Jiang", "Ritchey", "Goble", "Spring", "Strain", "Scully", "Villareal", "Toro", "Duval", "Jonas", "Neuman", "Wozniak", "Varney", "Dell", "Conover", "Landon", "Sigler", "Galbraith", "Boss", "Cepeda", "Back", "Mateo", "Peebles", "Arsenault", "Cathey", "Calabrese", "Dodds", "Gilbertson", "Hoke", "Greenlee", "Sauceda", "Vue", "Lehmann", "Zink", "Lapointe", "Laster", "Moy", "Ammons", "Llamas", "Foltz", "Fleck", "Chew", "Amaral", "Geer", "Su", "Carden", "Nunley", "Creel", "Clarkson", "Provost", "Covey", "Paine", "Wofford", "Frame", "Dube", "Grice", "Tully", "Molnar", "Luciano", "Bartels", "Winstead", "Canady", "Moreau", "Burnside", "Bratcher", "Infante", "Peterman", "Swope", "Freeland", "Vetter", "Lanning", "Marquis", "Schulze", "Thai", "Coppola", "Rayburn", "Conte", "Martz", "Showalter", "Quinonez", "Bandy", "Rao", "Bunting", "Belt", "Cruse", "Hamblin", "Himes", "Raney", "Merrell", "See", "Gough", "Maciel", "Wimberly", "Craddock", "Marquardt", "Wentz", "Meeker", "Sandberg", "Mosier", "Wasson", "Hundley", "Joe", "Shumaker", "Fortin", "Embry", "Olivarez", "Akin", "Seidel", "Coons", "Corrales", "Earle", "Matheny", "Kish", "Outlaw", "Lieberman", "Spalding", "Barnette", "Martel", "Hargis", "Kelso", "Merrick", "Fullerton", "Fries", "Doucette", "Clouse", "Prewitt", "Hawks", "Keaton", "Worthy", "Zook", "Montez", "Poore", "Autry", "Lemay", "Shifflett", "Forsyth", "Briseno", "Piazza", "Welker", "Tennant", "Heinz", "Haggard", "Leighton", "Brittain", "Begley", "Flanders", "Hermann", "Botello", "Mathias", "Hofer", "Hutto", "Godoy", "Cave", "Pagano", "Asbury", "Bowens", "Withrow", "Olivo", "Harbin", "Andre", "Sandlin", "Wertz", "Desimone", "Greiner", "Heinrich", "Whitcomb", "Dayton", "Petrie", "Hair", "Ketchum", "Shanahan", "Bianco", "Heil", "Cochrane", "Wegner", "Dagostino", "Couture", "Ling", "Wingate", "Arenas", "Keel", "Casteel", "Boothe", "Derosa", "Horst", "Rau", "Palermo", "Mccorkle", "Altamirano", "Nall", "Shumate", "Lightfoot", "Creamer", "Romeo", "Coffin", "Hutchings", "Jerome", "Hutcheson", "Damron", "Sorrell", "Nickel", "Sells", "Pinkerton", "Dao", "Dion", "Mcfarlane", "Ridenour", "Atwell", "Sturgill", "Schoen", "Partin", "Nemeth", "Almonte", "Pan", "Rickard", "Wentworth", "Sammons", "Sayre", "Southerland", "Parisi", "Ahn", "Carrion", "Testa", "Shorter", "Covert", "Gorham", "Alcantara", "Belton", "Bannister", "Sharkey", "Mccreary", "Pannell", "Scarbrough", "Keeling", "Gainey", "Mill", "Camarena", "Herbst", "Roller", "Wild", "Dellinger", "Lovejoy", "Manson", "Dupuis", "Clem", "Resendez", "Burkhardt", "Williford", "Mclendon", "Mazza", "Mccaffrey", "Lum", "Settle", "Hefner", "Dupre", "Louie", "Gunther", "Weimer", "Turnbull", "Bradbury", "Maness", "Urena", "Lor", "Sides", "Wick", "Monaco", "Gillen", "Ives", "Battaglia", "Ulmer", "Schreiner", "Caceres", "Sprouse", "Scoggins", "Ahern", "Tracey", "Terrazas", "Bracken", "Gurley", "Soliz", "Alcaraz", "Martines", "Weidner", "Criswell", "Wilbanks", "Hennessey", "Mendes", "Peak", "Ruelas", "Caudle", "Fuqua", "Jewett", "Chism", "Volpe", "Nino", "Logue", "Mcculloch", "Furr", "Kersey", "Shinn", "Yan", "Rausch", "Stinnett", "Mowery", "Rivero", "Weed", "Bertram", "Durand", "Gatewood", "Tilton", "Mahaffey", "Niles", "Mccue", "Vargo", "Holcombe", "Ralph", "Castleberry", "Snipes", "Wilt", "Vanmeter", "Nutter", "Mendiola", "Burchett", "Enos", "Jobe", "Kirkwood", "Pedroza", "Iglesias", "Leong", "Cromer", "Trice", "Magnuson", "Eagle", "Montenegro", "Troy", "Cato", "Edmond", "Hendrick", "Lebron", "Lathrop", "Budd", "Appel", "Knowlton", "Bianchi", "Camarillo", "Ginn", "Pulley", "True", "Gaddy", "Domingo", "Kingsley", "Loftus", "Denham", "Sifuentes", "Siler", "Hardison", "Kwan", "Pendergrass", "Frasier", "Hutchens", "Fort", "Montiel", "Fincher", "Eggers", "Moen", "Griffis", "Hauck", "Lister", "Lundberg", "Tanaka", "Cornish", "Whitlow", "Chou", "Griego", "Robson", "Prosser", "Ballinger", "Fogarty", "Allman", "Atchison", "Conaway", "Riddick", "Rupert", "Krug", "Pinkston", "Coggins", "Narvaez", "Earnest", "Fain", "Rash", "Olmstead", "Sherrod", "Beeler", "Spearman", "Poland", "Rousseau", "Hyland", "Rhea", "Son", "Redmon", "Wilke", "Valenti", "Paulino", "Geyer", "Blackwood", "Leclair", "Olguin", "Maestas", "Buckingham", "Blythe", "Samuelson", "Bounds", "Nakamura", "Batts", "Galarza", "Sisco", "Mcvay", "Hynes", "Mertz", "Tremblay", "Orosco", "Prentice", "Wilhite", "Seiler", "Archibald", "Wooldridge", "Winfield", "Oden", "Zelaya", "Chestnut", "Guardado", "Mccallister", "Canty", "Grasso", "Collett", "Hylton", "Easterling", "Deangelis", "Treadway", "Ferrari", "Ethridge", "Milburn", "Mercier", "Bickford", "Thibodeau", "Bolanos", "Fellows", "Hales", "Greathouse", "Buchholz", "Strunk", "Faison", "Purnell", "Clegg", "Steinmetz", "Wojcik", "Alcorn", "Ballesteros", "Basile", "Paez", "Armour", "Devito", "Tello", "Flick", "Yount", "Estevez", "Hitt", "Houle", "Cha", "Travers", "Cass", "Loper", "Getz", "Cade", "Gonsalves", "Lear", "Cromwell", "Stephan", "Ocasio", "Deluna", "Tolentino", "Picard", "Eaves", "Toscano", "Ault", "Osburn", "Ruvalcaba", "Szabo", "Kozak", "Bear", "Eck", "Deyoung", "Morehead", "Herrin", "Tillery", "Royster", "Kehoe", "Swank", "Yamamoto", "Schoonover", "Clanton", "Stutzman", "Swearingen", "Martinson", "Harrelson", "Leo", "Keyser", "Guyton", "Lucio", "Veal", "Vanwinkle", "Angelo", "Zamudio", "Haddock", "Quach", "Thomsen", "Curiel", "Badger", "Teel", "Hibbard", "Dvorak", "Ballew", "Falls", "Bostick", "Monaghan", "Segal", "Denning", "Bahr", "Serrato", "Toomey", "Lacroix", "Antoine", "Resendiz", "Sperry", "Rosser", "Bogan", "Gaspar", "Amin", "Schramm", "Lemaster", "Echevarria", "Lilley", "Poling", "Villagomez", "Conde", "Delrio", "Lerner", "Leroy", "Otis", "Durkin", "Lavender", "Schenk", "Ong", "Guess", "Alanis", "Jacobo", "Ramsay", "Henke", "Sledge", "Whited", "Frazer", "Fortier", "Macleod", "Pascual", "Casanova", "Olds", "Jenson", "Tijerina", "Flora", "Casto", "Rinaldi", "Blunt", "Fontana", "Minnick", "Larios", "Raynor", "Fung", "Marek", "Valladares", "Clemmons", "Gracia", "Rohrer", "Fryer", "Folsom", "Gearhart", "Sumpter", "Kraemer", "Aceves", "Pettigrew", "Mclaurin", "Southern", "Barrows", "Landeros", "Janes", "Deguzman", "Mcfall", "Fredericks", "Ashe", "Mauro", "Merino", "Windsor", "Taber", "Armijo", "Bricker", "Pitman", "Morrill", "Sanches", "Deboer", "Conlon", "Reuter", "Stegall", "Clemente", "Romine", "Dykstra", "Ehlers", "Tallman", "Lovato", "Brent", "Pearl", "Pyles", "Cloutier", "Mccurry", "Mckeever", "Graziano", "Heflin", "Garman", "Isaacson", "Mcreynolds", "Meister", "Stroup", "Everson", "Halsey", "Mcewen", "Sparkman", "Yager", "Bucher", "Berryman", "Derr", "Jester", "Mickelson", "Sayers", "Whiteman", "Riordan", "Mcinnis", "Jose", "Goolsby", "Stidham", "Donley", "Johnsen", "Stallworth", "Franke", "Silvers", "Reitz", "Nathan", "Brogan", "Cardoso", "Linville", "Baptiste", "Gorski", "Rey", "Hazen", "Damon", "Shores", "Boling", "Jablonski", "Lemieux", "Hecht", "Dong", "Langlois", "Burrow", "Hernandes", "Mcdevitt", "Pichardo", "Lew", "Stillwell", "Savoy", "Teixeira", "Matheson", "Hildreth", "Warfield", "Hogg", "Tiller", "Unruh", "Rudy", "Bristol", "Matias", "Buxton", "Ambriz", "Chiang", "Pomeroy", "Pogue", "Hammock", "Bethel", "Miguel", "Cassell", "Towns", "Bunker", "Mcmichael", "Kress", "Newland", "Whitehurst", "Fazio", "Batten", "Calvillo", "Wallen", "Lung", "Turney", "Sparrow", "Steadman", "Battles", "Berlin", "Lindgren", "Mckeon", "Luckett", "Spradlin", "Sherry", "Timmerman", "Utley", "Beale", "Driggers", "Hintz", "Pellegrino", "Hazel", "Grim", "Desmond", "Spellman", "Boren", "Staten", "Schlegel", "Maya", "Johnstone", "Harwell", "Pinson", "Barreto", "Spooner", "Candelaria", "Hammett", "Sessions", "Mckeown", "Mccool", "Gilson", "Knudson", "Irish", "Spruill", "Kling", "Gerlach", "Carnahan", "Markley", "Laporte", "Flanigan", "Spires", "Cushman", "Plante", "Schlosser", "Sachs", "Jamieson", "Hornsby", "Armstead", "Kremer", "Madera", "Thornburg", "Briley", "Garris", "Jorgenson", "Moorman", "Vuong", "Ard", "Irons", "Fiedler", "Jackman", "Kuehn", "Jenks", "Bristow", "Mosby", "Aldana", "Maclean", "Freund", "Creighton", "Smothers", "Melson", "Lundgren", "Donato", "Usher", "Thornhill", "Lowman", "Mariano", "Button", "Mcbee", "Cupp", "Wickham", "Destefano", "Nutt", "Rambo", "Voigt", "Talbott", "Saxon", "Cedillo", "Mattison", "Speed", "Reiss", "Null", "Westphal", "Whittle", "Bernhardt", "Boatwright", "Bussey", "Rojo", "Eden", "Crites", "Place", "He", "Chaves", "Larose", "Thames", "Hoch", "Knotts", "Simone", "Binkley", "Koester", "Pettis", "Moye", "Napolitano", "Heffner", "Sasser", "Jessup", "Aguiar", "Ogrady", "Pippin", "Worth", "Shively", "Whitmire", "Rutter", "Cedeno", "Welborn", "Mcdougal", "Angell", "Sacco", "Hailey", "Neel", "Paniagua", "Pointer", "Rohde", "Holloman", "Strother", "Guffey", "Fenner", "Huntington", "Shane", "Yuen", "Gosnell", "Martini", "Loving", "Molloy", "Olmos", "Christ", "Oaks", "Ostrowski", "Badillo", "To", "Laplante", "Martindale", "Richie", "Pleasant", "Palomino", "Rodarte", "Stamps", "Peeples", "Ries", "Brownell", "Walz", "Arana", "Tenney", "Roddy", "Lindner", "Bolt", "Rigsby", "Matteson", "Fielder", "Randazzo", "Deanda", "Drayton", "Ridge", "Tarr", "Shade", "Upshaw", "Woodcock", "Miley", "Hargrave", "Langer", "Yun", "Wilkie", "Choe", "Ching", "Dugas", "Saul", "Corder", "Bobbitt", "Spurgeon", "Gladden", "Woodbury", "Tibbs", "Mcgarry", "Mcdaniels", "Weigel", "Bickel", "Michels", "Hughey", "Apple", "Bosley", "Nesmith", "Farber", "Ackley", "Goodin", "Almond", "Garrity", "Bettencourt", "Koss", "Falcone", "Lavigne", "Rainwater", "Nation", "Blodgett", "Dabney", "Mabe", "Trowbridge", "Lundquist", "Rosenberger", "Dombrowski", "Ferro", "Evangelista", "Bowlin", "Mckelvey", "Roderick", "Michalski", "Berkowitz", "Sato", "Mayorga", "Corwin", "Mckenney", "Salyer", "Walling", "Abell", "Palacio", "Lash", "Collado", "Gass", "Luis", "Cooksey", "Moll", "Miramontes", "Luster", "Shrader", "Toliver", "Hard", "Tu", "Sena", "Mckoy", "Wainwright", "Barela", "Keiser", "Hoag", "Backus", "Huskey", "Brannan", "Brumley", "Palm", "Boynton", "Krauss", "Steel", "Jurado", "Mulder", "Paterson", "Woolsey", "Smithson", "Joslin", "Richman", "Partida", "Grisham", "Wooden", "Gooding", "Fang", "Mcdade", "Spriggs", "Fishman", "Gabel", "Rutkowski", "Pride", "Beals", "Gaskin", "Friday", "Underhill", "Rodas", "Melo", "Sipes", "Zimmermann", "Mosqueda", "Haight", "Beeson", "Judy", "Bankston", "Pieper", "Siebert", "Horning", "Butt", "Bice", "Sills", "Philips", "Eisenberg", "Schumann", "Conger", "Bare", "Hume", "Nolasco", "Trainor", "Weatherly", "Huebner", "Bosch", "Gayle", "Kuhns", "Byron", "Glaze", "Poulin", "Enright", "Large", "Comeaux", "Rountree", "Tavarez", "Beardsley", "Rubino", "Fee", "Grider", "Bechtel", "Gaona", "Wallin", "Mashburn", "Dalrymple", "Gingerich", "Vaccaro", "Hass", "Manzano", "Tyner", "Loza", "Lowell", "Kaufmann", "Bischoff", "Doolittle", "Shivers", "Valente", "Bozeman", "Howes", "Felts", "Feller", "Justus", "Schnell", "Boettcher", "Ivory", "Thorson", "Corn", "Snook", "Heilman", "Baxley", "Hasty", "Wasserman", "Barringer", "Frankel", "Peltier", "Guarino", "Avina", "Sturdivant", "Lien", "Montemayor", "Giddens", "Valverde", "Burchfield", "Pang", "Holbert", "Rooks", "Erdman", "Mcmaster", "Iniguez", "Hartwell", "Menchaca", "Bordelon", "Farkas", "Chrisman", "Metzler", "Fredrick", "Porterfield", "Slayton", "Quesada", "Hembree", "Peel", "Woodley", "Mather", "Waltz", "Totten", "Forney", "Woolley", "Trombley", "Yarborough", "Javier", "Durr", "Macklin", "Macon", "Novotny", "Amundson", "Kidder", "Flagg", "Oxendine", "Arguello", "Marler", "Penrod", "Mallett", "Council", "Kinard", "Bremer", "Towne", "Harless", "Merkel", "Giese", "Fife", "Byars", "Grande", "Kuo", "Levi", "Darr", "Sanabria", "Pounds", "Roeder", "Keim", "Brush", "Dreyer", "Taveras", "Furlong", "Dorris", "Prior", "Musgrove", "Weiler", "Munro", "Leake", "Vollmer", "Musick", "Hetrick", "Perdomo", "Kester", "Lock", "Pine", "Baskin", "Bonham", "Heffernan", "Mandel", "Sarver", "Hamer", "Duckett", "Lozada", "Stocker", "Fulcher", "Damato", "Camargo", "Shephard", "Loftis", "Winfrey", "Rueda", "Ledezma", "Gottlieb", "Lamont", "Mackie", "Bowe", "Stockwell", "Groth", "Chavira", "Lohr", "Loftin", "Gilmer", "Cushing", "Brody", "Nowlin", "Holiday", "Shirk", "Archie", "Howerton", "Matthew", "Copley", "Marchese", "Echeverria", "Soper", "Cantwell", "Nelms", "Tuggle", "Dumont", "Bard", "Gower", "Mathes", "Yeung", "Buell", "Bastian", "Burd", "Broadway", "Peng", "Greenwell", "Vanover", "Correll", "Tindall", "Bill", "Mulcahy", "Dionne", "Rathbun", "Baeza", "Booher", "Fried", "Mcginley", "Lavin", "Atherton", "Donnell", "Bays", "Riedel", "Grenier", "Zachary", "Harold", "Styles", "Wisdom", "Raley", "Tamez", "Arena", "Morelli", "Hazelwood", "Somerville", "Lapp", "Rood", "Salem", "Pape", "Olivera", "Albritton", "Carvajal", "Zayas", "Myer", "Pohl", "Haynie", "Mariscal", "Wampler", "Rife", "Leeper", "Newhouse", "Rodney", "Vandenberg", "Spitzer", "Kingston", "Wessel", "Hartzell", "Durden", "Marques", "Born", "Scribner", "Rocco", "Germain", "Tinoco", "Valdovinos", "Musselman", "Vicente", "Parsley", "Crittenden", "Tibbetts", "Hulse", "Mccleary", "Barboza", "Velarde", "Brodie", "Beaudoin", "Moreira", "Maggard", "Jara", "Ferrante", "Overby", "Friesen", "Viola", "Nelsen", "Hash", "Doane", "Deese", "Messick", "Bay", "Anton", "Ingersoll", "Saucier", "Kwiatkowski", "Rawson", "Brophy", "Ladner", "Lehr", "Weil", "Yocum", "Brasher", "Denison", "Hutcherson", "Stowers", "Geller", "Fortenberry", "Stebbins", "Conyers", "Toole", "Stoker", "Roden", "Chitwood", "Beeman", "Fannin", "Strait", "Marlowe", "Greenwald", "Hann", "Stumpf", "Samaniego", "Colton", "Bogart", "Morel", "Montelongo", "Boylan", "Guido", "Wyrick", "Horsley", "Tenorio", "Sallee", "Morehouse", "Whyte", "Neilson", "Watanabe", "Magallanes", "Mudd", "Kieffer", "Brigham", "Dollar", "Huss", "Albanese", "Spiegel", "Hixson", "Rounds", "Orth", "Blanchette", "Vanderpool", "Pfaff", "Speck", "Shreve", "Sevilla", "Neri", "Rohr", "Ruble", "Vanpelt", "Rickman", "Caraway", "Berndt", "Mchale", "Ingalls", "Roybal", "Money", "Mcdougall", "Melancon", "Wellington", "Ingraham", "Ritz", "Lashley", "Marchand", "Schatz", "Heiser", "Eby", "Wimmer", "Orton", "Atchley", "Mumford", "Bahena", "Gammon", "Buehler", "Fike", "Plank", "Carrigan", "Kempf", "Cundiff", "So", "Sauls", "Mohler", "Grillo", "Prichard", "Pastor", "Prasad", "Babin", "Bontrager", "Weddle", "Alberts", "Theis", "Lemoine", "Hartnett", "Kingsbury", "Baran", "Birmingham", "Gault", "Thorp", "Wyant", "Obryan", "Santacruz", "Camara", "Whitehouse", "Evenson", "Halvorson", "Palmieri", "Hannan", "Dew", "Au", "Nolte", "Click", "Wooley", "Hung", "Eberhardt", "Rawlins", "Sadowski", "Sarabia", "Soule", "Millar", "Engstrom", "Cowles", "Runyan", "Mitchel", "Torrence", "Silverstein", "Hewett", "Pilgrim", "Yeh", "Rosenfeld", "Mulholland", "Hatley", "Fawcett", "Delrosario", "Chinn", "Bayless", "Dee", "Deane", "Arriola", "Duda", "Koster", "Rath", "Karl", "Weiland", "Lemmon", "Blaine", "Scofield", "Marston", "Gist", "Pinckney", "Moritz", "Mclellan", "Fulkerson", "Gaynor", "Pitre", "Warrick", "Cobbs", "Meacham", "Guerin", "Tedesco", "Passmore", "Northcutt", "Ison", "Cowell", "Ream", "Walther", "Meraz", "Tribble", "Bumgarner", "Gabbard", "Dawes", "Moncada", "Chilton", "Deweese", "Rigby", "Marte", "Baylor", "Valentino", "Shine", "August", "Billups", "Jarman", "Jacks", "Coffee", "Friedrich", "Marley", "Hasan", "Pennell", "Abercrombie", "Bazan", "Strickler", "Bruton", "Lamm", "Pender", "Wingfield", "Hoffer", "Zahn", "Chaplin", "Reinke", "Larosa", "Maupin", "Bunnell", "Hassell", "Guo", "Galan", "Paschal", "Browder", "Krantz", "Milne", "Pelayo", "Emanuel", "Mccluskey", "Edens", "Radtke", "Alger", "Duhon", "Probst", "Witmer", "Hoagland", "Saechao", "Pitcher", "Villalpando", "Carswell", "Roundtree", "Kuhlman", "Tait", "Shaughnessy", "Wei", "Cravens", "Sipe", "Islas", "Hollenbeck", "Lockard", "Perrone", "Tapp", "Santoyo", "Jaffe", "Klotz", "Gilpin", "Ehrlich", "Klug", "Stowell", "Ibanez", "Lazar", "Osman", "Larkins", "Donofrio", "Ericson", "Schenck", "Mouton", "Medlock", "Hubbell", "Bixler", "Nowicki", "Muro", "Homer", "Grijalva", "Ashmore", "Harbison", "Duffey", "Osgood", "Hardee", "Jain", "Wilber", "Bolling", "Lett", "Phillip", "Dipietro", "Lefebvre", "Batiste", "Mcswain", "Distefano", "Hack", "Strobel", "Kipp", "Doerr", "Radcliffe", "Cartagena", "Paradis", "Stilwell", "Mccrea", "Searles", "Frausto", "Hendershot", "Gosselin", "Islam", "Freese", "Stockman", "Burwell", "Vandiver", "Engler", "Geisler", "Barham", "Wiegand", "Goncalves", "Theriot", "Doucet", "Bridge", "Catron", "Blanks", "Rahn", "Schaub", "Hershey", "Strader", "Buckman", "Hartwig", "Campo", "Tsang", "Luck", "Bernardo", "Marker", "Pinkney", "Benefield", "Mcginty", "Bode", "Linden", "Manriquez", "Jaquez", "Bedard", "Flack", "Hesse", "Costanzo", "Boardman", "Carper", "Word", "Miracle", "Edmunds", "Bott", "Flemming", "Manns", "Kesler", "Piatt", "Tankersley", "Eberle", "Roney", "Belk", "Vansickle", "Varga", "Hillard", "Neubauer", "Quirk", "Chevalier", "Mintz", "Kocher", "Casarez", "Tinker", "Elmer", "Decarlo", "Cordes", "Berube", "Kimbrell", "Schick", "Papa", "Alderson", "Callaghan", "Renaud", "Pardue", "Krohn", "Bloomfield", "Coward", "Ligon", "Trask", "Wingo", "Book", "Crutcher", "Canter", "Teran", "Denman", "Stackhouse", "Chambliss", "Gourley", "Earls", "Frizzell", "Bergen", "Abdullah", "Sprinkle", "Fancher", "Urias", "Lavelle", "Baumgardner", "Kahler", "Baldridge", "Alejandro", "Plascencia", "Hix", "Rule", "Mix", "Petro", "Hadden", "Fore", "Humes", "Barnum", "Laing", "Maggio", "Sylvia", "Malinowski", "Fell", "Durst", "Plant", "Vaca", "Abarca", "Shirey", "Parton", "Ta", "Ramires", "Ochs", "Gaitan", "Ledoux", "Darrow", "Messenger", "Chalmers", "Schaller", "Derby", "Coakley", "Saleh", "Kirkman", "Orta", "Crabb", "Spinks", "Dinkins", "Harrigan", "Koller", "Dorr", "Carty", "Sturgis", "Shriver", "Macedo", "Feng", "Bentz", "Bedell", "Osuna", "Dibble", "Dejong", "Fender", "Parada", "Vanburen", "Chaffee", "Stott", "Sigmon", "Nicolas", "Salyers", "Magdaleno", "Deering", "Puentes", "Funderburk", "Jang", "Christopherson", "Sellars", "Marcotte", "Oster", "Liao", "Tudor", "Specht", "Chowdhury", "Landa", "Monge", "Brake", "Behnke", "Llewellyn", "Labelle", "Mangan", "Godsey", "Truax", "Lombard", "Thurmond", "Emerick", "Blume", "Mcginn", "Beer", "Marrs", "Zinn", "Rieger", "Dilley", "Thibault", "Witkowski", "Chi", "Fielding", "Tyrrell", "Peeler", "Northrup", "Augustin", "Toy", "Geist", "Schuman", "Fairley", "Duque", "Villatoro", "Dudek", "Sonnier", "Fritts", "Worsham", "Herold", "Mcgehee", "Caskey", "Boatright", "Lazaro", "Deck", "Palomo", "Cory", "Olivier", "Baines", "Fan", "Futrell", "Halpin", "Garrido", "Koonce", "Fogg", "Meneses", "Mulkey", "Restrepo", "Ducharme", "Slate", "Toussaint", "Sorrells", "Fitts", "Dickman", "Alfred", "Grimsley", "Settles", "Etienne", "Eggert", "Hague", "Caldera", "Hillis", "Hollander", "Haire", "Theriault", "Madigan", "Kiernan", "Parkhurst", "Lippert", "Jaynes", "Moniz", "Bost", "Bettis", "Sandy", "Kuhl", "Wilk", "Borrego", "Koon", "Penney", "Pizarro", "Stitt", "Koski", "Galicia", "Quiles", "Real", "Massa", "Crone", "Teeter", "Voorhees", "Hilbert", "Nabors", "Shupe", "Blood", "Mcauliffe", "Waits", "Blakley", "Stoltz", "Maes", "Munroe", "Rhoden", "Abeyta", "Milliken", "Harkness", "Almaraz", "Remington", "Raya", "Frierson", "Olszewski", "Quillen", "Westcott", "Fu", "Tolley", "Olive", "Mcclary", "Corbitt", "Lui", "Lachance", "Meagher", "Cowley", "Hudak", "Cress", "Mccrory", "Talavera", "Mclaren", "Laurent", "Bias", "Whetstone", "Hollister", "Quevedo", "Byerly", "Berryhill", "Folk", "Conners", "Kellum", "Haro", "Mallard", "Mccants", "Risner", "Barros", "Downes", "Mayers", "Loeffler", "Mink", "Hotchkiss", "Bartz", "Alt", "Hindman", "Bayne", "Bagby", "Colin", "Treadwell", "Hemingway", "Bane", "Heintz", "Fite", "Mccomb", "Carmody", "Kistler", "Olinger", "Vestal", "Byrum", "Seale", "Turnage", "Raber", "Prendergast", "Koons", "Nickell", "Benz", "Mcculley", "Lightner", "Hamill", "Castellon", "Chesser", "Moats", "Buie", "Svoboda", "Wold", "Macmillan", "Boring", "Terrill", "Loveland", "Gaskill", "Verdugo", "Yip", "Oviedo", "Hight", "Carmack", "Scheer", "Dreher", "Appleby", "Lally", "Kibler", "Marra", "Mcnamee", "Cooks", "Kavanaugh", "Carrico", "Alden", "Dillman", "Zamarripa", "Serra", "Gilligan", "Nester", "Sokol", "Latta", "Hanrahan", "Ballou", "Hollinger", "Lux", "Caton", "Hamann", "Sackett", "Leiva", "Emory", "Barden", "Houk", "Lees", "Deltoro", "Lowrey", "Mcevoy", "Hibbs", "Crossley", "Rego", "Melchor", "Tull", "Bramlett", "Hsieh", "Warwick", "Sayles", "Mapes", "Pabon", "Dearing", "Stamm", "Joshi", "Quan", "Larry", "Nordstrom", "Heisler", "Bigham", "Walston", "Solberg", "Bodnar", "Posada", "Mancilla", "Ovalle", "Harr", "Mccaskill", "Bromley", "Koerner", "Macpherson", "Trudeau", "Blais", "Kiley", "Lawlor", "Suter", "Rothman", "Oberg", "Seely", "Maxfield", "Truman", "Salvatore", "Fouts", "Goulet", "Munger", "Sikora", "Comeau", "Oliphant", "Baber", "Hensel", "Edelman", "Farina", "Albano", "Aycock", "Sung", "Deckard", "Steinke", "Silveira", "Servin", "Rex", "Franzen", "Hecker", "Gragg", "Mcgriff", "Ellingson", "Kerrigan", "An", "Bartel", "Priddy", "Hodson", "Tse", "Arbogast", "Arceneaux", "Leatherman", "Federico", "Pridgen", "Yim", "Kowalczyk", "Deberry", "Lejeune", "Elston", "Mielke", "Shelly", "Stambaugh", "Eagan", "Rivard", "Silvia", "Lawhorn", "Denis", "Hendry", "Wieland", "Levinson", "Marlin", "Gerdes", "Pfister", "Carder", "Pipkin", "Angle", "Hang", "Hagerty", "Rhinehart", "Gao", "Petit", "Mccraw", "Markle", "Lupo", "Busse", "Marble", "Bivins", "Storms", "Yuan", "Waldman", "Suh", "Wyckoff", "Stillman", "Piotrowski", "Abrego", "Gregoire", "Bogle", "Wortham", "Phung", "Brister", "Karnes", "Deming", "Ley", "Carrasquillo", "Curtiss", "Appleton", "Salley", "Borja", "Begum", "Phifer", "Shoup", "Cawley", "Deason", "Castanon", "Loucks", "Hagler", "Mcclinton", "Dulaney", "Hargett", "Mcardle", "Burcham", "Philpot", "Laroche", "Breland", "Hatten", "Karp", "Brummett", "Boatman", "Natale", "Pepe", "Mortimer", "Sink", "Voyles", "Reeve", "Honaker", "Loredo", "Ridgway", "Donner", "Lessard", "Dever", "Salomon", "Hickson", "Nicholls", "Bushey", "Osteen", "Reavis", "Rodman", "Barahona", "Knecht", "Hinman", "Faria", "Dana", "Bancroft", "Hatchett", "Hageman", "Klaus", "Castor", "Lampkin", "Dalessandro", "Riffle", "Korn", "Savoie", "Sandifer", "Mciver", "Magill", "Delafuente", "Widener", "Vermillion", "Dandrea", "Mader", "Woodman", "Milan", "Hollowell", "Schaaf", "Kao", "Nail", "Beaman", "Hawkes", "Mclane", "Marchant", "Scanlan", "Syed", "Peabody", "Uhl", "Schauer", "Azevedo", "Wolcott", "Mick", "Melgar", "Pilcher", "Burgin", "Weiser", "Daughtry", "Theisen", "Babbitt", "Petry", "Cotten", "Fick", "Eubank", "Tolson", "Judkins", "Cronk", "Wendel", "Monteiro", "Kissinger", "Banta", "Senn", "Fix", "Brehm", "Rittenhouse", "Banner", "Elwell", "Herd", "Araiza", "Hui", "Nowell", "Brett", "Hua", "Breeding", "Pawlowski", "Thompkins", "Bocanegra", "Bosworth", "Dutcher", "Cotto", "Beecher", "Callender", "Hamlett", "Benfield", "Claudio", "Reel", "Brookshire", "Helmick", "Ryals", "Winder", "Thom", "Robin", "Overman", "Furtado", "Dacosta", "Paddock", "Dancy", "Carpio", "Manzanares", "Zito", "Favela", "Beckley", "Adrian", "Flory", "Nestor", "Spell", "Speight", "Strawn", "Beckner", "Gause", "Berglund", "Ruppert", "Mincey", "Spinelli", "Suzuki", "Mizell", "Kirksey", "Bolduc", "Kilmer", "Wesson", "Brinker", "Urrutia", "Markey", "Brenneman", "Haupt", "Sievers", "Puga", "Halloran", "Birdsong", "Stancil", "Wiener", "Calvo", "Macy", "Cairns", "Kahl", "Vice", "Ordaz", "Grow", "Lafrance", "Dryden", "Studer", "Matney", "Edward", "Rackley", "Gurrola", "Demoss", "Woolard", "Oquinn", "Hambrick", "Christmas", "Robey", "Crayton", "Haber", "Arango", "Newcomer", "Groom", "Corson", "Harness", "Rossman", "Slaton", "Schutz", "Conant", "Tedder", "Sabin", "Lowder", "Womble", "Jin", "Monday", "Garmon", "Aronson", "Skeen", "Headrick", "Lefevre", "Whittemore", "Pelton", "Barner", "Hildebrandt", "Rick", "Helmer", "Grose", "Zak", "Schroder", "Mahler", "Keeley", "Flinn", "Jordon", "Ozuna", "Sand", "Henkel", "Turcotte", "Vining", "Bellinger", "Neese", "Hagerman", "Mcmillin", "Gaylord", "Harney", "Milano", "Carothers", "Depew", "Bucci", "Pirtle", "Hafner", "Dimas", "Howlett", "Reber", "Abram", "Davalos", "Zajac", "Pedro", "Goodall", "Kaylor", "Wrenn", "Gartner", "Kell", "Curl", "Leathers", "Spiller", "Beason", "Shattuck", "Brewington", "Pinon", "Nazario", "Wash", "Ruggles", "Matz", "Capers", "Dorsett", "Wilmoth", "Bracey", "Lenhart", "Devoe", "Choy", "Oswalt", "Capone", "Wayman", "Parikh", "Eastwood", "Cofield", "Rickert", "Mccandless", "Greenway", "Majewski", "Rigdon", "Armbruster", "Royce", "Sterner", "Swaim", "Flournoy", "Amezcua", "Delano", "Westerman", "Grau", "Claxton", "Veliz", "Haun", "Roscoe", "Mccafferty", "Ringer", "Volz", "Blessing", "Mcphail", "Thelen", "Gagliardi", "Scholz", "Genovese", "Boyette", "Squire", "Naughton", "Levitt", "Erskine", "Leffler", "Manchester", "Hallett", "Whitmer", "Gillett", "Groce", "Roos", "Bejarano", "Moskowitz", "Constantine", "Fidler", "Roll", "Schutte", "Ohare", "Warnock", "Wester", "Macgregor", "Golding", "Abner", "Burgett", "Bushnell", "Brazil", "Ascencio", "Hock", "Legrand", "Eversole", "Rome", "Radcliff", "Fuhrman", "Schmit", "Tew", "Caro", "Cowen", "Marriott", "Kephart", "Hartung", "Keil", "Benally", "Hazlett", "Avant", "Desrosiers", "Kwong", "Guyer", "Penner", "Avelar", "Cashman", "Stith", "Orona", "Rager", "Johanson", "Lanza", "Min", "Cool", "Heine", "Nissen", "Buenrostro", "Mcmullin", "Oropeza", "Hom", "Degroot", "Wescott", "Hulbert", "Shrum", "Muncy", "Littrell", "Forest", "Dyke", "Garces", "Cimino", "Gebhardt", "Hickerson", "Satterwhite", "Radke", "Luckey", "Coronel", "Pugliese", "Frazee", "Siddiqui", "Flatt", "Abbey", "Gerald", "Bodine", "Lora", "Youngs", "Catlett", "Alexis", "Luo", "Youmans", "Sherlock", "Kinser", "Wales", "Dinsmore", "Abramson", "Stricker", "Rumsey", "Showers", "Mickens", "Tallent", "Setzer", "Etter", "Allgood", "Pagel", "Jefferies", "Bissell", "Colombo", "Musgrave", "Kuehl", "Raab", "Kavanagh", "Beane", "Witcher", "Pattison", "Paulus", "Gong", "Mcgough", "Burkhalter", "Vanbuskirk", "Kite", "Sass", "Lalonde", "Gormley", "Baier", "Brauer", "Stricklin", "Napoli", "Brotherton", "Stansbury", "Loggins", "Sorrentino", "Poff", "Nieman", "Roebuck", "Reiner", "Hovey", "Walley", "Leech", "Gambino", "Hammack", "Burson", "Tatro", "Perrine", "Carley", "Stadler", "Nason", "Peckham", "Gervais", "Ables", "Turman", "Dore", "Peavy", "Addington", "Tobar", "Gilstrap", "Brumbaugh", "Gerhardt", "Slusher", "Nevins", "Garofalo", "Amick", "Barrick", "Race", "Daggett", "Manion", "Noah", "Kranz", "Runge", "Wysocki", "Gillum", "Verduzco", "Alvey", "Pettus", "Sim", "Cage", "Mckean", "Harrod", "Weatherspoon", "Takahashi", "Wingard", "Endres", "Skiles", "Wald", "Finger", "Reams", "Ussery", "Fricke", "Jaworski", "Cusick", "Stanek", "Shaner", "Massaro", "Ribeiro", "Eades", "Rue", "Scharf", "Standridge", "Wojciechowski", "Victoria", "Galbreath", "Lander", "Martinelli", "Raper", "Karas", "Tomas", "La", "Kizer", "Gastelum", "Delp", "Sansone", "Therrien", "Brookins", "Shi", "Hammel", "Polley", "Riddell", "Claiborne", "Lampe", "Benham", "Braddock", "Elwood", "Mcminn", "Amerson", "Leija", "Gambrell", "Nuno", "Mallon", "Gard", "Burford", "Halley", "Maley", "Eicher", "Caban", "Rubenstein", "Tighe", "Harbaugh", "Bergmann", "Runnels", "Carrizales", "Gustin", "Wight", "Dominick", "Cannady", "Brace", "Beauregard", "Weitzel", "Orcutt", "Abrahamson", "Jorge", "Mccown", "Harriman", "Nicol", "Gott", "Andino", "Tsosie", "Shumway", "Aucoin", "Bowes", "Hixon", "Broom", "Cate", "Desantiago", "Haug", "Pinedo", "Mowry", "Moyers", "Deangelo", "Mcshane", "Boley", "Tiffany", "Steger", "Woodford", "Whitford", "Collette", "Muth", "Mansour", "Schuh", "Fortney", "Khoury", "Livengood", "Haworth", "Rusk", "Mathieu", "Peppers", "Gehring", "Faris", "Diep", "Rae", "Hupp", "Escalera", "Gwin", "Engelhardt", "Bannon", "Menjivar", "Eberhart", "Kershaw", "Cottle", "Palomares", "Carrell", "Galaviz", "Willie", "Troxell", "Visser", "Xie", "Juan", "Spector", "Izzo", "Woodring", "Gilbreath", "Bey", "Giraldo", "Neary", "Ready", "Toland", "Benge", "Thrower", "Bemis", "Hostetter", "Dull", "Poulos", "Vanegas", "Abad", "Harker", "Mei", "Nigro", "Messner", "Peres", "Hardaway", "Crumpton", "Dingman", "Hipp", "Lemley", "Maloy", "Ye", "Neighbors", "Proulx", "Jamerson", "Finkelstein", "Payan", "Holler", "Simonds", "Toms", "Schulman", "Aguero", "Hinrichs", "Steffens", "Clapper", "Delao", "Knighton", "Jahn", "Mach", "Heal", "Detwiler", "Corso", "Toner", "Rook", "Brockway", "Coulson", "Delia", "Giddings", "Hermosillo", "Ballenger", "Persinger", "Delk", "Pedigo", "Burg", "Voelker", "Ecker", "Kile", "Propst", "Rascon", "Stultz", "Swindle", "Swindell", "Deaver", "Welty", "Sussman", "Southworth", "Child", "Coston", "Lei", "Spillman", "Hochstetler", "Veach", "Melcher", "Chipman", "Lebeau", "Summerville", "Peden", "Lizarraga", "Kingery", "Leos", "Fogel", "Eckman", "Burbank", "Castano", "Chartier", "Medellin", "Torrey", "Peake", "Swinney", "Aziz", "Reinert", "Borg", "Pires", "Brooke", "Forester", "Greaves", "Delapaz", "Hunnicutt", "Bierman", "Stringfellow", "Lavallee", "Farnham", "Gadson", "Gainer", "Kulp", "Liston", "Brooker", "Loudermilk", "Reza", "Henshaw", "Hinz", "Brammer", "Frisch", "Toombs", "Esquibel", "Feinberg", "Plaza", "Bly", "Encarnacion", "Cockerham", "Shealy", "Haile", "Nave", "Chenoweth", "Goto", "Ernest", "Staub", "Marty", "Huizar", "Lammers", "Mcavoy", "Dishman", "Giroux", "Dowdell", "Via", "Fenn", "Kain", "Breckenridge", "Egbert", "Steelman", "Gasper", "Riojas", "Parmer", "Creed", "Gillispie", "Edgerton", "Yen", "Calder", "Holmberg", "Kreider", "Landau", "Eley", "Lewallen", "Quimby", "Holladay", "Du", "Leland", "Hyder", "Omeara", "Acton", "Gaspard", "Kennard", "Renfroe", "Hayman", "Gladney", "Glidden", "Wilmot", "Pearsall", "Cahoon", "Hallock", "Grigg", "Boggess", "Lewin", "Doering", "Thach", "Mcatee", "Paulk", "Rusch", "Harrold", "Suttles", "Chiles", "Sawyers", "Roger", "Kwok", "Luevano", "Coelho", "Waldo", "Ewell", "Lagunas", "Rude", "Barrington", "Mccomas", "Whiteley", "Jeanbaptiste", "Darcy", "Lussier", "Kerley", "Fordham", "Moorehead", "Welton", "Nicely", "Constantino", "Townes", "Giglio", "Damian", "Mckibben", "Resnick", "Endicott", "Lindeman", "Killion", "Gwinn", "Beaumont", "Nord", "Miceli", "Fast", "Bidwell", "Sites", "Drum", "Maze", "Abshire", "Berner", "Rhyne", "Juliano", "Wortman", "Beggs", "Winchell", "Summerlin", "Thrash", "Biggers", "Buckles", "Barnwell", "Thomasson", "Wan", "Arneson", "Rodrigue", "Wroblewski", "Quiroga", "Fulk", "Dillingham", "Rone", "Mapp", "Sattler", "Letourneau", "Gaudet", "Mccaslin", "Gurule", "Huck", "Hudspeth", "Welter", "Wittman", "Hileman", "Ewald", "Yao", "Kindred", "Kato", "Nickels", "Tyndall", "Sanmiguel", "Mayle", "Alfano", "Eichelberger", "Bee", "Sheehy", "Rogan", "Philip", "Dilworth", "Midkiff", "Hudgens", "Killingsworth", "Russel", "Criss", "Liddell", "Eberly", "Khalil", "Lattimore", "Koval", "Maxson", "Schram", "Goodell", "Catlin", "Cofer", "Alva", "Sandler", "Kunkle", "Perron", "Bushman", "Edmonson", "Roa", "Nesbit", "Ahearn", "Garver", "Bible", "Barley", "Struble", "Oxford", "Wulf", "Marron", "Haught", "Bonnell", "Pigg", "Friel", "Almaguer", "Bowler", "Mitchem", "Fussell", "Lemos", "Savino", "Boisvert", "Torgerson", "Annis", "Dicks", "Ruhl", "Pepin", "Wildman", "Gendron", "Melanson", "Sherer", "Duty", "Cassel", "Croteau", "Rolon", "Staats", "Pass", "Larocca", "Sauter", "Sacks", "Boutwell", "Hunsaker", "Omara", "Mcbroom", "Lohman", "Treat", "Dufour", "Brashear", "Yepez", "Lao", "Telles", "Manis", "Mars", "Shilling", "Tingle", "Macaluso", "Rigney", "Clair", "Matsumoto", "Agosto", "Halbert", "Dabbs", "Eckstein", "Mercurio", "Berkley", "Wachter", "Langan", "Peach", "Carreno", "Lepore", "Howie", "Thaxton", "Arrowood", "Weinberger", "Eldred", "Hooten", "Raymer", "Feaster", "Bosco", "Cataldo", "Fears", "Eckhardt", "Mullinax", "Spratt", "Laboy", "Marsden", "Carlile", "Bustillos", "Crim", "Surratt", "Kurth", "Gaul", "Machuca", "Rolfe", "Lower", "Edmiston", "Millsap", "Dehaven", "Racine", "Coney", "Rinker", "Maddux", "Burmeister", "Fenwick", "Stocks", "Forde", "Pettway", "Balderrama", "Westover", "Bloch", "Burress", "Hunley", "Futch", "Chee", "Alvarenga", "Bostwick", "Cleaver", "Pelkey", "Bryce", "Pisano", "Qureshi", "Varghese", "Cunha", "Hellman", "Grass", "Luker", "Hazelton", "Cathcart", "Yamada", "Gallego", "Menke", "Yingling", "Merriweather", "Fleury", "Salmeron", "Metcalfe", "Brook", "Freitag", "Malek", "Obregon", "Blain", "Mellott", "Alam", "Bessette", "Moncrief", "Arvizu", "Botts", "Moorer", "Landreth", "Hulett", "Marinelli", "Falco", "Silvestri", "Gottschalk", "Thiele", "Kight", "Warrington", "Huckaby", "Ledet", "Charbonneau", "Crozier", "Mohan", "Stroh", "Bolinger", "Delvecchio", "Macfarlane", "Cribbs", "Mcloughlin", "Maynor", "Ming", "Digiovanni", "Truesdale", "Pfeffer", "Benn", "Chaparro", "Englert", "Spano", "Ogletree", "Yancy", "Swick", "Hallmark", "Mattern", "Tryon", "Plumb", "Martineau", "Man", "Grube", "Holst", "Nez", "Belden", "Aikens", "Litton", "Moorhead", "Dufresne", "Bonney", "Heyward", "Halliday", "Ito", "Crossman", "Gast", "Levan", "Wine", "Desouza", "Kornegay", "Nam", "Keough", "Stotts", "Dickenson", "Ousley", "Leduc", "Revels", "Dizon", "Arreguin", "Shockey", "Alegria", "Blades", "Ignacio", "Mellon", "Ebersole", "Sain", "Weissman", "Wargo", "Claypool", "Zorn", "Julien", "Hinshaw", "Alberto", "Garduno", "Kellar", "Rizo", "Labonte", "Humble", "Downer", "Lykins", "Tower", "Vanhouten", "Chairez", "Campa", "Blizzard", "Standley", "Reiser", "Whitener", "Menefee", "Nalley", "Lasher", "Strang", "Smock", "Moralez", "Kiel", "Moffatt", "Behm", "Hackworth", "Dirks", "Kratz", "Guillot", "Tittle", "Stlouis", "Seymore", "Searle", "Utter", "Wilborn", "Dortch", "Duron", "Cardinal", "Spikes", "Arambula", "Cutter", "Dibenedetto", "Botelho", "Bedwell", "Kilby", "Bottoms", "Cassady", "Rothwell", "Bilodeau", "Markowitz", "Baucom", "Valley", "Esqueda", "Depalma", "Laskowski", "Hopp", "Casale", "Perreault", "Shuster", "Wolter", "Raby", "Cyrus", "Tseng", "Georges", "Das", "Wilfong", "Schlueter", "Woolf", "Stickney", "Mcinerney", "Curcio", "Fowlkes", "Boldt", "Zander", "Shropshire", "Antonelli", "Froehlich", "Butterworth", "Stedman", "Broadnax", "Kroeger", "Kellner", "Monreal", "Armas", "Mcguinness", "Canterbury", "Weisman", "Hilburn", "Carruthers", "Pell", "Peele", "Devaney", "Owings", "Mar", "Liggett", "Breslin", "Soucy", "Aguila", "Weidman", "Mingo", "Tarango", "Winger", "Poteet", "Acree", "Mcnew", "Leatherwood", "Aubrey", "Waring", "Soler", "Roof", "Sunderland", "Blackford", "Rabe", "Hepler", "Leonardo", "Spina", "Smythe", "Alex", "Barta", "Bybee", "Campagna", "Pete", "Batchelder", "Gurney", "Wyche", "Schutt", "Rashid", "Almazan", "Pahl", "Perri", "Viramontes", "Cavender", "Snapp", "Newson", "Sandhu", "Fernando", "Stockdale", "Garfield", "Ealy", "Mcfarlin", "Bieber", "Callan", "Arruda", "Oquendo", "Levasseur", "Maple", "Kowal", "Kushner", "Naquin", "Shouse", "Mcquade", "Cai", "Smedley", "Gober", "Saiz", "Brunelle", "Arbuckle", "Landes", "Mak", "Korte", "Oxley", "Boger", "Mickey", "Lent", "Cureton", "Husted", "Eidson", "Boyett", "Kitts", "Shope", "Hance", "Jessen", "Litchfield", "Torre", "Cargill", "Herren", "Straight", "Merz", "Weese", "Sperling", "Lapierre", "Yung", "Doggett", "Cauley", "Hardeman", "Margolis", "Watford", "Seltzer", "Fullmer", "Timberlake", "Butz", "Duquette", "Olin", "Leverett", "Hartford", "Otte", "Beaton", "Grimaldi", "Marotta", "Carlsen", "Cullum", "Monte", "Haygood", "Middlebrooks", "Lazarus", "Shiver", "Ivie", "Niemi", "Lacombe", "Judson", "Ginsberg", "Firestone", "Izquierdo", "Deel", "Jacinto", "Towers", "Fritsch", "Albin", "Kaminsky", "Yin", "Wrobel", "Birdwell", "Krieg", "Danforth", "Florio", "Saito", "Clift", "Duck", "Matt", "Moxley", "Barbieri", "Klatt", "Saltzman", "Chesney", "Bojorquez", "Cosentino", "Lodge", "Converse", "Decastro", "Gerhart", "Music", "Danley", "Santangelo", "Bevins", "Coen", "Seibel", "Lindemann", "Dressler", "Newport", "Bedolla", "Lillie", "Rhone", "Penaloza", "Swart", "Niemeyer", "Pilkington", "Matta", "Hollifield", "Gillman", "Montana", "Maroney", "Stenger", "Loos", "Wert", "Brogdon", "Gandhi", "Bent", "Tabb", "Sikorski", "Hagedorn", "Hannigan", "Hoss", "Conlin", "Trott", "Fall", "Granado", "Bartell", "Rubalcava", "Neves", "Poynter", "Alton", "Paschall", "Waltman", "Parke", "Kittle", "Czarnecki", "Bloodworth", "Knorr", "Timms", "Derry", "Messier", "Saad", "Cozart", "Sutphin", "Puryear", "Gatto", "Whitacre", "Verdin", "Bloomer", "Brundage", "Brian", "Seger", "Clare", "Balch", "Tharpe", "Rayford", "Halter", "Barefoot", "Gonsalez", "Lomas", "Monzon", "Howarth", "Mccready", "Gudino", "Serafin", "Sanfilippo", "Minnich", "Eldredge", "Malave", "Greeley", "Sisneros", "Kangas", "Peery", "Lunn", "Lukas", "Bunce", "Riccio", "Thies", "Stivers", "Conard", "Mullaney", "Catalan", "Omar", "Theobald", "Jeffcoat", "Kucera", "Borkowski", "Coomer", "Mathison", "Croom", "Rushton", "Stites", "Pendley", "Till", "Oconner", "Forsberg", "Wages", "Fillmore", "Barcenas", "Gillard", "Leak", "Towle", "Esser", "Dunlop", "Quackenbush", "Archambault", "Buller", "Newlin", "Urquhart", "Shanley", "Mote", "Ippolito", "Rozier", "Reidy", "Gregor", "Swaney", "Bradfield", "Fudge", "More", "Tester", "Higley", "Dambrosio", "Bullington", "Highsmith", "Silas", "Felker", "Sawicki", "Beltz", "Albarran", "Aitken", "Findlay", "Looper", "Tooley", "Lasley", "Moynihan", "Ratcliffe", "Grizzle", "Souders", "Nussbaum", "Suber", "Macdougall", "Waddle", "Brawner", "Tucci", "Cosme", "Walk", "Gordy", "Tarrant", "Rosenblum", "Huth", "Bridgeman", "Hinkley", "Gehrke", "Boden", "Suazo", "Gambill", "Widner", "Chick", "Mccollough", "Hassler", "Odum", "Pawlak", "Prevost", "Slavin", "Fetters", "Beamon", "Renshaw", "Deng", "Plourde", "Holstein", "Rye", "Holliman", "Melville", "Messinger", "Turcios", "Garnica", "Feeley", "Mariani", "Otten", "Dorado", "Mortenson", "Meissner", "Scarlett", "Sweitzer", "Glisson", "Desjardins", "Penland", "Elledge", "Crumley", "Deen", "Shih", "Heuer", "Gloria", "Lail", "Mcandrew", "Mcnaughton", "Cortese", "Stgermain", "Hammon", "Leininger", "Flickinger", "Dement", "Bumgardner", "Tessier", "Fulford", "Cervantez", "Wisner", "Shulman", "Sabol", "Papp", "Strasser", "Sartin", "Rothstein", "Grote", "Beaudry", "Deville", "Roop", "Villar", "Bussell", "Bowyer", "Yoshida", "Hertz", "Countryman", "Hoey", "Roseberry", "Schock", "Boozer", "Mccowan", "Kirschner", "Lechner", "Winkelman", "Witham", "Thurber", "Depriest", "Chenault", "Moten", "Tillotson", "Guan", "Ketcham", "Jiles", "Grosso", "Nottingham", "Kellam", "Alejo", "Thoma", "Marchetti", "Holifield", "Fortson", "Leasure", "Mceachern", "Oceguera", "Carleton", "Weekley", "Kinsella", "Harvell", "Waldon", "Kean", "Chancellor", "Blosser", "Detweiler", "Presnell", "Beachy", "Lingle", "Plumley", "Knopp", "Gamache", "Atwater", "Caine", "Woodland", "Terwilliger", "Moller", "Cleland", "Cottingham", "Janke", "Willman", "Dann", "Mangrum", "Shuck", "Paden", "Adelman", "Brim", "Tullis", "Hertel", "Gallaher", "Leopold", "Donegan", "Popovich", "Gusman", "Chatham", "Schooley", "Pinder", "Heise", "Maines", "Nystrom", "Jahnke", "Poon", "Murphree", "Pelaez", "Risley", "Sohn", "Shim", "Armentrout", "Kastner", "Philpott", "Mao", "Pursley", "Mangold", "Mccourt", "Hollar", "Desmarais", "Debord", "Gullett", "Gaeta", "Bae", "Houlihan", "Gorton", "Steinman", "Santo", "Snelling", "Corpuz", "Look", "Scudder", "Treece", "Binns", "Sokolowski", "Harner", "Gallup", "Marti", "Teasley", "Markel", "Casiano", "Nicks", "Recinos", "Paradise", "Colman", "Orange", "Mele", "Medford", "Templin", "Zuber", "Mackin", "Brodsky", "Householder", "Wirtz", "Hackman", "Tippett", "Polson", "Colston", "Cerna", "Herald", "Shults", "Shubert", "Mertens", "Dave", "Duffield", "Vanness", "Mayne", "Driskell", "Percy", "Lauderdale", "Cipriano", "Theodore", "Colella", "Kiger", "Brownfield", "Stella", "Wideman", "Maye", "Chisolm", "Muldoon", "Fitzwater", "Harville", "Dixson", "Burkey", "Hartsfield", "Schade", "Brawley", "Pelfrey", "Tennyson", "Whitted", "Silvas", "Harbour", "Krupa", "Peraza", "Erdmann", "Halpern", "Finnerty", "Mackinnon", "Humbert", "Mccarley", "Doster", "Kugler", "Livesay", "Force", "Haberman", "Lamp", "Hector", "Charron", "Woosley", "Rein", "Ashburn", "Greenleaf", "Niemann", "Carillo", "Skelly", "Nunnally", "Renfrow", "Prickett", "Angus", "Bednar", "Nightingale", "Steinbach", "Warnick", "Jason", "Hans", "Lydon", "Rutland", "Alleman", "Hawn", "Malin", "Beech", "Auger", "Desilva", "Izaguirre", "Isham", "Mandujano", "Glasser", "Dimarco", "Berumen", "Nipper", "Pegram", "Sundberg", "Labbe", "Mcphee", "Crafton", "Agustin", "Cantor", "Beller", "Bang", "Lawyer", "Croy", "Kyles", "Winans", "Battista", "Jost", "Bakken", "Dandridge", "Mustafa", "Ice", "Eklund", "Montesdeoca", "Hermes", "Grimaldo", "Vannoy", "Grainger", "Lamas", "Tarantino", "Witter", "Worthen", "Basinger", "Cowden", "Hiles", "Mcanally", "Felipe", "Gallimore", "Kapp", "Makowski", "Copenhaver", "Ramer", "Gideon", "Bowker", "Wilkens", "Seeger", "Huntsman", "Palladino", "Jessee", "Kittrell", "Rolle", "Ciccone", "Kolar", "Brannen", "Bixby", "Pohlman", "Strachan", "Lesher", "Fleischer", "Umana", "Murphey", "Mcentire", "Rabon", "Mcauley", "Bunton", "Soileau", "Sheriff", "Borowski", "Mullens", "Larrabee", "Prouty", "Malley", "Sumrall", "Reisinger", "Surber", "Kasten", "Shoemake", "Yowell", "Bonin", "Bevan", "Bove", "Boe", "Hazard", "Slay", "Carraway", "Kaczmarek", "Armitage", "Lowther", "Sheaffer", "Farah", "Atencio", "Ung", "Kirkham", "Cavanagh", "Mccutchen", "Shoop", "Nickles", "Borchardt", "Durkee", "Maus", "Shedd", "Petrillo", "Brainard", "Eddings", "Fanelli", "Seo", "Heaney", "Drennan", "Mcgarvey", "Saddler", "Lucia", "Higa", "Gailey", "Groh", "Hinckley", "Griner", "Norfleet", "Caplan", "Rademacher", "Souder", "Autrey", "Eskridge", "Drumm", "Fiske", "Giffin", "Townley", "Derose", "Burrus", "Castrejon", "Emmert", "Cothran", "Hartsell", "Kilburn", "Riggle", "Trussell", "Mulvey", "Barto", "Crank", "Lovely", "Woodhouse", "Powe", "Pablo", "Zack", "Murchison", "Dicarlo", "Kessel", "Hagood", "Rost", "Edson", "Blakeney", "Fant", "Brodeur", "Jump", "Spry", "Laguna", "Lotz", "Bergquist", "Collard", "Mash", "Rideout", "Bilbrey", "Selman", "Fortunato", "Holzer", "Pifer", "Mcabee", "Talamantes", "Tollefson", "Pastore", "Crew", "Wilcher", "Kutz", "Stallard", "Ressler", "Fehr", "Piercy", "Lafond", "Digiacomo", "Schuck", "Winkle", "Graybill", "Plata", "Gribble", "Odle", "Fraga", "Bressler", "Moultrie", "Tung", "Charette", "Marvel", "Kerby", "Mori", "Hamman", "Favors", "Freeze", "Delisle", "Straw", "Dingle", "Elizalde", "Cabello", "Zalewski", "Funkhouser", "Abate", "Nero", "Holston", "Josey", "Schreck", "Shroyer", "Paquin", "Bing", "Chauvin", "Maria", "Melgoza", "Arms", "Caddell", "Pitchford", "Sternberg", "Rana", "Lovelady", "Strouse", "Macarthur", "Lechuga", "Wolfson", "Mcglynn", "Koo", "Stoops", "Tetreault", "Lepage", "Duren", "Hartz", "Kissel", "Gish", "Largent", "Henninger", "Janson", "Carrick", "Kenner", "Haack", "Diego", "Wacker", "Wardell", "Ballentine", "Smeltzer", "Bibb", "Winton", "Bibbs", "Reinhard", "Nilsen", "Edison", "Kalinowski", "June", "Hewlett", "Blaisdell", "Zeman", "Chon", "Board", "Nealy", "Moretti", "Wanner", "Bonnett", "Hardie", "Mains", "Cordeiro", "Karim", "Kautz", "Craver", "Colucci", "Congdon", "Mounts", "Kurz", "Eder", "Merryman", "Soles", "Dulin", "Lubin", "Mcgowen", "Hockenberry", "Work", "Mazzola", "Crandell", "Mcgrady", "Caruthers", "Govea", "Meng", "Fetter", "Trusty", "Weintraub", "Hurlburt", "Reiff", "Nowakowski", "Hoard", "Densmore", "Blumenthal", "Neale", "Schiff", "Raleigh", "Steiger", "Marmolejo", "Jessie", "Palafox", "Tutt", "Keister", "Core", "Im", "Wendell", "Bennet", "Canning", "Krull", "Patti", "Zucker", "Schlesinger", "Wiser", "Dunson", "Olmedo", "Hake", "Champlin", "Braley", "Wheelock", "Geier", "Janis", "Turek", "Grindstaff", "Schaffner", "Deas", "Sirois", "Polito", "Bergin", "Schall", "Vineyard", "Pellegrini", "Corrado", "Oleson", "List", "Dameron", "Parkin", "Flake", "Hollingshead", "Chancey", "Hufford", "Morell", "Kantor", "Chasteen", "Laborde", "Sessoms", "Hermanson", "Burnell", "Dewberry", "Tolman", "Glasscock", "Durfee", "Gilroy", "Wilkey", "Dungan", "Saravia", "Weigand", "Bigler", "Vancleave", "Burlingame", "Roseman", "Stiffler", "Gagliano", "Kates", "Awad", "Knepp", "Rondeau", "Bertsch", "Wolverton", "Walcott", "Poss", "Frisby", "Wexler", "Reinhold", "Krol", "Stuck", "Ricciardi", "Ardoin", "Michaelson", "Lillard", "Burciaga", "Birchfield", "Patch", "Silvey", "Simmonds", "Siu", "Press", "Deans", "Riegel", "Ismail", "Magallon", "Diller", "Hine", "Michalak", "Dones", "Deitz", "Gulledge", "Stroman", "Kobayashi", "Hafer", "Berk", "Landin", "Gilles", "Obryant", "Cheeks", "Gress", "Lutes", "Raphael", "Pizano", "Bachmann", "Cifuentes", "Earp", "Gilreath", "Peluso", "Hubbs", "Alvis", "Peer", "Dutra", "Stetson", "Constant", "Benford", "Sorto", "Cater", "Rosier", "Isenberg", "Shanklin", "Veloz", "Ramage", "Dunford", "Ku", "Hames", "Eddins", "Ruano", "Frink", "Flower", "Beadle", "Rochester", "Fontes", "Mefford", "Barwick", "Millen", "Stelly", "Cann", "Rayner", "Carruth", "Wendling", "Shutt", "Hazzard", "Maravilla", "Gregorio", "Pavlik", "Hudnall", "Aston", "Mcglothlin", "Weise", "Devereaux", "Belle", "Borst", "Burdett", "Frisbie", "Rummel", "Rentz", "Cobos", "Kimura", "Neu", "Winner", "Candelario", "Callis", "Basso", "Mckim", "Tai", "Eskew", "Lair", "Pye", "Knuth", "Scarberry", "Alter", "Mcgann", "Anson", "Drews", "Zuckerman", "Petrone", "Ludlow", "Bechtold", "Nair", "Rennie", "Rhine", "Fleetwood", "Sudduth", "Leftwich", "Hardiman", "Northrop", "Banker", "Killen", "Mastin", "Mcmurry", "Jasinski", "Taliaferro", "Mathers", "Sheikh", "Nuss", "Jesse", "Zabel", "Crotty", "Kamp", "Fleenor", "Halcomb", "Eady", "Vella", "Demars", "Ensley", "Delosreyes", "Zendejas", "Leeds", "Just", "Oday", "Dills", "Zeng", "Barriga", "Millican", "Cascio", "Eakin", "Argo", "Borland", "Cover", "Diorio", "Coria", "Lease", "Pinkham", "Reichard", "Guadalupe", "Hansel", "Bye", "Westerfield", "Gales", "Mickle", "Licata", "Cram", "Bracy", "Motta", "Imhoff", "Siegfried", "Merry", "Swiger", "Ton", "Hersey", "Marrone", "Ginter", "Miele", "Breton", "Scheffler", "Pray", "Stapp", "Bogard", "Towner", "Mcelhaney", "Bridgewater", "Waldner", "Quijano", "Galante", "Quesenberry", "Rourke", "Harshman", "Traver", "Alvares", "Mcgaha", "Nyberg", "Pharr", "Lerch", "Sok", "Rosson", "Wiggs", "Mcelveen", "Dimaggio", "Rettig", "Ahumada", "Hetzel", "Welling", "Chadwell", "Swink", "Mckinzie", "Kwak", "Chabot", "Tomaszewski", "Bonanno", "Lesko", "Teter", "Stalnaker", "Ober", "Hovis", "Hosey", "Chaudhry", "Fey", "Vital", "Earhart", "Heins", "Crowther", "Hanner", "Behr", "Billington", "Vogler", "Hersh", "Perlman", "Given", "Files", "Partain", "Coddington", "Jardine", "Grimmett", "Springs", "Macomber", "Horgan", "Arrieta", "Charley", "Josephson", "Tupper", "Provenzano", "Celaya", "Mcvicker", "Sigala", "Wimer", "Ayon", "Dossantos", "Norvell", "Lorenzen", "Pasquale", "Lambright", "Goings", "Defelice", "Wen", "Sigman", "Gaylor", "Rehm", "Carino", "Werth", "Forehand", "Hanke", "Lasalle", "Mitchum", "Priester", "Lefler", "Celis", "Lesser", "Fitz", "Wentzel", "Lavery", "Klassen", "Shiflett", "Hedden", "Henn", "Coursey", "Drain", "Delorenzo", "Haws", "Stansberry", "Trump", "Dantzler", "Chaidez", "Mcsweeney", "Griffen", "Trail", "Gandara", "Brunk", "Kennon", "Coss", "Blackmore", "Metts", "Gluck", "Blackshear", "Cogan", "Boney", "Encinas", "Adamski", "Roberge", "Schuette", "Valero", "Barroso", "Antunez", "Mohammad", "Housley", "Escoto", "Ullrich", "Helman", "Trost", "Lafave", "Faith", "Blaney", "Kershner", "Hoehn", "Roemer", "Isley", "Lipinski", "Claus", "Caulfield", "Paiz", "Leyba", "Robinett", "Lambeth", "Tarpley", "Essex", "Eilers", "Epley", "Murdoch", "Sandstrom", "Laux", "Domingue", "Grundy", "Bellows", "Spindler", "Boos", "Bhatt", "Tye", "Salamone", "Cirillo", "Troup", "Jemison", "Calzada", "Dowden", "Geraci", "Dunphy", "Sack", "Sloane", "Hathcock", "Yap", "Ronquillo", "Willette", "Partlow", "Dear", "Tunstall", "Kiss", "Huhn", "Seabolt", "Beene", "Sather", "Lockridge", "Despain", "Wines", "Mcalpine", "Wadley", "Dey", "Loring", "Meadors", "Buettner", "Lavalley", "Bugg", "Creek", "Millett", "Pumphrey", "Fregoso", "Merkle", "Sheffer", "Glassman", "Groover", "Sweatt", "Colunga", "Boykins", "Seng", "Stutz", "Brann", "Blakey", "Munos", "Geddes", "Avendano", "Molitor", "Diedrich", "Langham", "Kindle", "Lacour", "Buckler", "Corum", "Bakke", "Godin", "Kerner", "Tobey", "Kubiak", "Hoyer", "Hedge", "Priebe", "Callison", "Lahr", "Shears", "Snavely", "Blatt", "Mcpeak", "Tinney", "Sullins", "Bernhard", "Gibb", "Vaillancourt", "Paugh", "Funes", "Romans", "Maurice", "Lough", "Kerwin", "Sanger", "Vierra", "Markus", "Comfort", "Krall", "Spies", "Malcom", "Vizcarra", "Beamer", "Kellerman", "Mcroberts", "Waterhouse", "Stromberg", "Persons", "Whitesell", "Harty", "Rosenblatt", "Broadwater", "Clardy", "Shackleford", "Jacquez", "Brittingham", "Lindahl", "Feliz", "Danna", "Garwood", "Heron", "Southwick", "Dehoyos", "Cottrill", "Mellor", "Goldfarb", "Grieco", "Helgeson", "Vandusen", "Heinen", "Batt", "Ruch", "Garretson", "Pankey", "Caudillo", "Jakubowski", "Plowman", "Starcher", "Wessels", "Moose", "Rosner", "Louden", "Walczak", "Poulsen", "Mcchesney", "Karns", "Casares", "Cusack", "Cespedes", "Cornelison", "Crossland", "Hirst", "Mier", "Roberto", "Canchola", "Bosse", "Shetler", "Melendrez", "Giannini", "Six", "Traynor", "Knepper", "Lonergan", "Kessinger", "Hollon", "Weathersby", "Stouffer", "Gingrich", "Breault", "Pompa", "Vanhoose", "Burdine", "Lark", "Stiltner", "Wunderlich", "Yong", "Merrifield", "Willhite", "Geiser", "Lambrecht", "Keffer", "Carlo", "Germany", "Turgeon", "Dame", "Tristan", "Bova", "Doak", "Mannino", "Shotwell", "Bash", "Coots", "Feist", "Mahmood", "Schlabach", "Salzman", "Kass", "Bresnahan", "Stonge", "Tesch", "Grajeda", "Mccarron", "Mcelwee", "Spradling", "Mckown", "Colgan", "Piedra", "Collum", "Stoffel", "Won", "Gulick", "Devault", "Enders", "Yanes", "Lansing", "Ebner", "Deegan", "Boutin", "Fetzer", "Andresen", "Trigg", "Sale", "Polite", "Hummer", "Wille", "Bowerman", "Routh", "Iqbal", "Lakey", "Mcadoo", "Laflamme", "Boulware", "Guadarrama", "Campana", "Strayer", "Aho", "Emmett", "Wolters", "Bos", "Knighten", "Averill", "Bhakta", "Schumaker", "Stutts", "Mejias", "Byer", "Mahone", "Staab", "Riehl", "Briceno", "Zabala", "Lafountain", "Clemmer", "Mansell", "Rossetti", "Lafontaine", "Mager", "Adamo", "Bogue", "Northern", "Disney", "Masse", "Senter", "Yaeger", "Dahlberg", "Bisson", "Leitner", "Bolding", "Ormsby", "Berard", "Brazell", "Pickle", "Hord", "Mcguigan", "Glennon", "Aman", "Dearman", "Cauthen", "Rembert", "Delucia", "Enciso", "Slusser", "Kratzer", "Schoenfeld", "Gillam", "Rael", "Rhode", "Moton", "Eide", "Eliason", "Helfrich", "Bish", "Goodnight", "Campion", "Blow", "Gerken", "Goldenberg", "Mellinger", "Nations", "Maiden", "Anzalone", "Wagers", "Arguelles", "Christen", "Guth", "Stamey", "Bozarth", "Balogh", "Grammer", "Chafin", "Prine", "Freer", "Alder", "Latorre", "Zaleski", "Lindholm", "Belisle", "Zacharias", "Swinson", "Bazemore", "Glazer", "Acord", "Said", "Liggins", "Lueck", "Luedtke", "Blackstone", "Copper", "Riker", "Braud", "Demello", "Rode", "Haven", "Rhee", "Galligan", "Record", "Nilson", "Ansley", "Pera", "Gilliard", "Copp", "Haugh", "Dunigan", "Grinnell", "Garr", "Leonhardt", "Elswick", "Shahan", "Mike", "Boddie", "Casella", "Mauricio", "Millet", "Daye", "Claussen", "Pierrelouis", "Fleischman", "Embrey", "Durso", "Whisenant", "Rankins", "Lasky", "Askins", "Rupe", "Rochelle", "Burkes", "Kreger", "Mishler", "Heald", "Jager", "Player", "Linehan", "Horwitz", "Jacobi", "Maine", "Wiest", "Ostrom", "Sealy", "Jimerson", "Alverson", "Senior", "Hassett", "Colter", "Schleicher", "Marini", "Mcbrayer", "Arzola", "Sobel", "Frederickson", "Confer", "Tadlock", "Belmonte", "Lebrun", "Clyde", "Alleyne", "Lozoya", "Teller", "Husband", "Brigman", "Secrest", "Krajewski", "Neiman", "Trull", "Watterson", "Vanhook", "Sotomayor", "Woodrum", "Baskerville", "Finke", "Hohman", "Arp", "Hearne", "Mauk", "Danko", "Laurie", "Linderman", "Hutt", "Springfield", "Chmielewski", "Klimek", "Phinney", "Leboeuf", "Mcglone", "Holmquist", "Cogswell", "Nichol", "Klink", "Dunston", "Krawczyk", "Dart", "Woodside", "Smitherman", "Gasca", "Sala", "Foxworth", "Kammerer", "Auer", "Pegues", "Bukowski", "Koger", "Spitz", "Blomquist", "Creasy", "Bomar", "Holub", "Loney", "Garry", "Habib", "Chea", "Dupuy", "Seaver", "Sowards", "Julius", "Fulks", "Braithwaite", "Bretz", "Mccammon", "Sedillo", "Chiasson", "Oney", "Horstman", "Waites", "Mccusker", "Fenske", "Conwell", "Brokaw", "Cloyd", "Biles", "Aguinaga", "Astorga", "Demaio", "Liberty", "Kayser", "Ney", "Barthel", "Lennox", "Trautman", "Purser", "Pitzer", "Mattos", "Liss", "Clack", "Sias", "Bobb", "Stoller", "Robillard", "Almodovar", "Cribb", "Ebel", "Oyler", "Dail", "Ericksen", "Geis", "Everitt", "Cropper", "Meisner", "Skeens", "Frith", "Privett", "Braddy", "Bolick", "Severance", "Jeffreys", "Bethune", "Delcid", "Buzzard", "Broadbent", "Bono", "Addis", "Johannes", "Tims", "Castorena", "Simonsen", "Glidewell", "Mui", "Ogilvie", "Soukup", "Sunday", "Redwine", "Borton", "Schuyler", "Rudisill", "Beckford", "Pascua", "Garton", "Gilkey", "Applewhite", "Halterman", "Alsup", "Delreal", "Hubble", "Quijada", "Kropp", "Dunkle", "Lemire", "Lamontagne", "Dunkin", "Paulin", "Attaway", "Baugher", "Hornbeck", "Niehaus", "Nice", "Trimmer", "Canaday", "Maney", "Trexler", "Schmucker", "Edinger", "Massengill", "Rowlett", "Caviness", "Kam", "Chesnut", "Giardina", "Spaeth", "Gebhart", "Morano", "Salguero", "Buckland", "Reina", "Jumper", "Navas", "Thrift", "Spradley", "Bitner", "Ayer", "Harber", "Landaverde", "Mcmillion", "Naugle", "Dole", "Seagraves", "Smithers", "Frechette", "Weeden", "Caston", "Cavallaro", "Laureano", "Mandell", "Lowrance", "Baty", "Ronan", "Gigliotti", "Rossiter", "Mines", "Alatorre", "Markowski", "Berge", "Hatter", "Weakley", "Borrero", "Glazier", "Lavergne", "Sines", "Ingham", "Meltzer", "Rabinowitz", "Siciliano", "Canas", "Perna", "Struck", "Dare", "Nay", "Severino", "Mathewson", "Bouldin", "Topete", "Brunette", "Sin", "Hendren", "Brickey", "Ferrier", "Alessi", "Scheel", "Storer", "Matherne", "Mecham", "Spiker", "Hibbert", "Klingensmith", "Lefever", "Banning", "Bankhead", "Roan", "Brack", "Pascoe", "Davie", "Scheid", "Jim", "Tweedy", "Strahan", "Revis", "Fermin", "Obrian", "Motes", "Lobo", "Palmisano", "Faught", "Byington", "Garren", "Hungerford", "Vanzandt", "Gust", "Heater", "Klingler", "Delay", "Wear", "Hendley", "Threatt", "Gaughan", "Kunze", "Hessler", "Lindell", "Monteleone", "Palazzolo", "Shear", "Phares", "Cavalier", "Benning", "Urbanski", "Darrah", "Wager", "Mohn", "Vereen", "Beiler", "Hedlund", "Quade", "Wieczorek", "Cicero", "Hoekstra", "Scalf", "Ducote", "Havard", "Espiritu", "Beacham", "Bolger", "Schuller", "Sill", "Dice", "Lemmons", "Orlowski", "Lundeen", "Steck", "Stanfill", "Rakes", "Laine", "Haviland", "Durrett", "Naumann", "Donahoe", "Reif", "Franck", "Amoroso", "Belknap", "Tolle", "Perrotta", "Heyer", "Dougan", "Frakes", "Leath", "Poteat", "Violette", "Marine", "Zellner", "Granillo", "Fontanez", "Didonato", "Bradberry", "Morman", "Mentzer", "Lamoureux", "Sabatino", "Catania", "Wenner", "Pastrana", "Shenk", "Losey", "Hepburn", "Antonucci", "Egger", "Higbee", "Adames", "Reep", "Cavallo", "Bridwell", "Villalba", "Poor", "Peet", "Everette", "Arney", "Towery", "Sharon", "Trainer", "Marrow", "Cumming", "Rimmer", "Stanger", "Pinter", "Felt", "Parrett", "Garrard", "Benedetto", "Lingenfelter", "Resch", "Billy", "Mikesell", "Osterman", "Trueblood", "Redfern", "Calderone", "Placencia", "Wamsley", "Warr", "Varnado", "Harshbarger", "Topping", "Feltner", "Decosta", "Tart", "Blumberg", "Shaikh", "Culley", "Bork", "Thibeault", "Stolz", "Ramsdell", "Tedford", "Noto", "Poulson", "Daves", "Altieri", "Mendosa", "Kisner", "Grafton", "Remy", "Hartline", "Cripe", "Sher", "Mulvaney", "Ansari", "Hartfield", "Whitton", "Wathen", "Eisele", "Hinojos", "Backer", "Speaks", "Schuetz", "Novoa", "Marcos", "Mask", "Oboyle", "Kircher", "Stang", "Sibert", "Scala", "Zacarias", "Hendon", "Halvorsen", "Montalbano", "Zermeno", "Vancamp", "Grams", "Hornberger", "Binion", "Dewald", "Rives", "Sankey", "Kleinman", "Falconer", "Rumph", "Matus", "Swett", "Spinner", "Depasquale", "Gamino", "Olmsted", "Absher", "Culler", "Fryman", "Lampert", "Carlyle", "Terranova", "Dunagan", "Chouinard", "Wesolowski", "Hetherington", "Scalise", "Pendergast", "Marcano", "Joubert", "Scheller", "Whisenhunt", "Lenoir", "Mahar", "Vanlandingham", "Pecoraro", "You", "Natividad", "Daum", "Penick", "Eddington", "Deleo", "Soltis", "Santucci", "Costanza", "Hiner", "Farlow", "Hartsock", "Duprey", "Fann", "Safford", "Murtha", "Fessler", "Chien", "Paynter", "Devera", "Hoelscher", "Boltz", "Deacon", "Loo", "Enoch", "Dilorenzo", "Saville", "Mirza", "Takacs", "Drexler", "Lakin", "Geraghty", "Widmer", "Esteves", "Llanes", "Cerny", "Quist", "Hargraves", "Toma", "Tarter", "Chapple", "Alderete", "Michelson", "Clymer", "Batey", "Sealey", "Loughlin", "Preece", "Zurita", "Courville", "Desousa", "Shamblin", "Tingley", "Noles", "Misner", "Standifer", "Dinardo", "Dillow", "Bullis", "Carballo", "Everly", "Mulvihill", "Tincher", "Carle", "Lundin", "Birdsall", "Bainbridge", "Suttle", "Wightman", "Mower", "Mountain", "Bickham", "Durante", "Viveros", "Swinford", "Mcgruder", "Tapley", "Grable", "Gwynn", "Wiebe", "Stagg", "Dash", "Heitman", "Cluff", "Huertas", "Fortuna", "Lines", "Sly", "Halford", "Helsel", "Bicknell", "Blakeman", "Colangelo", "Olney", "Quinton", "Rothrock", "Renz", "Hone", "Prejean", "Oshiro", "Serio", "Latour", "Newbold", "Fitzhugh", "Songer", "Cardin", "Geter", "Barbera", "Abbas", "Caesar", "Blakeslee", "Camper", "Mcclurg", "Driskill", "Cancel", "Donelson", "Borrelli", "Donoghue", "Shoaf", "Tinajero", "Arzate", "Keesee", "Pasley", "Strode", "Morello", "Trantham", "Ackerson", "Jowers", "Brockington", "Barcia", "Lipp", "Dinger", "Ridings", "Canavan", "Rank", "Hagans", "Lampley", "Beckmann", "Bjork", "Raygoza", "Schirmer", "Longmire", "Schiavone", "Breuer", "Lore", "Stenson", "Koziol", "Channell", "Cale", "Trader", "Culberson", "Mundt", "Sickles", "Nemec", "Holl", "Stribling", "Berens", "Nauman", "Lehner", "Deem", "Castelli", "Billman", "Orndorff", "Gumm", "Davy", "Pelham", "Spotts", "Jurgens", "Sword", "Adorno", "Gorrell", "Boughton", "Bobadilla", "Mauer", "Moline", "Guay", "Holsinger", "Baranowski", "Gutierres", "Beveridge", "Marable", "Berkey", "Lamothe", "Spitler", "Carbaugh", "Hoopes", "Wilken", "Milford", "Bingaman", "Crippen", "Shock", "Yarnell", "Oman", "Wethington", "Kost", "Gaudette", "Spielman", "Foran", "Starke", "Eugene", "Birnbaum", "Navarrette", "Hussein", "Ranson", "Hedgepeth", "Doctor", "Higuera", "Brough", "Cookson", "Provencher", "Mendonca", "Gowen", "Summer", "Rutz", "Reader", "Doud", "Raven", "Toribio", "Peachey", "Gunning", "Bittle", "Vale", "Harnish", "Marano", "Aker", "Damore", "Utz", "Throckmorton", "Bulger", "Vanzant", "Pasillas", "Holmgren", "Corpus", "Longley", "Wetmore", "Carstens", "Line", "Percival", "Ayotte", "Batres", "Pipes", "Ludwick", "Alpert", "Pick", "Carlock", "Edmundson", "Feinstein", "Krouse", "Dahlgren", "Sasaki", "Lieb", "Londono", "Oloughlin", "Wardlaw", "Lineberry", "Castello", "Milstead", "Parmenter", "Riffe", "Pare", "Sitton", "Tarin", "Delcastillo", "Manor", "Calabro", "Elkin", "Grill", "Boaz", "Coco", "Chamblee", "Celestine", "Nick", "Stork", "Meekins", "Moise", "Devers", "Jun", "Kegley", "Brick", "Lobato", "Biggerstaff", "Kersten", "Jayne", "Nasser", "Southall", "Kempton", "Eaddy", "Paladino", "Berardi", "Pizzo", "Pulver", "Ohalloran", "Fromm", "Cranston", "Rowden", "Capobianco", "Kahle", "Thiessen", "Malott", "Houseman", "Maul", "Gallion", "Tressler", "Pauly", "Pellerin", "Sainz", "Firth", "Cryer", "Jeanlouis", "Mong", "Trawick", "Chronister", "Hayashi", "Posner", "Cueva", "Sherwin", "Lacasse", "Gorden", "Bohl", "Twigg", "Coan", "Hocker", "Goodale", "Urbano", "Loeb", "Perrault", "Frawley", "Carcamo", "Richburg", "Moffat", "Hennings", "Weyer", "Myatt", "Ullman", "Tunnell", "Hern", "Lopresti", "Sonnenberg", "Knisley", "Twomey", "Jaggers", "Tanksley", "Rachal", "Poppe", "Vos", "Kania", "Speakman", "Peirce", "Pound", "Romer", "Patty", "Millsaps", "Kyser", "Telford", "Hegarty", "Kellett", "Michaelis", "Halligan", "Maughan", "Herb", "Rainer", "Robichaud", "Fiscus", "Sickler", "Blom", "Lavine", "Medel", "Bolyard", "Secor", "Creekmore", "Magruder", "Haskin", "Laliberte", "Drago", "Bernabe", "Leader", "Cavin", "Lukens", "Vassallo", "Pletcher", "Fuson", "Hasson", "Huckabee", "Edington", "Eichler", "Hering", "Vong", "Mardis", "Gu", "Segarra", "Bilyeu", "Runion", "Fragoso", "Gama", "Dunton", "Frady", "Lewellen", "Crumpler", "Jeske", "Furlow", "Delapena", "Kale", "Massengale", "Hamlet", "Galli", "Esteban", "Greeson", "Shue", "Pollak", "Pinney", "Ruffner", "Maitland", "Steven", "Hockett", "Fraire", "Mulhern", "Elbert", "Hoggard", "Labarge", "Silcox", "Saez", "Sluder", "Stamp", "Darlington", "Mccarroll", "Pillow", "Palazzo", "Blaha", "Demaria", "Swanger", "Winningham", "Lippincott", "Dake", "Goldsberry", "Seidl", "Woolfolk", "Murawski", "Hobart", "Kimber", "Nilsson", "Stough", "Almendarez", "Nevels", "Fasano", "Salmons", "Denmark", "Lathan", "Mosely", "Stengel", "Mendieta", "Felice", "Drown", "Vidrine", "Callihan", "Polston", "Howze", "Eakins", "Leek", "Featherstone", "Lajoie", "Athey", "Asuncion", "Ashbaugh", "Orman", "Morrissette", "Peart", "Hamner", "Zell", "Dry", "Dieter", "Terrones", "Campuzano", "Reveles", "Bakker", "Banister", "Arceo", "Dhillon", "Normand", "Shavers", "Ginsburg", "Go", "Rubinstein", "Arens", "Clutter", "Jaques", "Traxler", "Hackler", "Cisco", "Starrett", "Ceron", "Gillenwater", "Ottinger", "Caster", "Blakemore", "Thorsen", "Molinar", "Baur", "Hower", "Haldeman", "Oliveri", "Mcalpin", "Standish", "Bengtson", "Strack", "Cordoba", "Blackstock", "Barna", "Schantz", "Hawkinson", "Breese", "Saba", "Camden", "Gwaltney", "Corliss", "Smit", "Cruise", "Mcneese", "Duggins", "Laub", "Burman", "Kenworthy", "Spohn", "Santini", "Nuttall", "Willison", "Stjean", "Shabazz", "Manes", "Gerry", "Mclamb", "Koepke", "Reeser", "Ogburn", "Wegener", "Risinger", "Carrero", "Livermore", "Brewton", "Harsh", "Utterback", "Lecompte", "Schnabel", "Ting", "Honea", "Stryker", "Foshee", "Baptista", "Gravely", "Courson", "Goyette", "Leitch", "Tasker", "Laurence", "Reneau", "Voight", "Tilson", "Range", "Hallam", "Dufrene", "Boice", "Shrewsbury", "Sturges", "Lenard", "Sistrunk", "Weitz", "Carnevale", "Hepner", "Wehner", "Callen", "Oshaughnessy", "Wingert", "Mouser", "Palmore", "Rugg", "Elia", "Alcazar", "Avitia", "Penton", "Brisco", "Ambrosio", "Wardlow", "Leaf", "Rowles", "Buggs", "Dittmer", "Schweizer", "Puleo", "Vaden", "Haughton", "Cardinale", "Seguin", "Ruddy", "Minard", "Stalker", "Bennington", "Hilt", "Works", "Broadus", "Engels", "Haddix", "Buster", "Recker", "Bopp", "Wilton", "Costantino", "Boots", "Falkner", "Tennison", "Mcgary", "Holz", "Lofgren", "Putney", "Christner", "Fruge", "Vassar", "Vankirk", "Spoon", "Pearlman", "Guertin", "Meece", "Sartain", "Petterson", "Primm", "Cardillo", "Dryer", "Hartshorn", "Dane", "Chaisson", "Espitia", "Creager", "Disalvo", "Janik", "Parente", "Paiva", "Slaven", "Tague", "Kujawa", "Gruver", "Foor", "Frampton", "Prokop", "Mettler", "Collis", "Lamkin", "Shuey", "Tepper", "Colyer", "Masi", "Trumble", "Guice", "Hurwitz", "Windle", "Mccully", "Cutting", "Stotler", "Grullon", "Wagstaff", "Morfin", "Dehaan", "Noon", "Flesher", "Ferri", "Covell", "Coll", "Lucy", "Albaugh", "Testerman", "Gordillo", "Jepson", "Brinkerhoff", "Calle", "Crowl", "Mcelwain", "Chumley", "Brockett", "Thoms", "Revell", "Garzon", "Polak", "Rothenberg", "Socha", "Vallejos", "Felty", "Peguero", "Ping", "Tso", ], + "first-spanish": [ + "Maria Carmen", + "Maria", + "Carmen", + "Josefa", + "Isabel", + "Ana Maria", + "Maria Pilar", + "Maria Dolores", + "Maria Teresa", + "Ana", + "Laura", + "Maria Angeles", + "Cristina", + "Francisca", + "Marta", + "Antonia", + "Dolores", + "Maria Isabel", + "Maria Jose", + "Lucia", + "Maria Luisa", + "Sara", + "Elena", + "Pilar", + "Paula", + "Concepcion", + "Manuela", + "Rosa Maria", + "Raquel", + "Mercedes", + "Maria Jesus", + "Rosario", + "Juana", + "Teresa", + "Beatriz", + "Encarnacion", + "Nuria", + "Silvia", + "Julia", + "Montserrat", + "Irene", + "Patricia", + "Rosa", + "Alba", + "Andrea", + "Rocio", + "Monica", + "Maria Mar", + "Angela", + "Alicia", + "Sonia", + "Sandra", + "Susana", + "Marina", + "Margarita", + "Yolanda", + "Natalia", + "Maria Josefa", + "Maria Rosario", + "Inmaculada", + "Eva", + "Maria Mercedes", + "Esther", + "Ana Isabel", + "Claudia", + "Angeles", + "Noelia", + "Veronica", + "Carla", + "Amparo", + "Carolina", + "Maria Rosa", + "Maria Victoria", + "Nerea", + "Sofia", + "Eva Maria", + "Maria Concepcion", + "Lorena", + "Ana Belen", + "Miriam", + "Victoria", + "Ines", + "Maria Elena", + "Maria Antonia", + "Catalina", + "Consuelo", + "Maria Nieves", + "Lidia", + "Emilia", + "Luisa", + "Celia", + "Gloria", + "Olga", + "Daniela", + "Aurora", + "Esperanza", + "Maria Soledad", + "Alejandra", + "Milagros", + "Josefina", + "Maria Cristina", + "Fatima", + "Ainhoa", + "Virginia", + "Maria Luz", + "Clara", + "Purificacion", + "Vanesa", + "Anna", + "Lourdes", + "Begoña", + "Isabel Maria", + "Maria Belen", + "Martina", + "Estefania", + "Blanca", + "Magdalena", + "Adriana", + "Elisa", + "Maria Begoña", + "Maria Asuncion", + "Asuncion", + "Vicenta", + "Matilde", + "Araceli", + "Gema", + "Maria Paz", + "Remedios", + "Belen", + "Maria Lourdes", + "Trinidad", + "Maria Esther", + "Elvira", + "Soledad", + "Natividad", + "Tamara", + "Vanessa", + "Paloma", + "Gemma", + "Ascension", + "Rebeca", + "Maria Cruz", + "Almudena", + "Felisa", + "Laia", + "Mireia", + "Maria Inmaculada", + "Nieves", + "Rafaela", + "Noemi", + "Maria Amparo", + "Adela", + "Tania", + "Maria Eugenia", + "Amalia", + "Amelia", + "Jessica", + "Ariadna", + "Juana Maria", + "Ramona", + "Diana", + "Emma", + "Maria Rocio", + "Carmen Maria", + "Carlota", + "Joaquina", + "Aitana", + "Leonor", + "Valeria", + "Leire", + "Petra", + "Mariana", + "Barbara", + "Guadalupe", + "Leticia", + "Valentina", + "Elisabet", + "Juliana", + "Ainara", + "Noa", + "Cecilia", + "Agustina", + "Rosalia", + "Maria Magdalena", + "Judith", + "Lara", + "Maria Encarnacion", + "Ester", + "Jennifer", + "Sheila", + "Estrella", + "Adoracion", + "Aroa", + "Judit", + "Maria Francisca", + "Gabriela", + "Berta", + "Alexandra", + "Soraya", + "Antonio", + "Jose", + "Manuel", + "Francisco", + "Juan", + "David", + "Jose Antonio", + "Javier", + "Jose Luis", + "Francisco Javier", + "Daniel", + "Jesus", + "Carlos", + "Miguel", + "Alejandro", + "Jose Manuel", + "Rafael", + "Pedro", + "Miguel Angel", + "Angel", + "Jose Maria", + "Fernando", + "Pablo", + "Luis", + "Sergio", + "Jorge", + "Alberto", + "Juan Carlos", + "Juan Jose", + "Alvaro", + "Diego", + "Adrian", + "Raul", + "Juan Antonio", + "Enrique", + "Ramon", + "Ivan", + "Vicente", + "Ruben", + "Oscar", + "Andres", + "Joaquin", + "Juan Manuel", + "Santiago", + "Eduardo", + "Victor", + "Roberto", + "Jaime", + "Francisco Jose", + "Mario", + "Ignacio", + "Alfonso", + "Marcos", + "Salvador", + "Ricardo", + "Jordi", + "Emilio", + "Julian", + "Guillermo", + "Julio", + "Gabriel", + "Tomas", + "Agustin", + "Jose Miguel", + "Hugo", + "Marc", + "Gonzalo", + "Jose Ramon", + "Mohamed", + "Felix", + "Joan", + "Nicolas", + "Ismael", + "Cristian", + "Samuel", + "Martin", + "Josep", + "Mariano", + "Aitor", + "Juan Francisco", + "Domingo", + "Alfredo", + "Jose Carlos", + "Sebastian", + "Hector", + "Cesar", + "Felipe", + "Iker", + "Jose Angel", + "Jose Ignacio", + "Victor Manuel", + "Alex", + "Luis Miguel", + "Gregorio", + "Rodrigo", + "Jose Francisco", + "Lucas", + "Juan Luis", + "Albert", + "Xavier", + "Lorenzo", + "Esteban", + "Cristobal", + "Antonio Jose", + "Arturo", + "Eugenio", + "Borja", + "Pau", + "Jose Javier", + "Juan Miguel", + "Jesus Maria", + "Antonio Jesus", + "Jaume", + "Francisco Manuel", + "Aaron", + "Valentin", + "Isaac", + "German", + "Jonathan", + "Pedro Jose", + "Jose Vicente", + "Mateo", + "Mohammed", + "Abel", + "Eric", + "Asier", + "Joel", + "Moises", + "Adolfo", + "Juan Ramon", + "Mikel", + "Sergi", + "Christian", + "Juan Pedro", + "Benito", + "Ahmed", + "Isidro", + "Manuel Jesus", + "Iñigo", + "Unai", + "Ernesto", + "Bernardo", + "Gerardo", + "Dario", + "Izan", + "Gerard", + "Carmelo", + "Miquel", + "Jon", + "Antonio Manuel", + "Pascual", + "Israel", + "Federico", + "Oriol", + "Francesc", + "Pol", + "Omar", + "Eloy", + "Jonatan", + "Arnau", + "Bruno", + "Bartolome", + "Jesus Manuel", + "Jose Alberto", + "Marcelino", + "Josep Maria", + "Juan Jesus", + "Luis Alberto", + "Fermin", + "Pere", + "Benjamin", + "Iñaki", + "Aurelio", + "Marco", + "Lluis", + "Antoni", + "Adria", + "Elias", + "Roger", + "Carles", + "Pedro Antonio", + "Kevin", + "Jose Enrique", + "Matias", + "Marco Antonio", + "Juan Pablo", + "Alonso", + "Eusebio", + "Angel Luis", + "Jacinto", + "Juan Ignacio", + "Carlos Alberto", + "Victoriano", + "Guillem", + "Jeronimo", + "Francisco Jesus", + "Adam", + "Ander", + "Alexander", + ], + "last-spanish": [ + "Garcia", + "Gonzalez", + "Rodriguez", + "Fernandez", + "Lopez", + "Martinez", + "Sanchez", + "Perez", + "Gomez", + "Martin", + "Jimenez", + "Ruiz", + "Hernandez", + "Diaz", + "Moreno", + "Muñoz", + "Alvarez", + "Romero", + "Alonso", + "Gutierrez", + "Navarro", + "Torres", + "Dominguez", + "Vazquez", + "Ramos", + "Gil", + "Ramirez", + "Serrano", + "Blanco", + "Molina", + "Morales", + "Suarez", + "Ortega", + "Delgado", + "Castro", + "Ortiz", + "Rubio", + "Marin", + "Sanz", + "Nuñez", + "Iglesias", + "Medina", + "Garrido", + "Cortes", + "Castillo", + "Santos", + "Lozano", + "Guerrero", + "Cano", + "Prieto", + "Mendez", + "Calvo", + "Cruz", + "Gallego", + "Vidal", + "Leon", + "Marquez", + "Herrera", + "Peña", + "Flores", + "Cabrera", + "Campos", + "Vega", + "Fuentes", + "Diez", + "Carrasco", + "Caballero", + "Nieto", + "Reyes", + "Aguilar", + "Pascual", + "Herrero", + "Santana", + "Lorenzo", + "Montero", + "Hidalgo", + "Gimenez", + "Ibañez", + "Ferrer", + "Duran", + "Santiago", + "Vicente", + "Benitez", + "Mora", + "Arias", + "Vargas", + "Carmona", + "Crespo", + "Roman", + "Pastor", + "Soto", + "Saez", + "Velasco", + "Moya", + "Soler", + "Esteban", + "Parra", + "Bravo", + "Gallardo", + "Rojas", + "Pardo", + "Merino", + "Franco", + "Espinosa", + "Lara", + "Izquierdo", + "Rivas", + "Rivera", + "Casado", + "Camacho", + "Arroyo", + "Redondo", + "Vera", + "Rey", + "Silva", + "Galan", + "Luque", + "Otero", + "Montes", + "Sierra", + "Rios", + "Segura", + "Carrillo", + "Marcos", + "Marti", + "Soriano", + "Mendoza", + "Bernal", + "Robles", + "Vila", + "Valero", + "Heredia", + "Exposito", + "Palacios", + "Macias", + "Benito", + "Varela", + "Guerra", + "Andres", + "Roldan", + "Bueno", + "Mateo", + "Contreras", + "Villar", + "Pereira", + "Miranda", + "Guillen", + "Mateos", + "Escudero", + "Aguilera", + "Casas", + "Aparicio", + "Menendez", + "Rivero", + "Estevez", + "Padilla", + "Beltran", + "Galvez", + "Calderon", + "Rico", + "Gracia", + "Jurado", + "Conde", + "Abad", + "Salas", + "Quintana", + "Plaza", + "Acosta", + "Aranda", + "Bermudez", + "Blazquez", + "Roca", + "Salazar", + "Guzman", + "Santamaria", + "Miguel", + "Costa", + "Manzano", + "Villanueva", + "Serra", + "Cuesta", + "Hurtado", + "Tomas", + "Trujillo", + "Rueda", + "Avila", + "Pacheco", + "De La Fuente", + "Simon", + "Mesa", + "Pons", + "Lazaro", + "Del Rio", + "Sancho", + "Escobar", + "Millan", + "Luna", + "Alarcon", + "Zamora", + "Blasco", + "Castaño", + "Salvador", + "Bermejo", + "Ballesteros", + "Paredes", + "Valverde", + "Maldonado", + "Anton", + "Bautista", + "Valle", + "Ponce", + "Oliva", + "De La Cruz", + "Lorente", + "Cordero", + "Rodrigo", + "Juan", + "Montoya", + "Collado", + "Mas", + "Pozo", + "Murillo", + "Cuevas", + "Martos", + "Cuenca", + "Quesada", + "Barroso", + "Marco", + "Barrera", + "De La Torre", + "Ros", + "Ordoñez", + "Chen", + "Alba", + "Cabello", + "Gimeno", + "Corral", + "Pulido", + "Navas", + "Rojo", + "Arenas", + "Puig", + "Aguado", + "Saiz", + "Soria", + "Domingo", + "Amador", + "Galindo", + "Escribano", + "Mena", + "Vallejo", + "Asensio", + "Caro", + "Valencia", + "Ramon", + "Lucas", + "Polo", + "Naranjo", + "Reina", + "Mata", + "Villalba", + "Aguirre", + "Linares", + "Moran", + "Paz", + "Ojeda", + "Leal", + "Burgos", + "Carretero", + "Oliver", + "Bonilla", + "Sosa", + "Aragon", + "Roig", + "Mohamed", + "Carrion", + "Clemente", + "Castellano", + "Cordoba", + "Villa", + "Caceres", + "Rosa", + "Andreu", + "Carrera", + "Hernando", + "Calero", + "Cardenas", + "Cobo", + "Chacon", + "Juarez", + "Alcaraz", + "Velazquez", + "Correa", + "Sola", + "Saavedra", + "Domenech", + "Toledo", + "Riera", + "Zapata", + ], + "first-french": [ + "Aaron", + "Aarons", + "Aaronson", + "Abb", + "Abbee", + "Abberley", + "Abbiss", + "Abbot", + "Abdallah", + "Abel", + "Abendroth", + "Abercrombie", + "Aberdeen", + "Aberdene", + "Abernethy", + "Abijah", + "Abner", + "Abney", + "Abraham", + "Absolam", + "Acheson", + "Ackart", + "Ackerley", + "Ackerman", + "Ackers", + "Ackland", + "Ackman", + "Ackworth", + "Acreman", + "Acres", + "Acroyd", + "Acton", + "Ada", + "Adair", + "Adams", + "Adcock", + "Addenbrooke", + "Adderley", + "Addison", + "Adee", + "Adie", + "Adkins", + "Adlam", + "Adlar", + "Adlington", + "Adnett", + "Adolphus", + "Adrian", + "Adshead", + "Affleck", + "Agan", + "Agar", + "Agate", + "Aglionby", + "Agnew", + "Aguiler", + "Ahern", + "Aiken", + "Aikman", + "Ainsworth", + "Aird", + "Aiston", + "Aitkin", + "Aiton", + "Akam", + "Aked", + "Akehurst", + "Akeman", + "Aken", + "Akerman", + "Akers", + "Akin", + "Alan", + "Alanson", + "Albany", + "Albert", + "Albin", + "Albrecht", + "Albright", + "Albury", + "Alcock", + "Alcott", + "Aldcroft", + "Alden", + "Alderman", + "Aldersey", + "Alderslade", + "Aldersmith", + "Alderton", + "Aldham", + "Aldis", + "Aldjoy", + "Aldred", + "Aldridge", + "Aldwin", + "Aldworth", + "Alexander", + "Alford", + "Alfort", + "Alfred", + "Algar", + "Alger", + "Alice", + "Allan", + "Allchin", + "Allcorn", + "Allen", + "Allenby", + "Allendorf", + "Alley", + "Allgood", + "Alliman", + "Allingham", + "Allington", + "Allinson", + "Allison", + "Allman", + "Alloway", + "Allwood", + "Allworthy", + "Allwright", + "Almey", + "Almgill", + "Almond", + "Alp", + "Alpin", + "Alsford", + "Alsop", + "Althorp", + "Alton", + "Alvarez", + "Alverston", + "Alverton", + "Alvin", + "Alvord", + "Alwin", + "Amaker", + "Ambler", + "Ambrose", + "Amery", + "Ames", + "Amherst", + "Ammadon", + "Amoore", + "Ampte", + "Amy", + "Anastasia", + "Andarton", + "Anderson", + "Andrew", + "Angel", + "Angell", + "Anger", + "Angevine", + "Angle", + "Angood", + "Angus", + "Anker", + "Annan", + "Annesley", + "Annandale", + "Anscombe", + "Ansell", + "Anselm", + "Anson", + "Anstruther", + "Anthon", + "Anthony", + "Anton", + "Anwell", + "Appleby", + "Applegarth", + "Applegate", + "Applethwaite", + "Appleton", + "Apps", + "Apsey", + "Arblaster", + "Arbuthnot", + "Arceneau", + "Archibald", + "Ardal", + "Arderne", + "Ardgall", + "Ardley", + "Argent", + "Argyle", + "Arkle", + "Arkwright", + "Arlon", + "Armes", + "Armfield", + "Armistead", + "Armitage", + "Armitstead", + "Armour", + "Armsted", + "Armstrong", + "Arnold", + "Arrowsmith", + "Arthur", + "Artois", + "Arundale", + "Arundel", + "Arzt", + "Ascall", + "Asgall", + "Ashburner", + "Ashburton", + "Ashbury", + "Ashby", + "Ashcroft", + "Asher", + "Ashford", + "Ashley", + "Ashton", + "Ashwin", + "Askew", + "Askwith", + "Aslett", + "Aspinwall", + "Astley", + "Aston", + "Astor", + "Atherton", + "Athill", + "Athol", + "Athow", + "Atkins", + "Attree", + "Atwater", + "Atwell", + "Atwood", + "Aubrey", + "Auchinleck", + "Auchmuty", + "Aucoin", + "Audley", + "Augustine", + "Auld", + "Ault", + "Aurelia", + "Aurora", + "Austin", + "Avelin", + "Averill", + "Avery", + "Avis", + "Axton", + "Ayleward", + "Aylmer", + "Aylsworth", + "Ayres", + "Ayton", + "Baba", + "Babb", + "Babcock", + "Baber", + "Babin", + "Babineaux", + "Babington", + "Bachelor", + "Backe", + "Backer", + "Backhouse", + "Backman", + "Backster", + "Bacon", + "Badam", + "Badeau", + "Bader", + "Badgely", + "Badger", + "Bagley", + "Bagot", + "Bagshawe", + "Bailey", + "Baillie", + "Bain", + "Bainbridge", + "Bains", + "Baisley", + "Baits", + "Baker", + "Bakewell", + "Balch", + "Balcombe", + "Balder", + "Balderston", + "Balding", + "Baldock", + "Baldrey", + "Baldwin", + "Balen", + "Balfe", + "Balfour", + "Balgowan", + "Ball", + "Ballantine", + "Ballantyne", + "Ballard", + "Balliol", + "Balloch", + "Balmer", + "Balshaw", + "Bamber", + "Bambery", + "Bamborough", + "Bambridge", + "Bambrough", + "Bamburgh", + "Bambury", + "Bamfield", + "Bamford", + "Bampton", + "Bancho", + "Bancroft", + "Bangs", + "Bannan", + "Bannatyne", + "Bannerman", + "Banning", + "Bannister", + "Bant", + "Banta", + "Banton", + "Banvard", + "Banyard", + "Bar", + "Barber", + "Barclay", + "Barcula", + "Barculo", + "Bard", + "Bardrick", + "Barfield", + "Barfoot", + "Barhydt", + "Barker", + "Barnabas", + "Barnaby", + "Barnard", + "Barnby", + "Barnes", + "Barnet", + "Barney", + "Barnum", + "Barnwell", + "Baron", + "Barr", + "Barras", + "Barrell", + "Barret", + "Barringer", + "Barron", + "Barrow", + "Barry", + "Barstow", + "Bartholomew", + "Bartlett", + "Barton", + "Bartul", + "Barwick", + "Basford", + "Basil", + "Basset", + "Bateman", + "Bates", + "Bath", + "Bathe", + "Bathgate", + "Bathurst", + "Battcock", + "Bauer", + "Bauerdt", + "Baum", + "Bauman", + "Baumann", + "Baur", + "Baurerdt", + "Baxter", + "Bayer", + "Bayerle", + "Bayr", + "Beach", + "Beacher", + "Beadle", + "Beal", + "Beatty", + "Beauchamp", + "Beaufort", + "Beaumont", + "Beauvais", + "Beck", + "Becker", + "Beckett", + "Beckford", + "Beckley", + "Beckman", + "Beckwith", + "Bedale", + "Beddau", + "Bede", + "Bedeau", + "Bedell", + "Bedford", + "Beecher", + "Beers", + "Begg", + "Belcher", + "Belden", + "Bell", + "Bellamont", + "Bellamy", + "Bellew", + "Bellinger", + "Belmont", + "Belvidere", + "Benedict", + "Benjamin", + "Bennett", + "Benoit", + "Benson", + "Bent", + "Bentley", + "Beorn", + "Beresford", + "Berger", + "Bergeron", + "Berkeley", + "Bernard", + "Berry", + "Bertram", + "Bertrand", + "Bessette", + "Bethune", + "Betts", + "Bevan", + "Beveridge", + "Beverly", + "Bewley", + "Beyer", + "Bickersteth", + "Biddle", + "Biddulph", + "Bierman", + "Biermeyer", + "Bierwirth", + "Bigalow", + "Biggar", + "Biggore", + "Bigler", + "Bigod", + "Bigot", + "Bigsby", + "Billings", + "Bing", + "Bingham", + "Binney", + "Biorn", + "Birch", + "Birely", + "Birney", + "Birney", + "Bixby", + "Blackburn", + "Blackwood", + "Blain", + "Blair", + "Blaisdale", + "Blake", + "Blakeman", + "Blanc", + "Bland", + "Blaney", + "Blasedale", + "Blauvelt", + "Bleeker", + "Blin", + "Bliss", + "Bliven", + "Blood", + "Bloss", + "Blount", + "Blundell", + "Blunt", + "Blyth", + "Boardman", + "Bock", + "Bocock", + "Bodine", + "Bodley", + "Bogart", + "Bogue", + "Bolingbroke", + "Bolster", + "Bolton", + "Bonar", + "Bond", + "Bonnal", + "Bonner", + "Bonnet", + "Bonney", + "Bontecou", + "Boorman", + "Booth", + "Bordoel", + "Borland", + "Borrail", + "Boscawen", + "Bostwick", + "Boswell", + "Bottesford", + "Boucher", + "Boughton", + "Bourg", + "Bourne", + "Bourque", + "Boutin", + "Bouvier", + "Bovie", + "Bowen", + "Bowers", + "Bowes", + "Bowles", + "Bowman", + "Bowne", + "Bowyer", + "Boyd", + "Boyer", + "Boyle", + "Boynton", + "Bracy", + "Bradburn", + "Bradford", + "Brady", + "Bragg", + "Braine", + "Braman", + "Bramhall", + "Bran", + "Brand", + "Brande", + "Brandon", + "Brandreth", + "Bratt", + "Braud", + "Brauer", + "Braun", + "Breck", + "Breckenridge", + "Breed", + "Breese", + "Brendon", + "Brenigan", + "Brenin", + "Brennan", + "Brenner", + "Brentwood", + "Breton", + "Brett", + "Breuer", + "Breuilly", + "Brewer", + "Brian", + "Briant", + "Briare", + "Brice", + "Brick", + "Bride", + "Bridge", + "Bridges", + "Bridgman", + "Brienne", + "Brierly", + "Briggs", + "Brighton", + "Brill", + "Brimmer", + "Brinker", + "Brinkerhoff", + "Brion", + "Brisban", + "Brisbin", + "Bristed", + "Bristol", + "Bristow", + "Brittan", + "Britte", + "Britten", + "Britton", + "Brock", + "Brocklesby", + "Brodie", + "Brodt", + "Brome", + "Bromfeld", + "Bromley", + "Bronson", + "Brooks", + "Broome", + "Broster", + "Brotherson", + "Brougham", + "Broughton", + "Broussard", + "Brower", + "Brown", + "Brownson", + "Bruce", + "Bruder", + "Brun", + "Brunner", + "Brunson", + "Brux", + "Bruyere", + "Bryan", + "Bryant", + "Bryce", + "Bryn", + "Buchan", + "Buchanan", + "Bucher", + "Buchholz", + "Buck", + "Buckbee", + "Buckhout", + "Buckingham", + "Buckley", + "Bucklin", + "Buckmaster", + "Buckminster", + "Buckston", + "Budd", + "Buddington", + "Buel", + "Bulkeley", + "Bull", + "Bullard", + "Buller", + "Bullions", + "Bullock", + "Bun", + "Bunnell", + "Bunting", + "Bunyan", + "Burbeck", + "Burby", + "Burd", + "Burden", + "Burder", + "Burdett", + "Burg", + "Burger", + "Burgess", + "Burgos", + "Burgoyne", + "Burke", + "Burlase", + "Burleigh", + "Burnett", + "Burnham", + "Burns", + "Burnside", + "Burr", + "Burrard", + "Burrell", + "Burt", + "Burtis", + "Burton", + "Bushnell", + "Bushwell", + "Busk", + "Buskirk", + "Bussey", + "Butler", + "Butman", + "Butts", + "Buxton", + "Byfield", + "Bygby", + "Byington", + "Byrne", + "Byron", + "Cabbell - Cazenove", + "Cearn - Ceeley", + "Chad - Cilly", + "Clack - Clynch", + "Coad - Cozens", + "Crabb - Cryer", + "Cubbage - Cyncad", + "Dabbin", + "Dabbs", + "Dabell", + "Dabin", + "Dabney", + "Dacey", + "Dack", + "Dacre", + "Dacy", + "Dadd", + "Dadds", + "Daddson", + "Dade", + "Daff", + "Daffe", + "Daft", + "Dag", + "Dagg", + "Daggett", + "Dagley", + "Daglish", + "Dagnall", + "Dagnell", + "Dagwell", + "Dailey", + "Daily", + "Dain", + "Daine", + "Daines", + "Dains", + "Dainton", + "Daintree", + "Daish", + "Daker", + "Dakers", + "Dakin", + "Dakins", + "Dalbey", + "Dalbiac", + "Dalby", + "Dale", + "Dales", + "Daley", + "Dalgety", + "Dalgleish", + "Dalgliesh", + "Dalglish", + "Dallamoor", + "Dallas", + "Dallaway", + "Dalley", + "Dallimore", + "Dallin", + "Dalling", + "Dallow", + "Dalloway", + "Dally", + "Dallyng", + "Dalmain", + "Dalman", + "Dalry", + "Dalrymple", + "Dalsell", + "Dalston", + "Dalton", + "Daltree", + "Daltrey", + "Daltry", + "Daly", + "Dalyell", + "Dalzel", + "Dalzell", + "Dalziel", + "Damant", + "Damont", + "Dampier", + "Dams", + "Damsell", + "Dan", + "Dana", + "Danby", + "Dancaster", + "Dance", + "Dancey", + "Dancock", + "Dancocks", + "Dancy", + "Dand", + "Dando", + "Dandridge", + "Dandy", + "Dane", + "Danes", + "Danford", + "Danforth", + "Dangar", + "Danger", + "Dangerfield", + "Daniel", + "Daniell", + "Daniels", + "Danker", + "Dankin", + "Danks", + "Dann", + "Dannatt", + "Dannett", + "Dansie", + "Danson", + "Danvers", + "Darbishire", + "Darby", + "Darbyshire", + "Darch", + "Darcy", + "Dare", + "Dargue", + "Dark", + "Darke", + "Darker", + "Darley", + "Darling", + "Darlingson", + "Darlington", + "Darlinson", + "Darlison", + "Darly", + "Darnall", + "Darnell", + "Darnley", + "Darnton", + "Darrell", + "Darrington", + "Darroch", + "Darsey", + "Darsie", + "Darton", + "Darvell", + "Darville", + "Darwen", + "Darwin", + "Darwood", + "Dash", + "Dashwood", + "Daubeny", + "Dauber", + "D'Aubigne", + "Daubney", + "Dauby", + "Dauche", + "Dauchy", + "Daugherty", + "Dauglish", + "Daulby", + "Daulton", + "Daun", + "Daunay", + "Dauncey", + "Dauney", + "Daunt", + "Daunton", + "Dautry", + "Davage", + "Davall", + "Daven", + "Davenport", + "Davey", + "David", + "Davidge", + "Davids", + "Davidson", + "Davie", + "Davies", + "Davin", + "Davis", + "Davison", + "Davitt", + "Davoll", + "Davson", + "Davy", + "Davys", + "Daw", + "Dawbarn", + "Dawber", + "Dawbin", + "Dawborn", + "Dawe", + "Dawes", + "Dawkes", + "Dawkin", + "Dawkins", + "Dawks", + "Dawnay", + "Dawney", + "Daws", + "Dawson", + "Dawton", + "Dawtrey", + "Dawtry", + "Day", + "Daycock", + "Dayes", + "Daykin", + "Dayman", + "Daymon", + "Daymond", + "Daymont", + "Daynes", + "Dayrall", + "Dayrell", + "Days", + "Dayson", + "Dayton", + "Deacock", + "Deacon", + "Deadman", + "Deaken", + "Deakin", + "Deal", + "Deale", + "Dealtry", + "Dean", + "Deane", + "Deanes", + "Deans", + "Dear", + "Dearden", + "Deare", + "Deares", + "Dearing", + "Dearle", + "Dearlove", + "Dearman", + "Dearn", + "Dearne", + "Dearsley", + "Deary", + "Deas", + "Deason", + "Death", + "Deathe", + "Deaton", + "Debenham", + "Debnam", + "Decker", + "Dedman", + "Dee", + "Deeble", + "Deed", + "Deeds", + "Deegan", + "Deeks", + "Deem", + "Deeme", + "Deemer", + "Deen", + "Deens", + "Deeprose", + "Deer", + "Deere", + "Deerhurst", + "Deering", + "Deeth", + "Defoe", + "Defrece", + "Defries", + "Defriez", + "DeGraff", + "DeGroot", + "Deighton", + "Delaflote", + "Delamare", + "Delamater", + "Delamere", + "Delamore", + "Delancy", + "Delane", + "Delaney", + "Delany", + "Delauney", + "Delf", + "Delgado", + "Dell", + "Deller", + "Dellow", + "Delorme", + "Delve", + "Delven", + "Delves", + "Demer", + "Dempsey", + "Dempster", + "Denbeigh", + "Denbigh", + "Denby", + "Dench", + "Dendy", + "Dene", + "Denew", + "Denford", + "Denham", + "Denholm", + "Denholme", + "Denington", + "Denio", + "Denis", + "Denison", + "Denley", + "Denman", + "Denn", + "Dennant", + "Denne", + "Dennes", + "Denness", + "Dennett", + "Denney", + "Denning", + "Dennington", + "Dennis", + "Dennison", + "Denniss", + "Dennitt", + "Dennitts", + "Denny", + "Densem", + "Densham", + "Denson", + "Densumbe", + "Dent", + "Denton", + "Denver", + "Denvir", + "Denyer", + "Depaul", + "Depledge", + "Derby", + "Derbyshire", + "Derham", + "Dering", + "Dermott", + "Derrick", + "Derry", + "Desborough", + "Desmarais", + "Desmond", + "Devaney", + "Devenish", + "Devenny", + "Devenpeck", + "Deverall", + "De Vere", + "Devereaux", + "Deverell", + "Devereux", + "Deverill", + "Devey", + "Deville", + "Devin", + "Devine", + "Devitt", + "Devlin", + "Devon", + "Devonish", + "Devonport", + "Devonshire", + "De Vries", + "Dew", + "Dewar", + "Dewdney", + "Dewer", + "Dewes", + "Dewey", + "Dewhirst", + "Dewhurst", + "Dewilde", + "Dewin", + "Dewing", + "Dews", + "Dewsbery", + "Dewsbury", + "Dewsnap", + "Dewson", + "Dexter", + "Dey", + "Deye", + "Deyes", + "Deykin", + "Diamant", + "Diament", + "Diamond", + "Diarmaid", + "Dias", + "Diaz", + "Dibb", + "Dibben", + "Dibbens", + "Dibbin", + "Dibble", + "Dibbs", + "Dibden", + "Dibdin", + "Dibin", + "Dible", + "Dibley", + "Diccon", + "Dicey", + "Dick", + "Dickason", + "Dicken", + "Dickens", + "Dickenson", + "Dicker", + "Dickerson", + "Dickeson", + "Dickey", + "Dickie", + "Dickin", + "Dickins", + "Dickinson", + "Dickman", + "Dicks", + "Dicksee", + "Dicksie", + "Dickson", + "Dicky", + "Didcott", + "Didsbury", + "Diefendorf", + "Digby", + "Diggens", + "Diggins", + "Diggle", + "Diggles", + "Diggons", + "Dighton", + "Digman", + "Dignam", + "Dignan", + "Dignum", + "Dilcock", + "Dilke", + "Dill", + "Dillamore", + "Dilley", + "Dillimore", + "Dilling", + "Dillingham", + "Dillnutt", + "Dillon", + "Dillworth", + "Dilly", + "Dilnott", + "Dilnutt", + "Dilworth", + "Diment", + "Dimes", + "Dimmock", + "Dimock", + "Dimond", + "Dimsdale", + "Dinaley", + "Dineley", + "Dingle", + "Dingley", + "Dingwall", + "Dingwell", + "Dinham", + "Dinley", + "Dinmore", + "Dinn", + "Dinneford", + "Dinning", + "Dinnis", + "Dinsdale", + "Dinsmor", + "Dinton", + "Dinwiddie", + "Dinwiddy", + "Dinwoodie", + "Diplock", + "Dippell", + "Dipple", + "Diprose", + "Disher", + "Disley", + "Disney", + "Diss", + "Ditchfield", + "Ditton", + "Dittrich", + "Dive", + "Dives", + "Dix", + "Dixey", + "Dixie", + "Dixon", + "Dixson", + "Doane", + "Dobb", + "Dobbie", + "Dobbin", + "Dobbing", + "Dobbins", + "Dobbinson", + "Dobbs", + "Dobbson", + "Dobby", + "Dobell", + "Dobie", + "Dobing", + "Dobinson", + "Doble", + "Doblin", + "Dobney", + "Dobree", + "Dobson", + "Docherty", + "Docker", + "Dockerell", + "Dockerill", + "Dockerty", + "Dockery", + "Dockett", + "Dockray", + "Dockreay", + "Dockrell", + "Dockrey", + "Docwra", + "Dod", + "Dodd", + "Dodding", + "Doddington", + "Doddridge", + "Dodds", + "Dodge", + "Dodgshon", + "Dodgshun", + "Dodgson", + "Dodimead", + "Dodington", + "Dodkin", + "Dodkins", + "Dodman", + "Dodridge", + "Dods", + "Dodshon", + "Dodson", + "Dodsworth", + "Dodwell", + "Doe", + "Dogerty", + "Dogg", + "Doggett", + "Doherty", + "Doidge", + "Doig", + "D'Oily", + "Dolamore", + "Dolan", + "Dolbeer", + "Dolbey", + "Dolby", + "Dole", + "Doley", + "Dollar", + "Doller", + "Dolley", + "Dolling", + "Dollman", + "Dolphin", + "Dolton", + "Dombey", + "Dominey", + "Dominic", + "Dominick", + "Dominy", + "Don", + "Donaghan", + "Donaghie", + "Donaghy", + "Donal", + "Donald", + "Donaldson", + "Donavan", + "Doncaster", + "Done", + "Donegan", + "Doneghan", + "Donel", + "Donell", + "Donellan", + "Donelly", + "Dones", + "Doney", + "Dongray", + "Donisthorpe", + "Donkin", + "Donking", + "Donlan", + "Donland", + "Donn", + "Donnach", + "Donnally", + "Donnan", + "Donne", + "Donnell", + "Donnellan", + "Donnelly", + "Donnett", + "Donnigan", + "Donnison", + "Donnolly", + "Donoghoe", + "Donoghue", + "Donohoe", + "Donohoo", + "Donohue", + "Donovan", + "Donovon", + "Donson", + "Doo", + "Doodson", + "Doody", + "Doolan", + "Dooland", + "Dooley", + "Doolittle", + "Doon", + "Doonan", + "Doone", + "Dopson", + "Doran", + "Dorden", + "Dore", + "Doree", + "Dorey", + "Dorington", + "Dorking", + "Dorkins", + "Dorlan", + "Dorland", + "Dorling", + "Dorman", + "Dormand", + "Dormer", + "Dormon", + "Dorney", + "Dornford", + "Dorning", + "Dornton", + "Dorr", + "Dorran", + "Dorrance", + "Dorree", + "Dorrell", + "Dorrington", + "Dorset", + "Dorsett", + "Dorsey", + "Dorton", + "Dorward", + "Dory", + "Dosser", + "Dossett", + "Dossor", + "Doswell", + "Dott", + "Dottridge", + "Douay", + "Doubble", + "Doubell", + "Double", + "Doubleday", + "Doublet", + "Douce", + "Doudney", + "Dougal", + "Dougall", + "Dougan", + "Doughan", + "Dougherty", + "Doughty", + "Douglas", + "Douglass", + "Doulman", + "Doulton", + "Doust", + "Douthwaite", + "Dove", + "Dover", + "Dovey", + "Dow", + "Dowall", + "Dowbiggan", + "Dowbiggin", + "Dowd", + "Dowdall", + "Dowdell", + "Dowden", + "Dowdeswell", + "Dowding", + "Dowdle", + "Dowe", + "Dowell", + "Dower", + "Dowie", + "Dowl", + "Dowlan", + "Dowle", + "Dowlen", + "Dowler", + "Dowley", + "Dowling", + "Dowlman", + "Dowman", + "Down", + "Downe", + "Downer", + "Downes", + "Downey", + "Downham", + "Downie", + "Downing", + "Downman", + "Downs", + "Downton", + "Dowse", + "Dowsett", + "Dowsing", + "Dowson", + "Dowthwaite", + "Dowty", + "Doxey", + "Doxsey", + "Doyle", + "Doyley", + "Drabble", + "Dracott", + "Drage", + "Drain", + "Drake", + "Drane", + "Dranfield", + "Dransfield", + "Draper", + "Drapper", + "Dray", + "Draycott", + "Drayson", + "Drayton", + "Dreaper", + "Dredge", + "Drennan", + "Drever", + "Drew", + "Drewe", + "Drewell", + "Drewett", + "Drewitt", + "Drewry", + "Drews", + "Drinan", + "Dring", + "Drinkall", + "Drinkwater", + "Driscoll", + "Driver", + "Dromgole", + "Dromgool", + "Dron", + "Druce", + "Drucker", + "Druery", + "Druett", + "Druitt", + "Druker", + "Drummond", + "Drury", + "Dry", + "Dryden", + "Drye", + "Drysdale", + "Dubber", + "Dubock", + "Dubois", + "Ducat", + "Duck", + "Ducker", + "Duckerell", + "Duckers", + "Duckett", + "Duckham", + "Duckitt", + "Duckrell", + "Duckworth", + "Ducloss", + "Dudeney", + "Dudfield", + "Dudgeon", + "Dudley", + "Dudman", + "Dudson", + "Duff", + "Duffell", + "Dufferin", + "Duffey", + "Duffie", + "Duffield", + "Duffill", + "Duffin", + "Duffus", + "Duffy", + "Dufty", + "Dugald", + "Dugan", + "Dugdale", + "Dugdill", + "Duggan", + "Duggen", + "Duggin", + "Dugmore", + "Dugon", + "Duguid", + "Duignan", + "Duke", + "Dukes", + "Dukeson", + "Duley", + "Dullage", + "Dulwich", + "Duly", + "Duman", + "Dumas", + "Dumbell", + "Dumbelton", + "Dumbleton", + "Dumfries", + "Dummett", + "Dumont", + "Dupont", + "Dun", + "Dunbabin", + "Dunbar", + "Dunbavin", + "Dunbebin", + "Dunbevan", + "Dunbobin", + "Duncalf", + "Duncalfe", + "Duncan", + "Duncannon", + "Duncanson", + "Dunch", + "Dunckley", + "Duncombie", + "Duncum", + "Dundas", + "Dunderdale", + "Dundonald", + "Dunford", + "Dungate", + "Dungray", + "Dunham", + "Dunhill", + "Dunipace", + "Dunk", + "Dunkerley", + "Dunkin", + "Dunkinson", + "Dunkley", + "Dunlap", + "Dunlevy", + "Dunley", + "Dunlop", + "Dunman", + "Dunmo", + "Dunmore", + "Dunn", + "Dunne", + "Dunnett", + "Dunning", + "Dunnington", + "Dunrobin", + "Dunsby", + "Dunscombe", + "Dunsdon", + "Dunsford", + "Dunstall", + "Dunstan", + "Dunster", + "Dunston", + "Dunthorn", + "Dunthorne", + "Dunton", + "Dunville", + "Dunwoodie", + "Dunwoody", + "Duparc", + "Dupont", + "Duppa", + "Dupree", + "Duprey", + "Dupuis", + "Dupuy", + "Dur", + "Durance", + "Durand", + "Durands", + "Durandu", + "Durant", + "Durants", + "Duranty", + "Durban", + "Durbin", + "Durden", + "Durell", + "Durgy", + "Durham", + "Durie", + "Durkey", + "Durkin", + "Durling", + "Durman", + "Durndell", + "Durnford", + "Durnin", + "Durning", + "Durrance", + "Durrans", + "Durrant", + "Durston", + "Durtnall", + "Durtnell", + "Durward", + "Durwin", + "Dury", + "Dutch", + "Dutfield", + "Duthie", + "Duthy", + "Dutton", + "Duttson", + "Duval", + "Duvall", + "Duxbury", + "Dwelley", + "Dwerryhouse", + "Dwight", + "Dwyer", + "Dwyre", + "Dyall", + "Dyamond", + "Dyas", + "Dyball", + "Dyble", + "Dyce", + "Dye", + "Dyer", + "Dyet", + "Dyett", + "Dyke", + "Dykeman", + "Dykes", + "Dykin", + "Dykins", + "Dymock", + "Dymoke", + "Dymond", + "Dyne", + "Dyot", + "Dyott", + "Dysart", + "Dyson", + "Dyster", + "Dyus", + "Eachan", + "Eachen", + "Escott", + "Ead", + "Eade", + "Eades", + "Eadie", + "Eadon", + "Eads", + "Eady", + "Eagna", + "Eager", + "Eagle", + "Eagles", + "Eaglestone", + "Eagleton", + "Eakin", + "Eakins", + "Eale", + "Eales", + "Eamer", + "Eames", + "Eamonson", + "Eardley", + "Earl", + "Earle", + "Earles", + "Earley", + "Earll", + "Early", + "Earnshaw", + "Earp", + "Earsdon", + "Earwaker", + "Earwicker", + "Easby", + "Easey", + "Easlea", + "Easley", + "Eason", + "East", + "Eastaff", + "Eastburn", + "Eastcote", + "Eastcott", + "Easte", + "Easteal", + "Eastel", + "Easter", + "Easterbrook", + "Easterfield", + "Easterling", + "Eastes", + "Eastgate", + "Eastham", + "Easther", + "Easthope", + "Eastick", + "Eastill", + "Eastlake", + "Eastley", + "Eastling", + "Eastman", + "Eastmead", + "Eastpm", + "Eastty", + "Eastwell", + "Eastwick", + "Eastwood", + "Easty", + "Easun", + "Easy", + "Eate", + "Eates", + "Eaton", + "Eatwell", + "Eaves", + "Eayrs", + "Ebb", + "Ebbett", + "Ebbetts", + "Ebbitt", + "Ebblewhite", + "Ebbptt", + "Ebbs", + "Ebbutt", + "Ebden", + "Ebdon", + "Eberlee", + "Eberly", + "Ebert", + "Ebner", + "Ebsworth", + "Eccles", + "Eddy", + "Edgar", + "Edgecumbe", + "Ediker", + "Edmond", + "Edward", + "Edwards", + "Egbert", + "Eggleston", + "Eiginn", + "Eisenhauer", + "Eisenhower", + "Eldred", + "Elias", + "Ell", + "Ellet", + "Elliot", + "Ellis", + "Elmer", + "Elphinstone", + "Elton", + "Elwy", + "Ely", + "Emerson", + "Emmet", + "Ennes", + "Ennis", + "Enos", + "Errick", + "Erskine", + "Erwin", + "Esham", + "Estley", + "Ethelbert", + "Eton", + "Euer", + "Eure", + "Eustace", + "Evans", + "Evelyn", + "Everard", + "Everett", + "Everly", + "Everts", + "Ewell", + "Eyre", + "Eytinge", + "Faal", + "Faber", + "Fabian", + "Facet", + "Faden", + "Fagan", + "Fagg", + "Fairbairn", + "Fairfax", + "Fairholm", + "Fake", + "Fales", + "Falke", + "Falkland", + "Falun", + "Fane", + "Fanning", + "Fanshaw", + "Far", + "Farber", + "Farman", + "Farnham", + "Farquhar", + "Farquharson", + "Farraday", + "Farrar", + "Farrelly", + "Fasset", + "Faucet", + "Faukner", + "Fay", + "Fearan", + "Felch", + "Fell", + "Felton", + "Fenshaw", + "Fenton", + "Ferdinand", + "Fergus", + "Ferguson", + "Ferrer", + "Ferrers", + "Ferris", + "Ferrol", + "Fielding", + "Fife", + "Fifield", + "Filey", + "Filley", + "Filmore", + "Filmur", + "Filo", + "Finch", + "Findlay", + "Finney", + "Firman", + "Firol", + "Fischer", + "Fisk", + "Fister", + "FitzGerald", + "FitzGilbert", + "FitzHamon", + "FitzHarding", + "FitzHatton", + "FitzHenry", + "FitzHerbert", + "FitzHervey", + "FitzHugh", + "FitzJohn", + "FitzMorice", + "FitzOrme", + "FitzParnell", + "FitzPatrick", + "FitzRandolph", + "FitzRoy", + "FitzSwain", + "Flack", + "Flaherty", + "Flanders", + "Fleischman", + "Fleisher", + "Flannagan", + "Fleming", + "Fletcher", + "Flint", + "Flood", + "Flores", + "Floyd", + "Flynn", + "Folger", + "Foljambe", + "Follet", + "Folliot", + "Fonda", + "Foote", + "Forbes", + "Forbisher", + "Fordham", + "Forrester", + "Forster", + "Forsythe", + "Fortescue", + "Fosdyke", + "Fosgate", + "Foss", + "Foster", + "Fotherby", + "Fothergill", + "Fotheringham", + "Foulis", + "Fountain", + "Fournier", + "Fowler", + "Fox", + "Frame", + "Francis", + "Frank", + "Frankland", + "Franklin", + "Fraser", + "Frederick", + "Freeman", + "Freer", + "Freiot", + "Fremont", + "French", + "Frery", + "Friar", + "Frisby", + "Friskin", + "Frobisher", + "Frost", + "Frothingham", + "Fry", + "Fu", + "Fuchs", + "Fulham", + "Fulke", + "Fulkins", + "Fuller", + "Fullerton", + "Fulsom", + "Furbusher", + "Gadsby", + "Gainnes", + "Gairden", + "Galbraith", + "Gale", + "Galgachus", + "Gall", + "Gallagher", + "Galligan", + "Gallup", + "Galt", + "Ganesvoort", + "Gano", + "Garcia", + "Gardener", + "Gardiner", + "Gardner", + "Garennier", + "Garfield", + "Garnet", + "Garnier", + "Garo", + "Garow", + "Garrah", + "Garret", + "Garrison", + "Garrow", + "Garry", + "Garth", + "Garza", + "Gaskell", + "Gaston", + "Gates", + "Gaudet", + "Gavet", + "Gayer", + "Gaylor", + "Gear", + "Gebauer", + "Geddes", + "Geer", + "Geoffrey", + "George", + "Gerard", + "Gerber", + "Germain", + "Gerry", + "Gervas", + "Getman", + "Getty", + "Gibbon", + "Gibbs", + "Gibson", + "Giddings", + "Giffard", + "Gifford", + "Gihon", + "Gilbert", + "Gilchrist", + "Gilkinson", + "Gill", + "Gillan", + "Gillespie", + "Gillet", + "Gillett", + "Gillies", + "Gillman", + "Gillpatrick", + "Gilly", + "Gilmour", + "Gilroy", + "Gilson", + "Girard", + "Girdwood", + "Girvan", + "Givens", + "Glanville", + "Glasgow", + "Glass", + "Glentworth", + "Gliston", + "Gloucester", + "Glouchester", + "Glyn", + "Goadby", + "Godard", + "Godeno", + "Godenot", + "Godfrey", + "Godolphin", + "Godwin", + "Goff", + "Golburn", + "Goldsmith", + "Gollah", + "Golly", + "Gomez", + "Gonzales", + "Gonzalez", + "Goodall", + "Goodenough", + "Goodhue", + "Goodrich", + "Goodsir", + "Goodsire", + "Goodyear", + "Gookin", + "Goon", + "Gordon", + "Goring", + "Gorman", + "Gorten", + "Gospatrick", + "Goss", + "Goudy", + "Goupil", + "Gow", + "Gowan", + "Gower", + "Grace", + "Graeme", + "Graham", + "Granger", + "Grant", + "Granville", + "Grasse", + "Gray", + "Greely", + "Green", + "Greenough", + "Greer", + "Gregor", + "Gregory", + "Greig", + "Grew", + "Grey", + "Grier", + "Grierson", + "Griffin", + "Griffith", + "Grimes", + "Grimsby", + "Grinell", + "Grissell", + "Groat", + "Groesbeck", + "Groot", + "Groscup", + "Gross", + "Grossman", + "Grosvenor", + "Grover", + "Gualt", + "Guelph", + "Guey", + "Guiar", + "Guinee", + "Guiot", + "Guiscard", + "Gutierrez", + "Gunn", + "Gunning", + "Gunsalus", + "Gunter", + "Gurdin", + "Gurney", + "Gurr", + "Guthrie", + "Guy", + "Guzman", + "Gwynne", + "Hadley", + "Haff", + "Hagadorn", + "Hagar", + "Hahn", + "Haineau", + "Haines", + "Hainsworth", + "Hal", + "Hal", + "Halden", + "Hale", + "Hales", + "Halifax", + "Halkett", + "Hallam", + "Haller", + "Hallett", + "Halliday", + "Halloran", + "Hallowell", + "Halpen", + "Halse", + "Halsey", + "Halstead", + "Ham", + "Hamilton", + "Hamlin", + "Hammel", + "Hammond", + "Hamon", + "Hampton", + "Handel", + "Handsel", + "Hanford", + "Hanham", + "Hanks", + "Hanley", + "Hanna", + "Hansel", + "Hanson", + "Hanway", + "Harcourt", + "Harding", + "Hardy", + "Hargill", + "Hargrave", + "Harleigh", + "Harley", + "Harlow", + "Harman", + "Harold", + "Harrington", + "Harris", + "Harrison", + "Harrower", + "Hartfield", + "Hartgill", + "Hartshorn", + "Hartman", + "Hartwell", + "Harvey", + "Hasbrouck", + "Hascall", + "Hasen", + "Haskell", + "Hastings", + "Haswell", + "Hatch", + "Hatfield", + "Hathaway", + "Hathorn", + "Hatton", + "Haugh", + "Havemeyer", + "Havens", + "Haverill", + "Haw", + "Hawes", + "Hawley", + "Hay", + "Haycock", + "Hayden", + "Haydyn", + "Hayes", + "Hayford", + "Hayle", + "Hayman", + "Hayne", + "Hayner", + "Haynes", + "Haynesworth", + "Haynsworth", + "Hayward", + "Hazard", + "Hazelrigg", + "Hazelwood", + "Hazen", + "Head", + "Heaton", + "Heber", + "Hecker", + "Hedd", + "Hedges", + "Hedon", + "Hellier", + "Helling", + "Helmer", + "Henderson", + "Henley", + "Henry", + "Herbert", + "Heriot", + "Herisson", + "Herman", + "Hermance", + "Hernandez", + "Herndon", + "Herne", + "Hernshaw", + "Heron", + "Herr", + "Herrera", + "Herrick", + "Herries", + "Herring", + "Hersey", + "Hewer", + "Hewit", + "Heyden", + "Heyman", + "Hibbard", + "Hiccock", + "Hickey", + "Hicks", + "Hierne", + "Higginbottom", + "Higgins", + "Hildyard", + "Hill", + "Hillier", + "Hilyard", + "Hinckley", + "Hindman", + "Hindon", + "Hinman", + "Hinton", + "Hippisley", + "Hipwood", + "Hitchens", + "Hoag", + "Hoare", + "Hobart", + "Hobbs", + "Hobby", + "Hobkins", + "Hobson", + "Hodd", + "Hodge", + "Hodgekins", + "Hodges", + "Hodson", + "Hoe", + "Hoff", + "Hoffman", + "Hoffmeyer", + "Hogan", + "Hogarth", + "Hogg", + "Hoggel", + "Holbech", + "Holcombe", + "Holden", + "Holland", + "Hollenbeck", + "Holman", + "Holme", + "Holmes", + "Holsapple", + "Holt", + "Holtcombe", + "Holywell", + "Holzapfel", + "Home", + "Homer", + "Homfray", + "Hone", + "Hong", + "Hood", + "Hoogaboom", + "Hoogstraten", + "Hooper", + "Hope", + "Hopkins", + "Hopper", + "Hore", + "Hornblower", + "Horton", + "Hosford", + "Hoskins", + "Hotchkiss", + "Hotham", + "Hough", + "Houghtailing", + "Houghton", + "House", + "Houston", + "Howard", + "Howe", + "Howell", + "Howlet", + "Howlett", + "Huband", + "Hubbard", + "Hubbell", + "Huber", + "Hubert", + "Huckstep", + "Huddleston", + "Hudson", + "Huer", + "Huget", + "Huggins", + "Hughes", + "Hulet", + "Hull", + "Hulse", + "Hume", + "Humphrey", + "Hungerford", + "Hunn", + "Hunt", + "Hunter", + "Huntington", + "Huntley", + "Hurd", + "Hurst", + "Husted", + "Hutchins", + "Hutchinson", + "Hutton", + "Hyde", + "Ide", + "Ilsley", + "Incledon", + "Inge", + "Ingham", + "Ingleby", + "Ingles", + "Inglis", + "Ingoldsby", + "Ingraham", + "Ingram", + "Innes", + "Innis", + "Ipres", + "Ireland", + "Ireton", + "Irish", + "Iron", + "Irvine", + "Irving", + "Isaac", + "Isham", + "Islip", + "Israel", + "Iver", + "Ives", + "Jack", + "Jackson", + "Jacob", + "Jacobson", + "Jaeger", + "Jahnke", + "James", + "Jameson", + "Jamieson", + "Janes", + "Janeway", + "Jason", + "Jeffers", + "Jeffrey", + "Jemse", + "Jenkins", + "Jenkinson", + "Jenks", + "Jenner", + "Jennings", + "Jerome", + "Jessup", + "Jetter", + "Jew", + "Jewell", + "Jewett", + "Jimenez", + "Job", + "Jobson", + "John", + "Johnson", + "Johnston", + "Jollie", + "Jonadab", + "Jonah", + "Jonas", + "Jonathan", + "Jones", + "Jordan", + "Jorden", + "Joseph", + "Joslin", + "Josselyn", + "Joy", + "Joyce", + "Judd", + "Judson", + "Jeungling", + "Jung", + "Kaiser", + "Kaufman", + "Kavanagh", + "Kay", + "Kaynard", + "Keach", + "Kean", + "Kebby", + "Keel", + "Keeler", + "Keen", + "Keese", + "Keigwin", + "Keith", + "Kellerman", + "Kellogg", + "Kelly", + "Kelsey", + "Kelso", + "Kemble", + "Kemp", + "Kempenfelt", + "Kemphall", + "Kempshall", + "Kempster", + "Kempton", + "Kemyss", + "Kendall", + "Kendrick", + "Kennan", + "Kennard", + "Kennedy", + "Kennicot", + "Kent", + "Kenward", + "Kenyon", + "Kercher", + "Kerr", + "Kessler", + "Kerswell", + "Ketman", + "Kettle", + "Kevin", + "Keys", + "Keyser", + "Kibby", + "Kid", + "Kidder", + "Kief", + "Kiel", + "Kiernan", + "Kiersted", + "Kilburne", + "Kilgour", + "Kilham", + "Killin", + "Kimberley", + "Kimble", + "Kincadd", + "Kincade", + "Kincella", + "King", + "Kinghorn", + "Kingston", + "Kinloch", + "Kinnaird", + "Kinnard", + "Kinnear", + "Kinney", + "Kinsella", + "Kinsley", + "Kipp", + "Kirby", + "Kirk", + "Kirkaldy", + "Kirkham", + "Kirkland", + "Kirkpatrick", + "Kirnan", + "Kirwan", + "Kiskey", + "Kitson", + "Kitts", + "Klein", + "Kling", + "Knapp", + "Knevett", + "Knickerbacker", + "Knight", + "Knightley", + "Knoll", + "Knowles", + "Knox", + "Kohler", + "Krause", + "Krebs", + "Kriege", + "Krieger", + "Kruger", + "Kuester", + "Kunstler", + "Kuster", + "Kyle", + "Lackey", + "Lacy", + "Ladd", + "Lahey", + "Laing", + "Laird", + "Lake", + "Lalor", + "Lam", + "Lamb", + "Lambert", + "Lambourne", + "Lamma", + "Lamport", + "Lancaster", + "Lander", + "Landon", + "Landry", + "Landseer", + "Lang", + "Lane", + "Langton", + "Lanham", + "Lanman", + "Lanphear", + "Lansing", + "Lanyon", + "Laoran", + "Laraway", + "Lardner", + "Larkins", + "Laroche", + "Laroque", + "Larry", + "Larway", + "Lath", + "Latimer", + "Latton", + "Laud", + "Lauder", + "Laurel", + "Laurent", + "Lavender", + "Laverock", + "Law", + "Lawler", + "Lawless", + "Lawley", + "Lawrence", + "Lawrie", + "Lawson", + "Laycock", + "Lea", + "Leadbeater", + "Lear", + "Leary", + "Learned", + "Leavenworth", + "Leby", + "Lechmere", + "Lederman", + "Ledermann", + "Lee", + "Leech", + "Leferre", + "Lefevre", + "Legard", + "Legatt", + "Legh", + "Lehmann", + "Lehrer", + "Leicester", + "Leigh", + "Leir", + "Leland", + "Lemon", + "Lennon", + "Lennox", + "Lent", + "Leonard", + "Leppard", + "Leroy", + "Leslie", + "Lesser", + "Lester", + "Leven", + "Levenworth", + "Leveque", + "Leveret", + "Levy", + "Lewes", + "Lewis", + "Lewknor", + "Lewthwaite", + "Ley", + "Leycester", + "Lhuyd", + "Lichtermann", + "Lightbody", + "Lightfoot", + "Lilienthal", + "Lilly", + "Lincoln", + "Lind", + "Lindall", + "Lindfield", + "Lindo", + "Lindsay", + "Lindsey", + "Ling", + "Linn", + "Linne", + "Linnet", + "Linton", + "Lippencot", + "Lisle", + "Lismore", + "Litchfield", + "Littler", + "Liu", + "Livermore", + "Livingstone", + "Lizard", + "Llary", + "Lloyd", + "Lobdale", + "Lockman", + "Logan", + "Lommis", + "Long", + "Lonsdale", + "Loomis", + "Lopez", + "Loppe", + "Lord", + "Lorimer", + "Losce", + "Lossie", + "Loughlin", + "Loudoun", + "Loury", + "Louth", + "Love", + "Lovel", + "Lowe", + "Lower", + "Lowry", + "Lowthwaite", + "Lucas", + "Ludbrock", + "Ludlow", + "Lumley", + "Lusher", + "Lusk", + "Luther", + "Lynch", + "Maban", + "Macaula", + "Macauley", + "Mace", + "Maclean", + "Macleod", + "Macklin", + "Maclay", + "Maconochie", + "Maddock", + "Maddock", + "Madison", + "Magoon", + "Maguire", + "Mahomet", + "Mahon", + "Maigny", + "Main", + "Mainard", + "Maitland", + "Major", + "Malet", + "Mallard", + "Mallery", + "Mallet", + "Malmesbury", + "Malone", + "Mandeville", + "Mann", + "Mannering", + "Manners", + "Mannus", + "Manser", + "Mansfield", + "Mansle", + "Manwaring", + "Mar", + "March", + "Marchant", + "Mark", + "Marsh", + "Marshall", + "Marshman", + "Martin", + "Martinez", + "Marven", + "Masenfer", + "Massenger", + "Massey", + "Massie", + "Masten", + "Mather", + "Matthew", + "Mattison", + "Mauer", + "Maxwell", + "May", + "Maynard", + "Mayne", + "Mayo", + "McAllister", + "McAndrew", + "McArdle", + "McBain", + "McBride", + "McCabe", + "McCallen", + "McCallister", + "McCamus", + "McCann", + "McCardle", + "McCarthy", + "McCharraigin", + "McCleod", + "McClis", + "McCoun", + "McCrackin", + "McCree", + "McCullough", + "McDermot", + "McDhoil", + "McDonald", + "McDonell", + "McDonnough", + "McDougall", + "McDowell", + "McDuff", + "McFadden", + "McFarland", + "McFerson", + "McGinnis", + "McGooken", + "McGowan", + "McGrath", + "McGraw", + "McGregor", + "McGucken", + "McGuire", + "McHard", + "McHarg", + "McIldoey", + "McIldouney", + "McIlhenny", + "McIlroy", + "McInerney", + "McInnis", + "McIntosh", + "McIntyre", + "McKay", + "McKelly", + "McKensie", + "McKenzie", + "McKibben", + "McKie", + "McKinnon", + "McKirnan", + "McLaughlin", + "McLaurin", + "McLean", + "McLeod", + "McMahon", + "McManus", + "McMartin", + "McMaster", + "McMullin", + "McMurrough", + "McMurtair", + "McNab", + "McNamara", + "McNaughton", + "McNevin", + "McNiel", + "McPherson", + "McQuade", + "McQuaire", + "McQuarie", + "McQueen", + "McWilliam", + "McWithy", + "Mead", + "Meadow", + "Mechant", + "Medcaf", + "Medina", + "Meek", + "Meers", + "Mehin", + "Meikle", + "Meikleham", + "Meiklejohn", + "Mellis", + "Melor", + "Melun", + "Menai", + "Mendoza", + "Menno", + "Menteth", + "Menzies", + "Mercer", + "Meredith", + "Merle", + "Merril", + "Merton", + "Meshaw", + "Mesick", + "Metcalf", + "Metternich", + "Meyer", + "Meyeul", + "Michael", + "Mickle", + "Middleditch", + "Middleton", + "Milbourne", + "Mildmay", + "Milford", + "Miller", + "Millman", + "Mills", + "Milne", + "Milner", + "Milthorpe", + "Milton", + "Minster", + "Minturn", + "Mitchell", + "Mixe", + "Mochrie", + "Moe", + "Moel", + "Moelyn", + "Moers", + "Moffatt", + "Molen", + "Molloy", + "Molyneux", + "Monger", + "Monk", + "Monroe", + "Monson", + "Montague", + "Monteith", + "Montford", + "Montgomery", + "Montmorice", + "Moody", + "Moon", + "Mooney", + "Moore", + "Moos", + "Morales", + "Moran", + "Moray", + "More", + "Moreau", + "Moreno", + "Moreton", + "Morgan", + "Morgen", + "Moriarty", + "Morley", + "Morrel", + "Morris", + "Morrison", + "Morse", + "Morton", + "Moseley", + "Mostyn", + "Mott", + "Moulton", + "Mountain", + "Mountjoy", + "Moxley", + "Moxon", + "Mueller", + "Muir", + "Mulligan", + "Mullins", + "Mumford", + "Mundy", + "Mungey", + "Munn", + "Munoz", + "Munsel", + "Murphy", + "Murray", + "Murrell", + "Musgrave", + "Myers", + "Nab", + "Naffis", + "Nairne", + "Nance", + "Napier", + "Nash", + "Naylor", + "Neal", + "Neander", + "Needham", + "Neff", + "Nefis", + "Neil", + "Neilson", + "Nel", + "Nelson", + "Nelthrope", + "Nequam", + "Ness", + "Netherwood", + "Neuman", + "Neveu", + "Neville", + "Nevin", + "Newbury", + "Newth", + "Newton", + "Nisbett", + "Noakes", + "Noble", + "Noel", + "Nogent", + "Nokes", + "Nolan", + "Norbury", + "Norcutt", + "Norfolk", + "Norman", + "Norris", + "Northam", + "Northcote", + "Northop", + "Northumberland", + "Norton", + "Norwich", + "Nott", + "Nottingham", + "Nowell", + "Nox", + "Noyes", + "Nugent", + "Nunez", + "Nye", + "Oakes", + "Oakham", + "Oakley", + "O'Bierne", + "O'Boyle", + "O'Brien", + "O'Byrne", + "O'Callaghan", + "Ochiern", + "Ockham", + "Ockley", + "O'Connor", + "O'Conor", + "O'Devlin", + "O'Donnell", + "O'Donoghue", + "O'Donovan", + "O'Dorcy", + "O'Dougherty", + "O'Dugan", + "O'Flaherty", + "Ogden", + "Ogilvie", + "O'Gowan", + "O'Hara", + "O'Hare", + "Oigthierna", + "O'Keefe", + "O'Leary", + "Olifant", + "Oliver", + "Ollendorff", + "Olmstead", + "Olsen", + "O'Mahony", + "O'Malley", + "Onderdonk", + "O'Neil", + "Onslow", + "O'Quin", + "Orchard", + "Orme", + "Ormiston", + "Ormsby", + "Orr", + "Ortega", + "Ortiz", + "Orton", + "Orvis", + "Osborn", + "Osmund", + "Osterhoudt", + "Ostheim", + "Ostrander", + "Oswald", + "Otis", + "O'Toole", + "Otter", + "Oudekirk", + "Ouseley", + "Outhoudt", + "Owen", + "Oxford", + "Paddock", + "Page", + "Paine", + "Paisley", + "Palmer", + "Pancost", + "Pangbourn", + "Pardie", + "Paris", + "Parke", + "Parker", + "Parkman", + "Parnell", + "Parrett", + "Parry", + "Parsall", + "Parshall", + "Parson", + "Patrick", + "Patterson", + "Pattison", + "Paul", + "Paxton", + "Payne", + "Peabody", + "Peacock", + "Pearson", + "Pedin", + "Peebles", + "Peele", + "Pelham", + "Pell", + "Pelletier", + "Pellyn", + "Pendleton", + "Peney", + "Pengilly", + "Penn", + "Pennant", + "Pennington", + "Penny", + "Pennyman", + "Pennymon", + "Pena", + "Percey", + "Percy", + "Perez", + "Perkins", + "Perrigo", + "Perrott", + "Perry", + "Peters", + "Peterson", + "Pevensey", + "Peyton", + "Phelps", + "Philip", + "Phippen", + "Physick", + "Pickering", + "Pickersgill", + "Pickett", + "Pierce", + "Piercy", + "Pierpont", + "Pierson", + "Piggot", + "Pigman", + "Pilcher", + "Pillings", + "Pinny", + "Pittman", + "Playfair", + "Playsted", + "Pleasants", + "Plympton", + "Poindexter", + "Poitevin", + "Polk", + "Pollard", + "Polleyby", + "Pollock", + "Pomeroy", + "Poole", + "Pope", + "Porcher", + "Porson", + "Potter", + "Pottinger", + "Poulton", + "Powell", + "Powers", + "Poynder", + "Pratt", + "Prescot", + "Pressley", + "Preston", + "Price", + "Prichard", + "Prideaux", + "Prindle", + "Pringle", + "Prodgers", + "Proger", + "Progers", + "Proost", + "Provoost", + "Pugh", + "Putman", + "Putnam", + "Putzkammer", + "Pye", + "Quackenboss", + "Quentin", + "Quigly", + "Quin", + "Quinn", + "Quintin", + "Radford", + "Radland", + "Radnor", + "Raffles", + "Rainsford", + "Raleigh", + "Ralph", + "Ralston", + "Ramage", + "Ramirez", + "Ramos", + "Ramsden", + "Ramsey", + "Ran", + "Randal", + "Rander", + "Randolph", + "Randulph", + "Rankin", + "Ranney", + "Ransom", + "Ransome", + "Rapp", + "Rawdon", + "Rawley", + "Rawlings", + "Rawlinson", + "Rawson", + "Ray", + "Raymer", + "Raymond", + "Rayner", + "Read", + "Record", + "Redden", + "Reddenhurst", + "Reed", + "Reese", + "Reeves", + "Reid", + "Reilly", + "Reinard", + "Reinhart", + "Renard", + "Retz", + "Reyes", + "Reynard", + "Reynolds", + "Reynoldson", + "Rheese", + "Reynolds", + "Rhodes", + "Rian", + "Ricard", + "Rice", + "Rich", + "Richard", + "Richardson", + "Richmond", + "Ricketts", + "Riddell", + "Ridder", + "Riggs", + "Ring", + "Ringe", + "Ringgold", + "Rios", + "Ripley", + "Ritchie", + "Ritter", + "Rivera", + "Roberts", + "Robertson", + "Robinson", + "Roby", + "Rochester", + "Rochfort", + "Rodden", + "Rodland", + "Rodriguez", + "Roe", + "Roemer", + "Roger", + "Roland", + "Rollin", + "Romaine", + "Romanno", + "Romero", + "Roof", + "Roorback", + "Root", + "Roschild", + "Rose", + "Rosencrans", + "Roseveldt", + "Ross", + "Roswell", + "Roth", + "Rothschild", + "Rouse", + "Rousseau", + "Roux", + "Rowe", + "Rowel", + "Rowen", + "Rowle", + "Rowley", + "Rowntree", + "Roy", + "Rue", + "Ruiz", + "Rufus", + "Ruggles", + "Rundell", + "Runnion", + "Runon", + "Rusbridge", + "Russ", + "Russell", + "Russey", + "Rutgers", + "Rutherford", + "Ruthven", + "Ruyter", + "Ryan", + "Ryder", + "Rye", + "Rynders", + "Sackville", + "Safford", + "Salazar", + "Sales", + "Salisbury", + "Salter", + "Saltz", + "Saltzman", + "Sanchez", + "Sandford", + "Sandler", + "Sands", + "Sangster", + "Santiago", + "Sanxay", + "Sarisbury", + "Saterlee", + "Saxe", + "Saxton", + "Scarborough", + "Scardsdale", + "Scarret", + "Schadeck", + "Schafer", + "Schaffer", + "Schell", + "Schellden", + "Schenck", + "Schenker", + "Scherer", + "Schermerhorn", + "Schluter", + "Schmidt", + "Schmuker", + "Schneider", + "Schlosser", + "Schoonhoven", + "Schoonmaker", + "Schreiber", + "Schreiner", + "Schroeder", + "Schubert", + "Schuler", + "Schulman", + "Schultheis ", + "Schultz", + "Schumacher", + "Schuman", + "Schuster", + "Schuyler", + "Schwartz", + "Scott", + "Scranton", + "Scroggs", + "Scudmore", + "Seaford", + "Seaforth", + "Seaman", + "Sears", + "Seaton", + "Seaver", + "Sebright", + "Sedgwick", + "Segur", + "Seix", + "Selby", + "Selkirk", + "Sellenger", + "Sellick", + "Semard", + "Semour", + "Semple", + "Seton", + "Severins", + "Severn", + "Sewall", + "Seward", + "Sewell", + "Seymour", + "Shaddock", + "Shan", + "Shanach", + "Shane", + "Shannon", + "Shaw", + "Sheldon", + "Shelley", + "Sheppy", + "Sherard", + "Sheridan", + "Sherlock", + "Sherman", + "Sherwood", + "Shiel", + "Sholtis", + "Short", + "Shrewsbury", + "Shrieves", + "Shuck", + "Shuckburgh", + "Shurtliff", + "Shute", + "Shuter", + "Siddons", + "Sigurd", + "Sikes", + "Simeon", + "Simmons", + "Simple", + "Simpson", + "Sims", + "Sinclair", + "Sinden", + "Singen", + "Sisson", + "Skeffington", + "Skelton", + "Skene", + "Skidmore", + "Slack", + "Slade", + "Slaven", + "Sleeper", + "Smith", + "Snell", + "Snodgrass", + "Snow", + "Snyder", + "Solden", + "Somer", + "Somerville", + "Sommer", + "Somner", + "Sompnoure", + "Soto", + "Soule", + "Southcote", + "Southwell", + "Spaaren", + "Spalding", + "Spark", + "Spelman", + "Spence", + "Spencer", + "Spicer", + "Spiegel", + "Spier", + "Spink", + "Spoor", + "Spotten", + "Sprague", + "Staats", + "Stacy", + "Staines", + "Stair", + "Stairn", + "St. Albans", + "Stalker", + "Stanhope", + "Stanley", + "Stanton", + "Stanwood", + "Stapleton", + "Stark", + "Starkey", + "Starr", + "Stead", + "Steane", + "Stearns", + "Stebbins", + "Steele", + "Steen", + "Stein", + "Steinhauer", + "Stell", + "Stemme", + "Stennett", + "Stern", + "Stetson", + "Stevens", + "Stevenons", + "Stewart", + "Still", + "Stimands", + "Stirling", + "Stocker", + "Stocking", + "Stockton", + "Stoddard", + "Stokes", + "Stokesby", + "Stone", + "Storr", + "Stoughton", + "Stover", + "Stowe", + "Strachan", + "Strain", + "Stratton", + "Stretton", + "Strickland", + "Stringer", + "Stryker", + "Stubbins", + "Studebaker", + "Stukeby", + "Stukley", + "Stukly", + "Sullivan", + "Sully", + "Sult", + "Summer", + "Sumner", + "Sumpter", + "Sunderland", + "Surtees", + "Suter", + "Sutherland", + "Sutphen", + "Sutter", + "Sutton", + "Swaim", + "Swane", + "Swartwout", + "Sweeney", + "Sweet", + "Swettenham", + "Sweyne", + "Swift", + "Swinburn", + "Swits", + "Switzer", + "Sylvester", + "Symes", + "Symington", + "Tabor", + "Taggart", + "Taite", + "Talbot", + "Tan", + "Tappan", + "Tasker", + "Tate", + "Tattersall", + "Taylor", + "Teddington", + "Teesdale", + "Tefft", + "Teft", + "Telfair", + "Telford", + "Temes", + "Temple", + "Tenbrook", + "Teneyck", + "Tennant", + "Tennison", + "Tennyson", + "Terril", + "Terwilliger", + "Tew", + "Theobald", + "Thomas", + "Thomlin", + "Thomlinson", + "Thoms", + "Thompson", + "Thomson", + "Thorn", + "Thorpe", + "Thrasher", + "Throckmorton", + "Thurston", + "Thwaite", + "Thwayte", + "Tibbits", + "Tice", + "Tichbourne", + "Tichenor", + "Tiernay", + "Tiffany", + "Till", + "Tillinghast", + "Tilly", + "Tilman", + "Tilmont", + "Tilton", + "Ting", + "Tirrel", + "Toby", + "Todd", + "Tollmache", + "Tolman", + "Torres", + "Torry", + "Toucey", + "Tournay", + "Towers", + "Towner", + "Townsend", + "Tracey", + "Tracy", + "Traille", + "Train", + "Trainer", + "Traineur", + "Trainor", + "Trelawney", + "Tremaine", + "Trenor", + "Trevelyan", + "Trevor", + "Tripp", + "Trotter", + "Troublefield", + "Trowbridge", + "Udine", + "Uhlan", + "Uline", + "Ulman", + "Ulmer", + "Underhill", + "Underwood", + "Unwin", + "Upham", + "Upton", + "Urran", + "Usher", + "Ustick", + "Vacher", + "Vale", + "Valentine", + "Valk", + "Van Aerden", + "Van Alstyne", + "Van Amee", + "Van Antwerp", + "Van Arden", + "Van Arnhem", + "Van Arnum", + "Van Buren", + "Van Buskirk", + "Van Cleve", + "Van Cortlandt", + "Van Curen", + "Van Dam", + "Vandenburgh", + "Vandenhoff", + "Vanderbilt", + "Vanderbogart", + "Vanderheyden", + "Vanderlinden", + "Vanderlippe", + "Vandermark", + "Vanderpoel", + "Vanderspeigle", + "Vanderveer", + "Vanderwerken", + "Vanderzee", + "Van Dousen", + "Van Duzen", + "Van Dyck", + "Van Eps", + "Van Hoorn", + "Van Hoosen", + "Van Hooven", + "Van Horn", + "Van Huisen", + "Van Husen", + "Van Ingen", + "Van Keuren", + "Van Kleef", + "Van Loon", + "Van Name", + "Van Namen", + "Van Ness", + "Van Norden", + "Van Nostrand", + "Van Orden", + "Van Ornum", + "Van Ostrand", + "Van Patten", + "Van Rensselaer", + "Van Schaack", + "Van Schaick", + "Van Scheyk", + "Van Schoonhoven", + "Van Slyck", + "Van Stantvoordt", + "Van Steinburgh", + "Van Tassel", + "Van Tessel", + "Van Tiel", + "Van Vechten", + "Van Vleck", + "Van Volkenburg", + "Van Voorst", + "Van Vorst", + "Van Vranken", + "Van Winkle", + "Van Woert", + "Van Worden", + "Van Wort", + "Van Wyck", + "Van Zant", + "Vasser", + "Vaughan", + "Vazquez", + "Vedder", + "Veeder", + "Velay", + "Venton", + "Verbeck", + "Vernon", + "Vesey", + "Vibbard", + "Vickers", + "Vielle", + "Villiers", + "Vine", + "Vipont", + "Virgo", + "Vivian", + "Vogel", + "Voores", + "Voorhees", + "Vrooman", + "Wade", + "Wadsworth", + "Waite", + "Wagner", + "Wagon", + "Wakefield", + "Wakeman", + "Walden", + "Waldgrave", + "Waldron", + "Wales", + "Walker", + "Wall", + "Wallace", + "Waller", + "Wallis", + "Wallock", + "Wallop", + "Walpole", + "Walsh", + "Walter", + "Walton", + "Wample", + "Wands", + "Warburton", + "Ward", + "Wardlaw", + "Ware", + "Warne", + "Warren", + "Warrender", + "Warwick", + "Washington", + "Wassen", + "Watcock", + "Waters", + "Watkins", + "Watkinson", + "Watson", + "Watt", + "Watts", + "Way", + "Wayland", + "Weber", + "Webster", + "Weeden", + "Weidman", + "Weir", + "Welby", + "Weld", + "Welden", + "Weller", + "Wells", + "Wempel", + "Wemple", + "Wemyss", + "Wendell", + "Wentworth", + "Werden", + "Werner", + "Westall", + "Westcott", + "Westerveldt", + "Westmoreland", + "Weston", + "Wetherby", + "Wetherspoon", + "Wetherwax", + "Wetsel", + "Weyland", + "Whalley", + "Wheaden", + "Whealdon", + "Wheaton", + "Wheden", + "Wheeler", + "Wheelock", + "Whieldon", + "Whitby", + "White", + "Whitfield", + "Whitford", + "Whiting", + "Whitlock", + "Whitman", + "Whitney", + "Whittaker", + "Wicker", + "Wickham", + "Wickliff", + "Wigan", + "Wiggin", + "Wilberforce", + "Wilbor", + "Wilbraham", + "Wilbur", + "Wilcox", + "Wilder", + "Wilkins", + "Wilkinson", + "Willard", + "Willet", + "William", + "Williamson", + "Willis", + "Willoughby", + "Wilmot", + "Wilson", + "Wilton", + "Wiltshire", + "Wimple", + "Winch", + "Winchcombe", + "Winchel", + "Winchester", + "Windham", + "Windsor", + "Winegar", + "Winekoop", + "Wing", + "Wingfield", + "Winne", + "Winship", + "Winslow", + "Winterton", + "Winthrop", + "Wire", + "Wise", + "Wiseman", + "Wishart", + "Wiswall", + "Witherington", + "Witherspoon", + "Witter", + "Wodderspoon", + "Wolf", + "Wolsey", + "Wong", + "Wood", + "Woodruff", + "Woodward", + "Woodworth", + "Wool", + "Woolley", + "Woolsey", + "Wooster", + "Worcester", + "Worth", + "Wright", + "Wu", + "Wylie", + "Wyman", + "Xavier", + "Yager", + "Yale", + "Yare", + "Yarrow", + "Yates", + "Yeoman", + "Yates", + "York", + "Young", + "Younghusband", + "Younglove", + "Yule", + "Zahm", + "Zahn", + "Zedler", + "Zellner", + "Zhu", + "Ziegler", + "Zimmerman", + "Zuckerman", + ], + "last-french": [ + "Aaron", + "Aarons", + "Aaronson", + "Abb", + "Abbee", + "Abberley", + "Abbiss", + "Abbot", + "Abdallah", + "Abel", + "Abendroth", + "Abercrombie", + "Aberdeen", + "Aberdene", + "Abernethy", + "Abijah", + "Abner", + "Abney", + "Abraham", + "Absolam", + "Acheson", + "Ackart", + "Ackerley", + "Ackerman", + "Ackers", + "Ackland", + "Ackman", + "Ackworth", + "Acreman", + "Acres", + "Acroyd", + "Acton", + "Ada", + "Adair", + "Adams", + "Adcock", + "Addenbrooke", + "Adderley", + "Addison", + "Adee", + "Adie", + "Adkins", + "Adlam", + "Adlar", + "Adlington", + "Adnett", + "Adolphus", + "Adrian", + "Adshead", + "Affleck", + "Agan", + "Agar", + "Agate", + "Aglionby", + "Agnew", + "Aguiler", + "Ahern", + "Aiken", + "Aikman", + "Ainsworth", + "Aird", + "Aiston", + "Aitkin", + "Aiton", + "Akam", + "Aked", + "Akehurst", + "Akeman", + "Aken", + "Akerman", + "Akers", + "Akin", + "Alan", + "Alanson", + "Albany", + "Albert", + "Albin", + "Albrecht", + "Albright", + "Albury", + "Alcock", + "Alcott", + "Aldcroft", + "Alden", + "Alderman", + "Aldersey", + "Alderslade", + "Aldersmith", + "Alderton", + "Aldham", + "Aldis", + "Aldjoy", + "Aldred", + "Aldridge", + "Aldwin", + "Aldworth", + "Alexander", + "Alford", + "Alfort", + "Alfred", + "Algar", + "Alger", + "Alice", + "Allan", + "Allchin", + "Allcorn", + "Allen", + "Allenby", + "Allendorf", + "Alley", + "Allgood", + "Alliman", + "Allingham", + "Allington", + "Allinson", + "Allison", + "Allman", + "Alloway", + "Allwood", + "Allworthy", + "Allwright", + "Almey", + "Almgill", + "Almond", + "Alp", + "Alpin", + "Alsford", + "Alsop", + "Althorp", + "Alton", + "Alvarez", + "Alverston", + "Alverton", + "Alvin", + "Alvord", + "Alwin", + "Amaker", + "Ambler", + "Ambrose", + "Amery", + "Ames", + "Amherst", + "Ammadon", + "Amoore", + "Ampte", + "Amy", + "Anastasia", + "Andarton", + "Anderson", + "Andrew", + "Angel", + "Angell", + "Anger", + "Angevine", + "Angle", + "Angood", + "Angus", + "Anker", + "Annan", + "Annesley", + "Annandale", + "Anscombe", + "Ansell", + "Anselm", + "Anson", + "Anstruther", + "Anthon", + "Anthony", + "Anton", + "Anwell", + "Appleby", + "Applegarth", + "Applegate", + "Applethwaite", + "Appleton", + "Apps", + "Apsey", + "Arblaster", + "Arbuthnot", + "Arceneau", + "Archibald", + "Ardal", + "Arderne", + "Ardgall", + "Ardley", + "Argent", + "Argyle", + "Arkle", + "Arkwright", + "Arlon", + "Armes", + "Armfield", + "Armistead", + "Armitage", + "Armitstead", + "Armour", + "Armsted", + "Armstrong", + "Arnold", + "Arrowsmith", + "Arthur", + "Artois", + "Arundale", + "Arundel", + "Arzt", + "Ascall", + "Asgall", + "Ashburner", + "Ashburton", + "Ashbury", + "Ashby", + "Ashcroft", + "Asher", + "Ashford", + "Ashley", + "Ashton", + "Ashwin", + "Askew", + "Askwith", + "Aslett", + "Aspinwall", + "Astley", + "Aston", + "Astor", + "Atherton", + "Athill", + "Athol", + "Athow", + "Atkins", + "Attree", + "Atwater", + "Atwell", + "Atwood", + "Aubrey", + "Auchinleck", + "Auchmuty", + "Aucoin", + "Audley", + "Augustine", + "Auld", + "Ault", + "Aurelia", + "Aurora", + "Austin", + "Avelin", + "Averill", + "Avery", + "Avis", + "Axton", + "Ayleward", + "Aylmer", + "Aylsworth", + "Ayres", + "Ayton", + "Baba", + "Babb", + "Babcock", + "Baber", + "Babin", + "Babineaux", + "Babington", + "Bachelor", + "Backe", + "Backer", + "Backhouse", + "Backman", + "Backster", + "Bacon", + "Badam", + "Badeau", + "Bader", + "Badgely", + "Badger", + "Bagley", + "Bagot", + "Bagshawe", + "Bailey", + "Baillie", + "Bain", + "Bainbridge", + "Bains", + "Baisley", + "Baits", + "Baker", + "Bakewell", + "Balch", + "Balcombe", + "Balder", + "Balderston", + "Balding", + "Baldock", + "Baldrey", + "Baldwin", + "Balen", + "Balfe", + "Balfour", + "Balgowan", + "Ball", + "Ballantine", + "Ballantyne", + "Ballard", + "Balliol", + "Balloch", + "Balmer", + "Balshaw", + "Bamber", + "Bambery", + "Bamborough", + "Bambridge", + "Bambrough", + "Bamburgh", + "Bambury", + "Bamfield", + "Bamford", + "Bampton", + "Bancho", + "Bancroft", + "Bangs", + "Bannan", + "Bannatyne", + "Bannerman", + "Banning", + "Bannister", + "Bant", + "Banta", + "Banton", + "Banvard", + "Banyard", + "Bar", + "Barber", + "Barclay", + "Barcula", + "Barculo", + "Bard", + "Bardrick", + "Barfield", + "Barfoot", + "Barhydt", + "Barker", + "Barnabas", + "Barnaby", + "Barnard", + "Barnby", + "Barnes", + "Barnet", + "Barney", + "Barnum", + "Barnwell", + "Baron", + "Barr", + "Barras", + "Barrell", + "Barret", + "Barringer", + "Barron", + "Barrow", + "Barry", + "Barstow", + "Bartholomew", + "Bartlett", + "Barton", + "Bartul", + "Barwick", + "Basford", + "Basil", + "Basset", + "Bateman", + "Bates", + "Bath", + "Bathe", + "Bathgate", + "Bathurst", + "Battcock", + "Bauer", + "Bauerdt", + "Baum", + "Bauman", + "Baumann", + "Baur", + "Baurerdt", + "Baxter", + "Bayer", + "Bayerle", + "Bayr", + "Beach", + "Beacher", + "Beadle", + "Beal", + "Beatty", + "Beauchamp", + "Beaufort", + "Beaumont", + "Beauvais", + "Beck", + "Becker", + "Beckett", + "Beckford", + "Beckley", + "Beckman", + "Beckwith", + "Bedale", + "Beddau", + "Bede", + "Bedeau", + "Bedell", + "Bedford", + "Beecher", + "Beers", + "Begg", + "Belcher", + "Belden", + "Bell", + "Bellamont", + "Bellamy", + "Bellew", + "Bellinger", + "Belmont", + "Belvidere", + "Benedict", + "Benjamin", + "Bennett", + "Benoit", + "Benson", + "Bent", + "Bentley", + "Beorn", + "Beresford", + "Berger", + "Bergeron", + "Berkeley", + "Bernard", + "Berry", + "Bertram", + "Bertrand", + "Bessette", + "Bethune", + "Betts", + "Bevan", + "Beveridge", + "Beverly", + "Bewley", + "Beyer", + "Bickersteth", + "Biddle", + "Biddulph", + "Bierman", + "Biermeyer", + "Bierwirth", + "Bigalow", + "Biggar", + "Biggore", + "Bigler", + "Bigod", + "Bigot", + "Bigsby", + "Billings", + "Bing", + "Bingham", + "Binney", + "Biorn", + "Birch", + "Birely", + "Birney", + "Birney", + "Bixby", + "Blackburn", + "Blackwood", + "Blain", + "Blair", + "Blaisdale", + "Blake", + "Blakeman", + "Blanc", + "Bland", + "Blaney", + "Blasedale", + "Blauvelt", + "Bleeker", + "Blin", + "Bliss", + "Bliven", + "Blood", + "Bloss", + "Blount", + "Blundell", + "Blunt", + "Blyth", + "Boardman", + "Bock", + "Bocock", + "Bodine", + "Bodley", + "Bogart", + "Bogue", + "Bolingbroke", + "Bolster", + "Bolton", + "Bonar", + "Bond", + "Bonnal", + "Bonner", + "Bonnet", + "Bonney", + "Bontecou", + "Boorman", + "Booth", + "Bordoel", + "Borland", + "Borrail", + "Boscawen", + "Bostwick", + "Boswell", + "Bottesford", + "Boucher", + "Boughton", + "Bourg", + "Bourne", + "Bourque", + "Boutin", + "Bouvier", + "Bovie", + "Bowen", + "Bowers", + "Bowes", + "Bowles", + "Bowman", + "Bowne", + "Bowyer", + "Boyd", + "Boyer", + "Boyle", + "Boynton", + "Bracy", + "Bradburn", + "Bradford", + "Brady", + "Bragg", + "Braine", + "Braman", + "Bramhall", + "Bran", + "Brand", + "Brande", + "Brandon", + "Brandreth", + "Bratt", + "Braud", + "Brauer", + "Braun", + "Breck", + "Breckenridge", + "Breed", + "Breese", + "Brendon", + "Brenigan", + "Brenin", + "Brennan", + "Brenner", + "Brentwood", + "Breton", + "Brett", + "Breuer", + "Breuilly", + "Brewer", + "Brian", + "Briant", + "Briare", + "Brice", + "Brick", + "Bride", + "Bridge", + "Bridges", + "Bridgman", + "Brienne", + "Brierly", + "Briggs", + "Brighton", + "Brill", + "Brimmer", + "Brinker", + "Brinkerhoff", + "Brion", + "Brisban", + "Brisbin", + "Bristed", + "Bristol", + "Bristow", + "Brittan", + "Britte", + "Britten", + "Britton", + "Brock", + "Brocklesby", + "Brodie", + "Brodt", + "Brome", + "Bromfeld", + "Bromley", + "Bronson", + "Brooks", + "Broome", + "Broster", + "Brotherson", + "Brougham", + "Broughton", + "Broussard", + "Brower", + "Brown", + "Brownson", + "Bruce", + "Bruder", + "Brun", + "Brunner", + "Brunson", + "Brux", + "Bruyere", + "Bryan", + "Bryant", + "Bryce", + "Bryn", + "Buchan", + "Buchanan", + "Bucher", + "Buchholz", + "Buck", + "Buckbee", + "Buckhout", + "Buckingham", + "Buckley", + "Bucklin", + "Buckmaster", + "Buckminster", + "Buckston", + "Budd", + "Buddington", + "Buel", + "Bulkeley", + "Bull", + "Bullard", + "Buller", + "Bullions", + "Bullock", + "Bun", + "Bunnell", + "Bunting", + "Bunyan", + "Burbeck", + "Burby", + "Burd", + "Burden", + "Burder", + "Burdett", + "Burg", + "Burger", + "Burgess", + "Burgos", + "Burgoyne", + "Burke", + "Burlase", + "Burleigh", + "Burnett", + "Burnham", + "Burns", + "Burnside", + "Burr", + "Burrard", + "Burrell", + "Burt", + "Burtis", + "Burton", + "Bushnell", + "Bushwell", + "Busk", + "Buskirk", + "Bussey", + "Butler", + "Butman", + "Butts", + "Buxton", + "Byfield", + "Bygby", + "Byington", + "Byrne", + "Byron", + "Cabbell - Cazenove", + "Cearn - Ceeley", + "Chad - Cilly", + "Clack - Clynch", + "Coad - Cozens", + "Crabb - Cryer", + "Cubbage - Cyncad", + "Dabbin", + "Dabbs", + "Dabell", + "Dabin", + "Dabney", + "Dacey", + "Dack", + "Dacre", + "Dacy", + "Dadd", + "Dadds", + "Daddson", + "Dade", + "Daff", + "Daffe", + "Daft", + "Dag", + "Dagg", + "Daggett", + "Dagley", + "Daglish", + "Dagnall", + "Dagnell", + "Dagwell", + "Dailey", + "Daily", + "Dain", + "Daine", + "Daines", + "Dains", + "Dainton", + "Daintree", + "Daish", + "Daker", + "Dakers", + "Dakin", + "Dakins", + "Dalbey", + "Dalbiac", + "Dalby", + "Dale", + "Dales", + "Daley", + "Dalgety", + "Dalgleish", + "Dalgliesh", + "Dalglish", + "Dallamoor", + "Dallas", + "Dallaway", + "Dalley", + "Dallimore", + "Dallin", + "Dalling", + "Dallow", + "Dalloway", + "Dally", + "Dallyng", + "Dalmain", + "Dalman", + "Dalry", + "Dalrymple", + "Dalsell", + "Dalston", + "Dalton", + "Daltree", + "Daltrey", + "Daltry", + "Daly", + "Dalyell", + "Dalzel", + "Dalzell", + "Dalziel", + "Damant", + "Damont", + "Dampier", + "Dams", + "Damsell", + "Dan", + "Dana", + "Danby", + "Dancaster", + "Dance", + "Dancey", + "Dancock", + "Dancocks", + "Dancy", + "Dand", + "Dando", + "Dandridge", + "Dandy", + "Dane", + "Danes", + "Danford", + "Danforth", + "Dangar", + "Danger", + "Dangerfield", + "Daniel", + "Daniell", + "Daniels", + "Danker", + "Dankin", + "Danks", + "Dann", + "Dannatt", + "Dannett", + "Dansie", + "Danson", + "Danvers", + "Darbishire", + "Darby", + "Darbyshire", + "Darch", + "Darcy", + "Dare", + "Dargue", + "Dark", + "Darke", + "Darker", + "Darley", + "Darling", + "Darlingson", + "Darlington", + "Darlinson", + "Darlison", + "Darly", + "Darnall", + "Darnell", + "Darnley", + "Darnton", + "Darrell", + "Darrington", + "Darroch", + "Darsey", + "Darsie", + "Darton", + "Darvell", + "Darville", + "Darwen", + "Darwin", + "Darwood", + "Dash", + "Dashwood", + "Daubeny", + "Dauber", + "D'Aubigne", + "Daubney", + "Dauby", + "Dauche", + "Dauchy", + "Daugherty", + "Dauglish", + "Daulby", + "Daulton", + "Daun", + "Daunay", + "Dauncey", + "Dauney", + "Daunt", + "Daunton", + "Dautry", + "Davage", + "Davall", + "Daven", + "Davenport", + "Davey", + "David", + "Davidge", + "Davids", + "Davidson", + "Davie", + "Davies", + "Davin", + "Davis", + "Davison", + "Davitt", + "Davoll", + "Davson", + "Davy", + "Davys", + "Daw", + "Dawbarn", + "Dawber", + "Dawbin", + "Dawborn", + "Dawe", + "Dawes", + "Dawkes", + "Dawkin", + "Dawkins", + "Dawks", + "Dawnay", + "Dawney", + "Daws", + "Dawson", + "Dawton", + "Dawtrey", + "Dawtry", + "Day", + "Daycock", + "Dayes", + "Daykin", + "Dayman", + "Daymon", + "Daymond", + "Daymont", + "Daynes", + "Dayrall", + "Dayrell", + "Days", + "Dayson", + "Dayton", + "Deacock", + "Deacon", + "Deadman", + "Deaken", + "Deakin", + "Deal", + "Deale", + "Dealtry", + "Dean", + "Deane", + "Deanes", + "Deans", + "Dear", + "Dearden", + "Deare", + "Deares", + "Dearing", + "Dearle", + "Dearlove", + "Dearman", + "Dearn", + "Dearne", + "Dearsley", + "Deary", + "Deas", + "Deason", + "Death", + "Deathe", + "Deaton", + "Debenham", + "Debnam", + "Decker", + "Dedman", + "Dee", + "Deeble", + "Deed", + "Deeds", + "Deegan", + "Deeks", + "Deem", + "Deeme", + "Deemer", + "Deen", + "Deens", + "Deeprose", + "Deer", + "Deere", + "Deerhurst", + "Deering", + "Deeth", + "Defoe", + "Defrece", + "Defries", + "Defriez", + "DeGraff", + "DeGroot", + "Deighton", + "Delaflote", + "Delamare", + "Delamater", + "Delamere", + "Delamore", + "Delancy", + "Delane", + "Delaney", + "Delany", + "Delauney", + "Delf", + "Delgado", + "Dell", + "Deller", + "Dellow", + "Delorme", + "Delve", + "Delven", + "Delves", + "Demer", + "Dempsey", + "Dempster", + "Denbeigh", + "Denbigh", + "Denby", + "Dench", + "Dendy", + "Dene", + "Denew", + "Denford", + "Denham", + "Denholm", + "Denholme", + "Denington", + "Denio", + "Denis", + "Denison", + "Denley", + "Denman", + "Denn", + "Dennant", + "Denne", + "Dennes", + "Denness", + "Dennett", + "Denney", + "Denning", + "Dennington", + "Dennis", + "Dennison", + "Denniss", + "Dennitt", + "Dennitts", + "Denny", + "Densem", + "Densham", + "Denson", + "Densumbe", + "Dent", + "Denton", + "Denver", + "Denvir", + "Denyer", + "Depaul", + "Depledge", + "Derby", + "Derbyshire", + "Derham", + "Dering", + "Dermott", + "Derrick", + "Derry", + "Desborough", + "Desmarais", + "Desmond", + "Devaney", + "Devenish", + "Devenny", + "Devenpeck", + "Deverall", + "De Vere", + "Devereaux", + "Deverell", + "Devereux", + "Deverill", + "Devey", + "Deville", + "Devin", + "Devine", + "Devitt", + "Devlin", + "Devon", + "Devonish", + "Devonport", + "Devonshire", + "De Vries", + "Dew", + "Dewar", + "Dewdney", + "Dewer", + "Dewes", + "Dewey", + "Dewhirst", + "Dewhurst", + "Dewilde", + "Dewin", + "Dewing", + "Dews", + "Dewsbery", + "Dewsbury", + "Dewsnap", + "Dewson", + "Dexter", + "Dey", + "Deye", + "Deyes", + "Deykin", + "Diamant", + "Diament", + "Diamond", + "Diarmaid", + "Dias", + "Diaz", + "Dibb", + "Dibben", + "Dibbens", + "Dibbin", + "Dibble", + "Dibbs", + "Dibden", + "Dibdin", + "Dibin", + "Dible", + "Dibley", + "Diccon", + "Dicey", + "Dick", + "Dickason", + "Dicken", + "Dickens", + "Dickenson", + "Dicker", + "Dickerson", + "Dickeson", + "Dickey", + "Dickie", + "Dickin", + "Dickins", + "Dickinson", + "Dickman", + "Dicks", + "Dicksee", + "Dicksie", + "Dickson", + "Dicky", + "Didcott", + "Didsbury", + "Diefendorf", + "Digby", + "Diggens", + "Diggins", + "Diggle", + "Diggles", + "Diggons", + "Dighton", + "Digman", + "Dignam", + "Dignan", + "Dignum", + "Dilcock", + "Dilke", + "Dill", + "Dillamore", + "Dilley", + "Dillimore", + "Dilling", + "Dillingham", + "Dillnutt", + "Dillon", + "Dillworth", + "Dilly", + "Dilnott", + "Dilnutt", + "Dilworth", + "Diment", + "Dimes", + "Dimmock", + "Dimock", + "Dimond", + "Dimsdale", + "Dinaley", + "Dineley", + "Dingle", + "Dingley", + "Dingwall", + "Dingwell", + "Dinham", + "Dinley", + "Dinmore", + "Dinn", + "Dinneford", + "Dinning", + "Dinnis", + "Dinsdale", + "Dinsmor", + "Dinton", + "Dinwiddie", + "Dinwiddy", + "Dinwoodie", + "Diplock", + "Dippell", + "Dipple", + "Diprose", + "Disher", + "Disley", + "Disney", + "Diss", + "Ditchfield", + "Ditton", + "Dittrich", + "Dive", + "Dives", + "Dix", + "Dixey", + "Dixie", + "Dixon", + "Dixson", + "Doane", + "Dobb", + "Dobbie", + "Dobbin", + "Dobbing", + "Dobbins", + "Dobbinson", + "Dobbs", + "Dobbson", + "Dobby", + "Dobell", + "Dobie", + "Dobing", + "Dobinson", + "Doble", + "Doblin", + "Dobney", + "Dobree", + "Dobson", + "Docherty", + "Docker", + "Dockerell", + "Dockerill", + "Dockerty", + "Dockery", + "Dockett", + "Dockray", + "Dockreay", + "Dockrell", + "Dockrey", + "Docwra", + "Dod", + "Dodd", + "Dodding", + "Doddington", + "Doddridge", + "Dodds", + "Dodge", + "Dodgshon", + "Dodgshun", + "Dodgson", + "Dodimead", + "Dodington", + "Dodkin", + "Dodkins", + "Dodman", + "Dodridge", + "Dods", + "Dodshon", + "Dodson", + "Dodsworth", + "Dodwell", + "Doe", + "Dogerty", + "Dogg", + "Doggett", + "Doherty", + "Doidge", + "Doig", + "D'Oily", + "Dolamore", + "Dolan", + "Dolbeer", + "Dolbey", + "Dolby", + "Dole", + "Doley", + "Dollar", + "Doller", + "Dolley", + "Dolling", + "Dollman", + "Dolphin", + "Dolton", + "Dombey", + "Dominey", + "Dominic", + "Dominick", + "Dominy", + "Don", + "Donaghan", + "Donaghie", + "Donaghy", + "Donal", + "Donald", + "Donaldson", + "Donavan", + "Doncaster", + "Done", + "Donegan", + "Doneghan", + "Donel", + "Donell", + "Donellan", + "Donelly", + "Dones", + "Doney", + "Dongray", + "Donisthorpe", + "Donkin", + "Donking", + "Donlan", + "Donland", + "Donn", + "Donnach", + "Donnally", + "Donnan", + "Donne", + "Donnell", + "Donnellan", + "Donnelly", + "Donnett", + "Donnigan", + "Donnison", + "Donnolly", + "Donoghoe", + "Donoghue", + "Donohoe", + "Donohoo", + "Donohue", + "Donovan", + "Donovon", + "Donson", + "Doo", + "Doodson", + "Doody", + "Doolan", + "Dooland", + "Dooley", + "Doolittle", + "Doon", + "Doonan", + "Doone", + "Dopson", + "Doran", + "Dorden", + "Dore", + "Doree", + "Dorey", + "Dorington", + "Dorking", + "Dorkins", + "Dorlan", + "Dorland", + "Dorling", + "Dorman", + "Dormand", + "Dormer", + "Dormon", + "Dorney", + "Dornford", + "Dorning", + "Dornton", + "Dorr", + "Dorran", + "Dorrance", + "Dorree", + "Dorrell", + "Dorrington", + "Dorset", + "Dorsett", + "Dorsey", + "Dorton", + "Dorward", + "Dory", + "Dosser", + "Dossett", + "Dossor", + "Doswell", + "Dott", + "Dottridge", + "Douay", + "Doubble", + "Doubell", + "Double", + "Doubleday", + "Doublet", + "Douce", + "Doudney", + "Dougal", + "Dougall", + "Dougan", + "Doughan", + "Dougherty", + "Doughty", + "Douglas", + "Douglass", + "Doulman", + "Doulton", + "Doust", + "Douthwaite", + "Dove", + "Dover", + "Dovey", + "Dow", + "Dowall", + "Dowbiggan", + "Dowbiggin", + "Dowd", + "Dowdall", + "Dowdell", + "Dowden", + "Dowdeswell", + "Dowding", + "Dowdle", + "Dowe", + "Dowell", + "Dower", + "Dowie", + "Dowl", + "Dowlan", + "Dowle", + "Dowlen", + "Dowler", + "Dowley", + "Dowling", + "Dowlman", + "Dowman", + "Down", + "Downe", + "Downer", + "Downes", + "Downey", + "Downham", + "Downie", + "Downing", + "Downman", + "Downs", + "Downton", + "Dowse", + "Dowsett", + "Dowsing", + "Dowson", + "Dowthwaite", + "Dowty", + "Doxey", + "Doxsey", + "Doyle", + "Doyley", + "Drabble", + "Dracott", + "Drage", + "Drain", + "Drake", + "Drane", + "Dranfield", + "Dransfield", + "Draper", + "Drapper", + "Dray", + "Draycott", + "Drayson", + "Drayton", + "Dreaper", + "Dredge", + "Drennan", + "Drever", + "Drew", + "Drewe", + "Drewell", + "Drewett", + "Drewitt", + "Drewry", + "Drews", + "Drinan", + "Dring", + "Drinkall", + "Drinkwater", + "Driscoll", + "Driver", + "Dromgole", + "Dromgool", + "Dron", + "Druce", + "Drucker", + "Druery", + "Druett", + "Druitt", + "Druker", + "Drummond", + "Drury", + "Dry", + "Dryden", + "Drye", + "Drysdale", + "Dubber", + "Dubock", + "Dubois", + "Ducat", + "Duck", + "Ducker", + "Duckerell", + "Duckers", + "Duckett", + "Duckham", + "Duckitt", + "Duckrell", + "Duckworth", + "Ducloss", + "Dudeney", + "Dudfield", + "Dudgeon", + "Dudley", + "Dudman", + "Dudson", + "Duff", + "Duffell", + "Dufferin", + "Duffey", + "Duffie", + "Duffield", + "Duffill", + "Duffin", + "Duffus", + "Duffy", + "Dufty", + "Dugald", + "Dugan", + "Dugdale", + "Dugdill", + "Duggan", + "Duggen", + "Duggin", + "Dugmore", + "Dugon", + "Duguid", + "Duignan", + "Duke", + "Dukes", + "Dukeson", + "Duley", + "Dullage", + "Dulwich", + "Duly", + "Duman", + "Dumas", + "Dumbell", + "Dumbelton", + "Dumbleton", + "Dumfries", + "Dummett", + "Dumont", + "Dupont", + "Dun", + "Dunbabin", + "Dunbar", + "Dunbavin", + "Dunbebin", + "Dunbevan", + "Dunbobin", + "Duncalf", + "Duncalfe", + "Duncan", + "Duncannon", + "Duncanson", + "Dunch", + "Dunckley", + "Duncombie", + "Duncum", + "Dundas", + "Dunderdale", + "Dundonald", + "Dunford", + "Dungate", + "Dungray", + "Dunham", + "Dunhill", + "Dunipace", + "Dunk", + "Dunkerley", + "Dunkin", + "Dunkinson", + "Dunkley", + "Dunlap", + "Dunlevy", + "Dunley", + "Dunlop", + "Dunman", + "Dunmo", + "Dunmore", + "Dunn", + "Dunne", + "Dunnett", + "Dunning", + "Dunnington", + "Dunrobin", + "Dunsby", + "Dunscombe", + "Dunsdon", + "Dunsford", + "Dunstall", + "Dunstan", + "Dunster", + "Dunston", + "Dunthorn", + "Dunthorne", + "Dunton", + "Dunville", + "Dunwoodie", + "Dunwoody", + "Duparc", + "Dupont", + "Duppa", + "Dupree", + "Duprey", + "Dupuis", + "Dupuy", + "Dur", + "Durance", + "Durand", + "Durands", + "Durandu", + "Durant", + "Durants", + "Duranty", + "Durban", + "Durbin", + "Durden", + "Durell", + "Durgy", + "Durham", + "Durie", + "Durkey", + "Durkin", + "Durling", + "Durman", + "Durndell", + "Durnford", + "Durnin", + "Durning", + "Durrance", + "Durrans", + "Durrant", + "Durston", + "Durtnall", + "Durtnell", + "Durward", + "Durwin", + "Dury", + "Dutch", + "Dutfield", + "Duthie", + "Duthy", + "Dutton", + "Duttson", + "Duval", + "Duvall", + "Duxbury", + "Dwelley", + "Dwerryhouse", + "Dwight", + "Dwyer", + "Dwyre", + "Dyall", + "Dyamond", + "Dyas", + "Dyball", + "Dyble", + "Dyce", + "Dye", + "Dyer", + "Dyet", + "Dyett", + "Dyke", + "Dykeman", + "Dykes", + "Dykin", + "Dykins", + "Dymock", + "Dymoke", + "Dymond", + "Dyne", + "Dyot", + "Dyott", + "Dysart", + "Dyson", + "Dyster", + "Dyus", + "Eachan", + "Eachen", + "Escott", + "Ead", + "Eade", + "Eades", + "Eadie", + "Eadon", + "Eads", + "Eady", + "Eagna", + "Eager", + "Eagle", + "Eagles", + "Eaglestone", + "Eagleton", + "Eakin", + "Eakins", + "Eale", + "Eales", + "Eamer", + "Eames", + "Eamonson", + "Eardley", + "Earl", + "Earle", + "Earles", + "Earley", + "Earll", + "Early", + "Earnshaw", + "Earp", + "Earsdon", + "Earwaker", + "Earwicker", + "Easby", + "Easey", + "Easlea", + "Easley", + "Eason", + "East", + "Eastaff", + "Eastburn", + "Eastcote", + "Eastcott", + "Easte", + "Easteal", + "Eastel", + "Easter", + "Easterbrook", + "Easterfield", + "Easterling", + "Eastes", + "Eastgate", + "Eastham", + "Easther", + "Easthope", + "Eastick", + "Eastill", + "Eastlake", + "Eastley", + "Eastling", + "Eastman", + "Eastmead", + "Eastpm", + "Eastty", + "Eastwell", + "Eastwick", + "Eastwood", + "Easty", + "Easun", + "Easy", + "Eate", + "Eates", + "Eaton", + "Eatwell", + "Eaves", + "Eayrs", + "Ebb", + "Ebbett", + "Ebbetts", + "Ebbitt", + "Ebblewhite", + "Ebbptt", + "Ebbs", + "Ebbutt", + "Ebden", + "Ebdon", + "Eberlee", + "Eberly", + "Ebert", + "Ebner", + "Ebsworth", + "Eccles", + "Eddy", + "Edgar", + "Edgecumbe", + "Ediker", + "Edmond", + "Edward", + "Edwards", + "Egbert", + "Eggleston", + "Eiginn", + "Eisenhauer", + "Eisenhower", + "Eldred", + "Elias", + "Ell", + "Ellet", + "Elliot", + "Ellis", + "Elmer", + "Elphinstone", + "Elton", + "Elwy", + "Ely", + "Emerson", + "Emmet", + "Ennes", + "Ennis", + "Enos", + "Errick", + "Erskine", + "Erwin", + "Esham", + "Estley", + "Ethelbert", + "Eton", + "Euer", + "Eure", + "Eustace", + "Evans", + "Evelyn", + "Everard", + "Everett", + "Everly", + "Everts", + "Ewell", + "Eyre", + "Eytinge", + "Faal", + "Faber", + "Fabian", + "Facet", + "Faden", + "Fagan", + "Fagg", + "Fairbairn", + "Fairfax", + "Fairholm", + "Fake", + "Fales", + "Falke", + "Falkland", + "Falun", + "Fane", + "Fanning", + "Fanshaw", + "Far", + "Farber", + "Farman", + "Farnham", + "Farquhar", + "Farquharson", + "Farraday", + "Farrar", + "Farrelly", + "Fasset", + "Faucet", + "Faukner", + "Fay", + "Fearan", + "Felch", + "Fell", + "Felton", + "Fenshaw", + "Fenton", + "Ferdinand", + "Fergus", + "Ferguson", + "Ferrer", + "Ferrers", + "Ferris", + "Ferrol", + "Fielding", + "Fife", + "Fifield", + "Filey", + "Filley", + "Filmore", + "Filmur", + "Filo", + "Finch", + "Findlay", + "Finney", + "Firman", + "Firol", + "Fischer", + "Fisk", + "Fister", + "FitzGerald", + "FitzGilbert", + "FitzHamon", + "FitzHarding", + "FitzHatton", + "FitzHenry", + "FitzHerbert", + "FitzHervey", + "FitzHugh", + "FitzJohn", + "FitzMorice", + "FitzOrme", + "FitzParnell", + "FitzPatrick", + "FitzRandolph", + "FitzRoy", + "FitzSwain", + "Flack", + "Flaherty", + "Flanders", + "Fleischman", + "Fleisher", + "Flannagan", + "Fleming", + "Fletcher", + "Flint", + "Flood", + "Flores", + "Floyd", + "Flynn", + "Folger", + "Foljambe", + "Follet", + "Folliot", + "Fonda", + "Foote", + "Forbes", + "Forbisher", + "Fordham", + "Forrester", + "Forster", + "Forsythe", + "Fortescue", + "Fosdyke", + "Fosgate", + "Foss", + "Foster", + "Fotherby", + "Fothergill", + "Fotheringham", + "Foulis", + "Fountain", + "Fournier", + "Fowler", + "Fox", + "Frame", + "Francis", + "Frank", + "Frankland", + "Franklin", + "Fraser", + "Frederick", + "Freeman", + "Freer", + "Freiot", + "Fremont", + "French", + "Frery", + "Friar", + "Frisby", + "Friskin", + "Frobisher", + "Frost", + "Frothingham", + "Fry", + "Fu", + "Fuchs", + "Fulham", + "Fulke", + "Fulkins", + "Fuller", + "Fullerton", + "Fulsom", + "Furbusher", + "Gadsby", + "Gainnes", + "Gairden", + "Galbraith", + "Gale", + "Galgachus", + "Gall", + "Gallagher", + "Galligan", + "Gallup", + "Galt", + "Ganesvoort", + "Gano", + "Garcia", + "Gardener", + "Gardiner", + "Gardner", + "Garennier", + "Garfield", + "Garnet", + "Garnier", + "Garo", + "Garow", + "Garrah", + "Garret", + "Garrison", + "Garrow", + "Garry", + "Garth", + "Garza", + "Gaskell", + "Gaston", + "Gates", + "Gaudet", + "Gavet", + "Gayer", + "Gaylor", + "Gear", + "Gebauer", + "Geddes", + "Geer", + "Geoffrey", + "George", + "Gerard", + "Gerber", + "Germain", + "Gerry", + "Gervas", + "Getman", + "Getty", + "Gibbon", + "Gibbs", + "Gibson", + "Giddings", + "Giffard", + "Gifford", + "Gihon", + "Gilbert", + "Gilchrist", + "Gilkinson", + "Gill", + "Gillan", + "Gillespie", + "Gillet", + "Gillett", + "Gillies", + "Gillman", + "Gillpatrick", + "Gilly", + "Gilmour", + "Gilroy", + "Gilson", + "Girard", + "Girdwood", + "Girvan", + "Givens", + "Glanville", + "Glasgow", + "Glass", + "Glentworth", + "Gliston", + "Gloucester", + "Glouchester", + "Glyn", + "Goadby", + "Godard", + "Godeno", + "Godenot", + "Godfrey", + "Godolphin", + "Godwin", + "Goff", + "Golburn", + "Goldsmith", + "Gollah", + "Golly", + "Gomez", + "Gonzales", + "Gonzalez", + "Goodall", + "Goodenough", + "Goodhue", + "Goodrich", + "Goodsir", + "Goodsire", + "Goodyear", + "Gookin", + "Goon", + "Gordon", + "Goring", + "Gorman", + "Gorten", + "Gospatrick", + "Goss", + "Goudy", + "Goupil", + "Gow", + "Gowan", + "Gower", + "Grace", + "Graeme", + "Graham", + "Granger", + "Grant", + "Granville", + "Grasse", + "Gray", + "Greely", + "Green", + "Greenough", + "Greer", + "Gregor", + "Gregory", + "Greig", + "Grew", + "Grey", + "Grier", + "Grierson", + "Griffin", + "Griffith", + "Grimes", + "Grimsby", + "Grinell", + "Grissell", + "Groat", + "Groesbeck", + "Groot", + "Groscup", + "Gross", + "Grossman", + "Grosvenor", + "Grover", + "Gualt", + "Guelph", + "Guey", + "Guiar", + "Guinee", + "Guiot", + "Guiscard", + "Gutierrez", + "Gunn", + "Gunning", + "Gunsalus", + "Gunter", + "Gurdin", + "Gurney", + "Gurr", + "Guthrie", + "Guy", + "Guzman", + "Gwynne", + "Hadley", + "Haff", + "Hagadorn", + "Hagar", + "Hahn", + "Haineau", + "Haines", + "Hainsworth", + "Hal", + "Hal", + "Halden", + "Hale", + "Hales", + "Halifax", + "Halkett", + "Hallam", + "Haller", + "Hallett", + "Halliday", + "Halloran", + "Hallowell", + "Halpen", + "Halse", + "Halsey", + "Halstead", + "Ham", + "Hamilton", + "Hamlin", + "Hammel", + "Hammond", + "Hamon", + "Hampton", + "Handel", + "Handsel", + "Hanford", + "Hanham", + "Hanks", + "Hanley", + "Hanna", + "Hansel", + "Hanson", + "Hanway", + "Harcourt", + "Harding", + "Hardy", + "Hargill", + "Hargrave", + "Harleigh", + "Harley", + "Harlow", + "Harman", + "Harold", + "Harrington", + "Harris", + "Harrison", + "Harrower", + "Hartfield", + "Hartgill", + "Hartshorn", + "Hartman", + "Hartwell", + "Harvey", + "Hasbrouck", + "Hascall", + "Hasen", + "Haskell", + "Hastings", + "Haswell", + "Hatch", + "Hatfield", + "Hathaway", + "Hathorn", + "Hatton", + "Haugh", + "Havemeyer", + "Havens", + "Haverill", + "Haw", + "Hawes", + "Hawley", + "Hay", + "Haycock", + "Hayden", + "Haydyn", + "Hayes", + "Hayford", + "Hayle", + "Hayman", + "Hayne", + "Hayner", + "Haynes", + "Haynesworth", + "Haynsworth", + "Hayward", + "Hazard", + "Hazelrigg", + "Hazelwood", + "Hazen", + "Head", + "Heaton", + "Heber", + "Hecker", + "Hedd", + "Hedges", + "Hedon", + "Hellier", + "Helling", + "Helmer", + "Henderson", + "Henley", + "Henry", + "Herbert", + "Heriot", + "Herisson", + "Herman", + "Hermance", + "Hernandez", + "Herndon", + "Herne", + "Hernshaw", + "Heron", + "Herr", + "Herrera", + "Herrick", + "Herries", + "Herring", + "Hersey", + "Hewer", + "Hewit", + "Heyden", + "Heyman", + "Hibbard", + "Hiccock", + "Hickey", + "Hicks", + "Hierne", + "Higginbottom", + "Higgins", + "Hildyard", + "Hill", + "Hillier", + "Hilyard", + "Hinckley", + "Hindman", + "Hindon", + "Hinman", + "Hinton", + "Hippisley", + "Hipwood", + "Hitchens", + "Hoag", + "Hoare", + "Hobart", + "Hobbs", + "Hobby", + "Hobkins", + "Hobson", + "Hodd", + "Hodge", + "Hodgekins", + "Hodges", + "Hodson", + "Hoe", + "Hoff", + "Hoffman", + "Hoffmeyer", + "Hogan", + "Hogarth", + "Hogg", + "Hoggel", + "Holbech", + "Holcombe", + "Holden", + "Holland", + "Hollenbeck", + "Holman", + "Holme", + "Holmes", + "Holsapple", + "Holt", + "Holtcombe", + "Holywell", + "Holzapfel", + "Home", + "Homer", + "Homfray", + "Hone", + "Hong", + "Hood", + "Hoogaboom", + "Hoogstraten", + "Hooper", + "Hope", + "Hopkins", + "Hopper", + "Hore", + "Hornblower", + "Horton", + "Hosford", + "Hoskins", + "Hotchkiss", + "Hotham", + "Hough", + "Houghtailing", + "Houghton", + "House", + "Houston", + "Howard", + "Howe", + "Howell", + "Howlet", + "Howlett", + "Huband", + "Hubbard", + "Hubbell", + "Huber", + "Hubert", + "Huckstep", + "Huddleston", + "Hudson", + "Huer", + "Huget", + "Huggins", + "Hughes", + "Hulet", + "Hull", + "Hulse", + "Hume", + "Humphrey", + "Hungerford", + "Hunn", + "Hunt", + "Hunter", + "Huntington", + "Huntley", + "Hurd", + "Hurst", + "Husted", + "Hutchins", + "Hutchinson", + "Hutton", + "Hyde", + "Ide", + "Ilsley", + "Incledon", + "Inge", + "Ingham", + "Ingleby", + "Ingles", + "Inglis", + "Ingoldsby", + "Ingraham", + "Ingram", + "Innes", + "Innis", + "Ipres", + "Ireland", + "Ireton", + "Irish", + "Iron", + "Irvine", + "Irving", + "Isaac", + "Isham", + "Islip", + "Israel", + "Iver", + "Ives", + "Jack", + "Jackson", + "Jacob", + "Jacobson", + "Jaeger", + "Jahnke", + "James", + "Jameson", + "Jamieson", + "Janes", + "Janeway", + "Jason", + "Jeffers", + "Jeffrey", + "Jemse", + "Jenkins", + "Jenkinson", + "Jenks", + "Jenner", + "Jennings", + "Jerome", + "Jessup", + "Jetter", + "Jew", + "Jewell", + "Jewett", + "Jimenez", + "Job", + "Jobson", + "John", + "Johnson", + "Johnston", + "Jollie", + "Jonadab", + "Jonah", + "Jonas", + "Jonathan", + "Jones", + "Jordan", + "Jorden", + "Joseph", + "Joslin", + "Josselyn", + "Joy", + "Joyce", + "Judd", + "Judson", + "Jeungling", + "Jung", + "Kaiser", + "Kaufman", + "Kavanagh", + "Kay", + "Kaynard", + "Keach", + "Kean", + "Kebby", + "Keel", + "Keeler", + "Keen", + "Keese", + "Keigwin", + "Keith", + "Kellerman", + "Kellogg", + "Kelly", + "Kelsey", + "Kelso", + "Kemble", + "Kemp", + "Kempenfelt", + "Kemphall", + "Kempshall", + "Kempster", + "Kempton", + "Kemyss", + "Kendall", + "Kendrick", + "Kennan", + "Kennard", + "Kennedy", + "Kennicot", + "Kent", + "Kenward", + "Kenyon", + "Kercher", + "Kerr", + "Kessler", + "Kerswell", + "Ketman", + "Kettle", + "Kevin", + "Keys", + "Keyser", + "Kibby", + "Kid", + "Kidder", + "Kief", + "Kiel", + "Kiernan", + "Kiersted", + "Kilburne", + "Kilgour", + "Kilham", + "Killin", + "Kimberley", + "Kimble", + "Kincadd", + "Kincade", + "Kincella", + "King", + "Kinghorn", + "Kingston", + "Kinloch", + "Kinnaird", + "Kinnard", + "Kinnear", + "Kinney", + "Kinsella", + "Kinsley", + "Kipp", + "Kirby", + "Kirk", + "Kirkaldy", + "Kirkham", + "Kirkland", + "Kirkpatrick", + "Kirnan", + "Kirwan", + "Kiskey", + "Kitson", + "Kitts", + "Klein", + "Kling", + "Knapp", + "Knevett", + "Knickerbacker", + "Knight", + "Knightley", + "Knoll", + "Knowles", + "Knox", + "Kohler", + "Krause", + "Krebs", + "Kriege", + "Krieger", + "Kruger", + "Kuester", + "Kunstler", + "Kuster", + "Kyle", + "Lackey", + "Lacy", + "Ladd", + "Lahey", + "Laing", + "Laird", + "Lake", + "Lalor", + "Lam", + "Lamb", + "Lambert", + "Lambourne", + "Lamma", + "Lamport", + "Lancaster", + "Lander", + "Landon", + "Landry", + "Landseer", + "Lang", + "Lane", + "Langton", + "Lanham", + "Lanman", + "Lanphear", + "Lansing", + "Lanyon", + "Laoran", + "Laraway", + "Lardner", + "Larkins", + "Laroche", + "Laroque", + "Larry", + "Larway", + "Lath", + "Latimer", + "Latton", + "Laud", + "Lauder", + "Laurel", + "Laurent", + "Lavender", + "Laverock", + "Law", + "Lawler", + "Lawless", + "Lawley", + "Lawrence", + "Lawrie", + "Lawson", + "Laycock", + "Lea", + "Leadbeater", + "Lear", + "Leary", + "Learned", + "Leavenworth", + "Leby", + "Lechmere", + "Lederman", + "Ledermann", + "Lee", + "Leech", + "Leferre", + "Lefevre", + "Legard", + "Legatt", + "Legh", + "Lehmann", + "Lehrer", + "Leicester", + "Leigh", + "Leir", + "Leland", + "Lemon", + "Lennon", + "Lennox", + "Lent", + "Leonard", + "Leppard", + "Leroy", + "Leslie", + "Lesser", + "Lester", + "Leven", + "Levenworth", + "Leveque", + "Leveret", + "Levy", + "Lewes", + "Lewis", + "Lewknor", + "Lewthwaite", + "Ley", + "Leycester", + "Lhuyd", + "Lichtermann", + "Lightbody", + "Lightfoot", + "Lilienthal", + "Lilly", + "Lincoln", + "Lind", + "Lindall", + "Lindfield", + "Lindo", + "Lindsay", + "Lindsey", + "Ling", + "Linn", + "Linne", + "Linnet", + "Linton", + "Lippencot", + "Lisle", + "Lismore", + "Litchfield", + "Littler", + "Liu", + "Livermore", + "Livingstone", + "Lizard", + "Llary", + "Lloyd", + "Lobdale", + "Lockman", + "Logan", + "Lommis", + "Long", + "Lonsdale", + "Loomis", + "Lopez", + "Loppe", + "Lord", + "Lorimer", + "Losce", + "Lossie", + "Loughlin", + "Loudoun", + "Loury", + "Louth", + "Love", + "Lovel", + "Lowe", + "Lower", + "Lowry", + "Lowthwaite", + "Lucas", + "Ludbrock", + "Ludlow", + "Lumley", + "Lusher", + "Lusk", + "Luther", + "Lynch", + "Maban", + "Macaula", + "Macauley", + "Mace", + "Maclean", + "Macleod", + "Macklin", + "Maclay", + "Maconochie", + "Maddock", + "Maddock", + "Madison", + "Magoon", + "Maguire", + "Mahomet", + "Mahon", + "Maigny", + "Main", + "Mainard", + "Maitland", + "Major", + "Malet", + "Mallard", + "Mallery", + "Mallet", + "Malmesbury", + "Malone", + "Mandeville", + "Mann", + "Mannering", + "Manners", + "Mannus", + "Manser", + "Mansfield", + "Mansle", + "Manwaring", + "Mar", + "March", + "Marchant", + "Mark", + "Marsh", + "Marshall", + "Marshman", + "Martin", + "Martinez", + "Marven", + "Masenfer", + "Massenger", + "Massey", + "Massie", + "Masten", + "Mather", + "Matthew", + "Mattison", + "Mauer", + "Maxwell", + "May", + "Maynard", + "Mayne", + "Mayo", + "McAllister", + "McAndrew", + "McArdle", + "McBain", + "McBride", + "McCabe", + "McCallen", + "McCallister", + "McCamus", + "McCann", + "McCardle", + "McCarthy", + "McCharraigin", + "McCleod", + "McClis", + "McCoun", + "McCrackin", + "McCree", + "McCullough", + "McDermot", + "McDhoil", + "McDonald", + "McDonell", + "McDonnough", + "McDougall", + "McDowell", + "McDuff", + "McFadden", + "McFarland", + "McFerson", + "McGinnis", + "McGooken", + "McGowan", + "McGrath", + "McGraw", + "McGregor", + "McGucken", + "McGuire", + "McHard", + "McHarg", + "McIldoey", + "McIldouney", + "McIlhenny", + "McIlroy", + "McInerney", + "McInnis", + "McIntosh", + "McIntyre", + "McKay", + "McKelly", + "McKensie", + "McKenzie", + "McKibben", + "McKie", + "McKinnon", + "McKirnan", + "McLaughlin", + "McLaurin", + "McLean", + "McLeod", + "McMahon", + "McManus", + "McMartin", + "McMaster", + "McMullin", + "McMurrough", + "McMurtair", + "McNab", + "McNamara", + "McNaughton", + "McNevin", + "McNiel", + "McPherson", + "McQuade", + "McQuaire", + "McQuarie", + "McQueen", + "McWilliam", + "McWithy", + "Mead", + "Meadow", + "Mechant", + "Medcaf", + "Medina", + "Meek", + "Meers", + "Mehin", + "Meikle", + "Meikleham", + "Meiklejohn", + "Mellis", + "Melor", + "Melun", + "Menai", + "Mendoza", + "Menno", + "Menteth", + "Menzies", + "Mercer", + "Meredith", + "Merle", + "Merril", + "Merton", + "Meshaw", + "Mesick", + "Metcalf", + "Metternich", + "Meyer", + "Meyeul", + "Michael", + "Mickle", + "Middleditch", + "Middleton", + "Milbourne", + "Mildmay", + "Milford", + "Miller", + "Millman", + "Mills", + "Milne", + "Milner", + "Milthorpe", + "Milton", + "Minster", + "Minturn", + "Mitchell", + "Mixe", + "Mochrie", + "Moe", + "Moel", + "Moelyn", + "Moers", + "Moffatt", + "Molen", + "Molloy", + "Molyneux", + "Monger", + "Monk", + "Monroe", + "Monson", + "Montague", + "Monteith", + "Montford", + "Montgomery", + "Montmorice", + "Moody", + "Moon", + "Mooney", + "Moore", + "Moos", + "Morales", + "Moran", + "Moray", + "More", + "Moreau", + "Moreno", + "Moreton", + "Morgan", + "Morgen", + "Moriarty", + "Morley", + "Morrel", + "Morris", + "Morrison", + "Morse", + "Morton", + "Moseley", + "Mostyn", + "Mott", + "Moulton", + "Mountain", + "Mountjoy", + "Moxley", + "Moxon", + "Mueller", + "Muir", + "Mulligan", + "Mullins", + "Mumford", + "Mundy", + "Mungey", + "Munn", + "Munoz", + "Munsel", + "Murphy", + "Murray", + "Murrell", + "Musgrave", + "Myers", + "Nab", + "Naffis", + "Nairne", + "Nance", + "Napier", + "Nash", + "Naylor", + "Neal", + "Neander", + "Needham", + "Neff", + "Nefis", + "Neil", + "Neilson", + "Nel", + "Nelson", + "Nelthrope", + "Nequam", + "Ness", + "Netherwood", + "Neuman", + "Neveu", + "Neville", + "Nevin", + "Newbury", + "Newth", + "Newton", + "Nisbett", + "Noakes", + "Noble", + "Noel", + "Nogent", + "Nokes", + "Nolan", + "Norbury", + "Norcutt", + "Norfolk", + "Norman", + "Norris", + "Northam", + "Northcote", + "Northop", + "Northumberland", + "Norton", + "Norwich", + "Nott", + "Nottingham", + "Nowell", + "Nox", + "Noyes", + "Nugent", + "Nunez", + "Nye", + "Oakes", + "Oakham", + "Oakley", + "O'Bierne", + "O'Boyle", + "O'Brien", + "O'Byrne", + "O'Callaghan", + "Ochiern", + "Ockham", + "Ockley", + "O'Connor", + "O'Conor", + "O'Devlin", + "O'Donnell", + "O'Donoghue", + "O'Donovan", + "O'Dorcy", + "O'Dougherty", + "O'Dugan", + "O'Flaherty", + "Ogden", + "Ogilvie", + "O'Gowan", + "O'Hara", + "O'Hare", + "Oigthierna", + "O'Keefe", + "O'Leary", + "Olifant", + "Oliver", + "Ollendorff", + "Olmstead", + "Olsen", + "O'Mahony", + "O'Malley", + "Onderdonk", + "O'Neil", + "Onslow", + "O'Quin", + "Orchard", + "Orme", + "Ormiston", + "Ormsby", + "Orr", + "Ortega", + "Ortiz", + "Orton", + "Orvis", + "Osborn", + "Osmund", + "Osterhoudt", + "Ostheim", + "Ostrander", + "Oswald", + "Otis", + "O'Toole", + "Otter", + "Oudekirk", + "Ouseley", + "Outhoudt", + "Owen", + "Oxford", + "Paddock", + "Page", + "Paine", + "Paisley", + "Palmer", + "Pancost", + "Pangbourn", + "Pardie", + "Paris", + "Parke", + "Parker", + "Parkman", + "Parnell", + "Parrett", + "Parry", + "Parsall", + "Parshall", + "Parson", + "Patrick", + "Patterson", + "Pattison", + "Paul", + "Paxton", + "Payne", + "Peabody", + "Peacock", + "Pearson", + "Pedin", + "Peebles", + "Peele", + "Pelham", + "Pell", + "Pelletier", + "Pellyn", + "Pendleton", + "Peney", + "Pengilly", + "Penn", + "Pennant", + "Pennington", + "Penny", + "Pennyman", + "Pennymon", + "Pena", + "Percey", + "Percy", + "Perez", + "Perkins", + "Perrigo", + "Perrott", + "Perry", + "Peters", + "Peterson", + "Pevensey", + "Peyton", + "Phelps", + "Philip", + "Phippen", + "Physick", + "Pickering", + "Pickersgill", + "Pickett", + "Pierce", + "Piercy", + "Pierpont", + "Pierson", + "Piggot", + "Pigman", + "Pilcher", + "Pillings", + "Pinny", + "Pittman", + "Playfair", + "Playsted", + "Pleasants", + "Plympton", + "Poindexter", + "Poitevin", + "Polk", + "Pollard", + "Polleyby", + "Pollock", + "Pomeroy", + "Poole", + "Pope", + "Porcher", + "Porson", + "Potter", + "Pottinger", + "Poulton", + "Powell", + "Powers", + "Poynder", + "Pratt", + "Prescot", + "Pressley", + "Preston", + "Price", + "Prichard", + "Prideaux", + "Prindle", + "Pringle", + "Prodgers", + "Proger", + "Progers", + "Proost", + "Provoost", + "Pugh", + "Putman", + "Putnam", + "Putzkammer", + "Pye", + "Quackenboss", + "Quentin", + "Quigly", + "Quin", + "Quinn", + "Quintin", + "Radford", + "Radland", + "Radnor", + "Raffles", + "Rainsford", + "Raleigh", + "Ralph", + "Ralston", + "Ramage", + "Ramirez", + "Ramos", + "Ramsden", + "Ramsey", + "Ran", + "Randal", + "Rander", + "Randolph", + "Randulph", + "Rankin", + "Ranney", + "Ransom", + "Ransome", + "Rapp", + "Rawdon", + "Rawley", + "Rawlings", + "Rawlinson", + "Rawson", + "Ray", + "Raymer", + "Raymond", + "Rayner", + "Read", + "Record", + "Redden", + "Reddenhurst", + "Reed", + "Reese", + "Reeves", + "Reid", + "Reilly", + "Reinard", + "Reinhart", + "Renard", + "Retz", + "Reyes", + "Reynard", + "Reynolds", + "Reynoldson", + "Rheese", + "Reynolds", + "Rhodes", + "Rian", + "Ricard", + "Rice", + "Rich", + "Richard", + "Richardson", + "Richmond", + "Ricketts", + "Riddell", + "Ridder", + "Riggs", + "Ring", + "Ringe", + "Ringgold", + "Rios", + "Ripley", + "Ritchie", + "Ritter", + "Rivera", + "Roberts", + "Robertson", + "Robinson", + "Roby", + "Rochester", + "Rochfort", + "Rodden", + "Rodland", + "Rodriguez", + "Roe", + "Roemer", + "Roger", + "Roland", + "Rollin", + "Romaine", + "Romanno", + "Romero", + "Roof", + "Roorback", + "Root", + "Roschild", + "Rose", + "Rosencrans", + "Roseveldt", + "Ross", + "Roswell", + "Roth", + "Rothschild", + "Rouse", + "Rousseau", + "Roux", + "Rowe", + "Rowel", + "Rowen", + "Rowle", + "Rowley", + "Rowntree", + "Roy", + "Rue", + "Ruiz", + "Rufus", + "Ruggles", + "Rundell", + "Runnion", + "Runon", + "Rusbridge", + "Russ", + "Russell", + "Russey", + "Rutgers", + "Rutherford", + "Ruthven", + "Ruyter", + "Ryan", + "Ryder", + "Rye", + "Rynders", + "Sackville", + "Safford", + "Salazar", + "Sales", + "Salisbury", + "Salter", + "Saltz", + "Saltzman", + "Sanchez", + "Sandford", + "Sandler", + "Sands", + "Sangster", + "Santiago", + "Sanxay", + "Sarisbury", + "Saterlee", + "Saxe", + "Saxton", + "Scarborough", + "Scardsdale", + "Scarret", + "Schadeck", + "Schafer", + "Schaffer", + "Schell", + "Schellden", + "Schenck", + "Schenker", + "Scherer", + "Schermerhorn", + "Schluter", + "Schmidt", + "Schmuker", + "Schneider", + "Schlosser", + "Schoonhoven", + "Schoonmaker", + "Schreiber", + "Schreiner", + "Schroeder", + "Schubert", + "Schuler", + "Schulman", + "Schultheis ", + "Schultz", + "Schumacher", + "Schuman", + "Schuster", + "Schuyler", + "Schwartz", + "Scott", + "Scranton", + "Scroggs", + "Scudmore", + "Seaford", + "Seaforth", + "Seaman", + "Sears", + "Seaton", + "Seaver", + "Sebright", + "Sedgwick", + "Segur", + "Seix", + "Selby", + "Selkirk", + "Sellenger", + "Sellick", + "Semard", + "Semour", + "Semple", + "Seton", + "Severins", + "Severn", + "Sewall", + "Seward", + "Sewell", + "Seymour", + "Shaddock", + "Shan", + "Shanach", + "Shane", + "Shannon", + "Shaw", + "Sheldon", + "Shelley", + "Sheppy", + "Sherard", + "Sheridan", + "Sherlock", + "Sherman", + "Sherwood", + "Shiel", + "Sholtis", + "Short", + "Shrewsbury", + "Shrieves", + "Shuck", + "Shuckburgh", + "Shurtliff", + "Shute", + "Shuter", + "Siddons", + "Sigurd", + "Sikes", + "Simeon", + "Simmons", + "Simple", + "Simpson", + "Sims", + "Sinclair", + "Sinden", + "Singen", + "Sisson", + "Skeffington", + "Skelton", + "Skene", + "Skidmore", + "Slack", + "Slade", + "Slaven", + "Sleeper", + "Smith", + "Snell", + "Snodgrass", + "Snow", + "Snyder", + "Solden", + "Somer", + "Somerville", + "Sommer", + "Somner", + "Sompnoure", + "Soto", + "Soule", + "Southcote", + "Southwell", + "Spaaren", + "Spalding", + "Spark", + "Spelman", + "Spence", + "Spencer", + "Spicer", + "Spiegel", + "Spier", + "Spink", + "Spoor", + "Spotten", + "Sprague", + "Staats", + "Stacy", + "Staines", + "Stair", + "Stairn", + "St. Albans", + "Stalker", + "Stanhope", + "Stanley", + "Stanton", + "Stanwood", + "Stapleton", + "Stark", + "Starkey", + "Starr", + "Stead", + "Steane", + "Stearns", + "Stebbins", + "Steele", + "Steen", + "Stein", + "Steinhauer", + "Stell", + "Stemme", + "Stennett", + "Stern", + "Stetson", + "Stevens", + "Stevenons", + "Stewart", + "Still", + "Stimands", + "Stirling", + "Stocker", + "Stocking", + "Stockton", + "Stoddard", + "Stokes", + "Stokesby", + "Stone", + "Storr", + "Stoughton", + "Stover", + "Stowe", + "Strachan", + "Strain", + "Stratton", + "Stretton", + "Strickland", + "Stringer", + "Stryker", + "Stubbins", + "Studebaker", + "Stukeby", + "Stukley", + "Stukly", + "Sullivan", + "Sully", + "Sult", + "Summer", + "Sumner", + "Sumpter", + "Sunderland", + "Surtees", + "Suter", + "Sutherland", + "Sutphen", + "Sutter", + "Sutton", + "Swaim", + "Swane", + "Swartwout", + "Sweeney", + "Sweet", + "Swettenham", + "Sweyne", + "Swift", + "Swinburn", + "Swits", + "Switzer", + "Sylvester", + "Symes", + "Symington", + "Tabor", + "Taggart", + "Taite", + "Talbot", + "Tan", + "Tappan", + "Tasker", + "Tate", + "Tattersall", + "Taylor", + "Teddington", + "Teesdale", + "Tefft", + "Teft", + "Telfair", + "Telford", + "Temes", + "Temple", + "Tenbrook", + "Teneyck", + "Tennant", + "Tennison", + "Tennyson", + "Terril", + "Terwilliger", + "Tew", + "Theobald", + "Thomas", + "Thomlin", + "Thomlinson", + "Thoms", + "Thompson", + "Thomson", + "Thorn", + "Thorpe", + "Thrasher", + "Throckmorton", + "Thurston", + "Thwaite", + "Thwayte", + "Tibbits", + "Tice", + "Tichbourne", + "Tichenor", + "Tiernay", + "Tiffany", + "Till", + "Tillinghast", + "Tilly", + "Tilman", + "Tilmont", + "Tilton", + "Ting", + "Tirrel", + "Toby", + "Todd", + "Tollmache", + "Tolman", + "Torres", + "Torry", + "Toucey", + "Tournay", + "Towers", + "Towner", + "Townsend", + "Tracey", + "Tracy", + "Traille", + "Train", + "Trainer", + "Traineur", + "Trainor", + "Trelawney", + "Tremaine", + "Trenor", + "Trevelyan", + "Trevor", + "Tripp", + "Trotter", + "Troublefield", + "Trowbridge", + "Udine", + "Uhlan", + "Uline", + "Ulman", + "Ulmer", + "Underhill", + "Underwood", + "Unwin", + "Upham", + "Upton", + "Urran", + "Usher", + "Ustick", + "Vacher", + "Vale", + "Valentine", + "Valk", + "Van Aerden", + "Van Alstyne", + "Van Amee", + "Van Antwerp", + "Van Arden", + "Van Arnhem", + "Van Arnum", + "Van Buren", + "Van Buskirk", + "Van Cleve", + "Van Cortlandt", + "Van Curen", + "Van Dam", + "Vandenburgh", + "Vandenhoff", + "Vanderbilt", + "Vanderbogart", + "Vanderheyden", + "Vanderlinden", + "Vanderlippe", + "Vandermark", + "Vanderpoel", + "Vanderspeigle", + "Vanderveer", + "Vanderwerken", + "Vanderzee", + "Van Dousen", + "Van Duzen", + "Van Dyck", + "Van Eps", + "Van Hoorn", + "Van Hoosen", + "Van Hooven", + "Van Horn", + "Van Huisen", + "Van Husen", + "Van Ingen", + "Van Keuren", + "Van Kleef", + "Van Loon", + "Van Name", + "Van Namen", + "Van Ness", + "Van Norden", + "Van Nostrand", + "Van Orden", + "Van Ornum", + "Van Ostrand", + "Van Patten", + "Van Rensselaer", + "Van Schaack", + "Van Schaick", + "Van Scheyk", + "Van Schoonhoven", + "Van Slyck", + "Van Stantvoordt", + "Van Steinburgh", + "Van Tassel", + "Van Tessel", + "Van Tiel", + "Van Vechten", + "Van Vleck", + "Van Volkenburg", + "Van Voorst", + "Van Vorst", + "Van Vranken", + "Van Winkle", + "Van Woert", + "Van Worden", + "Van Wort", + "Van Wyck", + "Van Zant", + "Vasser", + "Vaughan", + "Vazquez", + "Vedder", + "Veeder", + "Velay", + "Venton", + "Verbeck", + "Vernon", + "Vesey", + "Vibbard", + "Vickers", + "Vielle", + "Villiers", + "Vine", + "Vipont", + "Virgo", + "Vivian", + "Vogel", + "Voores", + "Voorhees", + "Vrooman", + "Wade", + "Wadsworth", + "Waite", + "Wagner", + "Wagon", + "Wakefield", + "Wakeman", + "Walden", + "Waldgrave", + "Waldron", + "Wales", + "Walker", + "Wall", + "Wallace", + "Waller", + "Wallis", + "Wallock", + "Wallop", + "Walpole", + "Walsh", + "Walter", + "Walton", + "Wample", + "Wands", + "Warburton", + "Ward", + "Wardlaw", + "Ware", + "Warne", + "Warren", + "Warrender", + "Warwick", + "Washington", + "Wassen", + "Watcock", + "Waters", + "Watkins", + "Watkinson", + "Watson", + "Watt", + "Watts", + "Way", + "Wayland", + "Weber", + "Webster", + "Weeden", + "Weidman", + "Weir", + "Welby", + "Weld", + "Welden", + "Weller", + "Wells", + "Wempel", + "Wemple", + "Wemyss", + "Wendell", + "Wentworth", + "Werden", + "Werner", + "Westall", + "Westcott", + "Westerveldt", + "Westmoreland", + "Weston", + "Wetherby", + "Wetherspoon", + "Wetherwax", + "Wetsel", + "Weyland", + "Whalley", + "Wheaden", + "Whealdon", + "Wheaton", + "Wheden", + "Wheeler", + "Wheelock", + "Whieldon", + "Whitby", + "White", + "Whitfield", + "Whitford", + "Whiting", + "Whitlock", + "Whitman", + "Whitney", + "Whittaker", + "Wicker", + "Wickham", + "Wickliff", + "Wigan", + "Wiggin", + "Wilberforce", + "Wilbor", + "Wilbraham", + "Wilbur", + "Wilcox", + "Wilder", + "Wilkins", + "Wilkinson", + "Willard", + "Willet", + "William", + "Williamson", + "Willis", + "Willoughby", + "Wilmot", + "Wilson", + "Wilton", + "Wiltshire", + "Wimple", + "Winch", + "Winchcombe", + "Winchel", + "Winchester", + "Windham", + "Windsor", + "Winegar", + "Winekoop", + "Wing", + "Wingfield", + "Winne", + "Winship", + "Winslow", + "Winterton", + "Winthrop", + "Wire", + "Wise", + "Wiseman", + "Wishart", + "Wiswall", + "Witherington", + "Witherspoon", + "Witter", + "Wodderspoon", + "Wolf", + "Wolsey", + "Wong", + "Wood", + "Woodruff", + "Woodward", + "Woodworth", + "Wool", + "Woolley", + "Woolsey", + "Wooster", + "Worcester", + "Worth", + "Wright", + "Wu", + "Wylie", + "Wyman", + "Xavier", + "Yager", + "Yale", + "Yare", + "Yarrow", + "Yates", + "Yeoman", + "Yates", + "York", + "Young", + "Younghusband", + "Younglove", + "Yule", + "Zahm", + "Zahn", + "Zedler", + "Zellner", + "Zhu", + "Ziegler", + "Zimmerman", + "Zuckerman", + ], +} + +EXTENSION_MAP = {"ain't": "isn't", "aren't": 'are not', "can't": 'cannot', "can't've": 'cannot have', "could've": 'could have', "couldn't": 'could not', "didn't": 'did not', "doesn't": 'does not', "don't": 'do not', "hadn't": 'had not', "hasn't": 'has not', "haven't": 'have not', "he'd": 'he would', "he'd've": 'he would have', "he'll": 'he will', "he's": 'he is', "how'd": 'how did', "how'd'y": 'how do you', "how'll": 'how will', "how's": 'how is', "I'd": 'I would', "I'll": 'I will', "I'm": 'I am', "I've": 'I have', "i'd": 'i would', "i'll": 'i will', "i'm": 'i am', "i've": 'i have', "isn't": 'is not', "it'd": 'it would', "it'll": 'it will', "it's": 'it is', "ma'am": 'madam', "might've": 'might have', "mightn't": 'might not', "must've": 'must have', "mustn't": 'must not', "needn't": 'need not', "oughtn't": 'ought not', "shan't": 'shall not', "she'd": 'she would', "she'll": 'she will', "she's": 'she is', "should've": 'should have', "shouldn't": 'should not', "that'd": 'that would', "that's": 'that is', "there'd": 'there would', "there's": 'there is', "they'd": 'they would', "they'll": 'they will', "they're": 'they are', "they've": 'they have', "wasn't": 'was not', "we'd": 'we would', "we'll": 'we will', "we're": 'we are', "we've": 'we have', "weren't": 'were not', "what're": 'what are', "what's": 'what is', "when's": 'when is', "where'd": 'where did', "where's": 'where is', "where've": 'where have', "who'll": 'who will', "who's": 'who is', "who've": 'who have', "why's": 'why is', "won't": 'will not', "would've": 'would have', "wouldn't": 'would not', "you'd": 'you would', "you'd've": 'you would have', "you'll": 'you will', "you're": 'you are', "you've": 'you have'} + +# fmt: on diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/__init__.py b/textattack/shared/utils/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9b148af7bfaab6c59c6279fc69e8ddf54da6aedc --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,5 @@ +from .install import * +from .misc import * +from .strings import * +from .tensor import * +from .importing import * diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/importing.py b/textattack/shared/utils/importing.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..07a19b8760609dda4a99cef73051e78453766427 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/importing.py @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +# Code copied from https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/python/util/lazy_loader.py + +import importlib +import time +import types + +import textattack + +from .install import logger + + +class LazyLoader(types.ModuleType): + """Lazily import a module, mainly to avoid pulling in large dependencies. + + This allows them to only be loaded when they are used. + """ + + def __init__(self, local_name, parent_module_globals, name): + self._local_name = local_name + self._parent_module_globals = parent_module_globals + + super(LazyLoader, self).__init__(name) + + def _load(self): + """Load the module and insert it into the parent's globals.""" + # Import the target module and insert it into the parent's namespace + try: + module = importlib.import_module(self.__name__) + except ModuleNotFoundError as e: + raise ModuleNotFoundError( + f"Lazy module loader cannot find module named `{self.__name__}`. " + f"This might be because TextAttack does not automatically install some optional dependencies. " + f"Please run `pip install {self.__name__}` to install the package." + ) from e + self._parent_module_globals[self._local_name] = module + + # Update this object's dict so that if someone keeps a reference to the + # LazyLoader, lookups are efficient (__getattr__ is only called on lookups + # that fail). + self.__dict__.update(module.__dict__) + + return module + + def __getattr__(self, item): + module = self._load() + return getattr(module, item) + + def __dir__(self): + module = self._load() + return dir(module) + + +def load_module_from_file(file_path): + """Uses ``importlib`` to dynamically open a file and load an object from + it.""" + temp_module_name = f"temp_{time.time()}" + colored_file_path = textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + file_path, color="blue", method="ansi" + ) + logger.info(f"Loading module from `{colored_file_path}`.") + spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(temp_module_name, file_path) + module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec) + spec.loader.exec_module(module) + return module diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/install.py b/textattack/shared/utils/install.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1e2ca8bc644ed4a0cd2a0f21d43acd636d9f060d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/install.py @@ -0,0 +1,210 @@ +import logging.config +import os +import pathlib +import shutil +import sys +import tempfile +import zipfile + +import filelock +import requests +import tqdm + +# Hide an error message from `tokenizers` if this process is forked. +os.environ["TOKENIZERS_PARALLELISM"] = "True" + + +def path_in_cache(file_path): + try: + os.makedirs(TEXTATTACK_CACHE_DIR) + except FileExistsError: # cache path exists + pass + return os.path.join(TEXTATTACK_CACHE_DIR, file_path) + + +def s3_url(uri): + return "https://textattack.s3.amazonaws.com/" + uri + + +def download_from_s3(folder_name, skip_if_cached=True): + """Folder name will be saved as `/textattack/`. If + it doesn't exist on disk, the zip file will be downloaded and extracted. + + Args: + folder_name (str): path to folder or file in cache + skip_if_cached (bool): If `True`, skip downloading if content is already cached. + + Returns: + str: path to the downloaded folder or file on disk + """ + cache_dest_path = path_in_cache(folder_name) + os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(cache_dest_path), exist_ok=True) + # Use a lock to prevent concurrent downloads. + cache_dest_lock_path = cache_dest_path + ".lock" + cache_file_lock = filelock.FileLock(cache_dest_lock_path) + cache_file_lock.acquire() + # Check if already downloaded. + if skip_if_cached and os.path.exists(cache_dest_path): + cache_file_lock.release() + return cache_dest_path + # If the file isn't found yet, download the zip file to the cache. + downloaded_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile( + dir=TEXTATTACK_CACHE_DIR, suffix=".zip", delete=False + ) + folder_s3_url = s3_url(folder_name) + http_get(folder_s3_url, downloaded_file) + # Move or unzip the file. + downloaded_file.close() + if zipfile.is_zipfile(downloaded_file.name): + unzip_file(downloaded_file.name, cache_dest_path) + else: + logger.info(f"Copying {downloaded_file.name} to {cache_dest_path}.") + shutil.copyfile(downloaded_file.name, cache_dest_path) + cache_file_lock.release() + # Remove the temporary file. + os.remove(downloaded_file.name) + logger.info(f"Successfully saved {folder_name} to cache.") + return cache_dest_path + + +def download_from_url(url, save_path, skip_if_cached=True): + """Downloaded file will be saved under + `/textattack/`. If it doesn't exist on disk, the zip + file will be downloaded and extracted. + + Args: + url (str): URL path from which to download. + save_path (str): path to which to save the downloaded content. + skip_if_cached (bool): If `True`, skip downloading if content is already cached. + + Returns: + str: path to the downloaded folder or file on disk + """ + cache_dest_path = path_in_cache(save_path) + os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(cache_dest_path), exist_ok=True) + # Use a lock to prevent concurrent downloads. + cache_dest_lock_path = cache_dest_path + ".lock" + cache_file_lock = filelock.FileLock(cache_dest_lock_path) + cache_file_lock.acquire() + # Check if already downloaded. + if skip_if_cached and os.path.exists(cache_dest_path): + cache_file_lock.release() + return cache_dest_path + # If the file isn't found yet, download the zip file to the cache. + downloaded_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile( + dir=TEXTATTACK_CACHE_DIR, suffix=".zip", delete=False + ) + http_get(url, downloaded_file) + # Move or unzip the file. + downloaded_file.close() + if zipfile.is_zipfile(downloaded_file.name): + unzip_file(downloaded_file.name, cache_dest_path) + else: + logger.info(f"Copying {downloaded_file.name} to {cache_dest_path}.") + shutil.copyfile(downloaded_file.name, cache_dest_path) + cache_file_lock.release() + # Remove the temporary file. + os.remove(downloaded_file.name) + logger.info(f"Successfully saved {url} to cache.") + return cache_dest_path + + +def unzip_file(path_to_zip_file, unzipped_folder_path): + """Unzips a .zip file to folder path.""" + logger.info(f"Unzipping file {path_to_zip_file} to {unzipped_folder_path}.") + enclosing_unzipped_path = pathlib.Path(unzipped_folder_path).parent + with zipfile.ZipFile(path_to_zip_file, "r") as zip_ref: + zip_ref.extractall(enclosing_unzipped_path) + + +def http_get(url, out_file, proxies=None): + """Get contents of a URL and save to a file. + + https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/blob/master/src/transformers/file_utils.py + """ + logger.info(f"Downloading {url}.") + req = requests.get(url, stream=True, proxies=proxies) + content_length = req.headers.get("Content-Length") + total = int(content_length) if content_length is not None else None + if req.status_code == 403 or req.status_code == 404: + raise Exception(f"Could not reach {url}.") + progress = tqdm.tqdm(unit="B", unit_scale=True, total=total) + for chunk in req.iter_content(chunk_size=1024): + if chunk: # filter out keep-alive new chunks + progress.update(len(chunk)) + out_file.write(chunk) + progress.close() + + +if sys.stdout.isatty(): + LOG_STRING = "\033[34;1mtextattack\033[0m" +else: + LOG_STRING = "textattack" +logger = logging.getLogger(__name__) +logging.config.dictConfig( + {"version": 1, "loggers": {__name__: {"level": logging.INFO}}} +) +formatter = logging.Formatter(f"{LOG_STRING}: %(message)s") +stream_handler = logging.StreamHandler() +stream_handler.setFormatter(formatter) +logger.addHandler(stream_handler) +logger.propagate = False + + +def _post_install(): + logger.info("Updating TextAttack package dependencies.") + logger.info("Downloading NLTK required packages.") + import nltk + + nltk.download("averaged_perceptron_tagger") + nltk.download("stopwords") + nltk.download("omw") + nltk.download("universal_tagset") + nltk.download("wordnet") + nltk.download("punkt") + + try: + import stanza + + stanza.download("en") + except Exception: + pass + + +def set_cache_dir(cache_dir): + """Sets all relevant cache directories to ``TA_CACHE_DIR``.""" + # Tensorflow Hub cache directory + os.environ["TFHUB_CACHE_DIR"] = cache_dir + # HuggingFace `transformers` cache directory + os.environ["PYTORCH_TRANSFORMERS_CACHE"] = cache_dir + # HuggingFace `datasets` cache directory + os.environ["HF_HOME"] = cache_dir + # Basic directory for Linux user-specific non-data files + os.environ["XDG_CACHE_HOME"] = cache_dir + + +def _post_install_if_needed(): + """Runs _post_install if hasn't been run since install.""" + # Check for post-install file. + post_install_file_path = path_in_cache("post_install_check_3") + post_install_file_lock_path = post_install_file_path + ".lock" + post_install_file_lock = filelock.FileLock(post_install_file_lock_path) + post_install_file_lock.acquire() + if os.path.exists(post_install_file_path): + post_install_file_lock.release() + return + # Run post-install. + _post_install() + # Create file that indicates post-install completed. + open(post_install_file_path, "w").close() + post_install_file_lock.release() + + +TEXTATTACK_CACHE_DIR = os.environ.get( + "TA_CACHE_DIR", os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/textattack") +) +if "TA_CACHE_DIR" in os.environ: + set_cache_dir(os.environ["TA_CACHE_DIR"]) + + +_post_install_if_needed() diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/misc.py b/textattack/shared/utils/misc.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..18511f80ada6e538735212680f2df66251344c6b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/misc.py @@ -0,0 +1,130 @@ +import json +import os +import random + +import numpy as np +import torch + +import textattack + +device = os.environ.get( + "TA_DEVICE", torch.device("cuda" if torch.cuda.is_available() else "cpu") +) + + +def html_style_from_dict(style_dict): + """Turns. + + { 'color': 'red', 'height': '100px'} + + into + style: "color: red; height: 100px" + """ + style_str = "" + for key in style_dict: + style_str += key + ": " + style_dict[key] + ";" + return 'style="{}"'.format(style_str) + + +def html_table_from_rows(rows, title=None, header=None, style_dict=None): + # Stylize the container div. + if style_dict: + table_html = "
".format(html_style_from_dict(style_dict)) + else: + table_html = "
" + # Print the title string. + if title: + table_html += "

{}

".format(title) + + # Construct each row as HTML. + table_html = '' + if header: + table_html += "" + for element in header: + table_html += "" + table_html += "" + for row in rows: + table_html += "" + for element in row: + table_html += "" + table_html += "" + + # Close the table and print to screen. + table_html += "
" + table_html += str(element) + table_html += "
" + table_html += str(element) + table_html += "
" + + return table_html + + +def get_textattack_model_num_labels(model_name, model_path): + """Reads `train_args.json` and gets the number of labels for a trained + model, if present.""" + model_cache_path = textattack.shared.utils.download_from_s3(model_path) + train_args_path = os.path.join(model_cache_path, "train_args.json") + if not os.path.exists(train_args_path): + textattack.shared.logger.warn( + f"train_args.json not found in model path {model_path}. Defaulting to 2 labels." + ) + return 2 + else: + args = json.loads(open(train_args_path).read()) + return args.get("num_labels", 2) + + +def load_textattack_model_from_path(model_name, model_path): + """Loads a pre-trained TextAttack model from its name and path. + + For example, model_name "lstm-yelp" and model path + "models/classification/lstm/yelp". + """ + + colored_model_name = textattack.shared.utils.color_text( + model_name, color="blue", method="ansi" + ) + if model_name.startswith("lstm"): + num_labels = get_textattack_model_num_labels(model_name, model_path) + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading pre-trained TextAttack LSTM: {colored_model_name}" + ) + model = textattack.models.helpers.LSTMForClassification( + model_path=model_path, num_labels=num_labels + ) + elif model_name.startswith("cnn"): + num_labels = get_textattack_model_num_labels(model_name, model_path) + textattack.shared.logger.info( + f"Loading pre-trained TextAttack CNN: {colored_model_name}" + ) + model = textattack.models.helpers.WordCNNForClassification( + model_path=model_path, num_labels=num_labels + ) + elif model_name.startswith("t5"): + model = textattack.models.helpers.T5ForTextToText(model_path) + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unknown textattack model {model_path}") + return model + + +def set_seed(random_seed): + random.seed(random_seed) + np.random.seed(random_seed) + torch.manual_seed(random_seed) + torch.cuda.manual_seed(random_seed) + + +def hashable(key): + try: + hash(key) + return True + except TypeError: + return False + + +def sigmoid(n): + return 1 / (1 + np.exp(-n)) + + +GLOBAL_OBJECTS = {} +ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN = "^" diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/strings.py b/textattack/shared/utils/strings.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..817788f7a4ac69257732193c2fc96254c2610a95 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/strings.py @@ -0,0 +1,355 @@ +import re +import string + +import flair +import jieba +import pycld2 as cld2 + +from .importing import LazyLoader + + +def has_letter(word): + """Returns true if `word` contains at least one character in [A-Za-z].""" + return re.search("[A-Za-z]+", word) is not None + + +def is_one_word(word): + return len(words_from_text(word)) == 1 + + +def add_indent(s_, numSpaces): + s = s_.split("\n") + # don't do anything for single-line stuff + if len(s) == 1: + return s_ + first = s.pop(0) + s = [(numSpaces * " ") + line for line in s] + s = "\n".join(s) + s = first + "\n" + s + return s + + +def words_from_text(s, words_to_ignore=[]): + """Lowercases a string, removes all non-alphanumeric characters, and splits + into words.""" + try: + isReliable, textBytesFound, details = cld2.detect(s) + if details[0][0] == "Chinese" or details[0][0] == "ChineseT": + seg_list = jieba.cut(s, cut_all=False) + s = " ".join(seg_list) + else: + s = " ".join(s.split()) + except Exception: + s = " ".join(s.split()) + + homos = """˗৭Ȣ𝟕бƼᏎƷᒿlO`ɑЬϲԁе𝚏ɡհіϳ𝒌ⅼｍոорԛⲅѕ𝚝սѵԝ×уᴢ""" + exceptions = """'-_*@""" + filter_pattern = homos + """'\\-_\\*@""" + # TODO: consider whether one should add "." to `exceptions` (and "\." to `filter_pattern`) + # example "My email address is xxx@yyy.com" + filter_pattern = f"[\\w{filter_pattern}]+" + words = [] + for word in s.split(): + # Allow apostrophes, hyphens, underscores, asterisks and at signs as long as they don't begin the word. + word = word.lstrip(exceptions) + filt = [w.lstrip(exceptions) for w in re.findall(filter_pattern, word)] + words.extend(filt) + words = list(filter(lambda w: w not in words_to_ignore + [""], words)) + return words + + +class TextAttackFlairTokenizer(flair.data.Tokenizer): + def tokenize(self, text: str): + return words_from_text(text) + + +def default_class_repr(self): + if hasattr(self, "extra_repr_keys"): + extra_params = [] + for key in self.extra_repr_keys(): + extra_params.append(" (" + key + ")" + ": {" + key + "}") + if len(extra_params): + extra_str = "\n" + "\n".join(extra_params) + "\n" + extra_str = f"({extra_str})" + else: + extra_str = "" + extra_str = extra_str.format(**self.__dict__) + else: + extra_str = "" + return f"{self.__class__.__name__}{extra_str}" + + +class ReprMixin(object): + """Mixin for enhanced __repr__ and __str__.""" + + def __repr__(self): + return default_class_repr(self) + + __str__ = __repr__ + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + """extra fields to be included in the representation of a class.""" + return [] + + +LABEL_COLORS = [ + "red", + "green", + "blue", + "purple", + "yellow", + "orange", + "pink", + "cyan", + "gray", + "brown", +] + + +def process_label_name(label_name): + """Takes a label name from a dataset and makes it nice. + + Meant to correct different abbreviations and automatically + capitalize. + """ + label_name = label_name.lower() + if label_name == "neg": + label_name = "negative" + elif label_name == "pos": + label_name = "positive" + return label_name.capitalize() + + +def color_from_label(label_num): + """Arbitrary colors for different labels.""" + try: + label_num %= len(LABEL_COLORS) + return LABEL_COLORS[label_num] + except TypeError: + return "blue" + + +def color_from_output(label_name, label): + """Returns the correct color for a label name, like 'positive', 'medicine', + or 'entailment'.""" + label_name = label_name.lower() + if label_name in {"entailment", "positive"}: + return "green" + elif label_name in {"contradiction", "negative"}: + return "red" + elif label_name in {"neutral"}: + return "gray" + else: + # if no color pre-stored for label name, return color corresponding to + # the label number (so, even for unknown datasets, we can give each + # class a distinct color) + return color_from_label(label) + + +class ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES: + """Escape codes for printing color to the terminal.""" + + HEADER = "\033[95m" + OKBLUE = "\033[94m" + OKGREEN = "\033[92m" + + GRAY = "\033[37m" + PURPLE = "\033[35m" + YELLOW = "\033[93m" + ORANGE = "\033[38:5:208m" + PINK = "\033[95m" + CYAN = "\033[96m" + GRAY = "\033[38:5:240m" + BROWN = "\033[38:5:52m" + + WARNING = "\033[93m" + FAIL = "\033[91m" + BOLD = "\033[1m" + UNDERLINE = "\033[4m" + """ This color stops the current color sequence. """ + STOP = "\033[0m" + + +def color_text(text, color=None, method=None): + if not (isinstance(color, str) or isinstance(color, tuple)): + raise TypeError(f"Cannot color text with provided color of type {type(color)}") + if isinstance(color, tuple): + if len(color) > 1: + text = color_text(text, color[1:], method) + color = color[0] + + if method is None: + return text + if method == "html": + return f"{text}" + elif method == "ansi": + if color == "green": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.OKGREEN + elif color == "red": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.FAIL + elif color == "blue": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.OKBLUE + elif color == "purple": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.PURPLE + elif color == "yellow": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.YELLOW + elif color == "orange": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.ORANGE + elif color == "pink": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.PINK + elif color == "cyan": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.CYAN + elif color == "gray": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.GRAY + elif color == "brown": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.BROWN + elif color == "bold": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.BOLD + elif color == "underline": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.UNDERLINE + elif color == "warning": + color = ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.WARNING + else: + raise ValueError(f"unknown text color {color}") + + return color + text + ANSI_ESCAPE_CODES.STOP + elif method == "file": + return "[[" + text + "]]" + + +_flair_pos_tagger = None + + +def flair_tag(sentence, tag_type="upos-fast"): + """Tags a `Sentence` object using `flair` part-of-speech tagger.""" + global _flair_pos_tagger + if not _flair_pos_tagger: + from flair.models import SequenceTagger + + _flair_pos_tagger = SequenceTagger.load(tag_type) + _flair_pos_tagger.predict(sentence, force_token_predictions=True) + + +def zip_flair_result(pred, tag_type="upos-fast"): + """Takes a sentence tagging from `flair` and returns two lists, of words + and their corresponding parts-of-speech.""" + from flair.data import Sentence + + if not isinstance(pred, Sentence): + raise TypeError("Result from Flair POS tagger must be a `Sentence` object.") + + tokens = pred.tokens + word_list = [] + pos_list = [] + for token in tokens: + word_list.append(token.text) + if "pos" in tag_type: + pos_list.append(token.annotation_layers["pos"][0]._value) + elif tag_type == "ner": + pos_list.append(token.get_label("ner")) + + return word_list, pos_list + + +stanza = LazyLoader("stanza", globals(), "stanza") + + +def zip_stanza_result(pred, tagset="universal"): + """Takes the first sentence from a document from `stanza` and returns two + lists, one of words and the other of their corresponding parts-of- + speech.""" + if not isinstance(pred, stanza.models.common.doc.Document): + raise TypeError("Result from Stanza POS tagger must be a `Document` object.") + + word_list = [] + pos_list = [] + + for sentence in pred.sentences: + for word in sentence.words: + word_list.append(word.text) + if tagset == "universal": + pos_list.append(word.upos) + else: + pos_list.append(word.xpos) + + return word_list, pos_list + + +def check_if_subword(token, model_type, starting=False): + """Check if ``token`` is a subword token that is not a standalone word. + + Args: + token (str): token to check. + model_type (str): type of model (options: "bert", "roberta", "xlnet"). + starting (bool): Should be set ``True`` if this token is the starting token of the overall text. + This matters because models like RoBERTa does not add "Ġ" to beginning token. + Returns: + (bool): ``True`` if ``token`` is a subword token. + """ + avail_models = [ + "bert", + "gpt", + "gpt2", + "roberta", + "bart", + "electra", + "longformer", + "xlnet", + ] + if model_type not in avail_models: + raise ValueError( + f"Model type {model_type} is not available. Options are {avail_models}." + ) + if model_type in ["bert", "electra"]: + return True if "##" in token else False + elif model_type in ["gpt", "gpt2", "roberta", "bart", "longformer"]: + if starting: + return False + else: + return False if token[0] == "Ġ" else True + elif model_type == "xlnet": + return False if token[0] == "_" else True + else: + return False + + +def strip_BPE_artifacts(token, model_type): + """Strip characters such as "Ġ" that are left over from BPE tokenization. + + Args: + token (str) + model_type (str): type of model (options: "bert", "roberta", "xlnet") + """ + avail_models = [ + "bert", + "gpt", + "gpt2", + "roberta", + "bart", + "electra", + "longformer", + "xlnet", + ] + if model_type not in avail_models: + raise ValueError( + f"Model type {model_type} is not available. Options are {avail_models}." + ) + if model_type in ["bert", "electra"]: + return token.replace("##", "") + elif model_type in ["gpt", "gpt2", "roberta", "bart", "longformer"]: + return token.replace("Ġ", "") + elif model_type == "xlnet": + if len(token) > 1 and token[0] == "_": + return token[1:] + else: + return token + else: + return token + + +def check_if_punctuations(word): + """Returns ``True`` if ``word`` is just a sequence of punctuations.""" + for c in word: + if c not in string.punctuation: + return False + return True diff --git a/textattack/shared/utils/tensor.py b/textattack/shared/utils/tensor.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4f946675e71834c0fef5000e3b9f33b33b33a392 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/utils/tensor.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +import numpy as np +import torch + + +def batch_model_predict(model_predict, inputs, batch_size=32): + """Runs prediction on iterable ``inputs`` using batch size ``batch_size``. + + Aggregates all predictions into an ``np.ndarray``. + """ + outputs = [] + i = 0 + while i < len(inputs): + batch = inputs[i : i + batch_size] + batch_preds = model_predict(batch) + + # Some seq-to-seq models will return a single string as a prediction + # for a single-string list. Wrap these in a list. + if isinstance(batch_preds, str): + batch_preds = [batch_preds] + + # Get PyTorch tensors off of other devices. + if isinstance(batch_preds, torch.Tensor): + batch_preds = batch_preds.cpu() + + # Cast all predictions iterables to ``np.ndarray`` types. + if not isinstance(batch_preds, np.ndarray): + batch_preds = np.array(batch_preds) + outputs.append(batch_preds) + i += batch_size + + return np.concatenate(outputs, axis=0) diff --git a/textattack/shared/validators.py b/textattack/shared/validators.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fcf08e150b993757c37dd82bebb019935524eb1e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/validators.py @@ -0,0 +1,132 @@ +""" +Misc Validators +================= +Validators ensure compatibility between search methods, transformations, constraints, and goal functions. + +""" +import re + +import textattack +from textattack.goal_functions import ( + InputReduction, + MinimizeBleu, + NonOverlappingOutput, + TargetedClassification, + UntargetedClassification, +) + +from . import logger + +# A list of goal functions and the corresponding available models. +MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTIONS = { + (TargetedClassification, UntargetedClassification, InputReduction): [ + r"^textattack.models.helpers.lstm_for_classification.*", + r"^textattack.models.helpers.word_cnn_for_classification.*", + r"^transformers.modeling_\w*\.\w*ForSequenceClassification$", + ], + ( + NonOverlappingOutput, + MinimizeBleu, + ): [ + r"^textattack.models.helpers.t5_for_text_to_text.*", + ], +} + +# Unroll the `MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTIONS` dictionary into a dictionary that has +# a key for each goal function. (Note the plurality here that distinguishes +# the two variables from one another.) +MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTION = {} +for goal_functions, matching_model_globs in MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTIONS.items(): + for goal_function in goal_functions: + MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTION[goal_function] = matching_model_globs + + +def validate_model_goal_function_compatibility(goal_function_class, model_class): + """Determines if ``model_class`` is task-compatible with + ``goal_function_class``. + + For example, a text-generative model like one intended for + translation or summarization would not be compatible with a goal + function that requires probability scores, like the + UntargetedGoalFunction. + """ + # Verify that this is a valid goal function. + try: + matching_model_globs = MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTION[goal_function_class] + except KeyError: + matching_model_globs = [] + logger.warn(f"No entry found for goal function {goal_function_class}.") + # Get options for this goal function. + # model_module = model_class.__module__ + model_module_path = ".".join((model_class.__module__, model_class.__name__)) + # Ensure the model matches one of these options. + for glob in matching_model_globs: + if re.match(glob, model_module_path): + logger.info( + f"Goal function {goal_function_class} compatible with model {model_class.__name__}." + ) + return + # If we got here, the model does not match the intended goal function. + for goal_functions, globs in MODELS_BY_GOAL_FUNCTIONS.items(): + for glob in globs: + if re.match(glob, model_module_path): + logger.warn( + f"Unknown if model {model_class.__name__} compatible with provided goal function {goal_function_class}." + f" Found match with other goal functions: {goal_functions}." + ) + return + # If it matches another goal function, warn user. + + # Otherwise, this is an unknown model–perhaps user-provided, or we forgot to + # update the corresponding dictionary. Warn user and return. + logger.warn( + f"Unknown if model of class {model_class} compatible with goal function {goal_function_class}." + ) + + +def validate_model_gradient_word_swap_compatibility(model): + """Determines if ``model`` is task-compatible with + ``GradientBasedWordSwap``. + + We can only take the gradient with respect to an individual word if + the model uses a word-based tokenizer. + """ + if isinstance(model, textattack.models.helpers.LSTMForClassification): + return True + else: + raise ValueError(f"Cannot perform GradientBasedWordSwap on model {model}.") + + +def transformation_consists_of(transformation, transformation_classes): + """Determines if ``transformation`` is or consists only of instances of a + class in ``transformation_classes``""" + from textattack.transformations import CompositeTransformation + + if isinstance(transformation, CompositeTransformation): + for t in transformation.transformations: + if not transformation_consists_of(t, transformation_classes): + return False + return True + else: + for transformation_class in transformation_classes: + if isinstance(transformation, transformation_class): + return True + return False + + +def transformation_consists_of_word_swaps(transformation): + """Determines if ``transformation`` is a word swap or consists of only word + swaps.""" + from textattack.transformations import WordSwap, WordSwapGradientBased + + return transformation_consists_of(transformation, [WordSwap, WordSwapGradientBased]) + + +def transformation_consists_of_word_swaps_and_deletions(transformation): + """Determines if ``transformation`` is a word swap or consists of only word + swaps and deletions.""" + from textattack.transformations import WordDeletion, WordSwap, WordSwapGradientBased + + return transformation_consists_of( + transformation, [WordDeletion, WordSwap, WordSwapGradientBased] + ) diff --git a/textattack/shared/word_embeddings.py b/textattack/shared/word_embeddings.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d9f2f3d3cd7ae53f8347e4cac209be8330103029 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/shared/word_embeddings.py @@ -0,0 +1,426 @@ +""" +Shared loads word embeddings and related distances +===================================================== +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod +from collections import defaultdict +import os +import pickle + +import numpy as np +import torch + +from textattack.shared import utils + + +class AbstractWordEmbedding(utils.ReprMixin, ABC): + """Abstract class representing word embedding used by TextAttack. + + This class specifies all the methods that is required to be defined + so that it can be used for transformation and constraints. For + custom word embedding not supported by TextAttack, please create a + class that inherits this class and implement the required methods. + However, please first check if you can use `WordEmbedding` class, + which has a lot of internal methods implemented. + """ + + @abstractmethod + def __getitem__(self, index): + """Gets the embedding vector for word/id + Args: + index (Union[str|int]): `index` can either be word or integer representing the id of the word. + Returns: + vector (ndarray): 1-D embedding vector. If corresponding vector cannot be found for `index`, returns `None`. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def get_mse_dist(self, a, b): + """Return MSE distance between vector for word `a` and vector for word + `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): MSE (L2) distance + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def get_cos_sim(self, a, b): + """Return cosine similarity between vector for word `a` and vector for + word `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): cosine similarity + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def word2index(self, word): + """ + Convert between word to id (i.e. index of word in embedding matrix) + Args: + word (str) + Returns: + index (int) + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def index2word(self, index): + """ + Convert index to corresponding word + Args: + index (int) + Returns: + word (str) + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @abstractmethod + def nearest_neighbours(self, index, topn): + """ + Get top-N nearest neighbours for a word + Args: + index (int): ID of the word for which we're finding the nearest neighbours + topn (int): Used for specifying N nearest neighbours + Returns: + neighbours (list[int]): List of indices of the nearest neighbours + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + +class WordEmbedding(AbstractWordEmbedding): + """Object for loading word embeddings and related distances for TextAttack. + This class has a lot of internal components (e.g. get consine similarity) + implemented. Consider using this class if you can provide the appropriate + input data to create the object. + + Args: + emedding_matrix (ndarray): 2-D array of shape N x D where N represents size of vocab and D is the dimension of embedding vectors. + word2index (Union[dict|object]): dictionary (or a similar object) that maps word to its index with in the embedding matrix. + index2word (Union[dict|object]): dictionary (or a similar object) that maps index to its word. + nn_matrix (ndarray): Matrix for precomputed nearest neighbours. It should be a 2-D integer array of shape N x K + where N represents size of vocab and K is the top-K nearest neighbours. If this is set to `None`, we have to compute nearest neighbours + on the fly for `nearest_neighbours` method, which is costly. + """ + + PATH = "word_embeddings" + + def __init__(self, embedding_matrix, word2index, index2word, nn_matrix=None): + self.embedding_matrix = embedding_matrix + self._word2index = word2index + self._index2word = index2word + self.nn_matrix = nn_matrix + + # Dictionary for caching results + self._mse_dist_mat = defaultdict(dict) + self._cos_sim_mat = defaultdict(dict) + self._nn_cache = {} + + def __getitem__(self, index): + """Gets the embedding vector for word/id + Args: + index (Union[str|int]): `index` can either be word or integer representing the id of the word. + Returns: + vector (ndarray): 1-D embedding vector. If corresponding vector cannot be found for `index`, returns `None`. + """ + if isinstance(index, str): + try: + index = self._word2index[index] + except KeyError: + return None + try: + return self.embedding_matrix[index] + except IndexError: + # word embedding ID out of bounds + return None + + def word2index(self, word): + """ + Convert between word to id (i.e. index of word in embedding matrix) + Args: + word (str) + Returns: + index (int) + """ + return self._word2index[word] + + def index2word(self, index): + """ + Convert index to corresponding word + Args: + index (int) + Returns: + word (str) + + """ + return self._index2word[index] + + def get_mse_dist(self, a, b): + """Return MSE distance between vector for word `a` and vector for word + `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): MSE (L2) distance + """ + if isinstance(a, str): + a = self._word2index[a] + if isinstance(b, str): + b = self._word2index[b] + a, b = min(a, b), max(a, b) + try: + mse_dist = self._mse_dist_mat[a][b] + except KeyError: + e1 = self.embedding_matrix[a] + e2 = self.embedding_matrix[b] + e1 = torch.tensor(e1).to(utils.device) + e2 = torch.tensor(e2).to(utils.device) + mse_dist = torch.sum((e1 - e2) ** 2).item() + self._mse_dist_mat[a][b] = mse_dist + + return mse_dist + + def get_cos_sim(self, a, b): + """Return cosine similarity between vector for word `a` and vector for + word `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): cosine similarity + """ + if isinstance(a, str): + a = self._word2index[a] + if isinstance(b, str): + b = self._word2index[b] + a, b = min(a, b), max(a, b) + try: + cos_sim = self._cos_sim_mat[a][b] + except KeyError: + e1 = self.embedding_matrix[a] + e2 = self.embedding_matrix[b] + e1 = torch.tensor(e1).to(utils.device) + e2 = torch.tensor(e2).to(utils.device) + cos_sim = torch.nn.CosineSimilarity(dim=0)(e1, e2).item() + self._cos_sim_mat[a][b] = cos_sim + return cos_sim + + def nearest_neighbours(self, index, topn): + """ + Get top-N nearest neighbours for a word + Args: + index (int): ID of the word for which we're finding the nearest neighbours + topn (int): Used for specifying N nearest neighbours + Returns: + neighbours (list[int]): List of indices of the nearest neighbours + """ + if isinstance(index, str): + index = self._word2index[index] + if self.nn_matrix is not None: + nn = self.nn_matrix[index][1 : (topn + 1)] + else: + try: + nn = self._nn_cache[index] + except KeyError: + embedding = torch.tensor(self.embedding_matrix).to(utils.device) + vector = torch.tensor(self.embedding_matrix[index]).to(utils.device) + dist = torch.norm(embedding - vector, dim=1, p=None) + # Since closest neighbour will be the same word, we consider N+1 nearest neighbours + nn = dist.topk(topn + 1, largest=False)[1:].tolist() + self._nn_cache[index] = nn + + return nn + + @staticmethod + def counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding(): + """Returns a prebuilt counter-fitted GLOVE word embedding proposed by + "Counter-fitting Word Vectors to Linguistic Constraints" (Mrkšić et + al., 2016)""" + if ( + "textattack_counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding" in utils.GLOBAL_OBJECTS + and isinstance( + utils.GLOBAL_OBJECTS["textattack_counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding"], + WordEmbedding, + ) + ): + # avoid recreating same embedding (same memory) and instead share across different components + return utils.GLOBAL_OBJECTS["textattack_counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding"] + + word_embeddings_folder = "paragramcf" + word_embeddings_file = "paragram.npy" + word_list_file = "wordlist.pickle" + mse_dist_file = "mse_dist.p" + cos_sim_file = "cos_sim.p" + nn_matrix_file = "nn.npy" + + # Download embeddings if they're not cached. + word_embeddings_folder = os.path.join( + WordEmbedding.PATH, word_embeddings_folder + ).replace("\\", "/") + word_embeddings_folder = utils.download_from_s3(word_embeddings_folder) + # Concatenate folder names to create full path to files. + word_embeddings_file = os.path.join( + word_embeddings_folder, word_embeddings_file + ) + word_list_file = os.path.join(word_embeddings_folder, word_list_file) + mse_dist_file = os.path.join(word_embeddings_folder, mse_dist_file) + cos_sim_file = os.path.join(word_embeddings_folder, cos_sim_file) + nn_matrix_file = os.path.join(word_embeddings_folder, nn_matrix_file) + + # loading the files + embedding_matrix = np.load(word_embeddings_file) + word2index = np.load(word_list_file, allow_pickle=True) + index2word = {} + for word, index in word2index.items(): + index2word[index] = word + nn_matrix = np.load(nn_matrix_file) + + embedding = WordEmbedding(embedding_matrix, word2index, index2word, nn_matrix) + + with open(mse_dist_file, "rb") as f: + mse_dist_mat = pickle.load(f) + with open(cos_sim_file, "rb") as f: + cos_sim_mat = pickle.load(f) + + embedding._mse_dist_mat = mse_dist_mat + embedding._cos_sim_mat = cos_sim_mat + + utils.GLOBAL_OBJECTS["textattack_counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding"] = embedding + + return embedding + + +class GensimWordEmbedding(AbstractWordEmbedding): + """Wraps Gensim's `models.keyedvectors` module + (https://radimrehurek.com/gensim/models/keyedvectors.html)""" + + def __init__(self, keyed_vectors): + gensim = utils.LazyLoader("gensim", globals(), "gensim") + + if isinstance(keyed_vectors, gensim.models.KeyedVectors): + self.keyed_vectors = keyed_vectors + else: + raise ValueError( + "`keyed_vectors` argument must be a " + "`gensim.models.keyedvectors.WordEmbeddingsKeyedVectors` object" + ) + + self.keyed_vectors.init_sims() + self._mse_dist_mat = defaultdict(dict) + self._cos_sim_mat = defaultdict(dict) + + def __getitem__(self, index): + """Gets the embedding vector for word/id + Args: + index (Union[str|int]): `index` can either be word or integer representing the id of the word. + Returns: + vector (ndarray): 1-D embedding vector. If corresponding vector cannot be found for `index`, returns `None`. + """ + if isinstance(index, str): + try: + index = self.keyed_vectors.key_to_index.get(index) + except KeyError: + return None + try: + return self.keyed_vectors.get_normed_vectors()[index] + except IndexError: + # word embedding ID out of bounds + return None + + def word2index(self, word): + """ + Convert between word to id (i.e. index of word in embedding matrix) + Args: + word (str) + Returns: + index (int) + """ + vocab = self.keyed_vectors.key_to_index.get(word) + if vocab is None: + raise KeyError(word) + return vocab + + def index2word(self, index): + """ + Convert index to corresponding word + Args: + index (int) + Returns: + word (str) + + """ + try: + # this is a list, so the error would be IndexError + return self.keyed_vectors.index_to_key[index] + except IndexError: + raise KeyError(index) + + def get_mse_dist(self, a, b): + """Return MSE distance between vector for word `a` and vector for word + `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): MSE (L2) distance + """ + try: + mse_dist = self._mse_dist_mat[a][b] + except KeyError: + e1 = self.keyed_vectors.get_normed_vectors()[a] + e2 = self.keyed_vectors.get_normed_vectors()[b] + e1 = torch.tensor(e1).to(utils.device) + e2 = torch.tensor(e2).to(utils.device) + mse_dist = torch.sum((e1 - e2) ** 2).item() + self._mse_dist_mat[a][b] = mse_dist + return mse_dist + + def get_cos_sim(self, a, b): + """Return cosine similarity between vector for word `a` and vector for + word `b`. + + Since this is a metric, `get_mse_dist(a,b)` and `get_mse_dist(b,a)` should return the same value. + Args: + a (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + b (Union[str|int]): Either word or integer presenting the id of the word + Returns: + distance (float): cosine similarity + """ + if not isinstance(a, str): + a = self.keyed_vectors.index_to_key[a] + if not isinstance(b, str): + b = self.keyed_vectors.index_to_key[b] + cos_sim = self.keyed_vectors.similarity(a, b) + return cos_sim + + def nearest_neighbours(self, index, topn, return_words=True): + """ + Get top-N nearest neighbours for a word + Args: + index (int): ID of the word for which we're finding the nearest neighbours + topn (int): Used for specifying N nearest neighbours + Returns: + neighbours (list[int]): List of indices of the nearest neighbours + """ + word = self.keyed_vectors.index_to_key[index] + return [ + self.word2index(i[0]) + for i in self.keyed_vectors.similar_by_word(word, topn) + ] diff --git a/textattack/trainer.py b/textattack/trainer.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7569dd5de3944ca3e4d0a4dbddf2dd3feba8f4be --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/trainer.py @@ -0,0 +1,1019 @@ +""" +Trainer Class +============= +""" + +import collections +import json +import logging +import math +import os + +import scipy +import torch +import tqdm +import transformers + +import textattack +from textattack.shared.utils import logger + +from .attack import Attack +from .attack_args import AttackArgs +from .attack_results import MaximizedAttackResult, SuccessfulAttackResult +from .attacker import Attacker +from .model_args import HUGGINGFACE_MODELS +from .models.helpers import LSTMForClassification, WordCNNForClassification +from .models.wrappers import ModelWrapper +from .training_args import CommandLineTrainingArgs, TrainingArgs + + +class Trainer: + """Trainer is training and eval loop for adversarial training. + + It is designed to work with PyTorch and Transformers models. + + Args: + model_wrapper (:class:`~textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`): + Model wrapper containing both the model and the tokenizer. + task_type (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"classification"`): + The task that the model is trained to perform. + Currently, :class:`~textattack.Trainer` supports two tasks: (1) :obj:`"classification"`, (2) :obj:`"regression"`. + attack (:class:`~textattack.Attack`): + :class:`~textattack.Attack` used to generate adversarial examples for training. + train_dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Dataset for training. + eval_dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Dataset for evaluation + training_args (:class:`~textattack.TrainingArgs`): + Arguments for training. + + Example:: + + >>> import textattack + >>> import transformers + + >>> model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained("bert-base-uncased") + >>> tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("bert-base-uncased") + >>> model_wrapper = textattack.models.wrappers.HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + + >>> # We only use DeepWordBugGao2018 to demonstration purposes. + >>> attack = textattack.attack_recipes.DeepWordBugGao2018.build(model_wrapper) + >>> train_dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset("imdb", split="train") + >>> eval_dataset = textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset("imdb", split="test") + + >>> # Train for 3 epochs with 1 initial clean epochs, 1000 adversarial examples per epoch, learning rate of 5e-5, and effective batch size of 32 (8x4). + >>> training_args = textattack.TrainingArgs( + ... num_epochs=3, + ... num_clean_epochs=1, + ... num_train_adv_examples=1000, + ... learning_rate=5e-5, + ... per_device_train_batch_size=8, + ... gradient_accumulation_steps=4, + ... log_to_tb=True, + ... ) + + >>> trainer = textattack.Trainer( + ... model_wrapper, + ... "classification", + ... attack, + ... train_dataset, + ... eval_dataset, + ... training_args + ... ) + >>> trainer.train() + + .. note:: + When using :class:`~textattack.Trainer` with `parallel=True` in :class:`~textattack.TrainingArgs`, + make sure to protect the “entry point” of the program by using :obj:`if __name__ == '__main__':`. + If not, each worker process used for generating adversarial examples will execute the training code again. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + model_wrapper, + task_type="classification", + attack=None, + train_dataset=None, + eval_dataset=None, + training_args=None, + ): + assert isinstance( + model_wrapper, ModelWrapper + ), f"`model_wrapper` must be of type `textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`, but got type `{type(model_wrapper)}`." + + # TODO: Support seq2seq training + assert task_type in { + "classification", + "regression", + }, '`task_type` must either be "classification" or "regression"' + + if attack: + assert isinstance( + attack, Attack + ), f"`attack` argument must be of type `textattack.Attack`, but got type of `{type(attack)}`." + + if id(model_wrapper) != id(attack.goal_function.model): + logger.warn( + "`model_wrapper` and the victim model of `attack` are not the same model." + ) + + if train_dataset: + assert isinstance( + train_dataset, textattack.datasets.Dataset + ), f"`train_dataset` must be of type `textattack.datasets.Dataset`, but got type `{type(train_dataset)}`." + + if eval_dataset: + assert isinstance( + eval_dataset, textattack.datasets.Dataset + ), f"`eval_dataset` must be of type `textattack.datasets.Dataset`, but got type `{type(eval_dataset)}`." + + if training_args: + assert isinstance( + training_args, TrainingArgs + ), f"`training_args` must be of type `textattack.TrainingArgs`, but got type `{type(training_args)}`." + else: + training_args = TrainingArgs() + + if not hasattr(model_wrapper, "model"): + raise ValueError("Cannot detect `model` in `model_wrapper`") + else: + assert isinstance( + model_wrapper.model, torch.nn.Module + ), f"`model` in `model_wrapper` must be of type `torch.nn.Module`, but got type `{type(model_wrapper.model)}`." + + if not hasattr(model_wrapper, "tokenizer"): + raise ValueError("Cannot detect `tokenizer` in `model_wrapper`") + + self.model_wrapper = model_wrapper + self.task_type = task_type + self.attack = attack + self.train_dataset = train_dataset + self.eval_dataset = eval_dataset + self.training_args = training_args + + self._metric_name = ( + "pearson_correlation" if self.task_type == "regression" else "accuracy" + ) + if self.task_type == "regression": + self.loss_fct = torch.nn.MSELoss(reduction="none") + else: + self.loss_fct = torch.nn.CrossEntropyLoss(reduction="none") + + self._global_step = 0 + + def _generate_adversarial_examples(self, epoch): + """Generate adversarial examples using attacker.""" + assert ( + self.attack is not None + ), "`attack` is `None` but attempting to generate adversarial examples." + base_file_name = f"attack-train-{epoch}" + log_file_name = os.path.join(self.training_args.output_dir, base_file_name) + logger.info("Attacking model to generate new adversarial training set...") + + if isinstance(self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples, float): + num_train_adv_examples = math.ceil( + len(self.train_dataset) * self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples + ) + else: + num_train_adv_examples = self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples + + # Use Different AttackArgs based on num_train_adv_examples value. + # If num_train_adv_examples >= 0 , num_train_adv_examples is + # set as number of successful examples. + # If num_train_adv_examples == -1 , num_examples is set to -1 to + # generate example for all of training data. + if num_train_adv_examples >= 0: + attack_args = AttackArgs( + num_successful_examples=num_train_adv_examples, + num_examples_offset=0, + query_budget=self.training_args.query_budget_train, + shuffle=True, + parallel=self.training_args.parallel, + num_workers_per_device=self.training_args.attack_num_workers_per_device, + disable_stdout=True, + silent=True, + log_to_txt=log_file_name + ".txt", + log_to_csv=log_file_name + ".csv", + ) + elif num_train_adv_examples == -1: + # set num_examples when num_train_adv_examples = -1 + attack_args = AttackArgs( + num_examples=num_train_adv_examples, + num_examples_offset=0, + query_budget=self.training_args.query_budget_train, + shuffle=True, + parallel=self.training_args.parallel, + num_workers_per_device=self.training_args.attack_num_workers_per_device, + disable_stdout=True, + silent=True, + log_to_txt=log_file_name + ".txt", + log_to_csv=log_file_name + ".csv", + ) + else: + assert False, "num_train_adv_examples is negative and not equal to -1." + + attacker = Attacker(self.attack, self.train_dataset, attack_args=attack_args) + results = attacker.attack_dataset() + + attack_types = collections.Counter(r.__class__.__name__ for r in results) + total_attacks = ( + attack_types["SuccessfulAttackResult"] + attack_types["FailedAttackResult"] + ) + success_rate = attack_types["SuccessfulAttackResult"] / total_attacks * 100 + logger.info(f"Total number of attack results: {len(results)}") + logger.info( + f"Attack success rate: {success_rate:.2f}% [{attack_types['SuccessfulAttackResult']} / {total_attacks}]" + ) + # TODO: This will produce a bug if we need to manipulate ground truth output. + + # To Fix Issue #498 , We need to add the Non Output columns in one tuple to represent input columns + # Since adversarial_example won't be an input to the model , we will have to remove it from the input + # dictionary in collate_fn + adversarial_examples = [ + ( + tuple(r.perturbed_result.attacked_text._text_input.values()) + + ("adversarial_example",), + r.perturbed_result.ground_truth_output, + ) + for r in results + if isinstance(r, (SuccessfulAttackResult, MaximizedAttackResult)) + ] + + # Name for column indicating if an example is adversarial is set as "_example_type". + adversarial_dataset = textattack.datasets.Dataset( + adversarial_examples, + input_columns=self.train_dataset.input_columns + ("_example_type",), + label_map=self.train_dataset.label_map, + label_names=self.train_dataset.label_names, + output_scale_factor=self.train_dataset.output_scale_factor, + shuffle=False, + ) + return adversarial_dataset + + def _print_training_args( + self, total_training_steps, train_batch_size, num_clean_epochs + ): + logger.info("***** Running training *****") + logger.info(f" Num examples = {len(self.train_dataset)}") + logger.info(f" Num epochs = {self.training_args.num_epochs}") + logger.info(f" Num clean epochs = {num_clean_epochs}") + logger.info( + f" Instantaneous batch size per device = {self.training_args.per_device_train_batch_size}" + ) + logger.info( + f" Total train batch size (w. parallel, distributed & accumulation) = {train_batch_size * self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps}" + ) + logger.info( + f" Gradient accumulation steps = {self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps}" + ) + logger.info(f" Total optimization steps = {total_training_steps}") + + def _save_model_checkpoint( + self, model, tokenizer, step=None, epoch=None, best=False, last=False + ): + # Save model checkpoint + if step: + dir_name = f"checkpoint-step-{step}" + if epoch: + dir_name = f"checkpoint-epoch-{epoch}" + if best: + dir_name = "best_model" + if last: + dir_name = "last_model" + + output_dir = os.path.join(self.training_args.output_dir, dir_name) + if not os.path.exists(output_dir): + os.makedirs(output_dir) + + if isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel): + model = model.module + + if isinstance(model, (WordCNNForClassification, LSTMForClassification)): + model.save_pretrained(output_dir) + elif isinstance(model, transformers.PreTrainedModel): + model.save_pretrained(output_dir) + tokenizer.save_pretrained(output_dir) + else: + state_dict = {k: v.cpu() for k, v in model.state_dict().items()} + torch.save( + state_dict, + os.path.join(output_dir, "pytorch_model.bin"), + ) + + def _tb_log(self, log, step): + if not hasattr(self, "_tb_writer"): + from torch.utils.tensorboard import SummaryWriter + + self._tb_writer = SummaryWriter(self.training_args.tb_log_dir) + self._tb_writer.add_hparams(self.training_args.__dict__, {}) + self._tb_writer.flush() + + for key in log: + self._tb_writer.add_scalar(key, log[key], step) + + def _wandb_log(self, log, step): + if not hasattr(self, "_wandb_init"): + global wandb + import wandb + + self._wandb_init = True + wandb.init( + project=self.training_args.wandb_project, + config=self.training_args.__dict__, + ) + + wandb.log(log, step=step) + + def get_optimizer_and_scheduler(self, model, num_training_steps): + """Returns optimizer and scheduler to use for training. If you are + overriding this method and do not want to use a scheduler, simply + return :obj:`None` for scheduler. + + Args: + model (:obj:`torch.nn.Module`): + Model to be trained. Pass its parameters to optimizer for training. + num_training_steps (:obj:`int`): + Number of total training steps. + Returns: + Tuple of optimizer and scheduler :obj:`tuple[torch.optim.Optimizer, torch.optim.lr_scheduler._LRScheduler]` + """ + if isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel): + model = model.module + + if isinstance(model, transformers.PreTrainedModel): + # Reference https://huggingface.co/transformers/training.html + param_optimizer = list(model.named_parameters()) + no_decay = ["bias", "LayerNorm.bias", "LayerNorm.weight"] + optimizer_grouped_parameters = [ + { + "params": [ + p + for n, p in param_optimizer + if not any(nd in n for nd in no_decay) + ], + "weight_decay": self.training_args.weight_decay, + }, + { + "params": [ + p for n, p in param_optimizer if any(nd in n for nd in no_decay) + ], + "weight_decay": 0.0, + }, + ] + + optimizer = transformers.optimization.AdamW( + optimizer_grouped_parameters, lr=self.training_args.learning_rate + ) + if isinstance(self.training_args.num_warmup_steps, float): + num_warmup_steps = math.ceil( + self.training_args.num_warmup_steps * num_training_steps + ) + else: + num_warmup_steps = self.training_args.num_warmup_steps + + scheduler = transformers.optimization.get_linear_schedule_with_warmup( + optimizer, + num_warmup_steps=num_warmup_steps, + num_training_steps=num_training_steps, + ) + else: + optimizer = torch.optim.Adam( + filter(lambda x: x.requires_grad, model.parameters()), + lr=self.training_args.learning_rate, + ) + scheduler = None + + return optimizer, scheduler + + def get_train_dataloader(self, dataset, adv_dataset, batch_size): + """Returns the :obj:`torch.utils.data.DataLoader` for training. + + Args: + dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Original training dataset. + adv_dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Adversarial examples generated from the original training dataset. :obj:`None` if no adversarial attack takes place. + batch_size (:obj:`int`): + Batch size for training. + Returns: + :obj:`torch.utils.data.DataLoader` + """ + + # TODO: Add pairing option where we can pair original examples with adversarial examples. + # Helper functions for collating data + def collate_fn(data): + input_texts = [] + targets = [] + is_adv_sample = [] + for item in data: + if "_example_type" in item[0].keys(): + # Get example type value from OrderedDict and remove it + + adv = item[0].pop("_example_type") + + # with _example_type removed from item[0] OrderedDict + # all other keys should be part of input + _input, label = item + if adv != "adversarial_example": + raise ValueError( + "`item` has length of 3 but last element is not for marking if the item is an `adversarial example`." + ) + else: + is_adv_sample.append(True) + else: + # else `len(item)` is 2. + _input, label = item + is_adv_sample.append(False) + + if isinstance(_input, collections.OrderedDict): + _input = tuple(_input.values()) + else: + _input = tuple(_input) + + if len(_input) == 1: + _input = _input[0] + input_texts.append(_input) + targets.append(label) + + return input_texts, torch.tensor(targets), torch.tensor(is_adv_sample) + + if adv_dataset: + dataset = torch.utils.data.ConcatDataset([dataset, adv_dataset]) + + train_dataloader = torch.utils.data.DataLoader( + dataset, + batch_size=batch_size, + shuffle=True, + collate_fn=collate_fn, + pin_memory=True, + ) + return train_dataloader + + def get_eval_dataloader(self, dataset, batch_size): + """Returns the :obj:`torch.utils.data.DataLoader` for evaluation. + + Args: + dataset (:class:`~textattack.datasets.Dataset`): + Dataset to use for evaluation. + batch_size (:obj:`int`): + Batch size for evaluation. + Returns: + :obj:`torch.utils.data.DataLoader` + """ + + # Helper functions for collating data + def collate_fn(data): + input_texts = [] + targets = [] + for _input, label in data: + if isinstance(_input, collections.OrderedDict): + _input = tuple(_input.values()) + else: + _input = tuple(_input) + + if len(_input) == 1: + _input = _input[0] + input_texts.append(_input) + targets.append(label) + return input_texts, torch.tensor(targets) + + eval_dataloader = torch.utils.data.DataLoader( + dataset, + batch_size=batch_size, + shuffle=True, + collate_fn=collate_fn, + pin_memory=True, + ) + return eval_dataloader + + def training_step(self, model, tokenizer, batch): + """Perform a single training step on a batch of inputs. + + Args: + model (:obj:`torch.nn.Module`): + Model to train. + tokenizer: + Tokenizer used to tokenize input text. + batch (:obj:`tuple[list[str], torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]`): + By default, this will be a tuple of input texts, targets, and boolean tensor indicating if the sample is an adversarial example. + + .. note:: + If you override the :meth:`get_train_dataloader` method, then shape/type of :obj:`batch` will depend on how you created your batch. + + Returns: + :obj:`tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]` where + + - **loss**: :obj:`torch.FloatTensor` of shape 1 containing the loss. + - **preds**: :obj:`torch.FloatTensor` of model's prediction for the batch. + - **targets**: :obj:`torch.Tensor` of model's targets (e.g. labels, target values). + """ + + input_texts, targets, is_adv_sample = batch + _targets = targets + targets = targets.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + + if isinstance(model, transformers.PreTrainedModel) or ( + isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel) + and isinstance(model.module, transformers.PreTrainedModel) + ): + input_ids = tokenizer( + input_texts, + padding="max_length", + return_tensors="pt", + truncation=True, + ) + input_ids.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + logits = model(**input_ids)[0] + else: + input_ids = tokenizer(input_texts) + if not isinstance(input_ids, torch.Tensor): + input_ids = torch.tensor(input_ids) + input_ids = input_ids.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + logits = model(input_ids) + + if self.task_type == "regression": + loss = self.loss_fct(logits.squeeze(), targets.squeeze()) + preds = logits + else: + loss = self.loss_fct(logits, targets) + preds = logits.argmax(dim=-1) + + sample_weights = torch.ones( + is_adv_sample.size(), device=textattack.shared.utils.device + ) + sample_weights[is_adv_sample] *= self.training_args.alpha + loss = loss * sample_weights + loss = torch.mean(loss) + preds = preds.cpu() + + return loss, preds, _targets + + def evaluate_step(self, model, tokenizer, batch): + """Perform a single evaluation step on a batch of inputs. + + Args: + model (:obj:`torch.nn.Module`): + Model to train. + tokenizer: + Tokenizer used to tokenize input text. + batch (:obj:`tuple[list[str], torch.Tensor]`): + By default, this will be a tuple of input texts and target tensors. + + .. note:: + If you override the :meth:`get_eval_dataloader` method, then shape/type of :obj:`batch` will depend on how you created your batch. + + Returns: + :obj:`tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]` where + + - **preds**: :obj:`torch.FloatTensor` of model's prediction for the batch. + - **targets**: :obj:`torch.Tensor` of model's targets (e.g. labels, target values). + """ + input_texts, targets = batch + _targets = targets + targets = targets.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + + if isinstance(model, transformers.PreTrainedModel): + input_ids = tokenizer( + input_texts, + padding="max_length", + return_tensors="pt", + truncation=True, + ) + input_ids.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + logits = model(**input_ids)[0] + else: + input_ids = tokenizer(input_texts) + if not isinstance(input_ids, torch.Tensor): + input_ids = torch.tensor(input_ids) + input_ids = input_ids.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + logits = model(input_ids) + + if self.task_type == "regression": + preds = logits + else: + preds = logits.argmax(dim=-1) + + return preds.cpu(), _targets + + def train(self): + """Train the model on given training dataset.""" + if not self.train_dataset: + raise ValueError("No `train_dataset` available for training.") + + textattack.shared.utils.set_seed(self.training_args.random_seed) + if not os.path.exists(self.training_args.output_dir): + os.makedirs(self.training_args.output_dir) + + # Save logger writes to file + log_txt_path = os.path.join(self.training_args.output_dir, "train_log.txt") + fh = logging.FileHandler(log_txt_path) + fh.setLevel(logging.DEBUG) + logger.addHandler(fh) + logger.info(f"Writing logs to {log_txt_path}.") + + # Save original self.training_args to file + args_save_path = os.path.join( + self.training_args.output_dir, "training_args.json" + ) + with open(args_save_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f: + json.dump(self.training_args.__dict__, f) + logger.info(f"Wrote original training args to {args_save_path}.") + + num_gpus = torch.cuda.device_count() + tokenizer = self.model_wrapper.tokenizer + model = self.model_wrapper.model + + if self.training_args.parallel and num_gpus > 1: + # TODO: torch.nn.parallel.DistributedDataParallel + # Supposedly faster than DataParallel, but requires more work to setup properly. + model = torch.nn.DataParallel(model) + logger.info(f"Training on {num_gpus} GPUs via `torch.nn.DataParallel`.") + train_batch_size = self.training_args.per_device_train_batch_size * num_gpus + else: + train_batch_size = self.training_args.per_device_train_batch_size + + if self.attack is None: + num_clean_epochs = self.training_args.num_epochs + else: + num_clean_epochs = self.training_args.num_clean_epochs + + total_clean_training_steps = ( + math.ceil( + len(self.train_dataset) + / (train_batch_size * self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps) + ) + * num_clean_epochs + ) + + # calculate total_adv_training_data_length based on type of + # num_train_adv_examples. + # if num_train_adv_examples is float , num_train_adv_examples is a portion of train_dataset. + if isinstance(self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples, float): + total_adv_training_data_length = ( + len(self.train_dataset) * self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples + ) + + # if num_train_adv_examples is int and >=0 then it is taken as value. + elif ( + isinstance(self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples, int) + and self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples >= 0 + ): + total_adv_training_data_length = self.training_args.num_train_adv_examples + + # if num_train_adv_examples is = -1 , we generate all possible adv examples. + # Max number of all possible adv examples would be equal to train_dataset. + else: + total_adv_training_data_length = len(self.train_dataset) + + # Based on total_adv_training_data_length calculation , find total total_adv_training_steps + total_adv_training_steps = math.ceil( + (len(self.train_dataset) + total_adv_training_data_length) + / (train_batch_size * self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps) + ) * (self.training_args.num_epochs - num_clean_epochs) + + total_training_steps = total_clean_training_steps + total_adv_training_steps + + optimizer, scheduler = self.get_optimizer_and_scheduler( + model, total_training_steps + ) + + self._print_training_args( + total_training_steps, train_batch_size, num_clean_epochs + ) + + model.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + + # Variables across epochs + self._total_loss = 0.0 + self._current_loss = 0.0 + self._last_log_step = 0 + + # `best_score` is used to keep track of the best model across training. + # Could be loss, accuracy, or other metrics. + best_eval_score = 0.0 + best_eval_score_epoch = 0 + best_model_path = None + epochs_since_best_eval_score = 0 + + for epoch in range(1, self.training_args.num_epochs + 1): + logger.info("==========================================================") + logger.info(f"Epoch {epoch}") + + if self.attack and epoch > num_clean_epochs: + if ( + epoch - num_clean_epochs - 1 + ) % self.training_args.attack_epoch_interval == 0: + # only generate a new adversarial training set every self.training_args.attack_period epochs after the clean epochs + # adv_dataset is instance of `textattack.datasets.Dataset` + model.eval() + adv_dataset = self._generate_adversarial_examples(epoch) + model.train() + model.to(textattack.shared.utils.device) + else: + adv_dataset = None + else: + logger.info(f"Running clean epoch {epoch}/{num_clean_epochs}") + adv_dataset = None + + train_dataloader = self.get_train_dataloader( + self.train_dataset, adv_dataset, train_batch_size + ) + model.train() + # Epoch variables + all_preds = [] + all_targets = [] + prog_bar = tqdm.tqdm( + train_dataloader, + desc="Iteration", + position=0, + leave=True, + dynamic_ncols=True, + ) + for step, batch in enumerate(prog_bar): + loss, preds, targets = self.training_step(model, tokenizer, batch) + + if isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel): + loss = loss.mean() + + loss = loss / self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps + loss.backward() + loss = loss.item() + self._total_loss += loss + self._current_loss += loss + + all_preds.append(preds) + all_targets.append(targets) + + if (step + 1) % self.training_args.gradient_accumulation_steps == 0: + optimizer.step() + if scheduler: + scheduler.step() + optimizer.zero_grad() + self._global_step += 1 + + if self._global_step > 0: + prog_bar.set_description( + f"Loss {self._total_loss/self._global_step:.5f}" + ) + + # TODO: Better way to handle TB and Wandb logging + if (self._global_step > 0) and ( + self._global_step % self.training_args.logging_interval_step == 0 + ): + lr_to_log = ( + scheduler.get_last_lr()[0] + if scheduler + else self.training_args.learning_rate + ) + if self._global_step - self._last_log_step >= 1: + loss_to_log = round( + self._current_loss + / (self._global_step - self._last_log_step), + 4, + ) + else: + loss_to_log = round(self._current_loss, 4) + + log = {"train/loss": loss_to_log, "train/learning_rate": lr_to_log} + if self.training_args.log_to_tb: + self._tb_log(log, self._global_step) + + if self.training_args.log_to_wandb: + self._wandb_log(log, self._global_step) + + self._current_loss = 0.0 + self._last_log_step = self._global_step + + # Save model checkpoint to file. + if self.training_args.checkpoint_interval_steps: + if ( + self._global_step > 0 + and ( + self._global_step + % self.training_args.checkpoint_interval_steps + ) + == 0 + ): + self._save_model_checkpoint( + model, tokenizer, step=self._global_step + ) + + preds = torch.cat(all_preds) + targets = torch.cat(all_targets) + if self._metric_name == "accuracy": + correct_predictions = (preds == targets).sum().item() + accuracy = correct_predictions / len(targets) + metric_log = {"train/train_accuracy": accuracy} + logger.info(f"Train accuracy: {accuracy*100:.2f}%") + else: + pearson_correlation, pearson_pvalue = scipy.stats.pearsonr( + preds, targets + ) + metric_log = { + "train/pearson_correlation": pearson_correlation, + "train/pearson_pvalue": pearson_pvalue, + } + logger.info(f"Train Pearson correlation: {pearson_correlation:.4f}%") + + if len(targets) > 0: + if self.training_args.log_to_tb: + self._tb_log(metric_log, epoch) + if self.training_args.log_to_wandb: + metric_log["epoch"] = epoch + self._wandb_log(metric_log, self._global_step) + + # Evaluate after each epoch. + eval_score = self.evaluate() + + if self.training_args.log_to_tb: + self._tb_log({f"eval/{self._metric_name}": eval_score}, epoch) + if self.training_args.log_to_wandb: + self._wandb_log( + {f"eval/{self._metric_name}": eval_score, "epoch": epoch}, + self._global_step, + ) + + if ( + self.training_args.checkpoint_interval_epochs + and (epoch % self.training_args.checkpoint_interval_epochs) == 0 + ): + self._save_model_checkpoint(model, tokenizer, epoch=epoch) + + if eval_score > best_eval_score: + best_eval_score = eval_score + best_eval_score_epoch = epoch + epochs_since_best_eval_score = 0 + self._save_model_checkpoint(model, tokenizer, best=True) + logger.info( + f"Best score found. Saved model to {self.training_args.output_dir}/best_model/" + ) + else: + epochs_since_best_eval_score += 1 + if self.training_args.early_stopping_epochs and ( + epochs_since_best_eval_score + > self.training_args.early_stopping_epochs + ): + logger.info( + f"Stopping early since it's been {self.training_args.early_stopping_epochs} steps since validation score increased." + ) + break + + if self.training_args.log_to_tb: + self._tb_writer.flush() + + # Finish training + if isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel): + model = model.module + + if self.training_args.load_best_model_at_end: + best_model_path = os.path.join(self.training_args.output_dir, "best_model") + if hasattr(model, "from_pretrained"): + model = model.__class__.from_pretrained(best_model_path) + else: + model = model.load_state_dict( + torch.load(os.path.join(best_model_path, "pytorch_model.bin")) + ) + + if self.training_args.save_last: + self._save_model_checkpoint(model, tokenizer, last=True) + + self.model_wrapper.model = model + self._write_readme(best_eval_score, best_eval_score_epoch, train_batch_size) + + def evaluate(self): + """Evaluate the model on given evaluation dataset.""" + + if not self.eval_dataset: + raise ValueError("No `eval_dataset` available for training.") + + logging.info("Evaluating model on evaluation dataset.") + model = self.model_wrapper.model + tokenizer = self.model_wrapper.tokenizer + + model.eval() + all_preds = [] + all_targets = [] + + if isinstance(model, torch.nn.DataParallel): + num_gpus = torch.cuda.device_count() + eval_batch_size = self.training_args.per_device_eval_batch_size * num_gpus + else: + eval_batch_size = self.training_args.per_device_eval_batch_size + + eval_dataloader = self.get_eval_dataloader(self.eval_dataset, eval_batch_size) + + with torch.no_grad(): + for step, batch in enumerate(eval_dataloader): + preds, targets = self.evaluate_step(model, tokenizer, batch) + all_preds.append(preds) + all_targets.append(targets) + + preds = torch.cat(all_preds) + targets = torch.cat(all_targets) + + if self.task_type == "regression": + pearson_correlation, pearson_p_value = scipy.stats.pearsonr(preds, targets) + eval_score = pearson_correlation + else: + correct_predictions = (preds == targets).sum().item() + accuracy = correct_predictions / len(targets) + eval_score = accuracy + + if self._metric_name == "accuracy": + logger.info(f"Eval {self._metric_name}: {eval_score*100:.2f}%") + else: + logger.info(f"Eval {self._metric_name}: {eval_score:.4f}%") + + return eval_score + + def _write_readme(self, best_eval_score, best_eval_score_epoch, train_batch_size): + if isinstance(self.training_args, CommandLineTrainingArgs): + model_name = self.training_args.model_name_or_path + elif isinstance(self.model_wrapper.model, transformers.PreTrainedModel): + if ( + hasattr(self.model_wrapper.model.config, "_name_or_path") + and self.model_wrapper.model.config._name_or_path in HUGGINGFACE_MODELS + ): + # TODO Better way than just checking HUGGINGFACE_MODELS ? + model_name = self.model_wrapper.model.config._name_or_path + elif hasattr(self.model_wrapper.model.config, "model_type"): + model_name = self.model_wrapper.model.config.model_type + else: + model_name = "" + else: + model_name = "" + + if model_name: + model_name = f"`{model_name}`" + + if ( + isinstance(self.training_args, CommandLineTrainingArgs) + and self.training_args.model_max_length + ): + model_max_length = self.training_args.model_max_length + elif isinstance( + self.model_wrapper.model, + ( + transformers.PreTrainedModel, + LSTMForClassification, + WordCNNForClassification, + ), + ): + model_max_length = self.model_wrapper.tokenizer.model_max_length + else: + model_max_length = None + + if model_max_length: + model_max_length_str = f" a maximum sequence length of {model_max_length}," + else: + model_max_length_str = "" + + if isinstance( + self.train_dataset, textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset + ) and hasattr(self.train_dataset, "_name"): + dataset_name = self.train_dataset._name + if hasattr(self.train_dataset, "_subset"): + dataset_name += f" ({self.train_dataset._subset})" + elif isinstance( + self.eval_dataset, textattack.datasets.HuggingFaceDataset + ) and hasattr(self.eval_dataset, "_name"): + dataset_name = self.eval_dataset._name + if hasattr(self.eval_dataset, "_subset"): + dataset_name += f" ({self.eval_dataset._subset})" + else: + dataset_name = None + + if dataset_name: + dataset_str = ( + "and the `{dataset_name}` dataset loaded using the `datasets` library" + ) + else: + dataset_str = "" + + loss_func = ( + "mean squared error" if self.task_type == "regression" else "cross-entropy" + ) + metric_name = ( + "pearson correlation" if self.task_type == "regression" else "accuracy" + ) + epoch_info = f"{best_eval_score_epoch} epoch" + ( + "s" if best_eval_score_epoch > 1 else "" + ) + readme_text = f""" + ## TextAttack Model Card + + This {model_name} model was fine-tuned using TextAttack{dataset_str}. The model was fine-tuned + for {self.training_args.num_epochs} epochs with a batch size of {train_batch_size}, + {model_max_length_str} and an initial learning rate of {self.training_args.learning_rate}. + Since this was a {self.task_type} task, the model was trained with a {loss_func} loss function. + The best score the model achieved on this task was {best_eval_score}, as measured by the + eval set {metric_name}, found after {epoch_info}. + + For more information, check out [TextAttack on Github](https://github.com/QData/TextAttack). + + """ + + readme_save_path = os.path.join(self.training_args.output_dir, "README.md") + with open(readme_save_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f: + f.write(readme_text.strip() + "\n") + logger.info(f"Wrote README to {readme_save_path}.") diff --git a/textattack/training_args.py b/textattack/training_args.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c6e02c1713cd36970ff47c5b9701d822815fad28 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/training_args.py @@ -0,0 +1,604 @@ +""" +TrainingArgs Class +================== +""" + +from dataclasses import dataclass, field +import datetime +import os +from typing import Union + +from textattack.datasets import HuggingFaceDataset +from textattack.models.helpers import LSTMForClassification, WordCNNForClassification +from textattack.models.wrappers import ( + HuggingFaceModelWrapper, + ModelWrapper, + PyTorchModelWrapper, +) +from textattack.shared import logger +from textattack.shared.utils import ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN + +from .attack import Attack +from .attack_args import ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES + + +def default_output_dir(): + return os.path.join( + "./outputs", datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S-%f") + ) + + +@dataclass +class TrainingArgs: + """Arguments for ``Trainer`` class that is used for adversarial training. + + Args: + num_epochs (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`3`): + Total number of epochs for training. + num_clean_epochs (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1`): + Number of epochs to train on just the original training dataset before adversarial training. + attack_epoch_interval (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1`): + Generate a new adversarial training set every `N` epochs. + early_stopping_epochs (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + Number of epochs validation must increase before stopping early (:obj:`None` for no early stopping). + learning_rate (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`5e-5`): + Learning rate for optimizer. + num_warmup_steps (:obj:`int` or :obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`500`): + The number of steps for the warmup phase of linear scheduler. + If :obj:`num_warmup_steps` is a :obj:`float` between 0 and 1, the number of warmup steps will be :obj:`math.ceil(num_training_steps * num_warmup_steps)`. + weight_decay (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`0.01`): + Weight decay (L2 penalty). + per_device_train_batch_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`8`): + The batch size per GPU/CPU for training. + per_device_eval_batch_size (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`32`): + The batch size per GPU/CPU for evaluation. + gradient_accumulation_steps (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1`): + Number of updates steps to accumulate the gradients before performing a backward/update pass. + random_seed (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`786`): + Random seed for reproducibility. + parallel (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, train using multiple GPUs using :obj:`torch.DataParallel`. + load_best_model_at_end (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, keep track of the best model across training and load it at the end. + alpha (:obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1.0`): + The weight for adversarial loss. + num_train_adv_examples (:obj:`int` or :obj:`float`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`-1`): + The number of samples to successfully attack when generating adversarial training set before start of every epoch. + If :obj:`num_train_adv_examples` is a :obj:`float` between 0 and 1, the number of adversarial examples generated is + fraction of the original training set. + query_budget_train (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + The max query budget to use when generating adversarial training set. :obj:`None` means infinite query budget. + attack_num_workers_per_device (:obj:`int`, defaults to `optional`, :obj:`1`): + Number of worker processes to run per device for attack. Same as :obj:`num_workers_per_device` argument for :class:`~textattack.AttackArgs`. + output_dir (:obj:`str`, `optional`): + Directory to output training logs and checkpoints. Defaults to :obj:`./outputs/%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S-%f` format. + checkpoint_interval_steps (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, save model checkpoint after every `N` updates to the model. + checkpoint_interval_epochs (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`None`): + If set, save model checkpoint after every `N` epochs. + save_last (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`True`): + If :obj:`True`, save the model at end of training. Can be used with :obj:`load_best_model_at_end` to save the best model at the end. + log_to_tb (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, log to Tensorboard. + tb_log_dir (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"./runs"`): + Path of Tensorboard log directory. + log_to_wandb (:obj:`bool`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`False`): + If :obj:`True`, log to Wandb. + wandb_project (:obj:`str`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`"textattack"`): + Name of Wandb project for logging. + logging_interval_step (:obj:`int`, `optional`, defaults to :obj:`1`): + Log to Tensorboard/Wandb every `N` training steps. + """ + + num_epochs: int = 3 + num_clean_epochs: int = 1 + attack_epoch_interval: int = 1 + early_stopping_epochs: int = None + learning_rate: float = 5e-5 + num_warmup_steps: Union[int, float] = 500 + weight_decay: float = 0.01 + per_device_train_batch_size: int = 8 + per_device_eval_batch_size: int = 32 + gradient_accumulation_steps: int = 1 + random_seed: int = 786 + parallel: bool = False + load_best_model_at_end: bool = False + alpha: float = 1.0 + num_train_adv_examples: Union[int, float] = -1 + query_budget_train: int = None + attack_num_workers_per_device: int = 1 + output_dir: str = field(default_factory=default_output_dir) + checkpoint_interval_steps: int = None + checkpoint_interval_epochs: int = None + save_last: bool = True + log_to_tb: bool = False + tb_log_dir: str = None + log_to_wandb: bool = False + wandb_project: str = "textattack" + logging_interval_step: int = 1 + + def __post_init__(self): + assert self.num_epochs > 0, "`num_epochs` must be greater than 0." + assert ( + self.num_clean_epochs >= 0 + ), "`num_clean_epochs` must be greater than or equal to 0." + if self.early_stopping_epochs is not None: + assert ( + self.early_stopping_epochs > 0 + ), "`early_stopping_epochs` must be greater than 0." + if self.attack_epoch_interval is not None: + assert ( + self.attack_epoch_interval > 0 + ), "`attack_epoch_interval` must be greater than 0." + assert ( + self.num_warmup_steps >= 0 + ), "`num_warmup_steps` must be greater than or equal to 0." + assert ( + self.gradient_accumulation_steps > 0 + ), "`gradient_accumulation_steps` must be greater than 0." + assert ( + self.num_clean_epochs <= self.num_epochs + ), f"`num_clean_epochs` cannot be greater than `num_epochs` ({self.num_clean_epochs} > {self.num_epochs})." + + if isinstance(self.num_train_adv_examples, float): + assert ( + self.num_train_adv_examples >= 0.0 + and self.num_train_adv_examples <= 1.0 + ), "If `num_train_adv_examples` is float, it must be between 0 and 1." + elif isinstance(self.num_train_adv_examples, int): + assert ( + self.num_train_adv_examples > 0 or self.num_train_adv_examples == -1 + ), "If `num_train_adv_examples` is int, it must be greater than 0 or equal to -1." + else: + raise TypeError( + "`num_train_adv_examples` must be of either type `int` or `float`." + ) + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + """Add listed args to command line parser.""" + default_obj = cls() + + def int_or_float(v): + try: + return int(v) + except ValueError: + return float(v) + + parser.add_argument( + "--num-epochs", + "--epochs", + type=int, + default=default_obj.num_epochs, + help="Total number of epochs for training.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-clean-epochs", + type=int, + default=default_obj.num_clean_epochs, + help="Number of epochs to train on the clean dataset before adversarial training (N/A if --attack unspecified)", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--attack-epoch-interval", + type=int, + default=default_obj.attack_epoch_interval, + help="Generate a new adversarial training set every N epochs.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--early-stopping-epochs", + type=int, + default=default_obj.early_stopping_epochs, + help="Number of epochs validation must increase before stopping early (-1 for no early stopping)", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--learning-rate", + "--lr", + type=float, + default=default_obj.learning_rate, + help="Learning rate for Adam Optimization.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-warmup-steps", + type=int_or_float, + default=default_obj.num_warmup_steps, + help="The number of steps for the warmup phase of linear scheduler.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--weight-decay", + type=float, + default=default_obj.weight_decay, + help="Weight decay (L2 penalty).", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--per-device-train-batch-size", + type=int, + default=default_obj.per_device_train_batch_size, + help="The batch size per GPU/CPU for training.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--per-device-eval-batch-size", + type=int, + default=default_obj.per_device_eval_batch_size, + help="The batch size per GPU/CPU for evaluation.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--gradient-accumulation-steps", + type=int, + default=default_obj.gradient_accumulation_steps, + help="Number of updates steps to accumulate the gradients for, before performing a backward/update pass.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--random-seed", + type=int, + default=default_obj.random_seed, + help="Random seed.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--parallel", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.parallel, + help="If set, run training on multiple GPUs.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--load-best-model-at-end", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.load_best_model_at_end, + help="If set, keep track of the best model across training and load it at the end.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--alpha", + type=float, + default=1.0, + help="The weight of adversarial loss.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--num-train-adv-examples", + type=int_or_float, + default=default_obj.num_train_adv_examples, + help="The number of samples to attack when generating adversarial training set. Default is -1 (which is all possible samples).", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--query-budget-train", + type=int, + default=default_obj.query_budget_train, + help="The max query budget to use when generating adversarial training set.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--attack-num-workers-per-device", + type=int, + default=default_obj.attack_num_workers_per_device, + help="Number of worker processes to run per device for attack. Same as `num_workers_per_device` argument for `AttackArgs`.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--output-dir", + type=str, + default=default_output_dir(), + help="Directory to output training logs and checkpoints.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-interval-steps", + type=int, + default=default_obj.checkpoint_interval_steps, + help="Save model checkpoint after every N updates to the model.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--checkpoint-interval-epochs", + type=int, + default=default_obj.checkpoint_interval_epochs, + help="Save model checkpoint after every N epochs.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--save-last", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.save_last, + help="If set, save the model at end of training. Can be used with `--load-best-model-at-end` to save the best model at the end.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-tb", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.log_to_tb, + help="If set, log to Tensorboard", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--tb-log-dir", + type=str, + default=default_obj.tb_log_dir, + help="Path of Tensorboard log directory.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--log-to-wandb", + action="store_true", + default=default_obj.log_to_wandb, + help="If set, log to Wandb.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--wandb-project", + type=str, + default=default_obj.wandb_project, + help="Name of Wandb project for logging.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--logging-interval-step", + type=int, + default=default_obj.logging_interval_step, + help="Log to Tensorboard/Wandb every N steps.", + ) + + return parser + + +@dataclass +class _CommandLineTrainingArgs: + """Command line interface training args. + + This requires more arguments to create models and get datasets. + Args: + model_name_or_path (str): Name or path of the model we want to create. "lstm" and "cnn" will create TextAttack\'s LSTM and CNN models while + any other input will be used to create Transformers model. (e.g."brt-base-uncased"). + attack (str): Attack recipe to use (enables adversarial training) + dataset (str): dataset for training; will be loaded from `datasets` library. + task_type (str): Type of task model is supposed to perform. Options: `classification`, `regression`. + model_max_length (int): The maximum sequence length of the model. + model_num_labels (int): The number of labels for classification (1 for regression). + dataset_train_split (str): Name of the train split. If not provided will try `train` as the split name. + dataset_eval_split (str): Name of the train split. If not provided will try `dev`, `validation`, or `eval` as split name. + """ + + model_name_or_path: str + attack: str + dataset: str + task_type: str = "classification" + model_max_length: int = None + model_num_labels: int = None + dataset_train_split: str = None + dataset_eval_split: str = None + filter_train_by_labels: list = None + filter_eval_by_labels: list = None + + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + # Arguments that are needed if we want to create a model to train. + parser.add_argument( + "--model-name-or-path", + "--model", + type=str, + required=True, + help='Name or path of the model we want to create. "lstm" and "cnn" will create TextAttack\'s LSTM and CNN models while' + ' any other input will be used to create Transformers model. (e.g."brt-base-uncased").', + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--model-max-length", + type=int, + default=None, + help="The maximum sequence length of the model.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--model-num-labels", + type=int, + default=None, + help="The number of labels for classification.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--attack", + type=str, + required=False, + default=None, + help="Attack recipe to use (enables adversarial training)", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--task-type", + type=str, + default="classification", + help="Type of task model is supposed to perform. Options: `classification`, `regression`.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--dataset", + type=str, + required=True, + default="yelp", + help="dataset for training; will be loaded from " + "`datasets` library. if dataset has a subset, separate with a colon. " + " ex: `glue^sst2` or `rotten_tomatoes`", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--dataset-train-split", + type=str, + default="", + help="train dataset split, if non-standard " + "(can automatically detect 'train'", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--dataset-eval-split", + type=str, + default="", + help="val dataset split, if non-standard " + "(can automatically detect 'dev', 'validation', 'eval')", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--filter-train-by-labels", + nargs="+", + type=int, + required=False, + default=None, + help="List of labels to keep in the train dataset and discard all others.", + ) + parser.add_argument( + "--filter-eval-by-labels", + nargs="+", + type=int, + required=False, + default=None, + help="List of labels to keep in the eval dataset and discard all others.", + ) + return parser + + @classmethod + def _create_model_from_args(cls, args): + """Given ``CommandLineTrainingArgs``, return specified + ``textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`` object.""" + + assert isinstance( + args, cls + ), f"Expect args to be of type `{type(cls)}`, but got type `{type(args)}`." + + if args.model_name_or_path == "lstm": + logger.info("Loading textattack model: LSTMForClassification") + max_seq_len = args.model_max_length if args.model_max_length else 128 + num_labels = args.model_num_labels if args.model_num_labels else 2 + model = LSTMForClassification( + max_seq_length=max_seq_len, + num_labels=num_labels, + emb_layer_trainable=True, + ) + model = PyTorchModelWrapper(model, model.tokenizer) + elif args.model_name_or_path == "cnn": + logger.info("Loading textattack model: WordCNNForClassification") + max_seq_len = args.model_max_length if args.model_max_length else 128 + num_labels = args.model_num_labels if args.model_num_labels else 2 + model = WordCNNForClassification( + max_seq_length=max_seq_len, + num_labels=num_labels, + emb_layer_trainable=True, + ) + model = PyTorchModelWrapper(model, model.tokenizer) + else: + import transformers + + logger.info( + f"Loading transformers AutoModelForSequenceClassification: {args.model_name_or_path}" + ) + max_seq_len = args.model_max_length if args.model_max_length else 512 + num_labels = args.model_num_labels if args.model_num_labels else 2 + config = transformers.AutoConfig.from_pretrained( + args.model_name_or_path, + num_labels=num_labels, + ) + model = transformers.AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained( + args.model_name_or_path, + config=config, + ) + tokenizer = transformers.AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + args.model_name_or_path, + model_max_length=max_seq_len, + ) + model = HuggingFaceModelWrapper(model, tokenizer) + + assert isinstance( + model, ModelWrapper + ), "`model` must be of type `textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper`." + return model + + @classmethod + def _create_dataset_from_args(cls, args): + dataset_args = args.dataset.split(ARGS_SPLIT_TOKEN) + # TODO `HuggingFaceDataset` -> `HuggingFaceDataset` + if args.dataset_train_split: + train_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, split=args.dataset_train_split + ) + else: + try: + train_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset(*dataset_args, split="train") + args.dataset_train_split = "train" + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + f"Error: no `train` split found in `{args.dataset}` dataset" + ) + + if args.dataset_eval_split: + eval_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, split=args.dataset_eval_split + ) + else: + # try common dev split names + try: + eval_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset(*dataset_args, split="dev") + args.dataset_eval_split = "dev" + except KeyError: + try: + eval_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset(*dataset_args, split="eval") + args.dataset_eval_split = "eval" + except KeyError: + try: + eval_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, split="validation" + ) + args.dataset_eval_split = "validation" + except KeyError: + try: + eval_dataset = HuggingFaceDataset( + *dataset_args, split="test" + ) + args.dataset_eval_split = "test" + except KeyError: + raise KeyError( + f"Could not find `dev`, `eval`, `validation`, or `test` split in dataset {args.dataset}." + ) + + if args.filter_train_by_labels: + train_dataset.filter_by_labels_(args.filter_train_by_labels) + if args.filter_eval_by_labels: + eval_dataset.filter_by_labels_(args.filter_eval_by_labels) + # Testing for Coverage of model return values with dataset. + num_labels = args.model_num_labels if args.model_num_labels else 2 + + # Only Perform labels checks if output_column is equal to label. + if ( + train_dataset.output_column == "label" + and eval_dataset.output_column == "label" + ): + train_dataset_labels = train_dataset._dataset["label"] + + eval_dataset_labels = eval_dataset._dataset["label"] + + train_dataset_labels_set = set(train_dataset_labels) + + assert all( + label >= 0 + for label in train_dataset_labels_set + if isinstance(label, int) + ), f"Train dataset has negative label/s {[label for label in train_dataset_labels_set if isinstance(label,int) and label < 0 ]} which is/are not supported by pytorch.Use --filter-train-by-labels to keep suitable labels" + + assert num_labels >= len( + train_dataset_labels_set + ), f"Model constructed has {num_labels} output nodes and train dataset has {len(train_dataset_labels_set)} labels , Model should have output nodes greater than or equal to labels in train dataset.Use --model-num-labels to set model's output nodes." + + eval_dataset_labels_set = set(eval_dataset_labels) + + assert all( + label >= 0 + for label in eval_dataset_labels_set + if isinstance(label, int) + ), f"Eval dataset has negative label/s {[label for label in eval_dataset_labels_set if isinstance(label,int) and label < 0 ]} which is/are not supported by pytorch.Use --filter-eval-by-labels to keep suitable labels" + + assert num_labels >= len( + set(eval_dataset_labels_set) + ), f"Model constructed has {num_labels} output nodes and eval dataset has {len(eval_dataset_labels_set)} labels , Model should have output nodes greater than or equal to labels in eval dataset.Use --model-num-labels to set model's output nodes." + + return train_dataset, eval_dataset + + @classmethod + def _create_attack_from_args(cls, args, model_wrapper): + import textattack # noqa: F401 + + if args.attack is None: + return None + assert ( + args.attack in ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES + ), f"Unavailable attack recipe {args.attack}" + attack = eval(f"{ATTACK_RECIPE_NAMES[args.attack]}.build(model_wrapper)") + assert isinstance( + attack, Attack + ), "`attack` must be of type `textattack.Attack`." + return attack + + +# This neat trick allows use to reorder the arguments to avoid TypeErrors commonly found when inheriting dataclass. +# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51575931/class-inheritance-in-python-3-7-dataclasses +@dataclass +class CommandLineTrainingArgs(TrainingArgs, _CommandLineTrainingArgs): + @classmethod + def _add_parser_args(cls, parser): + parser = _CommandLineTrainingArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + parser = TrainingArgs._add_parser_args(parser) + return parser diff --git a/textattack/transformations/__init__.py b/textattack/transformations/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..97619986fc4ba3a13d4aa7d12e0583389f3708a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +""".. _transformations: + +Transformations +========================== + +A transformation is a method which perturbs a text input through the insertion, deletion and substiution of words, characters, and phrases. All transformations take a ``TokenizedText`` as input and return a list of ``TokenizedText`` that contains possible transformations. Every transformation is a subclass of the abstract ``Transformation`` class. +""" +from .transformation import Transformation + +from .sentence_transformations import * +from .word_swaps import * +from .word_insertions import * +from .word_merges import * + +from .composite_transformation import CompositeTransformation +from .word_deletion import WordDeletion +from .word_innerswap_random import WordInnerSwapRandom diff --git a/textattack/transformations/composite_transformation.py b/textattack/transformations/composite_transformation.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..39b3d81cc865f9715a2bdacfbb95d8ff3474537b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/composite_transformation.py @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +""" +Composite Transformation +============================================ +Multiple transformations can be used by providing a list of ``Transformation`` to ``CompositeTransformation`` + +""" + +from textattack.shared import utils +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class CompositeTransformation(Transformation): + """A transformation which applies each of a list of transformations, + returning a set of all optoins. + + Args: + transformations: The list of ``Transformation`` to apply. + """ + + def __init__(self, transformations): + if not ( + isinstance(transformations, list) or isinstance(transformations, tuple) + ): + raise TypeError("transformations must be list or tuple") + elif not len(transformations): + raise ValueError("transformations cannot be empty") + self.transformations = transformations + + def _get_transformations(self, *_): + """Placeholder method that would throw an error if a user tried to + treat the CompositeTransformation as a 'normal' transformation.""" + raise RuntimeError( + "CompositeTransformation does not support _get_transformations()." + ) + + def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs): + new_attacked_texts = set() + for transformation in self.transformations: + new_attacked_texts.update(transformation(*args, **kwargs)) + return list(new_attacked_texts) + + def __repr__(self): + main_str = "CompositeTransformation" + "(" + transformation_lines = [] + for i, transformation in enumerate(self.transformations): + transformation_lines.append(utils.add_indent(f"({i}): {transformation}", 2)) + transformation_lines.append(")") + main_str += utils.add_indent("\n" + "\n".join(transformation_lines), 2) + return main_str + + __str__ = __repr__ diff --git a/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/__init__.py b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a8a3928a20d739d2fd7a44209681e86b06382d4a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,8 @@ +""" +sentence_transformations package +----------------------------------- + +""" + +from .sentence_transformation import SentenceTransformation +from .back_translation import BackTranslation diff --git a/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/back_translation.py b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/back_translation.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5cd4e3856534c1b90c52b60d0be72b7700c0101d --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/back_translation.py @@ -0,0 +1,165 @@ +""" +BackTranslation class +----------------------------------- + +""" + + +import random + +from transformers import MarianMTModel, MarianTokenizer + +from textattack.shared import AttackedText + +from .sentence_transformation import SentenceTransformation + + +class BackTranslation(SentenceTransformation): + """A type of sentence level transformation that takes in a text input, + translates it into target language and translates it back to source + language. + + letters_to_insert (string): letters allowed for insertion into words + (used by some char-based transformations) + + src_lang (string): source language + target_lang (string): target language, for the list of supported language check bottom of this page + src_model: translation model from huggingface that translates from source language to target language + target_model: translation model from huggingface that translates from target language to source language + chained_back_translation: run back translation in a chain for more perturbation (for example, en-es-en-fr-en) + + Example:: + + >>> from textattack.transformations.sentence_transformations import BackTranslation + >>> from textattack.constraints.pre_transformation import RepeatModification, StopwordModification + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = BackTranslation() + >>> constraints = [RepeatModification(), StopwordModification()] + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation = transformation, constraints = constraints) + >>> s = 'What on earth are you doing here.' + + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__( + self, + src_lang="en", + target_lang="es", + src_model="Helsinki-NLP/opus-mt-ROMANCE-en", + target_model="Helsinki-NLP/opus-mt-en-ROMANCE", + chained_back_translation=0, + ): + self.src_lang = src_lang + self.target_lang = target_lang + self.target_model = MarianMTModel.from_pretrained(target_model) + self.target_tokenizer = MarianTokenizer.from_pretrained(target_model) + self.src_model = MarianMTModel.from_pretrained(src_model) + self.src_tokenizer = MarianTokenizer.from_pretrained(src_model) + self.chained_back_translation = chained_back_translation + + def translate(self, input, model, tokenizer, lang="es"): + # change the text to model's format + src_texts = [] + if lang == "en": + src_texts.append(input[0]) + else: + if ">>" and "<<" not in lang: + lang = ">>" + lang + "<< " + src_texts.append(lang + input[0]) + + # tokenize the input + encoded_input = tokenizer.prepare_seq2seq_batch(src_texts, return_tensors="pt") + + # translate the input + translated = model.generate(**encoded_input) + translated_input = tokenizer.batch_decode(translated, skip_special_tokens=True) + return translated_input + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + current_text = current_text.text + + # to perform chained back translation, a random list of target languages are selected from the provided model + if self.chained_back_translation: + list_of_target_lang = random.sample( + self.target_tokenizer.supported_language_codes, + self.chained_back_translation, + ) + for target_lang in list_of_target_lang: + target_language_text = self.translate( + [current_text], + self.target_model, + self.target_tokenizer, + target_lang, + ) + src_language_text = self.translate( + target_language_text, + self.src_model, + self.src_tokenizer, + self.src_lang, + ) + current_text = src_language_text[0] + return [AttackedText(current_text)] + + # translates source to target language and back to source language (single back translation) + target_language_text = self.translate( + [current_text], self.target_model, self.target_tokenizer, self.target_lang + ) + src_language_text = self.translate( + target_language_text, self.src_model, self.src_tokenizer, self.src_lang + ) + transformed_texts.append(AttackedText(src_language_text[0])) + return transformed_texts + + +""" +List of supported languages +['fr', + 'es', + 'it', + 'pt', + 'pt_br', + 'ro', + 'ca', + 'gl', + 'pt_BR<<', + 'la<<', + 'wa<<', + 'fur<<', + 'oc<<', + 'fr_CA<<', + 'sc<<', + 'es_ES', + 'es_MX', + 'es_AR', + 'es_PR', + 'es_UY', + 'es_CL', + 'es_CO', + 'es_CR', + 'es_GT', + 'es_HN', + 'es_NI', + 'es_PA', + 'es_PE', + 'es_VE', + 'es_DO', + 'es_EC', + 'es_SV', + 'an', + 'pt_PT', + 'frp', + 'lad', + 'vec', + 'fr_FR', + 'co', + 'it_IT', + 'lld', + 'lij', + 'lmo', + 'nap', + 'rm', + 'scn', + 'mwl'] +""" diff --git a/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/sentence_transformation.py b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/sentence_transformation.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ea7baea177331a099bd19d385352b2783716f740 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/sentence_transformations/sentence_transformation.py @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +""" +SentenceTransformation class +----------------------------------- + +https://github.com/makcedward/nlpaug + +""" + + +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class SentenceTransformation(Transformation): + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + raise NotImplementedError() diff --git a/textattack/transformations/transformation.py b/textattack/transformations/transformation.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a3a54dab29c684d025e010941fb2bea5c5a1799a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/transformation.py @@ -0,0 +1,76 @@ +""" +Transformation Abstract Class +============================================ + +""" + +from abc import ABC, abstractmethod + +from textattack.shared.utils import ReprMixin + + +class Transformation(ReprMixin, ABC): + """An abstract class for transforming a sequence of text to produce a + potential adversarial example.""" + + def __call__( + self, + current_text, + pre_transformation_constraints=[], + indices_to_modify=None, + shifted_idxs=False, + return_indices=False, + ): + """Returns a list of all possible transformations for ``current_text``. + Applies the ``pre_transformation_constraints`` then calls + ``_get_transformations``. + + Args: + current_text: The ``AttackedText`` to transform. + pre_transformation_constraints: The ``PreTransformationConstraint`` to apply before + beginning the transformation. + indices_to_modify: Which word indices should be modified as dictated by the + ``SearchMethod``. + shifted_idxs (bool): Whether indices could have been shifted from + their original position in the text. + return_indices (bool): Whether the function returns indices_to_modify + instead of the transformed_texts. + """ + if indices_to_modify is None: + indices_to_modify = set(range(len(current_text.words))) + # If we are modifying all indices, we don't care if some of the indices might have been shifted. + shifted_idxs = False + else: + indices_to_modify = set(indices_to_modify) + + if shifted_idxs: + indices_to_modify = set( + current_text.convert_from_original_idxs(indices_to_modify) + ) + + for constraint in pre_transformation_constraints: + indices_to_modify = indices_to_modify & constraint(current_text, self) + + if return_indices: + return indices_to_modify + + transformed_texts = self._get_transformations(current_text, indices_to_modify) + for text in transformed_texts: + text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] = self + return transformed_texts + + @abstractmethod + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Returns a list of all possible transformations for ``current_text``, + only modifying ``indices_to_modify``. Must be overridden by specific + transformations. + + Args: + current_text: The ``AttackedText`` to transform. + indicies_to_modify: Which word indices can be modified. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return True diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_deletion.py b/textattack/transformations/word_deletion.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f75ba5b841cf58e6c22cdffcf467ff5d4d48dcf3 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_deletion.py @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +""" +word deletion Transformation +============================================ + +""" + +from .transformation import Transformation + + +class WordDeletion(Transformation): + """An abstract class that takes a sentence and transforms it by deleting a + single word. + + letters_to_insert (string): letters allowed for insertion into words + """ + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + # words = current_text.words + transformed_texts = [] + if len(current_text.words) > 1: + for i in indices_to_modify: + transformed_texts.append(current_text.delete_word_at_index(i)) + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_innerswap_random.py b/textattack/transformations/word_innerswap_random.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2d0693bb3a4484dc1e0cf49b07c60f256d2d9c62 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_innerswap_random.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +""" +Word Swap Transformation by swapping the order of words +========================================================== +""" + + +import random + +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class WordInnerSwapRandom(Transformation): + """Transformation that randomly swaps the order of words in a sequence.""" + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + words = current_text.words + for idx in indices_to_modify: + word = words[idx] + swap_idxs = list(set(range(len(words))) - {idx}) + if swap_idxs: + swap_idx = random.choice(swap_idxs) + swapped_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index( + idx, words[swap_idx] + ).replace_word_at_index(swap_idx, word) + transformed_texts.append(swapped_text) + return transformed_texts + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return False diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/__init__.py b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2f92a11ae96dce0e3f74e26574254b7e008eb53a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +""" +word_insertions package +------------------------------- + +""" + +from .word_insertion import WordInsertion +from .word_insertion_random_synonym import WordInsertionRandomSynonym +from .word_insertion_masked_lm import WordInsertionMaskedLM diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion.py b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..def4809bf4429d1edff003e29f23871d57753f85 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion.py @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +""" +WordInsertion Class +------------------------------- +Word Insertion transformations act by inserting a new word at a specific word index. +For example, if we insert "new" in position 3 in the text "I like the movie", we get "I like the new movie". +Subclasses can implement the abstract ``WordInsertion`` class by overriding ``self._get_new_words``. +""" +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class WordInsertion(Transformation): + """A base class for word insertions.""" + + def _get_new_words(self, current_text, index): + """Returns a set of new words we can insert at position `index` of `current_text` + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Current text to modify. + index (int): Position in which to insert a new word + Returns: + list[str]: List of new words to insert. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """ + Return a set of transformed texts obtained by insertion a new word in `indices_to_modify` + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Current text to modify. + indices_to_modify (list[int]): List of positions in which to insert a new word. + + Returns: + list[AttackedText]: List of transformed texts + """ + transformed_texts = [] + + for i in indices_to_modify: + new_words = self._get_new_words(current_text, i) + + new_transformted_texts = [] + for w in new_words: + new_transformted_texts.append( + current_text.insert_text_before_word_index(i, w) + ) + transformed_texts.extend(new_transformted_texts) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_masked_lm.py b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_masked_lm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d768a588f15a0ae2f4aa2e57407f7b6448a335f2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_masked_lm.py @@ -0,0 +1,174 @@ +""" +WordInsertionMaskedLM Class +------------------------------- +""" +import re + +import torch +from transformers import AutoModelForMaskedLM, AutoTokenizer + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .word_insertion import WordInsertion + + +class WordInsertionMaskedLM(WordInsertion): + """Generate potential insertion for a word using a masked language model. + + Based off of: + CLARE: Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack" (Li et al, 2020): + https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07502 + + Args: + masked_language_model (Union[str|transformers.AutoModelForMaskedLM]): Either the name of pretrained masked language model from `transformers` model hub + or the actual model. Default is `bert-base-uncased`. + tokenizer (obj): The tokenizer of the corresponding model. If you passed in name of a pretrained model for `masked_language_model`, + you can skip this argument as the correct tokenizer can be infered from the name. However, if you're passing the actual model, you must + provide a tokenizer. + max_length (int): the max sequence length the masked language model is designed to work with. Default is 512. + window_size (int): The number of surrounding words to include when making top word prediction. + For each position to insert we take `window_size // 2` words to the left and `window_size // 2` words to the right and pass the text within the window + to the masked language model. Default is `float("inf")`, which is equivalent to using the whole text. + max_candidates (int): maximum number of candidates to consider inserting for each position. Replacements are + ranked by model's confidence. + min_confidence (float): minimum confidence threshold each new word must pass. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + masked_language_model="bert-base-uncased", + tokenizer=None, + max_length=512, + window_size=float("inf"), + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-4, + batch_size=16, + ): + super().__init__() + self.max_length = max_length + self.window_size = window_size + self.max_candidates = max_candidates + self.min_confidence = min_confidence + self.batch_size = batch_size + + if isinstance(masked_language_model, str): + self._language_model = AutoModelForMaskedLM.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model, use_fast=True + ) + else: + self._language_model = masked_language_model + if tokenizer is None: + raise ValueError( + "`tokenizer` argument must be provided when passing an actual model as `masked_language_model`." + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = tokenizer + self._language_model.to(utils.device) + self._language_model.eval() + self.masked_lm_name = self._language_model.__class__.__name__ + + def _encode_text(self, text): + """Encodes ``text`` using an ``AutoTokenizer``, ``self._lm_tokenizer``. + + Returns a ``dict`` where keys are strings (like 'input_ids') and + values are ``torch.Tensor``s. Moves tensors to the same device + as the language model. + """ + encoding = self._lm_tokenizer( + text, + max_length=self.max_length, + truncation=True, + padding="max_length", + return_tensors="pt", + ) + return {k: v.to(utils.device) for k, v in encoding.items()} + + def _get_new_words(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Get replacement words for the word we want to replace using BAE + method. + + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Text we want to get replacements for. + indices_to_modify (list[int]): list of word indices where we want to insert + """ + masked_texts = [] + for index in indices_to_modify: + masked_text = current_text.insert_text_before_word_index( + index, self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token + ) + # Obtain window + masked_text = masked_text.text_window_around_index(index, self.window_size) + masked_texts.append(masked_text) + + i = 0 + # 2-D list where for each index to modify we have a list of replacement words + new_words = [] + while i < len(masked_texts): + inputs = self._encode_text(masked_texts[i : i + self.batch_size]) + ids = inputs["input_ids"].tolist() + with torch.no_grad(): + preds = self._language_model(**inputs)[0] + + for j in range(len(ids)): + try: + # Need try-except b/c mask-token located past max_length might be truncated by tokenizer + masked_index = ids[j].index(self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token_id) + except ValueError: + new_words.append([]) + continue + + mask_token_logits = preds[j, masked_index] + mask_token_probs = torch.softmax(mask_token_logits, dim=0) + ranked_indices = torch.argsort(mask_token_probs, descending=True) + top_words = [] + for _id in ranked_indices: + _id = _id.item() + word = self._lm_tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(_id) + if utils.check_if_subword( + word, + self._language_model.config.model_type, + (masked_index == 1), + ): + word = utils.strip_BPE_artifacts( + word, self._language_model.config.model_type + ) + if ( + mask_token_probs[_id] >= self.min_confidence + and utils.is_one_word(word) + and not utils.check_if_punctuations(word) + ): + top_words.append(word) + + if ( + len(top_words) >= self.max_candidates + or mask_token_probs[_id] < self.min_confidence + ): + break + + new_words.append(top_words) + + i += self.batch_size + + return new_words + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + indices_to_modify = list(indices_to_modify) + new_words = self._get_new_words(current_text, indices_to_modify) + transformed_texts = [] + for i in range(len(new_words)): + index_to_modify = indices_to_modify[i] + word_at_index = current_text.words[index_to_modify] + for word in new_words[i]: + word = word.strip("Ġ") + if word != word_at_index and re.search("[a-zA-Z]", word): + transformed_texts.append( + current_text.insert_text_before_word_index( + index_to_modify, word + ) + ) + return transformed_texts + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["masked_lm_name", "max_length", "max_candidates", "min_confidence"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_random_synonym.py b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_random_synonym.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..da4c65dff3b719230451488119da55bb5ec27232 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_insertions/word_insertion_random_synonym.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" + +WordInsertionRandomSynonym Class +------------------------------------ +random synonym insertation Transformation +""" + +import random + +from nltk.corpus import wordnet + +from .word_insertion import WordInsertion + + +class WordInsertionRandomSynonym(WordInsertion): + """Transformation that inserts synonyms of words that are already in the + sequence.""" + + def _get_synonyms(self, word): + synonyms = set() + for syn in wordnet.synsets(word): + for lemma in syn.lemmas(): + if lemma.name() != word and check_if_one_word(lemma.name()): + synonyms.add(lemma.name()) + return list(synonyms) + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + for idx in indices_to_modify: + synonyms = [] + # try to find a word with synonyms, and deal with edge case where there aren't any + for attempt in range(7): + synonyms = self._get_synonyms(random.choice(current_text.words)) + if synonyms: + break + elif attempt == 6: + return [current_text] + random_synonym = random.choice(synonyms) + transformed_texts.append( + current_text.insert_text_before_word_index(idx, random_synonym) + ) + return transformed_texts + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return False + + +def check_if_one_word(word): + for c in word: + if not c.isalpha(): + return False + return True diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_merges/__init__.py b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5aa18cb9f3cc1e64d6aa62bf2053bf3b5db6973f --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,8 @@ +""" +word_merges package +------------------------------------------------ + +""" + +from .word_merge import WordMerge +from .word_merge_masked_lm import WordMergeMaskedLM diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge.py b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6194970ab881cf325a7b1d551a77ffad3a4f5a63 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge.py @@ -0,0 +1,86 @@ +""" +Word Merge +------------------------------------------------ +Word Merge transformations act by taking two adjacent words, and "merges" them into one word by deleting one word and replacing another. +For example, if we can merge the words "the" and "movie" in the text "I like the movie" and get following text: "I like film". +When we choose to "merge" word at index ``i``, we merge it with the next word at ``i+1``. +""" +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class WordMerge(Transformation): + """An abstract class for word merges.""" + + def __call__( + self, + current_text, + pre_transformation_constraints=[], + indices_to_modify=None, + shifted_idxs=True, + ): + """Returns a list of all possible transformations for ``current_text``. + Applies the ``pre_transformation_constraints`` then calls + ``_get_transformations``. + + Args: + current_text: The ``AttackedText`` to transform. + pre_transformation_constraints: The ``PreTransformationConstraint`` to apply before + beginning the transformation. + indices_to_modify: Which word indices should be modified as dictated by the + ``SearchMethod``. + shifted_idxs (bool): Whether indices have been shifted from + their original position in the text. + """ + if indices_to_modify is None: + indices_to_modify = set(range(len(current_text.words) - 1)) + else: + indices_to_modify = set(indices_to_modify) + + if shifted_idxs: + indices_to_modify = set( + current_text.convert_from_original_idxs(indices_to_modify) + ) + + for constraint in pre_transformation_constraints: + allowed_indices = constraint(current_text, self) + for i in indices_to_modify: + if i not in allowed_indices and i + 1 not in allowed_indices: + indices_to_modify.remove(i) + + transformed_texts = self._get_transformations(current_text, indices_to_modify) + for text in transformed_texts: + text.attack_attrs["last_transformation"] = self + if len(text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"]) == 0: + print("xcv", text, len(text.attack_attrs["newly_modified_indices"])) + return transformed_texts + + def _get_new_words(self, current_text, index): + """Returns a set of new words we can insert at position `index` of `current_text` + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Current text to modify. + index (int): Position in which to insert a new word + Returns: + list[str]: List of new words to insert. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """ + Return a set of transformed texts obtained by insertion a new word in `indices_to_modify` + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Current text to modify. + indices_to_modify (list[int]): List of positions in which to insert a new word. + + Returns: + list[AttackedText]: List of transformed texts + """ + transformed_texts = [] + + for i in indices_to_modify: + new_words = self._get_new_words(current_text, i) + + for w in new_words: + temp_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, w) + transformed_texts.append(temp_text.delete_word_at_index(i + 1)) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge_masked_lm.py b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge_masked_lm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b13c43dfbf5c9e42fa979f8163c8cd8e3295ae7e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_merges/word_merge_masked_lm.py @@ -0,0 +1,206 @@ +""" +WordMergeMaskedLM class +------------------------------------------------ + +""" +import re + +import torch +from transformers import AutoModelForMaskedLM, AutoTokenizer + +from textattack.shared import utils +from textattack.transformations.transformation import Transformation + + +class WordMergeMaskedLM(Transformation): + """Generate potential merge of adjacent using a masked language model. + + Based off of: + CLARE: Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack" (Li et al, 2020) https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07502 + + Args: + masked_language_model (Union[str|transformers.AutoModelForMaskedLM]): Either the name of pretrained masked language model from `transformers` model hub + or the actual model. Default is `bert-base-uncased`. + tokenizer (obj): The tokenizer of the corresponding model. If you passed in name of a pretrained model for `masked_language_model`, + you can skip this argument as the correct tokenizer can be infered from the name. However, if you're passing the actual model, you must + provide a tokenizer. + max_length (int): The max sequence length the masked language model is designed to work with. Default is 512. + window_size (int): The number of surrounding words to include when making top word prediction. + For each position to merge, we take `window_size // 2` words to the left and `window_size // 2` words to the right and pass the text within the window + to the masked language model. Default is `float("inf")`, which is equivalent to using the whole text. + max_candidates (int): Maximum number of candidates to consider as replacements for each word. Replacements are + ranked by model's confidence. + min_confidence (float): Minimum confidence threshold each replacement word must pass. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + masked_language_model="bert-base-uncased", + tokenizer=None, + max_length=512, + window_size=float("inf"), + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-4, + batch_size=16, + ): + super().__init__() + self.max_length = max_length + self.window_size = window_size + self.max_candidates = max_candidates + self.min_confidence = min_confidence + self.batch_size = batch_size + + if isinstance(masked_language_model, str): + self._language_model = AutoModelForMaskedLM.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model, use_fast=True + ) + else: + self._language_model = masked_language_model + if tokenizer is None: + raise ValueError( + "`tokenizer` argument must be provided when passing an actual model as `masked_language_model`." + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = tokenizer + self._language_model.to(utils.device) + self._language_model.eval() + self.masked_lm_name = self._language_model.__class__.__name__ + + def _encode_text(self, text): + """Encodes ``text`` using an ``AutoTokenizer``, ``self._lm_tokenizer``. + + Returns a ``dict`` where keys are strings (like 'input_ids') and + values are ``torch.Tensor``s. Moves tensors to the same device + as the language model. + """ + encoding = self._lm_tokenizer( + text, + max_length=self.max_length, + truncation=True, + padding="max_length", + return_tensors="pt", + ) + return {k: v.to(utils.device) for k, v in encoding.items()} + + def _get_merged_words(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Get replacement words for the word we want to replace using BAE + method. + + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Text we want to get replacements for. + index (int): index of word we want to replace + """ + masked_texts = [] + for index in indices_to_modify: + temp_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index( + index, self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token + ) + temp_text = temp_text.delete_word_at_index(index + 1) + # Obtain window + temp_text = temp_text.text_window_around_index(index, self.window_size) + masked_texts.append(temp_text) + + i = 0 + # 2-D list where for each index to modify we have a list of replacement words + replacement_words = [] + while i < len(masked_texts): + inputs = self._encode_text(masked_texts[i : i + self.batch_size]) + ids = [ + inputs["input_ids"][i].tolist() for i in range(len(inputs["input_ids"])) + ] + with torch.no_grad(): + preds = self._language_model(**inputs)[0] + + for j in range(len(ids)): + try: + # Need try-except b/c mask-token located past max_length might be truncated by tokenizer + masked_index = ids[j].index(self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token_id) + except ValueError: + replacement_words.append([]) + continue + + mask_token_logits = preds[j, masked_index] + mask_token_probs = torch.softmax(mask_token_logits, dim=0) + ranked_indices = torch.argsort(mask_token_probs, descending=True) + top_words = [] + for _id in ranked_indices: + _id = _id.item() + word = self._lm_tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(_id) + if utils.check_if_subword( + word, + self._language_model.config.model_type, + (masked_index == 1), + ): + word = utils.strip_BPE_artifacts( + word, self._language_model.config.model_type + ) + if ( + mask_token_probs[_id] >= self.min_confidence + and utils.is_one_word(word) + and not utils.check_if_punctuations(word) + ): + top_words.append(word) + + if ( + len(top_words) >= self.max_candidates + or mask_token_probs[_id] < self.min_confidence + ): + break + + replacement_words.append(top_words) + + i += self.batch_size + + return replacement_words + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + indices_to_modify = list(indices_to_modify) + # find indices that are suitable to merge + token_tags = [ + current_text.pos_of_word_index(i) for i in range(current_text.num_words) + ] + merge_indices = find_merge_index(token_tags) + merged_words = self._get_merged_words(current_text, merge_indices) + transformed_texts = [] + for i in range(len(merged_words)): + index_to_modify = merge_indices[i] + word_at_index = current_text.words[index_to_modify] + for word in merged_words[i]: + word = word.strip("Ġ") + if word != word_at_index and re.search("[a-zA-Z]", word): + temp_text = current_text.delete_word_at_index(index_to_modify + 1) + transformed_texts.append( + temp_text.replace_word_at_index(index_to_modify, word) + ) + + return transformed_texts + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["masked_lm_name", "max_length", "max_candidates", "min_confidence"] + + +def find_merge_index(token_tags, indices=None): + merge_indices = [] + if indices is None: + indices = range(len(token_tags) - 1) + for i in indices: + cur_tag = token_tags[i] + next_tag = token_tags[i + 1] + if cur_tag == "NOUN" and next_tag == "NOUN": + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "ADJ" and next_tag in ["NOUN", "NUM", "ADJ", "ADV"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "ADV" and next_tag in ["ADJ", "VERB"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "VERB" and next_tag in ["ADV", "VERB", "NOUN", "ADJ"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "DET" and next_tag in ["NOUN", "ADJ"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "PRON" and next_tag in ["NOUN", "ADJ"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + elif cur_tag == "NUM" and next_tag in ["NUM", "NOUN"]: + merge_indices.append(i) + return merge_indices diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/__init__.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/__init__.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1d2aa9f52ab33b5a2fbd809f6c7a65e58ca81d04 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/__init__.py @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +""" +word_swaps package +------------------------------- + +""" + + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + +# Black box transformations +from .word_swap_embedding import WordSwapEmbedding +from .word_swap_hownet import WordSwapHowNet +from .word_swap_homoglyph_swap import WordSwapHomoglyphSwap +from .word_swap_inflections import WordSwapInflections +from .word_swap_neighboring_character_swap import WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap +from .word_swap_random_character_deletion import WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion +from .word_swap_random_character_insertion import WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion +from .word_swap_random_character_substitution import WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution +from .word_swap_wordnet import WordSwapWordNet +from .word_swap_masked_lm import WordSwapMaskedLM +from .word_swap_qwerty import WordSwapQWERTY +from .word_swap_contract import WordSwapContract +from .word_swap_extend import WordSwapExtend +from .word_swap_change_number import WordSwapChangeNumber +from .word_swap_change_location import WordSwapChangeLocation +from .word_swap_change_name import WordSwapChangeName +from .chinese_word_swap_hownet import ChineseWordSwapHowNet +from .chinese_homophone_character_swap import ChineseHomophoneCharacterSwap + +# White box transformation +from .word_swap_gradient_based import WordSwapGradientBased diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_homophone_character_swap.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_homophone_character_swap.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1aa9e00b037d2127d2f854a540412ccf1d30e085 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_homophone_character_swap.py @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +import os + +import pandas as pd +import pinyin + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class ChineseHomophoneCharacterSwap(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with synonyms provided by a + homophone dictionary.""" + + def __init__(self): + # Get the absolute path of the homophone dictionary txt + path = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)) + path_list = path.split(os.sep) + path_list = path_list[:-2] + path_list.append("shared/chinese_homophone_char.txt") + homophone_dict_path = os.path.join("/", *path_list) + + homophone_dict = pd.read_csv(homophone_dict_path, header=None, sep="\n") + + homophone_dict = homophone_dict[0].str.split("\t", expand=True) + + self.homophone_dict = homophone_dict + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a list containing all possible words with 1 character + replaced by a homophone.""" + candidate_words = [] + for i in range(len(word)): + character = word[i] + character = pinyin.get(character, format="strip", delimiter=" ") + if character in self.homophone_dict.values: + for row in range(self.homophone_dict.shape[0]): # df is the DataFrame + for col in range(0, 1): + if self.homophone_dict._get_value(row, col) == character: + for j in range(1, 4): + repl_character = self.homophone_dict[col + j][row] + if repl_character is None: + break + candidate_word = ( + word[:i] + repl_character + word[i + 1 :] + ) + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + pass + return candidate_words diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_word_swap_hownet.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_word_swap_hownet.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c977a3c92debfdeb3cf9c81b19ff9496f8793b3c --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/chinese_word_swap_hownet.py @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ +import OpenHowNet + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class ChineseWordSwapHowNet(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with synonyms provided by + WordNet.""" + + def __init__(self): + self.hownet_dict = OpenHowNet.HowNetDict(use_sim=True) + self.topk = 10 + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a list containing all possible words with N characters + replaced by a homoglyph.""" + if self.hownet_dict.get(word): + results = self.hownet_dict.get_nearest_words_via_sememes(word, self.topk) + synonyms = [ + w["word"] for r in results for w in r["synset"] if w["word"] != word + ] + return synonyms + else: + return [] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c51e8056f675e61c76fc662e0304a5a7a65320f9 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap.py @@ -0,0 +1,54 @@ +""" +Word Swap +------------------------------- +Word swap transformations act by replacing some words in the input. Subclasses can implement the abstract ``WordSwap`` class by overriding ``self._get_replacement_words`` + +""" +import random +import string + +from textattack.transformations import Transformation + + +class WordSwap(Transformation): + """An abstract class that takes a sentence and transforms it by replacing + some of its words. + + letters_to_insert (string): letters allowed for insertion into words + (used by some char-based transformations) + """ + + def __init__(self, letters_to_insert=None): + self.letters_to_insert = letters_to_insert + if not self.letters_to_insert: + self.letters_to_insert = string.ascii_letters + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a set of replacements given an input word. Must be overriden + by specific word swap transformations. + + Args: + word: The input word to find replacements for. + """ + raise NotImplementedError() + + def _get_random_letter(self): + """Helper function that returns a random single letter from the English + alphabet that could be lowercase or uppercase.""" + return random.choice(self.letters_to_insert) + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + words = current_text.words + transformed_texts = [] + + for i in indices_to_modify: + word_to_replace = words[i] + replacement_words = self._get_replacement_words(word_to_replace) + transformed_texts_idx = [] + for r in replacement_words: + if r == word_to_replace: + continue + transformed_texts_idx.append(current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, r)) + transformed_texts.extend(transformed_texts_idx) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_location.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_location.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..14f82ff6a24123600ccd29311c027d1d24149049 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_location.py @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Changing Location +------------------------------- +""" +import more_itertools as mit +import numpy as np + +from textattack.shared.data import NAMED_ENTITIES + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +def idx_to_words(ls, words): + """Given a list generated from cluster_idx, return a list that contains + sub-list (the first element being the idx, and the second element being the + words corresponding to the idx)""" + + output = [] + for sub_ls in ls: + word = words[sub_ls[0]] + for idx in sub_ls[1:]: + word = " ".join([word, words[idx]]) + output.append([sub_ls, word]) + return output + + +class WordSwapChangeLocation(WordSwap): + def __init__(self, n=3, confidence_score=0.7, language="en", **kwargs): + """Transformation that changes recognized locations of a sentence to + another location that is given in the location map. + + :param n: Number of new locations to generate + :param confidence_score: Location will only be changed if it's above the confidence score + + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapChangeLocation + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapChangeLocation() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am in Dallas.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.n = n + self.confidence_score = confidence_score + self.language = language + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + words = current_text.words + location_idx = [] + if self.language == "en": + model_name = "ner" + elif self.language == "fra" or self.language == "french": + model_name = "flair/ner-french" + else: + model_name = "flair/ner-multi-fast" + for i in indices_to_modify: + tag = current_text.ner_of_word_index(i, model_name) + if "LOC" in tag.value and tag.score > self.confidence_score: + location_idx.append(i) + + # Combine location idx and words to a list ([0] is idx, [1] is location name) + # For example, [1,2] to [ [1,2] , ["New York"] ] + location_idx = [list(group) for group in mit.consecutive_groups(location_idx)] + location_words = idx_to_words(location_idx, words) + + transformed_texts = [] + for location in location_words: + idx = location[0] + word = location[1].capitalize() + replacement_words = self._get_new_location(word) + for r in replacement_words: + if r == word: + continue + text = current_text + + # if original location is more than a single word, remain only the starting word + if len(idx) > 1: + index = idx[1] + for i in idx[1:]: + text = text.delete_word_at_index(index) + + # replace the starting word with new location + text = text.replace_word_at_index(idx[0], r) + + transformed_texts.append(text) + return transformed_texts + + def _get_new_location(self, word): + """Return a list of new locations, with the choice of country, + nationality, and city.""" + language = "" + if self.language == "esp" or self.language == "spanish": + language = "-spanish" + elif self.language == "fra" or self.language == "french": + language = "-french" + if word in NAMED_ENTITIES["country" + language]: + return np.random.choice(NAMED_ENTITIES["country" + language], self.n) + elif word in NAMED_ENTITIES["nationality" + language]: + return np.random.choice(NAMED_ENTITIES["nationality" + language], self.n) + elif word in NAMED_ENTITIES["city"]: + return np.random.choice(NAMED_ENTITIES["city"], self.n) + return [] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_name.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_name.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c4feeff4801bcdfd2c93d4e47bbf85fe9e278b67 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_name.py @@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Changing Name +------------------------------- +""" + +import numpy as np + +from textattack.shared.data import PERSON_NAMES + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapChangeName(WordSwap): + def __init__( + self, + num_name_replacements=3, + first_only=False, + last_only=False, + confidence_score=0.7, + language="en", + **kwargs + ): + """Transforms an input by replacing names of recognized name entity. + + :param n: Number of new names to generate per name detected + :param first_only: Whether to change first name only + :param last_only: Whether to change last name only + :param confidence_score: Name will only be changed when it's above confidence score + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapChangeName + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapChangeName() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am John Smith.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.num_name_replacements = num_name_replacements + if first_only & last_only: + raise ValueError("first_only and last_only cannot both be true") + self.first_only = first_only + self.last_only = last_only + self.confidence_score = confidence_score + self.language = language + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + if self.language == "en": + model_name = "ner" + elif self.language == "fra" or self.language == "french": + model_name = "flair/ner-french" + else: + model_name = "flair/ner-multi-fast" + + for i in indices_to_modify: + word_to_replace = current_text.words[i].capitalize() + word_to_replace_ner = current_text.ner_of_word_index(i, model_name) + replacement_words = self._get_replacement_words( + word_to_replace, word_to_replace_ner + ) + for r in replacement_words: + transformed_texts.append(current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, r)) + + return transformed_texts + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word, word_part_of_speech): + replacement_words = [] + tag = word_part_of_speech + if ( + tag.value in ("B-PER", "S-PER") + and tag.score >= self.confidence_score + and not self.last_only + ): + replacement_words = self._get_firstname(word) + elif ( + tag.value in ("E-PER", "S-PER") + and tag.score >= self.confidence_score + and not self.first_only + ): + replacement_words = self._get_lastname(word) + return replacement_words + + def _get_lastname(self, word): + """Return a list of random last names.""" + if self.language == "esp" or self.language == "spanish": + return np.random.choice( + PERSON_NAMES["last-spanish"], self.num_name_replacements + ) + elif self.language == "fra" or self.language == "french": + return np.random.choice( + PERSON_NAMES["last-french"], self.num_name_replacements + ) + else: + return np.random.choice(PERSON_NAMES["last"], self.num_name_replacements) + + def _get_firstname(self, word): + """Return a list of random first names.""" + if self.language == "esp" or self.language == "spanish": + return np.random.choice( + PERSON_NAMES["first-spanish"], self.num_name_replacements + ) + elif self.language == "fra" or self.language == "french": + return np.random.choice( + PERSON_NAMES["first-french"], self.num_name_replacements + ) + else: + return np.random.choice(PERSON_NAMES["first"], self.num_name_replacements) diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_number.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_number.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b885b6fa4b48a9108d240643e019b979d8920c3b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_change_number.py @@ -0,0 +1,150 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Changing Number +------------------------------- + +""" +import more_itertools as mit +from num2words import num2words +import numpy as np +from word2number import w2n + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +def idx_to_words(ls, words): + """Given a list generated from cluster_idx, return a list that contains + sub-list (the first element being the idx, and the second element being the + words corresponding to the idx)""" + + output = [] + for cluster in ls: + word = words[cluster[0]] + for idx in cluster[1:]: + word = " ".join([word, words[idx]]) + output.append([cluster, word]) + return output + + +class WordSwapChangeNumber(WordSwap): + def __init__(self, max_change=1, n=3, **kwargs): + """A transformation that recognizes numbers in sentence, and returns + sentences with altered numbers. + + :param max_change: Maximum percent of change (1 being 100%) + :param n: Numbers of new numbers to generate + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapChangeNumber + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapChangeNumber() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am 12 years old.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.max_change = max_change + self.n = n + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + words = current_text.words + num_idx = [] + num_words = [] + + # find indexes of alphabetical words + for idx in indices_to_modify: + word = words[idx].lower() + for number in STR_NUM: + if number in word: + if word in ["point", "and"]: + if 0 < idx and (idx - 1) in num_idx: + num_idx.append(idx) + else: + num_idx.append(idx) + break + + if word.isdigit(): + num_words.append([[idx], word]) + + # cluster adjacent indexes to get whole number + num_idx = [list(group) for group in mit.consecutive_groups(num_idx)] + num_words += idx_to_words(num_idx, words) + + # replace original numbers with new numbers + transformed_texts = [] + for idx, word in num_words: + replacement_words = self._get_new_number(word) + for r in replacement_words: + if r == word: + continue + text = current_text.replace_word_at_index(idx[0], str(r)) + if len(idx) > 1: + index = idx[1] + for i in idx[1:]: + text = text.delete_word_at_index(index) + transformed_texts.append(text) + return transformed_texts + + def _get_new_number(self, word): + """Given a word, try altering the value if the word is a number return + in digits if word is given in digit, return in alphabetical form if + word is given in alphabetical form.""" + + if word.isdigit(): + num = float(word) + return self._alter_number(num) + else: + try: + num = w2n.word_to_num(word) + num_list = self._alter_number(num) + return [num2words(n) for n in num_list] + except (ValueError, IndexError): + return [] + + def _alter_number(self, num): + """helper function of _get_new_number, replace a number with another + random number within the range of self.max_change.""" + if num not in [0, 2, 4]: + change = int(num * self.max_change) + 1 + if num >= 0: + num_list = np.random.randint(max(num - change, 1), num + change, self.n) + else: + num_list = np.random.randint(num - change, min(0, num + change), self.n) + return num_list + return [] + + +STR_NUM = [ + "zero", + "one", + "two", + "three", + "four", + "five", + "six", + "seven", + "eight", + "nine", + "ten", + "eleven", + "twelve", + "thirteen", + "fourteen", + "fifteen", + "sixteen", + "seventeen", + "eighteen", + "nineteen", + "twenty", + "thirty", + "forty", + "fifty", + "sixty", + "seventy", + "eighty", + "ninety", + "hundred", + "thousand", + "million", + "billion", + "point", + "and", +] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_contract.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_contract.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..115f2a5d1eb8525a54cea31b499af9a3730cdb71 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_contract.py @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Contraction +------------------------------- +""" + +from textattack.shared.data import EXTENSION_MAP + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapContract(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by performing contraction on recognized + combinations.""" + + reverse_contraction_map = {v: k for k, v in EXTENSION_MAP.items()} + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Return all possible transformed sentences, each with one + contraction. + + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapContract + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapContract() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am 12 years old.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + transformed_texts = [] + + words = current_text.words + indices_to_modify = sorted(indices_to_modify) + + # search for every 2-words combination in reverse_contraction_map + for idx, word_idx in enumerate(indices_to_modify[:-1]): + next_idx = indices_to_modify[idx + 1] + if (idx + 1) != next_idx: + continue + word = words[word_idx] + next_word = words[next_idx] + + # generating the words to search for + key = " ".join([word, next_word]) + + # when a possible contraction is found in map, contract the current text + if key in self.reverse_contraction_map: + transformed_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index( + idx, self.reverse_contraction_map[key] + ) + transformed_text = transformed_text.delete_word_at_index(next_idx) + transformed_texts.append(transformed_text) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_embedding.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_embedding.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..386cddc3f65d21587550ae5e146636d8d506c64e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_embedding.py @@ -0,0 +1,77 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Embedding +------------------------------- + +Based on paper: ``_ + +Paper title: Counter-fitting Word Vectors to Linguistic Constraints + +""" +from textattack.shared import AbstractWordEmbedding, WordEmbedding + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapEmbedding(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with synonyms in the word + embedding space. + + Args: + max_candidates (int): maximum number of synonyms to pick + embedding (textattack.shared.AbstractWordEmbedding): Wrapper for word embedding + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapEmbedding + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapEmbedding() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__(self, max_candidates=15, embedding=None, **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + if embedding is None: + embedding = WordEmbedding.counterfitted_GLOVE_embedding() + self.max_candidates = max_candidates + if not isinstance(embedding, AbstractWordEmbedding): + raise ValueError( + "`embedding` object must be of type `textattack.shared.AbstractWordEmbedding`." + ) + self.embedding = embedding + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a list of possible 'candidate words' to replace a word in a + sentence or phrase. + + Based on nearest neighbors selected word embeddings. + """ + try: + word_id = self.embedding.word2index(word.lower()) + nnids = self.embedding.nearest_neighbours(word_id, self.max_candidates) + candidate_words = [] + for i, nbr_id in enumerate(nnids): + nbr_word = self.embedding.index2word(nbr_id) + candidate_words.append(recover_word_case(nbr_word, word)) + return candidate_words + except KeyError: + # This word is not in our word embedding database, so return an empty list. + return [] + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_candidates", "embedding"] + + +def recover_word_case(word, reference_word): + """Makes the case of `word` like the case of `reference_word`. + + Supports lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalized. + """ + if reference_word.islower(): + return word.lower() + elif reference_word.isupper() and len(reference_word) > 1: + return word.upper() + elif reference_word[0].isupper() and reference_word[1:].islower(): + return word.capitalize() + else: + # if other, just do not alter the word's case + return word diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_extend.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_extend.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..779b34b577fb1372d619eecbb3b21c9252a36719 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_extend.py @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Extension +------------------------------- +""" + +from textattack.shared.data import EXTENSION_MAP + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapExtend(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by performing extension on recognized + combinations.""" + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Return all possible transformed sentences, each with one extension. + + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapExtend + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapExtend() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = '''I'm fabulous''' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + transformed_texts = [] + words = current_text.words + for idx in indices_to_modify: + word = words[idx] + # expend when word in map + if word in EXTENSION_MAP: + expanded = EXTENSION_MAP[word] + transformed_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index(idx, expanded) + transformed_texts.append(transformed_text) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_gradient_based.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_gradient_based.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0d12fa1877c1e6063a0516f41031dc0d181f4441 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_gradient_based.py @@ -0,0 +1,121 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Gradient +------------------------------- + +""" +import torch + +import textattack +from textattack.shared import utils +from textattack.shared.validators import validate_model_gradient_word_swap_compatibility + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapGradientBased(WordSwap): + """Uses the model's gradient to suggest replacements for a given word. + + Based off of HotFlip: White-Box Adversarial Examples for Text + Classification (Ebrahimi et al., 2018). + https://arxiv.org/pdf/1712.06751.pdf + + Arguments: + model (nn.Module): The model to attack. Model must have a + `word_embeddings` matrix and `convert_id_to_word` function. + top_n (int): the number of top words to return at each index + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapGradientBased + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapGradientBased() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__(self, model_wrapper, top_n=1): + # Unwrap model wrappers. Need raw model for gradient. + if not isinstance(model_wrapper, textattack.models.wrappers.ModelWrapper): + raise TypeError(f"Got invalid model wrapper type {type(model_wrapper)}") + self.model = model_wrapper.model + self.model_wrapper = model_wrapper + self.tokenizer = self.model_wrapper.tokenizer + # Make sure we know how to compute the gradient for this model. + validate_model_gradient_word_swap_compatibility(self.model) + # Make sure this model has all of the required properties. + if not hasattr(self.model, "get_input_embeddings"): + raise ValueError( + "Model needs word embedding matrix for gradient-based word swap" + ) + if not hasattr(self.tokenizer, "pad_token_id") and self.tokenizer.pad_token_id: + raise ValueError( + "Tokenizer needs to have `pad_token_id` for gradient-based word swap" + ) + + self.top_n = top_n + self.is_black_box = False + + def _get_replacement_words_by_grad(self, attacked_text, indices_to_replace): + """Returns returns a list containing all possible words to replace + `word` with, based off of the model's gradient. + + Arguments: + attacked_text (AttackedText): The full text input to perturb + word_index (int): index of the word to replace + """ + + lookup_table = self.model.get_input_embeddings().weight.data.cpu() + + grad_output = self.model_wrapper.get_grad(attacked_text.tokenizer_input) + emb_grad = torch.tensor(grad_output["gradient"]) + text_ids = grad_output["ids"] + # grad differences between all flips and original word (eq. 1 from paper) + vocab_size = lookup_table.size(0) + diffs = torch.zeros(len(indices_to_replace), vocab_size) + indices_to_replace = list(indices_to_replace) + + for j, word_idx in enumerate(indices_to_replace): + # Make sure the word is in bounds. + if word_idx >= len(emb_grad): + continue + # Get the grad w.r.t the one-hot index of the word. + b_grads = lookup_table.mv(emb_grad[word_idx]).squeeze() + a_grad = b_grads[text_ids[word_idx]] + diffs[j] = b_grads - a_grad + + # Don't change to the pad token. + diffs[:, self.tokenizer.pad_token_id] = float("-inf") + + # Find best indices within 2-d tensor by flattening. + word_idxs_sorted_by_grad = (-diffs).flatten().argsort() + + candidates = [] + num_words_in_text, num_words_in_vocab = diffs.shape + for idx in word_idxs_sorted_by_grad.tolist(): + idx_in_diffs = idx // num_words_in_vocab + idx_in_vocab = idx % (num_words_in_vocab) + idx_in_sentence = indices_to_replace[idx_in_diffs] + word = self.tokenizer.convert_id_to_word(idx_in_vocab) + if (not utils.has_letter(word)) or (len(utils.words_from_text(word)) != 1): + # Do not consider words that are solely letters or punctuation. + continue + candidates.append((word, idx_in_sentence)) + if len(candidates) == self.top_n: + break + + return candidates + + def _get_transformations(self, attacked_text, indices_to_replace): + """Returns a list of all possible transformations for `text`. + + If indices_to_replace is set, only replaces words at those + indices. + """ + transformations = [] + for word, idx in self._get_replacement_words_by_grad( + attacked_text, indices_to_replace + ): + transformations.append(attacked_text.replace_word_at_index(idx, word)) + return transformations + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["top_n"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_homoglyph_swap.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_homoglyph_swap.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..34a642977e16e5687f6aa412f8ac7db660d2c501 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_homoglyph_swap.py @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Homoglyph +------------------------------- +""" +import numpy as np + +# from textattack.shared import utils +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapHomoglyphSwap(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with visually similar words + using homoglyph swaps. + + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapHomoglyphSwap + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapHomoglyphSwap() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__(self, random_one=False, **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.homos = { + "-": "˗", + "9": "৭", + "8": "Ȣ", + "7": "𝟕", + "6": "б", + "5": "Ƽ", + "4": "Ꮞ", + "3": "Ʒ", + "2": "ᒿ", + "1": "l", + "0": "O", + "'": "`", + "a": "ɑ", + "b": "Ь", + "c": "ϲ", + "d": "ԁ", + "e": "е", + "f": "𝚏", + "g": "ɡ", + "h": "հ", + "i": "і", + "j": "ϳ", + "k": "𝒌", + "l": "ⅼ", + "m": "ｍ", + "n": "ո", + "o": "о", + "p": "р", + "q": "ԛ", + "r": "ⲅ", + "s": "ѕ", + "t": "𝚝", + "u": "ս", + "v": "ѵ", + "w": "ԝ", + "x": "×", + "y": "у", + "z": "ᴢ", + } + self.random_one = random_one + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a list containing all possible words with 1 character + replaced by a homoglyph.""" + candidate_words = [] + + if self.random_one: + i = np.random.randint(0, len(word)) + if word[i] in self.homos: + repl_letter = self.homos[word[i]] + candidate_word = word[:i] + repl_letter + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(len(word)): + if word[i] in self.homos: + repl_letter = self.homos[word[i]] + candidate_word = word[:i] + repl_letter + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_hownet.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_hownet.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1738e60c56483f139bbd0f5aac3d5932d086cc5a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_hownet.py @@ -0,0 +1,99 @@ +""" +Word Swap by OpenHowNet +------------------------------- +""" + + +import pickle + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapHowNet(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with synonyms in the stored + synonyms bank generated by the OpenHowNet.""" + + PATH = "transformations/hownet" + + def __init__(self, max_candidates=-1, **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.max_candidates = max_candidates + + # Download synonym candidates bank if they're not cached. + cache_path = utils.download_from_s3( + "{}/{}".format(WordSwapHowNet.PATH, "word_candidates_sense.pkl") + ) + + # Actually load the files from disk. + with open(cache_path, "rb") as fp: + self.candidates_bank = pickle.load(fp) + + self.pos_dict = {"ADJ": "adj", "NOUN": "noun", "ADV": "adv", "VERB": "verb"} + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word, word_pos): + """Returns a list of possible 'candidate words' to replace a word in a + sentence or phrase. + + Based on nearest neighbors selected word embeddings. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapHowNet + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapHowNet() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + word_pos = self.pos_dict.get(word_pos, None) + if word_pos is None: + return [] + + try: + candidate_words = self.candidates_bank[word.lower()][word_pos] + if self.max_candidates > 0: + candidate_words = candidate_words[: self.max_candidates] + return [ + recover_word_case(candidate_word, word) + for candidate_word in candidate_words + ] + except KeyError: + # This word is not in our synonym bank, so return an empty list. + return [] + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + for i in indices_to_modify: + word_to_replace = current_text.words[i] + word_to_replace_pos = current_text.pos_of_word_index(i) + replacement_words = self._get_replacement_words( + word_to_replace, word_to_replace_pos + ) + transformed_texts_idx = [] + for r in replacement_words: + if r != word_to_replace and utils.is_one_word(r): + transformed_texts_idx.append( + current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, r) + ) + transformed_texts.extend(transformed_texts_idx) + + return transformed_texts + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return ["max_candidates"] + + +def recover_word_case(word, reference_word): + """Makes the case of `word` like the case of `reference_word`. + + Supports lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalized. + """ + if reference_word.islower(): + return word.lower() + elif reference_word.isupper() and len(reference_word) > 1: + return word.upper() + elif reference_word[0].isupper() and reference_word[1:].islower(): + return word.capitalize() + else: + # if other, just do not alter the word's case + return word diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_inflections.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_inflections.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..da238036d02728a9fef11cec66df3a7c3542fb6a --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_inflections.py @@ -0,0 +1,98 @@ +""" +Word Swap by inflections +------------------------------- + + +""" + + +import random + +import lemminflect + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapInflections(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with their inflections. + + For example, the inflections of 'schedule' are {'schedule', 'schedules', 'scheduling'}. + + Base on ``It’s Morphin’ Time! Combating Linguistic Discrimination with Inflectional Perturbations``. + + `Paper URL`_ + + .. _Paper URL: https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/2020.acl-main.263.pdf + """ + + def __init__(self, **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + # fine-grained en-ptb POS to universal POS mapping + # (mapping info: https://github.com/slavpetrov/universal-pos-tags) + self._enptb_to_universal = { + "JJRJR": "ADJ", + "VBN": "VERB", + "VBP": "VERB", + "JJ": "ADJ", + "VBZ": "VERB", + "VBG": "VERB", + "NN": "NOUN", + "VBD": "VERB", + "NP": "NOUN", + "NNP": "NOUN", + "VB": "VERB", + "NNS": "NOUN", + "VP": "VERB", + "TO": "VERB", + "SYM": "NOUN", + "MD": "VERB", + "NNPS": "NOUN", + "JJS": "ADJ", + "JJR": "ADJ", + "RB": "ADJ", + } + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word, word_part_of_speech): + # only nouns, verbs, and adjectives are considered for replacement + if word_part_of_speech not in self._enptb_to_universal: + return [] + + # gets a dict that maps part-of-speech (POS) to available lemmas + replacement_inflections_dict = lemminflect.getAllLemmas(word) + + # if dict is empty, there are no replacements for this word + if not replacement_inflections_dict: + return [] + + # map the fine-grained POS to a universal POS + lemminflect_pos = self._enptb_to_universal[word_part_of_speech] + + # choose lemma with same POS, if ones exists; otherwise, choose lemma randomly + if lemminflect_pos in replacement_inflections_dict: + lemma = replacement_inflections_dict[lemminflect_pos][0] + else: + lemma = random.choice(list(replacement_inflections_dict.values()))[0] + + # get the available inflections for chosen lemma + inflections = lemminflect.getAllInflections( + lemma, upos=lemminflect_pos + ).values() + + # merge tuples, remove duplicates, remove copy of the original word + replacement_words = list(set([infl for tup in inflections for infl in tup])) + replacement_words = [r for r in replacement_words if r != word] + + return replacement_words + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + transformed_texts = [] + for i in indices_to_modify: + word_to_replace = current_text.words[i] + word_to_replace_pos = current_text.pos_of_word_index(i) + replacement_words = ( + self._get_replacement_words(word_to_replace, word_to_replace_pos) or [] + ) + for r in replacement_words: + transformed_texts.append(current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, r)) + + return transformed_texts diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_masked_lm.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_masked_lm.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e031f0ea7dfef3f360dfb017a92fd3c2e4d5241b --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_masked_lm.py @@ -0,0 +1,327 @@ +""" +Word Swap by BERT-Masked LM. +------------------------------- +""" + + +import itertools +import re + +import torch +from transformers import AutoModelForMaskedLM, AutoTokenizer + +from textattack.shared import utils + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapMaskedLM(WordSwap): + """Generate potential replacements for a word using a masked language + model. + + Based off of following papers + - "Robustness to Modification with Shared Words in Paraphrase Identification" (Shi et al., 2019) https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.02560 + - "BAE: BERT-based Adversarial Examples for Text Classification" (Garg et al., 2020) https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.01970 + - "BERT-ATTACK: Adversarial Attack Against BERT Using BERT" (Li et al, 2020) https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.09984 + - "CLARE: Contextualized Perturbation for Textual Adversarial Attack" (Li et al, 2020): https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07502 + + BAE and CLARE simply masks the word we want to replace and selects replacements predicted by the masked language model. + + BERT-Attack instead performs replacement on token level. For words that are consisted of two or more sub-word tokens, + it takes the top-K replacements for seach sub-word token and produces all possible combinations of the top replacments. + Then, it selects the top-K combinations based on their perplexity calculated using the masked language model. + + Choose which method to use by specifying "bae" or "bert-attack" for `method` argument. + + Args: + method (str): the name of replacement method (e.g. "bae", "bert-attack") + masked_language_model (Union[str|transformers.AutoModelForMaskedLM]): Either the name of pretrained masked language model from `transformers` model hub + or the actual model. Default is `bert-base-uncased`. + tokenizer (obj): The tokenizer of the corresponding model. If you passed in name of a pretrained model for `masked_language_model`, + you can skip this argument as the correct tokenizer can be infered from the name. However, if you're passing the actual model, you must + provide a tokenizer. + max_length (int): the max sequence length the masked language model is designed to work with. Default is 512. + window_size (int): The number of surrounding words to include when making top word prediction. + For each word to swap, we take `window_size // 2` words to the left and `window_size // 2` words to the right and pass the text within the window + to the masked language model. Default is `float("inf")`, which is equivalent to using the whole text. + max_candidates (int): maximum number of candidates to consider as replacements for each word. Replacements are ranked by model's confidence. + min_confidence (float): minimum confidence threshold each replacement word must pass. + batch_size (int): Size of batch for "bae" replacement method. + """ + + def __init__( + self, + method="bae", + masked_language_model="bert-base-uncased", + tokenizer=None, + max_length=512, + window_size=float("inf"), + max_candidates=50, + min_confidence=5e-4, + batch_size=16, + **kwargs, + ): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.method = method + self.max_length = max_length + self.window_size = window_size + self.max_candidates = max_candidates + self.min_confidence = min_confidence + self.batch_size = batch_size + + if isinstance(masked_language_model, str): + self._language_model = AutoModelForMaskedLM.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained( + masked_language_model, use_fast=True + ) + else: + self._language_model = masked_language_model + if tokenizer is None: + raise ValueError( + "`tokenizer` argument must be provided when passing an actual model as `masked_language_model`." + ) + self._lm_tokenizer = tokenizer + self._language_model.to(utils.device) + self._language_model.eval() + self.masked_lm_name = self._language_model.__class__.__name__ + + def _encode_text(self, text): + """Encodes ``text`` using an ``AutoTokenizer``, ``self._lm_tokenizer``. + + Returns a ``dict`` where keys are strings (like 'input_ids') and + values are ``torch.Tensor``s. Moves tensors to the same device + as the language model. + """ + encoding = self._lm_tokenizer( + text, + max_length=self.max_length, + truncation=True, + padding="max_length", + return_tensors="pt", + ) + return encoding.to(utils.device) + + def _bae_replacement_words(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + """Get replacement words for the word we want to replace using BAE + method. + + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Text we want to get replacements for. + index (int): index of word we want to replace + """ + masked_texts = [] + for index in indices_to_modify: + masked_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index( + index, self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token + ) + masked_texts.append(masked_text.text) + + i = 0 + # 2-D list where for each index to modify we have a list of replacement words + replacement_words = [] + while i < len(masked_texts): + inputs = self._encode_text(masked_texts[i : i + self.batch_size]) + ids = inputs["input_ids"].tolist() + with torch.no_grad(): + preds = self._language_model(**inputs)[0] + + for j in range(len(ids)): + try: + # Need try-except b/c mask-token located past max_length might be truncated by tokenizer + masked_index = ids[j].index(self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token_id) + except ValueError: + replacement_words.append([]) + continue + + mask_token_logits = preds[j, masked_index] + mask_token_probs = torch.softmax(mask_token_logits, dim=0) + ranked_indices = torch.argsort(mask_token_probs, descending=True) + top_words = [] + for _id in ranked_indices: + _id = _id.item() + word = self._lm_tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(_id) + if utils.check_if_subword( + word, + self._language_model.config.model_type, + (masked_index == 1), + ): + word = utils.strip_BPE_artifacts( + word, self._language_model.config.model_type + ) + if ( + mask_token_probs[_id] >= self.min_confidence + and utils.is_one_word(word) + and not utils.check_if_punctuations(word) + ): + top_words.append(word) + + if ( + len(top_words) >= self.max_candidates + or mask_token_probs[_id] < self.min_confidence + ): + break + + replacement_words.append(top_words) + + i += self.batch_size + + return replacement_words + + def _bert_attack_replacement_words( + self, + current_text, + index, + id_preds, + masked_lm_logits, + ): + """Get replacement words for the word we want to replace using BERT- + Attack method. + + Args: + current_text (AttackedText): Text we want to get replacements for. + index (int): index of word we want to replace + id_preds (torch.Tensor): N x K tensor of top-K ids for each token-position predicted by the masked language model. + N is equivalent to `self.max_length`. + masked_lm_logits (torch.Tensor): N x V tensor of the raw logits outputted by the masked language model. + N is equivlaent to `self.max_length` and V is dictionary size of masked language model. + """ + # We need to find which BPE tokens belong to the word we want to replace + masked_text = current_text.replace_word_at_index( + index, self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token + ) + current_inputs = self._encode_text(masked_text.text) + current_ids = current_inputs["input_ids"].tolist()[0] + word_tokens = self._lm_tokenizer.encode( + current_text.words[index], add_special_tokens=False + ) + + try: + # Need try-except b/c mask-token located past max_length might be truncated by tokenizer + masked_index = current_ids.index(self._lm_tokenizer.mask_token_id) + except ValueError: + return [] + + # List of indices of tokens that are part of the target word + target_ids_pos = list( + range(masked_index, min(masked_index + len(word_tokens), self.max_length)) + ) + + if not len(target_ids_pos): + return [] + elif len(target_ids_pos) == 1: + # Word to replace is tokenized as a single word + top_preds = id_preds[target_ids_pos[0]].tolist() + replacement_words = [] + for id in top_preds: + token = self._lm_tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(id) + if utils.is_one_word(token) and not utils.check_if_subword( + token, self._language_model.config.model_type, index == 0 + ): + replacement_words.append(token) + return replacement_words + else: + # Word to replace is tokenized as multiple sub-words + top_preds = [id_preds[i] for i in target_ids_pos] + products = itertools.product(*top_preds) + combination_results = [] + # Original BERT-Attack implement uses cross-entropy loss + cross_entropy_loss = torch.nn.CrossEntropyLoss(reduction="none") + target_ids_pos_tensor = torch.tensor(target_ids_pos) + word_tensor = torch.zeros(len(target_ids_pos), dtype=torch.long) + for bpe_tokens in products: + for i in range(len(bpe_tokens)): + word_tensor[i] = bpe_tokens[i] + + logits = torch.index_select(masked_lm_logits, 0, target_ids_pos_tensor) + loss = cross_entropy_loss(logits, word_tensor) + perplexity = torch.exp(torch.mean(loss, dim=0)).item() + word = "".join( + self._lm_tokenizer.convert_ids_to_tokens(word_tensor) + ).replace("##", "") + if utils.is_one_word(word): + combination_results.append((word, perplexity)) + # Sort to get top-K results + sorted(combination_results, key=lambda x: x[1]) + top_replacements = [ + x[0] for x in combination_results[: self.max_candidates] + ] + return top_replacements + + def _get_transformations(self, current_text, indices_to_modify): + indices_to_modify = list(indices_to_modify) + if self.method == "bert-attack": + current_inputs = self._encode_text(current_text.text) + with torch.no_grad(): + pred_probs = self._language_model(**current_inputs)[0][0] + top_probs, top_ids = torch.topk(pred_probs, self.max_candidates) + id_preds = top_ids.cpu() + masked_lm_logits = pred_probs.cpu() + + transformed_texts = [] + + for i in indices_to_modify: + word_at_index = current_text.words[i] + replacement_words = self._bert_attack_replacement_words( + current_text, + i, + id_preds=id_preds, + masked_lm_logits=masked_lm_logits, + ) + + for r in replacement_words: + r = r.strip("Ġ") + if r != word_at_index: + transformed_texts.append( + current_text.replace_word_at_index(i, r) + ) + + return transformed_texts + + elif self.method == "bae": + replacement_words = self._bae_replacement_words( + current_text, indices_to_modify + ) + transformed_texts = [] + for i in range(len(replacement_words)): + index_to_modify = indices_to_modify[i] + word_at_index = current_text.words[index_to_modify] + for word in replacement_words[i]: + word = word.strip("Ġ") + if ( + word != word_at_index + and re.search("[a-zA-Z]", word) + and len(utils.words_from_text(word)) == 1 + ): + transformed_texts.append( + current_text.replace_word_at_index(index_to_modify, word) + ) + return transformed_texts + else: + raise ValueError(f"Unrecognized value {self.method} for `self.method`.") + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return [ + "method", + "masked_lm_name", + "max_length", + "max_candidates", + "min_confidence", + ] + + +def recover_word_case(word, reference_word): + """Makes the case of `word` like the case of `reference_word`. + + Supports lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalized. + """ + if reference_word.islower(): + return word.lower() + elif reference_word.isupper() and len(reference_word) > 1: + return word.upper() + elif reference_word[0].isupper() and reference_word[1:].islower(): + return word.capitalize() + else: + # if other, just do not alter the word's case + return word diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_neighboring_character_swap.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_neighboring_character_swap.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c15bd50cbdaed2e73a49dbdb1cfcf353034fc6d8 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_neighboring_character_swap.py @@ -0,0 +1,70 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Neighboring Character Swap +----------------------------------------- +""" + +import numpy as np + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with a neighboring character + swap. + + Args: + random_one (bool): Whether to return a single word with two characters + swapped. If not, returns all possible options. + skip_first_char (bool): Whether to disregard perturbing the first + character. + skip_last_char (bool): Whether to disregard perturbing the last + character. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapNeighboringCharacterSwap() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__( + self, random_one=True, skip_first_char=False, skip_last_char=False, **kwargs + ): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.random_one = random_one + self.skip_first_char = skip_first_char + self.skip_last_char = skip_last_char + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns a list containing all possible words with 1 pair of + neighboring characters swapped.""" + + if len(word) <= 1: + return [] + + candidate_words = [] + + start_idx = 1 if self.skip_first_char else 0 + end_idx = (len(word) - 2) if self.skip_last_char else (len(word) - 1) + + if start_idx >= end_idx: + return [] + + if self.random_one: + i = np.random.randint(start_idx, end_idx) + candidate_word = word[:i] + word[i + 1] + word[i] + word[i + 2 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(start_idx, end_idx): + candidate_word = word[:i] + word[i + 1] + word[i] + word[i + 2 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() + ["random_one"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_qwerty.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_qwerty.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1bdec2a9e04923d9c8c3c78d09f7d4134f4032b2 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_qwerty.py @@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +""" +Word Swap by swaps characters with QWERTY adjacent keys +---------------------------------------------------------- +""" + +import random + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapQWERTY(WordSwap): + def __init__( + self, random_one=True, skip_first_char=False, skip_last_char=False, **kwargs + ): + """A transformation that swaps characters with adjacent keys on a + QWERTY keyboard, replicating the kind of errors that come from typing + too quickly. + + :param random_one: Whether to return a single (random) swap, or all possible swaps. + :param skip_first_char: When True, do not modify the first character of each word. + :param skip_last_char: When True, do not modify the last character of each word. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapQWERTY + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapQWERT() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.random_one = random_one + self.skip_first_char = skip_first_char + self.skip_last_char = skip_last_char + + self._keyboard_adjacency = { + "q": [ + "w", + "a", + "s", + ], + "w": ["q", "e", "a", "s", "d"], + "e": ["w", "s", "d", "f", "r"], + "r": ["e", "d", "f", "g", "t"], + "t": ["r", "f", "g", "h", "y"], + "y": ["t", "g", "h", "j", "u"], + "u": ["y", "h", "j", "k", "i"], + "i": ["u", "j", "k", "l", "o"], + "o": ["i", "k", "l", "p"], + "p": ["o", "l"], + "a": ["q", "w", "s", "z", "x"], + "s": ["q", "w", "e", "a", "d", "z", "x"], + "d": ["w", "e", "r", "f", "c", "x", "s"], + "f": ["e", "r", "t", "g", "v", "c", "d"], + "g": ["r", "t", "y", "h", "b", "v", "d"], + "h": ["t", "y", "u", "g", "j", "b", "n"], + "j": ["y", "u", "i", "k", "m", "n", "h"], + "k": ["u", "i", "o", "l", "m", "j"], + "l": ["i", "o", "p", "k"], + "z": ["a", "s", "x"], + "x": ["s", "d", "z", "c"], + "c": ["x", "d", "f", "v"], + "v": ["c", "f", "g", "b"], + "b": ["v", "g", "h", "n"], + "n": ["b", "h", "j", "m"], + "m": ["n", "j", "k"], + } + + def _get_adjacent(self, s): + s_lower = s.lower() + if s_lower in self._keyboard_adjacency: + adjacent_keys = self._keyboard_adjacency.get(s_lower, []) + if s.isupper(): + return [key.upper() for key in adjacent_keys] + else: + return adjacent_keys + else: + return [] + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + if len(word) <= 1: + return [] + + candidate_words = [] + + start_idx = 1 if self.skip_first_char else 0 + end_idx = len(word) - (1 + self.skip_last_char) + + if start_idx >= end_idx: + return [] + + if self.random_one: + i = random.randrange(start_idx, end_idx + 1) + candidate_word = ( + word[:i] + random.choice(self._get_adjacent(word[i])) + word[i + 1 :] + ) + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(start_idx, end_idx + 1): + for swap_key in self._get_adjacent(word[i]): + candidate_word = word[:i] + swap_key + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_deletion.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_deletion.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1cff854d14647d4175f63813cea54980e44e46c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_deletion.py @@ -0,0 +1,69 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Random Character Deletion +--------------------------------------- +""" + +import numpy as np + +# from textattack.shared import utils +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by deleting its characters. + + Args: + random_one (bool): Whether to return a single word with a random + character deleted. If not, returns all possible options. + skip_first_char (bool): Whether to disregard deleting the first + character. + skip_last_char (bool): Whether to disregard deleting the last + character. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapRandomCharacterDeletion() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__( + self, random_one=True, skip_first_char=False, skip_last_char=False, **kwargs + ): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.random_one = random_one + self.skip_first_char = skip_first_char + self.skip_last_char = skip_last_char + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns returns a list containing all possible words with 1 letter + deleted.""" + if len(word) <= 1: + return [] + + candidate_words = [] + + start_idx = 1 if self.skip_first_char else 0 + end_idx = (len(word) - 1) if self.skip_last_char else len(word) + + if start_idx >= end_idx: + return [] + + if self.random_one: + i = np.random.randint(start_idx, end_idx) + candidate_word = word[:i] + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(start_idx, end_idx): + candidate_word = word[:i] + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() + ["random_one"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_insertion.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_insertion.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..517e1bfd330bdbf444ed09b57d770e3b6386d68c --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_insertion.py @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Random Character Insertion +------------------------------------------------ + +""" +import numpy as np + +# from textattack.shared import utils +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by inserting a random character. + + random_one (bool): Whether to return a single word with a random + character deleted. If not, returns all possible options. + skip_first_char (bool): Whether to disregard inserting as the first + character. skip_last_char (bool): Whether to disregard inserting as + the last character. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapRandomCharacterInsertion() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__( + self, random_one=True, skip_first_char=False, skip_last_char=False, **kwargs + ): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.random_one = random_one + self.skip_first_char = skip_first_char + self.skip_last_char = skip_last_char + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns returns a list containing all possible words with 1 random + character inserted.""" + if len(word) <= 1: + return [] + + candidate_words = [] + + start_idx = 1 if self.skip_first_char else 0 + end_idx = (len(word) - 1) if self.skip_last_char else len(word) + + if start_idx >= end_idx: + return [] + + if self.random_one: + i = np.random.randint(start_idx, end_idx) + candidate_word = word[:i] + self._get_random_letter() + word[i:] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(start_idx, end_idx): + candidate_word = word[:i] + self._get_random_letter() + word[i:] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() + ["random_one"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_substitution.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_substitution.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..23c8427c83dd09ea3339d89d0efcb87df5fe1270 --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_random_character_substitution.py @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +""" +Word Swap by Random Character Substitution +------------------------------------------------ +""" +import numpy as np + +# from textattack.shared import utils +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing one character in a word with a random + new character. + + Args: + random_one (bool): Whether to return a single word with a random + character deleted. If not set, returns all possible options. + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapRandomCharacterSubstitution() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__(self, random_one=True, **kwargs): + super().__init__(**kwargs) + self.random_one = random_one + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word): + """Returns returns a list containing all possible words with 1 letter + substituted for a random letter.""" + if len(word) <= 1: + return [] + + candidate_words = [] + + if self.random_one: + i = np.random.randint(0, len(word)) + candidate_word = word[:i] + self._get_random_letter() + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + else: + for i in range(len(word)): + candidate_word = word[:i] + self._get_random_letter() + word[i + 1 :] + candidate_words.append(candidate_word) + + return candidate_words + + @property + def deterministic(self): + return not self.random_one + + def extra_repr_keys(self): + return super().extra_repr_keys() + ["random_one"] diff --git a/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_wordnet.py b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_wordnet.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5dfa1c18270ea97c9a11a245b954acea9baf590e --- /dev/null +++ b/textattack/transformations/word_swaps/word_swap_wordnet.py @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +""" +Word Swap by swapping synonyms in WordNet +------------------------------------------------ +""" + + +import nltk +from nltk.corpus import wordnet + +import textattack + +from .word_swap import WordSwap + + +class WordSwapWordNet(WordSwap): + """Transforms an input by replacing its words with synonyms provided by + WordNet. + + >>> from textattack.transformations import WordSwapWordNet + >>> from textattack.augmentation import Augmenter + + >>> transformation = WordSwapWordNet() + >>> augmenter = Augmenter(transformation=transformation) + >>> s = 'I am fabulous.' + >>> augmenter.augment(s) + """ + + def __init__(self, language="eng"): + nltk.download("omw-1.4") + if language not in wordnet.langs(): + raise ValueError(f"Language {language} not one of {wordnet.langs()}") + self.language = language + + def _get_replacement_words(self, word, random=False): + """Returns a list containing all possible words with 1 character + replaced by a homoglyph.""" + synonyms = set() + for syn in wordnet.synsets(word, lang=self.language): + for syn_word in syn.lemma_names(lang=self.language): + if ( + (syn_word != word) + and ("_" not in syn_word) + and (textattack.shared.utils.is_one_word(syn_word)) + ): + # WordNet can suggest phrases that are joined by '_' but we ignore phrases. + synonyms.add(syn_word) + return list(synonyms)